ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Thursday, November 2, 2090

VALMARA PRO CUP CHOICE, VIPERS TO REPEAT AS IPA TITLIST
Two battled-tested teams will tangle in the 2090 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series. The first game of the seven-game set is tomorrow afternoon at Capitol Park Stadium in La Claire. Defending Pro Cup defender Valmara is back again trying to captured its second straight Pro Cup Trophy and 6th overall in its history.

The Vipers proved themselves by getting past tough Belle Plaine in round one and then triumphing past powerful Forest City in a torrid seven-game series, rallying from a 3-2 deficit. La Claire showed its mettle and spunk by besting last year's Pro Cup finalist South Fork in a tense seven-game affair in the first round and then taking four in a row from White River. Neither sweep was easy and could have easily gone the other way.

Yes indeed, both Valmara and La Claire are postseason tested, proven and qualified. The 2090 Pro Cup Series is looming to be hard-fought, suspenseful and up in the air --- a seven-game clash is forecast with Valmara winning by the slimmest of margins. The Vipers hit with more HR power and they have slightly better pitching. They are also the reigning king of Islandian baseball. This is the fourth consecutive season for the La Claire to be in the playoffs. The Lynx won their only Pro Cup in 2087 and were expected to be also in the thick of things the last three years. 2090 could be the Year of the Lynx. The time is right. Whoever win this year's Pro Cup Trophy will have to beat a darn good team.

We used a very scientific method to pick this year's Pro Cup champion --- we flipped a coin and it came up Valmara. We flipped seven times --- the Vipers won four of the tosses.

[Eugene Church]

2090 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game One
Friday, November 4, 2090

STRONG PITCHING BY BARTELS GIVES LA CLAIRE PRO CUP LEAD IN OPENING GAME
La Claire, playing at home at Capitol Park Stadium, behind the rock-solid outing of petite right-hander Don Bartels, staked themselves to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven IPA Pro Cup Series. With the help of closer Jerry Miller, Bartels throttled the defending Pro Cup crownholder Valmara 4-2. The 21-year-old Bartels (2-1/3.68 ERA) limited the Vipers to 5 hits, fanned 9 and allowed 3 walks in his 8 innings. It was Miller's (2-0/0.71 ERA/1 save/7 games) first save in the playoffs this season. He fired a scoreless 9th. Miller gave up 2 walks, but whiffed 2 batters to seal the verdict for La Claire.

Bartels excelled in the regular season with a 19-7 record and standout 2.70 ERA. He outpitched Arjan Huntsman, who posted a fine 17-4 mark with a 3.07 ERA. Huntsman, a tall and lanky 6-6 southpaw, was tapped for 4 runs and 7 hits in his 7 and two-thirds innings.

Valmara scored first in the initial frame on Howie Dassner's (.298 BA/1 HR/2 RBI) single and a two-run swat by Keith Tobin (.357 BA/5 HR/11 RBI), his 5th playoff clout, but that was it offensively for the Vipers for the day. La Claire put a run on the scoreboard in the 3rd on a base hit by Rick Wall (.318 BA/2 HR/10 RBI), a balk and a sacrifice fly by Bill Gallagher (.340 BA/2 HR/10 RBI). The Lynx tied it up in the 4th on a walk to David Glascock (.186 BA/3 HR/11 RBI), a stolen base, ground out and another sac fly by Howie Ellenberger (.122 BA/2 HR/7 RBI). La Claire took the lead in the 5th on Bill Gallagher's double and Dennis Culpepper's (.315 BA/6 RBI) RBI base hit. Glascock tacked on an insurance run in the 8th with a solo home run.

La Claire backed up its strong pitching with 2 double plays. The Lynx collected 7 hits, while the Vipers were held to just 5.

