OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

Eugene Church · 01-21-2015, 09:34 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 19, 2051

VIPERS EDGE A'S AND BULLS IN TORRID SEASON
Could it be? ... Win a hundred games and not win the Ruthlandian North?... yeah, and it didn't happen to just one team... it happened to two of them... the Glasco Athletics (101-53) and the Ranford Bulls (100-54), who finished a close second and third to the defending Pro Cup champion Valmara Vipers, who chalked up a terrific 104 victories to beat back the A's by three games and the Bulls by four... this was the first time in league history three teams in one IPA division all went over the century mark in wins... in the Ruthlandian '49 season Valmara, Sugar Valley and Middlefield did it, but they were in separate divisions.

Valmara ranked near the top in batting and pitching... for the seventh time in the previous nine seasons the Vipers captured the Ruthlandian North, but it was really tough this year... they had to win their last 10 games to overtake the Ranford Bulls... it was a three-way battle most of the season... Valmara and Glasco were rarely more than three games apart... Ranford poured it on in July and August and by September had gained a one-game edge over the Vipers and two games up on the A's... but the Bulls faltered down the stretch and wound up third.

The Vipers topped the IPA with a terrific 2.69 team ERA... led by All-Star Primo Sirak (26-6/2.52), All-Star Darek Polaski (22-14/2.31), Darus Grajek (20-14/2.31), Mark Polaski (16-5/3.10/2 saves) and Kasio Bajek (11-5/2.86/9 saves)... the offense was strong, too, with the likes of newly-acquired 1B Wayman Stetson (.294/36/137/77), who led the Ruthlandian Union with 137 RBIs, second in the IPA to Hillsboro's Ernie Moxley with 147... Denton City foolishly traded Stetson, who was strangely riding the bench for the Redbirds... CF Don Ritchie (.333/6/71/112) had the best BA... followed by RF Boyd Holmes (.319/15/77/76), 2B Jorge Aparicio (.308/8/51/63), LF Tomek Abramczyk (.307/14/66/88) and SS Ken Jensen (.289/10/62/95)... Jensen was the Pro Cup MVP last season.

The Vipers are in a great position to win an unprecented fifth Pro Cup and the third one in a row...especially with Stetson in the lineup... only the Far Mountain Redhawks have managed to win a Pro Cup three straight years... they did it in 2011, 2012 and 2013... Valmara is currently tied with Turon and North Hills for the most Pro Cup crowns... each of them have won four times.

The Glasco Athletics gave it their all, but just came up short this season... they improved from fifth place with an 82-72 record to a 101-53 mark (3 GB)... the A's had the second-best pitching in the IPA, topped only by Valmara... unimpressive journeyman Dylan McCord suddenly blossomed at 35 with a 21-11 record and 3.34 ERA... other top winners were All-Star Benny McDaniel (19-10/2.56) and Pat Meyers (19-15/2.75)... All-Star closer Ken McLin (11-5/1.73/19 saves) led a superb bullpen... Glasco had good power at the plate and were paced by 3B Sean Mayes (.269/45/117/89), SS Ross McFalls (.277/22/91/81), 1B Del Holloway (.290/9/52/90) and 1B John Carlton (.328/21/55/67).

The Ranford Bulls had a great year... first time ever to reach the 100-victory mark... for the second successive season the Bulls came up short... they were a strong second last year with a 97-57 record (3 GB)... no playoffs since '41... one Pro Cup in their history... in 2040... the Bulls had the best attack in the Ruthladian Union with a .286 BA and 827 runs... only East Point in the Tycobbian Union was better with an IPA-leading 902 runs... the Bulls and Valmara had the highest team batting averages in the IPA... Ranford's mound staff was solid, too.

Heading up the Ranford hitters were three All-Star performers: 1B Virgil Belisle (.353/27/81/86), CF Joey Hawkins (.328/25/80/91) and SS Gonzie Spencer (.292/8/59/65)... other productive bats were LF Zach Isom (.328/21/90/95), 2B Don Connell (.276/20/100/87) and RF Rory O'Herlihy (.284/20/87/78)... long-time superstar, twice Golden Arm winner and All-Star Ralph Hawk (24-7/1.94) had another fine season to lead the hurlers... but he got lots of support from Duffy Davidson (23-7/3.31), Neil Martin (20-14/3.96) and Rik De Meester (19-16/4.04)... Martin Futch (11-5/1.77/22 saves) solidified the pen and led the IPA with 22 saves.

The best of the rest of the Ruthlandian North Division were fourth place LaGrange and fifth place Taranto... they were both good teams, but were overswamped by the three powers... The Sports were sixth in '50 with a 79-75 mark (21 GB) and the Tars were fourth with an 83-71 record (17 GB).

LaGrange's team leaders were All-Star hurler Justin Menard (21-12/3.39), 36-year-old veteran and former Golden Arm winner Arnie Ayers (16-14/3.08) and Johnny Stoneham (15-13/3.82)... the Sports had the IPA's top batsman in All-Star CF Andre Chirac (.363/11/86/98)... and help from 5-time All-Star SS John Rodgers (.288/25/97/77).

