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PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:45 am
by The Sherpa Empire
WBC 44 Roster


C: Pei Tan (Fuzhou Bats)
C: Dewa Liang (Islamabad Snow Leopards)
1B: Nawang Gurung (Righteous Bay Lions -- North Prarie)
2B: Usha Chawa (Lhasa Lamas)
3B: Phinjo Modi (Changsha Turtles)
SS: Phurba Desai (Jaipur Jewelers)
IF: Debashish Morrison (Darjeeling Green Sox)
IF: Dorjee Sherpa (Kunming Dragons)
IF: Yangzhi Yi (Nanjing Mandarins)
LF: Seojun Sherpa (Jessicaville Millionaires -- Newmanistan)
RF: Kusang Banerjee (Bengal Tigers)
CF: Dachhiri Chao (Kunming Dragons)
OF: Rajinder Singh (Bengal Tigers)
OF: Anwar Sedhai (Khumbu Icefall Doctors)

Starting Rotation:

Mingma Al Ali (Jaipur Jewelers)
Tsheri Pham (Guangzhou Pirates)
Kima Jabralla (Delhi Rajas) José Sherpa (Lhasa Lamas)
Kaji Thepgumpanat (Guilin Pangolins)
Hanyi Yang (Chengdu Pandas)

Bullpen:

Luochong Zhuang (Hangzhou Brewers)
Tashi Siedler (Islamabad Snow Leopards)
Khalil Tsui (Guangzhou Pirates)
Sunil Das (Jaipur Jewelers)
Lakpa Fang (closer, Guilin Pangolins)
Gyurme Hammad (Guiyang Grasshoppers)

Coaches: Bishnu Khan, Apa Shah, Sarang Oli, Finjhok Chang

Manager: Dinesh Mohn

Normal Batting Order


1. Modi
2. Tan
3. Chawa
4. S. Sherpa
5. Banerjee
6. Chao
7. Gurung
8. Desai
9. Pitcher's slot

Batting Order With DH


1. Modi
2. Tan
3. Chawa
4. Banerjee
5. Singh or Morrison
6. S. Sherpa
7. Chao
8. Gurung
9. Desai

General National Information


The Sherpa Empire sprawls across much of Asia. The culture and terrain can vary dramatically from one region to the next. Although the official language is Sherpa and most official signs and documents are written in Sherpa, many other languages are spoken. Most people know more than one language, but it's usually two or three different Asian languages and nothing from outside the Empire. Sherpa can be written in either the Tibetan alphabet or devanagari. The Empire uses both, with Tibetan script being more common in the North, devanagari being more common in the South.

The Empire is officially Buddhist and the government actively supports Buddhist institutions, but the practice of other religions is legal and there are large Hindu and Muslim minorities. The government is run by a mix of hereditary, religious, and democratically elected authorities, and the relationships between the different types of authorities are sometimes very confusing an inefficient.

Most people can enter the Empire without a visa. There are very few restrictions on transporting money or goods into or out of the country. However, civil rights like freedom of speech are not as extensive as in some countries, and if you do get in trouble with the local authorities, the punishments tend to be a bit harsh.

The economy is not great and the Sherpa rupee is undervalued. This means you can find some great bargain prices, so fans from wealthy nations might want to come for a combination of baseball and shopping spree. Poverty rates are high and there are some beggars in the cities. The age of consent is 16. People drive like maniacs. Drug laws are poorly enforced. Alcoholic beverages including baijiu, chang, beer, and raksi are common at ballparks and sports bars. Tap water and local food are usually safe to eat/drink, but it's a good idea to boil the water just in case.

The current exchange rate is ₹117=$1NSD.

Magic exists, but is relatively rare. There are 5 kinds of magic:

Divine magic
Demonic magic
Tao (magical equivalent to background radiation)
Blood magic (hereditary powers)
Talismans (their properties depend on what sort of magic was used to create them)

Stadiums


Syangboche Athletic Complex
Location: Namche, Capital District
Capacity: 43,800
Syangboche is the home of the Khumbu Icefall Doctors and the Sherpa Imperial Baseball Museum. At an elevation of 3780m (12,402ft), it is one of the world's highest ballparks. Visiting teams are recommended to arrive early and give themselves some time to acclimate to the altitude if their schedule allows it. The thin air and slightly short left field make it a hitter's paradise. The high elevation also comes with cold temperatures, strong winds, and occasional snow -- but the gift shop and concessions have plenty of blankets, jackets, hot beverages, and thukpa for anyone that needs to warm up!

The Imperial Baseball Museum is open from 9AM to 6PM and admission is free. Stop by before the game to learn about the history of baseball in the Sherpa Empire and see the nation's largest collection of baseball memorabilia.

Queen of the Hills Sports Complex
Location: Darjeeling, Gorkhaland
Capacity: capacity 37,300
Queen of the Hills Sports Complex is the home of the Darjeeling Green Sox, as well as various other local sports teams and public recreational facilities. As well as a ballpark, the complex includes a swimming pool, ice rink, mini golf course, and picnic grounds. The mini golf is normally closed this time of year, but will be open in the mornings on game days. The ballpark is one of the smaller ones in the Empire, but its cozy feel, quaint brick work, and the pretty landscaping around the park are beloved by the fans. At an elevation of 2,042 (6,700 ft), it's not quite as dizzying as Syangboche, but the altitude still allows fly balls to fly a little farther than normal. A short outfield also contributes to making this a hitter's park, though the outfield wall is relatively tall and it's somewhat common for balls to bounce off instead of going out.

Chengdu Sports Centre
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan Territory
Capacity: 42,000
Chengdu Sports Centre, home of the Chengdu Pandas, is a modern multi-use stadium. It is a hitter's park, but not as extreme as Syangboche or Queen of the Hills. Altitude is not a factor here, or it shouldn't be. (If it is, your wussiness will be immortalized in memes for all eternity.) The Pandas mascots Momo and Juju are crowd favorites, and Chengdu is known for staging elaborate dances or Sichuan opera skits during the 7th inning stretch.

The city of Chengdu is known for its spicy hot pot, bustling night life, and many teahouses. Visitors looking for something a little quieter might enjoy a day trip to Mount Qingcheng, which boasts lush foliage, scenic waterfalls, and several Taoist temples.

Chokpori Stadium
Location: Lhasa, Tibet
Capacity: 29,000
Chokpori is the home stadium of the Lhasa Lamas. It isn't the biggest ballpark in the Empire, but it's gold tile roofs and traditional Tibetan architecture make it one of the most beautiful and distinctive. Here and at Syangboche, fans sometimes bring prayer wheels to pray for their team to win. Chokpori is around 3800m above sea level, and visiting teams are advised to allow some time to acclimate before their game if possible. It has a fairly large outfield, but the high elevation still makes it a good hitter's park. Extra base hits are common because there is so much ground for outfielders to cover.

Lhasa has an important place in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, and remains a popular destination for religious pilgrimages from across the Empire. If you have a lot of money, it's also a great place to shop for talismans and magically-enhanced products such as infinite suitcases or bottomless trash barrels.


Jinnah Stadium
Location: Islamabad Municipal District
Capacity: 48,200
Jinnah Stadium is the home of the Islamabad Snow Leopards. It's a well-built park, but not a very distinctive one. Islamabad is in the western part of the Empire where there is a large Muslim population, so all food sold in the stadium is halal. Snow Leopards games have prayer breaks so that Muslim players and fans can do their salah. SIBA (Sherpa Imperial Baseball Association) regulations require that these breaks be held between innings, not during an inning.

All three games being held at this ballpark will be day games, and will include a break for afternoon prayers. Most of the Sherpa players are not Muslim, and it's fine if you're not either -- visitors who are not Muslim should not feel obligated to pray -- but it was decided to go ahead and have the prayer break for the benefit of the local fans. Due to a spate of Islamic terrorism this year, security will be especially tight. Fans who get rowdy may be investigated as terror suspects. People that get into drunken shouting matches or minor scuffles will generally be released after questioning, but more serious altercations may lead to lengthy prison sentences or even executions.

Sawai Mansingh Stadium
Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan
Capacity: 43,000
Home of the Jaipur Jewelers, one of the better teams in SIBA. This stadium has been the site of a few violent incidents this year, so security will be tight here as well. The Jaipur Jewelers have been at the center of a fierce debate over women's place in sports, as well as the role of blood magic. There were also a couple of failed Taliban attacks. Government officials don't believe further attacks are likely, but they have still deployed some extra security personnel and will be thorough about searching any bags that fans bring into the stadium.

Mandarin Park
Location: Nanjing, Jiangsu Territory
Capacity: 61,443
Mandarin Park is the home stadium of the Nanjing Mandarins. It is known for its sleek modern design and was voted as having the best food of any ballpark in the Sherpa Empire. The stands are decorated with red Chinese lanterns, giving the park a bit of local flair. Because it is a large park, it doesn't get many home runs. Weather in Nanjing is usually cool and wet this time of year, but not bitterly cold. Nanjing is known for its universities, its imposing city wall, and the ruins of the old Chinese capital.

Eden Gardens
Location: Kolkata, Bengal Province
Capacity: 66,000
Eden Gardens is the home stadium of the Bengal Tigers, and the Sherpa Empire's largest ballpark. Originally built in 1864, it is also the nation's oldest ballpark still in use. It has been renovated many times and very little remains of the original structure, but there is a museum documenting the history of the park, both as the home of the Tigers and as a cricket stadium. Most of the seating area is sheltered by colorful awnings. The field has more ground than usual in foul territory, giving fielders plenty of room to chase down foul balls that are hit in the air. This, as well as a deep outfield, make Eden Gardens a pitcher's park.

Kolkata is known for its artistic and literary history and is home to many museums. Some artists also take their creativity to the streets, decorating the city with graffiti. Although the Sherpa Empire's official language is Sherpa and it's national religion is Buddhism, much of Kolkata's population still speaks Bengali and practices Hinduism.


Schedule


MD1- @ South Covello
MD2- @Eraman
MD3- vs. West Phoenicia @ Syangboche
MD4- @Tenburg
MD5- vs. Shayla @ Queen of the Hills
MD6- vs. South Covello @ Queen of the Hills
MD7- vs. Eraman @ Queen of the Hills
MD8- @West Phoenicia
MD9- vs. Tenburg @ Chengdu
MD10-@Shayla
MD11- @South Covello
MD12- @Eraman
MD13- vs. West Phoenicia @ Chokpori Stadium
MD14- @Tenburg
MD15- vs. Shayla @ Jinnah Stadium
MD16- vs. South Covello @ Jinnah Stadium
MD17- vs. Eraman @ Jinnah Stadium
MD18- @West Phoenicia
MD19- vs. Tenburg @ Sawai Mansingh Stadium
MD20-@Shayla
MD21- @South Covello
MD22- @Eraman
MD23- vs. West Phoenicia @ Mandarin Park
MD24- @Tenburg
MD25- vs. Shayla @ Eden Gardens
MD26- vs. South Covello @ Eden Gardens
MD27- vs. Eraman @ Eden Gardens
MD28- @West Phoenicia
MD29- vs. Tenburg @ Syangboche
MD30-@Shayla

RP Permissions


Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes, within reason. Don't have anyone playing a position they don't play, don't have pitchers batting if they're not also pitching -- but it is OK to put my bench players in the game, or swap a couple of players' batting order.
Follow my pitching rotation: Follow the rotation I posted, but if you're RPing about the later innings, you can decide when the starter got pulled and which relief pitcher was brought in.
Godmod scoring events: Within reason. You can be very specific about what my players did, but keep it realistic please.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but let me determine severity
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes, but if you eject more than one of my people, you need to eject a similar number of your own.
Godmod other events: TG for permission.
Use DH at home: No.
Other: My people are pretty well-behaved on the field and there is not a lot of drama llama nonsense like hitting batters on purpose. Hanyi Yang might do it by accident because he's a doofus, but that's a different issue. My team is not terribly aggressive about stealing bases, and they are not terribly quick to go to the bullpen.

WBC 44 takes place before WC 81 in the Sherpa Empire's timeline. National security issues that were mostly wrapped up by the time of WC 81 are still going on during WBC 44.

PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:48 am
by Eraman
It is a dream for every Eramanian to see the country lift a major sporting championship, but to avoid disappointment, it is better not to expect anything from the baseball team that will compete in the 44th edition of World Baseball Classic.

This is going to be Eraman debut in any sporting events and the country will be represented by a bunch of amateurs.

In an exclusive interview with the team head coach Hali Bajajar in Daulapura yesterday, he was asked about the development of the newly formed team.

The spontaneous immediate response followed by Hali's laughter, "Do we have a team?"

After the laughter subsides, Hali continued that the team is run from the castle by the royalties and the team were in a state of wonder.

The situation is very unfortunate because the team with great potential, without proper focus will turn into a mediocre team.

"The goal when I was first appointed was to make Eraman the number one baseball team in the world and we have a special plan and a way to implement it."

But he is realistic because the team is still new.

"We will give it some time..." he said.

After that, Hali said, he will let the people themselves to judge the performance of the royalties-led team.

Asked about the nature of his appointment, Hali said he is the best man to lead the team after winning the nationwide video game championship for the game World Baseball Classic Manager.

"It is clear that I am the most knowledgeable person on baseball in the country and I've also led Indusse to glory in NSWC Manager." he added.

PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 5:59 am
by Beepee
The secret diary of Homer Unn, aged 50 and three quarters


28th Sepmember 2018.
World Rabies Day.

Just my luck, I'm getting a spot on my chin just in time for team photo day.

My mother has declined the invitation to go with me to Nova Anglicana. She then proceeded to sing down the phone to me. I believe she had been drinking. Nevermind, I'm sure she'll come to the home matches.

I hope they don't have rabies in Nova Anglicana, I remember when Dan McManus got Koala Chlamydia. That's was a messy business.

PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 10:35 am
by Banija
Image

Our Baseball Story- Part I

Image
Athletic Director Horace Browning(left) stands with new Head Coach Lance Kabuye(right)


ISTRIA, MORAVICA- Banijan baseball has a very interesting history, after the Olympic Committee of Banija reinvested in the sport to bring it forward for the World Baseball Classic. Banija has a history and tradition in the sport, but it is not very rich. After their entry into World Baseball Classic 35, they missed 5 consecutive editions of the sport's largest tournament before returning in World Baseball Classic 41, with their staff from Ethane. In that interim, of course, there was a third place finish at the IX Summer Olympiad in baseball, though they did not get a medal because it was a demonstration sport at the tournament. We'll be covering the modern history of Banijan baseball in this article- since the return to regular participation in the World Baseball Classic, in WBC 41. We'll talk about how far we've come, and how far we've got to go.

Why, of course, won't we be covering the pinnacle of Banijan baseball, our third place finish, or our sole baseball classic appearance? That's because those happened so many years ago, it's almost forgettable. That has no effect on the modern game today. But everything since we returned to the 41st World Baseball Classic, of course, does. Part I will cover our modern history in the World Baseball Classic, part II will cover the game's development in the country, part III will be an overview of the key people- the manager and some key players, while part IV will be where we go from here. It took a lot of investigative journalism, of course, which is a specialty of this magazine. And without further ado... Here we go.

World Baseball Classic 41
This was the tournament that marked Banija's return to the competition. The Olympic Committee of Banija knew that the sport was essentially dead in the country. Now, of course, it wasn't the way of hockey- completely dead and out of the way, absolutely and totally 100% irrelevant to locals(though extremely popular among the diaspora). But there wasn't much of a domestic scene. People weren't clamoring for baseball, the professional baseball league has gone bankrupt, the sport was on its last legs.

The Olympic Committee, then, decided to step in and save the team. Why? Simply put, a matter of luck. One of the Executive Board Members of the OCB, George Bostoba, simply happened to be a big baseball fan. He was very influential already, so the OCB decided to place him as the head of their baseball division, figuring that, they, if he couldn't do it, who could? Bostoba ran with the position. It was he who was able to convince the OCB to give him enough funds to go out and hire a foreign manager, who could compete right away. By the name of Raymond Cloutier, of Ethane. A good solid manager, it was a surprise Banijan baseball was able to convince him to come to this country.

Of course, that tournament was rough. An unranked squad with no professional league, they drew exclusively from the collegiate baseball scene. So a young team, pulling from 7 different colleges, thrown to compete internationally? It was, as you would expect, a rough start. The Banijan team started 1-8 in that tournament, entering a hole that was almost impossible to climb out of. However, they were respectable for the rest of the tournament, finishing the group stages with a 10-20 record. Finishing 9-12 isn't great, of course, but a great improvement from 1-8. Raymound Cloutier saw potential.

"It was always going to be tough, that first tournament." He told us when we contacted him. "Having no experience, taking all of these young guys... It was always going to be a learning experience. But it was a good one for us. We learned exactly how good the rest of the world is, and the work that we have to put in to catch up." And right he was. He stuck with those guys. While he made lineup changes throughout the tournament, he showed faith in his guys by bringing the exact same squad back for the 42nd World Baseball Classic.

