ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, July 1 2083

Tycobbian Union

HARTSDALE HEALTHY AND WELL IN TU NORTH, PRO CUP POTENTIAL
Hartsdale couldn't be much happier. Sure the Hellcats would like to have double their midyear edge in the Tycobbian North over 2nd place Luxora, 3rd place Mahaska and 4th place
White River. That way they could coast to the division title and get ready for the playoffs. Hartsdale is rolling right along and on schedule to win the pennant by 10 games or more.
The Hellcats were one of the best clubs in the IPA playoffs last year. They could have easily copped the Pro Cup if they hadn't run into a red-hot playoff team, last year's Pro Cup
champion Kenwood Wildcats. Hartsdale is still a potent power. They are not likely to blow their lead in the second half of the year. The Hellcats are serious candidates for the whole
shebang this season - first the TU North title - then the Pro Cup crown.

HURRICANES HIGH-POWERED ATTACK NEEDS A LITTLE PITCHING HELP FOR 3RD TU SOUTH IN A ROW
Yeah, buddy, just like last year the Cape Coral Hurricanes just might look like a mild tropical storm halfway through the season, but they might eventually be a full-blown hurricane
and live up to their name again. They turned up the heat last year in a second-half surge and swept past 4 other challengers in September. According to this year's preseason
forecasters the 'Canes would be powerful again and triumph in the Tycobbian South, beating out the Ginja Ninjas and Turon Typhoons in another donnybrook. Cape Coral got
out of the gate poorly, but it has turned it around in the last two months. They are looking like the Hurricanes of old. In this year's pennant hunt the 'Canes will be dealing with two
lesser lights in the Colchester Elites and Summerland Sunsets, two rare pennant winners, plus the powerhouse Turon Typhoons with 29 pennants and 6 Pro Cups. Turon is terribly
hungry for a pennant. It's been 3 long years since they last won the TU South and even longer - 4 years - since they won the Pro Cup. Cape Coral has quite a task this year. Colchester
is in the top spot, a big 7 and a half games in front of them. Summerland is sitting pretty in second place, 4 and a half games back with Turon in the third spot, trailing the Elites by
5 and a half games. The Hurricanes better get started quicker this year. Yep, the 'Canes better get going soon. Cape Coal can still win their third consecutive TU South. The Hurricanes
are the number-one hitting and scoring team in the IPA. All they need is just a few good pitchers to sorta hold the other team down. They think they have them.

GUESS WHO'S BACK IN TU EAST? POOR LITTLE OLE PANTHERS AGAIN
The long-suffering East Point Panthers, until recently one of the absolute dregs of Islandian Pro Alliance franchises in history. From '58 to '80 the pathetic Panthers never had a winning
season, much less a division flag. Since then East Point has won two pennants and ran a fine race last year but lost out by 3 games in 3rd place. They lost the favor of the sport page
scribblers and were picked to wind up a paltry 5th in the pennant race. Surprise! Surprise! East Point is nestled in first place at midseason with a 5 and a half-game edge over the unlikely
High Mesa Buckaroos, who came in out of the blue to make a race of it - at least to midyear. Midway is third and 8 and a half games behind the Panthers. Two of last year's challengers,
Ozarka and South Fork, are 11 GB. The Naturals are the defending TU East champion and the Stallions were picked to nab the title this year. East Point looks solid again this year. Very
good pitching and good enough scoring to get the job done. Thank goodness, the two main rivals South Fork and Ozarka are way back this year. Midway could be dangerous with its good
pitching staff. High Mesa can hit, but it will fall back because of its mediocre mound staff.

