The Islandian Times
Friday, January 18, 2002

IPA Owners' Meeting Volatile
What Islandian Pro Alliance Commissioner John Banford wanted was a quiet and meaningful discussion of expansion plans for the new pro baseball league, but instead it turned in to a volatile confrontation between the anti-expansion owners and the pro-expansion owners. Anonymous owners at the meeting told The Islandian Times co-chairmen Jock Ewing and Jorge Trujillo revealed a plan that would expand the IPA over a nine-year period. The four-member expansion committee voted unanimously to expand 8 teams at a time beginning five years hence. 2007 would be the first year with 8 teams added each year thereafter until 40 teams were included by 2011. Eventually there would 64 teams in all with 8 eight-team divisions. Expansion franchises would be awarded on the basis of population and financial backing. Each franchise would sell for $1,000,000.

None of this was acceptable to a vocal minority of the owners, Rob Jackson of Forest City, Manny Earl of Sugar Valley and Rip Calkin of La Claire. The expansion committee's proposal was voted down. A two-thirds majority was needed for passage. It failed 15-9 with 16 votes needed for approval.

Unnamed sources at the meeting told The Times that Jackson was the most vocal and stated that the people of Islandia would not tolerate a group of rich owners hoarding franchises. It would be a public relations' nightmare. He pointedly asked Ewing why would franchises go up some much. The original teams only paid $100,000 to get into the league. Charging the new owners 10 times as much was unconscionable.

In order to get some business conducted Commissioner John Banford asked the owners to table expansion to a later date and get on to other less controversial matters. After the meeting the commissioner told BNN that expansion was discussed and that a majority of the owners favored it, but they couldn't agree on all of the details in the plan.

Times baseball analyst Gam Peters reported in his column today that Jackson, Earl and Calkin are beginning to sway more moderate owners to a pro-expansion stance. Public opinion carries a lot of weight with a majority of the IPA owners. The owners do not want to alienate the public and its support of their league. Peters said while most of owners really don't want to expand, they may have to do it for the good of the sport.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, January 20, 2002

IPA Commish Promises Expansion Decision Soon
In an exclusive interview with Gam Peters, The Islandian Times' top baseball analyst, Islandian Pro Alliance Commissioner John Banfield stated it was his desire and the desire of a majority of the owners to soon come to a decision on league expansion. Banford said, "We have been looking at expansion for almost a year now and we know all of the pros and cons. We have studied it thoroughly over the last two months. It is time for the IPA to make a decision. I just hope the public will accept our decision. It is our intention to do what is best for the future of professional baseball in the Islands."

Banford went on to say that he would be working to mediate the differences between the various factions and hopes to bring it all to a conclusion in the next few days. Peters asked Banford if he made the decision, would he be for or against expansion. Banford replied, "As commissioner I represent the league and its owners. I have my own personal opinion, but it's not the important thing. The important thing is to protect professional baseball in the Islands and do what is best for all concerned: the league, the owners and our loyal public, the wonderful baseball fans that support us."

BNN reported that Jock Ewing, one of the chairmen of the IPA Expansion Committee, told them, "Our committee has made several good faith concessions to expansion. We offered four teams. That was not enough. We then offered 8 teams a year for 5 years and that was not enough. So far, the other side is not willing to negotiate. The Expansion Committee feels that our plan is the prudent way to progress for the good of the sport. We are now waiting for the expansionists to bend a little."

The Times contacted Gates Billingham, one of the prime exponents of expanding the IPA, for comment. Billingham said, "Our group is patient. We know it might take some time to get a decision. We are happy that the commissioner has taken charge and hopes to bring this to a quick dissolution. Whatever the IPA decides, we will abide by their decision. My group does not intend to go to the courts and the legislature for help in this matter."

Asked if he would start his own professional league, Billingham responded, "No, we will not set up a renegade league. Down through history, second leagues in any sport have never thrived. That would not be good for pro baseball in the Islands. We do not want to be at war with a rival league and get into bidding wars for players. That could be ruinous for both leagues. One probably wouldn't survive. Our group wants an orderly expansion."

The Islandian Times
Friday, January 25, 2002

Pro Baseball Expansion is Coming!
The wait is over!
Pro baseball will yield to public pressure and expand this season. Yesterday afternoon at the Islandian Pro Alliance headquarters in Forest City Commissioner John Banford announced that the league would expand to 64 teams this season. Banford said the league would be divided into 8 eight-team divisions. The commissioner told the press that all the details would be disclosed next Friday.

In the press conference Banford explained, "Expansion has been on the minds of all the baseball fans since we inaugurated the IPA last year. We made a great step forward with the initial season and now we are going to take pro baseball to every part of Islandia. After much study, the overwhelming consensus was that the time is right now for expansion and there is no reason to do it piecemeal, a year at a time over a decade."

