OOTP Developments Forums - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

OOTP Developments Forums (https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com//index.php)

- OOTP Dynasty Reports (https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com//forumdisplay.php?f=4075)

- - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS) (https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com//showthread.php?t=158631)

That was a great series

Around the Town in the IPA

MIDWAY WOLVES

Owner: Midway Baseball Cooperative

GM/Manager: Bobby Dorignac

Midway is a river town with 55,000 residents, founded on the banks of the Appian River in the central plains of Tycobbia. Midway is right in the middle of the country. Originally settled by the Kewanna Indians, as was most of the central plains area. The Kewannas called the area "place of the wolves". In many ways, a pack of wolves and a tribe of Indians have significant similarities. They both work for the greater good of the pack or tribe, they hunt for all to eat and are both led by a single leader. It isn’t surprising that because of these similarities, the Native Indians had a great respect for wolves and viewed them as a significant part of the world with which they lived harmoniously. In the Kewannan language the word for "wolf" is "Meed-whay". Subsequent English-speaking settlers, who emigrated in the 1870s understood it as "Midway". That is how the town name came to be.

Kewanna Indians still make up a large part of the town's population. The emigres and the Indians have always lived together in peace in Tycobbia. The emigres always treated the Natives fairly and did not take their land without proper payment.

Life has never been easy in Midway as it has to depend on the land for its livelihood. No rich mineral deposits, petroleum or forests are found here. No manufacturing. Just wheat, oats and corn as the staple crops. It also has a thriving dairy industry. There is one big employer in Midway, Nosyt Farms. In the Kewannan language "nosyt" is the word for "chicken". The company was started in 1895 by Joe Wolf and is still run today by his descendants. Nosyt Farms products are known for being grown naturally and are totally free of chemicals. This makes it a very popular brand name in the environmentally-conscious Islands.

Baseball got a late start in Midway. It was the 1920s before teams began to organize. It got its first impetus under the auspices of Nosyt Farms, which began a company league for employees. The company league was soon open to the town residents, too. By the 1940s Midway was competitive with the surrounding towns. It was one of the last town to get a franchise in the new Islandian Pro Alliance.

It is a community-owned franchise with over 5,000 stockholders. They chose the name "Wolves" because of the wolf's tough image and also because of its Kewannan connection and heritage. The Midway Wolves play at an old ballpark on the outskirts of town named in honor of Joe Wolf. It was built in 1928 and dedicated by Joe Wolf himself. It is located on Nosyt Farms and is maintained by the company as a community service.

Joe Wolf Park is not fancy, but it is functional and a good place to see a good ballgame. Most modern day Kewanna Indians get their food like anybody else...at the supermarket. Only on special ceremonial days do they prepare tribal foods. So all you will find at the ballpark are the traditional hot dogs, cokes, beer, peanuts and crackerjacks... and of course, delicious Nosyt fried chicken... the best in the Islands.

The Midway general manager and field manager is Hall of Fame hurler Bobby Dorignac, who starred for 18 seasons for the Wolves from 2021 to 2038. He took over operation of the ballclub in 2047. In his career Dorignac compiled a standout 315-228 record with a 2.96 ERA... he was inducted into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2039 and was the Tycobbian Most Valuable Player and Golden Arm winner in 2024.

Joe Wolf Park (1928)

Capacity: 7,775

Dimensions:

Left Field Line - 335
Left Field - 360
Left Center - 380
Center Field - 401
Right Center - 380
Right Field - 360
Right Field Line - 335

Around the Town in the IPA

DENTON CITY REDBIRDS

Owner : The Denton Family Foundation
GM/Manager: Pete Gibbs

Denton City is a town of 64,000 located in South Tycobbia midway between Chicopee on the west coast and South Fork in the east near the slopes of the Silver Mountains.

Denton City was founded by Douglas Denton, for whom the town is named. Douglas Denton was born in 1832 in Montrose, Scotland. As a young man Denton had heard of a new country called Tycobbia and the stories he had heard made him eager to seek adventure, fame and fortune there.

He arrived in 1851 by ship across the Kelynck Ocean, landing in the Bay of St. Clair. From there he headed south towards what he had been told was mostly virgin territory. He had travelled about 4 days when he reached his land of paradise. Denton described in his journal this way: “It was like I had found heaven upon earth, the grass was as green as it was back home in Montrose and the air I had never smelled anything like it - it was so pure and sweet."

Denton built a small log cabin for shelter and began life in his new country as a trapper. He did quite well and prospered over the next few years. Saving the money he got from selling furs in Bay St. Clair, Denton began to buy up land grants around his log cabin. So began the small origins of Denton City.

