THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, May 1, 2054

TYPHOONS, 'CANES, SUNSETS TOP TU TEAMS
Last season the Turon Typhoons stormed through the season, destroying all comers and winning the pennant by a huge 19 games... this year, at least in the early going, they do have a couple of challengers... at the end of the first month of play Turon (17-7) is off-and-running again atop the Tycobbian South Division, but they are tied with the Cape Coral Hurricanes (17-7) with the Summerland Sunsets (14-10) hanging closeby in third place, just 3 games off the pace at the end of April... San Alejo (11-13) and Ginza (11-13) are tied for the fourth spot in the standings, 6 GB.

Turon (17-7) is skippered by C. C. Kingsford... for the last 8 years they have been solid contenders in the TU South... the Typhoons have won the division flag the last two seasons... they reached the Tycobbian finals last year and lost to powerful IPA champ Midway... Turon has made the playoffs 17 times in its history and won 4 Pro Cup championships (2003, 2006, 2009, 2018)... but none lately... on two other occasions the Typhoons lost in the Pro Cup Finals in 7 games to great teams: the 2010 Colfax Blasters and the 2017 Eastshore Elegants.

Kingsford was an 8-time All-Star with a career .308 BA, 432 HR and 1577 RBI in his 18 seasons with the Typhoons... his father was Hall of Famer Clyde Kingsford (.319 BA/485 HR/1523 RBI)... this season Turon has a high-powered attack with a .306 team BA (1st), 164 runs (2nd) and 24 HR (11th)... but the team is deficient on the hill with a 4.13 ERA (17th)... Kingsford has more good hitters than he can play at one time... leading the way are CF Maxie Mullinax (.378 BA/2 HR/10 RBI/26 R/14 SB), 3B Joel Guidry (.303/2/20/20/2 SB), 1B Shoyo Yuro (.406/4/16/20/2 SB), SS Bill Wolverton (.362/4/14/15/2B), 2B Gaylen Clive (.310/1/17/14/3 SB), RF Andy Williams (.298/2/10/10/3 SB) and SS Fernando Labrera (.375/1/10/9/2 SB)... and Turon has three pretty solid starters in Jose Beltran (4-0/2.27), Nate Scottsdale (4-1/1.61) and Yancey Hedges (4-0/4.03)... but Kingsford needs help in the bullpen (6.28 ERA/27th)... the baseball experts have gone on record that the Typhoons will again blow away everybody in the Tycobbian South, just like last year.

Only one time has the Cape Coral Hurricanes (17-7) been a factor in the TU South in the last 15 years... the rest of the time they were entrenched in the second division... the last pennant came in 2041... they have been to the postseason playoffs 8 times, but came away with no Pro Cups... this season the 'Canes are similar to Turon... great bats, little pitching... manager William Snyder (.332 BA/426 HR/1554 RBI), a former Hurricane star and recent 2053 IPA HOF inductee, has a hot-hitting club with a .298 BA (3rd), 170 runs (1st) and 27 HR (5th)... however on the hill they only have a mediocre 4.42 team ERA (22nd)... Snyder has a potent bunch of bats with RF Enrique Orantez (.385 BA/3 HR/20 RBI/20 R), SS Lynwood Barley (.355/1/20/18/5 SB), LF Marki Heinsohn (.333/2//17/16/3 SB), 3B Sammie Ashcraft (.373/2/9/19), 2B Jaybird Ethridge (.281/10/20/21) and CF Billy Lee Wakefield (.287/1/8/15/2 SB)... Cape Coral has two fine starters in Banjo Prewitt (4-0/2.95) and Ivan Dalrymple (4-1/3.64) but little else on the staff... the Hurricanes might have enough offense to stick close to Turon this year and give them a run for their money.

The third place Summerland Sunsets (14-10) had been stuck in the second division of the TU South for the last 6 years until last year when they came in a distant second to Turon with a pretty good 82-72 mark (19 GB)... the Sunsets have always been known to have good pitching... this year it has returned with a vengeance... manager Antonio Varques' club has an extraordinary 2.35 ERA in the first month of the season... easily the best in the IPA... but Summerland has difficulty scoring runs (90 R-28th)... the four starters have been magnificent: Rudy Hilgendorf (5-0/1.47), Corey Vincent (3-3/1.48), Tommy Underhill (2-2/1.26) and 37-year-old superstar Jayson Hallstrom (3-1/2.20)... however, the bullpen is just spotty with a 4.29 ERA (24th)... offensively the Sunsets don't have much beyond 1B Kenny Douglas (.333 BA/4 HR/15 RBI/17 R/2 SB), LF Kinky Elkerson (.315/3/12/14/3 SB) and C Zip Enright (.329/1/7/9)... it's always tough for pitching-rich teams with poor hitting to compete in the IPA... the Sunsets have one of the best team ERAs (3.50) in the league over the years, but has only made the postseason four times and has never won a Pro Cup... the last appearance came in 2046... in 2040 highly-touted Summerland made it to the Pro Cup Finals, but lost in an upset to unheralded Ranford in 7 games.

The San Alejo Montaneros (11-13) fit the same description as Summerland historically... very good pitching, but weak at the plate... but that is not the case this year as manager Filipe Zamora's mound corps is getting old and is not as productive as they have been the past 15 years... his two super aces Will McKinney (271-137/2.52 ERA) and Matt Bell (324-175/2.39) are both 34 years old... last season the Monties finished fourth (79-75), 22 GB behind division winner Turon, the club's worst mark in 16 seasons... San Alejo has made the first division for the last 18 years... that number might be in jeopardy this year... McKinney (2-3/3.78) is off to a slow start, but Bell (2-1/2.39) is as strong as ever... Tommy Carter (3-3/2.36) and Joca Qartez (2-3/3.96) give them two more quality starters, but the bullpen is of no help... however, the bats are better this year with a .272 BA (13th), 110 runs (15th) and 27 HR (5th-tied), led by superstar CF Paulo Teixeira (.312 BA/7 HR/18 RBI/16 R), LF Royce Grantham (.253/9/17/15/2 SB), SS Callum Gainsborough (.329/2/11/7), 2B Allen Hooper (.368/0/4/15), RF Erik Landau (.267/2/14/12) and 3B Sal McAllister (.324/1/6/11).

The Ginza Ninjas (11-13) have missed the playoffs the last 24 seasons and are not likely to snap that streak... manager Tokuji Takahama was a fairly good hurler for the Ninjas, winding up with a 163-140 record and a 4.08 ERA... he has better-than-average pitching with a 3.51 ERA (8th)... Tommy Paige (4-1/2.66) and Delmer Guthrie (3-2/2.27) are capable starters and the bullpen is solid with a 2.14 ERA (4th), but the hitting and scoring is woeful... Ginza only has a .234 BA (30th), scored only 95 runs (27th) with just 16 HR (25th)... only SS Kazuki Tamura (.292 BA/4 HR/16 RBI/15 R/3 SB), 3B Horace Dyson (.276/1/4/15) and 1B Kyle Estes (.260/2/15/8/4 SB) produce any kind of offense... the Ninjas have made only 7 appearances in the playoffs in their history... they don't have a Pro Cup, but did make the Pro Cup Finals in the first year of the IPA, losing to Volusia in a 4-game sweep... that's as close as they have come.

19 of the last 20 seasons the sixth-place Arroyo Grande Suns (10-14) never finished in the upper half of the Tycobbian South... they usually wound up deep in the second division, 12 times coming in dead last... the Suns have only made the IPA playoffs 4 times and have never won a Pro Cup... they decided to go for broke this year and make some serious changes... they traded super-duper superstar Norishigi Ito, perhaps the very best player in the IPA, to Pro Cup champ Midway and star slugger Vince Kinston to Grand City in return for five quality players... time will tell if they made good trades... manager Eduardo Villanueva (.304 BA/229 HR/888 RBI/1048 R/174 SB), a solid, all-around outfielder in his playing days, thinks the trade will turn out good... the younger, up-and-coming players should make a difference in the long run... so far, the Suns have gone from bad to mediocre this year... ranking 22nd in scoring runs and 20th in pitching with a 4.21 ERA... they got Beau McCloud (18-10/3.38) from Midway and Rusty Stephens (12-16/3.80) and Roy Tuthill (16-17/3.11) from Grand City... thus far this season McCloud is 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA, Stephens is 1-2 and 3.80 and Tuthill is 1-2 and 3.00... already they are the best starters on the team... the Suns picked up 3B Nate Stiles (.321 BA/2 HR/13 RBI/13 R) and RF Elton O'Leary (.258/0/11/11/2 SB) from Midway in the Ito swap... both were bench players there... along with newcomer Stiles, Arroyo Grande's most productive batters are 1B Russell Taylor (.345 BA/3 HR/14 RB/15 R) and CF Tommy Lee Dade (.259/3/11/13/2 SB).

