Nope, that needs to be corrected... I changed the jerseys and the logos... I just didn't change the team nickname in the league structure.

High Mesa is the Buckaroos.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Mighty Eastshore And Tough Turon In Pro Cup Finals
It should be a whale of an IPA Pro Cup Finals and an absolute fans' delight with the defending champion Eastshore Elegants back for its second win in a row, opposed by traditionally-playoff tough Turon, who has been the Island champion on 3 occasions. The Elegants come into the title series with an unbeaten record in its last 20 postseason games. They swept to the title last year with a 12-game sweep and have swept two series so far, beating Rocky Rapids and Valka. The Typhoons seem to play their best at playoff time as they have run off 8 wins in a row this year with wins over Luxora and Bay St. Clair. The 2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals gets underway tomorrow afternoon with the opening two games at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore.

The Elegants are big favorites, despite the absence of their ace pitcher Danny Siegfried (15-5 2.13), who was lost for the season in August. However, manager Killer Brewster still has a potent pitching rotation with Eddie Lance (23-11 3.63), Melvin Key (19-12 2.91) and Al Froelich (3.29). Bix Hansen (2-1 3.72) took Siegfried's spot on the staff and has done extremely well in the playoffs. Eastshore was 98-56, the best record in the IPA this season, while Turon was only 87-67. The Elegants hit .280 during the season with 189 home runs and compiled a strong 3.28 team ERA. Carrying the offensive load for Eastshore was 2B Gerry Garner (.300/37/96/98), RF Stan Cuccinello (.328/26/89/88), CF Larry Lowe (.304/6/59/95) and 3B George Alford (.235/28/86/81).

Turon skipper Ashton "Whitey" Richburn also has solid ball club with a .274 season batting average with 155 homers and a 3.78 ERA, but is not on par with Eastshore overall. The Typhoons strength lie with two 20-game winners and a strong closer. Nicky Engstrom (21-10 2.20) has won 20 games or more for each of his 8 seasons in the league and he gets a lot of help from rookie Shane Farmer (24-11 3.66). Bullpen ace Merle Studebaker (4-6) posted a brilliant 1.27 ERA in the regular season and had 26 saves. Studebaker gives Turon an advantage over Eastshore's bullpen, whose relievers struggled this year. Richburn depends on two players for his offense: Hall-of-Fame bound 1B Clyde Kingsford (.286/37/121/109) and his very talented CF Mac McCuran (.297/37/118/119). The keys to a Typhoon upset will be a starter and a couple of bats to step it up in the finals. Turon will be hard to sweep.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 5, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game One at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore

Turon Snaps Eastshore's 20-game Streak
Turon rookie Shane Farmer may be short on time in the IPA, but he is long on overall experience. The 35-year-old Farmer used all of his wiles to put a stop to Eastshore's amazing 20-game winning streak in the postseason with a 5-3 victory... the right-hander held the hard-hitting Elegants to 3 runs on 6 hits, fanned 5 and walked nobody in his 8 innings... closer Merle Studebaker notched his 4th save of the playoffs with a scoreless ninth... LF Andy Porter won the game with a 2-run ninth-inning homer to snap a 3-3 tie... In all, Porter drove in 3 of the Typhoon runs... Eddie Lance (2-1) suffered his first postseason loss this season as he went the distance, surrendered only 3 earned runs and 9 hits with 6 Ks and a walk... this was Turon 9th consecutive win in the playoffs this season... the Typhoons are unbeaten so far.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 6, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game Two at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore

Elegants Back On Track, Edge Typhoons 2-1 in Game 2
24-year-old Bix Hansen had a fine rookie season in 2013 with an 18-15 record, but it has all been downhill since... After a terrible 2016 season with an ERA over 8.00, Hansen was cut from the squad at the beginning of spring training and placed on the reserve roster, where he lingered in limbo until Eastshore lost its ace pitcher Danny Siegfried to injury in late September... That injury has been a salvation for Hansen as he has been outstanding in the postseason with 3 straight complete-game victories... the latest came in the 2-1 triumph over the Turon Typhoons, who were threatening to take a 2-game lead in the Pro Cup Finals... this snapped Turon's 9-game winning streak in this year's postseason playoffs.

