knuckler,

What a pleasant surprise! It's so good to hear from you again. For the viewers, who don't know who knuckler is, he is one of the best logo guys on the OOTPB Forums. He created most of my original IPA logos and several thousand for other OOTParkers over the years. They were truly works of art. Lucky for me, he was such a nice and patient guy, that he would alter them ad infinitum until they were perfect according to yours truly, EC.

knuckler also made most of the wonderful logos for my first dynasty, the All-Time All-Star Association, which I did for several years. I took the 16 original MLB franchises and picked their best 25 players of all-time. I also included drafts of the great Negro stars and Japanese stars, too. I added one of them to each team each year. Unfortunately my computer crashed and I lost it all after 11 seasons. I didn't have the heart to start it all over again. Instead, I created the Islandian Pro Alliance. I am thinking of recreating the AAA using OOTP13, even though it is frustrating when the real superstars do poorly in OOTPB. I used fictional players in the IPA because of this. You don't have any expectations for fictional players.

Certainly I would use your excellent logos. I would love for you to create new circular logos for the IPA and post them here on this thread. I didn't have the heart to get the logo geniuses to remake 64 square logos into the circular type.

Could you use the original team colors? If so, I will send you an email with the team colors and team names. Just let me know here.

Tuckanarra is one of my favorite teams in the IPA, too. I'm also excited that Chicopee may finally make the Pro Cup playoffs after all these years.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 20, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian Union Mid-Season Individual Batting Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 20, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian Union Mid-Season Individual Pitching Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 20, 2034

2034 Tycobbian Union Mid-Season Individual Batting Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 20, 2034

2034 Tycobbian Union Mid-Season Individual Pitching Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 20, 2034

34th IPA All-Star Game Set For Tomorrow
The best of the Ruthlandian Union and the best of the Tycobbian Union will gather together tomorrow afternoon at the home of the defending Pro Cup champion, the Elnora All-Stars, for the 34th annual Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star clash. Teams were announced today at IPA headquarters in Marston. The RU Stars will be managed by Leon Carter, skipper of the IPA champs Elnora, while Karol Zodoka of last year's Pro Cup runnerup East Point Panthers will lead the TU Stars. There were many first timers on the star squad this season. Just two rookies are on the Ruthlandian team, both third sackers: Antonio Diaz from Volusia and Edmund Daisak from Fort Benton. Four freshmen won a spot on the Tycobbian Stars: pitchers Junior Bristow of the Tuckanarra Blue Jays and Ralph Fulton of the Turon Typhoons, along with Chicopee second baseman Todd Goodwin and Red Bluff shortstop Cody Hanks. Bristow is the son of Hall of Fame hurler Titus Bristow, who won 342 games for the Tucks from 2002 to 2020. The elder Bristow is the Blue Jays' pitching coach.

Travis Glass of Elnora was named for the seventh time in his fine career to the RU Stars. Eastshore's Scotty Lagrange, Valka's Olari Ojastu and Rocky Rapids' Allie Blackwell were honored for the third time.

Topping the list for the TU Stars was Lorne Evans of the Tuckanarra Blue Jays. This is his seventh time to play in the game. Colchester slugger Jim Lewellen was selected for the fourth year.

Ruthlandian All-Stars

SP J. J. Gillespie (Ranford) (15-4/1.62) **
SP Jimmy Collins (Ranford) (12-3/3.38) *
SP Gregg Hughes (San Dimas) (12-3/2.88) **
SP Tommy Smith (Volusia) (13-4/1.98) *
SP Hugh Stewart (Grand City ) (12-5/2.87) *
SP Jeremy Kirk (St. John) (11-4/2.25) *
SP Don Klingenberg (Eastshore) (12-3/2.55) *
SP Marv Webb (Volusia) (11-5/3.12) *
SP Stan Kivas (Elnora) (8-3/1.77) *
MR Johnny Young (Rocky Rapids) (5-3/1.97/5 saves) *
C Steve Stanek (Crystal Lake) (.301/8/39/30) **
C Allie Blackwell (Rocky Rapids) (.291/4/23/32) ***
C Kyell Rindahl (Sligo) (.266/11/31/23) *
1B Ernie Pryor (Volusia) (.330/15/44/44) *
1B Johnny Zahn (St. John) (.333/6/44/45) *
1B Marco Ameche (Marston) (.315/11/50/45) **
2B Teddy Grantham (Grand City) (.322/13/35/44) **
2B Paul Coker (Middlefield) (.285/18/50/35) *
2B Akihiro Samurakami (Elnora) (.343/6/25/43) *
3B Antonio Diaz (Volusia) (.310/11/44/42) *
3B Edmund Daisak (Fort Benton) (.299/12/52/36) *
SS Olari Ojastu (Valka) (.295/12/43/44) ***
SS Kenny Johnston (Middlefield) (.327/3/33/48) *
LF Allen Dundee (Wynnamac) (.307/9/58/42) *
LF Russell Watkins (LaGrange) (.308/18/42/45) **
CF Scotty Lagrange (Eastshore) (.361/24/71/59) ***
CF Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley) (.335/14/49/48) **
CF Guy St. Laurent (Cold Creek) (.314/14/50/48) *
CF Bobby Meusel (Belair Beach) (.317/12/47/47) *
RF Neil Richard (Eastshore) (.371/5/31/33) *
RF Noel Martin (Belle Plaine) (.323/11/61/50) **
RF Travis Glass (Elnora) (.278/18/51/42) ***** **

