WBC 13 RP/Results/Roster Thread

[Dancougar]

Previous: Schwartz hasn't gotten to use his catchphrase in awhile.

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            1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - R  H  E
Dancougar   0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0   4  9  2
Connar Rep  0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0   2  8  1

WP: Propeado (4-0)   8 IP, 2 ER, 6 K
SP: Lenken (4)      1 IP
HR: Dextrous (5)
RBI: Dextrous 3 (18), Toonmay (9)
R: Allegray 2 (11), Dextrous (9), Sanretour (11)

Rocking their pink baseball caps for breast cancer awareness, the girls were in the midst of clawing back from an early two-run deficit. Craig Yeast had pounded a two-run homer in the second inning to give Connar Republic the advantage, but the Wings closed the gap in the fourth when Faye connected for an RBI single.

It was the sixth inning, now, and they were back up to the top of the order. Sarah flopped down on the bench, grabbed a cup of water, and splashed it on her face. After giving up six hits and two runs in the first three innings, she'd settled down, and got out of the fifth by striking out the side.

"Don't worry, I have a good feeling about this inning," said Faye, placing her hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"I just need a run to work with," said Sarah flexing her right arm confidently. "I'm getting some good motion on my breaking ball. They don't seem to have it figured out yet."

"Unflappable strength even when the game's not in your hands," Schwartz mused, as he watched Juliet open up with a single. "Not exactly the response I'd expect."

"It's impossible to be an effective pitcher if you don't think you can win," Sarah returned. "And it's not true that the game isn't in my hands. If only I was a better hitter, I could've bailed myself out last inning. I mean, a home run and we're level."

"Well, it helps to have faith in your teammates, as Joy always says," added Norma. As she said it, Joy smacked a single which advanced Juliet, while she became the go-ahead run on first. Kagami stepped up while Amber grabbed a bat and went out to the on-deck circle. The Connar manager went out to the mound for a little chat. "If you expect one response but get another, that might just be someone else believing something that you don't."

"You've said just the right thing!" said Schwartz.

"Faith isn't required to be backed up by logic, so it's only natural that it can produce a viewpoint that others disagree with," Sarah said. "That observation is fairly normal, isn't it?"

"Sarah-chan, you too?!" Norma cried.

"Aah, sorry, sorry!" Sarah said.

"I'm sorry, too!" chimed in Lois.

Kagami struck out, bringing up Amber. Faye grabbed a bat and prepared to go to the on-deck circle. She turned to Sarah and threw a thumbs up. "Your run support is coming," she said. "It's about time that Amber puts her stamp on this one." Two pitches later, Amber blasted a three-run homer to give Dancougar a 4-2 lead.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief and fist-pounded Amber when she returned to the dugout. "Even if believing something doesn't make it true, sometimes your faith is rewarded, right?"

"From my point of view, it's simply coincidental," replied Schwartz. "But I'll take the result in any case."

[Quintessence of Dust]

TalkBaseball.qd

Your stats hub for Quodite baseball!

Pointless Analysis Time: Where Have All The Home Runs Gone?
Posted by ruth_babe

Last night's nervy victory over Courezzia gave little to cheer about for fans of Quodite baseball. Manny Oloffson again ducked out after five innings: his OOBA now stands at .275. Will he be used in the playoffs? That question assumes we even make the playoffs, which is far from assured, needing a victory over Albundania to guarantee progression. With so many teams having already wrapped up qualification with performances far outpacing our own, actually getting there might not prove too much of a reward.

We have now gone two games without hitting a home run, while our opponents have hit five off us - and yet those two games have yielded a 14-12 run differential in our favour! Cassadaigua's Katie Sheridan teed off twice off Tal Isaachar, while we have amassed a total of seven home runs in six games. Pretty poor stuff.

One of the big failures in this department has been Isaac Blais, whose injury last night means he will miss six days. That puts him out for the remainder of the group stage and, in all probability, the playoffs. Will he be missed? Not so much. His slash stats currently read .167/.236/.333 from 27 plate appearances. And, crucially, he was brought in precisely because he led Minimal League Baseball in home runs - yet he hasn't hit one at the WBC level.

Nor has Jurgen Barthes, who seems to have permanently returned to rightfield now that Toebacca The Wookie has established himself at first base. By this stage of WBC12, he'd hit 5! Now, no one ever thought that our team had a real Socki Lewis/Johnny Stryker type - thank Quod - but the fact that we lost convincingly to Cassadaigua and won only narrowly over Courezzia are beginning to reveal the limits of our tactics.

At present, the team's batting average stands at a fairly healthy .298. That's ok, but it hides huge disparities: Momoko Koumura hit another two doubles last night to continue her insane form, her OPS now topping 1.600, while Barthes is 11 for 24. Emily Sanderson's four walks last night - she received 34 pitches in the game! - boosted her OBP to .490. But Kelly Maddox's leadoff spot has to be in more than jeopardy now, with an OBP of .170. Over the course of seven games, that's really unacceptable, especially when Kati Kauppi looks to be hitting well.

On the mound, it's difficult to tell. Kunika Okamoto looks as hapless as ever and in general, I think our gender-non-specific-cattle-pen is weak, but Masami Tamagotchi has a WHIP of .73 and Mazio Mizokuchi .75. Django Scheinhardt needs a good showing against Albundania to disprove those who say he loses his head at the international level.

A big blow is that with Blais injured, his replacement will likely be primarily a defensive player. Either Anne Wu will come in at shortstop or Daniel Chao at second base, with Momoko shifting accordingly, but neither of them hit much, Chao's RBI single as a pinch hitter last night notwithstanding. That means Toebacca will definitely start, so once again Akonen, Auyeng and Boring get left out in favour of Barthes. I still think that leaves us short of a genuine power hitter.

In other news:

• It's pleasing to see SLORC taking off in international circulation! There is already an FootBook campaign (sorry, Ourspacers) under way to get the WBC authorities to use it as a fallback means of deciding tiebreakers. And have no fear, we at TBQ are cooking up another special stat for assessing the world's best, worst, and downright angriest.
• For all those disappointed not to see the proposed Quodite bid for WBC13 take place, fear not! The news from New Cleethorpes is that some of the unspent Olympic money will be put into a comprehensive redesign of the Municipal Sporting Ground. WBC14 here we come?
• Dancougar's team last night played wearing pink caps to raise awareness of breast cancer, in similar fashion to the emblems on the Quodite Olympic uniforms.
• Grey Sox fans beware, neither Masami Tamagotchi nor Momoko Koumura have yet committed to a re-signing. Masami will probably stay, her football ties are too strong, but if there's any foreign interest Momoko could well leave the QBL. Other high profile potential free agents as we approach the signing deadline include Tal Isaachar, Radosav Grubenšek, Kelly Maddox, and Paul Boring.

