THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 13, 2044

2044 IPA PRO CUP FINALS - Game 4

SUNDOWNERS DRUB SUN SOX 8-5, SERIES TIED AT 2
For the second successive game at Granger Field, homestanding Wynnamac drubbed Southport 8-5 to deadlock the Pro Cup Finals at two victories apiece... the W'Macs bombed Sun Sox ace Billy Hoover (4-2/2.22) for 7 runs and 11 hits in just 4 innings... they sent him to the showers trailing 7-1... backed by 14 hits, Jimmy Willard (3-4/3.90) got revenge for a first-game loss to Hoover 5-3... it wasn't one of Willard's best days as he was tagged for 13 hits and 5 runs, but still went all the way... he fanned 3 and walked one.

Offensively it was RF Nokia Inkamara (.409), C Edward Williams (.344) and LF Robby Booth (.217) that supplied the firepower... they each drove in 2 runs... SS Jeff French (.275) had 2 hits with 2 runs and an RBI... Both French and Williams smashed a pair of doubles apiece, while Inkamara belted one... Willard (.190) also helped his own cause with 2 hits, a run and an RBI.

Leading Southport at the plate were SS Gonzalo Topez (.373) and C Vasillis Vlachos (.273) with 3 hits each... 3B Ricky Whitaker (.316) and 2B Owen Wallace (.234) also chipped with a pair of hits.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 14, 2044

2044 IPA PRO CUP FINALS - Game 5

SUN SOX TORCH SUNDOWNERS 13-6 IN 14 INNINGS
The Pro Cup favorite Southport Sun Sox are now within one win of their first Pro Cup since 2027... they torched Wynnamac 13-6 in 14 innings to take a 3-2 edge in the Pro Cup Finals... a massive 7-run barrage in the 14th carried them to victory... it was a comedy of errors by the Sundowners, who committed 2 miscues and walked 2 batters to start off the critical inning... the winning score came in on an infield error... Barney Lewis also clubbed a grand slammer in the inning.

The Sun Sox got a great relief job from Hal Combs (1-0/1.23), who fired 4 and one-third shutout innings, striking out 5 and giving up 2 hits... the fifth Sundowner hurler Ernie Hodges (0-1/0.00) was victimized with the 7 unearned runs.

Southport scored first in the opening frame on a single by CF Barney Lewis (.400)... they made it 2-0 in the top of the second on RF Pat Kinney's (.328) RBI single... Wynnamac cut it to 2-1 in the last of the second on a double by 3B Duane Hudson (.411) and a single by 1B Jack Pope (.333)... in the fifth the Sun Sox put 3 on the board on 3B Ricky Whitaker's (.311) 2-run single and Kinney's RBI hit... the W'Macs narrowed it to 5-3 in the bottom of the inning on 2B Dale Fisher's (.238) 2-run triple... in the sixth Whitaker put Southport up 6-3 on an RBI single... the Sundowners rallied with back-to-back homers in their sixth by Duane Hudson (.411) and Jack Pope (.333), making it 6-5... and then sent the game into extra innings in the bottom of the ninth on doubles by Hudson and C Edward Williams (.361).

Southport collected 19 hits with Barney Lewis (.400) leading the way with 4 hits and 5 RBIs... Lewis now has 18 RBIs in the playoffs with 4 homers... Pat Kinney (.328) also had 4 hits and 2 RBIs... and Whitaker (.311) posted 2 hits and 2 RBIs... Wynnamac totaled 14 hits with Hudson (.411) getting 4 of them and Pope (.333) 3... Pope has socked 4 roundtrippers and driven in 13 in the postseason, both tops for the Sundowners.

The Sundowners also got excellent some relief work from Ciaran Gallagher (0.73), Shirai Nakamura (8.44) and Johnny Mitchell (0.00)... they blanked the Sun Sox from the 6th through the 13th on 4 hits... the starters were banged around a lot... Southport's Johnny Swanson (2-1/2.90) pitched into the 10th, surrendered 6 runs on 12 hits... and W'Macs' Geoff Hobart allowed (2-1/3.24) gave up 6 runs and 12 hits in just 5 and one-third innings... Hobart struck out 6 and issued 4 walks... he was down 6-3 when he departed.

Southport has the homefield advantage... the final two games, if needed, are slated for Pleasure Beach Park... Sun Sox skipper Charley Oscar will send his number-three starter Gordon Forbes (18-10/3.43) to the hill in game six, while Wynnamac's Matt Donnelly will counter with Sammy Hayes (22-12/3.54), who was the number-two man in his regular-season rotation... Forbes is 3-1 in the postseason with a 5.18 ERA in 4 starts... Hayes is 3-2 in 5 starts with a 4.37 ERA... Hayes beat Forbes handily in game three 9-2.

AROUND THE TOWN IN THE IPA

Southport Sun Sox

Owner: Stage Productions, CEO Amanda Thompson
GM/Manager: Charley Oscar

Southport is located on Arvonian Island on its southeast tip. Arvonian Island, a tourist's treat, sits in the Southern Sea south of the main island and is separated from the mainland by Belair Bay. Cape Coral is on the island's north coast, Summerland on the northeast shore, Arroyo Grande on the southwest coast and San Alejo is in the mountainous interior.

Southport has a good natural port with beautiful white beaches and was settled by the British in the 1860s. They had first settled in Summerland, but thought that greater opportunities lay in the sparsely-populated southern part of the island.

Southport's population numbers about 75,000 fulltime residents, but is visited by many times that number of tourists from all over Tycobbia, Ruthlandia and recently by visitors from all over the world. The town got it start in 1870s when the "Father of Southport" Henry Banks built several hotels near the hot springs along with holiday cottages. Banks promoted Southport as "Heaven on Earth" and got the plant and factory owners on the mainland to send their workers there on holiday as a reward for their work. Banks arranged for cheap passage on ships to Southport as well. The growth intensified when he got the factory owners to close down for a week each year to service and repair the equipment. Banks got them to do it on different dates throughtout the year to insure a steady flow of tourists. As more and more industry developed in Tycobbia and Ruthlandia, the more Banks' tourist enterprise prospered and grew.

Southport's early growth and character was predicated on its pioneering use of electric power. In 1879 Banks created Southport Illuminations, lighting up the Promenade, the main downtown area, with 12 arc lamps. Banks called it "Artificial Sunshine". This was a year before Edison got the patent on the electric light bulb. Also as an attraction, Banks built was one of the world's first electric tramways running from Cocker Street to Dean Street on the Promenade. The tram has remained in continuous service to this day. Southport Illuminations has now grown to a three-mile stretch on the Promenade and lit up by 100,000 light bulbs. Tourists from all over Islandia and the world come to see the light spectacle. At Christmastime the Promenade is aglow with Christmas lights and decorations. It's a wondrous sight to see.

In 1912 Pleasure Beach, a world-class amusement park, was the brainchild of a town alderman, William George Bean. He wanted to create "a place where adults could feel like children again". It succeeded beyond his wildest dreams and is still a huge attraction today. The amusement park includes a baseball stadium, built in 1962 for the town's industrial leagues. It is named Pleasure Beach Ballpark and is run by Stageworks Productions, a company Bean's son-in-law, Leonard Thompson, established to run Pleasure Beach. Thompson's daughter, Amanda, is the current manager and CEO. You can see the beautiful blue waters of the Southern Sea beyond the outfield fences.

It was through Amanda Thompson's urging that the corporation ventured into professional baseball and obtained a franchise in the Islandian Pro Alliance. She thought it would be a great addition to Southport's tourist attractions, considering how much the Islands love baseball. That's how the Southport Sun Sox came into being.

The GM and skipper of the Southport Sun Sox is Charlie Oscar, one of the greatest all-around player ever, who starred as in the company leagues for over 25 years. Oscar was great with the glove and the bat. He could run, throw, field, hit for average and hit with power, a true 5-tool player.

Pleasure Beach Ballpark (1962)
Capacity: 12,500

Dimensions:
Left Field Line 330
Left Field 355
Left Center 385
Center Field 395
Right Center 385
Right Field 355
Right Field Line 330

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

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 15, 2044

2044 IPA PRO CUP FINALS - Game 6

W'MACS WIN 7-6, PRO CUP GOES TO 7TH GAME
The Wynnamac Sundowners are not intimidated by the potent pitching of the Southport Sun Sox... for the fourth straight game they cracked double-digit hits... the W'Macs smacked 10 hits in capturing a "must win" game six 7-6 by rallying from an early 5-2 deficit, thus forcing the Pro Cup Series to go to a seventh and decisive game... the Sun Sox suffered their first home loss in this year's playoffs... they had won seven in a row... Wynnamac last won the Pro Cup in 2008 and Southport garnered their only trophy in 2027... one of the long droughts will end tomorrow.

Winning pitcher Shirai Nakamura delivered the game-winning hit... with score tied 6-all in the top of the seventh, Jeff French singled with one out, stole second and rode home on Nakamura's single... Nakamura (1-0/5.40) relieved starter Sammy Hayes in the fifth with the game tied 6-6 and hurled 3 shutout innings... then Johnny Mitchell closed it out with 2 more scoreless frames for his third save in the postseason... in a terrible outing Sun Sox starter Gordon Forbes (3-2/5.75) caught the loss... he was pounded for 7 runs and 10 hits in 7 and two-thirds innings... Forbes also gave up 7 bases on balls.

LF Robby Booth (.231) and 1B Jack Pope (.333) homered for the Sundowners... Booth banged a 3-run shot in the fourth and Pope smacked a solo shot in the second... it was Pope's fifth homer in the playoffs, best in the IPA this season, and his 15th RBI... Booth and 3B Duane Hudson (.410) led the 10-hit attack with 2 hits each... Southport got 12 hits, led by C Vasilis Vlachos (.294) with 3-for-5... and 2B Owen Wallace (.268) and RF Chris Jones (.197) socked 2 hits apiece... 1B Eddy Douglas (.220) went deep for the Sun Sox with a solo clout and CF Barney Lewis (.385) had 2 runs batted in, giving his 20 for the playoffs, tops in the IPA.

The game-seven finale will also be at Southport's Pleasure Beach Park... for the third time in the Finals, it will be Southport's Billy Hoover and Wynnamac's Jimmy Willard on the hill... Hoover won game one 5-3, while Willard gained an 8-5 decision in game four... neither has been particularly effective in the series... both the Sun Sox and Sundowners' offense has had the edge so far... they are both averaging over 6 runs a game.

Willard was 24-10 with a fine 2.93 ERA during the regular season and Hoover was 21-14 with a splendid 2.38 ERA... only Hoover has prospered in the playoffs... Willard is 3-4 with a modest 3.90 ERA, while Hoover is 4-2 with a 2.22 ERA.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 16, 2044

2044 IPA PRO CUP FINALS - Game 7

SUN SOX IPA CHAMP, HOOVER WINS 5-2
For the first time in 16 years, the Southport Sun Sox are the supreme team in the IPA... in the seventh game of the Pro Cup series, ace right-hander Billy Hoover hurled the game of a lifetime as he stopped the hard-hitting Wynnamac Sundowners on 4 hits in a 5-2 victory... in a very fine outing Hoover (5-2/2.18) fanned 8 batters and walked just one for this 5th win in the postseason... things did not go as well for Jimmy Willard (3-5/4/12), the W'Macs top pitcher... he went the distance, but was pelted for 13 hits and 5 runs.

CF Barney Lewis (.406) provided 3 hits and 3 RBIs to anchor the Southport attack... Lewis' 2-run homer in the seventh gave Hoover a 3-run cushion... Lewis finished the postseason with 5 homers and set a new record with 23 RBIs... Tony Blundell had the old mark of 22, established 40 years ago in the 2004 Pro Cup Series when Red Bluff won it... 1B Eddy Douglas (.234) chipped in with 2 hits, 2 runs and drove in a run with a solo homer, his 4th of the playoffs... his blast put Southport ahead 3-2 in the fifth... three other Sun Sox had a pair of hits apiece: SS Gonzalo Topez (.348), C Vasilis Vlachos (.306) and 2B Owen Wallace (.288)... RF Nioka Inkamara (.351) and SS Jeff French (.254) drove in the Sundowner runs.

Wynnamac went ahead in the opening frame 1-0... Southport tied it up in the bottom half of the inning... the Sundowners took the lead again with a run in the fourth... the Sun Sox evened it at 2-all in the fifth, copped the lead 3-2 in the sixth and finished the W'Macs off with two more in the seventh.

In the postgame celebration, Sun Sox skipper Charley Oscar was overjoyed at winning his second Pro Cup... he told reporters, "The first Pro Cup is very special, but the second one is even better... I don't think I would ever get tired of being the IPA champs."

Oscar singled out Billy Hoover, Barney Lewis and Eddy Douglas for special praise. "Billy had a heck of a season and a super postseason... what he did in the last game... holding Wynnamac to just 2 runs... was really something... and it was Barney and Eddy that carried us at the plate... always coming through with a clutch homer or hit... Gonzie Topez and Pat Kinney were two more important elements... always getting on base and scoring runs... Wallace and Vlachos were valuable contributors, too."

Wynnamac manager Matt Donnelly was crushed at losing the Pro Cup, telling reporters that he thought the momentum had shifted after they won three of four games after initially dropping the first two games. "I thought we were going to win game seven... I really did... I thought the team was hitting so well that we could even beat Hoover... we hit him pretty well in game four and were really red-hot at the plate... but you've got to give it to him, he stuck it to us in game seven... oh, we came oh so close... it was a heartbreaking loss for us."

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 17, 2044

LEWIS EDGES HOOVER FOR PRO CUP MVP
Southport's Barney Lewis has always been a solid and reliable centerfielder at the plate and in the field, but this year in the playoffs, he stepped his play up to the elite status and came away with the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player Award. The 29-year-old Lewis edged out his teammate Billy Hoover for the honor. Wynnamac closer Johnny Mitchell came in third in the balloting conducted by The Islandian Times.

Lewis got a hit in all 17 postseason games and sparked the Sun Sox to the IPA crown with a 12 and 5 record. Not only did he bat .406 to lead the team, but he set a new IPA mark with 23 RBIs, breaking the old record of 22 established 40 years ago by Tony Blundell of the Red Bluff Red Sox, the Pro Cup champion of 2004. Lewis went 28-for-69 with 3 doubles, a triple, 5 home runs and scored 9 runs. He also stole 5 bases in 5 tries. Lewis is a modest .266 career hitter with 237 homers and 762 RBIs and has made the All-Star team on two occasions (2042 and 2043).

Billy Hoover, the Southport mound ace, was a worthy challenger with a 5-2 record in 7 starts with a sparkling 2.18 ERA and 6 complete games. The 29-year-old hurler wrapped up the series with a super performance in the decisive game seven, whipping the tough Sundowners 5-2 on a 4-hitter. Hoover has chalked up 20 wins for the last three seasons. Overall he is 121-82 in his 5-year IPA tenure with an excellent 2.83 ERA. Hoover was the 2043 Tycobbian MVP and Golden Arm winner.

Wynnamac's superb closer, Johnny Mitchell, was third in the MVP voting. He had a fantastic postseason appearing in 9 games, posting 15 scoreless innings with a 2-0 record and 3 saves. Mitchell, age 25, has been a standout reliever for the Sundowners for 7 years. He has compiled a 38-26 mark with 104 saves and a 2.34 ERA in 301 relief appearances.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 18, 2044

MARTIN EDGES GAMBLE FOR RU GOLDEN BAT
Most players Noel Martin's age have been long gone from the IPA, but not this 39-year-old swinger from Belle Plaine. He had his best year ever by far and edged perennial RU Golden Bat winner Bobby Gamble for this year's trophy. In 148 games Martin batted .354 with 203 hits, 35 homers, 121 RBIs, scored 112 runs and even stole 9 bases. He was the runner-up to Roberto Campos (St. John), who hit .359 for the batting crown. Martin was fourth in hits and eighth in scoring runs. This was his first Ruthlandian Golden Bat Award. Martin is a 19-year veteran, all with the Musketeers, with a .286 career batting average, 347 homers, 1321 runs and 1220 RBIs. It took him seven seasons to win a spot in the regular lineup. Martin is a five-time Ruthlandian All-Star. Despite his sensational season Belle Plaine finished deep in the RU East Division, coming in next-to-last.

Sugar Valley's great outfielder Bobby Gamble, a 5-time Golden Bat honoree, just missed out an another this season. He was a close second in the balloting. Gamble, now 31, played in 143 games, and batted .348, fourth best in the RU. He topped the league with 133 runs, was fifth in doubles with 39 and fourth in homers with 43. Gamble led the Rattlers to a very close second place in the RU East and in the process picked up this year's MVP award.

Finishing third in the voting for the Golden Bat was 2-time winner Nioka Inkamara of the Wynnamac Sundowners. He sparked his club to the RU East Division title with 40 roundtrippers, 131 RBIs, 114 runs and a .321 BA in 144 contests. The talented right fielder came in third in the RBI category in the IPA. At 27, Inkamara is a .314 lifetime batter.

DC'S STETSON COPS 2ND TU GOLD BAT
For the second year in a row, Denton City's super first sacker Wayman Stetson has been honored with the Tycobbian Golden Bat. In a tough race he outpaced Cape Coral's Rikky Van Dalen and Luxora's Derrek Jackson. Stetson has a colossal year with an IPA-leading 56 home runs. He drove in 128 runs, scored 112 and batted .323 for average. The 27-year-old Stetson played in 154 games, not missing a single one, and was one of the important cogs in the Zorros' second-place finish in the Tycobbian West pennant race. This year's Golden Bat winner is a career .316 hitter with 316 homers in his 8 seasons with the Z's and is also a six-time All-Star.