Valmara manager Primo Sirak will send southpaw Shura Azurin (15-10/3.71 ERA) to the hill in game two. La Claire skipper Jonny Bacon will give the assignment to right-hander Shuggie Garsett (16-8/3.35 ERA). Garsett has struggled in the playoff this year with a 1-1 mark in 3 starts, while Azurin has done well, but he is 0-1 in his 3 starts, yet he has a stellar 2.08 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

2090 IPA Pro Cup Series - Game Two
Friday, November 4, 2090

LYNX POUND VIPERS IN 2ND GAME, MOVE AHEAD IN SERIES 2-0
All is going very well for the La Claire Lynx in the Pro Cup Series. In game two at their home park, Capitol Park Stadium, they got strong hitting and strong pitching and pounded the visiting Valmara Vipers 10-2 for their second straight victory in the best-of-seven Pro Cup Series. The Lynx lineup cracked 13 hits and Shuggie Garsett went the distance, holding the Vipers to 6 hits. He struck out 7 batters and walked 4 to run his postseason mark to 3-1 with a 4.37 ERA. Gino Manda (.231 BA/1 HR/9 RBI) and Rick Wall (.312 BA/2 HR/13 RBI) sparked them at the plate with 3 ribbies apiece. Judah Pickens (.333 BA/5 RBI) chimed in with 3 hits and scored 3 runs. Rapping 2 hits each were Nicky Bajka (.222 BA), Dennis Culpepper (.322 BA/6 RBI) and Gino Manda. David Glascock socked his 4 postseason homer.

Left-hander Shura Azarin (0-2/4.50 ERA) took it on the chin, knocked out of the game in the third frame, torched for 7 runs. Nothing much went right for the Vipers.

Right-hander Steve Griffeth (1-0/1.93 ERA) gets the starting assignment in game three at home at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara. It will be his third playoff start. So far, Griffeth is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Manager Primo Sirak started lefties in both of the losses. La Claire manager Jonny Bacon will send southpaw Rick Gautreau (15-11/3.51 ERA) to the slab. In the first two games he started righties. Gautreau is 1-0 in 3 postseason starts with a 3.71 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

2090 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - GAME 3
Friday, November 7, 2090

VIPERS RISE UP AND RIP LYNX IN GAME 3, GRIFFETH STANDS OUT ON MOUND
The Valmara attack came alive at home at War Memorial Stadium in game three of the Pro Cup Series and ripped the La Claire Lynx 10-1. The Vipers piled up 13 hits and 7 walks to cut their deficit to two games to one. Valmara also got a standout performance from rookie right-hander Seth Griffeth (2-1/2.33 ERA), who shackled La Claire on one run and 6 hits, while fanning 7 and issuing just one base on balls. Swinging the big bats for the Vipers were Alec Adderton (.302 BA/2 HR/10 RBI) and Keith Tobin (.314 BA/5 HR/14 RBI) with 3 RBIs each. Adderton and Victor Rykov (.145 BA/3 RBI) led the way with 3 hits apiece.

La Claire's Howie Ellenberger was their only offense with a solo homer. Lynx starter and loser Rick Gautreau (1-1/6.22 ERA) had an atrocious outing. The Vipers mauled him for 7 runs in 3 and one-third frames. 7 walks and 6 hits led to his demise.

It will be the #4 starters in game four. Neither has done well in the playoffs, but they had good regular seasons. Pasha Minorsky (11-5/3.33 ERA) will get the call for Valmara and Roger Arenado will be working for La Claire. Both are right-handers.

[Eugene Church]

2090 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - GAME FOUR
Wednesday, November 8, 2090

ARENADO STYMIES VIPERS IN CRUCIAL GAME FOUR; LA CLAIRE ON THE VERGE OF SECOND PRO CUP TITLE
Game four is a must win for the team trailing in the Pro Cup Series. La Claire captured the pivotal game from Valmara 8-3 on the road at War Memorial Stadium and took a commanding three games to one lead in the best-of-seven series. Roger Arenado (1-1/6.35 ERA) fired a complete game, struck out 10 Vipers and stopped them on 7 hits. Judah Pickens (.323 BA/1 HR/8 RBI) provided the firepower with a 3-run roundtripper. Pasha Minorsky (0-2/7.16 ERA) only lasted 5 frames. He was rocked for 6 runs on 6 hits and he walked 4. Valmara has a dire task. They must win four in a row to claim the Pro Cup Trophy. That is not likely to happen. In 90 years of postseason play only two teams have accomplished it. Far Mountain did it in 2011 and Kenwood in 2014.

