World Baseball Classic XX Sign Ups

[Sportgirls]

Sportgirls sign up.

[Mytannion]

We're back, back again.

May not RP, as real-life is starting to happen around about now.

[Sportgirls]

World Baseball Classic 20 Bid
Dominion of Sportgirls

The proposed host

Although Sportgirls, as a tiny city-state, have never hosted a major international competition, Her Majesty's Ministry of Sport are being supported in this endeavor by the team that organized World Baseball Classic 15 in The Babbage Islands. That team and its associates have organized nearly 30 international tournaments including two World Cups and a World Bowl in addition to WBC 15.

The schedule

World Baseball Classic 20 will be conducted in two phases. The qualifying phase will require two weeks, with five days of qualifying on a Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday and Monday off, and a return leg of five qualifying days Tuesday through Saturday. The knockout phase will involve best-of-three series on Monday through Wednesday, then Thursday through Saturday for the next round, and so on. Exceptions are the championship series (best-of-five) and the third place game (one game). If the championship series starts on a Thursday then Sunday will be treated as an off day.

The format

All qualifying pools will contain exactly five or six teams, with the number of pools based on total entries (one entry per six teams or fraction thereof). Pools need not be of identical size. Assignment to pools will use a pot system draw based on rankings to equalise pool strength.

Each pool plays a double round-robin or league format over ten matchdays, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the knockout stage.

Ties in winning percentage for qualification will first reference head-to-head result, then average runs scored per game, then a playoff game. The same scheme, using lots instead of a playoff, will be used to seed qualified teams of similar winning percentages within the knockout bracket.

Qualifying games will be home-and-home in each nation's stadia. Knockout games prior to the quarterfinals will also be held in national stadia. Only the final eight will move to Sportgirls City.

Knockout series will see the lower-ranked (higher seed number) team bat last (home) and then play two if needed batting first (road). But the championship final will see the higher-ranked team (lower seed number) bat last in games one, three, and five.

The stadia

• Queen Ingebjørg Stadium (capacity 6,192) is the national stadium, capable of holding fully half the adults in the nation. It is located in North Ward on the border of the Palace district.
• Caitlyn Ballantyne Field (capacity 3,348) was recently renamed for the Queen's College catcher and international football star. It is located in the Greenfield district on the campus of Sportgirls University.

The scorinator

Unlike the situation five Classics ago, TBI's Miscellanator is now established as a reliable scorinator for baseball. It includes both ranking and RP bonuses, produces scores by inning, and is implemented as a spreadsheet in .ods Open Document format. In conformity with established practice, the final scores and number of innings are binding for RP but the score by innings is not.

Scorination is anticipated for 1100-1200 UTC each day.

The roleplay

Teams have the opportunity to roleplay (RP) before each game by posting to the designated thread. This may include posting a roster, which is strongly encouraged and earns an additional RP bonus equal to a double-day of RP (adjusted for quality).

A team's RP posts are evaluated for bonuses added to the team's chance before randomisation. Length is less important than consistency, and quality trumps either. However, roleplay bonuses decay over time so teams that cannot roleplay every day are not seriously disadvantaged. All of a team's posts on one match day are evaluated as a single entity.

RP is not required!

To enter

Nations interested in entering should apply by posting their interest in the signup thread once created. A player may enter one nation with guaranteed admission. Second "puppet" nations from players who have previously competed in the WBC may be admitted at the host's sole discretion, usually to balance numbers.

[Brodskopolis]

The Democratic Union of Brodskopolis would love to enter WBC XX.

[Weegee and Rick Steves]

Weegee and Rick Steves will sign up.

[Tarrentum]

Tarrentum - HOOOOOO!!!

Tarren-Tarren-Tar-ren-tum!
(you know you all loved Thundercats)

Also, Sarz, could you please add the following link to the Umpire Thread on the First Post? Many thanks...if you don't, all cool.

[Armorgames]

Armorgames returns.

[Sakurakoku]

The Silver Wolves return. (The baseball and football teams agreed to swap the adjectives in their nicknames.)

