ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

7th Place: Ozarka Naturals (72-82) (22 GB)
Last Pennant: 2040
Pro Cups: None

The Naturals were one of the early powerhouses in the Islandian Pro Alliance... 13 playoff appearances in the first 21 years of the league... no Pro Cups, but they made the Pro Cup Finals on 5 occasions (2011, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2020)... how about that!... but what have the Nats done for me lately?... just 2 pennants in the last four decades... and those two were way, way back in 2030 and 2040... absolutely zilch since... only 6 winning years in 25 years... however, Ozarka still has a .514 won-loss percentage... taking a look at recent seasons: 5th place in '62 (14 GB)... 2nd place in '63 (4 GB)... 4th place in '64 (9 GB)... in this year's preseason poll Ozarka was picked to be a stout contender... and they did for the first half of the season... the Naturals were a close third, just one and a half games out of first place heading into August, but they went into rapid decline in the final two months (18-33) and wound up in 6th place, 22 games behind... the Nats have no offense... .243 BA, 561 runs... pretty good power with 130 homers... strong pitching with a 3.36 ERA... and average fielding (.978 FA)... a good boost of contact hitters, mixed in with a couple of sluggers would really do the trick for the Ozarka Naturals.

[Eugene Church]

8th Place: East Point Panthers (50-104) (44 GB)
Last Pennant: 2052
Pro Cups: None

East Point is one of the worst franchises in the IPA with a poor .457 won-lost percentage... 10 times the Panthers lost over 100 games in a season... no Pro Cups ever... and only 7 postseason playoff appearances... in recent times the Panthers have been pathetic... 5 times in the last 8 seasons they finished dead last in the Tycobbian East... this year was really bad with 104 losses... the Panthers can't hit (.235 BA), can't score (549 runs)... but they do have good home-run power with 179 dingers (yes, the ballpark is a homer heaven)... pitching is atrocious with a lofty 4.87 ERA... and to top it off, they are lousy with the gloves, too. (.975 FA)... and just what does East Point need?... you name it, the Panthers need it.

[Eugene Church]

Around the Tycobbian West Division

2065 Tycobbian West Final Standings



1st Place: Rolling Hills Racers (101-53)
Last Pennant: 2064
Pro Cups: 5 (2029, 2031, 2048, 2060, 2062)

Rolling Hills is one of the premier franchises in the Islandian Pro Alliance... the Racers (aka Reds) have won 5 Pro Cup trophies, more than any other team... 17 playoff appearances... and they rank 4th in overall IPA won-lost percentage (.535), topped only by Turon (.551), Tuckanarra (.546) and Sugar Valley (.536)... Rolling Hills is really on a remarkable roll with 6 straight Tycobbian West pennants... 3 times in the last 4 years they have won 100 or more games... each year the Racers handily won the league title, challenged just one time in 2064, when they outlasted La Claire by 4 games... they won by 9 games this season, 25 games in '63, 9 games in '62, 10 games in '61 and 8 games in '60... this season Rolling Hills was slow out of the starting gate... they were only 28-24 the first two months of the race... Bay St. Clair, Denton City, La Claire and Kenwood were all in front of the Racers in April and May, but lo and behold, Rolling Hills went on a terrific tirade and piled up a splendid 41-11 mark in June and July... 'nuff said, case closed, the Racers made a robust statement that they were ready, willing and able to add another Pro Cup to their vast collection... Kenwood finished second and trailed by 9 games at season's end... Denton City came in third and 14 games behind... the fourth spot went to Bay St. Clair, 25 games back in the race... and La Claire wound up in fifth place, 28 games off the pace.

Rolling Hills led the IPA in wins (101), batting average (.304) and runs (887)... the Racers can go deep, too (164 HR)... they have a good ERA (3.67)... but they struggle dearly on defense with a .972 FA... it is hard to speak against a team that has seven .300 hitters in their batting order... Rolling Hills should be a serious contender for their 6th Pro Cup trophy... if anyone can win the Pro Cup this year, you would think the Racers will be right at the top of a lengthy list of challengers... Rolling Hills came close to winning the IPA postseason crown last year... they are better this year because the pitching is better.

