ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS) - Page 243

Eugene Church · 07-03-2015, 10:13 PM

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Eugene Church · 07-04-2015, 05:16 PM

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Eugene Church · 07-04-2015, 05:47 PM

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Eugene Church · 07-05-2015, 04:01 PM

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Eugene Church · 07-06-2015, 05:51 PM

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Eugene Church · 07-07-2015, 08:37 PM

This is part four of a six-part series... I have already posted the first three All-Decade Teams... this is the Fourth All-Decade Team covering the years 2031 to 2040... the Fifth Decade Team will cover the years from 2041 to 2050.

The Sixth Team will be the 50th Anniversary Team with the all-time best players in the Islandian Pro Alliance, chosen by position.

Here is the link to see the First All-Decade Team:
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...nions-231.html

The Second and Third All-Decade Teams follow this link on the next few pages of this thread.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

SP: J. J. Gillespie (2029-2045)
Heading up the mound corps for the IPA Fourth All-Decade Team is Cold Creek's sensational right-hander J. J. Gillespie... he toiled for the Catamounts for 17 seasons, running up an impressive 294-170 mark with a great 2.46 lifetime ERA... Gillespie paced them to four pennants during his tenure... he was a 20-game winner 10 times... won three Ruthlandian MVP trophies in '33, '37 and '40... five Golden Arms... and made the All-Star club on six occasions... Gillespie was 11-9 in 23 postseason assignments with a standout 2.46 ERA... Gillespie was inducted into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2046 after retiring at age 39.

Eugene Church · 07-08-2015, 04:01 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

SP: Dave Michael (2029-2047)
The number-two pitcher on the IPA Fourth Team All-Decade Team was Dave Michael...the North Hills Hawks' fine right-hander was a big part of the team's enormous success in the '30s and '40s when they won 11 pennants and 4 Pro Cups in a 12-year period... Michael was the main money pitcher for those clubs, compiling a 315-234 record with a 3.11 ERA... in his career of 19 years he was an All-Star twice and registered 20 wins 6 times, but it was in the postseason that Michael really shined with a 20-13 mark and a superlative 2.32 ERA in 37 games... he copped two Pro Cup MVP trophies, winning in 2034 and 2038... Michael retired in '47 at the age of 40.

The IPA Hall of Fame honored Michael with a plaque in the hallowed halls in 2047

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 15, 2034

2034 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 6
(best-of-seven)

Hooper Leads Hawks To First Pro Cup Title
Unsung number three starter Nelson Hooper hurled a career game and brought home to North Hills its first ever Pro Cup in the club's history... Hopper fired a 3-hitter at the Crystal Lake Crushers, taming them 4-1 at the Hawk's Nest... that gave the Hawks the IPA crown in six games... in this year's Pro Cup playoffs, North Hills was the third-seeded team and the Crushers were rated fourth in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup poll... top seed Eastshore and second seed Tuckanarra both fell in the first round of play.

In a brilliant, route-going performance Hopper (3-3/4.19) struck out 7 and walked one batter... Douglas Merrill (2-3/3.66) was the victim as he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in 7 innings... the Crushers took an early lead in the second when 3B Willy Burke (.383) singled with 2 outs and scored on RF Augie Danka's (.182) triple... but that was all she wrote on the scoreboard for the Crushers... the Hawks took charge in the last of the fourth with 4 runs... 3B Dean O'Donnell (.354) singled and was doubled in by LF Adam Thurgood (.432) to tie it up at 1-1... RF Fred Watson (.143) doubled in Thurgood... then C Mikhail Romanovsky (.282) delivered the coup de grace, a 2-run shot into the left field bleachers... it was his 4th playoff roundtripper and gave him 17 RBIs, tops on the Hawks.

"Clutch hitting and marvelous pitching won it for us," beamed Hawks' skipper Todd Simons at the post-game press conference. "David Michael carried us in the first two rounds, then got great help from Hooper in the Finals... Romanovsky's bat got us to the Finals... and Thurgood and O'Donnell stood out throughout the whole playoffs."

Disappointed that he failed to win his third Pro Cup, Crushers' manager Herman "Baby" George said, "This was a painful loss... a few well-placed base hits would've made a lot of difference... it was a closer series than you think... we had good chances in games one and three, but lost them... but you've got to give the Hawks credit... they have outstanding pitching in Michael and Hooper... and they got the hits when they needed them... youngsters Thurgood and O'Donnell are very talented ballplayers... Todd has a very fine ballclub and they deserved to win."

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 27, 2034

Hawks' Michael Acclaimed Pro Cup MVP
The top winner in the IPA this season David Michael, didn't stop after 26 victories in the regular campaign, he kept right on chalking up more victories in the playoffs and pitched the North Hills Hawks to the Pro Cup championship with 7 more wins. Michael tied Errol Gaudet of the Rolling Hills Reds for the most postseason wins. Gaudet led the Reds to the title in 2029. In the Finals, Michael won games one and four. For his very impressive postseason performance Michael was voted the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. He posted a 7-0 mark in 8 starts and registered an outstanding 1.96 ERA. Michael had 5 complete games. Two other players received support in The Islandian Times poll, Michael's teammate Adam Thurgood, was the second-highest votegetter and Crystal Lake's standout catcher Stan Stanek finished third in the balloting.

Thurgood had a wonderful postseason with a .432 batting average in 20 games, 7 doubles, 5 home runs, 16 runs batted in and 15 runs scored. In a losing effort, Stanek walloped 7 out of the park, while driving in 22 runs and batting .312 for the runner-up Crushers.

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 13, 2038

2038 IPA PRO CUP FINALS

HAWKS SNARE 3RD PRO CUP IN 5 YEARS
Tremendous pitching and solid hitting brought North Hills its third Pro Cup in the last five years... the Hawks wrapped up the 2038 Pro Cup Series with a 5-1 win in 10 innings to sweep the weak-hitting Far Mountain Redhawks in four games... David Michael and Joey Santini teamed up to hold the Redhawks to just 4 hits with the victory going to Santini (2-0/0.00)... he blanked Far Mountain over the final two innings after Michael stopped them on one run and 3 hits is his eight innings... North Hills hammered losing pitcher Chad Cummings (1-3/3.15) for 4 runs and 4 hits in the tenth... Cummings lost the last two games of the series in relief... the Hawks banged out 16 hits in game four, but left 13 baserunners on.

The Hawks went in front in the top of the fourth when 2B Tommy Vavas (.278) singled and went to second on a miscue by third baseman Kyle Ainslie on a grounder by RF Gerry Rice (.266)... a wild pitched moved them up to second and third... 1B Ric Hamilton (.185) got the first run in with an RBI single.

The Redhawks tied it up in the last of the seventh... back-to-back singles by LF Harman Silver (.200) and 1B John Burrell (.268) placed runners on first and second... a base on balls to RF Wes Wernstedt (.233) loaded the bases with one away... C Lou Ranson's (.232) deep flyout to right-center easily tied the score at 1-1.

North Hills exploded for 4 runs against Cummings in the top of the tenth frame... after Ric Hamilton (.185) singled and Jim McDermott (.369) doubled to put runners on second and third, CF Kris Anastas (.323) drove in the winning run with a single... SS Norris Henry (.370) made it 3-1 with a single... Joey Santini (.000) got another run in when he hit into a 5-4-3 double play... and 2B Tommy Vavas (.278) finished out the scoring with an RBI double.

North Hills' skipper Todd Simons proudly held up the Pro Cup trophy at the press conference and said "You never get tired of hoisting this baby... it's the thing dreams are made of." This is the third time Simons has had the pleasure of winning the Islands' baseball championship. The Hawks also won it in 2034 and 2036... Simons said, "Hey, I don't mind winning this every other year."

Simons praised his great pitching staff, "Holding anybody to 7 runs in 4 games is remarkable pitching... and my boys did it in the Pro Cup Finals... Michael, Owens and Santini really took it to another level this year... they were fabulous." Simons later also recognized his team's hitting, "Anastas, Thurgood, McDermott and Henry certainly had a hand in the championship... they came through time after time in the postseason, too."

