Congrats to South Fork! And to Elnora as well. This was a good series. The last two games went to extra innings. And the last three were one run games.

And i like that story about Stan the Man; i'd never heard it.i always remember the stat that was mentioned in Ken Burns' film. He Had 3630 hit in his career; 1815 at home, 1815 on the road.

Shame on you, Dark Horse..:)
I was saving Musial's home and away hits total for a future posting.

Yep, South Fork just had a well-balanced team... the Stallions had the hosses this year.

Oops! Sorry, EC.

No problem... actually it was a very interesting post.

Thank you for sharing it.

It's just as good now as it would be a week or so from now.

Actually, it's better that you posted it now.

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Is Filled with Glee in '23

Just thought I would share a little bit more trivia about my favorite ballplayer, Stan "The Man" Musial, the Duke of Donora.

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"
One of my biggest supporters Dark Horse shared this with me.
Stan Musial had 3630 hits in his career... 1815 at home and 1815 on the road.

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Sunday, December 10, 2077

IPA REWARDS 2077 STARS WITH AWARDS
Honor, glory, raves and accolades were in abundance all across Islandia today as the Islandian Pro Alliance announced the 2077 Award winners... the best batters, the best hurlers, best rookies, the best fielders and best skippers were bestowed the greatest honors the IPA has to give.

2077 Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award

V'S FIRST SACKER HAZELTON GETS 2ND RU GOLD BAT
In the Ruthlandian Union circles, Volusia's first baseman Matt Hazelton puts the wraps on a fine campaign by winning the 2077 RU Golden Bat Award... this is the second time he has been honored... Hazelton also nabbed the award in 2074... his Vigilantes (79-75) came in 5th in the Ruthlandian West this season, trailing division champion Fort Benton by 7 games... Hazelton beat out Ethan Youngman of the Wynnamac Sundowners and Ronald Bayless of the Elnora Clippers... the Macs finished 82-72 and 4 GB in the RU East, while the Clippers won the RU South crown with an 86-68 mark.

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2077 Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award

BLACKHAWK HURLER HONORE HONORED AS RU GOLDEN ARM
In a very close vote Valka right-hander Ron Honore edged out Kilkenny's Jethro Firestone and Ranford's Dayton Stansbury for the 2077 Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award... they all three were vital cogs in their teams' success this year... Honore sparked his Blackhawks to the RU South Division flag with an 88-66 record... they won by 5 games over Waleska and Grand City... Honore topped the RU with 26 victories... Firestone had the best ERA in the RU with a sparkling 2.37 ERA and 20 wins... Kilkenny captured the RU North title this season... Stansbury wound up third in the Golden Arm poll with a 23-11 mark and a 2.53 ERA... he finished second in wins and ERA... the Bulls came second in the RU North pennant race... Ranford ended up 9 games behind Kilkenny.

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2070 Ruthalandian Union Rookie of the Year

JUMBOS MCCANN SELECTED BEST NEWCOMER IN THE RU
Spots for rookies were sparse this year in the Islandian Pro Alliance... very few newcomers made impacts this season... the 2077 Ruthalandian Union Rookie of the Year Award went to Ancona's 23-year-old third baseman Jacky McCann... close on his heels in the voting were two freshmen hurlers... Roger Bolin of the Sugar Valley Rattlers and Vance Culpeppr of the Eastshore Cotton Kings.

McCann had a pretty good rookie season with a .273 BA, 141 hits, 23 doubles, 5 triples, 14 homers, 76 RBI, 70 runs scored and 18 stolen bases... however, it was a gloomy year for the Ancora Jumbos... they came in dead last in the Ruthlandian North Division with a pathetic 59-95 record, 34 games behind pennant-winning Kilkenny.

At 31 Bolin compiled a 13-12 mark for the 4th place Sugar Valley Rattlers in the RU East... the Rattlers finished 77-77 and ended up 9 games back of first place Elnora.

Third place in the RU top rookie race went to Eastshore hurler Vance Culpepper... also a late bloomer at 30 years of age, he came to the Cotton Kings in a trade this year with the Hartsdale Hellcats of the Tycobbian Union... overall in his first season Culpepper was 9-9 with an impressive 2.81 ERA... Eastshore did not fare well, posting a 72-82 record in the Ruthlandian East... they came in 14 games behind the first place Elnora Clippers.

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It looks like I may have to create my own rookie class again... I was hoping the AI would produce good rookies... newcomers were few and far between in the IPA this season.

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2077 Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Team

EASTSHORE SS DAGGS SNAGS 5TH GOLD GLOVE TROPHY
SP Gianni Trevisani (Sugar Valley Rattlers): (29 G/1.000 FA/13 PO/30 Assists) (13-7/4.11 ERA)
C Jorgy Jorgensen (Elnora Clippers) (135 G/.992 FA/5 PB/26.5% RTO) (.269 BA/2 HR/52 RBI/40 R)
1B Tory Swinnerton (LaGrange Gators) (153 G/.993 FA/113 Assists) (.294 BA/39 HR/101 RBI/98 R/6 SB) (2-time Golden Glove)
2B Jason Malone (Ranford Bulls) (149 G/.978 FA/478 Assists) (.287 BA/6 HR/63 RBI/97 R/65 SB) (2-time Golden Glove)
3B Dain Rayford (San Dimas Rancheros) (153 G/.981 FA/274 Assists) (.247 BA/0 HR/42 RBI/39 R)
SS Ollie Daggs (Eastshore Cotton Kings) (150 G/.973 FA) (517 Assists) (.231 BA/11 HR/58 RBI/54 R/16 SB) (5-time Golden Glove)
LF Olev Kotli (Valka Blackhawks) (152 G/.997 FA/312 PO/8 Assists) (.305 BA/14 HR/77 RBI/98 R/43 SB) (2-time Golden Glove)
CF Sasha Kazakov (Claxton Diamonds ) (149 G/.998 FA/428 PO/11 Assists) (.236 BA/22 HR/68 RBI/78 R/33 SB)
RF Harland Schiffman (Taranto Tars) (145 G/.994 FA/311 PO/10 Assists) (.302 BA/28 HR/101 RBI/78 R/6 SB)

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2077 Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player Award

ELNORA 3B BAYLESS HONORED AS RU MVP FOR 2077
This year Ronald Bayless had a terrific season for the Elnora Clippers... for his performance of the baseball diamond the 30-year-old third baseman has received one of the elite honors in the Islandian Pro Alliance... Bayless had been voted the 2077 Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player... not only did he outpoll the RU Golden Arm Ron Honore, he also beat out the RU Golden Bat winner Matt Hazelton... Bayless edged out Honore and Fort Benton second sacker Stosh Dusek.

Bayless was the RU Swing King with a league-leading .374 BA... in 140 games he amassed 194 base hits, 21 doubles, 10 triples, 15 roundtrippers, 88 RBIs and scored 104 runs... the speedy Bayless also stole 61 bases... he sparked the Clippers to the RU East Division flag... Bayless is a 2-time RU All-Star... Elnora (86-68) edged out the Marston Nine (2 GB) and Wynnamac Sundowners (4 GB) for the division crown... in 9 seasons Bayless has compiled a .330 BA... he first 4 years were spent in the Tycobbian Union with the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats, where he languished on the bench... Bayless came alive in Elnora in 2072 and has been a stalwart ever since... the Tucks loss was Elnora's gain.

Valka's standout hurler Ron Honore led the RU in wins with a 26-6 record and a fine 3.02 ERA... the Blackhawks finished 88-66 and captured the RU South race by 5 games over runners-up Waleska and Grand City.

Winding up third in the Ruthlandian MVP poll was Fort Benton's talented second baseman Stosh Dusek, who batted .358 and topped the league with 221 hits, while playing 143 games... Dusek stole 62 bases, scored 115 runs and drove in 58 runs from the leadoff spot... he was a prime performer in the Defenders taking the RU West Division title... Fort Benton won a very tight 5-team race by 4 games over the Forest City Firebirds, Sligo Rovers, Rocky Rapids Snappers and Volusia Vigilantes.

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I'm enjoying this. Eugene you had a youtube video of your dynasty at one time and I really enjoyed watching that with your commentary. Could I ask what your youtube channel is??

Nope... sorry... that wasn't me... I have no idea how to put commentary on youtube about my Islandian Pro Alliance.

I'm lucky to be able to post it here on the OOTP Dynasty Forum... I'm computer-challenged, severely lacking in tech skills..

Thanks for your interest... thank you for checking the IPA out.

Attachment 946615
2077 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year Award

KILKENNY SKIPPER NAMED RU MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Only twice in their long history have the Kilkenny Cats made the IPA postseason playoffs... the only other time the Cats appeared was 36 years ago in 2042... this year's Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year Dave Stratford sparked them to a turnaround season... Kilkenny was second in 2076 with an 84-70 mark winding up 10 games behind in the pennant race... this year the Cats won the RU North by 9 games with a strong 93-61 record... after struggling in his first 6 seasons, Kilkenny has blossomed under his leadership beginning in 2074... Stratford toiled long and hard for the lackluster Cats from 2034 to 2054 as a fine pitcher, posting 207 wins and 197 losses with a 3.65 ERA... twice Stratford won 20 or more games... he is a first-time recipient.

Stratford was pushed hard for the top skipper trophy... runner-up Max Gregory of the Fort Benton Defenders got them in the playoffs for just the 3rd time in the club's existence... last year they wound up sixth in the RU, flip-flopping from 75-79 and 6th place to nabbing the RU West title with an 86-68... Fort Benton survived a tight 5-team tussle this season... Gregory was hired by GM Robbie Brooks back in 2062... Gregory was a very successful college coach with quite a few national championships... he never played professional baseball, but starred in college.

Third place in the balloting went to Enos Conrad, who starred for the Elnora All-Stars for 16 seasons (2036- 2051)... he was a prolific hitter, batting .333 in his career with 190 homers, 911 RBIs and 1153 runs... Conrad was the RU Golden Bat in 2041 and a 5-time All-Star... he took the reins as skipper in 2068 from Stan Kivas... success finally came in recent years... 2 years ago the Clippers came in second place with an 86-68 record... this year they won the RU East with the same record, beating out the Marston Nine and the Wynnamac Sundowners in a dogfight.

All Matvey Kazak does in Valka is win the RU South pennant... he took over in 2068... 5 of the last 6 years the Blackhawks have been the best in the division... Kazak won the RU Skipper of the Year in 2074, but has come up short since then, despite his success... he came in 4th place this year... as a general rule, powerhouse managers get short shrifted when it come to managerial honors... in actually, it's tough in the IPA to win pennants year after year... Valka has been successful under his reign with a winning record each year... a 4th-place finish his first season... 2nd place 4 times... and 5 pennants... Kazak was a pretty fair pitcher for a bad ball team... from 2041 to 2054, the Blackhawks only had 5 winning seasons... Kazak won 170 games, lost 145 and posted a good 3.42 ERA... Kazak won has won 86 to 96 games each year since he took over the team... he was 78-76 his first year.

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2077 TOP PERFORMERS IN THE TYCOBBIAN UNION
The Islandian Pro Alliance presented its rewards for the 2077 season... league officials announced the Tycobbian Union Golden Bat for the top batter, the Golden Arm for the best pitcher, the Rookie of the Year for the standout newcomer, the Most Valuable Player for the one who contributed the most to the team's success, the finest defenders, the Golden Glove team and the Manager of the Year.

2077 Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award

Cape Coral's star first baseman Wade McClure is used to winning accolades... he was the TU Rookie of the Year in 2075... now McClure has added the prestigious Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award to his resume in 2077... in 151 games the 29-year-old standout topped the league with 211 hits... McClure batted .356 with 20 homers, 101 RBIs and 111 runs... this is the first time he has been honored as the best batter... McClure triumphed over two accomplished performers, Kirk Guilbeau of the Summerland Sunsets and Matty Cardona of the San Alejo Montaneros... this is McClure's third season in the IPA... it was a tough year for him as Cape Coral came in last in the TU South with a pathetic 53-101 mark.

