Saturday, November 18, 2062
RACERS AND CLIPPERS SKIPS NAMED BEST IN IPA
What makes the best managers in the Islandian Pro Alliance?... Does he know how to shrewedly handle people?... Is he a communicator?... Does he handle public relations well?... Does he get along with team management?... Can he walk out of the dugout day-after-day and get the lineup card to the umpires?... can he go out to the mound, politely ask for the ball and graciously slap the pitcher on the butt when he takes him out of a game?... Well, all of that is well and good, but basically, what makes a good manager is good players... as one award-winning skipper put it, "If you got the hosses, hoss... you will will a lot of games."
Well, I guess you could say the Rolling Hills Racers had the hosses... and you could also say that the Elnora Clippers did, too... they both won a bunch of ballgames this year in the Islandian Pro Alliance and their managers were named as the best managers in Island baseball for the year 2062... Rolling Hills' Billy Christianson and Elnora's Stan Kivas were lauded as the top skippers in the Tycobbian and Ruthlandian Unions... it was the second straight season Christianson won the honor.
CHRISTIANSON TOP TYCOBBIAN MANAGER
After a 21-year Hall of Fame career Billy Christianson took charge of Rolling Hills in 2052... his father is the famed IPA manager and superstar amateur pitcher Matty Christianson... after four or five so-so seasons Billy turned the Racers into contenders and they have really thrived the last three years with two Pro Cup trophies... this year Rolling Hills won more ballgames than any other team... they went 102-52 and scampered away with their third consecutive Tycobbian West title... that was good enough for the IPA media to choose him the 2062 Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year.
In spite of this sparkling record, Christianson got some very still competition from Southport's Lorne Evans, who came in a very close second in The Islandian Times poll... Evans, also a Hall of Famer, has enjoyed a wealth of success as skipper of the Sun Sox... the team has won six pennants in his 16 seasons, including a Pro Cup in his first season, 2047... the Sun Sox are almost always a contender in the TU South race... but this was a special year even for Evans... they were fourth in 2061 with an 80-74 record... but this year they shot up to 100-54 and won the division flag... and they almost won a fourth best-manager honor for Evans... he won it in 2047, 2055 and 2058... Evans would have broken the record if he had won this year... he is tied with Matty Christianson of Rolling Hills and Charley Oscar of Southport each with three best-manager awards.
Winding up a distant third in the TU Best Manager balloting was the rookie skipper of the San Alejo Montaneros, Matt Bell... under Bell, the Monties went from sixth place in '61 to second place this year... San Alejo went from 67-87 to 88-66... quite a jump for anybody, especially a freshman manager... Bell is a Hall of Fame pitcher, who starred 21 years for the Montaneros, going 391-225 in his career with a magnificent 2.42 ERA.
KIVAS COPS BEST MANAGER IN RUTHLANDIAN UNION
The 2062 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year Award easily went to Stan Kivas of the Elnora Clippers... under his helm Elnora had a terrific year, improving from 73-81 and fourth place last season to 98-56 and the RU East pennant this season... Kivas was a starter for Elnora, compiling a 237-203 mark with a 3.45 ERA in 16 seasons... three times he was voted an All-Star and once he captured the Golden Arm... that was in 2044... as a rookie reliever in 2033 Kivas helped Elnora win its only IPA Pro Cup.
Benjy Donahue of the Far Mountain Redhawks finished second to Kivas... Donahue was a light-hitting solid first sacker for 12 years with the team... Donahue hit .300 lifetime, but only had 32 homers... he retired in 2057 and took over the club in 2058... this season the Redhawks flourished, going from fourth place to first place in the Ruthlandian North Division... in his five years as Far Mountain skipper, Donahue has always ended up in the top four teams, winning at least 82 games.
Third in the RU best-manager competition was Buster Noland of the Rocky Rapids Snappers... his family has always owned the ballclub... Buster's daddy was Junior Noland, who posted a 169-144 record and 3.46 ERA with the Snappers in his 11 seasons... and his granddad was the famed strikeout and no-hit artist in company league baseball, Ryan Noland... in the family tradition Buster also did very well in the IPA, going 214-155 with a 3.43 ERA in 14 years with Rocky Rapids... he won 20 games four times... made the All-Star team one time in 2048... he retired in 2052... was made manager in '58 and has made slow improvement each year... this year was his best... the Snappers improved from 76-78 to 84-70 this season, winding up third both years... they came in 21 games behind in '61... and just 4 games behind this year.