World Baseball Classic 43- Everything (Finals G6 Posted)

[The Sherpa Empire]

Here we go

ST. CATHERINE - The qualifying is over, and the Blue Jays are in. That's the good news.

The bad news? They get the hots in the first round.

President Hodge has already tweeted good luck wishes to the Dagans and their queen. Game 1 pitcher Garry Barnett III, however, wasn't as complimentary - even though the pink and black attack is the 6th seed. From Twatter:

Garry Barnett III (@GB3)

We will sweep these bitches and keep it going! #Title2

LSPN has already denounced Barnett's comments, and Garry Barnett, Jr.'s Twatter chastised his son:

Garry Barnett, Jr. (@GMoney57)

Really, kid?? Insult the hosts - a team that can hang with anybody - and call them that? Why not just drop that word and be done with it!

B's is not the Barnett family consensus opinion of our first opponents.

Twatter Responses from people in the Sherpa Empire:

Changjun Ihawa (@SardarCJ)

And people wonder why I don't want play baseball...

Debashish Morrison (@DebaShishKebab)

You're going to look really stupid if you lose after making a comment like that.

Kai Qiang (@QK98)

Why everyone is so upset? It just smack talk.

Brian Jones-Dan (@WWBJDD)

OMFG SJWs are triggered bears crap in the woods Lakpa Fang is gay

Changjun Ihawa is Jamling Ihawa's daughter and the keeper of the Sherpa national quidditch team, Debashish Morrison is the 3rd baseman of the Darjeeling Green Sox, Kai Qiang is a stock car driver, and Brian Jones-Dan is a soccer player.

[Lycrabon]

Here we go

ST. CATHERINE - The qualifying is over, and the Blue Jays are in. That's the good news.

The bad news? They get the hots in the first round. *snip*

Controversy continues in Colonial Heights

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, CASSADAIGUA - The fallout continues from pitcher Garry Barnett III's Twatter remarks about Lycrabon's first round opponent. Women's groups in Lycrabon have called for is removal from the team, President Hodge has requested a public apology, and his own teammates have wondered what's going on. A sampling:

President Gregory Hodge (@POTISL):

I idolized Garry Barnett, Jr. as a child. To think his son could make these disgraceful comments shocks me. If his father hasn't already, I suggest to him now: consider your words and ask forgiveness.

Lycrabon Association for Women's Rights (@LAWR):

To be a role model, you must act the part. Garry Barnett III, while a talented player, cannot be allowed to disparage women in this fashion. He should be fined and suspended from the national team. #RememberMomisOne


1B Dusty Turner (@GoldDustTurner)

WHY @GB3? That is just going to get someone's head taken off!

Setup pitcher Gil England (@CSIEngland)

It's just as well he gets to put up or eat crow in Game 1. #StupidStupidStupid #StupidIdiot



In other news, the starters for game 2 and an if necessary game 3 will be Brant Powers and Fred Dickerson, respectively.

[The Sherpa Empire]

Lycrabon Association for Women's Rights (@LAWR):

To be a role model, you must act the part. Garry Barnett III, while a talented player, cannot be allowed to disparage women in this fashion. He should be fined and suspended from the national team. #RememberMomisOne

Brian Jones-Dan (@WWBJDD)

As usual SJWs have no respect for free speech #FreeGB3

[Beepee]

Match day 28
Beepee 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 7
Northwest Kalactin
0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 4

Beepee, knowing they need to win each of the last three matches to qualify, surprised themselves and Northwest Papacy in with an upset victory.

The top of the seventh saw a masterful innings by the Beepee batting line-up scoring five runs and getting 7 hits in the process.

The win allowed Beepee to pull away from their main competition for second place. Following the match Beeper boss Homer Unn commented we proved here baseball and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them."


Match day 29
Gloriax 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4
Beepee 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2


Gloriax defeated Beepee comfortably, however despite losing Beeper supporters celebrated as, in the other match, the Kalactin in side also lost sending Beeper through to the knock-out stages.

Brimming with delight Homer Unn said
"It's kinda like watching your mother-in-law go off a cliff in your brand new Cadillac. You got mixed feelings.”

Match day 30
Beepee 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 5
Super-Llamaland
1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3

In what was essentially a dead rubber, Beepee ran out winners over the world number one.

The victory will provide Beepee with a boost of confidence going into what will be a difficult knock of stage.

Following the match Beeper manager Homer Unn said "I love the tension. I love when everything’s going wrong... today was not one of those days".

Beepee, seeded 26th, faces West Phoenicia (7) in what will be a stern test for Beepee: however, the team has already exceeded expectations in the tournament and is bound to be a party atmosphere when the teams meet.

[West Phoenicia]

The Confederates are through to the next round after some great games in the last 6 games, that kept them on top of the ladder in their pool and let the other teams in their pool know they were on the warpath to victory.


West Phoenicia will take on Beepee at the Starksville Stadium, where the West Phoenicians will parade out their usual support base of priests and priestesses of Fortuna who will bless the game in favour of a Confederates with their prayers, incense and offerings.

Confederate's coach Jacob Prosper said to the West Phoenician media that Beepee which was new to the WBC, has been dealt a tough blow. While they are happy to be progressing to the round of 32, they need to realise The Confederates will stop at nothing to get to the finals, and Beepee will learn they may bring on the party atmosphere, but its our party and we will knock them out of the competition if we want too and we plan too...

[Xelsis]

Entez Sporting Network-WBC Playoff Special-Roster Comparison

How the Lightning and the Golden Bears stack up, position by position

With the playoffs only a day away, the Entez Sporting Network is here to get you the goods on Xelsis's opponents, and just how this might go down, everywhere in the field, and on the mound as well.

Position Player

Catcher

Frederick Lasitos (6 ft. 2 in, 195 lbs, 27, Bats 9th, Right)

vs.

Danny Hackerbee (22, Bats 6th)


A major differences emerges right from the start with the #1 position behind the plate, with two very different players, and two very different philosophies. Lasitos is an all-defense player, still young for a catcher, and racking up all of his value on his remarkable ability to catch stealer after stealer, while producing little more than a constant stream of outs at the plate, an active offensive liability. Hackerbee, on the other hand, is as fresh and young as they come, and a force with the bat, with excellent contact and plate discipline both, posting strong averages and OBPs, enough to grant him a spot in the middle of the order on a national team, but with a defensive skillset not worthy of comment. Lasitos's paltry hitting performance against Classic-level pitchers, batting under .100 in the regular season stretch, has been a weight on the Xelsian offense, even as holding baserunners has proven a boon to pitchers, while Hackerbee drives in runs for his team-which skillset proves more valuable in the intensity of a three-game series is yet to be seen.

First Base

Albert Deachrist (6 ft. 1 in, 179 lbs, 24, Bats 5th, Switch)

vs.

Larry Huckston (29, Bats 3rd)

Huckston is a man who largely fits the mold expected of the first baseman, batting in the crucial three-hole, a strong hitter, and an RBI machine, consistently excellent with runners in scoring position. Deachrist certainly does not appear as the standard, largely because first base is not his natural position, and one only stepped into with the nagging injuries to Demetri Swatzkova. A mere 179 lbs, he still has some power when he makes contact, but derives most of his worth from constantly fouling off balls until managing a squib hit, or taking a pitch to the body for the team. Defensively, he still struggles too much on ground balls, but is a solid receiver with good range. He doesn't have the experience that Huckston does, or the star power, and in this head-to-head, the advantage would seem to go the Golden Bears, but if Deachrist is anything, he is scrappy, and in close playoff matches, it's a trait in demand.

Second Base

Buck Garner (5 ft. 11 in, 172 lbs, 42, Bats 7th, Right)

vs.

Bryce Mueller (27, Bats 7th)

Both batting in the seven-hole, a more direct comparison is possible between the two two-baggers, who once again show substantial differences, but similarities as well. Mueller is more of a home-run threat than he appears, with a solid swing and a good ability to analyze pitchers and drive one long, while Garner is in the middle of a power surge if he hits one halfway to the warning track. Both are brains on the field, Garner with more than two decades of experience, Mueller with an intelligence that belies his age, and neither will make many, if any, mental mistakes on the field. Garner's glove is excellent, Mueller's youth gives him better range, and the two could be quite a head-to-head to watch in the coming series.

Third Base

Sam Carhoones (6 ft. 3 in, 217 lbs, 39, Bats 6th, Right)

vs.

Kavlin Nellis (31, Bats 5th)

Carhoones has been given the nod over Li for the playoff sprint, but matching up against the Golden Bears' third-bagger, he may not have the firepower to compete. Nellis is arguably the best hitter on the Hampton Islands team, with substantial power, excellent contact, and good plate discipline all rolled together into a complete package. Carhoones's approach at the plate is a similar all-around approach, but his bat can't quite match the pop of Nellis's, nor is his contact as solid. He has good range, fundamentals, and versatility in the field, but ends up a class behind in offense, enough to hand over the edge to Kavlin.

Shortshop

Mario Teros (5 ft. 8 in, 205 lbs, 31, Bats 3rd, Right)

vs.

Patrick Seguin (30, Bats 2nd)

Teros and Seguin play the same position, but are clearly different players. Seguin is a plus-glove in the field, known for his excellent range tracking down the ball, his appearances at the plate strong enough, a good contact hitter, but without any decisive edge. Teros, on the other hand, is a good enough fielder when he can get to the ball, but is noticeably inferior to Seguin in his range, a critical aspect at the most crucial position in the infield. It is at the plate, rather, where Mario shines, the best power hitter on the Lightning, and drawing prodigious numbers of walks, unintentional and intentional both, with his powerful, compact frame. Seguin is there to set the table, but Teros's power is to clear it.

Left Field

Nolan Maneros (6 ft. 5 in, 240 lbs, 25, Bats 4th, Switch)

vs.

Anthony Cianci (29, Bats 8th)

Left field is the one position where the Lightning have a clear-cut advantage over the Golden Bears. Maneros is the reigning XHL MVP, and has been tearing up the Classic thus far, the best pure hitter in the Xelsian lineup, switch-hitting with excellent contact and power both. Cianci is well-rounded enough, but bats near the bottom of the lineup with reason, he is a solid player on all the tools, but does not excel in any area. Where the Hampton Islanders has the advantage is in fielding, where Maneros's performance leaves something to be desired, but the best bat in Xelsis batting cleanup has the clear advantage here.

Center Field

Reilly O'Connor (6 ft. 180 lbs, 23, Bats 2nd, Left)

vs.

Adam Voorman (27, Bats 1st)

Centerfield is where the two teams have their most similar players. Both O'Connor and Voorman are excellent fielders in the center of the outfield, both with strong gloves and good range. Both as well as forces to be reckoned with on the basepaths, fast, with stolen bases to claim, with Voorman more aggressive as a runner, going for steals more often and making more daring plays to take the extra base, while O'Connor tends towards caution, the high-percentage play, making the steals he knows he can. Overally, Voorman has the edge in speed and defense, while O'Connor is somewhat better at the plate, well-rounded as an excellent bunter with good contact in power, the difference well in line with their spots in the lineup, Voorman leading off, O'Connor batting second. Both will be quite fun to watch.

Right Field

Mntukabe Tankeros (5 ft. 10 in, 162 lbs, 24, Bats 1st, Right)

vs.

