ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

Final standings and first round playoff matchups coming up soon?

Yep... my next thing is to preview the postseason playoffs.

The South Island Leagues are taking a lot of my time right now with the 12-team expansion.

[Eugene Church]

2072 Islandian Pro Alliance Final Standings

2072 Ruthlandian Union Final Standings


2072 Tycobbian Union Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, September 28, 2072

IPA POSTSEASON PLAYOFFS BEGIN THIS WEDNEDAY AFTERNOON
There is a infusion of newcomers in the Islandian Pro Alliance postseason playoffs this year... only three teams are returning from last year, the Valmara Vipers, Wynnamac Sundowners and last year's Pro Cup finalist, the Turon Typhoons... joining the returnees are the surprising Stoner Silver Sox, Hartsdale Hellcats, Valka Blackhawks, La Claire Lynx and Red Bluff Red Sox... for the first time in 12 seasons, missing from the eight IPA elites is super power Rolling Hills... in addition, last year's Pro Cup champion Belair Beach did not survive the cut this year... the Sunbirds fell to the Valka Blackhawks in the Ruthlandian South Division... La Claire prevailed over the mighty Racers in the Tycobbian West Division... the last time Rolling Hills failed to make the playoffs was in 2059.

The crusade for the Holy Grail of Islandian baseball -- the revered Pro Cup Trophy -- begins this Wednesday afternoon at four venues around the Islands... all playoff series will be the best-of-five... the Ruthlandian Union First Round will feature Wynnamac (91-63) traveling to Valmara (97-57) and Stoner (95-59) on the road, tangling with Valka (96-58)... in the Tycobbian Union First Round action it will be Hartsdale (94-60) at home hosting Red Bluff (87-67) and La Claire (92-62) entertaining Turon (91-63)... the Typhoons and Vipers will be seeking their 5th Pro Cup, the Macs their 4th and the Hellcats and Red Sox their 3rd... three of the postseason participants, the Blackhawks, Silver Sox and Lynx, have never won a Pro Cup title in their IPA history.

Wynnamac was the most recent winner... the Sundowners copped the crown in 2070, Valmara claimed it in 2066, Hartsdale last won in 2063, Red Bluff in 2057 and Turon in 2018.

Opening game starters in the Ruthlandian Union will be Sherm Boswell (10-6/3.51 ERA) for Stoner and Priit Laur (16-8/4.04 ERA) for Valka... and Wynnamac will go with Mick Flanders (19-5/2.92 ERA) opposed by Jaromir Kaminski (19-10/3.31 ERA) for Valmara... taking the hill in the Tycobbian Union will be Cookie Culpepper (16-3/2.73 ERA) for Turon and Alton Liddell (14-9/3.22 ERA) for La Claire... toeing the slab for Red Bluff will be Angus McDade (14-10/3.24 ERA) and Jay Jay Earnshaw (16-9/3.78 ERA) for Hartsdale.

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, September 28, 2072

TURON'S TURN TO WIN IPA PRO CUP, VIPERS, BLACKHAWKS AND SILVER SOX WILL CHALLENGE
The Turon Typhoons have been close to winning the coveted Pro Cup trophy the last two seasons... they have paid their dues... it's time to cash in on the talent and success... plus their arch nemesis Rolling Hills will not be around to haunt them... also tough Belair Beach, last year Pro Cup champion, will not be around either...but the Typhoons will have some pretty fair teams to contend with... Valmara, Valka, unsung Stoner and Red Bluff... in addition, hard-hitting and high-scoring Hartsdale is in the mix, too.

Here is what the smooth-talking soothsayers, witch doctors and quasi-experts are viewing in their microscopes, periscopes and crystal balls.

The Islandian Times 2072 IPA Pro Cup Poll
1. TURON TYPHOONS
2. Valmara Vipers
3. Valka Blackhawks
4. Stoner Silver Sox
5. Red Bluff Red Sox
6. Hartsdale Hellcats
7. La Claire Lynx
8. Wynnamac Sundowners

2072 IPA Pro Cup Fearless Forecast and Pie-in-the-Sky prognostications... could be wrong, but I don't think the super scribes and blustering broadchasers have picked a Pro Cup winner lately.

Turon is the choice... they are a very well-balanced team with good scoring, fine pitching and solid defense... good qualities to have to win the Pro Cup... Culpepper, Mulroy and Malek are capable starters... they have a few reliable batters in Apple, Civik, Geoghegan, Newell and Goldsmith...the Typhoons have playoff experience and success in recent years... Turon is looking good heading into the postseason playoffs.

Valmara is right up there with Turon... their stats and qualifications may even be a little bit better... the Vipers can go deep and have more punch than the Typhoons... Skarzynski and Kozak can hit the ball out of the park with relish... Gold Arm Kaminski, Zajac and Nowakowski are fine hurlers... and closer Villavaso is strong, too... in the past the Vipers enter the postseason playoffs with great credentials, but have not done well... they lost in the first round in '70 and '71.

