THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2057

TYPHOONS TRAMPLES TU SOUTH AGAIN
For the fifth time in six years the Turon Typhoons have trampled everybody in the Tycobbian South Division... it could have easily been their sixth straight except for the second-place finish in '55 to the Southport Sun Sox, who nipped them by one game in a sudden-death playoff... this season the Typhoons blew away runner-up Cape Coral by 16 games... Southport was in the third spot, trailing by 17 games... and Summerland claimed fourth place in the standings, a distant 21 games behind... Turon led the entire season, building up a 7-game edge at the halfway point and increased it to 11 by September and won going away by season's end... double-digit wins are nothing new for the Typhoons... except for the close defeat in '55, Turon's closest race in the last five years was 12 games... however, the Typhoons have not had great postseason success... but they made the Pro Cup Finals last year, falling to champion Middlefield in five games... in '52 they lost to underdog Oxford in the first round and in '53 and '54 Turon was beaten by IPA Pro Cup champ Midway in the Tycobbian Finals.

1ST PLACE: TURON TYPHOONS (93-61)
Last Year: (96-58) (1st Place)
Two Years Ago: (98-57) (1 GB) (2nd Place)
Last Postseason: 2057 (4 Pro Cups - 2003, 2006, 2009, 2018) (20 Pennants)

Manager C. C. Kingsford's club has not had a losing season since 2045, a 12-year run... dominant pitching this year makes Turon a serious player this postseason... offense is fairly good with good power... plus good defense... a solid club... bullpen only fair.

Team Stats: .266 BA (9th), 694 runs (14th), 125 HR (22nd), 3.14 ERA (2nd), .979 FA (good)

Top Players: four solid pitchers in Parmenter, Jevicks, Hedges and Dickinson... good core of reliable bats, led by Fears, Mullinax, Yuro, Shepperton and Kaline.

2nd Place: Cape Coral Hurricanes (77-77) (16 GB)
Last Year: (67-87) (29 GB) (6th Place)
Two Years Ago: (79-75) (19.5 GB) (4th Place)
Last Postseason: 2041 (No Pro Cups) (8 Pennants)

Skippered by former superstar outfielder William Snyder (.322 BA/426 HR/1552 RBI/1426 R)...he was a 7-time All-Star, Gold Glover and 2035 Golden Bat winner... made IPA Hall of Fame in '53... Cape Coral is just a fair-to-middling ball team... hits and scores very well with good power... mediocre pitching... average defensively... came in a very distant second to Turon… the Hurricanes never really contended... 8 games back at the All-Star break... but faded out by season's end... winding up 16 games off the pace... Snyder must improve his mound corps to compete for the pennant.

Team Stats: .277 BA (2nd), 751 runs (5th), 159 HR (13th-tied), 4.02 ERA (22nd), .977 FA (average)

Top Players: Arriaza and Kipling are solid starters, but not a lot after them... rookie sensation Rosetti is a fine closer... potent bats throughout batting order, headed up by Ethridge, Coston and Cordice.

3rd Place: Southport Sun Sox (76-78) (17 GB)
Last Year: (80-74) (16 GB) (3rd Place)
Two Years Ago: (99-56) (1st Place)
Last Postseason: 2055 (3 Pro Cups - 2027, 2044, 2047) (12 Pennants)

HOF great OF Lorne Evans was a rookie star on the '27 Pro Cup champ... and copped a Pro Cup trophy in his first year as manager in '47... Evans inherited a fine contender from all-time great skipper Charlie Oscar and has kept the Sun Sox in the first division except for '51 (5th)... this season was not a good year for Southport... losing record for the first time in 15 years... they cut Turon's lead to 5 games entering August, but a 9-20 in August killed the season... team struggled offensively, but had reliable pitching... short on firepower... and average defensively... Evans is one of the all-time greats in the IPA with a .305 career average, 701 homers and 1836 RBIs... 12-time All-Star and a Gold Glover... he won 5 Golden Bats in his career.

Team Stats: .261 BA (14th), 641 runs (25th), 124 HR (23rd), 3.64 ERA (10th), .978 FA (average)

Top Players: Shafer and Wales are top-notched starters and Hill is an excellent closer... they need help on the hill and at the plate to contend with the likes of Turon… rookie Coats did very well this year and gave the only bonafide hitter in the lineup veteran 1B Zee Graham some much needed support... infielders Urban and Garcia are solid players.

