World Baseball Classic 15: Everything thread

by **Zwangzug** » Sat May 15, 2010 10:15 pm

"...says here he's been prone to hitting droughts."

"Given his home run last game, this does not seem particularly concerning."

"Though he did fly to right last time up."

"Good point. Taken for a strike."

"As long as...we don't have any pitchers from Weegham, we're good."

"If you say so. Foul tip."

"Although...maybe some of them come from Weegham, I'm not sure."

"Don't think that's a very pressing concern. This one's hit high in the air, Kersten's got it, one away."

"Oh, no, Cordemoy. Definitely a Thertria sort of guy."

"And that'll bring up Dessea Vallena. She could be trouble."

"Meh, Husoni Bishops. Nice breather from the Cannons and Warhounds."

"This one's swung on and missed, down the middle."

"Cordemoy getting them over the plate after Rioi drew that leadoff walk."

"Indeed, back to his usual self. Back at it again, this one will be--hit hard to the outfield. Arzaga chasing it, the two runs will come in. Vallena's got the speed, stretches it into a double and this game is tied..."

"...you'd think Turner would choke up a little more seeing as how he doesn't hit for power."

"No, actually, I wouldn't think that, I've watched him play and I know how he hits."

"Generic you."

"Ball, outside. Two and one."

"DeRosi checks Throop again, big lead for her off of second."

"This one will be laced into the outfield. Throop comes in, and the Zebras are on top again..."

by **Tocrowkia** » Sat May 15, 2010 11:37 pm

NordicNation.net

World Baseball Classic 15 coverage

Perfecto!

Code: Select all: TEAMS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E JOD 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 5 8 0 TOC 5 0 3 0 2 0 5 0 x 15 20 0

WIN:
Alexandria Dassow (2-0)
HRs:
Johnny Stryker 1 (4), Dmitri Rykov 1 (2), Kevin Monroe 1 (3), Michael Hammer 1 (2)

After two pretty disastrous games, the Nordics managed to redeem themselves in front of a home crowd. Though Kitten Dyfuse flied out to begin the game, Adam Marksworth hit a seeing eye single up the middle. During the next at bat, Johnny Stryker worked the count full before he blasted a two-run homer to deep right-center. Dmitri Rykov then doubled to left, and Kevin Monroe drove him in with a double of his own. Jill Haviland singled to bring him in. Michael Hammer singled to bring her in. By the end of the inning, the Nordics had hung a five spot on their foes.

Though Dassow gave up another run in the second, the Nordics game roaring back in the third. This time, Dmitri Rykov blasted a two run home run, and than Kevin Monroe hit another double to be driven in by another Haviland single. Then in the 5th, Kevin Monroe stroked a two run blast of his own. In the 7th, the Nordics went on another five-run rampage, capped off by a Michael Hammer two run homer. Dassow got the win despite pitching only six innings.

by **Toiletdonia** » Sun May 16, 2010 12:19 am

Undeadzombiee         000 000 000 - 0
Toiletdonia           003 101 01X - 6

Jancotta: Whoopee!!!! We won take that people of the world!

Moss: Were going through! Were going through! We going through YEAH!

Spurone: Well not mathematically but the odds are in our favour with a ratio off...

Moss: Oh no he's sober give him a beer!

Jancotta: Okay. *Throws beer at his skipper.*

Spurone: Sorry I don't know what came over me.

Jancotta: No probs being sober can do a lot of bad to you.

Spurone: Isn't it bad for you though? Now to think of it I shouldn't drink!

Moss: No don't think remember what happened last time?

Spurone: Oh yeah I got a hangover and I fell over.

Spurone: Wait I have a way we can look smart and not think!

Moss: How?

Spurone: Write a sports magazine!

Jancotta: Okay I'll write a match report.

Moss: I'll write the squad files!

Spurone: And I'll write the scouting reports!

20 minutes later...

Spurone: Okay lets see how we're getting on I'll read it out.

Spurone: This is Jancotta's article:
GAME RUINED BY UGLY FAT MAN
Toiletdonia today played Undeadzombiee in a game that they won by a clear margin. The main reason they won was because of Jancotta's excellent pitching. He had them begging for mercy with fast skill full throws that left the other team helpless. Toiletdonia would have thrashed Undead out of the park if it wasn't for the dire batting. Captain Garry-o-"UGLY FAT MAN"-Spurone could hit the ball properly! He was a disgrace and it's a wonder how Toiletdonia managed to hit a single run! They wouldn't have if an okay batter called Moss and a good one called Burtan hadn't hit loads of runs in the 4th innings to win the game for Toiletdonia. Jancotta was defiantly the best player and deserves to be captain. We will not rest until he is and Toiletdonia after then we can finally win this crazy great cup!

Spurone: Grrr.. you...

Moss: I demand a high five!

Jancotta: Fair enough!

Spurone: Okay here is Moss's article:
Squad file: The truth about Spurone
NAME: Garry-O-Spurone
AGE: 20 something.
Bio: The truth is he's a great captain. A really sexy captain. He started with Millionaires which was good because the kit was really tight fitting so you could see his massive abs and his...

Spurone: I'll skip that bit.
He then moved to Harbour herons and hit loads of home runs he always looks extra sexy when he hits the ball. Just look at the shine in his eyes. It really stop you looking directly at his...

Spurone: That bit too.
He was then picked for the national team which was obvious because he is so amazing. He hit loads of home runs and looked good in the process. I tried to persuade them to remove all kit and make us go out naked but the declined. Long story short he is very good looking and talented!

Jancotta: Wow.

Spurone: Do you really feel that way

Moss: *Mumbles*

Spurone: Well?

Moss: WE I DO!

Spurone: Well I have only one thing to say...

To be continued.

by **The Babbage Islands** » Sun May 16, 2010 4:22 am

(post redacted)

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun May 16, 2010 6:41 am

Jennifer’s Space

As a few games have gone by since my last blog entry, I was reminded by some friends about their days in college, especially those last days of the year. You know, the papers (because professors gang up on students and have the due dates of the larger assignments all be within a three-day period), and then comes finals. The final exam is very important, but if you are like some students, you envy your friends that say “so-and-so isn’t having a final, you just have to do this take home test” all while you’ve ended up with the professors that are sure to give you an exam. And of course, like those papers, all of your final exams are within a three or four day period, essentially rendering the college student useless during the week. Then, when the exams are over, one of the last things you want to do is go back on that computer. No, now it’s time to drink, dance, or however one chooses to have fun. Even the student who may see the computer game as one of her or his favorite activities may look for options. Sleep? That works too. Even if you aren’t graduating, chances are you have a few seniors as your better friends and you end up going to graduation and the parties that follow. Then, before you get into summer vacation mode, there’s usually a point in time where the person who just finished her junior year has a moment to realize “that’s gonna be me next year, will I be ready for the challenges that come once I am out of here?”

Qualifying in a tournament such as the World Baseball Classic has a lot in common with that. The schedule is usually pretty jam-packed, and you are playing against the best baseball players in the world every night. Whether they are from Vephrall or Kazzoria, they are the best players that their nation has to offer, and every game is a challenge. There’s little time to rest, as you have to scout the pitchers that you are going up against; it’s all part of the preparation process. There are distractions out there, and they are mostly the same distractions faced by a college students: nightclubs, in particular. You have to get it set in your mind that your time will come for that. Just like college, a student may have more pressure on her or himself based on what an older sister or brother may have accomplished. They may have had a the great GPA and now how this wonderfully high paying job. It’s no different here. In the World Baseball Classic, that older sister or brother is a past national team of your nation, and if they won the whole thing, then you better follow closely in their footsteps. Many of us here on the WBC 15 were not part of that last team, we had a lot of turnover from last time, even though personally, I was able to be a part of that championship team. Perhaps teams in other sports, such as a Soccer or Hockey champion could be seen as that successful cousin, which again, you better emulate. The pressure is intense, this isn’t an easy situation.

Like a college student, there will be things you need to overcome, and some will be more severe then others. Julie Therrian is very fortunate that the tumor on her brain was not cancerous, and we expect it not be life-threatening. But she is disappointed, as she officially retired from baseball two days ago. Maybe, she will come back from retirement, as we all know that is possible. Stacey Franklin was able to make her last start, but was only 80% as she was playing hurt and throwing from her heart moreso then her arm. Despite all this, we sit here at 5-3, which is far from ideal, but it isn’t the end of the world either. We’re like the college junior with a couple of exams still left to go. We need to pass them to move on to our senior year, in The Babbage Islands, where yet more challenges will await.

by **Western cuba** » Sun May 16, 2010 8:56 am

Cassadaigua 112 100 200 - 7
Western cuba 100 010 000 - 2

Western Cuban Locker Room

" No matter the wins and losses we will stand into this and do the best of what are nation desires. 7,001 is what we are doing this for. Not for us the fame and the money we are doing this not for ourselves. We are doing this for them. Now what are we going to do keep our heads up or keep them down. I like them up and they better be up. Appereciate what we are , and where we are at. Now let's head out to practice.

The Reds then went out to the field and began practicing. Jose Peterson was indeed still worried though as the nation was getting into worse crisis. It seemed that civil war was about to break out.

by **The Babbage Islands** » Sun May 16, 2010 11:19 am

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Today was posted in the schedule as a day off. But I scorinated in error. Please check the discussion thread for more information, and be aware that I may re-scorinate day 8 to permit all who may have counted on that off day to RP.

I apologise to all of you for creating the situation.

UPDATE: The erroneous scorination has been redacted. Day 8 will scorinate Monday morning as originally posted. RPers who relied on the redacted results for their posts need not do anything; I will score them accounting for all circumstances.

by **Newmanistan** » Sun May 16, 2010 9:05 pm

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS TOP MILCHAMA

Tundra Falls- The Rockets showed some character in a 12-inning victory over Milchama ~~and then followed it up with a win over Emothica to improve to 7-1~~. The game against the Warriors featured nations that have won a combined four World Baseball Classics and a combined six Cups of Harmony. But as is the trend in the sporting world, Newmanistan’s WBC championships are both more recent then Milchama’s, and two of Milchama’s Cup of Harmony titles more recent then the three in which Newmanistan has won, now that Newmanistan has been qualifying for the World Cup. Perhaps the last moment of significant success for Milchama on the diamond came right here at the Proving Grounds when they advanced to the final of World Baseball Classic 8, before losing to Qazox, another nation which has hit the Toilet-donia since then.

