Monday, November 2, 2066
HALLOWED IPA HALL OF FAME ADDS TWO NEW LEGENDS: ITO AND BUISSON
There are now 107 members of the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame... the lastest additions are Norishige Ito and Lenny Buisson, two of the most outstanding players of the past two decades... Ito starred for the Arroyo Grande Suns and the Midway Wolves from 2047 to 2064 and Buisson excelled for the Belle Plaine Musketeers and the Taranto Tars from 2046 to 2064... Ito and Buisson are the newest members in the IPA Hall of Fame class of 2066.
Norishige Ito had a marvelous 18-year-career in the IPA from 2047 to 2064 in the Tycobbian Union, playing with Arroyo Grande for his first 7 seasons and his last 11 with Midway... he was a 5-time Tycobbian Most Valuable Player ('52, '54, '55, '57, '61)... 9-time All-Star... 6-time Gold Bat ('52, '53, '54, '55, '57, '61)... 3-time Gold Glove... Ito was a star outfielder that sparked the Midway Wolves to the dynastic level... from '53 to '61 the Wolves won 6 pennants and two Pro Cups... they almost won three straight Pro Cups... in '55 they reached the TU Finals, but lost to IPA champion White River... Ito hit .313 lifetime with 654 homers (9th IPA all-time), 1853 RBIs (13th IPA all-time) and scored 1769 runs... he retired in 2064 at age 36... still a good hitter, Ito batted .300 that year with 26 home runs and 70 RBIs... he decided to retire before his playing talents fell off to a level that might be embarrassing to him... Ito also did well in the playoffs, batting .321 in 48 games with 10 homers, 39 RBI and 28 runs.
Right fielder Lenny Buisson is one of the most prolific powerhitter in IPA history... he wound up third in home runs with 734 all-time... only Jerry Culpepper of Bayview (878 HR) and Jack Elliott of High Mesa (848 HR) finished ahead of him... Buisson drove in 1875 runs, 12th-best in IPA history, and scored 1613 runs, while batting .301 in his 19 seasons (2046-2064), playing his first 8 years in Belle Plaine and his final 11 in Taranto in the Ruthlandian Union... Buisson won his only RU Most Valuable Player trophy in 2048... he was a 4-time Golden Bat winner ('48, '52, '53, '57)... 6-time All-Star... Golden Glove winner... and was chosen the Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year in 2047... Buisson got to the postseason twice and excelled both times with a .348 BA in 22 games with 10 homers and 17 RBIs... the Tars advanced to the RU Finals both years in 2054 and 2056...they were defeated by IPA Pro Cup champion Wynnamac in '56... Buisson went out in style with 34 roundtrippers and 95 RBIs his last season at age 38 with a .276 BA.