[Camwood]

we'll go

[Darmen]

Darmen signs up!

[Sarzonia]

Sarzonia Host Bid for World Baseball Classic XX

Introduction: Sarzonia has recently evolved from a nation that hosted occasional small tournaments to one that has hosted one of the largest World Bowls in history, co-hosted two editions of the Cup of Harmony, and has helped shepherd the World Lacrosse Championships from a niche tournament into one that has experienced unprecedented growth in each of the last three tournaments.

As such, Sarzonia is well suited to serve as a host of the World Baseball Classic despite its relative lack of experience in hosting this specific tournament. Sarzonia can point to hosting four editions of the World Lacrosse Championships, World Bowl XIV, the two editions of the Cup of Harmony, two editions of the World Softball Classic, and currently serving as the hosts of the Senior Baseball World Series to outline its expertise.

Previously, Sarzonia served as co-host to two editions of the Basketball World Cup, a precursor tournament to the International Basketball Championships, three editions of the NS Arena Bowl and an edition of its predecessor tournament, the Sarzonian Indoor Gridball Cup. Sarzonia also hosted the seventh Handball World Cup and co-hosted the Futsal World Cup and the inaugural AO Bowl during pre-Isolation.

Format: This will depend upon the total number of nations who sign up for the World Baseball Classic. Multiples of four work best, but we shall endeavour to include as many nations as possible without turning away master nations. If there is an unworkable number of nations when sign ups close, we will ask master nations with puppets signed up to voluntarily withdraw those nations. If, however, we need additional numbers, Sarzonia would be willing to include its joint Sarzonian-Delaclav puppet Sarzoclava.

Regardless of format, there will be the traditional double round robin with home and away fixtures for each team. Teams will also have the option to play exhibition matches against teams who are NOT drawn in their same qualifying groups the day before qualifying, the day between the first- and second half of qualifying, and the day immediately following the close of qualifying. Teams shall be limited to ONE host-scorinated exhibition during that span. If you have signed up for more than one, I would ask you to choose which exhibition you would like me to scorinate. Otherwise, I will chose the FIRST one you select. You may make arrangements to have someone else scorinate an exhibition match if you wish.

The knockout round format will depend on the number of teams and the number of groups required. Owing to the sheer size of the most recent World Baseball Classic, we anticipate the possibility that more than 16 teams may be invited to the knockout rounds. Should that be the case, there will be a best of three series serving as play ins for the rest of the knockout rounds. Each remaining series will be a best of three except for the World Baseball Classic final series, which will be a best of five series.

Scorination/RP Bonuses/Tiebreakers: I will use xkoranate to score matches between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern time (U.S.).

RP bonuses will be cumulative, and will be graded on a scale from 0 (for not posting any RP at all or for plagiarising) to five for truly exceptional. Criteria to be considered will be length, knowledge of the sport, creativity, grammar and usage. If your opponent has RP'd first, I expect you to adhere to his or her RP for the events in your RP. If you RP first and your opponent has included RP permissions, I expect you to adhere to said permissions.

Tiebreakers to be used between two teams are as follows: 1) head-to-head result, 2) run differential in head-to-head result, 3) overall run differential, 4) total runs scored, 5) fewer runs conceded, 6) playoff match. Tiebreakers among three teams are as follows: 1) overall record in head-to-head against level opponents, 2) run differential in those results, 3) total runs scored in affected games, 4) fewer runs conceded in effected games, 5) overall run differential, 6) overall runs scored, 7) fewer runs conceded overall, then a playoff match between two of the level teams (if there are three level teams). The winner would then face the other level team for the right to qualify. If there are tiebreaking matches, post qualifying friendlies will be moved back by a day, and the knockout round will begin after a day off following post-qualifying friendlies.

Disputes: Any disputes that are not worked out between participants themselves will be ruled upon by the host, who shall have final authority in any such disputes. For any major decisions, I will consult with other members of the WBC Council and other experienced hosts to ensure that any decisions adhere to the WBC Constitution and standard precedents. If a player is guilty of plagiarism, that player will earn a zero for the affected RP and will have his or her RP bonus reset to zero.

