ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

GLASCO HOLDS OFF VALMARA IN STRETCH
In the Ruthlandian North Division the Glasco Athletics and Valmara Vipers had a season-long battle that went into the final days... the A's held on to whip the defending division champ Vipers by two games... third place LaGrange was 7 games back in third place and Kilkenny came in fourth, finishing 18 games behind.

1. Glasco had an almost perfect season, ringing up the most wins in the IPA this season with an even 100... the A's up near the top in offense and pitching... they were fourth last year (11 GB)... this is only the third time the Athletics have made the playoffs... the last appearance was in 2003... Glasco will be one of the favorites in this year's Pro Cup playoffs... they have never won the IPA title... Pat Meyers (20-14/2.78) and Benny McDaniel (23-6/2/54) led a fearsome staff... leading the offense were All-Star CF John Rumford (.318/25/96/101), All-Star 3B Billy Stroud (.308/9/78/66) and RF Travis Houston (.270/17/87/67).

2. Valmara couldn't have had a better year... the Vipers just had the misfortune to be in the same division as Glasco... Valmara had won the previous two years, taking the Pro Cup in 2043... the Vipers also were the Islands champs in 2026... Standouts on the mound were starters Teddy Twardzik (23-12/2.66) and Zak Reeder (21-12/3.25) and relievers Paul Holloway (8-1/2.09/7 saves) and Gordon White (6-1/2.01/10 saves)... the Vipers' offensive leaders were LF Jimmy Logan (.271/26/95/65), 3B Ken Jensen (.300/7/60/104), CF Don Ritchie (.275/6/58/103) and 1B Cain Greene (.287/20/74/59)... Greene was a holdout and missed April and May due to the player boycott.

3. LaGrange had a fine season, too... they won 93 games and still wound up 7 behind the division champion... the Sports have never won a Pro Cup... 6 times they have won the pennant... last time was in 2037... on the hill the club leaders were Johnny Stoneham (23-6/2.45), Hot Dog Huxtable (15-7/2.66) and Edouard Taison (11-5/2.59)... Taison was injured in early July and missed the rest of the year... he was a crucial loss... Huxtable held out in the April and May boycott... the top batters were SS John Rodgers (.313/21/56/60), 3B Darrell Nash (.290/17/58/66), RF Robby Palmer (.321/4/40/43), LF Dixie Lee (.357/14/47/37) and SS Earl Walker (.306/4/30/27)... only 2B Fred Bird (.277/2/58/64) played a full schedule of games... Rodgers and Lee were boycotters and didn't play the first two months.

4. The Kilkenny Cats were vastly improved this year... they were a distant seventh last year (30 GB)... and improved to 82-72 (18 GB)... they have never won a Pro Cup... and have made the playoffs just one time, in 2042....the Cats had tremendous pitching this year, paced by All-Star Ciaran Cullen (22-12/3.15) and Jody Joss (16-15/2.54)... Andy Mayfield (9-6/1.94/19 saves) had terrific year in the bullpen... the Cats' big flaw was its pathetic offense... RF Kevin McLaglen was the club leader with 18 HRs, 87 RBIs and 82 runs, but hit a lowly .248.

5. The Ranford Bulls fell from third last year 82-72 (11 GB) to fifth this season with a 74-80 mark (26 GB)... drop in hitting was main cause (.271 BA to .256 BA)... the Bulls won their only Pro Cup in 2040 and have made the postseason 7 times in their history... one of the early season boycotter Ralph Hawk (13-5/2.76) was the top starter... Duffy Davidson (15-18/4.13) made the All-Star team, but wilted in the second half of the season... he was 12-5 with a 2.93 ERA at the break... LF Dale Weston (.274/40/95/112) and 3B Joey Gompers (.254/26/78/90) were the most productive bats.

6. The Taranto Tars came in sixth (26 GB) for the third year in a row... they have been in the playoffs only 4 times in history with one Pro Cup crown won in 2015... the only reliable starter was Mario Martinelli (18-14/3.03)... Pablo Rivas (8-9/3.11/21 saves) tied for the IPA saves lead with Alfonso Cervera of the Hartsdale Hellcats (Tycobbian Union)... club leaders at the plate were 3B Mark Delaney (.297/44/119/90), C Ryan Nelms (.254/38/96/66) and RF Derrick Damon (.331/22/89/90)... at age 41 Delaney was 8th in homers and 7th in RBIs in the IPA... in 15 seasons with three teams Delaney has 408 homers... Damon was 7th in batting average.

7. Far Mountain has been on a rollercoaster ride in recent years... going from 7th in 2043 (11 GB) to up to 2nd last year (7 GB) and back down to 7th this season (31 GB)... the Redhawks have captured a three Pro Cups and have appeared in the playoffs 13 times... only Turon of the Tycobbian Union has more Pro Cup trophies... the Typhoons have won it four times... the Redhawks were 86-69 in 2044 and spiraled downward to 69-85 this year... both hitting and pitching went south this year... the two best hurlers held out the first two months of the season, missing 35 starts between them... Steven Perkins (9-8/2.73) and Ryan Kolb (9-9/3.27) were the most effective starters... Jack McKinney (4-5/1.98/5 saves) had a very good season in relief... the bats were terrible... 2B Rance Hawkins (.306/10/57/49), 3B James Cline (.290/12/61/44), CF Todd Purdom (.240/18/61/75), 3B Norm Huffman (.255/19/62/49) and RF Bert Richter (.265/17/53/45) were just fair hitters... nothing to shout about.

8. Ancona was the worst team in the IPA with 106 losses, just one short of the all-time record held by North Hills (2019) and Oxford (2040) in the Tycobbian Union... they were both 47-107... this was the fifth year in a row the Red Elephants were cellar-dwellers... last year they were 56-98 (37 GB)... Ancona has been to the playoffs only 5 times and hasn't won a Pro Cup trophy yet... no pitcher on the team had a winning record... the best starter was Clint Hayes (9-18/3.92)... and the best reliever was Lakota Cobos (7-8/3.03/10 saves)... very little at the plate as well with LF Eldon Aldridge (.289/38/102/66) putting up the best numbers... SS Titos Liakos (.297/11/59/50) chipped in a little bit.

2045 Team Statistics

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2046

CLAXTON CAPTURES RU SOUTH IN 2ND HALF SURGE
The Grand City Cybercats stayed with Ruthlandian South champion Claxton for about half of the year, but the Diamonds blew them away in a second-half surge to win by 10 games, when the C'Cats faltered with a 22-32 mark in June and July. The Valka Blackhawks and St. John Crusaders tied for the third spot in the standings, 16 games back. Last year's division winner Crystal Lake stumbled to sixth place, 19 games off the pace.

1. Claxton rose up from fourth place ... they were 80-74 last year and 5 GB... this will be the Diamonds 11th playoff appearance, but they have yet to pick up an IPA Pro Cup... their last pennant came in 2038... good bats, better-than-average pitching and excellent defense got the job done for them this season... sparking the attack was superstar All-Star 1B Jojo DeLucca, who had a spectacular season, leading the IPA with 213 hits, third with a .341 BA, ninth in homers with 43, fifth with 129 RBIs and ninth with 107 runs scored... DeLucca led the RU in batting average... other contributors were 3B-SS Rick Clayburne (.32/6/46/81), LF Foxy Fuchs (.285/29/77/74), SS Stevie Wynn (.325/8/41/43), 3B Jack Brumfield (.291/11/59/42) and RF Roger Jackson (.253/6/52/96)... Wynn missed the first two months of the season with the players' boycott... top pitchers were Abe Schiffman (18-7/2.78), Eddie Dizon (22-12/3.86) and Stan Yudash (12-5/2.84)... how far Claxton goes in the playoffs will depend on its pitching corps.

2. Grand City has made the first division only two times in the last 12 years... third in 2043 (6 GB) with an 82-72 record and this year with a second-place finish with an 83-71 mark (10 GB)... there are no Pro Cup trophies in the team's history and only three division titles... the last was in 2030... Kenny Morrow (19-17/2.67) and Joel Eaton (22-12/3.64) led the starters, while Donald Denison (9-5/2.84/12 saves) stood out in the bullpen ... the Cybercats possess fairly good power with with 162 homers (6th)... All-Star 1B Benny Hull (.298/39/112/93) was the offensive leader... he was aided by RF Ryan Van Zant (.237/29/71/88), LF Bobby Meusel (.307/24/72/63), C Iggy Van Dyck (.274/22/68/61), 3B Matthew Cashman (.276/19/51/62) and CF Glenn Graham (.334/3/25/49)... the 38-year-old Meusel has had a rebirth of his career after being benched by Belair Beach... Meusel had hit over .300 in both his years with Grand Ciy.

3. Valka ended a very bad stretch of 16 years in the Ruthlandian South second tier with a third-place finish this season... last season the Blackhawks were in seventh (16 GB) with a 69-85 record... they stepped it up to 77-77 (16 GB) this year... Valka has only made the postseason four times in its history... the last time was way back in 2017... the club has never won the Pro Cup... the mound staff was much improved, going from a terrible 4.57 ERA to a very respectable 3.65... Royce Netterville (18-10) was the ace... Matvey Kazak (12-11/2.34) also was an effective starter... Kazak was absent in April and May with the boycott... ditto for star CF Kenny Mitzusaka (.314/1/56/51) and star 1B Bobby Scott (.255/23/62/58)... All-Star RF Rich Henson led the club with 84 RBIs and 82 runs, but hit only .271.

3. St. John is just a run-of-the-mill team... they were in the hunt last year, losing out by three games with an 82-72 record... the dipped a bit this year to 77-77 (16 GB)... the Crusaders have won the RU South seven times, but haven't hauled in a Pro Cup yet... they took the division flag in 2042... Leland Valm (21-15/3.86) topped the team in wins... long-time ace Jeremy Kirk (12-22/3.59) had an off-year... Frank Long (16-19/3.09) was the most reliable starter... Big Tee Telemachus (12-8/3.66/11 saves) was hit-and-miss as a spot starter and reliever... two of the best players, RF Nicky Farrugia (.336/24/69/69) and 3B Marty Blankenship (.221/11/53/45), missed one-third of the season due to the boycott... 1B R. J. Aldridge (.304/28/91/72), SS Herb Gruen (.293/18/77/81) and 3B Tab Allison (.288/10/59/96), LF Roberto Campos (.288/9/70/72) and C Roland Griggs (.304/4/48/53) put up the best stats on the club.

5. San Dimas was fifth last year (7 GB) and fifth this year (18 GB)... 2041 was the last pennant... the Rancheros have been to the playoffs only four times in history... the mound staff was led by star Gil Arnaud (18-11/3.36)... Arnaud reached the 200-win milestone this year... at 38 Arnaud is 201-164 with a 3.52 ERA for 16 IPA seasons... Toby White (12-8/3.24) had a good year, but sat out until June in the boycott... All-Star closer Georgie Walker (12-3/1.62/10 saves) really excelled in the bullpen... 12-year veteran 3B Leonard Purkey (.289/25/94/86) had another solid season at age 30... 1B Austin Epps (.262/23/92/63) was the only other decent bat in the line-up... RF Denny Hendrix (.285/11/51/52) put up some good numbers, but missed the first two months because of the boycott... White and Hendrix made the club better in the second half of the season.

6. Crystal Lake, division champ for the last two seasons, went from 85-69 to 74-80 and came in sixth (19 GB)... the pitching declined and several key players, ace Dave McCauley (11-10/3.34) and CF Jesse Walker (.298/2/26/45), boycotted until June... reliever Josh Crosby (11-3/2.49/16 saves) was the club's best hurler... leading the way at the plate was star 1B Daryl Brady (.330/16/73/75), Ray Dillon (.326/9/66/57), All-Star 2B Jim Henley (.303/2/66/65), CF Jed Murphee (.307/5/50/95) and C Del Peevy (.291/12/74/77).

7. Belair Beach hasn't had a good season since 2034 and hasn't made the playoffs since 2016... they have never won a Pro Cup and have only appeared in the playoffs seven times... for the last eight years they have finished last six times and seventh twice... last season the Sunbirds were 58-96 (27 GB) and just a little better this year at 64-90 (29 GB)... they are not much on the hill or at bat... Jose Munoz (16-19/4.80) and Ronnie Roy (15-21/4.53) were the biggest winners on the staff, but only mediocre performers... star 3B Jason Butler (.270/32/92/73), CF Norm Ellis (.285/35/88/91), All-Star LF Joe Don Baker (.287/26/82/61) and 1B Shannon Stewart (.312/16/69/69) carried the offense.

8. Waleska really took a tumble this year, plunging from second place in 2044 with an 83-17 record (2 GB) down to the basement with a horrible 61-93 mark (32 GB)... proud Waleska has captured the Pro Cup on three occasions in 2028, 2037 and 2039... lack of offense killed the Westerners this season... 36-year-old veteran RF Niles Gregory was the club leader with 17 homers and 53 RBIs, that's how poor the offense was... 300-game winner Terry Richards (6-12/4.34) and Craig Nash (3-4/4.73) had awful seasons... both were holdouts until June... they never did return to form of previous years... the 37-year-old Richards retired at the end of the season and will be headed soon to the IPA Hall of Fame... Richards was 306-221 in 18 years with the club... his lifetime ERA was a strong 3.14... he was an important part of the three Pro Cup crowns... vet Niles Nielsen (15-19/3.10) and Tony Haskell (11-20/3.45) were quality starters, but suffered from the horrendous offense.

2045 Ruthlandian South Team Stats

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

RATTLERS RACE TO EASY FLAG IN RU EAST
It was the second flag in three seasons for the Sugar Valley Rattlers, the champion of the Ruthlandian East Division... in July the Rattlers raced by everybody in sight with a 22-6 record and won going away beating runner-up Beechwood by nine games... Sugar Valley led by just four games at the All-Star Game... after being seventh at mid-season, last year's winner Wynnamac perked up and wound up third, but still trailed the Rattlers by 14 games... fourth place went to the Eastshore Elegants, who were 15 games out of first.