The Valka Blackhawks have been a tough team in a tough division for the past 3 years, pushing both Belair Beach, last year's Pro Cup titan, and Claxton, a perennial playoff power, to the limits... this year they upended the Sunbirds in a close race... the Blackhawk bats can put runs on the scoreboard with the likes of Czarnecki, Kotli, Hansford and Petrov... starters Santa Ana, Laur and Bakoyannis are well-respected, too... a weak bullpen may be a hindrance... keep an eye on Valka... any team that can whip Belair Beach is a good one.

And now, lo and behold, we come to a team that has not made the Pro Cup playoffs in 4 decades...a team with just one winning season in 10 years... a team that finished 6th a year ago -- the darling of IPA baseball this season -- the unnoticed and seldom-seen, if ever, Stoner Silver Sox... how did they go from awful and pathetic to possible Pro Cup glory?... the Silver Sox can really sock the heck out of the old horsehide... they can't hit it out of the park, but they can hit it all over the park... Stoner hit .290 this year and scored 796 runs... and they feature fine defense... 2 out of 3 is pretty good... however, their shortcoming is their average pitching...starters Boston, Boswell and Edmonds will have to do well... Longshore and Kleinhausen are pretty darn effective in the bullpen... but top-to-bottom in the lineup, the Silver Sox can hit the ball... they have six .300 hitters and the other two are in the .290s... we haven't seen this in the postseason very much, except for the mighty Rolling Hills Racers and we know how they terrorized the IPA playoffs the last 12 years... Stoner is the Cinderella of the playoffs this year... the sky is the limit for them... the Silver Sox are halfway to Heaven -- the Pro Cup Trophy.

Red Bluff doesn't hit much for average... they have trouble scoring runs... and the Red Sox only hit with modest home-run power... but they have some good starting pitching, a very capable closer Ledbetter and they play very good defense... McDade, Baxendale, Angeletti and Coomer are a quality rotation... Red Bluff also survived in the hotly-contested TU East Division... the Red Sox can compete.

Hartsdale has a high-octane attack... the topped the Tycobbian Union in scoring runs, came in near the top in batting average, homers and stealing bases... however, they are hard-pressed to find any pitchers except for veterans Earnshaw and Streeter... they don't play good defense... but the Hellcats can score some runs... it will be difficult to overcome their mound problems and defense.

La Claire has competed fairly well with juggernaut Rolling Hills the last decade in the TU West... the Lynx regularly came in near the top of the standings, but they never seriously challenged the dominant Racers... but this year the Lynx triumphed... La Claire just doesn't have what it takes to win a Pro Cup... they are just average at best across the board... Larson, Gordon and Newell can't do it all at the plate... they need others to help out... pitching-wise Liddell and Morse are just average starters... La Claire will not stay long in the IPA playoffs.

The Wynnamac Sundowners are not the team they were in 2070 when they won the IPA Pro Cup... the Macs have won the RU East three years in a row and 9 times in the last 16 seasons... but overall, they are just a little above average team... Oshima, Joshua, Rainer and Waterman are quality players... and Flanders is a fine starter... Merckx and Crafton are quality starters as well... but Wynnamac is not good enough to go deep into the postseason playoffs... average teams just don't win the IPA Pro Cup Trophy.

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN"

It's Pro Cup time in the Islands!

[jg2977]

I really liked your description for the Silver Sox: the Silver Sox can really sock the heck out of the old horsehide... they can't hit it out of the park, but they can hit it all over the park.

That’s a great line.

I’m looking forward to seeing their lineup and statistics. I think Stoner has a great chance to go deep this postseason. They allowed 621 runs overall. Compared with the top contenders Turon and Valmara, they allowed 618 and 579 respectively. If the Silver Sox keep doing what they do well, which is hitting for contact, they can do something special this postseason.

I feel like teams who can hit the ball out of the park fail a lot of the time in the playoffs. Because they live and die by the home run, when they face elite pitching who can prevent the long ball in the postseason, it’s usually lights out and an early exit.

As for Hartsdale, allowing 702 runs, they’ll have to hope they win a lot of high scoring games if they want to compete for the Pro Cup. Their games should be exciting, but can their high-powered offense continue to carry them?

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

I really liked your description for the Silver Sox: the Silver Sox can really sock the heck out of the old horsehide... they can't hit it out of the park, but they can hit it all over the park.

That’s a great line.

I’m looking forward to seeing their lineup and statistics. I think Stoner has a great chance to go deep this postseason. They allowed 621 runs overall. Compared with the top contenders Turon and Valmara, they allowed 618 and 579 respectively. If the Silver Sox keep doing what they do well, which is hitting for contact, they can do something special this postseason.

I feel like teams who can hit the ball out of the park fail a lot of the time in the playoffs. Because they live and die by the home run, when they face elite pitching who can prevent the long ball in the postseason, it’s usually lights out and an early exit.

As for Hartsdale, allowing 702 runs, they’ll have to hope they win a lot of high scoring games if they want to compete for the Pro Cup. Their games should be exciting, but can their high-powered offense continue to carry them?

Thanks for your support of the IPA... I really appreciate you following it and giving me feedback.

