ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by edog23

Eugene, both the Chicopee and Cold Creek posts were great! Like I said, the histories of the teams in this league is the best part of reading this thread in my opinion. I just wish Blue Lake was doing a bit better this season.

Erik

ukhotstove and Splitter24 really did a superb job on those stories. They put me to shame.

ukhotstove also did Denton City, which is very well done and will be coming up soon.

[Eugene Church]

A very special thanks to ukhotstove for a very fine town history.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

Around the Town in the IPA

DENTON CITY REDBIRDS

Owner : The Denton Family Foundation

GM/Manager: Ford Whiteman

Denton City is a town of 64,000 located in south central Tycobbia midway between Chicopee on the west coast and South Fork in the east near the slopes of the Silver Mountains.

Denton City was founded by Douglas Denton, for whom the town is named. Douglas Denton was born in 1832 in Montrose, Scotland. As a young man Denton had heard of a new country called Tycobbia and the stories he had heard made him eager to seek adventure, fame and fortune there.

At the age of 19, he arrived in 1851 by ship by way of the Kelynck Ocean, landing in the Bay of St. Clair. From there he headed south towards what he had been told was mostly virgin territory. He had travelled about 4 days when he reached what he described in his journal as “It was like I had found heaven upon earth, the grass was as green as it was back home in Montrose and the air I had never smelled anything like it - it was so pure and sweet."

Denton built a small log cabin for shelter and began life in his new country as a trapper. He did quite well and prospered over the next few years. Saving the money he got from selling furs in Bay St. Clair, Denton began to buy up land grants around his log cabin. So began the small origins of Denton City.

Denton expanded his business into real estate, renting and selling to trappers and their families. At this point he decided to start the Montrose Trading Company, named after his birthplace in Scotland. The area soon became known as Scotsman’s Fields.

Shortly before his 38th birthday, Denton sold the rights to mining to the McMillan Company. Because of the mining boom, the town grew rapidly with an influx of mining families from all over Tycobbia, Scotland, Ireland and England. Douglas Denton had finally made it. He was now a wealthy man.

Two years later in 1862 Denton met and married his wife Sarah and soon expanded the family with two sons, Greer and Murdock. By now Scotsman's Fields had McMillan Mining and Steel, but also a railway line to link the town with Bay St. Clair to ship out the steel and iron ore.

In 1872 on Denton’s 50th birthday Scotsman's Fields was officially named Denton City in his honor. Denton died in 1890 at the age of 68. He had dedicated his life and his fortune to Denton City. He had built a hospital, library, concert hall and the first ballpark in town.

Just like any other small town in Tycobbia at the time, it had started to follow the new sport of Base Ball. The first team in Denton City was called the Denton Miners due to the fact that the team was fielded by the miners. Many teams would come and go, teams like the Denton 9, The Denton Mutuals, Ball Club of Denton and lastly the Denton City Redbirds. One person who was always there to watch was Douglas Denton who loved the game of Base Ball. Eventually he sponsored and managed a team in the town league. He named the team the Ball Club of Denton.

The Denton City Redbirds name came about because of Sarah Denton. She would spend hours sitting in the fields with her paints and canvas, painting the beautiful scenery around Denton. She also had a passion for painting birds. One of her beautiful paintings of a cardinal was on her husband's office wall. One day a meeting was being held there to decide on a nickname for the Ball Club of Denton. Many names had been discussed, when all of a sudden Huck McKinney, who was shortstop and captain of the club, looked up at Mrs. Denton’s painting on the wall and said “that redbird would sure look pretty on a baseball jersey”.

It wasn’t long before Douglas Denton had a wooden stadium built for the town league. The first stadium was constructed in 1880 and just called the Base Ball Field. But it soon burned down and was had to be rebuilt. This time it had covered bleachers, was built of steel and seated 500 people. Denton named the new stadium McBride Park in honor of Jack McBride, who lost his life trying to put the fire out at the old ballpark.

It wasn’t long before baseball spread across Tycobbia and civic pride in each town raised the competition level. In Denton City they began to combine the local teams into a town team, in essence forming all-star teams. So the Denton Miners joined up with the Denton 9 to become the Denton Red Stockings and the Mutuals and the Ball Club of Denton became the Denton City Redbirds. Eventually all the teams combined as the Denton City Redbirds.

McBride Stadium was expanded several times over the years and finally was replaced in 1971 by a new state-of-the-art facility, funded by McMillan Steel. This time it was named Douglas Denton Stadium in honor of the town's founder and biggest baseball fan.

A day at Douglas Denton Stadium is just good old-fashioned baseball with peanuts, crackerjacks, cokes and hot dogs. And good old-fashioned baseball. The Redbirds GM and GM is Ford Whiteman, one of the best lefties in the industrial leagues. He was prominent in Denton City history for winning so many postseason games. Whiteman was at his best when the game was on the line. He still holds the record for most playoff wins.

Douglas Denton Field (1971)

Capacity: 9,250

Dimensions:

LF Line 335
LF 355
LCF 375
CF 395
RCF 375
RF 355
RF Line 335

[Eugene Church]

EAST POINT PANTHERS

Owner: Silver Mountain Marble Works

GM/Manager: Griff Clarke

East Point is primarily a military town with a population of 84,000 inhabitants. It is a splendid town surrounded and fortified by a ringed wall of white marble, which is found in great abundance in local quarries and pits. The marble business is one of the important elements of the local economy.

East Point is reminiscent of ancient Rome and Athens, but on a much smaller scale. Majestic marble statues and buildings are ever present sights. East Point is on the westside of the Silver Mountains in east central Tycobbia and located right on the Ruthlandian border at Frontier Pass, the only land route connecting the two countries. East Point was established to protect Tycobbia from invasion from the east. Right across the border is Ft. Benton, its Ruthlandian military counterpart.

All branches of the military are headquartered here. Basic training is conducted on the base. It is also the site of the War College, which trains the officer corps at East Point Military Academy. Future officers are educated and trained here. It is also a retirement home and medical facility for veterans. Many military and medical suppliers have their home offices here as well.

East Point is a model town, organized and structured in military fashion. It is a well-designed and well-planned town with perfectly square blocks, all identical in size. All streets run perfect parallel, north to south and east to west. There is a civilian government, but it works closely with the military authorities, who provide boot camp trainees for sanitation purposes. Streets are pristine clean and well-manicured because the military recruits sweep through the town each morning and police the town of any trash, litter and debris.

It is also home to the East Point Panthers Baseball Club of the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Panthers are in the East Division of the Tycobbian Union. The club is owned and operated by the Silver Mountain Marble Works with longtime baseball pro, Griff Clarke, handling the roles of GM and Manager. Clarke has been active for 50 years in amateur and industrial league baseball and has handled the company's team very successfully for the last 35 years.

The Panthers play at ancient and majestic Armed Forces Stadium, named in memory and in honor of the men and women of the Tycobbian Armed Forces. Marble was used extensively in the stadium construction and peripheral facade. Beyond outfield walls there is a breathtaking view of the town in the distance, replete with marble buildings and monuments. Armed Forces Stadium is not a big ballpark dimension-wise. The fans and batters love it because of the high-scoring games, but pitchers dread pitching here.

Music is supplied at the ballpark by the Army, Air Force and Navy bands to inspire the Panther fans and spur their team on to victory. At the seventh inning stretch one of the service anthems is played, followed by the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Food-wise you get soft drinks, beer, hot dogs, hamburgers, peanuts and crackerjacks. Sorry, no "military rations" or "SOS". One doesn't want to rile the troops. No "KP" either!