Also present at the press conference were the two co-chairmen of the league's expansion study committee, Jock Ewing and Jorge Trujillo. They had favored a much slower growth plan and only missed getting it passed by one vote. Asked if he was disappointed that expansion would be immediate and include 40 new teams, Ewing smiled and said, "Heck no. Like my old pappy used to tell me, 'you got to know when to fold 'em'. We played our cards, but the game didn't come out our way. There were just too many aces to beat. I guess we will just have to kick their butts on the baseball field."

Trujillo went on to say that this was a good decision and good for the Islandian Pro Alliance. "It is good that we will have one league under one umbrella. Rival leagues and bidding wars have been averted... and the baseball fans in every nook and cranny in the Islands will have a home team to root for. I'm looking forward to the new influx of competition."

In a phone interview this morning with The Islandian Times Gates Billingham, one of the pro-expansion leaders, said he was overjoyed with the commissioner's announcement and looked forward to competing in the new IPA. "This would never have happened without the hard work of many baseball enthusiasts. Our committee would like to thank Commissioner Banford for his support throughout the negotiations. Without him there would not have been expansion anytime soon. The entire baseball world, both fans, players and owners owe him a huge debt of gratitude."

And that is how the Islandian Pro Alliance came into being.

And now... back to covering 64 teams.

I love the IPA... but that's way too many teams to cover.

if it looks like i'm crying, it's just allergies...
;)
:eatpop:

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
April 1, 2052

ARLON SET TO DEFEND PRO CUP TITLE
No one really understands how the Arlon Champions managed to upset all predictions and bring home the Islandian Pro Alliance title last year... neither the Champs, nor the runner-up Waleska Westerners were given any chance to capture the 2051 Pro Cup... both of them were only 88-66 in the regular season... the baseball gurus ranked them 6th and 7th among the 8 division winners in the Pro Cup preview... yet they met for the championship.

Arlon ran past Waleska four games to one to haul in their first ever Pro Cup... it turns out that good pitching really does beat good hitting... at least last year this was the case... both the Champions and Westerners had a strong core of pitchers, but not much in the batter's box... they each upset much-higher rated clubs to get to the IPA Finals... Valmara, Sugar Valley, Hillsboro and White River were all considered much better than the two unlikely Pro Cup finalists.

Arlon subdued Hillsboro (98-56) in 7 games in the Tycobbian Division Championship Series and White River (97-57) in 5 games in the League Championship Series... Waleska had the tough task to whip Valmara (104-50) in the Ruthlandian DCS and Sugar Valley (103-51) in the LCS... the Westerners bested Valmara in 7 games and Sugar Valley in 5.

Can Arlon repeat as IPA champion in 2052... time alone will tell.

In the preseason predictions the sportswriters and broadcasters favored the powerful Valmara Vipers of the RU North and the Middlefield Roosters to be the prime favorites to win the Pro Cup this year... with the Ranford Bulls and Glasco Athletics nipping at their heels at number four and number five... three of the clubs are in the RU North and all three won 100 or more games last year... Number two Middlefield is in the Ruthlandian West... however, the reigning titleholder Arlon of the Tycobbian West was ranked number three in the balloting... only 4 times in the 51-year history of the IPA has a club repeated as the Pro Cup champion... Far Mountain did it twice... actually winning three titles in a row from 2011 to 2013... Tuckanarra won back-to-back Pro Cups in 2023 and 2024... and Valmara accomplished the feat in 2049 and 2050.

Where did you get the Geo Bahn town name in your Laseron league?

And what is a Rock Hound?

Thanks for being such a fan of the IPA... appreciate all the publicity you give it.

Mighty nice of you to do it.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, April 14, 2052

IPA PRE-SEASON POLL
THE ISLANDIAN TIMES released their annual preseason predictions yesterday... The polls are now officially closed... all the ballots are in and counted... all that is left is for the 64 clubs in the Islandian Pro Alliance to play the games to decide the 2052 champion... as always, the players will have the last say...

But first, this is what the so-called experts are prognosticating... the race for the Pro Cup winner will come from these clubs: Middlefield, Valmara and Wynnamac should decide the Ruthlandian representative, while the Tycobbian title should be a battle between defending IPA crownholder Arlon, White River and Turon.

Valmara (1st/104-50) is the defending titlist in the Ruthlandian North Division... the Vipers have won the last four pennants in a row and are a strong favorite... the Taranto Tars (5th/82-72) and Ranford Bulls (3rd/100-54) might give them a slight challenge.

The defending champion Waleska Westerners (1st/97-67) are favored to take the Ruthlandian South again this season, but will have to beat out two pretty fair teams, the St. John Crusaders (2nd/82-72) and the Grand City Cybercats (6th/70-84) in a close race.

