World Baseball Classic 39 (IC Thread)

[Frenline Delpha]

"Are we sure we want to do this?"

"Absolutely. She may not play anymore, but I dare say you won't find anyone else like her when it comes to pitching. She was a monster on that mound, and we all know it. I ask you all: 'what do we have to lose?'"

"We'll ask her tomorrow, and if she responds, we can begin contract negotiation."

"Let me handle this, Jimmy. I know her. She'll listen to me."

---

"Good morning, Honey!" Stacey Turnhill had just gotten out of bed, smelling the special batter her husband, James Turnhill, used when he made waffles in the morning.

Hearing her call out, James came to the bottom of the stares. The couple's eyes embraced before Stacey ran down the stairs right at her husband. Then, two steps before the bottom, she jumped into her husband's arms. He bounced, but gained his balance quickly, planting a kiss on her neck.

"How is my sweet honeycomb today?"

"I'm fine. Is that your special waffle recipe? I can smell it all over the house."

"How did you guess?" James teased. "It's your favorite. I figured it'd be a good celebration since the good news."

"I can't believe we are the only hosts this edition. I guess our championship really impressed the council. I hope you are ready to watch as many baseball games as possible. I already ordered tickets," Stacey exclaimed, enthusiasm dripping from her voice.

Suddenly, as if fate itself decided to make a house call, the phone on the kitchen counter rang. James ran to pick it up and shouted after Stacey: "It's for you. From Bones. He wants to talk with you. He sounds serious."

"Hello? Bones?" Stacey asked once she picked up the phone.

"Good morning Stacey. I assume you have heard the good news?"

Keeping her guard up, Stacey replied, "Yes. Tim made his special waffles to celebrate the occasion. So, why'd you call?"

"It's about baseball."

Stacey would have slammed down the reciever right then and there if Bones hadn't shouted out. "Wait! It's not what you think. We know you've permenantly hung up your cleats. However, that's not what we want from you. What would you say if you could work with people in your favorite position but not have to step onto the field? Stacey, we want you to be the new Frenline Delpha pitching coach. If you say yes, we'll pay for yours and Jim's plane ticket to Bloodbenderopolis, where you'll meet the new players. Are you up for the task, Stacey?"

The only thing he heard was the unmistakable sound of a phone crashing against the floor from a sudden drop from about three feet. What he didn't hear was Stacey going ballistic in the background, with her husband right alongside her. Ever since she retired from playing, Stacey had always longed to rejoin the baseball team, and this was her opportunity to do just that. After collecting herself, she picked up the phone and said to the smiling Bones, "Yes, I will accept your offer. I'd be pleased to.

"Hurry up, honey. We have a lot to pack. This is going to be great."

---

Stretching her legs, Stacey stood up and asked her husband, "What are you reading?"

"It's called The Lily's Rose. It's a story about how a young lady takes on a teaching position and finds it to be filled with many kids that cause her problems throughout her journey. It's a great read. You should try it when I get done." Suddenly, Stacey got a weird feeling in her stomach. Thinking it just airsickness, she downed an Orange Burst in order to calm down her stomach. Soon, she was fast asleep, dreaming of Bloodbenderopolis and her new job.

[Zwangzug]

(OOC: Again, sorry for the non-baseball tangents. This might be weird enough to be effectively non-canon. Or it might be cool enough to be a culmination of a bunch of different plotlines. Who knows? Not sure how much I'll be writing.)

The story so far...

Felix Wainwright, Composite Minister of kinda-socialist-kinda-capitalist-mostly-democratic-but-we-haven't-had-an-election-in-a-while-man-it-really-has-been-a-while-we've-been-around-hasn't-it? Zwangzug, stood underground.

Facing him were parliamentarian government hardliners Pramoda Misra and Virginia Tosla. They had successfully infilitrated a resistance movement that had intended to work against the government that, they claimed, was keeping secrets from them. Of course, they were quite right; the only question was how many.

In between them, tightly cornered, were two nominal parliamentarians, who were in fact loyal members of said resistance; Siri Prasert and Isaac Salmier. All four of these representatives had been on an unsuccessful mission to the Ziggurat, the symbol of Zwangzug's government, and the bizarre fallout had led them below the city, where Siri and Isaac had been promised answers, and Pramoda and Virginia were confident the others would have a change of heart.

"Weapons?" said Virginia. "Hand them over."

"You think I'd bring weapons?" Isaac scoffed. "Siri's more dangerous unarmed than I'd be with a crossbow."

Siri rolled her eyes and passed a tiny Casaran army knife along.

"Case in point," said Virginia. "And cell phones. None."

"Do we even get reception down here?" Siri asked. "Didn't bring it."

"I'm not pushing my luck," said Pramoda.

Isaac sighed, and then surrendered his.

"Did you bring a burner?" asked Wainwright, from behind his metallic glasses.

"Ugh," said Isaac, giving him a second phone.

"Can't be too careful," said Pramoda.

"Where are Tara and Janice?" Isaac asked. "Are they safe? Is Eleazar going after them?"

"They'll be fine," said Virginia. "He doesn't need more attention."

"So this is what all the mess is about?" Siri gulped. They had come down a rickety maintainance elevator, then walked across some kind of catwalk in the darkness. There, several stories underground, was suspended a softly glowing metallic sphere, perhaps a foot in diameter.

Wainwright nodded. "There's another one across town. If you'd like, I can take you over there to verify, but it looks just like this."

"Is it bad that I kind of...trust him...on this?" Siri said.

"Yeah, that's terrible," said Isaac.

"So where do you begin?" Pramoda asked.

"My election?" Wainwright offered.

"Maybe earlier," said Virginia. "How were you elected? When? Why?"

"We know this," said Siri.

"No," said Isaac, "we don't know their side of the story. Give them a chance to talk."

Wainwright nodded. "Zwangzug emerged from isolationism under my predecessor, when the National Socialist Grammarian Writers Party took power in a backlash against the anti-religious policies of the Liberal Conservatives. While Ember Nickel carried out policy and broke ties as needed, the erratic public involvement led to a government shutdown in--07?--and Zwangzug was not equipped to deal with the terrorist attacks that struck the following spring."

"Attacks, plural," Pramoda underscored.

"From two different sources!" Wainwright went on. "The first attack was from a terrorist group styling themselves the 'Tasmanian Freedom Fighters,' and the copycat attack that came several weeks later from the 'Lilliputian Freedom Fighters.'" The latter group would make themselves known in the long term, although it was the former who attacked some of our...well, allies would be a lie, but trade partners in Aguazul around the same time."

"Aguazul?" Siri echoed.

"Shell Shock Troop Clan to you," said Virginia. "Eleazar's comrades with the trains."

"So what happened?" said Isaac.

"The call for elections had already been put out, with Nickel's resignation process in the works. This only expedited it, and I was responsible for dealing with the fallout. I suppose I won because people really did like our policies, at least as an instant-runoff alternative. But due to my law and order background, I was perhaps also seen as being able to take a firmer hand. Or perhaps the Parliament believed they could get outright majorities and work around me."

"And?" Pramoda was unable to keep a straight face.

"Well, they're still trying," he laughed.

"But you took a firmer hand?" Isaac asked.

"In a manner of speaking," said Wainwright, "though perhaps not exactly the way they expected. For that, I needed Representative Ellen Whaley, a staunch Liberal Conservative who would grow to be one of my closest allies in the Parliament."

"So a spy."

"If you're going to be like that about it, yes."

"Rebels," Pramoda shook his head. "This might have been a bad idea."

[Frenline Delpha]

World Baseball Classic 39
The Colossal Champions Cup

Alright, it's time for the first cut-off for this WBC. THe theme this time is something I call the psyche of Justin. Each cut-off (bar one) will feature a song that I really like. So, without further ado, I bring you my childhood favorite, Mr. Mom.

Match Day 1

Frenline Delpha Group
Nassau-Hessen                            1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3
Frenline Delpha                          2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 X  5

Sacheyena                                0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 2  5
Foodporn                                 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0  3

Bauscland                                0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
Sandberg                                 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Super-Llamaland Group
Acapais                                  2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Super-Llamaland                          0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 X  5

Tomikosan                                0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
Empire of Cats                           0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Abanhfleft                               0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3  5
The Serbian Empire                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Schiltzberg Group
Ko-oren                                  1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3
Schiltzberg                              0 1 0 1 2 0 3 0 X  7

Unified Sunrise Islands                  0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0  4
Furbish Islands                          2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Aupti                                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
West Saintland                           0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 X  5

Darmen Group
Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      5 0 2 0 0 3 0 3 0 13
Darmen                                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Ethane                                   0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 2  6
Kecrazia                                 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4

Cosumar                                  0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 4  7
Yesopalithia                             0 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0  5

Gregoryisgodistan Group
Lisianski                                0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  3
Gregoryisgodistan                        0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2  5

Vermont of America                       1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Scootalove City                          1 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 X  5

Free Republics                           2 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0  6
South Yerfilag                           3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  5

Zwangzug Group
-Anthor-                                 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Zwangzug                                 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Elgenstad                                2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3  6
Hicanans in Exile                        0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Nova Anglicana                           0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Islana Lunigo                            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Newmanistan Group
Musterfield                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Newmanistan                              1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  5

Nuevo Constancia                         1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  4
Flardania                                2 1 0 3 0 0 1 0 X  7

Maklohi Vai                              0 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  6
United States of Devonta                 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2  7

Cassadaigua Group
Anglatia                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Cassadaigua                              0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 X  2

Mount Pleasent                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
West Phoencia                            0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 X  2

Drawkland                                0 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 2 0 0  8
New Lusitania and Algarves               1 1 0 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 1  9

Match Day 2

Frenline Delpha Group
Frenline Delpha                          2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Sandberg                                 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2  5

Foodporn                                 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2
Bauscland                                0 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 X  5

Nassau-Hessen                            0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Sacheyena                                0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 X  3

Super-Llamaland Group
Super-Llamaland                          0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  3
The Serbian Empire                       1 0 0 1 0 6 1 0 X  9

Empire of Cats                           0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 1  6
Abanhfleft                               0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1  4

Acapais                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Tomikosan                                1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 X  5

Schiltzberg Group
Schiltzberg                              1 0 5 1 0 1 2 0 0 10
West Saintland                           0 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  5

Furbish Islands                          0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  5
Aupti                                    0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Ko-oren                                  0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Unified Sunrise Islands                  1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X  3

Darmen Group
Darmen                                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Yesopalithia                             0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  1

Kecrazia                                 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  4
Cosumar                                  0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2

Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0  5
Ethane                                   0 0 4 2 1 0 3 0 X 10

Gregoryisgodistan Group
Gregoryisgodistan                        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2
South Yerfilag                           0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 X  3

Scootalove City                          0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0  5
Free Republics                           1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Lisianski                                0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2
Vermont of America                       1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 X  4

Zwangzug Group
Zwangzug                                 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  4
Islana Lunigo                            1 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 X  5

Hicanans in Exile                        0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  3
Nova Anglicana                           0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 5  7

-Anthor-                                 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2
Elgenstad                                0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 X  3

Newmanistan Group
Newmanistan                              0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0  3
United States of Devonta                 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1  4

Flardania                                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Maklohi Vai                              0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 X  3

Musterfield                              0 0 0 8 2 0 0 1 0 11
Nuevo Constancia                         0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 2  5

Cassadaigua Group
Cassadaigua                              0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  3
New Lusitania and Algarves               0 0 3 1 0 2 0 0 X  6

West Phoencia                            2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2  7
Drawkland                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Anglatia                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Mount Pleasent                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Match Day 3

Frenline Delpha Group
Sacheyena                                0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0  4
Frenline Delpha                          0 0 1 6 0 0 0 6 X 13

Bauscland                                0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 1  6
Nassau-Hessen                            0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  3

Sandberg                                 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1  4
Foodporn                                 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  6

Super-Llamaland Group
Tomikosan                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4  5
Super-Llamaland                          0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  4

Abanhfleft                               1 0 4 1 0 0 3 0 0  9
Acapais                                  0 2 0 3 5 0 0 0 X 10

The Serbian Empire                       2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Empire of Cats                           0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 X  3

Schiltzberg Group
Unified Sunrise Islands                  1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4
Schiltzberg                              0 0 0 0 0 1 4 6 X 11

Aupti                                    1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Ko-oren                                  0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

West Saintland                           0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  3
Furbish Islands                          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Darmen Group
Ethane                                   0 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 1  7
Darmen                                   0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Cosumar                                  0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 1  5
Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Yesopalithia                             0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Kecrazia                                 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 X  6

Gregoryisgodistan Group
Vermont of America                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Gregoryisgodistan                        0 1 0 0 0 0 2 3 X  6

Free Republics                           0 2 1 0 0 3 0 0 0  6
Lisianski                                0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0  3

South Yerfilag                           0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Scootalove City                          0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 X  4

Zwangzug Group
Elgenstad                                1 1 0 2 0 1 3 0 0  8
Zwangzug                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2  3

Nova Anglicana                           1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3  8
-Anthor-                                 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0  4

Islana Lunigo                            0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Hicanans in Exile                        2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 X  5

Newmanistan Group
Nuevo Constancia                         1 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  8
Newmanistan                              2 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 1  7

Maklohi Vai                              0 2 4 0 0 1 0 0 0  7
Musterfield                              0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  2

United States of Devonta                 0 0 1 2 2 1 1 0 0 1  8
Flardania                                1 0 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0  7

Cassadaigua Group
Mount Pleasent                           0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  2
Cassadaigua                              5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  6

Drawkland                                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0  4
Anglatia                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

New Lusitania and Algarves               0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1  5
West Phoencia                            0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 X  7

Standings

Frenline Delpha Group                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Bauscland                                 3    3   0    13    6   +7     9
2 Frenline Delpha                           3    2   1    22   12  +10     6
3 Sacheyena                                 3    2   1    12   17   −5     6
4 Foodporn                                  3    1   2    11   14   −3     3
5 Sandberg                                  3    1   2    10   12   −2     3
6 Nassau-Hessen                             3    0   3     7   14   −7     0

Super-Llamaland Group                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Tomikosan                                 3    3   0    13    6   +7     9
2 Empire of Cats                            3    2   1    10    9   +1     6
3 Abanhfleft                                3    1   2    18   16   +2     3
4 The Serbian Empire                        3    1   2    11   11    0     3
5 Acapais                                   3    1   2    13   19   −6     3
6 Super-Llamaland                           3    1   2    12   16   −4     3

Schiltzberg Group                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Schiltzberg                               3    3   0    28   12  +16     9
2 West Saintland                            3    2   1    13   12   +1     6
3 Unified Sunrise Islands                   3    2   1    11   15   −4     6
4 Furbish Islands                           3    1   2     8    8    0     3
5 Ko-oren                                   3    1   2     9   12   −3     3
6 Aupti                                     3    0   3     4   14  −10     0

Darmen Group                            Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Ethane                                    3    3   0    23   10  +13     9
2 Kecrazia                                  3    2   1    14   10   +4     6
3 Cosumar                                   3    2   1    14   10   +4     6
4 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics       3    1   2    19   16   +3     3
5 Yesopalithia                              3    1   2     8   13   −5     3
6 Darmen                                    3    0   3     2   21  −19     0

Gregoryisgodistan Group                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Scootalove City                           3    3   0    14    6   +8     9
2 Gregoryisgodistan                         3    2   1    13    7   +6     6
3 Free Republics                            3    2   1    13   13    0     6
4 South Yerfilag                            3    1   2    11   12   −1     3
5 Vermont of America                        3    1   2     7   13   −6     3
6 Lisianski                                 3    0   3     8   15   −7     0

Zwangzug Group                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Elgenstad                                 3    3   0    17    6  +11     9
2 Nova Anglicana                            3    3   0    17    8   +9     9
3 Hicanans in Exile                         3    1   2     9   14   −5     3
4 Islana Lunigo                             3    1   2     7   11   −4     3
5 -Anthor-                                  3    1   2     8   12   −4     3
6 Zwangzug                                  3    0   3     8   15   −7     0

Newmanistan Group                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 United States of Devonta                  3    3   0    19   16   +3     9
2 Maklohi Vai                               3    2   1    16   10   +6     6
3 Newmanistan                               3    1   2    15   12   +3     3
4 Flardania                                 3    1   2    15   15    0     3
5 Musterfield                               3    1   2    13   17   −4     3
6 Nuevo Constancia                          3    1   2    17   25   −8     3

Cassadaigua Group                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 West Phoencia                             3    3   0    16    6  +10     9
2 New Lusitania and Algarves                3    2   1    20   18   +2     6
3 Cassadaigua                               3    2   1    11    8   +3     6
4 Drawkland                                 3    1   2    13   16   −3     3
5 Anglatia                                  3    1   2     1    6   −5     3
6 Mount Pleasent                            3    0   3     2    9   −7     0

[West Phoencia]

West Phoenician Confederates hit the ground running....