[West Libya]

The West Libyan Martyrs team signs up

[Milchama]

Milchama is in!

[Churchma]

Churchma is back.

[Cassadaigua]

Signing up more because as the reigning champion I feel I should, but I really need that spark back with things here.

[Zebedaeus]

Zebedaeus Bears would love to enter WBC XX.

[Pernam]

I think I'll sign up

[Colmark]

Finely balanced with a chip on each shoulder, Colmark signs up!

[Qazox]

I am also bidding for the 44th BoF. If there is any overlap between the 2 events (unless the BoF/WBC is in the knockout stages), I will withdraw my WBC hosting bid.

[The Babbage Islands]

TBI return -- the same player as Sportgirls, for those who don't know. (Although I almost sat the Bumblebees this time in favour of the Redheads.)

[Newmanistan]

WBC Host bidders, here are some questions:

Qazox:
From Bid: "The best 8 records, regardless of group finish will receive a bye in the first round if there are 24 teams."

-- Why do you feel this is preferable then what was used in WBC 19, where it was set in stone that 1st-3rd per group were in the playoffs. Your idea penalizes competitive groups (I've said this before). Is a 3rd place team in one group that went 8-4 and beat up on the two non-RP'ing newbies, really better then the 3rd place team in one group that went 7-5 in a competitive group where everyone RP'd? I believe that playoff berths should be settled based on the teams involved having played the same group schedule, not a totally different group schedule. This is enough, quite frankly, for me not to choose your bid, given there are 2 other solid choices.

From Bid: "Tiebreakers...Within a group:
H2H wins
H2H Run Differential"

-- It was stated and agreed upon by several that H2H RD is not really a fair way to determine a tie in baseball due to the fact that the home team does not bat in the bottom of the 9th if they are ahead. Why do you value it so highly?

-- Not a question but a comment: It was stated that Qazox will use xkoranate. So far, this is untested in the World Baseball Classic. Do keep that in mind. I'm not sold on it, either. WBC Council members: please take this into consideration.

Sarzonia:

From Bid: "RP bonuses will be cumulative, and will be graded on a scale from 0 (for not posting any RP at all or for plagiarising) to five for truly exceptional"

-- This will seem to wipe out the rank advantage almost immediately. Remember, we have much lower rank values here then we do in the World Cup. Would you at least be adding a modifier to the original core ranks across the board? If not, I can't vote for your bid. Yes, I realize that the good ranked team should RP too, that's not really the point.

From Bid: "Tiebreakers to be used between two teams are as follows: 1) head-to-head result, 2) run differential in head-to-head result"

-- As I asked Qazox: It was stated and agreed upon by several that H2H RD is not really a fair way to determine a tie in baseball due to the fact that the home team does not bat in the bottom of the 9th if they are ahead. Why do you value it so highly?

-- Not a question but a comment: It was stated that Sarzonia will use xkoranate. So far, this is untested in the World Baseball Classic. Do keep that in mind. I'm not sold on it, either. WBC Council members: please take this into consideration.

Sportgirls: (The Babbage Islands)

From bid: "Unlike the situation five Classics ago, TBI's Miscellanator is now established as a reliable scorinator for baseball."

-- Are you using a modifier to the beginning ranks as was the case in WBC 19 (as well as with Cassadaigua's hosting in #18)? If so what will it be? (Approximate if you haven't decided for sure yet!).

-- Could you elaborate (or clarify for me if you think you did elaborate already!), how the playoffs will specifically be seeded if there is uneven groups? If we're going to use a "top 2 and then next best 8 philosophy", then I must ask what I also asked Qazox:
Why do you feel this is preferable then what was used in WBC 19, where it was set in stone that 1st-3rd per group were in the playoffs. Your idea penalizes competitive groups (I've said this before). Is a 3rd place team in one group that went 8-4 and beat up on the two non-RP'ing newbies, really better then the 3rd place team in one group that went 7-5 in a competitive group where everyone RP'd?

