ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 8, 2026

Haymakers-Vipers Kick Off Pro Cup Series Saturday
It's an unlikely matchup - no one expected the Mahaska Haymakers and the Valmara Vipers to be playing in the IPA Pro Cup Finals - but here they are. Mahaska bewildered the experts by upsetting both Ginza and Rolling Hills, while Valmara defeated two higher seeds, strong St. John and powerhouse Beechwood. Both the Crusaders and Bobcats led the entire IPA with 98 victories. Low seeds are not supposed to get this far in the postseason. Valmara was the sixth pick in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll and Mahaska was the eighth choice. The opening game will be this Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara. It will be Teddy Lem (19-11 2.96) starting for the favored Vipers and Sammy Kafelnikov (18-14 3.49) for the underdog Haymakers.

The Vipers have much more postseason experience. They have made the Pro Cup playoffs 7 times, but have never won a Pro Cup. Twice Valmara has been the Pro Cup runner-up, in 2003 the Vipers were swept by champ Turon (TU South) and in 2023 they fell to champ Tuckanarra (TU East) in six games. On two occasions the Vipers lost to Pro Cup runner-up Sugar Valley. Red Bluff defeated the Rattlers in 2004 and Tuckanarra knocked them off in 2024.

Mahaska has appeared only two times in the Pro Cup playoffs and didn't get far. The Oxford Red Caps (TU East) eliminated them in the TU First Round in 2002 and Pro Cup runner-up Bay St. Clair whipped them in the 2015 TU Final 4. The Buccaneers were beaten by Taranto in the Pro Cup Finals.

Manager Jet Kazmarek will rely on his pitching corps to bring home the Pro Cup. Valmara was outstanding in the regular season with a super 2.96 team ERA (6th). So far in the postseason they are up a little with a 3.26 ERA. Starters Pavel Volkov (23-9 3.14), Teddy Lem (19-11 2.96) and Clem Carmouche (18-12 3.00) give him a solid rotation. The Viper closer Ivan Guzek (7-2 0.72) also had an extraordinary season. In the playoffs Guzek has 3 saves, 5 appearances and an excellent 1.29 ERA. Lem (3-0 1.80) and Volkov (2-0 1.88) have been extra sharp in the postseason. Carmouche (2-1 2.66) has done well, too.

Offensively Kazmarek depends on CF Teddy Szymanski (.304/16/95/89), LF Sonny Oliver (.286/17/86/72) and RF Chris Michel (.242/11/58/110/33 SB). Playoff leaders are Oliver with a .353 BA, 3 homers and 10 RBIs, 1B James McCall with a .273 BA, 2 home runs and 9 RBIs and Szymanski with a .270 BA, 1 homer and 5 RBIs. Part of the problem in the postseason is Valmara had to face two of the best pitching staffs in the IPA in the first two rounds. Mahaska can't compare to St. John and Beechwood. In the playoffs the Vipers have a poor .226 BA. In the regular campaign it was a respectable .256 (8th).

During the regular season the Haymakers posted a 3.57 ERA and were ranked 11th in the Tycobbian Union, but Rusty Tanussa's mound staff has really stepped it up in the playoffs with a fantastic 2.02 ERA. James Allington was 20-13 with a 3.62 in the season, but is 4-0 with a great 1.39 ERA in the playoffs. Sammy Kafelnikov compiled an 18-14 mark with a 3.49 ERA, however in the playoffs, he is 3-1 with a fine 2.79 ERA. Mahaska lost its number three starter Troy King due to an injury in the TU Final 4. King was 1-2 with a 2.36 ERA in the postseason, but 19-13 with a 4.07 ERA during the year. Number four starter Aino Vainmaa (17-13 3.94) will step in for King in the Pro Cup Finals. Vainmaa has been called on only one time in the playoffs this year. Vainmaa worked 3 innings and gave up 1 run for a 3.00 ERA. Haymaker closer Viktor Stravinsky, who was 7-6 with 28 saves and a fine 1.69 ERA, has been perfect in 6 relief appearances in the playoffs. He has chalked up 5 saves and given up no runs.