Batter extraordinaire and rock-solid gloveman Kirk Guilbeau paced his Summerland Sunsets to a third-place finish in the TU South with 88 victories and 66 defeats... the Sunsets were beaten out by powerful Turon by 9 games... he was a close second to McClure for the Golden Bat Award... just 23 years old Guilbeau sizzled at the plate with a .343 batting average in 146 games... he totaled 192 hits with 33 doubles, league-leading 17 triples, 20 roundtrippers, 100 ribbies, 107 runs and 30 stolen bases... Guilbeau is a Gold Glover and is a 3-year veteran with Summerland.

The third highest votegetter was San Alejo's superb first baseman Matty Cardona... he was the 2074 TU Rookie of the Year... what a productive year he had this season with 31 homers, 118 RBIs, 110 runs and 41 SBs, while batting .315... the Golden Glover did it all for the Monties this season... however they only managed a 70-84 record and wound up way back in 7th place in the standings and trailed by 27 games in the TU South.

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MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Is Filled with Glee in '23

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

Just finished "The Baseball 100" by Joe Posnanski... it's a wonderful book, well-written and well-researched.

Who was the greatest baseball player? Tough to say... it got down to Willie Mays and the great Negro League star Oscar Charleston... both 5-tool players that could do it all.

I'll just leave it up to Joe Posnanski's book.
Posnanski also wrote a wonderful book about Buck O'Neal, Negro League player and manager, who endeared himself with all of us in Ken Burns' "Baseball" documentary.
Buck is a such a great guy... you fall in love with his positive outlook towards life, past, present and future. No matter the subject, Buck always ends the conversation on a high note with lots of smiles and sunshine..

Posnanski spent a year traveling with baseball's ambassador Buck O'Neal while writing "The Soul of Baseball", which was about Buck's life as a Negro League player and manager. Buck knew the Negro League players and he knew MLB players... he saw them play.

I just might take Buck's opinion on who the best baseball player was... He, Joe Posnanski and Willie Mays were taking a tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City... EC and my wife have been there... it was a real treat... just like the Motown Hall of Fame in Detroit... EC highly recommends both of them.

Willie was not in a good mood at the museum and not very talkative... Buck tried to get to get him talking about his baseball life and tell some stories... to get Willie going, Buck brought up the subject of "The Catch" Willie made in the 1954 World Series against Vic Wertz and the Cleveland Indians.

Excerpted from "The Baseball 100":

"Willie", Buck said in an effort to break through, "I saw the catch on television the other day."
The catch. Willie Mays made it on September 29, 1954. It was the first game of the World Series, the Polo Grounds, and he went back on a long fly ball hit by Vic Wertz, a fly ball that would have been a home run in almost every other ballpark. Mays turned his back so that anyone who was behind home plate clearly saw the number 24 on his jersey. He caught the ball over his shoulder and then whirled and threw it back to the infield.
"You saw that, Buck?" Mays said. He smiled a little.
"Only one other guy I ever saw could have made that catch," Buck said.
"Oscar Charleston", May said as he looked around the museum.
"He was you before you," O'Neil said.
O'Neil said that while Mays was the greatest major leaguer he ever saw, Charleston was the greatest ballplayer he ever saw.

'nuff said... that's good enough for EC.

i'm loving these inserts. :eatpop:

You've given me a couple of books to put on my B&N wishlist. :thumbup1:

And no spoilers this time. :D

Dark Horse, if you have some good thoughts on baseball, post them here.
EC needs the help.

Come up with a catchy name... like Dark Horse Dandies.

Or Remembrances of the Laseron Baseball Association.

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Is Filled with Glee in '23

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"
John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil Jr. (November 13, 1911 – October 6, 2006) was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs. He signed Lou Brock to play for the Cubs. In his later years he became a popular and renowned speaker and interview subject, helping to renew widespread interest in the Negro leagues, and played a major role in establishing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Sadly 16 years after his death, Buck was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 as an executive.

O'Neil's life was documented in Joe Posnanski's 2007 book "The Soul of Baseball".

Quotes from Buck O'Neill:
"Don't shed any tears. You think about this, the grandson of a slave. And here the whole world was excited about whether or not I was going into the Hall of Fame or not. We've come a long ways."

"A lot about the game has changed, and thankfully, much of it has gotten better. There is still a lot of work to do, but today we have a Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, we have black owners, managers and executives of teams... and look what Nike has done. The Untold Truth Collection represents more a jersey or a pair of sneakers. It represents our lives, our story, our legacy."

The Nike Untold Truth Collection site features the different Negro League Baseball teams of the past that Nike is representing for their collection. Along with the collection that consists of the sneakers and the Untold Truth Baseball Jerseys, the site will also feature video episodes about Negro League Baseball and the Negro League Basebal Museum.

Sorry, folks... I tried to get the link to the Nike Untold Truth Website, but couldn't find it... it seems that it may not be there any longer.

I found a few sites that covered the subject a little bit, but they were not well done.

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Filled with Glee in '23

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"
John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil Jr. (November 13, 1911 – October 6, 2006) was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs. He signed Lou Brock to play for the Cubs. In his later years he became a popular and renowned speaker and interview subject, helping to renew widespread interest in the Negro leagues, and played a major role in establishing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Sadly 16 years after his death, Buck was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 as an executive. Buck should have been elected before he died.

Buck O'Neil was just an average first baseman in the Negro Leagues. He must have been a very good manager. The Kansas City Monarchs only hired good manager. Most of all, Buck was a Hall of Fame person. Buck was the eternal optimist as you can see from his quotes.

O'Neil's life was documented in Joe Posnanski's 2007 book "The Soul of Baseball".

Quotes from Buck O'Neill:
"Don't shed any tears. You think about this, the grandson of a slave. And here the whole world was excited about whether or not I was going into the Hall of Fame or not. We've come a long ways."

"A lot about the game has changed, and thankfully, much of it has gotten better. There is still a lot of work to do, but today we have a Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, we have black owners, managers and executives of teams... and look what Nike has done. The Untold Truth Collection represents more a jersey or a pair of sneakers. It represents our lives, our story, our legacy."

The Nike Untold Truth Collection site features the different Negro League Baseball teams of the past that Nike is representing for their collection. Along with the collection that consists of the sneakers and the Untold Truth Baseball Jerseys, the site will also feature video episodes about Negro League Baseball and the Negro League Basebal Museum.

Attachment 947552
2077 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award

TU GOLDEN ARM GOES MAHASKA STAR HURLER DUROSA
The Golden Arm Trophy, symbolic for excellence in pitching, has been awarded by the Islandian Pro Alliance and the winner is Leo Durosa, a 31-year-old right-hander for the Mahaska Haymakers... he impressed the baseball writers and broadcasters and received their votes over two standouts peers, Wyatt Quinton of the Turon Typhoons and William Pike of the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats, who ranked second and third in the best-pitcher category.

With a record of 21-11 Durosa was certainly a worthy recipient... He made 37 starts and rang up 275 innings with 210 Ks and a 2.06 ERA, which was not only the best ERA in the Tycobbian Union, but he also led the IPA, too... in his 5th year with Mahaska, Durosa has recorded a 53-33 mark with a 2.84 ERA... the Haymakers (79-75) almost won the Tycobbian North Division, winding up a close 3rd behind winner Hartsdale (82-72) and runner-up Blue Lakes (81-73)... Mahaska finished just 3 games out in the pennant chase... Durosa is a first-time honoree.

Number two in the TU Golden Arm balloting was Turon's Wyatt Quinton... he paced the Typhoons to the TU South pennant with a super 23-9 mark with a fine 2.21 ERA... Quinton throws right and is in his 3rd season with Turon... he topped the Tycobbian Union with 23 victories... Turon (97-57) captured the TU South title by 8 games over second place Colchester (89-55)... the Typhoons had the top record in the IPA this season.

Number three in the best-pitcher voting was Tuckanarra's longtime ace, William Pike... at age 33 the righty composed an impressive 22-10 record with a strong 2.52 ERA... the Tucks (86-68) ended up 2nd in the TU East standings, trailing IPA Pro Cup champion South Fork (88-66) by only 2 games... lifetime Pike is 161-105 with a very good 2.94 ERA... he is an 11-year veteran and 4-time All-Star.

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2077 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year

MCCANDLISH BEST ROOKIE IN TYCOBBIAN UNION
Good, impactful newcomers were few and far between for most of the teams in the Islandian Pro Alliance... new blood was sparse this season... however, it was a little bit better story in the Tycobbian Union... there were three worthy rookies... after all the votes were counted the 2077 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award went to Scotty McCandlish, first baseman for the Arlon Champions... the 23-year-old McCandlish outpolled Cape Coral right fielder Loren Mickelson and Ginza right fielder Akio Tanaka for the honor.

McCandlish fashioned a .290 BA, piled up 152 hits in 141 games with 24 homers, 75 RBIs, 77 runs, 88 walks and a .392 OBP... while McCandlish excelled, his Champions suffered through a long and frustrating season... Arlon was a pathetic 51-103 and came in absolutely last in the TU West with the worst record in the IPA.

2 talented right fielders fought it out for the second spot in the rookie poll... the runner-up was Cape Coral's Loren Mickelson... the 29-year-old outfielder flourished this season with a .320 BA and 173 hits in 130 games... Mickelson smacked 33 doubles, 12 triples, 2 homers, stole 28 bases, drove in 51 runs and scored 92 times... his Arlon Champions did not fare well this year, posting a dismal 51-103 mark and winding up at the bottom of the TU North.

Akio Tanaka made his debut at age 25, playing in only 98 games and finishing with a .329 BA, 10 homers, 51 ribbies, 69 runs and 19 SB... the Ginza Ninjas didn't have a shining season, going 72-82, 25 games out of first place in the TU South, ending up in the 6th spot, 25 behind the division champ Turon.

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Imagine if Arlon didn't have Scotty McCandlish? They may have lost over 110 games.

It's a shame when a real good ballplayer gets stuck on a poor team for his career.

A few times I have traded a great player for multiple good players... the trade helped both teams.

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2077 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Team

TU HONORS GOLDEN GLOVERS FOR 2077
Not a lot of repeat performers on the Tycobbian Union Golden Glove team this season... these are the guys that day after day, game after game provide consistent and sometimes eye-catching defense... they win games with their defensive skills and acumen... Denton City center fielder Donald Wilhelm made the Golden Glove team for the 3rd time in his career... Colchester shortstop Jaan Kask has copped one twice in his career and Summerland left fielder Armand Hauer has won it twice as well... the rest of the team were first-time recipients. There were no rookies chosen this season.

Pitcher: John Michael Rupp (Arlon Champions)
(1.000 FA/17 PO/39 assists/3 DP) (16-17/4.37 ERA)
First-Time Winner

Catcher: Liam McWhirter (La Claire Lynx)
(.989 FA/88 assists/11 DP) (.294 BA/14 HR/65 RBI/53 R/6 SB)
3-Time Winner

First Baseman: Matty Cardosa (San Alejo Montaneros)
(.997 FA/118 assists) (.315 BA/31 HR/118 RBI/110 R/41 SB)
First-Time Winner

Second Baseman: (.987 FA/384 assists) (.200 BA/19 HR/54 RBI/69 R/7 SB)
First-Time Winner

Third Baseman: Johnny Davidson (Kenwood Wildcats)
(.975 FA/288 assists/26 DP) (.340 BA/4 HR/73 RBI/96 R/12 SB)
First-Time Winner

Shortstop: Jaan Kask (Colchester Elites)
(.979 FA/473 assists) (.290 BA/0 HR/51 RBI/62 R/3 SB)
2-Time Winner

Left Fielder: Armin Hauer (Summerland Sunsets)
(.987 FA/289 PO/8 assists/4 DP) (.265 BA/6 HR/59 RBI/81 R/27 SB)
2-Time Winner

Center Fielder: Donald Wilhelm (Denton City Redbirds)
(.992 FA/377 PO/16 assists/5 DP) (.308 BA/5 HR/50 RBI/95 R/49 SB)
3-Time Winner

Right Fielder: Kris Timberlake (Bayview Vikings)
(.990 FA/297 PO/15 assists/0 DP) (.256 BA/21 HR/85 RBI/78 R/26 SB)
First-Time Winner


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2077 Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player

SOUTH FORK'S EZELL NAMED TU MVP OVER CARDOSA AND WELSH
The Islandian Pro Alliance named shortstop Carroll Ezzell of the South Fork Stallions this year's Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player... Ezzell came in first in the balloting, edging out San Alejo first baseman Matty Cardosa and Denton City first sacker Virgil Welsh... this is Ezzell's second time to be honored as the TU MVP... he also won it in 2073.

