ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Sorry folks, been busy with real life the last week or so... haven't had time to play my leagues.

Will soon recap the Ruthlandian East Division teams and their seasons.

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, September 20, 2061

RU East Recap
The Wynnamac Sundowners (98-56) handily won the Ruthlandian East by 13 games... this was the Macs third flag in five seasons and sixth in the last decade... original predictions gave Elnora and Marston a chance at the pennant, but the race was over by midseason... runner-up Marston (85-69) was the only real challenger, but the Nine faded at the halfway mark and ended up 13 GB... third place Eastshore (78-76) wound up 16 games out... and fourth place Elnora (73-81) was a rousing 25 games behind in the race... Wynnamac last won the Pro Cup in 2055... the Sundowners will seeking their third Pro Cup trophy.



1st Place: Wynnamac (98-59)
Outlook: the Macs possess a solid attack at the plate, strong batting average with fairly good power, led by Sendejas and Bartels... starters Towers, Skidmore and Medworth are the top rotation in the RU... bullpen is solid, too, with Ogburn and Callender... very good defense with a .977 FA... to fare well in the postseason, Sendejas and Bartels need some help from somebody else.[





2nd Place: Marston (85-69) (13 GB)
Outlook: the Nine have been a consistent first-division club for the past 15 years, but have only two pennants to show for it... they hit very well for average and score well, but lack power... Everett and Cranshaw are fine sticks, but they need help... McElveen, Henley and Rogen are fine starters... bullpen could use some improvement... good defense with .978 FA.

[Eugene Church]

3rd Place: Eastshore (82-72) (16 GB)
Outlook: the Cotton Kings have been mediocre for the past 15 years with only five first-division finishes and one division title (2056)... won their only Pro Cups back-to-back in 2016 and 2017... have progressed well this season... could be on the rise... better pitching is drastically needed to be a bonafide pennant contender... offense puts a lot of runs on the scoreboard, despite a lack of punch and power in the lineup... just average with the gloves with a .975 FA... Killian really blossomed this year... Ruston is a fine all-around performer... team boasts some real good contact hitters... Carmon is the only quality starter... the bullpen is pathetic.





4th Place: Elnora (73-81) (25 GB)
Outlook: the Clippers contended a little bit until August then faded totally out of the pennant picture... Elnora has made the first division 10 years in a row... and won it in 2057... the team hits well with good power, but has terrible pitching... and just average with a .975 FA... top guns are DeBusshere, Wilbur, Colburn and Staroff... Minden is the only good starter... the Clippers need pitching, pitching and more pitching to succeed.

[Eugene Church]

5th Place: Beechwood (71-83) (27 GB)
Outlook: the Jackrabbitts have been one of the worst teams in the IPA in the last decade, losing 100 or more games three times... but have made some headway in the last two seasons... but they still have a long, long way to go... offense is lousy... average longball capability... fine bullpen with Villavaso and Greenacre... four fairly good starters in Harada, Blauser, Steffenson and Terris... at the plate Baham, Dunne and Cienfuegos have decent power... just average defense with a .976 FA... rise will depend on improved offense.





6th Place: Sugar Valley (70-84) (28 GB)
Outlook: with its small ballpark, the Rattlers hit homers, but little else... pitiful at the plate... just fair on the hill... only average defensively with a .975 FA... Lazzeri, Mingo, Wingfield and Durel go deep... but the rest of the batting order is kind of useless... Montreuil and Massey are solid starters... Bonham and Quezada are consistent, too... no standouts in the bullpen... Sugar Valley hasn't made the playoffs in 10 years... hitting for average and scoring runs have been their problems... the Rattlers had good pitching and a good attack from 2043 to 2051 when they ran off seven pennants and one Pro Cup (2045)... much improvement is needed... Sugar Valley looks to be stuck in the second division of the RU East for awhile longer.

[Eugene Church]

7th Place: Cold Creek (70-84) (28 GB)
Outlook: the Raccoons have been a league doormat for the last 20 seasons... no postseason appearances since 2041... and not likely anytime soon... Cold Creek can hit the ball and score runs, but they can't get anybody out... plus defense is subpar with a .974 FA... the Raccoons have a good core of hitters with Norberg, Green, Lange and Constable... but could still use a few more... all of the starters are mediocre to bad... Troy is the only decent one... but they do have a strong closer in Dial... Cold Creek is destined to be mired near the bottom of the RU East standings.