[Newmanistan]

WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ ROCKET REPORT

When you watch the World Cup, have you ever sat back and marveled at those top ranked teams who can just cruise through the early stages without their media needing to do a lot of work? Here at the Rocket Report, we have always had a jealousy of those nations who can get away with “riding their ranking” for a while. There is this strange phenomenon in sports that in many cases shows a direct relationship between the amount of media participation and the team’s performance out there on the field. It is one of those Unsolved Mysteries, but not one in which was discussed by Qazian media during the World Cup qualification. Top teams, such as Septentrionia and Capitalizt SLANI are often immune to this and can ride their ranking. In baseball, Newmanistan is the top ranked team, so are the Rockets allowed to put their foot off the gas pedal a little a bit in terms of journalistic participation?

“They can get away with it for now,” says Loudon TV analyst Bill Henry, “But when they end up playing other top teams in the playoffs, it could actually come back to haunt them. It’s a trade off, if your office staff has plans or wish to be out partying instead of covering a routine group stage game against Des topia, can you really blame them?” That is a good point, and in actuality there has been a lot going on here in our Pocono City offices, and we could pretend that it has to do with the changeover in regime to Emperor Michael IV, but that would simply be a great excuse. As Mr. Henry alludes too, sometimes when you are in our situation you can allow things to take care of themselves on the field without needing to get the alleged boost in play from one’s media coverage. Coach Christina Sanders says her team has not really noticed the lack of Rocket Reports over the last few games. “We just figured there was some reason for it. We got a job to do here, and that is our main concern. As we get deeper into the playoffs, we are sure that you guys will wake up and cover us more. But right now it’s ok. Really.”

So what have you missed? Well, actually you probably didn’t miss it and likely watched the game and know what happened or have found out what happened from another news agency, but we are going to summarize it anyway:

Newmanistan 9, Des topia 0- The Rockets embarrass poor Des topia again, defeating them by nine runs for the second time. Courtney Lombardi cruised to a win with the complete game shut out, walking no one and striking out thirteen batters. Des topia managed just two hits in the ball game. The big blow for the Rockets was a three run homer by Kristen Wheeler in the fourth inning. Wheeler also had a two-run double in the seventh. Meghan Butler also had an impressive game, going 4-for-5, with all hits being singles.

Newmanistan 7, The Babbage Islands 4- The Rockets and the Bumblebees have themselves another exciting game, which is a credit to The Babbage Islands and the progress that they are making. Newmanistan jumped out to a 6-0 lead after three innings as Jessica Sorenson delivered a key two-run double in the second, and Courtney Weinman had a three-run triple in the third to chase Bumblebee starter Don Tyler early. Kristen Haynes started strong, but fell apart in the sixth inning, conceding four runs. She got out of the inning, but it would be her last. Jessica Vauclair and Kristen Collins shut the door to keep the Rockets in front.


And so we clinch. Did you really think we weren’t?

[The Babbage Islands]

TAFFY 3 (BPA) -- The Babbage Islands national baseball team advanced to their second World Baseball Classic in style, with a 12-2 road win over Taffy 3.

The Bumblebees had 23 hits on the night against an assortment of Taffy pitchers, and scored in every inning but the eighth. Reserve catcher Janice Young, catching for Brown as usual, hit three home runs in a 4-for-5 night with five RBI. Shortstop Tori Simpson went 6-for-6 in the leadoff spot, centerfielder Jason Andrews was 4-for-5, and pitcher Flip Brown was 3-for-5. Julie Williams had three RBI, Aaron Ford two, and Randy Burke and Harold Gillespie one each on a banner night.

Knuckleballer Flip Brown pitched a complete-game victory, yielding two runs on six scattered hits.

One qualifying game remains for the Bumblebees, at home against Des topia. Angie Serra will make her first start of the tournament for the Babbagians. It will be an every-run-counts situation, as several qualifiers are very closely bunched on both record and run difference. Looking ahead, Parker Thompson will miss his scheduled start to open the playoffs as he has returned to Gernsback for an MRI on his left shoulder. Ben Huffman will open the playoffs for the Babbage nine against an opponent still unknown.

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Game 7
The Babbage Islands 113 111 202  - 12 23  0
Taffy 3             000 010 001  -  2  6  0


Qualifying Schedule
Sept. 26th- Newmanistan 6, TBI 7 (SP: Parker Thompson. WP: Catherine Delaney 1-0.)
Sept. 27th- TBI 3, Mantwenic 1 (SP/WP: Don Tyler 1-0. SV: Jared Michaels 1.)
Sept. 28th- TBI 11, Des topia 7 (SP: Flip Brown. WP: Angie Serra 1-0.)
Sept. 29th- Taffy 3 0, TBI 3 (SP/WP: Ben Huffman 1-0. SV: Jared Michaels 2.)
Oct. 1st- Mantwenic 5, TBI 3 (SP/LP: Parker Thompson 0-1.)
Oct. 3rd- TBI 4, Newmanistan 7 (SP/LP: Don Tyler 1-1.)
Oct. 4th- TBI 12, Taffy 3 2 (SP/WP): Flip Brown 1-0.)
Oct. 5th- Home, Des topia (Starter: Angie Serra)

Playoff Schedule
Oct. 6th- TBD (Starter: Ben Huffman)
Oct. 7th- TBD (STarter: TBD)

[Cassadaigua]

Jennifer’s Space

Pretty soon, the group stage will be over and we will be looking forward to the second round. At 6-1, we have been told that we have officially clinched a nice shiny group title. We did that last time around also, and look what it got us. Blogging during the World Baseball Classic is different then that soccer sport because you go at it everyday with a shitload of travel mixed in. This is why I have not been able to get on much, and coach does not want any of us blogging during the games, or doing what Jessica Porter did in a game between Grande Mountain and Lemondia. If you missed it, Jessica hit a two-run home run and while rounding the bases, took her mobile phone out of her pocket and sent a message to her Tweetme website. While many people laughed, Porter was suspended for five games by the league for that kind of showmanship. I think she was fined by her manager too. It certainly makes Johnny Stryker’s fist-pumping all over the basepaths look very tame. We asked Elizabeth Sheridan if she would do something like that, but she declined.

Most of us are glad that we only have one group stage game left as we feel we have accomplished everything we could before the important games begin. The opponent is An archy, and perhaps their lack of organization is the reason for their failure to make the playoffs with that lovely 2-5 record that they have. I’m not sure if several reserves will play, and don’t even know my status yet, but should after our morning meeting. We’ll get the game over with and then prepare for the opponent we get matched up against.

[Sarzonia]

Following Sarzonia's latest victory, 5-1 over kenavt, the Stars were 6-1 and held a tiebreaker advantage over world No. 2 Zwangzug. If Sarzonia win their final match and Zwangzug either lose or win by a close enough margin, the Stars would be Group 4 champions.

Even so, the conversation between manager Khalil Dennis and his superiors in the Sarzonian baseball federation didn't have the upbeat tone many observers might have expected.

"Managing a team is a large responsibility," Board of Governors chairman Louis Coletti said. "We in Sarzonia do not welcome distractions. To us, talking about releasing a book is a distraction.

"Be careful about it," he said, taking great care to leave his conversation as an informal talk rather than a scolding.

As for the Stars, their final match away to Antarcticstan was their focus. First baseman Hank Everly said he didn't want to talk about Dennis's autobiography.