Mahaska hit much better in the regular season, led by RF Travis Tuttle (.319/33/102/92), 2B Todd Tarkovsky (.280/18/65/72), C Bucky O'Brian (.279/19/71/70) and CF Pasha Yablonsk (.277/6/48/106/65 SB). In the postseason O'Brian is batting .480, but the rest are not hitting their weight. To whip the Vipers Tanussa needs his offense to get re-energized. They hit .263 (5th) during the year, but only .218 in the playoffs. The Haymakers have more power in their lineup. They poked 130 homers in the season, but have only 2 in the postseason. Valmara went deep only 74 times (30th), but have 6 roundtrippers in the playoffs.

Pro Cup Outlook:
Valmara is the superior team... the Vipers should win in 5 or 6 games... Valmara will get some runs against Mahaska and has the pitching to stop the Haymakers.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 10, 2026

2026 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 1

6 Viper Pitchers Too Tough In Pro Cup Opener
It was strange and weird ballgame in the the opening game of the 2026 Pro Cup Finals at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara - the Vipers had to use 6 pitchers to win a 3-1 victory over Mahaska... 19-game winner Teddy Lem departed after the first inning with an arm injury... manager Jet Kazmarek had to go to his bullpen very early and got a superb job from 4 relievers, who blanked the Haymakers on 2 hits for next seven innings as the Vipers built us a 3-0 lead after 8 innings... Frank Favazzo (1-0 0.00) got credit for the victory with help from Johnny Vasylenko, Chris Phillips and Wallace Hansen... closer Ivan Guzek was tagged for a run in the ninth, but still got his 4th save... the losing team only used one pitcher... Sammy Kafelnikov (3-2 2.92) hurled a strong game in defeat, went the distance, permitting 3 runs and 10 hits with 5 Ks... Mahaska managed only 5 hits.

RF Chris Michel (.275) led Valmara with 3 hits and 2 runs batted in... the Vipers put a pair of runs on the scoreboard in the third frame on Michel's RBI single and SS Tyler Ferguson's (.225) sac fly... Michel's single plated another run in the sixth, making it 3-0... Mahaska got its only score in the ninth on a lead-off triple by 2B Ted Tarkovsky (.186) and a single by C Bucky O'Brian (.448)... After that Guzek settled down and got the final three outs.

After the game Valmara officials told the press that Teddy Lem would miss the rest of the playoffs. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a dead arm syndrome. Recovery should take a few weeks. Manager Jet Kazmarek said number four starter Johnny Vasylenko would replace Lem in the rotation... in 15 starts Vasylenko was 8-7 in the regular season with a 3.19 ERA... He has been in the bullpen in the postseason. Mahaska has also lost a starter with a ruptured tendon suffered in the 3-1 loss to Rolling Hills in the TU Final 4... Troy King was 19-13 with a 4.07 ERA... King was the number three man in the rotation and was 1-2 in the postseason with a 2.36 ERA in 3 starts... The number four starter Arno Vainmaa (17-13 3.94) is his replacement.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 10, 2026

2026 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 2

Vipers Nip Haymakers 7-6, Ahead 2-0 in Finals
Game two of the IPA Pro Cup Finals was a seesaw affair and finally won 7-6 by Valmara on a game-winning single by Teddy Szymanski in the last of the ninth... Szymanski (.283) cracked 3 hits and drove in 3 runs... he also had a solo homer and an RBI triple to pace the Vipers 11-hit attack... Valmara moved ahead of Mahaska two games to none in the best-of-seven Pro Cup Finals... the Haymakers had 14 hits, but stranded 11 baserunners... LF Mickey Hennessey (.224) collected 4 singles and batted in a pair of runs... and 2B Todd Tarkovsky (.188) hit a 2-run homer in defeat.

Valmara closer Ivan Guzek (1-0 3.00) blew a 6-5 lead in the ninth, but ended up with the win... Viktor Stravinsky (0-1 1.42) came on in the ninth and lost it... it was the first run he gave up in the postseason this year... Pavel Volkov started for the Vipers and James Allington got the call for the Haymakers... neither were effective with Volkov allowing 5 runs in 6 innings and Allington 6 in 6-plus frames.

[ChromEagle]

That would be interesting if the Vipers swept the series, but both games have been close...

