ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, October 28, 2071

WHITE RIVER'S LUCAS IS TU KING OF THE HILL
Everything went right this year for 27-year-old Ken Lucas of the White River Rascals... his club made shambles of the Tycobbian North Division, winning it by 16 games... they finished the season 97-57... Lucas played a dynamic part of that overwhelming success with a marvelous 22-7 record, that led the entire Islandian Pro Alliance in wins with a strong 2.65 ERA in 31 starts, 238 innings, 179 Ks, 4 shutouts and 22 quality starts... those numbers boosted Lucas to the 2071 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award, given to the pitcher of the year... second in the voting was Skippy Mulroy of the Turon Typhoons and third was was Mulroy's Typhoons teammate Ivan Malek.

Lucas has really bloomed the last two seasons... his first three years were pedestrian with a 24-25 record, though his rookie year was outstanding with a 16-6 mark... he slumped badly the next two seasons... then Lucas kicked it up into high gear with 15-3 record last season and kept on rolling into this season... in his 5 years in the IPA Lucas is now 61-35 with a career 2.89 ERA.

Mulroy has never had a bad year in the IPA... in 3 seasons he is 52-15 overall with a spectacular 2.29 ERA... this season Mulroy once again shined on the hill with a 17-3 record and a low 2.29 ERA... his Turon Typhoons posted more victories than any other IPA team, going 104-50 and easily winning the TU South Division.

Mulroy's teammate Ivan Malek has never had a bad year, either... at age 24 he is 50-21 lifetime with a standout 2.70 ERA... this season Malek was 17-4 with a 2.42 ERA in 28 starts and 201 innings.

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, October 29

TOP RUTHLANDIAN AND TYCOBBIAN ROOKIES CHOSEN BY IPA SPORTWRITERS AND BROADCASTERS -- CLAXTON'S NORTHROP AND SOUTHPORT'S HICKMAN 2071 SELECTIONS
The Islandian Pro Alliance sports reporters have chosen the top freshmen players of the year... Jon Northrop of Claxton had been lauded as the 2071 Ruthlandiand Union Rookie of the Year and Bucky Hickman of Southport has been hailed as the 2071 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year.

NORTHRUP BEST RUTHLANDIAN NEWCOMER
Northrop was the top newcomer in the Ruthlandian Union... the runner-up was Taranto hurler Marcello Rossi... in the third spot was Volusia center fielder Benito Santana.

Jon Northrop easily stood out with 140 games played, .310 BA, 184 hits, 8 home runs, 63 RBIs, 94 runs scored and 30 stolen bases... however, his Claxton Diamonds did not do well... they finished a lackluster 75-79 this year.

Rossi helped the Taranto Tars to a strong season with a 94-60 record, good for 2nd place in the RU North Division... at age 22, Rossi compiled a 12-11 mark with a fine 2.90 ERA in 202 innings pitched... he started 26 games.

Santana was a excellent defender in center field... the 24-year-old outfielder had a modest year with the bat... in 122 games he collected 123 hits with 27 doubles, 6 triples, 10 homers, 58 ribbies, 64 runs and 13 stolen bases... his Volusia Vigilantes claimed the RU West pennant.

TU TOP FRESHMAN IS HICKMAN
Bucky Hickman is a tall 6'5" portsider for the Southport Sun Sox... he was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dismal season for the Sun Sox (79-75), who finished 4th in the TU South (25 GB)... in his rookie season this year's best Tycobbian rookie performer fashioned a 12-8 record in 25 starts and 175 innings with an impressive 2.83 ERA.

Another twirler Carl Shafer wound up second in the TU top rookie voting... he posted a 12-9 mark with a 3.36 ERA in 28 starts and 209 IP... his Denton City Redbirds were a subpar 74-80 this season, winding up a distant 5th in the TU West, 22 GB... the only position player to get any votes was left fielder Jonah Wright of the Southport Sun Sox... in 144 games he batted .261 with 144 hits, 22 doubles, 1 triple, 20 roundtrippers, 76 RBIs, 77 runs scored and stole 7 bases... Wright is 25.

