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03-04-2023, 12:42 PM
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#9421 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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"Quips and Quotes from The Diamond Minds"
Do you think South Fork manager Jay Murphy had anything to do with his great pitching staff?... Murphy played 15 years with the Stallions from 2038 to 2053, had a career 250-185 record on the mound with a fine 3.25 ERA... he won two TU Golden Arms (2042, 2044) and was voted the Tycobbian Union MVP in 2044 when he was 27-8 with a 2.59 ERA... Murphy was even better in 2042 with a 25-7 mark and a league-leading 1.90 ERA, sparking South Fork to its second Pro Cup crown... Murphy has skippered the Stallions since 2058... he has won 5 pennants and one Pro Cup in his tenure... South Fork was the IPA Pro Cup champion in 2073. Murphy told reporters, "We certainly had a great series... La Claire is not as bad as they looked at the plate... our mojo was really working on them." La Claire manager Alain Cheval disagreed, "It wasn't mojo or magic... it was just marvelous pitching." |
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03-05-2023, 04:34 PM
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#9422 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 28, 2021 RU And TU Final 4 Start Tomorrow The IPA Pro Cup playoffs are now down to four teams with Sligo and Grand City tangling for the Ruthlandian crown and Ozarka and White River meeting to decide the Tycobbian title. Both Final 4 Series get underway tomorrow afternoon in Sligo and Ozarka. The winners will meet for the Islands championship. The Sligo Rovers and the Ozarka Naturals are heavily favored to take its respective league. Ozarka was seeded first when the Pro Cup playoffs began with Sligo ranked number two. Neither Grand City, nor White River were expected to get past the Elite 8 round. The Cybercats were the seventh seed and the Rascals were rated the eighth seed. Last year's IPA Pro Cup champion Crystal Lake did not make the playoffs this year as they wound up third in the division. Grand City won the pennant in that division this season. The Ozarka Naturals (106-48) had the best record in the IPA this season, while Sligo (100-54) had the second-best mark. Grand City (90-64) and White River (81-73) won the fewest number of games among the division winners. The Nats and Rovers appear to be big favorites in the Final 4 Series, but that is not the way it always plays out. Crystal Lake was only ranked sixth last season in the playoffs, but they surprised everyone and took the Pro Cup trophy anyway, topping Ozarka in the finals. Best Team Record: Ozarka (106-78) Best Team BA: Ozarka (.285) Most HR: White River (163) Most Runs: Ozarka (815) Best Team ERA: Sligo (2.90) Best Starters ERA: Sligo (2.86) Best Bullpen ERA: Sligo (3.33) Best Team Defense: Grand City and Ozarka (.976 FA) |
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03-05-2023, 04:37 PM
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#9423 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Wednesday, September 29, 2021 2021 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs - Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union Cybercats Rock Rovers 10-6 In Opener The heavily-favored Sligo Rovers erupted for 4 runs in the fourth inning at Silver Mountain Park and looked well on the way to a victory in game one of the Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Series, but it didn't end that way, Grand City exploded for 9 runs in the top of the fifth and went on to whip the Rovers 10-6... the Cybercats piled up 14 hits and were paced by pitcher Jimbo Stearns (.273) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs, RF Nick Baldini (.367) with 2 hits and 2 RBIs and 1B Steve Reese (.118) with 2 RBIs... SS Jimmy Swain (.522) also had 2 hits and scored twice, 3B Jug Slavin (.313) collected 2 hits, scored 2 runs and drove in one and LF Gene Bridges (.310) smacked 3 hits and scored a run... Stearns (3-1 3.00) chalked up the victory, but he was hit hard... Stearns worked 7 frames, allowed 7 hits and 6 runs... relievers Paul McBride and Ralph Teague finished up for him and blanked Sligo over the last two innings... This was Teague's 3rd save in the playoffs... Les Patterson (1-2 3.05) suffered the loss and was knocked out in the fourth after yielding 8 runs, but only one was earned... the Rovers showed some offense with 4 homers, 2 by C Sherman Albert (.250) and one each by 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.345) and SS Vic Carlin (.407)... Carlin led the Rovers with 3 hits. Tycobbian Union Rascals Rip Nats 7-3 In Game 1 It was the day of the underdogs in the Pro Cup playoffs... playing out-of-town White River got the best of mighty Ozarka 7-3 at Ellie Ewing Stadium and got one leg up in the best-of-seven Tycobbian Union Final 4... the Rascals ripped 10 hits and a pair of roundtrippers and were sparked by 1B Marty Blake (.360) with a homer, a double and 3 RBIs and by SS Kenny Young (.250) with a homer, a single, 2 runs and an RBI... 3B Ken Mathers (.333) also chipped in with 2 runs batted in... Ron Hendrix (3-0 2.42) continued on a great postseason roll with his 3rd win... Hendrix held powerful Ozarka to 3 runs on 9 hits, fanned 4 and walked 3... Nats super ace Benny Osterman (1-2 5.11) was pounded hard for 7 runs and 10 hits before calling it a day in the ninth... Osterman managed to keep it close until the Rascals expanded the lead from 5-3 to 7-3 in the top of the ninth... Nats SS James Couch (.375) laced 3 hits in defeat and RF Ken Mayberry (.375) and CF Ryoma Nakayama (.346) added 2 hits apiece. |
