All 64 rosters are updated with new rookies for the 2052 season.

I spent the day collecting all the new uniforms, caps, jerseys and logos done for me by the great graphics gurus for the IPA a year or so ago... I had to go back and find all of the threads where they were posted.

I don't want to start the new season with the old, game-generated generic logos and uniforms... the new unis really helped my immersion in the game... can't do without them anymore.

Promise it won't be too long.

32 of the 64 teams have new uniforms... should finish the rest tomorrow...

Summary of 2052 Islandian Pro Alliance season should be coming up this weekend.

WHEW!

All is done... getting ready to play the season.

Won't be long!

Just to help the newcomers understand the concept of the Islandian Pro Alliance, I thought I would just give a quick overview of the league history.

Below is a map of Islandia or The Islands, composed of two states, Ruthlandia and Tycobbia.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
September 5, 2000

INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE CZAR AND MONEY MOGULS CREATE PRO BASEBALL LEAGUE

The Islandian Pro Alliance of Ruthlandia and Tycobbia came into being when a group of dedicated men that loved the game of baseball got together with a group of men, who had power and money...and a love of baseball. John Banson is the father of the league. He had been the commissioner of the Industrial Baseball League of Ruthlandia and Tycobbia. Banson is very moral and ethical and ran the organization that way. He ruffled quite a few corporate feathers during his tenure as he really cleaned up the underhanded and illegal payments to industrial league players.

He finally convinced the corporations to set up a professional league and make it legal to pay players to play baseball. Banson brought together dedicated baseball men like Manny Earl of the Sugar Valley Rattlers, Rob Jackson of the Forest City Lumberjacks, Rip Calkin of the La Claire Lynx and Gary Louis of the Arlon Champions with the power brokers, movers and shakers of Ruthlandia and Tycobbia, Jock Ewing of the Waleska Westerners, Jorge Trujillo of Belair Beach Sunbirds, Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles of the Bay St. Claire Buccaneers, Conway Birdie of the Cape Coral Hurricanes, Brent Steiner of the Bayview Vikings, Captain Stanislav Lem of the Valmara Vipers and the various and sundry corporations that sponsored company teams.

The dedicated baseball people would only be involved in this project, if John Banson was given absolute control as commissioner. Earl, Jackson, Calkin and Louis were well-respected throughout the Islands by all of the local teams. Without the support of the local town teams and the Islandian legislatures, the big time operators and moneyed interests would not have the established stars of the industrial and amateur leagues they needed to make the IPA a success. After much debate, argument, threats and counter-threats, the Good Guys won and the Power Guys had to give in. Otherwise, they would not have had a league to play in. Charles and Birdie, who love the game more than money, were very instrumental in breaking the deadlock. They joined the Good Guys.

That is how the Islandian Pro Alliance of Ruthlandia and Tycobbia began.

Islandian History

Islandia is composed of two countries, Ruthlandia and Tycobbia. They were originally quite remote and isolated and no one was very interested in them. That is, until the early 1850's. With the slavery question rapidly coming to a head in the United States, a group of abolitionists got together and decided to find a place where they could set up a country free of slavery and racial and religious intolerance. So this is how the two countries came into being.

Some farsighted citizens of the Northern United States and the Southern United States could see that the country was headed for civil war, which would soon tear their worlds apart. That is why they emigrated. They came to Ruthlandia and Tycobbia in peace and purchased their land and set up their society. Their points of entry were Beechwood in Ruthlandia and Bay St. Clair in Tycobbia. They also quickly went to the countries interiors and set up the capitals of Forest City and LaClaire. Up until their arrival the island had been a wild and lawless territory, filled with explorers and adventurers, who put down no roots.

As the years went by, civilization, law and government arose and expanded. And today Islandia is a properous island, where many ethnic groups and religions live in peace and harmony. In the late 1890's new settlers brought with them a new American game called baseball. Within ten years each town had it own amateur team and the game thrived.

