hurricanekevin is doing a great job with the updates! The OOTP Mod Community is awesome!!!

And the Stallions' pitchers are showing well so far... :eatpop:

Here is hurricanekevin's wonderful thread on the OOTP Mods Forum.

It's several hundred logos he made that are based on culture and history of the town region.
https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=332385

If you like logos, you'll really enjoy hurricanekevin unique style.

Here is the link of my thread where he is updating the IPA logos for me.
https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=345721

Wow, 750 people viewed the IPA today.

From the bottom of my boogidy, boogidy shoes, thank you, thank you, thank you.

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Wednesday, November 2, 2077

SWEET, SWEET SWEEP TIME FOR SOUTH FORK IN PRO CUP FINALS
One more triumph in the 2077 IPA Pro Cup Series will enable the South Fork Stallions to ride away with the 4th Pro Cup Trophy in the team's history... just one more win to go and the cherished title is theirs... yesterday on the road in Elnora they sunked the Clippers 8-2 to take a huge 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series... this was the Stallions 7th consecutive postseason win this year and it put an end to Elnora 5-game unbeaten record at home in the playoffs.

2077 IPA Pro Cup Series Stars of the Day
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2077 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 3
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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"

Well now, just who do you think was the best center fielder in baseball history?... Joe Posnanski makes a good case for Tris Speaker in his book "The Baseball 100"... Speaker was known for playing a very, very shallow center field... in his career he had 6 unassisted double plays, where he would catch a fly ball in short center and step on second base and double up a runner... he played so close to the infield, several times a year Speaker would throw a batter out at first base.

Nope, they didn't hit it over his head either... he would go back and haul it in... a la Willie Mays.

From Posnanski's "The Baseball 100"

"There's a famous Joe DiMaggio story that gets at this point. When DiMaggio came up to the Yankees in 1936, he, too, played an absurdly shallow center field. After one game, pitcher Lefty Gomez heard DiMaggio in the clubhouse bragging about how he would make everyone forget all about Tris Speaker, to which Gomez said, "Yeah, that's great, Joe, but let's not make them forget Lefty Gomez. Play deeper."

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Thursday, November 4, 2077

CLIPPERS HAVE CLINGING HOPES... HANG ON FOR VITAL VICTORY IN GAME 4... STILL TRAIL 3 GAMES TO 1
Elnora staved off a 4-game sweep by the South Fork Stallions in the Pro Cup Series... the Clippers hung on for a 5-4 victory, putting an end to South Fork's 7-game winning streak... Elnora still has a steep uphill climb... it is
a rarity for any team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Pro Cup Finals to win the series.

2070 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 4
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Elnora won, which is not a bad thing, because that means more baseball!

Yesterday in the IPA

Just thought you would like to see the managers of the IPA in its early days.

Most of them are named after great MLB players and managers... but I encoded them a bit... but you should be able to recognize who they are.

The Islandian Times

Friday, February 1, 2002

IPA Announces New Teams and Divisons
Commissioner John Banford released the names of all the new teams in the Islandian Pro Alliance. The commissioner also announced that there would be 8-eight team divisions, four in Ruthlandia and four in Tycobbia. Each division would be composed of towns in close proximity to one another in order to create regional rivalries. Each league will have a North, South, East and West Division.

The teams will play a 154-game schedule and will play 3-6 games against each of the 29 teams in their league. 8 division winners and 8 wild cards will be in the playoffs and battle for the Islandian Pro Cup, awarded to the best team in the Islandian Pro Alliance each year. The Volusia Vigilantes are the defending champions. They defeated the Ginza Ninjas for the title in the IPA's inaugural season. Play will begin April 1.