[Eugene Church]

2nd Place: Kenwood Wildcats (92-62) (9 GB)
Last Pennant: 2052
Pro Cups: 1 (2014)

It's tough to be in a division with the Rolling Hills Racers... just ask the 2065 Kenwood Wildcats, who had a rock solid season winning 92 games... they hit .289, scored 808 runs, hit 140 baseballs out of the park... even had decent pitching with a 3.94 ERA... and the Wildcats played good defense (.979 FA)... they even won the season series with the Racers (13-9)... however, they will sit home in the postseason... same thing happened to them in 2062, too... same old scenario... Kenwood was 93-61 that year and they lost the pennant to guess who?... yep, those dastardly Racers again... 2063 was a bad season for the Wildcats (76-78), fourth place (30 GB)... but they rebounded in 2064 with an 87-67 record, good for third place (8 GB)... historically, Kenwood has played .515 baseball in its 64 seasons in the IPA with 10 playoff appearances and one Pro Cup trophy... the Wildcats just need to take the rest of the Tycobbian West Division a little more seriously... head-to-head against Rolling Hills they fare very well, but they must let up against the other six clubs.... a little better pitching... a little better hitting... a few more homers... and low and behold, Kenwood would beat the Racers... maybe... maybe not.

[jg2977]

The team info screens that you're posting - are they included somewhere in the game or do you create them yourself? I like the part that has the team history with the last three seasons and playoff results.

Gotta love the names of the players on Kenwood's all-time team leaders - Corky DiNozzo, Country Crowder, Freddy Gooch. Those are classics!

[Eugene Church]

3rd Place: Denton City Redbirds (87-67) (14 GB)
Last Pennant: 2059
Pro Cups: None

The Redbirds have been a competitive club down through the years with a .514 won-lost record and 10 postseason appearances... DC has never won an IPA Pro Cup, but they made the Pro Cup Finals twice (2005, 2008)... after down years in '63 (37 GB) and '64 (24 GB), the Redbirds did well this season, winding up in the third spot in the Tycobbian West standings (87-67), but 14 games behind pennant-winning Rolling Hills... weak play in May and June really hurt their season (26-28)... they possess a good offense with a .273 BA, 749 runs scored and 171 homers... pitching (4.09 ERA) needs to be better to challenge Rolling Hills and Kenwood... and the poor defense needs a lot of improvement (.975 FA).

[Eugene Church]

4th Place: Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (76-78) (25 GB)
Last Pennant: 2050
Pro Cups: None

The Bucs are just a fair-to-middling franchise with a .495 won-lost record in 65 seasons in the Islandian Pro Alliance... team has never ever won a Pro Cup... and have never ever come close... Bay St. Clair has been quite bad in recent seasons... 8th place in '62, lost 105 games (53 GB)... 7th place in '63 (26 GB)... 6th place in '64 (26 GB)... SURPRISE!... SURPRISE!... '65 started off very, very well with the Buccaneers holding first place (31-20) in the Tycobbian West the first two months of the season... then they lost the magic touch and staggered back into mediocrity the rest of the year, ending up in the fourth spot (25 GB)... the Bucs' bats do the job with a .265 BA, 679 runs and 146 homers... the team pitching is second-rate with a 4.02 ERA... defense is average (.975 FA)... pitching is the key to success in the IPA, especially in the playoffs... Bay St. Clair needs help on the mound and lots of it to compete with the likes of Rolling Hills, Kenwood and Denton City.

[Eugene Church]

5th Place: La Claire Lynx (73-81) (28 GB)
Last Pennant: 2038
Pro Cups: None

La Claire has not enjoyed much success in the IPA in 65 years of existence... not nary a Pro Cup, y'all... that's southern for "none"... never come close to winning the whole IPA shebang... the Lynx sport one of the worst won-lost records in IPA history (.474)... but they have done pretty well in recent years... 3rd place (18 GB) in '62... 3rd place again in '63 (27 GB) and a rousing second place in '64 (4 GB)... can you believe it?... they came close to beating powerful Rolling Hills... however, La Claire relapsed this season, falling to 5th place (28 GB)... but the Lynx did very well in the early part of the season, posting a fine 31-20 mark in April and May and running neck-and-neck with Bay St. Clair, Denton City and Kenwood for the top spot in the Tycobbian West standings... but they could sustain the stunning success and they stumbled back into the pack with an awful 19-34 mark in June and July and fell out of pennant consideration... this year La Claire had a decent attack... they hit .265 with a fair amount of homers (135), but didn't score a lot of runs (602)... also lacked pitching (3.95 ERA)... the starters were especially poor (4.23 ERA)... bullpen was alright (3.40 ERA)... the Lynx had average defense (.977 FA)... La Claire needs help in a lot of places to get back up with the elites in the TU West.