West Phoenicia has hit the ground running at the 39th Edition of the World Baseball Classic. After three games, it leads with 3 wins.


• Match 1 saw them defeat Mount Pleasant 2-0

• Match 2 saw them defeat Drawkland 7-1. A shock victory against a team they had poised as there biggest challenge in their grouping against a team ranked 8th. With early days The Confederates are not going to underestimate any team especially Drawkland.

•Match 3 saw West Phoenicia go up against New Lusitania and Algarves , a team they have not had much contact with and their play style is foreign to them, but still beat them 7-5 after a rocking bottom of the 8th that saw them pull in 6 runs due to a wonderful Grandslam by Jacob Texas.


Team Captain and designated hitter Jacob Texas has come out as the Confederate star to watch, out of the 16 runs they have notched up, he has scored 6 of them. He promises plenty more to come as West Phoenicia strives to advance further in the rounds.
The Confederates are using there win at the Aeropag Summer Olympic Games where they won gold and where most of the members were on the winning team.

[Anglatia]

Rogue State

Chapter Two: The Enemy Of My Enemy

"Nuevo Constancia is a country located in Endemia, Rushmore, that’s known for a beautiful environment, vast natural resources, a vibrant people, and a long history of being inhabited that has seen the nation exist in some form or another for hundreds of years. You may know the country because of its capital city, Monteverde, or its largest city, Salvador, both of which are considered to be good tourist cities and are known for being some of the larger cities in the area. Many Imperial citizens in the past have enjoyed trips to Monteverde, Salvador, and some of the other locations in the country, such as the rainforests in the north and the mountains in the east. And after an increase in petroleum production spurred the national economy, it was believed that the country was on the rise, and that the poverty problem would begin to go away with time and careful investment.

“However, that wasn’t the case. Nuevo Constancia’s problems largely stem from the political atmosphere of the country, which can be traced back to the nation’s history of corruption, or more specifically, the Socialist Party’s history of corruption. The socialists in Nuevo Constancia have kept themselves in office for more than three decades, and more recently, they have gotten more aggressive with stamping out opposition and solidifying their position as the undisputed rulers of this country. They have done this in various ways, from deploying the military more to stamp out local level rebellions that are fighting for more autonomy, to using that same military to fight a more powerful foe, the three big cartels that inhabit the country. More worryingly, however, recent intelligence from the country says that Nuevo Constancia’s socialist government is developing a biological superweapon that would allow them to pick and choose their targets and then eliminate them.

“Rather than invest in superweapons such as nuclear warheads, Nuevo Constancia has taken a route that would allow them to supposedly become the region’s biggest power in espionage, based on their ability to eliminate any single person they view as a threat. This would eliminate any dissent in the country, and allow the dictatorship to continue their reign indefinitely. Under normal circumstances, the Imperial Anglatian policy would be to let things be. Anglatian lives do not have to be risked in conflicts that do not affect Anglatia, under normal circumstances. But these are not normal circumstances, and in this case, the Empire is directly threatened by the consolidation of power happening in Nuevo Constancia. Our intelligence from inside the Socialist Party has also revealed a worrying revelation: that the government in Constancia believes that the future sees them rising to the status of regional power, and sees us getting in the way of that, because of our contrasting ideologies.

“According to the intelligence reports, the future policy plan of Nuevo Constancia has been dubbed Constancian Power by those inside the Socialist Party. The goal is to establish themselves as one of the top powers in Endemia, and counter potential threats… Before those threats even establish themselves as officially being such. If the Constancian Power plans are allowed to happen, the Empire can expect attacks across the main island and the colonies, using the new superweapon being developed by the Socialist Party. There are currently no available details on the nature of this weapon, other than that it is believed to be biological, but we do know that there is a heavy probability that it is being researched and produced in Monteverde, the nation’s capital and the Socialist Party’s bastion. We also know that Chairman Carlos Teixeira is one of the ones behind both the Constancian Power policy and the superweapon, and that until he is removed, Nuevo Constancia must be considered a rogue state and a threat to the wellbeing of the Empire of Greater Anglatia.

“Teixeira must be removed, or at least checked, as soon as possible, and the policy of Constancian Power must not be allowed to go through. That is where you, the off of the books special forces members that have been selected to conduct this operation, will come in. Operation Aether has two goals. The first and more important goal is to recover the Nuevo Constancian research on their superweapon and to safely bring it back to Imperial territory for reverse engineering. The second, but still important goal, is to destabilize the Socialist Party and slow down Constancian Power. Preferably, you will have ground the progress towards that policy to a halt by the time the operation is finished. You will do all of this while operating in absolute secrecy. Like in all other operations involving black budgets and independently operating units, you do not officially exist and you are not on the official books.

“You won’t be receiving much support at all from Imperial sources, and you will rather be bonding with the local resistance forces. A select number of them will know the full reason why you are here, mainly those in the upper ranks of the force, but the vast majority of these forces will think of you as just foreign volunteers. It’s your job on this operation to keep good relations with them and to help them achieve their goals, because you will be relying heavily on them for things such as housing, transportation, armaments, and recon. While we have gathered some intelligence based on reports from our few agents in the country, these rebels have lived in Nuevo Constancia for their entire lives and know both the geographic and political landscape better than anyone. Their successes will be your successes, even if most of them will not know exactly who you are working for or what your true goal is. There’s two different organizations that you will be aiding. The Salvador Cartel, and the Blue Faction.

“The Salvador Cartel is between the San Marcos Cartel and Los Blancos Cartel in terms of age, but rose towards the top of the crime scene for their smuggling ability and their great administration and organization. If you can name it, these guys can get it between borders. They run every kind of contraband that you can think of, and are in every kind of trafficking business, from the weapons one to the human one. While they have gained a bad reputation because of their brutality when dealing with rivals and because of their smuggling of humans, as well as some of the tactics they’ve used in smuggling drugs, they are tolerated and sometimes well liked in the area around the actual city of Salvador, because they represent the local interests of the eastern part of the country, and the people who live in the mountains there. Nuevo Constancia has multiple armed groups claiming to represent the local interests that the government doesn’t, and the Spiders, as they are known colloquially, have expanded into being more than just a cartel, and into being one of these local protection groups.

“They are led by Vitor Chavez, a man in his mid forties that initially went into crime to keep food on his table and ended up making it big as one of the most wanted men in Endemia, and by his younger right hand man, Mateo Nima. There are lower level bosses within the cartel, but everyone knows that Chavez is the big dog at the top of the ladder. More recently, he has chosen to make the plans and allow Mateo Nima to carry them out. They come from very different backgrounds, with Chavez coming from one of Salvador’s poorest districts and Nima coming from an upper class neighborhood and family, and Nima also having an indigenous background that’s different than most members of the Salvador Cartel. Still, their differences may be what makes them such a good team, and you will be working with both of them to destabilize the Nuevo Constancian government that has forced them into a necessary alliance with us by threatening to wipe them out as a part of the Chairman’s new campaign against crime.

“The other group that will be aiding you is the Blue Faction, which is another type of organization entirely. The Blue Faction officially considers itself a revolutionary faction standing for free market policies and conservative politics that stand against the current and historical policy of the Socialist Party. They also have their hands in more than one regional independence movement, and they want either reform or independence for the provinces around Salvador and in the mountains around the city. They were the original group in Constancia to come to us, which is possibly because of our military and government having a connection with one of their leaders, albeit one of their newer leaders that only joined them this year and rose through their ranks astonishingly quickly.

“Darya Zharkov, after abandoning her role as a politician in Nordskania, has decided to return to her roots as a revolutionary fighter. Or rather, a counter revolutionary fighter against communism and its variant ideologies. Her latest cause is the one in eastern Nuevo Constancia, and she has thrown her support in with the Republic of East Constancia, the proposed state that the Blue Faction wishes to establish. In addition, she’s begun working with the Blue Faction as one of their most respected leaders, and has been living in one of the eastern Constancian mountain villages that’s inhabited and controlled by the Faction. Of course, there are other leaders, and Darya isn’t the only one that you will be working with, just the most famous and possibly most experienced.

“Danjel Rodriguez and Imix Valdes, a pair of cousins who would be more comparable to brother and sister, founded the Blue Faction after dropping out of college together and returning to their hometown in the mountains. They claimed that while studying socialist politics, they realized just how flawed the government’s policy was, and that these policies were the reason why the eastern part of the country was slipping further and further into poverty and disarray. After meeting up with some old friends from back home, they began the Blue Faction and set about to, in their words, ‘do the opposite of what the Socialist Party is doing’. They want a democracy that isn’t rigged, and they also want a free market economy that would allow their region to fully take advantage of its economic potential. If that fails, they want to take the whole system down by seceding and gaining independence for what they call the Republic of East Constancia. The Republic already exists in ragtag form, as a collection of villages and towns that fly the Eastern flag and consider themselves to be independent of the state, but they want to make it a real thing. When you land in Salvador, it likely won’t take you long to find the blue, white, and red flag of the Republic flying over some villages.

“Because of our nation’s staunch opposition to socialism, and our conservative values, we were natural allies for the Blue Faction to consider. When Darya Zharkov arrived, one of her first moves was to suggest calling in help from us. Now, with the Salvador Cartel joining in the necessary alliance also, that request is coming to fruition. The Salvador Cartel brings a large number of bodies to the operation in addition to sizable firepower, while the Blue Faction knows the lay of the land in the mountains and specializes in guerilla warfare and the like. Both are key to the success of the operation, and both will for the most part believe that you’re a group of foreign volunteers who just happen to have military training. Those who know the truth will do everything that they can to aid you with your objectives, While you will be working with both groups, the Blue Faction will be the one to host you initially as you arrive in the country, because their rural hideouts are better for arriving unnoticed than the Salvador Cartel’s territory in the big city is.

“We could tell you every detail about the operation, right here in the briefing room… But the truth is that it wouldn't be the smart course of action. Our intel is still spotty, and the best way to improve that is to send you to the ground and have you give us reports once you’ve checked the situation out and sat down and talked with the local fighters we’re working with. That’s why we won’t give you any details about the actual operation today. You’ll get those once we’ve assessed the situation after you’ve spent time on the ground. You will arrive in eastern Nuevo Constancia via an unmarked civilian plane, and for official purposes, the plane will be there as part of a humanitarian operation set up by a dummy organization based in Valeria. Once you arrive, the locals from the Blue Faction will meet you at the airstrip and take you via truck to the village where you will be staying… At least for the initial part of the operation.

“How you go about carrying out the operation will largely depend on what happens after the landing and the initial recon. We won’t give you further details, because we don’t have those details right now. Any questions that you have about the mission can be asked during the final meeting before deployment. And, speaking of deployment, all units assigned to Operation Aether are set to move out in the next two months, some sooner than others. You’ll get the exact details from your commanding officers, but the importance of the operation has caused the upper levels of command to decide on a quick deployment rather than a more drawn out and careful one… Good luck, soldiers. If our intelligence reports have told us anything about this operation, it’s that you’ll need all the luck you can get.”

The briefing video ended, and the members of the Vikings sat silently as the lights came back on and the man in the suit slid a folder full of the reports that had been mentioned across the table, for the soldiers to look at. “I don’t like the sound of this,” said Monroe Dyrssen, reaching for the folder before commanding officer Chester Lynch could reach it. “They’re asking too much with too little info to back us up… We’re supposed to waltz into this country and destabilize the government that’s been in power for more than three decades, but we don’t even have enough intel to show us the actual plan of attack. I’ve never liked this kind of stuff, where we’re working on our own and doing our own recon. Could either go easy, or we could end up stuck in that hellhole for a year with no support and poor local help.”

“Yeah? Well, I already know the assignment is final,” stated Chester. “So we’re just going to have to hope that it goes well and do everything we can to make sure that the first scenario you mentioned happens… Not the first one. It's too late to get out of it, let's just make the best of it. And hope that all of us come back.”

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

TDDROH Sports chat

We are Number One.

Vermont of America                       1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Scootalove City                          1 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 X  5


Scootalove City                          0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0  5
Free Republics                           1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1


South Yerfilag                           0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Scootalove City                          0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 X  4

Standings

Gregoryisgodistan Group                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Scootalove City                           3    3   0    14    6   +8     9
2 Gregoryisgodistan                         3    2   1    13    7   +6     6
3 Free Republics                            3    2   1    13   13    0     6
4 South Yerfilag                            3    1   2    11   12   −1     3
5 Vermont of America                        3    1   2     7   13   −6     3
6 Lisianski                                 3    0   3     8   15   −7     0

Now Read closely.

Here's a little lesson in trickery, this is going down in history. If you wanna be a Baseball team Number One, you have to chase a runner on the run in between bases. Just like Zoey Derpus did in the third game when she tagged out Mary Steele when Felicity Marshall was at bat and Steele was on first.

The opening day was amazing. All members of the senate showed up as well as everyone who lives and works at the Leader's Palace.

Fireworks, free trading cards for the first 500 fans and photo shoots with Doofy Unicorn. Flybys from the 9 Avro Arrow 2.1 in service while the first game was starting.

Other things to note game side, Paul Mins pitching debut in game one went over very well, shutting down Vermont of America's team from the 5th inning to the 8th inning.

Our Scootalove City Unicorns have opened up a can whoop butt on the first three days going 3-0.
Time will tell if they can keep up the momentum. But It looks like a very promising start.

[Cassadaigua]

Setting: A fifth-grade classroom during the World Baseball Classic 26 timeframe.

Sarah Stewart, a fifth-grade teacher, had her class assume a project where each of them would talk about their dreams for when they grow up. Each student would have a day to talk about what they wanted to be, and how they would accomplish it. The classmates would ask questions if they wanted. This was a routine part of the day that most of the class would spend thinking about recess instead of listening to their classmate, but today would be different.

“Cortnie, today will be your day. Step up to the front and tell the class about your hopes and dreams,” Mrs. Stewart said to young Cortnie Nicholson, known to be the most athletic girl in the class, and she was also very popular. Therefore, most of her classmates would have an interest in what she would say. With confidence, Cortnie smiled to her friends sitting next to her and did not even need a paper of notes to take up with her.

“My dream is to represent Cassadaigua in the World Baseball Classic,” she began. It was a typical beginning, save the World Baseball Classic part. Usually, the students would just talk about goals, but Cortnie had clearly thought this out, very specifically, as she continued.

“I will achieve this goal during the 39th World Baseball Classic, and I will be the starting right fielder. Because I am an outstanding hitter (as her class laughs), I am going to hit third in the lineup. Our first game will be against Anglatia, and.....”

Cortnie was interrupted. “Who?” asked, Mrs. Stewart.

“Anglatia!” exclaimed Cortnie.

“There is no nation named Anglatia (OOC: as there was not in the WBC 26 timeframe) in the world, Cortnie.”

“There is during World Baseball Classic 39! Don’t you watch the World Baseball Classic? New nations show up all the time every Classic.” (The entire class laughs about her smart-mouthing the teacher).

“Ok, Cortnie. I am sorry for interrupting you. This is one of those new nations that show up, I get it.”

“Well, no. They are not a new nation at this point. They were a new nation in another Classic and now at this point, they are a very good team and will make things hard for us to qualify.”

Mrs. Stewart had mixed emotions at this point. She was very annoyed at the way Cortnie, who due to her popularity in the class, seemed to be enjoying having the upper hand over her, but also intrigued by her imagination and creativity. She stopped for a moment, and asked, “Tell me about Anglatia. What kind of country is it?”

“I don’t know, I’m playing baseball, not a politician. They are in Rushmore, like us (OOC: we were in Rushmore during this time period).” The class erupts in laughter yet again. Mrs. Stewart is about to reprimand her for the snotty remark, but Cortnie beats her to the punch. “Now can I continue with my dream, which will become reality, or do I have to stay on this side track?” Mrs. Stewart was getting angry inside, but knew she was partially to blame by interrupting her. She would encourage Cortnie to continue.

“Thank you, so we’re playing Anglatia and this guy Devon Paitl is pitching. He’s very good. I mean, like, almost Meghan Corrigan good. I step up to the plate in the first inning against this amazing pitcher. And he strikes me out.”

Mrs. Stewart nods. That wasn’t the twist she was expecting, but doesn’t interrupt.

“So now I’m up again in the third inning with a runner on first and two outs. The score is 0-0 because our pitcher Maddie Anderson is even better then Paitl. She is totally killing it, and mowing down their batters one by one. I ground out to short to end the inning.”

Mrs. Stewart and the class are silent, amazed at the details of this story, but wonder why Cortnie is having herself not do well.

