[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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