Island Baseball League

[ajsas01]

I'll be reporting on my own personal league from this thread.

My 'Universe' consists of 4 different Leagues as follows:

Sergada Division
----------------
Axton Lumber Kings
Channel City Scientists
Far City Hermits
Lake Indigo Anglers
Port Height Peaks
Silver Cove Saints

Southhedge Division
-------------------
Chesterside Emeralds
Crestway Rivermen
Dayford Lakers
Elmore Blue Sox
Knoxview Angels
Norgrove Apples

Grandis Division
---------------
Blenton Aces
Cold River Crushers
Ironroot Bronze Axes
Metropolis Millionaires
Nor City Silver Axes
White Sand Beaches

Twin Terra Division
------------------
Bayston Black Sox
Dorrin Farmers
East Versa Shippers
Terra City Explorers
West Reach Mills
Wide Bay Vipers

I've drawn up a map of this fictional world, but quite frankly it is only a ink drawing on a piece of notebook paper. I don't think the map will be posted anytime soon.

Each time plays 15 home and 15 away against every other team in its division. Only the division winner advances to the playoffs.

Sergada winner vs. Southhedge winner for the West Islands Championship
Grandis winner vs. Twin Terra winner for the East Islands Championship

The two winners meet for the Diamond Cup series.

As soon as I have a complete collection of logos I will insert the occasional post highlighting each of the major cities.

I unabashedly acknowledge Eugene Church's Tycobbia / Ruthlandia and DreamTeams' Metro leagues as inspiration for my shoddy knockoff.

[ajsas01]

It's Opening Day in Island Baseball Association!
The brand new 2008 pennant race begins today. The clubs are poised and primed for another new season of baseball filled with plenty of spills, chills, hits, runs, errors and homers. Another exciting season kicks off with these games:

Lake Indigo Anglers @ Port Height Peaks
Elmore Blue Sox @ Knoxview Angels
Metropolis Millionaires @ Nor City Silver Axes
Terra City Explorers @ West Reach Mills

(The current year happens to be 2008 in the Islands of Baseball. Cool coincidence, huh?)

[ajsas01]

Angels Earn 1st Ever IBA Win at Home 6-1
Knoxview seemed to be on cruise all night long, defeating the visiting Blue Sox 6-1. Juan Diaz only had one hit for the Angels, but it was a big one, powering the ball over the RF fence in the 2nd for a three run homer. Michael Gray (1-0) didn't bring his best stuff to the ballpark, but he still managed to scatter the 9 hits he gave up over 6.1 innings so that he only allowed one run while stranding 8.

[ajsas01]

Chavez Gem Leads Lake Indigo 6-2
The Lake Indigo Anglers stole the show at Port Height's franchise opening game by the score of 6-2. The Anglers rode the arm of Ramon Chavex the tune of 9 IP, 9 H, 2 ER and 1 K. After the game, Peaks 3B Pedro Correa lamented "We didn't see anything unhittable at the plate. Chavez kept pounding the strike zone, and we couldn't shake our 1st game nerves I guess."

[ajsas01]

Haynes Walk-off Double Wins Game for Mills
West Reach found themselves to 6-5 winners over the Terra City Explorers even though they were playing catch up all game long. Jeff Haynes smacked a 2-run double to cap off a 3-run 9th effort that brought the home faithful to their feet. "I'm glad that the fans were able to see something special tonight" said Haynes post-game. "We didn't play well for the most part today, but sometimes good teams can pull out a win when they're down".

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by ajsas01

I'll be reporting on my own personal league from this thread.

My 'Universe' consists of 4 different Leagues as follows:

Sergada Division
----------------
Axton Lumber Kings
Channel City Scientists
Far City Hermits
Lake Indigo Anglers
Port Height Peaks
Silver Cove Saints

Southhedge Division
-------------------
Chesterside Emeralds
Crestway Rivermen
Dayford Lakers
Elmore Blue Sox
Knoxview Angels
Norgrove Apples

Grandis Division
---------------
Blenton Aces
Cold River Crushers
Ironroot Bronze Axes
Metropolis Millionaires
Nor City Silver Axes
White Sand Beaches

Twin Terra Division
------------------
Bayston Black Sox
Dorrin Farmers
East Versa Shippers
Terra City Explorers
West Reach Mills
Wide Bay Vipers

I've drawn up a map of this fictional world, but quite frankly it is only a ink drawing on a piece of notebook paper. I don't think the map will be posted anytime soon.