[Eugene Church]

6th Place: Arlon Champions (64-90) (37 GB)
Last Pennant: 2058
Pro Cups: 1 (2051)

The Champs haven't done very well in their 65 seasons in the Islandian Pro Alliance with a subpar winning percentage (.494), just 1 Pro Cup and only 9 postseason playoff appearances... only one time in the last six seasons did Arlon have a winning year (2059)... the Champions were sixth in '62 (38 GB)... 8th in '63 (39 GB)... and 4th in '64 (17 GB)... this season they regressed to 6th place (37 GB)... the Arlon '65 attack was a little better-than-average with a .268 BA, 656 runs and 126 roundtrippers... pitching was poor with the starters carrying an uppity 4.31 ERA... however, the defense was good (.979 FA)... as you can see the Champions have quite a ways to go to be the TU West champions.

[Eugene Church]

7th Place: Bayview Vikings (63-91) (38 GB)
Last Pennant: 2016
Pro Cups: None

The Vikings have had a lackluster IPA history with an overall .486 winning percentage, only 6 postseason appearances and no Pro Cup trophies... 3 of the last 5 seasons have been winning ones... 4th place in '61 (17 GB)... 5th place in '62 (23 GB)... 2nd place in '63 (25 GB)... but they were 7th in '64 (26 GB) and 7th this season (38 GB)... the Viks have an average offense with a .261 BA, 643 runs and 127 home runs... but the starting rotation is bad (4.39 ERA) and the bullpen is dismal (4.63 ERA)... and defensively Bayview is just fair (.976 FA)... the future is not bright for the Bayview Vikings.

[Eugene Church]

8th Place: Chicopee Braves (60-94) (41 GB)
Last Pennant: 2036
Pro Cups: None

IPA baseball has been played in Chicopee for 64 years with very little success... won-lost percentage (.471)... which is not the worst in the IPA... East Point (.457), Arroyo Grande (.469), Fort Benton (.469), Ancona (.470) and Belle Plaine (.470) are all ranked lower than the Braves... only 3 playoff appearances and they all came in 2034, 2035, and 2036... Chicopee has never won a Pro Cup... never has come close to winning one... and it looks like it will never win one... but they are not alone in that dismal forecast... the current crop of Braves are fairly good at making contact with a .273 BA, average in scoring runs (631), but have no longball power (99 homers)... pitching is non-existent with a horrendous 4.99 ERA for starters... and the defense is the worst in the entire IPA with a .972 FA... in a word Chicopee's outlook is black, dark, depressing, dire, forlorn, glum, miserable, wretched, woeful and disheartening... yes, I know that is not just one word to describe the poor pathetic Braves, I just got carried away in the moment.

Such a shame... Chicopee has such a pretty logo and really nice jerseys... and a good nickname... a beautiful high school... nice, old-fashioned downtown area... wouldn't you like to live in a town like this?
I would love to move there, but as EC understands it, they have a thing called '"winter" every year in the real Chicopee in Massachusetts... with abominable things like "freezing cold weather" and "snow" and lots and lots of "ice"... and even blizzards... of course, as you know, Chicopee in Tycobbia is not like its Massachusetts' name sake... it is an idyllic and wonderful place to live... with a very mild winter and no snow... trust me... to my knowledge, it has never ever, ever snowed in Chicopee, Tycobbia.

It's also a very nice place to go and watch the home team lose with great regularity.

[Eugene Church]

Here is beautiful downtown Chicopee and the beautiful Chicopee High School.

[Eugene Church]

Can you believe it?... the Chicopee High School colors are Red and Yellow Gold... nicknamed the Pacers.

That's the same colors as the Chicopee Braves.

How about that!

[Eugene Church]

AND NOW, GET READY FOR SOME BASEBALL!

The Islandian Pro Cup Playoffs are coming soon.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

The team info screens that you're posting - are they included somewhere in the game or do you create them yourself? I like the part that has the team history with the last three seasons and playoff results.

Gotta love the names of the players on Kenwood's all-time team leaders - Corky DiNozzo, Country Crowder, Freddy Gooch. Those are classics!

The game allows you to set up the page and gives you various choices... go to the team home page... in the upper right hand corner, click on "Setup".

My setup uses 2 Rows (Horizonal)... and 3 Columns (Vertical).

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

The game allows you to set up the page and gives you various choices... go to the team home page... in the upper right hand corner, click on "Setup".

My setup uses 2 Rows (Horizonal)... and 3 Columns (Vertical).

jg2977, I only copied two of the columns when I did the Division Recaps... there is a third column on my team screen with Division Standings and Team Injuries.

See screenshot below.

Click on Image to Enlarge

[Eugene Church]

Friday, October 2, 2065

WIDE OPEN PRO CUP PLAYOFFS BEGIN TOMORROW
The 2065 IPA Pro Cup champion is anybody's guess... a case can be made for four or five teams in this year's postseason playoffs... the Claxton Diamonds are the defending Pro Cup champion and back, ready and able to win back-to-back IPA titles... Rolling Hills just barely lost out last year in the Finals and the Racers are back better than ever, seeking its 6th Pro Cup trophy... LaGrange and Southport have super pitching... and unheralded Colfax, Wynnamac, Tuckanarra and Hartsdale are hoping lightning will strike again this year and make it a dream season for them... Hartsdale was in this same position just two years ago and came away the IPA overall champion... Arlon and Ginza were lightly-regarded clubs that surprised and won it all in '58 and '59.

