ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

It's been a rough RL summer. But i got back just in time for the IPA playoffs. Best time of the year. And this playoff has been an all timer.

Sorry to hear that... you've been missed.

Oxford broke my heart... I was pulling for Rolling Hills to win back-to-back Pro Cups and winning their 5th Pro Cup... I was really stunned when they lost that seventh game in the very last inning with a three-run lead..

Now I'm pulling for the Red Caps... I like Latimer, Blackman, Beckwith and Lynn.

[Eugene Church]

Friday, October 21, 2061

BECKWITH BLAST GIVE OXFORD PIVOTAL 5TH GAME
In a game for the ages... in a series for the ages... in a seesaw extra-inning struggle... the Oxford Red Caps captured pivotal game five of the IPA Pro Cup Series 5-4 in 10 innings and are now in the driver's seat for their second Pro Cup trophy... the Red Caps last won it long, long ago in 2007... in a terrific Pro Cup Finals all five games have been decided by one run and all the games have been won by the home team.

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 22, 2061

OXFORD WIN 2ND PRO CUP IN GREAT SERIES
Great goodness!... What a great Pro Cup Finals!
Start to finish... each and every game was contested in almost each and every inning... all six games were dramatic one-run affairs.
When the dust cleared from the fiery diamonds, it was the Oxford Red Caps reigning supreme all over the Islands... they nipped-and-tucked their way past the valiant Volusia Vigilantes in six hotly-contested games to capture their second IPA Pro Cup trophy.

The mighty Oxford Red Caps are the 2061 Pro Cup champion!

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 23, 2061

OXFORD'S TILFORD NAMED PRO CUP MVP
This year's 2061 IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player Award went to an unlikely choice, an unsung and unheralded journeyman reliever, Freddy Tilford... the 29-year-old Oxford right-hander sparked the Red Caps by the Volusia Vigilantes with three sensational outings... Tilford blanked V's in 10 innings of work and didn't give up a single run... he was the winning pitcher in games four, five and six, stopping the hard-hitting Vigilantes on six hits with only one walk and nine Ks... Oxford whipped Volusia four games to two, gaining its second Pro Cup trophy... all six games were tense one-run duels... Tilford was the clear-cut MVP winner... the only other votegetter was third baseman Roland Latimer, who only batted .286 in the Pro Cup Finals, but drove in five runs.

Tilford only pitched in 19 games this season, finishing the regular season with a 1-0 record and and 3.38 ERA... he made 5 starts and worked 32 innings... overall in his three-year career with the Red Caps, Tilford is 9-11 with 12 saves and a 4.93 ERA in 93 games.

Latimer had good series in all three rounds, batting .300 in 19 games with six homers, 18 RBIs and 15 runs scored... but only the Pro Cup Series performance is considered for the Pro Cup MVP.

Overall in the postseason this year's Pro Cup winner Oxford had a plethora of standouts... on the mound ace pitcher Pat McFarland was 3-0 with a 3.63 ERA in seven starts... Rico Alessi was 3-0 in four starts and five games with an impressive 1.55 ERA... at the plate leading the Oxford offense was shortstop Errol Sears (.329 BA, 10 runs), right fielder Showboat Lynn (.309 BA, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 15 runs), first baseman Buddy Blackford (.304 BA, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 15 runs)... plus Frankie Beckwith (.255 BA, 4 HR, 14 RBI), second baseman Scott Schneider (.236 BA, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 11 runs) and catcher Giles Gilliam (.238 BA, 3 HR, 11 RBI).

[Eugene Church]

Monday, October 24, 2061

2061 IPA STARS PRESENTED AWARDS
It was another banner year in the Islandian Pro Alliance and making it possible was the standout play of its star players... the Ruthlandian Union voted Valmara's Jud Gilbride the Most Valuable Player, Snooky Bartels of Wynnamac the Golden Bat winner, Frankie Dark of Kilkenny received the Golden Arm trophy and the 2061 Rookie of the Year was Cold Creek's Vince Norberg... the Tycobbian Union top awards went to Most Valuable Player and Golden Bat slugger, Norishige Ito of the Midway Wolves, the Golden Arm trophy was presented to Pat McFarlane of the Oxford Red Caps and the best rookie was Moe Christie of the East Point Panthers... and 18 award-winning defenders were recipients of Golden Gloves.

