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Around the Town in the IPA

Ancona Red Elephants

Owner: Golden Hill Insurance Company
President of the Board: Dimitrios Vakros
GM/Manager: Louie DiMucci

Ancona, a town of 68,000 is situated on the west coast of Valdar Island, on the banks of Valdar Bay in the nation of Ruthlandia. In terms of topography, it is an area of mostly flat land with rocky soil, coupled with occasional stony bluffs and hills. It is a chilly, rainy and foggy climate, especially in the winter. Founded by Greek settlers in the late 1870s, who set up the town as a supply port for whaling and cargo ships. They named the town Ancona, because the harbor was shaped like an elbow. "Ancona" is similar in meaning to the Greek word "ankon" for elbow. Ancona still has a thriving Greek community and they make up about a fourth of the town's residents.

When whaling began to decline around 1910, the town sought other revenue streams. The Ancona Whaling Cooperative expanded into maritime insurance and started the Golden Hill Insurance Company. By the late 1940s it had become the largest insurance company in Ruthlandia. The company motto stated, "Golden Hill For Life".

The company also owns the IPA baseball franchise, the Ancona Red Elephants, who have an interesting history of their own. Originally founded by Jay Loman, an American emigre stock trader during the Roaring '20s. He was an alumnus of the University of Alabama and was a big fan of the Red Elephants athletic teams. So he named his company team the Red Elephants. Loman spent a fortune on his expensive hobby, building a new ballpark and going to the mainland to sign up the best players he could get, illegally paying his "amateurs" exorbitant salaries.

Valdar Island was bypassed by many early immigrants because of its inhospitable topography. No one wanted to live there. Big salaries were the only way he could get the best players to come and play in the Valdar Island league. The Ancona Red Elephants were a very dominant team for a decade and were huge fan favorites in the local industrial league. They won the coveted Silver Whale Cup nine years in a row, which is given annually to the Valdar Island League Champion. Like many speculators, Loman lost everything in the Black Monday crash of 1929, including the Red Elephants, who were sold at auction and purchased by the Golden Hill Insurance Company.

Jay Loman Park still stands today and is considered a timeless classic, with its high-arching bleachers in left and right field offering excellent sightlines. Out beyond center field, the immense gold building that houses Golden Hill can be seen, along with some of the old historical buildings of the town, many of which date back to Ancona's whaling days.

The chief food attraction at the stadium is the Catch of the Day Special, a succulent fish and chips meal whose seafood component is never the same thing for two home games in a row. A hot cup of delicious seafood chowder goes good on a chilly Anconan afternoon at Jay Loman Park. Traditional ballpark fare is also available. You will also be entertained by Eddie and Ellie Elephant, the team's mascots. They lead the fans in dances, songs and cheers at each game. You will hear "The Elephant Trumpet" regularly at Elephant games and especially whenever Ancona hits a home run or wins a game.

Ree Ree Ree!
Elephants on parade!
Elephants on parade!

You think you can beat the best
But you're just like the rest
When pachyderm power strikes!
When pachyderm power strikes!

So goodbye ball! (if a homer)
So goodbye (opponent name)! (if a win)
Three cheers for the Elephants!
Three cheers for the Elephants!

Ree! Ree! Ree!

After the game, fans often go to The Mudbath, the unofficial Red Elephants sports bar to talk about the game, knock off a cold brew or two and listen to live music from a local band.

Speaking of local bands, there's a thriving music scene in Ancona and none is more popular than the world-famous Manatees, a best-selling musical group who sings sea chanties and other traditional songs that hearken back to the city's initial whaling days. They, along with the rest of the local groups, are often found playing in the town's equally popular taverns, especially on cold winter nights.

The Ancona general manager is Louie DiMucci, who starred for the team for 21 years from 2004 to 2025... DiMucci was a solid outfielder with a .287 career batting average, 410 home runs and 1498 RBIs... he has been in charge of the club since 2047.

Jay Loman Park (1922)

Capacity: 8,899

LF Line 332
LF Line 352
LCF 375
CF 415
RCF 375
RF 352
RF Line 332

Around the Town in the IPA

HILLSBORO BLAZERS

Owner: Hanford Banking and Insurance Company, Robert Hanford III, President and CEO.

GM/Manager: Andy Jefferson

Hillsboro is a very prosperous town in Tycobbia with 46,000 residents, located on the Caledonia River bluffs in the Silver Mountains in the southeastern corner of the country. It is noted for it vast forest and timber reserves, lumber processing mills and its insurance and banking interests. It is the smallest town population-wise in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Its financial power and influence are the only reasons that Hillsboro was placed in the Islands' elite league.

Hillsboro is an elegant, old-timey town intermingled with a little modernity. Ancient Hanford Stadium (circa 1903), the home of the Hillboro Blazers, is a prime example of the architecture prevalent in the area. The team is named for one of the country's outstanding early amateur baseball clubs, the Blazers Baseball Club of Hillsboro. The BBCH Athletic Club was established in 1899 and evolved into the present day Blazers.

Hanford Stadium is a unique configuration. It is a bandbox with short distances all around. It is a hitter's paradise with center field only 370' and the power alleys 375'. It is only 318' and 320' down each foul line.

The Blazers are owned by the Hanford Banking and Insurance Company with its headquarters housed in office buildings that form the outfield walls of the ballpark. An air of yesteryear pervades both the town and the stadium.

