Lordy mercy, it's been 6 decades... yep, count 'em... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 long, long decades since the Bayview Vikings (84-70) won their last TU West flag in 2016... the Viks tried real hard this year...Bayview led the TU West the first two months (34-20) and they competed well right down to the last week... however, the Vikings had one subpar month... they went 11-15 in June... yep, that did them in... Bayview wound up in the 4th spot in the standings and only 5 games off the pace... losing first sacker Von Dewberry (.282 BA/19 HR/66 RBI) and pitcher Arvo Vassiljef (8-4/3.26 ERA) in August really hurt them, too... the Viks hit the ball well with the likes of 5-time All-Star and Gold Glove third baseman Zak Smalley, Anthony Glaviano and Kris Timberlake... Thor Eriksson provided 89 runs and stole 52 bases, too, but only batted .240... the only decent pitchers are starters Jerry Quaid and Dante Lofton... in the pen there is a couple of quality arms in Henry Youngman and Jason Irons... Bayview should do well in the future... they have some good reasons for the optimism.

Attachment 930811

The 5th place Kenwood Wildcats (82-72) had letdowns a couple of times in the season... in July they struggled (11-15) and they finished badly in September (9-13), ending up 5 games behind the pennant race... otherwise they would have hauled in the TU West flag... whew!... what a lineup with nothing but solid batters, sparked by 3-time batting king Misha Makowski, budding star Kenny Sergeant, Harlan Brand, Elvis Groom, Johnny Davidson and Cole McGinnis... they do have a potent batting order, sporting a .292 BA... they can score runs... Davidson also has league batting crown (2076)... only Rolling Hills has a better attack than Kenwood... the Wildcats also have three workhorses in the starting rotation, headed up by Jim Singer, Davis Hickerson and Mickey Whiting... the bullpen is lackluster... closer Dallas Dodson is inconsistent and blew a lot of saves... whenever Kenwood comes up with some solid pitchers, they will be a definite pennant threat in the TU West... the Wildcats last made the postseason playoffs in 2073... that's when they had some quality pitching... prior to that, Kenwood won the division flag in 2052... nope, not a lot of postseason success lately for the Wildcats... the best run they ever had was 6 division titles in 10 years in the 2020s... their only Pro Cup came in 2014.

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Defending TU West champion and preseason favorite Rolling Hills (78-76) got off to a horrendous start with a 16-37 mark in the first two months of the season... they played like a champ thereafter, but it was too late... the Racers just barely made the .500 mark and ended up in 6th place, but only 9 games back... they have a crackerjack offense and topped the IPA in runs (842) and batting average (.293), but the Racers were lousy and near the bottom on the mound (4.53 ERA)... what a successful history Rolling Hills has had in its IPA experience... 25 postseason appearances in its 76 seasons with a record 8 Pro Cups.... 14 times in the past 18 years the Racers have won the TU West crown... yep, that is quite a record... just look at the lineup... it is scary... .289 is the worst average in the batting order... everybody is a legitimate thread: Butch Windom, Liam Gerraghty, Jaron Shufford, Hugo Sutton, KIt Clemmons, Emmett Spangler, Cotton Mathers and Philip Bliss... regular center fielder Dandy Ervin (.309 BA) only played half the year due to an arm injury... Skeets Kazlauskas was the only decent starter on the team... Kipp Munford is pretty good, too, but he played most of the season with Claxton in the Ruthlandian Union... he joined the team in mid-September and went 1-1... but he had a pretty good year overall with a 15-13 mark... the Racers needs to trade some good bats for some good starters... that is the only way they can get back into the hunt in the TU West.

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It was another bad year down the drain for the perpetual losers, the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (64-90)... they came in 7th and trailed by 23 games at season's end... Bay St. Clair hasn't had a winning season for 12 years... no playoffs in 28 years... and the Bucs have never won a Pro Cup in 77 seasons... they do possess some decent bats in the lineup, led by Chad Pless, Tumbleweed Threadgill, Nick Milano and T.D. Hannum... but no pitching plus no defense equals bad team... only starters Chuck Chelchowski and Zach Cage are respectable... the rest of the staff are just plain bad with 5.00 ERAs overall... lot of improvements needed in Bay St. Clair.... the outlook is bare and bleak... it clearly looks like a foggy future for Bay St. Clair.

