Did I get to post on Page 300?


Congrats EC!

EDIT: Nope :D

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 1, 2058

3 DIVISIONS STILL UP FOR GRABS IN IPA
It's September in the Islandian Pro Alliance and it's all over but the crying in 5 of the IPA's 8 divisions... however, 3 of the division flags are still up for grabs... Oxford (81-59), Luxora (81-59) and North Hills (80-60) are still vying for the crown in the Tycobbian North... Midway (81-59), Hillsboro (80-60) and Red Bluff (79-61) are fighting hard in the Tycobbian East for the pennant... and Crystal Lake (81-59) and St. John (78-62) are contending in the Ruthlandian South for the playoff spot... the rest of the divisions are pretty much decided... Valmara (89-51) tops the Ruthlandian North by 7 games... Wynnamac (87-53) is a colossal 12 games ahead in the Ruthlandian East... Volusia (94-46) is on top in the Ruthlandian West by 9... Southport (86-54) heads up the Tycobbian South by 11 games... and Arlon (85-55) reigns supreme by 8 games in the Tycobbian West... there are only 14 games of the regular season remaining on the schedule... it's playoff crunch time in the IPA... it's time to do or die.

AROUND THE IPA

Ruthlandian North Division
The Valmara Vipers were the pollster's choice to win the RU North pennant this year and it looks like they will heading into September and the final two weeks of the regular IPA season... the Vipers (89-51) are 7 games up on the second place Far Mountain Redhawks (82-58)... Valmara was 17-12 in August, while Far Mountain went 19-10.

Ruthlandian South Division
It's still a two-team affair in the RU South race... Crystal Lake (81-59) was 17-12 last month and they have a 3-game edge over the runner-up St. John Crusaders (78-62), who hung close with a fine 18-11 mark.

Ruthlandian East Division
It was no contest in the RU East this season... the Wynnamac Sundowners (87-53) plowed under the rest of the division by a monstrous 12 games... last year's champ and Pro Cup loser, Elnora (75-65), came in a very distant second... the Macs were 18-11 in August, while the All-Stars were 17-12.

Ruthlandian West Division
The Volusia Vigilantes (94-46) are having a superb season with more victories than any other team in the IPA... they are doing much better than expected... the preseason poll picked them to wind up a distant third behind favored Middlefield and number two ranked Sligo... going into September, the V's have a 9-game bulge over the Sligo Rovers (85-55)... Volusia posted an 18-11 record in August... Sligo was 19-10 last month... Middlefield (76-64) is third in the standings, 18 GB... the Roosters chalked up a 15-14 record last month.

Tycobbian North Division
The only thing closer would be a three-way tie in the TU North... as it stands at the beginning of September, last year's champ, the Oxford Red Caps (81-59), are deadlocked with the Luxora Zorros (81-59) for first place with the North Hills Hawks (80-60) just a game back... the fourth place and preseason favorite Fairfield Frogs (76-64) are also still in the running and trail by 5 games... in August the Red Caps went 18-11... the Zorros 17-12... the Hawks 17-12... and the Frogs were 18-11... the last two weeks and the last 14 games should really be a catfight to the nth degree in the Tycobbian North pennant race.

Tycobbian South Division
The Southport Sun Sox were spotlighted to win the TU South fairly handily this season by the baseball pollsters and that's exactly what they are doing... going into the final two weeks of the campaign, Southport (86-54) has a whopping 11 games lead over the second place Turon Typhoons (75-65)… nobody has came close to the Sun Sox this season... Southport ravaged the division with a 20-8 and 20-9 mark in July and August... Turon could only manage 12-17 last month... third place Cape Coral was 14-15 and fourth place Ginza only 12-17... for the year the Hurricanes are 66-74 and the Ninjas are only 63-77... the Tycobbian South is one of the weakest divisions in the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Tycobbian East Division
4 clubs are still in the fray in the TU East, where preseason favorite, the Midway Wolves (81-59) are just barely ahead of the surprising Hillsboro Blazers by a single game... no one really thought the Blazers would still be in the battle in September, but they are, along with the current Pro Cup champion Red Bluff Red Sox (79-61), who are only 2 games out of first place... somehow, the South Fork Stallions (76-64) are still in contention, 5 games back of the Middies... the Stallions were ranked seventh in the preseason poll... and how did all of the contending clubs do in August?... the Wolves came in 15-14... the cinderella Blazers didn't fold and were a marvelous 20-9... tough month for the Red Sox at 14-15... and the Stallions went 18-11.

