THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 23, 2049

RU STARS BLAST TU STARS 7-2 ON RODGERS 3-RUN HR
Making up a little for a lot of lost time, the Ruthlandian Stars ripped the Tycobbian Stars 7-2 in the 49th Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Classic at the Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills... it's the second triumph in a row for Ruthlandia... SS John Rodgers (LaGrange), the game's MVP, blasted a three-run homer in the five-run third inning to sink the TU Stars... Tycobbia still has a commanding 31-18 lead in the series.

Rodgers went 2-for-3 and batted in 4 runs... CF Joey Hawkins (Ranford) helped out by driving in the other 3 runs... Hollis Dale (Middlefield) got the victory although he allowed an unearned run in his one inning... Matt Bell (San Alejo) was hammered for 5 runs in his one inning and took the loss.

Tycobbia outhit Ruthlandia 12 to 10 in the game and was paced by LF Emil Pasek (Luxora), who went 3-3 and scored a run... 1B Rodger Parsons (Tuckanarra) was 2-2... SS Scotty Jackson (Cape Coral) and teammate 3B Kent Mantle (Cape Coral) drove in the TU Stars' runs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, July 1, 2049

IPA MID-YEAR RECAP
Halfway through the 2049 Islandian Pro Alliance season most of the predicted contenders are still in the pennant hunt... the biggest surprise is the Middlefield Roosters soaring to a 9-game lead in the Ruthlandian West, where a close three-team battle with Forest City and Rocky Rapids was forecast... the Roosters have made shambles of the race so far with five players making the All-Star team... they are on schedule to break the Ruthlandian home-run record... they have 233 at mid-season... the league record is 246 set by the Taranto Tars in 2006.

In the Ruthlandian North, heavily-favored Valmara has been challenged by LaGrange and Ranford... the Vipers are just 2 games up on the Sports and 3 ahead of the Bulls... even fourth place Taranto and Far Mountain are within striking distance of first place, trailing by only 8 games... the Vipers' pitching should help them draw away down the stretch over the Sports and the Bulls.

As expected, it's a two-team duel in the Ruthlandian South... Claxton has a one-game edge over preseason favorite Waleska... third place Grand City and Crystal Lake are 8 games out... and fifth place Valka 9 games back... the Diamonds have the offense, while the Westerners have great pitching... good pitching usually wins.

In the Ruthlandian East it's a battle between hard-hitting Belle Plaine and Sugar Valley's superlative pitching... the Musketeers have a 4-game edge over the Rattlers at mid-season, while Marston is 8 games off the pace in third place, but is not likely to contend... the Musketeers are hitting and scoring at a near-record pace, while the Rattlers have a very impressive mound staff... the Muskies pitching may be good enough to pull away from Sugar Valley in the end.

Over in Tycobbia at the mid-season mark, all of the divisions are up in the air... in the TU North three clubs are contending... preseason favorite White River is 2 games in front of Luxora and 4 games ahead of Mahaska... the Zorros and Haymakers depend on their bats, while the Rascals feature outstanding pitching.

In the TU East, six of the teams are still in the chase... Tuckanarra has a scant one-game lead over Midway, 3 better than Red Bluff, 5 ahead of High Mesa and 6 games in front of preseason pick Hillsboro and East Point... the Tucks, Cowboys and Blazers have the better pitching... Tuckanarra and Midway have better scoring... on paper the Blue Jays look like the mostly likely club to win... Red Bluff suffered a tremendous season-changing setback when its ace Jud Cox (2-2/2.90) was lost for the year with an elbow injury in late April... he will miss the rest of the season... Cox has averaged almost 20 wins a year in his 11 seasons.

Three clubs are contesting in the TU West... the defending Pro Cup crownbearer Rolling Hills hasn't dominated as forecast... they are currently tied for first with Denton City and rejuvenated Bay St. Clair is just 2 games back... the Buccaneers haven't had a good team in years, but wholesale roster changes have injected the club with new life... it looks like the Reds have a big battle on their hands... the race will probably go down to the wire... the Redbirds have unbelievable pitching this year with a record-braking low 2.39 team ERA... the Bucs are strong, too, with a 3.02 ERA... Rolling Hills had good hitting and better-than-average pitching... that combination and balance should help them repeat as the best in the West.

And it's a two-club fight in the Tycobbian South between two longtime rivals, the San Alejo Montaneros and the Southport Sun Sox... the Monties are 4 games up at the halfway point in the schedule... San Alejo's superior pitching corps gives them the advantage in the pennant race... the two contenders are about equal at the plate.

2049 Ruthlandian Union North and South Division Mid-Season Standings and Team Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, August 1, 2049

IPA BATTING AND PITCHING LEADERBOARDS

Ruthlandian Union

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, August 1, 2049

Tycobbian Union Batting and Leaderboards

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 1, 2049

ONLY 3 RACES IN IPA DOWN THE STRETCH
With only 18 games remaining on the schedule, most of the pennant races in the Islandian Pro Alliance have fairly much been decided... preseason pick Valmara is 17 games ahead of Ranford in the Ruthlandian North, Middlefield is up by 13 over last year's champ and this year's choice Forest City in the Ruthlandian West and favored Sugar Valley leads Belle Plaine by 8 in the Ruthlandian East... the Rattlers are tryng to repeat... the only September stretch drive of any note is in the Ruthlandian South where defending division champ Claxton has a 3-game advantage over Valka and a 4-game margin over preseason favorite Waleska.

In the Tycobbian Union only San Alejo seems to have wrapped up the division flag... the Montaneros have a 13-game bulge over the Southport Sun Sox... the Tycobbian West will go down-to-the-wire... Denton City is just one game in front of last year's division winner and reigning Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills and the surprise club in the IPA this year, the Bay St.Clair Buccaneers, are just 3 off the pace and still in the hunt... it's not as close in the other two divisions... in the Tycobbian East Tuckanarra. last year's victor, is 4 games better than preseason pick Hillsboro and 6 up on Red Bluff... High Mesa and Midway are still in the chase mathematically, too, but have a tough row to hoe... and in the Tycobbian North White River should win... the Rascals go into September with a 6-game edge over Luxora.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 21, 2049

IPA REGULAR SEASON OVER, PLAYOFFS START THURSDAY
Eight regular season division winners qualified for spots in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs, which get underway this Thursday afternoon... IPA powerhouses Middlefield, Valmara and San Alejo ran away with their divisions... Sugar Valley and Claxton won with a little to spare... and Bay St. Clair, Tuckanarra and White River had to battle down to the last few days of the season.