By 1920, it had been embedded in the fabric of Islandian culture and its way of life. Baseball became so popular that activity and commerce in the towns practically shut down in the afternoons, so that the inhabitants could attend the local ballgame. Eventually towns would take a "baseball siesta" from 2 to 6 pm. This custom spread from town to town and now it is universal on the entire island. Baseball truly is the National Pastime here in Islandia

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
December 1, 2000

TYCOBBIAN AND RUTHLANDIAN LEGISLATURES OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVE PRO BASEBALL

Government legislation is quite slow and ponderous in Islandia...except when it comes to their beloved sport of baseball. Both the Tycobbian and Ruthlandian legislatures very quickly deliberated and passed bills allowing the formation of a professional baseball league in Islandia. Pro baseball is a new concept for Islandia. Most of the Islandians have always felt the baseball was their sacred sport and should not be corrupted by money. They had always rejected paying someone to play baseball. One should play only for the sheer joy of the sport.

They have played baseball in Ruthlandia and Tycobbia since the late 1890's. Over the years it has progressed from pure amateur to industrial league and now to professional. For many years the ruling baseball body, the Amateur Baseball Alliance, kept the game pure and no one played for money...just the love of the game. As time passed and the competition between the towns grew in intensity, money moved into the game...many times "under the table".

In the 1920's, the ABA altered it rules and allowed players to receive compensation in the form of employment at the companies that had teams in the industrial leagues. Most town teams became company-sponsored or supported. But this didn't solve the pay problem. Many players did no actual work for their salaries. All they did was play baseball for the company. It continued this way until 2001. In an effort to control the widespread violation of the spirit of the ABA rules, the time came for them to just admit that players played baseball for money. That is when the Islandian Pro Alliance came into being.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, April 21st, 2001

Islandian Pro Alliance News: Opening Day

The baseball fan's call to action "Play Ball!" can be heard all across Islandia with the arrival of Opening Day. 24 teams will make their professional debut today.

At long last the 2001 season is getting under way with what promises to be an exciting first season of professional baseball. The Islandian Pro Alliance begins its inaugural season today with a full slate of 12 games.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 20, 2001

Trouble Brewing in the IPA
The Islandian Pro Alliance just completed a very successful inaugural season. Outstanding baseball - even better than the fans expected - and outstanding attendance. Most clubs played to full houses most of the time. Tickets were at a premium in most towns. Now there is a clamoring for expansion in the Islands. There are quite a few towns that were left out in the original setup and they would like to upgrade their industrial teams to the professional level. However, many of the most influential owners are not in favor of this as it will water down the caliber of play, might hurt attendance and it could run up the cost of doing business with increased competition for players.

Jock Ewing of Ewing Oil and the powerful patriarch of the Ewing family has said this is not a good time to expand the league. He told BNN, "Expansion is at least ten years off. A quick decision is this matter could kill the goose that laid the golden egg and should be approached thoughtfully and deliberately. We need to go slowly."

Currently the IPA has a monopoly on professional baseball granted by the Islandian Congress. The IPA can pretty much do as it wants as far as pro baseball in Islandia. But many very well-respected baseball men want to change that and have the influence and money to sway public opinion and the legislature. People like Bob Catlin of Beechwood, Robert Hanford and Arky Spanderson of Hillsboro, Billionaire Gates Billingham and Tory Joseph of Grand City, Griff Clarke of East Point, Dimitrios Vakros of Ancona, Onnie Anastas and Ashton "Whitey" Richburn of Turon, billionaire Andrus Valk of Valka and Hughie Howard and Jon Randison of White River.

So far they have not gotten anywhere with the Islandian Pro Alliance establishment, which has quite of bit of clout financially and politically, too. Those well-heeled moguls got their way in arranging the pro baseball monopoly. Now those that were left out originally are coming back for round two. The expansionists face a tough task as the Islandian Congress can be a hard bunch to change. Legislation is the Islands can be very slow and cumbersome. Look how long it took to get pro baseball through it - over 80 years. It has been rumored that a renegade rival pro league could be in the works.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 27, 2001

IPA Expansion Group Request Meeting with Commissioner Banford.
Sources within the IPA commissioner's office speaking on the basis of anonymity told BNN and the Islandian Times that Gates Billingham and his expansion group have contacted Commissioner John Banford and requested to meet with him to get the official view of the organization on its plans to incorporate more franchises and to spread professional baseball franchises throughout the Islands.