Losing manager Don Nichols echoed Simons' sentiments, saying, "The Hawks' hill corps really clamped down on our bats... that was the key to the series."

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 14, 2038

PRO CUP MVP GOES TO HAWKS' MICHAEL AGAIN
For the third time in his career David Michael of the North Hills Hawks has sparked his club to an IPA Pro Cup championship and for the second time he has been named the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. The 31-year-old right-hander also won the award in 2034 and he played an important role on the 2036 title team. Michael is only the fourth two-time winner. Previously Far Mountain outfielder Xavier Soto won it two years in a row in 2011 and 2012, Eastshore pitcher Duncan Welch in 2020 and 2022 and Valmara hurler Teddy Lem in 2026 and 2030.

Michael captured it this year as he posted a 4-1 record in 6 starts with an exceptional 1.35 ERA. HIs closest competitor was teammate Jeff Owens, who took the MVP Award in 2036. Michael defeated him 60 to 50 in The Islandian Times' annual poll. A distant third in the balloting with 18 votes was Hawk' center fielder Kris Anastas.

Michael beat Turon 2-1 and 10-8 in first-round action. In the second game he allowed 4 runs in 8 innings for the win with only 2 runs earned. He exited with a 10-4 lead. His only loss was 2-1 in 10 innings to La Claire in second-round play. Michael later beat them 5-3 in game four to even up the series. In the Pro Cup Finals he won game one against Far Mountain 3-2 and whipped them again in game four 5-1. Michael completed 2 games in the postseason.

Owens was also outstanding this year with 3-1 mark in 4 starts with a 1.25 ERA and 4 complete games. Anastas batted .323 in 16 games with 4 homers and 15 RBIs.

Eugene Church · 07-09-2015, 01:28 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

SP: Frankie Quinn (2027-2047)
The third man on the Islandian Pro Alliance Fourth All-Decade Team's mound staff is Frankie Quinn, who toiled in the IPA for 21 years... 7 with the Fort Benton Defenders in the Ruthlandian Union and 14 for the Blue Lake Blue Sox in the Tycobbian Union... in his career Quinn won more games than anyone in league history... he is the all-time IPA leader with 391 victories and a solid 3.04 ERA... he won 20 or more games a remarkable 13 times, while piling up 297 defeats... was an All-Star 4 times... and was named the Tycobbian Golden Arm in 2037... his clubs never won a pennant, so he never played in the postseason playoffs... Quinn played until 2047 and retired at age 40... he is not yet a member of the IPA Hall of Fame, but has considerable support for induction.

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 22, 2037

TU TOP TWIRLER IS BLUE SOX QUINN
32-year-old pitcher Frankie Quinn of the Blue Lake Blue Sox has been around quite a while in the IPA, has been an All-Star four times and now after 11 years he has finally won the Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award, given annually to the top twirler in the league... Quinn went 25-13 in 2028 and didn't win, losing out to White River's Paul Sardini, who was 23-7 on the year with a great 2.12 ERA... career-wise Quinn is 212-146 with a 2.96 ERA... this year he was 22-9 with a strong 2.66 ERA, 23 complete games in 39 starting assignments, 242 Ks and had 3 shutouts... Quinn led the Blue Sox to second place in the TU North Division pennant race... they were tied with Oxford and Fairfax, 9 games back of champion North Hills.

Tuckanarra is blessed with an abundance of pitchers, but the best one is 32-year-old southpaw Bobby Reid... he had another standout year and led the Blue Jays to their fourth straight TU East Division flag with a terrific 24-7 mark with a 2.92 ERA and 264 strikeouts... Reid has won 20 or more games for the last five seasons... but he came in number two in this year's Golden Arm balloting.

Last year's Golden Arm recipient Junior Bristow, a teammate of Tuckanarra's Reid, was the third-highest votegetter this year... Bristow was 21-13 with 30 complete games and a 2.66 ERA.

Eugene Church · 07-10-2015, 03:24 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

C: Kyle Hunt (2025-2042)
The best backstop in the 2030s was Kyle Hunt, an 8-time All-Star and 7-time Golden Glover... he started off his career with a bang, winning the Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award in '25... Hunt was a standout defensive catcher with a strong throwing arm... at the plate he made good contact and was doubles hitter, banging 538 in his career, along with .292 BA, 124 home runs, 1026 RBIs and scored 972 runs... but Hunt made the postseason only one time... he spent his first 10 years with the Ranford Bulls and the remaining 8 with the Eastshore Elegants (now Cotton Kings).

Eugene Church · 07-11-2015, 04:35 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

1B: Stan Ferguson (2035-2049)
For whatever reason, the 2030s didn't produce a first basemen that dominated most of the decade, the best candidates that we could find only played part of the period... using that criteria the honor easily went to Stan Ferguson of the Cape Coral Hurricanes, who had six outstanding seasons during the decade... he was a 7-time All-Star in his career and heavy-duty RBI man... Ferguson drove in 145 runs in '36 (2nd)... led the league in '37 with 132... and again in '38 with 125... 9 times in his career Ferguson drove in 100 or more runs in a season... lifetime he batted a strong .319 (13th all-time best) with 491 homers, 1564 RBIs and 1115 runs scored... in 2047 Ferguson came in second with a lofty .374 BA... Ferguson played for an average to mediocre club most of his years and only made the postseason playoffs once... in 5 games he drove in 7 runs and hit 2 homers, while hitting .286.

Eugene Church · 07-11-2015, 08:47 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

2B: John Velasco (2026-2049)
Not only was second sacker John Velasco durable, playing for 24 years in the Islandian Pro Alliance, all for the Fairfax Frogs, but he was talented, too... a 9-time All-Star... with 4056 hits, second on the all-time list next to the great first baseman Phil Gravelli with 4260, who played mainly for Belair Beach and Crystal Lake, 2001-2025... Velasco was still a very good ballplayer even in his last season at age 42... he batted .320 with 18 HRs and drove in 73 runs in '49... overall, Velasco hit .299 with 2026 RBIs and 2071 runs... he's 7th all-time in RBIs and runs scored... however, Velasco starred for a run-of-the-mill Fairfax team and made the playoffs just twice... still he was really "Mr. Reliable", playing at a good level year in and year out... Velasco was overwhelmingly voted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2049.

Eugene Church · 07-12-2015, 04:27 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA THIRD ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

3B: Jerry Culpepper (2033-2051)
This was a very easy choice to make... Jerry Culpepper was one of the most productive longball hitters in IPA history, ranking first all-time with 878 homers and second with 2170 RBIs... only HOF-er Phil Gravelli topped him with 2493 RBIs... he dwarfed all other third sackers in the league... but his hapless Vikings never won a pennant and played in the Pro Cup playoffs... Culpepper was an All-Star 15 times for the Bayview Vikings, won the Tycobbian Golden Bat 5 times and was twice the TU Most Valuable Player ('40 and '41)... he batted .259 in his career, collected 3064 hits and scored 1738 runs... on 5 occasions Culpepper hit 60 or more roundtrippers... his highest total was 66 in 2040... Johnny Tallis of High Mesa broke his IPA single-season mark with 68 in 2047... Culpepper retired in 2051 at age 37 and will be installed in the IPA Hall of Fame this year.

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 15, 2040

IPA ANNOUNCES GOLDEN BAT WINNERS
The Ruthlandian Union gave its Golden Bat trophy to a youngster Nioka Inkamara of the Wynnamac Sundowners and the Tycobbian Union presented it to veteran Jerry Culpepper of the Bayview Vikings. Inkamara was a first-time recipient and Culpepper captured his fourth trophy.

Ruthlandian Union:
1. Nioka Inkamara... Wynnamac RF... hit .316 with 27 doubles, 5 triples and 48 homers in 144 games... led the Ruthlandian Union with 145 RBIs... was second in the IPA to Culpepper's 146 RBIs... also won a Golden Glove... Sundowners came in fifth in the RU East.