World Baseball Classic 42
This baseball classic is where the team really made a name for themselves. Some experience under their belt, and some unity as a squad, they came back for WBC 42 with some fire in their bellies. There was some real motivation to do well, and it was absolutely exploited. The team came out with strong motivaton, strong desire, and actually, some popularity following them. This is what was able to carry them through the group. They came out swinging. They started by winning 8 of their first 9 group games, putting themselves firmly in the driver's seat and finding themselves to be a pleasant surprise.

Then, of course, they came back down to Earth. They were victims of back to back sweeps to go down to 8-7, and halfway through this long, 30 game group stage, they were just a game over .500, with half of the stage remaining. But Cloutier grouped his guys together, got them to focus, and forced them to understand- the long-term goal of this team was at stake. They put it together, going 10-5 in the second half, a strong finish, to punch a ticket to their first ever knockout stage berth in the WBC.

They punched their ticket with a walkoff home run in game 29, courtesy of designated hitter Jebel Sowe. A game tying RBI double in the 8th, and then a walkoff solo shot in the bottom of the 11th, sent Banijan fans into ecstasy and into the playoff round. Their matchup? None other than Ethane, Cloutier's home country. Sowe continued the heroics with a game 1 walkoff grand slam, and then the perenially clutch Sowe hit a walkoff, two-run double to win Game 5 and send Banija into the Round of 16, against Cassadaigua. Of course, the Banijans got swept, but they played in, and won, a playoff series. A quality step forward, right?

World Baseball Classic 43
Banija's ranking improved between the 42nd and 43rd editions of baseball's grandest tournament, all the way to 22nd. They were the pot 2 side in their group, in this massive edition of the World Baseball Classic. But Lycrabon was their pot 1 seed. A nation, while with a quality side, is not exactly going to intimidate anybody in this sport. The Banijans sensed an opportunity, and they pounced on it.

This team actually won their group for the first time, finishing 16-8 and in sole possession of the top spot in Group 2. It was an excellent performance all around from the Banijan team. The pitching was solid, and while they certainly weren't dominant by any use of the word, it was a strong enough performance to deserve their first place group finish. They were favorites entering the vaunted Round of 32, where they faced Bauscland in a three game series.

The Banijan team, really, suffered their first surprise setback. They've lost plenty of games in the last three years, of course, but not many as favorites. It came as a surprise when Bauscland not only swept them, but blew them out of Cassadaigua. The Banijans got pounded, 8-1, in game 1 and then in game 2, when it was all on the line, the Banijans laid another egg, losing 7. At that point, the decision to extend Cloutier had already been made, and that was always the smart decision.

But it lead to a think. How do we prevent that from happening again? That happens in sports, of course, getting upset in a surprise. That is the bad taste left in the mouths of many Banijan players, as the national team prepares to enter another World Baseball Classic. It is the next part of this series that will show you the OCB's response to that loss, and how that has shaped the team that we are hoping to send to Newmanistan.

PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:15 am
by -Anthor-
Anthoran National Baseball Team
"The Thunderheads"


Heading into the 44th international baseball Classics, this has the potential to be a turning point for the Thunderheads and at the very least is a crucial point for manager Colin Nittledeen who is in the final year of his contract, his stated goal of guiding the international Anthoran team to their first Classics playoff game still proving to be too elusive for him, and the team. For the first time ever last Classic, the Thunder finished below the .500 mark (11-13), and they also set team records for run's allowed and ERA, which for the starter's averaged out to 4.11. The notable lackluster performances by a number of key starters, such as international rookie Wayne MacDonald and practically the entire bullpen has required Nittledeen to have surely spend a number of large hours re-working the roster for this Classic.

The most immediate change is the lack/exclusion of Thunder's, and Nottingham, ace Konnor Valentine who went down with a tendon injury just four weeks into the ABL's offseason and is still recuperating; Ben Gibson of Sherborne has come on to replace him after a absolutely mind-boggling year when he became the first Anthoran pitcher to throw more then 300 strikeouts (342 to be specific); Alair Morgan also makes a return after being excluded from the roster for the 43rd edition of the WBC, despite missing a month and a half of the domestic season due to a shoulder tendinitis issue, Shane Woodward also had an injury spate and a shortened season but it's believed Colin is looking to temper rookie introductions with veteran experience so has not to shorthand his team as they face some of the most historic clubs, such as this year's death group that has us drawn into the same group as Schlitzberg.


Home Stadium: Marblerose Park (45,600), Summercliff, Anthor
Manager: Colin Nittledeen (Super-Llamaland)
Bench Coach(Takes over in case of ejection): Sinjin Phillips
Hitting Coach: Oliver Bailey (Known for concentrating on contact hitting)
Pitching Coach: Jeremy Callahan (Super-Llamaland)
Jerseys: Home


Starting Pitchers
[RHP] Alair Morgran (Warick) - #18, Aged 27
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 7-5, 1.93 ERA, 125 K's, 135.1 IP
[RHP] Ben Gibson (Sherborne) - #4, Aged 29
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 17-10, 2.41 ERA, 342 K's, 243 IP
[RHP] Francis Reed (Sherbourne) - #8, Aged 30
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 15-7, 2.68 ERA, 262 K's, 232 IP
[RHP] Shane Woodward (Northall) - #22, Aged 28
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 11-4, 1.18 ERA, 129 K's, 176 IP
[RHP] Wayne McDonald (Newark) - #7, Aged 27
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 20-9, 2.33 ERA, 224 K's, 262 IP

Relievers
[RHP/CL] John Kelsey (Sherbourne) - #19 , Aged 27
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 3-41, 45 SV's, 82.0 IP, .84 WHIP, 1.54 ERA, 12.0 K/9 (109 K's)
[RHP/CL] Ross Struthers - #14 , Aged 28
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 2-5, 30 SV's, 69.1 IP, .97 WHIP, 1.43 ERA, 11.7 K/9 (90 K's)
[RHP/RP] Jude Cooke (Bristol) - Setup #13, Aged 31
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 2-0, 1 SV's, 77 IP, 10.4 K/9, 2.49 ERA, 0.97 WHIP
[LHP/RP] Elliot Dougherty (Warwick) - Setup #44, Aged 29
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 1-3, 1 SV's, 57.2 IP, 11.9 K/9(76 K's), .92 WHIP, 1.25 ERA
[RHP/RP] Logan Grange (Nottingham) - Setup/Middle Relief #51, Aged 34
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 2-1, 18 SV's, 55.1 IP, .69 WHIP, 9.1 K/9(87 K's), .98 ERA
[RHP/RP] Julian Arscott (Warwick)- Mid Reliever #55, Aged 34
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 3-6, 28 SV's, 77.2 IP, .98 WHIP, 12.6 K/9(109 K's), 1.62 ERA
[RHP/RP] Bryan Richardson (Luton) - Middle Relief #34, Aged 31
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 5-5, 1 SV's, 54.2 IP, 1.35 WHIP, 14.7 K/9(89 K's), 4.28 ERA
[RHP/RP] Clyde Cherry (Coventry) - Middle Relief #31, Aged 35
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 2-1, 1 SV's, 60.1 IP, 0.86 WHIP, 9 K/9 (60 K's), 0.90 ERA
[RHP/RP] Steve Millar (East Kilbride) - Long Relief/Stopper #69, Aged 31
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): 12-1, 1 SV's, 74.2 IP, .79 WHIP, 12.7 K/9(105 K's), 1.57 ERA

Catcher
(R) Brandon Lyr (Wayford) - #54, Aged 26
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .292 AVG, .564 SLG, .917 OPS, 511 AB, 149 H, 32 HR, 99 RBI, 71 R
(R) Jason MacKey (East Kilbride)* - #88, Aged 30
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .233 AVG, .518 SLG, .831 OPS, 494 AB, 115 H, 40 HR, 93 RBI, 74 R


First Base
(R) Peter Eaves (Alnwick)* - #90, Aged 29
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .333 AVG, .640 SLG, 1.035 OPS, 633 AB, 211 H, 49 HR, 122 RBI, 115 R
(R) Eddie Sissons (Hutton) - #19 Aged 25
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .336 AVG, .604 SLG, .474 OBP, 1.078 OPS, 548 AB, 184 H, 33 HR, 87 RBI, 98 R, 126 BB

Second Base
(L) Tony Russell (East Kilbridge) - #31, Aged 36*
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .376 AVG, .548 SLG, 1.040 OPS, 551 AB, 207 H, 18 HR, 79 RBI, 92 R, 59 XBH
(S) Gael "Bronco" Luke (Holywell) - #33, Aged 30
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .340 AVG, .670 SLG, 1.102 OPS, 470 AB, 160 H, 40 HR, 94 RBI, 78 R
(R) Taylor "Slap" Townsend (Bradford) - #2, Aged 35
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .315 AVG, .681 SLG, 1.107 OPS, 492 AB, 155 H, 51 HR, 109 RBI, 115 R

Shortstop
(L/R) Brad "Buck" Green (Sherbourne)- #21, Aged 29
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .336 AVG, .570 SLG, .433 OBP, 589 AB, 198 H, 33 HR, 12 RBI, 96 R, 38 XBH

Third Base
(R) Ryan Hardy (Alnwick) - #11, Aged 34
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .273 AVG, .410 SLG, .377 OBP, 227 AB, 62 H, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 35 R
(R) Bill Jacobs (Buckfast)* - #1, Aged 32
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .303 AVG, .515 SLG, .391 OBP, 585 AB, 177 H, 26 HR, 84 RBI, 87 R, 43 XBH

Left Field
(L) Clive Harness (Plymouth) - #4, Aged 25
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .341 AVG, .590 SLG, .384 OBP, 580 AB, 198 H, 33 HR, 84 RBI, 96 R, 44 XBH
(L) John Kirby (Bournemouth)* - #26, Aged 25
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .330 AVG, .585 SLG, .410 OBP, 610 AB, 201 H, 41 HR, 95 RBI, 106 R, 32 XBH


Center Field
(L) Christopher "Broadway" Rogers (Morecombe)* - #7, Aged 27
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .350 AVG, .772 SLG, .455 OBP, 391 AB, 137 H, 42 HR, 94 RBI, 91 R, 24 SB, 34 XBH
(R) John Neary (Sherborne) - #40, Aged 30
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .335 AVG, .521 SLG, .397 OBP, 641 AB, 215 H, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 115 R, 57 XBH, 62 BB, 24 SB

Right Field
(L) Shane Kennedy (Luton)- #16, Aged 27
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .315 AVG, .480 SLG, .362 OBP, 537 AB, 169 H, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 75 R, 45 XBH
(R) Kyle Patterson (Nottingham) - #17, Aged 35
Last Full Season Stats(Last Season): .272 AVG, .699 SLG, .378 OBP, 541 AB, 147 H, 69 HR, 138 RBI, 117 R, 24 XBH

LF Clive Harness (S)
SS Brad Green (S)
2B Gael Luke (S)
CF Christopher Rogers (L)
3B Ryan Hardy (S)
C Jason MacKey (R)
RF Shane Kennedy (L)
1B Peter Eaves (R)
DH Taylor Townsend (R)


LF Clive Harness (S)
SS Brad Green (S)
2B Tony Russell (L)
CF Christopher Rogers (L)
3B Ryan Hardy (S)
C Bradley Greer (R)
RF Shane Kennedy (L)
1B Peter Eaves (R)
Pitcher's Spot



My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes (TG first)
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes (TG First)
Eject my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes (TG First)
Use DH at home: Yes

PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 5:18 pm
by Liventia
The Baseball Federation of Liventia proudly announces its 25-man roster for the 44th World Baseball Classic, as Liventia attempts to make the playoffs once more in only its second tournament back.

The Liventian Baseball Championship is currently made up of 24 teams in six divisions of four, with 12 in each conference (the National Baseball League and Challenge Baseball League). Teams are not 'franchises' and are based permanently in cities and towns.
The NBL does not use the designated hitter, while the CBL does. Sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs (three division winners plus next five best teams by record per conference) after a 104–game season. Note that therefore, the statistics provided below for each player are for a 104–game season, not 162, except for hitters' career averages.


Permissions:
Choose my run-scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: *Please follow my line-ups below unless one of my players has been RPed as injured, in which case you may select a replacement player if I have not already designated one.
Follow my Pitching Rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes – please, no season- or career-ending injuries.
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes
Eject my players: Yes – but only if you eject one or more from your own team.
DH used at home: Depends on home stadium (Liventia will use the DH in the playoffs for 'home' games)
Godmod other events: Yes
Other info: The team will rely on sabermetric splits and substitutions, especially in innings 7 to 9 (or if behind early).

Home grounds:
Orean Capital Grounds, regular capacity 22,000 (international capacity 38,000); DH not used
Home ground of Orean Capital Baseball Club (NBL), average home attendance 21,560
Dimensions:
Left foul pole 321 ft; left field 352 ft; left-centre 376 ft; centre field 416 ft; right-centre 378 ft; right field 340 ft; right foul pole 319 ft; wall height 9 ft constant
Favours left-handed and right-handed hitters equally.

A 'typical' field with no weird configurations in outfield, the Capital Grounds is the oldest ground in Orean and has been known by many names through its existence. It fell into disuse when the old Liventian league folded, although it was used for casual amateur games. The new club bought the ground from the city council and reduced the stadium capacity, although there is space for 16,000 temporary seats for international games. Public transport: Baseball Ground station on the Orean Metro Central Line.

Will host: MD1 v Free Republics, MD4 v Maklohi Vai, MD12 v Titaniumland, MD18 v Saint Agnesia, MD21 v Free Republics, MD28 v Saint Agnesia, MD30 v Fungsland

Port Cartfort Park, capacity 24,100; DH used
Home ground of The Saboteurs Baseball Club Port Cartfort (CBL), average home attendance 22,100
Dimensions:
Left foul pole 317 ft; left field 349 ft; left-centre 397 ft; centre field 429 ft; right-centre 402 ft; right field 366 ft; right foul pole 322 ft; wall height 7 ft in left/left-centre; 13 ft in centre; 15 ft in right/right-centre
Right-handed hitters have far more joy at PCP than left-handed hitters. There are also a high number of triples and thanks to the dimensions, inside-the-park home runs are not uncommon at PCP.

Dermot Rowntree, the Saboteurs' power hitter/fast man who was also on Liventia's last WBC roster, has had back-to-back 40-home-run seasons playing at PCP. Transport: National rail from Orean or City Centre; then local bus routes.

Will host: MD2 v Titaniumland, MD8 v Saint Agnesia, MD10 v Fungsland, MD11 v Free Republics, MD14 v Maklohi Vai, MD20 v Fungsland, MD22 v Titaniumland, MD24 v Maklohi Vai
Style modifier: +3

Starting Rotation
1. Tyler Newitt (#15), age 31, throws left, bats left.
This season: 11–1, 1.90 ERA, 111 K, 21 BB, 0.95 WHIP, .208 OAVG
Last season: 10–4, 2.40 ERA, 129 K, 39 BB, 1.11 WHIP, .224 OAVG

A consistent performer. Has now recorded five straight seasons of 10+ wins, although he pitched 27 fewer innings this regular season just completed. Doesn't have great stuff but makes up for it with a nasty breaking action and solid control. Leader in the clubhouse. Throws 90–93 mph. Pitches: Changeup, curveball, four-seamer

2. Francis Delamere (#81), age 25, throws left, bats left.
Plays in the Newmanistan Baseball League. Throws: Two-seamer, splitter, slurve

3. Fraser Mansell (#27), age 21, throws right, bats left.
This season: 12–2, 2.28 ERA, 124 K, 29 BB, 1.00 WHIP, .208 OAVG
Last season: 8–2, 1.93 ERA, 105 K, 26 BB, 0.96 WHIP, .197 OAVG

Three consecutive seasons of solid stuff on the mound has earned young Mansell his first taste of international duty. Can be a bit loose with his control sometimes, but doesn't often get taken for long balls. A popular guy. Throws 91–94 mph. Pitches: Changeup, four-seamer, slider

4. Tony Metson (#22), age 33, throws right, bats right.
This season: 8–6, 2.31 ERA, 124 K, 26 BB, 0.84 WHIP, .187 OAVG
Last season: 13–4, 2.71 ERA, 147 K, 35 BB, 1.05 WHIP, .217 OAVG

One of only two people to have thrown a perfect game since the league's reintroduction nine years ago, Metson seems to be getting better with age. Ignore his win–loss record — he wasn't backed up by his offence this season — he's good at what he does and is comfortably one of the quicker pitchers in a league where the speed gun doesn't get used too much. Throws 93–96 mph. Pitches: Changeup, cutter, four-seamer, two-seamer

5. Callum Nottingham (#32), age 33, throws right, bats left
This season: 11–2, 2.00 ERA, 106 K, 27 BB, 0.88 WHIP, .194 OAVG
Last season: 8–9, 3.62 ERA, 83 K, 31 BB, 1.30 WHIP, .270 OAVG

Has had an outlier of a season compared to his career stats, but it was enough to earn him a call-up to the national team. Has good stuff and movement, and induces ground balls aplenty. Throws in the 90–93 mph range. Pitches: Splitter, cutter, slider

Notes: Patrick Rider and Kieran Sheldon, who were both on Liventia's WBC43 roster, spent the season out with long-term injuries and were not considered for WBC44 selection.