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 10, 2026

2026 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 3

Valmara May Sweep, Trounces Mahaska 8-4 in Game 3
Valmara continue to bombard shell-shocked Mahaska in game three of the Pro Cup Finals... the Vipers bashed out 12 hits in an 8-4 trouncing and are nearing a sweep in the series... Valmara has gotten double-digit hits in each game so far and captured the first three games... Everybody in the starting line-up had at least one hit, sparked by 2B Ron Freiberg (.275) with 2 hits and 3 runs batted in and C Doug Doolittle (.224) with 2 RBIs... the Vipers ran up an 8-1 lead after 7 innings... a 5-run seventh dealt the Haymakers a knockout blow.

Clem Carmouche (3-1 3.13) hung tough for the victory, giving up 4 runs and 9 hits in 8 innings... Warren Hansen finished up with a scoreless ninth for him... Aino Vainmaa (0-1 6.75) was blasted for 8 runs in 6-plus innings and took the loss... CF Pasha Yablonski (.288) delivered 3 hits for the Haymakers... SS Lyndon Washington (.149) and C Tony Brinkerhoff (.308) batted in 2 runs apiece... Brinkerhoff had 2-run homer.

[ChromEagle]

The sweep is close to happening, my guess is that the Vipers will win the series unless if something extraordinary occurs.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by ChromEagle

The sweep is close to happening, my guess is that the Vipers will win the series unless if something extraordinary occurs.

Coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the Pro Cup Series has only happened one time prior to 2026... in 2009 Turon rallied against the Far Mountain Redhawks in the Pro Cup Finals.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 13, 2026

2026 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 4

Valmara Wins First Pro Cup, Sweeps Mahaska
The Valmara Vipers finally succeeded -- they captured the IPA Pro Cup for the first time in the club history -- It was the third try as the Vipers had fallen in the Finals in 2003 and 2023... and they did it in style by sweeping all four games with the Mahaska Haymakers... But game four wasn't a cakewalk... Valmara had to rally in the late innings to tie the score at 2-2 in the seventh, took a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth, blew a lead in the bottom of the ninth, allowing Mahaska to tie it at 3-3, then blew the Haymakers away in the 10th with a 3-run explosion to cop a 6-3 decision and win the prestigious IPA Pro Cup... back-up 1B Roy Haley (.444) doubled in the game-winner and 3B Bobby Greb (.286) added 2 insurance runs with a double... Ivan Guzek (2-0 3.27) won it in relief of Johnny Vasylenko and Viktor Stravinsky (0-2 5.14) lost it in relief of Sammy Kafelnikov... Vasylenko and Kafelnikov gave it all they had and were effective... Vasylenko limited the Haymakers to just 2 runs and 3 hits in 8 innings... it was all even at 2-2 when he left the game... Kafelnikov tossed 9 innings and gave up 3 runs on 7 hits... for the fourth straight game Valmara got double-digit hits with 10 hits to Mahaska's 6... Greb was the big gun for the Vipers with 3-for-4 and 4 RBIs, including 2 doubles and a homer... CF Pasha Yablonski (.297) paced the Haymakers with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in.

Viper manager Jet Kazmarek told the press, "There's nothing like winning a Pro Cup. You don't get many chances to do it. This was my third time around and we finally got it." Kazmarek played in the 2003 Pro Cup and managed the Vipers in the 2023 Pro Cup and lost both of them. "It's been a great season. The guys played well all year long and even better in the playoffs."

Losing skipper Rudy Tanussa assessed it this way, "My Haymakers made a lot of hay in the postseason. We did quite well for an eighth seed. I'm not disappointed with our season at all. Second-best is not as bad as people make it out to be. Bottom line: they hit and we didn't... they pitched and we didn't... end of story."

[ChromEagle]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the Pro Cup Series has only happened one time prior to 2026... in 2009 Turon rallied against the Far Mountain Redhawks in the Pro Cup Finals.

Wow nice, that must of been great for you to watch since it's so rare.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by ChromEagle

Wow nice, that must of been great for you to watch since it's so rare.

Yes, that is one of the many special moments I have enjoyed over the years following and recapping the Islandian Pro Alliance.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 15, 2026

Valmara's Lem Pro Cup MVP Pick
Valmara's great young right-hander Teddy Lem stood head-and-shoulders above everybody in the Pro Cup playoffs. No one else truly stood out in the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player poll this year conducted by The Islandian Times. The 22-year-old Lem went 3-0 in 4 starts and chalked up a very impressive 1.76 ERA. Lem was almost a unanimous choice. Valmara's fine left fielder Sonny Oliver was a distant second in the poll. Mahaska pitchers James Allington and Sammy Kafelnikov were third and fourth in the voting with Viper second sacker Ron Freiberg coming in fifth.