The number-two votegetter was Cape Coral's terrific left fielder Rikky Van Dalen, a previous Tycobbian MVP and Golden Bat recipient. He is a four-time All-Star and a two-time batting crown winner. Van Dalen was second in the IPA and first in the Tycobbian Union with a .358 BA. Appearing in 148 games this season, he totaled 35 homers, 117 RBIs, scored 113 times and stole 15 bases, leading the Hurricanes to the fourth spot in the TU South Division. Career-wise Van Dalen in 9 years is hitting at a .315 clip with 233 home runs.

Luxora outfielder Derrek Jackson wound up second in the TU batting race and sixth in the IPA with a .347 BA. In the Golden Bat competition he was number three. Jackson is a 9-year veteran with a lifetime .305 batting average. This season he collected 200 hits, fifth in the TU with 28 home runs, 107 RBIs and 100 runs, while participating in 147 games. 2044 was vast improvement over his previous seasons with career highs in almost all categories. Jackson is 32 years of age.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 19, 2044

KIVAS OF ELNORA CLAIMS RU GOLDEN ARM
12-year veteran Stan Kivas posted the best season of his career this year for the Elnora All-Stars and picked up the Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award, emblematic of the top pitcher in the league. Kivas beat out two other very fine twirlers in Cold Creek's Sammy Wright and Glasco's Pat Meyers for the honor. Kivas racked up a 21-14 mark with a standout 2.11 ERA, which was the third-best ERA in the Ruthlandian Union and sixth-best in the IPA. The 34-year-old right-hander had 21 complete games in 41 starts with 5 shutouts and 193 strikeouts in 329 innings. Kivas was a huge presence in the All-Stars' second-place finish. They were just barely beaten out by division champion Wynnamac in a three-way playoff that also include the Sugar Valley Rattlers. In his career Kivas is 188-155 with a 3.33 ERA. This was his first year to win the Golden Arm. He is a three-time All-Star.

Cold Creek's Sammy Wright was second in the vote. The 26-year-old righty led the Catamounts to the fourth spot in the RU East standings just a notch below Wynnamac, Sugar Valley and Elnora. The Cats were only three games out of first place. Wright was 24-8 with a strong 2.96 ERA in 39 starts. He had 20 complete games with 225 strikeouts in 319 innings and 3 shutouts. After six years in the IPA Wright is 52-29 overall. This was his first year to be a full-time starter.

Glasco's young workhorse right-hander Pat Meyers was third in the Golden Arm race. He topped the RU with 27 complete games in 38 starting assignments and was fourth in the IPA. Meyers was 23-12 for the fourth-place Athletics in the RU North with a 2.54 ERA. He is only 25 years old and has been with the A's for five seasons with a 89-72 record and a lifetime 3.35 ERA.

SOUTH FORK'S MURPHY WINS 2ND GOLDEN ARM IN TU
For the second time in three seasons superstar slinger Jay Murphy of the South Fork Stallions has garnered the prestigious Tycobbian Golden Arm trophy. He was voted the award over two other top-notch pitchers in Tommy Carter of Kenwood and Johnny Swanson of Southport. Murphy also received the award in 2042. This season the 29-year-old star was also chosen the TU's Most Valuable Player with a 27-8 record and a sterling 2.59 ERA. He was one of the prime reasons the Stallions came in second in the RU East, just 2 games behind winning Red Bluff. Murphy is a great 122-68 with a 2.90 ERA in his 7 years with South Fork. This season he led the IPA with 27 wins and was fourth in the TU with 254 Ks in only 292 innings.

Kenwood's 26-year-old Tommy Carter was the runner-up in the poll. He came in second in the IPA with 26 victories. Carter was 26-8 with a 2.47 ERA and paced the Wildcats to the TU West title. This is only his second season as a starter. He spent his initial three years as a spot starter and in the bullpen. Overall Carter is 68-32 with a 2.88 ERA and 22 saves.

Southpaw Johnny Swanson of the Southport Sun Sox was the third-highest votegetter in the Tycobbian Golden Arm polling. He led the Sun Sox to the Tycobbian South title with 104 wins, the best in the IPA this season. The 26-year old compiled a 25-10 mark with a 2.61 ERA.

Thanks to StLee for checking out the IPA.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 20, 2044

FM'S HUFFMAN BEST ROOKIE IN RU
Good rookies were few and far between in the IPA this year. The Far Mountain Redhawks were one of the few teams to have any luck with newcomers this season. Third baseman Norm Huffman was voted the Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year in The Islandian Times annual poll. He handily defeated his freshmen challengers, Bobby Teigen of the Belair Beach Sunbirds and Les Masterson of the Glasco Athletics. In 98 games the 31-year-old Huffman hit a respectable .285 with 19 homers, 76 RBIs and 70 runs scored. The Redhawks finished in the runner-up spot in the RU North this season behind champ Valmara.

Bobby Teigen is a 25-year-old shortstop with Belair Beach. He batted .316 in just 80 games for the Sunbirds with no homers, 23 RBIs and 23 runs. Belair Beach came in dead last in the RU South.

Glasco's young first basemen Les Masterson, age 25, finally got some regular action beginning in June and showed well with a .318 BA in 64 games with 3 homers, 22 RBIs and 35 runs.

CHICOPEE 3B SMITH TOP TU ROOK
New talent was sparse, too, in the Tycobbian Union as far as rookies. The Rookie of the Year trophy went to 24-year-old third sacker Ken Smith of the Chicopee Braves. He outpaced Jared Frankling of Turon and Callum Gainsborough of the San Alejo Montaneros for the award. Smith was in 121 games and finished with a .315 batting average, 7 homers, 55 RBIs and 68 runs. The Braves had a another miserable year and wound up seventh in the Tycobbian East.

Jarred Franklin, a southpaw hurler, did quite well for the Turon Typhoons after joining the squad in July. The 25-year-old Franklin fashioned an 11-5 record in 19 starts with a 3.46 ERA.

San Alejo third baseman Callum Gainsborough was third in the Rookie of the Year balloting. He batted a modest .259 with 6 roundtrippers, 57 RBIs and scored 62 runs in 138 games and also played solid defense. The Monties were a distant third behind Southport and Summerland in the TU South Division race.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 21, 2044

SV'S GAMBLE GETS 4TH RU MVP TROPHY
Bobby Gamble's trophy case must really be getting overcrowded. The superlative superstar added his fourth Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player trophy to his huge collection. At age 31, the Sugar Valley center fielder outpaced his Golden Bat contenders, Nioka Inkamara of Wynnamac and Noel Martin of Belle Plaine in a heated vote. Martin, the RU batting champ, had already captured the RU Golden Bat Award. Inkamara came in third in that competition. This is the second year in a row that Gamble has been named the most valuable player in the RU.

Gamble, the remarkable Rattler outfielder, had another phenomenal season with a .348 BA, 39 doubles, 5 triples, 43 home runs, 106 RBIs and scored 133 runs. He led the IPA with 133 runs and ranked fifth in batting average and eighth in doubles and roundtrippers. The talented slugger led Sugar Valley to a wonderful season. They put up 96 victories, but still lost in a three-way playoff to Wynnamac in the super-close Ruthlandian East pennant chase. In his 12 seasons with the Rattlers, Gamble has 416 homers and a .320 BA.

Wynnamac's standout Nioka Inkamara was runner-up for this year's Most Valuable Player trophy. He is a past MVP and Golden Bat winner. The 27-year-old outfielder won them both in 2042 and was also the 2042 Golden Bat recipient. Inkamara sparked the Sundowners to the RU East Division title this year with a .321 batting average in 144 games and finished with 32 doubles, 8 triples, 40 home runs, 131 RBIs and 114 runs. Inkamara was third in the IPA in RBIs and sixth in run scored.

This was a career year for Belle Plaine outfielder Noel Martin. At age 39, he hit .354 with 31 doubles and 35 home runs, driving in 121 runs and scoring 112. Those numbers got him this season's Ruthlandian Golden Bat. However, the lowly Musketeers, still wound up seventh in the RU East.

STALLION ACE MURPHY MVP PICK IN TU
This has been a spectacular season for Jay Murphy, ace of the South Fork Stallions. He was a double-award winner, not only was he honored with the Tycobbian Golden Arm trophy, the 29-year-old right-hander was also gifted with the much-coveted Most Valuable Player Award. Murphy outdueled Kenwood's fine Tommy Carter for the trophy with Golden Bat honoree Wayman Stetson coming in third in The Islandian Times poll.

Murphy ranked first in the IPA with 27 wins and propelled South Fork to a second-place finish in the Tycobbian East. The Stallions missed out on the division flag by just two games. Murphy was 27-8 with a 2.58 ERA. The South Fork fireballer fanned 254 in his 292 innings, ranking fourth in the TU in strikeouts.

The Kenwood Wilcats claimed the Tycobbian West for the third time in the last four years and Tommy Carter played a huge role in it with a 26-8 mark with a superb 2.47 ERA. In addition to ranking second in the MVP category, Carter also came in second in the Tycobbian Golden Arm voting. The 26-year-old was second in the IPA with 26 victories.

After being chosen for the Tycobbian Golden Bat Award, Denton City's fantastic Wayman Stetson was the third-highest votegetter for MVP. The 27-year-old first baseman led the IPA with 56 home runs, batted .323 and ranked high with 128 RBIs and 112 runs. His Redbirds ended up second in the Tycobbian West, losing out to Kenwood by 7 games. Stetson played in all 154 games this season.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 22, 2044

BEST GLOVES IN IPA NAMED
The top glovemen in the Islandian Pro Alliance were singled out for their defensive prowess and awarded Golden Gloves as trophies. The Ruthlandian Union and Tycobbian Union annouced their honorees today. The Ruthlandian best defenders were led by five-time winner Ted Jarzinski (Belle Plaine), four-time winner Kenny Mitzusaka (Valka) and 3-time winning Ralph Sackett (Stoner). Tycobbian had four players that picked up their third trophies: Frank Penn (Hartsdale), Mikk Kukk (Mahaska), Sammy Thornton (Denton City) and Jimbo Foxx (Rolling Hills).

RUTHLANDIAN GOLDEN GLOVE TEAM:

PITCHER: ARNIE AYERS (LAGRANGE) (19-11/2.24) (.966 FA) (FIRST-TIME WINNER)
CATCHER: TED JARZINSKI (BELLE PLAINE) .274/16/91/66) (.992 FA/1 PB/49.2%RTO) (5-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
FIRST BASEMAN: JACK POPE (WYNNAMAC) (.294/19/91/94) (.994 FA) (FIRST-TIME WINNER)
SECOND BASEMAN: MIKE MATHEWS (BEECHWOOD) (.248/9/50/98) (FIRST-TIME WINNER)
THIRD BASEMAN: RALPH SACKETT (STONER) (.295/5/72/79) (.974 FA) (3-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
SHORTSTOP: NEIL MITCHELL (SLIGO) (.285/16/74/93) (.977 FA) (2-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
LEFT FIELDER: ELDON ALDRIDGE (ANCONA) (.279/29/109/84) (.992 fa) (2-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
CENTER FIELDER: KENNY MITZUSAKA (VALKA) (.326/33/135/89) (.998 FA) (4-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
RIGHT FIELDER: WALTER GLENN (ANCONA) (.316/2/43/84) (.997 FA) (2-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)

TYCOBBIAN GOLDEN GLOVE TEAM:

PITCHER: WAYNE DAWSON (HARTSDALE) (15-16/3.84) (.9973 FA) (FIRST-TIME WINNER)
CATCHER: FRANK PENN (HARTSDALE) (.266/8/63/54) (.990 FA/1 PB/48.8% RTO) (3-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
FIRST BASEMAN: ENRIQUE ENCARNACION (WHITE RIVER) (.244/23/83/73) (.992 FA) (FIRST-TIME WINNER)
SECOND BASEMAN: MIKK KUKK (MAHASKA) (.293/10/67/67) (.985 FA) (3-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
THIRD BASEMAN: CALEB GAINSBOROUGH (SAN ALEJO) (.259/6/57/62) (.953 FA) (ROOKIE GOLDEN GLOVER)
SHORTSTOP: SAMMY THORNTON (DENTON CITY) (.313/13/65/109) (.9709 FA) (3-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
LEFT FIELDER: JESSE SHAW (RED BLUFF) (.287/17/70/89) (.992 FA) (2-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)
CENTER FIELDER: CALVIN MARBURY (OXFORD) (.215/9/46/70) (.992 FA) (FIRST-TIME WINNER)
RIGHT FIELDER: JIMBO FOXX (ROLLING HILLS) (.43/33/115/92) (.988 FA) (3-TIME GOLDEN GLOVER)

Eugene, I can't believe you're still at this 6.5 years later. I admire your hard work and dedication to your franchise.

Thank you for the compliment. I very much appreciate it.

I really bit off too much in the IPA. Covering 64 teams for almost 7 years takes a lot of time, but I've enjoyed it. I plan to do it for 50 seasons and then start a new Dynasty using OOTP15... or retire to Islandia and start a real baseball league.

My next Dynasty will only have 16 teams.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 23, 2044

DONNELLY PEGGED BEST MGR IN RU
For the second time in the last three years Wynnamac's Matt Donnelly has hauled in the Ruthlandian Manager of the Year honors. He bested last year's winner Vanya Vasylenko of the Valmara Vipers for this season's award. Only two skippers received votes in the poll conducted by The Islandian Times.

Donnelly guided the Sundowners to a tremendous season as they rose up from fourth place to the top spot in the Ruthlandian East Division, winning 98 games in the process. In 2043 they won only 83 games. Only Southport of the Tycobbian South won more game's than Wynnamac. The Sun Sox chalked up 104 victories.

Donnelly announced today that he is retiring as field manager of the Sundowners and he will turn the reins over to his son, Darrell, currently a fine center fielder. Donnelly has run the club for 43 years. The senior Donnelly will remain as general manager and his son will be a playing-manager. Donnelly said, "I wanted to go out on top. So this seemed like the perfect time to step down."

Vasylenko's Vipers enjoyed a strong season, too. The club improved from 84-70 and to 93-61 and won the RU North for the second year in a row.

OSCAR TOP TYCOBBIAN SKIPPER
Charley Oscar saved the best for the last in his very lengthy career. He has been at the helm of the Southport Sun Sox for their entire 43-year history in the IPA. In his retirement season Oscar not only won the Pro Cup, but was extoled as the Tycobbian Manager of the Year, beating out five other worthy challengers. Oscar's replacement will be former Sun Sox star Lorne Evans, who retired in 2043 after a great career in the IPA.

Oscar told the press, "I would rather go out on good terms. I didn't want to overstay my welcome and get fired."

Jim Schubert of Red Bluff was his closest competitor. Schubert led the Red Sox to the postseason for the first time in over three decades. They went from 78-76 last year to 95-59 this year and captured the Ruthlandian East Division title.

Hartsdale's Jud Turchin finished third in the balloting after sparking his Hellcats from fifth place in the TU North to the third spot in the standings this season. The Hellcats climbed from 72-82 to 88-66 and missed out on the division flag by just four games.

In fourth place was Luxora's skipper, Jim Thorpe Chandler, who piloted the Zorros from sixth in the TU North in 2043 with a 71-83 mark to a close second this year with an 88-66 record. Chandler is the son of long-time Midway manager, Cochise Chandler.

Fifth in the poll was Aaron Hankins of the Kenwood Wildcats, who won his second consecutive Tycobbian West crown. His Wildcats were 81-73 last year and kicked it up to 90-64 this year. Hankins will also call it quits this season. His replacement has not been announced yet. Hankins has skippered the team for 43 seasons. He is the only manager the Wildcats have ever had.

That completes season 2044.

I'll get to work on the new season in few days.

Thanks to all who still follow the IPA.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 24, 2044

7 IPA GREATS NAMED TO HOF
Five years has past since the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame added anyone to the esteemed institution. Joe DeLucca and Bobby Dorignac were the most recent honorees. Many people feel that the Hall selection committee is getting too strict with the guidelines and they should loosen up a little bit, citing numerous 300-game winners and 3000-hit batters that have been overlooked thus far. Their complaints have been heard. This year there will seven icons added to the pretigious assemble.

Pitching stars Dave Whitaker, Pat Kovacs, Arno Vainmaa and Jasper LaForge have made the legendary cut, along with position players Big Hoss Burkhalter, Donnie Lewis and Lorne Evans. This brings the total number to 62, 38 position players and 24 pitchers. They will all be inducted at the Hall of Fame in Marston in December.

Dave Whitaker was the highest votegetter this year. He had the misfortune to play for a team that never made the playoffs. Michael starred for Kilkenny from 2023-2041 and compiled an outstanding 347-282 record with an impressive 2.80 ERA for the generally mediocre Cats. Michael holds the IPA all-time record for shutouts and complete games and is fourth in career wins. He fired 67 shutouts and had 375 complete games. Eight times Michael won 20 or more games for Kilkenny. He won the RU Golden Arm three times in 2024, 2029 and 2036, and the RU MVP in 2024. Michael retired at age 38 in 2041.

Outfielder Lorne Evans was second in the Hall-of-Fame balloting. He is ranked fifth all-time in homers with 701, seventh in runs with 2045 and tenth in RBIs with 1836 runs batted in. Evans split his 19-year career between Southport and Tuckanarra and batted .305 with 2928 hits. He played from 2025 to 2043 and retired at 38. Eight times his teams made the playoffs and Tuckanarra captured the Pro Cup in 2035. Evans was a 12-time All-Star and twice a Golden Glover.

