Attachment 837903
Friday, October 28, 2072

IPA BEST PITCHER PRIZES GO TO MACS' FLANDERS AND BAYVIEW'S PENFIELD
Kudos to the top pitchers in the Islandian Pro Alliance... the 2072 Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award was presented to Mick Flanders of the Wynnamac Sundowners and the 2072 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award went to Timmy Penfield of the Bayview Vikings... Flanders is a 28-year-old right-hander and a 6-year veteran... Penfield, a little right-hander, is just 23 and has been with the Vikings for 4 seasons... both hurlers sparked their clubs to standout seasons... the Macs won the Ruthlandian East and Bayview was just barely beaten out by one game by the La Claire Lynx in the Tycobbian West race.

Mick Flanders sparkled on the mound this season with a 19-5 mark and a 2.92 ERA in 31 starts... the 6-foot-9 twirler led the IPA with 214 strikeouts in 221 innings... Flanders led the RU with 5 shutouts, which was second place in the IPA... lifetime he is 56-27 with a fine 3.15 ERA.

Eric Connor of the Ranford Bulls came in second the RU Golden Arm competition... Connor, a 30-year-old left-hander, paced the IPA with 20 victories and 33 starts... he ended up 20-9 with a 2.87 ERA... the Bulls wound up 4th in the RU North pennant race... Connor is a 9-year vet, all with Ranford.

Third place in the 2072 RU Golden Arm balloting went to a closer, Dave Loxley of the LaGrange Gators... a 15-year veteran, this was one of his best seasons at age 36... Loxley was 9-2 with an excellent 1.74 ERA... he topped the Ruthlandian Union for the second straight year with 33 saves... the Gators tied for second place in the RU North, 9 games out of first place.

Timmy Penfield, the 2072 TU Golden Arm winner, wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with an 18-8 record in 25 starts with a splendid 2.20 ERA... his ERA was the best in the IPA.

Hoyt Harper of the Hillsboro Blazers challenged Penfield for the Golden Arm trophy, winding up as the runner-up... Harper registered an impressive 19-4 mark and a 2.92 ERA in 27 starts... the Blazers had a fine season, coming in a close second to the Red Bluff Red Sox, the champion of the TU East.

Penfield's pitching partner in Bayview, Billy Wilkerson, wound up in the third spot in the TU Golden Arm race... Wilkerson compiled an 18-8 season with a strong 2.51 ERA and led the IPA with an amazing 9 shutouts.

Ruthlandian Union

Attachment 838286
Saturday, October 29, 2072

SUPER HITTERS NAMED IN RUTHLANDIAN AND TYCOBBIAN UNIONS... WALDREP, APPLE RECEIVE GOLDEN BATS
Each season in the Islandian Pro Alliance the top batsmen are selected and are presented the Golden Bat Award, emblematic of being the best hitter in each of the leagues... this season the 2072 Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award was given to Lanny Waldrep, star right fielder for the Colfax Black Sox and the 2072 Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award recipient was Corky Apple, standout left fielder for the Turon Typhoons... this is the 4th time Waldrep has been chosen... the 34-year-old superstar also won the RU Golden Bat in 1959, 1966 and 1970... Waldrep, a 16-year veteran, almost won it on 5 other occasions, finishing second or third in the balloting... Apple is 25 and has played 5 seasons in the IPA... this is the first time Apple claimed the TU Golden Bat trophy.

2072 was another terrific year for Waldrep... he is showing no signs of slowing down... this was one of his best seasons with a .335 BA in 149 games with 37 doubles, 4 triples, 38 homers, 121 RBIs and 105 runs and he also walked 115 times with a .453 OBP... and Waldrep even stole 4 bases... despite his best efforts Colfax finished 6th in the RU West race with a 73-81 record, 22 games behind champion Stoner... in his remarkable career Waldrep is a .314 hitter with 505 home runs and 1607 runs batted in... he has led the Ruthlandian Union in homers the last three seasons... Waldrep is an 8-time All-Star and 5-time Golden Glove... yep, Waldrep is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, for sure.

Valmara's superlative first baseman Stefan Starzynski was runner-up to Waldrep in the Ruthlandian Golden Bat poll... at age 23, he sparked the Vipers to the RU North Division title with a .314 BA in 153 games, 29 doubles, 4 triples, 33 roundtrippers, 112 ribbies, 122 runs scored and 18 stolen bases... Valmara had the best record in the IPA with a 97-57 mark.

Coming in 3rd in the Ruthlandian Golden Bat poll was Belle Plaine's second baseman Andre Lemoine... in 154 games he batted .342 with 32 homers, 112 RBIs, 117 runs, 115 walks and 15 stolen bases... Lemoine had a .456 OBP... despite his gaudy numbers, the poor Musketeers still came in dead last in the RU East with a very poor 59-95 record... the 30-year-old Lemoine has starred for Belle Plaine for 10 seasons.