Ezzell had a great season this year, leading South Fork to the TU East Division title and topping it off with the Pro Cup Trophy... his Stallions won the revered prize defeating the Elnora Clippers of the Ruthlandian Union in 6 games... in 149 games Ezzell batted .336 with 200 hits, 9 homers, 70 RBIs, 100 runs and 68 stolen bases... lifetime the 31-year-old infielder is carrying a .336 BA in his 9 years in South Fork... Ezzell is a 4-time All-Star.

San Alejo star Matty Cardosa came in a very close second to Ezell... the 24-year-old had another standout season with a .315 BA in 152 games with 31 roundtrippers, 118 ribbies, 110 runs and 41 stolen bases... Cardosa is a 3-time All-Star, 2074 Rookie of the Year and a Golden Glove recipient... however, his Montaneros had a poor season, winding up 7th in the TU South with a 70-84 mark... they finished 27 games behind pennant-winning Turon.

At age 32, Virgil Welsh is a 10-year veteran, all with Denton City... Welsh was a very close third in the MVP race... he led the TU with 39 doubles, 34 homers and 119 RBIs, while batting .296 in 152 games... the Redbirds ended up in second place this season in the TU West, just 2 games behind division winner La Claire... Welsh was the 2076 TU Most Valuable Player and Golden Bat... he wound up in third place in this season's MVP voting... Welsh has topped the Tycobbian Union the last three years in RBIs.

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TURON'S SCOTTSDALE VOTED BEST SKIPPER IN TU
For 10 seasons it's been nothing but prosperity in Turon for manager Nate Scottsdale... 6 pennants, one Pro Cup, but no Manager of the Year awards... finally, it happened this season, but it took a remarkable year to win it over two other standout skippers, Denzel Durand of Colchester and Jay Murphy of South Fork... at long last, Nate Scottsdale is the 2077 Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year and very deservingly so... the Typhoons surged from 85-69 in the Tycobbian South Division to a remarkable IPA-leading 97-57 this year... that is a tremendous turnaround... Turon came in second in '76, trailing division champion San Alejo by 9 games... this year they won it by 8 games over the Colchester Elites... Scottsdale finally snared the pretigious award and trophy, but it was a super-tight ballot... he edged out two capable peers, Durand and Murphy.

The runner-up in the best manager poll was Denzel Durand... he is a relative newcomer in IPA managerial circles... he joined the hapless Colchester Elites in 2075 after they had lost 102 games... Durand struggled in his first two seasons, but they took off this year, going from 66-88 and 7th place to 89-65 and second place... 28 games behind to just 8 games behind.

Third place in the Manager of the Year voting went to longtime South Fork skipper Jay Murphy... he has enjoyed much success since taking over in 2058 with 5 TU division flags and 2 Pro Cup trophies... he won the whole shebang in 2073 and this year... despite his impressive performance over the years, Murphy never managed to get the best manager award... this season the Stallions improved from third place and 80-74 to 88-66 and first place. His club lost the division by 11 games in '76, but won the hotly-contested race this season by 2 games over the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats, 4 games better than the Ozarka Naturals and 5 games ahead of the Hillsboro Blazers.

All three of the managers were pitchers in the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Nate Scottsdale was a Hall-of-Fame hurler for Turon, compiling a 362-277 record from 2037 to 2056... he was selected for the IPA Hall of Fame in 2057... the Typhoons captured 6 division crowns when he was playing, but they never won the IPA Pro Cup in his career.

Denzel Durand was a journeyman hurler for the Colchester Elites... he labored through some lean years from 2048 to 2058, posting a 168-169 mark with a decent 3.71 ERA. Twice in his 11 seasons Durand chalked up over 20 wins. The club only had two winning seasons during his time.

Jay Murphy starred for South Fork from 2038 to 2053 with a 250-185 mark and a solid 3.24 ERA... most of the time the Stallions were just an average ballclub, but they did win the Pro Cup in 2042 and Murphy was 27-8 with a 2.59 ERA... he was also 5-3 in the playoffs that year with a 3.98 ERA... South Fork won 3 pennants during his playing days.

(Special thanks to txranger, No Pepper and EC for the excellent primary logos... txranger did the fantastic IPA logo)

Ah... finally the 2077 Islandian Pro Alliance season is finished.

May take a few days rest before beginning 2078... might take a week off.

I am too busy these days... too many activities... too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Then again, I am really blessed to have such a great active life.

EC should be more thankful... I should be much less a perfectionist, especially when you only have feeble capabilities and limited skills.

Life is good... yep, life is good today.

Thank you, Almighty, Merciful and Gracious Creator.

Goodness gracious, the IPA is blessed with wonderful logos, jerseys and caps.

Thanks to all of you that have contributed greatly to the IPA graphics.

And a special thanks to all of you loyal viewers... I much appreciate you, too.

Can't remember for sure, but I am so glad that someone posted that I needed to use more graphics in posting and recapping the IPA.

I think it was StLee... and I totally agreed with him... it was a great suggestion.
I think it was around the 50th season.

Because of his request, I went to the OOTP Mods Forum and ask for help in creating graphics for 64 teams... I would be tarred and feathered if I did that today... times have changed a bit... no rational person ask for that many teams anymore.

The great graphics guys did all 64 teams in about 2 months.

Thank you, StLee.

I have been blessed with another wonderful logo designer... hurricanekevin is reworking the IPA team logos.
He is a great guy and a talented and gifted graphics designer.

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Is Filled with Glee in '23

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

As you know EC have never been an avid reader of books... now late in life, I am getting a taste of what I missed -- the reading enjoyment of good books.

Really enjoyed The Baseball Hundred written by Joe Posnanski... it was very well-written with objectivity, research and humor... it was thoroughly entertaining and informative.

Also just finished musician Charlie Daniels' autobiography Never Look At The Empty Seats... love that title... Charlie, a progressive country rocker, always told his band they were there to give the folks who showed up a great show, regardless of how large or small the crowd was... it rang a bell in my life... I'm not Charlie Daniels, but I do play for 10 to 25 people at Nursing Homes 8 times a month...I talk to them about the songs and artists, talk to them about my life and dance and sing with the residents... it always gets me down when on rare occasions only a few show up due to the fact that the activities directors at the homes don't go and get the residents and bring them to the dining hall where I play my library of recorded hit songs on my high quality stereo PA system... no matter how large or small the attendance is, I try real hard to treat it like it is a full crowd... now, like Charlie Daniels, EC never looks at the empty seats... one time at a veterans home, no one showed up... it was just me and the PA system all by our lonesome... I just started playing music... one lady came in and sat down... I just played songs for her... soon a few more folks came in... when it was over there were 20 residents present, tapping their toes, clapping their hands and singing along in their wheelchairs with the songs they grew up on as teenagers and college kids... I probably played some songs they had to listen to when their own kids were growing up and listening to "their awful kind of music"... despite that most of the them are in wheelchairs, EC also dances with them... I take their hands and we swing and sway to the rhythm of the songs... some of them will move their feet to the music, too... yep, that was a rockin' boppin' great time... one of the best times I ever had... and it started off with a lot of empty seats.

Thank you, Charlie Daniels.

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Is Filled with Glee in '23

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

For EC's current edification and education is a scholarly book about "base ball"- that's the way it was spelled in the early years of the game... hopefully EC will enjoy it, too... it's written by a real scholars, Harold Seymour and his wife Dorothy Seymour Mills... for the first time in history, historians wrote about baseball... previously, it was done by sportswriters, many of which did not do a lot of scholarly research... Joe Posnanski was an exception to this in his books about The Baseball Hundred and his Buck O'Neill book... back in the 1940s, Harold Seymour got the idea of studying baseball as a subject for his doctoral dissertation at Cornell University... he and his wife, also a noted baseball historian and researcher, wrote a 3-volume set entitled Baseball - Volume 1: The Early Years (1960), Volume 2: The Golden Age (1971) and Volume 3: The People's Game (1990).

So far, it is a tedious, scholarly book, but very informative... not any humor at all... it is kind of mundane and dull... yep, that's what it is, but I will suffer through it to get possibly the "real" history of baseball... as historians, the Seymours only wants the facts... like Sgt. Joe Friday of the 1950s Dragnet TV show they only want the "facts ma'am, just the facts"... there is no hearsay in this book... they note a lot of baseball history is myth and not true... we don't really know who codified baseball rules and created the sport... it wasn't Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York... he made no mention in his writings about the game of baseball or of ever playing base ball as a kid... none of the towns he lived in made mention of his involvement in baseball... Doubleday was not athletic at all... and he wasn't in Cooperstown when he supposedly created baseball.

Interesting baseball facts:
The earliest record of baseball in America the Seymours found was in the journal of a Revolutionary War soldier, George Ewing, who tells of playing a game of "base" at Valley Forge on April 7, 1778... later a diary entry of a Princeton student in 1786 briefly described a game of "baste ball" on the campus.

The first organized game that much is known about was arranged by the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York... this was a group of gentlemen that got together to socialize and exercise... it was a social club or a country club with strict membership rules and regulations... social intercourse was more important than the athletic competition... the Knickerbockers first match was played June 19, 1846 at Elysian Fields in New York City...the opponent was the New York Base Ball Club... the rules at this time called for the game to be over when one team reached 21 aces (runs)... the two clubs played only 4 innings and the New York Base Ball Club thumped the Knickerbockers 23-1... for some reason the winner scored 2 more runs than necessary.

The Knickerbockers did not take the game of base ball too seriously like the new base ball clubs did... they kind of faded out of existence after about 10 years of operation.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

2022 IPA PLAYOFF PREVIEW
(best-of-seven)

REIGNING CHAMP Rovers Favored Over Reds In IPA Pro Cup Playoffs, Sligo Picked To Win 2nd Straight Pro Cup Trophy
If the predictions are right, it will be the Sligo Rovers of the Ruthlandian Union going up against the Rolling Hills Reds of the Tycobbian Union in this year's IPA Pro Cup finals. In The Islandian Times annual poll the Rovers were named the favorite team in the playoffs and they are expected to capture a second consecutive Pro Cup crown. Rolling Hills was the second choice of the pollsters with Crystal Lake running third and Arroyo Grande fourth. Ancona came in fifth, Wynnamac sixth, Midway seventh and Luxora came in eighth and last.

Sligo has a good all-round club with superb pitching (2.77 ERA-2nd) and solid firepower (.265 BA-6th). Rolling Hills counters with good pitching (3.28 ERA/4th), great defense (.978 FA) and adequate hitting (.267 BA- 6th).

The IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series open this afternoon at four sites. In the Ruthlandian Union Crystal Lake will host Ancona, while Sligo is at home against Wynnamac. Over in the Tycobbian Union it will be Rolling Hills entertaining the Midway Wolves and Arroyo Grande tangles with the Luxora Zorros at the Suns ballpark.

