THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 15, 2029

IPA PICKS RU AND TU ROOKS
The Islandian Pro Alliance picks its top newcomers this week, naming Jimmy Willard of Forest City Lumberjacks the top rookie in the Ruthlandian Union and Victor Suarez of the Turon Typhoons the best rookie in the Tycobbian Union.

Willard sparked the Lumberjacks to a third-place finish in the RU West. The 22-year-old righty registered a 20-16 mark and a 3.38 ERA in 39 starts. Willard fanned 228 batters in 301 innings and walked 87.

Runner-up in The Islandian Times poll was young shortstop Timmy Robinson, who batted .274 with 14 homers, 35 doubles and 3 triples. Robinson batted in 84 runs and scored 71, while playing quality defense for the RU South champions.

Number three in the poll was Elnora's fine freshman southpaw Jeremy Sellers. He posted a 12-6 mark with a remarkable 2.33 ERA after moving into the starting rotation in June, helping the All-Stars wind up in third place in the RU East pennant race.

The Tycobbian Rookie of the Year Suarez ended up with an 18-14 record for the last place Typhoons. Suarez struck out 196 in his 283 innings and notched a solid 3.34 ERA.

Ozarka Reliever Brady Bell was second in the rookie balloting. He chalked up a 7-6 record in 57 relief appearances with an exceptional 1.79 ERA and 16 saves. The Naturals will use him in the starting rotation next season. Ozarka wound up fifth in the RU East this year.

Left fielder Forest Orr came in third place in the voting. Orr led the Luxora Zorros to third place in the TU North with a .316 batting average, 11 homers, 59 RBIs and 87 runs scored in his first IPA season.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 16, 2029

Dillinger, Starr Named Golden Bat Winners
In The Islandian Times poll Waleska's wonderful outfielder Loco Dilliger and Tuckanarra's very talented first sacker Lynn Starr were named this year's Golden Bat honorees in the Ruthlandian and Tycobbian Unions respectively. The award is given annually to the best overall batter in each league. It was the second straight year that Dillinger has captured the honor, while it is the first time for Starr.

Dillinger paced the Westerners to second place in the RU South this season with an impressive .344 batting average, 41 homers, 141 runs batted in and 119 runs. The 29-year-old Dillinger led the IPA in home runs and RBIs and was runner-up in runs scored. He just missed a Triple Crown when he wound up second in hitting in the Ruthlandian Union. Herm Taylor of Crystal Lake nabbed the batting title with a .356 BA. Lorne Evans of the Southport Sun Sox took the IPA run-scoring title with 129.

Crystal Lake's fine first baseman Josh George took second place in the poll with a great season. The 24-year-old George was a big part of the Crushers wrestling the RU South away from powerful Waleska this year. He batted .324 with 44 doubles, 15 triples, 19 roundtrippers, 100 RBIs and 109 runs, while playing in all 154 games.

In the third spot in the balloting was another Crystal Lake Crusher, the top hitter in the IPA this season, George's teammate Herm Taylor, who boasted the best average in the IPA. Taylor won his second batting title with a .356 average with 44 doubles, 12 triples, 8 homers, 81 runs batted in and 102 scored.

Tuckanarra first baseman Lynn Starr, long overshadowed by his pitching brothers, Quinn and Glynn, finally emerged this year and grab some of the postseason spotlight by being heralded as the Tycobbian Golden Bat winner. Starr was a prime reason the Blue Jays captured another TU East title. The 31-year-old Starr had a marvelous season, hitting .335 in 154 games with 36 doubles, 14 triples, 27 homers, 126 RBIs and 110 runs.

Chicopee's young 25-year-old left fielder Sakima Shaman also had a fine season and was the Golden Bat runner-up. Shaman batted .325 with 36 doubles, 9 triples, 31 home runs, 116 RBIs and 101 runs for the third-place Braves.

Lorne Evans had another standout season for the Southport Sun Sox and winded up third in the best bat voting. Evans compiled a .310 average with 34 homers, 93 RBIs and an IPA-leading 129 runs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 17, 2029

Best IPA Hurlers Selected, Whitaker and Chylak
This year's top twirlers have been proclaimed in the Islandian Pro Alliance. In a poll released today by The Islandian Times Kilkenny's superb right-hander Dave Whitaker and Hartsdale's Lou Chylak came away with this year's Golden Arm Awards.

Whitaker copped the Ruthlandian Award with a 21-15 record for the Cats, who came in second in the RU North pennant race this year. Whitaker chalked up an impressive 2.39 ERA with 216 Ks in 305 innings pitched with 5 shutouts.

The number two votegetter was Killara Bardo of the Wynnamac Sundowners. The 22-year-old right-hander was 22-9 for the year with a 2.56 ERA and 229 strikeouts in 253 innings. Bardo made 33 starts and put up 3 shutouts for the second place Sundowners. They were the runner-up in the RU East. Bardo tied Sugar Valley's Benny McConnell for the most wins in the RU this season.

Third place went to young Ryan Janssen of the LaGrange Sports. Janssen was 19-12 in his third IPA season with a great 2.39 ERA and 7 shutouts. Janssen fanned 244 in his 290 innings. Teams only batted .220 against him. The Sports were third in the RU North standings.

The Tycobbian Golden Arm Award went to Hartsdale's Lou Chylak, an important ingredient in the Hellcats first-place finish in the TU North. Chylak rang up a 22-11 mark with a 2.52 ERA.

He edged out Mackie McGinnity of the Colchester Elites, the third-place club in the TU South. McGinnity stood out with a 23-7 record and tied with Southport's Dan Pascioni for the most victories in the IPA. McGinnity whiffed 225 batters in his 308 innings and made 38 starts. The 24-year-old fired 5 shutouts in his third year in the league.

Southport's youthful Don Pascioni was 23-9 for the year with a strong 2.71 ERA and 22 complete games in 39 starts. At 22 he has already logged five seasons in the league. Pascioni and McGinnity paced the IPA with 23 wins each. The Sun Sox battled for the pennant in the TU South, but came out second to winning Ginza.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 18, 2029

Dillinger And Starr Win Again, Take IPA MVP Honors
Fresh off being acclaimed the Golden Bat Award winners, Waleska's Loco Dillinger and Tuckanarra's Lynn Starr added to their laurels, the leagues coveted Most Valuable Player trophies.

Dillinger made it a very special season for him as he has now taken the Ruthlandian Union MVP and Golden Bat Awards for the second season in a row. The 29-year-old slugger also came very close to winning the prestigious Triple Crown. Winding up second in the batting race deprived him of that honor. Dillinger led the Westerners to a second-place spot in the RU South by batting .344, 12 points behind the leader, Herm Taylor of Crystal Lake. Dillinger topped the IPA with 41 homers and 141 runs batted in and led the RU with 119 runs. In his career Dillinger has hit .315 with 237 homers and 786 RBIs in just 7 seasons.

Dillinger's main competition for the MVP trophy was Josh George and Herm Taylor, who also contended for the Golden Bat. George was a vital cog in Crystal Lake's RU South pennant. In fact the Crushers whipped Waleska for the title. George, just 24, ripped pitchers for a .324 BA, drove in 100 runs and scored 109 times in his fourth year in the IPA.

Taylor won the RU batting crown for the second time in his 7-year tenure in the IPA. He also nabbed it in 2024 with a .355 BA. This season Taylor won it with a .356 mark. The 28-year-old center fielder scored 102 runs and batted in 81 wit 44 doubles, 12 triples and 8 homers. Lifetime Taylor is batting at a .327 clip. He was in third place in The Islandian Times MVP poll.

The Tycobbian MVP was Tuckanarra's tremendous first baseman Lynn Starr, who had an outstanding year with a .335 BA, 36 doubles, 14 triples, 27 home runs, 126 RBIs and 110 runs. Starr has been rock-solid in his 8 seasons with the Blue Jays, posting a .311 career average with 235 homers and 818 RBIs. He has been a 3-time All-Star. The Blue Jays won the TU East for the second year in a row.

Starr had to beat out two fine pitchers for the MVP honor. Second in the polling was Hartsdale's Lou Chylak, this year's TU Golden Arm recipient. Chylak paced the Hellcats to a the TU North flag with 22-11 record and a 2.52 ERA.

A hard-throwing portsider Don Pascioni was third in the TU MVP poll. Pascioni topped the IPA with 23 wins, tied with Mackie McGinnity of Colchester. The 22-year-old Pascioni led the Southport Sun Sox to the runner-up spot in the TU South. He chalked up a 23-9 mark with 2.71 ERA.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 19, 2029

Top Defenders Win Golden Gloves
Not every player can swing a big bat or influence the game on the mound, so they do it with their Golden Gloves. The IPA today announced the 2029 Golden Glove performers for the Ruthlandian and Tycobbian Unions. Good glovemen take pride in their defensive skills. They know they make a difference in winning and losing. Even on days when they don't get a hit, they can make a difference with their gloves.

The RU announced its Golden Glove Award honorees. Todd Nasso of the Ancona Red Elephants was named for the third time in his career, while Roger Lanier of the St. John Crusaders picked up his second Gold Glove. All the rest are first time recipients.

P Walter Noland (Rocky Rapids) (12-22/4.18) 1.000 FA
C Floyd Randolph (Valmara) (.264/23/87/66) .997 FA/1 PB/27.7 % RTO
1B Roger Lanier (St. John) (.325/17/78/100) .996 FA
2B Jesse Clayton (Kilkenny) (.212/9/40/51) .990 FA
3B Ross Whittier (St. John) (.246/8/54/38) .981 FA
SS Todd Nasso (Ancona) (.258/27/83/90) .982 FA
LF Hal Granders (Colfax) (.278/2/37/84) .992 FA
CF Jim Crabtree (Ancona) (.222/12/53/85) .984 FA
RF Pettis Pentleton (Elnora) (.309/5/49/87) .991 FA

The Tycobbian Union only had two repeat performers. Joe DeLucca won for the third time in his career and Lorne Evans snagged his second Gold Glove.

P Mike Kierkegaard (Colchester) (16-12/3.37) 1.000 FA
C Durward Anderson (Hartsdale) (.280/2/47/75) .994 FA/3 PB/31.1% RTO
1B Billy Christianson (Tuckanarra) (.300/15/94/106) .995 FA
2B Jay Hagedorn (Summerland) (.268/4/46/61) .991 FA
3B Freddy Franks (High Mesa) (.277/19/52/81) .978 FA
SS Jed Turchin (Tuckanarra) (.308/12/90/77) .965 FA
LF Dennis Hartwig (Oxford) (.298/26/99/87) .989 FA
CF Joe DeLucca (Summerland) (.276/9/55/84) .998 FA
RF Lorne Evans (Southport) (.310/34/93/129) .993 FA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 20, 2029

Kilkenny And Fairfax Skippers Named IPA Best Managers
Two managers lifted teams up from deep in the second division and propelled them into pennant contenders were honored as the IPA Managers of the Year. Rusty Denicola was selected the Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year for improving his Kilkenny Cats from seventh to second in the RU North. The Cats rose from a 63-91 record to 82-72 and challenged division champ Valmara for the pennant. The Tycobbian Manager of the Year, Fairfax's Dane Wesner, took a last-place club and almost won the TU North crown, but fell one game short, losing out to Hartsdale in a single-game playoff. The Frogs went from a poor 69-85 mark last season to 84-71 this year. It was the first time either skipper has been honored as the leagues' best manager.

Denicola outpolled Sugar Valley's Gibby Bobkins and Forest City's Joe Judlin for the honor. Bobkins was the runner-up in The Islandian Times poll. The Rattlers climbed up from fifth to first in the RU East, going from 72-82 in 2028 to 88-66 this year. Judlin brought the Lumberjacks in third in the RU West. Forest City was in the cellar last year with a 66-88 mark. The 'Jacks were a much-improved 80-74 in 2029.

The Frogs' Wesner got strong competition from Hartsdale's Kendry Moulton, who was second in the poll and Andy Jefferson of the Hillsboro Blazers, who came in third. Moulton guided the Hellcats to the TU North title, moving up from third the previous season. The Hellcats went from 78-76 to 85-70. Jefferson turned the Blazers around from a sixth-place club (70-84) into a second-place team (81-73) in the TU East.

IPA season 30 will begins soon.

I'll begin work on it tomorrow.

It may take a few days to work on the rosters for the coming year.

Thanks for following the IPA.

Much appreciated.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

IPA All-Stars Chosen For 30th Game
Teams have been selected for the 30th IPA All-Star Game slated for the Midtown Base Ball Grounds this Wednesday afternoon in Rolling Hills, home of the defending Pro Cup champion Reds. The visiting Tycobbian Stars will feature 19 players that have been honored more than one time, led by Crash Davis with 13 appearances in the mid-summer classic. Mahaska's Bucky O'Brian is an 11-time performer and James Couch of Ozarka has been named 7 times in his career. Ruthlandia has only 12 of the 30 players, who have previously participated in the game. Two Waleska Westerners Roy Hobbs and Loco Dillinger are back again. Hobbs was selected for the 15th time and Dillinger appears for his 5th time. The TU Stars have a decided edge in the series with a 20-9 mark in the annual affair. Last season they whipped the RU Stars 7-6. Matty Christianson will be at the helm of the Tycobbian Stars, while the Ruthlandian Stars will be guided by Stoner's Benny Stern. Christianson led Rolling Hills to the IPA Pro Cup title last season in a sweep over Stern's Stars.

The roster for the Ruthlandian Union is:

SP Razzy Angelis (ANC) (12-4/1.94)
SP T. D. Burnham (CL) (12-5/2.69)
SP Arnie Cason (CL) (12-6/2.22)
SP Jon Cruise (CFX) (12-6/2.26)
SP Terry Richards (WLK) (12-3/1.94)
SP Wes Weaver (SV) (10-2/1.72)
SP Smoky Rogers (CFX) (10-6/2.28)
SP Bobby Fleetfoot (CFX) (11-3/2.84)
MR Dallas Casey (SV) (3-1/1.99/12 saves)
MR Lefty Frizzell (GC) (1-2/1.50/11 saves)
C Les Leslie (WYN) (.273/16/48/34) (.992 FA/3 PB/42.4% RTO)
C Floyd Randolph (VLM) (.281/8/41/31) (.997 FA/2 PB/33.3% RTO)
C Derek Roman (BP) (.307/9/39/34) (.995 FA/3 PB/36.7% RTO)
1B Cayman Kettermann (ETS) (.317/12/55/41) (.993 FA)
1B Chris Charbonnier (LAG) (.328/15/49/38) (.990 FA)
1B Roger Lanier (STJ) (.336/5/39/40) (.993 FA)
2B Carl Bentley (CL) (.348/9/48/34) (.975 FA)
2B Matt Boyd (ELN) (.309/10/42/40) (.988 FA)
3B Leevi Viru (VLK) (.324/11/42/42) (1.000 FA)
3B Johnny Doyle (SV) (.263/21/48/38) (.988 FA)
SS Dino Manale (CFX) (.354/2/26/42) (.967 FA)
SS Larry Romney (ETS) (.281/6/33/36) (.988 FA)
SS Olari Ojastu (VLK) (.302/7/27/42) (.977 FA)
LF Wes Marlowe (GC) (.278/15/50/41) (.959 FA)
LF Loco Dillinger (WLK) (.288/15/40/46) (.980 FA)
CF Brad Maddox (STJ) (.356/2/31/45) (.982 FA)
CF Thomas Hall (GC) (.313/17/43/51) (.983 FA)
CF Vasco Aguilar (VOL) (.306/11/47/48) (.979 FA)
RF Roy Hobbs (WLK) (.333/19/63/42) (.982 FA)
RF Sonny Oliver (VOL) (.350/10/46/42) (.992 FA)


The roster for the Tycobbian Union is:

SP Quinn Starr (TUC) (11-4/2.06) (.902 FA)
SP Frank Blair (EP) (10-5/2.17) (.944 FA)
SP Chris Landry (BL) (9-4/2.30) (.926 FA)
SP Joe Foley (EP) (10-3/2.56) (.931 FA)
SP Scotty Ellison (SUM) (10-4/2.62) (.933 FA)
SP Jody Gentry (BSC) (10-5/2.63) (.946 FA)
SP Sam Tate (OZK) (10-3/2.91) (.909 FA)
SP Glenn Hamilton (DC) (10-5/3.10) (.917 FA)
MR Don Sawyer (BSC) (2-0/0.22/14 saves) (.875 FA)
MR Matt Reeves (CHI) (0-0/1.67/12 saves) (.875 FA)
C Tony Brinkerhoff (RH) (.337/12/53/35) (.997 FA/2 PB/17.5% RTO)
C Crash Davis (KEN) (.284/6/36/40) (.991 FA/2 PB/32.0% RTO)
C Bucky O'Brian (MAH) (.281/16/53/38) (.985 FA/4 PB/18.5% RTO)
1B Steve Burns (CCH) (.370/15/38/51) (.990 FA)
1B Johnny Scott (HAR) (.350/9/51/43) (.993 FA)
1B George Jenkins (OZK) (.341/13/49/41) (.992 FA)
2B Tetsu Tanaka (EP) (.336/19/60/56) (.971 FA)
2B Yancy Duvicque (TUR) (.366/2/23/40) (.978 FA)
3B Taro Mori (GIN) (.356/2/21/47) (.975 FA)
3B Michael Page (TUR) (.351/16/48/39) (.829 FA)
3B Franky Franks (HM) (.280/6/43/34) (.983 FA)
SS Jed Turchin (TUC) (.356/12/49/44) (.975 FA)
SS James Couch (OZK) (.313/4/29/55) (.976 FA)
LF Sakima Shaman (CHI) (.344/8/22/42) (1.000 FA)
LF Carroll Candy (LC) (.332/9/34/32) (.984 FA)
CF Cotton Cornwall (GIN) (326/15/56/47) (.983 FA)
CF Dusty Rogan (RH) (.303/12/51/50) (.984 FA)
RF Lorne Evans (SPT) (.389/30/70/61) (.992 FA)
RF Babe Hankins (KEN) (.339/7/51/51) (.992 FA)
RF Cleve Belton (CCH) (.293/18/49/45) (.992 FA)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian North Mid-Season Recap

Ancona Surprise Leader In RU North
Vaunted Valmara has several serious challengers in the Ruthlandian North this season... the Vipers have won the last four years and six of the last seven seasons... the surprise team is the Ancona Red Elephants... a fifth-place club in 2029, they are atop the division by 3 games over LaGrange and 4 up on Valmara and Ranford... Taranto is fifth, just 5 games out.

Surprise team/Best Pitching: Ancona
much-improved with a .270 BA (10th) and 3.26 team ERA (5th)... appears to be a serious title contender... mound corps sparked by All-Star Razzy Angelis (12-4/1.94)... vets Kyros Halkias (6-7/3.23) and Vince Arndt (5-8/4.08) must step it up in last half of season... Lonnie Quick (4-3/3.26) must continue to pitch well... bats have to continue to produce... free agents Jimmy Howell (.358), Jerl Coleman (.291) and Koora Nawajuk (.284) have made a huge difference in the team... veteran stars Todd Nasso and Alekos Kotas are having subpar seasons... 33-year-old Nasso had 16 homers and 45 RBIs, but is batting only .239... lifetime Nasso has compiled a .285 BA... 32-year-old Kotas' power numbers are way down... Kotas has only 3 homers and 24 RBIs... in his career Kotas has averaged 25 home runs and 100 RBIs.

Second place LaGrange has two quality starters in Alex Gillespie (10-6/2.40) and Ryan Janssen (8-8/3.44), plus the booming bats of All-Star Chris Charbonnier (.328 BA/15 HR), Russell Watkins (.288/15 HR) and Randall Hawson (.285/14 HR)... the Sports should hang tough in the second half and give Ancona and Valmara a run for the money.

Defending Champion: Valmara
Offense down slightly for the third-place Vipers (tied with Ranford)... pitching suffering... rose up from 3.05 to 3.75 ERA... lost starter Clem Carmouche (6-3/3.92) for the season... Carmouche averages 13 wins a season in his 14 years in the league... other starters struggling: Carroll Cain (5-5/4.31) and Teddy Lem (6-9/3.79)... top bats belong to Gerry Kazmarek (.332 BA/8 HR), All-Star Floyd Randolph (.281 BA/8 HR) and Teddy Szymanski (.255 BA/13 HR)... best pitcher is second-year man J. B. Boutin (9-5/2.92)... for Vipers to defend division title, Cain and Lem must have good second halves.

Best Hitting Team: Ranford
the fourth-place Bulls are batting .288 (2nd), but are 10th in scoring and lack HR power, ranked 29th with just 46 homers... lots of good swingers in the lineup with Percy Whitehead (.355), Terry Kerr (.330), Sonny Statum (.328) and Elton Graff (.313)... less than average on the mound with a 3.81 ERA (21st)... only 7-year vet Sam Hart (10-6/3.29) is having a good season... lackluster pitching will doom the Bulls.

The fifth-place Taranto Tars are within striking distance of first place, trailing by only 5 games, but don't have the staying power of the other clubs... the Tars will be without their top hitter Greg Murphy for six weeks... Murphy was hitting .318 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs when he was injured in early June... Filippo Villano (.331) is the only reliable bat left in the lineup... not much in the way of pitching either, except for Paulie Pieroni (7-6/2.96) and inconsistent Laz Tomassini (11-7/4.20).

Sixth in the RU North standings are the Far Mountain Redhawks, 7 games off the pace of first place Ancona... the Redhawks have decent pitching with the likes of Jakob Wagner (8-5/2.94) and Jeff Cooper (8-10/3.76), but they have trouble putting runs on the scoreboard... Ryan Mizell is the top bat with 12 roundtrippers, 43 runs batted in and a .263 BA... Johnny Becker is batting .310 with 5 homers and 33 RBIs.

Next-to-last Glasco has woeful pitching (4.27 ERA-31st) and is just average at the plate with a .258 BA (18th) and 60 HRs (16th-tied)... Donnie Young (.353), Warren Steele (.325) and Eddy Martin (.299) sports the best bats on the club, while the hurlers are paced by Sam Gilmore (7-7/3.46) and Darien Russell (10-8/4.79).

Most Disappointing: Kilkenny
sunk to the cellar after being runner-up to Valmara last year... thrived with a brilliant 2.67 ERA... up to 3.46 this year.... Christy Cane (2-9/4.99) had been lousy, down from 16-13 and a 2.61 ERA last year... ace Dave Whitaker has fallen from 21-15 and 2.39 to 4-6 and 3.06 this year... offense is pathetic with a .233 mark (32nd), but the Cats hit with some power (65 HR-6th)... top performers at the plate are Ronnie Rousell (.289/16/43) and Garris Aiken (.255/14/37).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian South Mid-Season Recap

Crushers Top Super-Tight RU South
Only 3 games separate first place and fourth place in the super-tight Ruthlandian South pennant race... Crystal Lake has a narrow one-game lead over runners-up Waleska and Grand City with fourth-place St. John just 3 games off the pace... in fact only 2 teams in the division seem to be out of the race this year... fifth-place San Dimas is only 7 games behind and sixth-place Valka trails by just 8 games... a hot streak or two could put them right back in the chase.

Defending Champ and Best Offense: Crystal Lake
The Crystal Lake Crushers won the flag last year, dependent on strong hitting and fairly good pitching... same thing this year with a .288 BA (1st) and a 3.42 team ERA (8th)... highest-scoring club in the RU with Herm Taylor (.314), All-Star Carl Bentley (.348), Tommy Trent (.332) and Sterling Hall (.359) in the batting order... biggest shortcoming is its bad bullpen (5.83 ERA)... three fine starters with All-Stars Arnie Cason (12-6/2.22) and T. D. Burnham (12-5/2.69)... also lost stalwart Duncan Welch (19-14) to South Fork via free agency... but got a revitalized Ben Garvik (11-5/3.14) to replace him... Garvik couldn't make the roster last year after two poor seasons in a row, but after a year off, he's back and the best he has ever been.

