Official blog of Ibrahim Ahmadinejad, Right Fielder of the Verbergerkinnh Cubs and the Abanhfleft Revolution
WE ARE THROUGH TO THE DOUBLE ELIMINATION STAGES, GUYS!
Players of the Abanhfleft Revolution lift Desmond Bo in celebration as they advance into the double elimination rounds of the International Baseball Slam. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Newton Courtesy)
LIVE FROM NOBURU TAIYOU - Did you see last night's game, guys? Did you see it? You didn't? Then you just missed out on one of the greatest moments of Abanhfleft baseball in history!
Oh, it was the classic underdog story: on one hand, we have the Mosktopian Nationals, the tenth-top baseball team in the NS world, and one of the best offensive teams in the world period. On the other hand, we have us, the Abanhfleft Revolution, an unproven baseball team brought together simply by their skills in the Fleftic Major League, and the desire of the national government and baseball federation to send out a winning side to Abanhfleft's first international baseball tournament after the 2008 Holy Catholic Revolution, which all but destroyed the old team. And the two of them met at the Tohoko Dome in Tohoko. Noburu Taiyou, to decide which team will take the fifth seed and face the Imota Sunwings in the double elimination round of the International Baseball Slam.
As the two teams stepped onto the field to the tune of the International Baseball Slam's official anthem, we could hear loud cheering from the Fleftic citizens in the stadium, both those who live and work in Noburu Taiyou, and those fans who really made the effort to buy tickets and fly or sail to the country. When the national anthem of Abanhfleft was being played, the Fleftic fans' rendition brought tears to our eyes; literally. We could feel their hopes on our shoulders. The hopes of a nation (even though it's a nation full of basketball, football, and volleyball fans) were in the hands of twenty-six men (although actually, in a physical sense, it's in the hands of twenty-five men and one woman--see Julie He).
There was the ceremonial first pitch (thrown by the president of Noburu Taiyou's baseball federation or something like that), and then the game began in earnest. The Revolution was wearing its blue and red kit, while Mosktopia was wearing white with black pinstripes. Carlos Teves was the first guy to bat. The Mosktopian pitcher threw a wicked fastball, and the Jackal struck it with such force that it actually cracked one of the foul poles on its way out of the stadium. There was a rousing cheer from the Fleftic fans, and all the Fleftic players (me included) clapped as the Jackal scored a home run.
After that, things were quiet for the next three innings. It was anyone's game right then and there. And then the Revolution just... exploded. Three consecutive Fleftic batters managed to hit three consecutive pitches, and load all three bases. A hit made by Orestes Papasthenopoulos towards the outfield sent Julie He back to home plate after a lucky bounce, to put us up by two runs. And then coach Keppler made the decision to send in Desmond Bo to the bat. Bo, who was a stellar player in the Little League but has suffered so far while still trying to adjust in the Major League, was not the first choice to bat with all bases loaded. But then, when Desmond stepped up to the plate, it was like his game had matured to pro level overnight. He smashed the flyball from the Mosktopian pitcher and sent it out, beyond the foul posts, beyond the outfield, beyond all the dreams and hopes and expectations of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. Revolution 6, Nationals 0.
Two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings sealed the deal for the Revolution. But that was just icing on the cake that was our qualification into the double elimination round. When the end of the game was finally announced, we mobbed poor Desmond Bo, even lifting him up high in celebration because he was the guy who truly won the game for us. We sang a loud and maybe off-key rendition of Vyievra tolr Das Erhfubliq (Glory to the Republic for you non-Fleftics out there), and we threw our baseball bats (not caps, mind you) into the air. We were truly and finally in the Baseball Slam now.
Now it's time to focus on Imota. They are the fifth-top baseball team in the NS World. They have the same win-loss percentage that we have (.708), and friends of mine who play in the Imota baseball league say that these guys are truly deserving of their fifth-place position. And, after careful research (
Who do you think will win the quarterfinals? Abanhfleft? Or Imota? Fingers crossed, guys! CIao, peace. Catch you in my next post.