The Colchester Elites (9-15) have not been a very successful franchise in the IPA... 17 of the previous 18 seasons they came in as a second-division also-ran... the last pennant year was long ago in 2036... Colchester has had only 4 playoff appearances and has never won a Pro Cup... 3 times they lost in the first round... the best they have done was getting to the second round... and the lack of success continues right into this season... manager Blake Barrister's seventh-place club is already near the bottom of the division and 8 games behind at the end of April... a .248 BA (25th), 88 runs (29th) and a 5.07 ERA won't get you very far in the IPA or anywhere else... the starters are really bad... pitcher Champ Meadows (2-3/4.81) is the best of the worst... however, the bullpen is good with a fine 2.57 ERA (9th)... absolutely no talent at the plate... the best of the lot is 2B James Murchison (.270 BA/2 HR/7 RBI/15 R/3 SB), 3B Sidney Wacker (.267/4/11/9), RF Graig Sutton (.267/4/12/8) and LF Yancy Willmon (.265/3/10/7/2 SB)... it's gonna be a long, long season for the Colchester fans and skipper Blake Barrister... he might be 38 years old, but he might still be a potent bat to have in the lineup... in his career Barrister homered 453 times, drove in 1182 runs and hit .264 in 11 seasons... the Elites could really use his 40 home runs and 100 RBIs each season.

For the previous 12 years the last place Southport Sun Sox (7-17) have been very good... twice they won Pro Cups (2044, 2047)... and 7 times in 9 seasons the Sun Sox won the Tycobbian South Division crown... 11 times Southport has appeared in the IPA playoffs... overall they have won 3 Pro Cup trophies -- they also captured the 2027 IPA title -- but this year manager Lorne Evans is deep in the cellar... his club can't hit... .248 BA (26th), only 86 runs (31st) and 21 HR (17th) is not much of an offense... but his pitchers are still pretty good with a 3.51 ERA (9th)... Zack Phillips (1-1/0.89), Champ Shafer (0-6/2.84) and Lenny Carlson (2-3/3.11) should have better records, but the run support just isn't there... no one on the club is hitting... RF Manuelo Garcia (.282 BA/1 HR/8 RBI/10 R/3 SB), CF Ross Good (.211/5/14/10/5 SB), 1B Zee Graham (.259/5/15/10) are the only productive batters... and that's not much to boast about... however, Lorne Evans has a lot to boast about... one of the finest players in IPA annals... 4 MVPs, 12-time All-Star, 5 Golden Bats, 2 Golden Gloves... Evans was installed in the IPA Hall of Fame in 2045... he batted .305 in his career with 701 homers and 1836 RBIs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, May 1, 2054

BUCS BEST IPA RECORD, BEST IN TU WEST
Wow!... what a start for the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers... they have the best overall record in the IPA and are the best in the Tycobbian West with a super 20-4 mark... the Bucs are already 5 games up on the second place Arlon Champions (15-9)... and 7 games better than third place Kenwood and (13-11) Chicopee (13-11).

Manager Cotton Cornwall had a great April, ranking high with a 2.81 ERA (2nd) and high in scoring runs with 147 (4th), while batting at a .290 clip (6th) with 23 HR (12th-tied)... Bay St. Clair (20-4) is a club to be reckon with... they ran a good race last year finishing second and 6 games behind division-winning Denton City with an 83-71 record... the Buccaneers have been a solid contender for the last five seasons, winning pennants in '49 and '50 and winding up no worse than third place... 11 times the Bucs have made the playoffs, but they have never yet won a Pro Cup... Bay St. Clair's best showing was the 2015 Pro Cup Finals when they fell to the Taranto Tars in 5 games... Cornwall has a solid rotation with Scotty Hedwall (6-0/2.61), Jerry MacIntyre (3-1/1.49), Kermo Jarvi (3-1/3.83) and Dion Hawkins (3-2/4.02)... the Buccaneer bullpen is strong, too, with Cadillac Bogart (3-0/0.00/3 saves/9 G) and Darcey Kennedy (2-0/1.69/1 save/5 G)... the Bucs have beaucoup bats, too, sparked by LF Jed Killick (.358 BA/6 HR/26 RBI/19 R), 2B Ike Ritter (.387/0/10/16), 3B Trace Burney (.319/1/14/14), SS Pip Blaylock (.304/5/10/29/4 SB), 1B Clive Caveness (.316/2/12/18) and RF Don Holliday (.270/4/20/11).

The Arlon Champions (15-9) are playing very well under skipper Mark Cameron this year... in fact, his club could be better than the '51 bunch that captured the Pro Cup... the first and only one in the Champs history... Arlon has made the postseason playoffs only 6 times in its history... last year they came in 5th in the TU West (78-76)... so for this year the team is playing like a contender with a .281 BA (8th), 123 runs (9th), 22 HR (15th-tied) and a strong 2.99 team ERA (4th)... most of the mound staff from the Pro Cup year are still on the team... starters Lanny Gray (3-1/3.11), J. C. Hilburn (3-2/1.47) and Ty Coffee (5-1/1.65) anchor the rotation... the bullpen is very capable as well with Mack Blair (1-1/2.45/2 saves/6 G) in the closing role... Arlon most productive hitters are LF Timothy Webb (.407 BA/2 HR/10 RBI/18 R/4 SB), 1B P. J. Flagg (.291/5/19/17/2 SB) and 2B Art Carlin (.288/2/18/11)... should Erik Branham (2-3/4.85) regain his form of his first two seasons, the Champions would be a very serious challenger in the pennant... in '51 and '52 Branham was 22-12 and 19-10... he slipped a little last year to 15-20.

Third place Kenwood (13-11) fizzled last year ending up in 6th place with a 70-84 mark... the Wildcats won the TU West flag in '52 with a 91-63 record... a great decline in pitching was the culprit... manager Babe Hankins' staff ERA rose from 3.31 to 4.40... it's up to 4.41 (21st) this year... he still has a solid core of batsmen with a .293 BA (5th), 145 runs (6th-tied) and 20 HR (18th-tied)... Kenwood need a serious improvement on the hill... 1B Bralen Connally (.362 BA/7 HR/19 RBI/23 R) is having a terrific year, aided and abetted by LF William Gloucester (.310/1/17/16), CF Chris McNeal (.290/2/13/13) and 3B Bailey Brumley (.292/1/13/9)... on the mound the Wildcat standouts are Rusty Bradford (3-3/2.31) and Emmitt Oates (5-1/3.14)... the starters perform well, but the bullpen is just plain bad with a very poor 5.60 ERA (26th)... Hankins' crew will probably be in the battle for third place... higher is not likely... Kenwood has been in the postseason 10 times in its history... most of them in the last 15 years... the Wildcats have won 7 division flags in that time... the team's only Pro Cup trophy was captured in 2014.

The Chicopee Braves (13-11) are tied for the third spot in the TU West standings... manager Augie Meaux is at the helm... the team came in fourth last year at 80-74 (9 GB)... that is pretty much the outlook for this year... the Braves are batting a strong .285 (7th), but have trouble scoring... they have tallied on 108 runs (16th) and hit only 11 out of the park (31st)... in the pitching department Chicopee is just average with a 4.10 ERA (16th)... Meaux's top batsmen are CF Johnny Helwig (.375 BA/1 HR/5 RBI/13 R), RF Adam Maxson (.333/1/12/11), 1B Ken Smith (.364/0/11/9), SS Derrell Stelly (.317/3/11/9) and 3B Frank Luckett (.387/1/11/7/3 SB)... Chicopee only has fair starters led by Sharlon Barbour (4-1/3.83) and Charlie Lazar (2-2/3.61), but the bullpen is ranked one the best in the IPA with a 1.74 ERA (3rd) with Cy Abernathy (3-1/1.45/3 saves/10 G), Chipper Gilton (1-0/1.84/2 saves/7 G) and Rocky Dowling (0-1/1.74/1 save/6 G)... the Braves might be in the running for fourth place this season... Chicopee has a dismal postseason mark with only three appearances... the last pennants came in 2034, 2035 and 2036... the Braves have never collected a Pro Cup trophy.

The rest of the Tycobbian West Division are in the also-ran category and not very likely to break even this season... the Bayview Vikings (9-15) are currently in fifth place and 11 GB... it's been 9 years since the Viks had a winning club... the last pennant came years ago in 2016... Bayview has appeared in the Pro Cup playoffs only 6 times in its history, never coming close to winning the overall IPA crown... legendary IPA slugger Jerry Culpepper is the skipper... he's a Hall of Famer (2053) and has the all-time home-run mark with 878 and a .304 career batting average... 15-time All-Star and 5-time Golden Bat winner... this season the Vikings only have an average offense (18th) and a bad mound staff with a 5.07 ERA (28th)... top batters are C Lou Fairhead (.333 BA/5 HR/21 RBI/13 R), 1B Eddie Beeman (.289/2/17/10), CF Noel Connors (.289/4/12/20 3SB) and 2B Oscar Weatherford (.288/2/6/16)... Culpepper's top hurler is his closer Wayne Stewart (0-1/2.22/2 saves/13 G)... Dookie Nelson (3-3/4.97) is the best starter, but nothing much to brag about... Bayview was last in 2053 (64-90) and just might be headed that way again.

