World Baseball Classic 26- Everything Thread (IC)

by **New Montreal States** » Sat May 18, 2013 3:49 am

REFORMED EXPOS SEEK TO REFORM WAYS

After falling short last go-round, Expos will need to overcome at least one of two powerhouses to make it to Cassadaigua

After months of not-baseball, baseball has returned, bringing joy to the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. And this spring we get the pleasure of another World Baseball Classic, instead of a month of sitting through spring training, watching the stars work on their golf swings and marking off those last few grueling days before the season finally starts. And with a pair of legitimate superstars anchoring the lineup - Ephraim Zimbalist Jr. leading off and Jean-Charles Saint-Anton poised to drive him in - this Reformed Expos team is looking better offensively than any of the previous additions, at least on paper.

Famous last words, to be sure. But this is the part of the tournament when all we can do is speculate idly, and speculate we shall. Will the Reformed Expos win their group? Of course not! That is because they share a group with Western Cuba (3). The multiverse is littered with teams that have tried, and failed, to beat Western Cuba. By your correspondent's reckoning, there are 56 teams in this tournament that aren't as good as the Western Cubans. Anything can happen in baseball, except for touchdowns, and road upsets at Western Cuba. They ought to cruise handily.

If the Reformed Expos can beat Qazox (15) twice, they will be a Good Team that will probably end up in the playoffs. If they split with Qazox, it will be up to the other four teams in the group to determine who will advance, and the Expos will either be a Pack of Scrappers who fundamentaled their way into the elimination stages, or they will have Fought Hard and Come Up Just Short. If the Expos drop both games to the Green Oxen they will be Disappointments who will need to be Reshuffled before the next WBC.

(If the Reformed Expos beat Qazox twice, but still miss the playoffs, they will be Enigmas. 25 years from now, long-form journalists will write long-form journalism about What Really Happened, What Could Have Been, and What It All Really Meant.)

The Reformed Expos are the third-best team in Group 7, and your correspondent would just like to mention that if he has to watch the Reformed Expos piss away another game because Lionel Dayton cannot manage a bullpen for shit, he will gargle wood alcohol and shrapnel.

Fourth-ranked in the group is The Priory of St. Luc (54). They're the French nation that's not us - no, not Sicoutimont either - no, the other French nation in the WBC. They wear their old-timey ~~heresy~~ Catholicism on their sleeves - no, they're the other gratuitously Catholic nation in the tournament. We promise you that you'll know who they are after the Expos are done playing them.

Because when Sir Obadiah or Sir Stephen cometh unto the plate with runners in scoring position? Verily, they delivereth those men from the perils of being stranded forevermore. Woe betide the pitcher who misplaces a fastball or hangs a breaking pitch over the plate! Forsooth, these brave knights shall smite it into the gap.

Your correspondent is eagerly looking forward to hearing just how the announcers will mispronounce The Jahistic Unified Republic (65). That said, Jessie Emswiler is probably the most underrated player in the whole damn WBC.

Cowardly Pacifists (UR) are making their first stab at international baseball after a few cycles in the World Cup. Although nobody here has ever seen them play ball before, if their football team is anything to go by, expect a side that favors run prevention over offense from their position players. Which is fine by your correspondent. Most at-bats are failures, statistically speaking, and spectacular defensive play is worth admiring even if it screws your homeland over.

Our final prediction: the Reformed Expos will finish second if everything goes well, and fifth if everything doesn't.

by **The Jahistic Unified Republic** » Sat May 18, 2013 7:49 am

Jahistic Team: X Factor?

Jahistic Year 10
City of Unolia: The Jahistic National Baseball Team is set to play in their third overall World Baseball Classic, and their first in two years. The team has remained unchanged from when they last competed two editions ago in a losing effort, getting eliminated in the group stage. This is the last time that a unified Jahistic team will play, before getting succeeded by the Unolian National Team as the official baseball team, as per the new Unolian Baseball League. That's another story for another time, however.

The current story is that they are set to play their first international competition today, facing the 28th seeded New Montreal States in the City of Unolia's Revolutionary Stadium. Tickets sold out 21 minutes after being made available online, but rumors are floating around that the game may be willing to make more room. That is, standing room only. The only time Revolutionary Stadium was forced into standing room only status was the finals of the Unolian Collegiate Baseball Tournament, when Hae Jae Bon Military Academy defeating the University of New Ukruda in the stadium's opening day.

The Jahistic National Team, seeded 65, may just be the wild card in this tournament, due to new coach Shane Wansui, who is notorious for his no nonsense approach when he was the head coach of the Hae Jae Bon Military Academy team, leading them to three straight baseball titles in the collegiate realm, but noone truly knows what can happen. He is also known for leading his team to having the highest score differential for the Jahistic Year 8 college season. The Jahistic team is expected to do extremely better than the last two times, but will the team actually make it out of the group phase? Obviously it is way too early to tell.

On the individual players side, expect a great offense from catcher Ted Tsao. He has, by all accounts, made a massive improvement in his hitting, slugging a .317 in 10 practice games with the team, getting 3 home runs and 7 RBI. His running needs work, but one can expect that out of a catcher. Great offensive stats also come from Jessie Emswiler, who plays 3rd base. Although a relative newcomer to the sport, he has constantly putting up good stats during practice games, hitting a 3 run homer in the 3rd to last practice game the team had, and getting 5 RBI overall in the 10 game series.

The starting pitcher, Jonathan Hue, didn't do as expected during the 10 game practice series. He only was able to get four strikeouts, leading some to believe that he may not be the best player on the Jahistic National Team, but I guess we'll see as he starts today. Kurt Patin exceeded all expectations in right field, making an astonishing zero errors and three diving catches. He is also a really fast runner, stealing three bases in the series. Indeed, he was on the athletics team in high school, running dashes.

As the players set out to put on their yellow and black uniforms and as they get ready for the game today, they must feel the pressure on their heads. Only one player, Kurt Patin, would make a comment to The Firebrand. He said "This is certainly alot of stress, because we're playing for real this time. We slacked off the last two times, and this just may be our last WBC together, and we gotta make it count."

They will also have to impress some politicians in their performance today. Shawn Hitlay, the Chairman of the Jahistic Party and President Jarrod Thuman (set to make his first appearance since being diagnosed with cancer 8 months ago) have been reported to had purchased a luxury box in Revolutionary Stadium. The stress must be getting to the team.

All Jahistic games in the WBC will be broadcast on the Firebrand Sports Network, which is owned by the parent company of this fine newspaper.

by **Cowardly Pacifists** » Sat May 18, 2013 9:13 am

CP Baseball Report

May 18th - Phrytton, M.F.C.P.

And so it begins. After years of baseball obscurity, the Sandpipers of Phrytton are finally making an appearance in the world's preeminent baseball competition. No one has any disillusions: this is going to be a trying Classic for the Sandpipers. As an unranked team, most observers expect the team to be trounced regularly by the tough Group 7 Competition. But team management remains optimistic. Speaking at a recent conference, Assistant Manager Angel Barker told press: "I've got nothing but confidence in this group. Sure, we're knew to the international scene, but that just means it's our year to cause some upsets. No one will see us coming, and we can use that to our advantage. Our boys are gonna give fans quite a few memorial games to look back on. And we may just surprise everyone with how deep we can go in this Classic."

"And ultimately," Barker added, "when it comes to the world rankings, we've really got no where to go but up." That sentiment seems to hold true for many of the rank and file fans. Said random Sandpiper fan Phil Loggerman: "This team is going to shoot straight to the top! Have you seen Harvey Oliver at bat?! That man is a beast. I bet he hits a home run in every game!" Added Susy Loggerman, a five-year-old from Ocean View Elementary, "I like Lester (Snyder) because he's real fast!"

The Sandpipers will play their first game on the road, traveling to the Priory of St. Luc for MD 1 on May 19. That match figures to be a relatively gentle lead-in to for the Sandpipers. Check out the Sandpipers full schedule and Group 8 opponents below:

PREVIEW OF OPPONENTS

1. Western Cuba (ranked 3rd) - An explosive and dominant team, Western Cuba is the top-ranked team in Group 7. They are rumored to be in a building year, but even if they are they figure to be a lock for one of the two teams to make it out of Group 7.

2. Qazox (ranked 15th) - Coming off a building year in the last Classic, the present Qazoxian team shamefully boasts the lowest rank of any Qazoxian team in recent history. They're still one of the best teams in the world, and figure to be a strong contender for one of Group 7's two advancement spots.