The Islandian Times Poll Rankings
1. Sligo Rovers (RU)
Team Record: 95-59 (2nd)
Team BA: .265 (6th)
Team Scoring:785 runs (5th)
Team HR: 159 (4th)
Team ERA 2.77 (2nd)
Team Defense: .973 FA (10th-tied)

2. Rolling Hills Reds (TU)
Team Record: 96-58 (2nd)
Team BA: .267 (6th)
Team Scoring: 777 (5th)
Team HR: 140 (18th-tied)
Team ERA: 3.28 (4th)
Team Defense .978 FA (1st)

3. Crystal Lake Crushers (RU)
Team Record: 97-57 (1st)
Team BA: .253 (21st)
Team Scoring: 667 runs (25th)
Team HR: 113 (22nd-tied)
Team ERA: 2.66 (1st)
Team Defense: .971 FA (18th-tied)

4. Arroyo Grande Suns (TU)
Team Record: 97-57 (1st)
Team BA: .275 (2nd)
Team Scoring: 855 runs (1st)
Team HR: 220 (2nd)
Team ERA: 3.55 (10th)
Team Defense: .964 FA (32nd)

5. Ancona Red Elephants (RU)
Team Record: 84-70 (7th)
Team BA: .265 (5th)
Team Scoring: 788 runs (3rd)
Team HR: 170 (3rd)
Team ERA: 3.68 (11th)
Team Defense: .971 (18th-tied)

6. Wynnamac Sundowners (RU)
Team Record: 93-61 (
Team Batting: .263 (10th)
Team Scoring: 752 runs (11th)
Team HR: 123 (19th)
Team ERA: 3.25 (3rd)
Team Defense: .971 FA (18th-tied)

7. Midway Wolves (TU)
Team Record: 92-62 (3rd)
Team Batting: .259 (12th)
Team Scoring: 774 (6th)
Team HR:179 (4th)
Team ERA: 3.25 (3rd)
Team Defense: .973 FA (14th-tied)

8. Luxora Zorros (TU)
Team Record: 84-70 (7th)
Team Batting: .247 (25th)
Team Scoring: 690 runs (16th)
Team HR: 161 (6th)
Team ERA: 3.40 (8th)
Team Defense: .967 FA (26th-tied)

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
(Recap of 2022 IPA Playoffs)

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

IPA Elite 8 Series Picks
The Crystal Lake Crushers are back again in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs after a year's absence. The 3rd-seeded Crushers won it all in 2020 under manager Herman "Baby " George and have a better team this year according to the experts. They drew a tough ball club in the RU Elite 8. The 5th-seeded Ancona Red Elephants (84-70) hit very well and have pretty fair pitching, while Crystal Lake (97-57) tied Arroyo Grande of the Tycobbian Union for the best record in the IPA this year. The Crushers have great pitching with three 20-game winners in veterans Duncan Welch (23-12 2.18), Ralph McCullough (20-9 2.56) and rookie phenom Dennis Taylor (21-9 2.41). In a super trade, the Crushers acquired star RF Augie Marshall from Taranto in August and now have him in the lineup to support all-time legendary 1B Phil Gravelli (.312 BA/21 HR/87 RBI) and 2B Greg Murphy (.312 BA/14 HR/61 RBI). Marshall (.293 BA/24 HR/97 RBI) is a much-needed addition and could be a crucial factor in the playoffs.

The key to the series is Manny Mickens' mound corps: Clete Dukas (17-14 3.29), Spiros Zodiates (16-8 3.40) and Hubie Croft (13-13 3.16). If they can stop the Crushers Big 3, Ancona has a shot at winning. The Red Elephants have one of the best attacks in the IPA with 3B Todd Nasso (.306 BA/32 HR/109 RBI), 1B Alekos Kotas (.301 BA/27 HR/125 RBI), LF Kenny Willard (.320 BA/27 HR/103 RBI) and SS Yanni Kouris (.303/10 HR/63 RBI).

Prediction: Pitching will prevail... Crystal Lake in 6 games... but it won't be easy... Ancona can hit with the best of them.

It will the defending Pro Cup champions, the Sligo Rovers (95-59), battling the Wynnamac Sundowners (93-61) in the other RU postseason match-up. Sligo is the top seed and favored to win the whole shebang again. Skipper Eddie Keys has standout pitching and rock-solid bats. They can hit with Ancona and pitch as well as Crystal Lake. Every regular has double-digit homers, led by 3B Manny Alou (.272 BA/29 HR/115 RBI), 2B Garlin Delk (.303 BA/15 HR/101 RBI), LF Biff Blauer (.322 BA/10 HR/91 RBI), C Sherman Albert (.253 BA/23 HR/81 RBI), RF Clell Renshaw (.289 BA/20 HR/80 RBI), 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.280 BA/21 HR/77 RBI). On the hill Sligo will go with Les Patterson (18-9 1.94), Ralph Odakota (20-11 2.49) and Luka Abromowitz (19-10 3.25) as starters. 24-game winner Sam Tate (24-9 2.42) will switch to the bullpen for the playoffs. Keys has a poor bullpen. That's the Rovers one weakness. Tate went to the bullpen because he has better control and also Abromowitz outpitched him in the playoff last year. Abromowitz was 3-0 with a 3.56 ERA, while Tate was 1-1 and 4.82.

Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners are an unheralded 6th-seed by the prognosticators, but they do possess three fine starters in Lon Marshall (24-11 2.90), Jerry Meeks (20-13 3.24) and Dean Barber (15-9 2.88) and a talented closer in Jim Horton (6-6 2.05). Horton notched 25 saves this season. At the plate Wynnamac features four .300 hitters: 2B Liam Cadbury (.322 B/26 HR/103 RBI), RF Bob Carr (.318 BA/4 HR/73 RBI), LF Joey Eaton (.313 BA/20 HR/83 RBI) and CF Ian Holmes (.301 BA/0 HR/52 RBI/102 R). Star 1B Pete Simmons (.296 BA/21 HR/102 RBI) boasts a big bat, too. It really isn't as much of a mismatch as you would think.

Prediction: Sligo will prevail in six games, but the Sundowners will make them sweat.

In the Tycobbian Union it will be 2nd-seed Rolling Hills and 7th-seed Midway in one Elite 8 Series and 4th-seeded Arroyo Grande and 8th-seeded Luxora in the other series. Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills Reds (96-58) may be the best all-around team in the IPA with strong pitching, pretty fair hitting and excellent defense. The Reds will live and die with the offense. If RF Manuel Leon (.269 BA/29 HR/99 RBI), rookie SS Tony Ptacek (.275 BA/31 HR/93 RBI), LF Donnie Lewis (.295 BA/6 HR/73 RBI/106 R), 1B Mickey Greene (.264 BA/17 HR/83 RBI) and CF Mark Coker (.279 BA/19 HR/75 RBI) can hold up their end of the bargain, Rolling Hills can go far in the playoffs.

The Midway Wolves (92-62), guided by Cochise Chandler, are a talented team with strong pitching and good power. Motega Wolf (21-9 2.44) is the ace, although Dakota Dyami (25-8 3.45) led the club in wins. Bobby Dorignac (19-14 2.74) gives Midway another standout starter. Chandler's bullpen could be a problem. Offensively, the Wolves depend on LF Chitto Chandler (.299 BA/30 HR/101 RBI), 2B Frank Reinhard (.301 BA/27 HR/89 RBI), 3B Rob Gigler (.306 BA/13 HR/69 RBI) and RF Kyle Rigney (.270 BA/21 HR/70 RBI). Midway has good home-run power with 179 hit out of the park for the year. Rolling Hills hit 140 for the season.

Prediction: Both clubs have strong pitching... Rolling Hills is superb, while Midway is very good... offensively the two teams are fairly even... defensively, the advantage goes to Rolling Hills... it should be quite a series with the Reds taking it in six games.

Arroyo Grande (97-57) topped the Tycobbian Union in victories and tied Crystal Lake in the Ruthlandian Union for the IPA lead. Cyclone Cobb's Suns have a high-powered offense, the best in the IPA with a .275 BA, 220 homers and 855 runs, ranking second in all categories. The pitching is not on par with the offense. If the pitchers can keep the Suns in the ball game, the teams will go far in the postseason. Arroyo Grande needs strong efforts from Sixto Zamora (19-13 2.86), Ernie Matthews (22-11 3.31) and Cesar De Leon (23-9 4.03). Cobb's bullpen is in great hands with Jason Patrick (5-4), who racked up 26 saves with an extraordinary 1.10 ERA. And what a batting order the Suns have with rookie sensation 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.323 BA/58 HR/165 RBI), C Gary Troxell (.300 BA/38 HR/98 RBI), LF Eduardo Villanueva (.319 BA/30 HR/91 RBI), SS Andy Pearson (.315 BA/19 HR/70 RBI/85 R) and RF Buddy Bechtel (.288 BA/26 HR/62 RBI/80 R). Pearson missed 50 games in the season with an injury, but still put up healthy numbers.

Cristo Viamonte's lowly-regarded Luxora Zorros (84-70) rely on his mound staff. The Z's are never picked very high in the postseason polls, but they did upset highly-favored Arroyo Grande in 2020 in the opening series and gave perrenial power Ozarka fits in the TU Final 4 that year. Luxora's ace is Tiago Torres, one of the finest hurlers in the IPA. He can almost win a series by himself. Viaconte just needs one of the other two starters to step it up and knock off the Suns in a couple of games. Torres was 21-12 with 7 shutouts and a 2.12 ERA this season. It's up to Mike Boyce (19-13 3.01) and Valerio Lopes (17-12 3.47) deliver the goods and upset Arroyo Grande's apple cart. The Zorro bats are led by LF Jon Stafford (.265 BA/35 HR/103 RBI), CF Johnny Clark (.285 BA/31 HR/102 RBI), C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.273 BA/26 HR/81 RBI) and 2B Julio Canseco (.269 BA/19 HR/81 RBI). Good performances by Boyce and Lopes on the hill and by the Zorro hitters could pull a big surprise in the Suns series.

Prediction: Arroyo Grande has too much firepower... the Suns will win in six... Zamora, Matthews and Patrick should be able to put down the Z's offense.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Sundowners Stop Sligo 3-1 In Opener
In the opening game of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series at Sligo, Wynnamac got magnificent pitching from Lon Marshall and Jim Horton, who stopped the hometown Rovers and defender Pro Cup champs 3-1 in 10 innings... 1B Pete Simmons' two-out double plated CF Ian Holmes with the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth... 2B Liam Cadbury followed with another double to score Simmons... Marshall (1-0) worked 9 innings, holding the hard-hitting Rovers to just 5 hits... Marshall fanned 8 and walked two for the win... closer Jim Horton registered the save with a scoreless bottom of the tenth... loser Les Patterson was also outstanding... he went all 10 innings with 10 strikeouts and a walk... the Sundowners got 10 hits off Patterson... Sligo got only 6 hits... CF Chris Michel had the game's only homer... he tied the game at 1-1 in the eighth to send it to overtime... game two will also take place at Silver Mountain Park in Sligo.

Welch Tosses 2-Hitter, Crushers Beat Ancona 3-0
The Crystal Lake Crushers are off-and-running in the RU Elite 8 Series... Duncan Welch (1-0) hurled a brilliant 2-hit shutout in the 3-0 triumph over the Ancona Red Elephants at Lakefront Park in Crystal Lake... Welch had 7 Ks and 4 walks... it was a scoreless duel until the last of the seventh between Welch and Clete Dukas, the 40-year-old Ancona ace... Crystal Lake tallied 3 unearned runs to beat Dukas... the winning run scored on an error by SS Yanni Kouris, who misplayed a grounder... two batters later 2B Tommy Gompers doubled in two more runs... Dukas (0-1) deserved better... he went the route and gave up 6 hits and no earned runs.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Torres Tremendous, 2-Hits Suns 8-0
On the road at Capet Stadium in Arroyo Grande, Luxora shocked the Suns 8-0 in the first game of the Tycobbian Elite 8 on Tiago Torres' splendid 2-hitter... the Z's zapped out 13 hits to totally demolish the Suns... C Jim Thorpe Chandler and 3B Robby Christianson each drilled 3 hits, while Chandler and LF Jon Stafford drove in 2 runs apiece... losing pitcher Sixto Zamora (0-1) was battered for 6 runs in 6+ innings... Luxora busted it open with 3 in the fourth inning and 2 more in the sixth.