Fireballer Pat Kovacs collected the third-highest votes in the Hall of Fame poll this year. The 18-year veteran chalked up a 308-228 mark, all with the La Claire Lynx from 2025 to 2042 with a sterling 2.84 ERA. Kovacs is third on the all-time list with 4179 Ks, only Cape Coral's Cody Burg with 5250 and Turon's Nicky Engstrom with 4498 are in front of him. Engstrom tops the IPA with 387 victories in his career and Burg is number two with 369. Kovacs holds the IPA strikeout mark for a single season with 391 in 2028. He retired in 2042 at age 37.

7-foot hurler Arno Vainmaa toiled mainly in obscurity for Valka in Ruthlandia and Mahaska in Tycobbia and rarely played with a good ballclub, yet the right-hander piled up 308 wins with 252 losses with a 3.47 ERA. His high ERA was a stumbling block for many Hall of Fame votecasters, but this year Vainmaa came in fourth in the voting. He pitched from 2015 to 2034 and called it quits at 38.

The fifth-best votegetter Jasper LaForge also was kept out of the Hall of Fame until this year because of his lofty 3.50 ERA. The electors finally relented because of his 302-228 pitching record. Seven times LaForge won 20 games in his 21 seasons with Colfax and Sligo in the Ruthlandia Union. The Blasters won five pennants with him and one Pro Cup in 2010, when they set an IPA mark with 107 victories. The Rovers claimed three flags during his tenure. LaForge played his last season in 2024 and retired at age 42.

The last two inductees are outfielders, Big Hoss Burkhalter and Donnie Lewis. Burkhalter wound up sixth in the HOF poll. The 6-foot-6 giant slugger played from 2001 to 2018, finishing with 468 homers and 1718 RBIs and a .288 lifetime batting average. He was a vital cog in the early years with Waleska and Wynnamac in the Ruthlandian Union.

Donnie Lewis was a .309 career batter with 3234 hits, 583 doubles, 123 triples, 148 roundtrippers, along with 1886 runs and 1837 walks, ninth-best in IPA history. Lewis had a standout .412 on-base percentage. He was active 2010 to 2029, divided between Rolling Hills (14 years) in the Tycobbian Union and Ancona (6 years) in the Ruthlandian Union. His last season Lewis was 39. His election should open the Hall doors to several others who have 3000 hits, who have never impressed the electors in past years.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, April 2, 2045

IPA PRESEASON PICKS
The 45th IPA season is about to commence tomorrow all across the Islands and prognosticators have diligently perused the team rosters, analyzed all the vital statistics and come up with their predictions for the new year. The Islandian Times has collected all the data, put it in their computers and come up with a consensus of all the sportswriters and broadcasters in the country.

VALMARA HEAVY FAVORITE IN RU NORTH
In the Ruthlandian North Division defending champ Valmara is expected to handily win the pennant over the second place Glasco Athletics and the third place Ranford Bulls... Valmara is going for its third flag in a row... the Vipers' pitching staff is excellent and ready to go again... Valmara's offense should get the job done, too... Glasco has great pitching, but not a lot of scoring... the A's will be the division runner-up... Ranford has enough offense, but not enough pitching.

The rest of the division will finish well out of the running... Taranto fourth, Kilkenny fifth, Far Mountain will slump to sixth this season, LaGrange will come in next-to-last and Ancona will end up in the cellar.

CLAXTON DIAMONDS TOP PICK IN RU SOUTH
Crystal Lake has won the Ruthlandian South the last two seasons, but the experts are saying the Claxton Diamonds will edge them out this year... St. John, Waleska and Belair Beach could also be in the pennant mix... Grand City, San Dimas and Valka will be distant also-rans.

Crystal Lake has much-better firepower than the others, but comes up a little short on the mound, compared to the other contenders.

RATTLERS IN RUNAWAY IN RU EAST
The oddsmakers are predicting a runaway in the Ruthlandian East... Sugar Valley's home-run power is far superior to anyone else in the division and their pitching is adequate... last year's champ Wynnamac will have a battle on its hands for second place with Beechwood, Cold Creek and Elnora... the W'Macs just don't have much offense, but they do still have solid pitching... third place Beechwood and fourth place Cold Creek are in the same boat as the Sundowners, but don't quite equal them on the hill... fifth place Elnora has a little bit of both, fairly good offense and fairly good pitching.

Eastshore, Belle Plaine and Marston will come in sixth, seventh and last... the Elegants have good pitching, but are the worst-scoring club in the division... the Musketeers and the Nine have mediocre bats and fair pitching.

SNAPPERS AND ROOSTERS DUEL IN RU WEST
Last year's winner Rocky Rapids could win its second straight Ruthlandian West Division crown... they are improved over last year, but so are the Middlefield Roosters... these are the top clubs in the race this year and they could rival Valmara as the best in the Ruthlandian Union... the Snappers have the best bats in the division with good HR power and good pitching... the Roosters will counter with much better mound work and HR power... the Stoner Stars get the nod for third place over Volusia... both teams have very capable pitching corps, but could use more offense... the Stars are powerless, but the Vigilantes can go deep.

The second-division clubs will be Sligo in fifth place, Forest City sixth, Colfax seventh and Fort Benton in the basement.

HELLCATS FAVORED OVER HAWKS IN TU NORTH
10 of the last 11 years the powerhouse North Hills Hawks have prevailed in the Tycobbian North race, but this year the prognosticators are picking the Hartsdale Hellcats... it will be close... but the Hellcats are slightly better in scoring runs and just a tad better on the hill than the Hawks... give the Hawks the edge in HR power... third place Blue Lake could sneak into the hunt... the Blue Sox score well and pitch well, but not quite up to the level of the two top contenders... the Luxora Zorros will wind up in the fourth spot in the standings... the Z's lack offense, but have good pitching.

The Oxford Red Caps, White River Rascals and Fairfax Frogs will tussle for the fifth spot, while Mahaska will have last place all to themselves.

4-TEAM TANGO IN TU SOUTH
The Tycobbian South is arguably the toughest division in the IPA, along with the Tycobbian North... the reigning Pro Cup titlist Southport Sun Sox really have their hands full with three other fine teams, the Cape Coral Hurricanes, Summerland Sunsets and San Alejo Montaneros... according to the pros, the 'Canes' high-scoring machine will win out in a very close struggle with the second place Sunsets, third place Monties and fourth place Sun Sox.

Summerland can't hit a lick, but they have a magnificent mound staff... San Alejo can handle the bats well and they have fine pitching corps... Southport's problem is its free agents... none of last year's starting rotation has signed yet... their loss could be fatal... the Sun Sox's line-up is still intact, but the pitching replacements for the hold-out hurlers are woeful.

Ginza is a solid club and will finish fifth, but could sneak into the first division... the rest of the teams in the TU South will dogfight for sixth place... Turon can score, but is pathetic in pitching... Arroyo Grande is just a mediocre club again this year... and Colchester has very few redeeming qualities.

RB RED SOX CHOICE TO WIN AGAIN IN TU EAST
According to the crystal ballers Red Bluff will take its second consecutive Tycobbian East Division title in a four-team tussle... the Red Sox possess a dynamite attack and better-than-average pitching... this should be enough to beat back the second place High Mesa Cowboys, who have good pitching, but suffer on the scoreboard... third place will go to the Hillsboro Blazers... they have pretty good pitchers, but are atrocious at the plate, but do sport some power... Tucknarra will be in fourth place... the Blue Jays have impressive pitching, but are short on runs.

The Midway Wolves and South Fork Stallions will fight it out for the fifth spot in the TU East standings... both of them have a shot at third or fourth place... Ozarka and East Point are out of the running this year.

TERRIBLE TU WEST IS WIDE-OPEN THIS YEAR
If the forecasters are right this will be quite a year in the Tycobbian West... anyone of the eight clubs could end up with the pennant... however, none of them are expected to finish above the .500 mark... this is the worst division in the IPA... Bay St. Clair is the favorite, but the Bucs are a lackluster team with a poor offense, decent pitching and a little power... defending champ Kenwood is starting the season without its great slugger and catcher Corky DiNozzo, who hasn't been resigned... neither has 20-game winner Rusty Bradford been signed... even without them the Wildcats have a credible chance at the pennant... they still have Tommy Carter (26-8/2.47) and Clyde Myers (18-19/3.27)... the third-place choice is the Chicopee Braves, who has fairly decent pitching, but is horrendous in the batter's box... Arlon gets the call for fourth place, but in reality any of the clubs could finish first to last this year... they are just a bunch of mediocrity.

Rolling Hills, Denton City, La Claire and Bayview are predicted to end up in the second division... all of them are just plain bad teams.

I will begin the 2045 season today.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, April 1, 2045

HOLDOUTS GALORE IN IPA, FREE AGENTS REFUSE TO SIGN
The Islandian Pro Alliance will began its 45th season under chaotic terms. For the first time in its history players are holding out in abundant numbers, vowing not to sign unless their salary demands are met. Two days before the season opens, they are sticking to their word. The current Pro Cup champion Southport Sun Sox are missing their entire starting rotation from last year. Every team is missing a few standout players. The fans are hoping saner heads will prevail. The general consensus of most team owners is they cannot afford to give into such a blatant power grab by the players, stating they would all lose money this season if they give the players what they are asking. Time will tell the outcome. The owners said they will go on with the season as planned. They said there is no shortage of good ballplayers in the Islands. The season gets underway this Monday.

EC - how did this turn out? Did those stars sign? Just looking at the standings if the Sun Sox are still missing their rotation from last season, they found some pretty good replacements. Back in first with a 50-31 record, not to shabby.

No, they didn't sign... I manually put each of the free agents on their teams. It took me two full days to do it... was very tedious to do.

I just used the boycott to explain why teams were missing their stars.

The Sun Sox got great work from two pitchers and also the relief corps, which was still intact... the number 5 Sun Sox starter became the ace of the team... Cade Brockton went 11-6 with a 3.46 ERA... Tiger Tartaglia, age 34, was taken from the reserve roster and posted a 9-4 record with a 2.97 ERA... Tartaglia had only played sporatically from 2034 to 2037 with a 10-12 record and an ERA around 4.75... sadly when the regular starters came back, he was sent back to the reserve roster... I tried to put him back as a reliever on the main roster, but the AI would just put him back on the reserve roster... despite his great season, he was not good enough to make the staff.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, June 1, 2045

IPA BOYCOTT OVER! PLAYERS COMING BACK!
Sanity reigned in the Islandian Pro Alliance as the players and owners came together and reached an agreement to end the player boycott. The owners agreed to pay the players their full salary for the two months they missed, if they would sign contract that gave them a five per cent salary increase for the remainder of the season.

The pay deadlock ended after the owners agreed to open up their financials records to the players. Apparently the auditors proved that it would put about half of the IPA clubs in financial jeopardy should they acquiesce to the players demands.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, June 18, 2045

IPA ALL-STARS ANNOUNCED, GAME WED IN SOUTHPORT
Because of the two-month boycott by many of the IPA stars, the 2045 All-Star Classic is missing many of the game's superstars and mainstays. The boycott has open the door for some new blood on the All-Star squads. The Midsummer Classic is scheduled for this Wednesday afternoon at Pleasure Beach Park in Southport, the home of the defending Pro Cup champion.

The Rocky Rapids Snappers lead all comers with four players on the Ruthlandian Stars, Cold Creek and Middlefield of the RU have three apiece and San Alejo tops the Tycobbian Stars with three selections.

Bobby Gamble and Jojo DeLucca will be leading the RU Stars. This is Gamble's 10th year to play in the classic and DeLucca is making his eighth appearance. Heading up the TU Stars is 12-time All-Star Jack Culpeppr. This season C. C. Kingsford and Filipe Zamora are on the squad for the sixth time in their careers. It's the fifth year for Jayson Hallstrom and fourth appearance for Darwin Tard and Guido Geravasio. No rookies made the teams this season. There are 15 first timers on the Ruthlandian Stars and 14 for Tycobbia.

RUTHLANDIAN ALL-STARS:

SP Ciaran Culler (Kilkenny) (14-5/3.13)
SP Carroll Collier (Middlefield) (13-5/2.53)
SP Duffy Davidson (Ranford) (12-5/2.93)
SP Dirk Halstad (Rocky Rapids) (13-2/2.34)
SP Jamie Taylor (Rocky Rapids) (13-6/1.73) (2nd Year)
SP James Long (Middlefield) (14-6/2.09) (2nd Year)
MR Jamie Pananga (Elnora) (5-3/1.41/9 saves)
MR Georgie Walker (San Dimas) (5-1/0.95/6 saves)
C George Ruffino (Volusia) (.300/11/36/33)
C Carney Kirkpatrick (Rocky Rapids) (.304/11/35/41)
C Keith Henry (Cold Creek) (.225/19/58/41)
1B Jojo DeLucca (Claxton) (.308/19/60/52) (8th Year)
1B Benny Hull (Grand City) (.295/20/57/44) (3rd Year)
2B Jim Henley (Crystal Lake) (.308/0/32/31)
2B Marty Featherstone (Rocky Rapids) (2nd Year)
3B Billy Stroud (Glasco) (.328/5/34/34)
3B Eric Hollister (Cold Creek) (.279/11/53/41) (2nd Year)
SS Jimmy Beach (Middlefield) (.296/16/51/41)
SS Joe Cochrane (Cold Creek) (.310/12/40/42) (2nd Year)
LF Bobby Gamble (Sugar Valley) (.316/18/45/61) (10th Year)
LF Joe Don Baker (Belair Beach) (.287/16/50/36)
CF John Rumford (Glasco) (.345/15/51/54)
CF Carl Ramsey (Sugar Valley) (.262/17/53/51) (2nd Year)
RF Troy McFarland (Eastshore) (.305/16/48/60)
RF Rich Henson (Valka) (.276/14/57/44)

TYCOBBIAN ALL-STARS:

SP Tony Dazzi (Chicopee) (13-6/2.17)
SP Clyde Myers (Kenwood) (12-6/2.36)
SP Matt Bell (San Alejo) (13-6/1.59)
SP Dave Lacoste (Colchester) (13-5/1.91)
SP Jayson Hallstrom (Summerland) (11-5/1.92) (5th Year)
SP Will McKinney (San Alejo) (12-3/2.17)
MR Alfonso Cervera (Hartsdale) (4-3/1.20/11 saves)
MR Jerry Jankins (Luxora) (6-1/2.05/10 saves)
C Scott Courtney (Fairfax) (.348/8/41/41) (3rd Year)
C Glen Lee (Oxford) (.347/8/32/38)
C Filipe Zamora (San Alejo) (.284/14/55/41) (6th Year)
1B Mel Morrison (Blue Lake) (.294/11/43/44)
1B Darwin Tard (Rolling Hills) (.297/10/45/55) (4th Year)
2B Ferrell Dillard (Fairfax) (.330/2/38/31)
2B Randy Sweetland (High Mesa) (.313/2/20/54)
3B Jack Culpepper (Bayview) (.321/29/70/51) (12th Year)
3B Paul Ferrell (East Point) (.293/7/44/43)
SS Duffy Morrison (Ozarka) (.332/13/49/60) (4th Year)
SS C. C. Kingsford (Turon) (.313/16/51/53) (6th Year)
LF Derrek Jackson (Luxora) (.384/23/61/49)
LF David Kelso (Red Bluff) (.297/37/76/54) (3rd Year)
CF Guido Gervasio (Turon) (.296/8/38/48) (4th Year)
CF Brad Johnston (Fairfax) (.283/6/41/54)
RF Jimbo Foxx (Rolling Hills) (.274/24/83/52) (2nd Year)
RF Ichiro Kazumi (Ginza) (.298/10/45/46) (3rd Year)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 21, 2045

TU STARS NIP RU STARS 2-1 IN 10
In a very well-pitched and very well-played game at Pleasure Beach Park in Southport, the Tycobbian All-Stars nipped the Ruthlandian All-Stars 2-1 in 10 innings and snapped their two-game losing streak in the 45th IPA All-Star classic... with runners on first and third and one away Ferrell Dillard (Fairfax) lined a single to left field and scored C. C. Kingsford (Turon) with the winning run... the TU Stars upped their substantial lead in the series to a whopping 29-16.

The win went to Will McKinney (San Alejo), who blanked Ruthlandia over the last two frames... Georgie Walker (San Dimas) was charged with the loss... he came on in the eighth and worked two scoreless innings, but was tagged for two hits in the tenth... the game-winning hit came off Duffy Davidson... he only faced one batter.

Tycobbia notched 7 hits in the game to 6 for Ruthlandia... they racked their first run in the last of the second... 3B Jerry Culpepper (Bayview) led off the inning with a single, moved up on a wild pitch by Ruthlandian starter Dirk Halstad (Rocky Rapids) and was doubled in by Brad Johnston (Fairfax)... Ruthlandia tied it up in the top of the seventh on a two-out single by Joe Cochrane (Cold Creek) off Alfonso Cervera (Hartsdale) and an RBI double by Eric Hollister (Cold Creek).

Ferrell Dillard was voted the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player for his winning hit... he went 1-for-3 in the game... both clubs sparkled on defense with 5 double plays... 3 of them were turned in by the TU Stars... at the plate C. C. Kingsford had a double and a single for the RU Stars, while Joe Cochrane socked a pair hits for Tycobbia.

