National Baseball League

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Mike and the Mad Dog Recap Game 3 — 1902 Pro Cup Series

Mike Francesa: Alright, welcome back. The Blue Lake Blue Caps go into Colfax, they win 7-1, and now they've got a 2-games-to-1 lead in the Pro Cup Series. And Dog, this game wasn't close. Not even a little bit.

Mad Dog Russo: Mike, this was an old-fashioned beatdown! Ya know what this was? This was Blue Lake saying, "Hey, remember we're the defending champions!" They marched right into Comiskey Park and took the Black Sox apart piece by piece!

Mike: Starts with Amennay Nyoike. Complete game. Nine innings. Eight hits. No walks. Three strikeouts. The only run comes in the ninth when the game is already 7-0.

Dog: And Mike, that's what kills Colfax! They finally get a little somethin' cookin' in the ninth, and they're already down by a touchdown! Nyoike just suffocated 'em. No walks! None! In a Pro Cup game on the road!

Mike: Colfax actually had opportunities. They got eight hits. Sreenivasan had three of them. But every time they looked like they might build something, Nyoike got a ground ball or a fly ball and got out of it.

Dog: And let's talk about those caught stealings in the first inning! Colfax gets a hit from Brison, immediately gets thrown out trying to steal second. Blue Lake gets a hit, bin Kareef gets thrown out trying to steal second. Everybody's runnin' around like it's 1887!

Mike: The difference is Blue Lake eventually cashed in.

The second inning, Gallagher doubles home Ashur.

Then the fifth inning happened.

Dog: That's the ballgame right there!

Mike: Five straight hits to open the inning. Ashur doubles. Gallagher singles him home. Kagunda triples. Gou drives in two. Four runs. Suddenly it's 5-0.

Dog: And Colfax just never recovered. Hecini had been magnificent earlier in this series. But Blue Lake finally got to him.

Mike: Hecini gives up thirteen hits and seven runs in eight innings. That's not awful by dead-ball standards, but against Nyoike it might as well have been fifteen runs.

Dog: And here's the thing, Mike. Blue Lake didn't hit home runs. They didn't draw walks. They just kept hittin'! Fourteen hits! Mossop with two RBIs. Gou three hits and two RBIs. Gallagher two RBIs. Kagunda drives in one. Everybody contributed.

Mike: Meanwhile Colfax's defense didn't help. Three errors. Two by Sreenivasan at third. One by Brison in left. Blue Lake left runs on the table and still won by six.

Dog: You know what worries me for Colfax? The momentum.

They win Game 1.

Blue Lake wins Game 2.

Blue Lake wins Game 3.

Now you're coming back tomorrow knowing the defending champs have won two straight and just got a complete-game masterpiece from Nyoike.

Mike: And Dog, let's remember the bigger picture.

Blue Lake already owns championships in 1894, 1898, and 1901. This franchise spent two decades being famous for losing Pro Cups. They lost in 1881, 1885, 1891, and 1893.

Now they've become the standard.

Dog: That's exactly right! They went from "can't win the big one" to becoming the dynasty everybody's chasing!

And Colfax better be careful. Because if Blue Lake wins tomorrow, suddenly you're down 3-1 against a club that's been here over and over and over again.

Mike: Final score from Comiskey Park: Blue Lake 7, Colfax 1.

The Blue Caps take a two-games-to-one lead in the 1902 Pro Cup Series, and behind Amennay Nyoike's complete-game gem, they are now just two victories away from back-to-back championships.

Dog: And tomorrow's Game 4 is gigantic, Mike. GIGANTIC! If Colfax loses that game, they're staring right at the edge of the cliff.

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Mike and the Mad Dog – Game 4 Recap (WFAN Style)

Mike Francesa: Alright, we are back. Game 4 of the 1902 Pro Cup Series from Comiskey Park, and Mad Dog, the series is all tied up. Colfax 2, Blue Lake 1. We got ourselves a best-of-three now.

Chris Russo: Mike, this is exactly what the Black Sox needed! EXACTLY what they needed! They lose Game 3, they get embarrassed, Nyoike throws a masterpiece, everybody's sayin' Blue Lake's gonna run away with it. Not so fast! Not so fast!

Mike: The story is simple. Wankegh Hecini. Nine innings. Ten hits allowed. One run. No strikeouts. Didn't matter.

Dog: That's the crazy part! He didn't overpower anybody! Blue Lake got TEN hits! TEN! And they still couldn't score! You know why? Double play, double play, double play! Three of 'em!

Mike: Hsu Gou hit into three double plays by himself.

Dog: THREE! Mike, how do you do that in a Pro Cup game? Every time Blue Lake got a man on, bang! Inning over!

Mike: Let's start in the first inning. Colfax jumps ahead immediately. Thiago Incio doubles. Koi-sho Xing beats out an infield single. One-nothing Black Sox.

Dog: And that run felt enormous! Because Nyoike was sharp after that. Very sharp.

Mike: He was. Seven innings, eight hits, two runs. Another excellent start. But unlike Game 3, he got no support.

Dog: None! Zero! The guy gives you seven innings and two runs in a Pro Cup game, you oughta win half the time!

Mike: Blue Lake kept threatening. Third inning, runners on first and second.

Dog: Nothing.

Mike: Fifth inning, another runner aboard.

Dog: Nothing.

Mike: Sixth inning, Mossop singles.

Dog: Double play!

Mike: Exactly.

Dog: Hecini wasn't dominant, Mike. He was just making the big pitch every single time.

Mike: Then came the bottom of the sixth. Colfax nursing a 1-0 lead.

Chris Brison singles.

Koi-sho Xing singles.