4th Place: Summerland Sunsets (72-82) (21 GB)
Last Year: (78-76) (18 GB) (4th Place)
Two Years Ago: (62-92) (26.5 GB) (8th Place)
Last Postseason: 2046 (No Pro Cups) (4 Pennants)

Antonio Vasques starred for the Sunsets from 2030 to 2048... hit .281 in his career with 141 homers, 1116 RBIs and 1411 runs with 372 stolen bases... Golden Glove outfielder... the Sunsets have fine pitching, but horrendous hitting... and only fair fielding... just a lackluster club.

Team Stats: .233 BA (31st), 557 runs (32nd), 107 HR (30th), 3.36 ERA (4th), .974 FA (fair)

Top Players: Underhill and Hilgendorf are fine starters, but suffer from lack of runs... ditto all-time great Jayson Hallstrom (368-274/2.65 ERA), who is now 40 years old and showing signs of decline... Hallstrom is no longer a superstar... just a good starter... Vandenboom is a quality arm as well... Rory Poe is a very good closer... no one special at the plate... rookie CF Gerrit Peerenboom looks like a comer... did well in his first year... Summerland plays in a big ballpark... helps the pitchers and makes it hard for the longball hitters.

5th Place (tied): Ginza Ninjas (66-88) (27 GB)
Last Year: (64-90) (32 GB) (7th Place)
Two Years Ago: (64-90) (34.5 GB) (7th Place)
Last Postseason: 2031 (No Pro Cups) (7 Pennants)

Tokuji Takahara took over the club in 2054... as a player he had a good career with a 163-140 record and a 4.08 ERA for 12 years... however, the Ninjas are stuck in a rut with only two winning seasons in the last decade... 7th-place finishes three times in a row and fifth place this year... '51 was the last winning season (88-66) good for the third spot in the TU South standings... Ginza is just a bad team... needs improvement almost everywhere except defense.

Team Stats: .248 BA (28th), 664 runs (21st), 149 HR (17th), 4.40 ERA (31st), .980 FA (very good)

Top Players: rookie starter Kurt Brophy stood out... the rest were mediocre at best... nothing much in the bullpen... all in all, a very poor staff... not much in the batting order, either, except for SS Kuzuki Tamura, an elite player, solid hitter and fine defender... RF Chris Pfeiffer helps out some with the bat... so does 1B Vic Carnaggio... Takahara needs all-around improvement to save his job next year... 2B Hideki Nakano had a pretty good rookie season.

5th Place (tied): Arroyo Grande Suns (66-88) (27 GB)
Last Year: (84-70) (12 GB) (2nd Place)
Two Years Ago: (89-65) (9.5 GB) (3rd Place)
Last Postseason: 2024 (No Pro Cups) (4 Pennants)

Manager Eduardo Villanueva did fine his first three seasons, but the bottom fell out this year as the good pitching went into the pits and the team tumbled from second place to fifth in the TU South standings... on the hill Tuthill and Steed had terrible seasons and slugger star Ruben Jones (.250 BA/25 HR/48 RBI/53 R) was lost to injury in July... basically the Suns didn't hit, didn't pitch and didn't do well.

Team Stats: .231 BA (32nd), 595 runs (30th), 159 HR (13th-tied), 4.16 ERA (24th), .978 FA (average)

Top Players: Arroyo Grande still has solid starters in Beau McCloud and Nap Vickerson... plus a good reliever in Kurt Wolf... they just need Steed and Tuthill to regain the form of previous seasons... homers knocked them out of the park this year... no one hit in the lineup this year except rookie LF Chris Hardcastle with 31 roundtrippers and 80 RBIs, but he batted only .221... 2B Noel Folger topped the team with just a .261 BA... vet star 3B Russell Taylor also had an unproductive year at age 34.

7th Place: Colchester Elites (65-89) (28 GB)
Last Year: (67-87) (29 GB) (5th Place)
Two Years Ago: (73-81) (25.5 GB) (5th Place)
Last Postseason: 2036 (No Pro Cups) (4 Pennants)

Blake Barrister has managed the Elites since '49... he was a slugging outfielder in his 11-year career with a .268 BA, 437 HRs and 1132 RBIs... made the All-Star team on 4 occasions... he hasn't had much success as a skipper... nothing but second-division finishes except for 2051 when Colchester came in fourth (81-73)... the current club doesn't do anything well except go deep.