Jessica Brasfield took to the mound for the Rockets and hoped to stay on it longer then she did in her previous outing, which you will recall was against Emothica, ~~The team most recently defeated by the Rockets~~. Jessica was tossed in that game for arguing balls and strikes, and became the first pitcher to call out the umpires for their continued poor calls of balls hitting the corner of the plate. At least in this game, even though she did give up some hits and some runs, the calls seemed to be better, and the Warriors earned what they got. A three run second inning hurt Brasfield, with the big blow being a 2-run homerun off the bat of James Merter. A double by Rudyard Davies, following the longball kept the Warriors in business, and he was later driven in by Henry Thomas to complete the 3-run inning. “They got some good swings on my curve. It didn’t quite break the way I wanted it too, and as the game went on, I moved away from the curve and began focusing on the heat and the slider, that seemed to get me better results today,” said Brasfield after the game. The Warriors also put a run across the board in the fourth inning, but fortunately for Brasfield and the Rockets, the bats did just enough in the first four innings as well to tie the game up at 4. In the first, it was Meghan Butler delivering an RBI single, scoring Stacie Meadows, who also singled and stole a base. In the second, Courtney Weinman doubled and was driven in on a single from Rachel Cuyler. An inning later, and perhaps the hit that most annoyed the Warriors was a leadoff double by pitcher Jessica Brasfield, who hasn’t exactly been known for her bat. It was a blooper into right, but it’s placement just perfect for her to get two from it. Danielle Scott drove her in with a single. An inning later, Natalie “The Better” Monroe hit a ball over the center field fence for a solo shot to even up the game at four runs a piece. Still, Milchama was able to recapture the lead in the fifth on a Martin LaPlante RBI double. Brasfield was taken out after the sixth inning, and with the team trailing 5-4. She allowed five earned runs on eleven hits, walked two and struck out six. While the line isn’t pretty, it wasn’t as bad as it may have looked.

It was an exciting first six innings for both teams, and you could certainly make the case that both teams played like champions on this day. However, what makes a champion is the ability to come through late in a game, and for Milchama fans, perhaps that is what separates them from their days of long ago and today. On this day, it would be the Rockets coming through when the pressure was on, getting a big tying run in the bottom of the 8th. Meghan Butler, with two away, hit a slow roller to shortstop, who fielded it cleanly. But Meghan was hustling down the line, and even though she is not known for her speed, she was not going to concede being out on a routine grounder and legged it out, beating the throw by half a step. Then came Monroe, who doubled into the left-centerfield gap, scoring Butler and tying the game at 5. Meghan received the kind of high-fives in the dugout as if she had hit a home run, but that never give up hustle is what enabled the team to score the run. Not to be lost in all of this, either, is the fantastic bullpen work of Sara Schaefer, who relieved Brasfield in the seventh, and went on to throw four innings. Schaefer only allowed two hits, and neither single was particularly threatening. It was there that the Rockets were asserting control of the game, the way a current top team, and not a past top team, would. Cassie Herrick, who was flawless in the extra inning victory over Qazox came in during the 11th and ended up picking up her second win out of the pen during this classic. That came courtesy of a walk-off home run by Kristen Wheeler. Yes, even the Rockets can have their occasional walk off longballs as well, and the team mobbed Wheeler at home plate in celebration of a win.

by **The Babbage Islands** » Mon May 17, 2010 4:04 am

Qualifying Phase: Round 8 Results

NOTICE wrote:The published line scores reflect how the scorinator arrives at final scores. The final scores and number of innings shown are official. No nation's RP will be penalised for using, or for not using, the generated line scores.

Group A

Mantwenic             000 000 000 - 0
Sarzonia              100 210 02X - 6

Bluth Corporation     101 100 050 - 8
Secristan             133 130 10X - 12

Silver Beach          021 201 000 - 6
Tsenor                001 000 120 - 4

Group B

Barnettsville         000 010 000 - 1
Tarrentum             000 000 000 - 0

Zwangzug              310 010 000 - 5
Brewdomia             000 010 000 - 1

Kalasion              000 021 000 1 - 4
Quintessence of Dust  100 110 000 2 - 5

Group C

Taeshan               012 100 000 - 4
South Norwega         001 040 04X - 9

Bloodbath Valley      010 200 000 - 3
The Fanboyists        200 000 000 - 2

Delaclava             001 500 201 - 9
Dancougar             000 023 200 - 7

Group D

The Babbage Islands   100 210 000 - 4
JoeDad                010 010 000 - 2

Tocrowkia             100 120 010 - 5
Undeadzombiee         000 012 000 - 3

Toiletdonia           001 000 000 - 1
Steroga               002 010 00X - 3

Group E

Virabia               000 100 100 - 2
Milchama              120 001 12X - 7

Newmanistan           311 011 000 - 7
Emothica              001 100 000 - 2

Qazox                 100 110 000 - 3
Verdriet              001 300 10X - 5

Group F

Cassadaigua           121 110 100 - 7
Western cuba          001 101 000 - 3

Kazzoria              100 000 000 0 - 1
Albundania            100 000 000 2 - 3

Yafor 2               401 001 202 - 10
Vephrall              500 201 100 - 9

Tables

A reminder that tables do not reflect any tiebreaks!

Group A                 W    L    PCT.
Sarzonia                7    1    .875
Mantwenic               5    3    .625
Secristan               5    3    .625
Bluth Corporation       3    5    .375
Silver Beach            3    5    .375
Tsenor                  1    7    .125

Group B                 W    L    PCT.
Zwangzug                6    2    .750
Barnettsville           5    3    .625
Quintessence of Dust    5    3    .625
Tarrentum               4    4    .500
Kalasion                3    5    .375
Brewdomia               1    7    .125

Group C                 W    L    PCT.
Delaclava               6    2    .750
Bloodbath Valley        5    3    .625
Dancougar               5    3    .625
Taeshan                 4    4    .500
South Norwega           2    6    .250
The Fanboyists          2    6    .250

Group D                 W    L    PCT.
Toiletdonia             7    1    .875
Tocrowkia               6    2    .750
Steroga                 4    4    .500
The Babbage Islands     4    4    .500
Undeadzombiee           2    6    .250
JoeDad                  1    7    .125

Group E                 W    L    PCT.
Newmanistan             7    1    .875
Qazox                   5    3    .625
Emothica                4    4    .500
Milchama                3    5    .375
Virabia                 3    5    .375
Verdriet                2    6    .250

Group F                 W    L    PCT.
Cassadaigua             5    3    .625
Yafor 2                 5    3    .625
Kazzoria                4    4    .500
Western cuba            4    4    .500
Albundania              3    5    .375
Vephrall                3    5    .375

by **Tarrentum** » Mon May 17, 2010 6:06 am

Tarrentum Falcons Sporting News

Napoliroma, Tarrentum, Tarrentum - After two tough losses, the Tarrentum Falcons are looking to be on the verge of not advancing to the next round of the WBC. Brewdomia, suddenly, is a toss up game. While completely overmatched, the Brew Crew managed to pull out a win previously against the Falcons.

The game against Zwangzug went as expected. There were no surprises for the Zebras this time around as they took control early in the game and never let go. The loss to Barnettsville was to be expected given the controversies swirling around the team. If you haven't had your television tuned to TNNN or TSPNN then you would have missed the news that Marcus Bianconi was arrested at his home in the Florentine Hills over the weekend for murdering Michael Grastiona. Liona Marrada, currently a reliever for the Falcons, is set to start and pitch 5 innings against Brewdomia. The impact of Grastiona's death, Bianconi's arrest and the lineup changes enacted by manager Tiberius Wavi have seriously crippled the Tarrentum Baseball team this year.

The Falcons are currently sitting at 4 - 4 in Group B. A win against Brewdomia should bring them to 5 - 4 but they will almost assuredly loose to the Qodite's in the Frosty Dome to finish the group matches, putting them at 5 - 5. It is a wonder to my colleague and I how Tolietdonia, a team who swings the bat like a cricket bat, and wear pullover sweater vests, could be leading their Group. But then again, Margaret is not a very kind woman. I sent her flowers once and they came back burnt, clipped and smeared in dog feces.

Bianconi's trial is set to begin in 7 months. The beloved Julianna Italiana Bianconi, wife and teammate of Marcus Bianconi, was very disheveled during the game against Brewdomia and I was amazed she only gave up one run. The prevailing mood of gloom and doom permeated the dugout though as the team was held to two hits.

Well...until next year's WBC and the start of ASML and ASMiL play...keep your bats on the balls.
-Michealan Gardini

by **Sarzonia** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:37 am

The night's sleep was a fitful one for Stars manager Khalil Dennis. He kept tossing and turning.

"What's the matter?" Calen McSuthern asked when Dennis sat bolt upright.

"I just had a horrible dream," Dennis said, sweat glistening in the moonlight at the cottage they shared in suburban Saugerties, just outside the Woodstock city limits.

"What's that?"

"I had a dream that Babbage officials made us play yesterday and we lost 9-8 to Mantwenic," he said. "Even though we had a day off, event organisers made us play the game anyway. We were unprepared."

"Khalil," Calen said, "Babbage officials don't hold sporting events on Sundays. You know that. Now get some sleep. You're going to need it when we do play Mantwenic tomorrow night."

"I guess you're right," Dennis said. "It's just ... I hate being unprepared for anything."

"I know," Calen said, putting the palm of his right hand on his paramour's shoulder. He felt tightness in Dennis's shoulder and began massaging him.

"You're really tense," Calen said. "When I'm done, just try to get some sleep."

