ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, October 9, 2087

IPA UNION TITLE SERIES BEGIN THIS FRIDAY
The Islandian Pro Alliance is now down to the final four. The Ranford Bulls and Rocky Rapids Snappers will tangle for the Ruthlandian Union title and the Tuckanarra Blue Jays will meet the La Claire Lynx for the Tycobbian Union title in best-of-seven series. The winners will advance to the IPA Pro Cup Series for the coveted Pro Cup Trophy. The Tucks have garnered 3 Pro Cups in its history ('23, '24, '35). The Bulls won their only trophy in 2040, while the Snappers nabbed theirs in 2019. Poor La Claire has had only 6 postseason appearances and has yet to win the Pro Cup.

2087 IPA Pro Cup Preview
Both series are pretty much even with no clear favorite. In the Ruthlandian Union both clubs have good pitching and good offense, but neither team displayed a lot of offense in the opening round. Rocky Rapids features three solid starters in Dobie Mortenson (2-0/0.56 ERA/16 IP), Bobby Ray Timberlake (1-1/2.02 ERA/13 IP) and Sal Brooks (1-0/2.25 ERA/8 IP). However, the Snappers bullpen is spotty. Ranford is sparked by two veteran hurlers, Kim Madison (2-0/1.20 ERA/15 IP) and Dayton Stansbury (2-0/1.69 ERA/16 IP). Rafael Buenaventura (0-0/2.57 ERA/7 IP/4 games) is a solid closer.

Rocky Rapids probably is a little better scoring team. Both clubs excelled offensively in the regular season with a rock-solid set of batters in the batting order, but they had trouble in round one. They won on their pitching. Ranford also can go deep on occasion. They hit 6 out of the park against Grand City, a good pitching team. Rocky Rapids did not do well against the mediocre Belle Plaine staff. The Snappers HR attack is equal to the Bulls with 4 postseason clouts. This is a tough series to call. Give the edge to Rocky Rapids and its three quality starters. That will make the difference. The Snappers will win a torrid 7-game series. Their regular season top threats Lee Drummond (.190 BA), Lanny Moultrie (.208 BA), Mickey Starbuck (.217 BA) and Don Hackett (.250 BA) didn't do much against Belle Plaine pitching. Toby Nobles (.286 BA/2 HR), Eugene Ganley (.190/1 HR/4 RBI) and Julien Duvauchelle (.381 BA/1 HR/3 RBI) paced the bats in the first round. In first-round play Ranford was sparked at the plate by the Christopher Jung (.333 BA/1 HR/5 RBI), Gil Kirchberg (.267 BA/1 HR/4 RBI) and Sherm Barrymore (.296 BA/2 RBI).

Over in the Tycobbian Title Series La Claire had standout pitching (3.37 ERA) in the regular season. The Lynx scored well, but lacked power (104 HR), while the Tucks had fine power (173 HR) and good scoring, but the Tucks (3.59 ERA) was not as good on the hill as the Blue Jays. In first-round play Tuckanarra was fantastic against the Pro Cup favorite Fairfax Frogs. They totally dominated them in a 5-game triumph. As great as the Frogs were in the regular season, leading the IPA on offense (.292 BA/787 runs) and pitching (3.27 ERA), they were that bad against the Tucks, who held them to 11 runs in 5 games.

Topping the Tuckanarra mound corps in round one was Danny Patrick (1-0/0.00 ERA/8 IP), Jarli Hamilton (1-0/1.00 ERA/9 IP), Artie McQuiston (1-0/2.25 ERA/8 IP) and Grant Gossard (1-0/2.40 ERA/15 IP). The Blue Jays attack didn't do especially well. They only tallied 17 runs in the 5 games. Gordy Hebron (.400 BA/1 HR/3 RBI), Mel Warwick (.312 BA/1 HR/3 RBI) and Ned Somerset (.176 BA/1 HR/4 RBI) were the most productive bats. The big-time hitters in the regular season Mel Martin, Greg Venazza and Tony Tajani did not provide their usual offense against Fairfax.