The remaining three teams are tied for last place, all with 8-16 records... the Denton City Redbirds (89-65) won the TU West last year, but has had an abysmal start in April... the club is not hitting at all... and the pitching has gone into decline as well... DC is batting only .239 (28th), ranks last with only 84 runs (32nd) and the pitching is has gone from 3.27 ERA up to 3.87 (12th)... Johnny Wingate (1-3/2.64) and Jayson Mannon (2-3/2.91) are quality starters, but are suffering from poor run support... Flash Stringfellow (1-2/3.74) is off to a slow start for him... and Harry Elliott (1-5/6.75) has been so bad, he retired... overall he was 228-210 with a 3.73 ERA... everybody on the Redbird squad suffered a slump in April... only 1B Val Anniston (.310 BA/5 HR/13 RBI/9 R) and SS Vincent McCloud (.269/3/11/15) put up decent numbers... Denton City has made the playoffs 10 times, but not a lot in recent years... their glory years were in the team's first decade... the Redbirds reached the Pro Cup Finals in 2008, but lost to Wynnamac in 6 games... that was as close as they got to a Pro Cup trophy... if the good bats snap out of their slumps and come around, Denton City could still challenge for third or fourth place... but no pennant is in the forecast again this year for manager Pete Gibbs.

The La Claire Lynx (8-16) wound up third last year with an 81-73 mark (8 GB), but manager Flash Devlin might have trouble duplicating it... Devlin, a 2038 Hall of Famer and 13-time All-Star infielder, and a lifetime .317 batter with 559 homers, has the hitting (11th), but not the pitching (27th)... LF Wilmer Burgess (.393 BA/1 HR/9 RBI/16 R), RF Kippy Born (.325/1/11/5) and 1B Charlie Rodgers (.324/3/10/5) provide most of the offense with some help form SS Frisco Thorpe (.257/2/15/9) and C Kade Vakar (.259/1/12/8)... not a lot of talent in the Lynx's rotation... the best of the lot are Jacques Guichard (2-4/4.23) and Sato Ishii (1-2/4.62)... Danny Green (1-1/2.49/0 saves/5 G) had looked good in spot starts and relief... La Claire has rarely made the playoffs, appearing just 4 times in the its history... never won a Pro Cup... never came close... last division flags in the Tycobbian West came way back in the '37 and '38 seasons.

Manager Billy Christenson (.302 BA/258 HR), Hall of Fame infielder, 6-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glover, had a tough time last year, coming in seventh with a 67-87 record (22 GB)... for 6 straight years from 2045 to 2051 his Rolling Hills Reds finished third or higher, even won the Pro Cup in 2048... that was the club's third time to win the overall IPA crown... this year they are in last place with an 8-16 record, trailing by 12 games... the pitching staff has fallen on very hard times the last two seasons and is even worse so far this year with a horrendous 6.07 ERA... the offense is still average (17th)... the only quality pitcher is 39-year-old Johnny Howard (4-2/4.37)... there is zilch after him and he's is nowhere near the pitcher he was a few seasons ago... but the Reds do have a few quality batters like SS Dustn Thibodeau (.321 BA/1 HR/13 RBI/12 R/3 SB), CF Mike Josephson (.322/3/9/16/4 SB), 2B Adam Hines (.304/0/7/18/8 SB) and 3B Miguel Romeros (.286/3/10/7)... can't be optimistic for Rolling Hills... if they are rolling, it will probably be all downhill.

I noticed that the AI was not creating enough quality rookies... so I am going through the rosters to make sure I have a good crop of rookies.

It will take a little time to do all 64 teams.

I'm about 33% finished.

44 of the 64 teams have been done... rookies have been assigned to each team to insure some new blood in the league.

Won't be long and I will get back to playing the 2054 season.

17 of 64 Islandian Pro Alliance teams are left to do... 4-5 days... then I'll get into the 2054 season.

13 of the 64 teams remain to be updated.

Will soon get them done.

Only 7 of the 64 teams left to do.

All 64 rosters have been updated with rookies.

I will play the 2054 season soon.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, June 21, 2054

ALL-STAR SHOWCASE SET FOR WED IN TARANTO
All of the stars of the Islandian Pro Alliance will be on display this coming Wednesday afternoon at the Palazzo di Sport in Taranto, the site of the 54th All-Star Classic... 52 of the IPA elites will clash to decide who has the best talent in 2054... it's been a one-sided affair thus far with the Tycobbian Stars topping the Ruthlandian Stars 35 times in the 53 previous clashes... last year the TU All-Stars prevailed 3-2 in 10 innings and they have rolled to victory the last four years in a row.

The Middlefield Roosters led all Ruthlandian teams with four All-Stars on the squad... the Midway Wolves and Turon Typhoons placed four players each on the Tycobbian Stars... and Elnora had three players chosen for the RU Stars... the same number as the South Fork Stallions on the TU Stars.

The Tycobbian Stars will be sparked by 9-time All-Star Paulo Teixeira of the San Alejo Montaneros, 6-time All-Star Matt Bell, also from the Monties, Richard Nelms, 5-time All-Star from Rolling Hills and 4-time All-Star Norishige Ito of the Midway Wolves... heading up the Ruthlandian Stars are 8-time All-Star James Long of the Middlefield Roosters, 6-time honoree Ralph Hawk of Ranford and 5-time All-Star Johnny Wyatt, also of the Roosters.

One one rookie was selected this season to the Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star teams... Denton City's 24-year reliever Burnell Kelley was named to the Tycobbian Stars.

The Ruthlandian All-Stars:
SP Ralph Hawk (Ranford Bulls) (11-6/1.48 ERA) (6-time All-Star)
SP Clay Callaghan (Rocky Rapids Snappers) (10-4/2.06) (2-time All-Star)
SP Darius Grajek (Valmara Vipers) (9-4/2.07) (2-time All-Star)
SP Roger Kostas (Ancona Red Elephants) (11-5/2.26) (1st-time All-Star)
SP Benny McDaniel (Glasco Athletics) (11-6/2.28) (3-time All-Star)
SP James Long (Middlefield Roosters) (11-3/2.29) (8-time All-Star)
SP Hollis Dale (Middlefield Roosters) (12-2/3.24) (3-time All-Star)
RP Martin Futch (Ranford Bulls) (2-3/2.21/11 saves/39 G) (2-time All-Star)
C Jarrick Gayden (Elnora All-Stars) (.330/5 HR/40 RBI/26 R) (.992 FA/2 PB/39.1% RTO) (1st-time All-Star)
C Boomer Merritt (Marston Nine) (.325/17 HR/47 RBI/41 R) (.977 FA/6 PB/18.0% RTO) (2-time All-Star)
C Tuffy Palmieri (St. John Crusaders) (.323/6 HR/31 RBI/44 R) (.997 FA/1 PB/34.6% RTO) (2-time All-Star)
1B Gus Abreu (Elnora All-Stars) (.371/11 HR/43 RBI/57 R) (.993 FA) (2-time All-Star)
1B Nicky Yorke (Colfax Blasters) (.305/13 HR/51 RBI/40 R) (.991 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
2B Mickey Wilbur (Elnora All-Stars) (.354/11 HR/45 RBI/42 R/4 SB) (.988 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
2B Jason Seleznick (Ancona Red Elephants) (.307 /14 HR/52 RBI/39 R/7 SB) (.971 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
3B Allen Spears (Glasco Athletics) (.321/6 HR/27 RBI/44 R/6 SB) (.967 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
3B Eamon Hooper (Fort Benton Defenders) (.320/6 HR/35 RBI/35 R/3 SB) (.921 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
SS Stan Radzikowski (Middlefield Roosters) (.331/12 HR/48 RBI/52 R/10 SB) (.972 FA) (2-time All-Star)
SS Jingo Jernigan (Waleska Westerners) (.309/2 HR/31 RBI/25 R/5 SB) (.994 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
SS Craig Minton (Rocky Rapids Snappers) (.350/3 HR/29 RBI/38 R/6 SB) (.975 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
LF Carl Ramsey (Sugar Valley Rattlers) (.335/24 HR/62 RBI/50 R/4 SB) (1.000 FA) (5-time All-Star)
LF Joel Duplantis (Marston Nine) (.296/15 HR/40 RBI/42 R/6 SB) (1.000 FA) (3-time All-Star)
CF Ox Gless (Far Mountain Redhawks) (.346/13 HR/52 RBI/44 R/5 SB) (.984 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
CF Johnny Wyatt (Middlefield Roosters) (.299/18 HR/68 RBI/47 R/5 SB) (.988 FA) (2-time All-Star)
RF Cody Losby (Belle Plaine Musketeers) (.353/10 HR/38 RBI/34 R/2 SB) (.978 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
RF Mel Shadwell (Valka Blackhawks) (.353/10 HR/38 RBI/34 R/6 SB) (.965 FA) (2-time All-Star)
RF Boyd Holmes (Valmara Vipers) (.335/12 HR/47 RBI/32 R/1 SB) (.990 FA) (1st-time All-Star)

