World Baseball Classic XXV - Everything Thread

[Qazox]

Qazox wins 3rd straight, but still too late.

Qazox  1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 4  7
Kinzar 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0  6

Down 6-2 after 6 and trailing 6-3 with 1 out in the 9th, pinch-hitter Sean Brand took his first swing of this WBC, and looped a bases-clearing double that tied the game at 6. 2 batters later, Brand trotted home with the winning run as Qazox finished the Golden WBC 6-4, but missed the playoffs.

WIN: Wyatt Blanks
LOSS: Francisco Velasquez
SAVE: Zander French (5)
MVP of Game: Sean Brand (QZX): 1-1, 2B, 3 RBI,

BEST WBC CHAMPIONS LIST
#24: AZ-CZ (WBC 1)

#23: MILCHAMA (WBC 4)
RECORD: 12-3
Best Win: Qtrs Game 1 (Milchama 11- Liverpool England 6)
Why this ranking? This was the only WBC to have been taken over due to host CTE. And the 2 groups of 10 single round-robin while good for intrigue for the last couple of MD's, wasn't really a great format. Not to mention this team had one of the worst RD (+4) of any champion, and the final was the lowest scoring of the 3 single game finals.

Up next #22...

[Aardenland]

Lycrabon takes final game, group

Aardenland finishes with split record, ties three teams for second place

Aardenland's best will be coming home without making the playoffs. The final standings have Lycrabon moving on to the playoffs as group leader, with Serbia taking the second seed, going to a group of 20 elimination round tomorrow. "We had a good run," said Manager Batari Sastrowardoyo. "Coming within one game of making the playoffs is better than losing all ten games." The stand-out players of the Classic included Desmond de Waal, Sally Karlsson, and Silver Wouda. "We did good on the field. Only Lycrabon had a winning record in our group," said Wouda, "and with three countries with split records, you can see how competitive evereyone has been." The five games at Koningstad stadium saw a combined perfect attendance of nearly 390,000. "Aardenland will definitely compete in WBC XXVI," said William Irish, Aardenland's commissioner-president of the Aardenland Professional Baseball League. "The ticket sales, performance, and enthusiasm definitely require continued participation.

GAME SUMMARY

First Inning

Lycrabon: With Sjoerdtje Schensema pitching and with two outs, Chad Price was hit by a pitch. Nick Mayo hit a two-run home run to left field. Lycrabon leads, 2-0

Second Inning

Aardenland: With Paul Bray pitching, Desmond de Waal hit a solo home run to right field. Lycrabon leads, 2-1

Third Inning

Aardenland: With Paul Bray pitching and with one out, Schensema singled to center field. Schensema stole second. Zef Veek singled to right field, scoring Schensema. Tied, 2-2

Fourth Inning

Lycrabon: Nick Mayo hit a solo home run to left field. Lycrabon leads, 3-2

Fifth Inning

Lycrabon: With one out, Gene Welch singled to right field. Cliff Mayo grounded to third base, moving Welch to second. Carl Maynard was hit by a pitch. Alonzo Osborn singled to right center field, scoring Welch and moving Maynard to third. Lycrabon leads, 4-2

Sixth Inning

Lycrabon: With one out, Nick Mayo singled to center field. Sean McCormick struck out. Jeremy Kramer doubled into the right-center field gap, scoring Mayo. Lycrabon leads, 5-2

Seventh Inning

Aardenland: With one out, Silver Wouda tripled into the right-center field gap. Desmond de Waal grounded out to second base, scoring Wouda. Lycrabon leads, 5-3

LYCRABON WINS, 5-3

Player of the Game:

NICK MAYO -
Hit two home runs, and got driven in after singling in the Sixth.

[Super-Llamaland]

Group 3

Bloodbath Generation 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 5
Cyborg Holland 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 4

Yesopalitha 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3
Quebecois Acadiana 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 X 5

Skeckoa 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 4
Super-Llamaland 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 X 5

Jim, a lifelong Llamas fan, turned on his computer, then went to Llamafirstbase.com.

LLAMAS BEAT SKECKOA TO TIE UP SECOND

"OMIGOD YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This episode was repeated as our Llamas came from a last-place spot to grab a tie for second place. They are 1-1 in head to head. Jim looked at it and thought: who won?

We'll get to that later. First, the game!

The start was made by Rick Jackson, who turned in six solid innings, allowing three runs.
Allan Roswell threw the next two innings, allowing one run.
Nick Bowden closed off Skeckoa in the ninth.

Meanwhile, the Llamas offense pounded out five runs at one run per inning (not a unit rate, literal. They scored one run if they scored.)

Alex Cameron, however, was at the center of the offense. He was 2-2 in the first five innings, which were the only innings they scored. Cameron had two doubles, driving in two.

Danny Mills hit a solo home run and Brett Rochester bunted in a run.

Keith Dawson hit a sac fly. Says manager Tom Yaft: "I was very pleased with the offense."

So, the answer? I assume we'll use run differential, so here it is before today's game.

2 Skeckoa 9 5 4 44 49 −5 0.556
3 Super-Llamaland 9 4 5 39 44 −5 0.444

But after the game, we win -4 to -6.

And so, we advance!

Thomas Yaft thanks his loyal fans and great players, and a crying Alex Cameron and Evan Masorka, the two young stars and faces of the team, thanked everybody who had supported them.

THE LLAMAS ARE ADVANCING!

[The Serbian Empire]

The Serbian Empire Proceeds to Round of 20 Playoffs.

This is a successful first venture into the World Baseball Classic for the Serbian Empire even if the record is a lowly .500 and made it in on run differential in what otherwise would have been a 4 way tie for second. The play in games are certainly winnable, but this team will be lucky to see the Round of 8 and come out of the tournament with a winning record. The next game is against the #14 seed in the tournament Darmen, and ranked 4th in the world.

"Nothing like an underachieving powerhouse to start off the tournament with as if we win, then people will take us for more than a .500 team who simply didn't lose by many runs like most of the teams did," said Filip Drazenovic as he was being questioned by his hometown's sporting magazine, the Split Hejduk Journal.

The Box Score that got the team into the playoffs

The Serbian Empire 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 4
Estope 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 X 5

Serbian Empire

1. CF #10 Ivan Jovanoski 2-4, 2R
2. SS #8 Momcilo Dusanovic 1-4, 2B, RBI
3. C #16 Josip Petrovic 1-3, BB, 2K
4. 1B #33 Jure Klemenic 1-4 HR, RBI
5. 3B #2 Marko Pavelovic 2-4, HR, RBI, 2K
6. LF #19 Darijo Sreckovic 1-3, R, BB
7. 2B #6 Zdenko Mihalic 0-4, 3K
8: RF #28 Borislav Cedomiric 1-3 K
9: SP #30 Marijo Darkovic 1-2 RBI
PH #66 Filip Drazenovic 0-1 K

Pitching Summary
Darkovic 7 IP, 3 ER, 4 R, 7K, 2BB
Anzic 2 IP, 1 R, 4K, 3BB

[Vaugania]

VauganiaSportsToday

Exciting Finale in Backyard Sports

Vaugania                         1 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0  7
Backyard Sports                  0 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  5

With the group round of the WBC's silver edition wrapping up, the Vaugania Golden Eagles put on an exciting show against Backyard Sports on the road. They took a 7-5 win.