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Thanks for your support of the IPA... I really appreciate you following it and giving me feedback.

Wow, when you say that Stoner can't hit the ball out of the park, you're right. They look like a deadball era team!

And you're welcome!

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, October 1, 2072

PRO CUP PLAYOFFS UNDERWAY... WHO WILL BE MR. OCTOBER IN THE IPA PLAYOFFS?
All of the 8 IPA Elite playoff teams are hoping they will be the team with Mr. October... that will be the standout that sparks his team to the Pro Cup title and the one that usually gets the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player Award... the two go hand-in-hand.

The Islandian Pro Alliance playoffs got underway yesterday with 4 opening games... in Ruthlandian Union First Round action Valka socked it to the Stoner Silver Sox 9-5... and Valmara smacked Wynnamac 14-7... in the Tycobbian Union First Round Pro Cup favorite Turon and Red Bluff took the openers... the Typhoons trimmed the La Claire Lynx 3-2 and the Red Sox defeated the Hartsdale Hellcats 6-2.

IPA Stars of the Games

[Eugene Church]

2072 IPA Ruthlandian Union First Round Series - Game 1



2072 IPA Tycobbian Union First Round Series - Game 1

[Eugene Church]

Hope you like the new playoff coverage format... it is much easier to do... I can play them quicker, which means I can finish each year quicker, so I can reach my goal of 100 seasons for the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Comments would be helpful... I want all of you to continue to follow the IPA... EC doesn't want to run you off.

This year I let the AI control everything, including free agents and a new annual draft... but I did notice the rookie class was really weak... there weren't 10 rookies that made an impact on their teams.... not a good sign... but I will see how it goes over several seasons to see if there is an improvement.

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Hope you like the new playoff coverage format... it is much easier to do... I can play them quicker, which means I can finish each year quicker, so I can reach my goal of 100 seasons for the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Comments would be helpful... I want all of you to continue to follow the IPA... EC doesn't want to run you off.

This year I let the AI control everything, including free agents and a new annual draft... but I did notice the rookie class was really weak... there weren't 10 rookies that made an impact on their teams.... not a good sign... but I will see how it goes over several seasons to see if there is an improvement.

Stoner got 17 hits and scored only 5 runs? Maybe that’s where not having power hurts them. It’s hard to score when you only hit singles.

Your new playoff coverage is fine. I usually don’t look at the box scores much. Just the game recaps will be fine. I like looking at the win-probability graph too. Obviously you don’t have to include that, it’s up to you.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

Stoner got 17 hits and scored only 5 runs? Maybe that’s where not having power hurts them. It’s hard to score when you only hit singles.

Your new playoff coverage is fine. I usually don’t look at the box scores much. Just the game recaps will be fine. I like looking at the win-probability graph too. Obviously you don’t have to include that, it’s up to you.

Never have paid any attention to the probability graph... it was just clutter to me that messed up the aesthetics of the box score.

EC is an old codger, who always disables it, but I don't know how to stop it in the All-Star box score.

What is its importance to you?...what is its purpose?

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Never have paid any attention to the probability graph... it was just clutter to me that messed up the aesthetics of the box score.

EC is an old codger, who always disables it, but I don't know how to stop it in the All-Star box score.

What is its importance to you?...what is its purpose?

I'm math-oriented, I just like looking at graphs and that kind of stuff. You're right, it's probably not necessary. It's more interesting to look at after I've already watched a game, so that I can see what a team's win-probability is at a key moment in a game, and how much it changes on a big play.

[Eugene Church]

I have found an even quicker way to handle the playoffs... I think it will recap the playoffs fairly well.

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 2, 2072

VALKA, VALMARA, TURON UP 2-0, NEAR SWEEPS... RED BLUFF, HARTSDALE SPLIT 1-1
Three favorites in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs are nearing sweeps in their best-of-five series in first-round play... Valka, Valmara and Turon all have won the first two games of the series... one more win is all they need to advance to the next round... Red Bluff and Hartsdale are tied at 1 game apiece after splitting the first two games.

[jg2977]

Wow, Stoner got a ton of hits again, 14, but they have a lot of trouble scoring. Their batting average with RISP must be abysmal.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, October 3, 2072

VIPERS SWEEP MACS, EARN SPOT IN RU TITLE ROUND
As expected, favored Valmara was victorious over underdog Wynnamac in Ruthlandian Union First Round action... the Vipers won 3 in a row and swept the best-of-five games series... Valmara will meet the winner of the Valka-Stoner series in the RU Title Series.

In the other three postseason clashes, Stoner and La Claire got "must wins" and Hartsdale gained an edge over Red Bluff... Stoner got some strong pitching and defeated the Valka Blackhawks 7-0 and La Claire came back and beat the Turon Typhoons 4-3... but the Silver Sox and Lynx still trail in the series 2 games to one... the Hellcats continued their high-scoring way with an 11-3 bashing of the Red Bluff Red Sox... Hartsdale is up 2-1 in that series.

[jg2977]

I see that Stoner finally got the pitching that they needed. They're still getting plenty of hits. Can they shut down Valka twice more?