1ST PLACE
Attachment 661375
2062 Ruthlandian South Final Standings
Attachment 661376

STJ CRUSADERS NAB 3RD STRAIGHT RU SOUTH FLAG
After a slow start the St. John Crusaders got it going in the Ruthlandian South Division... by July they took over the top spot from Waleska and Valka... then the Westerners faded out of the picture and it was just St. John and Valka the rest of the way... the Crusaders staved off the Blackhawks in the stretch drive... no one else was in the race... early contenders Grand City and Claxton were gone by August.

St. John scores surprisingly well despite not having a lot of longball power... they do it with contact hitters... .277 BA (9th), 792 runs (3rd), 103 HRs... top hitters are Ozwaldo Romero, Matt Silverman and Freddie Woodruff... the Crusaders possess three quality starters in Mark Faber, Teddy de Grom and Smoke Early... solid pitching staff with 3.73 ERA (9th)... and play excellent defense with a .980 FA.

Attachment 661377

2ND PLACE
Attachment 661378

Second place Valka (4 GB) has a fine starting rotation with All-Star Aavo Keskkula, Ilmar Olesk and Carlos Santa Ana... starters compiled excellent 3.37 ERA (1st)... but the Blackhawks are woefully weak at the plate with only 660 runs (28th) and just 72 roundtrippers (30th)… Freddie Civik and Jonas Kahn are the best of a so-so lot... defensively they are very good with a .980 FA... better hitting could upgrade Valka to the upper levels of the IPA... need more power and better bullpen.

Attachment 661379

3RD PLACE
Attachment 661380

Third place Grand City (13 GB) is just an average ballclub... .269 BA (15th), 711 runs (16th), 101 HRs (20th)... paced by Boots Luckham, Lyndon Hazzard and Zippy Balencia... Glen Smitherman, Fred Barrow, Leonard Hamilton and Gil Lloyd are dependable starters... mound staff only average with a 4.04 ERA with weak bullpen... very good with the gloves with a .979 FA.

Attachment 661381

4TH PLACE
Attachment 661382

The Waleska Westerners are a .500 ballclub, winding up in fourth place (14 GB)... they stayed near the top for the first half of the season and then slumped in the second half... offense is led by a couple of rock-solid bats in Ramiro Villegas and Boomer Barnes... Bitsy Boccabella is a fine RBI guy... just an average hitting team overall... not much power... pretty good pitching with a 3.54 ERA (3rd), led by Johnny Merriman, Rick Howzer, Kieran Roy and Rory Beecroft... bullpen is not very good... better-than-average in the field with a .977 FA.

Attachment 661383

5TH PLACE
Attachment 661384

The fifth place Belair Beach Sunbirds (15 GB) have the offense that can do some damage, but they can't keep the opposing teams off the scoreboard at all... lousy pitching with a sky-high 4.69 ERA (28th) says it all... but the batters can light up the scoreboard with their .273 BA and 752 runs (6th)... not much on longball power though... just 88 hit out of the park this season... but they have a rock-solid core of hitters like All-Star RF Alfie Elborne, Dylan Lanier, Tyler O'Reilly, Casey Keats, Curtis Cochran and Deron Nelson... just average on the defense with .975 FA.

Attachment 661385

6TH PLACE
Attachment 661386

The Claxton Diamonds came in second a year ago, just 5 games behind St. John... but fizzled this year, dropping to sixth in the standings and 18 games off the pace... started off well... only 4 games back at midseason... but they went into the tank in July and August... overall just a lackluster club... but they do have some quality bats in Fred Hahn, Dude Rafferty and Scoops Dunn... on the hill are a few reliable starters: Lennard Kruger, Eric Braun and Matt Goodrum... defense is lousy with a .973 FA.

Attachment 661387

7TH PLACE
Attachment 661388

The sevenh place Crystal Lake Skippers did not play well at all in the first half, but improved some in the second half... they were dead last halfway through the season, 19 games under the .500 mark... they ended up 22 games back of division-winning Elnora... pitching is poor with a 4.73 ERA (29th)... but Crystal Lake can score... they put up 750 runs on the scoreboard this year with a .273 BA and 98 homers, sparked by Mel Brouwer, Zippy Coburn and Tommy Howell... Julio Cordova was the only fairly reliable starter... there was nothing in the bullpen... the Skippers can play defense with a .978 FA.

Attachment 661389

8TH PLACE
Attachment 661390

The San Dimas Rancheros were mired near the bottom the entire season and finally settled there 28 games out... their only quality players are CF Quince Dustin and Gilberto Gallardo... the only decent hurler is starter Hernando Almora... San Dimas doesn't rank high in hardly anything... .258 BA (24th)... 666 runs (26th-tied)... 109 HRs (17th)... 4.28 ERA (20th)... a little better-than-average with the gloves (.977 FA).

Attachment 661391

1st place
Attachment 661754
2062 Ruthlandian East Final Standings
Attachment 661755

CLIPPERS SMACK MACS IN RU EAST
Powerful Wynnamac got its comeuppance this year from the hard-hitting Elnora Clippers... they hit their way to the Ruthlandian East title and won it for the second time in six seasons and knocked the Macs off of their long-time pedestal... it was nip-and-tuck between the two rivals until August when Elnora got sizzling hot and pulled away the last six weeks... the Sundowners have dominated the RU East for the last 11 years, winning 7 pennants and one Pro Cup (2055).