Team Stats: .252 BA (26th), 628 runs (27th), 164 HR (12th), 4.24 ERA (29th), .978 FA (average)

Top Players: 10-year-vet Denzel Durand is the team's workhorse on the mound... with impressive rookie southpaw Bunky McCracken helping him out a lot... no one else on the rotation is worth mentioning... in the pen 35-year-old Haden Fraser still gets the job done fairly well, but doesn't have much help... Colchester's most reliable batters are in their 30s, but still producing the longballs: Erroll Waldrep and Graig Sutton... James Murchison still a solid second baseman... so is outfielder Elton McClellan (.302 BA/7 HR/41 RBI/79 R), who is on the DL... not much talent beyond them... the future is bleak for the Elites.

8th Place: San Alejo Montaneros (63-91) (30 GB)
Last Year: (62-92) (34 GB) (8th Place)
Two Years Ago: (69-85) (29.5 GB) (6th Place)
Last Postseason: 2051 (1 Pro Cup - 2032) (8 Pennants)

Lately longtime skipper Filipe Zamora has been living on his laurels... the Monties have become cellar dwellers the last two seasons... and ended up sixth the other two years... four consecutive second-division finishes... not good for the spoiled San Alejo diehards... a managerial change may be coming in the offseason... present hitting coach and longtime star Paolo Teixeira may be in line for the job... this is the end of a era in San Alejo... for years Will McKinney and Matt Bell anchored the pitching staff with two of the best-ever pitchers in IPA history... McKinney (314-187/2.66 ERA) retired last year after 13-17 and 13-21 seasons in his last two years... and it is rumored the 38-year-old Bell (391-225/2.42 ERA) is considering retirement this year... he has said he doesn't want to be a hanger-on and play too long to the point of embarrassment... this year Bell missed three months of the season with shoulder problems... with a last-place club he still managed a 9-7 mark with a strong 2.68 ERA in 21 starts... the dynamic duo were teammates for 15 seasons from 2042 to 2056 and made the Monties a contender year-after-year... together they had 7 Golden Arms... McKinney was honored 4 times and Bell 3 times... the offense has always been lacking in San Alejo, but it has especially been bad the last two seasons... without the two mound standouts the outlook is not good at all for the Montaneros.

Team Stats: .255 BA (23rd), 570 runs (31st), 133 HR (21st), 3.92 ERA (20th), .983 FA (excellent)

Top Players: this year's starters were pretty good, led by Acosta, Cane, Bell and Ribiera... they pitched fairly well, but had no run support... in addition, the bullpen was atrocious, too... the San Alejo offense didn't have any super standouts, but rookie outfielder Wilfredo Peralta put together some solid numbers, along with Roman Redondo and 35-year-old vet Alanzo Grassi.

*************** May 1st Standings ******************************* July 1st Standings ****************

**************** August 1st Standings ************************* September 1 Standings ****************

***** 2057 Final Tycobbian East Division Standings *****

Dumb question about the game that I don't know from enough experience. Do players maintain some level of loyalty toward their clubs? Thus the Computer has them in mind when selecting a manager? Or was this a plan of yours?

All managers are chosen by me... civic pride is big in Islandia… players are born, play, live and die in their towns for the most part... the Islandians don't stray too far from home... managers are usually someone who played for the team... not always a star player.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2057

RED SOX UPSET MIDWAY IN TU EAST
Out of the blue somebody finally subdued the mighty Midway Wolves (86-69) in the Tycobbian East Division... it was the unheralded Red Bluff Red Sox (87-68) that upset the Middies... picked to finish fifth in the race, the Red Sox snatched the division flag in a sudden-death playoff, thus putting an end to Midway's four-year dominance... nobody even came close to whipping the Wolves until this year... it was a three-team race throughout the season... the third place High Mesa Mustangs (85-69) were always lurking close by and came up only one and a half games short of the title... the fourth place East Point Panthers (80-74) were in the thick of it at the midway point, but wound up 6 and a half games off the pace.