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13 terrible seasons have come and gone since the Arlon Champions (51-103) had a winning year in 2064... no TU West pennants since 2057... but at least they do have one Pro Cup, won in 2051... this season the Champs were pathetic, losing over 100 games for the second time in the last three years, winding up in the division basement and 36 games behind... the pitching is non-existent... the offense is just average... there is some talent at the plate with Happy Cassidy, Scotty McCandlish, Kris Stanbury and Killer Swaggart... the only talent on the hill is 24-year-old John Michael Rupp... that's all, y'all... it could be a while before Arlon can get out of the doldrums and compete in the TU West.

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I am predicting a wild Kilkenny vs La Claire Pro Cup, because I want the two cinderellas to do well.

Yep, I like to see cinderella teams do well... I think both of your picks will do well... Kilkenny will have to get past the Valka Blackhawks for the Ruthlandian title..

La Claire will have it tough in the Tycobbian Union... the best team looks to be Turon... not sure the Lynx can whip them... the Typhoons have a fine all-around team.

But then again, La Claire is just about the same type team... it might be a good matchup.

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Is Filled with Glee in '23

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

Yep, EC thinks Ichiro Suzuki is more than just a great ballplayer... Ichiro is a heck of a human being, too.
The following story is taken from Joe Posnanski's book "The Baseball 100"... his list of the 100 greatest baseball players.
Posnanski also wrote the book "The Soul of Baseball"... he spent a year traveling with Buck O'Neil around the country... O'Neil was a fine Negro League first baseman and Kansas City Monarchs manager... he was featured in Ken Burns' Baseball documentary and won the hearts of all of us with his commentary and stories about the Negro Leagues... Posnanski went to all of Buck's promotional events for the whole year and came to know and love him.

Buck O'Neil was elected to the MLB National Baseball Hall of Fame, sadly after his death.

Posnanski is a former Kansas City Star and Sports Illustrated sportswriter, who lives in Kansas City, the home of the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame... Ichiro contacted him and asked if he would show him around the Negro Hall of Fame... though he didn't really know Ichiro, Posnanski agreed to do it... Joe said it was one of the best days of his life spending it with Ichiro... he was enthralled with all the wonderful stories Ichiro shared with him from his life.

From Posnanski's "The Baseball 100"

"One day after Buck O'Neil died, there was an enormous bouquet of flowers delivered anonymously to the Negro Leagues Baseball Hall of Fame in Buck's honor.
Word got out that Ichiro sent the flowers... Ichiro had never met Buck O'Neil... never spoke to him... but he admired him.
Ichiro told people at the museum, "Buck was a man of honor".

On the tour that day with Posnanski, Ichiro was mezmerized by Negro League history, particularly the section that showed a barnstorming team of Negro Leaguers coming to Japan decades before Babe Ruth's famous tour in 1934... Negro stars had gone to play the Japanese players years before the MLB stars did.

As Ichiro and Joe walked around the Negro Museum that day, he didn't say much at all... but he did pay special attention to the photos... he looked into the faces of these men who played ball, who hit home runs, who pitched strikeouts, who stole bases, who made diving catches and brilliant throws, but were never allowed to play in the Major Leagues... they were disregarded and ignored and dismissed for years.

At the end of the tour that day, Ichiro quietly wrote the largest check any player has ever written to the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame".

Attachment 931162
2077 Tycobbian Union East Division Final Season Recap

SOUTH FORK STALLIONS STAVE OFF FAVORED TUCKS IN TU EAST
There were only two teams that were near the top of the Tycobbian East standings most of the season... division champion South Fork (88-66) and runner-up Tuckanarra (86-68) battled back-and-forth with the Stallions galloping away with the pennant in August... South Fork turned up the heat with a 19-8 mark, while the Tucks took a nosedive to 12-15... the Tiger Cats played well the first half... they had a 5-game margin over South Fork at the end of July... but they slumped in the second half, finishing 35-40 the rest of the season... the Ozarka Naturals (84-70) and Hillsboro Blazers (83-71) did make belated late-season runs, but they fell short by 4 and 5 games respectively... in the TU East preseason poll Tuckanarra was supposed to get its fourth straight title in fairly easy fashion... the remaining clubs in the TU East, Midway, Red Bluff, East Point and High Mesa, wound up way back in the race, never contending.

