Thursday, July 19, 2074
MOST CLUBS OUT OF THE RUNNING IN THE IPA AT MIDYEAR
At midseason only 18 teams in the Islandian Pro Alliance have a pretty good shot at winning the pennant... only 4 divisions have 3 teams still in the hunt for the postseason... only about 25% of the league teams are still in the running... it's still a close battle in the Ruthlandian North between leader and favorite Valmara (53-36), LaGrange (51-38) and perpetual loser Kilkenny (49-40)... Valmara won the division crown last year... over in the Tycobbian Union there are a couple of pretty fair races... in the TU East the surprise is the Hillsboro Blazers (54-35) with a 3-game edge over preseason pick Tuckanarra (51-38)... Pro Cup champ and defending division winner South Fork (48-41) and Red Bluff (47-42) are within striking distance of first place... Hillsboro was rated the 6th best squad in the 8-team division... the only other race with several teams still in the chase is the Tycobbian West... on top is the long-suffering Chicopee Braves (56-33)... it's been over 35 years since the Braves made the playoffs... however, it's still a tight 3-team battle with the preseason favorite Rolling Hills Racers (52-37) and last year's division champ Kenwood (52-37)... the Racers and Wildcats are just 4 games back in the race.
The super achievers so far this season are the Crystal Lake Skippers (59-30) with a 9-game bulge in the RU South over last year's champ and Pro Cup finalist Valka (50-39) and the Oxford Red Caps (62-27) with a gigantic 12-game lead over defending division titlist White River (50-39) in the TU North... the Stoner Silver Sox (55-34) could also be put in this category with a 7-game edge in the RU West... 3 teams are going at it with pennant hopes... Stoner (55-34) is having a fine season with a 7-game margin over Fort Benton ((48-41) and 8 games over third place defending champion Volusia (47-42)... the Summerland Sunsets have also excelled in the Tycobbian South Division by a comfortable margin... the Sunsets are in front by 6 games over runners-up San Alejo (49-40) and Southport (49-40)... and don't count out perennial contender Turon (48-41) just yet... the Typhoons only trail by 7 games.
The only 2-club race is in the Ruthlandian East where this year's top pennant pick, the Wynnamac Sundowners (58-31), are being challenged by the defending champ Eastshore (55-34)... the Macs currently boast only a 3-game lead over the Cotton Kings.
The most disappointing teams are the Forest City Firebirds (41-48) in the RU West... the Firebirds were the choice to win the division this year... at the All-Star break they are in 7th place, 14 games off the pace... the Taranto Tars (44-45) are ranked fifth and 9 games out in the RU North... the Sligo Rovers (43-46) are in 5th place and 12 games behind in the RU West ... the Tars were expected to challenge the Valmara Vipers and the Rovers were supposed to contest in the West.
2074 Ruthlandian Union Midseason Standings and Statistics
2074 Tycobbian Union Midseason Standings and Statistics