WHO THE BEST IN THE TU WEST? MAYBE KENWOOD OR ROLLING HILLS?
Yeah, buddy. There is a good old-fashioned pennant chase in the IPA. 5 clubs are swinging clubs and hurling missiles at each other in order to claim the Tycobbian West title. Right now
the Bayview Vikings are getting the best of it with a 2 and a half-game margin over the 2nd place Rolling Hills Racers. The baseball sportswriters and broadcasters named the Racers the
potential best in the west this season. This is a tough division. Last year's Pro Cup titlist Kenwood is in 3rd place just 4 games off the pace and you know they know how to win. That
same bunch is back, along with the club that ran 2nd last year, the Denton City Redbirds. You can also include a pretty good team, the Arlon Champions, too. They hit the ball with the
best of them and have decent pitching, too. Get you self set. It's going to be a photo-flash finish in the TU West this year. Mostly likely, the Wildcats. Maybe the Racers. Bayview hasn't
won the pennant since 2018. That's why they won't win. The Vikings have never won a Pro Cup either. However, the Viks can blister the baseball. Now all they need is some good pitching
in the second half of the season. That could make me eat my words.

2083 Tycobbian Union Midseason Standings

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[care4ameatball]

Hey EC. Hope all is well. I still lurk on this thread from time to time. Glad to see you're still going. Hopefully Kilkenny or Ginza can win a Pro Cup at some point.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by care4ameatball

Hey EC. Hope all is well. I still lurk on this thread from time to time. Glad to see you're still going. Hopefully Kilkenny or Ginza can win a Pro Cup at some point.

Thank you for checking out my readings and ramblings about the fictional world I would like to live in.
Yeah, buddy, I would love to see the Kilkenny Cats and the Ginza Ninjas play for the 2083 IPA Pro Cup.

Living in Ruthlandia and Tycobbia helps me get by in this real world I live in.
It's a good escape.

Life is good in Islandia, a little place that time has forgotten and the passing decades cannot improve... where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and can hit a curve ball... and all the kids are above average... it's a wonderful place to enjoy life and raise a family... and it's the home of the Islandian Pro Alliance.

NOPE!
We don't smoke marijuana in Islandia and we don't give PARTICIPATION TROPHIES!
Only league championship teams get trophies.
And nice guys finish first!
Eat your heart out, Leo the Lip.

Yep, EC is an old codger.

Yeah, buddy, you are still my buddy if you occasionally smoke a tad... in fact, I hear tell it is downright "medicinal" nowadays.

[Eugene Church]

I just finished The Long Season by Jim Brosnan. It is his journal for the 1959 season with the Cardinals and Redlegs.
He pitched mainly as a reliever for 9 years in the Majors with Reds, Cards and Cubs, finished 55-47 with 3.54 ERA. A good solid journeyman reliever and a pretty good occasional starter (47 times).
Yep, it was an interesting look at the real life of a ballplayer, showing the interrelationships between players, manager, coaches and GMs.
I gained new insights into the World of MLB.
Brosnan is a good writer, intellectual, thoughtul, humorous and interesting.
I enjoyed the book a lot.

I am just beginning "Nice Guys Finish Last" by Leo "The Lip" Durocher.
He's a good writer and storyteller.
After reading the first chapter, I don't think EC is gonna like Leo the Lip.
He's a "win at all costs kinda guy".

EC is not that kind of guy. I would rather play a good game and lose to a good team than to beat a bad team easily.

I played sports for the pure fun and enjoyment of it -- not winning.
EC has no regrets.

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, September 1, 2083

PENNANT RACES LOOKING GOOD FOR EAST POINT AND COLCHESTER, OTHER 6 UP FOR GRABS
A couple of clubs in the Tycobbian Union have solid leads heading into the the last month of the regular season. Colchester and East Point are up by 9 and 8 games in their respective divisions. The Elites are playing well going into September with no major challenger in sight. However, East Point has leveled off in August with a 14-14 mark. Running second to the Panthers is blistering-hot Ozarka. The Naturals haven't written off the year just yet. They were 18-8 last month. But the Nats have a lot of games to win to catch up to East Point. In the other 6 divisions there's no telling who will win out. A great ending is looming this season in the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Ruthlandian Union