Many notable stars were missing from the All-Star rosters because of the two-month ill-fated player boycott.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, July 1, 2045

IPA MID-YEAR ROUNDUP
Four of the pennant winners from last year took up where they left off and are on top of their respective divisions again... Rocky Rapids, Red Bluff, North Hills and Pro Cup champion Southport are riding high in first place again... a fifth champ Valmara is just a game out of first... as far as the other three winners, Kenwood has dipped to fourth... Wynnamac and Crystal Lake have plunged to seventh place.

The Glasco Athletics are the surprise team of the year, resting in first place in the Ruthlandian North with an IPA-leading 55 victories, but the A's have last year's division champ Valmara right on their heels, just a game back... there are no other challengers in the RU North with third-place LaGrange and Kilkenny 11 games out.

In the Ruthlandian South the Claxton Diamonds are much improved over last season... they have a 4-game edge over perennial loser Grand City at midseason... the Cybercats were sixth last year and rarely even make the first division... but they are hanging close this year... pitching has bombed out for the defending division champion Crystal Lake... the Crushers are 17 games off the pace and in seventh place.

In the Ruthlandian East, Sugar Valley has been a serious contender for the last decade and has the lead at the halfway point... the Rattlers are up by 3 games over Beechwood, 6 ahead of Eastshore and 7 in front of Cold Creek... Sugar Valley was hindered by the boycott loss of three of their prime starters for the first two months of the season... otherwise they might have a double-digit bulge... watch them take off now that they are back in the rotation... last year's strong clubs, division champ Wynnamac Sundowners and runner-up Elnora All-Stars, have encountered problems and fallen deep into the second division... the All-Stars are sixth and 11 games behind, while the Sundowners have slipped to seventh and 13 GB... Wynnamac's main offense thrust outfielder Nioka Inkamara went out for two months recently with an injured hamstring... Inkamara already has missed April and May out on boycott... when he returned he blistered the ball at a .351 clip with 6 homers and 25 RBIs in June... Inkamara will be severely missed.

The Rocky Rapids Snappers are still ruling the roost in the Ruthlandian West and they have a 4-game margin over the tough Middlefield Roosters, 7 up on the Stoner Stars and 9 ahead of the Volusia Vigilantes... it looks like a race between the Snappers and the Roosters... Rocky Rapids still rang up 53 wins despite the loss of #2 starter Randy Peters and star 3B Duncan Musselwhite... Peters is 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA since he resigned in June... Musselwhite has hit a sizzling .343 since he came back from the boycott... the Roosters' #3 starter Larry Wheelhouse boycotted the first two months of the year, but has now signed and was 2-4 in June, but with a super 2.29 ERA... talented slugger Alejandro Dominguez was also a boycotter... his big bat came back in June and he hit .266 with 6 homers and 14 RBIs... it should be a down-to-wire battle between the Snappers and Roosters... Stoner will have a better offense the second half with the return of boycotters 3B Ralph Sackett and 1B Richie Strickland, two of their best batters... Volusia got its ace Drew Selby back in June and he has gone 4-2 so far with a 3.72 ERA... he missed about 13 starts sitting it out in the pay dispute... the Stars and Vigilantes could also get back in the mix and make it one heck of race.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, July 1, 2045

North Hills has again taken charge of the Tycobbian North Division... the Hawks have won the pennant 10 times in the last 11 years and look like the team to win this year... at midseason they are 4 games up on an unlikely challenger, the Oxford Red Caps, who haven't grace the playoffs in almost four decades... two dark horses Blue Lake and Hartsdale are still in the running... the Blue Sox are just 5 games back in third place... and the Hellcats are within striking distance, only 6 games off the pace... both have been strong contenders in the last few seasons.

North Hills wasn't effected much by the player boycott in April and May... only two regulars Ric Hamilton (.326/5/16/17) and Timmy Stevens (.261/3/12/11) were missing from the lineup... the Hawks still have strong pitching and solid bats... veterans Tony Mack (10-8/2.58), David Michael (11-9/3.49) and Kyle Oliver (9-6/3.57) head up an effective starting rotation and superstar LF Adam Thurgood (.286/22/62/52) and reliable 3B Jim McDermott (.294/10/50/49) lead a good core of hitters.

For the last seven years Oxford has been near the bottom or on bottom of the TU North... this year they have improved both at the plate and on the hill... Tekkan Nishikawa (10-4/3.25) and Rudy Mellancamp (12-7/2.94) have been terrific this year, along with C Glen Lee (.347/8/32/38) and 2B Yoshi Sugawara (.330/10/46/33)... the Red Caps may not be a flash in the pan and may be around for the long haul.

Blue Lake's strong points are its starters... veteran Frankie Quinn (11-5/1.78) is still a very capable starter at 39 and has gotten help from Greg Mortimer (12-6/2.89) in his fourth year with the club... offensive leaders are 3B Rick Bridges (.289/16/59/49), RF Johnny Harding (.303/10/37/41) and CF Raddy Pajak (.272/11/41/55).

Hartsdale is not the same club as the past few seasons... the only strong starter has been Perry Givens (11-4/2.86)... it's been a tough first half for ace Gil Younger (8-10/4.31), who notched 23 wins last year... but closer Alfonso Cervera (4-3/1.20/11 saves) is still quite a force in the bullpen... RF Emilian Burgess (.306/11/29/57) and 1B John Ford (.293/18/48/38) have been the best bats... scoring is down for the Hellcats this year.

Southport is a remarkable story in the Tycobbian South this year... in spite of losing three-fourths of their vaunted starting rotation to the April-May boycott, the defending Pro Cup champion has chalked up 50 victories and are atop the division... but they are only one game in front of San Alejo, 3 games better than third place Cape Coral and 5 ahead of Summerland in fourth place in the standings... it's going to be quite a tussle in the TU South.

Southport starters Billy Hoover (6-0/2.39), Johnny Swanson (4-1/2.98) and Brandon Forbes (3-3/3.12) are back in the swing of thing after sitting out the first two months of the season... Cade Brockton was the only starter from last year and he did very well with an 11-6 mark and 3.46 ERA... little-known Tiger Tartaglia saved the day for the Sun Sox with a 9-4 record and an excellent 2.97 ERA... sadly, there was no room on the superb staff when the boycotters retured... the strong bullpen has been intact the whole year... only two regulars participated in the boycott: 3B Craig Glennon (.375/6/23/16) and 1B Eddy Douglas (.272/6/18/17)... upon their reture they added some good punch to the batting order in June... sparking the Sun Sox attack thus far are LF Chris Jones (.333/6/33/51), Pro Cup MVP CF Barney Lewis (.245/16/51/55) and SS Gonzalo Topez (.297/4/30/52).

San Alejo has been a contender most years since 2032... the pitching has been superb in the first half with an IPA best 2.75 ERA, anchored by Matt Bell (13-6/1.59) and Will McKinney (12-3/2.52)... the Monties' offense suffered the first half without boycotting slugger RF Paulo Teixeira, who hit .304 in June with 6 homers, 17 RBIs and scored 19 runs... C Filipe Zamora (.284/14/55/41) and 1B Sal McAllister (.306/6/26/40) took up some of the slack of the missing Teixeira.

Always potent offensively, the Cape Coral Hurricanes came on strong with very good pitching in the first half, paced by Benton McCall (14-4/2.26)... at the plate the club leaders were LF Rikky Van Dalen (.312/19/53/64), RF William Snyder (.318/10/32/34), 3B Kent Mantle (.266/13/45/34) and SS Scotty Jackson (.303/13/46/39)... two regulars CF Maxi Tselika (.296/2/8/12) and 1B Stan Ferguson (.284/6/17/12) will be pluses in the second-half pennant run.

Summerland with its great pitching is hanging close, just 5 games behind... the Sunsets' starting foursome is darn good with Jayson Hallstrom (11-5/1.92), Dutch De Boer (13-6/2.59), Jacob Gillen (6-6/2.87) and Billy King (7-6/3.20)... the team ERA is an excellent 2.80, second in the IPA to San Alejo's 2.75 ERA... as per usual the Sunsets could use some good hitters... RF Rick Mayes (.293/14/50/37), LF Tony Vargas (.312/2.37/41) and CF Antonio Vasquez (.288/4/28/40) provide most of the run production.

Don't count fifth place Ginza out... with such a good offense and two quality starters, the Ninjas could make some noise in the second half of the season... they are only 7 games out of first... add boycotter 3B Jiro Yamamura (.374/1/14/28) to the rest of the wrecking crew and you've got a dynamite attack... leading the way so far are superstar Sogo Takagi (.325/17/59/66), SS Sam Essex (.324/20/62/53), RF Ichiro Kazumi (.298/10/45/46) and 1B Vic Booker (.287/12/38/38)... the Ninjas have two capable starters in Carlos Del Toro (14-4/3.17) and T. C. Gallimore (9-7/3.29).

Current division champ Red Bluff is on a pace to set a new home-run record in the IPA... they already have 151 and the league mark is 260 by Arroyo Grande in 2005... the Red Sox did this without CF Ike Sweetwater (.273/5/10/11) and LF Jesse Shaw (.302/6/11/11), who missed April and May due to the boycott... LF David Kelso also has a solid chance to smash the HR record of 65 by Bayview's Jerry Culpepper in 2040... Kelso already had 37 this season... Kelso is hitting .297 with 76 RBIs and 54 runs scored... other longball contributors are 1B Josh Stevens (.253/31/54/53) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.286/19/46/45)... and George Reynolds (12-7/2.85), Mickey Rosen (8-3/3.11) and Jud Cox (7-9/2.87) give Red Bluff a strong staff, too... the Red Sox will be tough to beat in the TU East.

High Mesa is in second place and trails by just a single game, but the Cowboys don't seem to have the hosses to do the Red Sox in... even with the addition of slugger LF Clay Johnston (.270/10/21/20) in June, the Cowpokes can't match the Red Sox... High Mesa's top bats are 2B Randy Sweetland (.313/2/2054), 3B Wes McGovern (.281/13/42/45) and SS Clifford Coleman (.264/16/46/35)... Lucius Quarles (8-6/1.50) can't carry the pitching load all by himself.

The South Fork Stallions are given the best chance to take a shot at Red Bluff... the Stallions won three straight pennants from 2041 to 2043 and finished second to the Red Sox last year, losing out by a scant two games... they were seriously handicapped by the lost of two major starters Jay Murphy and Big Murph McAlister due to the player boycott... their return could be crucial in the pennant chase... McAlister came back like a ball of fire in June and posted a 4-1 record with a 3.57 ERA, but Murphy stumbled to an 0-5 mark and a 3.46 ERA... rookie standout Labron Holt has been the top starter this season with a 6-6 record and a 3.37 ERA... offense has always been South Fork's main problem... only 2B Elton Jacoby (.277/16/54/50) and SS Pete Arnold (.298/4/26/51) are reliable hitters.

Denton City is rocking and rolling in the Tycobbian West with an 8-game bulge over Rolling Hills and Chicopee with defending division titleholder Kenwood and Bayview 9 games out... the Redbirds did it with some impressive pitching from Harry Elliott (11-6/2.83), Jimmy Ellerbee (8-4/2.65) and Mel Coley (8-4/3.20)... missing from the rotation for the first two months was ace Francisco Salcido... he came back in June and went 3-3 with a strong 2.80 ERA... the offense is woeful... superstud 1B Wayman Stetson still has to carry the load... he has been the Tycobbian Golden Bat winner for the last two seasons... this year Stetson has 19 homers, 52 RBIs and has scored 43 runs, while batting .285... his only help has come from LF Frankie Montgomery with a .304 BA, 8 roundtrippers, 48 RBIs and 40 runs... boycotter OF Pete Doyle will add some punch to the lineup... he returned in June, but batted only .245 with 3 homers and 9 RBIs.

Last year's division champ Kenwood suffered the loss of two fine hurlers due to the April-May player boycott... Rusty Bradford and Freddy Gooch missed 33 starts between them by sitting out the first two months of the season... Gooch did extremely well his first month back with a 3-0 mark and a great 1.08 ERA in his three starts... Bradford has had it rocky with a 2-4 record and a very lofty 6.17 ERA... Tommy Carter has not had a good season with a horrendous 4-12 record, but does have a respectable 3.70 ERA... should the mound corps shift it into high gear, the Wildcats could make it uncomfortable for Denton City... Clyde Myers had an outstanding first half with a 12-6 record and an impressive 2.36 ERA... Kenwood was also missing superstar C Corky DiNozzo due to the player boycott... two other solid performers also didn't play the first two months, CF Warren Vickers and 1B Bert Richter... DiNozzo (.348/6/15/15) and Richter (.358/6/18/12) flourished upon their return to the club in June... Vickers also did pretty well with a .280 BA, 2 homers and 15 runs scored.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, August 1,2045

IPA HEADED INTO THE STRETCH DRIVE
Heading into the final stretch, only the Claxton Diamonds (RU South) and Sugar Valley Rattlers (RU East) have substantial leads in the IPA pennant races... the Diamonds are 10 games up on runners-up St. John and Grand City... and the Rattlers are ahead by 8 games over the Beechwood Bobcats... the other two races are just about as close as you can get... Valmara is a game in front of the Glasco Athletics in the RU North and Rocky Rapids has a one-game edge over the Middlefield Roosters in the RU West... the Stoner Stars are not out of the West Division race just yet... they are 7 games behind in third... the LaGrange Sports are third in the RU North standings, but 8 games back.

All four races in the Tycobbian Union are still in doubt... two of the divisions are tied... Rolling Hills and Denton City are deadlocked for first place in the TU West with Kenwood just four games back in third... IPA defending champ Southport and San Alejo are tied in the TU South with Summerland close by, just 5 games behind... North Hills is the top club in the TU North... the Hawks are 4 games in front of the unheralded Oxford Red Caps... Hartsdale is a distant third, trailing by 7 games... and Blue Lake is 8 games off the pace... the Red Bluff Red Sox are leading the TU East by 4 over the High Mesa Cowboys... the third place Midway Wolves are a good ways back at 6 games.

Tycobbian Union Batting and Pitching Leaderboards
Tuesday, August 1, 2045

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 1,2045

5 OF IPA RACES RED-HOT, 3 ALMOST DECIDED
The September stretch drive in the IPA should be another dilly with five of the divisions featuring tight pennant races... three of the divisions have pretty much been decided with Claxton 9 games up in the RU South, Sugar Valley leading by 9 in the RU East and Red Bluff way ahead with a 10-game margin in the TU East... all the others are up in the air.

Going into September, Valmara and Glasco are still deadlocked in the RU North... Rocky Rapids and Middlefield are having a tense duel in the RU West... the Snappers have one-game edge over the Roosters... in the Tycobbian West Kenwood has vaulted past Rolling Hills by 2 games and Denton City by 3 games... Chicopee still has an outside chance, but is trailing by 5... current IPA Pro Cup titleholder Southport has a precarious 2-game margin over Summerland and 4 up on San Alejo... Cape Coral is 7 games behind, but it looks like they will have trouble making up that much ground... North Hills goes into the last month of the season with a 4-game edge over second place Hartsdale, 5 over Oxford and 6 ahead of Blue Lake.

For August, Valmara was 17-12, while Glasco gained on them with an 18-11 mark... both clubs are playing well... both Rocky Rapids and Middlefield had hot Augusts with 19-10 records... momentum might favor the Summerland Sunsets in the TU South... they were a sizzling 19-10, while Southport was 16-13... San Alejo suffered a lousy month with a 12-17 record... Kenwood racked up a 19-10 mark last month and surged past Rolling Hills (13-16) and Denton City (12-17).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 1,2045

KELSO AND FOXX IN REACH OF IPA MARKS
Two IPA records are within reach this season, but not likely to be breached... the HR and RBI marks... Red Bluff slugger David Kelso enters the last 16 games of the season needing 9 homers to tie the great Jerry Culpepper for the all-time IPA record... Culpepper hit 66 for the Bayview Vikings in 2040... Jimbo Foxx of Rolling Hills has his work cut out for him, too... he needs 28 RBIs in 16 games to tie Adam Zitek's 170 in 2005 ... Zitek played for High Mesa.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 11, 2045

DIAMONDS, RATTLERS, RED SOX CLINCH FLAGS
We still have two super close pennant races in the IPA with three divisions almost decided and three that have been nailed down... the Claxton Diamonds, Sugar Valley Rattlers and the Red Bluff Red Sox have already secured their Pro Cup playoff spots, while the Middlefield Roosters and Kenwood Wildcats are in very tight races with seven games to go in the regular season... the Roosters are 1-up on Rocky Rapids in the RU West, while the Wildcats are 1 game better than Denton City in the TU West... two other clubs in the West, Rolling Hills and Chicopee are still in the hunt... the Reds are 2 games back and the Braves just 3 out... Glasco and North Hills have slight leads in their divisions... the A's are 3 games ahead of Valmara in the RU North, the Hawks have a 4-game advantage over Hartsdale and 5 over Blue Lake in the TU North and defending IPA champ Southport has a 5-game cushion in the TU South over Summerland.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

IPA SEASON ENDS, 4 REPEAT CHAMPS
It's all over but the shouting and the crying in the Islandian Pro Alliance. There were four repeat division winners and no real surprises among the other four pennant winners in the 2045 season.

Defending Pro Cup champion Southport is back again to try and capture another IPA title, but it wasn't easy. The Sun Sox pulled away in the last week to defeat Summerland and San Alejo in the Tycobbian South. It's the fourth year in a row the Sun Sox have taken the division crown.