For the ninth successive year Waleska is one of the top three teams in the standings and will surely contend for the division flag... the team is hitting .272 (7th) and is 4th in scoring... excellent pitching, too, with a 3.02 ERA (3rd)... superstar All-Stars Roy Hobbs (.333) and Loco Dillinger (.288) still lead the offense... All-Star Terry Richards (12-3/1.94) and Wild Bill Butler (9-5/3.96) again head up the mound staff.

Most Improved Team: Grand City
The Grand City Cybercats started the season with a great 21-7 April, but have cooled off considerably... still they are tied for second, only a game out... lost two starters to injury... the Cybercats feature power hitting with 80 home runs (2nd) and are 3rd in scoring... paced by All-Star Thomas Hall (17 HR), All-Star Wes Marlowe (15 HR) and Mick Langston (16 HR)... pitchers Danny Denver (12-20/4.04) and Charley Chishom (11-5/2.98) will miss the entire season... free agents Kip Day (10-8/4.11) and Billy Ray (6-7/3.45) have been good replacements... All-Star reliever Lefty Frizzell (1-2/1.50/11 saves) has solidifed the bullpen.

Improved offense has moved St. John up from the second division... the fourth-place Crusaders boast a .284 team BA (3rd) and are ranked 2nd in scoring runs... top hitters are All-Star Brad Maddox (.356), All-Star Roger Lanier (.336), Leon Clendennon (.323) and Joey Daigrepont (.317)... needs help in the pitching corps... signed free agent plum, Loris Plooster (4-7/4.59), but he fractured his elbow in June and will be lost for the year... 3.86 team ERA (22nd) is the the big problem... Jeremy Vincent (6-2/2.70) and vet Don Baillie (9-5/4.14) are carrying the club, along with reliever Nelson Hawthorne (4-2/1.66/6 saves).

Best Pitching: San Dimas
If fifth-place San Dimas can find some hitting, the Rancheros could move up in the standings... they are ranked 4th in pitching with a 3.06 ERA with good starters and quality relievers... Miguel Valdes (10-6/1.95), Joaquin Lima (8-6/2.96) and veteran Shannon White (9-7/3.58) lead the way on the hill... Ramon Escobar (.281) and Gregg Mathis (.277) are the most reliable bats.

Best Defense: Valka
The season started well for the Valka Blackhawks with a 17-11 mark, but they faltered in May... now the Blackhawks have slipped to sixth place... pitching is the dilemma with a 4.17 team ERA (29th)... Villem Arumaa (7-5/4.10) is the best of the lot... Valka can hold its own at the plate with a .262 BA (13th) and is ranked 7th in runs and 9th in homers with 64... All-Star Leevi Viru (.324), All-Star Olari Ojastu (.302) and Jaak Pajukivi (.310) are the Blackhawks best threats... the Blackhawks are the best fielding club in the IPA with a superb .987 FA.

The Claxton Diamonds and the Belair Beach Sunbirds are already way back in the pennant hunt and don't appear to be capable of contending this season... the Diamonds are in seventh place and 12 games behind, while the Sunbirds are in the basement and 16 games out of first place... Claxton has good starting pitching with a 3.20 team ERA (6th), led by Jarno Berkman (4-2/1.96) and Freddi Hahn (6-7/2.87)... but the bullpen is bad with a 4.20 ERA (28th)... the Diamond offense is batting only .250 (26th)... home runs supply most of the scoring with 70 (5th), pace by Pete Banks (17 HR) and Ivan Krause (15 HR).

Belair Beach ranks near the bottom in almost everything with a .250 BA, 51 homers and a 4.07 ERA... free agent Fernando Melendez (7-1/3.06) and vet Daniel Ferguson (6-9/2.78) are solid starters, but have little help... 8-year standout Kees Draeger is the only run producer... Draeger has 11 homers, 35 RBIs and a .286 batting average.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian East Mid-Season Recap

Rattlers And 'Macs Tied In RU East
The take on the Ruthlandian East pennant race is that it's a two-team affair between the Sugar Valley Rattlers and the Wynnamac Sundowners, who are deadlocked for the top spot at the All-Star break... the Rattlers have taken the divisional crown the last two seasons... now for the third year in a row the 'Macs are the team the Rattlers will have to fend off... chances are it will go down to the wire... the Eastshore Elegants and Marston Nine are third and fourth respectively, but they are not expected to challenge this year... Eastshore is 5 games behind in the race and Marston trails by 7.

Sugar Valley has excellent pitching with a 2.91 team ERA (2nd)... the starters are solid with All-Star Wes Weaver (10-2/1.72), Aron Libertini (10-6/3.25) and Jeremy Blanchard (9-7/2.40)... in the bullpen All-Star Dallas Casey (3-1/1.99/12 saves) is the main reliever... the Rattler attack is led by All-Star Johnny Doyle (.263/21/48), Silvio Salas (.24/12/33) and Tyler White (.216/11/27)... Sugar Valley doesn't hit for much average, but can go deep... the Rattlers paced the RU with 87 home runs... defense is outstanding with a .983 FA (2nd).

Wynnamac has banged its way into contention with a .272 BA (8th), rank 10th in runs and tied for 3rd with 70 homers... the 'Macs have 5 regulars with double-digit homers... batting leaders are Giles Butler (.341 BA/11 HR), Dorak Aranda (.306 BA/12 HR), All-Star Lee Leslie (.273 BA/16 HR), Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.276 BA/10 HR) and Allen Dundee (.241 BA/11 HR)... the Sundowners mound staff is a little better than average with a 3.49 team ERA (11th)... top arms are Killara Bardo (10-5/3.56), Dean Barber (9-3/3.43) and Lon Marshall (8-7/3.76)... the Sundowners are strong defenders, too, with a .978 FA.

The third-place Eastshore Elegants are an average team with a .262 BA (16th), 62 homers (12th-tied) and rank 13th in scoring... pitching-wise the Els have posted a 3.56 team ERA... they are 3 games above the .500 mark... All-Stars Cayman Kettermann (.317 BA/12 HR/55 RBI) and Larry Romney (.281 BA/6 HR/33 RBI) are the top guns with support from George Shepherd (.327 BA/6 HR/36 RBIs) and Scotty LaGrange (.268 BA/10 HR/32 RBI)... longtime pitching star Melvin Key (10-8/2.92) is still around after 17 years and still doing his job... Don Klingenberg (7-7/3.82) also had added some good starts.

Scoring is a big time problem for the fourth-place Marston Nine... they bat .269 for average (11th), have belted 62 homers (12th-tied), but rate 31st in scoring runs... the team has posted a 3.88 ERA (24th)... IPA icon and sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Russ Woodward (.318 BA/9 HR), Ron Marlowe (.302 BA/6 HR) and Lonnie Trekell (.260 BA/15 HR) are Marston's best performers at the plate... on the hill it's Doug Hansack (10-4/2.92).

The Beechwood Bobcats have escaped the cellar at the mid-point in the season... they have moved up to fifth place with average pitching and hitting... the Bobcats are 8 games away from first place... Maury Patterson has stood out on the mound with a strong 2.61 ERA, but is only 6-11 for the year... Pat Webb (.288 BA/14 HR), Travis Wagner (.281 BA/8 HR) and Norm Smith (.279 BA/7 HR) are the offensive leaders.

The sixth-place Elnora All-Stars suffer from a lack of pitching with a 4.17 team ERA (30th)... they are tied with Cold Creek and are 9 games out... only starter Freddy Pfeffer (11-6/3.18) is enjoying a good season... the All-Stars have fair power with 75 home runs (3rd), but rank 17th in runs with a .262 BA (14th)... top run producers are All-Star Matt Boyd (.309 BA/10 HR), Pettis Pendleton (.333 BA/8 HR), Travis Glass (.289 BA/18 HR) and Mel Long (.298 BA/14 HR).

Perennial second-division finisher, Cold Creek is staggering along again tied for sixth and headed nowhere... the Catamounts rarely make the first division in the RU East... the last pennent came a long time ago in 2012... they have wound up seventh or eighth for the last four seasons... Cold Creek has no offense, ranking last in runs scored and near the bottom with 48 homers (27th)... pitching is respectable with a 3.51 team ERA (12th)... Eddie Brasher (10-6/2.84) and Tommy Smith (9-8/2.11) are the top performers... Steve Daniels (.285/12 HR) is one of the few dependable batters.

This year the basement-dwelling Belle Plaine Musketeers have been the biggest disappointment in the division... the Muskies are 12 games off the pace... they were third two years ago and fourth last year... Belle Plaine has no trouble putting runs on the scoreboard with a .272 BA (6th), but the pitching has gone to the pits this season with a terrible 4.49 ERA (32nd)... only Leonard James (8-5/3.96) has posted decent stats... All-Star Derek Roman (.307 BA/9 HR), Pierre Giguere (.290 BA/16 HR) and Leon Bourque (.269 BA/12 HR) have been solid run producers.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap

Colfax Way Ahead In RU West
The Colfax Blasters are living up to their nickname this season and making shambles of the Ruthlandian West... the Blasters have bolted to an 8-game lead at the halfway point of the season... Sligo is a distant second, followed by Fort Benton in the third spot 11 games back... last year's division champ and Pro Cup finalist Stoner has dug themselves into a deep hole and may not be able to get out of it... the Stars are 12 games off the pace and not likely to repeat this year.

For the first time in years the Colfax Blasters have finally put it all together with great pitching and rock-solid hitting... the last pennant came in 2016... Colfax has a superlative staff with a 2.66 team ERA (1st)... three hurlers made the All-Star team: Jon Cruise (12-6/2.26), Bobby Fleetfoot (11-3/2.84) and Smoky Rogers (10-6/2.28)... Wayne Whitcomb (8-4/3.49), number four in the rotation, has done a fine job, too... at the plate they are batting .281 (5th) and rank 5th in scoring... All-Star Dino Manale (.354) tops the attack, assisted by Mike Pratt (.303), Mitch Fullerton (.310), Vic Draper (.311), Hal Granders (.317), Glen Smith (.286) and Doug Kirkwood (.295)... the Blasters are number one in wins in the IPA at the All-Star break with a strong 47-24 record.

Runner-up Sligo doesn't look good on paper, but is a plus 7 in the won-lost column... the Rovers aren't very potent with the bats, hitting only .248 (29th) and has very little power with only 45 roundtrippers (30th)... on the hill Sligo has posted a lackluster 3.81 ERA... Sligo had a quality core of starters with Earl Perkins (9-4/3.16), Terry Bailey (9-5/3.16) and Lou Page (10-7/3.75)... at age 39 longtime ace Les Patterson (2-6/5.58) is showing signs of decline... the Rovers don't have much in the batter's box with Teddy Brunet (.289 BA/11 HR), Maury Rice (.261 BA/11 HR), Biff Blauer (.290 BA/4 HR) and Howie Robertson (.282 BA/1 HR)... Sligo needs a much better offense to challenge for the RU West flag.

Third in the standings are the Fort Benton Defenders, 11 games behind red-hot Colfax... 23-year-old Frankie Quinn (10-4/2.87) tops the twirlers and is headed for another standout season... the best bats are Ronny Frick (.285 BA/12 HR), Danny Riesner (.323 BA/5 HR), Ernie O'Day (.286 BA/9 HR) and Claude St. Laurent (.301 BA/7 HR).

Last year's RU West winner, the Stoner Stars, are too good of a club to be in fourth place, 12 games out of the race... expect them to overtake Sligo and Fort Benton and wind up in second place... they won't catch Colfax... too far behind... the Stars have an abundance of bats with Neil Mooney (.348 BA), Jeff Henderson (.320 BA), Fletch Fowler (.333 BA), Kevin Fisher (.298 BA) and Norm Murdoch (.284 BA)... and Glenn Tackett (11-7/3.41) Travis Wallace (8-5/3.39) and Raul Hidalgo (9-8/3.48) are a capable rotation.

The Middlefield Roosters are in fifth place and trail by 13 games... poor hitting (.240 BA/30th) holds the club back... pitching is fine with a 3.35 team ERA (7th)... Tyrus Cobb (10-3/2.53) is a terrific pitcher... Asa Schmit (10-7/3.38) is a good one, too... Victor Parsons (.300 BA/6 HR) is the only decent threat in the batting order.

The Volusia Vigilantes are more talented than they show in the division standings... the sixth-place V's should do better in the second half and move up into the first division... Val Cameron (10-4/2.82) and Greg Moss (8-7/3.04) give them a good shot at a second-half surge... improved hitting will play a part, too... new free agent signee and All-Star Sonny Oliver (.350 BA/10 HR) could be headed for a banner season... Vasco Aguilar (.306 BA/11 HR) also racked up All-Star honors... and Dave Skoglund (.290 BA/10 HR) and Joao Rosales (.286 BA/4 HR) were productive, too.

The seventh place Rocky Rapids Snappers are still finding it hard to get their heads above water in the RU West... for the sixth consecutive season they look to finish near the bottom of the division... stats aren't very good with a .249 BA (27th) and a 3.92 team ERA (25th)... leading the Snappers lineup is Allie Blackwell (.311 BA/1 HR), Angelo Nardone (.293 BA/15 HR) and Rod Cook (.299 BA/8 HR)... Walter Noland (6-6/4.21) is the best of the lot on mound.

In 2029 the Forest City Lumberjacks were the surprise team in the RU West with a third-place finish... this season the 'Jacks have tumbled down to the basement... drop in pitching was the prime reason... Forest City forged a .255 team BA (22nd), were tied for 28th in scoring with a 4.02 team ERA (26th)... Stephen Phillips (6-6/3.12) topped the pitchers, while Jackie Jackson (.312 BA/3 HR) and Rog Clemens (.266 BA/14 HR) topped the bats.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Tycobbian North Mid-Season Recap

Luxora Leads TU North, 4-Team Race
At the mid-season mark plenty of teams are still in the running in the Tycobbian North... in what looks like a 4-team race, Luxora has a slight one-game advantage over Blue Lake... last year's winner Hartsdale is just 2 off the pace and Fairfax is only 4 games behind.

The division-leading Luxora Zorros have improved from third to the top spot this year... a great 19-11 April got them started off well... strong pitching is the Z's forte... overall the club has chalked up a 3.21 team ERA (2nd), but has been especially strong in the bullpen with a 1.86 ERA (1st)... however the Zorros are only average in scoring runs (16th) with a .261 BA (24th)... starters Benny DeVito (8-7/2.73) and Valente Viero (9-9/2.80) are the staff leaders... the Z's have a solid batting lineup with Gerry Hathaway (.322 BA/15 HR), Leandro Silva (.291 BA/6 HR), Roger Noble (.287 BA/10 HR), Kevin Hanley (.276 BA/10 HR) and Forest Orr (.275 BA/6 HR)... Luxora seems to have staying power with a pretty well-balanced team... they should be in the thick of things at season's end.

It was long ago when the Blue Lake Blue Sox last won the TU North... it was way back in 2010... they have been close only three or four times in the intervening 20 years... they are excited about their postseason chances this season... second-place Blue Lake's three fine starters are carrying the club, sparked by All-Star Chris Landry (9-4/2.30), Doug Kirkpatrick (9-6/3.54) and Willie Taskins (8-7/3.47)... the starting rotation is one of the better ones in the league with a 3.17 ERA (2nd)... the Blue Sox fall short in the bullpen with a pathetic 5.08 ERA (31st) and in the batter's box with a poor .242 BA (32nd)... Matt Thompson (.301 BA/8 HR) and Eddie Nagen (.259 BA/14 HR) are the best of the lot... Blue Lake has too many weaknesses to stay in the race.

The Hartsdale Hellcats copped the division crown last year and almost won it in 2028, too... They are still a quality ballclub in third place, just 2 games out... the Hellcats are impressive at the plate with a .286 BA (5th) and can score runs (3rd)... on the hill they are pretty fair with a 3.53 team ERA (12th)... Hartsdale has an abundance of hitters, led by Cris Wallace (.367 BA/3 HR), All-Star Johnny Scott (.350 BA/9 HR), Lynn Lundy (.304 BA/11 HR), Durward Anderson (.288 BA/3 HR) and Fred Wasikowski (.288 BA/5 HR)... the Hellcats fall short in power... only have average starters, but impressive relievers... Hank Cooke (8-6/2.98) is the only pitcher having a good season... 2029 Golden Arm winner Lou Chylak is only 7-7 with a sky-high 4.67 ERA... the Hellcats really need him to turn it around in the second half... despite the pitching woes, Hartsdale will be in the pennant fight... they are not yet ready to surrender their crown.

The Fairfax Frogs gave Hartsdale fits last year, losing out in a single-game playoff... well, the Frogs are right back again, resting fourth in the TU North standings and trailing by 4 games... except for a poor 10-18 start Fairfax has played some good baseball, going 25-18 since... they have four reliable starters in Joey Santini (9-7/3.51), Kevin Meeks (6-7/3.67), Eric Mayes (8-8/3.82) and Ricky Woods (6-5/3.85)... as a team the Frogs have registered a 3.79 ERA (19th)... the Frogs have adequate bats with Max Lebowitz (.316 BA/6 HR), Eric Kusek (.316 BA/5 HR), John Velasco (.297 BA/9 HR) and Alton Dale (.315 BA/5 HR), but not much in the way of home-run power... they are hitting .274 (10th) with 54 home runs (25th)... improved hitting makes Fairfax a better team this year... will probably battle for the pennant with Luxora and Hartsdale.

Oxford and North Hills are each 7 games out of first place and tied for the fifth spot in the TU North... the Oxford Red Caps are looking like a second-division team for the fifth year in a row... the Red Caps last contended in 2024 and last made the playoffs in 2007... a .259 team BA (25th) and a 4.25 team ERA (26th) makes Oxford a mediocre club... they won't contend this season... best arms belong to Mario Lopez (9-8/3.44) and Kenny Gorham (7-7/3.94), both starters, and to reliever Willy Heinrich (1-1/2.23/11 saves)... the Red Caps have one star ballplayer: 26-year-old 1B Kerry Sterling, who is hitting .300 with 19 homers and 53 RBIs.

It's been 15 years since the North Hills Hawks have had a competitive team... and it will be more of the same in 2030... the fifth-place Hawks possess average hitting with a .267 BA (18th) and sorry pitching with a 4.34 team ERA (27th)... Terry Costanza (7-6/3.45) is a solid pitcher... Vince Boylan (.274 BA/14 HR) and Ronnie Guillaume (.302 BA/6 HR) are the best run producers.

Since winning the division in 2028 the Mahaska Haymakers have fallen on hard times, finishing sixth and seventh the last two seasons... the Haymakers are sitting in seventh again at mid-season and are 9 games back... however, they might beat out Oxford and North Hills for fifth place... Mahaska is batting .268 (16th) as a team with a 3.90 ERA (20th)... the Haymakers don't have much power with 52 roundtrippers (27th)... only an average club in scoring (19th)... top performers are All-Star Bucky O'Brian (.281 BA/16 HR) and Travis Tuttle (.272 BA/11 HR), along with Johnny Yevtushenko (.319 BA/7 HR) and Pasha Yablonski (.289 BA/0 HR)... 16-year vet Arno Vainmaa (7-9/3.30) is still a quality arm at age 34... lifetime Vainmaa has 270 victories and 229 losses... good second halves by Joey Meisner (6-7/3.77) and Maxim Petrosian (6-7/3.75) would help.

Four times in the last 10 years the White River Rascals won the TU North flag, but they have been stuck in the cellar the last two seasons... the Rascals aren't much with the bats (.252 BA/28th) or on the hill (4.11 ERA/24th)... and they are worse than last year... they are already 13 games out of first place... Jon French (7-7/4.38) is the only decent hurler... no one is hitting very well... batting .261 Jerry Thomas leads the club in homers with 11 and RBIs with 37... Jim Abrams tops the Rascals with a .290 mark and has hit 8 home runs... the forecast calls for another last-place finish for White River.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Tycobbian South Mid-Season Recap

5-Club Ruckus In TU South, 'Canes On Top
Two perennial also-rans are making some noise in the Tycobbian South this season... Cape Coral and San Alejo are challenging two of the division elite, last season winner, the Ginza Ninjas, who have won the title 3 times in 5 years and the Southport Sun Sox, who have won pennants twice in three seasons... at the All-Star hiatus the Cape Coral Hurricanes have chalked up a 3-game advantage over the runner-up San Alejo Montaneros... the 'Canes haven't contested for 15 seasons and haven't made the playoffs since 2015... the Monties won pennants the first two years in the IPA (2002-2003) and haven't grace the postseason since... Southport is third and trails by 4 games... Colchester is fourth and 5 games back... defending champ Ginza is 6 games behind in fifth... the soothsayers see a 5-team dogfight before the dust settles in the TU South.

First place Cape Coral moved up to fourth and the first division last year and now are a solid contender... the Hurricanes are hitting .282 (6th), but don't possess much power... they have only 51 homers (28th) and are tied for 14th in scoring... in team ERA they are 14th with a 3.66 ERA... and strong on defense with a .979 FA... only East Point of the TU East has won more games... the Panthers are 46-25, while the Hurricanes are 44-27... Cape Coral has a bevy of good bats with Jan Krammer (.325 BA/8 HR), Steve Fitzgerald (.323 BA/7 HR), Tonio Libertore (.318/1 HR), Sandy Coburn (.304 BA/3 HR) and Dan Isenberg (.284 BA/9 HR)... on the hill Kris Bogaard (11-5/3.42) and Randy Burns (11-7/3.15) stand out... Curt Garrett (3-3/2.84/11 saves) has impressed in the bullpen.

San Alejo has come out of nowhere, climbing up from seventh in 2029 to second place this year... greatly improved pitching and greatly improved batting has done it... the Montaneros are one of the big surprises in the IPA with a 3.24 team ERA (3rd) and a .275 BA (8th) with 86 homers (2nd)... top mound performers are Johnny Brown (7-7/2.64), taken in free agency from Rolling Hills of the TU West, John Kaltenbach (7-7/3.88) and Juan Navarro (7-3/3.83)... spot starter/reliever Roland Oates (8-3/2.50) had been outstanding, too... heading up the bullpen are Clete Lawson (2-3/1.14) and Herb Stewart (3-1/1.99/10 saves)... top batters are Bubby Blackwell (.338 BA/7 HR), Mark Delaney (.314 BA/12 HR), Ramon Escabedo (.291 BA/12 HR) and Orlando Ybarra (.281 BA/14 HR)... San Alejo is a rising power with some very talented players... don't seem to be a one-year wonder.

The Southport Sun Sox won the division flags in 2027 and 2028 and came in second last year... the third place Sun Sox are still very much in the hunt, only 4 games in back of Cape Coral, featuring good bats with power, pitching and excellent defense... Southport is batting .272 (12th), ranks 11th in scoring with 327 runs and leads in home runs with 88, best in the IPA... pitching-wise the team ERA is 3.35 (4th)... defensively they have a fine .982 FA... the Sun Sox have an impressive starting foursome: Don Pascioni (8-6/3.38), Mel Underwood (8-6/3.18), Bob Bondy (9-8/3.11) and Ronnie Galus (6-3/3.21)... bullpen ace is Tomas Taviero (3-1/1.82/7 saves)... IPA superstar and All-Star Lorne Evans is having a fantastic season with a.389 BA, 30 homers, 70 RBIs and 60 runs scored... Evans could be headed for a Triple Crown... he leads the IPA in BA, RBIs, runs and homers... Evans is tied for the hits' lead with Tuckanarra's Jed Turchin... But Evans is not the whole show... he gets plenty of support from Kyle Ross (.319 BA/15 HR), Rick Cabrini (.286 BA/6 HR) and Sam Cousins (.307 BA/8 HR)... Southport is a strong contender for the TU South pennant... and maybe for the Pro Cup, too.

