Wednesday, April 1, 2071
IPA PREVIEWS PREDICTABLE... 6 DEFENDING CHAMPS PICKED TO REPEAT
In the new 2071 Islandian Pro Alliance season the winners will just keep right on winning according to the preseason prognostications... 6 of last season's division winners are forecast to rule the baseball diamonds once again... the favorites in the Ruthlandian Union are all the same, Valmara, Belair Beach, Wynnamac and Volusia... favored in the Tycobbian Union are Red Bluff and Rolling Hills... last year's winners White River and Turon missed the cut just by a skosh... they will finish a little bit behind Oxford and Southport... so, in reality, there will not be many new faces in the IPA playoffs come October.
It looks like a three-team race in the Ruthlandian North between Valmara, LaGrange and Taranto with Ranford lurking in the distance... Belair Beach and Valka will duke it out again for the pennant with Crystal Lake, St. John and Claxton hoping and wishing in the distant background... Wynnamac is a big favorite to take the Ruthlandian East... no one is expected be very close... Elnora, Beechwood, Eastshore, Sugar Valley and Marston will bang heads for second place... in the Ruthlandian West, Volusia will have its hands full with Forest Hill and perhaps third place Middlefield and fourth place Stoner.
The division races will be tighter and more contentious in the Tycobbian Union... only Rolling Hills in the Tycobbian West will have an easy time, winning by double digits... Red Bluff is the choice to repeat in the Tycobbian East again this season, but will be challenged by the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats... no one else is forecast to compete with the Red Sox and the Tucks this year... South Fork, Hillsboro and Ozarka will have to wait for the proverbial next year... Oxford is a slim pick in the Tycobbian North... top to bottom this is a dogfight division... the Red Caps could easily be toppled by a bevy of ballclubs... all seven of the remaining clubs could win the pennant... Fairfax, last year's winner White River, Hartsdale, North Hills, Blue Lake, Mahaska and Luxora could surprise... Southport did not win the TU South last year... the Sun Sox were a little out of their normal character, winding up in the third spot in the standings, 11 games off the pace... the pollsters think Southport is back... but so are last year's division champion, the Turon Typhoons... the Sun Sox will also have to fight off the San Alejo Montaneros, too.
The October Pro Cup Series Outlook is for the Rolling Hills Racers to cop the Tycobbian title again and tangle with last year's Pro Cup champion, the Wynnamac Sundowners, the Ruthlandian repeat winner, in the IPA Finals... the Macs will win the showdown... the Racers are getting long in the tooth and can't go on forever... too many players in the late and mid 30s... they will be going on the decline this year.... it started last year.