Billionaire Billingham has put together a powerful group that represents not only the larger towns, but the smaller towns, too. It is a diverse group with considerable influence financially and politically. In addition, the overwhelming majority of Islanders favor expansion and making all areas of Tycobbian and Ruthlandia represented in the IPA Pro Cup Series. Billingham cited that there are at least 36 other towns in the Islands that can support pro teams. Most of them are already part of his expansionary organization.

A recent BNN poll showed 87% of Islanders are in favor extending IPA franchises to all parts of Islandia. The Islandian Times has also commissioned a poll on the same subject and will release it next week.

Billingham said his group has the money to contest the IPA in court, if necessary. He said that would be the last resort as it could delay league expansion as much as ten years through prolonged litigation. Billingham favors direct talks with Commissioner Banford and the IPA. Failing that he said his group would attempt legislation to force the issue, although this could be a lengthy process, too.

Billingham was quoted as saying, "If a decision is rendered quickly in this matter, my group of owners would be ready to roll in time for the 2002 season."

Billingham said, "The ball is in the IPA's court."

The Islandian Times
Thursday, November 1, 2001

Pressure Put On Banford To Slow Down The IPA Expansionists
Unofficial sources close to the IPA Commissioner's Office told The Islandian Times that a group of owners instructed Commissioner John Banford to meet with Gates Billingham and his expansion group, but not to make any concrete decisions on the matter. The commissioner was advised to proceed slowly.

Some IPA owners, headed by Jock Ewing and Jorge Trujillo, are opposed to expansion of the Islandian Pro Alliance at this time. They are concerned with the availability of the player pool to support more teams. They are in favor of progressing slowly with the addition of two teams each year. Ewing and his group want to wait at least five years before considering expansion. They told BNN it would severely water down the caliber of play if it was done any sooner. Ewing said expansion should take place only after several seasons had been played and expansion had been thoroughly researched and studied.

In response, Billingham replied that his group of 35-40 potential owners had already done their home work. Billingham said there is an abundance of industrial league players that could complete quite well with the established IPA clubs. His expansionists did not see any problems in fielding quality teams. Billingham told The Times, "We have the owners, the players and the wholehearted backing of each community. There is no legitimate reason for not expanding the IPA. The towns without a franchise are ready, willing and able to support a team."

When told that 90% of the people polled by The Islandian Times strongly favored immediate IPA expansion, Ewing told the reporter, "It is easy to vote in a poll. It doesn't cost you any money to do that. However, to invest in a professional baseball team is an entirely different matter. Investors want to make sure their investments are wise and prudent. It is the responsibility of the current owners and the IPA commissioner to protect the league and not hastily respond to public pressure. The voters in this poll are not risking any money."

The Islandian Times
Thursday, November 8, 2001

IPA Commissioner To Meet With Expansion Committee
Islandian Pro Alliance Commissioner John Banford has scheduled a meeting with a group of investors who are interested in joining the professional baseball league. The expansion group is headed by billionaires Gates Billingham, Onnie Anastas and Andrus Valk. They will meet with the commissioner on November 15 at the IPA headquarters in Forest City. Four well-known and respected industrial league owners, Rickey Branch, Ryan Noland, Mack Connery and Bob Catlin will participate as well.

Spokesman Gates Billingham told The Islandian News the group represents 40 towns in the Islands that are ready to join the IPA and can be ready to play in the 2002 season. Billingham said, "We have been working on this project for the last year. Many towns were not included in the formation of the IPA last year. Our expansion group wants all of the Island towns to have a part in professional baseball. We have the players, the stadiums and the financial backing. All we need is the go-ahead from the commissioner's office. We understand that we will have to purchase franchises and are ready and willing to do so."

