ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

RACE JAM-PACKED IN TU SOUTH
It was supposed to be just a two-team pennant race in the Tycobbian South this year... Southport was the critics' choice to win with Turon a close second... only a month has gone by, but it is so nice to see a couple of unlikely contenders creating a few waves... downtrodden San Alejo and perennial loser Arroyo Grande are right up there with the big boys in the early season... Turon (16-9) had an impressive start, but is being pressed by almost every team in the TU South... the Typhoons only hold a very narrow lead over six other clubs... the Montaneros (15-10) and Sun Sox (15-10) are just a scant one game back of Turon... fourth in the standings are the Suns (14-11) and the Summerland Sunsets (14-11), both trailing by just two games... followed by the Ginza Ninjas, who almost won the Pro Cups the last two years. (13-12)... the Karate Kids are three back... Cape Coral (12-13) is in seventh place, yet just four games out in the race... only the horribly bad Colchester Elites (4-21) can forget about the playoffs this year.

[Eugene Church]

5 TEAMS CLOSE IN TU EAST
Looks like a whale of a fight in the Tycobbian East Division this year... it appears to be a 5-team fight between the April co-leaders, Midway (15-10), the favorite, and its main two rivals, the Red Bluff Red Sox (15-10) and the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats (15-10)... High Mesa (14-11) and defending division winner South Fork (13-12) will also have something to say about who prevails in the TU East... also-rans Hillsboro (11-14), East Point Panthers (10-15) and Ozarka Naturals (10-15) are only 5 games off the pace, but not very likely to get any higher in the standings.

[Eugene Church]

ROLLING HILLS REALLY OFF TO THE RACES
The current IPA Pro Cup titlist, the Rolling Hills Racers (20-5), had a simply sensational first month of the season... they cruised to the Tycobbian West Division crown last season... and appears to be even better this year... super duper bats and solid pitching are making shambles of the race already... the Racers are hitting .308 as a team and lighting up the scoreboard with plenty of runs... Rolling Hills is five games ahead of second place Bayview (15-10) and seven games in front of its arch rival Denton City (13-12) and eight games better than one of its prime challengers, Kenwood (13-12)... none of the remaining four clubs are likely contenders.

[Eugene Church]

2061 Tycobbian Union Leaderboards
Sunday, May 1, 2061

[Eugene Church]

Need to work on the new Hall of Fame Inductees... a few have sllpped my notice.

I need to pay more attention to the retirees.

I got 7 new additions to the IPA Hall of Fame... including the son of a HOF-er.

This is a first... it's now a family affair.

[Eugene Church]

I just finished the writeups for all seven of the new IPA Hall of Famers.

I learned a lot about the incoming legends.

Will post them all tomorrow.

[Eugene Church]

Attachment 640758
Sunday, May 1, 2061
IPA INDUCTS 7 GREATS INTO HOF
Seven Islandian Pro Alliance players have now met the standard of excellence required to be admitted to the coveted and revered Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame... the Broadcasters and Sportswriters Association have voted in these seven legendary performers into the Hall and they will be inducted this fall during the IPA Winter Meeting... the IPA Hall of Fame now numbers 100 immortal players... the latest class includes the winningest pitcher of all-time, James Long, who boasts the most victories in IPA history... and one of the best all-around players in history, first baseman JoJo DeLucca... the rest of the class is Rikky Van Dalen, Corky DiNozzo, Benny Hull, Jason Butler and Jayson Hallstrom.

For the first time in the history of the IPA Hall of Fame, it will become a family affair... JoJo DeLucca will join his father, Joe DeLucca in the Hall of Fame... the elder DeLucca was inducted in 2039.

BIGGEST WINNER EVER LONG INDUCTED IN IPA HALL OF FAME
James Long starred for the Middlefield Roosters for all of his 21 seasons and topped the IPA in all-time victories with 442... he sparked the Roosters to 11 RU West pennants and 2 Pro Cup trophies (2052, 2056).