1ST PLACE: RED BLUFF RED SOX (87-68)
Last Year: (71-83) (30 GB) (6th Place)
Two Years Ago (67-87) (31 GB) (7th Place)
Last Postseason: four pennants in a row 2044 to 2047... (1 Pro Cup - 2004) (9 Pennants)

Ike Sweetwater is the long-time skipper of the Red Sox... his club has vastly improved in the last two years, going from 7th to 6th to the division title... both offense and pitching has been upgraded... Red Bluff is ready to make a run for their second Pro Cup... getting by powerful Midway was the first step in the process... the Red Sox still have some big hurdles to overcome... Denton City, Turon and Oxford will have a lot to say in the matter... it should be humdinger of a battle for the Tycobbian title.

Team Stats: .256 BA (18th), 733 runs (7th-tied), 193 HR (5th-tied), 3.61 ERA (8th), .977 FA (average)

Top Players: the Red Sox have two strong starters in rookie sensation Duane Sturgeon and third-year stalwart Wilson Sharpe, coupled with a couple of reliable arms in #3 and #4 starters Fred Taylor and Ricky Lambert... Sweetwater needs help in the bullpen... could hurt them in the postseason... two rookies Paul Gaddison and Denny Acres added two solid bats to the lineup to go along with Dazzy Bevis, Tony Kulkov, All-Star Marty Lyons and All-Star Jason Hunsinger.

2nd Place: Midway Wolves (86-69) (1 GB)
Last Year: (101-53) (1st Place)
Two Years Ago: (98-56) (1st Place)
Last Postseason: 2056 (2 Pro Cups - 2053, 2054) (7 Pennants)

Great Hall-of-Fame hurler Bobby Dorignac had done well at the helm of the Wolves, averaging over 98 victories a season the past four years... he just missed out on his fifth consecutive pennant this year... ironically, it was his pitching staff that couldn't deliver this season... the team ERA plummeted from a superb 2.84 ERA in '56 to 3.63 this year... 20-game winners Arnie McGill, Rob Land and Dookie Higgins floundered this year... only Charlie Chase and Will Deberry had effective seasons... the bullpen duo of Jeffrey Leonard and Rocket Rhodes also had subpar seasons... Midway has an aging staff... Chase and Land are 37... but the Wolves still feast at the plate with the likes of superstar Norishige Ito, Daryl Vale and Ted Merritt... rookie slugger Robb Withers prospered this year, too... overall, Midway came back down to earth this year... they are still a good ball club and a contender in the TU East... but not the juggernaut of the past decade... the division is competitive once again.

Teams Stats: .268 BA (8th), 775 runs (3rd), 207 HR (4th), 3.63 ERA (9th), .976 FA (average)

Top Players: Charlie Chase, even at age 37, did well... along with Will Deberry... Norishige Ito plays at his own amazing level... 50 homers, 150 RBI, .341 BA puts him at a higher plane than most IPA players... Vale is some kind of player, too... and Kax Clark is just a solid, good all-around performer... so is Ted Merritt... Dorignac has no problems with the regulars, it's just the pitchers that have to perk up and revert back to the form of the past few years that made the Midway Wolves such a feared ball club.

3rd Place: High Mesa Mustangs (86-69) (1.5 GB)
Last Year: (75-79) (26 GB) (5th Place)
Two Years Ago: (83-71) (15 GB) (3rd Place)
Last Postseason: 2048 (1 Pro Cup - 2002) (3 Pennants)

One of the greatest IPA players, Jack Elliott, runs the operation in High Mesa... Elliott is almost beyond compare with 12 Golden Bats, .332 career BA, 848 homers and 2120 RBIs... sadly he never made the playoffs in his legendary career... the Mustangs are on the rise with a well-balanced team and should be a solid contender in the coming seasons.

Team Stats: .271 BA (5th), 732 runs (9th), 209 HR (3rd), 3.70 ERA (11th), .977 FA (average)

Top Players: rookie phenom Weldon Herrington was remarkable pitcher... Tuffy Hammel and David Newell give High Mesa a good rotation... add another solid starter and you have a pennant winner... the Mustangs could use help in the so-so bullpen... Elliott has a rock-solid bunch of hitters, sparked by Kagetoki Miyazaki, Tracy McGriff, All-Star 2B Tommy Yost, Ward Catlin, Ricky Chandler and Curly Yeats.

