Friday, October 31, 2064
IPA HONORS TOP SKIPPERS: CHRISTIANSON, SCHIFFMAN
In theory, the best managers get the most out of their players and maybe a little bit more... they motivate them to go beyond themselves and play at another level... however, in reality, they might just have a roster of very talented players... in the case of this year's top skippers in the Islandian Pro Alliance, it might be a little bit of both... the 2064 IPA Managers of the Year are Abe Schiffman of the Claxton Diamonds and Billy Christianson of the Rolling Hills Racers... it's the first time for Schiffman to gain the honor and the record-tying fourth time for Christianson, who is now tied with his grandfather Matty Christianson for the most managerial awards.
2064 Tycobbian Manager of the Year Award
Grandson Billy Christianson is really on a roll... he has won the Tycobbian Manager of the Year trophy for the last four years in a row... an unprecedented achievement... Christianson topped Alex Groveland of the Far Mountain Redhawks, who won the Ruthlandian Union honor three years in a row from 2012 to 2014.
Christianson has captured the Tycobbian West for the last five seasons... his Racers were 95-59 this season... he has skippered Rolling Hills since 2052, slowly building the club into a dominant power, even winning the Pro Cups in 2060 and 2062... Christianson is a Hall of Fame infielder that was inducted in the IPA Hall of Fame in 2049 after a standout career with Rolling Hills and Colchester... he was a 6-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glover with a .302 lifetime batting average... his granddad traded his grandson to the Elites in 2034, but Christianson returned to Rolling Hills in 2039 for his last 5 seasons... he retired in 2044.
Winding up second in the TU top skipper poll was Alain Cheval of the La Claire Lynx, Rolling Hills' chief challenger in the pennant race... Cheval turned the Lynx into a winner this year... they finished in third place 27 games behind the Racers in '63 with a 79-75 mark and improved to 91-63 this season, just 4 games behind Rolling Hills... from 2014 to 2030 Cheval was just a backup infielder in the IPA, batting a poor .245 in 13 seasons with La Claire... Cheval took the reins of the Lynx in 2062 and has done well from the git-go, coming in no worse than third place.
Third place in the TU Manager of the Year balloting was Matt Bell, skipper of the San Alejo Montaneros, who boosted his club up from the fifth spot in the league in '63 to the top spot... Bell was 19 games behind with a 76-78 record a year ago... this season the Monties jumped to 86-68 and won the Tycobbian South race by 7 games... Bell is a renown figure in IPA circles... inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2057 after posting a 391-225 record with a remarkable 2.42 career ERA in 19 season with San Alejo… Bell played 2039 to 2057 and retired at age 37.
2064 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year Award
The 2064 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year went to Abe Schiffman... he took over the Claxton Diamonds in 2057 and slowly, but surely has turned them in a power to be reckoned with... the Diamonds have won the RU South the last two years, upping their record from 85-69 to 97-57 this season... Claxton topped the IPA in victories this season and made shambles of the pennant race, winning handily by 14 games... Schiffman was a solid pitcher for 15 years with the Diamonds, posting a 238-177 mark with a 3.77 ERA... he has molded the current staff into one of the best staffs in IPA history... Claxton captured the IPA Pro Cup this year, polishing off Billy Christianson and Rolling Hills in the Pro Cup Series in a stirring 7-game affair.
The runner-up in the RU Manager of the Year poll was Ranford's Bert Skippman... the Bulls finished a dismal 7th in 2063 with a 68-86 record, 28 games behind in the pennant chase... lo and behold, Skippman worked his magic and Ranford rose up to third place, just 2 games back of RU North champion Valmara Vipers... Skippman never played in the IPA... he played college baseball and then went on to become one of the best collegiate coaches of all-time... Skippman joined the Bulls in 2059.
The third-highest votegetter in the Ruthlandian top manager poll was Don Ritchie of Valmara... this season Ritchie guided the Vipers to their 5th flag in his 8 seasons at the helm... this year his club improved from 6th place in the '63 season, 22 games out in the pennant race to the top spot in the standings, going from 74-80 to 85-69... Ritchie had a solid 16-year career in Valmara in the outfield, batting .289 in over 2000 games... he was a 3-time All-Star and retired in 2056... during his tenure the Vipers won 8 pennants and 3 Pro Cups... Ritchie boasts outstanding IPA credentials.