One of the most colorful characters in league history, Long was also the league's winningest pitcher... he won an extraordinary number of games... more than any other IPA hurlers, by far... Long broke the old league record by 51 wins, racking up a career mark of 442-250... he was a pitcher that no manager ever worried about while he was on the mound... off the field, however, that was another story... Long was quite a character... a wild and crazy guy.

For example, Long was kidding the press corps at team headquarters, pretending to be practicing his HOF speech... "Man, I can just see me now at the Hall of Fame installation... impressively standing on the podium, getting ready to grace the assembled audience with wonderful words about my wondrous career... my beautiful bronze plaque shining in the bright sunshine, gleaming from the fresh polish... everyone clinging to my every precious word... and then I will tell them... man, that guy is handsome!... I never realized I looked so good until today."

James Long retired at the age of 39... he was a 12-time All-Star and record 5-time Golden Arm Award winner (2050, 2054, 2055, 2056, 2057)... in his outstanding career he appeared in 812 games, pitched 6439 innings (1st), fanned 4029 batters (7th), walked 1236 and compiled a 2.68 ERA (14th).

[Eugene Church]

Monday, May 2, 2061

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON, ANOTHER DELUCCA JOINS THE HALL OF FAME
Today was a very special day for the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame... it happened when Hall of Famer Joe DeLucca got the news about his son, Jojo DeLucca... "Never in a million years would I have ever thought this moment would come... somehow I played well enough to get there... and now my son is there, too... wonders never cease... and my blessings never cease."

During his tenure in the Islandian Pro Alliance Jojo DeLucca was nothing but class, on the field and off the field. Now he is part of the Hall of Fame class of 2061... DeLucca was a 15-time All-Star, 6-time Golden Glove, 2045 Golden Bat and 2045 Most Valuable Player... lifetime, DeLucca posted tremendous numbers for the Claxton Diamonds... he hit for a .303 average in 3398 games (3rd) and totaled 4125 hits (2nd) , 635 home runs (8th), 2425 RBIs (2nd) and scored 2099 runs (6th)... he played 23 seasons in the IPA and retired in 2058 at the age of ripe old age of 43... the Diamonds won 5 division flags while DeLucca was playing... strangely, DeLucca first signed with his dad's old club, Volusia, but was lost via free agency after one year to Claxton... the junior DeLucca told reporters, "Claxton offered me 20,000 a year for three years... the best Volusia did was 8,000... and just a one-year contract... I just thought I deserved more after a darn good rookie season... even my dad said I should go to Claxton... that was just too good of an offer."... Jojo DeLucca made $7,000 in his first year in the IPA.

In a TV interview on BNN, DeLucca expressed his thanks and gratitude to the many people who helped make this wonderful day possible. "It is a tremendous honor for me to follow my father into the Hall of Fame... not only was he himself a great ballplayer, but more so, he was an even better father... I have been truly blessed... I have been able to do something I love and get paid very well for it... there was no place that I ever wanted to be but on the baseball diamond every day doing what I love."

One of his friends and former teammates, Rick Clayburne, told reporters, "The greatest thing he taught me was on my first day in the big leagues -- it was the hustle... he hit two one-hoppers to the pitcher and ran as hard as he could to first base... Jojo set a great example for me to model my career... his hustle and desire -- those were the little things that stood out for me... plus he's one of the best hitters I've ever played with."

[Eugene Church]

EDIT: CORRECTION... Sorry, I unintentionally misled you... OOTPB did create the player that eventually became Jojo DeLucca... the original player was added to the Reserve Roster, but I changed the original name so that the son of a former player for that team was on the team... I then just let the game handle his career.

The DeLucca story is kind of special... and it just happened in OOTPB... the game did it... I didn't change any ratings... it just played out this way.

A really special moment for me.

Hasn't happened in the Major Leagues yet.

Wouldn't that be something?

You think Vlad, Jr. has a shot at joining his dad in Cooperstown?

[Eugene Church]

Ray Boone's family is the only one I know of in MLB history that ever had a shot at a father and son in the Hall of Fame... and they didn't come close, I don't think... but all of them were pretty good major leaguers.