Not only is the 2072 Tycobbian Golden Bat a rock-solid hitter, Corky Apple is also a Golden Glover in left field... Apple played in 152 games and led the Turon Typhoons (91-63) to the Tycobbian South Division crown... they whipped perennial powerhouse Southport by 6 games... Apple hit .324 with 201 hits, 33 doubles, 2 triples, 20 home runs, 106 RBIs, 112 runs and 35 stolen bases... lifetime Apple sports a .309 BA with 56 homers, 331 RBIs and 356 runs scored in his 5 years with Turon.

Second place in the TU Golden Bat poll went to Hartsdale's slugging right fielder Tom Colson... he pace the Hellcats to a standout season... Hartsdale (94-60) won the TU North fairly easily by 9 games over the White River Rascals (85-69)... Colson was one of the primary reasons they won the pennant... he batted .286 in 150 games with 135 RBIs, 39 homers, led the league with 123 runs scored and stole 32 bases... Colson is 25 and has played 5 seasons with the Hellcats.

A Hartsdale teammate, first baseman Bobby Gunn, wound up third in the TU Golden Bat voting... the 32-year-old Gunn led the IPA with 152 RBIs... he swatted 43 homers and scored 92 runs, while batting .288 for average... Gunn is a 8-year veteran, 6 with South Fork, the last two with Hartsdale... he had a career year this year.

Ruthlandian Union

Great season for the Typhoons and Silver Sox.

i'll be looking forward to seeing how the Hartsdale Hellcats do this season. i like their unis. And the logo is great. Let's see if they can get some pitching... :eatpop:

Taking a close look at the Hartsdale Hellcats... at midyear, they traded 3 or 4 of the best pitchers... really was a strange move... but they did win the TU North with ease by 9 games... however, they need better pitching in the playoffs... right now they have the bats, just needs some good, strong arms to go with them.

Merry Christmas everybody... hope all of you have a great holiday season.

Thanks for still taking a look at the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Attachment 838532
Sunday, October 30, 2072

IPA MVP AWARDS COPPED BY VALMARA'S SKARZYNSKI AND TURON'S APPLE
One of the most distinguished and celebrated events of the Islandian Pro Alliance season is the awarding of the Ruthlandian and Tycobbian Most Valuable Player trophies... it is a difficult task to narrow it down to just one player... so many are deserving of the revered honor, but only one player in each league can win it... this year the 2072 Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player Award has been conferred on Valmara's splendid first baseman Stefan Skarzynski and the 2072 Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player Award has been given to Turon's talented left fielder Corky Apple.

The 23-year-old Skarzynski had to outpolled plenty of highly-touted and gifted players... he led the Vipers to the RU North pennant by batting .314 in 153 games, collecting 187 hits with 33 homers, 112 RBIs and 122 runs... Skarzynski finished second to the great Lanny Waldrep in the Golden Bat competition, but he won the MVP prize... lifetime in 3 seasons with Valmara, Skarzynski is a .303 batter with 89 roundtrippers, 303 RBIs and 316 runs scored.

This year it wasn't the batters he had to overcome, it was two fine pitchers... number 2 in the Ruthlandian MVP poll was Wynnamac's workhorse Mick Flanders, this year's Golden Arm winner... the big 6-foot-9 right-hander sparked the Macs to the RU East pennant with a terrific 19-5 mark and a 2.92 ERA in 31 starts... Flanders led the IPA in strikeouts with 214 in 221 innings and paced the RU with 5 shutouts.

Al Ragsdale, Belair Beach's fine right-hander, was 3rd in the MVP voting... the 31-year-old racked up 18 victories and only lost 4 times, while posting up an impressive 2.87 ERA in 25 starts... Ragsdale played his first 4 season with Southport in the Tycobbian Union... he has been with the Sunbirds for 2 years... Belair Beach (92-62) came in a close second to the Valka Blackhawks (96-58), finishing 4 games behind them in the RU South.

In the Tycobbian Union it was the hard-hitting kings of swing that Corky Apple had to beat out for the TU Most Valuable Player trophy... Apple is a triple awards winner... he is also the 2072 TU Golden Bat this season... Apple reigned supreme again over his Golden Bat challengers and garnered the MVP prize, too... Apple paced Turon to the Tycobbian South pennant with a .314 BA in 152 games with 201 hits, 33 doubles, 2 triples, 20 home runs, 106 RBIs, 112 runs and 35 stolen bases... he also won his second straight Golden Glove in left field... it was a great season for Apple... his Typhoons also won the IPA Pro Cup, defeating Stoner 3 games to 1 in the best-of-five series.

Timmy Penfield, Bayview's brilliant right-hander, and Bobby Gunn, Hartsdale's slugging outfielder, ran 2 and 3 in the TU Most Valuable Player poll... in his 4th season the 23-year-old Penfield, put up a standout 18-8 record in 25 starts with an IPA-leading 2.20 ERA... Penfield propelled the Vikings to a very close second place in the TU West... La Claire nipped them by just one scant game... Gunn led the Hellcats to the TU North pennant... Gunn had a super season and led the IPA with 152 RBIs... he went deep 43 times this season, scored 94 times and hit for a .288 batting average in 148 games... Gunn finished 3rd in the Tycobbian Golden Bat poll.