Blazer fans take their game seriously. They come to the ballpark to watch their beloved game of baseball. So you won't find many distractions and promotions once the game begins. All eyes are glued to the diamond. The only music is provided by an old-fashioned organist. Hanford Stadium is one of only four ballparks that still have this tradition. Ozarka, Kenwood and Marston are the only other places in the Islands that have a live organ player.

There is a lot to be said about organ music and baseball. They go together quite well. Beer, soft drinks, peanuts, popcorn, crackerjacks, ice cream, cotton candy, hot dogs and hamburgers go together quite well with baseball, too. And these are the only concession staples you'll find at Hanford Stadium.

The Hillsboro Blazers are run by GM/Manager Andy Jefferson, a former star player for 12 years. Lifetime Jefferson batted .292 with 320 homers and 845 RBIs. Hillsboro was just second-division team during most of his tenure.

Hanford Stadium (1903)

Capacity: 7,755

LF Line 318
LF 345
LCF 375
CF 370
RCF 375
RF 350
RF Line 320

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Around the Town in the IPA

WYNNAMAC SUNDOWNERS

Owner: Granger Co-Operative Association
GM/Manager: Jerry Meeks

Wynnamac is a town of 86,000 residents and can be found about 50 miles inland from the Valerian Ocean, which is near the eastern coast of Ruthlandia. It is located in the northeastern part of the country in the Central Plains, which spans east to west across it and is a well-known farming region, filled with seemingly endless fields of ripe golden wheat and rustic farms. It is the "Breadbasket of Ruthlandia". Settled by a diverse band of hearty and hardworking Canadian and Australian immigrants, who worked "sunup to sundown". They became known as "Sundowners" because of their great work ethic and love for the land...and for their love of baseball and the homestanding Wynnamac Sundowners. The area is also a center for meat packing and dairy industries.

Life hasn't changed much here for a hundred years and probably won't change much in the next hundred years. Wynnamac is a member of the IPA's Ruthlandian East Division. The club plays at Granger Field, which is built right next to a grain processing plant with huge silos and a water tower with a gigantic ear of corn on it...all visible from the ballpark. The Sundowners are owned by the Granger Co-operative Association, farmers banded together for the common good.

At the concession stands you get nothing fancy...just soda pop, hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, peanuts, crackerjacks and ice cream. No beer or alcoholic beverages are permitted at the stadium. It is against the law in Wynnamac county and strictly enforced.

Wynnamac's General Manager and Field Manager is Jerry Meeks, the famed Sundowner southpaw, who piled up a 313-214 record with an outstanding 2.93 career ERA... in 2013 he captured the Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player Award and also the RU Golden Arm trophy... Meeks played in Wynnamac his entire career from 2008 to 2028 and was named to the IPA Hall of Fame in 2029.

Capacity: 7,965
Dimensions:
Left Field Line - 355
Left Field - 375
Left Center - 415
Center Field - 404
Right Center - 375
Right Field - 350
Right Field Line - 325

Around the Town in the IPA

WHITE RIVER RASCALS

Owner: Tycalco (Tycobbian Aluminum Company)
GM/Manager: Marty Blake

The city of White River, with 66,000 inhabitants, is situated in northwestern Tycobbia in the Appian Mountain foothills on the banks of the White River. Most of the time the river flows serenely, but there are occasional whitewater rapids. The river ends at Bayview on the western coast where it empties into the Kelnyck Ocean.

Prior to the mining business, this area was just wilderness. White River owes its existence and development to Tycalco. It is totally a company town. Its economy is dominated by the Tycobbian Aluminum Company, which was established in 1890. Bauxite, alumina and chemicals, found in abundance in the nearby Appian Mountains, are processed into a wide range of aluminum products and shipped to Bayview by water and Fairfax on Blue Lake to the south by rail for distribution. Tycalco’s towering corporate skyscraper can be seen from White River Park across the river in downtown White River. Architecture in the area is modernistic. However, the White River Rascals play at one of the lovely vintage and nostalgic ballparks in Tycobbia. It was built in 1924.

White River Park is a lovely old-time ball park with a scenic and wonderful view of its river namesake just beyond the centerfield fence. The 18-foot high aluminum wire fences down the left and right field lines make it a little more difficult for hitters to hit the ball into the stands, which are only 310 feet away. Tycalco originated company amateur leagues to provide the community and its employees and their families with recreational activities. When the Islandian Pro Alliance was established, the company purchased a franchise. The White River Rascals play in the Tycobbian Union North Division.

A trip to White River Park is something really special. Not only is it a baseball park, it is also a state-of-the-art amusement park. Before and after games amusement rides can be enjoyed by young and old, complete with good food, fun rides, fireworks and music concerts of all genres, all subsidized and underwritten in part by Tycalco,

The Rascals are administered and managed by former first baseman Marty Blake. He had a legendary career with White River with a .312 BA, 711 homers, 2125 RBIs and 2034 runs. Blake was one of the most prolific hitters in IPA history in his 23 years in the league, playing for four clubs from 2013 to 2035. Blake spent his first 18 seasons with White River. He was a 3-time Golden Glove first sacker and 7-time All-Star. Blake was voted into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2036. He ranks fifth on the all-time home-run list, fifth in hits, third in RBIs, ninth in scoring runs and 12th in walks.

White River Park (1924)

Capacity: 5,685

Dimensions:
Left Field Line - 310
Left Field - 340
Left Center - 370
Center Field - 410
Right Center - 370
Right Field - 340
Right Field Line - 310

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