2071 Ruthlandian Union Rookie Stars of the Year

[Eugene Church]

2071 Tycobbian Union Rookie Stars of the Year

[Eugene Church]

Friday, October 30, 2071

SCRIBES AND SPORTSCASTERS PICK JOSEPHSON AND TAKAGI AS TOP IPA MANAGERS FOR '71
In a super tight poll the Islands baseball sportswriters and sportscasters selected the managers of the year in the Islandian Pro Alliance... the 2071 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year Award went to Brock Josephson of the Belair Beach Sunbirds and the 2071 Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year Award honoree is Sogo Takagi of the Ginza Ninjas... it was Josephson's first time to receive the award... it was the 2nd time for Takagi, who won it initially in 2059.

Josephson beat out some other worthy RU skippers like Nioka Inkamara of Wynnamac, Don Ritchie of Valmara and Garry August of Colfax... Takagi outpolled several top-notch TU managers such as Turon's Nate Scottsdale, White River's Marty Blake, Tuckanarra's Quinn Starr and South Fork's Jay Murphy.

Currently in his 6th season as skipper, Brock Josephson first won the RU South last year with a 91-63 mark... his Sunbirds improved to 100-54 this year... coming in second in the best manager balloting was Nioka Inkamara... his Macs have won back-to-back pennants in the RU East... he upped his team's record from 99-55 in '70 to 103-51 this season... in the third spot was Don Ritchie of Valmara, who has twice gained the honor, in '57 and '61... Valmara won the RU North for the second year in a row... Ritchie's Vipers jumped from 97-57 to 101-53 this season... 4th in the RU top skipper award poll was Garry August of Colfax, who guided his club up from 8th place to 3rd place in the RU West race.. the Black Sox bettered their record from 55-99 and 39 games behind to 81-73 and just 5 games off the pace, a dramatic improvement.

It was a marvelous 14th season at the helm of the Ginza Ninjas for Sogo Takagi... his Karate Kids came in second place, 9 games back of Turon in the TU South this year with a 95-59 mark, much improved from 5th place and 71-83, 28 games off the pace the previous season... Nate Scottsdale had a great year with Southport... he captured his second straight pennant in the TU South with a splendid 104-50 record... that topped the '70 mark of 99-55... Tuckanarra manager Quinn Starr led his team up from 2nd place in '70 with a 91-63 record, 2 GB, to 97-57 and first place in the tough TU East... and South Fork manager Jay Murphy raised his record from 79-75 in 2070 to 94-60 this season, moving up from 3rd place and 14 games out to 2nd place in the TU East and just 3 games out of first place... 5th in the top manager competition was Marty Blake of White River... the Rascals have won the TU North the last two seasons, increasing their record from 96- 58 upwards to 97-57.

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, November 1, 2071

RUTHLANDIAN AND TYCOBBIAN GOLDEN GLOVERS NAMED
The top glovemen in the Islandian Pro Alliance were named today by the Islands' sportswriters and broadcasters... the 2071 Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Award and the 2071 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Award were presented to the best defenders in the Islands... there were a lot of new faces and names on the two squads... most of them first-time winners... in the Ruthlandian Union Claxton third baseman Andrew Woodfork picked up his 3rd trophy and Ranford center fielder Chris Kile was named for the second time... over in the Tycobbian Union Southport first sacker Sasha Osinski won his 3rd Golden Glove and Denton City shortstop Jay Coursey nabbed his second troply... all the rest were newcomers and named to the teams for the first time in their careers.

Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Team


Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Team

[Eugene Church]

IPA Golden Glove Multi-Year Winners

[Eugene Church]

Whew... that completeS 2071 Islandian Pro Alliance season.

I will get busy working on the new 2072 IPA season.

Thanks to all of you who continue to follow the IPA.
Your support is much appreciated.

A very special thanks to knuckler, who did most of the IPA team logos, jerseys and caps... knucker did 3 of the 4 above, the Bulls, Sun Sox and the Redbirds... and about 50 of the 64 teams overall... his graphics work really makes my league sparkle here on the Dynasty Forum... and also for me personally when I play out the playoff games... nice graphics really get me immersed in my fictional world.

Thank you, knuckler... it is great to see you posting again... do you have any interest in reworking all 64 IPA teams?