The next day, Dennis was in the dugout and was ready to manage the Stars against Mantwenic. Instead of having to go with a bullpen by committee approach with only four starting pitchers available, Dennis was able to send ace Brad Baxter out to the mound.

Unaware of the nightmare scenario that played out in the subconscious of his manager, it was Baxter who provided the visitors the real nightmare scenario. Baxter tossed the first no-hitter in Stars history, allowing just one walk with 11 strikeouts as Sarzonia won 6-0. The Stars finished the match with a 7-1 record, two games ahead of Mantwenic, but with the Stars having won both matches, Sarzonia have essentially clinched the group title.

With Toiletdonia losing for the first time this World Baseball Classic, the Stars are now level with them for the best record in the World Baseball Classic and likely the most favourable first round matchup. However, Dennis said that thought was "far from the front" of his mind.

"We've still got Secristan here," Dennis said. Charlie Palmer would pitch against the Millionaires, once again pitching on three-days rest, but the crafty lefty said it wasn't an issue for him.

"It's not like I'm throwing 98 miles per hour out there and this would drop me to 92," he said. "I just have to do the things I would normally do. Hit my spots, keep the ball down, and let my defence do its job."

As for Baxter, he threw his glove high into the air and leapt into the arms of catcher Fred Carlton as the Stars dugout and bullpen both emptied onto the pitch. The players who were already on the pitch raced toward the battery mates and celebrated the no-no. Ironically enough, Badger said he was "feeling like shit" before the opening pitch.

"I don't know how I got into that groove, but I just kept at it," he said.

"I knew he was locked in after the second," Carlton said. That inning saw Badger allow his only walk. First baseman Bobby Snyder came the closest of anyone from Mantwenic to getting a hit, sending a looping fly ball to left centre field, where Drew Bradley made a nice running backhanded catch.

As for the glove Badger tossed high into the air? It was on its way to Pocono City where it would be delivered to the World Baseball Classic Hall of Fame.

And that night, Khalil Dennis slept very well.

by **Toiletdonia** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:24 am

Toiletdonia           001 000 000 - 1
Steroga               002 010 00X - 3

Spurone: I feel the same!

Moss: YES!

Jancotta: And another couple is together.

Moss: Now what?

Spurone: OH GOD THE GAME!

Jancotta: Oh yeah!

Much later.

Spurone: You were great today Moss!

Moss: You too!

Jancotta: But we lost! You guys used to rip the **** out of each other!

Moss: Not any more were together!

Spurone: So true! Now what? Like a date or something.

Moss: I don't know. I've never dated a guy.

Spurone: Lets go on the Xbox!

Jancotta: Before you guys get carried away don't you have a wife Spurone? And Moss don't you have a girlfriend.

Spurone: OH GOD YES I DO!

Moss: Not any-more if forgot about her and left her in the cupboard where we had... OH GOD THE CHILD!

Spurone: Oh well my wife can find out later.

Moss: Yeah what team do you want to be?

Spurone: We'll what team do you want to be?

Moss: I insist you choose!

Jancotta: I've had enough of this.

Jancotta goes and kisses Moss.

Jancotta: SEE HE'S CHEATING ON YOU DUMP HIM!

Spurone: You kissed him!

Jancotta: I've had enough of this sorry. I just liked things how they were.

Spurone: In fairness so do I but I really want to go out with Moss!

Moss: We love each other and I'm sorry.

Spurone: It's true when we get married we will be back to our bickering selves.

Jancotta: Well thank god for that.

by **Western cuba** » Mon May 17, 2010 10:50 am

" Western Cuba after starting 4 and 0 at 1000. Are now at the edge of elimination. Now they are 4 and 4 and have 2 games left. They would need a win against Kazzoria if they want to advance to the next round of the WBC. These next two games for Western Cuba will be a nailbitter my friends. Now good night and have a great morning tomaroww my fellow Western Cubans. Now this is Western Cuban Sports Radio signing off for the night. Good luck Reds we hope you play well tomaroww. "

The radio then started making *static* noises and Jose Peterson went to bed and fell into a deep sleep. He soon had a dream that has been haunting him forever.........

It showed a young Jose Peterson and his mother at a Western Cuban Local Beach playing together making a sand castle. They were about to finish the last tower of the sand castle and were going to watch Jose's older brother play his baseball game after that. They would then go out to celebrate after Jose's older brother's baseball game....but it never happened. They never finished the last tower. They never went to his older brother's baseball game and they never went out to eat. Instead he spent the evening mourning his mother's dead body and his older brother's on the beach.....

Two armed men with ski masks raided the local beach. Nobody was left alive except for him. The young Jose Peterson was wounded by a gun bullet in the leg. He was about to be killed but the two men ran out of ammo and the police started arriving. The rest of the dream followed by crying and screaming and torture........

" Hey Jose stop crying. Jose stop crying. "

It was Tom Novak the star pitcher of the Western Cuban baseball team.

" Jose you were crying in your sleep is anything wrong? "

" Everything is wrong Tom. Everything since at the beach. "

" What Beach Jose? What Beach? "

Nothing followed it was just crying and weeping.

" Come on suck it up tell me about this beach. "

" Don't tell me to suck it up Tom now I'll tell you the story now. It was a nice summer along a local beach in Western Cuba. Ah it was a lovely day. Me ma and my brother were finishing up are sand castle on the beach. After that we were going to watch my brother's baseball game. He was an All-Western Cuban in the country in high school. He got a scholarship in another country to play for college and to possibly become pro there also and become a person of fame and fortune. It was his last high school game for the country championship and he was the starting pitcher for his school. He was very close to me and wanted us to move to the other country with him but my ma said no. So he promised he would spent the last week just with me and family not even his best friends the only thing else he would do besides play with us would be baseball. Now we were about to leave because the game was about to start soon but I wanted to do one last tower on my sand castle. My brother he was the best let me do what I wanted and we built the last one. When we were about to leave two men in ski masks come down onto the beach and shots rang out. The results everyone on the beach dead except me. I was lucky I didn't die because they ran out of bullets and the police soon come. However I suffered a gun wound in my leg. That's the reason I walk strange. I am so ashamed of my self if I wanted so selfish I could of had my mom survive and my brother one of the most famous baseball players ever.... "

" Sir your and a good person and you were young. "

" No matter how good I will be for now on even if I save someone elses life I will always remain in sadness. The only thing that would make me at least feel happier in life is if we qualify for the WBC. I want my brother in heaven to see my do something for him. Tom do you see anything the same about you and my brother. "

" Well no. "

" Well that's a shame you should. Just look in the mirror Tom. You are a star pitcher just like my brother. You throw the same pitches as he does. Also you both look kind of alike. One more thing that is the most important you both are one of the most important things to me. Don't ever say this unless you got my permission Tom but when I first saw you I though you would be my favorite and look at it now. By the way your starting one of the last two games. It may be against Kazzoria it may be not just be ready. "

" Yes Sir. "

The two then went back to bed and slept thoughout the night well Jose didn't he felt he couldn't sleep. It seemed that his brother's soul still wouldn't settle down and he needed to do it. They had to make the next stage. They had to qualify.

by **Quintessence of Dust** » Mon May 17, 2010 2:40 pm

An important moment in the rise to popularity of baseball in Quintessence of Dust was the release of computer game Filthy Bunt. But what's it all about? For those who haven't yet played this excellent game, here is a guide:

Development: Computer games do not have an esteemed history in Quintessence of Dust, thanks largely to the legislative hegemony the reactionary Social Democratic Party have wielded in the last 30 years. (Notoriously, they passed a bill in 1981 that banned Pac Man, on grounds that it encouraged irresponsible attitudes to diet and nutrition.) Foreign computer games featuring violence are routinely banned, or censored to an extent that renders them unplayable: for example, Grand Theft Auto: Highmark City Blues involves the player controlling a sociology student who attends lectures that help him understand the causes of urban distress.

It is common for Quodite action adventure games to feature short quests, the aim of which is to get to the police station, or other authorities, rather than pursuing vigilante action oneself. Themes such as magic, gods, or scientifically speculative technologies are also largely absent from Quodite computer games, as a function of the notoriously sceptical Quodite society. The only foreign games to achieve significant domestic success have been sport games, particularly ice hockey, football, and auto racing.

Once the Department of Sport allocated funds for Quintessence of Dust to compete in World Baseball Classic 11, and with a season of Minimal League Baseball scheduled to begin thereafter, domestic interest in the sport began to rise. Computer games company Real Sky, which had fought several losing battles in the courts to defend their titles against censorship, decided to take the opportunity to develop a baseball-themed RPG that would allow them to go beyond the normal limits of computer games.

They entered protracted negotiations with Secretary of Sport Alfred Cynus, who agreed to negotiate with Congress to ensure the game would be allowed to be published, in exchange for including educational content that would improve public understanding of baseball. The game took about 18 months and several million sovereigns to develop, making it by far the most expensive computer game in Quodite history. It was unveiled at PongFest, Quintessence of Dust's annual industry fair, and quickly won not only every single major game award in the country, but a ton of awards that had to be invented on the spot to recognise how awesome it was.

The Quintessential Congress tried to regulate it, anyway, and launched an enquiry into whether the use of a baseball bat as a weapon would promote violence. (Some foreign reviewers noted with amusement that while Congress called Real Sky's executives to testify over everything from violent images to the possibility that the "magic" elements would corrupt scientific rigour, they were completely oblivious to the interracial gender-ambiguous underage relationship subplot that shocked many foreign audiences.)

Nonetheless, Filthy Bunt sold extremely well, and in the end sense prevailed and it passed unmolested through Congressional approval, who feared losing the valuable export. (We really don't make a lot else here, it's too cold to grow anything, and how economically stable do you really think seal clubbing is?) Its success has been seen as opening barriers to future development of better action-oriented games.

Story: The game is set in the fictional land of Baseballia (look, we did say the industry lacked certain creative impulses). Baseballia was inhabited by a tribe of peaceful pygmy farmers named Shortstops, who lived in harmony with nature. But then Ace, non-democratically leader of the Pitchers, a neighbouring tribe who have used up all the resources in their land through destructive mining and waste disposal practices, launches an invasion of Baseballia.

