For the first time ever, the League All-Star logos were in the game... I have never been able to load them in previous versions... this time they were there... it must have automatically loaded them.

Special thanks to txranger... he made them for me years ago.

EC is really loving OOTP24.

Attachment 955033
Monday, August 1, 2078

6 GOOD RACES GOING INTO THE FINAL TWO MONTHS OF THE IPA SEASON
6 of the 8 Islandian Pro Alliance divisions are still up in the air... 35 of the 64 teams can still make their postseason and Pro Cup dreams come true by playing some good baseball down-the-stretch in the final two months of the season... the only clubs with a comfortable margin are the Ranford Bulls and the Turon Typhoons... but even they are not in the clear yet... Ranford has a 6 and a half-game lead in the Ruthlandian North and Turon is 9 games ahead in the Tycobbian South... the Bulls are fending off the Valmara Vipers and last year's winner, the Kilkenny Cats, while the Typhoons will try to stave off the Southport Sun Sox and the Summerland Sunsets and chalk up their 7th TU South flag in the last 9 seasons... Ranford has contended well for the last 4 years... they won the RU North in 2075.

5 clubs are in a dogfight in the Ruthlandian South race... Belair Beach is being highly-pressured by last year's winner, the Valka Blackhawks, just one-half game behind... Crystal Lake trails by just 2 and a half games... Grand City is only 5 and a half out... and St. John is 5th and just 6 games off the pace.

The Marston Nine is trying to nail down their 5th pennant in 13 years in the Ruthlandian East... Eastshore and Wynnamac have the best shot at them, one game behind... Sugar Valley is 5 and a half games behind the Nine... Belle Plaine and Cold Creek could still get into the tangle... last year's champ Elnora is not looking so good in the 7th spot in the standings, 10 and a half games off the pace.

6 teams are still in the chase in the Ruthlandian West... Sligo has its hands full with preseason favorite Forest City and Rocky Rapids... they are only 2 and a half-game back... Middlefield, just 3 GB... Fort Benton, last year's winner is in the 5th spot in the standings, but just 3 and a half games out... 6th place Stoner is 4 and a half games behind and still a strong contender.

6 clubs are going at it in the Tycobbian North... only 5 games separate them... White River is one game up on Hartsdale, last year's flag winner... followed snugly by Blue Lake (2 GB), North Hills (3 GB), Luxora (3 1/2 GB) and Oxford (5 GB).

This year's Pro Cup favorite Turon is looking fine in the Tycobbian South, in front by 9 games in August... it is doubtful Southport and Summerland can catch them.

Looking great in their new Blue Jay uniforms, Tuckanarra is playing like the good old days, but is being pressured by a big bunch of challengers, including the reigning Pro Cup champion South Fork Stallions, just 2 and a half games out... Ozarka is 3 and a half games behind... High Mesa and Hillsboro are close by, too, just 4 games off the pace... Red Bluff could easily win the race in the last two months of the season... plenty of time to make up 5 games.

The best in the Tycobbian West at this time is the Bayview Vikings, but not by much... 2 good clubs are clinging close by... preseason choice Denton City is just a game out of first place... defending divison champ Kenwood is also right on their heels, 3 and a half-games behind... even Rollings Hills (7 GB), Chicopee (8 GB) and La Claire (9 GB) can't be eliminated just yet with 50 games left to play.

2078 Ruthlandian Union August 1st Standings
Attachment 955034

2078 Tycobbian Union August 1st Standings
Attachment 955035
Attachment 955036

Attachment 955578
Friday, September 30, 2078

REIGNING PRO CUP CHAMP SOUTH FORK REPEATS IN TU EAST... 4 CLUBS ARE BACK AGAIN IN IPA PLAYOFFS
3 of the 4 Tycobbian Division winners are back again in the Islandian Pro Alliance postseason playoffs this season, including 2077 Pro Cup champion South Fork... the Ruthlandian Union has only one repeat winner from last year... only the Kilkenny Cats managed to make it again.

Ruthlandian Union Season Recap
Reviewing the 2078 year, Kilkenny used its fine pitching to win back-to-back flags in the Ruthlandian North... the Cats staved off the Ranford Bulls and Valmara Vipers by 5 games... the LaGrange Gators wound up in 4th place and 9 GB... Kilkenny lagged back in 4th place at midyear, trailing Ranford by 8 games, but the Cats closed with a fine second-half charge and won the their second straight pennant.

