ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by JackOnAMacYT

I think i’m declaring myself as a Oxford Red Caps fan. Although to be fair there pretty mediocre right now. We’ll see if they’ll be better in the future!

Thursday afternoon, I'll post the Oxford team history for you.

Thanks for following the IPA.

[Eugene Church]

Sorry, folks, still waiting to see if OOTP Development can fix my messed up playoffs in my IPA.

I will wait another week or so to see if they can fix it... appreciate them looking at it... if they can't fix it, then I will just play out the playoffs and see if the game will properly finish up and keep my league history straight.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, october 2, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Crushes Beechwood 8-2 In Game 1
The Crystal Lake Crushers don't think there are 3 teams in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs better than them... the fourth seed made a huge statement in game one of the Ruthlandian Final 4 with a rousing 8-2 shellacking of favored Beechwood, the second rated team... the Crushers blasted one of the best pitchers in the IPA for 7 runs and 11 hits in 5 innings... 28-game winner Ken Arby (2-2 2.51) went down hard today in one his worst outing of the year... Crystal Lake piled up 14 hits in all, breaking up a tight 2-1 contest with 5 runs in the sixth frame... Leading the way were 1B Josh George (.321), 2B Pete Hicks (.269) and LF Glenn Winters (.368), all with 3 hits apiece... George and RF Teddy Dietrich (.278) had 2 RBIs each... T. D. Burnham didn't pitch a pretty game, but he won... Burnham (3-0 2.00) walked 9, but only gave up 4 hits and 2 runs.

Tycobbian Union

Gaudet Tops Laclair 2-1 In Opener, Reds Edge Sox
In game one of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series at Midtown Base Ball Grounds, the Rolling Hills Reds continued to get great pitching and won for the fifth straight time in the postseason... they have yet to taste defeat this year in the Pro Cup playoffs... Errol Gaudet (3-0 1.38) had to be good today to beat the Southport Sun Sox with Al Laclair (1-2 3.21) on the hill... Gaudet edged Laclair 2-1, yielding only 6 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks... Laclair allowed 11 hits, but only 2 runs... homers accounted for all the runs in the game... Southport CF Rick Cabrini (.486) led off the game by going deep, but that was it for the Sun Sox... LF Pat Webb (.381) pounded a 2-run clout in the third frame that proved to be the game-winner... Webb led the Reds with 3-for-4 and Cabrini went 3-for-4 for the Sun Sox.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 3, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Bobcats Tie Series, Rally Past CL 5-3
Beechwood needed a win in game two of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series and got it... the Bobcats rallied for 4 runs in the fourth to overtake Crystal Lake 5-2 en route to a 5-3 victory... LF Miron Burczyk (.286) slugged a 2-run homer to highlight the rally... C Marty Bailey (.143) also went deep for the winners... Beechwood starter Maury Patterson (3-0 3.38) was good enough for the win, striking out 9 in 7 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits... relievers Ken DeGraw and Dennis Moody saved it for him with 2 scoreless frames... Duncan Welch (1-1 2.86) took the loss, hampered by poor defense... Welch allowed 5 runs, but only 2 of them were earned... Welch surrendered 4 hits in 6 innings... Crystal Lake was led at the plate by CF Herm Taylor (.367) with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in... 3B Carl Bentley (.375) had 2 doubles and an RBI.

Sun Sox Knot Series, Galus Stumps Reds In Game 2
The red-hot Rolling Hills Reds were cooled off today in game two of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series 4-1 by Ronnie Galus, who stumped them on 6 hits... the Reds had a 5-game postseason string busted by the right-hander... Galus was in command with 6 Ks and no walks... He outpitched Sal Jordan (0-1 0.53), who went the distance and deserved a better fate... only one of the 4 runs was earned... Jordan gave up 7 hits, walked 5 and fanned 6... in the top of the second, a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.000) and a triple by Jason Hinton (.208) put Southport on the scoreboard first... they added 3 more in the third on a sacrifice fly by 1B Kyle Ross (.233) and RBI singles by SS Scoop Adams (.121) and C Luis Alvarado (.135)... RF Bobby McConnell (.440) paced Rolling Hills with 2 hits and drove in its only score in the last of the third.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 4, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Clips Bobcats 5-1, Grabs Final 4 Lead
The Crystal Lake Crushers are playing the devil's advocate this season in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... after upsetting last year's champs Valmara in round one, they are at it again... the Crushers parlayed strong pitching and timely hitting into a 5-1 victory over favored Beechwood in game three of the Ruthlandian Final 4... that gave them a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series... winning pitcher Arnie Cason (1-0 1.42) blanked the Bobcats on 6 hits in the first 6 frames, while fanning 5 and walking 2... Cason left with a 5-0 lead... Herm Gladsbury and Keith Hunter saved it for Cason, striking out 5 over the final 3 frames... Hunter gave up a solo homer in the ninth to 1B Tommy Tate (.222)... 2B Pete Hicks (.294) paced the Crushers with 3 hits, including a solo home run... 1B Josh George (.306) had 2 hits, scored twice and drove in a run... and RF Teddy Dietrich (.231) drove in a pair of runs... Beechwood starter Roy Pitts (0-2 4.26) suffered the loss, allowing 5 runs and 8 hits in 6 innings.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Stun RH Reds 5-1, Take Series Lead
Maybe the Southport Sun Sox are hard of hearing... maybe they haven't heard how good the Rolling Hills Reds are... in game three of the Tycobbian Final 4 the Sun Sox stunned the Reds 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the series... Southport got great relief work from Mel Underwood and Jesse Martin after starter Dan Pascioni went out in the third inning with an arm injury... Pascioni permitted a run and 2 hits in 2 and two-thirds innings... Underwood stopped the Reds cold on 1 hit in his 5 and two-thirds innings... Underwood (1-0) notched the win, struck out 6 and walked just one... Martin blanked the Reds in the ninth... loser Kenny Leonard (1-1 0.66) was touched for 5 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings, but 4 errors cost him 4 unearned runs... Southport snapped a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the fourth on 2B Sam Cousins' (.250) triple and 3B Jason Hinton's (.214) single... the Sun Sox increased it to 5-1 in the fifth on SS Scoop Adams' (.139) sac fly and Cousins' RBI single... Cousins and CF Rick Cabrini (.465) topped the Southport bats with 2 hits each.

