World Baseball Classic 48 [Everything Thread]

[South Newlandia]

ELEPHANT VALLEY MAIL
Sports
South Newlandia sweeps Xanneria, is 5 wins ahead of 3rd

South Newlandia managed to sweep Xanneria, winning all three games. They maintain a flawless 9-0 record in home games, and won the Head to Head against Xanneria 4-2. The defense played their best series so far, holding Xanneria to 2 runs (!) in three games.

Game 1

Xanneria                           0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
South Newlandia                    2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 X  5

The first game of the series started great, when runs by Fabio Ventura and Adam King got South Newlandia a 2-0 lead. They improved on this when Ian Pearce scored another run in the 5th inning. Xannerias only run of the match was scored in the 6th, when Justin Jordan was able to score. South Newlandia hit right back with another run for Fabio Ventura, and in the 8th inning, Steve Ruiz completed the final score of 5-1 with another run. Ryan Hunter pitched a great game, only allowing 7 hits and a single run.

Game 2

Xanneria                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
South Newlandia                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  2

Game 2 was dominated by the fantastic pitching and defense. Jacob Conroy and his Xannerian counterpart had a great battle. The game was decided all the way into the 8th inning, when a technical mistake by Xannerias pitcher Steven Short allowed a home run for Adam King, also getting a run for Igor White. As Jacob Conroy didn’t allow a single run, this was enough to win Game 2.

Game 3

Xanneria                           0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
South Newlandia                    2 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 X  7

The sweep was completed in Game 3, when 2 early runs by Fabio Ventura and Igor White got South Newlandia in the lead again. Xanneria was again held to just one run in the 2nd inning, when Hector Goncalves scored for Xanneria. South Newlandia was able to secure a lead in the 2nd and 3rd inning with runs by Steve Ruiz, Adam King and Gregor Garner. The icing on the cake was another home run, when Igor White secured a run for Fabio Ventura as well to make the final score 7-1.
This sweep puts South Newlandia at 2nd place, 5 wins ahead of the completion in 3rd. At 13-5, South Newlandia is the best newcomer of this Classic so far, and at the moment, it looks like they are going to make the playoffs.

All matches:
South Newlandia 3-0 Xanneria (5-1; 2-0; 7-1)

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 1-2 Ko-oren (9-7; 1-4; 5-8)
Ko-oren dropped another game against The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, but stay on top of the standings anyway. The world number three has the biggest chances to win the group.

Equestrian States 1-2 Northwest Kalactin (4-3; 0-4; 7-13)
2nd seed Equestrian States lose another game and remain at the bottom of the standings at 4-14. They have almost zero chance at making the playoffs at this point.


Current standings:

Group 3                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                       18   13   5   102   73  +29
2 South Newlandia               18   13   5    70   48  +22
3 Northwest Kalactin            18    8  10    82   77   +5
4 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   18    8  10    84   90   −6
5 Xanneria                      18    8  10    66   70   −4
6 Equestrian States             18    4  14    57  103  −46

We tried to estimate the chance for each team to make the playoffs and their chances to win the group. Here they are:
Making the playoffs:
Ko-oren 97%
South Newlandia 83%
Northwest Kalactin 5%
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 6%
Xanneria 9%
Equestrian States <1%

Winning the group:
Ko-oren 68%
South Newlandia 30%
Northwest Kalactin <1%
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec <1%
Xanneria 1%
Equestrian States 0%


Schedule:
South Newlandia @ Northwest Kalactin
Xanneria @ Ko-oren
Equestrian States @ The Royal Kingdom of Quebec

South Newlandia will play their seventh series at Northwest Kalactin, a team they swept when the teams first met in the 2nd series. We hope for an exciting matchup, as Kalactin will be eager for revenge.

[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale wins the series against The Greater Nordics

Copenhagen, The Greater Nordics - There's nothing better than a baseball series played by two nordic nations. The Nordiques against The Greater Nordics. But the greater one of them is the Nordiques, not The Greater Nordics. Anyway, so Rusty Castillo, Frédérique Lafleur and Tyler Floyd were the starting pitchers for Terre Septentrionale while Saara Omdahl, Erna Wolff and Kai Nieminen were starting for The Lesser Nordics. We lost game one 8-2, so let's go straight to game #2.

WP: Saara Omdahl
LP: Rusty Castillo

Game #2 was a pitching duel between Frédérique Lafleur and Erna Wolff. Terre Septentrionale took the lead in the top 2nd inning when Katarina Radovnikovic hitted a single that sent Gustavo Mendoza to the plate from the 2nd base. 1-0 Terre Septentrionale. Then in the top 4th inning, Garrett Strzelecki hitted a solo homerun and the score was 2-0 Reprezentacja Nordycki. The Lesser Nordics scored in the bottom 8th inning and the final score was 2-1 Terre Septentrionale.

WP: Frédérique Lafleur
LP: Erna Wolff
S: Keegan McGranahan

In game 3, Terre Septentrionale took an early lead in the top 1st inning when Szandra Szucsanszki hitted a two runs homerun. The Nordiques added another point in the 2nd inning when Katarina Radovnikovic scored on Trevor McGarry's sacrifice fly and the score was 3-0. In the top 3rd inning, Stefan Boissonneault walked, Szandra Szucsanszki hitted a double and Boissonneault advanced to the 3rd place. Garrett Strzelecki hitted a double, Boissonneault and Szucsanszki scored and the score was 5-0. Terre Septentrionale added two more points in the top 4th inning and no one scored since. The final score was 7-0 Terre Septentrionale.

WP: Tyler Floyd
LP: Kai Nieminen

Free Republics

The next series is on the road in the Free Republics, the game will be played in East Point, located in Orlandiana. Pitchers will be the same as in series 2: Alejandro Gonzalez, Kyleigh McLaughlin and Rusty Castillo for Terre Septentrionale. Gioacchino Arcuri, Ming Hsing and "Wild" Ralph Fiedler for the not so Free Republics.

Karine Gingras,
La Tribune Septentrionale

[Cassadaigua]

Fillies Sweep and Extend Win Streak,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

After the first four series resulted in Cassadaigua winning two and dropping one, the Fillies have pulled off their second consecutive sweep of a series in the 48th World Baseball Classic. This result increased Cassadaigua’s winning streak to eight games, as if you recall the streak started in the Saintland series after they dropped the first game of that set. They have gone from a 6-4 record that would be considered on the bubble, to now being 14-4 and having a three game lead on A Mushroom Kingdom, who remains in second place. They are five games above third place The Sarian, and lead Saintland, who should be doing better, by six games. Cassadaigua’s offense has now scored 122 runs, and that leads everyone for the time being. With a +58 run differential, Cassadaigua would be the #2 overall seed in the tournament, because Abanhfleft is exceeding expectations right now with a 15-3 record, despite Hampton Island actually being the top seed in that group. The Golden Bears are second in that group.

The batting lineup is led by some familiar names who are trying once again to win what has been an elusive fourth title. We have the longest drought right now of any team since they last won a World Baseball Classic title, going back to the last one that they won. Almost thirty Classics it has been, many of which were contested without us being a part of it, but we did return in World Baseball Classic 39, and have had several semifinal appearances along the way, and that also includes making it to the championship series. Since Maddie Polanco took over this team, it seemed like she has been on the cusp of that title so often, but we just cannot go all the way. The veteran core of Cassie Daniels, Macy Hamel, and Jordyn Prosser could possibly give it one more go if they did not come up victorious here, but there is no denying that they are thinking that this will be their last chance. That is something that you will not hear them talk about. Hamel has been excellent thus far, hitting .359 with 9 HR’s in the 18 games played to this point. That’s a stat line that even exceeds her pace of production at home, especially the batting average. Hamel has never hit .300 in a season during her career, and tends to keep it around the .280 mark. She’s feasted on the pitching of Imperial Joseon, but it all counts the same. If Cassie Daniels were to .359, that would be more expected, since she hit .357 in the last season. So far, she is hitting .348 in the Classic with 8 HR’s. When the veterans in the middle of the lineup are hitting, the younger players at the top of the lineup will have less pressure on them. 23-year old Rachel Kessler, the shortstop, has had no problem adapting to this level, and is hitting .367 herself. Kessler told me after the last game that, “It’s not much different then playing at home. You have games against good teams and you have games against not as good teams. You have to realize that any given day you can beat anyone or you can lose to anyone. The travel has been the main thing, but I would always sleep on the plane at home, so it’s not different, I wake up in a new city here which is really a new country.” Kessler said she has had no desire to explore any of the countries she has been too so far, “I think Drawkland will be exciting to explore a little bit, but you look at where we have been in the road games so far, none of them were on a list of places I have dreamt of taking a vacation too.”

With twelve games left to play, there is still plenty of time for Cassadaigua to improve where they are, and move into the top seed, or for the team to drop. For now, it is good to see that they have improved from where they were looking after 10 games, with a mediocre looking 6-4 record. That’s what an eight game winning streak can do for you, but the team cannot let their guard down. With the veteran manager in Maddie Polanco, and the experience throughout the locker room, I don’t think we have to worry about them resting on their laurels.

[Drawkland]

DRAWKLAND'S WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 48
GROUP STAGE - SERIES 7
It's series 7 ... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

---

Group 1

Game 1
Nooooooooooooooo                   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Hampton Island                     0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X  2

Abanhfleft                         2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  3
Pripet Socialist Republic          1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  4

Hapilopper                         1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  5
Democratic Publicity Stunts        0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Game 2
Nooooooooooooooo                   0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
Hampton Island                     0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1  4

Abanhfleft                         0 1 1 0 0 4 0 1 0  7
Pripet Socialist Republic          1 0 0 1 0 0 2 2 0  6

Hapilopper                         1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1  6
Democratic Publicity Stunts        0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0  5

Game 3
Nooooooooooooooo                   0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0  3
Hampton Island                     0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 X  4

Abanhfleft                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4  4
Pripet Socialist Republic          0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Hapilopper                         3 0 2 0 1 2 0 2 0 10
Democratic Publicity Stunts        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

  Group 1                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Abanhfleft                    21   17   4   114   84  +30
2 Hampton Island                21   14   7   100   74  +26
3 Hapilopper                    21   13   8   100   73  +27
4 Democratic Publicity Stunts   21    9  12    69   92  −23
5 Nooooooooooooooo              21    5  16    77  101  −24
6 Pripet Socialist Republic     21    5  16    62   98  −36

Group 2

Game 1
Terre Septentrionale               0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Free Republics                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

The Greater Nordics                2 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0  9
Devonta                            0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  3

Swiaji                             0 0 0 1 1 1 4 0 1  8
TJUN-ia                            0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3

Game 2
Terre Septentrionale               0 0 3 0 0 2 0 2 0 0  7
Free Republics                     0 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 0 2  9

The Greater Nordics                2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Devonta                            1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  4

Swiaji                             0 1 0 0 0 2 0 5 0  8
TJUN-ia                            1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1  5

Game 3
Terre Septentrionale               0 0  1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Free Republics                     0 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 X 13