1. Sugar Valley will be making its 13th appearance in the postseason, but they will still be seeking their first Pro Cup... they have an experienced crew with very good firepower and fairly good pitching and could be troublesome in the playoffs... the Rattlers hit 198 homers (3rd) and were 5th in scoring runs... they still won comfortably despite having three of their main starters Jeremy Blanchard (12-6/3.75), Davey Brennan (12-9/3.13) and Christopher Dunsberry (10-8/3.90) holding out until June... Joe Snow (21-12/3.47) and Antonio Cedeno (9-8/2.90) filled in for them capably... the Rattler line-up featured three guys that hit over 30 homers: All-Star CF Carl Ramsey (.291) led the club with 46 roundtrippers and 123 RBIs, superstar All-Star RF Bobby Gamble (.336) socked 33 HRs and topped the team with 123 runs and C Delmer Campbell (.244) rapped 30 out of the park... Gamble led the IPA in runs scored and ranked fifth in BA... Ramsey was fourth in homers, sixth in RBIs and fourth in runs scored... add in two more reliable bats in 2B Richie Fry (.291/7/54/88) and holdout SS Roger Hobbs (.286/15/40/65) and you've got a powerful batting order.

2. Beechwood moved up from fifth a year ago to the runner-up spot... the Bobcats improved from 80-74 (17 GB) to 85-69 (9 GB) this year... a bad spell in August doomed their pennant hopes... Beechwood has only made the postseason three times in its existence and has no Pro Cups... the last pennant was long ago in 2027... the Bobcats have even more power than the Rattlers... they slugged 210 (2nd) into the stands this season, topped only by record-setting Red Bluff (270) and Middlefield (231)... 10 players were in double figures, sparked by SS Mel Smith (.344/13/46/62), 1B Corky Callahan (.327/21/54/50), C Paul Jackson (.287/20/65/62), 2B Mike Matthews (.286/18/53/104), 3B Leonard Mason (.311/20/65/62) and LF Rich Nellis (.308/18/57/44)... Smith, Callahan, Mason and Nellis sat out the first two months of the season in a salary protest... playing without those guys undoubtedly hurt the Bobcats' pennant hopes... 1B Eddie Wilson (.236/26/77/79) was the club leader with 26, but he hit only .236... Jimmy Herman (26-9/2.72) was far and away the most effective starter... he was the IPA leader in victories... Freddy Manale starred in the bullpen with a 9-5 record, 14 saves and 1.39 ERA... none of the other staffers did well... Beechwood was one of the top defensive teams in the IPA with a standout .979 FA.

3. Wynnamac was coming off a great 2044 season... they piled up 98 wins and took the division crown and lost in seven games in the Pro Cup Finals to Southport, but they stumbled out of the gate this year and never caught up... however, the Sundowners played extremely well in July and August (38-19), but it was too late to catch Sugar Valley... the W'Macs have won two pennants in the last four years and have made the postseason seven times... they also own a Pro Cup, won in 2007... top pitchers were Jimmy Willard (20-15/2.93), Sammy Hayes (20-16/3.73) and Shirai Nakamura (17-15/3.07)... reliever Johnny Mitchell (.7-5/2.64/11 saves) did well in the pen... at the plate the Bobcats lost superstud Golden Bat RF Nioka Inkamara for most of the season... he boycotted the first two months, came back with a vengeance in June and hit a blistering .351 for a month, then was injured and missed the rest of the season... it's tough to miss out on 40 homers and 125 RBIs that Inkamara has averaged per season in his career... CF Darrell Donnelly (.272/11/62/77), LF Robby Booth (.313/22/60/86) and 3B Dale Fisher (.239/13/85/73) were the club leaders, but only had modest numbers compared to the great Inkamara.

4. Eastshore rose up from sixth in the standings last year with a 71-83 mark (26 GB) to 79-75 and a fourth-place finish this year (15 GB)... fine pitching did it... the Elegants haven't been to the postseason in over 10 years, last making the playoffs in 2034... but they do possess two Pro Cup trophies won back-to-back in 2016 and 2017... top pitchers were Malcolm Tansbury (18-10/2.50), Tommy Brown (16-18/3.44) and Ferrell Greenlaw (13-16/3.24)... in the bullpen were a pair of studs in Jody Friday (6-4/2.12/10 saves) and Valkek Savisaar (4-4/1.92/10 saves)... a lack of offense severely hampered the Elegants... RF Troy McFarland (.276/29/93/99) was the main man and led the club in hits, homers, RBIs and runs scored... other run producers were 3B Abner Bronstein (.320/4/40/65), star 2B Johnny Petrak (.320/10/61/48) and 1B Gibby Houston (.317/7/45/31)... 39-year-old Petrak was a holdout until June and was sorely missed... in his 12 splendid seasons the future Hall-of-Famer has average 25 HRs and 100 RBIs a year.

5. Marston had a .500 season for the first time in seven years with a 77-77 record (17 GB)... for the first time since 2040 the Nine didn't finish seventh or eighth in the division... last year they were 67-87 (30 GB)... the pitching was very much improved this year with a 3.22 team ERA (6th)... down from a pathetic 4.59 last season... Marston rarely makes the playofffs... just six times in its history... the last postseason appearance was 2028... no Pro Cups so far... leading the staff were starter John Newton (15-9/2.47) and spot starter/reliever Felix Delatte (11-8/1.92/15 saves)... Thomas Stuart (13-15/3.29) was also a quality arm... the most productive bats belonged to 2B Gary Armitage (.282/28/102/89), SS Stan Mila (.280/18/75/75), CF Calvin Marbury (.253/18/61/99) and 1B Charley Gilmore (.301/12/74/57).

6. Cold Creek had its first losing season in 13 years... they slipped from fourth place and 94-60 (3 GB) to sixth place with a 73-81 mark (21 GB)... pitching was their downfall... it has been the Catamounts' strength over the last two decades... but not this year... Cold Creek has made the postseason eight times in its history... the last time was in 2041... they won the RU East five times in six years from 2036 to 2041... Rob Hutchins (18-15/3.44) and Sammy Wright (19-17/3.93) were the only reliable starters... the great and Hall-of-Fame destined J. J. Gillespie decided to retire at the end of the season after going 6-15 with a 4.57 ERA... the 40-year-old IPA icon was 294-170 in his 17 seasons... 10 times he won 20 or more games... his 2.46 lifetime ERA is the all-time fifth best... Johnny Duncan is the record holder with a fantastic 2.31 ERA... Duncan (87-66/209 saves) played from 2023 to 2037 and was a bullpen specialist... most of the offensive numbers were put up by All-Star SS Joe Cochrane (.325/21/94/86), 3B Eric Hollister (.274/24/103/80) and C Keith Henry (.239/29/105/71).

7. Elnora has been a tough team in recent seasons... coming in third (84-70) in 2043, just three games behind, a great 96-59 (2nd-tied) last year, only 1.5 games back, but the All-Stars slumped badly this year to 69-85 and 25 games out of first... in its history Elnora has won one Pro Cup (2033) and played in the postseason nine times... 2035 was the most recent appearance... both pitching and hitting went into the tank this year... Emilio Travante (14-11/3.60) was the only starter with a winning record... Dan Pitts (10-12/2.77) was the most effective... their fine ace Stan Kivas, who won the Golden Arm last year, at age 35 suffered a down year with a poor 8-14 record and a lofty 4.25 ERA... the bullpen leader was All-Star closer Jamie Pananga (6-4/1.81/19 saves)... he was ranked fourth in the IPA in saves... second in the Ruthlandian Union... LF Preston Davies topped the team with .306 BA, 168 hits, 33 doubles, 28 HRS, 100 RBIs and 86 runs... C Cannon Johnson chipped in with 19 HRs and 82 RBIs, but hit only .261.. Elnora's talented LF Enos Conrad enjoyed a good year with a .308 average, 9 HRs, 44 RBIs and 59 runs, but only played in 93 games because he held out until June in the boycott.

8. Belle Plaine had its fourth poor season in a row, winding up in the basement with a 65-89 record (29 GB)... last year the Musketeers were 69-85 (28 GB), good for the seventh spot in the standings... the Muskies only pennant came in 2008... they have no Pro Cups in their history... the most dependable starters were rookie Ryne Malloy (11-9/3.33) and Phil Lacey (17-19/3.82)... star RF Boo Boudreaux was the club's top batsman with a .281 BA, 26 HRs and 85 RBIs... LF Noel Martin, who won the RU batting crown last year, held out this year until June... he only hit .277 with 16 homers, 49 RBIs and 49 runs scored... other holdouts were C Nuke Borg (.320/14/44/40), 3B Kale Woodard (.309/1/19/38) and SS Danny Fitzgerald (.318/3/39/38)... the player boycott hurt a lot of teams in the IPA... offense was down a bit this year because so many good hitters missed one-third of the year.

2045 Ruthlandian East Final Team Batting and Pitching Statistics

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

ROOSTERS OVERCOME SNAPPERS IN SEPTEMBER
After trailing defending division champ Rocky Rapids by four games at mid-year in the Ruthlandian West the Middlefield Roosters took command in September and won going away by five games over the Snappers... the Roosters soared to 12-4 in September and raced past the Snappers, who fizzled with a poor 6-10 mark down the stretch... far back in third place were the Stoner Stars 15 games behind... the fourth spot went to Volusia, 17 games out of first... because of its great pitching and home-run power Middlefield should be a prime Pro Cup contender this year.

1. Middlefield finally got another pennant after finishing in the runner-up spot for the previous two seasons... the Roosters were 80-74 in 2044 (5 GB), but climbed atop the division this year with a terrific 95-59 mark... they have now won nine pennants in the club's history and have one Pro Cup in their trophy case... Middlefield wore the IPA crown in 2005... the Roosters are more known for rattling the scoreboard with homers, but his year they came in third in pitching with a strong 2.99 ERA... only Glasco (2.80) and Kilkenny (2.98) were better in the Ruthlandian Union and the IPA... Summerland topped the Tycobbian Union with a 2.99 ERA... four impressive starters propelled the Roosters, three of them 20-game winners: Carroll Collier (24-11/2.72), Hollis Dale (21-8/3.38), All-Star James Long (23-13/2.12 and Larry Wheelhouse (10-11/2.91)... veteran closer Ray Owens (4-2/1.79/9 saves) stood out in the bullpen... the Roosters bats were booming, too... they slammed 231 homers, tops in the RU and second to Red Bluff's new all-time IPA record of 283... the Roosters had seven players top 20 home runs... CF Norm Antonioni (.255/45/97/76), RF Sidney Conner (.317/37/76/72), 1B Cliff Patterson (.315/27/68/82), All-Star SS Jimmy Beach (.262/27/87/79), 3B Ike Gary (.289/25/83/81), LF Dominque Sorrell (.239/20/48/46) and LF Alejandro Dominguez (.232/20/44/48)... the Roosters don't hit for much average (.253/20th), but they sure do go deep often... Conner had a remarkable season... he sat out the first two months of the year and ended up hitting 37 homers in just 90 games.

2. Rocky Rapids won the pennant last year with an 85-69 record, did even better this year with a 90-64 mark, but lost the race by five games... the Snappers won their only Pro Cup in 2019... they have made the postseason only five times in the team's existence... very good pitching combined with very good defense and better-than-average bats helped them this year... leading the way was ERA champion and All-Star Jamie Taylor (21-14/2.00) and All-Star Dirk Halstad (23-9/3.11)... heading up the bullpen was Steve Owens (9-5/1.27/12 saves)... all total four Snappers made the All-Star club... All-Star 2B Marty Featherstone (.286/34/92/96) and All-Star C Carney Kirkpatrick (.308/20/84/79) were the other two... other contributors were RF Jose Ramos (.283/13/68/93), 1B Masaharu Kawasaki (.261/24/77/75), SS Nick Nova (.302/6/47/53) and CF Vance Forbes (.274/15/60/56)... two boycotters put up good numbers, too, when they came back in June: reliable 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.296/9/50/42) and LF Buddy Hamilton (.244/19/51/62).

3. Stoner stayed within striking distance of Middlefield and Rocky Rapids until mid-season, then dropped totally out of contention... the Stars were fourth last year with a 75-79 record (10 GB)... improved a little this year to 80-74, but wound up 15 games out... Stoner hasn't made the postseason since 2029 and hasn't ever won a Pro Cup... only been in the playoffs on three occasions... the top three starters were Mel Glosterman (12-5/2.39/2 saves), Took Noonan (13-10/3.35) and Earl Marley (13-19/3.16)... reliever Fred Gunn had 19 saves, but posted a 7-10 record with a high 4.33 ERA in 65 appearances... he was fourth in the IPA in saves... 2B James Belasario (.313/2/47/81) led the club in BA, runs and stolen bases... he was third in the IPA with 35 thefts... LF Emmett Tread (.276/16/86/75) topped the club in HRs, SBs and RBIs... and was second in the IPA with 43 SBs... solid veterans 3B Ralph Sackett (.266/8/50/45) and 1B Richie Strickland (.301/6/40/30) were boycott holdouts and missed a third of the season.

4. Volusia came in fifth in 2044 (11 GB)... were a little bit better this year at 78-76, but were 17 games off the pace of division winner Middlefield... the Vigilantes have been a playoff team nine times with one Pro Cup trophy to show for it... they won the first Pro Cup in 2001... on the hill the most dependable starters were Will Thompson (19-15/3.44), holdout Drew Selby (12-11/3.38) and Andrew Arryn (13-10/3.08)... at the plate it was All-Star C George Ruffino (.290/20/70/62), SS Duane Blayney (.296/31/88/79), CF Cazzi Carvalho (.273/23/70/85), 1B Kris Wilson (.302/20/61/64) and RF Garth Griffin (.294/16/58/49).

5. Colfax had been stuck in the sixth spot in the standings for the last two years... and stuck with the same 71-83 record... they were 14 GB back in 2044 and 24 GB this season... 13 times the Blasters have graced the playoffs and they have garnered one IPA crown... that was in 2007 when Colfax set an IPA record with 107 victories... Ray Maxon (18-14/3.59) was the most reliable starter... Joe Murvyn (2-1/3.80/17 saves) and Robbie Parker (6-6/3.18/9 saves) led the bullpen... Murvyn was fifth in the RU in saves... the Blasters' best bat LF Chet Penn (.307/4/17/15) was lost for the season in May with an injury... his career .327 BA, 25 homers and 100 RBIs were sorely missed... C Darrell Dillon (.269/30/78/76) led the club in homers, RBIs and runs... 1B Ernie Kidd helped out with 26 HRs, 76 RBIs and 67 runs... career .303 hitter, three-time All-Star and Golden Glove SS Gerry Sives sat out April and May in the player boycott and had a sub-par season at age 36 with a .249 BA, 3 HRs, 41 RBIs and 37 runs scored.

