Thanks for the bump.

And many thanks, too, for the very nice words.

I don't know if "classic" applies, but the IPA has been around a little while.

I still enjoy doing it.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 1, 2037

4 RACES STILL GOIN' IN IPA
With one week to go we still have five divisions in doubt in the Islandian Pro Alliance... the defending Pro Cup champion North Hills Hawks have clinched their fourth straight Tycobbian North title... the Tuckanarra Blue Jays have claimed the Tycobbian East for the fourth year in a row... and the Waleska Westerners captured the Ruthlandian South for the second time in three seasons... the Hawks (86-61) won out over the Fairfax Frogs (78-69) and Blue Lake Blue Sox (78-69)... the Tucks (93-54) topped the East Point Panthers (84-63)... and the Westerners (89-58) easily disposed of the Claxton Diamonds (77-70)... all the other races are still up in the air.

Three teams are still in contention in the Ruthlandian West with the Fort Benton Defenders (86-61) holding a tenuous one-game lead over the runner-up Colfax Blasters (85-62) and are just two games up on the third place Sligo Rovers (84-63).

In the Ruthlandian East, the strongest division in the IPA, the Cold Creek Catamounts (96-51) have a slight two-game margin over the second place Elnora All-Stars (94-53)... the Sugar Valley Rattlers (92-55) are in third, trailing by 4 games with 7 games to go... all three powerful clubs are worthy of a Pro Cup postseason spot, but only one of them will get it... each one of them has chalked up 92 or more victories this year... the Catamounts lead the IPA in wins... the All-Stars are second, Tuckanarra (93-54) of the TU East is third and the Rattlers are fourth... six of the teams in the RU East have winning records.

It's a heck of a pennant race in the Tycobbian West between the La Claire Lynx and the Kenwood Wildcats... going into the final week of the season they are tied for first place with 83-64 records.

There's also quite a battle in the Tycobbian South Division... the San Alejo Montaneros (89-58) are two games ahead of the second place Turon Typhoons (87-60) and four in front of the third place Summerland Sunsets (85-62).

LaGrange (82-65) has a good shot at its third consecutive Ruthlandian North Division crown with a four-game bulge over second place Kilkenny (78-69).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 21, 2037

IPA PLAYOFF TEAMS SET
Pro Cup Playoffs are just around the corner... first round action begins this Thursday afternoon with the IPA Elite 8 Series featuring the eight division champions... defending IPA titleholder North Hills is back for a chance to win back-to-back Pro Cups... Tuckanarra was the last club to repeat as IPA champion... the Blue Jays captured the Pro Cup in 2023 and 2024...last year the Hawks whipped the St. John Crusaders in six games... the Crusaders missed the playoffs this year as they wound up fifth in the Ruthlandian South.

The LaGrange Sports claimed the club's third successive Ruthlandian North flag and fifth in six seasons... they fought off the Kilkenny Cats by five games to win the division again... the Sports were 10-9 in the last month, while the Cats stumbled in September with a poor 7-12 mark... LaGrange will tangle with the Waleska Westerners, champion of the Ruthlandian South in the opening round of the playoffs... Waleska ran away with the RU South, beating second place Claxton by 14 games.

The Cold Creek Catamounts with its marvelous mound corps fought off the valiant Sugar Valley Rattlers and Elnora All-Stars to take the Ruthlandian East by four games... the Catamounts went 13-6 in the last three weeks to hold off the Rattlers, who were 15-4, and the All-Stars, who finished up 11-8... the RU East was the best division in the IPA with six clubs ending up over the .500 mark... Cold Creek led the IPA with 101 victories, while Sugar Valley and Elnora posted 97 wins each.

Cold Creek will host the winner of the RU West in the IPA Elite 8 Series, the Fort Benton Defenders... the Defenders edged the runner-up Colfax Blasters by three games and third place Sligo Rovers by four to take the division flag... Fort Benton was 12-7 in the final weeks and managed to hold off the Blasters and Rovers, who were both 10-9 in the stretch drive.

The current IPA champ North Hills had a fairly easy time in the Tycobbian North, winning by nine games over runners-up Oxford, Fairfax and Blue Lake... the Hawks chalked up a 12-7 mark in September, while the Red Caps were 11-8, Frogs 9-10 and the Blue Sox 9-10... North Hills will be on the road in the opening round... they will travel to play the San Alejo Montaneros, the TU South winner... the Monties survived a fierce battle with the Turon Typhoons and Summerland Sunsets, who missed out on the division crown by one game and three games respectively... down the stretch San Alejo was a sizzling 13-6, Turon a torrid 14-5 and Summerland a blistering 13-6... this was the fourth year in a row the Hawks won their division and the fourth time in six seasons San Alejo won the divison pennant.

In the Tycobbian East the powerful Tuckanarra Blue Jays rampaged to another title by 14 games over the East Point Panthers... the Tucks won for the fourth straight season and have taken the division flag six times in the last nine years... the Blue Jays had the second-best record in the IPA with 99 wins... they will entertain the La Claire Lynx in the Elite 8 Series... the Lynx outdid the Kenwood Wildcats by two games in the TU West by going 14-5 in September... the best the Wildcats could do at the end was 10-9... Kenwood took a two-game lead into September, but faltered.

IPA Elite 8 Series schedule:
LaGrange at Waleska - Thursday at Westerner Field
Fort Benton at Cold Creek - Thursday at Holmes Field
North Hills at San Alejo - Thursday at the Casa de Beisbol
La Claire at Tuckanarra - Thursday at Central Park Stadium

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

SPORTS VICTORS AGAIN IN RU NORTH
The LaGrange Sports did it again, capturing the weak Ruthlandian North Division for the third consecutive season and fifth time in six years, but it was a tough task again... they bested Kilkenny by five games to win the flag for the sixth time in the club's history... last year they whipped the Cats by just two games... solid pitching by Mike York (21-11/3.66), Walt Thurber (18-12/3.08) and Earl Perkins (12-7/3.07) and decent bats got the job done for manager Quincy Peterson... his best hitters were SS Fred Bird (.316/2/40/98), LF Vasco Aguilar (.303/15/78/70), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.245/24/92/68), RF Charles Basque (.291/16/69/75) and CF Russell Watkins (.276/25/73/62)... don't expect much from the Sports in the postseason... they have gotten to the second round only twice in six playoff appearances... the Sports are still seeking their first Pro Cup trophy.

The second place Kilkenny Cats of manager Rusty Denicola lived and died with its mound staff, ranking second in the RU with a 3.27 team ERA... Fred Doyle (21-13/2.82) and Dave Whitaker (17-15/2.27) stood out for the Cats... the offense was almost non-existent, rated last in the RU with a .248 BA... 3B Leevi Viru (.258/21/74/78) and 1B Johnny Tallis (.231/24/71/47) provided what little offense they had.

The Glasco Athletics and Far Mountain tied for third place, 10 games back of LaGrange... the A's had mediocre pitching, but could score runs, ranking seventh in the league... Basil Newchurch (14-5/2.67) and Sam Jensen (17-16/3.80) led the rotation for manager Charles Darby, while CF Travis Houston (.308/23/85/101) and 3B Taylor Hampshire (.279/10/53/80) topped the team at the plate.

Like Glasco, the Far Mountain Redhawks finished under the .500 mark... only LaGrange and Kilkenny has winning years... skippered by Hall-of-Famer SS Don Nichols, the Redhawks had decent pitching, headed up by Paul Young (16-10/3.79) and Chad Cummings (12-18/2.94), but little offense, which was supplied by CF Wes Wernstedt (.291/12/61/94), C Ron Marlowe (.271/25/77/53) and LF Harman Silver (.296/18/66/65).

The fifth-place Taranto Tars faded in the second half of the season... they were tied with Ancona, 15 games off the pace... manager Augie Marshall's club doesn't hit or pitch very well, but does go deep because of the short fences at the Palazzo di Sport... they belted 195 HRs (4th), but gave up 243, which was second worst in the IPA to High Mesa's 246... Taranto's top sluggers were star C Angelo Rossi (.316/41/104/86), RF Wes Marlowe (.280/31/76/70), 1B Big Sam Takota (.266/27/86/68) and LF Alden Evans (.268/26/68/71)... vet pitcher Carmine Scalise (17-17/3.86) topped the staff, but he had no help.

The Ancona Red Elephants were lackluster on the hill and at the plate... manager Kenny Willard doesn't have a lot of talent... his best players are pitchers Pablo Pilar (16-14/3.82) and Andre Athas (14-13/3.83), along with 3B Tommy Richardson (.324/18/73/82) and SS Alex Zitek (.255/29/86/74).

The seventh-place Valmara Vipers, guided by Vanya Vasylenko, hit a bit, but have lousy pitching... 3B Andy Ruffino (.315/12/85/102) and veteran RF Benny Hooper (.302/21/100/74) were the standout sticks... CF Jason Wagsdale (.282/12/55/82) also aided the offense with a pretty good year... the starting rotation was ranked 31st in the RU with a 5.42 ERA... only reliever Clark Van Vreeland (10-11/1.67/20 saves) stood out.

The Ranford Bulls finished last in the RU North and trailed by 31 games... manager Chris Bernhoffer's club came in seventh the two previous seasons... terrible pitching and bad batting can do that to you... Rube Satcher (14-19/4.47) and Ronnie Schroeder (17-18/4.69) were the best of the lot on the hill... but the Bulls possessed two fine hitters in RF Dale Weston (.304/47/117/95) and 2B Alex Vanno (.303/26/99/70)... Weston tied Belle Plaine's Boo Boudreaux for the most homers in the Ruthlandian Union with 47, which was second in the IPA to Bayview's Jerry Culpepper, who hit 60 this year.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

WALESKA WALTZES AWAY WITH THE RU SOUTH
A huge surge in July and August by the Waleska Westerners made life miserable for the other contenders in the Ruthlandian South Division... the Westerners only led by two games at the All-Star break, then took charge with a 39-19 run in the summer months to waltz away with the pennant by 14 games over second-place Claxton... San Dimas came in third, 18 games out and Belair Beach finished fourth and 19 games back... this was the Westerners' second division title in three years and fourth RU South flag in the club's history... Waleska won its only Pro Cup in 2028, defeating Tuckanarra of the Tycobbian Union in a great seven-game series.