"Let's keep the subject baseball," he said. "Specifically, what we have to do in this match."

Sarzonia don't just have a group title to play for. A victory would likely give Sarzonia a more favourable opponent than they'd have with a loss. Even if the Stars had to open with defending champions Newmanistan, third baseman Kate Schmidt said the Stars would not be intimidated.

"We've faced tough teams many times," she said. "It's part of what makes us who we are."

Brian Edwards will pitch the group stage finale for Sarzonia, and Brad Baxter will start the first game of the playoffs.

[Connar Republic]

Connar defeated

Connar Bobcats baseball, continued it's trek with a game vs Dancougar. Unlike the blowout last time we played a three run 6th inning made the difference as Dancougar took advantage of a worn out Hosea Hochtenbrecher and managed to get a three run homer with Amber Dextriuos. On the Connar side, Craig Yeast did hit a two run shot and Hochtenbrecher did do ok, giving up 8 hits in 6 innings. The Next game will be pivotal as Connar is tied with Qazox for second and need every game to go it's way as the run difference is not the best.

[Qazox]

WBC13 Wiki Page
Matchday TEN scores! (HOME TEAM listed first, winners in Bold Italics)

GROUP 1
BYE: Palmouth
Secristan vs. Milchama 7-3
Tatuape vs. Dimoniquid 4-0

GROUP 2
BYE: Taffy 3
Newmanistan vs. Mantenwic 3-2
Babbage Islands vs. Des topia 6-3

GROUP 3
BYE: Coradin
Tocrowkia vs. New Texxas 11-4
Iglesian Archipelago vs. Steroga 5-4

GROUP 4
BYE: Sibirsky
Zwangzug vs. kenavt 8-4
Antarctistan vs. Sarzonia 3-1

GROUP 5
BYE: Connar Republic
Qazox vs. Lovisa 7-3
Dancougar vs. German zerabithea 9-2

GROUP 6
BYE: Seasonia
Taeshan vs. Delsea 5-2
Delaclava vs. Vephrall 5-3

GROUP 7
BYE: Barnettsville
Yafor II vs. Brewdomia 4-1
Profero vs. Bluth Corporation 8-2

GROUP 8
BYE: Courezzia
Cassadaigua vs. An archy 7-3
Quintessence of Dust vs. Albundania 4-3 (13 innings)

FINAL STANDINGS
(Teams that have clinched playoff berth are in BLUE)

GROUP ONE

Secristan  6-2  44-24  +20
Milchama   6-2  43-34  +9
Palmouth   6-2  36-28  +8
Tatuape    1-7  30-48  -18
Dimoniquid 1-7  25-44  -19

*Secristan clinches group title based on 3-WAY H2H RD (+5 to -2 to -3) as H2H is tied 2-2-2.
*Milchama clinches playoff berth based on H2H RD vs. Palmouth (9-8) as H2H is tied 1-1.

GROUP TWO

Newmanistan   7-1  52-22  +30
Babbage Isl.  6-2  49-31  +18
Mantwenic     3-5  26-26  --
Taffy III     2-6  20-41  -21
Des topia     2-6  26-53  -27

GROUP THREE

Tocrowkia       8-0  58-26  +32 
Iglesian Arch.  5-3  37-30  +7
Steroga         4-4  36-28  +8
New Texxas      2-6  32-54  -22
Coradin         1-7  24-48  -24

GROUP FOUR

Sarzonia      7-1  50-22  +28
Zwangzug      7-1  51-27  +24
kenavt        2-6  30-47  -17
Sibirsky      2-6  26-43  -17
Antarctistan  2-6  30-48  -18

*Sarzonia wins group title over Zwangzug based on overall RD as H2H is tied 1-1, and H2H Rd is 6-6.
*kenavt over Sibirsky based on H2H RD (8-5) as H2H is tied 1-1.

GROUP FIVE

Dancougar      8-0  58-26  +32
Qazox          5-3  44-20  +24
Connar Rep.    4-4  18-35  -17
Lovisa         2-6  16-27  -11
G. zerabithea  1-7  18-46  -28

GROUP SIX

Vephrall   7-1  40-19  +21
Taeshan    6-2  46-29  +17
Delaclava  4-4  25-26  -1
Delsea     3-5  30-37  -7
Seasonia   0-8  25-55  -30

GROUP SEVEN

Bluth Corp.    7-1  42-21  +21
Barnettsville  6-2  45-29  +16
Yafor II       4-4  34-22  +12
Brewdomia      3-5  19-35  -16
Profero        0-8  25-58  -33

GROUP EIGHT

Cassadaigua  7-1  60-30   +30
Q.O.D.       6-2  44-26   +18
Albundania   4-4  26-30   -4
An archy     2-6  19-40   -21
Courezzia    1-7  16-39   -23

PLAYOFF BRACKETS UP SHORTLY and tommorrow will be an off day, and the playoffs will be backed up a day for each round.

[An archy]

This is An archist News, your source for the World Baseball Classic.

Sandy Sanderson: An archy lost to Albundania 6-1 yesterday and are now eliminated from contention in the World Baseball Classic. The single runner to cross the plate for the An archists was Dixie Dixon on a solo home run, his first of the tournament. Baseball correspondant Garrett Garrettson interviewed him after the game.

Garrett Garretson:What was the experience like, playing in the Classic for the first time.

Dixie Dixon: I think I speak for the whole team when I say we weren't really ready going into this tournament.

Garrett Garrettson: What might you do differently the next time around?

Dixie Dixon: I've heard we might be putting up a host bid. As for the players, I think we need more practice.

Sandy Sanderson: Up next, infomercials.

[Qazox]

PLAYOFF BRACKETS
(all "regional" series are best 2-of-3)
The HIGHER seeded team is on the right, and will "host" Games 1 and 3)

Fromburg Regional @ Ganja Vodka Stadium, Fromburg
FR1- Quintessence of Dust (6-2) vs. Bluth Corporation (7-1)
FR2- Milchama (6-2) vs. Cassadaigua (7-1)
FR3- Winner FR1 vs. Winner FR2

SaxerVilla Regional @ SaxerDome II, SaxerVilla
SV1- The Babbage Islands (6-2) vs. Vephrall (7-1)
SV2- Qazox (5-3) vs. Tocrowkia (8-0)
SV3- Winner SV1 vs. Winner SV2

Rockport Regional @ Rockport Stadium, Rockport
RP1- Taeshan (6-2) vs. Sarzonia (7-1)
RP2- Barnettsville (6-2) vs. Newmanistan (7-1)
RP3- Winner RP1 vs. Winner RP2

Qazox City Regional @ Pheonix Stadium, Qazox City
QC1- Zwangzug (7-1) vs. Secristan (6-2)
QC2- Iglesian Archipelago (5-3) vs. Dancougar (8-0)
QC3- Winner QC1 vs. Winner QC2

SEMIFINALS (best 3-0f-5)
SF1- FR3 winner vs. SV3 winner @ Rockport Stadium, Rockport
SF2- RP3 winner vs. QC3 Winner @ Ganja Vodka Stadium, Fromburg

THIRD PLACE SERIES (best 3-of-5)
SF1 loser vs. SF2 loser @ Pheonix Stadium, Qazox City

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (best 3-of-5)
SF1 winner vs. SF2 winner @ SaxerDome II, SaxerVilla

Good luck to all who made it to Qazox, and who will meet in SaxerVilla for the title?

