World Baseball Classic XXV - Everything Thread

[Maklohi Vai]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

The government application was long and arduous, but Kumalo was able to figure it out with the help of his brother, a lawyer. They had made an appointment, but there wasn't a need for that once Kumalo saw the app. It seemed as though the government just wanted to make sure people weren't using "religions" as fronts for something else, possibly illicit activity. It requested belief systems, presence or lack of gods, holy texts, values, and all sorts of information. Luckily, OAM was pretty straightforward, therefore little extra thought was required on Kumalo's part. The last part of the application process, however, was to have a representative from the ministry of culture come observe a session of worship. Kumalo figured it would be better to have it sooner rather than later, so he invited a man to come to that night's meeting. It appeared to be just a formality, but the thought of it made Kumalo quite nervous indeed.

Then there was the matter of the Darmen exchange. In reality, there wasn't much to think about as Nilani was still in transit. It was a long journey indeed to get to Darmen, but Kumalo felt an international exchange would be beneficial for all involved.

Business appeared to be settling down to normal on the secular front, but on the spiritual front it had certainly picked up. At the last meeting, Kumalo had made a prayer-- wait, no. It wasn't really a prayer so much as a statement. It was the statement that demands someone to serve Maklohi Vai. It has evolved into an oath of office, almost, as it is used for new members of the military or the government. It still carried a lot of weight, and had not devolved into a ceremonial thing. This was serious business.

But evidently Margaret had been accepting of this, accepting enough to give the team a much needed win over Allinlia. Thanking her for this act would be the focus of Kumalo's prayer tonight.

That prayer wold have quite an audience. Including the governmental observer, 1487 people showed up for the meeting, just 13 below the capacity of the auditorium. Together, they brought 3045 rubber chickens, a new high that shattered the previous amount by nearly 700. Tonight was a night indeed for celebration, but Kumalo felt it to be a night of prayer. Therefore, there was no introduction. He jumped right in:

"Margaret, you have payed us a great favor by accepting the statement of service to Maklohi Vai.
You contributions to this nation will never be forgotten, and that is why we have something to give you in return.
Margaret, we offer our everlasting devotion to you and your acts, and we promise to worship no other being.
If you serve us, we will serve you. Let this be a partnership of great bounty and prosperity for all present people and their progeny.
We begin this service tonight by offering you a sacrifice for your pleasure and use. Thank you, Margaret."

Short, sweet, and to the point. Just how Kumalo wanted it.

---

Game Recap

Allinlia                         2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0  5
Maklohi Vai                      0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 X  6

Scoring Summary
5th: Mae'ao hit a two run shot to right, scoring Ri'ino Uilnai.
6th: Wolo Rakinalmanai hit a double that drove in Arnao and Moalna’akai Lai.
8th: Mae'ao hit a two run homer to left, scoring Ri'ino Uilnai once again.

Stat update:
HR: Mae'ao 15, Arnao 2, Wolo Rakinalmanai 1
RBI: Mae'ao 29, Arnao 6, Wolo Rakinalmanai 3, Iao Laina 1, Moalna’akai Lai 1, Koilani Ruputuo 1

[Kinzar]

Wildcats on Brink of Qualifying. Seriously.

Gone are the concerns about whether or not we could compete at the international level, or if our team would be the laughing stock of the tournament. Vanished are the thoughts that 5-5 would be an acceptable record for the first stage. Now, fans are really beginning to do a little research about the Equestrian States. A once impossible notion, that we would actually go to the nation in the Pony Lands for the playoffs, now Kinzites are looking at planning a vacation to what is indeed a very unique nation. The magic number is one. All we need to do is win one more game or have Qazox lose one more game. True, our final three games include Milchama and Qazox, but it also includes Mapletish, and in theory, that’s the only nation that we need to beat at this point. That is obviously a dangerous thought, because Mapletish is a quality baseball team in their own right and would certainly love to salvage their own qualifying campaign by playing spoiler. Though even if we were lose our final three games, Qazox still has to win out. After starting 3-0 and looking all shiny in their golden uniforms, that luster has faded away and Qazox is now in serious jeopardy of not making the playoffs. There’s more to it then just that though as even if Qazox were to win out, and if we were lose our remaining games, they have to beat us by at least four runs. With all that said, its easy to get excited right now about the performance of this team.

And fans are doing exactly that. Across Kinzar, fans are showing that enthusiasm in many different ways.

In the national capital of Hudson, it has been easy to see baseball fever since this is where the ballgames are being played. Interviews with street vendors report that concession sales on a per game basis are up 15% from what they would be from regular season games for Hudson. Evidently, watching international baseball makes one extra hungry. Nightlife in Hudson has also seen a spike with bar and restaurant owners reporting increased sales. Nicole Leary, general manager of The Stratosphere Restaurant on 25th Street told us, “Before the game, you see the families come in to grab a bite to eat and the love their Wildcats. The kids come in with their face paint, and we can them filled up with great food so they can then go to the stadium. After the game, it’s more adults coming in and having drinks with their friends. That’s not unusual for any game, but we are selling more after these games then after any other sporting event.”

In the nation’s most populous city, St. Petersburg, fans have stopped protesting the fact that all the games are in Hudson, and are enjoying seeing their local players, such as Devon Charles and Glenn Elliot in action. The fact that Elliot pitches the next game against the Warriors of Milchama has led to business promotions all across this large city. “If Elliot pitches a complete game shutout against Milchama, everyone who purchased furniture from my store this past weekend will get all of their money back.” Said Benny Vatrone, owner of Best Value Furnishings. While it may seem ambitious for Elliot to get that kind of result against a team like the Warriors, there are some more reasonable promotions going on. Radical Electronics purchased 100 tickets to playoff games in the Equestrian States, and promised to give two tickets to the first 50 people that buy at least $30 worth of electronics (gift cards not accepted for promotion) immediately after the Wildcats officially clinch their playoff berth. Don’t worry about what would happen if Kinzar collapses, as the store says they’ll just sell them to fans of another nation that makes it.

Out in Brentwood, where the Cheese Exports workers strike continues to linger, both union leaders and the owners Way Too Cheesy, seem to agree that using Kinzar’s World Baseball Classic performance can be a way to try and get the public on their side. “What we see out there on the baseball field is what a group of hard working people can do when they are paid adequately,” said union boss Harold Finnegan, “They get up in the morning, represent their country with pride, and get great results. It’s no different then the common folk here in Brentwood who work at these companies such as Way Too Cheesy. They are hard working family men and women who work the front-line to make sure Kinzar’s great cheese products are distributed equitably throughout the world. The only difference is that they are not millionaires, or anywhere close to it.” Bruce M. Davidsen, Jr, CEO of Way To Cheesy sees it a little differently, “President Spencer is doing a great job getting Kinzar to become a more international nation with the World Baseball Classic being a big step, and it is at a time like this where we cannot just be giving money away to export workers, and must remain firm as employers, or else workers in other industries will use this as a precedent. Therefore, we must prioritize not giving in to their insane demands.”

All the news isn’t necessarily great. In the crime-infested city of La Jolla, the negative aspects are being seen. Chief of Police Donald Dunkin, “World Baseball Classic memorabilia is popular, and that means it is also popular among criminals. Unfortunately, the reports of items being stolen have been hard for us to keep up with. We are also dealing with a couple gangs selling counterfeit merchandise that is not an officially licensed product of Kinzar Baseball. These are the realities of the new world that we are in.” It is also believed that items from other nations are being bought, especially hats, and being used as gang signs. The Saugeais away hat has been found worn a little often in the Southeast side of the city for me to think that these people are all interested in showing support of the Saugeais baseball team. Dunkin believes the hat is being worn by members of the Southside Killaz, who are also known for wearing silver and black. “Not to mention, it’s disrespectful to Saugeais for their hat to be worn in this manner," Dunkin said after sipping from his coffee.

