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03-24-2022, 01:01 PM
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#8721 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,252
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03-24-2022, 03:33 PM
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#8723 | |
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Hall Of Famer
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03-24-2022, 06:05 PM
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#8724 |
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Hall Of Famer
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Wednesday, September 24, 2014 8 Teams Begin Quest For 2014 Pro Cup The regular season set the stage and pruned down the number of title contenders. Now the clubs that made the cut will go at it on the diamond in the 2014 Islandian Pro Alliance playoffs. It's the first step in the race to win the Pro Cup Series trophy. The Elite 8 Series starts today with 8 clubs set to battle in the Elite 8 Series. All series will be best-of-seven. The Far Mountain Redhawks are the defending IPA Pro Cup titleholder and are back again. Manager Alex Groveland is on a quest for his fourth straight Pro Cup and his Redhawks are the odds-on favorites to do it, but they will have to go through two strong clubs to get there. The Colfax Blasters and the Belair Beach Sunbirds will not be an easy task for Far Mountain. In the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 the Redhawks will host tough Belair Beach and the Blasters will entertain the unheralded Marston Nine. Over in the Tycobbian Union there is no clear-cut favorite. The Turon Typhoons are a veteran team with three Pro Cups, however the Midway Wolves, Kenwood Wildcats and Hartsdale Hellcats had to beat out some talented teams to win their division crowns. Turon played in the weakest division and was not really challenged in the regular season. The Typhoons will be at home against Hartsdale and Kenwood will travel to play Midway in the TU Elite 8. The Islandian Times Wednesday, September 24, 2014 Scribes and Broadcasters Pick Far Mountain In Pro Cup Poll If the "folks in the know" know what they are talking about, the Far Mountain Redhawks will capture an unprecedented fourth Pro Cup in a row. In The Islandian Times annual Pro Cup poll Far Mountain was selected as the favorite to win it all again this year. The Redhawks are forecast to whip Colfax in the RU Final 4 and the Midway Wolves are expected to upend 3-time Pro Cup winners, the Turon Typhoons, in the TU Final 4. In a hotly-contested Pro Cup Finals Far Mountain is expected to prevail over the Wolves. Pro Cup Poll 1. Far Mountain... Alex Groveland still has great starters with Boomerang Hines (22-11 2.41), Robby Kelly (21-10 2.56) and Woody Crawford (22-10 2.66) and a club that is loaded with experience, especially Pro Cup experience... 2B Duane Parsons (.310/25/110/85) and SS Don Nichols (.307/19/92/105) provide the offense... topped the IPA with a 96-58 record... 9th playoff appearance. 2. Colfax... Clem Rogers has two great starters in Ilya Szabo (23-8 1.75) and Jimmy Joe Cartner (25-8 2.56) combined with a fine relief corps... could dethrone Far Mountain if bats produce... best ones are CF Ryan Raines (.294/22/77/84), RF Paul Coniglio (.293/17/72/66), 2B Ilya Ivanchuk (.306/15/72/88) and LF Tony Tanaka (.265/18/67/100)... a close third in victories with a 94-60 record... The Blasters have one Pro Cup in their history... they defeated Turon in seven games in 2010. 3. Midway... first-time playoff team... starters could rival Redhawks... Cochise Chandler has some good ones... Motega Wolf (20-11 2.86), Sherm Jarvis (21-13 2.96) and Johnny Parker (12-9 2.87)... Strong bullpen with closer Dom Vilaggio (8-6 1.93), who had 34 saves... backed up by Lloyd Tatoke (6-0 2.33)... bats must produce for Wolves to win Pro Cup... CF Johnny Lee (.328/32/84/99) and LF Dylan Stevenson (.299/25/92/100) can't do it alone... led Tycobbian Union with a 94-60 mark. 4. Turon... Whitey Richburn still has a fine club with quality pitching and a strong attack... they are making postseason appearance number 9 this season... 1B Clyde Kingsford (.311/39/129/112) and CF Mac McCurnan (.292/28/114/109) carry a lot of clout in the line-up... Nicky Engstrom (24-10 2.44) can go toe-to-toe with anyone, but the Typhoons are not as deep at starting pitching as the other clubs... James Stuart (19-11 3.77) and Jacques Lemaire (17-8 3.64) always seem to step it up in the postseason... If they do, the Typhoons can compete with anybody... winning Pro Cups is a tradition in Turon... they have won 3 Pro Cups and almost a fourth one in 2010, when they blew a 3-1 lead and lost to Colfax. 5. Belair Beach... Marty Pedroza doesn't have a flashy ball club with a bunch of big names, but the Sunbirds score runs and pitch well... they were 95-59, the second-best record in the IPA... top pitchers are Nasty Naymick (19-11 3.21), Denny Whitaker (21-15 3.32) and Wally Green (19-5 3.67)... Closer Groot Tenbrook (5-4) carded 37 saves, tops in the TU, with a 2.76 ERA and just might be the Sunbirds MVP this year... best bats are LF Ron Dizon (.256/27/91/80) and CF Tom Bennett (.283/12/56/103)... 1B Denny Gray is now the full-time 1B... In 65 games he batted .299 with 14 homers and 47 RBIs. 6. Hartsdale... Zim Donner is top-heavy with hitters, but lacks pitching... All he has is starter Ronnie Jernigan (21-10 3.02) and closer Ben Clermont (5-5) with 29 saves and a 2.68 ERA... The Hellcats are really dangerous with the bats with 1B Tom Brabant (.333/36/116/101), SS Jud Turchin (.318/29/83/102), 3B Kendry Moulton (.302/34/104/86), RF Mac Faulkner (.294/24/76/94) and LF Woody Crow (.287/85/98)... as a team Hartsdale hit 191 homers (3rd-tied)... posted an 84-71 record... last playoff appearance was 2009. 7. Kenwood... not enough pitching and hitting to challenge this year... Aaron Hankins only has one quality starter in Connie Gavagan (18-13 3.05), but he has two excellent bullpen specialists... closer Rick Brickell (3-7) has saved 24 games with a 2.66 ERA, while middle reliever Sol Yakis is 10-2 with a 2.99 ERA in 52 relief appearances... The Wildcats depend on RF Dennis Riley (.320/19/87), 3B Brad Walker (.290/14/78), C Gene Verbick (.284/14/74) and LF Jimmy Brewer (.286/22/71) for run production... Kenwood hasn't been in the playoffs since 2002, its first season in the IPA... 86-68 is the best record in team history... made postseason only one previous time in 2002. 8. Marston... The Nine won more games this season than they ever have with an 87-67 mark, mainly with their hitting... Marston led the IPA with a .279 BA... Top batsmen were 3B Jimmy Holman (.337/33/120/93), CF Russ Woodward (.317/23/91/91), LF James Yardley (.294/30/94/67), RF Richie Mazzone (.306/18/72/102) and 1 B Pat Farris (.347/11/64/64)... Marston hasn't won a Pro Cup since 2001 and its been 8 years since they last played in the playoffs... Johnny Walters has two solid pitchers and a fine reliever... Hunk Sweitzer (22-5 2.91) had a career year... Zippy Hodge (20-17 3.08) is a very capable number two man... in the pen Bob Daniel (5-6) has stood out with 30 saves and a 2.67 ERA. The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 30, 2014 2014 IPA Elite 8 Series FM Reign Over, Belair Beach Wins Elite 8 All good things must come to an end... Far Mountain's tremendous run of three consecutive Pro Cup titles has ended at the hands of the inspired Belair Beach Sunbirds, who won a classic 2-1 masterpiece in the seventh game of the RU Elite 8 Series... Both starting pitchers went the distance and neither deserved to lose it... Sunbird Denny Whitaker (2-0 1.80) bested Redhawk Boomerang Hines (0-2 2.63) in a thrilling match... Far Mountain took the lead in the second frame on C Otis Ott's (.231) solo shot and Hines made it stand up until the fatal sixth... CF Billy Martz led off with a single and scored on C Little Jake Bungarooba's triple to knot the score at 1-all... Bungarooba was the goat yesterday when he blew the game on a passed ball, but he was the hero today... Bungarooba scored the winning on 1B Denny Gray high bounder to second base... closer Groot Tenbrook nailed down the game by shutting down the Redhawks in