It was a frenetic and frantic season in the Ruthlandian South... it was a 5-way wrangle finally won in a 3-game playoff by the St. John Crusaders... they nipped runner-up Belair Beach by a half game and Crystal Lake by one game... defending divison champion Valka ended up just 5 and a half-game back in the 5th spot... Crystal Lake was a slight preseason favorite... St. John was 6th and 6 games off the pace at the All-Star break, but played well the final two months to cop their first pennant since 2062.

The Macs are back... yep, the Wynnamac Sundowners, the 2076 IPA Pro Cup champion, got back into the baseball spotlight and won the the Ruthlandian East for the 22nd time... the Macs lagged 6 games behind the Marston Nine at midseason, but overtook the Nine with steady play the last 3 months... Marston played poorly the second half of the year and dropped to 4th place in the standings, winding up 5 games out in the race... last year's champ and this year's pennant choice Elnora did not fare well and wound up in 7th place, 9 GB... Eastshore and resurgent Belle Plaine were the hottest contenders... the Cotton Kings fell one game short, while the Musketeers were only 4 games off the pace.

This year's Ruthlandian West winner Sligo pretty much had its way until midyear... Rocky Rapids was the only challenger in the first half of the season... then preseason pick Forest City, Middlefield, Fort Benton and Stoner all got involved... going into the final two months 6 clubs were in serious contention and no more than 4 games behind in the pennant race... consistent play and strong pitching paid off for the Rovers... they narrowly edged out last year's TU West winner, the Fort Benton Defenders, by one game... the Middlefield Roosters by 5 and a half games... and the Rocky Rapids Snappers by 6 and a half games.

Tycobbian Union Recap
The Hartsdale Hellcats, South Fork Stallions and the Turon Typhoons all prevailed and nabbed pennants and playoff spots in the Tycobbian Union... the Hellcats recorded their 4th flag in 7 seasons... the Stallions their 4th in the last decade... and the Typhoons their 7th in the last 9 seasons.

It was hand-to-hand combat this season in the Tycobbian North... the Blue Lake Blue Caps led the league most of the season, always at the top or near the top... by August six clubs had a good shot at the division flag... only 5 and a half games separated sixth place Oxford from league-leading White River... in a super-tight skirmish, thanks to a good August, Hartsdale just barely outlasted Blue Lake by one game, White River and Oxford by 2 games, North Hills by 3 games... Mahaska ended up only 7 games out in 6th place.

Talented Turon led start-to-finish in the Tycobbian South... the Typhoons built a substantial 10-game league by midseason and breezed home 12 games better than runner-up Summerland... nobody was in sight... Southport, 17 GB in third place... and Arroyo Grande 25 GB in fourth place... in the preseason poll Turon was favored to win big and they did... the Typhoons were also the critics' choice to win the 2078 Pro Cup.

The prevailing IPA Pro Cup titlist, the South Fork Stallions, had their troubles this year, beginning with a horrible April (9-17)... they were 9 games back of first place Red Bluff by May 1st... still 6 games back of the Ozarka Naturals in June... and getting close by midseason, trailing the Nats by just 2 games... South Fork then splurged the second half of the year and won the Tycobbian South by 5 games over Ozarka and Tuckanarra, 9 games better than High Mesa and 10 games over front-running Red Bluff... currently the Stallions have their hearts set on winning their 5th Pro Cup Trophy... they will be one of the prime choices in the 2078 IPA Pro Cup playoffs.

In the preseason poll the Kenwood Wildcats were not very highly-regarded... the Wildcats were rated fourth, far behind the prime contenders Denton City, Rolling Hills and Bayview... Kenwood was behind Bayview most of the year... 7 games off the Vikings pace in July... then the Wildcats begin to click and run on all cylinders, finishing up a red-hot 47-27 the rest of the season... no one could keep pace with them... Kenwood blazed past preseason choice Denton City and Bayview, routing them by 9 games... the Wildcats were 10 games superior to the fourth place Rolling Hills Racers... the folks in Kenwood are thinking this could be the Year of the Cat in the Islandian Pro Alliance... yep, the Wildcats just might be a strong presence in the IPA playoffs.