2. Bobby Gamble... Sugar Valley RF Bobby Gamble... batted .314 with 32 homers, 105 RBIs and 119 runs... topped the RU with 51 stolen bases... Rattlers finished third in the RU East... Gamble has previously won four Golden Bats.

3. Eddie Wilson... Beechwood RF... collected 40 roundtrippers, 109 RBIs and scored 103 runs... Wilson batted. 323 for average... Bobcats improved to second place this year in the RU East.

Tycobbian Union:
1. Jerry Culpepper... Bayview 2B... broke Jack Elliott's home-run record with 66 this year... Elliott hit 65 in '21 for the High Mesa Cowboys... Culpepper won the Golden Bat for the fourth time in his career... had a fantastic season with a .334 BA in 148 games... almost won the Triple Crown... led the IPA with 66 HRs, 146 RBIs and 134 runs... sparked the Vikings to a close second place in the TU West.

2. Sogo Takagi... Ginza CF... hit .298 with 50 homers, 117 RBIs and 119 runs in 147 games... the Ninjas wound up third in the TU South.

3. William Snyder... Cape Coral RF... posted a .341 BA, second best in the Tycobbian Union... had 37 homers, 104 RBIs and scored 101 runs in 132 games... the Hurricanes came in sixth in the TU South Division.

Eugene Church · 07-12-2015, 05:14 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

SS: Dean O'Donnell (2029-2044)
For 16 seasons Dean O'Donnell played a solid shortstop and hit with authority... he played 7 years with North Hills and 9 years with East Point, winning three pennants and one IPA Pro Cup... The Fourth All-Decade shortstop was always a clutch hitter, especially in the postseason where he hit .351 in 31 games... O'Donnell hit .354 for the IPA champion North Hills Hawks in the '34 Pro Cup Finals with 3 homers and 14 RBIs... he was a 3-time All-Star and won one Golden Glove... O'Donnell batted .265 lifetime with 314 homers, 987 RBIs and scored 909 runs... he retired at 34 in 2044.

Eugene Church · 07-12-2015, 05:25 PM

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 7, 2034

2034 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs
(best-of-seven)

Tycobbian Union Final 4 Series

O'Donnell's HR Puts North Hills In Pro Cup Finals
The seventh game of the TU Final 4 was going down to the wire... the score was 2-2 in the top of the eighth, runners were on first and second with 2 away and clean-up hitter Dean O'Donnell facing Kajika Fleetfoot... O'Donnell quickly did his job and rifled the ball over the right field fence to give North Hills a 5-2 win over the Chicopee Braves and a spot in the Pro Cup Finals against the Crystal Lake Crushers, the champion of the Ruthlandian Union... this will mark the Hawks first appearance in the IPA championship game... the Crushers have been there three times and came home with the trophy on two occasions.

The winning pitcher was David Michael (5-0/1.76), who hurled another standout game... Michael went all the way, holding the talented Chicopee bats to just 4 hits... Michael tied for the IPA lead in victories with 26 this year and is unbeaten in 6 postseason starts... the 27-year-old right-hander whipped the Braves three times in the series.

The Hawks were led offensively by O'Donnell (.345) with 4 RBIs... SS Norris Henry (.319) had 3 hits and scored twice... 2B Kiril Ivonoski (.260) was 2-for-4 and scored 2 runs and LF Adam Thurgood (.446) went 2-for-4 and drove in a run... Chicopee got their runs in the seventh when they evened the score at 2-all on RBI singles by 3B Kurt Gustavsen (.391) and 1B Pierre Giguerre (.286)... Fleetfoot (2-3/3.56) caught the loss as he allowed 5 runs and 10 hits in 8 innings.

Todd Simons, skipper of the Hawks, told the press, "What can you say about David Michael... he won 5 of our 8 playoff wins... we always have a chance when he is on the hill... but that's not to say we are a one-man team... we got a pretty solid core of clutch hitters, too... someone always seems to come through for us... O'Donnell really did it big time for us today."

Losing manager Ivan Burkholder lamented, "We had our chance... we were up two games to one, but we just couldn't beat Michael... that was the series."

Eugene Church · 07-12-2015, 05:28 PM

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 12, 2034

2034 Pro Cup Final Series - Game 3
(best-of-seven)

O'Donnell HR Gives North Hills Series Lead
At Trumpy Donald Stadium in Crystal Lake, dramatic home runs in the top of the ninth gave North Hills the lead in the IPA Pro Cup Finals over Crystal Lake... Dean O'Donnell's 2-run clout sent the Hawks ahead 4-3 and Adam Thurgood gave them an insurance run in a 5-3 victory over the Crushers and put North Hills in front in the series two games to one... O'Donnell has 2 roundtrippers in the playoffs, while Thurgood has hammered 4 out of the park.

All three games have been close ones in the Finals. Game one went to the Hawks 5-4 and game two to the Crushers 4-3. The baseball experts have picked Crystal Lake in a seven-game series.

Nolan Hooper (2-3/5.03) was the other hero... he tossed a strong 9 innings, limiting the Crushers to 3 runs on just 3 hits with 4 strikeouts and 4 walks... Hooper had lost his last two starts and was battered hard in the losses... but he came through today in grand fashion.

Hooper started off badly as he was slammed for homers in the opening frame by RF Pat Dillon (.276) and 1B Big Sam Takota (.276)... Dillon led off the game with one and Takota tacked on a 2-run shot later in the inning to give the Crushers a 3-2 lead... the Hawks had jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the top of the inning on an RBI single by Dean O'Donnell (.364)... and the second one came in on a wild pitch.

Crystal Lake starter Dennis Merrill held a 3-2 lead in the ninth, but couldn't finished off the Hawks... loser Merrill (2-2/3.34) surrendered 5 runs on 11 hits in 8 and one-third innings.

North Hills was led at the plate by LF Adam Thurgood (.464), who went 4-5 and 3B Dean O'Donnell (.364), who was 3-4 with 3 RBIs.

Eugene Church · 07-12-2015, 05:30 PM

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 15, 2034

2034 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 6
(best-of-seven)

Hooper Leads Hawks To First Pro Cup Title
Unsung number three starter Nelson Hooper hurled a career game and brought home to North Hills its first ever Pro Cup in the club's history... Hopper fired a 3-hitter at the Crystal Lake Crushers, taming them 4-1 at the Hawk's Nest... that gave the Hawks the IPA crown in six games... in this year's Pro Cup playoffs, North Hills was the third-seeded team and the Crushers were rated fourth in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup poll... top seed Eastshore and second seed Tuckanarra both fell in the first round of play.

In a brilliant, route-going performance Hopper (3-3/4.19) struck out 7 and walked one batter... Douglas Merrill (2-3/3.66) was the victim as he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in 7 innings... the Crushers took an early lead in the second when 3B Willy Burke (.383) singled with 2 outs and scored on RF Augie Danka's (.182) triple... but that was all she wrote on the scoreboard for the Crushers... the Hawks took charge in the last of the fourth with 4 runs... 3B Dean O'Donnell (.354) singled and was doubled in by LF Adam Thurgood (.432) to tie it up at 1-1... RF Fred Watson (.143) doubled in Thurgood... then C Mikhail Romanovsky (.282) delivered the coup de grace, a 2-run shot into the left field bleachers... it was his 4th playoff roundtripper and gave him 17 RBIs, tops on the Hawks.

"Clutch hitting and marvelous pitching won it for us," beamed Hawks' skipper Todd Simons at the post-game press conference. "David Michael carried us in the first two rounds, then got great help from Hooper in the Finals... Romanovsky's bat got us to the Finals... and Thurgood and O'Donnell stood out throughout the whole playoffs."