[Allinlia]

Hope Fading Fast

 Allinlia                   2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0  5
 Maklohi Vai                0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 X  6

After the thrill of the upset win over Western Cuba, the optimism and good feelings toward this national team has all but faded away into nothing as the Allinlians lose their second game in a row since then. the come from behind 5-6 road loss in Maklohi Vai comes on the heels of a devestating home defeat against Kerblaeckistan, dropping Allinlia to 2-5, eliminating them from any chance of winning the group and avoiding the play-in rounds, and making it so only a miracle of numbers and coincidence will allow the all-stars to make it out of group 10 at all. With a loss in the head to head against the top 2 teams in the standings, all hope is seemingly lost at this point and the unspoken goal of the team right now is to at least find away to improve on last WBC's 3-7 record. For if they cannot manage that, the long threatened "substantial changes" to the WBC roster will almost certainly kick in.

Matt Eastman put in an honest effort against the home team, keeping Maklohi Vai scoreless through 4 innings before giving up 4 runs: 2 in the 5th and 2 more in the 6th. The Allinians would take back the lead in the 7th however only to see the game end with 2 runs scored off Wall Largo. The veteran reliever said he was "devestated" to have lost the game for Eastman and the Allinlian team.

In fairness few in Allinlia expected the team to win this match and it was very competitive but the home game against Kerbaeckistant was one in which we anticipated a win. Allinlia must now face the Priory of St. Luc, who they smashed 10-0 on the road last time, but who is now white hot, winning 3 straight, including wins over the free-falling Western Cuba as well as new group favorites, Maklohi Vai.

The best Allinlia can hope for is to win out and get a 5-5 record. Winning out may not be as unlikely as it seems right now, Western Cuba looks much weaker at the moment than they did in the first half as the upset losses to Allinlia and ViZion have seemed to really rattle the young team, ViZion is about at Allinlia's level, and if anyone knows how to shut down St. Luc's seemingly unstoppable streak, it'd be Eli Wells.

[Strawbee]

Don't Panic Yet
Strawbee Still in Good Playoff Position Despite Devastating Loss

   Kintratar                        0 0 2 4 0 3 0 0 0  9
   Strawbee                         0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Could it be that the magic carpet ride is over? The upstart Strawbeean team has made waves in its WBC debut but this diastorous 9-1 loss at home in a game that Strawbee very much thought they had in the bag and would be the game that would catapult them into the playoffs is leaving some wondering quite loudly if the team that has dramatically 2-0'd the mighty 11th ranked group favorites, Tynaela, could in fact miss the playoffs entirely anyway. Strawbee is now at a very mediocre 4-3 and is facing what is looking like a must win road game against Schmiegelland, but perhaps Strawbee is more comfortable on the road than at Peerson? Their most impressive victories have in fact been road games afterall...

There is no doubt that Strawbee is in more trouble than they were when they started out 3-0 and their recent history since then has been thoroughly mediocre as opposing teams seemed to have regarded The Legends as a significant threat and have done an excellent job of scouting them. However here are a few strong factors that things may not be as bleak as they may seem:

1. Equestrian States is the only team to take control of the group.

So you say 4-3 is no good? Let's take a look at every team not named Equestrian States: Tyneala: 4-3, Kintratar: 3-4, New Matawan: 3-4, Schmiegeland: 1-6. Despite all the recent losses Strawbee remains in the best position to lock in second place. If they can beat Schmiegelland and New Matawan (which admittedly absolutely smashed Strawbee last time they played but is now looking quite a bit weaker) they will be at 6-4, not enough to win some groups, but considering how even the group seems to be once you get past #1, very much good enough for the postseason

2. Tyneala is looking strong and winning games

why is Tyneala doing good important? because Strawbee has beaten them twice and owns the head-to head against them. If Groups end and Tyneala remains in front of New Matawan and Knitratar than that is great news for Strawbee as a tie for second with the #11 ranked team will result in Strawbee advancing. It's possible for Strawbee to go 5-5 and still advance due to this, depending on how the cards fall!

3. 4 wins still places them above Allinlia's debut.

Strawbee's stated goal coming into this WBC was to beat thier "big brother" to the east, the empire of Allinlia. They have already won more than Allinlia has in their first WBC and with the Allinlians sitting at a sad 2-5 in the absolutely deadly group 10, chances are very very good that Strawbee will finish this WBC with the better record, and possibly a higher world ranking! (now wouldn't that be something?) Leader Madam Strawberry repeated her earlier stance that she "couldn't be more proud" of this team and the dictator is standing by them, she has attended every home match and it is said that she plans to travel to road games now.

Of course the playoff picture for Strawbee will become much more clear after the game against Schmiegelland, Carbon will once again take the mound for The Legends, the young pony has been reported to be "strongly considering" declaring for next season's ABL draft.

Much remains to be seen in the final 3 games of WBC groups, and Strawbee may not have impressed as a newcomer as much as Kinzar, but for now things are positive in the city of Peerson.

[Zwangzug]

Well, I guess Peter was right after all. I got the win today, and frankly, none of us pitched incredibly well--I was just in the right place at the right time, Jen came through again with the winning run in the seventh. Of course, this could mostly be a function of the way Janvier (and predecessors) are using us--Cynthia came in for the final two innings, didn't do that badly, but it wasn't like she'd been in the game long enough to make a big impact.

Vaugania is a nice place from what I've seen of it--Rushmore is a huge region, so there's a lot to take in. And apparently they have a good curling team, too--Thomas (rookie) is extremely impressed by that. Danny is in kind of a funk, something about how they claim to be a religious republic but we don't really see whether it holds together from a political sense. I told him to shut up and be glad we don't have to go back to the Sova Empire.

Aminda is looking unusually cool in her new sunglasses. Either she's getting light-sensitive headaches now, or she wants to win at poker. Apparently that's the new thing in the bullpen, again thanks to Thomas, and even Danny cleans up in one of the variations. This, I have got to see to believe, but no evidence yet.

Heading back to Spenson, and the rookies are getting their chance to start now. Bradley is up first. I would say he talks a good game, but honestly, half of the game he talks is these made-up statistics that he's just trying to show off. I'd respect him more if he cited one that admitted he was, in some respects, middle-of-the pack. Oh well. Maybe that's where home-field advantage comes from, just these absurd levels of self-confidence...

[Free South Califas]

Though it is no surprise that the strong baseball tradition of Central North America shines through, even from its new association, other teams' defeats to the Royals were not as crushing as the Harvest Mice's 13-1 loss. As much unused to the cold weather as to losing by such margins, the Federal Team is in a tie for the playoff position even after the humiliation.

More bizarrely, UKCNA has cruised into the top of the tiebreakers for the playoff spot.

Still failing to release a roster even more than halfway into the group stage, the ragtag band from Central North America - an apparently anarchic squad of daily-changing rosters from which falling stars are removed and to which interesting players are added from the upstart Royal Baseball League, and from one game to the next they elect a manager and coaches.

Reached for comment by the San Diego City Beat Sports Desk, RBL bullpen ace Helena Montez, one of the few players to successfully win or defend her place on the roster through every round of voting, is also the pitching coach at the moment and has not been challenged since being elected executive delegate of the voluntary Elected Players Organizing Board, which consolidates media contacts and gives players a voice in their own non-binding elections outside of the day-to-day operations in which the team itself is actually run through binding elections of the players or the actions of duly elected representatives. Montez said that Equestrian States organizers have confirmed that UKCNA will be forced to release a permanent roster at the start of the knockout stage. Until then, she says, frequent elections are the order of the day.