The Middlefield Roosters chalked up 104 victories and easily dominated in the Ruthlandian West Division, winning by 13 games.. Valmara posted 101 wins to win the Ruthlandian North by 18 games... and San Alejo captured 97 games to take the Tycobbian South by 14 games.

The Sugar Valley Rattlers had a bit of breathing room, winning the Ruthlandian East by 8 games, but had to win 103 games to do it.. and Claxton held off a fast-closing Valka in the Ruthlandian South Division by 5 games.

In a very tense race Bay St. Clair rallied down the stretch in the Tycobbian West, caught slumping Denton City on the last day of the season, and then disposed of the Redbirds in a single-game playoff... in the Tycobbian East the Tuckanarra Blue Jays whipped Red Bluff by 3 games... and White River bested Luxora in the Tycobbian North by 3.

2049 Ruthlandian Union Final Season Standings

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 20, 2049

BUCS WIN TU WEST IN PLAYOFF, REDBIRDS FALL
Almost everything went perfect for Bay St. Clair in the final days of the season. The surprising Buccaneers came on strong winning three of their last four games to tie Denton City for first place in the Tycobbian West. The Redbirds collapsed, losing the final four games of the season and then falling 7-2 in the single-game playoff for the division flag and a spot in the postseason playoffs.

Don White (13-15/4.20), the number three man in the Bucs' starting rotation, came up with a big win... he went into the eighth frame and gave up only one earned run to stifle the heartbroken Redbirds... two rookie relievers Cadillac Bogart and Steve Swanwick got the final four outs to seal the win... Val Farnsworth (14-6/2.56) took the loss for the Redbirds... he allowed all seven runs in six and two-thirds innings... four of them were earned... 1B Clive Caviness (.286) walloped two homers, good for five runs to lead the Buccaneers at the plate... LF Butch Thornhill (.256) also homered. Caviness' two-run shot in the sixth put the Bucs up for good and his three-run blast in the seventh totally finished them off.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 21, 2049

VIPERS RU NORTH CHAMP 5TH TIME IN 7 YEARS
For the second year in a row and fifth time in seven seasons the Valmara Vipers garnered the Ruthlandian North Division flag... and for the second straight year they ran up over 100 victories... Valmara tore up everybody in the hot summer months and ran away with the pennant, easily outdistancing second place Ranford by 18 games, LaGrange by 20 and Taranto by 21... Valmara was heavily favored to win this year and lived up to its press.

1. VALMARA: the Vipers (102-53) will be gunning for Pro Cup trophy number three in their history... they copped it in 2026 and 2043... Valmara features great pitching (2.73 ERA-2nd) and good bats (.278 BA-2nd) with 129 HRs (10th)... they are only average defensively (.974 FA)... and should be one of the Pro Cup favorites... the Viper starting four are awesome: Primo Sirak (25-11/2.32), Darus Grajek (21-9/2.43), Teddy Twardzik (22-14/2.79) and Mark Polaski (16-8/2.72)... the bullpen is not very consistent, headed up by Kasio Bajek (6-7/3.92/16 saves) and Mirko Musial (3-0/1.84/8 saves)... batting-wise the leaders are All-Star LF Tomek Abramczyk (.333/27/81/80), All-Star CF Don Ritchie (.327/9/75/86), 2B Jorge Aparicio (.300/10/68/79) and 1B Jose Vargas (.306/7/52/66)... the Vipers don't have much in the way of home-run power,which might hurt them in the postseason... C Karol Koska led them with 31 homers and 92 RBIs, but batted only .227.

2. Ranford: the Bulls have been a distant runner-up the last two seasons, 12 GB and 18 GB... just a little better-than-average club (83-71)... last pennant was in 2041... they won their only Pro Cup in 2040, beating Summerland in a seven-game series... veteran ace and last year's Ruthlandian Golden Arm winner, Ralph Hawk (20-7/1.40), had a truly super year and led the IPA with a splendid 1.40 ERA... the second best ERA in IPA history, topped only by closer Jack Rogers in 2044 with 1.31 in 159 innings and 80 relief appearances... the Bulls other two dependable starters were Neil Martin (18-16/3.40) and Duffy Davidson (15-17/3.65)... their solid closer was All-Star Emmett Pearce (6-5/1.77/20 saves), second best in the IPA... Andy Mayfield (6-5/4.04) led with 21 for Kilkenny in the RU... the only productive bats were All-Star LF Joey Hawkins (.335/16/104/90), RF Tokuji Taro (.280/9/69/70) and C Juan Peralta (.270/12/70/64).

3. LAGRANGE: the Sports moved up from fifth (23 GB) to third (20 GB) this season with an 81-73 mark with a decent offense, fair pitching and excellent defense (.981 FA)... last pennant came in 2037... still waiting on a Pro Cup crown... ace Arnie Ayers (4-6/3.74) missed most of the season with an arm injury... he came back in August... Billy Walton (18-12/3.68) was the club leader... helped out by Hot Dog Huxtable (17-15/3.40) and Justin Menard (14-13/3.59).... Sasha Krylov (10-4/3.62/9 saves) was only a so-so closer... best run producers were All-Star SS John Rodgers (.283/23/94/74), C Scott Wallace (.304/25/78/66), Robbie McGregor (.283/20/56/76) and rookie CF Andre Chirac (.284/10/64/68).

