Only one other third sacker challenged Jerry Culpepper for the top spot on the 50 Anniversary All-Star team... that was Flash Devlin of the La Claire Lynx, the best third basemen in the 2010s and 2020s... he was twice honored on the All-Decade Teams, number two and number three.

Flash Devlin (2013-2031)
He was 37 when he retired in 2032... the star infielder was finally an inductee into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2038. Devlin stood out on a mediocre team. The Lynx were usually a second-division club and only made the postseason one time in Devlin's career. His club's lack of success had a detrimental effect on the Hall of Fame voting, but the media finally realized how good a player Devlin was and placed him among the IPA icons in '38. He also had a reputation of cockiness and self-importance. Devlin was not one of the media favorites during his playing days.

However, Devlin certainly made the press stand up and pay attention in the regular season by making the All-Star Team 13 times... he was a prolific hitter with a lifetime .317 BA, batting .356 in '17, .353 in '21, .343 in '18, .343 in '23 and .331 in '16 and '22... for his first 12 seasons he hit .300 or more ('13 to '24)... Devlin participated in 2737 games, collected 3261 hits (22nd all-time), 559 home runs (21st all-time), 1799 RBIs (16th all-time) and scored 1995 runs (13th all-time)... not only was he good with the bat, Flash Devlin was an outstanding third sacker known for his "flashy" plays.

IPA 50th Anniversary All-Time All-Star Team

The vote for the best shortstop in IPA history was pretty tight with four main contenders... but Far Mountain's fabulous Don Nichols was clearly the top choice.

SS DON NICHOLS (2001-2024)
Nichols played for 24 seasons, 7 with the Marston Nine and 17 for the Far Mountain Redhawks... he was selected to the First and Second Decade All-Stars and his Redhawks won 3 consecutive Pro Cups in 2011, 2012 and 2013, made the postseason 5 times and copped 3 division crowns. Nichols had led Marston to three playoffs prior to joining the Redhawks... Nichols was an 11-time All-Star, 2-time Golden Glover and in 2018 took the Ruthlandian Union MVP Award and the Golden Bat. During his illustrious career, Nichols had 386 home runs and batted .310. He was near the top in all-time IPA stats, ranking 8th in games (3253), 4th in hits (3760), 18th in RBIs (1773), 4th in runs (2164) and 8th in stolen bases (668). In postseason play Nichols hit an even .300 with 9 homers , 51 RBIs, 53 runs and 17 stolen bases in 95 games. He retired in 2024 at the age of 43 and went into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2027.

The other primary votegetters for the best all-time shortstop spot on the IPA 50th Anniversary All-Stars were James Couch, Andy Pearson and Jud Turchin.

SS James Couch (2015-2036)
Runner-up to Don Nichols in the best shortstop race was dependable and rock-solid James Couch... day in, day out, game-after-game, season-after-season Couch just played very good baseball for the Ozarka Naturals for 20 years and Elnora for the final two seasons... he not only hit the ball well, he also was a standout defender... 10 times Couch was an All-Star... twice he was a Golden Glover... he led his club to 8 pennants, but never won a Pro Cup, yet they were finalists on three occasions... the Nats lost to one of the best teams in IPA history twice in the Pro Cup Finals... that team was the remarkable Far Mountain Redhawks, the winner of three straight Pro Cups, 2011 through 2013... Don Nichols was one of the prime leaders on that team ... the other defeat was to two-time champion Eastshore, a powerhouse in 2016... Couch was a vital part of the Nats' success... he was an easy choice for the best shortstop of the 2020s and voted to the IPA Third All-Decade Team.

James Couch played until he was 39, retiring in 2036... he entered the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2038... Couch compiled a career .307 batting average... he won his only batting title in with a .351 mark in 2024... Couch piled up 3227 hits, 231 roundtrippers, 1339 RBIs and scored 1601 runs... in the postseason he hit .295 with 7 homers, 56 RBIs and 55 runs in 104 games.

SS Andy Pearson (2013-2032)
In the third spot was Andy Pearson, who starred for the Arroyo Grande Suns for most of his 20 seasons in the IPA... Pearson was an 11-time All-Star and 3-time Golden Glover... he sparked the Suns to 4 division flags and postseason appearances... but he never won a Pro Cup ring... lifetime Pearson batted .314 with 3097 hits, 384 roundtrippers, 1567 RBIs, scored 1739 runs and stole 214 bases... Pearson has a lackluster postseason record, hitting only .246 in 29 games, but he did score 20 runs.