Tycobbian All-Stars

SP Pablo Pilar (San Alejo) (10-3/2.04) *
SP Mark Pennington (Mahaska) (11-4/2.50) *
SP Jeff Owens (North Hills) (11-6/2.47) *
SP David Michael (North Hills) (13-6/2.97) *
SP Junior Bristow (Tuckanarra) (11-6/2.90) *
SP Dan Pascioni (Southport) (10-5/2.99) **
SP Rance Raymond (La Claire) (8-4/2.29) *
MR Fernando Sanches (Luxora) (7-3/2.86/11 saves) *
MR Ralph Fulton (Turon) (4-1/1.51/6 saves) *
C Paco Diaz (Arlon) (.343/3/30/28) **
C Benny Donaldson (Colchester) (.341/8/34/28) *
C Chris Cardinale (East Point) (.266/13/38/30) *
1B Davey Sloan (White River) (.330/19/54/49) *
1B Kurt Gustavsen (Chicopee) (.327/16/57/51) *
1B Jaxon Shatner (East Point) (.295/18/50/44) *
2B Frank Marcello (Arroyo Grande) (.249/21/59/37) *
2B Todd Goodwin (Chicopee) (.315/10/48/40) *
2B John Velasco (Fairfax) (.327/12/46/49) **
3B Jerry Culpepper (Bayview) (.268/23/55/40) *
3B Dean O'Donnell (North Hills) (.329/10/38/47) *
SS Albert Wherry (Midway) (.317/18/51/45) *
SS Cody Hanks (Red Bluff) (.326/16/40/37) *
LF Jim Lewellen (Colchester) (.308/29/70/55) ****
LF Lorne Evans (Tuckanarra) (.327/17/54/69) ***** **
LF Adam Thurgood (.341/17/58/52) *
CF Vince Barbieri (Kenwood) (.340/7/52/43) *
CF Alfredo Cobos (Chicopee) (.327/13/57/39) *
CF Ike Sweetwater (Red Bluff) (.327/15/53/46) **
RF Pettis Pentleton (Kenwood) (.316/9/36/38) **
RF William Snyder (Cape Coral) (.306/10/46/40) *

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 21, 2034

TU Triumphs 6-1 In IPA All-Star Clash
The Tycobbian Stars made quick work of the Ruthlandian Stars 6-1 in the IPA All-Star Game at Elnora's State Fair Park with standout pitching and timely hitting... it was the TU's second win in a row and third in four years... overall Tycobbia has won 23 of the 34 games.

The hits were even in the game as both clubs collected 9 hits each... the TU All-Stars were paced by C Paco Diaz (Arlon) with 2 hits and a run scored and by 2B Todd Goodwin (Chicopee), who doubled across 2 runs in the seventh... Paco Diaz and Todd Goodwin shared the MVP Award... 3B Antonio Diaz (Volusia) and 1B Johnny Zaun (St. John) had 2 hits apiece for the RU All-Stars... Dave Michael (North Hills) got the win with a scoreless third inning and Tommy Smith (Volusia) picked up the loss when he allowed the first run of the game in the third.

Ruthlandia never was in the game as Tycobbia jumped up 1-0 after three frames, 2-0 after four and sealed the win with 3 runs in the seventh to make it 5-0... both clubs scored single runs in the ninth.

Thanks for the kind words, EC. I follow along with you dynasty quite a bit and really enjoy reading it. I would love it if you posted or sent me the colors for all the teams. I won't get to them all right away as time is limited, but I will enjoy working on them over time.

That would be great! Do them at your leisure.

Great to hear from you again! You are one of my favorite all-time OOTPB members.

I'll get the team colors to you soon. Thanks for doing them for me.

Please size them up to fit OOTPB.

I'll post them in this thread.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 21, 2034

IPA Inducts 5 New Hall-Of-Famers
The Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame has five new members. Honored this year at the All-Star Game in Elnora were super greats Sal Jordan, Les Patterson, Andy Pearson, Bucky O'Brian and Kenny Willard.