The balanced Lynx attack was paced offensively by Judah Pickens (.323 BA/1 HR/8 RBI) with 3 runs batted in. Bill Gallagher (.300 BA/2 HR/11 RBI), Nicky Bajka (.222 BA/1 RBI), Dennis Culpepper (.313 BA/7 RBI) and Howie Ellenberger (.160 BA/4 HR/10 RBI) also drove in a run each in the crucial victory. Keith Tobin (.333 BA/7 HR/17 RBI) provided all of Valmara's scoring with 2 homers and 3 RBIs. Tobin leads the playoffs with 7 home runs and 17 RBIs.

La Claire skipper Jonny Bacon will try and clinched the Pro Cup crown with his ace Don Bartels (19-7/2.70 ERA). Valmara manager Primo Sirak will try to stay alive with his #1 starter Arjan Huntsman (17-4/3.07 ERA). Bartels bested Huntsman in the series opener 4-2. The site of game five will also be War Memorial Stadium in Valmara.

[Eugene Church]

2090 IPA PRO CUP SERIES - GAME 5
Thursday, November 8, 2090

BARTELS HURLS LYNX TO IPA CROWN
The La Claire Lynx made it look easy with a 4-0 shutout on the road to haul in their second Pro Cup in history. Manager Jonny Bacon has a very good all-around club that usee standout pitching with timely hitting and home-run power to finish off the Valmara Vipers in 5 games. In game five Don Bartels fired a 6-hit shutout, struck 11 and walked just one in a sparkling performanc, upping his postseason mark to 3-1 with an impressive 2.82 ERA. David Glascock (.193 BA/5 HR/13 RBI) gave him the only run he needed with a solo swat in the second inning. The Lynx also got RBIs from Nicky Bajka (.217 BA/1 RBI), Howie Ellenberger (.170BA/4 HR/11RBI) and Rick Wall (.259 BA/2 HR/14 RBI). Valmara ace Arjan Huntsman (3-2/2.08 ERA) kept it close most of the game. He was touched for 6 hits in his 7 and two-thirds innings with 4 walks and 7 Ks.

Jubilant manager Jonny Bacon took over the club in hard times and suffered through 2 rebuilding years in 2083 and 2084 when the Lynx were the worst team in the IPA. They posted a miserable 116-192 mark. Since then Bacon has finished second once and won the pennant the last four seasons in a row. He also won the club's first Pro Cup in 2087. Bacon was a fine hitting backstop for La Claire from 2061 to 2069. He batted .292 in his career with 197 homers and 733 RBIs. In 2064 Bacon made the Tycobbian Union All-Star team.

Bacon told the press and media, "We didn't have a single All-Star, but we had a solid ballplayer at every position. David Glascock (.289 BA/36 HR/110 RBI) and Dennis Culpepper (.327 BA/18 HR/112 RBI) sparked the offense, while Don Bartels (19-7/2.70 ERA/32 starts/240 IP) anchored the mound corps. We had a bunch of MVPs in the playoffs. One key element in winning the Pro Cup was our bullpen in the first two rounds. Jerry Miller, Paul Unruh
and Billy Ray Troxell were vital in getting us to the Pro Cup Finals. Bartels, Shuggie Garnett, and Roger Arenado were so good in the Valmara series, that we didn't have to use the bullpen. Our starters were magnificent with 3 complete games and held the powerhouse Vipers to just 17 runs in 5 games, 10 of them coming in the only game they won..

Valmara skipper Primo Sirak echoed Bacon's sentiments. "I have a very good-hitting ballclub, but we didn't look like it in the Finals. La Claire's starting threesome totally shut us down. We had a chance to win game one and played OK in game five, but otherwise we had no chance in games two, three and four. They were in command." Valmara has a rich postseason history in the Islandian Pro Alliance with 5 Pro Cups and 32 playoff appearances.

