THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2052

TYPHOONS TRASH TU SOUTH BY 15 GAMES
The baseball forecasters predicted a three or four-team tussle in the Tycobbian South Division, but it only lasted until the All-Star break and became a one-team runaway... the Turon Typhoons crushed everybody, winning the pennant by 15 games over San Alejo (81-73), 17 better than Southport (79-75) and 19 games over Summerland (77-77)... solid pitching combined with good scoring made it look easy for the Typhoons... this will be the first postseason appearance for Turon in 14 seasons... they could be in the thick of things in the Pro Cup playoffs... could make a run at its 5th Pro Cup... first since 2018.

1st Place: TURON TYPHOONS (96-58)
Last Year: 2nd Place (91-64) (1 GB)
Season Forecast: 1st Place
Pro Cups: 4 (beat Valmara in '03... Volusia in '06... Far Mountain in '09... and Ancona in '18... also lost in Finals in '10 to Colfax and to Eastshore in '17)
Playoffs: 15
Last Appearance: 2039

Team Stats: .270 BA (14th)/828 runs (8th)/122 HR (23rd-tied)/3.44 ERA (6th)/.965 FA
Pitchers: lost All-Star Yancey Hedges (13-8/2.83), a rookie, injured in July... still did very well led by All-Star Nate Scottsdale (26-8/2.67), Russell Mallory (16-7/3.72), Tom Fuller (10-8/3.17) and mid-season rookie Glenn Avery (7-2/2.11)... bullpen not very strong with a 3.57 ERA (19th).
Batters: former star C. C. Kingsford took over as manager this season and put together a fine hitting team that was rookie dominated... 3B Joel Guidry (.295/26 HR/91 RBI/101 R/10 SB) and C Doyle Ashcroft (.279/23 HR/113 RBI/88 R) really stood out... other newcomers were SS Fernando Labrera (.274/2 HR/43 RBI/97 R/35 SB), 1B Shoyo Yuro (.298/18 HR/66 RBI/71 R), CF Maxie Mullinax (.269/5 HR/58 RBI/85 R/32 SB) and LF Darrell Faust (.351/11 HR/38 RBI/44 R).

Outlook: with such an abundance of youthful talent, the future is bright for Turon and skipper C. C. Kingsford... it will be interesting to see how they perform against some of the veteran IPA teams in the playoffs.

2nd Place: San Alejo Montaneros (83-73) (15 GB)
Last Year: 1st Place (92-63)
Season Forecast: 2nd Place
Pro Cups: 1 (defeated Colfax in 7 games in 2032)
Playoffs: 8
Last Appearance: won pennants in '49 and '51

Team Stats: .263 BA (22nd)/744 runs (20th)/148 HR (13th-tied)/3.94 ERA (15th)/.966 FA
Pitchers: Montaneros depend almost totally on two of the IPA's best hurlers All-Star Will McKinney (23-10/2.11) and All-Star Matt Bell (23-14/2.50)... also get some help from Tommy Carter (16-11/3.81)... no help whatsoever in the relief corps with its terrible 5.03 ERA (32nd)
Batters: vets CF Paulo Teixeira (.297/40 HR/121 RBI/99 R) and LF Royce Grantham (.265/31 HR/87 RBI/73 R) sparked the attack with some help from vets 1B Alanzo Grassi (.277/19 HR/62 RBI/40 R) and 3B Sal McAllister (.286/5 HR/51 RBI/64 R).

Outlook: manager Filipe Zamora could use a few more good bats... age might be catching up with the Monties... won't have McKinney and Bell forever.

3rd Place: Southport Sun Sox (79-75) (17 GB)
Last Year: 5th Place (78-76) (13.5 GB)
Season Forecast: 4th Place
Pro Cups: 3 (won in '27 over Crystal Lake... over Wynnamac in '44... and Middlefield in '47)
Playoffs: 10
Last Appearance: 2050... 7 times since '42

Team Stats: .266 BA (20th)/756 runs (17th)/122 HR (23rd-tied)/3.87 ERA (13th)/.961 FA
Pitchers:the Sun Sox used to thrive on great pitching, but the staff has fallen off the past two seasons... at 35 Hal Combs (22-12/2.73) became a starter for the first time in his career... he was an excellent closer for 12 years... Troy Hill (10-7/2.73/18 saves/70 G) took his place and thrived... Champ Shafer (16-18/3.44) was a quality starter, while Daron O'Rourke (11-13/4.12) was just fair... 4-time 20-game winner Johnny Swanson (3-2/3.90/1 save/22 G) has been relegated to the bullpen the last two years and has struggled... he's only 34.
Batters: Southport only has an average offense... the best run producers are terrific rookie RF Manuelo Garcia (.341/17 HR/71 RBI/91 R/14 SB), vet All-Star 3B Ricky Whitaker (.307/4 HR/53 RBI/84 R) and LF Tony Pastrano (.296/22 HR/72 RBI/68 R)... rookie 1B Zee Graham (.325/15 HR/72 RBI/46 R) may turn out to be a jewel.

Outlook: Sun Sox skipper Lorne Evans needs to improve his mound staff to get back into pennant contention.

4th Place: Summerland Sunsets (77-77) (19 GB)
Last Year: 7th Place (67-87) (24.5 GB)
Season Forecast: 5th Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 4
Last Appearance: 2046

Team Stats: .255 BA (27th)/605 runs (32nd)/112 HR (26th)/2.91 ERA (1st)/.969 FA
Pitchers: the Summerland staff is young and talented... but led by 35-year-old ace Jayson Hallstrom (16-18/2.60)... rookie Corey Vinson (18-8/3.01), Rory Poe (14-11/2.38) and Tommy Underhill (15-12/2.59) are strong, too... look for good things from rookie starter Dicky Towers (7-13/3.19/5 saves/37 G), too.
Batters: not a lot of threats in the Sunsets batting order... 3B Zane Howe (.286/18 HR/71 RBI/55 R), RF Rick Mayes (.270/17 HR/54 RBI/58 R/7 SB) and 1B John Paul McCullum (.269/11 HR/56 RBI/77 R/14 SB) are just reliable bats at best.

Outlook: manager Antonio Vasques has a super staff, but really needs some longball power and run-scoring to move up to the top echelon in the Tycobbian South.

5th Place (tie): Colchester Elites (68-85) (27 GB)
Last Year: 4th (81-73) (10.5 GB)
Season Forecast: 3rd Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 4
Last Appearance: 2036

Team Stats: .273 BA (8th)/727 runs (22nd-tied)/133 HR (18th-tied)/4.13 ERA (22nd)/.966 FA

Pitchers: three pretty fair starters in Zip Sharpe (20-15/4.16), Denzel Durand (10-21/3.88) and Greg Ginger (12-16/3.85)... have to pitch in a hitter-friendly park... vet Haden Fraser (7-9/2.37/18 saves/70 G) is a good closer.
Batters: solid core of hitters... good contact and some power... led by RF Greg Sutton (.310/33 HR/106 RBI/76 R), CF Kelton McFalls (.326/87 RBI/71 R/10 SB), LF Eldon McLennan (.329/11 HR/71 RBI/102 R/46 SB), 2B James Murchison (.306/8 HR/60 RBI/93 R/9 SB) and SS Ernie Larmon (.305/9 HR/52 RBI/97 R/8 SB).

Outlook: manager Blake Barrister was ready to challenge for the TU South flag this season, but his pitching staff didn't perform for him... still has a better-than-average attack... team can score runs... needs a stopper in the rotation... looks to be just a fair-to-middling team.

5th Place (tie): Cape Coral Hurricanes (69-85) (27 GB)
Last Year: 6th Place (71-83) (20.5 GB)
Season Forecast: 7th Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 8
Last Appearance: 2041

Team Stats: .269 BA (15th)/796 runs (11th)/146 HR/15th)/4.83 ERA (28th)/.964 FA
Pitchers: 38-year-old Vernon Marks (16-6/3.84) did well coming off an arm injury... best of the rest are vet Stacy Boyle (15-17/5.17) and rookie Ivan Dalrymple (14-19/4.47)... bullpen manned entirely by rookies... show some potential.
Batters: 'Canes can score runs... best bats are vet All-Star 3B Kent Mantle (.319/26 HR/103 RBI/78 R), rookie CF Billy Lee Wakefield (.320/16 HR/73 RBI/88 R/13 SB), vet SS Scotty Jackson (.263/21 HR/98 RBI/73 R), vet LF Marki Heinsohn (.312/11 HR/73 RBI/71 R/12 SB), 2B Lynwood Barley (.285/7 HR/60 RBI/79 R/12 SB) and rookie 1B Shinjo Tabuchi (.313/6 HR/37 RBI/64 R/19 SB).

Outlook: new Cape Coral skipper William Snyder inherits a club with some potential, but most likely will wind up in the second division... pitching is just plain bad.

7th Place: Arroyo Grande Suns (67-87) (29 GB)
Last Year: 8th Place (64-90) (27.5 GB)
Season Forecast: 8th Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 4
Last Appearance: (2024)

Team Stats: .250 BA (30th)/783 runs (12th)/211 HR (1st)/4.78 ERA (27th)/.965 FA
Pitchers: rookies are the top pitchers... show some promise... led by Nap Vickerson (7-4/2.30), who was promoted in August... Rocky Steed (15-14/4.38) topped the club in wins... Stan Chaffin (3-3/2.04 /9 saves/54 G) stood out in the bullpen.
Batters: superstar RF Norishige Ito (.346/58 HR/133 RBI/144 R/13 SB) won the Tycobbian Triple Crown... may be the best player in the IPA... he gets offensive help from veterans SS Russell Taylor (.294/22 HR/82 RBI/98 R/13 SB) and 1B Vince Kinston (.275/40 HR/107 RBI/89 R)... rookie CF Rueben Jones (.244/27 HR/64 RBI/90 R/30 SB) had a fine first season... rookie 2B Levi McCollum (.291/5 HR/46 RBI/81 R/8 SB) also played well.

Outlook: Suns have had a winning record only 3 times in the last 25 years... not likely to change soon under new manager Rusty Vizcarra... but infusion of rookies may pay off in the long run.

8th Place: Ginza Ninjas (59-95) (37 GB)
Last Year: 3rd Place (88-66) (3.5 GB)
Season Forecast: 6th Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 7
Last Appearance: 2031

Team Stats: .270 BA (12th)/746 runs (19th)/127 HR (20th-tied)/4.96 ERA (30th)/.965 FA
Pitchers: one of the worst staffs in the IPA... only decent pitchers are starter T. C. Gallimore (12-17/4.06) and Abram Worth (9-8/2.76/10 saves/74 G)
Batters: top run producers are vets All-Star SS Kuzuki Tamura (.316/12 HR/99 RBI/98 R/9 SB) and 39-year-old superstar LF Sojo Takagi (.267/24 HR/92 RBI/87 R/4 SB)... 3B Horace Dyson (.325/6 HR/53 RBI/89 R) is a good contact hitter... and 1B Kyle Estes (.250/11 HR/82 RBI/64 R/9 SB) can drive in runs, but doesn't hit for much average.

Outlook: prime star Sogo Takagi retired at the end of the season... he said he wanted to go out looking fairly good and not just hang on... Ginza made him the new skipper... the Ninjas have a long way to go to be a contender... Takagi has some tough years facing him.