[Eugene Church]

I converted the Islandian Pro Alliance to OOTP22... hope all converted well... will soon find out.

The Boys of Summer are back in business in the Islands... the 72nd IPA season is coming to a ballpark near you !!

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

I converted the Islandian Pro Alliance to OOTP22... hope all converted well... will soon find out.

The Boys of Summer are back in business in the Islands... the 72nd IPA season is coming to a ballpark near you !!

Great! I'm sure you will enjoy the IPA in OOTP22 - it is worlds better than 21.

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, March 30, 2072

ISLANDS KICK OFF THE 72ND IPA SEASON THIS FRIDAY
Once again those gorgeous words "play ball" will be resonating all across the Islands... baseball is bustin' out all over as the 72nd season of the Islandian Pro Alliance and 64 teams gets started on Friday afternoon on a journey that they hope ends up with the Holy Grail of IPA baseball - the treasured Pro Cup Trophy... the current titleholder is the Belair Beach Sunbirds of the Ruthlandian Union... they reigned supreme last season, triumphing over the Turon Typhoons of the Tycobbian Union in a torrid 5-game series.

Primed, poised and ready to give the Sunbirds a run for the money for the IPA crown are the Valmara Vipers, Valka Blackhawks, Volusia Vigilantes, Turon Typhoons, Tuckanarra Tiger Cats, White River Rascals, Red Bluff Red Sox and Chicopee Braves... all of these challengers have been given the blessings of the sportswriters and broadcasters in the annual Islandian Times Preseason Pro Cup Poll... the Typhoons, Vipers, Blackhawks and Rascals are forecast to be the biggest obstacles to keep Belair Beach from repeating as IPA champion.

Islandian Times Preseason Pro Cup Poll
1. TURON TYPHOONS
2. Belair Beach Sunbirds
3. White River Rascals
4. Valka Blackhawks
5. Valmara Vipers
6. Tuckanarra Tiger Cats
7. Red Bluff Red Sox
8. Chicopee Braves

Around the IPA

VIPERS TOP TEAM IN RU NORTH
Valmara is a strong pick to nab its 3rd straight Ruthlandian North Division crown and go deep into the IPA postseason playoffs... the Vipers possess one of the better offenses in the Islands and a pretty good pitching staff... only the Ranford Bulls are touted to give Valmara any kind of fight for the pennant... the Vipers ran away with the RU North last year, topping runner-up Taranto by 12 games.

IN RU SOUTH RACE SUNBIRDS HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL WITH BLACKHAWKS AND WESTERNERS
Belair Beach copped the RU South flag last year in fairly easy fashion... they whipped the Valka Blackhawks by 8 games... the Blackhawks are back again and better than ever according to the prognosticators... the Waleska Westerners could be troublesome, too... all three clubs can score runs, but only have decent pitching.

BIG 6-TEAM TUSSLE IN RU EAST
It looks likes almost all of the clubs in the Ruthlandian East Division could be in the battle for the pennant... Marston is favored, but not by much over Eastshore, Beechwood, Sugar Valley, Elnora and last year's champ, the Wynnamac Sundowners... no matter who prevails, none of them have impressed the baseball pundits... the RU East champion is not likely to go deep into the playoffs.

V'S AGAIN BEST IN THE RU WEST
The Volusia Vigilantes are favored to capture the Ruthlandian West for the 3rd year in a row, but it will be another tight race with the Forest City Firebirds, Middlefield Roosters and Rocky Rapids Snappers... the Firebirds' mound corps should keep them close to the top... the Vigilantes are the best offense in the RU West.

RASCALS TOO STRONG ON HILL... SHOULD WIN 3RD STRAIGHT TU NORTH
White River should take the 3-team race in the Tycobbian North Division... the Rascals have solid pitching and good home-run power... they should be able to hold off the Mahaska Haymakers and Luxora Zorros.

TYPHOONS TO TAKE 3RD TU SOUTH IN A ROW
Turon trampled everyone last year, leaving everybody in the dust... they defeated the surprising second-place Ginza Ninjas by a comfortable 9 games... it was the Typhoons' third Tycobbian South flag in a row... Turon has one of the best-hitting club in the IPA and also has a solid pitching corps... no team is expected to rival the Typhoons again this season... they should win the pennant by double digits... San Alejo and Ginza will again finish far behind Turon.