1ST INNING

The Golden Eagles come out with fire. A double by Francois DuBois was follwed by Kerby Rychel getting robbed at the left field wall by Dante Robinson. Radim Mencher took a different approach and dropped a fly ball in front of speedy Pete Wheeler. The right fielder glove's ended up inches away from the spot of impact. It took a bounce and Mencher earned himself a double as well.

Vaugania 1, Backyard Sports 0

2ND INNING

Asmund Skjeggestad didn't want to waste any more time than was necessary in the runs game. He opened up the inning by homering off of Angela Delvecchio. Delvecchio redeemed herself by taking down Mathias Hummel on 5 pitches. Her counterpart, Nikola Vlahovic came up to the plate next. he keyed into some newfound strength and hammered her 2nd pitch over the left field wall out of Dante Robinson's reach.

In the home team's half of the inning, slugger Pablo Sanchez sent Vlahovic's pitch on a one way ticket to the centerfield bleachers. Nikola retired Keisha Phillips, but gave up a walk to Dante Robinson. Achmed Khan doubled. That put two runners in scoring position. A hard line drive from Mikey Thomas drove both of them in.

Vaugania 3, Backyard Sports 3

4TH INNING

The Golden Eagles weren't big fans of the whole tie game thing, so they set out to remedy the situation in the 4th. Mencher got things goins with single on the 8th pitch of his at-bat. The 4th's leadoff man did a good job of wearing Angela Delvecchio down because she gave up a homerun to Obliteratron 5300. Or Marty Bzibziak if you aren't to keen on nicknames.

Vaugania 5, Backyard Sports 3

5TH INNING

After realizing that Backyard Sports came back from a three run deficit earlier, Vaugania decided that they should make things a little harder. Francois DuBois finally worked himself a walk after 10 pitches and Kerby Rychel took a page from Bzinziak's book by hitting a homerun off of the worn out pitcher.

Vaugania 7, Backyard Sports 3

7TH INNING

Things were quiet in the 6th, but that didn't mean Backyard Sports had given up. Wheelchair bound Kenny Kawaguchi used his wheels to propel him to second base on a solid hit to right field. Stephanie Morgan got him to thrid with a hard grounder, but she got herself an out in the process. Pablo Sanchez hit a huge fly ball out to center, but Mathias Hummel reeled it in at the wall. That didn't stop Kawaguchi from crossing the plate though. Keisha Phillips hit a solo homer to make it 7-5. No other runs were scored in the game and the Golden Eagles took home their 7th win.

Final Score: Vaugania 7, Backyard Sports 3

Though seeding is still being finalized, it seems that Vaugania has received the 17th seed and will be facing off against 16th seeded Saugeais in the play-in game at West Orchard Field in Appleoosa.

[Kinzar]

Wildcats Fall Late. Really, Really Late.

Wang Zhu was not quite as dominant against Qazox tonight as he was when he shutout that opponent on the road in the fifth game of qualifying. He didn’t have to be, and when he was taken out in the top of the 8th inning with one out, he received a standing ovation from the home crowd. The soft-spoken Zhu seemed to enjoy that since he never gets applauded at this stadium (as he plays for a division rival at home). Set-up man Julio Alvarado got the final two outs of the innings, just like he is supposed to be doing. When the 9th began, and the Wildcats up by the score of 6-3, it looked as though avoiding the play-in game would be a lock. They wouldn’t win the group, but they didn’t have to, if they were to have beaten Qazox. Francisco Velazquez, of the Lexington Hilltoppers came in to close the game out.

In a Lexington hospital, a man watched with his ailing wife, of whom cancer had made a vegetable. This woman had become famous in Kinzar because of her granddaughter’s aggressive push for a “Dying with Dignity” bill, that will allow euthanasia to be legal throughout Kinzar. Just a few days prior, President Spencer declined to sign this bill after speaking with the man and having him tell the President how important it was for his wife to be with him during the World Baseball Classic, even though she would not be able to know what was going on. They had gone to Hilltoppers games for over 50 years together, and the man would not allow his wife to be put to death even if the granddaughter so aggressively wanted it. As the 9th inning began, her condition began to deteriorate. The man held his wife’s immobile hand as doctors rushed into the room. At first, it looked as though she was going to get through it, as Velazquez routinely got the first Qazox batter out in the inning. Then, it began to not look so good. It looked as though her valiant fight was going to be lost. The doctors tried everything, because the man would not allow for anything less, but the inevitable could not be stopped. Looking up at the television, and seeing the Wildcats implode, the man looked up and prayed, but it was a prayer not of hope, but one of thanks. Moments after game winning hit, this woman passed away. Dying, naturally. Dying not only with dignity, but with pride and the love of her husband. Had President Spencer signed that euthanasia legislation a few days prior to this, this elderly couple would have never been able to share the official qualification of the Wildcats together. Sure, she was motionless, but a baseball-loving man lives on now being able to say that his baseball-loving wife was with him when the national team qualified for the greatest baseball tournament of all, something that when they grew older, together, as a couple, watching their Hilltoppers, seemed like a far-fetched fantasy. In the words of President Spencer, “When God decides its time, its time,” and it wasn’t time until they got this far. Francisco Velazquez did not get the job done, and the Wildcats, in theory, choked in this game, but in the long run, the team fought until the very end, and that is something to be proud of. Kinzar is going to the World Baseball Classic. It wasn’t desirable that it had to be a play-in game, but that is what it will take and fans will be on their way now to Manehattan to play Skeckoa.

That is where this journey takes the team now. Kinzar is not the only first-time nation in to advance to the Pony Lands. So too, is Skeckoa. The opponent just barely finished second in Group 3, in fact it was so close that folks in Super-Llamaland thought that they had earned the tiebreaker. It could be a little controversial for some that Skeckoa did advance over the Llamas, given that they were separated by one run in the head to head tiebreaker, but yet, Super-Llamaland did not bat in the bottom of the 9th in their final game because they had the one run lead. Some may feel that they should have had the opportunity to hit in that inning to try and secure the tie-breaker. Skeckoa fans though can just laugh that off and remind Llama fans that they didn’t hit in the bottom of the 9th of the game that they won by two in, either. At any rate, it creates a storyline for us to make note of. Most people will probably favor Kinzar to win the game, which is pretty nice, but the game will have to be won on the field. We hope to see as many of you as possible in Manehattan. This is the most populous city in the Equestrian States, and President Spencer will certainly like the fact that it is arguably their economic capital as well, creating a chance for Kinzar to increase its “brand awareness” in the nation. Get your tickets now!

[Equestrian States]

HOST ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to a minor error on my part in plugging the Group 9 scores into the table generator, there has been a reshuffling of several Ro20 match-ups. The updated tables can be found in the results post, and updated match-ups can also be found below. If you find any further errors in my tables, please tell me ASAP via TG or a post in the WBC Discussion Thread.