Southport's biggest antagonists, North Hills and Red Bluff, are also back again. The Hawks just barely beat out Hartsdale in the Tycobbian North by a single game. This was North Hills' 11th division title in 12 years. Red Bluff rolled to 95 wins and handily took the Tycobbian East by a whopping 14 games. The Red Sox set a new home-run mark in the IPA with 283 roundtrippers, topping the old record set by Arroyo Grande. The Suns smashed 260 out of the park in 2005.

The Kenwood Wildcats prevailed in the Tycobbian West by a game over Denton City and Rolling Hills. The Wildcats have won the division two straight seasons and four times in the last five years.

Over in the Ruthlandian Union there were no repeat winners. Glasco edged out last year's champ Valmara by 2 games in a hotly-contested race in the Ruthlandian North. It was quite a race. The Athletics had to win 100 games, tops in the IPA this season, to whip the Vipers, who were victors in 98 games, second best in both alliances.

Claxton and Sugar Valley easily bagged their divisions. The Diamonds won by 10 in the Ruthlandian South and the Rattlers got the Ruthlandian East flag by 9 games.

In the Ruthlandian West Middlefield snatched the division title from Rocky Rapids, last year's champion, by winning 6 of its final 7 contests, while the Snappers could only manage 2 wins and suffered 5 defeats the last week of the season.

Season number two in the IPA will begin this Thursday, when the IPA Pro Cup playoffs get underway at four locations. In the Ruthlandian Division Championship Series the Glasco A's play host to the Claxton Diamonds and the Middlefield Roosters will be at home against the Sugar Valley Rattlers.

The Tycobbian Division Championship Series will have current IPA champ Southport entertaining the North Hills Hawks and Red Bluff welcoming Kenwood.

2045 IPA Final Standings

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

GLASCO HOLDS OFF VALMARA IN STRETCH
In the Ruthlandian North Division the Glasco Athletics and Valmara Vipers had a season-long battle that went into the final days... the A's held on to whip the defending division champ Vipers by two games... third place LaGrange was 7 games back in third place and Kilkenny came in fourth, finishing 18 games behind.

1. Glasco had an almost perfect season, ringing up the most wins in the IPA this season with an even 100... the A's up near the top in offense and pitching... they were fourth last year (11 GB)... this is only the third time the Athletics have made the playoffs... the last appearance was in 2003... Glasco will be one of the favorites in this year's Pro Cup playoffs... they have never won the IPA title... Pat Meyers (20-14/2.78) and Benny McDaniel (23-6/2/54) led a fearsome staff... leading the offense were All-Star CF John Rumford (.318/25/96/101), All-Star 3B Billy Stroud (.308/9/78/66) and RF Travis Houston (.270/17/87/67).

2. Valmara couldn't have had a better year... the Vipers just had the misfortune to be in the same division as Glasco... Valmara had won the previous two years, taking the Pro Cup in 2043... the Vipers also were the Islands champs in 2026... Standouts on the mound were starters Teddy Twardzik (23-12/2.66) and Zak Reeder (21-12/3.25) and relievers Paul Holloway (8-1/2.09/7 saves) and Gordon White (6-1/2.01/10 saves)... the Vipers' offensive leaders were LF Jimmy Logan (.271/26/95/65), 3B Ken Jensen (.300/7/60/104), CF Don Ritchie (.275/6/58/103) and 1B Cain Greene (.287/20/74/59)... Greene was a holdout and missed April and May due to the player boycott.

3. LaGrange had a fine season, too... they won 93 games and still wound up 7 behind the division champion... the Sports have never won a Pro Cup... 6 times they have won the pennant... last time was in 2037... on the hill the club leaders were Johnny Stoneham (23-6/2.45), Hot Dog Huxtable (15-7/2.66) and Edouard Taison (11-5/2.59)... Taison was injured in early July and missed the rest of the year... he was a crucial loss... Huxtable held out in the April and May boycott... the top batters were SS John Rodgers (.313/21/56/60), 3B Darrell Nash (.290/17/58/66), RF Robby Palmer (.321/4/40/43), LF Dixie Lee (.357/14/47/37) and SS Earl Walker (.306/4/30/27)... only 2B Fred Bird (.277/2/58/64) played a full schedule of games... Rodgers and Lee were boycotters and didn't play the first two months.

4. The Kilkenny Cats were vastly improved this year... they were a distant seventh last year (30 GB)... and improved to 82-72 (18 GB)... they have never won a Pro Cup... and have made the playoffs just one time, in 2042....the Cats had tremendous pitching this year, paced by All-Star Ciaran Cullen (22-12/3.15) and Jody Joss (16-15/2.54)... Andy Mayfield (9-6/1.94/19 saves) had terrific year in the bullpen... the Cats' big flaw was its pathetic offense... RF Kevin McLaglen was the club leader with 18 HRs, 87 RBIs and 82 runs, but hit a lowly .248.

5. The Ranford Bulls fell from third last year 82-72 (11 GB) to fifth this season with a 74-80 mark (26 GB)... drop in hitting was main cause (.271 BA to .256 BA)... the Bulls won their only Pro Cup in 2040 and have made the postseason 7 times in their history... one of the early season boycotter Ralph Hawk (13-5/2.76) was the top starter... Duffy Davidson (15-18/4.13) made the All-Star team, but wilted in the second half of the season... he was 12-5 with a 2.93 ERA at the break... LF Dale Weston (.274/40/95/112) and 3B Joey Gompers (.254/26/78/90) were the most productive bats.

6. The Taranto Tars came in sixth (26 GB) for the third year in a row... they have been in the playoffs only 4 times in history with one Pro Cup crown won in 2015... the only reliable starter was Mario Martinelli (18-14/3.03)... Pablo Rivas (8-9/3.11/21 saves) tied for the IPA saves lead with Alfonso Cervera of the Hartsdale Hellcats (Tycobbian Union)... club leaders at the plate were 3B Mark Delaney (.297/44/119/90), C Ryan Nelms (.254/38/96/66) and RF Derrick Damon (.331/22/89/90)... at age 41 Delaney was 8th in homers and 7th in RBIs in the IPA... in 15 seasons with three teams Delaney has 408 homers... Damon was 7th in batting average.

7. Far Mountain has been on a rollercoaster ride in recent years... going from 7th in 2043 (11 GB) to up to 2nd last year (7 GB) and back down to 7th this season (31 GB)... the Redhawks have captured a three Pro Cups and have appeared in the playoffs 13 times... only Turon of the Tycobbian Union has more Pro Cup trophies... the Typhoons have won it four times... the Redhawks were 86-69 in 2044 and spiraled downward to 69-85 this year... both hitting and pitching went south this year... the two best hurlers held out the first two months of the season, missing 35 starts between them... Steven Perkins (9-8/2.73) and Ryan Kolb (9-9/3.27) were the most effective starters... Jack McKinney (4-5/1.98/5 saves) had a very good season in relief... the bats were terrible... 2B Rance Hawkins (.306/10/57/49), 3B James Cline (.290/12/61/44), CF Todd Purdom (.240/18/61/75), 3B Norm Huffman (.255/19/62/49) and RF Bert Richter (.265/17/53/45) were just fair hitters... nothing to shout about.

8. Ancona was the worst team in the IPA with 106 losses, just one short of the all-time record held by North Hills (2019) and Oxford (2040) in the Tycobbian Union... they were both 47-107... this was the fifth year in a row the Red Elephants were cellar-dwellers... last year they were 56-98 (37 GB)... Ancona has been to the playoffs only 5 times and hasn't won a Pro Cup trophy yet... no pitcher on the team had a winning record... the best starter was Clint Hayes (9-18/3.92)... and the best reliever was Lakota Cobos (7-8/3.03/10 saves)... very little at the plate as well with LF Eldon Aldridge (.289/38/102/66) putting up the best numbers... SS Titos Liakos (.297/11/59/50) chipped in a little bit.

2045 Team Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2046

CLAXTON CAPTURES RU SOUTH IN 2ND HALF SURGE
The Grand City Cybercats stayed with Ruthlandian South champion Claxton for about half of the year, but the Diamonds blew them away in a second-half surge to win by 10 games, when the C'Cats faltered with a 22-32 mark in June and July. The Valka Blackhawks and St. John Crusaders tied for the third spot in the standings, 16 games back. Last year's division winner Crystal Lake stumbled to sixth place, 19 games off the pace.

1. Claxton rose up from fourth place ... they were 80-74 last year and 5 GB... this will be the Diamonds 11th playoff appearance, but they have yet to pick up an IPA Pro Cup... their last pennant came in 2038... good bats, better-than-average pitching and excellent defense got the job done for them this season... sparking the attack was superstar All-Star 1B Jojo DeLucca, who had a spectacular season, leading the IPA with 213 hits, third with a .341 BA, ninth in homers with 43, fifth with 129 RBIs and ninth with 107 runs scored... DeLucca led the RU in batting average... other contributors were 3B-SS Rick Clayburne (.32/6/46/81), LF Foxy Fuchs (.285/29/77/74), SS Stevie Wynn (.325/8/41/43), 3B Jack Brumfield (.291/11/59/42) and RF Roger Jackson (.253/6/52/96)... Wynn missed the first two months of the season with the players' boycott... top pitchers were Abe Schiffman (18-7/2.78), Eddie Dizon (22-12/3.86) and Stan Yudash (12-5/2.84)... how far Claxton goes in the playoffs will depend on its pitching corps.

2. Grand City has made the first division only two times in the last 12 years... third in 2043 (6 GB) with an 82-72 record and this year with a second-place finish with an 83-71 mark (10 GB)... there are no Pro Cup trophies in the team's history and only three division titles... the last was in 2030... Kenny Morrow (19-17/2.67) and Joel Eaton (22-12/3.64) led the starters, while Donald Denison (9-5/2.84/12 saves) stood out in the bullpen ... the Cybercats possess fairly good power with with 162 homers (6th)... All-Star 1B Benny Hull (.298/39/112/93) was the offensive leader... he was aided by RF Ryan Van Zant (.237/29/71/88), LF Bobby Meusel (.307/24/72/63), C Iggy Van Dyck (.274/22/68/61), 3B Matthew Cashman (.276/19/51/62) and CF Glenn Graham (.334/3/25/49)... the 38-year-old Meusel has had a rebirth of his career after being benched by Belair Beach... Meusel had hit over .300 in both his years with Grand Ciy.

3. Valka ended a very bad stretch of 16 years in the Ruthlandian South second tier with a third-place finish this season... last season the Blackhawks were in seventh (16 GB) with a 69-85 record... they stepped it up to 77-77 (16 GB) this year... Valka has only made the postseason four times in its history... the last time was way back in 2017... the club has never won the Pro Cup... the mound staff was much improved, going from a terrible 4.57 ERA to a very respectable 3.65... Royce Netterville (18-10) was the ace... Matvey Kazak (12-11/2.34) also was an effective starter... Kazak was absent in April and May with the boycott... ditto for star CF Kenny Mitzusaka (.314/1/56/51) and star 1B Bobby Scott (.255/23/62/58)... All-Star RF Rich Henson led the club with 84 RBIs and 82 runs, but hit only .271.

3. St. John is just a run-of-the-mill team... they were in the hunt last year, losing out by three games with an 82-72 record... the dipped a bit this year to 77-77 (16 GB)... the Crusaders have won the RU South seven times, but haven't hauled in a Pro Cup yet... they took the division flag in 2042... Leland Valm (21-15/3.86) topped the team in wins... long-time ace Jeremy Kirk (12-22/3.59) had an off-year... Frank Long (16-19/3.09) was the most reliable starter... Big Tee Telemachus (12-8/3.66/11 saves) was hit-and-miss as a spot starter and reliever... two of the best players, RF Nicky Farrugia (.336/24/69/69) and 3B Marty Blankenship (.221/11/53/45), missed one-third of the season due to the boycott... 1B R. J. Aldridge (.304/28/91/72), SS Herb Gruen (.293/18/77/81) and 3B Tab Allison (.288/10/59/96), LF Roberto Campos (.288/9/70/72) and C Roland Griggs (.304/4/48/53) put up the best stats on the club.

5. San Dimas was fifth last year (7 GB) and fifth this year (18 GB)... 2041 was the last pennant... the Rancheros have been to the playoffs only four times in history... the mound staff was led by star Gil Arnaud (18-11/3.36)... Arnaud reached the 200-win milestone this year... at 38 Arnaud is 201-164 with a 3.52 ERA for 16 IPA seasons... Toby White (12-8/3.24) had a good year, but sat out until June in the boycott... All-Star closer Georgie Walker (12-3/1.62/10 saves) really excelled in the bullpen... 12-year veteran 3B Leonard Purkey (.289/25/94/86) had another solid season at age 30... 1B Austin Epps (.262/23/92/63) was the only other decent bat in the line-up... RF Denny Hendrix (.285/11/51/52) put up some good numbers, but missed the first two months because of the boycott... White and Hendrix made the club better in the second half of the season.

6. Crystal Lake, division champ for the last two seasons, went from 85-69 to 74-80 and came in sixth (19 GB)... the pitching declined and several key players, ace Dave McCauley (11-10/3.34) and CF Jesse Walker (.298/2/26/45), boycotted until June... reliever Josh Crosby (11-3/2.49/16 saves) was the club's best hurler... leading the way at the plate was star 1B Daryl Brady (.330/16/73/75), Ray Dillon (.326/9/66/57), All-Star 2B Jim Henley (.303/2/66/65), CF Jed Murphee (.307/5/50/95) and C Del Peevy (.291/12/74/77).

7. Belair Beach hasn't had a good season since 2034 and hasn't made the playoffs since 2016... they have never won a Pro Cup and have only appeared in the playoffs seven times... for the last eight years they have finished last six times and seventh twice... last season the Sunbirds were 58-96 (27 GB) and just a little better this year at 64-90 (29 GB)... they are not much on the hill or at bat... Jose Munoz (16-19/4.80) and Ronnie Roy (15-21/4.53) were the biggest winners on the staff, but only mediocre performers... star 3B Jason Butler (.270/32/92/73), CF Norm Ellis (.285/35/88/91), All-Star LF Joe Don Baker (.287/26/82/61) and 1B Shannon Stewart (.312/16/69/69) carried the offense.

8. Waleska really took a tumble this year, plunging from second place in 2044 with an 83-17 record (2 GB) down to the basement with a horrible 61-93 mark (32 GB)... proud Waleska has captured the Pro Cup on three occasions in 2028, 2037 and 2039... lack of offense killed the Westerners this season... 36-year-old veteran RF Niles Gregory was the club leader with 17 homers and 53 RBIs, that's how poor the offense was... 300-game winner Terry Richards (6-12/4.34) and Craig Nash (3-4/4.73) had awful seasons... both were holdouts until June... they never did return to form of previous years... the 37-year-old Richards retired at the end of the season and will be headed soon to the IPA Hall of Fame... Richards was 306-221 in 18 years with the club... his lifetime ERA was a strong 3.14... he was an important part of the three Pro Cup crowns... vet Niles Nielsen (15-19/3.10) and Tony Haskell (11-20/3.45) were quality starters, but suffered from the horrendous offense.

2045 Ruthlandian South Team Stats

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

RATTLERS RACE TO EASY FLAG IN RU EAST
It was the second flag in three seasons for the Sugar Valley Rattlers, the champion of the Ruthlandian East Division... in July the Rattlers raced by everybody in sight with a 22-6 record and won going away beating runner-up Beechwood by nine games... Sugar Valley led by just four games at the All-Star Game... after being seventh at mid-season, last year's winner Wynnamac perked up and wound up third, but still trailed the Rattlers by 14 games... fourth place went to the Eastshore Elegants, who were 15 games out of first.

1. Sugar Valley will be making its 13th appearance in the postseason, but they will still be seeking their first Pro Cup... they have an experienced crew with very good firepower and fairly good pitching and could be troublesome in the playoffs... the Rattlers hit 198 homers (3rd) and were 5th in scoring runs... they still won comfortably despite having three of their main starters Jeremy Blanchard (12-6/3.75), Davey Brennan (12-9/3.13) and Christopher Dunsberry (10-8/3.90) holding out until June... Joe Snow (21-12/3.47) and Antonio Cedeno (9-8/2.90) filled in for them capably... the Rattler line-up featured three guys that hit over 30 homers: All-Star CF Carl Ramsey (.291) led the club with 46 roundtrippers and 123 RBIs, superstar All-Star RF Bobby Gamble (.336) socked 33 HRs and topped the team with 123 runs and C Delmer Campbell (.244) rapped 30 out of the park... Gamble led the IPA in runs scored and ranked fifth in BA... Ramsey was fourth in homers, sixth in RBIs and fourth in runs scored... add in two more reliable bats in 2B Richie Fry (.291/7/54/88) and holdout SS Roger Hobbs (.286/15/40/65) and you've got a powerful batting order.

2. Beechwood moved up from fifth a year ago to the runner-up spot... the Bobcats improved from 80-74 (17 GB) to 85-69 (9 GB) this year... a bad spell in August doomed their pennant hopes... Beechwood has only made the postseason three times in its existence and has no Pro Cups... the last pennant was long ago in 2027... the Bobcats have even more power than the Rattlers... they slugged 210 (2nd) into the stands this season, topped only by record-setting Red Bluff (270) and Middlefield (231)... 10 players were in double figures, sparked by SS Mel Smith (.344/13/46/62), 1B Corky Callahan (.327/21/54/50), C Paul Jackson (.287/20/65/62), 2B Mike Matthews (.286/18/53/104), 3B Leonard Mason (.311/20/65/62) and LF Rich Nellis (.308/18/57/44)... Smith, Callahan, Mason and Nellis sat out the first two months of the season in a salary protest... playing without those guys undoubtedly hurt the Bobcats' pennant hopes... 1B Eddie Wilson (.236/26/77/79) was the club leader with 26, but he hit only .236... Jimmy Herman (26-9/2.72) was far and away the most effective starter... he was the IPA leader in victories... Freddy Manale starred in the bullpen with a 9-5 record, 14 saves and 1.39 ERA... none of the other staffers did well... Beechwood was one of the top defensive teams in the IPA with a standout .979 FA.

3. Wynnamac was coming off a great 2044 season... they piled up 98 wins and took the division crown and lost in seven games in the Pro Cup Finals to Southport, but they stumbled out of the gate this year and never caught up... however, the Sundowners played extremely well in July and August (38-19), but it was too late to catch Sugar Valley... the W'Macs have won two pennants in the last four years and have made the postseason seven times... they also own a Pro Cup, won in 2007... top pitchers were Jimmy Willard (20-15/2.93), Sammy Hayes (20-16/3.73) and Shirai Nakamura (17-15/3.07)... reliever Johnny Mitchell (.7-5/2.64/11 saves) did well in the pen... at the plate the Bobcats lost superstud Golden Bat RF Nioka Inkamara for most of the season... he boycotted the first two months, came back with a vengeance in June and hit a blistering .351 for a month, then was injured and missed the rest of the season... it's tough to miss out on 40 homers and 125 RBIs that Inkamara has averaged per season in his career... CF Darrell Donnelly (.272/11/62/77), LF Robby Booth (.313/22/60/86) and 3B Dale Fisher (.239/13/85/73) were the club leaders, but only had modest numbers compared to the great Inkamara.

4. Eastshore rose up from sixth in the standings last year with a 71-83 mark (26 GB) to 79-75 and a fourth-place finish this year (15 GB)... fine pitching did it... the Elegants haven't been to the postseason in over 10 years, last making the playoffs in 2034... but they do possess two Pro Cup trophies won back-to-back in 2016 and 2017... top pitchers were Malcolm Tansbury (18-10/2.50), Tommy Brown (16-18/3.44) and Ferrell Greenlaw (13-16/3.24)... in the bullpen were a pair of studs in Jody Friday (6-4/2.12/10 saves) and Valkek Savisaar (4-4/1.92/10 saves)... a lack of offense severely hampered the Elegants... RF Troy McFarland (.276/29/93/99) was the main man and led the club in hits, homers, RBIs and runs scored... other run producers were 3B Abner Bronstein (.320/4/40/65), star 2B Johnny Petrak (.320/10/61/48) and 1B Gibby Houston (.317/7/45/31)... 39-year-old Petrak was a holdout until June and was sorely missed... in his 12 splendid seasons the future Hall-of-Famer has average 25 HRs and 100 RBIs a year.

5. Marston had a .500 season for the first time in seven years with a 77-77 record (17 GB)... for the first time since 2040 the Nine didn't finish seventh or eighth in the division... last year they were 67-87 (30 GB)... the pitching was very much improved this year with a 3.22 team ERA (6th)... down from a pathetic 4.59 last season... Marston rarely makes the playofffs... just six times in its history... the last postseason appearance was 2028... no Pro Cups so far... leading the staff were starter John Newton (15-9/2.47) and spot starter/reliever Felix Delatte (11-8/1.92/15 saves)... Thomas Stuart (13-15/3.29) was also a quality arm... the most productive bats belonged to 2B Gary Armitage (.282/28/102/89), SS Stan Mila (.280/18/75/75), CF Calvin Marbury (.253/18/61/99) and 1B Charley Gilmore (.301/12/74/57).

6. Cold Creek had its first losing season in 13 years... they slipped from fourth place and 94-60 (3 GB) to sixth place with a 73-81 mark (21 GB)... pitching was their downfall... it has been the Catamounts' strength over the last two decades... but not this year... Cold Creek has made the postseason eight times in its history... the last time was in 2041... they won the RU East five times in six years from 2036 to 2041... Rob Hutchins (18-15/3.44) and Sammy Wright (19-17/3.93) were the only reliable starters... the great and Hall-of-Fame destined J. J. Gillespie decided to retire at the end of the season after going 6-15 with a 4.57 ERA... the 40-year-old IPA icon was 294-170 in his 17 seasons... 10 times he won 20 or more games... his 2.46 lifetime ERA is the all-time fifth best... Johnny Duncan is the record holder with a fantastic 2.31 ERA... Duncan (87-66/209 saves) played from 2023 to 2037 and was a bullpen specialist... most of the offensive numbers were put up by All-Star SS Joe Cochrane (.325/21/94/86), 3B Eric Hollister (.274/24/103/80) and C Keith Henry (.239/29/105/71).

7. Elnora has been a tough team in recent seasons... coming in third (84-70) in 2043, just three games behind, a great 96-59 (2nd-tied) last year, only 1.5 games back, but the All-Stars slumped badly this year to 69-85 and 25 games out of first... in its history Elnora has won one Pro Cup (2033) and played in the postseason nine times... 2035 was the most recent appearance... both pitching and hitting went into the tank this year... Emilio Travante (14-11/3.60) was the only starter with a winning record... Dan Pitts (10-12/2.77) was the most effective... their fine ace Stan Kivas, who won the Golden Arm last year, at age 35 suffered a down year with a poor 8-14 record and a lofty 4.25 ERA... the bullpen leader was All-Star closer Jamie Pananga (6-4/1.81/19 saves)... he was ranked fourth in the IPA in saves... second in the Ruthlandian Union... LF Preston Davies topped the team with .306 BA, 168 hits, 33 doubles, 28 HRS, 100 RBIs and 86 runs... C Cannon Johnson chipped in with 19 HRs and 82 RBIs, but hit only .261.. Elnora's talented LF Enos Conrad enjoyed a good year with a .308 average, 9 HRs, 44 RBIs and 59 runs, but only played in 93 games because he held out until June in the boycott.

8. Belle Plaine had its fourth poor season in a row, winding up in the basement with a 65-89 record (29 GB)... last year the Musketeers were 69-85 (28 GB), good for the seventh spot in the standings... the Muskies only pennant came in 2008... they have no Pro Cups in their history... the most dependable starters were rookie Ryne Malloy (11-9/3.33) and Phil Lacey (17-19/3.82)... star RF Boo Boudreaux was the club's top batsman with a .281 BA, 26 HRs and 85 RBIs... LF Noel Martin, who won the RU batting crown last year, held out this year until June... he only hit .277 with 16 homers, 49 RBIs and 49 runs scored... other holdouts were C Nuke Borg (.320/14/44/40), 3B Kale Woodard (.309/1/19/38) and SS Danny Fitzgerald (.318/3/39/38)... the player boycott hurt a lot of teams in the IPA... offense was down a bit this year because so many good hitters missed one-third of the year.

2045 Ruthlandian East Final Team Batting and Pitching Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

ROOSTERS OVERCOME SNAPPERS IN SEPTEMBER
After trailing defending division champ Rocky Rapids by four games at mid-year in the Ruthlandian West the Middlefield Roosters took command in September and won going away by five games over the Snappers... the Roosters soared to 12-4 in September and raced past the Snappers, who fizzled with a poor 6-10 mark down the stretch... far back in third place were the Stoner Stars 15 games behind... the fourth spot went to Volusia, 17 games out of first... because of its great pitching and home-run power Middlefield should be a prime Pro Cup contender this year.

1. Middlefield finally got another pennant after finishing in the runner-up spot for the previous two seasons... the Roosters were 80-74 in 2044 (5 GB), but climbed atop the division this year with a terrific 95-59 mark... they have now won nine pennants in the club's history and have one Pro Cup in their trophy case... Middlefield wore the IPA crown in 2005... the Roosters are more known for rattling the scoreboard with homers, but his year they came in third in pitching with a strong 2.99 ERA... only Glasco (2.80) and Kilkenny (2.98) were better in the Ruthlandian Union and the IPA... Summerland topped the Tycobbian Union with a 2.99 ERA... four impressive starters propelled the Roosters, three of them 20-game winners: Carroll Collier (24-11/2.72), Hollis Dale (21-8/3.38), All-Star James Long (23-13/2.12 and Larry Wheelhouse (10-11/2.91)... veteran closer Ray Owens (4-2/1.79/9 saves) stood out in the bullpen... the Roosters bats were booming, too... they slammed 231 homers, tops in the RU and second to Red Bluff's new all-time IPA record of 283... the Roosters had seven players top 20 home runs... CF Norm Antonioni (.255/45/97/76), RF Sidney Conner (.317/37/76/72), 1B Cliff Patterson (.315/27/68/82), All-Star SS Jimmy Beach (.262/27/87/79), 3B Ike Gary (.289/25/83/81), LF Dominque Sorrell (.239/20/48/46) and LF Alejandro Dominguez (.232/20/44/48)... the Roosters don't hit for much average (.253/20th), but they sure do go deep often... Conner had a remarkable season... he sat out the first two months of the year and ended up hitting 37 homers in just 90 games.

2. Rocky Rapids won the pennant last year with an 85-69 record, did even better this year with a 90-64 mark, but lost the race by five games... the Snappers won their only Pro Cup in 2019... they have made the postseason only five times in the team's existence... very good pitching combined with very good defense and better-than-average bats helped them this year... leading the way was ERA champion and All-Star Jamie Taylor (21-14/2.00) and All-Star Dirk Halstad (23-9/3.11)... heading up the bullpen was Steve Owens (9-5/1.27/12 saves)... all total four Snappers made the All-Star club... All-Star 2B Marty Featherstone (.286/34/92/96) and All-Star C Carney Kirkpatrick (.308/20/84/79) were the other two... other contributors were RF Jose Ramos (.283/13/68/93), 1B Masaharu Kawasaki (.261/24/77/75), SS Nick Nova (.302/6/47/53) and CF Vance Forbes (.274/15/60/56)... two boycotters put up good numbers, too, when they came back in June: reliable 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.296/9/50/42) and LF Buddy Hamilton (.244/19/51/62).

3. Stoner stayed within striking distance of Middlefield and Rocky Rapids until mid-season, then dropped totally out of contention... the Stars were fourth last year with a 75-79 record (10 GB)... improved a little this year to 80-74, but wound up 15 games out... Stoner hasn't made the postseason since 2029 and hasn't ever won a Pro Cup... only been in the playoffs on three occasions... the top three starters were Mel Glosterman (12-5/2.39/2 saves), Took Noonan (13-10/3.35) and Earl Marley (13-19/3.16)... reliever Fred Gunn had 19 saves, but posted a 7-10 record with a high 4.33 ERA in 65 appearances... he was fourth in the IPA in saves... 2B James Belasario (.313/2/47/81) led the club in BA, runs and stolen bases... he was third in the IPA with 35 thefts... LF Emmett Tread (.276/16/86/75) topped the club in HRs, SBs and RBIs... and was second in the IPA with 43 SBs... solid veterans 3B Ralph Sackett (.266/8/50/45) and 1B Richie Strickland (.301/6/40/30) were boycott holdouts and missed a third of the season.

4. Volusia came in fifth in 2044 (11 GB)... were a little bit better this year at 78-76, but were 17 games off the pace of division winner Middlefield... the Vigilantes have been a playoff team nine times with one Pro Cup trophy to show for it... they won the first Pro Cup in 2001... on the hill the most dependable starters were Will Thompson (19-15/3.44), holdout Drew Selby (12-11/3.38) and Andrew Arryn (13-10/3.08)... at the plate it was All-Star C George Ruffino (.290/20/70/62), SS Duane Blayney (.296/31/88/79), CF Cazzi Carvalho (.273/23/70/85), 1B Kris Wilson (.302/20/61/64) and RF Garth Griffin (.294/16/58/49).

5. Colfax had been stuck in the sixth spot in the standings for the last two years... and stuck with the same 71-83 record... they were 14 GB back in 2044 and 24 GB this season... 13 times the Blasters have graced the playoffs and they have garnered one IPA crown... that was in 2007 when Colfax set an IPA record with 107 victories... Ray Maxon (18-14/3.59) was the most reliable starter... Joe Murvyn (2-1/3.80/17 saves) and Robbie Parker (6-6/3.18/9 saves) led the bullpen... Murvyn was fifth in the RU in saves... the Blasters' best bat LF Chet Penn (.307/4/17/15) was lost for the season in May with an injury... his career .327 BA, 25 homers and 100 RBIs were sorely missed... C Darrell Dillon (.269/30/78/76) led the club in homers, RBIs and runs... 1B Ernie Kidd helped out with 26 HRs, 76 RBIs and 67 runs... career .303 hitter, three-time All-Star and Golden Glove SS Gerry Sives sat out April and May in the player boycott and had a sub-par season at age 36 with a .249 BA, 3 HRs, 41 RBIs and 37 runs scored.

6. Forest City was looking forward to 2045 after its third-place finish in 2044, just five games back of winning Rocky Rapids, but it didn't happen... they fell back into the second division with a 68-86 mark (27 GB)... the Lumberjacks have made the postseason only four times in the club's history and don't have a Pro Cup yet... holdout hurler Walter Gibbons (10-8/2.73) was the best starter... but Rusty Howard (14-16/2.85), John McKee (16-15/3.36) and Omar Cordero (12-12/3.00/4 saves) were effective, too, but suffered from the very poor offensive support... the 'Jacks scored only 586 runs and were ranked near the bottom of the IPA... some of the best Lumberjacks held out until June... among them were CF Carlo Velucci (.242/8/46/44) and 1B Pistol Pete Picard (.336/20/54/39)... LF Otto Glintmeyer (.306/17/74/68) was one the few productive bats on the club.

7. Sligo has been in sharp decline since back-to-back pennants in 2039 and 2040... they were terrible last year in the cellar with a 61-93 record (24 GB) and seventh this year with a 65-89 mark (30 GB)... the Rovers have made the playoffs nine times and have captured one Pro Cup long ago and far away in 2021... no one on the staff had a winning records, but they did have some decent pitchers in Buzz Bumgartner (12-15/3.55), Art Hacker (11-12/3.68), Randall Steele (10-11/3.75) and Davey Hunter (8-10/3.51/10 saves)... veteran star 1B Denny Simmons led the club in almost everything with a .312 BA, 189 hits, 27 doubles, 4 triples, 13 HRs, 77 RBIs and 80 runs scored... nobody else came close to him.

8. Fort Benton wound up near the bottom for the fourth straight season... the Defenders were 64-90 last year in seventh place (21 GB)... and down to the basement this year with a pathetic 58-96 record (37 GB)... only once in the team's history have they won a pennant and made the playoff... that was in 2037... needless to say the Defenders are not a very good ballclub... long-time star Augie Marquis (12-19/3.77) still is a capable starter at age 39... he is 368-300 with a fine 3.22 ERA in his 22 years, all with Fort Benton... he is now third on the all-time wins list in the IPA... topped only by two legendary greats, Nicky Engstrom with a 387-218 mark and Cody Burg with a 369-264 record... Marquis might have had well over 400 victories, if he had played for a better franchise... another vet Jordy Raeburn (9-12/2.93) was the most effective hurler, but he boycotted the first two months of the season... at the plate the team is just plain bad with only 73 roundtrippers (31st-tied) for the year... CF Dwight Beatty (.264) topped the team with 15 homers and 82 RBIs... RF Cayman Crittenden (.263) scored the most runs with 74 and stole the most bases with 35 (third in the IPA)... and SS Glendon Glenn led the club with a .310 BA and 186 hits.

2045 Ruthlandian West Final Team Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

HAWKS FLY HIGH AGAIN IN TU NORTH
It has been a wonderful decade for the North Hills Hawks of the Tycobbian North... for the 11th time in a dozen seasons they were the top team in the division... however, this time around they really had to work for it... it was a very close photo finish... North Hills just barely skimmed by the hard-closing Hartsdale Hellcats by a scant one game to win the pennant... the Hellcats were six games back at the All-Star break, but came on the second half and lost out by a nose... Hartsdale won seven of its final eight games and almost caught them... the Blue Lake Blue Sox came in third, losing out by five games and fourth place went to the revitalized Oxford Red Caps, who wound up 6 games off the pace... the Blue Sox and Red Caps stayed close throughout the season, but could never close the gap with North Hills.

The Hawks won four Pro Cups from 2034 to 2041, but they don't have the same dominant team as in those years... for the first time in quite a few seasons, North Hills will not be one of the favorites to take the Pro Cup... they are older and don't have the powerful pitching anymore... most of the Hawks are well into their 30's now.

1. North Hills is nonetheless a solid team... vets 38-year-old David Michael (21-18/3.58) and 33-year-old Tony Mack (16-17/3.12) are still capable starters, but are past their primes... Alex Peters (17-6/3.20) is now the club ace... after 17 years Michael is approching 300 victories... he is 295-212 with a fine 3.05 ERA... he is especially potent in the postseason and possesses a 20-11 record and a great 2.25 ERA in 35 starts... 34-year-old superstar All-Star Adam Thurgood (.305/39/118/95) still anchors the attack... he made the All-Stars for the ninth time in his illustrious career... Thurgood is a lifetime .314 batter with 450 homers and shoo-in first-ballot Hall-of-Famer... 3B Jim McDermott (.301/17/91/90) and 2B Tommy Vavas (.259/15/63/105) are the other good run producers on the club... the Hawks' bats are not as good as they were in the Pro Cup glory days... defensively the Hawks are excellent with a .979 FA.