3. New Montreal States (ranked 28th) - The Reformed Expos of NMS are a solid organization on the rise. They boast an amazing line-up of bats and figure to be among the more dynamic competitors in this Classic. Their pitching core is admittedly still a work in progress.

4. The Priory of St Luc (ranked 54th) - The Pelicans are a colorful group of well-rounded baseballers. A mix of knights and cloistered brothers, the Priory's team figures to be one of the more interesting in the group to watch.

5. The Jahistic Unified Republic (ranked 65th) - The JUR squad is a young team that is still coming into their own. If the Sandpipers are going to win any games this Classic, they will most likely come from the Unolians. A feisty bunch, you can expect the JUR to resist giving up a win to the Sandpipers at all costs.

FULL SCHEDULE
MD 1: @ the Priory of St Luc
MD 2: @ Qazox
MD 3: Home vs the Jahistic Unified Republic
MD 4: @ New Montreal States
MD 5: Home vs Western Cuba
MD 6: Home vs the Priory of St Luc
MD 7: Home vs Qazox
MD 8: @ the Jahistic Unified Republic
MD 9: Home vs New Montreal States
MD 10: @ Western Cuba

NEXT MATCH @ the Priory of St. Luc
Sandpipers Starting Pitcher: Julio Leonard
Priory's Starting Pitcher: Sir Edmund

by **Lycrabon** » Sat May 18, 2013 12:48 pm

The pitching rotation was announced today by manager Brianna Bruce for WBC 26, along with the official unveiling of the schedule. All games will be broadcast on LSPN Radio, and away games on LSPN television as well. Home games, assuming sellouts, will also be shown on LSPN.

Blue Jays Schedule:
Game 1: Saintland (Tom Benson) at Riverside Stadium, St. Catherine
Game 2: at Komodo Dragon (Paul Bray)
Game 3: Taeshan (Paul Lawrence) at Riverside Stadium, St. Catherine
Game4: at Scandigrad (Sam Fitzpatrick) at Scandigrad Park
Game 5: Slembana (Benson) at Riverside Stadium, St. Catherine
Game 6: at Saintland (Bray) at Royal Park
Game7: Komodo Dragon (Lawrence) at Riverside Stadium, St. Catherine
Game 8: at Taeshan (Fitzpatrick) at Quarant Xa'virt Sphark Stadium
Game9: Scandigrad (TBD, depending on posteason) at Riverside Stadium, St. Catherine
Game 10: at Slembana (TBD, depending on postseason)

by **Darmen** » Sat May 18, 2013 6:20 pm

Bishop Robert Lennon, a servant of Margaret. Greeting dear Brother Kumalo. I hope all has been well. I can not say so for myself.

As you may already know, I have fallen ill, with what exactly, I do not know. I do not believe I will live much longer, the end of my life is near. I do however believe I have long enough to make one final visit to Maklohi Vai.

As you know, I have been travelling around the multiverse visiting other believers of Margaret, observing their practices. I unfortunately was unable to go to Birolika, which was to be the highlight of my trips. But nonetheless, I have learned a substantial amount of useful information, which I hope to share with you.

Now however, I am preparing to make my final trip, to you in Maklohi Vai. I will be arriving soon, to share the knowledge I have gathered. I believe you will be intrigued by some of the things I have to tell you. May Margaret keep you healthy and safe while you wait for my arrival. Until then, farewell.

OOC: I'll add more tomorrow, but for now this will have to do.

by **THRILLEDGE** » Sat May 18, 2013 9:08 pm

Thrilledge Dreadlocks National Baseball Team

Roster

Lineup

1- Sanderson Alvarez -2B - L
2- Davis McKinley – RF - R
3- Blastings Thrilledge(C)- LF - R
4- Duncan Armstrong - SS- R
5- Jeremiah MacDougal- 1B - L
6- Byron Pendarvis– 3B - S
7- Titus McQuaid – C – R
8- Edwin Ivey - DH- R
9- Jayhawk Edmonson- CF - L

If no DH, just take Ivey out and move Edmonson up so the pitcher bats last.

Bench
Kip Freiler– OF - R
Teddy Nathaniel – 1B/DH - L
Toby Danielson - IF- S
Nathan Baswick – C – R

Rotation
1- Ryan Raymond - L
2- Israel Armenson - L
3- Troy Shrewsbury - R
4- Quincy Martabano - R
5- Warren Arthur - R

Bullpen
CL- Vance Ashwood - L
SU- Bryan Rauscher - R
MR- Bill Arnett- R
MR- Chris Ketcham- L
MR- James Volbert - R
MR- Heywood Barnsfield - R
LR- Martin Salvo - R

Style Modifier: +4

by **Maklohi Vai** » Sat May 18, 2013 9:29 pm

OOC: Once again, the Margaret line will be continued. It started with 9 iterations in WBC 24, and blossomed to 15 RPs in WBC 25 with the help of Darmen as a RP partner. That storyline from the end of 25 will be continued, and Darmen and I will once again work together as our schedules permit.

To my brother in the faith, Bishop Robert Lennon.

It pains me greatly to hear of your illness. Men such as yourself should not have to suffer into death. I am honored that you have chosen to spend your perceived final hours in my humble country. I also offer to you the excellent healthcare services of my country, on which the government places a high priority. They can hopefully find out what your illness is.

I am glad you have been able to travel at least a bit, and that you have gained information. I am eager to hear this so that OAM can advance as an organization, and myself as a leader. It is still a new adventure every day for me.

I am doing well myself. OAM is still hovering a little below 5000 members. I believe we have reached our saturation point on that front. I am still struggling with other problems, as I have elaborated to you before. My grandmother still does not know about my activity, as there has been no media coverage yet. I am still troubled about telling her of my faith, and I hope you can assist me in planning for this task.

For now, I bid you farewell. I must warn you that I will have little time to write, but I have time blocked off for your visit. I hope to see you in good health and in good time.
Your friend, Kumalo

by **Estope** » Sat May 18, 2013 10:36 pm

Nation: Estope
Acronym: EST
Home Park: Thomas-Johnson Field (18,650)
Manager: Nicolas Carr - Age 58 - (5-0)
Pitching Coach: Gregory Jackson - Age 46
Hitting Coach: Richard Willhem - Age 61
Fielding Coach: Taylor Neyman - Age 40

Line-up
1. Alex Avez
2. Max Meister
3. Cory Keys
4. Jessie Driggers
5. Henry Fowler
6. Fabio Fernandez
7. Austin Forde
8. DH Bryant Bolman or Pitcher
9. James Campella

Style Modifier: -4

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes

Group 5
Sicoutimont (11)
Estope (26)
Saugeais (10)
New Bierstaat (UR)
Free Swiss States (76)
Backyard Sports (58)

by **Karditan** » Sun May 19, 2013 8:21 am

"Hey, Jeffrey!" Gale Wind trotted across the dugout to catch up with the thirdbaseman-turned-firstbagger.

Snider turned and looked at the pegasus, who was wearing a broad smile. "Hey, Gale. Do you need anything?"

"You're one of those baseball-historian types, right?"

He chuckled and set down his glove; these conversations always took a while. "I can name the past seventy or so Fall Classic winners and losers in order, so I guess you could say that."

"I was wondering if you could tell me about something that happened in the KBL a while ago."

"And what's that?"

"Well, I was looking around at the rosters of some of the other teams here at the WBC, and they got me thinking, so I looked around the big baseball leagues in the AIBC... and it seems like a lot of them are male-only still. Like, to the point where the fact that both men and women--and ponies--play in the KBL is something special. And I know how there's still a little prejudice here... it took me forever to get my first contract, since I'm both a pony and a girl, but I wouldn't have been allowed to play at all in a lot of places."

Jeffrey sat down and motion for Gale to join him. "So, you want to know the story of how the KBL integrated women?"

Gale blushed as she sat down. "Yeah... I really should already know it, but it happened so long ago, it's kind of hard to find the details."

He ruffled her mane and sat back. "Don't worry, I've got you. It all started in a small office building on the outskirts of Fort Martin..."

***________________________________________________________________***

The intercom mounted in the mahogany desk buzzed to life. “Mister Rivera, Jacob Brenner is here to see you.”

Saul Rivera plopped his pudgy finger on the ‘respond’ button, but took a moment to think back on what that name meant to him. Oh, right, my River Island scout. “Let him in, Kristen.”