Heading up manager Roy Hobbs' rotation were Terry Richards (22-11/2.77), Craig Nash (20-10/3.58) and Tony Haskell (19-12/3.77)... leading the Westerners' attack were CF Jon Lassiter (.311/13/56/106), 2B Joey Harris (.283/14/85/92), 3B Monty McMurtry (.285/10/76/82), RF Niles Gregory (.237/26/94/79) and 1B Shayn Lambert (.280/14/83/72)... the Westerners lost one of the all-time IPA greats when outfielder Loco Dillinger retired in June at age 37 after 15 years... disappointed with his lack of playing time, Dillinger said it was time to make way for younger players... Dillinger was a nine-time All-Star, won the Golden Bat five times, twice was named the league's MVP in 2028 and 2029, selected as the Rookie of the Year in 2023, and batted .316 lifetime with 479 homers and 1551 RBIs... he earned one Pro Cup ring in 2028, batting .385 with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, 13 RBIs and 16 runs scored in 18 games... the Westerners beat Tuckanarra in an exciting and tense seven-game series... Dillinger finished second to Roy Hobbs in the Pro Cup MVP voting.

Dixie Baker's Claxton Diamonds were the only other team in the RU South to have a winning season... they were just an average team that stayed in the race until midseason, but were blitzed away by Waleska in the second half... the Diamonds had good power with LF Foxy Fuchs (.319/34/112/114), 1B Jojo DeLucca (.311/34/108/111) and 2B Gary Colton (.291/22/113/91)... all three of them drove in over 100 runs apiece... but the Diamonds suffered on the hill... Art Reese (17-14/4.05) and Stan Yudesh (12-6/4.04) were the best of a lackluster staff.

Skipper Wesley Pate brought the San Dimas Rancheros in third with just a decent club... top performers at the plate were 3B Leonard Purkey (.304/18/90/69), RF Denny Hendrix (.321/27/74/88), 1B Klaus Stordahl (.300/22/77/99) and Herbie Goetz (.287/6/77/68)... on the mound it was Seth Dawson (15-8/3.85), Carroll Cain (17-16/3.68) and Gil Arnaud (14-13/3.42).

In the fourth spot in the standings were the Belair Beach Sunbirds, managed by Hall-of-Famer Phil Gravelli, one of the greatest sluggers in IPA history... the Sunbirds went deep well and were paced by CF Bobby Meusel (.303/27/85/97), 2B Jackie Jackson (.315/18/68/100), 3B Jason Butler (.308/31/92/81) and RF Larry Cole (.291/24/81/83)... in the pitching department they were led by Calvin Carmichael (18-13/3.84) and Stefan Zeeman (13-12/3.55).

For the first time in seven years the St. John Crusaders dipped into the second division of the RU South, falling to a fifth-place tie with Crystal Lake, trailing Waleska by 24 games... the Crusaders were Pro Cup finalist last season and won two flags in the last four seasons... skipper Clayton Luck's pitchers went into the tank this year... only ace Jeremy Kirk (22-14/2.83) had a good season... in the batter's box only RF Nicky Farrugia (.308/31/113/95), 3B Marty Blankenship (.262/32/96/92) and CF Art Kelley (.288/25/77/82) stood out.

Baby George and his Crystal Lake Crushers won the pennant in 2034, but it's been all downhill since with three successive second-division finishes... pitching has gone into the pits and the bats are not as potent as they once were... top gun Arnie Cason (20-13/3.360 is still solid at age 33, but doesn't have any help... the best run producers are RF Paul Dillon (.329/7/62/94), C Stan Stanek (.290/23/79/76) and 1B Johnny Gentry (.281/22/91/62)... 2B Morten Jonassen (.322/4/47/53) also sparkled with the bat.

Seventh place Valka could score, but didn't have much pitching... manager Kurt Jankauskas' Blackhawks were sparked by 1B Bobby Scott (.345/41/113/119), who had an outstanding season... other contributors were RF Kenny Mitzusaka (.312/15/67/86), 3B Bill Bradford (.285/15/70/64) and LF Gilberto Duarte (.285/16/73/71)... Dave Gronkowski (18-16/4.40) led the starters in wins, while closer Julien Rouse (4-2/0.89/15 saves) was the bullpen ace... Valka has been mired in the second division for the last nine years... the last time the Blackhawks won the pennant was in 2017.

Jug Slavin's Grand City Cybercats have been stuck in the second division the last four years... the last time they made the postseason was in 2030... in his second season at the helm the Cybercats came in last, 28 games out of first... Slavin has some reliable bats in SS Teddy Grantham (.295/31/99/86), 3B Mickey Etheridge (.275/19/68/82), 1B Reed Gremillion (.320/9/57/71), LF Junior Baldini (.276/13/60/83), 2B Mitch Coleman (.298/6/47/67), RF Bull Durham (.285/20/62/58) and CF Thomas Hall (.267/18/67/64), but really needs some pitching... rookie Kenny Morrow (13-10/3.67) was the only pitcher under the 4.00 ERA mark.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

CATS OUTLAST RATTLERS AND ALL-STARS IN RU EAST
Three of the best teams fisted it out the whole season in the best and toughest division in the Islandian Pro Alliance... when the dust cleared off the diamonds the Cold Creek Catamounts reigned supreme by four games over Sugar Valley and Elnora in the rough and rowdy Ruthlandian East, where six of the eight teams posted winning records.

The Catamounts were six games behind Elnora at midyear, but they came back to win the division... Cold Creek's marvelous mound corps inspiried a terrific 54-22 run in the second half of the season to defeat Sugar Valley and Elnora... for the year the Catamounts led the entire IPA with a superb 2.77 team ERA... they also ran up the most victories with 101... Sugar Valley and Elnora tied for third place with 97 wins... Tuckanarra of the Tycobbian Union was second with 99... the Cold Creek starters were almost unbeatable... all four of them has ERAs under 3.00, led by J. J. Gillespie (25-9/2.22), Joey Baker (20-11/2.50), Jules Capet (19-7/2.68) and George Bailey (11-4/2.66)... Gillespie topped the IPA with a 2.22 ERA and tied for the lead in wins with Randell Perkins of Colfax and Dan Pitts of Elnora... the Catamounts had just enough offense with 3B Pat Ellis (.319/20/70/79), SS Jeremy Hall (.304/3/61/82) and 2B Simon Pembroke (.284/7/72/60)... in spite of the lack of offense manager Scoop Lemieux's hurlers should be enough to be a big factor in deciding this year's Pro Cup championship... Cold Creek is also blessed with great defense (.978 FA)... the Catamounts will be one of the favored teams in the playoffs, along with Tuckanarra, San Alejo and defending Pro Cup holder North Hills, all in the Tycobbian Union.

Manager Gibby Bobkins had his power-laden Sugar Valley Rattlers in the lead in April and May... but lost it to Elnora by the All-Star Game, trailing by two games... and then Cold Creek went on its second-half tear to win the flag in a terrific pennant race... the Rattlers had five players hitting over 20 homers each and placed second in the IPA with 222, right behind Red Bluff of the Tycobbian East, that led with 234... Bobkins had a fearsome lineup with RF Bobby Gamble (.352/38/136/128), 2B Roger Hobbs (.307/39/145/115), LF Tyler White (.247/43/128/106), 1B Richie Strickland (.279/27/62/125) and C Frank Testaverde (.258/21/81/63)... Hobbs led the IPA with 145 RBIs and Gamble was first in runs scored with 128... the Rattler rotation was topped by Juan Navarro (20-10/2.96), Jeremy Blanchard (20-13/3.61), Josh Wilkerson (20-11/4.22), all with 20 wins apiece, along with Christopher Dunsberry (15-7/3.24)... defensively the All-Stars are very good with a .977 FA.

The Elnora All-Stars seemed to have it all with fine hitting, pitching and defense (.975 FA)... manager Leon Carter's well-balanced club went into August ahead of Sugar Valley by four games and Cold Creek by six, but the Catamounts went an astounding 23-5 to take the lead and never gave it up... the All-Stars topped all IPA teams with a .289 BA... five regulars hit over .300, paced by 1B Danny Bierhoff (.331/28/102/81), C Jan Kobak (.328/19/98/71), 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.309/11/48/101), LF Clive Kenyon (.308/13/67/73) and RF Clint Thomas (.303/19/67/74)... the pitchers were pretty good, too, headed up by Dan Pitts (25-10/3.54), Stan Kivas (17-12/3.10) and Jeremy Sellers (16-13/3.83)... Pitts tied for the IPA lead with 25 victories.

The Eastshore Elegants had a fine season with Killer Brewster at the helm... they finished fourth, 14 games behind Cold Creek, but were 20 games over .500... they were second to Sugar Valley in scoring runs and batted .275 (2nd)... pitching was average... 2B Johnny Petrak (.364/24/100/107), CF Scotty Lagrange (.285/32/105/109), RF Neil Richard (.353/12/69/80) and 1B Paul Reed (.323/23/79/89) led the attack... Petrak came in second to the IPA leader Chet Penn of the Colfax Blasters, who batted .378 for the year... Petrak hit .364... mound leaders were Teddy Noble (24-13/3.62), Ramon Contreras (20-13/3.19) and Don Klingenberg (18-17/3.84)... Noble had the second-highest total of wins in the IPA with 24, beaten only by Dan Pitts (Elnora), Randell Perkins (Colfax) and J. J. Gillespie (Cold Creek).

Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners wound up 18 games back in the race in fifth place... he had strong pitching from Killara Bardo (20-12/3.29), Geoff Hobart (18-14/3.38), Paul Payton (16-13/2.90) and Ernie Hodges (17-16/3.14)... but only decent offense with RF Davy L'Amour (.292/30/102/97), CF Darrell Donnelly (.285/12/69/107), SS Lou Borcellino (.300/12/69/63) and 2B Ed Lane (.272/6/58/77).

The Beechwood Bobcats, skippered by Bret George, came in sixth, but had a winning record... Ken Arby was the top pitcher with a 17-13 mark and a 3.42 ERA... vet Maury Patterson was 17-18 with a 3.87 ERA... and Jimmy Herman was 13-15 and a 3.50 ERA... the Bobcats hit with good power, ranking third with 199 HRs... the top bats were CF Howie Baldwin (.261/42/112/108), RF Eddie Wilson (.320/36/81/88), SS Cody Hanks (.326/21/86/75), 3B Leonard Mason (.264/18/76/104) and 2B Mel Smith (.285/21/68/74).