Round of 20
Single-Game Playoff; To be scorinated in ~17 hours from the time of this post

#13 Kinzar vs. #20 Skeckoa at New Harmony Arena (cap. 37.500) in Manehattan
#14 Vaugania vs. #19 The Serbian Empire at Foragers Field (cap. 28,000) in Whitetail
#15 Darmen vs. #18 Strawbee at Trottingham Memorial Stadium (cap. 31,900) in Trottingham
#16 Ko-oren vs. #17 Saugeais at West Orchard Field (cap. 18,500) in Appleoosa

Round of 16
3-Game Series; Game 1 TBS on Saturday

#1 Equestrian States vs. TBD at Ponyville Park (cap. 32,000) in Ponyville
#8 Lycrabon vs. #9 Free South Califas at Foragers Field (cap. 28,000) in Whitetail
#4 Zwangzug vs. TBD at Mountainside Field (cap. 34,750) in Stalliongrad
#5 Sicoutimont vs. #12 Maklohi Vai at New Harmony Arena (cap. 37,500) in Manehattan
#2 Yesopalitha vs. TBD at Forest Stadium (cap. 25,000) in Everfree
#7 Thatius vs. #10 West Guiana at Trottingham Memorial Stadium (cap. 31,900) in Trottingham
#3 Milchama vs. TBD at Baltimare Harbor Grounds (cap. 31,850) in Baltimare
#6 Western Cuba vs. #11 Taeshan at West Orchard Field (cap. 18,500) in Appleoosa

City Guides

Canterlot
Cloudsdale
Ponyville
Everfree
Stalliongrad
Baltimare
Manehattan
Whitetail
Trottingham
Appleoosa

[Ko-oren]

---reader submitted column---
We've come a long way

Yesterday, a miracle happened. After five poor matches and seemingly no chance of reaching the playoffs, Ko-oren pulled it off. Saintland lost against Ko-oren, and this would have been enough, but the other contestants for second place all lost. Byfugland lost 1-0 in a defensive match against Central North America, and Free South Califas showed that beside the rivalry, there is some love between the teams: they took care of Raxillion 3-2.

For a while, it looked that the incredible comeback of the Greenblues over the last few matches was in vain, as Saintland dominated the first three innings and lead 3-0 by then. One inning later Ko-oren repaired a lot of the damage (3-2), but the true spirit of survival and fighting mentality came free and scored three more runs: 3-5! For the first part of the evening, Raxillion thought it would be the one to move on to the playoffs, until Free South Califas did something back to save their honor (or just show their quality). Byfugland had all the bad luck of the world, not even once they thought about reaching the playoffs, especially not after the only run by CNA in the fourth inning. The most frustating part for them is that a one run difference is hardly difficult to take care of, but it just wouldn't happen for them.

This means that the Greenblues are with eight other teams (the eight worst runners-up of the qualifying phase) to play for the round of 16. As 16th team allround, the opponent is the 17th team allround: Saugeais. After the double meeting with Free South Califas, this is the other opponent that Ko-oren has a special relationship with. It's going to be the clash between old AIBC and new AIBC after the BCCC headquarters moved from Saugeais to Ko-oren two seasons ago. The winning team will be put against one of the top four teams of the qualifying phase, either Equestrian States, Zwangzug, Yesopalitha or Milchama.

Let us also look further back in the history of the national team. It has been only four WBC's (including this one) since baseball took off in Ko-oren. The first time, the national team was put into a group with Lycrabon, THRILLEDGE, Taeshan, Patricant and Neo-Utopia, and a fourth place finish behind the usual suspects (the first three teams mentioned here). The start was there, and in WBC 23, the team started with a 38th place in a group with Darmen, Sicoutimont, Kintratar, Ambibia and Thrilledge. Another fourth place finish (though 5-5 instead of 4-6 in WBC 22), but Sicoutimont in third place had the same record. Last WBC, Ko-oren started with a 27th place against Byfugland, Saugeais, The Jahistic Unified Republic, Pathogeria and Tidal Wake. Ko-oren finished in third place, which did not move them at all in the rankings (still 27th). Out of these four tournaments, Ko-oren was in group 1 twice, the last group once and for some reason, there is a similar trend in all sports like this: either in the first or the last group. Anyway, on to Saugeais in Appleoosa! The team is ready, they won all of their four previous matches!

[Maklohi Vai]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

Kumalo received word that the religion application had been approved, meaning OAM was now officially recognized by the country. What this also meant was that sometime over the next couple weeks, a reporter would be digging through Ministry of Culture files and stumble upon this. That would mean a news report and such, but more importantly for Kumalo, it meant talking to his grandmother. Hopefully this wouldn't come until after the tournament.

"Hello?"
"Hi, Kumalo, it's Nilani."
"Ah, hello! How are you doing?"
"Good, good. I went to my second session last night, and it went well. These people really do have a lot of faith."
"That is good to hear. We can always use a faithful partner."
"And you can have some face to face interaction soon. Father Lennon of the Church might visit. I don't know if he got approved."
"Oh, that's great! Do you know when he might come?"
"It could be tonight, actually. I gave him your number to tell you if he was coming."
"That is good. I look forward to it."
"It should be a good meeting."
"Well, Nilani, stay safe. I will see you after the tournament."
"Let that be not for many days."
"Haha! Yes, indeed. Good bye."
"Good bye."

Less than 5 minutes after Kumalo hung up with Nilani, he got another call.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Kumalo Nalokupani?"
"Yes, I am he. Who is this?"
"This is Father Lennon of the Darmeni Church of Margaret. I am calling to inform you of my visit."
"Ah, excellent! Nilani told me you might be coming. When will you arrive?"
"I will arrive tonight at 8pm local time, Kolo Lahi International Airport."
"I will be there to pick you up. We will likely go straight to the meeting."
"I look forward to it. Good bye."
"Good bye."

A visit from a priest meant Kumalo had some preparing to do. He had to make sure the auditorium was spotless and all the worshipers were civil and polite. The prayer had to be true to tradition, and true in its feeling. When the priest arrived, of course, there would be little time for thinking up a prayer, so Kumalo would have to be on his feet.

Father Lennon was a naturally silent man, as Kumalo found out when he picked him up at the airport. He answered questions with concise responses that left Kumalo out of things to talk about after a while. Luckily, the drive was only 40 minutes, which got them at the auditorium just before meeting time. Father Lennon took everything in, but did not ask any questions. He muttered to Kumalo, "We will talk tomorrow."

But the time had come for Kumalo to pray in front of the 2653 people and 5795 rubber chickens that had showed up.

"Margaret, we pray to you tonight with the greatest humility and respect.
Recently, we have seen our team rise and fall seemingly at the push of a button.
Margaret, we recognize you as the one that is pushing that button with your ultimate power.
Your talent and capabilities are not attainable by any mortal, nor by any other being.
Margaret, we pray to you today because we wish a better fortune upon our people.
The Vaian people rise and fall with their team, and so they rise and fall with you.
Margaret, we pray to you to aid these people, and offer you a sacrifice for pleasure."

Well, it wasn't amazing, but it would do. Hopefully.

---

Game Recap

Maklohi Vai                      0 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  7
Kerblaekistan                    0 1 1 3 0 1 0 0 0  6

Scoring Summary
2nd: Wolo Rakinalmanai singled with one out, then was sacrificed to second by the pitcher. Aputo Roma’ai then hit a single to drive him in. After Iao Laina singled and Ri'ino Uilnai walked, Mae'ao cam to the plate and hit a bases clearing triple, scoring all three.
4th: Mae'ao hit a solo home run to right with two outs.
7th: Mae'ao drove in Iao Laina with a two run shot to left that just barely cleared the wall.