Elnora is a powerhouse at the plate with a .292 BA, 900 runs (1st) and 161 home runs (3rd)... the lineup is deadly with three All-Stars, LF Donald Ray Mooney, 2B Mickey Wilbur and CF Robin Staroff... and they are just the tip of the iceberg... Kuro Ishihara, Gus Abreu and Lee Carnahan can handle the bats very well, too... fielding-wise Elnora is outstanding with a .981 FA... but the Clippers come up far short on the mound... ranking 19th in the RU with a 4.26 ERA... the only dependable starter is Matthew Minder... luckily they have super closer Stevie Tucker in the bullpen to save the day.
Attachment 661756

2nd place
Attachment 661757

Runner-up Wynnamac is no slouch when it comes to scoring runs... the Sundowners feature three stars that drove in over 100 runs each, RF Snooky Bartels, 1B Manny Sendejas and rookie CF Nikki Inkanara... still the Macs wound up 10 games behind pennant-winning Elnora, but they were right up there with the Clippers offensively, batting .292 (1st), scoring 869 runs (2nd) and slamming 142 out of the park (7th-tied)... unlike previous seasons, the Wynnamac pitching corps ballooned to a 4.31 ERA this year... only Luc Ogburn and Billy Skidmore gave them many quality starts... defensively the Sundowners were a little above average with a .977 FA.

Attachment 661759

3rd Place
Attachment 661763

The third place Marston Nine (11 GB) don't have the firepower of the two RU East elites, Elnora and Wynnamac, but they do have a well-balanced club... they batted .283 (4th), scored well with 789 runs (4th), but were woeful in homers with only 67 (31st)... on the hill they compiled a 3.68 ERA (7th)... with the gloves the Nine were just average (.976 FA)... top run producers were Damien D'Amboise, Harv Beauchamp, Gino Mastroianni and Luke Crenshaw.... on the hill Jerome Kincade and Vince Boscarino had excellent years... Garrett Stanfield and Lance McElveen gave them two more dependable starters... outfielder Luke Crenshaw also showed his stuff as a reliever with 9 saves and a terrific 1.25 ERA in 20 appearances.

Attachment 661764

4th Place
Attachment 661767

Cold Creek was just a pretty good club this season, never really contending and ending up in fourth place, 18 games behind Elnora... the Raccoons could hit well with a .278 BA, scored well with 751 runs (7th) and go deep with 142 roundtrippers (7th-tied), but they were pretty bad on the hill with a 4.30 ERA (21st)... average fielding with a .977 FA... leading the offense was budding superstar Vince Norberg, up-and-coming Floyd Constable and veteran John Gaddison... Lenny Toscano was the best of the starters... they got a few quality starts out of Bobo Troy and Jake Fischer... and in the bullpen Zeke Dial did his job well.

Attachment 661768

5th Place
Attachment 661769

The Sugar Valley Rattlers were a middle-of-the-pack club most of the year, never really challenging the top three clubs, Elnora, Wynnamac and Marston... the Rattlers came in fifth, 19 games out in the race... they didn't hit well for average... .251 BA (29th), but topped the RU East with 182 home runs (1st)... pitching was pretty good considering the small ballpark with a 3.62 ERA (6th)... defense was fine with a .977 FA... the top gun on the team was All-Star shortstop Dino Lazzeri... he's not much for average, but he has some punch... almost anybody in the starting lineup can hit it out of the park, but none of them can hit for much of an average... Bret Massey is the ace and had a sensational season... Elvis Bonham, Claudio Quezada and Harland Claunce gave them some quality starts... need some help in bullpen... no solid closer.

Attachment 661770

6th Place
Attachment 661771

Just another bad year for the hapless Belle Plaine Musketeers... it's been eight years since they had a winning season (2055)... only one time, way back in 2009, have they won the RU East pennant... sixth this year, a whopping 32 GB... however, this year was far better than last year's cellar-dwelling season (45-109)... offense is pretty good with a .267 BA (19th), 721 runs (15th) and 142 HRs (7th-tied)... but lordy mercy, the team ERA was an awful 5.25... the Muskies do have some talented bats in Eliot Marcum, Jed McIntosh, Julien Brodnax and Cody Losby... Ike Alister (14-12, 4.36) was the best of the worst staff in the IPA... only three of the hurlers on the staff had ERAs under 5.00... defense was adequate with a .977 FA.

Attachment 661772

7th Place
Attachment 661777

You have to go back 17 years since the Beechwood Jackrabbits had a winning season (2047)... with only three postseason appearances ('20, '26,'27)... nary a Pro Cup... this year the Jacks only came close to a winning record in one month... 12-13 in July... finished seventh in the RU East standings, 38 GB... can't score... can't pitch... but has good defense with a .978 FA... team has some good ballplayers in the lineup like budding star Marcos Cienfuegos and Kellen Dunne... the best player, by far, is the fine closer Luis Villavaso.

Attachment 661778

8th Place
Attachment 661779

The Eastshore Cotton Kings last won the RU East Division in 2056... in '61 they came in a distant third... this year they hit bottom... that's right, the very bottom... last place in the division and 40 games behind first place Elnora... the offense is mediocre with a .260 BA (23rd), 675 runs (24th) and 100 homers (21st-tied)... and the mound staff is terrible... 4.83 ERA (31st)... the fielding is bad, too, with a .971 FA... only vets Sam Carmon and Bebe Kinney are reliable starters... but they do have a couple of good potential stars in the batting order... that's their fine young third baseman Norbert Ruston and first sacker Dayle Killian... Ruston was the Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year in '59... Killian led the league with 143 ribbies last year... but he suffered the sophomore slump this year... his average dipped from .325... homers dropped from 30... and Killian only drove in half as many runs... just 74 this year.