Then Xing gets caught stealing second.

Dog: Huge mistake! Huge! I thought that was gonna kill the inning!

Mike: Instead Juan Diaz comes right back and punches a two-out RBI single through the infield. Brison scores. Two-nothing Colfax.

Dog: That's the hit of the game. No question. That's the hit that saved the Black Sox season.

Mike: Blue Lake finally answered in the seventh. Bin Shihab walks. Vasya Nazvanov doubles. It's 2-1.

Dog: And now you're thinkin' here we go. Here comes Blue Lake.

Mike: But they couldn't get the tying run home. Priyanka grounds out. Gallagher grounds out. Zhào pops out.

Dog: Opportunity gone.

Mike: Then the eighth inning may have been the biggest missed chance of the afternoon.

Pinch-hitter Bahurai Nilu singles.

Mossop singles.

Two on, nobody out.

Dog: Here we go! Here comes the rally!

Mike: Bin Kareef reaches on a fielder's choice. Runners on the corners.

Hsu Gou steps in.

Dog: And what happens?

Mike: Grounds into another double play.

Dog: ANOTHER ONE! Mike, that's three double plays for Gou! Three! You can't do it! You just can't do it!

Mike: Ninth inning. Last chance. Two outs. Mateus Arriaga doubles.

Dog: Nice pinch hit.

Mike: Brings up Hunter Gallagher representing the tying run.

Dog: And Hecini gets him. Ballgame.

Mike: Ground ball to third. Hernandez to first. Series tied.

Dog: Mike, this series has completely flipped. Yesterday everybody's talking about Blue Lake taking control. Today Colfax says, "Not so fast." Now it's two games apiece and we've got a best-of-three.

Mike: And here's the thing. Through four games, neither team has separated itself. Every game has felt like it could go either way.

Dog: That's why this series is great! Blue Lake's got the champs. Colfax wants its second title in six years. Nobody's giving an inch.

Mike: Final score from Comiskey Park: Colfax 2, Blue Lake 1.

Hecini goes the distance and evens the Pro Cup Series at two games apiece.

Dog: Game 5 tomorrow, Mike. And now? Now the pressure's on everybody. Whoever wins Game 5 is gonna feel like they're one hand on the Pro Cup.

Mike: That's exactly right. See you tomorrow.

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Mike Francesa: Alright, Mad Dog, this game looked over. Over. Colfax is up 6-0 going to the ninth inning. Wankegh Hecini has completely dominated. The Black Sox are one inning away from taking a 3-2 Pro Cup Series lead and heading to Blue Lake with all the pressure on the champs.

Chris Russo: Mike, I thought it was done! I was sittin' there sayin', "Get the luggage packed! Get on the train! We'll see ya in Game 6!" Blue Lake couldn't get a thing goin' all afternoon! Nothin'!

Mike: The story was the third inning. Blue Lake absolutely handed Colfax six runs.

Chris: A disaster! A catastrophe! An absolute nightmare inning! Suji singles, Hecini reaches on an error by the pitcher, and suddenly the door is open. Then Diaz sneaks an RBI infield hit through. Then Sreenivasan comes up with the bases loaded and two outs—

Mike: And rips a bases-clearing triple.

Chris: Three runs! Bang! Just like that it's 4-0! Then Pedro Llamas follows with another triple! Then another error lets the sixth run score! Blue Lake made four errors in the game, Mike! Four! You can't do that in October!

Mike: Especially not against a club like Colfax. The remarkable thing is Amennay Nyoike actually only gave up six runs, and none of them were earned.

Chris: That's impossible! Six runs, zero earned! How often do ya see that?!

Mike: Almost never. Nyoike's ERA actually drops to 1.21 despite losing the game. That's how bizarre that third inning was.

Chris: And meanwhile Hecini is out there throwin' another complete game! What a series he's havin'! Nine innings yesterday. Nine innings today. That's eighteen innings in two days!

Mike: He's now 3-2 in the Series. He throws 150 pitches, gives up four runs, but four of them come with two outs in the ninth when the game is basically won.

Chris: And don't kid yourself, Mike, he almost blew it! Blue Lake made this thing real interesting!

Mike: They certainly did. Bottom of the ninth, down six. Bin Shihab doubles. Nazvanov gets hit. Ashur singles. Nobody out.

Chris: Then Zhào flies out! Nilu strikes out! Two outs! Two outs, Mike! The crowd's standin', they're celebratin', they're thinkin' it's over!

Mike: Then Dermott Withers comes off the bench and drills a bases-clearing triple.

Chris: BOOM! Six-three!

Mike: Mossop follows with an RBI single. Six-four.

Chris: And now the tying run comes to the plate! Comiskey Park got real quiet all of a sudden!

Mike: Bin Kareef walks. Two men on. Hsu Gou comes up representing the tying run.

Chris: And he pops it up.

Mike: Ballgame.

Chris: Blue Lake needed six runs. They got four. That's the cruel part. They finally woke up about twenty minutes too late.

Mike: Here's the bigger picture. Colfax now leads the Series three games to two.

Chris: Huge! Huge! Remember, this franchise won its first championship just five years ago in 1897. Now they're one win away from a second title.

Mike: And they're doing it against the defending champions. Blue Lake won the Pro Cup in 1894, 1898, and 1901. They have been the standard of the league for nearly a decade.

Chris: But right now they're on the ropes! They gotta win Game 6 just to survive!

Mike: And Dog, think about this. Through five games, Colfax has won three games by scores of 1-0, 2-1, and 6-4. They've played cleaner baseball, they've pitched better in the big spots, and Hecini has become the dominant figure of the Series.

