ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 9, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Finals: Game 3
(best-of-seven series)

Roberts Halt Crushers In Game 3, Nats Win 6-1
Top-seeded Ozarka finally found a way to slow down the surprising Crystal Lake Crushers - Eddie Roberts - the 31-year-old right-hander halted the sixth-seeded Crushers 6-1 in game three of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, holding them to just 6 hits and one run... Heavy-underdog Crystal Lake had upset Ozarka in the first two games... Roberts (4-1 3.06) struck out 7 and walked one in a complete-game outing to get favored Ozarka back in the Pro Cup competition... the win cut Crystal Lake's lead to two-games-to-one in the best-of-seven series.

The Naturals lambasted the Crushers for 13 hits, sparked by RF Ken Mayberry (.219), who collected 3 hits and scored twice... 5 Nats had 2 hits apiece: 3B Andre Dumas (.409), 1B Benny Rousseau (.426), SS James Couch (.351), C Frank Kiffin (.380) and 2B Todd Chadwick (.357)... Chadwick had a double and a triple for the winners... Vic Bauer (1-2 4.20) suffered the defeat, going 7 innings and allowing 5 runs and 10 hits... 1B Phil Gravelli's (.360) solo homer supplied Crystal Lake's only run.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 10, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Series: Game 4
(best-of seven)

Welch Whitewashes Nats, CL Closes In On Pro Cup
Duncan Welch did it again... Crystal Lake's ace southpaw whipped the tough Ozarka Naturals for the second time in the series, blanking them 6-0 on a 5-hitter in game four of the Pro Cup Finals, striking out 6 with 2 walks... playing at home at Lakeshore Stadium, the Crushers took a huge step toward the team's first Pro Cup championship... Crystal Lake now has a 3-1 advantage in the series and can wrap up its first Pro Cup title tomorrow afternoon. It will be played on the Crushers home grounds.

What a year it has been for Welch... He is 6-1 with 2.33 ERA in the playoffs... during the season Welch led the IPA with a superb 2.00 ERA and posted a 24-12 won-loss mark... Welch again got the best of Benny Osterman (2-3 2.39), who was slapped around for 10 hits and 6 runs in his 7 innings... however, only 3 of them were earned... Ozarka committed 4 errors in the game... Welch won game one 3-2.

SS Jimmy Bell (.228) and C Eddie Robertson (.309) led the Crushers with a couple of RBIs each... Robertson, 1B Phil Gravelli (.364) and 3B Herb Buck (.239) socked 2 hits apiece... Ralph McCullough (2-1 4.25) will try to nailed down the Pro Cup tomorrow afternoon... Yuka Nawajuk (3-1 2.51) will try to keep the Nats Pro Cup aspirations alive... McCullough defeated Nawajuk 5-3 in game two.

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, July 10, 2075

Coming up next Tuesday, the elite of the elite, the best of the best will meet on the baseball diamond at Lakeshore Stadium in Crystal Lake, the home of the current IPA Pro Cup champion Skippers... each year the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union take a midyear break from regular season action and play the annual Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Game... this will be the 75th time this has occurred... the competition is very one-sided -- the Tycobbian All-Stars have dominated with 48 victories and have only fallen 26 times -- however, to their credit the Ruthlandian All-Stars are on a good run with 4 wins in the last 5 years.

There are 64 clubs in the IPA... only 46 players are chosen each year... 23 on each team... there are many worthy and deserving players that do not make the All-Star teams... here are the fortunate ones that happen to play the right position at the right time and with just the right statistics and therefore get approved for the prestigious game... the voting is intense and is often decided on the slimmest of whims and details.