2072 Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Players

Attachment 838710
Monday, October 31, 2072

IPA BEST SKIPPER TROPHIES TO STONER'S CHAPEL AND HARTSDALE'S MARKIS
Billy Chapel of the Stoner Silver Sox and Mark Markis of the Hartsdale Hellcats have a lot in common... number one, they are both in their 11th year as skippers... both got the job in 2062... and number two, the Islandian Pro Alliance scribes have chosen them the managers of the year... Chapel is the Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year and Markis is the Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year.

Ruthlandian Union

Acclaim has been a long time coming for Billy Chapel... at age 80 he is one of the elder statesmen of IPA baseball... Chapel starred for the old Stoner Stars of the teens and 20s, winning 260 games and losing 212 games for a poor franchise with a decent 3.40 ERA... this year Chapel piloted the Stoner Silver Sox to the Ruthlandian Union West Division crown with a 95-59 mark, winning it by 13 games... the previous season the Sox were only 72-82, winding up in 6th place and 14 games out of first... Chapel never got to the playoffs as a player and this year was his first time ever in the postseason and he almost won it, but lost out to the Turon Typhoons in 4 games in the Pro Cup Series.

Chapel won out over two other worthy peers, Malcolm Tansbury, skipper of the Eastshore Cotton Kings, and Matvey Kazak, manager of the Valka Blackhawks... both of them were rookies this season... this was their first season as managers... Tansbury was the second-highest votegetter in the RU Manager of the Year poll... he guided Eastshore to an 89-65 mark, good for second place in the RU East race, just 2 games behind pennant-winning Wynnamac (91-63)... it was a terrific turnaround year for the Cotton Kings... in 2071 they were 71-83 and ended up 6th, trailing by 14 games in the chase for the pennant.

Matvay Kazak wound up in the third spot in the Ruthlandian Union best skipper poll... he took the Blackhawks to the playoffs in his first season in charge of the club... Valka improved from 2nd place and 92-62 in '71 to 96-58 and first place this year... the Blackhawks came in 8 games off the pace last year and won by 4 games this year.

Tycobbian Union

The 2072 Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year Award went to Mark Markis of Hartsdale... his Hellcats really turned it around this season, going from 7th place to first place in the TU North... Markis boosted the club's record from 72-82 up to 94-60... in '71 Hartsdale was 25 games back in the pennant race... the Hellcats came out the winner in '72 by 9 games... Markis has a unique background... high school and college ball were his only experience and he was just a mediocre or so-so outfielder at best... he never made it to the Islandian Pro Alliance, but Markis is an analytical genius... the GM at that time, Jud Turchin, hired him to help him evaluate ballplayers... Markis so impressed Turchin over the years that he was given the reins to the ball club when Turchin retired as GM and skipper in '62.

La Claire's Alain Cheval finished second in the TU top skipper balloting... his Lynx came in second in the TU West last year with a solid 89-65 mark, winding up 7 games behind to Rolling Hills, but this year they upped it to 92-62 and took the flag by one game over Bayview... Cheval is in his 11th year as manager.

Markis and Cheval got most of the votes in the TU Manager of the Year voting... a distant third was Turon's manager, Nate Scottsdale... the Typhoons won their third straight Tycobbian South division title with a 91-63 record, winning by 6 games... Manager of the Year voters like to see great improvement from one year to the next... Scottsdale was hurt by the fact that Turon won 104 games in '71... but that's just the way it is is... for him to win the best skipper honor this year, he needed at least 100 wins... but I'm sure Scottsdale is not unhappy... his Turon Typhoons are the 2072 Pro Cup Champion... that's not so bad as a consolation prize, is it?

That wraps up the 2072 Islandian Pro Alliance season.

I think I will need to add a pitcher and a position player to each team to bolster up the rookie class for the 2073 season... the AI didn't do a good job in the rookie class... it was pretty weak this year.

Sorry, I have been working on my South Island League playing games... it takes me 3 days to post the results of each league, the Supreme League and the Secondary League.

Will work on adding 2 free agents to each of the 64 IPA teams today... will try to update the rosters within a week... so I can start the 2073 season.

49 of the 64 teams have been updated for the 2073 IPA season.

15 more to go.

Merry Christmas to you, too, Eugene Church!

Good to hear from you again, StLee... I, too, wish Dale Murphy was in the HOF... he was my wife's granddaddy's favorite player.

Rosters are updated for the 2073 IPA season.

Get ready for some baseball coming to a park near you soon.

Sounds good, looking forward to seeing how the Silver Sox do in the upcoming season after reaching the Pro Cup Series in a big surprise last year.

Sorry I haven't been posting much. I haven't been in the mood with everything that's happened in the past few weeks. I'm feeling a little better now though.

Have missed you... glad to see you are coping better.

Happy New Year !!

And thanks for being such a loyal viewer of the IPA.

Thanks EC. I appreciate it. I barely played OOTP during the first week that I got news of my friend's passing. I've finally begun to feel better during the past week and a half I'd say, although there are some pretty tough moments periodically. Time eventually heals all wounds, and I know that she'd want me to be happy living out my life. OOTP is giving me great joy once again.

Know what you mean... in the last two years, I have lost two of my dear buddies from college... we played a lot of ball together... and often over the passing years we got together to share our old, ancient and overtold war stories... some true... some not so true... methinks, most of us embellish on occasion.