[Eugene Church]

Friday, November 10, 2090

LA CLAIRE HURLER BARTELS CHOSEN IPA PLAYOFFS MVP
It was a good all-around effort by the entire La Claire Lynx roster to capture the IPA Pro Cup this year. It was the sum of all of the parts that accomplished this much-cherished feat. After all was said and done 21-year-old Don Bartels was chosen the Islandian Pro Alliance Most Valuable Player in the postseason playoffs. He chalked up a 3-1 record in 5 starts with a 2.82 ERA in 38 innings of work. Bartels solidified that choice with 2 victories in the Pro Cup Series.

Still it was a close vote. In actuality, overall it was the Lynx attack that won the 2090 Pro Cup Trophy, despite the fine showing of the mound staff in the Pro Cup Finals. Right fielder Judah Pickens ended up a very close second in the playoff MVP poll. In 16 games he batted .323 with 1 homer, 8 RBIs, and 15 runs. Right on his heels were center fielder Bill Gallagher with a .292 BA, 2 roundtrippers, 12 RBIs, 10 runs and 5 stolen bases and second baseman Rick Wall with .259 BA, 2 HR/14 RBI/6 runs. Also getting some support were first baseman Dennis Culpepper with .324 BA, 7 RBI and 10 runs, left fielder David Glascock with .193 BA, 5 homers, 13 RBIs, 15 runs and 12 bases on balls, third baseman Howie Ellenberger with .170 BA, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 7 runs and 2 SBs. Even closer Jerry Miller got some votes. In 7 relief innings he was 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA and one save, all in the first two rounds. So dominant were the starters in the Pro Cup Series for La Claire, they did not use the bullpen except for one inning in one game.

Bartels has been a standout in his first three seasons in the IPA with 60 wins and only 21 defeats with a 2.70 ERA. This season he posted a steller19-7 mark with a 2.70 ERA in 32 starts. Bartels was honored as the 2088 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year with 22 victories and only 8 losses and a strong 2.49 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

Glory Hallelujah!
1201 views the last two days.
Keep up the good work!
EC really appreciates you folks... You keep Old EC and the Old Islandian Pro Alliance alive and well.

Give me a day or two and I will wrap up the 2090 season with all of the league awards.

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, November 18, 2090

IPA ANNOUNCES 2090 AWARD WINNERS
The Islandian Pro Alliance honored the season-long standouts with Ruthlandian Union and Tycobbian Union special awards for excellence during the 2090 season. Awards were given out for the best hitter, best pitcher, best rookie, most valuable player and top defensive players in each Union.

RU BEST BATTER IS CRYSTAL LAKE'S BEDNARD
The manager of the Crystal Lake Skippers said he thinks Zeke Bednard is only going to get better as he gets older. He may only be 21, but it will be hard to top the shortstop's 2090 campaign, as he has been named the winner of the Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award. His winning campaign featured a .359 batting average and a .494 on-base percentage this year. In 152 games he piled up 185 hits, 30 doubles, 8 triples, 11 home runs, 73 RBIs and 108 runs scored. Despite his outstanding year the Skippers wound up in 4th place in the RU South. Galen Gianakis (.329 BA/28 HR/134 RBI/90 R) of the Ancona Jumbos finished second in voting, while Ronald Brooks (.329 BA/32 HR/98 RBI/108 R) of the Middlefield Roosters finished third.

STANDOUT SEASON FOR SAVALLAS, TU GOLDEN BAT
At age 36, many would be surprised to see Chris Savallas still contributing strongly in Islandian Pro Alliance. But not only did he contribute, the White River Rascals third baseman was at the top of the sport, winning the 2090 Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award. He captured the award with a .305 batting average and a .395 on-base percentage this year. In 151 games he piled up 165 hits, 23 doubles, 5 triples, 39 home runs, 104 RBIs and 99 runs scored. Savallas sparked the Rascals to their first TU North pennant in almost a decade. Terrence Stonich (.340 BA/37 HR/127 RBI/111 R) of the Rolling Hills Racers finished second in voting, while Dennis Culpepper (.327 BA/18 HR/112 RBI/90 R) of the La Claire Lynx finished third.

[Eugene Church]

O'MARA KING OF THE HILL IN RUTHLANDIAN UNION
The Forest City Firebirds have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making. It's Matty O'Mara, this year's Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance. He was one of the key factors his Firebirds won the Ruthlandian West for the third straight year.