4. Taranto: the Tars posted a fourth place finish with an 80-74 record (21 GB)... second year in a row to come in fourth... the club hasn't made the postseason for the last 30 years... but the Tars did win a Pro Cup in 2015... this year the pitching was pretty good considering the Palazzo di Sport is one of the smallest stadiums in the IPA... Pablo Rivas (21-14/3.46), rookie Valerio Rossi (16-15/2.81) and Bill Walker (16-15/3.72) led the staff... the bullpen was lousy... average hitting with pretty good power, led by All-Star C Ryan Nelms (.255/44/110/75), 3B Phil Wilson (.303/14/72/75) and LF Derrick Damon (.296/12/50/74).

5. KILKENNY: the Cats have broken even at 77-77 the last two seasons... this year they were fifth in the standings and trailed Valmara by 24 games... the starters were pretty good with Jody Joss (23-10/3.01), Dave Stratford (18-17/3.55) and Glen Caswell (18-21/3.72)... the bullpen was really bad... however Andy Mayfield (6-5/4.04) topped the IPA with 21 saves... offense was not very good... the best of the mediocre lot were 1B Ryan Reagan (.267/23/64/95) and rookie C Ray Hinson (.273/18/73/57).

6. GLASCO: the Athletics improved a little, rising up from eighth last year (39 GB) to sixth this season (26 GB)... the A's last appeared in the playoffs in 2045... the club has never won a Pro Cup... they had fine pitching this year with All-Star Bennie McDaniel (15-16/2.52), Pat Meyers (13-21/3.13) and Evan Walsh (16-17/3.50)... McDaniel went 5-11 in the second half due to lousy run support... veteran closer Ken McLin (8-6/2.49/13 saves) stood out in the bullpen... Glasco has very little at the plate... SS Ross McFalls (.289/21/60/73) had the best stats with some help from rookie CF Billy Sherlock (.267/18/72/76) and 1B John Carlton (.292/17/60/46).

7. FAR MOUNTAIN: the Redhawks have fallen from first place (101-53) in 2047 to third place (87-67) in 2048 down to seventh (69-85) this season... the last playoff appearance was two years ago... they have won three Pro Cups... 2011, 2012 and 2013... the pitching is still solid with two All-Stars, but the offense is mediocre... All-Star Jonas Glover (20-12/2.93) was the ace starter... and All-Star Jack McKinney (8-11/2.01/17 saves) was the best in the bullpen... no one in the batting order put up good numbers... LF Terry Crawford (.287/17/59/56), RF Harman Silver (.268/15/66/52) and 1B Benjy Donahue (.327/7/44/64) were the club leaders.

8. Ancona: the Red Elephants (54-100) were basement dwellers for the eighth time in nine seasons... not much offense and not much on the hill... it's been almost three decades since Ancona won a pennant... they still haven't won a Pro Cup... Hali Mikos (14-23/3.95) chalked up the most wins on the team... Clint Hayes (8-13/3.67) was the only other starter under a 4.00 ERA... RF Eldon Aldridge was the club leader with a .262 BA and 88 RBIs... he was second in roundtrippers with 23... 1B Raul Suarez topped the team with 26 homers and 82 runs scored... he batted just .246, but had 83 RBIs... with so little in the way of talent, the future is dim in Ancona.

2049 Ruthlandian North Division Final Standings and Team Statistics

Just have to say, have always liked this dynasty and it even inspired my own fake universe once. Glad to see you're still at it after all these years.

Thanks for the nice words.

And thanks for all your hard work on OOTPB over the years.

I am going to complete 50 years and then retire the IPA.

I'm still using OOTP12 because it wouldn't transfer to the new versions. The Almanac was always messed up.

I have OOTP15 and will use it to design a new dynasty report. It will be much smaller than the IPA with its 64 teams. It has been quite a bit of work to administer such a huge league. I think the new one will be 12 to 16 teams.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 21, 2049

CLAXTON RU SOUTH CHAMP 4TH TIME IN 5 YEARS
In the Ruthlandian South Division the Claxton Diamonds held off fast-closing Valka to capture the pennant for the fourth time in five years... preseason favorite Waleska battled the Diamonds and Blackhawks into September, but fell to the wayside in the late going... Claxton topped runner-up Valka by 5 games, while the Westerners and the Crystal Lake Crushers tied for third place in the standings, 6 games back... the Diamonds repeated as champion and have won four of the last five division flags.

1. CLAXTON: the Diamonds are excited about the playoffs... they are still shooting for their first Pro Cup trophy... Claxton reached the Finals last season, but were quickly banished by the Rolling Hills Reds in just five games... blessed with an abundance of hitters, they hope it will be enough to win it this year... just like last year, the key to victory will be Abe Schiffman (19-12/3.76), Gilbert Clagsdale (24-11/3.79) and Stan Yudash (16-16/4.65)... they will have to step it up a level in the postseason for Claxton to prevail... the Diamonds are better in the bullpen this year with rookie closer Ramon Santos (8-2/2.06/14 saves)... the offense is even better this year with the addition of several talented rookies... leading the Diamond attack are budding superstar All-Star OF Whit Miley (.374/12/75/100), superstar All-Star 1B Jojo DeLucca (.300/29/121/93), 3B Rick Clayburne (.270/10/74/93) and 2B Rick Emery (.253/21/83/81) with help from two fine rookies LF Konrad Neumann (.310/9/63/83) and RF Jimmy John Ramsey (.343/20/58/74)... vets SS Stevie Wynn (.283/6/50/45) and C Ryne Akins (.281/17/75/52) also are dependable bats.

2. VALKA: after trailing by 9 games at the All-Star break, the Blackhawks made a good run in the second half of the season, but ran out of gas down the stretch... after cutting the Claxton lead to just 3 games going into September, Valka fizzled with a 6-12 record to fall 5 games short of first place... the Blackhawks came in fourth in 2048, 16 games out... they have a fine mound staff, led by starters Royce Netterville (17-16/3.20), Matvey Kazak (17-16/3.23), Arvi Tamm (14-13/3.31) and rookie Adrian Stenhouse (9-9/3.12/9 saves)... and a good bullpen with closer Ricky Cockburn (9-4/3/26/9 saves)... offense is the Blackhawks' Achilles' tendon... they have trouble scoring runs... Valka club leaders are Gold Glove star CF Kenny Mitzusaka (.323/27/81/67), C Aubrey Plews (.311/15/58/70), 1B Jess Evans (.288/20/59/46) and rookie All-Star SS Corey Belk (.295/9/61/63)... it's been 33 seasons since the Blackhawks graced the postseason... a little more power and scoring would send Valka soaring in IPA circles.