Stat update:
HR: Mae'ao 22, Arnao 2, Wolo Rakinalmanai 1
RBI: Mae'ao 46, Arnao 6, Wolo Rakinalmanai 3, Aputo Roma’ai 2, Iao Laina 1, Moalna’akai Lai 1, Koilani Ruputuo 1

[Strawbee]

Hello Playoffs!
Strawbee team takes care of business in New Matawan; Prepares for playoff match vs. Darmen

    Strawbee                         0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0  4
    New Matawan                      0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Strawbee faced a critical must-win game on the road in New Matawan, against a team that roughed them up 11-1 at home, Win and they advance, lose and they are eliminated. It was just that simple for Strawbee in this high stakes showdown. The Legends rose to the challenge, playing like a team worthy of the playoffs they defeated the exciting young New Matawan team 4-1 on the road, solidifying their reputation as true road warriors. Hector Bolormaa redeemed himself in his second start against New Matawan with a dominant 7 inning performance, allowing just 1 run. Strawbee's offense scored 4 runs in 6 innings capped off by a towering home run by Troy Logan to take the victory and clinch the playoffs in their WBC debut.

The team has arrived in the Equestrian States city of Trottingham ful of pride and optimism, they will be joined by national leader, Strawberry, who also cheered for the team in their match against New Matawan. The Strawbeeans were met with a warm welcome as the citizens of the host nation seemed happy to see another team with pony athletes (pitchers Carbon and Bold Starlight, and second basemen Golden Flower) arrive to compete in their nation. The people of the States are already quite familiar with The Legends as they were in the same group as their home team and had played the States in Manehattan previously in the tournament. They seemed to aso enjoy the diverse mix of familiar and unfamiliar species (something else they are very used to due to the makeup of their national and domestic teams) as the team has a decent mix of human, pony, and Dralin players. Strawbee is also another nation that is ruled by a pony as well, and who was presented with the #0 Strawbee national team jersey in a ceremony earlier today as their way of honoring her for her immediate, unwavering, and enthusiastic public support throughout the WBC thus far.

Strawbee cannot celebrate for long though as they must prepare for their greatest Challenge thus far: a 1 game winner-take-all against world rank #4 Darmen. A team who is only in the play-in rounds due to their inexplicable 1-4 start to the tournament. They have bounced back admirably since then and have played like a truly elite team, winning 5 consectutive games in convincing fashion coming into this match-up. Strawbee is no stranger to the world's top teams as they have defeated Tynaela twice and pretty convincingly at that. But Tynaela is certainly not Darmen when the latter is playing at their very best.

We must work harder than we ever have to prepare for this game and we must do so immediately" said manager Kevin Saran "there will be plenty of time to enjoy Trottingham and have fun after the match is over, but our previous successes do not mean much to Darmen, which aside from our games against Equestrian States, who may be seed 1 this tourney, not sure, is our greatest challenge. Darmen struggled early but they are on a whole other level than anyone we have beaten so far. We can win this match, but we must play better than we ever have, preparation is the first step."

A bit of good news for Strawbee coming in is their impressive record when playing outside of their own borders, Strawbee is 4-1 on the road, one of the best away records among the 20 playoff teams and from here on out, every game will be a road game for every team except for The Equestrian States.

Strawbee will start Viktor Ganzorig for this match. This is the best choice for them as he is not only the nationa team's ace pitcher and the most rested, but is arguably the team's MVP for his two very dominant winning performances over Tynaela, victories that have both proved absolutely critical for Strawbee advancing to the playoffs. If anyone can give Strawbee a soid chance to beat Darmen it will be Seguin Pioneers ace.


Playoff Round of 20 Play-ins Match Preview:

  #15 Darmen vs.   #18 Strawbee 
at Trottingham Memorial Stadium (cap. 31,900) in Trottingham

[Darmen]

Nilani was sitting in her hotel room, getting ready to go to her third and final service in Darmen, before she was to head back to Maklohi Vai. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. She hadn't been expecting any visitors, and the room service wasn't due for another hour or so. She got up from the bed and approached the door cautiously, before finally turning the nob and opening the door slowly. As the door opened, two men were revealed, one man facing the door, and the other with his back turned towards Nilani.

"Can I help you?" asked Nilani.

"As a matter of fact, you can Ms. Porunakalanapai," replied the man who had had his back turned to Nilani, as he turned to face her. "I am Lieutenant Mark Winterbottom, IG-2. We overheard your telephone call with an unknown man in Maklohi Vai. You mentioned Margaret a couple of times, and we're a bit curious as to what exactly you were talking about. Would you mind if we asked you a few questions, it'll only take a couple of minutes?"

"Well, I was getting ready to leave, so, sorry, I guess you'll have to come back again latter," said Nilani, as she slowly closed the door. The other man stuck his foot in the doorway, and pushed hard on the door, flinging Nilani back. She landed softly on the bed.

"I wasn't asking a question lady, at least not yet, anyways," said Winterbottom. Both men entered the room and took hold of Nilani, but only for a second or two. Two louds THWAKS could be heard, and both men fell to the ground.

"Quick, help me move these men into that closet across the hallway," said Jimi Dylan, who had arrived early to pick Nilani up and take her to the service. The lamp sitting on the desk in the room had proved very handy indeed in subduing the two IG-2 agents as they had tried to apprehend Nilani. Only Margaret knew what would've happened to Nilani if they had succeded.

After moving the two men into the closet, Nilani and Jimi made their way to Jimi's car, where they proceded to the "Most High Church" as Jimi called it, the place where the three High Priests sat on their thrones and oversaw the Church. Jimi had to warn them of the imminent danger that the Church was in.

* * * * *

After waking up in a dark closet and making their way back to the IG-2 Headquarters in Scott City, Lieutenant Winterbottom and Private James Summer found themselves berated by General Sammuel Roberts himself, scolding them on their inability to follow orders. They also received a half hour long lecture on the importance of not drinking on the job, and were placed on two weeks of unpaid probation and relegated to do paper work. And when they objected to it all, stating that they had been hit by an unknown assailant and knocked unconscious, they were yelled at again and told not to question authority.

They also found all records of their call to Margaret destroyed in front of them, burned with General Roberts' very own cigarette lighter. They would never be the same.

[Saugeais]

"Well, that was quite the finish there."

"Yep, made it out of the group stages by sheer luck. 9 straight advancements now."

"But it doesn't feel.....official yet. I mean, we just moved into the playoff brackets, not the full Second Round."

"And we have to play Ko-oren, one of the rising stars in the baseball world. It'll be a rough and tumble game, let me tell you."

"I wouldn't give up hope entirely. Grier Adrichem is taking the mound tonight. He shut out Grandterre in the first game of the groups...."

"But gave up 4 runs in the return game. He's getting spotty at best, and I think he should be left off the national team next time around."

"Not to mention most of the batting order will be new faces next time around. Atterbury, Joubert, Snyder.........I don't know how the Rangers will be next Classic, nevermind this one."

"Yea, I guess you're right. We don't stand a chance tonight. The only thing we can hag our hat on was extending our streak. There's always next Classic."