The Greater Nordics                0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0  5
Devonta                            0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  3

Swiaji                             0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
TJUN-ia                            1 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 X  6

  Group 2               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Free Republics         21   16   5   132   67  +65
2 The Greater Nordics    21   14   7   112   75  +37
3 Terre Septentrionale   21   12   9    80   87   −7
4 Swiaji                 21    9  12    82  106  −24
5 TJUN-ia                21    8  13    75  109  −34
6 Devonta                21    4  17    73  110  −37

Group 3

Game 1
Xanneria                           0 0 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0  6
Ko-oren                            0 0 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2  8

South Newlandia                    1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0  5
Northwest Kalactin                 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 2  7

Equestrian States                  0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0  5
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  3

Game 2
Xanneria                           0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Ko-oren                            0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

South Newlandia                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Northwest Kalactin                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Equestrian States                  1 3 1 0 0 0 0 3 0  8
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Game 3
Xanneria                           0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Ko-oren                            0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 X  5

South Newlandia                    0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3  4
Northwest Kalactin                 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 X  7

Equestrian States                  0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0  4
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec        0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  3

  Group 3                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                       21   15   6   116   84  +32
2 South Newlandia               21   14   7    80   62  +18
3 Northwest Kalactin            21   10  11    96   87   +9
4 Xanneria                      21    9  12    77   84   −7
5 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   21    8  13    91  107  −16
6 Equestrian States             21    7  14    74  110  −36

Group 4

Game 1
Anthor                             1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Daskel                             0 0 0 1 0 0 3 1 X  5

West Phoenicia                     0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  3
Kriegiersien                       1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Nova Anglicana                     0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1  5
Oscioru                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Game 2
Anthor                             2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1  5
Daskel                             0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0 X  6

West Phoenicia                     0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  4
Kriegiersien                       0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0  3

Nova Anglicana                     0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Oscioru                            0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  4

Game 3
Anthor                             0 0 0 0 2 0 4 0 1  7
Daskel                             0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0  4

West Phoenicia                     0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0  3
Kriegiersien                       0 8 0 0 0 1 3 0 X 12

Nova Anglicana                     5 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 11
Oscioru                            2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  5

  Group 4               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Nova Anglicana         21   13   8   103   68  +35
2 West Phoenicia         21   11  10    93   94   −1
3 Daskel                 21   10  11   104  104    0
4 Anthor                 21   10  11    82   78   +4
5 Kriegiersien           21   10  11    85   87   −2
6 Oscioru                21    9  12    86  122  −36

Group 5

Game 1
Sarzonia                           0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
The Sherpa Empire                  0 0 0 1 1 9 0 0 X 11

Cascom                             3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Bolgano                            0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2  5

Lisander                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
St. Saratoga                       0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 X  2

Game 2
Sarzonia                           2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1  7
The Sherpa Empire                  1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  5

Cascom                             0 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 2  7
Bolgano                            0 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 X  8

Lisander                           2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5  8
St. Saratoga                       0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2

Game 3
Sarzonia                           1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3  7
The Sherpa Empire                  0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Cascom                             0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  2
Bolgano                            0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 X  4

Lisander                           0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 1  5
St. Saratoga                       0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2

  Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Sarzonia               21   12   9   101   85  +16
2 Lisander               21   12   9   114   91  +23
3 The Sherpa Empire      21   11  10    91   79  +12
4 St. Saratoga           21   11  10    76   85   −9
5 Bolgano                21   10  11    87  103  −16
6 Cascom                 21    7  14    85  111  −26

Group 6

Game 1
Imperial Joseon                    0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Mushroom Kingdom                   0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  2

Cassadaigua                        2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1  6
The Sarian                         0 0 0 1 3 4 0 0 X  8

Saintland                          0 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0  5
Gekkeom                            2 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 3  8

Game 2
Imperial Joseon                    1 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 2  8
Mushroom Kingdom                   2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  5

Cassadaigua                        0 3 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 11
The Sarian                         0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  3

Saintland                          0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  3
Gekkeom                            1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 X  4

Game 3
Imperial Joseon                    1 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 2  9
Mushroom Kingdom                   0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2

Cassadaigua                        1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2  6
The Sarian                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Saintland                          0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  3
Gekkeom                            0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2

  Group 6               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Cassadaigua            21   16   5   145   75  +70
2 Mushroom Kingdom       21   11  10    99   91   +8
3 The Sarian             21   10  11    95  113  −18
4 Imperial Joseon        21   10  11   101  101    0
5 Saintland              21    9  12    76  102  −26
6 Gekkeom                21    7  14    77  111  −34

Group 7

Game 1
Brooklyn and Queens                1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  3
Newmanistan                        2 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 X  8

Liventia                           0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0  3
South Covello                      1 2 0 1 3 0 0 1 X  8

Chromatika                         1 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 1  8
Teyniyji                           0 1 2 0 0 2 0 2 0  7

Game 2
Brooklyn and Queens                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2
Newmanistan                        0 0 0 3 1 0 0 2 X  6

Liventia                           0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0  4
South Covello                      1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3

Chromatika                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Teyniyji                           0 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 X  6

Game 3
Brooklyn and Queens                0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Newmanistan                        0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Liventia                           0 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 0  5
South Covello                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Chromatika                         0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Teyniyji                           0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

  Group 7               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Newmanistan            21   16   5   131   72  +59
2 South Covello          21   13   8    93   70  +23
3 Liventia               21   13   8    86   78   +8
4 Chromatika             21   10  11    69   78   −9
5 Brooklyn and Queens    21    7  14    69  104  −35
6 Teyniyji               21    4  17    70  116  −46

Group 8

Game 1
Kita-Hinode                        0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2  5
Banija                             0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  3

Drawkland                          0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  5
HUElavia                           0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Drunk People at the Local Tavern   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Inner AginanaUsordia               2 3 2 0 0 0 1 1 X  9

Game 2
Kita-Hinode                        0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Banija                             1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 X  3

Drawkland                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
HUElavia                           0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Drunk People at the Local Tavern   3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  5
Inner AginanaUsordia               0 1 0 1 0 2 0 4 X  8

Game 3
Kita-Hinode                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Banija                             6 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 X 10

Drawkland                          0 0 0 0 7 0 1 0 0  8
HUElavia                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Drunk People at the Local Tavern   0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1  4
Inner AginanaUsordia               0 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 X  5

  Group 8                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                             21   15   6   109   65  +44
2 Drawkland                          21   13   8    95   84  +11
3 Inner AginanaUsordia               21   11  10   101   95   +6
4 HUElavia                           21   10  11    79  106  −27
5 Kita-Hinode                        21    7  14    74   91  −17
6 Drunk People at the Local Tavern   21    7  14    92  109  −17

[West Phoenicia]

Glen Melbourne welcomed and shunned the fame that had been thrust upon him by being a member of a very elite group in West Phoenicia. He wasn't a member of the aristocracy or the movie star glitterati crowd.
He was a member of the Confederates; the national baseball team. World Baseball Classic title and Olympic medal winners. He had been around for both of those huge wins that had boosted the teams' name both nationally and internationally.

The wins were great for West Phoenicia's portfolio, he was glad he was part of that history. But at 38, his career on the Confederates team was coming to a close. His contract was up for renewal at the end of this season, and his body was starting to scream for him to retire, he had lasted longer than many in his field of work.
The baseball training, regular gym sessions, his personal trainer and twice weekly swim kept him healthy and fit. He was probably fitter than a lot of men 10 years younger than him. but his body still screamed to slow down.
He couldn't even count the number of ground balls hit that flew in his direction like an Infrared homing missile.
He was the first line of defence in ending a runner's dream of sliding into the home plate. out at first base.

Maybe, it was time he stood aside and let a younger, hungrier player arise from the national league and join the ranks of the baseball elite.

He steered his Long Beach Red Chevrolet Corvette into the Pharos Memorial Park. The biggest memorial park in Pharos; the capital city of the West Phoenician city-state of Ptolemaic Haven. Today was a special day, he had taken a flight and missed the extra practise to take part in a yearly ritual.
He loved his hometown, it always brought a smile to his face, and he loved driving around in his Long Beach Red Chevrolet Corvette; a present from his wife. She wasn't with him today to take part in his yearly ritual; his wife had a very busy and well known cosmetic surgery practise.

He slid a pair of shades over his eyes as he stepped out of his car, while Summer was over, today was a warm Autumn day, just a skin warming day, that made the body reach out like a sunflower, greedily absorbing the days of the sun. However the sun still shone in his eyes, and the sun glasses would avoid him being noticed. To him there was a time and a place, during training or games or promotional tours, he was all sweet for fans to approach, to ask for a photograph or his autograph. But when he was out to dinner with his wife or visiting a loved one he valued his privacy, fans should understand that. How would they like to have some guy thrust a pen and paper at them when they were taking a leak at the urinal.

Leaves crunched under his sneakers, with autumn hitting the nation, leaves were slowly dying and fluttering away from tje trees. As a kid, he loved the sound of crunching leaves under his shoes, or better yet, running into a pile of leaves and kicking them about. His mother always screamed at him, to avoid any hidden dog poo.
He detoured his way around the Memorial Park, having made the same trek since the age of 12.
He passed crosses and headstones, the numbers growing all the time. Glen headed across to Serenity Valley, a very lush section of the park, with hanging trees and a small river passing through the vicinity. It was a lovely spot that had been chosen. A lovely peaceful spot that was perfect for his mum.
His pace became slower as he neared the spot. Each time he made the trek, disbelief and grief still etched into his face and heart. Seeing her grave, always created a new wave of heartache, as if seeing it, made it so much more real.
In the distance he could see another mourned heading over to their own loved one, a bouquet of flowers in their hands.
Glen avoided bringing flowers, his mother hated cut flowers. While in the ground, flowers were bursting with colours and fragrances, but in a bouquet the flowers life also had been cut short, they too would die a quick death without any nourishment.
He knelt by her grave, the grass was bursting an emerald green, thanks to the nearby river. It was a clean grave; Zhang Wei, his personal gardener at his Pharos residence, attended to her grave every two weeks, keeping it clean, pristine and respectful.
An assortment of pebbles neatly arrayed in a circle around the stone cross. It was a simple grave with a modest cross with her name and details on it.
Once he had made it in baseball with his large salary and endorsements he had wanted to upgrade her gravespot. However his father and siblings had vetoed that idea. His mother adored simple things, she would have scoffed over anything ostentatious. She never did like anyone making such a fuss, which was funny, as she always made a fuss over her children, wanting nothing but the best for them. It was his mother who purchased him, his first baseball mitt and who drove him to his Little League practise and games.