Tycobbian West Division
The Arlon Champions (85-55) came alive in the summer and took charge of the TU West... heading down the stretch in September they are 8 games in front of the second place Chicopee Braves (77-63), who led most of the way this season... far back in third place in the standings are the Rolling Hills Reds (74-66), 11 GB... the Kenwood Wildcats are in the fourth spot, trailing by 13 games... and last year's division winner and this year's preseason choice, the Denton City Redbirds (66-74), floundered and fizzled and ended up a dismal fifth place, 19 GB... Arlon was 19-10 in August... the Braves dropped way behind with a poor 13-16... the Reds were 15-14... and the Wildcats played very well with an 18-11 mark.

I’ve never really posted on these forums before but I managed to stumble across this dynasty by accident and actually took a great liking to it. I’m not a gigantic baseball nerd but I do like it, and I greatly admire the work that’s been done on the IPA. It’s definitely not easy covering 64 teams but I think that’s what I like best. All the towns and there respective teams have so much life and personality. All the variety and history of this league make it a quite special one. I’ve always considered myself a Ginza Ninja fan in the TU and a Kilkenny Cat fan for the RU. Eventhough both teams suck i always liked them. I also have a question on your personal opinion of player talent in the IPA. Would you say the best players in the IPA are as good as the best players in the MLB or a step below? Anyways Just wanted to post that out of appreciation as another fan of your well done dynasty.

Thank you so much for your wonderful comments... you have just made my day special! :D

As far as talent level, the IPA is major league... I think my Pro Cup champion could compete with the Boston Red Sox or the Los Angeles Dodgers... don't know if it is possible to play an exhibition series in OOTP12 (which I use for the IPA), but if I can, I just might pit this year's Pro Cup champion against the MLB World Series champion.

Thanks again for the kind words and thank you for following the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Much appreciate it!

Cool. The Fairfax Frogs are still in it. :eatpop:

Yeah... ain't that something... I have doubted the Frogs the whole season... looks like they are for real... it's a shame they had a so-so first half... they have really come on strong in the second half of the schedule... 46-25 since July 1st when they were 42-41.

I couldn't see why they were the preseason favorite to win the Tycobbian North.

Fairfax was last in 2057 with a 72-82 record.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 8, 2058

SHOWDOWN WEEK IN THE ISLANDS
Heading into the last week of the 2058 season, 4 clubs have already cinched spots in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs and one is close to doing it... Wynnamac and Volusia are already victors in the Ruthlandian Union and Arlon and Southport are pennant winners in the Tycobbian Union.... the Valmara Vipers should wrap up their division crown in a few days... but the other three divisions will be fighting tooth-and-nail down to the final day of the season.

However, with only 8 games left to play, it's make or break time... time to put up or shut up for 9 playoff hopefuls in the final week of play in the Islandian Pro Alliance... it's sink or swim time for the Crystal Lake Skippers (83-63), who carry a skinny 1-game lead over the second place St. John Crusaders (82-64) in the Ruthlandian South Division... the Crusaders were 4-2 this week and cut 2 games off the lead when the Skippers went 2-4.

Two divisions are still up in the air in the Tycobbian Union... in the TU East, the Midway Wolves (85-61) are 2 games up on the second place Red Bluff Red Sox (83-63) and 3 in front of the surprising Hillsboro Blazers (82-62), who are still clinging tough... the Middies and Red Sox were 4-2 this week, but the Blazers slipped to just 2-4... upstart South Fork (78-68) went 2-4 and pretty much dropped out of contention... the Stallions are 7 games back of first place Midway.

4 teams are still challenging in the TU North where the first place Luxora Zorros (85-61) have a 2-game edge on last year's division champ the Oxford Red Caps (83-63)... the North Hills Hawks (81-65) and Fairfax Frogs (81-65) are longshots, tied for third place and 4 games back... the Z's won 4 of 6 games this week... the Red Caps were a disappointing 2-4... the Hawks were a really bad 1-5 and the Frogs continued to play great ball with a 5-1 mark.

its a good pennant race in the TU North this year huh. and how bout the blazers, i was rooting for them to win the pennant but i guess its unlikely. i always root for the underdog.

I'm with you, too… sadly history has not been good to the Hillsboro Blazers... in the early days of the IPA they went the first 15 years before they had a winning season… 16 times they have finished last in the TU East... 10 times they were 7th... overall record in the IPA is a dismal .477 (4185-4593).

Only one time have the Blazers hoisted a division flag over its stadium... that was recently... they went from the outhouse to the penthouse in 2051 with a 98-56 record... they were really good that season... they gave the IPA champion Arlon fits in the TU first round, pushing them to 7 games before losing out... that year Arlon easily won their Tycobbian title series over White River 4 games to one... and captured the Pro Cup by defeating Waleska in 5 games.