Armed Forces Stadium (1935)

Capacity: 9500

Dimensions:

LF Line 326
LF 345
LCF 375
CF 388
RCF 375
RF 345
RF Line 326

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

Tycobbian Union League Standings

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

Luxora Up By 2 Games Over Fairfax in TU North
In the Tycobbian Union North Division the Luxora Zorros have a 2-game margin over the runner-up Fairfax Frogs at the league nears the midseason break for the IPA All-Star Game. As in most of the other divisions around the IPA, the original franchises have the edge in the standings so far. Both the Z's and the Frogs have a year under their belts in the IPA as opposed to the expansion teams. The year's experience seems to make a difference.

The famed slugger Alejandro Rodrigo, one of the most prolific home run hitters in the amateur leagues, has led Luxora (42-29) to a first-half lead in the pennant race... Rodrigo has a bunch of bashers that have the highest team batting average in the IPA... The Zorros are hitting .285 (1st)... also have good pitching with a 3.34 ERA (3rd) and good defense with a .979 fielding average (2nd-tied)... Only shortcoming is 47 home runs (6th).

Rodrigo has four .300 hitters in his line-up: LF Pedro Vizquel (.355), CF Lacey Tompkins (.352), 1B Paul Hallenbeck (.333) and rookie RF Cristo Viamonte (.320)... rookie 3B Pancho Santa Cruz (.299) and 1B-3B Rico Vina (.296) are flirting with the .300 mark, too... another rookie 2B Bobby Bayas (.273) has played well... On the hill Tito Tovares (13-3 2.54) has been excellent... other starters include Keith Callahan (8-4 3.59), Eddie Hoffman (7-5 3.37) and Fernando Fernandes (3.-1 2.79)... Luxora's bullpen has been solid as well. The Z's are doing all the right things so far, but they do have some competition.

Manager Harry Buckley has his Fairfax Frogs (40-31) nipping at the Zorros' heels, just 2 games back... pitching has been Buckley's strong point with a 3.17 ERA (2nd)... the Frogs mainstays have been Kaz Hayagawa (10-4 2.79) and Robbie Meredith (8-4 3.38) with help from Fuzzy Olnick (4-4 3.75)... last year's star hurler Takehide Takahashi (2-8 3.52) has not been the same pitcher... Buckley's bullpen has been outstanding with a 2.35 ERA (1st)... middle relievers Ted Ellison (2-0 1.66), Mel Murray (2-0 1.69) and Barrett Carruthers (2-0 2.89) have excelled... Jay Sorensen (1-1 2.50) has 12 saves in his six weeks with the club.

In the offensive department, Fairfax is not the team they were last year, when they were one of the top teams... Buckley has gotten good years from SS Warren Lee (.306), 2B Cecil Parmenter (.294) and CF Billy Echevarria (.280), but last season's big bats RF Gregg Vincent (.239), 3B Stan Cobb (.257) and LF Gator Davis (.243) have not been productive... If the latter trio turns it around in the second half, the Frogs could make shambles of the race.

The first year Mahaska Haymakers (37-34) with manager Rusty Tanussa calling the shots have stayed close to the front-runners and are only 5 games behind... Tanussa has depended on strong pitching with a splendid 3.11 ERA (1st)... his standout starters are Boomerang Hines (9-6 2.69), Tony Lowe (6-2 2.42) and Kolya Andrasko (5-2 3.00)... Pacing his bullpen are closer Dain Abner (0-1 1.50) with 12 saves and Brayden Turner (1-1 1.15).

The Haymaker bats have been sparked by 3B Kris Dragovich (.353), SS Eddy McKinney (.307) and LF Stan Kobzar (.301)... Mahaska is hitting only .259 (3rd) with little long range power... they have hit only 36 homers (8th)... Improvement with the offense would certainly improve its chances to contend with Luxora and Fairfax.

The Oxford Red Caps (34-37) are currently in fourth place in the TU North Division. They pretty much live and die by the longball... Manager Campy Roy's crew tops the division with 62 roundtrippers (1st) and is runner-up with a .260 average (2nd)... Leading the way are 3B Joe Courtney (.290) with 17 homers and 50 RBIs, LF Mack Spenser (.342), RF Austen Conover (.335) and CF Ike Plunkett (.257) with 11 home runs.

On the mound, Roy has only two dependable arms... his standouts are Jim Melanakos (5-3 2.82) and Boomer Belinsky (6-7 3.19)... Overall his rotation has compiled a mediocre 3.84 ERA (4th)... defensively Oxford suffers with a poor .974 fielding percentage (8th)... unless Roy come up with some quality pitchers, it may be tough for the Red Caps to hold on to fourth place and a possible playoff spot. Hopefully June is a good omen for Oxford. They are an impressive 10-3 for the month so far.

It's been another tough season for Manager Zim Donner's charges... His Hartsdale Hellcats (33-38) have been pussycats thus far... they started off with a great 18-11 record in April, but have since come down to earth... The Hellcats are in the middle of the pack statistically and literally... Donner's bunch are in fifth place and are 9 games out of first... They have compiled a .256 batting average (4th) with 41 homers (7th) and a 3.88 ERA mark (5th)... Sub-par defense, too, with a .977 fielding percentage (5th-tied).

Hartsdale's weak offense is led by rookie SS Jud Turchin (.327), RF Emile Djorovich and CF Mac Faulkner (.310) with 10 homers... Donner's stud from last year 3B Whiz Weaver (.231) is having a down year... he had 27 home runs and batted .289 last year.

Not much better in the pitching department for the Hellcats... Only Gene Young (5-2 2.42), Phil Reed (7-7 3.13) and Tal Vaitkus (7-9 3.93) have done the job this season. Donner needs a lot of improvements in a lot of areas to move up in the standings this season... Hartsdale looks like a 5th or 6th place ball club.

Holding down the sixth spot in the TU North are Cobb Tyson's Blue Lake Blue Sox (32-39), who are suffering through a terrible season. It's ironic that Cobb's club is the worst-hitting team in the IPA with a pathetic .239 average... as a player Cobb had the all-time best career batting average in industrial league history with a .367 mark... Cobb recently remarked that even at the age of 50, he could hit .300 in the IPA... The Blue Sox have only 48 roundtrippers (5th), rank near the bottom in pitching with a 3.95 ERA (7th) and have a .977 FA (5th-tied)... Good reasons why Blue Lake trails by 10 games at the All-Star game.

Blue Sox pitchers Bennie West (8-8 3.67) and Jay Clay (5-7 3.77) have been inconsistent, but good at times for Cobb... His one bright spot has been closer Neil Krogstad (3-2 2.95).

What a difference a year can make... Last season Blue Lake finished second, only one game out of first place... But last season CF Donnie Frazier (.236) had 20 homers and a .281 BA, 2B Ken Bennett (.263) hit 25 home runs and a .287 BA, 1B Fred Taranto (.221) collected 20 homers and a .278 BA... Cobb's best batter has been shortstop Cy Orgeron (.316) and that's it... For Blue Lake to get on the right path, it will take wholesale improvements in all aspects of the game... it's not likely... the Blue Sox are destined to a sixth-place finish at best.