The City Beat also reached Aram Derderian, ace starting pitcher for Free South Califas, who easily won election as media relations delegate due to his prior experience as executive delegate of the Califan detachment to the World Assembly. Derderian, about whom retirement and trade rumors have swirled of late, said that the 13-1 defeat "was certainly a shock to the system", "could have effects on the next managerial elections" and in fact "could see him lobby for a different role", hinting that he might have accepted the independently-confirmed nomination for manager, which is an otherwise secret process. Turning again to the team's fortunes, Aram noted that "we are determined to struggle as hard as any other team" and "not to take our rank for granted", forced to acknowledge that the Federal Team is last in a three-way tie for the playoff position - with UKCNA.

"Obviously this is awkward for us", confirmed Derderian somewhat redundantly. The fact of a media interview alone signaled extraordinary circumstances for the Harvest Mice, who have an unspoken agreement to do their best to avoid influencing elections - usually by maintaining radio silence on related topics, and altogether when possible. Since he has not been immediately recalled by the other players, that Derderian spoke of his own potential campaign at all is a sign that it is already a distraction in the clubhouse and that others must have approached him asking him to address the matter such as he could. While it would have the opposite effect in political elections, covering the topic with a light touch actually signals that it would be best if the discussion ended, since the process of accepting nominations for manager is itself secret and must not be disclosed except to temporary election officials.

"We can absolutely win this group", Derderian reminded the City Beat, while admitting that "aiming for the playoffs is most realistic". Still, the Califans will have to step up their game even after sweeping Ko-Oren, given the vast disparity in tiebreakers with UKCNA.

[Karditan]

Adair Sports
presents
PonySport!

Did you think we were done with baseball equipment for ponies? Hah! No, we just finished the professional equipment. Now we present to you, a product designed for the colts and fillies, the hydraulic hoof!

Now hoof-strikes, wing-throws and magiked balls are great for the experienced baseball player; but what about ponies first getting into the game? What about the younger ones who aren't coordinated enough for such complex maneuvers? That's where the hydraulic hoof comes in; it's a simple little contraption that fits onto your hoof, a small metal cylinder that just slides on (with the same padding as in the hoof-glove). About 3/5ths down the cylinder is a metal plate, and just in front of that plate is another plate with a spring between them. It is shaped precisely for a regulation-sized baseball to fit into the end atop the further plate, which is held back by a small latch. Point the ball at where you want it to go, give the contraption a knock with your muzzle, other hoof, or even your hoof-glove, the latch releases and the ball is sent on its way. The spring is specially engineered to self-retract and the front plate will latch itself back up after firing. It takes a bit of practice to get the aiming down pat, but it is still a much quicker to pick up than the hoof-strike. And, of course, it was designed to be run on without trouble--just as with the hoof-glove. To show how useful the hydraulic hoof can be, here's some footage of 5-year-old cancer patient Silver Lining throwing out the first pitch at last week's Karditan-Sicoutimont World Baseball Classic game:

The camera flickers on, at first looking over the sea that surrounds Neighpon [Fillydelphia's bustling double-harbor noticeable in the distance] before swooping down and zooming in on the oddly-shaped National Stadium. A pony in a lab coat is helping a sickly-looking filly towards the mound, where half the Wild Kards stood in anticipation. The crowd sat in stunned silence as Silver stumbles about halfway there; Short Stop bolts over from third base to help the doctor help her back up. Silver looks wobbly, and Short bends down, crawls under the filly, and carefully stands up. He carries her the rest of the way to the mound to rabid applause. Scott Kasmeer and Batl Skard are there to gently help her off Short's back, placing her on the rubber. Ricky Ledée walks up and holds out the ball; Silver upturns her right hoof, coated in a funny metal contraption, with a spot for the ball at the top. Ricky pops it in, and Silver turns to Geoff Jones, who's already crouching behind the plate with his glove out. She holds the ball-bearing contraption in front of her, aiming it roughly at Geoff's head, before suddenly popping her left hoof off the ground and giving the metal thing a wack on the bottom. A faint *sproing* is heard, and the ball rockets out of the metal cylinder. She lands easily on both hooves, and Geoff doesn't even need to move his glove to catch the pitch. The crowd explodes as Silver makes her way off the field, Kasmeer stepping up to the mound pondering how he's going to put a stop to the group leaders.

[Sicoutimont]

"They finally did it."

"Yup."

"Well dang."

"Ah, well"

"What's wrong with you guys? They say every good team needs to lose before they win, right? So, this is our loss!"

"You're so cocky, we haven't won anything yet,"

"Won anything? We won 6 games in a row. We're 3 games away from the Round of 16. But only if you guys stop moping around! We got to the point were we couldn't win anymore! We needed to lose that game! When I played football as a kid, we dominated a tournament. We needed to play 6 games, we won 5 and lost 1 to the worst team in the tournament. Then, in the finals, we punished them 6-0!"

"Karditan isn't the worst team in the tournament, though"

"Come on guys! We play Taeshan, Parsee Misuhazi, and Powersith! We've beaten all these teams in the past few weeks! Who's to say we couldn't do it again?"

"Taeshan are ranked 7th, we can't beat em. PM, maybe, and Powersith is a tight game,"

"Oh really? Isn't that what everyone said a few weeks ago? Then we beat every single one of them! We need to, uh, come up big in a small game!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, I thought it sounded distinguished,"

"Victor Santana, the scouse of distinction,"

"Yeah. But anyways, come on guys! We beat Taeshan, it's all good. Come on, we can do this again!"

"Just come on, we've got the press conference to go to!"

"Fine...."

The team jumped into cars, and drove too the building the press conference was to be held in.

"Welcome, Mr. Santana. You just returned from Karditan, where your team lost 9-7. Do you blame this on the atmosphere in Karditan? How did you find Karditan>"

"Well, I flew in. It was a real scavenger hunt."

"Yes, of course it was...."

"Ah, welcome Mr. Santana. Pedro, has success changed your life?"

"Yes."

"Ok...Mr. Carvier, you play many different styles of baseball. Are you a squeeser, or a contact hitter?"

"I like to think of myself as a sqontact hitter"

"Ah...what? Anyways, Pedro Santana, what do you call that hairstyle of yours?"

"This? I call it...Art,"

"Art...uh..."

"Thanks for answering these questions. Now, the players have to get back over to the field to play Taeshan. You'll get another chance at these guys after the game,"

And with that, the players left the short press conference and headed to the field for batting practice.

Royales Finally Lose-Manager's Job in Danger?

No, not that manager. The St-Simeon Post's manager Hugh Lovette's job might be, however-recently, a scandal rocked his department as he was alleged to have broken into a bank. Now, remember this-The St-Simeon Observer would never even consider breaking into a bank! We believe that TSSP should be sued for all their money! For journalism, of course. But anyways, back to the game. Les Royales finally lost. Yeah, we don't really care about the game. Listen, Roses are red, violets are blue, they got 9 and we got 7. But either way, journalism has never faced such a scound scandal! Subscribe to The St-Simeon Observer, and you'll get the best coverage of the REAL Sicoutimont-right-wing nationalism, of course! But anyways, Hugh Lovette is a demon, and you should get The St-Simeon Observer! Now, Les Royales take on Taeshan in a duel between the top 2 teams above group 4. With a win, Sicoutimont are basically assured qualification. As much as Hugh Lovette is guarenteed jail time. Why would he even break into a bank? He's got enough stolen money anyways, why steal more? But, I digress. Turn your TV, computer or radio on to the game to watch Les Royales take on Taeshan. SCREW HUGH LOVETTE! GO TSSO! WOOT!

The St-Simeon Observer Apologizes For The Contents of Tuesday's Paper

A nationalist hacker located in St-Simeon hacked into our database, and printed the newspaper that contains slander against Hugh Lovette. To all people visiting our great city from Sicoutimont, or visiting fans from Taeshan, we apologize-this isn't the view of the St-Simeon Observer. We apologize for this problem. Tune back in here tomorrow to get the results from Sicoutimont-Taeshan, the battle between this group's titans, number 1 and 2 in the group with 3 matches to play.