“So I come up again the fifth inning with one out and the bases loaded. The score is still 0-0 because Maddie is absolutely throwing a gem and has only allowed one hit to this point. This time, I hit a fly ball to left. I am out, but my teammate Lexi Carpenter who was on third tags up and scores so now we have a 1-0 lead! We are getting very excited on the bench.”

Mrs. Stewart looks at the clock, and sees it is getting close to the end and for recess to begin, and asks Cortnie to move on to the end of the game.

“Stop interrupting me, this is my dream!” Cortnie exclaims, again to laughter from the class since the teacher was being shown up. “You wanted to know about my dream, didn’t you?”

“Cortnie, stop with the talking back. A good World Baseball Classic player does not talk back to their coach, so you do not talk back to the teacher.”

“And my coach doesn’t interrupt me when I am in the batter’s box!” Cortnie replied. The teacher could only stare, unable to come up with a response. Her classmates love it.

“Ok, so I guess I have to stop her because someone is being very rude in this classroom. So we win this game 2-0 against the mighty Anglatia, and to top it off, we win two of our first three games. Now, if you excuse me, I am going to sit down now since I could not really talk about what I wanted too.”

Mrs. Stewart still couldn’t form a response at the time. She would let Cortnie join her classmates at recess while she began to figure out what she was going to do about the way Cortnie had talked to her and treated her.

[Abanhfleft]

Lex Talionis, Part Forty-three

Alery, Patierre

“Oh, just look at this thing. It’s disgusting, absolutely disgusting. See, this is where you can usually separate the boys from the men. At one end you can see people standing at attention for their national anthem and at the other end you can see the hooligans and ultras shouting at the tops of their lungs, trying to drown out the anthem of the nation they now see as a hated enemy. Now, when the first anthem’s over and it’s time for the other national anthem to play you get those same ultras and hooligans screaming their lungs out singing their anthem while the fans at the other end just sit silently and let the other fans do their thing. It just goes to show who has the more maturity among these people.”

The words came from the man known as Attila and he was speaking about the beginning of the World Cup 77 match between Abanhfleft and Anglatia or more specifically the behaviors of the fans of both nations. Anglatia’s fans had been rowdy from the start and when the Fleftic national anthem was played, they constantly booed and jeered as loudly as they could. For their part, the Fleftic fans kept silent when it was the Anglatian anthem’s turn to play even though they very well could have stooped to the Anglatians’ level and disrespected their anthem as well. That was what Attila meant when he talked about how sports brought out the maturity or immaturity of its fans.

Attila didn’t make this observation alone, though. He was surrounded by his fellow members in the Huns Motorcycle Club, and they were sitting in a bar celebrating the rekindling of their war against the Corsairs. They had done that in an explosive way, too, with two car bombs taking out a substantial number of Corsairs and their Patierrean associates the Bravos in one fell swoop on Jardineaux Street. That way they had announced the arrival of the Huns in Patierre, and their attack on the Corsairs was their way of showing that they were ready to wage bloody war once again.

This bar the Huns had taken over after their first strike against the Corsairs. The bar had been abandoned a short time after the second Patierre Insurgency, the one in which the Corsairs assisted Imperial Intelligence in taking it down before it got out of the confines of Alery. It was now the new clubhouse of the Huns, their new headquarters in Patierre after they had moved away from the Port of Alery following their attack on the Corsairs on Jardineaux Street. It was also here where they were watching the 77th World Cup and Abanhfleft’s progress through that competition. They had already suffered two consecutive defeats at the hands of Ceni and San Jose Guayabal and were looking to get back to winning ways against an Anglatia side which could possibly still qualify if they managed a draw against Abanhfleft and the results between Ceni and San Jose Guayabal went their way.

“Don’t get me wrong, Attila, brother,” Countess said from the other end of the table on which Attila was sitting down with her, Burrito, Kid, and Blandine de Saint-Martin, whom Attila had taken with him following the bombing of Jardineaux Street. “But didn’t we, Abanhfleft, use to have our own tifo-mounting, flare-throwing, trash-burning ultras?”

“Yeah, we still do that,” Attila replied, “but I have a feeling that our ultras wanted to be in their best behaviour when they met these disrespectful bastards. I think they just didn’t want to get one-upped by those assholes since these Anglatian ultras really came prepared to mess with us. Besides, you don’t see our ultras putting up pro-Hun tifos or hanging up pro-Hun banners, do you?”

“Huh? Whatcha talking about?” Kid asked, turning to look at the flatscreen television that hung over the bar itself.

“Watch the Anglatian tifo, guys,” Attila said. “Just wait and see.”

“Wait a minute,” Kid said. “Is that a Corsair skull?”

“Yep, it most definitely is,” Attila nodded.

“Oh, now that is just both disgusting and pathetic,” Countess said. “How much of a loser do you have to be to even want to be associated with those wannabes?”

“Heck, this is the first time that they qualified for the World Cup, right?” Attila asked “They probably just want to make the experience memorable for anyone and everyone they meet.”

“Hey, what the hell is that banner thing at the bottom of the tifo thing saying?” Kid asked. “‘Sooner or later, God’s going to get you.’ What the hell does that even mean?”

“Jesus Christ, they’re still bitter about the whole Pridnestrovian invasion thing!” Countess exclaimed. “Just because we had some Treaty of Pottystan or something like it with those bloody Communists which said that they weren’t supposed to do anything military-related or else we’re going to drop sanctions on them like a ton of bricks.”

“Hey, I looked up the text of the Treaty of Politovskaya,” Kid interjected. “Turns out it’s not actually a treaty forbidding Pridnestrovia from doing anything military-related ever again. The Treaty of Politovskaya was actually applicable only for five years after signing the treaty. It was signed in 2010, yeah? When did Pridnestrovia send their quote-unquote advisers to the Republika Kroatien again? 2015, right? See, we didn’t do anything to Pridnestrovia back then because we were no longer legally bound to do anything against Pridnestrovia then because the five years of ‘don’t do anything military-related’ has passed. It’s the same thing with what happened during the invasion of Nordskania. The treaty had long expired by then and that’s why the Anglatians now hate us even more.”

“Well, one thing is for certain, though,” Countess said. “Fleftic ultras would never let themselves be associated with us. We’re an outlaw biker club, for God’s sake. We’re part of the one percent. These ultras are trying to clean up their image which is why they will never associate themselves with a bunch of criminals like us. Not like these Anglatians. They seem to really like the Wannabes in the first place. How did those bastards get someone to like the whole lot of them?”

“It has to be a national thing,” Kid muttered. “They’re using their gang to try and intimidate us.”

“Well, the Wannabes should thank their lucky stars that Anglatia’s willing to call them their own,” Countess mused. “Abanhfleft sure as hell won’t claim them or us for that matter.”

“What’s it to us, anyway?” Burrito asked. “We’re the one percent, guys and gals. We should be proud that we can stand up on our own two feet. Not like these Wannabes who need the support of dozens of wackos just so they could feel good about themselves.”

“All right, guys, everybody quiet down,” Attila called out. “The game’s about to start.

And so the match between Abanhfleft and Anglatia began, and it was soon obvious from the way both sides played who was playing like their futures were still on the line and who was playing like they were already eliminated. Abanhfleft’s play was lackadaisical and uncaring, and it allowed for numerous defensive mistakes which Anglatia took full advantage of and with barely half an hour gone, Jace Votto of Anglatia had put his side up 1-0. It wasn’t even against the run of play. Anglatia fully deserved the lead especially with Abanhfleft being so lazy and relaxed in their style of play.

“Oh, come on, fuck this, boys!” Attila shouted at the TV even as he knew that there was no way that they would hear him. “Those Anglatians dared to disrespect our national anthem! Don’t give them the satisfaction of beating us as well!”

“You really don’t like Anglatia, do you, Daniel?” Blandine asked him.

“If this country thinks that the Corsairs are good then they’re as good as bad guys in my book.”

Luckily for Abanhfleft’s fans and for Attila in particular, Votto’s early goal seemed to shake the lethargy out of the players’ system and get them motivated enough into clawing their way back into the game. Eventually Vitaly Zima found the lucky break which allowed Abanhfleft to get level, and once they were on an equal footing with their opponents once again in terms of the score, the Revolutionaries (as the Fleftic national team was known when it comes to nicknames) they soon took the initiative and were soon threatening to score another goal.

“Attaboy Vitaly!” Attila shouted. “Show these disrespectful bastards how world-class teams really play! Show them what a true Fleftic patriot looks like!”

Abanhfleft’s momentum continued into the second half and Immediately Rory Edwards managed to get past the Anglatian defense once again and squeezed a shot right between the post and the goalkeeper’s glove to give Abanhfleft a lead which they now fully deserved after working for it for the entirety of the rest of the first half up until that point.

“Yeah!” Attila shouted in celebration. “Now take it to them, boys! They’re shaken! Another goal or two and they should lose all fight in them!”

But since the players and the coaching staff of the Fleftic national team couldn’t hear him all the way from Patierre to San Jose Guayabal, Attila’s words went unheeded and Abanhfleft prepared to hunker down on defense to guard their slim lead. It was a mistake waiting to happen as Abanhfleft had always been a side which favored attack over defense, and while the players knew defense (of course they should, or else Abanhfleft wouldn’t be the top 25 team that they were now) there was always the feeling that with this team, offense was always the best defense and defense itself wasn’t the best defense because they simply didn’t know how to play like a defensive-minded team. And it was this shift to defense which eventually led to Abanhfleft’s downfall at the current World Cup, when the all-but-former Sporting Ceneisis forward Alisandra “Allie” Vacek slalomed her way past the Fleftic defense and scored the goal that tied the game for the Anglatians and eventually denied Abanhfleft the chance to get a win and three points from this most recent World Cup campaign.

“Well, that’s another disappointing campaign done and dusted and in the books,” Attila said as he sat back and tipped beer into his mouth to start off their post-game party. “Fuck that entitled alcoholic drug addict bitch Allie Vacek anyway! If she was a Fleftic citizen she would have long been killed by the war on drugs! Because of her, Anglatia will now have something to lord over us the next time our teams meet!”

“Oh, don’t be so upset about it, Attila,” Countess muttered. “Don’t give them any more reason to rub our face in it. Sure, they beat us in the Under-18 World Cup, but who cares about a world cup for kids?”

“It’s not just that, Countess. Now these Anglatians will be able to tell anyone who cares to listen that they made it to the round of 16 on their first World Cup appearance while we’re still struggling to get higher than third place ever since we got drawn into a group with Osarius, the Equestrian States, and Kandorith.”

“Who cares about that?” Kid asked. “It’s just a little thing. Who cares if they made it through the first time and we didn’t?”

“Sometimes it’s the little things which make all the difference, Kiddo,” Attila said in a slightly patronizing tone. “Anyway, her alcoholism and drug addiction aside, why the hell are Sporting Ceneisis letting Allie fucking Vacek go anyway? She looks good every time I saw her on the pitch, whether it’s for the Blues or for Anglatia. Burrito, batang Ceneisis ka, di ba? What’s your take on the whole thing?”

“Aw, shucks, Attila, you chose the absolute worst time to ask me a thing like that,” Burrito replied. “I mean, you of all people know that I don’t follow this soccer cockamamie stuff. I prefer real football, right? Still, based from what the folks back home in Mereilles have been telling me, apparently some kind of deal between Vacek and her manager, Tullio Zorzalo or something like it, has gone south after Ceneisis lost to Rosenpfelblatz during the final run-up to the season. You know, the period when title contenders either make it or break it against the competition. Anyway, the deal’s gone south; Vacek wants out, and the board wants her out.”

“Well, that seems like an entire waste of a player and a season,” Countess said. “Allie Vacek really could have been the final piece of the puzzle that Ceneisis needed to get back to the big time for ladies’ football.”

“Personally I think that it’s good that Vacek’s leaving Ceneisis,” Kid interjected. “It means that they’re going to have to rebuild and look for that final piece of the puzzle once again.”

“Oh, yeah, you support Arsenal de Releinthi,” Countess muttered. Arsenal and Ceneisis were rivals in football since the early 2000s after Arsenal beat a resurgent and flush-with-cash Ceneisis to the title in 2004 and it was a rivalry that had only grown ever since. It seemed reasonable that an Arsenal fan like Kid would want Ceneisis to lose a vital member of their team and have to enter another rebuilding process again while Arsenal kept up their recent dominance of the Fleftic Ladies’ Premier League.

“All right, everyone listen up ‘cause I got some things to say!” Attila called out as he stood up to address the rest of the Huns who had gathered here in this bar to celebrate their first strike against the Corsairs. “First, I want to introduce all of you bastards and bitches to the newest member of our family. Guys and girls, this here is Blandine de Saint-Martin. She’s proven very instrumental in our efforts to grab a foothold here in Patierre, and there’s also something else that you all should now know about her: she’s my old lady now, so Cigar and U-Turn, hands off of her or else I’ll cut off your balls myself.”

This announcement was greeted by a variety of whistles, cheers, and shouts. “Yeah, boy!” U-Turn shouted. “Nice catch you got there, Attila, brother!”

“To Blandine, Attila’s new old lady,” Countess said, raising her bottle of beer into the air for a toast. “To Blandine,” the other Huns repeated, doing the same with their bottles as well, and they drank to Blandine and Attila’s health.

“And now, to the really important announcement,” Attila said as he put down his bottle and let the others sit down. “As you all know, the main purpose of our little trip here to Patierre was to mess with the Corsairs and show them that they can’t run away from this war that they started with us. Of course, that’s all well and good and we’re already celebrating landing the first blow with the attack on Jardineaux Street, but that’s far from the end of our goals. In fact, I’m prepared to say that it’s only the beginning. See, when we went to Patierre we arrived at a country unclaimed by any criminal organizations which we could truly call international. Obviously the Corsairs don’t count because they gave up all claims on Abanhfleft when they left Riuwiee with their tails between their legs and they’re also just establishing themselves here in Patierre. My point is that we arrived at a very ripe time for us to expand our membership once again. We already have chapters everywhere in the colonies and the Fleftic sphere of influence: Trendstart, the Fhulghamous, Oontaz, Copper Cuprum, and even Pridnestrovia have some Hun chapters and loyal affiliates. We’ve also struck a gentlemen’s agreement with the Goths of Patierre: call it a mutual defense pact if you will. We sheltered them when the Anglatian military cracked down after the insurgency and they haven’t forgotten that particular debt. And because the Goths have put in a good word for us, a few brave souls have declared that they would like to become part of the Huns or at least pave the way for our great MC to extend its reach into Patierre as well. We all know how Conam’s got its fingers into every country in the multiverse, even the crackpot dictatorships like Gregoryisgodistan and people of that ilk. We can never hope to do the same but we sure can try to imitate them. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, it is with great pleasure that I announce that on this clubhouse was founded the first ever Patierre chapter of the Huns! Shortstop, Ghost, show our local friends the gift we have made for them!”

Shortstop and Ghost, the two Huns who always seemed to be doing the gang’s menial labor here in Patierre, unfurled a length of cloth between them, revealing itself to be the flag of Patierre defaced with the grinning skull of the Huns with the spiked helmet on its head and the scimitar between its teeth. Over the skull were the words GOD FORGIVES and below it HUNS DON’T. The Huns cheered with the unveiling of this particular flag for it was proof that the Huns had well and truly made their mark on this particular country. “Bottoms up!” Attila shouted, and the Huns drunk their fill in celebration of their newest chapter.

The Huns staggered out of the bar well after midnight, some singing at the tops of their lungs due to their drunken states. Others who were more sober helped the drunken ones stagger to their bikes and their cars so that they could drive away and sleep off their hangovers in places where the Corsairs, the Bravos, the gendarmerie, and Imperial Intelligence couldn’t interrupt it. One of the Huns who were still sober enough to drive away on their own volition was Kid, who was humming a popular tune to herself when she started up her bike and pulled away from the parking lot. Everyone had made separate living arrangements so that the Huns weren’t all clustered in one place where they could be easily taken out with a lucky strike like their former situation back in the Port of Alery but some Huns still stuck around with each other to provide mutual protection and backup to each other. Kid and Countess had rented out apartments in the same block but Countess had told Kid to go on ahead because she still had a few things to discuss with Attila. Kid accepted this all in stride and rode from the bar to their apartment.

As she rode down a dimly lit road, Kid noticed that her bike felt a little sluggish in responding. She knew immediately after doing a few test bounces of her bike that she was suffering from a flat tire. “Well, shit,” she muttered as she pulled over beside a street light lit by an old and yellowing incandescent bulb. It wasn’t that she couldn’t repair her bike; she could. It was the fact that she had been forced to stop over at a dark stretch of Alery which set the hairs on the back of her neck on edge. She’d heard horror stories back home in Abanhfleft in which people who were forced to stop in dark stretches of road like the one she was in right now often encountered all sorts of spirits and elementals while trying to repair their vehicles. She didn’t really believe in ghosts, but Kid didn’t relish the opportunity of being proved wrong by her own eyes. Even as she reached into her bike’s saddle bags for her tire repair kit, she could feel eyes looking at her from the darkness created by the gaps in the street lights.