Reds Top Wolves 6-3 In Game 1
At beautiful and picturesque Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills, the Reds topped the Midway Wolves 6-3 in game one of the TU Elite 8 Series... a 2-run homer by 1B Mickey Greene put the Reds in front 6-2 in the fifth and starter Errol Gaudet (1-0) made it stand up for the victory... Gaudet yielded 3 runs and 7 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks in his 8 innings... closer Alfonso Gonzales worked a runless ninth for the save... Rolling Hills only got 5 hits, but they were enough... Wolves starter Dakota Dyami (0-1) suffered the defeat, surrendering all 5 hits and 6 runs in his 4 innings... in a terrible outing Dyami walked 6, while striking out 4.

I just added 2 created rookies to the rosters of 32 teams of the 64 teams... they were all 18-21.

The 2077 rookie class was thin... teams are getting too old... no young players.

Wow!

Finished all 64 teams this afternoon.

Can now head to spring training for the brand-spanking new 2078 IPA season.

Yowser, Yowser, Yowser.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 22, 2022

IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Rovers Even Series, Thump Sundowners 7-4
In game two at Sligo's Silver Mountain Park, the Rovers rebounded from a series-opening shellacking by thumping visiting Wynnamac 7-4 to even up the RU Elite 8 at a game apiece... the Rovers racked up 11 hits and were led by 1B Johnny Lee Harder with 2 hits and 3 RBIs... RF Clell Renshaw belted 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs... both Harder and Renshaw hammered solo homers in the opening frame... Sligo built up a 6-1 after five innings and were never headed... Ralph Odakota (1-0) notched the win by working 8 innings, allowing 4 runs and 9 hits in a so-so performance... new postseason closer Sam Tate closed it out with a perfect ninth... Jerry Meeks lost it for the Sundowners... he was whacked for 6 runs, only 3 earned, in 6 innings... LF Joey Eaton (.250) paced Wynnamac with 2 hits, including a 2-run homer in the sixth... the Rovers had an 11-9 advantage in hits.

Crystal Lake Crushes Ancona 9-1 In Game 2
Everybody said Crystal Lake had great pitching and they have certainly showed it in the first two games of the RU Elite 8 Series... in game two Ralph McCullough (1-0) fired a 1-hitter to whip Ancona 9-1 and go up two games to none in the RU Elite 8 Series... McCullough went the distance, fanned 3 and walked 3... the only hit he gave up was a third-inning single to SS Yanni Kouris (.333)... Spiro Zodiates was KO'd in the 7-run third after being smacked for 5 hits and 3 bases on balls... Crystal Lake collected 9 hits... leading the Crushers at bat was RF Andy Marshall (.500) with a homer and 2 RBIs... SS Alton Sonnenberg (.400) drove in 3 runs with a double and triple... 2B Greg Murphy (.500) went 3-for-3 and LF Jed Franks (.143) had 2 runs batted in.


Tycobbian Union

Zorros Sink Suns 8-6 on 3-run HR
The experts say the Luxora Zorros are the worst team in the Pro Cup playoffs, but they haven't quite lived up to that reputation in the first two games of the TU Elite 8 with the favored Arroyo Grande Suns... The Z's powered 3 home runs to come back and beat the Suns 8-6 in the second game of the series... trailing 5-1 after 5 innings, 2-run shots by C Jim Thorpe Chandler in the sixth and LF Jon Stafford in the seventh gave Luxora a 6-5 lead... the Suns quickly tied it in the bottom of the inning, but the Zorros retaliated with two in the top of the eighth to win it... pinchhitter Francisco Ortega's sacrifice fly was the game-winner... RF Rick Schaffner (.333) got the second run in with a single... Chandler (.600) collected 3 hits for the Z's with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs, while Stafford (.400) had 2 hits and 2 RBIs.

Arroyo Grande's fabulous rookie 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.286) had a double and a single and batted in 4 runs to lead the Suns... Vizcarra led the IPA with 58 roundtrippers in his freshman season... RF Buddy Bechtel (.429) added 2 hits and 2 RBIs... Luxora had 11 hits and the Suns 10... The Zorros got fine work from the bullpen... four relievers blanked the Suns over the final 4 and two-thirds innings on just one hit... Frankie Kisielius (1-0) picked up the win with 2 scoreless innings... Tommy Wrightman closed it out in the ninth for the save... reliever Steve Sampson (0-1) worked the last 3 frames and lost it... he was touched for 2 hits and 2 runs.

Wolves Wolf Whips Reds 3-2, Series Tied
After two games the TU Elite 8 between Rolling Hills and Midway is tied at one game each... the Wolves evened it with a 3-2 triumph, getting a fine outing from Motega Wolf, who went 8 innings and stopped the Reds on 2 runs and 7 hits... closer Dom Vilaggio saved it for Wolf (1-0) with the loss going to Sal Jordan (0-1)... Jordan struck out 9, walked 4 and gave up 3 runs and 6 hits in his 9 innings... the Wolves went up with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames... Rolling Hills mounted a late-inning rally, but fell one run short... LF Chitto Chandler (.125), C Sammy Murphy (.333) and SS Maska Chandler (.167), Chitto's brother, each drove in a run to spark Midway... Rolling Hills got 8 hits and were led by SS Tony Ptacek (.400) and C Duane Simon (.200), who batted in the runs with singles.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 23, 2022

2022 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Sligo Up By 1, Slips By Sundowners 4-2
Game three of the RU Elite 8 Series was played at Granger Field in Wynnamac, however it didn't make any difference to Sligo as the Rovers rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to take the game 4-2 and move up two games to one in the series... Sligo got an excellent start from Luka Abromowitz (1-0), who limited the Sundowners to 4 hits and 2 runs in 8 innings... closer Sam Tate came in the ninth and finished it off, holding Wynnamac runless... Both teams got 6 hits each... the Sundowners scored single runs in the first two innings... Sligo got one of them back in the fourth on Johnny Lee Harder's sacrifice fly (.300), then wrapped up the game with 3 more in the sixth, highlighted by RBI doubles by Harder and 3B Manny Alou (.250)... loser Dean Barber (0-1) in a good effort went the distance in defeat, fanning 3 and walking 3... Wynnamac CF Ian Holmes (.583) doubled in the first and scored on a wild pitch... 2B Floyd Kidman (.100) doubled in the second score in the second frame... that was it as far as scoring for the Sundowners.

Ancona Comes Alive, Routs Crystal Lake 10-2
The Ancona Red Elephants came alive on the road with 5 home-run blasts in game three of the RU Elite 8 Series and walloped Crystal Lake 10-2 at Lakefront Stadium... the win cut the Crushers lead to two games to one and was Ancona's critical first win the series... CF Ken Rutledge (.308) led the charge with 2 homers, 4 hits and 3 RBIs... 3B Todd Nasso (.091), 1B Alekos Kotas (.182) and RF Louie DiMucci (.100) also went deep... Hubie Croft (1-0) effectively shut down the Crushers, holding them to 2 runs on 8 hits for the win... Dennis Taylor (0-1) was the losing pitcher... he was slammed for 5 runs and 10 hits in 6 innings.

Tycobbian Union

Suns Finally Win, Zonk Zorros 7-4
The Arroyo Grande big guns unloaded today at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora and the Suns finally won a must game from the Luxora Zorros, cutting their lead to two games to one in the TU Elite Series... LF Eduardo Villanueva tied the game at 1-1 with a solo shot in the third inning and C Gary Troxell (.273) unloaded a 3-run salvo in the 4-run sixth inning to put the Suns ahead to stay... rookie Cesar De Leon hurled a decent game, going all the way and checking the Z's on 8 hits and 4 runs... De Leon had 9 Ks and walked 4 in a credible outing... He stranded 12 Luxora baserunners... the Suns committed 4 errors behind him... Each team collected 8 hits apiece... 1B Jim Gurney (.267) sparked the Zorros at the plate with 2 hits and scored 3 times... Valerio Lopes (0-1) lost it, yielding 5 runs and 5 hits in 5+ innings.

Dorignac Halts Reds 5-2, Wolves Lead By A Game
Playing its first game at home on the happy hunting grounds at Joe Wolf Stadium, Midway erupted for 5 runs right off the bat in the opening frame and held off the Rolling Hills Reds 5-2 in game 3 of the Tycobbian Elite 8... it was the Wolves second win in the series and gave them a surprising two games to one lead over the favored Reds... 22-year-old Bobby Dorignac, a 19-game winner in his rookie year, tossed an impressive game, stopping Rolling Hills on 4 hits and one earned run... Dorignac (1-0) whiffed 8 and issued 3 walks in a route-going job... 2B Frank Reinhard's (.182) 2-run single and CF Johnny Lee's (.455) 3-run roundtripper accounted for all of the Midway scoring... the Wolves got 9 hits off four Reds pitchers, pinning the loss on rookie starter Alan Clay (0-1), who was roughed up for 5 runs in two innings.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, September 24, 2022

2022 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Wynnamac Wins 6-0, Evens Series With Sligo
Wynnamac's Lon Marshall evened the Elite 8 Series with the favored Sligo Rovers with a superb 1-hit shutout in game four of the best-of-seven series... at his home field, Marshall blanked Sligo 6-0, beating the Rovers for the second time in the series... the teams are now knotted up at 2 games apiece... Marshall beat the Rovers 3-1 on 6 hits in the opening game... in this one Marshall (2-0 0.50) fanned 7 and walked 3, while going the distance... the Sundowners were led by 2B Liam Cadbury (.313) with 2 hits, 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs, including a home run in the seventh... Wynnamac collected 8 hits off two Sligo pitchers... loser Les Patterson (0-2 4.96) worked 6 and a third innings and gave up all the hits and all of the runs... Rover 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.333) spoiled the no-hitter with a fifth-inning single.

Crushers Rip Red Elephants 8-2, Up 3-1 In Series
The Crystal Lake Crushers took a giant step towards winning the RU Elite 8 Series with Ancona by smashing them 8-2 in game four to take a three games to one edge... one more win will send the Crushers to the next round, the RU Final 4... Crusher ace Duncan Welch sparkled again on the hill as he shut down hard-hitting Ancona for the second time in the series, stopping them on 6 hits in a complete-game performance... Welch (2-0 1.00) had 6 strikeouts and walked just one... Crystal Lake cracked 12 hits, paced by 1B Phil Gravelli (.267) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs, 3B Tommy Gompers (.412) with 3 hits, 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs... Gompers had 2 triples... and SS Alton Sonnenberg (.583) with 3 hits, 1 run batted in and 1 scored... Ancona ace Clete Dukas (0-2 3.38) took it on the chin... the Crushers belted him for 11 hits and 8 runs in 5+ innings... 3 of the runs were not earned as the Red Elephants committed 3 errors.

Tycobbian Union

Suns Even Series, Slam Z's 6-3 In 10
It was quite a tussle at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora... for 9 innings it was a tense 1-1 duel between the teams' number-one hurlers - Sixto Zamora for Arroyo Grande and Tiago Torres for Luxora... but when they left, all heck broke loose against the teams' bullpens... the Suns exploded for 5 runs in the top of the tenth and held on for a 6-3 triumph after the Zorros mounted a mild comeback in the bottom half of the inning with 2 runs... Arroyo Grande pinchhitter Andre Lajoie snapped the 1-1 tie with a double, CF Johnny Whittier (.059) blasted a 3-run homer and 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.333) finished off the Suns scoring with an RBI single... Arroyo Grande got 10 hits, while Luxora totaled 9... Zamora (1-1 4.14) got credit for the victory as he went 9 innings, allowed 7 hits and a run, while fanning 6 and walking 2... Suns bullpen specialist Jason Patrick struggled in his only inning and gave up 2 runs in the tenth... closer Jay Brewer (0-1) was rocked for 4 runs in the tenth for the loss... Luxora starter Tiago Torres was terrific, striking out 10 in 9 innings, limiting the Suns to just 4 hits and one run, while permitting 3 walks.

