2075 IPA Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 4

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Friday, October 11, 2075

TUCKS TAKE LEAD OVER ROLLING HILLS IN TU SERIES... VALKA AND RANFORD HANGIN' IN IN RU SERIES
Three game fives were played in the Islandian Pro Alliance Elite 8 Series Thursday... Tuckanarra took a tight one from Rolling Hills 4-3 to take a three games to two lead in the Tycobbian Union, while Valka and Ranford avoided elimination from the playoffs with critical wins... the Blackhawks shut out Sligo 2-0 and the Bulls eked out a 4-3 comeback victory over the Marston Nine in the Ruthlandian Union.

All three best-of-seven series will continue after a day off... Rolling Hills, Sligo and Marston have the homefield advantage... Hartsdale is the only team to clinch a series... they swept Pro Cup favorite Turon in round one... they will play the winner of the Tuckanarra-Rolling Hills series for the Tycobbian Union title and the right to play in the IPA Pro Cup Series.

2074 IPA Elite 8 Stars of the Day
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2075 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 5
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2075 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 5
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There are several teams in the IPA playoffs this year that haven't been in the postseason lately... I will cover the team history and tell you a little about the town and it baseball heritage.

Around the Town in the IPA

RANFORD BULLS
Owner: Barnes Petroleum Enterprises
President, GM and Manager: Bert Skippman

The Ranford Valley has long been known for its rough and tumble lifestyle. During its early years the town of Ranford was a hamlet set up to offer merchant services to the soldiers at Fort Branagh which was built to protect the Valdar Bay gateway.

The army decided to consolidate all the island’s armed forces in Valmara in 1912. Ft. Branagh was abandoned and Ranford became a refuge for outlaws, gamblers and bootleggers. It was sometimes referred to as the "forgotten city" as much of Ruthlandia cut any existing ties to the area which was kept afloat by the economic backbone of barkeepers and gambling halls.

After the great revival of ’29, churches slowly started to outnumber the saloons and commerce and merchants from the mainland began to return and expand into Ranford. For the next 35 years Ranford’s reputation moved from a town of debauchery to being known as the hardest-working town in Ruthlandia. It was a well-earned distinction as those who toiled with the rough and rocky terrain were well-suited for the country’s lumber and manufacturing faction.

In the mid 1960’s oil was discovered inland and within five years extensive exploration had begun. In what seemed overnight, much of Ranford’s blue collar work force had joined the aristocracy.

Ranford has a diverse population with just about all ethnic groups in the Islands represented. They come from near and far to participate in the oil prosperity in the area. Ranford has become one of the most affluent cities in Ruthlandia, but has kept to its blue collar roots.

The early years of baseball in Ranford consisted of amateur teams made up of soldiers, sailors and ruffians from the area. Despite the amateur status of the teams, the games were taken very seriously and brawls often took place between players and fans alike. During the industrial years the team was known as the Outlaws, but in efforts to makeover the town’s reputation it was later changed to Bulls and stayed that way when the Islandian Pro Alliance was formed in 2001.

The original owner of the Bulls was Cliff Barnes of the Barnes Oil Company. He inherited the company from his father, Digger Barnes. The Barnes family has always had a running feud with the Ewing family that still continues to this day because Jock Ewing had supposedly swindled Digger out of his share of an oilfield partnership, when both were just getting started in the oil industry. Back in the 1980s, the feud simmered down a lot when Bobby Ewing won the heart of Pamela Barnes.

Yep, love conquers all, even family feuds.

Barnes hired O'Neal Buckman as chief operating officer. Buckman had played for and managed Barnes Oil company teams in the amateur leagues for 30 years and had been quite successful. Buckman surprisingly hired a teammate of many years, Page Satcher, to be his manager. Satcher was a heck of a player, but had no experience as a manager. Satcher alway gave the appearance of not taking the game of baseball too seriously. Many baseball people questioned Buckman's choice for those reasons.

When grilled about this, Buckman just grinned and said, "Old Satch is gonna make you guys regret those words. He's gonna be a darn good manager. You just wait and see."

Satcher, who was a local star for the Ranford Outlaws back in the industrial league years and one of the best pitchers ever to throw a baseball. Satcher played into his 50s and never revealed his age, saying, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" Not only was he good on the baseball mound, but he was good with a quote, too. "I ain't ever had a job, I just always played baseball."

Another of his poetic jewels was his work ethic. "I don't generally like running. I believe in training by rising gently up and down from the bench."

Satcher had the reputation for doctoring up the ball. "I never threw an illegal pitch. The trouble is, once in a while I would toss one that ain’t never been seen by this generation."

Asked what the secret of his success was, he would reply, "Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don’t move."

