ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

MIDWAY'S CROWDER TOP TU FRESHMAN
The freshman talent level in the Tycobbian Union was so low, the voters had to select players that didn't really play enough to officially qualify for the awards... the 2064 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year was Midway's fine second baseman T. D. Crowder... he only played in 71 games all total, but he did put up some solid numbers... a .307 BA with 14 doubles, 5 triples and 22 roundtrippers... he also walked 37 times and posted a .393 OBP... Crowder drove in 62 runs and scored 55... pretty good work for a half season... his second place Wolves were 6 games off the pace of the TU East Division winner Tuckanarra.

A big 6-foot-6 portsider Dylan Bowers only played half a year in his rookie season, but he went 8-1 for the High Mesa Mustangs with a 3.50 ERA in 16 starts... Bowers was second in the Tycobbian Rookie poll... High Mesa came in third in the TU East standings... they wound up 7 games behind champion Tuckanarra.

Same story for the third-place finisher in the top newcomer vote... Mark Clemmons only played half a year, playing in only 78 games... the Kenwood catcher hit .309 with 19 doubles, 2 homers, 28 RBIs and scored 28 runs... he helped the Wildcats come in third in the TU West with a fine 87-67 record, 8 games behind champ Rolling Hills.

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, October 29, 2064

IPA PROCLAIM TOP PERFORMERS FOR '64 SEASON
For the next week the Islandian Pro Alliance will be presenting accolades and awards to all of the top players for the 2064 season... the Ruthlandian Union and Tycobbian Union will be honoring the top performers at the plate, on the hill, in the field and in the dugout.

2064 Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Awards
Pitcher: Rick Howser (Waleska Westerners) (1.000 FA/31 G/13 PO/35 Assists) (17-6, 1.88 ERA)
Catcher: Carlos Silva (Volusia Vigilantes) (.992 FA/124 G/4 PB/58.5% RTO) (.306 BA/7 HR/55 RBI/35 R) (5-time Gold Glover)
1st Baseman: Timmy Benford (Valmara Vipers) (.991 FA/151 G) (.303 BA/35 HR/105 R/97 R/2 SB)
2nd Baseman: Vince Norberg (Cold Creek Raccoons) (.989 FA/419 Assists) (.275 BA/27 HR/97 RBI/86 R/19 SB) (2-time Gold Glover)
3rd Baseman: Fred Hahn (Claxton Diamonds) (.961 FA/151 G/285 Assists) (.307 BA/14 HR/68 RBI/63 R/3 SB)
Shortstop: Scoots Perez (Volusia Vigilantes) (.984 FA/150 G/437 Assists) (.262 BA/12 HR/70 RBI/75 R/12 SB)
Left Fielder: Harv Shepard (Valmara Vipers) (.997 FA/138 G/312 PO/6 Assists) (.331 BA/19 HR/74 RBI/92 R/12 SB)
Center Fielder: Ned Woodward (Sugar Valley Rattlers) (.996 FA/548 PO/11 Assists) (.260 BA/12 HR/60 RBI/85 R/24 SB)
Right Fielder: Dain Raadik (LaGrange Gators) (.996 FA/104 G/269 PO/12 Assists) (.288 BA/6 HR/54 RBI/56 R/9 SB)

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

2064 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Awards

Pitcher: Justin Shank (Tuckanarra Tiger Cats) (.980 FA/31 G/8 PO/42 Assists) (11-7, 2.97 ERA)
Catcher: Landon Moore (Arlon Champions) (.987 FA/125 G/5 PB/55.0% RTO) (.255 BA/9 HR/73 RBI/55 R/2 SB)
1st Baseman: Hideki Nakano (Ginza Ninjas) (.993 FA/150 G/84 Assists) (.247 BA/11 HR/59 RBI/55 R/2 SB)
2nd Baseman: Lyle Tatton (South Fork Stallions) (.985 FA/151 G/413 Assists) (.230 BA/13 HR/49 RBI/60 R/2 SB)
3rd Baseman: Roman Rodondo (San Alejo Montaneros) (.981 FA/146 G/278 Assists) (.244 BA/23 HR/93 RBI/68 R) (3-time Gold Glover)
Shortstop: Dan Fargo (Arroyo Grande Suns) (.976 FA/152 G/550 Assists) (.233 BA/39 HR/77 RBI/90 R/12 SB) (3-time Gold Glover)
Left Fielder: Kev MacKinley (Ozarka Naturals) (.997 FA/145 G/376 PO/5 Assists) (.240 BA/16 HR/69 RBI/77 R/10 SB) (2-time Gold Glover)
Center Fielder: Linc Chappell (Kenwood Wildcats) (.995 FA/153 G/583 PO/22 Assists) (.219 BA/5 HR/59 RBI/83 R/13 SB)
Right Fielder: Kody Kenyon (Midway Wolves) (.993 FA/149 G/392 PO/13 Assists) (.310 BA/30 HR/82 RBI/106 R/7 SB)

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, October 30, 2064

LONDON, STONICH HONORED AS IPA MVPS
The Islandian Pro Alliance revealed its most renown awards for the year 2064... Alvie London, Claxton's bullpen specialist, and Teddy Stonich, Rolling Hills superb third baseman, have been voted the most important players in the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union... both of them played key roles in their teams' success this season.