Brad Thomas (30, Bats 4th)

Right off of the most similar pair of players in centerfield is what may be the most different ones in right, each occupying a wholly dissimilar role in the lineup. Tankeros is a blazer, his legs his strongest asset on swift steals or daring triples, while Thomas is a slugger, swinging for the fences, and often blasting the ball over them. Both are fairly free-swinging and put together too many strikeouts, Tankeros from aggressively trying to put any ball in the vicinity of the plate in play, Thomas from trying to hit anything he can draw a bead on into the next town over. Tankeros adds great range from his speed and a rocket arm in right, but is still a man limited to stealing one base at a time, while Thomas can get a free walk around all four with a big enough hit.

Designated Hitter

N/A

vs.

Michael Patterson (34, Bats 9th)

No league in Xelsian baseball uses the Designated Hitter, and thus far in the tournament, Xelsisian pitchers have been set to bat for themselves if on the road against a team which uses them, serving as their own DH, declining the option. Now in a playoff context, Browning's decision to keep that standard in place has been fairly popular among the majority of Xelsian baseball fans, but has sabermetricians who would like to see Al-Umar's big bat in play steamed.

Looking at the Golden Bears' DH, Patterson is an odd duck. In a position generally occupied by hulking sluggers who can't play the field, the best hitters available who bat in the heart of the order, Patterson is an infielder without much noted skill with the bat, primarily a contact hitter over a powerful one who bats dead last.

What we can compare him to are the Xelsian pitchers slated to start. Edgar Rumenoss is the one who having hit as his own DH is a decision that even sabermetricians would be hard-pressed to doubt, as the massive 6 ft. 11 in man wallops the ball when he hits it, and hits it often. Harlo, the second pitcher to start, has shown some skill with the bat himself, though with a tendency to get into cold streaks as often as he hits hot ones. Should the series go to three games, however, with the final game to use the DH, as Hampton Islands holds home-field advantage, Daylan Baker is not a hitter, perhaps bunting over a runner, but nothing else, and would hand the Golden Bears a clear advantage, as Patterson clearly outclasses him.


Pitchers

Starter 1

Edgar Rumenoss (6 ft. 11 in, 250 lbs, 25, RHP)

vs.

Chris Tyson (30, RHP)

Rumenoss was the second starter in the rotation at the beginning of the Classic, but has earned his spot as staff ace with consistently strong, steady performances throughout. For the Golden Bears, Tyson was their ace at the start, and has held through throughout, as a hard-thrower, even with something of a headhunter's reputation. Tyson's strength lies with his fastball and throwing it past batters, while Rumenoss uses a mix of splitters, sinkers, and forkballs to allow contact, but put the ball on the ground. The alien confines of Concord Heights will be important in determining the effectiveness of the environment-focused Rumenoss, while batters such as Deachrist will see if they can bum a free base off of Tyson by taking one for the team.

Starter 2

Larry Harlo (6 ft. 4 in, 225 lbs, 24, LHP)

vs.

Dean Douglass (27, RHP)

Harlo and Douglass are very similar pitchers, differing primarily in the side of the mound that they throw from. Both have a good fastball, Douglass's a step beyond Harlo's, but both ply their trade most effectively with breaking pitches, Harlo with a dominant curveball, and Douglass with a more varied and deadly selection. Even after starting the Classic with two complete games, Harlo's stamina does remain a question, and it will be seen if he can go the distance against his opponent.

Starter 3

Daylan Baker (6 ft. 3 in, 211 lbs, 29, RHP)

vs.

Cory Clover (24, LHP)

Should the series go to three games, Baker is likely to have flashbacks to the XHL, as he faced off against an opponent even more similar to Harlo than Douglass is, a lefthanded phenom with a dominant curveball. Baker's been at the top of the Xelsian world for the last half-decade, but has had growing pains in the Classic, if admittedly against the Cassadaiguan lineup that only Rumenoss seemed able to stymie. He'll set his varied arsenal of fastballs against Clover's curve, and will hope to have an edge in run support from the primarily right-handed Xelsian lineup, O'Connor the only man batting from the left-side of the plate, but if Clover's curve is anything like Harlo's, he shouldn't expect much from hitters who've struck out against it one too many times back home.


And there you have it, folks. Player-by-player, just how our hometown boys stack up against their new foes. The doubleheader is set for tomorrow, a single day that can bring triumph or despondency, and we'll be here with the game, the analysis, and even a shoulder to cry on if it all goes downhill. Stay tuned.

[Ko-oren]

At the Admirals HQ, part 3 (part 2)

"Julien, this is Shimoda, still with the NT. I've got big news. I'm still on the staff, and we're going to Cassadaigua. It seems the project will be tolerated by the league. That's not all. If the current head coach stays on the NT, and is not fired, and I still help the team meaningfully, we've got to move the team to Intermare. I want to avoid the move at all costs, but I've got myself caught in a deal with the coach here. If we got fired before the Classic, I'd be done, but the league would've called the project off. But here we are. That part of the condition is fulfilled. So I have to support the team, but make it seem non-meaningful, if I want to get my project going and not move to goddamn Intermare."

"What's so bad about Intermare? It's nice, some small cities around the coast, and the plains are nice as well."

"Have you ever heard of baseball in Intermare?"

"No. Never really heard much about baseball in general, though."

"Exactly. I need to keep the Admirals out of Intermare. Though if I get the league involved, they'll take a closer look at this team and the project will be discontinued."

"Right."

"I need to get the league off this team as much as possible, I need you to keep doing your work, we need to finish above Suvira next season if we want to keep advancing baseball and sports in Ko-oren in general, all while I now have to make sure we have fans next year. Intermare! What got to this idiot's mind to mention Intermare of all places! Anyway, I need information on our next opponent. North Prairie. Whatever your research so far can tell you. I need it all. And I'll be honest, I'll tell the head coach the exact opposite of the research. That way, the Dragonflies might go home early, but I've got myself a team in anything but Intermare. Though in a way, I'm so glad that the Dragonflies go on one decent winning spree, and they do so at the end. Keeps our research safe."

"Yes, that seems excellent. I'll start working on it. Anything you can tell me now to make things easier?"

"North Prairie, ranked 39th, so a little bit below us. They're crazy about the game. They've gone all out in their second-last few group matches, so it's a little uncertain whether or not they're entirely fresh when they face us. Also, they've taken some rest in the final group game, so for a team like that, they should be ready for us. Though, they've left their marquee pitcher out of the game, so he'll definitely face us. Lucas Jackson. Things haven't all gone their way, though. They've won their final two games, but still got bumped down to second place on the last matchday, when they had a bye."

"Any big players?"

"I don't know, I'm the coach of a local Ko-orenite team. When you look at the stats, it should be apparent who their big hitters are, get them out of the game. Be weary of the guy with the highest on base percentage. Just give me some names, some tips, and then I'll tell the NT coach the exact opposite, remember?"

"Yes, Mr. Shimoda. I'm on it."

"You're doing amazing work, Julien. Bye for today."

"Goodbye, Mr. Shimoda."

---

"Ok team, I just got a call from Shimoda. He wants us to put together an entire match report on North Prairie, only to give the exact opposite information to the NT coach. He's gunning for an early exit from the Classic. So that means, whatever we write, in the trash it goes... Anyone have a spare half hour to fill an A4 with random facts about the team? Doesn't matter if it's true."

"Julien, I have a moment this morning. Forward whatever you have from Shimoda to me, I'll make it look all good."

"Thanks. Remember, doesn't need to be true. But nobody outside of the data team needs to know that. And also, nobody should know that whatever information we give is purposefully turned 180 degrees by Shimoda again."

---

Scouting Report - North Prairie

1. Head coach Mark Carlson is a genius, able to make quick decisions on the fly, so any edge that is found will probably be fixed as the game goes on.

2. Lucas Jackson is only capable of throwing most fastballs and some breaking balls (sliders, screwballs) but cannot throw a changeup to save his life. Pitches should arrive at the plate at more or less the same speed.

3. The Central and Left outfield, Laurent and Lindholm, lack the speed to cover the entire left half of the outfield. Avoid Chevalier, he's fast.

4. Munksgaard often reaches base, but is easily distracted. Hidden ball trick to get him out?

5. Chevalier steals a lot of bases successfully. Interestingly, he steals less often if the pitcher throws very few pickoff attempts.

6. Louis Cook has off days. Should he have one, the ninth inning will be comeback territory for us.

7. Dedrick has an average on base percentage, Munksgaard is more dangerous. Cummings is the big hitter, walk him if bases are full.

[The Sherpa Empire]

* * * * * * * *

Are you leaving? asked the spirit of Syangboche.

Jamling Ihawa looked around, wondering if maybe the spirit that lived in the mountain under the ballpark was talking to someone else. He didn't see anyone else that he thought could hear the spirit, though there was a girl across the way who might have had enough magical power to sense its moods. "I just got here," said Ihawa. "Why would I be leaving at this time of day?"

I meant is this game the last time I will see you?

"No, why would it...?" Ihawa started to dismiss the idea, but then stopped mid-sentence when he realized it might actually be the last game he pitched in Syangboche. The Sherpa national team would be going to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec and then to Cassadaigua, not coming back to Syangboche. With SIBA's new campaign to analyze blood magic, Ihawa wasn't sure if he wanted to come back for another season with the Icefall Doctors. He still loved the team, but he hated the idea that SIBA might use his pitching stats and his blood test results to justify discrimination against other people who came after him. He knew he was unlikely to make the national team next year, even if he wanted to, because he was simply getting too old.

I can feel it; you are not coming back, the spirit said sadly. I will miss you when you are gone.

"I haven't decided to retire yet," said Ihawa.

I know you are leaving, said the spirit. I hoped you would stay, but I know you won't. I will be lonely when you are gone. The other players don't talk to me like you do.

"They would if they could hear you," said Ihawa.

And I would fly if I was made of mist instead of stone. I am glad that people will still come here and play baseball. I like to watch the games, but it will not be the same without you.

"I still haven't decided to retire," Ihawa insisted. He was starting to get annoyed with the spirit telling him what he was going to do, as if it knew better than he did.

I know you will.

"Okay, well, I need to go get ready for the game," said Ihawa. He thought about how quiet the world must be for people that couldn't hear spirits, and he couldn't make up his mind if that would be good or bad.

Ihawa pitched 6 good innings, then started to run out of steam. He got pulled in the 7th with the score at 3 to 2 and a runner on second, but then Tashi Siedler let the runner score, tying the game 3 to 3. In the 8th, Luochong Zhuang threw a pitch that didn't tail away from the batter as much as it was supposed to, and the batter put it into the outfield seats, giving Devonta a 4-3 lead. In the 9th, Pasang Sherpa-Zhou didn't do much better, and the final score was 5 to 3.
As the teams made their way to the locker rooms and the fans trickled out into the streets, Ihawa stopped to take one last look at the field from the dugout, and thought the spirit was probably right that he wouldn't be back. It seemed like a very anticlimactic way to end his time there, but sometimes life was anticlimactic. Even having supernatural powers and talking to gods was no guarantee that your story would end with a dramatic come-from-behind win, or that you would save the world, or anything like that. If life was like fiction, Ihawa thought, his first wife would have come back to him and said she was sorry for all the times they fought -- but that didn't look like it was going to happen before Christian hell froze over and Buddhist leeches achieved Enlightenment.