“Get a hold of yourself, girl, you’re imagining things,” Kid chided herself before she bent down to examine her rear tire under the light from her smartphone’s camera. She also touched the butt of her Colt pistol tucked into her jeans for some reassurance before she went to work fixing the leak on her tire.

The movement was so sudden that Kid barely even had time to react. All she felt was a hand clapping over her mouth to prevent her from screaming, another hand reaching into her pants to disarm her of her gun, and a third fist smashing into the side of her jaw and sending her into blissful unconsciousness.

[Drawkland]

"Okay, what in the fresh hell?" Jaxon Madison started off. The Elite Eleven were sitting in a lounge in Anglatia. They'd just finished getting through baggage and whatever else and were waiting on their flight to come through. Everybody else grinned, both nervously and jovially. To be fair, the circumstances were quite ridiculous. Losing 8-9 in the 11th inning to an unranked side, 7-1 at home to Pot 3 West Phoencia, and then beating their biggest thread, Pot 2 Anglatia away. The team only 2 ranks below them, 4-0.

"Yeah, I honestly don't know how we did this," Elias Keys admitted. The group really didn't know how they'd done something so weird. With no real source of authority (they told DISC that they needed no managers, coaches, or agents. After all, they were already good athletes who'd played exhibition matches against several top-notch Drawkian sides in various sports and won, so it didn't seem too outlandish), they had no options to really appeal to higher knowledge on the subject.

"Yeah, I'm definitely regretting not at least calling in the old Base Corps coach to come and help us out. It's fun being out here on our own but it's still good to have someone to take some real leadership," Mike Rodney pointed out.

"We could've asked Ellzidan, she seems to have this down. And she's a lot like us," said Dominic Southers.
"Quiet down," hissed Elias, "We don't need to flaunt that to everyone in the damn lounge." To be fair, the lounge was empty, besides them, but secrets like that aren't things to be just flicking around. You may be wondering, 'what kind of secret do you mean, narrator?' To which I reply, 'I'm not gonna just reveal that in the first RP. Who do you think I am?'

"We play Mount Pleasant in 2 days at home," Roger Apollo noted as he scrolled through a page on his phone, "Unranked and last in the group."
"So, judging by our precedent, we're about to lose by 4 runs in the 12th inning, right?" chided Septimus Xander. Everybody rolled their eyes but nobody denied it.
"We're about to relive some classic Base Corps, I can feel it," Trevor Garnet predicted, "Last in the group. Guaranteed."

"You realize you control whether or not that happens, right?" Jaxon responded, "We all have control over what happens. We're not gonna take an L to Mount Pleasant and we're not gonna take an L to Cassadaigua, either. We're not taking any more L's. We're gonna go out here and go beast mode on the rest of these teams. Believe me."
The rest of the team nodded and grinned, with various exclamations of agreement and excitement. While they all considered themsevles equal, Jaxon was usually the de facto hype man and leader on whatever field or court they played.
"Come on, bring it in," Jaxon demanded, and the rest of the team followed suit. They huddled tight, facing the center of their circle sideways, their right arms bent and all their elbows touching in the center of the circle. They looked among each other, and the chant begin with the slightest of cues.
"E! X! I!" they shouted, bending their arms out to meet in fists above the elbows, then fully extending them and hopping backwards. They all clapped, and then quickly and nonchalantly sat back down in the lounge with a degree of humor as they realized their chant echoed through the concourse.

They resumed some side conversations as the speaker announced that their flight would be boarding in 10 minutes.
"I don't even like baseball," Septimus exclaimed to Ross Hunter, "Why couldn't we fill in for the Grid Corps or the Net Corps?"
"Uh, because they're actually good?" Ross shrugged as he examined some Anglatian magazine, which he flipped through without actually reading.
"Not the Net Corps. I mean, come on," Septimus countered, "They're barely as good as the Base Corps."
"Good point, but, uh, that one is starting right after this one. We wouldn't have enough time to practice. It'd be ridiculous."
"Fine, fine. I just hope we don't have to do this forever," Septimus finished.
"Heh. Forever," Ross mumbled to himself as he discarded the magazine on a table next to him.

[Hicanans in Exile]

They were doing it. Alex Cameron couldn't believe it. In his second match in a Phoenixes uniform, the Hicañans were leading Nova Anglicana three-two in the ninth inning. Twenty-year-old prodigy Michael Santana had been nothing short of dominant after a shaky start, striking out eleven in his seven-plus innings of two-run ball. Although fellow newcomer Alfonso Almendarez hadn't been able to do the same, going oh-for-four, cleanup hitter Juan José Calderón had been more than able to keep up, stroking a sweet two-run home run down the left-field line in the fourth before doubling in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.

The bullpen had been a little shaky, but things had held up. And the Phoenixes were three outs away from a critical win over Nova Anglicana. Alex could hardly believe it. He'd known what this team could do when he'd joined with Hicaña. But he didn't realize he'd be able to get the Phoenixes to play like this so soon.

Martin Zuñíga trotted out to finish the Lions off. Brooks, McKenzie, and Lamb wasn't the toughest assignment out of this lineup, but it was hardly easy, either. Zuñíga wasn't totally polished, but he still stood a very good chance of finishing the team off. Cameron wasn't concerned. At least, not until Brooks took the closer's first pitch off the knee and jogged to first. He immediately got Franklin Santos warming up. He couldn't have done so soon enough - McKenzie watched three balls, then swung at a waist-high fastball and pinged it down the right-field line for a single. Runners on the corners - the tying run on third - with nobody out was not the direction Cameron had hoped the inning would go in.

Zuñíga worked a 1-2 count against the next batter, Bryan Lamb. He was doing better now, Lamb's discipline the only thing between Zuñíga and a three-pitch strikeout. The next pitch was an inch outside - 2-2. He bore down with a beautiful slider on the outside edge of the plate. Lamb didn't bite, and suddenly he had a full count. Now with no margin of error, Zuñíga tried to hit the inside half of the plate with a tailing fastball. It didn't work - the ball stayed outside and Lamb launched a hard ground ball up the middle. As soon as Lamb made contact, Cameron knew it was an RBI single.

But he'd forgotten he had Jason Garcia. The shortstop took three rapid-fire steps and launched himself at the ball, knocking it down. He picked it up, touched second for the out, and then threw home, beating Brooks by half a step. It was a beautiful play from the defensively gifted shortstop. More importantly, the double-play meant that there was now a runner on first with two outs.

Still, Zuñíga had been shaky. Cameron took the reliever out, and brought in flamethrower Franklin Santos to finish off second baseman John Carr and his team. He could see the headlines already, the media's stunned responses to a tiny island defeating the world number two: something like ROUGH DIAMONDS OF HICAÑA STUN WORLD NUMBER TWO, headed by a picture of Garcia's diving stop. The articles would gush over the team's potential, as evidenced by the win. Cameron might even get off to a better start than the Tigers, who had struggled to start the Classic.

A single, two walks, and a home run later, a stunned Cameron shook hands with Orlando Murray after the Phoenixes' seven-three loss. The Phoenixes' second Classic was beginning to feel like their first, even with Cameron at the helm...

[Elgenstad]

The woman at the reception desk evaluated the documents in front of her with some hesitance and disbelief. She lifted them close to her eyes and examined this closely while letting out a small chuckle. It was obvious, to her at least, that they had been faked. And not even remotely well at that. The "birth certificate" she was holding was printed cock-eyed on a piece of card stock. The Comic Sans font at the head of paper proclaimed that it was an "offical record" from the "Elgensted Dept of Humin Helth". The national government does not even keep birth records, leaving those duties to the municipalities. The whole thing was riddled with spelling and grammar errors. Upon putting it back on the desk, she realized that some of the ink had come off on her fingers. It was obvious that this document was not 18 years old as it claimed. "Just a minute, sweety," she said as she clicked around on her computer to check the printer history. Sure enough, a document she didn't recognize had been printed fairly recently. The little shit must have snuck in here while I was on my lunch break, she thought to herself.

That’s not all that was wrong. There was plenty suspicious about the prospective student himself. He had long blond hear and a braided beard to match. She could detect some age in his pale blue eyes as they locked with hers. The faded blue tattoos running down his arms and partially up his neck raised some red flags as well.
She looked back up at him and read his name off the sheet. “Rudolf Johansen, huh?”

He looked back to her and slowly nodded, letting out a soft grunt. She took this to be an affirmative response.

“You’re a little older than the usual first-time enrollee here at St. Rita’s. Eighteen? Is that right?”

At this point, she was being a little snide. She didn’t appreciate this man’s presence at all. She found it hard to believe that he was who he said he was and frankly, she was a little offended that he was still trying to pull the wool over her eyes. She was incredulous at this point.

He nodded slowly once more, not seeming to detect the tone of her voice.

“Look here, buster. I have no idea who you are or what you’re trying to do, but it isn’t working. Now I would suggest that you turn around a high-tail it out of here or we’re going to have to see what the police think about this.”

The muscles in his ruddy face relaxed and he seemed somber. Her words had clearly saddened him. He took a step back in preparation to leave, but then Osvald Olsen came in.

Olsen is a rather fit individual. He has very defined arms and legs as well as a tall and lanky frame. He was wearing a St. Rita’s ballcap and jersey as well as a pair of khaki cargo shorts. “Oh, Runa!” he called, “Sorry for not asking earlier, but I had to use your printer during lunch.”

“And what would that have been for, Osvald?” Runa asked, a little more than irritated.

“Oh, nothing. Just some quick personal stuff. By the way, I forgot to mention that we should be expecting a new enrollee today.” Osvald turned and saw Rudolf, “Here he is right now as a matter of fact!”

“This is your new enrollee? Osvald, this birth certificate is a fake and he sure as hell doesn’t look eighteen.”

“Give that here,” Osvald said as he snatched the paper from here. He gave a good long look and turned it a couple times. He held it up to the light and brought it further and closer to his face as if he was really poring over the document and scrutinizing every last detail. After a few more moments of silence, he announced, “This looks like the real deal to me. I don’t see what the issue is.”

“Osvald, you’re ridiculous.”

“While I maintain that the birth certificate is real, I’d like you to consider a few things, my dear Runa. In all eighteen years of his life, this strapping young lad has not be afforded the opportunity of an education, but we can give him one. What would St. Rita do? Surely not put him out in the cold.”

Runa grabbed Osvald by the arm and pulled him to the side, “I know this is fake. I know you printed it. I know he isn’t eighteen. I’d just like to know what’s going on.”

“Fake? Look a-“ was all Osvald manage before Runa cut him off. She dug her nails into his skin and the pain shot up his arm like fire.

“Osvald Ole Olsen,” Runa said with ferocity, “Don’t even think about lying to me.”

“Fine. I got my cousin, the one who works in the government, to have us entered in the World Baseball Classic as the national team. These kids are going to go out there a get killed. I can’t let that happen, so I’m bringing in some muscle. You have to go along with this. Please.”

“$200.”

“100.”

“And a foot rub, tiger.”

“Deal.”

Runa turned back to Rudolf and put on her fakest smile and with her most pleasant voice said, “I’ll put you in the system, Mr. Johansen. Welcome to St. Rita’s. At this time, I’ll turn you over to Coach Olsen.”

A smile spread across Rudolf’s face as he lumbered over to Osvald. “Thanks, Coach,” he rumbled.

“It’s my pleasure, Rudolf. Welcome to the team. Get ready to smash some balls.”

Rudolf chuckled, “Yeah, okay.”

[Schiltzberg]

SCHILTZBERG HAS STRONG FIRST SERIES!

It is still much too early to tell how Schiltzberg (or any team for that matter) will do in this edition of the World Baseball Classic, but so far, Schiltzberg has looked very good on the field. Three games in, Schiltzberg has done all that you could ask for, winning all three games in matches that ended up being pretty lopsided in the final score.

The Schiltzbergian team is greatly honored to have their group named after them, and they reminisce on WBC 33, just a number of short years ago when they were a very young team and made their WBC debut. Since then, they have come out of nowhere and become a giant worthy of recognition to the degree that they have their own group named after them. It has been a humbling experience for many of the players to go through such a great change, as they have gone from originally being possibly the greatest underdog candidate in WBC history to being now four-time champions expected to perform well every year on the stage. In WBC 39, Schiltzberg aims to prove that they are still an active threat in the tournament, hopefully bringing home some more hardware.

Schiltzberg Group                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts
1 Schiltzberg                               3    3   0    28   12  +16     9
2 West Saintland                            3    2   1    13   12   +1     6
3 Unified Sunrise Islands                   3    2   1    11   15   −4     6
4 Furbish Islands                           3    1   2     8    8    0     3
5 Ko-oren                                   3    1   2     9   12   −3     3
6 Aupti                                     3    0   3     4   14  −10     0

Schiltzberg confidently maintains an early lead in the group, and right now, holds the best standing in the WBC with a 3-0 record and a +16 run differential, which leads all teams in the tournament. It is much too early to predict that Schiltzberg will be able to maintain this lead, but hopefully they will continue to do well and be able to establish a decent lead on the group before the half-way point of the group stage. This way, in the second half, they can afford to be more lenient on their pitchers and prepare for the playoffs. Schiltzberg has done all that has been asked if them through these three games, and hopefully will continue this prosperity.

Game One: Schiltzberg vs. Ko-oren

Ko-oren                                  1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3
Schiltzberg                              0 1 0 1 2 0 3 0 X  7

Schiltzberg was happy to get this season started off on a winning note, hopefully with more to come. The starter for the Schiltzbergers was their ace William McKey, who did very well. He pitched himself into a jam, giving up three hits and a run in the first, which worried Schiltzberg's fans early on, but he got out of it quickly and pitched without giving up any more runs deep into the game, while Schiltzberg's offense easily overcame the early one-run deficit. McKey started struggling in the ninth inning, and he walked a batter and then gave up two hits, which resulted in two runs scoring and a runner being left on second base. Schiltzberg still had a four-run lead with just two outs to go until the victory was finished, but the coaching staff decided to play it safe and take McKey out of the game, rather than pushing him too far, which may have resulted in either more runs scoring or McKey getting injured. Closer Doug Miller was put in with one out in the ninth, and he quickly got the last two outs to clinch the victory.

Offensively, Schiltzberg had a strong game as well, scoring seven runs. They went down one-two-three in the first inning, but then Francis Thom led off the second with a mammoth home run to right field, much to the delight of the onlooking fans. Tied at 1-1, Schiltzberg broke up the stalemate in the fourth, when Mark Daly singled and then scored from first on Ducky Fitzhugh's double the next at bat. There were no outs when Fitzhugh doubled, but the Schiltzbergers were unable to get him home that inning, having to settle for just one run. The next inning saw them executing again though, scoring two runs on a two-run home run by Wayne Knox that knocked in Bob Rutledge as well, giving Schiltzberg a 4-1 lead and increasing the gap between the two teams. Schiltzberg added on two innings later in the seventh, scoring three runs on a solo home run by Mark Daly and a two run home run by Manual Villegaus later in the inning, giving Schiltzberg a seemingly unbeatable 7-1 lead. Ko-oren fought back with a last-minute rally in the ninth, but Schiltzberg's lead was simply too large, and Schiltzberg got the victory, 7-3 being the final score. The winning pitcher was McKey, and Miller got the save.

Game Two: Schiltzberg @ West Saintland

Schiltzberg                              1 0 5 1 0 1 2 0 0 10
West Saintland                           0 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  5

It was predicted before the season that West Saintland will probably be the biggest threat to Schiltzberg in this group stage, since they have the most experience and the highest rank of any other team in the group, so it was good that Schiltzberg got the win in this game. This will give them an extra game up on West Saintland, which may seem insignificant now, but at the end of the stage, after this game has been long forgotten, this extra game up could give Schiltzberg a crucial advantage in the seeding into the playoff bracket. David Toups was Schiltzberg's pitcher, and though he did get the win, he had a bit of a shaky start, giving up five runs in six innings, eventually being removed from the game. Schiltzberg scored first in the first inning, but Toups gave up back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the second, and then gave up two hits, a single and a double, which knocked in a third run, putting Schiltzberg into a considerable deficit. Teams have been known to blow 3-1 leads though. Schiltzberg's offense achieve one of its signature five-run innings, which softened the blow for Toups, giving him a lot more leverage, as Schiltzberg one again had the lead, the score now at 6-3. Toups got into a jam on the fourth, giving up another run in that inning, and he gave up another run in the sixth on a home run, but Schiltzberg's offense had his back, scoring and maintaining his lead. Toups became fatigued and was removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh. Brian Mercado came into the game in the seventh inning, pitching two scoreless innings, and then he was replaced by Todd Barras, who finished off the game and clinched the victory.

