YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2005

The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll
In a poll of sportswriters and sportscasters throughout the Islands The Islandian Times has selected Denton City to capture the 2005 IPA Pro Cup. The Redbirds are favored over defending champion Red Bluff, Cape Coral, Luxora and Summerland in the Tycobbian Union, while Middlefield is predicted to take the Ruthlandian Union title and play Denton City for the overall Islandia crown. The Roosters will have to fend off Belair Beach and Volusia to get to the Pro Cup finals.

The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll:
1. Denton City (35 votes)
2. Red Bluff (32 votes)
3. Middlefield (23 votes)
4. Belair Beach (21 votes)
5. Cape Coral (9 votes)
6. Luxora (7 votes)
7. Volusia (5 votes)
8. Summerland (4 votes)

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 6, 2005

2005 Pro Cup Series Opens in Denton City, Redbirds Host Middlefield
In April the IPA started the season with 64 teams, all of which had some hopes winning the much-coveted Pro Cup, emblematic of professional baseball supremacy in the Islands. Now teams are down to the last two - the Denton City Redbirds and the Middlefield Roosters - one of them will be crowned champions in just a few days from now.

The baseball experts say this year's Pro Cup Finals is a toss-up, citing the loss of Denton City's number one pitcher Gino Carmazzo as the decisive factor. Carmazzo was involved in a brawl and suspended for the season during the playoffs. He won 24 games during the regular season and will be greatly missed. Without Carmazzo in the rotation, Denton City's pitching rotation only has a slight edge over Middlefield's. The two ball clubs sport powerful offenses and just average pitching.

Denton City is managed by Ford Whiteman and Middlefield is skippered by Smitty Michaels... Whiteman was a great left-handed hurler during the amateur days of Islandian baseball, while Michaels was a slugging third baseman... they are in the Islandian Amateur Federation Hall of Fame.

Here is a statistical comparison of the two challengers:

Denton City Redbirds
Record: 97-57 (1st Place TU West)
BA: .286
HR: 181
Runs: 839
ERA: 3.52
HRA: 130
FA: .975

Middlefield Roosters
Record: 85-70 (2nd Place RU South)
BA: .264
HR: 221
Runs: 808
ERA: 4.31
HRA: 205
FA: .981

I]The Islandian Times[/I]
Thursday, October 6, 2005

2005 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game One in Denton City

Middlefield Power Prevails 7-4, Beats DC with 3 HR
Middlefield continues to power it way past the opposition as the Roosters slammed three homers to take the first game of the IPA Pro Cup Series 7-4 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City. The Roosters snapped a 4-4 tie in the eighth on SS Earl Reeves' (.238) sacrifice fly. Reliever Delton Crawford got himself two more insurance runs when he unloaded a home run. Crawford (1-0 0.00) picked up the victory with two and one-third spotless innings. Tom Duroncelay (2-1 0.00) was the loser in relief. All three runs off him were unearned.

Middlefield pounded out 12 hits to 9 for the Redbirds. RF Bailey Norcross (.408) hit his 7th postseason homer, a two-run shot to put the Roosters ahead in the opening inning. Denton City made it 2-1 in the third on an RBI single by Lavon Gooch (.283). Middlefield increased it to 4-1 in the fourth frame when 1B Allie Ludlow (.327) got his 5th playoff clout on an inside-the-park homer and 2B Timmy Gage's (.353) RBI ground-out. The Redbirds narrowed it to 4-2 in the fifth when 1B Rob MacCormack (.245) tripled and was driven in on Gooch's ground-out. In the seventh Gooch evened it at 4-all with a two-run blast. Gooch drove in all four Redbird runs.

Both starters encountered rocky outings. Middlefield's Jamie Gilchrist (3-1 3.96) allowed four runs on eight hits in six-plus innings, while Bruce Baird (0-1 6.75) gave up four runs on seven hits in just four innings.

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 7, 2005

2005 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Two in Denton City

Redbirds Taylor Cools Off Red-Hot Roosters 4-0
Denton City's Ford Whiteman lost his ace Gino Carmazzo due to suspension, but he has found another in Hank Taylor, a 21-year-old rookie right-hander. Taylor pitched his second successive 4-0 shutout. This time he cooled off the red-hot Middlefield Roosters to deadlock the IPA Pro Cup Series at one game apiece. Taylor limited them to just four singles with his 97 mph fastball. In another outstanding performance Taylor (4-1 2.43) numbered five Ks and walked a couple. He outtwirled Joshua Jackson (2-2 2.65), who surrendered four runs and seven hits in seven innings.

The Redbirds had eight hits in the ball game and were led by SS Trevor Tomlinson (.379) with 3-for-3 and a sac fly, 3B Jay Petit (.264) with an RBI single and CF Paul Coniglio (.316) with a two-run homer. it was Coniglio's 4th playoff clout and his 17th RBI. He lead all players in the postseason in RBIs.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 8, 2005

2005 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Three in Middlefield

Hicks Halts DC 5-1, Roosters Lead Pro Cup 2-1
At Middlefield Park, stylish lefty Jamie Hicks shot down Denton City 5-1 to grab a two-to-one lead in the best-of-seven Pro Cup Series. Hicks (3-1 3.05) sparkled in a complete game, permitting just five hits, all singles, with three strikeouts and only one base on balls. The Roosters backed him up with three double plays.

LF Cecil Clark (.288) got Middlefield off on the right foot in the first inning with his 4th playoff home run, good for a 2-0 lead. Two singles, an error and Danny Nash's (.268) sac fly cut the margin to 2-1 in the second frame. The Roosters tallied two more in the seventh when Hicks (.133) batted in a run and 2B Timmy Gage (.345) singled in another one. In the last of the eighth 1B Allie Ludlow (.322) finished the scoring for the day with a two-run roundtipper, his 6th of the playoffs. With it Ludlow now has the most postseason RBIs with 18, one more than Phil Coniglio (.322) of Denton City.

Daniel Fitzmorris (3-2 5.36) left after seven innings, trailing 3-1. He was the losing pitcher and gave up three runs on seven hits.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 9, 2005

2005 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Four in Middlefield

Gamble HR Puts Roosters Up 3-1 Over DC Redbirds
Home run power made the difference in game four of the IPA Pro Cup Series. Middlefield fell behind 5-1 after six and a half innings, then Rooster bats came alive. RF Bailey Norcross (.410) unloaded his 8th homer in the playoffs and cut the margin to 5-3 in the last of the seventh, then in the bottom of the ninth rookie 3B Charlie Gamble (.219) hit a walk-off three-run blast to give Middlefield a come-from-behind 7-5 victory over the Denton City Redbirds. The win gave the Roosters an overwhelming three games to one edge in the series. One more victory and Middlefield will take home the championship trophy.

The Roosters outhit the Redbirds 13 to 9 and outhomered them three to one, led by Gamble with two hits and three RBIs, Norcross with three hits and three RBIs and LF Cecil Clark (.344) with five hits and two runs scored. 1B Allie Ludlow (.323) also homered for Middlefield. 3B Jay Petit (.279) went deep for Denton City, while CF Paul Coniglio (.349) collected three singles and SS Trevor Tomlinson (.369) got a single and a triple.

Reliever Abner Wright (1-0 0.00) gained credit for the win with a scoreless ninth and Mike Danek (0-2 5.14) gave up the game-winning homer and took the loss.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 10, 2005

2005 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Five in Denton City

Middlefield Roosters 2005 Pro Cup Champions
The 2005 IPA Pro Cup champions are the Middlefield Roosters, who easily disposed of favored Denton City four games to one in the finals. Again using the long ball, the Roosters slammed four out of the ballpark for an 8-1 triumph in game five. C Mike Kanjorsky (.258) ripped a pair and drove in three runs, rookie 3B Charlie Gamble (.235) hit a three-run shot and LF Cecil Clark (.333) had a solo homer. Middlefield hit 34 roundtrippers in the postseason games.

Manager Smitty Michaels also got a standout performance from Joshua Jackson (3-2 2.30), who held the Redbirds to just four hits and one run. SS Trevor Tomlinson's (.362) first-inning home run was all the offense Denton City could muster today. Losing pitcher Hank Taylor (4-2 3.38) was sent to the showers early as he gave up five runs in the first and left after three innings trailing 5-1,

Middlefield got 11 hits all total with everyone but Jackson getting at least one hit.

Michaels told the press after the game, "We really hit the ball well in the postseason. I think we hit better and pitched better in the playoffs than we did in the regular season. My guys are fantastic. At one time or another during the playoffs all of them were heroes. I couldn't pick one of them as the MVP - they all were."

Ford Whiteman, skipper of the Redbirds, chimed in saying, "I thought I had the best hitting team in the entire IPA. The Roosters proved me wrong. Congratulations to them. They are a very fine ball club and are truly deserving of the title."