She had been one of his biggest supporters. His father had always been working, he barely had time to eat and sleep, attending one of his children's baseball games was never a priority, but his mum was always there, cheering him on, or helping out by bringing cut up orange wedges for the kids to eat during time in the dugout, or helping to sell cookies and chocolate during times of fundraising. When she had passed with a short battle of cancer, some thing she didn't make a fuss about, Glen wondered if he should keep playing, his father didn't care, however he continued to go to practise and games, made the high school team, made the university team and was scooped up to play for the Ptolemaic Haven state team, before going national and international. It was a journey, she had planted inside him, and to have walked away as a kid, would have disrespected her hard work. So he ensured he was always the best each step of the way to honour her. Of course now, his father would boast to everyone who listened about his son's success. But Glen knew, his mother had been his biggest cheerleader, not his dad.

His mother had been an avid churchgoer, a card carrying member of the True Path Faith. The nation's State's church and religion. He whispered a small True Path prayer to God to continue to protect his mum in Heaven, and eased himself down on the grass next to her grave.
It was a usual habit to sit there for at least an hour and just update her on all that had been going on since they last talked. It was during these times he didn't see her as deceased, it simply felt like he was sitting down having a chat in the lounge room over a cup of coffee and a chocolate teddy bear biscuit.
People passing by, would look at him as if he was crazy, but just because her body was no longer among the living; it didn't mean her spirit still wasn't with the living, guiding him and his siblings.

"Well mum, you will never believe what happened yesterday…."

[Ko-oren]

The first island we set foot on will be our home for the next three days. Half a day to find our place and get to Teraoka, a full day in Teraoka, a full day in Echizen, and half a day to get to the next island to be in Teragaseki in time. What we've always heard about this island, Alara, is that it is by far the most mainlander of the four. Not surprising considering you can almost see the mainland from its northern coast. And that's actually where we set foot first. Alara's capital is situated on the north side, and unfortunately, we have to take a train for a full 2,5 hours before we are in the town where we should be. As we can see from those that are also at the city's tiny airport, it's that the Xannerian fans also can barely believe that this is where the famous game will take place. An airport this small, and even then you'd have to take a train that takes you to the exact opposite point of the island. No matter how interesting it would be, we didn't ask the Xannerians for their opinion on the place or even our team. We have zero frame of reference. If they'd told us 'this island is terrible' we have no way to verify if they're just hating on the place for a good reason or not - we've never been here either. In fact, if their plane touched down half an hour before ours, they'd technically be better versed on the conditions than we are. No, we wanted to ask them, but ultimately we're here to ask the locals about their stance on baseball, the differences between Finisterre and Yoshima. But first we ran into a few other fans from the mainland, those that have recently converted to the sport when teams like the Wanderers and Admirals moved there.

We spoke to Karre, born-again baseball fan since the moment the Admirals moved to Intermare. "Really, at first, I barely cared. The Admirals came here after a stupid bet by the team's owner, who gambled it all, lost, and then moved the team here. I know nobody who actually wanted the team here, and those that even knew a little about baseball knew that our climate is a pretty bad fit for it. We have to play our home games in the warmest months, you can expect a few of our home games early and late in the season to fall through because of bad weather. You can't play at night then either, it cools down too much. They built the stadium on the bay, for added cooldown. Sure, us being far away and the climate being a little different adds a certain flavour, and I can't deny that it literally gives us a few extra wins per year. From when I was little, I followed the Echizen Dragons, as did most baseball fans in the northeast. It's the one team that's even located close to us, so it's that or nothing. Well, there are glory hunting Katashi fans, but you get those everywhere. So initially when the Admirals were confirmed to move, I wasn't going to switch away from my Dragons. Go Dragons!" We tried to steer the conversation to Finisterran baseball. "That's so far away though, barely in the media, too. Of course, I know that the Stars are a big-name team, probably on par with either Katashi team. Even then, it feels so remote. Most of the baseball world lives and works in Yoshima... so unless you speak Finisterran, it's hard to break into that side of baseball. Most of us grew to love the defensive game, pitchers first, bunting, the like. Very few of us chose to support the pinch-hitting, base-stealing desert baseball. I've tried to get my friends into baseball. I think the takeaway they have from the Stars and Scorpions is how they appear in finals every now and again, how they're definitely not worse than other teams, but also how inaccessible they are. For how reclusive the baseball community already is, it's an even higher threshold to support teams that are in their own world within the already locked-away world." All paraphrased... it didn't come out as fluently as I tried to put it. Karre is a nice man, but turning thoughts into words really wasn't his forte.

After that, we discussed what players are probably going to be huge in a few years. As an Admirals fan, all of the lower league teams are still playing in Yoshima, and it's pretty hard to get decent coverage on them. And that means that according to him, most of the big stars of the future are in minor programmes with teams like the Dragons, the Knights, the Quarry, a.k.a., the smaller Yoshiman teams. According to us, the biggest prodigies are playing in the Finisterre league - as if that were a surprise. The Scorpions and the Stars own some of the largest minor teams in the business, and have exclusive rights to far more players than the other teams, so it's a done deal as far as we care. Finally rolling into Teraoka, having seen a different town about every 20 minutes on our way here, we finally find a fan who didn't have to travel for nearly a full day before getting here. We meet Uchida, which is her last name, a fan from Echizen. That town will later host the second Xanneria game, but she, along with a few thousand others, took a 30-minute train from there to Teraoka so they could watch both games live. In fact, I'm told that half the stadium tonight will be filled with fans like her - Teraoka is tiny, even to those from Alara island. Her take on things is refreshing - we've never looked at it this way.

"I have a lot of Finisterran friends, I studied in Santa Teresa! And what a lot of you think, is that's we are running one big show that is desperate to favour Yoshima over Finisterre. What you don't realise is that Yoshima really isn't one big thing - us, from the smaller islands, are probably as bummed out by what Katashi decides about our sport as you are. We're just as desperate to take control of a sport that we love. The Dragons, from here, and Teragaseki from the next island over - we're kind of afraid as well. Teams are moving away, and the one thing we know is that the Katashi teams are always at the top of the food chain. All we are doing is trying to defend our status as sort of in the middle of the food chain... I think baseball should be the one major sport that is ruled at a far more local level. The rest are national sports, or regional sports tied to one language or cultural identity. Baseball is unique in that the various places that play it don't exactly like one another. We need each other for our collective hobby to survive, but honestly if we could do it alone, we probably would. Northern Yoshima, southern Yoshima, Finisterre, and now the new fans of the rest of the mainland, they're four very distinct and different groups."

[Sarzonia]

The questions facing Geoff Yancey after Game 1 of the three-game series in Islamabad weren't stopping.

Not when Jamie Pearson coughed up four of the nine runs conceded in the bottom of the sixth inning that turned what had been a close game into an 11-4 rout. Not when he left in lefty specialist Myron Daniels despite there being a succession of righty hitters and he allowed five runs without an out.

"I'm trying to keep from blowing the rest of the bullpen!" Yancey snapped. "We can't afford to burn out the arms we have in one game!"

He walked out of the press conference when one particularly antagonistic reporter drilled him -- again -- about not manipulating his rotation to start his aces against the Sherpas. "I already explained my thought process," Yancey said as he stood up and left.

The Stars would send their fifth starter Brian Lynch to the mound in a pressure situation. Lynch worked his way through the second inning after tossing 51 pitches through the first two frames, but settled down from there and only needed 61 pitches to get through five innings the rest of the way. Yancey turned things over to setup man Scott Lassiter, who gave up a leadoff homer before striking out the side. Tyrell Douglass worked the ninth inning for the save despite allowing a solo shot to a Sherpan pinch hitter.

In Game 3, Mark Conroy only allowed a run on a solo shot after he tried to sneak a slider on the inside corner at the knees, but it ended up out over the plate. Even the delay between the top and bottom of the fifth for prayers didn't deter Conroy, who tossed a complete game four-hitter with 12 strikeouts.

The Stars finished the series at 12-9, level with Lisander for first place in Group 5. The Stars return to Fleetwood Park for a series against Bolgano, who sit in fifth place, but are only two games out. Sarzonia wrap up their away schedule against a St. Saratoga team that's level for third with the top seeded Sherpas just a game out.

The fact that Sarzonia return home hasn't thus far been as much of an advantage as one might expect for a team contending for a place in the knockout rounds. The Stars have a 4-5 mark at home and are 8-4 in away games. Even if St. Saratoga completed a three-game sweep in the return leg, the Stars would finish with a winning record away from home.

Of more importance to the Stars has been the team's overall trend since it began the World Baseball Classic at 2-4. Since the Stars arrived for their first away series in Bolgano, they have played to a 10-5 record as the offence has started to get on track.

There's no margin for error for the Stars. And finally, Yancey can use the series win against the Sherpas as the ultimate answer to the questions about staying with the rotation as he mapped it out.

[South Newlandia]

ELEPHANT VALLEY MAIL
Sports
South Newlandia lose in Northwest Kalactin 1-2

Northwest Kalactin got the revenge they wanted by beating South Newlandia in two of three games. Because of the sweep South Newlandia got against the same enemy in series two, they still secure the H2H against Northwest Kalactin 4-2. South Newlandias record in away-games stays mediocre at 5-7.

Game 1

South Newlandia                    1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0  5
Northwest Kalactin                 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 2  7

Game 1 started well enough with an early run for South Newlandia, scored by Fabio Ventura. In the 3rd inning, Northwest Kalactin got their first run as well, scored by Tim Barry. South Newlandia got the lead again in the 4th, when Ian Pearce and Steve Ruiz made the score 3-1. Pitcher Jack Miller, who did not play his best game, allowed a three-run home run right after this with a weak pitch against Louis Hamilton. South Newlandia got their lead back in the 7th after a two-run homer by Gregor Garner, getting a run for Igor White as well. Northwest Kalactin equalized right after to make the score 5-5. In extra innings, Kalactin decided the game for themselves with another home run, again scored by Louis Hamilton.

Game 2

South Newlandia                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Northwest Kalactin                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Game 2 was one of the biggest pitcher duels South Newlandia had seen so far. Jacob Conroy and Jimmy Bennet both were almost unstoppable, and the game went to extra innings again, this time with a score of 0-0. In the top of the 10th, South Newlandia was able to get the decisive run, scored by Fabio Ventura. Jacob Conroy had only allowed 6 hits in all 10 innings.

Game 3

South Newlandia                    0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3  4
Northwest Kalactin                 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 X  7

Game 3 started poorly for South Newlandia. Northwest Kalcatin seemed to always be ahead of pitcher Blake Robbins, and Northwest Kalactin was able to score runs consistently. After 8 innings, the score was 1-7, and Fabio Ventura scored the only run for South Newlandia in the 5th inning. In the last inning, South Newlandia had to score 6 points, and after Fabio Ventura got a home run for three runs total, scoring Steve Ruiz and Blake Robbins as well, there was hope again. Igor White managed another hit, but Adam King and Gregor Garner were struck-out, ending the match at 4-7.
This defeat is making the group close again, but South Newlandia still is comfortably 4 wins ahead of 3rd place with 9 games to go.

All matches:
Northwest Kalactin 2-1 South Newlandia (7-5; 0-1; 7-4)

Ko-oren 2-1 Xanneria (8-6; 1-3; 5-2)
Ko-oren expands their lead with another win against Xanneria, getting them basically safe in the playoffs. They dropped another game, however, and things stay somewhat close.