[Equestrian States]

World Baseball Classic 25 - Playoffs Results

Round of 20

New Harmony Arena, Manehattan
#20  Skeckoa                 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
#13  Kinzar                  0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2  4

Kinzar Advances to Round of 16

Foragers Field, Whitetail
#19  The Serbian Empire      0 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0  6
#14  Vaugania                0 0 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 1  7

Vaugania Advances to Round of 16

Trottingham Memorial Stadium, Trottingham
#18  Strawbee                0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 0  5
#15  Darmen                  0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4  6

Darmen Advances to Round of 16

West Orchard Field, Appleoosa
#17  Saugeais                0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  2
#16  Ko-oren                 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  3

Ko-oren Advances to Round of 16

Round of 16 - Game 1

#1 Equestrian States vs. #16 Ko-oren
at Ponyville Park (cap. 32,000) in Ponyville

#8 Lycrabon vs. #9 Free South Califas
at Foragers Field (cap. 28,000) in Whitetail

#4 Zwangzug vs. #13 Kinzar
at Mountainside Field (cap. 34,750) in Stalliongrad

#5 Sicoutimont vs. #12 Maklohi Vai
at New Harmony Arena (cap. 37,500) in Manehattan

#2 Yesopalitha vs. #15 Darmen
at Forest Stadium (cap. 25,000) in Everfree

#7 Thatius vs. #10 West Guiana
at Trottingham Memorial Stadium (cap. 31,900) in Trottingham

#3 Milchama vs. #14 Vaugania
at Baltimare Harbor Grounds (cap. 31,850) in Baltimare

#6 Western Cuba vs. #11 Taeshan
at West Orchard Field (cap. 18,500) in Appleoosa

HOST NOTE: Game 1 of the Round of 16 will be scorinated on March 9th (Saturday) at approximately 6:00 PM EST. It will be a Best-of-3 Series.

The higher-seeded team in each series will be the "home team" in Games 1 and 3*, while the lower-seeded team will be "home" in Game 2.

* - If Necessary

[The Serbian Empire]

The Serbian Empire and Serbco Power and Light Inc. congratulate those who have made it to the round of 16 as they have proven to be better than the Serbian Empire National Team. The Serbian Empire will rise again for WBC 26, and return to the playoffs. As for now, we have to pay back for the smashed urinal by donating all merchandise sales of the Serbian Empire National team to charities within the Equestrian States as to give back to our host.

[Vaugania]

Foragers Field, Whitetail
#19  The Serbian Empire      0 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0  6
#14  Vaugania                0 0 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 1  7

2ND INNING

With the tension of the first inning gone in the play-in game between Vaugania and The Serbian Empire, Leif Solberg finally had some time to enjoy Whitetail. It was a quiet town, but it certainly had a passion for baseball. The smiling faces if the many fans in attendance brought a smile to Solberg's own face. Whitetail was a curveball after being in the hustle and bustle of almost 10 million strong Yzerberg. The air was a heck of a lot more breathable too. The Vauganian government isn't known for environmental policy. Many cities in Vaugania are beautiful or clean just because they are that way, but it certainly has nothing to do with the government.

Solberg would have let his enamoration with the city grow if not for Darijo Sreckovic. Lars Erstad had already put down the first two batters of the inning and had gotten Sreckovic into a 0-2 count. Darijo was a fighter and that spelled misfortune for the Golden Eagles. He took Erstad's fastball over the left field wall giving the opposition a 1-0 lead. Solberg couldn't stand the thought of disaster in the Round of 20. He gave his team a little pep talk and allowed the game to continue its course. Hopefully it would starighten out and go the way he wanted.

4TH INNING

The Serbian Empire still led 1-0 after the 3rd. Leif Solberg knew that their lead was far from insurmountable, but this was the WBC. Anything could happen. Therefore he felt it would be best if the scored a lot of runs right now. Francois DuBois bat sounded out into the cozy environment of Foragers Field and the ball floated up as if it was weightless. Momcilo Dusanovic took steps back and Ivan Jovanovski ran up from his postion in center field. Neither of them were quite fast enough and the ball plopped down right between them. DuBois was held to a single.

Kerby Rychel came up to the plate next. Vaclav Mursak treated him to a fastball a little to clse to the knees. Kerby hopped back and took a ball. Mursak knew he had scared Rychel a bit so he tried to get him to chase an outside slider. No luck. The Vauganian was too smart for that. 2-0. The batter watched a big curve come in a it seemed like a watermelon waiting for its juicy red insides to be splattered a over the field. Kerby hammered it and took off running for 1st base. The players in the Golden Eagles' dugout cheered, only for their hopes to be dashed as the ball sailed to the left of the foul pole. 2-1. Rychel reined himself in a earned to more balls to earn a walk and put runners on 1st and 2nd.

Radim Mencher wasn't nearly as patient. He slammed the first pitch into right fiedl by way of line drive. Everyone took off runnign around the bases. Borislav Cedomiric was ready however. He took the ball after one hop and gunned it down to home plate, loading the bases rather than allow DuBois to cross the plate.

Marty Bzibziak walked to the plate at a slow pace. Scanning the stands, he noticed a small contingent of Vauganians with expectant looks on their faces. They wanted "Obliteratron 5300" to homer for them. It was the 4th inning and the weight of the nation was already on Marty's shoulders. He had no problem delivering. 4-1 Vaugania. Roman Janicek wasted no time making it 5-1.

5TH-7TH INNINGS

The next three innings went by like a blur. The 5th went 1-2-3 iun both halves and then suddenly The Serbian Empire went on a tear in the 6th. 3 runs went by in a blink. Erstad was hanging in there and Solberg didn't want to take him out and wear down his relief pitchers before later rounds. The Golden Eagles responded with a run in the 7th, buit the damage was done. Their lead of 4 had been cut down to just 2. 6-4. Two more innings, Solberg thought, Just two more.

8TH INNING

1 inning was all The Serbian Empire needed. Leif Solberg watched his world fall apart as Ivan Jovanovski hit a 2-run homer. They were done for. The ballgame they had been winnign by 4 was suddenly tied. They needed a hero. Lars obviously wasn't up to the task of winning a ballgame after that. Ernie Baer, the late relief lefty came in and finished up the inning.

10TH INNING

The 9th was unproductive and the Golden Eagles held off their adversaries in the top of the 10th. Solberg looked on with disappointment as Asmund Skjeggestad and Mathias Hummel were lost to the jaws of strikeouts. Lefi looked out at the plate and saw Ernie Baer walking towards it. He knew there would be an 11th inning. The manager didn't think there was away Baer would get on base. And he was right. Baer didn't reach base; he bypassed them. On the 4th pitch with a 1-2 count, Ernie Baer did the unthinkable. He hit the ball and it sailed and sailed and sailed. Baer, batting left-handed, had pulled to ball towards the right field fence. And it went over. A pitcher hit a walk-off homerun in the playoffs. Because this is the WBC and anything can happen.

[Kinzar]

Phillips catch, Carreon blast send Kinzar forward

Fans who attended the play-in game in Manehattan saw themselves quite a baseball game, Two first-time nations, both happy to have made the playoffs, wanted to be able to say they did more then just participate in this winner-take-all contest. Both teams wanted to get to that round of 16, and that showed on the field. For Kinzar, the 4-2 win, needing 10 innings, allows the team to take on Zwangzug in a 3-game series that will take place in Stalliongrad. Two plays will stand out in this game that may be a part of Kinzar baseball lore for ages.