2061 Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player Award:
1. Jud Gilbride (Valmara)... he led the Vipers to the RU North pennant with a .302 BA, 41 homers, 130 RBIs, 124 runs and 22 stolen bases... Gilbride also played a solid center field... just 23 and has played with Valmara four seasons... participated in 139 games... a great all-around performer.

2. Snooky Bartels (Wynnamac)... he sparked the Sundowners to first place in the RU East race, batting .366 in 144 games with 204 hits, 42 doubles, 35 roundtrippers, 114 ribbies and scored 102 runs... age 28... 7-year veteran.

3. Manny Sendejas (Wynnamac)... teammate of Bartels... Sendejas played 149 games at first base, finishing up with a .291 BA, 35 doubles, 34 homers, 112 runs batted in and 112 runs scored... he stole 7 bases... age 30... 7-year vet.

2061 Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award:
1. Snooky Bartels (Wynnamac)... he hit .366, second best in the RU... second with 204 hits... and fourth in RBIs with 114... Macs came in first in the RU East.

2. Dayle Killian (Eastshore)... second-year player, topped the RU with 143 RBIs and came in fourth with 195 hits... played in 147 games at first base, hit .325 with 30 doubles and 30 homers... the 21-year-old helped the Cotton Kings to a third-place finish.

3. Jud Gilbride (Valmara)... he made the Vipers high-powered attack go... they won the RU North pennant... Gilbride was the RU league-leader with 41 homers and 124 runs... came in second with 130 runs batted in... also stole 22 bases... and is a good defender.

2061 Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award:
1. Frankie Dark (Kilkenny)... the 26-year-old Dark made his mark in his fourth season with the Cats... compiled a 13-7 record in 25 starts with a strong 2.22 ERA... teams only hit .209 against him... Kilkenny was a seventh-place club with a 65-89 record... that shows what a fine year Dark had.

2. Mickey Walsh (Sligo)... still going strong in his 15th year with the Rovers at age 34, he charted an impressive 17-5 record with a 2.77 ERA in 30 starts... Walsh was a big part of Sligo's runner-up spot to RU West Division champ and Pro Cup finalist, Volusia.

3. George Medworth (Wynnamac)... at age 34, he led the Macs to another RU East crown with a 15-4 mark and an outstanding 2.21 ERA in his 20 starting assignments.

2061 Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award:
1. Vince Norberg (Cold Creek)... the 20-year-old second sacker put up some monstrous numbers in his freshman season... 33 home runs, 123 RBIs and 100 runs scored, while batting .280... Norberg was third in runs batted in... in spite of his efforts, Cold Creek was tied for sixth in the RU East standings this year.

2. Kris Carper (LaGrange)... the Gators came in fifth in the RU North, but had a good record, ending up 81-73 this year... the 21-year-old left fielder was a prime ingredient in their success with a .319 BA and 177 hits in 137 games with 30 doubles, 13 triples, 17 homers, 103 RBIs and 82 runs scored.

3. Dan Stapleton (San Dimas)... the 21-year-old southpaw was a mound mainstay for the Rancheros this season, helping them rise up to third place in the RU South, just six games out of first place... for the previous two years they were inept cellar-dwellers... Stapleton was primarily the closer with 17 saves... he put up a 17-7 record with a 3.24 ERA.

2061 Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Team:
Pitcher: Dave Brewster (Ranford) (.986 FA) (14-10, 3.39 ERA)
Catcher: Carlos Silva (Volusia) (.992 FA, 52.8% RTO) (.314 BA, 8 HR, 69 RBI, 51 R) (2-time winner)
First Baseman: Trip Agarn (Middlefield) (.994 FA) (.271 BA, 34 HR, 92 RBI, 83 R/5 SB)
Second Baseman: Pablo Dias (Ancona) (.985 FA) (.238 BA, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 86 R, 22 SB)
Third Baseman: Gus Beasley (Marston) (.973 FA) (.263 BA, 13 HR, 78 RBI, 65 R, 6 SB)
Shortstop: Jack Gregory (Claxton) (.981 FA) (.248 BA, 8 HR, 51 RBI, 61 R, 14 SB) (2-time winner)
Left Fielder: Ramsey Everett (Marston) (.977 FA) (.342 BA, 29 HR, 109 RBI, 100 R, 2 SB)
Center Fielder: Quince Dunstin (San Dimas) (.994 FA) (.275 BA, 21 HR, 79 RBI, 97 R, 15 SB)
Right Fielder: Lanny Waldrep (Colfax) (.990 FA) (.309 BA, 29 HR, 87 RBI, 91 R/6 SB) (3-time winner)