The White River Rascals (31-40) under the tutelage of John Randison are seventh in the division standings at midseason... the Rascals are 11 games back, but with not much hope of a higher finish because of its horrific 4.54 ERA (8th)... at the plate 1B Al Joyner (.322) has shined with 18 homers and 42 RBIs... CF George Stoshak (.306) is Randison's only other .300 batter.

White River's top starters are Butch Beaulieu (8-7 3.57) and Stan Effinger (5-5 3.97)... in the bullpen the Rascals have compiled an excellent 3.08 ERA... Ted Tereshinski (5-5 2.58), Denny Cargill (2-0 2.560 and closer Emile Sifko (1-0 3.14 have given a good account of themselves in relief roles.

The North Hills Hawks (30-40) are pulling up the rear in the Tycobbian Union North Division cellar... The only things Hub Carlson has to brag about is his defense... the Hawks are number one with a fine .981 fielding average... and the club's homer run prowess with 60 roundtrippers (2nd-tied)... Carlson doesn't have much to say about an offense that is hitting only .247 (7th) and has compiled a 3.90 ERA (6th).

Carlson, a great southpaw pitcher himself in his day, has pretty scant pickins when it comes to his inept pitching corps... his best starters are Jaybird Jackson (6-5 3.50) and Ben Dewberry (4-8 3.16)... standing out in relief are Aron Bresh (1-1 2.84) and Johnny Bond (0-0 2.08)... North Hills only has a couple of good hitters in RF Trent Gilbert (.322) and CF Roy Stainbrook (.264) with 17 home runs and 43 RBIs... the Hawks with some improvements in pitching and hitting might sneak up as high as fourth, only because five teams in the division are not playing very well.

Luxora and Fairfax are the best teams in the TU North by far... Mahaska looks like the best of the rest and will finish third... Oxford looks like the best bet for the final playoff spot.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

Around the Town in the IPA

EASTSHORE ELEGANTS

Owner: Clark and Vivien Butler of Tara Plantation, Inc.

GM/Manager: Killer Brewster

Eastshore is a town of 85,000 on the southeast coast of Ruthlandia, situated on the Valerian Ocean, just 50 miles east of Crystal Lake. It was settled by emigres from the American South in the 1870s, who were disillusioned by the post Civil War problems. Agriculture has always been the backbone of the Eastshore economy because of the perfect climate for growning cotton. Cotton is king in Eastshore. The port of Eastshore is one of the Islands busiest and is also a vital part of the area's economy.

Southern charm and hospitality are a way of life here in Eastshore. One would think they were in Savannah or Charleston in the United States, instead of a world away. Moonlight, magnolias and mint juleps are still in vogue at the many plantation homes that inundate the farmlands in the area. The "Old South" is alive and well in Eastshore.

But modern day Eastshore is more friendly than formal. Whoever you are, wherever you're from, you'll be welcomed with true Southern hospitality. Hip and historic, robust and refined, Eastshore is where you'll find amazing architecture, spooky cemeteries and rich history, along with global sophistication, funky night life and fabulous food. It's where history resonates into the present day and where memories are still being made.

Like all of the towns in Islandia, Eastshore loves its baseball and has since it first began in the late 1890s. The community has supported town ball, amateur leagues and industrial leagues down through the years and now have a professional team. The proud owners of the IPA Eastshore Elegants are Clark and Vivian Butler, who own the Tara Plantation, one of the largest cotton plantations in Ruthlandia.

Running the Elegants is renowned hard-hitting slugger of the company leagues, Killer Brewster, one of the most prolific home run hitters of all-time. Eastshore will play their games at Kraft Stadium, a modern state-of-the-art stadium built by Kraft Foods in 1996. Since the 1920s Kraft has sponsored teams in company leagues.

Kraft Stadium (1995)

Capacity: 11,575

Dimensions:
Left Field Line 330
Left Field 350
Left Center 375
Center Field 400
Right Center 375
Right Field 350
Right Field Line 330

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

Around the town in the IPA

ELNORA ALL-STARS

Owner/GM: George Costanza

Manager: Zoggy White

Elnora, population 101,000, is a port city at the edge of the Great Plains on the east coast of Ruthlandia near the Valerian Ocean. It is one of the earliest settlements in the Islands. Elnora is the site of grain processing plants, vast wheat fields and shipping docks.

It was the home of the first amateur teams formed by companies and commercial enterprises in the 1920s. Players were given jobs by the companies and then given ample time off to practice their skills and to play games to publicize the companies' wares, services and products to the baseball fans of Ruthlandia.

The Elnora All-Stars are owned by a wealthy eccentric by the name of George Costanza. He made a fortune in reality television with a show "about nothing". Costanza jumped at the chance to get a franchise in the Islandian Pro Alliance and immediately began signing up all of the amateur all-stars and named his team the All-Stars. But IPA commissioner, John Banson, refused to approve the contracts. Costanza had to go through the league draft to get his players.

Elnora plays in the Ruthlandian Union and is in the North Division.

The Elnora All-Stars play at State Fair Park, which is the site of the Ruthlandian State Fair each year. It is the largest midway and carnival in the Islands. State Fair Park is famous for serving great soups, made by the famous Elaine Benes Soup Company. Costanza imported a renowned and sometimes difficult chef from Argentina to manage his concessions. In addition to traditional baseball foods, wonderful soups like mulligatawny, lima bean, turkey chili, crab bisque, cold cucumber, corn and crab chowder are served up at the ballpark. A word of warning, don't ask for bread. The Chef demands that all customers in his restaurant follow his meticulous (and seemingly arbitrary) soup-ordering instructions to the letter, lest they be refused service by his insistent avowal, "No soup for you!"

Costanza did go out and get a great manager for the All-Stars. He hired one of the most successful industrial league manager in Ruthlandian baseball history, Zoggy White. He was only a semi-mediocre outfielder, but really made his mark as a manager. In reference to his success as a player versus his success as a manager, White once said, "Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it." His style of play, which was nicknamed "Whiteyball," concentrates on pitching, speed, and defense to win games rather than home runs. White's baseball philosophy also includes a preference for patient hitters with high on-base percentages.

State Fair Park (1971)

Capacity: 12,500

Dimensions:
LF Line 335
LF 370
LCF 399
CF 415
RCF 399
RF 370
RF Line 335

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Around the Town in the IPA

FAR MOUNTAIN REDHAWKS

Sky High Stadium (1997)

Owner: Johann Becker
GM/Manager: Alex Groveland

Far Mountain, located in northern Ruthlandia in the Appian Mountains, is a very popular year-round ski resort and convention center. A beautiful town of 75,000 founded by immigrants from the German and Swiss Alps, Far Mountain oozes Tyrolian charm and culture. Horse drawn sleighs and buggies provide free public transportation. The rich and famous come here for wonderful ski vacations, to savor the good life and to enjoy the great hotels, nightclubs, shops, restaurants and nightlife. Yet it is priced for every pocketbook. Middle class families also partake of its many pleasures and activities. And with fine convention facilities, Far Mountain plays host to many professional and educational organizations.

And it is the home of the Far Mountain Redhawks baseball team of the Ruthlandian Union. The team is in the North Division and play their games at Sky High Stadium with a magnificent panoramic view of the Appian Mountains in the distance. A specialty at all Redhawks games is a great polka band that furnishes music and songs, whenever there is a break in the game action. During the seventh inning stretch Redhawks supporters have a great time doing the “Chicken Dance” and singing “Take me out to the ballgame” to the accompaniment of the polka band. And fans get to enjoy special culinary treats of Bavarian beers, Nurnberg bratwurst mit sauerkraut (fried sausage with sauerkraut), Schwartzwalder kirschtorte (Black Forest cake) and Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) pastries and hot gourmet soups at the games. Many fine German beers are served in profusion, too. In addition all of the traditional ballpark favorites are provided.