After two decades at the helm, Satcher retired as manager and became the team's GM. He was followed by Chris Bernhoffer, who starred for Ranford for 14 years from 2002 to 2015, going 202-197 for mostly mediocre clubs. Bernhoffer posted a solid 3.37 ERA in his career. He was especially good in the playoffs with a 6-2 mark and a terrific 1.89 ERA in nine starts. Bernhoffer retired in 2043 and turned the reins over to standout catcher Kyle Hunt, an 8-time All-Star with a career .292 batting average. After 16 years as skipper Hunt retired and the Ranford management decided to go to the college ranks and hired a very successful college coach, Bert Skippman. He did well right off the bat and won the RU North pennant in 2060, but since then Shippman has only had fair success in the pro ranks.

The Ranford Bulls play at Ranford County Stadium, a nondescript, but adequate ballpark. The ballpark fare is just middle-class with hot dogs, cokes, burgers, peanuts and crackerjacks. A special fan feature at Bulls' game is when they go to the bullpen. The reliever strolls in like a matador at a bullfight to the music of Herb Alpert's "Lonely Bull", a hit song from the 1960s. It is the intent of the Bulls' pitcher to silence the opposition and to kill the threat.

Hear the "Lonely Bull" at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uqPBZncL5Q

Ranford County Stadium (1953)

Capacity: 7,850

Dimensions:

Left Field Line - 315
Left Field - 362
Left Center - 382
Center Field - 402
Right Center - 382
Right Field - 362
Right Field Line - 315

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Sunday, October 13, 2075

ROVERS BEST BLACKHAWKS IN 6 IN RU ELITE 8... BULLS AND RACERS FORCE 7TH GAMES
In the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series Sligo finished off the Valka Blackhawks in six games, but the other two series will play it out to the end, going the full seven... the Sligo Rovers spanked the Blackhawks 8-2 to take the series four games to two, while the Ranford Bulls won a miracle game from the Marston Nine, rebounding for an 11-9 victory and forcing a final game seven... in the Tycobbian Union Rolling Hills rallied for a 6-5 win over Tuckanarra and is still alive in that series... the Racers and Tucks have split the six games so far... Hartsdale already won its series in a 4-game sweep over Pro Cup favorite Turon.

2075 IPA Elite 8 Series Stars of the Day
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2075 IPA Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 6
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2075 IPA Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 6

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What brutal loss for Marston. All the pressure is on them for Game 7.

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Monday, October 14, 2075

MARSTON AND ROLLING HILLS TOP RANFORD AND TUCKS IN 7TH-GAME FINALES... THE NINE AND RACERS ADVANCE TO IPA SECOND ROUND
All four clubs played well in the 7th-game finales in the IPA Elite 8 Series, but only two of them can continue in the postseason playoffs... two of them sadly must call it a season and go home and mourn what might have been.

In the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series the Marston Nine snapped Ranford's three-game winning streak and spoiled the Bulls comeback with a 3-1 victory to advance against the Sligo Rovers in the RU title series... in the Tycobbian Union Rolling Hills surged back and edged the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats 7-6 in game seven... the Racers will now tangle with the Hartsdale Hellcats for the TU title... both series will be the best-of-seven.

2075 IPA Elite 8 Series Stars of the Day
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2075 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 7

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2075 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series - Game 7

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Wednesday, October 16, 2075

IPA FINAL 4 TIME: MARSTON AT SLIGO IN RU TITLE SERIES... HARTSDALE AT ROLLING HILLS IN TU TITLE SERIES
Here are the numbers in the IPA... 64 to 8 to 4... nope, that's not a weird double play... or the title of a Chicago Transit Authority song from the 70s...it's IPA Final 4 Time in the Islands... the 64 teams have been whittled down to just 4 teams...that's all that is left... only the Marston Nine and the Sligo Rovers are left standing in the Ruthlandian Union... and only the Hartsdale Hellcats and the Rolling Hills Racers have survived the cut in the Tycobbian Union.

The 2075 IPA Pro Cup playoffs will pick up play again this Saturday afternoon... Marston will be on the road against the Sligo Rovers and Hartsdale will travel to Rolling Hills to take on the Racers... Sligo is the highest-rated team left in the postseason... the Rovers are rated the 2nd-best squad by the baseball experts... the Racers are the 4th-best team... Marston is #5... and last, but certainly not the least, are the #7 choice, the Hartsdale Hellcats, the team that stunned the Islandian baseball world by upsetting the Pro Cup favorite Turon Typhoons in the first round... the Hellcats swept all four games with Turon.

In the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series, Marston defeated the favored Ranford Bulls in a torrid seven-game affair... the Nine won the first three games, lost the next three, then finally finished off the Bulls... Sligo had it a little bit easier in round one... the Rovers knocked off a pretty good Valka team in 6 games... over in the Tycobbian Elite 8, Rolling Hills won a sensational 7-game series with the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats... the Racers had to sweep the last two games... and they just barely won it... they trailed 6-2 halfway through game 7... it took a 5-run inning to come back and win it.