Offensively, Schiltzberg put up quite a fireworks display, scoring ten runs and blowing West Saintland out of the water, even though their team also had quite a lot of scoring as well. Schiltzberg got on the board first with a solo home run by Ducky Fitzhugh in the first. The lead was quickly blown though, as West Saintland scored three runs in the second, but the two run deficit did not last long for the Schiltzbergers. The four-time champions rocked the top half of the third with three home runs, scoring a total of five runs in that inning. Bob Rutledge started off the inning with a single, and then he was driven in on a long home run by Wayne Knox, who got his second home run of the season, tying the game 3-3. Toups struck out, and then Mark Daly reached base on a single to left. Ducky Fitzhugh connected, but the ball came up short of a home run, being catchy by the right-fielder on the warning track. Daly was unable to advance. Then, with two outs, Chris Vrooman slugged one over the centerfield wall for a home run, taking the lead once again in the game, 5-3. The very next batter was Francis Thom, who sent one into the right field bleachers to make it 6-3. West Saintland would fight back strongly, but Schiltzberg never looked back once it had this run margin. Thomas Saiz hit a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning, making the score 7-3, but West Saintland answered back with a run of their own to make it 7-4. In the top of the sixth, Manual Villegaus doubled, and then was advanced on a 4-3 groundout by Thomas Saiz, and then he scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Bob Rutledge to make the score 8-4. West Saintland seemed determined to keep the game at a three-run difference, scoring again in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-5, but they were unable to close the gap any further on a disappointing failure to execute on a scoring chance late in the inning. Francis Thom drove the nail in the coffin with a two-run home run, which was his third home run in two games, to finish off West Saintland for good in this match. In the end, this game displays just how much depth Schiltzberg's team has. Their signature feature, the starting pitching, fell flat, but they made up for that with splendid offense and a nearly perfect bullpen to overcome the poor starting pitching and still get the win. Games like these are how Schiltzberg became four-time champions.

Game Three: Schiltzberg vs. Unified Sunrise Islands

Unified Sunrise Islands                  1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4
Schiltzberg                              0 0 0 0 0 1 4 6 X 11

In games one and two, Schiltzberg had gained the lead early on and then controlled the game for the majority of the time after that, but game three was different in that it was a spectacular show when Schiltzberg seemed to be out of it early, but then they came back and won by a landslide late in the game for a dramatic victory. Unified Sunrise Islands is a new team that is in its first season in the WBC, so Schiltzberg did not know exactly what to expect, but they were certainly surprised when USI took a 4-0 lead early in the game. Schiltzberg's starter was Henry Price, who did an okay job, but he probably should have done better, giving up four runs in seven innings and picking up the win. He was very much so saved by his bullpen and his offense late in the game. All of the early scoring was done by Unified Sunrise Islands. The first run came off of a solo home run in the first inning. Two more runs scored in the second inning, when the bases were loaded with no outs, and when it seemed as if Price might get out of it, striking out two in a row, he hit the next batter, forcing in a run, and then gave up a walk, forcing in another run, before finally getting the third out. To make things worse, Unified Sunrise Islands had another rally in the forth inning, getting three hits (two singles and a double), but due to poor baserunning by the inexperienced team, Schiltzberg was lucky to only give up one run in this scoring chance. The score was now 4-0 in Unified Sunrise Island's favor, and things did not look good for Schiltzberg. Things turned around though, and Price got back on track, throwing three zeros in a row, while Schiltzberg's offense also woke up, scoring eleven runs in three innings. Price looked better later in the game, but he had gone through a lot of pitches in the early innings, and he was taken out of the game after the seventh inning, when his pitch count was at 113. Richard Wilson pitched the eighth inning to perfection, striking out the side, and then Doug Miller came in without a save opportunity, and finished the game smoothly with another one-two three inning.

Offensively, Schiltzberg got off to a slow start, not scoring any runs for the first five innings. Their bats did come alive though, and when they did, they really got on fire, scoring like crazy for three innings. The first run came on a solo home run by Thomas Saiz in the sixth inning, making the score 4-1 in the favor of Unified Sunrise Islands at that time. Ben Parker led off the seventh inning as a pinch hitter for Henry Price, but he struck out. Mark Daly then doubled and was knocked in by Fitzhugh, who singled, and the score was 4-2. Chris Vrooman then singled and got Fitzhugh to third to make it first and third with one. After that, Francis Thom grounded into a 6-4 fielder's choice, but the other team was unable to complete the double play, and Thom was safe at first, and Fitzhugh was able to score on the play to make it 4-3. The play was not ruled as an error, simply a fielder's choice. Then, Manual Villegaus hit a two-run home run to make the score 5-4 Schiltzberg. Probably the happiest man at that moment was not Villegaus, but Price, who because of Schiltzberg's rally, would have his decision turned from a loss to a win, since he had been the last one to pitch before Schiltzberg took the lead. Schiltzberg had the lead, but it was close. They had to make sure that that was changed. In the eighth inning, Thomas Saiz started off the inning with a ground-rule double. Then, Bob Rutledge was hit by a pitch to make it runners on first and third with no outs. The opposing pitcher then balked on a throw to first, making it runners on second and third with no outs. Wayne Knox singled, and both runners scored, making the score 7-4 Schiltzberg. Joe Conway then came in as a pinch hitter for Richard Wilson and singled to right, but Knox was unable to score, since he is a poor runner. Mark Daly then doubled, and both Knox and Conway were able to score, and it was now 9-4. With Fitzhugh at bat, there was a wild pitch and then an errant throw by the catcher to third base, and Daly was able to score from second, making it 10-4. Fitzhugh then singled, but he was out at second on a fielder's choice hit by Chris Vrooman the following at bat. Vrooman stole second, and then scored on a hit and run the following pitch, when Francis Thom singled. The score was 11-4, and Schiltzberg had come back in extraordinary fashion, playing as if they were a completely different team in the second half of the game than they had been in the first half. Overall, it was a very good showing for Schiltzberg in this first series, and hopefully they will continue to win at this rate.

This Is Your New Schiltzbierg Times Sports News!

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS LOOKING LIKE FIFTH GRADERS

by Brianne Henry


On opening day, things looked great. They toppled Musterfield so badly, well just 5-0, that they did not want to play in the same college basketball tournament with us anymore. It was a vintage Newmanistan effort highlighted by yet another dominant outing by Courtney Duvall. She was amazing during World Baseball Classic 38, with an ERA under two and multiple shutouts. She fanned 16 in completing a perfect game! We'll cover the perfect game longer in another article! Yes, we can continue the Stacey Keisler conversations with her, she was simply been that good. The Rockets hit the ball well, pounding out 12 hits, and could have probably scored a few more runs in this game. In any event, Newmanistan was off and rolling. Here we ago again, Frenline Delpha, here we come!

And then. This. What the hell, is this? On the surface, the loss to United States of Devonta was not a bad effort. Some will say they are a better ranked team, so we should not be expected to beat them, but if you believe that, then stop reading my articles. Newmanistan does not settle for losing to anyone, regardless of what the rankings may say. Perhaps, a loss to Nova Anglicana in a playoff series, like last year, will be tolerated, but there is no one out there with the Newmanistanian mindset of baseball dominance that better be thinking that losing to USD is acceptable. Standing wise, they are the most essential games for us to win, and if the Rockets are not stepping up in those games, then something is wrong. Newmanistan was flat for most of this game, but they did show some life late, rallying for a run in the top of the eighth to tie it at 2, and then rallying again in the ninth to tie it at 3. That shows the potential is there, but the Rockets of old do not surrender that run in the bottom of eighth. Let’s take you through the whole scenario.

Breanne Burks had generally pitched a good game through seven innings. She had only conceded two runs on seven hits, and that’s a line that many nations not named Newmanistan would be thrilled to have, and even by our standards, it’s good enough. But, she was taken out after the seventh. What the eff is that? Many nations do that, but not Newmanistan. We leave our starters in during those situations, and do you think for a second that the greatest coach ever, Christina Sanders, would have taken Breanne out there? No! That is indisputable. Ashley Stevens, however, does not do this, and I am completely dumbfounded. Instead, she brings in Meghan Girardi out of the bullpen. Meghan is what a lot of other nations will refer to as a set up reliever, or your typical 8th inning reliever for the team. This move, therefore, would be duplicated by many baseball coaches out there. Does this mean, we are conforming to what other nations do? We are the Rockets, and we became great by being unique in how we play the game, and instead of sticking with our strategy of leaving the starters in based on their performance, Stevens goes with Girardi. Meghan proceeds to struggle, walking the leadoff batter. What a terrible thing to do! Someone who is, according to the new-school of thought with bullpen usage, supposed to be fresh and ready to go, has the audacity to walk the first batter that they face. Burks had only walked one better for the game, and was on good form when she was taken out. Oh, but the arm be getting tired, the naysayers will whine. She had thrown 108 pitches. Oh no, that means we can’t have her in anymore! I hate that school of thought. But we implemented it. So in comes Girardi, who had thrown zero pitches to that point, and she walks the friggin’ leadoff batter. Naturally, that was the runner who came around to score, and put Newmanistan in the situation of having to score again in the 9th just to tie the game. Trust me, in the old days, Newmanistan wins this game 3-2. There is never that bottom of the 8th run. This is the difference between then, and now.

That loss is frustrating, but qualifying is long, and you can get a game like that back. What was despicable was this last game. Allowing eight runs to an unranked team is simply disgusting. This, is where the headline comes in, because it was truly a fifth grade effort. Who the hell is this Nuevo Constancia? Never heard of them, no one has, and who the hell knows, they may be taken over by Anglatia for all they I care. Some more Rushmori drama, it appears. Anglatia. Yeah, you’ve heard of them. You know who kicked their ass, by the way? Cassa-freakin-daigua. Yeah, them. They are back. And they are 2-1. We are 1-2, and we cannot allow this to happen. The Dagans didn’t allow any authority figures to get in the way of their hopes and dreams, and came out sharp in their debut, and have played some strong games to begin their campaign. We may not qualify, we better qualify, but we have to be realistic and be aware that there is a chance that we do not. If Cassadaigua ends up with a better record then us, then there will be hell to pay. If, even worse, they qualify, and we don’t, it’s not gonna be pretty in Newmanistan.

The ship needs to be righted, and it needs to be done by playing typical Newmanistanian baseball, and not conforming to what the current generation does with their bullpens or general game strategy. It’s not a good start. 1-2, and we have not even played Maklohi Vai yet. There’s plenty of time to get it turned around, but there’s no time for fooling around.

[Sandberg]

SANDBERG GAINS SOVEREIGNTY AMIDST POLITICAL TURMOIL!

For historical background, Sandberg is the name of a desert region that had on the western border of Schiltzberg. Schiltzberg is very ethnically, religiously, and ideologically diverse, and this has led to several disputes that have created conflicts within the country. In 2033, Sandberg, which was made of a group of radical isolationists who wished to establish their own separate state, was reclassified as a semi-sovereign territory that was still territory of Schiltzberg, but was allowed to be somewhat independent. It has stayed at this classification with its own government and its own military since that time.

Ever since World War II, which was well-over a century ago at this point, Schiltzberg has had a problem with neo-nazis, especially since the former Germany was absorbed into Schiltzberg after the war. Politicians believed that after several generations, this nazism would die out, but one hundred plus years later, it still existed, and so Schiltzberg's Grand Duke Lucas IV, an innovative, but slightly controversial figure, finally decided that he had a wise solution to solve this problem: creating a sovereign state for nazis. The Grand Duke partitioned a small area of land, which was classified as the National Socialist State of Germany, where nazism is legal. The Grand Duke then vowed to turn a blind eye on all affairs positive and negative in this new nation. The thing was that the new country also bordered the land that had been partitioned to Sandberg, and Sandberg was not so quick to forgive the nazis.

Three days after its establishment, the National Socialist State of Germany stereotypically declared war on Israel, much to the world's disgust. The new nation started releasing anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli propaganda, and the Grand Duke quickly saw the mistake he had made in letting the nazis control a sovereign nation, but it was actually the government of Sandberg that spoke up first. Sandberg issued a statement of war against its new neighbor, and sent in its extremely well trained military, which it had been building since it was established in 2033. Schiltzberg saw no actual threat from the National Socialist State, and they were infuriated when Sandberg actually engaged in warfare. Schiltzberg withdrew all funding and administration from Sandberg as a sign of protest, but secretly engaged in negotiations to help the Sandberg government overtake the nazi state to cover up Schiltzberg's failure. Sandberg saw its new independence as a positive thing, and meanwhile, they invaded the nazi state and overtook the fledgling government in just fourteen days. Sandberg's military ruthlessly destroyed nazi propaganda and heartlessly executed thousands of nazis, imprisoning even more. At the end of the war, there were 53,452 nazi casualties of war, 14,309 of which were killed, and many of which were civilians. Sandberg triumphed in its victory, but Schiltzberg wished not to be involved, partially because they were disgusted by Sandbergian brutality, and partially because they wanted to cover up that it was their fault that this happened in the first place. Schiltzberg granted Sandberg its full independence, and recognized it as a sovereign state, and the territory that had been controlled by the nazi state is now controlled by Sandberg. Sandberg's glorious leader, Alec Podl, signed the Bill of Independence, which he received by mail from the Grand Duke, and Sandberg officially gained its independence... The world is not yet sure how to respond.

Disclaimer: It's a joke, folks.

[Zwangzug]

"So the terrorist attacks," said Siri. "Your response?"

"Publically, Parliament made its will clear, and I agreed with them," said Wainwright. "Negotiation, diplomacy, cultural awareness. No outright capitulation, no matter how many political freedoms would be gained by it, but certainly no military response either."

"Of course," said Virginia. "This is Zwangzug."

"Now, privately, I was granted special executive powers to do what I could to prevent this from reoccurring. I'd like to think it has been a success, even if my motives were not the purest."

"You were trying to protect our people!" said Pramoda. "What could have been better than that?"

"Was I? To save their lives for their own sake? Or to prevent others from dealing with an unending news cycle of tragedy? There are so many policies that cross my desk, and I am happy to affirm time and again that democracy will remain the domain of those who care enough to participate in the political process. But Zwangzug, while I hate to generalize, has never been a place for those who dwell on despair for its own sake, who wallow in politicizing mourning. Anything I could do to prevent another bombing, I would. Not only for those who might die, but for us who survive."

"You're confessing to what?" Isaac asked. "Racial profiling? A surveillance state?"

"Whatever it did, it worked," Siri admitted.

"Whose side are you even on?"

"A question for you," Wainwright asked. "How many people died in the bombings?"

"I don't know," said Isaac. "Dozens, maybe."

"It's dozens in all the countries," said Siri.

"Of course you don't," said Wainwright. "Because it's just a crisis like any other. But every time that it would have happened again, within the city limits, the would-be perpetrator snaps back to the day of the original incident."

"You're talking about time travel," Isaac stated.

"Project Zeitnot," Wainwright repeated. "Time pressure."

[Super-Llamaland]

Who's After Nittledeen?: Five Potential Tigers Managers to Watch

LlamalandSportsNet would like to congratulate Newmanistan's Courtney Duvall for pitching the first perfect game in several World Baseball Classics! Duvall struck out an impressive sixteen batters against unranked Musterfield in a dominant five-zero victory, and is quickly becoming one of the world's best pitchers. Congratulations to Courtney!

Colin Nittledeen's contract expires after this World Baseball Classic, and it's hard to say if he's earned himself an extension or not. The former BC Vargas manager should be applauded for an unbelievable managing performance at WBC37, but after a subpar WBC38 and a nightmare start to WBC39, it's possible that Nittledeen might leave after this Classic. He wouldn't leave a Llamanean legend if he did so after WBC39, but there's no doubt that future fans will appreciate his competency at the helm and coolness under pressure.

Whoever signs on next would be the sixth manager in Tigers history, following in the footsteps of Thomas Yaft, Joe McKenzie, Chris Evans, Alex Cameron, and Nittledeen. There are a number of exciting options in the Llamanean Baseball Leagues right now, and there's no doubt that whoever is chosen will be able to confidently follow in those legends' footsteps and bring the Classic home to Super-Llamaland (of course, if we win this cycle, there's no way Nittledeen leaves).

So, ranked from least to most likely, here are our 5 Potential Tigers Managers to Watch!