SS Jud Turchin (2002-2022)
Fourth in the balloting was Hartsdale's Jud Turchin... a 7-time All-Star and a Golden Glove winner, he carried a career .304 BA with 3360 hits, 391 homers, 1580 RBIs, 1868 runs and 320 SBs... the Hellcats made the playoffs 5 times in Turchin's tenure... Turchin hit only .238 in 22 games, but did produce 5 home runs, 13 RBIs and scored 17 times.

IPA 50th Anniversary All-Time All-Star Team

LF JET KAZMAREK (2001-2016)
The all-time best left fielder in the Islandian Pro Alliance was super hitter Jet Kazmarek, a short fellow with blazing speed that really stood tall in the batter's box... the 5' 6" outfielder is the all-time top batsman in the Islandian Pro Alliance with a remarkable lifetime .350 BA (1st)... he is the only .400 hitter in IPA history with an unbelievable .428 in 2002... 9 times Kazmarek won the league batting title...6 straight seasons in the Ruthlandian Union and three times in the Tycobbian Union... 8 times he was an All-Star... Kazmarek was a vital cog in the early success of Valmara as he helped lead the Vipers to the playoffs four times... Kazmarek played 6 seasons with the Vipers and 11 with the lousy Arroyo Grande Suns, winning the RU Golden Bat in 2002 and was voted the Ruthlandian MVP in 2002 and 2003... in 2191 games he totaled 2746 hits, 507 doubles, 215 triples, 186 homers, 1287 RBIs and scored 1522 runs with 822 stolen bases... Kazmarek retired at 41 and made the IPA Hall of Fame in 2027... in the IPA he rated first all-time in triples and second in stolen bases... Kazmarek was named the best right fielder on the IPA First Decade Team.

He also proved his worth In the postseason... Kazmarek batted .331 in 34 games with 11 RBIs and 27 runs scored... he stole 19 bases... the only thing that kept him from being the perfect ballplayer was his lack of power and mediocre fielding... even with his phenomenal speed, flyballs could really cause Kazmarek discomfort... his teammates were known to say even on a cloudy day the sun often gave him trouble in the outfield... even on groundballs.

Five other ballplayers challenged for the left field spot on the 50th Anniversary All-Stars... but it hard to beat out the all-time leading hitter, who posted a phenomenal .350 career average.

LF Quincy Peterson (2001-2021)
Runner-up to Kazmarek for the left field slot was Quincy Peterson, a standout outfielder as well as being one of the better hitters in the annals of IPA baseball. He played mainly for LaGrange and Elnora with a one-year stay in Belle Plaine, all in the Ruthlandian Union. Peterson was inducted into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2027... he was chosen the best left fielder on the First Decade Team.

Peterson was honored 6 times as an All-Star and gathered in 4 Golden Glove Awards. He participated in 5 Pro Cup playoffs in his career and was on 3 pennant winners. However, he never got a Pro Cup ring. Peterson retired at the age of 44 with a .294 career batting average. He mainly played left field, participated in 3087 games (16th), rang up 3514 hits (11th), 589 doubles (16th), 565 home runs (18th), scored 2029 runs (10th) and batted in 1956 runs (11th). Peterson was even tougher in the postseason, batting .343 with 13 homers, 38 RBIs and scoring 30 runs in only 41 games.

LF Rocco Belasario (2005-2026)
Finishing third in the voting for the best all-time left fielder was Arlon's fabulous center fielder Rocco Belasario, one of the best player ever in the IPA. In a career spanning 3023 games, Belasario batted .301 with 3076 hits, 508 home runs, 1658 RBIs, 2116 runs scored and 1840 walks. He is 8th in walks all-time, 5th in runs scored, 18th in games played and number one in stolen bases. Belasario was selected as the top left fielder on the Second Decade All-Time Team.

For most of his career Belasario played in obscurity, but brilliantly. Arlon went to the postseason only 3 times and never come close to winning the Pro Cup in his tenure. But Belasario excelled with 9 All-Star selections and 5 Golden Gloves. The swift Belasario holds the all-time IPA mark for stolen bases with 1023, almost 200 better than second place Jet Kazmarek. 7 times Belasario led the Tycobbian Union in thefts. In limited postseason action he hit .263 with an impressive on-base percentage of .404, 2 homers, 6 RBIs and scored 15 runs in 23 games, while stealing 11 bases.