In its five years of existence no team has ever won the IPA Pro Cup more than once. Previous winners were Volusia in 2001, High Mesa 2002, Turon 2003 and Red Bluff 2004. Middlefleld broke a string of three straight losses to the Tycobbian Union. Ruthlanian Union teams have now won the Pro Cup crown twice.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Roosters Norcross Pro Cup MVP
In a blaze of glory the Middlefield Roosters captured the 2005 Pro Cup by besting the Denton City Redbirds four games to one. RF Bailey Norcross led the team to the Island championship and has been named the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs. Norcross was named on 50 ballots. 1B Allie Ludlow was the number two votegetter with 40 votes, followed by pitcher Jamie Hicks with 12 votes, pitcher Joshua Jackson 10 and reliever Delton Crawford 8. Two Denton City Redbirds received some support with SS Trevor Tomlinson named on 7 ballots and CF Paul Coniglio on 5.

Norcross hit .400 in the postseason with 8 homers, 17 RBIs and 17 runs scored. Ludlow batted .318 with 7 roundtrippers, 19 RBIs and scored 16 times. Hicks had a 3-1 record and a 3.05 ERA, Jackson was 3-2 with a 2.30 ERA and Crawford was 1-0 with two saves in six relief appearances. Crawford did not allow a run in 13 innings.

Tomlinson led Denton City with a .362 batting average, scored 20 runs, drove in 11, stole 7 bases and hit two home runs. Coniglio hit for a .348 average with 4 homers, 17 RBIs and five stolen bases.

2005 Islandian Pro Alliance Awards
Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award, Golden Arm Award, Rookie of the Year Award
Attachment 854750

Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award, Golden Arm Award, Rookie of the Year Award
Attachment 854751

220 Free Agents have been completed... I will randomly assign them to teams... but first I have to get rid of the old unproductive players and retire them and also purge the reserve rosters of all the untalented players that shouldn't be kept..

Only 5 Rosters Updated today... sorry, I've had a busy Sunday in real life.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 20, 2006

2006 Pro Cup Playoffs Start Today
With a championship to be decided, the Islandian Pro Alliance is filled with excitement. There's nothing like the thrill of the Pro Cup playoffs. There will be some career-defining moments played out in the coming days. There will be some heroes, some great plays, some blunders and some failures, but it will be a great time for fans. Playoff baseball is here and it gets underway today.

The defending Pro Cup champion, the Middlefield Roosters, are favored to win it again in a poll by The Islandian Times. The Roosters were picked to win the Ruthlandian playoffs, while the Ozarka Naturals are the favorites in the Tycobbian Union. Middlefield gets the nod over the Nats in the Pro Cup Finals.

The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll

Ruthlandian Union
1. Middlefield Roosters (97-57)
2. Valka Blackhawks (97-57)
3. Valmara Vipers (89-65)
4. Claxton Diamonds (96-59)
5. Taranto Tars (91-63)
6. Elnora All-Stars (84-70)
7. Volusia Vigilantes (88-66)
8. Sugar Valley Rattlers (86-68)

Tycobbian Union
1. Ozarka Naturals (95-59)
2. Oxford Red Caps (93-61)
3. Arlon Champions (99-55)
4. Turon Typhoons (89-65)
5. Hartsdale Hellcats (89-65)
6. Tuckanarra Blue Jays (87-67)
7. Bayview Vikings (89-65)
8. Cape Coral Hurricanes (82-72)

The IPA Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series start today. All of them will be best-three-of-five. In the Ruthlandian playoffs it will be Valka at Valmara, Taranto at Claxton, Middlefield at Elnora, Volusia at Sugar Valley. Over in the Tycobbian Union the slate shows Turon at Hartsdale, Oxford at Cape Coral, Arlon at Tuckanarra and Ozarka at Bayview.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 5, 2006

Scribes Pick Turon Over Volusia in Pro Cup Finals
The Islands' baseball writers are giving the edge to Turon in the IPA Pro Cup Series with Volusia this year. It's the first time two Pro Cup champions have played one another in the finals. Volusia took the title in the first year of the league in 2001, while Turon was the crownholder in 2003.

The BNN writers cited Turon's superior pitching and power in choosing the Typhoons over the Vigilantes. Manager Whitey Richburn can call on two 20-game winners in his rotation. James Longstreet was 22-7 during the regular season with a 2.50 ERA. Scotty Boswell was 21-12 with a 2.22 ERA. In the postseason Longstreet is 4-1 with a 1.22 ERA and Boswell is 3-1 and a 2.31 ERA. Overall the team compiled an impressive 3.27 ERA, one of the best in the IPA.

At the plate the Typhoons hit .268 during the season with 139 home runs and 745 runs scored. Turon top batters were C Todd Somerset (.296 BA/29 HR/101 RBI), SS J. L. Lawrence (.309 BA/11 HR/61 RBI/75 R/12 SB), RF Andy Porter (.303 BA/16 HR/70 RBI/73 R/19 SB), CF Mac McCurnan (.300 BA/14 HR/51 RBI/53 R/19 SB), 2B John Paul Trevenot (.300 BA/10 HR/43 RBI/95 R/12 SB) and 3B Eric Hix (.284 BA/17 HR/75 RBI/80 R).

In Volusia manager Alfonso Feliz's best pitchers are Carl Schmitz (23-10 3.02) and Hernando Espaderos (17-11 3.21). Both of them have excelled in the playoffs. Schmitz is 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA, while Espaderos is 4-0 and 3.49. As a team the Vigilantes turned in a 3.60 team ERA.

The V's had a high-powered attack in the regular season with a .278 batting average, one of the tops in the IPA. Volusia scored a lot of runs, too. They tallied 825 runs. However, they hit only 117 roundtrippers. The Vigilantes best bats are CF Ryan Raines (.333 BA/22 HR/106 RBI/115 R/30 SB), 2B Scooter Perez (.310 BA/4 HR/64 RBI/111 R/44 SB), RF Briscoe Crowder (.288 BA/14 HR/88 RBI/85 R/24 SB), SS Bobby Farias (.281 BA/15 HR/76 RBI/99 R/29 SB) and 1B Bob Nash (.302 BA/10 HR/74 RBI/60 R/15 SB).

It could be a low-scoring series as both clubs play in big ballparks and they stress good pitching.

In the 2006 Pro Cup playoffs Turon is 9-5 so far with a 6-2 mark at home. Volusia is 9-4 with a 3-4 road record. The Typhoons are all even at 3-3 out of town... the Vigilantes are unbeaten in 6 games on their home diamond.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 5, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game One at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Typhoons Win in 10, Edge V's 3-2 in Opener
Good pitching was forecast for the 2006 Pro Cup finals and that's exactly what transpired in the opening game at Turon. The Typhoons edged Volusia 3-2 in 10 innings on a walk-off single by RF Andy Porter (.317), who got three hits in the game and drove in his 13th and 14th runs in the postseason. Scotty Boswell started and went eight strong innings, holding Volusia to two runs and seven hits. Boswell fanned five and walked only two in the victory. Relievers Ronnie Zetterberg and Robby Lee Mason (1-0 1.50) worked a scoreless inning apiece with the win going to Mason.

Turon took the early 1-0 lead on CF Mac McCurnan's (.393) first-inning homer. It was his 12th RBI in the playoffs. The Vigilantes rallied for the lead in the fifth when pitcher Todd Wolfe (.167) tied the score with an RBI grounder and 2B Scooter Perez (.333) made it 2-1 with a sac fly. Porter evened the score at 2-all with a single in the bottom of the eighth. The V's starting pitch Todd Wolfe (1-1 3.70) pitched well, too. Wolfe held Turon to two runs and five hits over eight innings. He walked four and struck out four. The losing pitcher was Raul Sandoval (0-2 8.22), who came on in the tenth. Volusia outhit the Typhoons in the opener 9 to 8.

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 6, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Two at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

V's Even Pro Cup, Nip Turon 5-4 in Game 2
Volusia went from winning in a breeze to winning in a sweat as they nipped Turon 5-4 in game two of the Pro Cup Series. Carl Schmitz had a very comfortable 5-1 edge going into the ninth, but couldn't hold it. Back-to-back homers made it close. The Typhoons cut it to just one run before reliever Tony Hartwig could put out the three-run last-ditch rally.

Schmitz (5-1 2.77) notched the win and evened up the series at one game each. Turon got to him for four runs and eight hits in eight and one-third innings. Schmtiz fanned six batters and walked only one. James Longstreet (4-2 1.72) sustained the loss, going eight innings and giving up five runs. Longstreet suffered from his lack of control as he walked nine. Four of them came in the critical three-run second inning. Longstreet permitted six hits. Walks were involved in all of the Vigilantes runs in the third and ninth innings.

Volusia was outhit by the Typhoons who chalked up 9 to the V's 7. 2B Scooter Perez (.345) and SS Bobby Farias (.204) topped Volusia with a pair of hits apiece, while Turon was led by RF Andy Porter (.328) who homered in the second inning, his 3rd of the playoffs, C Todd Somerset (.302) with a two-run clout in the ninth, his 4th in postseason, and 3B Eric Hix (.250), who collected a solo homer in the ninth.

The teams will now head to the Jailhouse in Volusia for games three and four.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 7, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Three at Silver River Stadium (The Jailhouse) in Volusia.