[Darmen]

Nilani Porunakalanapai's plane touched down in Darmen, and she made her way off the plane. She proceded through security, where just about everything was taken out of her suit case, turned inside out and given a thorough look through before being folded of placed nicely back into the suit case. She then walked into the main hall of the airport, with restruants and stores surrounding her. And then, she realised that nobody had told here where this Church of Margaret was located. That was a problem.

She spotted a visitors guide nearby and picked it up. Turning through the pages, she found not a single mention of the Church of Margaret. Then she spotted an info desk, and walked over. A young man in his late twenties sat behind the desk, he spotted her, and smilied as she approached.

"Hi, there. I've just arrived here from Maklohi Vai, and I'm looking to make contact with the Darmeni Church of Margaret. Do you know where I could find one?"

"The Darmeni Church of what?"

"The Darmeni Church of Margaret."

"Never heard of it. Wait a second, I'll ask my supervisor, see if he knows... Hey Mickey, this lady from Maklohi Vai is looking for the Darmeni Church of Margaret."

"The Darmeni Church of what?"

"That's what I said."

Mickey came out from the back room, and approached the front desk. He smiled at Nilani, and then asked her, "Is it an official religous organization?"

"I'm not sure, I wasn't really given much information before I came."

"Hmm, sorry, I don't have any on record here," said Mickey as he checked the database on his computor. "Try contacting the local city council, or the Ministry of Information and Culture, they'll probably have them on record."

"Thank you," said Nilani, and she walked away, heading towards the airport's main entrance, and the taxi cabs waiting outside. She didn't get far though before a man started following her. She noticed, and started walking faster.

"Hey lady..."

She sped up even faster.

"Hey lady..."

She was walking as fast as her short legs could go now, and he was gaining on her. Finally he caught up to her, but instead of grabbing her like she had expected, he just walked next to her."

"Hey lady, I heard you back there looking for the Church of Margaret. You won't find any information at the Ministry of Information and Culture, perhaps even the IG-2 doesn't know about us, though I doubt it. They know everything. Anyways, the local Church's next service is tonight at midnight. Here's the location," he said as he handed her a small piece of paper. "Be there at a quarter to midnight, bring as many rubber chickens as you can."

As she looked up from the piece of paper that the man had handed her, she realised that she was alone. The man had taken off before she could thank him.

[Equestrian States]

The Pony Republic of Equestrian States
The 25th World Baseball Classic Visitors’ Guide

HOST CITY: STALLIONGRAD

THE CITY

Excluding the several cloud cities, Stalliongrad is the highest-altitude city in the Equestrian States, located on the opposite side of the mountains from Canterlot. Famed for the rich diamond and gold mines nearby, Stalliongrad is a wealthy city, but it has not forgotten where its economic strength comes from.

Prior to the discovery of gold and diamonds in the mountains, Stalliongrad was a very small town situated near the start of a small river that led down to the plains below. However, when rare minerals were first discovered, the small town quickly grew into a small city. Over the last 100 years, Stalliongrad has grown to become one of the Equestrian States’ larger cities. Populated mainly by unicorns and earth ponies, who together are incredibly efficient miners, the city is famed for its abundance of wealth and economic power, but also for being one of the country’s rougher towns.

Although Stalliongrad might not have much to offer for sightseers, the Stalliongrad Miners’ Museum hosts one of the largest collections of rare minerals in the Equestrian States.

THE VENUE

MOUNTAINSIDE FIELD


Location: Stalliongrad
Capacity: 34,750
Tennants: Stalliongrad Miners
Will host: Round of 16 and Quarterfinal games
Mountainside Field is a hitter’s ballpark. The high altitudes make the air considerably thinner, allowing for balls to carry further. Fans from Stalliongrad are typically a bit more rowdy than your average Equestrian crowd, but rarely allow things to get out-of-hoof. The reasonable security force also probably helps with that.

RP Cutoff for Match Day 8

[Equestrian States]

Group 1

Raxillion                        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Saintland                        0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 X  4

Byfugland                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0  3
Free South Califas               0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 10

Central North America            0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Ko-oren                          2 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 X  5

  Group 1                Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Free South Califas       8    5   3    38   50  −12    0.625
2 Byfugland                8    5   3    30   29   +1    0.625
3 Ko-oren                  8    4   4    33   29   +4    0.500
4 Central North America    8    4   4    48   28  +20    0.500
5 Raxillion                8    4   4    25   29   −4    0.500
6 Saintland                8    2   6    29   38   −9    0.250


Group 2

Birolika                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
West Guiana                      1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Shadowbourne                     0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0  3
Darmen                           4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 X  6

Songhia                          0 0 0 0 2 6 0 0 0  8
Elykyellek                       2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

  Group 2               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 West Guiana             8    6   2    26   14  +12    0.750
2 Elykyellek              8    4   4    30   29   +1    0.500
3 Darmen                  8    4   4    40   31   +9    0.500
4 Songhia                 8    4   4    36   33   +3    0.500
5 Birolika                8    4   4    23   31   −8    0.500
6 Shadowbourne            8    2   6    22   39  −17    0.250


Group 3

Bloodbath Generation             1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Yesopalitha                      0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 X  4

Skeckoa                          0 4 1 1 1 1 1 0 0  9
Cyborg Holland                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Super-Llamaland                  0 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 0  7
Quebecois Acadiana               0 1 0 1 1 0 0 3 0  6

  Group 3               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Yesopalitha             8    7   1    48   20  +28    0.875
2 Skeckoa                 8    4   4    40   47   −7    0.500
3 Cyborg Holland          8    4   4    33   45  −12    0.500
4 Quebecois Acadiana      8    4   4    44   44    0    0.500
5 Super-Llamaland         8    3   5    31   37   −6    0.375
6 Bloodbath Generation    8    2   6    35   38   −3    0.250

Group 4

Taeshan                          0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1  4
Sicoutimont                      2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  3

Karditan                         1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 1  6
Parsee Mizuhashi                 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  5

Rodard                           3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Powersith                        0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2  5

  Group 4               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Sicoutimont             8    6   2    44   31  +13    0.750
2 Taeshan                 8    5   3    36   20  +16    0.625
3 Karditan                8    5   3    45   39   +6    0.625
4 Powersith               8    4   4    37   42   −5    0.500
5 Parsee Mizuhashi        8    4   4    34   41   −7    0.500
6 Rodard                  8    0   8    21   44  −23    0.000


Group 5

Aardenland                       0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
New Montreal States              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

The Serbian Empire               0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  3
Lycrabon                         0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1  4

Estope                           1 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 0  6
Komodo Dragon                    0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0  4

  Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Lycrabon                8    5   3    27   33   −6    0.625
2 The Serbian Empire      8    5   3    32   24   +8    0.625
3 Aardenland              8    5   3    40   33   +7    0.625
4 Komodo Dragon           8    4   4    37   41   −4    0.500
5 Estope                  8    3   5    27   28   −1    0.375
6 New Montreal States     8    2   6    19   23   −4    0.250

Group 6

Grandterre                       0 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 1  8
Slembana                         1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  5

Saugeais                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3  4
Thatius                          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Michael VII                      1 2 2 0 3 1 0 0 1 10
The Alphabet Letters             0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  4

  Group 6               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Thatius                 8    6   2    42   26  +16    0.750
2 Slembana                8    5   3    37   25  +12    0.625
3 Saugeais                8    4   4    21   29   −8    0.500
4 The Alphabet Letters    8    4   4    32   37   −5    0.500
5 Grandterre              8    3   5    27   32   −5    0.375
6 Michael VII             8    2   6    19   29  −10    0.250