“It’s Kirsten. Go ahead, Jake.”

Saul leaned back, prompting a groan from the chair. “It’s time we got this business back on track,” he muttered, waiting.

Jacob let himself in a moment later, doffing his derby and tossing it on the hat rack. “I’ve got a couple of good prospects for you to look over, boss.” He dropped his briefcase on the desk, then wrapped his hands around and snapped open the clasps. The top violently popped up. Papers flowed out, spreading across the desk, yellowed and crinkled from exposure to the elements and generally poor upkeep. “Sorry about the mess—wasn’t expecting you to call me back so early.”

Saul breathed deeply, trying to regain his composure after the surprise flood of his workstation. He let the chair carry him back to an upright position and started to leaf through the pile. “Did ya find that center fielder we need?”

“Naw… not yet. There’s a good left fielder there,” Jacob shifted some papers, but quickly gave up. “Henry Johnson. He can play center in a squeeze, but doesn’t really have the speed you want in a starter.”

Spotting the report on Henry on the edge, Saul reached over and grabbed it. “Five-five… kinda short, ain’t he? And he can’t run?”

“Oh, no, he can run. Just not like a center fielder. Plenty fast for left, and he’s got a good arm, to boot.”

Saul flipped the paper over his shoulder (where it gently flittered into the semicircle of trashcans specifically set up for such an event) and glared at Jacob. “We’ve got a left fielder, Jake. Marty’s young. And he’s a local boy, so he’s not going to want to sign anywhere else. We need someone to play center, and do it well.”

to be continued

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun May 19, 2013 8:42 am

Meyer a rare second generation player,
by Rachel Sharper- Concord Heights Times

In sports, it is common for the daughters and sons of professional athletes to try and follow the footsteps of their famous parent. While many will attempt to take the same path, it ends for many before ever making the big leagues. Most will play the sport throughout school, and some will toil around in the minors throughout their career. There’s only usually a handful that can continue their progression all the way to the top. Having said that, the one will even emerge from that handful and accomplish what Stacie Meyer has is very impressive. Her mother, Amanda Meyer, successfully represented Cassadaigua during several World Baseball Classics, including being a part of the team that won World Baseball Classic 14. Amanda and current head coach Meghan Corrigan saw their careers mirror one another for most, and while that meant that at home, Amanda was trying to hit home runs off of Meghan, that on the national team, they were teammates. Stacie Meyer is the daughter of Amanda, and will make her debut on the World Baseball Classic 26 team, becoming the first second generation Cassadagan in baseball to make the national team. Oh, and we’ll mention to some of those other countries, that in Cassadaigua, children take the last name of their mother, and not their father.

Don’t think for a second that Stacie is here because of her mother. If you’re Cassadagan, you don’t need to be told that, as you’re well aware of her prowess (averaging a .333 batting average, 40 HR’s and 132 RBI’s per season), but there may be some who think she got a free ride here. Amanda will be the first to tell you that there was nothing free about what Stacie has accomplished. “She watched me have success when she was just a little girl, and always loved baseball,” Amanda said, “I told her she would always have to work her hard, and at an early age, I had her in baseball camps to learn the fundamentals, and she was very eager to learn. In school, she was expected to succeed because of me, but she never fell back on that, and impressed all of her coaches. Never once, to get where she is today, has she gotten a free pass because of me.” And head coach Meghan Corrigan says there was also no such pass given when naming Stacie to the national team, “I picked the best first baseman in the country. It wasn’t until after I officially wrote her name in as my starting first baseman, did it even occur to me that I just may have done something historic like this. Obviously, I know who her mother was because I played with her and against her, but she’s earned her spot, no question.”

It will be one of many storylines to watch as Cassadaigua returns to the World Baseball Classic. First pitch on qualifiers will be coming very soon. Like, really, really soon.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun May 19, 2013 8:43 am

Pllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay balllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MD1 is cutoff.

Group 1
Michael VII                   0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
The Sova Empire               0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 X  4

Schmiegelland                 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Kriegiersien                  0 1 0 1 0 3 2 0 X  7

Thrilledge                    0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Yesopalitha                   0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3


  Group 1                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Kriegiersien                   1    1   0     7    2   +5     3
2 The Sova Empire                1    1   0     4    1   +3     3
3 Yesopalitha                    1    1   0     3    1   +2     3
4 Thrilledge                     1    0   1     1    3   −2     0
5 Michael VII                    1    0   1     1    4   −3     0
6 Schmiegelland                  1    0   1     2    7   −5     0

                           

Group 2
Cyborg Holland                1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2  6
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Milchama                      0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 3  7
Ko-oren                       0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0  3

Sangti                        0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0  4
German-Spanish Empire         0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3


  Group 2                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Cyborg Holland                 1    1   0     6    1   +5     3
2 Milchama                       1    1   0     7    3   +4     3
3 Sangti                         1    1   0     4    3   +1     3
4 German-Spanish Empire          1    0   1     3    4   −1     0
5 Ko-oren                        1    0   1     3    7   −4     0
6 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec    1    0   1     1    6   −5     0

Group 3
The Republic of Lanos      0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Karditan                   4 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 X  7

Free Republics             3 0 1 4 0 3 0 0 0 11
Strawbee                   1 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 0  7

Skeckoa                    0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Equestrian States          0 2 2 0 0 6 2 0 X 12


  Group 3                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Equestrian States           1    1   0    12    1  +11     3
2 Karditan                    1    1   0     7    2   +5     3
3 Free Republics              1    1   0    11    7   +4     3
4 Strawbee                    1    0   1     7   11   −4     0
5 The Republic of Lanos       1    0   1     2    7   −5     0
6 Skeckoa                     1    0   1     1   12  −11     0

Group 4
TWS of the Mediterranean   0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  3
Maklohi Vai                0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  4

Vaugania                   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2
The Serbian Empire         0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1  3

Shadowbourne               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Beldonia                   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 X  3


  Group 4                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Beldonia                    1    1   0     3    0   +3     3
2 Maklohi Vai                 1    1   0     4    3   +1     3
3 The Serbian Empire          1    1   0     3    2   +1     3
4 TWS of the Mediterranean    1    0   1     3    4   −1     0
5 Vaugania                    1    0   1     2    3   −1     0
6 Shadowbourne                1    0   1     0    3   −3     0

Group 5
Sicoutimont            0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1  5
Backyard Sports        0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  3

Estope                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Free Swiss States      0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 X  5

Saugeais               1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  3
New Bierstaat          0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 X  5


  Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Free Swiss States       1    1   0     5    2   +3     3
2 New Bierstaat           1    1   0     5    3   +2     3
  Sicoutimont             1    1   0     5    3   +2     3
4 Backyard Sports         1    0   1     3    5   −2     0
  Saugeais                1    0   1     3    5   −2     0
6 Estope                  1    0   1     2    5   −3     0

Group 6
Bloodbath Generation   0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  3
Kinzar                 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 X  6

Darmen                 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 0  5
Mapletish              0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  3

Thatius                0 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  7
The Fair Republic      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1


  Group 6               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Thatius                 1    1   0     7    1   +6     3
2 Kinzar                  1    1   0     6    3   +3     3
3 Darmen                  1    1   0     5    3   +2     3
4 Mapletish               1    0   1     3    5   −2     0
5 Bloodbath Generation    1    0   1     3    6   −3     0
6 The Fair Republic       1    0   1     1    7   −6     0

Group 7
Cowardly Pacifists              0 1 3 0 5 0 0 0 0  9
The Priory of St Luc            1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  4

Qazox                           0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 1  5
Western Cuba                    0 0 1 0 3 3 0 1 X  8

The Jahistic Unified Republic   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
New Montreal States             0 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 X  5


  Group 7                        Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Cowardly Pacifists               1    1   0     9    4   +5     3
2 Western Cuba                     1    1   0     8    5   +3     3
3 New Montreal States              1    1   0     5    2   +3     3
4 Qazox                            1    0   1     5    8   −3     0
5 The Jahistic Unified Republic    1    0   1     2    5   −3     0
6 The Priory of St Luc             1    0   1     4    9   −5     0

Group 8
Byfugland                       1 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  6
Ethington                       0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0  3

Cassadaigua                     0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0  4
Free South Califas              1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Powersith                       1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  3
Aardenland                      0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2


