Sorry, folks... I tried to get the link to the Nike Untold Truth Website, but couldn't find it... it seems that it may not be there any longer.

I found a few sites that covered the subject a little bit, but they were not well done.

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

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"
John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil Jr. (November 13, 1911 – October 6, 2006) was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs. He signed Lou Brock to play for the Cubs. In his later years he became a popular and renowned speaker and interview subject, helping to renew widespread interest in the Negro leagues, and played a major role in establishing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Sadly 16 years after his death, Buck was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 as an executive. Buck should have been elected before he died.

Buck O'Neil was just an average first baseman in the Negro Leagues. He must have been a very good manager. The Kansas City Monarchs only hired good manager. Most of all, Buck was a Hall of Fame person. Buck was the eternal optimist as you can see from his quotes.

O'Neil's life was documented in Joe Posnanski's 2007 book "The Soul of Baseball".

Quotes from Buck O'Neill:
"Don't shed any tears. You think about this, the grandson of a slave. And here the whole world was excited about whether or not I was going into the Hall of Fame or not. We've come a long ways."

"A lot about the game has changed, and thankfully, much of it has gotten better. There is still a lot of work to do, but today we have a Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, we have black owners, managers and executives of teams... and look what Nike has done. The Untold Truth Collection represents more a jersey or a pair of sneakers. It represents our lives, our story, our legacy."

The Nike Untold Truth Collection site features the different Negro League Baseball teams of the past that Nike is representing for their collection. Along with the collection that consists of the sneakers and the Untold Truth Baseball Jerseys, the site will also feature video episodes about Negro League Baseball and the Negro League Basebal Museum.

Attachment 947552
2077 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award

TU GOLDEN ARM GOES MAHASKA STAR HURLER DUROSA
The Golden Arm Trophy, symbolic for excellence in pitching, has been awarded by the Islandian Pro Alliance and the winner is Leo Durosa, a 31-year-old right-hander for the Mahaska Haymakers... he impressed the baseball writers and broadcasters and received their votes over two standouts peers, Wyatt Quinton of the Turon Typhoons and William Pike of the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats, who ranked second and third in the best-pitcher category.

With a record of 21-11 Durosa was certainly a worthy recipient... He made 37 starts and rang up 275 innings with 210 Ks and a 2.06 ERA, which was not only the best ERA in the Tycobbian Union, but he also led the IPA, too... in his 5th year with Mahaska, Durosa has recorded a 53-33 mark with a 2.84 ERA... the Haymakers (79-75) almost won the Tycobbian North Division, winding up a close 3rd behind winner Hartsdale (82-72) and runner-up Blue Lakes (81-73)... Mahaska finished just 3 games out in the pennant chase... Durosa is a first-time honoree.

Number two in the TU Golden Arm balloting was Turon's Wyatt Quinton... he paced the Typhoons to the TU South pennant with a super 23-9 mark with a fine 2.21 ERA... Quinton throws right and is in his 3rd season with Turon... he topped the Tycobbian Union with 23 victories... Turon (97-57) captured the TU South title by 8 games over second place Colchester (89-55)... the Typhoons had the top record in the IPA this season.

Number three in the best-pitcher voting was Tuckanarra's longtime ace, William Pike... at age 33 the righty composed an impressive 22-10 record with a strong 2.52 ERA... the Tucks (86-68) ended up 2nd in the TU East standings, trailing IPA Pro Cup champion South Fork (88-66) by only 2 games... lifetime Pike is 161-105 with a very good 2.94 ERA... he is an 11-year veteran and 4-time All-Star.

Attachment 947553
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Attachment 947556

2077 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year

MCCANDLISH BEST ROOKIE IN TYCOBBIAN UNION
Good, impactful newcomers were few and far between for most of the teams in the Islandian Pro Alliance... new blood was sparse this season... however, it was a little bit better story in the Tycobbian Union... there were three worthy rookies... after all the votes were counted the 2077 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award went to Scotty McCandlish, first baseman for the Arlon Champions... the 23-year-old McCandlish outpolled Cape Coral right fielder Loren Mickelson and Ginza right fielder Akio Tanaka for the honor.

McCandlish fashioned a .290 BA, piled up 152 hits in 141 games with 24 homers, 75 RBIs, 77 runs, 88 walks and a .392 OBP... while McCandlish excelled, his Champions suffered through a long and frustrating season... Arlon was a pathetic 51-103 and came in absolutely last in the TU West with the worst record in the IPA.