Group 7

Tyneala                          0 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 1  6
Kintratar                        0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2

Strawbee                         3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  5
Schmiegelland                    0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0  4

New Matawan                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Equestrian States                0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

  Group 7               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Equestrian States       8    7   1    57   24  +33    0.875
2 Strawbee                8    5   3    38   50  −12    0.625
3 Tyneala                 8    5   3    36   28   +8    0.625
4 Kintratar               8    3   5    36   49  −13    0.375
5 New Matawan             8    3   5    33   24   +9    0.375
6 Schmiegelland           8    1   7    29   54  −25    0.125


Group 8

Qazox                            0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2  5
Mapletish                        1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  3

Milchama                         1 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0  7
Kinzar                           0 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 0  6

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  2
Pretty Awesome Persons           0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 X  3

  Group 8                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Milchama                       8    6   2    46   33  +13    0.750
2 Kinzar                         8    6   2    38   24  +14    0.750
3 Qazox                          8    4   4    29   32   −3    0.500
4 Pretty Awesome Persons         8    3   5    25   37  −12    0.375
5 Mapletish                      8    3   5    30   34   −4    0.375
6 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec    8    2   6    22   30   −8    0.250


Group 9

The Sova Empire                  1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  3
Zwangzug                         2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 X  5

Vaugania                         1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  5
Lymantatia                       0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0  4

Backyard Sports                  0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2  5
Thrilledge                       0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 X  6

  Group 9               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Zwangzug                8    6   2    36   25  +11    0.750
2 Vaugania                8    6   2    45   38   +7    0.750
3 Lymantatia              8    4   4    31   25   +6    0.500
4 Thrilledge              8    3   5    38   44   −6    0.375
5 The Sova Empire         8    3   5    27   36   −9    0.375
6 Backyard Sports         8    2   6    28   37   −9    0.250


Group 10

The Priory of St. Luc            1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Allinlia                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3

Maklohi Vai                      0 1 2 3 3 1 0 0 0 10
ViZion                           0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Kerblaekistan                    0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Western Cuba                     0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 X  5

  Group 10               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD    Win % 
1 Maklohi Vai              8    6   2    51   24  +27    0.750
2 Western Cuba             8    5   3    31   22   +9    0.625
3 Kerblaekistan            8    5   3    40   35   +5    0.625
4 Allinlia                 8    3   5    31   32   −1    0.375
5 The Priory of St. Luc    8    3   5    22   44  −22    0.375
6 ViZion                   8    2   6    27   45  −18    0.250

Clinched Group
Clinched Playoffs
Cannot Win Group
Eliminated from Playoffs

[Super-Llamaland]

A national misinterpretation:
Group 3

Super-Llamaland 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 0 7
Quebecois Acadiana 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 6

Group 3 Pld W L RF RA RD Win %
1 Yesopalitha 8 7 1 48 20 +28 0.875
2 Skeckoa 8 4 4 40 47 −7 0.500
3 Cyborg Holland 8 4 4 33 45 −12 0.500
4 Quebecois Acadiana 8 4 4 44 44 0 0.500
5 Super-Llamaland 8 3 5 31 37 −6 0.375
6 Bloodbath Generation 8 2 6 35 38 −3 0.250

Vargas Times: "A Correction: Super Llamaland's National Baseball Team has not been eliminated: they have simply been eliminated from first place. The Llamas still have a chance to advance."

The New Llama Inquirer: "CORRECTIONS: The national baseball team has not been eliminated, which we stated yesterday."

And so on.

But, a close victory today gave the Llamas hope. They are one game back from a three-way tie and still barely in contention.

Can they do it? 42% say "Yes" on OceanGlobalSportsBlog. 41% say "No", and 17% are undecided.

Today, Allan Roswell pitched and gave up three runs in seven. He pitched well.
Robby Irving threw an inning, giving up three runs.
Nick Bowden closed it out by striking out the side.

MVP: Darren Bradley (4-4): A Walk, A Single, and Two Triples; 4 RBI.
LVP: Robby Irving: 1 INN, 3 ER, 2 BB/0 K, 2 H.

[Aardenland]

Tied up once again

Van Hoven wins the day as Aardenland gets the better of New Montreal once again

After losing the last two games, Aardenland bounced back with a 2-1 victory at New Montreal. Silas van Hoven completed nine innings while only allowing one run. I felt a lot more confident on the mound than I did when I pitched against Serbia," said van Hoven. "I really got into a groove, mowing down the Quebecois line-up." The victory was a boon for Aardenland, but a blow to New Montreal, who cannot make the playoffs. Aardenland, on the other hand, is now tied for first once again, along with Serbia and Lycrabon, who lost and won their games today respectively. Aardenland's next game is back home against Estope, who after losing their first five games have won their first three second-half games under a new manager. Ally Valiant will be starting.

Third Inning

New Montreal: With Silas van Hoven pitching, Paul Stewart singled to center. Mitch McCraken struck out. Antoine Ledoux struck out. Catcher Odessa Kroon dropped the ball, Stewart moved to second on the play, Ledoux was out at first. Gentille Thiboudin singled to right, scoring Stewart. New Montreal leads, 1-0

Fourth Inning

Aardenland: With André Couselle pitching and with one out, Barry Rillo singled to center field. Zef Veek grounded out to first, moving Rillo to second. Sally Karlsson got an infield single, moving Rillo to Third. Silver Wouda tripled into right field, scoring Rillo and Karlsson. Aardenland leads, 2-1

AARDENLAND WINS 2-1

Player of the Game:

SILAS VAN HOVEN -
Pitched a complete game, allowing only one run and striking out sixteen.

[Lycrabon]

Jays win 12-inning thriller, closing 4-3, 12-inning win over The Serbiang in on postseason

ST. CATHERINE - The tribute worked.

Wearing the sky blue of manger Brianna Bruce's Newmanistan Rockets, the Lycrabon Blue Jays showed the grit of Brianna's team in a thriller, 4-3 in 12-innings over The Serbian Empire. Lycrabon now sits in first place, tied with TSE at 5-3 with two games remaining. Mark Bray drilled the game-ending home run deep to right, into the Ohio River, sending the Jays fans home happy. "We haven't been our normal selves this Classic," commented Bruce postgame. "This game proves we still are Lycrabon. We are the eighth-ranked team in the world. Just like the old school Rockets, we refuse to be beaten. Beat us once? Lucky. Twice? Yeah (censored) right."

[The Serbian Empire]

The Serbian Empire Sporting News

A 4-3 loss in extra innings has made an unnamed Serbian Empire player smashed a urinal in the locker room. It is believed to be Marko Pavelovic who produced a dubious fielding error that rivals Bill Buckner's legendary fielding error in the 1986 World Series in the 12th inning allowing Lycrabon to score the winning run. Fortunately with unranked Komodo Dragon who has been beaten and an underachieving team from Estope remaining on the schedule; the Serbian Empire will likely advance to the playoffs as a mid to high seeded team. The oddity of the error is that the ball somehow travelled low enough that it was catchable and hit the tip of the glove, yet continued it's way towards the river where it landed outside of the park.

Pavelovic may or may not be suspended for this incident as it depends on the sobriety of player in question. As in if that was alcohol induced, that would set a bad example to children in the Empire about alcohol and anger and Pavelovic will be benched in favor of Gavrilo Drazenovic. If Pavelovic was sober, then he probably remembered exactly what set him off and he'd be in for a monster game tomorrow as to help the team for his folly in the tenth inning.

The Komodo Dragon team is tomorrow's opponent. This matchup is capable of eliminating both Estope and Komodo Dragon with a Serbian Empire win over the unranked Komodo Dragon team as Aardenland and Estope play each other even with an Estope win.

