World Baseball Classic 42 Everything Thread

[Schiltzberg]

Internationally, Schiltzberg has made a name for itself for its sporting achievements. Although the nation has been known to participate in other sports also, Schiltzberg is most well known for its baseball program.

Domestic Sports
Domestically, Schiltzberg is home to the National Baseball League of Schiltzberg (NBLS), which is the most esteemed European baseball league. The NBLS is made up of twenty teams from all across Schiltzberg. The most famous of these teams is the Beyren Captains, who have won thirty-one titles, far more than any other team.

Prior to the NBLS, Schiltzberg had several leagues that failed. Schiltzberg’s first attempt at a professional league was the Schiltzberg League (SL), which lasted from 1901-1909. After nine seasons, the league folded due to lack of funding. Unfortunately, since there was not as much interest in Europe at the time for baseball compared to in the United States, so less fans came to see the games. Because of this, the teams had less money to pay the players, so all of the best players left to play in foreign leagues where they would receive higher pay. Because of this phenomenon, Schiltzberg struggled to maintain a strong domestic baseball league throughout all of the twentieth century.

It was over forty years before there was another attempt at a professional baseball league in Schiltzberg that could compete with the foreign leagues. In 1951, eight semi-professional Schiltzbergian teams agreed to go professional, creating the Professional League of Baseball in Schiltzberg (PLBS). The league struggled, and two of the teams folded after the first season, but several of the teams had deep-pocketed investors, which ultimately kept the league afloat. The PLBS had its ups and downs, and many baseball scholars do not consider it to be a true professional league, because the level of play was not always at the professional level, and even comical at times. The league had a lot of financial troubles, which forced them to declare bankruptcy in 1968, which ended up being the league’s final season.

After the PLBS folded, Schiltzberg’s baseball executives came together once again and founded a new league, the Schiltzberg Baseball Association (SBA) in 1969. Many of the same players and teams that had been left with nowhere to go when the PLBS collapsed joined the new league, and baseball resumed. This was considered the beginning of the “Modern Era” of baseball in Schiltzberg, because the SBA was much more organized and strict with its rules, which made it a much more professional league. On the surface, the league seemed to be doing exceptionally well, but financially, it still was not doing quite as well as it appeared to be doing. There was a slight drop in attendance in the mid-late 1990’s, and this created a financial issue for the league. In 1997, the league failed, and Schiltzberg was left without a domestic league.

Schiltzbergian baseball fans missed out on two baseball seasons, during a period of transition. Some leagues tried to get started, but the costs of starting up a league domestically was so expensive, since foreign leagues were now paying their players more than ever. In 1999, Grand Duke Lucas I announced that the government would be supporting and subsidizing a new domestic baseball league, called the National Baseball League of Schiltzberg. The league had its first season in 2000, and it successfully got on its feet, because it was government funded.

International Sports
In international sports, Schiltzberg is a major threat in baseball, considered one of the best in history. Since its debut season, Schiltzberg has dominated its competition in the World Baseball Classic, which is the most highly respected baseball tournament in the world.

Schiltzberg first joined the World Baseball Classic in WBC 33, sending its finest players to compete in international competition, which was unprecedented in Schiltzberg’s history. Many of the countries overlooked Schiltzberg as a minor threat, but the team quickly proved its dominance, finishing as champions of the tournament in their first season. No other team had won the World Baseball Classic in their debut since the very first season.

The WBC, Schiltzberg did not do quite as well, finishing in the Round of 16, which led many speculators to say that their victory in the previous season was a fluke. This was quickly forgotten though, because Schiltzberg went on to win three WBCs in a row after that. This made Schiltzberg only the second team in history to win three WBCs in a row, and they were tied for the most championships ever, holding four titles.

In the following seasons, Schiltzberg continued to do well, finishing in third place in WBCs 38 and 39, and finishing as runners-up in WBC 40. Schiltzberg held the title of being the number-one ranked team in the world from WBC 36-WBC 41, but they lost this after finishing WBC 41 with a disappointing Round of Sixteen finish.

Schiltzberg has been a member of the World Baseball Classic council and served as its headquarters from WBC 38-WBC40. When the council created the WBC Hall of Fame after WBC 38, Schiltzberg’s national team was in the first class of teams elected.

[Ferret Civilization]

Team Name            1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
New Jarwel           0  2  0  0  1  0  2  0  0   5
Ferret Civilization  0  0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0   3

Team Name            1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
New Jarwel           0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   1
Ferret Civilization  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  X   2

Team Name            1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
New Jarwel           0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  2   4
Ferret Civilization  0  0  0  1  0  0  2  0  0   3

The day would be rather dull for the team, nothing much new going on besides seeing how the other teams were fairing in the games. Even the games they played in for the day seemed slow and dull, leading to really close end game scores. Though looking back over scores that never really told the tale of what was going on during the games, and this time the tale was that is was a typical day with nothing special going on for them. In the end of it all they found themselves losing in two of the games but surprisingly winning one of them still. They felt like they were doing well for where they were at overall, it could have been worse, it also could have been better, just overall a very average day somehow.

That was not to say it was not fun, and it was a different experience still to have to go through, which was something. Just something to say the least of it all. Like reality, optimism, and pessimism all just had the day off.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

TDDROH Sports chat

Green means go




Results

Group 6:

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Hampton Island   1  0  3  2  0  0  0  0  0   6
Scootalove City  0  0  0  0  1  1  3  1  2   8

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 Total
Hampton Island   0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  1  0   3
Scootalove City  0  0  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  3   6

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Hampton Island   0  2  0  0  0  1  0  1  0   4
Scootalove City  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  4   6

                    G W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1            Banija 9 8 1 53 30 +23 0.889
2            Hicana 9 7 2 88 71 +17 0.778
3   Scootalove City 9 6 3 66 59  +7 0.667
4    Hampton Island 9 3 6 42 45  -3 0.333
5          Humaliwo 9 2 7 57 63  -6 0.222
6 DEAT By Chocolate 9 1 8 34 72 -38 0.111

I think the last series must have been a fluke.


'Super' Nova, never stop being amazing please. The three run homer in that extra innings game won us the game and that rbi from Rick 'God of Thunder' King tied up the game.

It's still early on in the WBC tournament, but two out of three sweeps so far are a good sign.

[Vangaziland]

Vangaziland went into it's toughest stretch of the tournament early, visiting the 6th ranked team at home. West Phoenicia looked to hopefully pull away with 3 clutch wins. Vangaziland entered ranked 3rd after Match 6. West Phoenicia and Lycrabon all shared a 4-2 record with the Royals. The Vangazi would hope to keep things close and not get swept. Falling behind early could be fatal.

Game 7
Vangaziland would be batting first for this away series. Pete Kelderssen was in danger of striking out when he hit a double off the left field wall. At the time it seemed like just another hit, but he soon found himself the go ahead run as Jacob Sren would single and get him to third. Chuck Endo would follow with a wrenching line drive up the middle that gave Kelderssen time to score.

That was all Vangaziland had for the inning, with pitcher Rich Kendrix striking out.

Kendrix soon found himself on the mound for Vangaziland. He lost Game 2 against Lycrabon and was facing a tough obstacle in tonight's opponent. The first inning soon fell. The Royals found themselves in a defensive clash as they just couldn't seem to get things going offensively. This forced Kendrix to pull through under extreme pressure.

In the 5th Inning, Kendrix found himself against Jacob Texas. The count was 3 balls and 2 strikes. It had been a long inning and runners were on second and third. A shot of the pitching coach showed him nervously chewing gum, but nobody was sent to the bullpen. A curveball broke, seeming like a fastball until the last minute.

The Phoenician batter swung out as far as he could, but couldn't make contact. Kendrix rode his fastball until the 8th inning, when closer Manny Mathissen took over. The Royals were fresh off Del Bjornberg's 9-inning shutout.

"I didn't mind being subbed out", Kendrix said post match. "Fatigue was becoming a factor. It was a good workout getting to that point."

Vangaziland snuck a win away from a Top 10 team's home stadium.

Game 8
Vangaziland once again scored a run in the first inning to open things up. Carlos Hernandez brought one run home with the bases loaded, in the inning's last move. West Phoenicia would answer with 2 runs in the bottom of the first. Pete Kelderssen would pick up an RBI single in the top of the second.

Starter Aron Mathissen, the closer's little brother, ran into a tough patch between the 4th and 5th innings which saw him replaced. Khris Olaf would give up another quick run in the 6th. Although Vangaziland had picked up a 3rd and 4th run in this stretch, the Phoenicians played a much neater game.

Pat Evenson botched a throw to second from a ground ball. He tried to jump while throwing, but aimed too high. It led to an error at second for Kelderssen who could only jump high enough to let the ball slap past the tip of his glove.

Khris Olaf would take this one to the end, not allowing the Phoenicians to run up the score. Vangaziland had opportunities at bat, but pitching got to them. The game would slip by 4-6.

Game 9
Nate Henli was up to pitch after losing his first game against Lycrabon. He came in throwing fast. It would catch some of the Phoenician batters off guard for much of the night, carrying Henli into the 7th. He gave up an early run in the bottom of the second. He clamped down soon afterwards and was doing well until giving up the late two.

Some analysts would later criticize Coach Don Haverly. They suggested he should have went to the bullpen earlier not just here, but in the two shutouts.

Deter J. Piff, co-host of sports talk show 'Last Minute' said, "the Coach is trusting too much and worrying about keeping the bullpen fresh. Use your bullpen. That's why they're there. There's no trusting in baseball. Don't wait until they give up two to make the sub."

Vangaziland has played the game with different relievers coming in around the 6th, 7th or 8th innings. It is the timing of the substitutions that concern a few in sports media. The team also had a reliable 'closer', which was out of the crossfires of this criticism, drawing high remarks.

"At the end of the day, the Royals are a developing team", said the show's other host Chip Maydress. "They did well to keep things close. If they want any chance of making the playoffs, they'll have to grind point by point, game by game. They managed a win against a tough team at their garden. As a Vannish fan, I feel good about how this series went. We hope for more when the series comes to VannBank FieldHutt. But this was a close series."

The Royals will next face 20th ranked Devonta back on home grounds.