3. WALESKA: the Westerners were primed to takeover in the Ruthlandian South... they were third last year (16 GB), but forecast to whip Claxton this season by the baseball experts... Waleska hung on to the heels of Claxton all season long, but slumped badly in the last month to lose out by 6 games and tied for third with Crystal Lake... the Westerners had the pitching, but not the hitting to keep up with Claxton and Valka... two youngsters, rookie Trey Earnest (20-12/2.91) and Lou Carlson (20-13/2.96) topped the team in wins... vets Niles Neilsen (14-20/3.20) and Jeff Woodruff (14-17/3.39) are still capable starters, too... Vince Gibson (7-1/1.32/11 saves) had a strong season in the bullpen... All-Star CF Kenny Hardy (.298/13/77/85) was the club leader in BA, hits, RBIs and runs... but didn't have a lot of help... LF Gene Stevenson (.266/11/51/75) and CF Denver Shadwell (.279/14/52/54) only made modest contributions to the offense.

3. CRYSTAL LAKE: the Crushers never really challenged Claxton this year, but did stay within striking distance most of the season, finally finishing in a tie for third and 6 games behind the Diamonds... they rose up from sixth in 2048 (16 GB)... the Crushers hit well and scored runs, but had no power... pitching was spotty and not much of it... and they play defense very well (.978 FA)... Crystal Lake hit well for average with a .272 mark (6th), scored 740 runs (4th) with only 110 HRs (19th)... the team ERA was 3.87 (27th)... the main threat in the batting order was C Del Peevy (.293/13/84/87), followed by 1B Daryl Brady (.321/20/66/64), RF Paul Dillon (.324/6/53/70), SS Ernie Addison (.324/4/71/60), LF Jed Murphee (.299/5/37/78) and OF Kenny Gray (.345/4/71/60)... manager Duncan Welch plays a lot of players... he heavily platoons... Peevy was tops in games played with 134... 30-year-old rookie Haden Mackowiak (21-15/3.10) made the most of his first opportunity in the IPA and wound up the team's ace... the other starters Jeth Limbrick (16-14/4.33), vet Dave McCauley (16-16/4.26) and Manuel Hinojosa (10-6/3.68) were just fair... Josh Crosby (8-6/3.48/8 saves) was the best reliever, but had a down year.

5. ST. JOHN: the Crusaders (78-76) are a middle of the pack ballclub ending up in fifth place for the second year in a row (10 GB)... the last pennant was in 2042... they have never won the Pro Cup... the Crusaders hit well, score well and have average pitching... the main run providers are CF Cris Hershey (.338/9/61/109), 1B Al Pace (.316/30/93/66) and SS Bubba Ralston (.265/11/63/101)... along with parttime OFs Sherrill Westerfield (.357/6/60/48) and Roberto Campos (.341/4/34/36)... St. John has a pretty good starting rotation with Zeke Yoder (20-15/3.69), Frank Long (16-14/3.52), rookie Teddy de Grom (16-16/3.12) and Eduardo Rivera (14-10/3.07)... but the bullpen is questionable.

6. GRAND CITY: since finishing second in 2045 (10 GB), the Cybercats have wallowed near the bottom of the Ruthlandian South, winding up a poor sixth this year (15 GB)... 2030 was the last pennant for Grand City... still don't have a Pro Cup in their trophy case... they don't hit much for average (.255), but do score well with 650 runs (11th) and have fair power with 131 HRs (8th)... and the Cybercats can pitch with a 3.14 team ERA (8th)... fireballer Kenny Morrow (17-14/2.72) is the ace... he paced the Ruthlandian Union with 264 Ks... the other quality starters are Joel Eaton (16-12/3.15), Jimmy Engels (15-18/3.55) and Lee Price (14-18/3.60)... the relief corps was solid with Kent Douglas (6-7/2.17/13 saves) and Donald Denison (4-6/1.89/2 saves)... sparking the offense was legendary slugger and All-Star 1B Benny Hull (.294/51/147/97), who led the IPA with 51 roundtrippers and was second in RBIs with 147... only San Alejo's Royce Grantham topped him in RBIs with 152... at 34 Hull has gone over the 500-homer mark and is a cinch Hall-of-Famer... Hull was the club's primary runmaker, but did get some help from LF Hot Rod Gwin (.285/15/63/57), 2B Mervin Sisson (.276/13/64/58), SS Scott McIntyre (.314/10/48/66), CF Ron Stonehouse (.274/7/59/58) and RF Harland Blankenship (.278/4/43/87).

7. BELAIR BEACH: after two fine seasons, the Sunbirds sanked to the seventh spot in the standings, going 70-84 (18 GB)... they won the RU South in 2047 and challenged in 2048 with a second-place finish (7 GB)... on 8 occasions Belair Beach made the playoffs, mainly in the early years of the league, but never won the IPA crown... 25-year-old rookie Jeffrey Verblen (10-12/2.82) was the only real good starter... 22-year-old spot starter Glen Long (6-7/2.72/3 saves) also showed very good potential... veteran Tom Cook (11-11/3.41/12 saves) was the most reliable reliever... providing most of the Sunbird offense was 36-year-old superstar and All-Star 1B Jason Butler (.267/34/99/88)... Butler was the RU MVP and Golden Bat winner two years ago... he has 556 lifetime homers in his 15 seasons... other contributors were CF Norm Ellis (.253/27/83/71), C Robbie Coleman (.251/15/73/46) and RF Shannon Stewart (.293/12/52/68).