[Tocrowkia]

MD 8 RP:

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TEAMS        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R H E
I.A.         0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0   4 7 0
Tocrowkia    0 0 3 0 2 0 2 0 0   7 10 0


WIN:
Matthew Shaporio (2-0)
HRs:
Dmitri Rykov 1 (5), Kevin Monroe 2 (3)

The Nordics swept their series Iglesian Archipelago at home. Matthew Shaporio racked up win number 2, but he did give up four runs in the process. Still, he had a strong performance with eight strike outs and zero base on balls. "I felt more confident out there, that is for sure. I know there have been rumors going around that I'm hurt and thats not the case. I just made some bad pitches out there and I paid for it in some cases, but over all I felt good on the mound. I felt strong and confident." Shaporio would say after the game. Even so, his fastball didn't have it's usual zip, his curve it's usual zing, nor his change it's normal zap. Still a win is a win.

All Nordics runs came via the long ball. Dmitri Rykov launched a three run shot in the third, and Kevin Monroe had two two run bombs in the game. The Nordics punched their fourth straight group title in the game.

MD 10 RP:

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TEAMS        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R H E
NTX          0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0   4 8 0
Tocrowkia    3 0 1 3 0 2 2 0 0   11 24 0


WIN:
Sofie Behm (2-0)
HRs:
Johnny Stryker 2 (5), Dmitri Rykov 1 (6), Jill Haviland 1 (5)

The Nordics finished up group play by once again rolling over New Texxas at home. Sofie Behm, like Shaporio the night before did give up for runs but also struck out eight, surrendered two walks en route to a complete game victory. Of course, the big stars in the game were the middle of the Nordics lineup. Johnny Stryker had a three run homer in the 1st, and a two-run blast deep into the chilly autumn night in the seventh. Dmitri Rykov had a three run jack to deep center of his own in the 4th, and Jill Haviland hit a two run dinger to left center in the 6th. Kevin Monroe also notched an RBI double in the game that finished off the onslaught.

There isn't much more to be said for the game it self. It was rather lopsided, as was the entire series with New Texxass. Instead, after the game ended Nordics players shook hands and passed out gear to the loyal fans that had come out to support them. Paul Rudolf on going undefeated in group stage said "It's always nice, but doesn't always mean everything. Look at the Dagans last time, or our undefeated WBC 10 in group stage. It's good, but we won't let it get to our heads." Still, it is a fine chapter in the road to redemption.

The Nordics opponent in the first round will be Qazox. A team that the Nordics have never beat. But Jill Haviland was confident in her teams chances. "We [Qazox and Tocrowkia] are two very different teams now. The last time we played was way back in the 9th classic. They have gotten rid of their manager and they don't have a single hold over from that championship team. They simply aren't as good as they used to be, so the pressure is on them if you ask me. This is a team that can win the close games and the blowouts, a team that can come from behind and maintain the lead. We can hit and we can pitch. In fact, I'm going to call it right now. We sweep the series."

Johnny Stryker Fact: of MD 8: Johnny Stryker once hit a lead off grand slam. He could have hit a lead off five-run homerun, but didn't think it would be as believable

Johnny Stryker Fact: of MD 10: Johnny Stryker took batting practice today. There were no survivors.

[Newmanistan]

QUALIFYING OUT OF THE WAY

Now that we have gotten through the group stages, we can start to see some better quality baseball. With The Babbage Islands the only team that could play at our level in this group, there wasn’t a ton of drama. Of course, there are some people that will point out that we only defeated Mantwenic by a lone run but they are the people that never watched the game. Newmanistan’s 3-2 victory was as easy of a 3-2 victory as your going to see as Sarah Brayton tossed 8 2/3rds innings of one hit ball, striking out thirteen along the way. Then Mantwenic got a bloop single and a sudden two run blast to cut the lead one and perhaps make some fans get a little concerned. Those concerns were quickly erased when Brayton struck the next batter out on three pitches. “I think I just thought the game was actually over before it really was. I have to admit that when I gave up the single, I wasn’t as focused as I should be and was instead thinking about where I should go for dinner after the game. But the single wasn’t enough to get my mind back in it, and I gave up the home run because I misplaced a curveball. Jessica (Sorenson, the catcher) got my composure back and we quickly disposed of the final batter to win the game. I shouldn’t have allowed them to get those runs though.” Newmanistan scored a single run in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th innings for the win with the first two runs scored in the much the same manner. Stacie Meadows led the first off with a single and stole a pair of bases and was driven in on a Rachel Ryan single. In the third, the same story. With one down, Meadows again singled, but this time only stole one base before Ryan drove her in again. Then in the 6th, Courtney Weinman sent went proved to be the winning run across the plate with a double off the left field well, scoring Natalie “The better” Monroe. The victory improved the Rockets to 7-1, and now it’s time to turn Rockport into Rocketport.

The first opponent for Newmanistan will be Barnettsville, the nation in which we eliminated in the second round last time. This time, they get to go out a round earlier. Courtney Lombardi will pitch the first game, and then it will be Kristen Haynes, followed by Sarah Brayton. Even though Haynes has been hit a bit in qualifying, her experience should offset any concerns people may have about her. Coach Christina Sanders isn’t concerned, “Kristen has been through it before, she knows what to do. I believe in her and I believe in everyone. Barnettsville is a solid team, but we should be able to advance as long as we play to our abilities. We have done that before and I see no reason why we wouldn’t again.” This was the first World Baseball Classic since the first one that Sanders did not get ejected during the group stages. In fact, no one on the Rockets got ejected at any time during those games. Jennifer Dawkins has the explanation for that, “It shows that we don’t instigate things, but we will finish them off.” This trend could be tested against Barnettsville and the possibility of Sarzonia afterwards. Taeshan is in Rocketport too, which is a bad omen for them, certainly. The Stars, we predict, will take care of them.

[Tocrowkia]

As Rocket fans prepapre to turn Rockport into Rocketport, Nordics Nation flip the calender to Reichtober in preparation for yet another play-off run. And before the Nordics take that next, crucial step on the Road to Redemption, the Nation got a chance to interview the man behind the magic, manager Paul Rudolf:

Nordic Nation: Thanks for taking the time, Paul. Now for the obvious starter question. What do you think of your teams performance during group play?

Paul Rudolf: No problem at all, it's always great to be able to interact with the fans. And as for my teams performance during group play? It just confirms what I have always known. We are a team that has every single tool at our disposal. We can win big and small, do everything we need to.

Nordic Nation: Over the last two Classics, we have received a lot of criticism from other nations, Newmanistan in particular, about us relying on the longball to get things done. Thoughts?