Tycobbian All-Stars:
SP Matt Bell (San Alejo Montaneros) (12-2/2.06) (6-time All-Star)
SP Rudy Hilgendorf (Summerland Sunsets) (8-4/2.16) (1st-time All-Star)
SP Yancey Hedges (Turon Typhoons) (12-3/2.32) (2-time All-Star)
SP Brett McCracken (South Fork Stallions) (12-6/2.50) (1st-time All-Star)
SP Charlie Chase (Midway Wolves) (13-7/2.35) (3-time All-Star)
SP Juliano Machado (Luxora Zorros) (13-5/2.94) (1st-time All-Star)
SP Zack Phillips (Southport Sun Sox) (8-1/2.04) (1st-time All-Star)
RP Burrell Kelley (Denton City Redbirds) (4-3/1.51/11 saves/27 G) (1st-time All-Star)
C Rudy Maroney (South Fork Stallions) (.286/12/41/38 /3 SB) (.991 FA/3 PB/26.2% RTO) (2-time All-Star)
C Ralph Worley (Midway Wolves) (.276/3 HR/26 RBI/19 R) (1.000 FA/3 PB/43.8 % RTO) (1st-time All-Star)
C Richard Nelms (Rolling Hills Reds) (.261/9 HR/33 RBI/24 R) (.996 FA/0 PB/21.1% RTO) (5-time All-Star)
1B Bralen Connolly (Kenwood Wildcats) (.320/3 HR/33/44) (.998 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
1B Russell Taylor (Arroyo Grande Suns) (.340/9 HR/46 RBI/44 R) (.993 FA) (2-time All-Star)
2B Jaybird Ethridge (Cape Coral Hurricanes) (.289/18 HR/52 RBI/47 R) (.972 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
2B Ike Ritter (Bay St. Clair Buccaneers) (337/0 HR/20 RBI/37 R) (.984 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
3B Joel Guidry (Turon Typhoons) (.324/16 HR/59 RBI/50 R) (.921 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
3B Pete Arnold (South Fork Stallions) (.338/5/41/48) (.988 FA) (3-time All-Star)
SS Lynwood Barley (Cape Coral Hurricanes) (.320/3/33/44/8 SB) (.972 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
SS Dustin Thibodeau (Rolling Hills Reds) (.301/6 HR/39 RBI/44 R/8 SB) (.986 FA) (3-time All-Star)
SS Bill Wolverton (Turon Typhoons) (.297/6 HR/32 RBI/32 RBI/6 SB) (.989 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
LF Norishige Ito (Midway Wolves) (.337/19 HR/65 RBI/52 R) (1.000 FA) (4-time All-Star)
LF Ozzy Ackermann (Oxford Red Caps) (.325/13 HR/46 RBI/45 R/16 SB) (.987 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
CF Maxie Mullinax (Turon Typhoons) (.332/6 HR/26 RBI/52 R/23 SB) (.970 FA) (2-time All-Star)
CF Paulo Teixeira (San Alejo Montaneros) (.319/15 HR/43 RBI/42 R) (.972 FA) (9-time All-Star)
RF Toni Kolkov (Red Bluff Red Sox) (.281/24 HR/51 RBI/42 R/3 SB) (.978 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
RF Daryl Vale (Midway Wolves) (.331/10 HR/41 RBI/42 R/12 SB) (.987 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
RF Enrique Orantes (Cape Coral Hurricanes) (.311/8 HR/44 RBI/45 R/4 SB) (.993 FA) (3-time All-Star)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 24, 2054

TU STARS TAKE 5TH IN A ROW
It took them 10 innings, but the Tycobbian All-Stars still came away 6-4 winners in the 54th IPA All-Star Classic played at the Palazzo di Sport in Taranto, Ruthlandia... CF Paulo Teixiera (San Alejo) belted the game-winning solo homer off Roger Kostas (Ancona) to give the TU Stars their 5th victory in a row and the 36th overall in the series... Ruthlandia has won 18 times... Tycobbia jumped out to a 4-0 lead after just three innings, but the RU Stars came back with four unanswered scores to tie the game up and send it into overtime... the TU Stars won despite being outhit 12 to 6 and committing three errors... in addition to Teixiera's towering drive RF Toni Kolkov (Red Bluff) slammed a two-run blast... the Ruthlandian All-Stars were paced by RF Boyd Holmes (Valmara) with a two-run double and a homer by C Tuffy Palmiero (St. John)... Teixeiro was voted the game's Most Valuable Player Award.

MVP: PAOLO TEIXEIRA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, July 1, 2054

IPA MIDYEAR REVIEW AND OUTLOOK
After playing half of the 154-game schedule, the pennant races in the Islandian Pro Alliance are a little closer than the preseason forecast... three divisions were a foregone conclusion and four of them were fairly solid... only one division out of eight was picked to have more than one contender... fortunately for the fans only three races appear to be decided with the other five fairly competitive.

In its preseason poll THE ISLANDIAN TIMES predicted that the flag winners in the Ruthlandian Union would be the Taranto Tars by a wide margin in the RU North... four clubs would contest in the RU South: Waleska, Valka, St. John and Belair Beach... Wynnamac and Middlefield were solid favorites in the RU East and RU West.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES outlook for the Tycobbian Union showed two runaways and two solid choices... Midway would easily take the TU North... Turon was a big favorite in the TU South... White River and Arlon didn't appear to have much trouble winning the TU East and TU West.

At the halfway point in the schedule, here's how its going in the Islandian Pro Alliance... in the Tycobbian Union races defending IPA champion Midway (56-22) could be headed for a record-setting year in the TU East... the Wolves are 12 games ahead and pretty much a cinch to take the division flag... North Hills (48-30) and Luxora (48-30) are tied for the top spot in the TU West and have comfortable 9-game leads over the remaining six clubs... at least they have a two-team race... the Turon Typhoons (49-29) are the class of the TU South again with a 6-game edge... but in the TU West it's a donnybrook between the Arlon Champions (47-31), Kenwood Wildcats (46-32) and Denton City Redbirds (46-32) with the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (42-36) well within striking distance.

Over in the Ruthlandian Union the Middlefield Roosters (56-22) really have things all to themselves in the RU West with a whopping 13-game bulge with no contender in sight... but the other three divisions are in battle royals... 7 teams in the RU North are playing .500 ball or better... defending champ Taranto (46-32), Valmara (45-33), Far Mountain (44-34), Ancona (44-34), LaGrange (42-36), Glasco (42-36) and Ranford (39-39) are still in the running... the other two divisions have feisty competition, too... Wynnamac (49-29) has a slight lead over Marston (46-32), Eastshore (44-34), Elnora (43-35) and Belle Plaine (41-37) in the RU East... and Valka (43-35) has two contenders, Claxton (39-39) and last year's division winner Waleska (38-40), close by in the RU South.

Pro Cup predictions cast current IPA crownbearer, the powerful Midway Wolves, as the most likely champion... the Wolves are even better than last year when they handily disposed of Denton City, Turon and Taranto in the postseason playoffs... the Ruthlandian Union Pro Cup representative should come down to the Taranto Tars and Middlefield Roosters... the Tars were Pro Cup finalist last year, falling to the Wolves in a sweep.

Islandian Pro Alliance Midseason Standings

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 14, 2054

3 IPA PENNANTS DECIDED, 5 UP IN THE AIR
With one week to go in the season three IPA powerhouses have already hoisted up division flags, but five divisions have not been decided... as expected the Middlefield Roosters (99-48), Pro Cup champ Midway Wolves (102-45) and Turon Typhoons (101-46) have already wrapped up the pennants and are getting ready for the big payday, the Pro Cup trophy... it's a do-or-die week for the other five divisions.

In the Ruthlandian North reigning titleholder Taranto has has a bevy of challengers... the Ranford Bulls (81-66) have a slim one-game lead over the Tars (80-67) and the Valmara Vipers (80-67) with the Far Mountain Redhawks (78-69) just 3 games back and the Glasco Athletics only four games behind.

Over in the Ruthlandian South the Valka Blackhawks (77-70) are trying to hold off the fast-closing St. John Crusaders (74-73)... the Blackhawks go into the last week of the season up by 3 games.

Last year's division winner Wynnamac (89-58) and Marston (87-60) are going at it in the Ruthlandian East... the Sundowners have a slight 2-game edge with 7 more games left.

There are a couple of races to be decided in the Tycobbian Union... the Denton City Redbirds (92-55) and Luxora Zorros (78-69) are longshots to overcome good leads by the Arlon Champions (96-51) and the White River Rascals (83-54)... Arlon is 4 games ahead of the Redbirds in the TU West and White River has a 5-game lead over the Z's in the TU North.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 21, 2054

5 CLUBS WIN DIVISIONS, MAKE PLAYOFFS
The IPA elites have company now in the the Pro Cup playoffs... Midway, Turon and Middlefield long ago cinched postseason spots and now will be joined by Taranto, Valka and Wynnamac from the Ruthlandian Union and by Arlon and White River from the Tycobbian Union.

The Taranto Tars (86-68) fought off four other contenders to capture the Ruthlandian North for the second year in a row... the Tars went 6-1 in the final week to stave off the Ranford Bulls (84-70) by two games... the Bulls could only manage a 3-4 mark down the stretch... Valmara (82-72) and Glasco (82-72) tied for the third spot and Far Mountain (81-73) came in fifth.

The Valka Blackhawks (82-72) beat back the St. John Crusaders (77-77) by 5 games in the Ruthlandian South race... the Blackhawks were 5-2 in the final seven games, while the Crusaders were only 3-4.

In the Ruthlandian East both first place Wynnamac (94-60) and runner-up Marston (92-62) had impressive seasons and finished strong with 5-2 over the last week of the season... the Sundowners won out by 3 games and copped their second straight division crown.