*

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2052

EP PANTHERS PREVAIL IN TU EAST
For the second time in three seasons the East Point Panthers (96-58) are back on top of the Tycobbian East Division... after losing the pennant by 2 games last year to the Hillsboro Blazers, the Panthers are back in business... they ran up good 8-game lead at mid-year and then held off the Midway Wolves (91-63) by 5 games... Red Bluff (88-66) came in third, 8 games back... and last year's champ Hillsdale (86-68) was 10 games behind and finished fourth.

Overall the TU East may be the best division in the IPA... 5 of the clubs were over .500... fifth place High Mesa (82-72) was 10 games over .500... sixth place Tuckanarra (76-78) and South Fork (76-78) were only 2 games below .500... even last place Ozarka won 70 games.

1st Place: EAST POINT PANTHERS (96-58)
Last Year: 2nd Place (96-58) (2 GB)
Season Forecast: 3rd Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 6
Last Appearance: 2050

Team Stats: .280 BA (3rd)/909 runs (2nd)/207 HR (2nd)/3.63 ERA (9th)/.965 FA
Pitchers: Ralph Wallace (21-16/2.62) is the ace of the staff with quality help from Benny Allen (20-11/3.84) and Lee Price (23-9/4.61)... Armed Forces Stadium is not a pitcher-friendly park... the Panthers had a solid bullpen, too, with Pudgy Putnam (10-4/1.79/9 saves/52 G) and Kerry Woodburn (7-5/3.35/11 saves/48 G).
Batters: this is where manager Frank Blair is blessed... he has a plethora of solid hitters: RF Doug Dennhardt (.312/35 HR/109 RBI/77 R/8 SB), 1B Alvaro Cavacas (.301/27 HR/92 RBI/71 R/19 SB), C Kenny Bailey (.309/32 HR/113 RBI/80 R), 3B Justin McRae (.313/12 HR/69 RBI/108 R/24 SB), CF Pokie Ash (.280/16 HR/61 RBI/102 R/21 SB) and 2B Major Woods (.307/12 HR/67 RBI/78 R/8 SB).

Outlook: East Point is a talented and young ballclub... can hit with power and score... if the Panthers get solid pitching they can go deep into the Pro Cup playoffs... tied for the best record in the Tycobbian Union with Turon... the Tycobbian champ will come from East Point or Kenwood... it could be the Year of the Cats in the TU.

2nd Place: Midway Wolves (91-63) (5 GB)
Last Year: 5th Place (83-71) (15 GB)
Season Forecast: 2nd Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 3
Last Appearance: 2027

Team Stats: .265 BA (21st)/759 runs/16th)/145 HR (16th)/2.99 ERA (2nd)/.962 FA
Pitchers: with HOF pitcher Bobby Dorignac (315-228/2.96) as skipper, the name of the game in Midway is pitching... Beau McCloud (13-13/2.37) and Charlie Chase (17-16/3.14) were the prime starters, along with rookie Will Deberry (13-9/2.54)... McCloud was injured in August and Chase in September... hurt Midway for the stretch drive... but Yank Atchley (7-5/3.58) and Arnie McGill (7-0/2.81) did well filling in... and the bullpen is one of the IPA's best with Rocket Rhodes (11-2/1.86/8 saves/56 G) and Jeffrey Leonard (8-2/2.37/10 saves/47 G).
Batters: the Wolves have a lot of fairly good hitters, but no real threats... SS Kax Clark (.317/8 HR/76 RBI/101 R/15 SB) is one of the few productive bats... Dorignac platoons a lot... the best of the rest are rookie 3B Jamey Southwick (.296/18 HR/57 RBI/56 R) and LF Alfie Kincade (.298/17 HR/51 RBI/45 R)... rookie 2B Odis Tomlin (.243/21 HR/71 RBI/48 R), rookie RF Daryl Vale (.266/16 HR/58 RBI/61 R/13 SB) and rookie Norbert Karns (.12 HR/41 RBI/43 R) show some power potential.

Outlook: good young team with fine pitching and good potential... Midway should be a contender for a few years.

3rd Place: Red Bluff Red Sox (88-66) (8 GB)
Last Year: 4th Place (88-66) (10 GB)
Season Forecast: 4th Place
Pro Cups: 1 (2004)... whipped Sugar Valley Rattlers in 5 games
Playoffs: 8
Last Appearance: 2047... the Red Sox had a nice run with pennants from '44 to '47

Team Stats: .251 BA (29th)/753 runs (18th)/176 HR (5th)/3.40 ERA (5th)/.965 FA
Pitchers: ace is veteran Sonny Wheat (23-13/2.50)... Mickey Rosen (22-12/3.42) is still a fine starter at age 35... Felix Delatte (9-10/3.23) is a reliable starter, too... team needs help in the bullpen.
Batters: LF Toni Kolkov (.291/35 HR/85 RBI/93 R/8 SB) is manager Ike Sweetwater's top batsman... 3B Dazzy Bevis (.243/26 HR/86 RBI/93 R/18 SB) doesn't hit for average, but can go deep and drive in runs... SS Joe Patrick (.260/13 HR/63 RBI/70 R/11 SB) and 1B Monty Lyons (.263/13 HR/59 RBI/69 R/15 SB) are good, solid regulars... rookie RF Marty Parker (.340/21 HR/59 RBI/48 R) looks like a hitter with fine potential... but he needs to play everyday... currently platooned.

Outlook: Prospects are on the upgrade for Red Bluff skipper Ike Sweetwater... he needs to perk up his hitters... the Red Sox would be a threat if they get another solid starter and a good closer... it's wouldn't hurt to beef up the bats, either.

4th Place: Hillsboro Blazers (86-68) (10 GB)
Last Year: 1st Place (98-56)
Season Forecast: 7th
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 1
Last Appearance: 2051

Team Stats: .250 BA (31st)/727 runs (22nd-tied)/179 HR (4th)/3.28 ERA (3rd)/.971 FA
Pitchers: Clay Spencer (18-10/3.81), Steve Cooper (12-10/3.10), Hank Greenberry (15-17/2.79) and Scott Cole (16-9/3.89) were a good rotation, but didn't perform as well as last year... Jamie Lee Bradley (8-4/2.67) had a fine half season, but was injured in June and was greatly missed... would have challenged for the top spot with him... bullpen needs help... Ron Pryor (9-12/3.40/10 saves/64 G) was the best.
Batters: the offensive output was much less this year... homers down from 217 to 179... LF Rupert Calkins (.266/29 HR/78 RBI/69 R), RF Eli Nickelson (.271/27 HR/73 RBI/94 R/20 SB), C Harry Edwards (.271/15 HR/84 RBI/62 R/5 SB) and 2B Bob Foster (.297/12 HR/63 RBI/82 R/11 SB) didn't hit for average, but did have some pop... no one on the club hit .300.

Outlook: considering the loss of Bradley and the power drop, manager Andy Jefferson did fine job keeping his Blazers in the first division... Hillsboro is an aging club... especially needs younger pitchers.

5th Place: High Mesa Mustangs (82-72) (14 GB)
Last Year: 3rd Place (91-63) (7 GB)
Season Forecast: 8th Place
Pro Cups: 1 (2002)... swept Elnora in three games... back when 32 teams qualified for the playoffs... IPA Pro Cup was best-of-five back in the early days.
Playoffs: 3
Last Appearance: 2048

Team Stats: .260 BA (23rd)/841 runs (5th)/205 HR (3rd)/3.98 ERA (16th)/.958 FA
Pitchers: pitching slumped badly this year... team ERA went from 3.23 to 3.89... stars Tuffy Hammel (15-13/3.57) and Lucius Quarles (19-15/3.93) had off-years... Dickie Sternfeld (17-10/3.93) is a dependable #3 starter... Sal Delliger (10-12/4.42) is a fair #4.... bullpen doesn't offer much help.
Batters: HOF legendary slugger Jack Elliott (848 career homers) has club that can go deep and put runs on the scoreboard... rookies were a big part of the improved hitting... led by All-Star Joe Duplantis (.310 BA/41 HR/102 RBI/87 R/5 SB), 3B Kagetoki Myazaki (.236/24 HR/80 RBI/61 R), SS Tommy Yost (.269/14 HR/71 RBI/78 R), CF Tracy McGriff (.286/22 HR/64 RBI/73 R/3 SB), RF Dix McIntosh (.275/19 HR/51 RBI/48 R) and C Gerry Glidden (.272/15 HR/49 RBI/31 R)... plus one of the few vets on the team 2B Randy Sweetland (.313/2 HR/47 RBI/75 R/12 SB), a slick fielder and reliable hitter.

Outlook: pitching staff is getting old... could be a problem... but the hitters are young and very productive... as long as Quarles and Hammel are effective, the Mustangs will do alright... might even contend in the coming season... defense is also a huge problem... one of the worst in the IPA.

6th Place (tie): Tuckanarra Blue Jays (76-78) (20 GB)
Last Year: 6th Place (79-75) (19 GB)
Season Forecast: 5th Place
Pro Cups: 3 (2023) beat Valmara in 6 games... (2024) swept Sugar Valley in 4... (2035) swept Elnora in 4... also were Pro Cup finalists in '12 and '28, losing to the great Far Mountain Redhawks in a 4-game sweep and to Waleska in 7 games.
Playoffs: 18
Last Appearance: 2049

Team Stats: .271 BA (10th)/781 runs (14th)/153 HR (11th)/4.08 ERA (20th)/.972 FA
Pitchers: mound mainstays Dickie Pittman (13-18/3.51) and Ozzie Leslie (15-13/3.44) in their 30s and may be on the downgrade... no quality starters after them in the rotation... young Paul Landale (13-5/2.91/15 saves/78 G) is a fine reliever... but not much after him in the bullpen.
Batters: top bats are All-Star CF Harv Bannerman (.278/34 HR/102 RBI/102 R/40 SB) and All-Star 1B Rodger Parsons (.305/20 HR/89 RBI/97 R)... three rookies contributed: LF Jali Toba (.274/17 HR/60 RBI/89 R/20 SB), 3B Newt Crutchfield (.325/16 HR/69 RBI/68 R) and RF Jay Jay Bachelor (.277/13 HR/72 RBI/47 R/6 SB).

Outlook: the Tucks have fairly good offense, average pitching and very good defense... manager Junior Bristow needs help in at the plate and on the hill to move up in the standings... looks like a second-division club for the next few seasons.

6th Place (tie): South Fork Stallions (76-78) (20 GB)
Last Year: 8th Place (56-98) (42 GB)
Season Forecast: 1st Place
Pro Cups: 2 (2025... edged Middlefield in 7 games... 2042... swept the Colfax Blasters in 4 games)
Playoffs: 6
Last Appearance: 2043

Team Stats: .267 BA (18th)/721 runs (25th)/127 HR (20th-tied)/3.57 ERA (8th)/.973 FA
Pitchers: most of the staff was rookies... led by Brett McCracken (17-15/3.21) and Bud Bowens (14-12/3.26)... vet Jay Murphy (14-17/3.90) was one of the few to survive the postseason firesale last year... young bullpen did well with a 2.30 ERA (3rd)
Batters: All-Star C Rudy Maroney (.295/27 HR/89 RBI/76 R) was the club leader, along with All-Star LF Jack Boswell (.310/24 HR/79 RBI/80 R/7 SB)... CF Frank Stewart (.263/18 HR/79 RBI/61 R/6 SB) also provided a little offense.