Attachment 661780

1st Place
Attachment 662119
2062 Ruthlandian West Division Final Standings
Attachment 662120
V'S VICTORIOUS AGAIN IN RU WEST
It took the Volusia Vigilantes a while to get it all together... they lacklusterly lagged in sixth place most of the Ruthlandian West first half, then bolted upward in the standings with an awesome August (23-4) and took charge of the pennant race and captured their second division title in a row... the V's overcame the Sligo Rovers by 3 games, Rocky Rapids Snappers by 4... and the Stoner Silver Sox by 6 games... Volusia has taken the RU West three times in the last five years.

Volusia will now get another crack at the IPA Pro Cup... they lost in last year's Finals in six games to IPA champion Oxford... the Vigilantes hit well with a .280 BA... top-to-bottom in the lineup there is a good, solid contact hitter... the V's don't have a lot of power... just 81 homers (28th), but they can score runs with 746 (9th-tied)... starting pitching is good with 3.91 ERA (13th)... defense is excellent with a .981 FA.

Top performers at the plate are Carlos Vaz, Bandy Barnwell, All-Star Carlos Silva and Ellie Hudgins... rookie shortstop Scoots Perez also made the All-Star squad... best hurlers are Dan Hunt, Lonny Rinehart, Reynaldo Medrano and Gustavo Clemente... the bullpen is weak except for closer Ron Beeman, who ran hot-and-cold with 18 wins and 18 saves, but a high 3.78 ERA.
Attachment 662121

2nd Place
Attachment 662124
The Sligo Rovers are perennial bridesmaids... they have finished second in 8 of the last 10 years and won the RU West the other two seasons... losing ace Mickey Walsh (12-5/2.42) in July did not help them out in the stretch-drive battle with Volusia... they might have won it with him... the Rovers are just average with the bats... .263 BA (21st)... 688 runs (18th)... only 92 homers (25th)... with some good starters in the rotation with a 3.85 ERA (9th)… the bullpen is in bad need of help... defense is excellent (.982 FA)… slumps in June (10-17) and August (11-16) really cost them dearly in the race.

Dallas Patton and Reg French are just fair contact hitters... they are the best of a run-of-the-mill bunch of batters... top starters are Ayden Evans, Jacky Harshman and Judah Carmack.
Attachment 662125

3rd Place
Attachment 662127
This was the third place Rocky Rapids Snappers' best chance at the playoffs since 2046... dropoffs in July (11-12) and September (11-12) did them in... the Snappers hit very well with a .280 BA (7th), were pretty fair at scoring runs with 729 (14th) and 123 longballs (13th-tied)... starting rotation was fairly good with a 3.95 ERA... bullpen was fine with a 2.52 ERA... only fair defensively with a .973 FA.

All-Star CF Corey McGee (.324 BA, 13 HR, 97 RBI, 99 R) and Jose Montanez (.342 BA, 2 HR, 49 RBI, 124 R) paced the attack with some solid help from Bernie Tillis (.296 BA, 13 HR, 64 RBI), Erv Vollmuth (.266 BA, 22 HR, 82 RBI) and Jamey Murton (.294 BA, 22 HR, 91 RBI)... top twirlers are All-Star Clay Callaghan, Lance Obermueller and Rian Noland... young closer Ricardo Cepeda had a standout season in the bullpen.
Attachment 662128

4th Place
Attachment 662130
It has been eons and eons since Stoner won the RU West... the last pennant came in 2029... a better month in June (10-15) would have put the Silver Sox right up with pennant-winning Volusia this year... Stoner ended up in the fourth spot in the standings, just 6 games off the pace... they hit very well for average with a .281 BA (5th), scored well with 734 runs (13th), but the Silver Sox don't have a lot of punch... only 95 roundtrippers (24th)... pitching is just average with a 3.99 ERA (15th)... Stoner is solid with the gloves with a .978 FA.

The Silver Sox have some talented hitters in Al Dodge, All-Star first baseman Hector Francisco, Jean St. Julien, Steve Brunson, Tommy Boutwell and Tyler Stoddard... at 35 jouneyman pitcher Brad Squires had an outstanding season, a career year... he got some dependable help from Calvin Sturgeon and Nicky Sharman... but they didn't get a lot of help from the mediocre bullpen.
Attachment 662131

5th Place
Attachment 662197

The last six seasons have not been good for the fifth place Middlefield Roosters... prior to 2057 they had won 9 division flags in 10 years and even claimed 2 Pro Cups ('52, '56)... what a run ! ... no so any longer... just a fair-to-middling ballclub with aging stars... mainstays Wyatt, Agarn and Radzikowski are in their mid 30s and on the decline... still productive, but not like the golden decade.

The Roosters can score... 756 runs (5th), batted .265 BA (20th) with fair power 124 HRs (12th)... zilch in pitching with a high-as-the-heavens 4.47 ERA (23rd)... bullpen is a liability, too... strong glove work with a .981 FA... but just a so-so club... they ran a good race most of the year, only a game out of first place on August 1st, but flopped in the stretch drive (25-29) and wound up 10 games behind Volusia (37-17).