8. SAN DIMAS: the Rancheros had another pathetic season (57-97), coming in last again for the second straight year (31 GB)... the last RU South pennant came in 2041... San Dimas has yet to take home a Pro Cup title in its history... they ranked near the bottom in batting and pitching... Carl Covington (12-17/3.72) was the club's leading starter with Kenny Robinson (10-8/2.04/3 saves) and Georgie Walker (4-6/2.69/6 saves) the best in the bullpen... rookie starters 25-year-old Shan Dewhurst (9-25/3.51) and 24-year-old Gary Widmer (6-12/3.97) suffered a lot of losses, but gained some good experience... the only halfway decent bats in the lineup were vets CF Enrique Orantez (.266/26/75/88), 37-year-old RF Denny Hendrix (.246/20/81/75), LF Johnny Locke (.266/11/47/68) and C Hector Navarro (.282/9/68/54).

2049 Ruthlandian South Division Final Standings and Team Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 21, 2049

RATTLERS RU EAST CHAMP AGAIN
Nobody could keep up with the Sugar Valley Rattlers the last three months of the Ruthlandian East season... the Rattlers racked up a torrid 57-18 record in a second-half surge to overwhelm Belle Plaine by 8 games for the division title... it was Sugar Valley's fifth pennant in seven years... Cold Creek was 20 games back in third place... Marston and Beechwood came in fourth, 34 games off the pace... Sugar Valley roared to 103 victories, second best to Middlefield's 104 wins in the Ruthlandian East... Valmara also went over the 100-win mark in the Ruthlandian North, finishing with 101.

1. SUGAR VALLEY: the Rattlers will be going for their second Pro Cup in five years... they nabbed it in 2045 and have much better pitching this time around... Sugar Valley ranked first in the IPA with a 2.51 team ERA... it's the second best ERA in history, topped only by Forest City record-breaking 2.41 last year... all five starters posted ERA under 3.00... All-Star Joe Snow (26-8/2.46) chalked up the most wins... Cullen Winslow (23-6/2.18) had the best ERA... and Antonio Cedeno (22-17/2.42), Davey Brennan (13-10/2.68/2 saves) and Christopher Dunsberry (10-4/2.42/10 saves) were very effective, too... leading the Rattlers at the plate were star LF Carl Ramsey (.282/32/105/88), 22-year-old rookie RF Duncan McEllicott (.267/27/80/69) and 1B Smokey Nix (.285/24/79/77)... they only hit .250 (20th), but scored pretty well with 677 runs (9th) and 160 homers (4th)... the two biggest winners in the IPA will be opponents right off the bat in the playoffs... in first-round play Sugar Valley takes on the powerful Middlefield Roosters, who seem to have it all this year... pitching, hitting and power.

2. Belle Plaine: the Muskies have been making good strides the last few years, climbing up from 8th (69-85) to fifth (76-78) to third (84-70) and up to second this season with a sparkling 95-59 mark (8 GB)... their previous best was 91-63 in 2025... the poor Muskies are still waiting for its first IPA Pro Cup... 41 years have past since the last playoff appearance... they led Sugar Valley by 4 games at mid-year, but couldn't keep up with them in the second half... the Belle Plaine bats were blistering this year with a .291 team BA (1st), 881 runs (1st) and 190 HRs (2nd)... the pitching was better than average with a 3.44 ERA (14th)... star RF Lenny Buisson (.341/45/129/109) had another marvelous season and led the club in just about all categories... 1B Chuck Gregory (.376/30/99/85) was a huge threat, too... other valuable contributors were C Nuke Borg (.282/24/80/83), CF Roy Myers (.294/16/62/76), rookie LF Nappy Kiggins (.278/14/61/86) and 3B Kale Woodard (.322/5/48/78)... top hurlers were Phil Lacey (21-11/2.91) and Henry Wade (22-12/3.07)... Pedro Castro (17-14/4.18) and Joe-Joe Bouvier (16-11/4.10) also gave them some quality strarts... the future bodes well for the Musketeers.

3. COLD CREEK: better pitching moved the Catamounts up from fourth to third this year, improving from 76-78 to 83-71... they have never won the Pro Cup... the last pennant was hoisted in 2041... vets Sammy Wright (23-14/2.97) and All-Star Rob Hutchins (19-13/2.28) had excellent seasons with some help from number three Spooky Robinson (16-16/3.36)... providing most of the offense were All-Star 2B Milt Swallow (.308/41/132/94), All-Star SS Joe Cochrane (.302/22/94/87), RF Mike Josephson (.284/6/40/79) and CF Albie Forbush (.255/11/56/74).

4. MARSTON: since the pennant-winning season of 2047 the Nine has taken a tumble to 75-79 (20 GB) and 69-85 (34 GB) the last two seasons, tying Beechwood for fourth place... Marston has never won a Pro Cup... just a mediocre club at best... they were in third place, 8 games behind at the All-Star break, then went downhill quickly... John Newton (14-20/2.91) deserved a better record... he and Thomas Stuart (11-10/3.32/2 saves) were the most effective hurlers... closer Kiki Vuk (2-2/1/46/12 saves) was quite good in the bullpen... the Nine didn't have much at the plate with All-Star 3B Gary Armitage (.262/23/77/88), 2B Damien D'Amboise (.266/6/60/85), LF D'Wayne Dotson (.293/26/82/82), CF Calvin Marbury (.268/17/69/61), RF Charley Gilmore (.293/9/47/63) and SS Stan Mila (.263/12/68/55) putting up the best stats.

4. BEECHWOOD: the long-suffering Bobcats had a dismal year with a 69-85 record, tied for fourth place... 2026 was the last time they won the division... Beechwood is still winless as far as Pro Cups... Jimmy Herman (13-16/3.28), Tommy Banks (13-15/3.93) and Pete Ashley (13-21/3.93) are fair starters and Terry Collins (7-3/1.55/8 saves) did well in the bullpen... the offense is terrible... 35-year-old RF Eddie Wilson is nearing the end of a good career, but still led the club with 20 HRs and 60 RBIs, but batted a lowly .204... CF Rod McClellan topped the team with a .278 BA with 10 homers and 55 RBIs... and 2B Mike Mathews (.240) had 12 homers and led the club with 73 runs.