Centerfielder Marion Phillips has already put his name in the record book of “firsts” a few times for the national team, and many people will consider him the MVP of the team thus far. The leadoff batter has done a fantastic job of getting on base, and hasn’t been afraid to show his speed on the basepaths. Additionally, he has hit two home runs during the tournament, including the first ever longball hit by a member of the national team. Those are all great, but it will be what he did in the field against Skeckoa that will be on the highlight films for a long, long time. We’re sure that no one reading this article has to be reminded of what happened and the situation, but just in case you weren’t able to see it or one of the 500 times it has already been replayed throughout the country, here’s a little refresher. With the game tied at 2 in the top of the 9th, and Skeckoa having the bases loaded with just one out, Cristobál Gomez lined what a sharp shot to right-center. Showing incredible range, he sprinted and laid out in a frantic dive, fully extending his glove out, and just hoping he would make the catch. Somehow, he covered the ground necessary and was able to make the amazing grab. That is not where this play ended, as Enrique Gomez, who had been on first took off on the pitch from Julio Alvarado, looking to execute a hit-and-run where he could score from first. By the time the ball was caught, Enrique has no chance to make it back to first in time, and he was easily doubled up to get Kinzar our of the inning. Phillips received loud applause as he returned to the dugout from anyone that was not a Skeckoa fan. “I love playing the field, man,” Phillips began, “I think its an underrated part of my game. I knew I had to haul ass when I saw that ball be hit, but that just comes natural to me. At no time did I think I would let it drop and play it safe.” Phillips also admits he knew Enrique Gomez was running, “Yeah that dude is fast. He scores from first probably and yeah I knew as soon as I caught it I had to bounce back up and get it to Howie. (1st baseman Howard Treadwell).” The great catch kept the game tied, and without it, the next moment of glory would never have happened.

It had been a see-saw game. Starting Pitchers Matthew Barnes and Paul Jobs each gave their overachieving debutante nation eight strong innings. Each starter had pretty similar stat line overall, allowing two earned runs a piece and both having eight strikeouts for the game. That was how this game had been played, and it was clear, even before the Phillips catch, that it would take special plays to win this game. While the game was won in the bottom of the 10th, the momentum may have began in the top of the inning when closer Francisco Velazquez shut down Skeckoa in order. Many would see that as being pretty routine, but when you consider that Velazquez had been roughed up in his inning of work against Qazox, and manager David Rogers still having the confidence to go with him again today was a momentum boost. “I told Frankie (Velazquez) that he’s my guy. He’s on the team to pitch in these situations and I was ready to forget about what happened against Qazox. Frankie told me he wanted to redeem himself very badly for that, and that fire I saw in his eyes showed how determined he was. I didn’t think of going with anyone else for a second, he’s our man and he came through for us.” said manager Rogers. In the bottom of the inning, Devon Charles singled up the middle with one away, and it brought up Carreon for a highlight that will be shown just often as Phillips’ catch will be. We know what happened, so we’ll let Carreon explain what through his mind, “I’m thinking curveball. He threw it to me the first pitch of the at-bat and I fouled it off and I was mad at that because I didn’t see much of a break in the pitch. Noticed the same thing when Charles was up. I took a couple fastballs that missed the plate, fortunately, and I guess a slider, hoping for the curve again. I had to foul off a couple pitches, and they were fastballs, and I began to really think the curve coming was inevitable again. As soon as it left his hand I knew what was coming. I don’t swing for the fences, but I will say I put all my might into that swing. Sounded good when it left the bat that even if it dropped in that it might get Devon home from first, but that it cleared the fence was a surreal moment for sure. Individually, its cool. But as a team, I am so happy to be moving on to a playoff series.”

That playoff series will see the Wildcats meet up with Zwangzug, one of the greatest teams of all time. Perhaps if this was at the start of qualifying, the team might be more intimidated by the Zebras, but after beating Qazox once and playing Milchama tooth-and-nail twice, there is nothing to lose. 2B Jimmy Deakin summed it up, “We have nothing to lose. If we lose, we were a first time nation that lost to one of the most storied national programs of all time. If they lose, they were a championship contender that lost to a first-time nation in the first round of the playoffs, not counting the play-ins.” The team is confident, perhaps only because they don’t know any better, but moreso because this is “bonus time” now and a chance to enjoy the Classic.

Javiar Arroyo will start game one, and Gleen Elliot, who started the Milchama games, goes in game 2. There is some chance that if this goes a third game, it will be Wang Zhu and not Radeek Williams, simply because Zhu pitched two gems over Qazox, showing he can be a big game pitcher in this.

[Ko-oren]

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Round of 16: Game 1

Equestrian States 5/1
Ko-oren           15/1

The Equestrian States have qualified for the Round of 16 easily with a 8-4 record in their group, though they finished with a sub-par preparation for the knock-out rounds. Kintratar was too strong: 6-5. Still, the team has been playing extremely solidly which has caused them to qualify as #1 of all teams (8-2, +38 RD). The hosts are of course looking to please the home crowd, and the stadium is definitely not one of the smaller ones during this WBC, so they could very well get some extra luck from there. So far, the home crowd can only be happy with the results, eight wins and only two losses so far!

Ko-oren started the group phase poorly, but they applied themselves to pull off a fantastic comeback to get into the Round of 20. They finished with a five-game win streak and a +9 RD, including their Round of 20 match: they there played Saugeais, another team that secured their Ro20 spot on the last day, and beat them 3-2. Ko-oren came back from a fourth place earlier, and beat all of their group mates (except Free South Califas) en route to their runner-up spot, a highly contested place as there were four teams in total that could have finished second in Group 1 of the WBC.

In all four Ro20 matches, the initially higher seeded team won. #13, #14, #15 and #16 all beat their opponents. Currently, the Equestrian States are seeded as #1 and Ko-oren as #16 (highest versus lowest). In the WBC overall rankings, the two teams are not far apart: Ko-oren is ranked 27th, the Equestrian States are ranked 23rd.

The Ko-orenite Baseball Association has released an official list of all matches played by their national team, the Greenblues. This list tells us that these two teams have not met yet, so we're very interested in the result!

This match is to be played in Ponyville Park, Ponyville, known for its design and the fans that are reported as 'kind and easygoing'... until the national team comes into play. The city itself is green, lush and centrally located so many of the Ko-orenite fans know the city by now: many chose Ponyville as their central location to visit the matches from because it resembles a Ko-orenite city: green, well-architectured and having a good infrastructure.

Other matches:

Team 1 (#seed, rank) - Team 2 (#seed, rank)

Lycrabon (#8, 8') - Free South Califas (#9, 25)
Zwangzug (#4, 15) - Kinzar (#13, UR)
Sicoutimont (#5, 19) - Maklohi Vai (#12, 19)
Yesopalitha (#2, 3) - Darmen (#15, 4)
Thatius (#7, 41) - West Guiana (#10, 18)
Milchama (#3, 2) - Vaugania (#14, UR)
Western Cuba (#6, 1) - Taeshan (#11, 7)

OOC: Thaulandi is my laissez-faire puppet

[New West Guiana]

Sports blog
-Liz Sith

Yay! West Guiana is in the World Baseball Classic playoffs for the third time, wow what a big thing isn't it? Uh..I say no, why well you look at it this way this is the third time, we've been participating in the WBC since the twenty-first edition. We've been in this thing five times now and out of the two playoff appearances we have guess what we're 0-4 in the playoffs, yea that's not something to be proud of if you ask me.