3 TO TANGO IN TIGHT TU EAST
Red Bluff is usually right near the top of the Tycobbian East standings... they have been the pennant winner in 3 of the past 6 seasons... the Red Sox are the choice to beat out last year's winner Tuckanarra and perennial contender South Fork in a tight squeeze.

COULD BE THE YEAR FOR CHICOPEE IN TU WEST
One of the most downtrodden franchises in the Islandian Pro Alliance has finally gotten some respect in the Tycobbian West... the Chicopee Braves could make shambles of the division race this year and just might make some waves in the postseason... the Braves have some capables hurlers and a pretty good offense... they are predicted to put an end to Rolling Hills' amazing 12-year domination of the TU West... the Racers and the La Claire Lynx will be distant challengers in the pennant chase... Chicopee is favored to win the race by 10 or more games... the Braves have not been to the Pro Cup playoffs since 2036.

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, July 10, 2072

WHO'S THE BEST? RU OR TU? 72ND IPA ALL-STAR GAME THIS TUESDAY IN BELAIR BEACH
What the best league?... the Ruthlandian Union or the Tycobbian Union... well, the facts show that Tycobbia has won 39 Pro Cups to 32 for Ruthlandia... but all that shows is that one team is better than another in a short series... it doesn't reveal which league is overall the best... well, the facts also show that Tycobbia is also overwhelmingly superior with 47 victories in the IPA All-Star Game, while Ruthlandia trail with just 24 wins... does this really prove anything?... while you ponder these provocative questions, you also need to know this fact: the 72nd Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Classic is set for this Tuesday afternoon at Bayside Park, the home of the Pro Cup champion, the Belair Beach Sunbirds... one could say this game will give one of the teams bragging rights for a little while... but that's all.

46 of the IPA's finest players will engage in the annual midsummer epic... the Ruthlandian All-Stars will welcome the Tycobbian All-Stars... each team is hoping to show that their league is the best... at least these players are the best on this given day and in this game.

No rookies made the All-Stars this season... the Ruthlandian Stars are much younger than the Tycobbian Stars... pitcher Al Ragsdale (Belair Beach) and second baseman Andre Lemoine (Belle Plaine) are the senior citizens on the RU Stars... they are just 30... the oldtimers on the Tycobbian Stars are pitchers Val Jackson (Fairfax) and Adrian Acosta (Denton City), ages 38 and 37 respectively... the youngest players are both on the RU Stars... catcher Charley McLaglen (Marston) and first basemen Stefan Skarzynski (Valmara) are 23.

Freddie Civik (Turon) is appearing for the 4th time for Tycobbia and this is Barney Fiske's (Cape Coral) 3rd time as an All-Star... Ruthlandia is quite young... Andre Lemoine (Belle Plaine) will make his 3rd appearance in the midsummer classic... there are many first-time honorees this year... it is a much younger crowd than usual... looks like there is a changing of the old guards this year...both squads are skewing younger.

(special thanks to knuckler for the Turon jersey and cap... to rock'n'fire for the Cape Coral jersey and cap... and to cephasjames for the Belle Plaine jersey and cap... my, oh, my these guys are talented... they make the IPA really look good.)

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

2072 Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Game - Stars of the Game

(Special thanks to txranger for the great IPA league logo... and special thanks to knuckler for the excellent Bayview Vikings jersey and cap... also special thanks to EC for the other two jerseys and caps )

[Eugene Church]

Here are the 2072 IPA All-Star Game rosters.

[Dark Horse]

[Eugene Church]

Thanks for being so faithful, Dark Horse.

Hope all is well with you.

[Eugene Church]

I have played to midseason using OOTP22.

I played out my first game -- the All-Star Game.

The animation is much, much smoother... it really looks good.

But the strange thing is I did not have a foul out... not one.

I am anxious to see if they have fixed the weird flight of foul outs.

Nobody ran through fence in the All-Star Game, either.

Yep, I know this is a small sample.