Sal Jordan was a mound mainstay of the Rolling Hills Reds from 2013-2033. He retired at age 41 with a 314-242 record and a 3.07 ERA. Jordan won 20 games on 7 occasions, won the TU Golden Arm Award in 2026, made the All-Stars 4 times and led the Reds to 5 pennants. He ranks 9th in victories in the IPA.

Les Patterson starred for the Sligo Rovers for most of his 21 seasons and chalked up a 306-230 mark with a sensational 2.79 ERA in his illustrious career. He was an All-Star 7 times and won 20 games 7 times, including his first 5 seasons in the league. Patterson paced the Rovers to 4 pennants and a Pro Cup title in 2021. He won two games in the Pro Cup Finals and was named Co-MVP. Patterson played in the IPA from 2017 to 2033 and is 13th in all-time wins. He was named the best pitcher in the RU twice, winning the Golden Arm in back-to-back years, 2021 and 2022. Patterson retired at age 42.

Andy Pearson was an outstanding shortstop from 2013 to 2032, mostly with the Arroyo Grande Suns in the Tycobbian Union. He collected 3097 hits and compiled a fine .314 lifetime BA with 384 homers, 1567 RBIs and scored 1735 runs. Pearson was honored 11 times on the All-Star team and captured 3 Golden Gloves. He called it quits at age 40. Pearson sparked the Suns to 4 pennants in his career.

Bucky O'Brian played in the IPA from 2013 to 2033, the vast majority of the time with the Mahaska Haymakers. Bucky was an 11-time All-Star behind the plate, won one Golden Glove and led the Haymakers to 3 TU North flags. At the plate he posted a .299 career average with 2929 hits, 374 roundtrippers, 1559 RBIs and 1352 runs. O'Brian was 40 when he retired.

Kenny Willard was a force for the Ancona Red Elephants for most of the years from 2013 to 2031. He batted .301 lifetime with 2984 hits, 441 HRs, 1614 RBIs and 1698 runs. 7 times Willard was an All-Star, won the RU Most Valuable Player Award in 2022 and hauled in 5 Golden Gloves, while helping Ancona win 4 RU North divisional crowns. He hung up his spikes at 39.

Thanks for putting together the list with the colors, EC. That will make it easier on me for sure.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 1, 2034

IPA Heads Into Sept, Only 2 Tight Races
Not too many tight pennant races in the Islandian Pro Alliance going into the last few weeks of the season... in the Ruthlandian North the Ranford Bulls have overtaken the Far Mountain Redhawks, but it's close... the Bulls are up barely by just two games... Ancona is in the third spot and trails by six... the only other tight race is also in the Ruthlandian Union... Crystal Lake has a slight two-game edge over St. John in the RU South with Belair Beach six games off the pace... In the RU East the Eastshore Elegants are up by seven over the Beechwood Bobcats... and in the RU West the Volusia Vigilantes are in front of the Middlefield Roosters by six games.

Three of the divisions in the Tycobbian Union are pretty much decided with Tuckanarra holding a 14-game bulge over second-place Ozarka in the TU East... the Chicopee Braves and the San Alejo Montaneros have solid 11-game margins in the TU West and TU South respectively... no one is likely to catch any of them... the TU North is still up for grabs, but the North Hills Hawks are ahead of runner-up White River by five games.

knuckler, here are some of the IPA team logos for you.

Chicopee's colors are Red and Mustard Yellow.

Tuckanarra is Blue and Red, however Blue and White like you did it may be even better.

Create whatever you like. The Chicopee and Tuckanarra logo designs are excellent as you did them. Chicopee's colors need to be changed.

Ancona's colors are crimson and gray.

I will post the logos three at a time. Work at your own pace. There is no rush.

Thanks for updating my logos. Very much appreciate your excellent work.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian North Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

30-Year Drought Ends, Ranford Finally Win RU North
The Ranford Bulls were the fourth pick to win the Ruthlandian North in The Islandian Times preseason prognostications, while the Far Mountain Redhawks were the favorite... But it didn't turn out that way... the Bulls chugged along and persevered, playing just one game over .500 in the second half, but it was good enough to overtake the Redhawks, who dipped to seven games under the break-even point... it got down to the last few games and Ranford won two of its last four contests, while Far Mountain folded and lost them all to finish 2 games behind the Bulls... only two teams in the division wound up with winning seasons.

The last time Ranford (84-70) won the TU North was way back in 2005... Ranford possesses pretty good pitching with a 3.42 team ERA (5th), paced by All-Star Jimmy Collins (21-9/3.38) and Chad Cummings (17-14/2.43)... add in the Satcher brothers, Rube (14-15/2.80) and Joah (9-9/3.17) and skipper Rick Fargnoli has a solid starting rotation... the mound staff is the team's only hope in the postseason... the offense is weak with a .259 BA (25th), 643 runs (25th-tied) and only 107 homers (30th)... 3B Alex Vanno (.280/27/88/84) and SS Sonny Statum (.285/5/51/86) are the only respectable batters in the lineup... the Bulls are overmatched in the Pro Cup playoffs.

