Friday, September 23, 2061
8 CLUBS VIE FOR COVETED IPA PRO CUP
It will be a wide-open affair this year in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... 7 clubs will be vying to dethrone the reigning king of the Islandian Pro Alliance, the Rolling Hills Racers... six of the eight division winners will have a chance at going all the way... of course, the Racers will be rockin' and rollin' again and will be tough to beat... two of their challengers are back for another shot at the Racers... they whipped the Wynnamac Sundowners for the Pro Cup trophy last year and the Macs are back again looking for revenge... the Oxford Red Caps should also offer quite a bit of competition, too... they were beaten last year in the opening round in seven games by the Ginza Ninjas, who pushed Rolling Hills to the full seven games in the Tycobbian title series... also add into the mix, several potent teams like the Valmara Vipers and Midway Wolves... these five clubs are the most serious contenders.
Rolling Hills will be trying to win its recording-setting fifth Pro Cup crown... ditto the Valmara Vipers and Turon Typhoons... Wynnamac and Midway are seeking a third IPA title... Volusia and Oxford are going for number two... only St. John has never won a Pro Cup... the baseball experts are predicting a repeat of last year's title series... it looks like it will be Rolling Hills and Wynnamac again.
Pro Cup Preview:
1. Rolling Hills Racers (99-55)
Pro Cup Forecast: The Racers are raring to rack up their second Pro Cup in a row... they will be seeking a record-setting fifth Pro Cup trophy... Rolling Hills was the IPA titlewinner in 2029, 2031, 2048 and 2060... this will be the Racers' thirteenth postseason appearance... and they should be the favorite to win it all this year, too... Rolling Hills has a terrific attack... they batted .300 for the year (1st), scored 894 runs (1st) and socked 153 homers (11th-tied)... and though ranked 15th in the league, their pitching is good enough to get the job done... plus the Racers play excellent defense... however, Rolling Hills has a tough row to hoe... they must get by other potent powers Oxford, Midway, Wynnamac and Valmara to win back-to-back Pro Cups... that is a tall order for anybody... get ready for a battle royal in the IPA playoffs.
2. Wynnamac Sundowners (98-56)
Pro Cup Forecast: The Macs battled hard last year in the Pro Cup Finals and lost in five games, but they just didn't have the offense to counter the Rolling Hills attack... plus the Racers got some fine pitching last year... the Sundowners need help offensively... Snooky Bartels (.366 BA, 35 HR, 114 RBI) and Manny Sendejas (.291 BA, 34 HR, 112 RBI) can't carry the whole load... but Wynnamac is better on the mound this year and may shut down the big guns of the Racers... plus the Macs are a little better offensively this year... they also play very good defense... should they meet in the Pro Cup Finals again, the Sundowners will be a little tougher... the Finals last year were closer than the 4-1 series indicated... in reality, it was not that lopsided.
3. Oxford Red Caps (96-58)
Pro Cup Forecast: The Red Caps are comparable to powerful Rolling Hills... they hit the ball well with power... can put plenty of runs on the scoreboard... and this year Oxford has standout starters, but like Wynnamac, they depends too much on two superstars for offense... last year both Buddy Blackford (.307 BA, 47 HR, 128 RBI) and Showboat Lynn (.283 BA, 46 HR, 116 HR) had poor postseasons and the Red Caps lost in seven games to Ginza... the dynamic duo need to be firing on all cylinders for Oxford to bring home the Pro Cup trophy this season.
4. Midway Wolves (95-59)
Pro Cup Forecast: For the last decade Midway had been one of the primary powers in the Tycobbian Union and the Islandian Pro Alliance, winning six pennants and two Pro Cups (2053, 2054)... and even coming close to a third one in 2055... in their history nine times the Wolves have won the TU East... the Middies have it all, ranking at the top in scoring runs (3rd), hitting homers (4th) and play defense very well with a .980 FA... and they have a very good pitching staff, especially the starting rotation (6th)... the Wolves will be one of the Pro Cup favorites... they are a solid, all-around club... like Wynnamac and Oxford, Midway depends too much on two superstars, Norishigi Ito (.365 BA, 49 HR, 128 RBI) and Daryl Vale (.314 BA, 45 HR, 131 RBI)... the Middies need a boost from a few others in the lineup to be a serious Pro Cup contender... however, they will get a good chance to prove just how good they are in the first round of the IPA playoffs... they will go up against the current Pro Cup champion, the Rolling Hills Racers... that series has all the makings of a barnburner.
5. Valmara Vipers (95-59)
Pro Cup Forecast: The Vipers have a very potent attack and paced the RU in scoring (878 runs) and longballs (198 HR)... pitching is their Achilles' heel... Rolling Hills won the Pro Cup crown last year using the same formula, so perhaps, the Vipers can make a run for the IPA title, too... this will be the 24th postseason appearance for Valmara... they have won four Pro Cups and will get a good shot at number five this year... should they get good, solid pitching, they could do it... but they are many questions marks on the mound staff... this is not likely to happen.
6. St. John Crusaders (89-65)
Pro Cup Forecast: The Crusaders may be a better team than they appear to be... St. John doesn't have an impressive record, but they can score runs, hit with good power, possess a good starting rotation and can play defense very well... sounds like a formula for success in the postseason... the Crusaders have a fair chance of knocking off Valmara in the first round, but that might be the best they can do... St. John is not likely to win its first IPA Pro Cup trophy this year.
7. Volusia Vigilantes (97-57)
Pro Cup Forecast: Volusia won a lot of ballgames this season, but the lack of longball power and average pitching are the main reasons the Vigilantes are not rated to do well in the IPA playoffs... the V's can make good contact and hit for a high average, but they don't produce a lot of runs, like most of the other postseason participants... plus the caliber of playoff talent is at a higher level than the regular season... the hitters are better and the pitchers are, too... don't look for Volusia to whip Wynnamac in round one.
8. Turon Typhoons (87-67)
Pro Cup Forecast: It is not likely Turon will capture its fifth IPA Pro Cup title this year... the Typhoons are just a lackluster team that played in a weak division... they are only fair in scoring runs... don't have any power... but they do have solid starters... it is not likely that Turon will be able to whip powerhouse Oxford in first-round action.