In first-round Tycobbian action La Claire outlasted powerful Ginza in an intense 7-game set. The Lynx overcame a 3-2 deficit to take the series. And they thoroughly won it, too, routing the Ninjas 10-1 and 11-6 to wrap up the series at home. La Claire was led by Sonny Zambello (.517 BA/3 HR/5 RBI), Devon Daley (.379 BA/3 RBI), Stosh Rudarski (.348 BA/2 RBI), Lyn Holman (.333 BA/3 RBI) and Culver Jensen (.143 BA/1 HR/7 RBI). On the hill it was Shuggie Garsett (2-0/0.61 ERA/15 IP) and Roger Arenado (1-1/2.20 ERA/16 IP) that led the way. The Lynx bullpen also was superb with 9 shutout innings among 4 relievers.

This one is too close to call. Both clubs are excellent. Give the Tucks the edge because of its longball power (173 HR) and four quality starters. This series could also go the full length, 7 games.

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, October 11, 2087

UNDERDOG BULLS AND LYNX TAKE UNION TITLE OPENERS
Underdogs Ranford and La Claire blanked favored Rocky Rapids and Tuckanarra in the first games of the IPA Title Round.

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 12, 2087

LA CLAIRE SHOCKS TUCKS AGAIN, ROCKY RAPIDS EVENS SERIES WITH RANFORD
La Claire pitching shackles Tuckanarra again in the Tycobbian Union, while Rocky Rapids evens up with the Ranford Bulls in the Ruthlandian Union
in a 14-frame marathon.

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, October 14, 2087

TUCKS BACK IN BUSINESS IN TU TITLE SERIES, SNAPPERS TAKE LEAD IN RU TITLE SERIES
Stellar pitching by Danny Patrick (17-9/3.52 ERA) enabled Tuckanarra to avoid the dreaded 3-0 deficit in the Tycobbian Union Title Series.

Elsewhere in the Ruthlandian Union Title Series Rocky Rapids held the Ranford Bulls at bay with a big early-inning splurge. The Snappers
took a 2-1 lead in the series.

[Eugene Church]

Thanks to Pepe for the beautiful La Claire logo from years ago.
Thanks to hurricanekevin for the excellent Ranford and Rocky Rapids logos.
Thanks to EC for the fairly good Tuckanarra logo.

I love playing out the playoff games. The graphics are so well done. The caps and unis are wonderful, too.

A special thanks to all the graphics gurus that contributed to my splendid Islandian Pro Alliance graphics, especially txranger and knuckler. They did 70% of them.

I am truly blessed by the Creator of the Universe. The author of the Big Bang. He has allowed me to live an abundant life for almost 85 years, complete with a second career in radio.

Yeah buddy, EC is now on 4 stations with a Southern Gospel and Positive Country radio program. I'm on a Christian station four times a week for two hours on M-W-F and Sunday. And my program just got added to a secular Country Station on Sunday morning for an hour.

If you are interested, send me a private message and I will send you a link to listen to the programs. It is good-of-a-kind. I am a pretty fair country DJ with just an average voice and average talent, but real good at picking music and putting a show together.

Dizzy Dean used to tell people, "It ain't braggin' if you can do it".

Did you know he pitched a game at age 40 for the St. Louis Browns and beat the Chicago Cubs? I will post the story later here in this thread. I had never heard about it.
The great sportswriter and sports editor of the Atlanta Constitution, Furman Bisher, wrote about it in his fascinating book "Strange, But True Baseball Stories".

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, October 15, 2087

LA CLAIRE COULD WRAP UP TYCOBBIAN TITLE IN GAME 5, RANFORD TIES ROCKY RAPIDS IN RU TITLE SET
La Claire ace Shuggie Garsett put them in a great position to advance into the IPA Pro Cup Series. He mowed down the Tucks in the fourth game in Tuckanarra. One more victory and the Lynx will be the TU champion and they will be playing for their very first Pro Cup Trophy. Ranford battered Rocky Rapids in game four and knotted the RU Title Series at 2 games apiece.