[Fungsland]

A Sluggish Start With a Ray of Hope Featured Article 1 of The Fungsland Sports Enquirer

Going into today, the Fungsland International Baseball Team (FIBT) were an abysmal 1-5 in the regular season and dead last in their group. Many sports analysts in the nation started to write off the FIBT as a team doomed to be a basement dweller compared to the rest of the league. FIBT was just unable to compete as a rookie team. Rumors were starting to go around that the head coach Ivan Greene would be fired if the team didn't start winning regularly. The team that they would be facing next was the Drawkian team, ranked #14 in the Classic and 2nd in the group. Surprisingly, the FIBT were able to sweep them with scores of 6-4, 9-4, and 3-1. This sweep was a shock to everyone in the nation and boosted confidence greatly. Now only time will tell if this was just a fluke, or a sign of things to come for the orginization.

This sweep is similar to the sweep Carstantinopipal had against Yoannes, but the opponent they sweep was already doing very poorly. Both teams are now 4-5, with Carstantinopipal's team placing 5th in their group and the FIBT placing 4th. Both leaders are hoping to have their team perform better than the other due to them both being in the same region.

[The Sherpa Empire]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dewa Liang passed a couple of people with a Tibetan flag and picket signs as he made his way up to Syangboche. There were only a handful of them this time, much fewer than there had been on the day of the first game against Tenburg, but they looked angry. He scowled at them and they scowled back. "Didn't you say you would stop protesting WBC games?" Dewa blurted out angrily. "INN put you on the evening news like they said they would."

"We aren't protesting because we want to be on the evening news!" one of the protesters said. "We're protesting because we want Tibet to be free!"

"Tibet has the same rights as everyone else," Dewa said.

"But it's not free!" the protester insisted. "We're not Sherpas; why should we let the Sherpa emperor tell us how to live?"

"Hey, you're Dewa Liang!" one of the other protesters said, apparently just now recognizing him.

"Yeah," said Dewa.

"Can I have your autograph? You're one of my favorite ballplayers! I love the Lamas!"

"If I give you an autograph, will go home and stop this protest nonsense?"

The protester thought about it for a moment and glanced uneasily at his companions, then said, "Yeah, OK."

"What????" said one of the other protesters.

"It's Dewa Liang!" said the one who had asked for the autograph. Dewa signed the man's Lhasa Lamas hat with a silver marker, and the protester thanked him.

The other protester was still complaining. "You're going to sell out our freedom over some stupid ballplayer? Unbelievable!"

"Yeah, well, I gotta go," said Dewa. "Bye." He walked away toward the park, and he was relieved to see the protester whose hat he'd signed walking away in the opposite direction. The other protesters called after the one with the Lamas hat, but he didn't come back.

---

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

---

Tsheri Pham was warming up in the bullpen when he heard a commotion. He wasn't sure if the noise was coming from inside the park or the street outside. It was some distance away, but still close enough for the sound to be unmistakable. At first he tried to ignore it, but the noise continued, and he was getting distracted trying to figure out what it was. He asked the pitching coach and the other pitchers who were sitting nearby if one of them could go see what the noise was. Finjhok Chang and Jamling Ihawa agreed to investigate. They climbed into the stands and went up the stairs to the back of the stadium, where they could look down into the street outside. There weren't many fans in the stands yet, but they still passed a couple of people who looked excited just to be near them. A couple of little kids in Icefall Doctors T-shirts ran up the stairs after them to see where they were going. Some fans were already standing around the windows at the back of the stadium, watching the commotion in the street below. Jamling tapped one of them on the shoulder and asked, "What's going on out there?"

"It's some Free Tibet protesters," the man answered, then he did a double-take when he realized who he was talking to. "Jamling Ihawa!"

While the fans were distracted by Ihawa, Chang stuck his head out the window to see what was happening outside. There was debris strewn across the street like something had blown up, and clouds of white gas hung in the air. He looked down just in time to see a couple of police officers beating a protester with batons and hear the protester screaming. Ihawa took a glance over the coach's shoulder. "I thought those Free Tibet people agreed they were going to stop protesting our games," he said.

"Yeah," said Chang. "It doesn't look like there are a lot of them. I think most of them stopped and it's just a couple idiots with a deathwish out there now."

A gun went off outside and there was more screaming. People milled about and paramedics fought their way through the crowds to reach the wounded protesters. A few minutes later, the protesters were gone, loaded into police cars or ambulances, and the emergency vehicles departed the scene.

Chang and Ihawa decided not to tell the other pitchers about the shooting. When they got back to the bullpen, they just said that there had been a protest outside, but the police broke it up and everything was under control.

---

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

---

Imperial News Network didn't mention the protest at all. They just said the Sherpa national team had an exciting back and forth game and came from behind to win when Seojun Sherpa hit a 2 RBI double in the 12th inning.

---

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

STARTING TO FIND THE GROOVE

by Brianne Henry,


I was at the series between us and the Free Republics, and it was good to get back into baseball again. While ratings were down for the first six games, which were all on the road, ratings were actually up for the home opener. At least we know then, that our fans have not forgotten about the team. I do think that a big thing to blame is that many of our fans simply expect us to make the playoffs. We better, right? There’s nothing about the Rockets play through what is now nine games that suggest there is any reason to be concerned. Except maybe a run differential only at +8 through nine games. That’s a pretty interesting number, but for now, it’s 7-2 and on top of the group. It’s tight, but it’s better to be ahead, then to be behind. Plus, the Rockets do now have six of their nine games played between teams the three teams sitting there at 5-4. Theoretically, they should be fine over the next six, and maybe that is where we start to see that odd “Only a +8" statistic start to improve.

As Taylor Larson alluded to in her article in the last Rocket Report, there were plenty of festivities taking place, including His Highness, Emperor Michael V making a statement while standing behind home plate. He talked about how much it meant for him to see the Empire successfully take a title since our return, mentioning that Newmanistan was able to re-establish itself as one of the best nations in the world of sports outside of the one that requires kicking a ball into a goal. Following the World Baseball Classic title, our water polo players had an unlikely Baptism Of Water championship and then a semifinal appearance in the Water Polo Championships. Then, a stunning run to the World Bowl 34 Championship Game. That is a title that we had never won before, and while we still have never won it, that result continued to get our fans excited. It proves that we are once again able to be successful in sports. The Emperor hinted that there could be another big move to come in the future, and that has led to a lot of rumors. What else might he be planning? Is it a return to the World Cup? Newmanistan, in their first foray, debuted in World Cup 40. The upcoming world cup will be World Cup 80. Is it hockey related? Or something on a smaller scale. His Highness finished up his speech talking about how much sports has done for the Empire, since our return.

Coach Ashley Stevens received a unique plaque with her name on it as well as a unique portrait of herself and legendary Newmanistanian manager Christina Sanders, who led the team to the prior four World Baseball Classic titles. Players from the team received ceremonial rings, as they actually already had their official ring. Then, the pennant for the title was revealed on the outfield wall. In a way, it was fitting that the Free Republics were the opponent for this game, since that is where this year’s championship will be decided. Perhaps it will be Newmanistan again, but whoever it will be, this could be a precursor for their fans about how special it is to be a part of championship series, even if you are just watching it from the stands.

On the field, Jennifer Hughes, who tossed a complete game shutout in her first start of qualifying took to the mound to shut down the Free Republics, and for the most part, she as able too. The Rockets got a big two-out, two-run double by Hannah Bates in the second inning to take the early lead, but the game remained a battle. Free Republics chipped away off Hughes, scoring a lone run in the 3rd and 5th to tie it up. Newmanistan recaptured the lead when Malloy Harris sent a David Eliasson offering 447 feet over the left field fence, though it would be short lived. Hughes left after tossing seven quality innings, but it was only fitting that this game would end in dramatic walk-off fashion. With two outs and Rachel Carey on second base, Michelle Covington lined a shot up the middle and Carey was given the go ahead to try and score. She was able to beat the throw standing up, leading to being mobbed soon after. A flair for the dramatic, Newmanistan had won the game 4-3, and the all the fans were going wild in the stands, including the Emperor.

After winning the second game of the series 7-3 behind a Hannah Lee gem, Newmanistan was unable to complete the sweep, and lost the finale 6-1. Still, they are 7-2 and seem to be ok, even though we’d like to see that “+8" improve.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Northwest Kalactin  0  0  4  0  0  1  0  0  4   9
Schiltzberg         2  0  1  0  0  0  1  4  0   8

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Northwest Kalactin  1  0  0  1  1  0  2  0  0   5
Schiltzberg         0  0  0  0  0  0  3  0  0   3

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Northwest Kalactin  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   1
Schiltzberg         0  0  0  0  1  1  0  0  X   2

On my god we beat them we won a series vs number 4 in the world schiltzberg i cant belive we did that overall Northwest Kalactin has been great so far we are third in our group and have a much better defense than Number 2 st Saratoga so let’s just say we are doing good so far the first game was a nail biter with Northwest Kalactin going down 8-5 before scoring 4 runs in the ninth inning to win the game 9-8 the second game was great to and we won 5-3 the last game was okay with us scoring 1 run so overall we are doing great so far Go Northwest Kalactin!

[Cassadaigua]

Lisander Swept, But What The Heck?
By Katie Jackson, Concord Heights Times

I wish I could only talk about baseball with this article, but Matthew Davis, the manager of the Hampton Island team continues to get on my nerves, and more then likely, get on the nerves of many other people as well. He launched a personal attack for some reason, by calling me immature because of my name. In the process, he was a complete hypocrite with that statement, because I could not think of a way he could show more immaturity. This man is the manager of a World Baseball Classic team, but he acts like that annoying drunk sitting somewhere in the stands that gets kicked out by the seventh inning. Not surprisingly, his team is 3-6 and on the road to no where. Like that aggravating drunk heckler, there can be a good point made in the midst of all the dribble they spew out, and he made the point of acknowledging our roster has no men on it. Which was want Preston I. Grant, and Male Equality Now (MEN) wanted to hear.