The Islandian Times
Tueday, october 5, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Burnham Brilliant, CL Nips Bobcats Arby 1-0
Ken Arby, who will probably win the RU Golden Arm Award this year, and T. D. Burnham, a 21-game winner, locked up in a spectacular pitching duel in game four of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series... Burnham was brilliant and beat Arby again... this time it was 1-0 and gave the upstart Crystal Lake Crushers a gigantic three games to one edge in the series over Beechwood... Burnham (4-0 1.54) tossed 8 shutout innings, limiting the Bobcats to 4 hits, striking out 8 and walking 6... Keith Hunter notched his second postseason save by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth... Arby (2-3 2.54) was great, too... he held the Crushers to 5 hits and blanked them for 7 innings... Crystal Lake got the game's only score when SS Jimmy Conroy (.267) singled in the bottom of the eighth and was driven in by LF Glenn Winters' (.310) game-winning triple.

Tycobbian Union

Reds Rip Sun Sox 7-1 in Game 4, Series Even
Rolling Hills ripped Southport on the road 7-1 to even the Tycobbian Final 4 at two games apiece... the Reds smashed 15 hits to back up Errol Gaudet's sharp pitching... Gaudet (4-0 1.29) went the route, fanned 2, walked one and permitted 7 hits and just one run... Rolling Hills jumped on losing pitcher Al Laclair (1-3 4.17) from the git-go, pouncing on him for 4 runs in the first inning and 5 runs and 10 hits in his 3 innings... 2B Jeff Booker (.379) led the Reds with a 3-run triple among his 2 hits, LF Pat Webb (.344) had 2 hits, including a homer, and scored twice... 1B Billy Christianson (.240) also had 2 hits and scored twice.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 6, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Whips Bobcats 8-6, Wins RU Final 4
The favorites are falling fast in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... for the second consecutive round Crystal Lake has handily disposed of higher-seeded opponents... the Crushers spanked second seed Beechwood 8-6 in game five and won the RU Final 4 Series four games to one to qualify for a shot at the grandest title of them all - the Pro Cup champion... the game started well for the Bobcats as they jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the first on CF Vic Valenti's 4th postseason clout, but it didn't last long... Crystal Lake torched starting pitcher Maury Patterson for 6 runs in the opening inning and raised it to 8-2 after 3 frames, then held off the Bobcats, who scored 3 runs in the last two innings... the Crushers belted 14 hits and were sparked by SS Jimmy Conroy (.294) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs and C Tommy Trent (.158) and 2B Pete Hicks (.256), who batted in two runs each... Beechwood rapped 11 hits and were led by Valenti (.233), 2B Stan Tipton (.191) and 3B Skipper Smith (.255) with 2 hits apiece.

Crystal Lake's starter Duncan Welch hit Miron Burczyk after Valenti's homer... Burczyk charged the mound, mild fisticuffs ensued and both were toss from the game... Roger Bishop came on in relief and held Beechwood to 2 runs and 5 hits over the next 7 innings, but he didn't get the victory... Ross Birchford (1-0 0.00) got the last out in the first after the fight and got credit for the win... Patterson (3-1 5.47) lost it, going just two-thirds of an inning and was tagged for 6 runs and 5 hits... Crystal Lake is bound now for the Pro Cup Finals... the Crushers will play the Tycobbian Final 4 winner... underdog Southport and the Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills are tied after four games.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Sneak By Reds 4-3 in Game 5, Up By One
It just might be the Year of the Underdog in IPA Pro Cup circles... the seventh-seed Southport Sun Sox staved off Pro Cup number one seed Rolling Hills numerous times in game five and sneaked away with a 4-3 triumph... the Reds had the advantage in hits 11 to 7, but couldn't produce in the clutch, leaving 12 runners on base and also hit into 4 double plays... now Southport is in command three games to two in the TU Final 4... one more victory and the Sun Sox will be in the Pro Cup Finals against another underdog - the Crystal Lake Crushers.

Ronnie Galus (3-0 1.44) wasn't great, but he was stingy with runs, allowing only 2 in 8 innings, though Galus was tagged for 9 hits... Galus fanned 6 and walked 3... closer Joel Shepard took over for him in the ninth with a 4-2 lead and gave up 1 run on 2 hits before getting the final 2 outs... the Sun Sox tallied single runs in the first, second and fifth off starter Sal Jordan... the Reds were held scoreless by Galus until the eighth when they narrowed it to 3-2... Southport upped the margin to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning... Jordan (0-2 1.08) pitched well in defeat, gave only 7 hits and 2 earned runs, while going the distance... LF Alton Queeg (.214) led Southport with 3 hits... SS Scoop Adams (.205) chipped a pair of hits for the winners... Reds RF Bobby McConnell (.410) garnered 3 hits to pace them with 2B Jeff Booker chipping in 2 hits.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 7, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Tycobbian Union

Southport Wins TU, Bumps Reds Off In 6 Games
Another IPA giant has fallen... the Pro Cup favored Rolling Hills Reds were upset by the seventh-seeded club, the Southport Sun Sox in the Tycobbian Union Final 4 Series... the Sun Sox won the series in six games, finishing off the Reds 3-0 on the road... little-used starter Bob Bundy (1-0 0.00) replaced the injured Dan Pascioni in game six and pitched superbly, shutting out the Reds on 6 hits in 8 innings, striking out 6 and walking one... closer Joel Shepard relieved Bondy in the ninth and finished off the Reds in spite of 2 hits... Bondy made only 11 starts during the year, finishing up just 3-5 with a sky-high 5.26 ERA... Pascioni suffered the injury in game three last Monday, but will likely be ready for the Pro Cup.