Taranto is still in the throes of a long-term drought... the Tars haven't graced the Pro Cup playoffs since 2019, but they do possess a Pro Cup (2015)... Taranto has some strong bats... especially All-Star LF Kuma Toyota (.307/54/124/105), who was runner-up in the IPA with 54 roundtrippers... only Hillsboro's Ernie Moxley had more with 57... the Tars were number three in the IPA in homers with 196... beaten only by Hillsboro (218) and Red Bluff (203)... other run providers were All-Star C Ryan Nelms (.264/37/90/81), RF Leo Marchetti (.288/24/85/71), All-Star 3B Phil Wilson (.301/14/76/71) and 2B Eddie Burnett {.290/15/70/74)... Taranto also had some pretty good pitchers with three 20-game winners: Valerio Rossi (21-11/2/47), Armani Pizziconi (21-15/3.18) and Pablo Rivas (20-11/3.79).

The Kilkenny Cats have been to the playoffs only one time in the club's history... that was nine years ago in 2042... they were a little better than .500 this year at 78-76 in sixth place (26 GB)... an average scoring team with pretty good power and average on the hill... the mound leaders are Dewayne Hague (17-7/2.76), vet Dave Stratford (19-17/3.53) and Glen Caswell (16-20/3.35)... best bullpener is Andy Mayfield (5-5/1.98/12 saves)... top guns were 1B Ryan Reagan (.287/34/109/106), RF Les Utley (.250/40/108/81) and LF Michael Murray (.246/25/60/107).

Far Mountain came in seventh for the third year in a row... last pennant came in 2047... the last of three Pro Cup titles came in 2013... Curt Steinhauer (15-15/3.58), rookie Tyler O'Sullivan (13-9/3.12) and Ryan Kolb (12-12/3.50) were the best starting pitchers... Jack McKinney (8-12/2.45/13 saves) was fairly good in the bullpen and made 84 relief appearances... the offense wasn't much to brag about with All-Star C Frank Penn (.299/7/56/81), All-Star SS Mylon Towner (.274/10/69/88) and LF Terry Crawford (.261/23/93/87).

Hapless Ancona was last in the division for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons... no pennants since 2022... and never, ever a Pro Cup... the Red Elephants are just a bad team... the best of the lot, Hali Mikos (14-20/4.09) and Roger Kostas (13-22/4/58), were mediocre to bad as starters... the only reliable bats were 1B Anton Cormier (.327/20/75/59) and CF Zenon Petros (.290/12/60/83).