Time does lessen the loss and pain, but it never goes away.

Attachment 840057
Wednesday, April 5, 2073

IPA REVVING TO GO THIS FRIDAY ALL ACROSS THE ISLANDS
Baseball season number 73 is just over the horizon in the Islands... the Islandian Pro Alliance is set to go for another year this Friday afternoon all across Islandia... 64 teams will be toeing the rubber and getting set in the batter's box at diamonds throughout Ruthlandia and Tycobbia.

The word on the coming season from the sportswriters and broadcasters is that it will be more of the same... there are no drastic turnaround teams coming forth this season... the picks of the litter this year looks pretty much like last year's litter... 6 of the 8 teams in the playoffs last year are expected to return this year... all 4 of the pennant winners in the Ruthlandian Union are forecast to be victors again... but that's not the case in the Tycobbian Union where only one division titlist is favored this year... the Pro Cup champion Turon Typhoons should repeat as the TU South champion and defend its title in October... however, the 3 expected winners this year in the TU did finish high up in the standings last year... they are no rising stars coming up over the horizon... no one like the Stoner Silver Sox, who in one season almost gloriously rose from the bottom of their division to the revered heights of the IPA championship.

Last year's Ruthlandian Union flag winners are favored to repeat... Valmara will take the RU North for the 4th year in a row, Valka gets it 2nd straight RU South title, Wynnamac will triumph in the RU East for the 4th successive season and Stoner will repeat in the RU West... however, the scenario is a lot different in the Tycobbian Union... only Pro Cup champion Turon is picked to win again this season... the Typhoons are expected to win the TU South for the 4th consecutive year... the TU North will go to the White River Rascals... and South Fork will prevail in the TU East... but guess who is back in the pennant chase this year?...the Rolling Hills Racers lost the TU West last season for the first time in 12 years... they slipped to the 4th spot in the standings, but now they are back with a newly-revamped lineup... IPA icons Teddy Stonich, Jean-Luc Roubique and Jimmy Brandini have retired... but they still have Hugo Sutton and a group of rock-solid newcomers to keep the torch burning... but don't be too surprised if some of last year's pennant contenders upset some favorite's applecart... teams like Tuckanarra, Bayview, Chicopee, Ranford, Belair Beach, Eastshore, Marston, Sugar Valley and Forest City are waiting in the wings just waiting for someone to stumble and falter.

The Islandian Times IPA Preseason Poll
1. TURON TYPHOONS
2. Valmara Vipers
3. Valka Blackhawks
4. Stoner Silver Sox
5. South Fork Stallions
6. Rolling Hills Racers
7. White River Rascals
8. Wynnamac Sundowners

2073 IPA Pro Cup Forecast
Defending champion Turon will win back-to-back Pro Cups... they also made the Pro Cup Finals in '70 and '71, but were defeated... the Typhoons have the pitching, offense and defense to do it... they will defeat the Valmara Vipers in 6 games for the overall 2073 IPA championship.

IPA clubs have repeated as Pro Cup champions 7 times... the Far Mountain Redhawks did it twice when they won the IPA title 3 years in a row in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

*

2073 Ruthlandian Union Preseason Prediction
Attachment 840178
Attachment 840179
2073 Tycobbian Union Preseason Prediction
Attachment 840180

Computer is acting strangely... very, very slow processing... won't be posting much for awhile... may need a new computer.

OOTP crashed when I tried to open in it up... finally got it to open, but it would take 30 seconds to process between each click.

Will just shut everything down until I can get someone to look at it.

The OOTP Forum is working OK... just a little slow processing between clicks... take 1-2 seconds, not 30 like the OOTP game.

Hopefully doesn't keep you out of commission too long!

Gonna get a new computer.

Currently backing up my 7500 songs in my music library on an external hard drive... will also back up my OOTP leagued, too... if the computer lasts that long.

Wish me luck.

Successfully backed up my music library... and the Islandian Pro Alliance... the IPA to about 24 hours to back up on an external hard drive... but it is really slow booting up... and slow going to the internet... but once I get there, it is fine.


It may take me a couple of weeks to get a new computer and get it loaded up.

I just bought a new computer... it may be overkill... but it will take care of my OOTP needs for quite a few years... I got a very fine graphics card... it should handle OOTP animation improvements for a few versions of the game in the coming years.

Total cost: $1149.19 (tax and all)

Here are the tech specs of my new PC:

Intel® Core™
XPS 8940
XPS Desktop Special Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars. Read reviews for average rating value is 4.3 of 5.


Tech Specs
Processor
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400 processor(6-Core, 12M Cache, 2.6GHz to 4.4GHz)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home, English
Graphics Cardi
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 SUPER™ 4GB GDDR6
Hard Drive
512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD
Memoryi
16GB, 8Gx2, DDR4, 2933MHz
Wireless
Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i (2x2) 802.11ax Wireless and Bluetooth 5.1
Display

The Islandian Pro Alliance should be up-and-running again in all of its radiant glory in about 3 weeks.