Billingham and his group face some strong opposition from several influential IPA owners, headed by Jock Ewing of the Waleska Westerers and Jorge Trujillo of the Belair Beach Sunbirds. Ewing told BNN, "We are not opposed to expansion, but think it should be done gradually a few teams at a time and spread over several years. Expanding next season would be too much of a rush and could lead to a lot of problems."

Billingham said his group has the financial backing and the organizational skills necessary to begin play by April. He said another important factor is that they also have the overwhelming support of the people of Islandia, who are disappointed their towns are not represented in professional baseball. Recent polls by The Islandian Times and BNN showed that 90% of the public strongly support IPA expansion.

Speaking with The Islandian Times, Billingham commented, "I know we will get a fair hearing from the commissioner. The IPA has the best man in the Islands running the league. There would be no IPA, if it hadn't been for John Banford. Our expansion committee has a convincing argument and great public support. And one day very soon we expect the IPA to expand."

The Islandian Times
Friday, November 9, 2001

IPA Commissioner Summons Owners: Will the IPA Expand?
Commissioner John Banford of the Islandian Pro Alliance held a press conference today at the league headquarters in Forest City and announced he is calling a special meeting of all the current 24 owners to discuss the pros and cons of the proposal presented yesterday to him by Gates Billingham and his expansion group. Billingham's group wants the IPA to consider adding teams for the coming 2002 season. His expansion group has lined up 40 towns in all that want to join the new professional baseball league.

Commenting on the meeting with the commissioner Billingham told reporters, "Commissioner Banford listened intently to our expansion proposals over a three-hour period, pinned us down on the details and finances and said he would call a special meeting of the current owners and share with them our plans. Banford gave no indication of his approval or disapproval of league expansion, but indicated it is a subject that will have to be studied soon as the public at-large has strongly indicated a preference for every town in the Islands to have its very own pro team."

Banford would not answer questions about his meeting with Billingham's group, saying only a special owners meeting would be called to discuss it. Banford hoped to schedule the meeting within two weeks.

Unofficial sources close to the commissioner said Banford was favorably impressed with Billingham and the expansion council. One source paraphrased the commissioner's and said he felt that they have a fine group of good baseball men. That he had dealt with them over the years in the amateur and company leagues and had nothing but good things to say about all of them."

Present at the expansion meeting were Rickey Branch of Mahaska, Ryan Noland of Rocky Rapids, Mack Connery of Red Bluff, Griff Clark of East Point and Bob Catlin of Beechwood.

The Islandian Times
Monday, November 12, 2001

IPA Owners Meeting Next Week in Forest City
An important meeting that could shape the world of pro baseball in the Islands is on tap next Monday at the Islandian Pro Alliance headquarters in Forest City. Commissioner John Banford called the meeting of all the current owners to discuss league expansion.

A group of potential owners led by Gates Billingham met last week with the commissioner and presented a plan of expanding the IPA from its present 24 teams to 64 teams. The expansion group said it had made all of the preparations to begin play next season.

The IPA league office has not weighed in on the subject, although there is a hard core of owners, who do not think this is a good time to jump into expansion and have said so privately. They fear the quality of play will be harmed by the influx of a mediocre talent pool. The Islandian Times polled all 24 teams and were told that 8 owners will fight tooth and nail to restrict expansion. There is a wide range of opinion for the rest of the owners ranging from strong support to lukewarm enthusiasm. The anti-expansionists want it done slowly over a ten-year period with only two teams added per year. Expansion would not begin for five years and would be phased in over a 20-year span.
*

The Islandian Times
Monday, November 19, 2001

Trouble Looming in Pro Baseball?
There could be war in the Islands - at least on the pro baseball front. The Islandian Pro Alliance, the only professional baseball league in Islandia, had a meeting today of all 24 owners to discuss the expansion proposal of 40 new potential owners, who want to join the league. The meeting was called by IPA Commissioner John Banford at the behest of billionaire Gates Billingham, who is the chairman and spokesman of the expansion group.