Speigel Spins 1-Hitter, Turon Tops V's 3-0
Turon's 23-year-old righthander Freddi Spiegel hurled a career game - a brilliant one hitter to shut out Volusia 3-0 in game three of the IPA Pro Cup Series. The Typhoons now lead the best-of-seven series two games to one. Briscoe Crowder's (.246) second-inning double was the only hit off Spiegel. C Armando Villa (.340) was the only other baserunner as he got on base via an error in the seventh. Spiegel (3-1 2.41) struck out five Vigilantes and walked none in a superb outing. Hernando Espaderos (4-1 3.57) suffered his first loss of the postseason. He allowed three runs on six hits with four Ks in six-plus innings. Turon broke up the scoreless duel in the three-run sixth when SS Roy Flanagan (.391) singled in two runs and Spiegel (.214) also batted in one with a single.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 8, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Four at Silver River Stadium (The Jailhouse) in Volusia.

NOTE: Sorry, folks... originally I posted game three twice and did not post game four.

VOLUSIA DEADLOCKS PRO CUP SERIES AT 2 GAMES EACH

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 9, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Five at Silver River Stadium (The Jailhouse) in Volusia.

Turon Takes Pro Cup Lead, Tops V's 1-0
Both Turon and Volusia had their aces on the hill and it turned out to be an old-fashioned pitchers' duel. When it ended, surprisingly one of the aces won the game with his bat. Turon's James Longstreet (.318), not only hurled a 5-hit shutout against the Volusia Vigilantes, but he also homered in the seventh inning for the only run of the game. The Typhoons won game five 1-0 to take a three games to two lead in the best-of-seven IPA Pro Cup Series. Longstreet (5-2 1.47) went the distance for his fifth postseason triumph this season. He struck out five batters and issued four bases on balls. Carl Schmitz (5-2 2.59) worked seven strong innings and gave up only one run in a losing effort with three strikeouts and no walks.

The Pro Cup Series will now go back to Turon and finished out the playoffs at Typhoon Stadium. One more win will clinched the 2006 Pro Cup for the Typhoons.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 10, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Six at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Turon Wins 2nd Pro Cup, Wins 3-2 in Game 6
They did it again! The Turon Typhoons became the first team to win two IPA Pro Cups. Whitey Ashburn's Typhoons eliminated the Volusia Vigilantes in six hard-fought games to take the crown for the second time in its history. Turon whipped Valmara in 2003 for its first title. This time around it was also great pitching that produced the championship. In game six, Freddi Spiegel (4-1 2.34) fired a five-hitter to beat the Vigilantes 3-2. He went the distance, fanned four and walked two, while outpitching Hernando Espaderos (4-2 3.54). Espaderos also hurled a complete game and only surrendered five hits, struck out three and walked three in defeat. Trailing 2-1 in the seventh, SS Roy Flanagan (.394) tied it up with a single and LF Bruce Boatman (.247) had the game-winner with a single. Just three days ago Spiegel tossed a splendid 1-hit shutout in game three. He blanked the Vigilantes 3-0 to put the Typhoons up 2-1 in the series.

Volusia got its two runs in the first inning on LF Winky Rush's (.278) solo homer and SS Bobby Farias' (.206) base hit. In the last of the second Turon cut the score to 2-1 when C Todd Somerset (.299) singled, advanced to second on a ground-out and rode home on 3B Eric Hix's (.254) double. It remained that way until the decisive seventh.

Manager Ashton "Whitey" Richburn was really beaming after the game. He told reporters, "The first Pro Cup felt great, but it gets even better the second time around. We depend on pitching and defense and it came through for us again this year. Longstreet, Boswell and Spiegel really did their jobs." Turon compiled a great 1.93 ERA in the Pro Cup finals against the Vigilantes and a 2.24 ERA in 20 playoff games.

Volusia's skipper Alfonso Feliz commented during the press conference, "We lost, but I'm still proud of my team. They stood toe-to-toe in every single game and came close to winning. Unfortunately, close only counts in horseshoes. You got to give credit where credit is due. Whitey's starting threesome just might be the best in the IPA. They certainly were in the Pro Cup finals. They held us to a .226 batting average and only 15 runs. A few base hits here and there and we could easily have been the champs. Five of the six games were decided by one run. Turon only scored 19 runs overall. It was a hotly-contested series and they won it. I salute them and congratulate them. The Typhoons are a fine ball club."

James Longstreet won the deciding game in 2003 Pro Cup Series when he beat the Valmara Vipers 5-3 in game three with help from reliever Mac Yokum. Turon swept favored Valmara in three games and were led by Longstreet, closer Yokum and CF Lance Ambrose.

Longstreet was 4-1 with a 1.05 ERA, while Yokum had 5 saves in 7 relief appearances and allowed no runs in 11 innings. Ambrose was the Typhoons top hitter with a .341 batting average, 7 runs batted in and 9 runs scored.

Longstreet was the 2003 Pro Cup Most Valuable Player.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Turon's Spiegel Captures 2006 Pro Cup MVP
The outstanding player in the 2006 IPA Pro Cup playoffs was Turon's terrific 23-year-old righthander Freddi Spiegel, who won two crucial games in the Pro Cup finals and led the Typhoons to their second Pro Cup title. He tossed a splendid 1-hitter in the 3-0 victory in game three and then closed out the series in game six with a 3-2 victory. Overall during the postseason Spiegel was 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA. Teams only hit .156 against him in the playoffs.

Teammate James Longstreet was second in the voting. He chalked up a 5-2 mark in the postseason with a sparkling 1.47 ERA. A 5-4 loss in game two probably cost him his second MVP trophy. The 34-year-old Longstreet won the 2003 MVP honors in the Typhoons first title run.

Third in the balloting was Turon's Scotty Boswell, who compiled a 3-1 record in the playoffs with a 2.34 ERA.

Others receiving votes were three Turon players and two Volusia players. RF Andy Porter (.325 BA/3 HR/15 RBI/11 R), CF Mac McCurnan (.305 BA/2 HR/12 RBI/13 R) and C Todd Somerset (.299 BA/4 HR/11 RBI/14 R), all of Turon, and Volusia's Carl Schmitz (5-2 2.59) and C Armando Villa (.328 BA/4 HR/13 RBI/11 R).

Spiegel joins five previous IPA Pro Cup MVPs: Volusia 2B Francisco Abreu (2001), High Mesa SS Rolf Kellgren (2002), Turon pitcher James Longstreet (2003), Red Bluff pitcher Mila Mohoski (2004) and Middlefield CF Bailey Norcross (2005).

Yesterday in the IPA

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 19, 2007

Ancona and Bayview Favored in IPA Pro Cup Playoffs
The BNN baseball experts are predicting that the Ancona Red Elephants will win the Ruthlandian Union title and go up against the Bayview Vikings of the Tycobbian Union in the IPA Pro Cup finals this season. The playoffs are hard to figure. The teams with the best records in each league have never won the overall championship. Valmara made the Pro Cup finals in 2003, but fell to Turon. In 2005 Denton City had the most wins in the TU, but was beaten out by Middlefield in the finals. This year Ancona topped the RU with 94 victories, while Colchester paced the TU with 95 wins.

Beginning this season only division winners qualify for the postseason and each series will be a best-of-seven series. This was done to improve the chances of the best teams to prevail in a short series. The winning team will have to play only three rounds. In the past the champion had to play as many as five rounds to take the Pro Cup title.

Ruthlandian Union

The analysts say Ancona should have an easier time than Bayview. The Red Elephants (94-60) don't seem to have as much competition. They will host St. John (89-65) in the Elite 8, while the Stoner Stars (86-68) will travel to the Cold Creek Catamounts (88-66). Ancona has a good blend of pitching, power and hitting, while Cold Creek and Stoner stress pitching, but are not too strong in offense. The St. John Crusaders have pretty good power, but only average pitching and hitting. In head-to-head action against the other playoff teams Ancona was 14-4, while Cold Creek was 6-6, St. John 5-7 and Stoner 2-10.

Best Team BA: Ancona .274
Most HR: Ancona 159
Most Runs: Ancona 787
Best Team ERA: Cold Creek 3.26
Best Team Defense: Cold Creek and St. John .977

Worst Team BA: Cold Creek and St. John .263
Fewest HR: St. John 127
Fewest Runs: Stoner 709
Worst Team ERA: St. John 3.69
Worst Team Defense: Stoner .974

Tycobbian Union

Over the Tycobbian Union it should be quite a battle with any one of the four clubs having a shot at winning. Superior firepower and hitting plus solid pitching should give the advantage to the Bayview Vikings (94-60), who will entertain the pitching-rich Tuckanarra Blue Jays (94-60) in the Elite 8 round. In the other match-up it will be the Oxford Red Caps (91-63) playing in Colchester (95-59) against the Elites. Oxford has good bats and good pitching, while Colchester's strength is its offensive prowess. Oxford has the best league record against the other teams this year. The Red Caps were 11-3, while Bayview was 8-9, Tuckanarra 7-8 and Colchester 6-12.