The story takes place 50 years on from these events. The majority of the Shortstops have been slaughtered, with the remainder working as slave labourers in the Pitchers' factories, which are quickly destroying Baseballia's ecosystem. Ace still rules the land with an iron fist, but has had his plans for eternal dominion disrupted by Hikaru, an intrepid Quodite private detective from Highmark City, who has stolen all of his bases, the source of his power. Ace kidnaps Hikaru, who refuses to reveal where he has hidden the bases.

The player controls the character of Sam, Hikaru's friend and partner. (Both Sam and Hikaru are intentionally gender-neutral names, and both characters have androgynous appearances, with the intention of allowing both male and female players to enjoy the game.) Sam is a reserve for the (fictional) New Cleethorpes Lollipops baseball team, and sets out on a quest to rescue Hikaru. To do this, the player must first retrieve all four of the stolen bases. The player then travels to The Mound, Ace's headquarters, to defeat him, rescue Hikaru, and free the Shortstops.

Gameplay: Filthy Bunt is commonly classified as an "action adventure RPG". The player can customise camera angles, but the default setting is a hawk's eye view from behind Sam's head (that the player never sees Sam's face, except in Dream Sequences, adds to the ambiguity of the character's gender).

Sam can run, jump, slide, catch and throw objects, and wields a baseball bat as a weapon. (Various different bats can be acquired throughout the game: Sam starts off with a small practice bat, but can acquire increasingly large bats, up to the fabled Gold Slugger Bat, which the player needs to get before they can beat Ace in combat.) One of the few customisable aspects of Sam is their handedness, although switch-hitting is only possible through acquiring a special power-up.

Sam's main means of attacking enemies are to hit them with the bat, or to slide into them as in sliding into base (Sam's cleats are sharpened and instantly kill enemies, but become duller over the course of a level, meaning Sam must either stop and buy a sharpen-up, or continue and risk only lightly injuring enemies.) Sam can also simply avoid enemies by running past them or jumping over them, which saves time but risks leaving them around to injure the player later.

The demo version of Filthy Bunt was originally criticised as having too steep a learning curve for new players, as one single injury to Sam would kill the player, forcing them to restart at the last save point. As such, the full release modified this so that Sam could receive two "strikes" before being killed. A third strike, or an enemy hitting Sam with a "tag", kills Sam. Sam has three "outs" (lives), but can earn extra outs, to a maximum total of 27. Once Sam has received two strikes, the player is "behind in the count" and Sam will begin to be sluggish and harder to control, meaning the player must quickly collect Balls.

Sam's main enemies are the Pitchers, who have deployed millions of Pitches to attack them. The most common enemy is the simple Fastball, which flies at Sam; others include the Curveball, which has a bouncing trajectory; the Breaking Ball, which unlike the other Pitches is camouflaged and suddenly leaps out at Sam; the Changeup, which moves at unpredictable speeds making it difficult for players to judge the swing; and the Knuckleball, which is just plain crazy.

At various points, Sam will meet Pitchers themselves, who deploy various attacks while also hurling many Pitches. Although Ace is the leader of the Pitchers, he is not the final boss; after Ace is defeated and Sam is about to escape with Hikaru, Sam must finally defeat the dreaded Closer, considered the hardest enemy in the entire game thanks to his arsenal of throwing knives ("Cutters").

The Shortstops are ineffective as allies, but they have provided some help for Sam by hiding Balls around the levels. Once Sam has collected 4 Balls, all the player's strikes are reset. Pitchers also sometimes throw balls, especially once they have been damaged by Sam's bat. Other power-ups include: batting donuts (adding a temporary burst of power to Sam's bat - though it should be noted Sam eats the donuts, as the game designers did not know what these actually were), new cleats (improving Sam's slide attack), and a pinch-hitter (a robot that substitutes in for Sam for a section of play, allowing Sam to avoid strikes and regain energy).

Filthy Bunt is a fairly open-ended game, meaning many players simply enjoy the questing aspect, but its puzzle-solving elements do mean that there are various ways of keeping score. A perfect score (referred to as a "perfect game") is possible only if Sam navigates all the levels without incurring a single strike, using a pinch-hitter once, or using any cheats. Some competitive players also try to complete the quest in the shortest time possible, though this generally produces much lower overall scores.

Having the player character go on a solo mission instead of simply notifying the police represented a radical departure for Quodite games, but Sam is by no means a typical shoot-em-up hero. Aside from their devotion to Hikaru, Sam's animating impulse seems to be disgust at the Pitchers' abuse of Baseballia's natural environment. Equally, Ace is a morally ambiguous figure: the lengthy game manual goes into great detail as to the possible environmental factors in his emotional disfigurement, such as an abusive childhood and an unforgiving legal system. Sam's relationship with Hikaru is never made entirely clear, though the Dream Sequences show the two being physically affectionate.

International baseball references: The game contains many baseball references, but Real Sky also sought to include mentions of real World Baseball Classic players so as to help the game "tie in" with current appeal, and promote it to foreign audiences. However, they were not certain that they would get approval and did not want to risk protracted delays in development, so instead made a number of NPCs who bear striking resemblance to various WBC personalities, albeit with slightly different names.

Mostly, these NPCs can only be found by accessing hidden parts of level through solving puzzles or performing elaborate jumping sequences. Once found, they relay part of the story to Sam, helping the player understand more of the backstory, learn about how to restore Baseballia's environment, such as the lush forests of The Outfield, and acquire tips on defeating the enemies. NPCs also grant Sam certain specific power-up actions. These include:

"Rhianna Schweitzer"

"Rachel Easton"

"Jane Halivand"

"Briony Wrong"

"Socky Louis"

"Lit Clinered"

Note: this is a real Vephrese player; they just thought eveyone would assume the name was made up

"Hikiki Mori"

"Jarrin Arridan"

Usually, a player can only hold one of these per game, although cheats permit multiple options.

Subsequent releases of the game have included players based on members of the rosters of teams such as The Babbage Islands, Steroga, Liventia, and Barnettsville.

Reviews: Filthy Bunt has drawn overwhelmingly positive reviews from both foreign and domestic press, thanks largely to its involved storytelling, open-ended play, and sweeping Q-pop soundtrack, which boosted the popularity of several Quodite artists in international markets. Its actual levels of in-game violence are typically considered tepid by world standards, and the game has suffered far more censorship aimed at downplaying Sam and Hikaru's relationship than at Sam's bat wielding antics.

by **Yafor 2** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:02 pm

Sorry for the wait for my roster!

Notes: ERA is obvious. FIP should be pretty obvious, too. Calculate WAR using this. Learn about wRAA here. I hope you know what UZR is. I use Sky Kalkman's Adjusted Equivalent Base Running Runs and Brian Cartwright's form of catcher defense.

Yaforite Firebugs Roster

Statistics:

Code: Select all: Pitcher ERA FIP WAR Gerrin Aladan 2.48 2.34 8.2 Niorda Kaharin 3.23 3.06 5.5 Orlando Delgado 2.24 2.78 5.6 Anamer C'daan 3.22 3.11 6.6 Julio Rodriguez 2.87 2.77 6.6 - Cristian Ramirez 3.14 3.23 6.1 Jose Guzman 2.78 2.89 n/a Jorge Cueto 1.83 2.63 1.5 Simor Rentar 1.84 2.56 2.4 Juan Reyes 1.70 3.21 1.4 Farenis Teloran 2.97 2.54 2.0 Kaior Ajaran 2.63 2.37 2.4 Gamran Galis 1.76 2.89 2.0 Tyrius Validor 2.61 1.97 2.9

Code: Select all: Hitter wRAA UZR aEqBRR WAR Hernan Gomez 30.2 14.2 6.4 7.6 Arrin Jarridan 53.7 19.4 4.3 10.4 Kural Minhaar 33.1 6.7 0.1 6.1 Algerin Makuur 56.2 -5.4 0.2 6.7 Jamran Nalhamed 38.2 0.4 0.3 5.0 Alexander Salazar 26.2 10.8 -2.4 6.5 Carlos Santiago 37.6 6.9 4.7 7.0 Carlos DeSouza 32.2 14.7 5.3 6.8 - Antonio Guzman 28.2 13.2 6.8 7.4 Damerin Kaldoris 31.4 8.4 3.2 6.9 Faran Akhmel 36.2 7.1 1.2 6.5 Yadier Calmeron 39.4 -3.2 -0.7 4.6 Virgil Cruz 27.1 8.5 -1.6 6.5 Jahraan Ladakh n/a n/a n/a n/a

Coaching Staff: North Ajer Blizzards (manager: K'than Maderian). Conventional Yaforite wisdom is that when a team outplays its Pythagorean as much as the Blizzards did and then succeeds in the postseason, this is due partially to luck and partially to excellent managing. So the management team is that of North Ajer. Maderian is a very aggressive manager; prone to batting his pitcher eighth, he's known for actually stealing (gasp!) in the Yaforite league with his faster players and will seek to test the arms of the outfield with aggressive movement on the bases. With pitchers, he's relatively conservative, choosing to stick with the clear leverage option, so look for the long relievers to get little work.

Yaforite Batting:
Yaforites tend to take a lot of pitches. That's a bit of an understatement, but one thing the scout interviewed for this roster will rarely say is that players take pitches. This is essentially because it is already known and accepted. Yaforites tend to be very fundamentally-solid batters, meaning that they can foul off a fair number of pitches, even if they are behind. Because of the Yaforite propensity towards a high on-base percentage, often Yaforites (excluding their power hitters) will be known for their lack of power. Most Yaforite batters have enough speed to make difficult plays interesting and enough ability with the bat to spray the ball to all fields, but really the most iconic and best-known trait for Yaforites is to take a large number of pitches. Even if you beat the Firebugs, it will be a long road (although many of the players will get out a lot).

When there is need for a DH, the lineup moves DeSouza to the seven position, Santiago to the eight, and Guzman to the ninth.