And it all begins tomorrow afternoon across the Islands... baseball bedlam... the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs... reigning titleholder Claxton will open on the road on the road in LaGrange in the Ruthlandian Union... Colfax will travel to Wynnamac... over in the Tycobbian Union it will be high-powered Rolling Hills hosting the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats and the Southport Sun Sox entertaining the Hartsdale Hellcats... all playoff series are best-of-seven series.

If this year's Pro Cup playoffs play out according to the baseball pundits and prognosticators, it will be a replay of last year's great Finals... Rolling Hills will prevail in the Tycobbian Union and again tangle with Claxton, the Ruthlandian Union representative... those two powerhouses met in the Pro Cup Finals last year and the Diamonds upset the Racers in a stunning seven-game series... most of the games were decided by one run... Claxton won the first three games... Rolling Hills surged back and won the next three games... only to succumb to the Diamonds in a stirring seventh-game finale... will it happen again?

Could be... the pollsters are picking Rolling Hills to triumph this year and whip Claxton in the Pro Cup Finals.

2065 Islandian Pro Cup Series Poll

1. ROLLING HILLS RACERS (101-53)
The Racers are led by 7 All-Star players with an awesome batting order... team hit .304 this year... top offense in the entire IPA... solid pitching... Rolling Hills has an Achilles heel... the Racers are weak defensively, which might make a difference in a hotly-contested series... the 6th Pro Cup trophy just might be sitting pretty on a shelf in the Racers' trophy room soon.

2. Claxton Diamonds (94-60)
The Diamonds have strong pitching, one of the best staffs in the IPA... offense is adequate... short on power, but can score runs... with excellent defense, too... Claxton won it last year... can do it again and rein in their second straight Pro Cup trophy..

3. Southport Sun Sox (96-58)
Sun Sox are very similar to Claxton... just a good, all-round club... excellent pitching... may be the best staff in the IPA... sound offense... solid group of hitters... not a lot of home-run power... plays good defense, too...Claxton did it this way... the Sun Sox are just as good... Pro Cup number 3 just might be headed down Southport's way.

4. LaGrange Gators (95-59)
The Gators are quite a lot like Claxton and Southport... can score runs... but no longball power... deep and talented pitching corps... plays average defense... the Gators could follow in the successful footsteps of the Claxton Diamonds and captured its first-ever IPA Pro Cup trophy..

5. Tuckanarra Tiger Cats (94-60)
The Tiger Cats will have to win it with home-run power and so-so pitching... that's tough to do... defense is just fair... batting order is chocked full of good bats... the Tucks will be seeking their 4th Pro Cup.

6. Colfax Black Sox (92-62)
The Black Sox went to the Pro Cup Finals in '63 with a solid core of hitters and almost won the Pro Cup trophy... very potent attack, but just fair pitching... better-than-average with the gloves... fhis would be their second Pro Cup trophy.

7. Wynnamac Sundowners (94-60)
The Macs can smack the ball... can score runs... has fairly good power... but just fair pitching... can play defense with the best of them... the Sundowners would like to add a 3rd Pro Cup to their collection.

8. Hartsdale Hellcats (87-67)
Can the Hellcats recreate the magic of '63 when they were picked the worst team in the Pro Cup playoffs, but won it anyway in a huge upset... while the lineup is filled with solid hitters, who can score runs and hit a few out of the park with some regularity, the pitching is just average and the defense is just average... Hellcats' fans, don't get your hopes up... don't think there is a second Pro Cup in your future this year.

[Eugene Church]

Yesterday in the IPA
Friday, October 24, 2064

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 3, 2065

BIG TIME POWERS FALL IN IPA FIRST-ROUND OPENERS
The top two favorites in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs took it on the chin in the opening games of first-round action... the LaGrange Gators rallied past the defending Pro Cup champion Claxton Diamonds in 10 innings 5-3 in the Ruthlandian Union... while this year's Pro Cup favorite, powerful Rolling Hills was shut down by the Tuckanarra Tiger Cats 3-1 in Tycobbian action... in the other two playoff series Colfax clubbed Wynnamac 9-2 and Southport won a close one 3-2 over the Hartsdale Hellcats.

2065 Ruthlandian Union Division Championship Series - Game 1 (best-of-seven series)

[Eugene Church]