Kenny Leonard (1-2 1.59) tossed a good game, surrendering 3 runs and 6 hits in a complete-game outing... the Sun Sox got to him for a gift run in the first on four bases on balls... a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.176) forced in a run... the game stayed 1-0 until Southport added 2 more in the top of the ninth on 3B Jason Hinton's (.243) RBI double and a sacrifice fly by CF Rick Cabrini (.375).

This year's Pro Cup Finals will be a battle between two unheralded teams: the Tycobbian champ Southport was ranked seventh in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll and the Ruthlandian champ Crystal Lake was the number four seed... the best-of-seven series will begin this Sunday at Crystal Lake... the Crushers have the home field advantage... they were 83-71 during the regular season, while the Sun Sox were 81-74... this year's finalists have the second-worst records in Pro Cup history... only Volusia (78-72) and Ginza (81-69) in the 2001 Pro Cup have had poorer records.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life Is Nothing But Glee in '23
Yep, EC is really a fan of Bill Veeck... he is unique in baseball history... great promotions and a very good creator of competitive baseball teams... I just finished the book, which I thoroughly enjoyed... Bill did not sugar coat his life... he admitted his flops and failures in promotions and team management... I liked his honesty and his humor... also greatly admired his work ethic... his life was spent at the ballpark from early morn to late at night... Bill admitted his total commitment to baseball ruined his first marraige... he arrived at 6 am to check the ballfield and get the concessions going... then did his management work at the office taking care of ballclub business... welcomed the fans at the entrance gate and bid them good night at the exit gate after the game... 6 am to 12 midnight is a long day, especially for a one-legged guy.

Veeck's daily ritual: He watched the first six innings meandering through the stands... Veeck never watched games from his private suite, not even in the World Series... he was always with the fans... his office was also always open to anyone -- fans, sportswriters, players -- anyone who wanted to talk baseball, praise him or berate him... Bill Veeck never had a door to his office... the first thing he did when he took over a team was to take his office door down.

Bill Veeck made hundreds of speeches each year to civic and community groups promoting his ballclubs.

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

Excerpts from "Veeck As In Wreck" by Bill Veeck and Ed Linn:

"In Milwaukee, Cleveland and Chicago, I always wandered around the ballpark talking to the fans, because I have always felt that the only way to know what the people want is to ask them. Besides I enjoy talking baseball with people. I especially enjoy talking to people while I'm watching a ball game.

I stood at the main gate to greet the fans as they entered and I stood at the main exit gate to talk to them as they left. I did this win, lose or draw.

During the game, I oved around from section to section, sitting with group of fans for the first half of an inning and another group the second half. Fans always have good suggestions; some of my best ideas through the years have come from them."

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Saturday, october 2, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Crushes Beechwood 8-2 In Game 1
The Crystal Lake Crushers don't think there are 3 teams in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs better than them... the fourth seed made a huge statement in game one of the Ruthlandian Final 4 with a rousing 8-2 shellacking of favored Beechwood, the second-rated team... the Crushers blasted one of the best pitchers in the IPA for 7 runs and 11 hits in 5 innings... 28-game winner Ken Arby (2-2 2.51) went down hard today in one his worst outing of the year... Crystal Lake piled up 14 hits in all, breaking up a tight 2-1 contest with 5 runs in the sixth frame... Leading the way were 1B Josh George (.321), 2B Pete Hicks (.269) and LF Glenn Winters (.368), all with 3 hits apiece... George and RF Teddy Dietrich (.278) had 2 RBIs each... T. D. Burnham didn't pitch a pretty game, but he won... Burnham (3-0 2.00) walked 9, but only gave up 4 hits and 2 runs.

Tycobbian Union

Gaudet Tops Laclair 2-1 In Opener, Reds Edge Sox
In game one of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series at Midtown Base Ball Grounds, the Rolling Hills Reds continued to get great pitching and won for the fifth straight time in the postseason... they have yet to taste defeat this year in the Pro Cup playoffs... Errol Gaudet (3-0 1.38) had to be good today to beat the Southport Sun Sox with Al Laclair (1-2 3.21) on the hill... Gaudet edged Laclair 2-1, yielding only 6 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks... Laclair allowed 11 hits, but only 2 runs... homers accounted for all the runs in the game... Southport CF Rick Cabrini (.486) led off the game by going deep, but that was it for the Sun Sox... LF Pat Webb (.381) pounded a 2-run clout in the third frame that proved to be the game-winner... Webb led the Reds with 3-for-4 and Cabrini went 3-for-4 for the Sun Sox.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 3, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Bobcats Tie Series, Rally Past CL 5-3
Beechwood needed a win in game two of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series and got it... the Bobcats rallied for 4 runs in the fourth to overtake Crystal Lake 5-2 en route to a 5-3 victory... LF Miron Burczyk (.286) slugged a 2-run homer to highlight the rally... C Marty Bailey (.143) also went deep for the winners... Beechwood starter Maury Patterson (3-0 3.38) was good enough for the win, striking out 9 in 7 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits... relievers Ken DeGraw and Dennis Moody saved it for him with 2 scoreless frames... Duncan Welch (1-1 2.86) took the loss, hampered by poor defense... Welch allowed 5 runs, but only 2 of them were earned... Welch surrendered 4 hits in 6 innings... Crystal Lake was led at the plate by CF Herm Taylor (.367) with 2 hits and 2 runs batted in... 3B Carl Bentley (.375) had 2 doubles and an RBI.