Disappointed that he failed to win his third Pro Cup, Crushers' manager Herman "Baby" George said, "This was a painful loss... a few well-placed base hits would've made a lot of difference... it was a closer series than you think... we had good chances in games one and three, but lost them... but you've got to give the Hawks credit... they have outstanding pitching in Michael and Hooper... and they got the hits when they needed them... youngsters Thurgood and O'Donnell are very talented ballplayers... Todd has a very fine ballclub and they deserved to win."

Eugene Church · 07-13-2015, 04:20 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

LF: Lorne Evans (2025-2043)
The left field spot on the Fourth All-Decade Team was hotly-contested, but the clear winner was superstar Lorne Evans, who led his clubs to 7 division titles and 2 Pro Cup crowns... he was a 12-time All-Star, honored 4 times as Tycobbian Most Valuable Player in '27, '28, '30 and '34, won 5 TU Golden Bats in '28, '30, '31, '33 and '34... and was named twice to the Golden Glove team... Evans was a winner, who could do just about everything on the baseball diamond... he was with the Southport Sun Sox for the first 9 years of his fabulous career and did well in his final 10 seasons with the Tuckanarra Blue Jays... his first Pro Cup ring came in 2027, the year the Sun Sox whipped the Crystal Lake Crushers... his second Pro Cup ring came in 2035 with the Tucks, when they defeated the Elnora All-Stars... Evans piled up 2928 hits with a .305 BA... ranked 7th all-time in the IPA with 701 home runs... knocked in 1836 runs and scored 1759... at 43 he retired as a player in '43... made the IPA Hall of Fame in 2045... and returned to Southport as manager in 2047.

Eugene Church · 07-13-2015, 04:41 PM

This was best season Lorne Evans had in his 19 seasons in the IPA.

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 16, 2030

Waleska's Hobbs, Southport's Evans IPA MVPs
The IPA Golden Bat winners Lorne Evans and Roy Hobbs really cleaned up this season. They each have added the even-more prestigious Most Valuable Player honors to their resumes. Evans of the Southport Sun Sox was chosen the Tycobbian Union MVP with Hobbs getting the Ruthlandian Union MVP trophy.

What a season Lorne Evans had! A Triple Crown year! Not only did he lead the IPA with a lofty .386 batting average, Evans topped it with 59 homers and also paced the TU with 134 runs batted in. Stats good enough to get him the Tycobbian Most Valuable Player Award for the third time in his career. Evans also took the trophy in 2027 and 2028. The sensational 25-year-old right fielder was an important ingredient in Southport's third-place finish in the TU South. Evans is just the fourth player in IPA history to have a Triple Crown year. A player must lead his league in batting average, homers and RBIs to win the honor. High Mesa's Jack Elliott did it twice, in 2017 and 2021. The other two were Karol Zodoka of the East Point Panthers and Fairfax's Dane Wesner. Zodoka did it in 2002 and Wesner in 2010.

Blue Lake's splendid right-hander Doug Kirkpatrick was the MVP runner-up in the Tycobbian Union. Kirkpatrick sparked the Blue Sox to the TU North division title for the first time in 20 years. He compiled a 22-9 mark with a 2.92 ERA. Colchester standout center fielder Jim Lewellen, third in the Golden Bat competition, was also third-best in the MVP race. Lewellen had an impressive year with 45 homers and 131 RBIs. The 7-year vet batted .288 for the Elites.

Waleska's Roy Hobbs has had a storybook career. This was his second Ruthlandian Union MVP honor. He also won it in 2026. This season the 37-year-old Westerner center fielder helped his club to a close second-place finish in the RU South. Hobbs led the IPA with 138 RBIs and hit .345 with 35 roundtrippers. He also won his seventh Golden Bat Award and made All-Star team for the 15th time.

Ranking second in The Islandian Times poll was San Dimas' fine starter Joaquin Lima. The 25-year-old righty put up a 21-10 record with a 2.49 ERA. Lima won this year's RU Golden Arm Award. Third place went to Waleska right fielder Loco Dillinger, a teammate of Hobbs. Dillinger had a marvelous season and was second to Hobbs for the RU Golden Bat with a .319 BA, 42 home runs, 118 RBIs and 119 runs.

Eugene Church · 07-14-2015, 03:22 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 28, 2052

IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040

CF: Scotty Lagrange (2027-2044)
The Fourth All-Decade center fielder was a jack of all trades... the model of consistency... Scotty Lagrange played 18 years in Eastshore, just a mediocre ball club most of his career... but he certainly wasn't mediocre... Lagrange was a 5-time All-Star, 6-time Golden Glover... he even hauled in the Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player trophy in 2034, when the Elegants won their only pennant... Lagrange also took the RU Golden Bat that season, too...that year he posted a .332 BA with 191 hits, 34 doubles, 5 triples, 41 homers, 127 RBIs, scored 111 runs and walked 81 times with a .414 OBP... lifetime Lagrange batted a rock solid .295 with 451 home runs, 1414 RBIs and 1415 runs scored... he retired in 2044 at the age of 36 and was voted into the Islandian Pro Alliance in 2049.

Eugene Church · 07-14-2015, 03:29 PM

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 25, 2034

Eastshore's Lagrange RU MVP
What a special season for Scotty Lagrange of the Eastshore Elegants! First, he spurred the Elegants to the Ruthlandian East crown, then he was chosen the league's top hitter and now Lagrange has been bestowed the RU Most Valuable Player Award, edging out Cold Creek's ace J. J. Gillespie and Crystal Lake's standout rookie Paul Dillon. It's the first time in his career Lagrange has captured the award.

Lagrange, 27, put up a strong set of stats with a .332 batting average, 34 doubles, 5 triples, 41 homers, 127 RBIs and 111 runs, while playing in 147 games. The Elegants' center fielder paced the RU in homers and RBIs.

Gillespie, last year's RU Most Valuable Player, finished second in The Islandian Times poll this time around. He had another outstanding year for the Catamounts with a 26-13 record and a great 2.06 ERA. Gillespie tied David Michael of North Hills for the most IPA wins and sparked Cold Creek to the runner-up spot to Eastshore in the RU East.

Dillon, only 19, led Crystal Lake to the RU South division title with a .342 mark, scoring 102 runs, batting in 64 and stealing 31 bases in 131 games. Dillon was third in the MVP voting and also hailed as the RU Rookie of the Year.

Yesterday in the IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 21, 2034

RU Gold Bat To Eastshore's Lagrange
The 2034 Ruthlandian Golden Bat has been awarded to Scotty Lagrange of the Eastshore Elegants, who put up career numbers this season and led his club to the most victories in the IPA with 98 and the RU East crown. Lagrange outpolled Allen Dundee of Wynnamac and Russell Watkins of LaGrange in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES voting.

Lagrange is a 3-time All-Star and 2-time Gold Glover. This is his first Golden Bat Award. The 27-year-old center fielder topped the RU with 41 homers and 127 RBIs, while finishing fifth in the batting race with a .332 average. In 147 games Lagrange notched 191 hits and scored 111 runs. He was one of the prime reasons Eastshore was a powerhouse this season. Career-wise Lagrange is a .305 hitter with 184 home runs and 599 RBIs.

The Wynnamac Sundowners wound up in the fourth spot in the RU East, aided by the fine play of 7-year vet Allen Dundee, who batted .329 with 41 doubles, 7 triples and 20 home runs. Dundee was in 145 games and drove in 106 runs and scored 92. Dundee came in second in the Golden Bat balloting.

Coming in third in the poll was LaGrange's center fielder Russell Watkins, who posted a .312 batting mark in 139 games with 40 homers, 104 RBIs and 87 runs scored as he paced the Sports to a fourth-place finish in the RU North.

07-03-2015, 10:13 PM	#4841
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	* Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-14-2017 at 10:21 PM.

07-04-2015, 05:16 PM	#4842
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	* Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-14-2017 at 10:22 PM.

07-04-2015, 05:47 PM	#4843
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	* Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-14-2017 at 10:23 PM.

07-05-2015, 04:01 PM	#4844
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	* Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-14-2017 at 10:23 PM.