The Belle Plaine Musketeers ended up in seventh place, guided by Slick Hammill in his second season... Hammill's Muskies can score with a .271 BA (6th) and 173 HRs (9th-tied)... and they are average on the hill... the main run producers were RF Boo Boudreaux (.337/47/125/111), LF Noel Martin (.332/33/94/119), 1B Mitch Mason (.274/19/79/71) and SS Bobby Greer (.296/4/50/81)... Boudreaux was the number-two home-run hitter in the IPA with 47... he was tied with Dale Weston of the Ranford Bulls and bested by Bayview's Jerry Culpepper, who slammed 60 out of the park, third best in IPA history, topped only by the legendary Jack Elliott of High Mesa, who swatted 65 in 2021 and 61 in 2013... Elliott also holds the all-time career mark with 847 HRs... Belle Plaine's staff leaders were Raul Carrasco (19-14/3.39), Philippe Marchand (15-15/4.09) and Emilio Gallo (15-15/4.25).

For the ninth year in a row the Marston Nine have been nestled in the RU East second division... this season Danny Church's club came in last, 33 games off the pace... starter Barry Sexton (14-18/2.99) and closer Jimbo McGinnity (9-8/2.08/17 saves) are talented hurlers, but have little help on the mound or at the plate... the most reliable batters are 3B Phillip DeWey (.296/24/77/89), SS Stan Mila (.296/16/66/76), C Ben Banyon (.301/7/63/57), CF Marco Ameche (.278/23/71/66) and 1B Lonnie Trekell (.265/23/70/69).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

FB DEFENDERS FINALLY MAKE THE PLAYOFFS
The 35-year-old drought is over... In a nip-and-tuck race the preseason favorite Fort Benton Defenders rode home the winner in the Ruthlandian West Division, toppling the Colfax Blasters and the Sligo Rovers by three and four games respectively... the Defenders started off slowly and were just above the .500 mark in the first two months, but they played very well from June on to take the division flag for the first time in the club's history... Fort Benton played well in crunch time, going 12-7 in September... Colfax and Sligo could only go 10-9 down the stretch.

Manager Robbie Brooks ended 36 years of frustration... Fort Benton finally made the Pro Cup playoffs with their best record ever 91-63... the Defenders' previous best was 90-64 in 2017 when they finished in second place... Brooks has good pitching and credible offense... Augie Marquis (21-13/2.93), Jordy Raeburn (20-13/3.20), Tommy Baylor (18-12/3.30) and Brady Bell (18-12/4.00) gives him a solid set of starters... Fort Benton's best bats belong to 3B Mitch Hamilton (.327/5/51/103), SS D. D. Badeaux (.309/19/58/101) and 1B Oscar Pendleton (.302/17/88/52)... the Defenders are in the postseason, but won't get a lot of support to bring home the club's first Pro Cup... it's doubtful their season will have a fairy tale ending - winning their first Pro Cup in their first postseason appearance.

The second-place and defending division champ Colfax Blasters, managed by HOF hurler Ilya Szabo, had a bunch of standout batters with the top hitter in the IPA, LF Chet Penn (.378/25/125/102), SS Gerry Sives (.350/6/80/109), 3B Kristian McEly (.309/36/136/99) and C Mitch Fullerton (.285/19/80/81)... Penn led the IPA with 226 hits... Sives was third with 216... McEly came in second in the IPA with 136 RBIs, topped only by Roger Hobbs of Sugar Valley with 145... Colfax had some capable pitchers, too, with the IPA's biggest winner, Randell Perkins (25-11/3.51), who tied J. J. Gillespie (Cold Creek) and Dan Pitts (Elnora) with 25 victories apiece... other quality starters were Norm Harbison (18-15/2.90) and Bobby Porter (14-13/3.39)... Jack Scanlon stood out in the bullpen with 11 saves, 7-5 record and a 2.57 ERA in 46 appearances.

The Sligo Rovers had a well-rounded club with good hitting and pitching... skipper Eddie Keys' lineup consisted of 1B Denny Simmons (.324/18/76/101), 3B Neil Mitchell (.301/20/77/97), CF Peder Svensson (.275/27/91/78), RF Pat Foreman (.278/30/72/80) and C Damon Klein (.312/12/64/65)... top hurlers were Tom Pierson (19-9/3.27), Randall Steele (18-16/3.26) and Joey Hicks (14-6/3.44)... the best in the bullpen was Scotty Price (6-8/2.11), who paced the IPA with 28 saves and 68 relief appearances.

In his second year as manager Forest City had a winning season under George Arnick as the Lumberjacks came in fourth, 11 games back of Fort Benton... the 'Jacks are just an average club with lackluster pitchers and batters... Walter Gibbons (17-14/4.27), Rich Barstow (16-16/3.73) and Marv Sanders (15-17/3.85) were the main starters... club leaders at the plate were 3B Kelly Hardison (.294/21/75/74), C Bob Brisdon (.300/17/67/60), SS Hal Burton (.244/2/53/100), Pistol Pete Picard (.279/18/63/67) and LF Mitch Frye (.267/18/75/73).

All of the other clubs in the RU West wound with losing records, well under the .500 mark... the Middlefield Roosters were at the top of the second division in fifth place, 23 games off the pace... manager Rinky Tinker's team doesn't do much very well, but they have good home-run numbers because of the short dimensions of Middlefield Park, led by LF Alejandro Dominguez (.253/39/109/100), C Brad Alexander (.255/30/101/62), RF Norman Antonioni (.280/29/67/58), CF Tony Parsons (.282/21/77/95) and 1B Cliff Patterson (.277/18/68/58)... Larry Wheelhouse (16-20/4.05) led the Roosters in wins and ERA... closer Ray Owens (2-6/1.52/21 saves) was effective in the bullpen.

The other three teams in the division battled to stay out of last place... the Volusia Vigilantes and Stoner Stars wound up tied for sixth place, trailing Fort Benton by 28 games... the V's had terrible hitting, ranking last in the league in scoring... CF Cazzie Carvalho (.290/18/67/52), C Tubby Tarkanian (.272/17/72/61), SS Charlie Farmer (.283/7/58/74) and LF Felipe Henriques (.282/14/46/55) were the most dependable batters manager and HOF-er Joe DeLucca had, but they were nothing to boast about... Hector Vargas was the only effective starter with an impressive 2.72 ERA, but his record was only 16-17 because of the poor run support.

The Stoner Stars didn't have a good year with manager Mike Jaffe... for the third consecutive year the club finished in the second division... his most talented players are C Barney Swindell (.307/30/111/63), CF Don Cain (.306/17/73/99) and 1B Don Schoenweiss (.264/17/79/88) at the plate... and Larry Urban (18-13/3.18) on the hill.

For the twelfth year in the last thirteen the Rocky Rapids Snappers had a losing season, winding up deep in the second division in the RU West basement, 28 games behind in the pennant race... HOF-er and manager Hank Bethel could use a great infusion of talent... his only decent pitcher is in the bullpen... veteran closer John Young (6-3/1.85/12 saves) is a good one... Paulie Pieroni (10-14/4.48) and Nelson Carter (11-17/4.46) are the most dependable starters... CF Crusher Derringer (.273/23/85/63) is the only decent hitter.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

NH HAWKS HAUL IN 4TH STRAIGHT TU NORTH TITLE
Based on winning two Pro Cups in the last four seasons, you could say the current IPA Pro Cup champion North Hills Hawks have been the best team in the IPA in recent years... the Hawks racked up the club's fourth Tycobbian North Division flag in a row and in rather easy fashion, capturing it by 9 games over Oxford, Fairfax and Blue Lake... start-to-finish North Hills was near the top of the division... Blue Lake briefly took over first place in June, but fizzled in the second half... the Hawks took charge in the second half of the year... by September they were up by six games over the nearest challenger and they wrapped it up in the final three weeks of the campaign.

North Hills' manager Todd Simons, an outstanding catcher in his playing days and a 2036 Hall of Fame inductee, has a solid ball club, anchored with fine pitching... the Hawks compiled a 3.28 team ERA (2nd), sparked by Jeff Owens (19-12/2.95), David Michael (15-13/2.79), Nelson Hooper and Frankie Lambert (17-10/3.77)... combined with a better-than-average offense with a .267 BA (12th) and good scoring (732 runs-13th)... the Hawks' top bats are RF Gerry Rice (.327/19/67/79) and LF Adam Thurgood (.271/33/88/89)... plus a group of steady run producers like C Mikhail Romanovsky (.247/24/82/75), 1B Ric Hamilton (.273/17/71/69), 3B Tommy Vavas (.259/9/48/80), CF Kris Anastas (.278/13/62/62) and 2B Kiril Ivonoski (.316/10/44/49)... North Hills has proven it has what it takes to win the Pro Cup and they will be in the thick of things again this year.

The Oxford Red Caps are skippered by Eddie Dowler, who is in this second season... the Red Caps have finished fourth and second in his tenure... Dowler's team is dominated by dependence on the home run... they ranked second in the IPA with 232 HRs and seventh in the Tycobbian Union in scoring runs with 765... 10 players had 10 or more homers, led by CF Dalton Ward (.232) with 42, 2B Alonzo Norris (.293) with 32 and LF Donny Braun (.298) with 25... Norris led the team in RBIs with 91 and Braun had 81... as as team the Red Caps batted only .253 (24th)... pitching was only average with a 4.05 ERA (18th)... B. B. Dristoll (18-8/3.44) was the biggest winner, followed by youngster Cody Quackenbush (17-13/3.69) and vet Jack Bolden (14-11/4.09)... Rusty Garland (9-6/2.71/10 saves) was the top reliever.

For the ninth year in a row Hall of Fame OF Dane Wesner's Fairfax Frogs have claimed a spot in the TU North first division, tied for the runnerup spot this year with Oxford and Blue Lake... the Frogs stayed right on the tails of North Hills until midseason, then slowly slipped back in the race... Wesner could use more HR power, but his Frogs can hit and score, ranking fifth with a .274 BA and fourth in runs with 792... pitching is pretty fair, too, with a 3.77 team ERA (13th)... the top bats were 1B Leonard Crawford (.340/5/41/69), CF Eric Kusek (.314/11/66/53), C Joe King (.314/9/54/57), RF Sonny Oliver (.301/18/84/74) and SS John Velasco (.260/21/86/107)... vet Lucien Vachon (18-13/3.09) and Harold Dorman (19-13/3.42) were the mainstays of the staff with some help from Mac Flowers (17-12/4.21)... closer Bruno Statton was hit-and-miss on the mound with 23 saves, but a 6-13 won-lost record and a 3.81 ERA.