"I'll miss you," Ihawa said to the park.

You will not come back?

"No, you were right, but I'll still come back to visit even if I don't pitch here again."

I am not sure you will, said the spirit of Syangboche. It seemed deeply troubled. Something is not right.

"Why would I not come back?" said Ihawa.

Even honest people can't always do what they say they are going to do, said the spirit. Sometimes things aren't as simple as people expect.

"I'll come back to visit," Ihawa insisted. "Be well, okay?"

I will be here, but you... The spirit was worried about something that it didn't want to put into words, and Ihawa didn't understand it.

"I'll see you again," he reassured it. "I promise."

The spirit of Syangboche was still doubtful, but Ihawa could tell that it didn't want him to linger and argue with it. Why would he not come back? Did the spirit think he was going to die or something? The more he thought about it, the more he thought the conversation was disturbing.

* * * * * * * *

The Sherpa national baseball team ended the group stage with a trip to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec and a nice 6 to 2 win in which Nawang Gurung went 3 for 4 with a home run and a couple of singles. They hoped the win would give them good momentum going into the playoffs.

* * * * * * * *

The Ihawa family were renting a small house on the outskirts of Brattleboro, where Kami would have room to cook and the kids could run around without bothering anyone with their noise. It didn't make much sense to stay in hotels when you were traveling with a family of six. The downside of this was that they had to rent a car to drive in and out of the city, and neither one of them was a good driver. Jamling was clumsy and inexperienced because he had never done a lot of driving. They didn't drive back home in Namche because the streets were so steep and crowded that it wasn't worth the trouble. Kami was sloppy and aggressive because that was how she had fought her way through Kathmandu's traffic in her old life as a taxi driver, before she married Jamling. Kami liked driving -- it brought back memories -- but it wasn't particularly safe to be in the car with her, or to be in the next lane when she realized she needed to get over. The fact that she couldn't read the road signs because none of them were in Sherpa, or even anything that used the same alphabet, only made things worse. By the time Changjun could translate the signs and tell her where she needed to turn, there wasn't any way to get over to the correct lane without cutting people off.

A trip to the grocery store confused the hell out of Kami. The store was full of foods she had never seen before, she couldn't read the labels without Changjun's help, and she had no feel for the local prices. The numbers on the price tags all looked low, but then if she converted them to rupees, it seemed like everything was expensive. It wasn't the first time she'd ever tried shopping in a foreign country, but every country was different, and every time she visited a new one, it was confusing. Eventually, they returned to the house with a couple of bags of food, and Kami made a nice beef stew. It tasted a little different being made with Cassadagan ingredients rather than Sherpa ones, but it was still a decent meal, and little Nima still managed to get it all over her face because she was clumsy with a spoon.

While he ate, Jamling thought about his last conversation with the spirit of Syangboche. It occurred to him that there was something else besides being dead that would make it impractical for him to go to games there: if he was playing somewhere other than the Sherpa Empire. He was sure there were leagues in other countries that wouldn't look for blood magic when they did their drug tests because they didn't know magic existed, and then he could pitch for another year or two without seeing SIBA turn his success into an excuse to discriminate against other people who had magic in their blood. "I've been thinking," he said, "How would you feel about it if I played overseas for a year or two so I don't have to deal with SIBA's blood testing? It would be good money, and we could still keep the house in Namche to live in the offseason and go back to when I retire."

Kami gave him a dirty look, and he could tell that she didn't like the idea. "Where would you go?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Jamling. "Last year I got an offer from the New Llama Wizards. Maybe they're still interested."

Kami still looked unenthusiastic. "What about the kids, though? They'd have to go to a new school and learn a new language... What would that do to their education?"

"They miss a lot of school anyway," said Jamling.

"I want to stay in Namche so I can be a mountain guide," said Changjun.

"We'll be back in Namche by the time you turn 18," said Jamling, " and if we go to an English-speaking country, it'll be a great chance for you to practice your English."

"Ohh..." said Changjun. "I hadn't thought of that." She grabbed her mother's arm, and said, "Can we, mom?"

"I don't want to learn English," said Changjun's half-brother Rita. "Rita is a girl's name in English and everybody will make fun of me."

"Really?" said Jamling.

"Who would name a girl Rita?" said Kami.

"He's right," said Changjun. "Rita is a girl's name in English."

"Rongba are so weird," said Jamling. ("Rongba" is a Sherpa word for people that aren't Sherpas.)

"Haha! You're a girl!" Rita's brother Rinzi teased him.

"Shut up!" said Rita.

"You're a girl!" Rinzi repeated. "Rita is a girl!"

Kami grabbed him and hissed, "Stop it!"

Rinzi lowered his voice and leaned across the table, as if that would somehow stop his mother from getting annoyed if he continued his teasing, and said in a loud whisper, "Rita is a girl's name."

Kami yanked him back into his seat, and told him, "Stop it, now! Finish your stew."

Rinzi looked at his mother, trying to guage her expression and judge whether he could get away with any more teasing without getting spanked or sent away from the dinner table. She looked angry, so he decided he had better shut up and finish his stew.

When Kami was satisfied that Rinzi was not going to cause any more trouble, she turned her attention back to Jamling and said, "I definitely want to keep the house."

"We'll keep the house, then," said Jamling.

"I don't want to learn English!" Rita protested. Rinzi sniggered and both his parents glared at him.

"Maybe we can home-school the boys when we're abroad, and then in the winter, we'd bring them back to Namche to go to their regular school," Jamling suggested.

"I don't want to be home-schooled," said Rinzi.

"Do they have llamas in Super-Llamaland?" Nima asked out of nowhere. "Llamas are cool. Mr. Zhuang told me allllll about them on the plane."

"Mr. Zhuang does that," said Jamling. "We don't have to figure out everything right now, but I think I'm going to ask my agent to look around and just see what's out there. I don't know if I want to actually go overseas, but it doesn't hurt to look." When he saw the look of uncertainty on Kami's face, he added, "Whatever happens, we'll definitely keep the house. I know you like that place."

"Did you know you can use llama's hair to make clothes?" said Nima.

"Yes," said Jamling. "I know more than I ever wanted to know about llamas because Mr. Zhuang spent an hour explaining it. He talks to grown-ups too, you know."

"That man needs a mute button," said Kami.

* * * * * * * *

[Beepee]

West Phoenicia will take on Beepee at the Starksville Stadium and it appears, if Confederates coach Jacob Prosper's most recent comments are anything to go by, that The Confederates are confident of an easy victory.

Baseball Beepee head honcho Homer Unn appeared visibly riled Prosper's recent comments. Unn ranted to the media "I'll tell you honestly I will love it if we beat them. Love it!" However there is a general pessimism amongst fans about the chances of success.

Despite this Beepee Baseball Fans Forever are continuing the party and intend to bring all the fun of the fair to the West Phoneicians. Beepee fans are believed to be organising a fun activities to do including pony rides, a ferris wheel, and a swimming pool for fans. The match will be a lot of fun, no doubt. Delighted fans will also be bringing their inflatable clappers to bang together to cheer on both teams. The stadium is likely to be abuzz with noise and excitement.

Within Beepee the game has garnered a lot of intention with many Before and dressing their pet cats in the national colours of both teams as is Beepeean tradition.

Homer Unn has confirmed his roster for the match and as the standard roster. Starting pitcher will be 29 year-old Josef Artemovich.

[Liventia]

Newitt 'not considered' for Equestrian States matchup

Rutland, CASSADAIGUA— We're sick of starting our articles with a short, pithy line involving a number, so we won't this time.

Instead, we'll tell you that Liventian ace Tyler Newitt will not start any of the three first round playoff games against Equestrian States at Rutland Stadium.

Reports suggest that Newitt has fallen out with pitching coach Thomas McMillan, although team sources are strenuously denying the claims.

At a press conference previewing the series, manager Adam Darwin simply confirmed his two starters in the opening games will be Patrick Rider and Francis Delamere, the second and third starters in Liventia's extended six-man rotation.

When asked if Newitt would play in a decisive game three, Darwin simply said: "He's not in consideration to start at the moment." It is likely that 19-year-old Kieran Sheldon, who went 13–1 in his debut domestic season last year, would start any game three.

Liventia (15–9) were the third-best second-placed team in the group stages, which matched them up against the lowest-ranked group winners, Equestrian States (also 15–9).

The equine nation came into the WBC as the 14th seed, and presents a tough task for the Red-and-Gold, who are making a return to international competition and have surpassed expectations by reaching the last 32.

With Games 1 and, if needed, 3 not using the designated hitter, manager Darwin confirmed that first baseman Henry Woodings would sit in favour of DH Devin James taking over at first.

"The rest of the lineup picks itself after that second half of the group stage," he noted. Liventia went 8–4 in the latter half of group play, improving on a 7–5 opening sequence and achieving two of the team's stated goals: playing .667 ball in the second half and beating the group's top seed Schiltzberg.

The DH will be in use in Game 2, with Baseball Liventia deciding the team would be better served with James not having to field.

It is expected that the games will be shown in Liventia on post-production tape delay, with most Liventians not aware of the sentient non-humans who make up the majority of the Equestrian States team. The delayed telecasts will allow editors to graphically render the non-humans as humanoid creatures.

[Abanhfleft]

Tales From the Front, Part Eight

Admiral Rubchev Naval Base
Novorossiysk, Pridnestrovia

Major of Aviation Boris Sergeyevich Borisov knew that he had just fucked up, and fucked up bad, and now he was going to die because of it.

Borisov was, above all, a Pridnestrovian, and a Pridnestrovian patriot at that. Like many of Pridnestrovia's current crop of officers, Borisov was a veteran of the Great Patriotic War and had earned his wings fighting against the Szavodan invaders. Unlike some of his other contemporaries though, Borisov did not participate in either Operation KNIFE EDGE or the Pridnestrovian intervention in Nordskania, but now here he was, fighting for the very safety and future of the Pridnestrovian Republic above the city that was known as the gateway to Pridnestrovia.

Over one hundred Pridnestrovian Air Force jets had been scrambled to meet the aerial Imperial invasion force, and of those one hundred, twenty have already been shot down by the Imperial fighter escorts at the cost of only five Imperial fighters and maybe one or two transport aircraft. The Novorossiysk missile umbrella was actually responsible for more aircraft kills in this particular battle than the Air Force, but that was nothing to be ashamed of. The Imperials hold the technological advantage in aerial warfare, at least from the so-called "beyond visual range". If the Pridnestrovians' MiG-29s could get close to the Imperial fighters, then that was another prospect altogether.

And that was how Boris Borisov knew that he had just fucked it up big time. Borisov had been assigned to deal with the transports while the other jets in his squadron engaged with the fighters, but Borisov had thought it a good idea to maybe try attacking some of the fighters as well. The transports appeared to have a near-inexhaustible supply of countermeasures anyway, and Borisov was running out of missiles to shoot at them, so he might as well try to shoot down one of those Imperial fuckers. All that ended up doing to him was forcing him into a chase with an Imperial that allowed another Imperial to sneak up on his ass and send a missile up his exhaust pipes. When his own countermeasures couldn't shake off the missile with his name on it, Borisov had decided to call it a day and eject.