Bullpen
Damien Strawson (long relief #6), age 19, throws right, bats right.
LBC: 3–1, 2.53 ERA, 57 K, 20 BB, 1.34 WHIP, .236 OAVG. Potential ace in the making, this LBC rookie was called up from triple-A midway through the season and stunned people with his array of five pitches. Also throws hard and has been known to touch 101 mph. Control could do with a bit of work, but he's young. Pitches: Splitter, cutter, curveball, changeup, circle changeup.

Reece Robertshaw (long relief #23), age 19, throws right, bats right.
AAA: 10–6, 3.52 ERA, 177 K, 41 BB, 1.36 WHIP, .280 OAVG. A triple-A starter and raw talent. Unlikely to see too much WBC action, but has been included in the roster for the experience. Like Strawson has a five-pitch repertoire and throws 95–98 mph. Pitches: Four-seamer, slider, changeup, forkball, splitter

Gary Hale (long/middle relief #35), age 33, throws right, bats right.
LBC: 5–1 1 SV, 2.88 ERA, 102 K, 6 BB, 0.90 WHIP, .216 OAVG. Throws: Four-seamer, two-seamer, splitter

Mason Duce (middle relief # 28), age 32, throws left, bats switch.
LBC: 7–0 1 SV, 1.50 ERA, 66 K, 22 BB, 1.00 WHIP, .180 OAVG; throws fast, 97–99 mph fast. Relies heavily on a four-seamer, with a secondary slider and third changeup. The go-to LOOGY.

Ross Randolf (middle relief #10), age 30, throws right, bats right.
LBC: 4–0 2 SV, 1.95 ERA, 63 K, 8 BB, 0.85 WHIP, .199 OAVG; throws 96–98 mph. Pitches: Four-seamer, slider, curveball.

Jacob Else (middle relief/set-up #21), age 30, throws right, bats right.
LBC: 4–1 25 SV, 0.76 ERA, 71 K, 11 BB, 0.93 WHIP, .193 OAVG; throws four-seamer, two-seamer, curveball.

Aiden Horne (closer #77), age 26, throws right, bats right.
Plays in the Newmanistan Baseball League. Throws four-seamer, cutter, changeup.

Starting lineup with DH
1. SS Kian Sergeant (#18), age 30, throws right, bats right; also plays 1B, 2B, 3B.
This season (100 games): .326, 3 HR, 56 RBI, 84 BB, 38 K, 14 SB
Career (162-game avg): .313, 3 HR, 69 RBI, 120 BB, 62 K, 29 SB

Can run. Great fielder. No pop in his bat.

2. RF Noël Grosjean (#5), age 25, throws right, bats switch; also plays CF.
Plays in the Newmanistan Baseball League. Speedy and great defensive player.

3. CF Kane Catlow (#24), age 28, throws left, bats left; also plays LF and RF.
This season (80 games): .295, 27 HR, 82 RBI, 39 BB, 50 K
Career (162-game avg): .246, 33 HR, 116 RBI, 74 BB, 118 K

Has had an up year compared to his career averages, but got taken out of action at the end of the season by an ankle injury. Now back and raring to go for the national team. Great fielder.

4. DH Dermot Rowntree (#57), age 20, throws right, bats right; plays CF if needed.
This season (98 games): .251, 40 HR, 116 RBI, 28 BB, 135 K, 17 SB
Career (162-game avg): .262, 59 HR, 155 RBI, 46 BB, 158 K, 40 SB

Plus-plus power and speed. The standout star from last year is back, although he's been shifted into DH duties. Will play CF in Orean where the DH is not used.

5. LF Ryan Farquharson (#30), age 36, throws right, bats right; can also play RF.
This season (101 games): .353, 31 HR, 99 RBI, 71 BB, 91 K
Career (162-game avg): .329, 44 HR, 145 RBI, 89 BB, 167 K

Loves finding the gap. Has good power. Below-average speed on the basepaths.

6. 3B Alan Heygate (#19), age 32, throws right, bats right.
This season (104 games): .374, 20 HR, 68 RBI, 87 BB, 22 K
Career (162-game avg): .365, 21 HR, 94 RBI, 124 BB, 38 K

Solid contact hitter with a bit of power. Unusually for batters in this league, has a great eye and rarely strikes out. Led the league in OBP.

7. C Oscar Gauntlett (#12), age 28, throws right, bats left.
This season (86 games): .324, 19 HR, 52 RBI, 38 BB, 33 K
Career (162-game avg): .286, 30 HR, 108 RBI, 78 BB, 74 K

Solid backstop. Above-average power, decent contact, can't run.

8. 2B Steve Connibeer (#30), age 30, throws right, bats right.
This season (100 games): .317, 14 HR, 56 RBI, 43 BB, 77 K
Career (162-game avg): .255, 21 HR, 90 RBI, 58 BB, 156 K

Played better than his career numbers would suggest this season. .905 OPS was second best in the league among all 2B. Bunt master.

9. 1B Simon Hext (#43), age 30, throws right, bats right; can also play 2B, 3B, SS.
This season (102 games): .328, 4 HR, 47 RBI, 57 BB, 17 K, 23 SB
Career (162-game avg): .323, 7 HR, 83 RBI, 67 BB, 35 K, 46 SB

Great at avoiding strikeouts. Works deep into counts. Loves to nab a bag.

In non-DH scenarios, the following apply:
Dermot Rowntree plays centre field; Kane Catlow sits; Alan Heygate bats at 3 instead of 6; Oscar Gauntlett, Steve Connibeer and Simon Hext each move up a spot.

Bench
DH/1B Devin James (#3), age 30, throws right, bats left; plays 1B if needed
Plays in the Newmanistan Baseball League. Can't run. Can't really field. But a power guy. Has been replaced as the team's main DH this year, so will mostly be a pinch-hitter.

LF Danny Hugill (#12), age 20, throws left, bats left
Led the league in stolen bases this year (46) and will mainly be used as a pinch-runner. Will stay in games if necessary as he can hold a bat as well (.338, 11 HR in 96 games).

C Oliver Tredgett (#34), age 31, throws right, bats right.
Leads all catchers in the league in OBP. Good backup option to Gauntlett.

1B/INF Cedric Sherman (#52), age 35, throws right, bats right.
Utility infielder off the bench. Solely a defensive replacement.

Backroom staff
GM: Colin Farthing
Manager: Adam Darwin
Bench coach: Dylan Darroch
Pitching coach: Thomas McMillan
Hitting coach: Tobias Henshaw

PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 5:25 pm
by Tierra de Castro
Adan Carita and Juan Esteban Capmany sat at the bar of Carita’s family’s restaurant. The pair had grown up together and from an early age this had become a fairly routine sight in the restaurant, the pair sat on the high stools at the bar, guzzling down milkshakes and eating burgers and fries together. The one thing that had changed over time was the fact that their feet could reach the floor, just about for Carita. The two had both grown in height almost in tandem, until Carita was about 14, anyway, when he topped out at 5’6. Capmany kept growing and was now over half a foot taller than his good friend.

They would go to school, then baseball practice, then walk home and to Carita’s family’s restaurant where they would drink the milkshakes and consume the burgers and fries every day for years. They had been friends since about the age of 6 and now they were on the eve of their debuts for the Castrollano national baseball program in its debut World Baseball Classic. Locals had regularly asked them to pose for photographs since they had made their debuts for their domestic team, the Marineros, but since they had both been named in the national team the attention had gone through the roof.

Adan’s family’s restaurant almost felt like one of the few places where they could be protected and be themselves. One of the few places where they could relax. Juan Esteban dipped his fries in ketchup whilst Adan opened a straw from its paper wrapper. They could almost have been kids again.

“What do you reckon it’s going to be like?” Juan Esteban asked.

“What do you mean?” Adan replied, eyebrow raised.

“The World Baseball Classic?” Juan Esteban emphasised each word, “We don’t have a clue what it’s going to be like!”

“I think you just answered your own question…?” Adan laughed.

“No, I know, but what do you think it’s going to be like Adan?”

“It’s going to be difficult man.” Adan started, that much was clear, they had had a team meeting a few days prior and a government official had stressed to the squad that their main goal in certain games would be just to make sure to keep the score close, to not get embarrassed. They could not make the socialist ideal seem fallible by being beaten emphatically. Adan had thought that that was all well and good, but they couldn’t affect how good the opposition’s ability was, they could only endeavour to try to play to the best of their own. “I think we just need to play our game though, the quality of our domestic league is pretty good, I think we’ll surprise a few teams you know.”

“Really?” Juan Esteban asked, not quite believing it. Adan wasn’t so sure that he believed it either, but it was worth trying to persuade his friend that they could.

“Sure man,” Adan said, “We’re all good players so we just need to do what we do for Marineros and what the other guys do for their teams and show those other teams what Castrollano baseball is about.”

“I don’t know man…” Juan Esteban shook his head as he ate more fries. “That guy from the government saying to try keep things from getting embarrassing didn’t make me feel confident.” The stupid government guy, Adan had thought it was bad idea for him to say that in front of the team, it was vaguely threatening, in a way. And it didn’t exactly do wonders for the confidence of players like Juan Esteban. Adan felt fairly neutral about the whole thing, the other teams would be as good as they could be just like their own team were trying to be, they couldn’t affect it so he wasn’t too fussed about it. Juan Esteban clearly was though.

“I spoke to old Hector and he reckons we could be in with an outside shot at a place in the play-offs if we can get a good run going in the group stage. He’s been around the block a bit and seen a few things, I’d be tempted to believe him.” Adan said, willing his old friend to be filled with confidence from the statement. He could tell it wasn’t really working though, even if it was Hector Chicote that had said they might be able to do such a thing.

“Yeah, but he’s never played against some of these teams, they have some genuine worldwide superstars man! How are we meant to play against them when we’re used to Castrollano pitchers and hitters, it’ll be a different ball-game altogether!” Juan Esteban protested. Adan wasn’t sure he had meant the double-meaning of the pun and he also wasn’t sure his smirk helped Juan Esteban’s confidence either, but he couldn’t help it.

“Look man,” Adan started before his friend could become too down or say anything else, “We can’t go into games with that attitude or we’re going to get stomped all over the place. El Prof is a genius and we need to follow what he says and we’ll just see what happens, there isn’t much else we can do other than that is there?”

“I guess not man.”

“That’s right, so stop worrying about it and eat your fuckin’ burger.” Adan laughed and pointed at the fully uneaten burger in front of Juan Esteban. “Mama will be pissed that she had to make it if she sees you haven’t eaten it!”

PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 10:43 pm
by Free Republics
Free Republics National Baseball Team


Manager - Kyle Thomas
Assistant Manager - Fitz Dupont
Bench Coach - Joseph Martensson
Batting Coach - Geoffrey Amato
Pitching Coach - Aimone Cremonesi
1st Base Coach - Blaze Kaminski
3rd Base Coach - Salomon Castro
Bullpen Coach - Yuusuke Heida
Colors: Blue and White
Demonym: Republican
Trigram: FFR

Roster

League Key

ABF - Acedonian Baseball Federation (Acedonia)
ENBL - Newmanistan Baseball League (Newmanistan)
IBL - Iodara Baseball League (Free Republics)
JBL - Jolarus Baseball League (Free Republics)
RABL - Republic of Amolotopia Baseball League (Free Republics)
RCAA - Republican Collegiate Athletic Association (Free Republics)
SPBAA - Shostistan Professional Baseball Players Association (Free Republics)
TPB - Taiyou Pro Baseball (Noburu Taiyou)
XBL - X Baseball League (Free Republics)
YBL - Yorkoba Baseball League (Free Republics)


Rotation

Slot #   Name                  Bats Throws Age  Club Team (League)                Selected Stats
1 23 Namo Busque R L 31 New City Time Bombs (XBL) 20-8, 2.53 ERA, 237 K
2 88 "Wild" Ralph Fiedler R R 20 South Charlotte Condors (ENBL) 16-9, 211 K, 88 BB*
3 42 Gioacchino Arcuri R L 24 Mortonsville Monsters (XBL) 21-5, 1.96 ERA, 287 K, 37 BB
4 19 Zac Gatehouse R R 27 New City Time Bombs (XBL) 17-10, 2.44 ERA, 155 K, 23 BB
5 72 Taryn Russell R R 23 Oldston Arsonists (XBL) 18-9, 2.28 ERA, 194 K, 17 BB

*Most recent season (that I'm aware of)


Bullpen

Role #    Name                  Bats Throws Age  Club Team (League)                Selected Stats
CL 28 Mario Rothschild R R 33 Albertope Forsakers (XBL) 43 SV, 1.28 ERA, 65 K, 47.2 IP
SU 91 Kiyosumi Takeuchi L L 23 Tohoko Giants (TPB) 7-2, 47 SV, 1.99 ERA, 82 K, 74.1 IP
SU 11 Luana Cremonesi R R 18 Nejax Horns (RCAA) 3-0, 17 SV, 0.21 ERA
MR 21 Kacie Munro L L 25 Republica Vipers (XBL) 8-2, 2.66 ERA, 110 K, 87.2 IP
MR 34 Avdei Kazantsev R R 30 Latroit Ligers (YBL) 2-4, 2.07 ERA, 23 K, 51 IP
MR 74 Ecio Saucedo R R 26 Borotia Riflemen (IBL) 11-1, 0.97 ERA, 61 SV, 79 K, 70 IP
LR 16 Rhys McIntyre R R 20 Republica Patriots (RCAA) 9-1, 1.17 ERA, 113 K, 7 BB, 94.1 IP
LR 31 Sheamus O'Connor R R 29 Reco Purple Sox (JBL) 22-7, 2.24 ERA, 265 K
MOP 47 Ming Hsing R R 21 Plymouth Republic Drillers (RCAA) 10-1, 1.71 ERA, 54 K, 7 BB, 117 IP


Starting Lineup (listed in order)

POS  #    Name                  Bats Throws Age  Club Team (League)                Selected Stats
CF 89 Ferrau Bergeron R R 25 Baseton Bullies (XBL) .309 AVG, 11 HR, 76 SB, .421 OBP
2B 43 Ethan Joyner S R 24 Mortonsville Monsters (XBL) .287 AVG, 17 HR, 33 SB
SS 20 Honomi Kamei R R 23 Republica Vipers (XBL) .413 AVG, 23 HR, 52 SB, 51 2B, 21 3B, .428 OBP, 9 K
1B 33 Oskar Bjorgum L L 24 Petrograd Greed (XBL) .357 AVG, 39 HR, 8 SB, 130 K, 403 AB
3B 7 Hollie Rogers S R 19 Barkersville Titans (RABL) .381 AVG, 44 HR, 49 SB, 58 K
DH 4 Nicholas Fisher S R 34 New City Time Bombs (XBL) .274 AVG, 31 HR, 1 SB, .397 OBP
C 40 Teresa Mrazova R R 22 New City Time Bombs (XBL) .261 AVG, 31 HR, 16 SB, 39.6% caught stealing percentage
LF 90 Randy Baran L L 31 Toakameau Degenerates (XBL) .318 AVG, 27 HR, 19 SB, 27 assists
RF 1 Philipp Schmitz R R 20 Shottsburg Sharpshooters (SPBAA) .394 AVG, 5 HR, 117 SB, 55 2B, 27 3B


Bench

POS  #    Name                  Bats Throws Age  Club Team (League)                Selected Stats
C 13 Brock Shield S R 27 Republica Vipers (XBL) .248 AVG, 27 HR, .352 OBP, 38.6% caught stealing percentage, 209 K
C 12 Jayden Riley S R 31 Oldston Arsonists (XBL) .261 AVG, 2 HR, 1 SB, 42.3% caught stealing percentage
CRN 24 Alexander Capon L R 27 Bees (ABF) .317 AVG, 48 HR, 9 SB, 142 K
MID 27 Harald Amundsen R R 19 Nejax Republic Cowboys (RCAA) .466 AVG, 18 HR, 17 SB
OF 3 Evelin Norberg L L 25 Petrograd Greed (XBL) .262 AVG, 19 HR, 14 SB
OF 78 J.L. Longoria S L 29 Tohoko Giants (TPB) .327 AVG, 24 HR, 34 2B, 14 3B, 79 SB, .440 OBP
UT 64 Julie Brodeur S R 25 Petrograd Greed (XBL) .294 AVG, 18 HR, 39 SB, 21 2B, 7 positions played