Runnerup Far Mountain (82-72) led most of the first half of the season, but faded in the stretch drive... the Redhawks have good pitching with a 3.26 team ERA (3rd), but lacked offense with a .259 BA (23rd), 643 runs (25th-tied) and only 104 home runs (31st)... manager Don Nichols has five quality starters in Jakob Wagner (20-12/2.77), Jeff Cooper (15-10/2.87), Keith Griggs (13-11/4.03), Paul Zimmer (15-14/3.44) and Frankie Moreland (15-18/3.25)... none of the bats were outstanding with the best of the lot being LF Jeff Karkinos (.311/16/78/55) and RF Wes Wernstedt (.305/3/57/67).

The Ancona Red Elephants (76-78) with rookie manager Kenny Willard at the helm batted .256 (27th) with 683 runs (22nd) and 168 HRs (5th)... the team ERA was 4.10 (25th)... not really much of a ballclub... Ancona came in third in a very weak division, ending up 8 games out of first... Giannis Bakas (16-13/3.63), Lou Gianakos (17-11/4.06) and Matt Loudermilk (18-20/3.11) topped the staff, while CF Felix Domengeaux (.244/38/102/74) powered the offense with help from SS Tommy Richardson (.338/18/65/85), 1B Danny Webber (.289/17/61/64), 3B Alex Zitek (.307/22/70/59), 2B Ricky Boyer (.271/16/51/82) and LF Floyd McClellan (.253/23/70/72)... new manager Kenny Willard didn't win the pennant, but he did get a nice consolation prize... he was named to the IPA Hall of Fame this year... Willard starred for the Red Elephants for most of his standout 19 seasons... he batted .301 lifetime with 441 HRs and was a 6-time All-Star and 6-time Gold Glover... in 2022 Willard was the Ruthlandian MVP.

The LaGrange Sports (75-79) were coming off two pennants in a row, but came in fourth this year, 9 games off the pace... a third straight RU North flag was not beyond expectations... especially if you went by the stats... the Sports batted .263/(19th) with 686 runs (19th-tied) and walloped 173 roundtrippers (3rd)... they were good on the hill, too, with a 3.48 team ERA (8th)... one bad month killed them... LaGrange was 10-19 in August... strong vets Ryan Jansen (21-14/3.09) and Walt Thurber (17-14/2.99) led the pitchers... All-Star LF Russell Watkins (.312/40/104/87), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.293/31/80/83) and RF Anton Hymel (.287/20/86/87) led the veteran lineup.

Jet Kazmarek hasn't had much talent the last three seasons in Valmara (69-85)... just a lackluster ballclub, the Vipers wound up in the fifth spot in the standings.. Lucky Lafferty (15-12/3.34) and rookie Janek Zoldak (17-13/4.15) were the winningest hurlers... 1B Radley Singleton (.297/20/68/71) and LF Benny Hooper (.263/15/69/74) provided what little offense the Vipers had.

Rusty Denicola's Kilkenny Cats (67-87) began the season optimistically and were the second choice of the baseball world to win the pennant after Far Mountain... but that forecast didn't come to fruition... the Cats were clawed to pieces by the opposition and they flopped to sixth place in the RU North, trailing by 17 games... Kilkenny has the worst offense in the RU with a .244 batting average (32nd) and only 594 runs (32nd)... the pitching is fairly good with a 3.53 team ERA (9th)... veteran starter Dave Whitaker (16-14/2.93), twice an RU Golden Arm winner and also an RU MVP winner, still can do the job very well, but lacks run support... Dean Harris (15-18/3.35) is in the same boat... talented 3B Leevi Viru (.286/20/90/71), a 6-time All-Star, is still a standout hitter... the rest of the batting order is mediocre at best.

It's been over three decades since the Glasco Athletics (65-89) have won a pennant or made the Pro Cup playoffs... Barry McCord's club is long overdue... the A's are at the bottom of the division in hitting and pitching with a .259 BA (26th) and a 4.25 team ERA (29th)... consequently they finished next-to-last and 19 games out in the pennant race... veteran Earl Perkins (19-15/4.06) was the most effective starter and SS Greg Stone (.291/18/72/46) was the only productive bat in the lineup.