And now he was also regretting his decision to eject. With more Imperial transports making it through the missile umbrella and the dogfight than not, they were already beginning to disgorge their cargo of paratroopers over Novorossiysk, and Borisov realized with growing horror that the parachute of his ejection seat was nearly indistinguishable from that of the Imperial paratroopers. Borisov also saw that he was descending towards the Rubchev Naval Base along with a vast majority of the paratroops being dropped over Novorossiysk, and he saw that as both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it meant that he would be landing near friendly units almost immediately, and a curse because those same friendlies could very well mistake him for an enemy and shoot at him without thinking twice. Oh, well. People have been killed for less. Boris Borisov leaned back in his ejection seat and awaited the fate that would befall him.

---

"You! You go right here!" Lieutenant Timofey Mokhtarovich Baranov was a soldier of the Pridnestrovian Army, and he had been assigned to the 119th Military Base in the outskirts of Novorossiysk, and now he found himself being ordered around by a captain of the Pridnestrovian Navy, who had told Baranov to man an NSV machine gun position inside the naval base. This wasn't to attempt to shoot down any of the fighters or transports flying over the base; that was for all intents and purposes impossible unless the shooter was very, very, very lucky. Instead, the NSV gunners' main purpose was to shoot at the descending paratroopers themselves; the logic being the more paratroopers shot on their way to the ground, the less the defenders on the ground would have to worry about.

Baranov didn't mind being ordered around by a Navy swab. They were all Pridnestrovians, after all, fighting to defend the Motherland from the Imperial invaders trying to conquer them and add their country to its bloated territorial holdings. No, the problem that Timofey Baranov had was in shooting at the paratroopers while they were still in the air. It just seemed so unsporting, even though he knew that the paratroopers themselves were going to be shooting at them to eliminate as many defenders as possible on their way down. It was all in the nature of war.

"There they are!" Baranov's companions in the machine gun nest, another Army soldier and a Naval infantry sergeant, called out, pointing up at the sky. Baranov saw the gray parachutes of the paratroopers descending upon them, and Baranov pulled the cocking handle of the NSV and brought the gun's barrel up to the sky. Once Baranov had the first paratrooper centered in the machine gun's iron sights, he pulled the trigger. With every fifth bullet in the NSV's ammo belt being a tracer, this allowed Baranov to walk his rounds towards the paratrooper, but it did take him at least three bursts to finally get to the trooper and take him out. "That's one!" the Naval Infantry sergeant said, patting Baranov's back. "Now let's go get another one," he added.

Baranov began searching for another target in the sky when suddenly his companions began shouting. "They're here! They're on the ground!" the Army junior lieutenant shouted, and he opened fire with his AK-74. "Damn it! They're all over us!" the Naval Infantry shouted, and then a large ragged hole suddenly appeared on his chest and he fell back dead. Baranov was too shocked to even react.

"Der'mo! Baranov, cover us!" the junior lieutenant shouted, and then he himself was felled down by the paratroopers, who now appeared to be firing from all directions. "Fuck!" Baranov cried out, and then finally the first paratrooper popped out from behind one of the many walls inside the naval base, and he instinctively reached for his sidearm and pulled the trigger. But Baranov had to empty the whole of his Makarov pistol's magazine before he finally managed to bring down the Imperial. Then more shots rang out behind him, and Baranov had to duck down behind the sandbags surrounding his NSV to get some cover. Baranov returned his pistol to his holster and grabbed the AK from the downed junior lieutenant, checked the magazine (twenty-five rounds still inside) and the chamber, and then he peeped out from behind the sandbags and unleashed a volley against the paratroopers coming at him from the north side. The Imperials had an unbelievable amount of firepower with them, and it was actually a miracle that Baranov had managed to survive until now. But if he didn't take the Imperials out now, he might not actually survive into the far future.

"Fuck you!" Baranov cried out, and he finally stood up behind the sandbags and went full auto with the AK, and he finally managed to kill the rest of the paratroopers but not without emptying his gun as well. "Rodina!" he shouted, blood thundering in his ears from all the adrenaline. Eventually, the adrenaline did fade away though, and Baranov found himself going weak and wanting to do nothing else but to lie down, rest and sleep. But he could hear the noises, the shouts, the screams, the chaos of battle going on around him, and he knew that he had to go out into battle himself and help his comrades as much as he can. So Baranov took off the combat harness from the junior lieutenant as it was the least damaged and bloodied one among the two, and then he took as many spare magazines as he could from his fallen comrades, slipped them into his appropriated harness, and then he loaded another magazine into his AK-74 and set off to find some more goddamned Imperial paratroopers.

[Nova Anglicana]

Lion's Roar

A SportsWorld Weblog

We're Number 1!
by Omega Lion



Actually, Newmanistan is #2, which kind of matters a lot. But still, WE'RE NUMBER 1!

We're number 1! We're number 1! We're number 1!

Yes, the Lions national baseball team, the very thing we hate and love the most at this website, has secured the #1 seed going into the playoffs of WBC 43. The Lions have often been a high playoff seed, but #1 very rarely, so this is an occasion for celebration.

So how did they get here? The Lions finished 21-3, one game better than #2 seed Newmanistan, #3 seed Schiltzberg, and #4 seed Free Republics. The Lions were placed into Group 8, with 24th-ranked Vangaziland, #45 Humaliwo, and unrankeds United States of Yasser and Holy Nazirealm. They played six games against each of their opponents, going 5-1 against everyone except Holy Nazirealm, against whom they won all six of their games. In the first half, the Lions won most of their games by less than three runs, but still managed to go 11-1, with ace Damon Singleton and slugging first baseman Jake Bryan leading the way. In the second half, the Lions only went 10-2, but still played well. Singleton did not pitch quite as well in the second half, but pitchers like Darren Lawson and Ben Clayton, who struggled in the first half, rebounded well.

They scored 70 runs and allowed 38 in the first half, and scored 69 runs and allowed 38 in the second half. Their average of 5.8 runs scored per game and 3.2 runs allowed per game ranked second in runs scored (behind Alpine Union's 6.2) and tied for third in runs allowed (behind Newmanistan's staggering 2.6 and Schiltzberg's 3), which are very good differential numbers. Their Pythagorean record suggested they outperformed their luck a bit, but so did all the other top teams. So I would have to say that it's not a fluke they earned the #1 overall seed. Vangaziland and Humaliwo will not be making it into the playoffs, while United States of Yasser snuck in as the worst #2 seed. Dropping one game to each of those teams is probably about what you would expect, given the difference between their standing on the world stage and the overall randomness of professional baseball. 21-3 is not a fluke; this team is playing seriously well.

Who are they playing in the playoffs? Unfortunately, for the Lions, their round of 32 opponent turns out to be 21st-ranked Hicaña. Not exactly who you expect when it comes to the 32nd-best team in the competition. But oh well. If Darmen had played a smidge better, they might be the team coming through to the playoffs, and I'll take the #21 team over the #5 team in the first round any day. The Lions have a little history with Hicaña, beating them in the bizarre double-elimination WBC 32 third-place series, one of three 3rd-place finishes the Lions have. The Phoenixes slopped their way to a 12-12 record and second-place finish in Group 14, finishing six games back of West Phoenicia and just a game ahead of Kita-Hinode and Nevis and Kitts. Marcos Torres, the veteran lefty, pitched an outstanding game in their final matchup, defeating Nevis and Kitts 1-0 to sneak into the playoffs. The Lions will probably miss Torres unless former Super-Llamaland star, bust, and now Hicaña manager Alex Cameron decides to juggle his rotation.

The pitching matchups will likely be G1: Damon Singleton vs. Erik Sepúlveda, G2: Darren Lawson vs. Michael Santana, and G3 (if necessary): Nate McLaughlin vs. Gabriel Arroyo. Manager Orlando Murray gave McLaughlin the nod over Ben Clayton in game 3 because of his excellent performance and greater consistency in the group stage. Murray has said that the rotation will be on a case-by-case basis should the Lions advance past the Round of 32, but expect to see Damon Singleton early in the Round of 16 regardless of whether the Lions need two or three games against Hicaña. Murray wants to use all of his starters in the playoffs, but some will get more starts than others. Singleton will probably be called on to pitch any deciding game 5 if he started in game 1 of the series. For now, it's Singleton, Lawson, and McLaughlin if necessary, TBD after that.

Should the Lions overcome Hicaña, they will take on the winner of Xelsis-Hampton Island in the Round of 16. Hampton Island went 3-3 against Newmanistan, which is no mean feat for any team, let alone a team ranked 34th in the world. But it's Xelsis that has captured the world's attention here in WBC 43. Unranked coming into the Classic, the Lightning challenged Cassadaigua for the top spot in Group 6. They were just one game back with four to play, but they went 2-2 in their final four games while Cassadaigua went undefeated. Still, the Lightning finished four games clear of third-placed and 17th-ranked New Sangti, an impressive feat for an unranked team. They look hungrier and I'd give them the edge against Hampton Island. And to tell you the truth, I'm even a bit nervous should these two teams face off. Given the Lions' recent playoff struggles and Xelsis' savvy and strong play so far, the Lightning could surprise the Lions. But both teams have to get there first. The Lions have to dispatch the Phoenixes of Hicaña and the Lightning need to take down the Golden Bears of Hampton Island.

Let's hope the Lions can overcome their recent playoff bugaboo and make another run. With an extra round to play, it might be difficult to guarantee that the Lions will make the quarterfinals, which has been their benchmark in recent years. But the staff looks good, the offense looks good, and they will hopefully be able to do some damage on their #1 seed path.

More from Lion's Roar
World Cup in Review
An interview with Jake Bryan
Rugby Sevens Back In International Play

(OOC: Logo at top shamelessly cribbed from Pride of Detroit, Detroit Lions blog. The opinions expressed above are the opinions of the writer and not necessarily indicative of the opinions of Nova Anglicans or the user behind Nova Anglicana.)

[Schiltzberg]

PITCHING UPDATE AT THE END OF THE PRELIMINARY ROUND

Here is a breakdown of the starting pitchers on a game-by-game level this year:

Game No./Opponent/Starter/Result
1 Pripet Socialist Republic McKey W
2 Juvencus Toups W
3 Liventia Simmons W
4 Valliesta Davis W
5 Pripet Socialist Republic Murray W
6 Juvencus McKey W
7 Liventia Toups W
8 Valliesta Simmons L
9 Pripet Socialist Republic Davis W
10 Juvencus Murray W
11 Liventia McKey W
12 Valliesta Toups W
13 Pripet Socialist Republic Simmons W
14 Juvencus Davis L
15 Liventia Murray W
16 Valliesta McKey W
17 Pripet Socialist Republic Toups W
18 Juvencus Simmons W
19 Liventia Davis L
20 Valliesta Murray W
21 Pripet Socialist Republic McKey L
22 Juvencus Toups W
23 Liventia Simmons W
24 Valliesta Davis W

So far, Schiltzberg's starters have put up a spectacular 20-4 record with a 2.89 ERA. Here is a breakdown of each pitcher's statistics:

McKey (4-1) 3.60 ERA
McKey has done well with the exception of his most recent start against Pripet Socialist Republic, where he gave up eight runs. This start was unusual for him, since he is known for keeping the amount of runs low in a game. Other than this game, he did not allow more than four runs in any game he pitched, and he completed all of his games. The one start inflated his ERA quite a bit, but the 4-1 record is a testament to his good overall performance this year.

