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Eugene Church · 10-12-2018, 10:30 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, June 1, 2058

RAMBLIN' AROUND THE IPA
It's business as usual in the Islandian Pro Alliance after the first two months of play... the teams picked to contend are contending... however, there are a few cinderellas creating some chaos around the circuit... the Volusia Vigilantes (39-18) have bolted out of the blue to the best record in the IPA... the V's are the top team in the Ruthlandian West... another upstart is the Belle Plaine Musketeers (31-26), who are giving Wynnamac (32-25) a tough run in the Ruthlandian East... the Chicopee Braves (35-22) are the darlings of the Tycobbian Union... they are perched in the first place spot in the Tycobbian West race... the Hillsboro Blazers (34-23) are off-and-running this year in the runnerup spot in the Tycobbian East, trailing first place Midway (36-21) by only 2 games... the South Fork Stallions (33-24) are riding high in third place in the Tycobbian East, just 3 games back of the division leader... and the Mahaska Haymakers (31-26) are managing to stay close in the Tycobbian North, only 4 games behind the top team Oxford (35-22).

Ruthlandian Union

TARS AND VIPERS TOP RU NORTH
Looks like a 2-team tangle in the RU North this season... the Taranto Tars (39-18) took the lead this month with a torrid 20-9 mark and are 3 games up on preseason favorite Valmara (36-21) with the Ancona Red Elephants (32-25) and Far Mountain Redhawks (30-27) also in the pennant chase, both with winning records, but trailing by 7 and 9 games respectively... the Tars are getting fine pitching and good hitting with home-run power... the Vipers are in the same boat, a solid, well-rounded club... they top the RU in home runs with 85... while the third place Red Elephants are thriving with a solid mound corps... and the fourth place Redhawks have the pitching to remain in the race the entire season... both Ancona and Far Mountain are short on scoring runs... in the merry month of May, Ancona was 17-12 and Valmara and Far Mountain finished up at 16-13.

3-TEAM RACE IN RU SOUTH
The top 3 clubs in the RU South are first place St. John (34-23), Crystal Lake (32-25) and preseason pick Grand City (27-30)... none stood out in May, but did have winning records... the Crusaders were 15-14, the Skippers and Cybercats 16-13... San Dimas (26-31) is fourth in the standings, but doesn't appear to be a serious pennant contender... St. John has excellent pitching and solid bats... Crystal Lake is pretty good at scoring, but comes up short on the hill... they are lucky to be within 2 games of the Crusaders... it's been a disappointing season for Grand City with its fair-to-middling hitting and pitching... but the Cybercats did have a good May after going a dismal 11-17 in April.

7-TEAM TUSSLE IN RU EAST
It's quite a tussle so far in the RU East with 7 teams within 5 games of each other... except for supposed lightweight Belle Plaine, it's running true-to-form... the preseason choice Wynnamac (32-25) has a 1-game edge over the rising Musketeers (31-26)... the Muskies were 6th and 7th the previous two seasons and picked to be near the bottom again this year... the Pro Cup finalists and current division champion, third place Elnora (29-28), had a lousy 9-19 in April, but tore up the division with a 20-9 chart in May... the Eastshore Cotton Kings (29-28) are in fourth place... and Sugar Valley (28-29), Marston (28-29) and Cold Creek (27-30) are all within striking distance of the top teams... everybody except Elnora was around .500 in May... maybe the All-Stars are ready to take over in the RU East race... the Wynnamac Sundowners are a very balanced squad with very strong pitching and a good offense... statistically Belle Plaine doesn't belong at the top of the division with its poor attack and modest pitching... Elnora has the firepower at the plate, but falters badly on the hill... still it took them a long way last year... they almost won the Pro Cup that way... none of the rest look like they will really be serious contenders this year... the Ruthlandian East will probably come down to just Wynnamac and Elnora.

TRIO BATTLE FOR RU WEST TITLE
The best in the RU West thus far this year has been the high-flying Volusia Vigilantes (39-18)... they sport the best record in the IPA... but apparently the baseball experts saw this on the horizon... the V's were rated the third-best in the division in the preseason poll... but right on their heels and riding hard are the second place Sligo Rovers (38-19) with the second-best mark in the Islands... lurking not far behind in third place is the preseason favorite Middlefield Roosters (35-22)... tied for fourth in the standings are last year's division champ Fort Benton (31-26) and perennial also-ran Colfax (31-26)... the Defenders look like they are ready to defend their title... a poor April (13-15) set them back a bit, but they rebounded with an 18-11 record in May... but they still lost ground and are 8 games off the pace... Volusia was 20-9, Sligo 21-8 and Middlefield 19-10 last month... the Vigilantes are not a flash-in-the-pan... they are for real with superb pitching and some good bats... the Rovers have been bridesmaids the last 5 years and are now primed and poised to finally raise up a Ruthlandian West pennant over their stadium ... they have first-rate pitching... very close to the best in the IPA... but have a lackluster offense... the Middlefield Roosters are hanging tough with their high-powered arsenal and fairly good pitching... they are still a fine ballclub... Fort Benton can hit the ball, but needs to shore up it weak pitching staff... it may not repeat as division champ like last year... the Colfax Blasters had a 17-11 mark in April, but slipped to 14-15 in May... they are most likely to remain a second-division club... but they do score well and have decent pitching... just not good enough to hang with the big boys in the RU West.