6. Forest City was looking forward to 2045 after its third-place finish in 2044, just five games back of winning Rocky Rapids, but it didn't happen... they fell back into the second division with a 68-86 mark (27 GB)... the Lumberjacks have made the postseason only four times in the club's history and don't have a Pro Cup yet... holdout hurler Walter Gibbons (10-8/2.73) was the best starter... but Rusty Howard (14-16/2.85), John McKee (16-15/3.36) and Omar Cordero (12-12/3.00/4 saves) were effective, too, but suffered from the very poor offensive support... the 'Jacks scored only 586 runs and were ranked near the bottom of the IPA... some of the best Lumberjacks held out until June... among them were CF Carlo Velucci (.242/8/46/44) and 1B Pistol Pete Picard (.336/20/54/39)... LF Otto Glintmeyer (.306/17/74/68) was one the few productive bats on the club.

7. Sligo has been in sharp decline since back-to-back pennants in 2039 and 2040... they were terrible last year in the cellar with a 61-93 record (24 GB) and seventh this year with a 65-89 mark (30 GB)... the Rovers have made the playoffs nine times and have captured one Pro Cup long ago and far away in 2021... no one on the staff had a winning records, but they did have some decent pitchers in Buzz Bumgartner (12-15/3.55), Art Hacker (11-12/3.68), Randall Steele (10-11/3.75) and Davey Hunter (8-10/3.51/10 saves)... veteran star 1B Denny Simmons led the club in almost everything with a .312 BA, 189 hits, 27 doubles, 4 triples, 13 HRs, 77 RBIs and 80 runs scored... nobody else came close to him.

8. Fort Benton wound up near the bottom for the fourth straight season... the Defenders were 64-90 last year in seventh place (21 GB)... and down to the basement this year with a pathetic 58-96 record (37 GB)... only once in the team's history have they won a pennant and made the playoff... that was in 2037... needless to say the Defenders are not a very good ballclub... long-time star Augie Marquis (12-19/3.77) still is a capable starter at age 39... he is 368-300 with a fine 3.22 ERA in his 22 years, all with Fort Benton... he is now third on the all-time wins list in the IPA... topped only by two legendary greats, Nicky Engstrom with a 387-218 mark and Cody Burg with a 369-264 record... Marquis might have had well over 400 victories, if he had played for a better franchise... another vet Jordy Raeburn (9-12/2.93) was the most effective hurler, but he boycotted the first two months of the season... at the plate the team is just plain bad with only 73 roundtrippers (31st-tied) for the year... CF Dwight Beatty (.264) topped the team with 15 homers and 82 RBIs... RF Cayman Crittenden (.263) scored the most runs with 74 and stole the most bases with 35 (third in the IPA)... and SS Glendon Glenn led the club with a .310 BA and 186 hits.

2045 Ruthlandian West Final Team Statistics

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

HAWKS FLY HIGH AGAIN IN TU NORTH
It has been a wonderful decade for the North Hills Hawks of the Tycobbian North... for the 11th time in a dozen seasons they were the top team in the division... however, this time around they really had to work for it... it was a very close photo finish... North Hills just barely skimmed by the hard-closing Hartsdale Hellcats by a scant one game to win the pennant... the Hellcats were six games back at the All-Star break, but came on the second half and lost out by a nose... Hartsdale won seven of its final eight games and almost caught them... the Blue Lake Blue Sox came in third, losing out by five games and fourth place went to the revitalized Oxford Red Caps, who wound up 6 games off the pace... the Blue Sox and Red Caps stayed close throughout the season, but could never close the gap with North Hills.

The Hawks won four Pro Cups from 2034 to 2041, but they don't have the same dominant team as in those years... for the first time in quite a few seasons, North Hills will not be one of the favorites to take the Pro Cup... they are older and don't have the powerful pitching anymore... most of the Hawks are well into their 30's now.

1. North Hills is nonetheless a solid team... vets 38-year-old David Michael (21-18/3.58) and 33-year-old Tony Mack (16-17/3.12) are still capable starters, but are past their primes... Alex Peters (17-6/3.20) is now the club ace... after 17 years Michael is approching 300 victories... he is 295-212 with a fine 3.05 ERA... he is especially potent in the postseason and possesses a 20-11 record and a great 2.25 ERA in 35 starts... 34-year-old superstar All-Star Adam Thurgood (.305/39/118/95) still anchors the attack... he made the All-Stars for the ninth time in his illustrious career... Thurgood is a lifetime .314 batter with 450 homers and shoo-in first-ballot Hall-of-Famer... 3B Jim McDermott (.301/17/91/90) and 2B Tommy Vavas (.259/15/63/105) are the other good run producers on the club... the Hawks' bats are not as good as they were in the Pro Cup glory days... defensively the Hawks are excellent with a .979 FA.

2. Hartsdale has been a thorn in the side for North Hills in recent years... the Hellcats snapped their pennant string at eight in 2042 and have played them off their feet the last two years, winding up 88-66 in 2044 (4 GB) and 89-65 this season just one game behind... the Hellcats have made the playoffs seven times in history, but are still seeking their first Pro Cup trophy... Kippy Wilhelm (13-6/2.88), Gil Younger (18-17/3.74), Perry Givens (17-13/3.54) and Dave Payne (16-15/3.95) are a solid starting rotation... and All-Star Alfonso Cervera (9-3/1.33/21 saves) and Wayne Dawson (3-2/2.95) were strong in relief... Cervera led the IPA in saves... leading the Hellcats' offense were RF Emilian Burgess (.299/22/60/97), CF Darrell Nesbitt (.267/17/64/94), 3B Greg Melton (.270/19/70/83), 2B Myrt Breland (.297/14/64/50) and 1B John Ford (.272/26/87/67)... the future is bright in Hartsdale.

3. Blue Lake has used its good pitching staff the last four seasons to contend with North Hills and Hartsdale... last year they were 88-66 (4 GB) and in a three-way tie for second place with Hartsdale and Luxora... this year they slipped to 85-60 (5 GB), still good for the third spot in the standings... Blue Lake can score (5th) and they can pitch (3.34 ERA-7th)... 40-year-old ace Frankie Quinn (23-9/2.10) is still going strong... he is now fourth all-time in wins with a 366-263 mark... only Nicky Engstrom (387-218), Cody Burg (369-264) and Augie Marquis (368-300) are ahead of him... the top two are retired and Marquis is still active at age 39... Quinn was fifth in wins and ERA this year in the IPA... giving him able help are Van Johnson (14-11/3.69), Greg Mortimer (17-15/3.70) and Sal Mays (10-11/3.46)... Razzy Richmond (9-12/3.25/16 saves) headed up the relief corps... he was eratic, but still ranked seventh in the Tycobbian Union with 16 saves in 72 appearances... leaders in the batter's box were 3B Rick Bridges (.287/26/93/77), 1B Mel Morrison (.286/23/86/80), RF Johnny Harding (.307/17/73/75), 2B Kinji Hashimoto (.271/15/86/82) and CF Raddy Pajak (.259/16/71/85)... two veteran regulars LF Jack Ryan (.318/8/29/49) and 3B Matt Thompson (.266/6/33/47) boycotted the first two months of the season in salary disputes.

4. Oxford hasn't had a good team in seven years... they came in second in 2037 (9 GB)... but the Red Caps did well this season rising up from 60-94 in 2044 (32 GB) to 84-70 and fourth place (6 GB)... Oxford won one Pro Cup in its history back in 2007... they have appeared in the postseason just five times... the Red Caps were a good and steady team this year with no bad months... the mound corps had three quality starters in Rudy Mellancamp (21-15/2.90), Tekkan Nishikawa (19-9/3/15) and Ralph Mosby (12-18/3.33)... Kelly Long (10-2/3.40/9 saves) was the tops in the pen... none of the bats hit for average, but did have a little pop... leading the way were All-Star C Glen Lee (.301/13/51/53), 3B Alonso Norris (.264/27/78/98) and CF Kevin Carter (.242/24/96/80).

5. Luxora was up last season with a three-way tie for second with Hartsdale and Blue Lake... they went 88-66 (4 GB)... but his year was a downer and they fell to 74-80 and fifth place (16 GB), tied with Fairfax... the Zorros have made the playoffs 11 times in their history, but not recently... 2031 was the last time... the Z's have never won a Pro Cup... among the starters Joao Damaso (16-15/3.27), Lorenzo Alonso (16-11/3.74) and Kent Halloran (13-16/3.40) were the most reliable... closer Jerry Jankins (11-4/2.22/19 saves) had a really nice season, ranking fourth in the IPA in saves with 19 in 73 appearances... offensively All-Star LF Derrek Jackson (.359/32/106/95) was the leader of the pack... he led the IPA in batting average with a .359 mark, third with 203 hits and was fourth with 36 doubles... at 33 Jackson is getting better with age... RF Emil Pasek (.291/24/78/91) and 1B Joel Poche (.322/14/49/56) chipped some offense, too... Poche was a boycotter and missed one-third of the season... ditto for 2B Ramiro Munos (.313/0/28/36).

5. Fairfax was sixth last year, going 75-79 (17 GB) and 74-80 this year (16 GB) tied with Luxora for fifth place... in its history Fairfax has never won a Pro Cup yet, but has appeared eight times in the playoffs... 2032 and 2033 were the most recent years... the Frogs hit well for average (.274-2nd), but have little power... pitching is mediocre (3.95-26th)... All-Star C Scott Courtney (.352/25/99/85) and SS Demont Beauchamp (.341/5/52/77) were two of the top hitters in the IPA, ranking second and fourth... Luxora's Derrek Jackson (.359) and Claxton's Jojo DeLucca (.349) were first and third respectively... All-Star 2B Ferrell Dillard (.292/6/64/65) and RF Bobby Joe Daniel (.321/1/44/69) hit for average, but lacked pop... boycotters 2B John Velasco (.329/10/43/55) and CF Trent Russell (.277/16/63/56) could have added much needed power and production to the line-up, especially during the bad months of April and May... ace Harold Dorman (14-5/2.76) was greatly missed in the boycott months, too... reliever Wes Christopher (11-8/2.44) worked in 96 games and chalked up 20 saves in a splendid season... he easily led the IPA in games and was third in saves.

7. White River had a good year three years ago, coming in a fairly close second to division champ North Hills (5 GB) with an 88-66 record... but the Rascals have slumped since to 76-78 in 2044 (16 GB) and 66-88 this year (24 GB)... only four times in its IPA history has Fairfax been to the playoffs... never winning a Pro Cup... the last postseason appearance was back in 2027... the only good thing the Rascals did this season was to hit 194 homers, ranking second in the Tycobbian Union to record-busting Red Bluff's amazing 283... LF Billy Joe Hickman (.266) led the club with 154 hits, 40 homers, 107 RBIs and 98 runs... 2B Warren McKenzie had the best average at .313 and was second with 26 homers and 77 RBIs... starters Clem Warren (13-6/3.73) and Trent Anderson (10-9/3.86) were the most dependable... however, both of them sat out April and May during the boycott dispute.

8. Mahaska has been a last-place club for three years now, getting worse each season... the Haymakers were 60-94 in 2043 (33 GB), 58-96 last season (34 GB) and 57-97 this year (33 GB)... they have made the playoffs only four times... 2028 was the last time... still no Pro Cups... 39-year-old Freddy Pfeffer (11-18/4.08) was the only decent pitcher on the team... SS Rocco Bertara (.284/8/48/51) had the best BA on the club with .284, but he sat out two months in the player boycott... C James Boswell (.229/37/91/73) led in homers, runs and RBIs, but hit a very poor .229... 1B Roger Lewis (.248/24/62/55) was second in homers with 24... and 3B Goose Fulton (.261/20/66/68) was third with 20... Mahaska is really a miserable team.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

SUN SOX SHINE AGAIN, WIN 4TH FLAG IN A ROW
The IPA defending champion Southport Sun Sox continue to monopolize the Tycobbian South with their fourth flag in a row... to repeat as division champ this year the Sun Sox had to fend off four very good clubs in the IPA's strongest division.

Southport started off 12-14 in April and trailed by 8 games, but quickly turned it around and took the division lead by mid-season and slowly built up a safe lead in the latter half of the season... Summerland took a huge lead in the first month with a terrific 20-6 record, but couldn't sustain it... but the Sunsets did wind up in second place, beaten by 6 games... third place went to San Alejo, who hung with the Sun Sox before they burned out in August, ending up 7 games behind... in the fourth spot were the Cape Coral Hurricanes, who stayed in the running until August, eventually losing out by 10 games... coming in fifth and 11 games back were the Ginza Ninjas... they really only were in the race until June, then faded... Southport will have a pretty good shot at back-to-back Pro Cups... they are strong on the hill and at the plate... their weakness is shoddy defense (.967 FA).

1. Southport is only a recent powerhouse in the IPA... overall the Sun Sox have seldom been in the postseason... this will be their seventh appearance... they will be shooting for their second IPA crown... the season started on a very sour note for them... three primary starters, Billy Hoover (16-7/1.87), Johnny Swanson (14-8/3.46) and Brandon Forbes (15-8/3.36), were out on boycott, along with two regular position players 1B Eddy Douglas (.323/21/63/58) and 3B Craig Glennon (.296/15/63/49)... it's amazing that they won 95 games this year... the number five starter Cade Brocton (20-13/3.73) and an obscure pitcher on the reserve roster, 34-year-old Tiger Tartaglia (9-4/2.97) rose to the occasion and took up the slack, along with the superb bullpen... prior to this year Tartaglia was only 10-12 in three seasons with a mediocre 4.35 ERA... with the return of the prime starters, there was no room on the roster for Tartaglia... life is just not fair.

It was all over when the boycotters came back in June... the Sox really took off and took command... last year's Pro Cup MVP CF Barney Lewis (.259/32/98/94) was the club leader with 32 homers and 98 RBIs... LF Chris Jones (.316/9/67/95) was tops in BA and runs... SS Gonzalo Topez (.305/7/70/89) had a solid season at the plate, too.