Chris: No question! If Colfax wins this thing, we're gonna remember Wankegh Hecini as the guy who turned the Series around. Two complete-game wins in Games 4 and 5? That's old-school stuff, Mike!

Mike: So the Black Sox head to Marlins Park needing one more win for the championship. Blue Lake kept the pulse alive with that ninth-inning rally, but they're down three games to two and staring elimination in the face.

Chris: Game 6 can't get here fast enough! The champs are hanging by a thread!

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Colfax Black Sox: 1902 Pro Cup Champions (2nd title)
1897 1902

Mike and the Mad Dog – WFAN Style Recap, Game 6, 1902 Pro Cup Series
Mike Francesa: Alright, welcome back. We got ourselves a champion. The Colfax Black Sox are the 1902 Pro Cup champions, beating Blue Lake 3-2 in ten innings, winning the series four games to two. And Mad Dog, this wasn't just a championship. This was a franchise exorcism.

Chris Russo: Mike, absolutely! This was pressure city! Pressure city! You know what was sitting on Colfax here? They won in '97, lost the Cup in '00, lost again in '01, and if they lose this one? That's THREE straight Pro Cup losses! The whole narrative changes! Suddenly they're the Buffalo Bills of the IPA!

Mike: That's exactly right. Instead, they flip the script. Now they're champions again. Two titles in six seasons. That's a very different conversation.

Dog: And they had to do it the hard way! This game was unbelievable. Blue Lake scores first in the bottom of the first on that two-out triple by Moukib bin Shihab. Crowd's rocking. They're thinking maybe we're heading for a repeat championship.

Mike: Then Blue Lake's defense completely betrays them in the second inning.

Dog: Disaster! Absolute disaster! Diaz reaches on an error, Sreenivasan singles, another error lets the tying run score, and before you know it Colfax is up 2-1. Mike, Blue Lake made FOUR errors in this game. Four! In a championship clincher! You can't do it!

Mike: And the amazing thing is Amennay Nyoike was terrific despite it. Six innings, only one earned run. He gave Blue Lake every chance to stay alive.

Dog: That's what makes this loss hurt! Their pitching was fine! Checcinato was great! Koritala was good enough! The defense let them down!

Mike: Then let's talk about the man of the hour: Wankegh Hecini.

Dog: Oh, what a warrior! Nine innings! One hundred thirty-eight pitches! Six hits! Two runs! Every time Blue Lake threatened, he shut the door. Every time.

Mike: And Blue Lake finally breaks through in the eighth. Priyanka singles, Nilu walks, Warren Mossop delivers the tying hit. Suddenly it's 2-2.

Dog: And then the ninth inning! Mike, the ninth inning! Colfax loads the bases with one out! Priyadarshini, Llamas, Reese—three straight hits! I thought Blue Lake was cooked!

Mike: Instead Koritala escapes.

Dog: Escapes! No run! No run! The crowd goes crazy! At that point you start saying maybe destiny's wearing Blue Lake blue again.

Mike: Except destiny had one more twist.

Dog: And it came in the tenth! Yazdani singles. Brison reaches. Then Brison steals second and Gallagher throws the ball away! That's the killer! That's the play! Suddenly the winning run is ninety feet away!

Mike: And Mangellat Abuu, coming off the bench cold, lines a single to center.

Dog: Biggest hit of his life! Biggest hit in Colfax since the championship run of '97! Three-two Black Sox!

Mike: Blue Lake still gets a chance in the bottom half. Gallagher walks. Arriaga gets a bunt down and reaches. The tying run is on second.

Dog: Here we go! Here we go!

Mike: Then Kusuma Suharto comes in.

Dog: And BOOM! Double play! Chekandino hits a rocket, but it's right at the second baseman. Four-six-three. Just like that, two outs.

Mike: Then Warren Mossop, who had three hits and practically carried the Blue Lake offense, grounds out to short.

Dog: Ballgame. Championship over. Colfax champions.

Mike: And let's put this in perspective. Blue Lake came in trying to repeat after winning in 1901. Didn't happen.

Dog: Nope. Repeat denied.

Mike: Colfax came in trying to avoid becoming the first club to lose three straight Pro Cups.

Dog: Avoided that too!

Mike: Instead, they get title number two. Their championships now come in 1897 and 1902.

Dog: And Mike, think about the journey. This franchise spent years knocking on the door. Lost heartbreaking Cups. Heard all the criticism. Heard all the talk about not finishing the job.

Mike: Not anymore.

Dog: Not anymore! They're champs! Guan-cai Ning gets the monkey off the organization's back. Hecini becomes a legend in Colfax. Abuu gets the biggest pinch hit in franchise history. And the Black Sox finally get to celebrate instead of explain.

Mike: Final score in ten innings: Colfax 3, Blue Lake 2. The Black Sox are the 1902 Pro Cup champions, and one of the great redemption stories in IPA history is complete.