2 talented right fielders fought it out for the second spot in the rookie poll... the runner-up was Cape Coral's Loren Mickelson... the 29-year-old outfielder flourished this season with a .320 BA and 173 hits in 130 games... Mickelson smacked 33 doubles, 12 triples, 2 homers, stole 28 bases, drove in 51 runs and scored 92 times... his Arlon Champions did not fare well this year, posting a dismal 51-103 mark and winding up at the bottom of the TU North.

Akio Tanaka made his debut at age 25, playing in only 98 games and finishing with a .329 BA, 10 homers, 51 ribbies, 69 runs and 19 SB... the Ginza Ninjas didn't have a shining season, going 72-82, 25 games out of first place in the TU South, ending up in the 6th spot, 25 behind the division champ Turon.

Attachment 947790
Attachment 947791
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Attachment 947793

Imagine if Arlon didn't have Scotty McCandlish? They may have lost over 110 games.

It's a shame when a real good ballplayer gets stuck on a poor team for his career.

A few times I have traded a great player for multiple good players... the trade helped both teams.

Attachment 948255
2077 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Team

TU HONORS GOLDEN GLOVERS FOR 2077
Not a lot of repeat performers on the Tycobbian Union Golden Glove team this season... these are the guys that day after day, game after game provide consistent and sometimes eye-catching defense... they win games with their defensive skills and acumen... Denton City center fielder Donald Wilhelm made the Golden Glove team for the 3rd time in his career... Colchester shortstop Jaan Kask has copped one twice in his career and Summerland left fielder Armand Hauer has won it twice as well... the rest of the team were first-time recipients. There were no rookies chosen this season.

Pitcher: John Michael Rupp (Arlon Champions)
(1.000 FA/17 PO/39 assists/3 DP) (16-17/4.37 ERA)
First-Time Winner

Catcher: Liam McWhirter (La Claire Lynx)
(.989 FA/88 assists/11 DP) (.294 BA/14 HR/65 RBI/53 R/6 SB)
3-Time Winner

First Baseman: Matty Cardosa (San Alejo Montaneros)
(.997 FA/118 assists) (.315 BA/31 HR/118 RBI/110 R/41 SB)
First-Time Winner

Second Baseman: (.987 FA/384 assists) (.200 BA/19 HR/54 RBI/69 R/7 SB)
First-Time Winner

Third Baseman: Johnny Davidson (Kenwood Wildcats)
(.975 FA/288 assists/26 DP) (.340 BA/4 HR/73 RBI/96 R/12 SB)
First-Time Winner

Shortstop: Jaan Kask (Colchester Elites)
(.979 FA/473 assists) (.290 BA/0 HR/51 RBI/62 R/3 SB)
2-Time Winner

Left Fielder: Armin Hauer (Summerland Sunsets)
(.987 FA/289 PO/8 assists/4 DP) (.265 BA/6 HR/59 RBI/81 R/27 SB)
2-Time Winner

Center Fielder: Donald Wilhelm (Denton City Redbirds)
(.992 FA/377 PO/16 assists/5 DP) (.308 BA/5 HR/50 RBI/95 R/49 SB)
3-Time Winner

Right Fielder: Kris Timberlake (Bayview Vikings)
(.990 FA/297 PO/15 assists/0 DP) (.256 BA/21 HR/85 RBI/78 R/26 SB)
First-Time Winner


Attachment 948256
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Attachment 948259

2077 Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player

SOUTH FORK'S EZELL NAMED TU MVP OVER CARDOSA AND WELSH
The Islandian Pro Alliance named shortstop Carroll Ezzell of the South Fork Stallions this year's Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player... Ezzell came in first in the balloting, edging out San Alejo first baseman Matty Cardosa and Denton City first sacker Virgil Welsh... this is Ezzell's second time to be honored as the TU MVP... he also won it in 2073.

Ezzell had a great season this year, leading South Fork to the TU East Division title and topping it off with the Pro Cup Trophy... his Stallions won the revered prize defeating the Elnora Clippers of the Ruthlandian Union in 6 games... in 149 games Ezzell batted .336 with 200 hits, 9 homers, 70 RBIs, 100 runs and 68 stolen bases... lifetime the 31-year-old infielder is carrying a .336 BA in his 9 years in South Fork... Ezzell is a 4-time All-Star.

San Alejo star Matty Cardosa came in a very close second to Ezell... the 24-year-old had another standout season with a .315 BA in 152 games with 31 roundtrippers, 118 ribbies, 110 runs and 41 stolen bases... Cardosa is a 3-time All-Star, 2074 Rookie of the Year and a Golden Glove recipient... however, his Montaneros had a poor season, winding up 7th in the TU South with a 70-84 mark... they finished 27 games behind pennant-winning Turon.