2. Summerland has been in the TU South first division for 10 of the previous 11 seasons... they were fifth in 2038... the Sunsets won the pennant in 2040... they haven't won a Pro Cup yet and have made the postseason only three times... pitching is the name of the game in Summerland... the staff led the Tycobbian Union with an impressive 2.99 ERA, third best in the IPA... only two Ruthlandian clubs, the Glasco Athletics (2.80) and the Kilkenny Cats (2.98) were better... the A's won the RU North and will be in the Pro Cup playoffs, however the Cats were fourth in the same division as Glasco and didn't qualify for the postseason... on the mound the Sunsets' fab four were Jayson Hallstrom (21-11/2.37), Billy King (16-10/2.96), Dutch De Boer (17-14/2.92) and Jacob Gillen (15-10/3.12)... with good offensive support the staff easily could have won 100 games and the pennant... but there were no standout sticks... LF Tony Vargas led the team with a .323 BA, but he had only 3 homers and 60 RBIs... 1B Kenny Douglas (.260) led with 26 homers and drove in 74 runs... RF Rick Mayes (.286) had the most RBIs with 89 and was second with 25 roundtrippers... 3B Alex Abbotson (.244) was the leader with 90 runs and third in homers with 16... good gloveman SS Mark Brenneke (.258/3/25/49) was out with the boycott the first two months of the year.

3. San Alejo flamed out in August (12-17) this year... otherwise they could have been in the thick of things in the stretch drive... for the ninth consecutive season the Montaneros were a good ballclub... in the last 14 years they have won four pennants ('32, '34, '35, '37) and one Pro Cup ('32)... the Monties improved from 81-73 and third place last year (23 GB) to 88-66, which was good for third again this season (7 GB)... All-Star Matt Bell (25-9/1.87) and All-Star Will McKinney (17-12/2.82) were the top hurlers... the youngsters are budding superstars... 26-year-old Bell has won 20 games in five of his seven seasons... his worst year was his rookie season when he was 18-18 with a 2.93 ERA... lifetime he is already 145-86 with a super 2.49 ERA... Bell ranked second in the IPA with 25 victories this year... only Beechwood's Jimmy Herman had more... he won 26 for the Bobcats in the Ruthlandian Union... at 25 McKinney has won 20 games in three of the his five seasons... overall he is 89-48 with a 2.96 ERA... at the plate the Montaneros were sparked by superstar All-Star C Filipe Zamora (.280/31/106/88)... 6 times he has made the All-Star team... Zamora is 35... it's a shame San Alejo didn't have its star RF Paolo Teixeira for the whole season... he missed one-third of it due to the player boycott... nonetheless Teixeira hit 29 homers in just 95 games and drove in 63 runs, scored 66 and batted .295... what a difference his bat would have made... OF Charlie Wilberforce (.259) chipped in 23 HRs and batted in 72 runs.

4. Cape Coral has finished fourth six times in the last decade... the last three seasons in a row... the Hurricanes climbed up from 78-76 last year (26 GB) to 85-69 this year (10 GB)... they were in third place at the end of June, just 3 games off the pace, but slowly faded in the second half... they have the bats, but could use some more pitching to contend with Southport, Summerland and San Alejo... the 'Canes are ranked first in scoring runs in the Tycobbian Union, third with a .271 team BA and fourth with 180 homers... pitching-wise they are just average with a 3.69 ERA (19th)... the line-up is packed with power... five players hit 20 or more out of the park, led by superstud LF Rikky Van Dalen (.333/30/98/111) with 30, SS Scotty Jackson (.270/25/90/69) with 25, 3B Kent Mantle (.266/23/78/70) with 23, RF William Snyder (.311/21/74/74) with 21 and 1B Stan Ferguson (.278/20/61/40) with 20... Ferguson only played 86 games because of the boycott... IF Lou Panko (.299/10/71/89) also had a good year at 2B and filling in for Ferguson at 1B... Benton McCall (25-10/2.74) carried the staff... he was second in the IPA in wins, topped only by Jimmy Herman of the Beechwood Bobcats of the Ruthlandian East... Herman was 26-9 with a 2.72 ERA... other depenable arms in the Hurricane rotation are Vernon Marks (15-15/3.76) and Rik De Meester (12-16/3.85)... Pete Collins (4-5/2.65/12 saves) did well in the bullpen... history-wise Cape Coral has been in the playoffs on 8 occasions, but haven't captured a Pro Cup... the most recent pennant was in 2041.

5. Ginza was 14 games over .500 this season, yet came in fifth (11 GB)... last season the Ninjas compiled a 76-78 mark and also wound up in fifth place (28 GB)... in the club's history they have been in the playoffs 7 times with no Pro Cups to show for it... the Ginza attack is a good one, ranking first in the IPA with a .277 team BA... they are fourth in scoring in the Tycobbian Union and sixth in homers with 172... in the pitching department the Ninjas are rated 20th with a 3.71 team ERA... Ginza is the top defensive team in the IPA with an outstanding .980 FA... sparking the offense is superstar LF Sogo Takagi (.311/32/103/120)... Takagi is number two in the IPA with 120 runs... the batting order is chocked full of reliable hitters... on the club superstar standout SS Sam Essex (.287/34/110/87) had the most homers with 34 and the most RBIs with 110... RF Ichiro Kazumi (.291/16/86/79) and 1B Vic Booker (.277/22/73/76) had good numbers, along with boycotters 3B Jiro Yamamura (.319/7/35/77) and C Whit Harrell (.258/18/54 41)... club leaders on the hill were T. C. Gallimore (21-12/3.00) and Carlos Del Toro (22-11/3.71)... both are first time 20-game winners.

6. Arroyo Grande made great strides this season, rising up from a terrible 59-95 in 2044 (45 GB) to 76-78 this year (19 GB)... top to bottom the TU South may be the best division in the IPA... even seventh place Colchester (72-82) and cellar dweller Turon (71-83) won at least 71 games... this was the 12th season in succession the Suns finished in the TU South second division... you have to go back to 2024 since Arroyo Grande graced the playoffs... the Suns are still seeking their first IPA crown... only four times in the team's history have they made the postseason... the Suns can go deep... they had 169 HRs this year (8th), but they don't hit for average (.245-25th)... the Suns are average on the mound (3.66-17th)... and they sparkle on defense with a standout .979 FA... Anthony Lombardi (16-5/3.05) and Enrique Lopez (17-17/3.18) both had solid seasons... in the bullpen Russ Simmons (6-6/2.56/13 saves) and Jaz Ortega (4-3/2.28/1 saves) did well, too... Fernando Campos (10-8/3.58) sat out the first two months because of the the salary dispute... no one hit for average on the club... CF Kenny Wade was the BA leader with a .276 mark... he also contributed 18 homers, scored 81 times and has 57 RBIs... LF Alfred Novikoff (.254) was number one with 29 roundtrippers and 75 RBIs... 2B Russell Taylor (.270) scored the most runs with 90... he also had 22 HRs and batted in 71 runs.

7. Colchester added to their string of second-division finishes... this is the ninth year in a row for the Elites... they have been seventh the last four seasons... but they did improve quite a lot this year, going from 61-93 (43 GB) to 72-82 (23 GB)... the Elites have only appeared in the postseason four times... 2036 was the last time they won the division title... never has Colchester won the Pro Cup... hurler Dave Lacoste (19-12/2.80) was the ace of the staff... he made the All-Star team at age 37... 29-year-old rookie Maxie Helton (11-7/3.91) and Benny White (14-15/3.67/2 saves) also had fairly good seasons... defensively the Elites are good with a solid .976 FA... Colchester isn't much of a threat offensively, but 1B Ace Diamond had a breakout year at 28... in a killer season he was third in the IPA with 47 homers and 134 RBIs... Red Bluff's David Kelso was the HR leader with a near record 65 and Bayview's Jerry Culpepper was second with 55... the single-season league mark is 66 by Culpepper in 2040... Rolling Hills' Jimbo Foxx led the IPA with 151 RBIs and Culpepper was second with 143... other contributors to the Elites' offense were rookie CF Teddy Drackley (.279/21/72/91), Chet Porter (.301/5/40/62) and 2B Joey Rogers (.262/12/47/82).

8. Turon is a fabled franchise that has fallen on very hard times in recent years... twice in the last three years the Typhoons have come in last... in 2044 they were sixth with a 67-87 record (37 GB)... this season the Typhoons were 71-83 and in the basement again (24 GB)... Turon holds the IPA record with four Pro Cups and has been to the postseason 15 times... only Tuckanarra with 17 appearances has been there more... the Typhoons' last pennant was in 2039... the last Pro Cup was in 2018... Turon has a prolific attack with a .269 BA (4th), 775 runs (2nd) and 194 HRs (2nd-tied), but they are awful on the mound with a 4.76 ERA, the worst in the IPA... the offensive leaders are star All-Star SS C. C. Kingsford (.318/28/98/101), CF Guido Gervasio (.325/15/77/90), 3B Al Salisbury (.300/20/73/100) and 1B Nick Fisher (.286/37/104/94).

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

RECORD-SETTING RED SOX CHAMP AGAIN
The record-setting Red Bluff Red Sox boomed their way to their second Tycobbian East Division title in a row... the Red Sox established a new IPA home-run record with 283, totally shattering Arroyo Grande's old mark of 260 set in 2005... they made shambles of the pennant race by whipping High Mesa by 14 games and third place Midway by 19... Tuckanarra and Ozarka tied for the fourth spot, 21 games back in the race... with tremendous firepower and solid pitching Red Bluff will rank high in the Pro Cup predictions.

1. Red Bluff took its second straight division title... both seasons they came in with 95-59 records... the Red Sox will be appearing in their sixth postseason... they won their only Pro Cup years ago in 2004... the Red Sox can score runs (6th) and they have very good pitching (4th)... defensively they are just average (.972 FA)... the Red Sox have all the elements to do well in the postseason... all 8 regulars hit 16 or more homers, paced by superstar All-Star LF David Kelso (.289/65/130/111), the IPA leader with 65 homers, just one short of the league record... he was also fourth in RBIs and sixth in scoring runs... Kelso is Hall of Fame material with 437 homers in 12 seasons... 1B Josh Stevens (.252/43/91/96) smacked 43 homers, 3B Fran Blanchard (.291/36/90/94) had 36, C Phil White (.214/32/80/58) hit 32 home runs, SS Leemon O'Donovan (.262/27/79/74) numbered 27, CF Ike Sweetwater (.327/23/63/59) socked 23 out of the park, LF Jesse Shaw (.273/19/46/40) popped 19 HRs and 2B Big Boy Payne (.249/16/46/88) chipped in 16... Sweetwater and Shaw didn't play the first two months because of the player boycott... heading up the mound staff were Jud Cox (16-12/2.57), Mickey Rosen (17-8/3.00), Jack Wallace (12-6/3.64) and George Reynolds (18-12/3.61)... the top reliever was Carson Jamara (7-8/3.30/18 saves)... Jamara was ninth in saves this year in the IPA.

2. High Mesa went from fifth place with a 72-82 record in 2044 (23 GB) to the runner-up spot this year with an 81-73 mark (14 GB)... they stayed close to Red Bluff until July, this fell apart, playing below .500 in the second half of the year... only twice have the Cowboys been in the postseason... and that occurred in their first two seasons in the IPA... they won the Pro Cup in 2002... the Cowpokes have solid pitching (3.49-9th), but not a lot of offense... rookie sensation Lucius Quarles (17-14/1.65) had the best ERA in the IPA... rookie Steve Tolan (18-15/3.21) and Emil Nowak (16-9/4.03/1 save) were also dependable starters... !B Johnny Tallis (.258/34/96/64) led the club with 34 homers and 96 RBIs... All-Star 2B Randy Sweetland (.280/5/42/89) was the scoring leader with 89 runs... other contributors were SS Clifford Coleman (.254/29/76/64), 3B Wes McGovern (.265/23/74/86) and LF Clay Johnston (.279/27/73/62), who missed a third of the season due to the boycott.

3. Midway moved up from 66-88 and seventh place (29 GB) last year to 76-78 and third place this year (19 GB)... at the start of July the Wolves were in sixth place (6 GB) and still in the race, but they went on the fritz and tumbled down to 19 GB by season's end... Midway has never won a Pro Cup... they have only made the playoffs three times in the club history... 2027 was the last postseason appearance... the Wolves have decent pitching with Craig Anderson (19-19/3.54), Jeff Chandler (17-14/3.69), Rich Barstow (11-11/3.75) and Charlie Chase (16-19/2.89)... Sam Lewis (3-3/2.51/14 saves) is the best reliever... 2B Sollie Solomon (.307/2/45/81) led the team with a .307 BA... 3B Paul Butler (.253/15/67/86) has the most homers with 15... 1B Jerry Kennison (.283/11/85/55) had the most RBIs with 85... and LF Justin Morrison (.302/10/68/87) led with 87 runs.

4. Tuckanarra came in third in 2043 with a 76-78 mark (19 GB) and fourth this season with a 74-80 record (21 GB)... the Blue Jays were never in contention... the Tucks have made the playoffs 17 times, more than any other IPA franchise... they have also won three Pro Cups, topped only by Turon's four titles... the last pennant came in 2038 and the last Pro Cup in 2035... the Blue Jays have fair pitching and poor hitting... Ozzie Leslie (18-18/2.68) and Dickie Pittman (14-10/2.77) were two strong starters... and Yarran Nawajuk (18-14/3.70) was a dependable #3... at 37 Jack Rogers (8-6/2.56/12 saves) still does a good job in the bullpen... the offense stunk with a .244 BA (26th), 579 runs (29th-tied) and only 112 HRs (27th)... there really was no one on the team worth mentioning offensively... 32 players played this year... only one had enough bats to qualify for any stats awards... 1B Alister Simmons has the best BA on the club with a .311 mark and the most homers with 12... Simmons only had 196 ABs in 60 games... 1B Rodger Parsons had a .303 BA, but played in only 80 games and had 267 plate appearances... C Wally McMain (.244) was tops in RBIs with 50 and 2B Ricky Vincent (.284) paced the team with 129 hits, runs with 57 and 128 games.

4. Ozarka has been a middle-of-the-pack team the last four years... fourth or fifth each year... last year they were 75-79 in fourth (20 GB)... tied for fourth this year at 74-80 (21 GB)... the Nats have been to the postseason often with 15 playoff appearances... they have never won a Pro Cup, but the were in the Finals five times...the last Pro Cup appearance was 2020... the last division flag was 2040... the Naturals have a good offense with a .265 BA (7th), 705 runs (11th) and 162 homers (12th)... lackluster on the hill with a 3.86 ERA (24th)... at 37 All-Star SS Duffy Morrison (.328/35/110/116) had a career year... 1B Artie Clayton (.258/37/89/92) led the team with 37 roundtrippers... 2B Jimmy Woods (.323/20/71/54) and C Paul Beasley (.285/23/83/61) had good years, too... Billy Hill (18-9/3.72) topped the club in wins... Glen Jenkins (16-14/3.14) had the best ERA among starters... Pedro Gonzales (7-3/1.67/12 saves) was the bullpen standout.

