ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Oxford Red Caps Top Batters:
1B Joe Courtney (2002-2012) .324 BA/275 HR/919 RBI/912 R)
2B Nat Kenner (2066-Present, Age 35) .315 BA/86 HR/928 RBI/1041 R)
CF Ike Plunkett (2002-2016) .298 BA/344 HR/1124 RBI/1161 R)
1B Buddy Blackford (2057-2073) Hall of Fame 2075 .276 BA/740 HR/1971 RBI/1695 R)
LF Showboat Lynn (2058-2073) Hall of Fame 2077 .281 BA/576 HR/1592 RBI/1546 R)

Oxford Red Caps Top Pitchers:
Rico Alessi (2058-2077) 270-149 2.94 ERA
Rudy Mellancamp (2043-2057) 253-222 3.09 ERA
Maury Statler (2054-2069) 223-148 3.40 ERA
Lou Ellison (2044-2056) 214-178 3.84 ERA


Del Anderson (2002-2018) 205-184 3.90 ERA
Pat McFarlane (2057-2071) 190-121 2.90 ERA

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 1961
EC Could Use Some Fun in '61

One thing you can say about my life... I always had movies and music to enjoy... a New Orleans favorite, Ernie K-Doe, has the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 22, 1961 with "Mother-in-Law"... Ricky Nelson replaced him May 29 with "Traveling Man"... Roy Orbison topped Ricky June 5 with "Running Scared"... only to have Ricky come back on June 12 to retake the top spot again with "Traveling Man".

All you cats and frats, guys and gals, get ready for some great songs from the Summer of '61... let's swing and sway and rock and bop to the sounds of these great #1 songs:

"Mother-in-Law" - Ernie K-Doe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EN5eJf5h_k

"Traveling Man" - Ricky Nelson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUv2xzvxLT8

"Running Scared" - Roy Orbison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhTCYthHlis

[Eugene Church]

Sorry for not reporting on the Islandian Pro Alliance 2079 playoffs.

The AI didn't schedule the playoffs, so i did it manually, the AI doesn't seem to know that the schedule is there... there were no playoffs in the League Events.

Lukas Berger has said he will help me, but the holidays have taken all of my time... I will send him the league file folder and see if he can figure out the problems... but I am having a problem uploading the file folder to Google Drive so Lukas can download it and try to fix it.

He gracioulsy gave me detailed instructions on the whole process.
I tried to upload an unzipped file before Thanksgiving, but the file folder must be too large for Google Drive... I uploaded it for hours and it never finished.

Do I need to upload a zip file of the game folder to get it compressed enough to go on Google Drive?

I will try to do it soon.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2023
EC'S a Very Busy Bee in '23

Yeah, buddy, life is hectic... EC is too busy... got to slow down my pace and get back to my enjoyable, slow-paced existence... I haven't been able to read my baseball books for about a month... but I did finished a really good book "Veeck As In Wreck" by Bill Veeck... he is known for being a wacky promoter, rather than a very astute, capable and successful owner and general manager... Bill Veeck did a lot more than just send a midget named Eddie Guedel to the plate in one of his great and sometimes goofy promotions.

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

Here's a couple of interesting excerpts from it.

"American League president Will Harridge wanted to remove Eddie Guedel from all baseball records, as if it never happened, but I told him he couldn't do that. Guedel was signed to a legal contract and had been permitted to bat in an official game presided over by the league's own umpires. If Harridge removed Guedel's records, it would mean the continuity of baseball was no longer intact and the integrity of its records had been compromised."

Note: Veeck had a strong case legally. Harridge never removed Guedel's appearance from the baseball record book.

"Eddie Guedel crept back into and remains there today. When he died, he got a front page obituary in the New York Times, a recognition normally accorded only to statesmen, generals and Nobel Prize winners.

I did not recognize at the time that Guedel's moment was my moment, too. I knew it was a good gag. I knew it would delight the fans and outrage the stuffed shirts. I knew, in other words, that it would be a lot of fun. It never entered my mind, however, that would be the single act with which I would become permanently identified. Even today, I cannot talk to anybody from St. Louis without being told that they were there that day the midget camt to bat. If everybody was there who says he was, we would have had a tidy gathering of 280,000."

Note: Bill Veeck did more than just do promotions... He set attendance records, won pennants and finish dead last... for over a decade the New York Yankees domintate the American League... two of the three teams to beat the New York Yankees during that time belonged to Bill Veeck... he came into the league in 1946 with the Cleveland Indians... his '48 Indians and his '59 Chisox won the AL pennants... during those years the third team to whip the Yankees were the 1954 Cleveland Indians, which were made up for the most part of Veeck's old players, when he owned the team.

Bill Veeck also signed the second black player in the Major Leagues, Larry Doby... Veeck got Tris Speaker, the great center fielder, and Bill McKechnie, a fne coach and manager, to teach Doby how to play center field... Veeck played a big part in Doby developing into a great ballplayer and aiding in the integration of MLB... he signed the great Satchel Paige in his late 40s and he helped Cleveland win the pennant in 1948.

Bill Veeck was a decent person, too. He paid the Newark Eagles $10,000 for Doby's contract, when he legally didn't have to...Newark's female owner, Effa Manley, was really impressed that he paid for Doby, so she offered Veeck Newark's shortstop for $1000... Veeck wasn't interested in that shortstop, thinking he was too old... Veeck wrote in his book, "To show how smart I am, the shortstop was Monte Irvin"... Branch Rickey did not pay the team Jackie Robinson played for in the Negro League.

"But no one has to tell me that if I returned to baseball tomorrow, won ten straight pennants and left all the old attendance records moldering in the dust, I would still be remembered, in the end, as the man, who sent a midget up to bat."

[Eugene Church]

Lukas Berger gave me detailed instructions to post my IPA league folder so he can download it and look at it to see if he can fix my lack of playoffs.

Will keep you posted.

In the interim, I will cover playoffs from the early years of the IPA in the Yesterday in the IPA.