Midway Takes 3rd Straight, Reds Trail 3-1
The underdog Midway Wolves got another fine pitching performance and continued to hit with authority to mow down the number-two seeded team Rollings Hills 6-2 in game four of the Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series... it was the Wolves third win in a row, giving them a chance to finish off the favored Reds by winning just one more game in the best-of-seven series... Rolling Hills will have to run out the series to keep its season alive... Dakota Dyami (1-1 4.85) tossed a complete game and held the Reds to 5 hits and 2 runs, striking out 4 and walking 3... Dyami got a lot of offensive support as the Wolves piled up 11 hits, led by 2B Frank Reinhard (.333) with 2 doubles, a single, 2 runs scored and an RBI... RF Kyle Rigney (.400) rapped a pair of hits and scored twice... C Sammy Murphy (.231) drove in 2 runs for the winners... game-one winner Errol Gaudet (1-1 4.20) caught the loss as he surrendered 4 runs and 9 hits in his 7 innings.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Sunday, September 25, 2022

2022 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Sundowners Down Rovers 5-1 In Game 5
A big upset is in the making... the Wynnamac Sundowners downed the Sligo Rovers 5-1 in game 5 of the RU Elite 8 Series and they are on the verge of sending the reigning Pro Cup champ home for the season... Wynnamac leads the best-of-seven series three games to two and needs just one more win to advance in the playoffs... RF Bob Carr (.222) snapped a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the eighth with a dramatic grand-slam homer... and Jerry Meeks pitched a whale of a game, scattering 8 hits and permitting only one run, while going the route... Meeks (1-1 2.40) allowed 2 walks and struck out 4 for the win... Ralph Odakota (1-1 4.50) also went the distance... he gave up 5 runs on 7 hits with 8 Ks and 4 bases on balls... Carr had 2 homers in the game and batted in all 5 runs for the Sundowners.

Ancona Still Kickin', Edges Crystal Lake 3-2
Behind three games to one in the RU Elite 8 Series, the Ancona Red Elephants didn't roll over and play dead against favored Crystal Lake, they came back and won a thrilling 3-2 victory and now trail by just a game... a loss would have ended their season... LF Kenny Willard (.300) was the hero when he drilled a walk-off double in the last of the ninth... another hero was Spiros Zodiates, who came up with a clutch performance... Zodiates was rocked for a 2-run homer in the opening frame by 2B Greg Murphy (.294), but the 23-year-old right-hander quickly settled down and blanked the Crushers the rest of the game... Zodiates (1-1 6.94) allowed 7 hits and 2 runs in a superlative outing... Ralph McCullough was sharp, too... he worked 8 innings, was touched for 8 hits, but only 2 runs... McCullough issued 4 walks and fanned 7 in the game... Roger Bishop (0-1) went to the hill in the tenth and was tagged with the defeat.

Ancona fought back with single runs in the fourth and sixth to tie the game at 2 apiece... 1B Alekos Kotas (.222) tripled and scored on C Davy Trexler's (.200) sac fly and Kotas (.222) doubled and scored on Louie DiMucci's RBI single.

Tycobbian Union

Suns Take Series Lead, Bomb Z's 10-4
In the pivotal fifth game of the TU Elite 8 Series, Arroyo Grande leaped out to a 5-0 lead after 3 innings, Luxora rallied to cut it to 5-3 at the end of 5, then the Suns pulled away to triumph 10-4 and move up three games to two in the series... the teams will now head to Arroyo Grande for games six and seven, if necessary... the Suns pounded five Luxora hurlers for 15 hits, powered by three home runs by LF Eduardo Villanueva (.348), C Gary Troxell (.263) and SS Andy Pearson (.300)... Troxell and Villanueva had 3 RBIs apiece... Ernie Matthews (1-0 4.20) notched the victory, allowing only one earned run and 9 hits with 5 strikeouts and a couple of walks... Z's starter and loser Mike Boyce (0-1) didn't get out of the first inning, when the Suns jumped him for 4 runs.

Midway Wins RH Series, Final 4 Bound
In an unbelievable 17-inning game, seventh seed Midway did the unthinkable and upset second seed Rolling Hills in the TU Elite 8 Series, winning it in five games... the Wolves won it with a remarkable 1-0 victory in 17 tense innings, finally ending it on 1B Cal Hunter (.300) homer off losing pitcher Johnny Selleca, the fourth Reds pitcher... Midway used 5 pitchers with the win going to Benny Cobb (1-0), who came on in the top of the 17th... the Wolves had the edge in hits 10 to 7 over the Reds... both starters were sensational... Rolling Hills' Sal Jordan worked 9 scoreless innings and gave up 6 hits with 4 walks and 5 strikeouts, while Midway's Motega Wolf fired 9 shutout innings with 5 Ks and 2 walks... the upstart Wolves will now advance to the TU Final 4 against the winner of the Arroyo Grande-Luxora series... the Suns lead the Zorros three games to two in that series.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 26, 2022

2022 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Sligo Forces 7th Game
With their backs to the wall, the defending Pro Cup crownbearer Sligo Rovers roared back from an early 3-1 deficit to slide past Wynnamac 7-5 in game six of the Ruthlandian Elite 8, tying the series at three-all and forcing a seventh game tomorrow afternoon... the Rovers won the game despite being outhit 14 to 10 by the Sundowners... Luka Abromowitz (2-0 2.81) got the win, but gave up a lot of hits, 12 in 8 innings... Abromowitz surrendered 4 runs, walked 2 and fanned 5... Sam Tate (0-0 3.00) notched his third save in the series, but struggled, giving up a run on 2 hits in the ninth... Sligo's big bats were LF Biff Blauer (.273), 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.444) and 3B Matty Alou (.182), all with 2 RBIs each... Wynnamac was led by CF Ian Holmes (.542), 1B Pete Simmons (.304) and RF Bob Carr (.333), each with 3 hits and an RBI... Dean Barber (0-2 4.50) was the losing pitcher... Sligo got to him for 6 runs and 7 hits in 5 innings... the Sundowners raced to a 3-1 lead after two innings, but the Rovers came back to tie it up in the third and go-ahead in the fourth with 3 more scores, making it 6-3... Sligo increased it to 7-3 in the seventh... Wynnanmac came up with single runs in the eighth and the ninth.

Crushers Move On, Take Ancona In 6
Not noted for hitting, Crystal Lake certainly wielded some good bats to knock off Ancona in six games in the RU Elite 8 Series, especially in game six... the Crushers pounded out 14 hits to beat the Red Elephants 8-3... 2B Greg Murphy (.333), CF Andy McGee (.273) and 1B Phil Gravelli (.250) all went deep for Crystal Lake... a 4-run fifth decided the game pushing the Crushers up 6-3... winning pitcher Dennis Taylor was tagged for 11 hits, but was tough in the clutch and permitted only 3 runs... Taylor (1-1 4.20) had 7 strikeouts and one base on balls... the Red Elephants were led by SS Yanni Kouris (.261), LF Kenny Willard (.348) and 1B Alekos Kotas (.273), who socked 2 hits apiece... Hubie Croft (1-1 4.73) suffered the loss, yielding 6 runs in 4+ frames... Crystal Lake got fine mound work except for game three when Ancona routed them 10-2... the Crushers will meet the Sligo-Wynnamac winner in the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series.

Tycobbian Union

Suns Eliminate Zorros 5-4
Arroyo Grande rookie phenom Rusty Vizcarra (.348) came through when it counted... he crushed two out of the park and drove in 4 runs in the 5-4 victory over the Luxora in game six of the TU Elite 8, eliminating the Zorros from the Pro Cup playoffs... the Suns won the series four games to two... it wasn't easy though... the Suns ran up a 5-0 lead after 5 innings, then had to fight off a determined rally by the Z's, who came up one run short with 2 in the seventh and 2 in the ninth... rookie Cesar De Leon (2-0 2.65) hurled a fine game, stopping Luxora on 5 hits and 2 runs in his 8 innings... De Leon departed with a 5-2 lead, which was almost blown by closer Jason Patrick in the ninth... 1B Jim Gurney (.214) and 2B Julio Canseco (.364) topped the Zorros at the plate with 2 RBIs apiece... Arroyo Grande had the hit advantage 9 to 8... rookie Valerio Lopes (0-2 9.00) was the loser... he was shelled for 5 runs and 7 hits in 4 and two-thirds innings... the Suns will now advance to the TU Final 4 against the Midway Wolves, who upset the powerful Rolling Hills Reds in the first round.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 27, 2022

2022 IPA Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Sligo Shuts Out Wynnamac In Game 7
The defending Pro Cup holder Sligo Rovers played like champs today at home at Silver Mountain Park and blanked Wynnamac 6-0 in the game seven finale of the RU Elite 8... ace Les Patterson (1-2 3.20) came through for the Rovers and fired a 3-hit shutout to take the hard-fought series four games to three... the Rovers will advance to the RU Final 4 against the powerful Crystal Lake Crushers... game seven was close until the seventh when Sligo turned a 2-0 game into a 6-0 lead with a 4-run uprising against loser Lon Marshall (2-1 2.08), who had dominated them in two previous starts... Marshall pitched the entire game, allowing 11 hits and 6 runs with 10 Ks and 5 walks... Patterson struck out 8 and walked none in a superlative outing... at the plate RF Clell Renshaw (.385) had 2 hits and scored twice for the winners... LF Biff Blauer (.280) had a hit, walked twice and scored twice... 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.425) delivered 2 hits and an RBI... Wynnamac had its chance with a three games to two lead, but the Sundowners just couldn't put the Rovers away... the RU Final 4 will get underway on Thursday in Crystal Lake... the Crushers were 97-57 this season, while Sligo was 95-59. The team with the best season record gets the home field advantage in the postseason.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 28, 2022

IPA Final 4s Start Tomorrow
Seeds 1, 3, 4 and 7 have made the IPA Final 4 round in the Pro Cup playoffs. Play is slated to get underway tomorrow afternoon. In the Ruthlandian Final 4 defending Pro Cup titlist and number-one seeded Sligo Rovers will tangle with the Crystal Lake Crushers, a third seed. The Crushers won the Pro Cup in 2020. In the Tycobbian Final 4 it will be the fourth-seeded Arroyo Grande Suns meeting the seventh-seed Midway Wolves, who surprised number-two seed Rolling Hills in the opening round of action.

Sligo and Crystal Lake have outstanding pitching. The Rovers are favored to take the series because of superior offense. The opening two games will be played at Lakefront Stadium in Crystal Lake. In the other match-up it will be Arroyo Grande's firepower against Midway's mound corps. The experts are giving a slight nod to the Suns' scoring ability. However, the Wolves can go deep, too. Both clubs' regulars hit 10 or more homers this season. The Suns have the home field advantage and will host games one and two at Capet Stadium.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 28, 2022

2022 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Welch Humbles Sligo 3-1, Crushers Win Opener
Playing on its home grounds, Crystal Lake copped the Ruthlandian Final 4 opener from Sligo 3-1... 6'7" stringbean southpaw Duncan Welch (3-0 1.04) did his job almost to perfection, holding the Rovers to 6 hits, while fanning 10 and issuing 2 walks in a sharp performance... all the scoring took place in the first three frames... the Crushers were led by RF Augie Marshall (.360), LF Jed Franks (.280) and 2B Greg Murphy (.364), who drove in the runs... Crystal Lake got 2 in the first and one in the third... Sligo got its lone run in the third on an RBI single by SP Ralph Odakota... Odakota (1-2 4.13) went the distance in defeat, surrendering 3 runs and 9 hits with 6 walks and 4 Ks... Sligo lost its fine 2B Garlin Delk early in the game when he was injured making a diving play on a pop fly... doctors said Delk will miss 2-3 weeks and not be available for the remainder of the postseason... During the regular season Delk batted .303 with 15 homers and 101 RBIs... in the playoffs he has slumped badly with a .143 BA and only 1 RBI... Sligo needed his bat badly to repeat as Pro Cup champion. He will be sorely missed.