the ninth... Belair Beach has another tough task against the Colfax Blasters in the RU Final 4 Series. The Islandian Times Wednesday, October 1, 2014 IPA Final 4s Start Today in Belair Beach And Turon It's the round of four in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. The Belair Beach Sunbirds will host the Colfax Blasters in the Ruthlandian Final 4 and the Turon Typhoons will entertain the Kenwood Wildcats in the Tycobbian Final 4. They will be a best-of-seven series with the winners pitted against one another for Islandian pro baseball supremacy. Belair Beach gets the favorite role in the RU, while Turon gets the nod in the TU. The Sunbirds upset the powerful Far Mountain Redhawks, who had triumphed in the last three Pro Cups. Colfax knocked off the Marston Nine in the Elite 8 Series. The Typhoons, who have 3 Pro Cup titles, whipped Hartsdale to advance to the Final 4 and the Wildcats, making only its second postseason appearance, upended highly-rated Midway in the Elite 8. The Islandian Times Monday, October 6, 2014 2014 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series Sunbirds Fly By Colfax, Whitaker Cinches Series It's been a long wait, but Belair Beach has finally made it to the Pro Cup Finals... Denny Whitaker shut out Colfax 3-0 in game 6 to win the RU Final 4 Series four games to two... Whitaker (3-0 2.45) limited the Blasters to just 4 hits, struck out 6 and walked 4... Rodger Wright (1-1 5.88) pitched well in defeat as he yielded only two earned runs and 7 hits in a complete-game performance... the Sunbirds got to him for single runs in the first, third and fourth frames... Belair Beach will play the winner of the Turon-Kenwood TU Final 4 for the Island championship... the Sunbirds have never advanced this far in the IPA playoffs. Kenwood Knocks Out Turon 9-7 In Game 6 It will be the Kenwood Wildcats and the Belair Beach Sunbirds in the 2014 IPA Pro Cup Finals... The Wildcats came from behind to eliminate the Typhoons 9-7 in game 6 of the TU Final 4 to win the series in six games... Turon jumped ahead 4-1 in the fifth, but Kenwood fought back and tied it 4-4 in the seventh and then erupted for 5 runs in the eighth to take a commanding 9-4 lead and held off a scary ninth-inning rally by the Typhoons... Turon outgunned them 14 to 10... For the second day in a row Tank Tucker notched the win with a perfect seventh inning... Sol Yakis also picked up the save for the second successive day with ninth-inning relief... the Wildcats had many heroes at the plate... RF Dennis Riley (.318) and 2B Paul Lassak (.375) had 2 RBIs apiece... and 3B Brad Walker (.306) had 2 hits, scored twice and batted in a run... CF Vince Palmer (.280) smacked 3 hits and scored 2 runs... leading the losing Typhoons were RF Andy Porter (.325) with a pair of hits and 3 RBIs, 1B Clyde Kingsford (.311) with 3-5, 2 runs and an RBI and SS Matt Madison (.391) with 2-4 and 2 runs scored... Turon starter Jeb Stuart (2-1 3.91) sustained the loss... Stuart was shelled for 5 runs in 7 innings. The Islandian Times Tuesday, October 7, 2014 BB Sunbirds Favored In 2014 Pro Cup The 2014 IPA Pro Cup Finals begin tomorrow at Bayside Park in Belair Beach. Except for this season both qualifiers have fared poorly in the postseason. In previous years the Belair Beach Sunbirds have made the playoffs five times and never gotten out of the first round. The Kenwood Wildcats have made only one prior postseason appearance in 2002 and were knocked out in the first round. However, this year they find themselves playing for all the marbles. One of them will win its first Pro Cup. Odds-makers have given the nod to the Sunbirds. Manager Marty Pedroza's club was 95-59 during the regular season, second best in the Ruthlandian Union, while Aaron Hankins' Wildcats were only 86-68, which was a distant third in the Tycobbian Union. Baseball analysts say Belair Beach has beaten two powerhouses in 3-time Pro Cup champ Far Mountain and Colfax and has proven to be a top-flight team. The baseball soothsayers qualify their pick by saying Kenwood has proven its worth with victories over Midway and Turon this postseason. Turon has three Pro Cup trophies in its history and came very close to winning a fourth. So the Wildcats have good credentials this season. Belair Beach has a good offense, fair power, good starters and an excellent closer, while Kenwood has a good offense, decent power, good starters and great relievers. Both clubs are excellent defensively. The forecast is for a hard-fought series with the Sunbirds prevailing. Belair Beach's top performers are starters Denny Whitaker (21-15 3.32)), Wally Green (19-5 3.67) and Nasty Naymick (15-10 3.21) and closer Groot Tenbrook (5-4 2.76) with 37 saves. At the plate LF Ron Dizon (.256) led the team with 27 homers and 91 RBIs. CF Tom Bennett (.283) had 12 home runs and scored 104 runs. Kenwood standouts are starters Connie Gavagan (18-13 3.05) and Sammy Shaw (18-12 3.59). In Hankins' superb bullpen are Tank Tucker (9-3 2.76), Sol Yakis (10-2 2.99) and closer Rick Brickell (3-7 2.66) with 24 saves. Yakis and Tucker may get starting assignments in the finals in place of number three starter Todd Combs (14-19 3.46), who has had a rocky postseason. Offensively the Wildcats don't have a star, but they possess a solid bunch of batters throughout the line-up, led by RF Dennis Riley (.320) with 19 homers and 87 RBIs, LF Jimmy Brewer (.286) with 22 roundtrippers and 71 runs batted in and 3B Brad Walker (.290) with 14 long balls and 78 RBIs. The Islandian Times Wednesday, October 8, 2014 2014 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 1 Belair Beach Bombs Kenwood 8-2 in Opener At Bayside Park in Belair Beach, the Sunbirds bombed Kenwood with 14 hits and a pair of homers in the 8-2 victory in game one of the IPA Pro Cup Series... strong hitting combined with strong pitching made it easy for manager Marty Pedroza's club... Nasty Naymick (3-1 1.65) continued to excel in the playoffs... He stopped the Wildcats on 3 hits and didn't allow an earned run in a complete-game performance... Naymick struck out 7 and walked 3 in an impressive outing... RF Billy Martz (.397) and LF Ron Dizon (.298) both homered and drove in 2 runs... CF Tom Bennett (.288) added 3 hits and 2 runs batted in... Sammy Shaw (2-1 4.45) took the loss, allowing 6 runs and 9 hits in 2+ innings. The Islandian Times Thursday, October 9, 2014 2014 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 2 Wildcats Down Sunbirds 8-6, Series Even In game two of the IPA Pro Cup Series both teams had their aces on the mound, but it didn't matter much to the hitters... Kenwood outscored Belair Beach 8-6 to even the series at one game apiece in the best-of-seven set... It was a seesaw affair... the Sunbirds went in front 2-0 in the first on LF Ron Dizon's third playoff homer... the Wildcats countered with single runs in the second and third innings and added two more in each of the fifth and seventh, building up a 6-2 lead... but that didn't hold as Belair Beach tied it up in the last half of the inning on Dizon's fourth playoff home run, a bases-loaded blast... 2B Duncan Renwick got the game-winning hit in the top of the eighth, a two-run single. Tank Tucker (3-0 4.15) got the win as he came on in the seventh and got the final out of the inning... Rick Brickell finished up with 2 perfect innings and got his 4th save... The loss went to Groot Tenbrook (2-2 4.50), who came on in the eighth and allowed 2 runs... Kenwood's top pitcher Connie Gavagan started, but was ineffective... Gavagan was tagged for 6 runs and 8 hits and departed in the seventh... Belair Beach's best hurler Denny Whitaker had a rough outing, too... Whitaker permitted 6 runs and 6 hits and exited in the seventh. 