A three-year veteran at age 22, O'Mara compiled a 17-4 record in 32 starts, tallied 139 strikeouts in 229 innings and recorded a 2.32 ERA. He topped the league with 20 wins and came in second in ERA. Other clubs managed only a .226 batting average against him. Overall in his IPA career O'Mara is 53-23 with a strong 2.84 ERA.

ERA leader Giles Guillot (19-6/2.28 ERA) of the Belle Plaine Musketeers finished second in voting, while Arjan Huntsman (17-4/3.07 ERA) of the Valmara Vipers finished third. Both Belle Plaine and Valmara were division champions and made the playoffs.

ROOKIE GRANVILLE SCOOPS UP TU TOP HURLER AWARD
It was as good as money in the bank when Gary Glanville took the hill for Summerland. He paid his club back with interest this season with a superb 20-7 mark, collecting the Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award for 2090.

The Sunsets star delighted the hometown fans with a fine 2.28 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 245 innings. Glanville surrendered 188 hits and 73 walks and limited opposing batters to a .212 batting average. The 22-year-old rookie right-hander paced Summerland to first place in the Tycobbian South. He led the Tycobbian Union in victories and ERA.

Glanville biggest competitor for the Golden Arm Award was his teammate Ruben Jans (17-8/2.41 ERA), who finished second in voting, while Owen Frank (18-8/2.60 ERA) of the South Fork Stallions finished third. Frank was a prime reason the Stallions won the TU East for the second successive season.

[Eugene Church]

ANCONA 3RD SACKER CROWNED RU TOP ROOKIE
The 2090 Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award winner is Galen Gianakis of the Ancona Jumbos. In the 2090 season the 21-year-old third baseman played in 151 games, recording a .329 batting average with 28 home runs, 134 RBIs and 90 runs scored. Gianakis topped the league with 199 hits and 134 ribbies. His Jumbos came in fourth place in the Ruthlandian North, 19 games behind champion Valmara.

Crash Craddock (.270 BA/36 HR/123 RBI/65 R) of the Beechwood Blues finished second in voting, while Lars Henriksson (15-6/2.51 ERA) of the Volusia Vigilantes finished third. The Blues wound up 6th in the RU East pennant race. The Vigilantes were 3rd in the RU West, trailing champion Forest City by 19 games.

GLANVILLE OUTPOLLS MACLEMORE AND FRANK FOR TU NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Gary Glanville of the Summerland Sunsets won the Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award quite simply by mowing down his opponents. He took the best rookie honor with a 20-7 record and a 2.28 ERA. Glanville made 31 starts, struck out 124 in 244.2 innings, surrendered 188 hits and walked 73 this season. Glanville, just 22, paced the league with 20 wins and the top ERA. His wonderful season helped the Sunsets win the TU South flag.

Biggy MacLemore (.303 BA/26 HR/80 RBI/68 R) of the South Fork Stallions finished second in voting, while Owen Frank (18-8/2.60 ERA) of the South Fork Stallions finished third. MacLemore and Frank were the main cogs in the Stallions' third TU East crown in the last 5 years.

[Eugene Church]

IPA PICKS TOP DEFENDERS IN 2090
In baseball circles, a player who has good range, a good arm and good hands is a great catch. Clubs strive to be strong in the field, especially "up the middle." Solid defenders can make a difference in the outcome of tight games and tight pennant races. The Golden Glove Awards for 2090 in the Islandian Pro Alliance go to 18 standout defenders, headed up in the Ruthlandian Union by Marston second baseman Rik Coldenhof, who was honored for the third time in his career. An expatriate from the Ruthlandian Union, White River third baseman Chris Savallas was named for the fifth time. He won four Golden Gloves playing with Ancona in the RU. The Jumbos traded him to White River this year at age 36. No rookies were chosen this season. Coldenhof and Savallas were the only repeat winners this year.

2090 Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Team


2090 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Team

[Eugene Church]

SNAPPERS' HUBBARD RU MVP, RASCALS' SAVALLAS TU MVP
The top awards in the Islandian Pro Alliance went to Rocky Rapids' center fielder Pete Hubbard and White River third baseman Chris Savallas. Hubbard was acclaimed the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player for 2090, while Savallas was selected the Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player.

