[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 23, 2036

TUCKS DOMINATE TU EAST AGAIN
No one has ever dominated a division like the defending Pro Cup champion Tuckanarra Blue Jays... for the third year in a row the Tucks have won over 97 games and made shambles of the pennant race... this year they topped the IPA with 99 wins and again ran away with the Tycobbian East by a margin of 16 games over second-place Ozarka... the Red Bluff Red Sox were 18 games behind in third place... and the preseason favorite East Point flopped in fourth place, 21 games away from the pennant.

At the top of the second division was the Hillsboro Blazers in the fifth spot... the Blazers were 24 games off the pace... Midway finished sixth and trailed by 27 games... in seventh place was the High Mesa Cowboys, 33 games out... in the TU East cellar was South Fork, 35 games back of Tuckanarra.

1st - Tuckanarra: the defending Pro Cup crownbearer is primed for its record 15th appearance in the Pro Cup playoffs and will be seeking its fourth Pro Cup trophy, which would tie them with Turon for the IPA mark... the Blue Jays head into the postseason as the number-one seed with a powerful ball club that ranks near the top in almost all categories... five of their players made the All-Star team... the Blue Jays hit .277 (3rd), scored 874 runs (1st) and hit 191 HRs (7th-tied)... just as solid on the hill with a 3.26 team ERA (3rd)... the Tucks only weakness is defense with a poor .969 FA... Tuckanarra will have to get by improved Chicopee in the first round... the Braves have better pitching this year... last year they took Tuckanarra to seven games before losing... North Hills and Colchester are quite formitable foes, too, should the Blue Jays get to the Tycobbian finals... the Hawks and Elites posted 96 wins and the Braves notched 94... there is no weak sister in the Tycobbian playoffs this year.
Top Performers: All-Star Junior Bristow (25-9/2.96), All-Star Bobby Reid (21-9/2.90), Jeff Buttrum (16-9/3.33), Rudy Rosario (17-10/3.82), Jack Rogers (8-8/2.70/15 saves), All-Star LF Lorne Evans (.312/40/100/134), All-Star 1B Josh George (.322/22/86/89), All-Star C Jon Paul (.286/29/90/76), RF Spade Weldon (.287/16/80/91)

2nd - Ozarka: 16 GB... the Naturals have been stalled behind Tuckanarra with three consecutive second-place finishes... overall the Nats have made the postseason 14 times, but have never claimed a Pro Cup... the last pennant was in 2030... Ozarka has lost a record five times in the Pro Cup Finals... the Nats batted a decent .261 (10th), scored fairly well with 715 runs (10th), but severely lacked the long ball, only going deep 112 times (31st)... better-than-average pitching with a .3.63 ERA (8th)... like Tuckanarra, not much on defense with a poor .969 FA
Top Performers: Glen Jenkins (18-13/2.90), Leon Bernard (18-11/3.31), CF Lonnie Gillespie (.291/14/85/89), LF Reggie Davidson (.269/19/81/77), All-Star C Jaak Pajukivi (.262/13/65/55), who was obtained in a trade at the July deadline, 3B Duffy Morrison (.287/13/72/60), RF Bob Banachak (.282/13/58/64)

3rd - Red Bluff: 18 GB... Red Sox jumped from seventh to third with their first winning season in the last five and only the second in 12 years... they haven't been in the postseason since 2009... Red Bluff has only been in the playoffs on four occasions, however they do have a Pro Cup, won in 2004... the club was much improved this season with great firepower... they led the IPA with 235 HRs (1st) and had fairly good pitching with a 3.66 ERA (10th)... batted only .253 (23rd), but tied for 10th in scoring with 715 runs... six players had 20 or more homers... defense was the Red Sox's shortcoming with a poor .968 FA
Top Performers: All-Star Banzuki Hasegawa (19-16/2.60), All-Star Dennis Austin (10-7/2.27/15 saves), Tony Defazio (15-12/3.73), Ayden Carmack (16-15/3.94), RF David Kelso (.300/39/102/87), CF Ike Sweetwater (.298/33/82/104), LF Jesse Shaw (.292/24/57/83), 3B Fran Blanchard (.282/24/70/60), 2B Gene Bates (.262/21/63/44)

4th - East Point: 21 GB... came in fifth last year (18 GB)... was preseason choice to win the division... Panther pitching let them down... they have made the playoffs four times, but have yet to snare a Pro Cup... won pennants in 2031 and 2033... excellent power with 208 homers (2nd-tied)... but don't hit much with a .245 BA (30th)... average scoring with 702 runs (16th)... average pitching with a 3.83 ERA (16th)... above average defense with a .974 FA
Top Performers: Johnny Moore (15-11/3.50), Dixie Brooks (15-18/3/41), Jack Bolden (5-6/2.74/10 saves), All-Star SS Dean O'Donnell (.272/35/85/84), 1B Karl Jankauskas (.237/33/83/84), who was traded from Valka (RU) in April, 2B Tetsu Tanaka (.242/22/72/81), RF Ricky Arnold (.309/7/47/74)

5th - Hillsboro: 24 GB... moved up a little from eighth place (31 GB) in 2035... Blazers have never made the playoffs or won a Pro Cup... only finished over .500 10 times in team history... only average at the plate with a .255 BA (17th), but does score well with 756 runs (6th-tied) and hits with power (171 HR/13th)... lousy pitching with a sky-high 4.53 team ERA (31st)... Hillsboro has a terrible bullpen with an astromomical 6.01 ERA (32nd)... horrible on defense, too, with a .966 FA

6th - Midway: 27 GB... fell to second division this season after finishing in the first division for four straight seasons... Wolves have made the playoffs just 3 times... 2027 was the last time... no Pro Cups in the team's history... pitching is lackluster with a 4.03 ERA (21st)... near the bottom offensively with .252 BA (24th), 649 runs (28th) and only 116 roundtrippers (30th)... quite good with the gloves however (.976 FA)
Top Performers: future HOF Bobby Dorignac (19-13/3.32), who chalked up his 300th win this season age 36, 2B Albert Wherry (.268/25/81/73), LF Yancey Tanner (.318/5/67/81)

7th - High Mesa: 33 GB... came in near the bottom for the tenth year in a row... made the playoffs only twice in the club's first two seasons and never again... won its only Pro Cup in 2002... hits homers and scores runs only because of its small ballpark... 678 runs (21st) with 191 HRs (7th-tied), bats only .242 (31st)... very little pitching with a 4.25 ERA (27th)... one of the worst defensive teams in the IPA with a horrendous .964 FA
Top Performers: Dean Harris (16-17/2.47), LF Corbett Brooks (.236/39/89/90),who was a 34-year-old free agent from La Claire, RF Clay Johnston (.247/34/74/81), CF Brad Holland (.288/12/54/98), rookie C Zee DiCaprio (.291/18/68/75), 1B Michael Page (.253/23/69/52)

8th - South Fork: 35 GB... tumbled from third (17 GB) last year... appeared in postseason just three times and won the Pro Cup in 2025... haven't made it since... terrible pitching with 4.71 ERA (32nd)... average bats with .255 BA (16th)... pretty good power with 168 HRs (14th)... mediocre scoring with 663 runs (26th)... strong defenders with a .976 FA
Top Performers: Chris Sorensen (18-19/3.50), 3B Elton Jacoby (.319/27/76/100), LF Joel Fowler (.268/27/93/79), SS Jess Wilkerson (.305/19/74/82), CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.247/20/75/81)