Do you guys like me posting the old playoffs?

Let me know if you like to read them.

Give me some feedback, please.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 20, 2028

IPA Elite 8 Starts Friday
It's playoff time! The best 8 teams have been decided in the divisional battles and now it's the survival of the fittest. Only one team will survive and they will be crowned the Islandian Pro Alliance champion. All of the playoff series will be best-of-seven.

Here are the match-ups in the Elite 8 Series:
Valmara Vipers (90-64) versus Waleska Westerners (92-62)
Sligo Rovers (87-67) versus Marston Nine (91-63)
La Claire Lynx (94-60) versus Tuckanarra Blue Jays (102-52)
Mahaska Haymakers (80-75) versus Southport Sun Sox (87-68)

Southport is the defending Pro Cup titleholder, but it just barely got back. The Sun Sox made an incredible stretch run to return as they trailed Ginza by 8 going into September. Southport whipped the Ninjas in a playoff game for the Tycobbian South pennant. However, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays are the Pro Cup favorites in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll. The Tucks won more games than anybody this season and finished with a 102-52 record. Southport was 87-68 and is seeded number two in the poll.

Team Rankings in The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll:
1. Tuckanarra Blue Jays (102-52)
2. Southport Sun Sox (87-68)
3. Waleska Westerners (92-62)
4. Marston Nine (91-63)
5. Sligo Rovers (87-67)
6. La Claire Lynx (94-60)
7. Valmara Vipers (90-64)
8. Mahaska Haymakers (80-75)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 21, 2028

Tuckanarra-Waleska Pro Cup Favorites
What does it take to win the Pro Cup? If hitting is all it takes to win the IPA Pro Cup, then pick the Waleska Westerners or the Mahaska Haymakers. If pitching will do it, the choice would be the Sligo Rovers. If it's a combination of the two, then it might be the Marston Nine or the La Claire Lynx. However, if you have the best hitting and the best pitching in the IPA, then you have it all and are the 2028 favorite to win it all in the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup playoffs. You are the powerful Tuckanarra Blue Jays. There are four former Pro Cup champions in this year's field of dreamers: Tuckanarra won in 2023 and 2024, Valmara in 2026, Sligo in 2021 and Southport won last year.

Carlton "Lefty" Stevens has quite a ballclub in Tuckanarra. The top-seeded Blue Jays led the IPA in just about everything this year, winning 102 games and losing just 52. They won their division by 15 games. Stevens has three fine starters, who all won 20 games: Quinn Starr (25-10/2.80), Jamie Gustafson (21-12/2.71) and Philip Marston (21-8/3.72). Tuckanarra also has a solid lineup of hitters, too, headed up by 1B Lynn Starr (.322/40/127/114), 2B Eddie Darby (.319/16/74/87), 3B Koora Nawajuk (.266/23/86/95) and CF Terry Jasper (.257/18/85/92). 14 current Blue Jays played on the Pro Cup champions of 2023 and 2024.

Last year's Pro Cup winner is back for a chance at repeating. The number-two seed Southport Sun Sox were 7 games under .500 the first two months of the season, but then they began to play like champs and won a postseason spot by defeating Ginza in a single-game playoff. Southport wound up 87-68 for the year. Skipper Charley Oscar has a slew of fine hitters, led by RF Lorne Evans, who was second in the IPA with 55 homers and the leader with 162 runs scored. In a super season Evans batted .335 with 120 RBIs. 1B Kyle Ross had quite a year, too, with 32 home runs, 122 RBIs, 91 runs and a .296 BA. Other good run producers were C Luis Alvarado (.308/18/89/73) and CF Rick Cabrini (.301/13/49/91). Last year's Pro Cup MVP Ronnie Galus (23-13/3.35) is the ace of the mound staff. Southport will need vet Al Laclair (19-14/4.98) and 21-year-old Bob Bondy (8-2/2.67) to stand out to win back-to-back IPA titles. The Sun Sox are strong in the bullpen with closer Joel Shepard (5-4/2.61/21 saves) and starter/long reliever Rob Ricks (7-2/3.30/4 saves). Southport will be missing 2B Sam Cousins (.329/9/56/54) and starting pitcher Don Pascioni (10-11/3.65) in the postseason. Cousins injured his elbow in late August and Pascioni went out with a shoulder problem in late July.

The third-seeded Waleska Westerners sport some heavy artillery, but manager McGraw Johnson will have to get improved pitching to win the Pro Cup. The Westerners posted a .280 BA (2nd), scored 879 runs (1st) and hit 189 roundtrippers (2nd). Johnson has two superstars in his lineup: all-time IPA great RF Roy Hobbs, who batted .359 this year with 36 homers, 142 RBIs and scored 125 runs. Not too shabby for a 35-year-old and 13-time All-Star. LF Loco Dillinger was even better with 56 home runs and 154 RBIs, both tops in the IPA. Dillinger scored 132 runs and hit .357. It didn't stop with those two, either. CF Wilson James (.299/11/64/119), 3B Yahto Sisika (.297/23/94/111) and SS Jose De Leon (.281/6/85/61) were valuable contributors as well. Waleska has only one standout on the hill - Wild Bill Butler (23-10/2.97). 20-year-old rookie Terry Richards (15-12/4.04) and 24-year-old Cliff Dyer (17-12/4/67) will have to step it up big time in the playoffs for Waleska to challenge for the championship.

The fourth-seeded Marston Nine has a well-rounded team with fine hitting and fine pitching. Manager Danny Church has a solid trio of starters in Denny Carravaggio (20-13/3.55), Ronald Schmitt (20-15/4.08) and Jack Tunstall (10-7/2.95). Veteran 37-year-old closer Bobby Daniels (5-3/2.82/17 saves) will handle the bullpen duties in a reliable fashion. The Nine can put runs on the scoreboard, too, with the likes of 1B Shelby Lansbury (.300/19/96/104), 2B Lonnie Trekell (.289/36/109/91) and future IPA Hall-of-Fame CF Russ Woodward (.277/23/86/95), who is still doing the job at age 34. Marston has three other .300 hitters: SS Doyle McCandlish (.310/0/40/87), 3B George Varsh (.303/8/47/62) and LF Carlton Curtis (.310/17/68/64).