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 0-3 Equestrian States (3-5; 1-8; 3-4)
This was a surprise for most, as Equestrian States hardly got a foot in front of the other so far, so a sweep in Quebec was much unexpected. This gives the States a little hope back, but they still hardly have a chance at making the playoffs.


Current standings:

Group 3                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                       21   15   6   116   84  +32
2 South Newlandia               21   14   7    80   62  +18
3 Northwest Kalactin            21   10  11    96   87   +9
4 Xanneria                      21    9  12    77   84   −7
5 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   21    8  13    91  107  −16
6 Equestrian States             21    7  14    74  110  −36

Schedule:
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec @ South Newlandia
Ko-oren @ Equestrian States
Northwest Kalactin @ Xanneria

South Newlandia will play against Quebec for their 8th series. A win should be possible, as Quebec isn’t exactly performing well so far, but they have to be careful.

[TJUN-ia]

Swiaji was the first nation we beat in baseball. It seems fitting that our first ever homestand ends against this team.

GAME 1
Davis Johnson was in for this game, but he couldn't deal with the hot bats of Swiaji. 8-3 final

GAME 2
Gene Almac tried, but he basically did what Johnson did yesterday. We were a 3-3 at one point, but a 5-run 8th sealed our fate. 8-5 final.

GAME 3
We took our anger out on this rubber game. Jose Almas only allowed a single run as the Battin' Jags ended their homestand with victory. Ki and Llorente both scored 2-run homers. 6-1 final.

We have one home game left, but it wont be until Series 9. We're off to Copenhagen now to take on The Greater Nordics, who need to not drop games to ensure Terre Septentrionale won't catch up. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE
S1 (G1/G2/G3): @Free Republics (4) - Nicholls Air Park, Baseton L 0-3 (4th [Run Differential])
S2 (G4/G5/G6): @Swiaji (UR) W 2-1 (4th [Run Differential])
S3 (G7/G8/G9): vs The Greater Nordics (12) - Rounders Field, Portside L 0-3 (5th)
S4 (G10/G11/G12): @Terre Septentrionale (29) - Park Filipowicz, Trzeszczyn L 1-2 (5th)
S5 (G13/G14/G15): vs United States of Devonta (24) - Rounders Field, Portside W 3-0 (4th [H2H])
S6 (G16/G17/G18): vs Free Republics (4) - Rounders Field, Portside L 1-2 (4th [H2H])
S7 (G19/G20/G21): vs Swiaji (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside L 1-2 (5th)
S8 (G22/G23/G24): @The Greater Nordics (12) - National Baseball Stadium, Copenhagen
S9 (G25/G26/G27): vs Terre Spetentrionale (29) - Rounders Field, Portside
S10 (G28/G29/G30): @United States of Devonta (24)

[Hampton Island]

Scenario: Stadium CEO and Richard Miller discuss things.

CEO: Any updates?

Miller: Midnight seemed depressed on the field. In that first game, he was 0-for-4 and struck out all four times. It didn’t seem right for him.

CEO: He always strikes out a lot. It’s feast or famine with him. Which is why I do not understand the strategy Hapilopper utilized in intentionally walking him every time he stepped up to the plate. If your pitcher is worth a grain of salt, pitch to him.

Miller: I don’t think he likes being isolated in that field area with that female bear, and it is causing him to be depressed.

CEO: No one cares about a bear who is battling depression.

Miller: Well you should, because he is a key component of this team.

CEO: He homered in the second and third games. He also struck out a couple times in each game, but we are used to that. He is still hitting the ball. And why would he be depressed, he has a female in there, it’s time for him to cheer himself up with her.

Miller: He’s a bear, sir, they don’t pursue that action for the same reason humans can often do.

CEO: What about the female, is she depressed too?

Miller: Very. I think she might have given birth recently, and is looking for her young cubs. She is very bothered and angry, and this is causing her to not interact with Midnight. They seem to be isolating themselves in different corners of the field.

CEO: Then she is worthless to us, we need to get another female.

Miller: I do feel sorry for her. I can only imagine how difficult it is for her. I am pretty sure by her mannerisms that she has young cubs who are now not being taken care of.

CEO: Who cares. She’s a bear.

Miller: I get you only see her as a bear. But if we get another female, can we at least release her?

CEO: Fine, release her. It can be fodder for an episode of the show. Get another one.

Miller: We’ll try.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Start of the Kalactanian Guerrila War
“Sir we have reports coming in from the west side of the nation that there are attacks going on on kalactanian military bases and government buildings.” A private said to the general
“What! Do you know who this group is? Or where there from?”
“Well they said that they were a fascist group looking to unite Northwest Kalactin under fascism.”
“Okay I will dispatch the 38th there immediately. Also relay this info to other generals, Okay.
“Yes sir that will get done.”
The 38th Division was the special forces of the kalactanian military they were in charge of making sure that they were no terrorists or rebels in Northwest Kalactin. Northwest Kalactin was a nation that was a democracy and protected rights of there citizens so most times rebels were not in Northwest Kalactin. Although this group they were about to fight would bring a full 3 year long war to Northwest Kalactin. The war would end up not affecting Kalactanian life much because the war was a guerrila war in the west side of the nation where not many lived although it would have a large affect on Kalactanian politics.
The commander of the 38th addressed his men of the situation and he told them that they would be leaving for the west side immediately, they hopped into military trucks and left for the west.
The west was very rough mountain terrain so they used off-road vehicles to get to the are where they would be fighting. They left from the city of Ballina and set out west they had no idea what would be coming next.

[Cassadaigua]

The beat goes on,
by Macy Hamel- 3B

It has been an honor to play in the World Baseball Classic once again. We are now 21 games into this one, and are on a good run right with ten wins in eleven games. Personally, I am hitting the ball very well. I was happy to see that the Concord Heights Times, in a recent article, picked up that I am hitting over .300, and actually I think it is around .330 right now for the Classic, while mentioning that I have never hit above .300 in a domestic season. That’s always been something that I would like to do, but sometimes it’s not about getting the hits, it’s when get you them. If you are hitting .320, but only .245 with two outs and runners in scoring position, are you really better then a .260 hitter that hits .375 in the same situation? Arguments can go both ways, and these days they have stats for every single possible category. A Brattleboro Tech study once did an analysis of a hitters batting average in comparison to what the actual temperature was outside, all the way down to the very specific single degree. Then, when you didn’t think was enough, they further broke it down to whether or not you were pulling the ball and your percentage of ground balls to fly balls in those situations. I wouldn’t expect less from Brattleboro Tech, and it gave me and others a laugh when we saw it. Kudos on those who did the research, but you know, it doesn’t mean much. I hit .298 when it’s 75, but .271 when its 74, and .261 when is 76 but .305 when it's 77, so there is no pattern. Not that I read the study in detail or anything. Fine, as baseball players we’ll look for any pattern.

Maddie Polanco, our manager, loves all that stuff. But in this World Baseball Classic, there is not enough information about many of these teams to break down in the way that they did at Brattleboro Tech. When we get into the playoffs, and it now seems pretty good that we will punch our ticket there, it is possible that we will take on an opponent that also has some history in the tournament, so you can analyze their tendencies. There are books out there are on the top players from nations in the top 15 or 20 in the rankings, but breaking down the unranked teams are much more difficult. In many cases, you hope that you are inherently better then them, and you can win just on talent. When the unranked squad has talent though, as we are seeing from South Newlandia, then they can have success. They have all the material they need if they want to do the research, and a nation that want to do well in this series will have a team of scouts doing exactly that.

There is still more work to do in this group stage. It is never over until the 30th game, no matter when you actually clinch the spot. At 16-5, we are in a good position within our group, leading by six games over the third place team. Saintland, interestingly enough, has been unresponsive so far to the challenge. We keep waiting for them to make a move in this group, and I think all of us saw them as our chief competitor, but that has not materialized. They still have time, as they are just two games out of second, so don’t rule them out for that, which will mean when they host us, they are going to be going all out, but as far as winning the group, they have not made a run at us. We are not content with this, because you are also playing for seeding. In theory, a better seed means an easier route through the playoffs. In reality, there is no easy route in the playoffs, especially in this format. With 16 teams qualifying out of 48, there are going to be no weak links. That said, you still want to win as many games as you can, because that’s what we’re here for. We are still the #2 seed right now, with the edge in run differential over Free Republics and Newmanistan, who have the same record but each of those recent former champions are close enough in that category, that we could be the #4 seed tomorrow even if we all won our next game. Abanhfleft is having quite a run right now and is the number 1 seed. We’ll see if that can last, or if the pressure from Hampton Island and Hapilopper starts to get to them.

Be assured then, that you will see no let up for us in terms of our effort. Being home against Gekkeom is next, then we travel to Saintland. Most of us are pretty excited about that matchup and we hope that their fans will show us the same kind of respect that we showed them, other then the two people that threw apples in the first game. From our end, that part of the rivalry is over. We’ll see if it is on their end, but we cannot look past Gekkeom. Right now, they are our focus. There is no such thing as an easy game or series.

[Inner AginanaUsordia]

TSR
Twitcher Sports Recap:
San Bracero pitches complete game; Sagan records first good game; Slatek does his job in sweep of Drunk People at the Local Tavern

---

twitcher.com/rensselaerkent/status-0944-04-04-2020

Get ready for some baseball! Your @LionsBaseball-IA against the Drunk People from the Local Tavern, right here in AU city. Much love to the fans, you all are wonderful! Go Lions!

Coach Kent’s optimism lasted the whole 27 innings, with the Lions picking up the first game, 9-0.

twitcher.com/sagan42carlos/status-1538-04-04-2020

Excellent work @LionsBaseball-IA on the 9-0 win vs. the Drunk People! We need this momentum.

Although he let up 5 runs in the first two innings, Sagan pulled away and pitched another 4 scoreless innings. The Lions ended with the win, 8-5.

twitcher.com/vigilmarcus/status-1903-04-04-2020

velocity off the bat was 113 mph it literally went 2 inches over my head i might not survive 30 games as a coach here
i don’t want to die
i’m too young and too innocent

Marcus Vigil, owner of 6 suspensions for substance abuse in his IABML career, now fears for his life after a stray ball off the Local Tavern’s bats went his way. At least he knows how to deal with paranoia well. The Lions won the game, 5-4.

twitcher.com/sportsthessalonbay/status-2000-04-04-2020

The Inner AginanaUsordia Lions Baseball team is now one game past .500, at .524. They slid into third place in the 8th group, behind only Banija and Drawkland. Go Lions!

That wraps up our Twitcher Sports Recap. We’ll see you tomorrow.

[The Sherpa Empire]

The talk about replacing Karan Bhansali was heating up again after the Sherpas lost two out of three games to Sarzonia. The bookies in Macau were taking bets on how long he would last as manager of the national baseball team. They were also taking bets on whether Kami Akunjee would get the boot because of his public shit-stirring and the fact that the team did not seem to be able to come together when he was pitching. Of course, Akunjee was not directly responsible for the lack of offense or the clumsiness of the bullpen, but because he had been rocking the boat, people were beginning to speculate that he might be damaging the team's chemistry in the clubhouse.