Best Team BA: Bayview .283
Most HR: Bayview 220
Most Runs: Colchester 815
Best ERA: Tuckanarra 3.24
Best Team Defense: Tuckanarra .978

Worst Team BA: Tuckanarra .262
Fewest HR: Tuckanarra 124
Fewest Runs: Tuckanarra 715
Worst Team ERA: Colchester 3.76
Worst Team Defense: Colchester .968

The BNN prognosticators are forecasting that the Bayview Vikings will win the Pro Cup this year by defeating the Ancona Red Elephants. Tycobbia has won the Pro Cup four of the six seasons and is looking to do it again in 2007.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Oxford Slight Favorite Over Stoner in Pro Cup Finals
It's time once again to determine the best pro baseball team in the Islands. It's Pro Cup time - 32 teams in the Ruthlandian Union have been whittled down to just one team and 32 teams in the Tycobbian Union have been cut to just one. It will be the Stoner Stars and the Oxford Red Caps battling for the 2007 IPA Pro Cup. The best-of-seven series will start tomorrow afternoon in Oxford at Winchester Park.

Neither club has ever reached the finals. Oxford has been a playoff regular with five appearances in six seasons. The Red Caps best finish was the Final 4 in 2003 when they were eliminated by the eventual Pro Cup champions, the High Mesa Cowboys. This is Stoner's second appearance in the playoffs. The Stars lost out in the first round in 2002.

Statistically here is how the teams shape up:
Stoner Stars (86-68)
Willie Dickens, Manager
.267 BA (14th)
709 runs (17th)
154 HR (11th)
3.35 ERA (5th)
612 runs allowed (2nd)
80 HR (2nd)
.974 FA (12th)
181 DP (5th)

Oxford Red Caps (91-63)
Campy Roy, Manager
.275 BA (4th)
735 runs (10th)
162 HR (9th)
3.30 ERA (4th)
619 runs allowed (3rd)
96 HR (2nd)
.971 FA (19th)
173 DP (6th)

Oxford seems to have an advantage on offense, pitching is pretty even and Stoner has the best defense. Most of the baseball analysts give the edge to the Red Caps because of the overall superiority of the Tycobbian Union, which has won the Pro Cup four times in the six years of the IPA. Tycobbia has also dominated the All-Star competition with five victories in six years.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 4, 2007

2007 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game One at Winchester Park in Oxford

Oxford Stops Stoner 6-3 in Pro Cup Opener
Oxford welcomed the visiting Stoner Stars to Winchester Park, but it was Stoner that was the more hospitable. The Stars gifted the Red Caps with three unearned runs on three costly errors and were beaten 6-3 in the opening game of the IPA Pro Cup Series. Pitchers Dan Phillips and Dan Sisler combined for the victory. Phillips (2-2 4.24) was breezing along with a 3-0 lead until the seventh inning when RF Dutch Rheinecker (.200) stunned him with a three-run homer. That's when Sisler (2-3 5.14) relieved him and held the Stars scoreless the rest of the game and picked up the victory.

The Red Caps put the Stars away with three runs in the bottom of the eighth. 3B Preston Browne doubled in two runs and then came around to score on an infield error by SS Karol Zodoka.

Phillips worked six and a third innings, fanned five, walked two and allowed three runs on six hits. Oxford 3B Preston Browne (.276) led the way with three RBIs and two runs scored. SS Johnny Zumwalt (.236) added two runs batted in. Stoner's Ted Chambers (2-1 2.37) took the loss as he yielded four runs on seven hits in seven innings. Chambers was charged with only two earned runs. Stars SS Karol Zodoka (.348) led all hitters with 3-for-4.

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 5, 2007

2007 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game Two at Winchester Park in Oxford

Oxford Hangs On, Tops Stars 6-5, Up 2-0 in Finals
The Oxford Red Caps were outhit and outhomered, but they still managed to win their second game in a row in the IPA Pro Cup Finals at Winchester Park. Stoner outhit them 10-7 and outhomered them 2-0, but the Stars came out on the short end of the score 6-5. The Red Caps bolted to a 5-0 in the second inning and then hung on for a slim victory. Bomber Belinsky (3-1 2.54) went eight innings for the win. He gave up three runs and eight hits and departed in the ninth with a 6-2 lead. Stoner then teed off on reliever Dan Sisler. SS Karol Zodoka (.347) jacked a two-run homer and LF Matt Merrill (.370) hit a solo blast to bring the Stars to within a run. Doyle Chadwick was summoned from the bullpen and he got the final out.

SS Johnny Zumwalt (.237) led Oxford with two RBIs, while 1B Timmy Binford (.385) had two hits and an RBI. LF Mack Spencer (.361) and 2B Casey Leeburn (.259) each also batted in a run. Taking the loss for Stoner was starter Georgie West (2-2 3.73), who was smoked for six runs in his six-plus innings.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 6, 2007

2007 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game Three at Nonnac Stadium in Stoner.

STONER STARS CUT OXFORD LEAD TO 2-1

Sorry, folks... old Doofus deleted the recap again.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 7, 2007

2007 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game Four at Nonnac Stadium in Stoner

Oxford Wins on a Lark 5-2, Leads Pro Cup 3-1
Bobby Lark crashed a three-run homer in the top of the ninth to give the Oxford Red Caps a 5-2 decision over the Stoner Stars in game four of the IPA Pro Cup Series. The win gave the Red Caps a huge 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Manager Campy Roy got a standout game from Dan Phillips (2-2 3.95), who worked seven innings and yielded only two runs. Del Anderson (1-0 2.45) relieved Phillips in the eighth and got the victory with two scoreless innings. Stoner's starter Ted Chambers (2-1 2.35) also had a solid outing as he tossed eight frames and allowed only two runs. Dwight Ruckman (0-1 5.40) came on in the ninth and was the loser.

Oxford's 11-hit attack included three roundtrippers and was led by CF Wayne McDonald with a perfect 4-4 day. McDonald (.333), C Wayne Cosgrove (.277) and RF Lark (.247) all collected home runs. SS Karol Zodoka (.375) paced the Stars with four hits.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 8, 2007

2007 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game Five at Nonnac Stadium in Stoner

Oxford Red Caps 2007 Pro Cup Champs
The Oxford Red Caps made quick work of the Stoner Stars and captured the 2007 IPA Pro Cup Series four games to one. Oxford took game five 8-4 to wrap up the series. The Red Caps scored four times in the top of the first and never looked back. Campy Roy's crew was sparked by homers by 1B Timmy Binford (.323), 3B Jim Pulaski (.233) and RF Bobby Lark (.260). Bomber Belinsky (4-1 2.76) got his fourth victory in the playoffs as he went the distance, giving up four runs on six hits with six Ks and four walks. Georgie West (2-3 4.69) was the loser for Stoner. West was ripped for six runs in four innings. C Benny Stern (.261) and RF Dutch Rheinecker (.204) each drove in a pair of runs for the Stars with Rheinecker unloading a home run.

Oxford truly deserved its crown. The Red Caps had to endure two grueling seven-game series with Colchester and Bayview to get to the championship round. The Elites were 95-59 during the regular campaign and had the best record in the IPA this year, while the Vikings were also a powerhouse with a 91-63 mark.

This was Oxford's first IPA Pro Cup title. The Tycobbian Union won the Pro Cup for the fifth time in seven years... so far, only the Turon Typhoons have won the Islandian Pro Alliance overall title twice... they defeated Valmara in 2003 and Volusia in 2006.

Oxford is guided by Campy Roy, a famous hard-hitting catcher and renowned defender in the company leagues. "Give credit to our pitchers Bomber Belinsky and Dan Phillips for winning the crucial games in the postseason... when we had to have a win they got it for us... Wayne McDonald and his bat carried us the whole season and in the playoffs... Timmy Binford was solid the entire season as well... these four were key to our success, but we also had a bunch of others who had a hand in this season's success."

Willie Dickens guided the Stoner Stars... he was a journeyman outfielder the company leagues... "Really feel bad for Benny Stern, Karol Zadoka, Ted Chambers and Georgie West... you don't get to the Pro Finals very often in a career... I'm disappointed for them... all of them played great in the regular and the postseason... we just came up a few wins short". Dickens added that "Oxford is a very scrappy outfit... they hustle and hassle you to death... they don't overpower you, but they do the little things that wins ball games... Belinsky and Phillips are two fine pitchers, who came up bigtime in the Finals... and Wayne McDonald is a gifted ballplayer... and Campy knows how to win games".

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Oxford's Belinsky Pro Cup MVP
32-year-old Bomber Belinsky is the 2007 Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. He outpolled two teammates, CF Wayne McDonald and 1B Timmy Binford for the honor. Stoner's fine catcher Benny Stern finished fourth in the voting by the BNN.

Belinsky compiled a 4-1 record with an impressive 2.76 ERA. McDonald batted .319 with 4 homers, 18 RBIs and scored 13 times, while Binford hit .323, homered three times, drove in 11 runs and scored 16. Stern rapped 5 roundtrippers, had 16 runs batted in, scored 10 and hit for a .261 average.

2007 Islandian Pro Alliance Awards

Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award, Golden Arm Award, Rookie of the Year Award
Attachment 855318

Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award, Golden Arm Award, Rookie of the Year Award
Attachment 855319

You mentioned that Oxford won their first title in 2007 and that no team had won two yet. But I believe that Turon won twice already, in 2003 and 2006.

Thanks, I'll fix it.