At age 32, Virgil Welsh is a 10-year veteran, all with Denton City... Welsh was a very close third in the MVP race... he led the TU with 39 doubles, 34 homers and 119 RBIs, while batting .296 in 152 games... the Redbirds ended up in second place this season in the TU West, just 2 games behind division winner La Claire... Welsh was the 2076 TU Most Valuable Player and Golden Bat... he wound up in third place in this season's MVP voting... Welsh has topped the Tycobbian Union the last three years in RBIs.

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Attachment 949078

TURON'S SCOTTSDALE VOTED BEST SKIPPER IN TU
For 10 seasons it's been nothing but prosperity in Turon for manager Nate Scottsdale... 6 pennants, one Pro Cup, but no Manager of the Year awards... finally, it happened this season, but it took a remarkable year to win it over two other standout skippers, Denzel Durand of Colchester and Jay Murphy of South Fork... at long last, Nate Scottsdale is the 2077 Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year and very deservingly so... the Typhoons surged from 85-69 in the Tycobbian South Division to a remarkable IPA-leading 97-57 this year... that is a tremendous turnaround... Turon came in second in '76, trailing division champion San Alejo by 9 games... this year they won it by 8 games over the Colchester Elites... Scottsdale finally snared the pretigious award and trophy, but it was a super-tight ballot... he edged out two capable peers, Durand and Murphy.

The runner-up in the best manager poll was Denzel Durand... he is a relative newcomer in IPA managerial circles... he joined the hapless Colchester Elites in 2075 after they had lost 102 games... Durand struggled in his first two seasons, but they took off this year, going from 66-88 and 7th place to 89-65 and second place... 28 games behind to just 8 games behind.

Third place in the Manager of the Year voting went to longtime South Fork skipper Jay Murphy... he has enjoyed much success since taking over in 2058 with 5 TU division flags and 2 Pro Cup trophies... he won the whole shebang in 2073 and this year... despite his impressive performance over the years, Murphy never managed to get the best manager award... this season the Stallions improved from third place and 80-74 to 88-66 and first place. His club lost the division by 11 games in '76, but won the hotly-contested race this season by 2 games over the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats, 4 games better than the Ozarka Naturals and 5 games ahead of the Hillsboro Blazers.

All three of the managers were pitchers in the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Nate Scottsdale was a Hall-of-Fame hurler for Turon, compiling a 362-277 record from 2037 to 2056... he was selected for the IPA Hall of Fame in 2057... the Typhoons captured 6 division crowns when he was playing, but they never won the IPA Pro Cup in his career.

Denzel Durand was a journeyman hurler for the Colchester Elites... he labored through some lean years from 2048 to 2058, posting a 168-169 mark with a decent 3.71 ERA. Twice in his 11 seasons Durand chalked up over 20 wins. The club only had two winning seasons during his time.

Jay Murphy starred for South Fork from 2038 to 2053 with a 250-185 mark and a solid 3.24 ERA... most of the time the Stallions were just an average ballclub, but they did win the Pro Cup in 2042 and Murphy was 27-8 with a 2.59 ERA... he was also 5-3 in the playoffs that year with a 3.98 ERA... South Fork won 3 pennants during his playing days.

(Special thanks to txranger, No Pepper and EC for the excellent primary logos... txranger did the fantastic IPA logo)

Ah... finally the 2077 Islandian Pro Alliance season is finished.

May take a few days rest before beginning 2078... might take a week off.

I am too busy these days... too many activities... too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Then again, I am really blessed to have such a great active life.

EC should be more thankful... I should be much less a perfectionist, especially when you only have feeble capabilities and limited skills.

Life is good... yep, life is good today.

Thank you, Almighty, Merciful and Gracious Creator.

Goodness gracious, the IPA is blessed with wonderful logos, jerseys and caps.

Thanks to all of you that have contributed greatly to the IPA graphics.

And a special thanks to all of you loyal viewers... I much appreciate you, too.

Can't remember for sure, but I am so glad that someone posted that I needed to use more graphics in posting and recapping the IPA.

I think it was StLee... and I totally agreed with him... it was a great suggestion.
I think it was around the 50th season.

Because of his request, I went to the OOTP Mods Forum and ask for help in creating graphics for 64 teams... I would be tarred and feathered if I did that today... times have changed a bit... no rational person ask for that many teams anymore.

The great graphics guys did all 64 teams in about 2 months.

Thank you, StLee.

I have been blessed with another wonderful logo designer... hurricanekevin is reworking the IPA team logos.
He is a great guy and a talented and gifted graphics designer.

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

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

As you know EC have never been an avid reader of books... now late in life, I am getting a taste of what I missed -- the reading enjoyment of good books.

Really enjoyed The Baseball Hundred written by Joe Posnanski... it was very well-written with objectivity, research and humor... it was thoroughly entertaining and informative.