Manager Eddie Keys has to depend on his talented pitchers for success in the playoffs. The fifth-seeded Sligo Rovers just don't hit very well except for CF Darryl Collins (.296/31/112/84), RF Teddy Brunet (.246/33/102/90) and LF Biff Blauer (.302/17/63/85). The Rovers starting trio of Earl Perkins (21-8/2.53), Les Patterson (16-16/2.88) and Lou Page (21-14/3.01) is outstanding and gets excellent relief help from Milt Flanagan (4-3/2.28/16 saves) and Glenn Pipton (5-3/2.22/4 saves).

The La Claire Lynx are seeded number six in the Pro Cup rankings. Manager Zeppy Deshotel has a well-balanced team with pretty fair pitching and hitting, plus longball power. The Lynx went deep 207 times this year and were powered by 12-time All-Star 3B Flash Devlin (.295/30/78/105), still a standout player at age 35, RF Kelly Chamberlain (.277/28/57/101), 1B Jess Swain (.283/19/80/88), 2B Norman Petitjohn (.279/25/80/63) and C Tom Krebs (.266/21/70/42). Help for ace Pat Kovacs (23-11/3.10) will be the key to the Lynx postseason success. Kovacs broke the IPA strikeout record this season with 391 Ks, but he can't do it alone. Alvar Vickers (21-13/4.41) and Ryan Brown (16-12/4.57) will have to be better than they were in the regular season.

The seventh-seeded Valmara Vipers still have a lot of players left over from the 2026 Pro Cup title run. Manager Jet Kazmarek just doesn't have the pitching like he did back then. But he still has some capable ballplayers. At the plate the Vipers are led by CF Teddy Szymanski (.309/31/116/97), LF Sonny Oliver (.292/21/86/91), C Floyd Randolph (.260/36/105/88) and 2B Alec Leclerc (.279/1/53/109). Carroll Cain (21-7/3.33) is a fine hurler, but will need some help from young Teddy Lem (19-14/4.42) and 35-year-old Pro Cup veteran Billy Ray (19-17/4.77) to advance far in the postseason. Kazmarek has a good relief corps, led by Ivan Guzek (7-2/3.70/22 saves) and Chris Phillips (5-1/2.71), who were both on the Pro Cup winners. Bullpen mates Clem Carmouche (7-6/5.22) and Pavel Volkov (11-16/4.55) were also on the 2026 team, but play lesser roles now.

No one is expecting much from the eighth-seeded Mahaska Haymakers, who have the poorest record of all the postseason clubs. The Haymakers only managed an 80-74 mark during the regular season, but they can wield the bats. RF Travis Tuttle won the TU batting title with a .366 batting average, hit 39 out of the park, drove in 132 runs and scored 113. Other solid hitters in Rusty Tanussa's batting order are longtime star C Bucky O'Brian (.307/21/87/70), 1B Paul Davies (.313/22/76/85), LF Johnny Yevteshenko (.297/23/79/77), 2B Todd Tarkovsky (.279/17/87/73) and CF Pasha Yablonski (.271/2/40/97). Mahaska's best pitchers are Arno Vainmaa (22-12/3.93) and Maxim Petrosian (17-14/3.86). Tanussa has very little in the way of pitching after them.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 9, 2028

2028 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Waleska Wins Pro Cup Opener, Beats Blue Jays 6-4
Game one of the Pro Cup Finals went to Waleska 6-4 on the road at Tuckanarra's Central Park Stadium... Roy Hobbs (.323) and Calico Clay (.381) delivered clutch RBI singles in the top of the ninth to snap a 4-4 deadlock... Wild Bill Butler (3-3/4.21) evened his postseason record with his third victory in a row... Butler went the distance, allowed 4 runs on 6 hits, but walked 7... Tuckanarra starter Quinn Starr (3-3/4.20) also went all the way, permitted 6 runs on 9 hits, also walked 7 and fanned 4 in defeat.

The Blue Jays drew first blood with a run in the third... C Trevor Dowd (.481) scored the first run when 1B Lynn Starr (.220) hit into a double play... in the fourth frame CF Terry Jasper's (.319) triple and RF Dunstan Lane's (.231) sacrifice fly made it 2-zip for the Tucks... the Westerners rallied for 4 runs in the 6th to take the lead 4-2 on RBI singles by Clay and SS Jose De Leon (.217)... Clay scored on an throwing error by 3B Koora Nawajuk... and 3B Yahto Sisika (.276) drove in the last 2 with a single... in the last of the eighth, Blue Jay Nawajuk (.354) redeemed himself whe he slammed his 4th roundtripper in the playoffs, a 2-run shot that tied it up at 4-4.

Sisika paced Waleska at the plate with 3-for-4 and a pair of RBIs... Clay and CF Dusty Rogan (.321) chipped in a pair of hits... Nawajuk and Dowd had 2 hits each for Tuckanarra.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 10, 2028

2028 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Richards Stops Blue Jays 5-1, Westerners Up 2-0
A slight underdog, Waleska again knocked off Pro Cup favorite Tuckanarra 5-1 in game two behind another fine performance by 20-year-old rookie right-hander Terry Richards (3-1/2.66), who stopped the Blue Jays on 1 run and 5 hits with 4 Ks and 5 walks... after going 15-12 with a 4.04 ERA in the regular season, Richards has won 3 games in the postseason so far.

The Westerners led throughout the game, taking a 1-0 lead in the first frame when CF Wilson James (.320) led off with a double, went to third on LF Loco Dillinger's (.397) single and was driven in by RF Roy Hobbs' (.313) sac fly... 3B Yahto Sisika (.279) made it 2-0 in the third with his 3rd homer of the playoffs... It stayed that way until Waleska got 3 unearned runs in the top of the ninth, running the score up to 5-0... Tuckanarra got its only run in the ninth on 2B Eddie Darby's (.339) base hit.