Glad to help out! I'm enjoying reading about your IPA history, looking forward to seeing what happened in 2008.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 9, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Begins Tomorrow - Wynnamac vs Denton City

WHOSE THE BEST IN THE PRO CUP SERIES? SUNDOWNERS OR REDBIRDS?
It will be Wynnamac of the Ruthlandian Union and Denton City representing the Tycobbian Union in the IPA Pro Cup VIII. The Pro Cup Series will start tomorrow afternoon at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City. The Redbirds will be home for the first two games. Games 3 and 4 will be hosted by Sundowners. If necessary, game 5 is slated for Wynnamac with games 6 and 7 played in Denton City. Tycobbia has won 5 of the previous 7 Pro Cups. The defending champions, the Oxford Red Caps, wound up third in their division and missed the playoffs.

At a glance Denton City is the favorite. Ford Whiteman's Denton City Redbirds have made the playoffs four times in its history, but they have never won the IPA Pro Cup. However the Redbirds did get to the finals one time in 2005 and lost to the Middlefield Roosters in five games. Wynnamac, on the other hand, never made the playoffs until this year. In fact, this season is the only time the Sundowners finished in the first division, fifth place was their previous best. Most of the time it was worse. Until this season Matt Donnelly's team had never finished above the .500 mark.

So who's going to win? It looks like Wynnamac has the edge in starting pitching with the sizzling Skeets Hobart who has won 4 games and lost none in the postseason with a brilliant 2.21 ERA. Jay Clay gives Donnelly another strong starter. Clay is 3-0 with a 3.33 ERA in the playoffs. In the regular season Hobart 19-13 and Clay was 14-7. The bullpen could be the Sundowners Achilles' heel.

Whiteman will counter with Mila Mohoski (18-14), Dave Blair (4-3) and Kenyon MacKenzie (14-14) in his starting rotation. Blair has been a postseason surprise, unbeaten in 3 starts with 2 victories and a sterling 2.08 ERA. Mohoski is a solid 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA, while MacKenzie won his only start and has a 3.60 ERA. It is in the relief corps that the Redbirds stand out with Mike Danek (0-1 1.69) in 5 appearances and Tom Duroncelay (2-0 1.50) in 3 appearances. Danek has 3 saves and Duroncelay 1 in the playoffs.

What it will come down to is hitting. Wynnamac also gets an edge here. The Sundowners have exploded in the playoffs with 16 homers and a .302 batting average, while Denton City sports a .295 team batting mark and has hit 14 home runs. Wynnamac's line-up is packed with solid hitters like LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.432/4 HR/10 RBI/9 R), 1B Nate Cockcroft (.421/4 HR/13 RBI/9 R), SS Warren Lee (.366/1 HR/5 RBI/10 R) and RF Mark Buchanan (.333/4 HR/8 RBI/10 R). The Redbirds batting order is highlighted by LF Nigel Huxley (.257/6 HR/14 RBI/8 R), 3B Jay Petit (.308/3 HR/9 RBI/5 R), RF Danny Nash (.385/1 HR/7 RBI/7 R), 2B Darrion Ramsdell (.342/1 HR/4 RBI/7 R) and 1B Mick Abbott (.333/1 HR/5 RBI/7 R). SS Trevor Tomlinson is hitting only .220 in the playoffs, but has scored 10 runs and stolen 6 bases.

Outlook: If Wynnamac starters can go deep in the game and stay out of the bullpen, they should win. The Sundowners also have the advantage in firepower, too. Wynnamac will triumph in six games.



The Islandian Times
Friday, October 10, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 1 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

DC Destroys Wynnamac 10-1 In Pro Cup Opener
The Denton City Redbirds destroyed Wynnamac 10-1 with a 13-hit attack and strong pitching by Mila Mohoski in the 2008 Pro Cup opener at Douglas Denton Field... the Redbird bats were led by SS Trevor Tomlinson (.239) with two hits, including a 3-run homer and 4 runs batted in, CF Rod MacCormack (.279) with two RBIs and Mohoski (.300) who also drove in a pair of runs... Mohoski (3-1 2.65) was an easy winner... he held the hard-hitting Sundowners to just one run and seven hits, struck out six and issued no walks... the Redbirds got out of the starting gate early and ripped starter Jay Clay (3-1 3.66) for five runs in two innings... it was Clay's first playoff loss this season

.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 11, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 2 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

Sundowners Rise Up, Tops DC 7-5, Pro Cup Tied
After being thoroughly chilled down in the game one rout, the Wynnamac bats blazed again with 13 hits to top Denton City 7-5 in game two of the Pro Cup Series and tie it up at one game each... Skeets Hobart (5-0 2.88) staggered a little bit but didn't fall... Hobart held back the Redbirds 6-2 until the last of the seventh when they tagged him for three runs and made a game of it... Hobart was blistered for five runs and eight hits in his six and two-thirds innings... Lefty Paddison got his 2nd save with two and one-third scoreless innings, but he allowed 3 hits... Kenyon MacKenzie (1-1 4.74) was the losing pitcher... he surrendered four runs and seven hits in four innings... MacKenzie was behind 4-2 when he went to the showers... RF Mark Buchanan (.321) led the Sundowners with a double and a homer, his 5th playoff roundtripper... Buchanan scored twice and batted in a run... 3B Adam Farinas (.286) has two hits and batted in a pair of runs... 2B J. L. Lawrence also had two hits, scored twice and had an RBI... Denton City was paced by 3B Jay Petit (.319) with two hits and four RBIs... Petit hit his 4th postseason home run... the Redbirds collected 11 hits overall.


The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 12, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 3 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Redbirds Take Lead, Blair Beats Sundowners 5-2
Denton City manager Ford Whiteman got another good outing from Dave Blair to take a 2-1 lead in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... Blair beat Wynnamac 5-2 on a three-hitter, although he had to get some help from closer Mike Danek after he loaded the bases in the last of the eighth... Blair (3-0 2.17) struggled with his control and walked nine, but fanned seven batters... Danek got the last five outs for his 4th save in the playoffs... The Redbirds took a three-run lead in the first inning on 1B Mick Abbott's (.283) RBI grounder and LF Danny Nash's (.333) two-run double... Denton City added two more runs in the top of the seventh to make it 5-0... 3B Jay Petit (.314) had an RBI single and CF Rod MacCormack (.288) had a sacrifice fly... Sundowner RF Mark Buchanan (.317) belted his 6th postseason homer in the bottom of the seventh to cut the margin to 5-2... the Redbirds slapped 11 hits in all with 2B Darrion Ramsdell (.373) collecting two of them and scoring two times... Losing pitcher Angus Conroy (1-1 5.06) was shelled for five runs in six-plus innings.



The Islandian Times
Monday, October 13, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 4 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Wynnamac Evens Pro Cup, Wins 6-5 in 11 Innings
Wynnamac SS Warren Lee (.328) only got one hit in the game, but it was a big one - he drove in the winning run with a single to nip Denton City 6-5 in 11 innings to even up the Pro Cup Series at two games each... After the Redbirds seemingly won it with two runs in the top of the tenth, the Sundowners turned defeat into victory by staging a dramatic 2-run rally to again knot the score... pinchhitter Vic Boutin was the hero this time... Boutin doubled in a run and then tied it up by moving around on a passed ball and a wild pitch... Sonny Nicoletti (1-0 0.00) pitched a scoreless eleventh for the victory and Tom Duroncelay (2-1 3.38) caught the loss... Denton City had the edge in hits 12 to 11... Wynnamac LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.377) garnered two hits and drove in four runs... Burkhalter had the game's only roundtripper, a 3-run blast, his 5th of the playoffs... He is tied with 1B Nate Cockcroft (.327) for the team RBI lead with 13 each... Buchanan (.323) has chalked up 11 RBIs, too... 2B Darrion Ramsdell (.382), RF Danny Nash (.345) and 1B Mick Abbott (.300) sparked the Redbirds with two hits apiece... game five will be tomorrow afternoon in Wynnamac.



The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 5 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Hobart Halts DC 5-1, Wynnamac Up 3-2 In Series
Skeets Hobart came through again for the Wynnamac Sundowners... he hurled them past Denton City 5-1 for his 6th playoff victory to give the Sundowners a three-to-two edge in the Pro Cup Series... one more win in the best-of-seven series and the Pro Cup will go to Wynnamac for the first time in its history... Hobart (6-0 2.36) tossed a strong game, halting the Redbirds on five hits, fanning eight and walking three... LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.385) and C Mike Holder (.246) paced the attack with solo homers... With the scored knotted at 1-all in the sixth, Wynnamac got the winning run on an error by 1B Mick Abbott (.283), who dropped a throw... 1B Nate Cockcroft (.356) had three hits for the winners and Burkhalter collected a pair of hits... Roger Ramsey (0-1 4.38) got the loss in his first postseason start... Ramsey only allowed one earned run, but was charged with three runs and six hits... overall the Sundowners had 9 hits... Denton City got RF Lavon Gooch back into the line-up... he had been on the DL for the past month and this was his first playoff action... the Redbirds have missed his bat in the postseason... Gooch batted .295 in the regular season with 28 homers and 100 RBIs in just 127 games.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 6 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

Wynnamac 2008 Pro Cup Champs
In the a rags-to-riches story the Wynnamac Sundowners are the 2008 Pro Cup champions... Wynnamac wrapped the title with a 6-2 victory over the Denton City Redbirds to take the series four games to two... Manager Matt Donnelly restored Lefty Paddison to the starting rotation and he gave a gritty performance... Paddison (1-3 9.00) was relegated to the bullpen after a string of poor outings in the postseason... Paddison got his first playoff victory by pitching into the eighth inning... he allowed two runs on eight hits for the win, helped out by Angus Conroy, who retired the last four batters without allowing a run for his second save... Redbird starter Doug Blair (3-1 3.18), a standout in the postseason, suffered his first loss as he was ripped for six runs in five innings... Leading the Sundowners were 1B Nate Cockroft (.355) and 3B Adam Farinas (.224), who had two runs batted in apiece... Both clubs had 8 hits each... Wynnamac scored two in the first, one in the second and three times in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead, then they held off the Redbirds the rest of the way... Denton City finally got on the scoreboard with two runs in the eighth.