Also just finished musician Charlie Daniels' autobiography Never Look At The Empty Seats... love that title... Charlie, a progressive country rocker, always told his band they were there to give the folks who showed up a great show, regardless of how large or small the crowd was... it rang a bell in my life... I'm not Charlie Daniels, but I do play for 10 to 25 people at Nursing Homes 8 times a month...I talk to them about the songs and artists, talk to them about my life and dance and sing with the residents... it always gets me down when on rare occasions only a few show up due to the fact that the activities directors at the homes don't go and get the residents and bring them to the dining hall where I play my library of recorded hit songs on my high quality stereo PA system... no matter how large or small the attendance is, I try real hard to treat it like it is a full crowd... now, like Charlie Daniels, EC never looks at the empty seats... one time at a veterans home, no one showed up... it was just me and the PA system all by our lonesome... I just started playing music... one lady came in and sat down... I just played songs for her... soon a few more folks came in... when it was over there were 20 residents present, tapping their toes, clapping their hands and singing along in their wheelchairs with the songs they grew up on as teenagers and college kids... I probably played some songs they had to listen to when their own kids were growing up and listening to "their awful kind of music"... despite that most of the them are in wheelchairs, EC also dances with them... I take their hands and we swing and sway to the rhythm of the songs... some of them will move their feet to the music, too... yep, that was a rockin' boppin' great time... one of the best times I ever had... and it started off with a lot of empty seats.

Thank you, Charlie Daniels.

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

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

For EC's current edification and education is a scholarly book about "base ball"- that's the way it was spelled in the early years of the game... hopefully EC will enjoy it, too... it's written by a real scholars, Harold Seymour and his wife Dorothy Seymour Mills... for the first time in history, historians wrote about baseball... previously, it was done by sportswriters, many of which did not do a lot of scholarly research... Joe Posnanski was an exception to this in his books about The Baseball Hundred and his Buck O'Neill book... back in the 1940s, Harold Seymour got the idea of studying baseball as a subject for his doctoral dissertation at Cornell University... he and his wife, also a noted baseball historian and researcher, wrote a 3-volume set entitled Baseball - Volume 1: The Early Years (1960), Volume 2: The Golden Age (1971) and Volume 3: The People's Game (1990).

So far, it is a tedious, scholarly book, but very informative... not any humor at all... it is kind of mundane and dull... yep, that's what it is, but I will suffer through it to get possibly the "real" history of baseball... as historians, the Seymours only wants the facts... like Sgt. Joe Friday of the 1950s Dragnet TV show they only want the "facts ma'am, just the facts"... there is no hearsay in this book... they note a lot of baseball history is myth and not true... we don't really know who codified baseball rules and created the sport... it wasn't Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York... he made no mention in his writings about the game of baseball or of ever playing base ball as a kid... none of the towns he lived in made mention of his involvement in baseball... Doubleday was not athletic at all... and he wasn't in Cooperstown when he supposedly created baseball.

Interesting baseball facts:
The earliest record of baseball in America the Seymours found was in the journal of a Revolutionary War soldier, George Ewing, who tells of playing a game of "base" at Valley Forge on April 7, 1778... later a diary entry of a Princeton student in 1786 briefly described a game of "baste ball" on the campus.

The first organized game that much is known about was arranged by the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York... this was a group of gentlemen that got together to socialize and exercise... it was a social club or a country club with strict membership rules and regulations... social intercourse was more important than the athletic competition... the Knickerbockers first match was played June 19, 1846 at Elysian Fields in New York City...the opponent was the New York Base Ball Club... the rules at this time called for the game to be over when one team reached 21 aces (runs)... the two clubs played only 4 innings and the New York Base Ball Club thumped the Knickerbockers 23-1... for some reason the winner scored 2 more runs than necessary.

The Knickerbockers did not take the game of base ball too seriously like the new base ball clubs did... they kind of faded out of existence after about 10 years of operation.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

2022 IPA PLAYOFF PREVIEW
(best-of-seven)

REIGNING CHAMP Rovers Favored Over Reds In IPA Pro Cup Playoffs, Sligo Picked To Win 2nd Straight Pro Cup Trophy
If the predictions are right, it will be the Sligo Rovers of the Ruthlandian Union going up against the Rolling Hills Reds of the Tycobbian Union in this year's IPA Pro Cup finals. In The Islandian Times annual poll the Rovers were named the favorite team in the playoffs and they are expected to capture a second consecutive Pro Cup crown. Rolling Hills was the second choice of the pollsters with Crystal Lake running third and Arroyo Grande fourth. Ancona came in fifth, Wynnamac sixth, Midway seventh and Luxora came in eighth and last.