Paul Rudolf: It is once again an example of the media picking and choosing things to report. Newmanistan is a great team. No doubt about it. But their media outlets leave something to desire, that is for sure. I'm not going to justify their propaganda and sensationalism with any further responses after just this one: The Rocket Report is wrong. We are not the second coming of Taeshan, we play baseball just as much the 'right way' as you do.

Nordic Nation: Fair enough. Do you agree on Jill Haviland's assesment on Qazox?

Paul Rudolf: I do. They have a tremendous history in this event, but they aren't the team they used to be. We have the edge in experience, and to be honest I think we want it more than they do anyway.

Nordic Nation: So, looking at the other groups, Taeshan is in Newmanistans bracket again. We all know what that means.

Paul Rudolf: *Laughs* Yeah. I understand NordicNation.com has a product related to just that?

Nordic Nation: That we do! It's our SocKKi Lewis T-Shirt! Ya know, the one with the picture of him striking out. On sale now for just 19.95! But enough shameless product promotion. I'm sure much of the world wonders why Tocrowkia it self is so anti-Taeshan it self. Care to explain?

Paul Rudolf: I believe it's a cultural thing. Every Classic, Taeshan paints themselves as the favorites. Tocrowkians in general believe things should be worked for, that nothing is given to you. That, and the fact we know we can own them just as much as the Rockets can when we need to.

Nordic Nation: Haha, sounds about right. So, one more question. How has the Road to Redemption been thus far?

Paul Rudolf: So far, it has been nothing but a warm up. Every one on this team knows it will be uphill from here on out, but we also know we have a lot to atone for. Going out in the quarter-finals was unacceptable. So we're going to give the Nation a Reichtober to remember.

Nordic Nation: We know you will. Good luck!

[Cassadaigua]

Jennifer’s Space

It’s time to get started now in our efforts to take things further then we did last time. The group stage is over after we disposed of An Archy 7-3. Rachel Weston’s grand salami in the fifth inning is what put this game away for us. It wasn’t a game that we necessarily had, but unlike certain Cup of Harmony bloggers, we want to win every time we take the field. We won the group and finish 7-1, and that is pretty cool but now doesn’t mean anything. Visions of the disappointing second round loss to Yafor 2 still dance in our heads, and it is made even more frustrating by the fact that they completely sucked this time around. It makes their victory over us seem like even more of a fluke. Our first round opponent is Milkymama and right away baseball fans remember the World Baseball Classic 11 controversies where we were put into a play-in game against them because of a rules technicality. They probably should have had the spot, but we were given the chance, and we went on to defeat them. The Milky Warriors always claim that they are not playing their best team and if they were that they would be dominating the WBC every year. If that actually is true, then why don’t they bring them? Are they scared that they might tweek a hamstring playing for their country? I guess they have no such thing as national pride in the land of the Milkmen. Well, that’s their problem. We’ll beat them out, we seem to have success against them pretty often, but we haven’t beaten them enough in sports yet for them to know how to spell the name of our country, so there are some more beatings on the way for them.

[The Babbage Islands]

ARMAGH, Tesla (BPA) -- The 18th-ranked Babbage Islands Bumblebees will face the 17th-ranked Vephrall Auric Wolves tomorrow in the World Baseball Classic round of 16.

The Bumblebees won their final qualifying game 6-3 over Des topia to finish with a 6-2 record in Group Two, second to the Newmanistan Rockets. Julie Williams went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, with Harold Gillespie and Jason Andrews adding two RBI each.

Babbage starter Angie Serra went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks for the victory. Ray Moody pitched a scoreless eighth, and Jared Michaels struck out the side in the ninth for his third save.

Parker Thompson is out for the balance of the WBC, and will undergo shoulder surgery in Gernsback on the 9th. Ben Huffman, Don Tyler, and Angie Serra are scheduled to start in the Vephrall series.

Code: Select all

Game 8
Des topia           001 010 100  -  3  6  1
The Babbage Islands 121 002 00x  -  6 10  0


Qualifying Schedule
Sept. 26th- Newmanistan 6, TBI 7 (SP: Parker Thompson. WP: Catherine Delaney 1-0.)
Sept. 27th- TBI 3, Mantwenic 1 (SP/WP: Don Tyler 1-0. SV: Jared Michaels 1.)
Sept. 28th- TBI 11, Des topia 7 (SP: Flip Brown. WP: Angie Serra 1-0.)
Sept. 29th- Taffy 3 0, TBI 3 (SP/WP: Ben Huffman 1-0. SV: Jared Michaels 2.)
Oct. 1st- Mantwenic 5, TBI 3 (SP/LP: Parker Thompson 0-1.)
Oct. 3rd- TBI 4, Newmanistan 7 (SP/LP: Don Tyler 1-1.)
Oct. 4th- TBI 12, Taffy 3 2 (SP/WP: Flip Brown 1-0.)
Oct. 5th- Des topia 3, TBI 6: (SP/WP: Angie Serra 2-0. SV: Jared Michaels 3.)

Playoff Schedule
Oct. 7th- Visitors vs Vephrall at SaxerVilla, Qazox (Starter: Ben Huffman)
Oct. 8th- Home vs Vephrall at SaxerVilla (Starter: Don Tyler)
Oct. 9th- Visitors vs Vephrall if necessary at Saxervilla (Starter: Angie Serra)

[Sarzonia]

After a workmanlike 3-1 victory over Antarcticstan, the Sarzonian national team found out whom its first round opponents would be in the World Baseball Classic knockout stages.

Taeshan. Yes, the same team that ended Sarzonia's season -- and former manager Jim Paulsen's managerial career -- would be facing the Stars once again.

This time, the Stars have "home field" advantage, a misnomer considering the fact that the knockout stage matches would be in the Rockport Regional, being played in Rockport Stadium. The Stars already played their final match in Walter Cronkite Memorial Park during the qualifying phase of the World Baseball Classic.

However, the fact that Sarzonia would play with the designated hitter in Game 1 and a potential Game 3 might make a difference, at least to some Sarzonian players, right?

"Not really," said third baseman Kate Schmidt. "They're still a tough team. They still beat us last time out. We've got to take care of business."

Brad Baxter will start Game 1 for Sarzonia, while former ace John Morgan will toe the mound in Game 2. If necessary, Charlie Palmer will pitch Game 3.

For manager Khalil Dennis, the potential Rockport Regional finals matchup against Newmanistan is "off the radar screen."

"Right now, our focus is completely on Taeshan," he said. "We can't afford to get caught looking ahead, or we'll never get there."

[Barnettsville]

BLUE JAY PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Jays vs. #1 Newmanistan

ST. CATHERINE -- After a 6-2 qualifying round, the Blue Jays advance to the elimination round of WBC 13, and face a semi-familiar nemesis in round one: the defending champion Newmanistan Rockets. The Carolina-colored Rockets swept the then-Hurricanes in last Classic’s quarterfinals, which was partially overshadowed by rookie smack-talk by Garry Barnett, Jr.; who infamously referred to now-retired Newmanistan star Carrie Nicollette as “Carrie Penniette”. For this series, as it turns out, neither will be playing: Barnett was sent home halfway through qualifying for the duration of the Classic. The other important Blue Jay not participating in this series is Nathaniel Davis, who separated his shoulder and suffered a hairline fracture in his collarbone in the 12-5 victory over Profero. He has been ruled out of the remainder of the Classic as well due to that injury.