07-06-2015, 05:51 PM	#4845
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	* Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-14-2017 at 10:24 PM.

07-07-2015, 08:37 PM	#4846
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	This is part four of a six-part series... I have already posted the first three All-Decade Teams... this is the Fourth All-Decade Team covering the years 2031 to 2040... the Fifth Decade Team will cover the years from 2041 to 2050. The Sixth Team will be the 50th Anniversary Team with the all-time best players in the Islandian Pro Alliance, chosen by position. Here is the link to see the First All-Decade Team: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...nions-231.html The Second and Third All-Decade Teams follow this link on the next few pages of this thread. THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 SP: J. J. Gillespie (2029-2045) Heading up the mound corps for the IPA Fourth All-Decade Team is Cold Creek's sensational right-hander J. J. Gillespie... he toiled for the Catamounts for 17 seasons, running up an impressive 294-170 mark with a great 2.46 lifetime ERA... Gillespie paced them to four pennants during his tenure... he was a 20-game winner 10 times... won three Ruthlandian MVP trophies in '33, '37 and '40... five Golden Arms... and made the All-Star club on six occasions... Gillespie was 11-9 in 23 postseason assignments with a standout 2.46 ERA... Gillespie was inducted into the Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame in 2046 after retiring at age 39. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 10-07-2015 at 09:57 PM.

07-08-2015, 04:01 PM	#4847
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 SP: Dave Michael (2029-2047) The number-two pitcher on the IPA Fourth Team All-Decade Team was Dave Michael...the North Hills Hawks' fine right-hander was a big part of the team's enormous success in the '30s and '40s when they won 11 pennants and 4 Pro Cups in a 12-year period... Michael was the main money pitcher for those clubs, compiling a 315-234 record with a 3.11 ERA... in his career of 19 years he was an All-Star twice and registered 20 wins 6 times, but it was in the postseason that Michael really shined with a 20-13 mark and a superlative 2.32 ERA in 37 games... he copped two Pro Cup MVP trophies, winning in 2034 and 2038... Michael retired in '47 at the age of 40. The IPA Hall of Fame honored Michael with a plaque in the hallowed halls in 2047 Yesterday in the IPA *THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Sunday, October 15, 2034 2034 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 6 (best-of-seven) Hooper Leads Hawks To First Pro Cup Title Unsung number three starter Nelson Hooper hurled a career game and brought home to North Hills its first ever Pro Cup in the club's history... Hopper fired a 3-hitter at the Crystal Lake Crushers, taming them 4-1 at the Hawk's Nest... that gave the Hawks the IPA crown in six games... in this year's Pro Cup playoffs, North Hills was the third-seeded team and the Crushers were rated fourth in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup poll... top seed Eastshore and second seed Tuckanarra both fell in the first round of play. In a brilliant, route-going performance Hopper (3-3/4.19) struck out 7 and walked one batter... Douglas Merrill (2-3/3.66) was the victim as he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in 7 innings... the Crushers took an early lead in the second when 3B Willy Burke (.383) singled with 2 outs and scored on RF Augie Danka's (.182) triple... but that was all she wrote on the scoreboard for the Crushers... the Hawks took charge in the last of the fourth with 4 runs... 3B Dean O'Donnell (.354) singled and was doubled in by LF Adam Thurgood (.432) to tie it up at 1-1... RF Fred Watson (.143) doubled in Thurgood... then C Mikhail Romanovsky (.282) delivered the coup de grace, a 2-run shot into the left field bleachers... it was his 4th playoff roundtripper and gave him 17 RBIs, tops on the Hawks. "Clutch hitting and marvelous pitching won it for us," beamed Hawks' skipper Todd Simons at the post-game press conference. "David Michael carried us in the first two rounds, then got great help from Hooper in the Finals... Romanovsky's bat got us to the Finals... and Thurgood and O'Donnell stood out throughout the whole playoffs." Disappointed that he failed to win his third Pro Cup, Crushers' manager Herman "Baby" George said, "This was a painful loss... a few well-placed base hits would've made a lot of difference... it was a closer series than you think... we had good chances in games one and three, but lost them... but you've got to give the Hawks credit... they have outstanding pitching in Michael and Hooper... and they got the hits when they needed them... youngsters Thurgood and O'Donnell are very talented ballplayers... Todd has a very fine ballclub and they deserved to win." Yesterday in the IPA *THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Friday, October 27, 2034 Hawks' Michael Acclaimed Pro Cup MVP The top winner in the IPA this season David Michael, didn't stop after 26 victories in the regular campaign, he kept right on chalking up more victories in the playoffs and pitched the North Hills Hawks to the Pro Cup championship with 7 more wins. Michael tied Errol Gaudet of the Rolling Hills Reds for the most postseason wins. Gaudet led the Reds to the title in 2029. In the Finals, Michael won games one and four. For his very impressive postseason performance Michael was voted the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. He posted a 7-0 mark in 8 starts and registered an outstanding 1.96 ERA. Michael had 5 complete games. Two other players received support in The Islandian Times poll, Michael's teammate Adam Thurgood, was the second-highest votegetter and Crystal Lake's standout catcher Stan Stanek finished third in the balloting. Thurgood had a wonderful postseason with a .432 batting average in 20 games, 7 doubles, 5 home runs, 16 runs batted in and 15 runs scored. In a losing effort, Stanek walloped 7 out of the park, while driving in 22 runs and batting .312 for the runner-up Crushers. Yesterday in the IPA THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Wednesday, October 13, 2038 2038 IPA PRO CUP FINALS HAWKS SNARE 3RD PRO CUP IN 5 YEARS Tremendous pitching and solid hitting brought North Hills its third Pro Cup in the last five years... the Hawks wrapped up the 2038 Pro Cup Series with a 5-1 win in 10 innings to sweep the weak-hitting Far Mountain Redhawks in four games... David Michael and Joey Santini teamed up to hold the Redhawks to just 4 hits with the victory going to Santini (2-0/0.00)... he blanked Far Mountain over the final two innings after Michael stopped them on one run and 3 hits is his eight innings... North Hills hammered losing pitcher Chad Cummings (1-3/3.15) for 4 runs and 4 hits in the tenth... Cummings lost the last two games of the series in relief... the Hawks banged out 16 hits in game four, but left 13 baserunners on. The Hawks went in front in the top of the fourth when 2B Tommy Vavas (.278) singled and went to second on a miscue by third baseman Kyle Ainslie on a grounder by RF Gerry Rice (.266)... a wild pitched moved them up to second and third... 1B Ric Hamilton (.185) got the first run in with an RBI single. The Redhawks tied it up in the last of the seventh... back-to-back singles by LF Harman Silver (.200) and 1B John Burrell (.268) placed runners on first and second... a base on balls to RF Wes Wernstedt (.233) loaded the bases with one away... C Lou Ranson's (.232) deep flyout to right-center easily tied the score at 1-1. North Hills exploded for 4 runs against Cummings in the top of the tenth frame... after Ric Hamilton (.185) singled and Jim McDermott (.369) doubled to put runners on second and third, CF Kris Anastas (.323) drove in the winning run with a single... SS Norris Henry (.370) made it 3-1 with a single... Joey Santini (.000) got another run in when he hit into a 5-4-3 double play... and 2B Tommy Vavas (.278) finished out the scoring with an RBI double. North Hills' skipper Todd Simons proudly held up the Pro Cup trophy at the press conference and said "You never get tired of hoisting this baby... it's the thing dreams are made of." This is the third time Simons has had the pleasure of winning the Islands' baseball championship. The Hawks also won it in 2034 and 2036... Simons said, "Hey, I don't mind winning this every other year." Simons praised his great pitching staff, "Holding anybody to 7 runs in 4 games is remarkable pitching... and my boys did it in the Pro Cup Finals... Michael, Owens and Santini really took it to another level this year... they were fabulous." Simons later also recognized his team's hitting, "Anastas, Thurgood, McDermott and Henry certainly had a hand in the championship... they came through time after time in the postseason, too." Losing manager Don Nichols echoed Simons' sentiments, saying, "The Hawks' hill corps really clamped down on our bats... that was the key to the series." Yesterday in the IPA THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Thursday, October 14, 2038 PRO CUP MVP GOES TO HAWKS' MICHAEL AGAIN For the third time in his career David Michael of the North Hills Hawks has sparked his club to an IPA Pro Cup championship and for the second time he has been named the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. The 31-year-old right-hander also won the award in 2034 and he played an important role on the 2036 title team. Michael is only the fourth two-time winner. Previously Far Mountain outfielder Xavier Soto won it two years in a row in 2011 and 2012, Eastshore pitcher Duncan Welch in 2020 and 2022 and Valmara hurler Teddy Lem in 2026 and 2030. Michael captured it this year as he posted a 4-1 record in 6 starts with an exceptional 1.35 ERA. HIs closest competitor was teammate Jeff Owens, who took the MVP Award in 2036. Michael defeated him 60 to 50 in The Islandian Times' annual poll. A distant third in the balloting with 18 votes was Hawk' center fielder Kris Anastas. Michael beat Turon 2-1 and 10-8 in first-round action. In the second game he allowed 4 runs in 8 innings for the win with only 2 runs earned. He exited with a 10-4 lead. His only loss was 2-1 in 10 innings to La Claire in second-round play. Michael later beat them 5-3 in game four to even up the series. In the Pro Cup Finals he won game one against Far Mountain 3-2 and whipped them again in game four 5-1. Michael completed 2 games in the postseason. Owens was also outstanding this year with 3-1 mark in 4 starts with a 1.25 ERA and 4 complete games. Anastas batted .323 in 16 games with 4 homers and 15 RBIs. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:13 PM.