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Bob Costas on BNN Special Report — November 1902
"Good evening. Bob Costas with some truly historic news for the Islandian Pro Alliance."
"Today, league officials announced the winners of the latest expansion process, and two new franchises will join the IPA for the 1903 season."
"The Hartford Yard Goats and the Montreal Expos."
"Let's start with Hartford."
"Over the last decade, Hartford has transformed from a respectable regional city into one of the fastest-growing population centers in the league's footprint. Industry is booming, rail connections are expanding, and the city's appetite for professional baseball has become impossible to ignore."
"League executives looked at the numbers, looked at the crowds attending exhibition games, and ultimately concluded that Hartford was no longer a city that deserved consideration—it was a city that demanded admission."
"The Yard Goats now become the seventeenth franchise in the IPA, and they'll immediately inherit the enormous challenge every expansion club faces: building a roster from scratch while competing against organizations that have spent thirty years accumulating talent."
"And then there's Montreal."
"If Hartford represents the future, Montreal represents both the future and a bold step into new territory."
"The Expos become the first franchise located outside the traditional heartland of the IPA. Montreal is a vibrant, growing city with a rich sporting culture, and league officials believe it has the potential to become one of the crown jewels of the association."
"The name itself carries a certain elegance. Expos. It suggests ambition, international influence, and a city eager to introduce itself to the broader baseball world."
"Together, these two franchises signal something larger than simple expansion."
"They signal confidence."
"Remember, this league began with just sixteen clubs. Today, attendance is growing, revenues are healthy, and the recently concluded Pro Cup between Colfax and Blue Lake produced some of the finest baseball we've seen in years. The IPA is not expanding out of desperation. It's expanding from a position of strength."
"Now the attention turns to November 20th and the expansion draft."
"Existing clubs must submit their protection lists by November 19th, and somewhere around the league tonight, general managers are already losing sleep."
"Every organization faces the same uncomfortable reality: good players will be exposed."
"Championship clubs such as Colfax and Blue Lake have spent years building depth. So have perennial contenders like Chicopee, Denton City, Marston, and Valka. Soon, Hartford and Montreal will have the opportunity to pluck talent from those organizations and accelerate their path toward competitiveness."
"And history tells us that expansion drafts can reshape a league far more dramatically than anyone expects. A player left unprotected in November can become the face of a franchise by April."
"So tonight, fans in Hartford are dreaming about their first Opening Day."
"Fans in Montreal are imagining the first Expos pennant race."
"And executives across the rest of the IPA are staring nervously at protection lists, hoping they don't make the mistake that builds a future champion somewhere else."
"For the Islandian Pro Alliance, a new chapter begins."
"I'm Bob Costas. Good night."

Bob Costas on the IPA News Desk
"Good evening, everyone. Bob Costas here with a development that has baseball fans from coast to coast talking, and perhaps a few old-timers getting a little misty-eyed."
"The Montreal Expos are back."
"Now, for younger fans, that may sound like just another franchise announcement. For those who remember the Expos, it's much more than that. The Expos were one of baseball's great 'what if' stories—a club with passionate supporters, memorable players, and a history that somehow always felt unfinished."
"When Montreal left, it created a void. Not just in a city, but in the sport itself. Baseball lost one of its most distinctive homes. The crack of the bat at Olympic Stadium, the red-white-and-blue cap with the famous 'M' logo, and generations of fans who never stopped believing they'd someday get another chance."
"And now they have it."
"From an IPA perspective, this is fascinating. Expansion and relocation discussions are always about economics, markets, and stadiums. But every once in a while, they're also about something less tangible: restoring a piece of baseball history."
"The challenge, of course, begins immediately. Nostalgia can fill the stands for Opening Day. Winning fills them for decades. The new Expos organization will have to build a roster, establish an identity, and convince a new generation of Montreal fans that this isn't merely a tribute act—it's a franchise with its own future."
"But tonight isn't about payrolls or prospects."
"Tonight is about a baseball city getting its team back."
"And in a sport that treasures its traditions as much as any game on earth, that's something worth celebrating."
"The Montreal Expos are back. Baseball feels a little more complete because of it."
"For the IPA News Desk, I'm Bob Costas."

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Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN — Hartford's New Team Name

Mike Francesa: "Alright, alright, we got expansion in the IPA. Hartford gets a team, Montreal gets a team. The Expos, that's easy. Everybody likes the Expos. Clean name. Traditional. Sounds major league."

Chris Russo: "Right! Right! Nobody's arguin' with the Expos! Expos is a baseball name! Sounds like a team! Sounds like they've been around a hundred years!"

Mike: "Now Hartford..."

Mad Dog: "The Yard Goats!"

Mike: "The Yard Goats."

Mad Dog: "What the heck is a Yard Goat?!"

Mike: "See, that's the reaction everybody has the first time they hear it."

Mad Dog: "I'm serious! You're tellin' me the league announces expansion and I'm expectin' the Hartford Capitals, the Hartford Travelers, the Hartford Whalers—somethin' like that—and instead I get the Hartford Yard Goats!"

Mike: "But here's the thing. The more you think about it, the more it works."

Mad Dog: "How so?"

Mike: "Because Hartford's a railroad city. A yard goat is a little locomotive that moves rail cars around a rail yard. It's part of the city's identity. It's local. It's unique."

Mad Dog: "I know, I know, I've read the explanation. Doesn't mean it ain't weird!"

Mike: "Of course it's weird. Every great nickname is weird the first time you hear it."

Mad Dog: "That's true."

Mike: "Think about it. Blue Caps? Black Sox? Raccoons? Vikings? If you heard those names for the first time today, you'd say they were strange too."

Mad Dog: "Good point. And I'll tell ya another thing. You remember these names."

Mike: "Exactly."

Mad Dog: "Nobody remembers generic names! Everybody remembers the Yard Goats! Twenty years from now you'll say, 'Who won the pennant in 1917?' and somebody'll answer, 'The Yard Goats.' You immediately know who they're talking about."

Mike: "And Hartford's not trying to be New York. They're not trying to be Chicago. They're trying to be Hartford."

Mad Dog: "That's the key!"

Mike: "The name has personality. It has local history. It belongs to the city."

Mad Dog: "It does sound a little minor league though."

Mike: "A little."

Mad Dog: "A lot!"

Mike: "A little."

Mad Dog: "If they lose a hundred games their first year, people are gonna have a field day. 'The Yard Goats got run over by the train again!'"

