ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, April 5, 2073

IPA REVVING TO GO THIS FRIDAY ALL ACROSS THE ISLANDS
Baseball season number 73 is just over the horizon in the Islands... the Islandian Pro Alliance is set to go for another year this Friday afternoon all across Islandia... 64 teams will be toeing the rubber and getting set in the batter's box at diamonds throughout Ruthlandia and Tycobbia.

The word on the coming season from the sportswriters and broadcasters is that it will be more of the same... there are no drastic turnaround teams coming forth this season... the picks of the litter this year looks pretty much like last year's litter... 6 of the 8 teams in the playoffs last year are expected to return this year... all 4 of the pennant winners in the Ruthlandian Union are forecast to be victors again... but that's not the case in the Tycobbian Union where only one division titlist is favored this year... the Pro Cup champion Turon Typhoons should repeat as the TU South champion and defend its title in October... however, the 3 expected winners this year in the TU did finish high up in the standings last year... they are no rising stars coming up over the horizon... no one like the Stoner Silver Sox, who in one season almost gloriously rose from the bottom of their division to the revered heights of the IPA championship.

Last year's Ruthlandian Union flag winners are favored to repeat... Valmara will take the RU North for the 4th year in a row, Valka gets it 2nd straight RU South title, Wynnamac will triumph in the RU East for the 4th successive season and Stoner will repeat in the RU West... however, the scenario is a lot different in the Tycobbian Union... only Pro Cup champion Turon is picked to win again this season... the Typhoons are expected to win the TU South for the 4th consecutive year... the TU North will go to the White River Rascals... and South Fork will prevail in the TU East... but guess who is back in the pennant chase this year?...the Rolling Hills Racers lost the TU West last season for the first time in 12 years... they slipped to the 4th spot in the standings, but now they are back with a newly-revamped lineup... IPA icons Teddy Stonich, Jean-Luc Roubique and Jimmy Brandini have retired... but they still have Hugo Sutton and a group of rock-solid newcomers to keep the torch burning... but don't be too surprised if some of last year's pennant contenders upset some favorite's applecart... teams like Tuckanarra, Bayview, Chicopee, Ranford, Belair Beach, Eastshore, Marston, Sugar Valley and Forest City are waiting in the wings just waiting for someone to stumble and falter.

The Islandian Times IPA Preseason Poll
1. TURON TYPHOONS
2. Valmara Vipers
3. Valka Blackhawks
4. Stoner Silver Sox
5. South Fork Stallions
6. Rolling Hills Racers
7. White River Rascals
8. Wynnamac Sundowners

2073 IPA Pro Cup Forecast
Defending champion Turon will win back-to-back Pro Cups... they also made the Pro Cup Finals in '70 and '71, but were defeated... the Typhoons have the pitching, offense and defense to do it... they will defeat the Valmara Vipers in 6 games for the overall 2073 IPA championship.

IPA clubs have repeated as Pro Cup champions 7 times... the Far Mountain Redhawks did it twice when they won the IPA title 3 years in a row in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

2073 Ruthlandian Union Preseason Prediction


2073 Tycobbian Union Preseason Prediction

[Eugene Church]

Computer is acting strangely... very, very slow processing... won't be posting much for awhile... may need a new computer.

OOTP crashed when I tried to open in it up... finally got it to open, but it would take 30 seconds to process between each click.

Will just shut everything down until I can get someone to look at it.

The OOTP Forum is working OK... just a little slow processing between clicks... take 1-2 seconds, not 30 like the OOTP game.

[hfield007]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Computer is acting strangely... very, very slow processing... won't be posting much for awhile... may need a new computer.

OOTP crashed when I tried to open in it up... finally got it to open, but it would take 30 seconds to process between each click.

Will just shut everything down until I can get someone to look at it.

The OOTP Forum is working OK... just a little slow processing between clicks... take 1-2 seconds, not 30 like the OOTP game.

Hopefully doesn't keep you out of commission too long!