For the ninth time in ten years the Taranto Tars (62-92) are a second-division team... new manager Augie Marshall led them to another last-place finish in his rookie year... it's the fourth time in the last five seasons they came in last... Marshall starred for the Tars for 10 years during their glory days... in 2015 Taranto won its only Pro Cup... lifetime Marshall batted .287 with 504 homers... he was the RU Rookie of the Year in 2013 and made the All-Star team nine times... the Tars were last in pitching with a very poor 4.52 ERA and they batted just .248 (30th)... Taranto hits homers in its tiny Palazzo di Sport, but the opponents do it even better... the Tars were outhomered 252 (32nd) to 164 (7th)... CF Antonio Venacio (.283/23/65/78) was the club leader, followed by 1B Pasquale Zavaglia (.248/26/72/39)... Tommy Brown (14-12/3.87) was the only pitcher with a winning record.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian South Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian South Final Recap
Three clubs contended most of the season in the Ruthlandian South with the title finally going to the Crystal Lake Crushers, who whipped last year's champ St. John by four games and Belair Beach by five games... fourth in the race was the San Dimas Rancheros, who finished 9 games behind... Waleska came in fifth, 10 games behind Crystal Lake... Grand City wound up in sixth place and trailed by 12 games... preseason favorite Claxton was a complete bust and ended up in seventh place and 21 games off the pace... last place went to the Valka Blackhawks, a distant 24 game back in the race.

Herman "Baby" George has made steady progress as skipper of the Crystal Lake Crushers (91-63) in the last few years and it all came together this season with the RU South division crown...the Crushers played good ball throughout the year, slumping only in June with a 12-14 mark... Crystal Lake took charge in July with a strong 19-9 mark and kept a comfortable lead the rest of the way, although St. John and Belair Beach kept the pressure on, but couldn't close the gap... George had a potent attack with a strong .292 team BA (1st), 782 runs (3rd) and 140 HRs (15th), while having a little better-than-average mound corps with a 3.70 team ERA (15th)... leading the explosive batting order were veteran 1B Big Sam Takota (.313/31/98/75), a free agent jewel from Denton City, rookie phenom RF Paul Dillon (.342/11/64/102), SS Mack Cummings (.320/22/89/91) and All-Star C Stan Stanek (.315/23/88/76), along with free agent CF Teke Holmes (.293/4/44/43), a free agent signee from Cold Creek... on the hill the Crushers had two standouts in Arnie Cason (21-5/2.84) and Denny Mills (22-13/3.35)... number three and four starters Douglas Merrill (16-16/3.70) and Sonny Marsh (10-6/4.02) were reliable, too... look for Crystal Lake to be a strong contender for the Pro Cup this year, along with the Eastshore Elegants of the RU East and the trio of powers in the Tycobbian Union, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays, Chicopee Braves and the North Hills Hawks.

The defending division champion St. John Crusaders (87-67) may have better overall this year, yet came in second... manager Clayton Luck's club was strong at the plate with a .286 BA (2nd) and 793 runs (2nd), but could use some more firepower... the Crusaders had only 89 homers and ranked last in the RU... only Arlon in the Tycobbian Union had fewer with just 76... sparking the St. John bats were SS Hal Burton (.316/2/71/103), 2B Byron Johannsen (.316/12/73/80), All-Star 1B Johnny Zahn (.319/76/81), 3B Norm Murdoch (.288/3/61/78) and LF Marty Armstrong (.294/15/54/43)... on the hill the ace was All-Star Jeremy Kirk (23-10/2.73)... Nelson Hawthorne (17-14/3.74) was a workhorse, too... 40-year-old Duncan Welch (10-3/2.98) was a surprising free agent gift, who was picked up in June for middle relief and quickly evolved into a solid starter... closer Raydon Burks (12-5/2.16/8 saves) also stood out... last year's ace Zack Dowdle (16-14/2.91) was a crucial loss... he signed with San Dimas, a division foe.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds (86-68) turned it around with some fine pitching and climbed from last place last season to a strong third this year... it's been a long time since the Sunbirds played in the Pro Cup playoffs, last appearing in 2016... manager Slim Mosley has a good club with a 3.41 team ERA (4th), .268 team BA (13th), good scoring with 709 runs (13th) and 131 HRs (19th)... Joel Gregg (19-17/2.97) led the starters in ERA and tied for the lead in wins... Kerstan Mak (19-7/3.57) had a great rookie season, along with another freshman Todd Clyman (17-12/3.85)... third-year man Stefan Zeeman (12-17/3.01) was also a tough customer, but had some hard luck... topping the batting order were All-Star CF Bobby Meusel (.292/26/84/102) and 2B Joey Harris (.270/18/71/104)... vet LF Pat Webb (.291/18/77/78), SS Johnny Wofford (.307/12/73/62) and C Deman Kooken (.296/11/52/58) also lent good bat support.