07-09-2015, 01:28 PM	#4848
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 SP: Frankie Quinn (2027-2047) The third man on the Islandian Pro Alliance Fourth All-Decade Team's mound staff is Frankie Quinn, who toiled in the IPA for 21 years... 7 with the Fort Benton Defenders in the Ruthlandian Union and 14 for the Blue Lake Blue Sox in the Tycobbian Union... in his career Quinn won more games than anyone in league history... he is the all-time IPA leader with 391 victories and a solid 3.04 ERA... he won 20 or more games a remarkable 13 times, while piling up 297 defeats... was an All-Star 4 times... and was named the Tycobbian Golden Arm in 2037... his clubs never won a pennant, so he never played in the postseason playoffs... Quinn played until 2047 and retired at age 40... he is not yet a member of the IPA Hall of Fame, but has considerable support for induction. Yesterday in the IPA THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Thursday, October 22, 2037 TU TOP TWIRLER IS BLUE SOX QUINN 32-year-old pitcher Frankie Quinn of the Blue Lake Blue Sox has been around quite a while in the IPA, has been an All-Star four times and now after 11 years he has finally won the Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award, given annually to the top twirler in the league... Quinn went 25-13 in 2028 and didn't win, losing out to White River's Paul Sardini, who was 23-7 on the year with a great 2.12 ERA... career-wise Quinn is 212-146 with a 2.96 ERA... this year he was 22-9 with a strong 2.66 ERA, 23 complete games in 39 starting assignments, 242 Ks and had 3 shutouts... Quinn led the Blue Sox to second place in the TU North Division pennant race... they were tied with Oxford and Fairfax, 9 games back of champion North Hills. Tuckanarra is blessed with an abundance of pitchers, but the best one is 32-year-old southpaw Bobby Reid... he had another standout year and led the Blue Jays to their fourth straight TU East Division flag with a terrific 24-7 mark with a 2.92 ERA and 264 strikeouts... Reid has won 20 or more games for the last five seasons... but he came in number two in this year's Golden Arm balloting. Last year's Golden Arm recipient Junior Bristow, a teammate of Tuckanarra's Reid, was the third-highest votegetter this year... Bristow was 21-13 with 30 complete games and a 2.66 ERA. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:13 PM.

07-10-2015, 03:24 PM	#4849
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 C: Kyle Hunt (2025-2042) The best backstop in the 2030s was Kyle Hunt, an 8-time All-Star and 7-time Golden Glover... he started off his career with a bang, winning the Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award in '25... Hunt was a standout defensive catcher with a strong throwing arm... at the plate he made good contact and was doubles hitter, banging 538 in his career, along with .292 BA, 124 home runs, 1026 RBIs and scored 972 runs... but Hunt made the postseason only one time... he spent his first 10 years with the Ranford Bulls and the remaining 8 with the Eastshore Elegants (now Cotton Kings). Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:14 PM.

07-11-2015, 04:35 PM	#4850
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 1B: Stan Ferguson (2035-2049) For whatever reason, the 2030s didn't produce a first basemen that dominated most of the decade, the best candidates that we could find only played part of the period... using that criteria the honor easily went to Stan Ferguson of the Cape Coral Hurricanes, who had six outstanding seasons during the decade... he was a 7-time All-Star in his career and heavy-duty RBI man... Ferguson drove in 145 runs in '36 (2nd)... led the league in '37 with 132... and again in '38 with 125... 9 times in his career Ferguson drove in 100 or more runs in a season... lifetime he batted a strong .319 (13th all-time best) with 491 homers, 1564 RBIs and 1115 runs scored... in 2047 Ferguson came in second with a lofty .374 BA... Ferguson played for an average to mediocre club most of his years and only made the postseason playoffs once... in 5 games he drove in 7 runs and hit 2 homers, while hitting .286. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:15 PM.

07-11-2015, 08:47 PM	#4851
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 2B: John Velasco (2026-2049) Not only was second sacker John Velasco durable, playing for 24 years in the Islandian Pro Alliance, all for the Fairfax Frogs, but he was talented, too... a 9-time All-Star... with 4056 hits, second on the all-time list next to the great first baseman Phil Gravelli with 4260, who played mainly for Belair Beach and Crystal Lake, 2001-2025... Velasco was still a very good ballplayer even in his last season at age 42... he batted .320 with 18 HRs and drove in 73 runs in '49... overall, Velasco hit .299 with 2026 RBIs and 2071 runs... he's 7th all-time in RBIs and runs scored... however, Velasco starred for a run-of-the-mill Fairfax team and made the playoffs just twice... still he was really "Mr. Reliable", playing at a good level year in and year out... Velasco was overwhelmingly voted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2049. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 12-28-2015 at 10:16 PM.

07-12-2015, 04:27 PM	#4852
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA THIRD ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 3B: Jerry Culpepper (2033-2051) This was a very easy choice to make... Jerry Culpepper was one of the most productive longball hitters in IPA history, ranking first all-time with 878 homers and second with 2170 RBIs... only HOF-er Phil Gravelli topped him with 2493 RBIs... he dwarfed all other third sackers in the league... but his hapless Vikings never won a pennant and played in the Pro Cup playoffs... Culpepper was an All-Star 15 times for the Bayview Vikings, won the Tycobbian Golden Bat 5 times and was twice the TU Most Valuable Player ('40 and '41)... he batted .259 in his career, collected 3064 hits and scored 1738 runs... on 5 occasions Culpepper hit 60 or more roundtrippers... his highest total was 66 in 2040... Johnny Tallis of High Mesa broke his IPA single-season mark with 68 in 2047... Culpepper retired in 2051 at age 37 and will be installed in the IPA Hall of Fame this year. Yesterday in the IPA THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 15, 2040 IPA ANNOUNCES GOLDEN BAT WINNERS The Ruthlandian Union gave its Golden Bat trophy to a youngster Nioka Inkamara of the Wynnamac Sundowners and the Tycobbian Union presented it to veteran Jerry Culpepper of the Bayview Vikings. Inkamara was a first-time recipient and Culpepper captured his fourth trophy. Ruthlandian Union: 1. Nioka Inkamara... Wynnamac RF... hit .316 with 27 doubles, 5 triples and 48 homers in 144 games... led the Ruthlandian Union with 145 RBIs... was second in the IPA to Culpepper's 146 RBIs... also won a Golden Glove... Sundowners came in fifth in the RU East. 2. Bobby Gamble... Sugar Valley RF Bobby Gamble... batted .314 with 32 homers, 105 RBIs and 119 runs... topped the RU with 51 stolen bases... Rattlers finished third in the RU East... Gamble has previously won four Golden Bats. 3. Eddie Wilson... Beechwood RF... collected 40 roundtrippers, 109 RBIs and scored 103 runs... Wilson batted. 323 for average... Bobcats improved to second place this year in the RU East. Tycobbian Union: 1. Jerry Culpepper... Bayview 2B... broke Jack Elliott's home-run record with 66 this year... Elliott hit 65 in '21 for the High Mesa Cowboys... Culpepper won the Golden Bat for the fourth time in his career... had a fantastic season with a .334 BA in 148 games... almost won the Triple Crown... led the IPA with 66 HRs, 146 RBIs and 134 runs... sparked the Vikings to a close second place in the TU West. 2. Sogo Takagi... Ginza CF... hit .298 with 50 homers, 117 RBIs and 119 runs in 147 games... the Ninjas wound up third in the TU South. 3. William Snyder... Cape Coral RF... posted a .341 BA, second best in the Tycobbian Union... had 37 homers, 104 RBIs and scored 101 runs in 132 games... the Hurricanes came in sixth in the TU South Division. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:18 PM.