  Group 8                        Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Byfugland                        1    1   0     6    3   +3     3
2 Cassadaigua                      1    1   0     4    3   +1     3
3 Powersith                        1    1   0     3    2   +1     3
4 Free South Califas               1    0   1     3    4   −1     0
5 Aardenland                       1    0   1     2    3   −1     0
6 Ethington                        1    0   1     3    6   −3     0

Group 9
Sakurakoku             0 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 0  7
Soviet Party           0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Super-Llamaland        0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 3  7
Carasatoga             1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1  5

Zwangzug               0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0  4
Allinlia               2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2  5


  Group 9               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Sakurakoku              1    1   0     7    1   +6     3
2 Super-Llamaland         1    1   0     7    5   +2     3
3 Allinlia                1    1   0     5    4   +1     3
4 Zwangzug                1    0   1     4    5   −1     0
5 Carasatoga              1    0   1     5    7   −2     0
6 Soviet Party            1    0   1     1    7   −6     0

Group 10
Saintland              0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  3
Lycrabon               1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 X  4

Taeshan                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Scandigrad             1 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 X  7

Slembana               0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Komodo Dragon          0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2  5


  Group 10              Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Scandigrad              1    1   0     7    2   +5     3
2 Komodo Dragon           1    1   0     5    3   +2     3
3 Lycrabon                1    1   0     4    3   +1     3
4 Saintland               1    0   1     3    4   −1     0
5 Slembana                1    0   1     3    5   −2     0
6 Taeshan                 1    0   1     2    7   −5     0

RP "Challenges":
There will be two RP "challenges" per matchday. These, in no way, must be followed. They are simply meant as method of trying to provide some inspiration when one cannot otherwise find it.

Challenge 1: The Historical Challenge: Mention something that happened in or otherwise reference a specific World Baseball Classic then I pre-determine. We'll start with an easy one today: World Baseball Classic 25.

Challenge 2: Reference the randomly selected nation in some capacity. (This nation will be selected from the "who's chatting" list on the main page). I'll move my mouse around and whatever nation it lands on is the random nation of the day. Note: A nation competing in the WBC will NOT be selected. Today's random nation: SquareDisc City. (Ironically, I just missed Starblaydia by one)

by **The Serbian Empire** » Sun May 19, 2013 8:54 am

The Serbian Empire wins 3-2 with a walk-off pinch hit home run
Rookie #4 hit the home run measuring 414 feet and sailed to left field. He will be declared the starting catcher for game two against Shadowbourne. Other performances of note include a blown save and win by #40 and a quality start from the ace #41 who delivered 8 innings with 12 strikeouts.

Article from the Beograd Sporting News

The Serbian Empire's Baseball Team has Banned Rakija from the Clubhouse?

New manager, Milan Sreckovic has banned rakija from the clubhouse due to the incident where a Serbian Empire baseball player smashed a toilet in a drunken rage leading to a three game losing streak last tournament. This has been declared by some as a signal of the team leaving their losing ways behind as the players voted in favor of the proposal with a 19-6 margin. The question remains if the Serbian Empire can make the playoff rounds again like last tournament, but at least there will not be any more drinking in the clubhouse. There is a rumor that Sreckovic banned drinking for his team in the clubhouse in hopes of convincing others within the country that baseball isn't just a sport for alcoholic men to try to drunkenly smash baseballs over the fences and toilets in the clubhouse. It's not the men part that is the problem with this team, but the alcoholic part as drinking in excess is the problem due to problems such as alcohol poisoning, cirrhosis, drunken rages, and drunk driving.

"It's an image problem and not so much a problem in production for the team as last season's team lost most of it's games in a close fashion," one player stated anonymously before going to the batting cages to take his batting practice.

by **Sangti** » Sun May 19, 2013 9:56 am

SANGTI TRIES TO BE LIKE KINZAR, WINS OPENING MATCH OF WBC 26

By Rafael Sigua

Sangti 4 -3 German-Spanish Empire
Group 2, World Baseball Classic
Mendez Stadium, German-Spanish Empire

Sangti                        0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0  4
German-Spanish Empire         0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3

Starting Lineup

Sangti
1.2B	Ramil Magtalas
2.1B	Romie Datu
3.RF	Levin Dabu
4.DH	Dale Decolongon
5.LF	Lorenzo Aboganda
6.SS	Antonio Luyaben
7.CF	Erick Navarette
8.3B	Benjamin Dimacuha
9.P	Leevhan Mumar

German-Spanish Empire
1.SS 	Kurt Eaton
2.CF 	Otto Puppo
3.C 	Klaus Wellington
4.1B 	Gustavo Ahin
5.RF 	Salvador Ramos
6.2B 	Paco Feo
7.3B 	Bruno Blütz
8.LF 	Santiago Raminez
9.P 	Yunel Alvarez

Sangti Indios managed to escape a 4-3 victory over German-Spanish Empire at Mendez Stadium in GSE.

Gustavo Ahin claimed GSE's first run after a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. However at the top of the fifth inning, Dale Decolongon nailed a 3-run homer to grab the advantage, Decolongon, Romie Datu and Levin Dabu. 3-1. At the bottom of the inning though Klaus Wellington and Ahin again provided the runs for the empire, 3-3.

At the top of the 7th however Sangti reclaimed the lead for good as Romie Datu stole the home plate, having been at the third base after a double and a sacrifice bunt by Levin Dabu. GSE had a chance to extend the game or even snatch one as it was that man again Ahin to hit a flyer to the left, needing Lorenzo Aboganda to do a miraculous catch to seal the game for the Indios.

This is the first game of Sangti in the World Baseball Classic. Monico Deligero, the Indios manager said, "We told the boys to work hard. Remember Kinzar at the WBC 25? They were unranked like us when they barged into the Round of 16. They were also in a group with Milchama, and Royal Kingdom of Quebec. I hope that dejavu will happen. We even went to the Psychic people of SquareDisc, and they said that Sangti will have a good run at WBC 26. I told the boys that if we want to be like Kinzar, we must perform like one, and not to rely on fortunes or psychic abilities alone."

Sangti will host Cyborg Holland at Estadio Beisbol at Ciudad Sangti. Cyborg Holland along with Milchama won their opening games, against Royal Kingdom of Quebec and Ko-oren respectively.

It was also a payback for Sangti in overall sports after losing 1-0 to GSE in the Market Cup.

by **Super-Llamaland** » Sun May 19, 2013 11:19 am

Group 9
Sakurakoku 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 7
Soviet Party 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

Super-Llamaland 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 3 7
Carasatoga 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 5

Zwangzug 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 4
Allinlia 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 5

Pitching Lines for today's Llamas:
E Masorka: 7 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 10 K/2 BB
R Jackson: 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K/0 BB (W)
R Irving: 2/3 IP, ER, H, 0 K/0 BB
N Bowden: 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K/0 BB (SV)

A late comeback allowed the Llamas to sneak by Carasatoga, an unranked team, although it took ten innings to complete.

Despite a good pitching performance from ace Evan Masorka, Carasatoga pitching shut the Llamas down through seven, allowing just three hits (A first-inning Darren Bradley triple, a fifth-inning Alex Cameron home run, a sixth-inning Chris Harder single) and a few walks. Masorka was shaky in the first four but settled down. However, after seven the Llamas faced a 3-1 deficit.

In the eighth inning, Brett Rochester's RBI single put runners on the corners, but Jake Addams flew out to end the threat. 3-2 Carasatoga after eight.

In the ninth, the Llamas had two outs and two strikes on Max Danks. Then, this happened:

M Danks walks on eight pitches. M Danks to first. Two out.
D Bradley singles to RF. D Bradley to first. M Danks to third. Two out.
A Cameron singles to LF. M Danks scores. D Bradley to second. A Cameron to first. Two out.
D Mills walks on five pitches. D Mills to first. A Cameron to second. D Bradley to third. Two out.
C Harder walks on ten pitches. D Bradley scores. A Cameron to third. D Mills to second. Two out.
B Rochester strikes out. Three out.

4-3 Llamas. But Rick Jackson put runners on second and third and a RBI single commenced. However, Chris Harder saved the game by throwing out a second runner from right field. 4-4 going into extra innings. Then:

J Addams singles to left field. J Addams to first. No out.
T Thomas flies out to center field. J Addams to second. One out.
K Dawson singles. J Addams to third. K Dawson to first. One out.
M Danks grounds into a fielder's choice. M Danks to first. J Addams out at home. K Dawson to second. Two out.