Before our first home game of the qualifying season, we had the obligatory protest by MEN. It’s a bit of a tradition, as they assemble in the parking lot, bring signs and chant certain messages. Their protests are mainly peaceful, and largely ignored. Men have played a role on our national teams, but never in baseball. Preston I. Grant himself is named after Andrew Preston, who was the first male athlete to play on any of our national teams, doing so in hockey, and then later serving as the captain of our international hockey team. Men have played on our soccer roster on occasion, though, never there was never that one male player that got a considerable amount of playing time. Lauren Friedman, the president of CAB (Cassadagan Association for Baseball), in response to the criticism of “no men again” on the roster, states, “It is the mission of CAB to field a team that is most capable of winning a World Baseball Classic. To do that, we have assembled the best players in our nation. As it turns out, the best players in our nation are women. If a man had shown to be worthy of a spot, he would be part of the team. Our arms are open to men, and if and when that time comes there will be a man on our team. That time is simply not right now. We are also not just going to place a man on the team for the purpose of getting good press. That would not be right to the woman who would be left off, or to the man who would get attention for the wrong reasons, as it would be obvious that he was on the team for only that reason.”

Preston I. Grant applauded the reaction of Matthew Davis to a small extent in his own statement concerning the matter, “We are delighted to know that Mr. Davis is not buying into the fluff and empty promises of CAB. Throughout history, there have been male players who could be a part of our national team in baseball but they will never be given the chance. Mrs. Friedman states that they have to show themselves to be worthy of the spot, which is not an unreasonable statement, but when they do not have the same opportunities as women, then how can they ever show themselves to be worthy? However, Mr. Davis should also realize that we do not seek to make ourselves superior to women. We ask that he tone down his message and be a little more respectful. Male Equality Now is not a violent group. We will achieve our mission the right way.”

On the field, our ladies are taking care of business, and after a three game sweep of Lisander, which included a wild 13-12 victory, the Dagans are 7-2, but two games behind 9-0 Ko-oren. Before we get too concerned about Ko-oren, they really haven’t played anyone yet. That will change when our team goes on the road to take them on. Ideally, we sweep the series, but if we take two out of three, we should still be fine. They will play the Equestrian States after being done with us.

[Humaliwo]

Well Then
by Harrison Wright

---

So.

We won. Not just a game. The series.

Against Hicaña. At the time, group leaders, previously undefeated.

Pinch me. Clearly, I’m dreaming.

---

To say that this is a surprise is an understatement. I, personally, was far more terrified of Hicaña than any other group, and even if it was a home series, taking two of three is a remarkable achievement. What a way to get the country’s first wins not only in international baseball, but in all international competition.

I stand by what I said in my last dispatch - we cannot afford the error of false hope nor false disappointment - this team is as good as we can offer, and we do not truly know the skill that these nations possess. If anything, this series is more evidence than anything of that.

---

Group 6 Results

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Humaliwo   0  0  1  3  0  1  1  0  2   8
Hicana     2  0  0  2  2  1  2  2  X   11

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Humaliwo   0  2  4  3  1  2  1  0  1   14
Hicana     1  0  0  0  0  1  3  1  0   6

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 Total
Humaliwo   0  1  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  0  1   6
Hicana     0  0  0  1  0  1  1  1  1  0  0   5

                    G W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1            Banija 9 8 1 53 30 +23 0.889
2            Hicana 9 7 2 88 71 +17 0.778
3   Scootalove City 9 6 3 66 59  +7 0.667
4    Hampton Island 9 3 6 42 45  -3 0.333
5          Humaliwo 9 2 7 57 63  -6 0.222
6 DEAT By Chocolate 9 1 8 34 72 -38 0.111

∆: Banija +1, Scootalove City +1, Hicaña -1, Hampton Island -1

---

When the lights flickered on over Las Vegas Stadium and Game 1 drew to a close, it seemed like yet another series that would slip the grasp of the Waves, if only by the smallest mark. 11-8, yet another blazing offensive effort from both teams, and though the Waves would mount two in the final inning, the comeback was to be unfortunately cut short. This was the first game in which the Waves were never leading nor tied at any point (beyond the opening of scoring, of course - otherwise every game is tied at the beginning or you may want to investigate cheating).

The teams gathered around noon the next day for the second game, and what a game it was. The Hicanans opened scoring first, tacking on a run in the bottom of the first, and it appeared as though the Waves may be in for a rough afternoon at the park. They responded nothing short of brilliantly, though, scoring 12 unanswered runs and taking the lead for good. Though the Phoenixes would respond with 5 runs over the final four innings, the Waves would squeak out two more in order to win their first game of the tournament by a surprisingly wide margin, 14-6. The celebration was immense, with many tears being shed across the ground, from broadcast to bench and everywhere in between. Not from this manly man, though. I definitely did not openly sob at the victory.

The third game was a much tighter affair, and will likely be the game recalled by many when thinking about the first victories of Humalian baseball. The Waves opened scoring once more, and though the Phoenixes answered, the Waves would continue to rack up runs, going up 2-1 in the fifth. This was then followed by a four-inning stretch in which Humaliwo scored one in the sixth and two in the seventh and Hicaña scored one apiece in each of the final four regular innings to even the score at four-all heading into extra innings. It would be an intensely quiet tenth inning, with neither team able to mount much of challenge to the other, and the scene was set for an incredible victory for whomever could pull it out. It would prove to be Humaliwo, as a breakthrough run the top of the eleventh proved to be just enough to see the Waves slip through with not only a game win, but also a series win.

---

The Waves continue to squeak games, for the most part. The winning margin of eight is nearly three times larger than any other that they have had in the tournament (the next closest being a loss by three, which has happened three times, most recently against Hicaña. The run differential is -6 over 9 games, or roughly two-thirds of a run per game. That is, in my woefully unprofessional analysis, a sign of a team that is far more competitive than its record may give it credit for.

The path should only get easier from here. We’ve shown that we can hang with the best of them, not only managing a win but two of them at that. We’ve shown that we have every intention of being here to stay, and it’s time to back that up. The next two series should be far easier than the previous three. The teams we have played currently possess records of 8-1, 7-2, and 6-3, for a combined record of 21-6. The teams we are yet to face this half of the round-robin have a combined record of 4-14. No other team has a discrepancy that large in the records, and so it will be interesting to see if that proves to be a factor in the Waves’ performance thus far. If they were to manage to get even four wins from six, they could enter the break only two games off of .500, which would be a rather impressive achievement.

---

Humaliwo’s best chance at a sweep comes here, as they head to DEATsville for the first of two series against cellar dwellers DEAT By Chocolate. In a series that will likely give spectators diabetes by virtue of the concessions on offer, we see two teams with three wins between them come together to hopefully provide a closer series than may have been on offer previously. DEAT By Chocolate also won their first game of the tournament, walking off against Banija 3-2 in the first of the three games between them last round.

However, it is a small positive in a sea of negatives, as the Chocolatiers possess the joint-worst record (1-8) and the joint-worst run differential (-38) of any team in the entire tournament. They have lost by an average of roughly 4.22 runs per game to our 0.67. In addition, while they have conceded 8 runs a game to our 7, we have managed to at least score 6.33 runs per game, while they have barely managed 3.78 per. This is an offense beyond anemic, paired with a defense that could be battled well by a strainer for all the holes it possesses.

These are not games we should be losing. Of course, I’m sure that’s what people were saying about us coming into this most recent series, so I’ll hesitate to write off anyone for the time being.

---

Harrison Wright is the on-site reporter for the 42nd World Baseball Classic. His father, Halloran Wright, was the longtime manager of the Point Dume University baseball team, and it was under his tutelage that Harrison found his love for the game. After playing under his father at Point Dume while obtaining a pair of degrees in sportscasting and sportswriting, he joined the Times. He lives in Point Dume with his girlfriend. He enjoys reading, writing, and fighting his internal demons.

[Hampton Island]

Hampton Island Sports Brief
Swept Away by Unicorns

The Golden Bears lost, lost, and lost again to the Scootalove City Unicorns, and fall to a record of 3-6. It is a disappointing start, as you would at least like to see them winning a game in this type of series. Instead, everything has come in threes for the Golden Bears, three losses, three wins, then three losses. Hicana is the next opponent, in Stafford City, and it will be a critical series for us. It would be great if three wins would follow, as that would just put us one game out of second place, and give us a shot to advance to the playoffs. That is a longshot especially when considering that there is a disconnect developing between manager Matthew Davis, and his team. Davis has been critical of women baseball players, despite their success on other rosters, and everytime you think he has said too much, he ups the ante. Most players are keeping quiet about their manager at this time, but reliever Aaron Mayfield posted on social media that, “My 8-year old daughter just asked me if it’s true that girls can’t do things that boys do, and that they could never play baseball like I do. I told her that she could do anything she wanted, but she told me no, my national team coach says baseball is only for boys. I was speechless.” Mayfield was not used in any of the three games against Scootalove City, and it is debatable as to whether or not it was because of that post. Even though other players have not made critical comments of their manager, they are not rushing to his side, either. Most believe that this is because of a disconnect in the clubhouse.

Matthew Davis still does not seem to care about the repercussions of his comments. In North Prarie, president Zylstra banned him from visiting the country. In response, Davis replied, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on going there anyway. After I saw pictures of the rooms at the so-called Phoenix Luxury Hotels, I was really put off. You call that luxury? I’d need a good place to stay, and if that’s the best you got, then you’re not worthy of me going there anyway. At least there, women are doing a job they should be doing, and cleaning those rooms though.” Davis also fired back at Preston Grant, the leader of a men’s right’s group in Cassadaigua. “You are such a sissy. Being in Cassadaigua has made you just as much of a woman as the rest of them. You are a man, Preston, fight those broads and get them in the kitchen where they belong, or cleaning hotel rooms.”

[West Phoenicia]

West Phoenicia Confederates walked away with a 2 wins 1 loss against the Vangaziland Royals.

In their first home matches Management had would hoped for a 3 win clean sweep but 2 wins and a loss was nothing to sneeze at.
The setting was the King Glenton Gryphon-Bush stadium, the 100,000 seat arena was packed to the rafters as West Phoenicians flocked to watch their team take on the Royals.

Mouth watering aromas of hot buttered popcorn, hot dogs, peanuts and hamburgers filled the air as soda and beer vendors eased the thirst of the crowds
byIn attendance was the West Phoenician royal family, lounging under royal purple canopies in the privileged section of the stadium, surrounded by courtiers, celebrities and politicians.

Before the games begun West Phoenicia in usual fashion had a spectacular opening act. Miss Ruby who currently has a song in the West Phoenician top 10 belted out the West Phoenician National athemn as the crowds stood to attention, their right hands on their hearts.

The Confederatettes; the cheerleading team for the Confederates took to the field to dazzle the crowds with their dance routines involving flips, twirls, splits, pyramids and fire hoop routines.

