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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 8, 2016

2016 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Elegants Roll To 11th In A Row, Blank Nats 6-0
Defeat is just not in the Eastshore Elegants vocabulary, at least for the last 11 games... They have stunned the Island baseball world with 11 consecutive postseason wins... this has only happened once before in the IPA's 16-year history... Far Mountain ran out the table in 2013, sweeping all 12 games... 23-year-old righty Melvin Key (4-0 1.89) chalked up the latest victory as he blanked the Ozarka Naturals 6-0 on 4 singles, while the Elegants slammed Eddie Roberts (4-1 4.41) early and often for 6 runs in the first two innings, sparked by 2B Gerry Garner (.378), who cracked a 3-run shot in the first frame... RF Stan Cuccinello (.277) drove in 2 runs, SS Gil Lantz (.553) had 3 hits and CF Larry Lowe (.204) socked 2 hits and scored twice... This was Eastshore third straight triumph in the Pro Cup Finals... one more win and they can claim the 2016 Island baseball title for the first time in the team's history.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 9, 2016

2016 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Eastshore Goes Unbeaten, 2016 Pro Cup Champs
It happened again... for the second time in IPA history a team has swept all its series and gone unbeaten in the Pro Cup playoffs... The Eastshore Elegants racked up 12 straight victories to do it, equalling Far Mountain's record, set in 2013... manager Killer Brewster's crew capped a marvelous playoff run with a 2-1 win in game four to sweep the Pro Cup Series... rookie southpaw Danny Siegfried nailed down the crown with a staunch 8-inning performance... Siegfried (5-0 1.29) held Ozarka to one run on 6 hits for his 31st win this year...Siegfried was 26-8 during the regular season... Jack Wilson worked a flawless ninth for his 6th playoff save... the Naturals Benny Ostermann (0-2 2.74) also pitched very well... Ostermann went all the way in defeat and permitted only 2 runs on 6 hits... he had 7 Ks and walked 4.

An error, a single and a ground-out by RF Stan Cuccinello (.275) sent Eastshore in front in the opening frame 1-0... The Nats RF Ken Mayberry (.275) singled in the tying run in the top of the seventh... and 1B Vic Keller (.184) doubled in the winning run in the last of the 8th.

Magnificent mound work won it for the Elegants... its staff compiled a splendid 1.75 ERA in the postseason against the best teams in the IPA... offensively Eastshore sported only a modest .252 team batting average.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 10, 2016

Eastshore's Ace Siegfried Selected Pro Cup MVP
What a fabulous freshmen year 35-year-old Danny Siegfried had in the Islandian Pro Alliance. He led Eastshore to an improbable regular season title in the RU East and then did the unbelievable, Siegfried propelled the Elegants to the overall Pro Cup crown with a standout 5-0 mark in the postseason. The Eastshore ace made 6 starts and posted a 1.29 ERA... Siegfried won the wrap-up game in each of the series. He also won the first game of two of the series and pitched 8 strong innings in the other game, but he did not get the decision in an extra-inning game. For his premier postseason exploits Siegfried has been named the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player this year.

Why did it take so long for IPA teams to recognize his talent? Siegfried said he tried out innumerable times for clubs in Ruthlandia, but never got any takers. He said he finally stop going to tryouts. "All the scouts ever seemed to sign were the big, tall athletes with the overpowering fastballs. That just wasn't me. I depend on command and movement to get by." Elegant manager Killer Brewster finally convinced him to try it one more time this spring. "I guess I just have a great eye for talent", Brewster sheepishly said. Then he added, "Actually, I was desperate for any kind of pitching and decided to give Siegfried a chance. The rest is history."

Following Siegfried were three of his Eastshore teammates. 2B Gerry Garner, also a rookie, was second in the balloting. Garner hit .354 in the Pro Cup playoffs with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 12 RBIs and scored 8 runs. Number three votegetter was SS Gil Lantz, who blistered pitchers for a .537 batting average with 7 doubles and 4 homers, while driving in 7 runs and scoring 11 times. Rookie closer Jack Wilson came in fourth. He made 8 relief appearances in the postseason with 6 saves, 2.25 ERA and a 1-0 record. Wilson was another "Johnny Come Lately" - he was finally signed at the age of 35. Wilson told reporters, "Killer was the only one who ever gave me a chance. No one else would even talk to me."

