World Baseball Classic 29 - Everything Thread

[Kingdom of Costa Luna]

"Good evening from Lake Monroe for the second game of the group stage in the World Baseball Classic. Costa Luna is coming off a 7-5 road victory against arch-rival Gregoryisgodistan. Now, Costa Luna will host last place Azherden, which is coming off a 6-3 loss against
New Montreal States, the current group leader.

Costa Luna has been outstanding at home and is expected to hold a huge home field advantage throughout the group stage. Coughman Stadium, where today's game is being held, is by far the largest stadium in the World Baseball Classic. To add to its huge outfield, a mammoth wall stands guard as the last defense against a home run making the iconic Coughman Stadium a power team's worst nightmare. However, Costa Luna has their team built on speed and pitching rather than power.

In yesterday's game, Costa Luna set an all-time national record as they went 20 for 20 in stolen bases. After putting up seven runs in the first four innings, ending Pervert Chaser MMM1939AHZBBA's dismal game, that was all Randy Tomorrow needed as he goes seven innings allowing three runs and striking out seven and walking none. Costa Luna pulled Tomorrow out in the seventh being with the Royals up 7-3. Sammy So pitched the eighth inning allowing two runs on two hits. Mariaño Sure got a rare save striking out the side in a perfect ninth inning and securing Costa Luna's 7-5 win over Gregoryisgodistan.

The Royals did not hang around to give answer the media questions after the game at all wanting to get away from the very upset Government of Gregoryisgodistan. Costa Luna, known as a peaceful nation, is rarely seen using force, but did have heavily armed security to around the team as they attempted to flee Gregoryisgodistan.

While Gregoryisgodistan will travel to face the Royals on Friday, it is still unsure of where the game will be held. In an interview last night, President K.A. Possible of Middleton Valley responded to Princesa Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fioré's request for Middleton Valley to host the game. President Possible said, 'I am not sure what is going to play out with Gregoryisgodistan by that point...and [we] saw what almost happened last time Costa Luna and Gregoryisgodistan is in a tournament together. I am worried for the Princesa's safety, but also the safety of Middleton Valley citizens as well.' President Possible is expected to address the matter later in the week.

But now it is time for pitching ace, Frank Naturally, and the rest of the Costa Luna Royals to face off against the team from Azherden at Coughman Stadium in Lake Monroe. So sit back and enjoy the game."

W: Ramos Tomorrow (1-0, 3.857) 7 IP, 3 ER, 7 K, 0 BB
L: Pervert Chaser MMM1939AHZBBA (0-1, 15.75) 4 IP, 7 ER, 0 K, 2 BB
S: Mariaño Sure (1) 1 IP, 0 ER, 3 K, 0 BB

[Imota]

Chie Yakumo: Hello, multiverse! I’m Chie Yakumo!

Sakuya Izyoi: And I’m Sakuya Izayoi.

CY: And we’re Batter-yuri! Thanks so much for having us!

SI: I still don’t really like that name.

CY: Eh? Why not? I think it’s a nice pun on the fact that we’re a battery back home, and we’re both girls.

SI: Still, it implies that we’re both…um…

CY: Lesbians?

SI: (squeals, smacks Chie with harisen)

CY: Ow! What was that for?

SI: (mumbles)

CY: In any case, we’re Batter-yuri!

SI: This is not going to end well…

CY: Well then, first things first: we lost to Cassadaigua last night.

SI: It’s a shame, really.

CY: Not only that, but it’s also the first time we’ve ever lost an opening game.

SI: Come to think of it, you’re right. We’ve always won the opening game.

CY: Not to mention that this time it was in front of the home crowd.

SI: Well, all of our opening games have been at home, after all.

CY: Ei-chan (Eiji Miki) didn’t do so hot, did he? Giving up four runs in the first five innings.

SI: To be fair, the offense is to blame as well. Just one run on six hits is inexcusable.

CY: We just couldn’t turn those six hits into runs. Maybe we weren’t aggressive enough with our baserunning.

SI: Wow, you actually said something smart there.

CY: I know, right?

SI: You’re actually learning. Everyone, a round of applause for this learning moment!

CY: …you’re making fun of me, aren’t you?

SI: No, not at all.

CY: Well, all that aside, let me give you some batting tips.

SI: Batting tips?

CY: If Imota’s not gonna use the DH at home…

SI: Hmm.

CY: …then we need to make sure our pitchers aren’t just throwaway outs.

SI: Fair enough.

CY: Right, then. (mimes batting stance) Hold the bat up like this.

SI: (follows Chie’s lead, with the harisen in place of a bat) Like this?

CY: (starts into a swinging motion) Swing like this…

SY: (follows Chie’s lead) Right.

CY: (lays down a bunt) And bunt!

SY: (follows through on the swing and smacks Chie) Quit screwing around!

CY, SY: (face audience and bow in unison) Thank you very much!

[Maklohi Vai]

OOC: Not much time today, sorry. I'm going to be doing a couple parallel RP lines for the first few matchdays, and then pick one for the remainder of the WBC that ties them together. That's the plan, at least.

Wolo Rakinalmanai paused. "Pano, I can't do that."

"Come on, man. Nobody is going to find out."

"No, Pano, I mean it."

"Fine, man." The larger man backed away out of the dim light. "Have it your way."

Wolo got up and started to walk back up the stairs to the clubhouse, moving with haste.

"Hey," Pano said from behind him, "Just know that there will be consequences."

Wolo turned around. "You and your men can't force anything on me."

"Words of a confident man, I see. We'll set that straight."

Wolo practically leaped up the stairs in disgust. Pano wouldn't stop him this time.

---

It was an oddly cold day, down to 55º F, in Urmakani when Arnao stepped off the plane. He passed through baggage claim with ease, and only a couple autograph seekers, and called a taxi on the corner. Personal drivers weren't his thing.

"Hello."

"Hi there, where are y-- OH MY GOD!! Are you Arnao?" The cabbie turned around in shock, his mouth agape and his eyes wide.

The player took it in stride. "Yes sir, I am."

The man's face suddenly changed, as if a light switch had been flicked. His mouth twisted up at the corners, and his eyes squinted a little bit. "Of course you are." He floored the gas and swerved to get out of the airport, chuckling.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hey, I n--"

"You need what? Your time has come, there is nothing more."

"What are you doing?"

"Shut up. There isn't any time for questions. You'll find out soon enough." The cabbie swerved to avoid a car and grunted. Arnao took out his phone in the backseat and composed a text to his girlfriend.

In cab in Urm, rogue driver, maybe kidnapped, call 333.

[Hicana]

"Welcome to 500-Or-Less Radio! We're here on 499 LM, and we're going to be summarizing MD 1 of the WBC 29 AND a run through the Hicana roster in less than...500!"

"It's been a very odd day at Ponyland, aka Equestrian States. In group one, Levivania were surprise 6-1 victors over world numero uno The Royal Barangay, while The Serbian Empire beat Karditan in a key matchup between number-two and number-three.

Premier Thomas Willete showed their baseball mettle against Estope, who claims anti-Christian bias lost the host bid for them, hurting Estope's chance to advance with a 10-9 victory. Vaugania beat Jeckland and Lycrabon routed San Jose Guayabal.

Group Three saw Crystal Empire defeat world number two, those filthy Tigers of Llamaland, along with wins from Britonisea and Allinlia, who beat Darling of Margaret Mosktopia. New Koln is not living up to "Newer = better", unless Old Koln really stunk, with a 9-3 loss to Kinzar, while Ko-oren still can't win, losing to Sicoutimont. Darmen beat Zwangzug in a slugfest that saw Zwangzug rally from down seven in the bottom of the ninth to lose 12-10. What a game.

Nothing unexpected happened in Group Six, with Cassadaigua, Maklohi Vai, and Saintland winning. Hosts Equestrian States couldn't top number six Milchama in Group Seven, while Hicana topped Strawbee and Dark Star Republic prevailed. Mochria shocked Saugeais 6-4 while Costa Luna won round one of Costa Luna v. Gregoryisgodistan. Duck and cover, it's a solar bomb!

Finally, Alitaba stunned Nova Anglicana in group nine, which also saw a win apiece from Noburu Taiyou and Qazox."

"Two thirty-one, nicely done. Now for our roster?"

"This is a really defensive team, and the offensive side is honestly a bit sparse. Even with no history of success, I really like the crop of talent in our pitching. I mean, just look!

Simply in the rotation we have the dominant Lucas Sanchez, who really matured into an ace after a meh performance at WBC 28. The Chang brothers at three and four both have finesse, but honestly, they wouldn't start on a top-ten team. They're good pitchers, and we'll keep them, but we could really get an upgrade here at the back end. In the two spot, centaur Chironios Une is a special type. Tons of good pitches, and he's only twenty nine. He has a classic or two left in him by HUMAN standards!