It's looking like a four-team tussle for the pennant in the Ruthlandian East Division between this year's favorite, the Wynnamac Sundowners (3rd/85-69), the up-and coming Elnora All-Stars (7th/68-86), last year's winner the Sugar Valley Rattlers (1st/103-51), and the Marston Nine (2nd/94-60).

Out west, it's no contest... the Middlefield Roosters (1st/82-72) are forecast to run away with the Ruthlandian West....with the Rocky Rapids Snappers (8th/60-94) and Volusia Vigilantes (3rd/73-81) fighting it out in the distance for second place... the Roosters have won three straight division titles and five of the last seven pennants.

The baseball gurus are picking the White River Rascals (1st/97-57) in the Tycobbian North Division... they have won it the last four years... the improved Oxford Red Caps (5th/75-79) will be the closest contender, followed by the Mahaska Haymakers (2nd/87-67)... could be a fairly close race.

The Turon Typhoons (91-64) got the call in the Tycobbian South, given a slight edge over the defending champ, the San Alejo Montaneros (1st/92-63), Colchester Elites (4th/81-73) and Southport Sun Sox (5th/78-76).

In a bit of a surprise the totally-revamped South Fork Stallions (8th/56-98) got the nod in the Tycobbian East... but will have a tough time beating out last year's runner-up, the East Point Panthers (2nd/96-58), along with the Midway Wolves (5th/83-71)... defending division champ Hillsboro (1st/98-56) is strangely picked to come in seventh by the pollsters.

In the Tycobbian West Division, as expected, the pollsters stuck with the reigning IPA Pro Cup winner, the Arlon Champions (1st/88-66)... the Champs are expected to easily handle the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (2nd/82-72) and the Denton City Redbirds (2nd/82-72).

All of the city names were created by the league creator, Goody/9Lives. He was the one that came up with the fictional world. IIRC, he gave the owners a lot of room to decide the characteristics of the cities.

There are actually some minor league teams named Rock Hound. But i didn't know that at the time. I imagined the area around Geo Bahn being rocky. So i made it a mining town. The rock hound is native to the area. It is a wild dog that has cat-like characteristics. Think of it as a mix between a greyhound and a cheetah.

Actually, i made a description of the rock hound in the league forum when i named the team. The only thing i can remember of that was that it had good jumping ability. And it would jump and catch birds when they were taking off for flight.

I enjoy your writing. Your league is quite ambitious. So i have always been impressed that you were able to keep it going. You and Metro are the dynasties to which i aspire. I've been planning one for several years and i'm close to releasing one. But i want to have lasting power like you guys.

This is what a rock hound from Geo Bahn looks like...

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2052

NO SURPRISES IN IPA AT MID-YEAR
The Islandian Pro Alliance is running pretty much true-to-form at the halfway mark... all of the defending division champs and all of the expected contenders are doing well, except for the White River Rascals... last year's Tycobbian North flag winner has struggled so far and is currently 12 games behind in the race.

This could be the year of the Rooster in Islandia... the Middlefield Roosters (50-23) are rampaging through the RU West like a runaway locomotive, topping the division by 10 games at mid-year and leading the entire IPA in victories... they have standout pitching and strong bats, too... the starters are good and the bullpen is even better... All-Star James Long (13-6/2.72) leads the way with lots of help from All-Star Hollis Dale (12-5/3.49), Carroll Collier (7-3/3.28) and Larry Wheelhouse (10-5/4.30)... the Middlefield bullpen tops the Ruthlandian Union with a terrific 1.78 ERA... two rookies Norm Coventry (5-3/1.36/8 saves/24 G) and Yazzy Yastrzewski (3-0/0.59/4 saves) have really done the job well thus far... vet reliever Ricky Farris (0-1/3.18/4 saves/15 G) and Ken Willis (0-0/1.15/1 save/7 G) are solid as a rock, too... three rookie batsmen have really added some potency to the Roosters: LF Trip Agarn (.294/18 HR/45 RBI), RF Rufus Blackburn (.285/16 HR/39 RBI) and SS Stan Radzikowski (.272/12 HR/41 RBI)... coupled with vet slugger CF Johnny Wyatt (.247/16 HR/42 RBI) and you've got the capability to score some runs... the baseball experts were right on the money when they picked the Roosters to ride high this year... winning their 4th straight RU West flag should be easy this year... and who knows, they just might have a shot at the Pro Cup, too.

Volusia (40-33) has fine pitching and lousy hitting... Rique Batista (9-6/2.93), Mateus Branco (7-6/3.82), Casimiro Ramires (6-7/2.61) and Drew Selby (9-8/2.76) give the Vigilantes a chance in every game... the V's have only one productive hitter in 1B Santino Garcia (.293/5 HR/37 RBI)... they have hit only 23 homers this year and ranked next-to-last in scoring runs.