It's been 24 years since the Colchester Elites were in the Pro Cup playoffs... but they have been in the TU South first division the previous four seasons, almost winning the flag in 2026, 2027 and coming close in 2028... the Elites are fourth this year and just 5 games off the pace... they are the best-scoring club in the TU with 373 runs (1st), 5th in roundtrippers (82) and are hitting at a .275 clip (7th)... the Elites line-up card ranks with the best in the IPA with All-Star Steve Burns (.370 BA/15 HR), Jim Lewellan (.252 BA/20 HR), Joel Collins (.323 BA/0 HR), Carlos Manuel (.325 BA/10 HR) and All-Star Cleve Belton (.293 BA/18 HR)... Colchester is decent on the mound with a 3.69 team ERA (15th)... Mike Kierkegaard (8-4/3.11), Mac Flowers (9-5/3.38) and Mackie McGinnity (8-6/3.91) are all capable starters... only missing link is a top-notch bullpen (3.73 ERA/15th).

The Ginza Ninjas may be in fifth place and 6 games out of first, but the defending division champion will have to be reckoned with before the pennant is decided... they hit very well with a .289 BA (2nd), score well (6th) and play very good defense (.978 FA)... but they are only average with a 3.76 team ERA (18th) and lack firepower with only 56 HRs (23rd-tied)... the Ninjas are led at the plate by Taro Mori (.356 BA/2 HR), All-Star Cotton Cornwall (.326 BA/15 HR), Johnny O'Rorke (.312 BA/11 HR), Sadaharu Uchiyama (.286 BA/7 HR), Russell Van Kleek (.329 BA/4 HR) and Howard Winston (.302 BA/4 HR)... the Ninjas are missing Crash Davis, longtime catching standout... Davis signed with Kenwood of the TU West... the 36-year-old Davis (.284 BA/6 HR) was great with the pitchers and was a solid bat... Kenwood is leading its division this year... Ginza has two quality starters: Hollis Pace (6-4/3.21) and Harlan Wilson (10-5/3.12)... Ryuji Kaneko (5-3/3.35) is dependable in a spot starter/long relief role... if Ginza had one more quality starter, they would win in a breeze... still they have a shot at the pennant this year because of the strong bats.

The rest of the division are just playing out the season... Turon, Summerland and Arroyo Grande are all tied for last place, 11 games behind leading Cape Coral... the Turon Typhoons have been a hapless team for the last decade after winning 4 Pro Cups and 11 pennants from 2006 and 2019... the Typhoons have a good offense with a .287 BA (3rd) and score well (347 runs/6th tied), but have bad pitching (4.22 ERA-25th)... All-Star Michael Page (.351 BA/16 HR) and All-Star Yancy Duvicque (.366 BA/2 HR) lead the attack... Sal Quattrone (10-5/3.53) and Victor Suarez (10-6/4.24) are the top starters.

In its history Summerland has never won a pennant and has made the playoffs only one time... that was in 2005 when the Sunsets finished second and won a wild card spot... the IPA abandoned wild cards after the 2006 season... from 2001 to 2003 the top four teams in each division qualified for the Pro Cup playoffs... from 2004 to 2006 the top two clubs in each division made the postseason... Summerland has good pitching with a 3.47 team ERA (7th) with very good starters, led by All-Star Scotty Ellison (10-4/2.62), Ron McDonald (8-5/2.98) and Clive Coxford (7-8/2.38)... however the bullpen is lousy with a 4.57 ERA (27th)... the Sunsets are not much at the plate with a .261 BA (23rd)... but they do have some talented hitters in Joe DeLucca (.316 BA/10 HR), Gregg Proctor (.305 BA/12 HR), Jay Hagedorn (.315 BA/3 HR) and Mandu Purula (.291 BA/5 HR).

For ten years from 2018 to 2027 the Arroyo Grande Suns were a powerful club in the TU South, winning 4 divisional crowns and finishing no worse than third... but that is no longer the case... for the last two seasons the Suns came in 8th and 6th respectively... this year they will have to battle to avoid last place... the talent level has dropped drastically in the last few years... only IPA great and probable Hall-of-Famer Rusty Vizcarra remains... the 31-year-old Vizcarra has 23 homers, 57 RBIs and is hitting .280 to lead the attack... but he has little help except for Robbie Kiner, who is hitting .327 with 4 homers, 30 RBIs and 46 runs scored... the only dependable hurler is rookie Neil Strickland with a 7-1 mark and a 3.17 ERA... 20-game winner Cesar DeLeon has dropped to 6-9 with a 3.98 ERA this season at age 35.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Tycobbian East Mid-Season Recap

Panthers On The Prowl, Lead TU East
For 17 years from 2009 to 2026 the East Point Panthers were doomed to the Tycobbian East second division... but all that has changed in the last few years with two second-place finishes in 2027 and 2028 and a third place spot last season... now the Panthers are really on the prowl and ready to win it all... they have the best record at mid-season in the Tycobbian Union and second best in the IPA... East Point is 46-25 at the All-Star break, topped only by Colfax in the RU West with a 47-24 mark... the Panthers have a one-game edge on the resurgent Ozarka Naturals and a 4-game margin over last year's division champion, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays... at the halfway point in the schedule there are only three teams in the hunt... fourth place South Fork is 9 games off the pace and doesn't seem to be a pennant threat.

This season first place East Point has added punch to the offense and can score runs... added in with a fine pitching staff and you have a potent ballclub... the Panthers sport a .265 BA (19th) with 84 homers (3rd) and have scored 350 runs (4th)... that combined with a 3.20 team ERA (1st) and you've got a first class contender... not only for the TU East crown, but for the Pro Cup as well... All-Star Frank Blair (10-5/2.17), All-Star Joe Foley (10-3/2.56) and Stephen Edwards (9-1/3.57) and Dixie Brooks (7-8/3.63) gives them a solid rotation... Jack Bolden (1-1/2.94/13 saves) gives them an effective closer in the bullpen... the Panthers are also talented at the plate, sparked by All-Star Tetsu Tanaka (.336 BA/19 HR), Kenko Aoki (.275 BA/20 HR), Wally Wright (.294 BA/6 HR) and Kyle Pike (.299 BA/7 HR).

Recent years have not been kind to the once-powerful Ozarka Naturals, who captured 11 pennants in 16 seasons during the glory years 2006-2021... after a dismal 8th place in 2028, they improved to 5th last year and up to second place this season, trailing by just a game... the Nats hit well with a .274 BA and scores well with 349 runs (5th)... with fairly good pitching... the staff has a 3.48 ERA (8th)... All-Star George Jenkins (.341 BA/13 HR) is the big gun, along with All-Star James Couch (.313 BA/4 HR), Byron Glenn (.286 BA/11 HR) and Lonnie Gillespie (.315 BA/1 HR)... on the hill the standouts are new free agent All-Star Sam Tate (10-3/2.91) from Tuckanarra, Stan Carey (8-5/3.34), Norm Phillips (9-4/3.71) and Brady Bell (7-6/3.66)... Ozarka may not be a flash in the pan... they have some solid ballplayers... they could give East Point and Tuckanarra a tussle this year.

With 5 TU East crowns in 7 years last year's pennant winner, the third place Tuckanarra Blue Jays, are not ready to give up the throne or throw in the towel... the Tucks don't have the stats the Panthers and Naturals have, but they still have plenty of talent with All-Star pitcher Quinn Starr (11-4/2.06) and Philip Marston (9-6/3.83) as starters and Rob Howe (6-0/0.51/3 saves) in the bullpen... the top Blue Jay bats are All-Star Jed Turchin (.356 BA/12 HR), Trevor Dowd (.319 BA/6 HR) and Ted Sabonis (.295 BA/1 HR)... superstar Lynn Starr is having a down year, but is still quite productive with 12 homers and 44 RBIs, though he is hitting only .257... a strong second half by Starr would do wonders for the Tucks' pennant hopes.

The South Fork Stallions are in fourth place in the standings and behind by 9 games... South Fork just doesn't have the hosses to take the TU East title... the Stallions are batting only .246 (31st) and are ranked last in scoring (32nd)... but they do have quality pitching with a 3.51 team ERA (10th)... Richie Raeburn (8-5/3.36) and new free agent acquisition from Crystal Lake of the RU South, Duncan Welch (6-7/2.78), are both reliable starters, but need more help from last year's 21-game winner Ozz Gatsby, who is 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA... bullpen ace Al Thompson (2-1/3.03) easily tops the IPA with 18 saves... four free agents were expected to make the Stallions into contenders, but it hasn't happened... Dean Woods (.289 BA/14 HR) from Sugar Valley in the RU East has done pretty well, while another 38-year-old signee Andy Pearson (.266 BA/4 HR) from Arroyo Grande and an 11-time All-Star is showing signs of age... Corbett Brooks (.255 BA/5 HR) came over from Red Bluff and is in the throes of a bad year... normally Woods and Brooks are 30-homer and 100-RBI guys... Patric Giles (.264 BA/11 HR) has been a reliable batsman for the club.

You have to go back to 2022 for the last time the Red Bluff Red Sox made the first division and all the way back to 2009 when they made the postseason... the Red Sox are 11 games off the pace in fifth place... they are probably headed for another second-division finish... Jack Phillips (8-4/2.56) and Trini Corona (6-4/3.78) are the most effective starters, in the batter's box it's Pat Ellis (.331 BA/9 HR), Billy Barton (.302 BA/5 HR) and newcomer Floyd McClellan (.291/BA/14 HR) from the Middlefield Roosters as a free agent are the top run producers for Red Bluff.

The Hillsboro Blazers bolted up to second place last year, but have come back to reality this year, resting in sixth place, 13 games behind... sadly the Blazers have never, ever made the postseason in the club's 29 years in the IPA... not gonna happen this year either... Hillsboro has good pitching (3.36 ERA/5th), but not much hitting (.250 BA/30th)... Gregg Hughes (5-4/2.07) and Marty Anderson (8-6/3.09) are solid starters and Duke Mahoney (2-4/2.81/12 saves) is effective in the bullpen... Bill Kelly (.290 BA/6 HR), Brian Hatcher (.296 BA/11 HR) and Biggy Washington (.265 BA/12 HR) are the only reliable bats.

Midway won the TU East pennant in 2027, but it's been a slow descent since, falling to 4th in 2028 and 2029 and now even further, down to 7th place and 19 games behind leading East Point... you have to go back to 2010 for a worse year... the crux of the Wolves problem is horrendous pitching (4.45 ERA-31st) and not a lot of offense either (.263 BA/20th), ranking 27th in runs with 285... at age 29 Bobby Dorignac (7-6/3.35) still gets the job done, but doesn't get much help on the mound or at the plate... Midway's most dependable bats are Lanky Mato (.316 BA/7 HR), Rob Gigler (.293 BA/8 HR) and Eduardo Villanueva (.298 BA/5 HR)... longtime batting leader Rusty Graves had a poor first half with a .255 mark, 9 homers and 31 runs.

During the High Mesa Cowboys' first two years of existence in the IPA, they made the playoffs both years and even won the Pro Cup in the second season in 2002, but absolutely nothing since... the Cowpokes are currently in the TU East basement and 21 games out... they also rank near the bottom in pitching (4.39 ERA/29th) and batting (.253 BA/27th)... Roger Hart is a pretty fair starter with an 8-7 record and 3.46 ERA... not much after him on the staff... Bill Andrews (.303 BA/15 HR) and Freddy Franks (.280 BA/6 HR) carry the offensive load... Jack Elliott, perhaps the greatest player in IPA history is winding down a fabulous career in serious decline... at 36 Elliott is batting just .237 with 7 homers and 16 RBIs... lifetime he is a .335 hitter and averages 45 homers and 120 RBIs a season... this may be Elliott's last season.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Tycobbian West Mid-Season Recap

Wildcats 3 Games Up In TU West
It was a 4-team donnybrook last season in the Tycobbian West with only 2 games separating first place from fourth... it was quite a melee between Rolling Hills, Arlon, Chicopee and La Claire... this year it's a tight 3-team affair between Pro Cup champ Rolling Hills Reds, Kenwood Wildcats and Bay St. Clair Buccaneers... at the season's mid-point Kenwood holds a slim 3-game lead over the Reds and Bucs with the Denton City Redbirds in fourth, trailing by 7 games.

Since winning the TU West pennant in 2024, Kenwood has been up and down in the standings, but this year the Wildcats are playing superbly, coupling super hitting with fairly good pitching... They also have signed 3 talented free agents... Kenwood tops the IPA with a .295 BA and is ranked 2nd in scoring... not much power with only 41 home runs (31st), but really good contact hitters... the mound corps is adequate with a 3.55 team ERA (13th)... All-Star Babe Hankins (.339 BA/7 HR) heads up a strong batting order, helped out by Jan Kessinger (.323 BA/0 HR), rookie Randy Towns (.319 BA/0 HR), Hank Lunsford (.337 BA/0 HR) and All-Star Crash Davis (.284 BA/6 HR), who came over as a 36-year-old free agent from Ginza of the TU South... Davis is not quite the hitter he used to be, but still is an excellent defensive catcher and handler of pitchers... Davis is a big plus on the Wildcat roster... so is free agent Kessinger, formerly with the Sugar Valley Rattlers of the RU East... and powerhitter Warren Love (.257 BA/10 HR) from San Alejo of the TU South... Towns has made a solid impact in his freshman year, too.

Rolling Hills is coming off a great year... they won the IPA Pro Cup for the first time in its history... despite losing their top two pitchers, Errol Gaudet and Johnny Brown, the Reds are still in the pennant chase... Brown was 17-10 last year and 3-0 in the playoffs...Brown signed a big contract with San Alejo of the TU South this year and has posted an 8-7 mark with a fine 2.64 ERA... Gaudet, a 5-time 20-game winner and last year's Pro Cup MVP with a 7-0 record, will be out until August with an arm injury... Gaudet was injured in early May and is 2-2 with a 2.29 ERA this season... He could be a real difference maker in the stretch drive... the Reds have been forced to rely on the offense this year with a .286 BA (4th)... the team ERA has inflated from 3.34 in 2029 to 4.02 in 2030... Tom Pierson (6-3/2.14) and Buck Myers (9-5/4.23) have shouldered the pitching load... top batters are All-Star Tony Brinkerhoff (.337 BA/12 HR), All-Star Dusty Rogan (.303 BA/12 HR) and Derek Kristensen (.325 BA/3 HR).

After two down seasons in a row when they wound up next-to-last, the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers are back in contention and tied for second place... Free agents pitcher Jody Gentry from Kenwood and outfielder George McKay from Claxton in the RU South have given the team a huge lift... the Bucs feature fair to average bats with a .262 BA (21st), decent scoring capability with 324 runs (12th tied) and good pitching with a 3.49 team ERA (9th)... All-Star Gentry (10-5/2.63) seems fully recovered from rotator problems that caused him to miss most of the 2029 season... Kenwood's loss is the Bucs' gain... Kenwood would really be something if they still had a healthy Gentry in its rotation... another great addition is rookie All-Star closer Don Sawyer (2-0/0.22/14 saves), who has been simply brilliant this year... at the plate Bay St. Clair is led by Terry Adams (.316 BA/8 HR), Neil Lamont (.301 BA/11 HR), George McKay (.263 BA/12 HR), Jerry Todd (.281 BA/5 HR), Damon Klein (.305 BA/7 HR) and Fernell Peck (.306 BA/2 HR)... Klein and Peck are two more free agents added to the roster this year...

The fourth place Denton City Redbirds were an early power in the IPA with 8 playoff appearances and 6 pennants from 2002 to 2014... after that the Redbirds have pretty much wallowed in the second division... Denton City is 7 games off the pace, but not in the same league with the three primary contenders... the Redbirds are just mediocre to average as a ballclub with a .262 BA (22nd) and 3.72 ERA (16th)... Glenn Hamilton (10-5/3.10) is a standout starter, but the rest of the hurlers are just journeymen at best... Vance Diamond (.316 BA), Marvin Ferrell (.290 BA/5 HR) and Keith Ingram (.282 BA/7 HR) provide most of the offense.

Since 2023 the Bayview Vikings have been a run-of-the mill second-division club and will likely continue their ways this season... this year the fifth place Viks can hit and score with a .274 BA (11th), 334 runs (10th) and 68 roundtrippers (11th)... but they don't have the pitching to stop the opposition... the team ERA is a poor 4.37 (28th)... Daniel Shields (6-5/3.97) is the only starter with a winning record... batting-wise Bayview is paced by Wayne Kenney (.315 BA/14 HR), Roy Ricks (.292 BA/9 HR) and Todd Benson (.284 BA/3 HR).

The Chicopee Braves have been in the IPA for 29 fairly fruitless seasons... never have made the playoffs, though they have come close 5 times... nothing new this year for the Braves who are 11 games out at the All-Star Game and in sixth place in the TU West... 32-year-old Frank Mullins (8-9/3.96) is a fine starter with a career 158-123 record in his ninth season, fifth with Chicopee... Mullins deserves better... Chicopee is just a tough place to win... 25-year-old reliever Matt Reeves (0-0/1.67/12 saves) shows promise in his second season... while the Braves' team ERA (4.41/30th) is not much, at the plate they have some talent witn a .270 team BA (13th) and 77 homers (6th)... Sakima Shaman (.344 BA/8 HR), Charlie Jensen (.309 BA/13 HR), Kurt Gustavsen (.320 BA/13 HR) and Big Sam Takota (.314 BA/14 HR) can put some runs on the scoreboard.

After coming out of nowhere to win the their first pennant in 2028 and hotly contending last season, the La Claire Lynx have relapsed to the depths of the TU West again... the Lynx are 16 games back and in seventh place... they have average team stats with a .267 BA (17th) and a 3.73 team ERA (17th)... after 18 outstanding years in the IPA, future HOF-er Flash Devlin with over 500 homers and a .321 career BA, is now just a good ballplayer at age 36, but he can still hold his own... Devlin is batting .286 this season with 7 homers and 34 RBIs, down quite a bit from his 30 homers and 100 RBIs yearly... Carrol Candy (.332 BA/9 HR) is now the big gun, supported by Lonny Wright (.306 BA/8 HR), Kelly Chamberlain (.266 Ba/8 HR) and Norm Petitjean (.263 BA/10 HR)... on the mound strikeout king Pat Kovacs (7-7/2.56) is one tough customer with a 95-62 mark in his sixth season... Kovacs set the IPA strikeout record in 2028 with 391 Ks... hill talent is sparse after him.

The Arlon Champions had a string of three straight fourth-place finishes entering this season... last year they came in just 2 games behind Pro Cup champ Rolling Hills... optimism was rampant at the start of the season... however nothng has gone right... the bats are awful and the pitching is atrocious... the Champs are batting .256 (26th), rank 26th in scoring and 32nd in pitching with a 4.81 ERA... Raydon Burks (6-10/2.98) is the only starter under a 5.00 ERA... and Alan Caine (.308 BA/1 HR) is the only regular over the .300 mark... Arlon wishes the season would end at the All-Star break.

Sorry for not posting the last few days.

I am working on this year's Hall of Fame inductees. Looks like it will be 7 pitchers and 4 position players.

I should announce them tomorrow.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

IPA HOF Inducts 11 Standouts
The Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame has been increased by 11 players and now totals 35 members. They will be inducted in special ceremonies at the IPA Hall of Fame in Marston. Leading the list of this year's icons is the all-time victories leader Nicky Engstrom, together with other outstanding hurlers Don Chaney, Ken Hill, Robbie Kelly, Boomerang Hines, Eddie Roberts and Archie Desmond. Position players honored are Hank Bethel, Vic Valenti, Flipper Bird and Mac McCurnan.

In his fabulous career with the Turon Typhoons Nicky Engstrom (2010-2029) sparked his club to 8 pennants and one IPA Pro Cup with a 387-218 career record with a superb 2.43 ERA. Engstrom posted the most wins and the best ERA for a starting pitcher in history. He was a 12-time All-Star and won three Golden Arm Awards (2011, 2013, 2015). In the Pro Cup playoffs Engstrom made 29 starts and compiled a 14-5 mark with a 2.18 ERA. He retired last year at age 40.

Don Chaney (2010-2028) toiled 19 years for the Rocky Rapids Snappers. During his tenure he was 317-256 with a 3.13 ERA and ranked 8th in all-time victories. Chaney played on 5 pennant winners, made the All-Star team 6 times and netted the Golden Arm in 2017. In the postseason Chaney was 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA.

Number 9 on the all-time wins list was left-hander Ken Hill (2010-2029), who played 20 years for the Fairfax Frogs and registered 313 victories and 271 losses with a 3.03 ERA. He led the Frogs to 3 pennants, was a 2-time All-Star and chalked up a 5-2 record in the postseason with a 2.99 ERA. Hill called it quits after the 2029 season at age 39.

Robbie Kelly (2001-2019) had quite a career for the Far Mountain Redhawks. He paced them to 3 Pro Cup triumphs and 10 pennants, registering a 279-196 record and a 3.23 ERA. Kelly won the Golden Arm Award in 2012 and was a 2-time All-Star. He was especially tough in the playoffs and won many crucial games for the Redhawks, who took back-to-back-to-back Pro Cups in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Far Mountain is the only club to accomplish that feat. Kelly finished 16-10 with a 3.74 ERA in the playoffs and retired at 42 in 2019.

Southpaw Boomerang Hines (2002-2014) got a late start in the IPA, beginning his career at age 26, but he still made a dramatic impact playing with the Mahaska Haymakers for 7 years and Far Mountain his last 6 years. Hines was very good in Mahaska, but he was great for the Redhawks. Overall he was 227-151 with a fine 2.99 ERA, leading his teams to 7 postseason appearances, 3 Pro Cup victories and 6 division flags. Hines was a teammate with Kelly when Far Mountain captured three straight Island championships. Like Kelly, Hines really stood out in the playoffs with a 14-6 record and a brilliant 1.85 ERA. Hines was the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player in 2011 when he was 5-1 with a superlative 1.11 ERA. Hines won game seven in relief. He missed the 2012 Series because of injury, but returned in 2013 and finished second in the Pro Cup MVP race with 4-0 mark and a 2.05 ERA. Hines was a 2-time All-Star and retired after the 2014 season. In his last year at age 38 he was 22-11 with a 2.41 ERA.

One of the mound mainstays during Ozarka's glory years was Eddie Roberts (2011-2026), who was one of the prime reasons the Naturals won 9 pennants during his 16-year career. Lifetime Roberts compiled a 215-130 mark with a 3.45 ERA, was the 2011 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year (19-7/3.69), honored as the TU Most Valuable Player in 2012 (22-8/2.38) and made the All-Star once. Roberts is the recordholder for most postseason victories. In 33 postseason games Roberts etched a 19-7 record with a 3.69 ERA.

For the first time in history a closer has been selected to the IPA Hall of Fame. That honor went to Archie Desmond (2017-2028) of the Tuckanarra Blue Jays. Desmond recorded 268 saves with a great 2.00 ERA and a 64-40 record in 524 relief appearances. He made the All-Star team on two occasions. Desmond has the number two all-time best ERA in IPA history, topped only by Glenn Kennedy of the Kenwood Wildcats. Kennedy, also a reliever, notched a 1.99 ERA and 44-37 record and played from 2017 to 2028. Tuckanarra won 4 pennants and 2 Pro Cups while Desmond headed up the Blue Jay bullpen.