Manager Benny DeBartolo's Blue Lake Blue Sox were right up there with North Hills until they slumped badly in the late stages of the race in August and September... the Blue Sox slumped to 21-26 the last two months while the Hawks chalked up a 28-19 mark... no scoring (659 runs-32nd) and no power (94 HRs-32nd) were their downfall... on the hill the Blue Sox did fairly well with a 3.51 ERA (8th)... Frankie Quinn (22-9/2.66) had an excellent year, reached the 200-win milestone and won 20 games for the seventh time in his 11-year career... Pat Brown (14-9/3.63, obtained from Marston of the RU in a trade, did well, along with Sal Mays (14-18/3.69) and Andre Montrose (15-18/3.54)... LF Jack Ryan (.328/8/69/75), 1B Elton Graff (.311/6/58/43) and 3B Matt Thompson (.302/8/67/54) were the team's only .300 hitters... 2B Egon Ojamaa topped the team in RBIs with 76 and home runs with 20, while hitting .268.

The White River Rascals came in fifth for the third time in the last four seasons... manager Mick Cronyn last good year was a second-place finish in 2034, when they lost to North Hills by two games... this year was not so bad, the Rascals were six games over .500... the Tycobbian North is a tough division... Cronyn has good pitching with a 3.70 team ERA (11th), not much offense with a .246 BA (29th) and 649 runs (30th), but the Rascals did go deep occasionally with 185 HRs (7th)... 34-year-old Paul Sardini (21-13/3.03) and 22-year-old J. C. Hudson (21-12/3.08) carried the club... in the bullpen veteran Billy Trakas (4-4/3.43) notched 20 saves... the most reliable bats were C Stevee Dee Daniels with 40 homers, 84 RBIs and 74 runs, but he batted just .254... CF Buford Cross led the team with a .298 BA, while collecting 21 roundtrippers, 66 RBIs and 84 runs... RF Zachary Kriger added a .267 BA, 21 HRs, 58 RBIs and a team high 91 runs... 1B Davey Sloan had 25 HRs, 84 RBIs and 66 runs, but hit only .231.

The rest of the clubs in the TU North never were in the race... the Mahaska Haymakers came in sixth and trailed by 19 games... Darrell Geoffrey (13-10/2.68) was the most dependable starter and had a fine season... Greg Douglas (16-13/3.89) had the most wins on the staff... C John Fitzgerald (.302/6/58/56), RF Anton Hymel (.303/22/81/67), SS Rocco Bertara (.296/1/31/80), SS Duane Blayney (.303/13/50/45), 1B Johnny Watts (.322/19/64/55), 2B Mikk Kukk (.253/7/81/67) and CF Bill Whittier (.234/19/76/97) were the main run producers... the Haymakers haven't contended since the pennant-winning years of 2026 and 2028... Bucky O'Brian is in his second year as manager... Mahaska finished in the cellar in his first season.

The seventh-place Hartsdale Hellcats are just a mediocre ball club... Matt Lalonde, who replaced longtime skipper Zim Donner this year, was fired at season's end and replaced by Jud Turchin, who was a Hall of Fame infielder for the Hellcats for 22 years... Turchin didn't inherit a lot of talent... Wayne Dawson (21-13/2.64) is an inpressive starter, but didn't have much help... 1B Hayden Richardson (.353/22/69/77) and LF Darrell Nesbitt (.306/4/39/92) are the Hellcats' only .300 hitters.

Jim Thorpe Chandler took over as the headman for the Luxora Zorros, replacing Cristo Visconte... Chandler had a tough freshmen year and came in dead last, 24 games off the pace... the Z's have a little bit of talent with veteran star 1B Gerry Hathaway, who at age 34 belted 40 homers, drove in 98 runs and scored 85, while posting a .289 BA... 27-year-old star SS Kelvin Cassidy (.281/16/54/62) is a career .304 hitter and led the TU with a .344 BA in 2033... 3B Todd Dubbins had a fine season, too, with a .293 BA, 34 HRs, a club high 106 RBIs and he scored 77 runs... and 23-year-old 2B Ramiro Munoz looks like a budding talent with a .289 BA, 11 HRs, 36 RBIs and 105 runs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

SAN ALEJO SURVIVES, EDGES TURON IN TU SOUTH
It was cliffhanger in the Tycobbian South Division this season with a three-team chase between the San Alejo Montaneros, Turon Typhoons and Summerland Sunsets... it was finally decided on the last day of the season with the pennant going to the Montaneros by a game over the Typhoons and three better than the Sunsets... it was the Monties third flag in four years and fourth in the last six... last year's winner Colchester finished well back in the pack in fifth place, 24 games off the pace.

San Alejo was the preseason favorite in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES poll and the experts were proven right, but just barely... they won by the skin of their teeth... the Montaneros took the lead in April, lost it to Turon in May, but got back on top by the end of June and then staved off determined challenges by the Typhoons and Sunsets... manager Alberto Herrera has a rock-solid club... the Monties rank first in team ERA with a strong 3.21 ERA... offensively they do well with a .260 BA (16th), 753 runs (9th) and 163 HRs (15th)... the Montaneros could be better on defense with a sub-par .970 FA... Herrera has four fine starters in Tommy Smith (20-12/2.86), Lupe Olmedo (18-9/2.70), Johnny Brown (17-15/3.24) and rookie Benny Buckmaster (9-1/2.39), who joined the club in August and played a decisive role in the stretch drive... at the plate C Filipe Zamora (.310/31/113/77) and RF Charlie Wilberforce (.314/16/67/90) provided most of the offense with some help in the long ball department from SS Sancho Cruz (.225/23/91/75), CF Dusty Rogen (.278/17/57/54) and 1B Ted Hatch (.258/20/53/59)... San Alejo is one of the elites in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs and will be one of the favorites to win it all... the Montaneros won their only Pro Cup in 2032 by beating Colfax in seven games.

The Turon Typhoons have collected four Pro Cups, the most in IPA history, and 11 divisional crowns, but none for the last 18 years... manager Alan Hansen, a Hall of Fame second baseman, has guided his team to four straight first-division finishes... this was supposed to be the year, but the Typhoons had two bad months and came up one game short of the TU South title... if they had won on the last day of the season they would have forced a playoff with San Alejo... the Typhoons feature good pitching, hitting and standout defense (.977 FA)... the team ranks second with a .282 BA, eighth in scoring with 763 runs and tied for 16th with 159 roundtrippers... on the hill the club had an impressive 3.46 ERA (5th)... the big sticks are SS C. C. Kingsford (.362/26/109/99), RF Guido Gervasio (.338/26/103/94) and CF J. P. Trevenot (.313/25/72/108)... not quite as good as San Alejo, Turon has some quality arms in Wes Brynnton (22-14/3.35), 21-year-old rookie Nate Scottsdale (21-7/3.66), Russell Larsen (11-6/3.96) and Clyde Engstrom (18-17/3.05)... along with bullpen ace Ralph Fulton (6-3/1.38/16 saves), who chalked up another standout season.

The third-place Summerland Sunsets had another successful season under skipper Will Hackett... for the last three years he has had them in the first division... last year they came in second to Colchester... the Sunset mound staff is a good one with a 3.47 ERA (7th)... defense is solid with a .975 FA... offensively they batted .271 (7th) with 743 runs (11th), but hit only 115 HRs (30th)... no firepower was the club's major shortcoming... the defense was above average with a .974 FA... Hackett had four capable starters in Freddi Rossi (22-11/2.98), Johnny Young (17-15/2.78), Jayson Hallstrom (13-8/3.38) and Kim Kono (16-12/3.62)... the reliable bats were CF Antonio Vasquez (.317/6/84/104), RF Eamon O'Toole (.306/21/85/64), 3B Mark Delaney (.284/17/87/49), 1B Chuck Moyer (.278/17/65/62), 2B Norm Murdoch (.291/1/52/60) and C John Bedell (.292/8/57/51)... a power hitter or two would make the Sunsets a serious contender in the TU South.

2037 was not a good year for playing manager Sadaharu Uchiyama and the fourth-place Ginza Ninjas... the Ninjas only managed to break even at 77-77... they were rated one of the top teams in the preseason poll, but after a brief run with the leaders in the first half of the year, everything went downhill after the All-Star Game... the Ninjas were within striking distance of first-place San Alejo, just five games behind in the race in fifth place... Ginza had the offense with a .280 BA (3rd), 782 runs (5th) and 151 HRs (21st), but just didn't have the pitching to go with it... a 4.22 team ERA (23rd) just won't cut it... the Ninjas' potent attack is led by CF Sogo Takagi, who had an excellent season with a .321 BA, 35 HRs, 117 RBIs and 113 runs... other .300 hitters were 1B Steve Daniels (.323/16/74/65), LF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.304/13/79/88), RF Ichiro Kazumi (.314/5/55/64) and C Whip Harrell (.300/23/70/66)... add in SS Dave Sulligent (.299/10/63/69), 2B Randy Towns (.287/0/67/70) and 3B Jiro Yamamura (.281/3/31/72) and you have a powerful lineup... Hollis Pace (15-13/3.88) and Glenn Downing (14-15/3.55) were the only decent pitchers.

Last year's surprise winner Colchester couldn't follow up on it and wound up tied with Cape Coral for fifth place in the standings, 24 games back in the race... the Elites of manager Patsy Bates were just a so-so, little less-than-average club with a .259 BA (19th), 697 runs (21st), 159 HRs (16th-tied) and a lackluster 4.09 team ERA (19th)... among the starters Eduardo Rivera (18-18/3.70) had the most wins and Roy Watson (13-15/3.40) had the best ERA... most of the offensive load was carried by star RF Blake Barrister (.263/45/105/93), star 1B Billy Christianson (.331/15/75/82), LF Chet Porter (.327/7/58/57), 2B Joey Rogers (.291/6/48/86), SS Alejandro Vasquez (.258/19/68/72) and 3B Jasper Matthews (.240/22/74/69).

Only once in the last eight seasons has the Cape Coral Hurricanes had a standout season... they won the TU South pennant in 2030... since then, the 'Canes were mainly a second-class second-division ball team... this year HOF shortstop Flipper Bird, the manager of the Cape Coral Hurricanes, had a crackerjack attack with a .288 BA (1st), 808 runs (2nd) and 159 HRs (16th-tied), but his pitching staff with a poor 4.27 ERA (26th) couldn't keep the runs off the scoreboard... consequently the 'Canes came in tied for fifth... starters Tommy Van Noord (14-12/3.81), Norm Dawson (12-13/4.00) and Mario Morales (13-19/3.99) were sometimes effective, but a little inconsistent with no help from the bullpen... star 1B Stan Ferguson had another superb season with 39 HRs, 132 RBIs, 97 runs and a .315 BA... he was fourth in the IPA in RBIs... so did star RF William Snyder with a .324 BA, 20 HRs, 84 RBIs and 104 runs... Snyder is a career .323 hitter in his five seasons... other productive players were LF Paul Law (.301/21/74/95), SS Joel Collins (.302/9/68/78) and 3B Rikky Van Dalen (.276/18/70/85)... a couple of good starters would make a world of difference in Cape Coral.