The matchups for the series will be:
Game 1: Barnettsville (William Monaghan) at Newmanistan (Courtney Lombardi)
Game 2: Newmanistan (Kristen Haynes) at Barnettsville (Jason Baker)
Game 3 (if necessary): Barnettsville (Aaron Wilson) at Newmanistan (Sarah Brayton)

Prematurely looking ahead, the winner of this series will face the winner of the Taeshan-Sarzonia series. If the Blue Jays advance, Jason Baker would start Game 1.

OOC: There were no RP's this weekend due to my playing GI Joe down in VA...that's all I have to say about that.

[Taeshan]

X Island Inquirer

A win is a win, especially when you need it to get ready for the second round of play. The Purple Knights needed theirs last night, coming back afer yet another loss to the Vephrall National Team to prove that in the eye of the storm your not always screwed. A 5-2 over Delsea in their final hom match of the season, or what ammounts to a home country match. But they pretty much will have at least 3 more as even though they lay in Qazox, its a shorter trip to their from Taeshan, then it is from their Round of Sixteen opponenets Sarzonia and their Stars. Literally once again the Stars will face the Knights, and hopefully like last time the Knights can make it back to the Quarterfinals with a 2 game defeat of the Stars, hopefully in a less dramatic fashion this year around. Pease no more chardiac kids guys.

On the mound for the secod time ths season was Knights Number 4 pitcher Rian Willemson. Voted Prom King in High School Rian showed why with some nice smiles into the camera, andcnsideringthis ws just a playoff tune-up for the Knights, he should have been smiling. The Delseans would make it interesting early in the game by taking a 2-0 lead in the third after some nice small-ball, but really no lead is safe against the Knights. Socki Lewis would prove that fact with Home-Run number 11 and hopefully not his fina homer of the season in the 5th to tie it up. Riane Totalez made it 4-2 with a bomb of his own, while Alexander Parea singled home Jay Nedved after the later nicely tripled his way onto the bases. Hopefully their success can continue into the post-season.

[Qazox]

QSPN.com/WBC XIII Coverage

A 5-run first, sparked by a grand slam by Ryan Griffen, and a two-out double by David Johnsen gave Qazox a lead that David O'Hannaran would hold on to until teh 8th inning, when he allowed 5 consecutive singles to lead off the inning, leading to 3 Lovisan runs. Eric Davidson came in, and promptly struck out the next batte, before getting a inning-ending double play to end the threat. Juan Thames lead off the bottom of the 8th with a triple, but after the next two batter each popped out weakly to center, Griffen launched a 413 ft homerun to right cente to extend the lead up to 7-3. Davidson walked the first batter of the 9th, but got the next 3 batters to ground out to Reggie Stockerto end the game.

Now Qazox, seeded 15th in the 16-team playoffs, will face Tocrowkia in SaxerVilla in the Round of 16. It doesn't look that good for the Pheonix in their quest to win a 4th title.

LINE SCORE

Lovisa    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0   3  9 0
Qazox     5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 x   7 16 0

QAZOX STATS:
2B: Johnsen, Montez, Hammond, Griffen
3B: Thames 2
HR: Griffen 2
RBI: Griffen 6, Johnsen


Schedule:

vs. German zerabithea WIN 8-0
@ Dancougar Lost 5-7
vs. Connar Republic WIN 10-1
@ Lovisa WIN 2-0
BYE DATE
@ Connar Republic Lost 1-2 (15 innings)
@ German zerabithea WIN 9-3
vs. Dancougar Lost 2-4
BYE DATE
vs. Lovisa WIN
Round of 16 @ SaxerDome II, SaxerVilla
@ Tocrowkia
vs. Tocrowkia
@ Tocrowkia (if necessary)

[Newmanistan]

COMPARING CHAMPIONS

As the playoffs for World Baseball Classic 13 glory approach, we want to take some time to discuss a thought that has been rampant throughout Newmanistan, and that is whether or not the WBC 12 Rockets were the best ever. Sure, this kind of article doesn’t do wonders for our efforts to try and put the focus on the new players instead of our hall of famers. But why should we? Hall of Famers leave a legacy, and that is something to be celebrated, so we make this comparison now, in spite of that. The WBC 12 Rockets went 10-0 during the group stage with a +30 run differential (44 RF, 14 RA) and 8-2 in the playoffs (and a +25 run differential in the playoff games). Additionally, only one of those two losses was a nine inning loss. How about the other champions? We thank the fine folks at wikistates for this information, and if any of this is inaccurate, blame them!

WBC 1- Az-cz won their first of three titles in a row, which is one thing they are well respected for. They are also infamous for their being scared of the Rockets (and perhaps Tocrowkia and Secristan as well) by making WBC 6 their last classic, when us three entered in the 7th. They went 5-1 in the group stage, and 7-2 in the playoffs. Additionally, their run differential of +7 in the group stage hints that they weren’t that dominant. Clearly, the WBC 12 Rockets were better then these guys.

WBC 2- On their home turf, Az-cz ran the table, but things seemed weird in this WBC, looking at the overall scores. Teams averaging 10 runs per game? This is a throw out Classic, sorry. Nothing against this Az-cz team, but apparently this was played with little kids as pitchers across the board, but still has been termed as being a “baseball” tournament.

WBC 3- In a tight group, the soon-to-be three time champion Az-cz ball club, scratches out a 3-2 record in pool play. Strange playoff scheduling sees four teams advance with a single game elimination. This is baseball, right? Anyway, the mediocre group stage puts this team behind our Rockets.

WBC 4- Milchama goes 7-2 in a gigantic 10-team pool. This Classic had troubles from the start as apparently the host nation bailed out in the middle of it, leaving Qazox to come in and save the competition. Qazox personnel probably would have gone with a more logical setup then two groups of ten from the beginning as well. Despite the Warriors 7-2 mark, they have just a +4 run differential, so this is hardly a dominant team, and not at the level of the WBC 12 Rockets.

WBC 5- Milchama defends their championship, and this team could make a case for being the best ever, but comparing a team that played 20 games, as we did, to one that only played 10 is a tough task. Do you take 9-1 or 18-2? Milchama’s group stage was 4-0 with a run differential of +11. If we pro-rate that pace to a 10-game group stage, they are 10-0 with a run differential of +27.5 (we’ll give them 28). At +30, the WBC 12 Rockets are slightly above this. In their six playoff games, the Warriors had a 5-1 record with a +13 run differential. Our Rockets were 8-2 with a +25 differential. If you pro-rate Milchama’s pace, they don’t hit +25. This is a tougher one then the previous four, but based on these numbers, you have to again give the Rockets the edge.