Beechwood's superlative center field Vic Valenti (2013-2029) finally called it a career at age 36 in 2029 after a splendid 17-year stint. Valenti racked up a .317 batting average and ranks sixth all-time in the IPA. He added in 500 homers, which is ninth on the all-time list, 1731 RBIs and scored 1682 runs. Valenti was a 9-time All-Star, won 3 RU Golden Bats (2015, 2020, 2025) and 6 Golden Gloves. In 2015 Valenti was acclaimed the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player. He led the league with a .383 average, hit 45 homers and batted in 120 runs. His Bobcats won three pennants while he was there. Valenti did not fare well in the postseason. He batted only .215, but had 6 home runs and 19 RBIs in 31 games.

Catcher Hank Bethel (2001-2027) played for 27 years with six teams and retired after a wonderful career at the ripe old age of 44. Bethel was a 12-time All-Star and ranked high in most offensive categories. He played in 3211 games (8th), collected 3318 hits (8th), 494 roundtrippers (10th), scored 1985 times (2nd) and hit a .288 rate. In 76 playoff games Bethel batted .270 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs. He played 7 years with the Bayview Vikings and led them to the postseason 5 times with 3 pennants. For the next 15 seasons Bethel was in Rocky Rapids. During his time with the Snappers they captured one Pro Cup in 2019 and 4 pennants. His last four seasons were with Fort Benton, Glasco, Belle Plaine and San Dimas and not very productive. Bethel was just playing out the string.

One of the finer shortstops in IPA history was Flipper Bird (2001-2023). Bird made a big splash his first season by taking the 2001 Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award, then he went on and got better. In 2004 Bird won both the RU MVP honor and the Golden Bat, along with a Golden Glove. Bird batted .305 that season with 30 home runs, 130 RBIs, 108 runs and 31 stolen bases. He played in 3364 games (3rd), had 3530 hits (4th) and scored 2217 runs (2nd). Lifetime Bird batted .268, was a 3-time All-Star and collected 2 Golden Gloves. Bird sparked the Sugar Valley Rattlers to 5 playoff appearances and 3 pennants in his 7 years there. For the next 14 seasons he was with the Cape Coral Hurricanes, but they only made the postseason twice. Bird finished up with two and a half years in Mahaska and retired at 43 after the 2023 season. Bird had pretty good postseason numbers with a .276 BA, 7 HR, 27 RBIs and 26 runs in 49 games. The closest Bird came to getting a Pro Cup ring was in 2004, when Sugar Valley lost to Red Bluff in the Finals. In that postseason in 18 games he chalked up 4 homers, 18 RBIs and a .301 BA.

One thing you could say about Mac McCurnan (2005-2024), the talented center fielder for the Turon Typhoons, he was a winner. But McCurnan has Hall of Fame credentials, too. Not only did the Typhoons win 11 pennants in his 20 years with the club, they also copped 3 Pro Cups and came close to winning a fourth. McCurnan was a 3-time All-Star, hit .282 in his career with 435 homers, 1651 RBIs, 1784 runs scored and had 472 stolen bases. In 144 playoff games McCurnan batted .251 with 14 homers, 78 RBIs and scored 81 runs.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 19, 2030

RU Stars Win 4-3 In 9th
The Ruthlandian Stars squeezed out a 4-3 victory over the Tycobbian Stars in the 30th Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star clash played at Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills... the RU won it in the last of the ninth on Wes Marlowe's (Grand City) sacrifice fly that scored Larry Romney (Eastshore) with the winning score... the win snapped Tycobbia's 2-game winning streak in the All-Star Classic... the TU Stars still have a wide 20-10 lead in the series... Lefty Frizzell (Grand City) collected the victory with a scoreless ninth with the loss going to Don Sawyer (Bay St. Clair), who came on in the ninth and didn't get anybody out... Romney led off the inning with a single... Floyd Randolph (Valmara) moved him to second when shortstop James Gooch (Ozarka) misplayed a grounder... Olari Ojastu (Valka) bunted them over to second and third... Vasco Aguilar (Volusia) was walked intentionally to load the bases... then Marlowe flied out to right to end the game when RF Babe Hankins' threw home and failed to get Romney.

Ruthlandia had the edge in hits 9 to 8 and was led by RF Sonny Oliver (Volusia) and C Les Leslie (Wynnamac) with 2 hits each... 3B Johnny Doyle (Sugar Valley), SS Olari Ojastu (Valka) and Leslie (Wynnamac) drove in the other RU runs... Tony Brinkerhoff (Rolling Hills) and CF Dusty Rogan (Rolling Hills) had solo roundtrippers for Tycobbia and James Couch tripled in the other TU run... starting pitchers Frank Blair (East Point) and Terry Richards shared the Most Valuable Player Award... Blair started for Tycobbia and retired all 6 batters he faced in the first two innings, while Richards fanned 3 in his 2 hitless innings for Ruthlandia.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 1, 2030

No races clinched In IPA, Races close in 6 Divisions
Most of the divisions in the Islandian Pro Alliance are still going at it hot and heavy with 6 of them very much in doubt. The Colfax Blasters in the Ruthlandian West and the Ozarka Naturals in the Tycobbian East are in control and they have a good chance to clinch early.

In the RU North, Valmara is the defending titlist and has a slight edge over Ancona and LaGrange, leading the Red Elephants by 2 games and the Sports by 3. Lagrange has played the best ball the last two months and is slowly closing ground. The Sports are 35-12 over the period. However, the Vipers and Red Elephants are pretty good, too, at 32-15. This one will go down to the wire. It's hard to pick against Valmara, which has taken the pennant the last 4 years.

It's a two-team tango in the Ruthlandian South with Waleska having a slim one-game advantage over the Grand City Cybercats. The Westerners are going into the last month razor sharp after putting up a splendid 20-9 month and overtaking the Cybercats for the top spot in the standings. Grand City went into August with a 4-game lead, but faltered to 15-14. Waleska is favored to take the RU South crown.

The Ruthlandian East has developed into a battle between Wynnamac and Sugar Valley with Beechwood and Marston only having remote chances to win the flag. The Macs are 2 games in front of Rattlers heading into the final three weeks of the season. Both are playing good baseball at this point. The Bobcats are in third place, but 6 games off the pace, while the Marston Nine is 7 games out. This one's too close to call. Last year's champ Sugar Valley just might win out in the end with its superior pitching staff.

The Colfax Blasters built up a good, solid lead early in the Ruthlandian West and have seen it dissipate down to 5 games over last season's division winner Stoner and 7 games to the Sligo Rovers, Middlefield Roosters and the Fort Benton Defenders. Yet Colfax is the odds-on choice to win the pennant. The other clubs have too little time to catch the Blasters.

Over in the western half of the Islands in the Tycobbian Union, there's plenty of good pennant races. In the TU North it's down to just two teams, the Luxora Zorros and the Blue Lake Blue Sox, who are tied for the top spot going into September. Fairfax is a distant 6 games back. The Zorros took charge with a great 19-9 April, but have since leveled off a bit over the last few months. Whereas the Blue Sox have gotten better as the year progressed. Blue Lake is 34-23 in the last two months, while Luxora is 28-29. Strong pitching by the Blue Sox gives them the edge during the last few weeks of the season. Last year's division champ Hartsdale is tied for fourth this season and trails by 8 games.

In the TU South, it a 3-team catfight between first place Cape Coral, runner-up Southport and third place Colchester. The Hurricanes have a 3-game advantage over last year division-winning Sun Sox and 4 up on the hard-charging Elites. Colchester is a sizzling 37-20 over the last two months, while Cape Coral and Southport are still playing well with 33-24 records in July and August. They may be hard for the Elites to catch. It should quite a race between 3 fine teams. Southport just might overtake the Hurricanes. The Sun Sox are a tough team to beat.

The dominant team in the Tycobbian East is the Ozarka Naturals with a big 7-game bulge over second place East Point and 8 in front of defending crownbearer Tuckanarra. Heading into the stretch drive the Nats are still the best club, followed by the Tucks and Panthers. Ozarka should clinch early.

One of the surprise powers in the IPA is the Kenwood Wildcats, who have taken the TU West by storm with a high-scoring bunch of hitters and an impressive mound corps. The Wildcats are up from fifth place last season and are tied with another Cinderella club, the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers that rose up from seventh in 2029. Last year's Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills is still in the hunt, just 3 games off the pace. Who will prevail? Will it be the super bats of the Wildcats, the strong pitching of the Bucs or the high-powered attack, experience and winning tradition of the Reds? My vote goes to Kenwood. The Wildcats are the best-balanced team in the hunt.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 16, 2030

Evans And Sterling Cop IPA Batting Crowns
It's official! Lorne Evans of the Southpost Sun Sox and Sterling Hall of the Crystal Lake Crushers have claimed the 2030 batting crowns in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Evans not only won the Tycobbian Union batting title, but the 25-year-old slugger also became only the fifth player in IPA history to win the Triple Crown. Evans led the TU in batting average, RBIs and homers with a .386 batting average, 134 RBIs and 59 home runs. The other Triple Crown recipients were Jack Elliott of the High Mesa Cowboys, who accomplished it twice, in 2017 and 2021, Dane Wesner of the Fairfax Frogs in 2010 and Karol Zodoka of the East Point Panthers in 2002. The 27-year-old Hall batted .349 for the Crushers, finishing up the season with 44 doubles, 2 triples and 5 home runs. Hall batted in 67 runs and scored 70 times in 119 games. Evans and Hall are first-time winners.

The runner-up to Evans was San Alejo's Bubby Blackwell, who hit .356 in 145 games with 15 homers, 68 RBIs and 98 runs scored. Third in the TU batting race was Babe Hankins at .345 with 23 roundtrippers, 109 runs batted in and 110 runs. Hankins participated in 146 games.

Valmara's Gerry Kazmarek was the number two hitter in the Ruthlandian Union behind Hall. Kazmarek batted .344 for the Vipers with 12 home runs, 69 RBIs and 82 runs in 113 games. Brad Maddox of the St. John Crusaders came in third with a .343 BA, 2 homers, 50 RBIs and 99 runs, while playing in 144 contests.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

Vipers Win 5th Straight RU North Flag
It was a bitter fight to the end, but Valmara outlasted a valiant LaGrange on the last day of the season to claim its fifth RU flag in a row and seventh in the last eight years. The Sports closed fast, but fell on the final day of the season, while the Vipers were victorious, giving Valmara the title by one game... Ancona folded in the stretch and finished in third place, 5 games behind... Far Mountain wound up a distant fourth and trailed by 10 games.

Manager Jet Kazmarek has a solid ball club in Valmara (87-67), led on the hill by Teddy Lem (21-14/3.31), rookie Garry Gronek (15-10/3.38), J. B. Boutin (16-11/3.47) and Carroll Cain (15-12/3.52), plus a solid closer in Ivan Guzek (6-7/2.29/24 saves)... Kazmarek has a bevy of good bats in his son, RF Gerry Kazmarek (.344/12/69/82), CF Teddy Szymanski (.284/19/76/69), C Floyd Randolph (.268/19/94/65), LF Benny Hooper (.318/10/70/61) and Jerry Rembert (.282/21/70/80)... the Vipers won the pennant despite losing Clem Carmouche (6-3/3.92) for the season in mid-May and regulars OF Reno DeBenedetti (.302/9/62/82) and 3B Amos Gallagher (.291/6/47/61) in late August.

The LaGrange Sports (86-68) ran a fiesty race under manager Quincy Peterson, falling a scant game short... the Sports also lost a valuable pitcher Niles Wooten (4-3/3.41) in May for the season... heading up the rotation were Alex Gillespie (19-12/2.70), Ryan Janssen (19-15/3.71) and Mike York (14-12/3.17)... top bats were sluggers CF Russell Watkins (.325/36/103/103), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.315/39/100/96) and RF Randall Hawson (.268/25/83/65).

The Ancona Red Elephants (82-72) contended most of the season, but faltered down the stretch in September... skipper Manny Mickens had some capable pitching from ace Razzy Angelis (22-14/2.49), Kyros Halkias (16-15/3.66) and Lonnie Quick (12-10/3.46)... however a weak bullpen did him in... they compiled a poor 4.32 team ERA (27th)... best hitters were free agent RF Jimmy Howell (.333/5/60/74) from Blue Lake of the Tycobbian Union, 3B Koora Nawajuk (.291/13/56/84) and power man SS Todd Nasso (.246/24/82/88)... longtime star RF Kenny Willard left the team this season and signed with Glasco after 17 great years with the Red Elephants.

New manager Don Nichols only had a so-so season in his first year with the Far Mountain Redhawks (77-77), winding up 10 games back in fourth place... the Redhawks have a standout veteran on the mound... Jakob Wagner (20-11/2.41) is an good as they get in the IPA... Jeff Cooper (17-19/3.39) and Keith Griggs (13-11/3.19) do a good job as well... along with quality closer Hans Becker (5-6/2.55/19 saves)... but at the plate Far Mountain needs a lot of help when 1B Johnny Becker (.285/11/56) and LF Ryan Mizell (.257/18/88) are the best in the batting order.

After a successful second-place finish in 2029 the Kilkenny Cats (71-83) tumbled back into the second division, ending up in fifth place and 16 games off the pace in the RU North... second-year skipper Rusty Denicola saw his staff under perform after a brilliant season the year before... the team ERA went from a splendid 2.67 to 3.35... Dave Whitaker (16-11/2.54) and Dean Harris (12-9/3.12) stood out, but got no offensive support... CF Ronnie Roussel (.298/33/108/82) and 1B Garris Aiken (.283/28/75/78) provided most of the punch... Kilkenny still has not made the postseason in its 29 years in the IPA.

The long drought continued in Ranford (70-84), where the Bulls missed the playoffs for the 25th consecutive season... their last postseason appearance was in 2005... Ranford wound up sixth and 17 games back... manager Rick Fargnoli is on the hot seat this year... the Bulls boast a .282 BA (2nd), but lack power... 3B Sonny Statum (.334/5/55/102), SS Terry Kerr (.325/17/89/87) and LF Percy Whitehead (.341/7/67/66) are strong contact hitters... add in 1B Elton Graff (.287/11/72/52) and C Kyle Hunt (.294/8/71/70) and you've got a pretty fair offense... but the Bulls are short on pitching with a 4.09 team ERA (29th)... Manny Mateo (15-17/2.89) and Angelo Coppolo (19-15/3.64) were the best moundsmen.

For the eighth successive season the Glasco Athletics (67-87) are near the bottom of the division, resting in seventh place, 20 games out of first... 2003 was the A's last postseason appearance... manager Barry McCord has a fair offense (17th) with a .264 BA (18th), but is woeful on the mound with a 4.34 team ERA (31st)... C Eddy Martin (.302/19/87/54) and free agent and 38-year-old LF Kenny Willard (.281/15/63/79) are the best of the lot at the plate... the team's top hurlers Sam Gilmore (16-14/4.26) and Egan McRae (16-15/4.68) are just mediocre at best.

11 years have passed since the Taranto Tars (60-94) won the RU North... it was a dismal year for manager Denny Radke as the club posted its worst record ever and ended up 27 games behind leading Valmara... the Tars ranked last with a 4.46 team ERA (32nd) and 29th in run scoring, while batting just .250 (28th)... Paulie Pieroni (15-17/3.05) was the only effective pitcher on the squad... 1B Pat Mouton (.295/19/62/69) and 2B Greg Murphy (.285/17/52/61) led Taranto with lackluster stats... not much in the batting order after them... it was a long season for the Tars.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

GC Cybercats Sneak By Waleska For RU South
The Grand City Cybercats came out of nowhere to sneak past powerful Waleska and defending champ Crystal Lake to capture the Ruthlandian South pennant... the C'Cats skimmed by the Westerners by game, whipped the Crushers by 6 and finished 7 ahead of the San Dimas Rancheros.

Grand City (90-64) has been stuck in the second division for the last three seasons, when they finished sixth, eighth and seventh, respectively... Grand City's last title was in 10 years ago... they have only made the playoffs twice, in 2002 and 2021... manager Wade Joslin guided them past Waleska and Crystal Lake in spite of losing three pitchers from his starting rotation... Greg Kelley (15-7/4.02) went out in early September and Charley Chisholm (11-6/2.98) suffered a season-ending injury in July... Kelley could be back for the playoffs... vet Danny Denver (3-5/4.50) was injured in Spring Training and missed 30 starts, finally returning in August, but not at his best... luckily Sammy Cagle (22-14/3.65) and Kip Day (18-15/3.19) had career seasons... they carried the team with the help of bullpen standouts Lefty Frizzell (1-2/1.14/21 saves), Ralph Teague (8-4/2.07/11 saves) and John Sheehan (7-2/2.65/2 saves)... the Cybercats also had plenty of clout in their lineup with 1B Mick Langston (.323/39/107/97), CF Thomas Hall (.317/32/93/106) and LF Wes Marlowe (.270/26/97/77) and ranked third in scoring.

For the last nine years the Waleska Westerners (89-65) have been near the top of the RU South standings, winning the division crown twice in 2024 and 2028... and skipper McGraw Johnson had his chance at the title again this year, but could only win one of the last four games... Grand City almost blew it when they were just 1-3 in the final four games... The Westerners have a potent batting order with .275 BA (5th), 148 homers (7th-tied) and topped the league in scoring with 796 runs (1st)... pitching-wise they were just average with a 3.53 team ERA (14th)... IPA super legends Roy Hobbs (.342/35/138/91) and LF Loco Dillinger (.319/42/118/119) both had monster years... Hobbs paced the IPA with 138 RBIs and Dillinger was the home-run leader and RBI leader in the Ruthlandian Union... fine young SS Yahto Sisika (.282/6/56/46) missed the last month of the season... top twirlers were Wild Bill Butler (20-13/4.01), Terry Richards (22-10/3.45) and closer Jarred Laclair (10-8/2.40/23 saves).

After leading at the All-Star break, the Crystal Lake Crushers (84-70) slowly dwindled to third place, winding up 6 games off the pace... the Crushers lived up to their name with a .287 BA (1st) and ranked second to Waleska in scoring... skipper Baby George had a decent pitching staff as far as starters, but little in the bullpen (5.13/32nd)... RF Sterling Hall (.349/5/67/70) led the RU in hitting... other top guns were CF Herm Taylor (.322/4/64/107), 2B Carl Bentley (.332/12/86/77), C Tommy Trent (.335/10/65/62), LF Ryan Ray (.259/23/92/81) and 1B Josh George (.268/20/87/101)... Crystal Lake has capable starters in Arnie Cason (20-12/2.84), T. D. Burnham (21-12/3.22) and Ben Garvik (18-14/3.95).

The fourth place San Dimas Rancheros (83-71) finished strong, ending up just 7 games back... manager Wesley Pate has very good pitching with a 3.19 team ERA (2nd), but lacks offense... the Rancheros hit just .253 (26th) and ranked low in runs (25th) and homers with only 92 (30th-tied)... heading up the mound corps were Joaquin Lima (21-10/2.49), Miguel Valdes (18-16/3.14), Shannon White (18-14/3.62) and Jay Barajas (9-3/2.43)... top run producers were CF Ramon Escobar (.307/11/87/80), 1B Joey Harris (.278/17/85/77) and 3B Gregg Mathis (.264/12/83/53)... San Dimas has not made the postseason since winning the pennant in 2008.

The St. John Crusaders (79-75) remained close until mid-season, then fizzled in the second half... the Crusaders came in fifth in the race and trailed by 11 games... manager Clayton Luck's club possessed pretty good bats with .273 BA (8th), ranked 11th in scoring and 24th in power with 106 homers... with less than average pitching with a 3.82 ERA (22nd)... sparking the Crusader attack were CF Brad Maddox (.343/2/50/99), 1B Roger Lanier (.317/15/102/91), SS Byron Johannsen (.282/11/81/93), Leon Clendennon (.309/10/69/58/ and Joey Daigrepont (.294/18/75/61)... on the hill veteran Don Baillie (20-13/3.17) and second-year man Russell Larsen (15-15/3.62) were the biggest winners... much-counted on free agent Loris Plooster, an 18-game winner for Ginza in the TU South last year, hurt his elbow in early June and was out for the year... Plooster was only 4-7 with a disappointing 4.59 ERA in his 14 starts.

The last time the Valka Blackhawks (75-79) won the pennant and made the Pro Cup playoffs was 14 seasons ago in 2017... for the second year in a row the Blackhawks have been the sixth-best team in the RU South... they wound up 15 games behind in the race this year... the Blackhawks ranked near the bottom in pitching with a 4.08 team ERA (30th), but they could score runs (5th-tied) and were rated 5th in runs and tied for fifth in homers with 150, while posting a solid .272 BA (10th)... perking up the offense were 3B Leevi Viru (.335/21/88/86), 2B Olari Ojastu (.319/18/73/95), CF Tonu Viks (.298/29/89/82), C Jaak Pajukivi (.298/18/76/61) and RF Barney Howell (.269/14/64/92)... Villem Arumaa (18-11/3.72) were the only winner on the staff.

After a third place finish last year, the Claxton Diamonds (68-86) slipped back to mediocity and seventh place, 22 games off the pace of pennant-winning Grand City... the Diamonds were tied for last place with Belair Beach... it's been 12 years since the Diamonds made the postseason playoffs... Claxton has power at the plate with 148 roundtrippers (7th-tied) and fairly good starters, but little else with a .254 BA (25th) and a 3.69 team ERA (20th)... Jack Vogel (11-18/2.90) is the most effective pitcher and Freddi Hahn (14-13/3.68) is the biggest winner... RF Ivan Krause (.279/37/84/106) and LF Jock Jumonville (.270/21/63/90) were the best bats.

Despite some stark improvements on the hill, going from a pathetic 4.79 to a respectable 3.56 ERA, the Belair Beach Sunbirds (68-86) still wound up in the cellar for the third time in four seasons... they were 22 games back in the race... Belair Beach hasn't been in the playoffs since 2016 and now have been stuck near the bottom for the last 5 years... the offense is pitiful with a .246 BA (30th) and 109 home runs (22nd), ranking near the bottom with 587 runs (31st)... 1B Kees Draeger (.296/22/83/53) and LF Pat Webb (.266/27/74/65) are the only reliable hitters that Sunbird skipper Little Jake Bungarooba has... Rob Thrasher (19-16/3.14) and Fernando Melendez (13-8/2.88) are both quality pitchers... new free agent from Ginza of the TU South, Daniel Ferguson, struggled with an 11-18 mark, but chalked up a good 3.40 ERA.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Wynnamac Wins Battle With Sugar Valley
No one other than Wynnamac and Sugar Valley ever seriously contended in the Ruthlandian East race this season. The Sundowners pulled away in the last week of the regular season to knock off the defending division titleholder Sugar Valley by 4 games. Wynnamac was 5-2 in the showdown week, while the Rattlers were just 2-5. Third place Belle Plaine lingered deep in the second division until August, then closed out the season sizzling with a 31-12 record to end up tied with Beechwood. The Musketeers and Bobcats finished 8 games off the pace.

Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners (86-68) just played steady and consistent ball throughout the season and finally prevailed to win the RU East for the fifth time in history... offense was the team's forte with a .274 team BA (7th) and good power with 159 homers (3rd)... top batters were 3B Dorak Arando (.305/24/79/82), CF Allen Dundee (.289/31/103/89), 1B Giles Butler (.310/23/74/71), C Lee Leslie (.271/25/77/68) and LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.299/21/58/59)... Burkhalter missed over 60 games because of injuries... Killara Bardo (21-13/2.85) was the ace of the mound staff... Jason Meeks (12-13/3.29) was effective, too... bullpen was suspect... could be a sore point in the Pro Cup playoffs... the Sundowners will be returning to the postseason for the first time in five years... Wynnamac last won the Pro Cup in 2008.