The inning appeared over after that. But...

PH Jim Barnes for Darren Bradley, batting second; playing designated hitter. Double-switch: D Robertson playing shortstop, batting ninth. two out.

J Barnes hits a home run to left center field; 410 feet. J Barnes scores. M Danks scores. K Dawson scores. Two out.
A Cameron strikes out. Three out.

A clutch home run by Barnes gave the Llamas a 7-4 lead that stuck, and the Llamas won 7-5.

BATTING HERO: Jim Barnes: 1-1, HR, 3 RBI
PITCHING HERO: Evan Masorka: 7 IP, 3 ER, 10 K
BATTING ZERO: Tim Thomas: 0-4, 3 K, 4 LOB
PITCHING ZERO: Robby Irving: 1/3 IP, ER, 0 K

by **The Jahistic Unified Republic** » Sun May 19, 2013 11:37 am

Jahistics Lose, 2-5

Jahistic Year 10

Pitcher: Jonathan Hue: L (0-1)
Game 1 MVP: Kurt Patin: 2H, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1-2

In a heart breaking loss, the Jahistic National Baseball Team lost away in the New Montreal States (OOC: crap, I said I have home the first time around :blush:

) in an embarrassing performance against the Expos. The loss is mainly blamed on the pitcher (Jonathan Hue, (0-1)) and his overall lackluster pitching in the game, throwing three walks and only one strikeout in yesterday's game. The result? A 2-5 loss to the Expos.

The second hitter for the Expos, Greg George, hit an easily catch-able fly ball to center field, but the Center-Fielder, Tyrone Eisenmenger, couldn't get his glove into the general area, and allowed a hit off that catch. It seemed like a catch a little-leaguer could catch, resulting in laughter and jeers from the crowd.

For the first seven innings, the Jahistic team watched almost helplessly as the Expos gained run after run after run, eventually watching as the score ran up to 5-0 in favor of the Expos, only getting one hit by the 7th inning stretch, which came from Kurt Patin in the 3rd inning. If this is any indication about how the Jahistic Team will do, we might as well resign.

All of a sudden, a stroke of luck came upon the Jahistic team. Clayton Prenatt had his second at-bat, which resulted in a line drive to the center-right field and a double. The Jahistic Team looked poised to score. Kurt Patin followed suit, waiting for a 3-2 count. On a beautiful breaking ball pitch, Patin clubbed one down center field, resulting in a beautiful HR for Patin and the only two runs the Jahistic Team has scored so far in the WBC. The ball was reportedly caught by a 10 year old at his first baseball team, but we have yet to confirm it.

Overall, the Jahistic Team's two errors and overall lackluster performance forces The Firebrand to give their efforts a D- grade. They need to step up their training, especially for their first home game tomorrow. Christ Lycon, who will be making his pitching debut tomorrow, did really well during the warmup series, reporting 11 strikeouts and one caught line drive. The problem lies in our fielding and the confidence level, in my honest opinion.

by **Estope** » Sun May 19, 2013 11:39 am

Free Swiss States. – An inability to score a run until late in the game hurt Estope in their opening game of the World Baseball Classic.
The 26th-ranked Estope Baseball team saw some golden opportunities slip away before dropping a 5-2 decision to No. 76 Free Swiss States on the road. Estope saw its 5 game win streak under new head coach Nicholas Carr snapped. Prior to this game Carr had been undefeated as the head man for Estope. Estope racked up eight hits but also stranded 10 base runners. Free Swiss States scored a run in the second and two in the third to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Estope starter Eric Almanza gave up two more runs in the fifth inning and was pulled shortly after. But the damage was already done as Free Swiss States now lead 5-0. “I feel bad for Eric, after-all they only had seven hits,” Estope head coach Nicholas Carr said. “We were on the road and playing on a wet field. I thought he made most of his pitches but they just hit it into the ground and it made for a few big innings. All you can do is pitch your game.” Estope didn't score until the eighth inning. Max Meister started things with a one-out single. Cory Keys followed with an RBI-double. Jessie Driggers added a single and Fabio Fernandez hit another single to score Keys. The inning ended however with Fernandez getting caught stealing. Prior to that, Estope had loaded the bases in the fifth inning with only one out but could not score. “I thought we did pretty good and had enough hits to win the game,” Carr said. “It was mostly bad luck that we just didn’t get anything done. We got to find a way to come out tomorrow and right the ship. There is still a lot of games to be played and we want to return to the playoffs after missing last year.” Almanza (0-1) lasted 5.2 innings, allowing 7 hits and five runs (all earned), with three strikeouts and three walks. Noel Pelot pitched in relief and allowed no runs or hits.

Estope is now 0-1 and sixth in the group. Free Swiss States is 1-0 and tops the group. Estope plays again tomorrow at home against #11 Sicoutimont. Sicoutimont won their opener 5-3 and will be a tough but crucial game for Estope in group play.

Group 5 Scores
Sicoutimont - 5
Backyard Sports - 3

Estope - 2
Free Swiss States - 5

Saugeais - 3
New Bierstaat - 5

Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Free Swiss States       1    1   0     5    2   +3     3
2 New Bierstaat           1    1   0     5    3   +2     3
  Sicoutimont             1    1   0     5    3   +2     3
4 Backyard Sports         1    0   1     3    5   −2     0
  Saugeais                1    0   1     3    5   −2     0
6 Estope                  1    0   1     2    5   −3     0

by **Saintland** » Sun May 19, 2013 12:10 pm

Saintland loses WBC opener, again

(SP) The Kingdom of Saintland fell behind early and 12th-ranked Lycrabon held on late as the Sanctii lost their second consecutive World Baseball Classic opener. It was just not Ioannes Bebius's day, as he gave up a leadoff home run to Carl Maynard in the bottom of the first inning. Bebius would be knocked out in the 4th inning as Petrus Tragus was not going to risk this game getting out of hand. "Lycrabon is considered one of the best baseball teams in the world. They were favored coming in and their veteran team was able to pull out a victory at our expense. I am disappointed that I was knocked out of the game in the 4th inning and I just wish I had pitched better. If I had pitched like an ace today, we would have beaten them and we would be 1-0 right now, not 0-1. I will be ready to face Komodo Dragon and I believe I will pitch better against them." - Ioannes Bebius

Ioannes Bebius started off the game at Riverside Stadium in St. Catherine, Newcastle Province, Lycrabon by allowing a leadoff home run to Carl Maynard. That put Lycrabon up 1 run to nothing. He proceeded to record 11 consecutive outs, including 7 strikeouts, but then Nick Mayo hit a ball into short left field for a single. Bebius walked Sean McCormick. Jeremy Kramer, a 41-year-old center fielder was the next batter. Bebius threw 3 straight balls. On 3-0, Bebius put a fastball right down the middle, expecting Kramer to take the pitch. Kramer instead chose to swing and he launched it into orbit to put Lycrabon up 4 runs to nothing. Petrus Tragus immediately brought in Marcus Laelius. Laelius struck out Lycrabon pitcher Mark Benson to get out of the inning.

Through 5 innings, the Sanctii offense had been unable to get anything going. None of their baserunners had reached 3rd base. Benson finally started to tire in the 6th inning. Ioannes Sentius led off the inning by drawing a walk. Matthaeus Bebius hit the ball down the right-field line and fair, moving Sentius to 3rd base on a single. With runners at first and third, the first Sanctii runner at 3rd base on the day, Lucius Maccius came up and struck out. "Iron" Lucas Maianius would provide the key Sanctii hit, as he hit the ball hard and right into the center field fence. It bounced to the ground, as the man with the consecutive games played streak ended up at second with a double. Both runners scored and the Sanctii were within 2. Benson was able to get out of the inning by intentionally walking Petrus Iulus and getting Marcus Vagnius to ground into a double play, but he would be pinch-hit for in the very next inning.

Leroy Harrison and Mitchell Johnston would shut the Sanctii offense down in the 7th and 8th innings. Laelius would be pulled in the 7th inning so Paulus Sittius could pinch hit and get thrown out on a routine ground ball. Alessandro Arius, the knuckleball pitcher came in instead for the Sanctii and continued where Laelius left off. The score was still 4 to 2 in favor of the home team going into the top of the 9th. Darrell Lane came on to close it out for the Lycrabon Blue Jays.