Starters (Team, Position for National Team, Other Possible Positions (excluding DH), Bats, Throws). Batting Average/On-base Percentage/Slugging Percentage.

Hernan Marian "Go-Go Gomez" Gomez (Satiran Boars, CF, LF/RF, L, L). .321/.513/.522.
A Scout Says... Gomez is large for a fast man, which is what makes him most attractive to the Boars. He gets on base a lot. He's also got considerable power for a lead-off hitter, so he's pretty dangerous to lead off the top of the order. Just twenty-two, he finally had his LAZY breakout season, so look for him to take this offense to another level (alternatively, for his lack of experience to lead him to come crashing down). Only player on this Yaforite team excluding Jarridan to have an OPS over 1.000. Swipes a fair number of bags, too. Great fielder.

Arrin Jarridan (Uharan Otters, SS, 2B/3B, S, R). .355/.431/.618.
A Scout Says... Really, what does one need to say about Arrin Jarridan that hasn't been said ten thousand times before? Amazing range and arm from short. He's a switch-hitter with two approaches; from the left side, he slaps the ball to the opposite field, getting on base at a good clip. From the right, he drives the ball behind the fences. In Quintessence of Dust, he's generally known for his incredible propensity to foul off every pitch possible, but Masami Tamagotchi's utter disarming of his entire offensive ability during WBC12 stands as one of the greatest match-ups in the history of the event.

Kural Minhaar (Cirad Blaze, 3B, RF/LF, L, R). .290/.411/.531.
A Scout Says... Minhaar's another cog in the successful Cirad puzzle. He's got strength in the pull section of the field and very rarely drives the ball in the other direction. In LAZY, teams ordinarily attempt to pitch him on the outside part of the plate, but he's strong enough to muscle it over second base and into right field. Third base is not his favorite position, so he'll be uncomfortable for various periods of time during the WBC as a whole.

Algerin Makuur (Uharan Otters, RF, LF, L, L) .269/.359/.623.
A Scout Says... Considerable power player, he tends to be pretty TTO - which leads to a lot of strikeouts. He's semi-suspect in right because he's not very rangy - big guy, not very fast. In the Uharan lineup, it's covered up slightly by DeSouza's awesome range in center. Expect a fair of pop in his bat - if anyone hits jacks in this lineup, it's him, like he does for Uharan. Makuur's, somewhat obviously, not very fast, but he's pretty good with runners-on-base, and it can be difficult for a pitcher to avoid giving him pitches in his wheelhouse on the inside part of the plate. Somewhat susceptible to sliders starting inside and breaking down.

Jamran Nalhamed (Cardarel Gazelles, 1B, none, L, L) .365/.423/.556.
A Scout Says... Nalhamed's first chance on the national team finds him batting in the middle of the order, which is his comfort zone. He's a dead pull-hitter for Cardarel and, as a result, he has a massive platoon split. Surprisingly for a player generally considered a TTO player, he's got a very strong batting average, but he loses most of his value from his driving range in the field and on the basepaths. He's not the best player on this squad and his batting statistics are very heavily inflated from playing half his games in Cardarel.

Alexander Salazar (Cardarel Gazelles, C, none, R, R) .275/.355/.401.
A Scout Says... Salazar has a somewhat reasonable ability to hit home runs, and tends to spray the ball quite a bit as well. He's on here mostly because he's one of the few other catchers on this side who can actually hit a bit, although defensively, he's capable of throwing out runners and picking them off with alacrity. His recent season in Cardarel, as well as the decline of S'taraan Amiordin has led to his selection as a clear consensus choice. Yeah, there aren't very many good offensive catchers in the LIDYT.

Carlos Santiago (Kiera Breeze, 2B, SS/3B, R, R) .389/.402/.473.
A Scout Says... Plays a solid second, third, and, while he doesn't have the best arm at short, has good enough range that he can play a passable short as well. He gets on base quite a lot and has enough power to give pitchers a bit of a start, but his main ability, batting third in the Breeze order (although in a better team's order, he'd probably bat first or second) is that ability to give the players behind him the chance to drive him in. At the bottom of the order, he's going to be playing out of his comfort zone, but second is his natural position.

Pitcher. Yes. The pitcher bats eighth. Yaforite pitchers normally have a batting line around .230/.300/.230, but that's only starting pitchers.

Carlos DeSouza (Uharan Otters, LF, CF/RF, L, L) .354/.488/.489.
A Scout Says... Lefty speedster. Incredible range in center and he's got a cannon to home - has some problems getting the ball to third base, though, and if it's on the run, he has trouble getting around and getting the ball in quickly. Might have trouble on the basepaths if he misjudges the ball in flight because he's not very good at halting his own momentum. He's got enough wheels to make you think twice if he's on the bases and to make fielders hurry routine plays, but he won't steal a lot. He'll get on base at a pretty good clip, but the extent of his power is in doubles and triples. Has led off for the Yaforite side in the past, but with Gomez's breakout season, he's going to be acting as a second lead-off man at the bottom of the order instead.

Bench (Team, Possible Positions (excluding DH unless designated team DH), Bats, Throws) Bench player UZRs are for their primary position (the first listed).

Antonio Guzman (Satiran Boars, LF/CF/RF, L, L) .276/.387/.433.
A Scout Says... He's a pretty balanced hitter and, as a result, can hit to all fields, and does a pretty good job of balancing balls in the air and balls on the ground. Pretty fast (and with a little bit of acceleration), he'd got a cannon of an arm in the outfield and is known within the country as someone who can get on base in a myriad and varied number of ways. Guzman's the second cog in the very strong Satiran outfield and he'll get a lot of playing time both coming off the bench and understudying the outfielders in the starting lineup.

Damerin Kaldoris (North Ajer Blizzard, 2B/SS/3B, R, R). .279/.354/.412.
A Scout Says... Really good-looking player, both when he's in the field (he's very fluid) and when he's batting (his technique is nearly perfect). As both a hitter and a fielder, he's very much the epitome of solidity, without any real flash in his set of skills, but he'll do everything without much fuss. Scrappy. He doesn't get on base as much as many other players, but he'll also attempt to steal more bases, so he might even pulled to pinch-run for a faster player.

Faran Akhmel (Indigar Horsemen, 3B, L, R). .281/.347/.545.
A Scout Says... A king of jacks, Akhmel's got the pop to be a top-line player. He's also an above-average fielder with the diving ability to take a lot of the pressure in the hole off the shortstop. He's got some major makeup issues, though, and his clubhouse problems are part of the reason that many people think neither Indigar nor him personally have truly ascended the top tier of Yaforite baseball (especially since he's better than many other Yaforite corner defenders).

Yadier Calmeron (Cirad Blaze, 1B, L, L) .268/.379/.531.
A Scout Says... It was not a good year for first basemen in Yafor 2. Calmeron's very much the same as Nalhamed, except he's very much TTO like Makuur. He hits a lot of big flies, but also a lot of flies that get caught; he's got a pronounced uppercut in his swing. Like Nalhamed, he's a dead pull-hitter, but don't expect him to act in any other way. He tends to fight his park in Cirad and outside of there, he'll probably be even more of an uppercut, pull hitter.

Virgil Cruz (Chelmar Flame, C, S, R) .271/.361/.412.
A Scout Says... Cruz has never been regarded as an elite catcher, but here he is. He gets on base at about the same clip as a position player, but has the pop of a middle infielder. He's a cannon behind the plate, but likes to show off his flashy ability, so expect him to occasionally throw over to first randomly to display that he can do this as well. Part of the reason that he's selected over S'taraan Amiordin is his switch-hitting ability, which has shown no evidence of any platoon split whatsoever in the past.

Jahraan Ladakh (New Cleethorpes Anti-Catholics [Quintessence of Dust], CF/RF/LF, L, L) .281/.357/.604
A Scout Says... The first of the two Quintessence-of-Dust based players, Ladakh had a very strange season playing in the shorter summers in the foreign nation. Winning the Rookie of the Year award, he's got a lot of pop and can drive in a fair number of players as well (he led the league in RBIs, which is ironic given how meaningless they are). He's also excellent defensively (which his 2.87 range factor can attest to). His main problem is two-fold; first, much of his success was probably a product of Small Sample Size and second, he's a very streaky player. He's also very young.

Yaforite Pitching:
Yaforites are, as many in the world are aware, purists in most sports. So it is with baseball. The main Yaforite abilities come regarding pitching. While the reader may have been stunned at the level of the hitters, one would like to note that those are a distinct sub-set of Yaforite batting, most of whom are among the best in the entire Grand Democratic Duchy baseball system which is, as a Quodite put it, "vast". Pitchers, then, are the real prizes of the Yaforite world. Most Yaforite teams tend to put four-man rotations out there, but this Yaforite side will play with five. If the hitters numbers were inflated, then these numbers will be, in all honestly, insane. Be prepared. I warned you.

Starters (Team, Bats, Throws)

Gerrin Aladan (Uharan Otters, R, L)
A Scout Says... Filthy. Absolutely filthy. Aladan has a fastball (mid to upper ninties), a slider (varies in speeds from the mid seventies to the upper eighties), a cut fastball (low ninties) and a straight change (in the low eighties). The last is his strikeout pitch and the Aladan fastball-to-change combination yields the highest run values of any combination in the Grand Democratic Duchy. It's especially difficult to pick up on, since hitters have to be waiting for the fastball, since it is such a good pitch.

Niorda Kaharin (South Ajer Titans, L, L)
A Scout Says... Re-signed with South Ajer, Kaharin was one of the rare performed for the side who failed the replicate their success of the year before. He throws a fastball (mid to upper ninties), a breaking-curve (in the upper sixties), and a cutter (mid to upper seventies, thrown primarily to lefties). The last is rarely thrown - like many starters, he attempts to play as a two-pitch pitcher and can do that due to the movement and speed of his fastball.