EC, please don't forget to put the appropriate logos for both the Eastshore and Ozarka franchises in relation to the 2016 season of your IPA, at least, if you possibly can and all, as soon as you can and want to here. Thank you. CD out.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 17, 2016

Brewster Unanimous Choice, RU Manager Of The Year
No doubt about it, in a unanimous vote, the best manager in the Ruthlandian Union this season was Killer Brewster of the Eastshore Elegants. Brewster guided them to their first-ever pennant. The Elegants came out of oblivion to win the RU East with a 96-58 record. Eastshore finished fourth the year before with a 77-77 mark. It was Brewster's first Best Manager trophy. The Elegants had not been to the playoffs for 13 years.

Ozarka's Carney Carts Off TU Top Manager Trophy
For the second year in a row, Joe Mac Carney of the Ozarka Naturals has been selected the Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year. His Nats led the IPA with 105 wins and easily won the TU East. The only other person named on any ballots was John Randison, who steered the North Hills Hawks from seventh place to the TU North title. The Hawks improved from 72-82 in 2015 to 92-62 this season.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Kazmarek Retires After 16 Years
All good things must come to an end, even to one of the most prolific hitters in IPA annals. After 16 years Arroyo Grande outfielder Jet Kazmarek announced his retirement today at the age of 41. Kazmarek terrorized pitchers to the tune of a lifetime .350 batting average in over 2000 games. He won an outrageous 9 batting titles and topped the league in stolen bases 5 times. Kazmarek still holds the record for most steals in a season with 102. He is the career leader with 822 thefts.

The swift-footed Kazmarek played 6 years with Valmara and 10 years with Arroyo Grande. In 2002 he set the all-time marks with an astounding .428 batting average, 248 base hits and 29 triples. Though only 5-6 and 171 pounds, Kazmarek was a tremendous contact hitter and rarely struck out, fanning only 360 times in almost 8000 at-bats. He was an 8-time All-Star. Kazmarek hit .331 in the postseason, but never won a Pro Cup ring. The closest he came was in 2003, when the Vipers lost to the Turon Typhoons. In all Kazmarek's teams only made the playoffs 4 times.

To show his total dominance, the closest career batting average to his .350 is only .319 by Cris Willis, who played 15 years and retired last season. As far as the future, Kazmarek hopes to return to his native Valmara and work for the Vipers in some capacity. Rumors has it he will take over as manager for the soon-to-retire J. Jackson Samuel.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Vipers Samuel Retires, Kazmarek Named Manager
As expected Valmara owner and manager J. Jackson Samuel announced that he is retiring as the skipper of the Vipers and will be replaced by the legendary hitter Jet Kazmarek. Samuel ends his career with an overall 1263-1268 record and only two pennants to show for it. Both were won in Kazmarek's heydays with the Vipers in 2003 and 2004. Samuel turned over the managerial reins to Kazmarek in a press conference today in Valmara. Kazmarek batted .350 in 16 seasons.

Attachment 868943
Sunday, July 15, 2074

74TH IPA ALL-STAR GAME SLATED FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON IN SOUTH FORK
The stars will be shining brightly this Tuesday aftenoon at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork... once again the top players from the Ruthlandian and Tycobbian Unions will tangle for the right to boast that they are the best in the IPA... it's the 74th edition of the midsummer classic - the Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Game... 42 of the IPA's finest will be on the diamond showing off their talented wares... the home team, the Tycobbian Stars, will be managed by the defending IPA Pro Cup champion South Fork skipper, Jay Murphy... in the opposing dugout will be Matvey Kazak of the Valka Blackhawks, last year's runner-up for the IPA crown.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2074