Word just in from an unnamed source (certainly not Pavelovic or Gavrilo Drazenovic as both would be too biased as a source in such a matter) has stated that Pavelovic was sober in this incident and will be playing tomorrow. Some fans are making signs that have pictures of the smashed urinal that say "If this is what the Serbian Empire does when they have lost their temper. Bog (God) save the pitcher who beans a player from this team!" Those signs might be a signal of trouble ahead for anyone who hits a Serbian Empire batsman with a pitch.

Note: The Serbian Empire Sporting News is pretty much a sports tabloid and the game wasn't televised due to the World Lacrosse Championship 15 game.

Box Score
The Serbian Empire 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 3
Lycrabon 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 4

Serbian Empire
1. CF #10 Ivan Jovanoski 1-5
2. SS #8 Momcilo Dusanovic 2-5
3. C #16 Josip Petrovic 1-3, HR, RBI, 2 BB
4. 1B #33 Jure Klemenic 1-5, 3K, R
5. 3B #2 Marko Pavelovic 2-4, and a smashed urinal
6. LF #19 Darijo Sreckovic 2-4 HR, RBI
7. 2B #6 Zdenko Mihalic 1-2 3B, RBI, 2 BB
8: RF #28 Borislav Cedomiric 0-4, 4K
Pitchers and Pinch Hitters
0-4 2K

[Saintland]

Raxillion                        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Saintland                        0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3  4

Saintland beats Raxillion in bottom of the 9th

(SP) The Saintland National Team played their 8th game in the World Baseball Classic today and came away with a victory. In a surprise move, captain Petrus Tragus started Ioannes Bebius instead of Marcus Laelius. Bebius was on today, holding Raxillion to just 1 run on 4 hits in a spectacular complete game performance. "I was on top of my game today. Those hitters from Raxillion just couldn't hit me at all. I'm relieved to have finally won a game in the World Baseball Classic and I hope to help lead Saintland to victory at the 26th World Baseball Classic. We really should be 5-3 or 6-2 right now, but the experience of this tournament should help us in the future. I'm grateful to my brother Matthaeus for his 3-run homer that won the game for us and I trust my teammates to show Free South Califras and Ko-oren that the Sanctii are the best baseball players in the world. Those other countries just got lucky that we weren't on top of our game at the start of this tournament." - Ioannes Bebius

In the bottom of the 3rd, Petrus Tragus manufactured yet another run for Saintland by getting on base with 2 outs, stealing 2nd base and scoring off of a Ioannes Sentius single. Ioannes Bebius would give that run back to Raxillion in the top of the 6th inning. The game remained tied at 1, going into the bottom of the 9th.

With the game on the line, the Sanctii came up huge. Lucius Maccius led off the inning with a single. Lucas Maianius hit a double, but the slow Maccius didn't even try to score from 1st. Matthaeus Bebius came up with none out in the bottom of the 9th. On the very first pitch, he swung and connected, hitting the ball hard and deep in center field. It eventually cleared the fence, but only just, for a 3-run home run that gave the Kingdom of Saintland a 4-1 victory. "I was nervous when I came up to the plate, but I came up intending to be aggressive and make something happen. When that pitcher threw a fastball for the first pitch, I knew that was my opportunity to make a big hit. I'm still stunned by what happened. So long as we trust in God and focus on making the most out of every opportunity He gives us, we will prevail. In our losses earlier in this tournament, we squandered so many opportunities and made so many mistakes. I promise the world that we will return for World Baseball Classic XXVI and we will win that tournament." - Matthaeus Bebius

The Kingdom of Saintland will take on Free South Califras at Royal Park tomorrow. Marcus Laelius will make the start. Andreas Fundanus willl start against Ko-oren in Saintland's final game of the current WBC. The game will again be covered on Royal Five. Most of our Kingdom has stopped caring, so the national team is expected to once play before a less-than-half full home stadium. Sanctii would understandably prefer not to watch a lame-duck baseball team play meaningless games, so attendance and TV ratings have been very poor lately.

[Estope]

Estope                           1 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 0  6
Komodo Dragon                    0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0  4

Once again Estope put together a complete game on route to their third straight victory. Interim head coach Nicolas Carr has done a tremendous job with this team. The team has always had the talent but just lacked the leadership for them to really excel to their potential. This win moves Estope ever closing to being able to qualify, something that just days ago seemed unthinkable. But in order for that to happen a lot of things will need to occur. First off Estope must win both remaining games pretty convincingly. Aslo the Serbian Empire and Aardenland will need to lose both of their remaining games. Estope will play both of them and can knock them off once but they will still need to lose another game. Also, Komodo Dragon must lose another game. But all this talk is very premature since, while there is hope, it is very unlikely that it will occur. But regardless of the playoff scenarios, this team looks great. They are hitting well, pitching well, and have found new life under this new coach. Carr wil likely be officially named the next Estope head coach considering his strong performance he has put on so far. Hopefully it will continue through the last two games so that this team can end on a high note.

Next Game vs. Aardenland

[Qazox]

Qazox ends 4-game skid, but playoff hopes are dim.

Qazox     0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2   5
Mapletish 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0   3

Trailing 3-1 with 2 outs in the 8th, Qazox looked to be heading for a 5th consecutive loss, having only managed 4 hits off of Mapletish's Joyce Jaron. But a stunning HR, a wall scraping 327 footer that barely missed being caught by Roswell Seymour, by Brad Maddox made it 3-2. In the ninth, back-to-back doubles off of Wayne Izzy tied it up at 3. In the 10th, Maddox doubled home Valt and Orton to give Qazox thier first lead in almost 4 games. Despite that rust, Zander French did manage to earn his 4th save in 4 tries. Qazox heads back home to face Quebec and they need to win and to have either (or both) Milchama or Kinzar lose to have any chance of reaching the playoffs.

WIN: Valerie Barrasso
LOSS: Layne Wyatt
SAVE: Zander French (4)
MVP of Game: Brad Maddox (QZX): 2-5; HR, 2B, 3 RBI.

[Vaugania]

VauganiaSportsToday

And The Tables Have Turned!

Vaugania                         1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  5
Lymantatia                       0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0  4

Vaugania found themselves facing a scenario where they coul be eliminated from playoff contention, but today, fate was in their own hands. When Lymantatia came to Landvik Memorial Ballpark in Yzerberg, the home fans were disappointed with a 5-4 loss. Again the outcome was 5-4. However, the Golden Eagles flipped things backwards and turned it into a 5-4 win.

In the first 3 innings, Vaugania was as busy as a beehive. They ran through the entire batting order twice en route to a 4 run lead. Radim Mencher drove in Kerby Rychel in the first on a single to right field. In the second, Roman Janicek got things rolling with a double and it only took a hard line drive to the right center gap for Asmund Skjeggestad to bring him in. A single by DH, Cliff Gilbert, was the last productivity the Golden Eagles would see in that inning. In the third, Rychel popped out and was followed by a Radim Mencher double. Marty Bzibziak hit the center field wall and collected two bases for himself, driving in Mencher. Janicek reeled Bzibziak back home, giving Vaugania a 4-0 lead.

The Golden Eagles were very comfortable with that 4 run lead especially considering who they were playing. However, they couldn't get too comfortable. Felix Brauer left the game after the 5th and gave up only a single run. He had a pretty sore arm and the managment determined that they didn't want to risk losing him to injury. The Vauganian bullpen has seen very little rest lately and it showed in the 6th and 7th. Ernie Baer pitched only in the 6th and left Lymantatia cut the lead down to one. He faced 7 batters and a number of them dragged out their at-bats. That on top of whatever tiredness he was already feeling took him out of the game. The 7th was left up to Arnold Perkins who allowed Lymantatia to score one more run finally turning Vaugania's 4-run lead into a tie ballgame.

