2066 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series: Game 4 (best-of-seven series)
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Tuesday, October 12, 2066

VALMARA KO'S ROVERS FOR RU TITLE, VIPERS ADVANCE TO PRO CUP FINALS... RACERS STAVE OFF ELIMINATION IN TU TITLE SERIES
Super pitching got Valmara past the Sligo Rovers in 5 games... the Vipers rallied past the Rovers 6-3 to wrap up a 4-1 series win in the Ruthlandian Union Championship Series... Valmara will leap out of fire into the flames and will now take on the Tycobbian Union titlist, the victor between two IPA powers, the reigning IPA Pro Cup champion Southport Sun Sox or this year's Pro Cup favorite, the Rolling Hills Racers.

Southport has a 3-2 edge in that series... Rolling Hills remained alive with a must-win 4-1 victory in game five of that series in Southport... if needed, games six and seven will be at the home of the Racers, the Midtown Base Ball Grounds.

2066 Ruthlandian Union League Championship Series: Game 5 (best-of-seven series)
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2066 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series: Game 5 (best-of-seven series)
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Wednesday, October 13, 2066

SUN SOX WHIP RACERS IN 6 GAMES FOR TU TITLE... SEEKS REPEAT IN PRO CUP FINALS, OPPOSED BY VALMARA VIPERS, RU CHAMPS.

The #3 pick upended the #1 pick in the IPA playoffs and will now take on the #6 choice... Southport swept past Rolling Hills in six games to take the Tycobbian title for the second year in a row and will now get a chance to repeat as Pro Cup champion against the Ruthlandian winner Valmara... the Sun Sox earned that spot Tuesday afternoon with a 5-2 triumph over the Racers in game six.

2066 Tycobbian Union League Championship Series: Game 5 (best-of-seven series)
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Wednesday, October 13, 2066

HOLY GRAIL TIME IN THE ISLANDS, PRO CUP FINALS BEGINS FRIDAY
This Friday afteroon Pleasure Beach Park will be the site of the super showdown between the Tycobbian Union champion, the Southport Sun Sox, and the Ruthlandian Union champion, the Valmara Vipers... both are fresh off triumphs in the Islandian Pro Alliance playoffs... both were victorious in two rounds of play... and now they will tangle with each other for the overall IPA title -- the Pro Cup trophy.

Both Southport and Valmara are pursuing their 5th Pro Cup trophies... the Sun Sox are the reigning titlist and they will trying to win back-to-back titles... something that has been done only six times in IPA history... Far Mountain actually won it three times in a row, the only team to do that... Eastshore was repeat winner in 2016 and 2017... Tuckanarra did it in 2023 and 2024... Valmara captured Pro Cups back-to-back in 2049 and 2050... and the Midway Wolves were the last team to do it in 2053 and 2054.

VALMARA VS SOUTHPORT, DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH?
On the surface, just looking at the numbers, the Valmara Vipers just doesn't match up with the defending Pro Cup champion Southport Sun Sox... just might be a one-sided series... looking back into recent history, nobody expected the Ginza Ninjas to win the Pro Cup in '59... Hartsdale wasn't given much of a chance in '63... nor Claxton in '64... however, they all upset so-called superior teams to capture the Pro Cup trophy... can it happen this year?

Probably not.

Southport really showed the stuff they are made of by beating Rolling Hills for the Tycobbian title... the Sun Sox whipped a team that chalked up a record-setting 111 victories... a team that batted a recording-setting .306... Southport did it with solid hitting, strong starters, a good bullpen and a good defense... the Sun Sox don't have a weakness.

Just imagine facing two All-Star pitchers, Roman Littrell (19-3/2.04 ERA) and Eddy Salem (12-8/2.44 ERA), twice in a best-of-seven series... then you also have to face two very capable number three and number four starters in Timmy Aaron (12-7/2.57 ERA) and Jake Shank (12-6/2.19 ERA)... plus manager Lorne Evans has a quality bullpen with the likes of Bebe Kinney, Billy Ray Echols and Jeff Moncriffe... not great relievers, but adequate... we have seen how a weak bullpen cost several fine teams dearly in the playoffs... Rolling Hills just might be playing for the IPA crown if their bullpen had done their job better.

Teams that have a productive hitter in every spot in the batting order do better in the playoffs... that is one of Southport's many strengths... Curtis Clift (.301/22 HR), Lynn Tobin (.289/23 HR), Junior Evans (.286/26 HR) are the big run producers, but they get a lot of help from Tonto Tidwell (.298) and Goldy Zellmer (.280).

Do the Valmara Vipers have a chance to upset Southport?... yep, if the bullpen can handle the Sun Sox in the late innings... that just might be the key element in the series... how well Kenny Jensen (6-8/4.19 ERA), Zenon Markowska (10-5/4.37 ERA) and Roman Mazeroski (6-7/4.30 ERA) perform could be crucial... Valmara is very solid in the first three starters... Jared Drobish (12-8/3.18 ERA), Mick Singer (14-8/2.74 ERA) and Andre Zajac(11-6/2.93 ERA) are all very good starters... #4 Kuba Varatek (11-13/3.75 ERA), a rookie, has looked quite good in the postseason with a 2-0 record and a great 1.17 ERA... if they go deep into the game, the Vipers could make it miserable for Southport... keep in mind in the first round, Valmara beat a fine Claxton club in six games... the Diamonds won the Pro Cup in '64 and were ranked the number-two team this year in the Pro Cup poll.