RUTHLANDIAN ALL-STARS CAPTURE IPA ALL-STAR CLASSIC AGAIN
The Ruthlandian Union has played second fiddle to the Tycobbian Union in the 74 Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Games, winning only 26 of them... however, the RU Stars are on a roll, taking 4 of the last 5 midsummer dream classics... the Tycobbian All-Stars boast the most experience players... leading the charge for the TU Stars are veteran All-Stars Roy Roberts (10th-time), Rico Alessi (6th-time), Zak Smalley (4th-time) and Charles Larsen (3rd-time)... there will be many new faces playing for the Ruthlandian All-Stars... 19 of them will be making their first appearance in the All-Star Classic... only catcher Jeff Matthews and center fielder Kiyo Oshima have been honored before... this would have been their second time to make the squad... sadly, both of them are injured and will not get to participate in the game.

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Thursday, July 19, 2074

MOST CLUBS OUT OF THE RUNNING IN THE IPA AT MIDYEAR
At midseason only 18 teams in the Islandian Pro Alliance have a pretty good shot at winning the pennant... only 4 divisions have 3 teams still in the hunt for the postseason... only about 25% of the league teams are still in the running... it's still a close battle in the Ruthlandian North between leader and favorite Valmara (53-36), LaGrange (51-38) and perpetual loser Kilkenny (49-40)... Valmara won the division crown last year... over in the Tycobbian Union there are a couple of pretty fair races... in the TU East the surprise is the Hillsboro Blazers (54-35) with a 3-game edge over preseason pick Tuckanarra (51-38)... Pro Cup champ and defending division winner South Fork (48-41) and Red Bluff (47-42) are within striking distance of first place... Hillsboro was rated the 6th best squad in the 8-team division... the only other race with several teams still in the chase is the Tycobbian West... on top is the long-suffering Chicopee Braves (56-33)... it's been over 35 years since the Braves made the playoffs... however, it's still a tight 3-team battle with the preseason favorite Rolling Hills Racers (52-37) and last year's division champ Kenwood (52-37)... the Racers and Wildcats are just 4 games back in the race.

The super achievers so far this season are the Crystal Lake Skippers (59-30) with a 9-game bulge in the RU South over last year's champ and Pro Cup finalist Valka (50-39) and the Oxford Red Caps (62-27) with a gigantic 12-game lead over defending division titlist White River (50-39) in the TU North... the Stoner Silver Sox (55-34) could also be put in this category with a 7-game edge in the RU West... 3 teams are going at it with pennant hopes... Stoner (55-34) is having a fine season with a 7-game margin over Fort Benton ((48-41) and 8 games over third place defending champion Volusia (47-42)... the Summerland Sunsets have also excelled in the Tycobbian South Division by a comfortable margin... the Sunsets are in front by 6 games over runners-up San Alejo (49-40) and Southport (49-40)... and don't count out perennial contender Turon (48-41) just yet... the Typhoons only trail by 7 games.

The only 2-club race is in the Ruthlandian East where this year's top pennant pick, the Wynnamac Sundowners (58-31), are being challenged by the defending champ Eastshore (55-34)... the Macs currently boast only a 3-game lead over the Cotton Kings.

The most disappointing teams are the Forest City Firebirds (41-48) in the RU West... the Firebirds were the choice to win the division this year... at the All-Star break they are in 7th place, 14 games off the pace... the Taranto Tars (44-45) are ranked fifth and 9 games out in the RU North... the Sligo Rovers (43-46) are in 5th place and 12 games behind in the RU West ... the Tars were expected to challenge the Valmara Vipers and the Rovers were supposed to contest in the West.

2074 Ruthlandian Union Midseason Standings and Statistics
Attachment 869442
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2074 Tycobbian Union Midseason Standings and Statistics
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Attachment 870270
Saturday, September 1, 2074

3 RED-HOT AND ROWDY RACES IN THE IPA
The Islandian Pro Alliance baseball season has flown by... September is already upon us... we are down to the final month of the regular season... three races, the Tycobbian South, Ruthlandian North and Ruthlandian East are nowhere near being decided... 9 teams are still alive and breathing in the pennant chases... one race, the Tycobbian West was decided two months ago at midseason... the 4 remaining divisions are just about decided... it would take a lot for the division leaders not to make the playoffs this year... still it has been known to happen when a September leader falters and blows a fairly safe lead.