The Tycobbian North has really been a battle all year long... it's been nip-and-tuck between 4 teams... my sentimental favorite would be the Fairfax Frogs... they haven't had a winning season for 11 years... and no playoff appearances since 2033... but the Frogs' history is much better than the Blazers... 8 times they have made the postseason, but have never won a Pro Cup... overall Fairfax has a winning record... with a .503 winning percentage.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 16, 2058

SEASON OVER! WOLVES, SKIPS AND Z'S IN PLAYOFFS
Most of the IPA divisions were won in a breeze... all except the Ruthlandian South, Tycobbian East and Tycobbian North Divisions... in most cases these races went down to the last week in the season... and even down to the last day in the TU North... Crystal Lake, Midway and Luxora won thrilling races and qualified for the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... they will join the other pennant winners, Valmara, Wynnamac, Volusia, Southport and Arlon in quest of the Holy Grail of Islandian pro baseball - the revered Pro Cup trophy.

The Luxora Zorros (89-65) just barely held off the high-flying and fast-closing Fairfax Frogs (88-66) to capture the TU North by one scant game... last year's division winner Oxford (86-68), tied for third place this season with North Hills (86-68), just 3 games behind in the race... the Z's went 8-6 in September to edge out the Frogs, who were an amazing 12-2 down the stretch... Fairfax almost proved the pollsters right... the Frogs were the preseason favorite to win the pennant... Luxora was only the sixth choice in the poll.. both Oxford and North Hills wilted in the stretch drive... the Red Caps were 5-9 and the Hawks were 6-8.

The Midway Wolves (92-62) got hot in September and put away the reigning Pro Cup champion Red Bluff Red Sox by 4 games... the Middies finished the month with a standout 11-3 mark to pull away from the Red Sox, winning 9 of their last 10 games... Red Bluff did well with a 9-5 record, but couldn't derail Midway this year... the third place Hillsboro Blazers (85-69) had a great season for them and wound up 7 games off the pace... they fizzled and fell to 5-9 in September, when it mattered most.

In the Ruthlandian South Division, Crystal Lake and St. John battled each other the entire year with the Skippers finally outlasting the Crusaders by 4 games... the Skips were 8-6 in September, while St. John slipped to 6-8.

Now the last-minute pennant winners will jump right back into the fire with little time to catch their breaths... the 2058 Pro Cup playoffs begin in just a few days... the 2058 IPA Pro Cup playoffs begin this Thursday afternoon.

Thought you might like to have some of the Ginza Ninjas' and Kilkenny Cats' histories.

Ginza Ninjas (overall record: 4450 wins-4480 losses (.498) 7 playoff appearances... no Pro Cups.

KILKENNY CATS

Owner: Smithwick's Brewing Company

GM and Manager: Dave Michael

The town of Kilkenny has a population of 65,000 and is situated inland about 10 miles south of the Kelnyck Ocean in the northern part of Valdar Island. Irish immigrants settled here in the 1850s, the time of the Great Famine in Ireland. With an exquisite coastline that ranges from rolling green hills to low, craggy bluffs and hills, Kilkenny offers a relaxed pace of life and scenic beauty. It hasn't changed much in the last hundred years.

The people of Kilkenny love to laugh, sing and drink, so it seems logical that the brewing business would be primary here. It is the home of Smithwick's Brewery, which was established in Kilkenny's namesake in Ireland in 1710. Smithwick's (pronounced "Smithicks"...the "w" is silent) produces its famous ale along with Kilkenny Cream Ale.

Visitors can sample great ale, good food and experience Irish music in its traditional pubs. The pub lies at the heart of cultural, social and musical life in Kilkenny. Belly bustin' comedy can be enjoyed each weekend at Smithwick's The Cat Laughs Comedy Club, which features the best of Irish comedians, both native and imported. Smithwick's also owns the local IPA baseball franchise, the Kilkenny Cats. Prior to entry into professional baseball, the brewery had sponsored amateur and company leagues since the early 1900s.

Another important industry to the Kilkenny economy is marble. The "Black Quarry" is the source of fine black marble, which is one of Valdar Islands biggest exports. Many of the buildings in the town are constructed with the black marble. In fact, Smithwick's Stadium, the home of the Kilkenny Cats, is almost totally built with the marble. It is an old ballpark, built in 1968.