The Far Mountain Redhawks are owned by Johan Becker, whose family has been for 150 years the proprietors of one of the oldest hotels in town, The Bavarian Gasthaus. Becker developed a love for baseball in high school and college and played varsity baseball for both. He met Jock Ewing of Ewing Oil and Ewing Enterprises and developed a business relationship with him to make Far Mountain into a tourist resort. When Ewing offered him one of the franchises in the IPA, Johan quickly invested in it.

For a general manager and field manager, he hired one of the great pitchers of the industrial leagues, Alex Groveland.

Sky High Stadium (1997)

Capacity: 10,444

Dimensions:
LF Line 330
LF 354
LC 380
CF 402
RC 380
RF 354
RF Line 330

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Around the Town in the IPA

FOREST CITY LUMBERJACKS

Owner/GM/Manager: Rob Jackson

Forest City is the capital of Ruthlandia and the second largest town in the Islands with a population of 125,000. The town was settled by a group of American abolitionists from the North and the South, who foresaw the coming Civil War and decided to emigrate to Ruthlandia and Tycobbia and establish countries free from the rigors of slavery and religious intolerance. It was one of the earliest settlements because of the access to timber and its strategic location near the intersection of the Green River and the Silver River in the central part of the country.

The beautiful Green River emanates out of the Appian Mountains in the north near Far Mountain (ski resort), runs south throught Rocky Rapids (lumber, grain and transportation center) in the western foothills and plains, flows through Forest City, then winds its way past agrarian Middlefield and Sugar Valley in the fertile southern lowlands and finally empties into Belair Bay and the Southern Sea at the bayside resort and shipping center, Belair Beach.

The Silver River originates in its namesake, the Silver Mountains, which form the western border of Ruthlandia. It travels eastward through Volusia in the western foothills (silver mining and timber interests) and merges with the Green River at Forest City.

The Ruthlandian capital is an old town with buildings and homes that go back a hundred years or more. It is rare that the town planning commission allows much in the way of a modern building. It is noted for being the seat of the Federal government, for banking, commerce, railroads, steel, advertising, autos, paper and lumber industries...and also the home of the Forest City Lumberjacks.

The club is named for the country's first important industry and is in the Ruthlandian Union in its South Division. The 'Jacks play their games at old and quaint Riverside Stadium (circa 1915), right on the riverbanks with a wonderful view of the Silver River just beyond the left and center field fences. Across the river in the distance the fans can see the main part of town. Hot and freshly fried river catfish is a house speciality at Riverside, along with traditional ballpark fare.

Forest City is owned and operated by Rob Jackson, who is GM and Manager, too. Jackson was a four-letter man in college, excelling in baseball, football, basketball and track. He played many years in the industrial league for one of the biggest banks in the Islands. When his playing days were over, he went to work for the bank, managed its company team, moved up in the bank hierarchy and eventually became its president and chief administrative officer. He then expanded to professional baseball and was one of the prime originators of the Islandian Pro Alliance. He joined with good baseball men like John Banson (IPA creator and commissioner), Manny Earl of the Sugar Valley Rattlers and Rip Calkin of the La Claire Lynx to create the first professional baseball league in the Islands.

Multi-millionaires also were involved and provided the needed finances to establish the league. Men like Jock Ewing of the Waleska Westerners, Brent Steiner of the Bayview Vikings, Jorge Trujillo of the Belair Beach Sunbirds, jazz great, Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles of the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers and rock 'n' roll superstar, Conway Birdie of the Cape Coral Hurricanes.

Riverside Stadium (1915)

Capacity: 14,780

Dimensions:

LF Line 332
LF 360
LC 388
CF 400
RCF 381
RF 350
RF Line 325

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Around the Town in the IPA

FAIRFAX FROGS

Owner: Frog Fashions

GM/Manager: Harry Buckley

Fairfax is a dynamic town of 107,000 on the northshore of beautiful Blue Lake in Central Tycobbia and at the mouth of the Rio Lobo. It is an important river and railway distribution hub for timber and wood products from North Hills and Hartsdale to the north and agricultural products from Mahaska to the west, which are brought by rail and the Appian River. Timber and manufactured goods from Luxora are shipped on the Rio Lobo.

Because of its proximity to the lake, it a tourist haven with hotels lining the peaceful blue waters, which provide sailing , swimming, skiing, fishing and other boating activities and a thriving recreational shipbuilding industry.

Fairfax is also the home of the popular and quite prosperous Frog Fashions, makers of fine men and women's fashions, including bathing suits and swimwear. The Frog logo is featured on all of the company's wearing apparel and is known throughout the Islands.

Frog Fashions is also the owner of the Fairfax Frogs, who play in the Islandian Pro Alliance. The ballclub is a member of the Tycobbian Union's North Division. Fairfax plays its games at the Frog Pond, one of the newest stadiums in the IPA. It is a beautiful, state-of-the-art stadium with a panoramic view of the downtown area over the outfield walls and was built just in time for the 2001 inaugural season.

It is a tradition from industrial and company league days for the Frog fanatics to cheer and urge their team on to victory with this rally chant, led by the team mascot, Jeremiah the Bullfrog:

"Who let the Frogs out?..ribbit...ribbit...ribbit...ribbit.
Who let the Frogs out?..ribbit...ribbit...ribbit...ribbit.
Who let the Frogs out?..ribbit...ribbit...ribbit...ribbit."

Jeremiah the Bullfrog, also leads the fans in singing "Take Me Out to the Frog Pond" during the seventh inning stretch. A Fairfax victory is always celebrated with a rousing chorus of "Joy to the World" when the last out of the game is made.

At the concession booths, the fans can savor ballpark regulars like hot dogs, hamburgers, beer, soft drinks, peanuts and crackerjacks. In addition, refreshing daiquiries of all flavors and concoctions are available.

Harry Buckley is the GM and Manager of the Fairfax Frogs. He is a former company league second baseman and manager. Buckley was a fine hitter and fielder and also stood out as a manager.

The Frog Pond (2001)

Capacity: 11,700

Dimensions:
LF Line 340
LF 375
LCF 400
CF 422
RCF 400
RF 375
RF Line 340

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Around the Town in the IPA

FORT BENTON DEFENDERS

Owner: General Paddy George
GM/Manager: Robbie Brooks

Fort Benton, a military town of 62,000, is located in the rugged west central part of Ruthlandia in the Silver Mountains, which forms the western border of the country. Situated on the only land route into the country, Frontier Pass, and just east of the Tycobbian border town, East Point, Fort Benton is named for the garrison and fort that has protected the nation from invaders from the west down through the years. It is still a military training base and site of the Army College, famed for its military research and tactical innovations.

It is also the home of the Fort Benton Defenders of the Ruthlandian Union West Division, named in honor of the soldiers that have so long defended the nation. The team plays at a quaint old ballpark, Old Fortress Park, where the outfield walls are formed from the original stone walls and watchtowers of the old fort. Every time the home team hits a homer, an honor guard of soldiers fires a cannon shot for every run scored on the home run.

