Congrats La Claire! A job well done!

I don't see the recap and box score for Pro Cup Game 5.

Where is CD when you need him?
He is always so good at catching my senile mistakes.

Thanks, jg2977.

Game five was a thriller. The recap is in the same thread with game four.

Yes indeed, Game five was thrilling for Rocky Rapids, but it will be just a footnote. La Claire got the job done in Game six, and that's what will mostly be remembered.

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Wednesday, October 29, 2087

LA CLAIRE ACE GARSETT UNANIMOUSLY CHOSEN IPA PRO CUP MVP
What a season for youthful Shuggie Garsett of the La Claire Lynx. The 23-year-old right-hander not only won 22 games in his second year in the Islandian Pro Alliance, Garsett also dazzled and went unbeaten in 6 postseason games, sparking his Lynx to their very first Pro Cup Trophy. For his outstanding achievements he was unanimously chosen the 2087 IPA Pro Cup Series Most Valuable Player by The Islandian Times sportswriters and broadcasters. Garsett handily outpolled his teammates Culver Jensen, Sonny Zambello, Lyn Holman, Von Eldredge and Stosh Rudarski. He got all the first place votes in the balloting.

Garsett spun two victories in each of the three playoff rounds against the very best teams in the IPA, Ginza, Tuckanarra and Rocky Rapids, posting a 6-0 mark with an outrageously low 0.81 ERA in 45 innings pitched. The top-hitting teams in the IPA only batted .141 against him. During the regular season Garsett fashioned a 22-3 record with a standout 2.17 ERA in 32 starts. So far in his two years with La Claire he is 36-12 with a fine 2.40 ERA. In his rookie season Garsett went 14-9 with a 2.65 ERA in his 32 starts.

Coming in second in the Pro Cup MVP Poll was first baseman Culver Jensen, who had a very productive postseason with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 3 roundtrippers, 18 RBIs and 4 stolen bases, even though he batted only .224. Culver is a 12-year veteran at age 35. He batted .271 this season with 24 homers and 78 RBIs in 117 games. The speedy Jensen also stole 63 bases.

Second baseman Sonny Zambello finished third in the MVP Poll. He hit. 341 with 4 homers, 11 ribbies, scored 12 runs and stole 8 bases in 19 games.

Winding up in fourth place in the postseason balloting was closer Von Eldredge. He played a vital role in the Pro Cup victory, relieving in 10 games, hurling 14 innings and posting 3 saves with a strong 1.88 ERA.

Shortstop Lyn Holman also had a good postseason with a .394 BA, 7 doubles, 9 RBIs, 13 runs, 17 walks and 3 stolen bases. Holman was the fifth highest votegetter.

Right fielder Stosh Rudarski greatly contributed to the La Claire Pro Cup victory with a .290 BA, 1 HR, 14 RBI and 8 runs. Rudarski wound up 6th in the Pro Cup MVP vote.

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I'll recap the Award winners for the 2087 season in next few days or so.

Thanks to all of you for following the Islandian Pro Alliance.
Really appreciate all of you.

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Tuesday, November 11, 2087

2087 AWARDS ACCOLADES ANNOUNCED BY IPA
That time of year has come again. The Islandian Pro Alliance annual awards announcements. Shortstop Jean-Paul Lacombe of Belle Plaine and pitching ace Shuggie Garsett copped the coveted Most Valuable Player honors, Lacombe and Byron Bennigan of Mahaska took the Golden Bat awards, Mike Giroud of Belle Plaine and Garsett nabbed the Golden Arm trophies and Bryant Stubbs of Forest City and Odell Traxon of Mahaska were chosen the Rookies of the Year. Grand City's Vince Kinston and Tuckanarra's Quinn Starr were voted the top managers. Kinston was the best skipper in the Ruthlandian Union, easily beating out Rian Noland of Rocky Rapids and Bert Skippman of Ranford. Quinn Starr edged out Jonny Bacon of La Claire and Harold Dorman of Fairfax in a much closer vote.

2087 Ruthlandian Union Awards

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Ruthlandian Union MVP 2nd Place
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Ruthlandian Union MVP 3rd Place
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2087 Rutlandian Union Golden Bat Award

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RU Golden Bat Award 2nd Place
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RU Golden Bat Award 3rd Place
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2087 Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award

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RU Golden Arm Award 2nd Place
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RU Golden Arm Award 3rd Place
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2087 Rutlandian Union Rookie Of The Year Award

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RU Rookie Of The Year Award 2nd Place
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RU Rookie Of The Year Award 3rd Place
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2087 Tycobbian Union Awards

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TU Most Valuable Player Award 2nd Place
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TU Most Valuable Player Award 3rd Place
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2087 Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award

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TU Golden Bat Award 2nd Place
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TU Golden Bat Award 3rd Place
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2087 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award

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TU Golden Arm Award 2nd Place
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TU Golden Arm Award 3rd Place
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2087 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award

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TU Rookie Of The Year Award 2nd Place
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TU Rookie Of The Year Award 3rd Place
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Wednesday, November 12, 2087

BEST DEFENDER AWARDS GIVEN TO IPA GOLDEN GLOVERS
The best defenders in the Islandian Pro Alliance don't always get the recognition they deserve. The big bats and big arms get most of the glory in the headlines and writeups. However, the baseball folks that know their stuff know the value of defensive excellence. Good, solid defense can do wonders for a pitching staff.