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, October 16, 2087

RU AND TU TITLE SERIES GO TO 6TH GAME
Rocky Rapids and La Claire are just one game away from the Pro Cup Series, but they still face vibrant teams. Ranford and La Claire refuse to throw in the towel and call it a season. However, the Tucks cut it close, needing a two-run miracle home run in the last of the 9th to survive 6-5 and stay alive. The Snappers smashed the Ranford Bulls to gain a one-game edge in their best-of-seven series. Things can change suddenly in both series. The Bulls had just demolished the Snappers the previous day 13-4. The Blue Jays were totally outmanned by the Lynx in three of the first four games before yesterday's last-ditch stunning rally.

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, October 18, 2087

LA CLAIRE LASHES TUCKS IN 6TH GAME, WINS TU TITLE, HEADS TO PRO CUP SERIES, HOPEFUL FOR 1ST PRO CUP TROPHY
Underdog La Claire poured it on in game six of the Tycobbian Union Title Series, crushing the Tuckanarra Blue Jays 11-2. Now the Lynx will
meet the RU titleholder in the Pro Cup Finals. Ranford and Rocky Rapids will go at it in game seven this afternoon at Snapper Stadium. The Bulls
nipped the Snappers 5-4 to even the series at three games each.

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 19, 2087

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!
SNAPPERS ARE THE BEST IN THE RU!
Yeah, buddy, you best believe it! The Rocky Rapids Snappers really strutted their stuff in the 7th game of the Ruthlandian Union Title Series. The Snappers unmercilessy mauled the shocked Ranford Bulls in the seventh and deciding game to take the hard-fought series four games to three and advance to the IPA Pro Cup Finals against the La Claire Lynx, who conquered the Tuckanarra Blue Jays in six games for the TU Title.

[Eugene Church]

The 87th Edition of the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series begins this Sunday afternoon in La Claire. It is a best-of-seven series.

[Eugene Church]

Sunday, October 19, 2087

RR SNAPPERS AND LC LYNX VIE FOR 2087 IPA PRO CUP TROPHY
Neither one of the Union title winners was supposed to get this far in the Islandian Pro Alliance postseason playoffs. However Rocky Rapids and La Claire beat the odds. According the the Pro Cup Poll, the Lynx were the 6th-best team in the playoffs, the Snappers were the #7. Lo and behold, here they are playing for the cherished Pro Cup Trophy. Rocky Rapids won it on one occasion, many, many moons ago in 2019. Poor La Claire has yet to win one.

The Pro Cup Series begins tomorrow afternoon at Capitol Park Stadium in La Claire. The Lynx (95-59) have the homefield advantage over the Snappers (91-63). That just might make a difference. Both teams had homefield superiority in both the first and second rounds. In general, La Claire possesses the better pitching staff, both starters (3.27 ERA) and bullpen (3.37 ERA), and the best defense (.983 FA), but Rocky Rapids has the better batting attack (.284 BA/143 HR/760 runs). Pitching has been the prime element in the last three Pro Cup Series, won by Belair Beach in '86 and '84 and Colfax in '85.

Based on that, give La Claire the edge in the Pro Cup Series this year. Since the Lynx won their RU Title Series in 6 games, they got a little more rest to set their rotation for the Pro Cup Finals. Having said that, beware that Rocky Rapids can really rap the ball and just might be able to overcome their mediocre staff and just outscore the Lynx.