6. EASTSHORE: for the third year in a row the Elegants finished in the sixth spot in the standings... they were 68-86 this season (35 GB)... it's been 15 years since Eastshore won the RU East... however the Elegants have two Pro Cups to their credit, won in 2016 and 2017... not much offense, but the mound staff is pretty fair with starters Malcolm Tansbury (18-11/2.47), Jimmy Phelps (14-24/3.93), Ferrell Greenlaw (13-19/3.86) and Valdek Savisaar (12-20/3.86) and relievers Trent Niven (8-4/1.98/20 saves) and Vic Perry (2-2/2.13/6 saves)... Niven was second in saves in the IPA, topped only by Andy Mayfield of Kilkenny with 21... no standout sticks... SS Nigel Gold (.282/2/41/90), 1B Joe Washington (.282/10/73/73) and LF Bevan Shuler (.260/21/76/60) were the only decent batters... the biggest threat RF Troy McFarland (.216/16/76/70) had a down year.

7. WYNNAMAC: the Sundowners sunk low this year after spending seven straight seasons in the Ruthlandian East first division... they were last year's runner-up... the Sundowners last won the pennant in 2044... the bats were horrible this year, just about the worst in the IPA... the pitching was fairly solid with James Duncan (10-20/3.01) and Shirai Nakamura (12-10/3.10), Sammy Hayes (15-17/3.30) and Milt Easterling (.13-16/4.06)... rookie CF Dickie Key (.269/5/37/56), C Koby Howard (.254/15/52/37) and rookie RFJake Turpin (.251/13/55/55) supplied what little offense the W'Macs had.

8. ELNORA: the All-Stars endured another cellar-dwelling season for the second successive year with a sorry 53-101 mark... only Ancona of the RU North was worse with 104 defeats... Elnora has one Pro Cup trophy, won in 2033... their last postseason appearance was back in 2035... pitching is bad and the offense is average... Rod Lucas (13-24/3.91) was the club's biggest winner and the only starter with an ERA under 4.00... RF Casimiro Gessi (.323/5/41/79), 1B Joey Hagburn (.319/14/89/72) and All-Star LF Enos Conrad (.312/12/61/76) were the best hitters average-wise, while CF Preston Davies (.253/31/89/77) was the most prolific.

2049 Ruthlandian East Division Final Standings and Team Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 21, 2049

ROOSTERS CRUISE TO RU WEST TITLE
Picked in the preseason to finish a close third to Forest City and Rocky Rapids, the Middlefield Roosters led the IPA with 104 victories and really ruled the roost this year in the Ruthlandian West Division, made shambles of the pennant chase by racing to a 9-game bulge at the halfway mark and then increased it to 13 by season's end... the defending champ and preseason favorite Forest City came in a very distant second with Colfax third and Rocky Rapids fourth... the Roosters have racked up three division pennants in the last five seasons... they will be one of the favorites to take this year's Pro Cup trophy... Middlefield won its only IPA crown way back in 2005... the Roosters have a lot to crow about and could haul in its second Pro Cup this season... they have a lot going for them.

1. MIDDLEFIELD: the Roosters are a rock-solid ballclub with very good pitching, hitting and power... they came in fifth last year with a 73-81 record (19 GB) and made a remarkable turnaround... three rookies standouts really made the difference... out of the blue RF Johnny Wyatt slammed 41 roundtrippers and drove in 121 runs, All-Star LF Timothy Hayworth batted .315 with 12 HRs, 53 RBIs and scored 97 runs and 1B Clarence Cahoon hit .324 with 14 homers, 54 RBIs and 86 runs... add in five more All-Stars and you've got quite a team... C Johnny McDonald (.339/16/83/79), 2B Ike Gary (.300/19/95/83) and SS Jimmy Beach (.276/26/78/76) also made the RU All-Star squad, along with pitchers James Long (24-12/3.12) and Hollis Dale (22-7/2.40)... all four Middlefield starters won 20 or more games... Carroll Collier (25-10/2.72) and Larry Wheelhouse (23-10/3.41) piled up lots of wins, too... CF Russell Martin (.275 BA) put up some solid numbers, too, with 29 homers, 99 RBIs and 91 runs... the Roosters will have a tough test right out of the gate in the postseason, going up against Sugar Valley in the first round... the Rattlers won 103 games this season.

2. FOREST CITY: last year the Lumberjacks had absolutely splendid pitching and set the all-time IPA ERA record at 2.41... they couldn't match it this year and slipped to a 2.99 ERA (4th) and fell to second place, far behind Middlefield... in spite of the drop, the starting four still did their jobs very well, led by Omar Cordero (24-9/2.35), Rusty Howard (23-14/2.53), Richie Meyers (15-10/2.98) and John McKee (15-14/3.05)... the offense was better than average, but didn't compare at all to Middlefield's... their best performers were rookie 2B Ziggy Regan (.280/11/52.89), rookie 1B D. J. Ewell (.257/19/90/76), SS Timmy Tarbell (.304/11/62/59) and C Bob Brisdon (.282/13/81/62).

3. COLFAX: the Blasters improved from 77-77 and fourth place (15 GB) to 86-68 and third place this year (18 GB)... the last postseason appearance was in 2042 and the only Pro Cup was won in 2010... they are better than average as a team with good hitting and pitching... the ace was Jorgen Krogstad (22-12/3.10)... he got some help from Dante Breeland (19-14/4.20) and Rollie Abbott (16-14/3.25)... Red McCallum (13-20/3.47) was a quality starter, but lost a lot of quality starts... the Blasters have no great shakes at the place, but a good core of reliable batters in 3B Cramer Landis (.328/6/41/80), All-Star C Darrell Dillon (.275/25/89/86), 2B Hoot Glanville (.294/11/54/64), SS Dan Zalewski (.284/9/57/58)... parttimers 3B Marty Eldridge (.317/6/64/48) and RF Stu Richardson (.298/14/55/45) provided some good offense, too... the Blasters need more punch and power in their lineup to challenge Middlefield.