Relief-wise, Trebleclef is really special at 21. The elf is an amazing pitcher. The 20-year-old 3-seamer Charlie Hastings refuses to reveal the nature of his mysterious pitch, but nobody can hit it. He should be special and a fan favorite for years. Karstens, Sjav, and Yorick also have potential at WBC 30.

Hitting-wise? I really like the top of this one. Three humans in Nunyez, Manyana, and Jimenez. Wesley Jimenez is just a beast. I don't know how we'd survive without him, but we'll have to at WBC 31, when he'll be 41!

Cassini Ventrus and Chestnutgrove are a very interesting four-five combo. We've got everything in there. I think both Ventrus and Grove are really underrated.

Othellus Trius at short, Nostradamus at first, and fan favorite Nyan Yolo in the outfield round out this lineup, with decent backups."

"Two sixty-seven. Add them up and we get...Four hundred...ninety eight. Nicely done."

[Nova Anglicana]

Lions Drop First Game, Are Not Alone in Disappointment

Allen Talos, Londinium Courier

The WBC 29 campaign for the Nova Anglicana Lions got off to a terrible start yesterday, as they dropped a 6-2 decision to the Mariners of Alitaba at home in Archbishop Stadium. It appears that a shiny new #7 ranking is not all it's cracked up to be, as the Lions did not play like a team many spots better than the team they were facing.

Alitaba struck first in the top of the first inning when Simeon Mabukay doubled home Dato Akubay, himself on second after a leadoff single and a wild pitch by new Lions #1 Felix Murphy. This 1-0 score persisted until the bottom of the 5th inning. Until that time, Jose Panibugho had been pitching extremely well, allowing just a hit and a walk. Jarrod Novak led off with a bunt single and promptly stole second, putting himself in scoring position with none out. Brice Napier struck out, and Chris Fletcher singled home Novak by blasting a ball between Mabukay and the second baseman Alab. Murphy sacrificed Fletcher to second, and Martín Torrés whacked a ball into the left-center gap for a run-scoring double and a two-run lead.

Unfortunately, Murphy could not hold the lead. The very next inning, Mabukay and Dato Alinsaga Datumanong hit back-to-back one-out doubles to tie the score. After a long drive by first-timer Tony "Flick" Barnes was hauled down three feet short of the left-center fence in the bottom of the 6th, #8 hitter Apolinario Macatuli connected on a fly ball that just cleared the left-field wall and gave the Mariners a 6-2 lead. Murphy departed having allowed three runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out seven. The score stayed 3-2 until the top of the 9th, when Jamey Conroy was brought in to keep the game close. Alab led off with a double, pulled down the left-field line, and was punched home on a sharp single by Panabughi. Macatuli fell victim to Conroy's nasty stuff, but the pinch-hitter Sultan Samudi Baktir waited out on Conroy and took a walk. Akubay hit a soft grounder in the first-second hole, and Fletcher could only get Akubay at first. Conroy then grooved a 98 MPH fastball to catcher Rajah Amansinya, and he drilled it to left-center for a two-run double and a 6-2 Mariners lead. The Lions could not muster anything in their half and had to watch as the Mariners celebrated on their home field.

Although the Lions were shamed yesterday, they were not the only highly-ranked teams to fall. Yesterday saw Premier Thomas Willette, a first-time team, defeat 26th-ranked Estope (not without more accusations of corruption from Estope), while the WBC 28 runners-up and current #1 the Royal Barangay succumbed 6-1 to a mediocre Levivania squad. The reigning champs and current #2 Super-Llamaland, with their new-look team, fell to first-time participant Crystal Empire 6-4 in walkoff fashion. 50th-ranked Hicana took out WBC 27 champions Stawbee with seven runs in the final four innings, while second-timers Mochria defeated stalwart Saugeais 6-4, and the Kingdom of Costa Luna got the better of their nemeses Gregoryisgodistan 7-5. In our own group, Noburu Taiyou defeated Quebec 5-2 in a mild upset. Up next for the Lions is 20th-ranked Qazox. A win on the road is imperative to getting back on track, but a flooded field could prove to be a major obstacle. One has to wonder what Qazoxian and WBC officials are thinking, letting this game go on. In any case, the Lions need a strong showing on the road. May the bats stay strong.

[Middleton Valley]

Crazy Pups Lose Opener, Look to Rebound Tonight

Middleton - After a 10-5 loss to the team from Qazox in Qazox, the Crazy Pups will hold their home opener in the World Baseball Classic hosting Noburu Taiyou tonight. Tonight's game is a completely different situation because unlike the twentieth ranked Qazox team, the team from Noburu Taiyou is virtually an unknown team. This should bode well for Middleton Valley as they attempt to get their first win in international play (Middleton Valley is currently 0-2 in international play having lost to Costa Luna and Qazox).

President Possible does plan to throw out the first pitch at The Doghouse tonight. It was President Possible's efforts that put Middleton Valley in the World Baseball Classic after her administration pushed to try to get kids interested in the game of baseball. In an interview earlier today, President Possible stated, "it is only logical that we put a team in international play. We need to get kids active and baseball is a great way to get active. While I would love to see our team make it to the next round, it is more important that we encourage kids through our participation in this competition."

Middleton Valley's game will start at 7:05 PM at The Doghouse tonight.

[New North Aqmuland]

Hewak's House

Maroon Lions Lose to Dark Star Republic 2-1, Face Strawbee Next

Matchday 1
New North Aqmuland 1
Dark Star Republic 2

Well, it wasn't the greatest game we've ever had, that's for sure. A 2-1 loss to a fellow unranked is not terrible, though. I actually think that it could get a lot worse for us, even though I hope that isn't the case.

We play Strawbee tonight. This could actually get really ugly, but I have some hope for us, because I think that we, my friends, could join the upset club. I mean, Premier Thomas Williamette? I think that we are primed and ready to take a win here, especially because some of our players seemed to be steaming mad at the post-game interviews. Should that carry over, I think that the Strawbee boys are going to have quite the game on their hands.

Of course, I won't get too forward, mostly because I don't think we'll win. However, this should be a good learning experience for us, better than last night was for everyone in New North Aqmuland.

Then again, the soccer team tied Ko-oren and the hockey team beat Qazox, so miracles can happen.

Adonis Hewak is a blogger for the Tchad Daily, covering international sports involving New North Aqmuland. He lives in Gobana, Tchad, with his wife and two boys. He attended college at Tchad State University, playing guard for the basketball team, and majored in journalism.

[Equestrian States]

World Baseball Classic 29 - Group Stage
Match Day 2 Results

Group 1
The Serbian Empire               0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1  3
Levivania                        2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 X  5

Pacificana Islands               0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
The Royal Barangay               0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 X  4

Karditan                         0 0 0 1 7 0 0 1 2 11
Lymantatia                       1 1 0 0 4 3 1 0 0 10


  Group 1                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Levivania                         2    2   0    11    4   +7    1.000
2 The Serbian Empire                2    1   1    15   11   +4    0.500
3 The Royal Barangay                2    1   1     5    8   −3    0.500
4 Pacificana Islands                2    1   1     7    5   +2    0.500
5 Karditan                          2    1   1    17   22   −5    0.500
6 Lymantatia                        2    0   2    11   16   −5    0.000

Group 2
Estope                           0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0  4
Lycrabon                         0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Jeckland                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
San Jose Guayabal                0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Premier Thomas Willette          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Vaugania                         1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  1


  Group 2                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Vaugania                          2    2   0     9    2   +7    1.000
2 Premier Thomas Willette           2    1   1    10   10    0    0.500
3 Estope                            2    1   1    13   11   +2    0.500
4 Lycrabon                          2    1   1    10    6   +4    0.500
5 San Jose Guayabal                 2    1   1     5   10   −5    0.500
6 Jeckland                          2    0   2     3   11   −8    0.000

Group 3
Crystal Empire                   0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 1  5
Mosktopia                        0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0  4

Yttribia                         1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3  7
Allinlia                         1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  3

Super-Llamaland                  1 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 1  8
Britonesia                       0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1


  Group 3                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Crystal Empire                    2    2   0    11    8   +3    1.000
2 Super-Llamaland                   2    1   1    12    7   +5    0.500
3 Britonesia                        2    1   1     4   10   −6    0.500
4 Yttribia                          2    1   1     9    6   +3    0.500
5 Allinlia                          2    1   1     6    7   −1    0.500
6 Mosktopia                         2    0   2     4    8   −4    0.000