Toups (5-0) 2.63 ERA
Toups has done extremely well, not losing a single game so far this year. This is a good improvement on last season, when he did very poorly, and some thought that he may even retire. If he continues to do well, he may stick around for a few more Classics. His best game was a complete game shutout that he threw against Pripet Socialist Republic. He hopes to continue his success for the rest of the season.

Simmons (4-1) 3.07 ERA
Simmons has done well, winning all games except for one loss against Valliesta. In his loss, Simmons did not do too terribly poor, giving up just four runs, but Schiltzberg's offense struggled that night, and the result was a disappointing loss. Overall, Simmons has done very well, especially since this is just his second Classic. He did very well last year, and he hopes to continue this into the playoffs.

Davis (3-2) 3.38 ERA
Davis did very well to start off the season, giving up a combined four runs in his first two games and getting the win for both of these. However, he struggled in his next two games, giving up five runs in each game, and dropping them to Juvencus and Liventia, respectively. He has shown some room for improvement by giving up a lot of hits and walks, and unfortunately, he has not lived up to his good performance last season. He did get the win in his final game this preliminary round, and hopefully he is turning a corner for the better here as the postseason approaches.

Murray (4-0) 1.50 ERA
Although Murray has only gotten four starts so far this season, he has done incredibly well, winning all of them and being arguably Schiltzberg's most dependable starter this season. He did very well in his first season last year, and he seems to be continuing that this season. We hope to see a continued good performance from him as the season progresses.

This Is Your New Schiltzbierg Times Sports News!

[Schiltzberg]

Person 1: Who are we playing in the playoffs?

Person 2: Yasser.

Person 1: That wasn't a yes or no question.

Person 2: Yasser is who we are playing.

Person 1: Why are you calling me "sir"? I'm not a man.

Person 2: No, sir. We are playing Yasser.

Person 1: Okay, now I'm confused.

Predictions for the Playoffs

Round of 32

Nova Anglicana vs. Hicana: Nova Anglicana wins
Hampton Island vs. Xelsis: Hampton Island wins
Abanhfleft vs. Cosumar: Abanhfleft wins
Scootalove City vs. New Jarwel: Scootalove City wins
Super-Llamaland vs. Midand: LOL
The Sherpa Empire vs. Ethane: The Sherpa Empire
Free Republics vs. Krossa: Free Republics
Ko-oren vs. North Prarie: North Prarie
Cassadaigua vs. Lycrabon: Cassadaigua
Drawkland vs. South Covello: Drawkland
Schiltzberg vs. Yasser: Who do you think?
Banija vs. Bauscland: Banija
West Phoenicia vs. Beepee: West Phoenicia
Alpine Union vs. Maklohi Vai: Alpine Union
Newmanistan vs. United States of Devonta: Pffff
Equestrian States vs. Liventia: Liventia

Round of 16

Nova Anglicana vs. Hampton Island: Nova Anglicana
Abanhfleft vs. Scootalove City: Scootalove City
Super-Llamaland vs. The Sherpa Empire: Super-Llamaland
Free Republics vs. North Prarie: North Prarie
Cassadaigua vs. Drawkland: Sorry Drawk
Schiltzberg vs. Banija: Adios
West Phoenicia vs. Alpine Union: Alpine Union
Newmanistan vs. Liventia: They don't have a chance

Quarterfinals

Nova Anglicana vs. Scootalove City: Nova Anglicana
Super-Llamaland vs. North Prarie: Not even close
Cassadaigua vs. Schiltzberg: Schiltzberg (no bias)
Alpine Union vs. Newmanistan: Newmanistan

Semifinals

Nova Anglicana vs. Super-Llamaland: It's Nova Anglicana in the semifinals
Schiltzberg vs. Newmanistan: Newmanistan

Third Place

Schiltzberg vs. Nova Anglicana: Nova Anglicana

Finals

Super-Llamaland vs. Newmanistan: Six-time champions (you decide)

[The Sherpa Empire]

Hanyi Yang: "This report from Schiltzberg mentions a bunch of places I never heard of. Where is Pffff?"

Debashish Morrison: "Come on, Yang! I know you're a pitcher, but can you just use your brain for, like, 5 seconds?"

Yang: "What? I never heard of it!"

Morrison: "Pffff!"

Yang: "Ohh! Never mind!"

[Hicanans in Exile]

Olivier Valdez shook the "hitman"'s hand. "Thanks for letting me know."

The undercover Hicañan agent nodded in response. "Nothing but the best for my boss. I can get back at Vasco if you want."

Valdez thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "The Miklandian government will be dealing with him - it's not like he stopped us from reaching the playoffs anyways. Save your energy on the successful covert ops."

The second baseman's advice was solid. Vasco was dead by the end of the day - but it wasn't the Miklandians that killed him.
***
"Bad news, Mr. Cameron." The Llamanean manager looked up from his desk - it was Jorge Villareña, the HFA agent. "Your closer - Nicolás Vasco - died in an accident."

"Did he, now?" Cameron said, genuinely surprised.

"Yes. Very tragic. You'll need to find a new one."

"I'll give Franklin a bigger role in the bullpen. As for a replacement pitcher...how about Nikko Rai? He seemed pretty good when he pitched a few classics ago."

Villareña's mind drifted to Rai's body, still somewhere in the Hollander Sea. He'd been Miklandian, too.

"I don't think he's available. How about Santana?"

"Michael Santana? Sure," said the oblivious manager.

[Super-Llamaland]

Ezekiel Schwarzer didn't get as angry as he used to. The 59-year-old had had quite the temper as a player, and his reputation preceded him even to his current gig as GM-manager of the Vargas City Lions. But after forty years in professional baseball, he had found some level of peace - and his dream job.

So when the Lions crumpled in five games to the upstart Xingcheng Renaissance in the President's Cup semifinals, yet another unlucky end to a deep playoff run that was becoming a bit of a Lions tradition, Schwarzer didn't rage or break chairs like he used to. Instead, he locked in - and looked for a missing piece that could give him his first President's Cup.

And he'd found it, for the price of ninety million dollars over three years. Kayla Carey, ENBL shortstop and Newmanistanian superstar. Carey had all five tools in abundance - that excellent defense that complemented Gold Glover Erick Tao at second base, elite contact-hitting and sneaky power that could make her the perfect fit into the second spot in the batting order, quick enough to offer the threat on the basepaths that not many Lions had, and an elite trash-talker and leader on a team with a reputation for folding under pressure. She was perfect for the Lions, and the Lions - a strong team in the world's best non-ENBL league that could offer her something new in her career - were perfect for her.

Which made the upcoming meeting all the more important. He'd carefully planned out a tour of Meridian Stadium, Vargas' state-of-the-art facility nestled into the city's vibrant downtown. He'd lined up star players like Maddie Wagner and Lucien Russo to pitch the team's unique atmosphere to her. He'd created presentations showing how the Lions could use Carey as a second hitter, starting shortstop, and clubhouse leader, and even had the marketing team create mockups of Carey hitting and fielding in the President's Cup finals in a Lions jersey. He'd pulled out all the stops to ensure that she would want to come to Vargas City. He could only hope it would be enough.

Because if it was, Ezekiel Schwarzer would finally have a dynasty to match that of David Windhorst's Cyclones.

[Super-Llamaland]

To: Jamling Ihawa

Dear Mr. Ihawa,

News of the SIBA's potential restrictions on blood magic has recently reached New Llama City, and we hope that these will not affect you too heavily. As you are aware, we have previously offered you a lucrative, multi-million-dollar offer to come to Super-Llamaland and play for the New Llama Wizards. In light of these recent policy changes, we would like to offer you a four-year, fifty-two-million dollar contract (negotiable) to play for an elite team in an elite league without any such restrictions. Please let us know if you are interested or have further questions.

Best,
Ethan de Vries
General Manager, New Llama Wizards

[North Prarie]

The Stonebridge Times Sports staff got together and picked a bracket by vote. Here's the results.....
Nova Anglicana-Hicana - Anglicana
Hampton Island-Xelsis - Hampton
Fleftics-Cosumar - Cosumar
Scootlove-New Jarwel - Scootalove
Llamaland-Midand - SLL
Sherpas-Ethane - Sherpa
FFR-Krossa - FFR
NP-Drangonflies - NP
Cassadigua-Lycrabon - Lycrabon
Drawk-SoCo - Drawk
Schlitzberg-Yasser - Schlitzberg
Banija-Bauscland - Banija
West Phon.-Beepee - Beepee
Alpine-Maklohi Vai - Alpine
Newmanistan-Devonta - Newmanistan
Equestrian States-Liventia - Equestrian
---------
Anglicana-Hampton Island - Anglicana
Cosumar-Scootalove - Cosumar
Llamaland-Sherpa - Llamaland
FFR-NP - NP
Lycrabon-Drawk - Lycrabon
Schlitzberg-Banija - Schlitzberg
Beepee-Alpine Union - Alpine Union
Newmanistan-Equestrian States - Newmanistan
---------
Anglicana-Scootalove - Scootalove
Super-Llamaland - North Prarie - Super-Llamaland
Lycrabon-Schlitzberg - Lycrabon
Alpine Union - Newmanistan
---------
Scootalove-Llamaland - Llamaland
Lycrabon-Newmanistan - Newmanistan

---------

Super Llamaland-Newmanistan - Super-Llamaland

[Free Republics]

News Magazine

Liberty Party Consul Candidate Scarlett Nicholls Endorses Baseball Team's Stand Up to Sexism Campaign, #BoycottWrestling Social Media Campaign in Republica Speech
By: Matthew DeRose

The official logo for the National Baseball Team's Stand Up to Sexism Campaign (OOC: This logo was made by North Prarie.)

The Liberty Party's presumptive nominee for Consul of the Free Republics, pop singer Scarlett Nicholls, walked onto the stage today at Venicio Piazza Memorial Arena wearing a Stand Up to Sexism shirt and a red miniskirt instead of her trademark red dress. She gave a lengthy campaign speech apparently focused more on the general election than on the upcoming Liberty Party primaries. This is unsurprising since she faces no major opposition for the Liberty Party nomination and recently gained the endorsements of Consul Kyle Bolton and her father Consul Robert Nicholls.

Her unusual speech included live performances of her classic hits such as Kill Me and Born to Fry plus a number of rambling sequences where she seemed to jump from issue to issue seemingly at random. Nevertheless, the crowd seemingly loved every minute of it, regularly interrupting her with chants of "Scarlett" and frequent loud applause. It was a spectacle that words cannot described, which has to be seen and heard to be fully appreciated.

The most newsworthy portion of her speech was her discussion of the National Baseball Team's Stand Up to Sexism campaign and the #BoycottWrestling campaign that has been blowing up Chatter in recent days. I have included excerpts from her speech below:

"Thank you for the warm reception, Republica! I'd have loved to wear my red dress today but there was something I thought was more important! The other day, I attended the baseball game between the Free Republics and Acapais and received this shirt for free. I want to say for the record that I fully support the National Baseball Team's Stand Up to Sexism campaign and I want to say publicly that I purchased a #BoycottWrestling shirt because what that wrestling company did to that man was absolutely unacceptable!