Oliver sparked Valmara with a .319 batting average with 15 hits in 14 playoff games, 3 homers, 10 RBIs and 7 runs scored, along with 8 walks. Allington was 4-0 in 5 starts with a fine 2.54 ERA. Kafelnikov posted a 3-2 record with a 2.93 ERA in 6 starting assignments. Freiberg had a good postseason with a .302 mark, 6 doubles, 7 runs batted in, 9 runs and 11 walks.

[Eugene Church]

Lukas Berger is working on my IPA files to see if he can get the game in sync with the season so I can complete the 2079 season playoffs.

I finally got the .dat file to him... boy, EC has trouble with computers and zipped files and uploading on cloud storage.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life Is Nothing But Glee in '23
Still enjoying Bill Veeck's book "Veeck As In Wreck"... Veeck was vilified by some major sportswriters for his use of midget Eddie Gaedel in a MLB game... they used terms like "cheap and tawdry", "travesty" and "mockery" to describe the promotion... that was one side of the story, Bill had his side, too... you be the judge.

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

Excerpts from "Veeck As In Wreck" by Bill Veeck and Ed Linn:

"Dan Daniel, a well-known high priest from New York, wondered what 'Ban Johnson and John J. McGraw are saying about it up there in Baseball's Valhalla', a good example of Dan's lean and graceful style. Non-baseball fans should understand that baseball men do not die and go to heaven or hell when they die; they go to Valhalla where they sit around a hot stove and talk over the good days with Odin, Thor and the rest of that crowd.

To Joe Williams, Daniel's colleague on the New York World-Telegraph, I was "that fellow Veeck out in St. Louis".

"It didn't matter that this made a mockery of the sport or that it exploited a freak of biology in a shameful, disgraceful way, " Williams wrote... What he (Veeck) calls showmanship can more often be accurately identified as vulgarity."

I have never objected to being called vulgar. The word, as I never tire of pointing out to my tireless critics, comes from the Latin vulgaris, which means -- students? -- "the common people". (If you don't believe it, Joe, you can look it up. I am so darn vulgar that I will probably never get into Valhalla, which is shameful because I would love to know what John McGraw would have thought about the promotion. He spent many an evening at my father's house in Chicago telling stories over the dinner table. From what I can remember of McGraw, he would roar with delight about the promotion.

What that fellow Williams in New York didn't seem to realize -- or did he? was that it was he who was gratuitously and publicly calling Eddie Gaedel a freak. Eddie was a professional midget. He made his living by displaying himself, the only way we permit a midget to earn a living by displaying himself, the only way we permit a midget to earn a living in our enlightened society. In more barbaric times, they were able to achieve a certain stature as court jesters. My use of him -- vulgaris as I am -- was the biggest thing that ever happened to him. In the week that followed, I got him bookings that earned him something between $5,000 and $10,000. I kept getting him bookings here and there for the rest of his life.

The next day after the game, Will Harridge, American League President, issued and executive order barring Gaedel from baseball.

Naturally, I was bewildered and alarmed and shocked. "I'm puzzled, baffled and greived by Mr. Harridge's ruling, " I announced. "Why, we're paying a lot of guys on the Browns' roster good money to get on base and even though they don't do it, nobody sympathizes with us. But when this little guy goes up to the plate and draws a walk on his only time at bat, they it "conduct detrimental to baseball".

If baseball wanted to discriminate against the little people, I said, why didn't we have the courage to be honest about it, write a minimum height into the rules and submit ourselves to the wrath of all right-thinking Americans. "I think", I said, "that further clarification is called for. Should the height of a player be 3 feet 6 inches, 4 feet 6 inches, 6 feet 6 inches, or 9 feet 6 inches?" Now that midgets had been so arbitrarily barred, I asked, were we to assume that giants were also barred? I made dark references to the stature of Phil Rizzuto, who is not much over 5 feet tall, and I implied very strongly that I was going to demand an official ruling on whether he was a short ballplayer or a tall midget."