REDHAWKS SWOOP INTO TOP SPOT IN RU NORTH
Since midseason the hottest team going in the Ruthlandian North has been the Far Mountain Redhawks. They have leaped from 5th place to the top spot, passing up Taranto, Ancona, Kilkenny and LaGrange. Since July first the Redhawks have played at a scalding pace with a 35-17 mark. But Far Mountain still has a fight on its hands. Taranto is just 2 and a half games behind, Ancona 3 games out and Kilkenny trails by just 3 and a half games. The pennant race is far from over. Even LaGrange still has a remote chance, 6 GB. Most people say it will come down to the Redhawks and the Tars.

SUNBIRDS AND BLACKHAWKS BATTLE DOWN TO THE WIRE IN RU SOUTH
It's just a two-team affair in the Ruthlandian South, but it's a hullabalooza between Belair Beach and Valka. The Sunbirds are in the lead by a narrow margin over the Blackhawks by just one and one-half games. Both clubs are playing at a torrid pace. Belair Beach is 31-21 the last two months, the Blackhawks are even better at 34-18. Defending champion Crystal Lake had a bad June (12-15) and fell double-digits behind. The Skippers are no longer a factor in the race. It is going to be nip-and-tuck photo-finish in September in the Ruthlandian South.

NAILBITER IN RU EAST, MACS MOST LIKELY WINNER
5 teams are going at it hot-and-heavy in the Ruthlandian East race. Eastshore, Marston and last year's division champion Elnora were doing quite well until August. They stumbled badly in the month and slipped back into the standings behind first place Wynnamac and runner-up Sugar Valley, who surged ahead last month. Heading in the wrong direction, the Cotton Kings were 10-17, the Nine 9-18 and the Clippers 10-17, while the Macs were 18-9 and the Rattlers 17-10 and going in the right direction. Going into September Wynnamac has a 3-game edge on Sugar Valley, 4 better than Eastshore, 6 and a half ahead of Elnora and 7 games in front of Marston. Most of the prognosticators are saying the Sundowners will win a nailbiter from the Rattlers.

4-TEAM FEUD IN RU WEST BETWEEN V'S, ROOSTERS, SOX AND ROVERS: VIGILANTES AND MIDDIES FAVORED
The battle is still raging in the Ruthlandian West with all of the challengers playing good baseball at the start of September. The baseball analysts favor first place Volusia and second place Middlefield to win it this year, but third place Colfax and fourth place Sligo will be in the mix, too. The Rovers were the preseason favorite. Last year's winner Forest City is no threat, having flopped to 6th place this season. The RU West is anybody's to win this year. The team that gets hot will win it.

Tycobbian Union

Z'S MAKING HELLCATS SWEAT IN TU NORTH
Hold on!
There's still a fight for the pennant in the Tycobbian North. After a poor start the Luxora Zorros have wily gotten back into the race. Basically, it is down to defending champ Hartsdale and second place Luxora. The two teams are very similar with solid scoring, good power and fine pitching. The Hellcats have claimed 5 of the last 11 flags, while the poor Z's have not made the playoffs since 2058. The baseball media say its a toss-up. Toss a coin and take your pick. It is that close. Though they are playing well, third-place Mahaska is not likely to make up 8 and a half games in the last month of the season and overtake the Hellcats and Zorros.

ELITES ALMOST HOME FREE IN TU SOUTH; COLCHESTER'S FIRST PLAYOFF IN 46 YEARS
Yeah, buddy, times are really getting excited in Colchester as the Elites close in on its first Tycobbian South division crown since 2036. The Elites took over the top spot in the standings on April 15 and have held first place the rest of the time. Colchester has not had a losing month this year and seems to be cruising to the TU South title. Second place Summerland trails by 8 games going into the final month of the season. The Sunsets don't appear to pose an immediate threat to the Elites.