In a thirteen-year career, Ray Boone hit .275 with 151 home runs in 1373 games for Cleveland, the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox, the Kansas City Athletics, the Milwaukee Braves and the Boston Red Sox.

Boone was followed into the majors by son, Bob Boone, who was a really fine Gold Glove catcher for the Phillies and Angels from 1972 to 1990, and grandsons Bret Boone, who played from 1992 to 2005, and Aaron Boone, who played 1997 to 2009. The Boone family was the first to send three generations of players to the All-Star Game.
Source : © Copyright Wikipédia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0 .

[Eugene Church]

Maybe I should also post Joe DeLucca's stats just for comparision.

He played for 13 years with the Volusia Vigilantes... 7-time All-Star... 4-time Gold Glove... DeLucca was a tremendous center fielder... great arm and range... sadly his teams never made the playoffs.

Looking at his stats again, I'm not sure he would have made the HOF if he had played in a later era... standards got a little tougher later on.

[Eugene Church]

battists posted on my OOTP20 Discussions thread about this same subject that Bobby and Bret Hull are in the National Hockey League Hall of Fame.

You know, Gordie Howe and one of his sons might have made it, too.

Sorry... don't know much about hockey...except for Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe

[Eugene Church]

Gordie Howe and his son Mark are in the NHL Hall of Fame.

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, May 3, 2061

DINOZZO GETS CALL TO IPA HALL OF FAME
What a career and what a ballplayer!
Corky DiNozzo truly was one of the best to play the game and today he was chosen to be installed into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame by the Baseball Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association... a 13-time All-Star he was the Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year in 2035... and the TU Golden Bat and TU Most Valuable Player in 2048... DiNozzo played his entire career for the Kenwood Wildcats... in his tenure they won 7 pennants...at age 37 he called it a career after 19 years in 2053.

DiNozzi will be enshrined into the IPA Hall of Fame during the next Winter Meetings.

"It is an honor to be mentioned with the greatest players of all-time... I want to thank my family, friends and teammates for supporting me throughout my long career," the outstanding catcher said told the press when he received notification of election to the HOF.

In his career, DiNozzo played in 2204 games with a .314 lifetime batting average... among his 2751 hits were 304 doubles, 15 triples and 628 home runs (9th)... He also scored 1413 runs and drove in 1711 runs.

His longtime skipper, Aaron Hankins said, “Trying to sneak a pitch past Corky was like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster.”... Hankins also praised him for being a manager on the field... "He certainly made my job a lot easier... nobody ever called a better game... and nobody handled pitchers like him."









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[Eugene Church]

EDIT: CORRECTION... Sorry, I unintentionally misled you... OOTPB did create the player that eventually became Jojo DeLucca... the original player was added to the Reserve Roster, but I changed the original name so that the son of a former player for that team was on the team... I then just let the game handle his career.

OOTPB did not create the son of a former player in this case... not sure if it does this or not... it would be good if it did... would be interesting to watch it play out.

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, May 4, 2061

HALLSTROM HEADS TO IPA HALL OF FAME
During his fantastic IPA pitching career Jayson Hallstrom was hard-nosed competitor for the Summerland Sunsets... prior to an important game, he once told reporters, "If we lose today, it will be over my dead body... they'll have to leave me face down on the mound."

It was this attitude that helped to inspire Hallstrom to such an outstanding career... today he was rewarded with his election into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame... Hallstrom wound up 6th-best all-time in victories and 13th-best ERA... he was a 7-time All-Star.

Hallstrom retired from baseball at age 41 and fashioned a 368-274 won-lost record in his career with a 2.65 ERA. The gifted hurler appeared in 778 games, fanned 3422 hitters and piled up 5964 innings pitched (6th)... despite his great success, Summerland only made the postseason playoffs twice in his career.

One of his managers in a TV interview at the announcement ceremony, Antonio Vasques, observed, "Jayson was a bulldog on the mound. If a man put a gun to my head and said I'm going to pull the trigger, if you lose this game, I'd want him to pitch that game."

