ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 1, 2090

TYCOBBIAN UNION RECAP

UPSTART RASCALS UPSET HELLCATS IN TU NORTH
The baseball pundits were right on in the Tycobbian North preseason predictions. It was supposed to be a close two-team race between White River and Hartsdale and that's exactly what it was. The Rascals pulled away in August and had a 10-game edge over the Hellcats. White River won out despite a second-half swoon. They defeated Hartsdale by 5 games. Last year's division-winning Oxford was never a factor in the race, winding up in third place and a distant 13 games behind. The Rascals won with rock-solid pitching and a fairly-decent offense. Hartsdale and Oxford could put runs on the scoreboard, but did not possess the same level of pitching as White River. For the last decade the Rascals have been a bad ball club. Their last division crown came in 2081. White River did win their first-ever Pro Cup in 2080. But they did rise from sixth place to third place two years ago and went all the way this year. The general consensus is the Rascals lack offense and will not be able to win the Pro Cup with pitching alone. The Tycobbian Union first round will feature two strong staffs pitted against one another, while the other first-round series will be between high-scoring South Fork and La Claire. White River will open on the road in Summerland and South Fork will travel to play the Lynx in La Claire.

SUMMERLAND SIZZLED IN TU SOUTH AND SWEPT 3RD STRAIGHT TITLE
After winning two photo-finishes in 2088 and 2089, the Summerland Sunsets sizzled and left everyone in their wake this year in the Tycobbian South and swept to their third division flag in a row. An influx of impact newcomers enabled the Sunsets to win 101 games, something they had never done before. It may well be the season the Sunsets will rise up and win a Pro Cup. They made the Pro Cup Finals two years ago and reached the TU Title Round last year. 2090 was a great year for Summerland. They built up a solid 9-game edge by midseason and improved on it in the second half, winning the TU South by 12 games over the Southport Sun Sox. In the preseason poll the baseball experts had picked the Sun Sox to top the Sunsets in a tight race. No other clubs were given any chance at the pennant. Summerland is in the same boat as White River. They both depend on their mound staffs. They both will run into teams that can hit and score runs in the second-round TU Title Series. It will be at that point where they will have to prove their mettle.

SF STALLIONS SURGE IN SEPTEMBER TO SNARE TU EAST FROM TUCKERED-OUT BLUE JAYS
According to the preseason prognostications only two clubs had a shot at the Tycobbian East title. Ozarka was a slight favorite over South Fork. Tuckanarra was a distant rival forecast to finish way back in the third spot in the standings, 10 GB. The Stallions were the reigning division champ and had won three of the last five pennants. However, the Naturals had a good resume, too. The Nats won the TU East in 2082, 2084 and 2088. Now according to the pundits they were going to prevail in a tight race over the Stallions. Ozarka was never in the chase, wallowing in fourth place, 16 GB at the half-season mark. It was the Tuckanarra Blue Jays who provided the competition for South Fork, but not until the second half of the season. The Stallions possessed a comfortable 6-game edge at midway point over the Tucks. The Blue Jays surged in August to take the division lead with a 20-8 record, while the Stallions slumped to 12-13. Going into September, the final month, it was a just a two-team battle between Tuckanarra and South Fork, just one game separating them. The Stallions rose to the occasion with a 15-11 mark. The Tucks fell out of the race with a poor 10-17 in September. The Blue Jays fought hard, but lost out due to the home-run power of the Stallions' attack. South Fork homered 200 times, while Tuckanarra went deep with 147 dingers. Only Red Bluff (210) and Valmara (202) had more roundtrippers than South Fork. The Blue Jays have been an also-ran for more than a decade. They did win the TU East in 2087, but that was an outlier. The Tucks hadn't been to the playoffs since the mid 70s when they won 3 straight TU East titles. Look for South Fork to be a force in the Pro Cup playoffs. They lost to Pro Cup champion Valmara last year in 7 games in the Pro Cup Finals. The Stallions are a potent ballclub with fine hitting, HR-power and good pitching. South Fork will be seeking its 5th Pro Cup Trophy. The last ones came in 2073 and 2077. The Stallions are a hungry team.