Yep, EC is enjoying Bill Veeck's book.
Yep, Bill Veech looks for loopholes in the league rules... yep, he could be a pest... yep, Bill would sometimes go too far... but he knew baseball as good as anyone... he won pennants and a World Series... and he entertained the fans with good food and good times... people came to see his teams play.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 23, 2027

Pro Cup Quest Begins Tomorrow
They have endured and survived a 154-game regular season and in the case of Southport had to extend to 155 games to make the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. Now the Elite 8 are raring to go in quest of the ultimate in Islandian baseball - the cherished Pro Cup, which is given annually to the best team in the Islands. The winning team will have to make it through three tension-filled rounds to be declared the winner.

The 2027 IPA Elite 8 Series begins tomorrow afternoon at 4 locations. There are only two clubs returning from last year, the defending Pro Cup champ Valmara Vipers from the Ruthlandian Union and the Rolling Hills Reds from Tycobbian. Valmara will open up at home at War Memorial Stadium against the Crystal Lake Crushers in one of the Ruthlandian Union's best-of-seven series. It'll be powerful Beechwood hosting the Sligo Rovers at City Park Stadium in the other series. In Tycobbia, Rolling Hills will entertain the Midway Wolves and Southport will travel to White River Stadium to tangle with the Rascals. Among the eight teams only Crystal Lake, Valmara and Sligo have Pro Cup crowns. The Crushers garnered two of them, in 2020 and 2022, while Sligo got theirs in 2021.

Only three teams have ever won repeat titles in Pro Cup competition. Far Mountain has done it twice, winning in back-to-back-to-back years from 2011 to 2013. The Eastshore Elegants accomplished it in 2016 and 2017 and Tuckanarra did it in 2023 and 2024. This year the Valmara Vipers will try to become the fourth team to do it. The Vipers will be one of the favorites to win it all, but it will get intense competition from the Beechwood Bobcats in the RU Elite 8. Rolling Hills has been tabbed the Tycobbian favorite. Beechwood topped the RU with a 98-56 record, edging out Valmara, who went 97-57. Rolling Hills rolled over everybody in the TU to the tune of 104-50, the best record since Colfax won 107 games in 2010.

Who will win the Pro Cup this season? Most pronosticators are picking Rolling Hills because of its great pitching (2.70 ERA). Only Beechwood can compare to the Reds mound staff with its 2.96 team ERA. On the surface it appears to be the year of the Reds and the Bobcats, who are forecast to meet in the Pro Cup Finals. Both clubs wield pretty good bats and can play good defense. Valmara doesn't look great on paper, but won a lot of games. Don't count them out. The rest of the teams don't seem to be in the league of the top three picks, although it seems some unheralded club often steps it up in the postseason and surprises the pundits. Valmara was given no chance to win last year, but they did. Ditto Mahaska, who was the runner-up to the Vipers last season. Rolling Hills and Beechwood were upset in the Final 4s last year.

Tale of the Teams:
Best BA:
1. Rolling Hills .270 (2nd in TU)
2. Crystal Lake .266 (3rd in RU)
3. Valmara .253 (14th in RU)
3. Beechwood .253 (15th in RU)

Most Home Runs:
1. Midway 149 (tied for 4th in TU)
2. White River 129 (tied for 14th in TU)
3. Beechwood 124 (12th in RU)
4. Southport 118 (tied for 18th in TU)

Most Runs:
1. Midway 725 (tied for 3rd in TU)
2. Rolling Hills 711 (tied for 4th in RU)
2. Crystal Lake 711 (tied for 4th in RU)
4. Valmara 704 (tied for 6th in RU)
4. Beechwood 704 (tied for 6th in RU)

Best Overall ERA:
1. Rolling Hills 2.70 (1st in TU)
2. Beechwood 2.96 (1st in RU)
3. Sligo 3.03 (2nd in RU)
4. White River 3.11 (6th in TU)

Best Starter ERA:
1. Rolling Hills 2.87 (1st in TU)
2. Beechwood 2.98 (1st in RU)
3. Sligo 3.07 (2nd in RU)
4. White River 3.24 (8th in TU)

Best Bullpen ERA:
1. Rolling Hills 1.70 (1st in TU)
2. Southport 2.35 (3rd in TU)
3. White River 2.54 (5th in TU)
4. Valmara 2.73 (4th in RU)