Jamie Gustafson (2-2/3.44) pitched well in defeat, giving up only 2 earned runs on 6 hits, while going the route... He fanned 5 and issued 3 bases on balls... Waleska has now beaten the Blue Jays best two starters and have an even chance to go up 3-0 in the Pro Cup Series, when the clubs' number three starters go at it in game three... Cliff Dyer gets the call for the Westerners and Sam Tate for the Blue Jays... Dyer was 17-12 with a high 4.67 ERA during the season, while Tate was 15-13 with a 3.71 ERA... in 4 starts in the playoffs, Dyer is 1-0 with a 4.82 ERA... Tate (0-0/1.42) will getting his first postseason start after 2 effective relief efforts... the series will now head over to Waleska for the next three games, if necessary.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 11, 2028

2028 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Blue Jays Bash Waleska 10-4, Trail 2-1 In Series
In game three of the IPA Pro Cup Finals at Westerner Field in Waleska, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays unleashed a 16-hit assault to bash Waleska 10-4 in a much-needed victory... they busted up a 3-3 tie with 3 runs in the 6th inning... the Tucks are right back in the series and now trail by two games to one.

SS Jed Turchin, RF Dunstan Lane and 1B Lynn Starr sparked the Blue Jays at the plate... Turchin (.413) had 4-5 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs, Lane (.303) went 2-4 with 3 RBIs and Starr (.220) was 2-4 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored... Starr had the game's only home run.

Winning pitcher Sam Tate (1-0/3.38) did a fair job on the hill... He tossed 7 innings, was tapped for 4 runs and 10 hits, but it was good enough... Gene O'Reilly (0-0/1.50) and Rob Howe (1-0/0.00) closed it out for Tate with a scoreless eighth and ninth... loser Cliff Dyer (1-1/5.77) had a dreadful game as the Tucks shelled him for 7 runs and 8 hits in 6-plus frames... when he left, Dyer was trailing 7-3... LF Loco Dillinger (.403) and RF Roy Hobbs (.324) led the Westerners with 2 hits and an RBI each.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2023
Yep, EC's Life Is Still Filled With Glee in '23

EC's having fun but I'm still on the run... playing music at Nursing Homes and doing a 2-hour weekly Southern Gospel music radio show... to slow things down and make my life a little less hectic, I decided to cut back to just 2 nursing homes and play them each 2 times a month... that means once a week I will play music... that cut my schedule in half... hate to admit it, age may be catching up with me... at 83 it is getting physically harder to load and unload my sound system... EC is no longer as young as he thinks he is... I have noticed the change in the last few months... keep in mind I have to load up my car, go to the nursing home, unload my car and carry it into the nursing home, set the equipment up... play music for 2 hours, while also dancing with the residents... then load the equipment back up and take it to my car and load it... go home and unload it again... that loading and unloading 6 times... yeah, buddy, EC is pretty tired at the end of the day.

I have finished Bill Veeck's very enjoyable book about his life in baseball "Veeck As In Wreck"... Bill was a club owner with a heart... he was easy to deal with at contract time... players loved Bill Veeck and rightly so... he was a good and decent human being... Bill served in World War II... was wounded badly in the leg... he suffered from pain the rest of his life, but persevered and never let it get him down... Bill lived his life on one leg with a big smile on his face and a love of life in his heart... life gave him plenty of lemons, but Bill just used them to make a lot of lemonade ... Bill Veeck was a great owner, a good guy and a baseball visionary... also a darn good writer... yeah buddy, he is greatly missed.

"Wit, Quips and Quotes from the Diamond Minds"

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

"If I could have picked my own place in the game of baseball, I would have been out there on the field, making stunning plays at shortstop like Lou Boudreau, or turning casually at the crack of the bat to make one of those brilliant over-the-shoulder catches of Joe DiMaggio. ("Yea, Veeck"). As a kid in high school, I showed nothing more breathtaking than a stunning inability to hit a curveball, and so I have done the next best thing. I'm like a book publisher who, unable to write the great American novel himself, passes judgment upon the manuscripts of his betters.

The old adolescent dream has left its mark, though. As all ballplayers can tell you, I am a hero worshipper. Wherever ballplayers of taste gather together, I am spoken of fondly as a ballplayer's lamb. There is almost nothing I won't do for a player, who is putting out for me."

I have never had a serious holdout. As far as salaries are concerned, I would just as soon give a player what he thinks he deserves, if I can afford it. I have always found baseball players' demands quite reasonable. At St. Louis, I once had half-a-dozen of my players sign blank contracts and let me fill in the salary myself. There was a little gamesmanship involved on their part, of course, since I was putting an onus on myself to be more than fair. But gamesmanship apart, they knew Ole Will would give them a fair shake.

We did have a few publicity holdouts just to get some ink during the off-season, one of the more harmless winter sports. In Cleveland, Bob Feller would drop in to see me from time to time for widely heralded contract negotiations. Bob and I would chat awhile about everything under sun except salary, then release a statement that we were still fairly wide apart, but had every confidence our differences would be settled amicably. At last, with the weather turning warm, I'd say, "Hey Roberto, maybe we out to sign.

The actual signing couldn't have been quicker or easier. Bob and I would each write down a figure for his basic salary on a piece of paper and split the difference. The first year, he wrote down $60,000 and I wrote $65,000, so he cost himself $2,500. The next year he wrote down my original $65,000, but my figure was $62,500, which meant he recouped half his loss. He did a lot better than that, actually, I had Feller on an attendance-bonus clause those first two years, and in that record-breaking second year, he earned himself and extra $27,500."