3B Brad Walker (.321) led the Wildcats at the plate with 3-3 and 2 runs scored... Walker belted 2 doubles and a triple... RF Dennis Riley (.302) had a 2-run homer and C Gene Verbick (.260) drove in 2 runs for the winners... Dizon sparked the Sunbirds with his 2 roundtrippers and 6 RBIs... Both clubs had 8 hits each. The Islandian Times Friday, October 10, 2014 2014 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 3 BB Sunbirds Trounce Kenwood 8-2, Lead Pro Cup 2-1 For game three the IPA Pro Cup Series switched to Olde Towne Grounds in Kenwood, but it didn't help the homestanding Wildcats... the Belair Beach Sunbirds continued to thrive at the plate with 12 hits and an 8-2 triumph to take a two to one edge in the series. Belair Beach got a fine start from Wally Green, too... Green (2-3 1.91) worked 7 strong innings, fanned 10 and held Kenwood to 1 run on 6 hits... closer Groot Tenbrook finished up, but allowed a run in his 2 innings, an eighth-inning clout by LF Jimmy Brewer (.182)... loser Sol Yakis (0-1) was routed after 2 innings... Yakis was ripped for 6 runs and 7 hits... It was Yakis' first start of the year... He made 52 relief appearances in the regular season and was very effective... Skipper Aaron Hankins is still looking for a good start from someone... all his starters have been battered so far in the series. Belair Beach's top bats today belonged to 3B Zippy Parks (.341) with 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBIs, RF Billy Martz (.358), who drove in 2 runs with his 4th postseason home run and LF Ron Dizon (.333) with a pair of hits and 2 runs scored... RF Dennis Riley (.333) topped the Wildcats with 3 hits. The Islandian Times Saturday, October 11, 2014 2014 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 4 Dizon's HR Lifts Sunbirds To 3-1 Lead In Pro Cup In Kenwood, Ron Dizon of the Belair Beach Sunbirds broke the hearts of the Wildcat fans with a dramatic 2-run homer in the top of the eighth to win game 4 of the IPA Pro Cup Series 3-2... the triumph put the Sunbirds in the driver's seat with a big three-games-to-one edge in the best-of-seven series... It was Dizon's 5th roundtripper in the postseason playoffs and gave him 15 RBIs... Dizon (.345) drove in all 3 runs... He grounded out in the third and plated CF Tom Bennett, who led off the inning with a double... In the sixth RF Dennis Riley (.328) homered and put Kenwood ahead 2-1... Nasty Naymick (4-1 1.74) continued his playoff brilliance... Naymick held the Wildcats to 4 hits and 2 runs in 8 innings and fanned 6... Slim Mosley picked up his first save in the postseason by striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced in the ninth... Bennett (.329) led the Sunbirds with 3 hits... Loser Sammy Shaw (2-2 4.10) went the route, struck out 7 and walked 1 and was tagged for 11 hits, but was tough with men on base. The Islandian Times Sunday, October 12, 2014 2014 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 5 Gavagan Fires 1-Hitter, Kenwood Still Alive Trailing 3 games to 1 and with their backs to the wall, the Kenwood Wildcats rose to the occasion and staved off elimination in the IPA Pro Cup Series with a 5-2 decision over Belair Beach in game 5 at Olde Towne Grounds in Kenwood... The Wildcats backed up Connie Gavagan's sizzling 1-hitter with 3 home runs... 3B Zippy Parks (.327) got the only Sunbird hit with an RBI single in the ninth... Gavagan (3-0 3.09) weakened in the ninth and walked 4, but closer Rick Brickell saved it for him... It was Brickell's 5th save in the playoff this year... He got the final out of the game with the bases loaded... 3B Brad Walker (.324), LF Jimmy Brewer (.196) and 1B Xavier Rocha (.234) all had solo homers to pace the Wildcats... Denny Whitaker (3-1 3.33) suffered his first postseason lost this season... Whitaker surrendered 5 runs and 11 hits in 7 innings. The Islandian Times Monday, October 13, 2014 2014 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 6 Pro Cup Tied 3-3, Kenwood Slams Sunbirds 13-8 The 2014 Pro Cup Series is all tied up a 3 games apiece after Kenwood demolished Belair Beach 13-8 in game 6 at Bayside Park in Belair Beach... the Wildcats bashed 21 hits, sparked by 2B Duncan Renwick (.357) with 4 hits and 2 RBIs, C Gene Verbick (.292) with 3 hits and 2 runs batted in and SS Bob Snyder (.232) with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... LF Jimmy Brewer (.218) also delivered 3 hits, including a solo homer, and scored 3 times... In defeat 1B Denny Gray (.259) had a 3-run smash and LF Ron Dizon (.328) drove in a pair of runs with his 6th playoff home run... Kenwood led 6-3 after 3 innings, increased it to 8-3 in the top of the fifth, only to have the Sunbirds surge back to knot the score at 8-8 after 6 frames... The Wildcats regained the momentum and roared back with 5 in the last three innings for the win... Sol Yakis (1-1) got the victory, in spite of allowing 2 runs in his 1+ innings... Todd Combs and Rick Brickell saved the day by blanking Belair Beach on 1 hit in the final 3 innings... Combs worked a 1-2-3 seventh and Brickell shut them out in the last two frames. The Islandian Times Tuesday, October 14, 2014 2014 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game 7 Wildcats Win 2014 Pro Cup In 7 Games Down 3 games to 1, the never-say-die Kenwood Wildcats came back and won the final 3 games to win the 2014 IPA Pro Cup... The Wildcats won game 7 by the score of 3-1 behind some fancy pitching by Sammy Shaw (3-2 3.57), who stopped the Belair Beach Sunbirds on 1 run and 4 hits in 8 impressive innings... closer Rick Brickell (1-1 3.75) notched his 6th playoff save by setting the Sunbirds down in order in the ninth... This was manager Aaron Hankins and Kenwood's first ever Pro Cup. The Wildcats had to beat Nasty Naymick to take the crown... Naymick (4-2 1.94) was tough in the postseason... Naymick allowed 3 runs on 8 hits and left in the ninth... Kenwood scored first with a run in the top of the third... 1B Xavier Rocha (.259) walked, moved to second on an error by Naymick and scored on 2B Duncan Renwick's (.367) base hit... In the bottom of the fifth Belair Beach knotted the score at 1-1... singles by 3B Zippy Parks (.283) and 1B Denny Gray (.258) placed runners on second and third... Parks scored on SS Ron Nossek's (.250) fly ball... A walk, a sacrifice bunt and a single by Shaw (.077) produced a 2-1 lead for Kenwood in the top of the seventh... Wildcat RF Dennis Riley's (.307) 4th playoff four-bagger provided an insurance run in the eighth. At the post-game press conference winning skipper Aaron Hankins told reporters, "It's been a long time coming, but we finally won a Pro Cup for the great fans in Kenwood. Our pitching had not been very good in the first six games... we really needed a good outing today and Sammy gave it to us. He was absolutely amazing, holding the Sunbirds to just four hits and one run." The Islandian Times Wednesday, October 15, 2014 Kenwood's Gavagan Pro Cup MVP In a hotly-contested poll, Connie Gavagan, Kenwood's fine pitcher, nudged out teammate Dennis Riley for the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player Award. Gavagan led the Wildcats to the Pro Cup championship with a 3-0 record and a 3.09 ERA. Gavagan won several of the crucial "must win" games. Riley, the Kenwood right fielder, batted .307 and led the club with 4 homers and 14 RBIs during the postseason. 32-year-old Gavagan was the choice of 30 writers and sportscasters, while Riley received 28 votes. The most valuable player in the Pro Cup playoffs is selected each season in a poll conducted by The Islandian Times. Belair Beach's mound standout Nasty Naymick (4-2 1.94) came in third in the balloting with 24 votes, followed by Sunbird left fielder Ron Dizon, who led the playoffs with 6 home runs and 17 RBIs. Dizon had a .324 batting average. He was named on 23 ballots. The only other player to get votes was Belair Beach's right fielder Billy Martz, who was fifth in the poll. Martz had a .341 batting average, 4 homers, 13 RBIs and scored 16 runs. Martz received 20 votes. The Islandian Times Monday, October 20, 2014 Szabo And Burg 2014 IPA MVPs The Islandian Pro Alliance announced the BNN Most Valuable Player Awards for the 2014 season. Both winners have already been recognized with the Golden Arm Awards. Ilya Szabo of the the Colfax Blasters was the MVP recipient in the Ruthlandian Union and Cody Burg was honored with the Tycobbian Union MVP. Szabo led the Blasters to the RU West title with a standout 23-8 record and topped the league with a brilliant 1.75 ERA. Szabo has been the ERA leader three times in his career. The 35-year-old right-hander also paced the league with 7 shutouts. This is Szabo's second MVP crown. He has also taken the RU Golden Arm trophy twice. Lifetime Szabo has compiled a 