Denton expanded his business into real estate, renting and selling to trappers and their families. At this point he decided to start the Montrose Trading Company, named after his birthplace in Scotland. The area soon became known as Scotsman’s Fields.

Shortly before his 38th birthday, Denton sold the rights to mining to the McMillan Company. Because of the mining boom, the town grew rapidly with an influx of mining families from all over Tycobbia, Scotland, Ireland and England. Douglas Denton had finally made it. He was now a wealthy man.

Two years later in 1862 Denton met and married his wife Sarah and soon expanded the family with two sons, Greer and Murdock. By now Scotsman's Fields had McMillan Mining and Steel, but also a railway line to link the town with Bay St. Clair to ship out the steel and iron ore.

In 1872 on Denton’s 50th birthday Scotsman's Fields was officially named Denton City in his honor. Denton died in 1890 at the age of 68. He had dedicated his life and his fortune to Denton City. He had built a hospital, library, concert hall and the first ballpark in town.

Just like any other small town in Tycobbia at the time, it had started to follow the new sport of Base Ball. The first team of Denton were called the Denton Miners due to the fact that the team were fielded by the miners. Many teams would come and go, teams like the Denton 9, the Denton Mutuals, Ball Club of Denton and lastly the Denton City Redbirds. One person who was always there to watch was Douglas Denton who loved the game of Base Ball. Eventually he sponsored and managed a team in the town league. He named the team the Ball Club of Denton.

The Denton City Redbirds name came about because of Sarah Denton. She would spend hours sitting in the fields with her paints and canvas, painting the beautiful scenery around Denton. She also had a passion for painting birds. One of her beautiful paintings of a cardinal was on her husband's office wall. One day a meeting was being held in his office to decide on a nickname for the Ball Club of Denton. Many names had been discussed, when all of a sudden Huck McKinney, who was captain of the club, looked up at Mrs. Denton’s painting and said “that redbird would sure look pretty on a baseball jersey”.

It wasn’t long before Douglas Denton had a wooden stadium built for the town league. The first stadium was constructed in 1880 and just called the Base Ball Field. But it soon burned down and was had to be rebuilt. This time it had covered bleachers, was built of steel and seated 500 people. Denton named the new stadium McBride Park in honor of Jack McBride, who lost his life in trying to put the fire out at the old ballpark.

It wasn’t long before baseball spread across Tycobbia and the civic pride in each town raised the competition level. In Denton City they began to combine the local teams into a town team. So the Denton Miners joined up with the Denton 9 to become the Denton Red Stockings and The Mutuals and the Ball Club of Denton became the Denton City Redbirds. Eventually all the teams combined as the Denton City Redbirds.

McBride Stadium was expanded several times over the years and finally was replaced in 1971 by a new state-of-the-art facility, funded by McMillan Steel. This time it was named Douglas Denton Stadium in honor of the town's founder and biggest baseball fan.

A day at Douglas Denton Stadium is just good old-fashioned baseball with peanuts, crackerjacks, cokes and hot dogs. And good old-fashioned baseball. The Redbirds GM and manager is Pete Gibbs, a Golden Glove catcher and 4-time All-Star in his 19 seasons in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Gibbs played for seven teams in the league, the first 11 with Denton City. In his career he batted .271 with 247 homers and 1093 RBIs in 1979 games. Gibbs took over the ballclub in 2051.

Douglas Denton Field (1971)
Capacity: 9,250
Dimensions:

LF Line 335
LF 355
LCF 375
CF 395
RCF 375
RF 355
RF Line 335

Just like a hall of famer, you seem to up your game in the playoffs. KUTGW :eatpop:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Horse (Post 4013037)

Just like a hall of famer, you seem to up your game in the playoffs. KUTGW :eatpop:

Though I will never, never ever, ever come close to its dynastical perfection... maybe one of these days the Islandian Pro Alliance will be half as good as the absolutely wonderful Laseron Baseball Association.

Thanks for your loyal support and inspiration.

It is very much appreciated.

Around the Town in the IPA

CRYSTAL LAKE CRUSHERS

Owner: Flood Family Casino Enterprises
GM/Manager: Duncan Welch

Crystal Lake is the largest lake in Ruthlandia, situated in the southeastern corner of the country. The town, Crystal Lake, is located on a spit of land at the southwestern corner of the lake from which it got its name. Crystal Lake is south of Valka and just 25 miles across the lake. Belair Beach, San Dimas and Grand City are also close by. Crystal Lake is a polyglot town of 77,000 people who march to the beat of a different drummer.