The Arroyo Grande Suns wound up in seventh place in manager Andy Pearson's second season... the Suns ran a good race early, tied for second with San Alejo at the end of May, two games back of the top team Turon... going into July Pearson's club was tied for second with Turon and Summerland, only 4 games in back of first place San Alejo... then the Suns the bottom fell out and they finished a very disappointing 26 games out... veteran starter Matt Stevens (15-14/3.62) led the team in victories... in the bullpen Cody Simmons (9-7/3.30/19 saves) had a fairly good season... at the plate the club leaders were LF Rene Jesclard (.275/24/70/95), C Pip Gleason (.254/28/78/55) and RF Gregorio Oliviera (.276/22/70/72).

Manager Charley Oscar's Southport Sun Sox experienced another down year for the third season in a row... the Sox were sixth three years ago and in the basement the last two seasons... this year they ended up 27 games behind division champ San Alejo... Oscar stepped down as skipper, but remained as general manager... former pitching star Al Laclair was named as his replacement... Laclair was a fine pitcher for the Sun Sox from 2020 to 2032 with a lifetime 189-144 record and an impressive 3.17 ERA... he was part of the 2027 and 2028 pennant-winning years, the last times Southport made the playoffs... Laclair doesn't inherit much talent... he will have to rebuilt the Sun Sox... his best players are 22-year-old SS Craig Glennon, who showed some pop with 30 HRs and 92 RBIs, but he hit only .235 for average... RF Cody Dougherty batted .292 with 21 roundtrippers and 79 RBIs... LF Lenny Roberson belted 22 out of the park and drove in 67 runs with a .263 BA... and 22-year-old CF Pat Kinney led the team with a .294 BA... 220-game winner Dan Pascioni (10-9/4.07) and 25-year-old fireballer Blitzer Borden (7-5/3.09) were the best of a poor pitching corps... Pascioni is just 30 years old and has posted a 220-180 mark in his 13 seasons with Southport... his career ERA is a solid 3.32... five times Pascioni has won 20 or more games.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

TUCKS WIN AGAIN IN TU EAST
One of the most-storied franchises in IPA history is really on a roll... the Tuckanarra Blue Jays just copped their fourth successive Tycobbian East Division title and 10th in 15 years... the East Point Panthers kept within three games of them through July, but the Tucks sunk them by going 34-13 the last two months of the season... the Blue Jays handily beat the Panthers by 14 games and were second in the IPA in victories with 99... Cold Creek of the Ruthlandian East was the leader with 101 wins... third place Ozarka never really contended and finished 16 games off the pace... the High Mesa Cowboys wound up a distance fourth and trailed by 29 games.

Tuckanarra will be the odds-on favorite to win this year's Pro Cup... manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens has a wonderful ball club that has everything you need to win... the Blue Jays hit .278 (4th), scored 837 runs (1st), hit 185 dingers (6th), registered a 3.36 ERA (4th) and handled the gloves well with a strong .976 FA... Stevens has an impressive array of hitters with star RF Lorne Evans (.309/40/99/122) leading the way... Evans paced the Tycobbian Union with 122 runs and was tied for fourth in HRs with 40... at age 32 Evans passed the 500-homer milestone this year... other offensive standouts were C John Paul (.278/30/81/80), LF Spade Weldon (.290/19/68/90), CF Pancho Villa (.317/21/81/77), 1B Andy Preston (.292/7/59/69) and 2B Josh George (.256/19/80/83)... Tuckanarra has a trio of fine starters in Bobby Reid (21-7/2.92), Junior Bristow (21-13/2.66) and Jeff Buttrum (17-11/3.58)... plus a solid closer in Jack Rogers, who finished with a 12-7 record in 54 appearances with 22 saves and a 2.53 ERA... the Tucks last won the Pro Cup in 2035... they would like nothing better than add a fourth one to the Blue Jay trophy case this year... only Turon with four Pro Cups has won more... however, it won't be an easy task... defending IPA champ North Hills and San Alejo will have a lot to say about it in the Tycobbian Union playoffs and Ruthlandia's Cold Creek, Waleska and Fort Benton should offer strong competiton, too.

The East Point Panthers have a solid club, but not in the class of Tuckanarra... manager Karol Zodoka had a starting foursome that compiled a 3.34 ERA (3rd)... the Panthers pounded the ball with 216 HRs (4th), but didn't hit consistently with a .251 BA (27th)... his bullpen was suspect, too, with a terrible 5.64 ERA (32nd)... the Panthers' top pitchers were Dixie Brooks (20-14/3.16), Johnny Moore (19-14/3.48), Frank Blair (16-8/3.00) and Burton Cook (16-14/3.38)... Brooks reached the 200-win milestone this season, while Blair fell one victory short... they are both in their early 30s and have played in East Point for 11 seasons... Zodoka had three batters with 30 or more homers... the Panthers' most productive batters were 1B Karl Jankauskas (.252/37/105/89), SS Dean O'Donnell (.275/37/99/92) and 2B Tetsu Tanaka (.273/30/79/82).

The Ozarka Naturals were the preseason favorite in the Tycobbian East, but it never came to pass... a poor April out of the gate put them in a hole and they never recovered from it... still the Nats were 12 games over .500 and they finished in the first division for the fourth straight season... skipper Frank Kiffin had a good mound corps with a 3.37 ERA (3rd), headed up by Glen Jenkins (19-12/2.47), Teddy O'Shea (18-14/3.66) and Charley Chan (11-10/3.36)... Kiffin could use more power... Ozarka hits well with a .268 BA, but are short of homers, hitting only 119 for the season (29th)... they ranked only 18th in scoring with 712... 3B Duffy Morrison (.289/20/100/69) was the most reliable batter... the others were SS Nick Nova (.296/7/47/77), C Jaak Pajukivi (.267/15/70/62) and 2B Sid Elmore (.279/14/80/70).

The High Mesa Cowboys started off like gangbusters under IPA legend and new manager Jack Elliott as they tied Tuckanarra for the division lead in April, but quickly reverted to form and played like a perennial also-ran, ending up in fourth place in the standings, but 29 games back... they were 14 games under the .500 mark... Elliott is the all-time everything in the IPA with 848 home runs, .332 lifetime BA and the single-season homer mark of 65 set in 2021... he also hit 61 in 2013... the Cowpokes hit poorly with a .242 BA (32nd), have horrible pitching with a 4.32 ERA (28th)... they do hit homers (207/5th), but give up even more (246 HRs/32nd) in their tiny ball park... CF Corbett Brooks (.252/39/92/87), LF Clay Johnston (.276/31/80/82) and 1B Michael Page (.265/28/77/56) put up good numbers, but don't hit much for average... 35-year-old Brooks is with his fourth IPA team and has hit 480 homers in his 16 seasons... Page is also 35 and has slammed 428 roundtrippers in his 16 seasons... Max Jung (19-15/3.83) and Dean Harris (13-14/3.25) were the only two effective hurlers on the staff.

The rest of the teams in the TU East battled all year long to stay out of last place... the South Fork Stallions and Red Bluff deadlocked for the fifth spot, 31 games out of first place... rookie manager Blackie Terranova's squad hit a bit, but couldn't pitch a lick... they hit 175 HRs (11th) and chalked up a horrendous 4.84 ERA... 3B Elton Jacoby sparkled with a .303 BA, 29 HRs, 114 RBIs and 100 runs... so did SS Jess Wilkerson with a .312 BA, 20 HRs, 81 RBIs and 91 runs... 1B Paul Sexton chipped in with 21 homers, 82 RBIs and a .260 BA... the best moundsmen were Mike Lambertini (11-6/2.95) and Chris Sorensen (18-17/3.94).

The Red Bluff Red Sox could really go deep and put a few runs on the scoreboard, but they didn't hit much for average or have much pitching... the Red Sox ranked first in the IPA with 234 HRs... four of them hit 30 or more homers and two others hit 28 each... the top sluggers were RF David Kelso (.274/34/100/68), 2B Gene Bates (.265/34/88/58), 1B Garris Aiken (.271/34/77/86), CF Ike Sweetwater (.292/31/83/98), LF Jesse Shaw (.295/28/71/105) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.246/28/81/61)... the most dependable starters were Banzuki Hasegawa (15-17/3.20) and Jimmy McMillan (13-12/4.17).

The Midway Wolves guided by skipper Cochise Chandler came in seventh, 33 games behind first place Tuckanarra... they batted only .255 (23rd) and posted a 4.16 ERA (21st)... LF Yancey Tanner (.314/2/44/105), RF Bennett Cardwell (.273/17/92/74) and 1B Lou Flowers (.252/22/86/74) were the club's bat leaders... rookie Yuma Chandler, the manager's youngest of eight baseball-laying sons, did well with a team high .322 BA, which included 9 HRs, 44 RBIs and 54 runs... Cary Snead (12-15/3.58) and John Anderson (15-18/3.90) were pitching leaders... future IPA Hall-of-Famer 37-year-old Bobby Dorignac had the worst season of his career with a 12-20 mark and a 4.58 ERA... overall in his 17 seasons Dorignac is 312-221 with a terrific 2.92 ERA.

The Hillsboro Blazers failed to make the playoffs for the 36th year in a row and wound up last in the Tycobbian East, 35 games back in the race... second-year skipper Andy Jefferson's Blazers didn't hit well with a .245 BA (31st), didn't score much with only 617 runs (32nd) and had average pitching with a 3.90 team ERA (16th)... Lee Dixon stood out on the hill with a 17-16 record and a fine 2.91 ERA... in the bullpen Lucky Luciano racked up a 10-1 record in 52 appearances with a 3.61 ERA... LF Jurrien Bellini led the club with 34 HRs, 97 RBIs and 88 runs, but batted a poor .249... 3B Scotty McNeill paced the club with 95 runs, while batting .274... 1B Philip Stafford hit 20 HRs, had 66 RBIs and batted a .265.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

LYNX SNATCH TU WEST FROM WILDCATS IN SEPTEMBER
Preseason favorite La Claire finally proved their worth when they snatched the Tycobbian West Division away from Kenwood in the waning days of September... the Wildcats led the Lynx by two games going in the final month of the campaign, but couldn't hold the lead... La Claire got hot just at the right time with a 14-5 mark to beat Kenwood by two games... the Wildcats slipped when it counted when they dipped to 10-9 in the last three weeks... the Lynx won nine of their last 10 games to take the crown.