Stadiums

MD2 vs Saint Agnesia

Stadium: Family Farmers Field
Stadium Location: Mortonsville, Exastrium
Stadium Capacity: 37,809
Distance to Walls: 313 to left, 289 to right, 413 to center
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD4 vs Fungsland

Stadium: General Milani Park
Stadium Location: East Point, Orlandiana
Stadium Capacity: 51,789
Distance to Walls: 325 to left, 323 to right, 380 to left-center, 377 to right-center, 407 to center
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD6 vs Liventia

Stadium: Conway Park
Stadium Location: Lambridge, Taxachusetts Charter Society
Stadium Capacity: 37,499
Distance to Walls: 310 to left (Brick Monster: 40 feet high), 379 to deep-left center, 390 to center, 420 to deep-right center, 390 to right center, 302 to right
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD8 vs Maklohi Vai

Stadium: Nicholls Air Park
Stadium Location: Baseton, Amolotopia
Stadium Capacity: 47,321
Distance to Walls: 329 to left, 298 to right, 404 to center
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD10 vs Titaniumland

Stadium: National Organization for Men Stadium
Stadium Location: Estonopolis, Keronoma
Stadium Capacity: 58,534
Distance to Walls: 335 to left and right, 408 to center
Stadium Surface: Artificial Turf

MD12 vs Saint Agnesia

Stadium: RepublicSoft Stadium
Stadium Location: New City, Orlandiana
Stadium Capacity: 42,282
Distance to Walls: 341 to left and right, 421 to center
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD14 vs Fungsland

Stadium: MingleDome
Stadium Location: Latroit, Yorkoba
Stadium Capacity: 73,203
Distance to Walls: 330 to left and right, 400 to center
Stadium Surface: RepuliTurf

MD16 vs Liventia

Stadium: Island Park
Stadium Location: Toakameau, Falatulu
Stadium Capacity: 51,882
Distance to Walls: 321 to left, 323 to right, 393 to center
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD18 vs Maklohi Vai

Stadium: Miktondo Flip Park
Stadium Location: Borotia, Iodara
Stadium Capacity: 53,886
Distance to Walls: 283 to left, 324 to right, 462 to center
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD20 vs Titaniumland

Stadium: HawkDome
Stadium Location: Ostorak, Esparioka
Stadium Capacity: 37,777
Distance to Walls: 330 feet to left, 385 feet to left center, 400 feet to center, 375 feet to right center, 310 feet to right
Stadium Surface: Turf

MD22 vs Saint Agnesia

Stadium: Federation Post Park
Stadium Location: Shottsburg, Shostistan
Stadium Capacity: 53,201
Distance to Walls: 308 to left, 312 to right, 388 to center
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD 24 vs Fungsland

Stadium: Horn Field
Stadium Location: Goldberg, Nejax
Stadium Capacity: 84,201
Distance to Walls: 346 feet to left and right, 419 to left-center and right-center, 444 to center
Stadium Surface: Grass

MD26 vs Liventia

Stadium: BearOil Park
Stadium Location: Petrograd, Plymouth
Stadium Capacity: 48,505
Distance to Walls: 299 to left and right, 399 to center
Stadium Surface: BearGrass

MD28 vs Maklohi Vai

Stadium: Memorial Park
Stadium Location: Republica, Republica District
Stadium Capacity: 51,378
Distance to Walls: 330 feet to left and right, 408 to center
Stadium Surface: RepubliTurf

MD30 vs Titaniumland

Stadium: Johnston Marijuana Park
Stadium Location: Riverton, South Lakota
Stadium Capacity: 47,321
Distance to Walls: 324 feet to left, 396 feet to center, 319 feet to right
Stadium Surface: Grass

Notes

After an embarrassing failure to even make the playoffs on home soil at WBC 42, the Republican National Baseball Team was completely revamped going into WBC 43. Republican National Baseball, LLC fired the entire coaching staff and carried on an extensive search to find a new manager. Eventually, they settled upon Kyle Thomas as the new manager. Thomas hired a completely new coaching staff, including former national team pitcher Aimone Cremonesi as the new pitching coach. The new coaching staff carried out an extensive scouting expedition to build a new team, eventually settling on a roster of 30, which was significantly smaller than previous Republican National Team rosters.

For the first time, the Free Republics sent a mixed-gender team to this WBC and the new women players made significant contributions to the team. The first woman selected to the team was Luana Cremonesi, the niece of the pitching coach. As a freshman, she won the closer job for the Nejax Horns, one of the elite college teams in the Free Republics and helped lead the team to a national championship by being virtually unhittable all season long. Honomi Kamei and Hollie Rogers started at shortstop and 3rd base, respectively. Kamei was the sole bright spot on a terrible Republica Vipers team, putting up numbers that would have likely won the MVP award on a better team. Hollie Rogers was the reigning RABL MVP after leading the Barkersville Titans to a surprise pennant (she has since won a second consecutive RABL MVP and led the Titans to another pennant). Teresa Mrazova's handling of the New City Time Bombs pitching staff was a major reason why the Time Bombs had won the XBL pennant, which won her a 3rd place finish in XBL Rookie of the Year voting. She served as Zac Gatehouse's personal catcher but otherwise backed up Brock Shield. Evelin Norberg and Julie Brodeur played key roles on a Petrograd Greed team that led the XBL in scoring but failed to repeat due to the implosion of their starting pitchers. Brodeur could fill in at any position in the event that a player is hurt or needs rest.

Kamei emerged as arguably the best player in the world with a dominant performance last WBC and could another giant leap forward during the XBL season that saw her voted the unanimous MVP as she led a much better Republica Vipers team, including new signing Brock Shield, to a respectable 4th place finish. Kyle Thomas named Teresa Mrazova as the starting catcher for this WBC after she took the next step as a hitter during the XBL season, keeping the Time Bombs afloat in spite of Nicholas Fisher's down season. Taryn Russell takes Sheamus O'Connor's spot in the rotation while O'Connor remains on the roster as a long reliever in Leon Eichel's old spot. Eichel had an extremely bad season for the Oldston Arsonists at 39 and was dropped from the national team. Russell broke out for the Arsonists this year, emerging as the team's new ace. On the 5th matchday of this WBC's group stage, she will become the first female starting pitcher for the Republican National Team. The Republican rotation has been shuffled based on the results of last WBC and the recent domestic season. Namo Busque, who signed with the New City Time Bombs during the WBC, will now be the Republican National Team's ace while Gioacchino Arcuri, who was awarded the Platinum Arm award for best pitcher in the XBL, will start third because Kyle Thomas didn't want to start two lefties back-to-back. The fact that the two pitchers widely regarded as the best in the XBL would start against Liventia and Maklohi Vai, respectively, was surely just a coincidence.

The Republican players are all listed as the same age as they were in WBC 43 because this WBC is ICly taking place in the same calendar year as WBC 43, under the Republican timeline, except that WBC 43 occurred before the domestic baseball season and WBC 44 is occurring shortly after its conclusion. OOCly, this is due to this WBC's group stage taking place during the World Cup finals.

While the designated hitter Nicholas Fisher is a great hitter, he is absolutely awful in the field and thus will only be used as a pinch hitter in games where the designated hitter is not being used.

All of the players on the bench are likely to see playing time over the course of the WBC and Kyle Thomas will not hesitate to pull a pitcher who is obviously tired. Strategic substitutions and defensive shifts should be expected at appropriate times.

The various leagues in which these players compete domesticaly vary greatly in terms of caliber of play. The ENBL in Newmanistan is obviously vastly superior to any of the domestic leagues in the FFR but among those domestic leagues the XBL and the TPB are the best leagues with the RABL and SPBAA on a slightly lower tier. The RCAA is college baseball and therefore plays only a 60 game regular season with a much lower level of play.

RP Permissions

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes (but don't do anything that would be impossible under the rules of the sport)
Choose my lineup: Yes (please read the notes section first)
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes
Eject my players: Yes (unlimited)
Godmod other events: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes

PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:43 pm
by People Who Have Issues
Two new issues confront @@NAME@@


Going to Bat for @@NAME@@
VOL. 32 NO. 5245


The Issue

Players, fans, and staff of the national baseball team are having a heated debate about whether to use the designated hitter rule at their home games during the World Baseball Classic.

The Debate

1.
"Where I come from, if you want to play professional baseball, you have to step up to the plate and bat -- like a real man!" says helpful mountain guide and avid baseball fan Hirsa Hendi Sherpa. "The designated hitter rule is a product of decadent consumerist culture for people with short attention spans. Surely you can do better."


2.
"Why don't you stick to what you're good at and get back to mountain-climbing?" says &%*\@# Smith, who leads the Batter Up! Baseball League for both highest batting average and most fielding errors. "And let us stick to what we're good at. The designated hitter rule makes the game more exciting because it lets us all stick to what we're good at. Nobody wants to watch some pitcher fumbling with a bat that he doesn't know how to use any more than they want to see me airmail another throw over the first baseman's head."


3.
"You must do what your opponent does not expect," says martial artist Spruce Tree, who is also the 2nd baseman of the national baseball team. "If our opponents use the designated hitter rule, we will not. And if they do not, then we will. It will throw them off."


4.
"That's no way to make friends," says fabulous utility infielder Jacob Kantelberg. "We should show our opponents how welcoming @@NAME@@ is by using the same rules they play by in their home country. While we're at it, maybe I could bake some of my famous brownies too. They're delicious!"






Let Me Entertain You
VOL. 32 NO. 3455


The Issue

Several entertainers are auditioning for the honor of performing at @@CAPITAL@@ Stadium before the opening game of the World Baseball Classic between @@NAME@@ and Ko-Oren.

The Debate

1.
A military band marches onto the field with drums beating and horns blaring. "This is a perfect opportunity to show off our national pride!" the conductor exclaims enthusiastically. "Our patriotic songs are sure to inspire the players to play their best for the glory of the @@TYPE@@."

2.
"Sure, that's great if you want everyone in Ko-Oren to think we're boring," says pop starlet Dipsy Bubbleyum, as she struts across the dugout stepping in time to an electronic beat. "We need some catchy beats and cool dance moves that will be fun for everyone." Her back-up dancers climb onto the dugout, and they all strike a pose and break into song.


3.
"Yo, how 'bout some substance, yo," says best-selling rapper Pete Cotchin. "Let's have music with a message and show off the diversity of @@NAME@@." He steps to the beat and starts undermining his own point by rapping about "bitches" and "bling."


4.
"YOU'VE GOT A PUSSY! I HAVE A DICK! SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? LET'S DO IT QUICK!" belts out Jammstein frontman @@RANDOMNAME@@ as he makes some obscene gestures and sprays foam into the stands from a weirdly phallic-looking cannon. "So take me now before it's too late, life's too short so I can't wait! Take me now! Oh, don't you see, I can't get laid in @@NAME@@!"

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 3:35 am
by West Phoenicia
Image


The Confederates are back for the World Baseball Classic 44th edition.

Head Coach Jacob Prosper in an interview with West Phoenicia Sports 1 said this will be our year.
"For far to long we have hovered as high as the semi finals. With have a strong team with seasoned strong players. There should be no reason why we cannot make the finals or even take out the whole championships."

Baseball is the first international sporting event that West Phoenicia will play in since they have been transformed into an empire. The empire now comprising of 13 nations unified under the single banner of The Confederate Empire of West Phoenicia.


Pre-season training has showed the Confederates are a strong balanced team. The pitchers have shown themselves to be in top form with no injuries. Right hand pitcher Jordan Thomas will lead the charge at head of the roster. We want to utilize our pitchers team as much as possible. If we can knock them out before they can reach the bases it would keep us in a good position. Batting rotation will remain unchanged, and the extra practice has shown the Confederate batters are prime to lead the team to glory.


A win would bring much glory to the nation in the lead up to the Summer Olympic Games.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:57 am
by Abanhfleft
The Fleftic Major League of Baseball is a international professional baseball league with teams in Abanhfleft, Pridnestrovia, the Sultanate of Oontaz, and Copper Cuprum. It is contested by 32 teams divided into two leagues of four divisions each. Like its basketball counterpart the Fleftic Basketball Association (FBA), FMLB's league placements are determined by their geographic location in relation to Abanhfleft's capital city of Riuwiee as well as their history within FMLB itself. The Central League, as it name says, is located in and around the territories which Abanhfleft considers as its "core territories" such as the Capital Islands and surrounding provinces. The International League, as its name says, comprises teams which are in Fleftic territories located further away from the "core provinces" as well as the four international teams that currently compete in the FMLB.

FMLB is one of the only three "major" leagues in Abanhfleft (the other being the Fleftic National Ice Hockey League, or FNIHL; and the proposed Koalition Hockey League of the APOC Coalition) where both men and women can officially play in one team at the same time. The first female players began appearing on FMLB rosters sometime in the early 2010s through a loophole in the rules which never clearly stated which gender was allowed to play in the FMLB, and the preamble of the rules were eventually ratified by a vote in 2018 to state that "every man and woman registered on the Players' Registry shall be obligated to follow the Rules of Baseball as it applies to the Fleftic Major League of Baseball", officially codifying the inclusion of women into the game.

In 2015, sixteen out of the 30 FMLB teams at the time voted to leave the league and join with a number of other baseball teams from Super-Llamaland to create the Baseball Elite League with the intention of securing participation in the Baseball Club Championships. However, the Elite League would only play for one season before it folded, mostly due to the suspension and subsequent uncertain fate of the Baseball Club Championships the following year. The FMLB suffered for the duration of the departure of the sixteen teams from the league, and this coupled with the Fleftic national baseball team's decline in the World Baseball Classic, led to record low attendances for all of the remaining teams in the league as well as the lowest ever average attendance for the FMLB since 1956, when there were also only fourteen teams in the league. After the folding of the Elite League, the status of the sixteen Fleftic teams in the league hung in the balance as the fourteen teams still in the FMLB had initially voted against letting "The Wayward Sixteen" back in the league because of their abrupt departure. The Pilken Blue Sox and the Habalanbacushe Balderdash proposed that "The Wayward Sixteen" should form a league of their own in the Fleftic system but the other fourteen teams rejected this proposal in the hopes that they could secure a place back in the FMLB once again, a dream that was eventually realized in 2018, when the "FMLB Fourteen" (now also sixteen teams due to the launch of two expansion teams during the absence of "The Wayward Sixteen") finally relented to fan demands and voted to let "The Other Sixteen" back into the league.

Today, the FMLB is composed of 32 teams, 28 in Abanhfleft itself, 2 in Pridnestrovia and 1 each in both Copper Cuprum and the Sultanate of Oontaz. Teams play 174 games each season and the top two teams in each division advance to a four-round postseason competition known as the Kopa ng Beisbol (English: Baseball Cup) which culminates in a best of seven series between the winners of the Central League and the International League to determine the FMLB champion, known locally as the "Kampeon ng Beisbol". The defending champions are the Port Thimpodopoulos Pop! of the Colonial Division of the International League, who defeated the Habalanbacushe Balderdash of the Central League 4-2 in the Kopa ng Beisbol Championship Series to win their first ever Kopa ng Beisbol.

The following are the 32 teams of the Fleftic Major League of Baseball, divided into their respective leagues and divisions.

CENTRAL LEAGUE
Capital Division

Riuwiee Senators
Releinthi Statesmen
Wanda Island Warlocks
Effelenendro Islanders

Island Division
Bendy Benny Hills
San Seriffe Editors
Sarvusdalamoive Swingers
Dorfdifving Bombers

Interior Division
Pilken Blue Sox
Ja Ministers
Ceneisis Volcanoes
Porcusces Battleships

Continental Division
Keklavik Polar Bears
Habalanbacushe Balderdash
Wappinger Wasps
Tentenaraya Tigers

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE
Mainland Division

Bytuch Wyk Scallops
Piuui Black Sox
Selid Nebulae
Keephall Vikings

Peninsular Division
Rosenpfelblatz Dragons
Braganopolis Strike
Markovsky Fighting Men
Mydeuzey Sand Lizards

Colonial Division
Port Thimpodopoulos Pop!
Toros de Haritzaga
Trendstart Conquistadors
Verbergerkinnh Cubs

International Division
The Pridnestrovians
Beledor Jabberwocky
Copper Cuprum Miners
Oontaz Sultans

Up next will be a review of the recently concluded 2025 FMLB season, from the regular season to the Kopa ng Beisbol.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:56 am
by Cassadaigua
Classic Time Again,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times


It’s an exciting time to be a sports fan in Cassadaigua, as our soccer team is heading to the World Cup itself. We were also selected to co-host the Cup of Harmony, so we’ll be able to experience the best of both tournaments in the ideal way: participate in the World Cup, and just watch the Cup of Harmony. We’re also going to be seeing the start of the seventh stock car racing season pretty soon. To top it off, the 44th World Baseball Classic is getting set to begin. Cassadagan fans enjoyed a great tournament last time, where a whopping 75 nations signed up. We will not have quite that number this time, but as long as nations are providing us plenty of commentary throughout the trials and tribulations of the tournament, then we’ll be fine. It will be hosted by Newmanistan this time around, a nation that does not know much about participating in the World Cup, despite ample Cup of Harmony experience, but has proven their worth in baseball. They won their sixth title in Concord Heights, more then any other nation. Super-Llamaland has won five titles, with Schiltzberg next at four. We’re starting to lag behind some of these people now with “just” three titles.

