[Eugene Church]

AROUND THE TOWN IN THE IPA

CRYSTAL LAKE SKIPPERS

Owner: Flood Family Casino Enterprises
GM/Manager: Duncan Welch

Crystal Lake is the largest lake in Ruthlandia, situated in the southeastern corner of the country. The town, Crystal Lake, is located on a spit of land at the southwestern corner of the lake from which it got its name. Crystal Lake is south of Valka and just 25 miles across the lake. Belair Beach, San Dimas and Grand City are also close by. Crystal Lake is a polyglot town of 77,000 people who march to the beat of a different drummer.

Crystal Lake is best known for its liberal politics. Think of San Francisco in the United States for a comparable culture. Environmentalists, Jesus Freaks, Rock 'n' Roll enthusiasts in a fairly free society. Locals claim they are not liberal, they are libertarians. Critics counter that residents aren't libertarians, they are libertines. European tourists compare the town to Amsterdam, but not quite as notoriously liberal.

The lowlands around the town are more properly classified as bogs. Glacial activity 10,000 years ago scooped out what would become Crystal Lake and dumped quite a moraine when retreating, forming the land that was settled in the late 1800's. The area never really did grow population-wise because of the swampy terrain.

That's all changed. Crystal Lake was a planned town and came into being in the early 1920s when John William Flood began developing it. It was intended to be a summer resort getaway for the wealthy to escape the dog days of summer before the invention of air conditioning. It is laid out on a grid with north-south streets given names based on trees in alphabetical order (Aspen, Birch, Cedar...) and east-west streets given numbers (First, Second, Third...) and called avenues. Crystal Lake has always been a footloose and fun-loving town. in the 1920s, during the brief Ruthlandian prohibition experiment, they ran speakeasys and night clubs. In the 1950s, they built casinos. Present day Crystal Lake is a little Las Vegas.

Getting around Crystal Lake is pretty easy to do. The town was built around an electric traction trolley system that takes people everywhere. The town never adapted to the automobile, which is practically prohibited by ordinance today. It is a biker and walking society, that espouses pollution-free air, exercise and health.

The baseball team has been in business in some form for more than 100 years. The original team name was the Crushers. It comes from a 1921 letter from the team owner to his manager on his vision for building the club. John William Flood wrote to the first ballfield manager Andy Capson: "I don't like watching a bunch of dandies or young boys prancing around the basepaths like thieving fools. Bunting is for the birds. I want to see men crush the ball."

Hence, the Crushers were born.

John William Flood IV owns the team now. He changed the team name to Skippers in the 2050s. John William makes his money in the casino business and is rather indifferent about day-to-day baseball operations. Since he's getting up in age, he has been concerned about his legacy. He's been examining the Green Bay Packers business model closely and is seriously considering willing the club to the people of Crystal Lake.

The Floods have always been shady characters. John Williams Flood II was considered a scamp, regularly testing the will of the ABA commissioner in the days of the company leagues. John Williams Flood III was too busy developing real estate to break the rules like his ancestors did. The team has a somewhat unsavory reputation that is no longer deserved because of what happened several generations ago.

The famed Islandian slugger, Herman "Baby" George, the most prolific home run hitter in the annals of Islandian amateur leagues, was the first manager of the Crystal Lake Crushers. When it comes to hitting a baseball, Baby George is "Mr. Baseball" in the Islands. There has never been anyone quite like him. George was a bon vivant and literally in a class by himself. George began as a pitcher and was a very good one, but his hitting prowess soon converted him into a fulltime position player. He holds the all-time career homer mark in the industrial leagues. He turned out to be a pretty darn good manager, too. And the fans love him in Crystal Lake for his savoie-faire attitude.

George retired at age 90 in 2047 and turned the GM and managerial reins over to Duncan Welch, who starred for the Crushers from 2017 to 2029, helping them win 6 pennants and 2 Pro Cups (2020 and 2022). In 20 seasons Welch was a career 350-255 with a terrific 2.78 ERA. He was especially good in the postseason, compiling a superb 17-5 mark with a 2.50 ERA in 27 starts. Welch was elected to the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2056.

The Crystal Lake Crushers amateur and industrial teams played in John William Flood Stadium in the 1920s. The name was shortened to JWF Stadium by the press and the public over the years. A new ballpark, Lakefront Stadium, was built in 1985 by the town council. Five years ago, the town fathers sold the naming rights to the famous entrepreneurial real estate developer, Trump Donaldson. This upset the baseball purists, but after a lengthy court battle, the court ruled against giving Donaldson the naming rights to the ballpark.

Lakefront Stadium is located right at the water's edge on Crystal Lake. Fans get a magnificent view of the lake. On game days, the best way to get to the ball park is by taking The Traction to the stadium or by sailing up to the marina.

The food is typical baseball fare that tries to cater to both tourists and to the whole Earth Day crowd. The hot dog is a foot-long kosher dog served on a dark brown wheat roll. The beers are local microbrews and all claim to be genetically-modified organism free. In his day Baby George was known to enjoy a lot of hot dogs and a few refreshing brews during the games.

Lakefront Stadium (1985)
Capacity: 10,500

Dimensions:

Left Field Line - 340'
Left Field - 370'
Left Center - 405'
Center Field - 400'
Right Center - 381'
Right Field - 370'
Right Field Line - 340'