Each time plays 15 home and 15 away against every other team in its division. Only the division winner advances to the playoffs.

Sergada winner vs. Southhedge winner for the West Islands Championship
Grandis winner vs. Twin Terra winner for the East Islands Championship

The two winners meet for the Diamond Cup series.

As soon as I have a complete collection of logos I will insert the occasional post highlighting each of the major cities.

I unabashedly acknowledge Eugene Church's Tycobbia / Ruthlandia and DreamTeams' Metro leagues as inspiration for my shoddy knockoff.

I personally am looking forward to following your league. I'm sure it will be well done.

Thanks for the kind words.

It was DreamTeams' Metro League and Portlander's Laseron Baseball League that inspired me.

I think I will follow the Elmore Blue Sox. The Blue Sox were a mythical team in Duane Decker's baseball books in the 50's. I read them in study hall at Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama. Ironically, DreamTeams is familiar with the books, too.

[ajsas01]

Thanks Eugene!

Unfortunately I won't be able to update the league as often as I would like (work being the primary time culprit). It may take me the better part of forever to finish the season, but after simming games in previous leagues I've found that I lose interest unless I'm involved in the daily nitty-gritty for every team.

I think Elmore should be a competitive team in the first season of the IBL. The Blue Sox do not have much of a minor league system right now, so I'm guessing they're going to make moves to win now rather than later. They also have one of the biggest and most loyal markets in the Islands. I'll post in depth city descriptions in the future.

[ajsas01]

Gaines HR Leads Silver Ax Victory in 11th
Dale Gaines swatted a 3 run HR in the bottom of the 11th to give Nor City a 3-0 home opening victory over the visiting Metropolis Millionaires. Both starting pitchers (Jose Astorias for Metropolis and Davey Holloway for Nor City) threw a 9-inning, 10 strikeout, shut-out games but neither were able to earn the win.

[ajsas01]

Lake Indigo Completes 2 Game sweep, 7-4 Over Peaks
Port Height faithful all agree: Spotting your opponent 6 runs is no way to win a ballgame. But that's just what the Peaks did as Lake Indigo raced ahead and never looked back, winning by a final score of 7-4. In a game that lacked a true best-in-game performance, Michael Larson of the Anglers took home player of the game honors with a 1-4, 3 run, 1 RBI and one BB day. Lake Indigo heads home for an off-day, followed by a 4 game series against follow Atlilini Island rivals Channel City.

Hermits Spank Saints, Ruin Home Opener, 9-0
Things probably could not have gone much worse for the Saints today, which opening up their franchise history with a 9-0 drubbing by visiting Espul Island rivals Far City. Robby Ward led the charge for the Hermits, going 2-4 with a double, a homer and 2 RBIs. The biggest news of the game may be that the Saints 18 year-old pitching phenom Carlos Rodriguez was forced to end his start today in the 4th inning. After throwing a heater in the 4th, Rodriguez was immediately hunched over and favoring his back. After consulting with the trainer for a few minutes, Rodriguez walked off the field, causing an instant hush over the home crowd.

Channel City Slugs 5 HR, Defeats Axton 10-4
Today was a battle of the batters as the Scientists out-smashed Axton 10-4 in Channel City. Neither starting pitcher made it out of the 5th inning and the teams combined for 9 extra base hits. Channel City took starting RF Paco Vega out in the 1st inning after Vega rolled his ankle when sprinting to 2nd on a double. In came replacement Nelson De La Hoya, and he made the most of his opportunity, going 2-3 with 2 home runs, 3 RBI and 3 runs. In the locker room after the game, De La Hoya exclaimed "I wasn't even supposed to play today...If you would have told me yesterday that the crowd would be calling my name for a hat tip in today's game, I would have said that you were nuts!"

Sergada Standings as of 4/8/2008
Lake Indigo 2-0, -- GB
Channel City 1-0, 0.5 GB
Far City 1-0, 0.5 GB
Axton 0-1, 1.5 GB
Silver Cove 0-1, 1.5 GB
Port Height, 0-2, 2.0 GB

(BRIEF ASIDE: At the end of each Divisional Report, I will include images of the team logos in the order of their ranking in the division. All of the images were created by davwmd. I highly recommend him if you need some logos for your own league

Ironically I can only include 5 images at a time. Whichever team is the bottom dweller in each division will be unable to have their image posted!)