First, let take a look at the tightest race in the IPA, the Tycobbian South Division... heading into the September stretch drive, Summerland (77-52) is being pressured by 3 other teams... Southport (75-53) is just a game and a half out of first place and Turon (74-54) and San Alejo (74-54) are lurking very close, just 2 and a half games back of the Sunsets... all 3 contenders are playing their best ball of the season... Summerland has its hands full with the Sun Sox, Typhoons and Montaneros... Turon is the preseason favorite and is also the defending division champion... at a glance the Typhoons look like the winner with their solid bats, solid pitching and pretty fair home-run power... Summerland was only 15-13 in August, Southport was an impressive 18-9, Turon was a torrid 20-8 and San Alejo was almost as good at 19-9... the Sunsets last won the TU South in '63, the Monties in '67 and the Sun Sox in '69... the Typhoons are trying to win their 5th straight division crown.

The Valmara Vipers (72-56) have won the Ruthlandian North the last 4 seasons and they were also picked to win it again this year in the preseason poll... their biggest rival was forecast to be the Taranto Tars (71-57)... and that is exactly how it has played out so far... long-struggling Kilkenny (70-58) has been a pleasant surprise this season... the Cats are just 2 games behind... Taranto is playing the best right now... the Tars went a strong 18-9 last month, Valmara was 15-13, but Kilkenny faltered with an 11-16 mark... the poor Cats have only appeared in the postseason playoffs one time in the club's history... that was 34 years ago in 2042... the Vipers lead all IPA teams with 30 playoffs appearances... the Tars have been to the postseason 9 times... the last time was in 2069... it will come down to Valmara and Taranto... give the Vipers a tenuous edge.

There is still a big battle going on in the Ruthlandian East... last year's champ Eastshore (79-49) is tied with the preseason favorite Wynnamac ((79-49)... the Cotton Kings sizzled with a 19-8 mark in August... the Macs were a solid 16-12... Eastshore possesses stronger pitching... Wynnamac has the hitters... the Cotton Kings have more power at the plate... it a dead heat... a tough call... take Eastshore in a photo finish... good pitching usually prevails... the Cotton Kings took the division title last year... the Sundowners were in the playoffs in 2072.

There's a decent race in the Ruthlandian West with the Stoner Silver Sox (76-51) maintaining a 5 and a half-game edge on the runner-up Fort Benton Defenders (71-57)... heading into the final turn of the season, the September stretch run, the Silver Sox are struggling... Stoner was only 13-14 last month, while the Defenders splurged with a marvelous 19-8 record... the Silver Sox have the best staff, but Fort Benton can put runs on the scoreboard... despite the poor August, Stoner should win it with its better pitching... the Silver Sox have gone to the postseason only 4 times... the last time was recent, in 2072... the Defenders have only made the playoffs on 2 occasions... 2057 was the most recent season.

The Crystal Lake Skippers (78-49) have a solid 7 and a half-game bulge in the Ruthlandian South over the Valka Blackhawks (71-57), who have won the division the previous 2 years and were the Pro Cup runner-up last year... neither club is doing well in recent months... the Skippers went 12-15 in August, while the Blackhawks only managed 13-14... Crystal Lake should be able to stave off Valka with better bats and better piching... this will be the first time in 15 seasons the Skippers might just make the playoffs... overall in the team's history Crystal Lake has participated 12 times in the postseason.

Taking a peek at the Tycobbian Union... there is some marvelous news... maybe... Chicopee (82-46) is 8 and a half games in front in the Tycobbian West race... if they can hold on, this will be the first time in 29 years the Braves have won the pennant... only last year's champion Kenwood (74-55) stands between Chicopee and the postseason playoffs... strong pitching should get the Braves though September and into the IPA playoffs... last month Chicopee chalked up a great 21-6 mark, while Kenwood put up a very good month, too... the Wildcats posted a solid 17-11 record.