LA CLAIRE HOLDS OFF ROLLING HILLS IN 2-TEAM TU WEST TUSSLE
In the Tycobbian West preseason preview the outlook was for just a two-team race between perennial power La Claire and an unlikely rival, Denton City. No one else was given any chance whatsoever. The poll was partly correct. It was just a two-team affair, but between La Claire and Rolling Hills. No one is sure what the baseball analysts saw in Denton City. The Redbirds hadn't been to the postseason for three longsuffering decades. The only positive in the last 10 years was a third-place finish last year. The baseball media thought Denton City was on the rise --- Nope! Didn't Happen! --- The best the Redbirds could do was to stay out of the TU West cellar and end up in seventh place, 31 games behind. However, there was a good pennant race between the late-starting Lynx and the Racers. April and May was not good for either of them. Both of them turned their seasons around in June. From then on it was just the Lynx and the Racers. All of the six other clubs began to fade into oblivion, never to be seen near the top of the standings again. After two months La Claire was just 24-23. The top teams in the early going were Chicopee 27-22, Bay St. Clair 27-23, Kenwood 27-23 and Rolling Hills 27-23. The rest of the season belonged to the La Claire Lynx. They went 74-33 the last four months and staved off Rolling Hills by 4 games. The Racers stayed in the hunt with a 67-37 mark from June to November. It was good --- just not good enough to catch La Claire. It was the Lynx's mound corps that made the difference. La Claire has been at the top of their game the last six seasons with four straight TU West flags, one runner-up spot (3 GB) and one third-place finish (1 GB). The Lynx won the Pro Cup in 2087. It is about time they did it again. La Claire will be prominent in the Pro Cup playoffs this season. It is destined to be a dogfight with reigning Pro Cup king Valmara, Forest City, South Fork, La Claire and Summerland in the spotlight and Belair Beach, Belle Plaine and White River lurking close by in the shadows. Anyone can win the IPA Pro Cup Trophy this year. It is a really good 8-team field.

2090 Tycobbian Union Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

2090 Tycobbian Union Division Champions
Special Thanks to Pepe for the La Claire Lynx logo.
Sorry, don't know who did the White River Rascals.
South Fork was just stolen from the San Francisco 49'ers.
EC did the Summerland Sunsets.

[Eugene Church]

2090 Tycobbian Union Team Batting


2090 Tycobbian Union Team Pitching


2090 Tycobbian Union Team Fielding

[Eugene Church]

2090 Tycobbian Union Batting Leaderboards



2090 Tycobbian Union Pitching Leaderboards

[Eugene Church]

Sorry, been busy doing the radio programs.
Tomorrow I will do the Pro Cup preview.
I'm excited... it look like a very hotly-contested postseason.
All 8 teams have a chance to win the Pro Cup this year.

[Eugene Church]

Sorry for the delay in the Pro Cup Predictions.
6 of the 8 teams have been done... I will do the last 2 on Monday and post the Pro Cup Preview.

[Eugene Church]

Friday, October 6, 2090

IPA PRO CUP PLAYOFFS SET TO GO SATURDAY AFTERNOON
FOREST CITY FAVORED IN RU, SOUTH FORK IN TU
FIREBIRDS WILL WIN IT ALL IN 2090
October is here and all of Islandia is poised and ready to enjoy the ultimate baseball experience beginning this Saturday afternoon at four diamond venues. Get ready! It's Pro Cup time all across the Islands! Come November there will be a new IPA Pro Cup champion. Will it be Valmara, Belair Beach, Belle Plaine, Forest City, White River, Summerland, South Fork or La Claire? Last year's Pro Cup champion, the Valmara Vipers are back again, better-than-ever and ready, willing and able to repeat. In fact, anybody could win the IPA crown this year. There are 8 solid, good all-around contenders. Last year Valmara nabbed the overall title by defeating the South Fork Stallions in a stirring 7-game series.