In first-round Ruthlandian Pro Cup action Taranto will host the Valka Blackhawks and Middlefield gets the homefield advantage over the Wynnamac Sundowners... all playoff series are best-of-seven... Taranto won the RU title last season, but lost in the Pro Cup Finals to the Midway Wolves in six games.

In the Tycobbian Union the White River Rascals (89-65) won by 7 games over the Luxora Zorros (82-72) in the TU North... the Rascals closed out the final week in strong fashion, taking 6 of the 7 games... the Z's went 4-3... last year's pennant winner Oxford (79-75) wound up in the third spot this season, trailing by 10 games.

There was a stirring finish in the TU West where Arlon (99-55) just barely held off the fast-closing Denton City Redbirds (98-55)... the Champions just skimmed by, winning the division by a scant one game... the Redbirds posted a 6-1 mark in the stretch drive and almost caught Arlon, which slumped to 3-4.

The Tycobbian Union first round will pit reigning IPA titleholder Midway against Arlon... the Wolves will have the homefield edge over the Champions... in the other clash White River will travel to Turon in the first round.

Islandian Pro Alliance Final Standings

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 21, 2054

TARS WIN 3RD RU NORTH FLAG IN A ROW
The Taranto Tars captured their third Ruthlandian North flag in a row, but not without a struggle with four other clubs... the Tars won the division again, but not like they did in 2052 and 2053... the other clubs put up quite a fight... In a close race Taranto (86-68) edged Ranford (84-70) by two games, Valmara (82-72) and Glasco (82-72) by four games and fifth place Far Mountain (81-73) by five.

1. TARANTO TARS (86-68)... great season last year 1st place (101/53)... overall IPA history shows 7 pennants and one Pro Cup (2015)... this year manager Augie Marshall saw his pitching and batting diminish... that's why they just barely won the pennant... but Taranto could still hammer the longball and topped the IPA with 229 homers... and the Tars had enough pitching to get them by with Armani Pizziconi (21-13/3.10), Phil Castle (13-9/2.98) and Freddy De Angelis (1915/4.11)... RF Lenny Buisson (.296/40 HR), LF Kuma Toyota (.306/34 HR), C Niccolo Parisi (.241/28 HR), CF Renzo Caruso (.279/27 HR) and SS Dan Armistead (.246/22 HR) led the offensive attack.

Outlook: Taranto made the Pro Cup Finals last year and lost to IPA champion Midway in a four-game sweep... not likely to get that far this season... the Middlefield Roosters may be too tough for the Tars this year... not likely Taranto will whip them in the Ruthlandian Finals this season.

2. Ranford Bulls (84-70) (2 GB)... in 2053 the Bulls were third in the race at 81-73 (22 GB)... this season they led by a game going into September, but manager Kyle Hunt's bunch went into a slight tailspin and lost in a very close race... he had a fairly good offense and solid pitching... his pitching rotation consists of superstar All-Star Ralph Hawk (24-10/1.98), Jeff Reese (16-9/3.32), Dutch Hawood (13-12/3.78) and Neil Martin (13-13/3.98)... the Bulls' relief corps was good, too, anchored by All-Star closer Martin Futch (5-7/1.86/29 saves/71 G) and Tony Burgess (5-6/2.84/7 saves/47 G)... the Ranford bats were sparked by 2B Don Connell (.314/21 HR/91 RBI), CF Joey Hawkins (.308/16 HR) and rookie C Kieran Bellinger (.331/7 HR/40 RBI).

Outlook: Ranford has won 7 RU North flags, but none since '40 and '41... the Bulls copped their only Pro Cup in 2041... they looked to be a potent force next year... they may have been the best team in the division at season's end and fell two games short of division crown.

3. Valmara Vipers (82-72) (4 GB)... last year they were fourth with an 80-74 mark and 23 GB... the Vipers with Vanya Vasylenko at the helm had a good first half, but a lackluster second half... very good pitching kept them in the race... weak offense did them in... few teams could match starters All-Star Primo Sirak (18-10/2.80), Darus Grajek (17-16/2.69), Darek Polaski (16-14/2.98) and Mirko Musial (11-8/3.33)... and Carver Dillon (6-11/2.61/25 saves/57 G) was a capable closer... Valmara had no real strong threats at the plate... Vasylenko's best were C Karol Koska (.267/24 HR/79 RBI) and All-Star RF Boyd Holmes (.314/21 HR/78 RBI)... after winning 7 division titles in 9 seasons (2043-2051), the Vipers had to be satisfied with first-division finishes the last three seasons... overall Valmara is one of the IPA's finest franchises with four Pro Cups and 20 postseason appearances... they won the Cup in '25, '43, '49 and '50... the Vipers also lost in the Finals on four occasions in '23, '30, '31 and '46.

Outlook: Valmara may be showing its age... key players are showing their age... talented new blood is needed to keep them up near the top of the RU North.

3. Glasco Athletics (82-72) (4 GB)... the A's had a good season under skipper Charles Darby, winding up tied for third place with Valmara, only four games off the pace... up from 72-82 and seventh place (32 GB) last year... like Ranford, the Athletics finished well... in its poor IPA history Glasco had only made the playoffs three times... the last time was in 2045... the A's have never won an IPA Pro Cup and have never even come close... age is catching up with Glasco, too, with half the mound staff 34 or older... Darby has just average pitchers, but better-than-average hitters... 34-year-old Benny McDaniel (22-13/2.86) is his All-Star ace and only standout... the Athletics have two very fine relievers in 37-year-old Ken McLin (9-3/2.34/10 saves/60 G) and 27-year-old Rip Scobie (6-2/1.49/17/41 G)... leading the attack at the plate are All-Star 3B Allen Spears (.338/8 HR/67 RBI/102 R/13 SB), LF Callum Slattery (.329/12 HR/77 RBI/92 R/24 SB) and 33-year-old Ross McFalls (.272/18 HR/88 RBI), 34-year-old 1B Gary Armitage (.271/17 HR) and SS Odis Tomlin (.288/18 HR).

Outlook: Glasco may not be able to remain in the first divsion of the RU North... not a lot of young talent on the roster... in the next year or so, too many key players may be on the downgrade and headed over the hill and into retirement.

5. Far Mountain Redhawks (81-73) (5 GB)... they came in fifth last year at 79-75 (24 GB)... 14 times in the club history the Redhawks have made the postseason... but not lately... the division flag was last hoisted in 2047... Far Mountain has three Pro Cups in its possession... they won all three of them in succession (2011, 2012, 2013)... the Redhawks also made the Pro Cup Finals in 2009 and 2038, but came up empty-handed... piloted by former pitching star Robby Kelly (279-196/3.23) Far Mountain has fairly good pitching and a fairly good offense... Benny Van (21-16/3.04) is his best starter with quality help from Eldon Bittner (18-12/3.58) and 34-year-old Ryan Kolb (14-15/3.85)... Kelly has a budding superstar in 23-year-old All-Star CF Ox Gless (.322/29 HR/115 RBI/98 R/12 SB) after three standout seasons... LF Frankie Neill (.255/34 HR/103 RBI/80 R/17 SB) also looks like a comer... 23-year-old RF Howard Highsmith (.280/12 HR) completes a fine young outfield.

Outlook: it's been six years since Far Mountain has made the first division in the RU North... they better do it soon as age is catching up with the club.

6. LaGrange Sports (76-78) (10 GB)... came in eighth in '52 and '53... much improved this year under manager Mike York, who was 266-250 (3.12 ERA) for the team in his 22 seasons... the Sports haven't appeared in the playoffs since 2037 and have never won a Pro Cup... they have captured the pennant six times... most reliable hurlers are Rudy Bonnett (14-9/3.25) and Stan Kolstad (15-15/3.72)... Rob Fulmer (4-6/1.72/24 saves/57 G) is the team's impressive closer... LaGrange's most productive bats are LF Sonny Ricard (.301/27 HR/90 RBI/13 SB), RF Miguel Berrera (.299/19 HR) and 3B Fred Allison (.290/9 HR/66 RBI/81 R).

Outlook: LaGrange has a youth-filled roster and just might be better next year... might contend for 4th place.

7. Ancona Red Elephants (74-80) (12 GB)... manager Alekos Kotas (.288/284 HR) was a solid first baseman for 13 seasons... he perked the team up last year with an 81-73 record, good for second place in the RU North standings, but 20 games behind runaway winner Taranto... slipped to seventh this year as the offense went south on them... only young All-Star 2B Jason Seleznick (.280/23 HR/93 RBI/78 R/12 SB) was much of a threat... the rest of the regulars was just mediocre at best... the pitching corps was much better with starters All-Star Roger Kostas (17-13/3.07) and Hank Worsley (18-16/3.39) and reliever Kasey Tharp (9-7/2.34/16 saves/52 G)... Ancona's IPA history is pathetic... only five postseason appearances... none since way back in 2022... and no Pro Cups... one time the Red Elephants made the Finals, but were beaten in six games for the IPA championship by powerhouse Turon in 2018.

Outlook: Ancona is a work in progress and needs some more talent to get out of the doldrums and the also-ran category in the RU North... may take a few years... the Red Elephants are a young club.