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, May 5, 2061

HULL ELECTED TO IPA HALL OF FAME
The way Benny Hull played baseball made the word "superstar" seem inadequate... he played the game at an even higher level and that's why he is now one of the all-time greats and will soon be inducted into the heralded Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame... Hull made the Ruthlandian All-Stars on 8 occasions and nabbed the 2049 RU Golden Bat Award...Hull's selection into the fabled Hall was announced today by the Baseball Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association.

Hull performed in obsurity for the habitual also-ran Grand City Cybercats... they never made the playoffs in his 19 seasons with the club... he was an 8-time All-Star and Gold Glove first sacker... Hull played in 2386 games with a .299 lifetime batting average... among his 2779 hits were 399 doubles, 44 triples and 597 home runs (12th)... he also scored 1309 runs and drove in 1737 runs... Hull was 38 when he retired in 2052... Hull drove in over a 100 runs in 13 of 14 seasons... that's how consistent and how good he was.

One of his teammates and managers, Thomas Hall, described the talented first baseman this way: "The greatness of Benny Hull was something that had to be seen... and to see him was to remember him forever."

Benny Hull will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this fall at the IPA Winter Meeting.

The new Hall of Famer speaking to the reporters at the press conference today, "I just went out and did my job every day... and I guess I must have done it well. Thank you for the honor you have given me today.

[Eugene Church]

Friday, May 6, 2061

BELAIR BEACH'S BUTLER MAKES IPA HALL OF FAME
One of baseball's latest legend, Jason Butler, was told on the phone that he has been selected to the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame earlier this week... he starred at third base and first base for Belair Beach, was an 8-time All-Star, Gold Glover and copped the 2047 Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat and 2047 Most Valuable Player Awards... with his 578 home runs (14th), 2741 hits and lifetime .297 batting average, everyone knew the gifted infielder belonged with the immortals of the game... Still, Butler remained humble.

"I'm a very lucky person to be born with the skill to play baseball and through baseball I built a name for myself," said Butler... now his career as a baseball player is complete... "This seals it," he said... "To get the recognition that every ballplayer seeks -- this is completion for me."

Butler retired at 37 in 2052. He will be inducted in the fall as a member of the Belair Beach Sunbirds... in his 17-year epic career he played in 2291 games and finished with 1696 RBIs and 1433 runs scored... sadly, the Sunbirds only made the playoffs one time in Butler's career.

Bob Meusel, his skipper at Belair Beach, told reporters, "You wish you had 25 players like Jason... all he did his entire career was quietly hit lots of home runs and drive in lots of runs and help his team to win games... yeah, I needed more like him... maybe I would be in the Hall of Fame, too."

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, May 7, 2061

'CANES VAN DALEN CHOSEN FOR IPA HALL OF FAME
The Islandian baseball community and adoring public today welcomed to the exclusive IPA club, the Hall of Fame, a new left fielder by the name of Rikky Van Dalen, a hitter par excellence... his election was announced today by the Baseball Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association... Rikky could swing a bat with the best of them... his induction ceremony will be held at the Islandian Pro Alliance Winter Meeting this fall.

Van Dalen told BNN in an interview, "I remember thinking to myself after I had had a couple of good years that if I keep doing this, maybe I just might make it to the Hall of Fame... the dream became a reality today and I must say this is a very proud day."

Over his career Van Dalen batted .315 and collected 2985 hits, 434 home runs and 1497 RBIs... he played in 2343 games and retired from baseball at age 38... Van Dalen led the Tycobbian Union three times in batting average... he batted .371 in 2042, .358 in 2044 and .352 in 2046... he also led the league with 200 or more hits in four seasons... his best years came as a member of the Cape Coral Hurricanes, whose hat he will wear at his induction ceremony... in spite of Van Dalen success, the 'Canes only made the playoffs one time... he was a 5-time All-Star and captured both the Tycobbian Union Golden Bat and Most Valuable Player trophies in 2042.

His former manager Flipper Bird told reporters, "The big thing about Rikky is that he could hit any pitch... I don't mean only strikes... he could hit a ball off his ankles or off his ear."