The Defenders are owned, operated and commanded by the former general of the Ruthlandian Armed Forces and lifelong resident of Fort Benton, General Patty George. Defender players are never out of shape or pampered...the General makes certain of that.

The General has his own thoughts about pampering fans, too. He says his philosophy is you come to watch a ballgame, not to eat, drink and be merry. Therefore the concessions are quite soldierly and Spartan at Old Fortress Stadium: hot dogs, cokes, hamburgers, peanuts, Crackerjacks, Baby Ruth candy bars and popcorn. Period. No alcoholic beverages are allowed by the teetotaling General. He doesn’t allow the players to have beards or facial hair, either.

The Ft. Benton Defenders are managed by Robbie Brooks, who also serves as the General Manager. Brooks was the finest fielding third baseman ever produced in Ruthlandian company leagues.

Old Fortress Park

Capacity: 8,500

Dimensions:
LF Line 340
LF 360
LCF 385
CF 420
RCF 385
RF 360
RF Line 340

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Around the Town in the IPA

GINZA NINJAS

Owner: OmniSea, Ltd.

GM/Manager: Huroko Uchiyama

Ginza began as a little fishing village in southeastern Tycobbia, settled by seafaring Japanese immigrants, who came in the 1860s during the Meiji Dynasty, a period of westernization. Today Ginza is a prosperous town of 88,000 with about half of its citizens being Japanese. Both Japanese and English are spoken here.

The name Ginza comes from “silver mint”, which Japanese authorities built in 1612. The modern day Ginza is a fabulous shopping area in Tokyo. The Tycobbian Ginza emulates it namesake, but on a much smaller scale. It is a free trade port and has many importers and exporters at the International Bazaar. Great bargains are in abundance in Ginza. The town also has a thriving fishing fleet and seafood processing industry.

Baseball got a late start in Ginza. The town inhabitants began playing amateur baseball in the 1930s, but soon began to challenge other towns in the sport. OmniSea Marine Processors, the largest employer in town, began sponsoring leagues and invested heavily in the game's development. OmniSea eventually expanded to industrial leagues and now to the Islandian Pro Alliance. They own the Ginza Ninjas of the Tycobbian Union South Division.

Ginza plays at Ninja Stadium, a modern ballpark built in 1998. A game at Ninja Stadium is really special. Most of the fans are quite reserve and quiet, typical Japanese social demeanor. However, in the left field bleachers it is another world...a wild and noisy place. There, the Ninjas have an official cheering section called “oendan” (pronounced “oh-en-dan”), that plays songs, beats drums and gongs, blows trumpets and waves flags. They stand up the entire time, when the Ninjas are at bat and sit down, when the opposition is batting. Fans clap plastic megaphones along with the oendan and sing chants to each Ginza player. Many fans carry umbrellas to the ballgame. Whenever the Ninjas score a run, they also open up all of the umbrellas, their way of telling the opposing pitcher, he is headed for the showers.

In the Lucky Seventh, the traditional seventh-inning stretch, they sing the Ninja fight song and then release hundreds of rocket balloons (jetto fusen). Other unique things about Ninja baseball is the public address announcer is female, the only one in the Islands. You will also see the pitcher bow in reverence to fielders, who make good plays.

At the Ninja Stadium concessions you will find not only traditional baseball fare, but Japanese as well. Ginza fans can enjoy yakisoba (fried noodles), yaketori (BBQ chicken on skewers), takoyaki (fried octopus dumplings) and bento (cold lunch in a wooden box). For the sweet tooth, kakigori (snowballs with flavored syrup and condensed milk), green tea ice cream, sweet potato ice cream, anmitsu (cold fruit dessert) and anpan (sweet bun).

The GM and Manager of the Ginza Ninjas is one of the alltime great players and managers in the Tycobbian amateur and industrial leagues, Huroko Uchiyama. They call him “Mr. Baseball” in Ginza.

Ninja Stadium (1998)

Capacity: 10,667

Dimensions:

LF Line 330
LF 355
LCF 377
CF 400
RCF 372
RF 360
RF Line 335

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Around the Town in the IPA

GLASCO ATHLETICS

Owner: Great Aberdeen Granite Company
GM/Manager: McDuffie Hughes

Glasco is a seaport town of 81,000 on the northwest coast of Ruthlandia, resting on a peninsula jutting out into Valdar Bay. It is known for offshore oil, shipping, shipbuilding, seafood and granite industries. Glasco was settled by Scots and is a prosperous cosmopolitan community.

It is a historical old town with a beautiful skyline with centuries old granite structures, replete with quaint stone bridges and gates and numerous canals and waterways. Granite has been quarried in the area for well over a hundred years. A unique aspect of Glasco is the Heritage Trail, a painted green and blue line (colors taken from the town’s coat of arms) on ancient brick sidewalks that connects all the history of the town and serves as a walking tour. Historical markers retrace all the important events in the town’s history. One can see the past and the present on the Heritage Trail.

Glasco’s gaslight district is known for its premier dining, shopping and entertainment.It is also home of the Glasco Athletics. The A’s have a long history of amateur baseball sponsored many years by the Aberdeen Granite Company. Now the professional ball club is owned by the Great Aberdeen Granite Company and plays in the Ruthlandia Baseball Union North Division of the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Glasco plays at beautiful Athletics Field overlooking scenic Valdar Bay. It is one of the newest parks in the Islands, finished just in time for the 2001 inaugural IPA season. The right field wall is made of solid granite, and the team’s green and blue colors are proudly taken from the town's coat of arms. When the Glasconians take the seventh inning stretch, they begin with kilted Highlanders playing the traditional “Take me out to the ballgame” on bagpipes and end up by singing it all in unison with a wee bit of a Scottish brogue. Traditional ballpark fare and epicurean dishes are served at the concessions stands. Scottish delicacies like haggis (it’s great until you find out what’s in it) and hotch-potch (a sumptuous stew) are offered, along with many fine Scottish ales. And if Scottish dishes are not your cup of tea, traditional baseball foods and drink are provided, too.

McDuffie Hughes is the GM and manager of the Glasco Athletics. He was a fine outfielder for the Aberdeen Granites, one of the premier industrial teams in Ruthlandia. He played for the company, then after his playing days were over, managed the team. And still does, now that they have gone pro.

Athletics Field (2000)

Capacity: 9,500

Dimensions:
LF Line 327
LF 350
LCF 375
CF 405
RCF 370
RF 350
RF Line 330

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Around the Town in the IPA

GRAND CITY CYBERCATS

Owner: Gates Billington, Windows Technologies

GM/Manager: Torry Joseph

Grand City is a town of 128,000 and the largest population-wise in the Islands. It has a very special and very short history. It was the brainchild of multi-millionaire Gates Billington, computer and financial genius. It was his vision to build the "perfectly planned" town. Originally Grand City was called Emerald and was just a small fishing village on the southern coast of Ruthlandia near the Valerian Ocean. It was settled by the Scotch-Irish and English in the early 1800's, who came to get away from religious intolerance.

It remained a sleepy little fishing village until 1990, when Billington bought up all of the real estate and decided to make his dream city come true. He and his entrepreneurial cohorts pooled their money, ideas and plans and made it come to fruition in 5 short years. Grand City went up overnight and soon became the most populous town/city in the Islands and one of the most prosperous.