WBC 6- Qazox wins their first of three titles, and the last tournament before we came in and put our stamp on the competition. The Pheonix went 3-1 in the first round of pool play, and 4-0 in the second round. They then cruised in the championship round, going 5-0. However that said, they only needed to beat Taeshan in the championship series, and surely we would have as well. Statistically, this adds up to 12-1. Their +33 run differential in the second round is impressive, so we had to dig deeper to see if this was the result of consistency over the four games (which ours was), or biased because of one giant blowout. What we uncovered was stunning, a 21-3 rout by Qazox over regional rival Prux. Were dogs pitching for Prux? Anyway, statisticians would call this an “outlier”. Discounting it, their +15 RD in a 3-0 record is still a sign of strong consistency. The only way you could determine which team was better was to face them head to head. Old timers game, anyone?

WBC 7- Now Newmanistan enters the fold and in our first try we make it all the way to the final, and meet up with Zwangzug, who captures their first title. The Zebras go 5-0 in the first round of the pool play, and 4-0 in the second. Great start! But then in the playoffs, they slow down a bit, as each series goes to the max, 3 games with Qazox, and then 5 with us. This drops them below our Rockets on the overall scale.

WBC 8- The Classic comes to Newmanistan for the first time and Qazox wins their second of three championships. The Pheonix went 8-0 in their group with a +33 run differential which is a more impressive pace then our +30 in ten games. After knocking off Tocrowkia in the first round, the Pheonix slow a bit as did Zwangzug, needing all five games to beat Taeshan, and then six games to beat Milchama in the looking back at it, too long seven-game championship series! This puts their playoff record at 9-4, giving them a cumulative 17-4. That’s impressive, but not as impressive as 18-2.

WBC 9- The format of this tournament makes it hard to make a comparison of best ever teams, and you really can only look at the playoffs. The Pheonix did go 4-1 in a tough group that also features Tocrowkia and Zwangzug. The winners of each group went directly to the championship, matching up us and them. It was a classic 5-game series, with Qazox winning the last game in 11-innings. It’s a title for them to celebrate, but this team can not be considered near the level of our Rockets.

WBC 10- It’s Rockets vs Rockets, and the comparison that we know most of you have been waiting for. Our group stage record was a strong 8-2, and in the playoffs, we went 7-3. Altogether that’s 15-5, making this actually an easy comparison. Our second championship team was better then our first.

WBC 11- The Classic heads back to Newmanistan, and Tocrowkia takes a long awaited title back to Nordic Nation. A 9-3 group stage record though immediately drops them behind our WBC 12 champions, even though the group did feature Taeshan and Cassadaigua. They have an impressive 7-1 run in the playoffs, including knocking us out in four in the championship, but the overall 16-4 record puts them behind us.

WBC 12- That’s our Rockets. The 10-0 group stage is what we look at here because some people might simply think this was a cakewalk. In fact, that was hardly the truth. In this group, the Rockets needed to defeat Sarzonia and Dancougar twice, and managed to do so. The Stars are consistently one of the better teams in the Classic, and the Black Wings are certainly an up and coming team as evidenced by their undefeated group stage record in WBC 13.

So that’s you’re analysis, and in summary we can find only one team that could make a case that they were a better team then our WBC 12 Rockets, and that would be the WBC 6 Qazox team. There is no clear winner here, and your choice of the two will likely depend on where you’re from. Still it’s a testament to how strong we were last time. It’s a tough act to follow now, but our ladies are up for the challenge as the playoffs kick off in Rocketport. No, its not Rockport, anymore.

[Dancougar]

Previously: Even Sarah is unintentionally mean to Norma.

Code: Select all

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - R  H  E
German Zer.  0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0   2  6  1
Dancougar    1 2 0 0 2 0 4 0     9 13  1

WP: Dickinson (2-0)   7 IP, 2 ER, 8 K
RBI: Sanretour 2 (8), Mimeko 2 (7), Voint 2 (3), Dextrous (19), Toonmay (10), Allegray (6)
R: Allegray 3 (14), Sanretour 2 (13), Mimeko (7), Toonmay (6), Morimoto (4), Voint (2)

"Wow, Sarah-chan, it's still tough to think that you're not going to pitch two in a row like you usually do," said Norma. It was the bottom of the fifth and Juliet had just reached base with a single. The Wings led 3-1 but they were to start another small rally. "I figured you'd be more upset."

"It can't be helped, can it?" Sarah replied. "I guess coach wants me to be ready for the playoffs. If Laurie and I alternate, I can still pitch two in a three-game series."

"Leave it all to our dependable staff ace, eh?" Norma said.

"What's more surprising is that it's a sensible decision from coach," Sarah said, throwing a sly look his way. "It's the last thing I've come to expect from that guy."

"That's true, I have been making some uncharacteristically decent calls lately," Schwartz mused, placing his hand on his chin. "I haven't tried putting an outfielder on the mound, for one. Heh, remember when I asked Ahn-san to... Ahn-san? I swear, she was just here a moment ago."

"I'm sorry!" squeaked Lois.

"Occasionally, people surprise even themselves when they do something they never expected," said Schwatz. "But that's all part of the growing process, I suppose. Education is a lifelong journey. Everything you do feeds into your future decisions, but sometimes, actions are not governed by past experience alone. The desire to try something new can produce results that seem as strange to others as they do to you."

There was a loud crack as Joy tagged a pitch down the left field line for a double. Juliet, frightened by the prospect of Schwartz talking to the other girls for so long, hustled around third and motored home just before the throw to make it 4-0. "Now that you mention it... there was the time that Juliet pitched, as well," said Sarah.

"It was fun," panted Juliet, who had popped up behind Schwartz short of breath.

He sidestepped to avoid her smothering embrace. "Y-you were there?" he asked.

"Y-yes," she said. "For - gasp - awhile, now." She downed a cup of water and looked more refreshed. "Pitching was certainly something I'd never considered, and even though I gave up a run and lost the game, it was still kind of encouraging to know that I could actually do it." She blushed. "Of course, if it's for coach, there's a lot of things I might try..."

"In any case!!" Schwartz interrupted hastily. "Whether consciously or not, there are people making surprising decisions every day." On the field, the pitcher decided he would throw to Amber. She went up and got it, driving in her team-leading 19th run to make it 5-1.

"Like getting those black and gold road uniforms," said Clarissa. "I've had people tell me that there are cursed spirits drawn to those colors, and we'll never win a baseball classic as long as we wear them."

"Only you might be concerned about something like that," Sarah replied with a blank look on her face.

[Zwangzug]

The Kerlagrad Courier
The Link: WBC Special

You mean we haven't been outsourced to Meice?