Outlook: the baseball forecasters really thought South Fork had improved greatly in the off-season with some really fine rookies and surprisingly picked them to win the division, but no serious sportswriter or broadcaster took them seriously and they turned out to be right... manager Eldon Jacoby's young squad did well, but no where near first place... but they did get 20 games better... but South Fork is still pretty much a second-division team.

8th Place: Ozarka Naturals (70-84) (26 GB)
Last Year: 7th Place (77-77) (21 GB)
Season Forecast: 6th Place
Pro Cups: None (but the Nats did make the finals 5 times... lost to super power Far Mountain in '11 and '12, IPA juggernaut Eastshore in '18, Rocky Rapids in '19 and Crystal Lake in '20)
Playoffs: 15
Last Appearance: 2040

Team Stats: .269 BA (16th)/718 runs (26th-tied)/95 HR (30th)/4.07 ERA (19th)/.965 FA
Pitchers: ace is vet Carl Hemus (16-19/308), a quality IPA starter... not much after him... he got some help from rookie Toby Rivera (15-12/4.22)... bullpen is fairly good, but inconsistent... top reliever is vet Jim Greene (6-11/2.78/18 saves/78 G).
Batters: team has no home-run power... doesn't score well... just a bunch of fairly-reliable contact hitter paced by CF Frank Mason (.309/19 HR/57 RBI/86 R/15 SB), 1B Kyle Hartman (.280/11 HR/89 RBI/78 R/23 SB), rookie RF Miron Lezak (.282/21 HR/82 RBI/73 R/3 SB), rookie LF Donny Joe Jacks (.293/11 HR/62 RBI/84 R/17 SB) and C Tuffy Palmiero (.282/2 HR/52 RBI/67 R).

Outlook: Ozarka will be skippered by Jaak Pajukivi next season... the club has been stuck in the second division of the Tycobbian East for the last 8 years... it will take Pajukivi a few years to be a first-division contender... much longer to be in the pennant race... the Naturals have a weak offense and mediocre pitching.

*

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2052

KENWOOD KO'S IPA CHAMP ARLON IN TU WEST
At midseason in the Tycobbian West Division reigning Pro Cup crownbearer Arlon (90-64) had the best record in the Tycobbian Union and was well on their way to another division title and a shot at repeating as IPA champ... the Champions took an 8-game bulge into the All-Star hiatus, but they were sidetracked by the Kenwood Panthers (91-63), who caught them in the stretch and nabbed the pennant by one scant game... no one else was in the race for the flag... third place Bay St. Clair (80-74) stumbled in 11 games off the pace and fourth place Rolling Hills (72-82) was even further back in the race 19 games behind.

1st Place: KENWOOD PANTHERS (91-63)
Last Year: 7th Place (65-89) (23 GB)
Season Forecast: 5th Place
Pro Cups: 1 (2014)... bopped the Belair Beach Sunbirds in 7 games.
Playoffs: 9
Last Appearance: 2047... had a great run with 6 pennants in 7 years.

Team Stats: .281 BA (2nd)/833 runs (6th)/105 HR (27th)/3.31 ERA (4th)/.964 FA
Pitchers: vets Rusty Bradford (20-13/2.92), Tony Myerson (19-11/3.12) and Elian Verjano (15-11/3.53) are all in their 30s... have impressive bullpen, too, with vet closer Mike Jones (14-7/2.71/17 saves/84 G).
Batters: top run producers were 3B Bailey Brumley (.273/10 HR/98 RBI/98 R/9 SB), LF Chris McNeal (.266/26 HR/98 RBI/84 R/17 SB)... two aging stars C Corky DiNozzo (.293/21 HR/74 RBI/78 R) and 1B Country Crowder (.323/3 HR/73 RBI/77 R) did their parts... rookie SS Kiko Vidal (.282/13 HR/82 RBI/68 R/6 SB) and 2B Jace McFalls (.354/6 HR/54 RBI/62 R) pitched in offensively, too.

Outlook: 15 rookies added depth to the roster and kicked the talent level up... manager Babe Hankins saw notable improvement at the plate and on the hill... hitting rose .272 to .281 and ERA lowered from 4.38 to 3.31... the Panthers are a solid ballclub and will be a factor in the Pro Cups this year... only shortcoming is Kenwood is short of longball power.

2nd Place: Arlon Champions (90-64) (1 GB)
Last Year: 1st Place (88-66)
Season Forecast: 1st Place
Pro Cups: 1 (2051)... beat Waleska in 5 games.
Playoffs: 6
Last Appearance: 2051... prior to the Pro Cup the last time was in '43.

Team Stats: .279 BA (4th)/912 runs (1st)/168 HR (6th)/3.72 ERA (10th)/.959 FA
Pitchers: rotation dropped off this year... team ERA rose from 2.81 to 3.72... vet star Lanny Gray (8-6/4.13) missed half the year... was 21-14 with 2.89 ERA in Pro Cup season... Erik Branham (19-10/3.32) did well, but did not approach his brilliant rookie season of 22-12 with a 2.09 ERA... J. C. Hilburn (19-14/3.10) had another fine year... rookie Ty Coffee (15-11/3.70) was a plus, too... bullpen was only so-so... Mack Blair (12-11/3.40/16 saves/74 G) was inconsistent and his ERA soared much higher.
Batters: the Arlon arsenal was greatly enhanced by a dozen or so rookies... the Champions led the Tycobbian Union in scoring with a strong attack, led by rookies SS Art Catlin (.302/27 HR/110 RBI/94 R/7 SB), P. J. Flagg (.281/27 HR/74 RBI/82 R/12 SB) and 1B Shiloh Harris (.269/25 HR/88 RBI/72 R)... other run providers were rookies 2B Leon Normand (.298/13 HR/73 RBI/51 R) and C Jarred Yandell (.249/15 HR/80 RBI/70 R).

Outlook: Mike Cameron's Arlon club is young and talented... should be a force in the TU West for several years... pitcher Lanny Gray is the oldest player on the roster at age 36... no one else is over 31... most are in the 20s.

3rd Place: Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (80-74) (11 GB)
Last Year: 3rd Place (82-72) (6 GB)
Season Forecast: 2nd Place
Pro Cups: None (got to the Finals in 2015 against Taranto)
Playoffs: 11
Last Appearance: 2050... won the TU West in '49, too.

Team Stats: .270 BA (13th)/782 runs (13th)/133 HR (18th-tied)/4.06 ERA (18th)/.971 FA
Pitchers: lost #1 starter Jerry MacIntyre (3-0/2.79) in April injury... other starters are so-so quality: Scotty Hedwall (17-17/3.92) and Dion Hawkins (16-15/4.21)... bullpen is excellent with 2.09 ERA (1st)... vet All-Star Cadillac Bogart (7-5/1.68/9 saves/64 G) and Steve Swanwick (4-0/1.47/6 saves/41 G) top the relievers.
Batters: Bucs' offense is better-than-average with the likes of All-Star RF Stan Kovalenko (.328/10 HR/77 RBI/114 R/31 SB), 1B Clive Caviness (.305/21 HR/89 RBI/79 R), LF Jed Killick (.266/27 HR/105 RBI/77 R) and CF Don Holliday (.287/33 HR/92 RBI/75 R).

Outlook: Bay St. Clair skipper Cotton Cornwall has a quality club... a few talented finds could put them up into a challenging position in the TU West Division.

4th Place: Rolling Hills Reds (72-82) (19 GB)
Last Year: 4th Place (80-74) (8 GB)
Season Forecast: 6th Place
Pro Cups: 3 (2029 bested Stoner Stars in 4-game sweep... 2031 beat Valmara 4-2... clipped Claxton in 5 games in 2048)
Playoffs: 11
Last Appearance: 2050 (also won the Tycobbian West in '49)

Team Stats: .275 BA (6th)/829 runs (12th)/152 HR (12th)/5.13 ERA (32nd)/.964 FA
Pitchers: Reds rotation is lousy... best of the worst are Johnny Howard (13-19/4.61) and Darrell Cook (13-20/4.64)... best in relief is Rob Gates (12-6/4.11/12 saves/60 G).
Batters: offense is capable with quality bats like SS Dustin Thibodeau (.312/23 HR/91 RBI/109 R/23 SB), 1B Darwin Tard (.304/16 HR/74 RBI/86 R/17 SB), All-Star 2B Miguel Romeros (.297/22 HR/95 RBI/85 R/8 SB) and RF Jackson Toefield (.316/8 HR/48 RBI/66 R/5 SB).

Outlook: manager Billy Christensen has the bats to compete for the TU West Division title, but not the pitching... Rolling Hills was really fortunate to come in 4th this season... not likely in the future with this personnel.

5th Place: Chicopee Braves (71-83) (20 GB)
Last Year: 5th Place (73-81) (15 GB)
Season Forecast: 4th Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 3
Last Appearance: (2036)... Braves have won only 3 pennants in its history... '34, '35 and '36.

Team Stats: .282 BA (1st)/880 runs (4th)/160 HR (9th)/4.69 ERA (26th)/.957 FA
Pitchers: rookie Russ Clooney (15-15/3.84) was the only decent starter in the rotation... all the rest were 5.00 ERA or worse... rookie Chipper Gilton (9-5/3.07/12 saves/73 G) was a pretty good closer... two other freshman did well... Cy Abernathy (6-8/3.19/6 saves/64 G) and Rocky Dowling (1-1/2.16/6 saves/39 G) also showed potential.
Batters: top bats were rookie 2B Tex Whatley (.301/30 HR/108 RBI/94 R/5 SB), rookie RF Rico Visaggi (.326/10 HR/84 RBI/79 R/3 SB) and All-Star 1B Sam Patrick (.237/25 HR/103 RBI/72 R)... the 33-year-old Patrick had 21 homers at the mid-year break... fell off thereafter with a poor rest of the season.... other reliable hitters were all rookies: LF Adam Maxson (.297/11 HR/52 RBI/67 R/3 SB), RF Travis Ledger (.309/5 HR/48 RBI/61 R/7 SB), SS Derrell Stelly (.314/13 HR/66 RBI/60 R) and 3B Yancey Kimball (.283/11 HR/54 RBI/58 R).

Outlook: Chicopee manager Augie Meaux got a lot of mileage out his rookies and they put some punch in his batting order... the Braves were one of the better attacks in the IPA... but they just don't have the pitching... look like a second-division club until some decent pitchers come along.

6th Place: Denton City Redbirds (67-87) (24 GB)
Last Year: 5th Place (73-81) (15 GB)
Season Forecast: 3rd Place
Pro Cups: None... but did reach the Pro Cup Finals twice, losing to Middlefield in 5 games in '05... and to Wynnamac in 6 in '08.
Playoffs: 9
Last Appearance: (2040)... prior to that it was 2013... the Redbirds were a powerhouse in the IPA early years... made the postseason 8 times in the first 13 seasons.