The final act was the introduction of the West Phoenician chorus, standing in the baseball stand in their golden robes and mask, projecting to the crowds the story of the mighty Confederates who have come to conquer each baseball tram in their pursuit for the finals.

Game 1 was uneventful for the home team failing to have any batters reach home. The Royals faired better having one of their batters reach home base to the groans of the West Phoenicians in the stands. But with a 1-0 result, it was hardly a massacre for the first match.

The Confederates got their revenge in Game 2 with the West Phoenicians coming back to a 6-3 victory.


And Game 3 the West Phoenicians scored 3 runs to O. with the Pitchers working overtime with a volley of fast and curve balls to throw the Royal batters off their game. The fielders and baseman worming overtime to stop the balls that were hit from making any real damage.

The Confederates will next take on Lycrabon on their home turf.

[North Prarie]

After Matthew Davis' comments about Phoenix, Phoenix Luxury Hotels is launching a "This Isn't Luxury" campaign in Hampton Island. Also in response to the sexist remarks, former North Prariean President and current Minister of Regional Affairs Avere Collossi is speaking at the games tommorrow at Military Island Stadium, along with First Lady Rose Zylstra, who is also presenting her "Women are Powerful" campaign, and many women CEOs and members of Parliament like Eliza Davenport will be there as well.

[Abanhfleft]

MUSINGS OF AN ARMORED DINNER JACKET
Official blog of Ibrahim Ahmadinejad, Right Fielder of the Verbergerkinnh Cubs and the Abanhfleft Revolution

BUT SERIOUSLY NOW, WHY EVEN BOTHER?


Carlos Teves of the Abanhfleft Revolution hits a ball against Vakolicci Haven and Celeria. The Revolution won only one out of three games against the visitors to put further pressure on the national baseball team and raises further questions about their ability to qualify for the next round of the 42nd World Baseball Classic. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Umkhonto Thabowane)

LIVE FROM EFFELENENDRO, ABANHFLEFT - There is no form in the World Baseball Classic. The performance of the Abanhfleft Revolution in the present Classic should attest to that. After two consecutive victories against an unranked team in New Doltania, we had to endure three defeats at the hands of Darmen and then this. Two losses to the Vakoliccis and Celerians. And now I posit to you once again, why even bother with the World Baseball Classic?

Well, for one thing, I genuinely believe that there's a chance that we can still turn this whole thing around and make something good happen. Yes, the old boys are gone, replaced by new boys in the form of Schiltzberg and Scootalove City and the like, but I really believe that we now have a golden chance to stake our claim as being among the new big boys. For too long we have languished in the obscurity of being a good team that isn't good enough. But no longer. Today is the day that Abanhfleft changes and becomes a World Baseball Classic contender.

Of course, that was the plan. And like all plans, it didn't survive first contact with the enemy. Case in point, Game 1 versus the Vakoliccis. FIrst of all, they surprised us when they scored three runs within the first two innings courtesy of... nobody knows. (Looks like the era of people not bothering to give their players names or even just numbers is still with us. Oh, well. I'll just name them as I please.) We tied the game easily at the bottom of the third inning when Julie He managed to score a home run to put her, Carlos the Jackal, and Jiang Heng through. The Vakoliccis then immediately got the lead back after runs from Who Cares, Nobody Knows, and Why Bother. Oh, we fought back, trust me, we did. Yours truly even scored a run or two in that game (one in the fifth and the only run in the ninth) but, as you can all see, it was not enough. Fight and spirit is all well and good but it doesn't mean a damn if you can't back it up with a good result or two.

Game 2 was honestly a better result standings-wise, but it definitely won't be up there among the classics of the game. Drip drip drip goes the runs with Jiang clocking up one at the bottom of the first, Dima Aksyonov scoring one in the second, and Carlos the Jackal knocking in a home run in the fourth. Vakolicci nearly made a game out of this by scoring two runs at the top of the seventh on new boy Joffrey Yedlin but Peter Langford successfully closed out the game and the Revolution hung on for the win. So this should mean that normal service would resume for Game 3, right?

Well, yes and no. No, we didn't win, but since the meme is that the Revolution doesn't win, that makes it yes, normal service has resumed. If anything, this game was even more boring and slow than Game 2. No runs at all in the first three innings, an absolute snooze-fest. Then on Oliver McKrinter's first ever pitch, he let the Vakoliccis get two doubles. Well, that sucks. But what's two runs to the Abanhfleft Revolution, eh? Surely we can make up the deficit in one running or five. That's how good our batters have been for the moment. But no. No more runs whatsoever in this game, barring that one home run yours truly scored at the bottom of the seventh to give the home fans a very brief glimmer of hope that turned out to be nothing but fool's gold. Vakolicci didn't score any more runs, and we the Revolution didn't score any more runs as well.

These two losses against the Vakoliccis sees us drop right down to fourth place. Yeah, we have a better goal difference compared to them but they have a better head-to-head record against them at the moment, and head-to-head is king of the standings these days so we don't have too much to complain about. That only means that if it comes down to the wire, we must beat these Vakoliccis at their home turf to make sure that we could stand a chance of making it through to the next round. Whether we can do it or not though, well, that's another matter entirely. Yeah, yeah, I shouldn't be saying such things seeing as I'm a current national baseball team member but who was it that said that nobody cares about baseball anymore? Yeah, everyone. So there. (I don't even know where I'm going with this now so just get off my back, okay?)

In other news, somewhat baseball-related but perhaps not, Hampton Island is making waves. Or rather their manager is after some comments that he made during a press conference and such. It's got some feminists and women all over the multiverse riled up. I'm not in any position to say anything so I'll just leave it at that. Better to stay quiet and not do anything than to say something and get all sorts of hell for it. This is the Armored Dinner Jacket saying ciao, peace. Catch you in my next post.

[St Saratoga]

WBC 42 -- The Saratogan Saints take off running as they are already raising some eyebrows of most teams in the World Baseball Classic 42.

Series One

The first 6 games for the Saratogan Saints have been quite the kick off in the World Baseball Classic 42. They opened up against a daunting first test with their series matchup against #30 Ranked Northwest Kalactin. Game One & Two started off slow as both teams batting was starting to warm up but by the 7th inning in both games the batting was out of the park. Game One & Two both went to extra innings with the help of both teams excellent pitching rotations but in the end, it was the Saratogan batters who managed to clinch their first series win by upsetting the #30 ranked Kalactin in the 10th inning by just one run. The Northwest Kalactin national team wasn't going to allow the sweep though, tied 4 runs each through 7.5 innings. At the top of the 8th frame the Kalactin pitching found the Saints number to completely shutout the previously hot Saratogan batters then turned to their batters to put up 4 runs of their own to walk away with at least one game.

The Saratogan Saints move on to play World Baseball Classic 42 newbie Melbergia.
Northwest Kalactin looks to rebound against Unranked Sherpa Empire

Three Stars of the Series:
Starting Pitcher Nick Novak (STG)
Shortstop Ryan Jackson (NWK)
Third Base Tex Murray (STG)

Team Name                 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
Northwest Kalactin        0  1  1  1  0  0  4  0  0  0   7
St Saratoga               1  0  0  1  0  2  2  0  1  1   8

Team Name                1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
Northwest Kalactin       1  0  2  0  1  0  0  0  0  0   4
St Saratoga              1  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  1   5

Team Name                 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Northwest Kalactin        0  0  1  1  0  0  0  2  2   6
St Saratoga               0  1  0  2  0  1  0  0  0   4

                                  G W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Schiltzberg 3 3 0 31  9 +22 1.000
2 Tenburg 3 2 1 20 15  +5 0.667
3 St Saratoga 3 2 1 17 17  +0 0.667
4 Northwest Kalactin  3 1 2 17 17  +0 0.333
5 The Sherpa Empire  3 1 2 15 20  -5 0.333
6 Melbergia 3 0 3  9 31 -22 0.000

Series Two

The Saints looked to continue the winless streak of 0-3 Melbergia as well as clinch their first ever team sweep. Coming off of being swept by #4 ranked Schiltzbierg , Melberia is looking to take advantage of the lacking Saratogan offense by taking them by surprise. In the opening game of the series Melbergia did just that. In the first frame, Shortstop William Outlaw crushed a two-seam fastball by the Melbergian pitcher to give the Saint some moment that would soon be taken away by the next two batters being struck out. This would start 8 inning dominate by the Melbergian defense as the Saints were left hitless until being able to sneak in one more run in the bottom of the 9th inning. In the meantime, Melbergian national team managed to get 3 runs across the plate to shock the Saints in game one. Seeking revenge in game two, the Saints bats came out swinging after a brutal practice that morning to score 8 runs in 3 innings including 3 homers by C Damian Lambert, RF James Fischer & SS Willam Outlaw who is looking to begin a homer steak. The Melbergian batter weren't quiet as well as they managed to get 5 men across the plate in the same amount of frames. The Melbergian SS also managed to deliver a huge blow to the Saints as he hit a linedrive right at Starting Pitcher Eduardo Santana which struck him in the right shoulder. Eduardo fell to the ground clutching his shoulder, after being taken off the diamond by medical staff he was ruled out for the rest of the classic, in Santana's place came RHP Johnny Lundqvist. Lundqvist would survive 5 inning allowing 4 runs before being relieved by Ben Castella who clinched Saratoga its first win of the series. Game three became what most in Rogerbei expected to be an irrelevant game very important but the players didn't see it that way as they went on to finishes off the series with a 4-2 win. The Saints are now sitting at 2nd place in the group stage ranking, tied with Northwest Katactin.