Rocky Rapids (40-33) is very similar to Volusia... good pitching, but has trouble scoring runs... the Snappers have quality starters in longtime ace Jamie Taylor (9-9/2.54), rookie Clay Callaghan (9-3/2.19), rookie Sammy Sterling (7-5/2.59) and Elvis Bonham (9-8/3.83)... and vet Steve Owens (5-2/1.57/6 saves/32 G) is outstanding in the bullpen... at the plate the only decent batters they have are All-Star 2B Marty Featherstone (.294/10 HR/35 RBI) and C Pat Stennett (.287/8 HR/25 RBI).

Perennial power Valmara (47-26) is ahead in the Ruthlandian North, but not by much... Taranto (44-29), Ranford (43-30) and Glasco (40-33) are hanging close by... the Vipers are just 2 games up on the Tars... Valmara depends heavily on its excellent pitching corps, led by All-Star Primo Sirak (12-3/2.57), Darek Polaski (11-2/2.94) and Darius Grajek (9-7/2.25)... the offense could be better... SS Ken Jensen (.282/3 HR/31 RBI) and RF Boyd Holmes (.315/6 HR/25 RBI) are the Vipers' best sticks.

Runner-up Taranto tops the RU with 101 homers and has the best team ERA at 2.74... rookie phenom Phil Castle (11-2/2.09) and mainstay ace Valerio Rossi (11-5/2.41) have been superb this season... both of them made the All-Star team, along with another splendid newcomer, C Niccolo Parisi (.289/18 HR/52 RBI)... 1B Phil Wilson (.279/12 HR/47 RBI) and LF Kuma Toyota (.261/14 HR/26 RBI) are two other productive hitters... the Tars recently lost 20-game winner Armani Pizzoconi (10-5/2.98)... he will be out until mid-September... his loss is devastating to Taranto's hope to overtake Valmara.

Three Ranford Bulls also made the RU Stars: hurler Ralph Hawk (12-4/2.26), 1B Virgil Belisle (.310/9 HR/40 RBI) and CF Joey Hawkins (.344/11 HR/40 RBI)... and standout LF Zach Isom (.319/12 HR/47 RBI) almost made the Star squad, too... the Glasco A's are staying close with a fine group of starters: Evan Walsh (11-4/2.81), Pat Meyers (1107/3.14) and Benny McDaniel (9-6/2.67)... the Athletics' shortcoming is a lackluster offense... newcomer LF Callum Slattery (.373/6 HR/38 RBI) tops the team at the plate and made the All-Star team in his freshman season... 2B Ross McFalls (.276/11 HR/44 RBI) has also been productive... the RU North Division looks like it's got the makings for a great pennant race.

The Ruthlandian South also has several teams bunched up... defending division champ and runner-up for the Pro Cup Waleska (41-32) has a scant 2-game edge over the Valka Blackhawks (39-34) at the IPA All-Star break... also hovering near by are the Grand City Cybercats (37-36), just 4 games off the pace... the Westerners are sparked by an impressive starting five: Niles Nielsen (7-4/2.39), Kenny Foster (8-8/3.03), Trey Earnest (9-6/3.10), Vince Gibson (7-6/3.96) and Lou Carlson (9-7/3.66)... Waleska hits for average, but lacks power... they are paced by 3B Hisachi Yamaguchi (.340/4 HR/18 RBI), 2B Richie Fry (.344/3 HR/24 RBI), rookie LF Allie Connors (.326/2 HR/27 RBI), rookie CF Lynn Washington (.313/5 HR/29 RBI) and 1B Rob Rice (.348/2 HR/18 RBI).

Valka is just so-so both on the mound and at the plate... it's top pitchers are Arvi Tamm (11-4/2.63) and Adrian Stanhouse (9-7/2.92)... most reliable batters are LF Marcos Arredondo (.295/11 HR/45 RBI) and CF Peetrus Vaher (.288/9 HR/40 RBI).

The third place Grand City Cybercats are just fair-to-middling, too... but do have an All-Star CF in rookie Rocky Valverdi (.352/8 HR/31 RBI... veteran RF Harland Blankenship (.304/1 HR/20 RBI) lacks power, but is a decent hitter... bullpen ace Kent Douglas (7-1/2.22 ERA/3 saves/34 G) is the best pitcher... you would think Waleska will pull away in the second half... they are the superior team in the RU South.