Anamer C'daan (North Ajer Blizzard, R, R)
A Scout Says... Another one of the new players for North Ajer to make the national team, C'daan's a strange pitcher. He's a right-handed junkballer; his fastball tops off in the high eighties, but he has a curve in the mid seventies and a change that runs the spectrum in terms of speeds. He's difficult to pick up because of his massive leg kick on the mound (and because he shields the ball with his glove until almost the moment of release), but that also makes him susceptible to fast base-stealers (especially considering his inability to run a good slide step).

Orlando Delgado (Darigeris Wildfire, R, R)
A Scout Says... Inexperience personified. This is Delgado's first season after his mid cup call-up from college last time. He's got a fastball (high ninties) and slider (mid seventies), and plays around with a variety of other pitches, normally settling on a pair of other fastballs in the ninties. A big-impact rookie with a thunderous season at a terrible club, he takes all of his strength and packs it into his 6'0", 300 lb frame. He's also hyperactive on the mound and known for getting very heavily involved in games, particularly those where he's not doing as well as he'd hope.

Julio Rodriguez (Chelmar Flame, R, R)
A Scout Says... Well known for his potential, Rodriguez has finally burst on the scene with a dramatic season overall. He throws a fastball (mid to upper ninties), a sinker (low ninties) and a changeup (mid to upper eighties). It is not his pace that manages to get him to succeed, but instead the fact that his pitches have so much movement on them. For the first time, this year Rodriguez is managing to control his location and not leave pitches up in the zone. Should he continue, he can be nigh-unhittable. If he does not, he falls apart. Transferred to the Chelmar Flame from the failing West Ajer side at the deadline. Was responsible for most of the Panthers successes, but failed to drive Chelmar into the playoffs.

Bullpen (Team, Bats, Throws)
Yaforites don't believe in the concept of a closer. The pitchers are ranked in terms of the types of situations they will come into - the pitchers at the bottom will come into very high leverage situations, while the pitchers at the top will come into lower leverage situations. The two pitchers at the very top are ordinarily starters who will be long relievers for the national team side.

Cristian Ramirez (Uharan Otters, R, R)
A Scout Says... Really, he's a starter for the Otters, but he's in the bullpen for the national team because of his extraordinarily skills and the fact that there are enough starters on the national team who are better than he is. He throws a fastball (mid ninties), a curveball (mid to upper seventies) and a four-seam fastball (low ninties). The movement on his pitches is what makes him so good and what made him into the ace of the staff in the LAZY final, where Aladan struggled against his Ad'ihani opposition.

Jose Guzman (Greschmeier MSC [Quintessence of Dust], R, R)
A Scout Says... The best starter in Quintessence of Dust (okay, we're exaggerating here. But not really), Guzman's a strange candidate for this team. His 6.60 K/9 was impressive, but his 1.22 BB/9 even more so. Guzman throws four pitches; a fastball (89-90 mph), a changeup (high seventies), a slider (low eighties), and a splitter (mid eighties). He's also well-known for being a very severe groundballer. All of these seem to indicate that he'll be a terrible reliever, but we have no idea how that will go.

Jorge Cueto (Indigar Horsemen, L, L)
A Scout Says... Cueto is only on this side because Indigar has continuously complained that nobody selects their players because their coaching staff continually looks to match-ups above everything else. Therefore, Cueto, who is probably the greatest LOOGY in the entirety of LAZY. That's both a good thing and a bad thing; Cueto throws a fastball (low ninties), slider (high seventies) and a slurve (mid seventies), all of which left-handers find difficult to strike back, while right-handers have a little more success.

Simor Rentar (Cirad Blaze, R, R)
A Scout Says... Normally the pitcher who throws the ninth inning for the Blaze, Rentar will be forced to move towards a less high leverage role for the national team. He throws a fastball (high ninties), and changeup (low seventies to mid eighties). While the combination tends to result in a high number of strikes, he can be prone to occasional bouts of wildness of giving up a home run or two.

Juan Reyes (Kiera Breeze, L, L)
A Scout Says... Transferred from Uhari to Kiera, Reyes finds his high-leverage club position changed to that of a LOOGY for the national team. He throws a fastball (low ninties) and a breaking-curve (mid seventies). The combination of the two pitches, as well as his incredible movement on the former, is the main cause of it being so damaging towards lefthanders, since both pitches tend to break away from them.

Farenis Teloran (Cirad Blaze, L, L)
A Scout Says... The number one reliever for the Blaze, the combination of the fastball and the curveball is what makes Teloran so good. He throws a fastball (mid ninties) and curveball (mid sixties to high seventies). Together, he manages to hold lefties nearly hitless and confuses right-handers, because his fastball tends to break at the last instant to the outside corner.

Kaior Ajaran (Uharan Otters, L, L)
A Scout Says... The former starter has a mix of pitches that allow him to have remarkable success in striking out opposing batters as well as walking very few. He throws a fastball (mid ninties), curveball (mid seventies), and splitter (mid eighties). He's the second-best reliever on the Uharan side, but on any other team, he'd be number one. He sometimes gets into trouble because he allows so many more fly balls than most relievers, but his control and wealth of pitches can get him out of it.

Gamran Galis (North Ajer Blizzard, R, R)
A Scout Says... The North Ajer primary reliever has burst on the scene this LAZY season with an utterly thunderous season for the second-place Yaforite side. He is a pure, old-school high-leverage reliever; he's a two-pitch pitcher. Galis throws a fastball (mid ninties) and a hard slider (low eighties). There are periods of time where Galis struggles with his control, but when he is on, Galis' stuff can generally be described as "electric".

Tyrius Validor (Uharan Otters, R, R)
A Scout Says... Easily the best reliever in the Grand Democratic Duchy. Validor throws a fastball (upper ninties to triple digits), slider (mid seventies to low eighties) and cutter (low eighties). The incredible power behind his fastball and the contrast with the well-controlled slider and cutter allow Validor to essentially control what the hitter will be doing and what the hitter will be expecting. In the mix of the bullpen, it will be Tyrius Validor who will come in at the most important times, when the game is on the line, and hopefully perform his best.

RP Permissions
Choose my runscorers: Um, sure. Just make it realistic given their (exhaustive) descriptions.
Choose my lineup: Okay. There's a lineup given, of course, but there might as well be deviations occasionally. Just keep it consistent with the bios, k?
Follow my Pitching Rotation: That'd be nice, but, once again, there could be deviations.
Godmod scoring events: Yeah. As long as it fits the player bios.
RP injuries to my players: Sure. Injuries make RPing more fun.
Godmod injuries to my players: See above.
Eject my players: Why not? Yaforites tend to be even-tempered, but this *is* baseball.
Godmod other events: Yeah. If you can think of it and it's consistent with my bios, roll with it.
There is no DH at home. Yaforite games will be played in the San Fernando Dome in South Ajer, which is a very large pitcher's park.
If there are style modifiers, Yaforites are as defensive as possible.

by **Zwangzug** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:51 pm

You're at your computer, trying to make a win expectancy graph for the game. Nobody else has uploaded one to FanGaffes yet, but for some reason, this doesn't surprise you.

You log on to the win expectancy finder. The Zebras were down by eight, too far even for the finder. For them it's as bad as trailing by seven, nine, or ten. But you know better. Every run matters. You can never assume. Not when Gina Croes yanked her franchise's starter with two outs in the first. Not when Zwangzug blew its first lead of the night. There's always time for comebacks. Oh, maybe the Zebras don't have games like that very often, but that's for the best, isn't it? Most of the time, they should be able to beat the Brewdomias of the world simply, without giving up eight to start things off. It's rarity that makes the rare special, and you understand that. Better it stays rare. Better it...

The sound of the clock radio. Radio. Clock. No. Something.

Hand fumbling for the snooze button. Then you're awake.

"...Checked swing...didn't go."

"I've got an e-mail here from Bridget in Kerlagrad, who's talking about...let's see, some game her dad went to."

"When? What league?"

"Don't know what league, but it was back in 1984."

"Rustrian fouls one away, getting to the starter's count early on."

"Bridget's dad remembers it being a very hot game, and the home-plate umpire, wearing a lot of heavy padding, just collapsed in the fourth inning."

"That's horrible!"

"Yeah, they stopped playing for a minute to see if he'd be okay, but he got better all of a sudden and was able to continue with the rest of the game."

"Oh. Excellent. Who won the game?"

"Doesn't say."

"Who was playing?"

"Probably someone from Kerlagrad."

"This one's gonna be laced into the outfield, Mercer scores easily, it's 3-0 already and still only one out."

"I wonder if it was another Dragons team? At least two Dragons franchises from Kerlagrad."

"Yes, Oliver, we established that..."

"...smooth sailing so far, but now with two on, one in, and still only the one out, could be getting to him."

"Turner looks a little anxious behind the plate."

"Yeah, and you know, he hasn't been going out to the mound very often so far. Maybe the veteran Eckhart wants to handle this himself."

"Could be. This one's...hit low on the ground but hard. Heading into the--no! Speared by Irene Scircle, she flips it to Kersten for one, and Jamie still has time to go to first for the double play."

"Great stop by Scircle, don't know how she comes up with those."

"Paul Eckhart and the Zebras get a break. We go to the sixth, it's Zwangzug five, Brewdomia one..."

by **Qazox** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:04 pm

QSPN.com/ W B C 15 Coverage

LINE SCORE

Qazox    100 110 000 - 3 10 0
Verdriet 001 300 10X - 5 11 1

SCORING SUMMARY:

Brown scored on 2B throwing error

1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 1-0 QAZOX

3B scored

1 run, 2 hits, 1-1

Wright scored

1 run, 2 hits, 2-1 QAZOX

DH HR to left-center, 1B, CF & DH scored

3 runs, 4 hits, 4-2 VERDRIET

Tyson HR to right, Tyson scored

1 run, 1 hit, 4-3 VERDRIET

C HR to left, C scored

1 run, 1 hit, 5-3 VERDRIET

QSPN Players of the Game:
Qazox: Jason Tyson (2-3, BB, HR, RBI)
Verdriet: DH (2-4, HR, 3 RBI)

by **Newmanistan** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:48 pm

THE ROCKET REPORT

BASEBALL IRRELEVANT AFTER EMPRESS PASSES ON

Pocono City- Today the entire Empire is in mourning, and there is little discussion about baseball, no-hitters, home runs, poor strike zones, and strange occurrences of a bunch of results seemingly wiped out like a unbelievable storm wiped out Dancougar weeks ago. Empress Jessica has passed on. The former Empress was no longer in control of Newmanistan, having passed on the throne to Emperor Michael IV, her brother, ten years ago. Jessica is seen as being one of the best ever rulers of the Empire, taking and resurrecting the nation into One Big Island from it’s previous once ceased days of long ago. It was Empress Jessica who had the foresight to bring the Empire into international sports, starting with the signup of the nation into World Cup 40 and Baptism of Fire 27. Under her guidance, the Newmanistanian economy and the Empire’s presence in sports flourished, and she was certain to make sure that he younger brother, who himself now is 78, would follow in her ideals, and he has done so. The Empress lived a long life. She was 92. The cause of her death is still undetermined, but it appears to be from natural causes.