5. Max DANKS, 58, Derrierton Surge

The former national team second-baseman is definitely underrated. Despite his obvious talent and experience as a manager, the fact that he manages tiny Derrierton has led many to exclude him from consideration. But don't be fooled by his uninspiring employment history that features stints at minnows Northern Emerald, Derrierton, and Tannersborough and two playoff appearances in nine years. He's done exceptionally well with small clubs, leading Derrierton, a team many predicted to be the league's worst, to a .500 record last year. Danks is a brilliant tactician with an eye for advanced stats, and he's an excellent motivator too. But bringing him on might feel like embracing a small-club mentality to many fans, and he's definitely a long shot for the job.

4. Kevin CASSINI, 50, Kyrinson Twin Pines

At fifty years of age, former Kyrinson first baseman Cassini has become an absolute legend. After a long playing career, he started managing with the minor-league East Kyrinson Bears at the age of thirty-nine. Despite all odds, the team became easily the best minor league team in the nation, and Cassini earned a reputation as a master developer of prospects. It was enough to land him a job with the parent club, the Kyrinson Twin Pines. Cassini took the .500 team and brought them nothing other than their first championship in decades, followed by consecutive finals appearances. He's become an absolute legend for his team, and persuading him to leave might be difficult. If he does, though, he could build a dynasty - although, considering his past record (5-10) in finals, he might not be the best choice for a tournament.'

3. Megan PETERSON, 41, Ruby Falls Storm

She's known as the first female national team player in history, having broken onto the team as a twenty-three-year-old center fielder back in WBC 30. Now, if the rumors are true, she could be the first national team manager in history. Although she's had a relatively short managing career (which is about to begin its sixth season), she's been nothing short of excellent for Ruby Falls. Known both for intense data and video analysis and for knowing how to connect to her players, Peterson has led Ruby to six consecutive playoff appearances, something the Storm haven't done in a very long time. She's a little inexperienced for the job, but she's definitely one of our best options.

2. Michael WICTORSSON, 62, New Llama Cyclones

The Cyclones have had a history of great managers - most notably, Joe McKenzie of national team fame and, slightly more recently, Eric Tisdale, who won Cyclones three consecutive championships. But Wictorsson, who took over for Tisdale when he retired over a decade ago, has become the team's newest managing star. A firm leader and expert tactician, Wictorsson is a proven winner, with four Llamanean Classics to his name. Perhaps uniquely, he also has a lot of experience in team selection from being given freedom by the team's Owner and General Manager to seriously request players - that could help as well. And he's known for overperforming in big games, something the current Tigers may need. A perfect manager, right? Well, he's a little old fashioned despite growing up during the rise of sabermetrics in Super-Llamaland, and he also may not want to spend too much time on anything that isn't the Cyclones. Still, he'd be an excellent choice, if not as good as...

1. Magnus SJÖBERG, 65, Öslerholm Storm

An Arondic manager of the Llamanean national team? Whaaaat?? Well, it may not be as crazy as it sounds. For one thing, Sjöberg is obviously too good for the Arondic leagues; his Storm, who have been cited as an inspiration for the construction of the national team, have won five of the past six championships, and he's managed to win the past three with a lineup comprised entirely of homegrown players. In short, he knows how to build a dynasty, something the Tigers would love to have. Critics say he hasn't managed in the LBL recently - how could he understand Llamanean baseball? Not only are Arondic and Llamanean baseball similar, but he's played and managed in the LBL before, and done so with massive success, winning consecutive championships with the New Llama Wizards before mysteriously not having his contract renewed. Without a doubt, Sjöberg could be the man who leads us back to the WBC28-31 days, and he's also interested in the job. We'll see if he gets it.

So, there you have it. Danks, Cassini, Peterson, Wictorsson, and Sjöberg. There's no doubt that this next managerial selection could greatly influence the future of the Tigers. We'll have to hope the LBA chooses well.

[Empire of Cats]

State of the Aluminum Part I: Off to a Roaring Good Start

Games 1-3

Frenline Delpha (Empire of Catsian AP) - It's been only three whole days, but already the thirty-ninth iteration of the World Baseball Classic has proven to be an interesting one. From the international powerhouses of Shiltzberg, Super-Llamaland, Drawkland, and West Saintland to the unranked young teams such as Acapais and the Allied States of the Empire of Cats, this classic features forty-eight teams of nations from all walks of life, some with little in common except for one thing: a desire to play that glorious game: baseball.

The Allied States of the Empire of Cats is part of the Super-Llamaland group in the 39th WBC. We are currently No. 2 in a group of six, with an overall record of 2-1. Our fellow competitors are: Super-Llamaland, Abanhfleft, the Serbian Empire, Acapais, and Tomikosan. Let's break down their recent performances, shall we?

Super-Llamaland (1-2)

Game 1 (vs. Acapais) W 5-2
Game 2 (vs. the Serbian Empire) L 3-9
Game 3 (vs. Tomikosan) L 5-4

Notes: To say that seeing the Super-Llamalandians in the lowest position in the group is surprising is an understatement. While they won their opening game against Acapais, they have lost their last two. It remains to be seen if this is a serious slump, or simply a reversal of fortunes. It also remains to be seen how the Felines will stack up against the Tigers.

Abanhfleft (1-2)

Game 1 (vs. the Serbian Empire) W 5-0
Game 2 (vs. Empire of Cats) L 4-6
Game 3 (vs. Acapais) L 9-10

Notes: While the Abanhfleftian team also won their opener, they also dropped the subsequent two games. If they can pull out of their tailspin, they could be a force to be reckoned with. Empire of Cats leads the series, 1-0.

Serbian Empire (1-2)

Game 1 (vs. Abanhfleft) L 0-5
Game 2 (vs. Super-Llamaland) W 9-3
Game 3 (vs. Empire of Cats) L 2-3

Notes: Don't be fooled by the record: The Serbian Empire's sole victory was a resounding and dominating victory against Super-Llamaland, a perennial contender. Empire of Cats was lucky to escape in a squeaker against them, one run deciding the game. Empire of Cats leads the series, 1-0.

Acapais (1-2)

Game 1 (vs. Super-Llamaland) L 2-5
Game 2 (vs. Tomikosan) L 1-5
Game 3 (vs. Abanhfleft) W 10-9

Notes: While the Acapaisian national team seemed sluggish to begin with, dropping its first two games, it responded by outlasting the Abanhfleftian team in a nail-biter. Perhaps they have woken up. It remains to be seen how the Felines will fare against this team.

Tomikosan (3-0)

Game 1 (vs. Empire of Cats) W 3-1
Game 2 (vs. Acapais) W 5-1
Game 3 (vs. Super-Llamaland) W 5-4

Notes: Until proven otherwise, right now Tomikosan is the team to be reckoned with in the Super-Llamaland group. Defeating all comers so far, including the Empire of Cats in their opener, the team is the only remaining undefeated team in the group and for the most part has proven that it deserves that place. However, is their performance against the Super-Llamalandians a sign that they may be slowing down - or is it just a speed bump? Tomikosan leads the series, 1-0.

[Bauscland]

"Stand Fast!"

Bauscland Off To Strong Start In First International Season!

The Bauscland Athletics are off to a remarkably good start in their first bout of international play, winning their first three games, netting themselves 9 points, and placing themselves on top of their respective group.

Match Day 1

Bauscland                                0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
Sandberg                                 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

The Athletics traveled to Sandburg for their first foray into WBC play, and it proved to be a close contest. Erik Goedell started the game off well, going for 3 innings before giving up what would be Sandburg's only run on an RBI double in the bottom of the 4th. He wouldn't be phased by this though and pitched for two more innings, throwing a total of 6 strikeouts and giving up 1 walk before being replaced by the right handed reliever Joshua Mann. By this time, Bauscland had scored the equalizer with a hit into deep right-center by Jasper Bromhead, which brought in Schumaker from second. The spirits of the team were lifted by this, and center-fielder Norman Kelzenburg would give the team its go-ahead run with a solo home run on the first pitch of the 7th inning. With this, the Athletics's defense would hold strong for the remainder of the game, with James Oswald coming on in the 9th to record the save. Mann would be credited with the win, and Bauscland would return home for their second game with a win under their belts.

Match Day 2

Foodporn                                 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2
Bauscland                                0 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 X  5

Bauscland's first home game was played before a full crowd at the Westpike Grounds. 55,000 fans gathered to watch what would be a historic day for the Athletics, and they were certainly not disappointed with the result: the crack of Bausch bats could be heard throughout the game, with 12 total hits recorded. Booker Johnson would give Bauscland their first run of the day with a line drive double into right, giving the Athletics a 1-0 lead. Jakob Webber would be the hero of the day though, as he hit a three run shot over the left field fence to bring the score to 4-0. Exuberant cheers flooded the grounds as he rounded the bases, and his teammates received him back into the dugout with a round of back pats. Meanwhile, Bauscland's pitching continued to frustrate the opposition, with Joshua Metz pitching 5 and 1/3 innings before giving up a run. Christian Voigt would come into relieve him, and would pitch until the 9th, giving up only 1 more run in the 8th. However, another RBI single by Johnson would put the game out of reach for the opposition, and Oswald would record the save. Metz would be credited with the win, and Bauscland's record would go to 2-0 as they took to the road again.

Match Day 3

Bauscland                                0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 1  6
Nassau-Hessen                            0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  3

Bauscland's third game against Nassau-Hessen was quite a back and forth contest. Bauscland initially got off to a good start, with 2 runs being scored in the 3rd by Michael Carrick (who started for Ian Wolffe in left field) and Norman Kelzenburg, but a 3-run home run would be given up by the starter David Keller in the 5th, making it a 2-3 game in favour of Nassau-Hessen. The next inning, Bauscland would bring in the right-handed Oliver van der Graaf to relieve Keller, who'd recorded 5 strikeouts in his debut with the Athletics. Van der Graaf would stabilize Bauscland's defense, and Nassau-Hessen wouldn't be allowed any more runs for the remainder of the game. Bauscland's bats would come to save them in the latter part of the game, with 4 runs being scored from the 7th inning onward, allowing Bauscland to get the victory with a score of 6-3. Nathaniel Erikson would be brought in the 9th to close it out, and he did so with 3 consecutive strikeouts. Van der Graaf would be given the win, the second win given to a reliever this season for Bauscland.

Standings

Frenline Delpha Group                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Bauscland                                 3    3   0    13    6   +7     9
2 Frenline Delpha                           3    2   1    22   12  +10     6
3 Sacheyena                                 3    2   1    12   17   −5     6
4 Foodporn                                  3    1   2    11   14   −3     3
5 Sandberg                                  3    1   2    10   12   −2     3
6 Nassau-Hessen                             3    0   3     7   14   −7     0

Summary

The Athletics put on an impressive show in their opening set, and have come away with all 9 points. This can mostly be credited to their pitching and defense, which has only allowed 6 runs over the course of their first 3 games,the fewest in their group so far. However, Bauscland's offense has certainly been able to pull through for them when they are needed, scoring 13 runs. This is second only behind Frenline Delpha, who has scored an impressive 22 runs in their first 3 games. Bauscland will face them in their 5th game of the season after playing Sacheyena. It is expected that Bauscland may beat Sachenaya, who has given up the most runs of any team so far with 17. The Anacondas will be a different story though, will Bauscland's stalwart defense be enough to counter the bats of the projected favourite? With the left-handed Harrison Marshall starting that game, it may come down to simply limiting mistakes. After this, Bauscland will face off against Sandberg again, who has struggled to get any kind of momentum for themselves at this point. But, while Bauscland may be leading the Frenline Delpha Group for now, they must continue to remain on top of their game to move on to the postseason. However, the Athletics can rest easy knowing that they have the prayers and confidence of all Bausclanders behind them throughout this season. May the Athletics find success this year, and may these men continue to represent Bauscland well!

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

"So, what was your first contact with baseball, sir?"
Eric Kirk sat on a comfy couch in the middle of an interview room. It had been almost a year since the gateway to their dimension opened, hidden away at the Digital Gateway facilities.
He rose an eyebrow. "What're you talking about, son? Baseball is a family sport, you grow up with it!"
The reporter sighed. "Sir, I'm sorry but I'm sure there had to be some sort of major interaction at some point that made you get to this point, managing the Sunrisian baseball team."
The old man laughed a bit. "Well, kiddo, maybe you should've told me that before shooting that question!"
Eric didn't notice the reporter sighing again, starting his story out. "Well, I think I remember exactly the day I chose my profession."

---

1974.
While this universe's Northern Sunrise celebrated its' fourth-year anniversary, Universe PTO016 saw the Northern Sunrisians celebrate loudly a hundred years of history.
Sadly, the nation's past-time would not be celebrated in style at the capital.
Mardi, the Rose of Arceusia Maior, had been locked out of the major league for a while now.
The last team to play out of Mardi at the Sunrisian Baseball League had left for Mazini decades earlier after baseball on Mardi just didn't seem to fly.
Baseball would be picked up and dropped a couple of times as the years went by at the capital.
Several teams would be formed at Mardi and several teams would either fold or move out.
Mardi City was said to be the highest estate for any prospective teams, yet no one could really manage it.

A young Eric sat at one of the stadium's many chairs.
The game was between the Malstrom District Mariners and the Mardi City Mardinians for the Mardi Island League.
Both teams were rather young, the Mardinians were playing their first of four seasons they'd last.
And then there he was.

Don't you ever be sad,
Lean on me when times are bad

Clad in the Mardinians' purple and gold blinding combo, he took a couple of swings on a separate part of the field.
The players of both sides were being introduced by their positions.
Eric couldn't help but notice.

When the day comes and you're down,
In a river of trouble and about to drown

The gold number 43 glued on his tucked-up shirt.
The name probably won't be known by the Sunrisian Championship, later nsi.baseball aficionados.
But any person that lived at Mardi knew that guy.
The name on the shirt?
Soulman.
The usually massive Afro covered by a hitters helmet usually gave it away as well.
"Soulman" Tyrone Jackson, born out of Tivoli was a baseball journeyman.
While never really accomplishing any run on the major leagues of the Sunrises, he was usually seen at the indies or rogue leagues, making a buck or two.

I'm on my way, your lover.
If you get cold I'll be your cover.

The PA system loudly noted his name as the Soulman danced his way to where he should be.
The first swinger of the Mardinians.
Tyrone loved Mardi, the Capital City was good for a buzz and normally tons of fun.
Plus, things were never expensive or closed there.
He took a couple of swings again, finishing his ritual with a brief spit to the side.
His eyes weren't fierce, but rather loose, seemingly not paying attention.
Maybe he wanted to catch the pitcher off guard.

Don't have to worry `cause I'm here,
No need to suffer baby, I'm here.

The pitcher took a deep breath.
A Fastball pitch.
Almost instantly, Soulman switched.
He hit the ball hard.

Just hold on, I'm comin',
Hold on, I'm comin'.
Hold on, I'm comin',
Hold on, I'm comin'

The outfielders scrambled, the ball rolled on its' own through the field.
Jackson strutted, taking his time.
A true showman, if anything, walking past the bewildered infielders.
He even clapped a bit every now and then, an act that the crowd would slowly follow.
The truth was, like it or not, Tyrone Jackson was no weak player.
He lived to play ball, while not taking anything out of his usual shenanigans.
And that night, he'd make the Reds take a good lesson on how it was supposed to be done.

By the fifth inning, things already looked bleak for Maelstrom as the home side held a 12-0 lead.
The crowd pondered whether they should stay, the game was pretty much won.
It was usual for these leagues to have blow-out games if one or two players were good enough to do so and Mardi's star had already guided them there.
Eric's father, John, had to work the following day.
The young boy insisted to stay.
And after a lot of talking, Eric looked to the field one last time.
A Home Run hit.
And it was coming his way!

Just hold on, I'm comin',
Hold on, I'm comin'
Just hold on,don't you worry, I'm comin',(here ya come)
Hold on, I'm comin'

Among many hands, Eric managed to catch the ball.
He noticed a figure clapping on the distance.
Soulman.
...
Godspeed, Soulman.

---

"I tried playing baseball, but I found to be a good coach. Even won a Sunrisian Championship with the Foresters." Eric noted.
The reported nodded.
"Godspeed, Soulman. Godspeed."

[Frenline Delpha]

World Baseball Classic 39
The Colossal Champions Cup

We move on to the second song in the psyche of Justin. May I introduce you to a song that goes well with any WW2 documentary, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.

[South Yerfilag]

The Hicks Diaries
Part 1

Is This A Honeymoon Or A Hassle?

You know, I didn't take this job solely on a conflict of interest. Yes, I do love my new husband very much. He was a great fielder when he played in the WBC. But I'd appreciate it if the media, and especially the players, didn't play this up so much.