8th Place: Belle Plaine (45-109) (53 G)
Outlook: oh, what a horrendous year it was for the hapless Musketeers... 109 defeats... it was the sixth straight year of heavy losses... for the past two seasons the pitching has rivaled the worst in IPA history... poor Belle Plaine... the only time they have ever made the playoffs was long ago and far away in the year 2009... not likely to change anytime soon... the Muskies have average hitting, home-run power and scoring, but the pitching is a total disaster... all of the starters' ERAs are over 5.00... the bullpen is bad, too, with one exception... Adrien Renaud really get the job done there... however, at the plate, a few of the Musketeers can swing a good bat... Losby, Marcum, McIntosh and Trevino can hit the ball with authority.

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, September 20, 2061

VOLUSIA V'S LED RU WEST ALL THE WAY
Start-to-finish it was the Volusia Vigilantes (97-57) in the Ruthlandian West Division... only the second place Sligo Rovers (91-63) gave them any kind of a challenge... the V's captured the RU West division flag by six games, however they had a double-digit lead in August... Sligo closed the gap by winning its final 10 games of the year... but Volusia was never in danger of losing... the rest of the teams were far, far behind... third place Rocky Rapids (76-78) was 21 games behind... and fourth place Stoner (75-79) was 22 games out... Volusia was picked to beat out Rocky Rapids and Middlefield (72-82) in a close race... Colfax (63-91) and Stoner were supposed to be in the hunt, but it never transpired... the Sligo Rovers were the sixth choice in the preseason polls.



1st Place: Volusia Vigilantes (97-57)
Outlook: this was the V's second RU West flag in four seasons... Volusia won its only Pro Cup in the first season of the Islandian Pro Alliance... after Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills (99-55) and Wynnamac (98-56), they had the third-best record this year in the IPA... the V's make contact very well, one of the best-hitting club in the IPA, but they come up short on longballs, which might be a critical factor in the postseason... they are just average on the hill... score better-than-average... and handle the gloves well with a .979 FA... four years ago in the playoffs, Wynnamac handled them easily in the first round... Volusia draws the Macs in the opening round... the Sundowners seem to have the superior pitching.

[Eugene Church]

2nd Place: Sligo Rovers (91-63) (6 GB)
Outlook: very similar to Volusia, but with more home-run power and excellent fielding with a .981 FA... the Rovers have been a division power for nine years running, winning the pennants in '59 and '60... possess fine starting four.

[Eugene Church]

3rd Place: Rocky Rapids Snappers (76-78) (21 GB)
Outlook: picked to rival Volusia for the RU West title, the Snappers started off well in April, but that was the only time they challenged... Rocky Rapids hasn't made the playoffs since 2046... and have won just one Pro Cup years ago in 2019... just a so-so team the last decade... average offense... average scoring... average power... average defensively with a .975 FA... but can't match Volusia and Sligo on the mound.

[Eugene Church]

4th Place: Stoner Silver Sox (75-79) (22 GB)
Outlook: Stoner is one of the weaker franchises in the IPA... only three postseason appearances with no Pro Cups... won pennants in '07 and '29... only had a winning team 15 times... just a mediocre team in all respects.

[Eugene Church]

5th Place: Middlefield Roosters (72-82) (25 GB)
Outlook: in the last five years, the Roosters have gone from the dominant team in the RU West to just an also-ran... they won 10 pennants in 12 seasons and two Pro Cups from 2045 to 2056... Middlefield has appeared in the postseason 20 times with three Pro Cups (2006, 2052, 2056)... the Roosters still hit with power like the glory days, but now they have horrendous pitching... batting order is getting old, but is still a threat... Middlefield was picked to compete hot-and- heavy with Volusia and Rocky Rapidsor the division crown... they stayed close until July, then quickly faded way behind.

[Eugene Church]

6th Place: Fort Benton Defenders (65-89) (32 GB)
Outlook: not an impressive franchise over their IPA history... only two playoffs appearences (2037, 2057)... no Pro Cups... just a losing ballclub most of the time... the Defenders were weak at the plate and on the hill this year... they do make good contact, but have no power... and to make matters even worse, the defense is non-existent with a pathetic .969 FA.

[Eugene Church]

7th Place: Colfax Blasters (63-91) (34 GB)
Outlook: on 13 occasions Colfax has made the postseason, but not lately... 2042 was the last time... they won the 2010 Pro Cup, the year the Blasters won 107 games, still the best season ever... Colfax has had only four winning years in the last two decades... this year's edition can score runs, can go deep pretty well, but has lousy pitching and poor defense (.971 FA).

[Eugene Church]

8th Place: Forest City Firebirds (60-94) (37 GB)
Outlook: the Firebirds have not been much of a success in the IPA... only five playoff appearances... no Pro Cups... last RU West pennant was 2048... just three winning seasons in the last 10 years... they can't score, can't hit, can't pitch, but they do play good defense (.978 FA).