Sun Sox Knot Series, Galus Stumps Reds In Game 2
The red-hot Rolling Hills Reds were cooled off today in game two of the Tycobbian Final 4 Series 4-1 by Ronnie Galus, who stumped them on 6 hits... the Reds had a 5-game postseason string busted by the right-hander... Galus was in command with 6 Ks and no walks... He outpitched Sal Jordan (0-1 0.53), who went the distance and deserved a better fate... only one of the 4 runs was earned... Jordan gave up 7 hits, walked 5 and fanned 6... in the top of the second, a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.000) and a triple by Jason Hinton (.208) put Southport on the scoreboard first... they added 3 more in the third on a sacrifice fly by 1B Kyle Ross (.233) and RBI singles by SS Scoop Adams (.121) and C Luis Alvarado (.135)... RF Bobby McConnell (.440) paced Rolling Hills with 2 hits and drove in its only score in the last of the third.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 4, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Clips Bobcats 5-1, Grabs Final 4 Lead
The Crystal Lake Crushers are playing the devil's advocate this season in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... after upsetting last year's champs Valmara in round one, they are at it again... the Crushers parlayed strong pitching and timely hitting into a 5-1 victory over favored Beechwood in game three of the Ruthlandian Final 4... that gave them a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series... winning pitcher Arnie Cason (1-0 1.42) blanked the Bobcats on 6 hits in the first 6 frames, while fanning 5 and walking 2... Cason left with a 5-0 lead... Herm Gladsbury and Keith Hunter saved it for Cason, striking out 5 over the final 3 frames... Hunter gave up a solo homer in the ninth to 1B Tommy Tate (.222)... 2B Pete Hicks (.294) paced the Crushers with 3 hits, including a solo home run... 1B Josh George (.306) had 2 hits, scored twice and drove in a run... and RF Teddy Dietrich (.231) drove in a pair of runs... Beechwood starter Roy Pitts (0-2 4.26) suffered the loss, allowing 5 runs and 8 hits in 6 innings.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Stun RH Reds 5-1, Take Series Lead
Maybe the Southport Sun Sox are hard of hearing... maybe they haven't heard how good the Rolling Hills Reds are... in game three of the Tycobbian Final 4 the Sun Sox stunned the Reds 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the series... Southport got great relief work from Mel Underwood and Jesse Martin after starter Dan Pascioni went out in the third inning with an arm injury... Pascioni permitted a run and 2 hits in 2 and two-thirds innings... Underwood stopped the Reds cold on 1 hit in his 5 and two-thirds innings... Underwood (1-0) notched the win, struck out 6 and walked just one... Martin blanked the Reds in the ninth... loser Kenny Leonard (1-1 0.66) was touched for 5 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings, but 4 errors cost him 4 unearned runs... Southport snapped a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the fourth on 2B Sam Cousins' (.250) triple and 3B Jason Hinton's (.214) single... the Sun Sox increased it to 5-1 in the fifth on SS Scoop Adams' (.139) sac fly and Cousins' RBI single... Cousins and CF Rick Cabrini (.465) topped the Southport bats with 2 hits each.

The Islandian Times
Tueday, october 5, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Burnham Brilliant, CL Nips Bobcats Arby 1-0
Ken Arby, who will probably win the RU Golden Arm Award this year, and T. D. Burnham, a 21-game winner, locked up in a spectacular pitching duel in game four of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series... Burnham was brilliant and beat Arby again... this time it was 1-0 and gave the upstart Crystal Lake Crushers a gigantic three games to one edge in the series over Beechwood... Burnham (4-0 1.54) tossed 8 shutout innings, limiting the Bobcats to 4 hits, striking out 8 and walking 6... Keith Hunter notched his second postseason save by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth... Arby (2-3 2.54) was great, too... he held the Crushers to 5 hits and blanked them for 7 innings... Crystal Lake got the game's only score when SS Jimmy Conroy (.267) singled in the bottom of the eighth and was driven in by LF Glenn Winters' (.310) game-winning triple.

Tycobbian Union

Reds Rip Sun Sox 7-1 in Game 4, Series Even
Rolling Hills ripped Southport on the road 7-1 to even the Tycobbian Final 4 at two games apiece... the Reds smashed 15 hits to back up Errol Gaudet's sharp pitching... Gaudet (4-0 1.29) went the route, fanned 2, walked one and permitted 7 hits and just one run... Rolling Hills jumped on losing pitcher Al Laclair (1-3 4.17) from the git-go, pouncing on him for 4 runs in the first inning and 5 runs and 10 hits in his 3 innings... 2B Jeff Booker (.379) led the Reds with a 3-run triple among his 2 hits, LF Pat Webb (.344) had 2 hits, including a homer, and scored twice... 1B Billy Christianson (.240) also had 2 hits and scored twice.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 6, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

CL Whips Bobcats 8-6, Wins RU Final 4
The favorites are falling fast in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... for the second consecutive round Crystal Lake has handily disposed of higher-seeded opponents... the Crushers spanked second seed Beechwood 8-6 in game five and won the RU Final 4 Series four games to one to qualify for a shot at the grandest title of them all - the Pro Cup champion... the game started well for the Bobcats as they jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the first on CF Vic Valenti's 4th postseason clout, but it didn't last long... Crystal Lake torched starting pitcher Maury Patterson for 6 runs in the opening inning and raised it to 8-2 after 3 frames, then held off the Bobcats, who scored 3 runs in the last two innings... the Crushers belted 14 hits and were sparked by SS Jimmy Conroy (.294) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs and C Tommy Trent (.158) and 2B Pete Hicks (.256), who batted in two runs each... Beechwood rapped 11 hits and were led by Valenti (.233), 2B Stan Tipton (.191) and 3B Skipper Smith (.255) with 2 hits apiece.