Hansen got the Elegants back on the win track with a masterfully-pitched game... Hansen, a soft-throwing righty, kept the Typhoons off-balanced all day long with his assortment of trash, holding them to 5 hits and a run, while striking out 5 and walking 3... RF Jack Brown's solo shot in the second inning was the only run off of Hansen... Typhoon closer Merle Studebaker (0-1) sustained the loss... two walks and a base hit by RF Stan Cuccinello cost him the game... Ted Farentino started for Turon... in a sharp outing, he worked into the ninth, allowing only one unearned run and 7 hits with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 8, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game Three at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Turon Trims Eastshore 5-2 In Game 3
Underdog Turon trimmed Eastshore 5-2 at Typhoon Stadium to go up in the IPA Pro Cup Finals two-games-to-one... the Typhoons got another standout mound performance from James Stuart (3-1), who gave up only 2 unearned runs and 5 hits in 8 innings... Merle Studebaker closed it out by blanking the Elegants in the ninth for his 5th postseason save... Turon mauled losing pitching Melvin Key (2-1) for 5 runs in the fourth inning... Key allowed 6 hits in 6 innings, but permitted no earned runs... Eastshore got its runs in the sixth... C Cody Moore and RF Jack Brown led the Typhoons at bat with 2 RBIs apiece.

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Sunday, September 30, 2074

7 PRO CUP NEWCOMERS, EASTSHORE ONLY POSTSEASON RETURNEE THIS YEAR
Could be, it could be a level-playing field in the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs this year... only one of last-year's participants returns... the Eastshore Cotton Kings are the only remnant from last season's playoffs... there are no perennial powers around this season... no defending champion South Fork... no Pro Cup finalist like Valka... none of the traditional postseason participants like Valmara, Southport, Turon, Wynnamac and Rolling Hills... on the surface there is no clear-cut favorite... there are 7 new clubs... Eastshore is the only club back and they were knocked out in the first round last season... could be that postseason playoff experience might be meaningful, maybe?

Beginning this Wednesday afternoon at 4 venues around the Islands is the 2074 edition of the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs... 8 clubs will be vying for the cherished IPA Pro Cup Trophy, emblematic of baseball supremacy in Islandia... this season the IPA is reverting back to the best-of-seven game series... in round one in the Ruthlandian Union in games one and two, it will be Stoner traveling to Crystal Lake and Taranto tangling with Easthore at the Cotton Kings diamond... over in the Tycobbian Union in first-round action Oxford will host Summerland and Tuckanarra will be entertaining Chicopee... the teams will play two games at these sites, then switch cities for games three, four and five... should they be needed games six and seven are slated for the teams with the homefield advantage.

So what say the Islands' Pro Cup horsehide soothsayers and the Pro Cup crystal baseball gazers?

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES PRO CUP PONTIFICATIONS AND PROPHECIES

1. OXFORD RED CAPS (100-54): Top-notch bats, fine starters and bullpen, fairly good scoring, decent power, average defense... 15th postseason appearance with 2 Pro Cups... 2007 and 2061... last playoff appearance in 2068.

2. Chicopee Braves (95-59): HR power, can score, solid staff with 4 starters, good bullpen, questionable defense... only made the playoffs 4 times... first time in almost 4 decades... last time in playoffs in 2036... no Pro Cup trophies ever.

3. Eastshore Cotton Kings (93-61): good starters and bullpen... good power, good scoring... poor defense... made the playoffs last year... this will be the 10th time... 2 Pro Cup Trophies in 2016 and 2017.

4. Crystal Lake Skippers (97-57): only 2 solid starters... good closer... good-hitting team with fairly good HR power... plays solid defense... success depends on #3 starters... been in the postseason 13 times with 3 Pro Cups (2020, 2022, 2058)... last time appeared in playoffs in 2059.

5. Tuckanarra Tiger Cats (96-58): could go deep in playoffs, if offense produces... they have the starting pitching and bullpen... 3 capable starters... but defense is poor... good contact hitters with fair HR power... pretty good scoring... this is the 22nd time in the IPA playoffs... the Tucks have copped 3 Pro Cups so far (2023, 2024, 2035)... made postseason last in 2071.

6. Stoner Silver Sox (88-66): good starting pitching and bullpen... excellent defense... good contact hitters with no HR power, but can score runs... could sneak up on some teams... this will be appearance #5 for the Sox... nope, Stoner has never won a Pro Cup trophy, but they made the Pro Cup Finals in '72 and lost to Turon 3-1 in a best-of-five series.

7. Summerland Sunsets (92-62): only one good starter... weak bullpen... no HR power, but can score runs... pretty good defense... the Sunsets last appeared in the IPA playoffs in 2063... never have won a Pro Cup... this will be the 6th time Summerland has made the postseason.