Belasario was 40, when he retired. He played 19 seasons with Arlon and 22 years in the league. The gifted outfielder gained entrance into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2027.

LF Zeppy Deshotel (2005-2022)
The number-four ranked left fielder was Zeppy Deshotel of the La Claire Lynx... he was a 9-time All-Star, but never played in the playoffs... he performed in obscurity most of the time... a gifted hitter and just adequate as an outfielder... Deshotel posted a .312 career batting average with 3121 hits, 469 home runs, 1699 RBIs, 1744 runs scored and stole 510 bases... in 2029 Deshotel made the IPA Hall of Fame.

LF Adam Thurgood (2033-2048)
Fifth in the voting for the 50th Anniversary All-Stars was North Hills' tremendous outfielder Adam Thurgood, a 9-time All-Star that led the Hawks to 4 Pro Cup championships and 11 pennants... he batted .311 in his career, collected 2860 hits, 506 HRs, 1613 RBI and scored 1338 runs... Thurgood was the Tycobbian Rookie of the Year in 2033 and captured the TU Golden Bat in 2038... his postseason numbers are excellent... in an unbelievable 123 games Thurgood hit .294 BA with 154 hits in 523 at-bats, 30 homers, 79 RBIs and scored 82 runs... he was voted the 2041 Pro Cup Most Valuable Player... in 2052 Thurgood was installed as a member of the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame.

LF Rikki Van Dalen (2036-2052)
Winding up sixth in the poll for the best IPA All-Time left fielder was Rikki Van Dalen, who played 13 of his 17 seasons in Cape Coral and appeared only one time in the postseason, but he was still a very fine hitter with a lifetime .316 BA, 2770 hits, 405 HRs, 1380 RBIs, 1547 runs and 236 SBs... Van Dalen was a 5-time All-Star... he also won the 2042 Tycobbian Golden Bat and Most Valuable Player trophies... that season Van Dalen led the IPA with a .371 BA, 222 hits and 125 runs... he also hammered 31 homers and drove in 123 runs... Van Dalen won three Tycobbian batting crowns with a .371 BA in 2042, .358 in 2044 and .353 in 2046.

IPA 50th Anniversary All-Time All-Star Team

CF Roy Hobbs (2013-2031)
The top center fielder in IPA history is the splendid Roy Hobbs... He was also voted the best player in IPA history... the Most Valuable Player on the 50th Anniversary All-Stars... Hobbs led the Ruthlandian Union 10 times in hits in his career... 4 times Hobbs won the batting title... he was honored as an All-Star 15 times, won 7 Golden Gloves and posted a .345 lifetime BA, finishing second to Jet Kazmarek, the IPA all-time leader with a .350 BA... seven times received the Golden Bat Award and twice captured the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player trophy (2026 and 2030)...at 34 he batted a lofty .359 with 36 homers, 142 RBIs and scored 125 runs... at 36 in 2028 Hobbs led the league with 138 runs batted in while hitting at a .342 clip... when he retired in 2031 Hobbs could still hit, posting a .304 batting average in 85 games, but he said he was too much of a defensive liability to stay in the lineup... he was made a member of the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2032... Twice Hobbs was named to the All-Decade teams in center field... the Second and Third Decade All-Stars.

Overall in 19 seasons with the Waleska Westerners Roy Hobbs put up some strong statistics with 3793 hits (3rd all-time), 594 doubles (13th), 142 triples (8th), 587 homers (12th), 2037 RBIs (7th) and 2026 runs (11th)... the Westerners won their only two pennants in 2024 and 2028... they topped the Tuckanarra Blue Jays in seven games in the '28 Pro Cup... Hobbs was named the best player in the playoffs that season for hitting .333 with 4 homers, 18 RBIs and 14 runs in 20 games... Hobbs only played in two postseasons... in 27 games he was quite productive, batting .324 with 5 HRs, 24 RBIs and 19 runs.

Two of Hobbs' contemporaries and Ruthlandian rivals, Russ Woodward and Vic Valenti, ended up second and third in the voting for the all-time best center fielder in IPA history.

CF Russ Woodward (2013-2033)
One of the truly greats in IPA history was Hall of Famer, Russ Woodward... he could do it all for the Marston Nine... in his 21 years Woodward batted a career .315, had 3641 hits (7th all-time), 621 HRs (9th all-time), 2052 RBIs (6th all-time), 1938 runs (10th all-time) and stole 295 bases... was an All-Star 9 times and won 6 Golden Gloves... Marston only made the postseason 3 times... in 2015 the Nine lost in the Ruthlandian Championship Series to the eventual Pro Cup winner, Taranto... Woodward performed well in the playoffs with a .315 BA, 7 HRs, 20 RBIs and 15 runs in 23 games.