4. ROCKY RAPIDS: last year the Snappers were 79-75, good for the third spot in the standings (13 GB)... they got better with an 81-73 mark and dropped to fourth (23 GB)... for 11 years straight the Snappers have finished in the first division... they won pennants in 2044 and 2046 and even a Pro Cup, but long ago and far way in 2019... the aging mound corps is strong with a great 2.85 team ERA (3rd), but the offense is mediocre at best with a poor .249 BA (22nd), 622 runs (19th) and only 104 HRs (22nd-tied)... IPA superstar hurler Jamie Taylor (20-12/1.59) got some breaks this year and had a super year after two off-years, at least for him... Taylor had the second-best ERA in the IPA... only Ranford's Ralph Hawk was better with a great 1.40 ERA... Taylor had a tough time record-wise the previous two years with 19-20 and 17-16 marks, but still had impressive ERAs... Taylor was 30-7 in 2046 with a superb 1.59 ERA... that year he won the Ruthlandian MVP Award and the Golden Arm trophy... the 33-year-old Taylor holds the all-time IPA record for victories in a single season... this year he had help from 35-year-old Buster Noland (18-17/3.10), 35-year-old Dirk Halstad (15-15/3.16) and Kevin Dillard (12-12/3.53)... closer Steve Owens (8-5/1.56/16 saves) did a crackerjack job in the bullpen for the Snappers... supplying most of the offense were star 2B Marty Featherstone (.258/27/86/76), 1B Masaharu Kawasaki (.286/25/87/85) and C Carney Kirkpatrick (.281/20/83/74).

5. STONER: the Stars were within striking distance of Middlefield until the All-Star Game... they were tied with Forest City for second place, 9 games back of powerhouse Middlefield... then the Stars slowly faded back into the second division in the second half of the season and came in fifth (24 GB), but with a pretty good 80-74 record... they were seventh the previous two seasons and posted identical 64-90 records... Stoner possesses three capable starters in Took Noonan (19-19/1.79), Rip Martin (18-11/3.23) and Billy Horton (13-17/3.40)... but need some help in the bullpen... the Stars have only two decent hitters: RF Emmett Tread (.287/16/64/77) and 3B Mac Lord (.291/12/66/85)... Stoner hasn't made the playoffs since 2029 and still hasn't won a Pro Cup in its history.

6. SLIGO: the Rovers have a terrible offense, ranking last in the IPA with only 548 runs... but the pitching is about average with a 3.60 team ERA (18th)... last year Sligo came out of nowhere and finished second to Forest City with an 82-72 record (10 GB), but this year they plunged to sixth place with a poor 64-90 mark (40 GB)... in the club history the Rovers have one IPA championship trophy, captured in 2021... the last RU West pennant was in 2039... heading up the Rover pitching corps was Mickey Walsh (13-21/2.72), but Freddy Avery (18-16/4.01) chalked up the most wins... veteran Randall Steele (15-19/4.29) had a subpar year for him... Davey Hunter (3-6/1.92/8 saves) did a nice job in the pen this season... the only capable batter in the lineup was veteran 3B Denny Simmons, who topped the team with a .296 BA, 23 HRs, 71 RBIs and 76 runs.

7. VOLUSIA: the Vigilantes won the first ever IPA Pro Cup in 2001, beating the Ginza Ninjas in a four-game sweep, but they haven't won one since... the most recent playoff appearance came in 2043... last year the V's were 70-64 in sixth place (22 GB), but they dipped to seventh this year with a 63-91 record (41 GB)... Volusia ranked near the bottom in scoring and in ERA... long-suffering vet Drew Selby (18-18/3.56) led the club in wins with occasional help from Casimiro Ramires (15-20/4.04) and Mateus Branco (11-20/4.28)... not a lot of talent in the batting order, either... most of them are just journeymen: CF Cazzie Carvalho (.277/21/69/76), C George Ruffino (.276/20/84/64), LF Robby Booth (.236/17/61/59), 1B Kris Wilson (.276/16/51/60) and RF Derek Jorstad (.302/12/48/74).

8. Fort Benton: the Defenders are dreadful... only one pennant in its history... that was 2037... no Pro Cups... and they have come in last in the RU West for the last five years in a row... 55-99 in 2048 (37 GB) and 61-93 this year (43 GB)... nothing to brag about on the hill or at the plate... vet Jordy Raeburn (15-18/3.74) is the club leader in wins with a little help from Arnie Patterson (11-11/3.64)... rookie Tristan Kenyon (.315/7/52/65) had the top BA at .315... vet 1B Todd Higginbotham paced the club with 20 homers and 87 RBIs, but hit just .238 for average... 2B Lucien Lindsey topped the team in scoring runs with 85, while batting .279 with 12 homers and 60 RBIs.

2049 Ruthlandian West Division Final Standings and Team Statistics

Only one more full season after this? Man, I'm gonna hate to see this league go, having followed it from Day One! :eatpop: It has inspired me, personally, to come up with ideas for my own soon-to-be leagues!

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 21, 2049

RASCALS REPEAT IN TU NORTH
The White River Rascals used a high-powered attack and great pitching to repeat as champion of the Tycobbian North Division... in a very close race they outdistanced Luxora by 3 games... most of the other teams fell to the wayside after midyear... the Rascals only led the Zorros by two games going into July... Mahaska was third, trailing by only four games, but the Haymakers soon swooned in the second half of the season, winding up in fifth place, 30 games back... at season's end Hartsdale came in third, 16 games off the pace and North Hills was in the fourth spot, 29 games behind.