Firepower and strong pitching kept the Sugar Valley Rattlers (82-72) in the hunt most of the year... They led the RU with 176 home runs (1st) and with a 3.15 team ERA (1st), but the Rattlers ranked poorly in runs (28th) and batting average with a .235 mark (32nd)... 3B Johnny Doyle (.263/34/80/67), CF Tyler White (.225/28/74/86) and C Silvio Salas (.247/20/59/63) provided what little offense they had... manager Gibby Bobkins has a strong starting foursome, who deserved better run support: Wes Weaver (17-12/2.54), Aron Libertini (19-13/3.36), Chris Calsworth (14-14/3.45) and Jeremy Blanchard (17-19/2.84)... veteran Dallas Casey (6-5/1.89/21 saves) stood out in the bullpen.

Dave Torregrossa's Belle Plaine Musketeers (78-76) finally found the right combination late in the summer and closed with a rush to come in tied for third with Beechwood... the Muskies trailed by 8 games... they were last at the All-Star break, 12 games back... the offensive-minded Muskies were paced by C Derek Roman (.325/22/82/88), 1B Pierre Giguere (.280/33/98/84), RF Leon Bourque (.279/20/80/85) and SS Tyler Verret (.257/18/74/69)... Belle Plaine tied for 8th in scoring, hit 138 roundtrippers (11th) and batted .275 (6th)... but were not so good on the hill with a 3.98 team ERA (25th)... Lamont Cramer (19-16/4.21) won the most games, while Leonard James (16-10/3.75) was the most effective... Torregrossa and his Musketeers are looking forward to 2031.

Bret George just had an average team this season in Beechwood (78-76)... his Bobcats were tied for third and finished 8 games out of the running in the RU East... Beechwood was the power in the division from 2020 to 2027 with three pennants, but no more... the Bobcats still have some talent in veteran pitchers Ken Arby (14-17/3.04) and Maury Patterson (17-19/2.14)... but really suffer in the batter's box... LF Herb Douglas leads the team with a .296 average... 2B Norm Smith and CF Pat Pizarro are the club leaders with just 11 home run apiece... and 1B Ron Griffin is the top RBI guy with only 71.

The Marston Nine (76-78) have slumped to the fifth spot in the standings the last two years, winding up 10 games behind the division leader Wynnamac this season... manager Danny Church won the pennant in 2028... pitching is the problem... his only dependable starter is Doug Hansack (16-12/3.22)... longtime IPA great CF Russ Woodward (.289/24/79/79) is still a quality player at age 36, but is showing signs of decline at the plate... Woodward is a 7-time All-Star and 6-time Gold Glover with a lifetime .315 BA and over 500 homers... SS Lonnie Trekell (.281/27/83/70) led the Nine in homers and runs batted in... youngsters C Ron Marlowe (.300/18/66/62) and LF Ken Armstrong (.307/16/62/73) also played well this year.

The Eastshore Elegants (75-79) wound up sixth this season with Killer Brewster at the helm... he had the Elegants in the running up until mid-season, but they slumped badly in the second half and finished 11 games out... this is the third season in succession Eastshore has come in sixth... Brewster had capable starters with Randy Boone (12-12/2.53), Don Klingenberg (17-16/3.11) and 16-year standout Melvin Key (16-18/3.10), but the bullpen suffered... Key is 36 years old and boasts a 259-221 career record with a fine 3.13 ERA... Key has two Pro Cup rings... Eastshore's top guns were 3B Cayman Ketterman (.285/18/103/62), CF Scotty Lagrange (.272/29/89/91), SS Larry Romney (.305/13/79/78) and LF George Shepherd (.309/12/63/70)... it's been a prolonged playoff drought for the Elegants... 2019 was the last postseason appearance... it is rumored that Brewster may retire this season... the golden years of 2016-2021, when Eastshore won 2 Pro Cups and 4 pennants are long gone.

Success in the IPA has been minimal for the Cold Creek Catamounts (73-81)... they have been a habitual also-ran in the RU East for the last two decades, last winning a pennant in 2012... Cold Creek has made the playoffs only three times in its history... this year the Catamounts were in seventh place and trailed by 13 games under manager Scoop Lemieux... Cold Creek had two strong starters with Eddie Brasher (19-14/2.94) and Tommy Smith (17-17/2.76), but little else... leading the offense were 1B Steve Daniels (.289/23/83/82), LF Carl Glick (.266/19/68/92) and CF Teke Holmes (.283/11/38/79).

Skipper Leon Carter had the Elnora All-Stars (70-84) on the rise with first-division finishes in 2028 and 2029, but they relapsed this season and plunged into the basement, 16 games out of first place... it's been 8 years since the All-Stars won a pennant and made the postseason... Elnora can hit the ball with the likes of CF Travis Glass (.272/33/96/89), 1B Mel Long (.281/26/85/61), RF Pettis Pentleton (.314/24/77/91), 2B Matt Boyd (.330/13/79/77) and 3B Jeff Matthews (.276/15/70/80) in the lineup... in his starting rotation Carter has two dependable pitchers in Freddy Pfeffer (19-15/3.19) and Lucien Vashon (15-16/3.39), but the bullpen is horrendous with a 4.74 ERA (31st).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Colfax Survives Stoner, Sligo, FTB Surges
Leading the division halfway through the season doesn't mean a lot unless you have a huge lead. Colfax topped Sligo by 8 games at the All-Star Game, Fort Benton by 11 and last year's champ Stoner by 12, then held on during those clubs' second-half surges for the Ruthlandian West title. The Blasters outlasted Stoner by 2 games, Sligo by 4 and Fort Benton by 6. Even the Middlefield Roosters made a little bit of a run and wound up 7 games off the pace, after trailing by 13 at mid-season.

Many years have come and gone since the Colfax Blasters (84-70) reigned supreme in the RU West... they won 7 flags in 9 years from 2008 to 2016, including the Pro Cup in 2010... manager Ilya Szabo was a star pitcher during that period, good enough to be inducted in the IPA Hall of Fame in 2027 with a 327-210 record and a terrific 2.57 ERA... now Szabo has garnered the club's eighth pennant... the Blasters hit the ball well, had decent starters and super relievers... C Mitch Fullerton (.338/25/87/92) and 1B Doug Kirkwood (.301/19/95/72) fueled the offense with lots of help from SS Dino Manale (.300/8/67/92) and CF Hal Granders (.282/2/39/97)... Rudy Rosario (4-3/1.80/11 saves) and Norm Harbison (4-1/1.99/7 saves) were bullpen standouts, while starters Jon Cruise (19-15/3.09), Bobby Fleetfoot (16-15/3.23) and Smoky Rogers (17-18/3.16) were solid and steady... the Blasters suffered through a 19-24 record in August and September and almost blew the pennant.

Benny Stern's Stoner Stars (82-72) closed with a rush, cutting the Colfax lead from 10 games in August down to just 2... the Stars went 27-16 over the last six weeks of the season... Stern has strong bats with a .281 BA (3rd) and ranked third in scoring... starting pitching was pretty fair with Glenn Tackett (21-13/3.60), Travis Wallace (15-10/3.51), Raul Hidalgo (17-17/3.25) and Norm Dawson (11-10/3.23)... the relief corps was anchored by Darrell Geoffrey (7-6/1.97/19 saves)... Stoner's best sticks belonged to OF Marty Berrigan (.325/15/55/62), RF Neil Mooney (.329/5/48/51), 3B Jeff Henderson (.314/13/71/61), LF Kevin Fisher (.315/8/64/105), catcher P. J. Blake (.301/3/63/55), 1B Fletch Fowler (.302/15/65/58) and CF Al Rispone (.290/15/69/61)... they were all veterans of last year's Pro Cup Finals, which they lost to champ Rolling Hills.

The Sligo Rovers (80-74) went into August 8 games back and cut it to 4 games by year's end with a 23-20 mark... the Rovers don't look too good stats-wise with a .249 BA (29th), ranked 24th in runs and chalked up a 3.76 team ERA (21st), but they made a race of it... Sligo has won two flags and has finished in the top three teams for 7 years in a row... the Rovers have racked up four pennants in the last 10 seasons... and copped the Pro Cup in 2021... Earl Perkins (13-10/3.17) and Terry Bailey (18-14/3.91) led the mound staff with 1B Maury Rice (.271/28/100/83), CF Teddy Brunet (.280/23/76/78) and C Archie Shanahan (.224/13/91/51) topping the batting order.

Manager Robbie Brooks of the Fort Benton Defenders (78-76) had the fourth best offense in the RU with a .279 BA... but suffered on the hill with a 3.93 team ERA (24th)... best batters were 1B Ernie O'Day (.289/21/80/84), CF Danny Reisner (.326/12/83/88) and 2B Monty McMurtry (.308/6/53/85)... Frankie Quinn (20-11/3.00) won 20 games for the third time in his four IPA seasons and carried the club... the Defenders came in fourth and were 7 games behind pennant-winning Colfax... Fort Benton has never made the postseason in its history... the Defenders have graced the first division only 10 times in 30 seasons.

Fifth place went to the Middlefield Roosters (77-77) of Bailey Norcross... from 2023 to 2027 his Roosters ruled the roost in the RU West by winning four straight titles... since then the have missed the postseason... overall Middlefield has notched 6 division titles and the 2005 Pro Cup... the Roosters don't score a lot of runs (19th) with a .254 BA (24th), but do go deep occasionally with 146 roundtrippers (9th)... and they compiled a decent 3.51 team ERA (12th)... 1B Rusty Reese (.343/20/78/56) is the top offensive performer, aided by LF Nickie Tomasiewicz (.302/17/61/48), CF Victor Parsons (.286/7/57/77) and C Rollie Hinkle (.290/8/46/67)... OF Nick Kanellis topped the team with 23 homers, but batted just .232 for average... Norcross' starting four did a quality job, headed up by Tyrus Cobb (18-13/2.92)... Ken Crawford (10-8/2.85), Asa Schmit (17-15/3.57) and Judson Davis (14-17/3.04) were also reliable.

For six dismal years the Rocky Rapids Snappers (74-80) have lounged in the second division, finishing up sixth this year and 10 games back... for a pennant you have to go back to 2019, which wrapped up four consecutive RU West crowns... the Snappers even grabbed the 2019 Pro Cup... those are the club's only postseason appearances... starter Walter Noland (13-11/3.57) and closer John Young (3-4/1.79/10 saves) were the best hurlers for manager Junior Noland, Walter's older brother, while 1B Angelo Nardone (.315/25/83/83), 2B Rod Cook (.290/16/73/70) and RF John Charboneau (.267/16/74/85) were the top hitters.

It's been 25 years since the Volusia Vigilantes (73-81) have been in the playoffs with only one Pro Cup to show for - that was in the IPA's inaugural season in 2001... Alfonso Feliz is still at the helm after 30 years, but is thought to be stepping down after this season... Volusia made the postseason its first six seasons, but none since... the V's ended up only 11 games out in the race, but came in seventh... the Vigilantes have a pretty fair offense with a .268 BA (13th), ranked 10th in scoring, 12th in homers with 137 and a so-so 3.68 team ERA (19th)... free agent RF Sonny Oliver (.322/22/87/93) from Valmara was well worth it... CF Vasco Aguilar (.308/28/104/91) also had an excellent year... other contributors were 1B Joao Rosales (.298/14/67/69) and LF Dave Skoglund (.280/17/78/78)... Greg Moss (15-15/2.97) was an effective starter for the V's, along with Val Cameron (13-10/2.96).

After last year's surprising third place finish, the outlook was quite optimistic this season for the Forest City Lumberjacks (62-92), but skipper Joe Judlin's mound staff floundered and flopped and the team returned to the basement, the worst team in the TU West... the 'Jacks slipped 22 games behind... only Taranto of the RU North had a worse record at 60-94... the Lumberjacks have been absent from the playoffs since 2013 and have never taken the Pro Cup... Judlin's best pitcher was young Walt Wright with a 9-5 mark and a fine 3.19 ERA... Wright was signed in July... 36-year-old closer Andy Velasco (3-5/2.96/13 saves) is still a strong reliever after 17 years in the IPA... 1B Steve Burns (.341/28/76/82) is one the few productive bats in the lineup.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Blue Lake Snags TU North In Final Days
For most of the Tycobbian North season it was mainly a contest between Blue Lake and Luxora with a little bit of Fairfax mixed in. The Blue Sox captured the division flag in the last three days of the season, winning all their games to take it by 2 games over the Zorros... Luxora dropped two of the final three games and fell to second place... the Frogs came in third and trailed by 7 games... fourth place went to the Oxford Red Caps, who were 11 games off the pace.

In a turnaround season manager Rick Hilliard sparked his Blue Lake Blue Sox (85-69) to their first pennant in 20 years... Blue Lake was seventh last season... Hilliard depends almost totally on his talented mound staff that notched an excellent 3.07 team ERA... the Blue Sox standout rotation consists of Doug Kirkpatrick (22-9/2.92), Derek Joubert (12-5/1.84), Chris Landry (15-13/2.88), Willie Taskins (15-16/3.24) and Billy Trakas (13-17/3.24)... the Blue Sox got a bad break as Kirkpatrick will miss most of the playoffs because of a sore arm... he was injured in early September and will miss about a month... batting is poor with a .257 BA, 115 homers (28th-tied) and only 609 runs (31st)... 3B Matt Thompson (.291/11/62/65), RF Boom-Boom Baker (.263/18/75/70) and CF Chris Halley (.316/3/53/76) are the Blue Sox best bats.

The Luxora Zorros (83-71) had their chance but flopped in the final days and lost out by 2 games... Luxora was third in 2029... the Z's hit with some power with 144 home runs (13th), batted .260 (22nd) and ranked 19th in runs with 671... manager Lacey Tompkins' Zorros thrived with a super bullpen that chalked up a 2.34 ERA (2nd)... the starters put up a 3.74 ERA (14th)... overall Luxora compiled a fairly good 3.46 team ERA (9th)... Toby White (5-3/0.96/3 saves), Kent Halloran (9-5/2.35) headed up a strong bullpen... Tommy Ellefsen (9-1/2.34) was a reliever until mid-July when he became a full-time starter... Benny DeVito (15-17/3.62) and Valente Viero (14-19/3.39) were quality pitchers, too... the Z's top run producers were 1B Gerry Hathaway (.316/29/82/75), RF Roger Noble (.282/24/77/76) and CF Kevin Hanley (.252/20/87/87).

Going into August, the Fairfax Frogs (78-76) were tied with Luxora for first place with Blue Lake just a game back... however skipper Dane Wesner's Frogs went into a 10-19 funk and dropped out of the pennant race, winding up in third place 7 games out... this was the second straight season the Frogs missed a good opportunity... last year they lost the pennant in a single-game playoff... Fairfax has a good offense with a .276 BA (7th), 121 homers (20th-tied) and were tied for 10th in scoring (709 runs)... batting leaders were LF Max Lebowitz (.317/18/86/77), SS John Velasco (.305/14/83/83), CF Eric Kusek (.322/12/57/80) and OF Alton Dale (.309/14/56/66)... the Frogs were only average on the hill with a 3.78 team ERA (18th)... Joey Santini (17-15/3.89) and Kevin Meeks (17-16/3.28) were the top starters.

In 2007 the Oxford Red Caps (74-80) won the Pro Cup... they have not been to the playoffs since... the Red Caps made a little progress this year moving into the TU North first division for the first time since 2025... manager Cameron Kamara brought his club in fourth, losing out by 11 games... Oxford has an average attack (.268 BA-13th) with mediocre pitching (4.08 ERA-26th), tied for 16th in scoring (679 runs) and ranked 15th in power with 135 home runs... standout 1B Kerry Sterling had a marvelous season with 39 homers, 109 RBIs, 90 runs and a .308 BA... LF Dennis Hartwig (.301/20/65/74) and 3B Rocky Bradford (.292/10/76/75) also were productive at the plate... the only quality arm on the staff was Kenny Gorham (18-13/3.39).

For the 14th year in a row the North Hills Hawks (73-81) failed to make the postseason... manager Todd Simons' club finished in the fifth spot in the standings, 12 games behind pennant-winning Blue Lake... the Hawks are in the bottom third as far as scoring (22nd) with only 659 runs and as far as pitching (23rd) with a 3.96 team ERA... David Michael (19-12/3.82) paced the pitchers with RF Vince Boylan (.294/21/87/76) and CF Ronnie Guillaume (.303/12/69/55) the club leaders at the plate.

Last year's TU North titleholder, the Hartsdale Hellcats (72-82), took quite a tumble to sixth place because of inept pitching... Hartsdale finished 13 games back in the race... the staff ERA rose up from a solid 3.07 last year to a disappointing 3.68 ERA (15th) this season... 22-game winner and Golden Arm winner Lou Chylak (16-16/3.73) and 18-game winner Hank Cooke (16-17/3.51) struggled this year... manager Kendry Moulton's best man was Ron Cochran (11-7/3.10), who split time as a reliever and starter... Cochran moved into the starting rotation in mid-July... the Hellcats still swing the bats well with a .271 BA (12th) and 716 runs (8th), but only went deep 115 times (28th-tied)... the top hitters were 1B Johnny Scott (.334/20/95/89), RF Cris Wallace (.332/8/52/80) and CF Fred Wasikowski (.279/15/81/86).

After garnering two pennants in 2026 and 2028, the Mahaska Haymakers (67-87) have really fallen on hard times... Rusty Tanussa's club slipped to 6th last year and down to 7th this season, 18 games back... the Haymakers have only an average offense with a .272 BA (10th), 121 homers (21st-tied) and is tied for 16th with 679 runs... on the mound the team ERA is a poor 4.01 (25th)... RF Travis Tuttle (.304/22/75/77), CF Pasha Yablonski (.300/2/48/81) and C Bucky O'Brian (.268/24/84/74) sport the best stats at the plate, while Arno Vainmaa (17-17/3.39) was the only effective starter... and closer Viktor Starvinsky (4-6/2.73/17 saves) had a pretty good season.

Another club deep in the doldrums is the White River Rascals (65-89), who settled in the cellar for the second successive season, winding up 20 games out of first, putting an end to manager Mick Cronyn's strong string of success with four pennants since 2021... average pitching (3.75 ERA/17th) and lackluster hitting (.251/28th) is the reason for the decline... the only capable hurlers were rookie starter Davey Johnson (12-7/2.10), who joined the team in June and closer Johnny Duncan (7-5/2.40/10 saves)... ace Paul Sardini (8-19/3.60) put up the worst numbers in his fine 8-year career... overall Sardini is 124-95 with a strong 2.54 ERA... 36-year-old superstar 1B Marty Blake (.299/25/84/69) is still a big threat in the batting order... there's not much in the lineup after him.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Tycobbian South Final Recap

CC 'Canes Cop TU South Crown
The Cape Coral Hurricanes hadn't won a pennant in 15 years... they last took the TU South crown in 2015... but manager Flipper Bird has the 'Canes on the rise during his tenure, going from 7th to 4th to the top spot in three years... it was a 5-team race at mid-season, but Cape Coral surged to a good cushion over San Alejo Montaneros, Colchester Elites, Southport Sun Sox and defending champ Ginza Ninjas by July, then held off Colchester's closing charge... the other clubs faded in the home stretch... the Elites wound up 4 games back, the Sun Sox were third and lost by 8, the Monties were fourth, 9 games off the pace and the Ninjas were in fifth place and trailed by 10.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (93-61) had the second-best record in the Tycobbian Union... only Ozarka (94-60) in the TU East had more wins... the 'Canes hit well with a .282 BA (4th), scored well with 733 runs (6th), but didn't hit with power... they had only 112 homers (30th)... on the hill the Hurricanes were capable with a 3.49 team ERA (10th)... skipper Flipper Bird had some quality bats with RF Jan Krammer (.337/16/81/83), C Tonio Libertore (.323/4/37/88) and 1B Sandy Coburn (.308/6 HR/66/73)... chipped in with CF Dan Isenberg (.269/17/65/81) and 3B Roger Wilson (.223/21/74/68) and you have a good attack... pitcher-wise it was Randy Burns (23-11/3.20), Izaak Booten (16-15/3.11) and Skylar Ris (13-12/3.97) leading the way.

Manager Patsy Bates' Colchester Elites (89-65) had a very good season and ended up in the runner-up spot to Cape Coral... the Elites fell 8 games back by July and just couldn't make up the difference on the Hurricanes, who played well down the stretch... the club hit .272 for average (11th), could score with 788 runs (3rd) and could hit with power (157 HR-8th)... the Elites did well on the mound, too, with a 3.41 team ERA (6th)... standouts were Mackie McGinnity (22-7/3.01) and Mike Kierkegaard (18-10/3.00), along with Mac Flowers (18-11/3.60)... CF Jim Lewellan (.288/45/131/112) had a great year, outshined only by Southport's Triple Crown winner Lorne Evans... other major contributors were 1B Big Sam Takota (.294/27/94/88), RF Cleve Belton (.282/34/99/86), LF Carlos Manuel (.290/23/71/95), 2B Jackie Jackson (.320/9/67/79) obtained in a July trade from Forest City of the Ruthlandian Union for 1B Steve Burns (.341/28/76/82) and 3B Joel Collins (.301/2/56/79).

10 of the past 11 years third place Southport (85-69) has been a first-division team, but this season they fizzled when it counted most with a poor 4-10 September as they dropped 8 games out of first place... manager Charley Oscar had fine pitching with a 3.38 team ERA (5th), paced by his starters Bob Bondy (22-14/3.30), Mel Underwood (18-14/3.03) and Don Pascioni (17-13/3.05)... closer Tomas Taviero (5-4/2.76/12 saves) also had a quality season... magnificent Triple Crown winner RF Lorne Evans boomed 59 homers, drove in 134 runs, scored 140 times and led the league with a .386 BA... other bat leaders were C Luis Alvarado (.283/21/73/78), 1B Kyle Ross (.282/20/80/56) and LF Cody Dougherty (.255/19/70/66)... as a team the Sun Sox walloped 179 homers (2nd) with a .267 BA (15th) and ranked 13th in scoring with 701 runs.

It's been a severe pennant drought in San Alejo. The club hasn't made the postseason since 2003... however in recent years skipper Alberto Herrera has seen his San Alejo Montaneros (84-70) make good progress as the club climbed up from 7th to 4th place, finishing up 9 games out in the pennant chase... the Monties were a well-balanced team with a .276 BA (8th), 170 roundtrippers (5th), 725 runs (7th) and a solid 3.37 team ERA (4th)... the bullpen was the best in the TU with a 2.30 ERA (1st)... Roland Oates (18-7/2.77) and Johnny Brown (17-17/2.94) excelled on the mound, while relievers Herb Stewart (6-2/1.59/16 saves) and Clete Lawson (3-4/1.19/13 saves) were a tough duo... at the plate the attack was led by 3B Bubby Blackwell (.356/15/68/98), LF Orlando Ybarra (.287/26/92/83), 1B Ramon Escabedo (.305/26/83/74) and CF Mark Delaney (.276/23/65/57).