La Claire has two solid starters in Shuggie Garsett (22-3/2.17 ERA) and Roger Arenado (14-13/3.84 ERA). They both have done well in this year's postseason. Garsett is 4-0 with a microscopic 0.29 ERA in his 4 starts. Against Garsett teams are batting a lowly .100 in the playoffs. Arenado has done well, too, with 2-1 in 4 starts with a 2.16 ERA. Inconsistent Willem Christman (17-7/3.95 ERA) will be the key. He was 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA. He has to have a good series for the Lynx to beat the Snappers and win the the first-ever Pro Cup. Closer Von Elledge (11-7/2.34 ERA/30 saves/86 games) is a big plus in the bullpen. He has been steady and consistent in the playoffs. La Claire has defeated two very talented teams, #2 Ginza and #3 Tuckanarra. Actually, the offense overperformed. Everybody, top to bottom in the batting order has done exceedingly well, sparked by Lyn Holman (.432 BA/6 RBI/9 R), Sonny Zambello (.375 BA/3 HR/7 RBI/10 R), Devon Daley (.327 BA/5 RBI/10 R), Judah Woods (.326 BA/2 HR/7 RBI/7 R), Johnny Salsbury (.318 BA/1 HR/6 RBI/7 R) and Stosh Rudarski (.304 BA/7 RBI/6 R). Even the 7th and 8th batting have contributed. Don Carlin (.244 BA/1 HR/5 RBI/7 R) and Culver Jensen (.160 BA/2 HR/13 RBI/8 R). Jensen their weakest hitter, leads them in RBIs.

Starter Dobie Mortenson (13-5/2.94 ERA) has been rock-solid, regular season and postseason, but he is the only one. Mortenson has been 4-1 in 5 playoff starts with a 2.61 ERA. Bobby Ray Timberlake (15-10/4.02 ERA) and Sal Brooks (13-13/4.12 ERA) did alright during the season. Nelson Goodlee (3-0/1.77 ERA) missed most of the season with arm trouble, but came back in early September and has done well, but overall he is just a so-so hurler like Timberlake and Brooks. Timberlake and Goodlee have been fairly good in the postseason. Timberlake is 1-1 in 3 starts with a 3.10 ERA and Goodlee is 1-1 in 3 starts with a quality 3.44 ERA. Brooks has been hit-and-miss in the playoffs with 1-1 in 2 starts and a sky-high 7.45 ERA. For Rocky Rapids to beat La Claire, Timberlake, Goodlee and Brooks will all have to perform well.

Rocky Rapids has a very powerful attack. In the regular season everybody in the batting order was a threat, hitting between .271 and .331, led by Don Hackett (.331 BA), Lee Drummond (.303 BA), Lanny Moultrie (.303 BA). Even the lower end of the lineup, Henri Talleyrand (.271 BA) and Julien Duvauchelle (.271 BA) did well. The postseason leaders have been Tony Nobles (.365 BA/5 HR/8 RBI/13 R), Duvauchelle (.314 BA/1 HR/8 RBI/6 R), Drummond (.298 BA/2 HR/11 RBI/6 R), Moultrie (.278 BA/2 HR/10 RBI/6 R) and Starbuck (.264 BA/1 HR/4 RBI/9 R). The Snappers mound corps only has one standout on Dobie Mortenson. The other three starters will be vital for victory. Another detriment is the Rocky Rapids bullpen. They have struggled all season long, regular and postseason.

2087 IPA Pro Cup Prediction:
La Claire will win in 6 games. Their strong pitching and solid pen will hold down Rocky Rapids at the plate and their offense will take advantage of the Snappers' mediocre pitching.

[jg2977]

When is the last time that La Claire and Rocky Rapids were in the Pro Cup Series?

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by jg2977

When is the last time that La Claire and Rocky Rapids were in the Pro Cup Series?

Rocky Rapids won the Pro Cup in 2019 sweeping the Ozarka Naturals in four games.

La Claire has never made the Pro Cup Finals.