220-110 record with a remarkable 2.36 ERA. Taranto's slugger Augie Marshall was Szabo's biggest challenger. Marshall batted .327 for the second place Tars in the RU North and ranked at the top of the league with 49 homers and 146 RBIs. Young Kyle Ferguson, Kilkenny's 25-year-old hurler, rated third in the BNN poll, was 24-8 with a 2.04 ERA in his second season in the IPA. Ferguson had the second-best ERA. The Cats wound up fourth in the tough RU North. Burg has won most games in IPA history with an overall 252-151 mark in his 14 seasons. This year the 32-year old Hurricane ace registered a 25-12 record and fanned 288 batters in 310 innings and collected the Tycobbian Union MVP award for the first time. He has been named the Golden Arm winner on three occasions. Burg has been the TU strikeout king a remarkable 11 times. His 2.41 ERA was the best in the TU. It's the fifth time Burg has ranked number one in that category. Despite Burg's great year, Cape Coral finished fifth in the TU South this year. Two hard-swinging first sackers gave Burg the most competion. Turon's Clyde Kingsford led the Typhoons to the TU South flag and was the number two votegetter. Kingsford batted .311, slammed 39 home runs and drove in 129 runs. High Mesa's Jack Elliott, the TU Golden Bat winner for the second year in a row, was third in the balloting. Elliott's Cowboys were third in the TU East race. He had another massive season with a .342 batting average (3rd), 51 homers (1st), 141 RBIs (1st) and scored 129 runs (2nd). Elliott came up 2 points short in the batting race and just barely missed out on the Triple Crown. The Islandian Times Tuesday, October 21, 2014 Best Skippers Honored By IPA, FM's Groveland And Midway's Chandler Winners The top IPA managers for 2014 have been selected by BNN. This year's best are Far Mountain's Alex Groveland in the Ruthlandian Union and Midway's Cochise Chandler in the Tycobbian Union. Groveland's Redhawks captured their sixth consecutive RU North title and recorded the most wins in the IPA with a 96-58 mark. Groveland won the award for the third straight year. Chandler led his Wolves to the playoffs for the first time in history with a league-best 94-60 record. Midway rose up from 4th place in 2013. Chandler is a first-time winner. In the Ruthlandian Union, Belair Beach's Marty Pedroza was second to Groveland in the poll. His Sunbirds won the RU South with a 95-59 record. Marston's Johnny Walters was number three. The Nine climbed from 4th to first in the RU East. The other votegetters were Boo Ladrieux of Belle Plaine in fourth place and Rocky Rapids' Ryan Noland. The Musketeers jumped from 6th to second in the RU East and the Snappers went from 5th to second in the RU West with a 91-63 mark, which was the fourth-best record after powerhouses Far Mountain, Belair Beach and Colfax. Over in the Tycobbian Union, the runner-up to Chandler was Zim Donner of the Hartsdale Hellcats in the TU North, who went from last place to first place in just one year. Third in the polling was Kenwood's Aaron Hankins. His Wildcats moved from 3rd in the TU West to first and returned to the postseason for the first time since 2002. Turon's Whitey Richburn came in fourth. The Typhoons were again pennant winners in the TU South with a 93-61 record, second in victories to Midway's 94. |
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03-25-2022, 05:45 AM
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#8726 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,252
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03-25-2022, 10:18 AM
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#8727 | |
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Hall Of Famer
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I have a problem in the IPA... there are not a lot of young players 18-21... the teams seem to have players mainly 25 and older, both on the active rosters and reserve rosters... the 18-21 on the reserve rosters are never promoted to the active rosters. Guess I will post a thread on the OOTP Discussions Forum and see if there is a setting to get more younger players into the league. jg2977, do you have this problem? |
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03-25-2022, 10:23 AM
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#8728 | |
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Hall Of Famer
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It couldn't hurt to ask on the discussions forum and see what answers you get. Last edited by jg2977; 03-25-2022 at 10:29 AM. |
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03-27-2022, 09:31 PM
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#8730 |
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 22, 2015 2015 Pro Cup Playoffs Start Tomorrow, TU's Ozarka Favored Powerful Ozarka of the Tycobbian Union got the nod over heavy-hitting Taranto of the Ruthlandian Union in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll. Baseball experts chose the Naturals over the Tars because of superior pitching. Both clubs have heavy timber and can score runs. Ozarka led the IPA with a .289 team batting average and it also ranked high with a 3.12 ERA. Taranto batted .275 to led the RU, but only posted a 4.06 ERA (26th). In the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series, which get underway tomorrow at 4 locations around the Islands, Ozarka will host the hard-hitting Bay St. Clair Buccaneers at Ellie Ewing Stadium. It will be Mahaska at home against the visiting Cape Coral Hurricanes. Over in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Taranto will be at home at the Palazzo di Sport, entertaining the Claxton Diamonds. The other Elite 8 match-up will be Colfax and Marston at Legends Field in Marston. The baseball prognosticators are at odds on what it takes to win the IPA Pro Cup. Does good pitching really beat good hitting? If that theory prevails Colfax will whip Marston and Claxton will knock off Taranto in the RU. Colfax has marvelous pitching with a 2.84 team ERA that easily topped everybody in both leagues. Claxton has the pitching edge over Taranto. The Diamonds put up a 3.76 ERA (12th) to the Tars mediocre 4.06 EAR (26th). Colfax wasn't given much support in the poll because of its poor offense. The Blasters batted only .247 (28th) and had difficulty scoring. They ranked 28th in runs. The forecast calls for Taranto and Colfax to play for the Ruthlandian Union title in the Final 4. In The Islandian Times poll, Ozarka will beat Bay St. Clair in the Elite 8 because the Nats hit as well as they pitch. The Bucs can score, but are weak on the mound with a 4.16 ERA (24th). The Cape Coral Hurricanes are expected to defeat the Mahaska Haymakers because of better hitting. The 'Canes hit .265 (9th) to the Haymakers .257 (15th). Mahaska has slightly better pitching 3.22 ERA (3rd) to 3.46 ERA (6th) for Cape Coral. If the poll is accurate it will be Ozarka and Cape Coral in the Tycobbian Final 4. The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll 1. Ozarka (99-55)/.289 BA (1st)/763 runs (5th)/173 HR (7th)/3.12 ERA (1st)/.972 FA 2. Taranto (93-61)/.275 BA (1st)/885 runs (1st)/219 HR (1st)/4.06 ERA (26th)/.976 FA 3. Cape Coral (90-64)/.265 BA (9th)/732 runs (13th)/142 HR/21st)/3.46 ERA (6th)/.979 FA 4. Colfax (91-63)/.247 BA (28th)/648 runs (28th)/113 HR/(17th-tied)/2.84 ERA (1st)/.972 FA 5. Marston (92-62)/.269 BA (5th)/742 runs (10th)/129 HR/19th-tied)/3.51 EERA (6th)/.976 FA 6. Mahaska (83-71)/.257 BA (15th)/692 runs (18th)/128 HR (24th)/3.22 EERA (3rd)/.973 FA 7. Claxton (88-66)/.268 BA/7th)/734 runs (13th)/157 HR (5th)/3.76 ERA (12th)/.978 FA 8. Bay St. Clair (86-68)/.273 BA (5th)/761 runs (8th-tied)/174 HR (6th)/4.16 ERA (24th)/.976 FA The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 29, 2015 IPA Final 4s Begin Today Holy Cow! What's going on the 2015 IPA Pro Cup playoffs? Three of the top four rated teams didn't make it out of the first round Elite 8. Most surprising of all, was the team picked to win it all, fell to the wayside. The powerful Ozarka Naturals took it on the chin and lost to the upstart Bay St. Clair Buccaneers, the team deemed least likely to win the Pro Cup this season. Taranto was the only highly-ranked club to make it to the