A trip to Smithwick's Stadium is a culinary delight. In addition to hot dogs, hamburgers, peanuts and crackerjacks, you can get Irish delicacies at Smithwick's...authentic Irish ales, Irish stew, Irish coffee, apple cakes and whiskey cakes...for the ladies they have tea and scones. To entertain the fans there is the team's mascot, the Kilkenny Cat and his Leprecaun friends. Standing on top of the dugouts or roaming throught the stands, they lead cheers and songs and dance Irish jigs throughout the ballgame.

Whenever the Cats win the ballgame, it is tradition at Smithwick's Stadium to stand and sing the Irish classic, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling".

Chorus
When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.

The Valdar Island towns have never really cooperated with one another and don't really get along very well. Relations have always beened strained and competition is intense. The Kilkennyans are a boisterous bunch at the ballgame and can be quite rowdy and vocal.

The current skipper of the Cats is a former pitching star, Dave Whitaker, who toiled long and hard for an average ballclub from 2023 to 2041, posting a 347-282 mark with an excellent 2.80 lifetime ERA... Whitaker was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2044... he was put in charge of club operations in 2057... Whitaker won three Ruthlandian Golden Arms ('24, '29, '36)... he was also named Ruthlandian MVP in '24.

Smithwick Stadium (1968)
Capacity: 7,650

Dimensions:
LF Line 330
LF 350
LCF 372
CF 397
RCF 372
RF 350
RF Line 330

Ginza Ninjas

Owner: OmniSea, Ltd.

GM/Manager: Sogo Takagi

Ginza began as a little fishing village in southeastern Tycobbia, settled by seafaring Japanese immigrants, who came in the 1860s during the Meiji Dynasty, a period of westernization. Today Ginza is a prosperous town of 88,000 with about half of its citizens being Japanese. Both Japanese and English are spoken here.

The name Ginza comes from Japan. The original Ginza was built in 1612 in Japan. Ginza is a fabulous shopping area in Tokyo. The Tycobbian Ginza emulates its namesake, but on a much smaller scale. It is a free trade port and has many importers and exporters at the International Bazaar. Great bargains are in abundance in Ginza. The town also has a thriving fishing fleet and seafood processing industry.

Baseball got a late start in Ginza. The town inhabitants began playing amateur baseball in the 1930s, but soon began to challenge other towns in the sport. OmniSea Marine Processors, the largest employer in town, began sponsoring leagues and invested heavily in the game's development. OmniSea eventually expanded to industrial leagues and now to the Islandian Pro Alliance. They own the Ginza Ninjas of the Tycobbian Union South Division.

Ginza plays at Ninja Stadium, a ballpark built in 1998. A game at Ninja Stadium is really special. Most of the fans are quite reserve and quiet, typical Japanese social demeanor. However, in the left field bleachers it is another world...a wild and noisy place. There, the Ninjas have an official cheering section called “oendan” (pronounced “oh-en-dan”), that plays songs, beats drums and gongs, blows trumpets and waves flags. They stand up the entire time, when the Ninjas are at bat and sit down, when the opposition is batting. Fans clap plastic megaphones along with the oendan and sing chants to each Ginza player. Many fans carry umbrellas to the ballgame. Whenever the Ninjas score a run, they also open up all of the umbrellas, their way of telling the opposing pitcher, he is headed for the showers.

In the Lucky Seventh, the traditional seventh inning stretch, they sing the Ninja fight song and then release hundreds of rocket balloons (jetto fusen). Other unique things about Ninja baseball is the public address announcer is female, the only one in the Islands. You will also see the pitcher bow in reverence to fielders, who make good plays.

At the Ninja Stadium concessions you will find not only traditional baseball fare, but Japanese as well. Ginza fans can enjoy yakisoba (fried noodles), yaketori (BBQ chicken on skewers), takoyaki (fried octopus dumplings) and bento (cold lunch in a wooden box). For the sweet tooth, kakigori (snowballs with flavored syrup and condensed milk), green tea ice cream, sweet potato ice cream, anmitsu (cold fruit dessert) and anpan (sweet bun).

The GM and Manager of the Ginza Ninjas is one of their all-time great players, Sogo Takagi, who took over the club in 2058. Takagi made the IPA Hall of Fame in '57. He put up a .298 career batting average with 538 roundtrippers, 1768 RBIs, 1915 runs and stole 225 bases. 10 times Takagi was an All-Star and a 3-time Golden Glover. He played his entire career with the Ninjas from 2034 to 2054.

Ninja Stadium (1998)

Capacity: 10,667

Dimensions:

LF Line 330
LF 355
LCF 377
CF 400
RCF 372
RF 360
RF Line 335

Only one lousy pennant over all those seasons. A perennial underachiever if there ever was one. Here’s to the Cats having a pennant win sometime in the future :rolleyes: