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The Islandian Times
Around the Town in the IPA
FOREST CITY LUMBERJACKS
Owner/GM/Manager: Rob Jackson
Forest City is the capital of Ruthlandia and the second largest town in the Islands with a population of 125,000. The town was settled by a group of American abolitionists from the North and the South, who foresaw the coming Civil War and decided to emigrate to Ruthlandia and Tycobbia and establish countries free from the rigors of slavery and religious intolerance. It was one of the earliest settlements because of the access to timber and its strategic location near the intersection of the Green River and the Silver River in the central part of the country.
The beautiful Green River emanates out of the Appian Mountains in the north near Far Mountain (ski resort), runs south throught Rocky Rapids (lumber, grain and transportation center) in the western foothills and plains, flows through Forest City, then winds its way past agrarian Middlefield and Sugar Valley in the fertile southern lowlands and finally empties into Belair Bay and the Southern Sea at the bayside resort and shipping center, Belair Beach.
The Silver River originates in its namesake, the Silver Mountains, which form the western border of Ruthlandia. It travels eastward through Volusia in the western foothills (silver mining and timber interests) and merges with the Green River at Forest City.
The Ruthlandian capital is an old town with buildings and homes that go back a hundred years or more. It is rare that the town planning commission allows much in the way of a modern building. It is noted for being the seat of the Federal government, for banking, commerce, railroads, steel, advertising, autos, paper and lumber industries...and also the home of the Forest City Lumberjacks.
The club is named for the country's first important industry and is in the Ruthlandian Union in its South Division. The 'Jacks play their games at old and quaint Riverside Stadium (circa 1915), right on the riverbanks with a wonderful view of the Silver River just beyond the left and center field fences. Across the river in the distance the fans can see the main part of town. Hot and freshly fried river catfish is a house speciality at Riverside, along with traditional ballpark fare.
Forest City is owned and operated by Rob Jackson, who is GM and Manager, too. Jackson was a four-letter man in college, excelling in baseball, football, basketball and track. He played many years in the industrial league for one of the biggest banks in the Islands. When his playing days were over, he went to work for the bank, managed its company team, moved up in the bank hierarchy and eventually became its president and chief administrative officer. He then expanded to professional baseball and was one of the prime originators of the Islandian Pro Alliance. He joined with good baseball men like John Banson (IPA creator and commissioner), Manny Earl of the Sugar Valley Rattlers and Rip Calkin of the La Claire Lynx to create the first professional baseball league in the Islands.
Multi-millionaires also were involved and provided the needed finances to establish the league. Men like Jock Ewing of the Waleska Westerners, Brent Steiner of the Bayview Vikings, Jorge Trujillo of the Belair Beach Sunbirds, jazz great, Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles of the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers and rock 'n' roll superstar, Conway Birdie of the Cape Coral Hurricanes.
Riverside Stadium (1915)
Capacity: 14,780
Dimensions:
LF Line 332
LF 360
LC 388
CF 400
RCF 381
RF 350
RF Line 325
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