A poor 11-18 August spoiled a good season for the fourth place San Dimas Rancheros (82-72), who signed several fine free agents... manager Wesley Pate has an impressive lineup that posted a great .292 BA (1st), strong scoring with 782 runs (3rd) and rapped 140 out of the park (15th), while putting up an adequate 3.70 team ERA (15th)... the Rancheros have good bats galore with rookie RF Denny Hendrix (.312/27/78/93), free agent from Grand City 1B Mick Langston (.331/29/92/70), RF Wesley Stanley (.293/19/75/54), rookie 2B Weldon Reeder (.258/20/95/71) and SS Glendon Pratt (.353/12/61/67)... and free agent from Hillsboro Gregg Hughes was terrific with a 19-8 record and 3.23 ERA... Zack Dowdle (16-14/2.91) was tough, too... he come over from last year's RU South winner St. John... San Dimas had two other reliable starters in Raul Carrasco (16-12/3.98) and Carroll Cain (10-9/3.98), a free agent signee from Valmara... however the bullpen was abysmal with a 4.52 ERA (30th).

The Waleska Westerners (81-73) got a new manager and made strides both on the hill and at the plate, but still came in fifth, 10 games behind first place Crystal Lake... for the sixth successive season after Waleska copped the IPA Pro Cup in 2028, the Westerners failed to make the postseason... the Westerners faded in the final six weeks of the year, but challenged into August... ace Kevin Meeks held out until late May, then got hurt in July and missed the critical part of the schedule... Meeks would have made a huge difference if he has played the entire year... in just 14 starts Meeks was 9-2 with a 2.25 ERA... things are looking up under new skipper and Hall of Famer Roy Hobbs... the Westerners batted .271 (10th), scored 745 runs (6th-tied) and belted 129 roundtrippers (20th-tied)... on the mound they chalked up a decent 3.77 team ERA (18th)... Hobbs has a bunch of talented players, including his son, rookie Roger Hobbs, who led the club with a .324 BA and 193 hits... Hobbs scored 91 times, hit 10 homers and drove in 55 runs... RF Niles Gregory boomed 31 home runs, drove in 105 runs, scored 112 and hit .266 in a fine season... 1B Glenn Childress batted .279, but had 18 homers, 100 runs batted in and scored 83 runs... superstar LF Loco Dillinger missed more than a month with injuries, but still put up good numbers with a .301 BA, 20 HRs, 80 RBIs and scored 73 times... 3B Monty McMurtry (.287/9/49/95) also had a productive year, too... veteran ace Terry Richards (14-12/2.73) was the only reliable pitcher... the starters were decent, but the bullpen was bad with a 4.37 ERA (28th).

Wade Joslin's Grand City Cybercats (79-75) were supposed to be a serious contender for the RU South title this year... they were rated second best to Claxton, the number one choice in The Islandian Times preseason poll... as it turned out both were dismal failures... the Cybercats came in sixth, 12 games out, while Claxton was seventh in the standings... Grand City had its string of four consecutive first-division finishes snapped this year... they were in the running for the pennant, but slumped in the summer and dropped out... they were tied with St. John for the lead at the All-Star break... Joslin has a good offensive attack with a .278 BA (5th), 755 runs (4th), 160 HRs (9th) and a better-than-average 3.62 team ERA (10th)... the loss of star RF Thomas Hall for half the season was a big loss... Hall averages 30 homers a year with over 100 RBIs... he still hit .304 with 20 homers and 63 RBIs in just 86 games... All-Star 2B Teddy Grantham (.327/34/80/95), LF Bull Durham (.284/26/84/80), SS Tony Ptacek (.297/14/72/80) and 3B Dave Sulligent (.336/7/51.50) sparked the Cybercats at the plate... the mound staff was led by Norm Dawson (15-14/2.84) with help from All-Star Herb Stewart (19-15/3.64) and Quentin Tyler (16-13/3.65).

The Claxton Diamonds (70-84) under manager Dixie Baker were forecast to shine this year and take the division flag for the second time in three seasons... things tarnished quickly from the git-go when star 2B Gary Colton went down in spring training and missed almost all of the season... he played in only 4 games at the end of the year because of knee problems... the Diamonds dipped to seventh place and were a distant 21 games behind winning Crystal Lake... Claxton hit .263 (21st), scored 697 runs (15th), went deep 136 times (17th) and compiled a 3.75 team ERA (17th)... Tommy Brothers (16-13/3.83), Richie Raeburn (12-7/3.98) and Max Jung (13-12/3.54) were the best pitchers, while RF Ivan Krause (.278/37/86/87) was the offensive leader... 3B Jonas Weiss (.272/17/75/88), free agent from Hillsboro 1B Alekos Kotas (.280/18/63/59) and C Jaan Hoogendoorn (.310/11/60/64) were productive, too.