6. South Fork has been a tough team in recent seasons... the Stallions won three straight TU East flags from 2041 to 2043... in 2042 they were Pro Cup champion... South Fork had a fine 93-61 season last year but lost a tough duel with division winner Red Bluff (2 GB)... this year was a total disappointment as they sunk to 73-81 and sixth place (22 GB)... the offense sputtered and the pitching suffered greatly... the three primary starters Jay Murphy (3-12/3.13), Big Murph McAlister (12-11/3.36) and Chris Sorensen (12-9/2.94) boycotted the first two months... 27-game winner Jay Murphy, the 2044 IPA MVP and Golden Arm winner, had a horrendous season... 2B Elton Jacoby (.296/28/99/85) and SS Pete Arnold (.304/12/59/93) were the only good bats... reliable LF Scotty O'Sullivan (.263/16/51/38) was a holdout and didn't join the team until June.

7. Hillsboro is the only franchise in the IPA to never make the playoffs... the Blazers came close in 2043, just two games out of first in third place with a 78-76 record... last year they were 70-84 and finished sixth (25 GB)... this year Hillsboro was also 70-84, winding up in the seventh spot in the standings (25 GB)... the Blazers have so-so pitching (3.66-18th) and terrible hitting (.239-31st)... but with fairly good power (150 HRs-18th)... Jamie Lee Bradley (19-11/3.00) and Ralph Quick (13-11/3.20) are solid starters... 1B Ernie Moxley is the club leader with a .292 BA, 41 HRs and 117 RBIs...CF Rick Willis (.253/16/53/88) topped the team with 88 runs... LF Jurrien Bellini (.267/18/42/69) boycotted the team for the first two months of the season.

8. East Point was the second-worst team in the IPA with a pathetic 50-104 record, good for last place (45 GB)... only Ancona of the Ruthlandian North had a poorer record at 48-106 (52 GB)... last year the Panthers put up a 59-95 mark, also good for last place (36 GB)... a .235 BA and a 4.40 ERA won't get you far in the IPA... Albert Sharpton (10-18/4.72) and Barney Benton (11-24/5.29) were the best of the lot in the starting rotation... it doesn't get any better at the plate... CF Wesley Garrett (.264/7/34/73) led with a .264 BA... 3B Paul Ferrell (.260/16/66/74) was the club leader in homers with 16 and 74 runs... he tied with LF Augie Elizondo (.258/13/66/49) with 66 RBIs... East Point has been a playoff team only five times and have yet to win the Pro Cup... the last Panther pennant came in 2039.

2045 Tycobbian East Final Standings and Team Statistics

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

WILDCATS WIN TU WEST IN A THRILLER
The defending division champion Kenwood Wildcats had to really claw their way to repeat in the Tycobbian West this season... the Wildcats had to dig themselves out of a deep hole they found themselves in right out of the gate in April... the Wildcats went 7-19 and fell 11 games back in the early going... but they righted the ship over the course of the next few months and copped their fourth pennant in five years... Kenwood still trailed by 9 games at the All-Star break, 4 at the end of July and finally moved into the top spot in August... runner-up Denton City led for most of the season, but slumped in August and ended up losing to the Wildcats by a single game... Rolling Hills came in third, just 2 games out of first... the Reds took the lead in July, but fell back with a poor August... fourth place went to the Chicopee Braves, who wound up 7 games behind Kenwood.

1. Kenwood won its only Pro Cup in 2014... this will be the Wildcats' seventh postseason appearance... they were 90-84 last year and slipped a bit to 84-70 this season... solid pitching with a 3.30 ERA (5th) and an adequate offense with a .269 BA (5th), 674 runs (19th) and 152 HRs (17th) won it for them... plus solid defense (.976 FA)... Clyde Meyers (21-13/3.32) and Tommy Carter (17-13/3.13) were the biggest winners on the staff... two veterans Freddy Gooch (8-10/2.63) and Rusty Bradford (8-8/3.76/4 saves) boycotted the club the first two months... rookie Gregg Campbell (13-9/2.83) filled in for them quite well... in the bullpen Artemus Hale (.6-3/2.16/7 saves) and Mike Jones (2-3/2.31/7 saves) did their jobs well, too... four regulars were missing in the early months: superstar C Corky DiNozzo (.296/22/71/45), rookie RF Billy Nix (.268/22/69/51), CF Warren Vickers (.305/10/40/70) and 1B Bert Henrich (.277/15/50/400... their absence had a lot to do with the slow start... the only regulars that played a full season were 3B Country Crowder (.329/6/63/88) and LF Dorsey Faircloth (.305/22/71/70).

2. Denton City has come in second the last two years to Kenwood... the Redbirds were 83-71 last year and the same this year... they lost out by 7 in 2043 and by one this year... DC was up by a whopping 11 games over Kenwood at the end of April, but they saw it slowly erode as the season progressed... the Redbirds have been to the playoffs on 9 occasions... the last pennant came in 2040... they were an early power in the IPA with 8 playoff appearances from 2002 to 2013... twice the Redbirds reached the Pro Cup Finals, but lost... this year they had fairly good pitching and just an average offense... on the hill it was Mel Coley (13-5/2.67/11 saves), Harry Elliott (20-15/3.23) and Jimmy Ellerbee (16-8/3.16)... 40-year-old ace Francisco Salcido (5-17/4.06) apparently suffered by being out during the boycott... he never really regained his form of previous seasons... at the plate superstar Wayman Stetson (.302/35/101/84) and LF Frankie Montgomery (.297/18/80/83) were the only real threats.

3. Rolling Hills had a good year... they improved from sixth place (19 GB) with a 71-83 mark to a very close third (2 GB) with an 82-72 record... the Reds led at the end of May, but had a horrific 7-19 June and fell 8 games behind Denton City... a great 20-8 in July got them back into a first-place tie with the Redbirds... thereafter Kenwood was on a roll and couldn't be stopped... Rolling Hills is only adequate offensively and on the mound, but is good with the gloves (.975 FA)... the trio of superstar All-Star CF Jimbo Foxx (.273/46/151/89), star 1B Darwin Tard (.303/23/88/110) and LF Orin Phillips (.279/31/88/74) carried the club... Foxx was on pace to break the IPA all-time RBI mark, but came up 20 short of Adam Zitek's 170 in 2005 for High Mesa... still he led the IPA with 151 and was fourth in homers with 46... on the mound Matthew Christianson (19-13/3.29) and Johnny Howard (17-7/3.61) were the biggest winners.

4. Chicopee made some progress this season, going from 70-84 and seventh place (20 GB) to fourth place with a break-even 77-77 mark (7 GB)... good pitching got them there... the Braves have never won a Pro Cup and have appeared only three times in the playoffs... the last time was in 2036... All-Star Tony Dazzi (21-16/2.34) was brilliant this year with 29 complete games... only Beechwood's Jimmy Herman (26-9/2.72) with 30 had more... Josh Dougherty (13-14/2.12) was also a very tough customer, but he suffered a lack of run support... Harry Robinson (6-3/2.82/5 saves) was solid in the pen... all by himself 1B Sam Patrick (.285/45/107/90) was the Braves' offense... he had 45 of the team's 107 homers and led them in BA, HRs, RBIs, runs and walks.

5. Arlon was fourth last year with a 79-75 record (11 GB), but dipped to fifth this year with a 72-82 mark (12 GB)... the Champs won their last pennant in 2043 and have been in the postseason on five occasions... they reached the Pro Cup Finals one time in 2039 and lost in six games to Waleska... vets Lanny Gray (16-18/3.34) and Pat Stuyvesant (11-10/3.37) led the starters... in the bullpen Mack Blair (9-6/1.85/15 saves) was outstanding... on the offense RF Mark Cameron (.224/38/82/88) hit a lot of homers but little else... and C Nick Shafer had 27 homers and 77 RBIs, but batted only .259.

6. Bayview was looking forward to this year... the Vikings finished third last season with an 82-72 record (8 GB), but relapsed to their old ways again, falling to sixth place with a 70-84 mark (14 GB)... their pitching failed them this year with the ERA going from last year's 3.59 skyward to 4.25 this season... it's been eons since the Viks made the playoffs... long ago and far away in 2016 to be exact... they have participated in the postseason only 6 times and never have hauled in a Pro Cup trophy... as usual the great Bayview Bomber 3B Jerry Culpepper led the team's hit parade... he hammered 55 home runs, batted .311, drove in 143 runs and scored 98 runs... all team highs... Culpepper was second in the IPA in homers and RBIs... Red Bluff's David Kelso got the HR title with 65, almost breaking Culpepper's IPA mark of 66 in 2040.. Rolling Hills' Jimbo Foxx topped him in RBIs with 151... LF Rusty Hunter (.267/2/54/86) and 2B Zack Mason (.276/12/47/91) were the best of the rest... the Viks missed the power of SS Anreas Stokke (.278/12/55/54), who was out a third of the season with the boycott... Bobby Knudsen (18-18/3.47) was the only steady starter.

7. Bay St. Clair wound up in the second division for the 10th year in a row... the Buccaneers were fifth last season with a 76-78 record (14 GB)... this season they slumped to 64-90 (20 GB) and seventh in the standings... it's been 15 years since the Bucs made the playoffs... still haven't won a Pro Cup trophy... they did make the Finals in 2015, but were whipped by Taranto in five games... heading up the pitching corps are Clyde Gordon (14-14/3.23) and Dion Hawkins (12-10/3.61)... bullpen ace Clark Van Vreeland (14-9/1.83/9 saves) had another superb season... veteran RF Spade Weldon (.315/18/68/47), LF Gilbert Bauer (.293/14/50/74) and SS Edison Randall (.248/19/82/62) were the most reliable bats in the order... defensively the Buccaneers are the best in the IPA with a .980 FA, tied with Ginza for the honor.

8. La Claire got condemned to the cellar for the second successive season... they were 60-96 (24 GB), down from 69-85 last year (21 GB)... the Lynx have been to the postseason only four times in history with no Pro Cups... from 2028 to 2038 they won four TU West flags... those were the glory years... Nelson Stubbs (17-16/2.69) was the only effective starter... and veteran closer Terry Baird (4-8/3.18/14 saves) did a pretty fair job in the pen... La Claire didn't have much offense, either... LF Hank Morton (.284/8/77/69), CF Donny Griffith (.274/16/72/54) and 3B Phil Lyons (.282/17/57/44) were the best of the lot... however, the Lynx are a strong defensive club with a .977 FA.

[Eugene Church]

2045 Ruthlandian Union Final Batting and Pitching Leaderboard

[Eugene Church]

2045 Tycobbian Union Final Batting and Pitching Leaderboard

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 19, 2045

WIDE-OPEN SHOOTOUT IN PLAYOFFS
Glasco led the IPA with 100 wins this year... Red Bluff hit a record-breaking 283 homers... defending Pro Cup champ Southport is back and better-than-ever... of the eight qualifying teams only Kenwood is given very little chance of taking home the title... all of the other seven are in the running according to the baseball experts around the Islands... rarely do the favorites bring home the bacon... lesser lights seem to thrive in the postseason.

The 45th edition of the IPA playoffs are scheduled to start Thursday afternoon. In the Ruthlandian Union the homestanding Glasco Athletics will take on the visiting Claxton Diamonds and the Middlefield Roosters will be at home against the Sugar Valley Rattlers... Over in Tycobbia the Southport Sun Sox will be defending their Pro Cup title at home against the North Hills Hawks, while the Red Bluff Red Sox go up against the Kenwood Wildcats at Red Bluff Park. All postseason series in the IPA are the best-of-seven.

Six of the playoff clubs were given support to win it all this year... The Islandian Times' annual Pro Cup poll gave a slight edge to the Glasco Athletics, citing three solid starters, a fine bullpen and solid bats... Red Bluff was the number-two choice with its super firepower... the Red Sox are sizzling hot entering the postseason... they were 33-12 in the final weeks of the regular season and have the greatest momentum... third pick Middlefield is considered dangerous with its strong bats, very good starters and deep bullpen... the Roosters are red-hot going into the playoffs with a 31-14 mark the last six weeks of the campaign... current IPA titleholder Southport was ranked fourth in the poll... the Sun Sox are playoff-tested with many seasoned vets still in their primes... the North Hills Hawks always play well in the postseason and have four Pro Cup titles in the last 11 years, but none in the last four seasons... they are the fifth choice and are showing signs of aging... the Sugar Valley Rattlers are rated number six in the poll, but don't seem to have enough pitching depth in their starters to do a lot of damage, but their bats could... Claxton is pretty much in the same boat as Sugar Valley... the pitching is not strong enough... the Diamonds are a long shot... Kenwood had the worst record of any of the division winners and was rated the least likely to win the title this year... however, once they got the boycotters back, the Wildcats did much better after floundering badly in the first two months of the season... they were 28-17 during the stretch drive.

1. Glasco Athletics (100-54): Glasco had an almost perfect season, ringing up the most wins in the IPA this season with an even 100... the A's were up near the top in offense and pitching... they were fourth last year (11 GB) with an 82-72 record... this is only the third time the Athletics have made the playoffs... the last appearance was in 2003... Glasco will be one of the favorites in this year's Pro Cup playoffs... they are going into the playoffs on a high note... the Athletics played well the entire season... they have never won the IPA title... Pat Meyers (20-14/2.78) and Benny McDaniel (23-6/2/54) led a fearsome staff... leading the offense were All-Star CF John Rumford (.318/25/96/101), All-Star 3B Billy Stroud (.308/9/78/66) and RF Travis Houston (.270/17/87/67).