Lane came in and struck out "Iron" Lucas Maianius. Petrus Iulus came up. On the first pitch, Lane threw a fastball and Iulus connected, hitting it hard into left field. The ball went deep and over the wall for a home run. The Sanctii were within 1 run. Marcus Vagnius hit a double in the gap. Petrus Tragus decided to pull his brother Marcus, a defensive-minded second baseman, and bring in Lucas Cnisius as a pinch hitter. Cnisius popped it up and Tony Schwartz caught it easily for the second out of the 9th inning. Paulus Juventius came in for Arius with the Sanctii down to their last out. The outfielder hit the ball in play and into the outfield. The problem was that he hit it right at Nick Mayo, who caught it easily for the final out. The Sanctii had lost by just 1 run.

Although the Sanctii lost today and seemingly disregarded the instructions from King Paulus XV that they must win now, they can take solace in the fact that they did not lose 9 to 2 to an unranked team. What makes that loss to Central North America even more disgraceful is the fact that they were so disorganized that they hadn't even produced a roster. This SP reporter does not understand why international sports event hosts permit teams to participate without a roster, but that seems to be standard practice. Not only did Central North America never produce a roster, but that team did not even bother to return for this World Baseball Classic. They simply were not a serious competitor in international baseball, but Ioannes Bebius got crushed by them. As we now know, that defeat happened for a reason. Petrus Arminus had given into temptation from none other than Satanas himself and had fallen into serious sin. God caused the National Baseball Team to lose so that we might discover that the team's captain had fallen into utter depravity.

Fortunately for the Sanctii, 7th ranked Taeshan does not seem to be on top of their game in this WBC. They were upset 7-2 by unranked Scandigrad today. Meanwhile, Komodo Dragon defeated Slembana 5-3 in the bottom of the 13th inning. Tomorrow, the Kingdom of Saintland will face Taeshan. The top-seeded team will be coming off of an upset loss against an unranked opponent and the Kingdom of Saintland hopes to beat them. Tomorrow's game against Taeshan will be broadcast on Royal One, but expect broadcasts of Sanctii baseball games to move to Royal Two once the National Basketball Team begins their playoff series against Andossa Se Mitrin Vega. King Paulus XV demanded that Petrus Tragus produce a playoff berth and a victory in tomorrow's game will be critical if he hopes to accomplish that goal and remain Sanctii captain.

by **Aardenland** » Sun May 19, 2013 12:27 pm

Powersith Edges Aardenland in Game One

Sixth Inning Triple Tips the Scale to the Dark Side

In the first game of WBC XXVI, Aardenland narrowly lost to Powersith, 3-2. Silas van Hoven held the opposition to one run for five and two-thirds innings when a two-run triple turned the game around by one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. The outfield had shifted to the right, and it took awhile for left fielder Crijn Legierse to get over to the ball. "To tell the truth, it was practically an error for me," said Legierse. "If I had gotten to the [foul] line in enough time, it would have been the end of the inning." Tomorrow, Aardenland will play host to the group's newcomer, Ethington. Iddo Dietrich will start the game.

Third Inning

Aardenland: With one out, Sally Karlsson doubled into the left-center field gap. Karlsson stole third. Silver Wouda flied out to deep center. Karlsson tagged up and scored on the play. Tied, 1-1

Fourth Inning

Aardenland: Odessa Kroon singled to center. Ricky Bruijn doubled into deep center, scoring Kroon. Aardenland leads, 2-1

POWERSITH WINS, 3-2

by **The Fair Republic** » Sun May 19, 2013 1:52 pm

In their first ever international baseball game the toucans have lost 7-1, the only run was a score on a passed ball

by **Scandigrad** » Sun May 19, 2013 2:00 pm

Bana City Tribune
19 May 2013
Sports Section, Online Edition

Sharks Upset at WBC 7-2

Yesterday's opening game against Taeshan brought an amazing upset victory for the Scandigrad Sharks. The game was played at Scandigrad park to a sold out audience. Going into the series, many were not quite sure how Scandigrad would preform on the world stage, as this Classic represents the first time Scandigrad has played in the World Baseball Classic.

"The defeat of the 7th seed is huge" one fan said. "At home too; It was an extraordinary game!" Others advised caution though, as General Manager Duane Poulin warns. "Yeah it was our first game, and we played a helluva ballgame. But we can't get ahead of ourselves. There are still plenty of teams left to play, and it'll most certainly get more challenging from here," he said at the press conference after the game.

Vandenberg, a lefty, was on the mound yesterday, claiming 9 Ks over 8 1/3 innings pitched. He had a no hitter going until the top of the 6th, when Taeshan batter Kenton Bleacher jacked a line drive into right field for a double. He was pulled during the 8th inning after a two run shot from Isaac Lewis gave Taeshan some breaths of life in the later innings. Milford, a righty, was brought in to close the game, with 3 Ks over 1 2/3rds innings.

Scandigrad lead a hit parade throughout the game, with a game opening home run shot to left field in the top of the first by Harris. Taeshan was forced to take their starter out early in the third inning, after a two run double by Polanco put the Sharks up 3 runs early on. One more run would score after a sacrifice fly to right put Scandigrad up 4-0 after 3. A double in the 5th, and a solo shot in the 7th would allow the Sharks to finish the game with 7 runs, over Taeshan's 2.

Even as Baseball Fever rips through Scandigrad, many people are optimistic about Scandigrad's performance at the World Baseball Classic this year. Only time will tell how well our boys will do, but at this point, things are on the up and up.

Box Score and Standings

Code: Select all: Taeshan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 Scandigrad 1 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 X 7

Code: Select all: Group 10 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts 1 Scandigrad 1 1 0 7 2 +5 3 2 Komodo Dragon 1 1 0 5 3 +2 3 3 Lycrabon 1 1 0 4 3 +1 3 4 Saintland 1 0 1 3 4 −1 0 5 Slembana 1 0 1 3 5 −2 0 6 Taeshan 1 0 1 2 7 −5 0

by **Ko-oren** » Sun May 19, 2013 2:11 pm

Let's not even count this first game

For some reason, this country's national teams always seem to face the best of the best of the world in a crucial game. Either the last (IBC: Valladares) or the first. That was today. Milchama, world's best, faced Ko-oren on the first day and the Warriors won gloriously. Milchama expected this game to be difficult, but with 6 runs in the last three innings they cleared the task easily. For both Milchama and Ko-oren this means they will face the 'easier' opponents for the rest of the group stage (until the second half of the group stage starts, at least). While no Ko-orenite dared to expect a win in this game, the Milchama media did not foresee an easy victory either. Overall, Milchama is expected to have at least a 9-1 record and a second overall seed, but that only game they expect to lose is against us. And that's an honor. We think.

According to a good Ko-orenite tradition, it is time to add all games up: the number of runs for Ko-oren and for the other teams per inning. We saw earlier that Ko-oren has a big problem nearing the end of the game, and yesterday was nothing different.

Ko-oren               0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0  | 3
Others                0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 3  | 7

This list will be updated every match day (or at least every match day will eventually be incorporated in this graphic).

Last tournament, Ko-oren advanced from one group with Free South Califas. The best team by ranking was Byfugland (11th at the time), but they were completely out of it and finished 3rd. Ko-oren was 27th at the time, and right now they enjoy the 10 spots they climbed since WBC 25. Starting as the 17th team of the world, the team hopes to make another jump like last tournament. Milchama will probably not allow it, but even losing both games against them could have Ko-oren end up with 8-2. WBC 25 was 6-4, so that would be a significantly better record. Even losing another game along the way will make it 7-3, which is still better than any tournament before.

Ko-oren's Colonies #1: Thaulandi

While the WBC is going on, let's take a look at Ko-oren's colonies and territories, and their sports culture. First stop is Thaulandi, the most prominent member of Greater Ko-oren... beside Ko-oren itself. Thaulandi has the highest degree of autonomy of any of the colonies, and its policies are based on completely different values because they can. While Ko-oren is meritocratic, environmental and interested in the long-term effects, Thaulandi is pro-business, democratic and interested in short-term wins. Located on a few freezing arctic islands, there are 17 'towers' that shelter the Thaulandian population from the cold and the icy wind. The towers are massive buildings, domes made from glass and steel, that each house a number of people up to two and a half million. The towers can be very far apart, and through the almost everlasting winter they can be extremely hard to reach, so food production, work and housing is all included in different sectors of the towers. The number of tourists is also designated per tower so that a too high population will not occur, as that could trigger a food shortage.