Team Stats: .274 BA (7th)/797 runs (10th)/162 HR (8th)/4.38 ERA (24th)/.958 FA
Pitchers: not a very good mound corps... two vets topped the team... still quality starters... Flash Stringfellow (19-17/4.05) and Johnny Wingate (16-11/3.56)... zilch in the bullpen.
Batters: Denton City has a solid core of hitters that can score runs... paced by CF Harper Catlow (.300/25 HR/75 RBI/96 R/30 SB), All-Star SS Vincent McCloud (.315/14 HR/87 RBI/94 R), RF Tristan Redgrave (.271/20 HR/78 RBI/52 R/6 SB), 1B Val Anniston (.260/16 HR/71 RBI/52 R), 2B Joey Lake (.317/7 HR/46 RBI/74 R/10 SB) and 3B Ronny Lambert (.299/12 HR/58 RBI/67 R/12 SB).

Outlook: Redbirds skipper Pete Gibbs has a fine offense, but only mediocre pitching... plus his defense is terrible... Denton City is destined for the second division of the Tycobbian West for awhile.

7th Place: Bayview Vikings (65-89) (26 GB)
Last Year: 8th Place (45-109) (43 GB)
Season Forecast: 7th Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 6... lost to IPA champions in Elite 8 twice... '03 and '04 (Turon and Red Bluff)... lost to IPA champions twice in the Final 4... '06 and '07 (Turon and Oxford)... had a pretty fair team from 2002 to 2007... very little since.
Last Appearance: 2016

Team Stats: .254 BA (28th)/811 runs (9th)/156 HR (10th)/5.04 ERA (31st)/.954 FA
Pitchers: only one reliable pitcher on the staff... Herm Monday (14-11/3.80)... Arlo Lounsberry (18-16/5.41) won games, but many times only because the team backed him with a lot of runs.
Batters: Bayview has three fair bats in RF Vern Woodcock (.285/25 HR/83 RBI/67 R/5 SB), SS Bing Wolverton (.284/10 HR/67 RBI/64 R) and 3B Rusty Hunter (.292/2 HR/57 RBI/90 R/10 SB)... the best of the rest are RF Coco Donzy (.275/16 HR/56 RBI/50 R/10 SB) and 1B Joe Lee Scaggs (.262/10 HR/57 RBI/52 R/14 SB)... two others drive in runs, but hit for a very poor BA: CF Cooter Cannon (.224/15 HR/68 RBI/81 R/20 SB) and C Wayland Bryant (.204/23 HR/81 RBI/79 R).

Outlook: slugger Jerry Culpepper, the IPA's all-time home-run hitter (.304 BA/876 HR/2178 RBI), took over the club this season and improved the offense... the Vikings won 20 more games over the year before when they lost 109 times... now Culpepper has to go to work on the pitchers... however, right now the cupboard is bare and could be for a few years or so... Bayview will be lucky to get out of the second division anytime soon.

8th Place: La Claire Lynx (58-96) (33 GB)
Last Year: 6th Place (65-89) (23 GB)
Season Forecast: 8th Place
Pro Cups: None
Playoffs: 4
Last Appearance: 2038... reached the Final 4 in '38, but lost to IPA champ North Hills in 7 games... also won pennant in '37.

Team Stats: .258 BA (24th)/696 runs (30th)/113 HR (25th)/4.91 ERA (29th)/.960 FA
Pitchers: sadly Joel Orgeron (9-24/4.93) and Sato Ishii (9-21/5.04) won the most games... 'nuff said... terrible pitching staff... one of worst in the IPA
Batters: not a lot of good hitters... 36-year-old superstar LF Rikky Van Dalen (.307/20 HR/79 RBI/75 R/5 SB) can still swing a good bat... three rookies SS Frisco Thorpe (.284/20 HR/88 RBI/71 R/9 SB), 3B Mickey Demas (.280/18 HR/62 RBI/51 R) and rookie 2B Derek Winchester (.286/7 HR/51 RBI/76 R/28 SB) were fairly impressive, too... very limited talent after these.

Outlook: Hall-of-Famer SS and La Claire manager Flash Devlin (.317 BA/559 HR/1799 RBI/1995 R/270 SB) has had a tough go... the Lynx haven't had a winning season in 9 years... could be quite a few more till they go over the .500 mark... Devlin is very short on talent in La Claire... not a good prognosis for the club.

*

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2052

TRIPLE CROWN YEAR FOR SUNS ITO
Norishige Ito is sitting on top of the world tonight... he got himself a Triple Crown this year -- the 6th player in IPA history to ever accomplish this feat... the Arroyo Grande Suns right fielder outpaced the rest of the Tycobbian Union offensively this year... Ito, age 25, hit .346, collected 58 home runs and chipped in 133 RBIs for the Suns... he led in all three categories to capture the Triple Crown, one of the rarer feats in baseball... despite Ito's great performance, the best Arroyo Grande could do was seventh place in the Tycobbian South Division... the Suns finished a poor 67-87 this season.

Previous winners of this prestigious honor were Karol Zodoka of East Point in 2002... Fairfax's Dane Wesner in 2010... High Mesa's Jack Elliott did it twice... 2017 and 2021... and Lorne Evans accomplished it with Southport in 2030... all of the stars are in the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame except for Zodoka... he was a late comer to the IPA and peaked early.

Previous IPA Triple Crown Winners:

Zodoka (.351 BA/54 HR/146 RBI) in 2002
Wesner (.383 BA/46 HR/146 RBI) in 2010
Elliott (.360 BA/56 HR/149 RBI) in 2017
Eliott (.380 BA/65 HR/156 RBI) in 2021
Evans (.386 BA/59 HR/134 RBI) in 2030
Ito (.346 BA/58 HR/133 RBI) in 2052

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 18, 2052

ISLANDS POISED FOR PRO CUP PLAYOFFS
Tomorrow afternoon all across the Islandia baseball delirium steps it up to another level at Pro Cup time... baseball fever is always high year-round in the Islands, but it peaks when the IPA Pro Cup is really on the line... four division champions from Ruthlandia and four division winners from Tycobbia will go head-to-head for the next three weeks to determine the best team in Islandia... it all comes to fruition when the number one team in the Ruthlandian Union is pitted against the top club in the Tycobbian Union for the much-revered Pro Cup.

Only two clubs return from last season's Pro Cup playoffs... the Middlefield Roosters and Waleska Westerners, both from the Ruthlandian Union, are the only ones to make it back this year... defending titlist Arlon was beaten out by the Kenwood Wildcats in the TU West Division... the Champions toppled Waleska in 5 games for the '51 Pro Cup trophy.

The Ruthlandian Union Division Championship Series will feature the Middlefield Roosters (106-48) hosting the Wynnamac Sundowners (95-59) at Middlefield Park and the Waleska Westerners (90-64) traveling to take on the Taranto Tars (99-55) at the Palazzo di Sport... over in the Tycobbian Union DCS, the East Point Panthers (96-58) will entertain the Kenwood Panthers (91-63) at Armed Forces Park and the Turon Typhoons (96-58) will be at home at Typhoon Stadium against the Oxford Red Caps (86-69)... all Pro Cup series are best-of-seven... the team with the best-season record gets the homefield advantage.

Most of the current squads are relatively inexperienced in Pro Cup play... overall in IPA history Turon is tied with Valmara and North Hills for the most trophies with 4 Pro Cups each, followed by Waleska, tied with Tuckanarra, Southport, Far Mountain and Rolling Hills with 3 apiece... five of this year's teams have each taken home one Pro Cup: Middlefield, Taranto, Wynnamac, Kenwood and Oxford... only one participant has never captured the IPA title... the East Point Panthers are hoping they will finally win it this year.

And just who is the best?... most years it's up-in-the-air... only occasionally do the baseball prognosticators come up with the right prediction... last year two of the least-favored clubs made the Finals... the favorites ended up also-rans in the '51 playoffs... the eventual champ Arlon was rated the 6th-best team and runner-up Waleska was ranked 7th-best.

Here is how the baseball experts are picking the 2052 Pro Cup playoffs... THE ISLANDIAN TIMES polled all of the major sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the Islands and ranked this year's participants in this order:

1. MIDDLEFIELD ROOSTERS (106-48)
Last Year: 1st Place (82-72)... the Roosters have won the pennant years 4 years in a row... and 7 times in the last 12 seasons.
Season Forecast: 1st Place
Pro Cups: 1 (2005)... beat Denton City Redbirds in 5 games... lost twice in the Finals, both times in 7 games... to South Fork in '25 and Southport in '47
Playoffs: 15
Last Appearance: 2051

Team Stats: .270 BA (9th)/925 runs (1st)/206 HR (1st)/3.26 ERA (6th)/.969 FA
Pitchers: All-Star James Long (26-9/2.57), Hollis Dale (23-10/3.66), Larry Wheelhouse (20-14/4.14) and Chris Collier (16-8/3.57)... super bullpen with a 2.10 ERA, led by Norm Coventry (8-5/2.84/15 saves/47 G) and Ricky Farris (8-2/1.48/7 saves/42 G)
Batters: power galore with LF Trip Agarn (.292/37 HR/117 RBI/96 R/6 SB), CF Johnny Wyatt (.299/35 HR/101 RBI/96 R/4 SB), RF Rufus Blackburn (.260/34 HR/99 RBI/96 R/11 SB), SS Stan Radzikowski (.267/23 HR/82 RBI/84 R/9 SB) and 2B Natty Colclough (.254/21 HR/90 RBI/97 R)

Pro Cup Prediction: Middlefield is the best team on paper... can do it all... this may be their year in the Pro Cup playoffs.

2. East Point Panthers (96-58)
Last Year: 2nd Place (96-58) (2 GB)
Season Forecast: 3rd Place
Pro Cups: None... made '33 Finals and fell to Elnora in 7 games
Playoffs: 6
Last Appearance: 2050

Team Stats: .280 BA (3rd)/909 runs (2nd)/207 HR (2nd)/3.63 ERA (9th)/.965 FA
Pitchers: Ralph Wallace (21-16/2.62) is the ace of the staff with quality help from Benny Allen (20-11/3.84) and Lee Price (23-9/4.61)... Armed Forces Stadium is not a pitcher-friendly park... the Panthers have a solid bullpen, too, with Pudgy Putnam (10-4/1.79/9 saves/52 G) and Kerry Woodburn (7-5/3.35/11 saves/48 G).
Batters: this is where manager Frank Blair is blessed... he has a plethora of solid hitters: RF Doug Dennhardt (.312/35 HR/109 RBI/77 R/8 SB), 1B Alvaro Cavacas (.301/27 HR/92 RBI/71 R/19 SB), C Kenny Bailey (.309/32 HR/113 RBI/80 R), 3B Justin McRae (.313/12 HR/69 RBI/108 R/24 SB), CF Pokie Ash (.280/16 HR/61 RBI/102 R/21 SB) and 2B Major Woods (.307/12 HR/67 RBI/78 R/8 SB).

Pro Cup Prediction: Good blend of experience and youth... strong bats with power, but only average staff with an excellent bullpen... could do well in the playoffs.

