6th Place (tied): Ozarka Naturals (70-84) (16.5 GB)
Last Year: (83-71) (18 GB) (3rd Place)
Two Years Ago: (71-83) (27 GB) (6th Place)
Last Postseason: 2040 (No Pro Cups) (15 Pennants)

Duffy Morrison, retired in '47, took charge of the Nats in '54 and has done alright... he was a 4-time All-Star second sacker with a .283 lifetime BA and 266 homers in 14 years with Ozarka...Morrison made good progress until this year when the pitching took a turn for the worse... the Naturals don't have a lot of firepower... that and the bad bullpen are the major repair needs... the Nats didn't have a winning month during the season and ran near the bottom the entire way.

Team Stats: .256 BA (19th), 659 runs (22nd), 3.80 ERA (15th), .976 FA (fair)

Top Players: Morrison has quality starters with the foursome of Willis Reece, Ezra Hancock, Ronny Betzer and Delmer Jeffries... his bullpen, however, is a disaster... no great run producers in the lineup... the best producers are rookie Chris Kile, Sookie Lagerberg, Scotty Hannon and Foxy Alderson.

8th Place: Hillsboro Blazers (66-88) (20.5 GB)
Last Year: (64-90) (37 GB) (7th Place)
Two Years Ago: (76-78) (22 GB) (4th Place)
Last Postseason: 2051 (No Pro Cups) (1 Pennant)

'51 was a great year for manager Andy Jefferson and his Hillsboro Blazers... for the first and only time in the team's dismal history, they won the pennant and made the playoffs... Jefferson was voted the top skipper of the year in the Tycobbian Union and the future was shining bright... but sadly the Blazers couldn't stand prosperity... they slipped to fourth place in '52 and have since settled into a second-division syndrome... coming in 7th last year and 8th this year... the campers are not happy in Hillsboro... pitching is bad... batting is bad... scoring is bad... even the fielding is bad... but the Blazers do hit it out of the park with regularity.

Team Stats: .237 BA (30th), 655 runs (23rd), 210 HR (2nd), 4.24 ERA (28th), .974 FA (poor)

Top Players: Ian Barrie and rookie Don Schueler are only fair starters... but the club leader was Elliott Frampton with 18 victories... but he also had a 4.32 ERA... and closer Hank Greenberry is just fair-to-middling... not much on the hill for Hillsboro... not much at the plate, either, except for the roundtrippers... Hillsboro was third in the IPA with 210 homers... the Blazers have 11 players with 10 or more homers, but Rube Nealy, Ichiro Ichikawa and Lucien Lindsey are the only ones with a decent batting average.

********** May 1, 2057 TU West Standings ************************ July 1, 2057 TU West Standings *********

********** August 1, 2057 TU West Standings ************************ September 1, 2057 TU West Standings *********

********** 2057 Final TU West Standings *************

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2057

REDBIRDS NIP REDS IN SUDDEN DEATH IN TU WEST
The Denton City Redbirds (95-60) and the Rolling Hills Reds (94-61) went back-and-forth the entire season in the Tycobbian West Division with the league lead flip-flopping between them... they even had to go beyond the regular season to decide the division flag... finally in a sudden-death playoff game Denton City powered by Rolling Hills 10-8 to emerge the winner... third place went to the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (85-69), who stayed in the pennant race until they faded in the second half and wound up 9 and a half games out... the fourth-place club, the Bayview Vikings (84-70), did well early, floundered in June and July, then regrouped the last two months and came in 10 and a half games back of Denton City... last year's TU West titlist Arlon (77-77) tumbled badly to the sixth spot in the standings and was never a factor in this year's race... this was the Redbirds third sudden-death in five years... they lost to Arlon in '54 and '56... but won the division flag the other three times... Denton City will be going for its first-ever Pro Cup in the team's history... this will be the 12th try to gain the IPA championship... this just might be the year manager Pete Gibbs makes history... his Redbirds appear to have what it takes to be victorious... excellent pitching and solid bats with power... a good postseason formula for success.

1ST PLACE: DENTON CITY REDBIRDS (95-60)
Last Year: (95-59) (1 GB) (2nd Place)
Two Years Ago: (99-55) (1st Place)
Last Postseason: 2055 (No Pro Cups) (11 Pennants)

Under Gibbs the last five seasons Denton City has rung up over 95 wins each year... in '53 they gave IPA champ Midway its toughest series in the playoffs, but fell in six games... the mighty Wolves also swept them in '55... however, there's good news for the Redbirds... their postseason nemesis Midway is missing this year... Red Bluff upset them in the TU East Division... the other two Tycobbian division winners, Turon and Oxford, will also be potent obstacles... the Tycobbian Union playoffs look like the best of the best playing one another... no weak clubs this year.