After a lengthy meeting Banford was non committal on the expansion issue and said further study and discussion among the current league owners would be necessary. Banford told The Islandian Times, "We have some strong-willed owners that have convinced the majority that chaos could ensue with a quick expansion and it must be done in a timely and orderly fashion. We will continue to study the issue."

An expansion committee was appointed by the owners and will be co-chaired by Jock Ewing of Waleska and Jorge Trujillo of Belair Beach. Both are known to be vocal opponents of expansion.

Several owners speaking in private said wholesale expansion could lead to a dissolution of the IPA with the anti-expansionists threatening to break off and form their own league with free agency, giving them the right to sign any player they wanted. Many of the wealthier owners don't like the restrictiveness of the current draft system, saying it impedes competition. Commissioner Banford personally intervened during the formation of the league rules last year to put a stop to owners signing the best players to personal contracts. Ewing, Trujillo and quite a few owners fought to sign their own players. Ewing sons, Bobby Ewing of South Fork and J. R. Ewing of Ozarka, along with George Constanza of Elnora and Brent Steiner of Bayview has already signed up all of the best players prior to the IPA's first league draft. Banford, who has absolute power as Commissioner and is appointed for life, stepped in and voided all of the contracts and said there would be no free agency in the league, saying it would eventually destroy the competitive values and lead to a few domineering teams rather than parity.

The Ewings, Constanza and Steiner took Banford to court, but his decision was backed up by the Islandian Court, who ruled in Banford's favor.

Commissioner Banford has always been a strong supporter of no free agency to keep the cost of players down and eliminating bidding wars between clubs for talent. Banford devised the fair and equitable system to set salaries based on years of service and performance. It eliminates all of the squabbling and bargaining over contracts. It also insure that the teams will have continuity year-to-year for the sake of fan support. Banford doesn't want the IPA to evolve into the US Major League Baseball system, where players play musical chairs each season and the cost of salaries has spiraled out of control. Banford wants to have a league where players are well-paid, the owners costs are controlled and the cost of attending a game is within reason and can be afforded by the average wage earner. Banford doesn't want the corporations to be the prime customers of his league.

The Islandian Times tried to reach Gates Billingham of the expansion group for comment, but he was not available. His public relations people said Billingham had been in contact with Banford and would announce his plans at a press conference soon.
*

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, November 20, 2001

Billingham and Expansion Group Will Be Patient
Billionaire Gates Billingham, the chairman of the a group of investors, who want to join the Islandian Pro Alliance, held a press conference in Grand City today and said his group would be patient and wait to hear the report from the IPA Expansion Committee headed by Jock Ewing and Jorge Trujillo.

Billingham told The Islandian News and BNN his group did not need a quick answer and he appreciated the need for study in the matter. "That is what any prudent person would do in this situation. I'm sure Commissioner Banford will move the process along and do the study in a thorough fashion. As long as our group has two months advanced notice, we can be ready to play baseball in the coming IPA season. Not only do we have the financial backing and administrative skills to run a baseball team, we have the stadiums, too. And perhaps, the most important thing of all, we have the overwhelming support of public opinion, who are greatly in favor of expansion."

The Islandian Times
Monday, November 26, 2001

IPA Expansion Teams Rumored To Go The Rich And Mighty
BNN reported yesterday that rumors are abound that a "deal" is in the making where the current IPA owners will award a few expansion franchises to several of the wealthiest applicants and put an end for widespread expansion throughout Islandia. Anonymous sources close to the expansion committee confided to BNN that several billionaires would be offered franchises for the coming 2002 season. However, it would be just four franchises, not the 40 that had been requested by Gates Billingham and his expansion group.