It will be worth it! I got a new iMac two years ago. It was about $1300 with tax. OOTP runs amazing on it. Quck and smooth. Also the computer in general is just fast, and the picture is super sharp and colorful. Even basic things like internet browsing and email are more enjoyable.

Glad to hear that from you... I have always been happy with the computers I have had the last 15 years... I decided to upgrade this time because of the OOTP animation... also to get more than I need at this time... hopefully this upgrade will take care of me for a few years... maybe it will be quite a few years before my computer becomes just an average computer as the technology advances.

I realized that I needed more hard drive... I have a 1T drive now with 600 GB of free space... so a 512 GB drive would leave me only 60 GB of free space,which in not enough for future needs and requirements... so I got a 512 GB solid state drive for the boot drive and added a 2 TB dual drive.

I had my old computer checked by a technician today... he said it is fine and is not in danger of conking out on me... I was afraid it was failing because of the white screens that have recently been showing up and the slower processing... he said the white screens are a software problem, not a hardware problem.

So I can use it for my South Island Leagues and Islandian Pro Alliance until I get my new computer next month... it has to be built for me.

So get ready for South Island and IPA baseball !

Attachment 842113
Thursday, July 13, 2073

IPA ALL-STARS WILL SHINE NEXT WEDNESDAY IN TURON
Typhoon Stadium in Turon, the home of the defending IPA Pro Cup champion, will be the host of the 73rd Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Classic... next Wednesday the Ruthlandian Stars will tangle with the Tycobbian Stars on the baseball diamond... last year the TU All-Stars got the best of the RU All-Stars 2-1 and increased their dominating lead in the series to 48 to 24 in the 72-game series... the Midsummer Dream Game will feature the top players for the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union slugging it out in a baseball extravaganza.

The Tycobbian All-Stars boast the most experience, led by 9-time All-Stars Roy Roberts (High Mesa) and Hugo Sutton (Rolling Hills), 5-time recipient Rico Alessi (Oxford) and 3-time honorees Zak Smalley (Bayview) and Tarka Thornhill (Chicopee)... the Ruthlandian All-Stars have 4-time All-Star Andre Lemoine (Belle Plaine) and 3-time selections Stefan Skarzynski (Valmara) and Bruno Baptista (Forest City).

There are 4 rookies making their debut in the IPA All-Star Classic... Flipper McKissick (Forest City) is the only first-year man for the RU Stars, while the TU Stars will have 3 newcomers, Jamey Ellison (White River), Lane Clements (Southport) and Cotton Mathers (Rolling Hills)... Raul Bernardo (Volusia) is youngest All-Star at age 22... the senior-most Stars are Pete Manush (San Dimas), Rico Alessi (Oxford) and Camden Watkins (Bayview), all 35 years of age.

Attachment 842149
Tuesday, July 18, 2073

PRESEASON PICKS DOING WELL AT THE IPA HALFWAY POINT
At the All-Star break only 3 of the preseason favorites are on top of their divisions, but almost all of the highly-touted teams are still alive and well in the Islandian Pro Alliance and very much in the hunt for the pennant... midway through the season Valmara, White River and defending IPA champion Turon are on the top of the heap... Rolling Hills is the only pennant pick to falter so far in the season... the Racers are 15 games behind in the Tycobbian West Division... the most surprising team in the IPA this season is the St. John Crusaders in the Ruthlandian Union... the unsung Crusaders are leading the RU South... another underrated club making waves is the Kenwood Wildcats... so far this year they are the best in the TU West.

Around the IPA at the All-Star Game
The Valmara Vipers (54-35) are ahead in the Ruthlandian North, but not by much... Far Mountain (53-36) and Taranto (52-37) are nipping at their heels, only 2 games off the pace, along with the LaGrange Gators (47-42), just 7 games out in the race... the Vipers were the preseason choice to take their 4th flag in a row.

Forecast to finish 5th in the Ruthlandian South the St. John Crusaders (50-39) have had a surprisingly strong first half and have a 2-game edge over Crystal Lake (48-41) and 3 games over perennial contenders Valka (47-42) and Claxton (47-42)... last year's division winner Valka was favored again to take the pennant this year... Belair Beach (44-45) and Waleska (42-47) still have a chance to get into the tussle, too.

The Sugar Valley Rattlers (53-36) and the Eastshore Cotton Kings (52-37) have shaken things up a bit in the Ruthlandian East... at midseason they are ahead of preseason favorite Wynnamac (49-40) and long-time challenger Marston (47-42), but the Macs and the Nine are still close by and dangerous... the Sundowners have won the RU East for the last 3 seasons and are favored to win it again this year... at the All-Star break the Rattlers have a 1-game lead over the Cotton Kings... they are 4 in front of Wynnamac and 6 ahead of Marston.

Last year's Pro Cup finalist, Stoner, was the choice to win again this year in a close race... however, Volusia (52-32), the 4th pick, has jumped into the Ruthlandian West lead at midyear... the Vigilantes are 4 games up on preseason choice Stoner (48-41) and 7 games better than Colfax (45-44), Sligo (45-44) and Middlefield (45-44)... the Forest City Firebirds (40-49) were forecast to be a title contender, but so far they have floundered in 7th place in the standings, 12 games behind.