8. Kilkenny Cats (64-80) (22 GB)... down from 76-78 last year... the Cats wound up in the sixth spot, 25 GB... the skipper is Kevin McLaglen (.267/157 HR), a journeyman outfielder with the club for 12 seasons... the Cats couldn't score this year, but did have fairly credible pitching with the likes of 37-year-old Glen Caswell (11-17/3.56), Braydon Washbourne (15-12/3.60) and Billy Joe Wooster (12-17/3.80)... not a lot of offense in the batting order... LF Butch Sheppard (.315/17 HR/61 RBI) and 1B Ryan Reagan (.241/20 HR/77 RBI) was the best of the worst.

Outlook: Kilkenny has a lousy history in the IPA... just one pennant in 53 seasons... no Pro Cups... '47 was its one and only division title... and the future doesn't bode well, either... the Cats seem to be headed for a pretty bleak future.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 21, 2054

VALKA WINS RU SOUTH, 1ST TIME IN 38 YRS
The long, long wait is over... after 38 long, long seasons the Valka Blackhawks have finally captured another Ruthlandian South pennant... the Blackhawks will be in the Pro Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017... you might say they were lucky to be in one of the weaker divisions in the IPA... only two teams were above the .500 mark - Valka and second place St. John.

Valka (82-72) defeated the St. John Crusaders (77-77) by five games... rounding out the first division were the Grand City Cybercats (72-82) and Claxton Diamonds (72-82), both tied for the third spot in the RU South standings... the wound up 10 games off the pace... the division champ for the past three years, the Waleska Westerners (71-83) finished fifth this season and 11 games out.

1. VALKA BLACKHAWKS (82-72)... rose up from fifth place (75-79) and 15 games behind in '53 to win the division flag... manager Arno Vainmaa has just a so-so ballclub and not very likely to make any waves in the postseason playoffs... this is only the fifth appearance in the Pro Cup playoffs... Valka has never contended for a Pro Cup trophy... never even reached the IPA Finals.

The future is looking good for the Blackhawks... they are a very young club... anchoring the pitching staff are Eerik Jogi (18-16/3.27), Adrian Stanhouse (19-10/3.29) and Arvi Tamm (14-18/3.65)... 34-year-old closer Ricky Cockburn (4-3/2.47/14 saves/35 G) is the only one on the roster showing any age... however, this year is his best season... All-Star RF Mel Shadwell (.323/17 HR/86 RBI?85 R/17 SB) is Valka's most productive hitter, helped out by CF Marcos Arredondo (.252/11 HR/55 RBI/102 R/45 SB), 2B Olev Tarvas (.289/11 HR/51 RBI/82 R) and 3B Corey Belk (.289/9 HR/65 RBI/66 R/8 SB).

Outlook: the Blackhawks are coming up in the IPA world, but is 2-3 players away from challenging Middlefield and Taranto... still they should be able to compete well in the Ruthlandian South for several more seasons... things are looking up in Valka... but in the Pro Cup playoffs, look for the Blackhawks to bite the dust early... Vainmaa just doesn't have enough hosses.

2. St. John Crusaders (77-77) (5 GB)... the Crusaders won their last pennant in '50... have made the postseason on 8 occasions, but have never won the Pro Cup... but they made the Finals in '36 when they lost in six games to a really fine North Hills team... in '53 St. John came in third (79-75), 11 GB... manager Nicky Farrugia has some fine hitters, but lacks the mound corps... the team hit .288, tops for the entire IPA... rated 4th in scoring in the Ruthlandian Union with 808 runs... but the pitchers ranked 28th with a 4.35 ERA... the Crusaders didn't make their move until the second half, when they played well... at midseason they were 10 games behind Valka... 21-year-old southpaw Whitlow Cornwell (16-13/3.53) showed good potential this season, his third... 24-year-old Gibby Pritchell (12-12/3.60), a lefty, too, had a pretty good year... the St. John bullpen is worthless... but at the plate they dazzle with newcomer CF Freddie Woodruff (.317/10 HR/72 RBI/104 R/16 SB), a fine defender and hitter, obtained from Fort Benton for pitcher Zeke Yoder (16-16/3.65)... All-Star C Tuffy Palmieri (.325/11 HR/74 RBI/96 R) was also a tough out... LF Joe Crystal (.309/13 HR/77 RBI/57 R) and RF Cris Hershey (.327/9 HR/63 RBI/70 R/3 SB) did well as well... and 1B James Winwood (.284/19 HR/86 RBI/80 R/7 SB) really blossomed in his seventh season with the club... he led the club in homers.

Outlook: St. John needs to vastly improve its pitching rotation and bullpen... due to the weak talent in the RU South, they might hit their way to the division crown, but they will need solid pitching to get up with the big boys like Middlefield and Taranto.

3. Grand City Cybercats (72-82) (10 GB)... many years have come and gone since the Cybercats made the IPA playoffs... 2030 was the last time... the club has made the postseason just three times in its history... never come close to a Pro Cup trophy... manager Thomas Hall made great progress in '52 (81-73) and '53 (85-69), but he slipped backwards this season with both his pitching and hitting falling off... both are just lackluster and mediocre... Grand City came in third this year tied with Claxton... Steve Shirley (9-8/3.35/4 saves/46 G) ended up the most effective starter at season's end... 34-year-old vet Frank Long (13-18/4.08) is not the same pitcher he was several years ago, but he is still capable of a quality start... and young George Martz (15-8/3.90) showed some promise this year... in the bullpen 37-year-old Kent Douglas (4-9/4.31/20 saves/53 G) was often shaky and inconsistent, but he still posted 20 saves... 1B Vince Kinston (.284/27 HR/81 RBI/72 R) was a solid longball hitter... Kinston was obtained in a big trade with Arroyo Grande of the Tycobbian Union... 3B Scott McIntyre (.284/13 HR/65 RBI/79 R/8 SB) and RF Rocky Valverdi (.288/11 HR/52 RBI/77 R/27 SB) also contributed to the Cybercat attack.

Outlook: if Grand City can snap back to the way their played in '52 and '53, they could win the RU South, but the Cybercats wouldn't be a force in Ruthlandian circles... scores of teams are better than them.

3. Claxton Diamonds (72-82) (10 GB)... for the third straight year playing skipper Jojo DeLucca has had a down year record-wise winding up way under the .500 mark... this season they improved a bit, but still were 10 games under the breakeven point... it's been 5 years since Claxton won a pennant... overall the Diamonds have made the playoffs 14 times, but haven't ever won a Pro Cup... once they did reach the Pro Cup Finals in '48, but fell to the Rolling Hills Reds in five games.

Claxton started the season well and remained in contention until July, but faded in the second half... at midseason they were in second place, just four games back of leading Valka... the Diamonds can score, ranking 7th with 736 runs, 163 homers (4th) and a .264 BA (14th), but they have shoddy pitching with a 4.26 ERA (25th)... Wilfredo Barceros (21-11/4.69) won a lot of games, but because of the Claxton bats... Claus Antoon (15-13/3.90) was the only effective starter... Wyatt Parnell (1-6/2.65/11 saves/33 G) was hit-and-miss in the bullpen, but he was their best reliever... even at age 39, second baseman DeLucca (.272/27 HR/88 RBI/63 R) is the best threat on the team... helping him out a lot are CF Dude Rafferty (.311/17 HR/63 RBI/98 R/28 SB), RF Jimmy John Ramsey (.303/12 HR/53 RBI/65 R5 SB), LF Konrad Neumann (.310/14 HR/62 RBI/55 R/14 SB) and 3B Reece Somerset (.260/17 HR/64 RBI/57 R).

Outlook: The Diamonds are two-three good pitchers short of a solid team that could play with the best of them... it's easy to say "two-three good pitchers"... but much harder to really find them.

5. Waleska Westerners (71-83) (11 GB)... manager Roy Hobbs has won the RU South for three years prior to this season... the Westerners have appeared in the playoffs on 10 occasions with three Pro Cup trophies... the IPA crowns came in '28, '37 and '39... this year they dipped down to fifth place... poor offense was the culprit... Waleska ranked 31st in scoring runs with only 611 and 32nd in homers with just 81... however, Hobbs has some fairly good hurlers on roster, anchored by Vince Gibson (23-12/2.89)... others in the rotation are Carl Tilton (9-11/2.93/1 save/29 G), Lou Carlson (12-17/3.55/2 saves/38 G) and John McElveen (7-3/3.32/1 save/27 G)... the staff suffered from a lack of offense... mainstay starter Trey Earnest (9-15/3.61/5 saves/36 G) ended up in the bullpen this season... not a lot of threats in the batting order... the best Hobbs had were LF Boomer Barnes (.301/12 HR/56 RBI/83 R/8 SB), 2B Richie Fry (.310/5 HR/58 RBI/80 R/7 SB), CF Allie Connors (.299/12 HR/56 RBI/66 R/28 SB), RF Zip McHan (.294/10 HR/51 RBI/54 R) and All-Star SS Jingo Jernigan (.263/6 HR/63 RBI/47 R/11 SB).

Outlook: Waleska may be stuck in the second division of the Ruthlandian South for a few years until the Westerners can rebuild... they have fairly good pitching, but zilch when it comes to offense.