What will it take for Cassadaigua to win a fourth title?
Most of the world sees the team as a consistent threat, and they are ranked fourth in the world. Who’s ranked ahead of us? Newmanistan, Super-Llamaland, and Schiltzberg. Therein, lies our problem if we want to win another title. We have shown ourselves to be good, and be able to make the semifinals but we are at a time now where we want more, because we have done more in the past. There are many successful nations in this tournament with great national histories that have never won a World Baseball Classic. Take Nova Anglicana for instance. This is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest baseball playing nations in the world. Their fans crave a title because they want to win one, but because they have never won one, they don’t feel as though they have a legacy to uphold along the lines of those that have won six or five titles. They still yearn to get that level. Scootalove City, West Phoenicia, and even Free Republics now are similar in wanting to attain that first title and are established powerhouses. There are plenty of up and comers as well, and I don’t want any of their readers to think that I am forgetting them. None of them have to listen to, “You haven’t won anything since World Baseball Classic 19". That’s now a 25 Classic drought. Hmm, just occurred to me, I should make “25th anniversary” a theme for this upcoming classic. Didn’t think about that before. That was in Newmanistan, too. Mental note made for any inevitable stages of writers bloc.

The team we field in this Classic is not too different from previous squads. Maddie Polanco is back for now her fourth Classic. The pitching staff is pretty much the same, with the exception being the addition of Samantha Owens, the 22-year old phenom. Her outstanding season made it easy to include her as part of the staff, and as we have seen young pitchers have success from other nations here in the past there is no worrying about Owens. In fact, younger players have seen success. The bullpen is the same, as is the core of our offense lineup. However, some of the surrounding in the starting lineup, as well as on the bench see fresh blood. 25-year old Taylor Bryant was a somewhat surprising new starter, but Polanco showed that she is paying full attention to our league. Her numbers, of course, are fine, but Polanco noted that Bryant’s .413 batting average with runners in scoring position and two outs was impressive. That number increases to .438 with RISP and two outs, from the seventh inning until the end of the game. “Shows she is clutch, and her hits are meaningful”, Polanco said, “That is what you want at this level.”

Within the group, Cassadaigua’s toughest challenger is Equestrian States. Looks like there will be plenty of banter possible between us as we co-host the Cup of Harmony together. They are ranked 15th in the world. Vangaziland, ranked 31st, is a strong challenger as well. They recently won the International Basketball Championships, you know, the tournament that seemed like it would never end. They defeated Newmanistan, in Equestrian States for that title. The Vannish are not known for their baseball, but they have proven they can win major championships, they’ve even won in lacrosse a couple times. Why did we stop participating in that, by the way? Melbergia, who’s been in this before though not typically a threat, is also a group mate. Suryak and Gor Kebab are the unranked squads. I dare anyone out there to provide a match report of a Vangaziland-Gor Kebab game based on something called, permissions.

Let’s play. Thirty games await. The format of 18 teams making the playoffs out of 54 is going to leave at least one or two good nations out of the playoffs. Let’s make sure we’re not one of them!

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:22 am
by Hampton Island
Hampton Island Sports Brief
Golden Bears To Field An Actual Black Bear


Most of the nation was in shock when the roster was announced to see that Hampton Island will indeed start a Black Bear, and his name is Midnight as part of their baseball team. He will play left field. When it was first declared, most people though that this was some sort of joke, but it really is going to be the case. No one has ever actually seen Midnight play, so what is going on here. These are some questions we asked manager John Morton. Here were the replies:

Q: Is the team serious about starting a real bear in the outfield?
A: Yes.

Q: How is this going to work?
A: By us hitting him in the cleanup spot, and in the outfield.

Q: We understand that. But he is a bear. Bears don’t play baseball. There is no footage anywhere of, whoever Midnight is, actually playing baseball.
A: Therefore we will be able to sneak up on opponents because they have no scouting reports.

Q: Is he sentient, like those Ponies on Equestrian States?
A: No. He is a bear. He has no human characteristics. He does not talk and will pretty much do as he pleases out there. Hopefully we do not play Equestrian States, because he might attack one of them.

Q: How is that going to work then?
A: He understands basic signs.

Q: Tell me about his ability.
A: He has explosive power. When he hits a ball dead-on, it will travel a far greater distance then any human will be able to hit a baseball.

Q: How often does he hit it dead-on?
A: It’s a work in progress. You will see when we play. Sometimes, after he strikes out, he can be a little stubborn about leaving the batters box and wants you to continue to pitch to him. He has a tough time comprehending that, especially if one of those strikes was a foul ball, then he will have to go back to the bench if he strikes out. That will be one of the bigger challenges.

Q: Are you going to be able to coach and control him then?
A: It’s a work in progress, too. We’re learning that his behavior is best as long as he is well fed. His power potential is worth it.

Q: Can he play the field?
A: He is actually very talented in the field. He possesses a level of speed that no human can match. Getting him to throw to the right base is an issue we are working on, but he is understanding that when we say a certain number, that he is supposed to throw it to that base.

Q: How about running the bases?
A: He understands the concept. He will not hesitate to run right at a fielder. That has been a problem in practice, but in the game, it will be a positive, so we don’t want to deter him that much.

Q: Is he getting along with his teammates?
A: As long as he is well fed, he behaves professionally.

Q: What if he isn’t well fed?
A: Our training staff will make sure that doesn’t happen, so no one will have to worry about that.

Q: Will he get along with, professionally, his opponents?
A: Probably. Like before, if he is well fed it is not an issue. We won’t deliberately not feed him because he will take it out on us just the same as he would take it out on the opponent. I’m a little worried about the Ponies on Equestrian States if we ever met, though. Fortunately, we are in different groups.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:03 am
by Free Republics
Sporting World

WBC 44: After Run to Finals, Republican National Team Sets Out to Win First Title in Newmanistan
by: Clarice Cormier

The 3rd X Baseball League season may be over, with the Mortonsville Monsters finally securing the pennant on the penultimate day of the season, but that won't be the last meaningful baseball that we see this year. While the eyes of the multiverse descend upon the Free Republics for the upcoming 81st annual World Cup, the National Baseball Team will begin a new 30 game campaign for a spot in the 44th World Baseball Classic playoffs. After the massive success of the WBC in Cassadaigua back in the spring, the WBC Council decided to hold the 44th WBC this fall and awarded the hosting rights to Newmanistan.

Of the 30 players that Kyle Thomas selected for his squad this spring, 29 of them return for this WBC. The sole difference was the addition of Taryn Russell, who emerged as the young ace of the Oldston Arsonists this year. Taryn takes the place of Leon Eichel who finally looked like he was 39 years old this season, going 2-8 with a 6.79 ERA before tearing his rotator cuff in midseason. Eichel recently announced his retirement from baseball. Russell will take the place of Sheamus O'Connor in the Republican rotation, who has now been revamped. Namo Busque, who starred in WBC 43, will be the Republican ace and will have the unenviable task of facing a promising Liventia team 6 times. Gioacchino Arcuri, this year's Platinum Arm winner in the XBL, will get the 3rd position in the rotation and 6 starts against Maklohi Vai. Arcuri went 21-5 with the Monsters this year with an XBL record 1.96 ERA. He led the XBL in wins, ERA (among qualifiers with at least 168 innings pitched) and strikeouts, becoming the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown. With "Wild" Ralph Fiedler, Zac Gatehouse and Russell making up the remainder of the Republican rotation, Kyle Thomas has to be feeling confident that his pitchers can keep games competitive against any opponent.

The Republican offense will, once again, be led by Honomi Kamei who is coming off of her first .400 season. She hit .413 for the Republica Vipers this year while showing off her ability to do it all. The hero of WBC 43 comes into WBC 44 with a reputation as one of the best hitters in the world and has also made vast leaps forward defensively over the course of the past season en route to winning her first Iron Glove award. Hollie Rogers also made massive strides forward this year, winning the RABL MVP award once again and leading the Barkersville Titans to another pennant. Several XBL teams, including the Republica Vipers, Baseton Bombers and the New City Time Bombs, have reportedly made 7-figure transfer offers to the Titans but as of right now, they seem uninterested in selling their young superstar.

Kyle Thomas announced a couple of changes to the regular Free Republics starting lineup. Firstly, due to her strong XBL performance, Teresa Mrazova will start at catcher for the FFR though both Brock Shield and Jayden Riley will see starts over the course of this WBC. Thomas has announced that Riley will be Taryn Russell's personal catcher and that Shield will get spot starts when Fiedler or Arcuri is starting. The Republican manager has also tweaked the team's batting order, moving Nicholas Fisher down to 6th in the order to allow Oskar Bjorgum and Hollie Rogers to get more plate appearances.

The group draw saw the Republicans placed into Group 6 along with Maklohi Vai and Liventia. Maklohi Vai has been around for a long time in the WBC and has several second place finishes but they haven't done much of note in recent years. Liventia has a storied history in the WBC during the tournament's early days and is expected to be a team on the rise. Fungsland, Titaniumland and St. Agnesia are not expected to seriously contend for a playoff spot but if past WBCs have taught us anything, you can't count anybody out in the WBC. The only thing that matters is what happens on the diamond and anything can happen in WBC baseball!

Clarice Cormier is Sporting World's international baseball correspondent and our lead beat writer for the Republica Vipers of the X Baseball League. She is a graduate of the Barteaux University School of Journalism and an alumnus of the Barjavel Academy at Republica. Clarice is a former cheerleader who has always been a huge baseball fan. After graduating college, she decided that she would rather do sportswriting instead of political reporting and, luckily for her, Sporting World has always been happy to hire young journalists straight out of college. She has also appeared in our annual lingerie issue 5 years in a row!

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:05 am
by Saintland
Saintland National Baseball Team


Image


Captain: King Paulus XVI
Colors: Red and White
Demonym: Sanctii
Trigram: SNT
Stadium: Royal Park
Stadium Location: St. Petrus
Stadium Capacity: 51,773
Distance to Walls: 325 feet to left and right, 405 to center
Stadium Surface: SaintTurf

Roster (Bats/Throws/Age)

Rotation

1: King Paulus XVI (S/R/39)
2: Nicolaus Tuccius (R/R/23)
3: Andreas Volusenus (R/R/26)

Bullpen

CL: Ioannes Accius (R/R/28)
MR: Lucius Saufeius (L/L/30)
LR: Josephus Fulcinius (R/R/21)

Starting Lineup (listed in order)

SS: Paulus Pinarus (R/R/22)
LF: Lucas Flavia (L/R/24)
DH: King Paulus XVI (S/R/39)
3B: Nicolaus Maccius (R/R/23)
RF: Georgius Manlius (R/R/28)
1B: Andreas Aufidius (L/L/22)
2B: Lucas Salvius (R/R/21)
C: Thomas Arminius (L/L/24)
CF: Josephus Modius (R/R/29)

Bench

C: Davidus Delluius (R/R/22)
IF: Paulus Fundanus (R/R/24)
OF: Silvester Titius (R/R/21)

Notes (not updated since last WBC)

The newly reunited Kingdom of Saintland is sending a male team to the WBC for the first time since WBC 31. Feministvs Sanctvsterra, which sponsored Sanctii National Baseball Teams for many years, is no more having been disbanded by order of King Paulus XVI. The son of King Andreas, King Paulus XVI ascended to the throne of East Saintland a few months ago following his father's death from natural causes. Weeks later, King Petrus XX of West Saintland also died of natural causes, without a male heir. Although West Sanctii succession law had been changed to permit a female heir to ascend to the throne, Paulus XVI did not recognize the legitimacy of this law, choosing instead to recognize the old law under which he was the legitimate heir to the western throne. When the western prime minister refused to recognize Paulus's claim to the throne, his armies marched across the St. Paulus Wall and set out to claim his throne by force. Eventually, with covert assistance from the Salvation Circle, a secret front for the Church of Saintland that runs the Malifornia Charter Society in the Free Republics, he conquered West Saintland and claimed both thrones after his cousin "Queen" Gloria renounced her claim to the western throne.

In the weeks following his military triumph, King Paulus XVI decided to pursue his lifelong dream of playing in the World Baseball Classic, a tournament that a team from Saintland had not participated in since World Baseball Classic 40, prior to the second time warp. King Paulus selected 16 of the best male baseball players from Saintland to join him on this team. While most of the players are from the eastern portion, due to the Feministvs Sanctvsterra regime's policies that discriminated against male athletes, Andreas Volusenus and Lucas Flavia are from the western part of the Kingdom. King Paulus is hoping for success in the WBC in order to help heal the lingering division in Sanctii society and show the remaining followers of the goddess heresy that the God of their ancestors is real.

King Paulus XVI has a reputation as a dominant pitcher and hitter in Sanctii domestic baseball, who has led the league in wins on 10 occasions, ERA on 12 occasions, strikeouts pitched on 8 occasions, batting average on 6 occasions, home runs on 14 consecutive occasions and RBIs on 11 occasions. Although he is starting to show the signs of age, he remains both the best pitcher and the best hitter in Saintland today, which is why he has been the MVP of East Saintland's league 15 times, which is more than twice as many MVP awards as any other Sanctii baseball player has ever won.

RP Permissions

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes (be realistic)
Choose my lineup: No (King Paulus XVI should be the DH, if a DH is used and he's not pitching. If he is pitching and a DH is used, Saintland will forego use of the DH for that game. If he is not pitching and a DH is not being used, he will play at first base. Regardless, he should always hit 3rd.)
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes (unless King Paulus XVI is pitching)

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:39 pm
by Vangaziland
Female Vannish Superstars Speak On The Cassadaigua Conundrum

The term 'The Cassadaigua Conundrum' was first coined on the sports talk show Last Minute. TV personality Chip Maydress said, "I feel that with all the success female Vangazi have had on the world stage, that this team from Cassadaigua will make us pay for it all." His co-host Deter J. Piff agreed by saying, "Karma is something. The guys from Vangaziland will be hard pressed to win the series against this team." This Cassadaigua Conundrum will swallow them whole." Anybody who knew Chip, knew he said things just to be controversial.

Royals coach Don Haverly said, "Grabbing at least a few wins against the team in pink will be important. We cannot allow ourselves to be swept." Haverly was asked what the strong suit of Team Cassadaigua is. "They're a very well managed team", said the Vannish coach. "Coach Polanco is proven able to get a team to the playoffs. They're strong across the field. You see them sitting at 4th, on of the world's top teams."

SS Chuck Endo was asked what he had to prepare for the most. Laughing, he said, "We can't let their pitchers get in our heads. I've heard some of them have a staredown. I don't... Know what to expect. I think it might throw some of us off our game." Endo continued to chuckle. "Especially because they're so good."

Endo's nervous laugh caused multiple Vannish celebrities to poke fun at him and the Vannish men. The social media antagonists were female stars and weren't mocking them for being afraid of women. The Vannish men apparently reminded them of male competitors they had seen freeze up in their field of sports.

"Vangaziland is known for being progressive with women's athlethics", said Jessica Franssen. Jess is the reigning World Grand Prix Champion's Driver Champion. She first entered the racing scene driving for a team in Mattijana. In just 6 races, she jumped up to a top 4 spot and challenged for the title as a rookie. She went on to manage a junior team to both driver and team championships. It was after that when Jess led a mid season comeback to dominate the field to win her drivers' cup. Many see her as the most electric driver in the series.

"When I look at the men's baseball team, I don't think they're ready for what's about to hit them." Jess smiled after just seeing a clip of Endo's statement. "That shortstop already seems like he let the fact that they're women get into his head."

"It seems like Vannish baseball is still an all boys club", said an international fighter named Linda Henshmen. One of Linda's nicknames is literally the 'man beater'. It's controversial, but the nickname also picks on Linda. Her biggest loss came in the Multiverse Boxing Organization, where she lost to a woman from one of Vangaziland's territories. Both women fought male and female boxers from across the multiverse. The Vannish and Wrexish women finished 1st and 2nd.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Cassadaigua isn't on a championship run", said Henshmen. Although she lost in the MBO, Linda holds two belts. She won the boxing segment at the Ilysea Amphitheatre Classic and holds the Welterweight Title of the Multiverse Fighting Championships. Linda successfully transitioned from boxing to mixed martial arts. Now she holds a belt in each discipline. "I know a winner when I see one", she added. "Having said that, Vangaziland can really come together this year. We should be able to advance."