The White River Rascals (62-27) were picked to be the top dog in the Tycobbian North again this season and they certainly are with a 12-game bulge at midyear... the Rascals have been torrid this year... Mahaska (50-39), Hartsdale (48-41) and Oxford (46-43) are playing good baseball this year, but still are far behind... chances are quite good that White River will prevail in the TU West for the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons... the Rascals are looking like Pro Cup champions.

Pro Cup champion Turon (53-36) is on pace to take their 4th straight division title in the Tycobbian South... their are playing steady baseball and have forged a 4-game lead ove San Alejo (49-40) and are 5 games better than Summerland (48-41)... running a distant 4th are the Southport Sun Sox (44-45) and the Arroyo Grande Suns (44-45)... Southport was looked on as Turon's biggest rival, but so far, the Sun Sox have floundered... the Suns are not expected to challenge the Typhoons... the preseason forecasters have not written Southport off as yet... they have the talent to get back into the pennant hunt.

Over in the Tycobbian East, the always solid Red Bluff Red Sox (57-32) have soared to the top of the division standings, despite being chosen to end up in the 5th fifth spot this season... the Red Sox have surprised the preseason pundits with a 3-game edge over runner-up Tuckanarra (54-35) and a 5-game margin over preseason favorite South Fork... Red Bluff won the division flag last season and has taken 4 of the last 8 pennants... none of the remaining 5 clubs are expected to make a race of it.

No one considered the Kenwood Wildcats (59-30) to be in serious contention in the Tycobbian West this year... they were the 4th choice to capture the pennant behind last year's winner Rolling Hills, Bayview and Chicopee... but lo and behold... yep, can you believe it, Kenwood is 4 games ahead of the second-place Vikings (55-34), 11 in front of the third-place Braves (48-41), 12 better than fourth-place Denton City Redbirds (47-42) and a whopping 15 games ahead of the preseason-favored and perennial powerhouse, the Rolling Hills Racers (44-45).

2073 Ruthlandian Union Midseason Standings
Attachment 842150
Attachment 842151

2073 Tycobbian Union Midseason Standings
Attachment 842152
Attachment 842153

I cancelled the Dell order and purchased an HP Gaming Computer... my computer gaming friend and computer advisor did some research and got me a good gaming computer.

HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop
TG01-2285T
Price: $1282... haggled with them and they lowered the price from $1349.

Operating system
Windows 11 Home
Processor
Intel® Core™ i7-11700 (2.5 GHz base frequency, up to 4.9 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 16 MB L3 cache, 8 cores)[6,7]
Memory
16 GB DDR4-2933 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB)
Graphics
Integrated: Intel® UHD Graphics 750
Discrete: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 (12 GB GDDR6 dedicated)
Storage
256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
Video connector
1 HDMI; 3 DisplayPort™
Wireless technology
Realtek RTL8822CE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2x2) Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® 5 combo
Memory slots
2 DIMM
Secondary storage
2 TB 7200 rpm SATA HDD
Memory card device
HP 3-in-1 memory card reader
Network interface
Integrated 10/100/1000 GbE LAN
Power supply
500 W Gold efficiency power supply

I have no idea what those specs mean, but I'm sure it will be better than what you have now.

White River is on fire this year. Will have to see if they can continue this pace in the 2nd half.

Not sure, either... but I think the difference may be like the difference between a Corolla and a Lexus

The Rascals have always had good pitching in recent years, they just didn't have the offense in the playoffs equal to the best teams... but this year it looks like the offense is much better... White River may be a serious Pro Cup contender this year...the Rascals may be better than the preseason forecast that picked them 7th or 8th in the playoffs.

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Wednesday, July 19, 2073

RU STARS OUTSLUG TU STARS IN 73RD IPA ALL-STAR GAME

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Friday, September 1, 2073

RASCALS, VIGILANTES, VIPERS, TYPHOONS, LOOKING LIKE IPA PENNANT WINNERS... HOWEVER 4 DIVISIONS STILL UP FOR GRABS HEADING INTO SEPTEMBER STRETCH DRIVE
Go with the White River Rascals in the Tycobbian North... yep, many gifted and clairvoyant pundits are already picking them the winner... 3 other division leaders, the Valmara Vipers in the Ruthlandian North, Volusia Vigilantes in the RU West and the reigning Pro Cup titlist Turon Typhoons in the TU South, look to be fairly safe bets to make the Pro Cup playoffs this season... rarely does a team lose that sort of lead in the final month... but it does happen... remember Red Bluff in 2069... the Red Sox flopped badly in September... they blew a 7 and one-half game lead to South Fork.

Rounding the turn and heading into the September stretch drive, White River is far, far ahead with a 19-game bulge over the runner-up Mahaska Haymakers... Volusia is up by 7 and a half games on the Stoner Silver Sox, Turon tops the San Alejo Monteneros by 7 and a half and Valmara is 7 games better than the second place Taranto Tars... but the other 4 divisions are going at it hot-and-heavy in torrid races.