Tycobbian Union

RED CAPS, HAWKS TIED FOR 1ST IN TU NORTH
5 teams are closely bunched in the Tycobbian North Division... at the end of May, the Oxford Red Caps (35-22), last year's winner, are deadlocked with the North Hills Hawks (35-22) for first place with the Luxora Zorros (33-24) just 2 games out in the race in third place... the Hartsdale Hellcats (31-26) and the Mahaska Haymakers (31-26) are tied for the fourth spot in the standings... followed by preseason pick, the Fairfax Frogs (28-29) in sixth place... the Z's sizzled in May with a 20-9 record... the Hawks were 19-10 and the Red Caps also posted a good month with 18-11... the Haymakers dipped to 14-15 and the Frogs fell to 13-16.

Oxford has standout hitting with 100 homers, tops in the IPA this season... the Red Caps can score runs and the pitching is just adequate... the Hawks are potent ballclub with very good scoring, but without home-run power, last in the league, but with a sparkling pitching staff, perhaps the best one in the Tycobbian Union... the Zorros can score, hit homers and have decent pitching... the Hellcats are a well-rounded squad with good pitching, good scoring and good power... the Haymakers were selected last in the preseason poll... they are just so-so at the plate and poor on the mound... not a first-division club... not sure how the Frogs were chosen the best team and favored to win the TU North this season... most likely destined to wind up in the second division... Fairfax only has fair pitching and little offense.

TYPHOONS, SUN SOX RUNNING 1-2 IN TU SOUTH
Turon (33-24) has won 5 of the last 6 pennants in the Tycobbian South Division... they are currently 2 games in front of second place Southport (31-26), the preseason choice... the Sun Sox got off to a slow start in April, but shined in May with a 21-8 record, while the Typhoons were 16-13... none of the other teams in the division seemed to be capable of challenging this year... all of them have losing records... the Ginza Ninjas (27-30) are in third place in the standings and trail by 6 games... and San Alejo (26-31) is in the fourth spot, 7 games out.

Turon has a good starting rotation and a very good bullpen... that's the Typhoons' main strength... but the offense is just mediocre... Turon is lucky to play in a weak division... Southport stepped it up in May and played like the team favored to win the division... the Sun Sox do it with sound pitching... the offense is just average at best... should be a 2-team race in the TU South... the Ginza Ninjas have a starting rotation, but little else... San Alejo has fair pitching, good HR power, but doesn't score well... none of the other teams are impressive, but could finish as high as third in a second-rate division.

WOLVES CHALLENGED IN TU EAST
The Midway Wolves (36-21) have a powerful machine... until being upset by a game last year by Red Bluff, they had won 4 straight TU East flags and also taken 2 Pro Cup trophies... this year the forecast was for an easy win again, but it is still a close race after two months... clinging close by are two upstart also-rans, the Hillsboro Blazers (34-23) and the South Fork Stallions (33-24)... the Blazers were 8th last year (66-88)... the Stallions were 6th (70-84)... they are just 2 and 3 games back this year... the reigning Pro Cup champion Red Bluff (29-28) is off to a sluggish start and is 7 games behind the Wolves... Midway was a strong 19-10 in May... Hillsboro was a blistering 20-9... South Fork had a solid 17-12 mark... and the Red Sox were a so-so 15-14.