Not a lot of oldtime stars on the All-Stars this season... the most experienced is Charles Larsen of La Claire... the right fielder is a 4-time All-Star... the only 3-time All-Stars are Rolling Hills right fielder Kit Clemmons, South Fork shortstop Carroll Ezzell and Far Mountain right fielder Ernie Friedricks... the youngest to make the squads is 19-year-old catcher Russell Gilbert of Denton City and the oldest is 34-year-old pitcher Dorsey Burnette of Valka, a 13-year veteran... another hurler Nikita Nurk of Summerland finally made the TU Stars after 11 years at age 33... Rolling Hills third baseman Art Horn has been around for 10 years and has played with three teams... he is a first-time All-Star at age 29... three rookies were honored this year: Far Mountain catcher Marc Milgram, Waleska left fielder Rod Rheems and Rolling Hills catcher Jaron Shufford.

Here are the proud 23 representing the Ruthlandian Union in the 75th IPA All-Star Classic and here are the pride and joy of the Tycobbian Union, the TU All-Stars:

Ruthlandian Union


Tycobbian Union

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 11, 2020

2020 IPA Pro Cup Series
(best-of seven)

CL Crushers Are IPA Champs: Game 5
In one of the biggest upsets in IPA history, the unsung sixth-seeded Crystal Lake Crushers stunned the heavily-favored number-one ranked Ozarka Naturals four-games-to-one to capture their first Pro Cup trophy... Ralph McCullough hurled the Crushers to a convincing 8-3 triumph over the Nats in game five at Lakeshore Stadium in Crystal Lake... McCullough (3-1 3.96) won his second game of the series... he bent, but didn't break, scattering 10 hits in a route-going effort, helped by four double plays by the Crusher infield... a 6-run fourth inning cinched the victory, highlighted by LF Michael Melchiore's (.232) grand-slam homer... the victim was Nats starter Yuka Nawajuk (3-2 2.68), who allowed 8 runs in 4 frames, but permitted only 2 earned runs... shoddy defense cost Ozarka dearly as they committed 3 errors... 3B Herb Buck (.250) added 2 hits and 2 runs batted into the Crystal Lake 9-hit attack.

Manager Herman "Baby" George told the press after the game, "Everybody on the club contributed at one time or another, but McCullough and Welch consistently carried us during the season and also during the Pro Cup playoffs. We don't have a lot of big bats and big names, but we got a lot of big hearts. I'm mighty proud of all of them. They certainly made me look good."

A very disappointed Ozarka skipper, Joe Mac Carney, congratulated the Crushers, stating "McCullough and Welch can play on my team anytime. They certainly had our number. Crystal Lake is a fine ball club and certainly outplayed us." This was the fifth time Ozarka has lost in the finals.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 12, 2020

CL's Welch Pro Cup MVP
To no one's surprise Crystal Lake's sensational southpaw Duncan Welch has been named the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player this year. Welch sparked the Crushers to the Islandian championship with a superlative 6-1 record in the postseason. Welch made 7 starts and completed 4 of them with a 2.36 ERA against the best teams in the IPA. He worked 58 innings, allowed 45 hits, fanned 41 and walked only 15. During the regular season Welch was 24-12 with an IPA-leading 2.00 ERA.

Coming in second and third in the MVP balloting were two of Welch's Crusher teammates, 2B Greg Murphy and 1B Phil Gravelli. Murphy led the team with 4 homers and 14 RBIs, while batting .338. Gravelli topped team with a .356 batting average. He had 2 homers and 13 runs batted in.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 17, 2020

Times Announces IPA Managers Of The Year
The Islandian Times Announced its IPA Managers of the Year today. Both honorees were first-time recipients. The Ruthlandian Manager Of the Year was Bret George, who led his Beechwood Bobcats to the RU East title. Over in Tycobbia the trophy went to Arroyo Grande's Cyclone Cobb, who skippered the Suns to the TU South crown.

This was the first time the Beechwood Bobcats ever won the pennant and the first time the club made the Pro Cup playoffs. George had quite a task to win the division, which has been dominated by powerful Eastshore for the past few years. The Elegants won two Pro Cups and four division flags in a row from 2016-2019. George had to beat out, not only Eastshore, but a resurgence Wynnamac, which finished a very close third. Beechwood was 88-66 for the season and edged out the Elegants by two games and the Sundowners by three. In 2019 the Bobcats wound up in third place. Wynnamac's fine manager Matt Donnelly was number two in the voting. He guided the Sundowners from sixth to third, improving their record from 70-84 to 85-69.