Powerhouse Ginza (83-71) has won four TU South division flags in the last eight seasons, but slipped to fifth place this year, losing out by 10 games... manager Huroko Uchiyama's pitching corps failed him as they slumped to a 3.93 team ERA (21st)... last year it was a very respectable 3.19... only Ryuji Kaneko (17-7/2.82) and Hollis Pace (18-9/3.04) had good years... the Ninjas bats were still prolific with a .288 BA (3rd), 776 runs scored (4th) and 131 home runs (17th), led by CF Cotton Cornwall (.345/36/124/109), 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.288/23/99/87), SS Russ Van Kleek (.327/19/89/81), LF Sadaharu Uchiyama (.310/11/62/119), 3B Taro Mori (.317/2/45/95), 2B Howard Winston (.307/7/61/54) and RF Hideo Kojima (.312/8/53/54)... Uchiyama has hitters in abundance.

The rest of the teams in the division never challenged and spent the entire season deep in the basement... the Turon Typhoons and Summerland Sunsets deadlocked in sixth place in the standings and finish out of the running 24 games behind... the Arroyo Grande Suns came in last, 29 games off the pace.

Once-proud Turon (69-85) languished near the bottom of the division for the fifth year in a row... the Typhoons have won four Pro Cups in its history, but not recently... Turon won it last in 2018 and last made the playoffs in 2019... skipper Alan Hansen has a pretty fair bunch of hitters with a .278 team BA (6th), rank decently with 689 runs (15th) and has some power with 120 homers (22nd-tied)... on the hill the Typhoons put up a 3.94 team ERA (22nd)... 3B Michael Page (.331/32/99/69) is Turon's only standout stick... on the mound the most reliable hurlers are Victor Suarez (16-15/3.68), Sal Quattrone (14-13/3.93) and James Newland (.12-12/3.50).

Perennial also-ran Summerland (69-85) has made the first division only twice in the last 18 seasons, played in only one postseason and the Sunsets have never come close to winning the Pro Cup... manager Will Hackett's club batted only .258 (24th), scored only 651 runs (24th-tied), but had decent power with 129 roundtrippers (18th-tied)... Summerland had three capable starters in Ron McDonald (17-13/3.34), Scotty Ellison (15-12/2.85) and Clve Coxford (14-15/3.12), but not much of a relief corps... the bullpen chalked up a 4.08 ERA (26th)... at the plate the most productive Sunsets were 1B Mandu Purula (.290/21/90/77), SS Gregg Proctor (.281/23/88/62) and LF Joe DeLucca (.278/13/60/79).

The Arroyo Grande Suns (64-90) have seen their fortunes drop drastically in recent years... for the third consecutive season they are at the bottom or near to the bottom of the division... for the second year in three the Suns are in last place and 29 games back of this year's champ Cape Coral... the once-potent offense is non-existent except for homers... the Suns slammed 166 homers (7th), but ranked only 30th with 627 runs, while batting only .245 (31st)... not any better on the mound with a 4.17 team ERA (28th)... reliever John Nelson (9-8/2.69/19 saves) was the only pitcher of note... longtime star 1B Rusty Vizcarra still swings with power and drives in runs... Vizcarra slammed 39 homers and batted across 103 runs, but hit only .255... no one else in the lineup posed any threat at all... not much talent left in Arroyo Grande... only Vizcarra remains from the glory years 2018 to 2027 when the Suns challenged almost every year and won four division titles.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Ozarka Nats Prevail Over Panthers and Blue Jays in TU East
The Ozarka Naturals have just been a lackluster team over the past decade after a wonderful run where they captured 11 division pennants from 2005 to 2021... manager Frank Kiffin snapped a 9-year postseason dry spell by leading the Nats to the Tycobbian East title this season... Ozarka built up a helfty lead with a strong 20-8 record in July and then held off its only two challengers, the East Point Panthers and Tuckanarra Blue Jays by 6 and 8 games respectively... the South Fork Stallions finished a distant fourth 14 games behind them.

First place Ozarka (90-64) had the best record in the Tycobbian Union, outdistancing Cape Coral (93-61) of the TU South and Bay St. Clair (92-62) of the TU West... Frank Kiffin has a well-rounded team with a .279 BA (5th), 735 runs (5th), but is weak in the power department with only 105 home runs (31st)... the Nats have fairly good pitching with a 3.42 team ERA (8th)... Stan Carey (21-10/3.22), Brady Bell (19-9/3.18), Sam Tate (16-10/3.41) and Norm Phillips (17-15/3.68) stood out on the hill... and the bullpen was fairly effective with a 3.63 ERA (17th)... the team's top batters were 1B George Jenkins (.321/22/89/81), SS James Couch (.342/10/66/112), RF Byron Glenn (.276/22/72/57) and CF Lonnie Gillespie (.303/1/58/86).

The second place East Point Panthers (88-66) had a fine first half, but slipped at the plate and on the mound in the latter half of the campaign... they were under .500 during the months of July and August and that slump cost them the pennant... the Panthers have finished in the runner-up spot in three of the last four seasons... they were third the other year... Sadly, you have to go back to 2008 for East Point's only pennant... skipper Karol Zodoka's pitchers combined for a 3.34 team ERA (3rd) and his bats compiled a mediocre .256 BA (27th)... however the offense was productive with 709 runs (10th-tied) and 178 homers (3rd)... the loss of starter Joe Foley (11-4/2.57) was critical... he went out with an arm injury in late June... Despite the effort of the three remaining starters Frank Blair (18-14/2.47), Dixie Brooks (18-14/3.51) and Stephen Edwards (17-8/3.72), the Panthers folded in the second half... at the plate 2B Tetsu Tanaka (.296/33/107/108) and CF Kenji Aoki (.262/42/121/95) were outstanding with some help from LF Wally Wright (.282/15/74/82).

Carlton "Lefty" Stevens' Tuckanarra Blue Jays (86-68) have dominated the TU East in recent years with 5 flags and 2 Pro Cups in 8 years... the talented Tucks fell 8 games short this season and wound up in third place... injuries hampered the Blue Jays when starter Philip Marston (15-15/3.93) was lost in September, 1B Lynn Starr (.262/24/78/76) missed the final two weeks and RF George McKay (.272/21/73/78) went out in mid-August... a .265 team BA (18th), 665 runs (21st), 120 homers (22-tied) and a 3.42 team ERA (7th) just wouldn't win it this year... Stevens' top twirlers were veterans Quinn Starr (17-13/2.84) and Croc Wedgedale (14-14/3.87), along with number three starter Ganan Crenshaw (18-13/3.54), who emeged this year as a starter... Matt Stevens was the king of the bullpen with a 9-5 record, 21 saves and a fine 2.14 ERA... in the batter's box SS Jed Turchin topped the team with a .323 BA, 20 homers, 90 RBIs and 88 runs... also RF Dingo Southcott (.312/9/47/61), C Trevor Dowd (.282/9/61/40) and 2B Eddie Darby (.283/6/66/68) lent some offensive support.

It was a pretty good year for the South Fork Stallions (80-74), headed up by manager Duroche "Lips" Leon, but they were never serious contenders... the Hosses wound up in fourth place in the standings and trailed by 14 games... the Stallions had minimal offense and only average pitching with a .251 BA (29th), 636 runs (27th) and a modest 3.71 team ERA (16th), but they could go deep with 181 homers (1st)... 1B Dean Woods (.282/33/89/65), LF Corbett Brooks (.264/25/84/80) and C Mel Danley (.282/30/77/540 led the power parade... Duncan Welch (17-15/3.22) and Richie Raeburn (15-15/3.46) paced the starters and closer Al Thompson (4-3/2.42/32 saves) was the bullpen ace and topped the IPA in saves... Ozz Gatsby (15-18/4.44) was a disappointment this season after winning 21 games last year.

After three straight losing seasons the Red Bluff Red Sox (77-77) reached the .500 mark this year and came in fifth, 17 games out of first... it's been quite a spell since the Red Sox made the playoffs.. the last time was in 2009... manager Jim Schubert's best performers were 12-year vet Trini Corona (19-11/3.19) and 22-year-old Tony DeFazio (16-16/3.56) on the mound... Red Bluff's best position players were 2B Pat Ellis (.326/17/81/87), who was the only reliable threat in the batting order and CF Billy Barton (.295/10/48/85), who played well, too.

The Mahaska Haymakers (69-85) continued their three-year decline since taking the TU East in 2027, descending down to a sixth-place tie with Hillsboro and 25 games back... the Haymakers strong point is the longball with 150 (10th)... otherwise nothing impresses you... top hitters were CF Lanky Mato (.294/11/57/95), 3B Rusty Graves (.261/23/86/83) and 1B Jake Welsh (.281/25/78/64)... at age 30 Bobby Dorignac (18-13/3.01) is still a top-notch starter... Dorignac should reach the 200-win milestone early next year... he is 194-119 in his 10 seasons... the only effective reliever is Hiamovi Wolf (6-6/2.54/13 saves).

The Hillsboro Blazers (69-85) bolted from sixth to second last year, but returned to the second division and sixth place just as suddenly when the pitching went south... Last year it was an impressive 3.02 ERA, this year up to 3.54... for the 29th year in a row the Blazers missed the Pro Cup playoffs... they have never appeared in the postseason... manager Andy Jefferson has limited talent, however Gregg Hughes (14-10/2.16) is a gifted pitcher playing with a bad team... CF Biggy Washington (.275/20/71/64) and RF Bill Kelly (.297/12/60/89) are the best bats in the line-up.

2030 was the worst year in the High Mesa Cowboys (57-97) history... they broke the old club loss record by 10 games this season as the Cowpokes missed the playoffs for the 27th successive season as they ranked near the bottom in just about every category... .245 BA (32nd), 582 runs (32nd) and a 4.32 team ERA (31st)... High Mesa was last in the TU East, a whopping 37 games off the pace... RF Bill Andrews (.276/29/82/51) was the batting leader... IPA icon, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and super-super star 1B Jack Elliott had his second consecutive down year and looks headed for retirement at age 36... Elliott batted just .255 with 16 homers and 43 RBIs, his worst stats in his splendid 18-year career.... lifetime Elliott has a .334 BA, 845 home runs and 2104 RBIs... the High Mesa slugger is the all-time IPA home run hitter and fourth in batting average... Roger Hart (15-17/3.62) was the only decent pitcher this year.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Tycobbian West Final Recap

Bucs Nip Wildcats and Reds In TU West
With a late season flourish the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers nabbed the Tycobbian West crown in a photo finish from the second place Kenwood Wildcats and third place Rolling Hills Reds, the reigning Pro Cup titlist... the Bucs squeezed past Kenwood by a game and Rolling Hills by just two games... fourth place Denton City was far back, finishing 16 games out of first... heading into September, Bay St. Clair was tied with Kenwood for the division lead with Rolling Hills 3 games off the pace... the Bucs went 8-6 down the stretch, the Wildcats were 7-7 and the Reds were 9-5.

Bay St. Clair (92-62) hauled in its 8th pennant in its history... the last one came in 2023... The Bucs have always come up empty as far as Pro Cups... Denny Coulon, Bay St. Clair's second-year skipper, led his charges to a great 21-8 August, setting the stage for the final drive to the TU West flag... the Buccaneers had trailed Kenwood by 3 games at the All-Star Game... the Bucs were much-improved over last season's seventh place finish with a .259 BA (23rd), 146 home runs (12th), 695 runs (14th) and a strong 3.18 team ERA (2nd)... Coulon rode the arms of Jody Gentry (18-9/2.84), Danny Darby (20-15/3.73) and Ray McClendon (18-9/3.62), backed up in the bullpen by super closer Don Sawyer (5-3/0.75/28 saves)... number four starter John Karlsen (8-9/2.78) was also a tough competitor and pitched much better than his won-lost record... the Bucs best bats were RF Neil Lamont (.270/27/91/82), 2B Terry Adams (.304/17/90/74) and SS Eddy Hunt (.279/12/55/82)... not very much compared to the other contenders, but good enough.

Aaron Hankins let a good opportunity slip by this year for the Kenwood Wildcats (91-63) third division title in history... the Wildcats played well throughout the season with a high-powered offense and much better pitching... they rose up from fifth to the runner-up spot... Kenwood easily led the IPA with a terrific .294 team BA, the second best in league history, topped only by Ozarka's .295 average in 2017... the Wildcats were also first in scoring with 797 runs... they were down the list with only 116 roundtrippers (26th-tied)... pitching decided the pennant race... Kenwood posted a 3.50 team ERA (11th) and Rolling Hills a 3.94 (24th), while Bay St. Clair has a 3.18 ERA mark (2nd)... Hankins really sported a hard-hitting lineup card with six .300 hitters: his son, RF Babe Hankins (.345/23/109/110), 2B Jan Kessinger (.330/1/72/82), CF Hank Lunsford (.324/1/60/85), 3B Randy Towns (.303/0/63/77), 1B Johnny Ostendorf (.322/8/35/41 and IF Jeff Lang (.305/10/64/45)... after them you add in LF Warren Love (.257/25/77/76), rookie SS Rodney Harrison (.294/12/67/69) and C Crash Davis (.288/9/62/75) and you have got some kind of batting order... the Wildcats have some steady pitchers, too, with Rod Bailey (19-14/3.53), Claude Watson (17-13/3.40), Don Curtiss (15-8/3.27) and Trigger Rogers (11-8/3.39)... a fifth pitcher Dave Carnera (12-9/3.84) did pretty well, too... it's really hard to believe they lost the race.

7 TU West division championships in the last dozen seasons with 3 seconds and 2 thirds is a great resume for Matty Christianson and his Rolling Hills Reds (90-64)... last year they hit the pinnacle of success with the 2029 Pro Cup trophy... the Reds had the sticks with a .292 BA (2nd), 789 runs (2nd) and sufficient power with 117 homers (24th-tied), but suffered on the hill with a costly 3.98 team ERA (24th)... still they only came up 2 games short and wound up in the third spot in the TU West... Rolling Hills couldn't overcome losing star pitcher Errol Gaudet in June for three months... Gaudet only made 17 starts and ended up 5-4 with a 3.14 ERA... last season he was a 21-game winner and the Pro Cup MVP with a 5-0 record and a great 1.91 ERA... in 12 years in the IPA Gaudet is 222-131 with a fine 2.81 career ERA and a 7-time All-Star... Tom Pierson (12-6/2.95) led the staff with help from Dave Gronkowski (18-14/4.15) and Buck Myers (18-14/3.78)... closer Bobby Morris also impressed with 18 saves, 2.36 ERA and 7-6 mark in 54 appearances... at the plate the hot-hitting Reds could almost rival Kenwood's explosive lineup with the likes of C Tony Brinkerhoff (.296/25/111/72), CF Dusty Rogan (.318/22/97/96), the manager's son, 1B Billy Christianson (.309/12/87/107), RF Scotty Yiska (.289/15/48/91), 3B Jeff Booker (.315/1/56/73) and 2B Derek Kristensen (.330/5/53/75).

No one else put up much of a fight in the division... the Denton City Redbirds (76-78) were 16 games back in fourth place... this is the first time since 2024 they made the first division... Denton City hasn't appeared in the postseason in 17 seasons... although the Redbirds 8 times in the IPA's first 12 years made the playoffs, but have never captured a Pro Cup... manager Trevor Tomlinson just has a so-so club... his top performers are 6-year vet Glenn Hamilton (17-13/2.97) and 4-year vet 2B Keith Ingram (.304/20/85/79).

For the eighth consecutive season the Bayview Vikings (70-84) have been submerged in the TU West second division... the Viks last pennant was in 2016... manager Chaucey Quibedeax brought the club in fifth this year... the Vikings were 22 games out of the money... Bayview has a good offense with a .268 BA (14th), scored well with 712 runs (9th) and can go deep with 169 homers (6th), but the Vikings get ransacked on the mound with a whopping 4.32 team ERA (30th)... they have two quality starters in Vern Harstad (16-14/3.32) and Daniel Shields (15-14/3.83)... RF Wayne Kenney (.297/32/113/87) is a gifted hitter with a .300 lifetime BA, who averages around 28 homers and 100 RBIs a year over his 5 years in the IPA... Kenney get some help from LF Roy Ricks (.283/22/75/92) and LF Manny Suarez (.240/25/85/68).

The Chicopee Braves (69-85) were set to contend this year after coming in third last season, missing out on the pennant by only 2 games... but pitching woes flared up again and they finished a disappointed sixth and 23 games behind champion Bay St. Clair... the Braves have never made the playoffs in 29 years of play in the IPA... manager Ivan Burkholder just doesn't possess the pitching... a 4.53 team ERA (32nd) just won't cut it in the IPA or anywhere else... closer Matt Reeves was his best with an impressive 2.18 ERA, 21 saves and a 7-5 record in 66 relief appearances... Gary Cobb (14-21/3.91) was the only starter under 4.00... the top winner was Bob Ferguson (19-12/4.37)... Chicopee has some firepower in the batter's box... the Braves boast a .267 BA (16th), pretty good scoring with 705 runs (12th) and 175 homers (4th)... young 24-year-old SS Kurt Gustafsen (.334/27/100/84) really blossomed this year in his 4th season... veteran RF Charlie Jensen (.282/28/94/91) also stood out... along with 4-year LF Sakima Shaman (.300/19/60/95), who didn't put up the numbers he usually does, but still had a good year... leading off apparently cut into his RBI totals.

In 2028 the La Claire Lynx (63-91) celebrated by winning the team's first pennant in history, the first time they had ever made the playoffs... but it's been all downhill since, second place in 2029 and now all the way to seventh this year, 29 games out of the race... skipper Zeppy Deshotel is bewildered by the team's decline... almost all of the championship team is still around... the Lynx are average with a .265 BA (17th) and homers with 139 (14th), but don't put runs on the scoreboard like they used to, scoring only 651 runs (24th-tied)... pitching is actually better than the title year (3.65 ERA to 4.05 ERA)... except for the bullpen which has a poor 4.19 ERA (27th)... Pat Kovacs (10-18/3.25) is still a quality pitcher, so are Jules Delhomme (11-18/3.24), Jeff Buttram (12-9/3.56) and Leon Uris (14-19/3.91)... in the batting department Deshotel has some talent in LF Carroll Candy (.322/22/79/82) and CF Kelly Chamberlain (.315/24/92/92), but just not enough of it... 2B Norman Petitjohn (.260/22/79/57) and RF Lonnie Wright (.268/16/66//97) add some production, too... 37-year-old superstar 3B Flash Devlin (.242/18/68/59) has lost a lot of his glitter this season... the future HOF-er is a career .317 batter that averaged 30 homers and 100 runs batted in... those numbers are sorely missed.

For the last three years the Arlon Champions (60-94) made some good progress... Rocco Belasario's Champs wound up in fourth place in the TU West standings each of those years, but they moved closer to first place each season, going from 21 games to 16 to just 2 behind the pennant winner... this year Arlon fell into the pits, all the way to the bottom, 32 games out... the Champions ended up near the bottom statistically, too, with a .257 BA (26th) and a 4.24 team ERA (29th)... they ranked 26th in scoring runs, but did swat 134 out of the park (16th)... Raydon Burks (10-16/3.35) was the only starter with an ERA under 4.14... and CF Del Carpenter was the club leader with a .290 BA, 23 HR, 84 RBIs and 79 runs... no one else in the batting order came close to his stats.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

BSC Bucs and GC 'Cats Pro Cup Picks
The 30th edition of the IPA Pro Cup playoffs gets started this Thursday afternoon with the Elite 8 Series. The Islands' baseball experts are picking the Grand City Cybercats of the Ruthlandian Union and the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers of the Tycobbian Union to battle it out in this year's Pro Cup Finals for the IPA championship with the nod going to the Bucs because of superior pitching and defense. Bay St. Clair is a well-rounded club with good starters and relievers, power and defense.

Grand City will be challenged by the Valmara Vipers, Colfax Blasters and Wynnamac Sundowners, while Bay St. Clair's competition will be the Ozarka Naturals, Blue Lake Blue Sox and the Cape Coral Hurricanes. The Vipers will be making their fifth straight postseason appearance. Valmara is the only team returning from last year's Pro Cup participants. They made it as far as the Final 4. The Vipers are the only club among the Elite 8 to ever win a Pro Cup. They took the title in 2026. Last year's champ Rolling Hills failed to make the playoffs this season, finishing third to Bay St. Clair in the Tycobbian West. The Ruthlandian Union has won 16 IPA Pro Cups, while the Tycobbian Union has prevailed 13 times.

In the first round action Grand City will host the Valmara Vipers and Colfax will be at Wynnamac in the Ruthlandian Elite 8. Over in Tycobbia, Ozarka will entertain Bay St. Clair and Blue Lake opens up in Cape Coral.

Here is how the clubs ranked in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll:
1. Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (TU West) 92-62... fine starters, great bullpen, good power, adequate offense, strong defense
2. Grand City Cybercats (RU South) 90-64... hits well with power, top scoring team in IPA, excellent bullpen, pretty good defense, fair starters
3. Ozarka Naturals (TU East) 94-60... can score well, little power, strong starters, average bullpen, solid defense
4. Colfax Blasters (RU West) 84-70... not much punch, but can score, better-than-average staff, three good starters, super bullpen, quality defense
5. Wynnamac Sundowners (RU East) 86-68... bats no problem, potent attack, plenty of firepower, fair starters, excellent relievers, fine defenders
6. Valmara Vipers (RU North)... lots of playoff experience, two good starters, strong closer, questionable, but underrated offense, just average on defense
7. Blue Lake Blue Sox (TU North) 85-69... best starters in IPA, but only average in pen, pathetic offense, average defense... ace Doug Kirkpatrick (22-9/2.92) will miss most of the playoffs with a sore arm
8. Cape Coral Hurricanes (TU South) 93-61... bats for average, but no pop, can score, two strong starters, poor to mediocre bullpen, top-notch defense

Best Record: Ozarka 94-60
Best Team BA: Cape Coral .282
Best Team Scoring: Grand City 746 runs
Best Team HR: Grand City 162
Best Team FA: Wynnamac .976 FA, Bay St. Clair .976
Best Team ERA: Blue Lake 3.07
Best Team ERA - Starters: Blue Lake 2.98
Best Team ERA - Bullpen: Bay St. Clair 2.44

Worst Record: Colfax 84-70
Worst Team BA: Blue Lake .257
Worst Team Scoring: Blue Lake 609 runs
Worst Team HR: Ozarka 105
Worst Team FA: Valmara .972 FA
Worst Team ERA: Wynnamac 3.59
Worst Team ERA - Starters: Grand City 3.76
Worst Team ERA - Bullpen: Cape Coral 3.90

Around the Town in the IPA

Bay St. Clair Buccaneers

Owner: Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles
GM/Manager: Denny Coulon

Bay St. Clair is a major port, tourist destination and petroleum and railroad center, located in southwestern Tycobbia on its namesake, Bay St. Clair, a great natural harbor. It is a town of 117,000 resting on the Appian River, which empties into the Kelnyck Ocean. The town was established in the 1850s by a group of American abolitionists from the North and the South, who saw the coming Civil War. They wanted to set up a country free from slavery and religious intolerance.

Offshore oil rigs in the Southern Sea provide a great boost to the local economy and a thriving petroleum business. Noxxe Oil Corporation is one of the nation's biggest and its home office is in Bay St. Clair.

Breathtakingly beautiful white beaches and luxurious hotels dot the coastline. Bay St. Clair has a multicultural heritage with French and Creole backgrounds. It is known for great music, exquisite cuisine and good times. Bon Temps ("Good Times" in French) is a lenten carnival, famous for parades, costumed balls and frivolity. Jazz funerals are a noted part of the town's culture.

Another important annual event and tourist lure is the Bay St. Clair Jazz and Music Heritage Foundation's "Razzmajazz". This is ten days of jazz, blues, gospel and rock greats.

