SOUTHPORT SUN SOX
Owner: Stage Productions
GM/Manager: Lorne Evans

Southport is located on Arvonian Island on its southeast tip, the southern-most city in Islandian. Arvonian Island, a tourist's treat, sits in the Southern Sea south of the main island and is separated from the mainland by Belair Bay. Cape Coral is on the island's north coast, Summerland on the northeast shore, Arroyo Grande on the southwest coast and San Alejo is in the mountainous interior.

Southport has a good natural port with beautiful white beaches and was settled by the British in the 1860s. They had first settled in Summerland, but thought that greater opportunities lay in the sparsely-populated southern part of the island.

Southport's population numbers about 75,000 fulltime residents, but is visited by many times that number of tourists from all over Tycobbia, Ruthlandia and recently by visitors from all over the world. The town got it start in 1870s when the "Father of Southport" Henry Banks built several hotels near the hot springs along with holiday cottages. Banks promoted Southport as "Heaven on Earth" and got the plant and factory owners on the mainland to send their workers there on holiday as a reward for their work. Banks arranged for cheap passage on ships to Southport as well. The growth intensified when he got the factory owners to close down for a week each year to service and repair the equipment. Banks got them to do it on different dates throughtout the year to insure a steady flow of tourists. As more and more industry developed in Tycobbia and Ruthlandia, the more Banks' tourist enterprise prospered and grew.

Southport's early growth and character was predicated on its pioneering use of electric power. In 1879 Banks created Southport Illuminations, lighting up the Promenade, the main downtown area, with 12 arc lamps. Banks called it "Artificial Sunshine". This was a year before Edison got the patent on the electric light bulb. Also as an attraction, Banks built was one of the world's first electric tramways running from Cocker Street to Dean Street on the Promenade. The tram has remained in continuous service to this day. Southport Illuminations has now grown to a three-mile stretch on the Promenade and lit up by 100,000 light bulbs. Tourists from all over Islandia and the world come to see the light spectacle. At Christmastime the Promenade is aglow with Christmas lights and decorations. It's a wondrous sight to behold and see.

In 1912 Pleasure Beach, a world-class amusement park, was the brainchild of a town alderman, William George Bean. He wanted to create "a place where adults could feel like children again". It succeeded beyond his wildest dreams and is still a huge attraction today. The amusement park includes a baseball stadium, built in 1962 for the town's industrial leagues. It is named Pleasure Beach Ballpark and is run by Stageworks Productions, a company Bean's son-in-law, Leonard Thompson, established to run Pleasure Beach. You can see the beautiful blue waters of the Southern Sea beyond the outfield fences.

It was through Amanda Thompson, the daughter of Leonard Thompson and CEO of Stageworks, that the corporation ventured into professional baseball and obtained a franchise in the Islandian Pro Alliance. She thought it would be a great addition to Southport's tourist attractions, considering how much the Islanders love baseball. That's how the Southport Sun Sox came into being.

The first skipper of the Southport Sun Sox was Charlie Oscar, one of the greatest all-around player ever, who starred as in the company leagues for over 25 years. Oscar was great with the glove and the bat. He could run, throw, field, hit for average and hit with power, a true 5-tool player. Oscar retired and appointed a former Sun Sox superstar Lorne Evans as his replacement. Evans played in the IPA from 2025 to 2043, 9 years with Southport and then 10 with Tuckanarra. He was a 12-time All-Star, 4-time Tycobbian MVP, 5-time Golden Bat winner and twice was honored with a Golden Glove. Evans has led his clubs to 7 pennants and one Pro Cup in his career. That was in 2047, his first season as manager... He was a lifetime .305 batter with 2928 hits, 701 homers, 1836 RBIs and 2045 runs. Evans is 7th in the IPA all-time in homers and 9th in runs scored... he is ranked 15th in RBIs.

Pleasure Beach Ballpark (1962)
Capacity: 12,500

Dimensions:
Left Field Line 330
Left Field 355
Left Center 385
Center Field 395
Right Center 385
Right Field 355
Right Field Line 330

ROLLING HILLS RACERS
Owner: Lemroh Meat Company
GM/Manager: Billy Christianson

Rollings Hills has a population of 78,000 and is located in the west central part of Tycobbia and was originally settled by the Kewanna Indians. "kewanna" means "hills that rise and fall" in their language. That is exactly what the landscape looks like here...gentle, rolling hills populated with sporadic groves of birch trees and acre after acre of cattle, dairy, pig, chicken and agricultural farms. Crops include wheat, oats and corn, potatoes and vegetables. In town are the stockyards and meat and grain processing plants. The population is mainly Americans and Brits with only a few Kewannas remaining.

Rolling Hills is an old-timey middle class town with wooden storefronts and bricks streets, lined with gas lamps and pedestrian walkways. No cars are allowed in the midtown area.