Cyclone Cobb had some very tough competition in the TU South. The Suns had to overcome perennial powerhouse Turon and the up-and-coming Ginza Ninjas. Arroyo Grande rose up from third to first by compiling an excellent 95-59 mark for the season, the best record in the IPA. The Suns were 87-67 last year. Arroyo Grande had never made the postseason playoffs in its 19-year history. Second in the balloting was Hillsboro's manager, Rawhide Marshall, followed by Hartsdale's Zim Donner. Marshall had to contend with the juggernaut Ozarka Naturals and the talented Midway Wolves in the TU East, finally ending up third, but just two games off the pace. Donner improved the Hellcats from 71-83 in 2019 to 90-64 this season, winding up in second place, 3 games behind TU North champion Luxora.

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, July 17, 2075

RUTHLANDIAN ALL-STARS SPARKLE FOR THE 5TH TIME IN 6 YEARS
The IPA boasting rights for the best baseball players in the Islands still belong to
the Ruthlandian Union All-Stars... they outshined the Tycobbian Union All-Stars 5-3 in
the 75th edition of the midsummer dream game... the RU Stars have now triumphed
5 times in the last 6 years.

[Eugene Church]

IPA Stars of the Day

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, September 1, 2075

RANFORD, SLIGO, TUCKS, ROLLING HILLS, TURON SURE BETS... MARSTON LIKELY CHAMP... RU SOUTH AND TU NORTH STILL UP FOR GRABS
It's stretch time in the Islandian Pro Alliance... we are at the start of September and 5 teams are lead-pipe cinches to win their divisions... one team is likely to win... and 2 divisions are still up for the taking.

Here is what's going on in the Ruthlandian Union...The Ranford Bulls are 8 games in front in the Ruthlandian North... the Sligo Rovers are 14 games ahead in the Ruthlandian West... the Marston Nine are leading the Ruthlandian East by 5 and a half games and are the odds-on favorite to win the pennant... the only division in doubt is the Ruthlandian South where defending IPA Pro Cup champion Crystal Lake is still being seriously challenged the arch-rival Valka... this race will likely go down to the last week or last day of the season... the Skippers are just a half-game on top of the Blackhawks... the momentum slightly favors Crystal Lake down the home stretch... the Skippers went 18-10 in August, while Valka was only 14-13... the RU South is just too close to call... there is a lot of luck in baseball... teams say they would rather be lucky than good sometimes... a bad bounce of the ball... an uncalled strike... a fluke hit... things like this can sometimes decide a close pennant race.

Over in the Tycobbian Union this is how its stands... The Turon Typhoons have a fairly safe 7-game margin in the Tycobbian South... the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats lead the TU East by 9 games... and in the TU West race the Rolling Hills Racers are rollicking along with a humongous 14 and a half-game bulge... however, there is still a tense and nip-and-tuck photo finish possible in the Tycobbian North... the Luxora Zorros are one game better than the Hartsdale Hellcats and 5 and a half games up on the White River Rascals... the hottest team going into September is the Hellcats... they went a sizzling 19-8 in August... Luxora did well at 15-12, while the Rascals were a fading-fast 12-16... the Hartsdale hurlers will probably win it for them... the Zorros and Hellcats close out the season in Hartsdale for the last 3 games.

2075 Ruthlandian Union September Standings


2075 Tycobbian Union September Standings

[jg2977]

Good September recap, but swap out Southport for Turon. The Typhoons have the comfortable 7-game lead in the TU South.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

Good September recap, but swap out Southport for Turon. The Typhoons have the comfortable 7-game lead in the TU South.

Thanks, jg2977... will fix it.