Crystal Lake's starter Duncan Welch hit Miron Burczyk after Valenti's homer... Burczyk charged the mound, mild fisticuffs ensued and both were toss from the game... Roger Bishop came on in relief and held Beechwood to 2 runs and 5 hits over the next 7 innings, but he didn't get the victory... Ross Birchford (1-0 0.00) got the last out in the first after the fight and got credit for the win... Patterson (3-1 5.47) lost it, going just two-thirds of an inning and was tagged for 6 runs and 5 hits... Crystal Lake is bound now for the Pro Cup Finals... the Crushers will play the Tycobbian Final 4 winner... underdog Southport and the Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills are tied after four games.

Tycobbian Union

Sun Sox Sneak By Reds 4-3 in Game 5, Up By One
It just might be the Year of the Underdog in IPA Pro Cup circles... the seventh-seed Southport Sun Sox staved off Pro Cup number-one seed Rolling Hills numerous times in game five and sneaked away with a 4-3 triumph... the Reds had the advantage in hits 11 to 7, but couldn't produce in the clutch, leaving 12 runners on base and also hit into 4 double plays... now Southport is in command three games to two in the TU Final 4... one more victory and the Sun Sox will be in the Pro Cup Finals against another underdog - the Crystal Lake Crushers.

Ronnie Galus (3-0 1.44) wasn't great, but he was stingy with runs, allowing only 2 in 8 innings, though Galus was tagged for 9 hits... Galus fanned 6 and walked 3... closer Joel Shepard took over for him in the ninth with a 4-2 lead and gave up 1 run on 2 hits before getting the final 2 outs... the Sun Sox tallied single runs in the first, second and fifth off starter Sal Jordan... the Reds were held scoreless by Galus until the eighth when they narrowed it to 3-2... Southport upped the margin to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning... Jordan (0-2 1.08) pitched well in defeat, gave up only 7 hits and 2 earned runs, while going the distance... LF Alton Queeg (.214) led Southport with 3 hits... SS Scoop Adams (.205) chipped a pair of hits for the winners... Reds RF Bobby McConnell (.410) garnered 3 hits to pace them with 2B Jeff Booker chipping in 2 hits.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 7, 2027

2027 IPA Final 4 Series

Tycobbian Union

Southport Wins TU, Bumps Reds Off In 6 Games
Another IPA giant has fallen... the Pro Cup favored Rolling Hills Reds were upset by the seventh-seeded club, the Southport Sun Sox in the Tycobbian Union Final 4 Series... the Sun Sox won the series in six games, finishing off the Reds 3-0 on the road... little-used starter Bob Bundy (1-0 0.00) replaced the injured Dan Pascioni in game six and pitched superbly, shutting out the Reds on 6 hits in 8 innings, striking out 6 and walking one... closer Joel Shepard relieved Bondy in the ninth and finished off the Reds in spite of 2 hits... Bondy made only 11 starts during the year, finishing up just 3-5 with a sky-high 5.26 ERA... Pascioni suffered the injury in game three last Monday, but will likely be ready for the Pro Cup.

Kenny Leonard (1-2 1.59) tossed a good game, surrendering 3 runs and 6 hits in a complete-game outing... the Sun Sox got to him for a gift run in the first on four bases on balls... a walk to LF Alton Queeg (.176) forced in a run... the game stayed 1-0 until Southport added 2 more in the top of the ninth on 3B Jason Hinton's (.243) RBI double and a sacrifice fly by CF Rick Cabrini (.375).

This year's Pro Cup Finals will be a battle between two unheralded teams: the Tycobbian champ Southport was ranked seventh in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll and the Ruthlandian champ Crystal Lake was the number four seed... the best-of-seven series will begin this Sunday at Crystal Lake... the Crushers have the home field advantage... they were 83-71 during the regular season, while the Sun Sox were 81-74... this year's finalists have the second-worst records in Pro Cup history... only Volusia (78-72) and Ginza (81-69) in the 2001 Pro Cup have had poorer records.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 10, 2027

2027 IPA Pro Cup Final Series

CL Crushers Pro Cup Choice
No one predicted a Crystal Lake-Southport Pro Cup this year, but lo and behold - they made it. 10 teams had better seasonal records than Crystal Lake and 20 were better than Southport. But here they are and overjoyed to be here. This will be the Crushers third appearance in the last seven seasons, but it was not much expected this year. Crystal Lake was rated the fourth-best team by the baseball experts in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll. The Crushers captured the Pro Cup trophy twice, in 2020 and 2022. Island baseball analysts are making Crystal Lake the favorite to bring home Pro Cup number three this year, citing its fine hitting and unexpected great pitching. The consensus is that Southport is just too weak at the plate to be much of a challenge. The two clubs will tangle in a best-of-seven series for the Islandian championship, starting this Sunday afternoon. T. D. Burnham, Duncan Welch and Arnie Cason will Crystal Lake's starters. Southport has indicated it will be Al Laclair, Ronnie Galus and Bob Bondy in it starting rotation. The Crushers will host games one and two, plus games six and seven, if necessary. The Sun Sox will be the home team in games three, four, and five, if needed.

Manager Herman "Baby" George's ball club rolled over two higher seeds, last year's Pro Cup winner Valmara (third seed) and Beechwood (second seed), finishing them off in 5 games each. George told reporters, "We don't apologize to anybody. We beat two very good teams to get here and it wasn't lucky. We beat their butts pretty good. You win 8 out of 10 against the best and that says something. And we'll have to play just as well to whip Southport. We certainly are not going to take them for granted."