Group 4
The Andromeda Islands            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  4
Sicoutimont                      0 1 0 4 2 0 0 0 X  7

New Koln                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ko-oren                          0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 X  3

The Fair Republic                0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Kinzar                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0


  Group 4                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Sicoutimont                       2    2   0    13    5   +8    1.000
2 The Fair Republic                 2    2   0     6    3   +3    1.000
3 Kinzar                            2    1   1     9    5   +4    0.500
4 Ko-oren                           2    1   1     4    6   −2    0.500
5 The Andromeda Islands             2    0   2     7   11   −4    0.000
6 New Koln                          2    0   2     3   12   −9    0.000

Group 5
Patistan                         0 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 2  8
Zwangzug                         0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0  3

New Wolfopolis                   0 0 1 0 5 0 0 1 0  7
Darmen                           0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

Costa de Ouro                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Bonticello                       0 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 X  5


  Group 5                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Patistan                          2    2   0    16    5  +11    1.000
2 New Wolfopolis                    2    2   0    11    7   +4    1.000
3 Bonticello                        2    1   1     8    5   +3    0.500
4 Darmen                            2    1   1    16   17   −1    0.500
5 Zwangzug                          2    0   2    13   20   −7    0.000
6 Costa de Ouro                     2    0   2     3   13  −10    0.000

Group 6
Imota                            0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2
Rizealand                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  4

Maklohi Vai                      1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Saintland                        0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  3

Cassadaigua                      0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 1  4
Nassau Hessen                    0 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 X  6


  Group 6                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Saintland                         2    2   0    10    8   +2    1.000
2 Maklohi Vai                       2    1   1     9    6   +3    0.500
3 Nassau Hessen                     2    1   1     9   11   −2    0.500
4 Rizealand                         2    1   1    10    9   +1    0.500
5 Cassadaigua                       2    1   1     8    7   +1    0.500
6 Imota                             2    0   2     3    8   −5    0.000

Group 7
Equestrian States                0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 0  5
The Dark Star Republic           1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Strawbee                         0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  3
New North Aqmuland               0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2

Milchama                         1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3
Hicana                           0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 X  4


  Group 7                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Hicana                            2    2   0    13    8   +5    1.000
2 Milchama                          2    1   1    10    9   +1    0.500
3 Equestrian States                 2    1   1    10   10    0    0.500
4 The Dark Star Republic            2    1   1     5    6   −1    0.500
5 Strawbee                          2    1   1     8   11   −3    0.500
6 New North Aqmuland                2    0   2     3    5   −2    0.000

Group 8
Saugeais                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Gregoryisgodistan                0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 X  4

Azherden                         0 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0  4
Kingdom of Costa Luna            0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Mochria                          0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0  4
New Montreal States              0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3


  Group 8                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Mochria                           2    2   0    10    7   +3    1.000
2 New Montreal States               2    1   1     9    7   +2    0.500
3 Azherden                          2    1   1     7    8   −1    0.500
4 Kingdom of Costa Luna             2    1   1     9    9    0    0.500
5 Gregoryisgodistan                 2    1   1     9    8   +1    0.500
6 Saugeais                          2    0   2     5   10   −5    0.000

Group 9
Nova Anglicana                   0 3 0 0 3 0 0 1 0  7
Qazox                            0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2

Noburu Taiyou                    0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 2  7
Middleton Valley                 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  3

Alitaba                          0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 4  9
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3


  Group 9                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Alitaba                           2    2   0    15    5  +10    1.000
2 Noburu Taiyou                     2    2   0    12    5   +7    1.000
3 Nova Anglicana                    2    1   1     9    8   +1    0.500
4 Qazox                             2    1   1    12   12    0    0.500
5 Middleton Valley                  2    0   2     8   17   −9    0.000
6 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec       2    0   2     5   14   −9    0.000

[Qazox]

Nova Anglicana 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 1 0  7
Qazox          0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2

Nova Anglicana wasn't fazed by the muck, jumping over Paul Pillsbury for 6 runs in just 4.1 innings on the way to a 7-2 win. Pillsbury's doughball, aka an 86 mph 12-6 curveball, was slammed around the Black Hole like a whiffleball. In the 2nd, 5 straight hits gave the Lions a 3-0 lead. Tony Barnes had the big hit of the inning, a double that sunk in between Truman and McAfee, allowing 2 runs to score. In the 5th, Roman Jennings launched a moonrocket of a shot that landed in a clump of trees about 460 feet down the left field line, a 3-run blast chasing Pillsbury. Qazox did manage to score twice in the 6th, as the Lions struggled to get to some bunts by Hernandez and pinch-hitter Allenwood. Both came home on Branson's slapshot to center that Torres couldn't quite find at first. Nova Anglicana closed out the game with a run in the 8th, off a throwing error by Thorensen, who mistook a rock for the ball. Up next Qazox will go to 2-0 Noburu Taiyou, who have beaten Quebec and Middleton Valley.

[Lycrabon]

More controversy, Estope prevails 4-1

ST. CATHERINE - The calls for Brianna Bruce's head were renewed following a rare debacle of a loss, as the Blue Jays not only fell to Estope - they were thoroughly outplayed by them.

Mitchell Johnston took the loss in relief, as starter Paul Bray was ejected after one batter, a hit batsmen. Normally, that wouldn't warrant an ejection. The Estopian delegation has made claims of bias in the championship rounds being given to Equestrian States, and apparently Miss Bruce took exception to that. Following the hit batter, she screamed across the field, "There's your (expletive) conspiracy!" prompting the home plate umpire to eject her and Bray. Sean McCormick hit a double in the fourth, and was brought in two batters later with a single. Lycrabon finished the game 1-13 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-3 after putting runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth with no one out and failing to score. Postgame, it was announced that Bruce will be suspended two games for her actions.

[Imota]

Chie Yakumo: Hello again! Once again, I'm Chie Yakumo,

Sakuya Izayoi: And I'm Sakuya Izayoi.

CY: And we're Batter-yuri!

SI: So, how about tonight's game?

CY: Don't... remind me.

SI: Why not? We did lose and fall to 0-2 and last place, but-

CY: Why Rizealand? Of all the nations we could have lost to, why Rizealand?

SI: Um-

CY: Did you see their damn roster? They only had fifteen players! Five of them were pitchers, and they had a ten man batting order!

SI: Well-

CY: I mean, when I read their host bid, I had a hunch that they had no clue how baseball works, but that roster...it's a mess! It's almost as bad as New Koln! Are they even trying to-

SI: Quit it already! (smacks Chie with harisen)

CY: (still fuming) Thanks, Sa-chan. I... I needed that.

SI: In any case, we've dropped two in a row to start Classic 29. How did it happen?

CY: Let's see... well, we took the lead first.

SI: Top of the fifth, one out, two men on, a single by the ever capable Saki Lilienthal to take the lead.

CY: She's kind of a bitch, but damn if she doesn't cover right field well.

Saki (from offstage): I heard that!

SI: Still, Kikuchi-san did a good job, allowing no runs and just three hits over seven innings.

CY: Tomo-chan really snagged herself one hell of a husband. (intentionally loudly) Too bad Saki hasn't had much luck in that department, eh?

Saki (from offstage): Shut up!

SI: (sighs) Well, this time the bullpen blew it. Hikaru Shidou gave up a two run homer in the eighth, and even though we tied it up in the top of the ninth, a two RBI double in the bottom put Rizealand in the win column, 4-2.

CY: Still pisses me off, though. And there's that thing about Estope's game. Are the umpires horsing around?

SI: Well, things like that just happen, sometimes. You win some, you lose some. You remember WBC 28, those two games against Mochria, right?

CY: Ugh, don't remind me... I mean, the Mochrians are an okay bunch, but losing to them twice sucked.

SI: Yeah... this isn't really funny, is it?

CY: … no, it isn't.

(beat)

SI, CY: (bowing in unison) This has been Batter-yuri.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Saugeais                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Gregoryisgodistan                0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 X  4

"Hello, and welcome to the Gregoryisgodistan Sports Report. I'm Sportscaster JSBZ1838AHB. First, breaking news out of the WBC. Costa Luna has bribed tournament officials to declare the first game of the tournament a 7-5 win in favor of Costa Luna, even though the Bat Slaves won by several hundred runs. Apparently, the bribe worked. This is completely unacceptable, but there's nothing we can do about it at this point. Lord Almighty Gregory has reportedly threatened to drop solar powered bombs on that nation, however. 'Bribery is unacceptable,' he said. 'We cannot allow this to permeate this glorious tournament.'