Mike: "That's true."

Mad Dog: "You know it's gonna happen!"

Mike: "But if they're good? If they start winning?"

Mad Dog: "Then the name becomes cool."

Mike: "That's always how it works. Win games and suddenly everybody loves the nickname."

Mad Dog: "I'll tell ya right now, Mike. If Hartford makes a Pro Cup within ten years, nobody will be laughing at the Yard Goats."

Mike: "Nope."

Mad Dog: "And honestly? Expansion teams should be a little different. The league's been around thirty years. Give me something memorable."

Mike: "That's where I land. Is it unusual? Absolutely. Is it traditional? No. Does it fit Hartford? Perfectly."

Mad Dog: "And that's why I kinda like it."

Mike: "There you go."

Mad Dog: "Still sounds like a Triple-A club, though."

Mike: "Of course it does."

Mad Dog: "The Hartford Yard Goats! I still can't get over it!"

Mike: "You'll get used to it. Everybody will."

Mad Dog: "Until they win a championship and then suddenly everybody's buyin' Yard Goats merchandise."

Mike: "That's exactly how these things happen."

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Stephen A. Smith on BNN's First Take IPA Edition

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have to tell you, I am conflicted. I am conflicted!"

"First of all, let me be very, very clear. Expansion is good for the Islandian Pro Alliance. It is excellent for the league. Hartford gets a team. Montreal gets a team. New markets, new fans, more revenue, more opportunities for players, more opportunities for managers, more opportunities for owners to make money. Everybody wins."

"I got no problem with expansion!"

"But I do have a problem with this."

The Ruthlandian Union now has TEN teams.

The Tycobbian Union has EIGHT.

"Now wait a minute. Hold on. Time out. Stop the presses."

"How are we supposed to pretend that's balanced?"

"You mean to tell me Colfax, Marston, Bayview, Fort Benton, Valka and the rest of the RU now have to navigate a ten-team union while the TU still sits there with eight clubs?"

"That ain't equal. That ain't symmetrical. That ain't fair."

"And before anybody says, 'Stephen A., relax, it's temporary,' yes, I know it's temporary!"

"The league has already indicated it plans to place the next two expansion franchises in the Tycobbian Union within the next two or three years."

"Good."

"Because they have to."

"You cannot run a major league forever with a 10-8 split. Eventually scheduling gets messy. Competitive balance becomes a talking point. Pennant races become harder to compare."

"Now the good news is the IPA appears to understand this."

"And when you start talking about future expansion candidates..."

"Oooh, now we're getting interesting."

"Let's start with New Yerby."

"Folks, if New Yerby gets a franchise, that's a no-brainer."

"The city is growing. The population is exploding. The business community is getting stronger every year. It's exactly the kind of market leagues dream about."

"You put a ballclub there and I think they're drawing crowds from day one."

"Then you've got Tuckanarra."

"And let me tell you something about Tuckanarra."

"Five years ago, people would've laughed at the idea."

"Today?"

"Not so much."

"The town is growing rapidly. Industry is moving in. New rail lines are connecting it to the rest of the country. Suddenly people are beginning to ask whether Tuckanarra isn't just a town anymore."

"Maybe it's becoming a city."

"And if it keeps growing at this pace, league officials would be foolish not to consider it."

"But here's the part everybody should remember."

"Expansion sounds fun until the bill comes due."

"Ask Hartford."

"Ask Montreal."

"Everybody loves expansion day."

"Everybody loves the logo."

"Everybody loves the uniforms."

"Everybody loves the speeches."

"Then comes the expansion draft."

"Then comes Opening Day."

"Then comes losing 95 games."

"And that's when reality arrives."

"So yes, the IPA has created a temporary imbalance."

"Yes, the RU is now carrying ten clubs while the TU has only eight."

"But if the league follows through and places the next two franchises in the Tycobbian Union—whether that's New Yerby, Tuckanarra, or somebody else entirely—then this will be remembered as a transitional phase rather than a mistake."

"And if we're sitting here three years from now talking about a twelve-team TU featuring New Yerby and Tuckanarra?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Islandian Pro Alliance will be bigger, richer, stronger, and more competitive than it has ever been."

"And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing."