It's a 3-team affair in the Ruthlandian South with one month left in the season... the Crystal Lake Skippers have a 2-game edge on the St. John Crusaders and 2 and a half games on the Valka Blackhawks... the Skippers sizzled in August with a 19-8 mark, while the Crusaders and Blackhawks floundered... St. John fell to 13-14 and Valka was 14-13... starting pitching will be key down the stretch... a slight nod goes to the preseason favorite and last year's flag winner, Valka.

A trio of clubs, Eastshore, Wynnamac and Sugar Valley, are still going at it in the Ruthlandian East race... the Macs posted a great 19-8 in August, the Cotton Kings were 17-11, but the Rattlers slipped to 13-14... Eastshore now is just 1 game ahead of red-hot Wynnamac... and 4 better than slumping Sugar Valley... the teams that get the best pitching will win it... advantage to the Cotton Pickers and the Sundowners.

The South Fork Stallions stayed on top with a great 19-9 run last month, but the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats hung tight with a 17-11 mark, just 3 games behind in the Tycobbian East... it was a so-so August for defending champion Red Bluff... the Red Sox could only muster a 14-14 mark and dropped out of first place, 5 games out... Red Bluff topped the league by 6 games at midseason... the Stallions may have the edge with 3 fine starters in their rotation... the clubs are pretty much even offensively.

The tightest and best race going in the IPA is in the Tycobbian West with 3 teams snarling and grappling with each other... the Bayview Vikings and Kenwood Wildcats are deadlocked for the top spot with the fast-closing Chicopee Braves just 3 games off the pace... the Braves had the best August, compiling a sparkling 18-10 mark... the Vikings went 14-13, while the Wildcats did poorly, going 12-16... Kenwood began the month a game and a half up on Bayview and 8 games ahead of Chicopee... the Braves have very strong pitching, while the Wildcats and Vikings have the bats.

2073 Ruthlandian Union Standings on September 1st
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2073 Tycobbian Union Standings on September 1st
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Just looked at the last month's schedule for the hot races down the September stretch drive.

In the RU South:
St. John-Valka - 9 games between them.
Crystal Lake- St. John - do not play each other in the month.
Crystal Lake-Valka - 6 games.

In the RU East:
Eastshore-Wynnamac - 8 games in September
Eastshore-Sugar Valley - 3 games
Sugar Valley-Wynnamac - 3 games

In the TU East:
South Fork-Tuckanarra - 6 games
South Fork-Red Bluff - 3 games
Tuckanarra- Red Bluff - 3 games

In the TU West:
Bayview-Chicopee - 6 games
Bayiew-Kenwood - do not play each other in September
Kenwood- Chicopee - 3 games

None of the contenders in the TU West have made the playoffs in years... glad to see this... probably will be pulling for the Chicopee Braves... the Braves have only made the playoffs 3 times in their history... 2034, 2035 and 2036... never won the Pro Cup.

Bayview has made the playoffs on 6 occasions... the last time in 2016... never won a Pro Cup.

Kenwood has been to the postseason 10 times... last time in 2052... won its only Pro Cup in 2014.

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Monday, October 2, 2073

KENWOOD CLAIMS TU WEST TITLE IN SUDDEN-DEATH WIN OVER BAYVIEW... OTHER 7 PENNANT WINNERS BREEZED TO THE IPA PRO CUP PLAYOFFS
There was only one real pennant race in the Islandian Pro Alliance this season... and it was a ding-dong dilly... the Kenwood Wildcats and Bayview Vikings had to go overtime to decide the Tycobbian West race... the Wildcats topped the Vikings 6-3 in a sudden-death game after tying for the title in the regular season... for the first time in 22 years Kenwood has made the IPA postseason playoffs... the Wildcats will be going for their first IPA Pro Cup Trophy since winning in 2014... that the only time Kenwood in its history has ever won the overall IPA crown... poor Bayview hasn't been to the playoffs since 2016... it was a heartbreaking defeat for the Vikings... they have never won the Pro Cup.

In the IPA Elite 8 this year representing the Ruthlandian Union are Valmara for the 4th year in a row, Volusia for the 3rd time the last 4 seasons, Valka for the second straight season and Eastshore for the first time since 2056... the 4 Pro Cup contenders in the Tycobbian Union are Turon for the 4th successive season, White River for the 3rd time in 4 years, South Fork for the first time since 2069 and Kenwood, making the playoffs for the first time since 2052... the Typhoons are the reigning Pro Cup champion... they have made the Pro Cup Finals for three years in a row and are favored to do it again and perhaps win back-to-back Pro Cups.

RECAPPING THE RUTHLANDIAN UNION REGULAR SEASON
In the Ruthlandian North Division the Valmara Vipers (98-56) had a 4-team battle on their hands until July... then the Vipers went on a 52-27 late-season tear and won going away... they whipped second place Taranto (90-64) by 8 games, third place Far Mountain by 14 games and fourth place LaGrange by 23 games.

In the Ruthlandian South race it was a nip-and-tuck 5-club fight until August... the Valka Blackhawks (95-59) soared way ahead of Crystal Lake Skippers (85-69) in September by going an amazing 24-3 the final month of the season and torching them by 10 games... third place in the standings went to the midseason leader St. John (83-71) and the fourth spot belonged to the Belair Beach Sunbirds (78-76), 17 games behind.