Wow!
What a dogfight going on in the Ruthlandian East... at mid-season it's a 4-team tango with upstart Elnora (44-29) holding a 2-game margin over defending champion Sugar Valley (42-31) and Wynnamac (42-31)... Marston (41-32) in fourth place in the standings is just 3 games out... the Elnora All-Stars had a fire sale this past off-season... they had been 7th or 8th for 5 seasons in a row... so they added 17 rookies to the roster and it has paid off... the All-Stars have the best-hitting attack in the RU and lead the league in scoring... topping the line-up are 3B Dickie DeBusshere (.353/7 HR/40 RBI), 2B Mickey Wilbur (.349/5 HR/28 RBI), LF Robb Norwood (.333/5 HR/24 RBI), 1B Glenn Ullman (.331/4 HR/40 RBI) and RF Dino Rosetti (.325/15 HR/47 RBI) and CF Pedro Abreu (.324/6 HR/21 RBI)... all of them are rookies... Ullman was chosen for the RU Stars... however, Elnora needs help on the hill... rookie Billy Ehrenreich (13-5/3.99) is the ace, but the team will have to get better in the pitching department to win the division... the starters are bad, but the bullpen is solid... veteran Stan Everett (4-1/2.28 ERA/8 saves/32 G) has stood out in relief.

Super pitching is keeping the Wynnamac Sundowners in the hunt, led by Sammy Hayes (12-3/2.29), rookie George Medworth (9-3/2.57), Simon Northcott (6-2/2.77) and Garan Parula (8-9/3.48)... and vet Johnny Mitchell (2-3/2.83/6 saves/26 G) in the bullpen... the Sundowners hit for a pretty good average, but don't score well, have no power... top bats are CF Dickie Key (.319/7 HR/31 RBI), rookie RF Wally Bonds (.307/2 HR/35 RBI), rookie C Jethro Bibbs (.322/7 HR/28 RBI) and rookie SS Jonathan Garrett (.293/3 HR/32 RBI)... look for Wynnamac to stay in the race with its fine pitching.

Last year's pennant winner Sugar Valley will be a force down-the-stretch with its good staff and power hitting... the Rattlers are led by veteran slugger CF Carl Ramsey (.263/14 HR/43 RBI), rookie 1B Deke Lundy (.294/18 HR/47 RBI) and rookie 3B Tuck Abbott (.310/10 HR/28 RBI)... heading up the veteran rotation are a reliable group of hurlers: Christopher Dunsberry (10-7/2.72), Antonio Cedeno (8-6/3.33), Joe Snow (8-8/3.44) and Davey Brennan (4-0/2.95).

Fourth place Marston came in a distant second last year to Sugar Valley and made an effort to close the gap with 10 newcomers... and it's paid off with a .302 team BA, second best in the RU, but the Nine don't have the pitching to go with it... the Marston attack is led by rookie RF Lou Greenleaf (.387/5 HR/29 RBI), rookie CF Curly Yeats (.377/4 HR/26 RBI), vet 2B Damien D'Amboise (.344/6 HR/32 RBI) and vet LF D'Wayne Dotson (.320/8 HR/38 RBI).

Couldn't be happier to see this up and running again!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2052

TYCOBBIAN MID-SEASON RECAP
All is well for the reigning Pro Cup holder... the Arlon Champions (47-26) have the best record in the Tycobbian Union and so far they have a very healthy lead in the TU West Division over the major contenders, the Kenwood Wildcats (39-34) and Denton City Redbirds (37-36).

In spite of winning the Pro Cup last year, Arlon was determined to improve its offense... the Champs batted only .253 last year... they have fine pitching, but came up short in scoring runs... 14 rookies made the club this year... and the results have been startling... halfway through the season the Champs are hitting .284 (3rd) as a team and are second in runs... and the pitching is still above average... All-Star Erik Branham (13-2/3.08) is having a fine sophomore season... though he has missed almost two months with an arm injury Lanny Gray is 5-1 with a 2.29 ERA... J. C. Hilburn is 8-6 with a 4.16... down a little from last year's 19-12 mark with an impression 3.06 ERA... rookie Ty Coffee (7-7/3.68) has done well at times... the three main hitters are rookies: SS Art Catlin (.285/14 HR/53 RBI), CF P. J. Flagg (.278/12 HR/33 RBI) and 1B Shiloh Harris (.279/10 HR/40 RBI).

Pitching carries the runner-up Kenwood Wildcats... the 4th best staff in the TU with vets Rusty Bradford (9-7/3.19), Tony Myerson (6-6/3.39) and Elian Verjano (9-5/3.52)... carrying the offensive load are RF Chris McNeal (.296/15 HR/51 RBI) and SS Bailey Brumley (.261/5 HR/51 RBI)... longtime superstar C Corky DiNozzo (.252/6 HR/27 RBI) may be slowing down at age 36... DiNozzo is a career .314 batter... and 1B Country Crowder (.328/1 HR/28 RBI) is still a .328 hitter at 36.

Third place Denton City is just barely above the .500 mark, but they still have three veteran starters in Flash Stringfellow (11-6/3.74), Johnny Wingate (10-6/3.55) and Harry Elliott (5-3/3.31)... the Redbirds' best run providers are All-Star SS Vincent McCloud (.346/8 HR/44 RBI) and LF Matt Wakely (.374/8 HR/29 RBI), who came close to making the TU Stars.