La Claire:
Made the playoffs 6 times... No Pro Cups
'28 Lost to Tuckanarra in First Round 4-0
'33 Swept by East Point in First Round
'37 Lost to San Alejo 4-2 in TU Title Series
'38 Lost to Pro Cup champ North Hills in TU Title Series 4-3
'72 Lost to Pro Cup champ Turon in first round 3-2
'77 Lost to Pro Cup champ South Fork 4-0 in first round

Rocky Rapids:
Made the playoffs 7 times... one Pro Cup (2019)
'17 Swept by Pro Cup champ Eastshore in first round
'18 Lost to Ancona 4-3 in RU Title Series
'19 Won Pro Cup... defeated Ozarka Naturals 4-0
'20 Lost First Round to Beechwood 4-1
'44 Lost to Wynnamac in First Round 4-2
'46 Lost to Valmara in RU Title Round 4-3
'86 Lost RU Title to Pro Cup champ Belair Beach 4-2

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, October 21, 2087

LA CLAIRE NABS PRO CUP OPENER FROM ROCKY RAPIDs
True to form La Claire did what they do best -- keep the opposition off the scoreboard -- Lynx pitchers shut down the Snappers at the plate
and nabbed the first game of the IPA Pro Cup Series.

[Eugene Church]

Check out this link on the MLB website.

It is some wonderful tributes to Bob Uecker from the Brewers fans.

https://www.mlb.com/news/brewers-fan...ber-bob-uecker

[Eugene Church]

Wednesday, October 22, 2087

2 IN A ROW FOR LA CLAIRE IN PRO CUP FINALS
La Claire opened up a 2-game edge on Rocky Rapdis in the IPA Pro Cup Series. The Lynx put together solid pitching and solid hitting and
put down the Snappers for the second consecutive game in the best-of-seven game series..

[Eugene Church]

Friday, October 24, 2087

GOODLEE STOPS LYNX, SNAPPERS SNAP BACK IN PRO CUP FINALS
Actually, game three was pretty much a "must win" for Rocky Rapids in the Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series. A third straight loss would have been almost fatal to the Snappers. They got a good mound performance and shaved the La Claire lead to a manageable two games to one. Game four and five will be played at Snapper Stadium.

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, October 25, 2087

LC LYNX NEAR FIRST PRO CUP TROPHY, BOOST LEAD TO 3 GAMES TO ONE
The 2087 IPA Pro Cup Series is not over, but it is getting close. Strong La Claire pitching again stopped the big bats of Rocky Rapids. The Lynx have triumphed in three of the first four games and now needs just one more victory for their very first Pro Cup Trophy. The Snappers are still in it, but their chances are dim. It is rare that a team down 3-1 can rally and win the series. It has happened just a few times in the 87-year IPA history. Far Mountain did it in the 2011 Pro Cup Finals and Kenwood accomplished in the 2014 Pro Cup Series. It has not happened since in the Pro Cup Series. Overall in postseason play it has occurred only 6 times, only 4 times in the early rounds.



Sunday, October 26, 2087

IN 5TH GAME SNAPPERS STUN LYNX WITH 9TH-INNING RALLY - STILL DOWN 3-2 IN PRO CUP FINALS
They always say the hardest three outs in baseball are the last three outs. Just ask the La Claire Lynx. They were ready to celebrate their very first Pro Cup Trophy. It was so near, yet so far away. "Never say die" Rocky Rapids stunned La Claire with Eugene Ganley's miracle 2-run blast that derailed the Pro Cup celebration, gave the Snappers new life and prolonged the Pro Cup Series to a sixth game. It will take two more miraculous events for Rocky Rapids to come back from a 3-1 deficit. They will have to defeat the Lynx twice on the road in La Claire.

[Eugene Church]

Tuesday, October 28, 2087

AT LAST - LA CLAIRE WINS PRO CUP IN 87TH SEASON
The old adage is "Better late than never" or maybe " Something is better than nothing". Well, after 86 disappointing and frustrating years La Claire finally got something. That something was really something - the cherished and revered Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy. The Lynx rode their vaunted pitching staff to the IPA crown, knocking off powerhouses Ginza and Tuckanarra to take the Tycobbian Union title and shutting down one of the best-hitting teams in the IPA in the Pro Cup Series.

[Eugene Church]

2087 IPA Playoffs