"Now, for highlights of the game against Saugeais. It was Tanner Glover taking the hill against Technical Support Specialist A8DHH1938DH in a battle of lefties from Lord Almighty Gregory Baseball Stadium. In the top of the first, the Saugeais have the bases loaded and just one out, but Ali Carpenter bounces into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning and Technical Support Specialist A8DHH1938DH is out of it.

"Bottom 4, runners on second and third, two outs, for Enemy Crusher Bobby Furgles. Glover hangs a curve and the enemy crusher crushes it like it's an enemy. Way out of the park. It traveled about 500 feet. The Bat Slaves take a 3-0 lead and Enemy Crusher Bobby Furgles is mobbed at the plate. What an absolute bomb, just like the ones we should drop on Costa Luna!

"Top 7, second and third, two outs, and Dominick Grey hits it down the right field line, but Lumberjack JSUUSI99387 makes a diving catch to rob him of at least a double. What a huge play that was. Wow. It would have been at least a double, scoring 2, and the Saugeais would still be up with a man in scoring position. And if he dives and misses it and it gets all the way to the wall, Grey might round the bases for an inside-the-park home run. But an absolutely great play by Lumberjack JSUUSI99387.

"Top 8, Spencer Banks on second and one out, for Terence Warrick. That one is looped in front of Executioner 9D8AH, who throws home and while the throw beats Banks, Enemy Crusher Bobby Furgles drops it while trying to make the tag. It's an error on him and that's it for Technical Support Specialist A8DHH1938DH. In comes Pantsmaker OA01929 who gets two straight strikeouts to end the inning.

"Bottom 8, and Soldier JSIAISKS at the plate with Chauffeur JJIASDES on second and two outs, and he lines it over the first baseman's head for a base hit, scoring the runner, but he is thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double. 4-1 after 8. Three more outs until the Bat Slaves pull off the upset, and they went to the closer Chef SHSUUAISSADF. Osmond Nichols leading it off, three straight fastballs, three straight whiffs, he is down on strikes.

"That brings up Nicholas Farnham. Fastball hits the outside corner, strike one. Then it's a big heaping curve and Farnham way out in front of it, strike two. A fastball in the dirt moves the count to 1-2, but then Farnham whiffs at the high heat, fastball clocked at 100 mph, for strike 3.

"Marlowe Basher is Saugeais' last hope, and while he puts it in play, it's an easy popup behind the plate. Fortunately, Grammar Enforcement Officer OOA0010 has come in as a defensive replacement for the poor-fielding enemy crusher, and he makes the catch to end the game. The Bat Slaves improve to 1-1, though they would be 2-0 if Costa Luna hadn't bribed the organizing committee.

"Now let's listen in on Retiree 913H012S's postgame interview."

"Well, I can't believe Costa Luna actually got away with bribing the organizers to change the result. We beat those idiots fair and square. We deserve to be 2-0 right now. Instead, we're 1-1. I can't believe they actually allow this garbage. But our team played well today, we pulled off the upset, I'm proud of our boys."

"In other Group 8 action, Mochria beat New Montreal States 4-3. Azherden beat Costa Luna 241-0, but after Costa Luna bribed tournament officialls, the score was changed to 4-2. Azherden still won, though."

[Zwangzug]

The Kerlagrad Courier
Secretary Atchery has plans, hopefully big

The recent abdication of Cassadaigua's Queen Cassie means that Queen Courtney is now the head of state in Cassadaigua. The coronation ceremony was attended by several other heads of state from across Rushmore and beyond. As the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Gabe Atchery was also in attendance to mark the transition.

And sources claim that "he better be up to something pretty cool."

"I mean, I was looking forward to just casting judgment on monarchies in general," says one bitter pundit. "I was hoping our leadership would snub the entire thing, just to make a statement. I mean, yeah, they could have rubbed it in people's faces that they weren't actually sending the head of state but rather...a...secretary of foreign affairs who actually cares about establishing our relationships abroad and mingling with powerful dignitaries."

"Is that seriously all he's there for?" this disillusioned spectator went on. "Because that would be so boring."

"That's such an important stage, to be interacting with all those influential Rushmori leaders," added another observer. "And if we had any trade economy at all, I could imagine that we'd try to foster some export deals in between the small talk. However, given the exchange rate, that's pitifully unlikely, which means that whatever Atchery's doing is either awesomely classified or tragically banal."

"Can't it please be the former?" she went on. "Please?"

This is not the first time that Atchery has attempted to represent Zwangzug in the international community. "There was that...one time...he, like, sent an ambassador somewhere," someone remembered, "and we even got an ambassador back out of the deal. Others noted that he "almost certainly" expressed disapproval of some violence somewhere, which was "probably nice."

"Look, it's a busy world, and we in Zwangzug have been very good at tuning it all out," the general consensus held. "The Zebras went to Vaugania last tournament, they had an actual election--did that faze us? Not a bit, and Atchery knows it too. So as long as he's actually doing stuff, it probably won't get nefarious or underhanded. Which is actually a shame."

Atchery was unavailable for comment, a bit concerned about when the tournament was actually being held. However, the upcoming Olympic opening ceremonies will surely provide him with a new opportunity to further his subtle doings on behalf of Zwangzug, or more likely blow it off and catch the highlights on tape-delay.

[Super-Llamaland]

Read Chapter I, I command you to.

Chapter Two is somewhere on the third page. I'll edit it in later.

Group 3
Crystal Empire                   0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 1  5
Mosktopia                        0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0  4

Yttribia                         1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3  7
Allinlia                         1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  3

Super-Llamaland                  1 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 1  8
Britonesia                       0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1


  Group 3                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Crystal Empire                    2    2   0    11    8   +3    1.000
2 Super-Llamaland                   2    1   1    12    7   +5    0.500
3 Britonesia                        2    1   1     4   10   −6    0.500
4 Yttribia                          2    1   1     9    6   +3    0.500
5 Allinlia                          2    1   1     6    7   −1    0.500
6 Mosktopia                         2    0   2     4    8   −4    0.000

the lynder phenomenon: chapter iii

"Must find him..."

There was a puff of smoke, and she was gone. The doctor and assorted nurses gasped in shock and dismay. A faint blue vapor was all that was left of Lynn. Or so they thought.

August 3, 2006, 6:15 PM

Lynn blinked and stood up. She didn't know how long she'd been unconscious exactly, but it appeared to be evening on the icy slopes of the island. She looked around and noticed the man from earlier that day. She began to ran towards her.

"Hey! Hey...do I know-AUGH!"

There was a loud thud, and Lynn fell through the weakened, rocky ground. She landed headfirst and blacked out again.

Unknown, Lynder Island, 8/4/2006, 1:34 AM

Alex heard a moan from somewhere inside the swirling vapors. A moan, and then another. She shivered. The last time she'd gone out to investigate, she'd broke her arm and nearly died. How long was that, a year ago? Alex didn't keep track after the first month.

The days had passed by, swirling around each other like the mist inside the cave as she barely got by, living on whatever she could get her hands on without going too deep into the cavern. She thought back to when the cruise ship crashed. She closed her eyes, focusing her laser-like memory to the cruise.

Her eyes flew open. July 10, 2005. She didn't know what date it was, but it looked like summer in the freezing island. She had been there for a year, probably more.

The moan came again, from the uncreatively dubbed (Alex had been pretty tired) Entrance Cavern. She'd climbed into it from the other end, sensing salvation, but if this was salvation, she'd prefer death.

Entrance Cavern, August 4, 2006, 1:40 AM

Lynn was conscious, if barely. The pain. The pain in her head. It was too much. Weird shapes were floating around, in red and green and blue. Her head throbbed on the rock shelf, and she felt blood trickle down her neck.

"Helllp meeee," she moaned. It was no use. She would die on this island.

Alex's Cavern, August 4, 2006, 1:41 AM

"Helllp meeee," Alex heard. She was tentative and hesitant to exit. The cave specters often imitated humans. But she felt a certain humanity in this plea than the last time it had happened. Alex made up her mind and took her first steps in weeks.

Entrance Cavern, August 4, 2006, 1:44 AM

Footsteps echoed on the stone. Something had come to finish her off. Lynn closed her eyes, hearing the footsteps, mind pounding in agonizing inharmony to her head. She opened her eyes fearfully to see who would end her life, and saw...a teenage girl. Brown hair, startling green eyes. She looked about seventeen.

"I'm Alex," the girl said.

Entrance Cavern, August 4, 2006, 1:45 AM

A girl, a teenage girl, a future companion, a fellow castaway! Alex nearly squealed in delight. The long days of solitude and raw crab were no more!