[Sarzoclava]

From Bid: "RP bonuses will be cumulative, and will be graded on a scale from 0 (for not posting any RP at all or for plagiarising) to five for truly exceptional"

-- This will seem to wipe out the rank advantage almost immediately. Remember, we have much lower rank values here then we do in the World Cup. Would you at least be adding a modifier to the original core ranks across the board? If not, I can't vote for your bid. Yes, I realize that the good ranked team should RP too, that's not really the point.

I realise I'm posting this with my joint puppet, but I figure it needs to be answered. Just because I use the scale of zero to five doesn't mean that's the number I will plug in when I factor in RP bonus. When I did the World Bowl, I divided the figure by three, so the most RP points a team could get for a particular RP was 1.67. I would do something similar to that for the WBC.

Even with some of the wacky results in that World Bowl, the team that had the highest RP bonus AND was one of the highest ranked teams advanced to the final.

From Bid: "Tiebreakers to be used between two teams are as follows: 1) head-to-head result, 2) run differential in head-to-head result"

-- As I asked Qazox: It was stated and agreed upon by several that H2H RD is not really a fair way to determine a tie in baseball due to the fact that the home team does not bat in the bottom of the 9th if they are ahead. Why do you value it so highly?[/quote]

Because it gives at least some indication of how one team matches up against another. If the Rockets were to beat the Stars 8-1 in one match and lose 3-2 in another match, the tiebreaker would be in your favour because you scored higher in aggregate than I did. I don't recall if I agreed with the sentiment back when other people decided that. However, it is something I've used consistently across the board in tournaments I've hosted recently.

There are people out there who don't believe in head-to-head as the first tiebreaker. I do. I concede that the way I apply a tiebreaker might be a dealbreaker to someone. That's unfortunate, but aside from going against one of my most staunchly-held beliefs when it comes to hosting a tournament, there's nothing more I can do.

[Qazox]

WBC Host bidders, here are some questions:

Qazox:
From Bid: "The best 8 records, regardless of group finish will receive a bye in the first round if there are 24 teams."

-- Why do you feel this is preferable then what was used in WBC 19, where it was set in stone that 1st-3rd per group were in the playoffs? Your idea penalizes competitive groups (I've said this before). Is a 3rd place team in one group that went 8-4 and beat up on the two non-RP'ing newbies, really better then the 3rd place team in one group that went 7-5 in a competitive group where everyone RP'd? I believe that playoff berths should be settled based on the teams involved having played the same group schedule, not a totally different group schedule. This is enough, quite frankly, for me not to choose your bid, given there are 2 other solid choices.

From Bid: "Tiebreakers...Within a group:
H2H wins
H2H Run Differential"

-- It was stated and agreed upon by several that H2H RD is not really a fair way to determine a tie in baseball due to the fact that the home team does not bat in the bottom of the 9th if they are ahead. Why do you value it so highly?

-- Not a question but a comment: It was stated that Qazox will use xkoranate. So far, this is untested in the World Baseball Classic. Do keep that in mind. I'm not sold on it, either. WBC Council members: please take this into consideration.
...

In response:
Why do you feel this is preferable then what was used in WBC 19, where it was set in stone that 1st-3rd per group were in the playoffs?
I did state that the top 2 team plus the next 8 best records would make the playoffs. To compare this event with an as-yet-to-be-determined final number of teams (possibly there could be 7 groups of 9 teams or 9 groups of 7...) would make a set-in-stone format possibly problematic. In the example parenthesised, How would 21 or 27 playoffs teams work out exactly? Give an odd number of teams a bye? As stated in the thread, 24 in the mininum, with 32 being a possiblity if needed.

Is a 3rd place team in one group that went 8-4 and beat up on the two non-RP'ing newbies, really better then the 3rd place team in one group that went 7-5 in a competitive group where everyone RP'd?