Bhansali tried to smooth things over in a post-game interview, saying, "The Stars have a good team, and I think we should give them credit where it's due. Obviously, we need to be scoring more than 1 run a game, but that's something that we've been doing even as recently as yesterday, and I don't think it's a good idea to read too much into who our starting pitcher is on the days when we're struggling at the plate. I think that has more to do with who is pitching for the other team and we should give Conroy credit where it's due."

Akunjee also denied that the Sherpas' disappointing record was due to bad blood in the clubhouse. "It was a frustrating loss today, but I'm not going to do anything less than my best just because of anything that happened between me and Bhansali, and I don't think anyone else on this team is giving less than their best just because of something I posted on the internet. I mean, it's kind of insulting to even suggest that. We all want to win and we're doing the best we can."

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS TAKE TWO IN THE JUNGLE

by Brianne Henry,

Playing at Loudon Stadium, otherwise known as “The Jungle”, the Rockets took on Brooklyn and Queens, and won two out of three against their unranked rival. As I was looking through various media publications, I saw that TJUN-ia also references their stadium as “The Jungle”. They have a more polite way of welcoming you to the jungle, then we do. Though they do claim the crowd may eat you alive. Here in The Jungle of Loudon, it’s simple, “You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby! You’re gonna die!” because, “It’s bring you down! Huh!” In TJUN-ia, they at least give you the chance for fair play.

Fine, I am from Pocono City, I am not supposed to like Loudon. (OOC: Pocono City and Loudon have a New York City-Boston like rivalry), but the jungle is where the Leopards play here, and the Jaguars play there. In the World Baseball Classic, we don’t have to worry about them getting along with one another since TJUN-ia is in another group, and does not, at least right now, seem to be destined for the playoffs. They have not officially been eliminated yet, but are getting there. As for the Rockets, playoffs look favorable, but with a three game lead over both South Covello and Liventia, the latter of which is simply on a tear right now after their initial 1-5 start, Newmanistan must continue to stick with it. Each of those teams controls their own destiny against us too, as we still have a series left against both of them. Fortunately, you know that manager Ashley Hedstrom is well aware of the fragile nature of our three game lead. She has no choice not to be, she has already been ousted once by Liventia when it seemed like we should have been through ahead of them.

In the first game of the series, Newmanistan won by the score of 8-3, allowing a top of the first inning run, but getting two right back in the bottom of the inning. How were they scored? Well, you know the routine. Our two speedsters, Brooke Sauter and Jenna Schuster each reached base, with Sauter getting a single, and then the Brooklyn and Queens pitcher making the mistake of walking Jenna Schuster. They did they classic double steal, and it all it took were two sacrifice flies to account for two runs. Mikayla Larson and Lexi Burrows would have loved to have done more, but ever since we first began playing in the World Baseball Classic, Newmanistan scoring two runs in an inning in exactly this fashion has become one of our trademarks. It would happen again in the bottom of the sixth as well, as Newmanistan extended the 4-3 advantage to a 6-3 cushion. On the mound, Paige Norwood pitched seven strong innings, allowing three runs (two earned), walking two, and fanning seven. After the game, Brooke Sauter told us, “It is so fun to be in this batting lineup with Jenna. We have always been good friends and have admired one another. We often compete against one another, but through that we became close friends. To have this chance to be in this lineup together is amazing for both of us, and we definitely feed off of one another.”

The second game of the series saw our international rookie Kelsie Carmichael take to the mound in an effort to see if she could personally remain undefeated. Her debut has been so successful, that there is no one questioning her addition on the team any more. In this game, you can chalk up another successful start as the Rockets cruised to a 6-2 win. Carmichael tossed a complete game, allowing two runs (and one of them was a meaningless top of the ninth score), on five hits, walking one, and striking out nine. Offensively, the highlight for Newmanistan was again instigated by Sauter and Schuster, who hit consecutive singles and did their double steal together once again, coming in the fourth. However, this time, Mikayla Larson who plays at home here in Loudon, hit the ball where no one but a fan would catch it. The three run bomb gave Newmanistan a 3-1 lead at the time, and they never looked back. Larson was personally thrilled to have such a big hit in the Jungle, “These fans have been great for me, and I know while they want the team to do well, they were hoping that I could personally deliver something big. The Sauter and Schuster show has been exciting to work with in front of me in the batting lineup, but its most fun when I can bring all of us home.”

Unfortunately, Newmanistan could not complete the sweep in the third game, however it was not a bad effort. It was one of those games, where if it happened in the middle of the regular season, you just shrug it off and move on to the next game. Brooklyn and Queens got one back, winning 3-2, getting a single run in each of the second, third and fourth. Hannah Lee was not her best in those innings, but after the fourth, she did not allow another baserunner while she was in the game, and she pitched eight. She bounced back well, and there was hope that Newmanistan could tie the game at some point. They were stuck on one run most of the way, and got one back in the seventh when Chelsea Harlow hit a solo home run, but could not get any closer then that. They threatened in the ninth a little bit, but have to settle for the 3-2 loss. Ashley Hedstrom said of the game, “Hannah missed some pitches early, but I was also impressed with how she bounced back. I can take a positive from that, she showed her veteran nature, and kept it within reach for us to get the tying run. We had a couple cracks at it, but as you know, we didn’t get that third run in. I think if we did, we could have continued to shut them down with out bullpen.”

Through 21 games, Newmanistan has a strong 16-5 record but has their toughest games in the group still ahead of them. Next up is a trip to Chromatika, a nation with a strong history in sports, and I have heard that a lot of Newmanistanians are planning to make the trip. We don’t have much of a history against them in sports, so it is a chance and an excuse to see a nation that they have heard a lot about but have not really had a reason to go there.

[Daskel]

C8 Sports news|BASEBALL|ICE HOCKEY|TENNIS|SOCCER|BLOCKBALL|ATHLETICS|OTHER SPORTS|

---

WBC: Suprise in the Dai!
By Go Nakamura (@GomuraOfficial)

Good, good morning, fellow daskelians!

For those who had the luck to watch the series from the Dai stands, they all know how incredible it was. Daskies played against Anthor, after all. A highly ranked team, currently in the top 20 in the WBC rankings. Not only that, but the Daskies managed to win two games against Anthor, securing the series and a highly anticipated third spot on the table. Do not forget last time team Daskel played against them, managing to get a single win. It seems like the Daskies finally broke their 1W-2L curse!.

Let's make a quick report of the events here, in our loved AstorDai.

Game 1

Anthor                             1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Daskel                             0 0 0 1 0 0 3 1 X  5

[TBW] Game one in the Dai started tense for team Daskel. after the first three innings, Ten Kujima found his rythmn, securing the rest of the game until Aster Quinta relieved him and and Kaoru Izo closed the game. Fourth inning was special not only for Kujima, but for Daskel's batters, who started to attack. After a single run in the fourth with a grind fo it, Daskies scored 3 runs in the seventh and one in the eighth with an effective, disciplined playstyle. 5-2 Daskies!


Game 2

Anthor                             2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1  5
Daskel                             0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0 X  6

Game 2 in the Dai was even more close tan the first, being a battle until the very end of the game. Anthor opened the score with two runs, but didn't score after that until an error by Goran in the fifth. Daskies started slow on the batting side, but finally found their way on the fourth inning. The best inning of the Daskies was the seventh, when Cho and Goran scored long hits, securing both two runners before the last out. Team Anthor tried to come back in the last two innings, but Daskel managed to hold them in line, giving up two runs, but finally getting the awaited W. 5-6 Daskies!


Game 3

Anthor                             0 0 0 0 2 0 4 0 1  7
Daskel                             0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0  4

Game three started in high spirits. Pitcher Rokauveru was on fire in the first four innings, but an incident with a wild pitch on the bottom of the fourth made him step out the mound to be checked. His status haven't been made public from the Daskel baseball Federation, but coach Quintaro extraofficially said to the press that Laz is fine, only with Little pain where the ball hit him (left forearm). The game lost their momentum from that moment, where Reubens could not manage to stop Anthor batters. The worst moment was the seventh, a very eventful inning, if you watched the last two games. This time, sadly, lucky seventh wasn't in the Daskies side, and Reubens gave up four runs. 7-4 Anthor.

Group 4               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Nova Anglicana         21   13   8   103   68  +35
2 West Phoenicia         21   11  10    93   94   −1
3 Daskel                 21   10  11   104  104    0
4 Anthor                 21   10  11    82   78   +4
5 Kriegiersien           21   10  11    85   87   −2
6 Oscioru                21    9  12    86  122  −36

Next series is against Nova Anglicana on the road! Please support the Daskies. Make some noise. We can aim even higher!

Aim and Swing!

Daskies Calendar: Group 4

March 28: Series 1 - Oscioru vs Daskel: 1W - L2
March 29: Series 2 - Daskel vs Anthor: 1W - L2
March 30: Series 3 - Nova Anglicana vs Daskel 1W - 2L
March 31: Series 4 - Daskel vs Kriegiersien 3W - 0L
April 1: Series 5 - West Phoenicia vs Daskel: 1W - 2L
April 2: Series 6 - Daskel vs Oscioru: 1W- 2L
April 3: Series 7 - Anthor vs Daskel: 2W - 1L

April 4: Series 8 - Daskel vs Nova Anglicana
April 5: Series 9 - Kriegiersien vs Daskel
April 6: Series 10 - Daskel vs West Phoenicia

*HOME

[Nova Anglicana]

Russell credits his versatility for stellar Classic

Samantha Maxwell, Londinium Courier

Erik Russell has been having himself a World Baseball Classic. Other than a four-inning, five-run hiccup against Daskel, he has thrown twenty-seven scoreless innings, or three complete game shutouts. His first outing was a shutout of Oscioru in a 5-0 win, then the aforementioned Daskel game, a 6-0 shutout of Anthor near the end of the first half, and in the most recent series, a repeat performance against Oscioru, again a 5-0 win. I caught up with him after the game, when we talked about his success, his pitching philosophy, and the pitches themselves.

Samantha Maxwell: Erik, obviously you've been having a great Classic, three complete game shutouts, a 1.45 ERA, and nearly eight innings per outing. What's your secret?

Erik Russell: So much of good pitching is finding a rhythm and mixing up your pitches. If you can stay on rhythm and keep the hitters from getting into a groove, then you're going to have success.

SM: Walk us through the Oscioru games. How did you shut them out the first time, only allowing four baserunners?

ER: Well, like I said before, you have to find a good mix of pitches. For me, my regular fastball isn't anything special (laughs), only 90 miles an hour, and if it's flat, that's gonna get smacked by any good hitter. So I learned how to put some cut on it, make it sink, make it run away from righties so they're diving at the outside corner. And believe it or not, just showing guys multiple different looks with the fastball sometimes is enough to keep them off balance. A lot of people just look four-seamer or think you are going to throw all sinkers, so if you show 'em both looks and you throw in a third one, they get really confused. So that was how I got through Oscioru the first time.