It is the home of the Rolling Hills Racers of the IPA's Tycobbian Union West Division. They were the Reds for over 50 years and became the Racers in 2060... The Racers play at the Midtown Base Ball Grounds, a relic from the early days of baseball. Built in 1907, it is surrounded by birchwood trees in a picturesque park area of town, where families can picnic and enjoy strolls, bicycle rides and boat rides on the park ponds, all amid the peaceful shade trees. A quaint aspect of the ballpark is that the power alleys are deeper than center field. They measure 425 feet, while to dead center it is 410 feet. It takes quite a blast for righthanders to get it out...350 down the line in left field and 375 in straightaway left. However, the lefthanded hitters love it...only 320 down the right field line and 350 to straightaway right .

The Lemroh family owns the team as well as being the owners of the stockyards and meat processing plants. The concessions stands are unique in design. There are even soda fountains, complete with stools. They serve up tasty hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, ice cream, sundaes, banana splits, thick shakes and malts.

A Dixieland band provides the music between innings and helps the Rolling Hillians cheer their Racers to victory. Many times throughout the game the fans will dance The Charleston (dance popular in the 1920s). During the seventh-inning stretch you get a rousing Dixieland version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".

The first GM and Manager of the Rolling Hills Reds (Racers) was the legendary pitcher, Matty Christianson, one of the most revered players and managers in Tycobbian baseball history. Christianson stood out as a player and manager in the company leagues. When the IPA began play in 2001, Christianson became a vital part of the Rolling Hills franchise. A record four times he was named the Tycobbian Manager of the Year. Under his leadership the Reds won 10 TU West flags, made the playoffs 12 times and captured 2 Pro Cups (2029 and 2031). This IPA legend retired after 51 years at the helm. Since Christianson's retirement, his sons Billy and Matthew, have starred for the team. Billy Christianson made the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2049. He was a 6-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glove winner. In his 20 seasons Christianson had a career batting average of .302 with 258 homers and 3173 hits. At age 38 he retired. Billy has managed the club since 2052. Matthew retired in 2052 after 18 seasons with a fine 292-219 record and an impressive 2.98 ERA. He was a 4-time All-Star. Matthew is the Racers' pitching coach... so far, Billy Christianson has won 6 Tycobbian South pennants and 2 Pro Cups (2060, 2062).

Midtown Base Ball Grounds (1907)
Capacity: 6,850

Dimensions:
LF Line 350
LF 375
LCF 425
CF 410
RCF 425
RF 350
RF Line 320

*

Thanks for posting pictures and descriptions of the teams! It gives me an idea of what ballpark the teams in my IPA will play in. Southport will definitely use Dodger Stadium, and Rolling Hills can possibly use Old Comiskey Park.

I love the customized stadiums. Did someone on the forum make those for you?

In the early days of OOTP there were about 5 stadium designers that created about 100 stadiums... real ones... and fictional ones... one of them Teflon Skies did extraordinary work... he said it took him 100 hours to do a stadium.

I collected all of the stadiums that they would post... that's where the IPA stadiums came from... I have about 68 stadiums.

The Claxton Diamonds' stadium Avalon Stadium was created by Teflon Skies... he must have done 20 fictional stadiums... sorry, don't remember the other guys... Henry might been the one that would create real MLB parks like the Polo Grounds and Sportsmen's Park.

Here's a link showing two of Teflon Skies best creations:

https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...skies+stadiums

Attachment 724969
RU, TU TITLE SERIES BEGIN MONDAY
They began the season with 64 teams and now they are down to just four... it's Final Four time in the IPA playoffs... last year's champion Claxton made the cut, this year's favorite Rolling Hills is still alive, along with two other Pro Cup hopefuls, the Colfax Black Sox and the Southport Sun Sox... who will prevail in the second round of the Island Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoff and advance to the Pro Cup Finals and play for the coveted Pro Cup trophy?... will the dominating pitching of Claxton repeat with back-to-back Pro Cups?... will the hard-hitting Rolling Hills Racers outscore everybody?... will the good all-around Southport Sun Sox have their day in the sun?... can the underdog Colfax Black Sox use a well-balanced attack with fairly good pitching and pull a couple of upsets?... the baseball-crazed nation of Islandia will soon find out... starting this Monday afternoon it's the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union League Championship Series... Claxton and Colfax will tangle for the RU title and Rolling Hills and Southport will square off for the TU title in best-of-seven series.

In the first round 2nd-ranked Claxton whipped 4th-rated LaGrange in a standout seven-game series... number 6 Colfax upended number 7 Wynnamac in seven tense games... top-ranked Rolling Hills bested 5th-rated Tuckanarra, but had to go the full seven games to prevail... and 3rd-rated Southport took care of number 8 Hartsdale in just five games.

Defending IPA champion Claxton probably looked the best in the first round... they whipped an outstanding LaGrange squad... the Diamonds did it with superb pitching, adequate hitting and excellent defense... unheralded Colfax can hit the ball and score runs... their success depends on how well they stop the Claxton bats... the Diamonds should win... they are devastatingly good on the hill... Claxton is the better club and should win in 5 or 6 games... the Diamonds have a strong chance to defend its IPA title.