Tycobbian Union

Suns Squeak By Wolves 4-3 In 11 Innings
On the road in Arroyo Grande at Capet Stadium, Midway blew the first game of the Tycobbian Finals 4-3 in 11 innings... the Wolves starting pitcher Motega Wolf gave them a 3-1 lead going into the ninth, but his relief couldn't nail down the verdict... rookie 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.321) slammed a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie it and send it to overtime... Vizcarra now has 12 RBIs and 3 home runs in the playoffs... in the eleventh RF Buddy Bechtel's (.292) two-out single drove in PR Glen Lindsay with the winning score... Jason Patrick (1-0 9.00) got the win with a scoreless frame... left-hander Sixto Zamora started and worked 10 innings, permitted 3 runs on 5 hits, but walked 7 and struck out 8... Wolf was really sharp, giving up only one run on 3 hits, striking out 5 and walking 2... Big John Littlefeather (0-1 1.93) took the mound in the last of the eleventh and took the loss... Arroyo Grande got 8 hits to 6 for the Wolves... Bechtel had 3 hits and 2 RBIs to pace the winners.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 28, 2022

2022 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Crystal Lake Edges Sligo 3-2 In Game 2
Slight underdog Crystal Lake has outpitched and outhit favored Sligo in the first two games of the RU Final 4, winning two close games... winning pitcher Ralph McCullough (2-0 1.80) got the best of Rover ace Les Patterson (1-3 3.24) 3-2... McCullough went 8 strong innings, allowed 2 runs and 6 hits with no walks and 6 strikeouts... closer Roger Bishop (3.38) finished Sligo off with a perfect ninth... Patterson hurled a complete game, yielding 3 runs on 6 hits, fanning 9 and walking one... CF Andy McGee (.267) won it with a solo homer in the last of the eighth, snapping a 2-2 tie... 2B Greg Murphy (.346) also homered in the first inning for the Crushers... CF Chris Michel (.212) and RF Clell Renshaw (.394) drove in the Sligo runs in the third and eighth.

Midway Evens Series, Dorignac Sinks Suns 5-2
A last-minute change in starters paid off for Midway manager Cochise Chandler... he gave the ball to 22-year-old Bobby Dorignac instead of the scheduled starter Dakota Dyami... Dorignac has looked better in the playoffs... Dorignac downed Arroyo Grande 5-2 to gain a split in the first two games of the TU Final 4 Series... Dorignac (2-0 1.59) bent, but didn't break... he gave up 9 hits, but only 2 runs... Dom Vilaggio blanked the Suns in the ninth for his second save in the postseason this year... Ernie Matthews was the losing pitching in a lackluster start... Matthews (1-1 4.91) was rocked for 5 runs and 6 hits in 7 innings... C Sammy Murphy (.250) collected the winning hit with and RBI single in the 4-run sixth that put the Wolves up 5-1... SS Masko Chandler (.111) then delivered the crusher, a 3-run shot that put Midway out of reach... Arroyo Grande outhit the Wolves 9 to 6, but just didn't get timely hits.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 1, 2022

2022 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Rovers Awake, Clobber Crushers 13-4 In Game 3
Trailing 3-2 after 4 innings, the Sligo Rovers roared back with a vengeance and clobbered Crystal Lake 13-4 to finally win a game in the RU Final 4, cutting the Crushers lead to 2-1... leading the Sligo hit parade were 3B Matty Alou (.229) with two hits and 4 RBIs, RF Clell Renshaw (.405) with 2 hits and 2 RBIs, LF Biff Blauer (.257) with 2 hits and 2 RBIs and SS Vic Carlin (.188) with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... the Rovers racked up 12 hits off four pitchers with Alou and Carlin going deep... Luka Abromowitz (3-0 2.16) continued his postseason success with his third win... he was touched for 4 runs and 9 hits, but only one was earned... it was sloppy game with each team committing four errors... losing pitcher Dean Taylor (1-2 4.87) was battered for 7 runs in 5+ innings.

Midway Mauls Suns 17-1, Goes Up 2-1 In Series
It was a runaway in the Tycobbian Final 4, too... Midway mauled Arroyo Grande before the happy home fans at Joe Wolf Stadium 17-1, bashing 16 hits and 3 roundtrippers... SS Maska Chandler (.125) cracked a grand slam and drove in 4 runs to lead the pack... brother LF Chitto Chandler (.194) had 3 hits and 4 RBIs, including a 2-run homer... 2B Frank Reinhard (.258) had 2 hits and 3 RBIs... CF Johnny Lee (.333) collected 3 hits, homered and drove in a pair of runs... Dakota Dyami (2-1 3.27) had a strong outing, limiting the Suns to just 4 hits with 7 Ks and 3 walks... Cesar De Leon (2-1 4.74) was knocked out after 2 innings... he left trailing 5-0.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 1, 2022

2022 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Crushers Clip Rovers 6-4 In Game 4
5 errors gifted Crystal Lake with 6 runs in its 6-4 victory over Sligo in game four, pushing the Crushers lead to 3-1 in the RU Final 4 series, bringing the defending Pro Cup champ to the brink of elimination... Duncan Welch (4-0 1.29) struggled, but went the route, permitting only 2 earned runs and 5 hits with 4 walks and 5 strikeouts... 2B Greg Murphy (.400) sparked the Crushers with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... his second-inning two-bagger gave Crystal Lake a 4-2 lead... 3B Tommy Gompers (.333) also had 2 hits and scored twice... RF Augie Marshal (.324) and LF Jed Franks (.265) batted in the other runs... Ralph Odakota (1-3 3.41) was the victim of the shoddy defense... Odakota worked 5 innings, gave up 5 hits and 6 unearned runs... he departed behind 6-2 and Welch made the lead hold up... C Sherman Albert (.256) doubled in 2 runs in the first inning giving the Rovers a short-lived 2-1 edge... RF Clell Renshaw (.400) homered in the seventh and narrowed the score to 6-4... there were only 11 hits in the game, 6 for the Crushers and 5 for the Rovers.

Wolves Skim By Suns 6-5 In 12 Innings
In game four of the Tycobbian Final 4 Midway's Sammy Murphy stepped up to lead off the bottom of the 12th and slammed it into the stands for a 6-5 victory over favored Arroyo Grande... the Wolves only need one more win to advance to the Pro Cup Finals for the first time in the club's 21-year history... Midway blew a 5-3 lead in the ninth, but came back in extra innings to triumph... the Wolves got 17 hits, but had a tough time putting away Arroyo Grande... they left 13 baserunners on base... Motega Wolf shut out the Suns 2-0 for the first five frames, but was stung by 1B Rusty Vizcarra's 3-run homer in the sixth... single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth gave the Wolves a 5-3 lead, but the Suns tied it with 2 unearned runs in the top of the ninth... in all Midway committed 4 errors... Big John Littlefeather (1-0 1.35) worked 2 scoreless innings for the win, with the defeat going to Steve Sampson (0-2 5.73)... Murphy (.364) topped the Wolves with 4 hits... RF Kyle Rigney (.381) had 3 hits and scored 2 runs... 2B Frank Reinhard (.314) smacked 3 hits and batted in a pair of runs... and CF Johnny Lee (.333) homered and drove in 2 runs... Arroyo Grande managed only 8 hits with Vizcarra (.325) getting 3 of them... the rookie has hit 4 out of the park in the postseason, after topping the IPA with 58 in the regular season.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 3, 2022

2022 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Sligo Survives, Beats CL 5-3 In Game 5
The Sligo Rovers lived to play another day... they survived elimination with a clutch pitching performance from Les Patterson, who stopped Crystal Lake 5-3 in game five of the RU Final 4 Series... the Crushers still have a 3-2 edge in the series and need just one more victory to wrap it up... Patterson (2-3 2.76) went the route and only allowed one earned run and 5 singles with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts... Sligo built up a 5-1 lead after 4 innings and held on... CF Chris Michel (.277) led them at the plate with 3 hits and 3 runs scored... Rover 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.297) drove in 2 of the runs and 3B Matty Alou (.214) and SS Vic Carlin (.154) had one apiece... Ralph McCullough (2-1 2.32) lost for the first time in the postseason, permitting 5 hits and 5 runs, 3 earned, in 6 innings... he walked 7 and fanned 4 in a poor effort... for Sligo to defend its Pro Cup title, it will have to win the final two games at home at Silver Mountain Park.

Midway Wins TU In 5 Games, Pro Cup Finalist
In a surprise, seventh-seeded Midway upset fourth seed Arroyo Grande in the TU Final to advance to the IPA Pro Cup for the first time in its history... The Wolves captured the series in five games... 22-year-old Bobby Dorignac clinched the league crown by blanking the Suns 2-0 on 6 hits... It was his third straight strong outing in the postseason... Dorignac (3-0 1.04) whiffed 8 and walked just 2 in going the distance... Ernie Matthews (1-2 3.90) was sharp, too, yielding only one earned run and 5 hits, also in a complete game... two errors led to the Wolves first run in the third inning... RF Kyle Rigney (.386) got the last run in on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Midway will now get ready for an IPA showdown with Crystal Lake or Sligo for the Island baseball championship... the Pro Cup is slated to start Friday afternoon. Games one and two will be played at the Ruthlandian Union's home field... Crystal Lake was 97-57 during the year, Sligo wound up 95-59 and Midway was 92-62... Both the Crushers and the Rovers will have home field advantage over the Wolves.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 3, 2022

2022 IPA Final 4 Series
(best-of-seven)

Crushers Dethrone Rovers in 6 Games
After a year's absence, the Crystal Lake Crushers are headed back to the IPA Pro Cup... the Crushers upended the defending IPA champ, the Sligo Rovers, finishing them off 6-3 in the deciding game in the Ruthlandian Final 4... Crystal Lake copped the series four games to two... in his first playoff start this year left-hander Vic Bauer got an unexpected start and got the job done... Bauer (1-0 2.53) held the Rovers to 3 runs and 8 hits, giving up only one earned score... Bauer had 5 Ks and 3 walks... Luka Abromowitz (3-1 3.64) dropped his first postseason game this year... he gave up 6 runs and 10 hits in 4+ frames... it just wasn't his day... C Ross Kent (.233) paced the Crusher 13-hit attack with 2 hits and 3 RBIs... 1B Phil Gravelli (.289) had a perfect 4-4 day and batted in 2 runs... 2B Greg Murphy (.390) had 2 hits and scored twice for the winners... manager Baby George chose southpaw Bauer over right-hander Dennis Taylor, who has performed poorly in the playoffs with a 1-2 mark and a high 4.87 ERA... during the regular season Sligo had trouble against lefties... Sligo started off like champs with a 3-0 lead after three innings... but it didn't last long as the Crushers tore into Abromowitz for 2 in the fourth and 4 more in the fifth to wrap up the RU title.

Crystal Lake won the IPA Pro Cup two years ago in 2020. This year's opponent is the Midway Wolves, who have played sterling baseball in whipping the number one seed Rolling Hills and the number four seed Arroyo Grande. Third seed Crystal Lake should take nothing for granted. It should be a fine series.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 5, 2022

CL Crushers Team To Beat In Pro Cup
According to The Islandian Times poll of sportswriters and broadcasters around the Islands, this year's IPA Pro Cup Finals is a very even match-up. Crystal Lake of the Ruthlandian Union has the better starting pitching, but Midway of the Tycobbian Union is no slouch either. The Crushers have two left-handed starters and a southpaw closer. Midway has been known to have difficulty against lefties. Many analysts feel the Wolves can match the Crushers overall on the hill because of stronger relievers. Offensively the edge goes to Midway. The Wolves have more quality hitters and more power than Crystal Lake. In the final balloting a slight majority of the press still favored the Crushers and their superb starters.

Two years ago Duncan Welch (23-12 2.18) and Ralph McCullough (20-9 2.56) led Crystal Lake to an upset Pro Cup title and now they are back again, but this time as the favorite. Welch picked up where he left off in 2020. He's 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA in the postseason this year, while McCullough is 2-1 with a 2.32 ERA. Midway will counter with two fine starters of its own. Motega Wolf (21-9 2.44) and Bobby Dorignac (19-14 2.74) both had ERAs far below 3.00 this season and especially low in the playoffs this year. Wolf is 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA in 4 starts, while Dorignac is even better with a 3-0 mark and 1.04 ERA. The series may come down to the number three starters, Dakota Dyami (25-9 3.45) for Midway and Vic Bauer (9-2 2.36) for Crystal Lake. Dyami is 2-1 and 3.27 in the playoffs, while Bauer is 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA.