So we're lucky enough not to be playing in the round of 20 where eight unlucky teams must play in order to get into the Round of 16 which we'eve now been here three times and that's all we've seen. Three times lucky, maybe maybe not, so out of the twenty lucky teams that advanced each seeded accordingly we're number ten, yea we're in the top ten. However though we have to get past Thatius to get into the quarter finals for the first time ever, so that means the team will have to actually show up, which the last four games they didn't at lest in the playoffs. Though maybe this time i'm more willing to let them lose again in the R016 so I can get out of pony hell and back to real people.

Then again I along with the 7,000 West Guianans that actually made the trip here want to see our team for once advance into the quarter-finals. I mean really it would be nice to get some where, because two days ago the West Guiana squad lost in the quarter-finals of the 15th World Lacrosse Championships, a sport that I know nothing of and really don't care.I know i'll hear it latter from the many lacrosse loving fans but I don't care I only love doing my job which is annoying my of you to the brink that you'll actually stop reading mine stuff and start on the others. But then once you do that you'll realize that i'm the only here that still has a sense of humor.

But hey if you want to know what my prediction was on the round of twenty, here it is:
Kinzar vs. Skeckoa
Vaugania vs. The Serbian Empire
Darmen vs.Strawbee
Ko-oren vs. Saugeais

And guess what I was wrong on half of them, but hey I normally wrong most of the time. My loosy picks for the first game of the R016 coming soon...that means not now or in an hour...I have a life unlike you.

[Sicoutimont]

RADIO-BASEBALL750


"This is Mario Levesque, host of Radio-Baseball750's afternoon program, '7th Inning Stretch,'!

*cue a few guitar riffs to open program*

"Today, we'll be discussing the World Baseballl Classic! As you know, Sicoutimont's Royales survived the Taeshan and Karditan onslaught in the final 3 games to advance as a top seed. On the program, we'll recap the Sicoutimont-Powersith game, interview some team members, and preview the series with Mahloki Vai! We'll also be taking calls during the preview, so dial us up!"

"Ok, so the Powersith game! Les Royales needed a win to advance, that was guaranteed. However, Les Royales came out flat. They fell behind 4-1 after 4 innings. In the 8th inning, 3 runs were scored for Les Royales to even the game, but Powersith scored in the bottom of that inning to take the lead once again. And that set up the 9th inning. Victor Santana drove home Alfonso Soriano to take the 6-5 lead. Closer Fernard Dantes then took the task of holding that lead. With Taeshan-Parsee Mizuhasi having just ended with a 9-4 score for the Taeshani, Les Royales needed the win. And Dantes delivered, striking out two and making the last batter pop out to catcher Jose Colognon. That would be the game. Les Royales finished the group stage 8-2, and won group 4. Now, it's time for the playoffs. On the other side of the world, the team from Maklohi Vai defeated Kerblaekestan 7-6. This put the Vaians as the 12th seed going into the Round of 16. After the Round of 20 concluded yesterday, this means that Sicoutimont will play Maklohi Vai in the playoffs. Before we preview this clash, let's interview some key players! Maurice Sorotane, manager of Les Royales is on the phone, Maurice how are you?"

"Pretty good,"

"What'dya think of the Powersith game?"

"I thought we played poorly in the first half of the game. But then, the guys pulled together, and I think the 7th inning really helped us. Claude striked out 2 straight batters, and we were pretty inspired on the bench. You know what happened next, and we're into the next round."

"Victor Santana has been arguably the best player for Les Royales so far. What do you think of his play so far?"

"Victor is Victor. I coach him in St-Simeon for the Mets, and for the National Team, he's probably the best consistent hitter I've ever coached. And that's not even talking about his defense. When Francis Boullion retires at the end of this classic, we'll be set for a long time with Victor."

"Speaking of Francis Boullion; as this classic will be coming to an end soon, is it too early to look at who could play Designated Hitter next time around?"

"Well, my advice would be not to use the DH, haha. But seriously, I think Victor Santana is a good enough player to bat DH, but he's set up at clean-up right now. I think a guy like Alfonso Soriano could fill in there, or Boullion Carvier. Even then, we've got pretty good players sitting at home in the LBS who could fill in the position for a guy like Soriano or Carvier."

"Soriano seems to be producing better this Classic then before. Anyways, last question, what do you make of the Maklohi Vai series?"

"I'd rather watch it then coach it, haha. We may be far apart on seeding, but these teams are pretty evenly matched. They went 7-3, we went 8-2. We're both ranked 19th in the world. I think it'll be a nail-bitter, which is bad for managers like me."

"Thanks Maurice, and good luck in Equestrian States,"

"No problem, I look forward to talking to you again!"

"Right then, let's discuss Maklohi Vai! Like Maurice said, each team are evenly matched, at 19th in the world. New Harmony Arena in Manehatten will be packed past its capacity, as each game looks to be really exciting! Let's take some calls, and also give away the WBC Fan-Pack! The WBCFP includes airfare to Manehatten, 1 week in hotel stays, and tickets to all Les Royales games against Maklohi Vai! Call in and hope to be the 12th caller! We'll be taking calls for the next 30 minutes, so dial 32-987-543 to get on the line with us to discuss this series!"

"We have the first caller! Hello, who are you and where are you calling from?"

"Hi! I'm Jean Coute, and I'm from Val-Maurice!"

"Val-Maurice? They don't have much baseball up there, with the cold climate and all?"

"Yeah, but everyone's following the WBC! Even us whitehats!"

"For you international viewers, whitehats are Sicoutians that live north of Lac-Drouin, the capital city. But back to you, Mr. Coute, what do you think of the Sicoutimont-Maklohi Vai series?"

"I think it'll be good baseball to watch. Think it'll go 3 games, not sure who will win."

"Well, thanks for calling in, and enjoy the games!"

"I will thanks,"

*cut to commercial break*

"We're back here with the 12th caller! Mr. Carlos De Santa, from San Emperato, on San Cristobal Island. Mr. De Santa, you have won the World Baseball Classic Fan Pack!"

"Woo!"

"You'll be going to the Equestrian States to watch Sicoutimont-Maklohi Vai, and also able to visit attractions in the Manehatten area, and the best part is you can take 3 friends or family members with you! Have fun, Carlos!"

"I will!"

"Stay on the line for details. That's our show for this week, remember to check out our daily podcast with Jacques and Fidel! This week, they'll attempt to orient themselves in Manehatten, and attend the Sicoutimont-Maklohi Vai first game, with a special guest from Les Royales after the game!"

[The Sova Empire]

"Alright guys, we did great in this tournament. We went 5-5 in a division that we were expected to do no better than 2-8 in. We came in 3rd and ended up with a posative Run Difference. I am proud of our accomplishments this tournament. You are free to go home now, or you can go to Equestrian states to watch Vaugainia or something." Coach Greg summed up a reasonable WBC, and he truly was happy with how his relatively small team performed against some highly ranked teams. He only regretted the 2 matches that he his team dropped vs. unranked Vaugainia. He shrugged it off as he recalled winning against Backyard Sports twice, and each other team once.