"Of course, advancing to the playoffs is easier said than done." Sarah Overson is a reserve point guard for the Vangaziland Royals International Basketball Championships team. She backs up team captain Hectare Yulssen and shares the bench with back to back Olympiad gold medalist Steven Eaglesen. Sarah still plays a major role for the Vannish basketball team. The team recently won it's first WBC championship. Her strong form late in the season help carry Vangaziland down the stretch.

"Cassadaigua represents the biggest challenge for the Vangazi", Sarah said in an interview. "It's really interesting to see such a team of talented women standing between the Vannish and the playoffs."

"It does seem as if this is some karma for everything Vannish women have done around the world. If I could give the baseball team advice, I'd just say try your hardest to forget about extra stuff. They're professionals. Just be professional about it."

There was one Vannish woman on reserves. She was a catcher named Emma Lieberson. Braden Okogan has been nothing but reliable though. She seems destined to ride the bench.

The main reason women just didn't play baseball as much was because baseball was struggling for popularity. Basketball and lacrosse were the two dominant sports in audience shares. Soccer is struggling even worse than baseball, after news that Vangaziland's national team was disbanding. This left baseball and gridiron competing for 3rd. Vangaziland has been hideous in the World Bowl. Domestic softball is also interesting in its own right.

Aggressive marketing executives are trying to rebrand baseball as the next big thing. The team is on the cusp of showing progress. When the next generation hits, there may be new stars. For now, it seems Vangaziland is trotting the same crew out at least one more time. The season is being touted as 'Their Last Chance'. A few players are getting older. Others are just set to be replaced by the next wave of Vannish baseballers.

One thing all Vangazi seemed to have in common was that they would be thoroughly entertained by the series in Cassadaigua. For the Royals, the playoff race was starting early.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:55 pm
by The Sherpa Empire
----o-֎-o----


‭Tshering of Fuzhou was the son of a minor nobleman and the captain of the Sherpa Empire's world champion quidditch team. He had personally recruited and trained the quidditch team and obtained Ministry of Culture approval for them to represent the Empire in international competition. They were all teenagers with little experience, and they had been playing against professionals from nations with fiercely competitive quidditch leagues -- but somehow they had still won.

‭And yet Tshering's father still seemed to disapprove of everything he did. He had come around to the idea of having a quidditch team when the team did well, but once the Quidditch World Cup was over and life returned to normal, he began pestering Tshering again about finding a wife and getting into politics.

‭Tshering wasn't interested in politics and was not in a hurry to get married. He sort of liked Changjun Ihawa, the tomboyish keeper of his quidditch team, but he wasn't sure if they were meant to be more than friends. His father didn't approve anyway. She wasn't nobility and she lived on the other side of the country. Tshering offered to try wooing Jiuzhen Dai, a friend and teammate who lived in Fuzhou instead of Namche, but that went over like a lead balloon because she wasn't nobility either.

‭Changjun's family had their own reservations about her long-distance relationship with Tshering. Her father and stepmother thought it wouldn't work because he lived too far away. They pointed out that Changjun would want to stay in the Himalayas if she planned to pursue her plans for a career as a mountain guide, and Tshering would want to stay in Fuzhou because of his family's estate was there. But they were reluctant to put their foot down and actually ban Changjun from talking to Tshering. Changjun's biological mother seized on the relationship as an opportunity to accuse her father of bad parenting, saying that Tshering just wanted to take advantage, and they should have done more to keep him away.

‭This went on for a few months. Tshering and Changjun couldn't talk too much or see each other too often without their parents interfering, but they still stayed in touch.

‭And then Jamling Ihawa, Changjun's father, accidentally brought a building down on his own head while fighting off a gang of Taliban kidnappers... There had been a spate of Taliban kidnappings, mostly targeting celebrities that had magic in their blood, but didn't work in magical professions. They had successfully adbucted the famous football player Jigme Sherpa, and kept the story in the news by posting WhoTube videos where they humiliated him in various ways -- as well as kidnapping some more minor celebrities and making failed attacks on others. A couple of players from the national quidditch team had been targeted, but so far Tshering had not.

‭Jamling Ihawa survived the attack and managed to avoid being kidnapped, but he was seriously injured, probably crippled for life.

‭Tshering decided he needed to go comfort Changjun and to hell with his father. Her feelings were more important than his father's snobbery! The fact that Jamling didn't like their relationship was completely forgotten, and it never occurred to him that any of the Ihawa family might be annoyed when he showed up at the hospital. The hospital was one of those old buildings with plaster walls, wooden ceilings, and too-small rooms that were all over Namche. Jamling Ihawa's wife and all five of his chidren were there when Tshering arrived, and there were get-well cards and gifts scattered around. The clutter made the room feel even smaller and more crowded than it really was. "What are you doing here?" Jamling asked, not bothering to acknowledge Tshering's noble birth in any way. He sounded more exasperated than seriously angry, but it was still clear that he wasn't enthusiastic about seeing the teenage aristocrat.

‭"I came to see how you're doing, and ask if there was anything I could do to help," Tshering said.

‭"I feel like utter crap and there isn't anything you can do to make it better," said Jamling.

‭"Uh, yeah... I know there's nothing I can do about you being hurt, but I wanted to see Changjun and make sure she's OK, and I thought maybe I could help out, like if you want me to get you anything..."

‭Jamling sighed. "You'll have to ask Kami if she needs help with anything. She's taking care of the family because I can't do jack shit."

‭Kami shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to have an extra set of hands. And with all these Taliban attacks, it wouldn't hurt to have another magician to protect the kids."

‭Kami didn't feel safe letting her children go anywhere separately, but it wasn't practical to keep the family together in one place 24/7. They had their own lives -- sometimes the kids wanted to different things, sometimes she wanted to run errands without bringing all 5 children along for the trip. Jamling's relatives had helped some, but they had their own lives too, and she didn't like relying on them. Some of them were high-ranking government officials and/or powerful magicians, and Kami found them intimidating. She didn't really think Changjun and Tshering made a good couple, but she could see that he was sincerely concerned for the family's wellbeing. He was mature, able-bodied, and magically-talented enough to be useful; but less intimidating than Jamling's siblings.

‭So Changjun's parents allowed Tshering to stay around, keeping her company and helping take care of her younger siblings.

‭Of course, it didn't take long for Tshering's father to notice that he was spending a lot of time away from home and demand an explanation of where he had been. Tshering didn't want to leave Changjun alone, so he had to come up with an excuse for his time in Namche, and he came up with the idea of getting a job. He could then tell his father that he was gaining valuable experience that would improve his leadership skills.

‭By this time, Jamling Ihawa had come to the conclusion that Tshering was worth keeping around, at least for the time being, so he offered to give Tshering a letter of recommendation for a job at the Sports Department in the Ministry of Culture. Between that, Tshering's noble birth, and the success of the national quidditch team, he was able to get the job. His father was still suspicious, but there wasn't much he could say. Tshering was still only 17, and it was a respectable job that would have normally gone to someone much older and more experienced.

‭Now he just had to figure out how to actually do his job...

‭He and a woman named Zora Shafi were responsible for managing the international travel arrangements for the nation's sports teams, and she was busy with something about the national hockey team, leaving him to unravel the mysteries of South Covello and Eraman's bureaucracy. The national baseball team was starting the World Baseball Classic with two away games, and he was responsible for making sure the team and all of their gear got where they needed to go. None of the World Baseball Classic organizers, the immigration officials in South Covello and Eraman, or the hotel staff in those countries seemed to speak Sherpa -- which meant he had to spend hours picking through strange-looking paperworking in languages that he couldn't read well. He was able to book charter flights from a Kathmandu-based company that had Sherpa-speaking customer service, but that was still another responsibility to juggle along with the hotel reservations, checking visa requirements, and providing the players with guidance about local laws they needed to be mindful of.

‭Tshering did his best to make sure everything was in order, but he still couldn't help worrying that he might have forgotten something, or one of the players might ignore his advice and make an ass of themselves. He didn't really trust Dewa Liang or Tashi Siedler to conduct themselves like civilized human beings. Dewa Liang in particular had a knack for being politically insensitive, and South Covello seemed to be the kind of place where that could get you in real trouble. Eraman was just extremely unfamiliar... Tshering was painfully aware of his ignorance and it made him a little nervous just because he had no idea what he was doing.

----o-֎-o----

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:59 pm
by Newmanistan
THE ROCKET REPORT

DEFENDING THE TITLE


by Brianne Henry,

After winning World Baseball Classic 43, Newmanistan once again looks to do something that they have not been able to do on the five previous occasions: win consecutive titles. In the past, the Classic after has not always been our best, and all you really have to do is look to World Baseball Classic 42 for a recent example. In that Classic, the Rockets could only sustain one inning of four runs, and no innings with runs greater then that throughout the entire classic. It is a simple statistic that classic will always be remembered by, for us. The next Classic, it took us two innings to put that ugly stat behind us with a six-run inning. Classic 42 was not a bad one for us, we still fared generally well, but we were not the Rockets. We were not the team that intimidates opponents just by putting our logo on the scoreboard. That changed in Cassadaigua, a place that historically had not been kind to us.

We will be hosting World Baseball Classic 44. It will be the first time we have done so since Classic 38, where we returned from the long hiatus. It is hard to believe that this is actually our seventh classic since returning. When we returned back then, I don’t think anyone ever expected us to continue to stick around, but here we are, going at it still. We have not fared well in tournaments that we have hosted, regardless of the sport. Hopefully, we can change that, just like we changed how we historically fared in Cassadaigua. The format for this tournament is admittedly tough. Sure, the organizers could have been more friendly for third place teams, and introduced a 24-team playoff system where the top eight teams get byes, and everyone from nine to twenty-four has to play in the first round, but that was not what was opted for. You must finish in the top two of your group, and in some groups, there is not a lot of give between the second and third pots, and don’t even get us started with the aspiring newcomers, older veterans looking to re-attain glory, or the people like Tenburg returning. These qualifying games are going to be tough, and the hope is that it being tough will promote better baseball, and more media reports. The eighteen teams that advance to play Empire will all be worthy and all should be congratulated.

As for the team, this is believed to be a last hurrah for a handful of players, and we have seen that coming for a while. Courtney Duvall, at 37, has already declared that she will not return to the national team. She has continued to be solid in the ENBL, but she is fifth, and not first in the rotation now for good reason. However, some wonder if the 33-year old Jennifer Hughes will also call it an international career after this tournament. In the batting lineup, Hannah Bates and Lexi Alcorn are gone. No longer do we have those two at the top of our lineup, stealing bases at will. Simply put, they are older now, and have slowed down. While they can still produce in the ENBL, the time came for others to get that chance. The new 1-2 punch is Courtney Brandis, who has been on the bench for a few Classics, and newcomer Ashley Sorenson. They will set out to do what Bates and Alcorn did so well. It could also be the last classic for 36-year old Mallory Harris, or for 35-year old Kayla Carey, or for also 35-year old Michelle Covington. Some players chose to go out on top, while others want one more run at it. Harris told us that she considered going out on top, but when it was announced that we would be hosting the event, she just had to return. Do we even start to wonder about the coaches now? Ashley Stevens is 65, and the rest of the staff is in the 60's. While Stevens continues to flourish as the manager of the Leopards, at some point will she opt for the lesser workload? This is a very interesting Classic for this team. Expect it to be fun to watch, and enjoy it until the end. Before we can get to the playoffs, though, we must contend with a group featuring the powerhouse from Ethane.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:03 pm
by Newmanistan
MATCHDAY 1:
Group 1
Drawkland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Knessniet 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 X 5

Notoria 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Hicaña 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Scootalove City 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 4
The Greater Nordics 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1


Group 1 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Knessniet 1 1 0 5 2 +3 3
2 Scootalove City 1 1 0 4 1 +3 3
3 Notoria 1 1 0 3 0 +3 3
4 Drawkland 1 0 1 2 5 −3 0
5 The Greater Nordics 1 0 1 1 4 −3 0
6 Hicaña 1 0 1 0 3 −3 0

Group 2
Gor Kebab 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 6
Melbergia 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 5

Vangaziland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cassadaigua 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

Equestrian States 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 5
Suryak 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3


Group 2 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Equestrian States 1 1 0 5 3 +2 3
2 Gor Kebab 1 1 0 6 5 +1 3
3 Cassadaigua 1 1 0 1 0 +1 3
4 Melbergia 1 0 1 5 6 −1 0
5 Vangaziland 1 0 1 0 1 −1 0
6 Suryak 1 0 1 3 5 −2 0

Group 3
The Sherpa Empire 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
South Covello 3 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 X 8

Eraman 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3
Shayla 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 X 6

West Phoenicia 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 5 1 10
Tenburg 3 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 9


Group 3 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 South Covello 1 1 0 8 1 +7 3
2 Shayla 1 1 0 6 3 +3 3
3 West Phoenicia 1 1 0 10 9 +1 3
4 Tenburg 1 0 1 9 10 −1 0
5 Eraman 1 0 1 3 6 −3 0
6 The Sherpa Empire 1 0 1 1 8 −7 0

Group 4
Ethane 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2
Tjorl 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 3

Northwest Kalactin 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Lisander 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 X 4

Newmanistan 4 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 9
Dharoka 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 3


Group 4 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Newmanistan 1 1 0 9 3 +6 3
2 Lisander 1 1 0 4 1 +3 3
3 Tjorl 1 1 0 3 2 +1 3
4 Ethane 1 0 1 2 3 −1 0
5 Northwest Kalactin 1 0 1 1 4 −3 0
6 Dharoka 1 0 1 3 9 −6 0

Group 5
Loshos 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 X 3

Alpine Union 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Tierra de Castro 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 4

Beepee 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3
Nova Anglicana 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 2 X 7


Group 5 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Nova Anglicana 1 1 0 7 3 +4 3
2 Royal Kingdom of Quebec 1 1 0 3 1 +2 3
3 Tierra de Castro 1 1 0 4 3 +1 3
4 Alpine Union 1 0 1 3 4 −1 0
5 Loshos 1 0 1 1 3 −2 0
6 Beepee 1 0 1 3 7 −4 0

Group 6
Maklohi Vai 6 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 10
Titaniumland 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4

Fungsland 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Saint Agnesia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 X 4

Free Republics 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Liventia 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 X 5


Group 6 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Maklohi Vai 1 1 0 10 4 +6 3
2 Liventia 1 1 0 5 1 +4 3
3 Saint Agnesia 1 1 0 4 1 +3 3
4 Fungsland 1 0 1 1 4 −3 0
5 Free Republics 1 0 1 1 5 −4 0
6 Titaniumland 1 0 1 4 10 −6 0

Group 7
New Sportland 2 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 6
Wuriya 3 2 0 2 0 0 3 0 X 10

Hampton Island 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 1 6
Lycrabon 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 5

Oscioru 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Super-Llamaland 0 0 2 3 2 0 0 0 X 7


Group 7 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Wuriya 1 1 0 10 6 +4 3
2 Super-Llamaland 1 1 0 7 3 +4 3
3 Hampton Island 1 1 0 6 5 +1 3
4 Lycrabon 1 0 1 5 6 −1 0
5 New Sportland 1 0 1 6 10 −4 0
6 Oscioru 1 0 1 3 7 −4 0

Group 8
Ko-oren 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
People Who Have Issues 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 X 3

Anthor 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 5
St Saratoga 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 8

Ranoria 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 4
Schiltzberg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 5


Group 8 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 St Saratoga 1 1 0 8 5 +3 3
2 Schiltzberg 1 1 0 5 4 +1 3
3 People Who Have Issues 1 1 0 3 2 +1 3
4 Ranoria 1 0 1 4 5 −1 0
5 Ko-oren 1 0 1 2 3 −1 0
6 Anthor 1 0 1 5 8 −3 0

Group 9
Banija 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 6
Cosumar 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 4

Abanhfleft 0 0 4 0 0 3 0 0 1 8
Saintland 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4

Filindostan 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Aureumterra 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1


Group 9 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Abanhfleft 1 1 0 8 4 +4 3
2 Banija 1 1 0 6 4 +2 3
3 Filindostan 1 1 0 2 1 +1 3
4 Aureumterra 1 0 1 1 2 −1 0
5 Cosumar 1 0 1 4 6 −2 0
6 Saintland 1 0 1 4 8 −4 0



MATCHDAY 2:
Group 1
Knessniet 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 6
The Greater Nordics 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 4

Hicaña 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3
Scootalove City 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 1 X 6

Drawkland 2 0 1 0 1 4 0 4 0 12
Notoria 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 2 7


Group 1 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Scootalove City 2 2 0 10 4 +6 6
2 Knessniet 2 2 0 11 6 +5 6
3 Drawkland 2 1 1 14 12 +2 3
4 Notoria 2 1 1 10 12 −2 3
5 The Greater Nordics 2 0 2 5 10 −5 0
6 Hicaña 2 0 2 3 9 −6 0

Group 2
Melbergia 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 4
Suryak 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 5