[Eugene Church]

2061 Ruthlandian Uniion Award Winners

************** MVP AWARD *********

[Eugene Church]

2061 Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player Award
1. Norishige Ito (Midway)... for the fifth time superstud outfielder Ito has copped the Tycobbian MVP honor... he led the league in hitting with a .365 BA... second time Ito had done that... also did it in 2052... ranked fourth in homers with 49... drove in 128 runs... scored 119 times... played in 149 games... sparked the Middies to another pennant in the TU East Division... now 34 years old, Ito is a 15-year veteran... 8 with the Wolves and 7 with the Arroyo Grande Suns... traded in '54.

2. Kagetoki Miyazaki (High Mesa)... the Mustangs third sacker put up big numbers this season, leading them to a fourth-place finish with an 82-72 mark... Miyazaki in his 10th season, batted .334 in 149 games at age 28... topped the IPA with 63 homers and 124 runs... also was second in driving runs with 140.

3. Gabriel Macedo (Kenwood)... the 27-year-old right fielder had a marvelous year, pacing the Wildcats to an 83-71 record in the TU West and the third spot in the standings... Macedo topped the Tycobbian Union with 143 RBIs and wound up second in longballs with 58... he batted at a .325 clip and scored 119 runs and participated in 136 games.

2061 Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award
1. Norishige Ito (Midway)... for the sixth time in his legendary career has been named the best batter in the Tycobbian Union... it was another banner year for him... won his second batting title... Ito batted .365... winding up with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 49 home runs, 128 RBIs and 119 runs scored... he also walked 88 times and led the league with a .457 on-bat percentage... Midway won the Tycobbian East pennant.

2. Kagetoki Miyazaki (High Mesa)... runner-up in the MVP race... also came in second to Ito in the Golden Bat competition... Miyazaki had a career year with a .334 BA, 63 HR, 140 RBI and 124 runs... the High Mesa third baseman paced the TU in homers and runs... finished second in RBIs... his Mustangs ended up fourth in the TU West with an 82-72 record.

3. Gabriel Macedo (Kenwood)... could have won all the major awards... he had that good of a year... but the Kenwood right fielder again finished third in the Golden Bat poll... Macedo was the league leader with 142 RBIs... and runner-up to Miyazaki, the home-run leader... Macedo hit 58 out of the park... in 136 games he collected 172 hits and batted .325... he also scored 119 times... Kenwood wound up a distant third in the TU West.

2061 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award
1. Pat McFarlane (Oxford)... the big 6-foot-5 right-hander capped a sensational 20-7 season with this coveted award... in 31 starts, he tossed 253 innings, struck out 172 batters and registered a sparkling 2.27 ERA... McFarlane led the Red Caps to the TU North title... he is 31 years old and has been with Oxford for six seasons.

2. Herm McClanahan (South Fork)... he helped the Stallions finish third in the TU East... they fought first place Midway and second place Tuckanarra for the pennant, but came up seven games behind the Wolves and two back of the Tiger Cats... the 31-year-old right-hander topped the league with a brilliant 2.07 ERA... also had the most shutouts with 6 and had the most quality starts with 28... in 31 starts, McClanahan was 16-7 with 154 Ks in 231 innings... he has been with the Stallions for five seasons.

3. Ivar Rasmussen (Bayview)... he has been a mainstay on the mound for the Vikings for five years, but this was his best so far... Rasmussen went 19-7 with a stellar 2.67 ERA in 31 starts... teams only managed a .221 BA against him... he led the Viks (82-72) to a solid season, ending up fourth in the TU West standings.

2061 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award
1. Moe Christie (East Point)... it was a season to remember for the 23-year-old newcomer... he wrapped up his first year with 42 homers, 103 ribbies and scored 94 runs, while playing in 151 games... Christie hit for a .267 BA... however, he didn't get a lot of help from the other Panthers... they stumbled in seventh in the TU East at 62-92.