The top glovemen in the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union were announced today by the Islandian Pro Alliance. There were lots of newcomers this season with very few repeat winners. On the 2087 Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Team only Taranto pitcher Frankie Gifford and Colfax second sacker Tim Bozeman have ever won the honor and it was just the second time for them. The 2087 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove squad only has one repeat winner. And it was also just the second time for Oxford right fielder Tookie Westerfield.

Some of the more prominent Golden Glovers in Islandian Pro Alliance history are San Dimas right fielder Norm Owens (2011-2027) with 10 Gold Gloves, the most ever. HOF Sugar Valley catcher Hal Stevenson (2001-2024) and Eastshore shortstop Ollie Daggs (2068-2082) were honored 8 times each. Two backstops Tuffy Palmieri (2051-2064) of St. John and Jim Schubert (2010-2028) were both named on 7 occasions. 6-time winners were HOF Claxton first baseman JoJo DeLucca (2035-2058), Ancona right fielder Walter Glenn (2040-2054), HOF Beechwood center fielder Vic Valenti (2013-2029) and HOF Marston center fielder Russ Woodward (2013-2033). Why do the modern-day players not win in multiple years. It might be the talent level has risen and the competition is more intense. Just guessing. Really don't know.

2087 Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Team:
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2087 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Team:
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Gloria Hallelujah! Another season bites the diamond dust in the IPA.

Onward and upward we go to season #88!

It will take me some time to get ready for the new 2088 season. I have to update the rosters. Also have to create some rookies that are good enough to become regulars and starters, especially pitchers. There was a shortage of good rookie pitchers last year. None of them stood out. I think there were 5 rookies that made the starting rotations on 6he 64 teams. And all of them were just mediocre at best. I did have some good rookie position players.

What takes the most time is fixing the weird names that sometimes show up in the game. Sorry, I am ultra picky. I also have to make sure the ethnic towns have a few new players that match the town's ethnicity.

Glory Hallelujah, EC is so blessed.

"Wit, Quips and Quotes From the Diamond Minds"

My new book "Strange But True Baseball Stories" by Furman Bisher, great Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports editor, is outstanding. I just finished the book and loved it. Most of the stories were obscure and I had never heard them before. A few were known, but still had a little twist to them that I was not aware of.

As you know Stan "The Man" Musial is my all-time favorite athlete. I first "watched him on the radio", listening to Harry Caray when he was the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1950s on KMOX. Yes, it would fade in and out as I listened as teenager in Mobile, Alabama. I fell in love with the Redbirds, Stan "The Man" and Harry.

Excerpt From "Strange But True Baseball Stories"

IMMORTAL BY ACCIDENT
By the time he was nineteen years old, Stan Musial was playing his third season of professional baseball as a pitcher for the Daytona Beach Islanders in the Class D Florida State League. Stan was a wild lefthander his first two seasons, but he apparently somewhat found his control and by early August he had won 17 games.

Then dawned what seemed to be the darkest day of Musial's life. His manager Dickie Kerr discovered that Musial was also an effective hitter and used him in the outfield many times when he wasn't pitching. On August 11, 1940 Musial was playing center field for the Islanders. He had pitched the night before. With two outs, a batter hit a sinking liner to center. Musial made a run at the ball and made a shoestring catcher, hit the ground and did a somersault. Musial injured his shoulder severely making the catch. He had terrible pain in his left shoulder. He pitched two days later and beat Sanford 5-4, but it was his last victory of the season. Finally the pain went away, but he was a pitcher with a bad arm. His situation was hopeless. Musial was married and expecting his first child. He asked Kerr, "Don't you think I ought to go home and find a job in the mills and forget baseball." Kerr told his young player, "Not yet, Stan."

Kerr told Musial that he was a good enough hitter to succeed even if his pitching arm didn't improve. To help the young player, to whom he had taken good liking, Kerr invited Musial and his wife to live with him until the baby was born.

The Musials moved in with the Kerrs. When the baby was born, the grateful young couple named him Richard Kerr Musial. Although the pain soon disappeared in Musial's shoulder, full strength never did return. By the end of the season, he could throw well enough to play the outfield. When Musial's batting average rose to .311 by season's end, he was invited to the parent Cardinals' biggest minor league camp in the spring. He was still listed as a pitcher, but they soon realized that he could no longer compete as a pitcher because of the bad arm.

One day the head of the Cardinal organization, Branch Rickey, one of the most respected judges of baseball talent, came out to watch the farm teams play and saw him. After watching Musial bat just one time, Rickey exclaimed, "That man's not a pitcher, He's a hitter."

Long story short - before that season ended - Musial was playing with the Cardinals. He batted .379 in Springfield, Missouri and .326 in Rochester. During the last weeks of the major league season he batted an amazing .426 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

And now you know whole story. Some of basball's most exciting discoveries have been made by "accident". Had it not been for that tumble he took on the night of August 14, 1940, one of sports greatest hitters might never have been found.

At best, Musial would have just been a pretty fair minor league pitcher. Most likely EC would have never heard of him.

"And now, you know the Rest of the Story."

Thanks to radio commentator Paul Harvey for that great line.
And thanks to Furman Bisher for that wonderful story about EC's beloved Stan "The Man" Musial.

I finished all the rosters, adding free agents so that the rookie class is decent. Fixed all of the names that looks strange.

I will do a preseason preview next.

Looking forward to it!