After the Golden Eagles were blanked in the top of the 8th, set up man, Whit Kedzierski, came in to handle Lymantatia. He did so with ease, taking them down 1-2-3. The 8th joined the 4th as the only 2 scoreless innings. Things were still tied up in the 9th until Cliff Gilbert decided something should be done about that. The DH, in one of his few appearances, served his purpose and bombed a homer over the wall giving Vaugania the 5-4 win that Jonas Abel closed put.

As of now, Vaugania has to win one of their last two games against Thrilledge and Backyard Sports to get a spot in the playoffs. In order for Vaugania to win the group, they need one more win in the next two games than Zwangzug gets. If they don't do that, they will finish 2nd in the group by virtue of head-to-head run differential. Vaugania would still make the playoffs in that scenario.

[Maklohi Vai]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
OOC: This takes place after the Maklohi Vai game, but before midnight Darmen time.

Only a few hours after Kumalo got up, he received a call from the Ministry of Culture informing him that his religious application had passed the in person inspection, and was now undergoing a review of the paperwork. This part of the saga seemed to be almost over, and made Kumalo relieved. It wasn't something he thought was necessary anyways.

The next matter of business was the seating room at the auditorium for the meetings. At the last meeting, they were practically at capacity, and observing the growth of the group over time, it seemed like there would be the need for a stadium before long. But this issue was not much to deal with at all, as Kumalo decided that there could be two prayer sessions to fit everyone in: one at 9, the other one immediately after.

Nilani should have landed in Darmen by now, Kumalo thought. Perhaps she was having difficulty finding the church, or maybe--
"rring-rring"
Kumalo chuckled. It had to be Nilani.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Kumalo, it's Nilani."
"Hello! How was your flight?"
"Long, but not too bad. So I've landed in Darmen and it looks like the Church isn't commonly known."
"That's ok. We're not commonly known either, so it will make our dialogue even that more important."
"I guess so. Listen, I'm going to my first meeting tonight."
"Good luck. When will you be meeting with Church leaders?"
"I haven't made a plan yet. I thought I would set something up tonight."
"That sounds good. Good luck."
"Thank you. Good bye."
"Good bye."

So at least she was safe and sound in Darmen. It seemed the church would be a bit out of the way, but so what? OAM was out of the way, but Kumalo cared about neither of those facts. What he did care about was the meeting tonight. He had entered a new stage of his relationship with Margaret, and he wasn't sure it was the one that he wanted to be going down. Regardless, he needed to get through it.

At the meeting that night, it seemed like OAM just wouldn't stop growing. 1873 people showed up, bringing 3983 rubber chickens. The bounty for Margaret just kept getting bigger and bigger, something Kumalo was confident in. As the first seating of worshippers settled down, Kumalo took the microphone, then paused. What was so important that he should speak to these mortals about first rather than pray to Margaret? Nothing, truly.

"Margaret, we pray to you tonight with humility and the deepest respect for you and your power.
We, the people of Maklohi Vai, have reached an agreement with you to serve each other unconditionally.
While only a small fraction of the population is present in this abode tonight, I can guarantee that they are sufficient.
These people will serve you forever, Margaret, and we hope that this pact we have made will entice you to do the same.
Margaret, may your powers reamin strong and may you enjoy this sacrifice we present to you tonight. Thank you, great Margaret."

Kumalo noticed his prayers were getting shorter with time, but he also noticed that the team was winning. Whatever works, right?

---

Game Recap

Maklohi Vai                      0 1 2 3 3 1 0 0 0 10
ViZion                           0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Scoring Summary
2nd: Mae'ao hit a lead off home run to right.
3rd: Mae'ao hit a line drive homer to left to drive in Iao Laina with two outs.
4th: Mae'ao drove in Iao Laina and Ri’ino Uilnai with a three run homer to right with two outs.
5th: Mae'ao drove in Aputo Roma’ai and Ri'ino Uilnai with his fourth home run of the day.
6th: Aputo Roma’ai hit a double to drive in Wolo Rakinalmanai, who had singled earlier.

Stat update:
HR: Mae'ao 19, Arnao 2, Wolo Rakinalmanai 1
RBI: Mae'ao 38, Arnao 6, Wolo Rakinalmanai 3, Aputo Roma’ai 1, Iao Laina 1, Moalna’akai Lai 1, Koilani Ruputuo 1

This scoreline may look like godmodding, but it's actually possible for this to happen under my given lineup.

[Zwangzug]

EXT: Space. Day. Or night. It's impossible to tell, really.

INT: The good ship Argent. Actually it's not much of a ship, really, not coming from a place that has much of a naval tradition. Or any other militaristic tradition at all. Whatever, it's a spaceship, and that's all that counts.

Enter a SCOUT. He is wearing a STRIPED UNIFORM and armed at the belt with a RADAR GUN.

SCOUT: Er...skipper?

Cut to the SKIPPER, who is not particularly CAPTAIN-ESQUE do to the aforementioned lack of navality. She is twirling a CLIPBOARD but this is difficult given the flaky ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.

SKIPPER: Yes?

SCOUT: Our...sensors have detected some surprising readings.

SKIPPER: Oh, for the love of--are the radio signals still making their way out here? We should be just about within range.

SCOUT: That's rather unlikely, given the time-dilation...

SKIPPER: Don't you start too.

They quickly pace offscreen.

INT: The control room. Various statistics flicker by on the SCREENS--one seems to be labeled "WAR" although given the unarmed nature of the vessel we suspect it's just "wins above replacement." We also see more mundane stats such as "Home Runs," "Away Runs," "Another Solar System Entirely Runs"...okay, maybe not so mundane.

Another SCOUT is bouncing around. Almost literally. Again, the artificial gravity was not a priority.

SKIPPER: The planet below?

SCOUT 1: Well "below" is a relative term, you know, directions in space are--

The SKIPPER raises her hand to cut off SCOUT 1. This sends the CLIPBOARD flying and he swerves to dodge it.

SCOUT 2: It appears to be the line scores, ma'am.

SKIPPER: The line scores? Those aren't trustworthy, ever sine that incident in Equatoria I've had my doubts.

SCOUT 2: You should really take a look at this.

SKIPPER: This is none of our concern! We should get back to our local group.

SCOUT 1: With respect, have a look at the readings.

SCOUT 1 types at the SCREEN. With a KEYBOARD. The state of TECHNOLOGY has not advanced very far. And/or, these people may have CONCERNS about the implications of direct MACHINE/BRAIN INTERFACES. Whatever. It WORKS.

SKIPPER looks at the screen, then GASPS, and reaches for the INTERCOM.

SKIPPER: Would all crew report to the bridge. We have a situation.

VOICEOVER: Baseball...a game without clocks...as if without end. For generations, the tantalizing prospects of extra-inning rallies have thrilled fans, the rules of home-field advantage have given locals reason to hope. But now, we enter lands beyond space and time, where the rules...and just about everything else...are bent out of shape. Worlds in which the impossible...becomes real!

Silver Anniversary, coming not soon at all. Well maybe, consult local time dilation standards before proceeding.

[Kinzar]

(OOC: Don’t have much time to RP today so this will be weak.)

Focus Turns to Mapletish

Following a 7-6 loss to Milchama and a Qazox win over Mapletish, the focus of the nation now is on Mapletish ourselves. There is not a more critical game for the Wildcats then this upcoming game against the Baseball Lions, since while it will not eliminate us, no one wants to be the situation that would come about if Kinzar and Qazox were separated by just one game. Kinzar would just have to play Qazox close in that, but if you don’t have to play it, then why bother. “Get the job done tomorrow!” was the cry of manager David Rogers, in reference to the Mapletish game.