Rolling Hills was better-than-ever against a strong Tuckanarra team... as expected the Racers hit well and scored runs, but it was the excellent pitching that impressed and won the series... Rolling Hills will have their work cut out for them... Southport may be as good as Claxton and LaGrange when it comes to standout pitching... in the first round the Sun Sox staff handled the Hartsdale Hellcats pretty well and the Hellcats had a fine year at the plate... they certainly were no patsies at the plate... the Tycobbian title is up for grabs... it a toss-up between two fine squads... both can hit, both can pitch... in recent years in the playoffs, Rolling Hills has had suspect pitching, especially in the bullpen... another critical shortcoming is the Racers' defense... if that proves to be the case this year, Southport will win... the Sun Sox have a much better defensive club... no matter what, it looks like a seven-game survival of the fittest and both clubs are fit... if the Racers continue to pitch like they did against the Tucks, Rolling Hills will win in seven games.

Claxton Diamonds
Attachment 724970

Colfax Black Sox
Attachment 724971

Rolling Hills Racers
Attachment 724972

Southport Sun Sox
Attachment 724973

Attachment 725439
Tuesday, October 13, 2065

VISITORS VICTORS IN IPA LCS OPENERS, UNDERDOGS WIN
The homefield advantage wasn't an advantage in the opening games of the Ruthlandian and Tycobbian League Championship Series... both underdogs won, too... the visiting Colfax Black Sox trounced the hometown Claxton Diamonds 7-3 in the first game of their series, while visiting Southport smacked the homestanding Rolling Hills Racers 6-3 in 11 innings.

2065 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series - Game 1 (best-of-seven series)
Attachment 725440
Attachment 725441
Attachment 725442

2065 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series - Game 1 (best-of-seven series)
Attachment 725445
Attachment 725446
Attachment 725447

Attachment 725616
Wednesday, October 14, 2065

SUN SOX WHIP RACERS AGAIN, SOX AND DIAMONDS SPLIT
Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills is in trouble... undaunted Southport with its fabled pitching staff has upended the powerful Racers twice in two tense games to take a huge 2-0 edge in the Tycobbian Union title series... the Sun Sox skimmed by Rolling Hills 3-2 in game two... in the Ruthlandian Union title clash it's all even after the first two games of a best-of-seven affair... Claxton got some standout pitching in a 5-0 blanking of the Colfax Black Sox... the two clubs have split the first two games.

2065 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series - Game 2 (best-of-seven series)

Attachment 725617
Attachment 725618
Attachment 725619

2065 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series - Game 2 (best-of-seven series)

Attachment 725633
Attachment 725634
Attachment 725635
Attachment 725636

Attachment 725956
Thursday, October 15, 2065

BLACK SOX, RACERS TRIUMPH IN GAME 3
Unheralded Colfax took the Ruthland Union title series lead two games to one over defending Pro Cup titleholder Claxton by nicking the Diamonds 6-5 in the third game of the best-of-seven affair... while it was this year's Pro Cup choice Rolling Hills that rallied in the late innings to defeat Southport 9-8, thus cutting the Sun Sox's edge in the Tycobbian Union series to two games to one.

2065 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series - Game 3 (best-of-seven series)
Attachment 725957
Attachment 725958
Attachment 725959

Thursday, October 15, 2065

2065 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series - Game 3 (best-of-seven series)
Attachment 725961
Attachment 725962
Attachment 725963
Attachment 725964

Attachment 726372
Friday, October 16, 2065

BLACK SOX UP 3-1 ON DIAMONDS IN RU TITLE SERIES, RACERS AND SUN SOX TIED 2-2 IN TU
The Colfax Black Sox took a huge leap in the best-of-seven Ruthlandian title series with cliff-hanging 4-3 thriller over the defending Pro Cup champion Claxton... over in the Tycobbian title series this year's Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills won a shootout with the Southport Sun Sox 10-5 to knot that series at two wins each.

2065 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series - Game 4 (best-of-seven series)
Attachment 726373
Attachment 726374
Attachment 726375

Attachment 726376
Attachment 726377
Attachment 726378

Rooting for the Black Sox to take home the gold this time round. Like their offensive style, seems like they got a solid lineup of bats.

Claxton has some really good pitchers, but the Black Sox are like you say, solid up-and-down in the lineup... they have done very well at the plate against the Diamonds so far... two years ago Colfax lost in the Pro Cup Finals to Hartsdale four games to two with basically the same team... The Black Sox have put Claxton in a deep, dark hole... not very likely the Diamonds can hit their way out of it... it's tough to win three in a row against a bad team, much less against a very good team.

If they can get there, either one will do well in the Pro Cup Finals... Blaine Barkins and Terry Dubrovnik are going to have to do much better for the Black Sox to win the Pro Cup... Mark Meisner and closer Alvie London will be the keys for the Diamonds... Colfax is looking great for game five with Karl Kruger on the hill... good chance they will finish off Claxton and end their hopes for back-to-back Pro Cups... Meisner is slated to start for the Diamonds.