Johnny Wyatt, Trip Agarn and Stan Radzikowski still are the best bats, but on the decline and nearing retirement... right fielder Agarn (118 G, .286 BA, 20 HR, 83 RBI, 65 R) is platoon against righties... rookie outfielder Jasper Kenton looks like a potential difference maker and budding star... Middlefield has fair starters in the rotation with youngsters Mickey O'Donnell, Andy Phillips and Nate Dorignac.

Attachment 662198

6th Place
Attachment 662204

The sixth place Colfax Blasters last pennant came in '42... latest winning season came in '59... downhill since and near the bottom of the RU West... 15 GB this year... scored pretty good with 743 runs (11th)... good pop with 140 HR (10th)... hit very well with a .277 BA... but not much on the mound overall with a 4.50 ERA (24th)... but there are bright spots in the lineup with youngsters Lanny Waldrep, All-Star first baseman Bralen Josephson, Owen McElwain and Steven Keener... Waldrep won the RU Golden Bat in '59... on the hill there are three blossoming hurlers: starters Blaine Barkins and Quince Blakeley... and closer Karl Kruger... the Blasters stayed within striking distance of first place until they tanked in August and September with a poor 23-32 mark... good things may be on the horizon in Colfax.

Attachment 662205

7th Place
Attachment 662209

2062 was not a good year for the dismal Fort Benton Defenders... got no higher than seventh this year in the standings... the years have not been kind to them... only twice in the team's history have they graced the playoffs in '37 and '57... nothing but second division finishes since the pennant year... pitching is the problem... 4.67 ERA (27th)... however, the Defenders can handle the bats very, very well with a .291 BA... fairly good scoring with 739 runs, but no power at all... just 78 homers (29th)... not good on defense with a .974 FA.

Marlon Hazard really stood out... he led the Ruthlandian Union with a .387 BA and 223 hits... Terry Caslin is an All-Star catcher... Travis Litchfield and Marcos Aguilar are .300 hitters... on the mound Fort Benton has only three decent pitchers... none of them standouts... Ace Rutherford, Sammy Wilshire and Jazzy McAuliffe are just somewhat reliable... and the bullpen is the worst in the league with an astromically high 5.25 ERA.

Attachment 662210

8th Place
Attachment 662214

For the third successive season it was the RU West basement for the hapless Forest City Firebirds, 29 games back of pennant-winner Volusia... they have a couple of good ballplayers and little else... '57 was the last winning season and that was just barely at 78-76... only 5 times in the club's history have they won pennants... the last time was in 2048... not much good to say about the Firebirds... 30th in scoring with 639 runs... 22nd with a .260 BA... 15th with 119 roundtrippers... 25th with an awful 4.53 ERA... they don't even play defense well with a poor .973 FA.

About the best thing you can say about Forest City is that 35-year-old cleanup hitter Randy Snow has been a good ballplayer for 11 seasons... and that Snow and Edward Pierson had good years this year... that's about it ! ... I may be stretching the point a little bit that Rick Adriano is a quality starter... at least half the time he gives them a quality start... however, I will add something good -- the Firebirds have pretty uniforms and logos... I like to end on a positive note.

Attachment 662215

1st Place
Attachment 662609
2062 Tycobbian South Final Standings
Attachment 662610

SUN SOX SHINE IN SUMMERTIME IN TU SOUTH
Most of the season it was a three-club affair in the Tycobbian South Division between Southport, San Alejo and Summerland... the Sun Sox led almost all the way during the campaign with the Montaneros and Sunsets hanging close by... but Southport caught fire in August and September, chalking up sizzling 36-19 record and won the division flag easily by 12 games over San Alejo (29-25) and 13 games better than Summerland (30-25).

The name of the game in Southport was pitching... the starting rotation and bullpen were rock solid with 3.14 ERA (4th)... offense was better-than-average with a .270 BA (12th), 717 runs (12th) and 107 HRs (23rd)... the Sun Sox had the best offense in the TU South... that's what set them apart from their main rivals, San Alejo and Summerland... defense just average with a .975 FA... the starters were led by Roman Littrell, Jeff Moncriffe, Jordy Wales, All-Star Jake Shank and Sandy Wilbur... the relief corps was headed up by Greg Brisbourne and Billy Ray Echols... the modest run producers were Walt Walmsley, Perry Parkhill and Buzzy McGinnis.

This will be Southport's 13th postseason appearance... the Sun Sox will be seeking their third Pro Cup trophy... they were IPA champs in '44 and '47... last TU South pennant was in '58.

Attachment 662611

2nd Place
Attachment 662612

San Alejo is a pitcher's ballpark... hitters have a tough time... the Monties rank 3rd with a standout 3.07 ERA... right up there with Southport and Summerland... both starters and bullpen are strong... offensive numbers are mediocre with 635 runs (26th), .246 BA (26th) and only 95 roundtrippers (28th)... defense is very good with a .978 FA... top twirlers are starters Paul Passos, Joca Qartez, Reynaldo Aguas and Moises Chavallos... closer Adrian Acosta was pretty reliable... for a while they gave division winner Southport a challenge and kept the Montaneros close in the race... there are very few good hitters in the batting order... the best of the lot are Dominque Juban, Roman Redondo and Hershel McKowen.

This was San Alejo's first winning season in nine years... last pennant came in '51... only Pro Cup was in '32... the Monties have made the postseason 8 times in their IPA history.

Attachment 662613

3rd Place
Attachment 662614

Summerland depends on its pitching to survive with its 3.17 ERA (5th)… team has always had good pitching in its IPA history... bats are just fair with a .254 BA (21st), 648 runs (23rd) and 113 home runs (21st)... the Sunsets play very good defense with a .978 FA... leading the mound staff are vets Rudy Hilgendorf, Tommy Underhill, injured Mick Marlow (10-8, 2.70) and Marty Westhuizen... Jacob Vandenboom, Jared Drobish and Tex Dalford stand out in the bullpen... prime run producers are All-Star CF Johnny Pendergrass, Klaus Kronenberg and Gerritt Peerenboom... look for rookie Zee Van Holbeek to be an impact player in the future.

Summerland rarely makes the postseason... the Sunsets have finished third the last four years... last won the TU South in '46... never won the Pro Cup... never had the offense to do well overall.

Attachment 662615

4th Place
Attachment 662639

The dominant team in the Tycobbian South for the last decade or so has been the Turon Typhoons... 6 times in the last 11 seasons they have copped the division flag... down through history the Typhoons have done very well... 21 times they have made the playoffs... and Turon has won a record 4 Pro Cups (2003, 2006, 2009, 2018)... plus they lost three times in the Pro Cup Finals (2010, 2017, 2056).

This year Turon slipped to a distant fourth in the TU South standings, trailing by 19 games... the Typhoons started slowly, but got better by midseason and finished up with a good second half... they score pretty well with 727 runs (11th), fairly good with the bats with a .263 BA (18th), but come up short on longballs with only 99 (25th)... 3.74 ERA is better-than-average... they have a tough time competing with the division's top three clubs on the hill... Turon handles the gloves very well with a .978 FA... aging top bats are All-Star Maxie Mullinax, Matthew Fears and Andy Wilkerson... they do have two very fine hurlers in Neil Riley and Ollie Dickenson... they need some help on the mound to get back in the pennant chase... the Typhoon bullpen is no help at all.

Attachment 662640

5th Place
Attachment 662663

The mediocre fifth place Colchester Elites have not had a winning record for the last nine years... '51 was the last time... down through history they are certainly not among the IPA elites... only made the postseason 4 times with no Pro Cups... last division crown was in '36... but the Elites did make some good progress this year with much better pitching, improving from a 4.71 ERA to a 4.01 ERA (14th)... Colchester is pretty good defensively with a .978 FA... not so hot with the bats... only 624 runs (27th), .254 BA (22nd) and 115 homers (19th-tied)... Colchester jumped off on the right foot and topped the TU West in May, but they couldn't stand the prosperity and they quickly settled back into the second division.

Veteran Johnny Walker is a solid pitcher and is the ace of the club... the only help he got was from youngster Charlie Vann... the rest of the staff was lackluster... the only quality hitters in the lineup are two youngsters Howie Sarkissian and Mel Albertson...both had solid season... but they didn't get much help from the other players.

Attachment 662664

6th Place
Attachment 662685

The Ginza Ninjas had magical years in '59 and '60... won the IPA Pro Cup the first year and even had a chance at back-to-back Pro Cup trophies the second year... they lost in th TU Finals to eventual Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills in an exciting seven-game series... definitely not the case any longer... the Karate Kids plummeted to fifth place last year and way, way down to sixth this year, 34 GB... hitting and scoring is down drastically from the good years... so is pitching... the offense is just not good with a .256 BA (20th), 636 runs (24th-tied) and only 84 homers (30th)... pitching is just average with a 4.02 ERA (15th)... good bullpen... but the defense is still stellar with a fine .980 FA... the best starters Kurt Brophy and Sparky Dane are just decent... but in the bullpen Abram Worth can still do the job very well... not much else on the staff worth mentioning... not much at the plate, either... Vic Carnaggio, aging 37-year-old mainstay Kuzuki Tamura and Yota Fujishima were the most productive, but certainly not adequate IPA talent-wise... Ginza badly needs wholesale changes to get back on the road to success.

The Ninjas have had limited success in its IPA history... 9 times they have made the playoffs and have won the overall IPA championship on one occasion.

Attachment 662686

7th Place
Attachment 662687

The seventh place Cape Coral Hurricanes have endured three bad seasons in a row... pitching is terrible... 'Canes came in 38 games behind this year... they didn't post a winning month this year... never got higher than seventh in the standings... 4.73 ERA is horrendous (30th)... starters are atrocious (4.87 ERA)... but the Hurricanes do have a few contact hitters... All-Star SS Lynwood Barley is a good hitter, but with little pop... so is Barney Fiske, but not much power, either... Marvin Cordice is a real good leadoff man and base stealer... Dain Coxson and Kalian Coston are fair with the bats with decent power... not a lot else in the batting order... Cape Coral scored 686 runs (16th), hit .275 BA (8th), but only had 96 homers (26th-tied)... and the 'Canes don't field very well with a poor .974 FA... only two starters, Frisco Francis and Michael Nagy, are decent... the bullpen is just adequate with Manny Rosetti.

Cape Coral has a lackluster IPA history... only 8 postseason appearances... no Pro Cups... the last TU South pennant was long ago in '41... the last time the Hurricanes contended was in '47... it's been a long dry spell in Cape Coral.

Attachment 662688

8th Place
Attachment 662689

What an enigma... last year the Arroyo Grande Suns came within an eyelash of the TU division title, missing out by a single game... forecast to be a serious contender this year... well, what happened?... pitching and hitting both went south... so did the Suns... they plunged to very last place in the Tycobbian South, 39 GB... 4.59 ERA (28th)... only batted a pathetic .228 (30th)... only scored 636 runs (24th-tied)... but they did crack 180 homers out of the park (2nd)... defense was average with a .975 FA... Erroll Waldrep, Rueben Jones, Gaston Robin and Chris Hardcastle went deep fairly often and drove in runs, but they rarely made contact... ditto for the other batters in the lineup... only fair starter was Carlos Jaramillo... the only good hurler on the roster was closer Kurt Wolf with 18 saves and 12 wins.

Arroyo Grande is one of the worst franchises in the IPA... just four playoff appearances... no Pro Cups... no pennants since 2024... 'nuff said.

Attachment 662690

Beaman got 18 wins and 18 saves!?!?! i want his baseball card.

And did the Sun Sox move Jordy Wales to the bullpen for the playoffs?

Looks like i'll be keeping an eye on the Vigilantes and Sun Sux this post season.

Beeman made 78 appearances... 3 starts... 18-7 record... with 18 saves... pitched 150 innings... finished 43 games.

I don't understand some of the AI's moves... Wales should be a starter... the AI does strange things like this fairly often... a good starter get stuck in the bullpen and is little used in spite of being very effective and having good numbers... you would think an effective pitcher would be used... often I noticed real good players have a good season and then are relegated to second string the next year by a player of lesser quality... don't understand this... the AI seems to be unaware of a player's stats.

Sun Sox don't hit well enough in my opinion... lately it's the high-powered hitting teams that do well in the postseason... prior to the last few seasons, it took good hitting and good pitching to win the Pro Cup.
Southport will meet powerful Oxford in the first round of the playoffs... Volusia will take on hard-hitting Elnora in round one... Elnora has lousy pitching... the Vigilantes played very well in the playoffs last year... may do it again... they do well without longball power.

1st Place
Attachment 662935
2062 Final Tycobbian North Standings
Attachment 662936

RED CAPS COP 4TH STRAIGHT TU NORTH TITLE
What do you expect?... the high-scoring and high-octane Oxford Red Caps are the defending IPA Pro Cup champion... shouldn't they win the Tycobbian North Division again?... Well, that's exactly what transpired in the TU North this season... the Red Caps prevailed for the fourth year in a row... and they won it handily over the Mahaska Haymakers by 9 games... nobody was even close... third place Blue Lake was 13 games back... and fourth place Luxora and North Hills, 17 GB.

Right out of the gate this season Oxford was 17-5 in April and already on top by a one and a half games... 5 and a half ahead in June... increased to 9 and a half games by July... a double-digit 11-game bulge by August... and a whopping 12 and a half games in front by September... Looking back the last three years the Red Caps won the TU West title in '61 by 8 games, in '60 by 10 games and in '59 by 11 games... now that is some kind of ballclub... this will be the team's 12th postseason appearance... Oxford will be seeking its third Pro Cup trophy... they also won it in 2007.

The Oxford Red Caps outhit, outscored, outhomered and also almost outpitched everybody in the Tycobbian West Division... the Oxfordians batted .274 (9th), scored 776 runs (3rd), slammed 169 HRs (4th), posted a 3.77 ERA (12th) and fielded well with a .977 FA... Top-to-bottom Oxford's lineup is chocked full of good batters, led by superstar All-Stars Buddy Blackford and Showboat Lynn, along with rock solid Roland Latimer... the Red Caps' rotation features two strong starters in Pat McFarlane and Rico Alessi... All-Star Maury Statler is a third quality starter... however, Oxford does have one weakness -- its bullpen -- they only have one good reliever, Freddy Tilford... closer Chucker Pitts is not consistent... he runs hot-and-cold at times.

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2nd Place
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For the past three seasons the Mahaska Haymakers have finished in the runner-up spot to powerful Oxford... the Farmers contended, but never really got close enough to seriously challenge the powerful Red Caps... Mahaska has only won 4 pennants in its IPA history, the last one coming long ago in 2028... the offense is good enough, but the pitching is very poor with a 4.43 ERA for the starters... defense is very good with a .978 FA... top bat performers are All-Star 2B Elvis Gilford, All-Star catcher Stefano Matrisciano, Timothy Honor and Lanny Neagle... top hurlers are All-Star Luke Grantham, Marty Mobley and Pip Cordice.

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Like Mahaska, the Blue Lake Schooners have played well the previous three seasons, winding up in third place each time... the only problem is the Oxford Red Caps... they are just good... Blue Lake is one of the lesser franchises in the IPA... just three pennants in 62 years... the most recent one came in a really good year -- 2030 -- that's the year the old Blue Sox won their only Pro Cup trophy.

This year the Schooners hit .266 and scored well... with fair power and some good pitching... but the defense is plain bad with a .972 FA... there are four fine players in the starting lineup: superstud Steve Schueler with a .335 career BA for six seasons, 3-time All-Star Daryl Monaghan with a lifetime .314 BA, plus up-and-coming rookie Amos Hunnicutt and Carl Barrymore... Blue Lake has some good quality hurlers as well in Weldon Nettleton, Timmy Aaron and Albert Kendrick.

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4th Place -Tied
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The Luxora Zorros tied North Hills for the fourth spot in the TU North standings... the Z's are just a fair-to-middling club with average hitting, power and pitching... defensively they are excellent with a .980 FA... the club leader is 3-time All-Star catcher Francisco Queiro... other reliable contributors are Marvin Harrelson, Omar Solis, Donald Wren and Odis Easter... and they have three dependable and quality starters in Juliano Machado, Howie Huntsman and Wallace MacPherson.

Luxora won the pennant in 2058, but has slipped some since... the Zorros have made the postseason playoffs 12 times in their history, but never won a Pro Cup trophy... the best the Z's ever did was in 2018... they lost in the first round in 7 games to the eventual Pro Cup champion Turon Typhoons, a great team for that era, one of the best of all-time... from 2006 to 2019 the Typhoons won 11 pennants in 14 seasons and three Pro Cups... Turon also lost in the Pro Cup Finals in 2010 and 2019.

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4th Place - Tied
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After two bad seasons in '60 and '61, things perked up for the North Hills Hawks, mainly because the can hit the heck out of the ball... but the pitching is just not there, especially in the bullpen (4.57 ERA)... the Hawks hit at a blistering .294 clip this year... great contact hitters, but no power whatsoever... only 62 flew out of the park (32nd)... still they scored well with 745 runs (8th)... however, Denny Darby, Victor Bates, Patrick O'Grady, Jarred Creed and Clayton Claiborne can really sting the ball... the other three starters hit fairly well, too... the starting rotation is adequate with Cy Swindell, Lance Lear, Eddy Salem and Lew Luxton... they would do much better if the bullpen could protect leads... defense is average with a .975 FA.

Historically, North Hills has a fabled story in the IPA... from 2034 to 2045 the Hawks captured a remarkable 11 pennants and 4 Pro Cups in 12 years... they were IPA champions in '34, '36, '38 and '41... but those glory years ended in '45... no TU North titles since.

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6th Place
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The hapless Hartsdale Hellcats haven't raised any heck since '46 and '47 when they were TU North flagwinners... they even won the Pro Cup in 2046... the Hellcats have made the playoffs 9 times in the club's history... for the last 10 long seasons they have been a sub-par ballclub with no winning records... this year they wound up in the sixth spot in the standings and trailed Oxford by 18 games... the Hellcats have an average offense with decent power and a mediocre mound corps... just average with the gloves (.975 FA)... Walt Ivy and Cooter Eldridge are the only solid threats in the lineup... the only reliable pitchers are starters Tommy Johnson and Wallace Roscoe... not a lot of help in the relief corps.

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7th Place
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It's been three decades since the Fairfax Frogs graced the IPA playoffs... the Croakers won pennants in '32 and '33... 8 times they have participated in the postseason with no Pro Cups to show for it... the current edition hits very well for average with a .277 BA (5th)... they score very well with 760 runs (7th) and possess fair firepower with 100 roundtrippers (24th)... but the pitching is awful with a 4.81 ERA... the Frogs handle the gloves pretty well with a .977 FA... top bats belong to All-Star 2B Butch Longman, All-Star catcher Otto Piper, Wyatt Clausen, Rory Sutcliffe and Ron Travis... starters are not very good... the best of the lot are Jazzy Dutton and Claude Elliott... closer Val Jackson is decent in the bullpen.

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8th Place
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The White River Rascals have recently fallen on hard times in the Tycobbian North... they tumble to dead last this season, 30 GB... the last good season was 7 years ago... the Rascals won 7 division flags in 9 seasons from '48 to '56... 11 times they have made the postseason playoffs, but never won the Pro Cup... however they made the IPA Finals in '49, '50 and '55.

This year's White River club has average bats, scoring and longball power... pitching is bad... fielding is very good with a .978 FA... club leader is 35-year-old and 15-year veteran star CF Pudge Tate, helped out by youngsters Dick Robinson and platoon first baseman Clarence Desaix... Wes Chadwick is just about the only dependable starter... in the bullpen Ringo Lanier is a fair closer.

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Many thanks for the support you give the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Views have jumped up recently... the record day is 574 views set a couple of years ago... today there were 541.

An average day is about 250 to 275 views.

Really appreciate all of you.

1st Place
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2062 Final Tycobbian East Standings
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MUSTANGS RACE AWAY WITH TU EAST
They were picked to finish fourth in the Tycobbian East Division... however, the High Mesa Mustangs didn't pay much attention to the press, they just went out and won the pennant, beating out South Fork by 3 games, Tuckanarra by 5 and longtime power Midway by 10 games... the Mustangs took the top spot after the first month of play and never relinguished it... High Mesa built the lead up to 8 games going into August, then held off late surges from the Stallions and Tiger Cats.

High Mesa's success formula was strong pitching, stout defense and home runs -- and it did the job... nobody in the IPA came close to matching the Mustangs' mound staff and its 2.85 ERA... they were also tops in roundtrippers with 192 (1st)... also right up there with the top defensive teams with a .981 FA... High Mesa has not had a lot of success over the years in the IPA... this will just be their fifth postseason appearance... the Mustangs will be in the market for a second Pro Cup trophy... it's been awhile since the first one came in the very first Pro Cup Series... the most recent TU East division title was in 2059.

High Mesa is loaded with quality pitchers... starters are All-Star Weldon Herrington, All-Star Robby Numbers, Alex Crabtree, Mickey Madison and Bucky Dodge... they have a fine closer in the bullpen Sandy Stevenson... and while they don't hit much for average, the Mustangs can score runs with the likes of All-Star 3B Kagetoki Miyazaki and Roy Roberts.

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2nd Place
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Like High Mesa, the South Fork Stallions had a very good year... all ups, no downs... great pitching, especially starters with solid bullpen... good scoring with modest power... but just average with the gloves (.974 FA)... picked for third place, the Hosses did a little better... they almost caught the Mustangs by season's end... South Fork last won the TU East in '60... have been to the playoffs only 7 times... but have captured 2 Pro Cups (2025, 2042).