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Michael Kay Show – 1903 IPA Season Preview
"Alright, welcome back! Opening Day is here in the Islandian Pro Alliance, and the experts have spoken. And if you look at these preseason projections, they are not exactly predicting a lot of suspense at the top."
The headline prediction?
Valka versus Red Bluff in the 1903 Pro Cup.
"And honestly, when you look at the numbers, it's hard to argue."
Let's start in the Ruthlandian Union.
The experts have Valka at 111-43. Think about that for a second. One hundred and eleven wins. That's not just first place—that's dominance. They are projected to allow only 322 runs all season with a microscopic 1.45 ERA.
"The Blackhawks have spent years knocking on the door. They've won pennants. They've been to Pro Cups. They've had heartbreak. They've had the reputation of being the league's biggest underachiever when it comes to championships. But after finally breaking through and winning it all in 1902, the experts clearly think the psychological burden is gone."
But Valka isn't alone.
Fort Benton is projected for 108 wins.
Colfax is projected for 106 wins.
"That's insane. You've got three teams projected to win over 105 games in the same league. In most years one of those clubs would be a runaway favorite. Here they're all beating up on each other."
And then there's Cold Creek at 99 wins and Marston at 96.
"You know what this says to me? The Ruthlandian Union is still a war zone. Valka might be the favorite, but there are five teams that could realistically finish first if a few things break right."
Now let's move over to the Tycobbian Union.
"And folks, this is where things get ridiculous."
Red Bluff: 125-29.
"One hundred and twenty-five wins! Are you kidding me?"
The projections have the Red Sox scoring 990 runs, batting .303, stealing 293 bases, and still posting a staff ERA under 2.00.
"Those numbers don't look like a pennant winner. They look like a team playing a different sport."
And yet—
Kenwood is projected for 112 wins.
"Think about that. Kenwood wins 112 games and still finishes thirteen games out of first. That's how absurd Red Bluff is expected to be."
Michael pauses.
"I don't know if Red Bluff actually gets to 125 wins. That's asking a lot. But what I do believe is that this club has become the standard in the Tycobbian Union. They're young, they're explosive, and they can beat you every possible way."
One of the more interesting projections?
Blue Lake at 91 wins.
"The defending champions of 1901 are still projected to be very good, but they're not viewed as a true threat to Red Bluff or Kenwood. That's a big shift from just a couple of years ago."
And then there are the newcomers.
Hartford Yard Goats.
Projected record: 24-130.
"Welcome to the IPA, folks."
"Look, expansion is hard. Everybody knows it. The Yard Goats are predicted to have the worst offense in the league, one of the worst pitching staffs in the league, and finish 87 games behind Valka. That's not a typo. Eighty-seven."
"But here's the thing: expansion teams aren't judged on wins. They're judged on whether they can build a foundation. If Hartford can find a few players to grow with, 24 wins won't matter five years from now."
And finally, Kay looks at the overall picture.
"What fascinates me is that we're entering a new era of the IPA."
"For years, the story was whether Denton City would keep winning titles. Then it became whether Valka could ever win one. Now the league has a reigning champion in Valka, a powerhouse in Red Bluff, and expansion beginning with Hartford. The sport is growing."
"The experts say Valka over Red Bluff in the Pro Cup matchup. That's the chalk pick. The safe pick."
"But every season somebody tears up the script. That's why they play 154 games."
"And if Red Bluff actually wins 125? We may be talking about one of the greatest teams in IPA history."

[jg2977]

Mike and the Mad Dog – WFAN Style Recap

Mike Francesa: "Mad Dog, I gotta tell ya somethin'. We have seen a lotta Opening Days. We've seen expansion teams come in and get crushed. We've seen ceremonial losses. We've seen reality hit 'em right in the face."

Chris Russo: "Right!"

Mike: "This ain't one of those days."

Dog: "No! No! No! Mike, this is one of the great Opening Day upsets we've ever seen! The Hartford Yard Goats—picked to go 24-and-130! Twenty-four wins!—go into Colfax, the defending Pro Cup champions, and beat 'em 2-0 in ten innings!"

Mike: "And not only beat 'em, Dog. They shut 'em out."

Dog: "SHUT 'EM OUT! The defending champs got four hits! Four! At home!"

"WHO IS JODY SPARR?!"
Dog: "Mike, let's start with the pitcher because I don't know where this guy came from. Jody Sparr throws TEN innings, complete game shutout, four hits, three walks, five strikeouts."
Mike: "105 pitches."

Dog: "Ten innings!"

Mike: "Against the defending champions."

Dog: "In the first game in franchise history!"

Mike: "The guy's Game Score was 86. He completely controlled the game. Colfax never had a runner reach third base."

Dog: "And every time Colfax got somebody on, somebody got thrown out stealing!"

THE GOATS WERE HELPING THEM!
Mike: "Here's the crazy part. Hartford actually tried to give this game away."
Dog: "They did!"

Mike: "Sparr commits an error in the ninth. Colfax gets a leadoff baserunner with nobody out."

Dog: "Game over! Right?"

Mike: "Nope."

Dog: "Because Thiago Incio gets caught stealing AGAIN! The fourth Colfax runner thrown out on the bases!"

Mike: "That's the story nobody's gonna talk about. Colfax had seven baserunners. Four got erased stealing. You can't do that in a scoreless game."

Dog: "You can't do it against an expansion team! You're supposed to make THEM nervous!"

WANKEGH HECINI DESERVED BETTER
Mike: "And I feel bad for Hecini."
Dog: "Absolutely."

Mike: "Ten innings. Eight hits. No walks. Six strikeouts. One mistake all night."

Dog: "And even that wasn't really his fault!"

Mike: "Exactly."

THE TENTH INNING
Dog: "Mike, this is how legends are born."
Mike: "Go ahead."

Dog: "Lemah Kawilarang comes off the bench. First at-bat in franchise history for him. Single."

Mike: "Right."

Dog: "Then Jody Sparr—the pitcher!—singles."

Mike: "Yep."

Dog: "Then the left fielder boots the ball! Kawilarang scores!"

Mike: "And suddenly Hartford leads 1-0."

Dog: "And then Tuan Ho lines another hit, Sparr scores, 2-0, and Comiskey Park is stunned."

Mike: "You could hear a pin drop."

THE DEFENDING CHAMPS?
Dog: "Now let's be fair. Colfax is gonna be fine."
Mike: "Of course."

Dog: "They're not losing 130 games because of this."

Mike: "No. They're still one of the best clubs in the league."

Dog: "But you know what? For one night, the mighty champions got outplayed by the expansion club everybody said would be the worst team in baseball."

THE YARD GOATS HAVE A MOMENT
Mike: "Dog, these expansion teams usually spend years looking for a signature moment."
Dog: "Years!"

Mike: "Hartford got theirs in Game One."

Dog: "Think about it. Fifty years from now, Yard Goats fans are gonna know this box score by heart."

Mike: "First game."

Dog: "First win."

Mike: "First shutout."

Dog: "Against the defending Pro Cup champions."