The team found out the bad news shortly after defeating Emothica on the road by the score of 7-2, a score that we have received confirmation of, actually did occur, and prior to boarding the plane. After landing in Tundra Falls, the team spoke with reporters not about the game, but about the Empress, and even they didn’t, the players would not be able to think about anything else anyway. With her support none of them would be playing in the World Baseball Classic, so they know they owe a lot to her. “I’m in shock, really,” said Meghan Butler, “I had the chance to meet her after we won the championship in twelve (World Baseball Classic 12), and she seemed like a great down to earth person. She was still Empress at the time, though Michael took over soon after. When I spoke to her, I didn’t think I was speaking to such a powerful woman, but more so someone I would meet in a social setting, just willing to talk. She will be missed. I owe so much to her.” Even some of the younger players, such as Courtney Ratigan, were touched by her, “I had one chance to meet her and like Meghan said, she didn’t talk like you might expect a monarchial leader of a 9.5 billion people Empire, but as a normal person. One thing I picked up on immediately is that she loved her sports. I know his Highness (Emperor Michael IV) does as well, but Jessica was really a role model, especially for the female athlete.” Coach Christina Sanders, who was given her position by the Empress says the team will dedicate the remainder of the World Baseball Classic to her, “I am deeply saddened. It will be hard to concentrate on baseball. Fortunately, we have wrapped things up and have clinched our spot to the playoffs, so there won’t be extra pressure on us. Some people might not understand the kind of impact that this has, as in many nations there is a separation between sports and government, but not in Newmanistan. It was Empress Jessica who brought us back from ceased state, and created our presence in international sports. She wanted us to succeed and knew that we could. And she always supported me whenever I may have been ejected from a baseball game. Emperor Michael has continued her legacy and for that I am grateful. I can’t imagine what is going through his mind right now, having lost his sister and mentor while still having his duties of being an Emperor of a powerful and large nation.” Later on, Sanders announced that the Rockets will wear all black uniforms for the remainder of the Classic, with sky-blue lettering. She asks if there would be any clashes with opponents on jersey color for a game that they respect the purpose of the Rockets black, and allow the team to wear it.

Empress Jessica defied conventional wisdom of what it was like to lead an Empire. Newmanistan, for example, has never joined the World Assembly and has no intention to, even while the small nation to the northwest, West Newmanistan, not only is a part of it, but serves as the regional delegate. For the Empress, the World Assembly is far to liberal. “In their old days, they passed a resolution that pretty much banned cars. Yes, it got repealed, but that was our cue that we would never even recognize any of the crap that they pass,” said the Empress two decades ago, and it is a sentiment that still exists throughout the Palace today. In her younger days, she frequently traveled with the team, and had the infamous welcome to international sports when in a Starblaydia airport for Di Bradini Cup 4, Lee Waywide, a Sorthern Northland striker was practicing in the airport and hit the Empress in her head with an errant ball. Security immediately pounced on him but then let him go when the Empress told them to relax and that no harm was obviously meant by it, and they eventually laughed it off. When Newmanistan and Sorthern Northland meant in the semifinal, and a terrible mistake by Waywide in the 90th minute led to a game tying goal for the Rockets (a game Newmanistan went on to win), the Empress sent Waywide a personal letter of support, attempting to comfort the youngster and remind him of the good things he did during the game. (He did have a hat trick in the game). That was the attitude the Empress had in sports. She loved the international scene, and respected not only Newmanistanian athletes, but athletes from all over the globe. She was also a great leader. Many foreign nations with democratic structures tend to look at monarchies in a negative light. But Empress Jessica showed that just because one has exclusive power over an entire Empire, does not mean they are a tyrant. The Empress cared deeply for the people, and it showed in the policies she passed. Today the Empire, knowing that, mourns for her loss. They know that Emperor Michael IV will continue to rule in the way that she did, but for now, that is little room for solace.

Since this is the place you would normally read about baseball game, we will briefly report that the Rockets did defeat Emothica on the road by the score of 7-2. The big hit came right away, in the first inning, when Kristen Wheeler, with two away and the bases loaded, cleared the bases with a double off the left field wall. Wheeler also had a big hit in the third inning, an RBI triple, that scored Natalie “The Better” Monroe. On the day, Wheeler was 3-for-5, with everything but a home run, and 4 RBI’s. Jessica Sorenson had an RBI single in the second, Rachel Cuyler an RBI double in the fifth (scoring Wheeler), and Danielle Scott and RBI single in the 6th, scoring Stacie Meadows, who singled and stole a base. That accounted for the seven runs scored by the Rockets. On the mound, Kaitlyn Ahearn pitched her second complete game of qualifying, allowing lone runs in the third and fourth innings, on a total of six hits. She did walk a pair (both walks ended up being the run scorers), but compensated for that with twelve strikeouts. After expressing her remorse for the passing of Empress Jessica, Ahearn told us that, “I’m just doing my job, it’s why I am on the team.” She always has been a modest one. Next up for Newmanistan will be a game in Tundra Falls against Verdriet. Courtney Ratigan will get the start.

by **Qazox** » Mon May 17, 2010 10:08 pm

QSPN.com/ W B C 15 Coverage

Empress Jessica of Newmanistan dead at Age 92.
International Patron of Sport dies in sleep.

We here at QSPN and by extention Qazox, would like to extend our deepest simpathies to Newmanistan upon the passing of Empress Jessica. While the Empress handed her crown to her brother Michael IV a decade ago, Empress Jessica was one of the biggest supporters of international sports within Newmanistan and the One Big Island region. If not for her efforts, then OBI would not be the sporting power it is today (ooc: and Qazox would be a multiple time champion in baseball/hockey/gridiron...LOL :roll:

) and we grieve with her nation and region. Empress Jessica was truly a patron of sport and as such, Qazox would like to recommend to the WBC Council that Empress Jessica be inducted into the WBC Hall of Fame without the usual 3 year wait. Empress Jessica will be missed by all who new here, including unoffical WBC President Bud Selig, who will attend the funeral along with Qazoxian president Dennis Halpberg.

In other news, appearently the Nation of Dancougar was obliterated by an intern who pushed a big red button, according to a Dancougarian refugee intern. While that nation's refugees have gone almost everywhere, a few have landed in Qazox and are awaiting the usual de-contamination before entering the country proper on Doc Ellis Island.

by **Tocrowkia** » Tue May 18, 2010 1:24 am

Code: Select all: TEAMS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E TOC 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 5 7 0 UDZ 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 5 0

WIN:
Sofie Behm (2-0)
Save
Jamie Von Tipker (2)
HRs:
Kitten Dyfuse 1 (1)

Kitten Dyfuse lead off the ball game with her first longball of the Classic, and the Nordics never looked back in this game. They maintaiend their lead through out, gaining four more runs as the game went on. A Kathrin Jordan RBI single, a Johnny Stryker two run single, and a Kevin Monroe RBI double made up the last of these Nordics runs. Sofie Behm pitched a strong seven innings of work, and Jamie Von Tipker closed it out.

(OOC: Sorry for the short post, but I'm not feeling good

))

by **Secristan** » Tue May 18, 2010 2:36 am

BRENNAN OFFERS NEIGHBORLY CONDOLENCES

Despite all of the banter that has been exchanged by the nations on the sporting fields, and strict border control between the nations especially when it comes to our fans trying to skip the country to see games on free Newmanistanian TV, Secristan has had a peaceful relationship with their neighbors to the west of the Penthoria River, Newmanistan. The nations do things much differently politically, economically, and socially, but there has been a good understanding, trade has flourished between the nations due to their manipulation of Penthoria River and sharing the royalties that come with the allowances of permitting other One Big Island nations from using the waterway, which is vital within One Big Island as it is the only body of water that travels the entire north to south distance amongst South Terra. In a statement broadcasted for free amongst the airwaves, Brennan stated that “One Big Island has lost one of its greatest citizens. Empress Jessica’s leadership of Newmanistan was always respectful of the way we do things here in Secristan. They never tried to impose their style upon us. The current leader, Emperor Michael has done the same thing. She was part of the royal family in Newmanistan, therefore her riches and success are greater then even most of us here, this makes her very worthy of our sadness on this day.” Brennan will be on hand for the funeral, when such arrangements get announced.

by **The Babbage Islands** » Tue May 18, 2010 3:27 am

CHARLESTON (BPA) -- "We grieve with our friends." So said newly-elected Judge of Resolution Cynthia Cymbalski upon hearing of the death of Empress Jessica of Newmanistan at the age of 92 from natural causes.

The late Empress was no longer ruling Newmanistan at the time of her death. Her brother, Emperor Michael IV, assumed the throne ten years ago. In Cymbalski's words, "She will be remembered as a builder of the economy, an architect of sport, and above all as one who loved her people."

Funeral arrangements are not yet complete. Judge Cymbalski, as head of state, is expected to represent the nation at the funeral.

by **The Babbage Islands** » Tue May 18, 2010 4:08 am

Qualifying Phase: Round 9 Results

NOTICE wrote:The published line scores reflect how the scorinator arrives at final scores. The final scores and number of innings shown are official. No nation's RP will be penalised for using, or for not using, the generated line scores.