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03-06-2023, 10:12 PM
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#9424 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Thursday, September 30, 2021 2021 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs - Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union GC Grabs Game 2, Edges Sligo 7-6 in 11 Same song, verse two... for the second day in a row, Sligo jumped off to a 4-0 lead after 3 innings, but then Grand City busted loose with a 5-run fourth en route to a 7-6 eleven-inning triumph over the Rovers... the extra-inning win gave the surprising Cybercats a 2-0 lead in the RU Final 4... CF Lee Barrett (.333) was again the hero for Grand City when he boomed a double to drive in the winning run... Barrett has 12 RBIs in postseason play... earlier in the game Barrett hit his 5th playoff homer in the fourth inning... RF Nick Baldini (.371) and C Woodrow Mason (.324) also had solo homers... Sligo 3B Manny Alou (.273) led his team with a home run and 3 RBIs... it was Alou's 3rd playoff blast... LF Biff Blauer (.200) also hit one out, had 3 hits, drove in 2 and scored 2... Ralph Teague (1-0 0.00) got credit for the win, although he failed to protect a 6-5 lead in the ninth... Teague worked 2 inning and gave up one unearned run... Paul McBride got his first playoff save this year with a scoreless eleventh... Rover closer Lenny Ciaccio (1-1 3.00) caught the loss... he came on in the 10th inning. Tycobbian Union WR Topples Ozarka Again 8-6 Not much is going according to form in this year's Final 4s... White River was not expected to pose much of a threat to Pro Cup favorite Ozarka in the TU Final 4, however the aroused Rascals have bolted to a 2-0 lead in the first two games of the series... White River's pitcher Joe Hudson (.333) had a day he will never forget... Hudson had 3 hits and 5 RBIs, including a bases-clearing game-winning double in the sixth that snapped a 5-5 tie... Hudson also picked up the win, going a rocky 8 and two-thirds innings, allowing 6 runs on 12 hits... Arnie Montel claimed his 4th save of the postseason when he came in to get the final out of the game after Hudson struggled in the ninth... 1B Marty Blake (.367) of the Rascals had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs with a double... top bats for the Nats were 3B Andre Dumas (.225), who got his 4th homer in the postseason and drove in runs 11 and 12... RF Ken Mayberry (.405) rapped 3 hits, scored twice and drove in a run... 1B Benny Rousseau (.270) batted in a pair of runs with 2 hits... Ozarka had the edge in hits with 12... White River cracked 11... reliever Wayne Gates (1-1 3.38) suffered the loss... he was victimized by the sixth-inning uprising... Gates permitted 3 runs and 4 hits in 4 innings with 4 Ks. |
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03-06-2023, 10:15 PM
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#9425 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Friday, October 1, 2021 2021 IPA Pro Cup Playoffs - Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union Sligo Wins Must Game 8-7 Over GC The heavily-favored Sligo Rovers needed a win on the road in the worst way and got it 8-7 over the Grand City Cybercats at Syntergy Park... it was a "must" win... another loss and the Rovers would have fallen behind 3-0 in the Ruthlandian Union Final 4... the pitchers haven't shown up in the series so far, but the bats are boomin'... Sligo ripped 10 hits with 7 of them being for extra bases to run up an 8-5 lead after 7 innings, led by LF Biff Blauer (.231) with 2 hits and 4 RBIs, including a 2-run homer... RF Clell Renshaw (.289) also hit a 2-run clout and scored 3 times... the Cybercats socked 13 hits and were paced by C Woodrow Mason (.342) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs, including a 2-run shot... 19-year-old rookie LF Gene Bridges (.308) collected 3 hits for the losers... Grand City almost sent the game into extra innings... they had the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, but closer Lenny Ciaccio struck out the last batter to end the game... reliever Joey Kasat (1-0 0.00) got the win with a scoreless 2-inning stint in the fifth and sixth... Cybercat starter Brent Sturgis (0-3 8.59) was battered again and took the loss... Sligo slammed him for 6 runs in 3+ innings... Sturgis left trailing 6-2. Tycobbian Union Roberts Gets Nats Back In Series, Beats WR 4-2 Game three was also a very crucial game in the Tycobbian Final 4... favored Ozarka snapped a 2-game losing streak and finally won one, beating White River 4-2 behind a fine performance by Eddie Roberts (2-1 2.63) at White River Stadium... the 32-year-old right-hander stiffed the Rascals on 2 runs and went the distance, permitting 9 hits, walking 3 and fanning 2... LF Matt Harvey (.214) unloaded a 2-run salvo in the fourth inning and put the Naturals up 3-2 and that was good enough for Roberts... Del Brewer (1-1 2.50) worked a nice game, surrendering 9 hits and 4 runs... Brewer pitched a complete game, too... LF Amos Dunston (.226) and SS Kenny Young (.265) accounted for both Rascal runs with solo homers. |