This was Wynnamac's first playoff appearance and they went all the way to the title... It was a magical season for the Sundowners, who had never made the first division or finish with a .500 record... Wynnamac rose from sixth place to first place this year... they did it with free agents... LF Big Hoss Burkhalter and SS Warren Lee came to the team two years ago and RF Mark Buchanan and SP Jay Clay arrived this year.



The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 16, 2008

Wynnamac's Hobart Pro Cup MVP
Quite a few of the Wynnamac Sundowners could have been chosen the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. This year's Pro Cup champions really were a team loaded with valuable players. When the poll was announced the honor went to the Sundowners superb 31-year-old left-hander Skeets Hobart, who made six starts in the playoffs and won them all, while compiling an impressive 2.36 ERA. Hobart won in a tight race with left fielder Big Hoss Burkhalter, first baseman Nate Cockcroft and RF Mark Buchanan.

Hobart was named on 32 ballots. Burkhalter was second with 27 votes, Cockcroft was third with 25 votes, fourth was Buchanan with 22 and shortstop Warren Lee was a distant fifth with four votes.

Burkhalter hit .377 in the playoffs with 6 homers and 15 RBIs, Cockcroft batted .355, hit 4 home runs and batted in 16 runs, Buchanan compiled a .310 mark with 6 roundtrippers, 12 driven in and scored 17 runs and Lee batted .348, scored 11 times with 7 RBIs and 1 homer.

[

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Awards

Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award, Golden Arm Award, Rookie of the Year Award
Attachment 855655

Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award, Golden Arm Award, Rookie of the Year Award
Attachment 855656

I'm going to work hard and long today to rework the 2074 team rosters and the reserve roster in the Islandian Pro Alliance.

The season should begin sometime next week, I hope.

I have only done 5 of the 64 teams so far.

Good luck! Listen to some good music while working - it makes it easier to get the job done.

Nope, I can't multi-task... have to focus on what I'm doing one thing at a time.

Actually according to neurologists, you can't focus on but one thing at a time and do it well... multi-tasking is not scientifically possible... according the brain researchers multi-tasking divides your attention and keeps you from focusing.

I did 7 more teams this afternoon... boy, it is slow going... but I am getting rid of the weak players and old players... would be nice, if the AI would do this.

Have done 12 of the 64 teams.

That's true. I keep music on low in the background, or I'll have a game on tv and check the score periodically when I'm working.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 20, 2008

'Jacks Jackson Chosen RU Skipper of the Year
In a close four-man battle Robbie Jackson of Forest City has been chosen Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year for 2008. Jackson led the Lumberjacks to an outstanding season as they finished second in the RU West with a 91-63 record, topped only by the division champs, the Colfax Blasters, who chalked up a 100-54 mark, tops in the IPA.

LaGrange's Boo Ladrieux led his Sports from 7th place to the RU North pennant to come in second in the balloting. In third was Wynnamac's Matt Donnelly, who guided them to the playoffs for the first time in the team's history with a first-place finish in the East Division. Rounding out the votegetters was Paco Banderos of San Dimas. He piloted the Rancheros from seventh to first and won the RU South.

Previous winners of the award are Stacy Engel of the Claxton Diamonds in 2006 and Manny Mickens of the Ancona Red Elephants last year.



The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Arlon's Louis Win TU Manager of the Year Again
For the second time in three years Gary Louis of the Arlon Champions has been selected the best manager in Tycobbian Union. East Point's Griff Clarke and LaClaire's Rip Calkin came in second and third in the vote. Louis also copped the honor in 2006, the first year for the award in the IPA. Matty Christianson of Rolling Hills took the trophy last year.

Louis brought his Champions from seventh place in 2007 to a third-place finish this season. Louis had Arlon in the race up until the last day of the season. They wound only two games behind Denton City and one game back of LaClaire in the tight TU West pennant chase.

East Point manager Griff Clarke won the TU East in a close race with Ozarka, Tuckanarra and Red Bluff. The Panthers rose from fourth place to first this season.

Rip Calkin lifted his La Claire Lynx from fifth place in 2007 to a very close second this year. Calkin ended up only one game out of first place and was just barely beaten out by Denton City.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Colfax Favored in RU, Denton City in TU
The IPA Pro Cup Playoffs get underway this afternoon at four sites around the Islands. In the RU Elite 8 Series it will be Far Mountain entertaining Claxton and Colfax will host the Belle Plaine Musketeers. Over in the Tycobbian Union the Red Bluff Red Sox travel to Denton City and Turon will be in Hartsdale against the Hellcats. According to baseball scribes and gurus Colfax will prevail in the RU and Denton City gets the call in the TU and will battle for the Pro Cup in the postseason finals... The Wynnamac Sundowners of the Ruthlandian East Division won the Pro Cup last season in 6 games over the Denton City Redbirds... this year the Macs were beaten out by a single game by Belle Plaine.


The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 24, 2009

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series
Head-to-head against the other teams in the regular season Colfax had the best record at 8-4, followed by Belle Plaine 8-7, Claxton 8-10 and Far Mountain 6-9. Colfax is expected to defeat Belle Plaine in the Elite 8 Series and Far Mountain will play the favorite's role in the other series against Claxton. Both series will be best-of-seven. The Blasters are forecast to whip the Redhawks in the RU Finals.

Colfax (94-60) has a fantastic pitching rotation that chalked up an unbelievable 2.69 ERA, led by Ilya Szabo (22-15 2.39), Stony Blackwell (19-11 2.64), Jimmy Joe Cartner (17-13 2.53) and All-Star Jasper LaForge (23-10 3.23)... Colfax broke Cape Coral's record (2.82) for the best team ERA set in 2004... Clem Rogers also has a capable closer Dallas Somerville (5-8 2.14), who saved 24 games... mix in a fine fielding team with a .978 FA and the Blasters are hard to score against... offensively Colfax hit for a .262 batting average with 140 home runs, which was adequate in the runs department... Leading the Blasters line-up was All-Star CF Ryan Raines (.302/26/99/99), LF Paul Coniglio (.302/27/111/96), 3B Mike Janocko (.284/19/72) and RF Karl Heidelberg (.319/17/50/72).

Alex Groveland has it all in Far Mountain (94-61), good hitting (.278), good power (179 HR) and good pitching (3.42)... climbed from seventh to first this year... first time in six years to make the playoffs... top pitchers are Leroy Hill (20-15 2.90), Boomerang Hines (9-4 3.10) and Robby Kelly (17-13 3.34)... Dave McDonald (19-9 4.46) benefited greatly from excellent offensive support... All-Star SS Don Nichols (.336/22/106) tops the hitters with help from C Otis Ott (.297/26/89) and 2B Duane Parsons (.336/22/106)... good defense with .976 FA.

Claxton jumped from fifth place to penthouse this season and captured its first RU South flag... Stacy Engel has the highest-scoring club in the IPA and his line-up is packed with fine hitters... the Claxton Diamonds (85-69) chalked up a .267 batting average, but hit 193 out of the park... pitching-wise Engel has a capable foursome that notched a 3.92 ERA... Claxton potent batting order consists of All-Star 1B Mike Luzzatti (.343/44/109/116), who had another colossal year... along with CF Dixie Baker (.260/32/114/92), LF Helmut Graczyk (.317/24/88/102), SS Erik Carducci (.285/18 81/61), 2B Paco Benitez (.281/2/37/93) and 3B Artie Sherman (.276/20/77/91)... Engel's starting rotation is All-Star Charlie Murphy (17-14 3.08), Peter Brenneman (18-13 3.96), Paul Grange (15-7 3.79) and Bob Grba (13-8 4.26)... Claxton is only average in the field with a .971 FA.