This will be the first time ever the Southport Sun Sox have reach the Finals. It's been a long, long time since the Sun Sox even made the playoffs. Southport has appeared in the postseason only one time, way back in 2002 and they were quickly eliminated in the first round. To get to the Pro Cup Finals this year the Sun Sox defeated the fifth-seeded White River Rascals in seven games in the first round, then pulled a huge upset over the the top-seeded Rolling Hills Reds in six games. Manager Charley Oscar said, "The team is excited... the town is excited... this has been an unbelievable season... when you beat a team as talented and as good as Rolling Hills, you deserve to be here. We brought our bats and gloves and intend to give it our all and see what happens. When you reach this far in the Pro Cup playoffs, there ain't no weak teams. We feel good about our chances."

At a glance it will Southport's fine pitching (3.17 ERA) trying to hold off Crystal Lake's hitting (.266 BA). Neither team hits for much power, but the Crushers are better offensively, ranking 4th in scoring runs during the regular season. The Sun Sox were 23rd in scoring. CF Herm Taylor (.343/2/58/101), 1B Josh George (.284/25/97/95) and 3B Carl Bentley (.269/10/91/74) top the Crushers, while RF Lorne Evans (.296/42/105/101) and CF Rick Cabrini (.320/9/57/89) are the big sticks for the Sun Sox... Evans led the IPA with 42 homers this year.

Crystal Lake has been prolific at the plate in the playoffs with a terrific .285 team BA, paced by SS Jimmy Conroy with 8 RBIs and a .294 mark, CF Herm Taylor with a .357 BA and 7 runs scored, 1B Josh George with 6 RBIs, 7 runs and a .286 BA, LF Glenn Winters with a .333 BA, 5 RBIs and 5 runs and 3B Carl Bentley with a .326 BA, 3 RBI and 7 runs. The Sun Sox have been pathetic with a .214 BA. Only CF Rick Cabrini has been effective with a .375 batting average, 6 runs batted in and 5 runs scored. 2B Sam Cousins has 7 RBIs and scored 7 runs, while batting just .200. Southport has the edge in homers, 4 to1 in the playoffs.

On the mound Southport stands out with starter Al Laclair and a great bullpen. Laclair racked up a 22-11 mark with a splendid 2.24 ERA... Not too impressive are the other starters. Ronnie Galus is number two in the rotation with a 7-11 regular season record and a 3.34 ERA. Don Pascioni was 15-16 with a 3.30 ERA and Bob Bondy was 3-5 with a 5.36 ERA. The Sun Sox relievers chalked up a fancy 2.31 ERA and ranked third in the TU. Closer Joel Shepard compiled a 10-5 record with 27 saves and a super 1.44 ERA.

In contrast Crystal Lake was 27th in its league with a lofty 3.89 ERA. T. D. Burnham was the team's ace with a 21-8 mark and a 3.00. Duncan Welch was number two with a 19-15 record and a 3.49 ERA. Arnie Cason will be the number three man. He was 13-7 this year with a 3.30 ERA. The Crushers bullpen was not very good, winding up with a 4.10 team ERA (28th).

However in the postseason for Southport, Galus has really been great with a 3-0 record and a strong 1.44 ERA and Bondy pitched a shutout in his only start. Laclair has struggled at 1-3 with a 4.17 ERA. The bullpen has stood out. Overall in the playoff the team has a 3.03 ERA. Crystal Lake has been outstanding in the playoffs, far better than in the regular campaign. The Crushers have marked up a fantastic 2.09 team ERA, sparked by T. D. Burnham with a 4-0 record and a 1.54 ERA, Arnie Cason is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA and Duncan Welch is 1-1 and 3.57 ERA. Closer Keith Hunter has saved 3 games and posted an impressive 1.08 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 10, 2027

2027 IPA Pro Cup Final Series

Southport Shocks Crystal Lake 13-2 In Game One
No one would have thought it... the weak-hitting Southport Sun Sox shocked everybody in the Islands with a 13-2 demolition of favored Crystal Lake in game one of the 2027 IPA Pro Cup Finals... the Sun Sox beat the Crushers at their own game by pounding them for 16 hits... Southport also got a strong performance from Al Laclair, too... Laclair has struggled in the postseason after winning 22 games in the regular season... but this time around, Laclair (2-3 3.74) was at the top of his game... he hurled a complete game, held Crystal Lake to 2 runs and 7 hits, while fanning 5 and walking 3.

1B Kyle Ross (.245) led the Sun Sox at the plate with 3 hits, 3 runs and 5 RBIs in the rout, cracking a 2-run homer and a double... CF Rick Cabrini (.417) added 4 hits and scored 4 times... plus LF Alton Queeg (.227), SS Scoop Adams (.226) and C Luis Alvarado (.161) drove in 2 runs each... Alvarado also homered for Southport... Crusher starter T. D. Burnham (4-1 2.58), previously unbeaten in 4 games, never had a chance... the Sun Sox shelled him for 8 runs and 7 hits in just 3-plus innings

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 11, 2027

2027 IPA Pro Cup Final Series

Whoops! Sun Sox Win Again In Game 2
A few days ago, many folks across Islandia were feeling sorry for Southport, giving them very little chance in the Pro Cup Finals against Crystal Lake... now that sympathy has turned to bewilderment, mixed with hope... the underdog Southport Sun Sox have shook the Islands by winning the first two games in the best-of-seven set... though outhit 13 to 9, the Sun Sox pulled off a 6-5 victory, rebounding from an early 3-0 deficit after 2 innings of play... Southport rallied for 4 runs in the top of the third... the Crushers tied it in the bottom of the inning at 4-4... then the Sun Sox went up to stay in the fifth with 2 runs on CF Barry Ruth's (.200) RBI groundout and 3B Alex Hodge's (.182) single.