2. Bubby Creekmur (Tuckanarra)... the 23-year-old center fielder made a good debut in the IPA for the Tucks... in 145 games he hit .297 with 36 roundtrippers, 112 RBIs and score 87 runs... the second place Tiger Cats gave division champ Midway a tough fight in the TU East, posting a 90-64 season.

3. Mark Carmickle (Rolling Hills)... the 22-year-old first baseman gave a big boost to the Racers' already potent attack... in 133 games he piled up 158 hits with a .304 BA, 38 doubles, 8 triples, 24 homers, 109 RBIs and scored 91 times... Rolling Hills easily rolled to its second straight pennant in the Tycobbian West.

2061 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Team
Pitcher: Rico Alessi (Oxford) (1.000 FA) (15-7, 3.25 ERA)
Catcher: Ricky Penn (Chicopee) (.992 FA, 38.6% RTO) (.248 BA, 10 HR, 59 RBI, 50 R)
First Baseman: Buddy Blackford (Oxford) (.994 FA) (.307 BA, 47 HR, 128 RBI, 104 R) (2-time winner)
Second Baseman: Rube Nealy (Hillsboro) (.980 FA) (.306 BA, 16 HR, 62 RBI, 86 R, 6 SB)
Third Baseman: Dick Barney (Arroyo Grande) (.984 FA) (.251 BA, 18 HR, 68 RBI, 82 R, 10 SB) (3-time winner)
Shortstop: Whiz Ivie (Bay St. Clair) (.984 FA) (.265 BA, 1 HR, 52 RBI, 46 R, 9 SB)
Left Fielder: Pokie Ash (East Point) (.997 FA) (.251 BA, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 81 R, 12 SB) (3-time winner)
Center Fielder: Sean McEwen (La Claire) (.992 FA) (.277 BA, 11 HR, 57 RBI, 100 R, 31 SB)
Right Fielder: Marvin Harrelson (Luxora) (.992 FA) (.292 BA, 20 HR, 68 RBI, 95 R, 7 SB)

2061 Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, November 3, 2061

BEST SKIPPERS IN ISLANDIA
The best way to be named Manager of the Year in the Islandian Pro Alliance is to take a hapless and hopeless team from the proverbial outhouse to the penthouse... but that rarely happens in real life... just the movies.

The 2061 Managers of the Year in the IPA were Don Ritchie of the Valmara Vipers in the Ruthlandian Union and Billy Christianson of the Rolling Hills Racers of the Tycobbian Union.

Richie did it the hard way... unbelievably, his Vipers went from the penthouse in '59, tanked to the outhouse in '60 and then climbed to the top again this year... Hollywood couldn't have come up with a better story... Don Ritchie is the 2061 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year... Valmara went from an atrocious 64-90 all the way to the mountain top this year... the Vips were 95-59 this season, a tremendous turnaround... Ritchie also was honored as the best manager in 2057.

The 2061 Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year, Billy Christianson, went about it in a better way... his Rolling Hills Racers improved on a really good season... the Racers won the TU West in '60 with a 93-61 mark and improved on it, climbing up to 99-55 this season... Christianson is a first-time winner... he is following in the fine footsteps of his grandfather, the legendary Matty Christianson, who won the Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year four times... 2007, 2019, 2022 and 2027... his grandfather also skippered Rollling Hills.

Valmara's Richie had some very stiff competition in the Ruthlandian Union... Volusia's skipper Tubby Tarkanian was the runner-up in the polling... he took a good solid ballclub and turned it into a pennant winner... the Vigilantes came in second in the standings in the Ruthlandian West in '60 with an 83-71 mark and climbed skyhigh to 97-57 this season.

Coming in third in the best Ruthlandian manager balloting was San Dimas skipper, Leonard Purkey... he took command of the club in 2057... after four tough seasons his Rancheros finally got out of the dismal depths of the RU South... they rose up from 8th place with a 71-83 record and upped it to 83-71, good for a strong third-place finish... only 6 games back of pennant-winning St. John.

Rolling Hills' Billy Christianson won in a close vote for the Tycobbian managerial award... Midway's Bobby Dorignac did a crackerjack job with the Wolves... in '60 they had a lackluster year, actually a terrible year by Midway standards... the Middies slumped to 5th place in the TU East standings, 22 games behind in the race... then improved to 95-59 and won the division flag... a great about-face.