TU East champion South Fork (88-66) has a few key players that gave them the final edge... veteran stars Carroll Ezell at shortstop and Carroll Coxe in center field provided just enough offense to get by and pitchers Mick Flanders, Mitch Hynes, Russ Redford, Ron Halloran, Billy Lake and Gary Cahoon did the rest... it was the South Fork hurlers who hauled in the pennant this season... left fielder Raimar Ravn and third baseman Patrick Packenham also provided some added offense... the Stallions won the IPA Pro Cup just a few seasons ago in 2073... there are still some experienced Pro Cuppers around for another postseason go-round... how far South Fork goes will depend on how much offense they can generate... nope, don't think it will be enough to garner another Pro Cup... the Stallions have not made the playoffs a whole lot... 10 times in their history... but they have copped 3 Pro Cups (2025, 2042, 2073).

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The second place Tuckanarra Tiger Cats (86-68) had a chance to win the title in the final 3 games of the season... but South Fork took 2 of the 3 games in Tuckanarra and won the crown... they topped the Tucks with some impressive pitching... it was the bats that carried the Tiger Cats this season, led by All-Star second baseman Mick Remington, first baseman Warren Blake, All-Star catcher Conn Donaldson, Tucker Starr, Dennis Ojeda and Lonny Garrett... they only had one pitcher, but he was a good one... 22-game winner and All-Star William Pike... he didn't get a lot of support from the rest of the staff... yep, the mound corps let the Tucks down this year... they had captured the TU East pennants three consecutive years... and 4 times in 7 seasons... and they didn't miss it by much this year... down through the club's IPA history Tuckanarra has been very successful, first as the Blue Jays and later as the Tiger Cats... 24 playoff appearances and 3 Pro Cups (2023, 2024, 2035)

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The Ozarka Naturals (84-70) have been a perennial also-ran since their last postseason appearance in 2040... prior to that, the Nats were a perennial playoff team... 13 times in 19 seasons from 2003 to 2021... but they never heard the Fat Lady sing -- never won a Pro Cup, but they came close numerous times -- Ozarka lost in the Pro Cup Finals 5 times in 10 years... the Naturals are on the rise in the TU East... solid pitching and a fairly good offense... they came in 3rd this season, winding up just 4 games behind... a better record in May might have made it a much different season... the Nats went 10-17 and fell 8 games off the pace... they never really recovered... Mordecai Partridge, Joel Letellier, Amos Hill and Asmund Bjornstad are a capable starting foursome... Jedd Abraham (13-8/3.28 ERA) was greatly missed the last 6 weeks of the season, lost to injury... that really hurt down the stretch... another very capable starter Tank Ramsdell missed the entire year... he was 17-8 with a 3.72 ERA in 2076... in the bullpen Vinny Loftus and Marv Wagner are good and reliable relievers... there are no stars in the batting order, but they do put up a few runs on the scoreboard, despite not hitting much for average... Tim Robbins is the main man with some help from Matt Chizek and Bucky Barnhill... it wouldn't take much for Ozarka to take over the TU East, if Abraham and Ramsdell come back from those injuries... a couple of good bats wouldn't hurt their chances, either... the future is looking good in Ozarka.

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The Hillsboro Blazers (83-71) had a good year... actually a fine year by their standards... they came in 4th, finishing just 5 games back of first place South Fork... who knows what might have happened in the race if they had played better baseball in May when they lost a lot of ground to to rivals South Fork and Tuckanarra... the Blazers fell 8 games out and never caught up... they did close the season well... things may be looking up for Hillsboro... historically, they have a crummy history with only 2 pennants in 76 seasons and no Pro Cups... the most recent was in 2067... in those 2 playoff seasons, the Blazers lost to the eventual Pro Cup champions, Arlon in '51 and Rolling Hills in '67... they pushed both champs to the limit... 7-game series... currently, there are no super hitters on the Blazers, but Dave Thomas, Aron Bloomendale, Arthyr Freeman, Kenny Hatfield and Buddy Assendorp can score runs... and the mound staff is pretty good with the likes of Herb Adamson, Beau Doane and Tony Verdenelli... Hillsboro could only be a batter or pitcher away from being a serious challenger in the TU East.