She was about sixteen, with luridly platinum blond hair and blue eyes. Her neck was stained with blood, and Alex quickly traced it back to a cut on the back of her head. A head wound. The worst kind. Alex strained not to think about it, but she felt her eyes well up with tears as she recalled what had happened.

Entrance Cavern, September 10, 2005, 6:50 PM

"Shh, Kevin, it's okay," Alex bawled. Her companion lay on the ground, face screwed up in acute pain, brown hair matted with blood...

Entrance Cavern, August 5, 2006, 1:47 AM

"It's okay," Lynn blurted.

"What?"

"The thing with Kevin."

"How...I...I-what?"

Too late, Lynn realized what had happened. "Er...you were saying it out loud."

"Okay. Don't worry, we'll get out of here alive. Right? You got down here somehow."

"Right." Alex pulled Lynn up, and they staggered back into the caverns.

[Estope]

Estope                           0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0  4
Lycrabon                         0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Estope looked like a completely different team out there against Lycrabon. Even with the win, and the questionable ejection of Lycrabon's Bray, Estope's leaders are not backing off their cries of accusation. James Horbalt, president of Estope baseball, did praise the organizers for finally having a fair game. "There was no controversy at the beginning as other's might claim. Paul Bray was purposely aiming for Alex Avez. That should be an ejection every time. And honestly I don't think they were going to until our manager, Taylor Neyman, started yelling about it. The umpire knew it was a rule and had no choice. As for Brianna Bruce, it was very unprofessional of her to say something like that. She deserved both the ejection and suspension. So all in all I think the officials did a good job. Now whether that was because they were trying to be fair or just keep us quiet for a while is a completely different story." Estope president Leon Bare believes that it is the latter. "Obviously they were going to they and keep low for a while. Our calls of conspiracy have made international headlines. They are smart enough to know that people are going to start believing us if they continue to screw us game after game. What they are really doing is saving up for when they can really hurt us. Then it will be full fledged conspiracy all over again. Now that is not to say that there wasn't any controversy in this game. There was plenty of little things that the public wouldn't notice. First the team's flight was delayed a couple of hours forcing them to arrive late the night before the game. Then in the morning the desk clerk at the team hotel gave bad instructions to the stadium. Luckily the team left early enough to make up for lost time. And there were others. We do have Sara Lovett, a special investigator, gathering all this evidence along with the evidence of voting fraud and corruption." And Archbishop Newton is still waiting for a response about Premier Thomas Willette. "Did anyone notice how Premier Thomas Willette just lost today by only a single run to Vaugania after beating us yesterday? There is no way they should be playing at the level they are. I have still yet to find their country on a map. Maybe that is because they are not a country, but a team of individuals from all different nations playing only with the intent of keeping us from advancing. But there has yet to be an official investigation into this or even about their steroid usage. It is completely unfair to us and to the rest of Group 2. They must be disqualified from competition. Since that will never happen with this corrupt regime all we can do is support Estope so that we can win and make a statement. Estope next will play host to Vaugania in what is expected to be a very good game. It will be interesting to see what the WBC will do since both teams are from Christian nations and both can't possibly lose as they would wish."

[Mochria]

Good evening, and welcome to Reindeer Postgame Live. I'm your host, Oswald Thatendswald. Here's what happened in today's game.

Our own Mochrian baseball team was able to defeat the Reformed Expos of New Montreal States, 4-3, on the road, to remain undefeated. The winning run came in the eighth inning off of a home run by right-fielder and captain Olly Oxenfree. He also had an RBI back in the fourth. On the pitching side of things, Lars Lars Pantsonfars allowed only two runs, both in the seventh inning, in his seven innings.

Now, we'll take a look around the Classic for the Upsets of the Day. Out of the eight games we consider upsets, we'll rank them according to how important they are.

At number eight, Nassau Hessen takes a surprise win over Cassidaigua. Both teams are now 1-1, but this shows signs of something similar to Cassidaigua's dismal 0-8 group stage during WBC 27. However, it's more likely that today was just an off day for the Dagans, and they'll look to rebound in the next few days.

The rest are all kind of important, and it was hard to rank them, but we tried. Number seven is Levivania's second straight victory, this time over The Serbian Empire. Levivania is now the only undefeated team in group 1, and they seem to be more than just a fluke. They'll have to prove it over the next eight matchdays, however.

Coming in at number six, Rizealand beats Imota. Imota has had their WBC woes in the past, but never this early in the group stage. As for Rizealand, we haven't heard much from their news coverage, and they're unranked. Imota falls to 0-2, and we'll see if they can recover from that.

Number five is Alitaba over Royal Kingdom of Quebec. While it isn't a huge upset, Alitaba is now in first place in group nine, while RKQ remains winless. We'll see if Alitaba can hold their ground, and if RKQ can recover.

At number four, Crystal Empire upsets Mosktopia. Crystal Empire is the only remaining undefeated team in their group, which includes tough teams like Super-Llamaland, while Mostopia feeds at the bottom at 0-2. Crystal Empire is a tough team, but they'll have trouble holding on to their top spot.

As for the third spot, our own Reindeer upset the Reformed Expos of New Montreal States. No one expected the Reindeer to be undefeated after two matchdays, and we're the only such team left in our group, while Saugeais, the second-seed in the group, is at the bottom looking for a win. We'll have to work hard to stay in first, though, but this is a good start.

At number two, Hicana gets a huge win over Milchama, 4-3. Hicana is now 2-0 and in first place, while the bronze medalists at Classic 27 are now 1-1. This is a tough group, and I doubt Hicana can retain that top spot, but anything could happen.

And finally, at number one, Patistan upsets Zwangzug in group five. In my opinion, Patistan is the surprise of the tournament. They're 2-0 and have a +11 run differential, highest in the entire classic. That's good for first place in their group, right above our friends in New Wolfopolis. Last classic as an unranked, the Patistani team was able to upset New Wolfopolis twice. We'll see what they can do this time, with little to no support from their home media.

Thank you for watching, good night!

[The Fair Republic]

Rodger Harrison pitched a complete game shutout for the Fair Republic Toucans as they defeated Kinzar 2-0 to improve to 2-0 in the group stage. Harrison allowed only 3 hits, struck out 10 and walked 2 batters in the first ever complete game shutout by a Toucan's pitcher in the WBC. A 2 run homer by Orville Jaeger in the 5th inning was enough due to the stellar pitching by Harrison. However the Toucans were held to 6 hits, which could be a point of concern if the Toucans are going to make a run deep into the classic.

Next Game:
Ko-oren (22)
The first big test for the Toucans as the 22nd ranked Green-Blues. The two teams are predicted to be neck and neck for the second and final spot in the group stage. Ted Livingston will have to pitch a stellar game if the Toucans are going to come out victorious

[Hicana]

The Daily: Your Spot for Hicana News!

Up on Top: Hicana upsets World No. 6 to keep first place

-Lead Contributor Dustin Moress

Milchama                         1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3
Hicana                           0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 X  4

W: Une (1-0) L: Rork (0-1) SV: Trebleclef (1)

Believe it or not, Hicana is still rolling after a 4-3 thriller win at Sanchez Memorial Stadium, which sold out tomorrow's game against the Equestrian States in advance after our thrilling run so far. Let's get right to the highlights of this brilliant match in which manager James Park said the team "Played their hearts out".

After a dominant 9-5 win over Strawbee, the world knew Hicana was not kidding around anymore after a subpar team went 3-7 at the twenty-eighth edition of the Classic. In the top of the first, Chironios Une took the field to a standing O. Unfortunately, his slider and cutter were off, and center fielder Quentin Vernon got things going right away with one out, smashing a triple into right-center. Vernon then scored on Sammy Mellington's single up the middle. With runners on first and second, Une got out of things by inducing a 4-6-3 double play.

Things were quiet until the third, when Lukas Nanyolo stepped up with one runner on. We bring you to the quote from AM 600 Sportz Radio:

Three-two pitch, Nyan Yolo makes contact! Fly ball into right field, going, going, bounces off the wall! Lukas Nanyolo is wheeling around first, Boris Kent grabs the ball and hits the cutoff man, that's gonna be a close play-SAFE! Nanyolo slides in with a double! Nostradamus, the elven first baseman, scores! It's all tied up!

Things stayed quiet until the sixth inning, when some sloppy play turned into a Hicanan opportunity.

Wesley Jimenez is up. Nunyez on first. Here's the first pitch. Ground ball up the middle, Arik Ell dives and FIELDS IT! I THINK ELL SPRAINED HIS ANKLE! And the flip is not in time, Nunyez makes a dart for third, throw by Cunningham is WILD into left field and they're going to advance to second and third! Jimenez starts running to third and Mellington throws to Ell-NO! ELL IS STILL ON THE GROUND BECAUSE HE SPRAINED HIS ANKLE! THE THROW GOES TO FIRST BASE! NUNYEZ SCORES! JIMENEZ TO THIRD! E-6, E-7!