CLAXTON CLOSER LONDON WINS RUTHLANDIAN MVP AWARD
Year 10 in the IPA will always be remembered as a very special season for Alvie London, Claxton's superlative bullpen ace... after 7 years of very little success, London has thrived the last three years in the bullpen... 2064 was super special... this year's Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player did it all... London accounted for 42 victories this season, posting a standout 18-7 won-lost record with 24 saves... the 31-year-old right-hander compiled a very impressive 2.32 ERA in 91 games and 174 innings... London led the Diamonds to a spectacular season, sparking them to their second straight RU South pennant and 97 wins, tops in the Islandian Pro Alliance... lifetime his stats are not that great... London is only 54-49 overall with a 3.11 ERA and 90 saves... most of his saves have come the last three seasons... 30 in '62, 26 in '63 and 24 this year.

London beat out Timmy Benford, Valmara fine first sacker, and one of his Claxton teammates, pitcher Russell Krohn... Benford was an important cog in Valmara's fine year... he paced the Vipers to the RU North crown with a .303 BA in 151 games with 177 hits, 35 doubles, 2 triples, 35 home runs, 105 RBIs and scored 97 runs... Benford topped the RU in homers and RBIs... he came in second to this year's RU Golden Bat winner, the Belle Plaine star, Eliot Marcum.

Russell Krohn, just in his second year in the IPA, had quite a season, too... the 25-year-old right-hander led the Ruthlandian Union with 19 victories... Krohn was 19-7 with a fine 2.86 ERA in 31 starts and 208 innings, which was good enough to come in third in the Ruthlandian MVP poll... he and London were a vital part of the Claxton super successful season and concluded with them winning the team's first-ever Pro Cup.

[Eugene Church]

STONICH WINS THIRD TYCOBBIAN MVP TROPHY
Teddy Stonich is at it again... he was acclaimed the best player in the Tycobbian Union in 2060... repeated in 2062... and now once again in 2064... the 30-year-old outstanding third baseman for the Rolling Hills Racers is again the Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player for the third time in his illustrious career... what a season Stonich enjoyed... he garnered his third TU Golden Bat with a .328 BA in 153 games, collected 194 hits, 47 two-baggers, 4 triples, 29 homers, 121 RBIs and scored 103 runs... and Stonich led his Racers to their fifth consecutive TU West title... in 8 IPA seasons he is a lifetime .334 hitter with 270 homers and 1025 RBIs.

High Mesa slugger Roy Roberts wound up second to Stonich in the TU MVP balloting... the talented first baseman sparked the Mustangs to a close third-place finish in the Tycobbian East... High Mesa was beaten out by the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats by 7 games... Roberts led the IPA and the Tycobbian Union with 59 roundtrippers and 118 runs... in his 149 games he numbered 164 hits, .311 BA and 115 RBIs.

Another big first sacker with a big bat was the third-highest votegetter in the Tycobbian MVP poll... Buddy Blackford of the Oxford Red Caps paced his club to its fifth TU North flag in six seasons... Blackford played in 154 games, drove in 122 runs, scored 108 times, walloped 35 doubles, 2 triples and 45 homers, while hitting .270.

[Eugene Church]

Friday, October 31, 2064

IPA HONORS TOP SKIPPERS: CHRISTIANSON, SCHIFFMAN
In theory, the best managers get the most out of their players and maybe a little bit more... they motivate them to go beyond themselves and play at another level... however, in reality, they might just have a roster of very talented players... in the case of this year's top skippers in the Islandian Pro Alliance, it might be a little bit of both... the 2064 IPA Managers of the Year are Abe Schiffman of the Claxton Diamonds and Billy Christianson of the Rolling Hills Racers... it's the first time for Schiffman to gain the honor and the record-tying fourth time for Christianson, who is now tied with his grandfather Matty Christianson for the most managerial awards.

2064 Tycobbian Manager of the Year Award
Grandson Billy Christianson is really on a roll... he has won the Tycobbian Manager of the Year trophy for the last four years in a row... an unprecedented achievement... Christianson topped Alex Groveland of the Far Mountain Redhawks, who won the Ruthlandian Union honor three years in a row from 2012 to 2014.

Christianson has captured the Tycobbian West for the last five seasons... his Racers were 95-59 this season... he has skippered Rolling Hills since 2052, slowly building the club into a dominant power, even winning the Pro Cups in 2060 and 2062... Christianson is a Hall of Fame infielder that was inducted in the IPA Hall of Fame in 2049 after a standout career with Rolling Hills and Colchester... he was a 6-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glover with a .302 lifetime batting average... his granddad traded his grandson to the Elites in 2034, but Christianson returned to Rolling Hills in 2039 for his last 5 seasons... he retired in 2044.