3. Wynnamac Sundowners (95-59)
Last Year: 3rd Place (85-59) (18 GB)
Season Forecast: 1st Place
Pro Cups: 1 (2008)... defeated Denton City in 6 games... fell to Southport in 7 in '44 Finals
Playoffs: 7
Last Appearance: 2044

Team Stats: .268 BA (12th)/758 runs (10th/105 HR (23rd)/3.02 ERA/.968 FA
Pitchers: strong set of vets: All-Star Sammy Hayes (21-11/2.61), Simon Northcott (20-4/2.85) and Garan Parula (14-13/3.23)... rookie George Medworth (21-8/2.90) was a huge find.
Batters: three rookies stood out at the plate: RF Wally Bonds (.334/17 HR/87 RBI/83 R), C Jethro Bibbs (.316/14 HR/70 RBI/62 R) and 1B Enos Benham (.324/17 HR/46 RBI/78 R)... solid vet Dickie Key (.277/15 HR/82 RBI/83 R/14 SB) was a solid bat, too.

Pro Cup Prediction: good starters with good depth... offense is suspect with little power... but could go far in Pro Cup playoffs this year.

4. Kenwood Wildcats (91-63)
Last Year: 7th Place (65-89) (23 GB)
Season Forecast: 5th Place
Pro Cups: 1 (2014)... nipped the Belair Beach Sunbirds in 7 games.
Playoffs: 9
Last Appearance: 2047... had a great run with 6 pennants in 7 years.

Team Stats: .281 BA (2nd)/833 runs (6th)/105 HR (27th)/3.31 ERA (4th)/.964 FA
Pitchers: vets Rusty Bradford (20-13/2.92), Tony Myerson (19-11/3.12) and Elian Verjano (15-11/3.53) are all in their 30s... have impressive bullpen, too, with vet closer Mike Jones (14-7/2.71/17 saves/84 G).
Batters: top run producers were 3B Bailey Brumley (.273/10 HR/98 RBI/98 R/9 SB), LF Chris McNeal (.266/26 HR/98 RBI/84 R/17 SB)... two aging stars C Corky DiNozzo (.293/21 HR/74 RBI/78 R) and 1B Country Crowder (.323/3 HR/73 RBI/77 R) did their parts... rookie SS Kiko Vidal (.282/13 HR/82 RBI/68 R/6 SB) and 2B Jace McFalls (.354/6 HR/54 RBI/62 R) pitched in offensively, too.

Pro Cup Prediction: 15 rookies added depth to the roster and kicked the talent level up... manager Babe Hankins saw notable improvement at the plate and on the hill... hitting rose .272 to .281 and ERA lowered from 4.38 to 3.31... the Panthers are a solid ballclub and will be a factor in the Pro Cups this year... only shortcoming is Kenwood's lack of longball power.

5. Taranto Tars (99-59)
Last Year: 5th Place (82-72) 22 GB
Pro Cups: 1 (2019)... beat Bay St. Clair in 5 games.
Playoffs: 5
Last Appearance: 2019

Taranto depends on standout pitching and home-run power... Taranto (99-55) ranks 2nd with an exceptional 2.74 ERA and 191 homers, topped only by Rocky Rapids (2.66 ERA) and Middlefield (206 HR)... they are 6th in scoring runs with 775 runs... and on defense the Tars are just average with a .965 FA.

Taranto's twirlers were paced by rookie Phil Castle (23-3/1.83), who had a marvelous year, and two vets Valerio Rossi (20-11/2.52 and Armani Pizzoconi (10-5/2.98)... however, Pizzoconi was injured at mid-season and will not be available for the playoffs... a severe loss for Marshall... filling in for Pizzoconi will be rookies Enzo Ferrara (17-15/3.58) and Freddy DeAngelis (8-8/3.48)... the Tars are strong in the bullpen, led by rookie Louie Toscano (10-1/0.70/8 saves/33 G)... offensively the prime run providers are 1B Phil Wilson (.292/21 HR/88 RBI/99 R) and rookie C Niccolo Parisi (.291/24 HR/86 RBI/73 R)... vet LF Kuma Toyota (.266/30 HR/65 RBI/70 R) and rookie CF Renzo Caruso (.240/26 HR/62 RBI/72 R/16 SB) were productive bats, too... Castle, Rossi and Parisi all made the Ruthlandian All-Star team.

Pro Cup Prediction: Taranto may not have the mound depth to challenge in the Pro Cup playoffs... three solid starters are usually needed to contend.

6. Turon Typhoons (96-58)
Last Year: 2nd Place (91-64) (1 GB)
Season Forecast: 1st Place
Pro Cups: 4 (beat Valmara in '03... Volusia in '06... Far Mountain in '09... and Ancona in '18... also lost in Finals in '10 to Colfax and to Eastshore in '17)
Playoffs: 15
Last Appearance: 2039

Team Stats: .270 BA (14th)/828 runs (8th)/122 HR (23rd-tied)/3.44 ERA (6th)/.965 FA
Pitchers: lost All-Star Yancey Hedges (13-8/2.83), a rookie, injured in July... still did very well led by All-Star Nate Scottsdale (26-8/2.67), Russell Mallory (16-7/3.72), Tom Fuller (10-8/3.17) and late-season rookie Glenn Avery (7-2/2.11)... bullpen not very strong with a 3.57 ERA (19th).
Batters: former star C. C. Kingsford took over as manager this season and put together a fine hitting team that was rookie dominated... 3B Joel Guidry (.295/26 HR/91 RBI/101 R/10 SB) and C Doyle Ashcroft (.279/23 HR/113 RBI/88 R) really stood out... other newcomers were SS Fernando Labrera (.274/2 HR/43 RBI/97 R/35 SB), 1B Shoyo Yuro (.298/18 HR/66 RBI/71 R), CF Maxie Mullinax (.269/5 HR/58 RBI/85 R/32 SB) and LF Darrell Faust (.351/11 HR/38 RBI/44 R).

Pro Cup Prediction: with such an abundance of youthful talent, the future is bright for Turon and skipper C. C. Kingsford... it will be interesting to see how they perform against some of the veteran IPA teams in the playoffs... loss of rookie hurler Hedges hurt... he would have given them three solid starters.

7. Waleska Westerners (90-64)
Last Year: 1st Place (87-67)
Pro Cups: 3 (2028, topped Tuckanarra in 7 games... 2037, whipped San Alejo in 6... 2039, beat Arlon in 6 games... beaten in 5 games in '51 by Arlon in Finals)
Playoffs: 8
Last Appearance: 2051

Waleska made the Finals last year... manager Roy Hobbs hopes to do better this year and win it all... the Westerners hit the cover off the ball with a sensational .288 BA (3rd), scoring 819 runs (4th), but they come up short in long-distance power with only 101 HRs (26th)... pitching is better-than-average with a 3.56 ERA (13th)... the bullpen is excellent with a 2.26 ERA (4th)... on defense Hobbs has an average club with a .966 FA... Waleska upset the powerhouses Valmara and Sugar Valley last year... maybe they can do the same thing to Taranto (98-56), Wynnamac (95-69) and Middlefield (106-48), the other three Ruthlandian playoff teams.

Hobbs heavily platoons and has a slew of hitters, none with power... heading up the Waleska attack are 2B Richie Fry (.350/4 HR/55 RBI/83 R/10 SB), 3B Hisachi Yamaguchi (.335/7 HR/53 RBI/81 R), LF Allie Connors (.328/10 HR/58 RBI/63 R/32 SB), 1B Rob Rice (.323/8 HR/46 RBI/51 R), CF Lynn Washington (.313/13 HR/80 RBI/70 R) and SS Jingo Jernigan (.268/12 HR/73 RBI/83 R/23 SB)... on the hill Hobbs has a young and talented staff... the Westerner ace is Lou Carlson (20-10/3.85) with help from Kenny Foster (16-12/3.40), Vince Foster (15-11/3.49), Trey Earnest (18-16/3.51) and Niles Nielsen (14-13/3.98/12 saves/51 G)... problem is the latter two are injured and will miss the first weeks of the playoffs.

PRO CUP PREDICTION: well-balanced club... good offense... good set of starters if all were healthy... injury to starter Trey Earnest probably takes them out of the Pro Cup hunt.

8. Oxford Red Caps (86-69)
Last Year: 5th Place (75-79) (22 GB)
Season Forecast: 2nd Place
Pro Cups: 1 (2007)... Oxford captured its only IPA crown by beating Stoner in 5 games... hasn't made the postseason since.
Playoffs: 5
Last Appearance: 2007

Team Stats: .270 BA (11th)/900 runs (3rd)/167 HR (7th)/4.19 ERA (23rd)/.960 FA
Pitchers: good trio of starters in Lou Ellison (21-16/4.02), Rudy Mellancamp (21-14/3.66) and Tekkan Nishikawa (18-12/4.75)... they have to pitch in a small ballyard with close fences down the lines... not much of a bullpen.
Batters: the Red Caps can really swing a bat... sparked by All-Star CF Dwayne Wagner (.287/28 HR/125 RBI/101 R), All-Star SS Mito Fujikawa (.265/25 HR/108 RBI/100 R/24 SB), LF Ozzy Ackerman (.294/29 HR/98 RBI/96 R/37 SB), 3B Allen Spears (.290/10 HR/80 RBI/90 R/8 SB) and RF Wade McGrew (.277/27 HR/81 RBI/74 R/5 SB)

Pro Cup Prediction: Oxford manager Dennis Hartwig has plenty of hitters, but lacks the pitching to go deep into the Pro Cup playoffs... East Point, Kenwood and Turon can all hit well, but have superior pitching staffs... the Red Caps can look forward to the future... they are a relatively young club.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 19, 2052

ROOSTERS ROMP OVER WMACS IN OPENER
Three homers, 12 hits and a fine mound performance by James Long (26-9) gave Pro Cup favorite Middlefield an easy 12-2 romp over Wynnamac in the opening game of IPA Pro Cup playoffs at Middlefield Park... 1B Natty Colclough, SS Stan Radzikowski and LF Trip Agarn bashed solo home runs to lead the way... Long (1-0) went all the way, stopping the Sundowners on two runs and six hits... 21-game winner Sammy Hayes (0-1) was shelled hard for eight runs and eight hits in his five-plus frames... six of the scores were unearned... Wynnamac had a bad day in the field with four errors... Middlefield was even worse with five miscues, but they didn't do any harm.

TARANTO'S CASTLE SHACKLES WALESKA IN GAME 1
Taranto's terrific rookie Phil Castle shackled visiting Waleska 2-1 in game one of the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series, played at the Palazzo di Sport... Castle, 23-3 in his freshman season, fired a complete game and stopped the Westerners on just five hits... Castle (1-0) fanned four and walked only two batters and outpitched veteran Vince Gibson (0-1)... also going the distance Gibson was sharp, too, yielding just two runs on eight hits with one walk and six Ks... the Tars got both of their runs in the 3rd frame on RBIs by LF Kuma Toyota and RF Cody Losby.

GUIDRY'S DOUBLE WINS FIRST GAME FOR TURON
Game one of the Tycobbian Division Championship Series was a tense, extra-inning thriller... Turon 3B Joel Guidry doubled in the winning run in the last of the 10th and gave the hometown Typhoons a 3-2 triumph over the Oxford Red Caps... 26-game winner Nate Scottsdale hurled nine and two-thirds innings and didn't allow an earned run... he held the Red Caps to two runs and eight hits, but didn't get the victory... it went to reliever Russell Mallory (1-0), who got the final out in the top of the 10th... Oxford starter Lou Ellison (21-16) was impressive, too, giving up only two runs on five hits in his eight innings... his relief, Rene McCanless (0-1), was not as good... he took the loss.