Billington created a financial and high tech industrial complex. These ambitious business and civic leaders have boosted Grand City into a sophisticated, fastlane cultural metropolis. It is a town of skyscrapers, beautiful boulevards, condos, high rise apartments, all arranged in perfect symmetry. Autos are not permitted in Grand City. Residents must use it highly-advanced public transportation system, walk or ride bicycles. Only service vehicles are permitted on the streets of the city. And in keeping with the town's high tech, modernistic motif, the Grand City Gothams of the Islandian Pro Alliance play in a brand new state-of-the-art stadium, Entergy Park.

Billington is a big-time baseball fan and is the owner of the club. He has more money than he knows what to do with. No expense was spared at this ballpark. Everything is computerized. When you get your order at the concession stands, all the hot food items are hot, all the cold items are cold and you get them served quickly without standing in line very long.

The highly-paid technocrats are really pampered with the best of everything.
You don't miss any of the ballgame at Eutergy Park. Since the Grand City Cybercats have just come into in 2002, they have no amateur and industrial league history, so they have no established traditions.

To insure success on the diamond, Billington hired one of the best baseball minds in the Islands, Tory Joseph. He will be the Cybercats GM and manager. Joseph was a solid hitter and fair catcher in his playing days, who became one of the best industrial league managers.

Entergy Park (2001)

Capacity: 15,000

Dimensions:
LF Line 340
LF 360
LCF 375
CF 400
RCF 375
RF 360
RF Line 340

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

Tycobbian Union South Division Standings

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

San Alejo Dominates TU South
The race is over in the Tycobbian Union South. Manager Lando Peceda's Montaneros have run up a 15-game lead at the halfway point in the season. There is no way any team will catch them this season. The San Alejo Montaneros are far and away the best team in the division. The other teams are just playing for playoff positions and then hope they don't finish fourth and have to play San Alejo.

It looks like a tight battle for the last three playoffs spots between five teams. The Colchester Elites and Summerland Sunsets are deadlocked for second place, 15 games off the pace. The Southport Sun Sox are fourth, 17 games behind with the Ginza Ninjas and Turon Typhoons 18 games out and tied for fifth. Cape Coral is seventh, 23 games back. The Arroyo Grande Suns are even further back and deep in the basement, trailing by 31 games.

The San Alejo Montaneros (52-19) have it all - hitting, pitching, power and defense... The Montaneros are batting .273 (2nd), have an unbelievably low 2.76 ERA (1st), have belted 70 homers (1st) and are fielding .981 (2nd).

Skipper Lando Peceda has excellent pitching with starters Ernie Arredondo (13-3 2.06), tied for the most wins in the IPA, Jaime Serrano (10-5 3.08), Alberto Herrera (6-1 1.84) and Vitorio Velarde (4-3 2.38)... Closer Tino Elardo (1-0 2.50) has 11 saves... and Gilberto De Paz (6-1 2.73) has done a fine job in middle relief... San Alejo has nothing but good pitchers.

The Montaneros hit well, too... SS Erico Pilar (.356) tops the list, followed by C Edmundo Franquez (.338) and LF Bernie Valente (.298)... supplying the power are RF Marcelino Zunigo (.290) with 13 homers and 52 RBIs, 3B Paolo Huerta (.286) 12 home runs and 53 RBIs and 1B Rodger Wooten (.268) with 12 homers and 36 RBIs.

Uncle Robbie Wilbertson pilots the Colchester Elites (37-34)... the club's strong point is its hitting... The Elites have compiled a .270 batting average (3rd) with 52 roundtrippers (3rd)... Wilbertson has three .300 hitters in 1B Harlan Roscoe (.321), 2B Leland Curtis (.313) and C Joey Siegfried (.304)... 3B Niles Stanton (.271) has socked 15 home runs and driven in 51 runs.

Colchester suffers on the mound except for three good starters... The Elites have split 2-2 with San Alejo this year because of Dickie Pendarvis (10-4 2.22), Barry Henry (8-4 2.63) and Jim Danza (5-1 2.29)... when Uncle Robbie has to go to the bullpen his task gets much tougher... a second or third place finish is predicted for the Colchester Elites... they are presently tied with Summerland for the runner-up spot in the TU South.

The Summerland Sunsets (37-34) under the guidance of manager Will Hackett are very similar to Colchester, but may have better overall pitching and much better defense... The Sunsets carry a .265 BA (4th) with 49 homers (6th), 3.59 ERA (3rd) and have a strong .982 fielding percentage (1st).

In his starting rotation, Hackett can call on Paul Felker (6-2 3.31), Duncan Cade (6-4 3.53), Bill Taft (5-2 2.92) and Byron Hastings (8-9 3.29)... Closer Pete Van Dijk (1-2 1.25) has 12 saves and just doesn't give up runs... Even Summerland's middle relief is decent.

The Sunsets attack is paced by RF Stacey Zacker (.309) with 15 home runs, 51 RBIs and 49 runs scored... LF Dennis Alsup (.339) and SS Tommy Westerfeldt (.269) with 27 RBIs, 51 runs scored and 14 SB have also made contributions. Our prediction for Summerland is second or third.

Rounding out the first division in the fourth spot are the Southport Sun Sox (35-36) of manager Charley Oscar... The Sun Sox live and die with its mound corps... the team ERA is an impressive 3.19 (2nd) with a fine group of starters in Walt Corbin (7-7 2.63), Chris Cahill (4-4 2.57), Johnny Ballard (8-9 3.28) and Seth Osmer (3-4 2.03)... However, Oscar's club suffers when he has to go to the bullpen... Southport also suffers on defense with a so-so .975 fielding percentage (5th-tied).

The Sun Sox are batting only .252 (6th), but have 50 homers (5th)... 1B Pat Mystryk (.278) has 7 home runs and 39 runs batted in on the year... LF Angelo Lombardi (.275) has 8 with 34 RBIs... Southport's top average belongs to C Alex Fourroux (.298)... Oscar's pitching should get him a fourth place finish and a spot in the playoffs by season's end.

Last year's finalist in the Islandian Pro Cup Series was the Ginza Ninjas (34-37), losing to the Volusia Vigilantes in a four-game sweep... The Ninjas have started off slow again this year and are tied for fifth in the TU South with Turon... Manager Huroko Uchiyama fields the top hitting team in the division with a standout .276 average (1st), but lacking power with only 40 home runs (8th)... and by contrast Ginza's ERA is a lousy 4.55 (7th)...the Ninjas are not great with the glove, either... with a .975 FA (5th-tied).

Ginza's top run-maker is 1B Kenshin Yamamoto (.285) with 8 homers and 43 RBI... Uchiyama can also put four .300 hitters in his line-up: OF Ronnie Cahill (.395), 3B Troy Connolly (.317), OF Charlie Campbell (.316) and OF Nick Winters (.307).

On the hill, the Ninjas have decent starters in Ken Conner (10-5 4.28), Toshiharu Ito (9-5 3.50) and Kojiro Matsumoto 7-6 4.69)... this year they are getting by because of the strong hitting support... All three are down considerably in ERA from last year... 2001 records: Conner (15-8 2.63), Ito (17-8 2.74), Matsumoto (19-11 3.00)... Uchiyama has nothing in the bullpen... fifth or sixth may be the best Ginza can do this year.