Southport starter Ronnie Galus (4-0 1.64) went 7 innings for the win, although he allowed 11 hits and 5 runs, but only 2 of them earned... it took 4 pitchers to get the last 6 outs with the save going to Eddie Baron, who worked a perfect ninth... Crusher starter Duncan Welch (1-2 4.40) was a rare loser in the postseason... Welch staggered through 6 frames, yielding 6 runs on 8 hits for the loss... Welch is a career 16-4 in 24 playoff starts, 2 of the defeats were this year.

1B Sam Cousins (.200) and 2B Keith Ingram (.200) led the Sun Sox at the plate with 2 runs batted in apiece... C Tommy Trent (.222) led the Crushers with 4-4 and 2 runs scored and 2B Pete Hicks (.245) went 2-5 and drove in 3 runs.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 12, 2027

2027 IPA Pro Cup Final Series

Sun Sox Win 3rd In A Row, Bondy Blanks CL On 1 Hit
Bob Bondy will never forget this postseason... for the second successive crucial playoff game the 21-year-old Southport right-hander has fired a shutout... this time one-hitting Crystal Lake 1-0 in game three of the IPA Pro Cup Finals to put the Sun Sox in complete control of the series... Southport has won all three games thus far and needs just one more win to capture its first Pro Cup in its history... Only once in Pro Cup history has a team leading 3-0 lost the series... In 2009 Far Mountain fell to Turon after taking the first three games... Only twice in Pro Cup history has a team come from a 3-1 deficit to take the crown. That was in 2011 when the Far Mountain Redhawks rebounded against Ozarka Naturals and in 2014 when the Kenwood Wildcats came back and whipped the Belair Beach Sunbirds.

At Pleasure Beach Park in Southport, Bondy blanked Crystal Lake 1-0 on just one hit, a fifth-inning single by SS Jimmy Conroy... Bondy (2-0 0.00) chalked up 8 Ks and issued a couple of walks in going the distance... Crystal Lake's Arnie Cason (1-1 0.92) was sharp, too, allowing just one run and 5 hits with 5 strikeouts and 2 bases on balls in his 7 innings... an unearned run in the fifth did him in... a two-out single by CF Rick Cabrini (.426) plated SS Scoop Adams (.220) from third place with the only run in game.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life Is Nothing But Glee in '23
EC's life is good... yep, my life is very good... and still I let things bother me and spoil my life... everything is going so well... good health, good wife, playing music at nursing homes 8 times a month... back on the radio after 21 years of retirement and lovin' every minute of it... the radio station increased my show to 2 hours each Sunday... and can you believe it? My insurance company is going to give me a brand-new roof to replace my 23-year-old roof for my $3000 deductible... the new roof will cost $33,000... to make a long story short, the prime factor was that my shingles had been discontinued and were no longer available... you cannot mix old shingles with new shingles... that will ruin the integrity of the roof... the insurance company tried hard to wear my roofer out... over the last 10 months, he did everything they wanted to repair it... my roofer knew in the end it would get down to my discontinued shingles and we would get a new roof... he was right... yea, buddy, he was right.

Despite my wonderful life, I let little things bother me... like computer problems... this means I can't play my beloved OOTP... come on, EC, not playing your beloved OOTP for a few days ain't that big of a deal... neither is the size of the audience at the nursing homes... yep, sometimes vanity gets into my life... if you have 30 people, be thankful... if you only have 8, also be thankful... as Charlie Daniels always said, "Never Look At the Empty Seats" -- just give it your best for the folks who show up... I'm trying real hard to be like Charlie.

I finished the book "Veeck as in Wreck", but still have a few items to share with you... Bill Veeck was a very special baseball man... one of a kind... he was an extraordinary promoter and and an excellent owner, who put together good, competitive teams that were well-supported by the fans... the last line in the book said it all.

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

Excerpts from "Veeck As In Wreck" by Bill Veeck and Ed Linn:

Bill Veeck died in 1986.
"And when he was gone, everybody realized what a void had been left.
At what Bill Veeck did, he wasn't only the first, and he wasn't only the best. He was only one."

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 13, 2027

2027 IPA Pro Cup Final Series

Sun Sox Sweep Crushers In Pro Cup
After a 25-year drought the Southport Sun Sox finally copped a Pro Cup and they did it in style, sweeping favored Crystal Lake in four games... Southport longtime ace Al Laclair nailed down the club's first ever IPA crown by crafting a 5-1 triumph over the Crushers, who got only one run and 6 hits off Laclair... Laclair (3-3 3.29) fanned 3 and had perfect control with no walks... T. D. Burnham (4-2 2.72) also went all the way in defeat, surrendering 5 runs - 3 earned - and 8 hits... Burnham also issued 10 bases on balls... Laclair got the best of Burnham again in the series... Laclair also beat him in game one 13-2.

The Sun Sox got single runs in the first and second frames... 1B Kyle Ross (.232) grounded into a bases-loaded double play to get run number one in... a passed ball by C Tommy Trent allowed the second run in... Crystal Lake cut the gap to 2-1 on back-to-back doubles by LF Glenn Winters (.283) and C Tommy Trent (.235)... Southport finished the Crushers off with singletons in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings on SS Scoop Adams' double, an error by pitcher Burnham and another two-bagger by Adams (.234).

There were no clear-cut stars on the Sun Sox... skipper Charley Oscar commented on the team's success, "Everybody did his part and it all meshed together at the right time. As far as a most valuable player award, I would have to split my vote up about up about 25 different ways."

Manager Baby George lamented the loss, "We didn't play as well as we thought we could... The Sun Sox hit a lot better that we thought they could and they even pitched better than we thought they could...they thoroughly whipped us."