Manager Baby George relies on Phil Gravelli (.289 BA/1 HR/9 RBI), Greg Murphy (.390 BA/3 HR/10 RBI), Tommy Gompers (.313 BA/0 HR/6 RBI) and Augie Marshall (.286 BA/1 HR/5 RBI) for his scoring. For skipper Cochise Chandler his team depends on Kyle Rigney (.386 BA/0 HR/2 RBI), Sammy Murphy (.351 BA/1 HR/4 RBI), CF Johnny Lee (.316 BA/3 HR/8 RBI) and 3B Rob Gigler (.314 BA/0 HR/2 RBI) for his offense. During the regular campaign the Wolves outhomered the Crushers 179 to 113. In the Pro Cup playoffs Midway has 8 roundtrippers and Crystal Lake has gone deep 7 times.

It looks like this will be a hotly-contested affair and could go 7 games. Both teams have played outstanding baseball in the postseason. Crystal Lake whipped powerhouses Ancona and Sligo in six games each, while Midway dominated powerful Rolling Hills and Arroyo Grande, taking four out of five from each of those teams. Midway certainly has not played like a sixth-seeded team. Crystal Lake was rated the third-best team in the playoffs

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 6, 2022

2022 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 1
(best-of-seven)

Welch Whips Wolf 2-1, Crushers Wins Pro Cup Opener
The opening game of the 2022 Pro Cup Series at Lakefront Stadium was all it was expected to be... both clubs had aces on the mound and they did their stuff... when it was over Duncan Welch hurled Crystal Lake past Motega Wolf and the Midway Wolves 2-1 in a classic duel... Welch (5-0 1.03) spread 8 hits and shut out the Wolves 2-0 for 8 innings, before his defense almost blew the game with two errors in the ninth... Welch fanned 7 and walked 3, almost going the distance, but needed help for the last out with the winning runs on second and third... closer Roger Bishop got his 3rd save of the playoffs when he retired Chitto Chandler (.196) on an easy grounder for the final out... Wolf (1-1 1.31) went all the way, permitted 9 hits and 2 runs with 5 Ks and 2 walks... Crusher 1B Phil Gravelli (.271) got the first run across in the first frame on a sacrifice fly that scored 2B Greg Murphy (.400)... Crystal Lake also scored in the fourth on a double by LF Jed Franks (.295) and a single by SS Alton Sonnenberg (.250)... that proved to be the eventual game-winner... Midway got its only score in the ninth on a ground-out by 3B Rob Gigler (.300).

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 7, 2022

2022 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 2
(best-of-seven)

Midway Evens Pro Cup, Trims CL 5-2
Pitching prevailed again in game two of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, but this time it was Midway that had it... the Wolves Bobby Dorignac stopped Crystal Lake 5-2 to even up the series at one game each... Dorignac (4-0 0.79) continued his remarkable playoff run with his fourth straight victory... the awesome 22-year-old right-hander limited the Crushers to just 4 hits and no earned runs in his 8 innings... Dorignac struck out 3 and walked 3... Dom Vilaggio (.208) closed it out for him with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 3rd postseason save... Ralph McCullough (2-2 2.48) lost it in a complete game, giving up 3 earned runs and 6 hits with 4 strikeouts and a couple of walks.

The Wolves leaped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning... LF Chitto Chandler, who failed to get a clutch hit the day before, got one today... Chandler (.214) doubled in 2 runs in the opening frame... Chandler went to third on a balk and came in on a 2B Frank Reinhard (.267) ground-out... the Crushers chopped away at the lead with a run in the fourth on an error and another unearned score in the sixth... the Wolves padded the 3-2 lead with 2 insurance runs in the top of the ninth... Midway got the first one on an error and the second one on an RBI single by Chandler... Chandler paced the Wolves with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... RF Kyle Rigney (.352) chipped in with 2 runs scored... SS Maska Chandler (.191) went 2-4 and scored a run for the winners... neither club played well defensively... they each made 3 miscues.

Got busy today and converted my IPA and South Island Leagues to OOTP24... hope it is the wise thing to do... I have been told that it is stable by several knowledgeable OOTP gamers.

All seemed to go well.

It sure is going to be quite a job to update all 64 teams with the new graphics I have for the new season... I have lots of new primary and secondary logos, compliments of hurricanekevin on the Mods Forum.

My normal procedure is to transfer my leagues only after the final patch for each version of the game... I am going to try to use OOTP24 right now.

Hope it is a good, solid and reliable version.

If it proves to be a problem, I will use OOTP23... it is a very solid version of the game.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 6, 2022

2022 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 3
(best-of-seven)

Crushers Rally Late, Crush Wolves 9-3 In Game 3
Playing the first-ever Pro Cup game in Midway's Joe Wolf Stadium, Crystal Lake snapped a 3-3 tie with a 5-run explosion in the top of the eighth and came away with a 9-3 triumph and a two-games-to-one lead in the series... two runs came in on an error by 2B Frank Reinhard to make it 5-3... C Eddie Robertson (.250) made it 6-3 with a sac fly... winning pitcher Vic Bauer (.143) cracked a 2-run single putting Crystal Lake comfortably in front 8-3... LF Michael Melchiore (.125) added another run in the ninth with a sacrifice fly... the Crushers collected 13 hits, while Midway had 6... Crystal Lake had another atrocious day in the field with 4 errors, but survived them.

Winner Bauer (2-0 1.83) permitted only one earned run, struck out 4 and walked 3, while going the distance... losing pitcher Dakota Dyami (2-2 3.34) was battered for 8 runs and 11 hits in 7+ innings... CF Andy McGee (.246) sparked the Crushers with 3-5 and 2 runs scored... 1B Phil Gravelli (.281) scored twice, drove in one and had 2 hits... Melchiore (.125) homered, scored 2 times and batted in 2 runs... and Robertson had 2 RBIs... for Midway Reinhard got a solo homer in the fourth inning and RF Kyle Rigney (.373) went 3-5 in defeat... this was the Wolves first home loss in the playoffs this year... they had won six straight.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 6, 2022

2022 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 4
(best-of-seven)

Sonnenberg Homers Twice In Crushers 5-2 Win
Light-hitting Crystal Lake SS Alton Sonnenberg went deep twice on Motega Wolf and led the Crushers to a 5-2 victory, moving them way ahead in the Pro Cup Series three-games-to-one... one more Crusher win and it's over... Sonnenberg slammed a solo shot in the top of the third and a two-run clout in the fifth, putting the Crushers ahead 3-0... rookie Sonnenberg (.286) had a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate... he now has 10 RBIs in the Pro Cup playoffs... 3B Tommy Gompers (.302) also belted a 2-run homer in the fifth for a 5-0 lead.

Super ace Duncan Welch (6-0 1.03) was outstanding again, scattering 8 hits, striking out 9 , walking 2 and chalking up his 6th win in the playoffs this season and his 12th overall... Welch has lost only one game in the postseason in his career... how does he do it? - with a 98-mph fastball, great control, command and stuff... Wolf (1-2 2.14) fell to Welch again, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in 5 innings.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 10, 2022

2022 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 5
(best-of-seven)

Midway Hangs Tough, Takes Game Five 2-1
Playing at home at Joe Wolf Stadium, the Midway Wolves still have some fight left in them... trailing three-games-to-one in the Pro Cup Series, Midway got another standout outing from Bobby Dorignac, who halted Crystal Lake 2-1 in game 5... Dorignac (5-0 0.64) has been sensational in the playoffs... he held the Crushers to 6 hits and no earned runs, struck out 5 and walked one in his 8 innings... closer Dom Vilaggio (1.86) came in and did his job to perfection, setting Crystal Lake down in order in the ninth for his 4th playoff save... Ralph McCullough (2-3 2.44) was almost as good as Dorignac... he worked a complete game, yielded just 2 runs on 6 hits with 7 Ks and 3 walks.

Midway scored first on 1B Cal Hunter's (.294) solo homer in the second frame... the Wolves got run number two when two singles and a walk loaded up the bases... SS Maska Chandler (.190) got the game-winner in when he grounded into a double play... the Crushers cut it to 2-1 in the sixth on a two-base error and an RBI single by 1B Phil Gravelli (.277)... Hunter and RF Kyle Rigney (.358) pace the Wolves with 2 hits apiece... Hunter scored both Midway runs.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 10, 2022

2022 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 6
(best-of-seven)

CL Crushers Are Pro Cup Champs Again
For the second time in three years the Crystal Lake Crushers reign supreme in the Islandian Pro Alliance - Baby George's boys are once again the Pro Cup champion... Crystal Lake pulled a big upset in the 2020 finals by knocking off the heavily-favored Ozarka Naturals.

The Crushers finished off a tough Midway team 6-5 in game six at Lakefront Stadium in Crystal Lake to captured the series four-games-to-two... in a seesaw battle, Midway took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on CF Johnny Lee's (.246) double... the Crushers bounced right back with 3 runs in the bottom half of the inning, scoring one run on a wild pitch and two more on RBI doubles by C Eddie Robertson (.286) and CF Andy McGee (.257)... the Wolves evened it up 3-3 in the third on LF Chitto Chandler's (.211) two-run smash, then went on top 5-3 in the fourth frame... Midway got the go-ahead runs on two errors and a sacrifice fly by C Sammy Murphy (.321)... Crystal Lake committed 3 errors in the game, but still won.

Vic Bauer (3-0 2.60) got credit for the win, but had a rough start... Bauer was slapped around for 5 runs in the first four innings, then settled down and held the Wolves scoreless for the next four innings... closer Roger Bishop (1.80) got his 4th playoff save with a perfect ninth... Dakota Dyami (2-3 4.46) caught the loss, going 4+ innings and giving up 6 runs and 10 hits... the Crushers had the advantage in hits 10 to 4... Bauer struck out 6, walked 3, permitted 5 runs and only 4 hits in 8 innings... McGee sparked Crystal Lake with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... RF Augie Marshall (.302) and LF Michael Melchiore (.273) collected 2 hits and scored 2 runs each.

Crystal Lake was the third choice in the pre-Post Cup poll by The Islandian Times... defending IPA champ Sligo was rated the favorite with Rolling Hills second and Arroyo Grande was the number-four seed... Midway was given very little chance and was seeded seventh... the Wolves came up one starter short of taking the title.

Winning manager Baby George told the press, "The key to our success was our great pitching. Duncan Welch is superb. He has to rank with the best of all-time. I thought he was great in the 2020 playoffs... this year Duncan was unbelievable... Ralph McCullough and Vic Bauer did their jobs, too... We couldn't have won without them."

In the postseason Welch was 6-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 2020 and 6-0 and 1.03 this year. McCullough was 2-3 with a 2.44 ERA and Bauer finished 3-0 and 2.64.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 15, 2022

Crushers Welch Pro Cup MVP
Almost hands down, Crystal Lake's brilliant 28-year-old southpaw Duncan Welch has been chosen the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. Only one other player received support in The Islandian Times poll. Finishing a distance second was Midway standout Bobby Dorignac. Welch sparked the Crushers to the Pro Cup crown with a perfect 6-0 record in 6 starts with 4 complete games and a superb 1.03 ERA. The 22-year-old Dorignac was even better, but his Wolves didn't win the title, losing in six games. Dorignac was 5-0 with a microscopic 0.64 ERA. Welch was 23-12 in his sixth season and posted a 2.18 ERA, while second-year man Dorignac compiled a 19-14 mark and a 2.74 ERA.

This is the second time the lanky 6' 7" Welch has copped the Pro Cup MVP award. He also led Crystal Lake to the Island championship two years ago when they pulled a big upset by beating favored Ozarka. Welch was 6-1 in that series, notching a 2.36 ERA. He is 12-1 in the postseason with an outstanding 1.71 ERA. Lifetime Welch is 117-72 with a great 2.25 ERA.

Currently working on installing the new logos, jerseys and caps for the IPA.
Thanks to hurricanekevin for his patience in dealing with me... and most of all, for his wonderful skill at creating logos.