6. Belair Beach Sunbirds (68-86) (14 GB)... manager Bob Meusel has a lackluster club... they don't do anything very well... 28th in runs with 626... 24th in pitching with a 4.19 ERA... the Sunbirds came in fourth last year (76-78) after coming in seventh the previous three seasons... Belair Beach last made the postseason in '47... they have been to the playoffs only eight times and have never won the Pro Cup... back in 2014 the Sunbirds came close, losing a seven-game series to IPA champion Kenwood... none of the rotation is reliable, consisting of Kevin Tolbert (14-21/3.82), Zak Culbertson (14-17/4.18), Jeffrey Verblen (13-16/4.44) and Glen Long (14-18/4.72)... the best in the bullpen is Kyle Gibson (3-7/3.16/16 saves/42 G)... not much at the plate, either, with the likes of LF Corky Goodnight (.288/3 HR/57 RBI/79 R/39 SB), C Johnny Samarin (.287/15 HR/72 RBI/58 R)... and 2B Alvara Abreu (.290/3 HR/37 RBI/64 R/6 SB)... supplying most of the longballs are CF Huey Greene (.231/27 HR/66 RBI/69 R/14 SB) and RF Nappy Kiggins (.230/18 HR/68 RBI/59 R/13 SB), but they hit very poorly for average.

Outlook: Belair Beach is just a second division team... not likely to be a pennant contender for awhile.

7. Crystal Lake Skippers (64-90) (18 GB)... it's been a decade since manager Duncan Welch has hiked up a pennant... 2044 was the last time they appeared in the playoffs... overall the Skippers have been to the postseason 10 times with two Pro Cups (2020, 2022)... for five consecutive seasons they have wound up with losing records... Welch has a fair offense, ranked 12th in scoring runs with 702, 10th with a .268 BA and 17th in roundtrippers with 116... 2B Gib Conlan (.253/26 HR/81 RBI/90 R) is the only good run producer... his top hitter is LF Zippy Coburn (.323/11 HR/56 RBI/60 R)... not much past them... the best of the rest are CF Irv Waterman (.271/10 HR/59 RBI/58 R/28 SB) and 3B Jasper Shackelford (.273/13 HR/54 RBI/47 R)... very little on the hill with a 4.30 ERA (26th)... Ozzie McLendon (13-16/4.30) and Hokie Faircloth (12-13/4.58) are the best of the lot... however the Skipper relief corps is solid with a 2.95 ERA (6th), headed up by Josh Crosby (8-7/3.02/16 saves/63 G).

Outlook: not so good... team is young and will take a while to develop... destined for the bottom part of the division for some time.

8. San Dimas Rancheros (60-94) (22 GB)... the cowpokes have come in last for the last two seasons... with a losing record for eight of the last 10 years... no pennant or postseason since 2040... never won a Pro Cup... never come close to a Pro Cup trophy... in its dismal IPA history the Rancheros have only made four appearances in the playoffs... Shannon White is the skipper... he was a solid starter for 13 years in his playing days with a 227-186 mark for a fair-to-middling club... White has a career 3.29 ERA... the current club is poor at hitting and pitching... not a bunch of talent... ranks 30th in run scoring with 617... ranks 27th in pitching with a 4.35 ERA... Tyler Tydings (16-14/4.26) and Tomas Olmeda (13-20/4.51) chalked up the most wins... veteran closer Kenny Robinson (4-6/1.89/14 saves/46 G) had a fine year in the bullpen... at the plate light-hitting LF Manuel Madura (.311/3 HR/42 RBI/71 R/25 SB) led the club in average... RF Gilberto Gallardo (.285/22 HR/72 RBI/69 R) and 1B Joaquin Vargas (.262/20 HR/83 RBI/66 R/5 SB) were the main run providers with some help from 3B Mickey Booth (.251/17 HR/56 RBI/54 R) and 2B Carlos Alcantara (.255/14 HR/46 RBI/53 R/5 SB).

Outlook: sparse future for San Dimas... nothing to look forward to... just a bad team for now.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, June 21, 2054

WMACS SNATCH 3RD STRAIGHT RU SOUTH TITLE
It was a season-long battle, but the Wynnamac Sundowners (94-60) withstood the challenge of six other clubs to garner their third straight Ruthlandian East Division flag... in a well-balanced division they nudged out the Marston Nine (92-62) by two games, Eastshore Cotton Kings (87-67) by seven games and Sugar Valley Rattlers (84-70) and Belle Plaine Musketeers (84-70) by 10 games... all of the contenders had fine seasons.

1. WYNNAMAC SUNDOWNERS (94-60)... Wynnamac skipper Jerry Meeks, an IPA Hall of Fame hurler, led them to the RU East crown with fine pitching and strong bats... the Sundowners ranked second with a .283 BA, second in scoring with 821 runs, ninth in homers with 138 and fourth in pitching with a 3.32 ERA... Meeks starred for Wynnamac for 21 years (2008-2028) and completed his career with a 313-214 mark and an excellent 2.93 ERA... he was inducted to the IPA Hall of Fame in 2029... checking out the Wynnamac track record down throught the years, the Sundowners have made the playoffs 10 times with one Pro Cup trophy... they topped the Denton City Redbirds in six games in 2008... years later in 2044 Wynnamac went seven games before losing to a very fine Southport Sun Sox club.

Meeks had a very good season, never having a bad month... his top batters were RF Charley Bristol (.321/25 HR/88 RBI/96 R), 1B Enos Benham (.346/15 HR/68 RBI/74 R), C Jethro Bibbs (.314/10 HR/67 RBI/61 R), 3B Dale Fisher (.303/6 HR/66 RBI/54 R/10 SB), CF Dickie Keys (.342/14 HR/49 RBI/53 R/8 SB), 2B Whiz Ivie (.299/7 HR/67 RBI/87 R/31 SB) and CF Wally Bonds (.302/12 HR/51 RBI/51 R/4 SB)... on the hill James Duncan (21-7/3.22) won the most games, but he had plenty of support from Simon Northcott (18-9/3.47) and Sammy Hayes (17-12/2.74)... even rookie Dion Delgiorno (11-10/3.16) pitched well... two other spot starter/relievers George Medworth (11-7/3.75/11 saves/39 G) and Garan Parula (11-12/3.87/5 saves/48 G) had some quality starts.

Outlook: The Wynnamac team has a bright future... they have been good for the last five seasons and should be good for the rest of the decade... Meeks has a relatively young squad... solid pitching and an abundance of better-than-average bats... but the Sundowners have to get past mighty Middlefield to get to the Pro Cup... that's not easy... they have been eliminated in the first round the last two seasons... it will probably happen again... the Roosters are better than ever and one of the favorites to capture the IPA overall title.

2. Marston Nine (92-62) (2 GB)... the Nine went from 75-79 last year to 92 victories this year and almost whipping Wynnamac for the division flag, but manager Russ Woodward came up two games short... Woodward was a fantastic IPA Hall of Fame outfielder for 21 seasons, all with the Nine from 2013 to 2033... lifetime he batted .315 with 621 homers and 2052 RBIs... Woodward was a 9-time All-Star and 6-time Golden Glove... Marston has won seven pennants in its history, the last one came in 2047... the Nine has never won the Pro Cup... never coming close... Woodward has a very youthful squad that has good hitting with a .281 BA (4th) and 774 runs (6th), but he's a little bit short on power with only 113 roundtrippers (20th)... on the mound Marston is better-than-average with a 3.60 ERA (9th)... the bullpen is outstanding with a 2.88 ERA (4th)... top contributors at the plate are All-Star C Boomer Merritt (.307/29 HR/108 RBI/87 R), All-Star LF Joe Duplantis (.311/24 HR/84 RBI/82 R/10 SB), 2B Damien D'Amboise (.309/7 HR/79 RBI/109 R/20 SB), RF Haden Worthy (.300/6 HR/51 RBI/77 R/18 SB) and 1B Jarrod Crutchfield (.287/12 HR/63 RBI/63 R)... top hurlers are young and talented rookies... Lance McElveen (15-7/3.05), Mark Henley (16-11/3.10) and Rory Fingers (16-8/3.74) are the main starters... Marston has one of the best closers in the IPA with Robert Tringle (5-4/1.09/20 saves/61 G).

Outlook: the best is yet to come... the Marston youngsters made it tough on Wynnamac this season... things could really be on the rise for the Nine as they mature and gain experience.

3. Eastshore Cotton Kings (87-67) (7 GB)... after seven successive seasons in the second division of the RU East, manager Scotty Lagrange got the club going with a third place finish... the Cotton Kings came in eighth in three of the previous four years... Lagrange has dynamite pitching with a 3.17 ERA (2nd), headed up by 35-year-old veteran Malcolm Tansbury (17-10/2.75) and three youngsters, Dain Moore (19-11/2.96), Jim DeWeese (9-5/2.81/4 saves/35 G) and Sam Carmon (15-11/3.12)... in the standout bullpen is 33-year-old Trent Niven (3-8/1.87/30 saves/64 G)... he led the IPA with 30 saves... Eastshore's problem is its lack of offense... Lagrange needs a lot of help there... the Cotton Kings batted only .256 (22nd) with 662 runs (20th) and 123 HR (14th-tied)... Lagrange doesn't have much talent in his batting order... his best bats are just average in the IPA... LF Johnny Joe Sullinger (.291/3 HR/46 RBI/68 R/44 SB), 3B Ryne Moncriffe (.264/20 HR/59 RBI/65 R/10 SB) and CF D'Marcus McIlwain (.258/18 HR/62 RBI/62 R/27 SB) are the best of the litter.