Team Stats: .264 BA (11th), 703 runs (12th), 188 HR (7th), 3.06 ERA (1st), .976 FA (average)

Top Players: DC boasts three 20-game winners in All-Star Flash Stringfellow, All-Star Carl Coons and Jayson Mannon... Rance Hasbrough is also a very capable fourth man in the starting rotation... manager Gibbs also has the best closer in the IPA with All-Star Burnell Kelley... All-Star SS Vincent McCloud heads up the Redbird attack, along with Ronnie Lambert, Winky Biggio, Ozzy Crenshaw and Val Anniston.

2nd Place: Rolling Hills Reds (94-61) (1GB)
Last Year: (79-75) (17.5 GB) (4th Place)
Two Years Ago: (79-75) (20 GB) (4th Place)
Last Postseason: 2048 (3 Pro Cups - 2029, 2031, 2048) (11 Pennants)

IPA Hall-of-Famer Billy Christianson (.302 BA/248 HR/1446 RBI/1735 R) has managed the Reds since '52... as a Gold Glove infielder he led them to two Pro Cup titles in the 30s and lately has them on track for success in the Tycobbian West... his club came within 3 runs of the division crown this season, losing a heartbreaker to champ Denton City in a one-game playoff... Rolling Hills is a strong team with a heck of a lot of hitting and scoring, adequate power, some fine pitching and top-notch fielding... the future is bright for Christianson and his Reds... rose from fourth place the past two years to a very close second this season.

Team Stats: .283 BA (1st), 762 runs (4th), 3.53 ERA (6th), .980 FA (excellent)

Top Players: solid pitching rotation with P. J. Dunham, Vince Dillaway, Tommy Otis and the injured Rob Gates (19-9/3.30 ERA)... just might be the best group of starters in the entire IPA... should have had all 20-game winners... the bullpen is solid, too, anchored by Matty Mosby... terrific All-Star rookie first baseman Teddy Stonich had a marvelous year with 36 homers and 121 RBIs and led the club with plenty of help from veteran star Dustin Thibodeau, Jean-Luc Roubique, Jameson Mulbert, Rory Teed, Mike Josephson and rookie Lee Fountain.

3rd Place: Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (85-69) (9.5 GB)
Last Year: (77-77) (19.5 GB) (5th Place)
Two Years Ago: (74-80) (25 GB) (3rd Place)
Last Postseason: 2049 (No Pro Cups) (11 Pennants)

Buccaneer skipper Cotton Cornwall has been leading the club since 2044... it took him 5 years but he won the TU West pennant and Manager of the Year in '49... the Bucs also repeated as division champ in '50... his club has finished in the first division in 5 of the 7 seasons since, just barely missing out and coming in 5th place in '55 and '56... Bay St. Clair needs more offense to get back as a serious contender for the TU West title... the pitching and defense are already there.

Team Stats: .256 BA (22nd), 686 runs (16th), 122 HR (24th), 3.58 ERA (7th), .980 FA (excellent)

Top Players: the Buccaneers are showing signs of age... may be time for some young blood... Cornwall has a fairly good rotation with Jerry MacIntyre, 19-year-old rookie Benny Daye, Kermo Jarvi, Kyle Eastman and 36-year-old veteran star Scotty Hedwall... Bucs bullpen is one of the best in the IPA with Darcey Kennedy and 35-year-old star Cadillac Bogart... All-Star 2B Ike Ritter, Clive Caviness , Jed Killick and Hersh Cranmore only have modest numbers... the Bucs could definitely use a few good hitters.

4th Place: Bayview Vikings (84-70) (10.5 GB)
Last Year: (72-82) (24.5 GB) (8th Place)
Two Years Ago: (67-87) (32 GB) (7th Place)
Last Postseason: 2016 (No Pro Cups) (6 Pennants)

After years of bottom of the barrel existence Bayview jumped up to fourth in the standings, mainly with much-improved pitching... prior to this season you have to go back to '44 for a .500 finish... during that dozen years it was mainly 7th and 8th finishes... last playoff appearance was long ago in 2016... all-time IPA home-run hitter, Jerry Culpepper, came on board as skipper in '55 and has turned things around... in his 19-year career with the Vikings, Culpepper hit 60 or more homers five times and ended up with 878 roundtrippers... Bayview has pretty darn good pitching considering they play in a "home-run heaven"... the offense is good... and defense is average... the Vikings are hoping to move up with the big boys, Denton City and Rolling Hills... right now they have a big talent gap to close.