Number three in the TU Manager of the Year poll was Eduardo Villanueva of the Arroyo Grande Suns, a habitual also-ran in the Tycobbian South... Villanueva and the Suns almost won the pennant... they were just barely beaten out by the Turon Typhoons in the last few days of the season by just one single, solitary game... in 2060 the Suns were fifth in the division with a mediocre 72-82 mark, 17 games behind in the race... this year they boosted their record to 86-68 and almost made the Pro Cup playoffs.

[Eugene Church]

Well, another good year for the Islandian Pro Alliance.
I really enjoyed the playoffs this year... in fact, the last two years have been great...actually, the last three years have had great postseasons.
Year 2062 is coming up... give me about two weeks to get all of the new free agents placed on the teams... I create them manually, so I will have some good rookies in the league.
I find the worst two positions on each team and replace them with free agents... I just randomly picked the free agents so I don't favor any team over another... I don't look at their stats.
Sometimes they get a good impact player and sometimes they just get two so-so players.

[Eugene Church]

Will begin work on the IPA rosters on Saturday... this will take 3-4-5 days to complete... I may add three free agents per team this year... normally I just add two rookies... need to improve the number of rookie position players... pitchers always seem to make impacts quicker than the position players.

[Eugene Church]

Making really good progress on team rosters... new way of handling free agents... really speeds it up.

Probably will finish all the teams tomorrow... did 32 of the 64 this afternoon.

[Eugene Church]

Just finished the rosters update for the new season.

3 free agents were added to the roster of each team... or in some cases... to the reserve roster.

It won't be long until the 2062 season will begin in the Islandian Pro Alliance.

[Eugene Church]

I need to check and see if there will be any new Hall of Fame additions.
Will do this before I start the 2062 season.

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, November 3, 2061

5 GREATS ACCLAIMED TO IPA HALL OF FAME
Four of the five stars named to the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame are recent retirees, however, one of them had to wait almost four decades to be elected to the legendary group... Emile Stosha retired in 2024 after a 22-year career... thankfully, Stosha is still alive and kicking and can enjoy the long-deserved honor.

Stosha told reporters at his press conference in Cold Creek, "The dream of the IPA Hall of Fame is one of the reasons I've lived this long."

Four other superstars got the IPA Hall of Fame call... joining Stosha at the induction ceremonies at next year's All-Star Game in Oxford will be Joe Cochrane, Sammy Hayes, C. C. Kingsford and Primo Sirak.

Emile Stosha stood out for the Cold Creek Catamounts, finishing up with a .295 BA, 2911 hits, 340 homers, 1497 RBI and 1780 runs in 2902 games... he also stole 577 bases and had a career .401 OBP... Stosha was a four-time All-Star outfielder... Stosha scored 100 or more runs 10 times in his fine career... sadly he stood out for a team that performed in lackluster fashion most of the years he was with them... Cold Creek was a contending club in his early seasons, but they were second-rate the rest of his years... Stosha was 44 when he retired in 2024... his rookie season was 2003.

Joe Cochrane also played for Cold Creek... his first season was 2041... he started off with the Catamounts, but ended up with the new brand, the Raccoons... Cochrane is a rare breed -- a playing manager -- he took over at Cold Creek in 2057 and is still a fixture at third base at age 39 with a .283 BA, 17 HR and 70 RBIs in 122 games... Cochrane was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner as recent as 2056... lifetime he sports a .303 batting average... Cochrane began his career in 2041... his ledger sheet shows 2995 hits in 2520 games with 476 doubles, 325 home runs, 1414 RBIs and 1506 runs scored... 9 times he made the All-Star team.

"Like father, like son"... Turon's gifted second sacker, C. C. Kingsford, joins his father, Clyde Kingsford, in the IPA Hall of Fame... his dad was in the HOF Class of 2029... C. C. starred for the Typhoons from 2034 to 2051, making the All-Star squad 8 times... in his 18 seasons Kingsford played in 2451 games with a .308 lifetime batting average... among his 3135 hits were 398 doubles, 55 triples and 432 home runs... he also scored 1480 runs and drove in 1577... Kingsford retired from baseball at the age of 38 in 2052...he has been the Turon skipper since 2051 and has won five pennants so far.