Ruthlandian Union North Division
Ancona Red Elephants - Owner: Golden Hill Insurance - GM: Nick Yakis - Manager: Manny Mickens
Far Mountain Redhawks - Owner: Johann Becker - GM/Manager:Alex Groveland
Glasco Athletics - Owner: Great Aberdeen Granite Company - GM/Manager: McDuffie Hughes
Kilkenny Cats - Owner: Smithwick's Brewing Company - GM/Manager: Kieran McKenna
LaGrange Sports - Owner/GM/Manager: Foxy Jimison
Ranford Bulls - Owner: Barnes Oil Company - GM: O'Neal Buckman - Manager: Page Satcher
Taranto Tars - Owner: Papa Giovanni's Pizzas - GM/Manager: Tommaso Lazzorda
Valmara Vipers - Owner: Viper Offshore Services - GM/Manager: J. Jackson Samuel

Ruthlandian Union South Division
Belair Beach Sunbirds - Owner: Jorge Trujillo - GM/Manager: Marty Pedroza
Claxton Diamonds - Owner: DeBeers Mining Company - GM/Manager: Stacy Engel
Crystal Lake Crushers - Owner: Casino Resorts, Inc. - GM/Manager: Herman "Baby" George
Grand City Cybercats - Owner: Windows Technologies, Gates Billingham CEO - GM/Manager: Torry Joseph
San Dimas Rancheros - Owner: Esai Montanez - GM/Manager: Paco Banderos
St. John Crusaders - Owner: The Brothers of St. John the Baptist - GM: Barry Edwards - Manager: Dickie Billings
Valka Blackhawks - Owner: Cybertel, Andrus Valk CEO - GM/Manager: Jaan Kurus
Waleska Westerners - Owner: Ewing Oil, Jock Ewing, President - GM/Manager: McGraw Johnson

Ruthlandian Union East Divison
Beechwood Bobcats - Owner: Bob Catlin - GM/Manager: Bret George
Belle Plaine Musketeers - Owner/GM/Manager: Boo Ladrieux
Cold Creek Catamounts - Owner: Cold Creek Catamounts Baseball Club - GM/Manager: T. Kelly Holmes
Eastshore Elegants - Owner: Clark and Vivien Butler, Tara Plantation Enterprises - GM/Manager: Killer Brewster
Elnora All-Stars - Owner: George Costanza - GM/Manager: Zoggy White
Marston Nine - Owner: Doubleday Sporting Goods - GM/Manager: Johnny Walters
Sugar Valley Rattlers - Owner/GM: Manny Earl - Manager: Gibson Bobkins
Wynnamac Sundowners - Owner: Granger Co-Operative Association - GM/Manager: Matt Donnelly

Ruthlandian Union West Division
Colfax Blasters - Owner: Precious Metal Corporation - GM/Manager: Clem Rogers
Forest City Lumberjacks - Owner/GM/Manager: Rob Jackson
Fort Benton Defenders - Owner: General Paddy George - GM/Manager: Robbie Brooks
Middlefield Roosters - Owner: Middlefield Merchants Association - GM/Manager: Smitty Michaels
Rocky Rapids Snappers - Owner: Express Freight and Shipping Company - GM/Manager: Ryan Noland
Sligo Ramblers - Owner: Myron Dalrymple - GM/Manager: Eddie Keys
Stoner Stars - Owner: Nonnac Textiles - GM: Beanie Billington - Manager: Willie Dickens
Volusia Vigilantes - Owner: Tierra Wools Consolidated - GM: Juan-Carlos de la Hoya - Manager: Alfonso Feliz

Tycobbian Union North Division
Blue Lake Blue Sox - Owners: Tink Joseph, Ev Johnson, Chance Franklin - GM/Manager: Cobb Tyson
Fairfax Frogs - Owner: Frog Fashions - GM/Manager: Harry Buckley
Hartsdale Hellcats - Owner: Pioneer Brewing Company - GM/Manager: Zim Donner
Luxora Zorros - Owner: De la Vega Foundation - GM/Manager: Alejandro Rodrigo
Mahaska Haymakers - Owner/GM: Rickey Branch - Asst GM: Rick Branch, Jr. - Manager: Rusty Tanussa
North Hills Hawks - Owner: Hawk Steel Company - GM/Manager: Hub Carlson
Oxford Red Caps - Owner: Tyco-Tech - GM: Amanda Effings - Manager: Campy Roy
White River Rascals - Owner: Tycalco - GM/Manager: John Randison