SM: In order to pitch two shutouts against the same team, you've really got to have their number. How did you keep Oscioru from getting the book on you and pitch a second shutout against them?

ER: Since I threw so many fastballs in the first game against them, I figured they would be looking fastball. So I had throw more off-speed this time around. When I was in the TPL at Thunder River (Note: the AA affiliate of the Newfield Express), we had a pitching coach named Donnie Boone. And I used to be a fastball-changeup guy. Three to four types of fastball and a straight change. But coach Boone, he told me I couldn't survive on just two types of pitches. So I told him I was interested in learning different types of pitches, stuff that most guys won't see. And he taught me how to throw a Vulcan change and a knuckle curve. So I threw probably sixty percent off-speed in game two, mostly those Vulcan changes and knuckle curves. And it worked. Most guys, they've never seen that kind of stuff.

SM: When you say "Vulcan change" or "knuckle curve", most of our readers haven't heard of those pitches. They know what a changeup is or what a curveball is, but what makes your pitches different?

ER: You know, Samantha, the crazy thing about it is that they're not that different. With a knuckle curve, you snap your wrist just like you're throwing a regular curveball, but the difference is in the grip. Normally, you hold your fingers flat against the seams, but with a knuckle curve, you bend your index finger so your knuckle is touching the ball. That's why it's called a knuckle curve. It moves a little differently, and it's a little harder than a normal curve, so it messes up guys' timing and how they normally track the curve. Now for the Vulcan change, did you ever see that old TV show Star Trek with that guy Spock?

SM: Yes, I remember Spock. "Live long and prosper," and he'd do that thing with his hand.

ER: Yup, that's exactly right. You make the Vulcan hand sign with two fingers on each side, and you jam the ball deep into your hand, almost like a splitter, except you're using your middle and ring fingers instead of your index and middle fingers. The basic motion of the pitch is that it has the change of pace to fool hitters looking for a fastball, and it has the sink on it where the bottom of just falls out and people swing over it. And you can play around with it too; if you grip it a little tighter or a little looser, it'll move a little different. If you throw it just like a fastball with the same hand motion, it'll dive a little more. So the same pitch, just like a fastball, you can throw it a little differently, and that might make all the difference.

SM: It sounds like to me that you're saying giving the hitter different looks and throwing different pitches and just being unpredictable on the mound is your key to success.

ER: Yeah, I think that's right, Samantha. For guys like me, without power fastballs like Cory [Sharpe] or Wyatt [Templeton], being tricky is how we succeed. The high leg kick, that's another element. I can go real high, or just medium high, or not even use a leg kick, go through my wind-up a little faster, and that messes up guys' timing and their eyes. Any time you're making the batter focus on anything but the ball and how it's coming out of your hand, that's a win for you.

SM: Well, Erik, thanks so much for taking the time to sit down with me and give us the inside scoop on your pitching style and how you help the team succeed.

ER: It was my pleasure. Me and the rest of the guys, we just want to take it one game at a time, do our best, and bring that WBC trophy back to Nova Anglicana.

[Liventia]

Rookie outfield takes heat as Liventian struggles continue in WBC
PORT CARTFORT— For a baseball-loving nation, Liventia sure does like to ignore its national team at times.

The ongoing 48th World Baseball Classic is one of those times, not helped by the team's lacklustre 13–8 start to pool play including losing its opening home series to an unknown team.

Liventia has an active WBC playoff streak, having made the final rounds of the tournament every time since the team's return to international play during the 43rd Classic. However, for a while during the early series of the current competition, that streak looked in danger.

The finger has been pointed squarely at the team's outfield, with four of the five selected outfielders earning their maiden Classic call-ups to the squad. Only Dermot Rowntree, by now a mainstay of the squad at just 22 years old, had any prior experience.

Of the other four, only Liventian Baseball Championship Grand Final MVP Hughie Hollis has had success in his debut international season, hitting at a .322 clip. But Hollis is not a power threat – he hit just nine home runs in the LBC regular season – and Danny Hugill and Jude Angrove, the other two regular starters, have failed to fire with only a combined four long balls between them in the team's opening 21 games.

Anger from fans has also been directed at the team selectors for refusing to consider any position player over the age of 32, with the oldest man on the team being 33-year-old pitcher Tyler Newitt. Four of the five outfielders are 22; Angrove is 23. The team's average age is just a tick under 24 years of age.

Team captain Newitt (3–0, 2.63 ERA) is one of the few who has stood out, having pitched a seven-inning no-decision against Brooklyn and Queens (two earned runs), a complete game four-hit shutout against Teyniyji, and a 12-strikeout 6.2-inning gem against Chromatika (1 ER), before being shellacked for five runs in a five-inning outing that resulted in a win in his second start against Brooklyn and Queens.

He admits the team is concerned by its slow start, but vows the players will rebound.

"We've got a big series coming up away at South Covello, and they have the same record as we do. They beat us in Port Cartfort and we'd like to gain a measure of revenge.

"We're not daft, we read social media and the blogs, we know we haven't played well and rightly the fans are having their say. But what I can promise them is we are working at it every day to turn this around and keep our playoff streak alive."

Team management has announced a change to the rotation for the remaining games to put selected pitchers, including Newitt, on short rest.

Series 8 v Teyniji: Newitt, Mansell, Bates
Series 9 @ Chromatika: Lutley, Newitt, Henley
Series 10 v Newmanistan: Mansell, Lutley, Newitt

[South Newlandia]

ELEPHANT VALLEY MAIL
Sports
Unscheduled off-day comes in handy for South Newlandia

With Drawkland announcing an unscheduled off-day between rounds 7 and 8 of the group phase the team has time to relax, and we finally have enough time to look at the success of South Newlandias lineup, to look at the surprises and happenings in other groups, and also to take a short look what is currently happening at home.

A look at the teams stats
Due to the small lineup of just 16 players, we have seen the same players a lot during this Classic so far. Additionally, the same 9 starters played most of the games. Let’s look at some stats.
The player with the most home runs is already counting five of them. Adam King, the teams 1st Baseman, scored two in the first series against Northwest Kalactin, and one against Quebec, the Equestrian States and in the second series against Xanneria each. The only players with three home runs are Fabio Ventura, the teams Right Fielder, and Center Field Jake Davidson.
Fabio Ventura is also the player leading the total run count so far, having scored 18 runs in 21 games. He is only getting stronger recently, and scored 8 runs over the last 6 games, becoming the teams strongest hitter. Adam King is counting 14 runs at the moment, and the teams 2nd Baseman Igor White is counting 11.
As for the pitchers, Jacob Conroy seems to be emerging as the teams strongest pitcher, and one of the main reasons why South Newlandia is the team with the fewest runs against themselves in the whole classic. Recently, he allowed only one run in two games. The other three, Jack Miller, Ryan Hunter and Blake Robbins seem to be about equal in strength, but Miller proved that he is also an asset with the bat, scoring multiple hits and a home run against The Royal Kingdom of Quebec already.

A look at the other groups
Group one surprised comparatively little, as the three top seeds are also in the lead right now. Nevertheless, few expected the world number 11 Abanhfleft to go onto a 17-4 rampage in the first 7 series.
Group two is similar, with the Free Republics and The Greater Nordics in the lead everyone expected from them. Remarkable is only the very bad performance of world number 24 Devonta at just 4-17.
Group four is the closest one of this classic, and sees the two top seeds in the lead as well. Unranked team Daskel still has a fantastic tournament, trailing the playoffs by just one win at the moment.
Group five probably surprises most, seeing unranked team Sarzonia in the lead at the moment. The group is just as close as Group four though, so nothing is set in stone here.
Group six sees Cassadaigua at a strong pace of 16-5, partly because Saintland, the world number 17, is just not performing at the moment. Right now, they are sitting at 9-12, so making the playoffs will be very difficult.
Group seven is not very surprising, seeing the top three seeds in the top three spots with Newmanistan dominating.
Group eight isn’t surprising either, with group favorite and world number one Banija leading and Drawkland, the world number 13, in second. Notably, third seed Kita-Hinode is performing poorly at only 7-14.

A look at domestic baseball
While all of this is going on, South Newlandias performance at the World Baseball Classic has created a real “Baseball-Hype” back at home, with a representative survey stating that 64% of South Newlandians are interested in Baseball, opposed to just 18% before South Newlandia announce their participation in the Classic. This rising popularity is not being accurately met, seeing that there is not even a national baseball league or any kind of organization. Because of this, high ranking sport officials, among others the Nations Minister of Culture Szandra Little, the teams coach Gabriel Brown and the teams manager Tobias Sansara,are debating currently, with no end in sign just yet. At request, none of them were available for an interview, so it seems like the general public will be in the dark for now.

Current standings:

Group 3                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                       21   15   6   116   84  +32
2 South Newlandia               21   14   7    80   62  +18
3 Northwest Kalactin            21   10  11    96   87   +9
4 Xanneria                      21    9  12    77   84   −7
5 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   21    8  13    91  107  −16
6 Equestrian States             21    7  14    74  110  −36

Schedule:
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec @ South Newlandia
Ko-oren @ Equestrian States
Northwest Kalactin @ Xanneria

[Sarzonia]

A steady rainfall beginning in the late night hours continued past the morning of the originally scheduled beginning of Sarzonia's three-game series against Bolgano.

The automatic drainage system kicked into gear to treat the majority of the field and a good old fashioned tarp covered the infield at Fleetwood Park. Dagan home plate umpire and crew chief Carli Davies was paying close attention to the weather reports, most of which forecast the storm to pass through with enough time to get the field ready for play.

She consulted with field supervisor Quentin Ranford, who said the grounds crew could get the field in safe playing condition in 90 minutes "if we bust our asses."

"Sounds good," she said. She hadn't visited Sarzonia in a while, at least not as an umpire, so she had to get used to the more free flowing casual profanity in Sarzonia. She had been to patriarchal societies before, so she adapted to places where men were more likely to be in leadership roles. She was still getting used to it on some level, but it wasn't as big a deal for her.

However, her reverie was soon interrupted by a frantic scream from someone she grew to recognise as team assistant general manager Yvette Williams-Cooper.

"Yvette! What's wrong?" She looked at the horrified expression on Williams-Cooper's face and noticed her eyes were red with tears. The Sarzonian hung her head and fought back more tears.

"It's Todd!" she said, breathing heavily between phrases. "He's been pronounced dead!"

"What?"

"He was taken to Woodstock General Hospital last night complaining about shortness of breath and a nasty cough. The doctors are waiting for the test results, but they're strongly suspecting he had the SARS 2 novel Coronavirus" Williams-Cooper said.

"You mean the Wuchang Coronavirus," one man piped in, causing Williams-Cooper to turn angrily toward him.

"No, I mean the SARS 2 novel Coronavirus," she said. She saw the man about to interject so she forcefully put her right palm up and snapped, "you keep your fucking racism at home. It has no place in Sarzonia!"