Sligo had the best overall record in the IPA this season, going 101-53... followed by Rolling Hills at 100-54... Marston wound up with the 4th-best mark 97-57... the surprising Hartsdale Hellcats were only 87-67, yet they eliminated powerful Turon... the Typhoons posted a 100-54 record.

Ruthlandian Union Title Series Outlook
Two octogenarians will go head-to-head in the Ruthlandian title series... both Hall of Famers... Russ Woodward, age 81, will lead Marston and Les Patterson, age 84, is in charge of Sligo... both are retiring at the end of this season after long and illustrious careers in the IPA... Woodward had a lifetime .315 BA with 621 homers and 2052 RBIs, while Patterson was 306-230 with a career 2.79 ERA... both have been successful skippers, too... Woodward has captured 6 pennants so far... but has often been a contender in the RU East Division... Patterson has paced the Rovers to 7 RU West titles... Woodward and Patterson rarely had a losing season.

Marston's overall pitching depth will be able to contain the Sligo bats... the Rovers are not quite as good on the hill, but are better at the plate... give Sligo the advantage defensively... look for the Nine to win it in 7 games... Marston is seeking its first-ever Pro Cup Trophy... this is manager Russ Woodward's farewell season after 60 years in Marston as a HOF player and skipper... Les Patterson has managed Sligo for the last 24 seasons... he starred for the Rovers for 17 years... Sligo won its only Pro Cup in 2021.

Tycobbian Union Title Series Outlook
The TU title series should be a 7-game donnybrook as well... Rolling Hills has seven .300 hitters in its lineup... the Racers sported a .302 team batting average this season... they can certainly score runs, but they give up a lot of runs, too... manager Billy Christianson is hard-pressed to find quality pitching... this will be his downfall... look for Hartsdale to take the series... manager Mark Markis has enough pitching to slow down the Racers... both clubs are top-notch with the gloves... Hartsdale hits with more power... that will give them another advantage.

Markis is one of the few skippers in the Islandian Pro Alliance with no IPA experience as a player... he is no athlete... Markis never played the game... he only coached it in high school and was very successful... he was hired as a bench coach for the Hellcats and so impressed them with his knowledge of baseball and analytics that they made him manager in 2062... since then, Markis has won 5 pennants and one Pro Cup... that was in his second year in 2063.

Christianson is a Hall of Fame infielder... 6-time All-Star and Gold Glover at third base and first base... lifetime .302 BA with 258 homers and 1446 RBIs... Christianson has had tremendous success as skipper of the Racers... he has won 13 pennants since 2052 and 4 Pro Cups... Christianson has been TU Manager of the Year 6 times.

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Sunday, October 20, 2075

IPA FINAL 4 OPENERS WERE THRILLERS AND HEARTBREAKERS
Yes, the IPA Final 4 openers started off with a bang.
Two bangs to be exact.
If you like baseball, it couldn't be much better than the first two games of the Islandian Pro Alliance Final 4 Series... two teams won thrillers and two teams lost heartbreakers... both games were decided in the last inning...
one went 9 innings, the other went 10 innings... Sligo rallied past the Marston Nine 5-4 in the Ruthlandian Union... and Rolling Hills came back and nosed out the Hartsdale Hellcats 7-6 in 10 innings in the Tycobbian Union.

2075 IPA Final 4 Stars of the Day
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2075 IPA Final 4 Series - Ruthlandian Union Game 1
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2075 IPA Final 4 Series - Tycobbian Union Game 1
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EC is going out on a limb early in prognosticating that a team with the colors red and black will win the 2075 IPA Pro Cup Trophy... yep, that's my pick and I'm stickin' to it.

Or will the pitching-poor Rolling Hills Racers come "out of the blue" and win it all?

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Monday, October 21, 2075

ROVERS UP 2-0 OVER MARSTON IN RU TITLE SERIES... HELLCATS AND RACERS SPLIT A PAIR IN ROLLING HILLS... TEAMS HEAD TO MARSTON AND HARTSDALE
Baseball fans couldn't ask for better ballgames than they have witnessed in the first four games of the IPA Final 4 Series... each one of them have been decided by one run... two of the games went 10 innings...
in the Ruthlandian Union yesterday afternoon the Sligo Rovers took charge of its series with the Marston Nine... they nudged past the Nine 3-2 to go up two games to one in the best-of-seven affair... it was also hot-and-heavy
in the Tycobbian Union where Hartsdale slimmed by the Rolling Hills Racers in extra innings... for the second straight game it was decided by a 7-6 score in 10 innings.

2075 IPA Final 4 Series - Game 2

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