Sligo has a good all-round club with superb pitching (2.77 ERA-2nd) and solid firepower (.265 BA-6th). Rolling Hills counters with good pitching (3.28 ERA/4th), great defense (.978 FA) and adequate hitting (.267 BA- 6th).

The IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series open this afternoon at four sites. In the Ruthlandian Union Crystal Lake will host Ancona, while Sligo is at home against Wynnamac. Over in the Tycobbian Union it will be Rolling Hills entertaining the Midway Wolves and Arroyo Grande tangles with the Luxora Zorros at the Suns ballpark.

The Islandian Times Poll Rankings
1. Sligo Rovers (RU)
Team Record: 95-59 (2nd)
Team BA: .265 (6th)
Team Scoring:785 runs (5th)
Team HR: 159 (4th)
Team ERA 2.77 (2nd)
Team Defense: .973 FA (10th-tied)

2. Rolling Hills Reds (TU)
Team Record: 96-58 (2nd)
Team BA: .267 (6th)
Team Scoring: 777 (5th)
Team HR: 140 (18th-tied)
Team ERA: 3.28 (4th)
Team Defense .978 FA (1st)

3. Crystal Lake Crushers (RU)
Team Record: 97-57 (1st)
Team BA: .253 (21st)
Team Scoring: 667 runs (25th)
Team HR: 113 (22nd-tied)
Team ERA: 2.66 (1st)
Team Defense: .971 FA (18th-tied)

4. Arroyo Grande Suns (TU)
Team Record: 97-57 (1st)
Team BA: .275 (2nd)
Team Scoring: 855 runs (1st)
Team HR: 220 (2nd)
Team ERA: 3.55 (10th)
Team Defense: .964 FA (32nd)

5. Ancona Red Elephants (RU)
Team Record: 84-70 (7th)
Team BA: .265 (5th)
Team Scoring: 788 runs (3rd)
Team HR: 170 (3rd)
Team ERA: 3.68 (11th)
Team Defense: .971 (18th-tied)

6. Wynnamac Sundowners (RU)
Team Record: 93-61 (
Team Batting: .263 (10th)
Team Scoring: 752 runs (11th)
Team HR: 123 (19th)
Team ERA: 3.25 (3rd)
Team Defense: .971 FA (18th-tied)

7. Midway Wolves (TU)
Team Record: 92-62 (3rd)
Team Batting: .259 (12th)
Team Scoring: 774 (6th)
Team HR:179 (4th)
Team ERA: 3.25 (3rd)
Team Defense: .973 FA (14th-tied)

8. Luxora Zorros (TU)
Team Record: 84-70 (7th)
Team Batting: .247 (25th)
Team Scoring: 690 runs (16th)
Team HR: 161 (6th)
Team ERA: 3.40 (8th)
Team Defense: .967 FA (26th-tied)

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
(Recap of 2022 IPA Playoffs)

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

IPA Elite 8 Series Picks
The Crystal Lake Crushers are back again in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs after a year's absence. The 3rd-seeded Crushers won it all in 2020 under manager Herman "Baby " George and have a better team this year according to the experts. They drew a tough ball club in the RU Elite 8. The 5th-seeded Ancona Red Elephants (84-70) hit very well and have pretty fair pitching, while Crystal Lake (97-57) tied Arroyo Grande of the Tycobbian Union for the best record in the IPA this year. The Crushers have great pitching with three 20-game winners in veterans Duncan Welch (23-12 2.18), Ralph McCullough (20-9 2.56) and rookie phenom Dennis Taylor (21-9 2.41). In a super trade, the Crushers acquired star RF Augie Marshall from Taranto in August and now have him in the lineup to support all-time legendary 1B Phil Gravelli (.312 BA/21 HR/87 RBI) and 2B Greg Murphy (.312 BA/14 HR/61 RBI). Marshall (.293 BA/24 HR/97 RBI) is a much-needed addition and could be a crucial factor in the playoffs.

The key to the series is Manny Mickens' mound corps: Clete Dukas (17-14 3.29), Spiros Zodiates (16-8 3.40) and Hubie Croft (13-13 3.16). If they can stop the Crushers Big 3, Ancona has a shot at winning. The Red Elephants have one of the best attacks in the IPA with 3B Todd Nasso (.306 BA/32 HR/109 RBI), 1B Alekos Kotas (.301 BA/27 HR/125 RBI), LF Kenny Willard (.320 BA/27 HR/103 RBI) and SS Yanni Kouris (.303/10 HR/63 RBI).

Prediction: Pitching will prevail... Crystal Lake in 6 games... but it won't be easy... Ancona can hit with the best of them.