[ajsas01]

6 Run 5th Propels Chesterside Past Crestway 9-7
The Em's spoiled Crestway's home opener by the score of 9-7 at a sold-out Riverman Ballpark. Chesterside 1B Joe Cobb took matters into his own hands today, going 3-5 with a double and a home run, 3 RBIs and 2 runs. Scott Taylor went 2-5, 1 HR and 1 RBI in a losing effort for the Rivermen. Crestway LF and IBA prospect #86 Mark Lee was forced to leave the game in the 4th after slamming into the outfield wall while making a spectacular catch. Team doctors have already ruled out a concussion but there is no word yet as to how long Lee will be forced to watch the game from the sidelines.

Knoxview Sweeps Elmore, Wins 8-1
It was more of the same today as Knoxview crushed the road Elmore Blue Sox by a final score of 8-1. Knoxview outscored Elmore 14 - 2 in the two games and is leading some IBA Southhedge critics to wonder if the Angels are the class of the Southhedge Division. Juan Diaz was lights out for Knoxville, going a perfect 4-4 at the plate, scoring 2 runs and stealing 3 bases. Jose Aquino may have wasted a gem in today, pitching 9 complete innings with 7 hits and 1 run allowed. Both teams will have tomorrow off before opening a 4-game set. Elmore hosts Crestway for their 1st home series, and Knoxview travels to Norgrove.

Norgrove Makes Good at Opener, Beats Dayford 5-3
The Apples did not let an early 2 run deficit get to them, as they battled back to eventually beat the Lakers 5-3. 1B Carlos Tobias put the Apples up for good in the 4th when he bashed the ball to the Norgrove faithful for a 3-run homer. "That was the most electric moment of my life. I felt like I was floating down the base paths" said a grinning Tobias afterwords. Eric Houston pinch-hit a solo bomb in the top of the 9th to bring the Lakers within one, but it was too little, too late.

Southhedge Standings:
Knoxview 2-0, 0 GB
Chesterside 1-0, 0.5 GB
Norgrove 1-0, 0.5 GB
Crestway 0-1, 1.5 GB
Dayford 0-1, 1.5 GB
Elmore 0-2, 2 GB

[ajsas01]

Silver Axes Sweep Millionaires, Win 6-4
In what was already locally been called the "Great Experiment" by Nor City residents, Jim Ropp took the start for the Silver Axes and met expectations, pitching a solid 6.1 innings and leading Nor City 6-4 past the Metropolis Millionaires. Ropp was able to earn the #2 spot in the Silver Ax rotation, but with questionable arm endurance many wondered if he could last more than a 3 inning start. Nor City manager Javier Ramos was quoted as saying "Ropp pitched well. This is only one game though...we're going to need him all season."

Estrada Spins Gem, Beachers Beat Bronze Axes 3-1
It was a happy home opener for the White Sand Beachers. White Sand won 3-1 over Ironroot, a game in which Pablo Estrada gave the Bronzes little hope. Estrada worked to the line of 8.0 IP, 3 hits, 6 K's, 2 BB and one ER. On the offensive side of the plate, Curt Sanders had a great game for the Beachers, going 1-2 with 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 RBI and 2 runs. The two teams will complete the two game set tomorrow.

Crushers Crush Blenton 11-0
Going into the bottom of the 6th, the score was 0-0 and it looked like it was still anyone's game. Fast forward 3 innings, and Cold River smashed the Aces 11-0 for a glorious home-opening victory. Today also marked the first complete game shutout in IBA history as Glenn Williamson pitched the entire game without giving up a single run. "When you have the defense behind you the way that I did, you just keep pounding the strike zone and let your teams make plays" said Williamson. "It's very easy to be fearless when you have excellent fielding." The Crushers would have made any small ball manager happy with today's performance, scoring all 11 runs without the aid of a home run or triple. Cold River also coaxed 12 walks out of the opposing pitchers.

4/8/2008 Grandis Standings
Nor City 2-0, 0 GB
Cold River 1-0, 0.5 GB
White Sand 1-0, 0.5 GB
Blenton 0-1, 1.5 GB
Ironroot 0-1, 1.5 GB
Metropolis 0-2, 2.0 GB

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by ajsas01

Thanks Eugene!