Hillsboro (38-35) was the toast of the TU East in 2051, but not this year... the Blazers have stumbled out-of-the-gate falling down to 5th place, 8 games back of heavy hitter East Point (46-37)... in the runner-up spot are the Midway Wolves (39-34) and the High Mesa Mustangs (39-34), both 7 games out... Red Bluff (38-35) is still in the fight, 8 games off the pace... the surprise pick to win the division South Fork (31-42) has played just like they did last year and are in last place... not a big surprise to most baseball fans.

The powerful East Point Panthers can just about do it all... 6th in pitching, 2nd in BA, 3rd in scoring and 2nd in homers... they won the TU East in '50... lost to Hillsboro by 2 last year... and look to be headed for their second division title in 3 seasons... Benny Allen (11-5/3.66), Lee Price (14-3/4.03) and Ralph Wallace (10-9/2.88) are a strong trio of starters... Pudgy Putnam (5-3/2.21/4 saves/25 G) is the ace of the bullpen... the Panthers can hit the ball, too, with the likes of RF Doug Dennhardt (.348/22 HR/62 RBI), 1B Alvaro Cavacos (.302/14 HR/49 RBI), C Kenny Bailey (.300/11 HR/40 RBI)... CF Pokie Ash (.320/6 HR/29 RBI) and SS Justin McRae (.296/6 HR/29 RBI) are solid bats, too... it's easy to see why East Point is 8 games ahead in the Tycobbian East at the All-Star Game.

The Midway Wolves have a fine bullpen, solid starters, but are just average offensively... Rocket Rhodes (4-1/1.84/4 saves/23 G) is the top reliever... vets Beau McCloud (8-9/2.44) and Charlie Chase (8-10/3.12) are very capable starters... and the most reliable hitters are SS Kax Clark (.325/5 HR/32 RBI) and LF Alfie Kincaid (.305/10 HR/30 RBI)... for Midway to make a move on East Point, they have to score more runs.

The High Mesa Mustangs are coming off their best season in years... they came in third last season... still playing well using the longball and average pitching to hang within striking distance in the pennant race... the Mustangs have hit 101 home so far... four rookies All-Star LF Joe Duplanis (.338/22 HR/50 RBI), 3B Kagetoki Miyazaki (.254/14 HR/38 RBI), CF Tracy McGriff (.292/10 HR/30 RBI) and RF Dix McIntosh (.323/10 HR/26 RBI) can hit the ball out-of-sight, going and coming... top twirlers are vets Lucius Quarles (10-7/4.04), Dicke Sternfeld (8-3/3.54) and Tuffy Hammel (7-6/4.56).

The Red Bluff Red Sox are tied for fourth place with Hillsboro... the Red Sox hit with power (4th), but don't score well (24th-tied)... on the hill they are pretty good (5th) with a solid core of veterans: All-Star Sonny Wheat (11-7/2.38) and Mickey Rosen (9-6/2.97)... LF Toni Kulkov (.302/19 HR/40 RBI), RF Marty Porter (.400/10 HR/29 RBI) and 3B Dazzy Bevis (.224/12 HR/29 RBI) are the primary power guys.

It was a marvelous year last season for the defending champ Hillsboro Blazers... they were 98-56 and beat out East Point for the division flag... not so this year... pitching has tapered off quite a bit... ace Hank Greenberry (6-9/2.85) and Clay Spencer (7-8/5.10) are having trouble winning... 21-game winner Steve Cooper (5-2/3.78) has only won 5 games thus far... and ace Jamie Lee Bradley (8-4/2.67) is out for the season with an arm injury... at the plate 1B Ernie Moxley (.250/11 HR/37 RBI), who hit 58 homers in '51, is not the same hitter with only 11 at mid-season... RF Eli Nickerson (.300/13 HR/27 RBI), LF Rupert Calkins (.278/12 HR/34 RBI) and C Harry Edwards (.292/8 HR/39 RBI) are the best of the rest.

Three clubs are going at it in the Tycobbian North Division... Oxford (47-26), Mahaska (43-30/4 GB) and Hartsdale (42-31/5 GB) are trying to put an end the White River domination... the Rascals (35-38) have corraled the last four pennants in a row, but have spiraled out-of-the-running this season... they are in fifth place and playing under .500 ball... 12 games back of Oxford... White River's mound corps has just not performed this year... that's the crux of their problems.