ROCKY RAPIDS CF HUBBARD NAMED RU MVP
He's just 21 years old, but Rocky Rapids center fielder Pete Hubbard didn't play like an ordinary first-year player. He captured the Ruthlandian Union MVP Trophy by hitting .320 in 149 games with 186 hits, 35 doubles, 9 triples, 26 roundtrippers, 103 RBIs and a league-leading 117 runs. His Snappers came in fourth in the RU West.

It was a tight race with newcomer Galen Gianakis of the Ancona Jumbos and veteran Jim Raver of the Forest City Firebirds for the MVP award. Gianakis had a sparkling inaugural season with a .329 BA in 151 games. He topped the RU with 192 hits and the IPA with 132 RBIs. Gianakis replaced Ancona icon Chris Savallas at third base and won the RU Rookie of the Year Award. His Jumbos came in fourth in the RU North Division. Raver stood out for Forest City, who ran away with the TU West title. Also a third sacker, Raver is 24 and a 5-year veteran. He participated in 148 games, batted .320, had 186 hits, 29 doubles, 6 triples, 21 home runs, 108 ribbies and scored 98 runs.

WHITE RIVER 3B SAVALLAS COPS TU MVP TROPHY
As Chris Savallas began showing signs of age, Ancona traded him to White River over in the Tycobbian Union. The two previous years saw his BA slip to .266 and .257. Also noticeable drops in homers and RBIs. The 36-year-old responded with a vengeance and won the coveted Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player Award and also the Golden Bat, pacing the Rascals to the TU North title for the first time in a decade. In his 14 seasons Savallas has amassed a .285 career batting average, was a 6-time All-Star and even won his 5th Gold Glove this season. He has hit 386 homers soaring out of the ballpark and driven in 1204 runs.

Savallas outpolled two talented youngsters, Rolling Hills' 23-year-old first baseman Terrence Stonich and La Claire's 22-year-old first sacker Dennis Culpepper to gain the MVP trophy. Stonich played in 153 games, led the IPA with 209 hits, batted .340, homered 37 times, drove in the most runs in the Tycobbian Union with 127 and scored 111 runs. His Racers finished a close second to champion La Claire. Culpepper is a rookie, who posted a .327 mark in 143 games and led the Lynx to the TU West flag. Culpepper had 32 doubles, 1 triple, 18 homers, 112 RBIs and scored 90 runs

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, November 25, 2090

FC'S SNOW AND SUMMERLAND'S HALLSTROM REWARDED FOR FINE SEASONS
Most managers are happy just to make it through another season in the Islandian Pro Alliance. The ones that win pennants and make the postseason playoffs are overjoyed. Randy Snow of the Forest City Firebirds and Jayson Hallstrom of the Summerland Sunsets are jubilant. Not only did they make it through another season under fire and won the division flag, they even picked up their second Manager of the Year Award. It was pretty clear who the top skippers were this year in the IPA. Only four managers, two in each league, received votes.

FC SKIPPER SNOW SPARKLES WITH 105 VICTORIES, NAMED RU TOP MANAGER FOR SECOND TIME
Forest City's Randy Snow started off his managerial career with a bang --- he won the IPA Pro Cup his first year in 2068 at the age of 41. That's when he picked up his first best skipper honor. Number two did not come again until this season at age 63. Snow sparked the Firebirds to their third straight Ruthlandian West pennant, winning 106 games in the process. He also won 102 games in '89 and 105 in '88. Snow has been at the helm 23 seasons, the vast majority as pennant contenders. He was a rock-solid outfielder from 2052 to 2064 for Forest City, batting .297 overall with 301 homers and 1060 RBIs.