WALLACE TOPS BRADFORD IN 1ST GAME
Both clubs got strong pitching in the opener of the Tycobbian DCS between East Point and Kenwood... East Point 21-game winner Ralph Wallace bested Kenwood 20-game winner Rusty Bradford 3-2 at Armed Forces Park... Wallace struck out nine, walked only two and limited the Panthers to just five hits... Bradford tossed eight frames and surrendered only two runs and three hits... Bradford didn't get the loss... it went to Mike Jones (1-0), who relieved him to start the last of the 9th.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 20, 2052

ROOSTERS ROUTS SUNDOWNERS AGAIN
Pro Cup favorite Middlefield is playing like a champion... the Roosters routed Wynnamac for the second day in a row, walloping them 14-4 to go up two games to none in the best-of-seven Ruthlandian Division Championship Series... the Roosters slammed five out of the park with LF Trip Agarn (.571) and 1B Natty Colclough (.600) getting two apiece... they both have hit three in the first two games of the playoffs... C Johnny McDonald (.333) also went deep... Agarn drove in five runs, Mitchell (.333) got three ribbies and Colclough batted in two... on the mound Carroll Collier (1-0) posted the win, going the route and permitting just two earned runs... the defeat went to Simon Northcott (0-1), who was bashed for four of the homers.

HARDY HOMER EVENS SERIES
The only difference in game two of the Ruthlandian DCS between Waleska and Taranto was CF Kenny Hardy's (.111) two-run blast in the 2nd inning... that gave the Westerners a 2-1 victory over the Tars to even the series at one game each... young Kenny Foster (1-0) was sharp as a razor, restricting the heavy-hitting Tars to just one run on six hits in eight innings... John McElveen topped it off for him, blanking the Tars in the last of the 9th, striking out two of them... 20-game winner Valerio Rossi (0-1) was the loser... Waleska only got seven hits off of him... 1B Phil Wilson (.625) accounted for Taranto's only run with a solo shot in the 2nd frame.

HARDY HOMER EVENS SERIES
The only difference in game two of the Ruthlandian DCS between Waleska and Taranto was CF Kenny Hardy's (.111) two-run blast in the 2nd inning... that gave the Westerners a 2-1 victory over the Tars to even the series at one game each... young Kenny Foster (1-0) was sharp as a razor, restricting the heavy-hitting Tars to just one run on six hits in eight innings... John McElveen topped it off for him, blanking the Tars in the last of the 9th, striking out two of them... 20-game winner Valerio Rossi (0-1) was the loser... Waleska only got seven hits off of him... 1B Phil Wilson (.625) accounted for Taranto's only run with a solo shot in the 2nd frame.

RED CAPS RAP TYPHOONS, TIE SERIES
On the road in Turon at Typhoon Stadium, the Oxford Red Caps clubbed three roundtrippers to top Turon 6-2 and tie the Tycobbian Division Championship Series at a game apiece... CF Dwayne Wagner (.429) whacked a three-run homer... and SS Mito Fujikawa (.111) and LF Ozzy Ackerman (.286) chimed in with a solo salvo each to put away the Typhoons... Lou Ellison (1-0) got the win, but left after five innings with a 3-1 lead... Ellison's shoulder tightened up and he was relieved by Tyrone Marte, who finished the game, allowing only one run in four innings... Tom Fuller (0-1) took the loss... the Red Caps ripped him for six runs in seven innings... Turon outhit Oxford 8 to 5.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 23, 2052

WMACS STOP MIDDLEFIELD RAMPAGE
Game three was a daunting task for rookie hurler George Medworth... in the first two games on the road in the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series, the Middlefield Roosters had ravaged Wynnamac's best pitchers for 26 runs and two easy victories... in the friendly confines of Granger Field, the 25-year-old right-hander took charge and cooled off the torrid Rooster bats, posting a 5-2 victory and narrowing the Middlefield lead to two games to one in the best-of-seven series... Medworth was 21-8 in the regular season with a sparkling 2.90 ERA... the Roosters were held to eight hits... two solo homers were all the damage Middlefield could do... LF Rufus Blackburn (.364) and 2B Natty Colclough (.500) both went deep... it was Colclough's 4th of the series... CF Dickie Key (.273) homered and topped the Sundowners with three hits, two runs and an RBI... C Jethro Bibbs (.231) had two RBIs for Wynnamac... games four and five will also be in Wynnamac... Middlefield errors hurt starter and loser Hollis Dale (23-10/3.66)... he only gave up one earned run in six frames.

CARLSON TAMES TARS, WESTERNERS LEAD 2-1
The strong pitching continued in the Waleska-Taranto Ruthlandian Division Championship Series, especially by the Westerners' Lou Carlson (20-10/3.85)... the hard-throwing right-hander struck out nine and only allowed four hits en route to a 5-1 win over the favored Tars at Westerner Field... rookie Enzo Ferrara (17-15/3.58) didn't do well... Waleska bashed him for five runs and 11 hits in six-plus innings... RF Boomer Barnes (.500) led the Westerners with three RBIs and LF Zip McHan (.500) chimed in with two more... it was Waleska's second straight victory... they now have a 2-1 edge in the series.

PANTHERS PREVAIL, 3RD WIN IN A ROW
It took the East Point Panthers 12 innings, but they prevailed 9-6 over the Kenwood Wildcats for the third straight time in the Tycobbian DCS... the winning score came in on a passed ball... C Kenny Bailey (.182) drilled a two-run single to give the Panthers a three-run cushion... East Point got a fine relief job from winning pitcher Kerry Woodburn (7-5/3.35/11 saves/48 G), who shut down the Wildcats without a run over the final three frames, striking out four batters... the Panthers racked up 15 hits and were led by LF Jay Jay Nix (.750) with three hits and two RBIs... 1B Alvaro Cavacos (.300) also had three hits and a home run... top bats for Kenwood were C Corky DiNozzo (.308) and RF Micah Yarbrough (.286) each with a homer and two RBIs.

RED CAPS EDGE TYPHOONS ON CUTHBERT'S TRIPLE
At Winchester Park in Oxford, the hometown Red Caps captured a seesaw battle with Turon, edging the Typhoons in game three of the Tycobbian Division Championship Series 5-4 on 2B Ethan Cuthbert's game-winning triple in the bottom of the 9th... the Red Caps are now up 2-1 in the series... Oxford slammed three homers and came back to win after trailing 4-3 going into the 8th frame... RF Wade McGrew (.154) and CF Dwayne Wagner (.364) hit back-to-back blasts in the 4th and LF Ozzy Ackerman (.273) tied the score 4-4 in the 8th... the Red Caps had the advantage in hits 8 to 5 with the win going to reliever Rene McCanless (2-2/2.23/6 saves/37 G)... he held Turon scoreless in the 9th... in a lackluster outing rookie Glenn Avery (7-2/2.11) went all the way in defeat... the longballs killed him.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 24, 2052

MIDDLEFIELD MAULS WMACS, UP 3-1 IN SERIES
For the third time in four games in the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series, Middlefield mauled Wynnamac, scoring in double digits... this time around it was 13-2 at Granger Field, the home of the Sundowners... the Roosters lashed 16 hits and three homers to take a commanding three games to one lead in the best-of-seven set... Middlefield has gone deep 13 times so far... CF Johnny Wyatt (.308) hammered a grand slammer... 1B Timothy Hayworth (.364) walloped a three-run blast and batted in four runs... and 3B Cramer Landis (.316) hit a solo job... veteran lefty Larry Wheelhouse (20-14/4.14) toyed with Wynnamac, holding them to six hits and no earned runs... James Duncan (8-5/2.98) lost it, giving up five runs in six innings.

TARS TIE SERIES BEHIND DE ANGELIS
It's all tied up at 2-2 in the best-of-seven Ruthlandian DCS... Taranto got a solid mound performance from a 30-year-old rookie Freddy De Angelis (8-8/3.48), who went all the way in a 4-1 victory... De Angelis scattered nine hits and stranded 10 baserunners... he struck out four and issued only one base on balls... loser Niles Nielsen (14-13/3.98) was tagged for 11 hits and four runs in his seven frames... he whiffed six and walked two batters... the Tars got 12 hits, but left 11 men on base.

KENWOOD HANGS IN, BARELY ALIVE
It wasn't a thing of beauty, but the Kenwood Wildcats fought off the favored East Point Panthers at the Olde Towne Grounds and stayed alive in the Tycobbian Division Championship Series... down 3-0 and on the verge of elimination, Kenwood rallied from a 4-1 deficit and pulled out the victory 5-4 in 10 innings... with two away in the 10th CF Sean Gammon (.316) got aboard on an infield error, stole second base and rode home on 2B Jace McFalls (.263/3 RBI) single... Kip Patrick (2-1/2.25/11 G) got credit for the victory with two scoreless frames... Kerry Woodburn (7-5/3.35) was pinned with the loss... there were 9 errors in the game... five of them by Kenwood.

RED CAPS GO UP 3-1 ON TYPHOONS
At home in Oxford, the Red Caps moved closer to eliminating Turon from the Pro Cup playoffs... Oxford jumped out to a 9-3 lead after the first four frames and staved off the Typhoons' rally... the Red Caps held on to win 9-7 and are now ahead in the best-of-seven series three games to one... Oxford was led at the plate by 3B Allen Spears (.333) with two hits and three ribbies... 2B Ethan Cuthbert (.188) knocked in a pair of scores... and 1B Cliff Nilssen (.313) went 4-for-4 and batted in a run... the win went to starter Tekkan Nishikawa (18-12/4.75)... he tossed five innings, gave up four runs - two earned - and eight hits... he was lucky his bullpen didn't blow his big lead... top bats for Turon were RF Matthew Fears (.286) with three RBIs and 3B Joel Guidry (.357) with three hits, two runs and two RBIs... losing pitcher was starter Russell Mallory (16-7/3.72), who exited early after being shelled for eight runs in less than three innings.

:eatpop:

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 25, 2052

WMACS RAP ROOSTERS, STILL DOWN 3-2
The Wynnamac Sundowners are back in the hunt after rapping Middlefield 7-5 in game five... they whipped Pro Cup favorite Middlefield for the second day in a row and cut their lead in the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series to three games to two... The Sundowners SS Jonathan Garrett (.300/2 RBI) busted up a 5-5 tie in the 7th with a two-run hit... LF Scott Clevenger (.667) led their 12-hit attack with four hits and two runs scored... 1B Enos Benham (.375) also drove in a pair of runs... Middlefield 1B Natty Colclough (.529) had three hits in defeat.... reliever Johnny Mitchell (5-6/3.31/11 saves/52 G) registered the win with two scoreless innings... the series will now switch back to Middlefield Park for the last two games... all the Roosters need is one more victory to move on to the Ruthlandian title series.