Tycobbian Union South Division
Arroyo Grande Suns - Owner: Abelard Capet, Capet Manor Vineyards - GM/Manager: Jean-Luc Marchand
Cape Coral Hurricanes - Owner: Conway Birdie - GM/Manager: Huggy Miller
Colchester Elites - Owner: Heyward Rubber Company - GM/Manager: Robbie Wilbertson
Ginza Ninjas - Owner: OmniSea, Ltd. - GM/Manager: Huroko Uchiyama
San Alejo Montaneros - Owner: Godoy Entertainment - GM/Manager: Lando Peceda
Southport Sun Sox: Owner: Stage Productions - GM: Amanda Thompson - Manager: Charley Oscar
Summerland Sunsets - Owner: Augie Altonno - GM/Manager: Will Hackett
Turon Typhoons - Owner: Anastas International Shipping - GM/Manager: Ashton "Whitey" Richburn

Tycobbian Union East Division
East Point Panthers - Owner: Silver Mountain Marble Works - GM/Manager: Griff Clarke
High Mesa Cowboys - Owner: Queen Ranch - GM/Manager: Frisky Franks
Hillsboro Blazers - Owner: Hanford Banking and Insurance Company - GM/Manager: Arky Spanderson
Midway Wolves - Owner: Midway Baseball Cooperative - GM/Manager: Cochise Chandler
Ozarka Naturals - Owner: J. R. Ewing - GM/Manager: Joe Mac Carney
Red Bluff Red Sox - Owner/GM/Manager: Mack Connery
South Fork Stallions - Owner: Bobby Ewing - GM: Finley Charles - Manager: Deroche "Lips" Leon
Tuckanarra Blue Jays - Owner: Jayden Thorpe - GM/Manager: Carlton Stevens

Tycobbian Union West Division
Arlon Champions - Owner: Kobeer Sport and Athletic Apparel - GM/Manager: Gary Louis
Bay St. Clair Buccaneers - Owner: Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles - GM/Manager: Guy Rondre
Bayview Vikings - Owner: Brent Steiner, Steiner Shipbuilding - GM/Manager: Walter Johanssen
Chicopee Braves - Owner: Jenkins Lumber Company - GM: Lou Littlefeather - Manager: Harry Fleetfoot
Denton City Redbirds - Owner: The Denton Family Foundation - GM/Manager: Ford Whiteman
La Claire Lynx : Owner/GM/Manager: Rip Calkin
Kenwood Wildcats - Owner: Kenwood Farmers Co-Op - GM/Manager: Aaron Hankins
Rolling Hills Reds - Owner: Lemroh Meat Company - GM/Manager: Matty Christianson

So, after George Costanza worked as Assistant Traveling Secretary for the New York Yankees, and was traded by Steinbrenner to Tyler Chicken, and short-lived jobs with Play Now and Kruger Industrial Smoothing, he somehow amassed enough money to become owner of the Elnora All-Stars?

To make a long story short... George Costanza married a rich widow of a TV evangelist and she gave him the Elnora team as a wedding gift.

And now you know "the rest of the story".

EC heard this story on Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story".

Yep, that's the gospel truth... kinda.

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Sunday, November 6, 2077

WHERE THERE'S BREATH, THERE'S LIFE... ELNORA LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY
Yep, the South Fork Stallions are figuratively "dying to win", but so are the Elnora Clippers... more importantly the Clippers "are just trying to stay alive" in this year's Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series... Elnora cannot afford
to lose one more game... the Clippers are still clinging to slim hopes of winning their second Pro Cup Trophy... they lost the first three games and then faced the gigantic undertaking of winning four games in a row... nope, the
Clippers did not throw in the towel or give up the ghost, they sucked it up and won game four -- and then they won game five, too -- now Elnora is back in business, trailing only three games to two... the Clippers stayed alive with a
heart-pounding 6-5 triumph in 11 innings, setting the stage for a trip back to South Fork for the last games of the series... playing on the road makes the huge task even tougher... making matter worse South Fork has not lost
at home in the playoffs this year... the Stallions are a spotless 7-0.

2077 IPA Pro Cup Series Players of the Game - Game 5
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Sunday, November 7, 2077

SF STALLIONS RALLY IN LATE INNINGS, TOP ELNORA CLIPPERS, STALLIONS IPA CHAMPS FOR 4TH TIME
The South Fork Stallions rode off into the sunset with their 4th Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy Saturday afternoon... the Stallions surged late in game six and came back to beat the hard-headed and hang-tough Elnora
Clippers 4 games to 2 in the IPA Pro Cup Series... South Fork nosed out the Clippers in a riveting spellbinder 7-6 in 10 innings.