Sadly, sexism is alive and well in the Free Republics today as we can see on a daily basis of late. We have men losing their jobs over their wives exercising their Constitutional right to freedom of speech. While other nations send mixed gender teams to all international sports events, we still send mostly single-gender teams to international competition. For example, our soccer team used to include both men and women and Rule Theriault's developmental system once permitted both boys and girls to participate. Yet, Rule Theriault has not re-integrated his soccer team since women were kicked off of the team a decade ago due to the sexist orders of Reino Kulseth. On an aside, isn't it fitting that Kulseth is burning in Infernus right now for committing suicide? To be fair though, he's only burning in Infernus in the unlikely event that the Church of Saintland is actually the True Church of Iesus Christus as Kulseth believes and we all know it isn't! If the Church of Saintland actually represented God's Truth, why did Lord Almighty Gregory, who sure as hell ain't no God, beat their 'Holy Armies' in a war?

Speaking of Saintland, I think its about time we stopped supporting their government until they stop oppressing their own people! Recently, a new king took the throne in the east and set out to conquer the west. With the support of what appear to me to have Federal Guard troops from some Republic, the east did in fact conquer the west. If you elect me as your consul, I will see to it that there is a full investigation into the identity of these mysterious forces and I will ensure that the politicians responsible face political consequences.

However, there are good foreign nations out there that we should be closer to. One such nation is Cassadaigua, which is hosting the World Baseball Classic playoffs this year. I'd love to be there watching our National Team face Krossa but I need to be on the campaign trail and Cassadagans can't vote in our elections without committing a felony. To their credit, Cassadaigua has made great strides in promoting gender equality of late by working with Male Equality Now to integrate their national teams. The past success of their all-women teams has also played a big role in encouraging other nations to permit women and girls to participate in sports on the same level as men and boys. For that, I am grateful to their ladies.

...

Now let me talk about this wrestling organization. As you probably already know, the New Republican Wrestling Conglomerate fired an executive over his wife's chats criticizing the misogyny of the Church of Saintland and the Salvation Circle. According to Sporting World Magazine, the New Republican Wrestling Conglomerate recently did one of their 'rasslin events in Saintland and apparently have been signing lucrative deals with foreign nations, including quite a few oppressive theocracies. They reportedly decided that their executive was a liability because he threatened their ability to make more such business deals with countries that hate women. Apparently, we're all supposed to submit to the theocrats if we want to hold down a job. To that I say, I'm not afraid of you tonight. Not afraid of your stupid God. I already know that I'm gonna burn but, baby, I don't care. You wanna tear me down. You wanna see me cry. You wanna take my soul. You wanna make me die but I'm not backing down and neither should you!

Now, I urge all of you who hear the sound of my voice right now to please remember what life was like when Radical Christianity ruled our land. How quickly many of you have forgotten about those days when those inhuman monsters called the Christian State used to run around crucified women upside down and burning us at the stake. How quickly we forget that they do not want to live and let live. They want all of us to submit to their crazed Church or die. I say that I WILL NOT submit to them now and I WILL NOT submit to them ever! Down with the theocrats and their stupid imaginary friend in the sky. Down with the Church of Saintland for it is time for all of us to Stand Up to Sexism wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head! Thank you and may all of you find happiness in this life!"

Scarlett Nicholls has proven to be a formidable candidate, polling an impressive 25% in our latest round of polls against likely Responsible Progress nominee Sebastian Trudeau and generic candidates from the Moderate Liberal Conservatives and Radicals and an option to name a minor party of your choice. That places her in second place in the polls behind Mr. Trudeau who slipped to 38%. In a head-to-head race, she is neck and neck with Mr. Trudeau at 47-47 with the remainder undecided.

Matthew DeRose writes about the Federation Government. He is a recent graduate of the University of Republica with bachelors degrees in Journalism and Political Science. During his time in college, he interned with the Republica Post. Although the Post didn't have any openings for him upon his graduation, he had left an impression on their editor, who recommended him to Admiral Theriault.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

PREDICTION BATTLE

by Brianne Henry and Taylor Larson,

Here at The Rocket Report, we decided to something we don’t often do when we make our playoff predictions, and have a little head to head between myself, and the young’un, Taylor Larson. Here’s how it will work:

For each 1st round series correct: 1 point
For each round of 16 series correct: 2 points.
QF Series: 4 points each.
SF Series: 8 points each.
3rd place: 2 points.
Championship: 12 points.
Series length correct (any round): 1 point.

The kicker is that we have to make all of our picks now, and will not be able to go back to change picks for later rounds if teams we liked go down early. So, who will win, the teacher or the student?

Let’s begin:
(1) Nova Anglicana vs (32) Hicana
Brianne: This is not where Nova Anglicana will go down. The team had a strong group stage, and who knows, maybe this will be the year. At some point, this team is going to get it done. Maybe this is their year. They sweep Hicana.

Taylor: I don’t disagree about Nova Anglicana winning the series, but Hicana played well late in qualifying to get here, and I think they take a game. Nova Anglicana in 3.

(16) Hampton Island vs (17) Xelsis
Brianne: This is honestly, one hell of a series. What it does is feature the two best second place teams throughout qualifying. One was chasing us. One was chasing Cassadaigua. If it wa sa straight seeding, and the top seeds were not automatically given to first place teams, Hampton Island is the 11 seed, and Xelsis is still 16, but only on run differential and could have been a lot closer. Hampton Island did better against us then Xelsis did against Cassadaigua, so I am given the Golden Bears the nod, in 3.

Taylor: I saw a live bear walking down the side of the road on the way to work today (OOC: true story, not something very unusual though in the area in which I was driving). Maybe that was an omen, I will also say Hampton Island in 3. I agree with what you suggest, that they did better against us then Xelsis did against Cassadaigua as being the decider.

(8) Abanhfleft vs (25) Cosumar
Brianne: Abanhfleft has had one of their best qualifying campaigns to date. I thought they were actually heading for a better seed then this, but the slipped on the ladder a step in the late games. Cosumar, just did their thing, as is not often a team to excited about in the playoffs, in baseball. Abanhfleft in a sweep.

Taylor: The question here is how good is Abanhfleft, really? They had a great start to qualifying, and played well to the end. They’ve already played Cosumar six times too, as these teams were groupmates. I don’t think Cosumar is pulling off the upset, and will go with the Fleftic sweep as well.

(9) Scootalove City vs (24) New Jarwel
Brianne: Eventually, you have to pick an upset. Scootalove City has had a lot of problems at home, stemming from internet outages. The team did good enough to win their group, but it was a weak group. New Jarwel also had a very group, but I am going with the upset, New Jarwel in 3.

Taylor: I think you are just giving me a boost here. New Jarwel winning? They had the easiest group of them all. Scootalove may not go all the way, but they sweep this series.

(5) Super-Llamaland vs (28) Midand
Brianne: Before the Doggos get swept, I want to congratulate them on getting this far.
Taylor: Likewise.

(12) The Sherpa Empire vs (21) Ethane
Brianne: This is another amazing series in my book. The Sherpa Empire is an exciting young (in WBC years) team, and they are fun to watch. They took care of a pretty easy group, and are a team on the rise. Ethane had a battle in a tougher group, and prevailed. They struggled against Alpine Union, though, so I am leaning towards Sherpa here in three.

Taylor: The Sherpa Empire represents a very, very dangerous team for Super-Llamaland in the second round, don’t they? Ethane has had recent playoff success against them as well, but I don’t think they are as good. Sherpa could surprise the Tigers, but we’re not seeing that series, because the Red Kites take it in 3.

(4) Free Republics vs (29) Krossa
Brianne: What a year for the Republicans! I have never seen them as good as they have been this year, and I would expect them to go on a deep run. Krossa started better then they finished, and they will get swept.

Taylor: You mentioned the key thing about Krossa. They are really only here because of their start. They were flat at the end. Easy Free Republics sweep.

(13) Ko-oren vs (20) North Prarie
Brianne: Ko-oren’s group was pretty competitive, but North Prarie got hot late. This is a toss up, but I will take Ko-oren in 3.

Taylor: I think Ko-oren is potentially a team that could go very far in this. I don’t see this as a close series, quite frankly. Ko-oren in a sweep.

(6) Cassadaigua vs (27) Lycrabon
Brianne: It’s a matchup that is intriguing on paper, if it was about 20 Classics ago. There has been some recent drama coming out of Lycrabon, but the Dagans aren’t losing here. But I’m gonna give Lycrabon a game. Cassadaigua in 3.

Taylor: No way Cassadaigua is losing here, at home. Pink in a sweep.

(11) Drawkland vs (22) South Covello
Brianne: The Drawk Corps still really hasn’t gotten revenge for their WBC 41 debacle. Look for them to take a stand here, and sweep South Covello.

Taylor: You said earlier, at some point, you have to pick an upset. I am picking one here. South Covello has plenty of experience, and I think they take a 3-game series.

(3) Schiltzberg vs (30) United States Of Yasser
Brianne: Yasser will look really inept.
When they get swept.
Taylor: Can’t top that, but agree.

(14) Banija vs (19) Bauscland
Brianne: Banija takes this series in 3. Bauscland is another one of those teams that started better then they finished.

Taylor: I haven’t seen much out of either of these teams. Both have disappointed, but the experience of Banija gets them through, in 3.

(7) West Phoenicia vs (26) Beepee
Brianne: West Phoenicia usually gets it done in the playoffs in the early stages. Good run for Beepee, but Confederates in 3.

Taylor: Homer Unn is a fun coach to listen too, but his team won’t win a game in the series.

(10) Alpine Union vs (23) Maklohi Vai

Brianne: The Alpine Union was strong in qualifying, and I really liked hoe they were consistently able to handle the likes of Ethane. They are a better team that their seed indicates, and they will take it in a sweep.

Taylor: Unforuantely, the Maklohi Vai program has not done much lately. They get a game, but Alpine Union in 3.

(2) Newmanistan vs (31) United States of Devonta
Brianne: We’re not losing. Rockets sweep.
Taylor: Devonta did play well late to sneak in, though. Enjoy your Rockets sweep.

(15) Equestrian States vs (18) Liventia
Brianne: Liventia showed some good form in their comeback to international play, and the Ponies seem to be ripe for the picking. Sure, they have been focused on the World Cup, so when Liventia wins the series in 3, maybe not many of their fans will notice.

Taylor: Tough matchup for the Equestrian States. They limped into the group title, barely beating out New Jarwel, and get a team with plenty of history looking for more great moments. Liventia in a sweep.

ROUND OF SIXTEEN PICKS- when each have same teams advancing.

(1) Nova Anglicana vs (16) Hampton Island

Brianne: Lions and Bears. The Tigers are in another a fixture. Oh my, what a Nova Anglicana sweep.

Taylor: Well, we are in five-games series now, and I can’t see this being a sweep. Nova Anglicana will prevail, but the Golden Bears will be feisty. Lions in 4.

(4) Free Republics vs (13) Ko-oren

Brianne: I still like Ko-oren. Call me crazy, but remember these things never go by the book. Ko-oren in 5.

Taylor: Ok, you’re crazy. Free Republics in 4.

(3) Schiltzberg vs (14) Banija
Brianne: It will be in the round of sixteen,
That Schiltzberg ends Banija’s dream.
Keep hopes of five alive at the door,
It will be Schiltzberg in four.