[Eugene Church]

HARTSDALE AND VALKA WIN THRILLERS IN IPA... 6 RACES WERE RUNAWAYS
Oh, what a treat it was for fans in Hartsdale, Valka, Luxora and Crystal Lake... the Ruthlandian South went down to the final week of the season and the Tycobbian North was decided on the very last day of the season... and what made it even more special, the two contenders in the TU North ended the season going head-to-head with the pennant on the line... it doesn't get much better than this in baseball... there is nothing more thrilling in sports than a tight pennant race... fans live and die with each pitch, each call, each strike, each ball and each out in the home stretch of the baseball season.

The fans are overjoyed and very happy in the Islandian towns of Ranford, Valka, Marston, Sligo, Hartsdale, Turon, Tuckanarra and Rolling Hills... they all raised the triumphant flags of success this year -- they won their divisions... all of these 8 division champions earned the right to advance to the ultimate goal - the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs... the Islands will be ablaze with postseason baseball this coming Saturday afternoon.

Ruthlandian Union
Valka @ Sligo
Ranford @ Marston

Tycobbian Union
Hartsdale @ Turon
Tuckanarra @ Rolling Hills

2075 IPA Final Recap

Ruthlandian Union

The Ranford Bulls were selected to wind up in 5th place this year in the Ruthlandian North Division, but they improved on that greatly... the Bulls took over the top spot in the RU North early in May... had a good 5-game lead at midseason and then won going away at the end of September by 12 games over runner-up Far Mountain... their last appearance in the playoffs was in 2060... Ranford has only won the Pro Cup one time... that was long ago in 2040... this will be the 9th time the Bulls have made the postseason.

The pennant chase lasted until the final week of the season in the Ruthlandian South Division... defending IPA champion Crystal Lake and this year's favorite to repeat in the RU South flopped badly losing 5 of the last 6 contests and finished 3 games behind the Valka Blackhawks, who chalked up a 15-11 mark the last month, while the Skippers only managed 11-14... it was just a 2-team race most of the season... this is the 3rd time in the last 4 years the Blackhawks have copped the division title... this will be their 8th playoff appearance... Valka has never won a Pro Cup, however they made the Pro Cup Finals in 2073, but they were swept by South Fork Stallions.

The Ruthlandian East Division was a 4-team battle between Marston, Wynnamac, Sugar Valley and Cold Creek for half the season... the Raccoons dropped out in July... the Rattlers fell out the race in August... then the Nine got red-hot and pulled away, topping the second-place Sundowners by 9 games... this is the 12th time Marston has reached the postseason... the Nine has never won a Pro Cup in their history... in fact, they have never made the Pro Cup Series.

The Sligo Rovers were deemed the best in the west this season in the preseason poll and they proved themselves to be the best in the Ruthlandian West by winning 101 games and taking the division flag by a whopping 15 games over last year's winner Stoner... the Rovers are making their 16th appearance in the IPA playoffs, but they only have one Pro Cup trophy, which they picked up in 2021... Sligo last played in the playoffs in 2069... the Rovers raced to a 4-game lead in April... no one except the Stoner Silver Sox contended... at midyear Sligo had a double-digit lead and never looked back.

Tycobbian Union

In the spring the defending champion Oxford Red Caps were the darling of the preseason pickers, forecast to make shambles of the TU North pennant race and to easily repeat as division winner and destined to cop the IPA Pro Cup trophy like they were supposed to do in 2074... but it didn't turn out that way... instead the most torrid race in the IPA this year was in the Tycobbian North... it was a 5-team dogfight until August... the challengers were Hartsdale, Luxora, White River, North Hills and Mahaska... the dog days of summer took their toll on the Rascals, Hawks and Haymakers, leaving only the Hellcats and Zorros in the fracas... it really was a fierce fight to the very end -- the finish was scripted in Hollywood -- it came down to the last series of the year in Hartsdale... going into the final week of the season Luxora has a 3-game margin over the Hellcats, but they couldn't hold it... Hartsdale won its last 6 games... Luxora was 2-4 the last week... the Hellcats swept the Z's in the final 3 games of the year to take the TU North title by one game... excellent pitching did the job... Hartsdale defeated Luxora 7-0, 1-0 and 5-2 to win the pennant... the Hellcats started the season slowly, posting a feeble 8-15 in April, trailing by 7 and a half games in 7th place... Hartsdale started raising the devil in the league and got back into the hunt...this will be Hartsdale's 14th postseason playoff appearance... twice they have hauled in the much-coveted Pro Cup trophy... the Hellcats won it in 2046 and 2063... the last time they made the postseason was 2072.