2. Red Bluff Red Sox: Red Bluff took its second straight division title... both seasons they came in with 95-59 records... the Red Sox will be appearing in their sixth postseason... they won their only Pro Cup years ago in 2004... the Red Sox can score runs (6th) and they have very good pitching (4th)... defensively they are just average (.972 FA)... the Red Sox have all the elements to do well in the postseason... all 8 regulars hit 16 or more homers, paced by superstar All-Star LF David Kelso (.289/65/130/111), the IPA leader with 65 homers, just one short of the league record... he was also fourth in RBIs and sixth in scoring runs... Kelso is Hall of Fame material with 437 homers in 12 seasons... 1B Josh Stevens (.252/43/91/96) smacked 43 homers, 3B Fran Blanchard (.291/36/90/94) had 36, C Phil White (.214/32/80/58) hit 32 home runs, SS Leemon O'Donovan (.262/27/79/74) numbered 27, CF Ike Sweetwater (.327/23/63/59) socked 23 out of the park, LF Jesse Shaw (.273/19/46/40) popped 19 HRs and 2B Big Boy Payne (.249/16/46/88) chipped in 16... Sweetwater and Shaw didn't play the first two months because of the player boycott... heading up the mound staff were Jud Cox (16-12/2.57), Mickey Rosen (17-8/3.00), Jack Wallace (12-6/3.64) and George Reynolds (18-12/3.61)... the top reliever was Carson Jamara (7-8/3.30/18 saves)... Jamara was ninth in saves this year in the IPA.

3. Middlefield Roosters: Middlefield finally got another pennant after finishing in the runner-up spot for the previous two seasons... the Roosters were 80-74 in 2044 (5 GB), but climbed atop the division this year with a terrific 95-59 mark... they have now won nine pennants in the club's history and have one Pro Cup in their trophy case... Middlefield wore the IPA crown in 2005... the Roosters are more known for rattling the scoreboard with homers, but his year they came in third in pitching with a strong 2.99 ERA... only Glasco (2.80) and Kilkenny (2.98) were better in the Ruthlandian Union and the IPA... Summerland topped the Tycobbian Union with a 2.99 ERA... four impressive starters propelled the Roosters, three of them 20-game winners: All-Star Carroll Collier (24-11/2.72), Hollis Dale (21-8/3.38), All-Star James Long (23-13/2.12 and Larry Wheelhouse (10-11/2.91)... veteran closer Ray Owens (4-2/1.79/9 saves) stood out in the bullpen... the Roosters bats were booming, too... they slammed 231 homers, tops in the RU and second to Red Bluff's new all-time IPA record of 283... the Roosters had seven players top 20 home runs... CF Norm Antonioni (.255/45/97/76), RF Sidney Conner (.317/37/76/72), 1B Cliff Patterson (.315/27/68/82), All-Star SS Jimmy Beach (.262/27/87/79), 3B Ike Gary (.289/25/83/81), LF Dominque Sorrell (.239/20/48/46) and LF Alejandro Dominguez (.232/20/44/48)... the Roosters don't hit for much average (.253/20th), but they sure do go deep often... Conner had a remarkable season... he sat out the first two months of the year and ended up hitting 37 homers in just 90 games.

4. Southport Sun Sox: Southport is only a recent powerhouse in the IPA... overall the Sun Sox have seldom been in the postseason... this will be their seventh appearance... they will be shooting for their second IPA crown... last year the Sun Sox piled up a 104-50 record... the season started on a very sour note for them... three primary starters, Billy Hoover (16-7/1.87), Johnny Swanson (14-8/3.46) and Brandon Forbes (15-8/3.36), were out on boycott, along with two regular position players 1B Eddy Douglas (.323/21/63/58) and 3B Craig Glennon (.296/15/63/49)... it's amazing that they won 95 games this year... the number five starter Cade Brocton (20-13/3.73) and an obscure pitcher on the reserve roster, 34-year-old Tiger Tartaglia (9-4/2.97) rose to the occasion and took up the slack, along with the superb bullpen... prior to this year Tartaglia was only 10-12 in three seasons with a mediocre 4.35 ERA... with the return of the prime starters, there was no room on the roster for Tartaglia.

5. North Hills Hawks: the Hawks were 92-62 in 2044 and 90-64 this year... they have won the TU North Division the last three years and a remarkable 11 times in 12 seasons.. North Hills is still a solid team, but not as good as in the past decade when they won four Pro Cups in eight years... vets 38-year-old David Michael (21-18/3.58) and 33-year-old Tony Mack (16-17/3.12) are still capable starters, but are past their primes... Alex Peters (17-6/3.20) is now the club ace... after 17 years Michael is approaching 300 victories... he is 295-212 with a fine 3.05 ERA... he is especially potent in the postseason and possesses a 20-11 record and a great 2.25 ERA in 35 starts... 34-year-old superstar All-Star Adam Thurgood (.305/39/118/95) still anchors the attack... he made the All-Stars for the ninth time in his illustrious career... Thurgood is a lifetime .314 batter with 450 homers and shoo-in first-ballot Hall-of-Famer... 3B Jim McDermott (.301/17/91/90) and 2B Tommy Vavas (.259/15/63/105) are the other good run producers on the club... the Hawks' bats are not as good as they were in the Pro Cup glory days... defensively the Hawks are excellent with a .979 FA.

6. Sugar Valley Rattlers: Sugar Valley will be making its 13th appearance in the postseason, but they will still be seeking their first Pro Cup... last season the club lost a three-way playoff for the division title, going 96-59 (1.5 GB)... the Rattlers were just as good this year with a 94-60 mark, good enough to win the pennant this year... they have an experienced crew with very good firepower and fairly good pitching and could be troublesome in the playoffs... the Rattlers hit 198 homers (3rd) and were 5th in scoring runs... they still won comfortably despite having three of their main starters Jeremy Blanchard (12-6/3.75), Davey Brennan (12-9/3.13) and Christopher Dunsberry (10-8/3.90) holding out until June... Joe Snow (21-12/3.47) and Antonio Cedeno (9-8/2.90) filled in for them capably... the Rattler line-up featured three guys that hit over 30 homers: All-Star CF Carl Ramsey (.291) led the club with 46 roundtrippers and 123 RBIs, superstar All-Star RF Bobby Gamble (.336) socked 33 HRs and topped the team with 123 runs and C Delmer Campbell (.244) rapped 30 out of the park... Gamble led the IPA in runs scored and ranked fifth in BA... Ramsey was fourth in homers, sixth in RBIs and fourth in runs scored... add in two more reliable bats in 2B Richie Fry (.291/7/54/88) and holdout SS Roger Hobbs (.286/15/40/65) and you've got a powerful batting order.

7. Claxton Diamonds: Claxton rose up from fourth place ... they were 80-74 last year and 5 GB... they improved to 93-61 this season and captured the division crown... this will be the Diamonds 11th playoff appearance, but they have yet to pick up an IPA Pro Cup... their last pennant came in 2038... good bats, better-than-average pitching and excellent defense got the job done for them this season... they posted a 3.53 ERA, batted .272 (3rd), scored 744 runs (3rd) and knocked 145 homers (11th-tied)... their defense was one of the best in the IPA with a great .979 FA... sparking the attack was superstar All-Star 1B Jojo DeLucca, who had a spectacular season, leading the IPA with 213 hits, third with a .341 BA, ninth in homers with 43, fifth with 129 RBIs and ninth with 107 runs scored... DeLucca led the RU in batting average... other contributors were 3B-SS Rick Clayburne (.32/6/46/81), LF Foxy Fuchs (.285/29/77/74), SS Stevie Wynn (.325/8/41/43), 3B Jack Brumfield (.291/11/59/42) and RF Roger Jackson (.253/6/52/96)... Wynn missed the first two months of the season with the players' boycott... top pitchers were Abe Schiffman (18-7/2.78), Eddie Dizon (22-12/3.86) and Stan Yudash (12-5/2.84)... how far Claxton goes in the playoffs will depend on its pitching corps.

8. Kenwood Wildcats: Kenwood won its only Pro Cup in 2014... this will be the Wildcats' seventh postseason appearance... they were 90-84 last year and slipped a bit to 84-70 this season... solid pitching with a 3.30 ERA (5th) and an adequate offense with a .269 BA (5th), 674 runs (19th) and 152 HRs (17th) won it for them... plus solid defense (.976 FA)... Clyde Meyers (21-13/3.32) and Tommy Carter (17-13/3.13) were the biggest winners on the staff... two veterans Freddy Gooch (8-10/2.63) and Rusty Bradford (8-8/3.76/4 saves) boycotted the club the first two months... rookie Gregg Campbell (13-9/2.83) filled in for them quite well... in the bullpen Artemus Hale (.6-3/2.16/7 saves) and Mike Jones (2-3/2.31/7 saves) did their jobs well, too... four regulars were missing in the early months: superstar C Corky DiNozzo (.296/22/71/45), rookie RF Billy Nix (.268/22/69/51), CF Warren Vickers (.305/10/40/70) and 1B Bert Henrich (.277/15/50/400... their absence had a lot to do with the slow start... the only regulars that played a full season were 3B Country Crowder (.329/6/63/88) and LF Dorsey Faircloth (.305/22/71/70).

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 21, 2045

2045 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game One

Ruthlandian Union

ROOSTERS LONG RULES RATTLERS 4-1 IN OPENER
Middlefield's 23-game winner James Long shut down Sugar Valley 4-1 on a 6-hitter in game one of the Ruthlandian Division Series at Middlefield Park... the 24-year-old right-hander was backed by homers by Dominque Sorrell and Sidney Conner... Joe Snow (0-1/5.14) was the losing pitcher... he gave up all 4 runs on 4 hits... Long went the route, striking out 5 and walking 2.

A'S MCDANIEL OUTDUELS SCHIFFMAN 1-0 IN GAME ONE
On a cool, windy and rainy afternoon at Athletics Field in Glasco, the hometown A's got a wonderfully pitched game from Benny McDaniel and Ken McLin, who blanked Claxton 1-0... the winning run came in the third frame... 3B Billy Stroud singled in McDaniel from second... McDaniel had doubled with one away... Abe Schiffman lost a tough one, yielding only one run on 5 hits with 8 Ks and 3 walks... McDaniel (1-0/0.00) got the win, going 7 scoreless innings and allowing 7 hits... McLin picked up the save, permitting one hit in 2 innings.

Stroud led the Athletics at the plate with 2-4... Claxton's 1B Jojo DeLucca socked 3 hits in defeat.

Tycobbian Union

HAWKS TAME SUN SOX 2-1 IN 10 INNINGS
In Southport at Pleasure Beach Park, the visiting North Hills Hawks drew first blood in the Tycobbian Division Series with A 2-1 decision in 10 innings over the defending Pro Cup champ... Oscar Pendleton drove in both runs and Alex Peters and Kyle Oliver combined to stop the Sun Sox on 3 hits... Billy Hoover (0-1/0.90) worked all 10 innings, gave up 6 hits, struck out 7 and walked one in a fine performance... Peters (1-0/1.00) went 9 innings, gave up one run on 3 hits, fanned 6 and walked a batter... Oliver notched the save with a 1-2-3 ninth... Southport's only run came on 1B Eddy Douglas' fourth-inning homer.

KENWOOD CLIPS RED BLUFF 3-2 IN FIRST GAME
On the road at Red Bluff Park, underdog Kenwood got an impressive outing from Clyde Myers, who stopped Red Bluff 3-2 in the first game of the Tycobbian Division Series... Myers (1-0/2.25) held the high-powered Red Sox to 2 runs on 7 hits in his 8 innings... Freddy Gooch finished them off for the Wildcats, striking out three in the ninth... Kenwood got the winning score in the top of the eighth... Bert Henrich led off with a double, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Billy Nix's RBI single.

Jud Cox (0-1/2.00) was the loser... he went all the way, surrendered 10 hits and 2 earned runs... 3B Country Crowder led the Wildcats with 3-for-5 and an RBI... Henrich and Nix had 2 hits apiece... Red Bluff, who set an IPA record with 283 homers this season, blasted two solo shots... C Phil White got one in the fifth to tie the score at 1-1 and 3B Fran Blanchard went deep an inning later to even it at 2-2... the Wildcats outhit the Red Sox 10 to 8.

[Eugene Church]

Around the Town in the IPA

GLASCO ATHLETICS

Owner: Great Aberdeen Granite Company
GM/Manager: Charles Darby

Glasco is a seaport town of 81,000 on the northwest coast of Ruthlandia, resting on a peninsula jutting out into Valdar Bay. It is known for offshore oil, shipping, shipbuilding, seafood and granite industries. Glasco was settled by Scots and is a prosperous cosmopolitan community.

It is a historical old town with a beautiful skyline with centuries old granite structures, replete with quaint stone bridges and gates and numerous canals and waterways. Granite has been quarried in the area for well over a hundred years. A unique aspect of Glasco is the Heritage Trail, a painted green and blue line (colors taken from the town’s coat of arms) on ancient brick sidewalks that connects all the history of the town and serves as a walking tour. Historical markers retrace all the important events in the town’s history. One can see the past and the present on the Heritage Trail.

Glasco’s gaslight district is known for its premier dining, shopping and entertainment.It is also home of the Glasco Athletics. The A’s have a long history of amateur baseball sponsored many years by the Aberdeen Granite Company. Now the professional ball club is owned by the Great Aberdeen Granite Company and plays in the Ruthlandia Baseball Union North Division of the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Glasco plays at beautiful Athletics Field overlooking scenic Valdar Bay. It was built for the 2001 inaugural IPA season. The right field wall is made of solid granite, and the team’s green and blue colors are proudly taken from the town's coat of arms. When the Glasconians take the seventh inning stretch, they begin with kilted Highlanders playing the traditional “Take me out to the ballgame” on bagpipes and end up by singing it all in unison with a wee bit of a Scottish brogue. Traditional ballpark fare and epicurean dishes are served at the concessions stands. Scottish delicacies like haggis (it’s great until you find out what’s in it) and hotch-potch (a sumptuous stew) are offered, along with many fine Scottish ales. And if Scottish dishes are not your cup of tea, traditional baseball foods and drink are provided, too.

Charles Darby is the GM and manager of the Glasco Athletics. He starred for the A's from 2001 to 2006. Darby played for three teams in the IPA, finishing up with a 241-226 record in 18 seasons. He retired at age 38 in 2018.

Athletics Field (2000)

Capacity: 9,500

Dimensions:
LF Line 327
LF 350
LCF 375
CF 405
RCF 370
RF 350
RF Line 330

[Eugene Church]

Around the Town in the IPA

CLAXTON DIAMONDS

Owner: DeBeers Mining Company
GM/Manager: Dixie Bakerl

Claxton is a company town, a mining town of 107,000 in the southwestern foothills of the Silver Mountains, famous for its very high quality diamond industry. DeBeers, the world's largest diamond company, has a branch in Ruthlandia, where the ultimate diamonds are mined, cut, polished and processed, then distributed to the four corners of the world.