07-12-2015, 05:14 PM	#4853
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 SS: Dean O'Donnell (2029-2044) For 16 seasons Dean O'Donnell played a solid shortstop and hit with authority... he played 7 years with North Hills and 9 years with East Point, winning three pennants and one IPA Pro Cup... The Fourth All-Decade shortstop was always a clutch hitter, especially in the postseason where he hit .351 in 31 games... O'Donnell hit .354 for the IPA champion North Hills Hawks in the '34 Pro Cup Finals with 3 homers and 14 RBIs... he was a 3-time All-Star and won one Golden Glove... O'Donnell batted .265 lifetime with 314 homers, 987 RBIs and scored 909 runs... he retired at 34 in 2044. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:19 PM.

07-12-2015, 05:25 PM	#4854
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	Yesterday in the IPA *THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Saturday, October 7, 2034 2034 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs (best-of-seven) Tycobbian Union Final 4 Series O'Donnell's HR Puts North Hills In Pro Cup Finals The seventh game of the TU Final 4 was going down to the wire... the score was 2-2 in the top of the eighth, runners were on first and second with 2 away and clean-up hitter Dean O'Donnell facing Kajika Fleetfoot... O'Donnell quickly did his job and rifled the ball over the right field fence to give North Hills a 5-2 win over the Chicopee Braves and a spot in the Pro Cup Finals against the Crystal Lake Crushers, the champion of the Ruthlandian Union... this will mark the Hawks first appearance in the IPA championship game... the Crushers have been there three times and came home with the trophy on two occasions. The winning pitcher was David Michael (5-0/1.76), who hurled another standout game... Michael went all the way, holding the talented Chicopee bats to just 4 hits... Michael tied for the IPA lead in victories with 26 this year and is unbeaten in 6 postseason starts... the 27-year-old right-hander whipped the Braves three times in the series. The Hawks were led offensively by O'Donnell (.345) with 4 RBIs... SS Norris Henry (.319) had 3 hits and scored twice... 2B Kiril Ivonoski (.260) was 2-for-4 and scored 2 runs and LF Adam Thurgood (.446) went 2-for-4 and drove in a run... Chicopee got their runs in the seventh when they evened the score at 2-all on RBI singles by 3B Kurt Gustavsen (.391) and 1B Pierre Giguerre (.286)... Fleetfoot (2-3/3.56) caught the loss as he allowed 5 runs and 10 hits in 8 innings. Todd Simons, skipper of the Hawks, told the press, "What can you say about David Michael... he won 5 of our 8 playoff wins... we always have a chance when he is on the hill... but that's not to say we are a one-man team... we got a pretty solid core of clutch hitters, too... someone always seems to come through for us... O'Donnell really did it big time for us today." Losing manager Ivan Burkholder lamented, "We had our chance... we were up two games to one, but we just couldn't beat Michael... that was the series."

07-12-2015, 05:28 PM	#4855
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	Yesterday in the IPA *THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Thursday, October 12, 2034 2034 Pro Cup Final Series - Game 3 (best-of-seven) O'Donnell HR Gives North Hills Series Lead At Trumpy Donald Stadium in Crystal Lake, dramatic home runs in the top of the ninth gave North Hills the lead in the IPA Pro Cup Finals over Crystal Lake... Dean O'Donnell's 2-run clout sent the Hawks ahead 4-3 and Adam Thurgood gave them an insurance run in a 5-3 victory over the Crushers and put North Hills in front in the series two games to one... O'Donnell has 2 roundtrippers in the playoffs, while Thurgood has hammered 4 out of the park. All three games have been close ones in the Finals. Game one went to the Hawks 5-4 and game two to the Crushers 4-3. The baseball experts have picked Crystal Lake in a seven-game series. Nolan Hooper (2-3/5.03) was the other hero... he tossed a strong 9 innings, limiting the Crushers to 3 runs on just 3 hits with 4 strikeouts and 4 walks... Hooper had lost his last two starts and was battered hard in the losses... but he came through today in grand fashion. Hooper started off badly as he was slammed for homers in the opening frame by RF Pat Dillon (.276) and 1B Big Sam Takota (.276)... Dillon led off the game with one and Takota tacked on a 2-run shot later in the inning to give the Crushers a 3-2 lead... the Hawks had jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the top of the inning on an RBI single by Dean O'Donnell (.364)... and the second one came in on a wild pitch. Crystal Lake starter Dennis Merrill held a 3-2 lead in the ninth, but couldn't finished off the Hawks... loser Merrill (2-2/3.34) surrendered 5 runs on 11 hits in 8 and one-third innings. North Hills was led at the plate by LF Adam Thurgood (.464), who went 4-5 and 3B Dean O'Donnell (.364), who was 3-4 with 3 RBIs.

07-12-2015, 05:30 PM	#4856
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	Yesterday in the IPA *THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Sunday, October 15, 2034 2034 IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 6 (best-of-seven) Hooper Leads Hawks To First Pro Cup Title Unsung number three starter Nelson Hooper hurled a career game and brought home to North Hills its first ever Pro Cup in the club's history... Hopper fired a 3-hitter at the Crystal Lake Crushers, taming them 4-1 at the Hawk's Nest... that gave the Hawks the IPA crown in six games... in this year's Pro Cup playoffs, North Hills was the third-seeded team and the Crushers were rated fourth in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup poll... top seed Eastshore and second seed Tuckanarra both fell in the first round of play. In a brilliant, route-going performance Hopper (3-3/4.19) struck out 7 and walked one batter... Douglas Merrill (2-3/3.66) was the victim as he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in 7 innings... the Crushers took an early lead in the second when 3B Willy Burke (.383) singled with 2 outs and scored on RF Augie Danka's (.182) triple... but that was all she wrote on the scoreboard for the Crushers... the Hawks took charge in the last of the fourth with 4 runs... 3B Dean O'Donnell (.354) singled and was doubled in by LF Adam Thurgood (.432) to tie it up at 1-1... RF Fred Watson (.143) doubled in Thurgood... then C Mikhail Romanovsky (.282) delivered the coup de grace, a 2-run shot into the left field bleachers... it was his 4th playoff roundtripper and gave him 17 RBIs, tops on the Hawks. "Clutch hitting and marvelous pitching won it for us," beamed Hawks' skipper Todd Simons at the post-game press conference. "David Michael carried us in the first two rounds, then got great help from Hooper in the Finals... Romanovsky's bat got us to the Finals... and Thurgood and O'Donnell stood out throughout the whole playoffs." Disappointed that he failed to win his third Pro Cup, Crushers' manager Herman "Baby" George said, "This was a painful loss... a few well-placed base hits would've made a lot of difference... it was a closer series than you think... we had good chances in games one and three, but lost them... but you've got to give the Hawks credit... they have outstanding pitching in Michael and Hooper... and they got the hits when they needed them... youngsters Thurgood and O'Donnell are very talented ballplayers... Todd has a very fine ballclub and they deserved to win."