Team Stats: .253 BA (25th), 716 runs (11th), 193 HR (5th-tied), 3.82 ERA (16th), .978 FA (average)

Top Players: Bayview has a quality rotation with Perot, Konigsen and Rasmussen... and Dycus is a fairly good closer... Byorn Karlsen at third base does it all... a gifted ballplayer... one of the best in the IPA... the Viks just need a few more good ones to go with him... Culpepper just worked a trade with Kenwood... he picked up a fine hitter in T. D. Proudfoot (.331 BA/12 HR/35 RBI/48 G), along with a young starter James Farnham for three players: pitchers Herm Monday (18-14/3.98), Rick Richard (2-3/4.11 ERA/54 G) and up-and-coming rookie OF Jorgen Ostergaard (.265 BA/15 HR/55 RBI/116 G)… on paper, it looks like a good trade for both clubs.

5th Place: Kenwood Wildcats (81-73) (13.5 GB)
Last Year: (88-66) (8.5 GB) (3rd Place)
Two Years Ago: (82-72) (17 GB) (3rd Place)
Last Postseason: 2052 (1 Pro Cup - 2014) (10 Pennants)

For the past 13 seasons Babe Hankins has been the manager of the Wildcats... his father, Aaron Hankins, ruled the club for 42 years... Babe has won 5 TU West pennants since succeeding his dad in '44... most of the years Kenwood has made the first division, only 3 times has Hankins had losing seasons... despite having lousy pitching this year, the Wildcats had a good season, winding 8 games above .500... they just happened to play in one of the better divisions in the IPA and came in 5th... fortunately Hankins had excellent hitting to counteract the poor pitching.

Team Stats: .275 BA (3rd), 791 runs (2nd), 157 HR (15th), 4.52 ERA (32nd), .976 FA (average)

Top Players: only two starters were adequate... Mickey Maughan (17-10/3.77) and Al Bryan (13-18/4.12)... the bullpen is just not very reliable, but they do get a lot of saves... Hankins has promised wholesale changes in the staff and just made a 5-player trade with the Bayview Vikings... he got pitchers Herm Monday (18-14/3.98), Rick Richard (3-2/4.11 ERA/54 G) and rookie OF Jorgen Ostergaard (.265 BA/.15 HR/55 RBI/116 G) for young promising first sacker T. D. Proudfoot (.331 BA/12 HR/36 RBI/48 G) and untested pitcher James Farnham... the Wildcat lineup is chocked full of good hitters... leading the way are vets Bralen Connally and Chris McNeal, along with a group of impressive rookies like Joe Kellogg, Ziggy Faircloth and Ezra McCluskey... Hankins used some of his young talented hitters and pitchers as bait to get some quality veteran pitchers... improved pitching would do wonders for Kenwood next year.

6th Place: Arlon Champions (77-77) (17.5 GB)
Last Year: (97-58) (1st Place)
Two Years Ago: (91-63) (8 GB) (2nd Place)
Last Postseason: 2056 (1 Pro Cup - 2051) (8 Pennants)

Mark Cameron's club took a huge nosedive this season after capturing the Tycobbian West Division two of the last three years... went from the penthouse to the proverbial outhouse... pitching woes were the culprit... staff is getting old... Coffee and Hilburn are 35... closer Mack Blair is 33...Towers and Branham had bad years... however, the Champs can still sting the ball... lots of good hitters.

Team Stats: .266 BA (10th), 736 runs (6th), 170 HR (9th), 3.85 ERA (18th), .974 FA (mediocre)

Top Players: Coffee is still a solid starter, Hilburn may be slipping... Branham, Towers and Blair dipped a lot this year... offense is sparked by Jamey Stansfield, a legitimate star slugger... young Jon Cress had a breakout year... Art Catlin and Mel Hawkes are productive bats, too... manager Mark Cameron needs some young arms on his staff to get back into the pennant chase... the preseason prognosticators were close to being right when they picked Arlon to wind up 7th this year.