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Midway, Red Bluff, East Point and High Mesa, the teams in the bottom half of the TU East, never were in the hunt... the best of the lot was the 5th place Midway Wolves (75-79), 13 GB... the Wolves had fine pitching, but no offense... Dean Colburn, Chipper Simpson, Frankie Tate and Dink Streeter were a solid foursome in the rotation... they had a good closer, too, with Vernon Echols... the rest of the bullpen had quality arms as well... pitching-wise, the Middies were tops in the Tycobbian Union with a 3.16 ERA... Kilkenny in the RU North was the only one better in the IPA with a sparkling 3.01 ERA... the Midway sticks were ranked near the bottom in BA and runs... they really need some offense... no one worth mentioning in the batting order... Luc Likovich and Dante Gravolet have a little bit of boom in their bats, but can't hit a lick for average... unless the Wolves improve greatly at the plate, they are destined to remain in the TU East second division... it's been almost two decades since Midway was a playoff team... 2061 to be exact... but the Wolves do have 2 Pro Cups won in back-to-back years (2053, 2054) when they were the terrors of the TU and the IPA... they had a chance to three-peat in '55... only Far Mountain has ever done that.

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Like the Midway Wolves, you could say just about the same thing for the 6th place Red Bluff Red Sox (70-84)... lousy hitting and just average pitching will put you 18 GB in the pennant race... the Red Sox have a good starting rotation, led by Clifton Branch and Sonny Burnett, but the bullpen needs help... in the batting order Sherrill Wilde, Melvin Tillis, Dwight Ridley and Jacoby Elliott are gamers, but none of them hit for average... gonna be a real good spell before the Sox get into the TU East pennant chase... yep, gonna take some time... Red Bluff won its last division crown in 2072... haven't contended the last 4 seasons... twice in its history has the club won the Pro Cup... 2004 and 2057... don't think it's likely anytime soon that the Red Sox will compete for the postseason playoffs and a heck of a long time before they win another Pro Cup Trophy.

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Poor East Point Panthers (68-86)... they have had to endure 20 consecutive losing seasons... 2057 was the last time the Panthers were over the .500 mark... you have to go back to 2052 for the last postseason appearance... nope, East Point has nary a Pro Cup... none, zilch, nada in 76 years of IPA play... a very good case could be made that East Point is the worst team in IPA history (.448 Win Pct)... the Black Cats came in 7th this season in the TU East, 20 GB... first baseman Boyd Sadler is the only respectable batter in the lineup... but he has no help at all... East Point pitching is just average at best... but they do have 3 decent starters in Toulouse Vinet, Dickie Atherton and Flash Fesmire... and one solid hurler in the bullpen with Steven Parmelee... don't expect East Point to turn it around anytime soon.

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The High Mesa Buckaroos (62-92) were no bucking good this year... they finished smack dab dead last in the TU East, 26 GB... the Wranglers have not had a winning season since 2071... no postseason appearance since 2062... but they did have early success in the IPA... yep, High Mesa won the second Pro Cup Series... back in 2002 when they were the Cowboys... and now back to the future... when it comes to the modern day version, even the good things are bad in High Mesa... rookie shortstop hit .353 in 103 games this year... by golly that's great... but he also led the world with 53 errors... the offense is pathetic... and the pitching is just average at best... the Buckaroos do have pitchers that show up regularly... workhorses Bastian Barlow, Johnny Callaway and Percy Herrin... ace Waco Sanders was injured the whole season... Sanders was 13-8 with a 3.21 ERA in '76...he and Riku Chisaka (9-8/3.70 ERA/68 game/13 saves) will be back next year... Chisaka was hurt in early August... that gives them a bunch of quality starters and a fairly good closer... but the Buckaroos still need help in the bullpen... High Mesa is a pitcher's park... the only success over the years has come when the Buckaroos had good pitching and longball power... that's what it takes for them to compete... nope, it's not there right now... the starting pitching is fairly good, but the firepower is not... and there's no bullpen... it may take High Mesa a little time to get back into the rodeo swing of things in the TU East... but someday soon, it just might happen.

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MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Is Filled with Glee in '23

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

Monte Irvin came to the New York Giants in 1951 past his prime at age 32 with a banged-up knee... he played left field and first base and led the Giants to the NL pennant and World Series... in his heyday Irvin had once played center field like dream... 1951 was the year of Bobby Thomson's historic homer that beat the Dodgers... "The Shot Heard Around The World"... Irwin batted .312 with double-digit doubles, triples, homers and stolen bases... the only other MLB players that did this this year were Milwaukee rookie Sam Jethroe and Chicago's Minnie Minoso, two Negro players... Irvin led the NL with 121 RBIs... MLB scouts in the late 30s rated his skills as the "next Joe DiMaggio"... Irvin was bitter about what could have been... he couldn't ever quite leave the bitterness behind... his friend Buck O'Neil had defeated the bitterness.

