Tycobbian Union Year-End Review and Recollections
RACERS WIN 10TH PENNANT IN A ROW... BLUE CAPS MAKE PLAYOFFS FIRST TIME IN 4 DECADES... RED SOX TOTALLY COLLAPSE... STALLIONS SURPRISE... AND SUN SOX WIN 4TH TITLE IN 5 YEARS
The big story in Tycobbian Union circles was the total collapse of the Red Bluff Red Sox in the TU East... they couldn't lose the pennant, but somehow they managed to do the almost impossible... the Red Sox blew an 8-game lead in just one month and South Fork came out of nowhere and won it... at midseason Red Bluff led by 12 and a half games.
BLUE LAKE EDGES HARTSDALE AND OXFORD IN TU NORTH
After years and years of mediocity Blue Lake (86-68) played steady baseball the whole season and jumped past struggling Hartsdale (9-18) in August and held the Hellcats and defending division champion Oxford off in September for their first pennant since 2030, the season they also won their only Pro Cup... this will just be the Blue Caps fourth postseason playoff appearance... Blue Lake just barely beat the Hellcats (85-69)... the Blue Caps staggered home with an 11-14 mark in September... Hartsdale went 14-12 and almost caught them in the stretch drive... the Hellcats lost the pennant by just one single game... preseason favorite and last year's division champion Oxford played poorly in April and May, caught fire in June, July and August, then dropped to 12-13 when it mattered most in September... the Red Caps finished 4 games behind Blue Lake.
SUN SOX SHINE AGAIN IN TU SOUTH, BUT HOLD OFF FAST-CLOSING TURON IN THE HOME STRETCH
Southport (95-59) took charge of the Tycobbian South in June and built up a substantial 9-game lead by August... they cruised most of the season, bothered only by third place Colchester occasionally, who led the division at the end of April (18-7)... the Sun Sox have won the TU South four times in the past five seasons... overall this will be Southport's 17th postseason appearance... the Sun Sox are going for their 5th Pro Cup trophy... Southport won it in 2044, 2047, 2065 and 2066.
The Turon Typhoons (92-62) labored early in the TU South... in July they trailed Southport by 14 games and they were malingering in fourth place... but the Typhoons came on like gangbusters in the second half of the season, posting a splendid 55-22 record and almost caught the Sun Sox... after a so-so August, Southport rose to the occasion with a 15-10 mark in September to beat back the Turon challenge... the Typhoons were 16-9 in the last month of the season.
Traditional TU South doormat Colchester (83-71) registered its second straight winning season... the Elites rode high in April and topped the division standings (18-7)... they hung close to Southport until August, only 5 games behind, and then folded, winding up in third place and 12 games off the pace.
RED SOX BLOW 8-GAME EDGE IN SEPTEMBER AND LOSE PENNANT TO HARD-CHARGING STALLIONS
If you live in Red Bluff and you are a Red Sox fan, you have to be deep down in the mullygrubs and totally depressed... the Red Sox did the unthinkable and the unforgivable - losing a pennant race that you couldn't possibly lose... 8 games ahead with 25 games to go... how did that happen?... well, South Fork went 17-8 the final month of the season, while Red Bluff could only manage 8 pathetic wins and 17 dismal defeats... that gave the Stallions the pennant by a single, solitary game... the Stallions also raced by the Hillsboro Blazers, too... the Blazers had a shot at the pennant, but could only muster 13 wins and 12 losses in the critical last month of the season... South Fork will be appearing in the postseason playoffs for the 9th time... the Stallions have won the Pro Cup trophy twice in the club's history (2025 and 2042)... South Fork last won the TU South in 2060 and 2063.
10 CONSECUTIVE TU WEST TITLES FOR ROLLING HILLS RACERS
The Rolling Hills Racers are showing some age, but they are still rocking along in the Tycobbian West and they are not yet in rocking chairs or riding off into the sunset... most of the lineup is in the mid 30s, but the Racers are still swinging the bats with great authority and even getting some good solid pitching for a change... Rolling Hills captured its 10th division flag in a row... 21 times they have graced the IPA playoffs... 6 times the Racers have won it all... and they are probably favored to win their 7th Pro Cup this year... but this was not an easy year... the Racers won by 8 games over second place Denton City, but that is a little misleading... it was a much closer race than that... the Redbirds actually led the TU West until July... thereafter they were only 39-38 and the Racers rolled past them with a 50-27 mark in the final three months of the year.