Manager Ashton "Whitey" Richburn heads up the Turon Typhoons (34-37) and has them in a tie for fifth... the Typhoons main strength is on the mound with starters Scotty Boswell (6-6 2.94), Jacques Lemaire (6-8 3.18), Keir McNamara (4-4 3.59) and Jeb Pickett (4-3 3.59)... but recent additions to the relief corps has also strengthened them... which may make them a very strong contender for second place as well... Turon is 18 games behind San Alejo, but only 3 games behind Colchester and Summerland, the second place teams... The Typhoons have a 3.82 team ERA (5th), but that is misleading... the present crop of pitchers are much better than that... new closer Mac Yokum (2-3 2.66) has solidified that position with 9 saves in his five weeks with the club.

Batting-wise Richburn's crew is hitting .256 (5th) with 51 roundtrippers (4th)... top hitters are 1B Boots Dubois (.309) with 5 homers, 36 RBIs, 46 runs and 9 stolen bases... and C Trace Crittenden (.288) with 7 home runs and 50 RBIs... Things are looking up the Turon Typhoons for the final half of the season.

This has been a terrible year for the Cape Coral Hurricanes (29-42) and manager Huggy Miller... They are in seventh place and 23 games back, but only 6 games out of fourth place... the top four teams in each division will make the playoffs... the 'Canes have a .251 BA (7th), 3.96 ERA (6th), have hit only 45 homers (7th) and are fielding .979 (3rd).

Miller's starting foursome are Cody Burg (3-3 2.91), Wally Robinson (5-7 3.50), Tommy Archer (5-6 3.82) and Jeff Salow (3.99)... they have been competent and fairly dependable, but Cape Coral's relievers have been bad... if the Hurricanes don't get help in the bullpen, they will be stuck in seventh place this season.

Cape Coral doesn't have much to brag about at the plate, either... Miller's best are just adequate... the Hurrricanes do not have any star players... 2B Hoshi Sato (.258) has 40 RBIs and 12 homers to lead the offense with some help from rookie CF Edmundo Montano (.314), and infielders Kenny Hall (.301) and Bobo Hatfield (.305).

The inept Arroyo Grande Suns (21-50) are last in hitting with a minuscule .237 BA, last with a humongous 5.63 ERA and last with a miserable .966 FA... No surprise the Suns are also in last place in the Tycobbian Union South Division.

However, there is one bright spot for manager Jean-Luc Marchand - Arroyo Grande is second with 68 home runs... sparked by CF Dante Brunet (.255) with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs and LF Robby Wells (.260) with 12 roundtrippers and 36 runs batted in.

The Suns only have two pitchers under a 5.00 ERA... starter Marty Patino is 3-3 with a 3.78 ERA and closer Vince Loggia is 0-0 in 21 appearances with a 3.24 ERA. Suffice to say Arroyo Grande will finish last this year... and probably for years to come.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 15, 2002

South Fork and Tuckanarra 1-2 in Tight TU East
From top to bottom in the "homer happy" Tycobbian Union East Division only 9 games separate 7 of the teams. At the All-Star break the South Fork Stallions have a scant 2-game lead over the second place Tucknarra Blue Jays. East Point and High Mesa are third, just 5 games off the pace with Ozarka and Red Bluff fifth, trailing by 7 games. The Midway Wolves are 9 games behind in the seventh spot and the Hillsboro Blazers are in last place, 16 games back. The TU East has the smallest ballparks in the IPA and the balls fly out with great regularity.

The well-rounded South Fork Stallions (43-28) are managed by Deroche "Lips" Leon. His club is batting a solid .273 (4th) with 63 home runs (6th-tied), has a strong pitching staff with a 3.21 ERA (1st) and a good .979 fielding percentage (3rd-tied).

Flint Battle (11-6 3.51) leads the Stallion staff in victories, followed by Vince Bernini (8-8 2.08) and Glenn Turnbull (5-2 3.58)... South Fork has solid relievers, too... Leon's top hitters are 1B Keith Burke (.303) with 11 homers and 37 RBIs, CF Ronnie Lee (.301) with 7 home runs, 43 runs scored, 33 RBIs and 16 SB, 3B Glenn Holliday (.268) with 16 roundtrippers and 46 runs batted in, LF Art Atkins (.290) with 7 homers and CF Lyle Lindsey (.288). It looks the Stallions and the Tuckanarra Blue Jays will be the main contenders for the division crown because of superior pitching.

At the helm of the Tucknarra Blue Jays (41-30) is Carlton "Lefty" Stevens, who starred for many years in the industrial leagues... The Blue Jays have put up an outstanding .278 BA (2nd), 73 homers (4th) with a 3.43 ERA (3rd), which is commendable in this hitters' division. Stevens has put together a good pitching corps with Coorain Janama (12-4 2.83), Niles Applewhite (8-3 3.51) and Leland Akana (5-6 3.27), but it is the Blue Jays batters, who are the team's lifeblood... LF Corey Tavington (.355) is all-star caliber with 11 homers, 53 RBIs and has scored 51 times... Other contributors include C Clint Hardesty (.322) with 6 home runs and 38 RBIs, SS Donnie Allgood (.322) 7 homers and 24 RBIs, 2B Owen MacArthur (.301) with 5 homers and 52 runs scored and RF Monty Draycott (.280) with 18 roundtrippers, 49 runs batted in and has scored 52 times... 1B Charley Schofied (.276) has chipped with 9 home runs and 35 RBIs... Stevens needs help in the bullpen, but thus far, his hitting is keeping the Blue Jays at the top of the standings.

High-scoring East Point and High Mesa are in a dead heat for third place in the TU East and are 5 games behind South Fork. The secret of success for the East Point Panthers (38-33) is power hitting... Griff Clarke's club tops the IPA with 93 home runs, paced by 2B Karol Zodoka (.337) with 21 homers and 67 RBIs, 3B Rex Sokolov (.266) with 19 roundtrippers and 51 RBIs, LF Tom Drenner (.288) with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs, CF Bobby Joseph (.321), RF Travis Buchanan (.302) and SS John Cottrell (.290) with 9 home runs... East Point has an out-of-sight 4.65 ERA (8th), but carries a .276 (3rd) batting average and a .978 fielding average (5th-tied).

On the mound the Panthers pitching takes a pounding because of the short fences, but skipper Clarke gets good work out of starters Jack Black (9-5 4.17) and Charley Hale (7-5 3.92)... in the bullpen his closer Bill Glasscock (5-3 2.87) is a standout with 8 saves... East Point could finish anywhere from third to sixth this year.

The High Mesa Cowboys (38-33) hit even better than East Point with a .282 team batting average (1st) with 87 roundtrippers (2nd) and pitch a little better with a 4.31 ERA (7th)... defensively the Cowboys have a .978 fielding average (5th-tied), the same as the Panthers.

Manager Frisky Franks has an explosive offensive line-up with five players hitting over .300... LF Adam Zitek (.342) leads the IPA with 24 home runs and has batted in 63 runs, while scoring 59 runs... 1B Babe Holloman(.342) has 7 HRs and 34 RBIs, 2B Ed Granberg (.313) with 10 home runs, 37 RBIs and 48 runs scored, SS Rolf Kellgren (.310) with 6 roundtippers, 30 RBIs, 67 runs scored and 13 SB, C Jay Fessler (.304) with 3 HRs, 39 RBIs and has scored 39 runs... CF Lex Neville (.235) hasn't hit much for average, but has 13 homers, 50 runs batted in and scored 40 times.