Crystal Lake is best known for its liberal politics. Think of San Francisco in the United States for a comparable culture. Environmentalists, Jesus Freaks, Rock 'n' Roll enthusiasts in a fairly free society. Locals claim they are not liberal, they are libertarians. Critics counter that residents aren't libertarians, they are libertines. European tourists compare the town to Amsterdam, but not quite as notoriously liberal.

The lowlands around the town are more properly classified as bogs. Glacial activity 10,000 years ago scooped out what would become Crystal Lake and dumped quite a moraine when retreating, forming the land that was settled in the late 1800's. The area never really did grow population-wise because of the swampy terrain.

That's all changed. Crystal Lake was a planned town and came into being in the early 1920s when John William Flood began developing it. It was intended to be a summer resort getaway for the wealthy to escape the dog days of summer before the invention of air conditioning. It is laid out on a grid with north-south streets given names based on trees in alphabetical order (Aspen, Birch, Cedar...) and east-west streets given numbers (First, Second, Third...) and called avenues. Crystal Lake has always been a footloose and fun-loving town. 80 years ago, during the brief Ruthlandian prohibition experiment, they ran speakeasys and night clubs. 50 years ago, they built casinos. Present day Crystal Lake is a little Las Vegas.

Getting around Crystal Lake is pretty easy to do. The town was built around an electric traction trolley system that takes people everywhere. The town never adapted to the automobile, which is practically prohibited by ordinance today. It is a biker and walking society, that espouses pollution-free air, exercise and health.

The baseball team has been in business in some form for 70 years. The original team name was the Crushers. It comes from a 1921 letter from the team owner to his manager on his vision for building the club.

John William Flood wrote to the first ballfield manager Andy Capson: "I don't like watching a bunch of dandies or young boys prancing around the basepaths like thieving fools. Bunting is for the birds. I want to see men crush the ball."

Hence, the Crushers were born.

John William Ford III owns the team now. He changed the team name to Skippers in the 2050s. John William makes his money in the casino business and is rather indifferent about day-to-day baseball operations. Since he's getting up in age, he has been concerned about his legacy. He's been examining the Green Bay Packers business model closely and is seriously considering willing the club to the people of Crystal Lake.

The Floods have always been shady characters. John Williams Flood II was considered a scamp, regularly testing the will of the ABA commissioner in the days of the company leagues. John Williams Flood III is too busy developing real estate to break the rules like his ancestors did. The team has a somewhat unsavory reputation that is no longer deserved because of what happened more than three generations ago.

The famed Islandian slugger, Herman "Baby" George, the most prolific home run hitter in the annals of Islandian amateur leagues, was the first manager of the Crystal Lake Crushers. When it comes to hitting a baseball, Baby George is "Mr. Baseball" in the Islands. There has never been anyone quite like him. George is a bon vivant and literally in a class by himself. George began as a pitcher and was a very good one, but his hitting prowess soon converted him into a fulltime position player. He holds the all-time career homer mark in the industrial leagues. He turned out to be a pretty darn good manager, too. And the fans love him in Crystal Lake for his savoie-faire attitude.

George retired at age 90 in 2047 and turned the GM and managerial reins over to Duncan Welch, who starred for the Crushers from 2017 to 2029, helping them win 6 pennants and 2 Pro Cups (2020 and 2022). In 20 seasons Welch was a career 350-255 with a terrific 2.78 ERA. He was especially good in the postseason, compiling a superb 17-5 mark with a 2.50 ERA in 27 starts. Welch was elected to the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2056.

The Crystal Lake Crusher amateur and industrial teams played in John William Flood Stadium in the 1920s. The name was shortened to JWF Stadium by the press and the public over the years. A new ballpark, Lakefront Stadium, was built in 1985 by the town council. Five years ago, the town fathers sold the naming rights to the famous entrepreneurial real estate developer, Trump Donaldson. This upset the baseball purists, but after a lengthy court battle, the court ruled against giving Donaldson the naming rights to the ballpark.

Lakefront Stadium is located right at the water's edge on Crystal Lake. Occasionally a player will hit one over the right center field fence into the beautiful blue waters. Fans get a magnificent view of the lake. On game days, the best way to get to the ball park is by taking The Traction to the stadium or by sailing up to the marina.

The food is typical baseball fare that tries to cater to both tourists and to the whole Earth Day crowd. The hot dog is a foot-long kosher dog served on a dark brown wheat roll. The beers are local microbrews and all claim to be genetically-modified organism free. Baby George was known to enjoy several hot dogs and a few refreshments during the game.

Lakefront Stadium (1985)
Capacity: 10,500

Dimensions:

Left Field Line - 340'
Left Field - 370'
Left Center - 405'
Center Field - 400'
Right Center - 381'
Right Field - 370'
Right Field Line - 340'