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, June 2, 2061

RACERS REALLY ROLLING IN TU WEST
Most of the good clubs are doing well after two months of play in the 2061 edition of the Islandian Pro Alliance... especially defending Pro Cup titlist Rolling Hills... the Racers (40-14) are running away with the Tycobbian West... they are already 10 games up on the second place Denton City Redbirds (30-24).

The surprising teams are the Mahaska Haymakers (30-24) and North Hills Hawks (29-25), both in the Tycobbian North Division... and both are giving the Oxford Red Caps (26-28) some trouble this season... the Red Caps have nabbed the pennant three times in the last four years and are heavily-favored this season... the Arroyo Grande Suns (33-21) and the Summerland Sunsets (30-24) are raising a few eyebrows, too, in the Tycobbian South race.

There are also several disappointing clubs... the Rocky Rapids Snappers (25-29) in the Ruthlandian West... the LaGrange Gators (25-29) in the Ruthlandian North... Oxford (26-28) and Fairfax (24-30) in the Tycobbian North... Kenwood (29-25) in the Tycobbian West... and two of the main contenders in the Tycobbian South... the favored Southport Sun Sox (28-26) and the Turon Typhoons (27-27) are a little chagrined with their performances so far.

VIPER ATTACK HAS THEM ON TOP OF RU NORTH
The Valmara Vipers (36-18) have a three-game lead in the Ruthlandian North despite its lousy pitching... but the Vips power and offense make up for it... they had the best mark in May 18-11 and rose above the other contenders... preseason choice Far Mountain (33-21) was 15-14 and are now in second place, 3 GB... last year division winner, the Ranford Bulls (31-23), are hanging close in third place, five games back... the Bulls were 16-13 last month... the fourth place Glasco Foxhounds (30-24) are six games off the pace... they posted a 16-13 mark in May... and the Taranto Tars (29-25) are within striking distance, 7 games out... the Tars were 15-13 for the month.

CLOSE RACE IN RU SOUTH, COWPOKES AHEAD
Six teams are challenging in the well-bunched Ruthlandian South race... first place Waleska (33-21), picked to win the pennant, had a strong 18-11 month and took over the top spot... solid St. John (30-24) was 15-14 and slipped to three games behind... the Crusaders are tied with Claxton (30-24) for second place... after a poor April, the Diamonds finished a terrific 19-10 in May and climbed back into the hunt... in the fourth spot are the San Dimas Rancheros (29-25), but they dipped to 14-15 and fell 4 games behind after being one of the co-leaders in April... the Belair Beach Sunbirds (28-26) are keeping their heads above water in the fifth spot in the standings after going 14-15 last month... the Sunbirds trail Waleska by five games... even sixth place Crystal Lake (27-27) is still in the running... they went 15-14 in May and are now six games in the rear... and forget about the other two teams, Valka (25-29) and Grand City (20-34)... they are not headed anywhere.

MACS BACK ON TOP IN RU EAST
Perennial pennant contender, Wynnamac (31-23), is always somewhere near the top of the Ruthlandian East Division... after two months of play, the Macs are in first place and leading by two games over the Marston Nine (29-25)... both of them played well last month with 16-13 records... all the other teams in the division are under .500 and don't appear to be any threat to the top two... although third place Beechwood (26-28) went 17-12 in May... and fourth place Eastshore (25-29) was 16-13... expected contender Elnora (24-30) is fifth in the standings and is 7 games behind... the Clippers had a bad 12-17 mark for the month.

VIGILANTES REIGN IN RU WEST
Everything is coming up roses for the Ruthlandian West leader, the Volusia Vigilantes (35-19)... they were the preseason favorite and they are playing like it... doing everything well on the diamond... the V's have already built up a five-game cushion on last year flag winner, the Sligo Rovers (30-24)... six games on third place Middlefield (29-25) and eight games better than fourth place Stoner (27-27)... highly-ranked Rocky Rapids (25-29) has fizzled out so far, trailing by 10 games... the bottom fell out for the Snappers in May... they wound a dismal 10-19... Volusia and Sligo finished 16-13... Middlefield 15-14... and Stoner was 14-15.