Another plus factor for the Vipers is longball power... they can go deep... Timmy Benford (.269/34 HR), Leevi Lindmaa (.290/29 HR), Semyon Tomczak (.245/25 HR), Junior Jensen (.275/18 HR), Jud Gilbride (.293/13 HR) and Piotr Zacek (.281/13 HR) can hit it out of the park with regularity.

Good pitching and good firepower can win a series.

Valmara can play good defense as well.

2066 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series Outlook:
Southport will repeat as Pro Cup champion... the Sun Sox will capture their record-tying 5th Pro Cup trophy... should win it in six games... maybe less... the Sun Sox are just a rock-solid baseball team in all respects... for Valmara to win it they would have to pitch very well, starters and relievers, and keep the Sun Sox off the scoreboard and they will have to hit quite a few homers... the Southport staff only allowed 105 roundtrippers this season, while Valmara's gave up 148... so far in the postseason both clubs have permitted 10 home runs each.

Key Pro Cup Players
Special thanks to knuckler for the Southport jerseys

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Southport Sun Sox

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Valmara Vipers

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Merry Christmas to all of you that keep track of the IPA.
I wish you and your families the best of the season and hope you all have a great New Year.

Special thanks to Dark Horse, jg2977 and StLee for their loyal support... CD, too... appreciate the way he helps me edit this dynasty... CD is a great copy editor with a keen eye for errors and mistakes.

Hope all of you will wear masks, keep your distance and just be with your immediate families for the duration of this terrible time... keep your guard up... don't let it down... it is really looking bleak despite that help is on the way with the vaccines... I'm afraid the worst is yet to come...very afraid that we are in for a bad time in January, February, March and April... we need 70% to 80% of our population getting the vaccine to create herd immunity... but that will probably be 6 months for most of us... in the meantime, please be vigilant... and get the vaccine if your health will allow it.

We could save a lot of people in the next six months if we take the shots and take proper precautions... my prayer is you will listen to the health experts and the science people.

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Saturday, October 16, 2066

SUN SOX RALLY TO NIP VIPERS IN IPA PRO CUP OPENER
In the first game of the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series it was exciting baseball at its best... a stirring seesaw game with multiple lead changes that was decided like every good game -- in the last of the ninth.

Southport, the reigning king of the IPA, came back like a champion and defeated a worthy opponent, the Valmara Vipers, 6-5, to take a one-game lead in the best-of-seven series... both the Sun Sox and the Vipers are trying to win their record-tying 5th Pro Cup trophy... the victor will tie Rolling Hills for the most Pro Cups in IPA history.
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Merry Christmas to you, too, and I hope you and your loved ones stay healthy and happy throughout this year. I feel 2021 will be a much better year for most people.

Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go before that can be the case. And still there are too many people dying from Covid-19. I am also a person who needs the vaccine so that I can live normally again, but I must wait and will get it the first day it is available to me.

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Sunday, October 17, 2066

SUN SOX OUTDUEL VIPERS IN 14-INNING THRILLER, TAKE 2-0 LEAD IN PRO CUP FINALS
The defending IPA Pro Cup champion Southport Sun Sox took a big step in winning back-to-back Islandian titles by edging the Valmara Vipers 3-2 in 14 innings at Pleasure Beach Park in Southport... the Vipers will now head home to try and stave off elimination.

2066 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series: Game 2 (best-of-seven series)
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Monday, October 18, 2066

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS! SOUTHPORT TAKE 3RD STRAIGHT FROM VALMARA
The Valmara Vipers have a monumental task before them - win four games in a row in the Pro Cup Series - or go home empty handed... reigning IPA Pro Cup champion Southport is getting very close to winning its second Pro Cup trophy in a row and 5th all-time, which will tie Rolling Hills for the most IPA titles in league history... it's sweep time in the series... the Sun Sox captured its third consecutive one-run game to take a huge 3-0 lead... in game three Southport nicked Valmara 4-3 on a late-inning two-run homer by Junior Evans.

2066 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series: Game 3 (best-of-seven series)
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Wow! Sunsport just seems better. Valmara is hitting 'em with everything they got and still nothing... :eatpop:

Yep, Valmara is a pretty good team playing well... three one-run losses are not bad... Southport is just a darn good team... maybe much better than I give them credit.

I think I am just enamored with Rolling Hills' great record the last five years and their lofty hitting stats... plus their 5 All-Stars this season... the Racers have really flourished in recent seasons.

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Tuesday, October 19, 2066

SUN SOX SWEEP VIPERS, REPEAT AS IPA CHAMP, WIN RECORD-TYING 5TH PRO CUP TROPHY
The Southport Sun Sox went into the Pro Cup playoffs rated the third-best team in the postseason, but they proved their mettle and earned a record-tying 5th IPA Pro Cup title, equalling the record held by Rolling Hills... the prognosticators picked Rolling Hills and Claxton ahead of the Sun Sox, in spite of the fact that Southport was the defending champion... manager Lorne Evans led his club to his third Pro Cup trophy, winning it in 2047 and back-to-back the last two years.

Southport finished off the scrappy Valmara Vipers in a four-game sweep, but it was a lot tougher that it looked... the first three games were hotly-contested, settled by one run each time... the Sun Sox wrapped up the series on the road in Valmara, shutting out the Vipers 4-0 in game four at War Memorial Stadium.

2066 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series: Game 4 (best-of-seven series)
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i was rooting for the Racers. But i guessed the Racer-Sun Sox winner would win the whole thing. i just didn't expect a sweep.

Repeats are pretty rare, good tor Southport! EC, the Sun Sox won their 1st title in the 1917 season in my IPA! It’s been a great week for Southport.