For the sixth straight year the Valka Blackhawks were near the bottom of the division... this year they were basement bound, winding up 24 games off the pace... manager Eddie Lasky's club got off to a great start and led the RU South at the end of April, but the season quickly turned sour and the Blackhawks spiraled downward into the second division... Valka has a good offense with a .273 BA (7th), 739 runs (8th) and 128 home runs (22nd), but they are horrendous on the hill with a 4.40 team ERA (31st)... the Blackhawks' best bats are 1B Mikk Kukk (.301/13/81/79), 3B Bill Bradford (.309/14/84/60), All-Star 2B/SS Olari Ojastu (.275/17/82/79) and RF Kenny Mitzusaka (.294/11/72/61)... the only reliable pitcher was Jake Weiland (17-14/3.36), the only one with an ERA under the 4.30 mark.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 19, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian East Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 19, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Eastshore Blitzes RU East
The Eastshore Elegants played well from April to September and easily captured the Ruthlandian East by a whopping 12 games... Killer Brewster's Elegants just might be the best team in the IPA... they tied with Tuckanarra of the Tycobbian East for the most wins with 98... Cold Creek and Beechwood came in tied for second with the preseason favorite Wynnamac ending up in fourth place, trailing by 16 games... defending Pro Cup champion Elnora and Marston deadlocked for the fifth spot, while Sugar Valley and Belle Plaine wound up in last place and 22 games back in the race... the RU East is one of the best divisions in the IPA with six teams sporting winning records... Sugar Valley and Belle Plaine missed breaking even by just two games.

This was the best season for Eastshore (98-56) since the banners seasons 2016 through 2021 when the Elegants copped two Pro Cup titles in 2017 and 2018 and four straight division flags... they were the third choice behind Wynnamac and Cold Creek in The Islandian Times preseason poll... manager Killer Brewster has superb pitching with a 2.95 team ERA (1st), not only fine starters, but strong relievers, too... the Elegants might be the best overall staff in the IPA and will certainly contend for the best team as well... top starters are Koy Clampett (22-13/2.90), All-Star Don Klingenberg (21-10/2.90), Ramon Contreras (18-11/2.76) and veteran Randy Boone (14-8/3.36)... rookie Delaney Moss (6-8/2.37/17 saves) heads up an impressive bullpen... at the plate it doesn't get any better than the dynamic duo of CF Scotty Lagrange (.332/41/127/111) and RF Neil Richard (.367/16/78/82)... Lagrange led the RU in homers and the IPA in RBIs, while Richard had the best batting average in the IPA... 2B Johnny Petrak (.296/22/90/94) and SS Larry Romney (.290/21/73/64) lent some good offensive support, too.

This was supposed to be "the year" for the Cold Creek Catamounts (86-68)... they were expected to be a serious challenger in the RU East... they stayed close until the All-Star game, but then couldn't keep up with Eastshore and faded in the second half of the season, finally tying with Beechwood for the runnerup spot in the standings, but 12 games behind in the pennant hunt... manager Scoop Lemieux did it with a strong pitching staff that posted a 3.08 team ERA... offensively the Catamounts didn't have it... they hit .267 (14th), but scored only 627 runs (30th) and hit just 109 homers (29th)... J. J. Gillespie (26-13/2.06) tied with North Hills' Dave Michael for the most victories in the IPA and led the RU with the lowest ERA... Harvey Fullerton (20-11/3.22) and George Bailey (19-14/3.17) were standouts, too... reliever Eddie Brasher (7-5/3.25/20 saves) topped the RU in saves and appeared in 59 games... Lemieux's top bats were All-Star CF Guy St. Laurent (.283/25/92/92), RF Pat Foreman (.298/18/54/90) and 1B Steve Daniels (.283/15/84/59)... OF Walt Babin (.307), OF Shane Murphy (.325) and 2B Morten Jonassen (.303) also showed some promise at the plate... 36-year-old newcomer 3B Maska Chandler (.258/21/74/73) showed some good power at times... Chandler was a free agent signee from San Dimas... the future is looking good in Cold Creek.

After six disappointing seasons in a row, the Beechwood Bobcats (86-68) of Bret George were slated to finish sixth this year in the polls, but blossomed by rising up from the cellar to second place... Beechwood hasn't been to the Pro Cup playoffs since winning pennants in 2026 and 2027... the Bobcats remained close to champ Eastshore until they wilted in August and September... George has a solid club with a 3.42 team ERA (6th) and a .271 team BA (11th) with 730 runs (10th-tied), but comes up short in power department with only 119 roundtrippers (25th-tied)... the Bobcats feature a fine trio of starters in 23-year-old Neil Palmer (21-10/2.90), veteran Maury Patterson (20-10/3.34) and veteran Ken Arby (18-16/3.15)... Patterson and Arby were the youthful aces of the pennant seasons... they are still quality hurlers at age 31 and 27 respectively... RF Howie Baldwin (.277/32/112/91), LF Herb Douglas (.303/6/66/99) and 3B Joey Hagburn (.320/14/70/51) carried most of the offensive load for the Bobcats.

