OOTP Developments Forums - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

care4ameatball prompted some old memories, so I checked back at the 2009 Pro Cup Finals... thought you might enjoy reminiscing with me.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

AWAY WE GO TO 2009!

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.

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).