7th Place: Chicopee Braves (75-79) (19.5 GB)
Last Year: (75-79) (21.5 GB) (6th Place)
Two Years Ago: (61-93) (38 GB) (8th Place)
Last Postseason: 2036 (No Pro Cups) (3 Pennants in '34, '35, '36)

One of the worst IPA franchises... first-year skipper Paul Foster (129-169/3.98 ERA) was a run-of-the-mill hurler for the Braves for 14 years... Chicopee is just a lackluster club destined for the second division... yet they played fairly well in a very good division, winding up just 4 games under the .500 mark in the 7th spot in the Tycobbian West standings... over two decades have gone by since the last playoff appearance.

Team Stats: .256 BA (21st), 687 runs (15th), 120 HR (25th), 3.89 ERA (19th), .974 FA (poor)

Top Players: Chicopee has two fair starters in Gavin Kinville and Chuta Shaman... 36-year-old Russ Clooney is at the end of his career, but can give you a quality start occasionally... he's still a pretty capable starter... longtime ace Sharlon Barbour retired at the end of this season at age 36... he was 136-168 in 9 seasons with a credible 3.87 ERA... the Braves brought back Al Craddock for another try... he didn't fare well in his first trial in '54... he is only 25 and has done well in amateur leagues in recent years... the bullpen is in fairly good hands with Rocky Dowling and Cy Abernathy... All-Star Travis Ledger topped the IPA in batting with a .353 BA, but he is short on power, mainly a singles hitter... the main run producer, Kohana Chaska, doesn't hit much for average, but hit 22 out of the park and drove in 93 runs... rookie Andrew Weston had a good debut year with 21 homers, 81 ribbies and a .304 BA... rookie Mooki Ahanu was a productive bat, too... along with rookie Lou Stankowski... Chicopee has a lot of good, young position players... but has needs everywhere on the roster... it's doubtful Foster will work any miracles soon.

8th Place: (54-96) (36.5 GB)
Last Year: (74-80) (22.5 GB) (7th Place)
Two Years Ago: (67-87) (32 GB) (6th Place)
Last Postseason: 2038 (No Pro Cups) (4 Pennants)

Probably the worst franchise in the IPA... one winning season in the last 14... no playoffs for almost 20 years... brand-new manager Pat Kovacs had a terrible rookie season coming in dead last in the division... he's a Hall-of-Famer with a 308-228 mark and a fine 2.84 career ERA... Kovacs is 6th on the all-time strikeout list with 4179... set the all-time season record in '28 with 391 Ks...Kovacs has a tough row to hoe... not a lot of talent in La Claire.

Team Stats: .256 BA (20th), 610 runs (29th), 148 HR (18th), 3.96 ERA (21st), .976 FA (average)

Top Players: not a bad staff... there are a couple good starters in Tommy Trantham and Kelly Hudgins... #3 and #4 Kellen Debussy and Hank Raborn show some promise... but, there's nothing in the bullpen... at the plate, there are lots of fair hitters with good potential... Horace Rutherford, Derek Winchester, Taro Lansing, Sean McEuen and Kippy Born could have breakout years... just hasn't happened so far... Charlie Rodgers had a great All-Star year in '56 with a .339 BA, 31 roundtrippers and 109 RBI, but he dropped off this year... the Lynx could have a lot of new faces this year.

All of the 8 IPA divisions have been recapped for the 2057 season... get ready for the Pro Cup playoffs now.

Up and coming soon, a preview of the 8 Pro Cup participants.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 20, 2057

PRO CUP PLAYOFFS: SHOWCASE OF ISLANDIAN BASEBALL
The Islandian baseball world has a tantalizing treat beginning tomorrow across Islandia... over the next three weeks the top 8 teams in the IPA will clash on the diamond and eventually decide the Pro Cup champion and the best baseball team in the country... the Turon Typhoons and the Valmara Vipers will be in quest of their record-setting fifth Pro Cup trophy... Oxford, Elnora and Red Bluff are seeking their second Island title... while the other three participants, Denton City, Fort Benton and St. John, have never won one... the odds-makers say this edition will be a hotly-contested affair with almost all the clubs having a shot at the revered prize.

First-round Ruthlandian Union play pits the St. John Crusaders on the road against the Valmara Vipers at War Memorial Stadium... and the Fort Benton Defenders hosting the Elnora All-Stars at Old Fortress Park... over in the Tycobbian Union, Turon tangles at home at Typhoon Stadium with the Oxford Red Caps... and the Denton City Redbirds will entertain the Red Bluff Red Sox at Douglas Denton Field... all series are best-of-seven in each of the three rounds... home-field advantage will be determined by regular season records... Valmara posted the best overall record at 96-58, followed by Denton City with 95-60 and Turon with 93-61.

