Tuesday, October 3, 2084
IPA PRO CUP PREVIEW
8 Islandian Pro Alliance division champions are fresh from the thrill of victory and are now beginning their journey in quest of the highly treasured and precious Pro Cup Trophy, the symbol of baseball supremacy in the Islands. To attain this prized goal a team must win three series and a total of 12 victories. Each series is best-of-seven. Last year IPA overall champion, the East Point Panthers, will not get a chance to repeat as Pro Cup titlist. They wound up 7th in the Tycobbian East this year and didn't qualify for the postseason playoffs.
The 2084 IPA Pro Cup playoffs are being touted as having one of the best fields in recent years. Several first-round encounters are being treated with the fervor of the Pro Cup Finals.
According to the baseball sports world this year's triumphant team will be the Belair Beach Sunbirds. They were the top-ranked club according to
The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll. According to the sportscasters and sportswriters any one of 6 teams could take this year's ultimate honor. Most analysts say it is too close to call. Just put the names in a hat and pick one.
THE ISLANDIAN TIMES PRO CUP POLL
1. BELAIR BEACH SUNBIRDS (99-55)
The Sunbirds have a terrific offense and solid pitching. However, defense is questionable. They have appeared in the postseason 11 times and won its only Pro Cup in 2071. Most of the time Belair Beach lost in the first rounds. However, in 2014 they made the Pro Cup Finals and lost a tense 7-game series to the Turon Typhoons.
2. Ozarka Naturals (98-56)
The Nats are making their 17th trip to the postseason. They have never won a Pro Cup, though they made the Pro Cup Finals 5 times years ago (2011, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2020). Ozarka is a good all-around squad, including a good bullpen and good defense.
3. Rolling Hills Racers (93-61)
Perennial power with much postseason success. Many pundits really like the Racers' team this year. No weaknesses. The Thoroughbreds even have good pitching, good bullpen and good defense this season. This will be their 29th appearance. 10 times Rolling Hills has won it all (2029, 2031, 2048, 2060, 2062, 2067, 2069, 2075, 2079, 2081).
4. Hartsdale Hellcats (98-56)
The Cats have made it to the playoffs 18 times in the team's history and they have collected 2 Pro Cups (2046, 2063). Hartsdale has a high-powered attack. They topped the IPA with 230 homers and led the Tycobbian Union with 858 runs, however the mound corps is just average. The Hellcats will have to hit their way to the Pro Cup crown.
5. Turon Typhoons (86-68)
The Typhoons have made many trips to the Pro Cup playoffs over the years with great success. This is the 29th time they have made the playoffs and they have won the IPA Pro Cup on 6 occasions, second best in IPA history. Only Rolling Hills has more. Turon won it in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2018, 2072 and 2078. The Typhoons also reached the Pro Cup Finals and lost 5 times (2010, 2017, 2056, 2070, 2071).
6. Fort Benton Cannons (95-59)
This is a dangerous team. They do a lot of things well. The Cannons are the best defensive team in the IPA. They hit well, score well, but they lack a good bullpen, which is important in the playoffs. Don't be surprised if Fort Benton goes deep into the postseason.
7. LaGrange Gators (86-68)
As you can see by their ranking, the Gators do not impress the baseball pros. Compared to most of the playoff teams, their offense is average, but they do hit a lot of homers. The starters are pretty good and reliable, but the bullpen is weak. LaGrange has never won the Pro Cup and they have never gone deep in the postseason playoffs, usually losing out in the first round. The Gators have won 11 pennants and they have been eliminated 9 times in round one, reaching the second round only twice. Never been to the Pro Cup Series ever.
8. Belle Plaine Musketeers (87-67)
The Musketeers are a great story this year. They were picked to wind up 7th this year in the preseason poll. Nobody in the IPA ever pays any attention to this woefully inept team. Only once in history did Belle Plaine grace the playoffs, 75 years ago in 2009. True to form, the Muskies lost in the first round. 2084 was nothing new -- until July. EC suspects in acute desperation the team called on D'Artagnan, Aramis and Porthos, the real Three Musketeers. EC also suspects in this day and age of fake news, that this rumor may not be entirely true. Anyway, Belle Plaine was 12 games behind Cold Creek on July 1st way down in 6th place. They trailed by 6 games on August 1st. That was when the Musketeers finally managed to reach the .500 mark. By September 1st the Musketeers were just 2 games out of first place. Miraculously Belle Plaine went 52-27 in the second half of the season and wound up winning the Ruthlandian East by 5 games over shocked runners-up Cold Creek and Eastshore. They also bested defending champion and preseason favorite Wynnamac by 6 games. Hollywood screenwriters couldn't haven't written a better story. Now, the fable comes to an end. There is no way Belle Plaine can win the Pro Cup. Nope, not gonna happen. Or is it? Hope I'm wrong. Hope the Musketeers win the whole shebang. Looking at their team, they just might have an outside shot at the Pro Cup prize if they had a better bullpen. The rest of the club is pretty darn good.
2084 Ruthlandian Union Final Leaderboards