Worst BA:
1. Southport .242 (tied for 18th in TU)
2. Sligo .245 (25th in RU)
3. White River .247 (16th in TU)
4. Midway .252 (14th in TU)

Fewest Home Runs:
1. Rolling Hills 89 (tied for 28th in RU)
2. Crystal Lake 93 (25th in RU)
3. Valmara 116 (18th in RU)
4. Southport 118 (tied for 18th in TU)

Fewest Runs:
1. Southport 598 (23rd in TU)
2. Sligo 638 (26th in RU)
3. White River 654 (15th in TU)
4. Valmara 704 (tied for 6th in RU)
4. Beechwood 704 (tied for 6th in RU)

Worst Overall ERA:
1. Crystal Lake 3.89 (27th in RU)
2. Midway 3.69 (24th in TU)
3. Valmara 3.37 (7th in RU)
4. Southport 3.17 (7th in TU)

Worst Starter ERA:
1. Crystal Lake 3.78 (21st in RU)
2. Midway 3.59 (18th in TU)
3. Valmara 3.53 (8th in RU)
4. Southport 3.41 (13th in TU)

Worst Bullpen ERA:
1. Crystal Lake 4.32 (30th in RU)
2. Midway 4.13 (31st in TU)
3. Beechwood 2.86 (6th in RU)
4. Sligo 2.80 (5th in RU)

The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll:
1. Rolling Hills Reds
2. Beechwood Bobcats
3. Valmara Vipers
4. Crystal Lake Crushers
5. White River Rascals
6. Sligo Rovers
7. Southport Sun Sox
8. Midway Wolves

[sflcat61]

Anyone who got bent out of shape about Gaedel, probably takes sports too seriously and needs to readjust their priorities in life.

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life Is Nothing But Glee in '23
The next day after the game, Will Harridge, American League President, issued and executive order barring Gaedel from baseball.

Naturally, I was bewildered and alarmed and shocked. "I'm puzzled, baffled and greived by Mr. Harridge's ruling, " I announced. "Why, we're paying a lot of guys on the Browns' roster good money to get on base and even though they don't do it, nobody sympathizes with us. But when this little guy goes up to the plate and draws a walk on his only time at bat, they it "conduct detrimental to baseball".

If baseball wanted to discriminate against the little people, I said, why didn't we have the courage to be honest about it, write a minimum height into the rules and submit ourselves to the wrath of all right-thinking Americans. "I think", I said, "that further clarification is called for. Should the height of a player be 3 feet 6 inches, 4 feet 6 inches, 6 feet 6 inches, or 9 feet 6 inches?" Now that midgets had been so arbitrarily barred, I asked, were we to assume that giants were also barred? I made dark references to the stature of Phil Rizzuto, who is not much over 5 feet tall, and I implied very strongly that I was going to demand an official ruling on whether he was a short ballplayer or a tall midget."

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by sflcat61

Anyone who got bent out of shape about Gaedel, probably takes sports too seriously and needs to readjust their priorities in life.

Agree with you... having a sense of humor makes it much easier to get through life.

Laughter is a good medicine.

Overall, Bill Veeck was good for baseball, but on occasions, even he admitted that he went too far.

The MLB owners, commisioners, league presidents and powers that be really didn't treat Bill Veeck fairly... they didn't allow him to move the St. Louis Browns to Milwaukee, Baltimore or Los Angeles out of spite... the Browns were stepchilds in St. Louis... the fans loved the successful Cardinals, but the team under Fred Saigh was easy to compete against... the Cards were bad at this time and did little to keep up old Sportsmen's Park and promote the team... they didn't much to make the team any better... the Cardinals were in financial trouble... in addition Anheuser Busch was going to buy the Cardinals... Veeck believed he could eventually beat and outdraw the poorly-managed and poorly-operated Cardinals because they had really bad owners, but he couldn't outspend the Budweiser folks... Veeck knew he could not compete with their endless supply of money... that's why he wanted to move his team... the owners punished him and wouldn't let him move, although they allowed Lou Perini to move the Boston Braves to Milwaukee... and later the Dodgers and Giants to the West Coast.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life Is Nothing But Glee in '23
Glory Hallelujah, EC is really blessed... I would like to go on record as thanking profusely the Being that is in charge of the universe and all of creation... personally, I am convinced it's the God of the Bible... you are welcome to your own views... each of us has been created with free will... we can choose for ourselves.