The baseball pundits picked the Turon Typhoons to triumph in the Tycobbian South by a wide margin and this time they were right on target... the Typhoons won the division by 15 games over second place Southport... last year's champ and Pro Cup finalist Summerland landed in the 5th spot this year, 22 games behind... it was an exciting race for the first two months between Turon, Southport, Summerland, Cape Coral and Arroyo Grande... the Typhoons went on a 19-9 tear in June, but the Sunsets, Hurricanes and Suns swooned and fell out of contention... that month the Sun Sox compiled a 16-11 mark and trailed by just 3 games... Southport hung around within striking distance until September, when they totally fell out of the picture... Turon will be appearing for the 26th time in the playoffs, second only to Valmara's 30 postseason appearances... the Typhoons will be seeking their 6th Pro Cup trophy... they captured the revered relic in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2018 and 2072... on 4 occasions Turon made the IPA Pro Cup Finals (2017, 2056, 2070, 2071)... the Typhoons have won the TU South 5 times in the last 6 years.

The Tuckanarra Tiger Cats won the Tycobbian East title last year and were chosen in the preseason poll to do it again in a fairly close race with Hillsboro, Red Bluff and Midway... at the end of May it was anybody's to win... 7 teams were challenging... at that point the Tucks took over the top spot in the standings with a sensational 36-16 record in June and July... by August only the Midway Wolves were still in the hunt, just 3 and a half games out... it was over by September... the Tiger Cats built up a 10-game bulge over Midway and Red Bluff... at season's end Tuckanarra topped South Fork by 6 games and Midway by 9... the Tucks have been active in postseason play... this will be their 23rd appearance in the playoffs... the Tiger Cats have collected 3 Pro Cups, winning in 2023, 2024 and 2035... they also made the Pro Cup Finals in 2013 and 2028.

After winning an unprecented 12 pennants in a row and 4 Pro Cups from 2060 to 2071, the amazing Rolling Hills Racers became ordinary for the last three years... now they are back to being extraordinary with a 100-54 mark this season... the Racers were the preseason favorite in the Tycobbian West Division... not a lot of competition was forecast and not much occurred... Rolling Hills raced to the division crown by 9 games over runner-up and last year's champion Chicopee... they outplayed La Claire by 10 games... the Racers bolted out of the gate and shot into the lead in the first month of the season... by the first of July they had a brobdingnagian 12 and one-half game lead... yep, the word is "brobdingnagian"... always wanted to use that in sports column... now that is a word right up there with George Will's extravagant, excessive, overdone and verbose vocabulary and I have finally done it... it means "huge size, gigantic, tremendous, giant" ... from literature... Swift's Gulliver's Travels... about a land of giants named Brogdingnag... Rolling Hills is back in the postseason for the 24th time... they lead the IPA with 7 Pro Cup titles... they won as the Rolling Hills Reds in 2029 and 2031... adopted the nickname Racers and were IPA Pro Cup champions in 2060, 2062, 2067 and 2069... they were Pro Cup Finalists in 2064 and 2068... yep, the Racers were quite a team during that great period and that fantastic run.

2075 Ruthlandian Union Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

2075 Tycobbian Union Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

[jg2977]

I hope to see a Turon vs. Rolling Hills Tycobbian Union Title Series - that would be a battle of two IPA powerhouses.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

I hope to see a Turon vs. Rolling Hills Tycobbian Union Title Series - that would be a battle of two IPA powerhouses.