4th Place: East Point Panthers (80-74) (6.5 GB)
Last Year: (86-68) (15 GB) (2nd Place)
Two Years Ago: (85-69) (13 GB) (2nd Place)
Last Postseason: 2052 (No Pro Cups) (7 Pennants)

Manager Frank Blair has played second fiddle 5 times in the last 7 seasons to the TU East division champion... this year was the Panthers worst finish in 8 years... they came in fourth in the standings, yet the Panthers were only 6 and a half games out of first place... that's the closest since 2051... Midway ran away with the division by double-digits the last 4 years... no one at all challenged them... Blair is excited by the improvement in this pitching corps... they lowered the ERA to 3.36 from 3.76... East Point has always put runs on the scoreboard... pitching was always their shortcoming... Blair had two 20-game winners this year with vet Benny Allen and youngster Eddy Winbourne... he has a third quality pitcher in his rotation with Chip Dowler... if Al Coatsworth can step it up... voila... the Panthers can win the pennant.

Team Stats: .259 BA (15th), 674 runs (19th), 153 HR (16th), 3.36 ERA (3rd), .976 FA (average)

Top Players: East Point is not far from a very solid rotation with the likes of Winbourne, Allen, Dowler and Coatsworth.... bullpen is excellent with Kerry Woodburn... the Panthers need some contact hitters... Manny Powers and Justin McRae need help... the longballers don't hit for average, but Skip Donley has 32 homers with a .233 BA... Kenny Bailey had 25, but only batted .246... manager Blair has signed 5 new rookies for the 2058 season in hopes of making the Panthers a potent force in the TU East.

5th Place: Tuckanarra Blue Jays (77-77) (9.5 GB)
Last Year: (78-76) (23 GB) (4th Place)
Two Years Ago: (64-90) (34 GB) (8th Place)
Last Postseason: 2049 (3 Pro Cups) (18 Pennants)

The Tucks have been a so-so club during the tenure of skipper Junior Bristow... the Blue Jays have been on the rise since the basement season in '55... better offense is needed to get back into the first division and pennant contention... the Bluebirds started off the season with a bang, tied for the top spot with Red Bluff at the end of April... they hung close to Midway, the midseason leader, trailing by only one game at the All-Star break, then dropped back into the second division.

Team Stats: .254 BA (24th), 647 runs (24th), 116 HR (16th), 3.71 ERA (13th), .983 FA (excellent)

Top Players: staff anchored by brilliant All-Star Ian Timms, who blossomed this season in his fourth year with 26 victories, tied with Maury Statler of Oxford for the IPA lead... Justin Shank is a solid number-two man in the rotation... Ralph Ayers is better than his record... bullpen is seriously lacking... three rookies improved the Blue Jays... All-Star catcher Odell Overstreet really stood out in his freshman year... along with outfielder Foxy Frye and shortstop Curtis Wynn... veteran 3B Newt Crutchfield is also a quality bat.

6th Place (tied): South Fork Stallions (70-84) (16.5 GB)
Last Year: (63-91) (38 GB) (8th Place)
Two Years Ago: (72-82) (26 GB) (5th Place)
Last Postseason: 2043 (2 Pro Cups - 2025, 2042) (6 Pennants)

Eldon Jacoby was fired at the end of this season and replaced by Big Murph McAlister, who toiled for 15 seasons for the Stallions, finishing up with a 162-180 mark and a 3.70 ERA... he retired in '51... South Fork has a pretty fair pitching staff, but not a lot of offense... Jacoby had two good seasons... winding up third in '53 and '54.

Team Stats: .252 BA (27th), 617 runs (28th), 147 HR (19th), 3.76 ERA (14th), .978 FA (average)

Top Players: Emmett Coogan is a solid number-one starter... second in the rotation is a fairly good Sam Black... and rookie Herm McClanahan did a fine job as the closer in his rookie season... South Fork needs some hosses on the hill and also at the plate to move up in the Tycobbian East... All-Star outfielder Bob Purkey is a bonafide bat and gets some help from Rudi Eberhardt, Rudy Maroney and Rudy Gatlin.