Manager Zeppy Deshotel's La Claire Lynx got off to a poor start with a very poor 9-19 record in May, but they soon got back in the chase in June and eventually got the third pennant in the club's history... the Lynx previously won in 2028 and 2033... they have never won the IPA Pro Cup... Deshotel has a productive attack with a .273 BA (6th), 793 runs (3rd) and 171 HRs (12th-tied)... and the pitching is above average with a 3.74 ERA (12th)... star SS Jarrod O'Neal (.263/26/99/92) topped the club in HRs and RBIs with 29 and 99... also helping out with good years were RF Billy Holland (.292/19/86/96), 1B Kris Wilson (.302/20/95/60), CF Jason Baker (.296/9/62/75) and C Weldon Waller (.306/11/61/52)... vet Pat Kovacs (16-13/3.28), Tony Rossi (19-10/3.62) were the top hurlers... Konrad Keller (14-10/4.83) and Bruce Kinson (13-9/4.02) were also in the starting rotation... closer Terry Baird (11-11/2.17) did well with 25 saves, second best in the IPA to Sligo's Scotty Price, who had 28... Baird made 59 relief appearances during the season... La Claire is not expected to go very far in the postseason... first round opponent Tuckanarra appears to be to tough to beat... possible second round opponents, defending Pro Cup champion North Hills and San Alejo, look to be too strong for the Lynx, too.

The second-place Kenwood Wildcats of Aaron Hankins were on top or near the top of the TU West most of the year... the Wildcats were surpassed by La Claire in the last days of the season... Hankins' club batted .270 (9th), hit 171 HRs (12th-tied), but really didn't score very well with 705 runs (19th-tied)... on the hill they were pretty good with a 3.47 ERA (6th), sparked by starters Glen Murray (19-12/2.52) and Claude Watson (16-9/3.74)... in the bullpen Artemus Hale (6-6/2.20/14 saves) stood out... Kenwood's top bats belonged to 2B Ricky Boyer (.338/16/57/89), LF Harry Tashina (.310/23/88/92) and star C Corky DiNozzo (.316/20/55/62)... DiNozzo missed the last three weeks of the season with injury... he was a crucial loss in the lineup.

The third place Arlon Champions stayed in the hunt until August... for the first time in almost a decade skipper Rocco Belasario guided them to a break-even season at 77-77... the Champs have never won a Pro Cup... the last time they hoisted a new division flag was long ago in 2020... they have a poor offense with a .253 BA (25th) and little power... only 100 HRs (31st)... Belasario has better-than-average pitching with a 3.81 team ERA (14th)... Emil Nowak (20-13/3.93) led the team in wins... and Lanny Gray (16-17/3.58) had the best ERA and the most strikeouts 270... Gray led the Tycobbian Union with 270 Ks and was second to the IPA strikeout king Jeremy Kirk of St. John of the Ruthlanian league, who fanned 284... the only decent hitters were RF Mark Cameron with 21 HRs, 98 RBIs, 79 runs and 2B Todd Benson with 6 HRs, 57 RBIs and 78 runs... Benson led the team with a .299 mark, while Cameron hit only .273.

Fourth place Denton City remained fairly close through July, trailing Kenwood by 4 games and La Claire by 3 games, but they fell apart in the final weeks with a poor 20-27 record, eventually losing out by 13 games... manager Trevor Tomlinson had a pretty good starting rotation, but a poor bullpen... the team ERA was 3.83 (15th)... the top starters were Francisco Salcido (18-15/3.44), Troy McIntosh (16-12/3.26), Kevin Blevins (10-17/3.15) and Stephen Edwards (13-11/4.18)... in the run-scoring department the Redbirds were better-than-average with a .267 mark (11th), 733 runs (12th) and 177 roundtrippers (9th-tied)... C Felton Welch (.312/34/118/69) had a great first half, but he leveled off in the second half... still he led the club with 34 homers and 118 RBIs... SS Sammy Thornton (.312/5/53/80) had the best batting average... RF Pete Doyle (.265/24/66/101) scored the most runs with 101 and was third in dingers with 24... and LF Sam Carson (.282/27/80/74) was second to Welch with 27 home runs.

The fifth-place Rolling Hills Reds were never a player in the pennant race... they wound up 14 games off the pace... it's been six years since manager Matty Christianson's club has made the playoffs... the Reds have captured two Pro Cups (2029 and 2031), along with seven TU West flags... they hit well with a .270 BA (8th), were average in scoring with 715 (17th) and in homers with 156 (19th)... not so good on the hill with a 4.12 ERA (20th)... the most reliable Reds at the plate were SS Dino Manale (.327/9/62/99), 2B Buffy Kowalczyk (.313/14/77/74), RF Jimbo Foxx (.246/30/98/64), CF Jason Garrett (.299/10/55/64) and LF Scotty Yiska (.280/20/50/83)... the most dependable pitchers were Maury Cantrell (16-7/3.95), Mike Daniels (17-15/3.80) and Matthew Christianson (13-17/3.24).

The hard-hitting Bayview Vikings of manager Chancey Quibedeaux had the firepower to hang around in the pennant race until mid-year, then bad pitching caught up with them and they ended up sixth in the standings and 16 games out... the Viks haven't been to the postseason since 2016 and have never won a Pro Cup... superstar 2B Jerry Culpepper had a humongous year with 60 home runs, third best in IPA history... only IPA icon Jack Elliott of High Mesa has done better with 65 in 2020 and 61 in 2013... 23-year-old Culpepper has swatted 209 HRs in his five seasons... he hit .307 this year with 119 RBIs and scored 111 runs... LF Roy Ricks added 32 roundtrippers, 82 RBIs and 97 runs, while batting .304... other productive bats were CF Derek Jorstad (.261/25/75/101) and 1B Barrett Bosch (.318/18/64/61)... Vance Codsworth was the best pitcher by far with an 18-16 record and a fine 3.03 ERA... Christy Kane was next with a 14-19 mark and a 3.73 ERA... all others were over 5.00 in ERA.

The Chicopee Braves entered the season coming off three consecutive TU West titles and the baseball writers had them second to La Claire in the pennant chase, but it never happened... the once-explosive offensive machine did diddly squat this year and manager Ivan Burkholder's squad tumble all the way to seventh place, finishing 20 games behind the Lynx... the team hit only .262 (14th), scored only 681 runs (26th) and hit just 152 homers (20th)... last year the numbers were .278 BA (2nd), 863 runs (2nd) and 203 HRs (5th)... at the same time the team ERA skyrocketed from 3.75 to 4.23... it was a bad year all-around for the Braves... only Judd Hampton (18-10/3.20) had a good year on the mound... among the regulars only 3B Kurt Gustavsen had a decent year... he batted .287 with 22 HRs, 91 RBIs and 77 runs scored... normally Gustavsen is a .309 lifetime hitter that averages almost 100 runs and 100 RBIs a year.

Manager Denny Coulon's Bay St. Clair Buccaneers surprised everybody in the Islands with a great start.. going into June the Bucs were 32-18 and atop the TU West... they were five games up on second place Kenwood and 10 ahead of sixth-place La Claire, the eventual division winner... but the wonderful season didn't last... it was a total collapse as the the club went a terrible 34-68 the remainder of the year and fell all the way to last place and 21 games behind La Claire... only CF Cotton Cornwall (.306/25/92/66), 1B Ryan Dukes (.285/29/63/78) and starter John Karlsen (17-19/3.72) had decent years.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 22, 2037

PENN 2037 RU BAT CHAMP
This year's Ruthlandian Union batting crown went to Chet Penn of the Colfax Blasters with a .378 batting average. The 26-year-old left fielder sparked his club to a second-place finish in the RU West with highest batting average in the IPA. Penn also led the RU with 41 doubles and was number two with 215 hits. In 143 games he hit 26 home runs, batted in 109 runs and scored 99 times. In his three IPA seasons Penn sports a .339 career average. This was the first time he won the honor.

Second in the batting race was Eastshore second sacker Johnny Petrak with a .364 average. The 31-year-old Petrak enjoyed a great season with 207 hits, 35 doubles, 5 triples, 24 homers, 100 RBIs and 107 runs, while playing in 140 games. Lifetime Petrak is batting .315 in his four years with the Elegants.

24-year-old superstar Bobby Gamble of the Sugar Valley Rattlers came in third with a .352 mark in 143 games with 38 homers. Gamble topped the IPA in runs with 128 and was second in the RU with 136 RBIs and 52 stolen bases. The Rattlers came in second in the RU East in spite of winning 97 games, beaten only by Cold Creek, which chalked up 101 victories and the best record in the IPA. Gamble has hit .319 in five seasons with Sugar Valley.

KINGSFORD COPS TU BAT TITLE
For the first time in his career Turon's fine 23-year-old shortstop C. C. Kingsford copped the Tycobbian Union batting crown with a .362 BA. Kingsford is the son of IPA Hall-of-Famer Clyde Kingsford, who was a career .319 batter. Playing in 143 contests he totaled 26 roundtrippers, drove in 109 runs and scored 99. Kingsford has put up a splendid .330 BA in his four seasons in Turon. Kingsford played a big part in the Typhoons' pennant run. They finished a very close second to TU South Division champ San Alejo, losing out by just one game.

Hartsdale first baseman Hayden Richardson was the runnerup to Kingsford for the batting championship. Richardson, age 28, compiled a .353 average with 22 HRs, 69 RBIs and 77 runs in 131 games for the Hellcats. Richardson has been with the club for three years and has batted .303 in his career.

Leonard Crawford, first baseman for the Fairfax Frogs, was third in the league with a .340 BA. He played in 122 games and finished with 32 doubles, no triples and 5 home runs for the second-place Frogs in the TU North. Crawford batted in 41 runs and tallied 69. In his third season with Fairfax, he is carrying a .315 lifetime batting average.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 23, 2037

TUCKS FAVORED FOR IPA CROWN
Baseball reigns supreme in the Islands. The sport dominates Islandian life year round. You could say the people are obsessed with baseball and not be far wrong. Where else in the world does a nation shut down and come to a halt in the middle of the day for a game?. Yeah, it's just a game, but the peoples of Ruthlandian and Tycobbian eat, sleep, weep and die for it. For Islandians September is the most glorious time of the year - IPA Pro Cup time. Beginning this Thursday afternoon the eight division champions from around the nation will be pitted against one another on the baseball diamond. When it is all over in about three weeks, one team will emerge as the IPA Pro Cup champion. Four former champions will be taking another crack at adding to their towns' prestige by garnering another coveted Pro Cup trophy. Tuckanarra has won it three times, North Hills twice and San Alejo and Waleska have captured it one time each.

