World Baseball Classic 42 Everything Thread

[Maklohi Vai]

Lumako Kurukapai provides an overview of qualifying to this point

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

TDDROH Sports chat

Last three series before the round of 16.




Results

Group 6:

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

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

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


                     G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1   Scootalove City 24 19  5 172 132 +40 0.792
2            Banija 24 15  9 132 114 +18 0.625
3            Hicana 24 13 11 191 186  +5 0.542
4          Humaliwo 24  9 15 135 138  -3 0.375
5    Hampton Island 24  8 16 109 127 -18 0.333
6 DEAT By Chocolate 24  8 16 104 146 -42 0.333

DEAT By Chocolate and Hampton Island have been eliminated. Banija will be next series, I think? Anyway, good luck to the remaining teams!

Scootalove city continues to get handfuls of homeruns and we keep on pushing into the post season with a stellar 19-5 right now.

Keep on going on Scootalove city.

[Northwest Kalactin]

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

Team Name           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 Total
Schiltzberg         3  1  1  1  2  1  1  1  0  0  0  0  0   11
Northwest Kalactin  2  3  2  0  1  1  1  0  1  0  0  0  1   12

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

Game 1
Wow that was a really close game we all know Schiltzberg is a great team but we blew them away with another win they were making a comback in the ninth inning but our good defense stopped them before they could

Game 2
Man that was really stressful a walk off home run in the thirteenth inning by shortstop Ryan Jackson wins the game for Northwest Kalactin against Schiltzberg

Game 3
Many kalactanian people got cocky probably because that game was not a nail biter, the only 2 runs were scored by Wendell Barkley and Nate Johnson so let’s hope in our next game we can improve

Okay well our next games is against tenburg who we have beaten many times before although they are fifteenth in the world so let’s hope all of our Kalactanian fans come out to the next games go Northwest Kalactin

[West Phoenicia]

The Confederates Vs The Royals was definitely a must watch series as the Confederates headed to Vangaziland to take on the team who has been their biggest vocal opposition during this World Baseball Classic.

The Confederates entered the stadium with an air of confidence. It was a very unusal season, by now a clear winner should have been announced, but it was still anyone's game for 3 teams

Game 1: West Phoenicia fell flat with a 1-5 loss against The Royals. Their pitching rotation was top notch. Striking out many Confederate players and running out those who they could not strike out.
Carson Van Buren was the only Confederate to hit a home run at the top of the 8th and save West Phoenicia from a 0 score.

The Royals were the better players on the day, shame one could not say that for the stadium hotdogs which sent 3 West Phoenicians to emergency with food poisoning.

The win clearly boosted Royal confidence being on their home turf. However the Confederates were not going to let a repeat happen.

On game 2 the Confederates entered the stadium, pure gold wreaths adorning their heads content on conquering. Coach Jacob Proper was fierce from the bullpen urging his players on to keep the fight alive.
Pitching was fantastic for both sides, Confederate Jordan Thomas the star pitcher, using a mixture of fast and slow balls he succeeded in keeping The Royals on their toes. The game fell into over time until an encouraging word in Glen Melbourne's ear had him smacking a home run down right field where an opening was noticed by Coach Prosper.

Game 2: West Phoenicia struck back winning the game 8-7.

Game 3: West Phoenicia won the series 8-4, letting the Royals know, you may be a good team but we are a great team. Every win at this stage is needed due to the close statistics of the top 3 teams. It really could be anyone's game and the Confederates are not willing to concede too many runs which may push them out of the running to progress to the next round.

Coach Prosper went over to shake hands with the Royals coach slipping in a #3rdplace comment to the Royals Coach. In the hopes to throw him off the next 2 series that will determine who progresses. With West Phoenicia confident they will be one of the 2 teams to progress, West Phoenicia is aware The Royals need to find the strength to win at least the next 3 games if they want any chance of moving forward.

The Confederates will next take on Lycrabon, a team that has them evenly matched and who last time around gave them a thumping.

[Fungsland]

Fungsland Slips, Playoff Chances Seem Lower Than Ever Featured Article 6 of The Fungsland Sports Enquirer

The FIBT (Fungsland International Baseball Team) has lost a series for the first time since the fourth series against Juvencus. With playoffs on the line, the pressure got to the team and they lost two of three games to Drawkland, who has had much more experience in tournaments than the FIBT. Fungsland is still well in contention for a playoff spot, but it will be difficult to pull off.

Game One

Game one showed that these two teams both had powerful defenses. There wasn't a single score in the game until the bottom of the eighth, when Matthew Everett hit a home run, sending him and another teammate to home plate. The rest of the game was scoreless, and the final score was a 2-0 shutout. This game was the first shutout from the FIBT since the fifth series, and the team was excited after the game. 2nd Baseman Matthew Everett, the player who scored the home run, put it best by saying "if not by blow out, then by shut out."