The opening round features Belair Beach at Forest City and Belle Plaine at Valmara in the Ruthlandian Union. Over in the Tycobbian Union it will be La Claire hosting South Fork and Summerland entertaining White River. All postseason series are best-of-seven. According to the Pro Cup Preview Poll it will be a Forest City-South Fork Pro Cup Series with the Firebirds favored over the Stallions. The Ruthlandian Union has won five of the last six Pro Cup Trophies. Overall the Tycobbian Union has captured the Pro Cup 50 times. The Ruthlandian Union has been IPA champion only on 39 occasions.

2090 IPA PRO CUP PREVIEW POLL by The Islandian Times

1. FOREST CITY FIREBIRDS (106-48)
Won its only Pro Cup in 2068... Firebirds have won RU West three straight years... lost in Union Tittle Series to Pro Cup champ Belle Plaine in 2088 and to Pro Cup winner Valmara last year...powerful offense... strong pitching, starters and bullpen... strong defense... won 106 victories, third-best in IPA history...has everything going for it this season... looks to be a postseason powerhouse!

2. South Fork Stallions (94-60)
Four Pro Cups, last one in 2077... 3 TU East titles in the previous 5 seasons... rock solid club... can hit and score with HR-run power... very good pitching... good defense... lost to Valmara in the Pro Cup Finals last year in 7 games.

3. La Claire Lynx (98-56)
Copped only Pro Cup in 2087... TU West titlists for the last four seasons... picked high in Pro Cup polls last few years, but disappointed... they didn't hit... pitching and defense are strong points... offense is adequate and better this year... to WIN a Pro Cup a team has to HIT and PITCH... the Lynx are improved at the plate this year... yeah buddy, I do declare it just might be another Pro Cup season for La Claire.

4. Summerland Sunsets (101-53)
The Sunsets have been a strong postseason presence in recent years, reaching the TU Title Series last year and the Pro Cup Finals in 2088. Summerland has never won a Pro Cup... weak bats has always hindered their Pro Cup aspirations... the Sunsets have the pitching and defense... they need more offense to win a Pro Cup... on paper this could be "the year" for Summerland.

5. Valmara Vipers (95-59)
Don't let the #5 rating fool you... all 8 playoffs teams are good this year... the defending Pro Cup champion Vipers could easily win back-to-back IPA titles... Valmara just might be better that last year... they can score, hit with power and play good defense... the key will be their pitching staff, which has several newcomers... also several new bats, too... the Vipers have won 5 Pro Cups in its history... just might add #6 this year.

6. White River Rascals (92-62)
It's been a bad decade for the Rascals... for the first time since '80 and '81 they have made the playoffs... White River nabbed its only Pro Cup in 2080... the Rascals have the pitching and defense to win a Pro Cup, but probably don't have the offense.

7. Belle Plaine Musketeers (94-60)
The last 7 years have been the very best in Belle Plaine's plain terrible history with just 5 postseason appearance in 82 seasons... the Musketeers have won 3 RU East flags in the last 4 years... in '88 they won their first-ever Pro Cup... last year they came in second place in the standings... now the Muskies are back again... Belle Plaine has almost everything needed to win a Pro Cup... they can score fairly well, hit with good power, good defense, good starting rotation, all they need is good bullpen work. That will be the key factor to their postseason success.

8. Belair Beach Sunbirds (90-64)
One would think the Sunbirds will be in the Pro Cup fight... they won the RU South 6 times in the last 8 seasons... Belair Beach also prevailed in the Pro Cup twice, in '84 and '86... they had a better attack back then... not so, present day... it will be tough to win the Pro Cup with just a good pitching corps... the Sunbirds only have a few of those players from the Pro Cup years... the outlook is not good for the Sunbirds in this year Pro Cup playoffs.