Midway has the muscle in the batting order... the Wolves possess one of the best attacks in the IPA... and they coupled that with better-than-average pitching... on paper, Hillsboro and South don't come close to Midway, yet they are still in the race... the Blazers have average bats and mediocre pitching... the Stallions have lousy pitching, but do score runs well... last year's division winner, the Red Bluff Red Sox, still can put runs on the scoreboard, but the pitching has deteriorated... still they will probably end up in second place in the TU East... it's not likely they will surprise Midway again... or surprise everybody in Islandia with another Pro Cup trophy... they had a very special season last year... the High Mesa Mustangs (22-35) had a fine season last year, winding up just one and a half games behind in the race...many baseball experts were giving them a lot of support this year, but they have gone on the fritz this season... the Hosses have no offense this year... it was solid last year... and the pitching is pathetic... it was good last year... the Mustangs are wondering what happened?... the folks in East Point (21-36) are wondering, too... the Panthers have been a pretty good ballclub for the last decade, regularly winning 80 games or more, but not this year... the team's offense and mound staff have collapsed... no one is expecting much from the other two clubs in the TU East... it will be long, long seasons for both the Tuckanarra Blue Jays (26-31) and Ozarka Naturals (26-31).

BRAVO BRAVES! ON TOP OF TU WEST!
How long has it been since the Chicopee Braves won the Tycobbian West?... How about 2036?... over two decades ago... for 8 of the last 9 seasons they have been mired in the second-division... only 3 times in the last 19 seasons have the Braves had a winning record... so this is a new experience... today the Braves are the number one team in the TU West and they are the real McCoy... not an early season frontrunner... Chicopee (35-22) has a 3-game edge over the second place Rolling Hills Reds (32-25) and a 4-game margin over the Denton City Redbirds (31-26)... the Reds and Redbirds are perennial powers, both picked to finish higher than Chicopee this season... by a heavy majority the Redbirds were ranked the best team in the TU West in the preseason preview polls... the Reds were the second choice... the Bayview Vikings were the third pick... and the Braves were rated fourth in the balloting... Chicopee has had two good strong months, going 17-11 and 18-11... Rolling Hills slipped to 14-15 in May, while Denton City was just 15-14.

Chicopee is ranked among the top teams in offense (4th) and pitching (3rd)... they are for real... the only negative is they are short on power... Rolling Hills and Denton City are fine teams, too... the Reds are 10th in scoring and 6th in pitching... the Redbirds also have excellent pitching (4th), but are weak at the plate (27th)... the Braves will also have to fend off several other ballclubs... 4th place Arlon (30-27), 5th place Kenwood (29-28) and 6th place Bayview (28-29) are good clubs, too... the Champs were 16-13 in May with the Wildcats a whopping 19-10 and the Vikings a poor 12-17... it should be quite a race in the Tycobbian West... Chicopee looks like it has the stuff to come home a winner this year.