2051 Ruthlandian North Division Final Standings and Team Statistics

01-21-2015, 09:34 PM	#4542
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,956	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Tuesday, September 19, 2051 VIPERS EDGE A'S AND BULLS IN TORRID SEASON Could it be? ... Win a hundred games and not win the Ruthlandian North?... yeah, and it didn't happen to just one team... it happened to two of them... the Glasco Athletics (101-53) and the Ranford Bulls (100-54), who finished a close second and third to the defending Pro Cup champion Valmara Vipers, who chalked up a terrific 104 victories to beat back the A's by three games and the Bulls by four... this was the first time in league history three teams in one IPA division all went over the century mark in wins... in the Ruthlandian '49 season Valmara, Sugar Valley and Middlefield did it, but they were in separate divisions. Valmara ranked near the top in batting and pitching... for the seventh time in the previous nine seasons the Vipers captured the Ruthlandian North, but it was really tough this year... they had to win their last 10 games to overtake the Ranford Bulls... it was a three-way battle most of the season... Valmara and Glasco were rarely more than three games apart... Ranford poured it on in July and August and by September had gained a one-game edge over the Vipers and two games up on the A's... but the Bulls faltered down the stretch and wound up third. The Vipers topped the IPA with a terrific 2.69 team ERA... led by All-Star Primo Sirak (26-6/2.52), All-Star Darek Polaski (22-14/2.31), Darus Grajek (20-14/2.31), Mark Polaski (16-5/3.10/2 saves) and Kasio Bajek (11-5/2.86/9 saves)... the offense was strong, too, with the likes of newly-acquired 1B Wayman Stetson (.294/36/137/77), who led the Ruthlandian Union with 137 RBIs, second in the IPA to Hillsboro's Ernie Moxley with 147... Denton City foolishly traded Stetson, who was strangely riding the bench for the Redbirds... CF Don Ritchie (.333/6/71/112) had the best BA... followed by RF Boyd Holmes (.319/15/77/76), 2B Jorge Aparicio (.308/8/51/63), LF Tomek Abramczyk (.307/14/66/88) and SS Ken Jensen (.289/10/62/95)... Jensen was the Pro Cup MVP last season. The Vipers are in a great position to win an unprecented fifth Pro Cup and the third one in a row...especially with Stetson in the lineup... only the Far Mountain Redhawks have managed to win a Pro Cup three straight years... they did it in 2011, 2012 and 2013... Valmara is currently tied with Turon and North Hills for the most Pro Cup crowns... each of them have won four times. The Glasco Athletics gave it their all, but just came up short this season... they improved from fifth place with an 82-72 record to a 101-53 mark (3 GB)... the A's had the second-best pitching in the IPA, topped only by Valmara... unimpressive journeyman Dylan McCord suddenly blossomed at 35 with a 21-11 record and 3.34 ERA... other top winners were All-Star Benny McDaniel (19-10/2.56) and Pat Meyers (19-15/2.75)... All-Star closer Ken McLin (11-5/1.73/19 saves) led a superb bullpen... Glasco had good power at the plate and were paced by 3B Sean Mayes (.269/45/117/89), SS Ross McFalls (.277/22/91/81), 1B Del Holloway (.290/9/52/90) and 1B John Carlton (.328/21/55/67). The Ranford Bulls had a great year... first time ever to reach the 100-victory mark... for the second successive season the Bulls came up short... they were a strong second last year with a 97-57 record (3 GB)... no playoffs since '41... one Pro Cup in their history... in 2040... the Bulls had the best attack in the Ruthladian Union with a .286 BA and 827 runs... only East Point in the Tycobbian Union was better with an IPA-leading 902 runs... the Bulls and Valmara had the highest team batting averages in the IPA... Ranford's mound staff was solid, too. Heading up the Ranford hitters were three All-Star performers: 1B Virgil Belisle (.353/27/81/86), CF Joey Hawkins (.328/25/80/91) and SS Gonzie Spencer (.292/8/59/65)... other productive bats were LF Zach Isom (.328/21/90/95), 2B Don Connell (.276/20/100/87) and RF Rory O'Herlihy (.284/20/87/78)... long-time superstar, twice Golden Arm winner and All-Star Ralph Hawk (24-7/1.94) had another fine season to lead the hurlers... but he got lots of support from Duffy Davidson (23-7/3.31), Neil Martin (20-14/3.96) and Rik De Meester (19-16/4.04)... Martin Futch (11-5/1.77/22 saves) solidified the pen and led the IPA with 22 saves. The best of the rest of the Ruthlandian North Division were fourth place LaGrange and fifth place Taranto... they were both good teams, but were overswamped by the three powers... The Sports were sixth in '50 with a 79-75 mark (21 GB) and the Tars were fourth with an 83-71 record (17 GB). LaGrange's team leaders were All-Star hurler Justin Menard (21-12/3.39), 36-year-old veteran and former Golden Arm winner Arnie Ayers (16-14/3.08) and Johnny Stoneham (15-13/3.82)... the Sports had the IPA's top batsman in All-Star CF Andre Chirac (.363/11/86/98)... and help from 5-time All-Star SS John Rodgers (.288/25/97/77). Taranto is still in the throes of a long-term drought... the Tars haven't graced the Pro Cup playoffs since 2019, but they do possess a Pro Cup (2015)... Taranto has some strong bats... especially All-Star LF Kuma Toyota (.307/54/124/105), who was runner-up in the IPA with 54 roundtrippers... only Hillsboro's Ernie Moxley had more with 57... the Tars were number three in the IPA in homers with 196... beaten only by Hillsboro (218) and Red Bluff (203)... other run providers were All-Star C Ryan Nelms (.264/37/90/81), RF Leo Marchetti (.288/24/85/71), All-Star 3B Phil Wilson (.301/14/76/71) and 2B Eddie Burnett {.290/15/70/74)... Taranto also had some pretty good pitchers with three 20-game winners: Valerio Rossi (21-11/2/47), Armani Pizziconi (21-15/3.18) and Pablo Rivas (20-11/3.79). The Kilkenny Cats have been to the playoffs only one time in the club's history... that was nine years ago in 2042... they were a little better than .500 this year at 78-76 in sixth place (26 GB)... an average scoring team with pretty good power and average on the hill... the mound leaders are Dewayne Hague (17-7/2.76), vet Dave Stratford (19-17/3.53) and Glen Caswell (16-20/3.35)... best bullpener is Andy Mayfield (5-5/1.98/12 saves)... top guns were 1B Ryan Reagan (.287/34/109/106), RF Les Utley (.250/40/108/81) and LF Michael Murray (.246/25/60/107). Far Mountain came in seventh for the third year in a row... last pennant came in 2047... the last of three Pro Cup titles came in 2013... Curt Steinhauer (15-15/3.58), rookie Tyler O'Sullivan (13-9/3.12) and Ryan Kolb (12-12/3.50) were the best starting pitchers... Jack McKinney (8-12/2.45/13 saves) was fairly good in the bullpen and made 84 relief appearances... the offense wasn't much to brag about with All-Star C Frank Penn (.299/7/56/81), All-Star SS Mylon Towner (.274/10/69/88) and LF Terry Crawford (.261/23/93/87). Hapless Ancona was last in the division for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons... no pennants since 2022... and never, ever a Pro Cup... the Red Elephants are just a bad team... the best of the lot, Hali Mikos (14-20/4.09) and Roger Kostas (13-22/4/58), were mediocre to bad as starters... the only reliable bats were 1B Anton Cormier (.327/20/75/59) and CF Zenon Petros (.290/12/60/83). 2051 Ruthlandian North Division Final Standings and Team Statistics Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-04-2015 at 06:06 PM.