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 12, 2028

2028 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Tucks Trim Westerners 4-3, Series Tied 2-2
For the second day in a row, Tuckanarra has beaten Waleska on the road at Westerner Field... the Blue Jays got a sharp performance out of their ace Quinn Starr, who whipped the Westerners 4-3 in game four of the best-of-seven series... Starr (4-3/3.92) tied the Pro Cup Finals at two games each... in his 8 innings Starr allowed only 2 earned runs on 8 hits in his best postseason outing this year... closer Rob Howe sat the Westerners down in order in the ninth for the save... in a shaky start Waleska's ace Wild Bill Butler (3-4/4.18) went the distance, yielding 4 runs on 7 hits with 6 strikeouts, but walked 7.

Tuckanarra took a 4-1 lead with a pair of runs in the second and third frames... RF Dunstan Lane (.297) and LF Bill Moody (.327) got the first 2 runs across on RBI singles and SS Jed Turchin (.403) drilled a 2-run homer for the other scores... the Westerners came back with a run in the last of the third when 2B Dusty Hickerson (.250) had a leadoff double, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on CF Dusty Rogan's (.289) groundout... Waleska got its last 2 runs in the sixth on 1B Glenn Childress' (.186) RBI single and an error by CF Terry Jasper... that was as close as they could get.

Waleska had the edge in hits 8-7... 3B Yahto Sisika (.286) and LF Loco Dillinger (.409) topped the Westerners with 2 hits apiece, while LF Bill Moody (.327) went 2-for-4 for the Blue Jays.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2024
EC'S LIFE IS AN ENCORE IN '24

Yeah, buddy... 2023 was a glorious year... and 2024 started off great for me, too... hope it did for all you buckaroos and you little darlin's, too... yesterday EC had a great day at the nursing home, swingin' and swayin' and singin' and dancin' with my friends... EC is blessed with 8935 songs in my music library and I play about 25 of them over my big boomin' Peavey PA system over the two hours I am there... the wonderful residents are the most neglected folks in our society... sadly, we don't take very good care of our old folks in the USA... they just grow more lonesome everyday... if you want a special blessing for your life, go and visit them on a regular basis... if you are a DJ, musician or have a small musical ensemble, go and entertain them... they are a great audience... this is one of the best things that has ever happened in my life... they think I am doing them a favor... actually, it's a win-win for me and them... when I leave them, I leave them smiling... yep, there's big smile on my face, too... life don't get much better than that... and for you that don't have any talent, just go by and say "Hello In There" (a song by John Prine)... and sit a spell with them.

Give John Prine a listen... not the greatest singer, but a wonderful songwriter, yes indeedy do... he's a darn good songwriter.
This is a wonderful song and video... be sure to watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfwGkplB_sY

Just started a brand new book... "Why We Love Baseball" by Joe Posnanski... a history of baseball in 50 moments... lordy mercy, it's a good 'un... EC has read only the introduction and already have 4 or 5 very interesting items to share with you and I haven't even gotten to the 50 great moments... Posnanski is one of the best sportswriters I have encountered... his wonderful book about Negro League ambassador, player and manager Buck O'Neal, is one of the best baseball books I have ever read... "The Soul of Baseball" will lift your spirit, make you smile and break your heart all at the same time... I also read Posnanski's "The Baseball 100"... his best 100 players of all-time... it was very good, too.

My niece gave me his latest book for Christmas... my wife got me 5 books... two about music... "Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All The Way"... and "Nashville Cats"... it's about all of the great country musicians in Nashville... all the great pickers on the A Team that played on a 1000 hit songs... and three about baseball: "The Long Season" by Jim Brosnan... "Nice Guy Finish Last" by Leo "The Lip" Durocher... and "The Long Summer" by Roger Angell... yep, life is good for EC... gonna share two more songs with you... "Tin Cup Chalice" by Jimmy Buffett and "Nashville Cats", a great song by the Lovin' Spoonful.

All you Buckaroos and Little Darlin's enjoy the music... it will tickle your innards and bless your little peapickin' ears.

Be sure to watch the video with Jimmy Buffett.

Rest in Peace, Jimmy... I'll bet you are sittin' on the beach with your toes in the water, with a tin cup for a chalice, filled up with red wine and chewin' on a honeysuckle vine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pIsuYgBnF8

It's time to pick and grin a little bit with the Lovin' Spoonful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZqgFyj5uTo

Yeah, buddy... life is good today... it's a very good day for lovin' on love.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 13, 2028

2028 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Waleska Skims By Tucks 6-5, Takes Series Lead 3-2
In a nip-and-tuck affair at Westerner Field, underdog Waleska took favored Tuckanarra 6-5 with a 2-run ninth-inning rally and took the lead in the IPA Pro Cup 3 games to 2... 3B Yahto Sisika tripled in the tying run and SS Jose De Leon delivered the game-winner with a 2-out single... a victory in game six or game seven will give the Westerners their first ever Pro Cup.

The game went back-and-forth as the teams traded the lead... the Blue Jays went up 1-0 on CF Terry Jasper's (.306) triple and RF Dunstan Lane's (.317) single... Waleska's CF Roy Hobbs (.316) countered that with a 2-run double in the third... the Tucks regained the lead 3-2 on Lane's run-scoring single and LF Bill Moody's RBI (.322) double... in the fifth Hobbs tied it up 3-3 with a solo homer... a seventh-inning 2-run home run by Blue Jay 3B Koora Nawajuk (.349) put them in front 5-3... Waleska then narrowed it to one run in the last of the seventh when CF Wilson James (.304) tripled and scored on LF Loco Dillinger's (.391) RBI groundout.

It was a rough go for Waleska starter Terry Richards, who weathered 13 hits for the victory... Richards gave up 5 runs, walked just one and fanned 5... Jamie Gustafson (2-3/4.01) lost it, permitting 6 runs on 8 hits, while walking 8 and striking out 6.

Hobbs led the Westerners at the plate with 2 hits and 3 RBIs... Sisika added 2 hits, scored twice and batted in a run... 5 Blue Jays each got 2 hits... Nawajuk and Lane batted in a pair of runs apiece... Nawajuk got his 5th playoff homer and Hobbs got his 3rd.