DITTO FOR PANTHERS; EAST POINT WAY AHEAD IN TU EAST
The East Point Panthers have had a long run in first place in the Tycobbian East this year. They have been on top since June first. The Panthers paced the division by 11 games on August 1st and look like a runaway winner after posting an impressive 20-7 mark in July. East Point still possesses an 8-game edge over runner-up Ozarka, heading into September. It would take a pretty bad month for the Panthers and a great month for the Naturals to overtake them. Nope. Not likely to occur.

RACERS OUTLAST VIKINGS IN TU WEST; KENWOOD WON'T REPEAT AS PRO CUP CHAMP
In the Tycobbian West preseason poll Rolling Hills was favored to outdo last year's division winner and Pro Cup champion Kenwood Wildcats and the Denton City Redbirds in a close race with the Bayview Vikings back in the fourth spot in the standings. Nope, it hasn't transpired just like that. At the start of September Rolling Hills is the top team with a 3 and a half-game margin over second place Bayview. A distant third is the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers, 7 and a half games off the pace. Denton City and Kenwood have faded out of the pennant picture. A lousy June (8-20) wrecked the Bucs good season. The Racers have done well each month this year. Most of the second half of the season the Vikings have been just a .500 club. Yet, they are just 3 and a half-game out of first place. Bayview is a power-laded club. Rolling Hills is one of the top-scoring teams. It could be close - give the Racers the advantage in the long run. Pro Cup titlist Kenwood only had one good month this year. They made a run in June with a 20-7 record, but soon thereafter dropped back with a disappointing second half.

2083 Ruthlandian Union Standings In September

[Eugene Church]

2083 Tycobbian Union Standings in September

[Eugene Church]

Special thanks to my good buddy, CD, for telling me about the incorrect standings I posted... I had the midseason standings instead of the September 1st standings.

"Old Eagle Eyes" catches all of my mistakes.

CD would make an excellent book editor.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, September 28, 2083

ONLY 3 PRESEASON PICKS MADE THE PRO CUP PLAYOFFS, WYNNAMAC, HARTSDALE, ROLLING HILLS
Four of the Islandian Pro Alliance division winners have not graced the postseason for a decade or even longer. In fact, Colchester last appeared in 2036, Far Mountain in 2067, Belair Beach in 2071 and Volusia in 2073. There's lots of new blood infusing the 2083 IPA Pro Cup playoffs this year, along with some of the recent regulars, Rolling Hills, Hartsdale, East Point and Wynnamac.

RUTHLANDIAN UNION FINAL SEASON WRAP
Every RU division champion won in unique fashion by 2 games.

FM REDHAWKS SNARE 1ST RU NORTH TITLE IN 18 YEARS
The Far Mountain Redhawks were the best team the final two months of the season, staving off the Taranto Tars, Ancona Jumbos, Kilkenny Cats and last year's division-winning and this year's preseason choice.LaGrange Gators. Down the stretch the Redhawks fended off the tough Tars in a very close race. Far Mountain bested Taranto by just 2 games. The Jumbos, Gators and Cats faded in September.

BELAIR BEACH HOLDS OFF VALKA IN BATTLE OF BIRDS IN RU SOUTH
It was just a two-team race in the Ruthlandian South most of the season between the Belair Beach Sunbirds and the preseason pick Valka Blackhawks. Defending division champion Crystal Lake contended for a little while at midyear, then fell out of the race and ended up in third place. The Sunbirds clinched by going 4-2 the last week, while the Blackhawks swooned to 2-4 when it finally counted.

MACS SURVIVED 5-TEAM FIGHT IN RU EAST
5 teams tangled season-long in the Ruthlandian East, where the Wynnamac Sundowners, the critic's choice, came home the winner. The Macs finished well with a strong last two months and skimmed past the Sugar Valley Rattlers by 2 games, the Eastshore Cotton Kings by 3 and last year's flag-winning Elnora Clippers and the Marston Nine by 6 games. The Rattlers also played well down-the-stretch, but the others faltered badly.