Winding up second in the TU top skipper poll was Alain Cheval of the La Claire Lynx, Rolling Hills' chief challenger in the pennant race... Cheval turned the Lynx into a winner this year... they finished in third place 27 games behind the Racers in '63 with a 79-75 mark and improved to 91-63 this season, just 4 games behind Rolling Hills... from 2014 to 2030 Cheval was just a backup infielder in the IPA, batting a poor .245 in 13 seasons with La Claire... Cheval took the reins of the Lynx in 2062 and has done well from the git-go, coming in no worse than third place.

Third place in the TU Manager of the Year balloting was Matt Bell, skipper of the San Alejo Montaneros, who boosted his club up from the fifth spot in the league in '63 to the top spot... Bell was 19 games behind with a 76-78 record a year ago... this season the Monties jumped to 86-68 and won the Tycobbian South race by 7 games... Bell is a renown figure in IPA circles... inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2057 after posting a 391-225 record with a remarkable 2.42 career ERA in 19 season with San Alejo… Bell played 2039 to 2057 and retired at age 37.

2064 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year Award
The 2064 Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year went to Abe Schiffman... he took over the Claxton Diamonds in 2057 and slowly, but surely has turned them in a power to be reckoned with... the Diamonds have won the RU South the last two years, upping their record from 85-69 to 97-57 this season... Claxton topped the IPA in victories this season and made shambles of the pennant race, winning handily by 14 games... Schiffman was a solid pitcher for 15 years with the Diamonds, posting a 238-177 mark with a 3.77 ERA... he has molded the current staff into one of the best staffs in IPA history... Claxton captured the IPA Pro Cup this year, polishing off Billy Christianson and Rolling Hills in the Pro Cup Series in a stirring 7-game affair.

The runner-up in the RU Manager of the Year poll was Ranford's Bert Skippman... the Bulls finished a dismal 7th in 2063 with a 68-86 record, 28 games behind in the pennant chase... lo and behold, Skippman worked his magic and Ranford rose up to third place, just 2 games back of RU North champion Valmara Vipers... Skippman never played in the IPA... he played college baseball and then went on to become one of the best collegiate coaches of all-time... Skippman joined the Bulls in 2059.

The third-highest votegetter in the Ruthlandian top manager poll was Don Ritchie of Valmara... this season Ritchie guided the Vipers to their 5th flag in his 8 seasons at the helm... this year his club improved from 6th place in the '63 season, 22 games out in the pennant race to the top spot in the standings, going from 74-80 to 85-69... Ritchie had a solid 16-year career in Valmara in the outfield, batting .289 in over 2000 games... he was a 3-time All-Star and retired in 2056... during his tenure the Vipers won 8 pennants and 3 Pro Cups... Ritchie boasts outstanding IPA credentials.

[Eugene Church]

And so we close another page in the history of the IPA... 2064 is riding off into the sunset.
Coming up just over the horizon is Year 2065.

I got a lot of work to do... the rookie class in 2064 was the weakest in years... I'm gonna have to make sure the league gets some good new talent... this past season in order to make the offseason work easier, I allowed the AI to created the new players in a random fashion... in the past I created only average players mixed in with a few good players... and very few stars players... no bench players or worse were created.

I'll have to go back to the old way to created rookies, but it is more work for me.

I also need to create the latest All-Decade Team for the 2050s.

[Eugene Church]

A huge thanks to all of your regulars.
I really appreciate all of you.
It's not me that keep the IPA going after all these years.

IT'S ALL OF YOU!

To hurriedly fill you in on the great players of the Islandian Pro Alliance, I thought you might like to see some old posts from previous years.
Hope you enjoy it.

[Eugene Church]

Yesteryear in the Islandian Pro Alliance

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Yesteryear in the Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, October 18, 2054


Attachment 708061

[Eugene Church]

Yesteryear in the Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, October 18, 2054

[Eugene Church]

Yesteryear in the Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, October 18, 2054

[Eugene Church]

Yesteryear in the Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, October 18, 2054

[Eugene Church]

Yesteryear in the Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, October 18, 2054

[Eugene Church]

Yesteryear in the Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, October 18, 2054

[care4ameatball]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Yesteryear in the Islandian Pro Alliance
Sunday, October 18, 2054

Attachment 709440
Attachment 709441

Jet Kazmarek was some ball player huh. Those are once in a lifetime type stats he put up.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by care4ameatball

Jet Kazmarek was some ball player huh. Those are once in a lifetime type stats he put up.

Yep, Kazmarek was a darn good hitter, I guarantee.
He also made left field an interesting place... he made a routine fly ball quite an event to watch.

Kazmarek was an exciting player at the plate and in the field.