NO CLEAR-CUT PRO CUP FAVORITE
In The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll, there was no definite consensus among the broadcasters and sportswriters... according to the baseball soothsayers any one of the combatants could claim the IPA championship... Denton City, Valmara and Turon were listed as the most likely to succeed in the balloting, but Oxford and Red Bluff were in the running, too... even Fort Benton, Elnora and St. John got support... it looks like a wide-open contest this year with no clear-cut favorite.

PRO CUP FAVORITE: Denton City Redbirds (95-60) (2nd)
.264 BA (11th)
703 runs (12th)
188 HR (7th)
3.08 ERA (1st) (starters)
3.26 ERA (8th) (bullpen)
.976 FA (fair defense)
OUTLOOK: best starting foursome in the playoffs, anchored by Stringfellow (24-12), Coons (21-13), Mannon (22-9) and Hasbrough (14-16)... bullpen is good... Burnell Kelley (37 saves/0.81 ERA) is the best closer in the IPA... with solid hitting and good power, too... McCloud (31 HR), Biggio (28 HR) and Anniston (27 HR) are all reliable threats... the Redbirds are a hard combination to beat... however, they will have a battle on their hands... all four squads are top-notch in the Tycobbian Union.

2nd-ranked: Valmara Vipers (96-58) (1st)
.279 BA (3rd)
823 runs (2nd)
175 HR (3rd)
3.75 ERA (10th) (starters)
3.69 ERA (23rd) (bullpen)
.975 FA (fair defense)
OUTLOOK: fine arsenal of hitters... top bats are .300 hitters: Stolarski (.302/11 HR), Benford (.312/24 HR), Szymanski (/308/10 HR), Balicki (.312/8 HR) with capable veteran starters in Primo Sirak (19-12), Darus Grajek (20-16), Lukasz Chojnacki (18-11) and rookie Tony Joe Carnes (12-2)... fairly good bullpen with vet Carver Dillon (2-0/1.80) and Kris Fourcade (5-2/3.23 ERA/27 saves)... should win Ruthlandian Union and play for Pro Cup.

3rd-ranked: Turon Typhoons (93-61) (3rd)
.266 BA (9th)
694 runs (14th)
125 HR (22nd)
3.14 ERA (2nd) (starters)
2.71 ERA (4th) (bullpen)
.978 FA (average defense)
OUTLOOK: good pitchers abound with Yancey Hedges (21-10), Dickie Parmenter (18-7), Ivar Jevicks (13-8), Ollie Dickinson (15-13) and Bobby Reimer (13-9)... but hitting is suspect... best producers are Doyle Ashcroft (21 HR), Matthew Fears (19 HR), Andy Wilkerson (18 HR), Shoyo Yuro (18 HR) and Maxie Mullinax (12 HR), but none of them hit for a high average... strong pitching should be enough to keep them in the Pro Cup race.

4th-ranked: Oxford Red Caps (88-66) (4th)
.270 BA (7th)
839 runs (1st)
257 HR (1st)
4.23 ERA (27th) (starters)
4.47 ERA (30th) (bullpen)
.978 FA (average defense)
OUTLOOK: it's hard to hit your way to the Pro Cup title... pitching has to be fairly good... the Red Caps come up way short on the hill... but will try to do it with the bats... 10 of them hit 10 or more homers this year, led by rookie Buddy Bradford (41 HR), Roland Latimer (36 HR), Frankie Beckwith (34 HR), Wade McGrew (31 HR), Ozzie Ackerman (25 HR) and Dwayne Wagner (21 HR)... Oxford is now third-best on the all-time IPA home-run list with 257 this year... Red Bluff holds the record with 283 in 2045... Arroyo Grande is second with 260 in 2005... the Red Caps do have one of the top twirlers in the IPA with Maury Statler (26-10/2.94 ERA)... he tied for the most wins this year... Tuckanarra's Ian Timms went 26-5... if #2 rookie Meldon Eddington (17-11/4.14) can have a good postseason, the Red Caps could make some noise... Pat McFarlane (2-4/2.29 ERA/26 saves) is a standout closer... any hurler or two will have to step up their game for Oxford to have a chance... the competition in the Tycobbian Union is torrid... not a soft touch in the playoffs.