2. Hartsdale has been a thorn in the side for North Hills in recent years... the Hellcats snapped their pennant string at eight in 2042 and have played them off their feet the last two years, winding up 88-66 in 2044 (4 GB) and 89-65 this season just one game behind... the Hellcats have made the playoffs seven times in history, but are still seeking their first Pro Cup trophy... Kippy Wilhelm (13-6/2.88), Gil Younger (18-17/3.74), Perry Givens (17-13/3.54) and Dave Payne (16-15/3.95) are a solid starting rotation... and All-Star Alfonso Cervera (9-3/1.33/21 saves) and Wayne Dawson (3-2/2.95) were strong in relief... Cervera led the IPA in saves... leading the Hellcats' offense were RF Emilian Burgess (.299/22/60/97), CF Darrell Nesbitt (.267/17/64/94), 3B Greg Melton (.270/19/70/83), 2B Myrt Breland (.297/14/64/50) and 1B John Ford (.272/26/87/67)... the future is bright in Hartsdale.

3. Blue Lake has used its good pitching staff the last four seasons to contend with North Hills and Hartsdale... last year they were 88-66 (4 GB) and in a three-way tie for second place with Hartsdale and Luxora... this year they slipped to 85-60 (5 GB), still good for the third spot in the standings... Blue Lake can score (5th) and they can pitch (3.34 ERA-7th)... 40-year-old ace Frankie Quinn (23-9/2.10) is still going strong... he is now fourth all-time in wins with a 366-263 mark... only Nicky Engstrom (387-218), Cody Burg (369-264) and Augie Marquis (368-300) are ahead of him... the top two are retired and Marquis is still active at age 39... Quinn was fifth in wins and ERA this year in the IPA... giving him able help are Van Johnson (14-11/3.69), Greg Mortimer (17-15/3.70) and Sal Mays (10-11/3.46)... Razzy Richmond (9-12/3.25/16 saves) headed up the relief corps... he was eratic, but still ranked seventh in the Tycobbian Union with 16 saves in 72 appearances... leaders in the batter's box were 3B Rick Bridges (.287/26/93/77), 1B Mel Morrison (.286/23/86/80), RF Johnny Harding (.307/17/73/75), 2B Kinji Hashimoto (.271/15/86/82) and CF Raddy Pajak (.259/16/71/85)... two veteran regulars LF Jack Ryan (.318/8/29/49) and 3B Matt Thompson (.266/6/33/47) boycotted the first two months of the season in salary disputes.

4. Oxford hasn't had a good team in seven years... they came in second in 2037 (9 GB)... but the Red Caps did well this season rising up from 60-94 in 2044 (32 GB) to 84-70 and fourth place (6 GB)... Oxford won one Pro Cup in its history back in 2007... they have appeared in the postseason just five times... the Red Caps were a good and steady team this year with no bad months... the mound corps had three quality starters in Rudy Mellancamp (21-15/2.90), Tekkan Nishikawa (19-9/3/15) and Ralph Mosby (12-18/3.33)... Kelly Long (10-2/3.40/9 saves) was the tops in the pen... none of the bats hit for average, but did have a little pop... leading the way were All-Star C Glen Lee (.301/13/51/53), 3B Alonso Norris (.264/27/78/98) and CF Kevin Carter (.242/24/96/80).

5. Luxora was up last season with a three-way tie for second with Hartsdale and Blue Lake... they went 88-66 (4 GB)... but his year was a downer and they fell to 74-80 and fifth place (16 GB), tied with Fairfax... the Zorros have made the playoffs 11 times in their history, but not recently... 2031 was the last time... the Z's have never won a Pro Cup... among the starters Joao Damaso (16-15/3.27), Lorenzo Alonso (16-11/3.74) and Kent Halloran (13-16/3.40) were the most reliable... closer Jerry Jankins (11-4/2.22/19 saves) had a really nice season, ranking fourth in the IPA in saves with 19 in 73 appearances... offensively All-Star LF Derrek Jackson (.359/32/106/95) was the leader of the pack... he led the IPA in batting average with a .359 mark, third with 203 hits and was fourth with 36 doubles... at 33 Jackson is getting better with age... RF Emil Pasek (.291/24/78/91) and 1B Joel Poche (.322/14/49/56) chipped some offense, too... Poche was a boycotter and missed one-third of the season... ditto for 2B Ramiro Munos (.313/0/28/36).

5. Fairfax was sixth last year, going 75-79 (17 GB) and 74-80 this year (16 GB) tied with Luxora for fifth place... in its history Fairfax has never won a Pro Cup yet, but has appeared eight times in the playoffs... 2032 and 2033 were the most recent years... the Frogs hit well for average (.274-2nd), but have little power... pitching is mediocre (3.95-26th)... All-Star C Scott Courtney (.352/25/99/85) and SS Demont Beauchamp (.341/5/52/77) were two of the top hitters in the IPA, ranking second and fourth... Luxora's Derrek Jackson (.359) and Claxton's Jojo DeLucca (.349) were first and third respectively... All-Star 2B Ferrell Dillard (.292/6/64/65) and RF Bobby Joe Daniel (.321/1/44/69) hit for average, but lacked pop... boycotters 2B John Velasco (.329/10/43/55) and CF Trent Russell (.277/16/63/56) could have added much needed power and production to the line-up, especially during the bad months of April and May... ace Harold Dorman (14-5/2.76) was greatly missed in the boycott months, too... reliever Wes Christopher (11-8/2.44) worked in 96 games and chalked up 20 saves in a splendid season... he easily led the IPA in games and was third in saves.

7. White River had a good year three years ago, coming in a fairly close second to division champ North Hills (5 GB) with an 88-66 record... but the Rascals have slumped since to 76-78 in 2044 (16 GB) and 66-88 this year (24 GB)... only four times in its IPA history has Fairfax been to the playoffs... never winning a Pro Cup... the last postseason appearance was back in 2027... the only good thing the Rascals did this season was to hit 194 homers, ranking second in the Tycobbian Union to record-busting Red Bluff's amazing 283... LF Billy Joe Hickman (.266) led the club with 154 hits, 40 homers, 107 RBIs and 98 runs... 2B Warren McKenzie had the best average at .313 and was second with 26 homers and 77 RBIs... starters Clem Warren (13-6/3.73) and Trent Anderson (10-9/3.86) were the most dependable... however, both of them sat out April and May during the boycott dispute.

8. Mahaska has been a last-place club for three years now, getting worse each season... the Haymakers were 60-94 in 2043 (33 GB), 58-96 last season (34 GB) and 57-97 this year (33 GB)... they have made the playoffs only four times... 2028 was the last time... still no Pro Cups... 39-year-old Freddy Pfeffer (11-18/4.08) was the only decent pitcher on the team... SS Rocco Bertara (.284/8/48/51) had the best BA on the club with .284, but he sat out two months in the player boycott... C James Boswell (.229/37/91/73) led in homers, runs and RBIs, but hit a very poor .229... 1B Roger Lewis (.248/24/62/55) was second in homers with 24... and 3B Goose Fulton (.261/20/66/68) was third with 20... Mahaska is really a miserable team.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

SUN SOX SHINE AGAIN, WIN 4TH FLAG IN A ROW
The IPA defending champion Southport Sun Sox continue to monopolize the Tycobbian South with their fourth flag in a row... to repeat as division champ this year the Sun Sox had to fend off four very good clubs in the IPA's strongest division.

Southport started off 12-14 in April and trailed by 8 games, but quickly turned it around and took the division lead by mid-season and slowly built up a safe lead in the latter half of the season... Summerland took a huge lead in the first month with a terrific 20-6 record, but couldn't sustain it... but the Sunsets did wind up in second place, beaten by 6 games... third place went to San Alejo, who hung with the Sun Sox before they burned out in August, ending up 7 games behind... in the fourth spot were the Cape Coral Hurricanes, who stayed in the running until August, eventually losing out by 10 games... coming in fifth and 11 games back were the Ginza Ninjas... they really only were in the race until June, then faded... Southport will have a pretty good shot at back-to-back Pro Cups... they are strong on the hill and at the plate... their weakness is shoddy defense (.967 FA).

1. Southport is only a recent powerhouse in the IPA... overall the Sun Sox have seldom been in the postseason... this will be their seventh appearance... they will be shooting for their second IPA crown... the season started on a very sour note for them... three primary starters, Billy Hoover (16-7/1.87), Johnny Swanson (14-8/3.46) and Brandon Forbes (15-8/3.36), were out on boycott, along with two regular position players 1B Eddy Douglas (.323/21/63/58) and 3B Craig Glennon (.296/15/63/49)... it's amazing that they won 95 games this year... the number five starter Cade Brocton (20-13/3.73) and an obscure pitcher on the reserve roster, 34-year-old Tiger Tartaglia (9-4/2.97) rose to the occasion and took up the slack, along with the superb bullpen... prior to this year Tartaglia was only 10-12 in three seasons with a mediocre 4.35 ERA... with the return of the prime starters, there was no room on the roster for Tartaglia... life is just not fair.

It was all over when the boycotters came back in June... the Sox really took off and took command... last year's Pro Cup MVP CF Barney Lewis (.259/32/98/94) was the club leader with 32 homers and 98 RBIs... LF Chris Jones (.316/9/67/95) was tops in BA and runs... SS Gonzalo Topez (.305/7/70/89) had a solid season at the plate, too.

2. Summerland has been in the TU South first division for 10 of the previous 11 seasons... they were fifth in 2038... the Sunsets won the pennant in 2040... they haven't won a Pro Cup yet and have made the postseason only three times... pitching is the name of the game in Summerland... the staff led the Tycobbian Union with an impressive 2.99 ERA, third best in the IPA... only two Ruthlandian clubs, the Glasco Athletics (2.80) and the Kilkenny Cats (2.98) were better... the A's won the RU North and will be in the Pro Cup playoffs, however the Cats were fourth in the same division as Glasco and didn't qualify for the postseason... on the mound the Sunsets' fab four were Jayson Hallstrom (21-11/2.37), Billy King (16-10/2.96), Dutch De Boer (17-14/2.92) and Jacob Gillen (15-10/3.12)... with good offensive support the staff easily could have won 100 games and the pennant... but there were no standout sticks... LF Tony Vargas led the team with a .323 BA, but he had only 3 homers and 60 RBIs... 1B Kenny Douglas (.260) led with 26 homers and drove in 74 runs... RF Rick Mayes (.286) had the most RBIs with 89 and was second with 25 roundtrippers... 3B Alex Abbotson (.244) was the leader with 90 runs and third in homers with 16... good gloveman SS Mark Brenneke (.258/3/25/49) was out with the boycott the first two months of the year.

3. San Alejo flamed out in August (12-17) this year... otherwise they could have been in the thick of things in the stretch drive... for the ninth consecutive season the Montaneros were a good ballclub... in the last 14 years they have won four pennants ('32, '34, '35, '37) and one Pro Cup ('32)... the Monties improved from 81-73 and third place last year (23 GB) to 88-66, which was good for third again this season (7 GB)... All-Star Matt Bell (25-9/1.87) and All-Star Will McKinney (17-12/2.82) were the top hurlers... the youngsters are budding superstars... 26-year-old Bell has won 20 games in five of his seven seasons... his worst year was his rookie season when he was 18-18 with a 2.93 ERA... lifetime he is already 145-86 with a super 2.49 ERA... Bell ranked second in the IPA with 25 victories this year... only Beechwood's Jimmy Herman had more... he won 26 for the Bobcats in the Ruthlandian Union... at 25 McKinney has won 20 games in three of the his five seasons... overall he is 89-48 with a 2.96 ERA... at the plate the Montaneros were sparked by superstar All-Star C Filipe Zamora (.280/31/106/88)... 6 times he has made the All-Star team... Zamora is 35... it's a shame San Alejo didn't have its star RF Paolo Teixeira for the whole season... he missed one-third of it due to the player boycott... nonetheless Teixeira hit 29 homers in just 95 games and drove in 63 runs, scored 66 and batted .295... what a difference his bat would have made... OF Charlie Wilberforce (.259) chipped in 23 HRs and batted in 72 runs.

4. Cape Coral has finished fourth six times in the last decade... the last three seasons in a row... the Hurricanes climbed up from 78-76 last year (26 GB) to 85-69 this year (10 GB)... they were in third place at the end of June, just 3 games off the pace, but slowly faded in the second half... they have the bats, but could use some more pitching to contend with Southport, Summerland and San Alejo... the 'Canes are ranked first in scoring runs in the Tycobbian Union, third with a .271 team BA and fourth with 180 homers... pitching-wise they are just average with a 3.69 ERA (19th)... the line-up is packed with power... five players hit 20 or more out of the park, led by superstud LF Rikky Van Dalen (.333/30/98/111) with 30, SS Scotty Jackson (.270/25/90/69) with 25, 3B Kent Mantle (.266/23/78/70) with 23, RF William Snyder (.311/21/74/74) with 21 and 1B Stan Ferguson (.278/20/61/40) with 20... Ferguson only played 86 games because of the boycott... IF Lou Panko (.299/10/71/89) also had a good year at 2B and filling in for Ferguson at 1B... Benton McCall (25-10/2.74) carried the staff... he was second in the IPA in wins, topped only by Jimmy Herman of the Beechwood Bobcats of the Ruthlandian East... Herman was 26-9 with a 2.72 ERA... other depenable arms in the Hurricane rotation are Vernon Marks (15-15/3.76) and Rik De Meester (12-16/3.85)... Pete Collins (4-5/2.65/12 saves) did well in the bullpen... history-wise Cape Coral has been in the playoffs on 8 occasions, but haven't captured a Pro Cup... the most recent pennant was in 2041.

5. Ginza was 14 games over .500 this season, yet came in fifth (11 GB)... last season the Ninjas compiled a 76-78 mark and also wound up in fifth place (28 GB)... in the club's history they have been in the playoffs 7 times with no Pro Cups to show for it... the Ginza attack is a good one, ranking first in the IPA with a .277 team BA... they are fourth in scoring in the Tycobbian Union and sixth in homers with 172... in the pitching department the Ninjas are rated 20th with a 3.71 team ERA... Ginza is the top defensive team in the IPA with an outstanding .980 FA... sparking the offense is superstar LF Sogo Takagi (.311/32/103/120)... Takagi is number two in the IPA with 120 runs... the batting order is chocked full of reliable hitters... on the club superstar standout SS Sam Essex (.287/34/110/87) had the most homers with 34 and the most RBIs with 110... RF Ichiro Kazumi (.291/16/86/79) and 1B Vic Booker (.277/22/73/76) had good numbers, along with boycotters 3B Jiro Yamamura (.319/7/35/77) and C Whit Harrell (.258/18/54 41)... club leaders on the hill were T. C. Gallimore (21-12/3.00) and Carlos Del Toro (22-11/3.71)... both are first time 20-game winners.

6. Arroyo Grande made great strides this season, rising up from a terrible 59-95 in 2044 (45 GB) to 76-78 this year (19 GB)... top to bottom the TU South may be the best division in the IPA... even seventh place Colchester (72-82) and cellar dweller Turon (71-83) won at least 71 games... this was the 12th season in succession the Suns finished in the TU South second division... you have to go back to 2024 since Arroyo Grande graced the playoffs... the Suns are still seeking their first IPA crown... only four times in the team's history have they made the postseason... the Suns can go deep... they had 169 HRs this year (8th), but they don't hit for average (.245-25th)... the Suns are average on the mound (3.66-17th)... and they sparkle on defense with a standout .979 FA... Anthony Lombardi (16-5/3.05) and Enrique Lopez (17-17/3.18) both had solid seasons... in the bullpen Russ Simmons (6-6/2.56/13 saves) and Jaz Ortega (4-3/2.28/1 saves) did well, too... Fernando Campos (10-8/3.58) sat out the first two months because of the the salary dispute... no one hit for average on the club... CF Kenny Wade was the BA leader with a .276 mark... he also contributed 18 homers, scored 81 times and has 57 RBIs... LF Alfred Novikoff (.254) was number one with 29 roundtrippers and 75 RBIs... 2B Russell Taylor (.270) scored the most runs with 90... he also had 22 HRs and batted in 71 runs.

7. Colchester added to their string of second-division finishes... this is the ninth year in a row for the Elites... they have been seventh the last four seasons... but they did improve quite a lot this year, going from 61-93 (43 GB) to 72-82 (23 GB)... the Elites have only appeared in the postseason four times... 2036 was the last time they won the division title... never has Colchester won the Pro Cup... hurler Dave Lacoste (19-12/2.80) was the ace of the staff... he made the All-Star team at age 37... 29-year-old rookie Maxie Helton (11-7/3.91) and Benny White (14-15/3.67/2 saves) also had fairly good seasons... defensively the Elites are good with a solid .976 FA... Colchester isn't much of a threat offensively, but 1B Ace Diamond had a breakout year at 28... in a killer season he was third in the IPA with 47 homers and 134 RBIs... Red Bluff's David Kelso was the HR leader with a near record 65 and Bayview's Jerry Culpepper was second with 55... the single-season league mark is 66 by Culpepper in 2040... Rolling Hills' Jimbo Foxx led the IPA with 151 RBIs and Culpepper was second with 143... other contributors to the Elites' offense were rookie CF Teddy Drackley (.279/21/72/91), Chet Porter (.301/5/40/62) and 2B Joey Rogers (.262/12/47/82).