Mike: "Behind a ten-inning masterpiece from Jody Sparr."

Dog: "Mike, they're 1-0!"

Mike: "And based on the projections, they're already four percent of the way to their expected win total."

Dog: (laughing) "The pace is 154-0, Michael! The pace is 154-0!"

Mike: "For one glorious night in Hartford, that's exactly right."

[jg2977]

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[jg2977]

Colfax
5th RU pennant - 1897 1900 1901 1902 1903
2 Pro Cups - 1897 1902

Red Bluff
5th TU pennant - 1871 1872 1873 1876 1903
2 Pro Cups - 1872 1876

Jack Buck's 1903 IPA Season Recap
"I don't believe what I just saw!"

Well, actually, after looking at these standings for six months, perhaps we should.

The 1903 Islandian Pro Alliance season is in the books, and the Pro Cup matchup is finally set:

Colfax Black Sox versus Red Bluff Red Sox.

A matchup between two of the most successful franchises in league history, and yet one of them is making a return that has taken nearly three decades.

Colfax Keeps Rolling
"You know, sometimes greatness becomes so routine that people stop appreciating it."
The Black Sox finished 114-40, winning the Ruthlandian Union by ten games over Fort Benton.

This is now:

5th Ruthlandian Union pennant
1897
1900
1901
1902
1903
More remarkably:
Four consecutive pennants.

"Four in a row! Folks, that's a dynasty. There is no other word for it."

Since 1900, Colfax has completely owned the Ruthlandian Union. Fort Benton won 104 games. Valka won 103. Cold Creek won 100.

Didn't matter.

Colfax still finished first.

"When your competition wins one hundred games and you're still looking down at them in the standings, you've had one heck of a season."

The defending champions now have a chance to add a third Pro Cup to their trophy case after titles in 1897 and 1902.

Red Bluff Finally Returns
If Colfax represents the present, Red Bluff represents the past meeting the future.
The Red Sox stormed through the Tycobbian Union with an astonishing 124-30 record.

"One hundred and twenty-four wins. Think about that."

Only Kenwood, with 113 victories, even stayed remotely close.

The reward?

Their first Pro Cup appearance since 1876.

That's a drought of 27 years.

"Twenty-seven years! Entire generations of Red Bluff fans have never seen their club play for a championship."

Their pennant history now reads:

1871
1872
1873
1876
1903
And they seek their third championship after winning Pro Cups in 1872 and 1876.
"For decades Red Bluff was one of the sleeping giants of this league. Well, the giant has awakened."

The Ruthlandian Union Was a Bloodbath
Look at these records.
Colfax: 114 wins
Fort Benton: 104 wins
Valka: 103 wins
Cold Creek: 100 wins
"Three teams win 100 games and don't even reach the Pro Cup. That's brutal."
Valka, the preseason favorite and defending 1902 champion, finishes with 103 wins and doesn't even come particularly close to catching Colfax.

Fort Benton wins 104.

No pennant.

Cold Creek wins 100.

No pennant.

"Sometimes baseball isn't fair. Sometimes you're just stuck in the same division as a machine."

And that machine was Colfax.

Kenwood's Incredible Misfortune
Perhaps nobody suffered more than Kenwood.
The Wildcats won 113 games.

In most seasons that would be enough for a parade.

Instead?

They finished 11 games behind Red Bluff.

"One hundred and thirteen wins and you're still looking up. That's hard to do."

Expansion Reality Hits Hard
Now let's talk about the newcomers.
Hartford and Montreal entered the IPA amid excitement and optimism.

The standings were less optimistic.

Montreal: 35-119

Hartford: 28-126

"Expansion can be cruel, and 1903 was about as cruel as it gets."

Combined record:

63-245.

And Montreal added one final painful chapter.

The Expos lost their final 18 games of the season.

"Eighteen straight losses to end your inaugural campaign. That's a long winter in Montreal."

Hartford's season was even rougher by record, finishing 86 games behind Colfax.

Yet there will always be one thing nobody can take away from the Yard Goats:

They won their very first game, shutting out the defending champions in Colfax on Opening Day.

"For one night, they were undefeated. Unfortunately for Hartford, the rest of the season arrived shortly thereafter."

The Pro Cup Matchup
So here we are.
Colfax (114-40)

versus

Red Bluff (124-30)

A combined record of:

238-70

A winning percentage of .773

"These aren't just the best teams in their unions. These are two of the greatest regular-season teams the IPA has ever produced."

Colfax seeks its third title and second in two years.

Red Bluff seeks its first title since 1876.

One dynasty trying to extend its reign.

One sleeping giant trying to reclaim its throne.

"And folks, for the first time in twenty-seven years, the Red Bluff Red Sox are back on baseball's biggest stage."