CF Vic Valenti (2013-2029)
Another standout center fielder was Vic Valenti of the Beechwood Bobcats... he was a 9-time All-Star, 6-time Gold Glover, 3-time Golden Bat winner and the 2015 Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player... Valenti topped the league with a .383 batting average, rapped 45 homers, drove in 120 and scored 119 runs... overall in his career Valenti collected 2985 hits with 500 roundtrippers, 1731 RBIs, 1682 runs and 299 SBs... Beechwood rarely made the playoffs, appearing only 3 times in 2020, 2026 and 2027... but they did perform well... each year they lost to the Pro Cup champion in the Ruthlandian Union Finals... Crystal Lake whipped them in '20 and '27... and Valmara eliminated them in '26... Valenti hit only .215, but did slam 6 homers in 31 games, driving in 19 runs and scoring 16 times... Valenti was installed in the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2030.

IPA 50th Anniversary All-Time All-Star Team

RF: Lorne Evans (2025-2043)
The right field position on the IPA 50th Anniversary All-Stars is manned by superstar Lorne Evans, who edged out Sugar Valley's great Bobby Gamble... Evans led his clubs to 7 division titles and 2 Pro Cup crowns... he was a 12-time All-Star, honored 4 times as Tycobbian Most Valuable Player in '27, '28, '30 and '34, won 5 TU Golden Bats in '28, '30, '31, '33 and '34... and was named twice to the Golden Glove team... Evans was a winner, who could do just about everything on the baseball diamond... he was with the Southport Sun Sox for the first 9 years of his fabulous career and did well in his final 10 seasons with the Tuckanarra Blue Jays... his first Pro Cup ring came in 2027, the year the Sun Sox whipped the Crystal Lake Crushers... his second Pro Cup ring came in 2035 with the Tucks, when they defeated the Elnora All-Stars... Evans piled up 2928 hits with a .305 BA... ranked 6th all-time in the IPA with 701 home runs... 8th in runs scored with 2045 and 14th best with 1836 RBIs ... at 43 he retired as a player in '43... made the IPA Hall of Fame in 2045... and returned to Southport as manager in 2047... Evans made the Fourth All-Decade in left field.

Evans was productive in the postseason playoffs, batting only .233 in 60 games, but he had 9 homers, 32 RBIs and scored 40 runs... twice his teams won the Pro Cup.

Only one player challenged Evans for the right field spot on the 50th Anniversary All-Stars... that was the terrific Bobby Gamble of the Sugar Valley Rattlers.

RF: Bobby Gamble (2033-2047)
If there ever was a 5-tool player, right fielder Bobby Gamble, was one... he excelled for 17 seasons, finally retiring in 2049 at age 35... he is the current Rattler manager... Gamble captured 4 Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player Awards ('35, '38, '43, '44)... 5 Golden Bat trophies ('35, '36, '37, '38, '43)... was an 11-time All-Star... and twice a Golden Glover... in his fabulous career Gamble paced Sugar Valley to 6 Ruthlandian East Division titles and a Pro Cup in 2045... in a fabled career he batted .315 with 530 roundtrippers, 1735 RBIs, scored 1864 times and stole 453 bases... in the playoffs Gamble stood out with a .315 BA in 45 games with 13 HRs, 26 RBIs and 33 runs.

In 2045 Gamble sparked the Rattlers to their first-ever IPA crown with a .408 BA, 5 homers, 15 RBIs, 14 runs and 13 walks. He was honored as the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player that season.

Gamble has also been very successful as the skipper of the Rattlers, taking over in '47 from his legendary mentor, Gibby Bobkins... with Gamble at the helm Sugar Valley has won the Ruthlandian East Division 5 times in 7 seasons so far.

Now I'll get busy working on the rosters.

Thanks, everybody for still following the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Half of the teams have been updated roster-wise.

It won't be long now.

The new season is coming soon.

I just completed updating the rosters with rookies.

Can't wait to get into the new season.