Here's story from Joe Posnanski's "The Baseball 100".

"Buck had defeated the bitterness. He had turned the pain of this into joy. He called his autobiography "I Was Right On Time". He believed that the life he spent playing and managing in the Negro Leagues and celebrating the Negro Leagues was the best life he could have lived. When asked how hard it was to have to stay at blacks-only hotels, he talked about how much better the food was. When people asked him how sad he was that he didn't get to face Bob Feller and play with Joe DiMaggio, he talked about he did get to face Satchel Paige and play with Josh Gibson."

Buck O'Neil often said, "The people I feel sorry for were the ones that didn't see us play"... He said it was easier to let his bitterness go because he wasn't half the ballplayer Monte Irvin was.

Yep, Buck is one of EC's favorite people... he never saw a cloudy day in his life... nothing but sunshine... wish EC could be more like Buck.

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Wednesday, September 29, 2077

PRIME TIME IN THE ISLANDS... IPA PLAYOFFS START SATURDAY
Bigtime baseball is coming up soon in the Islandian Pro Alliance... prime time is here --- the IPA postseason playoffs --- that glorious time when 8 teams are vying for the coveted Pro Cup Trophy... it all gets underway this Saturday afternoon at 4 locations around Islandia... In Ruthlandian Union circles Fort Benton travels to play the Cats in Kilkenny and Valka is at home hosting the Elnora Clippers... the Tycobbian Union slate has Hartsdale at Turon and La Claire heading to South Fork.

Turon tops all of the Pro Cup postseason participants with 5 Pro Cups... South Fork has 3 trophies in its IPA championship collection and Hartsdale a pair... the other 5 challenges are seeking their first-ever Pro Cup... the Rolling Hills Racers (aka Reds) have captured the most Pro Cups... they have piled up 8 in their illustious history.

Here's how The Islandian Times superscribes and superscribblers are forecasting the Pro Cup outcome for 2077... last year the pundits nailed it... they picked the Wynnamac Sundowners to beat the San Alejo Montaneros in the Pro Cup Finals and that is exactly what transpired... yep, the scribes ranked the Macs the best team in the playoffs and the Monties the second-best team and they met in the postseason finale.

This year the Turon Typhoons are rated the best team in the Islands with the Kilkenny Cats ranked the second-best team... The Islandian Times baseball prognosticators say everything points to a Turon-Kilkenny title clash with the Typhoons prevailing in the Pro Cup Series.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES IPA PRO CUP POLL

1. TURON TYPHOONS (97-57)
The Typhoons have solid pitching, solid bats, solid bullpen, but only average fielding...All-Star Wyatt Quinton, Clete Engstrom and All-Star Billy Pearl are an impressive trio... they just may be the best starters in the playoffs this year... closer Wayne Wolfe is strong, too... Robert Hazle, Artie Falcon, Joe Don Goldsmith, Carl Channing and Robert Newell can put runs on the scoreboard a plenty... there is a big negative for the Typhoons... they will not have All-Star CF Eliott Carleton (.341 BA/57 SB) in the playoffs... he is out with an ankle fracture... he will be sorely missed from the leadoff spot... on paper Turon is head and shoulders above the other 7 playoff teams.

2. Kilkenny Cats (93-61)
The Cats can match Turon on the hill, but not at the plate... Kilkenny is a fine defensive team... it should be a whale of a Pro Cup Finals if the top 2 teams make it to there... All-Star Jethro Firestone, All-Star Mervin Breckenridge and Dante Steelman are hard to beat as starters... the Cats have some home-run power, but don't hit for average like the Typhoons... the top bats for the Cats are Errol Paxton, Claude Millican, Maxie Langhurst and Wayne Winston.

3. Valka Blackhawks (88-66)
The Blackhawks have a lot of recent postseason experience, reaching the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 seasons... they lost in the first round the last 2 years, but made the Pro Cup Finals in 2073 where they fell to the South Fork Stallions... yep, Valka is back again and hoping to win its first-ever Pro Cup Trophy... the are a pesky bunch at the plate with the likes of Jimmy Czarnecki, All-Star Olev Kotli, Jackie Hanford and Alec Donelson... and on the mound the Blackhawks have strong starters Ron Honore and Jelen Whitmire... and in the bullpen closer Jim Barber... could this be the Year of the Blackhawks?