All 17 towers have a local elected president, but they are all overseen by the central government. The government is extremely small, and is there just for keeping peace in the towers. Economic policy is designed to attract as much capital and money to Thaulandi, and foreign policy is almost non-existant. The reason for this is as follows: as a colony, they can rely on Ko-oren to take care of that. Secondly, hardly anyone visits Thaulandi because of the harsh climate and unattractiveness of the culture and architecture.

The sports culture of Thaulandi is just concentrated on the two and a half months of not-winter. Football is the biggest sport, which has 18 teams in two leagues. The top league has 10 teams, the lower league has 8, which play a full round robin. Matches are twice a week in July and August, and are precisely in the summer break of Ko-oren and other colonies. The Thaulandian Football League takes players from these leagues and puts them randomly in their teams to give the audience the best of Greater Ko-orenite football, and for the players it is highly lucrative too. While not many Thaulandian talents break through (and if they do, it's in different areas of Greater Ko-oren), the national team is probably the second best of all eight parts of Greater Ko-oren.

Other popular sports include handball and gridiron, but baseball is not very popular. Handball and gridiron can be organized on smaller pieces of land, and baseball would require a huge open area. There are two baseball arenas in all 17 towers combined, and they are often used, but with only two arenas, you cannot do much. Sports in Thaulandi, in general, are popular if they 1) do not require much space and 2) are very profitable. Table tennis is another popular sport in Thaulandi, though it is not popular at all in any other colony or Ko-oren itself.

Due to the legislation throughout Greater Ko-oren, the national teams of Ko-oren may pull players from the colonies. In recent years, we have seen more and more Thaulandians and Taloreni in Ko-orenite teams. Therefore, next episode will be about Taloren.

by **Free Republics** » Sun May 19, 2013 2:36 pm

Sporting World

FFR beats Strawbee 11 to 7
by: Michelina Panicucci

Recently, Strawbee published their official predictions for the Group 3 standings in the 26th World Baseball Classic. They predicted that they would finish 2nd behind the ponies from the Equestrian States. They also predicted that the Federation of Free Republics would finish 5th and win 3 or 4 games. Apparently, somebody in Strawbee hadn't been reading Nova Hellstrom's articles about the Di Bradini Cup, where the FFR's U-21 soccer team finished undefeated with the best goal differential in the entire tournament. The FFR is currently undefeated in international sports competition. Some of my more Progressive-leaning professors at Baseton University may enjoy bashing our country, but I am proud to be a Republican because at least I know I'm free, as the song "God Bless the FFR" goes.

While other nations sent their best players, in the FFR the best athletes would rather play in their local major league and get paid for it. Instead, Peter Bach built a team around sabermetric principles, using players that struggle to get off the bench in the major leagues, minor leaguers and college players. The young manager is determined to prove the superiority of his approach by performing well in the World Baseball Classic against a bunch of foreigners. With a victory over Strawbee, he took a giant first step toward that very goal today.

Viktor Ganzorig started for Strawbee against Tauno Raisanen. Yes, you read that one right. Tauno Raisanen, the former World Series MVP for the Baseton Brawlers when they improbably won the series 8 years ago, is pitching for the Republican national team. Raisanen has not been himself over the past 4 years since he was traded to the Petrograd Oilers. He had a disastrous season in 2009, losing 22 games and putting up an ERA in the 7s, one of the worst seasons ever in any of the Republican major leagues. After a similarly awful start to his 2010 season, Raisanen tore an ulnar collateral ligament in his arm and underwent Tommy John surgery, which is named after Tommy John, the legendary Republican sports medicine doctor that invented the surgery. Raisanen returned toward the end of 2011, but he struggled and was out of baseball in 2012. This spring, he was throwing hard, so he was signed by a small-town independent league team and was overpowering hitters. Peter Bach remembered how great Raisanen used to be and decided it was worth the risk of putting him on the team.

Tytus Majewski led off for the FFR, as Ganzorig threw the opening pitch at Warlords Stadium in Peerson, Strawbee. Majewski fell behind 1-2, but kept fouling off pitches until he worked the count to 3-2. Ganzorig finally made a mistake and Majewski hit it hard and barely fair. The ball bounced into foul territory and ricocheted off of 2 walls. As Chip Snelling finally got to the ball and threw it to the cutoff man, Majewski was sliding into 3rd base for a leadoff triple. Michael Schwartz was up next. He worked a walk. Sami Hiukka worked the count to 3-2 while fouling off a number of pitches. Finally, Ganzorig got him to swing early at an off-speed pitch for the strikeout. Ilyas Korgay came up with runners on first and third and a single man out. After Ganzorig fell behind 2-0, he was determined to throw a strike. He foolishly threw a fastball down the middle to Ilyas Korgay and the Republican slugger made him pay, crushing it past the center field fence for a home run. The Federation of Free Republics had an early 3 run lead.

Strawbee would answer back in the bottom of the first inning. Although Raisanen was in form, Hank Orr got ahold of one of his mistakes and turned it into a home run. Raisanen struck out the other 3 batters that he faced in the frame. Although the Republicans threatened again in the 2nd, they did not score additional runs in that half-inning. Instead, they would have to wait for the 3rd inning, when Tyler Majewski doubled and Sami Hiukka drove him in with a single for the 3-run lead.

Raisanen proved to be on top of his game after the mistake in the first inning, avoiding serious trouble in subsequent innings. The same could not be said for Viktor Ganzorig, who would be knocked out of the game in the 4th inning, but I am getting ahead of myself. Feliks Jablonski started the inning with a single. Kardos Adony followed that up with a double that moved the runners to second and third. After Harrison Dixon struck out, Hamilton Simard drew a walk. In the interests of full disclosure, I should acknowledge that Simard is also a student at Baseton University. He is considered one of the top baseball prospects in the Federation. This set up a bases loaded situation for Tyler Majewski. Majewski stepped up to the plate and the 21-year-old, who had never hit a home run in his college baseball career at the University of Orlandiana, just so happened to get ahold of a pitch and hit a short line-drive grand slam. The Republicans celebrated their 8 to 1 lead while Kevin Saran pulled his starting pitcher out of the game. Ludwig Varnson came in as the new pitcher.

Varnson pitched his team out of the 4th inning and had a 1-2-3 5th inning. Meanwhile, Raisanen continued to dominate. In the top of the 5th, Varnson made 2 more outs and got ahead 0-2 against Hamilton Simard. Then, Simard got ahold of a pitch that was barely out of the strike zone and hit it into shallow left field on the line. Simard was easily in with a single. Tyler Majewski came up, a single shy of the cycle. He would get the single he needed. Simard took off for second, having decided to steal a base. Majewski swung his bat, hitting a routine ground ball, but Simard was already at second before Rolland Tomorbaatar could scoop up the grounder. Majewski ran as fast as he could and got to first at the same time as the ball. Umpire George Diaz of Beldonia ruled him safe. The Strawbee fans booed the call loudly after a replay that they believed showed he was out. "I didn't put much stock into the crowd's reaction. Of course, they're going to think I was out. That was a close play and, if the umpire says I was safe, I was safe," Majewski told me after the game, "I wish I could have gotten that single I needed for the cycle without the controversy, but people can say whatever they want. The fact remains that I hit for the cycle in the Federation's World Baseball Classic debut. Even if it is international baseball, that still counts for something." He is, of course, absolutely right about that. His performance today was one for the ages.

Michael Schwartz was up next. The 26-year-old backup infielder for the Albertope Greens drew a walk to load the bases. Sami Hiukka cleared the bases by hitting a ball into the center field fence. Although Ilyas Korgay struck out, the Republicans led 11 to 1 after 5 and a half innings.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Tauno Raisanen finally started to cool off a little. Tony Khongordzol led off with a double. After Jayson Enkhtuya struck out, Rolland Tomorbaatar hit a single into shallow right field. Khongordzol decided to go for the run and the throw from Kardos Adony did not get to Harrison Dixon in time. Raisanen got out of the inning, but he left the game after 6, having allowed 2 runs on just 3 hits.

After that, Peter Bach turned to his middle relievers and watched them concede 3 runs in the 7th inning and 2 runs in the 8th. When the game entered the bottom of the 9th, he was taking no chances. Christian Eiffel came on. The 35-year-old lefty struck out the side and the Republicans left with a victory. "I was surprised when Mr. Bach asked me to enter the game in a non-save situation in the bottom of the 9th," Eiffel told me, "but when your manager asks you to play baseball, you do just that. I now understand what he was thinking. We can't afford to risk a 4-run lead in the bottom of the 9th just because it isn't a save situation. That is especially true when the bullpen had allowed 5 runs in the previous 2 innings."