Cassadaigua 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 9
Equestrian States 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 4

Gor Kebab 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 5
Vangaziland 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 6


Group 2 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Cassadaigua 2 2 0 10 4 +6 6
2 Gor Kebab 2 1 1 11 11 0 3
3 Vangaziland 2 1 1 6 6 0 3
4 Suryak 2 1 1 8 9 −1 3
5 Equestrian States 2 1 1 9 12 −3 3
6 Melbergia 2 0 2 9 11 −2 0

Group 3
South Covello 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2
Tenburg 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 X 5

Shayla 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
West Phoenicia 0 0 2 0 4 1 3 3 X 13

The Sherpa Empire 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 4
Eraman 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3


Group 3 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 West Phoenicia 2 2 0 23 9 +14 6
2 South Covello 2 1 1 10 6 +4 3
3 Tenburg 2 1 1 14 12 +2 3
4 The Sherpa Empire 2 1 1 5 11 −6 3
5 Shayla 2 1 1 6 16 −10 3
6 Eraman 2 0 2 6 10 −4 0


Group 4
Tjorl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4
Dharoka 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 5

Lisander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Newmanistan 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 1 X 7

Ethane 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5
Northwest Kalactin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2


Group 4 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Newmanistan 2 2 0 16 3 +13 6
2 Ethane 2 1 1 7 5 +2 3
3 Tjorl 2 1 1 7 7 0 3
4 Lisander 2 1 1 4 8 −4 3
5 Dharoka 2 1 1 8 13 −5 3
6 Northwest Kalactin 2 0 2 3 9 −6 0

Group 5
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nova Anglicana 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 X 4

Tierra de Castro 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 4
Beepee 2 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 X 6

Loshos 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Alpine Union 1 2 0 5 2 0 0 0 X 10


Group 5 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Nova Anglicana 2 2 0 11 3 +8 6
2 Alpine Union 2 1 1 13 5 +8 3
3 Tierra de Castro 2 1 1 8 9 −1 3
4 Beepee 2 1 1 9 11 −2 3
5 Royal Kingdom of Quebec 2 1 1 3 5 −2 3
6 Loshos 2 0 2 2 13 −11 0

Group 6
Titaniumland 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6
Liventia 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 4

Saint Agnesia 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 3
Free Republics 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 X 8

Maklohi Vai 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4
Fungsland 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1


Group 6 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Maklohi Vai 2 2 0 14 5 +9 6
2 Liventia 2 1 1 9 7 +2 3
3 Free Republics 2 1 1 9 8 +1 3
4 Saint Agnesia 2 1 1 7 9 −2 3
5 Titaniumland 2 1 1 10 14 −4 3
6 Fungsland 2 0 2 2 8 −6 0

Group 7
Wuriya 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 3
Super-Llamaland 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 5

Lycrabon 0 1 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 6
Oscioru 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

New Sportland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Hampton Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2


Group 7 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Super-Llamaland 2 2 0 12 6 +6 6
2 Hampton Island 2 2 0 8 6 +2 6
3 Lycrabon 2 1 1 11 7 +4 3
4 Wuriya 2 1 1 13 11 +2 3
5 New Sportland 2 0 2 7 12 −5 0
6 Oscioru 2 0 2 4 13 −9 0

Group 8
People Who Have Issues 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Schiltzberg 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X 2

St Saratoga 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5
Ranoria 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 2 X 8

Ko-oren 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 2 7
Anthor 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 5


Group 8 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Schiltzberg 2 2 0 7 5 +2 6
2 Ranoria 2 1 1 12 10 +2 3
3 Ko-oren 2 1 1 9 8 +1 3
4 St Saratoga 2 1 1 13 13 0 3
5 People Who Have Issues 2 1 1 4 4 0 3
6 Anthor 2 0 2 10 15 −5 0

Group 9
Cosumar 2 1 1 5 1 0 1 6 0 17
Aureumterra 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3

Saintland 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 5
Filindostan 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 4

Banija 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Abanhfleft 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2


Group 9 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Abanhfleft 2 2 0 10 5 +5 6
2 Cosumar 2 1 1 21 9 +12 3
3 Banija 2 1 1 7 6 +1 3
4 Filindostan 2 1 1 6 6 0 3
5 Saintland 2 1 1 9 12 −3 3
6 Aureumterra 2 0 2 4 19 −15 0


MATCHDAY 3:

Group 1
Notoria 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
Knessniet 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 X 6

Scootalove City 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 6
Drawkland 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2

The Greater Nordics 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Hicaña 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 X 5


Group 1 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Scootalove City 3 3 0 16 6 +10 9
2 Knessniet 3 3 0 17 8 +9 9
3 Drawkland 3 1 2 16 18 −2 3
4 Hicaña 3 1 2 8 11 −3 3
5 Notoria 3 1 2 12 18 −6 3
6 The Greater Nordics 3 0 3 7 15 −8 0

Group 2
Vangaziland 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 5
Melbergia 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3

Equestrian States 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 6
Gor Kebab 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

Suryak 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3
Cassadaigua 2 5 1 2 2 0 0 0 X 12


Group 2 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Cassadaigua 3 3 0 22 7 +15 9
2 Vangaziland 3 2 1 11 9 +2 6
3 Equestrian States 3 2 1 15 15 0 6
4 Gor Kebab 3 1 2 14 17 −3 3
5 Suryak 3 1 2 11 21 −10 3
6 Melbergia 3 0 3 12 16 −4 0

Group 3
Eraman 3 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 8
South Covello 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

West Phoenicia 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 5
The Sherpa Empire 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 X 6

Tenburg 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 5
Shayla 0 1 0 0 3 2 0 0 X 6


Group 3 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 West Phoenicia 3 2 1 28 15 +13 6
2 The Sherpa Empire 3 2 1 11 16 −5 6
3 Shayla 3 2 1 12 21 −9 6
4 Eraman 3 1 2 14 12 +2 3
5 Tenburg 3 1 2 19 18 +1 3
6 South Covello 3 1 2 12 14 −2 3

Group 4
Northwest Kalactin 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Tjorl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3

Newmanistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Ethane 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Dharoka 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 4
Lisander 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3


Group 4 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Newmanistan 3 3 0 17 3 +14 9
2 Tjorl 3 2 1 10 8 +2 6
3 Dharoka 3 2 1 12 16 −4 6
4 Ethane 3 1 2 7 6 +1 3
5 Lisander 3 1 2 7 12 −5 3
6 Northwest Kalactin 3 0 3 4 12 −8 0

Group 5
Alpine Union 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 4

Beepee 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 4
Loshos 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

Nova Anglicana 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2
Tierra de Castro 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 X 3


Group 5 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Nova Anglicana 3 2 1 13 6 +7 6
2 Beepee 3 2 1 13 12 +1 6
3 Tierra de Castro 3 2 1 11 11 0 6
4 Royal Kingdom of Quebec 3 2 1 7 8 −1 6
5 Alpine Union 3 1 2 16 9 +7 3
6 Loshos 3 0 3 3 17 −14 0

Group 6
Fungsland 0 0 2 3 0 2 1 0 3 11
Titaniumland 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 5

Free Republics 2 0 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 10
Maklohi Vai 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 6

Liventia 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 8
Saint Agnesia 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 6


Group 6 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Maklohi Vai 3 2 1 20 15 +5 6
2 Free Republics 3 2 1 19 14 +5 6
3 Liventia 3 2 1 17 13 +4 6
4 Fungsland 3 1 2 13 13 0 3
5 Saint Agnesia 3 1 2 13 17 −4 3
6 Titaniumland 3 1 2 15 25 −10 3

Group 7
Hampton Island 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 7
Wuriya 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

Oscioru 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2
New Sportland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Super-Llamaland 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 6
Lycrabon 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 4


Group 7 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Super-Llamaland 3 3 0 18 10 +8 9
2 Hampton Island 3 3 0 15 7 +8 9
3 Lycrabon 3 1 2 15 13 +2 3
4 Wuriya 3 1 2 14 18 −4 3
5 Oscioru 3 1 2 6 13 −7 3
6 New Sportland 3 0 3 7 14 −7 0

Group 8
Anthor 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 4
People Who Have Issues 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 X 5

Ranoria 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2
Ko-oren 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 X 6

Schiltzberg 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
St Saratoga 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4


Group 8 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Ko-oren 3 2 1 15 10 +5 6
2 St Saratoga 3 2 1 17 15 +2 6
3 People Who Have Issues 3 2 1 9 8 +1 6
4 Schiltzberg 3 2 1 9 9 0 6
5 Ranoria 3 1 2 14 16 −2 3
6 Anthor 3 0 3 14 20 −6 0

Group 9
Abanhfleft 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Cosumar 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 X 3

Filindostan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Banija 1 0 1 0 5 3 0 0 X 10

Aureumterra 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Saintland 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 X 5


Group 9 Pld W L RF RA RD Pts
1 Cosumar 3 2 1 24 11 +13 6
2 Banija 3 2 1 17 7 +10 6
3 Abanhfleft 3 2 1 12 8 +4 6
4 Saintland 3 2 1 14 13 +1 6
5 Filindostan 3 1 2 7 16 −9 3
6 Aureumterra 3 0 3 5 24 −19 0

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:37 am
by The Sherpa Empire
----o-֎-o----


‭The Sherpa Empire started the 44th World Baseball Classic with an embarrassing shellacking at the hands of South Covello. Tsheri Pham -- who was one the Empire's most talented athletes, but also one of the more sensitive and distractable -- let himself get rattled by some noisy fans heckling him during warm-ups. He was jetlagged, and the pressure of pitching at the top of the rotation for the national team was not an easy thing to cope with. After he gave up 5 runs in 2 innings, Mohn debated whether to pull him and try to salvage the game, or just leave him in and save the bullpen. South Covello was one of toughest opponents the Sherpa Empire was scheduled to play in the group stage, and it was only the first game of the Classic, so this was a game they could afford to lose if they came back strong in later games. Mohn went out to the mound to talk to Pham and ask him if he could settle down and save the bullpen. Pham realized that the team was still counting on him, even after getting off to a terrible start, and he knew he couldn't let them down. He did his best to clear his head and focus, and he managed to get out of the inning. The offense started to rally in the 3rd inning, with Modi scoring on an RBI double from Pei Tan -- but it came to a screeching halt when Usha Chawa bobbled the ball to the 3rd baseman, who tagged out Tan and then threw to first to get Chawa out as well. Pham fell apart again in the 5th inning, leaving the Sherpa team down 8 to 1, and the offense just could not get anything going to dig their way out of the hole.

‭Although South Covello was a highly-ranked team, the Sherpa players were still embarrassed to lose by such a wide margin, and fans back home were annoyed. Their next game was against Eraman, a nation which didn't even have a proper baseball league, and they knew they would never hear the end of it if they lost this game too.

‭Mingma Al Ali was pitching, and he was known for his reliability. He didn't have the fastest fastball, and he wasn't the flashiest player in the game, but he was always serious and professional and well-prepared for every game. He was good about going over any scouting information that was provided to him, studying his opponents so he knew what to expect. The Eramanian national team presented a unique challenge because they had been thrown together in such an improvised way, and very little scouting information was available, but Ali refused to let it fluster him. Even if they knew more about him than he knew about them -- and he was sure they did -- this would still only be the second game they had played against real professional pitching. They were out of their league, and he was going to prove it to them.

‭(Ali took for granted that the Eramanians would do a proper job of scouting on him. There was plenty of footage available from SISN baseball coverage and previous World Baseball Classics, and it never once crossed his mind that the Eramanian team might not be organized enough to study it. Some other people on the Sherpa team weren't sure how much scouting the Eramanians were doing, but Ali just assumed that everyone scouted as much as they could. The idea of neglecting a chance to learn about an opposing team was just alien to him.)

‭Some of the Sherpa batters arrived in Daulapura with a cocky complacent attitude, thinking they were going to have an easy romp, but Mindana was a better pitcher than they expected and the game got off to a slow start with a solo homer by Seojun Sherpa being the only score in first five innings.

‭The Eramanians made a surprising comeback in the bottom of the sixth, and Dinesh Mohn had to exhort the Sherpa players to wake the fuck up and take the game seriously. He worried that he might lose his job if they lost to a team of amateurs, especially coming right after the debacle in South Covello.

‭Mohn's speech had the desired effect, and a string of hits in the top of the 7th brought in 3 runs. It was almost 4, but Chao got tagged out at home plate as he slid in a split second too slow. It was a close call, and Chao tried to argue it, but the umpire insisted he was out and shooed him away toward the dugout -- or rather the bench on the side of the field where the players sat because the stadium didn't have a normal dugout. Mohn tried to argue it as well, but was not any more successful.

‭Ali pitched a scoreless 7th and then Mohn went to the bullpen in the 8th. Tashi Siedler had talked a lot of trash about the Eramanians before the game, but when Mohn him on the mound, he gave up a run as Khazanah scored on a single by Sentosa. Mohn decided he was tired of the nonsense and put Lakpa Fang in even though it wasn't the 9th inning yet. Fang was something of a doofus off the field, known for snacking on roasted rats and participating in drag shows, but he was effective on the mound. He struck out Perdana to end the 8th, and the Eramanians went down in order in the 9th.

----o-֎-o----


‭Princess Yahia had been an Icefall Doctors fan since she was a little girl; and since the Sherpa Empire began participating in the World Baseball Classic, she had made a habit of watching the national team when they played in Syangboche. She always brought an entourage of noble ladies and a few body guards, and she always chatted with the players more than anybody thought was appropriate. There had been many rumors that she was flirting with Icefall Doctors 3rd baseman Kao Tong, and occasional inappropriate whispers about her longstanding friendships with older players or retired veterans. It was hard to imagine that a guy like Ayappan Banerjee could be friends with a beautiful princess and not try to turn it into anything more than an innocent friendship. People still remembered his sexual escapades and the pushy overly handsy way he had approached women in his younger days.

‭The latest rumor, though, was that she had a crush on Green Sox 3rd baseman Debashish Morrison, who was on the national team for the 3rd year in a row.

In reality, it was more than just a crush. She had had childish crushes on several of the Icefall Doctors players, but she wasn't really in love with them. She was in love with the uniform and the game. With Morrison, it was different. It wasn't just about what he could do on the field. She liked his geekiness, his worldliness, his deep green eyes... Morrison came from a family of educated professionals. He was multiracial, multilingual, well-traveled, well-read, and college-educated. Of course he still spat and scratched himself and did many of the usual unseemly things that ballplayers are wont to do, but he knew how to clean up his act and be respectable when he wanted to. As bad as Princess Yahia was at following court etiquette and complying with her family's wishes, some of the conditioning from her aristocratic upbringing had stuck, and she liked Morrison's respectable manners.

For the last two seasons, she had made a special point of attending every game that the Green Sox played in Syangboche so that she could see Morrison and chat with him during warm-ups. People at the Imperial Palace had noticed, and they didn't like it.

As the Sports Department prepared for the first home game of the World Baseball Classic, in which they were hosting West Phoenicia at Syangboche, one of Yahia's meddlesome uncles was plotting to keep her away from the ballpark. He said he wanted her help with a charity event to improve educational opportunities for Pashtun children. Yahia said they could perfectly well have it the day after the game, when the national baseball team was going to be en route to Tenburg, or he could organize it without her. There were lots of other people who could help. The argument dragged on until eventually the Emperor himself had to intervene.

"West Phoenicia is a monarchy, and things like good breeding and formal titles mean a lot to them," Yahia argued. "They'll appreciate it if I go to the ballpark to welcome their team. Uncle Namgyal can have his charity ball the next day, and I'll help him with it then."

"She's just looking for an excuse to see that ballplayer she likes," Namgyal scoffed.

"That's not true," said Yahia. "You can't deny the West Phoenicians would appreciate the gesture if someone from the Imperial family was there to welcome their team."

The Emperor rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, weighing the upside of making a good impression on the Phoenicians against the downside of giving Yahia an opportunity to see Debashish Morrison. "I think they would appreciate it," he said eventually.

Yahia smiled brightly. "So I can go?"

"Yes, but you mustn't flirt with the players," the Emperor said. He sighed in exasperation, already sure that Yahia would not follow his directions.

"But you don't have to send her," Namgyal pointed out. "Someone else could go instead."

"Yahia enjoys the games," said the Emperor. "I don't want to send someone else that will be bored. It was her idea to go and greet the Phoenicians; let her go and try some diplomacy. Yahia, you need to bring an honor guard and prepare a nice welcome speech. You can't just laze around eating momos and chatting up the players."

"Oh, yes, I'll give them a good welcome!" she answered cheerfully. "I think I'll ask Tshering of Fuzhou if he can help me with my speech."

"Heaven help us! Please tell me you haven't started watching quidditch!" said Namgyal.

"No, it's nothing like that," said Yahia. "It's just that he seems like such a nice young man. I'm sure he'll know just what to say."