Last year's RU Manager of the Year Primo Sirak of Valmara almost nabbed it again this year. His Vipers (95-59) repeated as RU North champion, but he didn't quite have the year as Snow and wound up second in the RU Manager of the Year poll. Valmara nipped Far Mountain by 3 games in a hot race. Sirak has managed Valmara for 15 years with modest success. He did haul in a Pro Cup in '89. Sirak retired this year at age 71. He turned it over to his pitching coach and former star hurler Andre Zajac (193-154/3.36 ERA/75 saves), who is 45. Sirak said he wanted to go out a winner and not be fired like most managers that stay too long. I learned my lesson as a player. I played one year too many when I went 5-5 with a miserable 5.14 ERA. Sirak was a Hall of Famer hurler with a 272-147 record in 17 seasons. His posted a superb 2.80 ERA in his career. He was inducted in 2061.

SUMMERLAND SKIPPER HALLSTROM WINS AGAIN, SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS
Jayson Hallstrom took charge of the Summerland Sunsets in 2068 and has kept his club in contention most of his 23 years. He has seen great success his last three seasons, winning the TU South each year. His 2088 team almost won the only Pro Cup in club history. They were beaten in the Pro Cup Finals by the Belle Plaine Musketeers. This past season his Sunsets rung up 101 wins and easily won the division flag by 12 games over South Fork. The press rewarded him with his second Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year Trophy. He also earned it in 2088. Hallstrom is used to fame and prestige. He is also a Hall of Fame pitcher, inducted in 2061 after an outstanding 21 years on the mound, registering a 368-274 mark with a brilliant 2.65 ERA. Summerland was just a so-so club many of his playing years. Hallstrom was a 7-time All-Star. Hallstrom is also going out on top at age 74. He will retire soon and give the reins to former Sunset star center fielder Johnny Pendergrass. He was a Gold Glover and 6-time All-Star with a .309 BA, 349 homers, 1022 RBIs and 1209 runs. He said it's about time "we got somebody that knows something about hitting and scoring runs. Lord knows, we could have won a lot more pennants with a few more runs. We might have even won a Pro Cup or two".

Runner-up La Claire skipper Jonny Bacon gave Hallstrom some tough competition for the top manager honor. He guided the Lynx (98-56) to the Tycobbian West title for the fourth consecutive seasons, besting Rolling Hills by 4 games. His success has been remarkable since he took over in 2083. His first team lost 106 games and 86 the next year, but it has been all success since with nothing but pennants and two Pro Cups (2087, 2090). Bacon is 52 years old and had a good career in the outfield for La Claire, batting .292 lifetime with 197 dingers and 733 RBIs in a 9-year stint from 2061 to 2069.

.

[Eugene Church]

That wraps up the 2090 IPA season.

To get ready for the 2091 season I need to check out all the names of the rosters to make sure there are no weird names.
This may take 2-3 days.

[G-Force]

Man, I haven't been around here in FOREVER, but it sure is great to see you still at this Eugene!

Hope all is well!

GH

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by G-Force

Man, I haven't been around here in FOREVER, but it sure is great to see you still at this Eugene!

Hope all is well!

GH

Life is great, G-Force... still able to do the Islandian Pro Alliance at an old age... two years ago a radio station got me to come out of retirement... I am now on 9 stations playing Southern Gospel and Country Gospel music... it don't get any better than baseball and playing music on the radio... The Good Lord Jesus blesses me in so many ways... good health, good hobbies and a good wife... yeah buddy, life is good for EC... life is very good.

Thanks for checking out this old and very ancient dynasty league.
Appreciate it.

I used to really like your All-Star League... it was very well done.
It was a very good dynasty league... I miss it... also miss you... you are a good guy.

[Eugene Church]

Sorry, folks... radio is taking most of my time... I will try to work on the new 2091 IPA season tomorrow afternoon... Hope to have the preseason preview ready later this week.

[Eugene Church]

I fixed all the names in the Ruthlandian Union and made sure all teams have 21 players on the reserve rosters. I also retired unproductive players over age 35.

I will take care of the Tycobbian Union tomorrow.

[Eugene Church]

WHOOPEE!

All 64 IPA teams have been roster-adjusted... all the weird names have been fixed... I made sure all of the teams with ethnic requirements like Ginza, Valmara, Volusia, Belle Plaine and others have the needed name changes... also retired all of the unproductive aging players that the AI doesn't remove... I made sure that free agents have good ratings so I can get a good rookie class.

Get yo' self set for the glorious 2091 IPA season coming to a park near you soon.