2058 IPA Standings on June 1st

10-12-2018, 10:30 PM	#5990
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,068	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Saturday, June 1, 2058 RAMBLIN' AROUND THE IPA It's business as usual in the Islandian Pro Alliance after the first two months of play... the teams picked to contend are contending... however, there are a few cinderellas creating some chaos around the circuit... the Volusia Vigilantes (39-18) have bolted out of the blue to the best record in the IPA... the V's are the top team in the Ruthlandian West... another upstart is the Belle Plaine Musketeers (31-26), who are giving Wynnamac (32-25) a tough run in the Ruthlandian East... the Chicopee Braves (35-22) are the darlings of the Tycobbian Union... they are perched in the first place spot in the Tycobbian West race... the Hillsboro Blazers (34-23) are off-and-running this year in the runnerup spot in the Tycobbian East, trailing first place Midway (36-21) by only 2 games... the South Fork Stallions (33-24) are riding high in third place in the Tycobbian East, just 3 games back of the division leader... and the Mahaska Haymakers (31-26) are managing to stay close in the Tycobbian North, only 4 games behind the top team Oxford (35-22). Ruthlandian Union TARS AND VIPERS TOP RU NORTH Looks like a 2-team tangle in the RU North this season... the Taranto Tars (39-18) took the lead this month with a torrid 20-9 mark and are 3 games up on preseason favorite Valmara (36-21) with the Ancona Red Elephants (32-25) and Far Mountain Redhawks (30-27) also in the pennant chase, both with winning records, but trailing by 7 and 9 games respectively... the Tars are getting fine pitching and good hitting with home-run power... the Vipers are in the same boat, a solid, well-rounded club... they top the RU in home runs with 85... while the third place Red Elephants are thriving with a solid mound corps... and the fourth place Redhawks have the pitching to remain in the race the entire season... both Ancona and Far Mountain are short on scoring runs... in the merry month of May, Ancona was 17-12 and Valmara and Far Mountain finished up at 16-13. 3-TEAM RACE IN RU SOUTH The top 3 clubs in the RU South are first place St. John (34-23), Crystal Lake (32-25) and preseason pick Grand City (27-30)... none stood out in May, but did have winning records... the Crusaders were 15-14, the Skippers and Cybercats 16-13... San Dimas (26-31) is fourth in the standings, but doesn't appear to be a serious pennant contender... St. John has excellent pitching and solid bats... Crystal Lake is pretty good at scoring, but comes up short on the hill... they are lucky to be within 2 games of the Crusaders... it's been a disappointing season for Grand City with its fair-to-middling hitting and pitching... but the Cybercats did have a good May after going a dismal 11-17 in April. 7-TEAM TUSSLE IN RU EAST It's quite a tussle so far in the RU East with 7 teams within 5 games of each other... except for supposed lightweight Belle Plaine, it's running true-to-form... the preseason choice Wynnamac (32-25) has a 1-game edge over the rising Musketeers (31-26)... the Muskies were 6th and 7th the previous two seasons and picked to be near the bottom again this year... the Pro Cup finalists and current division champion, third place Elnora (29-28), had a lousy 9-19 in April, but tore up the division with a 20-9 chart in May... the Eastshore Cotton Kings (29-28) are in fourth place... and Sugar Valley (28-29), Marston (28-29) and Cold Creek (27-30) are all within striking distance of the top teams... everybody except Elnora was around .500 in May... maybe the All-Stars are ready to take over in the RU East race... the Wynnamac Sundowners are a very balanced squad with very strong pitching and a good offense... statistically Belle Plaine doesn't belong at the top of the division with its poor attack and modest pitching... Elnora has the firepower at the plate, but falters badly on the hill... still it took them a long way last year... they almost won the Pro Cup that way... none of the rest look like they will really be serious contenders this year... the Ruthlandian East will probably come down to just Wynnamac and Elnora. TRIO BATTLE FOR RU WEST TITLE The best in the RU West thus far this year has been the high-flying Volusia Vigilantes (39-18)... they sport the best record in the IPA... but apparently the baseball experts saw this on the horizon... the V's were rated the third-best in the division in the preseason poll... but right on their heels and riding hard are the second place Sligo Rovers (38-19) with the second-best mark in the Islands... lurking not far behind in third place is the preseason favorite Middlefield Roosters (35-22)... tied for fourth in the standings are last year's division champ Fort Benton (31-26) and perennial also-ran Colfax (31-26)... the Defenders look like they are ready to defend their title... a poor April (13-15) set them back a bit, but they rebounded with an 18-11 record in May... but they still lost ground and are 8 games off the pace... Volusia was 20-9, Sligo 21-8 and Middlefield 19-10 last month... the Vigilantes are not a flash-in-the-pan... they are for real with superb pitching and some good bats... the Rovers have been bridesmaids the last 5 years and are now primed and poised to finally raise up a Ruthlandian West pennant over their stadium ... they have first-rate pitching... very close to the best in the IPA... but have a lackluster offense... the Middlefield Roosters are hanging tough with their high-powered arsenal and fairly good pitching... they are still a fine ballclub... Fort Benton can hit the ball, but needs to shore up it weak pitching staff... it may not repeat as division champ like last year... the Colfax Blasters had a 17-11 mark in April, but slipped to 14-15 in May... they are most likely to remain a second-division club... but they do score well and have decent pitching... just not good enough to hang with the big boys in the RU West. Tycobbian Union RED CAPS, HAWKS TIED FOR 1ST IN TU NORTH 5 teams are closely bunched in the Tycobbian North Division... at the end of May, the Oxford Red Caps (35-22), last year's winner, are deadlocked with the North Hills Hawks (35-22) for first place with the Luxora Zorros (33-24) just 2 games out in the race in third place... the Hartsdale Hellcats (31-26) and the Mahaska Haymakers (31-26) are tied for the fourth spot in the standings... followed