Surprisingly High Mesa has two hurlers with sub-3.00 ERAs... John Owens has been splendid with an 8-0 mark and a 2.78 ERA, while Jim Dreyer is 3-3 with a 2.70 ERA. We predict that the Cowboys will strongly contend for the third spot in the TU East and will make the playoffs.

The Ozarka Naturals (36-35) combine very good pitching with great defense and are tied with the Red Bluff Red Sox for the fifth spot in the standings, 7 games out of first... The only thing holding manager Joe Mac Carney's Nats back is poor hitting... Otherwise they would be a strong contender for the TU East crown... the club is batting only .243 (6th-tied) with only 47 homers (8th)... but on the hill Ozarka sports a 3.29 ERA (2nd)... Defensively, they lead the division with an exceptional .984 fielding percentage (1st).

The Naturals have four fine hurlers in their starting rotation in Alex DiMaggio (6-4 2.62), Sid Hyder (6-4 2.82), Yasuyuki Nakagawa (10-8 2.91) and Tony Didriksen (7-6 3.55)... But the bullpen is a little bare... Carney needs a lot of help there.

Ozarka's only quality hitters are CF Kermit Wiggins (.325) with 31 runs scored and 24 SB... 2B Duane Starr (.273) with 7 homers, 34 RBIs and 31 runs... and rookie 3B Royce Robinson (.309) 3 homers and 21 RBIs... If the hitting would perk up and Carney can find some relief help, the Naturals might challenge East Point and High Mesa for the third or fourth place and a playoff spot... More than likely fifth place is Ozarka's likely destination this season.

The Red Bluff Red Sox (36-35) are 7 games behind at the All-Star Game, but only 2 games out of third place under the leadership of Mack Connery... The Red Sox are doing better in the standings than their stats justify... .263 BA (5th)... 69 home runs (5th)... 4.14 ERA (6th)... and .976 FA (8th).

Red Bluff has some talented batters in CF Howard Fullerton (.337) with 10 roundtrippers and 30 RBIs, RF Tony Scalise (.307) 12 home runs and 39 RBIs, 1B Bucky Frizzell (.281) 10 Home runs and 28 runs batted in and C Vito Belisario (.317)... Red Sox bats have been doing their job.

Connery has two impressive starters in Mila Mohoski (6-2 2.48) and Jerry Kline (2.78)... Zeke Bowden (6-5 3.87) had looked good at times, too... Newcomer John Dougherty (3-1 1.33) may turn out to be the best of all of them in the closer's role... Look for Red Bluff to contest for a playoff spot, although sixth is the most probable finish.

The Midway Wolves (34-37) are near the bottom of the barrel in the Tycobbian Union East Division, sitting 9 games back in the race... Manager Cochise Chandler's group is also near the bottom statistically as well with a poor .240 BA (8th), 63 homers (6th-tied), 4.14 ERA (5th)... but rates highly with a .981 FA (2nd).

Shortstop Tommy Kawatoose (.309) is Midway's best all-around player with 11 homers, 37 RBIs and 58 runs scored... RF Gerry Alger (.273) has hit 12 out of the park with 50 RBIs and LF Archie Greene (.261) has totaled 9 home runs and 46 runs batted in.

On the mound, Nosyt Sani (5-3 2.94), Johnny Parker (3-2 1.80) and Tecumseh Aranu (4-2 3.69) have been Chandler's best arms... Midway looks solid for a seventh place finish this year.

The last place Hillsboro Blazers (27-44) are managed by Arky Spanderson, a well-known and very respected manager in the industrial league circles, but that success has not translated over to the IPA... The Blazers are hitting only .243 (6th-tied)... but do have 80 homers (3rd)... on the hill the team has compiled a 4.08 ERA (4th)... defensively they have a .978 FA (5th-tied)... Hillsboro trails the TU East leader, South Fork, by 16 games.

Pacing the Blazer attack are 2B Tommy Emrick (.295) 15 homers, 38 RBIs and 41 runs scored, RF Rawhide Marshall (.252) has hit 13 roundtrippers and driven in 27 runs, CF Arnie Greco (.290) has 7 home runs and SS Jerry Pontros (.281) has 7 as well... Spanderson recently traded for third baseman Johnny Strickland (.287) to add another longball hitter to his line-up... Strickland was traded from Far Mountain and has 7 home runs this season in abbreviated play.

Hillsboro has gone through quite a few pitchers this season. Recent acquisitions Nick Brennan (3-5 2.25) and Johnny Dennis (3-4 2.08) have done very well since coming aboard in May. Things have been sparse otherwise... The Blazers don't have much hope for this season and will have to build for next year... Last place is the forecast.

In the last half of the year, it will be South Fork and Tuckanarra sparring for the regular season TU East flag... with East Point, High Mesa and Ozarka contesting for the other two playoff positions...Red Bluff is a longshot for a playoff berth... Midway and Hillsboro have no chance.

[EMSoccerCoach]

George Costanza...that's stellar!

Your detail here is remarkable, Eugene.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Around the Town in the IPA

HARTSDALE HELLCATS

Owner: Pioneer Brewing Company

GM/Manager: Zim Donner

Hartsdale, with population of about 74,OOO, is situated on the slopes of the Appian Mountains of Northern Tycobbia. It is a blue-collar, working class town, functional and old-fashioned in architecture. Primary industries are coal and iron ore mining, timber, glassware and beer. The vital Appian River begins in the Appian Mountains near North Hills, travels most of the country from north to south, past Hartsdale to the capital city, La Claire, then finally culminates at Bay St. Clair, a seaport town on the west central coast. The river provides an inexpensive source of transportation and is crucial to Hartsdale’s and Tycobbia’s economies.

Hartsdale is also the home of the Hellcats baseball team of the Islandian Pro Alliance. They are in the Tycobbian Union North Division and play at Pioneer Park. The Pioneer Brewing Company owns the club and is the maker of Tycobbia’s favorite brew, Pioneer Premium Beer. The brewery can be seen just beyond the center and right field fences of Pioneer Park. In fact, the brick walls of the factory form part of the right field bleachers. Company bigwigs can watch the ballgame from their offices.

Hellcats fans take their baseball very seriously and are serious students of the game. It’s baseball, beer and hot dogs in the hearts of the fans -- and the last two are a very distant second. When they go to a game, their eyes stay glued to the action on the field. They are hardcore Hellcats fans, too, and give no breaks or quarter to the opposing team or their fans. Very few visiting fans have the courage to display their loyalties very much in front of the rough and rowdy Hellcats. They get some very hard stares if they do. The Hartsdalians are tough and demanding on the Hellcats players, too. At the traditional seventh inning stretch each adult is gifted with a small sample of Pioneer Beer and it is used to toast their cherished baseball team as they sing a few bars of “99 bottles of beer on the wall”, followed by “Take me out to the ballgame”. And you can get the best burgers and dogs in Tycobbia, grilled to perfection on the concessions concourse.

The Hellcats are corporately-owned. Zim Donner, a 50-year veteran in amateur and professional baseball, is the GM and Manager. He was a fine up-and-coming shortstop until he suffered a couple of beanballs that turned him into just a journeyman infielder. But he is one fine manager and baseball teacher. He has been known to charge the mound occasionally. The fiery Hellcats fans love him.

Pioneer Park (1954)

Capacity: 10,000

Dimensions:
LF Line 322
LF 345
LCF 375
CF 415
RCT 375
RF 345
RF Line 322