"Do you think we'll be ranked well enough to qualify for playoffs for WBC 26?" Huu asked as the others left. Greg chuckled at the curiosity of his star first baseman.

"I don't know, I was thinking the same thing myself. Don't get your hopes up, this tourney in particular has been good to newcomers after all, look at Vaugainia. I'll telegram Equestrian States and see what he'll think about the ranking, but it will all depend on the format of the next tourney whether or not we do well. Go home Huu, you're family should enjoy hearing your stories about the tournament."

"Thanks Coach" Huu left, and Greg made his way to the capital building, where he saw a stack of issues on his desk, and started to sift through issues such as nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and torture. He got up and went to the telegram machine and adressed it to Equestrian States, and started preparing for the next WBC.

[Qazox]

BEST WBC CHAMPIONS LIST
#24: AZ-CZ (WBC 1)
#23: MILCHAMA (WBC 4)

#22: QAZOX (WBC 6)
RECORD: 12-1
Best Win: Pool Round 2 MD6 (Qazox 21 -Prux 3)
Why this ranking? In a WBC known for three things, the 2-stage pool play; the plate and bowl loser's brackets (which were good in their own way) and the most boring playoffs ever (all 4 series were sweeps), Qazox winning the title after beating two-time defending champions Milchama was anticlimactic.

#21: NEWMANISTAN (WBC 12)
RECORD: 19-2
Best Win: Game 3 in Finals (Newmanistan 4- Zwangzug 3)
Why this ranking? Normally when a team wins 19 of 21 games, it's a cause for celebration; but when the #1 team and prohibitive favorite does it, it really loses some of it's luster. Newmanistan's 2nd title run was not all that great. They dominated a weak group, and lost 2 pitcher's duels, including a 13 inning game; overall this team was too dominant at a transitional point in WBC and if any other team did win this particular title, they might be a bit higher on this list.


Up next #20...

[Taeshan]

"Well we made it out of the group, and avoided the treacherous playoff round. So who do we play in the round of sixteen."

"Western Cuba..."

"Oh fudersnitzel."

"Yep. Western Cuba."

"What are we gonna do?"

"Probably lose."

"Word."

"So how many games you think it will take."

"Three, i mean they are good, but they will toy with our emotions first."

"Yeah, like all good teams."

"Then of course they will flame out in the next round, after beating us, just like Audioslavia...Oh wait if they win i guess we figured out the new rule of tournaments."

"Yeah beat Taeshan, and you're a shoe in to win the whole darn thing."

"Well at least we will be able to say that we lost to the best."

"Yeah."

"Better than nothing."

"Yep."

[Darmen]

Georges Thomas, Bob, and General Roberts sat around the table, drinking beer, and watching the replay of the Copa Rushmori 13 title game, which Darmen had won 4-2. But something else was on their mind.

"I must tell you," said Bob, "that Father Lennon has done so much for the church. I do believe he is in line to be promoted."

"Bishop Lennon does have a ring to it," said Georges Thomas.

"So does Premier Lennon," said General Roberts, laughing as he did so.

"Really?" asked Thomas, "did you have to go there? Did you?"

"Just because I'm a High Priest doesn't mean I can't act like my old self. Afterall Margaret hasn't told me to stop and change my ways."

"No, no she hasn't," said Bob as he raised his beer bottle to his lips.

"So Bishop Lennon it is then. But who do we promote to be the Priest at the Church that he used to lead?" asked Thomas.

"What about that Jimi Dylan fellow. He's quite faithful, and he did a great service to the Church by alerting us to the situation between the IG-2 and that woman from Maklohi Vai," said General Roberts.

"I doubt his maturity in the faith though," said Bob, as the replay of the Copa final ended and the sports channel switched to their daily highlights show.

"He has only been a member of the Church for five months now," added Thomas, as the highlights from Darmen's 6-5 win over Strawbee at the World Baseball Classic flashed on the screen.

"I say we give the kid a chance. Let him grow. It could very well pay off," said General Roberts, watching Tim Prince's walkoff Grand Slam in the ninth inning to give Darmen the win.

"Ah-Hmm‽"¹

"Oh, yes, dear Margaret, what is it?" asked Thomas, as all three men got on their knees and bowed their heads.

"You haven't asked me what I think, now have you?"

"Sorry, I guess we didn't think it was a big enough deal to ask you for an answer," replied Thomas.

"Nothing is to insignificant for me to decide upon."

"Yes, I shall remember that," replied all three men in unison.

"Now, do as I say. Take a rubber chicken and cut it open. If blood runs from it, my son Dylan will become the Father of the Church which has found itself fatherless. If nothing comes out from the rubber chicken, my son Dylan is not worthy of the position."

Bob ran to grab a rubber chicken, and General Roberts pulled out his pocket knife. Thomas took both and begin to cut the rubber chicken, starting at its head, and continuing on down towards the feet. Blood began to pour from the chicken, and the three men bowed down and began to praise Margaret.

---

¹When Margarett uses an Interrobang, you know it's serious.

[Zwangzug]

Well, here we are in Stalliongrad! I like it here, it's beautiful, but I wish I was more familiar with the high altitude. Apparently the football team used to practice up high in Zwangzug so that they would have lots of endurance and wouldn't need to make many substitutions. I don't know much about football. But Cholpon is seriously getting into it now.

She's on tap to start game two, which we'll need in any case. The way things work out, it's a big difference for Peter between, theoretically, either starting the deciding game against Kinzar or the first game against Sicoutimont or Maklohi Vai. Although, well, I don't know much about Sicoutimont, or for that matter Maklohi Vai except that they and Darmen have been trying to call upon Margaret, who was apparently this priestess that legends began circulating about, eventually...you know, I don't know if any of this is true. That's what I get from listening to Cholpon start spouting about about things.

The point is, these seedings aren't necessarily coordinated with the ranks. Despite being, on paper, the second-best team in our group, we actually tied for the best record overall. So, suddenly, everyone thinks of us as championship contenders again and by "everyone" I mean "the opposing press trying to put the pressure on us" which is kind of exciting in its way.

The other point is that, really, Janvier (and predecessors, and successors) shouldn't necessarily have to keep going in order--Peter's as rested as he's going to be, or would be if it wasn't for all the relief stints. But that's the point. Is it for Cholpon (and Cynthia)'s confidence, that they're expected to pull their weight like the rest of us? I can't tell.

Cholpon is now saying that if she were the manager, she'd go back to a five-person rotation even if it meant not making the team herself, because trying to give everyone the same responsibilities just backfires and is a waste of time. I told her to please be quiet before starting yet another football history lesson, and also, that if she was the manager, she probably shouldn't be a player also.

Yes, okay, player-managers have existed but that was years ago. Do people still do that? Certainly not in Zwangzug. That would be the other extreme of "giving different people different responsibilities."

Oh well. Here's hoping!

[Equestrian States]

RP Cutoff for Round of 16 (Game 1)

Edit: Apologies for the delay. RL is a pain sometimes, but tomorrow's cutoff should be at the normal time, even with daylight savings time. Make sure to adjust for that.