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, September 20, 2061

RED CAPS COP 3RD STRAIGHT TU NORTH TITLE
The Oxford Red Caps (96-58) sizzled again this year and romped to their third straight Tycobbian North Division title and their fourth in the past five seasons... they started off slowly and trailed Mahaska and North Hills in the first two months, but the Red Caps caught fire in June and really rambled the rest of the year, rampaging past everybody in sight... runner-up Mahaska (88-66) wound up losing by 8 games... Blue Lake (82-72), picked to finish in the basement, came in third, 14 GB behind... after running a good race in April and May, North Hills (69-85) fizzled badly and faded to a tie for the fourth spot with Luxora (69-85), trailing by 27 games.

Oxford was a heavy favorite in the preseason poll, but Fairfax, White River and Hartsdale were given an outside chance in the race... but the Frogs (69-85), Rascals (66-88) and Hellcats (66-88) all did poorly and ended up near the bottom of the standings.

Tycobbian North Division Final Standings





1st Place: Oxford Red Caps (96-58)
In the team's history Oxford has made the postseason on 11 occasions and came away with one Pro Cup... that was years ago in 2007... recently they have been tabbed as Pro Cup material, but have lost in the first round three of the past four seasons... but, in their defense, they lost to three very fine teams each time... those clubs either won the Pro Cup or made the Pro Cup Finals.

The Red Caps will again be highly-regarded in the postseason playoffs... they have everything that is needed to win... Oxford can hit well, score very well, hit with great power and have fine starters... however, the bullpen is only average and the defense is just average with a .975 FA... not only do slugging stars Buddy Blackford and Showboat Lynn need to have good postseasons, they also need some help in the playoffs from other batters for the Red Caps to come home the winner.

[Eugene Church]

2nd Place: Mahaska Haymakers (88-66) (8 GB)
The Mahaska Haymakers had a fine season... if they hadn't swooned in the May and June with a 26-29 mark, they would have been right up there with pennant-winning Oxford... the Haymakers have three solid starters, good defense (.977 FA), but need help offensively and in the bullpen... still they made an excellent showing this season.

Mahaska has never had much success in the Islandian Pro Alliance... no Pro Cups in 61 years... and just four playoff appearances... the last one was in 2028.

[Eugene Church]

3rd Place: Blue Lake Schooners (82-72) (14 GB)

The unheralded Schooners, they were picked to finish dead last in the TU North, had a lackluster first half, but turned it on in the summertime and made their fans quite happy with a third place spot... Blue Lake combined good contact hitting, very good scoring and some quality starters to make great strides this year... they are only average with the gloves (.974 FA).

Blue Lake has a horrible history with only three postseason appearances... the last pennant came in 2030, but that was the great year they surprised everybody and won the Pro Cup, upsetting the Valmara Vipers in seven games... they were known as the Blue Sox back then... they won the last two games with great pitching to capture their first and only Pro Cup trophy... Blue Lake blanked the Vipers the last two games.

[Eugene Church]

4th Place (tie): North Hills Hawks (69-85) (27 GB)

The year started off well for the Hawks... they were picked to be one of the better teams in the preseason... second, third or fourth place... North Hills was tied for first place in June... still close in July... but the bottom fell out in July and August and they fell completely out of the race and ended tied for the fourth spot in the TU North... the Hawks didn't do anything well in the second half of the year.

Historically, North Hills has been successful, especially from 2034 to 2045 when they won 4 Pro Cups ('34, '36, '38, '41) and 11 pennants... but they have not make the playoffs since.

[Eugene Church]

4th Place (tie): Luxora Zorros (69-85)

Picked for seventh place, the Z's did a little bit better in the standings, but really were just a mediocre club the entire year... they never were in the race... in its early history, Luxora had fairly good success with 12 postseason appearances, but the Zorros have never won the Pro Cup... success has been sparse the last 40 years with only two pennants ('31, '58).

[Eugene Church]

4th Place (tie): Fairfax Frogs (69-85) (27 GB)

Oxford was the overwhelming choice to win the Tycobbian North pennant, but Fairfax was given an outside chance in the race in the preseason preview... but it never happened... the Frogs can hit for average and score runs, but have no power and absolutely no pitching.

In its IPA history Fairfax is a winning club, but has only made the postseason 8 times and has never won the Pro Cup... 2033 was the last pennant for the Frogs.

[Eugene Church]

7th Place (tie): White River Rascals (66-88) (30 GB)

The Rascals were optimistic going into '61... many thought they would be in the hunt... they were, but only for the first month, then they slowly descended to the bottom of the TU North standings... White River is just a bad ballclub.

However, the Rascals have had a few shots at the Pro Cup trophy... over the years they have lost 4 times in the Finals ('21, '49, '50, '55)... 11 times they have made the postseason, but have never won the IPA crown... they stood out from 2021 to 2027 and from 2048 to 2056.