For the first 4 months it was pretty much a very tight 3-team tussle in the Ruthlandian East... taking off in September the Eastshore Cotton Kings (96-58) sizzled with a 20-7 mark and blitzed everybody... last year's winner Wynnamac (91-63) tried its best, but wound up in the second spot, 5 games out... the Macs stayed close with a 16-11 record... at season's end third place Sugar Valley (84-70) was 12 games off the pace, but they were the league leader at midyear... and Marston (75-79) trailed by 21 games in fourth place... the Nine dropped out of pennant contention in July.

The chase for the Ruthlandian West flag fell apart in July... the Volusia Vigilantes (89-65) chalked up an 18-7 run and handily disposed of all challengers the rest of the way, winning the division comfortably by 7 games over runner-up Colfax (82-72), third place Middlefield (80-74) by 9 games and outpacing fourth place Sligo (79-75) by 10 games... last year's winner Stoner (71-83) fell down to 6th place and 18 games off the pace.

RECAPPING THE TYCOBBIAN UNION REGULAR SEASON
The White River Rascals (106-48) were the overwhelming choice to win the Tycobbian North crown this season and they certainly accomplished that feat... the race was over by June... the Rascals were already in front by 10 games... White River coasted the rest of the way eventually piling up a humongous 23-game bulge over runner-up Mahaska and winning 106 games, the best record in the IPA... Hartsdale and Luxora tied for the third spot and finished 29 games behind... this was the fourth consecutive division title for the Rascals... in all probability they will be the favorite to take the Pro Cup this season... should it happen, it will be an historic event -- White River first overall IPA title.

'twasn't much of a race in the Tycobbian South, either... the defending Pro Cup champion Turon Typhoons (96-58) trampled every team in sight, winning by 16 games over second place Summerland, San Alejo and Southport... the Sunsets, Montaneros and Sun Sox were all 80-74 this season... however, it was a fairly good race with 6 teams in it until mid-August... the Typhoons blew everybody away by going 21-6 the final month... look for Turon and White River in the Tycobbian title series... the baseball forecasters and polls are leaning heavily in that direction.

The South Fork Stallions (97-57) took the lead early in the season, but slumped in June and trailed first place Red Bluff by 6 games... but the Hosses got right back in it with a sparkling 18-6 mark in July and 19-9 in August... by September the pennant race narrowed down to three clubs, South Fork on top, followed closely by Tuckanarra (3 GB) and Red Bluff (4 GB)... the Stallions put them away with an 18-8 showing the last month of the season, outpacing the Tucks and the Red Sox by 7 games each... Red Bluff won the division title in '72.

The best in the Tycobbian West this season were the Kenwood Wildcats (94-61) and the Bayview Vikings (93-62)... it was a terrific seesaw race most of the season just between those two clubs... the Vikings were on top at the end of April... the Wildcats leapfrogged them in May and kept a comfortable 5-game margin until July when Bayview made it a close race again... it stayed that way the rest of the season and culminated with a sudden-death clash to determine the pennant winner... Kenwood first baseman Miguel Blanco homered twice and drove in 4 runs in the 6-3 triumph over the Vikings... the Wildcats got some solid pitching, too... the Chicopee Braves (87-67) had a fine season, too, coming in third, only 6 and a half games back.. preseason pick Rolling Hills (80-74) staggered in a distant 13 and a half games behind, fourth in the standings.

2073 Ruthlandian Union Final Standings
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2073 Tycobbian Union Final Standings
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IPA Playoffs! :eatpop:

Let's see what the Cotton Kings and Wildcats do...

Just at a quick glance... the Cotton Kings could be a serious contender... they can hit and score runs... solid lineup top to bottom in the batting order... and they have 4 quality starters and a fine closer... Eastshore just might give White River and Turon some trouble.

Kenwood is very similar to Eastshore, but with less home-run power and a little less pitching.

I think Eastshore is rated the #3 team in the Pro Cup poll... Kenwood would be #6... the Wildcats really can blister the baseball... topped the IPA with a .293 BA... they are similar to the Stoner Silver Sox, who went to the Pro Cup Finals last season, mainly with their bats... Turon's fine pitching shut them down in the Finals, 3 games to one... Kenwood has 4 pretty good starters, but a weak bullpen.

Looking forward to seeing your complete playoff preview, EC. October baseball is the best time of the year! I'm rooting for Turon to repeat as IPA champs and establish a new dynasty.

Turon is a good, solid, all-around team... the Typhoons have made the Pro Cup Finals the last 3 years and won it last year... they should do well.

It is really tough to win 2 Pro Cups in a row... also even tougher to make the Pro Cup Finals 4 years in a row.

White River is improved this year... the Rascals have better hitting to go with their very fine pitching... they will be a test for Turon.

At a glance Valmara and Eastshore are the best in the Ruthlandian Union.

These are my top 4 picks.

2073 Final Islandian Pro Alliance Batting and Pitching Individual Leaderboards

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I guess Turon can already be considered somewhat of a dynasty. A championship and also winning three straight pennants.