The Pro Cup Series returns to Tuckanarra for game six and game seven, if needed... starters for tomorrow afternoon's game will be Sam Tate (1-0/3.38) for Tuckanarra and Tucker Wilton (1-0/4.05) for Waleska... Wilton has replaced Cliff Dyer (1-1/5.77) in the number three spot for the Westerners... Wilton joined the Westerners in August and was 4-2 in 11 regular season starts with a 4.68 ERA, while Tate was 15-13 and a 3.71 ERA... Tate is suffering with a slightly sore arm and will only start if he is feeling 100% at game time.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 14, 2028

2028 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Blue Jays Force 7th Game With 9-6 Win
Favored Tuckanarra rose to the occasion and will live to fight another day... in game six of the IPA Pro Cup the Blue Jays forced game seven with a 9-6 triumph over Waleska... the series is tied at three games apiece with the deciding game coming up tomorrow afternoon at Central Park Stadium in Tuckanarra.

Despite an early 5-run lead after one inning, Tuckanarra still had to outlast the tough Westerners, who fought back to tie it up 6-6 after 3 innings... SS Jed Turchin (.395) broke the tie in the fourth with an RBI groundout... Tuckanarra then finished off Waleska with 2 additional runs in the seventh when Turchin doubled in another run and pinchhitter Danny Redd's (.211) sac fly got the last run in.

The Blue Jays bullpen saved the day with 6 scoreless innings... starter Sam Tate departed after 3 innings after yielding 6 runs on 7 hits... Philip Marston (3-0/3.60) stopped the Westerners on 2 hits over the next 4 frames for the win... Rob Howe and Gene O'Reilly shut down Waleska the last two innings... O'Reilly chalked up his 2nd save of the postseason... substitute starter Tucker Wilton was ripped right out of the gate for 6 runs in one and two-thirds innings, but he didn't get the loss... it went to Cliff Dyer (1-2/5.67), who allowed 3 runs in 5-plus innings, though he struck out 7 batters.

Turchin led the Blue Jays at the plate with 2-4, 2 runs and 3 RBIs... Turchin leads the postseason with 20 runs batted in... CF Terry Jasper (.308) and LF Bill Moody (.317) also chipped in with 2 RBIs each... RF Roy Hobbs (.325) was the big bat for the Westerners with 2 hits, including a grand slammer in the third inning... it was his 4th roundtripper... Hobbs tops Waleska with 18 RBIs in the playoffs.

In tomorrow's Pro Cup finale, it will be both clubs' aces on the hill... Quinn Starr (4-3/3.92) will work for the hometown Blue Jays and Wild Bill Butler (3-4/4.18) will be up for the Westerners... During the regular season Starr was 25-10 with a 2.80 ERA and Butler was 23-10 with a 2.97 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 15, 2028

2028 IPA Pro Cup Finals

Waleska Wins First Pro Cup, De Leon Hero
The Waleska Westerners ended 27 years of frustration and finally won the IPA Pro Cup... the Westerners rallied from a 3-0 deficit, stunning Tuckanarra 4-3 with 4 runs in the top of the seventh to capture the Islands championship for the first time... Jose De Leon cleared the bases with a crucial 3-run double to bring home the IPA trophy to Waleska.

Another hero was reliever Jarred Laclair, who came on for starter Wild Bill Butler in the last of the fifth and salvaged a win... Butler had already walked in 2 runs when Laclair arrived on the scene... Laclair promptly forced in another run before he got out of the inning... winning pitcher Laclair (2-1/0.96) proceeded to shut out the Blue Jays on 2 hits over the final 4 frames in a brilliant relief effort, though he had to get out of a very threatening bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the ninth... with runners on second and third and only one out, Laclair fanned C Trevor Dowd (.372) for the critical second out, intentionally walked 1B Lynn Starr (.233), then retired 3B Koora Nawajuk on an easy fly ball to end the game and give Waleska its first ever Pro Cup.

SS De Leon (.217) led the Westerners at the plate with 3 RBIs... De Leon collected 13 RBIs during the playoffs... 3B Yahto Sisika (.301), LF Loco Dillinger (.385) and RF Roy Hobbs (.333) all had 2 hits and an RBI apiece... Hobbs topped the team with 18 RBIs in the postseason and Dillinger added 13... leading the Blue Jay bats were Nawajuk (.319), SS Jed Turchin (.405) and CF Terry Jasper (.294)... they each drove in a run... Quinn Starr (4-4/3.93) went the distance in defeat, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits.

At the post game press conference, Waleska skipper McGraw Johnson gave special credit to his hitters and also to his bullpen for really coming through for them in the playoffs... especially citing Laclair, who made 10 relief appearances... speaking of his batting order Johnson said it is a joy to make out a line-up card that features superstars Roy Hobbs and Loco Dillinger... plus solid sticks like Yahto Sisika, Calico Clay, Wilson James (.295) and Jose De Leon.

Manager McGraw Johnson, who has been at the helm for all of the 27-year title drought, was overjoyed... Soaked in champagne, the 60-year-old Johnson told the press, "Our fans have waited 27 long years for this moment... I have spent almost half my life trying to win this thing... it's an eerie feeling, almost like an alternate reality... I'm afraid I'll wake up and it'll all be a dream." Later in the victory celebration Johnson added, "I don't think we'll even need a plane to fly home."

Game heroes Jose De Leon and Jarred Laclair chimed in. De Leon said, "This is sheer joy for the team and the town of Waleska." Laclair added, "For years and years this is what the whole town has been waiting and wishing for... now we can all die happy... the dream has come true... Waleska has a Pro Cup."

Losing manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens saluted the new IPA champ, saying, "Waleska has a strong core of hitters and a solid bullpen... we came close, but as you know, this was baseball... close only counts in horseshoes"... Stevens was disappointed, but not distraught. "My Blue Jays played a heck of a postseason... we were right in it right up to the last batter and last out... we came as close as you can come and not win the Pro Cup... all we needed was one more base hit and my Blue Jays would be celebrating."