First place Oxford has parleyed solid bats with better-than-average pitching to move up from fifth place last year... 15 rookies have certainly made the difference... after 15 seasons of frustrating finishes... never higher than 4th... the Red Caps made wholesale changes and went with a youth movement... RF Wade McGrew (.316/12 HR/44 RBI), All-Star SS Mito Fujikawa (.288/11 HR/52 RBI), All-Star CF Dwayne Wagner (.300/10 HR/44 RBI) and 3B Allen Spears (.284/6 HR/42 RBI) have proved to valuable performers in their rookie year... on the hill vets Rudy Mellancamp (9-6/3.64), Tekkan Nishikawa (12-4/4.44), Lou Ellison (12-7/3.84) and rookie Homer Keaton (7-6/3.93) have been helped by the added offense.

The runner-up Mahaska Haymakers ran a distant second to White River last year and they are right back at the top this year... standout veteran starters like Bobby Kelman (12-4/2.77) and Pip Cordice (11-6/2.92), combined with reliable youngsters like rookie Hiram Jeffers (4-2/3.77) and Marty Mobley (6-6/3.56) have gotten the job done... the offense is adequate, led by 3B Goose Fulton (.276/5 HR/43 RBI), RF Roy Wilson (.372/3 HR/34 RBI), 2B Paul Waldrep (.325/1 HR/27 RBI) and longtime star SS Rocco Bertara (.315/3 HR/25 RBI).

Last season the Hartsdale Hellcats finished fourth in the TU North, 17 games out of first place... they possess pretty fair pitching and hitting... a good blend of both... vets Perry Givens (9-5/3.46) and Gil Younger (7-4/3.77) give them a good nucleus in their rotation and Roy Krieger (7-2/1.30/9 saves/39 G) is excellent in the bullpen... vet All-Star C Kenton Carmichael (.301/14 HR/31 RBI), vet CF Marv Shaw (.253/11 HR/35 RBI) and young 3B Bruno Bardella (.457/10 HR/24 RBI) top the Hellcats at the plate.

Four teams have their hearts set on the Tycobbian South pennant... Favored Turon (42-31) is the top team at mid-year with a 3-game margin over the always good San Alejo Montaneros (43-30)... 5 up on third place Southport (37-36) and 6 in front of fourth place Summerland (36-37)... the Monties beat out Turon by a game last season... could be just as close this year.

The Turon Typhoons have two impressive starters: All-Star Nate Scottsdale (13-2/2.76) and All-Star rookie Yancey Hedges (11-7/2.76)... add in reliable Izzy Beasley (7-9/4.78) and Russell Mallory (6-4/3.60) and you have a capable rotation... three players carry the so-so Turon offense... 3B Joel Guidry (.283/9 HR/35 RBI), 1B Shoyo Yuro (.305/8 HR/31 RBI) and C Doyle Ashcroft (.244/6 HR/43 RBI).

For 16 years in a row the San Alejo Montaneros have wound up in the first division of the TU South... usually in first or second place... the Monties won the flag in '49 and '51 and have a shot at it this year, too... they possess probably the best pitching tandem in the IPA... All-Star Will McKinney (13-3/1.95) and All-Star Matt Bell (11-7/2.59) are as good as it gets... and San Alejo still has a solid core of veteran hitters in CF Pablo Teixeira (.248/18 HR/45 RBI), LF Royce Grantham (.272/17 HR/40 RBI) and 1B Alanzo Grassi (.287/10 HR/32 RBI)... rookie SS Kiko Vidal (.272/10 HR/39 RBI) had added some needed punch to the batting order, too.

After winning 7 of 9 pennants beginning with the '42 season, Southport dipped down to fifth place last year... seem to be about the same this year... the Sun Sox don't look like a contender on paper or on the diamond... their wonderful pitching has deserted them in the last two years... but the offense is still fairly good... veterans Hal Combs (8-8/3.32), Champ Shafer (8-9/3.63) and Daron O'Rourke (6-6/4.29) are the mound mainstays... Troy Hill (6-2/2.43/11 saves/34 G) is still a very fine closer... rookie standout RF Manuelo Garcia (.376/9 HR/34 RBI), vet 3B Ricky Whitaker (.332/3 HR/29 RBI) and vet LF Tony Pastrano (.306/10 HR/36 RBI) are the top hitters.

Summerland is an oxymoron... first in pitching in the Tycobbian Union and last in scoring... 35-year-old veteran star Jayson Hallstrom (7-9/2.35) is still the ace, but now has some help from Tommy Underhill (10-2/2.26) and rookie Corey Vinson (8-4/3.38)... the Sunsets have no hitters at all... the best of the worst are RF Rick Mayes (.265/8 HR/29 RBI) and 3B Zane Howe (.256/6 HR/31 RBI).

The TU South race will get down to just Turon and San Alejo... Southport and Summerland will fade in the second-half run.