Taylor: Banija has not really impressed me. They will be swept.

(7) West Phoenicia vs (10) Alpine Union
Brianne: Like I said in their first round matchup, Alpine Union is playing a lot better then their seed implies, and I am looking for them to knock off West Phoenicia in five.

Taylor: I thought this might be a series we would go our separate ways in, but it seems we agree. I also like Alpine Union to be the one who advances, doing so in five.

(2) Newmanistan vs (18) Liventia
Brianne: You could see this being an interesting series to a point, but the real question is how many games does it take the Rockets to win. I say four.

Taylor: No argument, Rockets in four.


Brianne’s Round of 16 picks- When they picked different 1st round winners

(8) Abanhfleft vs (24) New Jarwel
Hope you had fun, New Jarwel. It’s the Fleftics in 4.

(5) Super-Llamaland vs (12) The Sherpa Empire
The Tigers are going to be given a tougher fight then they want at this stage, but will prevail in 5.

(6) Cassadaigua vs (11) Drawkland
The Dagans still aren’t losing. I’ll give Drawkland a game, but its Cassadaigua in 4.

Taylor’s Round of 16 picks- When they picked different 1st round winners.

(8) Abanhfleft vs (9) Scootalove City
The Unicorns might get it together in the playoffs, but Abanhfleft has been impressive. They win in four.

(5) Super-Llamaland vs (21) Ethane
Who would have thought that this might be a more relaxing series for the Tigers, given Ethane is a former champion. Tigers in 4.

(6) Cassadaigua vs (22) South Covello
Gave South Covello a vote of confidence against Drawkland, but they get swept here.


From The quarterfinals onward, we’ll go with all of Brianne’s picks, then all of Taylor’s picks

Brianne’s picks

(1) Nova Anglicana vs (8) Abanhfleft
The Lions will get it done, but in a tough five game series over Abanhfleft.

(5) Super-Llamaland vs (13) Ko-oren
After surviving against The Sherpa Empire, Super-Llamaland takes care of business quickly here, in a sweep.

(3) Schiltzberg vs (6) Cassadaigua
After five games, I do think,
Schiltzberg will hate losing to the Pink

(2) Newmanistan vs (10) Alpine Union
You know, if there was ever a time for the Alpine Union to get revenge on us for all we have done to them in the past, this is it. Every now and then, things even out. Don’t kill me. Seriously, I hear the hate mail coming already. Alpine Union in 5.


Semifinals:
(1) Nova Anglicana vs (5) Super-Llamaland
This is a good run for the Lions. They’ve beaten Bears, and now Tigers. Nova Anglicana in 5.

(6) Cassadaigua vs (10) Alpine Union
Score one for the hosts. Cassadaigua in 7.

Third Place:
(5) Super-Llamaland vs (10) Alpine Union
Alpine Union takes out Newmanistan and Super-Llamaland? Why not. Alpine Union in 3.

Championship:
(1) Nova Anglicana vs (6) Cassadaigua
At home, Cassadaigua wins their fourth title, winning in six games.


Taylor’s Picks:
(1) Nova Anglicana vs (8) Abanhfleft
Forgive me, I am young. All I can remember in my lifetime is Nova Anglicana losing in series’ like this. Abanhfleft is playing well, and takes it in 5.

(4) Free Republics vs (5) Super-Llamaland
It’s been a great Classic for the Republicans, and getting this far is an accomplishment. Tigers in 4.

(3) Schiltzberg vs (6) Cassadaigua
Why do these nations always seem to find one another in every Classic. I mean, we still have never played Schiltzberg. But, maybe soon. Schiltzberg in 5.

(2) Newmanistan vs (10) Alpine Union
Brianne, what is wrong with you? Are you letting me win or something? Newmanistan in 4.

Semifinals:
(5) Super-Llamaland vs (8) Abanhfleft
Good run for the Fleftics to build on, but the Tigers advance in 4.

(2) Newmanistan vs (3) Schiltzberg
This would be the first time, ever, that we have crossed paths. It’s taken six Classics! Rockets in 5.

3rd Place:
(3) Schiltzberg vs (8) Abanhfleft
Give it to Schiltzberg in 3.

Championship:
(2) Newmanistan vs (5) Super-Llamaland
We meet again. First to five will be first to six. In six. Nah, make it in seven, though it sounded good to say in six.

[Hampton Island]

Hampton Island Sports Brief

Golden Bears Arrive in Cassadaigua

It took three Classics, but Hampton Island is finally in the playoffs, and have the distinction of being the team that had the best record of any of the second place teams. This earned the Golden Bears the number sixteen seed, and would mean that they will be considered the home team for the first game. The team is in the bright lights of Concord Heights Stadium, something that blinded the team from Xelsis when they meant Cassadaigua in the group stage, but the Golden Bears will be here for the first time. Cassadaigua is an interesting place for the first playoff appearance when you consider former coach Matthew Davis and the extremely sexist remarks that he made about the make up of the Cassadagan roster. Davis was removed from the position following the last Classic for those remarks. It didn’t stop him from posting on social media this morning his support for Lycrabon’s Garry Barnett III, calling the Cassadagan team, “bitches”. Davis posted that, “What was wrong with what he said? He’s absolutely right!”

Davis is not here, so if the Cassadagan crowd wants to take it out on Davis, they can do it separately on his webpages. New coach John Morton has not made any such comments in public, and the team seems to be behind him, 100%. Can Hampton Island find their way past Xelsis, a team making their debut? Unfortunately, we cannot say we have experience on our side, since we are also playoff rookies, but the team’s 3-3 record against Newmanistan in the group stage is a lot better then Xelsis’ 1-5 clip against Cassadaigua.

First baseman Larry Huckston, in an interview, said to us, “It is an honor to be here, but we want to be here for a while. This is the most success that our country has ever had at this level, and our fans are behind us. I hope to see many at the game.”

[Ethane]

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Ethane Looking To Upset Odds
by Andrew Davis

The Ethanian baseball team are looking to upset the predictions in the round of 32 and win against The Sherpa Empire.

The Red Kites find themselves in a tough spot at the end of the groups heading off into the playoffs. A team that has been on the decline in recent years, now ranked in 9th, the team will be hoping to run deep into this tournament to build themselves back up again for a title challenge in the near future. However, first off they need to get through The Sherpa Empire first.

Looking at the 2 teams before the tournament began, you would easily give the victory to Ethane. The Sherpa Empire are relatively new to the world of baseball, and so wouldn't have had the level of experience that the Red Kites have had. While looking at the lineup for Ethane you wouldn't have seen that many familiar names, the captain from Drawkland who has taken the Red Kites to the height of WBC victory should have undoubtedly been able to inspire a team to a strong performance. Looking at the ranks, this is an easy playoff round for Ethane. A 9th ranked team facing off against a 35th ranked team. Easy. Or so you think.

Ranks never tell the whole story. That's something you should know already. And the performances of both the teams certainly tell a very different story to the one that would have been told if this match were at the start of this WBC.

The Sherpa Empire come into this round of 32 off the back of a strong group performance. Despite being the 3rd pot team in the group, ranked 35th, behind the United States of Devonta and the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, they managed to top the group and with flying colours. They finished their 24 matches having won 16 of them, scoring 104 runs and conceding only 74 runs in the campaign. The Sherpas finished 9 points ahead of the United States of Devonta in second, and as the only team in the group to have a positive run differential, that being a run differential of +33. The Sherpa Empire's group narrative has been one of the underdog dominating; The Sherpas are now an upsurging team in baseball who are a real threat to the more traditional World Baseball Classic order. This isn't an easy round of 32, no matter your group performance.

Ethane's group performance has been a lot different from that of The Sherpa Empire. Coming into this World Baseball Classic with the manager of the team saying this competition was about consolidation and stopping the rot, with an aim to get to at least the quarter-finals, this narrative is something that is very hard to hold on to after the disappointing let-down that was the Red Kites' group performance. Despite aiming to finish first, they only made second and were a little off the mark, 6 points behind The Alpine Union who led the group for pretty much the whole campaign. The performance did pick up in the second half of the groups slightly, but they were never able to catch the Alpine Union, primarily because they lost every single one of their games to the group winners. More than 1/3 of The Alpine Union's victories came against the top-ranked team in the group, and 2/3 of Ethane's losses came against the group winner. The Red Kites haven't disappointed in scoring runs. Across the 24 games, they managed to score 135 runs, which when you compare to The Alpine Union is low but compared to the rest of the tournament, is actually above average. What let The Red Kites down is the number of runs they conceded; whether this can be attributed to ill-discipline, a lack of motivation, or thinking the game was already won, we can't be certain. The team conceded 114 runs across the 24 games.

Comparing the way the teams have played in the groups, it is clear that The Sherpa Empire are the favourites to proceed past the round of 32. They easily won their group whereas the Red Kites for a while were struggling to hold on to second. They have more discipline to their game. They are a team that are on the up, rather than a previous winner that is trying to stop the rot. Even the predictions give it to The Sherpa Empire - all of them. Brianne of The Rocket Report is 'leaning towards Sherpa here in three', while The Stonebridge Times and Schiltzberg are also giving it to The Sherpa Empire across the three.

However, The Rocket Report have said that they believe this will be an 'amazing series', and Taylor of The Rocket Report gave it to Ethane. Ethane are going to have to upset the predictions to make the next round and beat out The Sherpa Empire, but they're ready for it. Angus Lockie, the Drawkian manager of the Ethanian team, said that 'the boys put in a good show in what was a very tough group. I'm pleased with their performances, and while it's not the win we hoped for, we have proved that we can hit the ball well. If we clean up our pitching a little in this match - and we've focused on it in training recently - and keep hitting the way we've been hitting, then we can win this playoff series against The Sherpa Empire.' Lockie's comments ring true - the team scored 135 runs, but conceded 114, while The Sherpa Empire scored only 104 runs while conceding only 74. These teams seem to have had antithetical performances in the groups which is why this series will be interesting to watch; will both teams cancel each other out?

Harry Markwright, the youngest pitcher in the team, concedes that 'the pitching performance in the groups have been a bit of a let-down. We haven't performed quite as we wanted to, so we've lost ourselves a top seed and now find ourselves against tougher opponents than we could have been. We've got a fight on our hands, but hopefully, after all the training we've put into pitching over the past few days, we'll be able to put in better performances than we have recently.'

If The Red Kites do lose this next game, it will be another elimination from the WBC for Ethane in the earlier parts of the playoff and will mark another disappointing WBC performance which will do nothing to stop the rot that has seemingly crept into the team. Lockie's job will undoubtedly be under threat after his promise to repair the team and stop the rot in this WBC, and without a quarter-finals appearance which he stipulated as a promise of him continuing in his managerial tenure, he could find himself out of a job come tomorrow afternoon once the match aftermath has calmed down.

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Predictions
by Andrew Davis

85% - Nova Anglicana (1) vs (32) Hicana - 15%
Should be a clear result considering their stark performances in the group stages. Nova Anglicana should go through in 2.

48% - Hampton Island (16) vs (17) Xelsis - 52%
A close match to call. But while Hampton Island did win 1 more game than Xelsis, the lower-seeded team here have conceded a lot less runs. Xelsis, just.