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by hfield007

Hopefully doesn't keep you out of commission too long!

Gonna get a new computer.

Currently backing up my 7500 songs in my music library on an external hard drive... will also back up my OOTP leagued, too... if the computer lasts that long.

Wish me luck.

[Eugene Church]

Successfully backed up my music library... and the Islandian Pro Alliance... the IPA to about 24 hours to back up on an external hard drive... but it is really slow booting up... and slow going to the internet... but once I get there, it is fine.


It may take me a couple of weeks to get a new computer and get it loaded up.

[Eugene Church]

I just bought a new computer... it may be overkill... but it will take care of my OOTP needs for quite a few years... I got a very fine graphics card... it should handle OOTP animation improvements for a few versions of the game in the coming years.

Total cost: $1149.19 (tax and all)

Here are the tech specs of my new PC:

Intel® Core™
XPS 8940
XPS Desktop Special Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars. Read reviews for average rating value is 4.3 of 5.


Tech Specs
Processor
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400 processor(6-Core, 12M Cache, 2.6GHz to 4.4GHz)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home, English
Graphics Cardi
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 SUPER™ 4GB GDDR6
Hard Drive
512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD
Memoryi
16GB, 8Gx2, DDR4, 2933MHz
Wireless
Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i (2x2) 802.11ax Wireless and Bluetooth 5.1
Display

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Pro Alliance should be up-and-running again in all of its radiant glory in about 3 weeks.

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

I just bought a new computer... it may be overkill... but it will take care of my OOTP needs for quite a few years... I got a very fine graphics card... it should handle OOTP animation improvements for a few versions of the game in the coming years.

Total cost: $1149.19 (tax and all)

Here are the tech specs of my new PC:

Intel® Core™
XPS 8940
XPS Desktop Special Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars. Read reviews for average rating value is 4.3 of 5.


Tech Specs
Processor
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400 processor(6-Core, 12M Cache, 2.6GHz to 4.4GHz)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home, English
Graphics Cardi
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 SUPER™ 4GB GDDR6
Hard Drive
512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD
Memoryi
16GB, 8Gx2, DDR4, 2933MHz
Wireless
Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i (2x2) 802.11ax Wireless and Bluetooth 5.1
Display

It will be worth it! I got a new iMac two years ago. It was about $1300 with tax. OOTP runs amazing on it. Quck and smooth. Also the computer in general is just fast, and the picture is super sharp and colorful. Even basic things like internet browsing and email are more enjoyable.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

It will be worth it! I got a new iMac two years ago. It was about $1300 with tax. OOTP runs amazing on it. Quck and smooth. Also the computer in general is just fast, and the picture is super sharp and colorful. Even basic things like internet browsing and email are more enjoyable.

Glad to hear that from you... I have always been happy with the computers I have had the last 15 years... I decided to upgrade this time because of the OOTP animation... also to get more than I need at this time... hopefully this upgrade will take care of me for a few years... maybe it will be quite a few years before my computer becomes just an average computer as the technology advances.

I realized that I needed more hard drive... I have a 1T drive now with 600 GB of free space... so a 512 GB drive would leave me only 60 GB of free space,which in not enough for future needs and requirements... so I got a 512 GB solid state drive for the boot drive and added a 2 TB dual drive.

[Eugene Church]

I had my old computer checked by a technician today... he said it is fine and is not in danger of conking out on me... I was afraid it was failing because of the white screens that have recently been showing up and the slower processing... he said the white screens are a software problem, not a hardware problem.

So I can use it for my South Island Leagues and Islandian Pro Alliance until I get my new computer next month... it has to be built for me.

So get ready for South Island and IPA baseball !

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, July 13, 2073

IPA ALL-STARS WILL SHINE NEXT WEDNESDAY IN TURON
Typhoon Stadium in Turon, the home of the defending IPA Pro Cup champion, will be the host of the 73rd Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Classic... next Wednesday the Ruthlandian Stars will tangle with the Tycobbian Stars on the baseball diamond... last year the TU All-Stars got the best of the RU All-Stars 2-1 and increased their dominating lead in the series to 48 to 24 in the 72-game series... the Midsummer Dream Game will feature the top players for the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union slugging it out in a baseball extravaganza.