"You can talk to Tshering of Fuzhou," said the Emperor. "Just don't take up too much of his time if he's busy with his own work. He does have other things to do."

"Oh, I won't be a bother!" Yahia said. Both the men still had their doubts.

----o-֎-o----


After Princess Yahia had finished giving the Confederates a gracious welcome to the Sherpa Empire, the Sherpa batters gave their own much less gracious welcome, pounding Hieu Phan with 8 hits and 5 runs in the first two innings. In the dugout, Dorjee Sherpa and Usha Chawa had a mean-spirited laugh at Lukas Towers gasping for breath after chasing down a fly ball, obviously having some trouble with the high altitude. He had managed to get the ball back into the infield in time for Banerjee to be tagged out at 3rd, but Seojun Sherpa still scored, and the Sherpas still thought it was funny watching lowlanders try to play at Syangboche. (Banerjee was a lowlander too, and he was panting as he wandered off the field. They teased him about it until he told them it wasn't funny.)

Kima Jabralla, who was pitching for the Sherpas, was another lowlander, and he ran out of steam around the 5th inning, giving the bullpen more work than usual. By the end of the 8th inning, the Confederates had whittled the Sherpas' lead down to 1 run, but Fang held them scoreless in the 9th and the Sherpas won 6 to 5.

----o-֎-o----

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 4:55 am
by West Phoenicia
The World Baseball Classic 44 has started off with a bang.

Empress Cleopatra-Olympias Ptolemi the third wife was on hand at all of the three opening games as a royal representative. Fans craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the newest member of the royal family of the Confederate Empire of West Phoenicia.

Cleopatra-Olympias Ptolemi a daughter of King Claudus Ptolemi IV of the Absolute Monarchy of the Ptolemaic Islands recently married Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II in a marriage alliance that absorbed the Absolute Monarchy of the Ptolemaic Islands into the Confederate Empire of West Phoenicia byt allowed for the king to retain the throne.
She is the 4th wife of polygamist emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II.

In their first match against the nation of Shayla, fans and baseball players were introduced to the new Empress Cleopatra-Olympias stadium located in the city-state of Jackson, which holds a capacity of 18,000.

In their maiden match against Shayla, the Confederates pulled off a fantastic win with 13 runs to 0. Fans threw flowers at the new Empress proclaiming she was a saint and her attendance brought the team a blessing allowing them to win.

Empress Cleopatra-Olympias further cemented her importance when she was introduced to Princess Yahia of the Sherpa Empire when they were both introduced and watched the first innings of the match against each other. Before departing to their own royal boxes.
In a tight game that had fans out of their seats at the top of the 9th with Confederates fans praying for a home run that never materialized.

Empress Cleopatra-Olympias has promised to be in attendance at each game leading the nations baseball players to an hopeful overall victory.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:16 am
by Beepee
The secret diary of Homer Unn, aged 50 and three quarters


29th September 2018.
World Heart Day

The spot on my chin is getting bigger. I blame my mother as she doesn't know about vitamins. Regardless it is team photo day. The makeup artist said "gosh" when she say it and applied lots of cover-up. I still had to wear a baseball cap to hide Mount Vesuvius.... adult acne is nothing to be laughed at.

I think the cap helped and I even smiled. Resolution 8 complete.

Image

Our first matches are tomorrow and I couldn't sleep. Just my luck, our first match is against the, on paper, best team in the group.

I have spent the evening ironing all my clothes.

30th September 2018

World Baseball Classic Match 1
Beepee l. Nova Anglicana 3 - 7

World Baseball Classic Match 2
Tierra de Castro l. Beepee 4 - 6

World Baseball Classic Match 3
Beepee d. Loshos 4 - 1

I'm glad mother decided not to come to the match against Nova Anglicana. We were outplayed by the better opposition. I tried not to be too bitter about the loss as we were lucky to get three runs.

We played much better at home against Tierra de Castro. Everyone was excited to see 'Pint Size' Pinto, particularly as Beepee uses the metric system, we renamed him "473.176millilitres size" for the match, it's unlikely to catch on.

Adan Carita hit a home in the seventh which was really something to behold. But by then we had pretty much wrapped up the game.

I noticed that El Profesor has beautifly clear skin. I wonder what skin care products he uses?

In match day 3 we played Loshos. We're unsure of how to best pronounce the nation, but we ended up having an excellent fourth inning.

The forthcoming matches seem very difficult, and if we don't do well in the next three matches I fear we may not do well overall. I bought a packet of cigarettes but I have not opened them.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:18 am
by Ethane
Image

Roster


Pitchers:

NO.  POS.  Age    BAT.  THW.  NAME.
#65 SP 27 L R Jake Tyndall
#33 SP 29 R R Alex Furnley
#28 SP 26 R R Timothy Bellinger
#89 SP 30 L L Carl Stepweaver
#24 SP 23 R R Harry Markwright
#63 RP 25 R L James Hannersson
#29 RP 31 L L Lucas Jaile
#65 RP 25 R R Mark Oswald
#41 RP 29 L L Jamie Parkins
#43 RP 33 L R Eric Mitchell
#56 RP 27 R R Daniel Steingurst


Catchers:

NO.    POS. Age     BAT.   THW.  NAME.
#09 C 27 R R Thomas Harley
#23 C 33 L L Leigh Stinton


Infielders:

NO.    POS.  Age    BAT.  THW.   NAME.
#63 1B 22 R L Benjamin Cutleigh
#42 2B 30 L L Oliver Curtley
#77 2B 35 R R Philip Lewis
#99 2B 22 R R Samuel Mann
#36 3B 27 L L Graham Wilde
#03 3B 34 L L David Washington
#06 SS 36 R L Jeremy Williams
#86 SS 29 L R Henry Phillipa


Outfielders:

NO.    POS. Age    BAT.  THW.   NAME.
#91 LF 31 L R Joseph Sutton
#80 LF 24 R R Benjamin Lynch
#54 CF 34 L L Ian Fletcher
#39 CF 32 L R John Brady
#51 CF 29 R R Alan Murphy
#13 RF 31 L R Gregory Foster
#19 RF 27 R R Michael Carr
#40 RF 25 L L Jeremiah Wheeler


Designated Hitter:

NO.   POS.  Age     BAT.  THW.   NAME.
#01 DH 28 R R Gerry Myers


Batting Order:

NO.    POS.  Age    BAT.  THW.   NAME.
#63 1B 22 R L Benjamin Cutleighy
#91 LF 31 L R Joseph Sutton
#23 C 33 L L Leigh Stinton
#40 RF 25 L L Jeremiah Wheeler
#29 RP 31 L L Lucas Jaile
#13 RF 31 L R Gregory Foster
#42 2B 30 L L Oliver Curtley
#80 LF 24 R R Benjamin Lynch
#01 DH 28 R R Gerry Myers

IF DH IS NOT ALLOWED
#77 2B 35 R R Philip Lewis


Staff:

Manager: Graham Steadhall
Ever since the national team won the World Baseball Classic, it has been downhill from there. The state of the Ethanian national team has got so dismal that for the first time since the start of the nation's time in the tournament, Ethane is now ranked outside the top ten in the World Baseball Classic rankings. Lockie, while he brought good fortune to begin with, had lost his magic spark in the team, so one of the more left-field options has been brought in to try to change the culture in the club. Graham Steadhall leads one of the local-run baseball clubs in Ethane and is well-known for being a tough manager, which is what is seen to be needed for the national team. He won't be their friend; he'll probably be their enemy, but he views it that when that is the case he is doing his job right. It's hoped he can instill a sense of discipline into the side.


Assistant Manager: Jonathan Herts
First Base Coach: Lucas Robinson
Third Base Coach: Damien Malsanger
Batting Coach: George Orcusson
Pitching Coach: Lee Wilkinson


Stadium:

Image
The McTidley arena is the baseball arena recently commissioned after the IBS X by the government, as they felt even though not many baseball games take place in Ethane, that we ought to have a baseball arena in Ethane for those times when we would be playing home matches. The McTidley arena is named after the teacher who tried to set up a baseball league in the humorous reality tv show, ''But it's Baseball'', which ran from 2003-2005, and attracted an average of 3 million viewers an episode in its first 2 series. This stadium has recently been expanded with the increasing popularity of baseball in Ethane, and now can hold around 20,000 spectators and is currently operated by the EBA (Ethane Baseball Association).

RP Permissions: My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Sure?
Godmod scoring events: Yes but don't be too unrealistic.
RP injuries to my players: Yes. I decide the length and severity of the injury, but you can report on a potential injury and stuff. I am allowed to 'undo' an injury if it gets in the way of my narrative (eg say rumours of injury were overstated).
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes, but please don't be too unrealistic. Same disclaimer as above.
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes, again don't be too unrealistic.
Use DH at home: No.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:41 am
by Ethane
ENTV


Explosive Sports News
Football - World Cup 79
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Controversy Surrounds Appointment of New Manager
by Andrew Davis

The appointment of Graham Steadhall to Ethanian baseball manager has caused an uproar amongst Swanmouth Sea Lion fans.

Graham Steadhall is a controversial man. He is - you have to admit - brilliant at what he does: he has run for a few years now one of the most successful baseball clubs in Ethane (ever), winning a number of titles and managing the budget and reach of the club well. You have to say he is transforming the face of baseball in Ethane, making the sport more accessible and friendly to all. But his traits are his flaws. He is quite an aggressive, individualistic man who runs a very strict regime at the club, and anyone who goes against him faces his wrath severely.

There have - in the past - been accusations of maltreatment of his players and staff workers. None of them has had a big thing made out of them, because no one really came forward, but rumours have spread about how he treats some people like dirt. Whether there is any truth to this accusations, we cannot be certain.

But among a select group of people, particularly supporters of the Green party, there has been an uproar against his appointment to this position. They believe that these accusations are enough to warrant him being suspended, pending an investigation. They have threatened to boycott baseball and the national team, as well as protest at any national baseball sporting events held in Ethane.

However, the EBA hold a different view to these activists. They have seen nothing that indicts Steadhall or even suggests any illegal behaviour, and therefore must consider - and now appoint - him to the job of Ethanian baseball manager. According to Ethanian employment laws, not hiring Steadhall because there are rumours that he mistreated players would be contravening the law as there is no legitimate legal reason to prevent his hiring. The EBA sees him as the best man of the job, so they have hired him.

Obviously, this has not gone down well with the Green party supporters, who have protested in front of the EBA HQ and the McTidley arena. They have also threatened to disrupt any national baseball sporting events that occur in the McTidley arena.

The party issued a statement yesterday detailing their disappointment with Steadhall's hiring. ''We are extremely disappointed in the decision made by the EBA to hire Graham Steadhall as the successor to Angus Lockie to head up Ethane's baseball team. The potential allegations against him are enough to warrant a pause on his hiring, or the hiring of someone else to the role, due to the potential legal ramifications of his actions and the abuse that surrounds his name... We will not stand by idly while Graham is allowed to abuse more people... so we will do everything we can to force a boycott of the EBA and any events they run in Ethane, as well as doing everything we can to disrupt their events in any way possible until the EBA decides to reverse their decision.''

The EBA also released a statement yesterday. ''We hired the right man for the job. He has led the Swanmouth Sea Lions well and is, therefore, the obvious successor to Angus Lockie. The Green Party have implied that because of rumours, we should not hire Graham. Not only is this misguided legally, which is odd considering the employment laws we are following were brought in by them while they were in Government, but it is also unfair to Graham, who by all measurements legally has done nothing wrong that has been brought to light. We have seen nothing that would eliminate him from contention for this job, and so we have decided to go ahead with the hiring of Graham - he is an honourable man who I'm sure will do wonders for the Ethanian national team.'

Graham will have the job but he will have to be careful when he does anything in the public eye, as I'm sure the Green party will be following his every move and action.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:05 am
by Vangaziland
Two Run Homer Gores Gor Kebab

Vangaziland entered the game against Gor Kebab after facing Cassadaigua. The game was highly touted in Vangaziland. It turned out to be a 1-0 loss for the Vangazi, which came down to the 9th inning. Khris Olaf gave up the final run soon after taking over. Del Bjornberg had given 8 scoreless innings against the tough women in pink and black.

"It's something that, not only do I need to bounce back from", Olaf said following the match. "It's something the entire team will have to recover from. Quickly." Bjornberg has been said to not be speaking to Olaf after the loss.

Fast forward to Game 2. The terse team from Gor Kebab hoped to show they had a place in the conference against the world's #31 team. Vangaziland needed a win to stay relevant early in the tournament. Things got hot in the second inning. Gor Kebab put up 2 early runs. They looked strong on the bat.

The pressure was now on Rich Kendrix. Standing at 6'1, Rich hoped to bring at least a little intimidation onto the mound. The early score showed Gor Kebab didn't buy it. Rich would have to still knuckle down.

Vangaziland's bats would also have to answer. Endo got on base with a simple line drive. Carlos Hernandez was next with a cutting fly that held low like a line drive. It was harder to track and almost looked like it might be a homer. It ended up beating the fielder to the wall and bouncing off. The speedy Endo made it to 3rd base.

Pat Evenson was the second out after a lazy pop fly towards 3rd. This set up catcher Braden Okogan to barrel a line drive between 2nd and 3rd. As it bounced to the outfield, Chuck Endo ran home. Vangaziland was down by 1.

Kendrix regained control in the third. By now his curve ball was established. He also managed a decent fastball which snuck by opposing batters from time to time. When one batter from Gor Kebab struck out, a Vannish camera turned to Joe Jenkins on Gor Kebab's bench. Jenkins seemed to almost wince a little with the way his teammate went for the curve.

The order was back up for the Vannish third inning. Pete Kelderssen hit a single which stuck him on first. Jacob Sren would bring him home with a 2 run home run which sailed over the centerfield wall. "Jake is definitely capable of going yard on any given night", said Royals' coach Don Haverly after the game. "Our batters just have to get comfortable at the plate."

Things were quiet until Gor Kebab scored another run in the sixth inning. The score was 3-3. Vangaziland answered the following inning. Several batters ran through as it took quite some time to get two outs. As a result, Endo was on 3rd. Hernandez was on 1st. Evenson hit deep line drive which bounced off the wall and rolled away. It turned out to be a double. Endo ran home for his second run of the game.

Kendrix came out during a sticky situation in the seventh inning. Gor Kebab had runners on base. Vangaziland needed outs. Daniel Cortez came in and got the needed out. Cortez was one of several Hispanic players representing Vangaziland's Esportivan territory of Barnicea. Unlike the Vannish Empire's Northern Mainland, Esportivan Vangaziland is a mix of Hispanic and Slavic populations indigenous to Esportiva.

Cortez gave up 2 runs in the eighth inning. He was swapped out for 5'10" Manny Mathissen. It was the closer's first appearance. Although Vangaziland wasn't ahead in the score, it was close enough. They could have saved the closer for extra innings.

"We thought the time for Manny was right", said Pitching Coach Juan Manuel Sanchez. "There was a risk that we could be without a closer if the game lasted The goal was not to let the game go long. With the score that close, I trusted our bats."

Manny reestablished the mound's dominance. The Vannish pitcher brought late heat into the game. His fastest pitch got up to 101 mph. It was one of the fastest of his international career. The Vangazi finds himself at his peak, fresh off a domestic title in the Vangaziland Baseball Association. He is only 23 years old and has a bright future.

Late in the ninth, there were two outs. Braden Okogan was on 2nd base. Pete Kelderssen was up. The count went full after he fouled two pitches off. The next pitch was caught with a crack of the bat that foretold the homerun while it was still climbing. Pete took the ball deep into left field. It took awhile for the ball to land.

Kelderssen took a slow trot around the bases. The Vannish crowd cheered, rising to their feet. The camera panned to Gor Kebab player Al Chip. He shook his head and wiped the sweat from under his hat in protest. This was the kind of exciting home game the crowd hoped for when they bought their tickets. One lucky fan brought the home run ball up to Kelderssen after the game for it to be signed. It would become valuable right away.

Vangaziland would face Melbergia in Game 3. It was another game which saw Vangaziland edge past. The Royals matched Melbergia step for step. Pete Kelderssen and Tom Davison each scored an RBI in the 8th to give Vangaziland the 5-3 lead. Manny Mathissen returned in the 9th to finish things out on the mound.

The Royals will face a tough stretch. They'll face #15 Equestrian States, UR Suryak and then back to #4 Cassadaigua.

"I think our team can keep things close against Cassadaigua again", said Coach Don Haverly. "We'll hope to get a few more runs past them now that our bats have warmed up." Del Bjornberg would get his second chance against one of the world's top 5 teams. He was placed against Cassadaigua because Vangaziland believed he was their best pitcher. Could he produce? Holding them to one run was major, when Equestrian States gave up 9.

He also seemed angry at Khris Olaf for losing that game for him. Now he would be forced to do this again. This time, they would be playing in the oddly shaped dome they called home at Emeros.