Best pitching against best hitting... yep, this would be a good one.

[Eugene Church]

Friday, October 4, 2075

TYPHOONS ARE THE BEST TEAM IN THE IPA PLAYOFFS
The Turon Typhoons don't hit as well as Rolling Hills Racers... they don't pitch as well as the Marston Nine... they don't hit homers out of the park like Hartsdale Hellcats... and they don't play defense as well as Rolling Hills Racers... but the Typhoons do most of those things well enough to win the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy this year... that's the opinion of all the scribes and broadcasters that covered the IPA this year... here is how they ranked the 8 IPA division champions in The Islandian Times postseason preview poll.

1. TURON TYPHOONS are a well-balanced team with solid hitting and solid pitching.
2. Sligo Rovers show up very well in all of the statiscal categories... can do it all.
3. Ranford Bulls arethe most surprising team in the IPA this season... came from 7th to 1st place this season... an ugly duckling kind of team... not much on paper, but the Bulls won 97 games this season... they are banking on homers and good defense coupled with fairly good pitching.
4. Rolling Hills Racers depend on offense and defense to win games... not a lot of pitching... however, the Racers won 4 Pro Cups in the 2060s this way... and they lost 2 more in the Pro Cup Finals... the monsters of the 60s may be back.
5. Marston Nine has a strong mound staff... three good starters... two fine relievers... but they lack offense... this is a killer in the playoffs... well-balanced teams with good pitching and good offense usually do better... you can hit your way to the Pro Cup title, but it is hard to pitch your way to it.
6. Valka Blackhawks has the offense to compete for the Pro Cup, but comes up a little short in the pitching department.
7. Hartsdale Hellcats can go deep, but they are just fair on the hill, in the batter's box and defensively.
8. Tuckanarra Tiger Cats can compete on the mound, but that is not enough in the postseason against teams that can pitch and score runs.

IPA PRO CUP PLAYOFFS TALE OF THE TAPE

BEST BATTING AVERAGE
1. Rolling Hills .302
2. Turon .283
3. Valka .282
4. Sligo .280

BEST OBP
1. Rolling Hills .368
2. Turon .341
3. Valka .338
4. Marston .337

MOST RUNS SCORED
1. Rolling Hills 852
2. Turon 794
3. Valka 776
4. Sligo 751

MOST HOME RUNS
1. Hartsdale 131
2. Ranford 122
3. Turon 119
4. Sligo 98
4. Tuckanarra 98

MOST STOLEN BASES
1. Turon 265
2. Hartsdale 227
3. Rolling Hills 221
4. Ranford 221

BEST ERA
1. Marston 3.00
2. Tuckanarra 3.25
3. Sligo 3.31
4. Turon 3.33

BEST HOME RUNS ALLOWED
1. Marston 78
2. Sligo 90
3. Tuckanarra 93
4. Turon 98

BEST RUNS ALLOWED
1. Marston 549
2. Turon 577
3. Sligo 583
4. Tuckanarra 597

BEST FIELDING AVERAGE
1. Rolling Hills .981
2. Ranford .979
3. Hartsdale .979
4. Valka .976
4. Sligo .976

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 6, 2075

3 PLAYOFF UNDERDOGS TAKE IPA ELITE 8 OPENERS
There is a lot of parity in the Islandian Pro Alliance postseason playoffs this year... top to bottom, number one to number eight, is very close talent-wise... all 8 teams in the Elite 8 are pretty even on the diamond... in the opening games 3 so-called underdogs prevailed... the only favorite to survive was the Sligo Rovers in the Ruthlandian Union, who put down the Valka Blackhawks 7-3 in game one of the best-of-seven series... the Marston Nine did what they do best, they got a masterful pitching performance and blanked the Ranford Bulls 2-0... in the Tycobbian Union Hartsdale skimmed past powerful Turon 7-5 in 10 innings and the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats roared past Rolling Hills 13-4.

2075 IPA Elite 8 Series Stars of the Game

[Eugene Church]

2075 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 1