07-13-2015, 04:20 PM	#4857
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 LF: Lorne Evans (2025-2043) The left field spot on the Fourth All-Decade Team was hotly-contested, but the clear winner was superstar Lorne Evans, who led his clubs to 7 division titles and 2 Pro Cup crowns... he was a 12-time All-Star, honored 4 times as Tycobbian Most Valuable Player in '27, '28, '30 and '34, won 5 TU Golden Bats in '28, '30, '31, '33 and '34... and was named twice to the Golden Glove team... Evans was a winner, who could do just about everything on the baseball diamond... he was with the Southport Sun Sox for the first 9 years of his fabulous career and did well in his final 10 seasons with the Tuckanarra Blue Jays... his first Pro Cup ring came in 2027, the year the Sun Sox whipped the Crystal Lake Crushers... his second Pro Cup ring came in 2035 with the Tucks, when they defeated the Elnora All-Stars... Evans piled up 2928 hits with a .305 BA... ranked 7th all-time in the IPA with 701 home runs... knocked in 1836 runs and scored 1759... at 43 he retired as a player in '43... made the IPA Hall of Fame in 2045... and returned to Southport as manager in 2047. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:19 PM.

07-13-2015, 04:41 PM	#4858
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	This was best season Lorne Evans had in his 19 seasons in the IPA. Yesterday in the IPA *THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Wednesday, October 16, 2030 Waleska's Hobbs, Southport's Evans IPA MVPs The IPA Golden Bat winners Lorne Evans and Roy Hobbs really cleaned up this season. They each have added the even-more prestigious Most Valuable Player honors to their resumes. Evans of the Southport Sun Sox was chosen the Tycobbian Union MVP with Hobbs getting the Ruthlandian Union MVP trophy. What a season Lorne Evans had! A Triple Crown year! Not only did he lead the IPA with a lofty .386 batting average, Evans topped it with 59 homers and also paced the TU with 134 runs batted in. Stats good enough to get him the Tycobbian Most Valuable Player Award for the third time in his career. Evans also took the trophy in 2027 and 2028. The sensational 25-year-old right fielder was an important ingredient in Southport's third-place finish in the TU South. Evans is just the fourth player in IPA history to have a Triple Crown year. A player must lead his league in batting average, homers and RBIs to win the honor. High Mesa's Jack Elliott did it twice, in 2017 and 2021. The other two were Karol Zodoka of the East Point Panthers and Fairfax's Dane Wesner. Zodoka did it in 2002 and Wesner in 2010. Blue Lake's splendid right-hander Doug Kirkpatrick was the MVP runner-up in the Tycobbian Union. Kirkpatrick sparked the Blue Sox to the TU North division title for the first time in 20 years. He compiled a 22-9 mark with a 2.92 ERA. Colchester standout center fielder Jim Lewellen, third in the Golden Bat competition, was also third-best in the MVP race. Lewellen had an impressive year with 45 homers and 131 RBIs. The 7-year vet batted .288 for the Elites. Waleska's Roy Hobbs has had a storybook career. This was his second Ruthlandian Union MVP honor. He also won it in 2026. This season the 37-year-old Westerner center fielder helped his club to a close second-place finish in the RU South. Hobbs led the IPA with 138 RBIs and hit .345 with 35 roundtrippers. He also won his seventh Golden Bat Award and made All-Star team for the 15th time. Ranking second in The Islandian Times poll was San Dimas' fine starter Joaquin Lima. The 25-year-old righty put up a 21-10 record with a 2.49 ERA. Lima won this year's RU Golden Arm Award. Third place went to Waleska right fielder Loco Dillinger, a teammate of Hobbs. Dillinger had a marvelous season and was second to Hobbs for the RU Golden Bat with a .319 BA, 42 home runs, 118 RBIs and 119 runs. Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-13-2015 at 04:45 PM.

07-14-2015, 03:22 PM	#4859
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, October 28, 2052 IPA FOURTH ALL-DECADE TEAM 2031-2040 CF: Scotty Lagrange (2027-2044) The Fourth All-Decade center fielder was a jack of all trades... the model of consistency... Scotty Lagrange played 18 years in Eastshore, just a mediocre ball club most of his career... but he certainly wasn't mediocre... Lagrange was a 5-time All-Star, 6-time Golden Glover... he even hauled in the Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player trophy in 2034, when the Elegants won their only pennant... Lagrange also took the RU Golden Bat that season, too...that year he posted a .332 BA with 191 hits, 34 doubles, 5 triples, 41 homers, 127 RBIs, scored 111 runs and walked 81 times with a .414 OBP... lifetime Lagrange batted a rock solid .295 with 451 home runs, 1414 RBIs and 1415 runs scored... he retired in 2044 at the age of 36 and was voted into the Islandian Pro Alliance in 2049. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-15-2015 at 12:20 PM.

07-14-2015, 03:29 PM	#4860
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,811	Yesterday in the IPA *THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Wednesday, October 25, 2034 Eastshore's Lagrange RU MVP What a special season for Scotty Lagrange of the Eastshore Elegants! First, he spurred the Elegants to the Ruthlandian East crown, then he was chosen the league's top hitter and now Lagrange has been bestowed the RU Most Valuable Player Award, edging out Cold Creek's ace J. J. Gillespie and Crystal Lake's standout rookie Paul Dillon. It's the first time in his career Lagrange has captured the award. Lagrange, 27, put up a strong set of stats with a .332 batting average, 34 doubles, 5 triples, 41 homers, 127 RBIs and 111 runs, while playing in 147 games. The Elegants' center fielder paced the RU in homers and RBIs. Gillespie, last year's RU Most Valuable Player, finished second in The Islandian Times poll this time around. He had another outstanding year for the Catamounts with a 26-13 record and a great 2.06 ERA. Gillespie tied David Michael of North Hills for the most IPA wins and sparked Cold Creek to the runner-up spot to Eastshore in the RU East. Dillon, only 19, led Crystal Lake to the RU South division title with a .342 mark, scoring 102 runs, batting in 64 and stealing 31 bases in 131 games. Dillon was third in the MVP voting and also hailed as the RU Rookie of the Year. Yesterday in the IPA *THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Saturday, October 21, 2034 RU Gold Bat To Eastshore's Lagrange The 2034 Ruthlandian Golden Bat has been awarded to Scotty Lagrange of the Eastshore Elegants, who put up career numbers this season and led his club to the most victories in the IPA with 98 and the RU East crown. Lagrange outpolled Allen Dundee of Wynnamac and Russell Watkins of LaGrange in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES voting. Lagrange is a 3-time All-Star and 2-time Gold Glover. This is his first Golden Bat Award. The 27-year-old center fielder topped the RU with 41 homers and 127 RBIs, while finishing fifth in the batting race with a .332 average. In 147 games Lagrange notched 191 hits and scored 111 runs. He was one of the prime reasons Eastshore was a powerhouse this season. Career-wise Lagrange is a .305 hitter with 184 home runs and 599 RBIs. The Wynnamac Sundowners wound up in the fourth spot in the RU East, aided by the fine play of 7-year vet Allen Dundee, who batted .329 with 41 doubles, 7 triples and 20 home runs. Dundee was in 145 games and drove in 106 runs and scored 92. Dundee came in second in the Golden Bat balloting. Coming in third in the poll was LaGrange's center fielder Russell Watkins, who posted a .312 batting mark in 139 games with 40 homers, 104 RBIs and 87 runs scored as he paced the Sports to a fourth-place finish in the RU North.