Geoff Yancey happened onto the scene and recognized the man as the supervisor of the team's auxiliary staff including ball boys.

"Cliff," what in the fuck makes you think that kind of thinking is acceptable?" Yancey said.

"Article VI," Cliff said with a growing sense of hubris that Yancey was only too willing to prick like a balloon."

"Article VI guarantees you the right to say what you want," Yancey said, "but it doesn't free you from the responsibility to face consequences for saying stupid shit." I'll make sure you won't have your job at the end of day today. We don't allow bigotry on any team I'm part of."

After Cliff stormed out of Fleetwood Park, the skies began to clear up, but there would be no baseball that night in Woodstock or anywhere else. A variety of reasons, from rain to striking umpires to teams postponing games to pay respect to Meyers and other victims of the SARS 2 novel Coronavirus caused a three-day break in the action.

Yancey said the team would stay with the rotation at least for the first two games back against Bolgano. If the Stars were in favourable shape after the games, they would keep the same rotation. If not, he was open to starting Mark Conroy in either Game 2 or Game 3.

"This is unprecedented for this team," Yancey said. There really isn't a blueprint for how to handle this."

[Drawkland]

DRAWKLAND'S WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 48
GROUP STAGE - SERIES 8
Sorry for the delay, but it's On With The Show now.

---

Group 1

Game 1
Hampton Island                     0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Hapilopper                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Democratic Publicity Stunts        0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Abanhfleft                         0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Pripet Socialist Republic          0 4 0 0 3 1 0 1 0  9
Nooooooooooooooo                   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  2

Game 2
Hampton Island                     3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  7
Hapilopper                         0 1 0 2 0 2 1 3 X  9

Democratic Publicity Stunts        0 0 0 1 0 3 1 0 0  5
Abanhfleft                         2 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 X  8

Pripet Socialist Republic          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Nooooooooooooooo                   0 0 0 0 6 0 0 4 X 10

Game 3
Hampton Island                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Hapilopper                         0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 X  4

Democratic Publicity Stunts        0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  4
Abanhfleft                         0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Pripet Socialist Republic          0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1  3
Nooooooooooooooo                   0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  2

  Group 1                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Abanhfleft                    24   18   6   125   96  +29
2 Hapilopper                    24   15   9   113   82  +31
3 Hampton Island                24   15   9   109   87  +22
4 Democratic Publicity Stunts   24   11  13    81  103  −22
5 Pripet Socialist Republic     24    7  17    74  112  −38
6 Nooooooooooooooo              24    6  18    91  113  −22

Group 2

Game 1
Free Republics                     0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3
Swiaji                             0 0 3 0 3 1 0 0 X  7

TJUN-ia                            0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2  5
The Greater Nordics                1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Devonta                            1 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 0  8
Terre Septentrionale               0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1  5

Game 2
Free Republics                     0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  5
Swiaji                             1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

TJUN-ia                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The Greater Nordics                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  1

Devonta                            0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Terre Septentrionale               0 0 5 1 0 2 0 2 X 10

Game 3
Free Republics                     0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Swiaji                             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

TJUN-ia                            0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
The Greater Nordics                0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 X  5

Devonta                            0 0 0 0 0 5 2 0 0  7
Terre Septentrionale               0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  3

  Group 2               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Free Republics         24   18   6   143   76  +67
2 The Greater Nordics    24   16   8   121   82  +39
3 Terre Septentrionale   24   13  11    98  104   −6
4 Swiaji                 24   10  14    91  117  −26
5 TJUN-ia                24    9  15    82  118  −36
6 Devonta                24    6  18    90  128  −38

Group 3

Game 1
Ko-oren                            0 14 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 16
Equestrian States                  0  0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
South Newlandia                    0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 X  2

Northwest Kalactin                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3  4
Xanneria                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  2

Game 2
Ko-oren                            0 1 4 2 1 0 0 1 0  9
Equestrian States                  3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  4

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec        1 0 1 0 0 1 1 3 0  7
South Newlandia                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Northwest Kalactin                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3
Xanneria                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Game 3
Ko-oren                            1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1  5
Equestrian States                  4 2 0 0 2 0 1 0 X  9

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec        2 3 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 11
South Newlandia                    0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2

Northwest Kalactin                 0 5 0 0 1 3 0 0 4 13
Xanneria                           1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  5

  Group 3                      Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                       24   17   7   146   98  +48
2 South Newlandia               24   15   9    84   80   +4
3 Northwest Kalactin            24   13  11   116   94  +22
4 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   24   10  14   109  111   −2
5 Xanneria                      24    9  15    84  104  −20
6 Equestrian States             24    8  16    88  140  −52

Group 4

Game 1
Daskel                             0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Nova Anglicana                     1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 X  3

Oscioru                            0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
West Phoenicia                     1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  3

Kriegiersien                       0 6 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  9
Anthor                             4 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  7

Game 2
Daskel                             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Nova Anglicana                     0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 X  4

Oscioru                            0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0  5
West Phoenicia                     2 0 0 6 0 0 1 0 X  9

Kriegiersien                       1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Anthor                             1 3 1 0 0 3 0 0 X  8

Game 3
Daskel                             1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1  4
Nova Anglicana                     0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  3

Oscioru                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
West Phoenicia                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  2

Kriegiersien                       2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  5
Anthor                             1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 1  6

  Group 4               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Nova Anglicana         24   15   9   113   73  +40
2 West Phoenicia         24   14  10   107  101   +6
3 Anthor                 24   12  12   103   93  +10
4 Daskel                 24   11  13   109  114   −5
5 Kriegiersien           24   11  13   100  108   −8
6 Oscioru                24    9  15    93  136  −43

Group 5

Game 1
The Sherpa Empire                  0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  3
Lisander                           0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2

St. Saratoga                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Cascom                             3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  4

Bolgano                            0 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 0  5
Sarzonia                           2 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 X  8

Game 2
The Sherpa Empire                  0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  6
Lisander                           0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

St. Saratoga                       0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Cascom                             1 2 0 3 4 0 1 2 X 13

Bolgano                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Sarzonia                           0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

Game 3
The Sherpa Empire                  0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4
Lisander                           0 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 X  7

St. Saratoga                       0 1 3 0 5 0 0 0 0  9
Cascom                             0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  3

Bolgano                            2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Sarzonia                           0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 X  6

  Group 5               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Sarzonia               24   15   9   118   94  +24
2 Lisander               24   13  11   126  104  +22
3 The Sherpa Empire      24   13  11   104   91  +13
4 St. Saratoga           24   12  12    89  105  −16
5 Bolgano                24   10  14    96  120  −24
6 Cascom                 24    9  15   105  124  −19

Group 6

Game 1
Mushroom Kingdom                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Saintland                          0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  4

Gekkeom                            0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  4
Cassadaigua                        1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  3

The Sarian                         2 0 3 0 0 2 1 0 0  8
Imperial Joseon                    0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Game 2
Mushroom Kingdom                   0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0  4
Saintland                          0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Gekkeom                            0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  2
Cassadaigua                        1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 X  4

The Sarian                         1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Imperial Joseon                    0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 4  7

Game 3
Mushroom Kingdom                   0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2
Saintland                          0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

Gekkeom                            0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Cassadaigua                        0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 X  8

The Sarian                         1 1 0 1 1 0 1 3 0 0 1 0  9
Imperial Joseon                    1 0 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 10

  Group 6               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Cassadaigua            24   18   6   160   84  +76
2 Imperial Joseon        24   12  12   119  121   −2
3 Mushroom Kingdom       24   12  12   105   99   +6
4 The Sarian             24   11  13   115  131  −16
5 Saintland              24   11  13    84  108  −24
6 Gekkeom                24    8  16    86  126  −40

Group 7

Game 1
Newmanistan                        3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  6
Chromatika                         1 1 0 3 2 1 0 0 X  8

Teyniyji                           0 1 0 1 2 1 2 1 1  9
Liventia                           1 0 0 6 3 0 0 1 X 11

South Covello                      2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  4
Brooklyn and Queens                1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 X  5

Game 2
Newmanistan                        1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Chromatika                         0 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 X  6

Teyniyji                           0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Liventia                           0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3  4

South Covello                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  3
Brooklyn and Queens                3 0 2 1 4 0 0 0 X 10

Game 3
Newmanistan                        4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Chromatika                         0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Teyniyji                           0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1  5
Liventia                           0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0  4

South Covello                      0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
Brooklyn and Queens                2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 X  5

  Group 7               Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Newmanistan            24   17   7   143   88  +55
2 Liventia               24   15   9   105   93  +12
3 South Covello          24   13  11   103   90  +13
4 Chromatika             24   12  12    85   90   −5
5 Brooklyn and Queens    24   10  14    89  114  −25
6 Teyniyji               24    5  19    85  135  −50

Group 8

Game 1
Banija                             0 0 0 3 0 0 4 4 0 11
Drunk People at the Local Tavern   0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 2  6

Inner AginanaUsordia               3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  7
Drawkland                          2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

HUElavia                           0 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 2  8
Kita-Hinode                        0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2

Game 2
Banija                             0 0 0 2 0 1 2 0 0  5
Drunk People at the Local Tavern   0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  4

Inner AginanaUsordia               1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  3
Drawkland                          0 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 X  6

HUElavia                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Kita-Hinode                        2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 X  5

Game 3
Banija                             0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0  3
Drunk People at the Local Tavern   0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 X  4

Inner AginanaUsordia               2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
Drawkland                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

HUElavia                           0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2  5
Kita-Hinode                        0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 1  6

  Group 8                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                             24   17   7   128   79  +49
2 Drawkland                          24   14  10   103   97   +6
3 Inner AginanaUsordia               24   13  11   114  103  +11
4 HUElavia                           24   11  13    94  119  −25
5 Kita-Hinode                        24    9  15    87  106  −19
6 Drunk People at the Local Tavern   24    8  16   106  128  −22

[Northwest Kalactin]

Kalactanian Guerrilla War
As the tired members of the 38th crowded into the trucks that would take them to the eastern side of the country, where an active fascist uprising was going on. The ongoing uprising was gaining support from anti government activists and other international organizations. The Kalactanian government does not believe that they will start needing to actively enlist citizens into the military although they do encourage all civilians to sign up for the army. Meanwhile, the members of the 38th were climbing up mountains to get to their next stop in the town of Russellville, the small town who was home to just over 2,000 citizens who many of them were involved with the nearby military base. When they got to the base they were dropped off and were instructed to get into better and heavily armed trucks. The trucks a machine gun and 6 men in the trucks that were armed to fight against the guerrillas. One of the members Private Jonathan Phillips was scared out of his mind, it was his very first time in battle and he would be arming the machine gun on his truck so he would be exposed and the easiest to kill from his truck. The trucks went up the hill in the cover of darkness and were totally silent, they were trying to reach an area where there where reported to be many fascist activists. Once they got to a certain point they would split up into groups of 2 where each truck would have the goal of clearing a new 10 square mile span of terrain each day.