Two to one Hicana, but it wouldn't stay that way as Chironios Une got a bit wild in the seventh, walking four straight batters. However, a miraculous play kept Milchama at bay.

Uh oh. I smell danger. It's Quentin Vernon up. One out, bases loaded, go-ahead run standing on third base. Here's the oh-one, ball outside. One-one pitch: slider, fly ball, deep center, going back is Cassini Ventrus, going back, back, and makes a brilliant running catch! Turns around, the runner tags a little late, powerful throw to catcher Manyana, the tag, HE'S OUT! DOUBLE PLAY! HICANA GETS OUT ALIVE! CHIRONIOS UNE COULD STILL GET THE WIN!

But in the next inning, Une kept throwing bad pitches, walking two. Then, disaster struck.

Chironios Une throws the three-and-oh to Boris Kent, one out, two on. Ground ball to first, easy play by Nostradamus, throws to second, and Chestnut Grove drops the ball, throw to third, everybody's safe! Uh oh...

Bases loaded. Two out. Here's third baseman Moran Olem, he is hitless in Hicana. The pitch. Ground ball up the middle! Othellus Trius grabs it, steps on the bag, and-THE RUNNER IS SAFE! THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN! THE RUNNER WAS OUT! How could they call that safe! Here's Jim Park, they are arguing, arguing, and THEY THREW OUT JIM PARK! Three-two Milchama.

But in such despair, the team kept plugging away and Une struck out his ninth batter to end the inning. The bottom of the eighth rolled around with Hicana down by one. Pinch-hitter Lucas Alponyas doubled into center field to start things out, followed by a Ricardo Nunyez walk. But Sammy Manyana tapped into a 1-6-3 double play and slammed his helmet in frustration, rare for the usually calm 35-year-old. With a runner on third and two outs, Wesley Jimenez would determine the fate of the Mist.

Here's Jimenez. He last hit an infield single with two throwing errors to put the team up 2-1. Now we're down 3-2. Here's the pitch, ball, outside. Next pitch. Fastball, strike! One and one. Ball, down and in, nearly hit him that time. Fourth pitch. Two and one. The pitch, hung a curve, and a line drive into right field, falls in for a single! Lucas Alponyas scores and it's a tie game! 3-3! Wesley Jimenez comes through in the clutch!

And the Mist wasn't done yet.

Here's Cassini Ventrus, the stoic center-fielder. The pitch from setup man Judah Rork, lined into left field, that's going to get to the wall! Ventrus gallops to second with a double and Hicana leads 4-3! What an emotional day!

And the Mist locked down on their lead.

Here's the three-two. Ground ball to third base, Nunyez throws to second, that's one, throw to first, DOUBLE PLAY! THE MIST WINS, 4-3, OVER THE NUMBER SIX TEAM IN THE WORLD! HELLO, FIRST PLACE! GOODBYE, CRITICS! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY! (cough) I'm Matt Feldman and this is Scott Garza on AM 600. So long.

Group 7                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
 Hicana                            2    2   0    13    8   +5    1.000
  Milchama                          2    1   1    10    9   +1    0.500
 Equestrian States                 2    1   1    10   10    0    0.500
 The Dark Star Republic            2    1   1     5    6   −1    0.500
 Strawbee                          2    1   1     8   11   −3    0.500
 New North Aqmuland                2    0   2     3    5   −2    0.000

(W, 1-0) C. Une: [8 IP, 9 K/4 BB, 7 H, 110 Pitches, 3 R, 2 ER]
(SV, 1) Trebleclef: [1 IP, 1 K/0 BB, 2 H, 19 Pitches, 0 R, 0 ER]

---

(ND) M. Crainley [6 IP, 7 K/4 BB, 5 H, 96 Pitches, 2 R, 1 ER]
(RP) J. Jordan [1 IP, 0 K/0 BB, 0 H, 11 Pitches, 0 R, 0 ER]
(L, 0-1) J. Rork [1 IP, 1 K/1 BB, 3 H, 26 Pitches, 2 R, 2 ER]

[Cassadaigua]

What to make of team and tournament?
By Rachel Sharper, Concord Heights Times- Senior Editor

In any sporting tournament, there will be upsets. Heck, during World Cup 67 qualifying, we actually saw Polar Islandstates lose a game 1-nil to The Weegies! However, there has become a lot of scrutiny lately for the World Baseball Classic. Are they upsets? Or is the pack so close together that anything can happen on any given day? Some will look at the traditional baseball season that sees the worst teams still, generally win 37-40% of their games, with the inverse being true for the best teams. That, however, is a professional league, where the worst team is still a major league team with high caliber athletes. It didn’t used to be like this, though. There are still some out there that think it is great that so many nations seem to have a chance at a championship, while others yearn for the days of great teams with sustained legacies, such as Cassadaigua in their heyday.

Kristen Lanning, of a statistics professor at Brattleboro Technical Institute told us that, “We’ve seen umpires become more lenient with the calls of balls and strikes, which can play a role. We also see at times, the better teams expect to win games, and come out unprepared against a team they are expected to dismantle. Baseball is a sport that requires a lot of analysis of numbers, and while it can seem very random to some, as if some there is some goddess of random scores out there, and let’s call her Margaret, you can find the answer to anything in statistics.” As our camera crew began to leave the Brat Tech campus, we were able to speak to sophomore Ashley Daniels who told us, “I really don’t care about the World Baseball Classic anymore. As a kid I looked up to it, but I just don’t anymore. The gambling scandal hurt, but even now, it just seems like a coin flip sometimes. You can study statistics all you want, it’s almost like someone is flipping a coin to determine who wins, or someone just puts things into a computer and gives even the worst team ever a 37% chance to win over the best team ever. How can you get too excited over that?”

That is becoming the feeling throughout Cassadaigua right now towards the World Baseball Classic. Perhaps if the nation was still missing this jewel from it’s five-sport championship distinction, you’d see more excitement, but it is truly lacking right now. Not even Saintland being in the group seems to be a pick-me-up. Of course, as you may know, it’s not actually Saintland but in fact the heroines (in both reality of their daily life and in what they are referred to on the field) of Feministvs Sanctvsterra that are representing the country and doing a fabulous job of that, so far. Are there other reasons why the nation seems to be struggling with baseball excitement right now? Say, you look out the window and see about 2-3 feet of snow that has fallen in the last two weeks? the success of other sports? That’s possible, after all, Cassadaigua has had a good little run here of late, beginning with hosting the prestigious World Cup 67 final, but also winning the IBC 13 title, and expectations being exceeded in the World Cup of Hockey, especially after a recent win over our eastern neighbors from Sicoutimont? When you add in the fact that the nation is also still buzzing over the coronation of Queen Courtney, it almost seems like the World Baseball Classic is starting at an inopportune time right now. This isn’t to say that Concord Heights Stadium isn’t going to sell out, because all games are expected too, and the games are being watched on TV, it’s just that the team isn’t the topic of discussion for most people after the games. There is a very feasible and logical reason, too. As you know in WBC 28, CAB (Cassadagan Association for Baseball) decided the nations biggest stars would no longer be permitted to play in the tournament due to the gambling scandal of the prior Classic. In that tournament, college stars played and did somewhat well, going 6-0 in all games against teams ranked below them, yet 0-4 in all games against teams ranked above them. Those players return, and now are making their way in the big leagues themselves, but their not the stars of the league (though they may become that). If CAB had gone back to the way things were before and gave the stars a second chance, perhaps there would be more interest in the tournament right now.

Queen Courtney was sure to watch the big hockey game against Sicoutimont, but there were other obvious reasons for that, given that while she was a Princess she served on the Board of Directors at Concord Heights Beauty School, including when the college played Sicoutimont’s Universite-Centrale for the inaugural NSCH championship. Therefore, that would be a natural game to peak her interest. Since she has promised to be more open then Queen Cassie was concerning sports (whereas Cassie was content to leave everything in the hands of each sporting organization), we asked the Queen what she thinks about the current World Baseball Classic. She told us, “I wish our great friends from Equestrian States the best in their hosting it. Obviously, we know the tournament is in great hooves. The Saintland team being represented by women is a wonderful thing too, hopefully if they perform well, King Petrus would consider becoming more open to women’s rights in his country.” While I would agree with those statements, notice the very stateswomanlike approach there. Not as much passion as you saw from here when talking about the World Cup of Hockey.