TARS TRIM WESTERNERS IN GAME 5, UP 3-2
Taranto got another strong start from rookie Phil Castle, who hurled them past Waleska 4-2 in the fifth game of the Ruthlandian DCS at Westerner Field... the favored Tars are now up by a 3-2 margin in the series and just need one more victory to advance to the next round, the Ruthlandian Finals... Castle (2-0/0.54) didn't permit an earned run, allowed only four hits in seven and two-third innings... Louie Toscano (10-1/0.70/8 saves/33 G) relieved and shut the door on Waleska the last inning and a third... Vince Gibson (0-2/2.40) lost for the second time in the series, giving up four runs - two earned - on six hits... four runs in the second did him in... C Niccolo Parisi (.333) doubled in a run, RF Cody Losby (.214) ground out to second for run number two, 2B Rico Messina (.375) singled in a run and pitcher Castle (.333) got the last one in with an RBI single... the Westerners could muster only five hits, while the Tars got 8.

RED CAPS ROLL TO TYCOBBIAN FINALS
Playing at home at Winchester Park, the Oxford Red Caps roared past Turon 11-6 in game five of the Tycobbian Division Championship Series and advanced to the Tycobbian title series... in a mild upset Oxford copped four of the five games... the Red Caps clubbed 13 hits and four homers, paced by C Giles Gilliam (.267/7 RBI) with two roundtrippers and five RBIs... a pretty good day's output for a number eight hitter... RF Wade McGrew (.238/3 RBI) and LF Ozzy Ackerman (.316/5 RBI) both hammered two-run homers for Oxford... Turon got 14 hits, but lacked home-run power... the Typhoons didn't have a single roundtripper in the five-game series, while the Red Caps hit 10.

Oxford skipper Dennis Hartwig said he knew his club could hit, but it was surprising that they handled Turon pitching so well... especially in the last two games... Turon manager C. C. Kingsford told the reporters that he couldn't believe how bad his pitchers performed... "We couldn't keep the ball in the ballpark."

Oxford will now take on the winner of the East Point-Kenwood series for the Tycobbian Union championship.

KENWOOD STOPS PANTHERS, STILL BEHIND 3-2
Two 36-year-old "old pros" saved the day for the Kenwood Wildcats... Corky Di Nozzo and Country Crowder teamed up to top powerful East Point 5-3 in game five of the Tycobbian DCS, forcing a game six... the much-favored Panthers are still in the driver's seat with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series... with the game tied 3-3 in the 8th Di Nozzo (.273) doubled to start the inning and Crowder (.273/4 RBI) singled him in for the game-deciding run... RF Micah Yarbrough (.348/5 RBI) tacked on an extra run for good measure with an RBI single... reliever Emmitt Oates (1-1/0.00/2 G) came to the rescue of starter Tony Myerson (19-11/3.12) with three shutout innings... 21-game winner Ralph Wallace (1-1/2.65) went the route and logged the loss... he gave up five runs on eight hits, while fanning five batters and walking two... Kenwood 3B Bailey Brumley (.250/2 RBI) hit a solo homer in the 5th and CF Sean Gammon (.318/3 RBI) drove in two runs... East Point 1B Alvaro Cavacos (.300/3 RBI) had a single and a homer, scored twice and drove in a pair... C Kenny Bailey (.421/6 RBI) got three hits and batted in a run... the best-of-seven series now returns to East Point to decide the winner.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 26, 2052

ROOSTERS ELIMINATE WMACS IN 6 GAMES
Pro Cup favorite Middlefield came through with flying colors and eliminated tough Wynnamac in six games... the Roosters will now advance to the Ruthlandian League Championship Series against the Taranto Tars... in game six at Middlefield Park, the Roosters ran up an early 7-3 margin and managed to hold off the Sundowners 7-6 in spite of being outgunned 12 hits to 6... Middlefield LF Trip Agarn (.444) cracked his 4th homer of the series and batted in four runs, giving him a total of 13 RBIs in the six games... leading the WMACS was CF Dickie Key (.318/5 RBI) with three hits and three RBIs... his two-run smash cut the Rooster lead to one run in the top of the 8th... the Sundowners also made a last-ditch effort in the 9th putting the winning runs on base with two away when Middlefield finally finished them off.

Middlefield manager Rinky Tinker praised his home-run hitters and solid pitching staff... "The mound corps did their job and the hitters did, too... 14 roundtrippers and 56 runs in six games is some kind of offense."

Wynnamac's skipper Jerry Meeks said his club was just overmatched... "Too much power combined with good pitching... our defense let us down, too, with 15 errors... Middlefield will be hard to beat this year."

TARS PUT AWAY WESTERNERS IN 6 GAMES
The Ruthlandian League Championship Series is decided... it will be Pro Cup favorite Middlefield taking on up-and-coming Taranto for the Ruthlandian title... the Tars qualified by walloping Waleska in six games, trouncing them 10-5 in game six at the tiny Palazzo di Sport... Taranto slammed 6 out of the park in the rout with RF Leo Marchetti (.400/4 RBI) hitting two of them and batting in three runs... LF Kuma Toyota (.148), 3B Gaetano Palombo (.250), C Niccolo Parisi (.318) and CF Renzo Caruso (.087) also went deep... it was a rain-filled afternoon with several long delays... Valerio Rossi (1-1/1.79) picked up the win, but departed in the 6th with a 10-2 lead, after giving only two hits and no earned runs.

Speaking at the post-game news conference, Augie Marshall, manager of Taranto told the press, "Our pitching was quite impressive... we beat a pretty fair ballclub... they were Pro Cup runner-ups last year and were looking to win it this year... Castle, Rossi and De Angelis pretty much shut down the Waleska bats... fortunately we got enough runs to beat them."

A disappointed Roy Hobbs, Waleska's skipper, commented, "We had a better team this year than last... I really was looking forward to the playoffs this year... thought we had a chance to win it all... to win in the postseason, you need balance... good pitching, good scoring and good defense... our pitching was fine with Gibson, Carlson and Neilsen... our bats just went south in the series... but you have to give credit to Taranto... they have really good pitching... Castle is a rookie, but he is unhittable... together with Rossi, the Tars are a force this year."

PANTHER POWER PREVAILS IN 6 OVER KENWOOD
East Point had too much firepower for Kenwood... the Panthers prevailed in six games to advance to the Tycobbian title series against the Oxford Red Caps... game six went to East Point 7-5 in 13 innings... 2B Major Woods' two-run blast put an end to Kenwood's fine season... the Panthers got excellent bullpen work, which shut down the Wildcat bats with only two hits over the last six frames... 21-year-old rookie Chip Dowler (1-0) was the winner... he struck out two of the three batters he faced... Pudgy Putnam worked two scoreless innings and Joey Dulles blanked Kenwood in his three frames... Perry Ryker (0-1/2.08) permitted two runs in four-plus innings and suffered the loss... East Point got a three-run homer from C Kenny Bailey (.360) and a solo salvo from CF Pokie Ash (.310)... in all, the Panthers outpowered the Wildcats 8-4 in the long ball department... it was a hard-fought and close series with four of the games extending into extra innings... all six games were in doubt and could have gone either way.

After such a tense ordeal, East Point manager Frank Blair said he was mighty glad to see Kenwood gone... "They gave us all we could handle... fortunately our pitching held up well, both starters and relievers... and I was quite happy with the hitters, too."

Babe Hankins, Kenwood's skipper, was very pleased with the experience but not the outcome... "My youngsters put up a good fight against a really good team... don't be surprised if East Point wins the Pro Cup this year... I'll tell you one thing, it will take a special team to beat them this year."

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 25, 2052

RU FINALS, TU FINALS SET TO PLAY
After one round of playoff action in the Islandian Pro Alliance, 8 teams have been downsized to 4... the fortunate 4 are Middlefield and Taranto in the Ruthlandian Championship Series and East Point and Oxford in the Tycobbian Championship Series... these Pro Cup title contenders will square off tomorrow afternoon in best-of-seven series.

The Pro Cup favorite Middlefield Roosters (106-48) will be at home at Middlefield Park welcoming the 6th-ranked Taranto Tars (99-55) for the first two games... while the 2nd-ranked East Point Panthers (96-58) will host 8th-rated Oxford (86-69) at Armed Forces Stadium... both the Roosters and Panthers will be favored... Middlefield slightly... and East Point, a hefty favorite.

The Middlefield Roosters dominated a good Wynnamac club, whipping them in five games in the Ruthlandian Division Series... the Roosters scorched the Sundowner pitchers for 14 homers and 53 runs in five games... this was startling because Wynnamac has a fine crop of pitchers, ranked third-best in the Ruthlandian Union... will Trip Agarn (.440/4 HR/13 RBI), Natty Colclough (.500/4 HR/6 RBI) and Cramer Landis (.320/1 HR/7 RBI) be able to handle perhaps the best staff in the RU, the Taranto Tars, who posted the second-best team ERA this season with a superb 2.74 ERA... only Rocky Rapids was better with a splendid 2.66 ERA.

Taranto is coming off a tough series with last year's Pro Cup finalist, the Waleska Westerners... they defeated the Westerners four games to two in a pitcher-dominated series... Waleska was the 7th-rated team in the Pro Cup poll... Middlefield is a much stronger club with the bats than the Westerners... they had 7 roundtrippers in the Waleska series, but 6 of them came in the 10-5 finale.

Taranto is no slouch when it comes to scoring runs and going deep... they were second in the RU with 191 homers... Middlefield led with 206... the Roosters also hit for a better average with .270, while the Tars batted .258... top bats so far in the Pro Cup playoffs for Taranto are Phil Wilson (.455/1 HR/2 RBI), C Niccolo Parisi (.318/1 HR/4 RBI) and Leo Marchetti (.400/2 HR/4 RBI).

Taranto's rotation was super in the first round, led by rookie phenom Phil Castle (23-3/1.83), Valerio Rossi (20-11/2.52) and rookie Freddy De Angelis (8-8/3.48/7 saves/36 G)... Enzo Ferrara (17-15/3.58) will be their fourth starter... manager Augie Marshall may soon also have Armani Pizzoconi (10-5/2.98) returning from the DL... if that happens the Tars-Roosters series just might be one made in heaven.

Middlefield skipper Ricky Tinker has a high-quality rotation, too, with James Long (26-9/2.57), Carroll Collier (16-8/3.57), Hollis Dale (23-10/3.66) and Larry Wheelhouse (20-14/4.14)... and the Roosters have one of the best bullpen in the Islands with Norm Coventry (8-5/2.84/15 saves/47 G) and Ricky Farris (8-2/1.48/7 saves/42 G)... Taranto has a fine relief corps as well, paced by Louie Toscano (10-1/0.70/8 saves/33 G).

Forecast: whew... this is a tough one... Middlefield is a monster team this year... but the addition of hurler Pizzoconi could be put Taranto right up there with the Roosters... should be a whale of a series... Middlefield in 7 games.

The Tycobbian title series looks like a mismatch... on paper the East Point Panthers are far superior to the Oxford Red Caps... during the regular campaign the Panthers batted .280 (3rd), scored 909 runs (2nd) and slugged 207 home runs (2nd)... the Red Caps were good, too, with a .270 BA (11th), 900 runs (3rd) and 167 homers (7th)... East Point has much better pitching with a 3.63 ERA (9th), compared to Oxford's 4.19 ERA (23rd).

The young Kenwood Wildcats gave East Point more than was expected... the Panthers topped the rookie-laden Wildcats in six games... in all, the Panthers outpowered the Wildcats 8-4 in the long ball department... it was a hard-fought and close series with four of the games extending into extra innings... all six games were in doubt and could have gone either way... Kenwood was ranked the 4th-best club in the IPA playoffs this year.