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03-06-2023, 10:18 PM
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#9426 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
The Islandian Times Saturday, October 2, 2021 2021 IPA Final 4 Series Ruthlandian Union Sligo Evens Series, Odakota Stops Cybercats 4-1 After allowing 24 runs in the first three games of the RU Final 4, Sligo finally got a good outing... Ralph Odakota tamed Grand City 4-1 and evened the series at two games each... Odakota (1-1 4.84) went the distance, allowed 7 hits, struck out 6 and walked 3... Randy Andrews also went the route in defeat... Andrews (0-1 2.25) did a creditable job... he gave up 4 runs on 8 hits, 3 of them earned... the Rovers took the lead in the third frame on a 2-run single by 3B Manny Alou (.293)... they made it 4-0 in the top of the seventh, scoring on a passed ball and a sac fly by PH Augie Gehringer... Grand City got its only run in the bottom of the seventh when SS Jimmy Swain (.484) homered. Tycobbian Union Ozarka Zaps WR 6-3, Ties Series At 2-2 The Ozarka Naturals cooled off the red-hot White River Rascals for the second day in a row and tied the TU Final 4 at two games apiece... They got a quality start from Yuka Nawajuk (2-0 2.65), who crafted a 6-3 triumph, checking the Rascals on 7 hits and 3 runs over his 8 innings... Nawajuk, a 37-year-old righty, fanned 5 and walked 3... closer Josh Carpenter (3.00) notched the save, his first of this postseason... the Nats bats put it on Rascal starter Ron Hendrix (3-1 3.48) and sent him down to his first playoff loss this year... they tagged him hard for 6 runs and 8 hits in 5 innings... Hendrix left behind 6-2 when he went to the showers... Ozarka slapped 11 hits and were paced by four players with two hits apiece: RF Ken Mayberry (.391), 3B Andre Dumas (.265), LF Jose Ordonez (.250) and C Frank Kiffin (.345)... CF Ryoma Nakayama (.324) led them with 2 RBIs... the Naturals busted up a 2-1 game in the fourth with 4 runs... 1B Marty Blake (.368), RF Hal Littleton (.310) and C Tom Hewlett each drove in a run for the Rascals... Blake had the game's only homer, his 3rd of the postseason. |
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03-07-2023, 03:00 PM
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#9427 | |
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Minors (Single A)
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 66
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Quote:
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03-07-2023, 09:22 PM
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#9428 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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Quote:
Like a lot of people, I pull for the underdogs... Fort Benton is playing Kilkenny much tougher than I thought.... the Cats are the #2 pick, while the Defenders rated the least likely to win the Pro Cup... they were #8 in the Pro Cup Poll. |
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03-07-2023, 10:22 PM
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#9429 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life Is Filled With Glee In '23 Yep, uh huh, and yes indeed, EC has a great life in '23... I spent 2 hours today at a Nursing Home playing songs that the residents know and love... I play all the rock, pop and country songs from their teen years and college years and hopefully from their later years, too... I have a fine stereo sound system... over 7,000 songs in pristine condition... we spend the time singing, clapping and dancing... yes, they dance at nursing homes even though they are in wheelchairs and are not very mobile... we dance with our hands... some of the them move their feet, too... yep, some of them ladies shake their booties, too... I take their hands and we move and groove to the music... it puts a big smile on their faces and keeps me in shape... going to nursing homes is a very precious gift from God... if you can sing, dance, play an instrument, give it a try... it really is a special feeling to make these wonderful folks a little happier for a little while... and I get to go to another one tomorrow... I play music 6 times a month. I'm also reading and enjoying Joe Posnanski's excellent baseball book "The Baseball 100" and learning about the baseball all-time greats... their greatness and their flaws... Posnanski tells it like it is... sometimes the "greats" are not so "great"... EC is