V'S CLOSE THE SEASON WITH 8 STRAIGHT WINS TO NAB RU WEST
4 clubs skirmished the entire season for the Ruthlandian West crown. Volusia took command in the final days of the year and won its final 8 games in a row to nab the pennant by a pair of games over Middlefield, 4 games over Colfax and 6 better than preseason-favored Sligo. Last year's victor Forest City never was in the race and winded up sixth, 20 GB.

TYCOBBIAN UNION FINAL SEASON RECAP

HELLCATS REIGN SUPREME IN TU NORTH
In the preseason poll Hartsdale was picked to run away with the Tycobbian North title and did in fact win it fairly easily by 8 games.
But there was one team that made it somewhat testy. Lightly-regarded Luxora made it interesting heading into the final month of the September. The Zorros cut the Hellcats' lead to just 2 games. Hartsdale then strutted its stuff and played its best ball of the season, going 17-6, while the Z's snoozed to 11-12 and lost out by 8 games. The Hellcats have won the TU North 6 times in the last 12 years. Look for them to be a big threat to win it all this year.

COLCHESTER CLASS OF TU SOUTH BY FAR
Cape Coral was forecast to repeat as the champion of the Tycobbian South in a close 3-club clash with Ginza and Turon. Instead, the long-suffering Colchester Elites easily turned out to be the class of the division and won it by a colossal 13 games. It was their first pennant since 2036. Colchester took charge in April and was never really challenged. The Elites slowly built up their league lead as the season progressed. The preseason pollsters placed Colchester a lowly fourth in the TU South this year.

PANTHERS ARE PREMIER TEAM IN TU EAST
Nobody gave much thought to the East Point Panthers in the Tycobbian East pennant race, despite the fact that the team won the crown in '80 and '81 and came close again in '82. In the preseason prognostications, the baseball scribblers showered praise on the South Fork Stallions and said East Point would be a losing ballclub and wind up in the 5th spot in the standings, far out of first place. Nope and au contraire. By August it was all East Point with few contenders in sight. The Panthers' lead bulged to 11 games. The Ozarka Naturals ranked the third-best team in the preseason, did pose a mild threat in September, finally reaching within 4 games at season's end. Most of the second half of the year the Nats trailed the Panthers by 10 or more games and never really challenged them.

RACERS WIN IN A 3-TEAM PHOTO FINISH IN TU WEST
It was supposed to be 4-team chase in the Tycobbian West this year. Rolling Hills was favored to beat out defending IPA Pro Cup champion Kenwood, Denton City and Bayview in a close contest. Yeah, buddy, that is pretty much what happened. The pundits were spot on. The Racers edged out the Bayview Vikings by one game and the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers by just 3 games. Kenwood wound up in the 5th spot in the standings, trailing by 9 games. Rolling Hills struggled in September and almost was overtaken by the Vikings and the Bucs, who might have been the better ball teams at year's end. A great August saved the pennant for the Racers.

2083 Ruthlandian Union Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

2083 Tycobbian Union Final Standings

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

2083 Ruthlandian Union Division Champions
First Round Schedule

[Eugene Church]

2083 Tycobbian Union Division Champions
First Round Schedule

[care4ameatball]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

2083 Tycobbian Union Division Champions
First Round Schedule

A nice mixture of perennial contenders and some new blood. I think I'm rooting for Belair Beach to win it all.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by care4ameatball

A nice mixture of perennial contenders and some new blood. I think I'm rooting for Belair Beach to win it all.

Yep, I agree with you. It would be nice for the Sunbirds to win the Pro Cup/
They look like the best team in the Ruthlandian Union and have good shot at making the Pro Cup Finals.

However, the Tycobbian Union has four of the five best teams in the Pro Cup playoffs. One of them will probably be the Pro Cup favorite.

[Eugene Church]

2083 Ruthlandian Union Final Leaderboards

[Eugene Church]

2083 Tycobbian Union Final Leaderboards