8. Turon is a fabled franchise that has fallen on very hard times in recent years... twice in the last three years the Typhoons have come in last... in 2044 they were sixth with a 67-87 record (37 GB)... this season the Typhoons were 71-83 and in the basement again (24 GB)... Turon holds the IPA record with four Pro Cups and has been to the postseason 15 times... only Tuckanarra with 17 appearances has been there more... the Typhoons' last pennant was in 2039... the last Pro Cup was in 2018... Turon has a prolific attack with a .269 BA (4th), 775 runs (2nd) and 194 HRs (2nd-tied), but they are awful on the mound with a 4.76 ERA, the worst in the IPA... the offensive leaders are star All-Star SS C. C. Kingsford (.318/28/98/101), CF Guido Gervasio (.325/15/77/90), 3B Al Salisbury (.300/20/73/100) and 1B Nick Fisher (.286/37/104/94).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

RECORD-SETTING RED SOX CHAMP AGAIN
The record-setting Red Bluff Red Sox boomed their way to their second Tycobbian East Division title in a row... the Red Sox established a new IPA home-run record with 283, totally shattering Arroyo Grande's old mark of 260 set in 2005... they made shambles of the pennant race by whipping High Mesa by 14 games and third place Midway by 19... Tuckanarra and Ozarka tied for the fourth spot, 21 games back in the race... with tremendous firepower and solid pitching Red Bluff will rank high in the Pro Cup predictions.

1. Red Bluff took its second straight division title... both seasons they came in with 95-59 records... the Red Sox will be appearing in their sixth postseason... they won their only Pro Cup years ago in 2004... the Red Sox can score runs (6th) and they have very good pitching (4th)... defensively they are just average (.972 FA)... the Red Sox have all the elements to do well in the postseason... all 8 regulars hit 16 or more homers, paced by superstar All-Star LF David Kelso (.289/65/130/111), the IPA leader with 65 homers, just one short of the league record... he was also fourth in RBIs and sixth in scoring runs... Kelso is Hall of Fame material with 437 homers in 12 seasons... 1B Josh Stevens (.252/43/91/96) smacked 43 homers, 3B Fran Blanchard (.291/36/90/94) had 36, C Phil White (.214/32/80/58) hit 32 home runs, SS Leemon O'Donovan (.262/27/79/74) numbered 27, CF Ike Sweetwater (.327/23/63/59) socked 23 out of the park, LF Jesse Shaw (.273/19/46/40) popped 19 HRs and 2B Big Boy Payne (.249/16/46/88) chipped in 16... Sweetwater and Shaw didn't play the first two months because of the player boycott... heading up the mound staff were Jud Cox (16-12/2.57), Mickey Rosen (17-8/3.00), Jack Wallace (12-6/3.64) and George Reynolds (18-12/3.61)... the top reliever was Carson Jamara (7-8/3.30/18 saves)... Jamara was ninth in saves this year in the IPA.

2. High Mesa went from fifth place with a 72-82 record in 2044 (23 GB) to the runner-up spot this year with an 81-73 mark (14 GB)... they stayed close to Red Bluff until July, this fell apart, playing below .500 in the second half of the year... only twice have the Cowboys been in the postseason... and that occurred in their first two seasons in the IPA... they won the Pro Cup in 2002... the Cowpokes have solid pitching (3.49-9th), but not a lot of offense... rookie sensation Lucius Quarles (17-14/1.65) had the best ERA in the IPA... rookie Steve Tolan (18-15/3.21) and Emil Nowak (16-9/4.03/1 save) were also dependable starters... !B Johnny Tallis (.258/34/96/64) led the club with 34 homers and 96 RBIs... All-Star 2B Randy Sweetland (.280/5/42/89) was the scoring leader with 89 runs... other contributors were SS Clifford Coleman (.254/29/76/64), 3B Wes McGovern (.265/23/74/86) and LF Clay Johnston (.279/27/73/62), who missed a third of the season due to the boycott.

3. Midway moved up from 66-88 and seventh place (29 GB) last year to 76-78 and third place this year (19 GB)... at the start of July the Wolves were in sixth place (6 GB) and still in the race, but they went on the fritz and tumbled down to 19 GB by season's end... Midway has never won a Pro Cup... they have only made the playoffs three times in the club history... 2027 was the last postseason appearance... the Wolves have decent pitching with Craig Anderson (19-19/3.54), Jeff Chandler (17-14/3.69), Rich Barstow (11-11/3.75) and Charlie Chase (16-19/2.89)... Sam Lewis (3-3/2.51/14 saves) is the best reliever... 2B Sollie Solomon (.307/2/45/81) led the team with a .307 BA... 3B Paul Butler (.253/15/67/86) has the most homers with 15... 1B Jerry Kennison (.283/11/85/55) had the most RBIs with 85... and LF Justin Morrison (.302/10/68/87) led with 87 runs.

4. Tuckanarra came in third in 2043 with a 76-78 mark (19 GB) and fourth this season with a 74-80 record (21 GB)... the Blue Jays were never in contention... the Tucks have made the playoffs 17 times, more than any other IPA franchise... they have also won three Pro Cups, topped only by Turon's four titles... the last pennant came in 2038 and the last Pro Cup in 2035... the Blue Jays have fair pitching and poor hitting... Ozzie Leslie (18-18/2.68) and Dickie Pittman (14-10/2.77) were two strong starters... and Yarran Nawajuk (18-14/3.70) was a dependable #3... at 37 Jack Rogers (8-6/2.56/12 saves) still does a good job in the bullpen... the offense stunk with a .244 BA (26th), 579 runs (29th-tied) and only 112 HRs (27th)... there really was no one on the team worth mentioning offensively... 32 players played this year... only one had enough bats to qualify for any stats awards... 1B Alister Simmons has the best BA on the club with a .311 mark and the most homers with 12... Simmons only had 196 ABs in 60 games... 1B Rodger Parsons had a .303 BA, but played in only 80 games and had 267 plate appearances... C Wally McMain (.244) was tops in RBIs with 50 and 2B Ricky Vincent (.284) paced the team with 129 hits, runs with 57 and 128 games.

4. Ozarka has been a middle-of-the-pack team the last four years... fourth or fifth each year... last year they were 75-79 in fourth (20 GB)... tied for fourth this year at 74-80 (21 GB)... the Nats have been to the postseason often with 15 playoff appearances... they have never won a Pro Cup, but the were in the Finals five times...the last Pro Cup appearance was 2020... the last division flag was 2040... the Naturals have a good offense with a .265 BA (7th), 705 runs (11th) and 162 homers (12th)... lackluster on the hill with a 3.86 ERA (24th)... at 37 All-Star SS Duffy Morrison (.328/35/110/116) had a career year... 1B Artie Clayton (.258/37/89/92) led the team with 37 roundtrippers... 2B Jimmy Woods (.323/20/71/54) and C Paul Beasley (.285/23/83/61) had good years, too... Billy Hill (18-9/3.72) topped the club in wins... Glen Jenkins (16-14/3.14) had the best ERA among starters... Pedro Gonzales (7-3/1.67/12 saves) was the bullpen standout.

6. South Fork has been a tough team in recent seasons... the Stallions won three straight TU East flags from 2041 to 2043... in 2042 they were Pro Cup champion... South Fork had a fine 93-61 season last year but lost a tough duel with division winner Red Bluff (2 GB)... this year was a total disappointment as they sunk to 73-81 and sixth place (22 GB)... the offense sputtered and the pitching suffered greatly... the three primary starters Jay Murphy (3-12/3.13), Big Murph McAlister (12-11/3.36) and Chris Sorensen (12-9/2.94) boycotted the first two months... 27-game winner Jay Murphy, the 2044 IPA MVP and Golden Arm winner, had a horrendous season... 2B Elton Jacoby (.296/28/99/85) and SS Pete Arnold (.304/12/59/93) were the only good bats... reliable LF Scotty O'Sullivan (.263/16/51/38) was a holdout and didn't join the team until June.

7. Hillsboro is the only franchise in the IPA to never make the playoffs... the Blazers came close in 2043, just two games out of first in third place with a 78-76 record... last year they were 70-84 and finished sixth (25 GB)... this year Hillsboro was also 70-84, winding up in the seventh spot in the standings (25 GB)... the Blazers have so-so pitching (3.66-18th) and terrible hitting (.239-31st)... but with fairly good power (150 HRs-18th)... Jamie Lee Bradley (19-11/3.00) and Ralph Quick (13-11/3.20) are solid starters... 1B Ernie Moxley is the club leader with a .292 BA, 41 HRs and 117 RBIs...CF Rick Willis (.253/16/53/88) topped the team with 88 runs... LF Jurrien Bellini (.267/18/42/69) boycotted the team for the first two months of the season.

8. East Point was the second-worst team in the IPA with a pathetic 50-104 record, good for last place (45 GB)... only Ancona of the Ruthlandian North had a poorer record at 48-106 (52 GB)... last year the Panthers put up a 59-95 mark, also good for last place (36 GB)... a .235 BA and a 4.40 ERA won't get you far in the IPA... Albert Sharpton (10-18/4.72) and Barney Benton (11-24/5.29) were the best of the lot in the starting rotation... it doesn't get any better at the plate... CF Wesley Garrett (.264/7/34/73) led with a .264 BA... 3B Paul Ferrell (.260/16/66/74) was the club leader in homers with 16 and 74 runs... he tied with LF Augie Elizondo (.258/13/66/49) with 66 RBIs... East Point has been a playoff team only five times and have yet to win the Pro Cup... the last Panther pennant came in 2039.

2045 Tycobbian East Final Standings and Team Statistics

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 18, 2045

WILDCATS WIN TU WEST IN A THRILLER
The defending division champion Kenwood Wildcats had to really claw their way to repeat in the Tycobbian West this season... the Wildcats had to dig themselves out of a deep hole they found themselves in right out of the gate in April... the Wildcats went 7-19 and fell 11 games back in the early going... but they righted the ship over the course of the next few months and copped their fourth pennant in five years... Kenwood still trailed by 9 games at the All-Star break, 4 at the end of July and finally moved into the top spot in August... runner-up Denton City led for most of the season, but slumped in August and ended up losing to the Wildcats by a single game... Rolling Hills came in third, just 2 games out of first... the Reds took the lead in July, but fell back with a poor August... fourth place went to the Chicopee Braves, who wound up 7 games behind Kenwood.

1. Kenwood won its only Pro Cup in 2014... this will be the Wildcats' seventh postseason appearance... they were 90-84 last year and slipped a bit to 84-70 this season... solid pitching with a 3.30 ERA (5th) and an adequate offense with a .269 BA (5th), 674 runs (19th) and 152 HRs (17th) won it for them... plus solid defense (.976 FA)... Clyde Meyers (21-13/3.32) and Tommy Carter (17-13/3.13) were the biggest winners on the staff... two veterans Freddy Gooch (8-10/2.63) and Rusty Bradford (8-8/3.76/4 saves) boycotted the club the first two months... rookie Gregg Campbell (13-9/2.83) filled in for them quite well... in the bullpen Artemus Hale (.6-3/2.16/7 saves) and Mike Jones (2-3/2.31/7 saves) did their jobs well, too... four regulars were missing in the early months: superstar C Corky DiNozzo (.296/22/71/45), rookie RF Billy Nix (.268/22/69/51), CF Warren Vickers (.305/10/40/70) and 1B Bert Henrich (.277/15/50/400... their absence had a lot to do with the slow start... the only regulars that played a full season were 3B Country Crowder (.329/6/63/88) and LF Dorsey Faircloth (.305/22/71/70).

2. Denton City has come in second the last two years to Kenwood... the Redbirds were 83-71 last year and the same this year... they lost out by 7 in 2043 and by one this year... DC was up by a whopping 11 games over Kenwood at the end of April, but they saw it slowly erode as the season progressed... the Redbirds have been to the playoffs on 9 occasions... the last pennant came in 2040... they were an early power in the IPA with 8 playoff appearances from 2002 to 2013... twice the Redbirds reached the Pro Cup Finals, but lost... this year they had fairly good pitching and just an average offense... on the hill it was Mel Coley (13-5/2.67/11 saves), Harry Elliott (20-15/3.23) and Jimmy Ellerbee (16-8/3.16)... 40-year-old ace Francisco Salcido (5-17/4.06) apparently suffered by being out during the boycott... he never really regained his form of previous seasons... at the plate superstar Wayman Stetson (.302/35/101/84) and LF Frankie Montgomery (.297/18/80/83) were the only real threats.

3. Rolling Hills had a good year... they improved from sixth place (19 GB) with a 71-83 mark to a very close third (2 GB) with an 82-72 record... the Reds led at the end of May, but had a horrific 7-19 June and fell 8 games behind Denton City... a great 20-8 in July got them back into a first-place tie with the Redbirds... thereafter Kenwood was on a roll and couldn't be stopped... Rolling Hills is only adequate offensively and on the mound, but is good with the gloves (.975 FA)... the trio of superstar All-Star CF Jimbo Foxx (.273/46/151/89), star 1B Darwin Tard (.303/23/88/110) and LF Orin Phillips (.279/31/88/74) carried the club... Foxx was on pace to break the IPA all-time RBI mark, but came up 20 short of Adam Zitek's 170 in 2005 for High Mesa... still he led the IPA with 151 and was fourth in homers with 46... on the mound Matthew Christianson (19-13/3.29) and Johnny Howard (17-7/3.61) were the biggest winners.

4. Chicopee made some progress this season, going from 70-84 and seventh place (20 GB) to fourth place with a break-even 77-77 mark (7 GB)... good pitching got them there... the Braves have never won a Pro Cup and have appeared only three times in the playoffs... the last time was in 2036... All-Star Tony Dazzi (21-16/2.34) was brilliant this year with 29 complete games... only Beechwood's Jimmy Herman (26-9/2.72) with 30 had more... Josh Dougherty (13-14/2.12) was also a very tough customer, but he suffered a lack of run support... Harry Robinson (6-3/2.82/5 saves) was solid in the pen... all by himself 1B Sam Patrick (.285/45/107/90) was the Braves' offense... he had 45 of the team's 107 homers and led them in BA, HRs, RBIs, runs and walks.

5. Arlon was fourth last year with a 79-75 record (11 GB), but dipped to fifth this year with a 72-82 mark (12 GB)... the Champs won their last pennant in 2043 and have been in the postseason on five occasions... they reached the Pro Cup Finals one time in 2039 and lost in six games to Waleska... vets Lanny Gray (16-18/3.34) and Pat Stuyvesant (11-10/3.37) led the starters... in the bullpen Mack Blair (9-6/1.85/15 saves) was outstanding... on the offense RF Mark Cameron (.224/38/82/88) hit a lot of homers but little else... and C Nick Shafer had 27 homers and 77 RBIs, but batted only .259.

6. Bayview was looking forward to this year... the Vikings finished third last season with an 82-72 record (8 GB), but relapsed to their old ways again, falling to sixth place with a 70-84 mark (14 GB)... their pitching failed them this year with the ERA going from last year's 3.59 skyward to 4.25 this season... it's been eons since the Viks made the playoffs... long ago and far away in 2016 to be exact... they have participated in the postseason only 6 times and never have hauled in a Pro Cup trophy... as usual the great Bayview Bomber 3B Jerry Culpepper led the team's hit parade... he hammered 55 home runs, batted .311, drove in 143 runs and scored 98 runs... all team highs... Culpepper was second in the IPA in homers and RBIs... Red Bluff's David Kelso got the HR title with 65, almost breaking Culpepper's IPA mark of 66 in 2040.. Rolling Hills' Jimbo Foxx topped him in RBIs with 151... LF Rusty Hunter (.267/2/54/86) and 2B Zack Mason (.276/12/47/91) were the best of the rest... the Viks missed the power of SS Anreas Stokke (.278/12/55/54), who was out a third of the season with the boycott... Bobby Knudsen (18-18/3.47) was the only steady starter.

7. Bay St. Clair wound up in the second division for the 10th year in a row... the Buccaneers were fifth last season with a 76-78 record (14 GB)... this season they slumped to 64-90 (20 GB) and seventh in the standings... it's been 15 years since the Bucs made the playoffs... still haven't won a Pro Cup trophy... they did make the Finals in 2015, but were whipped by Taranto in five games... heading up the pitching corps are Clyde Gordon (14-14/3.23) and Dion Hawkins (12-10/3.61)... bullpen ace Clark Van Vreeland (14-9/1.83/9 saves) had another superb season... veteran RF Spade Weldon (.315/18/68/47), LF Gilbert Bauer (.293/14/50/74) and SS Edison Randall (.248/19/82/62) were the most reliable bats in the order... defensively the Buccaneers are the best in the IPA with a .980 FA, tied with Ginza for the honor.

8. La Claire got condemned to the cellar for the second successive season... they were 60-96 (24 GB), down from 69-85 last year (21 GB)... the Lynx have been to the postseason only four times in history with no Pro Cups... from 2028 to 2038 they won four TU West flags... those were the glory years... Nelson Stubbs (17-16/2.69) was the only effective starter... and veteran closer Terry Baird (4-8/3.18/14 saves) did a pretty fair job in the pen... La Claire didn't have much offense, either... LF Hank Morton (.284/8/77/69), CF Donny Griffith (.274/16/72/54) and 3B Phil Lyons (.282/17/57/44) were the best of the lot... however, the Lynx are a strong defensive club with a .977 FA.