finding out that many dads raised their little boys to be baseball players... Mutt Mantle was not the only dad to have his son raised to be a major leaguer... Bill Feller did it... he even built a "Field of Dreams" in his cornfield in Van Meter, Iowa for the "Heater from Van Meter" Bob Feller... Larry Jones wanted his son Chipper to be the next Mickey Mantle. "Quips and Quotes from The Diamond Minds" (taken from Joe Posnanski's "The Baseball 100") "My favorite Chipper Jones stat is this one: He is the only switch hitter in baseball history with a .300 BA from both sides of the plate. Chipper hit .303 as a lefty and .304 as a righty. Mickey Mantle hit .330 from his natural right side, but .281 as a lefty. Frankie Frisch hit .326 from the left side, but .292 as a righty. (The following groups only hit over .300 from one side, but not both sides of the plate) Bernie Williams, Victor Martinez, Jose Vidro and Dave Hollins were .300 hitters from the right side of the plate Roberto Alomar, Pete Rose and Lance Berkman were .300 hitters from the left side." Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-07-2023 at 10:23 PM. |
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03-08-2023, 09:42 AM
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#9430 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 24,148
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Quote:
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03-08-2023, 11:15 AM
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#9431 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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Quote:
I think the power rankings are just for that week... I don't see the benefit of the power rankings.... they vary week-to-week to much... LaClaire #3 this week... last week 20th... nope, that doesn't help me make my predictions. I look for balance on a team... good BA, good scoring, good starters, good relievers... home-run power is important, too... because you can score a lot of runs this way... good pitching and good home-run power are a key for me... I take fielding average into consideration when it is excellent or poor. Not sure how good my predictions are... I need to look back in recent years and see. Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-08-2023 at 11:54 AM. |
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03-08-2023, 11:43 AM
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#9432 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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jg2977, here is a look at the Pro Cup predictions in recent years.
EC did not do too well... but I did nail it in 2076. 2073 1. White River 2. Turon 3. Eastshore 4 Valka #6 South Fork beat #4 Valka in the Pro Cup Finals 2074 1. Oxford 2. Chicopee 3. Eastshore 4. Crystal Lake #4 Crystal Lake beat #7 Summerland in Pro Cup Finals 2075 1. Turon 2. Sligo 3. Ranford 4. Rolling Hills #4 Rolling Hills topped #2 Sligo in the Pro Cup Finals 2076 1. Wynnamac 2. San Alejo 3. Tuckanarra 4. Rolling Hills #1 Wynnamac defeated #2 San Alejo in the Pro Cup Finals Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-08-2023 at 11:44 AM. |
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03-08-2023, 11:53 AM
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#9433 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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2077 IPA Pro Cup Poll
1. Turon... whipped Hartsdale 4-1 in first round 2. Kilkenny... trails Fort Benton 3-2 3. Valka... behind Elnora 3-2 4. La Claire... swept 4-0 by South Fork in first round 5. South Fork... beat La Claire 4-0 in sweep in first round 6. Elnora... leads Valka 3-2 7. Hartsdale... lost to Turon 4-1 in first round 8. Fort Benton... ahead of Kilkenny 3-2 |
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03-08-2023, 11:54 AM
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#9434 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 24,148
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Quote:
In my IPA South Fork had by far the best record the past two seasons, so naturally I ranked them #1, but they lost in the first round. They have the best player, but I don't think that always translates to playoff success. He struggled this past year in the postseason, so the Stallions didn't really have a chance. If he had hit, his team may have won. Actually, the one year that I used your San Francisco 49ers' style uniforms, in my 1910 season, South Fork won the Pro Cup. They also had the two best players in the league that season. So when one struggled the other picked up the slack. The past two years I switched their uniforms to the specialized ones that Low made for me, and they suffered upsets each year. As far as South Fork is concerned, EC's graphics have some magic! Maybe for next season I need to switch them back to yours and see what happens. Yes, you did nail 2076! Last edited by jg2977; 03-08-2023 at 11:56 AM. |
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03-08-2023, 11:58 AM