Just look at their five starters: Herm McClanahan, Emmett Coogan, Rex Waller, Tris Desselle and All-Star Benito Banuelos... ERAs are all way below 3.00... bullpen could be better... Banuelos' promotion to starter could hurt them quite a bit... top run producers in the batting order are Bob Purkey, Rudy Maroney and Rudy Gatlin.

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3rd Place
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The first half of the year did not go well for the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats, but they really came alive in the final two months... by August they trailed High Mesa by 15 and a half games... then everything began to click... the Tucks were 37-17 the final two months of the season... they almost caught the Mustangs in a stirring finish, cutting their lead down to just one and a half games in mid September... Tuckanarra did not play well down-the-stretch, only going 3-7 the last days of the season, while High Mesa was 6-4.

Historically, Tuckanarra has been one of the most successful franchises in IPA history... 18 playoff appearances with 3 Pro Cups (2023, 2024, 2035)... the Tucks have contended lately, but have not won the TU East title since '49.

The current edition of Tiger Cats thrive on their prime pitchers: ace Ian Timms, Mick Dooley, Ward Hamlin and Justin Shank... the bullpen is pretty good overall with good depth... defense is just a little bit above average (.976 FA)… Boomer Carlton and Odell Overstreet carry the club offensively... they do score adequately and they hit some homers out of the park... after the great second-half surge, Tuckanarra is really looking forward to next season.

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4th Place
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The Midway Wolves have been the alpha team in the Tycobbian East for the last decade, but not this year... the Middies just did not hit well... team BA fell from .273 to just .249 this year... but the pitching, somewhat dubious in past years, improved... Midway dropped to fourth place this season, winding up 10 games behind division leader, High Mesa... the Wolves were the preseason choice in the polls... Midway was solid and close until midyear when they faded out of the race.

Even the Midway superstars Norishige Ito and Daryl Vale had down years, relatively speaking... both made the All-Star team, but their numbers were down sufficiently... Ito is 35, while Vale is 29... but they had no help this year with the offensive load... but there was a bright spot -- the mound staff -- with a fine 3.39 ERA... much improved over recent years... Steve Swannick, Tino Monarrez and Ezra Wilcox were a fine threesome in the rotation... closer Phil Bellamy gave them quality innings in the bullpen... the Wolves were one of the best defenses with a standout .982 FA.

The Middies chalked up six TU East pennants in the last 10 years and have won 2 Pro Cups (2053, 2054)... overall in the club's history they have 9 division titles.



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5th Place

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The downtrodden Ozarka Naturals were picked to finish last again in the Tycobbian East race, but they surprised and had a winning season and came in fifth in the standings, 14 games out in the pennant race... the Nats were only 5 games out at midseason... they did it with good starting pitching (3.61 ERA) and an excellent bullpen (2.72 ERA)… plus excellent defense with a .981 FA... offensively, Ozarka was severely lacking... hit only .244 (27th) with 573 runs (29th) and just 83 home runs (31st)... the club offensive leaders only had modest numbers... the best of the lot was rookie Luke Conlan and Kev McKinley... heading up the starting rotation were Jordy Alberstadt and Ronnie Belzer... Willis Reece, Tommy May and Jim Pippin were dependable, too... Ezra Wilcox did well in the closer spot and as a spot starter.

Years ago Ozarka had great success... from 2003 to 2021 the Naturals made the playoffs 13 times... 5 times they reached the Pro Cup Finals, but lost each time... the Nats haven't won a pennant in over two decades... the last one came in 2040... only 4 times since has Ozarka had a winning record.

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6th Place
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The Red Bluff Red Sox won the Pro Cup in 2057, but they have been on a slow downward trend since, culminating with a sixth place finish this year... the Sox no longer carry the big stick they used to possess... they batted a pathetic .226 this season (32nd)... home runs, a longtime staple, have plummeted to just 121 (17th)... and runs are scarce with only 552 (31st)... luckily, the pitching is pretty darn good with a 3.40 ERA (7th)... Red Bluff has a solid starting five in Wilson Sharpe, Ricky Lambert, Dontrelle Gilbreath, Delroy Loggins and Ben Laughlin... Sharpe and Lambert were a big part of the '57 IPA Pro Cup champion... Gilbreath was also on the staff in a modest role... no threats in the batting order... Paul Gaddison and Odis Keener were only fair run producers.

The Red Sox have not had a lot of success down through the years... only participated in the postseason playoffs on 9 occasions, but they do have 2 Pro Cup trophies (2004, 2057)... but most of the time Red Bluff has posted a winning record.

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7th Place
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One of the worst teams in IPA history is the Hillsboro Blazers... only one time have they made the playoffs... that was in 2051 when they were a magnificent 98-56... they really were great that season... how good were they?... good enough to contend for the IPA title... the Blazers battled Pro Cup champion Arlon in a torrid 7-game series before succumbing in the first round of the playoffs.

This year Hillsboro was not the worst team in the Tycobbian East -- thank goodness for the atrocious East Point Panthers -- the Blazers did not come in last -- they finished seventh... no offense with a .234 BA (29th) and 562 runs (30th)... no pitching (4.25 ERA)... but they had pretty good home-run power with 143 roundtrippers (8th)... and pretty good defense with a .977 FA... no big bats in the lineup... just a few modest ones with Rube Nealy and Jackie Hansford... the only quality arms on the team belonged to starter Horace Almond and closer Jeffrey Bevan.

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