It will the defending Pro Cup champions, the Sligo Rovers (95-59), battling the Wynnamac Sundowners (93-61) in the other RU postseason match-up. Sligo is the top seed and favored to win the whole shebang again. Skipper Eddie Keys has standout pitching and rock-solid bats. They can hit with Ancona and pitch as well as Crystal Lake. Every regular has double-digit homers, led by 3B Manny Alou (.272 BA/29 HR/115 RBI), 2B Garlin Delk (.303 BA/15 HR/101 RBI), LF Biff Blauer (.322 BA/10 HR/91 RBI), C Sherman Albert (.253 BA/23 HR/81 RBI), RF Clell Renshaw (.289 BA/20 HR/80 RBI), 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.280 BA/21 HR/77 RBI). On the hill Sligo will go with Les Patterson (18-9 1.94), Ralph Odakota (20-11 2.49) and Luka Abromowitz (19-10 3.25) as starters. 24-game winner Sam Tate (24-9 2.42) will switch to the bullpen for the playoffs. Keys has a poor bullpen. That's the Rovers one weakness. Tate went to the bullpen because he has better control and also Abromowitz outpitched him in the playoff last year. Abromowitz was 3-0 with a 3.56 ERA, while Tate was 1-1 and 4.82.

Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners are an unheralded 6th-seed by the prognosticators, but they do possess three fine starters in Lon Marshall (24-11 2.90), Jerry Meeks (20-13 3.24) and Dean Barber (15-9 2.88) and a talented closer in Jim Horton (6-6 2.05). Horton notched 25 saves this season. At the plate Wynnamac features four .300 hitters: 2B Liam Cadbury (.322 B/26 HR/103 RBI), RF Bob Carr (.318 BA/4 HR/73 RBI), LF Joey Eaton (.313 BA/20 HR/83 RBI) and CF Ian Holmes (.301 BA/0 HR/52 RBI/102 R). Star 1B Pete Simmons (.296 BA/21 HR/102 RBI) boasts a big bat, too. It really isn't as much of a mismatch as you would think.

Prediction: Sligo will prevail in six games, but the Sundowners will make them sweat.

In the Tycobbian Union it will be 2nd-seed Rolling Hills and 7th-seed Midway in one Elite 8 Series and 4th-seeded Arroyo Grande and 8th-seeded Luxora in the other series. Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills Reds (96-58) may be the best all-around team in the IPA with strong pitching, pretty fair hitting and excellent defense. The Reds will live and die with the offense. If RF Manuel Leon (.269 BA/29 HR/99 RBI), rookie SS Tony Ptacek (.275 BA/31 HR/93 RBI), LF Donnie Lewis (.295 BA/6 HR/73 RBI/106 R), 1B Mickey Greene (.264 BA/17 HR/83 RBI) and CF Mark Coker (.279 BA/19 HR/75 RBI) can hold up their end of the bargain, Rolling Hills can go far in the playoffs.

The Midway Wolves (92-62), guided by Cochise Chandler, are a talented team with strong pitching and good power. Motega Wolf (21-9 2.44) is the ace, although Dakota Dyami (25-8 3.45) led the club in wins. Bobby Dorignac (19-14 2.74) gives Midway another standout starter. Chandler's bullpen could be a problem. Offensively, the Wolves depend on LF Chitto Chandler (.299 BA/30 HR/101 RBI), 2B Frank Reinhard (.301 BA/27 HR/89 RBI), 3B Rob Gigler (.306 BA/13 HR/69 RBI) and RF Kyle Rigney (.270 BA/21 HR/70 RBI). Midway has good home-run power with 179 hit out of the park for the year. Rolling Hills hit 140 for the season.

Prediction: Both clubs have strong pitching... Rolling Hills is superb, while Midway is very good... offensively the two teams are fairly even... defensively, the advantage goes to Rolling Hills... it should be quite a series with the Reds taking it in six games.

Arroyo Grande (97-57) topped the Tycobbian Union in victories and tied Crystal Lake in the Ruthlandian Union for the IPA lead. Cyclone Cobb's Suns have a high-powered offense, the best in the IPA with a .275 BA, 220 homers and 855 runs, ranking second in all categories. The pitching is not on par with the offense. If the pitchers can keep the Suns in the ball game, the teams will go far in the postseason. Arroyo Grande needs strong efforts from Sixto Zamora (19-13 2.86), Ernie Matthews (22-11 3.31) and Cesar De Leon (23-9 4.03). Cobb's bullpen is in great hands with Jason Patrick (5-4), who racked up 26 saves with an extraordinary 1.10 ERA. And what a batting order the Suns have with rookie sensation 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.323 BA/58 HR/165 RBI), C Gary Troxell (.300 BA/38 HR/98 RBI), LF Eduardo Villanueva (.319 BA/30 HR/91 RBI), SS Andy Pearson (.315 BA/19 HR/70 RBI/85 R) and RF Buddy Bechtel (.288 BA/26 HR/62 RBI/80 R). Pearson missed 50 games in the season with an injury, but still put up healthy numbers.

