TOP SKIPPERS IN THE IPA FOR 2073 HONORED
The top managers get the most out of their players... and maybe a little bit more... those words describe a lot of skippers in the Islandian Pro Alliance... it is hard to narrow it down to just one manager... there were 3 or 4 worthy choices in both the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union... this year the 2073 Manager of the Year Awards went to Matvey Kazak of the Valka Blackhawks and Marty Blake of the White River Rascals.
Ruthlandian Union
Kazak is the 2073 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year and a first-time honoree... he beat out bevy of baseball brains for the award, sparking the Valka Blackhawks to their 2nd straight RU South Division title with a 95-59 mark, taking the pennant by 10 games... Kazak outpolled two other fine skippers and previous Managers of the Year, Don Ritchie of Valmara and Tubby Tarkanian of Volusia... Kazak is fairly unique in IPA managerial circles... he came to Valka from the college ranks in 2068 to revitalize the Blackhawks and he has done just that... Valka reached the IPA Pro Cup Finals this season, but lost to the South Fork Stallions... he never played in the IPA, however Kazak won multiple collegiate titles in a legendary career at Valerian Military Academy in Valka.
Don Ritchie came in second in the best-manager balloting... he has been in charge of the Valmara Vipers since 2057... during his managerial tenure the Vipers have won the RU North crown 10 times, but no Pro Cups... Ritchie was acclaimed the RU Manager of the Year on 2 occasions in 2057 and 2061... this season his Vipers improved from 97-57 to 98-56 and captured the RU North by 8 games... Ritchie was a star center fielder in his playing days for Valmara from 2041 to 2056... he was a 3-time All-Star with a lifetime .289 BA... the Vipers won the IPA Pro Cup 3 times when he was a player.
Tubby Tarkanian is in his 19th year at the helm of the Volusia Vigilantes... he spent 16 years with them as a player... Tarkanian was a good defensive catcher and a modest .262 hitter... he has won the RU West 6 times and was the RU Manager of the Year in 2058 and 2070... the V's have not won a Pro Cup since 2001, but they made the Pro Cup Finals twice under Tarkanian in 2061 and 2062... in 2072 Volusia came in 3rd with a 78-76 record, 17 games behind in the pennant race... Tarkanian led them to the division flag this year with an 89-65 mark, 7 games better the Colfax Black Sox.
Tycobbian Union
It was an equally tough decision in the Tycobbian Union... the 2073 TU Manager of the Year was Marty Blake of the White River Rascals... last year the Rascals wound up in second place in the TU North with an 85-69 record and 9 games behind the division winner Hartsdale... lo and behold White River was 106-48 in 2073 and nabbed the pennant by a whopping 23 games over second place Mahaska... still Blake had a lot of competition from South Fork's Jay Murphy and Turon's Nate Scottsdale... they both made strong cases, too... Blake was one of the most prolific hitters in IPA history in his 23 years in the league, playing for four clubs from 2013 to 2035... Blake spent his first 18 seasons with White River... He was a 3-time Golden Glove first sacker and 7-time All-Star... Blake was voted into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2036... He ranks 6th on the all-time home-run list, 6th in hits, 4th in RBIs, 10th in scoring runs and 14th in walks... Blake took over as skipper in 2066 and quickly made an impact with 4 pennants in his 7 seasons... this is Blake's second TU Manager of the Year trophy... he also won it in 2070... Blake is 79 years young.
South Fork had a marvelous season under Jay Murphy, a former star pitcher for the Stallions... Murphy has piloted the club since 2058 and won 4 TU East titles in that span of time... he has made the Stallions a regular pennant contender... this year Murphy guided South Fork to its 3rd Pro Cup Trophy... this year the Stallions improved from 3rd place and an 83-71 record to the pennant with a 97-57 season... Murphy was the ace of the 2042 Pro Cup title team... he was the Tycobbian Golden Arm winner in 2042 (25-7) and 2044 (28-7)... also captured the Tycobbian MVP in '44... overall his lifetime statistics in his 16 seasons is 250-185 with a fine 3.24 ERA.
Another deserving manager of the year is Nate Scottsdale of the Turon Typhoons, who came in third this season in the Tycobbian top manager voting... this year he lifted up his club from 91-63 to 96-58 and nabbed his 4th TU South crown in a row... the only thing that might have kept his Typhoons from winning back-to-back Pro Cups was the South Fork Stallions in round one of this year's playoffs... South Fork edged Turon three games to two... Nate Scottsdale assumed the managerial reins after a standout career on the mound and immediately turned the team around in his first season 2068... Stocksdale played his entire career in Turon from 2037 to 2056... 8 times in his career he won 20 or more games... he did it 5 times in his final 6 seasons when he was in his late 30s... lifetime he was 362-277 with a 3.44 ERA... Stocksdale made the Hall of Fame in 2057.