2077 IPA Pro Cup Series Stars of the Day - Game 6
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Congratulations South Fork! What a dramatic finish to the series, both Games 5 and 6.

I was pulling for Elnora and George Costanza, but I'm a South Fork fan too, so I can live with the result.

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Sunday, November 7, 2077

SOUTH FORK RELIEVER HALLORAN NABS 2077 PRO CUP MVP AWARD
The 2077 Pro Cup champion South Fork Stallions corralled the Pro Cup with a solid combination of offense, good starting pitching, excellent bullpen work and standout defense... the one name that constantly showed up in the game recaps was reliever Ron Halloran, who appeared in 11 of the 15 postseason games and nabbed the 2077 IPA Pro Cup Series Most Valuable Player Award... Halloran was brilliant in this year's playoffs with a 5-1 mark... he worked 23 innings, gave up just 10 hits, no home runs, fanned 29 batters and issued 10 walks... Halloran limited the opposing teams to a paltry .130 BA, winding up with an impressive 0.78 ERA.

The Stallions had several other stalwarts in the postseason... just about the entire batting order contributed at one time or another in putting suffiecient runs on the scoreboard... right fielder Blaine Shannon was the RBI guy with 13 and he scored 12 runs... third baseman Patrick Packenham led them with 23 hits in 15 games and wound up with a .451 BA... shortstop Carroll Ezzell was second at .344 and catcher Jojo Bond was third with .316... center fielder Carroll Coxe followed at .306... and first baseman Jake Glazer topped them in runs with 16... Coxe stole the most bases with 6.

Halloran picked up over 60% of the baseball writers and broadcasters votes... he was a clear-cut choice... Shannon, Glazer, Coxe and Ezzell were the next highest vote getters... Halloran has been in the IPA for 5 years, the first 3 with the Southport Sun Sox... he joined the Stallions in 2076, signed as a free agent... overall Halloran had had a fine career with 53 wins and only 34 defeats with a 3.34 ERA... the last 3 seasons he has worked out of the bullpen and has posted 29 saves.

The runner-up Elnora Clippers also had several players get some support in the IPA Pro Cup Postseason MVP Award: first sacker Andre Langdon (.344 BA/4 HR/14 RBI/17 R), second baseman Troy Young (.239 BA/2 HR,17 RBI/13 R) and third baseman Ronald Bayless (.292 BA/3 HR/11 RBI/18 R/5 SB).

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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"

Stan "The Man" Musial was my favorite ballplayer... fell in love with him in the early 1950s listening to the St. Louis Cardinals on KMOX with Harry Caray doing the broadcast... Did you know Stan was never thrown out of a ballgame... nope, not a single, solitary time... Stan was a man on the field and off the field, too.

Here an excerpt from Joe Posnanski's fine book "The Baseball 100" - it a book about his choice of the top 100 players in MLB history.... yep, EC is becoming a renaissance man... even reading books now.

"It is true that Stan Musial was never thrown out of a game. There was a game in 1954 that best tells that story. In the seventh inning, the Cubs are up by run. Wally Moon is on first base. Stan is at the plate. Musial promptly doubles, scoring Moon and putting himself in scoring position.

Only he didn't tie the game. The first base umpire Lee Ballanfant called it foul. Everybody at Wrigley Field knew it was fair, but Ballanfant. The appreciative Cubs fans cheered wildly in support of Ballantine's view.

The Cardinals on the bench were not so supportive, as one might imagine. Shortstop Solly Hemus was the first to charge the field and get ejected. Manager Eddie Stanky soon followed him and was colorfully thrown out of the game. Other Cardinal players came on the field, too. Peanuts Lowery charged after home plate umpire Augie Donatelli and was about to get thrown out, too. Stan The Man came in from second base and asked Donatelli what had happened.

"Lee called it foul," Donatelli said.

Instead of arguing, Stan stepped back in the batter's box and promptly rifled another double to almost the exact spot."

That was my Man Stan.

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