For the tenth consecutive year the Wynnamac Sundowners (82-72) have made the RU East first division under skipper Matt Donnelly... they were forecast to win it this season, but ended up in the fourth spot 16 games off the pace... Donnelly has won two pennants in the last decade... in 2025 and 2030... Wynnamac has won one Pro Cup (2008)... the Sundowners are a better-than-average club with a .274 BA (6th), 703 runs (14th) and 121 HRs (23rd)... on the hill they chalked up a 3.64 team ERA (11th)... ace Killara Bardo (21-15/2.64) won 20 games for the fourth time in his seven IPA seasons... Jason Meeks (19-12/4.13) and Jeremy Vincent (14-13/3.54) were also quality performers... Donnelly's top bats were LF Allen Dundee (.329/20/106/92), 2B Ed Lane (.281/7/57/80) and CF Terry Weigand (.275/21/71/65).

Last year's Pro Cup winner Elnora (81-73) and Marston (81-73) finished in a deadheat for fifth place, winding up 17 games out... the All-Stars were ranked fifth in the preseason porgnostications... manager Leon Carter was fresh off of three successive division flags, plus the Pro Cup trophy last year, but things didn't go their way... the club didn't play like last year... the batting average was down and the team ERA was up... Elnora batted .272 (9th) with 725 runs (12th) and 133 HRs (18th)... on the hill they registered a so-so 3.72 ERA (16th)... not pennant-winning numbers... Jesus Robles (18-8/3.50) and All-Star Stan Kivas (15-14/2.82) were the best pitchers... however, Kivas faltered badly after an 8-3 and 1.77 ERA record at the mid-year mark, going 7-11 in the second half... Jeremy Sellers, who won 20 or more games the previous three years, slumped badly to 13-17 and a 4.02 ERA... ditto for Freddy Pfeffer, who won 20 or more games the last two years, dipped to 12-12 and a sky-high 4.53 ERA... still the offense was strong and paced by LF Clint Thomas (.320/19/85/100), All-Star 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.328/11/48/90), 1B Matt Boyd (.295/20/80/71), All-Star RF Travis Glass (.266/30/89/82) and 3B Danny Bierhoff (.311/16/67/51), who missed out on almost half the season with a broken thumb.

Since winning the RU East flag in 2028, it's been the second division for manager Danny Church and his Marston Nine (81-73)... but this year it's been a good season, despite another fifth-place finish... Church was on the verge of getting fired... the Nine were eight games over .500 and were in the race until the mid-season mark... they continued to play well, but couldn't keep up with the awesome Eastshore Elegants... Marston's marvelous 23-year-old righthander Pat Brown carried the ballclub with a 25-11 record and 2.69 ERA... but he did get some vital help from All-Star 1B Marco Ameche (.314/24/92/83), SS Johnny Church (.302/13/53/89) and RF Warren Cleveland (.279/23/81/89).

Chalk it up as another bad year for the Sugar Valley Rattlers (76-78)... for the third successive season manager Gibby Bobkins has wound up deep in the RU East second division, tied with Belle Plaine for last place, 22 games back of pennant-winning Eastshore... the Rattlers batted only .253 (28th), but ranked second in longballs with 180 and tied for sixth in runs with 745... on the mound they were bad with a 4.34 team ERA (30th)... Juan Navarro (13-18/3.26) was the only pitcher under 4.00 ERA... Eddie Pitre (15-12/4.68) and Rod Prince (15-8/4.24) had winning records, but poor ERAs... Sugar Valley plays in Farmers Memorial Park, which has 310-foot fences... hence the high ERA's and home runs... sparking the Rattlers' attack were All-Star CF Bobby Gamble (.305/28/97/106), LF Tyler White (.237/31/111/94), 1B Giles Butler (.288/27/70/73) and SS Jesse Burns (.318/2/44/83).

2034 wasn't a good season for the perennial also-ran Belle Plaine Musketeers (76-78)... the Muskies went into the year expecting better after last season's jump from deep in the second division to a startling, fairly close second-place finish to IPA champion Elnora... they lost out by only five games... the Musketeers haven't graced the postseason since 2009... manager Dave Torregrossa needs help on the mound and at the plate to become a serious contender once again... yet Belle Plaine came within two wins of the .500 mark, not too bad for a last-place club... the Muskies batted .264 (17th), scored 686 runs (19th-tied) and swatted 120 out of the park (24th) with a 3.88 team ERA (22nd)... the offensive leaders were CF Harry Tashina (.316/15/59/114), All-Star RF Noel Martin (.297/25/109/98), C Derek Roman (.289/17/65/63) and LF Shelby Glasscock (.264/18/70/78)... closer Johnny Duncan sparkled in the bullpen with an 11-5 record, 2.32 ERA and 17 saves.... and Benny Lucas (15-12/4.10) and rookie Leon Lacombe (13-6/3.53) topped the team in wins.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 19, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian West Final Standings