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 14, 2027

Southport's Galus Pro Cup MVP
It was pretty clear that Ronnie Galus of the Pro Cup champ Southport Sun Sox was the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player this year. Galus got all of the first place votes in The Islandian Times poll announced today. Only one other player received any support. Southport center fielder Rick Cabrini garnered all of the second place votes in the balloting. No one else collected any votes. Galus was a perfect 4-0 in the playoffs in 5 starts with an exceptional 1.64 ERA. The 26-year-old right-hander had a disappointing regular season with a 7-11 mark and a 3.36 ERA, but came alive in the postseason and was the main reason the Sun Sox won their first Pro Cup in the club's 26-year history. Galus is a 7-year veteran, who until this year had been a reliever. He struggled as a starter early in the season was relegated back to relief at mid-season, but got a reprieve in August when the Sun Sox lost starter Wiley Wheeler for the season.

Cabrini played very well in the playoffs, too, with a .423 batting average, 4 doubles, a triple and a home run, while collecting 30 hits, 8 RBIs and scoring 10 runs. No one in Southport's starting line-up hit higher than .250 other than Cabrini. Cabrini had a fine regular season, hitting .320 with 195 hits and 9 roundtrippers in 143 games. Cabrini is only in his second season in the IPA and is just 20 years old.

[Eugene Church]

Sorry, folks... Lukas Berger is going to try to fix my playoff problem with season 2079... so far, I have not been able to send him the .dat files... he gave me detailed instructions on how to ship them to him... hope this works.

In the meantime, I will cover the playoffs for the 2028 season.

[G-Force]

I hope you are well Eugene! Been a while since I've been on the boards, but seeing you still carrying this on is great to see!

GH

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by G-Force

I hope you are well Eugene! Been a while since I've been on the boards, but seeing you still carrying this on is great to see!

GH

Appreciate you asking, G-Force... been on vacation for two weeks.

Will get back to posting soon.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC's Life is Nothin' But Glee in '23

Yeah, buddy, life is good for EC in 2023... a few months ago a roofer stopped by my house and told me he could get me a new roof from my insurance company... I told him it was 23 years old and they wouldn't do it... he said he had done it many times before and could do it for me... I told him all I would pay was my deductible and not one penny more.... long story short, I now have a new roof... my shingles have been discontinued... because of this the insurance company had to replace my entire roof... it seems you cannot partially rebuild a roof... it ruins the integrity of the roof... can you believe a new $33,000-roof for my $3,500 deductible... unbelievable.

EC has finished a really good book, "Wreck As In Veeck" by Bill Veeck and Ed Linn... did you know it was Bill Veeck who first put player names' on the back of the jersey?... his 1960 Chicago White Sox were the first... he did it for TV and also for the fans at the game.

I still have several other items to post from it... Veeck was a baseball visionary who was completely ignored by MLB owners and league commissioners... he was persona non grata because of his radical promotional ideas... but Bill Veeck had some great ideas for this place and time... back in the early 60s he was concerned by the long games and inaction in games...Veeck wanted to speed game up and get more action... here are some of his radical ideas.

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

Excerpts from "Veeck As In Wreck" by Bill Veeck and Ed Linn:

"The game has become too slow."
"For 20 minutes out of each hour, I discovered the action on the field consisted solely of the pitcher holding the ball and looking at the catcher, a tableau which if find singularly lacking in drama. I suspect that the ratio is even higher now because the pitchers seem to become increasingly timid every year. Of course, if I pitched like some of the pitchers I've had on my payrolls I'd be reluctant to let go of the ball, too."

(Note from EC)
Bill Veeck was going to schedule a MLB exhibition game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and his Chicago White Sox using a new set of rules he devised to speed up the game and increase action... in a 3-hour game the ball is active and in play only 5 minutes per game... Veeck's bad health prevented him for ever putting this exhibition game on... here are his changes to speed up the game and create more action.

"1. Three balls would constitute a base on balls and two strikes would be out. The four-ball, three-strike did not come down from Mt. Sinai. It only seems logical and right to us because we have become used to it. with the 3-2 count replaced by a 2-1 count, the balance would remain the same and a great deal of wasted time -- pure fat -- would be melted away.

(Note from EC)
The 3-2 count would force pitchers to throw more strikes and force batters to take fewer pitches and swing more often... there would be fewer intentional foul balls, too, as you would be out if you fouled the ball on the second strike.

"2. A limit would be placed on the time permitted for throwing the ball around the infield after a strikeout, or better still, the practice would be eliminated.

3. The pitcher wold be limited to one warm-up pitch at the start of every inning, instead of seven. One is ample. A pitcher who is worried about his arm stiffening up on a nippy day is perfectly entitled to war his jacket between innings. When I was working for the Cubs we developed a jacket with an electric heating device built into the sleeve. ( A fellow from Coyne Electric worked on it with me.) Other clubs have used it for years.

4. The intentional pass would be automatic instead of having the pitcher go through the tiresome ritual of throwing four pitchers."

[Eugene Church]

In the 1980s EC got a church softball league to use the 3-2 rule to speed up games... we had an hour and 5-minute time limit per game because we had to play 3 games each night.

It worked wonderfully... instead of playing 5 innings most of the time... we played 7 innings almost every game and even got to play 1 or 2 extra innings on occasion.

The 3-2 rule did not affect the outcome of the game... it just made the pitchers throw more strikes and the batters to swing earlier in the count... it created more action.

Major League baseball should seriously experiment with the 3-ball, 2-strike rule... It would make baseball a much better game and not change the outcome of game at all... we might get 2-hour games once again.

It would create more action and create a better game.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Thursday afternoon, I'll post the Oxford team history for you.

Thanks for following the IPA.

Sorry, I forgot to post Oxford's team history.

Here 'tis, JackOnAMacYT.