The elder Kingsford only played for 14 years, but put up some tremendous numbers from 2012 to 2025... he made the All-Stars 7 times and was voted the 2015 Tycobbian Most Valuable Player... Clyde Kingsford had a lifetime .319 BA with 2048 hits, 485 homers and 1523 runs batted in... the Typhoons captured 6 pennants and one Pro Cup (2013) during his career.

That takes care of the position players... two topnotch twirlers also were selected to the IPA Hall of Fame... Sammy Hayes of the Wynnamac Sundowners and Primo Sirak of the Valmara Vipers.

Hayes retired at 39 after 18 seasons with Wynnamac (2042-2059)... during his tenure the Macs won 8 pennants and one Pro Cup (2055)... in his illustrious career the super southpaw amassed 323 victories... overall Hayes was 323-244, posting 20 wins a total of 8 times... he fanned 3263 batters in 661 starts and 5147 innings and compiled a fine .2.95 ERA.

The fifth newcomer to the hallowed halls of the IPA is Primo Sirak, a little 5-foot-9 lefty, who stood mighty tall on the mound for the Valmara Vipers from 2042 to 2058... he had a splendid 272-147 record with an exceptional 2.80 career ERA... nine times he sparked the Vipers to pennants... they also won 3 Pro Cups (2043, 2049, 2050)... Sirak was even better in the postseason with a brilliant 13-6 mark and a spectacular 2.32 ERA in 23 starts... he was 38 when he called it a career.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame Class of 2061

[Eugene Church]

Ruwisc did me a special schedule for the IPA.

Teams will no longer play interdivisionally during the regular season.

Teams will play only the 7 other teams in their divisions.

This is the way I always wanted to play the league, but it would have been way too much work to manually created the schedule myself.

Ruwisc made my dream come true.

The 2062 Islandian Pro Alliance season is coming up very soon.

[Dark Horse]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Ruwisc did me a special schedule for the IPA.

Teams will no longer play interdivisionally during the regular season.

Teams will play only the 7 other teams in their divisions.

This is the way I always wanted to play the league, but it would have been way too much work to manually created the schedule myself.

Ruwisc made my dream come true.

The 2062 Islandian Pro Alliance season is coming up very soon.

This should add a little more mystery to the playoffs.👍

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

This should add a little more mystery to the playoffs.��

Yes... I hope I like the new schedule all within each division.

I do not like interleague play in MLB... it takes something away from the World Series... also don't like wild cards... I'm just an old dinosaur from the 1950s and 1960s
Wish MLB would expand to 32 teams... 2 eight-team divisions in each league... 140-game schedule... 20 games with the other 8 teams in your league... no interleague play... with no wild cards... only division winners.
It might be OK to work in interdivisional league play in each league... but limit it to just a short home-and-away series against the other 8 teams.

Just dreaming again... MLB will never do that.

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, April 7, 2062

BOYS OF SUMMER ARE BACK!
Fall has come and gone... winter, too... Rogers Hornsby has been standing at his window for months now, longingly waiting for the spring... so has EC... now is the glorious time of the year... Spring has blossomed once again and there is life in this world... once again the smell of fresh green grass is in the air all across Islandia… the green mansions and glorious cathedrals are in their radiant beauty once again... well-manicured and pristine... and the Boys of Summer are back!

The Islandian Pro Alliance will begin its 62nd season tomorrow all across the Islands... the Oxford Red Caps are poised to defend their coveted title of Pro Cup champion... they would like nothing better than to cop back-to-back IPA championships... but there are 63 other ballclubs with similar dreams... most of the dreams are just that... only the eight division winners will get a shot at making their dreams come true... winning the prestigious Pro Cup prize come next October.

Let's take a quick trip around the IPA and get a preview of this season... here is how the fabled pollsters and baseball gurus are forecasting this new season.

Ruthlandian North:
Despite its flop in the postseason last year, last year's division winner Valmara is still the powerhouse in the RU North with its potent attack and subpar pitching... once again the Glasco Foxhounds will be nipping at the Vipers' heels in a close race... there is an outside chance Ranford and Far Mountain could get into the race... LaGrange could be in it, too... Taranto, Kilkenny and Ancona will have to wait until next year... it looks like a two-team tussle once again in the RU North.