5th-ranked: Red Bluff Red Sox (87-68) (7th)
.256 BA (18th)
733 runs (7th-tied)
193 HR (5th-tied)
3.61 ERA (8th) (starters)
3.19 ERA (7th) (bullpen)
.977 FA (average defense)
OUTLOOK: the Red Sox have got to be good, they defeated the powerful Midway Wolves for the division title... a well-balanced club with good scoring and firepower... solid core of hitters led by Toni Kolkov (36 HR), Dazzy Bevis (32 HR), Paul Gaddison (27 HR) and Monty Lyons (19 HR)... Duane Sturgeon (20-12) and Wilson Sharpe (20-16) are fine starters in the one-two spots... three and four are reliable, too, with Fred Taylor (16-13) and Ricky Lambert (13-10)... but they don't have much of a bullpen... still Red Bluff will be a formidable foe.

6th-ranked: Elnora All-Stars (86-68) (8th)
.284 BA (1st)
825 runs (1st)
165 HR (6th)
4.01 ERA (21st) (starters)
3.54 ERA (21st) (bullpen)
.975 FA (poor defense)
OUTLOOK: Elnora has a high-octane attack that can put runs on the scoreboard with the likes of Dickie DeBusshere (.314/31 HR), Gus Abreu (.320/16 HR), Mickey Wilbur (.267/23 HR) and Kuro Ishihara (.284/9 HR)... coupled with three quality starters in Matt Mackowiak (18-13), Bud Hathaway (24-10) and Jerry Bertrand (18-11), the All-Stars just might be heard from this year in the playoffs.

7th-ranked: St. John Crusaders (87-67) (5th-tied)
.273 BA (8th)
740 runs (7th)
123 HR (22nd)
3.49 ERA (3rd) (starters)
2.80 ERA (4th) (bullpen)
.977 FA (average defense)
OUTLOOK: the Crusaders' strength is in its mound corps... Tom Smithson (16-13), Teddy de Grom (18-12), Teddy Howell (14-12) and Deke Eubanks (12-14) are a fair foursome... Gibby Pritchell (5-5/2.73), who joined the club in August will get a chance to start, too... St. John has a good bullpen headed up Mark Faber (2-2/2.62 ERA/23 saves)... they hit pretty well with only fair power, but can score runs... best bats are Ozwaldo Romero (.283/19 HR), Tuffy Palmieri (.283/13 HR), Freddy Woodruff (.293/9 HR) and Lou Endicott (.348/11 HR)... with its pitching, St. John could sneak up on a few teams in the playoffs.

8th-ranked: Fort Benton Defenders (87-67) (5th-tied)
.281 BA (2nd)
709 runs (13th)
90 HR (31st)
3.75 ERA (11th) (starters)
3.40 ERA (17th) (bullpen)
.977 FA (average defense)
OUTLOOK: well, Fort Benton did knock off last year's Pro Cup champion Middlefield this year... they must have some talent... they are a scrappy bunch, but will be overmatched in the postseason... Noel Blissard (19-12) and Gil Hicks (17-16) are dependable starters... and closer Randy Rinehart (5-4/3.09 ERA/24 saves) does a pretty good job in the bullpen... not a lot after them... but, the Defenders can blister the ball... paced by Mel Lightfoot (.334/17 HR), Charlie Bondy (.319/12 HR), Kip Drumm (.315/7 HR) and Eamon Hooper (.284/12 HR)... they make good contact, but don't go deep very often... Fort Benton hit only 90 out of the park this season... the Defenders are not expected to advance very far in the playoffs.

Hey, folks... I need to take a break from the Islandian Pro Alliance for a few weeks... I want to play around with OOTP19 and get ready for the last update which usually comes sometimes in July... I want to work on my new project and get it ready.

I'll finish up the 2057 IPA Pro Cup playoffs and season a little bit later this month.

cliff hanger :eatpop:

Do you have a favorite team in the IPA?

Which team will win the Pro Cup this year?

All of you are welcome to pick the winner of this year's Pro Cup.

You know what? i don't have a favorite team. i'm a big fan of your playoff writing. And i think it helps that i don't have a favorite, because i don't lose interest if a particular team does't make (or advance in) the playoffs. Based on the games, i may start to root for a team in a series. But it never carries over.

i'm the same way with the Metro Leagues; no favorites... he has a different way of telling the story, but it is a great presentation.

As far as picking a winner, i'd say one of the team's with the starting pitchers so that would be Denton, Turon or St. John's. Turon seems like it may be more my style of team.

So i'll pick Turon.