Yep, EC's life is good... after 21 years of retirement, I'm back on the radio... been on for about 5 or 6 weeks, playing Southern Gospel and Christian Country music... I'm lovin' every minute of it... it's only once a week for one hour, but I'm enjoying the heck out of it... send me a private message if you would like to tune it in on Sundays at 1 o'clock central daylight time and I will send you an internet link to the station that airs it.

Why such joy and jubilation?
Most of all, I am in good health for 83 years old... no major problems -- yet -- but sooner or later they will come -- very few people avoid the trials and tribulation of health problems... one of my prayers each day is that I avoid these problems... EC wants to go to bed one night and wake up in Heaven tomorrow... yep, that would be nice... that's the way my Mama passed away... she just slowly went to sleep and died peacefully 30 hours later... it was a great way to go.

EC still goes to 4 nursing homes and plays music for the residents... I have a great PA sound system and over 8500 songs... I think folks in nursing homes are some of the most neglected people in our society... they are starved for contact with people... I don't do much... just play music for them for 2 hours twice a month... and they love it... and I do, too... they think EC is really something special... and yet it's them that are special... all of them are not in good health... how they can smile sitting in wheelchairs is something to behold... it might be hard for me to smile should I be in their condition... for two hours I take them back to their teen years and play all the great old golden oldies of their lives... I get them to clap and sing... to tap their toes to the music... and we even dance... they are almost all in a wheel chair... I take their hands and we dance with our hands... some of them will dance with their feet, too... just a very few can get up and dance on their feet... we become teenagers again dancing at the high school sock hops that THEY used to go to after football or basketball games... sadly, as you all know, EC never had the courage to go to my high school sock hops or proms... yep, I missed out way back when... but I am making up for lost time now swinging and swaying and rockin' and bopping' at the nursing homes... no, I never learned to dance, I just move to the music and fake it... they think I can dance, but I really can't... we did the Watusi and the Twist yesterday... also danced to the Boot Scootin' Boogie.

Of course, I dearly love OOTP baseball... it is another of the great joys of my life... my leagues are going well, despite my recent playoff problem with the Islandian Pro Alliance... the game doesn't seem to be in the playoff mode... the OOTP Development Team is looking at it for me to see if they can fix it... they are great folks to do this.

Yep, EC's life is full of glee in '23... now if I can just go to sleep one night and wake up in Heaven.

In closing, it is my prayer that you will be blessed with a lots of blue skies and green lights in your own life... that you will love on somebody today and help them in some small way... and in some big ways, too... just ask for help from the Great Creator.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 27, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

RH Reds Sweep Midway, Gaudet Wins Game 4
Who's gonna stop the Rolling Hills Reds?... they just rolled over the third-best scoring team in the Tycobbian Union in a four-game sweep, holding Midway to just 3 runs in four games in the Elite 8 Series... Errol Gaudet (2-0 1.59) stopped the Wolves 5-1, allowing just 5 hits in a complete game... Bobby Dorignac (0-2 4.61) slowed down the Reds for a while... after 5 frames Midway held a 1-0 lead, but a CF Scotty Yiska (.250) triple and RF Bobby McConnell's (.412) sac fly tied it up in the sixth... Rolling Hills exploded for 4 runs in the seventh. highlighted by 2B Jeff Booker's (.500) and Tony Ptacek's (.308) RBI singles and a 2-run double by Gaudet (.400)... Rolling Hills will get a few days off awaiting the winner between White River and Southport.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 28, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Crushers KO Vipers In 5, Win Finale 6-5 In 15th
There will be no repeat in the IPA Pro Cup this year... last year's champ Valmara bit the dust in five games in the Ruthlandian Elite 8... Crystal Lake rallied from a 5-2 deficit late in the ball game and won in 15 innings 6-5 when losing pitcher Wallace Hansen (0-1) walked 1B Josh George (.250) with one out and the bases loaded... it was one of three walks he issued in the inning... Viper starter Clem Carmouche faltered in the last two innings of regulation... Carmouche yielded a sac fly to Tommy Trent and run-scoring single to Michael Melchiore in the last of the eighth and a game-tying single to Dominic Gdowski in the bottom of the ninth... the Crushers got strong relief work from Ross Birchford, Keith Hunter and winner Herb Gladsbury (1-0)... they stopped Valmara cold over the last 7 innings, holding them scoreless... both teams collected 14 hits each... Crystal Lake was led by 3B Gdowski (.333) with 3 hits and 3 RBIs and SS Carl Bentley (.375) with 3 hits, too... Valmara SS Stan Bajek (.304) slammed 4 hits, including a home run and 2 doubles, and batted in 2 runs... LF Sonny Oliver (.222) also went deep and had 2 hits.,, fourth-seeded Crystal Lake will take on the winner of second seed Beechwood and sixth seed Sligo in the RU Final 4... the Bobcats are up in the series three games to two.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 29, 2027