"We'll see you in the Pro Cup." ��️⚾

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Vin Scully on BNN – 1903 Pro Cup Series, Game 1
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. The Pro Cup opened today at Fenway Park in Red Bluff, and if Game 1 is any indication, we may be in for a series that tests not only talent, but nerves.
The defending champions from Colfax came into town carrying all the confidence of a club seeking a second consecutive championship and a fourth straight Ruthlandian Union pennant. The hometown Red Sox, meanwhile, were making their first Pro Cup appearance since 1876. Twenty-seven years is a long wait. The city was ready.
And then, almost immediately, both clubs seemed determined to make things difficult for themselves.”
Colfax scored in the opening inning despite managing only a single hit. Red Bluff committed two errors before recording the third out, allowing Thiago Incio to come all the way around on Chris Brison's sacrifice fly.
But the Red Sox answered right back.
Greg Sussman reached on a Colfax error, Doug Marquis lined a single into the outfield, and Red Bluff tied the game at one. It would prove to be the only run Wankegh Hecini would allow all afternoon.
From that point forward, the contest became a magnificent pitching duel.
Maximino Obara was brilliant for Red Bluff. Hecini was equally brilliant for Colfax. Neither man seemed willing to blink.
Hecini scattered just three hits across nine innings. Obara surrendered only six. The scoreboard remained frozen at 1-1 inning after inning as both pitchers navigated defensive mistakes, scattered baserunners, and mounting pressure.
You could almost feel the tension rising with every out.
Red Bluff had opportunities. Colfax had opportunities. Yet somehow the game remained tied.
Then came the ninth.
Anurodha Yegammai, batting as a pinch hitter, opened the inning with a sharp single. Colfax began manufacturing a run the old-fashioned way. Kusuma Mainaky bunted. Hai-dong Liu bunted. The Black Sox moved runners into scoring position and forced Red Bluff's defense to make plays.
The Red Sox could not.
With two outs, Jeremy Stryker hit a routine ground ball to third. It should have ended the inning.
Instead, Zachery LeVasseur's throw went astray.
Yegammai crossed the plate.
Colfax led, 2-1.
And after eight innings of nearly flawless work, that single defensive lapse became the difference in the ballgame.
The remarkable thing is that neither run charged to Obara was earned. He threw a complete game, allowed just six hits, walked one, struck out three, and deserved far better than a loss.
But baseball is not always fair.
Neither is October.
As for Hecini, he was masterful. Nine innings. Three hits. One unearned run. One walk. Three strikeouts. One hundred twenty-eight pitches. Every time Red Bluff threatened, he calmly found another out.
Player of the Game? No debate.
Wankegh Hecini.
And so the defending champions do exactly what championship clubs are supposed to do. They walk into a hostile ballpark, survive a messy afternoon that featured seven combined errors, and somehow leave with a victory.
Colfax 2.
Red Bluff 1.
The Black Sox lead the Pro Cup Series one game to none.
And for Red Bluff, the frustration is obvious. They waited twenty-seven years to return to this stage, matched the champions pitch for pitch, and still watched Game 1 slip away because of mistakes in the field.
The series is young.
But tonight, the pressure belongs to the Red Sox.
Because when you out-hit nobody, commit four errors, waste a gem from Maximino Obara, and lose at home...
...you begin Game 2 already chasing the champions.”

[jg2977]

Vin Scully Recaps Game 2 of the 1903 Pro Cup Series
"Well, friends, if you were looking for offense this afternoon at Fenway Park in Red Bluff, you may have had to bring your own. What we witnessed instead was a masterpiece. Another masterpiece.
For the second consecutive day, the Pro Cup Series belonged to one man: Wankegh Hecini."
The defending champion Colfax Black Sox arrived in Red Bluff hoping to steal one game before returning home. Instead, they've taken both. And they've done it in almost unbelievable fashion—winning Game 1 by a score of 2-1 and following it up today with a razor-thin 1-0 victory.
The story was Hecini.
Again.
One day after allowing a single unearned run on three hits, the Colfax right-hander somehow topped himself. Nine innings. Three hits. No walks. No runs. Just two strikeouts, but countless weak outs and frustrated Red Sox hitters. Through the first two games of this series, Hecini has thrown 18 innings and allowed exactly one unearned run.
That is dominance of the highest order.
Red Bluff actually threatened first. Tyler Vasso doubled in the opening inning and stood at second with one out. But Hecini calmly retired Doug Marquis and Luke Peck to extinguish the rally.
From there, the game settled into a hypnotic rhythm.
Hecini and Red Bluff ace Maximino Obara traded zeros inning after inning, each pitch carrying the weight of October baseball.
Then came the fourth.
Chris Brison reached when Vasso booted a ground ball at shortstop. Two outs later, Kusuma Mainaky lined a single into the outfield. Brison never hesitated, racing home with the game's first—and as it turned out, only—run.
One run.
One mistake.
One championship-caliber swing.
And that's all Colfax needed.
Obara deserved a better fate. The Red Bluff ace was magnificent, allowing only two hits over eight innings. Both games in this series have now ended with Obara taking a loss despite not surrendering an earned run.
That's the cruel side of baseball.
The Red Sox had one final chance in the ninth. Greg Sussman was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Vasso successfully moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. The tying run stood at second base.
The crowd rose.
Doug Marquis stepped in.
Hecini induced a ground ball to third.
Two outs.
Luke Peck followed and drove a liner toward center field.
For a moment, 4,000 fans held their breath.
Chris Brison settled underneath it.
The catch was made.
Ballgame.
Colfax 1. Red Bluff 0.
And just like that, the Black Sox have seized complete control of this series.
The remarkable thing is that Colfax has scored only three runs in two games, yet they lead the Pro Cup two games to none. Their formula has been simple: flawless pitching, airtight defense when it matters most, and just enough timely hitting.
Now the series shifts to Comiskey Park in Colfax.
For Red Bluff, the situation is dire. Their magnificent 124-win season has produced exactly one run through two Pro Cup games. Their pitching has been good enough to win. Their bats have not.
As for Wankegh Hecini, his numbers after two starts seem almost impossible:
18 innings pitched.
6 hits allowed.
1 unearned run.
1 walk.
5 strikeouts.
Two complete-game victories.
And as the train carrying the clubs heads west toward Colfax, one question hangs over this championship series:
Can Red Bluff solve Wankegh Hecini before it's too late?
Because right now, the Black Sox ace appears to be writing one of the greatest Pro Cup performances the Islandian Pro Alliance has ever seen.

[jg2977]

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