Claxton Diamonds are very much in demand worldwide because of their very fine quality. Gold and silver mining is also a vital part of the town's and Ruthlandia's economy. Claxton is a hardworking, blue collar town, who really love their baseball team, the Claxton Diamonds.

The club is owned by DeBeers and play their games at gorgeous Avalon Stadium, built by DeBeers as a showcase stadium in 1990, complete with a scenic view of the Silver Mountains. The Avalon Casino is located in center field and is one of the most popular in the Islands. World famous entertainers appear regularly there.

DeBeers sponsors a "Lucky Diamond" sign on the right side of the left field scoreboard. DeBeers starts off each season with diamonds worth $1000 in the pot and increases it by $1000 each game, until someone wins it. Whenever a Claxton batter hits that sign, the player wins whatever is in the Diamond Jackpot and a lucky fan is also a jackpot winner, too. The lucky fan is chosen by the lucky scorecard number. During the fourth inning stretch it is a Diamonds' tradition for the ladies at the game to sing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend". A diamond is given away at each game to some lucky lady. In the seventh inning everybody joins in for the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". At the concession stands you can feast on hot dogs, hamburgers, cokes, beer, peanuts and crackerjacks.

The Claxton Diamonds are run by Dixie Baker. He is both GM and Manager. Baker was a star outfielder from the Diamonds from 2001 to 2014. He batted .266 in his career with 363 homers and over 1100 RBIs. The Diamonds are in the Ruthlandian Union and play in the South Division.

Avalon Stadium (1990)
Capacity: 10,500

Dimensions:
LF LINE 325
LF 350
LC 390
CF 399
RC 365
RF 355
RF LINE 320

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 22, 2045

2045 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game Two

Ruthlandian Union

RATTLERS RAP ROOSTERS 8-1, EVEN SERIES
In game two of the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series in Middlefield, the Sugar Valley Rattlers rapped the Roosters for 13 hits and 2 roundtrippers en route to an easy 8-1 victory... James Milton (.500) cracked 4 hits, scored 3 runs and batted in 2 runs to spark the Rattlers... SS Roger Hobbs (.333) also collected 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs... Milton and CF Carl Ramsey (.333) swatted solo homers... Davey Brennan (1-0/1.13) also gave them a sharp outing, stopping the Roosters on one run and 5 hits, while walking one batter and striking out 7... in the ninth Sammy Hughes retired the side in order... 24-game winner Carroll Collier (0-1/7.71) went down to defeat... he was ripped for 6 runs and 10 hits in 7 innings.... SS Jimmy Beach (.143) homered for the only Rooster run.

DIAMONDS EDGE A'S 5-4 IN 10 INNINGS
Stevie Wynn's 2-run single in the top of the 10th paved the way for Claxton's 5-4 triumph in game two of the Ruthlandian DCS... but they still had to survive Glasco's last-ditch rally in the bottom of the inning... the series is now tied at one game each.

Claxton belted 12 hits and were led by LF Foxy Fuchs (.429) and Wynn (.444) with 2 hits and 2 RBIs apiece... Fuchs had the only Diamond home run, while Glasco hammered 3 out of the park... 2B Del Holloway (.250), RF Travis Houston (.250) and SS Cliff Hemenway all hit solo shots in defeat... CF John Rumford (.375) cracked 3 hits to top the A's at the plate.

Claxton starter Stan Yudash worked a solid game, allowing 3 runs and 5 hits in 8 innings with 8 Ks and 3 walks... Gilbert Clagsdale (1-0/4.50) got credit for the win despite giving up Hemingway's homer in the ninth... Pat Meyers (0-1/4.82) suffered the loss as he was tagged for 5 runs and 11 hits in 9 and a third innings.

Tycobbian Union

SUN SOX TIE SERIES, SWANSON SHUTS OUT HAWKS 1-0
The fans at Pleasure Beach Park in Southport really got their money's worth in game two of the Tycobbian Division Championship Series... the Sun Sox's Johnny Swanson outdueled North Hills' David Michael 1-0 to tie the best-of-seven series at one game each... Swanson was masterful, limiting the Hawks to just five hits... he struck out 4 and issued 2 bases on balls... Michael (0-1/1.13) was almost as good, allowing only one run on 4 hits... a wild pitch in the last of the eighth did him in... 2B Owen Wallace (.286) led off the inning with a single... two sacrifices moved him over to third... and he scored the winning run on the errant pitch.

KENWOOD SURPRISES RED SOX AGAIN, UP 2-0 IN SERIES
For the second day in a row at Red Bluff Park, Kenwood pitchers silenced the big, bad bats of the heavily-favored Red Bluff Red Sox... this time it was Tommy Carter beating them 3-1 and putting the Wildcats up surprisingly two games to none in the Tycobbian DCS... Carter (1-0/0.00) hurled 7 and one-third innings, holding the Red Sox to one unearned run on 5 hits... closer Artemus Hale worked the eighth and ninth to seal the verdict by striking out 3 of the 5 batters he retired... in a solid effort Mickey Rosen (0-1/1.00) went the distance in defeat, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits with 6 strikeouts and a walk.

1B Bert Henrich (.375) put the Wildcats in the lead 2-1 in the sixth with a solo clout... C Corky DiNozzo (.143) doubled in an insurance run in the seventh... Kenwood had the advantage in hits 9 to 6.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 23, 2045

2045 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 3

Ruthlandian Union

ROOSTERS NIP RATTLERS 4-3, UP 2-1 IN SERIES
After splitting two games in Middlefield, the Roosters nipped Sugar Valley 4-3 in game three at Farmers Memorial Park... Middlefield got only 7 hits, but 6 of them were for extra bases, four doubles and two homers... Sidney Conner and Dominique Sorrell both slammed their second homers of the series to help Hollis Dale defeat the Rattlers and take a 2-1 edge in the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series... Dale (1-0/3.00) bent, but didn't break... he was touched for 11 hits, but gave up only 3 runs... Dale stranded 11 Rattler baserunners in the game... Jeremy Blanchard (0-1/4.00) also went all the way for the Rattlers... he permitted 4 runs on 7 hits.

Conner (.364) had a homer, double and 2 RBIs for Middlefield... C Johnny McDonald (.200) cracked 2 doubles and 3B Ike Gary collected a double and a single... Sugar Valley was paced by 1B James Milton (.500) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs... Milton also got his second roundtripper of the series.

A'S OUTLAST DIAMONDS 4-3 IN 14, TAKE SERIES LEAD
The visiting Glasco Athletics overcame 4 errors and came away with a 4-3 win over the hometown Claxton Diamonds at beautiful Avalon Stadium... it took 14 innings to decide the matter... Bobby Luwin walked with one out in the top of the 14th, went to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on deep flyout, then rambled home on pinchhitter George Russell base hit... Glasco now has a two to one lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Athletics pitchers were sharp... they only permitted one earned run... left-hander Evan Walsh started and worked into the eighth frame, giving up 3 runs, but two of them were unearned... Walsh surrendered 6 hits in all and departed with a 3-3 score... three A's relievers didn't allow a run and only one hit the rest of the game... Ken McLin worked 3 and two-thirds' scoreless innings, permitting only one hit... Brad Bolivar (1-0/0.00) earned the victory with one and two-thirds runless innings and Basil Newchurch chalked up the save with a scoreless 14th... Claxton's starter Eddie Dizon had an effective outing, going into the 11th and giving up only 3 runs on 7 hits, while striking out 7 and walking 3 batters... Gilbert Clagsdale (0-1/1.69) suffered the loss, though the run was unearned... he tossed 3 and one-third innings and gave up 2 hits.

Luwin (.300) led Glasco at the plate with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... both he and RF Travis Houston (.250) had homers... it was Houston's second in three games... Claxton CF Bob Best (.267) had a double and a single and drove in 2 of their runs... Eddie Dizon (.333) drove in the other Diamond run.

Tycobbian Union

BROCKTON HALTS HAWKS 9-1 IN GAME 3
Game three of the Tycobbian Division Series was no contest... Southport smashed 14 hits and bombed North Hills 9-1 behind a super performance by Cade Brockton, who shackled the Hawks on just 3 singles... Brockton (1-0/1.00) fanned 6 and walked only one batter in going the distance... the win gave the defending Pro Cup champion Sun Sox a one-game edge in the best-of-seven series... Southport leads two games to one.

Six Sun Sox posted two hits each: RF Pat Kinney (.154), SS Gonzalo Topez (.167), 1B Eddy Douglas (.444), LF Chris Jones (.333), C Vitalis Vlachos (.300) and pitcher Cade Brockton (.400)... and 2B Owen Wallace (.273), Vlachos (.300) and Brockton (.400) drove in 2 runs apiece.

RED SOX RALLY LATE, WHIP WILDCATS 6-3 IN GAME 3
After dropping two games at home, Red Bluff finally defeated upstart Kenwood with a late rally 6-3 at the Olde Towne Grounds... shut out 2-0 for 6 innings by Gregg Campbell, the slumbering bats of the Red Sox came alive with 6 runs in the final 3 innings to cut the Kenwood lead in the Tycobbian DCS to two games to one.

C Phil White's (.167) 2-run two-bagger knotted the score at 2-all in the top of the seventh... 1B Josh Stevens' homer (.250) put the Red Sox ahead 3-2 in the eighth... and RBIs by SS Leemon O'Donovan (.200), 2B Big Boy Payne (.154) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.308) put them out of reach 6-2 in the ninth.

Red Bluff totaled 10 hits in all and were sparked by Stevens with 3 hits and CF Ike Sweetwater (.400) with a pair of singles... Kenwood 3B Country Crowder (.462) led them with 2 hits.

Winning pitcher Jack Wallace (1-0/0.00) hurled a fine game for the Red Sox, allowing only 2 unearned runs in his 8 innings... Aydan Carmack finished up for him and gave up a run in the ninth... Campell went the route for the Wildcats and was shelled for 6 runs and 10 hits... though only 3 of the scores were earned.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 24, 2045

2045 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 4

Ruthlandian Union

MIDDLEFIELD UP 3 GAMES TO ONE
In game four at Sugar Valley, third-ranked Middlefield took a big step toward the Ruthlandian Division Championship with a 5-1 triumph over sixth-rated Sugar Valley... one more win for the Roosters and they will eliminate the Rattlers from the playoffs... 23-game winner James Long (2-0/0.50) twirled another gem, stopping the Rattlers on no earned runs and 7 hits... Long also beat them 4-1 in game one... 21-game winner Joe Snow (0-2/5.79) took his second loss in the series, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits in 7 innings.

RF Sidney Conner (.375) and 1B Cliff Patterson (.188) topped the Roosters offense... Conner drove in a pair of runs with a pair of hits and Patterson had 3 hits and an RBI... Rattlers LF Bobby Gamble (.500) collected 3 of the Rattlers' base hits.

CLAXTON COMEBACK EVENS SERIES WITH GLASCO
Pro Cup favorite Glasco was riding along with a 3-1 seventh-inning lead in game four of the RU Division Series and were very close to taking a 3-1 lead in games, but they couldn't finish off the pesky seventh-ranked Claxton Diamonds, who came back in the final three at-bats to win 4-3 and even up the series at two games each... pinchhitter Freddie Hatfield's 2-out 2-run double was the clinching blow.

Getting the win was A. C. Van Kleist (1-0/0.00)... he relieved starter Abe Schiffman with two outs in the ninth and put the Rattlers away... Schiffman (0-1/2.16) gave up 3 runs on 9 hits and was trailing 3-2 when he exited the game... Brad Bolivar (1-1/0.00) was the victim of faulty defense in the ninth... both runs off him were unearned... Glasco starter Benny McDaniel (1-0/0.60) had another strong outing... he only permitted 2 runs on 4 hits in 8 frames... McDaniel went to the dugout with a 3-2 lead.

The Diamonds were outhit 9 to 6... CF John Rumford (.278) led them with 2-for-4, including the game's only homer... C Jarrah Eubarinja (.200) chipped in with 3 hits and an RBI... and 2B Del Holloway (.235) added 2 hits and a run... LF Foxy Fuchs (.294) and C Don Halas (.222) drove in the other Claxton runs.

Tycobbian Union

SUN SOX SHOOT DOWN HAWKS 6-2 IN GAME 4
In game four at the Hawk's Nest in North Hills, it was all Southport... the Sun Sox hammered them for 12 hits and got a sharp outing from ace Billy Hoover in the 6-2 win... Southport improved to 3-1 in the Tycobbian Division Series and needs just one more victory to advance to the TU League Championship... the Sun Sox are the defending IPA Pro Cup titlist... they were ranked fourth best in The Islandian Times' Pro Cup poll, while the Hawks were rated fifth... North Hills swept Southport in the playoffs two years ago... the Sun Sox took four in a row from the Hawks last season.

Hoover (1-1/1.00) went 8 innings, holding the Hawks to 7 hits and 2 runs, only one of them was earned... Brandon Delmore retired the side in order in the ninth... Alex Peters (1-1/3.63) caught the loss in a bad outing... he was slammed for 11 hits and 6 runs in his 8-plus innings.

1B Eddy Douglas (.462) provided the big blow, a 3-run clout in the top of the third that gave the Sun Sox a 3-2 lead... they added 3 more in the ninth... SS Gonzalo Topez (.375) had 4 hits and Douglas 2 to pace the winners... RF Ryan Webbe (.222) and 2B Jim McDermott (.267) top the Hawks with 2 hits each.

KELSO SLAMS 3 HRS, RED SOX BELT WILDCATS 7-2
The big, booming bats of the Red Bluff Red Sox finally exploded at just the right time... they slammed 4 out of the park in game four of the TU Division Championship Series and tied it up at two games each... Red Bluff hit a record 283 homers this year... eighth-ranked Kenwood had stunned them by taking the first two games... the Red Sox were the third choice to win the Pro Cup.

IPA home-run king David Kelso almost single handedly beat them with a playoff record 3 home runs and 6 RBIs... Kelso hammered 65 roundtrippers during the regular season... Phil White also had a solo salvo... starter Jud Cox (1-1/2.20) worked a solid game, permitting only 2 runs on 7 hits in 7-plus frames... Ayden Carmack (6.75) and George Reynolds (0.00) closed out the game for him... the save went to Reynolds.