Final 4. The Tars were chosen the second-best team in the Islands by the baseball journalists and broadcasters in The Islandian Times poll. They whipped Claxton, which was selected seventh. Sixth-ranked Mahaska knocked off Cape Coral, the number three team in voting. And the Marston Nine defeated the Colfax Blasters. Marston went into the playoffs rated fifth, while Colfax was number four. Oddsmakers have made Taranto the favorite over Marston in the Ruthlandian Final 4, while the Bay St. Clair-Mahaska match-up is a toss-up for the Tycobbian league title. The Tars are forecast to beat the Nine and meet the Buccaneers in the IPA Pro Cup Finals for the Island championship. Taranto has an awesome batting order and decent pitching. Bay St. Clair hits well, too, but its pitching is suspect. Both Marston and Mahaska have the capability to contend with Taranto and Bay St. Clair. Mahaska pitching is outstanding, while Marston is a well-rounded ball club with good bats and good pitching. The IPA Final 4 gets underway today with Taranto hosting Marston at the Palazzo di Sport and Bay St. Clair entertaining Mahaska at Shoreline Park. The Tars dominated Marston in the regular season with five wins in six games. The Mahaska Haymakers were 4-2 in the season series with Buccaneers. The Islandian Times Monday, October 5, 2015 2015 IPA Pro Cup Finals High-Scoring Finals, Tars And Bucs Battle Get warm and stay ready in the bullpen, Taranto and Bay St. Clair both have a wealth of hitters and put runs on the scoreboard. This year could be the highest-scoring Pro Cup in history. Neither the Tars, nor the Buccaneers have an abundance of pitching. The 2015 IPA Pro Cup Finals start tomorrow afternoon at Taranto's Palazzo di Sport, one of the smallest venues in the IPA. The Tars have the homefield advantage in the best-of-seven series. Both ball clubs are making their debuts in the IPA finals. Tommaso Lazzorda's Tars had a monstrous year with 219 home runs, topping the IPA in most offensive categories. Guy Rondre's Bucs are quite capable, too, but not as potent as Taranto. The clubs are about even on the hill except for Jimmy Mosley (16-4 2.98) and Vito Incardona (13-7 3.26). They give the Tars the edge as far as starters go. Chris Van Arden (11-6 3.13) and Lloyd Weber (19-12 4.02) are the Bucs best hurlers. Both clubs have problems in the relief corps. Defensively they both are good with the gloves and about equal with .976 fielding averages. Taranto is a strong favorite to hit their way to the IPA crown, but don't dismiss Bay St. Clair too quickly. They surprised powerful Ozarka in the Tycobbian Final 4. The Naturals were picked to win it all in the IPA this season by the baseball experts. Not only did Ozarka hit very well, they had excellent pitching, too. It didn't matter to the Buccaneers, they didn't pay any attention to the experts, who voted Bay St. Clair least likely to win the Pro Cup this year in The Islandian Times poll. Guy Rondre's Bucs finished last in a field of 8 teams. Taranto was rated number two in the poll. Everybody in Lazzorda's line-up is a threat. Taranto had 8 players with 10 or more homers, led by RF Augie Marshall (.323 BA/47 HR), LF Arnie Kennedy (.309 BA/34 HR) and CF Miles Rogers (.365 BA/20 HR). However, Bay St. Clair has a couple of sluggers in 1B Gerry Fields (.332 BA/46 HR) and SS Jimmy Sawyer (.307 BA/30 HR), along with some excellent contact hitters in LF Bruno DiPirro (.307 BA), 2B Bud Walker (.314 BA), RF Alejandro Feliciano (.296 BA) and C Vince Herbert (.289 BA). It should be a highly-entertaining series. I'm going to pick Bay St. Clair in an upset in seven games. Taranto Tars (93-61) .271 BA (1st) 885 runs (1st) 219 HR (1st) 4.06 ERA (26th) .976 FA (3rd tied) Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (86-68) .273 BA (5th) 761 runs (8th) 174 HR (6th) 4.16 ERA (24th) .976 FA (5th) The Islandian Times Tuesday, October 6, 2015 2015 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 1 At Taranto Tars Trounce Bucs 10-4 In Pro Cup Opener Living up to their press, the Taranto Tars trounced Bay St. Clair 10-4 at the tiny Palazzo di Sport in the first game of the 2015 IPA Pro Cup championship series... The Tars bashed 4 home runs and 16 hits en route to an easy win over the Buccaneers... Bay St. Clair stayed close until the sixth and trailed only 5-4, but Taranto put them away with a 4-run explosion in the bottom half of the frame... 1B Augie Marshall (.375), 2B Ed Miles (.261), LF Arnie Kennedy (.275) and 1B Pietro Skrmetta (.196) went deep for the winners... Skrmetta drove in 3 runs for the Tars... Kennedy, Miles and 3B Wayne Pounders (.314) batted in 2 each... the Bucs got 8 hits off Vito Cardona (3-1 4.08), who allowed 8 hits, struck out 7 and walked 3 in a good performance at the Palazzo di Sport... CF Todd Bryant (.298) homered for the Buccaneers... Chris Van Arden (2-2 5.00) was battered for 12 hits in 5+ innings... He was slammed for 7 runs. The Islandian Times Wednesday, October 7, 2015 2015 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 2 At Taranto Taranto Shells Bucs Again, Wins 10-0 The shell-shocked Bay St. Clair Bucs will be happy to get out Taranto and the Palazzo di Sport... for the second day in a row the Tars bombed the Buccaneers 10-0 to go up by two games in the best-of-seven affair... Not only did Taranto rack up 17 hits, but Jimmy Mosley (2-2 3.92) hurled a splendid shutout, stopping Bay St. Clair on 7 hits... Mosley issued 2 walks and fanned 7 batters... LF Arnie Kennedy (.291) homered for the second day in a row and batted in 4 runs... Kennedy now has 4 home runs in the playoffs and has driven in 16 runs... CF Bryan Miles (.227) also parked one in the stands for the Tars... RF Augie Marshall (.404) collected 3 hits and drove in 2 for the winners... Lloyd Weber (2-2 5.66) took the brunt of the beating, routed for 8 runs in just 3 innings... manager Guy Rondre is hoping a change of venue will give his Bucs a better chance... the series switches to Shoreline Park for game three tomorrow afternoon... also games four and five, if the Pro Cup Series goes that far. The Islandian Times Thursday, October 8, 2015 2015 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 3 At Bay St. Clair Tars Top BSC 6-3, Possible Pro Cup Sweep The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers got back home to the friendly confines of Shoreline Park, but that didn't change anything in the IPA Pro Cup Series... the powerful Taranto Tars racked up their third win in a row and are now within one game of sweeping the Bucs... Chazzie DiBartolo (4-0 4.10) whipped them 6-3 despite giving up 10 hits... Taranto ran up a 6-0 lead before Bay St. Clair could get on the scoreboard in the seventh.. the Tars managed only 7 hits, but it was enough... they took advantage of 6 walks by the Bucs pitchers.. 3B Wayne Pounders (.333) led the way with two hits and a two-run homer... the Bucs outhit the Tars, but to no avail... C Vince Herbert (.264) and CF Orlando Macias (.333) got late-inning homers for the Buccaneers. The Islandian Times Friday, October 9, 2015 2015 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 4 At Bay St. Clair Bucs Finally Win, Edge Tars in 11th Guy Rondre finally got some good pitching and it paid off with a 4-3 triumph in game four of the IPA Pro Cup... Chris Van Arden and Sean Lawrence combined for the 11-inning victory over the Taranto Tars to keep Bay St. Clair alive the best-of-seven series... the red-hot Tars still have a huge three games to one bulge... Van Arden went 9 effective innings and held the powerful Tars to 3 runs on 9 hits and Lawrence (1-0 0.00) logged two scoreless innings for the win... The Bucs got the game-winner when RF Orlando Macias (.385) singled in pinchrunner Bird Dog Burgdorf... Randy Petri (0-1 3.68) was the losing pitcher... He relieved in the 11th... starter Vito Incardona and closer Anthony Zinacola both pitched effectively for Taranto... each team notched 10 hits... the Bucs put two on the board in the first and added another in the fifth to go up 3-0... the Tars rallied with one in the seventh and 2 in the eighth to send the game into overtime... there was only one roundtripper in spacious Shoreline Park... Taranto 2B Ed Miles (.263) hammered one out. The Islandian Times Saturday, October 