At home in Hudson, the final score of 7-6 probably made the game look closer then it really was. The Warriors jumped out to a 4-1 lead after just two innings play, chasing Glenn Elliot far too early. The righty from St. Petersburg declined to comment on his performance other then to say “they kicked my ass, what more do I need to say?’ Reliever Kevin Hitchcock did not fare much better in his two innings of work, allowing a two-run blast to Karl Flork that made it 6-1. The Wildcats did their best to chip away, likely further making Warrior fans concerned about the status of their bullpen, but they were able to hold on by the score of 7-6. After the game, Rogers gave Milchama nothing but praise, “They are good and they know it. That second part is what makes them really good and dangerous in a tournament like this. One day, I hope that we can be where they are. Not only to be good, but to have that swagger that they have in doing so.”

[Allinlia]

9th Inning Heroics!
Allinlia ends St. Luc's impressive winning streak in dramatic walk-off fashion

   The Priory of St. Luc            1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
   Allinlia                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3

The Priory of St. Luc stormed into Allinlia on the back of a 3 game winning streak which included strong wins over Western Cuba and Maklohi Vai determined to avenge the 10-0 rout they suffered at Allinlia's hands in thier own stadium. The Pelicans jumped out at Eli Wells and the Allinlians early with 1 run in the first. Wells would recover nicely allowing only 2 runs in 7 innings of work. St. Luc's starter once again showed his strength against the Allinlian hitters holding the all-stars scoreless through 8.

In the bottom of the 9th, the visiting team was up 2-0 and looked on their way to a complete game shut-out from their starter to match and avenge Wells' previous performance but a 1 out walk followed by a base hit single left 2 men on base for Paul Majuwitz who clobbered a towering home run to center-right on a 3-2 count to end the game in dramatic walk-off fashion for the home fans at AggriCorp. field.

The sell out crowd leaped and cheered in excitement at the thrilling victory for the Allinlian team which by improving to 3-5 is at the very least guaranteed to match their record from last year's WBC. The Allinlians are hoping to show the nation and the imperial baseball commission that they have what it takes to improve going forward by achieving a better record than what they attained in their debut, despite the strength of all 5 of their group 10 adversaries, even if the playoffs are now a longshot to say the least. "We are playing for pride now, that's what it's come down to. We're not gonna worry about the standings, we are playing for our pride and we will not be going down without a fight." stated shortstop Andy Capps.

Allinlia can improve their previous record with a win at home against ViZion, another proud team with a very bruised ego but that has been mathematically eliminated from playoff qualification. It is sure to be as intense as the previous matchup between these two teams, and unlike a few other under-performing teams in this WBC, the Allinlian fans seemed determined to sell-out their home stadium once again in support of the team, so we should have a lively audience. After ViZion Allinlia faces a rematch on the road against a Western Cuba team that seems to have put their recent demons behind them and has expressed an eagerness to pay Allinlia back for the upset win that started the bleeding. Allinlia can achieve a very respectable 5-5 record by winning out, We wish them the best of luck as they fight for pride and to impress the imperial baseball brass enough to prevent as many cuts from the team for next year as they can.

Game MVP: Paul Majuwitz: 3-4, 1HR 3RBI (game winning walk-off 3 run homer in bottom of the 9th)

The veteran Normonwoth Wolves star has certainly made his case to stay on the team with this performance, we all remember his emotional expression of his desire to remain on the squad, this game showed that he could back up his words with his play at the plate and that the bat of Aiden Stairs is not the only one to be feared in this rotation.

[Allinlia]

ooc: apologies, for some reason i am unable to delete this.

[Strawbee]

Road Warriors
Strawbee continues winning ways on the road; we break down Legends playoff picture

   Strawbee                         3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  5
   Schmiegelland                    0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0  4

Carbon pitched 6 innings, allowing 4 runs and Strawbee's hitters leaped to an early 3-0 lead right out of the gate and held onto it to the end, the bulpen finishing strong to secure a close 5-4 win over the home team. The Legends needed a victory hear desperately to keep their fragile hold over second place in group 8. They now improve to 5-3 and are feeling good about their playoff chances, it won't be easy as going by the first half of the WBC, their greatest challenge has yet to come. Their final two games are against the absolutely dominant Equestrian States as well as New Matawan. Both of these teams destroyed Strawbee by double digit margins in the previous matches.

Here is how things really look for them coming into the final stretch of WBC group play:

Best Case Scenario: Strawbee beats Equestrian States and New Matawan beats Tynaela

This is the best possible thing that can happen for Strawbee tomorrow because should these 2 games fall this way, Strawbee will clinch 2nd place no matter what happens in the final day. with 5 losses already, New Matawan cannot hope to catch up to Strawbee if they win 1 more game. Tynaela has lost twice to Strawbee and therefore cannot afford to tie with The Legends, as the latter team will advance in that event due to owning the head-to head. If Strawbee wins tomarrow they will improve to 6-3 and are guaranteed at least a 6-4 finish. If Tynaela loses, they will fall to 5-4 and can at best hope for a 6-4 finish, which wil only be good enough for the playoff if Strawbee loses both tomarrow, and against New Matawan

Scenario 2: Strawbee loses to Equestrian States and New Matawan beats Tynaela

Strawbee and Tynaela fall to 5-4. New Matawan improves to 4-5. This is not the most ideal situation for Strawbee but at least it would put their playoff destinies entirely in their own hands. Strawbee's final game is against New Matawan and a victory there will result in Strawbee advancing as a 5-4 Tynaela can only hope to tie with Strawbee if they also win their final game (which is simply not enough for reasons we have already gone over.)

Should Strawbee lose to New Matawan they will fall to 5-5 and be eliminated as New Matawan will have won both matches against them and own the head-to-head. The significance of this final game wil be immense but at least Strawbee won't have to sit and hope some other team loses, which brings us to:

Worst Case Scenario: Strawbee loses to Equestrian States, and Tynaela beats New Matawan

Yes, there remains a very real risk of Tynaela stealing the playoffs out from under Strawbee despite being beaten twice by them. If Strawbee loses a game and Tynaela wins out they will take 2nd place with a 7-3 record to Strawbee 6-4 (at best) Should this scenario play out tomarrow Strawbee will go into the New Matawan game needing to win and then they will have to pray that Tynaela loses their final match as well, not great.

Best Chance to take 2nd place: Strawbee

despite having to play two teams that have dominated them previously, Strawbee still has techincally the best chance to advance. They can either win out or win 1 game and have Tynaela lose 1 game.

Next Best Chance: Tynaela

For Tynaela to advance they must win out and have Strawbee lose at least once. This seems like alot to ask but when you consider that no team aside from Strawbee and Equestrian States have seemed to give the 11th ranked team in the world (keep this little tidbit in mind people!) any sort of trouble so far, winning out is not unlikely for this team.

Longshot Chance: New Matawan

New Matawan is still very much in it but needs alot of chips to fall their way. They need to win out and get to 5-5, and then have both Strawbee and Tynaela lose both of their games to fall down to 5-5 as well, and beat Tynaela in run differential. This is a very tall order but at least they have some control over their fate by having matches against both Tynaela and Strawbee as their final 2 games.

The X Factor: Kintratar

Did you forget about this team? They are still technically in the running but are basically in the same boat as New Matawan but do not hold the advantage of possibly having an 2-0 over Strawbee or any of the other contenders. Thus they must have the same thing happen for them that happened for New Matawan and also must win the run differential game against all 3 of their rivals. Kintratar's run differential is currently miserable, but stranger things have happned in the WBC, nothing can be rued out. Strawbee's differential is not very good either so yes, Kintratar could at least in theory emerge from out of nowhere at the last second and knock them out.

Group 7's final games will be very intriguing to be sure, we will just need to wait and see how things fall as nothing is guaranteed (aside from Equestrian States advancing of course!)