One of the small town owners, Bob Catlin of Beechwood, was blunt. He told BNN that this sounded like something some of the current owners would try to do to keep from sharing pro baseball with all the towns of Islandia. Catlin was quoted as saying, "This stinks to high heaven. That's the way that Ewing bunch likes to operate. But Gates Billingham and Andrus Valk don't do business that way. They are billionaires, but they would never sell out their friends for a pro baseball franchise. They have too much class for that type of chicanery."

The Islandian Times contacted Jock Ewing to see if any decision has been made by the Islandian Pro Alliance expansion committee. Ewing said, "The committee is looking at all aspects of expanding the league, the pros and cons. It will be studied thoroughly and could take some time. The committee will not be rushed to make a quick decision."

Asked if he had heard the rumor of expanding to four teams for the coming year, Ewing replied, "I don't know where BNN got their story. But the expansion committee is still doing our due diligence. It is a little too early in the process for us to be doling out franchises."

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, November 27, 2001

Billingham's Group Says "No Dice" To Franchise Offers
According to sources close to the IPA Expansion Committee, four franchises were offered to Gates Billingham of Grand City, Andrus Valk of Valka, Robert Hanford of Hillsboro and Onnie Anastas of Turon. The Islandian Pro Alliance would expand for the 2003 season. The group of expansionists put forth a unified front and said they would not be satisfied with that arrangement. Four teams were simply not enough to take care of the huge demand for pro baseball franchises in the Islands and waiting until 2003 to begin expansion would not please the baseball fans.

BNN was told that IPA Expansion Committee chairman, Jock Ewing, was disappointed that the deal was turned down. He reportedly said that his committee would continue studying the feasibility of adding more teams to the league, but the general feeling of the current owners still was not favorable. Ewing told Billingham that it might take six months to properly assess Billingham's proposal to increase the IPA to 64 teams and it was highly doubtful any teams would be added prior to the 2003 season.

Commissioner John Banford is working hard behind the scene to work out some compromise to avert a possible renegade league or a lengthy and expensive court battle. The one thing Banford doesn't want is a rival league that would highly inflate the salary structure in pro baseball. For the good of professional baseball, financial integrity must be maintained and Banford thinks you can only do that when there is one league. Several leagues would lead to chaos and financial ruin. Banford wants to avoid that scenario at all costs.
*

The Islandian Times
Friday, December 28, 2001

IPA Expansion Not Likely
The Islandian Times was told today by unnamed sources high up in Islandian Pro Alliance circles that expansion was in reality "dead in the water". No one would go on record, but did go into great detail on what has transpired in private league discussions. Basically, there are several powerful and influential owners who are adamant that now is not a good time to expand the league. They feel that a period of several years is needed to insure the viability and growth of the infant league. An expansion of such magnitude could be catastrophic. Expanding to 64 teams from the present 24 is just too big a task to be accomplished in just a few months. A report by the expansion committee co-chaired by Jock Ewing of Waleska and Jorge Trujillo of Belair Beach is expected to be released early in January.

The Islandian Times
Friday, January 11, 2002

IPA Expansion Committee To Present Plans at Next Week's Preseason Owners Confab
The Islandian Pro Alliance will discuss in detail the league expansion committee report at a called business meeting next Friday at the league headquarters in Forest City. Commissioner John Banford has asked the co-chairs of the expansion committee, Jock Ewing and Jorge Trujillo, to present their findings at owners preseason meeting. Ewing owns the Waleska Westerners and Trujillo has the Belair Beach Sunbirds. Both were appointed to head the expansion investigation in mid-November last year.

Baseball writers for The Islandian Times have reported in many stories and commentaries over the past year that the time is right for expanding professional baseball throughout the Islands. Well-known BNN baseball analyst and Times columnist, Gam Peters, did a series of articles on the subject. Peters commented, "It's a no brainer. All you have to do is just look at the attendance at industrial league games of the non-IPA towns. Not only are they very well attended, the talent level is probably on par with the IPA. The industrial league draws as well as the pro teams. Even in towns that have pro teams, the company teams pull great crowds. There is just no justifiable reason to put off pro baseball expansion for 5-10 years as has been suggested by several IPA owners."