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THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, June 24, 2055

6 NEW HOF-ERS HONORED BY IPA
Yesterday at the league All-Star Game in Wynnamac, the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame Board of Directors released the name of six new constituents that will be inducted into the famed baseball memorial located in Marston in August... topping the voting list this year was superstar catcher Corky DiNozzo of the Kenwood Wildcats... also joining the IPA all-time greats in the much-coveted and revered Hall will be Billy Hoover, Nioka Inkamara, Sogo Takagi, Jamie Taylor and Benny Hull... the Islandian Hall of Fame now numbers 55 position players and 30 pitchers.

Corky DiNozzo (2035-2053)
One of the best backstops of all time in the IPA... DiNozzo was a 13-time Tycobbian All-Star for the Kenwood Wildcats... he was the Rookie of the Year in 2035... won the TU Most Valuable Player Award in 2048, along with the Golden Bat for that year... led Kenwood to 5 TU West Division pennants... DiNozzo batted .313 for his career, drove in 1744 runs and ranked 5th all-time in homers with 635... no catcher had more roundtrippers than him... in the playoffs DiNozzo hit .268 in 38 games with 9 homers and 26 RBIs... never won a Pro Cup ring... played for 19 years... retired at the end of the 2053 season at age 37... still quite a hitter... batted .277 his final season with 17 homers and 78 RBIs in 117 games... DiNozzo was the overwhelming choice for the best catcher in the 40s and was named to the Fifth All-Decade Team... no one came close to his stats in the decade.

Billy Hoover (2039-2054)
Billy Hoover excelled not only in the regular season, but in the playoffs, where he led his Southport Sun Sox to two Pro Cup crowns in 2044 and 2047 and 7 Tycobbian South Division titles in his 15 seasons... his postseason record is 16-11 with a very impressive 2.39 ERA in 32 starts, many times winning crucial games in the series... he was a seventh-game specialist... Hoover, a right-hander, won the Tycobbian Most Valuable Player and Golden Arm Award in 2043, made the All-Star team 3 times and won a Golden Glove... he retired in 2054 at age 38... lifetime Hoover compiled a 271-183 mark with fine 2.82 ERA... also a member of the Fifth All-Decade Team.

Nioka Inkamara (2038-2051)
Gifted outfielder Nioka Inkamara was named to the Fifth All-Decade Team... he stood out for the Wynnamac Sundowners, won the RU Golden Bat three times ('40, '42, '50) and was chosen the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player in 2042... Inkamara was the RU Rookie of the Year in 2039... made the All-Stars on 5 occasions... and was given 2 Golden Glove trophies... named to the Fifth All-Decade Team... Wynnamac made the playoffs twice during his years with them... Inkamara never won a Pro Cup ring... in his career he batted .303 with 488 homers, 1385 RBIs and 1137 runs... he hit well in 20 postseason games, posting a .333 BA with 3 HRs, 7 RBIs and 18 runs.

Benny Hull (2034-2052)
Super first sacker Benny Hull had a splendid overall career and tremendous decade in the '40s... Hull drove in over 100 runs from 2038 to 2051 missing out only one time in 2042... he was a fairly easy choice for the Fifth All-Decade club... in his 19 seasons with the Grand City Cybercats Hull ranks 6th all-time in homers and RBIs in IPA history, hit .297 with 620 homers and 1819 RBIs... he was an 8-time Ruthlandian All-Star, won a Gold Glove and hit well in his only playoff experience, batting .333 with 1 home runs and 5 RBIs in 6 games.

Jamie Taylor (2039-2054)
Taylor set an all-time IPA mark when he went 30-7 with the Rocky Rapids Snappers in '46 with an remarkable 1.85 ERA... Taylor broke the old mark for the most victories in a season... the previous recordholder Shane Farmer went 29-3 in 2018 for the Turon Typhoons... his career record is 304-209 with a splendid 2.48 ERA... in '46 Taylor was honored with the Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player and Golden Arm trophies... he was an All-Star on 4 occasions... Taylor appeared twice in the postseason playoffs with a 4-2 record in 7 starts with a strong 2.48 ERA... was named to the IPA Fifth All-Decade Team.

Sogo Takagi (2034-2053)
His Ginza Ninjas never made the playoffs, but Sogo Takagi sure did shine in center field in the regular season for 18 years... he was a 10-time Tycobbian All-Star and 3-time Golden Glover... retired in '53 at age 39... his career BA was .300 with 510 roundtrippers, 1677 RBIs and 1872 runs scored... also a member of the Fifth All-Decade Team.

Benny Hull Career Stats... team never made the playoffs.