The tournament is two days old now, and Cassadaigua sits at 1-1. This is a common record throughout the tournament right now, with 30 of the participating 54 nations already having experienced both victory and defeat, showing the likely trend for, after three games, to fall into that rut of “the worst team can still beat the best team, 37% of the time”. It will be interesting to see how many nations, after the next set of games actually end up at 3-0 or 0-3, and of the nations that do, what their “rank” was before the tournament. After all, only 24, or less then half of nations were able to avoid a 1-1 start. Baseball is often said to be a game of percentages, but this is one percentage-trend we could do without. A team that should make Saintland proud to call them theirs is in Concord Heights tonight. Where's the buzz?!

[New Wolfopolis]

Good evening, and welcome to the NWBC six-o'clock news. I'm Jason Meza, here are tonight's top stories.

Rebecca Lillard was detained for questioning today after her fingerprints were identified as one of three potential matches on the pill bottle found in Allen Marsh's room after he was killed months ago. Lillard and Marsh were allegedly dating, but Lillard was not in Gregoryisgodistan before Marsh's death. She is not considered a suspect in the case, but a person of interest.

In a related story, our Wolfpack pulled off a minor upset over the Darmeni team in the World Baseball Classic, 7-4. They were fueled by a five-run fifth, in which two players, Andre Harding and John Parrish, homered. They look forward to tomorrow's game against Zwangzug. The starting pitcher tomorrow for the Wolfpack will be Ramon Atkins, while Allen Grey will take the mound for Darmen.

Coming up next, more news, if any happens during the commercial break.

[Saintland]

OOC: In case it isn't obvious, these aren't the actual MD3 results and I'm not the host of this WBC.

Background | "MD1" | "MD2"

Feministvs Santvsterra interrupts the following RP for something much more important:

All praise to thee, Margaret, for you are truly the Goddess of Sport. Hallowed be thy name. Thy art truly a great Goddess who hath earned all praise. May you guide us in this latest edition of your Tournament, toward thy Promised Land. We ask your support, as we reclaim the glory stolen from you by that false god. Hear our prayers, Lady Margaret, and bless us as we participate in this WBC. Everything that we do on the diamond, we do for You.

We now return to your regularly scheduled RP, already in progress:

Group 1
Lymantatia                       0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
The Serbian Empire               3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 X  5

The Royal Barangay               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1  3
Karditan                         0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2

Levivania                        1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Pacificana Islands               3 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 X  6


  Group 1                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Lymantatia                        3    2   1    17   11   +6    0.667
2 Levivania                         3    2   1    10   11   −1    0.667
3 Pacificana Islands                3    2   1    11    9   +2    0.667
4 The Royal Barangay                3    1   2     7   10   −3    0.333
5 Karditan                          3    1   2    10   14   −4    0.333
6 The Serbian Empire                3    1   2     8    8    0    0.333

Group 2
Vaugania                         0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1  3
Estope                           0 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 X  6

San Jose Guayabal                0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Premier Thomas Willette          0 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 X  5

Lycrabon                         0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2  6
Jeckland                         0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4


  Group 2                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Lycrabon                          3    2   1    26   18   +8    0.667
2 Vaugania                          3    2   1    13   13    0    0.667
3 Estope                            3    2   1    15   18   −3    0.667
4 Premier Thomas Willette           3    1   2    10   10    0    0.333
5 San Jose Guayabal                 3    1   2    14   19   −5    0.333
6 Jeckland                          3    1   2    15   15    0    0.333

Group 3
Britonisea                       0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Crystal Empire                   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Allinlia                         1 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0  6
Super-Llamaland                  0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0  4

Mosktopia                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Yttribia                         0 0 0 1 1 0 2 3 X  7


  Group 3                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Allinlia                          3    3   0    19   12   +7    1.000
2 Yttribia                          3    2   1    13    6   +7    0.667
3 Crystal Empire                    3    2   1    10    5   +5    0.667
4 Super-Llamaland                   3    1   2    15   17   −2    0.333
5 Britonisea                        3    1   2    10   13   −3    0.333
6 Mosktopia                         3    0   3     6   20  −14    0.000

Group 4
Kinzar                           0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
The Andromeda Islands            0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Ko-oren                          0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0  6
The Fair Republic                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0  4

Sicoutimont                      1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  4
New Koln                         4 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 X 10


  Group 4                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Ko-oren                           3    2   1    12   11   +1    0.667
2 Sicoutimont                       3    2   1     8   11   −3    0.667
3 New Koln                          3    2   1    19   12   +7    0.667
4 The Fair Republic                 3    2   1    17   16   +1    0.667
5 Kinzar                            3    1   2     9   12   −3    0.333
6 The Andromeda Islands             3    0   3     7   10   −3    0.000

Group 5
Bonticello                       0 2 0 1 7 0 5 0 0 15
Patistan                         4 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0  9

Darmen                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Costa de Ouro                    0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  1

Zwangzug                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
New Wolfopolis                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0


  Group 5                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Bonticello                        3    3   0    23   14   +9    1.000
2 Costa de Ouro                     3    2   1     6    5   +1    0.667
3 Zwangzug                          3    1   2     8   10   −2    0.333
4 Patistan                          3    1   2    15   22   −7    0.333
5 New Wolfopolis                    3    1   2    19    8  +11    0.333
6 Darmen                            3    1   2     8   20  −12    0.333

Group 6
Nassau-Hessen                    0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  3
Imota                            0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Saintland                        0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0  4
Cassadaigua                      0 0 1 3 1 0 2 0 X  7

Rizealand                        1 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 1  7
Maklohi Vai                      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  2


  Group 6                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Nassau-Hessen                     3    3   0    16    6  +10    1.000
2 Imota                             3    2   1    15   13   +2    0.667
3 Rizealand                         3    2   1    17   12   +5    0.667
4 Maklohi Vai                       3    1   2     9   17   −8    0.333
5 Cassadaigua                       3    1   2    13   14   −1    0.333
6 Saintland                         3    0   3     8   16   −8    0.000

Group 7
Hicana                           2 0 2 3 0 1 0 0 0  8
Equestrian States                1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  6

New North Aqmuland               0 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 1  6
Milchama                         0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0  3

The Dark Star Republic           2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0  6
Strawbee                         0 0 0 1 0 6 2 0 X  9


  Group 7                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 New North Aqmuland                3    3   0    21    5  +16    1.000
2 Strawbee                          3    2   1    22   19   +3    0.667
3 Equestrian States                 3    2   1    18   15   +3    0.667
4 Hicana                            3    1   2    15   23   −8    0.333
5 Milchama                          3    1   2     8   14   −6    0.333
6 The Dark Star Republic            3    0   3    14   22   −8    0.000

Group 8
New Montreal States              1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3  6
Saugeais                         2 1 1 0 3 1 0 0 X  8

Kingdom of Costa Luna            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  3
Mochria                          0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Gregoryisgodistan                0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0  4
Azherden                         0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2


  Group 8                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Saugeais                          3    3   0    20   14   +6    1.000
2 Azherden                          3    2   1    13   11   +2    0.667
3 Gregoryisgodistan                 3    2   1    11   10   +1    0.667
4 New Montreal States               3    1   2    12   16   −4    0.333
5 Kingdom of Costa Luna             3    1   2     8   10   −2    0.333
6 Mochria                           3    0   3     8   11   −3    0.000

Group 9
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  4
Nova Anglicana                   0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 X  5

Middleton Valley                 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 1 0  6
Alitaba                          0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2  4

Qazox                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Noburu Taiyou                    0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  4


  Group 9                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Nova Anglicana                    3    3   0    12    6   +6    1.000
2 Middleton Valley                  3    3   0    16   11   +5    1.000
3 Noburu Taiyou                     3    2   1    12    8   +4    0.667
4 Alitaba                           3    1   2    11   11    0    0.333
5 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec       3    0   3     9   16   −7    0.000
6 Qazox                             3    0   3     5   13   −8    0.000

After 3 days of Margaret's 29th Lottery, just 7 nations retained a spotless record. They are Allinlia, Bonticello, Nassau-Hessen, New North Aqmuland, Saugeais, Nova Anglicana and Middleton Valley. We focus on them today.

Allinlia had defeated the defending champions. While Strawbee had received a championship from Margaret in the 27th Lottery, Allinlia had yet to attain the same level of success as their neighbor. Allinlia is participating in their 6th Lottery. However, they have only made it to the playoffs once in the past, having attained that goal in the Margaret's 26th Lottery. While Margaret seems to really have it in for Mosktopia at the moment, Allinlia, for once, is riding high with Margaret on their side.