The Saints prepare once again attempt to earn their first series sweep against unranked Sherpa Empire (2-7)
Melbergia prepare to steal a few wins from 15th ranked Tenburg (2-4)

Three Stars of the Series:
Shortstop William Outlaw (STG)
Starting Pitcher Eduardo Santana (STG)
Starting Pitcher Johnny Lundqvist (STG)

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
    Melbergia    0  1  0  0  0  1  1  0  0   3
   St Saratoga  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1   2

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
     Melbergia    2  2  1  1  0  1  0  2  0   9
 St Saratoga  0  2  6  0  1  2  0  0  X   11

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
   Melbergia    0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   2
 St Saratoga  0  1  0  1  0  2  0  0  X   4

                                    G W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1               Schiltzberg 6 6 0 46 20 +26 1.000
2             St Saratoga 6 4 2 34 31  +3 0.667
3 Northwest Kalactin 6 4 2 44 31 +13 0.667
4                    Tenburg 6 2 4 31 30  +1 0.333
5  The Sherpa Empire 6 1 5 29 47 -18 0.167
6                  Melbergia 6 1 5 23 48 -25 0.167

Series Three

Sherpa Empire has come into this Classic swinging and made that very clear to the Saints defense. Game one ended in a 13-frame offensive shootout with a total of 27 runs being scored, more impressively, 12 homers for 12 very happy fans who get to bring a memento home to their perspective nations. Saints shortstop William Outlaw continues his homerun steak adding two homers bring to his WBC 42 HR total to four. In the end, the Saints ran out of steam letting the their unranked take game one. Game two & three weren't as explosive but showed how exhausting an prolonged, extra innings game can drain a pitching rotation and bullpen. The Saints put up 15 runs compared to the Sherpa 11 to take the last two games too once again be one game shy of the series sweep. The Saints improve to (4-2) in the tournament and retain the 2nd place position in Group 7.

The Saints prepare to take on their toughest opponent yet, 4th ranked Schiltzberg (7-2), who struggled against their most recent opponent of Tenburg.
Sherpa Empire prepares to participate in the battle for last place against (1-8) Melberia.

Three stars of the Series:
Starting Pitcher Duke Repert
Second Basemen Usha Chawa
Second Base Jason Rubio

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 Total
St Saratoga        2  0  2  1  2  2  0  0  1  1  1  1   13
The Sherpa Empire  1  1  2  0  2  1  2  1  0  1  1  2   14

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
St Saratoga        0  1  1  1  2  0  1  4  0   10
The Sherpa Empire  0  1  0  1  1  2  0  1  2   8

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
St Saratoga        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  2   5
The Sherpa Empire  0  0  0  0  0  1  2  0  0  0   3

                                   G W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1              Schiltzberg 9 7 2 59 35 +24 0.778
2             St Saratoga 9 6 3 62 56  +6 0.667
3 Northwest Kalactin 9 6 3 59 44 +15 0.667
4                    Tenburg 9 5 4 50 36 +14 0.556
5  The Sherpa Empire 9 2 7 54 75 -21 0.222
6                  Melbergia 9 1 8 29 67 -38 0.111

OOC: My apologize for the lack of posting, Friday-Sunday's are hard for me with work. Once college hockey & basketball is over I'll be wayy more active. Expect my next post to be pretty lit though, got some unique ideas for it. Can someone tg how to get the by-inning run count & standings to not look horrible?

[Vangaziland]

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out to the Crown;
Buy me some REDUP and Apple Crack,
I don't care if I EVER get back.
So let's root, root, root for the Roy-als,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the Royal's ball game.

The following song will play every 7th inning at VannBank FieldHutt. The song mentions 'The Crown'. That's based on a baseball grounds built in 1903 near downtown Emeros. Exhibition games between several teams, including the Blue Coast Black Knives and the Northton Sharkers, were held here in the Empire's capital. The 'Crown Royals' were the local favorites, officially being the home team.

The song next mentions REDUP and Apple Crack. REDUP is a sports drink that's been a part of Vangaziland for some time. It was recently bought by a larger company. The new owners are pushing a global marketing campaign, presenting it as an option for electrolyte refreshment and hydration. There is also an energy drink line. Apple Crack is a breakfast cereal, targeted mostly to adults. The cereal's slogan is 'Wake up with a fix.' It's more nutritious than it sounds, but is still naturally sweet.

Of course the only other addition to the song is to mention the Royals twice. The stadium had to pay the original owner to use this modified form of the song at the games, seeing the cost worth it. It'll add more flavor to the young Vannish international program. Modern WBC games were becoming like the original Crown Royals' games. Each game was a carnival like event. Some even call the new stadium 'The Crown'.

A seasonal theme park operates alongside the stadium during periods of nice weather and into the fall, concurrent with most baseball seasons (including domestic). This lines up with the WBC season as well, with tourists able to have a blast at the 'Royal Fair'.

The FieldHutt is located on the north side of the Emerott River, making the new stadium officially a part of North Emeros. It is the modern link to antique Vannish baseball, now on the international level. VannBank and REDUP co. are big sponsors of the park.

This is the largest dome in Vannish baseball, with room for 50,500 spectators. The climate is just at the midpoint where static spectators could use the warmth of a dome, but could enjoy an outdoor carnival when dressed warm enough. The dome is not retractable for the summer.

After the game, tourists (and players alike) can hit the nightlife in the Sports District. One can commute North to the University District or South deeper into Emeros. Vannish baseball does not have a historic past in international baseball, but the Crown is a destination for any baseball tourist looking to see the world's coolest stadiums.

[Nova Anglicana]

Lions stumble out of gate, but still in it

Elmer Sutton, Special Correspondent, Londinium Courier

Three games against Fungsland, three wins. Just how it was supposed to be. Nine runs in the first four innings of Game 1, en route to an easy 10-4 win, then jumping out to another 5-0 lead early and hanging on for the 5-4 win, and unexpectedly needing a bit of a rally in Game 3 to win 4-2. The Lions were 3-0 and riding high going into their two series against Drawkland and Cosumar, their two most formidable group opponents. But those two series haven't exactly gone according to plan.

A good result would have been 4-2, let alone 5-1 or 6-0. Even 3-3 would have been acceptable. But the Lions lost both series and have lost 4 of their last 6 overall. Nate McLaughlin and Bailey Nicotera both posted quality starts (6 IP, 3 ER), and the game was tied 3-3 heading into the bottom of the 7th. On came Sean Fletcher, but his fastball had just a little too much run that day, and he sandwiched two walks around a flyout before Roger Madison lined a sharp single to left, scoring the speedy Rachel Altink. Fletcher would get a double play on the next batter, but it was 4-3. Casey Burke surrendered a homer to Sean Navis in the 8th to complete the scoring and the Lions dropped the first game. In Game 2, Damian Ryan struck out 10 in seven innings of two-run ball in his first NT start and Seth Armstrong's two-run shot in the 6th gave the Lions the lead, but they needed Jake Bryan's two-run double in the ninth to provide a little insurance, as Nick Christensen surrendered a single run in the bottom of the frame. With the series tied at one game apiece, it was ace Damon Singleton against Mark Meadows for the Base Corps. Singleton didn't fare too well, giving up four runs in five innings, but Meadows ran into trouble in the 7th, getting bounced when Ty Oliver hit a two-run double with two outs and Brendan Wood then knocked him in, giving the Lions a 6-4 lead. Michael Holt knocked in Moses Deng in the 8th to extend the lead to 7-4, but Christensen faltered again, giving up a walk-off grand slam to Sean Navis again and the Lions would go home losers of 2 of 3.

The Cosumar series didn't start out well either, as Darren Lawson gave up five runs in six innings and Gujapan Na'Gwelo tossed a five-hit shutout. But Ben Clayton, despite walking five, only gave up one run and struck out nine in seven innings, and the Lions held on for a 3-1 win. It was Nate McLaughlin against ace Ezra McElgland in the rubber game of the series, and both of them pitched well. McLaughlin gave up five hits and two runs in the second and third innings, which were the only baserunners he allowed in seven innings to go with eight strikeouts. But it wasn't enough, as McElgland yielded only Moses Deng's RBI single in the 5th in a masterful eight-inning performance. Despite the Lions putting two on in the ninth against Sabine Caldera, Moses Deng grounded weakly to short to end the game.

But at 5-4, the Lions are somehow still in second place. Chaos in the bottom half of the group has left Cosumar standing strong at 7-2, but Gratissima, Fungsland, and Drawkland all tied at 4-5 while Juvencus brings up the rear. The Lions take on Gratissima next. They defeated Juvencus 2 out of 3, but two of them went into extra innings, so perhaps their nameless bullpen is a little tired and the Lions can take advantage. They'll need to if they want to get back in the thick of things and challenge for that #1 spot in the group.




The writer is a former national baseball team starter and special pitching assistant

[Free Republics]

World Baseball Classic 42: Free Republics

This is your Fourth Series Cutoff presented by Mingle! Mingle: The App that Gets You Laid!

---

Results

Group 1:

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Nova Anglicana  0  1  1  0  0  0  1  0  1   4
Gratissima      1  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   3

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Nova Anglicana  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0   1
Gratissima      3  0  0  0  4  2  0  1  X   10

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Nova Anglicana  1  2  3  0  0  0  0  0  1   7
Gratissima      0  2  0  0  1  0  0  1  0   4

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Drawkland  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  1   3
Cosumar    2  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  1   4

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 Total
Drawkland  6  1  1  0  0  0  1  0  1  0  0   10
Cosumar    1  0  2  0  2  0  1  0  4  0  1   11

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Drawkland  2  2  0  1  0  0  2  0  0   7
Cosumar    0  0  3  0  2  1  1  0  1   8

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Juvencus   0  0  1  0  0  0  1  1  1   4
Fungsland  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   2

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Juvencus   0  1  0  0  1  1  0  0  0   3
Fungsland  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
Juvencus   0  0  1  1  0  1  0  1  1  0   5
Fungsland  1  1  0  2  0  0  0  0  1  2   7

                  G  W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1        Cosumar 12 10 2 66 47 +19 0.833
2 Nova Anglicana 12  7 5 50 53  -3 0.583
3     Gratissima 12  5 7 57 56  +1 0.417
4       Juvencus 12  5 7 64 69  -5 0.417
5      Fungsland 12  5 7 46 51  -5 0.417
6      Drawkland 12  4 8 66 73  -7 0.333

Group 2:

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ethane      0  1  3  1  0  0  4  0  5   14
New Jarwel  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1   2

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ethane      1  0  0  0  1  0  1  1  0   4
New Jarwel  1  1  2  0  0  1  1  2  X   8

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ethane      0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0   1
New Jarwel  0  0  1  0  0  0  2  1  X   4

Team Name                1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Alpine Union             0  1  0  2  0  0  1  0  0   4
Royal Kingdom of Quebec  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0

Team Name                1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Alpine Union             0  0  2  0  0  1  1  1  4   9
Royal Kingdom of Quebec  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0

Team Name                1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Alpine Union             0  2  0  0  1  0  0  0  1   4
Royal Kingdom of Quebec  1  0  1  0  3  2  0  1  X   8