1. The highly-touted Tuckanarra Blue Jays (99-55) of the Tycobbian East are the favorite in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup poll. Tuckanarra will be the odds-on favorite to win this year's Pro Cup... manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens has a wonderful ball club that has everything you need to win... the Blue Jays hit .278 (4th), scored 837 runs (1st), hit 185 dingers (6th), registered a 3.36 ERA (4th) and handled the gloves well with a strong .976 FA... Stevens has an impressive array of hitters with star RF Lorne Evans (.309/40/99/122) leading the way... Evans paced the Tycobbian Union with 122 runs and was tied for fourth in HRs with 40... at age 32 Evans passed the 500-homer milestone this year... other offensive standouts were C John Paul (.278/30/81/80), LF Spade Weldon (.290/19/68/90), CF Pancho Villa (.317/21/81/77), 1B Andy Preston (.292/7/59/69) and 2B Josh George (.256/19/80/83)... Tuckanarra has a trio of fine starters in Bobby Reid (21-7/2.92), Junior Bristow (21-13/2.66) and Jeff Buttrum (17-11/3.58)... plus a solid closer in Jack Rogers, who finished with a 12-7 record in 54 appearances with 22 saves and a 2.53 ERA... the Tucks last won the Pro Cup in 2035... they would like nothing better than add a fourth one to the Blue Jay trophy case this year... only Turon with four Pro Cups has won more... however, it won't be an easy task... defending IPA champ North Hills and San Alejo will have a lot to say about it in the Tycobbian Union playoffs and Ruthlandia's Cold Creek, Waleska and Fort Benton should offer strong competiton, too... the Tucks won IPA Pro Cups in 2023, 2024 and 2035... and they lost on two other occasions... in the 2013 Finals to Far Mountain and in 2028 to Waleska.

2. Cold Creek (101-53) of the Ruthlandian South is given the best chance of knocking off Tuckanarra and is ranked second in the Pro Cup poll... Cold Creek's marvelous mound corps inspiried a terrific 54-22 run in the second half of the season to defeat Sugar Valley and Elnora... for the year the Catamounts led the entire IPA with a superb 2.77 team ERA... they also ran up the most victories with 101... Sugar Valley and Elnora tied for third place with 97 wins... Tuckanarra of the Tycobbian Union was second with 99... the Cold Creek starters were almost unbeatable... all four of them has ERAs under 3.00, led by J. J. Gillespie (25-9/2.22), Joey Baker (20-11/2.50), Jules Capet (19-7/2.68) and George Bailey (11-4/2.66)... Gillespie topped the IPA with a 2.22 ERA and tied for the lead in wins with Randell Perkins of Colfax and Dan Pitts of Elnora... the Catamounts had just enough offense with 3B Pat Ellis (.319/20/70/79), SS Jeremy Hall (.304/3/61/82) and 2B Simon Pembroke (.284/7/72/60)... in spite of the lack of offense manager Scoop Lemieux's hurlers should be enough to be a big factor in deciding this year's Pro Cup championship... Cold Creek is also blessed with great defense (.978 FA)... the Catamounts are looking for their first IPA Pro Cup... 2037 just might be the year of the Cat.

3. The number-three pick was the San Alejo Montaneros (94-60) of the Tycobbian South Division... manager Alberto Herrera has a rock-solid club... the Monties ranked first in team ERA with a strong 3.21 ERA... offensively they did well with a .260 BA (16th), 753 runs (9th) and 163 HRs (15th)... the Montaneros could be better on defense with a sub-par .970 FA... Herrera has four fine starters in Tommy Smith (20-12/2.86), Lupe Olmedo (18-9/2.70), Johnny Brown (17-15/3.24) and rookie Benny Buckmaster (9-1/2.39), who joined the club in August and played a decisive role in the stretch drive... at the plate C Filipe Zamora (.310/31/113/77) and RF Charlie Wilberforce (.314/16/67/90) provided most of the offense with some help in the long ball department from SS Sancho Cruz (.225/23/91/75), CF Dusty Rogen (.278/17/57/54) and 1B Ted Hatch (.258/20/53/59)... San Alejo is one of the elites in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs and will be one of the favorites to win it all... the Montaneros won their only Pro Cup in 2032 by beating Colfax in seven games.

4. The North Hills Hawks (90-64) are the defending IPA champions, but were picked as the fourth-best team in the Pro Cup balloting... this is nothing new to manager Todd Simons... his Hawks won last year and in 2034, but were low-rated each time by the prognosticators... North Hills has a solid ball club, anchored with fine pitching and good defense (.976 FA)... the Hawks compiled a 3.28 team ERA (2nd), sparked by Jeff Owens (19-12/2.95), David Michael (15-13/2.79), Nelson Hooper and Frankie Lambert (17-10/3.77)... and combine it with a better-than-average offense with a .267 BA (12th) and good scoring (732 runs-13th)... the Hawks' top bats are RF Gerry Rice (.327/19/67/79) and LF Adam Thurgood (.271/33/88/89)... plus a group of steady run producers like C Mikhail Romanovsky (.247/24/82/75), 1B Ric Hamilton (.273/17/71/69), 3B Tommy Vavas (.259/9/48/80), CF Kris Anastas (.278/13/62/62) and 2B Kiril Ivonoski (.316/10/44/49)... North Hills has proven it has what it takes to win the Pro Cup and they will be in the thick of things again this year... the Hawks soared past St. John last year and flew past Crystal Lake in 2034.

5. The Fort Benton Defenders (91-63) of the Ruthlandian West Division came in fifth in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup tabulation... this season manager Robbie Brooks ended 36 years of frustration... Fort Benton finally made the Pro Cup playoffs with their best record ever 91-63... the Defenders' previous best was 90-64 in 2017 when they finished in second place... Brooks has good pitching (3.46 ERA-4th), credible offense (.274 BA-4th) and average defense (.972 FA)... Augie Marquis (21-13/2.93), Jordy Raeburn (20-13/3.20), Tommy Baylor (18-12/3.30) and Brady Bell (18-12/4.00) gives him a solid set of starters... Fort Benton's best bats belong to 3B Mitch Hamilton (.327/5/51/103), SS D. D. Badeaux (.309/19/58/101) and 1B Oscar Pendleton (.302/17/88/52)... the Defenders are in the postseason, but won't get a lot of support to bring home the club's first Pro Cup... it's doubtful their season will have a fairy tale ending - winning their first Pro Cup in their first postseason appearance.

6. The number-six choice in the Pro Cup poll was the Waleska Westerners (93-61) of the Ruthlandian South Division... the Westerners' strong point is the mound corps... they notched a 3.71 ERA (7th)... however they do have a pretty good offense with a .268 BA and 743 runs (15th)... but lack the long ball, hitting only 121 HRs (28th)... defensively they are pretty good with the gloves with a .974 FA... Heading up manager Roy Hobbs' rotation are Terry Richards (22-11/2.77), Craig Nash (20-10/3.58) and Tony Haskell (19-12/3.77)... leading the Westerners' attack are CF Jon Lassiter (.311/13/56/106), 2B Joey Harris (.283/14/85/92), 3B Monty McMurtry (.285/10/76/82), RF Niles Gregory (.237/26/94/79) and 1B Shayn Lambert (.280/14/83/72)... Waleska won its only Pro Cup in 2028 topping Tuckanarra in a tough seven-game set.

7. This is only the third trip to the Pro Cup playoffs for the La Claire Lynx (89-65), ranked seventh in the Pro Cup predictions... they have never won the IPA Pro Cup... manager Zeppy Deshotel has a productive attack with a .273 BA (6th), 793 runs (3rd) and 171 HRs (12th-tied)... and the pitching is above average with a 3.74 ERA (12th)... star SS Jarrod O'Neal (.263/26/99/92) topped the club in HRs and RBIs with 29 and 99... also helping out with good years were RF Billy Holland (.292/19/86/96), 1B Kris Wilson (.302/20/95/60), CF Jason Baker (.296/9/62/75) and C Weldon Waller (.306/11/61/52)... vet Pat Kovacs (16-13/3.28), Tony Rossi (19-10/3.62) were the top hurlers... Konrad Keller (14-10/4.83) and Bruce Kinson (13-9/4.02) were also in the starting rotation... closer Terry Baird (11-11/2.17) did well with 25 saves, second best in the IPA to Sligo's Scotty Price, who had 28... Baird made 59 relief appearances during the season... La Claire is not expected to go very far in the postseason... first round opponent Tuckanarra appears to be to tough to beat... possible second round opponents, defending Pro Cup champion North Hills and San Alejo, look to be too strong for the Lynx, too.

8. The Islands' baseball scribes gave the LaGrange Sports (86-68) the least chance to take home the Pro Cup, rating them eighth and last in the Pro Cup pickings... this year it was solid pitching by Mike York (21-11/3.66), Walt Thurber (18-12/3.08) and Earl Perkins (12-7/3.07) and decent bats that got the job done for manager Quincy Peterson... his best hitters were SS Fred Bird (.316/2/40/98), LF Vasco Aguilar (.303/15/78/70), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.245/24/92/68), RF Charles Basque (.291/16/69/75) and CF Russell Watkins (.276/25/73/62)... the Sports won their fourth straight Ruthlandian North title despite poor defense (.969 FA)... don't expect much from the Sports in the postseason... they have gotten to the second round only twice in six playoff appearances... the Sports are still seeking their first Pro Cup trophy.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 23, 2037

PRO CUP PLAYOFFS BEGIN TOMORROW
Tomorrow afternoon eight hopeful and excited teams will begin their quest to fulfill their dreams to win Islandia's ultimate baseball trophy - the IPA Pro Cup. They don't come easy or often. Pro Cups are few and far between. Only 23 of the 64 IPA franchises have been so honored. 41 of them are still seeking one. The Turon Typhoons top the IPA with four Pro Cups, followed by Tuckanarra and Far Mountain with three each. North Hills, Crystal Lake, Eastshore and Rolling Hills have captured two apiece. Two long-suffering clubs, Kilkenny of the Ruthlandian Union and Hillsboro of the Tycobbian Union have never even made the postseason.

The IPA Elite 8 Series opens tomorrow at four sites around the league. In the Ruthlandian Union it will be the second-ranked club Cold Creek hosting number-five Fort Benton at Holmes Field. This will be Fort Benton's first foray into the Pro Cup playoffs. In the other series the LaGrange Sports, ranked last in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll, will travel to Waleska. The Westerners placed number six in the voting. In the Tycobbian Union the Pro Cup favorite Tuckanarra will entertain the La Claire Lynx at Central Park Stadium. The Lynx came in seventh in the balloting. The defending IPA Pro Cup standard bearer North Hills, the fourth choice in the poll, will take on the tough San Alejo Montaneros, the third-rated club. The game is slated on the Monties' home field, the Casa de Beisbol. All series in the playoffs will be best-of-seven affairs. The team with the best season record will get the home field advantage.