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#9435 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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Quote:
 Remember in my IPA there is no interleague play during the regular season... so a great record may mean you just play in a weak division... I have a special schedule for my IPA... it is not game generated. |
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03-08-2023, 08:47 PM
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#9436 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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Sunday, October 10, 2077 RU FIRST ROUND FEATURES 7TH GAMES IN BOTH SERIES Both series will go the distance in the Ruthlandian Union First Round play... Kilkenny and Valka survived "must wins" in game six and forced 7th games against Fort Benton and Elnora... the Cats and the Blackhawks are favored and have the homefield advantage... Kilkenny is attempting to come back from a 3-1 disadvantage, a feat rarely accomplished in the IPA postseason playoffs. Kilkenny copped a 3-2 thriller from Fort Benton yesterday afternoon at home, while Valka whitewashed Elnora 5-0 to force a 7th game. The finalists for the Tycobbian Union Title Series have already been decided... in first-round action Turon trimmed Hartsdale in 5 games and South Fork swept all 4 games from La Claire. Ruthlandian Union First Round Series - Game 6 IPA First Round Stars of the Day Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-08-2023 at 08:50 PM. |
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03-08-2023, 08:52 PM
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#9437 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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03-11-2023, 01:33 PM
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#9438 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life Is Filled With Glee In '23 Thought you might want to know that Stan "The Man" Musial is my all-time favorite baseball player... I fell in love with him, the St. Louis Cardinals and their broadcaster Harry Carey lying in bed at night listening to KMOX radio in St. Louis back in my teenage years... that's why Stan is my avatar here on the forum...Stan "The Man" was also known as the "Duke of Donora"... his hometown was Donora, Pennsylvania. "Quips and Quotes from The Diamond Minds" (taken from Joe Posnanski's "The Baseball 100") Here's a little bit of useless baseball trivia that most of us on the OOTP Forum loves... I doubt that any one of you knows this, so EC will enlighten you with something mystical. Stan "The Man" Musial and Ken Griffey, Junior are two of the greatest and most beloved left-handed batters in baseball history... they both were born on November 21 in Donora, Pennsylvania... yep, baseball has its mystical moments. Since EC was a DJ for 32 years, here is a song that says it all about my life in the 1950s listening to Harry Caray bring Stan "The Man" and my Cardinals "alive" on the radio Here's one from the 1980s for all you buckaroos and little darlin's, too... here's Lionel Cartwright and "I Watched It All On the Radio". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV5OFBPSQVU Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-11-2023 at 02:01 PM. |
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03-11-2023, 07:31 PM
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#9439 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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Monday, October 11, 2077 KILKENNY AND ELNORA ADVANCE TO RU TITLE SERIES, FORT BENTON AND VALKA FALL IN FIRST ROUND It just about the toughest road to travel to get to the Ruthlandian Union Title Series, but the Kilkenny Cats did it... they came back from a 3-1 deficit and broke the hearts of the Fort Benton Defenders in the Ruthlandian Union First Round... Elnora did have such a tough row to hoe as they topped the Valka Blackhawks in the RU Series... Kilkenny edged Fort Benton in game seven 3-2 to take that series four games to three... Elnora eliminated the Valka Blackhawks 8-3 and claimed that series four games to three... that set the stage for the Ruthlandian Union Title Series... Kilkenny and Elnora will continue their quests for the IPA Pro Cup Trophy... the winner will advance to the IPA Pro Cup Series against the champion of the Tycobbian Union... it will be Pro Cup favorite Turon taking on the South Fork Stallions in that series. The Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs are down to the final four teams... going into the playoffs Turon was rated the number one team with Kilkenny coming in second in The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll... South Fork was rated the fifth-best team and Elnora was number six. 2077 IPA First Round Series - Game 7 Ruthlandian Union Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-11-2023 at 07:44 PM. |
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03-11-2023, 07:45 PM
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#9440 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,911
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