In a surprising turn of events Belle Plaine surged in September and outplayed the defending Pro Cup champs, the Wynnamac Sundowners. Belle Plaine (81-73) copped the flag mainly because of a pretty good group of starters in Jorge Bonilla (14-12 3.57), Tony Saroyan (17-13 3.75) and Danny Griffin (15-13 3.91... closer Denny Reynaud (6-5 4.11) was a plus, despite sometimes being inconsistent, but he saved 25 games... Boo Ladrieux's line-up was solid with a .276 BA, but not too powerful with only 105 home runs... the Musketeers were led by RF Juan Mendez (.326/7/45/96), 1B Rory Dickenson (.314/16/92/101), CF Harry Klyman (.285/26/107/79) and 3B Warren McDaniel (.273/17/78/87)... 2B Floyd Vinson (.286/1/64/89) played good defense and chipped in some offense, while SS Dave Torregrossa (.330/4/53) really had a great year after taking over at midseason... Torregrossa only played in 103 games.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series
Over in Tycobbia the Denton City Redbirds compiled the best record against the other three playoff challengers, going 9-6, while Hartsdale was 8-7, Red Bluff 9-9 and Turon 4-8. The Redbirds will have a rough time with the Red Bluff Red Sox, but should survive to face the Hartsdale Hellcats in the TU Finals. However, Turon should give the Hellcats quite a tussle. Any one of the four clubs could go to the Pro Cup championship, they are all evenly matched. All playoff series are best-out-of-seven.

Hitting is apparently not enough to win a division... the Denton City Redbirds (92-62) didn't hit as well as Bayview, didn't go deep as much as Bayview and didn't score as much as Bayview, but they did well enough offensively to stay with the Vikings... and they outpitched them... DC hit a respectable .269 with 143 homers and had the best team ERA in the TU with a strong 3.46 ERA... Ford Whiteman has a solid threesome as starters: Kenyon MacKenzie (20-8 3.22), Mila Mohoski (20-15 3.54) and Mike Danek (13-7 3.36)... but the real separator between the two contenders might have been Roger Ramsey (7-3 2.69) in the Redbird bullpen... Ramsey had 24 saves after being converted to closer this season... Denton City was paced at bat by RF Lavon Gooch (.273/30/125/97), All-Star 1B Mick Abbott (.307/23/98/92) and SS Trevor Tomlinson (.307/8/47/113)... the Redbirds play good defense, too, with a .976 FA.

Hartsdale (92-62) tied Denton City of the TU West for the most wins in the TU this year with 92... the keys to success for Zim Donner were a solid set of starters, good closer, good power, good hitting and good defense... Hartsdale batted .269 with 171 homers and had a .976 FA... Hellcat starters were Ben Manderson (16-9 2.89), Tony Lane (14-12 3.11), Matt DeRosa (17-14 3.53), Nico Carnera (13-4 3.62) and Rip Arnold (17-14 4.12)... closer Mitch Yassen (7-5 2.74) was also a vital part of the team's success with 23 saves... overall the hill corps fashioned a fine 3.52 team ERA... the Hellcats also featured a solid core of hitters with good pop... Donner's top bats were 1B Tom Brabant (.321/35/110/78), 3B Kendry Moulton (.290/25/99/93), 2B Jud Turchin (.286/21/82/89) and CF Mac Faulkner (.299/24/75/82).

Red Bluff (86-68) took advantage of a strong pitching staff to win the TU East this season... Mack Connery had four fine starters, two very good ones and two that were quite dependable... the Red Sox notched a 3.82 ERA and were paced by All-Star John Dougherty (19-12 3.10), Frank Beaudoin (21-12 3.29), Jim Melanakos (14-10 4.13) and Cloyd Harris (18-18 4.04)... firepower also set Red Bluff apart from Tuckanarra... they outhomered the Blue Jays 149 to 99... both clubs hit about the same for average with Tuckanarra batting .268 and Red Bluff .267... Tuckanarra also had a slight edge defensively .978 FA to .976 FA... Connery's best bat was 3B Tommy Klegg (.281/36/132/85), who topped the IPA with 132 RBIs, along with Waleska's Kippy Doyle... other strong contributors were All-Star CF Stan Helmke (.317/14/62/100), SS Jose Aguilar (.290/13/66/106) and 1B Kris Grabowski (.299/17/72).

The Turon Typhoons (91-63) are on quite a roll with their third TU South pennant in four years... Whitey Richburn has a sound club in all respects... hitting, power, pitching... and decent defense... Turon's team batting average is .274... they hit 154 homers... have a fine 3.66 team ERA... and a .974 FA... the pitching rotation consists of Anthony Nardone (20-12 3.03), Jacques Lemaire (24-6 3.42) and James Stuart (17-13 3.61)... Freddi Spiegel (7-1 2.80) stands out in middle relief... at the plate Richburn has a bunch of good bats in CF Mac McCurnan (.306/34/105/106), 1B Johnny Carducci (.297/23/91/69) and 2B Alan Hansen (.299/1/49/109) with help from All-Star 3B John Cottrell (.304/8/63/57), LF Jimmy Tremayne (.306/14/80/67) and RF Andy Porter (.298/21/71/62).


The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 8, 2009

FM Redhawks Critics' Choice To Win Pro Cup
The BNN baseball gurus are predicting the Far Mountain Redhawks of the Ruthlandian Union to reign supreme in this year's IPA Pro Cup Series with the Turon Typhoons of the Tycobbian Union. Manager Alex Groveland's club has the edge in pitching, hitting and fielding over Whitey Richburn's squad. This is the Redhawks first appearance in the Pro Cup finals, while the Typhoons have been here twice before and won each time. Turon was victorious in 2003 and 2006, despite being the underdogs both times. Thus far, Tycobbia has won five of the eight Pro Cups.

During the regular season Far Mountain hit .278 (2nd) with 179 homers (5th) and scored 798 runs (4th). In comparison Turon batted .274 (4th) with 157 roundtrippers (6th) and chalked up 799 runs (2nd). On the mound the Redhawks were impressive with a 3.42 team ERA (2nd), 63 complete games and surrendered 132 home runs (16th-tied). The Typhoon staff put up a good 3.66 ERA (7th), 39 complete games and allowed 126 homers (11th-tied).

In the postseason so far, Turon sports a .284 mark with 8 home runs and Far Mountain is hitting .273 with 7 homers. On the hill the Redhawks have a decided advantage with a superb 2.64 ERA to the Typhoons 3.43 ERA.

Both ball clubs are good defensively. In the regular season Far Mountain had a .976 FA (5th- tied) and Turon logged a .974 fielding percentage (11th - tied).


The Islandian Times
Friday, October 9, 2009

2009 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Finals - Game 1

Kelly King In Opener, FM Blanks Turon 5-0
Robby Kelly was certainly King of the Hill in the opening game of the Pro Cup Series at his home park Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain... Kelly (4-0 2.32) was absolutely terrific... The 32-year-old right-hander totally shut down Turon 5-0 on two singles, struck out six and walked only two batters...Kelly was so dominant that he no-hit the Typhoons until the sixth frame... It was a scoreless struggle until the last of the fifth when RF Hank Burleigh (.275) got new life on an error by first baseman Johnny Carducci, who dropped a pop-up... Burleigh was sacrificed to second and then driven in by 3B Keith Wasik (.220)... Burleigh scored again to make it 2-0 after seven innings... Burleigh doubled and LF Nick Montag (.292) drove him in with a single... Back-to-back homers sealed the verdict in the eighth inning when 2B Duane Parsons (.295) slugged a two-run homer and C Otis Ott (.341) belted a solo shot off shell-shocked reliever Radley Long... Anthony Nardone (2-1 2.06) worked seven fine innings in defeat, yielding just two runs - one earned - and seven hits... the winners got 10 hits overall.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, October 10, 2009
2009 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Finals - Game 2

Redhawks Nip Typhoons 5-4 on Parsons' Homer
Far Mountain depended on the long ball and gutsy pitching by Boomerang Hines to nip Turon 5-4 in game two of the IPA Pro Cup... SS Don Nichols (.392) knotted it up 4-4 with a two-run blast in the fifth inning and 2B Duane Parsons (.319) smacked the game-winner in the last of the eighth... Boomerang Hines labored early but got better as the game progressed... Hines (4-1 1.64) was knocked around hard in the first five frames when the Typhoons got all of their runs... Hines settled down and blanked them over the final four innings... Hines went the distance and allowed seven hits... Reliever Freddi Spiegel (1-1 2.13) garnered the loss by giving up the homer to Parsons... Nichols with 3 RBIs and Parsons with a pair paced the Redhawk 9-hit attack... LF Jimmy Tremayne (.273) and C Fats Dalton (.278) led Turon with two hits and two runs batted in apiece... Tremayne tripled and singled and Dalton homered and doubled.


The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 11, 2009

2009 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Finals - Game 3

FM Edges Turon 5-4, Leads Pro Cup 3-0
On the road in Turon at Typhoon Stadium the Far Mountain Redhawks cracked open a 1-1 tie with three runs in the sixth inning on the way to a third straight victory in the IPA Pro Cup... Far Mountan won game three 5-4 and now needs only one more victory to win the best-of-seven series... the Redhawks took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning on SS Don Nichols (.389) 15th postseason RBI... the Typhoons evened it at 1-all on 1B Johnny Carducci's (.298) RBI single... in the sixth Redhawk RF Hank Burleigh (.250) broke the tie with an RBI ground-out and LF Nick Montag (.281) made it 4-1 with a two-run single... Turon shaved it to 4-2 when LF Marty Poe (.289) forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk... for the third day in a row 2B Duane Parsons (.340) homered and increased the margin to 5-2... 1B Johnny Carducci (.298) made it close with a two-run clout in the last of the eighth, but Redhawk relievers Milos Annensky and David McDonald got the last six Typhoons in order... FM starter Leroy Hill (2-2 3.98) claimed the win... Hill worked seven innings and allowed four runs... Turon starter James Stuart (2-2 3.65) lost it... Stuart permitted four runs and six hits in his six innings... the Typhoons had the edge in hits 8-7... 1B Fran Grzanka (.379), Parsons and Montag sparked Far Mountain with two hits each... Carducci was Turon top bat with two RBIs and two runs scored.