The Oxford Red Caps (88-40) have stormed to the best record in the IPA this season, beating everything in sight in the Tycobbian North... last year's division winner White River (69-59) is pale in the distance, 19 games off the pace... this will be the first time since 2068 that the Red Caps have won the TU North flag... the Hartsdale Hellcats were the critic's choice to win the pennant this year... Oxford was a semi-surprise... the Red Caps were ranked 5th in the preseason poll... Oxford has a potent lineup that can hit for average, score runs with so-so HR power and 3 capable starters and a strong bullpen... there is no way they will blow this title... easy for me to say... yep, easy for me to say.

At the beginning of the 2074 season the baseball experts predicted a 2-team race in the Tycobbia East between favored Tuckanarra (79-49) and second place South Fork (72-56) and they were right on the money... the Tucks have a 7-game margin going into September over the defending IPA Pro Cup champion Stallions... it's not likely to change a whole lot in the final month of the season... the Tiger Cats played very well last month with a 17-11 record, while South Fork was almost as good at 16-11... Tuckanarra last appeared in the IPA playoffs in 2071... the Tucks are solid on the hill, but are a rock-solid bunch of hitters, too... top to bottom in the batting order is a pretty good batsman... the Tiger Cats should be able to hold off the Stallions.

2074 Ruthlandian Union Standings and Statistics
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2074 Tycobbian Union Standings and Statistics
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There's a little typo - Eastshore's record should be 79-49 instead of 70-49.

Thanks, jg2977... will fix it.

Also, Valmara's record needs to be fixed in the article. Otherwise, excellent stuff. Always enjoy reading your IPA recaps.

Thank goodness for you and CD... y' all catch all of my typos.
Much appreciate it.

What a season Oxford is having. The pundits picked them to finish 80-74, yet they already have 88 wins against only 40 losses with a month left in the season! How did the pundits miss that? They must have several players who are playing above and beyond their potential. It would be interesting to see Oxford's team page.

Here is their Home Page.

At a glance, they have a really good lineup chocked full of solid bats... 3 quality starters in HOF-er Rico Alessi, who is having a career year at age 36... along with talented rookie Sam Blades and 38-year-old veteran Bucky Dodge... with a strong bullpen... Doc Yorke has been lights out this season with a lot of help from Paddy McCammon.

Alessi is 242-122 with an excellent 2.81 ERA in 17 seasons, all with the Red Caps... 3-time TU Golden Arm Award winner in '60, '62 and '73.
Dodge is 196-148 with a good 3.43 ERA in 16 seasons with High Mesa, Crystal Lake and Oxford (for the last 7 seasons).

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Thanks for the info on Oxford. Will be interesting to see how they perform in the postseason.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 24, 2017

Eastshore and Ozarka Touted Favorites In Pro Cup '17
If the baseball forecasters are right, it will be the Eastshore Elegants and the Ozarka Naturals again going head-to-head for the 2017 Pro Cup in a repeat of last year's finals. Eastshore is the defending Pro Cup champ, who raced through the RU North with a 98-56 season record, the best in the IPA. Likewise, Ozarka piled up the most victories in the Tycobbian Union with a 97-57 mark. Both clubs feature high-powered offense and good pitching. In The Islandian Times annual Pro Cup poll the Elegants were favored to beat the Nats in the Pro Cup finals. Rocky Rapids, Turon and Bay St. Clair got some support in the balloting.

Rocky Rapids is expected to give Eastshore the biggest fight in the Ruthlandian Union. They will play each other in first round action in the RU Elite 8 Series, which gets underway tomorrow. Valka and Valmara are slated in the other RU Elite 8 series. Neither are given much chance in the playoffs.

Ozarka will have two big tests against Bay St. Clair and Turon, two highly-touted clubs. The Naturals will face the Buccaneers in Tycobbian first round action. Turon goes up against Luxora in the other affair. Luxora is rated the weakest team among the four and is not expected to create much of a stir in the postseason.