Team Name                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ferret Civilization        0  1  0  0  2  0  1  1  1   6
Pripet Socialist Republic  1  3  1  0  0  1  0  1  X   7

Team Name                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ferret Civilization        1  0  2  0  0  1  1  0  0   5
Pripet Socialist Republic  1  1  0  0  1  0  1  0  0   4

Team Name                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ferret Civilization        2  0  0  0  2  0  2  0  0   6
Pripet Socialist Republic  1  1  1  1  0  1  0  2  X   7

                             G W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1                New Jarwel 12 7 5 61 59  +2 0.583
2                    Ethane 12 7 5 62 36 +26 0.583
3 Pripet Socialist Republic 12 6 6 52 64 -12 0.500
4              Alpine Union 12 6 6 55 55  +0 0.500
5       Ferret Civilization 12 5 7 56 67 -11 0.417
6   Royal Kingdom of Quebec 12 5 7 59 64  -5 0.417

Group 3:

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Darmen     1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   2
Azadeshia  2  0  1  1  1  0  0  0  X   5

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Darmen     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0   2
Azadeshia  0  3  0  0  0  0  1  0  X   4

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Darmen     1  0  2  1  0  0  1  0  0   5
Azadeshia  1  0  0  0  2  0  1  0  0   4

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Abanhfleft  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  2  1   4
New Sangti  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0   1

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Abanhfleft  0  0  0  0  1  0  2  0  0   3
New Sangti  2  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  X   4

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
Abanhfleft  0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  1   4
New Sangti  0  0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0   3

Team Name                    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
New Doltania                 0  0  0  0  1  0  1  0  0   2
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  1  X   3

Team Name                    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
New Doltania                 1  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  0   3
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   1

Team Name                    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
New Doltania                 0  0  0  0  1  1  1  0  1  1   5
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  2  0  0   4

                               G W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1                  New Sangti 12 8 4 51 42  +9 0.667
2                   Azadeshia 12 8 4 64 44 +20 0.667
3                      Darmen 12 7 5 71 58 +13 0.583
4                  Abanhfleft 12 5 7 68 58 +10 0.417
5                New Doltania 12 4 8 38 74 -36 0.333
6 Vakolicci Haven and Celeria 12 4 8 48 64 -16 0.333

Group 4:

Team Name         1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 Total
Newmanistan       0  0  2  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  1   5
Carstantinopipal  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  2  0  0  0   4

Team Name         1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Newmanistan       0  0  0  0  0  0  2  1  1   4
Carstantinopipal  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   1

Team Name         1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Newmanistan       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1   2
Carstantinopipal  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0   1

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
South Covello   0  0  1  0  1  2  0  0  0   4
Free Republics  0  0  2  0  2  1  0  0  X   5

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
South Covello   3  2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   6
Free Republics  2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   3

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
South Covello   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
Free Republics  0  2  0  1  1  0  0  0  X   4

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 Total
Yoannes    1  1  0  4  0  0  1  1  3  0  0  3   14
Krossa     0  0  2  1  0  3  1  1  3  0  0  0   11

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Yoannes    0  1  0  1  0  1  0  0  0   3
Krossa     1  1  0  0  1  0  0  1  1   5

Team Name  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Yoannes    0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0   1
Krossa     0  1  0  1  0  0  1  0  X   3

                    G  W  L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1      Newmanistan 12 10  2 47 34 +13 0.833
2   Free Republics 12  7  5 57 45 +12 0.583
3           Krossa 12  7  5 62 58  +4 0.583
4    South Covello 12  6  6 53 46  +7 0.500
5 Carstantinopipal 12  4  8 56 72 -16 0.333
6          Yoannes 12  2 10 52 72 -20 0.167

Group 5:

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Super-Llamaland  0  1  0  0  0  0  1  0  2   4
Siroy            0  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  0   2

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Super-Llamaland  2  0  1  2  0  0  0  1  0   6
Siroy            0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Super-Llamaland  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
Siroy            0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  X   1

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Maklohi Vai  0  0  0  3  1  0  0  5  0   9
Sandberg     1  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0   3

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Maklohi Vai  1  2  2  0  1  0  2  1  0   9
Sandberg     3  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1   5

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Maklohi Vai  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   1
Sandberg     0  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  X   2

Team Name     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Sorrentopia   0  1  0  0  0  2  0  0  0   3
North Prarie  1  0  2  0  0  1  0  0  X   4

Team Name     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Sorrentopia   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  4   5
North Prarie  1  2  0  0  0  0  1  5  X   9

Team Name     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Sorrentopia   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0   2
North Prarie  0  0  0  1  0  3  0  1  X   5

                   G  W  L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Super-Llamaland 12 10  2 57 24 +33 0.833
2           Siroy 12  7  5 45 42  +3 0.583
3     Maklohi Vai 12  6  6 49 52  -3 0.500
4    North Prarie 12  6  6 38 38  +0 0.500
5        Sandberg 12  5  7 50 59  -9 0.417
6     Sorrentopia 12  2 10 44 68 -24 0.167

Group 6:

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Scootalove City  1  0  0  0  3  0  3  1  3   11
Banija           0  3  2  1  0  0  1  0  1   8

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Scootalove City  0  1  1  0  1  1  0  0  6   10
Banija           0  0  0  2  0  1  0  0  0   3

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Scootalove City  1  0  0  1  0  1  1  3  0   7
Banija           0  1  1  1  0  0  0  0  2   5

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Hicana          0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0   2
Hampton Island  0  1  1  1  0  0  0  0  X   3

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Hicana          0  1  1  1  1  0  2  3  1   10
Hampton Island  4  0  2  2  1  1  1  1  X   12

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Hicana          0  0  1  0  1  1  2  1  1   7
Hampton Island  1  2  0  5  0  2  1  0  X   11

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
DEAT By Chocolate  2  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0   4
Humaliwo           0  0  0  1  0  0  1  0  1   3

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
DEAT By Chocolate  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  0  0   3
Humaliwo           0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   1

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
DEAT By Chocolate  0  1  0  1  0  1  1  2  0   6
Humaliwo           1  3  0  1  1  1  2  0  X   9

                     G W L  RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1   Scootalove City 12 9 3  94 75 +19 0.750
2            Banija 12 8 4  69 58 +11 0.667
3            Hicana 12 7 5 107 97 +10 0.583
4    Hampton Island 12 6 6  68 64  +4 0.500
5 DEAT By Chocolate 12 3 9  47 85 -38 0.250
6          Humaliwo 12 3 9  70 76  -6 0.250

Group 7:

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Schiltzberg  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  1   3
St Saratoga  1  0  0  1  0  2  1  0  X   5

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Schiltzberg  0  0  0  0  1  0  2  0  1   4
St Saratoga  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   2

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Schiltzberg  0  0  1  0  4  0  0  0  0   5
St Saratoga  0  1  0  0  1  2  0  0  0   4

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tenburg             1  0  1  1  0  2  0  0  0   5
Northwest Kalactin  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  1   3

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tenburg             0  0  0  0  1  2  2  0  0   5
Northwest Kalactin  3  1  2  0  1  0  0  1  X   8

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tenburg             0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
Northwest Kalactin  0  0  1  1  0  1  0  0  X   3

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
The Sherpa Empire  3  4  1  8  0  0  0  0  0   16
Melbergia          0  0  0  1  2  0  4  0  1   8

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
The Sherpa Empire  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  2  1   4
Melbergia          0  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0   2

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
The Sherpa Empire  0  1  4  0  3  1  0  0  1   10
Melbergia          3  0  0  2  0  0  1  1  0   7

                      G W  L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1        Schiltzberg 12 9  3 71 46 +25 0.750
2 Northwest Kalactin 12 8  4 73 54 +19 0.667
3        St Saratoga 12 7  5 73 68  +5 0.583
4            Tenburg 12 6  6 60 50 +10 0.500
5  The Sherpa Empire 12 5  7 84 92  -8 0.417
6          Melbergia 12 1 11 46 97 -51 0.083

Group 8:

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Cassadaigua  0  0  1  0  1  2  0  2  1   7
Ko-oren      0  0  1  0  1  0  0  2  1   5

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Cassadaigua  0  0  0  0  1  0  1  0  1   3
Ko-oren      2  0  1  0  0  2  0  0  X   5

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Cassadaigua  0  1  0  0  1  0  0  1  1   4
Ko-oren      2  1  0  2  0  2  0  0  X   7

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Equestrian States  0  1  0  0  2  0  0  0  3   6
Lisander           1  0  0  0  0  1  1  1  1   5

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Equestrian States  0  0  1  0  2  0  0  2  4   9
Lisander           0  0  0  0  0  0  3  4  0   7

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Equestrian States  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0   1
Lisander           0  1  1  1  1  1  0  0  X   5

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ngongo       1  0  1  0  0  1  3  0  0   6
Kita-Hinode  2  0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0   4

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 Total
Ngongo       1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  1  2  0  0   5
Kita-Hinode  1  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  2  0  2   7

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ngongo       1  1  1  2  1  1  0  0  0   7
Kita-Hinode  1  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0   3

                     G  W  L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1           Ko-oren 12 11  1 88 48 +40 0.917
2       Cassadaigua 12  8  4 77 64 +13 0.667
3 Equestrian States 12  8  4 61 56  +5 0.667
4            Ngongo 12  4  8 54 70 -16 0.333
5          Lisander 12  3  9 75 87 -12 0.250
6       Kita-Hinode 12  2 10 51 81 -30 0.167

Group 9:

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
West Phoenicia  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  2   3
Lycrabon        0  0  0  2  4  0  0  0  X   6

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
West Phoenicia  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   1
Lycrabon        0  0  1  0  1  3  0  0  X   5

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
West Phoenicia  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  0   2
Lycrabon        0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0   1

Team Name                 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
United States of Devonta  0  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  0   2
Vangaziland               0  2  1  0  0  0  0  2  X   5

Team Name                 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
United States of Devonta  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  2  0   4
Vangaziland               0  0  2  0  0  1  2  0  X   5

Team Name                 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
United States of Devonta  0  0  1  0  0  1  0  1  0   3
Vangaziland               1  0  0  1  0  1  4  0  X   7

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tierra Fuego     0  3  0  0  0  0  1  0  0   4
Philamer Island  1  0  1  0  2  0  2  0  X   6

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tierra Fuego     1  0  0  1  0  0  2  1  0   5
Philamer Island  0  0  0  0  1  0  2  1  0   4

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tierra Fuego     1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1   2
Philamer Island  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  X   3

                            G W L RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1                 Lycrabon 12 8 4 70 56 +14 0.667
2              Vangaziland 12 8 4 60 47 +13 0.667
3           West Phoenicia 12 7 5 56 37 +19 0.583
4 United States of Devonta 12 6 6 63 59  +4 0.500
5             Tierra Fuego 12 4 8 44 66 -22 0.333
6          Philamer Island 12 3 9 51 79 -28 0.250

[Ko-oren]

First stop: Alara

Yes, I was serious. Yoshima needs attention, and I'm going to give it some. For the first series against Cassadaigua, I went to the island of Alara. It's the island closest to the rest of Ko-oren, and as a result, walking around in its two cities of Echizen and Alara, it's funny how much of it looks like the rest of the northeast. Alara is unique in Yoshima because it is the only island with occasional freezing temperatures, and its cities are built with that in mind. Imagine the traditional wooden buildings of Yoshima - well, it's like that but every single structure is helped a little using clay, and in later buildings, bricks. Modern buildings are still a little funny-looking with typical Yoshima suburbs, narrow, straight streets with every single house looking different from its neighbour but built so close to it, but with cold weather in mind.