The Islandian Times
Monday, October 12, 2009

2009 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Finals - Game 4

Turon Wins Game 4, Still Trails Redhawks 3-1
The Far Mountain brooms were out in force today at Typhoon Stadium in game four of the IPA Pro Cup Series... the Redhawks were trying to sweep the series -- Turon needed a win in the worst way -- and the Typhoons got it as a gift... Far Mountain erred on the first two batters and gave Turon three quick unearned runs in the opening inning... that was enough to stay in contention for the Pro Cup... but the Redhawks still are in command with a three games to one lead in the best-of-seven series... Turon went on and built up a 5-0 lead after five innings and Anthony Nardone (3-1 2.05) was equal to the task and hurled them to a 5-2 triumph... Nardone stopped the Redhawks on seven hits with 3 Ks and one base on balls... Far Mountain starter Robby Kelly (4-1 2.40) lost for the first time in the postseason... Kelly worked six innings, allowed seven hits and only two earned runs... the Redhawks committed four errors in the game... offensively the Typhoons were sparked by 1B Johnny Carducci (.295), who scored twice and drilled a two-run homer... 2B Alan Hansen (.238) and 3B John Cottrell (.362) drove in one run apiece for the winners.


The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

2009 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Finals - Game 5

Lemaire Outstanding, Turon Nips FM 1-0 in Thriller
One thing for sure the Turon Typhoons are not going away quietly in the Pro Cup Series... Turon has bounced back from a 3-0 deficit to win two in a row... in game five Jacques Lemaire was superb with a 1-0 victory over the Far Mountain Redhawks at Typhoon Stadium... 24-game winner Lemaire (4-0 2.87) won his fourth consecutive playoff game with a 6-hit shutout... Lemaire struck out seven and walked none in a splendid performance... FM's Leroy Hill (2-3 3.26) was almost as good... Hill, a 20-game winner, allowed only three hits, fanned six, walked three and did not allow an earned run in his seven innings... Hill worked on two-day's rest when the expected starter Boomerang Hines came down with a 24-hour virus... RF Andy Porter scored the game's only run in the second inning... for the second straight day shoddy fielding cost the Redhawks dearly... Porter (.273) reached second on an error by Gold Glove 2B Duane Parsons (.983 FA), moved to third on a ground-out and rode home on a sac fly by 3B John Cottrell (.367)... baseball can be a funny game... Parsons was the hero in game 2 with a game-winning homer, today he was the goat... fame can be fleeting in baseball... the Redhawks got runners in scoring position in the first, sixth and eighth, but Lemaire kept them off the scoreboard each time... in the top of the ninth with one out, Lemaire had a serious threat when FM put runners on first and second on two singles by SS Don Nichols (.355) and 2B Gabie Barksdale (.750)... but Lemaire rose to the occasion and fanned the dangerous Otis Ott (.281) and retired Nick Montag (.275) on a ground ball to end the game... Far Mountain collected 6 hits in the game to just 4 for Turon.


The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 14, 2009

2009 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Finals - Game 6

Can You Believe It? Turon Ties Pro Cup At 3-3
What a comeback!... underdog Turon lost the first three games of the Pro Cup Series to favored Far Mountain... now the Typhoons are right back in it with three consecutive wins of their own... the IPA Pro Cup will be decided in a seventh game at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain tomorrow afternoon... manager Whitey Richburn got another superlative mound performance... this time it was James Stuart (3-2 3.13) with a sparkling 5-1 victory over Far Mountain... Stuart only surrendered three hits... again faulty fielding cost the Redhawks... they committed three errors in the game and gave the Typhoons three unearned runs... Boomerang Hines (4-2 1.80) suffered the loss... in six innings Hines permitted six hits and four runs in all, but only two of them were earned... RF Marty Poe paced the Turon attack with 3-for-5... Poe hammered two doubles and scored three times... Doubles by Poe and CF Mac McCurnan (.250) gave the Typhoons a 2-0 lead in the top of the second... Hines (.133) accounted for Far Mountain's only score with a solo homer in the bottom of the second... back-to-back errors in the fifth frame by SS Don Nichols (.974 FA) and RF Greg Reynolds (1.000 FA) allowed Turon to take a 4-1 lead... the Typhoons got another unearned run in the ninth when Poe doubled, moved to third on an error by 1B Fran Grzanka (.993 FA) and scored on a wild pitch.

This will be the first time in Pro Cup history it has gone to a full seven games. In the Pro Cup finale it will be Turon's Anthony Nardone going up against Far Mountain's Robby Kelly... Nardone was 20-12 during the regular season with a 3.03 ERA... In the playoffs this year Nardone is 3-1 with a standout 2.05 ERA... this season Kelly was 17-13 with a 3.34 ERA... his postseason has been great with a 4-1 mark and a 2.40 ERA. This will the third time they have clashed in the series... Kelly beat Nardone 5-0 in game one, while Nardone got revenge in game four with a 5-2 victory.


The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 15, 2009

2009 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Finals - Game 7

Comeback Kids Win, Turon Tops FM 5-4 In Game 7
The Comeback Kids did it!... They have won the 2009 IPA Pro Cup!... The Turon Typhoons came back and took four games in a row from the Far Mountain Redhawks... This is the third Pro Cup for Whitey Richburn and his never-say-die crew... They also won in 2003 and 2006... The Typhoons took the crown with a heart-pounding 5-4 win over a very tough team... In a stout-hearted performance 36-year-old Anthony Nardone (4-1 2.20) went the route, scattered eight hits, walked only one and put a stop to a ninth-inning rally.

Turon scored first with a run in the opening frame against Robby Kelly... CF Mac McCurnan's (.256) sacrifice fly scored 2B Alan Hansen (.243) from third... C Fats Dalton's (.271) double and SS Spook Estes' (.214) single increased the lead to 2-0 in the second... Redhawk CF Shotgun Boggs (.296) cut it to 2-1 with a solo homer in the third... Estes' base hit drove in another run in the top of the fourth, giving the Typhoons a 3-1 edge... in the top of the fifth 3B John Cottrell's (.358) roundtripper and LF Jimmy Tremayne's (.235) sac fly increased Turon's lead to 5-1... RF Hank Burleigh got Far Mountain back within three with an RBI single in the last of the fifth... the score remained 5-2 until the bottom of the ninth when the Redhawks came close to tying the score with two last-ditch runs... 3B Gabie Barksdale (.500) doubled in one run and then scored on an error, cutting it to 5-4 with the tying run on second... Nardone reached down and got Burleigh on a grounder to short to bring the title home to Turon.

The Typhoons outhit Far Mountain 10-6, led by Estes with three hits and two RBIs... Cottrell and RF Andy Porter (.283) also chipped in with a pair of hits each... Barksdale and Burleigh topped the Redhawks with two hits apiece... Kelly (4-2 2.85) departed after five innings with the loss... He was tagged for five runs and six hits in a poor outing... Kelly also walked five batters.

Holding the Pro Cup above his head, Turon Manager Whitey Richburn described his feelings to reporters after the game, "This is the goal. This is the pinnacle of success. This is why we play the game."

The Typhoons have now won three IPA championships, two more than any other teams. During the season the new champs compiled a 91-63 record in the Tycobbian Union South and finished in first place in the standings.. Turon also claimed the overall IPA Pro Cup crown in 2003 and 2006..


The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 17, 2009

Turon's Lemaire Named Pro Cup MVP
The Turon Typhoons had many heroes this year on the way to their third IPA Pro Cup crown. Picking a Pro Cup Most Valuable Player was not an easy task. There was no clear-cut winner. Jacques Lemaire, a left-hander pitcher, prevailed in a close vote over third baseman John Cottrell. Lemaire stood out on the mound and chalked up a 4-0 record with a 2.87 ERA, while Cottrell batted .358 with one homer, 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored.

The 31-year-old Lemaire received 37 votes in the BNN poll to 33 for Cottrell. Others receiving votes in the balloting were pitcher Anthony Nardone with 15, center fielder Mac McCurnan 12, first baseman Johnny Carducci 10 and right fielder Andy Porter 8.

Nardone carded a 4-1 mark with a 2.20 ERA. McCurnan drove in 15 runs, scored 9, homered once and batted .256. Carducci belted 4 roundtrippers, had 13 RBIs and scored 12 runs, while Porter hit .283 with 3 home runs, 8 RBIs and 13 runs scored.

Previous Pro Cup MVPs were Volusia 2B Francisco Abreu (2001), High Mesa SS Rolf Kellgren (2002), Turon SP James Longstreet (2003), Red Bluff SP Mila Mohoski (2004), Middlefield RF Bailey Norcross (2005), Turon SP Freddi Spiegel (2006), Oxford SP Bomber Belinsky (2007) and Wynnamac SP Skeets Hobart (2008).