1. WHITE RIVER: the Rascals had a wonderful season, winning their second pennant in a row and fifth overall... they topped the Tycobbian Union with 97 wins, one better than TU South titlist San Alejo... however, the club is still in search of a first Pro Cup trophy... they could prove to be a serious Pro Cup contender with the team's tremendous pitching and home-run power... the Rascals batted only .254 as a team (22nd), but walloped 198 homers (2nd) and scored 756 runs (3rd), while posting an excellent 2.82 team ERA (2nd)... in the Tycobbian Union only the Denton City Redbirds were better with a 2.72 team ERA... none of the Tycobbian playoff clubs have better pitching or offense than White River... the Rascals have an abundance of fine pitchers, led by veteran starters All-Star Nicky Palmer (22-10/2.59), Clem Warren (21-12/2.84) and Butch Slattery (21-10/2.88)... the bullpen is very sound, too, with Todd Cole (10-8/2.76/17 saves), who ranked sixth in the IPA in saves... White River boasts four players who hit 30 or more homers: superstar LF Billy Joe Hickman (.261/48/126/100), RF Ryne Hyland (.304/36/100/111), 2B Ryan Byrd (.165/32/85/83) and 1B Ruben Reaves (.300/30/76/113)... 3B Kenny Yarbrough added another good bat with a .314 BA, 10 homers, 59 RBIs and 88 runs.

2. LUXORA: the Zorros gave the Rascals fits and almost caught them in the home stretch... the Z's had excellent firepower with a .280 team BA (1st), 780 runs (1st) and 161 HRs (8th-tied), plus a pretty good pitching staff with a 3.57 team ERA (9th)... they moved up from third place and 82-72 last year (12 GB) to 95-59 (3 GB) this season... it's been a long while since Luxora had appeared in the postseason playoffs... their last pennant came in 2031... the Zorros have never won a Pro Cup... the starting four were solid with Mack Wellman (18-13/2.98), Jose Beltran (16-8/2.87), Les Liebert (18-12/3.37) and Steve Tolan (16-12/3.60/2 saves)... Wellman came over from Taranto in a July trade and posted a fine 9-2 mark in 12 starts with a 2.36 ERA... the club's offensive leaders were CF Xavier Da Nova (.318/17/77/101), rookie SS Emmett Cusack (.297/10/57/98), All-Star LF Emil Pasek (.311/19/75/88), 2B Joel Poche (.274/19/85/76), 3B Tiago Chaves (.268/20/87/71), rookie RF Jules Randolph (.312/21/73/65) and 1B Tuff McLendon (.316/14/64/62)... there are no easy outs in the Luxora lineup.

3. HARTSDALE: the Hellcats still have a good club... they won the TU North twice in recent years, 2046 and 2047, and hauled in their first Pro Cup in '46... they were second last year (11 GB) with an 83-71 record and went 82-72 (16 GB) this year, good for third place... heading up the mound staff are veteran starters Gil Younger (22-12/2.89) and Perry Givens (14-14/2.81)... Roy Krieger (6-2/2.28/12 saves) is the best in the bullpen... famed closer Alfonso Cervera (10-7/3.74/13 saves) had an up-and-down year... no great sticks in the batting order, but some good ones... LF Darrell Nesbitt (308/11/56/84), RF Emilian Burgess (.280/18/74/79), 2B Greg Melton (.293/23/80/68), C Kenton Carmichael (.253/26/83/70) and 1B John Ford (.258/24/64/54).

4. NORTH HILLS: the glory days of winning four Pro Cups (2034-2041) and dominating the TU North by taking 11 titles in 12 years, are gone now as the Hawks are in the rebuilding stage and things are getting worse... the last pennant came five seasons ago... they were in last place last year with a 71-83 record (23 GB) and got worse this year with a 69-85 mark (29 GB), but finished in fourth place because there are so many bad teams in the North Division this season... Tony Mack (14-17/4.57) is the only Pro Cup stalwart left on the squad, but he didn't have a good year and is nearing retirement at age 37... the best bats were All-Star RF Chuck Coltharpe (.297/33/99/103), CF Ryan Webbe (.283/25/100/76) and LF Bucky Winslow (.283/12/51/85).

5. MAHASKA: the Haymakers hung close to White River for the first half of the season before flaming out into oblivion... they went from four games of first place and ended up 30 games behind... Mahaska was 24-51 in the second half... not a lot to brag about on the mound staff... John Polk (16-13/4/56/2 saves) led the club in victories, but he benefited often with good run support... the Haymakers have some productive batters in C James Boswell (.244/34/94/71), 3B Goose Fulton (.261/22/91/74) and All-Star Roger Lewis (.276/20/94/71)... SS Rocco Bertara (.293/10/49/82) also made the All-Star team.

6. OXFORD: the Red Caps are still in the throes of a long, long, stretch of frustration... they have not won a pennant since the Pro Cup season of 2007... the Red Caps were 71-83 in seventh place in 2048 (23 GB) and got worse with a 66-88 mark (33 GB), coming in sixth... Rudy Mellancamp (16-17/2.98) is the only top-notch starter... he could pitch for anybody in the IPA... the offense also lacks talent... the only decent hitter is LF Kevin Carter with a .305 BA, 29 homers and 85 RBIs.

7. BLUE LAKE: the Blue Sox haven't made the postseason lately, either... last appearing in 2030, which was the year they won their only Pro Cup... last season they were in fifth place with a 79-75 record (15 GB)... this season the Blue Sox dropped to seventh place and 66-88 (32 GB)... the pitching was mediocre to bad... Sal Mays (16-17/4.19) and Greg Mortimer (15-20/4.22) had the most wins and were the most effective... the only decent bats were All-Star C Juan Luis Barcelona (.296/23/69/90) and RF Burl Baugh (.272/25/86/58).

8i. FAIRFAX: for the second time in the club's history the Frogs finished in the Tycobbian North basement... they were sixth last year with a 77-77 mark (17 GB), but slumbered to 65-89 this season (33 GB)... pitching was pretty much awful... Harold Dorman (12-18/4.41) and Shaun O'Riley (10-15/3.92) were the biggest winners... or perhaps the best losers... the Frogs had very little offense... and All-Star 2B John Velasco (.320/18/73/87), CF Trent Russell (.283/27/73/105), C Scott Courtney (.286/20/75/66) and RF Brad Johnson (.274/15/68/83) had the best numbers on the team... Velasco was amazing this year at age 43... however, his career may be over... Velasco ruptured and an Achilles tendon in September and may be forced into retirement.

2049 Tycobbian North Division Final Standings and Team Statistics