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, July 13, 2072

IPA MIDSUMMER SUMMARY
Halfway through the Islandian Pro Alliance season, half of the 64 clubs still have hopes and dreams for a pennant and perhaps even a far-fetched Pro Cup Trophy... most of the highly-rated teams are doing well, however there are a few surprises... unsung Stoner, Bayview and Hartsdale are on top of their divisions and lightly-regarded also-rans Eastshore, Crystal Lake, Waleska, Ozarka and Luxora are making some strong waves in their divisional races... there are some disappointing teams as well... three preseason pennant picks, Volusia, White River and Mahaska have floundered so far... and perennial power Rolling Hills is far behind in the pennant chase... methinks, after 12 glorious seasons, the Racers' fabulous dynasty run is over... yep, EC is going to miss the Racers in the playoffs every year.

RECAPPING THE RUTHLANDIAN UNION FIRST HALF
Valmara is having a tougher time in the Ruthlandian North than expected... they are currently tied for first place with Taranto with 3 other clubs right on their heels, Ranford, LaGrange and Far Mountain... the RU North is up for grabs.

Reigning IPA Pro Cup champion Belair Beach started poorly in April (10-17), but the Sunbirds are back in the race and in the runner-up spot, just 2 games behind... Valka is the top dog in the Ruthlandian South at this point, followed closely by unheralded Crystal Lake and Waleska in 3rd and 4th place respectively.

It's a tight 4-team race in the Ruthlandian East... preseason favorite and defending division champ Wynnamac is being tested by perennial rival Marston... and also by overlooked Eastshore and Sugar Valley... 2 up-and-coming teams.

The Ruthlandian West was forecast to be a dogfight between last year's winner Volusia, Forest City, Middlefield and Rocky Rapids... lo and behold and out of the blue, the Stoner Silver Sox have bolted to the top of the standings and look like the real McCoy... the Sox have a comfortable 6-game margin at midseason.

TYCOBBIAN UNION FIRST-HALF TRIBUTES, TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
The Hartsdale Hellcats have regrouped after a dismal 7th-place finish last year... the Hellcats are back in business and raising heck in the Tycobbian North... they are the highest-scoring club in the IPA, hitting homers and have decent pitching... Hartsdale has had a terrific first half with the most victories in the IPA... so has underated Luxora, but the Zorros trail by 5 games... nobody else is close... preseason favorite Mahaska is 10 games out and not likely to catch the red-hot Hellcats.

Nothing new to report in the Tycobbian South... current champion and last year's Pro Cup finalist Turon is on top, seeking its 3rd consecutive divisional crown... and they are tied with Southport, a contender year-after-year... plus the Ginza Ninjas are also in the mix, too... looks like a 3-team battle.

As per usual, there is a sizzling pennant race in the Tycobbian East... preseason-favored Red Bluff has a slight lead over habitual contender South Fork... highly-touted Hillsboro and surprising Ozarka are running very good races, too... and highly-respected Tuckanarra is still in the fight, too.

Believe it or not, one of the worst franchises in the Islandian Pro Alliance, the pathetic Chicopee Braves, have suddenly become a contender in the Tycobbian West... the Braves (.468) have the 3rd-worst won-loss record in IPA history... only East Point (.449) and Arroyo Grande (.466) are worse... Chicopee rose up to 4th place last year with an 82-72 record after season-after-season down near the bottom... and they were picked to win the pennant in the preseason poll... but thus far they have been supplanted at the top of the standings by 2 glossed-over clubs, Bayview and La Claire... the Vikings are 4 games in front of the Lynx and 7 games better than the Braves.

(EC is pulling for Chicopee... they have one of the prettiest logos and jersey sets in the IPA, done beautifully by knucker, one of the best graphics designers in the OOTP Community... I have never got to see them in the playoffs when I play out the games... but come to think of it, Bayview might be fine, too... knuckler also did their great logo and jersey sets)

2072 Ruthlandian Union Midseason Standings


2072 Tycobbian Union Midseason Standings

[Eugene Church]

2071 Islandian Pro Alliance Final Leaderboards

Ruthlandian Union


Tycobbian Union

[jg2977]

Final standings and first round playoff matchups coming up soon?