2090 IPA Pro Cup Outlook:
Forest City will prevail over defending Pro Cup crown bearer Valmara in the RU Title Series... South Fork will get by La Claire for the TU title... the Forest City Firebirds will defeat the South Fork Stallions for the Pro Cup Trophy. All three rounds will be hard-fought and competitive... there should be mostly 6 and 7-game series... all 8 division champions are good ballclubs.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

2090 IPA Postseason Tale of the Tape (Ruthlandian Union, Tycobbian Union)

Best Overall Offense: Forest City, South Fork
Best Starters: Forest City, White River
Best Bullpen: Valmara, La Claire
Best Overall Pitching: Valmara, Summerland
Best Overall Defense: Valmara, Summerland
Most Runs: Forest City 872 runs, South Fork 742 runs
Best BA: Forest City .282 BA, South Fork .268 BA
Most HR: Valmara 202 HR, South Fork 200 HR
Best ERA: Forest City 3.28 ERA, Summerland 2.80 ERA
Fewest HRA: Belair Beach 86 HR, La Claire 72 HR
Most HRA: Valmara 128 HR, White River 113 HR
Most CG: Valmara 29 CG, Summerland 40 CG
Best FA: Belle Plaine .980 FA, Summerland .982 FA
Best ZR: Valmara +47.2, Summerland +48.3
Best DEF: Valmar .719, Summerland .730

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 8, 2090

FIREBIRDS, VIPERS, LYNX, SUNSETS POST OPENING WINS IN IPA FIRST ROUND, ALL AT HOME
Pro Cup favorite Forest City, Valmara, La Claire and Summerland all posted first-round victories in the opening games of the IPA playoffs. In the Ruthlandian Union the Firebirds trimmed Belair Beach 4-2 and the Vipers rallied past Belle Plaine 3-2. In the Tycobbian Union La Claire held off the South Fork Stallions 5-3 and Summerland outscored White River 8-6.

Ruthlandian Union First-Round Game 1 Recaps

Center fielder Clete Ward sparked Forest City past Belair Beach with 3 hits and 3 RBIs. 2 of his hits were two-baggers. His second double broke up a 2-2 tie and pave the way to the 4-2 victory. The Firebirds got solid pitching from starter Matty O'Mara, who held the Sunbirds to one run on 4 hits in his 5 innings. Thomas Tate picked up the win, but he gave up one run in 2 frames. Curt Leininger notched the save with 2 scoreless innings. Reliever Lacy Thome lost it. He was slapped for 2 runs and 5 hits in 3 innings.

Valmara saved the best for last and got a 9th-inning game-winning pinch-hit single from Grisha Ivanoff to skim by the Belle Plaine Musketeers 3-2. Starter Shura Azarin stood out with 5 runless innings. He allowed only 3 hits. Closer Paolo Portocarrera gained the win, tossing 4 innings and giving up 2 unearned scores. Al Doak was pinned with the loss. Tavio Ortega homered for the winners, while Nate Goldsberry went 3 for 5 and drove in a pair of runs in defeat.

Tycobbian Union First-Round Game 1 Recaps

La Claire got the best of South Fork 5-3 at home. The Lynx gained a 5-1 edge at the end of 5 innings and then held off the Stallions. David Glascock, Dennis Culpepper and Rick Wall led the way. Glascock was 1 for 3 and doubled in a pair of scores, Culpepper had 3 hits, including a double and a triple and one RBI and Wall cracked 2 doubles and drove in a run. Will Wilford led South Fork wtih 2 hits and 2 runs batted in. Don Bartels chalked up the victory, working into the 8th frame and allowing 3 runs on 6 hits. Paul Unruh closed it out for him and did not give up a run in his one and two-thirds innings. South Fork starter Owen Frank labored in defeat. He was banged around for 5 runs and 7 hits in 6 innings.

Pitching powers Summerland and White River, not known for a lot of offense, locked up in a scoring fest of sorts with the Sunsets pulling it out 8-6 with 3 runs in the last of the sixth. Pinch hitter Dutch Verlander bashed a 2-run double to put Summerland ahead to stay. In relief Duke Snijder blanked White River the final 3 frames for the save. Neither starter, Paul Pegram for Summerland and Satchell Pike for White River were effective. Pegram got credit for the win, despite giving up 5 runs in 6 innings. Pacing the Sunsets at the plate were Gerrit Maas with 3 hits and 2 RBIs and Marty Getchell with a 2-run two-bagger. Maas homered for Summerland, while Jeff Heimlich went deep for White River. Stallion Roger D'Abboville collected 2 hits and drove in 2 runs and Andre Arcenault added 2 hits and batted in one score.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, October 9, 2090

FOREST CITY AND VALMARA TAKE FIRST TWO GAMES IN RU PLAYOFFS, ALL TEAMS SPLIT IN TU, TIED AT 1-1
The Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs are off and running. After two games Pro Cup favorite Forest City and the reigning Pro Cup king Valmara have jumped off to a 2-0 lead over Belair Beach and Belle Plaine in Ruthlandian Union First Round action. Over in the Tycobbian Union both series are deadlocked at one game each.