Losing pitcher Clyde Myers (1-1/4.80) couldn't keep the ball in the ballpark today... he was tagged for 3 homers, 4 hits and 6 runs in 7 innings... Kelso (.375) had 3 hits and 3B Fran Blanchard (.267) walked 3 times and scored 3 times.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 25, 2045

2045 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 5

Ruthlandian Union

RATTLERS STRIKE BACK 6-1, BRENNAN BEATS ROOSTERS
Davey Brennan chalked up his second win in the Ruthlandian Division Series to keep Sugar Valley alive... he fired a 4-hitter and beat Middlefield 6-1 in game five of the best-of-seven series to narrow the Roosters' lead to three games to two... Brennan (2-0/1.15) worked his magic for 7 and two-thirds innings, limiting the Roosters to just one run, fanning 5 and walking one batter... Sammy Hughes got the final 4 outs for the save... 24-game winner Carroll Collier (0-2/5.79) had the Rattlers eating out of his hands for 5 innings, blanking them 1-0 on 4 hits, but they got to him for a run in the sixth and 3 more in the seventh... the clubs will now return to Farmers Memorial Park in Middlefield for the remainder of the series... the Roosters are 58-19 (.773) at home... the Rattlers are a poor road club with a 40-37 mark (.519)

Sugar Valley was sparked by SS Roger Hobbs (.227) and 3B Kent Rasmus (.300) with two RBIs each... Rasmus doubled in a pair in the seventh and Hobbs hit a 2-run homer in the eighth... the Rattlers had 10 hits... RF Sidney Conner (.350) clubbed his third roundtripper of the series for the Roosters' only run.

GLASCO POWERS PAST CLAXTON 7-3, UP 3-2
In game five of the Ruthlandian Division Series at Avalon Stadium, Glasco cracked 3 homers and Pat Meyers went the distance in a 7-3 victory over the Claxton Diamonds, putting the A's up in the best-of-seven set three games to two... Meyers (1-1/3.93) redeemed himself for the loss in game two... he whiffed 5 batters, walked 3 and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits... Stan Yudash (0-1/5.06) was the loser, yielding 7 runs in 8 innings... pinchhitter Bobby Luwin (.286) smashed a 2-run homer and Travis Houston (.250) and Del Holloway (.250) poked solo jobs for Glasco... it was number two for Luwin and Holloway and number three for Houston... the Athletics have hit 8 in the series... Claxton has collected only one so far... the A's picked up 9 hits, while the Diamonds got only 7.

Glasco heads back home to Athletics Field for the rest of the series, where they are 47-30 (.610)... Claxton plays at a .571 clip on the road with a 44-33 record... the clubs have split two games in Glasco... the A's took two of three in Claxton.

Tycobbian Union

SOUTHPORT WINS DCS IN 5 GAMES
Defending Pro Cup champ Southport's great pitching sparked them past the North Hills Hawks four games to one in the Tycobbian Division Championship... they held the Hawks to just 6 runs in the 5 games... Johnny Swanson KO'ed North Hills 6-1 in game five... the Sun Sox backed him up with 13 hits with everybody in the line-up getting at least one hit, led by 3B Craig Glennon (.238), LF Chris Jones (.333), C Vasilis Vlachos (.389) and 2B Owen Wallace (.250) with 2 hits apiece... the Hawks' David Michael (0-2/3.38) went down to defeat... he was shelled for 11 hits and 5 runs in his 8 innings... Swanson (2-0/0.50) surrendered 9 hits, but allowed only one run... he struck out 4 batters and had perfect control.

It has been a remarkable year for rookie manager Lorne Evans, who took over this season from Charley Oscar, who had skippered the Sun Sox for over 40 seasons... Evans was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame this year... he played 19 years, hit .305 lifetime with 701 homers (5th all-time), 1836 RBIs and scored 2045 runs (7th all-time), while collecting 2928 hits... Evans starred for Southport from 2025 to 2033, when he signed with Tuckanarra and spent 10 years with them, retiring at age 40 in 2043.

In his low key manner Evans told reporters, "This is just the first step... we have a long way to go... we'll just keep playing 'em one game at a time and see where we are after the last game is played."

He added, "I'm liking what I see so far... our pitching has been miraculously good... a 0.78 ERA is absolutely fantastic... Billy, Johnny and Cade were almost perfect."

A very disappointed Todd Simons, the Hawks' skipper, said, "I've been a player and a manager for 45 years in this league and I've have never seen anything like it... we hit .181 with 28 singles and 2 doubles... I don't think we'll ever see such great pitching in a playoff series... it was total domination."

WILDCATS WIN ANOTHER ONE, LEAD SERIES 3-2
Eighth-ranked and the mostly unlikely team to win the Pro Cup is a label that the unheralded Kenwood Wildcats don't think they deserve... rather than talk about in the press, they are doing their talking on the field... for the third time in five games the Wildcats have knocked off the powerful Red Bluff Red Sox and they are now just one win away from eliminating them in the Tycobbian Division Championship Series.

Tommy Carter throttled the big Red Sox bats for 6 innings, holding them to just 2 runs on 5 hits, while the Wildcats built up 4-2 lead... Carter (2-0/1.35) fanned 8 and walked 2 in an impressive outing... Kenwood really cut loose for 4 runs in the seventh to make it 8-2, good enough to withstand a Red Sox 3-run rally in the ninth against reliever Rusty Bradford... Mickey Rosen (0-2/5.17) was really roughed up by the Wildcats for 8 runs and 9 hits in 6-plus frames.

Kenwood 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.235) was an one-man wrecking crew with a 2-run homer and a 3-run double, giving him 5 RBIs for the day... 3B Country Crowder (.455) added 3 hits to the attack and scored twice... both teams had 11 hits each... CF Ike Sweetwater (.438) and 1B Josh Stevens (.300) delivered 3 hits apiece to pace the Red Sox.

The rest of the series will be played in Red Bluff, where the Red Sox are 0-2 in the playoffs... Red Bluff was much better on the road than at home... they were 51-26 (.662) out-of-town and 44-33 (.571) in the not-as-friendly confines of Red Bluff Park... Kenwood is a better road team with a 43-34 (.558) away from the Olde Towne Grounds and just 41-36 (.532) at home.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 26, 2045

2045 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 6

Ruthlandian Union

RATTLERS FORCE 7TH GAME IN HOMER FEST
Sugar Valley came out with both barrels blazing in game six of the Ruthlandian Division Series at Middlefield Park... the Rattlers outhomered the Roosters 5 to 3 in an 8-4 victory that tied the best-of-seven series at three games each... Carl Ramsey and Delmer Campbell both blasted 2 homers and batted in 3 runs apiece to force a decisive seventh game tomorrow afternoon... with the score tied at 4-4 after five innings Sugar Valley pulled away in the final three frames... the Rattler bullpen was superb... they shut out the Roosters the last 6 and two-thirds innings... Chris Dunsberry (1-0/0.00) tossed 4 and two-thirds scoreless innings for the win, striking out 5 and walking 2 batters... Ricky Farris (0-1/7.20) suffered the loss... working the fourth through the sixth he gave up 2 runs on 4 hits in 3 innings.

Sugar Valley slammed 12 hits and were led CF Ramsey (.375) and Campbell (.286) with 2 hits each... LF Bobby Gamble (.478), 1B James Milton (.375) and 3B Kent Rasmus (.320) also pitched in with 2 hits apiece... Middlefield collected 11 hits and connected for 3 roundtrippers... CF Norman Antonioni (.174), 1B Cliff Patterson (.280) and LF Alejandro Dominguez (.333) all went deep with solo homers.

Antonio Cedeno (9-8/2.90) will get the starting assignment for the Rattlers and James Long (23-13/2.12) will get the call for the Roosters... Long won games one and four in impressive outings... he beat the Rattlers 4-1 and 5-1... Cedeno has only worked two relief innings in the series and is making his first start... Cedeno logged two hitless innings in game four.

GLASCO FINISHES OFF CLAXTON IN 6 GAMES
Pro Cup favorite Glasco got fine pitching from Basil Newchurch, backed up by 3-run homers by RF Travis Houston (.300) and 1B Ross McFalls (.250) in the first inning and a 2-run clout by 2B Del Holloway (.261) in the seventh to finish off the Claxton Diamonds 9-2 in game six of the Ruthlandian DCS... the Athletics captured the series four games to two and will now advance to the League Championship Series against the winner of the Sugar Valley-Middlefield series.

Newchurch (1-0/2.00) in his first start in the series held the Diamonds to 2 runs on 8 hits in 8 innings... Harry Hedlund (0.00) finish up with a runless ninth... it was Houston's fourth home run in the series and Holloway's third... alltogether the A's socked 11 roundtrippers to only 2 for the Diamonds... Steven Ellison (0-1/9.00) was the losing pitcher... he was battered for 6 runs and 5 hits in six innings... all the runs came in the opening inning... 1B Jojo DeLucca (.250) drove in Claxton's only runs with a 2-run shot in the sixth.

Winning skipper Charles Darby was overjoyed to win his first playoff series as manager. He said, "Our bats were the key... especially in the critical fifth and sixth games... our starters and bullpen did their jobs, too."

Claxton manager Dixie Baker said he was surprised by the firepower in the A's lineup. "We were outhomered 12 to 2... that tells the whole story."

Tycobbian Union

RED SOX TIE SERIES, WALLACE STOPS WILDCATS 7-3
Heavily-favored Red Bluff staved off elimination in the Tycobbian Division Series with a 7-3 triumph over feisty Kenwood in game six... in a gritty performance Jack Wallace (2-0/1.65) checked the Wildcats on 3 runs and 5 hits in 8 and a third innings... Wallace fanned 7 and walked 5 in an unever outing... reliever Logan Laine got the final two outs for him in the ninth... the Red Sox took charge in the first frame with 5 runs off loser Gregg Campbell (0-2/3.27)... all 5 were unearned... Campbell was pulled after 2 innings... he was tagged for 4 hits and 6 runs.

Leading the Red Sox at the plate were 2B Big Boy Payne (.185) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.304)... both ripped solo homers... it was Blanchard's second in the series... SS Rod Jenkins (.261) went 3-for-3 for the Wildcats, including a home run.

Both aces will go to the hill in the seventh game finale at Red Bluff Park... Clyde Myers (21-13/3.32) will start for Kenwood, while Jud Cox (16-12/2.57) is the starter for Red Bluff... Myers (1-1/4.80) won game one 3-2, but lost to Cox 7-2 in game four.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 27, 2045

2045 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 7

Ruthlandian Union

RATTLERS UPSET ROOSTERS IN 7 GAMES
The sixth-rated Sugar Valley Rattlers had to rally from a three games to one deficit to upset the third-ranked Middlefield Roosters in the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series... in his first start in this series Antonio Cedeno hogtied the Middlefield bats 3-1 in crucial game seven to give the Rattlers a very hard-earned victory... Cedeno (1-0/0.82) quelled the Roosters on 6 hits with 4 Ks and 3 walks... SS Roger Hobbs (.200) gave him all the runs he needed with a 3-run smash in the top of the fifth frame... that was the only mistake James Long made... none of the runs were earned... Long (2-1/0.33) gave up only 4 hits in a heart-breaking defeat.

Long-time Sugar Valley manager Gibby Bobkins is in his farewell season... he would like nothing better than to go out with a Pro Cup in his trophy case... 13 times Bobkins has taken his Rattlers to the playoffs, but he has never won the IPA crown... twice he made the Finals, but they lost both times in 2004 and 2024... Bobby Gamble will take over in the 2046 season... he will be a playing manager next year.

Speaking to the press after the game, Bobkins said, "You have to take each series one at a time, but it would certainly be a great way to cap my career if we could win our first Pro Cup... we beat a very good Middlefield team... if we continue to play well, the sky's the limit... my Rattlers can play with anyone."

Rooster manager Ricky Tinker told reporters, "We just couldn't finish them off... up 3-1 and couldn't win it... that's sad... you got to give it to the Rattlers, they never gave up... we had our ace on the mound in game seven and he pitched a hell of a game... apparently it just wasn't our time this year."

It should a whale of series for the Ruthlandian League Championship... Glasco and Sugar Valley have explosive offenses and fine pitching.

Tycobbian Union

RED SOX EDGE WILDCATS 4-3 IN GAME 7
It took a herculean effort, but Red Bluff, the number-two choice to win the Pro Cup this year, finally subdued a tough bunch of Kenwood Wildcats in the Tycobbian Division Series... the Red Sox edged them 4-3 in game seven, scoring the winning run in the last of the eighth on pinchhitter Lee Wood's RBI single that scored Phil White from second base... Jud Cox (2-1/1.85) worked a standout game, going 8 innings and limiting the Wildcats to 3 runs on 5 hits... only one was earned... George Reynolds came on in the ninth and notched his second save in the series, despite walking two batters... he got the final out with the winning runs on base... Clyde Myers (1-2/3.91) worked a credible game, permitting 4 runs, 2 earned, and 10 hits with 5 Ks and 2 walks.

The Red Sox picked up 10 hits to just 5 for the Wildcats... back-to-back sac flies by C Corky DiNozzo (.231) and 1B Bert Henrich(.261) gave Kenwood a 2-0 lead in the top of the first... Red Sox SS Leemon O'Donovan (.130) doubled to lead off the second and scored on C Phil White's (.259) base hit to cut it to 2-1... Red Bluff knotted it up 2-all in the fourth when SP Jud Cox (.222) singled in LF Jesse Shaw (.154) from second base... in the fifth frame the Wildcats again took the lead 3-2 on an RBI single by CF Warren Vickers (.233) that scored 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.217)... the Red Sox came right back in the last half of the frame to even it up at 3-3 when LF Jesse Shaw (.154) singled and plated CF Ike Sweetwater (.333).

Red Bluff skipper Jim Schubert commented, "Hats off to the Wildcats... they really had me sweatin'... Boy, we had our backs to the wall losing the first two games... it was really tough to come back and take four out the the last five games... you don't do that that often in this league... Cox and Wallace really came through for us... Wallace won game six and Cox won game seven."

Aaron Hankins, Kenwood manager, wasn't happy with the results, but he was very proud of his team. "We did our best and almost pulled it off... nobody on our team is hanging his head... we are all standing proud."

Red Bluff now get the honor to tangle with the defending Pro Cup champion Southport Sun Sox and their tremendous pitching staff for the Tycobbian League title... the Red Sox hit a record 283 homers this year, while the Sun Sox have one of the top-rated staffs in the IPA... it should be quite a series.