2052 ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE MID-SEASON STATISTICS
Tuesday, June 18, 2052

Click on Stats to Enlarge

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 19, 2052

TU STARS TROUNCE RU STARS
Solid pitching and solid hitting sparked the Tycobbia Stars to a 7-1 trouncing of the Ruthlandian Stars at the 51st edition of the Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Game played at beautiful Derby Downs in Arlon, home of the reigning IPA champion... seven Tycobbian twirlers shut down the RU All-Stars on just five hits with the victory going to Tommy Underhill (Summerland) and the loss to Sammy Hayes (Wynnamac)... RF Norishige Ito (Arroyo Grande) provided the runs with a 3-run roundtripper in the 5th that sent Tycobbia to a 5-1 margin... the TU Stars collected 10 hits in all... Ito was 2-for-3 at the plate and scored two runs... Ito was the unanimous choice for the game's Most Valuable Player Award... the All-Star Series now stands at 33 wins for Tycobbia and 18 for Ruthlandia.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2052

IPA CHAMP ARLON MISS OUT ON PLAYOFFS
The hard-fought regular season is over... it's Pro Cup time in the Islands... time for the eight division winners to go head-to-head to determine the best team in the Islandian Pro Alliance... half of the eight division champs were favored to win and did so... in the Ruthlandian Union Waleska, Wynnamac and Middlefield won as forecast, but Valmara lost out to Taranto in the RU North... Turon was the only favorite to survive in the Tycobbian Union... Arlon, the reigning Pro Cup champ, was beaten by the Kenwood Wildcats in the TU West... East Point got the best of preseason favorite South Fork in the TU East... and Oxford upended White River in the TU North.

It was a two-team race in the Ruthlandian North with the division flag going to the Taranto Tars (99-55), who whipped Valmara (94-60) by 5 games... the Vipers were the champ for the previous four years... at midseason the race involved four clubs with Valmara holding a slight lead... the Vipers played well in the second half, but Tars played better and past them... the Ranford Bulls (83-71) and Kilkenny Cats (81-73) faded and finished a distant third and fourth... it will be the Tars' first trip to the playoffs in 33 years... they last appeared in 2019.

The Waleska Westerners (90-64) pulled away from Valka (81-73) and Grand City (81-73) after a close race at the halfway point in the season to easily capture the Ruthlandian South by 9 games... this will be the Westerners second straight playoff appearance... they went all the way to the Pro Cup Finals last year before losing to surprise winner Arlon.

It was a tight race in the Ruthlandian East at mid-year, but no one could stay with the Wynnamac Sundowners (95-58)... Marston (86-68), Elnora (83-71) and Sugar Valley (77-77) fell to the wayside in second-half slids... the Wmacs haven't made the Pro Cup playoffs since 2044.

The Middlefield Roosters were picked to run away with the Ruthlandian West and they did it in grand style, winning by a whopping 19 games with 106 victories, the most in the IPA this year... Rocky Rapids (87-67), Forest City (85-69) and Volusia (82-72) all had good seasons, but couldn't match the Roosters.

Down-the-stretch it really turned into a royal donnybrook in the Tycobbian North... four clubs went at hard and furious with Oxford (86-69) finally hauling in the pennant, but they had to whip Mahaska (85-70) in a one-game playoff... last year's division champ White River (82-72) rallied in the second half, but came up 3 and a half games short, winding up in the third spot... the Rascals' lousy first half cost them dearly... they were 12 games out at the All-Star break... fourth place went to the Hartsdale Hellcats (81-73)... the Oxford Red Caps have not played in the playoffs since the 2007 season, when they won their only Pro Cup.

12 years have gone by since the Turon Typhoons (96-58) last graced the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... this season they made shambles of the Tycobbian South in the second half, racing away from second place San Alejo by 15 games, Southport (79-75) by 17 and Summerland (77-77) by 19... the four clubs were pretty close at mid-season.

The East Point Panthers (96-58) rolled to their second TU East title in three years, but had a fairly good fight with the Midway Wolves (91-63) before winning by 5 games... Midway played well with a 29-14 mark in the stretch, but East Point was better at 31-12... Red Bluff (88-66) was third and 8 games off the pace... and Hillsboro (86-68), last year's winner, fell to fourth this season and trailed the Panthers by 10 games.

The current Pro Cup champion Arlon (90-64) had a solid 8-game lead at the All-Star Game in the TU West, but couldn't fend off the relentless and determined Kenwood Wildcats (91-63), who came back to take the pennant, edging out the Champions by one game... Kenwood was 26-17 in the stretch drive, while Arlon was only 21-22... way back in third place was the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (80-74), 11 games behind the Wildcats... Rolling Hills (72-82) wound up in the fourth spot in the standings and trailed by 19 games... Kenwood returns to the IPA Pro Cup playoffs after a four-year absence.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2052

2052 RUTHLANDIAN UNION FINAL TEAM BATTING AND PITCHING STATISTICS

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2052

2052 TYCOBBIAN UNION FINAL TEAM BATTING AND PITCHING STATISTICS