4. La Claire Lynx (87-67)
The Lynx can swing the bats well with Rolf Bunderson, All-Star LF Charles Larson, All-Star C Liam McWhirter and Cole Newell... La Claire is good on the hill, too, but not quite as good as Turon, Kilkenny and Valka... they have some good starters in Anxo Di Lima, Perry Como and Pauley Conlin... Warren Bayham and Wayne McClintock are darn dependable in the pen... La Claire just might surprise in the playoffs this year.

5. South Fork Stallions (88-66)
The Stallions have some hosses, too... they can compete with anyone in the playoffs... especially when it come to its overall mound staff.. All-Star Mick Flanders, Mitch Hynes and Russ Redford are fine starters and the bullpen is anchored by some good ones, too, led by Ron Halloran and Billy Lake... the key will be the offense... All-Star SS Carroll Ezzell, Carroll Coxe and Raimar Ravn really have to excel at the plate for South Fork to have any shot at the Pro Cup.

6. Elnora Clippers (86-68)
The Clippers are paced at the plate by All-Star 3B Ronald Bayless, All-Star C Jorgy Jorgensen and Andre Langdon.... Troy Young ad Eamon Carwell are no slouches, either... Elnora has 3 quality starters with Hamilton Burger, Javis Packham and Hawk Templeton and a strong closer Johnny McQuillen, but they don't have a lot of depth on the mound... this could be a problem in the IPA playoffs.

7. Hartsdale Hellcats (82-72)
The Hellcats are rock-solid in the pitching department, but lack run-scoring ability... you can't win the Pro Cup without some offense... starters Larry Ellison and Benny Merckx are a top-notched starters, but Eddy McPhatter and Jesse Calhoom are just adequate... the overall staff is fine... the bullpen is led by standout closer Wayne Wolfe... Max Carline, Tom Colson and Tony Leone will need a lot of help in the playoffs... runs are hard to come by for the Hellcats.

8. Fort Benton Defenders (86-68)
The Defenders are an exciting team... they can make a lot of contact and sting the ball... they can score runs... but they don't have much pitching except for 2 starters, Pasha Osolinsky and Greg Hammerstein... that's about it when it come to dependable hurlers... the top offensive guns for Fort Benton are All-Star SS Julio Santana, Stosh Dusek, John Harding, Jack Luxton, Cloyce Farmer and Trace Lansing... they hit for average, but not much power... but it is doubtful the Defenders bats can score more runs than their dismal staff gives up.... nope, no Pro Cup for Fort Benton again this year.

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life's Is Filled with Glee in '23

EC read about "The Big Cat" this morning... that's Hall-of-Famer Johnny Mize of St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees fame... I discovered a fascinating fact and thought I would share it.

"Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

From Joe Posnanski's "The Baseball 100"

"How good a hitter was Johnny Mize? He was Lou Gehrig good, Stan Musial good, Mel Ott good, Frank Robinson good, Joe DiMaggio good. Albert Pujols good. There is only one player in baseball history, just one, who hit more than 50 homers and struck out less than 50 times in a single season. That was Johnny Mize in 1947

And he did that as a 34-year-old, who had come back from the war."

Mize hit 50 homers and only struck out 42 times in 1947... he batted .302 with 128 runs scored and 137 RBIs, topping the National League in HRs, Runs and RBIs.
He finished third in the MVP voting... Mize wound up second twice in the MVP poll in his career... if the Cards had won the pennant those seasons, he would have won the MVP awards... instead Cincinnati pitcher Bucky Walters and first baseman Frank McCormick won those years, 1939 and 1940... the Reds were the NL champion those seasons.

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Sunday, October 3, 2077

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME IN THE IPA PLAYOFFS
On the opening day of the Islandian Pro Alliance, most of the home teams had their way... three of the four openers went to the teams with the homefield advantage... Valka bested visiting Elnora 10-9, Turon topped Hartsdale
6-4 and South Fork was triumphant over La Claire 6-2... the only visitor to escape defeat was the Fort Benton Defenders, who socked it to homestanding Kilkenny 6-1.

2077 IPA First Round Series Stars of the Day
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