Best Record: Eastshore (98-56)
Best Hitting: Ozarka .295 BA (1st)
Best Power: Ozarka 200 HR (3rd-tied)
Best Scoring: Ozarka 868 runs (1st)
Best Team ERA: Rocky Rapids 3.27 ERA (2nd)
Best Starters: Eastshore 3.13 ERA (1st)
Best Bullpen: Luxora 3.33 ERA (8th)
Best Defense: Valmara .979 FA (2nd-tied)

Power Ratings:
1. Eastshore
2. Ozarka
3. Rocky Rapids
4. Turon
5. Bay St. Clair
6. Luxora
7. Valka
8. Valmara

Attachment 870908
Monday, October 1, 2074

BRAVES, COTTON KINGS, SUNSETS SURVIVE SEPTEMBER, MAKE IPA PLAYOFFS
In a photo finish, 2 Islandian Pro Alliance divisions went down-to-the-wire... in the Ruthlandian East and the Tycobbian South, Eastshore and Summerland dodged bullets from the Wynnamac Sundowners and Southport Sun Sox and survived determined September challenges... the other 6 division champions had a lot more breathing room... Oxford bulldozed the Tycobbian North with ease... Tuckanarra clobbered the Tycobbian East... and the Chicopee Braves repelled the Kenwood Wildcats in a pretty close race in the Tycobbian West... over in the Ruthlandian Union, the Stoner Silver Sox held off Fort Benton in a tight battle... the Taranto Tars had a hot September and won the RU North going away... ditto for the Crystal Lake Skippers in the RU South.

However, there were a couple of neck-and-neck races... the TU South went down to the very last day and very last game... the Summerland Sunsets nicked the Southport Sun Sox by a single game... the Sunsets defeated Colchester 5-1 on the final day, while the Sun Sox lost a heartbreaking thriller to Turon 4-3 in 10 innings... in the RU East it all came down to an end-of-the-season 3-game series between Eastshore and Wynnamac... the Macs had to sweep all 3 games to take the pennant... the Sundowners won the opener 7-6 in 10 innings, but the Cotton Kings prevailed in a nailbiter 2-1 in 11 innings to take the division crown... Wynnamac won the lame duck 3rd match 3-1.

2074 Ruthlandian Union Season Summary

TARANTO, CRYSTAL LAKE, EASTSHORE, STONER HEAD TO POSTSEASON PLAYOFFS
It was a 3-team affair until midseason in the RU North between preseason pick and defending champ Valmara, LaGrange and Kilkenny... Taranto started very slowly and was near the bottom during most of the first half of the season... in July the Tars joined the pennant fight... they really sizzled the rest of the way (51-28) and beat Kilkenny (39-39) and Valmara (38-40) handily by 7 and 8 games... the LaGrange Gators (35-43) ended up 10 GB in 4th place.

It was only a close race in the RU South until the end of May between preseason favorite Crystal Lake, last year's winner Valka and Belair Beach... then the Skippers took command in June (22-5) and never looked back... Valka was 16-11 and stayed somewhat close at 9 games back... Belair Beach fell 15 games behind with a 12-15 mark that month... Crystal Lake triumphed by 8 games over the Blackhawks and 16 games better than the Sunbirds.

In the RU East the critics choice Wynnamac looked like the king of the hill in the early going... the Macs jumped to the top in June with a 7-game edge over the 4th-rated Eastshore Cotton Kings... by this time early contenders Cold Creek and Sugar Valley had fizzled out and dropped out of the race... Eastshore slowly whittled the Sundowners' lead to 3 and 1/2 games by August and only trailed by 1 game going into September... the Cotton Kings went 14-12 in the month and won by one game... Wynnamac was 13-13 in September... it all came down to the last series of the season head-to-head against one another... by salvaging game 2 out of 3, Eastshore won it by 1 game over the Sundowners.

Forest City was the darling at the beginning of the season and chosen to take the RU West... but the Firebirds flipped, flopped and fizzled... they never did get off the ground and fly high... they would wind up a dismal 5th in the standings, 15 games behind... 6 teams were still in the hunt in June... Stoner had a slight lead over Sligo (3 GB), Colfax (5 GB) , Volusia (6 GB), Fort Benton (6 GB) and Middlefield (7 GB)... only the Silver Sox (17-8) flourished in July... all the other rivals staggered through the month with losing records... by the start of September only the Silver Sox and the Defenders were left... Stoner was 4 and and a half games up on Fort Benton... neither club closed out the season well... the Silver Sox were 12-14 down the stretch, while the Defenders were a little bit better at 13-13... Stoner won the pennant by 4 games.