Bay St. Clair is also home of the Buccaneers baseball team of the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Bucs are in the Tycobbian Union's West Division. They are owned by jazz immortal, Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles. This Creole singer and trumpeteer loves his baseball just about as much as his music. He was one of the league creators along with Jock Ewing, Rob Jackson and John Banson.

The club plays at Shoreline Stadium, which looks out on the beautiful white beaches and blue-watered bay. The Buccaneer Brass Band, often led by "Sugar Lips", entertains the fans at all Buccaneers' games. And when the opposing teams have to go to the bullpen for a relief pitcher, the Brass Band welcomes him with a funeral dirge, a sad and mournful song. When the game is decided in favor of the Bucs, they begin playing a lively Dixieland victory tune "When the Bucs Go Marchin' In" and parade around the stadium.

Concessions are great with wonderful Creole soul food, gumbo (seafood/okra soup), red beans and rice, jambalaya (seafood casserole), hot beignets (pronounced "ben-yays"), hot out-of-the-grease doughnuts, covered in powdered sugar, cafe au lait (chicory coffee with hot milk), pecan pralines (candy), snowballs, topped with sweet condensed milk, and the traditional hamburgers and hot dogs.

Bay St. Clair's GM and Manager is hometown boy, Denny Coulon, a fine righthander that won 342 games in a 23-year career for the Buccaneers and Summerland. Coulon was inducted into the IPA Hall-of-Fame in 2029.

Shoreline Stadium (1940)

Capacity: 11,900

Dimensions:
LF Line 332
LF 360
LCF 388
CF 400
RCF 381
RF 350
RF Line 325

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 19, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Colfax Blasts Macs 12-5 In Opener
In game one of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 at Wynnamac's Granger Field, the Colfax bats were really booming with a 15-hit attack in the 12-5 triumph over the hometown Sundowners... in addition starter Bobby Fleetfoot (1-0) shut out Wynnamac on 2-hits for the first 5 frames as the Blasters build up an 8-0 lead... 3B Vic Draper sparked Colfax with 4 hits and 3 RBIs... 1B Kris Bernhoffer also drove in 2 runs with a homer and RF Glen Smith batted in 2 for the winners... 1B Giles Butler paced the Sundowners with a two-run homer... Fleetfoot fanned 7 and walked one and was the winning pitching, while starter Killara Bardo (0-1) sustained the loss for Wynnamac... he was slammed for 5 runs and 6 hits in just 3 innings.

C'Cats Rally Late, Whip Vips 5-3 In Game One
Grand City starter Kip Day was clobbered for 3 runs in the opening frame, but that's all the Valmara Vipers got for the day... the Cybercats bounced back and rallied late for a 5-3 victory on 2B Liam Cadbury's 2-run triple in the last of the eighth... Day went the route, struck out 6, issued 2 walks and gave up 7 hits for the win, whipping the Vipers Teddy Lem, who also went the distance, allowing 7 hits with 4 Ks and a walk... Cadbury sparked Grand City with 3 hits and 3B Jack Howell smacked a 2-run homer... Valmara was led by 1B Jerry Rembert with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... C Floyd Randolph got the other Viper run in.

Tycobbian Union

'Canes Blow Away Blue Sox 17-5
No contest at Seaside Stadium in Cape Coral... the Hurricanes totally destroyed the Blue Lake Blue Sox 17-5 in game one of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series... the 'Canes blew them away with a 21-hit barrage as they snapped a 3-3 tie with 7 runs in the seventh and 7 more in the eighth... leading the Cape Coral hit parade were RF Jan Krammer with 5 RBIs, C Tonio Libertore and CF Dan Isenberg with 3 each, and 2B Vic Hayes and P Randy Burns with 2 apiece in the shellacking... Burns got the win... he gave up 10 hits and 5 runs, whiffed 6 and walked 2... LF Eddie Nagen had a 2-run homer in defeat and 1B Herb Hull collect 3 base hits... rookie Derek Joubert was the loser.

BSC Bucs Nip Nats 2-1 in 10 Innings
The visiting Bay St. Clair Buccaneers won game one of the TU Elite 8 in a masterful 2-1 pitching duel with the Ozarka Naturals at Ellie Ewing Stadium decided in the tenth inning on SS Eddy Hunt's RBI double that scored 3B Teddy Nixon with the winning run... neither starter got the decision, but they both hurled excellent games... Ozarka's Brady Bell was expecially tough as he limited the Bucs to just one run and 5 hits in his 9 innings... Bell struck out 12 and walked 2 in a sharp performance... Jody Gentry went 8-plus frames for Bay St. Clair, yielded just one run and 6 hits with 8 strikeouts and a walk... the Bucs' bullpen ace Don Sawyer (1-0) logged a shaky win, allowing 2 hits and having to get out of a first and third situation in the last of the tenth... Denny Mills (0-1) was tagged with the defeat... Mills came on in the tenth and lost it... the Bucs were outhit 8-7 in the game.

Around the Town in the IPA

OZARKA NATURALS

Owner: J. R. Ewing
GM/Manager: Joe Mac Carney

Ozarka, a Silver Mountains resort town of 73,000, is located in south central Tycobbia and near the Caledonia River, which flows southward through Hillsboro, then westward and comes to an end at Turon on the southwest coast. Nestled among scenic forests and outdoor hot springs, Ozarka is host to tourists who come for snow skiing during the winter and boating, swimming, fishing, camping, hiking and hunting the rest of the year. Big time developers have made this a mecca for the rich and famous with luxury hotels and nightclubs that attend to every possible need: hot spring spas and bathhouses, superstar entertainers, magnificent golf courses, gourmet food, art galleries and gift shops. Ozarka is a retirement center, too.

It is also home to the Ozarka Naturals. J. R. Ewing’s father, Jock Ewing, got tired of the incessant sibling quarrels over the operation of the family-owned Waleska Westerners in the Ruthlandian Amateur Association, so he bought the battling brothers and club vice-presidents, J. R. and Bobby, their own teams in the IPA. Bobby owns the South Fork Stallions and J. R. has Ozarka, where he is a prime real estate developer. Bobby named his brand new stadium after his dad. Not to be outdone, J. R. named his brand new stadium after his mom, Miss Ellie. So the sibling rivalry continues on and off the field. Ellie Ewing Stadium is one of the few parks in baseball that still has a live organ player at each game, which adds a nice nostalgic touch, especially during the seventh inning stretch. Marston, Kenwood and Hillsboro are the other teams that feature a live organist. And at the concessions stands is a succulent gourmet buffet fit for the rich and famous. You will also find all of the traditional baseball fare at a Naturals game.

J. R. Ewing spares no expense when it comes to impressing people and paying his ballplayers. He likes to get his way. He even got the all-time winningest manager in company league history to come out of retirement and take over his team. Joe Mac Carney is now the GM and Manager of the Naturals. And he is very well paid, too.

Ellie Ewing Stadium (2001)

Capacity: 11,750

Dimensions:
LF Line 350
LF 370
LCF 390
CF 375
RCF 390
RF 370
RF Line 350

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 20, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Meeks Even Series, Wynnamac Edges Colfax 2-1
After being clobbered 12-5 in the opener at home, Wynnamac got a stellar start from Jason Meeks to even the Ruthlandian Elite 8 at one game each... Meeks (1-0) stymied Colfax 2-1 on 6 hits and Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.333) and 1B Giles Butler (.333) slugged solo homers to edge Smoky Rogers and the Blasters... Meeks only allowed a run in the fifth, struck out 4 and walked 4, while going the route... Rogers (0-1) was terrific except for the longballs... He fanned 12, walked only one batter and allowed just 4 hits... CF Hal Granders (.222) drove in the Blasters only score... Burkhalter's shot tied it up in the sixth and Butler's won it in the seventh.

The series will now head up to Colfax for the next three games.

GC Cats Trim Vipers 5-4 In 11, Up By 2
When you outhit a team 18-7, you would think it would be an easy win... but not so for the Grand City Cybercats, who committed 6 errors and stranded 12 runners... it took them 11 innings to derail Valmara 5-4 in game two of the RU Elite 8... Mitch Langston's bases-loaded hit sent the Vipers down to their second straight defeat... Grand City starter Sammy Cagle pitched well and gave up only one earned run in his 8 innings... Viper starter Carroll Cain was hit all over the ballpark... he was tagged for 15 hits in 10 innings, but left with a 4-4 tie... the Cybercats got good relief work from Danny Denver, who blanked Valmara in the ninth and tenth... and from winner Lefty Frizzell (1-0), who worked a perfect eleventh... Ivan Guzek (0-1) couldn't get an out in the last inning and took the loss.

At the plate 1B Mitch Langston (.300) stood out for Grand City with 3-6 and 2 RBIs... RF Tyler LaFontaine (.500), LF Wes Marlowe (.375) and C Jumbo Carver (.429) all added in 3 hits apiece... SS Teddy Rudek (.429) had 2 hits to pace Valmara... Rudek clouted the game's only roundtripper.

Valmara will try to get back into the series at War Memorial Stadium, the site of games three, four, and five, if the Cybercats don't sweep.

Tycobbian Union

'Canes Storm Past Blue Sox 5-2, Lead Series 2-0
For seven innings in game two of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Cape Coral could do nothing at the plate against Blue Lake's Chris Landry... he had them eating out of his hand and had a 2-0 lead, but the Hurricanes exploded for 5 runs in the last of the eighth to deal the Blue Sox a defeat for the second game in a row... Landry suffered the loss, yielding 5 runs on 9 hits in his 7-plus frames... 2 of the runs were unearned as the Blue Sox committed 3 errors... Cape Coral got a fine outing from winning pitcher Izaak Booten (1-0), who permitted 2 runs, only one earned, and 9 hits in 8 innings... Booten had 7 strikeouts and walked none... Derek Nieman closed it out in the ninth and notched the save.

The Hurricanes had 9 hits and were sparked by SS Neil Hennon (.364) with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in... Hennon plated the go-ahead runs in the eighth... C Tonio Libertore (.500) homered and had 2 hits as well... 3B Matt Thompson (.500) paced Blue Lake with 3-for-4... in all Blue Lake totaled 10 hits.

The next three games will be played at Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake.

Nats Tie Bucs, Carey Wins 4-3 In Game 2
In game two of the TU Elite 8 Ozarka won at home and split the first two games with Bay St. Clair... 21-game winner Stan Carey (1-0) tossed a solid game... Carey went the distance, held the Bucs to 3 runs and 6 hits, while fanning 7 and walking 3... 3B Nick Rembert (.250) doubled in two runs in the sixth, giving Ozarka a 3-2 margin... Bay St. Clair evened it 3-3 in the eighth... and SS James Couch (.222) won it with a walk-off single off losing pitcher Don Sawyer (1-1) in the bottom of the ninth... Sawyer relieved John Karlsen, who went 8 innings, permitted 3 runs and 5 hits with 8 Ks and 3 bases on balls.

LF Ralph Bevis (.333) went 3-5 to lead Ozarka... Couch had 2 hits and 2 RBIs for the winners... the Buccaneers were led by C Damon Klein (.000) with 2 sacrifice flies... chipping in 2 hits each were RF Neil Lamont (.286) and 2B Terry Adams (.375).

Shoreline Park in Bay St. Clair will host games three, four and five.

Around the Town in the IPA

GRAND CITY CYBERCATS

Owner: Gates Billington, Synergy Technologies
GM/Manager: Wade Joslin

Grand City is a town of 128,000 and the largest population-wise in the Islands. It has a very special and very short history. It was the brainchild of multi-millionaire Gates Billington, computer and financial genius. It was his vision to build the "perfectly planned" town. Originally Grand City was called Emerald and was just a small fishing village on the southern coast of Ruthlandia near the Valerian Ocean. It was settled by the Scotch-Irish and English in the early 1800's, who came to get away from religious intolerance in the British Isles.

It remained a sleepy little fishing village until 1990, when Billington bought up all of the real estate and decided to make his dream city come true. He and his entrepreneurial cohorts pooled their money, ideas and plans and made it come to fruition in 5 short years. Grand City went up overnight and soon became the most populous town/city in the Islands and one of the most prosperous.

Billington created a financial and high tech industrial complex. These ambitious business and civic leaders have boosted Grand City into a sophisticated, fastlane cultural metropolis. It is a town of skyscrapers, beautiful boulevards, condos, high rise apartments, all arranged in perfect symmetry. Autos are not permitted in Grand City. Residents must use it highly-advanced public transportation system, walk or ride bicycles. Only service vehicles are permitted on the streets of the city. And in keeping with the town's high tech, modernistic motif, the Grand City Cybercats of the Islandian Pro Alliance play in a brand new state-of-the-art stadium, Synergy Park.

Billington is a big-time baseball fan and is the owner of the club. He has more money than he knows what to do with. No expense was spared at this ballpark. Everything is computerized. When you get your order at the concession stands, all the hot food items are hot, all the cold items are cold and you get them served quickly without standing in line very long.

The highly-paid technocrats are really pampered with the best of everything.
You don't miss any of the ballgame at Synergy Park. Since the Grand City Cybercats have just come into being in 2002, they have no amateur and industrial league history, so they have no established traditions.

To insure success on the diamond, Billington hired one of the best baseball minds in the Islands, Tory Joseph. He is the general manager of the Cybercats. Joseph was a solid hitter and fair catcher in his playing days, who became one of the best industrial league managers. Joseph recently stepped down in favor of Wynn Joslin, a journeyman shortstop in his playing days with Grand City. Joslin batted .263 in a 5-year career.

Synergy Park (2001)

Capacity: 15,000

Dimensions:
LF Line 340
LF 360
LCF 375
CF 400
RCF 375
RF 360
RF Line 340

Around the Town in the IPA

VALMARA VIPERS

Owner: Viper Offshore Services, headed by Capt. Stanislaw Lem, Ruthlandia Navy (ret)
GM: J. Jackson Samuel
Manager: Jet Kazmarek

Valmara is located in the northeastern part of Valdar Island, a port town of 81,000 people on Valmara Bay, an excellent deep water harbor. A clash of a warm Valerian Ocean current and a cold Kelnyck Ocean provides for heavy early morning fogs.

The town began as a small fishing village in the 1880s and pretty much remained that way until the late 1930s. Valmara has never been considered a pleasant place to live with rocky soil, thick ocean fogs and moss growing everywhere. If not for its wonderful port, no one in their right mind would live there. The harbor and the port have brought commerce and jobs.The prime industries of Valmara revolve around the sea, be it catching and processing fish, servicing deep-ocean oil rigs or supporting the ten-ship navy of Ruthlandia.

With the threat of world war on the horizon in 1938, the Ruthlandian government established Valdarian Military Academy, a college for cadets and midshipmen studying for future service in the Ruthlandian Navy.

During the Second World War, Ruthlandia was swept up in the maelstrom in the nation's first and only war. The nation sent a regiment of troops and a fighter squadron to Italy, where they served with the 2nd Polish Corps at Monte Cassino. After the war, many Poles opted not to return to their Soviet-occupied nation and several hundred emigrated to Ruthlandia. Many of the ex-soldiers did not go far past Valmara when they got off the boat.

Over the next four decades, many Poles emigrated (or escaped) from behind the Iron Curtain to Ruthlandia. After two generations of migration and birth, more than half of the town is of Polish descent.

The Valmara Vipers are owned by Capt. Stanislaw Lem, RN (ret.) of Viper Offshore Services. He is not related to the noted author of the same name, which often causes non-native reporters much trouble. The owner likes to be called "The Captain" in public. Lem made a small fortune after his navy career operating ships and helicopters that serve offshore oil rigs. Thanks to the recent spike of oil prices, his company's profits have gone through the roof. The Captain had no problem coming up with money to buy a franchise in the Islandian Pro Alliance, the first pro baseball league in the Islands history. Valmara plays in the Ruthlandian Baseball Union in the North Division.

The Valmara Vipers trace their history from the frigate Viper, which had a team in the Naval League in the 1940's. When the amateur league players became semi-pros in the 1950s and worked and played baseball for companies, the Vipers were sponsored by Marine Midland Bank. The Captain played baseball for his service team in the 1960s and was active in the industrial leagues as a sponsor in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Since Captain Lem had been the captain of the frigate Viper in the late 1960s, when it came to naming his IPA franchise, it was a no-brainer. The Valmara Vipers were born.

The Vipers play their games at historic old War Memorial Stadium. Amateur and industrial league teams have used it for years. It is dedicated to the memory of the 121 men from Ruthlandia killed in action in the Italian campaign during the Second World War. It is a old stadium built for football and soccer, but improvised and used for baseball since 1946. The Captain commissioned noted architectural company HOK to renew the old park into a suitable baseball park. He spared no expense in updating the old stadium with modern technology and conveniences. Yet it still retains the charm of an old stadium.

Game-Day Experience:

Like many successful immigrants, the people of Valmara have fiercely adopted the values of their new nation. Ruthlandia's flag is navy blue and green. In Valmara, it's just taken to a ridiculous extreme. The team’s colors are navy blue and green. So are the water towers, the dockyard cranes, the street signs and the new city hall.

Captain Lem wanted to build a new ballpark, but the city fathers persuaded him to just refurbish the old stadium in the old part of town to be an anchor for a new mixed residential-commercial district. Civic pride got the best of the Captain and he agreed to use War Memorial Stadium. The civic renewal project has been quite successful. Because there is little parking nearby, fans have to walk nearly a quarter mile to the park. On the way, they are treated to a dozen new restaurants, bars, and pubs. The integration into the neighborhood is considered to be charming. The revitalization project has brought a good deal of commerce and energy into the east side of town. The worst of the neighborhood was torn down. The city fathers have expanded the renovations and given the old town a new look.

Food:
Fans love to scarf down bigos (cabbage and meat stew) and rye bread at cafes adjacent to the ballpark. Inside the park, everyone loves perogis (potato and cheese dumplings). Several years ago, The Captain persuaded Mama Kolski's Restaurant (home of the best perogis in town) to open a stand at his new ballpark and it was a big hit.

Beer sales are strictly regulated by city ordinance to two beers per person. This is due to the locals’ love of pale lagers that are 9% alcohol. Also, for a strange unknown reason, draft Coors is a trendy choice.

Ambiance:
Music at the ballpark is best described as LOUD. The Captain installed a very modern, very powerful sound system at the refurbished stadium.

More than a decade ago, a sound system operator substituted the Village People's "In the Navy" for the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch and started a new tradition. It was a college night at an industrial league game, with plenty of middies from Valdarian Military Academy on hand and many crewmembers from the frigates Viper and Foxx. It was a smash hit, no doubt fueled by a hot autumn evening, cold pale lager and the nine-run Viper lead. Since then, "In the Navy" has been played during the seventh inning stretch of every game save one -- the first game at the revamped War Memorial Stadium. The Captain hates the tune and thought with the public reopening that the club could stop playing that vile song. During the Vipers first exhibition game, the fans nearly rioted and the stadium's debut was marred with a near five-minute interruption of boos before play resumed. Wisely, The Captain made a quick command decision and allowed "In the Navy" to be played during the 8th inning break...and during every game since. Of course, the Captain saw to it that "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was restored to its revered seventh-inning spot.

In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now, people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)

Mascot

The Captain (he considers himself a traditionalist) did not believe in having a mascot until he put his own money into the old ball park. At that point, he had to figure out how to attract every dollar possible from every fan possible. So Vippy and Vippa Viper came into being. They parade around the ballpark entertaining the fans and leading cheers, dances and songs. Viper fans are noted for hissing at the umpires and the opposing teams. The Captain sells a lot Vippy and Vippa apparel and memorabilia...even rents them out to for birthday parties at the stadium, when the team is on the road.

History

Baseball on Valdar Island had a late beginning. Due to the Island topography, climate and lack of mineral deposits it was not as desirable as the Ruthlandian mainland, so it was bypassed by the immigrants until about 1910, when the towns of Valmara, Ancona, Kilkenny, Taranto and Ranford sprang up. From 1910 to 1920, touring amateur baseball teams from the mainland would play games from time to time and the game was introduced slowly. But it did catch on. In a desire to assimilate with the rest of the country, where baseball was like a religion, the Valdarians took to the game with passion and fervor. Amateur baseball clubs and company-based teams began to organize in the 1920s. By the mid-1940's Valdar Island baseball was as good as the Mainland.

The team was first managed by J. Jackson Samuel, a run-of-the-mill industrial league player that became a legendary manager. Samuel broke Jay Loman's record for the most Silver Whale Cups, given to the best amateur team on Valdar Island. Loman was the manager of the Ancona Red Elephants in the 1920s and won nine straight Valdar Island League titles. Samuel won 12 during his amateur career.

Samuel retired and turned the reins over to one of the all-time great Vipers, Jet Kazmarek. who was a .350 career hitter in his 16 IPA seasons. Kazmarek was an 8-time All-Star and won the batting title 9 times. He is also the only .400 hitter in the annals of the league. Kazmarek batted an awesome .428 in 2002.

War Memorial Stadium (1946)

Capacity: 9,595

Dimensions:
Left Field Line - 330
Left Field - 350
Left Center - 380
Center Field - 400
Right Center - 370
Right Field - 330
Right Field Line - 309

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 21, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Cruise Cruises, Colfax Whips Wynnamac 4-1
Game three in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series went to the Colfax Blasters 4-1 behind the sharp performance of Jon Cruise at Mountain View Stadium. He stopped Wynnamac on 6 hits over 8 innings. Cruise (1-0) fanned 6 Sundowners and walked 2 to put his Blasters in front in the series 2-1... Rudy Rosario got the save when he retired the 'Macs in order in the ninth... Lon Marshall (0-1) went all the way, gave up only 2 earned runs and 8 hits... Colfax snapped a 1-1 tie in the last of the sixth with 3 runs, highlighted by Frederick Melton's (.167) go-ahead single, 3B Vic Draper's (.462) sac fly and P Jon Cruise's (.500) RBI base hit.

3 HR Power Vipers, Top Cybercats 7-6
Held in check in the first two games of the RU Elite 8 the Valmara bats busted loose on their home grounds with 3 homers in a comeback 7-6 triumph over the Grand City Cybercats... the game-three victory was the Vipers first in the series... CF Teddy Szymanski (.214) hammered a 3-run blast to tie the game at 6-6, then LF Benny Hooper (.231) followed it with a solo homer for the eventual winning run... closer Ivan Guzek nailed down the victory with 2 scoreless frames... Viper rookie Garry Gronek (1-0) posted the win in a spotty outing.. Gronek surrendered 6 runs, 4 earned, and 6 hits in his 7 innings... 37-year-old Billy Ray (0-1) caught the loss...he was battered for 3 homers, 7 runs and 11 hits in 6-plus innings.

Valmara had a 12-7 advantage in hits... Jerry Rembert (.500) was the leader with 3 hits, including a double and a triple... RF Gerry Kazmarek (.308) got 2 hits, including a solo homer in the first... Grand City was led by 1B Mitch Langston's (.308) with a home run and by 3B Jack Howell (.385) with 2 hits and 2 RBIs.

Tycobbian Union

Blue Sox Skim By 'Canes 3-2 In Game 3
The Blue Lake Blue Sox are back in business in the Tycobbian Elite 8... playing at home at Harbor Stadium the Blue Sox got a solid job from Billy Trakas, who checked Cape Coral on 7 hits and 2 runs in his 8 innings... reliever Gil Donahue saved it for him with a scoreless ninth... Cape Coral is still on top in the series two games to one... rookie starter Travis Arthur pitched well for the Hurricanes, going into the seventh and leaving with a 2-2 score... Arthur allowed 7 hits, struck out 4 and walked 2... Trakas had 9 Ks and walked 4... the losing pitcher was Curt Garrett, who gave up the game-winning homer by PH Gil Willis in the last of the eighth.