Oxford, voted least likely to win the Pro Cup this year, took on Turon in the first round of the postseason and surprised the 6th-ranked Typhoons, routing them in five games... the Red Caps clouted 10 homers, while Turon didn't hit any... Pokie Ash (.310/2 HR/6 RBI), Kenny Bailey (.360/2 HR/9 RBI), Alvaro Cavacos (.308/2 HR/3 RBI) and Jay Jay Nix (.438/1 HR/3 RBI) will spark East Point at the plate... on the hill it will be Ralph Wallace (21-16/2.62), Benny Allen (20-11/3.84), Lee Price (23-9/4.61) and Milt Easterling (11-11/4.25)... the Panthers' bullpen is impressive with Pudgy Putnam (10-4/1.79/9 saves/52 G) and Kerry Woodburn (7-5/3.35/11 saves/48 G).

Oxford will counter with Rudy Mellancamp (21-14/3.66), Lou Ellison (21-16/4.02), Tekkan Nishikawa (18-12/4.75) and Homer Keaton (11-16/4.55) or Tyrone Marte (10-15/4.21)... not a lot in the Red Caps' pen... Rene McCanless (2-2/2.23/6 saves/37 G) has been the most effective.

Heading up the Oxford attack will be 3B Allen Spears (.400/0 HR/5 RBI), Ozzy Ackerman (.316/3 HR/5 RBI), Cliff Nilssen (.300/0 HR/1 RBI), Giles Gilliam (.267/2 HR/7 RBI), Wade McGrew (.238/2 HR/3 RBI) and Dwayne Wagner (.235/2 HR/4 RBI)... look for Ethan Cuthbert (.211/0 HR/3 RBI) and Mito Fujikawa (.143/1 HR/2 RBI) to provide some offense, too... Oxford went deep 10 times in the opening series.

Forecast: East Point in no more than 5-6 games... Oxford is overmatched.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES

AROUND THE TOWN IN THE IPA

EAST POINT PANTHERS

Owner: Silver Mountain Marble Works
GM: Karol Zodoka
Manager: Frank Blair

East Point is primarily a military town with a population of 84,000 inhabitants. It is a splendid town surrounded and fortified by a ringed wall of white marble, which is found in great abundance in local quarries and pits. The marble business is one of the important elements of the local economy.

East Point is reminiscent of ancient Rome and Athens, but on a much smaller scale. Majestic marble statues and buildings are ever present sights. East Point is on the westside of the Silver Mountains in east central Tycobbia and located right on the Ruthlandian border at Frontier Pass, the only land route connecting the two countries. East Point was established to protect Tycobbia from invasion from the east. Right across the border is Ft. Benton, its Ruthlandian military counterpart.

All branches of the military are headquartered here. Basic training is conducted on the base. It is also the site of the War College, which trains the officer corps at East Point Military Academy. Future officers are educated and trained here. It is also a retirement home and medical facility for veterans. Many military and medical suppliers have their home offices here as well.

East Point is a model town, organized and structured in military fashion. It is a well-designed and well-planned town with perfectly square blocks, all identical in size. All streets run perfect parallel, north to south and east to west. There is a civilian government, but it works closely with the military authorities, who provide boot camp trainees for sanitation purposes. Streets are pristine clean and well-manicured because the military recruits sweep through the town each morning and police the town of any trash, litter and debris.

It is also home to the East Point Panthers Baseball Club of the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Panthers are in the East Division of the Tycobbian Union. The club is owned and operated by the Silver Mountain Marble Works. Running the ball club is general manager Karol Zodoka, who excelled as a player for the Panthers. Zodoka was a power-hitting infielder. He had an outstanding career from 2002 to 2017. He was a 7-time All-Star, won 4 Golden Gloves, a Golden Bat and RU MVP Award. Zodoka batted .293 with 391 homers and over 1300 RBIs. The field manager is Frank Blair, a former star twirler for East Point. He toiled long and hard for mostly mediocre teams and compiled 265-248 mark from 2025 to 2043 and posted a career 3.47 ERA. Only 3 times in his 19 seasons did the club make the first division. During his playing career the Panthers never came close to winning the division title.

The Panthers play at ancient and majestic Armed Forces Stadium, named in memory and in honor of the men and women of the Tycobbian Armed Forces. Marble was used extensively in the stadium construction and peripheral facade. Beyond the outfield walls there is a breathtaking view of the town in the distance, replete with marble buildings and monuments. Armed Forces Stadium is not a big ballpark dimension-wise. The fans and batters love it because of the high-scoring games, but pitchers dread pitching here.

Music is supplied at the ballpark by the Army, Air Force and Navy bands to inspire the Panther fans and spur their team on to victory. At the seventh inning stretch one of the service anthems is played, followed by the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Food-wise you get soft drinks, beer, hot dogs, hamburgers, peanuts and crackerjacks. Sorry, no "K-rations", "MREs" or "SOS".

Armed Forces Stadium (1935)

Capacity: 9500

Dimensions:

LF Line 326
LF 345
LCF 375
CF 388
RCF 375
RF 345
RF Line 326

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES

AROUND THE TOWN IN THE IPA

OXFORD RED CAPS

Owner: Tyco-Tech

GM: Babe Friedriksen

Manager: Dennis Hartwig

Oxford is a town of 89,000 found in the east central plains of Tycobbia, 10 miles east of the Blue Lake and 10 miles west of the Silver Mountains. It is a rural area, settled by English emigres in the 1850s and was originally called Mills Creek. In its early days farming and sheepherding were the mainstays of the economy. One of the emigres was a young commoner, Charles Emerson Winchester, who had been turned down for admission to the famed Oxford University in England. It was his dream to be an educator and eventually become a university scholar and administrator. His heart was broken by Oxford's rejection, so he enrolled in a lesser school and graduated summa cum laude. He then emigrated to Tycobbia, where there was no class system and started a small rural college in Mills Creek. Winchester said, "My voice shall be heard from this wilderness"... and it was. It was the first college in Tycobbia and within a few years became so successful that the name of the town was changed to Oxford. Winchester said his dream to teach at Oxford had finally come true. Oxford rivals St. John University in Ruthlandia as the outstanding higher learning institution in the Islands.

Today Oxford University is a thriving private institution and much desired by the Islands high school graduates. The Oxonian graduates are in much demand in Tycobbia and Ruthlandia. The university is the town's dominant industry and supplies the local high tech companies with outstanding recruits. One of those high tech companies is Tycob-Tech, which is the owner of the Oxford Red Caps in the Islandian Pro Alliance. The team is named in honor of the university and adopted Oxford's red and white colors for their own. The school even shares historic Winchester Stadium (circa 1909) with the Red Caps.

Oxford's entry into baseball began in the late 1890's, when the college began an intramural baseball league. That soon expanded to include the townspeople. By 1905, Oxford baseball expanded to playing other town teams in Tycobbia. In 1920 the Amateur Baseball Alliance changed it rules, so that players could be employed by companies and play baseball. In theory, they were not paid to play baseball, just given time off from work to practice and play games. It continued that way until 2001, when Ban Johnson, the ABA commissioner, said it was time for a professional baseball league, where players could be paid just to play baseball and do it legally. The company and industrial league sponsors had long been circumventing and violating the spirit of the amateur rules. Johnson said it was time to bring it out in the open. That is how the IPA came to be.

Winchester Stadium is situated on the beautiful Oxford campus. Smokestacks and school buildings are visible beyond the outfield fences. The Oxonian fans have a rousing good time at the Red Cap games. It is a college crowd, filled with undergrads and alumni. Cheerleaders and a dance team inspire the fans with all of the old Oxford cheers, adapted for the Red Caps. You still hear "two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar" and the Oxford fight song reverberating throughout the ballpark. In the seventh inning there is the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Then in the eighth, everyone sings the Oxford Alma Mater. If the game goes into extra innings and reaches the fourteenth frame, the fans will sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the Fourteenth Inning Stretch. This is unique in all of baseball. No one else does this. Food concessions at Winchester Stadium are just the typical hot dogs, hamburgers, cokes, beer, peanuts and crackerjacks.

The Oxford Red Caps have an experienced management team, consisting of Babe Friedriksen as general manager and Dennis Hartwig as manager. She was the women's softball coach, basketball coach and athletic director at Oxford. Hartwig was an outstanding hitter and outfielder, who played college ball at the Oxford, then signed with the Red Caps upon graduation. He starred for 16 years, batting .303 with 338 home runs and 1349 RBIs. Hartwig was a Golden Glover, Ruthlandian Rookie of the Year in 2023, Batter of the Year in 2025 and a 5-time All-Star.

Winchester Stadium (1909)

Capacity: 10,250

Dimensions:

LF Line 335
LF 355
LCF 382
CF 420
RCF 368
RF 335
RF Line 300

Love the look of that stadium!

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 26, 2052

Ruthlandian League Championship Series - Game 1 at Middlefield Park in Middlefield

MIDDLEFIELD MOPS UP ON TARS IN OPENER
The Pro Cup favorite Middlefield Roosters made it look easy Thursday afternoon in game one of the Ruthlandian League Championship Series, played at Middlefield Park... Middlefield mopped up on Taranto 10-4 with 3B Cramer Landis (.379/10 RBI) rapping three hits and driving in three runs... 1B Timothy Hayworth (.300/6 RBI) and C Johnny McDonald (.261/5 RBI) helped out with two RBIs each... Hayworth and LF Tim Agarn (.433/14 RBI) both went deep for the Roosters... it was Agarn's 5th in the playoffs... Taranto manager Augie Marshall might be second-guessed for his opening game starter Armani Pizziconi (10-5/2.98), who just came off the Disabled List and hasn't pitched since mid-June... in a dismal outing Pizziconi was humbled for six runs in six innings... he was tagged for six hits and walked four batters... the Tars were miserable in the field with five errors... only two of the runs charged to Pizziconi were earned... Hollis Dale (1-1/3.00) breezed through the Taranto batting order... the Tars touched him for 10 hits with LF Kuma Toyota (.219/4 RBI) getting three hits, including a two-run roundtripper... but Dale shut them down until the game was decided... the Roosters were up 9-1 going into the 8th.

Tycobbian Union League Championship Series - Game 1 at Armed Forces Stadium in East Point

DENNHARDT HR WINS OPENER FOR PANTHERS
Heavily-favored East Point staggered early against underdog Oxford in the Tycobbian Union title matchup, but still came away with a 5-3 win in the opening game of the best-of-seven series at Armed Forces Stadium, thanks to a dramatic two-run clout by RF Doug Dennhardt (.200/5 RBI) in the last of the 8th... going into the inning the Red Caps were ahead 3-2, but losing pitcher Rudy Mellancamp (0-1/4.02) caved in to East Point power.... Mellancamp permitted five runs- just three earned - on six hits... he also walked five batters... Panther #4 starter Lee Price (23-9/4.61) did well and only allowed two runs in his six innings... Price turned it over to the bullpen with the score tied 2-all... the victory went to Kerry Woodburn (2-1/0.00/3 G), who sat down the Red Caps with 1-2-3 innings in the 8th and 9th... not a lot of hits in the contest... Oxford had the edge 7-6 with LF Ozzy Ackerman (.333/6 RBI) getting his 4th postseason homer.