The Tycobbian All-Stars boast the most experience, led by 9-time All-Stars Roy Roberts (High Mesa) and Hugo Sutton (Rolling Hills), 5-time recipient Rico Alessi (Oxford) and 3-time honorees Zak Smalley (Bayview) and Tarka Thornhill (Chicopee)... the Ruthlandian All-Stars have 4-time All-Star Andre Lemoine (Belle Plaine) and 3-time selections Stefan Skarzynski (Valmara) and Bruno Baptista (Forest City).

There are 4 rookies making their debut in the IPA All-Star Classic... Flipper McKissick (Forest City) is the only first-year man for the RU Stars, while the TU Stars will have 3 newcomers, Jamey Ellison (White River), Lane Clements (Southport) and Cotton Mathers (Rolling Hills)... Raul Bernardo (Volusia) is youngest All-Star at age 22... the senior-most Stars are Pete Manush (San Dimas), Rico Alessi (Oxford) and Camden Watkins (Bayview), all 35 years of age.

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, July 18, 2073

PRESEASON PICKS DOING WELL AT THE IPA HALFWAY POINT
At the All-Star break only 3 of the preseason favorites are on top of their divisions, but almost all of the highly-touted teams are still alive and well in the Islandian Pro Alliance and very much in the hunt for the pennant... midway through the season Valmara, White River and defending IPA champion Turon are on the top of the heap... Rolling Hills is the only pennant pick to falter so far in the season... the Racers are 15 games behind in the Tycobbian West Division... the most surprising team in the IPA this season is the St. John Crusaders in the Ruthlandian Union... the unsung Crusaders are leading the RU South... another underrated club making waves is the Kenwood Wildcats... so far this year they are the best in the TU West.

Around the IPA at the All-Star Game
The Valmara Vipers (54-35) are ahead in the Ruthlandian North, but not by much... Far Mountain (53-36) and Taranto (52-37) are nipping at their heels, only 2 games off the pace, along with the LaGrange Gators (47-42), just 7 games out in the race... the Vipers were the preseason choice to take their 4th flag in a row.

Forecast to finish 5th in the Ruthlandian South the St. John Crusaders (50-39) have had a surprisingly strong first half and have a 2-game edge over Crystal Lake (48-41) and 3 games over perennial contenders Valka (47-42) and Claxton (47-42)... last year's division winner Valka was favored again to take the pennant this year... Belair Beach (44-45) and Waleska (42-47) still have a chance to get into the tussle, too.

The Sugar Valley Rattlers (53-36) and the Eastshore Cotton Kings (52-37) have shaken things up a bit in the Ruthlandian East... at midseason they are ahead of preseason favorite Wynnamac (49-40) and long-time challenger Marston (47-42), but the Macs and the Nine are still close by and dangerous... the Sundowners have won the RU East for the last 3 seasons and are favored to win it again this year... at the All-Star break the Rattlers have a 1-game lead over the Cotton Kings... they are 4 in front of Wynnamac and 6 ahead of Marston.

Last year's Pro Cup finalist, Stoner, was the choice to win again this year in a close race... however, Volusia (52-32), the 4th pick, has jumped into the Ruthlandian West lead at midyear... the Vigilantes are 4 games up on preseason choice Stoner (48-41) and 7 games better than Colfax (45-44), Sligo (45-44) and Middlefield (45-44)... the Forest City Firebirds (40-49) were forecast to be a title contender, but so far they have floundered in 7th place in the standings, 12 games behind.