Perhaps the 7-5 team was a high-ranking team that minimally RP'ed and were beaten out by a high-ranked team that did average RPing every other day and a lower-ranking team that posted exceptional RP's every day. And maybe the 8-4 team was a low-ranking team that RPed every day and each RP was a decent one, and might have slaughtered the 2 non-RPing newbs in their group; but due to the 2 high-ranking teams in their group posting just enough RPs, the low-ranked team couldn't overcome the ranking-gap and still finished 3rd. I'd rather reward the nation that tried than the one that tried to rank-coast.

As for the H2H RD- While not always the case, suppose teams CXX and GDD each went 1-1 vs. each other with both teams winning at home, without batting in the bottom of the 9th. GDD won 5-2 at home while CXX won 2-1. Who was better, the team that scored 6 runs in 17 innings or the team that scored 4 runs in 17 innings? While not a perfect tie-breaker by any means, it prevents a pair of random 15-0 wins comapred to a pair of 8-2 wins over the same non-rping n00b from determining which team was better than the other. If they are still tied, then the random 15-0 win(s) would settle it; but I'd rather have a 2nd direct comaprision between the two teams matter in determining which team was better.

As for using xkoranate over the Miscellanator; I've not used Miscellanator in any event and would prefer to use a scorinator that I do know how to use. I do beleive one drawback of xkoranate is the lack of an inning-by-inning box score, which we do know does not have to be followed exactly, but it usually is. However, the potential for more creativity in RPing evens out the equation, in my opinion. Which of the following scorelines leads to possibly more creative RPing, in your opinion?:

SDX- 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0  5
RTG- 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 x  6

or
RTG 6- SDX 5

I believe that the latter will provide better RPing, as knowing that RTG was up 6-0 early and held on doesn't lead to the possibility of RTG RPing they struggled back from a early deficit and scored the game winning run on a suicide squeeze by a washed-up catcher with bad knees beating out the throw to first base. Meanehile the winning run was rounding third and trying to score on said bunt from 2nd base as the throw from 1st to home was a half-second late, sending the home crowd into a frenzy; while the bitchy owner, who wanted to move the team to Miami, pouts in the onwers box.

While I do like the inning-by-inning box score format (makes stat tracking a bit easier); the lack of a sense of the dramatic in RPing brought about by some of the results tends to lead to staler RPing (yes, I do know for the most part my usual RPing style is staler than 3-month old bread.. but that's not the point here) overall. Not that Miscellanator isn't a good scorinator, but like the old axiom says: Stick to what you know; and that is xkoranate.

Sorry, didn't mean to spoil the ending of Major League for anyone out there who hadn't seen it.

[Lycrabon]

One unrelated comment, one relevant comment:

Unrelated:

WBC Host bidders, here are some questions:
I believe that the latter will provide better RPing, as knowing that RTG was up 6-0 early and held on doesn't lead to the possibility of RTG RPing they struggled back from a early deficit and scored the game winning run on a suicide squeeze by a washed-up catcher with bad knees beating out the throw to first base. Meanehile the winning run was rounding third and trying to score on said bunt from 2nd base as the throw from 1st to home was a half-second late, sending the home crowd into a frenzy; while the bitchy owner, who wanted to move the team to Miami, pouts in the onwers box.

Isn't that the ending to THE FIRST TWO in the series??

The related (and more important) one:

I'm looking into both xkoranate and Miscellantor - seeing as how NSFS completely screwed me in 17, without question. Seeing as how the latter has been somewhat tested in WBC's (18 and 19 both, I believe), and the former COULD get a test run in 20, I'm curious as to how both perform. I'd feel better about a possible WBC 21 bid knowing they both decently work.

As far as the bids: in my opinion, none of what I've seen is necessarily bad. That's simply because between the three - TBI, Qazox and Sarzonia (if I'm wrong, I apologize) have hosted about half of the previous 19. Granted, I'm probably assuming incorrectly on the number, but the point is made I think.

[Sarzonia]

I can't speak to how many WBCs TBI has hosted. I know Qazox has hosted several.

I have yet to host a single WBC.