1. It was a tough first WBC for Courezzia's national baseball team, the...
a. Catchers
b. Pitchers
c. DHs

2. Wilhelm James, of Tatuape, has been busy...
a. Pitching
b. Slugging
c. Demonstrating that we can't automatically discount people wearing rally caps, no matter how weird they might look

3. The Dancougar Black Wings' new uniforms...
a. Aren't actually black
b. Are patterned off of Schwartz Seherisch's jail uniform
c. Don't actually have wings

4. In the recently-completed Olympics...
a. Delaclava won the baseball championship
b. Ad’ihan defended their softball title
c. Delesa ALMOST learned which NAMES to CAPITALIZE to DENOTE surnames

5. The Connar Republic's television broadcasters have...
a. Achieved fame the world over
b. Had trouble with the Qazox visa system
c. Already outlasted the average WTB radiocaster

6. Garry Barnett Jr. was...
a. Suspended after swearing at the umpires
b. Congratulated after several dominant performances
c. Elected president

7. Khalil Dennis has been busy managing the Sarzonia Stars, despite...
a. Working on his autobiography
b. Following his native Delaclava in the Olympics
c. Being eighty years old

8. An archy's return to international baseball has included
a. A chimpanzee leading off
b. A bear batting ninth
c. A Wookie hitting cleanup

9. The rise of "Johnny Stryker Facts" has led bloggers to...
a. Overhype the Tocrowkian slugger
b. Invent new statistics to exaggerate his legend
c. Figure out what rhymes with Stryker

[Vephrall]

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Scrubs drop final group game, real players to face Babbages
Delaclava 5, Vephrall 3

DELACLAVA — After clinching the Group 6 pennant [I know this is baseball, but is there really such a thing as a group stage pennant? -ed] with a win over Delesa in Meice to go to 7–0, Auric Wolves manager Taratchy Fihor elected to rest most of the regular players for the meaningless final game against Delaclava. The starting lineup for the game was:

2B Meniarol Taclik
SS Torossud Hesaramba
1B Diors Pagliloe
CF Ceedast Scezes
3B Angufams Hottotelen
RF Menburid Tingacens
C Rutako Doshese
LF Baspaalt Hahnea
P Sytrobes Diors

Hesaramba and Tingacens were the only usual starters in the starting lineup, and Tingacens moved from his usual left-field position to play right instead. Number three starter Tobamme Limpents was scheduled to take the mound, but she will instead pitch the second game of Vephrall's first playoff series.

The backups proved why they were the backups in this game. Not that they were bad, really; they just didn't seem to have the killer instinct of the usual starting eight. Diors pitched an okay game, allowing three runs in six-and-a-third innings of work in a no-decision. Pranasik Umsaasad took the loss as Delaclava broke the 3–3 tie with Jim Jeffries' two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.

"It would've been nice to complete the sweep," said shortstop Torossud Hesaramba, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI double. "But really it didn't matter, and it let most of the starters rest up to prepare for the playoffs."

The Wolves' first (and hopefully not last) playoff opponents will be the Babbage Islands. The Bumblebees, ranked #18 in the world going into the WBC, finished second in Group 2 with a 6–2 record behind Newmanistan. Vephrall has home-field advantage for the three-game series, and Ellime e Vephrall will play host to games 1 and (if necessary) 3.

[Delaclava]

DELACLAVA STAR

Entire Delaclava baseball team tests positive for Grigoro

The whole of the Delaclava baseball team, including players, coaches, trainers, and other personnel, have contracted the parasite Grigoro.

Grigoro is a parasite native to Delaclava and found mainly in the region of Ohio, although it is found all over the world. Grigoro first attacks the muscular and skeletal systems, weakening these parts of the body before eventually spreading to the nervous and circulatory systems. Doctors have estimated that the majority of the team fell ill several days ago, the exact date landing right before Delaclava's loss to Vephrall, 1-0 in ten innings in their third match. Although Severiano Sanchez pitched well with a no-hitter through ten innings before being replaced, the rest of the team couldn't score runs and blew the pitching gem. Afterwards, Delaclava beat Vephrall and Seasonia twice, but suffered bad losses to Delesa and Taeshan to see themselves eliminated from the World Baseball Classic.

Manager Doc Pepper said, "I don't like makin' excuses, and we can always do better. But we did well for our second WBC, and our boys gonna get better and come back next year strong."

[Milchama]

Milchama National News- Tribune- Sun- Times- Post- Gazette- Chronicle- Journal- Dispatch- Telegram- Star- Monitor- Enquirer

Sports Section

Bad Blood All Around

The Milchama Warriors are again in the knockout rounds of the WBC, exactly like they're supposed to be. Unfortunately in the proceedings of losing their final group game the Warriors are forced to face Cassidaguia or however you spell it. Of course I would care this time, considering they did beat us in the World Cup Qualifying (TIMMONS!) but they seem to mispronounce our name thinking that it's a conventional English C that is the middle syllable of our proud nation's name. Unfortunately they would be wrong, as our nation's name has a ח in the middle and is actually spelled מלחמה the English is only an abomination of the Hebrew spelling.

Therefore if they're not willing to treat us with respect, we won't treat them with respect. Thus Cassadaiguananananana or whatever is going to be in for hurt. They don't seem to understand why we wouldn't bring our best team but considering they have never won anything before it would make sense. We like competition, we want to see other teams win and more importantly most Milchamians kinda forgot about this tournament until about the last edition. We care more about our league then this little shindig. Thus we want to get the world ready by getting tougher and tougher. It's quite obvious really even if the Pink Faeries or whatever they call themselves don't understand.

Anyway we are the best baseball nation in history, it's quite obvious when one looks at outround appearances, titles and overall success that there is noone close to us. What does one more quarterfinal or semifinal appearance really mean? In the grand scheme of things, not much, why play the first team, who could get injured, when we can play the second team and get a pretty good result. When we want to bring the first team back (it might be next cup, it might two cups from now, get ready) we will. Watch us and we will win, a lot and easily beat crap teams like the Crapola Pink Faeries. We shall enjoy it very much wait and see.

Finally we have some more scores to settle, this time with the Rockets of Newmanistan. While we seem to play them a lot in all competitions they recently said that their WBC 12 team was the best WBC team of all time with only Qazox's squad even close to them. This is just ridiculous on several levels, first they're major tie breaker is not record but run difference. Run difference is not an important stat as it overvalues power hitting teams that get more runs based on home runs. The Milchama Warriors have never been built that way and you can see it in our run differential. They said that they're team is better than our WBC 4 team, which might be true, they were chokers anyway but they also said they were better than our WBC 5 team which is just ludicrous. That was a dominant team and they're way of saying that this was not has to do with playoff run differential. As anybody knows the playoffs are a crapshoot and furthermore in the group stage we were equal to say that with certainty is beyond ridiculous. They're just trying to discredit us because they don't like us it's so unfortunate to see these biases beneath what is supposed to be objective statistical analysis. So it goes with Newmanistanians I guess, whatever.

That being said this is they're way of trying to put their stamp on history but what they don't realize is that they can't touch us for history. They've only been around for 7 WBCs and while they're hall has been impressive in those WBCs (2 titles is nothing to sneeze at) they don't have the outround history we do. We have gotten out of the group stage in at least 10 of the WBCs and won 2 of them. Beyond that we were the best overall team at the World Cup of Baseball, the tournament before the WBC, getting to one final and one semifinal, therefore our stamp as the best ever baseball national team is quite clear. While Newmanistan may claim to have the single best team, which they even admit is debatable, they don't have the history we do ok.

In sum, Milchama is the best ever at baseball due to consistency and longevity and tiny upstart like Casadiguay need to understand this history in order to understand why we play a B team.