In Waleska, the Westerners will send Terry Richards (22-11/2.77) to the hill against LaGrange's ace southpaw Walt Thurber (18-12/3.08)... J. J. Gillespie (25-9/2.22) got the call for Cold Creek, while Augie Marquis (21-13/2.93) will be on the mound for Fort Benton... The Tuckanarra Blue Jays will start Bobby Reid (24-7/2.92) against La Claire's Pat Kovacs (16-13/3.28)... visiting North Hills will send portsider Jeff Owens (19-12/2.95) in game one against lefty Tommy Smith (20-12/2.86) of San Alejo.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 23, 2037

2037 Ruthlandian Union Final Individual Batting Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 23, 2037

2037 Tycobbian Union Final Individual Batting Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 24, 2037

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

GILLESPIE SPINS 4-1 WIN, 'CATS TAKE OPENER
Cold Creek's ace J. J. Gillespie spun a 4-1 victory at Holmes Field to whip Fort Benton in game one of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... Gillespie (1-0), a 25-game winner and IPA leader with a 2.22 ERA, stopped the Defenders on one run and 4 hits in 5 innings for the win... a rain delay forced Cold Creek to go to the bullpen early... and they got great work from George Bailey, who pitched three spotless innings, and from Rob Hutchins, who got the save with a perfect ninth frame... Augie Marquis (0-1) suffered the loss... he was tagged for 3 runs and 8 hits in 4-plus innings.

Cold Creek punched out 12 hits and were led by CF Guy St. Laurent with 2-4 and 2 RBIs, including a solo homer... rookie 1B Rodney Marshall, 2B Simon Pembroke and SS Jerry O'Neil also delivered 2 hits each... the only Fort Benton run came in the top of the second on a sacrifice by LF Rod Myerson.

WALESKA SQUEEZES BY SPORTS IN OPENER 6-5
At Westerner Field in Waleska, the hometown Westerners broke open a 4-3 game with 2 runs in the seventh and then held off a late ninth-inning spurt by LaGrange in the first game of the RU Elite 8 Series to capture a 6-5 win... Linton Watts doubled in a run and Frenchy LeBoeuf singled in one to give the Westerners a 6-3 cushion in the seventh... the Sports rallied in the ninth but fell a run short.

22-game winner Terry Richards (1-0) notched the win... he had a 4-0 shutout after 5 innings, but his defense gave up 3 unearned runs in the sixth... Richards departed after 7 and one-third innings with a 4-3 lead... he allowed 8 hits, fanned 5 and walked 4 in an uneven performance... reliever Lacy Dalton struggled and was bashed for a pair of runs in the ninth... Walt Thurber (0-1) had a shaky outing and took the loss, permitting 6 runs and 12 hits in 6-plus frames.

Waleska racked up 13 hits and were paced by LF Frenchy LeBouef with 3 hits and 3 RBIs... 2B Linton Watts chipped with 3 hits, 3 runs and an RBI... and C Rodney Hanson added 3 hits and 2 RBIs... the Westerners had 5 two-baggers... the Sports smacked 12 hits and were sparked by LF Vasco Aguilar with 3 hits, a run and 2 RBIs... SS Fred Bird with 3-5 and a run... and 1B Chris Charbonnier with 2-4, 2 runs and an RBI.

Tycobbian Union

NH HAWKS NIP MONTIES 7-6 IN 10
Opening up on the road at the Casa de Beisbol, the defending Pro Cup champion North Hills Hawks did themselves proud in spite of blowing a 6-4 ninth-inning lead... they still came away with a 7-6 triumph in 10 innings over the San Alejo Montaneros... Tommy Vavas' bases-loaded single provided the decisive run.

Both clubs had 16 hits apiece with the Hawks' LF Adam Thurgood leading the way with a tremendous game with 4 hits, 4 runs and 3 runs batted in... Thurgood slugged two out of the park... 2B Vavas added 2 hits and 2 RBIs... 1B Ric Hamilton and RF Gerry Rice also had 3 hits and an RBI each.

San Alejo's top bats were 2B Joe Klein and C Filipe Zamora with 3 hits apiece... Klein had 2 RBIs and Zamora drove in one and scored twice... three other Monties had 2 hits each: LF Walt King, RF Charlie Wilberforce and 3B Bubby Blackwell.

It was a tough day on the mound... neither starter had their best stuff... North Hills' Jeff Owens gave up 4 runs and 10 hits in his 7 innings... and San Alejo' Tommy Smith was socked for 13 hits and 5 runs in 8 innings... the win went to Todd Taylor (1-0), who blew the save in the ninth by giving up 2 runs... Killer Kane got the save, but allowed two 2-out singles before he put the Montaneros away... Glen Porterfield (0-1) was the loser as he was banged around for 2 hits and 2 walks in the fatal tenth.

LA CLAIRE SNATCHES LEAD 4-1
In the first game of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series the highly-favored Tuckanarra Blue Jays had everything going their way... they were at home at Central Park Stadium, they had 24-winner Bobby Reid on the hill and they were the highest-scoring offense in the IPA this season... but they forgot to tell Pat Kovacs of the La Claire Lynx... Kovacs clipped the Blue Jays' wings 4-1 to give La Claire a one-game lead in the series... Kovacs (1-0) limited the hard-hitting Tucks to just one run and 4 hits in 8 sparkling innings... closer Terry Baird finished it out for the save with a scoreless ninth... Bobby Reid (0-1) caught the loss... the Lynx lashed him for 4 runs, 4 walks and 6 hits in 7 innings.

They got all 4 runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by clean-up hitter 1B Kris Wilson's 3-run triple and 3B Rog Clemens' RBI single... La Claire outhit the Blue Jays 8 to 6.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 25, 2037

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

BAKER STUMPS DEFENDERS 4-2 IN GAME 2
Most baseball experts say good pitching beats good bats... I'm sure most Cold Creek fans would agree with that... yesterday in the opener J. J. Gillespie stopped Fort Benton 4-1... Cold Creek 20-game winner Joey Baker did it today stumping Fort Benton 4-2 in the second game of the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series to enable the favored Catamounts to go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series... Baker (1.0) went the distance permitted only 2 runs on 7 hits, struck out 6 and walked only one... he outpitched Jordy Raeburn, who also won 20 games this season and also hurled a complete game... but Raeburn didn't fare as well... he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in defeat.

3B Pat Ellis (.429) paced the Catamounts at the plate with 2-3 and 3 RBIs... Ellis singled in a run in the last of the third and slammed a 2-run homer in the fifth... Rod Myerson (.500) batted in the first Fort Benton run in the top of the second with a single... and SS D. D. Badeaux (.375) hit a solo homer in the eighth.

A change of scenery might be good for the Defenders... they will host the third game of the series at Old Fortress Park in Fort Benton.

NASH THROTTLES SPORTS 4-1 IN SECOND GAME
22-year-old Waleska right-hander Craig Nash was on top of his game as he throttled the LaGrange Sports 4-1 on a 7-hitter in game two of the RU Elite 8 Series... the win gave the Westerners a 2-0 lead in the series... Nash, a 20-game winner in the regular season, fired 9 strikeouts and walked just one in going the route... losing pitcher Mike York, a 21-game winner, was touched for 4 runs and 9 hits in 7 and two-thirds innings.

Waleska had a 10-7 advantage in hits and were led by LF Frenchy LeBoeuf (.750), who had 3 hits for the second straight day... 2B Joey Harris (.500) and 3B Mac McMurtry (.429) drilled a pair of hits each... LaGrange's 3B Claude DesJardins (.375) led them with a couple of hits.

The series will now head to Sports Stadium in LaGrange for game three.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

HAWKS JOLT MONTIES 9-3 IN 10
The defending Pro Cup titllist North Hills Hawks erupted for 6 runs in the top of the tenth to send San Alejo down to defeat 9-3 for the second day in a row at the Casa de Beisbol... the Hawks have taken the first two games on the road... game three will be in North Hills tomorrow afternoon.

North Hills' starter David Michael shut out the Montaneros over the first six frames 3-0... but they rallied in the late innings to send the game into overtime... the extra inning belonged totally to the Hawks as they hammered loser Glen Porterfield for 6 runs, sending him down to another loss... Porterfield also lost the opener in extra innings... Porterfield was his own worst enemy with four walks... the Hawks got only 2 hits in the big inning... the big blows came on 2-run doubles by CF Kris Anastas (.300) and pinchhitter Ronnie Guillaume.

David Michael (.333) put North Hills ahead 3-0 when he cleared the bases with a double in the second frame... Michael (1-0) pitched well and logged the win, yielding 3 runs - only one earned - and 6 hits in his 9 innings... reliever Joey Santini saved it for him with a scoreless tenth... Luis Olmedo pitched well except for the second inning... worked 7 frames and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits in a no-decision.

The Hawks collected 9 hits in the game, while the Monties came up with 8... they were paced by LF Walt King (.500) with a homer and a single... RF Charlie Wilberforce (.400) and 3B Bubby Blackwell (.500) also had 2 hits each.

LA CLAIRE DOES IT AGAIN, TOPS TUCKS IN GAME 2, TOO
After two games in Tuckanarra, underdog La Claire has surprised top-ranked Tucknanarra by winning both games at Central Park Stadium... in game two of the TU Elite 8 Seirs the Lynx ripped Tucks' pitching for a dozen hits en route to a 7-4 triumph, aided by roundtrippers from Kris Wilson and Rog Clemens.

The Lynx handled Tuckanarra starter and 21-game winner Junior Bristow (0-1) with ease, rapping him for 7 runs and 11 hits in his 8 and two-thirds innings... they tied the scored at 3-3 on Clemens' (.500) 2-run shot in the sixth... then took a 5-3 advantage in the seventh on an RBI double by Ron Conklin and a wild pitch that plated Conklin... and they wrapped it up with two more in in the ninth on RBI base hits by Conklin (.222) and Billy Holland (.250).

C Weldon Waller (.571) sparked the winners with 3 hits... Conklin and Clemens also chipped in with a pair each... CF Pancho Villa (.250) and 2B Josh George (.125) led the Blue Jays with homers.

19-game winner Tony Rossi (1-0) picked up the victory... he tossed 7 and one-third innings, allowed 4 runs on 6 hits, fanned 4 and walked 3... he got good relief from Terry Baird, who got the last two outs in the eighth, and from Sven Bendixen, who notched the save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Game three of the best-of-seven series is set for La Claire tomorrow afternoon.