The next opponent for Peter Bach's side is the Republic of Lanos. Despite their name, Lanos is not part of the Federation of Free Republics. The game will be held at RepublicSoft Stadium in New City, Orlandiana. The Republican ballplayers will hope to pick up a second international victory against a team that lost 7 to 2 against Karditan today. They will be playing at a stadium named after the embattled company RepublicSoft. RepublicSoft has fallen on hard times lately after the flop of Doors 9, their new computer operating system that looks like a clone of a popular cell phone operating system and lacks much of the functionality of traditional Doors. They are rumored to be working on a new handheld video game console, in collaboration with some foreign firm, but it is unknown whether those rumors are true. Regardless, it will be interesting to see if Peter Bach's baseball team can continue to perform well at the World Baseball Classic.

Michelina Panicucci is an intern for Sporting World. She is currently a student at Baseton University. She is majoring in journalism. Michelina is a lifelong baseball fan who played baseball for her high school, although she saw little playing time. Miss Panicucci is originally from the Republic of Roxawa, where she grew up on her family's farm.

by **The Sova Empire** » Sun May 19, 2013 2:44 pm

Strong Start

4-1 victory over Michael VII is a sign of good times to come

With all eyes on the headliner IBC team that TSE has fielded, not many people paid attention to the WBC team. They pulled off a mini-upset of their own, winning by 3 runs. Tammarah looked great on the mound, hurling a complete game, with 3 hits, 1 run and no walk baseball against the higher-ranked M7 team. The only bad pitch he really threw was a slider that hung in the top of the zone in the third inning that was sent into the left field bleachers. Huu was on his game today, with 4 singles, 2 for RBI's.

Back in WBC 25, TSE faced Vaugania, Zwangzug, THRILLEDGE, and Backyard Sports in group play. Zwangzug dropped their first game to Allinia on a walk-off hit in the 9th. Final score was 4-5. Backyard Sports' 9th inning rally fell short, as the lost to Sicoutimont 3-5. Vaugania also lost on a 9th inning RBI, as they lost to The Serbian Empire 2-3. Last year, THRILLEDGE opened 0-5, and the bad luck hasn't ended. Yesopalitha's 10th inning, walkoff 2 run homerun ended Thrilledge's quest for perfection on the first day. Final was 1-3 So from TSE's group, only the Sovan team has a win in Matchday 1.

GAME 1
Scoring Plays:
3rd inning-M7 solo homerun. 0-1 M7 leads.
4th inning-With runners at the corners, and 1 out, Ida Kno hit's a triple down the right field line. 2-1 TSE leads.
4th inning-Ida Kno scores on a sac fly by "Y". 3-1 TSE lead
5th inning-Taday hits a solo homerun to left-center field 4-1 TSE leads.

Final Score: 4-1, TSE over M7 at TSE. Next game is at Yesopalitha

by **Vaugania** » Sun May 19, 2013 5:29 pm

VauganiaSportsToday

Golden Eagles Fall 3-2 in WBC Opener

Vaugania                   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2
The Serbian Empire         0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1  3

In their first game of the WBC, the Golden Eagles fell 3-2 in The Serbian Empire's 2nd consecutive game against them stretching all the way back to WBC 25's Round of 20.

4TH INNING

Lars Erstad had been strong through the first through innings, but in the 4th, a stray changeup led to a solo homerun by The Serbian Empire's #4. The name of this player is unknown due to an incident involving broken toilets in the last WBC. Golden Eagles fans were sad upon the homerun, but giggles were quite profuse after they learned why this player was only announced as #4.

5TH INNING

The Golden Eagles refused to be kept down by the 1 run deficit and the pitching of #41. Marty Bzibziak, who was nicknamed "Obliteratron 5300" by some sports writers with an extreme lack of creativity during WBC 25, crushed a double into rightfield. DH Cliff Gilbert hit a groundball between 1st and 2nd, but was out due to excellent fielding by a player known as #3. Bzibziak advanced to 3rd on the play. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, Roman Janicek hit a blooper into shallow left field to score Bzibziak and tie up to game.

9TH INNING

Marty Bzibziak reminded everyone why he was called "Obliteratron 5300" and just how stupid the name was as he evened things up with a 2 out solo homerun in the 9th to tie things at 2. As he ran past a Vaugania Sports Network camera, he reportedly yelled, "Can't you guys come up with something better then Obliteratron?" In response to Mr. Bzibziak's statements, he will henceforth be referred to as "Big Marty."

Arnold Perkins, who entered the game in the 8th to relieve Erstad struggled in the ninth. He walked to first two batters of the inning without any outs. He bounced back and struck out the third batter. The next pitch went into the outfield and landed a few feet in front of Kerby Rychel. Rychel gunned the ball home, but was too late to stop the winning run from crossing.

Vaugania will now face The Warring States of the Mediterranean, the only unranked team in Group 4. They also dropped their first game. This matchup is being viewed as a crucial bounce back game for the Golden Eagles.

by **Zwangzug** » Sun May 19, 2013 6:19 pm

(OOC: Blatter is a long-running cycling RP thread, all usernames are fake.)

BeyondLinks: official Blatter account of Kerlagrad Courier Sports!

Oh well. At least there are pretty mountain ranges to look at, so the day isn't a wash.

That sounds like a mathematical study for someone who takes things more seriously than us.

RB @beyondlinks Maybe everyone has bad bullpens. You're just too provincialistic to look beyond Zwangzug.

@xlence That is actually an idea.

Yes, literally and figuratively. No matter what we try, it doesn't work.

@twakemeister @pcbrigand @4malizms Knock it off.

The problem is that we lack a bleeping bullpen.

@oodlesn @46revolu10 @8rs8ll and no time-dilation jokes.

For all of you going on about how we lost two out of our first three games last time and made the final anyway, that's not the problem.

@oodlesn @46revolu10 @8rs8ll how old are you kids?

Stupid Kearns and stupid Capps--not the ones being joyyously whippped offf headds--and that's the game.

oh for crying out loud

Okay, that's enough highlight videos for while I'm technically still supposed to be on the job.

@ftc_maverick @zeebazeeba25 @unpnw000 thx

Wish I could have seen him.

A wonderful catch from Joey Bezzio Jr. ends the inning. Local journalists are saying his predecessor, Terrell Hunter, was almost as good.

Okay, that seemed to work. Mesliss-Pfell (there we go again), Egenman, and Cateser scoring.

And subsequently to the bathroom.

Right, I think these chili peppers are good luck. To business.

Did you know how to spell Cassadagan without looking? I, also, did not.

@ega1337 @rosy_quips @pittmonster Okay, okay, good call.

Speaking of. Did you know Cassadaigan children take their mother's surnames? I didn't, but it explains a lot.

Egalitarian last names are nice, and all, but we've got to be careful with the character limit here.

Wow! That was hot. The chili pepper. Not our bats. Although...there we go, Vesle Louash-Swea with the first run.

Right, enough of that, I'm going to try some of this chili pepper they go on about.

Actually, stupid DH in general. Had to check the roster again to confirm that Scranton actually was our DH now that we need one.

Stupid Dragonflies. Not that our Dragons fly, it's just this Abbott character pushing in another run. 2nd inning not going well either.

Not that the ones to the press box are anything to write home about, either.

Stupid Stairs. Not the ones to the press box, the one who just doubled in the game's first run.

Except he won't start unless we make the playoffs.

Though apparently the pitchers are close-knit. I'd ask Amatchi and his stupid little book about that.

And of course it's our own Empp-Ishikawa taking the mound. No new pitchers this time around! Next tournament could be a rude awakening.

Their manager also manages the Diamonds, presumably because Pitches, Rinks, Courts, Courses, and so on just aren't cut out for baseball.

But enough of that, you're here for the Zebras! Under Kyle Polzin's trustworthy leadership, they're visiting Fonzona.

Not going to lie, it feels so good to say that.

Welcome for the latest and most unquestionably authoritative news from Kerlagrad, home of the LEAGUE CHAMPION DRAGONS.

World Baseball Classic 26- Everything Thread (IC)

The New Montreal Presse-Journal Devoir: Journalism! Get Some

Victory!

Rough Start to Open WBC 26

Toucans Lose 7-2

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