Forest City used its fine pitching to whip the Belair Beach Sunbirds 4-1 in the second game of the series. Valmara used its home-run power to outlast the Belle Plaine Musketeers in 12 innings 7-6. South Fork showed its toxic high-powered attack in lashing the La Clair Lynx 13-2. In a one-run squeaker White River nicked the Summerland Sunsets 4-3.

Monday is a travel day. Games will resume in Belair Beach, Belle Plaine, South Fork and White River in the best-of-seven series. Game three will be played Tuesday.

2090 Ruthlandian Union First Round Series - Game 2 Recap

Valmara's Craig Ballantyne and Thomas Tate blanked Belair Beach for 8 innings in route to a 4-1 triumph in the second game of the series. Ballantyne chalked up the victory, stopping the Sunbirds on 2 hits with 6 Ks in his 5 innings. Tate blanked them the next 3 frames. Belair Beach's only run came on a solo shot by Jordi Goodlow in the top of the 9th. Lefty Mays suffered the loss, permitting 2 runs in 6 innings. The Firebirds rapped 12 hits, led by Milt Moncriffe with 3 and Jim Raver with 2. Pinch hitter Bryan Stubbs sent one soaring out of the park in the 5th. Mees Achhoven socked 3 hits to no avail for the Sunbirds and Dion Gallimore chimed in 2 more. Belair Beach did not present much at the plate.

It was a whale of a game at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara. The Vipers led most of the way, then the Musketeers rallied late in the game and took charge. In the 12th Valmara trailed by 2 going into their last at bat, but they pulled it out, escaping with a comeback win 7-6. Victor Rykov tripled in one run, Rutger Kreutzmann tied it up with a single and Howie Dassner won it with a base hit. Keith Tobin homered twice and drove in 3 runs and Dassner had 2 hits and batted in 2 runs. Jean-Paul Lacombe and Claude Mayeux keep the Muskies in the game. Lacombe clouted a 3-run roundtripper and Mayeux plated a pair of runs. Not a lot of pitching to be proud of in the game. The starters were fair, but both bullpens should hang their heads in shame.

2090 Tycobbian Union First Round Series - Game 2 Recap

The South Fork Stallions went on a stampede and trashed the La Claire Lynx 13-2 to even the series at one game apiece. The Stallions smashed 14 hits, paced by Biggy MacLemore with 3 hits and 4 ribbies, Davy Mannington knocked 3 hits and drove in one and Cristian Morales had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Even winning pitcher Dobie Wilbur joined in the bash with 2 runs batted in. MacLemore and Yank Yankovich blasted home runs. Wilbur stood out on the hill, tossing 8 innings and holding La Claire to 2 runs on 8 hits with 4 strikeouts and 3 bases on ball. Lynx starter Shuggie Garsett took it on the chin, pounded for 7 runs in just 4 innings.

White River and Summerland went at it again tooth-and-nail at Sunset Stadium in game two of the best-of-seven series. This time it was the Rascals that came out on top 4-3, putting the winning run on the scoreboard in the 7th frame on Freddie Aaronson's RBI triple. Give credit to the White River bullpen, too. Phil Western and Boogie Mickelson both twirled 2 runless innings to preserve the win that knotted the series at 1-1. Western got the win, while Duke Snijder lost it. Snijder gave up one run in 3 innings of relief. The Rascals got their other runs from Chris Savallas' solo homer, Pete Pettavina's double and Ryo Matayoshi's base hit. Summerland tallied its runs in the 2nd on Boogie Bonham's 2-run two-bagger and Rik De Graaf's solo swat in the 4th frame. Both teams had 7 hits apiece.