2078 Ruthlandian Union Final Standings
Attachment 955579

2078 Tycobbian Union Final Standings
Attachment 955580

2078 Ruthlandian Union Batting Leaderboard
Attachment 955921
Attachment 955922

2078 Ruthlandian Union Pitching Leaderboard
Attachment 955923
Attachment 955924

2078 Tycobbian Union Batting Leaderboard
Attachment 955925
Attachment 955926

2078 Tycobbian Union Pitching Leaderboard
Attachment 955927
Attachment 955928
Attachment 955929

Attachment 956242
Friday, September 30, 2078

5 CLUBS RETURN TO IPA PRO CUP PLAYOFFS - TURON PICKED TO PREVAIL
Ah... that precious time of the year is back in the Islands... the blistering dog days of Summer are gone, chilled down by the soft cooling breezes from the Southern Sea... Islandian Pro Alliance playoff time is here... 8 division winners vying for the prized 2078 IPA Pro Cup Trophy... reigning king South Fork, Turon, Kenwood, Hartsdale and Kilkenny are back once again, along with newcomers St. John, Wynnamac and Sligo... Turon tops all comers with 5 Pro Cups... South Fork has 4... Wynnamac 4... Hartsdale 2... and Kenwood 1... poor Kilkenny and St. John have never won the beloved trophy... but the Cats and Crusaders are not alone... 30 IPA franchises have never tasted the thrill of winning the IPA Pro Cup... Rolling Hills is the all-time leader with 8 Pro Cups.

According to the Island baseball forecasters this year's champion will be the Turon Typhoons... they were last year's choice, but they fell to eventual champion South Fork in the Tycobbian Union title series... the Stallions are rated the second-best team in the postseason... Kenwood is third and Sligo number four.

The Islandian Pro Alliance playoffs begin tomorrow afternoon... all rounds are best-of-seven series.

IPA Ruthlandian Union First Round:
St. John (Reggie Davis 14-8, 3.59 ERA) at Sligo (Major Rowling 13-3, 2.46 ERA)
Wynnamac (Noel Arboneaux 14-7, 3.21 ERA) at Kilkenny (Jeff Kennon 14-11, 2.25 ERA)

IPA Tycobbian Union First Round:
Hartsdale (Wayne Wolfe 15-12, 2.86 ERA) at Turon (Clete Engstrom 17-6/3.09 ERA)
South Fork (Mitch Hynes 16-9, 2.66 ERA) at Kenwood (Davis Hickerson 20-4, 1.87 ERA)

2078 IPA Pro Cup Preview
1. TURON TYPHOONS (100-54)
You name it and the Typhoons have it... no weakness except for the loss of their fine leadoff man and center fielder Eliott Carleton... for the second straight season he will miss the playoffs due to injury... Carleton is a career .320 hitter... star outfielder Robert Hazle will again lead the offense, while Clete Engstrom and Wyatt Quinlan will head up the solid rotation... this is Turon's 28th postseason appearance.

2. South Fork Stallions (90-64)
The Stallions can handle the bats... have good pitching... but come up short on defense... another problem is the loss of the ace pitcher Mick Flanders... he will not play in the postseason this year due to an arm injury... South Fork won the Pro Cup last year and has most of the same roster back again... the Stallions added pitcher Sonny James and rookie second baseman A.C. DeRouen... just might be a better club this year... 2-time Tycobbian MVP shortstop Carroll Ezzell and star center fielder Carroll Coxe are back to lead them.

3. Kenwood Wildcats (90-64)
The Wildcats have a dynamite staff of starters, but may be troubled on occasion in the bullpen... Davis Henderson led them with a 20-4 mark and a 1.87 ERA, the best in the IPA... otherwise they can play with all of the big boys in the playoffs... Kenwood doesn't hit a lot of homers, but they still can put runs on the scoreboard... it will take a good team to get by the Wildcats... two of the prime Pro Cup challengers, South Fork and Kenwood meet in first-round action.

4. Sligo Rovers (87-68)
Sligo's strength is on the hill... Major Rowling and Andrew Saul are tough competitiors... the bullpen is one of the best in the IPA... however, the Rovers suffer on defense and at the plate... teams have to score runs to win the IPA Pro Cup... it is rare for a team with just pitching to win it all... Wynnamac and St. John may be tough to beat in the Ruthlandian Union with their fairly good offenses... Sligo opens up in round one with weak-hitting Kilkenny... neither of them have much of an attack... but they can certainly pitch.

5. Wynnamac Sundowners
The Macs are the best hitting team in the IPA, along with the St. John Crusaders, their opponent in round one of the playoffs... and they play very good defense... however, neither possesses a strong pitching staff... 'nuff said... neither will win the Pro Cup this year... they will go as far as their pitching takes them.