[Eugene Church]

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 16, 2028

Waleska's Hobbs Pro Cup MVP
Waleska's splendid outfielder Roy Hobbs hasn't missed out on many awards and accolades in his legendary 16-year IPA career. The 13-time All-Star, 6-time Golden Bat winner, 4-time batting champ and Gold Glover this year filled in two missing items: Pro Cup ring and Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. The IPA announced Hobbs has been selected the most outstanding player in the 2028 IPA Pro Cup playoffs. Hobbs showed he is still quite a ballplayer at age 35.

Hobbs led the Waleska Westerners to the first Pro Cup title in the club's history. He topped the team with 18 RBIs and 4 homers, while batting .333 in 18 games. Running second in the MVP poll was Waleska's Loco Dillinger, who batted .385 with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 13 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Third in the balloting was Tuckanarra's fine shortstop Jed Turchin. He hit .405 with 10 doubles and 3 homers, drove in 21 runs and scored 19 times in a great postseason. Finishing fourth was Waleska's bullpen ace Jarred Laclair, who registered a 2-1 record with 2 saves and a 0.96 ERA, while appearing in 10 games and working 18 innings. The number five votegetter was the Blue Jays third sacker Koora Nawajuk. He led Tuckanarra with 5 roundtrippers, while batting .319 with 15 runs batted in and scored 16 runs.

[Eugene Church]

MY LIFE IN 2024
EC's Life Is An Encore in '24

So far, so good in the New Year... EC is still on a high... enjoying being back on the radio after a lapse of 21 years... also glad I didn't stop going to Nursing Homes to play music... my wife advised me not to stop, just cut back on the number... plus a little ole lady named Shirley made me reconsider retiring... she rarely say anything to me other than to request her favorite song, "Waltz Across Texas" by Ernest Tubb and the Texas Troubadours... I think God used my wife and Miss Shirley to tell to keep going to nursing homes... so I listened to God instead of EC... doing the will of God is THE KEY to life.

Anyway, I had a great time this week at the nursing home and the residents did, too... it's a win-win for both of us and I'm rarin' to go to two more next week.

EC just started back reading... really enjoying Joe Posnanski's "Why We Love Baseball - A History in 50 Moments"... just read the introduction of the book and its sparkles... yeah, buddy, this looks like a good read.

"Quips, Wit and Quotes From The Diamond Minds"
(Excerpts from Joe Posnanski's Book "Why We Love Baseball")

"We know the reasons some do not love baseball. It's a slow game with lots of meetings, lots of standing around, lots of aimless jogging on and off the field. Over the past 25 years the game has slowed to the point that Major League Baseball changed a series of rules to pick things up. Baseball can feel repetitive, one ground ball to second looking just like the rest. There is no clock -- other than the new pitch clock -- and games sometimes drone on interminably, and there always seems to be a scandal going on.

Baseball has no slam dunks, no breakaways, and little violence. There is no goal and no goal line, no basket, and no finish line. There are no blocked shots, no blindside hits, no blocked punts, no electrifying runs, no alley-opp passes, no kick saves, and no bicycle kicks.

Baseball does have math, though. Lots of math.

"You made me love baseball," Lisa tells Bart on the Simpsons. "Not as a collection of numbers but as an unpredictable, passionate game beaten in excitement by every other sport."

I asked around.

"I love baseball," Wilie Mays said, "because it's a game you can play everyday."

"For me," Bryce Harper said, "I think it just began by being able to out with my family, enjoy a game of catch. There was nothing better than going out on a Saturday and hanging out and smelling the weather and the fresh-cut graass, crack of the bat, and you're dreaming..."

"You have to understand," Henry Aaron said, "in Mobile, Alabama, where I grew up, we didn't have many things to do. In fact, we didn't have anything else to do."

"Why?" Theo Epstein asked. "I honestly don't know. My parents tell me that from the age of two on, I was just obsessed wtih baseball... They say I'd be down in Central Park, swinging the Wiffle Ball bat, and the crowds would gather because I'd be hitting homers, which I doubt is true. But if it is, that was the peak of my athletic career."

"I don't know what it was," Justin Verlander said. " I don't ever remember not loving baseball."

I've asked the question to hundreds of people while writing this book. Some came back with simple things. Crack of the bat.. Triple in the gap. Smell of the freshly mown grass. A dancing knuckleball.

One fan told me about his first baseball game -- not the action on the field but the feeling of climbing up on the stairs from the concourse and seeing the stadium open up to him. The colors of the sky and grass and dirt and seats overwhelmed him and stayed with him. He said it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

(EC really related to the last comment... I love to go to stadiums and enjoy the magnificent green mansions... I have been to 38 major league stadiums... my wife and I are right up to date... we also love to go to minor league parks like Rickwood Field in Birmingham (the oldest ballpark still inexistence), McCormick Field in Asheville, La Grave Field in Fort Worth (a re-creation of the old home of the Fort Worth Cats of the Texas League)... we even went to an independent game in Alexandria, Louisiana, to watch the Alexandria Aces play at Bringhurst Field... I love to look at all the baseball diamonds along the interstate highway when we are traveling... little league parks are near and dear to me... any park is near and dear to me... yep, I love baseball)

"Another told me about a Little League moment he remembered. He grabbed a bat and nervously walked toward the plate to face a pitcher roughly the size of LeBron James. He looked down to the third-base coach for some advice ("Pick out a good one!") and he stepped into the batter's box and saw his pitch and closed his eyes and swung... and felt that incomparably sensation of making good contact.

Is that a direct answer? No.

Does it explain why we love baseball? Absolutely it does.