10, 2015 2015 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 5 At Bay St. Clair Tars Slam Bucs 13-5, Win First Pro Cup Taranto proved they can hit the ball out of the park any place and anywhere... the Tars boomed 4 out of Shoreline Park and slammed the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers 13-5 to win the 2015 IPA Pro Cup in just five games... it was Tommaso Lazzorda and the Tars first ever IPA championship. Taranto showed they meant business by blasting the Bucs for 8 runs in the first frame... RF Augie Marshall (.375) and LF Arnie Kennedy (.304) sparked the rampage with 4 RBIs each... Marshall hit 2 homers and Kennedy and 1B Pietro Skrmetta (.279) belted one apiece... Marshall and Kennedy rapped 5 each in the postseason, while Skrmetta had 4... Bay St. Clair's CF Todd Bryant (.328) and LF Bruno DiPirro (.344) went deep, but the Bucs couldn't get any closer than 9-4 in the third... Taranto sent them reeling with 3 more runs in the top of the fourth for an 8-run lead. Jimmy Mosley (3-2 4.13) came up with another important win... Mosley surrendered 5 runs and 8 hits, but was good enough to win... Surprise starter Don Yaden (0-1) sustained the loss and had to endure the terrible first inning... Guy Rondre gave Yaden the start in hopes that he could slow down the Tars the plate and get the Buccaneers back into the series... Yader was an effective reliever during the season with a 6-1 record in 51 games. Lazzorda lauded his entire team, saying, "Everybody on the club contributed... the hitters get the press and the glory, but my pitchers did a fine job, too... actually we won because of our pitching... it's not easy to pitch in a place like the Palazzo di Sport and stay sane." He added, "When you have as many good bats as I do, it makes my job a breeze... If there has ever been a better hitting team in the IPA, I have never seen them." Bay St. Clair's Guy Rondre was greatly disappointed in losing the Pro Cup. He told the press, "I really thought we could beat anybody after we knocked off Ozarka." The Islandian Times Sunday, October 11, 2015 Marshall and Kennedy Pro Cup MVPs The 2015 IPA Pro Cup Series was a hitter's delight. Consequently the Most Valuable Player Award went to a pair of prolific hitters: Augie Marshall and Arnie Kennedy of the champion Taranto Tars shared the award. The two sluggers demolished Bay St. Clair pitching and sparked the Tars to the IPA crown in five games. Marshall, the 21-year-old right fielder, hit .375 in the playoffs with 5 home runs, 18 RBIs and 18 runs scored, while 27-year-old left fielder Arnie Kennedy rapped 5 out of the park, drove in 20 runs, scored 16 times and posted a .304 batting average. Each one of them delivered crucial hits at various times in the postseason. Chazzie DiBartolo played a big part in the Tars title run with a fine 4-0 record and was the only other votegetter in the poll. The Islandian Times Wednesday, October 21, 2015 Bobcats Valenti Captures RU MVP He's only 23 years old with just three years in the IPA, but Vic Valenti has gotten better every season. The Beechwood center fielder put up some fabulous numbers in 2015 to capture the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player honors. Valenti topped the league with a .383 batting average, rapped 45 homers, drove in 120 and scored 119 runs. Rocky Rapids pitcher Donnie Chaney was the runner-up for the award. Chaney led the IPA with 26 victories. He lost 12 games and compiled a very impressive 2.36 ERA. Taranto slugger Augie Marshall came in third in the vote. Marshall paced the RU with 47 home runs and 131 RBIs, while registering a .323 batting average. He also scored 109 times. The Islandian Times Thursday, October 22, 2015 Turon's Kingsford Proclaimed TU's MVP The Turon Typhoons sensational first baseman Clyde Kingsford again stood out in the Tycobbian Union and came away with the 2015 Most Valuable Player Award. The remarkable Kingsford was one of the keys to Turon's second-place finish in the TU South. He led the entire IPA with 140 runs batted in, hit .321, smacked 45 home runs and scored 104 runs. Mahaska's splendid southpaw Joey Wallace was second in the balloting. Wallace led the Haymakers to the TU north pennant with a 23-9 record and 2.05 ERA. Third in the poll was High Mesa's tremendous Jack Elliott, who was the IPA home run leader with 56. Elliott also had the TU's best batting average at .363 and just barely missed the Triple Crown by 5 RBIs, ranking third in the league. The Islandian Times Friday, October 28, 2015 Tars Lazzorda Nabs RU Top Skipper Award It has been quite a few years since anyone but Far Mountain claimed the RU North. This year Tommaso Lazzorda guided his Taranto Tars to a magnificent season and toppled the Redhawks in a sterling duel by 3 games. Taranto was 93-61, while Far Mountain was 90-64. This is the first time Lazzorda has won the honor. Stacy Engel was the runner-up in the poll as his Claxton Diamonds shot up from seventh place to the top spot in the RU South with an 88-66 record. Marston's Johnny Walters was in the third spot. His Nine took another RU East crown with a 92-62 mark. Far Mountain's Alex Groveland wound up fourth in the voting. He did a great job considering he lost his number one pitcher to retirement and almost overcame the loss. Carney Wins TU Best Manager Award Joe Mac Carney mastermind the Ozarka Naturals rise from fifth to first this season in the Tycobbian Union and has been selected the Manager of the Year. Under Carney the Nats were 99-55, which was the best record in the IPA this year. He is a first-time winner of the award. Coming in second in the voting was Huggy Miller of the Cape Coral Hurricanes. He engineered a division title in the TU South with a 90-64 record. The 'Canes had finished fifth the previous season. Bay St. Clair's Guy Rondre was rated third in the poll. His Buccaneers climbed up from fifth to first in the TU East with an 86-68 mark. Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-27-2022 at 09:33 PM. |
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03-30-2022, 03:26 PM
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#8732 |
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Hall Of Famer
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Pro Cup Begins Tomorrow, FM Redhawks Favored It's Pro Cup time in the Islands - the time when all the best teams go head-to-head on the diamonds until only one is left - the number one pro baseball team in Islandia. The playoffs start tomorrow afternoon at four sites... last year's IPA champion Taranto did not make the postseason this year and will not be back to defend their title... the Tars defeated the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers in 5 games last year... the Bucs did not the playoffs this year, either. In the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series the Far Mountain Redhawks will be home hosting the Belair Beach Sunbirds and the Colfax Blasters travel to play the Eastshore Elegants. The Redhawks had the best record against the other division winners in regular season match-ups with a 10-8 record, Colfax was 8-7, Eastshore 7-8 and Belair Beach was 5-7. In the Tycobbian Union Ozarka Naturals will be entertaining the Bayview Vikings and the Turon Typhoons will be on the road against the North Hills Hawks. During the season Ozarka posted the best overall mark against the other three challengers. The Nats were 10-7, Bayview 9-8, North Hills 8-9 and Turon 7-10. In the annual Pro Cup poll conducted by The Islandian Times, the nod goes to Far Mountain of the Ruthlandian Union to emerge the Pro Cup champion this year. Overall Ruthlandia has an 8-7 edge over Tycobbia in the yearly competition. The Redhawks (89-65) have a veteran team that has been there before and won three Pro Cups, more than any other club. Ozarka (105-49) was rated the best team in the Tycobbian Union. The Naturals won 105 games this season, the most in the IPA. The Turon Typhoons (92-62) were third in the poll. They have won two Pro Cups in their history and are back with a solid team again. The Eastshore Elegants (96-58) topped everybody in the RU in victories and are rated the fourth-best team in the playoffs. They are returning to the postseason after a 13-year absence with a well-balanced club that can do everything well. Picked fifth in the balloting were the Bayview Vikings (95-59). The Viks have not been to the playoffs since 2007. Coming in sixth in the vote were the Belair Beach Sunbirds (87-67), an experienced team that lost out to Pro Cup champion Kenwood just two years ago. The Colfax Blasters (93-62) were picked the seventh-best in the balloting and are the only other team with a Pro Cup title. They won it in 2010 over Turon. Colfax has the best pitching in the IPA, but haven't done well in the postseason lately because of weak hitting. Same thing this year. The Blasters are not likely to challenge for the title. The North Hills Hawks (92-62) were ranked last in the poll and the least likely to nab the Pro Cup this year. North Hills hasn't had much playoff success in its history. It shows only one playoff appearance in 2012. The experts say the Hawks are a good club, but don't have the overall talent of the other teams. The baseball analysts have spoken, now it's up to teams and the players to decide the 2016 Pro Cup champion. Naturally games are not won in the paper, they are won on the field. Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-30-2022 at 06:21 PM. |