Ruthlandian South:
Should be a five-team race among defending champ St. John, Claxton, San Dimas, Waleska and Valka... the Crusaders are a well-balanced club with a solid offense and very good pitching... the team that rise above the others will be the ones with the best rookie impact... newcomers often separate their clubs from the pack... St. John will be gunning for its third pennant in a row and fourth in six years... Crystal Lake and Belair Beach might get as high as sixth place... looks like listless Grand City is destined for last place again in the RU South.

Ruthlandian East:
This is an easy choice... the rich just got richer... Wynnamac has added fine rookie power to its already solid core of players... nobody challenged the Macs last year and it doesn't look anybody is on the horizon to knock them off of their perennial pedestal... three straight pennants and seven in 10 seasons... the Marston Nine and the Eastshore Cotton Kings will battle for second place... that's the best thing anyone can do in the Wynnamac-dominated RU East... the other four teams will fight it out for the third spot... hopeless Belle Plaine will hope it doesn't set a new IPA mark for losses... last year they tied the 2051 Bayview Vikings of the TU West for the all-time worst record... the Musketeers lost 109 games.

RU West:
Volusia is still the best in the Ruthlandian West... for the last five years they have been top dog... the Vigilantes are the choice to win its third division flag in a row... Sligo hassled the V's last season... in fact in the last decade the Rovers have been the overall best team... 7 times in the last 9 years they have wound up second... twice they won it (2059, 2060)... it would be poetic justice for them to capture the flag... Sligo will be a serious contender again this year... contesting for the third spot in the RU West will be Rocky Rapids, Stoner and Middlefield... the other three, Fort Benton, Colfax and Forest City will be trying to stay out of the basement.

Tycobbian North:
No doubt about it, the Oxford Red Caps are an excellent club... they will be shooting for their fourth straight division crown in the TU North... the 7th in 10 years... Mahaska is touted to be the second-best team in the division... with Blue Lake a distant third... the other five teams will be playing for spot number four in the standings... any of them could be cellar dwellers, too.

Tycobbian South:
This division could have one of the closer races with several teams in the mix... the reigning division winner Turon will have to fend off pesky Arroyo Grande again... the Typhoons just barely beat them by just a single game last year... could be more of the same this year... in fact, it could develop into a four-team logjam in the TU South... Summerland with its fine pitching and good all-around Southport could sneak up on the other two contenders... Ginza could make it five, if the Karate Kids return to the form of '59 and '60... no hope for the other hopeless squads, San Alejo, Colchester and Cape Coral... Turon has captured the Tycobbian West crown six times in the last 9 years.

Tycobbian East:
Here's another good race... Midway won it last year with some stiff competition from Tuckanarra and South Fork... the Middies will be seeking a 7th flag in the last 10 seasons... they won it last season in a close race with the Tiger Cats and the Stallions... expect more of the same... and also add the up-and-coming High Mesa Mustangs into the free-for-all... and don't forget the Red Bluff Red Sox... they could also be right up near the top, too... the TU East division also-rans, Hillsboro, East Point and Ozarka will be fighting for sixth place at best.

Tycobbian West:
Rolling Hills is again the cream of the crop in this division... they will very likely win it for the fourth consecutive season... they just might win another Pro Cup like they did two years ago... they almost did it last year until they ran in to the current Pro Cup titleholder in the IPA, the robust Oxford Red Caps, and were beaten in a very tense seven-game duel... don't think anyone will challenge the Racers this year... the best of the rest would be Denton City, Kenwood and Bayview... they will contest for the runner position... pulling up the rear in the TU West will be La Claire, Chicopee, Arlon and Bay St. Clair.

IPA Pro Cup Forecast:
Bottom line, who's going to bring home the cherished 2062 Pro Cup trophy this year?... Rolling Hills is the first choice... defending IPA champ Oxford is a close second... Wynnamac is always in the running... the Sundowners are the third choice by the pollsters... last year's Pro Cup finalist, Volusia, is ranked fourth-best... followed by four clubs with feeble hopes, Midway, St. John, Valmara and Turon.

Hey, you know what EC should do... get Markus and the crew to run a thousand simulations of the Island Pro Alliance and let me know... I could come back and then correct the errors of my ways.

[Archelirion]

Rogers Hornsby has been standing at his window for months now, longingly waiting for the spring

lovely reference to one of my favourite baseball quotes. It's very apt