Group A

Silver Beach          410 000 000 - 5
Mantwenic             130 000 000 - 4

Tsenor                020 004 013 - 10
Bluth Corporation     001 221 001 - 7

Secristan             002 000 200 00 - 4
Sarzonia              100 300 000 01 - 5

Group B

Kalasion              100 201 000 01 - 5
Barnettsville         001 001 110 00 - 4

Quintessence of Dust  003 000 000 - 3
Zwangzug              010 300 00X - 4

Brewdomia             200 000 200 - 4
Tarrentum             031 300 00X - 7

Group C

Delaclava             121 100 000 - 5
Taeshan               200 114 00X - 8

Dancougar             102 110 000 - 5
Bloodbath Valley      300 023 00X - 8

The Fanboyists        000 000 111 - 3
South Norwega         000 201 10X - 4

Group D

Toiletdonia           001 000 010 - 2
The Babbage Islands   000 010 002 - 3

Steroga               000 000 101 - 2
Tocrowkia             140 102 10X - 9

Undeadzombiee         020 100 000 - 3
JoeDad                000 000 100 - 1

Group E

Qazox                 130 100 001 - 6
Virabia               001 031 02X - 7

Verdriet              000 000 002 - 2
Newmanistan           102 111 00X - 6

Emothica              000 000 020 - 2
Milchama              021 100 00X - 4

Group F

Yafor 2               320 000 200 - 7
Cassadaigua           000 010 000 - 1

Vephrall              100 032 000 - 6
Kazzoria              020 001 000 - 3

Albundania            200 100 100 - 4
Western cuba          000 011 000 - 2

Tables

A reminder that tables do not reflect any tiebreaks!

Group A                 W    L    PCT.
Sarzonia                8    1    .889
Mantwenic               5    4    .556
Secristan               5    4    .556
Silver Beach            4    5    .444
--------------------------------------
Bluth Corporation       3    6    .333
Tsenor                  2    7    .222

Group B                 W    L    PCT.
Zwangzug                7    2    .778
Barnettsville           5    4    .556
Quintessence of Dust    5    4    .556
Tarrentum               5    4    .556
Kalasion                4    5    .444
--------------------------------------
Brewdomia               1    8    .111

Group C                 W    L    PCT.
Bloodbath Valley        6    3    .667
Delaclava               6    3    .667
Dancougar               5    4    .556
Taeshan                 5    4    .556
--------------------------------------
South Norwega           3    6    .333
The Fanboyists          2    7    .222

Group D                 W    L    PCT.
Tocrowkia               7    2    .778
Toiletdonia             7    2    .778
The Babbage Islands     5    4    .556
Steroga                 4    5    .444
--------------------------------------
Undeadzombiee           3    6    .333
JoeDad                  1    8    .111

Group E                 W    L    PCT.
Newmanistan             8    1    .889
Qazox                   5    4    .556
Emothica                4    5    .444
Milchama                4    5    .444
Virabia                 4    5    .444
--------------------------------------
Verdriet                2    7    .222

Group F                 W    L    PCT.
Yafor 2                 6    3    .667
Cassadaigua             5    4    .556
Albundania              4    5    .444
Kazzoria                4    5    .444
Vephrall                4    5    .444
Western cuba            4    5    .444

by **Quintessence of Dust** » Tue May 18, 2010 12:45 pm

In part two of our look at how cultural factors helped baseball get big in Quintessence of Dust, we look at the smash hit TV sitcom Teammates, a baseball-themed 20something sitcom set in New Cleethorpes.

Premise: Ragnhildur Grænn has been offered a huge contract to play professional field hockey, but at the last minute bails out, running away from the press party and turning up in Central Shark, the favourite seafood restaurant and perennial hang-out of her old school friend, Momoko, a baseball player. There she meets Momoko's friends, Karl-David and Jaarlo, her ex-roommate, Freda, and her brother, Ryu - whose recent divorce and old crush on Ragnhildur forms the driving storyline for much of the show's early seasons.

The series shows how the six Teammates grow up together in New Cleethorpes, from job seeking young people to responsible adults starting families of their own. By the culmination of the series (spoiler alert) four have formed relationships, a fifth is married, and a sixth has hit for a natural cycle.

Impact: Teammates was widely praised for its multicultural cast and credited with setting many trends in speech (through its use of realistic dialogue) and fashion (notably "the Ragnhildur" haircut and Central Shark's trademark big bowls for yummy fish soup). Later series of the show featured swelling paychecks and swelling egos, increasingly improbable storylines, the introduction of unpopular supporting characters, and a general decline in the quality of writing, but by then Teammates had already cemented its reputation as a gold standard of Quodite television.

Its finale (which features surprising revelations, big guest stars, and an unassisted triple play) was watched by over 1 million viewers - 20% of the country's population. Notably, none of its main actors have had much mainstream success during or since Teammates went off the air, with the possible exception of Michelle Maja, who played Ragnhildur. A spin-off, called Jaarlo, in which one of the characters moves to Highmark City to take up with a new baseball team was briefly mulled, but then scrapped as the worst idea, ever.

Theme music: The Titians, who subsequently gained the reputation as one hit wonders, recorded the theme song, "I'll Pinch Hit For You", specially composed for the show:

So no one told you playing baseball was this hard,
You've got the yips and make slips, your ERA's off the chart.
It's like you can't even make a routine play,
And the fans are yelling out "You suck!", "Go home!",
Or even "You're gay!",
But...

I'll pinch hit for you,
When their starter's on fire.
I'll pinch hit for you,
So you won't have to retire,
I'll pinch hit for you,
Cause you'll pinch hit for me too.

Your throw to second's off, though there's a runner heading there,
You bunt a third strike foul, if only it'd roll fair,
Your catcher warned you there'd be days like these,
But then he grunted, bent down,
And started rubbing lotion on his knees,
So...

I'll pinch hit for you,
When their starter's on fire.
I'll pinch hit for you,
So you won't have to retire,
I'll pinch hit for you,
Cause you'll pinch hit for me too.

No one should ever beam you, no one should ever boo you,
Seems you're the only one who knows what it's like to face 0-2.
Someone to take throws with,
Make it through the extra innings, with,
Someone I'll always practice with.
And when I'm on first, I want you to drive me in,
Yeah...

It's like you can't even make a routine play,
And the fans are yelling out "You suck!", "Go home!",
Or even "You're gay!",
But...

I'll pinch hit for you,
When their starter's on fire.
I'll pinch hit for you,
So you won't have to retire,
I'll pinch hit for you,
Cause you'll pinch hit for me too.

Baseball references: All of the main characters are shown to be baseball players trying to make it big, although by the end of the series most are working in front office positions rather than playing: for example Ragnhildur, an outfielder, eventually moves into designing team uniforms, while Ryu, a pitcher, becomes a coach.

Every episode has a title referencing some aspect of baseball terminology: for example "The One With The Strikeout" (in which Karl-David unsuccessfully pursues an attractive woman, played by special guest star Momoko Koumura), "The One With The Knuckle Curve" (in which Jaarlo accidentally punches Ryu, and hilarity ensues as the latter's attempt for revenge ends up backfiring), and "The One With All The Juice" (a serious episode in which Freda considers taking steroids, featuring a humourous subplot involving Momoko and a Rabbi).

Many baseball players from Quintessence of Dust made guest appearances. In earlier seasons they were mostly cameos, as background customers in Central Shark for example, but in later seasons guest stars were often given bigger roles. Especially notable ones included: Barry Pullman officiating at the wedding of Ragnhildur and Freda, Georgia Fox as a two-episode love interest for the hopeless womaniser Jaarlo, and Jun Zhou giving sage advice to Momoko in the series finale. Emily Sanderson did not appear as a guest star, but a poster of her hanging in Karl-David's room was featured in virtually every episode.

by **Milchama** » Tue May 18, 2010 1:14 pm

OOC: I have another post coming at some point today. They are out of order chronologically. I am aware.

"Wait, you're telling me that Milchama is in third place"

"Yes"

"How?"

"We have 4 wins and 5 losses just like the other teams"

"Not like that. I understand how standings work, I mean how did we manage to get back"

"Emothica started losing"

"Oh, so then they came to Earth?"

"Yep in a big way. They're on a 3 game losing streak and fading even worse"

"That's great"

"It really is, also we're on a two game winning streak"

"We're peaking at the right time?"

"100% Just at the end, just where you want to peak in the group stage, right before the knock out round"

"I just wish we had done a little bit better earlier, so that we wouldn't be in this situation"

"Agreed but we're going to advance right?"

"Well we have to win"

"Why?"

"Because Virabia and Emothica play each other tomorrow"

"And?"

"Well we're tied with both of them at 4-5 so if we lose, one of them have to win one of them will finish 5-5 and knock us out"

"I see, that's the worst possible match up right?"

"Absolutely, that said we play Verdriet last and they suck so we have the ideal match up"

"That we do, that we do"

"So in one sense we have the ideal matchup, and in the other sense we have the hell match up"

"Yup"

"That really sucks"

"Yup"

"By the way, who do we root for in the hell matchup?"

"That's simple, Virabia"

"Why?"

"The first tie breaker is head to head results. We have beaten Virabia twice, so we would advance over them"

"And we had that awful loss to Emothica"

"Yep, exactly"

"What would happen if Emothica won?"

"I have no idea. And quite frankly I don't want to think about that possibility so I'm not going to"

"What's the next tie breaker?"

"Average run difference per game. I have no idea where we stand there but let's try not to go there"

"I have one more question"

"And that is?"

"What if Qazox loses, we win and Virabia wins?"

"Some intern in The Babbage Islands will throw him/her self off a cliff and there will be a lot of funky calculations to work out, I still think we would advance but damn it would be difficult"

"Cool, thanks man"

"Anytime"

"Oh one more thing"

"Yes?"

"COME ON YOU WARRIORS!"

"COME ON YOU WARRIORS!"

World Baseball Classic 15: Everything thread

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