by preseason pick, the Fairfax Frogs (28-29) in sixth place... the Z's sizzled in May with a 20-9 record... the Hawks were 19-10 and the Red Caps also posted a good month with 18-11... the Haymakers dipped to 14-15 and the Frogs fell to 13-16. Oxford has standout hitting with 100 homers, tops in the IPA this season... the Red Caps can score runs and the pitching is just adequate... the Hawks are potent ballclub with very good scoring, but without home-run power, last in the league, but with a sparkling pitching staff, perhaps the best one in the Tycobbian Union... the Zorros can score, hit homers and have decent pitching... the Hellcats are a well-rounded squad with good pitching, good scoring and good power... the Haymakers were selected last in the preseason poll... they are just so-so at the plate and poor on the mound... not a first-division club... not sure how the Frogs were chosen the best team and favored to win the TU North this season... most likely destined to wind up in the second division... Fairfax only has fair pitching and little offense. TYPHOONS, SUN SOX RUNNING 1-2 IN TU SOUTH Turon (33-24) has won 5 of the last 6 pennants in the Tycobbian South Division... they are currently 2 games in front of second place Southport (31-26), the preseason choice... the Sun Sox got off to a slow start in April, but shined in May with a 21-8 record, while the Typhoons were 16-13... none of the other teams in the division seemed to be capable of challenging this year... all of them have losing records... the Ginza Ninjas (27-30) are in third place in the standings and trail by 6 games... and San Alejo (26-31) is in the fourth spot, 7 games out. Turon has a good starting rotation and a very good bullpen... that's the Typhoons' main strength... but the offense is just mediocre... Turon is lucky to play in a weak division... Southport stepped it up in May and played like the team favored to win the division... the Sun Sox do it with sound pitching... the offense is just average at best... should be a 2-team race in the TU South... the Ginza Ninjas have a starting rotation, but little else... San Alejo has fair pitching, good HR power, but doesn't score well... none of the other teams are impressive, but could finish as high as third in a second-rate division. WOLVES CHALLENGED IN TU EAST The Midway Wolves (36-21) have a powerful machine... until being upset by a game last year by Red Bluff, they had won 4 straight TU East flags and also taken 2 Pro Cup trophies... this year the forecast was for an easy win again, but it is still a close race after two months... clinging close by are two upstart also-rans, the Hillsboro Blazers (34-23) and the South Fork Stallions (33-24)... the Blazers were 8th last year (66-88)... the Stallions were 6th (70-84)... they are just 2 and 3 games back this year... the reigning Pro Cup champion Red Bluff (29-28) is off to a sluggish start and is 7 games behind the Wolves... Midway was a strong 19-10 in May... Hillsboro was a blistering 20-9... South Fork had a solid 17-12 mark... and the Red Sox were a so-so 15-14. Midway has the muscle in the batting order... the Wolves possess one of the best attacks in the IPA... and they coupled that with better-than-average pitching... on paper, Hillsboro and South don't come close to Midway, yet they are still in the race... the Blazers have average bats and mediocre pitching... the Stallions have lousy pitching, but do score runs well... last year's division winner, the Red Bluff Red Sox, still can put runs on the scoreboard, but the pitching has deteriorated... still they will probably end up in second place in the TU East... it's not likely they will surprise Midway again... or surprise everybody in Islandia with another Pro Cup trophy... they had a very special season last year... the High Mesa Mustangs (22-35) had a fine season last year, winding up just one and a half games behind in the race...many baseball experts were giving them a lot of support this year, but they have gone on the fritz this season... the Hosses have no offense this year... it was solid last year... and the pitching is pathetic... it was good last year... the Mustangs are wondering what happened?... the folks in East Point (21-36) are wondering, too... the Panthers have been a pretty good ballclub for the last decade, regularly winning 80 games or more, but not this year... the team's offense and mound staff have collapsed... no one is expecting much from the other two clubs in the TU East... it will be long, long seasons for both the Tuckanarra Blue Jays (26-31) and Ozarka Naturals (26-31). BRAVO BRAVES! ON TOP OF TU WEST! How long has it been since the Chicopee Braves won the Tycobbian West?... How about 2036?... over two decades ago... for 8 of the last 9 seasons they have been mired in the second-division... only 3 times in the last 19 seasons have the Braves had a winning record... so this is a new experience... today the Braves are the number one team in the TU West and they are the real McCoy... not an early season frontrunner... Chicopee (35-22) has a 3-game edge over the second place Rolling Hills Reds (32-25) and a 4-game margin over the Denton City Redbirds (31-26)... the Reds and Redbirds are perennial powers, both picked to finish higher than Chicopee this season... by a heavy majority the Redbirds were ranked the best team in the TU West in the preseason preview polls... the Reds were the second choice... the Bayview Vikings were the third pick... and the Braves were rated fourth in the balloting... Chicopee has had two good strong months, going 17-11 and 18-11... Rolling Hills slipped to 14-15 in May, while Denton City was just 15-14. Chicopee is ranked among the top teams in offense (4th) and pitching (3rd)... they are for real... the only negative is they are short on power... Rolling Hills and Denton City are fine teams, too... the Reds are 10th in scoring and 6th in pitching... the Redbirds also have excellent pitching (4th), but are weak at the plate (27th)... the Braves will also have to fend off several other ballclubs... 4th place Arlon (30-27), 5th place Kenwood (29-28) and 6th place Bayview (28-29) are good clubs, too... the Champs were 16-13 in May with the Wildcats a whopping 19-10 and the Vikings a poor 12-17... it should be quite a race in the Tycobbian West... Chicopee looks like it has the stuff to come home a winner this year. 2058 IPA Standings on June 1st Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 10-12-2018 at 10:47 PM.