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03-31-2022, 08:28 PM
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#8733 |
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Hall Of Famer
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Sunday, September 25, 2016 2016 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series Ruthlandian Union Elegants Stun Colfax 3-2, Sweep Elite 8 It was a day Eastshore back-up catcher Todd Sheppard will long remember and Colfax pitcher Cliff James will not soon forget... in the top of the ninth, Sheppard stepped to the plate with his team behind 2-0, two runners on and two outs and he sent a long drive into the stands to put Eastshore up 3-2 in game four of the RU Elite 8... that set the stage for reliever Jack Wilson to finish off the Blasters and he did... this stunning end gave the Elegants a sweep over Colfax in the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8... Eastshore won all four games and will now await the winner of the Belair Beach Sunbirds and the Far Mountain Redhawks... Elegant starter Danny Siegfried (2-0 1.59) tossed a strong game, going 8 innings, yielding only 2 runs and 6 hits... James hurled brilliantly until the fatal homer by Sheppard... James (0-2 2.57) allowed 7 hits in defeat... 1B Ricky Rose (.455) was Colfax's best bat with 3 hits. The Islandian Times Monday, September 26, 2016 2016 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series Ruthlandian Union FM Finishes Off BB Sunbirds, Advances To Final 4 Favored Far Mountain made quick work of the Belair Beach Sunbirds and finished them off four games to one in the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8, gaining sweet revenge after the Sunbirds spoiled their chance for a 4th consecutive Pro Cup title two seasons ago... Bobby Snow (2-0 3.94) tossed a 4-2 victory in game 5, throwing 8 strong innings with 4 Ks and 3 BBs... Snow gave up 2 runs on 8 hits... Jesse Hughes (1.80) got his 3rd save with a runless ninth, although he permitted 2 hits... the tying runs were on second and third when Hughes got the third out... Rik Flippen (1-1 2.00) went the route in defeat, giving up 8 hits and only 2 earned runs... the winning runs came in the seventh when LF Tom Bennett botched a fly ball and allowed two runs to score, putting the Redhawks up 4-1... RF Julian Zavala (.412) led Far Mountain with 2 hits and 2 runs scored... RF Ron Dizon (.316) had 3 hits for the Sunbirds with 2 RBIs and a home run... Far Mountain, the Pro Cup favorite, will play the Eastshore Elegants for the RU pennant in the Final 4. Both clubs are powerful and it should be quite a series... the Elegants swept Colfax in the Elite 8... prognosticators say the outcome is a toss-up. Tycobbian Union Typhoons Triumph Over Hawks 3-2, Farentino Winner It's all over in the Turon-North Hills TU Elite 8 Series... the Typhoons dumped the Hawks four games to one, winning 3-2 behind the sharp pitching of vet Ted Farentino, who eliminated North Hills in game 5... Farentino (2-0 1.59) permitted 2 runs on 8 hits, whiffed 4 and issued just one walk in his 8 innings... closer Merle Studebaker came on in the ninth and did his job, setting down the Hawks in order for the save... Turon scored runs in the first two frames for a 2-0 edge... North Hills came back with singletons in the third and fifth to tie it up at 2-all... Typhoon RF Jack Brown (.263) won it with an RBI single in the seventh... Turon only got 5 hits in the game to 8 for the Hawks... Lenny Black (0-2 6.00) lost it, yielding 3 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings. The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 27, 2016 2016 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series Tycobbian Union Nats Knock Viks Out Of Playoffs It looked like Bayview would force a seventh game in the TU Elite 8 series with Ozarka... Bayview's Georgie Fambreau was cruising along with a 3-0 lead after 5 innings, but the Naturals reared up and took charge in the late innings for a 7-5 victory that wrapped up a spot for them in the TU Final 4 against the talented Turon Typhoons... Ozarka beat Bayview 4 games to 2... Winner Eddie Roberts (2-0 5.93) labored, but toughed it out... Bayview tagged him for 3 runs in the first on LF Davey Krueger's RBI single and 3B Karl Benson's (.222) 2-run double... Roberts then settled down and shut the Vikings out until the ninth... Roberts took a 7-3 lead into the final frame, but was slammed for 3 hits and two runs... Dennis Purcell came in from the bullpen and got the final out with the tying runs on base... Fambreau (0-1 5.00) was charged with the loss, working 7 innings and permitting 7 runs and 8 hits... 1B Benny Rousseau (.360), C Frank Kiffin (.269) and CF Ryoma Nakayama (.500) sparked the Ozarka 9-hit attack with two hits apiece... LF Davey Krueger (.478) and 2B Tommy Shore (.444) led Bayview with 2 RBIs each... Ozarka, which won 105 games in the regular season, is a slight favorite over Turon in the Final 4. The Islandian Times Wednesday, September 28, 2016 Round Of 4 Starts Tomorrow In Eastshore And Ozarka So far the baseball experts have been right on the money. The top four picks in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll have made it to the IPA Pro Cup Final 4, which is slated to begin tomorrow afternoon. Fans will have a heyday as all of the teams are pretty much even. Each best-of-seven series should be hotly-contested with no clear-cut favorites. In the Ruthlandian Union upstart Eastshore will host perennial power Far Mountain at Kraft Stadium. The Redhawks are favored because they have won the Pro Cup three times and still have quite a few veterans around that won it in 2011, 2012, and 2013. No other team in the IPA has that many titles. However, the Elegants led the RU this season with a 96-58 record, while Far Mountain chalked up an 89-65 mark. The clubs battled to a draw in the regular season with each winning three games. Eastshore has never been a Pro Cup champion. In fact, the Elegants rarely have made the playoffs. Their last appearance was 13 years ago in 2003. At a glance, Eastshore should be a slight favorite in the Final 4, but most scribes are leaning toward the battle-hardened Redhawks. It will be Ozarka and Turon in the Tycobbian finals. Games one and two will be at Ellie Ewing Stadium in Ozarka. The Naturals topped the IPA with a 105-49 record and bested the Typhoons three games to two during the season. Turon was 92-62 on the year. They have won two Pro Cups in their history, while the Nats have been finalists twice, but never won. Ozarka is being given the favorite's role, but the Typhoons always play well in the Pro Cup competition and could sneak up on the powerhouse Nats. |
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03-31-2022, 10:17 PM
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#8734 |
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Hall Of Famer
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I have updated 48 of the 64 IPA teams for the new 2974 season.