6. St. John Crusaders (85-72)
St. John will need starters Reggie Davis and Jalen Abercrombie to take it to another level for them to take the Pro Cup... plus the bullpen will also have to produce... the Crusaders can sock the ball and score runs... another shortcoming for St. John is defense... too many errors... however, the Crusaders can cover up a lot of problems with their rock-solid batting order... it's a tough one top to bottom.

7. Kilkenny Cats (90-64)
The Cats might have the best pitching staff in the IPA, but they are near the bottom when it comes to putting runs on the scoreboard... Jeff Kennon and Jethro Firestone would have to pitch lights out for them to take the Pro Cup... the other two starters would have to do it, too... nope, it's not likely to happen.

8. Hartsdale Hellcats (82-72)
Hartsdale comes into the postseason playoffs with the worst record of the 8 division winners... the Hellcats don't hit well and they have so-so starters with a good bullpen... but they play real good defense... that combination will not win a Pro Cup... solid bats and solid pitching will win Pro Cups... that's what Turon has... what South Fork has... and what Kenwood has.

*

Turon Home Page
Attachment 956863

South Fork Home Page
Attachment 956864

Kenwood Home Page
Attachment 956865

Sligo Home Page
Attachment 956866

Wynnamac Home Page
Attachment 956872

St. John Home Page
Attachment 956873

Kilkenny Home Page
Attachment 956874

Hartsdale Home Page
Attachment 956875

Attachment 956876

Time for the best time of the year. Playoff time in Islandia! That Turon team looks tough. But you gotta sim the games. Let's see if someone gets hot. :eatpop:
And Buzz Sawyer is making his debut in the playoffs!?!?! :hardware:

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Dark Horse... had to look him up... a wrestler with a catchy name.

I see you are in four leagues... is there any way to follow them?
I'm sure they must be good ones if you and your Rock Hounds are in them.

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AROUND THE TOWN IN THE IPA

ST. JOHN CRUSADERS

Owner: The Brothers of St. John the Baptist
General Manager/Manager: Nicky Farrugia

St. John is an isolated college town of 79,000, located in the sparsely-settled southwestern part of Ruthlandia. It is in the Southern Lowlands about a 100 miles inland from Belair Bay and the Southern Sea. Originally established by the Brothers of St. John the Baptist as a monastery and religious retreat. It is now the home of St. John University, a center of learning and the country's elite academic institution and research center. The university is run by the St. John Brothers.

The school's academic specialties are educational, agricultural and medical research. The university is the site of the oldest and largest library in the country. It also houses the largest medical center and hospital in Ruthlandia.

The Sisters of the Holy Cross Convent is also in St. John. The nuns are active in nursing and education. Together the two orders supply many doctors, nurses and teachers for the Islands.

Another important industry run by the Brothers is the Crusader Wagon Company, the makers of top-of-the-line cars, trucks and tractors used throughout Tycobbia and Ruthlandia. The company was started in the 1860s and made wagons and buggies, expanding to automobiles in the early 1900s.

The picturesque and idyllic town is filled with parks and boulevards, all centered around the university and is a nice place to call home and raise a family.

St. John is also home of the St. John Crusaders of the IPA's Ruthlandian Union South Division, who play at lovely Cathedral Stadium on the university campus. The stadium has a great view of the revered gothic cathedrals that pervade the campus. The fans also get a great panoramic view of the downtown area in the distance. The outfield walls and buildings in left, center and right fields are made of white marble. The Crusaders are owned and operated by the Brothers of St. John. Spectators and fans at the stadium can feast on wonderful and delicious sandwiches made with bread from the monastery's famous ovens and sample exquisite wines from its classic cellars and delightful cheeses from its marvelous dairies. All available at nominal prices. Typical baseball fare is also offered at the concession stands.

Crusader fans are noted for being true sportsmen in the truest sense of the word. They never boo the umpires or utter a discouraging word toward their beloved team or the visiting clubs. They will even applaud a good play by opposing players. A visit to Cathedral Stadium is truly unique and enjoyable.

The current skipper is Nicky Farrugia, who took over in 2076. Farrugia was a standout outfielder for the Crusaders from 2034 to 2047, batting .321 lifetime (17th-best in IPA history) with 365 homers and 1204 RBIs. He was a 5-time All-Star and won the Ruthlandian MVP and Golden Bat Award in 2039. Farrugia was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2047.

Cathedral Stadium (1948)
Capacity: 7,450

Dimensions:
LF Line 360
LF 375
LCF 390
CF 400
RCF 390
RF 375
RF Line 360