70% - Abanhfleft (8) vs (25) Cosumar - 30%
Abanhfleft had a great group campaign, whereas Cosumar just went with the motions and did what was needed. Cosumar have a chance, but the Fleftic sweep is the most likely outcome.

60% - Scootalove City (9) vs (24) New Jarwel - 40%
A lot tighter than the seedings suggest, but Scootalove should still make it. Despite their problems, they still comfortably topped the group. New Jarwel challenged well, but I don't think they quite have the power to challenge enough to victory here. Scottalove City through in 3.

90% - Super-Llamaland (5) vs (28) Midand - 10%
Despite Midand's strong performances, this should be an easy victory for the higher seed again.

49% - The Sherpa Empire (12) vs (21) Ethane - 51%
Probably one of the tighter games of the round of 32. But I think the Red Kites will nip it in 3, because of their strong run-scoring in the group.

95% - Free Republics (4) vs (29) Krossa - 5%
A strong collapsed to almost nothing for Krossa. They've dropped off while the Republicans have hammered through to the round of 32 as one of the favourites. Easy sweep for the Free Republics.

46% - Ko-oren (13) vs (20) North Prarie - 54%
A relatively evenly matched series between these 2. However, North Prarie really have the potential to hit a few in these semis, and with ,their recent strong performances in the groups they should steal it.

72% - Cassadaigua (6) vs (27) Lycrabon - 28%
Should be Cassadaigua's game, but I'm not going to rule out Lycrabon yet. They're a pretty consistent team so if they come out in the right mindset they could steal it. But they probably won't.

38% - Drawkland (11) vs (22) South Covello - 62%
I can't give it to Drawkland. South Covello didn't perform that much worse than Drawkland, but Drawkland are typically known for messing it up and cracking under pressure *cough*10-3*cough*. South Covello in 3.

99% - Schiltzberg (3) vs (30) United States of Yasser - 1%
Not really anything to say on this one. The team that has always won, will win.

56% - Banija (14) vs (19) Bauscland - 44%
Both teams just floated into their positions with little competition for their spots. Banija should take it, but it'll be close. But not exciting close.

49% - West Phoenicia (7) vs (26) Beepee - 51%
I know West Phoenicia should win this, but I get the feeling Beepee might have something up their sleeve. They've hit relatively well, so if they do it again...

80% - Alpine Union (10) vs (23) Maklohi Vai - 20%
Maklohi Vai's a good team, but after beating Ethane 6 times (that's all the times they faced each other!) in the groups, I have to give the Alpine Union the sweep.

96% - Newmanistan (2) vs (31) United States of Devonta - 4%
Not much of a match here. Devonta might as well go home now.

53% - Equestrian States (15) vs (18) Liventia - 47%
The Equestrian States should just manage to hold off Liventia, but it'll be very tight. The Ponies should (just about) get it in 3.



Round of 16

75% - Nova Anglicana (1) vs (17) Xelsis - 25%
Xelsis did well at stemming the runs during the groups. But Nova Anglicana dominated everything. Nova Anglicana should take it in 4.

56% - Abanhfleft (8) vs (9) Scootalove City - 44%
This will be an exciting series, but Abanhfleft should nab it. How they perform in their first matches will be crucial and analysis will be updated after the roung of 32.

80% - Super-Llamaland (5) vs (21) Ethane - 20%
Despite surprising them before, this is the end of the road for the Red Kites. Potentially even a sweep.

68% - Free Republics (4) vs (20) North Prarie - 32%
I can't see any other result here. Free Republics in 4.

65% - Cassadaigua (6) vs (22) South Covello - 35%
Cassadaigua should win this, but South Covello will put up a fight. Cassadaigua in 5.

87% - Schiltzberg (3) vs (14) Banija - 13%
Banija didn't impress, and Schiltzberg keep winning. Schiltzberg in 3.

27% - Beepee (26) vs (10) Alpine Union - 73%
Beepee will have only just made it through their previous series, whereas the Alpine Union will have cruised through. After the Alpine Union's performances against Ethane, they should take it in 4.

80% - Newmanistan (2) vs (15) Equestrian States - 20%
The Equestrian States only just made it here, whereas Newmanistan smashed through. The Rockets should sweep.



Quarter-Finals

60% - Nova Anglicana (1) vs (8) Abanhfleft - 40%
I predict Abanhfleft will have struggled against Scootalove City. I think they'll put up a struggle but inevitably lose.

46% - Super-Llamaland (5) vs (4) Free Republics - 54%
After the Free Republic's performance so far, I think they'll edge it in 5 here too.

52% - Cassadaigua (6) vs (3) Schiltzberg - 48%
Being host may just give them the boost they need to win this series but in a tight 5.

51% - Alpine Union (10) vs (2) Newmanistan - 49%
I can see an Alpine Union upset in 5 here. The Alpine Union were on fire in the groups, and I don't see that stopping in the playoffs.



Semi-Finals

48% - Nova Anglicana (1) vs (4) Free Republics - 52%
Nova Anglicana have done well, but Free Republics have had a strong performance so far and Nova Anglicana do have a bit of a reputation (but not Drawkish level). The Republicans in 6.

49% - Cassadaigua (6) vs (10) Alpine Union - 51%
If the Alpine Union can beat Newmanistan, I think they can beat Cassadaigua. It'll be tight though.



3PPO

47% - Nova Anglicana (1) vs (6) Cassadaigua - 53%
Nova Anglicana have had a good run and will have had a very good run to get here, but I have to give it to the hosts in a full series.



Final

54% - Free Republics (4) vs (10) Alpine Union - 46%
The Alpine Union would have had an extraordinary WBC to get to here, but the Free Republics have a lot of fight in them, so I'll give it to them in 6.

Predictions will be updated in a new article when necessary. Keep an eye out for those updates.

[Cassadaigua]

Series: (1) Nova Anglicana vs (32) Hicana (Series @ Grande Mountain Stadium, Grande Mountain)
Game 1:

Hicana                        0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Nova Anglicana                3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 X  6

Game 2:

Nova Anglicana                1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 2  8
Hicana                        0 2 1 1 0 0 2 0 1  7

Nova Anglicana wins series, 2G-0

Series: (16) Hampton Island vs (17) Xelsis (Series @ Concord Heights Stadium, Concord Heights)
Game 1:

Xelsis                        0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Hampton Island                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0  3

Game 2:

Hampton Island                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0  3
Xelsis                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

series tied, 1-1

Series: (8) Abanhfleft vs (25) Cosumar (Series at New Lakeland Stadium, New Lakeland)
Game 1:

Cosumar                       0 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 1  8
Abanhfleft                    1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0  4

Game 2:

Abanhfleft                    0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0  4
Cosumar                       0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3

series tied, 1-1

Series: (9) Scootalove City vs (24) New Jarwel (Series at Starksville Stadium, Starksville)
Game 1:

New Jarwel                    0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Scootalove City               0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 X  3

Game 2:

Scootalove City               4 0 0 1 3 0 2 0 1 11
New Jarwel                    0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  5

Scootalove City wins series, 2G-0

Series: (5) Super-Llamaland vs (28) Midand (Series at Victoriaville Stadium, Victoriaville)
Game 1:

Midand                        0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0  4
Super-Llamaland               3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 X  6

Game 2:

Super-Llamaland               0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3
Midand                        1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Super-Llamaland wins series, 2G-0

Series: (12) The Sherpa Empire vs (21) Ethane (Series at Brattleboro Stadium, Brattleboro)
Game 1:

Ethane                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The Sherpa Empire             0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 X  3

Game 2:

The Sherpa Empire             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Ethane                        0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

series tied, 1-1


Series: (4) Free Republics vs (29) Krossa (Series at Rutland Stadium, Rutland)
Game 1:

Krossa                        0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Free Republics                0 0 3 0 0 0 5 0 X  8

Game 2:

Free Republics                2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1  6
Krossa                        0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1  4

Free Republics wins series, 2G-0

Series: (13) Ko-oren vs (20) North Prarie (Series at Winchester Field, Winchester)
Game 1:

North Prarie                  1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0  5
Ko-oren                       0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1  4

Game 2:

Ko-oren                       0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1  4
North Prarie                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

series tied, 1-1

Series: (6) Cassadaigua vs (27) Lycrabon (Series @ Concord Heights Stadium, Concord Heights)
Game 1:

Lycrabon                      0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  3
Cassadaigua                   3 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 X  5

Game 2:

Cassadaigua                   0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 0  5
Lycrabon                      0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Cassadaigua wins series, 2G-0

Series: (11) Drawkland vs (22) South Covello (Series at Victoriaville Stadium, Victoriaville)
Game 1:

South Covello                 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Drawkland                     0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 X  2

Game 2:

Drawkland                     0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2
South Covello                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Drawkland wins series, 2G-0

Series: (3) Schiltzberg vs (30) United States of Yasser (Series at New Lakeland Stadium, New Lakeland)
Game 1:

United States of Yasser       2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  6
Schiltzberg                   0 0 3 0 3 0 0 1 X  7

Game 2:

Schiltzberg                   1 0 1 0 0 4 1 0 1  8
United States of Yasser       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Schiltzberg wins series, 2G-0

Series: (14) Banija vs (19) Bauscland (Series at Winchester Field, Winchester)
Game 1:

Bauscland                     0 1 2 2 0 0 2 0 1  8
Banija                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Game 2:

Banija                        0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Bauscland                     0 0 0 0 1 0 6 0 X  7

Bauscland wins series, 2G-0

Series: (7) West Phoenicia vs (26) Beepee (Series at Starksville Stadium, Starksville)
Game 1:

Beepee                        0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
West Phoenicia                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  3

Game 2:

West Phoenicia                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Beepee                        3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  4

series tied, 1-1

Series: (10) Alpine Union vs (23) Maklohi Vai (Series @ Grande Mountain Stadium, Grande Mountain)
Game 1:

Maklohi Vai                   0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2
Alpine Union                  0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  3

Game 2:

Alpine Union                  0 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 0  6
Maklohi Vai                   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0  5

Alpine Union wins series, 2G-0

Series: (2) Newmanistan vs (31) United States of Devonta (Series at Brattleboro Stadium, Brattleboro)
Game 1:

United States of Devonta      0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  3
Newmanistan                   1 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  7

Game 2:

Newmanistan                   0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 9 11
United States of Devonta      0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2

Newmanistan wins series, 2G-0

Series: (15) Equestrian States vs (18) Liventia (Series at Rutland Stadium, Rutland)
Game 1:

Liventia                      0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1  4
Equestrian States             2 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  7

Game 2:

Equestrian States             0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1  5
Liventia                      0 3 0 0 2 0 0 2 X  7

Series tied, 1-1

[Lycrabon]

Jays get swept

CONCORD HEIGHTS - And just like that, it's over.

Lycrabon lost 5-3 and 5-1 to be swept from WBC 43 in 2 games.

The Dagan's no-hit the Blue Jay's in game 2, but the fireworks were in the first inning of the series. Garry Barnett III, who made inflammatory comments regarding the hosts, hit leadoff batter Jenna Bailey with the first pitch in the helmet. Within 3 seconds, home plate umpire Danielle McCreary threw him out of the game with an insult of her own that we shall not repeat. Two batters later, it was 3-0. Barnett's future on the national team is now in jeopardy, with more as this story develops.