2027 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Arby Beats Sligo 4-1, Beechwood Final 4 Bound
It was must win game - game seven of the RU Elite 8 between Beechwood and Sligo... the two starters had won 50 games between them... it was the Bobcats great pitcher Ken Arby who prevailed over the Rovers fine Les Patterson 4-1 to claimed the hard-fought series four games to three... Arby (2-1 1.04) fired a 3-hitter, allowed no earned runs, fanned 9 and walked 4 in a route-going affair... it was a classic pitcher's duel for the first 6 frames with Beechwood holding a narrow 2-1 edge on CF Vic Valenti's (.240) two-run shot in the third... the Bobcats got some breathing room with a pair in the seventh on an RBI double by Teddy Tate (.238) and an RBI single by Jojo Davis (.320)... Patterson (1-2 1.88) pitched well in the loss, yielding only 3 earned runs on 7 hits... Valenti and Davis paced the Bobcats at the plate with a pair of hits apiece... Second-seeded Beechwood will now battle red-hot Crystal Lake in the RU Final 4, who knocked off defending IPA champ Valmara in five games in the other RU Elite 8. The Crushers are the number 4 seed in the Pro Cup playoffs.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Shine, Laclair Whips WR 4-2 In 7th Game
The stage was set - seventh game of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series at White River Stadium - both clubs had their best pitchers well-rested and ready to go... the winner would continue in the Pro Cup playoffs... the loser would go home for the winter... Southport's Al Laclair and White River's Ron Hendrix were equal to the task and battled to a 2-2 draw after 7 frames, but it came to an end in the Sun Sox top of the eighth... with runners on second and third and one away, the winning score came in on a wild pitch and CF Rick Cabrini followed with an RBI single to add a little cushion to the score... Laclair (1-1 3.51) went the distance, permitting just 2 runs on 8 hits with 4 walks and 4 Ks... losing pitcher Hendrix (1-1 3.91) pitched well till the ill-fated eighth, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits... Cabrini (.452) had two hits for Southport and 1B Kyle Ross (.217) had a homer and 2 RBIs... Rascal RF Kenneth Kent (.385) led them with 2 hits, including his 4th homer of the series... in the TU Final 4 Series the Sun Sox will engage powerful Rolling Hills, who easily rolled over the Midway Wolves in a 4-game sweep. The Reds are the top seed in the Pro Cup playoffs this year with underdog Southport rated the seventh-best team.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 30, 2027

Pro Cup Final 4s Begin Play Saturday
Two favored teams will try to hold off two wannabes in the IPA Pro Cup Final 4s. Beechwood is the favorite in the Ruthlandian matchup with the Crystal Lake Crushers, who are fresh off an upset victory over last year's Pro Cup winner Valmara. The Bobcats had better beware - Crystal Lake is a fine all-around team with good pitching and good offense. Beechwood is the second seed in the Pro Cup playoffs, while the Crushers are rated the fourth-best club. The Bobcats were the top winner in the RU this season with 98 victories. Crystal Lake managed only 83 wins.

The Rolling Hills Reds, winner of 104 games this season, are the odds-on favorite to capture the Pro Cup this year and they certainly looked the part with a 4-game sweep of the Midway Wolves. The Southport Sun Sox are ranked seventh in the Pro Cup poll and it will be quite a surprise if they upset Rolling Hills. The Sun Sox chalked up only 81 victories during the season.

[JackOnAMacYT]

I think i’m declaring myself as a Oxford Red Caps fan. Although to be fair there pretty mediocre right now. We’ll see if they’ll be better in the future!