Sorry for taking so long... it takes me an hour to update the active roster and the reserve rosters for a team. The 2074 Islandian Pro Alliance season should begin in about a week or so. I think I will try playing two seasons back-to-back, 2074 and 2075, and just see what type of rookie class the AI creates... in the past most of the rookies don't have the ratings to play in the IPA...they just sit on the reserved rosters and age and never make the active rosters. Why doesn't the AI purge and get rid of weak players?... why doesn't the AI retire aging players that are no longer performing well?... It will keep an aging, underperforming player for 2-3 years... I have to retire them. Revising rosters each season and creating free agents just takes too much time... I have to find another way to do it. Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-31-2022 at 10:19 PM. |
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04-01-2022, 03:30 PM
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#8735 |
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Hall Of Famer
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Sunday, October 2, 2016 2016 IPA Pro Cup Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union Eastshore Sweeps FM, Pro Cup Bound For the first time in their history, the Eastshore Elegants are headed for the IPA Pro Cup... They toppled perennial power Far Mountain in a four-game sweep, whipping them 6-3 in game four despite being outhit 13 to 9... the powerful Elegants won their 8th playoff game in a row... they also swept Colfax in the previous round... rookie Danny Siegfried (4-0 1.64) bent, but didn't break... he allowed 11 hits and 3 runs in his 8 innings, but walked none... reliever Paul Walker closed out with a runless ninth to seal the verdict... Robby Kelly (0-3 6.45) caught the loss for the Redhawks, giving up 4 runs and 7 hits in 7 innings... a 3-run first did Kelly in... although Far Mountain managed to tie it up 3-3 after 5 innings... the Elegants regained the lead with a run in the sixth and finished the Redhawks off with 2 more in the top of the ninth... RF Stan Cuccinello (.303) sparked Eastshore with 3-5 and 3 RBIs... 2B Travis McCormick (.182) led Far Mountain with 2 hits and 2 RBIs... SS Don Nichols (.323) also added 3 hits... Manager Killer Brewster will have to wait a few days for his opponent... Turon and Ozarka are still going at it in the Tycobbian Union Final 4. Tycobbian Union Turon Ties Nats With Comeback Win 7-6 "It ain't over 'til it's over" is a well-known adage in baseball parlance and it came to past today at Typhoon Stadium in Turon... Ozarka had its way until the seventh inning... the Nats posted a 6-1 lead and seemed destined to go up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, but Turon had other ideas... the Typhoons jumped all over starter Benny Ostermann in the final 3 frames and came away with a 7-6 triumph to deadlock the TU Final 4 at 2 games apiece... 1B Clyde Kingsford's (.441) single made it 6-5, followed by RF Jack Brown (.343) with a 2-run walk-off game-winning triple off losing pitcher Dennis Purcell (1-2), who came on in the ninth with a 6-4 lead, but couldn't stop the Typhoons... Reliever Marshall Price (1-0) got the win with a 1-2-3 ninth... Turon had a 13-10 hit advantage and were led by Brown with 3 hits and 2 RBIs... SS Andy Hansen (.353) went 3-4 and scored twice... and 2B Matt Madison (.395) and C Cory Moore (.250) had 2 hits and 2 RBIs each... CF Ryoma Nakayama (.471) and 1B Benny Rousseau (.400) paced the Naturals with 3 hits apiece... Nakayama had a homer and 3 RBIs, while Rousseau homered and drove in one run. |
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04-01-2022, 04:46 PM
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#8736 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,252
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Quote:
I wonder what would happen if we added two or three levels of minor leagues to our games. As for aging, declining players whose skills are below that of replacement players sitting on rosters and not retiring, I'm not sure why that is. Maybe there's just not an abundance of talent to fill 64 teams in your IPA world. |
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04-01-2022, 07:23 PM
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#8737 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Somewhere in the United States of America on God's Earth
Posts: 7,005
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That just might solve your problems here, I think, you two, or at least help lessen them, somehow. Sure, it might mean you have at least twice as many teams, if not more, and might make your saves larger, on average, and all. But maybe it would be a good idea to incorporate some minor leagues into your game, or a promotion/relegation system of some sort.
EC, you already have experience with running a promotion/relegation-type system here. So maybe you should consider trying to use that kind of experience with your IPA, at least to a degree. Perhaps you could create a new league and relegate teams every season, until you get the IPA down to a more manageable level. Once you've relegated at least 8 to 16 teams to a lower level, if not more, then you can perhaps create a third league, and repeat the process, until you are sufficiently satisfied with the sizes of the leagues in question. In EC's case, if he ultimately wants to shrink the size of the top league by 75 percent, he can use this process as needed and as possible and desired to do so as quickly or as gradually as he might wish and all, I think, until he has four equally-sized overall leagues that have the same number of teams in them that were present until the Expansion Era in Major League Baseball, if that is what he wishes to be the case here. Talk more later, as time permits and all, I'm quite sure. Lord willing and all, of course, that is, you know. Thank you for your time and attention and all here, EC and everyone else who follows this thread. That's all for this post here, at least, I think, then. CD out.
__________________
Some Favorite Bible Verses: Proverbs 16:7 KJV Romans 12:18 KJV Philippians 2:1-11 KJV DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/clovidequano-dovatha GBA: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=316515 EC's IPA: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=158631 Updates to my various threads may be delayed or sporadic, and requests may still be some time away, while I continue working on LUtD and G&K:THOS. CD out. |
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04-01-2022, 08:47 PM
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#8738 | |
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Hall Of Famer
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Quote:
The talent is there... teams have very good players on the reserve rosters that never get promoted to the active rosters. I really don't understand how the game handles rosters. |
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04-01-2022, 08:53 PM
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#8739 |
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Hall Of Famer
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I intend to stay with 64 teams with no promotion and relegation.
All I need to do is get an influx of 18 to 21-year olds that are impact players. This should solve the problem. I am going to complete the rosters in the next day or so... only have about 12 teams to update, then I will play the 2074 and 2075 seasons and see how the rookie classes from each year perform. Last edited by Eugene Church; 04-01-2022 at 10:37 PM. |
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04-01-2022, 09:16 PM
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#8740 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Somewhere in the United States of America on God's Earth
Posts: 7,005
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2074 and 2074 seasons, EC? Don't you mean the 2074 and 2075 IPA seasons? As for just how the game often handles teams' rosters, I might strongly suggest that you ask around, for I'm quite sure that there are many people around these forums, including the developers, who might just know quite a bit about how it often handles them. I wouldn't mind seeing more comments along those lines from others around here, either, I think. CD out.
__________________
Some Favorite Bible Verses: Proverbs 16:7 KJV Romans 12:18 KJV Philippians 2:1-11 KJV DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/clovidequano-dovatha GBA: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=316515 EC's IPA: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=158631 Updates to my various threads may be delayed or sporadic, and requests may still be some time away, while I continue working on LUtD and G&K:THOS. CD out. |
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