The White River Rascals (62-27) were picked to be the top dog in the Tycobbian North again this season and they certainly are with a 12-game bulge at midyear... the Rascals have been torrid this year... Mahaska (50-39), Hartsdale (48-41) and Oxford (46-43) are playing good baseball this year, but still are far behind... chances are quite good that White River will prevail in the TU West for the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons... the Rascals are looking like Pro Cup champions.

Pro Cup champion Turon (53-36) is on pace to take their 4th straight division title in the Tycobbian South... their are playing steady baseball and have forged a 4-game lead ove San Alejo (49-40) and are 5 games better than Summerland (48-41)... running a distant 4th are the Southport Sun Sox (44-45) and the Arroyo Grande Suns (44-45)... Southport was looked on as Turon's biggest rival, but so far, the Sun Sox have floundered... the Suns are not expected to challenge the Typhoons... the preseason forecasters have not written Southport off as yet... they have the talent to get back into the pennant hunt.

Over in the Tycobbian East, the always solid Red Bluff Red Sox (57-32) have soared to the top of the division standings, despite being chosen to end up in the 5th fifth spot this season... the Red Sox have surprised the preseason pundits with a 3-game edge over runner-up Tuckanarra (54-35) and a 5-game margin over preseason favorite South Fork... Red Bluff won the division flag last season and has taken 4 of the last 8 pennants... none of the remaining 5 clubs are expected to make a race of it.

No one considered the Kenwood Wildcats (59-30) to be in serious contention in the Tycobbian West this year... they were the 4th choice to capture the pennant behind last year's winner Rolling Hills, Bayview and Chicopee... but lo and behold... yep, can you believe it, Kenwood is 4 games ahead of the second-place Vikings (55-34), 11 in front of the third-place Braves (48-41), 12 better than fourth-place Denton City Redbirds (47-42) and a whopping 15 games ahead of the preseason-favored and perennial powerhouse, the Rolling Hills Racers (44-45).

2073 Ruthlandian Union Midseason Standings



2073 Tycobbian Union Midseason Standings

[Eugene Church]

I cancelled the Dell order and purchased an HP Gaming Computer... my computer gaming friend and computer advisor did some research and got me a good gaming computer.

HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop
TG01-2285T
Price: $1282... haggled with them and they lowered the price from $1349.

Operating system
Windows 11 Home
Processor
Intel® Core™ i7-11700 (2.5 GHz base frequency, up to 4.9 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 16 MB L3 cache, 8 cores)[6,7]
Memory
16 GB DDR4-2933 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB)
Graphics
Integrated: Intel® UHD Graphics 750
Discrete: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 (12 GB GDDR6 dedicated)
Storage
256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
Video connector
1 HDMI; 3 DisplayPort™
Wireless technology
Realtek RTL8822CE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2x2) Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® 5 combo
Memory slots
2 DIMM
Secondary storage
2 TB 7200 rpm SATA HDD
Memory card device
HP 3-in-1 memory card reader
Network interface
Integrated 10/100/1000 GbE LAN
Power supply
500 W Gold efficiency power supply

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

I cancelled the Dell order and purchased an HP Gaming Computer... my computer gaming friend and computer advisor did some research and got me a good gaming computer.

HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop
TG01-2285T
Price: $1282... haggled with them and they lowered the price for $1349.

Operating system
Windows 11 Home
Processor
Intel® Core™ i7-11700 (2.5 GHz base frequency, up to 4.9 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 16 MB L3 cache, 8 cores)[6,7]
Memory
16 GB DDR4-2933 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB)
Graphics
Integrated: Intel® UHD Graphics 750
Discrete: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 (12 GB GDDR6 dedicated)
Storage
256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
Video connector
1 HDMI; 3 DisplayPort™
Wireless technology
Realtek RTL8822CE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2x2) Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® 5 combo
Memory slots
2 DIMM
Secondary storage
2 TB 7200 rpm SATA HDD
Memory card device
HP 3-in-1 memory card reader
Network interface
Integrated 10/100/1000 GbE LAN
Power supply
500 W Gold efficiency power supply

I have no idea what those specs mean, but I'm sure it will be better than what you have now.