Unfortunately I won't be able to update the league as often as I would like (work being the primary time culprit). It may take me the better part of forever to finish the season, but after simming games in previous leagues I've found that I lose interest unless I'm involved in the daily nitty-gritty for every team.

I think Elmore should be a competitive team in the first season of the IBL. The Blue Sox do not have much of a minor league system right now, so I'm guessing they're going to make moves to win now rather than later. They also have one of the biggest and most loyal markets in the Islands. I'll post in depth city descriptions in the future.

Hey, real life always takes precedence over a hobby. I'm retired and have plenty of time to spend on OOTPB.

I agree with you. Simming is not for me, either. The only way to really get to know your players and league is to play out games. I play out the last three innings of every team's games and write up a brief description of it. This really gets me into the league.

It takes me six months to play a year. And since I have expanded to 64 teams, it will take me a year to play a year. I had to expand as I had created these town histories and could only use half of them. I really got attached to the towns, so I decided to include all of them.

I think you are wise to limit your teams to 24. That is a much more realistic league size.

GO ELMORE BLUE SOX!

[ajsas01]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Hey, real life always takes precedence over a hobby. I'm retired and have plenty of time to spend on OOTPB.

I agree with you. Simming is not for me, either. The only way to really get to know your players and league is to play out games. I play out the last three innings of every team's games and write up a brief description of it. This really gets me into the league.

It takes me six months to play a year. And since I have expanded to 64 teams, it will take me a year to play a year. I had to expand as I had created these town histories and could only use half of them. I really got attached to the towns, so I decided to include all of them.

I think you are wise to limit your teams to 24. That is a much more realistic league size.

GO ELMORE BLUE SOX!

I'm 100% in agreement with you; it may take me a year in RL to play a year in OOTP, but if that's the way that I best enjoy the game then that's the way it's going to have to be.

Elmore laid an egg in their opening series. Hopefully they'll turn things around at home in a few days.

[ajsas01]

Bayston Defeats Dorrin 11-4
Bayston played the role of party crasher in Dorrin today, winning handily 11-4. It was a 5-3 game going into the 7th when Jeronimo Rodriguez blew things open with a grand slam just over the right field wall. The slam may have been aided by an over-eager fan reaching over the wall to take home a souvenir from the Farmer's franchise opener. Tony Duke pitched well for the Black Sox, going 8.1 innings with 4 ER and 9 strikeouts.

Terra City Tops Mills 10-8, Split Series
The Mills must have used up their come-from-behind magic yesterday because there was no 9th inning rally to be found in their 10-8 loss to the Explorers. Terra City SS Shawn Allen could not be kept under control, batting 4-4 with 2 homers, a double, 3 RBIs and 4 runs. The starting pitchers combined for 13 IP, 15 ER, 19 hits, 7 walks and 10 K's.

Shippers Edge Vipers 6-5 in Extras
The Vipers may have lost their opener, but at least they provided an entertaining show for the fans. Wide Bay fell just short of East Versta, losing 6-5 in the tenth despite tying the game in the 9th. The would-be hero was Viper RF Montego Cardona, who hit a solo shot in the 9th to bring the crowd to their feet and gave the Vipers a second chance. It was not to be however, as the Shippers wasted no time in the top of the 10th, manufacturing the winning run with a sacrifice fly. East Versta and Wide Bay meet tomorrow to finish the short two-game set.

4/8/2008 Twin Terra Standings
Bayston 1-0, -- GB
East Versta 1-0, -- GB
Terra City 1-1, 0.5 GB
West Reach 1-1, 0.5 GB
Dorrin 0-1, 1 GB
Wide Bay 0-1, 1 GB

[ajsas01]

Silver Cove: Carlos Rodriguez is most likely going to miss 2 - 4 starts after doctors verified that the 18 year-old has likely strained a back muscle. Rodriguez will surely be disappointed to miss games this early in the season, but Saints fans must feel like they dodged a bullet.

Channel City: Paco Vega was pulled from the game after limping to 2nd on a double, and it looks like he experienced a minor ankle sprain that he will be playing through in the upcoming week.

Crestway: Starting right-fielder Mark Lee is going to miss about 3 weeks after bruising his cheekbone while slamming into a wall making a catch today. While the catch was spectacular, many Rivenmen fans are criticizing the need to put Lee on the 15-day DL for such a relatively minor injury.