My trip started in Almina, which isn't Yoshima. However, this is the easiest way to get to Yoshima. It's where the ferry to Alara, northern Alara island, starts. It's a short while, you can easily see the island from the mainland, but it still feels a bit foreign once you get there. The language is different, related to the northeastern Ko-orenite dialect but very clearly eastern. Alara is a soccer town, baseball comes in second place, so there wasn't much to do here in the end. I was here for the first Cassadaigua game, and while bars are full with people watching, it's just not as lively with no big home team or hometown heroes to cheer on. It also marked the Dragonflies' first defeat, 7-5, so that probably didn't help either. Cassadaigua certainly isn't an easy team to play... and that's an understatement. In hindsight, we should have lost all three of these games, so this first defeat at the time wasn't such a weird thing. Even with the prospect of watching a moderately talented team playing one of the biggest teams of the Multiverse, the town just didn't seem that hyped up at all. Even if the game was exciting right until the end: down 7-4, Ko-oren scored a run and everything seemed possible again: pitcher shaken, batters ready to go, but despite a few hits, a double play killed off any buzz precisely when you could feel the 'something's about to happen' in the air. Which was true, but not for that day.

And so, on the evening of the first day, I took the train down to the southern part of the island, to Echizen. There's less buildings outfitted to deal with the cold here, but only barely. It's still not exactly aircon area either. Rolling into the city, it's impossible to miss the baseball stadium next to the railway line. On the other side of the train, you have a clear view of the inner sea, and man, is it beautiful here. Echizen doesn't go that far inland, and as a result you're rolling through about 30 minutes of town before you finally get a stop at Central station. Then you have to track back about 10 minutes of that to get back to the stadium. The stadium is built in such way that the upper tiers on the land side give you a perfect view of the ocean on the other side, because the stands on the sea side were built to about half height compared to the land side. And that's an effect used in approximately 78% of Echizen postcards, I counted.

People are passionate about their Dragons here. One of the few places in the country where red is an acceptable colour, red is pretty much the only colour you see here. There's no other colour than red on a Dragons jersey, apart from a white outline so you can barely make out the team name on the chest. Not only that, they have a few local Dragons on the Dragonflies. Kobayakawa plays second base, but is on the bench for today. I'm lucky, because the other Dragon, Mochiyoshi Doi, is the starting pitcher today. And this is exactly the day he is raising hell on our opponents. He retires after five innings, giving up a run on his second last pitch. The very next ball results in an out on first base, but that doesn't stop the hype going around in Echizen. Their Doi is making life hell for Cassadaigua, and when the Dragonflies score two more runs in the very next inning to take a 5-1 lead, everyone goes nuts. Nathan Chauveau takes over to pitch the next three innings, still with a 5-2 lead to set up for Uvulivelu in the 9th. Uvulivelu gives up one run, but makes no further mistakes as Ko-oren win 5-3. Fireworks on the beach, a crowd wearing clashing red and green/blue jerseys, that kind of thing. The noise dies out quickly enough to give everyone a decent night's rest though. There's one more game after all, and nobody wants to miss a second of that. The Dragonflies just beat one of the tournament's top teams, after all.

On my final day on Alara island, I'm staying in southern Echizen from where later my ferry to Teregaseki leaves. I'm catching the third game of the series on a boulevard, one of Ko-oren's longest. A 5-1 lead in the fifth looks like it's a carbon copy of the game a day before. Two pitching changes for the Cassadaiguans give enough unrest for the team that they promptly give up another two runs: 7-2. Another pitching change give Cassadaigua exactly what they need, and hold Ko-oren to one hit, zero errors and zero runs, but the damage has been done. Seven runs is not something they can chase, and despite scoring in the 8th and 9th, they reduce their defeat to 4-7. Two victories this series! 11 victories this Classic! Amazing stuff! Echizen lets me know with some last fireworks to send me off to our next island.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

ACCOMPLISHING A DREAM

by Brianne Henry,

Sometimes in our interregional sporting world, the excitement of attaining one’s goals is too short-lived. We sign up for one of these competitions, practice for them, and the media provides as much coverage of the sport that they possibly can. The host nation does everything they can to ensure the day to day operations go smoothly. It’s a well-oiled machine, competitions take place, winners are decided, and many go on to the next one. The team that wins the title will often provide a press release as to how they went on to win it, but from there, things quiet down. For the Newmanistan Rockets baseball team it may have seemed like that as well, but for these ladies, it signaled the accomplishment of something very special. Think about it for a second. When they were young girls in school, all they did was read about our past successes in the World Baseball Classic. It seemed to be something that would not be possible for the current generation. However, on one fateful day years ago, those thoughts began to change.

Suddenly, prior to World Baseball Classic 38, Emperor Michael V announced that Newmanistan was returning to the international scene, and placed a bit for hosting that very Classic. It was successful, and just like that our players began to wonder: can they actually attain the glory themselves? I spoke with one of the unsung players of the team, speedy outfielder Hannah Bates to talk about, well, a variety of things. Here we go!

Henry: Good afternoon, Hannah. Congratulations on the three game sweep out in Carstantinopipal. At 10-2 through twelve games, I imagine the team is feeling pretty good about things right now.

Bates: Thank you Brianne, and I am honored to be getting this chance to talk with you. I do think that we have played well so far. Some of these games have been close, but I believe that it can be a test of our character to keep being in these situations and pulling out most of the games. It is early, still.

Henry: Now that 12 games are in the books, and the Rockets have had three home games and nine road games so far, what is your thoughts about the schedule format? Mallory Harris did not seem as though she was a fan.

Bates: I don’t think she meant to come across as critical of the format as it seemed. I think she was just anxious to play at home, knowing there were festivities planned to honor our championship. Usually, you get a home game soon, if not in the first game, so to not be able to have that home game until the seventh game, knowing it was special for our fans, I think it was simply frustrating.

Henry: So, it’s not the actual series, like the domestic leagues, but more a case of wanting to get the celebration in?

Bates: We wanted to get going with this tournament, and realize that the last one is over. So, you’d like to have the ceremonies before game seven. At that point, you’re six games in. I think the series thing is fine. I mean look, now there’s a nine game homestand coming up.

Henry: I know you want to move on, but tell me, what did the championship mean for you?

Bates: It meant a lot. You start out playing in school and wanting to have the chance, but you know the Empire is not participating any more. I hoped that one day, I could be like Brittany Wright, and I knew I could. But we just had to be playing in the tournament to begin with.

Henry: Brittany Wright, for those who don’t know, was the leadoff hitter and base-steal for three of our first four titles.

Bates: She’s a player I wanted to emulate. You’re still going to be able to do that home in the ENBL (Empire of Newmanistan Baseball League), but I wanted to play the best nations in the world.

Henry: When it was announced that the Empire would return for 38, what went through your mind?

Bates: All I really thought about was hoping I’d be picked to start over Lexi Alcorn. She was the one that had the same skillset and could keep from being named to the top of the order.

Henry: And you both got in.

Bates: Yeah, I guess I quickly remembered that Newmanistan teams just don’t go for the one speedy baserunner at the top, but its tradition to do with the 1st and 2nd batters in the lineup. When I saw Lexi and I both named and that we were both going to be on the same team, I was salivating at the chance. It was going to be old school Newmanistan base-running with the two of us, I couldn’t have been more excited.

Henry: How well have you two known each other before then?

Bates: Pretty well, we’re pretty much the same age, so we have been in a lot of the same competitions growing up and we got to know each other. We’ve done events for charity together before, so, I’ve known Lexi pretty well. We’ve never played on a team like this before. It’s just so exciting, really.

Henry: Once you were back, how long did it take to set the bar forward another notch to a title?

Bates: After we had a good run at home, we set it as a goal. 39 was a little disappointing but we bounced back with a nice run in Cassadaigua. Last time, we knew it would be fitting to do it in 41, since it took us four tries to win our first one.

Henry: What was the first thing you did when you got back from Equestrian States?

Bates: Just celebrating with my friends and family. Then with old coaches, without them, I wouldn’t have been here today.

Henry: Was there someone who was most instrumental for you growing up?

Bates: My freshman year in high school, my baseball coach Jackie Bennett. She told me that I had to make a decision between running track and playing baseball. I thought it was strange, why could I not do both, but she told me she wanted me to focus on one, and then mentioned how much greater the baseball opportunities were. She was a true believer that I not only had the talent to play baseball well, but I had the ability to play it professionally. To do that, I had to focus on baseball exclusively.

Henry: How long did that take, to give up track?

Bates: I still ran track, but the coaches knew that baseball was my primary focus, and everything centered around that. I would run meets if it didn’t conflict with baseball, or my training for baseball.

Henry: Newmanistan has never won two titles in a row. Is that the motivation for this one?

Bates: Brianne, we’re a team that doesn’t really need special motivational reasons to play. We know the talent we have, and we play hard every game. We want to win every game, we think short term. If we lose, we lose because the other team was a little better then we were on that given day, but it was not because we didn’t go for it hard.

Henry: I want to change the topic now. You know who Matthew Davis is, right?

Bates: Unfortunately, yes.