Trailing by 2-0 after 5 and a half innings, the Blue Sox responded with singletons in the the next 3 innings to win... 2B Skipper Smith (.167) doubled in the first run in the sixth... LF Eddie Nagen (.400) hit his second roundtripper in the series for run number two in the seventh... 1B Sandy Coburn (.154) led the 'Canes at the plate with 2 hits and 2 RBIs and RF Jan Krammer (.538) went 3-for-4.

Phillips Gives Nats Series Lead Over Bucs
34-year-old Ozarka righthander Norm Phillips was staggered by 3 runs in the first two innings, but got his composure and command down pat and blanked Bay St. Clair over the last 7 innings for a 7-3 victory on the road at Shoreline Park... that gave the Naturals a two-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series... Phillips (1-0) gave up 10 hits and walked 5, but held the Buccaneers to just 3 runs... meanwhile the Nats pounded Danny Darby (0-1) for 3 in the sixth and 4 more in the eighth to win going away.

CF Lonnie Gillespie (.357) cracked 3 hits, scored twice and drove in one for the winners... 1B George Jenkins (.250) also had a homer, double and 3 RBIs... Both teams had 10 hits each... leading Bay St. Clair was SS Eddy Hunt (.200), LF Kelly Lucas (.273) and 2B Terry Adams (.417), all with a pair hits apiece.

Around the Town in the IPA

BLUE LAKE BLUE SOX

Owners: Chance Franklin, Tink Joseph, Ev Johnson
GM/Manager: Ron Hilliard

Blue Lake is a lovely, modern university town on the western edge of its namesake, Blue Lake. Located in the central part of Tycobbia, Blue Lake has about 82,000 residents. Tycobbia State University is the biggest employer in the city. People graduate, but never seem to leave. Blue Lake is a very liberal town in politics and lifestyle. Residents are outdoor and sailing enthusiasts and concerned environmentalists. Only bicycles and pedestrians are permitted downtown.

Blue Lake also has a thriving bicycle and sailboat industry. Saddida and Ekin athletic shoe companies are headquartered here. Computer and hi-tech companies are centered here as well. Fine arts flower in abundance as the symphony, theatre, ballet, art galleries and museums can be enjoyed by the intellectual elite.

It is also the home of the Blue Lake Blue Sox of the Islandian Pro Alliance and they play in the Tycobbian Union's West Division. The club is owned and operated by a three former university athletes. The University loves its sports and support even their former greats. The University owns the baseball stadium and shares Harbor Stadium with the Blue Sox.

Harbor Stadium has a gorgeous view of the downtown skyline across Blue Lake Harbor. There is a festive college atmosphere at Blue Sox games with lots of college cheers led by the Blue Sox cheerleaders, the “Sox-it-to-‘em Girls". One of the fans’ favorite cheers is when they chant, “Sox it to ‘em ... Sox it to ‘em” to spur the Sox to victory. During the seventh-inning stretch everyone stands and sings the university’s alma mater, followed by “Take me out to the ballgame”. At the concessions booths you will find the traditional soft drinks, peanuts, crackerjacks, hamburgers and hot dogs, but also gourmet expresso, cappuccino and latte coffees, and fine esoteric foods like quiche and tofu. Attending a Blue Sox game is truly a unique sporting experience.

Three former TSU baseball players, the famous double play combination during their boola boola days at the university, Chance Franklin, Tink Johnson and Ev Johnson, own and operate the team together. The field manager and GM is Rick Hilliard, a 16-year outfielder for the Blue Sox. Hilliard batted .285 and hit .362 homers during his fine career.

Harbor Stadium (1965)

Capacity: 11,743

Dimensions:
LF Line 320
LF 350
LCF 408
CF 398
RCF 400
RF 365
RF Line 330

Around the Town in the IPA

Cape Coral Hurricanes

Owner: Conway Birdie
GM/Manager: Flipper Bird

Cape Coral is a town of 112,000 on the northshore of Arvonian Island, jutting out into Belair Bay. Arvonian Island is bordered on three sides by the Southern Sea. Cape Coral was settled at various times by the Spanish, Dutch and English with the English taking preeminence when tourism became the main economic focus.

It is a resort area famous for great weather year round in idyllic tropical surroundings. Serene sky blue waters with magnificent sunsets, white, glistening beaches, luxury hotels, night clubs, legendary entertainers and retirement communities. It is a place to be pampered.

It is also known for an occasional tropical storm or hurricane spawned out of the warm tropical currents of the Southern Sea. Hence, the Cape Coral baseball team in the IPA's Tycobbian Union is nicknamed the Hurricanes. They play at Seaside Stadium, which has an eyecatching view of Belair Bay. Some of the myriad of magnificent hotels and casinos can also be seen rising up in grandeur over the island landscape.

Seaside Stadium is known for its exotic beverages and gourmet fare fit for a king. Every fan treasures the house speciality, "The Hurricane", a fantastic blend of tropical flavors and liqueurs, served up in a beautiful souvenir glass.

The buffet foods make every game very special for the fans and resort visitors. Hot dogs and cokes are available, too, along with the best grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich outside of Memphis, Tennessee.

Music is provided by the Beachcomber Boys, a rock 'n' roll combo. Their version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" really reverberates, rocks and rolls. One of the Beachcomber Boys, Conway Birdie (old rock 'n' roll star and connoisseur of grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches) is the proud owner of the Hurricanes. Birdie was instrumental (pun intended) in the creation of the Islandian Pro Alliance along with Jock Ewing of Waleska, John Banson (former amateur and industrial league czar) and Jorge Trujillo of Belair Beach. The old rock 'n' roller was a pretty fair ballplayer in his day, too.

The Cape Coral manager is Flipper Bird, who starred for 23 years in the IPA, 14 of them with the Hurricanes. Bird was fine shortstop with some pop. He slammed 408 homers in his career, while batting .268 for average. Bird was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame this year.

Seaside Stadium (1987)

Capacity: 13,100

Dimensions:
LF Line 365
LF 375
LCF 400
CF 390
RCF 375
RF 360
RF Line 350

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 22, 2030

2030 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

'Macs Top C'Fax 4-2, Bardo Evens Series
On the road at Mountain View Stadium in Colfax, the Wynnamac Sundowners evened up the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series at two games each with a 4-2 triumph... the Sundowners got a yeoman's job from pitching ace Killara Bardo and a 3-run homer from Dorak Arando to sink the Blasters... Bardo (1-1/5.73) worked 8 good innings, holding Colfax to 2 runs and 8 hits... he got help from Jim Horton, who tossed a scoreless ninth for the save... Bobby Fleetfoot (1-1/1.35) suffered from 3 Blaster miscues for the loss... Fleetfoot went 8 and a third innings, yielded 4 runs, just 2 earned, on 6 hits with 8 Ks and 3 walks... Aranda's (.200) homer in the third put the 'Macs ahead to stay... SS Kylie Ballentine (.412) paced Wynnamac with 3 hits, while 1B Mitch Fullerton (.333) was the top bat for Colfax with 2 hits, including a solo homer.

Vips Tie Series, Lem Beats C'Cats 5-3
The home crowd went home happy when Valmara rallied in the seventh for a 5-3 victory over the Grand City Cybercats at War Memorial Stadium to tie up the RU Elite 8 at 2-2... Teddy Lem (1-1/4.50) posted the win, giving up 9 hits in 8 innings, but just 3 runs... Lem fanned 4 and walked only one... Kip Day (1-1/4.60) lost it as he was battered for 13 hits in just 6-plus innings... the Vipers scored all 5 of their runs off of him... Tom Greenwood notched the save by 1-hitting the Cybercats in the last of the ninth... trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Valmara took charge with 3 runs... one scored on an error, LF Benny Hooper (.235) doubled in the game-winning score and Erek Wyszynski drove in the final one... the Vipers crashed 14 hits in all, led by RF Gerry Kazmarek (.389) with 3 hits... 2B Alec Leclerc (.176), 3B Erek Wyszynski (.200) and P Teddy Lem (.286) belted 2 hits each... 1B Mick Langston (.412) drove in all 3 Cybercats runs... his 2-run smash in the opening frame made it 2-0 and his triple put them up 3-1... Langston has 2 homers and 6 RBIs so far in the series.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 22, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Tycobbian Union

Series Tied, Blue Lake Nips Cape Coral 3-2 In 12
For the fourth game in a row the home team has prevailed in the Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series... Blue Lake, playing at Harbor Stadium, got superb pitching and nipped visiting Cape Coral 3-2 in 12 innings... in the deciding inning Joe Korman hit a 2-out double and scored on pinchhitter Irish O'Dwyer's game-winning single to deadlock the series at 2 games each... both clubs had excellent pitching... Blue Lake starter Chris Landry hurled 8 innings and gave up only 2 runs on 4 hits with 9 strikeouts and no walks... Cape Coral countered with Randy Burns, who was even better... Burns lasted 9 innings, allowed 2 runs (one earned) and 4 hits with 5 strikeouts and a walk... Blue Lake got flawless work from its bullpen... Sherwood Taylor pitched 2 scoreless innings, followed by 2 more by winning pitcher Gil Donahue (1-0/0.00).. the 'Canes Curt Garrett (0-2/9.00) was victimized in the twelfth and lost it.

The Blue Sox had a slight edge in hits 7 to 6... SS Joe Korman (.125) led the winners with 2 runs scored and the game-winning RBI... LF Eddie Nagen (.357) has the game's only home run, a solo shot... C Tonio Libertore (.286) drove in both Hurricane runs.

Bucs 4 HR Beat Nats 5-0, Gentry Blanked 'Em
A peerless performance on the mound and 4 home runs paced Bay St. Clair to a 5-0 victory over Ozarka in game four of the TU Elite 8, evening up the series... Jody Gentry (1-0/0.00) was outstanding, blanking the Naturals on 4 hits, while fanning 5 and walking none... leading the Bucs' offense was 3B Teddy Nixon (.429), who walloped 2 solo homers and had 3 hits... RF Neil Lamont (.214) and 2B Terry Adams (.375) drilled the other two roundtrippers... the Buccaneers only managed 7 hits off three Ozarka moundsmen with the loss going to starter Brady Bell (0-1/3.60), who gave up all the runs and homers in his 6 frames.

Around the Town in the IPA

WYNNAMAC SUNDOWNERS

Owner: Granger Co-Operative Association
GM/Manager: Matt Donnelly

Wynnamac is a town of 86,000 residents and can be found about 50 miles inland from the Valerian Ocean, which is near the eastern coast of Ruthlandia. It is located in the northeastern part of the country in the Central Plains, which spans east to west across it and is a well-known farming region, filled with seemingly endless fields of ripe golden wheat and rustic farms. It is the "Breadbasket of Ruthlandia". Settled by a diverse band of hearty and hardworking Canadian and Australian immigrants, who worked "sunup to sundown". They became known as "Sundowners" because of their great work ethic and love for the land...and for their love of baseball and the homestanding Wynnamac Sundowners. The area is also a center for meat packing and dairy industries.

Life hasn't changed much here for a hundred years and probably won't change much in the next hundred years. Wynnamac is a member of the IPA's Ruthlandian East Division. The club plays at Granger Field, which is built right next to a grain processing plant with huge silos and a water tower with a gigantic ear of corn on it...all visible from the ballpark. The Sundowners are owned by the Granger Co-operative Association, farmers banded together for the common good.

At the concession stands you get nothing fancy...just soda pop, hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, peanuts, crackerjacks and ice cream. No beer or alcoholic beverages are permitted at the stadium. It is against the law in Wynnamac county and strictly enforced.

Wynnamac's General Manager and Field Manager is Matt Donnelly, who loves the game of baseball like no other. And he played the game very well, too. He was an outstanding hitter and first baseman for quite a few seasons in the local company leagues, playing until he was almost 50.

Granger Field (1967)
Capacity: 7,965
Dimensions:
Left Field Line - 355
Left Field - 375
Left Center - 415
Center Field - 404
Right Center - 375
Right Field - 350
Right Field Line - 325

Around the Town in the IPA

COLFAX BLASTERS

Owner: Enim Dlog (Precious Metals Corporation)
GM/Manager: Ilya Szabo

Colfax is found in west central Ruthlandia, population 89,000. It is a "City of Gold" situated on the scenic Silver River, which flows out of the Silver Mountains northwest of Volusia, past Colfax and then eastward to the nation's capital, Forest City. It then merges with the Green River, which winds its way through the southern half of the country and ends at Belair Beach.

The town was settled during the Gold Rush of the 1850's and is still quite profitable. It is also an important coal mining center.

It is also the home of the Colfax Blasters of the Islandian Pro Alliance, who play in the Ruthlandian Baseball Union in the West Division. The team is nicknamed for the dynamite blasters, so important in mining the gold, silver, copper and coal...and also the longball hitters, therefore giving Blasters a double meaning.

Due to its great financial wealth and success, Colfaxians have a town of stunning beauty and charm. Built by the coal barons and the gold mine owners, it is filled with grand buildings and mansions, intermingled with the smokestacks that loom over the landscape. To lessen the environmental impact, quiet canals and man-made waterways flow through the town. Visitors can glide by boat along the tranquil Silver River or walk the fabled cobblestoned streets and discover a town that time has almost forgotten. You can hear its famous landmark, "The Belfry", a carillon or bells that toll every hour and has continuously for over 150 years. Colfax also boasts an opera house, concert hall, theater and a ballet company.

Colfax's Mountain View Stadium is known for its gorgeous view of the town, the Silver Mountain backdrop beyond the outfield fence and for its "Pot of Gold". It is an actual pot, five feet in diameter, located in the center field section of the ballpark, 410 feet away. Whenever a Blaster player hits a ball that ends up in the "Pot of Gold", the player and a fan each receive $5,000. The fan is chosen in a "lucky scorecard number" drawing.

At the ballpark you have hardworking and hard-living miners and the white collar and managerial set...the beer set and the champagne set. Both are attended to at Mountain View Stadium. You can get anything from hot dogs to caviar at the concession stands.

The Blasters' owner is Enim Dlog, whose ancestors are from somewhere in the Baltics. It was his great-great-granddaddy, who first discovered gold in the 1850's. In fact, the new ballpark was built on the same site as the first gold mine.

The GM and Manager of the Colfax Blasters is Hall-of-Fame hurler Ilya Szabo, who pitched 19 seasons for the Blasters from 2003 to 2021. Lifetime Szabo was 327-210 with a great 2.57 ERA. He sparked them to 8 pennants and a Pro Cup in his tenure as a player. Colfax beat Turon in the 2010 Pro Cup and Szabo was the MVP with a 5-2 mark and a brilliant 1.42 ERA. Szabo was inducted into the first HOF class in 2027. He was a 9-time All-Star, captured 4 RU Golden Arm Awards and was twice the Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player. He retired as a player in 2021 at age 42. Szabo went 18-17 his final season with a 3.76 ERA.

Mountain View Stadium (1971)

Capacity: 10,850

Dimensions:
LF Line 315
LF 345
LCF 375
CF 405
RCF 375
RF 360
RF Line 345

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 23rd, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Meeks Mows Down Blasters 3-1, 'Macs Lead Series
The Wynnamac Sundowners went up 3 games to 2 behind a strong effort by Jason Meeks, who throttled Colfax 3-1 in game 5 of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... Meeks (2-0/1.06) won his second game in the series, stopping the Blasters on one run and 8 hits in 8 innings... Meeks walked 2 and fanned 4... He got help from Jim Horton in the ninth... Horton retired Colfax in order for his second save... 3B Dorak Aranda (.263) and LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.250) both slugged solo homers to lead the winners at the plate... Aranda and Burkhalter have now hit 2 each in the series... Colfax starter Smoky Rogers (0-2/2.12) dropped another tough game... he also lost to Meeks in game two 2-1... Rogers struck out 11 and walked 2 as he gave up 3 runs in a route-going performance... one of the runs was unearned.

Rudek's HR Gives Valmara Series Lead
In game five of the RU Elite 8 Valmara got the best of Grand City 4-3 on the Vipers home field to take a three games to two lead in the best-of-seven series... light-hitting Teddy Ruzek ripped a 2-run homer in the last of the eighth to give Valmara its third win in a row... it was Ruzek's second roundtripper in the series... Ruzek only hit 6 during the regular season... Viper starter Carroll Cain (1-0/2.37) gave a sharp performance, holding the Cybercats to just 6 hits and one run... in a complete game Cain struck out 4 and issued one walk... he outpitched Sammy Cagle (0-1/2.81), who was tagged for 4 runs on 8 hits and also went the distance... SS Teddy Ruzek (.368) and CF Teddy Szymanski (.261) topped the Vipers with 2 hits each... Cagle provided Grand City runs with a 2-run homer in the seventh that gave the Cybercats a short-lived 3-2 lead... Cagle (.600) delivered 2 hits in 3 tries, while 1B Mick Langston (.429) also had 2 hits with an RBI.

Tycobbian Union

Blue Sox Hold Off Hurricanes 5-4, Take Series Lead
For the third successive game Blue Lake was the victor in another one-run contest... the Blue Sox held off Cape Coral 5-4 at home at Harbor Stadium and now has a 3-2 advantage in the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series... Blue Lake polished off the Hurricanes with an 11 to 6 hit margin... weak-hitting SS Joe Korman was one of the heroes with 3 hits, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored... Korman batted just .207 during the season... Korman (.250), 3B Matt Thompson (.400) and CF Chris Halley (.250) all had RBI singles in the decisive sixth when Blue Lake jumped ahead 5-2... the Blue Sox played loosely on defense with 3 errors that cost them 2 runs... Derek Joubert (1-1/5.74) chalked up the victory... he worked 7 and two-thirds innings, permitted 5 hits and 3 runs, 2 of them earned... Willie Taskins got the last 4 outs and the save... Taskins surrendered no runs in his stint... Izaak Booten (1-1/3.86) was hit hard in defeat... he was ripped for 9 hits and 5 runs in 6 frames.

Carey Tames BSC Bucs 8-1, Ozarka Ahead
The Ozarka Naturals cracked 5 doubles and 15 hits to smash Bay St. Clair 8-1 and go up three-to-two in the best-of-seven set in the TU Elite 8... on the road at Shoreline Park, the Nats jumped all over John Karlsen (0-1/8.71) for 7 runs and 7 hits in just 2-plus innings, while Stan Carey checked the Buccaneers on one run and 4 hits in his 7-plus innings... Carey fanned 6 and walked none in an impressive start... Sam Tate retired 4 in a row to nail down the win.

Leading the Ozarka hit parade were CF Lonnie Gillespie (.409), 2B Fran Dixon (.421) and 3B Nick Rembert (.350), all with 3 hits apiece... Gillespie and RF Byron Glenn (.150) paced the Natuals with a pair RBIs each... Bay St. Clair's only score came on a solo home run by CF Chris Blanton (.176).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 24, 2030

2030 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Marshall Shines, Sundowners Win Elite 8
It's over in the RU Elite 8 Series between Wynnamac and Colfax... Lon Marshall made certain of that... the Wynnamac righthander blanked Colfax 2-0 in game six to eliminate the Blasters four games to two... Marshall (1-1/1.06) fired a 4-hit masterpiece, struck out 5 and walked just one... loser Jon Cruise (1-1/1.69) tossed an impressive game, too... he worked a complete game, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 4 walks and 7 strikeouts... CF Allen Dundee (.174) paced the Sundowners at bat with 2 hits and 2 runs scored... Dundee doubled in the first and scored on LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter's (.250) single... then Dundee homered in the fifth.

Wynnamac will play the winner of the other RU Elite 8 Series between Valmara and Grand City.

Vipers Upset Grand City In 6 Games
Sixth seed Valmara upended second seed Grand City 4 games to 2 to take the RU Elite 8 Series... the Vipers vanquished the favored Cybercats 3-2 on the road in game 6 at Syntergy Park with strong pitching by Garry Gronek (2-0/3.45), who limited the Cybercats to just 2 runs on 4 hits, while walking 2 and fanning 5... Ivan Guzek got the final out of the game for his second save in the series... Valmara built up a 3-0 in the first 3 frames, then held off Grand City, who got solo homers from 1B Mick Langston (.400) in the fourth and CF Thomas Hall (.208) in the ninth... it was Langston's third clout in the series... the Vipers were led by 1B Jerry Rembert (.348) with an RBI double in the first and CF Teddy Szymanski's (.259) 2-run double in the third... Billy Ray (0-2/5.02) pitched fairly well in defeat as he permitted 3 runs on 8 hits in 7-plus frames... Ray totaled 6 Ks and 3 walks.

Valmara will tangle with Wynnamac for the Ruthlandian title in the Pro Cup Final 4 Series.

Tycobbian Union

Webb's HR Wipes Out 'Canes, Sox Win In 6
Playing on the road at Cape Coral's Seaside Stadium, Roger Webb's 2-run blast in the top of the eighth gave the sixth-seeded Blue Lake Blue Sox a 7-6 triumph and knocked out the eighth-seeded Hurricanes in 6 games in the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series... both Webb (.333) and RF Boom-Boom Baker (.185) led the Blue Sox's 12-hit attack with a pair of hits each and 2 RBIs apiece... Cape Coral picked up 8 hits and were led by 1B Sandy Coburn (.214) with 2-5, 2 runs and 2 RBIs and RF Jan Krammer (.407) with a 2-run homer... Neither Blue Sox starter Billy Trakas, nor Travis Arthur for the 'Canes were effective... Willie Taskins (1-0/0.00) got credit for the win with a scoreless seventh and Sherwood Taylor posted the save with 2 runless inning in the eighth and ninth... Arthur (0-1/5.02) suffered the defeat as he was tagged for 11 hits and 7 runs in his 7-plus innings. Blue Lake now awaits the victor between Bay St. Clair and Ozarka, two powerhouses and top seeds... the Blue Sox won the series despite the loss of their ace Doug Kirkpatrick (22-9/2.92)... Kirkpatrick will miss part or all of the playoffs with a sore arm... he may be back in early October.

Bucs Rally Late, Beat Nats 9-6 In Game 6
In a last-ditch ninth-inning rally the top-seeded Bay St. Clair Buccaneers staved off elimination in game six of the TU Elite 8 Series with a dramatic 6-run comeback to stun the Ozarka Naturals 9-6 on their homefield at Ellie Ewing Stadium and force a game seven... the winning score was forced in on a bases-full walk by losing pitcher Denny Mills (0-2) to C Damon Klein (.056)... Mills came on with a 6-4 lead and two runners on and blew the save... Bucs starter Danny Darby (1-1/2.87) survived 5 unearned runs for the win... Darby hurled 8 innings and gave up 6 runs on 7 hits... Darby trailed 6-3 when he departed... closer Don Sawyer posted the save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Bay St. Clair rapped 12 hits and were sparked by 3B Teddy Nixon (.381) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs, 1B Jerry Todd (.318) with 3-4 and 2 runs and LF Kelly Lucas (.250) with a 2-run double... SS Eddy Hunt (.222) and Terry Adams (.260) also chipped in with 2 hits each... SS James Couch (.200) and C Russell Smith (.286) paced the Nats with home runs... Ozarka had 7 hits... defense was shoddy as the Bucs had 3 errors and the Nats 2.

Tomorrow afternoon again in Ozarka, game seven will feature Brady Bell (19-9/3.18) for the Naturals and Jody Gentry (18-9/2.84) for the Buccaneers. Gentry had been outstanding in the series so far with a 1-0 record in his 2 starts... Bay St. Clair won both games 2-1 and 5-0... Gentry has allowed only one unearned run in 17 innings... Brady is 0-2 in 2 starts with a 3.60 ERA.