Matt's doing a good job out there, coaching our people. The SYBSA approves of him, too. But we've got a big problem. We just lost 2 big games in our group. At least we play everyone in our group 3 times. But we're the highest-ranked team in our group, and already, the sputter start is giving our people jitters.

We were knocked out in the group stage last time. Do we even have a prayer anymore? Or are we predestined to fail until we're a veteran team that sinks into oblivion?

[Frenline Delpha]

World Baseball Classic 39
The Colossal Champions Cup

Match Day 4

Frenline Delpha Group
Frenline Delpha                          0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Foodporn                                 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 X  3

Nassau-Hessen                            0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Sandberg                                 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 X  4

Sacheyena                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Bauscland                                0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  1

Super-Llamaland Group
Super-Llamaland                          0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1  4
Empire of Cats                           2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3  6

Acapais                                  0 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 0  6
The Serbian Empire                       0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0  5

Tomikosan                                0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Abanhfleft                               2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  3

Schiltzberg Group
Schiltzberg                              1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0  6
Furbish Islands                          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2

Ko-oren                                  0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
West Saintland                           1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  5

Unified Sunrise Islands                  0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0  3
Aupti                                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Darmen Group
Darmen                                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Kecrazia                                 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  4

Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0  4
Yesopalithia                             0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Ethane                                   2 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0  6
Cosumar                                  0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

Gregoryisgodistan Group
Gregoryisgodistan                        0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  6
Scootalove City                          2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  5

Lisianski                                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
South Yerfilag                           1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 X  4

Vermont of America                       0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
Free Republics                           2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 X  4

Zwangzug Group
Zwangzug                                 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  6
Hicanans in Exile                        0 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 X  7

-Anthor-                                 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1  4
Islana Lunigo                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  3

Elgenstad                                0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Nova Anglicana                           0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 X  3

Newmanistan Group
Newmanistan                              0 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 0  6
Flardania                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2  3

Musterfield                              1 0 3 2 0 2 0 0 0  8
United States of Devonta                 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  4

Nuevo Constancia                         1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Maklohi Vai                              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Cassadaigua Group
Cassadaigua                              3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  5
West Phoencia                            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  4

Anglatia                                 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
New Lusitania and Algarves               0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  4

Mount Pleasent                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drawkland                                0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Match Day 5

Frenline Delpha Group
Bauscland                                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Frenline Delpha                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2  5

Sandberg                                 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Sacheyena                                0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 X  3

Foodporn                                 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Nassau-Hessen                            1 0 4 1 0 1 0 0 X  7

Super-Llamaland Group
Abanhfleft                               0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0  4
Super-Llamaland                          0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 3  7

The Serbian Empire                       4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  5
Tomikosan                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Empire of Cats                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Acapais                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 X  5

Schiltzberg Group
Aupti                                    0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 2  5
Schiltzberg                              2 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 X  6

West Saintland                           0 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 3  9
Unified Sunrise Islands                  0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2

Furbish Islands                          7 2 0 0 0 10 1 0 0 20
Ko-oren                                  1 3 0 0 0  0 0 0 1  5

Darmen Group
Cosumar                                  0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2
Darmen                                   0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  3

Yesopalithia                             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ethane                                   3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  4

Kecrazia                                 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  4
Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      2 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 X  7

Gregoryisgodistan Group
Free Republics                           0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2
Gregoryisgodistan                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

South Yerfilag                           1 2 0 1 0 1 4 0 0  9
Vermont of America                       0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1  5

Scootalove City                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Lisianski                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Zwangzug Group
Nova Anglicana                           0 0 3 0 0 0 6 0 1 10
Zwangzug                                 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2

Islana Lunigo                            0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Elgenstad                                2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  3

Hicanans in Exile                        0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
-Anthor-                                 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 X  3

Newmanistan Group
Maklohi Vai                              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Newmanistan                              0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 X  4

United States of Devonta                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Nuevo Constancia                         0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Flardania                                0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Musterfield                              0 0 2 2 0 1 3 0 X  8

Cassadaigua Group
Drawkland                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Cassadaigua                              0 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 X  6

New Lusitania and Algarves               2 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 11
Mount Pleasent                           0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

West Phoencia                            0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1  5
Anglatia                                 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  3

Match Day 6

Frenline Delpha Group
Frenline Delpha                          1 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 0  7
Nassau-Hessen                            0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  3

Foodporn                                 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  4
Sacheyena                                0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2

Sandberg                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Bauscland                                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  1

Super-Llamaland Group
Super-Llamaland                          1 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0  5
Acapais                                  0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2

Empire of Cats                           0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  4
Tomikosan                                0 0 1 0 3 3 0 0 X  7

The Serbian Empire                       1 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 2  9
Abanhfleft                               0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Schiltzberg Group
Schiltzberg                              0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
Ko-oren                                  0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 X  3

Furbish Islands                          1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Unified Sunrise Islands                  0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 X  4

West Saintland                           0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  5
Aupti                                    1 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  7

Darmen Group
Darmen                                   0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 X  4

Kecrazia                                 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Ethane                                   3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  4

Yesopalithia                             0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Cosumar                                  0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 X  2

Gregoryisgodistan Group
Gregoryisgodistan                        0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Lisianski                                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Scootalove City                          2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  3
Vermont of America                       0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 X  7

South Yerfilag                           0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2
Free Republics                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Zwangzug Group
Zwangzug                                 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2  4
-Anthor-                                 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Hicanans in Exile                        0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0  4
Elgenstad                                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Islana Lunigo                            0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  4
Nova Anglicana                           0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 X  6

Newmanistan Group
Newmanistan                              0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 0  5
Musterfield                              0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6  7

Flardania                                1 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 10
Nuevo Constancia                         0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

United States of Devonta                 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 1  6
Maklohi Vai                              0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3  4

Cassadaigua Group
Cassadaigua                              0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Anglatia                                 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3  5

West Phoencia                            2 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0  7
Mount Pleasent                           0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 1  6

New Lusitania and Algarves               0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  4
Drawkland                                2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  5

Standings

Frenline Delpha Group                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Bauscland                                 6    5   1    18   11   +7    15
2 Frenline Delpha                           6    4   2    36   21  +15    12
3 Sacheyena                                 6    3   3    17   23   −6     9
4 Foodporn                                  6    3   3    19   25   −6     9
5 Sandberg                                  6    2   4    15   18   −3     6
6 Nassau-Hessen                             6    1   5    19   26   −7     3

  Super-Llamaland Group                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Tomikosan                                 6    4   2    23   18   +5    12
2 Super-Llamaland                           6    3   3    28   28    0     9
3 Acapais                                   6    3   3    26   29   −3     9
4 Empire of Cats                            6    3   3    20   25   −5     9
5 The Serbian Empire                        6    3   3    30   21   +9     9
6 Abanhfleft                                6    2   4    28   34   −6     6

  Schiltzberg Group                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Schiltzberg                               6    5   1    42   22  +20    15
2 West Saintland                            6    4   2    32   24   +8    12
3 Unified Sunrise Islands                   6    4   2    20   27   −7    12
4 Furbish Islands                           6    2   4    32   23   +9     6
5 Ko-oren                                   6    2   4    20   39  −19     6
6 Aupti                                     6    1   5    17   28  −11     3

  Darmen Group                            Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Ethane                                    6    6   0    37   16  +21    18
2 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics       6    4   2    34   23  +11    12
3 Kecrazia                                  6    3   3    25   21   +4     9
4 Cosumar                                   6    3   3    21   20   +1     9
5 Yesopalithia                              6    1   5    10   23  −13     3
6 Darmen                                    6    1   5     7   31  −24     3

  Gregoryisgodistan Group                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 South Yerfilag                            6    4   2    26   19   +7    12
2 Free Republics                            6    4   2    20   19   +1    12
3 Gregoryisgodistan                         6    4   2    23   15   +8    12
4 Scootalove City                           6    3   3    22   20   +2     9
5 Vermont of America                        6    2   4    22   29   −7     6
6 Lisianski                                 6    1   5    11   22  −11     3

  Zwangzug Group                          Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                            6    6   0    36   16  +20    18
2 Elgenstad                                 6    4   2    24   15   +9    12
3 -Anthor-                                  6    3   3    16   20   −4     9
4 Hicanans in Exile                         6    3   3    21   25   −4     9
5 Islana Lunigo                             6    1   5    16   24   −8     3
6 Zwangzug                                  6    1   5    20   33  −13     3

  Newmanistan Group                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Musterfield                               6    4   2    36   28   +8    12
2 United States of Devonta                  6    4   2    30   30    0    12
3 Nuevo Constancia                          6    3   3    22   37  −15     9
4 Newmanistan                               6    3   3    30   23   +7     9
5 Maklohi Vai                               6    2   4    22   22    0     6
6 Flardania                                 6    2   4    30   30    0     6

  Cassadaigua Group                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 West Phoencia                             6    5   1    32   20  +12    15
2 New Lusitania and Algarves                6    4   2    39   27  +12    12
3 Cassadaigua                               6    4   2    24   18   +6    12
4 Drawkland                                 6    3   3    22   26   −4     9
5 Anglatia                                  6    2   4    11   17   −6     6
6 Mount Pleasent                            6    0   6    10   30  −20     0

[West Phoencia]

The West Phoenician Confederates continue to lead in there groupings after 3 more matches with only 1 little hiccup.

On match day 4 West Phoenicia came up against Cassadaigua, losing 4-5 against a team the Confederates have not come up against before. The lost being caused by a run scored at the top of the 7th in the form of a home run, after pitcher Cliff Samuels pitched three balls before succumbing to a power hit by a Cassadaigua player.

On match day 5 West Phoenicia fought back beating Anglatia 5-3.

On match day 6 West Phoenicia easily dominated the game against Mount Pleasant 7-6. There overconfidence led the Confederates to underestimate Mount Pleasant nearly causing them to win if it had not been for fierce pitching at the bottom of the 9th.


After day 6 West Phoenicia stands at 5 Wins-1 Loss. West Phoenicia plans not to cave an issue that occurs when they are in the lead and more focused on staying there than avoiding little mistakes they make which leads to major consequences.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

DISSECTING PERFECTION

by Brianne Henry,

The World Baseball Classic is six games in, and Newmanistan stands at 3-3 in a group named for them. This is a clear case of underachieving, and the Rockets need to pick up the level of play because eventually the other top teams in this group will do the same thing. It’s early in the standings, and you know the creme will rise to the top and the snowflakes will melt to the bottom in the long run. The problem is, we need to wake up before Maklohi Vai does. To top it off, Cassadaigua has bragging rights on us right now and that alone must stop! For now, I am going to take a break from all the paranoid analysis and focus on the special performance that Courtney Duvall had in becoming the third pitcher in Newmanistanian history to throw either a no-hitter or a perfect game. The other two, well, they had groups named after them in the last Classic: Stacey Keisler and Jessica Brasfield. Courtney Duvall, now 2-0 after being the winning pitcher over Maklohi Vai, breaks down her perfect game.

Henry: Courtney, first of all, congratulations!

Duvall: Thank you, very much!

Henry: It is a pretty special feat to open up qualifying for the Classic with a perfect game. Tell me about the start of the day. Were you in the zone, like other players will talk about?

Duvall: I was ready to play. I spent the night watching some college basketball, actually, to get my mind off of pitching. You never want to overthink your next start, I never do. That’s when mistakes happen. So, I was just watching some college basketball and thinking about what is going through the minds of our players in the NSCAA tournament. I’ve gotten to know a few of the players from Loudon Empire University, since they come to support our Loudon Leopards.

Henry: They did not start all that well.

Duvall: It’s a tough tournament. But you have to give them credit, they have not backed down to playing some of the best teams that the world has to offer.

Henry: Back to baseball, so when you woke up that morning, how’d you feel?

Duvall: Pumped up, definitely. That’s just because it’s time for the World Baseball Classic again, and we expect to make it to Frenline Delpha. We’ve played a few games now and know we need to better. We are overall confident though that things will work themselves out over the long haul in the group standings.

Henry: It wasn’t anything about Musterfield specifically?

Duvall: No, not at all. Looks like they have used their reality check they got in the opener to their benefit, but again, we’ll be fine.

Henry: What did you think about their players?

Duvall: Well, about their players, I thought that (THE ROCKET REPORT APOLOGIZES FOR THIS INAUDIBLE PART OF THE INTERVIEW)!’

Henry (laughing hysterically): Yeah, I thought that too.

Duvall (laughing): Additionally, I felt that their hitters (AGAIN INAUDIBLE, WE APOLOGIZE).

Henry (continues to laugh): Yeah, I agree with that. It was clearly a dominating performance on your end.

Duvall: Thank you.

Henry: Coach Stevens opted to skip over your Leopards teammate Tara McIntyre to pitch you against Maklohi Vai. Were you surprised by that?

Duvall: The schedule is different this classic then the last classic, given the amount of teams per group. Every start of mine would have been against Musterfield, and coach realized that it would make more sense to be matching me up against Maklohi Vai. In the last classic, the amount teams in the group were different, so it was a different opponent each time you were out there if you followed the standard rotation.

Henry: It’s not a typically common move for a Newmanistanian international coach, though it has happened. Did it help that this could be a straight Loudon Leopards move? Since coach Stevens is also your coach in Loudon, and Tara is a teammate in Loudon.

Duvall: Yes it did, I don’t think this happens if it wasn’t something we were already used to doing between the three of us at home.

Henry: Against Maklohi Vai, another dominating start, but you allowed a hit in the third inning.

Duvall: And it went a long way!

Henry: That it did. In a way, was the home run a good thing so you could think about pitching and not how many consecutive batters you retired?

Duvall: Yes and no. No, because my focus was fine. Yes, because there is not a pitcher in this world who isn’t counting in their head at that point how many batters in a row they are up to, whether they admit it or not!

Henry: Eventually, you got some run support, and turn in the complete game victory. 18 innings, three hits, one run, 28 strikeouts. Not to shabby, Courtney.

Duvall: Thank you.

Henry: You realize this is putting you in Stacey Keisler territory when considering your last Classic.

Duvall: I suppose, but until I win a title, she is still much better.

Henry: How close are the Rockets? Despite the 3-3 record, to another title?

Duvall: We’re in the conversation, but that’s about it. Still have a way to go.

Henry: Unfortunately, we are out of time. Good luck in your next start.

Duvall: Thank you! Hopefully, we will have three wins to talk about in our next report.

Henry: You better, or else, we’re going to have to sacrifice a snake.

[Abanhfleft]

Lex Talionis, Part Forty-four

Fonteville Street
Alery, Patierre

Nobody really thought it weird that two women who looked like they were tough bitches had decided to rent just one apartment for themselves. These things happened, and people would be and were better off just accepting the fact and not questioning it. As it were, even though both women had admitted to being homosexual (although they didn’t say anything to the people running this apartment) having one apartment to themselves was the furthest thing from their minds when they made the deal to rent the place. They were staying in the same place for mutual protection, as these two women were actually members of the Huns Motorcycle Club of Abanhfleft and were currently waging a war with the Corsairs, formerly of Abanhfleft as well and currently of Anglatia and Patierre. The Huns had just struck the first blow and reignited the gang war between them and the Corsairs by blowing up a whole bunch of the Anglatian bikers on Jardineaux Street in Alery and knew that the Corsairs were looking to get their revenge immediately after. The Huns had finally moved out of their initial headquarters in the Port of Alery, established a new clubhouse in Borde Street in which they had based their newest chapter, the first in Patierre, and they were now spreading themselves out so that they didn’t get all taken out by the Corsairs in one fell swoop when the counterattack inevitably came.

The tall woman riding the black motorcycle with muted red pinstripes, the only modification and customization that she had allowed on her bike, parked the bike in the parking lot immediately in front of the building where she had rented the apartment alongside her fellow Hun and friend. This was Countess, and she had just come back from an extended war council with Attila and the other high-ranking Huns back in the Borde Street clubhouse. They all knew that the Corsairs would make their move against them soon after the attack on Jardineaux Street. They had run over all of the possibilities and tried to come up with all sorts of contingencies for when the next attack against them came, but in the end they all knew that all plans went out of the window as soon as they made first contact with the enemy, and all they could do was to come up with ways to react to an attack without getting themselves all killed. It had been an exhausting session, and Countess was more than glad to finally crash on the bed waiting for her upstairs and call it a day even though the new day had already started three hours ago.