Outlook: it's been two decades since Eastshore hoisted a pennant... the Cotton Kings have made the postseason only seven times in history... but they do have two Pro Cup trophies, won in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017... Eastshore swept the Ozarka Naturals in four games the first year and then repeated the next year by knocking off the powerful Turon Typhoons in seven games... to compete with elite teams in the IPA, the Cotton Kings need to ramp up its attack with additional firepower.

4. Elnora All-Stars (86-68) (8 GB)... it was a good year for manager Stan Kivas... he was a quality starter for the club for 16 seasons from 2033 to 2048, winding up with a 237-203 record and a 3.45 ERA... last year the All-Stars finished second in the RU East with a 78-76 mark, 11 games back of division winner Wynamac... Kivas had a better performance from his mound corps this season, but despite the improved record, they wound up in fourth place, 8 GB... the club ERA went down from a lousy 4.62 to a lackluster 4.04... but his offense was kind of perky with a .282 BA (3rd) with 820 runs (3rd) and 154 HR (6th)... three players made the RU All-Star team: 1B Gus Abreu (.341/17 HR/80 RBI/110 R), 2B Mickey Wilbur (.317/21 HR/88 RBI/80 R/5 SB) and C Jarrick Gayden (.308/11 HR/68 RBI/55 R)... other good sticks include LF Donald Ray Mooney (.295/16 HR/69 RBI/65 R/5 SB) and RF Robb Norwood (.331/10 HR/58 RBI/48 R)... Kivas' best hurlers are Wade Mendenhall (20-9/3.64), Billy Ehrenreich (19-12/3.47) and Slim Harding (19-14/4.05)... in the bullpen Leland Schofield (5-4/2.81/16 saves/37 G) has been a quality closer.

Outlook: Elnora can hit the ball and score runs, but they need better pitching to move up in the Ruthlandian East standings... not likely to catch the three clubs above them in the division.

5. Sugar Valley Rattlers (84-70) (10 GB)... this season they tied for fifth place with the Belle Plaine Musketeers... the Rattlers have one of the IPA all-time greatest players as skipper... Bobby Gamble was named Ruthlandian MVP four times, won five Golden Bat Awards, captured five Golden Bats and won two Golden Gloves... he played from '33 to '49... now a member of the IPA Hall of Fame... Gamble got the team back on track after two down years in '52 and '53... last year they were a very poor seventh with 68-86, 21 GB... improved pitching made the turnaround... 18 times Sugar Valley has appeared in the postseason playoffs... in 2045 the Rattlers captured their only Pro Cup, knocking off the Southport Sun Sox in six games... twice Sugar Valley lost in the Pro Cup Finals... to Red Bluff in '04 and to Tuckanarra in '24... Gamble's club is still mediocre on the hill inspite of much improvement with a 4.04 ERA (22nd)... they had a high 4.42 ERA in 2053... but they can hit the ball deep, pounding out 185 home runs (3rd), while they batted only .254 (27th)... the Rattlers scored 698 runs (14th-tied)... Antonio Cedeno is the only pitcher left from the golden years '43 to '51 when Sugar Valley hauled in seven pennants in nine years... this year Cedeno (22-13/3.46) led the team in wins, aided by Elvis Bonham (17-15/3.28)... in the pen youngster Hector De Andres (5-3/3.12/15 saves/28 G) stood out in the relief corps... LF Carl Ramsey (.261/43 HR/102 RBI/96 R/9 SB) is easily the main man in the Rattler lineup... Ramsey led the IPA with 43 homers... SS Tuck Alstott had 22 roundtrippers and 76 RBI, but hit a paltry .236... RF Tyler Alban (.289/13 HR/76 RBI/75 R/13 SB) and 3B Shiloh Harrs (.267/14 HR/45 RBI/46 R) occasionally did some damage, too.

Outlook: manager Bobby Gamble needs more contact hitters to improve the offense... and he needs a quality starter or two to get Sugar Valley back up near the top of the Ruthlandian East race.

5. Belle Plaine Musketeers (84-70) (10 GB)... the Muskies have shown steady improvement the past two seasons, boosting their record way over .500... the club was 69-85 two years ago and 74-80 last year... skipper Slick Hammill played 17 seasons with Belle Plaine... a talented infielder and seven-time All-Star, he registered a .301 career batting average with 252 homers and 1290 RBIs... Hammill has a capable club with a .276 BA (7th), 782 runs (5th) and 152 homers (7th)... pitching is better-than-average with 3.70 ERA (14th)... the Musketeer mound staff has four pretty fair starters in their rotation with Joe-Joe Bouvier (17-9/2.99), Jaron Montague (17-10.3.67), Al McKeown (13-17/4.25) and Raphael Palmieri (13-14/3.66)... Hammill's relief corps is suspect with a 3.91 ERA (27th)... the big trade with Taranto, a 3-for-1 deal, was a win-win... superstar Lenny Buisson hit 40 homers and batted .296 for the Tars, while pitchers Montague and Palmieri, along with RF Cody Losby slammed 28 HR, drove in 91 runs and hit a lofty .332 for Belle Plaine... Losby made the All-Star team... 1B Chuck Gregory (.324/28 HR/104 RBI/89 R) had a fine year for the Muskies... also contributing some offense were LF Andy Williams (.284/6 HR/43 RBI/79 R/7 SB), 3B Kale Woodard (.301/2 HR/63 RBI/66 R), CF Lyle Cuthbert (.333/17 HR/69 RBI/47 R/7 SB) and C Jerrod Hagood (.302/9 HR/50 RBI/36 R).

Outlook: Belle Plaine is looking up... the Musketeers have made some good moves the last couple of seasons and it could pay off big time fairly soon... Hammill is really looking forward to next year... his starters and young bats have him excited.

7. Beechwood Blues (60-94) (34 GB)... it's been nine years since manager Maury Patterson and his Blues have had a winning season... and sadly, the last RU East title came in 2027, 28 years ago... Beechwood has only three pennants in its history and has not ever won a Pro Cup... twice they were beaten by the then Crystal Lake Crushers in the Ruthlandian title series... the Crushers went on to win the overall IPA crown both times (2020, 2026)... the then Beechwood Bobcats also lost in the RU championship series to Valmara in 2027... they have never won the Ruthlandian Union title... Patterson starred for 16 seasons for Beechwood and compiled a fine 267-190 record with a very good 3.04 ERA... twice he was the Ruthlandian Golden Arm Award winner (2026, 2038)... Patterson played 2025 to 2040... Beechwood was a pretty competitive club during that period.

Plain and simple, Beechwood is just a bad ballclub... Blues season stats: .250 BA (31st), 531 runs (32nd), only 94 HR (28th-tied)... poor on the mound, too, with a 4.37 ERA... Patterson's only decent starter is 38-year-old Lenny Medford (11-18/3.84)... in his bullpen is a very good and young closer Owen Greenacre (7-2/2.03/16 saves/65 G)... the Blues have very little at the plate with the likes of CF Rod McClellan (.277/23 HR/99 RBI/66 R/10 SB), RF Darrel Felton (.299/6 HR/49 RBI/68 R/17 SB) and 3B Eldon Gilbert (.290/5 HR/34 RBI/55 R).

Outlook: Beechwood is woeful when it comes to talented ballplayers... not a rosy future for the Blues and skipper Maury Patterson.

8. Cold Creek Catamounts (56-98) (38 GB)... the CC 'Cats are on a four-year skid as an RU East also-ran... it's been 14 seasons since the last division flag (2041)... they have made the playoffs only eight times in their existence and never captured a Pro Cup trophy... Cold Creek almost won one in 2041 when they were defeated by juggernaut North Hills in a seven-game set... the Hawks of that era were one of the all-time best teams... they won 11 pennants in 12 years and four Pro Cups from '34 to '45... current manager J. J. Gillespie was a 22-game winner in '41 and was 4-3 in that postseason with a sparkling 1.90 ERA... in fact, Gillespie is one of the all-time IPA greats with a 294-170 career mark with a truly brilliant 2.46 ERA (7th best in history)... he was voted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2046.

Sad to say, but Cold Creek has lousy pitching with a horrendous 4.59 ERA (32nd) and only average hitting and scoring... the team BA was .262 (18th), scored just 696 runs (17th) and hit 134 HR (13th)... Jimmy Engels (14-16/4.23) and Rusty Rotherham (10-12/4.03) are just fair starters... nobody special in the relievers... the Catamounts have a few creditable hitters in CF Jimmy Lange (.296/21 HR/80 RBI/90 R/15 SB), seven-time All-Star, Golden Glover and rock solid SS Joe Cochrane (.282/14 HR/68 RBI/82 R), RF Mel Parnell (.291/20 HR/96 RBI/76 R/8 SB) and 1B Bobby Dundee (.289/13 HR/84 RBI/76 R).

Outlook: Cold Creek has to get better on the hill to compete in the RU East Division... could be a few years before they rebuild the mound staff.