8. Taranto Tars (89-65): missing 2 regulars due to injury... not much offense... some HR power... average scoring... fair starting pitching with a solid bullpen... excellent defense... 10 postseason playoffs... with one Pro Cup in 2015... last time in playoffs was 2069.

2074 IPA Pro Cup Outlook: Eastshore will win the Ruthlandian Union title, while Oxford will be the Tycobbian Union champion... the Red Caps will take the Pro Cup trophy home... Oxford will reign supreme in a 6-game series... wouldn't it be nice if the Chicopee Braves won it all... I hoping for a Hollywood ending like that... wouldn't mind if Stoner and Summerland could pull an upset, either.

Oxford Red Caps
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Chicopee Braves
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Eastshore Cotton Kings
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Crystal Lake Skippers
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Tuckanarra Tiger Cats
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Stoner Silver Sox
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Summerland Sunsets
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Taranto Tars
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EC, you haven't let me know how the Freemans are doing or have done in your IPA for some time, it seems. Think you could do so soon, please? I'd really appreciate it, of course. CD out.

OK, CD... I will update the Freemans in the IPA... I will post their reports in your thread in the Mods Forums... not here... neither have played well in 2074... Gordon is not on the active roster and is not likely to return... I think his IPA career is over... Arthyr is a poor-hitting shortstop... a regular, but not doing well.

I love your player names - that's my favorite part of your IPA. Mind if I borrow some for my league?

I like how Crystal Lake has a Sookie and a Cookie in their lineup. And just noticed that Summerland has a Van Halen. Nice tribute to the band, one of my all-time favorites.

Have at it, jg2977... use whatever you like.

Summerland has a Dutch heritage... the town was partially settled by Dutch sailors.

As far as nicknames like Sookie and Cookie... I'm big on the names I use in the game... many, many times I change the original names given by the AI and select them myself... I am kind of obsessive about it... But I try to limit the number of nicknames... I don't want to do them too often... I try to not use the same ones very often.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 9, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game Four at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Elegants Rally Late To Even Series
Game four was going badly for the Eastshore Elegants... the favored Elegants were on the verge of going down three-games-to-one to Turon in the IPA Pro Cup championship series, when the bats finally came alive and saved the day in the late innings... Trailing 5-2 against Typhoon ace Nicky Engstrom, Eastshore rallied for 3 runs in the top of the ninth against the Turon bullpen and won it in the tenth 6-5... reliever Paul Walker (1-0) blanked the Typhoons in the ninth and tenth for the win, striking out 4 batters... Freddi Spiegel (0-1) came on in the ninth and was the losing pitcher... Engstrom tossed another strong game, permitting only 2 runs and 7 hits in his 8 innings... Engstrom fanned 7 and issued 3 bases on balls...Turon got the best of Eastshore with a 13-11 edge in hits... Elegant PH Bob Leach got the critical hit, a 3-run double to tie the game at 5-5...Eastshore 2B Gerry Garner had the only homer in the game... CF Larry Lowe had two hits and scored twice for the victors... C Cody Moore collected three hits to lead Turon at the plate and 2B Andy Hansen contributed 2 hits.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 10, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game Five at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Typhoons Take Back the Pro Cup Lead
Not too many people saw it coming, but Turon is now within a game of its fourth Pro Cup crown... nobody much believed the Typhoons could handle the powerful defending champ Eastshore, but they have defied the odds and run up a three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven series... rookie Shane Farmer (4-0) hurled his fourth straight playoff victory and knocked off the Elegants 4-3 in game five... Farmer was touched for 3 runs and 7 hits in 8 innings... closer Merle Studebaker again did his job and sat down Eastshore in the ninth for his 6th save... C Cody Moore paced Turon with 2 RBIs and LF Andy Porter went 2-2 and got the game-winning hit... loser Eddie Lance (2-2) surrendered 4 runs and 7 hits in his 8 frames... Eastshore scored in the first to take a 1-0 lead... Turon rebounded with a pair of runs in the second and expanded it to a 3-1 margin in the fifth, only to have the Elegants knot it 3-3 in the seventh... the Typhoons won it in the last of the eighth on Porter's RBI single... game six will be played at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore on Thursday... if needed, game seven will be Friday.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 12, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game Six at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore

Hansen Wins Again, Elegants Force 7th Game
The defending Pro Cup champion Eastshore are not going to go quietly... the Elegants rapped two homers and got another great outing by Bix Hanson to whip underdog Turon 7-3 in game six of the IPA Pro Cup Finals, tying up the series at 3-3 and forcing a seventh-and-deciding game... Hansen (4-0) racked up his fourth successive playoff complete-game victory... Hansen struck out 10 and scattered 9 hits and didn't let 4 errors behind him bother him... CF Larry Lowe went 3-for-4 with a homer and 2 RBIs and 3B George Alford had 2 hits, including a roundtripper and 3 RBIs for the winning Elegants... It was Alford's 4th postseason clout and Lowe's second... Ted Farentino was ineffective for Turon and lost it... he was battered hard for 7 runs and 9 hits in 6 innings... Farentino is 1-3 in the postseason, but has a fine 2.97 ERA... this was his only bad start... Eastshore outhit the Typhoons 10-9... the Elegants led 3-1 after the opening inning, 5-1 after three and 7-1 after six... Turon finally got 2 more off of Hansen in the ninth, but it was too late then... Turon was led by 1B Clyde Kingsford with 2 RBIs and 3B Mickey O'Malley with 3 hits... RF Dominick DiCaprio got the other RBI... the game-seven finale is tomorrow at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore.

Attachment 873634
Thursday, October 4, 2074

IPA PRO CUP PLAYOFFS OPEN WITH A BANG
That wonderful time of the season is here all across Islandia... postseason baseball is bursting forth in abundance... it's Pro Cup time in the Islands... yep, many might say this is the favorite time of the year for Islandians... 8 talented and gifted IPA division champions with their eyes and their hearts set on the esteemed Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy will clash on the baseball diamonds over the next month for the overall IPA championship... the title is up for grabs with a bunch of challengers and contenders... none of the team are overwhelming favorites.

In fact, in the IPA Elite 8 openers, this year's Pro Cup choice, the Oxford Red Caps, lost at home to the lightly-regarded Summerland Sunsets in a slugfest 11-7... ditto the higher-rated Crystal Lake Skippers were blanked by the Stoner Silver Sox 3-0... the other two games were hotly-contested... Eastshore needed a 9th-inning rally to take its opener 5-4 over the Taranto Tars... and Chicopee just barely nicked the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats 2-1.

This season the IPA returned to its best-of-seven series format which will give teams a little more time to recover from a slow start in each series... this will give the best teams a little more time to show it... in recent years some series were best-of-three and best-of-five... the IPA admitted that it was a mistake to take the playoffs in that direction, so they are back to what has always worked well -- the traditional best-four-of-seven series.

IPA Postseason Stars of the Day
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2074 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 1 (Best-of-Seven Series)
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2074 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 1 (Best-of-Seven Series)

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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 13, 2017

2017 IPA Pro Cup Finals (Best-of-Seven)

Game 7 At Kraft Stadium in Eastshore

Elegants Rally In 13th, Win Pro Cup Again
Friday the 13th was Eastshore's lucky day... the Elegants rallied from 2 runs down in the last of the 13th to cop the IPA Pro Cup for the second consecutive season... Turon took a 7-5 lead in the top half of the inning, but couldn't hold it... in a heart-pounding finish Eastshore took the seventh game 8-7 at its home park Kraft Stadium... this was an intensely-fought Pro Cup Finals... it was a shame for either club to lose it... the heavily-favored Elegants won the series four-games-to-three over the feisty Typhoons.

The Elegants came back from a 3-2 deficit in games to take the Island crown again... with Melvin Key on the hill, Eastshore put up a 5-2 lead after 5 innings, but allowed Turon to tie it up with a run in the 6th and 2 more in the top of the 9th... Key pitched a strong game, holding the Typhoons to just one earned run in 8 innings... Key allowed 6 hits, whiffed 4 and walked 3, leaving with a 5-3 lead, but his bullpen couldn't close it out... Les Irwin (1-0) got the win, but allowed 2 runs and 4 hits in his 2 innings... the loser was Jeb Pickett (0-1), who was blistered for 3 runs in the 13th... James Stuart started for Turon... he was rocked for 5 runs and 8 hits in 5 innings.

Both clubs had 12 hits each... backup C Fran MacIntyre led the Elegants at the plate with a homer and 3 RBIs... 3B Bob Leach also homered... 2B Gerry Garner drove 2 runs for the winners... C Cory Moore led the Typhoons with 3 hits and a pair of RBIs... RF Dominick DiCaprio added 2 RBIs.

This was Turon's record fifth time in the finals... the Typhoons also lost a heartbreaker in 7 games to Colfax in 2010... they have won the Pro Cup trophy three times in its history, tied with Far Mountain for the most titles.