EC remembers playing baseball in a field on my uncle farm in Alabama... I was the only athlete in the bunch... but me and my three cousins marked off a field and hit the ball around... EC has fond memories of Galvez Park and Crawford Park in Mobile where we would play sunup to sundown, daylight to dark... we would go home when it got so dark we couldn't see the ball anymore... my best year was in 1953 when our 13-year team won the Mobile City Recreation League title... we beat Thomas Park 7-5 for the title... it was fast-pitch league, but we didn't have a pitcher that could pitch fast... Russell Clark was our pitcher... he just lobbed the ball over the plate and let them hit it... we were a great defensive team... I was the shortstop... didn't make one error all season... at 13 EC was a very good ballplayer... Russell never walked anyone... a big reason we were unbeaten that year... Thomas Park had a lefthanded fastballer named Bobby Sossaman... he was very fast with great stuff, but he was also wild... we beat them because they made errors and gave up many walks... we made no errors and Russell didn't walk a man... yeah, buddy, that's why I love baseball.

During the summer in Sheffield, Alabama, I played PONY League baseball... I was the #2 pick in the preseason draft to create the teams... Billy Newton, a really good hitter and catcher, was the #1 pick and rightly so... I played for the Red Sox and made the league All-Star team at shortstop... when we went to the state tournament in Alexander City, we were the smallest team there... Alexander City had players with beards... we only had peach fuzz... yep, they whipped us 19-5 in the first game... we lost the second 17-5 and were eliminated... we were way overmatched... but hey, we still had good time... baseball was fun even when you lost... nope, winning ain't everything... fun and enjoyment is why I played baseball.

One of my favorite seasons was in an adult church basketball league... we all must have been in our 40s and 50s... we went 1-12, but loved every minute of it... we just enjoyed the comaraderie of each other company... we were the leftovers, the leftouts... our church had two teams... one with all the best players and us, the left outs... the best team played to win... couldn't stand to lose...they really were bad sports... we played in the last game of the season... boy, the best team did not like being beaten by the leftovers and the feftouts... yeah, buddy, that victory was really sweet.

Also remember playing in my backyard on Downman Road in New Orleans at age 10 or so... just playing by myself, imagining I was at Yankee Stadium or Ebbets Field, batting in the bottom of the ninth... yep, I hit a homer and won the game... and to be honest, I did it pretty often... for some reason and as luck would have it, you know the bases were always loaded... guess I was a legend in my own mind... boy, what a thrill running around the bases to the cheering crowd.... yep, I made the noise myself simulating the crowd noise... those were the good old days.

I used to sit by the TV, turn the sound off, and do the play-by-play of the Baseball Game of the Week on Saturday with Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese and Buddy Blattner.

I used to create a baseball game using a deck of cards... EC spent hours at the dining room table entertaining myself.

[Eugene Church]

Rickwood Field


McCormick Field


La Grave Field


Bringhurst Field

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2029

Pro Cup Elite 8 Begins Tomorrow, Crystal Lake and Ginza Favored
The 29th edition of the Pro Cup playoffs commences tomorrow afternoon at four cities around the Islands. In the Ruthlandian Elite 8 the favored Crystal Lake Crushers will play host to the Valmara Vipers at Lakefront Park, while the Stoner Stars will travel to Sugar Valley to engage the Rattlers at Farmers Memorial Stadium. To the west in Tycobbia it will be the Ginza Ninjas going up against the Hartsdale Hellcats at Ninja Stadium. In Tuckanarra, the hometown Blue Jays will tangle with the Rolling Hills Reds at Central Park Stadium. The Ninjas are the TU favorite to take on Crystal Lake in the Pro Cup Finals. Prognosticators are forecasting a Crusher victory.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Pro Cup Poll:
1. Crystal Lake Crushers - RU (93-61) - strong bats and starters, questionable bullpen and defense
2. Ginza Ninjas - TU (91-63) - rock solid team, great bullpen, good starters, hits very well, fields very well
3. Tuckanarra Blue Jays - TU (90-64) - no real weakness except defense, fine starters and relievers, can score runs
4. Valmara Vipers - RU (89-65) - very good starters, excellent bullpen and defense, lackluster offense
5. Rolling Hills Reds - TU (83-71) - hits and scores well, very strong pen, excellent defense, question mark is starters
6. Hartsdale Hellcats - TU (85-70) - standout starters and defense, average bullpen, not much offense at all
7. Sugar Valley Rattlers - RU (88-66) - outstanding defense, very good power, good starters and pen, only average scoring, anemic hitting
8. Stoner Stars - RU (85-69) - hits and scores well, very good defense, but mediocre pitching

Best Team BA:
1. Crystal Lake - RU (.287)
2. Ginza - TU (.281)
3. Rolling Hills - RU (.277)
4. Stoner - RU (.272)

Most Team HR:
1. Sugar Valley - RU (166)
2. Ginza - TU (133)
3. Valmara - RU (113)
4. Stoner - RU (100)

Most Team Runs:
1. Crystal Lake - RU (776)
2. Ginza - TU (749)
3. Tuckanarra - TU (732)
4. Stoner - RU (722)

Best Team OBP:
1. Crystal Lake - RU (.343)
2. Ginza - TU (.338)
3. Rolling Hills - TU (.333)
4. Tuckanarra - TU (.331)

Best Team ERA:
1. Valmara - RU (3.05)
2. Hartsdale - TU (3.07)
3. Tuckanarra - TU (3.10)
4. Ginza - TU (3.19)

Best Team Starter ERA:
1. Hartsdale - TU (2.99)
2. Tuckanarra - TU (3.09)
3. Valmara - RU (3.12)
4. Crystal Lake - RU (3.27)
4. Sugar Valley - RU (3.27)

Best Team Bullpen ERA:
1. Ginza - TU (2.59)
2. Rolling Hills - TU (2.61)
3. Valmara - RU (2.64)
4. Tuckanarra - TU (3.16)

Best Team Fielding Average:
1. Sugar Valley - RU (.983)
1. Ginza - TU (.983)
3. Hartsdale - TU (.982)
3. Rolling Hills - TU (.982)
3. Valmara - RU (.982)

[Eugene Church]

Map of Islandia