2074 Tycobbian Union Season Summary

OXFORD, SUMMERLAND, TUCKANARRA, CHICOPEE PRO CUP PLAYOFF-BOUND
It was a resounding season for Oxford... the Red Caps were pegged for 5th place in the preseason poll by the baseball pundits... however, they soared to great heights with the best record in the IPA, piling up 100 victories in the TU North... only last year's division winner White River made a race of it and only until June (4 GB)... Oxford went a blistering 21-6 in June, while the Rascals dipped to 11-16 and fell completely out of the race... the Red Caps ran away with it after that, eventually taking the division title by a whopping 17 games over runner-up Hartsdale.... Luxora came in third, 19 GB... and White River wound up fourth, trailing by 21 games.

A 3-team chase was forecast between preseason favorite and last year's champ Turon, Summerland and Southport by the baseball analysts... Cape Coral and San Alejo also joined them and hung around awhile within striking distance... the Hurricanes fell back into the pack at midyear... by September it is a tightly-bunched 4-team logjam... the Sunsets are ahead of the Sun Sox by a half game, 1 and a half better than the Montaneros and 2 and a half in front of the Typhoons... the last month of the season is the time to put up or shut up... San Alejo (12-14) and Southport (8-18) dropped the ball, so to speak, and fell out of the race... it came down to Summerland and Southport... the Sunsets went 15-10 and won it by 1 game... the Sun Sox really tried hard with a 16-10 September and came close -- but baseball is not horseshoes... coming close doesn't win the pennant.

It's a 5-team hullabaloo in the TU East... can you believe one of the worst team in IPA history is in the pennant hunt?... yep, the pathetic East Point Panthers, who haven't finished higher than 7th for the last 15 seasons, is in contention as late as July 1st... favored Tuckanarra and Hillsboro are deadlocked for first with Red Bluff and reigning Pro Cup champion South Fork 4 games out and surprising East Point is only 5 games off the pace... August really take its toll on everybody but the Tucks, who jumped ahead by 7 games over South Fork and 10 in front of Red Bluff... the Tiger Cats blitzed everybody in the second half of the season with a 51-27 mark... Tuckanarra beat South Fork by 9 games... the Stallions were no slouches with a 48-31 record... they were just beaten by a better ballclub.

And now let's go and find out who the best in the West is... yep, got some great news for you... the Chicopee Braves have finally won the TU West for the first time in almost 3 decades... the Braves have only made the playoffs 3 times in the team's history... it was 3 straight years way, way back in 2034, 2035 and 2036... finally, they turned it around with a 4th place finish in 2071 and edged closer in the last two season, coming in third... the baseball forecasters picked Chicopee to end up in 5th place... Rolling Hills was rated the top team, followed by Denton City, last year's flag winner Kenwood and LaClaire... it's a 3-team free-for-all at midseason... the Wildcats are a half-game up on the Braves with the Racers 6 games out... Chicopee goes on a red-hot rampage, posting a terrific 37-18 record in July and August, while the Kenwood slumped to 25-28 and Rolling Hills is 28-24... heading into September, the Braves boosted their margin to 8 and a half games over the Wildcats and 10 up on the Racers... Chicopee and Rolling Hills go 13-13 in the last month... Kenwood sizzled at 17-8, but it is not good enough to catch Chicopee... the Braves win the Tycobbian West by 4 games.

Yep, Chicopee just might be my sentimental favorite to win the 2074 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy... to quote the Beach Boys and Marvin Gaye... "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "How Sweet It Is".

2074 Ruthlandian Union Final Standings and Statistics
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2074 Tycobbian Union Final Standings and Statistics
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High Mesa is back to being the Mustangs? You had rebranded them as the Buckaroos and someone made a fantastic uniform and logo set for them. I'm using the Buckaroos set for myself.

Both names are fine, just wondering.