Cristo Viamonte's lowly-regarded Luxora Zorros (84-70) rely on his mound staff. The Z's are never picked very high in the postseason polls, but they did upset highly-favored Arroyo Grande in 2020 in the opening series and gave perrenial power Ozarka fits in the TU Final 4 that year. Luxora's ace is Tiago Torres, one of the finest hurlers in the IPA. He can almost win a series by himself. Viaconte just needs one of the other two starters to step it up and knock off the Suns in a couple of games. Torres was 21-12 with 7 shutouts and a 2.12 ERA this season. It's up to Mike Boyce (19-13 3.01) and Valerio Lopes (17-12 3.47) deliver the goods and upset Arroyo Grande's apple cart. The Zorro bats are led by LF Jon Stafford (.265 BA/35 HR/103 RBI), CF Johnny Clark (.285 BA/31 HR/102 RBI), C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.273 BA/26 HR/81 RBI) and 2B Julio Canseco (.269 BA/19 HR/81 RBI). Good performances by Boyce and Lopes on the hill and by the Zorro hitters could pull a big surprise in the Suns series.

Prediction: Arroyo Grande has too much firepower... the Suns will win in six... Zamora, Matthews and Patrick should be able to put down the Z's offense.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Sundowners Stop Sligo 3-1 In Opener
In the opening game of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series at Sligo, Wynnamac got magnificent pitching from Lon Marshall and Jim Horton, who stopped the hometown Rovers and defender Pro Cup champs 3-1 in 10 innings... 1B Pete Simmons' two-out double plated CF Ian Holmes with the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth... 2B Liam Cadbury followed with another double to score Simmons... Marshall (1-0) worked 9 innings, holding the hard-hitting Rovers to just 5 hits... Marshall fanned 8 and walked two for the win... closer Jim Horton registered the save with a scoreless bottom of the tenth... loser Les Patterson was also outstanding... he went all 10 innings with 10 strikeouts and a walk... the Sundowners got 10 hits off Patterson... Sligo got only 6 hits... CF Chris Michel had the game's only homer... he tied the game at 1-1 in the eighth to send it to overtime... game two will also take place at Silver Mountain Park in Sligo.

Welch Tosses 2-Hitter, Crushers Beat Ancona 3-0
The Crystal Lake Crushers are off-and-running in the RU Elite 8 Series... Duncan Welch (1-0) hurled a brilliant 2-hit shutout in the 3-0 triumph over the Ancona Red Elephants at Lakefront Park in Crystal Lake... Welch had 7 Ks and 4 walks... it was a scoreless duel until the last of the seventh between Welch and Clete Dukas, the 40-year-old Ancona ace... Crystal Lake tallied 3 unearned runs to beat Dukas... the winning run scored on an error by SS Yanni Kouris, who misplayed a grounder... two batters later 2B Tommy Gompers doubled in two more runs... Dukas (0-1) deserved better... he went the route and gave up 6 hits and no earned runs.

Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Torres Tremendous, 2-Hits Suns 8-0
On the road at Capet Stadium in Arroyo Grande, Luxora shocked the Suns 8-0 in the first game of the Tycobbian Elite 8 on Tiago Torres' splendid 2-hitter... the Z's zapped out 13 hits to totally demolish the Suns... C Jim Thorpe Chandler and 3B Robby Christianson each drilled 3 hits, while Chandler and LF Jon Stafford drove in 2 runs apiece... losing pitcher Sixto Zamora (0-1) was battered for 6 runs in 6+ innings... Luxora busted it open with 3 in the fourth inning and 2 more in the sixth.

Reds Top Wolves 6-3 In Game 1
At beautiful and picturesque Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills, the Reds topped the Midway Wolves 6-3 in game one of the TU Elite 8 Series... a 2-run homer by 1B Mickey Greene put the Reds in front 6-2 in the fifth and starter Errol Gaudet (1-0) made it stand up for the victory... Gaudet yielded 3 runs and 7 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks in his 8 innings... closer Alfonso Gonzales worked a runless ninth for the save... Rolling Hills only got 5 hits, but they were enough... Wolves starter Dakota Dyami (0-1) suffered the defeat, surrendering all 5 hits and 6 runs in his 4 innings... in a terrible outing Dyami walked 6, while striking out 4.