White River is on fire this year. Will have to see if they can continue this pace in the 2nd half.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

I have no idea what those specs mean, but I'm sure it will be better than what you have now.

White River is on fire this year. Will have to see if they can continue this pace in the 2nd half.

Not sure, either... but I think the difference may be like the difference between a Corolla and a Lexus

The Rascals have always had good pitching in recent years, they just didn't have the offense in the playoffs equal to the best teams... but this year it looks like the offense is much better... White River may be a serious Pro Cup contender this year...the Rascals may be better than the preseason forecast that picked them 7th or 8th in the playoffs.

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, July 19, 2073

RU STARS OUTSLUG TU STARS IN 73RD IPA ALL-STAR GAME

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Friday, September 1, 2073

RASCALS, VIGILANTES, VIPERS, TYPHOONS, LOOKING LIKE IPA PENNANT WINNERS... HOWEVER 4 DIVISIONS STILL UP FOR GRABS HEADING INTO SEPTEMBER STRETCH DRIVE
Go with the White River Rascals in the Tycobbian North... yep, many gifted and clairvoyant pundits are already picking them the winner... 3 other division leaders, the Valmara Vipers in the Ruthlandian North, Volusia Vigilantes in the RU West and the reigning Pro Cup titlist Turon Typhoons in the TU South, look to be fairly safe bets to make the Pro Cup playoffs this season... rarely does a team lose that sort of lead in the final month... but it does happen... remember Red Bluff in 2069... the Red Sox flopped badly in September... they blew a 7 and one-half game lead to South Fork.

Rounding the turn and heading into the September stretch drive, White River is far, far ahead with a 19-game bulge over the runner-up Mahaska Haymakers... Volusia is up by 7 and a half games on the Stoner Silver Sox, Turon tops the San Alejo Monteneros by 7 and a half and Valmara is 7 games better than the second place Taranto Tars... but the other 4 divisions are going at it hot-and-heavy in torrid races.

It's a 3-team affair in the Ruthlandian South with one month left in the season... the Crystal Lake Skippers have a 2-game edge on the St. John Crusaders and 2 and a half games on the Valka Blackhawks... the Skippers sizzled in August with a 19-8 mark, while the Crusaders and Blackhawks floundered... St. John fell to 13-14 and Valka was 14-13... starting pitching will be key down the stretch... a slight nod goes to the preseason favorite and last year's flag winner, Valka.

A trio of clubs, Eastshore, Wynnamac and Sugar Valley, are still going at it in the Ruthlandian East race... the Macs posted a great 19-8 in August, the Cotton Kings were 17-11, but the Rattlers slipped to 13-14... Eastshore now is just 1 game ahead of red-hot Wynnamac... and 4 better than slumping Sugar Valley... the teams that get the best pitching will win it... advantage to the Cotton Pickers and the Sundowners.

The South Fork Stallions stayed on top with a great 19-9 run last month, but the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats hung tight with a 17-11 mark, just 3 games behind in the Tycobbian East... it was a so-so August for defending champion Red Bluff... the Red Sox could only muster a 14-14 mark and dropped out of first place, 5 games out... Red Bluff topped the league by 6 games at midseason... the Stallions may have the edge with 3 fine starters in their rotation... the clubs are pretty much even offensively.

The tightest and best race going in the IPA is in the Tycobbian West with 3 teams snarling and grappling with each other... the Bayview Vikings and Kenwood Wildcats are deadlocked for the top spot with the fast-closing Chicopee Braves just 3 games off the pace... the Braves had the best August, compiling a sparkling 18-10 mark... the Vikings went 14-13, while the Wildcats did poorly, going 12-16... Kenwood began the month a game and a half up on Bayview and 8 games ahead of Chicopee... the Braves have very strong pitching, while the Wildcats and Vikings have the bats.

2073 Ruthlandian Union Standings on September 1st



2073 Tycobbian Union Standings on September 1st