Countess looked to her side and saw that Kid’s bike was already parked here as well. She knew it was Kid’s bike because of the green spider webs painted on the front wheel guard and fuel tank, the only real decoration which she could see on the bike, and because the green was of a muted hue which only a dedicated Hun, who abhorred the heavy and flashy customization and modification which the Corsairs favored on their bikes, would choose. Countess turned off her bike, kicked out the stand and let it lean, and then she stood up, took her keys, and walked towards the apartment. She greeted the sleeping night watchman with barely a wave of her hand and she went right for the stairs as the elevator had been taped off as being under repair with no clear date as to its return to service. Countess climbed up to the third floor on the stairs and walked to the apartment at the end of the hallway where she fully expected Kid to be sleeping off the celebrations of the attack on Jardineaux Street and the establishment of the first Patierre chapter of the Huns last night. Countess took the keys to the apartment, unlocked the door, and opened it, expecting to see Kid sleeping off her hangover on the couch or one of the two beds in the apartment, but when she went in, Countess noticed that the whole place appeared deserted. She and Kid had already checked out the place before last night when they made the reservation but there was no human presence to be found in here tonight. Countess wasn’t too alarmed about this discovery yet but her gut was telling her that she should be worried at this point.

As soon as she heard the first light footstep, Countess swiftly turned around to face the incoming threat. Her SIG Sauer pistol was already in her hand and she fired three rounds point-blank into the approaching figure’s chest. The figure staggered back with the impact of the three bullets and he collapsed on the ground inside the apartment. Countess could see that even though the figure wore body armor, the kinetic impact of the bullets were still enough to knock the wind out of him. Countess knelt on the man’s stomach and aimed her gun at his face, which was covered by tinted goggles, a balaclava, and a Kevlar helmet. “Who are you, what do you want, and where have you taken Kid?” she demanded.

The man, who was very obviously military based on his attire, didn’t say anything, only continued to breathe short sips of air through his balaclava as he struggled to re-inflate his lungs following the bruising surely caused by the three rounds from Countess’ gun. Countess was so focused on getting answers from this man that she didn’t hear the other soft footfalls coming from the hallway. Suddenly Countess’ eyes rolled back into her head and she fell right beside the first masked attacker. Another masked person stood over Countess’ unconscious form and checked her pulse, which was still strong. This figure then walked to the first masked figure and held out a hand. “Are you okay?” she asked in a surprisingly feminine voice.

“I’ll be all right,” the first masked man replied. “Thank God for body armor, yes? That bitch moved so quick I didn’t get to do anything on her. If it weren’t for my armor I’d probably be dead already. And I don’t know if she could have done anything worse to me if you hadn’t come in like you did.”

“Well, you can count your lucky stars that I came as your backup tonight,” the masked woman said. “So, is this her? Is this our target?”

“Yeah, that’s her, all right,” the man said, massaging his chest even as he stood up to examine Countess’ unconscious form. “Esperanza Palafox of Riuwiee, Abanhfleft. Our Corsair friends were right on the money. We’ve got her, and we’ve got her friend Hannah Lawrence as well. Now what are we supposed to do with them now that we have them?”

“Remember the deal,” the woman said. “We are to give these two women to the Corsairs, specifically that young man named Lucio who says that he has something special planned for these two women.”

“Ah, I know how these bikers think,” the man said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near them when they do this special surprise on these women.”

Nine hours later

The biker known as Attila glanced at his wristwatch for what had to be the thousandth time today as he raced across the city of Alery towards Fonteville Street. He was rushing because he had just received a text message from Countess asking for some help in some trouble that she and Kid had had to deal with. Attila knew that both Countess and Kid could handle themselves in a fight so if they were asking for his help then they must be in some pretty deep shit. This only made Attila gun the accelerator a little bit harder even as he knew that he was already running his bike pretty much on the line. A little modification like a tuned engine and a nitrous oxide feed would get him to Fonteville Street much faster, but the thought of modifying his bike never entered into Attila’s mind. He would never stoop so low as to want to trick out his bike even in his mind, even when lives could be on the line. It was a principle which all Huns held to their hearts in order to differentiate themselves from the Corsairs and the other biker gangs running around the multiverse.

Attila finally arrived at the apartment on Fonteville Street where Countess and Kid were staying now that the Huns had publicly revealed their presence in Alery. He drove right into the parking lot, parked his bike beside those of Countess and Kid with their muted red pinstripes and subdued green spider webs and ran right up to the entrance. He didn’t greet the day watchman, just as sound asleep as the night watchman had been when Countess went through these same doors just a few hours ago. Attila cursed the sign which said that the elevator was out of service and ran for the stairs, taking them two steps at a time even though he knew he was going to be trading energy for speed.

Attila finally arrived at the third floor and steadied himself at the mouth of the hallway, both to catch his breath and to get a better view of the situation. He saw nothing and heard nothing stirring or moving in the hallway, so he took out his gun from his shoulder holster and cautiously proceeded down the hallway and towards Countess and Kid’s apartment at the end of it. When he reached the door, Attila saw that it was unlocked. He pushed the door gently, bracing himself for the possibility of gunfire sounding out once the door began to move. As the door swung open Attila didn’t immediately proceed inside in case an ambush was waiting for him. Attila took the doormat under his feet and kicked it into the apartment, waiting for the first gunshot fired in reaction to the movement. When no gunshot came, Attila gave himself one more minute before fully committing himself and entering the apartment.

There was no one inside, not Countess or Kid or anyone else. It was just Attila inside. Still, he had to check. Attila checked every room, every nook and cranny with the ease of a professional until he was absolutely and positively sure that there was no one inside the apartment, and only then did Attila lower his gun. “What the hell is going on here?” he muttered to himself as the strangeness of the whole situation began to sink in to him. Where the hell were Countess and Kid? The last text from Countess said that she and Kid needed help here. But where were they? They were nowhere to be seen.

“Countess!” Attila called out. “Kid! Anyone home? Anyone here?”

Attila went into the bedroom where two beds lay made and still waiting for their occupants. He didn’t see it the first time, and it was only after this more in-depth investigation of the bedroom that Attila was able to spot the card lying on one of the beds. On the front of the card were two simple words written in black ink: TO ATTILA. Fighting the instinct to shiver after the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, Attila turned the card over to read the message on the back.

So you want to play games, Huns? Well, here’s a game we’d like to play with you: try to find your two girlfriends Countess and Kid before we kill them. Oh, wait, you can’t do that because not only do you Huns not know where they are but you’ll never be able to find them before we kill them, which we will do at midnight tonight. Enjoy your stay here in Patierre because after we’re done with your girls, we, the Corsairs are going to send all of you back to Riuwiee in matchboxes.

The message was not signed, but Attila recognized the handwriting as similar to the Hun traitor Isko Riviero, and it wasn’t too much of a leap to believe that this was written by Isko’s kid Lucio. Attila had heard rumors from the rest of the Huns that Lucio Riviero wanted to strike back at the people directly responsible for his father’s death, and he had soon settled his targets on the four women who had torn Isko Riviero apart during that cold December night in Riuwiee all those months ago: Countess, Kid, Steeler, and Sneaky. So the Wannabes had finally managed to get their hands on Countess and Kid. It was perhaps only a matter of time now before they found ways to kidnap Steeler and Sneaky as well, and Attila immediately called those two women and told them to regroup at the Borde Street clubhouse with Burrito and wait for him there.

So this was how the Corsairs wanted to take their next move, Attila thought to himself as he held Lucio Riviero’s message in his hand. They were going to kill two Huns in revenge for all the Corsairs and Bravos who were taken out in the bombing of Jardineaux Street, and also to avenge Isko Riviero. As fury built up in Attila’s head, his hand crumpled the cardboard on which Lucio had taunted him and the rest of the Huns. It was exactly twelve noon now. Attila looked at his watch yet again. He had just about twelve hours left to foil the Corsairs’ plan to execute Countess and Kid. He was confident with those odds.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Lucio,” Attila said to nobody in particular. “Now you’re all going to feel the real wrath of the Huns.”

Eight hours later

It took them eight hours to find someone who might have an idea on where the Corsairs could be hiding Countess and Kid in preparation for executing them at midnight tonight, but they had finally done it. Using his new contacts with the Goths and the surviving remnants of the Gold Hands and the New Democratic Forces (the two forces responsible for instigating the latest Patierre Insurgency), all of whom were looking for chances to strike at the Corsairs after the latter’s role in bringing down their insurgency, Attila and the rest of the Huns were able to determine the path which a particular high-ranking Bravo, the local Corsair affiliate, would take while making his rounds around the city. For this particular operation Attila had taken Burrito, Steeler, and Sneaky with him. They were the highest-ranking Huns in Patierre after him and all of them also knew, if they weren’t exactly friends with, Countess and Kid. Even Steeler, who had had her doubts about the legitimacy of Kid when she first joined the Huns, had to admit that Kid had now become an invaluable member of the MC and that her loss would cut them all deeply.

So Attila, Burrito, Steeler, and Sneaky had intercepted one Jean-Philippe Tricot as the Bravo drove down the coastal highway linking Alery to Syhaux and Saint Rainier. In doing that they had damaged Tricot’s bike and run him off the road at almost the same place where the Huns had intercepted that Bravo courier carrying the plans to deal with the insurgency based in Alery University. Once the Bravo knew that there was nothing to be gained by fighting back a black sack was thrown over his head and he was shoved into the back of an unmarked van where he was taken to an unspecified location wholly controlled by the Huns.

Jean-Philippe Tricot blinked his eyes as the black sack was removed from over his head and yellowing light from an old incandescent bulb shone directly into his eyes. Once he had blinked away the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes he looked around the place where he was being held. It looked like he was inside an old wooden barn for he could see bales of hay and some farming equipment on the walls of the place. A thin man with a narrow and severe face and a fat man wearing a plaid shirt with its sleeves cut off stared back at him from across the light. The thin man stepped forward and addressed Tricot. “I don’t know if you know me, but I certainly do know you, my man,” he said. “Your name is Jean-Philippe Tricot and you are the president of the Borde Street chapter of the Bravos, or at least what’s left of it after the shit that happened in Borde Street during the Insurgency.”

“You’re wrong when you say that I don’t know you, Hun,” Tricot replied after he had finally worked away the gummy saliva stuck in his mouth after the few hours of him being stuck in a sack with only his breath and his thoughts for company. “You hide behind your road names, Hun, but we Bravos and Corsairs know everything there is to know about you. I know your road name is Attila,” he told the thin man, “but I also know that your real name is Daniel James Linkletter. And you there, fatso behind Daniel Linkletter, I know you both as Burrito and as Harlan Sanders Ott. You can hide behind your road names but there is no hiding from the Bravos and the Corsairs. We know everything about all of you who came here to Patierre from Riuwiee.”

“Yo, Burrito, does something feel wrong about this whole thing, man?” Attila asked Burrito, turning around to face the big man.

“Sure does, Attila, brother,” Burrito replied.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong with this whole thing?”

“Hang on, let me get a finger on it. Oh, yeah. This Bravo over here thinks that he’s still in control of this whole situation.”

“Is that so?” Attila turned back to face Tricot and walked over to him. Tricot tried to follow Attila but couldn’t because of the leather straps securing him to the barber’s chair on which he had been tied and bound. “Do you really think you’re in control of this whole situation, Jean-Philippe?” Attila asked him.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Tricot replied. “What I do know is that I know that you’re holding me because you think that I know where your girlfriends Countess, aka Esperanza Palafox, and Kid, aka Hannah Lawrence are. Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, Monsieur Linkletter, but I know nothing about those things.”

“That’s all right, bro,” Attila said. “I understand what you’re trying to say. You’re trying to tell me that I’m wasting my time squeezing you for intel when our time could be better spent getting gunned down by your fellow Bravos and Corsairs. Don’t worry. I totally understand where you’re coming from. If we, the Huns, took some of the Corsairs’ girls, say Scout Jonsdottir and Jessi Mariano, with the plan of killing them both at the stroke of midnight and you took me believing that I have knowledge as to their whereabouts then I wouldn’t say anything as well. In fact I personally would try to convince you guys to just give up looking and wait for daylight to shine upon the victims’ cold bodies. It’s just the price of business, my man.

“But here’s what you should know, Jean-Philippe,” Attila said, whirling around so that he and Tricot were now face-to-face with each other and could smell each other’s stinking breath. “When we ran you off the road and we got you into our van, you lost all right to yourself. We own you now, Jean-Philippe Tricot; your body and soul are ours for whatever the hell we want to do with it. Now, here’s the deal. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can avoid all the torture and pain and you might get the chance to shuffle off of this mortal coil with a quick bullet to the brain if you just answer one simple question.”

“I think I’ll take my chances with the pain and torture, Monsieur Linkletter,” Tricot said.

“All right, bro, if that’s how you want to play,” Attila muttered, turning away from Tricot. Then suddenly Attila was right in Tricot’s face shouting, “Where the hell are Countess and Kid?”

Tricot rocked back in his seat in surprise but he was able to control the surprised gasp threatening to escape from his throat. A quick shake of his head (not really easy to do what with his head bound to the chair by leather strips) and Tricot felt that he had control over himself once again. “I don’t know,” he hissed through his teeth.

“Where the hell are Countess and Kid!?” Attila repeated in a louder voice.

“I do not know, Monsieur Linkletter,” Tricot repeated. “Every moment you waste asking me a question to which I don’t know the answer is another moment in which your Countess and Kid are getting closer to their respective deaths.”

This time Attila grabbed the collars of Tricot’s shirt and practically screamed into his face. “Tell me where Hannah and Esperanza are, you worthless Wannabe sack of shit!”

This time Tricot actually managed a grin. “Go ahead, Hun, do your worst,” he taunted. “I won’t tell you anything. And even if you do manage to somehow break me and find out where your Hannah and Esperanza are then you will be too late. You will only be in time to see them bleeding on the floor with their throats cut like sacrificial animals. So go ahead, Hun. I have all day, and you don’t, and you know it.”

Attila let go of Tricot’s shirt with a snort of rage. His teeth were bared and his nostrils were flaring. It looked as if he was ready to just attack Tricot right then and there. But then Attila took hold of his own leather vest and adjusted it so that it fell more neatly over his shoulders. When he spoke, it was with a calm voice, one in which he had come to peace with his coming actions. “So you want to do it the hard way,” he said to Tricot. “I see. I understand. Well, then, in that case, Jean-Philippe, I want you to meet Steeler.” Attila snapped his fingers and Steeler stepped out of the shadows and into the yellow light of the incandescent bulb. “Steeler here got her road name not only because she’s a fan of the Steelers but also because let’s just say that she’s a fucking artist with a two-by-two steel bar. Jean-Philippe, I want you to get acquainted with her, shall we say, body of work. Steeler, work your magic on Monsieur Tricot right here.”

“I know who you are, Steeler,” Tricot said as Steeler approached him with a steel rod in her hands. “Your full name is Yvonne Karyn Gordon. You are the vice president of the Malvinas chapter of the Huns in Riuwiee, second in command of The Witch. Now there’s a Hun whose real name we don’t know, but we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Jean-Philippe Tricot,” Steeler said. “Attila has already introduced me so I won’t waste my spit on you. Burrito, help me out here. Lend me a hand.”

Burrito walked over to the chair where Tricot was bound and then did something with the mechanism so that Tricot was now on his back staring directly up at the wooden ceiling of the barn. “Stretch out his legs, Burrito,” Steeler commanded, and Tricot felt his legs being lifted up into the air supported only by two pieces of old metal. Tricot felt like he had been put in a position in which he was expected to give birth. Steeler then brandished the rod in her hand and waved it in front of Tricot’s face. “Don’t be afraid, Mr. Tricot,” she said. “I promise you that this will only hurt a lot.” Steeler then tapped the rod on Tricot’s left shin, and then with a grunt of effort Steeler brought down the rod on Tricot’s exposed shin. The crack of shattered bone was nauseating even for these hardened gangsters.

“Now will you tell me where Countess and Kid are?” Attila asked Tricot. The Bravo didn’t reply; instead he only let out a long keening scream.

“The other leg, Steeler!” Attila commanded, and Steeler walked over to Tricot’s right side and slammed down her rod on Tricot’s other shin as well. Tricot’s screaming only intensified in volume and frequency and was approaching the point where it was beginning to make the teeth in the back of Attila’s mouth squeal in tune as well and the light bulb looked ready to shatter. “Where are Countess and Kid?” Attila asked again. And yet again all Tricot could utter from his mouth was a long and unending scream.

Attila reached out for Tricot’s smashed legs and laid a hand on them. The Bravo whimpered in pain but kept his mouth shut nevertheless. “Dude, I know that breaking your leg takes an awful lot of time to heal, but I wonder what will happen if you break your broken leg again? Steeler, shall we find out?”

“With pleasure, Attila,” Steeler replied, and she raised her rod once again to strike.

“The university!” Tricot screamed. “Alery University! The Corsairs are holding them in Alery University!”

Attila looked at Steeler, who looked at Burrito, who looked back at Attila. Suddenly rescuing Countess and Kid from the clutches of the Corsairs just became a lot harder.