Bonticello provides a sharp contrast. A newcomer to the Lottery, Bonticello has already bested New Wolfopolis, Patistan and Costa De Oro. None of those nations exactly has a storied past in baseball, but a win is a win. Just ask the Feministvs Sanctvsterra soccer team. Nassau-Hessen have to be the most surprising 3-0 team in this edition of the Lottery. They have little history of success, in any sport, and that lack of success includes a 1-9 record in the last edition of the Lottery. That is so pathetic that it is actually worse than what the Sanctii put up in the 25th Lottery when they debuted and put up their worst performance, which is saying something. Meanwhile, New North Aqmuland is another debuting nation at this edition of the Lottery. Aqmuland managed the impressive feat of defeating the Dark Star Republic, Strawbee and Milchama back-to-back-to-back. This puts them in position to contend in this edition of the Lottery.

Saugeais is the least surprising of the remaining unbeatens. They debuted back in the 17th Lottery and have made the playoffs 10 out of 11 times. Their best finish was second, a result which they obtained in the 19th and 22nd Lotteries. Rumor has it that this is their final time in Margaret's Lottery and they are intent upon going out with a bang rather than a whimper.

Finally, there are 2 unbeatens remaining in Group 9. Nova Anglicana is competing in their 3rd Lottery, having debuted in the 27th edition, where they were eliminated in the Quarterfinals. They finished third in the 28th edition, so their being unbeaten is also not a surprise. However, Margaret has another favorite in this group. That would be Middleton Valley, a nation that famously came to the aid of Costa Luna after some rather vicious actions against them by Gregoryisgodistan. It seems that they are a favorite of Maraget, who has provided them with 3 wins in their first 3 games. What will the 4th day of Margaret's Lottery hold? You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

[Rizealand]

Rizealand Beats Imoto 4-2

RIZELA CITY, RIZEALAND-Yesterday was a victorious day for Rizealand in Rizela City. Team Rizealand was badly clobbered by Saintland but yesterday, Team Rizealand made a comeback by defeating Imoto 4-2. Team Rizealand has prepared long and hard and this is a comforting victory for them. Charles Lew made the first home run, closely followed by Jeffery Case. The feared Thomas Martin meanwhile gave Imoto a lot of trouble with his ball passes he threw at them but by the second quarter, Rodger Kepler handed a total of two homeruns for Imoto. Lew made a third homerun for Rizealand and in a close game at the end, Bethany Case ran the entire track from the homeplate after nearly hitting the ball out of the stadium and reaching the home plate before Imoto could even get the ball. This event has shocked Rizealand as much as it has shocked Imoto and Coach Silas Manor credited the team's vigorous drive to the "defeat we suffered yesterday." He hopes that Rizealand may be able to make it to the top at least but remains unsure of how Rizealand will stand up to the others. Saintland, who apparently does not have an exclusive wins on the first day, grabbed the game from Rizealand but Imoto, who has already been chucked one loss, has lost to Rizealand. Tonight, Rizealand faces the dreaded Maklohi Vai in their home stadium. The team has already left in their team jet for the capital and our own news crews are on the way. President Horiatio stated today, "I am pleased at the victories won by our boys and girls in the field of sport and tonight, I wish good luck to our team against Maklohi Vai and whatever the results are, we will be proud of them."

[Nova Anglicana]

Despite Poor Conditions, Lions Come Away with Important Win

Allen Talos, Londinium Courier

The word on everyone's lips yesterday before the game against Qazox was "how?" As in, how could WBC and Qazox officials allow a game on a flooded, muddy field to go on? More importantly, how could the Lions expect to win on such a field? How could #2 starter Kip Fischer, a sinkerballer, expect to get any outs if the infield was mud? Nevertheless, somehow the Lions defeated the Wolves of Qazox 7-2, even going up 6-0 in the process.

Unfortunately, all we have is the linescore, as a strange malfunction caused the television stations to drop the game and Internet reports on the game are strangely scarce. (OOC: Qazox RP'd something mechanically impossible in baseball) and we do not know the exact details of the game. Despite this, we may surmise that the Lions played reasonably well despite the field conditions and leveled their record at 1-1.

There were fewer upsets yesterday (and The Royal Barangay and Super-Llamaland bounced back from an opening loss), but Group 6 was a notable exception. Rizealand, a nation with very little baseball experience and almost no one who knows anything about the game except for the players (as evidenced by one newspaper's write-up making mention of "ball passes thrown" and players scoring "homeruns", unclear if these are runs or actual home runs), managed to defeat Imota, an extremely promising young nation that has run into some tough luck during their WBC campaigns. In another major upset, the women of Feministus Sanctusterra, an alleged terrorist/women's right's group, taking advantage of Saintland's disbandment of their national team, entered in their place and defeated giants Maklohi Vai 3-2. 81st-ranked Nassau-Hessen, a nation with no real baseball aptitude, completed the underdog sweep by taking out Cassadaigua 6-4. Other surprise teams include #65 Levivania, who followed up their defeat of the world #1 by beating 12th-ranked Serbian Empire 5-3, 2-0 Crystal Empire, who added Mosktopia to their list of high-ranked victims, Patistan, who took out #3 Zwangzug, and Mochria, who defeated a second straight highly-ranked opponent, New Montreal States, 4-3.

The Lions' next game will be against #63 the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, who lost to Noburu Taiyou and Alitaba. The Lions defeated Quebec in the World Cup of Hockey and will look to make it 2-for-2 and avoid the upset bug. Once they finish this game, their final two games will be against unranked Noburu Taiyou and Middleton Valley.

[Sangti]

PAHAYAGANG PAMPALAKASAN
pahayagangpampalakasan.trb

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Indios beat Pacificana Islands, 4-2
by Rafael Sigua

SANGTI - The Royal Barangay Indios avoided a late game collapse when they put the challenge of the Pacificana Islands to bed, 4-2 to notch their first in this edition of the World Baseball Classic. The big news in the game was that Monico Deligero was nowhere to be seen in the Estadio Beisbol after he was ejected in their away loss to Levivania, 1-6. It was up to pitching coach Christopher Lancoan to guide the team in the absence of the enigmatic manager.

Scoreboard                       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  R H E
Pacificana Islands               0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2 6 0 
The Royal Barangay               0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 X  4 9 1

With Dale Decolongon in the bat for the first time after he missed the Levivania game, he hit a fast pitch by Ezekiel Pinkwater to right field, and it flew above Mordecai Calhoun for a solo HR. The Indios tripled the lead through a double home run by Benjamin Dimacuha, who ran Erick Navarette, who had a disaster of a game last time out, to home plate.

However, his errors almost costed the Barangayans the game as he botched his catch from a hit courtesy of A.J. Dickey, and with the bases loaded, allowed the runners on base to run to home plate, 3-2, and Navarette was substituted due to that. At the bottom of the seventh though, Antonio Luyaben scored an RBI as be batted to run Decolongon home, and increased the lead to 2.

There were no more action after that, as the Indios hung on for the win. Next the face Karditan in a rematch of the group stage matchup between the two sides. Monico Deligero is expected to return in this match after his one match suspension. But the one thing to watch is whether Erick Navarette would be benched for the crucial game at Neighpon.

[New North Aqmuland]

Hewak's House

Minor Miracle Needed Against Milchama(6)

Matchday 1
New North Aqmuland 2
Strawbee 3

Well, it definitely hurts to come that close to beating a strong team and then losing again by just one run. However, this always provides valuable experiences on the learning curve, as I said yesterday before the game.

However, a lot of smart people said at different points in time that the past has already happened, and it should not be dwelled on. That might be Yoda, but I don't really care, because we've got one hell of a Death Star looking us in the face.

Milchama.

Well, they're apparently holding a number six ranking and doing well this time around, but they say they are in decline. That's scary, I gotta say. If I were a Maroon Lion(which I'm not, I couldn't swing a bat to hit a barn,) I'd be scared.

That's exactly why I think we will win this game right here. Because I think that Milchama is going to come in thinking that they have a easy win here, and I think, hope, and let's face it, pray, that our boys can squeeze a win out in a tough game. They do that tonight, and this will go down in legend. Imagine the headlines.

I'm not going to water it down, be falsely happy. They're good. But we are too, in our own way. We go to Milchama tonight, and I think that we come away with a valuable lesson regardless of our record at the end of it. Besides, there's still seven more games after this one for us to take a win home in, right?

I'll say it once, I'll say it twice, and nothing can stop me here. The soccer team tied Ko-oren and the hockey team beat Qazox, so miracles can happen. They're just unlikely.

Adonis Hewak is a blogger for the Tchad Daily, covering international sports involving New North Aqmuland. He lives in Gobana, Tchad, with his wife and two boys. He attended college at Tchad State University, playing guard for the basketball team, and majored in journalism.