[West Phoenicia]

"Shocking"

"Cheap and highly inappropriate…"

"Not suitable for children"


The West Phoenician Confederatettes; the official cheerleaders of the Confederate baseball team has been slammed by parent and religious groups for what they called one of the most immoral and licentious displays they have ever witnessed.
A performance which one would expect from a strip club, but not a pre-game baseball show.

In the lead up to the games against Oscioru, the West Phoenician Baseball Federation proudly put on a pre-game performance. Something spectacular to whip up the crowds into a frenzy. Passionate fans help to win games, by boosting the morale of the players.

The added boost, the games would be on West Phoenician soil. The 35.000 capacity of the
Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II Stadium would be filled with an abundance of West Phoenicians ready to cheer on their team against Oscioru.
Empress Cleopatra-Olympias; the third wife of the reigning emperor was in attendance in the royal box.
She had been made the patron royal for baseball, and she was known to attend as many games as possible per season. What the crowds loved even more with her appearance was, she was so much like them, sitting there watching a great game of baseball, chomping down on a hotdog and sipping a soft drink.


The pre-game show performance started classy enough in pure West Phoenician style.
Dixie Goodrem, a 25 year old popular pop star held Platinum membership was trotted out to the pitcher's mound where a microphone stood.
Dressed in the colours of the Confederate team. Purple, grey and orange. A light purple mini skirt, a tight grey halter top, and orange Cross Strap Espadrille Wedges.
Fans cried out her name, as Dixie who possessed a naturally agile and fulsome soprano voice began to sing the Confederate fight song. She followed up the fight song with one of her newest hits, 'Love my way, she finished her set by singing the West Phoenician national anthem which had West Phoenicians up on their feet, hands on their hearts.

Following Dixie Goodrems departure, where she headed to a roles off area, reserved for her delegation, the Confederatettes took to the field to perform a new routine for the audience.
They walked single file out onto the field, each wearing a flowing white silk robe, purple and gold pom-poms by their side.
They looked almost angelic, only missing their halos as they formed a half crescent moon. The cheerleading team was the best cheerleaders of any of the sports teams that West Phoenicia had to offer.
Gwendolyn Fraser was captain of the Confederatettes, rising to fame during her appearance at the Summer Olympics Games in The Free Republics. While the team failed to place in the top three of the demonstration event, they were able to show the world a spectacular performance, even if their time at the Olympics was ridden with drama, bullying and immoral activity. However Gwendolyn Fraser stood out as a brilliant assistant choreographer, assisting staff in putting on the best show. So there was no doubt she would find a spot on the highly coveted West Phoenician Baseball team.

The music had sounded and the crowds sat on the edge of their seats, enjoying the pre-game performance before they took on their opponents.

The music was a fast number, a few beers into the music and the white robes slid off the bodies of the dozen women. Revealing purple and gold metallic sheer mesh slingshot bikinis. So light and flimsy it left little to the imagination of the crowds who looked on stunned.
The music began to blare as the squad started to perform their routine, a series of sultry suggestive moves one would see at a low end stripper/burlesque show with cartwheels, back flips, basket tosses and splits spliced in for good measure.

The crowd was a mix reaction of expression. Many men and a small number of women looked on lustfully, mouths open, eyes, paying attention to every move and bounce as the women sashayed around to the upbeat and remix of the Confederate fight song.

Parents scowled as they scurried to avert the eyes of their children who desperately tried to push their parents hands away.

A hot dog vendor distraction was lost, as he squirted mustard into the face of a customer, his eyes zoning in on the dancers.

Most people in the stands were just speechless , unsure of what to make of the performance, wanting to look away, but their fixation kept their eyes glued to the field.

Even the announcers sat helpless, eyeballing the squad. A loss for words.
The media was on their feet, snapping pictures and hurriedly writing notes, this was entertaining news that would be broadcast all over the West Phoenician News stations tonight. The crowds had promised it was going to be a hot game, little did they realize, that was just from the cheerleading squad.

The routine only lasted two minutes, when the song ended, the women stopped, out of breath waving to a stunned crowd as they strutted back to their dressing room.
Finally officials stood breaking free from the enchantment, wondering what their opposing fans would make of the spectacle.

[The Sherpa Empire]

The sky was cloudy and threatening as Kencha Qureshi stepped up the plate to lead off the Sherpas' first game in Lisander. It was starting to drizzle by the end of the 2nd inning. By the time Wangchu Namkha Qiang scored the second run of the game, the field was getting soggy. Wangchu was dripping wet and his uniform was covered with mud as he happily jogged back to the dugout. Geli Ananthan grounded out to end the top of the 4th, and the umpires paused the game due to the rain. The rain delay lasted 2 hours, and Luochong Zhuang spent the entire time rambling about the preservation of kakapos and other exotic birds. Everyone else was bored silly, but Zhuang just didn't know when to shut up. "Zhuang, you know the game isn't over yet?" Bhansali said.

"Yeah, what about it?" said Zhuang.

"So why are we talking about cocoabos instead of baseball?"

"Not cocoabos, kakapos," Zhuang said, and he went right on with his babbling.

It was a great relief when the rain let up and they could get back out on the field, where they were too spread out for Zhuang to "educate" his teammates about birds. Fortunately, the delay had not thrown anyone out of their groove too badly, and the Sherpas managed to hang on for a win.

The second game of the series went 12 innings, but the Sherpas still won by 3 runs because the Lisanderians had plainly run out of pitching. The top of the 12th saw a couple of walks, a bases-clearing double from Qu, and an RBI single from Qiao. Bharadhwaj took care of the bottom of the 12th without much trouble.

Going into game 3, the Sherpas were starting to get their hopes up that the team had finally turned its fortunes around, but then Tsheri Pham had one of his bad days. On a good day, Pham was nearly unhittable. On a bad day, he kind of sucked. On this particular day, he gave up 5 runs in 4 innings before Bhansali gave up and took the ball away from him. Pilgaonkar wasn't having a brilliant day either, and the Sherpas lost 7 to 4.

Of course the chatter started up again about how they weren't living up to expectations. Fans and pundits opined about who was to blame and what should be done. There were more rumors that Bhansali and/or Akunjee was ruining the team's chemistry. Bhansali was pretty sure he was not going to be coming back next year.

And then, as if things weren't chaotic enough, SIBA announced they were considering putting women on the team next year. The announcement was met with outrage from some of the more macho players. "Come on! That's just insulting!" Geli Ananthan said in response to the announcement. "We're playing better than women could do!"

"If some of us have to be replaced, at least let us have the dignity of being replaced by people that are there because of their talent and not for political correctness!" Bhansali said.

Luochong Zhuang was more open to the idea than most. "I think some people are being too quick to jump to conclusions," he said. "What if there's a woman who really knows what she's doing? Sometimes people can surprise you!"

[Ko-oren]

The Dragonflies have just built on their monumental WBC run with a 16-1 win over rivals Equestrian States!

In nearly all regards, the current group standings are different from what we expected at the start of the Classic. In a group with both Equestrian States and Quebec, we thought that we'd be going toe-to-toe until the very end, with one team among the three bowing out of the tournament prematurely, only fueling more feelings of revenge for next Classic. It doesn't help that we've faced these teams before in pretty much every sport under the sun. Anyhow, with just two series to go (one home and one away), Ko-oren is sitting on a nice two-win cushion over unranked South Newlandia, followed by Northwest Kalactin. Only then we find Quebec. Next up is Xanneria, and Equestrian States are all the way at 6th, now finally mathematically eliminated. Ko-oren is 6th among group leaders, behind several 18-6 teams and a few 17-7 with better run differentials - but those differences are tiny.

Anyway, that 16-1. In an away game, even. If that's not great marketing to fill up those last seats ahead of our final home series against Northwest Kalactin, I don't know what is.

A few singles in the first inning meant that the second inning started with Ogasawara. That left the designated hitter and the rest of the on-base-crew sitting out the start of the inning, unfortunately. Ogasawara stepped up to the plate, and reached first on a walk. Inaccurate pitching continued when Berganza pushed Ogasawara to second with another walk. Agramonte was then skilfully dismissed with three straight strikes: two fastballs, right down the middle, and a slider that was surprisingly close to a fastball trajectory. Riding this high, the batting order started over and Ritsushima was up again. Thirty years old, but not having lost his speed yet, he made minimal contact, towards first base, overtook his own ball to step on to the plate before the first baseman could pick it up. Ritsushima had done this stuff for years, and this was no different. With two slower team members in front of him, the Equestrians knew he couldn't use his biggest power, stealing bases. This was not a problem: Okudaira hit a double on the second pitch. Ogasawara and Berganza reached home, Ritsushima went from first to second, not willing to push on in case Berganza had to track back, and Okudaira was stuck on third. And only now Equestria's problems started. One out, two runs, and this inning was only getting started.

Lema cleaned the bases with a home run on a 1-2 count. Never tell him the odds. One out, five runs. And we're nowhere near done. Esumi doubled, Oshita acted as designated hitter and got a single, and then Shiro cleaned the bases again. One out, eight runs. By this point, the pitcher was replaced. It wasn't that he couldn't get the Dragonflies to swing, or that his pitch choice was off. The problem was more that up until this point, every single time he got two strikes, either he threw a fourth wide, or the third strike was a decent enough hit. So far, he's just been unlucky, if anything. Just the single error with the first baseman who let Ritsushima overtake him. Ogasawara was up again, and promptly struck out. If he had let everything go, he'd be 3-0 with a crazy count, but instead swung at everything - that had worked so far, but we're on to a different pitcher now. The slider still looked like a fastball, but so did most other pitches. Berganza walked to first, Agramonte was hit by a pitch, a wild throw to nothing. And this was probably Equestria's biggest problem for the inning. Exactly the slow, poor hitters lucked out to reach first base. And if there's anything Ko-orenite players are good at, it's that once you are on base (because that's a rarity in defensive Ko-oren), you don't let anything get you out after that point. Ritsushima made his appearance look easy again, loading up the bases. Okudaira hit a single, as did Lema, for two extra runs and the bases still loaded. Two out, ten runs. And then Esumi. Didn't get distracted by the mind games. Assumed there had to be a fastball in there somewhere - but didn't just swing at everything. He couldn't have a tell, but he did guess right on a changeup, then put his full weight behind a low-ish fastball. It went up. And even further up. This thing could never have the angle to make it far enough - but there it went. Centimetres over the wall - fourteen runs. Oshita thought to do the same thing but was caught out by the left fielder, metres from the wall.

It was a fluke - the Dragonflies only managed to score a few more runs in the game - but otherwise had no trouble scoring reliably in other games. Fourteen runs in the inning, that's record book material. This is probably the most easily scoring Dragonflies team in a long, long time. Starting tomorrow, we have three games versus Northwest Kalactin. We're in the next round with a single win in those. With two or three wins, we've made it nearly impossible for the Kalactinians to reach the round of 16. No matter what, we need everything we can get: the final series is away at number two South Newlandia. Not what we expected, but a welcome surprise to be sure.