I just added 2 created rookies to the rosters of 32 teams of the 64 teams... they were all 18-21.

The 2077 rookie class was thin... teams are getting too old... no young players.

Wow!

Finished all 64 teams this afternoon.

Can now head to spring training for the brand-spanking new 2078 IPA season.

Yowser, Yowser, Yowser.

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 22, 2022

IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series
(best-of-seven)

Ruthlandian Union

Rovers Even Series, Thump Sundowners 7-4
In game two at Sligo's Silver Mountain Park, the Rovers rebounded from a series-opening shellacking by thumping visiting Wynnamac 7-4 to even up the RU Elite 8 at a game apiece... the Rovers racked up 11 hits and were led by 1B Johnny Lee Harder with 2 hits and 3 RBIs... RF Clell Renshaw belted 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs... both Harder and Renshaw hammered solo homers in the opening frame... Sligo built up a 6-1 after five innings and were never headed... Ralph Odakota (1-0) notched the win by working 8 innings, allowing 4 runs and 9 hits in a so-so performance... new postseason closer Sam Tate closed it out with a perfect ninth... Jerry Meeks lost it for the Sundowners... he was whacked for 6 runs, only 3 earned, in 6 innings... LF Joey Eaton (.250) paced Wynnamac with 2 hits, including a 2-run homer in the sixth... the Rovers had an 11-9 advantage in hits.

Crystal Lake Crushes Ancona 9-1 In Game 2
Everybody said Crystal Lake had great pitching and they have certainly showed it in the first two games of the RU Elite 8 Series... in game two Ralph McCullough (1-0) fired a 1-hitter to whip Ancona 9-1 and go up two games to none in the RU Elite 8 Series... McCullough went the distance, fanned 3 and walked 3... the only hit he gave up was a third-inning single to SS Yanni Kouris (.333)... Spiro Zodiates was KO'd in the 7-run third after being smacked for 5 hits and 3 bases on balls... Crystal Lake collected 9 hits... leading the Crushers at bat was RF Andy Marshall (.500) with a homer and 2 RBIs... SS Alton Sonnenberg (.400) drove in 3 runs with a double and triple... 2B Greg Murphy (.500) went 3-for-3 and LF Jed Franks (.143) had 2 runs batted in.


Tycobbian Union

Zorros Sink Suns 8-6 on 3-run HR
The experts say the Luxora Zorros are the worst team in the Pro Cup playoffs, but they haven't quite lived up to that reputation in the first two games of the TU Elite 8 with the favored Arroyo Grande Suns... The Z's powered 3 home runs to come back and beat the Suns 8-6 in the second game of the series... trailing 5-1 after 5 innings, 2-run shots by C Jim Thorpe Chandler in the sixth and LF Jon Stafford in the seventh gave Luxora a 6-5 lead... the Suns quickly tied it in the bottom of the inning, but the Zorros retaliated with two in the top of the eighth to win it... pinchhitter Francisco Ortega's sacrifice fly was the game-winner... RF Rick Schaffner (.333) got the second run in with a single... Chandler (.600) collected 3 hits for the Z's with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs, while Stafford (.400) had 2 hits and 2 RBIs.

Arroyo Grande's fabulous rookie 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.286) had a double and a single and batted in 4 runs to lead the Suns... Vizcarra led the IPA with 58 roundtrippers in his freshman season... RF Buddy Bechtel (.429) added 2 hits and 2 RBIs... Luxora had 11 hits and the Suns 10... The Zorros got fine work from the bullpen... four relievers blanked the Suns over the final 4 and two-thirds innings on just one hit... Frankie Kisielius (1-0) picked up the win with 2 scoreless innings... Tommy Wrightman closed it out in the ninth for the save... reliever Steve Sampson (0-1) worked the last 3 frames and lost it... he was touched for 2 hits and 2 runs.

Wolves Wolf Whips Reds 3-2, Series Tied
After two games the TU Elite 8 between Rolling Hills and Midway is tied at one game each... the Wolves evened it with a 3-2 triumph, getting a fine outing from Motega Wolf, who went 8 innings and stopped the Reds on 2 runs and 7 hits... closer Dom Vilaggio saved it for Wolf (1-0) with the loss going to Sal Jordan (0-1)... Jordan struck out 9, walked 4 and gave up 3 runs and 6 hits in his 9 innings... the Wolves went up with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames... Rolling Hills mounted a late-inning rally, but fell one run short... LF Chitto Chandler (.125), C Sammy Murphy (.333) and SS Maska Chandler (.167), Chitto's brother, each drove in a run to spark Midway... Rolling Hills got 8 hits and were led by SS Tony Ptacek (.400) and C Duane Simon (.200), who batted in the runs with singles.