Henry: He’s continued to amaze people by his sexist comments, and he is the manager of a baseball team. What is your opinion of him?

Bates: I obviously do not support what he is saying. I am surprised his players are allowing that to happen, but we’re not really worried about Hampton Island. If that guy can’t look at a team like ours and realize that women can play baseball, then there’s nothing that I can say to change his mind. Other then that, it’s his own players and baseball association that needs to do something about it.

Henry: Well, that’s going to do it for now. Thank you, Hannah.

Bates: I appreciate it, thank you.

[Nova Anglicana]

Orlando Murray Press Conference, Londinium, Nova Anglicana

“I’ll take a few questions now.”

“Coach, how did you feel about the Gratissima series?”

“Well, we won more than we lost, so that’s better than we have been. Obviously I was disappointed with our performance, offense, pitching, defense, everything in Game 2. But the series is a step in the right direction.”

“Orlando, are you satisfied with the team’s performance in the first half?”

“Absolutely not. I think we’ve been inconsistent and not played like the team I know we are. Claimant and Drawkland are two fine teams, but those are series we have to win if we want to make the playoffs.”

“Coach, Juvencus’ team is university students and teachers. Is this an easy sweep for you guys?”

“We want to win every game, but none of them are ever easy. All the teams in the Classic represent some of the best players of their nation and I think it’s a mistake to underestimate them.”

“Do you want to comment on their roster, specifically that they have just twelve players and only four pitchers?”

“I’m concerned with our roster. I don’t control how anybody but us puts together their roster. They’ve won five games, so something is working for them. We’ll be next if we don’t watch out.”

“Who are some of the guys you’ve been pleased with so far and who’s disappointed you?”

“I think we all need to get better. Four runs a game on offense is just not going to get it done and our run differential is negative right now. My coaching staff and I need to make better decisions and put our guys in a better position to succeed and our guys need to take advantage when they get the chance. I like how our new guys have fit in and like how our veterans have led the way. We’ve done a lot of good things, but the biggest room in the world is room for improvement.”

“Orlando, this is the last series before the mid-qualifying break? Do you have a message for your team heading into the second half?”

“Well, I guess that depends on how this next series goes. If we sweep ‘em, then it’s keep up the good work. If they sweep us, we need to sit down and have a tough conversation about what we need to do to make the playoffs and who we can do it with. If it’s something in between, then we’ll talk about the adjustments we need to make and emphasize our style and what we did to get us to the number seven team in the world. I’m confident that we’ll put it all together and make a playoff run. Anything less isn’t Nova Anglicana baseball. That’s all the time I have right now. I’ll see y’all at the game.”

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

TDDROH Sports chat

Yet another sweep.




Results

Group 6:

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Scootalove City  1  0  0  0  3  0  3  1  3   11
Banija           0  3  2  1  0  0  1  0  1   8

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Scootalove City  0  1  1  0  1  1  0  0  6   10
Banija           0  0  0  2  0  1  0  0  0   3

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Scootalove City  1  0  0  1  0  1  1  3  0   7
Banija           0  1  1  1  0  0  0  0  2   5


                     G W L  RF RA  RD Win Pct.
1   Scootalove City 12 9 3  94 75 +19 0.750
2            Banija 12 8 4  69 58 +11 0.667
3            Hicana 12 7 5 107 97 +10 0.583
4    Hampton Island 12 6 6  68 64  +4 0.500
5 DEAT By Chocolate 12 3 9  47 85 -38 0.250
6          Humaliwo 12 3 9  70 76  -6 0.250

So, we get another sweep. Good job Unicorns!

This seems to be a pattern with this season. They either win all the games or loose all of the games.

Ah well, we are in first place again.

That 6 run inning was really great, you can thank Zoey Derpus, and Zeek Donald for those three run homers.



Lets keep going Unicorns!

[Northwest Kalactin]

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tenburg             1  0  1  1  0  2  0  0  0   5
Northwest Kalactin  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  1   3

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tenburg             0  0  0  0  1  2  2  0  0   5
Northwest Kalactin  3  1  2  0  1  0  0  1  X   8

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Tenburg             0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
Northwest Kalactin  0  0  1  1  0  1  0  0  X   3

Boom! oh that was fun winning a series 2-1 against 15th in the world

Game 1
This was the only game we lost we could have one if we had a bigger 9th inning but we didn’t so it was the only game we lost and hopefully the last one we lose against Tenburg so yay let’s go Kalactin

game 2
Wow that was a nifty comeback from ours last game Wendell Barkley scored 3 runs to win the game for our team

Game 3
A 1 hitter so close to a perfect game that would have been great for the Northwest kalactanians that would raise our morale a lot

GO NORTHWEST KALACTIN

[Cassadaigua]

Queen Cassie II Stunning Statement On Male Equality In Baseball

Seemingly out of no where this morning, Queen Cassie II made a royal announcement concerning the state of the international baseball team, and the equality of men when it comes to baseball. It was a little surprising,

“Good afternoon everyone. For some, the number 42 can mean many things. When it comes to baseball, there is one thing that the number 42 stands for the best. I might refer to some alternate universe somewhere, but when it comes to baseball, I equate the number 42 with equality and breaking down barriers. Lauren Friedman does a fantastic job as the of the Cassadagan Association for Baseball, and I applaud her efforts to the fullest. All she wants to do is bring World Baseball Classic glory back to Cassadaigua. Like every other baseball organization out there, she assembled the best players out there that she could, and we will root for them to be the champions. However, there is a common theme with this roster, and that is the fact that every single player on the team is female. Is it now about time for us to move on, in the Classic with the number 42, to break down a barrier?

I will accept the fact that every single player currently on the roster deserves to be there. But, there are no roster limits in the World Baseball Classic, so we have room for one more player. Or maybe, three more players. I hereby call on Mrs. Friedman to add three men to the roster prior to the 16th game of qualifying. There is a little break at the midway point, and that can allow Mrs. Friedman the chance to study our men’s baseball leagues and see which players will be the best fit for the roster. She will have time to discuss this with Maddie Polanco, a Super-Llamaland native who knows exactly how to have men and women thrive together on the same roster. While our nation and Newmanistan have had all-female rosters with plenty of success, it is Super-Llamaland that has the most success with the mixed gender roster. I know that Maddie Polanco, working with Lauren Friedman, can find the best male players.

This is not just a publicity stunt. This is an effort to show that Cassadagan men can do everything that men in other countries can do. The time has come for us to move forward in this regard. We have in other sports, now baseball will be the final hurdle, a hurdle crossed, and a barrier to be broken in a classic numbered 42.”

Preston I. Grant, President of Male Equality Now (MEN) reacted to the stunningly positive news, “I am so grateful and honored that our Queen has taken this step. This is an amazing step forward for men in Cassadaigua! I can’t wait to hear the names of the male players that will be added to the roster and will also have a chance to experience World Baseball Classic glory while representing Cassadaigua!”

[Schiltzberg]

A ballad is a type of poem that is often sung and tells a story that has a distinct moral. The ballad does not have a defined structure or amount of syllables per line, but ballads most commonly are in quatrain form, typically with end rhyme. There are three common rhyme schemes of ballads: abab, aabb, and abcb. Ballads are characterized by repetition (which can be created by repeating the same phrase or theme in different parts of the poem) and tragedy. It is not required that all ballads are tragic, but they are often associated with tragedy.

Examples of Ballads

House Carpenter Traditional

"Well met, well met, my own true love!" (a) "Well met, well met!" cried she. (b) "I've just returned from the salt, salt sea, (b) And it's all for the love of thee. (b)

I could have married a king's daughter there; (a) She would have married me, (b) But I have forsaken my king's daughter there, (c) And it's all for the love of thee." (b)

"Well, if you could have married a king's daughter there, (a) I'm sure you're the one to blame; (b) For I am married to a house carpenter, (c) And I'm sure he's a fine young man." (b)

"Forsake, forsake your house carpenter (a) And come away with me. (b) I'll take you where the green grass grows (c) On the shores of sunny Italy." (b)

So up she picked her babies three (a) And gave them kisses, one, two, three, (a) Saying, "Take good care of your daddy while I'm gone (b) And keep him good company." (a)

Well, they were sailin' about two weeks (a) (I'm sure it was not three), (b) When the younger of the girls, she came on deck, (c) Sayin' she wants company. (b)

"Well, are you weepin' for your house and home, (a) Or are you weepin' for your babies three?" (b) "Well, I'm not weepin' for my house carpenter; (c) I'm weepin' for my babies three. (b)

Oh, what are those hills yonder, my love? (a) They look as white as snow!" (b) "Those are the hills of heaven, my love, (a) That you and I'll never know." (b)

"Oh, what are those hills yonder, my love? (a) They look as dark as night." (b) "Those are the hills of hell-fire, my love, (a) Where you and I will unite!" (b)

Oh, twice around went the gallant ship (a) (I'm sure it was not three), (b) When the ship all of a sudden, it sprung a leak, (c) And it drifted to the bottom of the sea. (a)

Seven Curses Bob Dylan

Old Reilly stole a stallion, (a) But they caught him, and they brought him back, (b) And they laid him down on the jailhouse ground (c) With an iron chain around his neck. (b)

Old Reilly's daughter got a message (a) That her father was goin' to hang. (b) She rode by night and came by morning (c) With gold and silver in her hand. (b)

When the judge he saw Reilly's daughter, (a) His old eyes deepened in his head, (b) Sayin', "Gold will never free your father; (a) The price, my dear, is you instead." (b)

"Oh I'm as good as dead," cried Reilly, (a) "It's only you that he does crave, (b) And my skin will surely crawl if he touches you at all. (c) Get on your horse and ride away." (b)

"Oh father, you will surely die (a) If I don't take the chance to try (a) And pay the price and not take your advice. (b) For that reason, I will have to stay." (c)

The gallows' shadows shook the evening. (a) In the night, a hound dog bayed. (b) In the night, the grounds were groanin'. (c) In the night, the price was paid. (b)

The next mornin' she had awoken (a) To know that the judge had never spoken. (a) She saw that hangin' branch a-bendin'; (a) She saw her father's body broken. (a)

"These be seven curses on a judge so cruel: (a) That one doctor will not save him, (b) That two healers will not heal him, (b) That three eyes will not see him, (b)

That four ears will not hear him, (a) That five walls will not hide him, (a) That six diggers will not bury him (a) And that seven deaths shall never kill him." (a)