East Versta: Bill Grey missed the second half of his game after he was taken out of the game for precautionary measures. Grey was limping after running out an infield single, but apparently it is a minor groin strain that he can play through. "Should've stretched more before the game. My bad" Grey said afterwords.

[ajsas01]

Silver Cove:
With Carlos Rodriguez temporarily on the sidelines, manager Randy Hanson will have to plug reliever Alfonso Rodriguez in a starting role for at least two starts. "It's too early to determine if any of the Jr. Saints (Silver Cove's AAA affiliate) are ready to eat some innings up here. It's a duct tape solution, but we have confidence in Alf-Rod"

Crestway:
With Mark Lee on the 15 day DL, the Rivermen will now turn to Guillermo Velásquez to fill the hole in left field. Velásquez went 0-3 when filling in for Lee. While one game does not make a complete evaluation, the general expectation is that Lee's job will be waiting for him when he gets back.

SP Bill Wright (24 yrs. old) has been called up from AAA Royal Port Captains. Manager Lawrence Bickle told the press that Wright will be used in a middle relief role so as to determine how Wright stacks up against big league hitters.

[ajsas01]

Hermits Sweep Saints, Win by 3-2 Score
Far City defeated Silver Cove today 3-2, finishing off the 2-game sweep and taking a early lead in the battle of Espul Island. Silver Cove had their chances today, most noticeable being runners on 1st and 3rd with one out and bases loaded with 2 out, both in the bottom of the ninth. The Hermits did not leave Silver Cove unharmed, as backup infielder Scott Boyd pinch hit in the 8th but ended up leaving injured after sliding into 2nd base on a fielder's choice. Silver Cove will stay home and start a 4-game set against Port Height tomorrow, while Far City has a day off before opening their stadium against the visiting Lumber Kings.

Axton Beats Channel City 6-2, Even Series 1-1
The Jeremy Burns / Pepe Chapa tandem proved to be too much for the Scientists and Axton walked away with a series-tying 6-2 victory. Burns lasted 6 1/3 innings while giving up 2 runs, 4 hits and 4 walks. Chapa relieved Burns and never came out of the game, eating the remaining 2 2/3 innings perfectly. Duane Wilkinson recorded his first home run today, and the Axton right-fielder is still expected by most IBA experts to hit in the range of 50 dingers through the course of the season.

4/9/2008 Sergada Standings
Far City 2-0, -- GB
Lake Indigo, 2-0, --GB
Axton 1-1, 1 GB
Channel City 1-1, 1 GB
Port height 0-2, 2 GB
Silver Cove 0-2, 2 GB

[glenn]

Nice job so far! I always enjoy a completely fictional universes. Since they are in last(and I like their name and want to see their logo), I'm rooting for the Wide Bay Vipers.

[ajsas01]

Originally Posted by glenn

Nice job so far! I always enjoy a completely fictional universes. Since they are in last(and I like their name and want to see their logo), I'm rooting for the Wide Bay Vipers.

While I doubt that they will be in dead last for the remainder of the season, here you go.

I'm not crazy about Wide Bay's chances this year. The team is mediocre to bad, and their minor leagues are just plain yucky. However, rooting for a weak team can be fun in its own way I suppose.

Thanks for checking in

[ajsas01]

Crestway Wins 8-1, Series Tied With Chesterside
Brian Braun had an excellent start for the Rivermen but his teammates would have been fine without the extra help. slugging 8 runs across the plate for a 8-1 victory over the Em's. Braun's complete game 6-hitter was marred only by a solo home run by Paco Lopez in the 4th inning, his second homer of the season. Chris Estes was the clean-up batter for Chesterside and acted like it, batting 3-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored.

Norgrove Embarrasses Dayford 14-3, Sweeps Series
The Apples left the fans in a state of awe today as they throughly undressed the Lakers 14-3. The Apples had many great offensive performances, none better though than 2B Jerry Robinson (3-5, 1 grand slam, 4 RBIs, 3 runs). The game still a reasonable 5-3 score in the bottom of the 4th before Robinson tattooed the ball over the deep center field wall. Lakers pitching has given up 19 runs in 16 IP, and there is already panic in Dayford regarding what this season might entail on the mound.

4/9/2008 Southhedge Standings
Knoxview 2-0, -- GB
Norgrove 2-0, -- GB
Chesterside 1-1, 1 GB
Crestway 1-1, 1 GB
Dayford 0-2, 2 GB
Elmore 0-2, 2 GB