Game Two

This game was again a low scoring one, but all of the action was early instead of late. Drawkland scored early with two runs in the top of the second, but the FIBT quickly responded in the bottom of the second with a run of their own. In the third, the FIBT were able to tie the game at 2-2. After that score, Drawkland broke the tie immediately, making the score 2-3. The rest of the game was a defensive struggle, with no points at all being scored. At that point, the total combined scores of both teams over two games was only 7 points. Assistant Coach Otto Crosby said, "Both of the defenses were great today, they just brought the better offense," after the game.

Game Three

This game was on track to be another defensive battle. But, there was one inning in this game that had more points scored in it than the entire two game before. In the top of the seventh, Drawkland was able to score an astonishing six points. The FIBT tried to have a strong offensive afterward, but were only able to score two points in the seventh and another point in the eighth. The final score was 4-7, and Fungsland had officially lost the series. Pitcher Geoffrey Merrill called the seventh inning of this game "a complete defensive failure" and "a series of mistakes caused by the pressure of baseball late in the season."

Ivan Greene's Statement

Here is some of the material from the statement after the series from head coach Iva Greene. "The team right now is in a particularly bad spot for making the playoffs. And our performance in this series doesn't inspire much confidence in our team. THe Nova Anglicana Lions and Cosumar are starting to be accepted as the two teams that'll make the playoffs. This is pretty similar to when people were writing us off as major underdogs and the basement-dweller of our group. We're going to have to prove them wrong, and I still have faith that we'll do so. Our next opponent is going to be Juvencus, and although they aren't playing for anything now, they have beaten us in the past. I'm not getting too confident for our next series, but hopefully we'll sweep them."

FIBT and the Playoffs

There are now only five teams in the group that have a shot at the playoffs, since Juvencus is back six games with six game left to play. Drawkland is now four games back in fifth place, and although it's mathematically possible or them to get a playoff spot, it's very unlikely. Gratissima and the FIBT are both two games back, but Fungsland wins the tiebreaker between the two teams. With six games left, there is still room for stealing second. There was a series between the two group leaders today, in which the Nova Anglicana Lions was able to completely sweep Cosumar. This caused the two teams to flip spots, and now Cosumar is second and Nova Anglicana is in the lead. The FIBT is the same amount of games back, but it is against a new opponent and with less time to do it. All signs point to the tenth and final series between the two to determine who makes it and who falls short.

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

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

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

                  G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Nova Anglicana 24 16  8 112  97 +15 0.667
2        Cosumar 24 14 10 112 106  +6 0.583
3      Fungsland 24 12 12 107 105  +2 0.500
4     Gratissima 24 12 12 127 119  +8 0.500
5      Drawkland 24 10 14 128 133  -5 0.417
6       Juvencus 24  8 16 103 129 -26 0.333

[The Sherpa Empire]

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

Lakpa Fang threw his hat across the dugout and kicked over a mostly-empty water cooler. He was pissed at himself for letting Eduardo Aguayo hit the winning run off him -- especially after Mingma Al Ali had such a good start, giving up only one run in 7 innings.

"Hey, it's all right," Dinesh Mohn said, trying to calm him down. "Nobody strikes out every batter they face."

Lakpa kicked the water cooler against the wall. "We fucking lost! We need to be winning if we want to make the playoffs, and we fucking lost because I let Aguayo get that hit! Fuck!" The water cooler rolled back toward him after bouncing off the wall, and he kicked it again, harder this time.

Mohn put a hand on his shoulder. "Lakpa, it happens. Don't beat yourself up."

"It looks more like he's beating up the water cooler," said Usha Chawa. "What'd that water cooler ever do to you?"

Lakpa wheeled on him. "You want me to kick you instead? Fucking idiot!"

"He's just joking, Lakpa. Don't let him get under your skin," Mohn said. "Usha, leave him alone."

Lakpa kicked the water cooler a third time, just for good measure, then snatched his hat off the ground and stormed off into the locker room.

---

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

---

After the 1st and 3rd games in St. Saratoga, when Lakpa Fang wasn't blowing a fuse, the clubhouse was weirdly quiet. In order to reduce bickering and stop Huihui Lin from trying to feed anyone, Mohn had banned the players from bringing their families into the clubhouse. It changed the whole mood. Things were calmer, more orderly, and more serious.

Most of the players' wives and children had stayed back in the Sherpa Empire rather than coming to St. Saratoga. Some of the ones who didn't live in Lukla-Namche had gone home to their own cities. But a few still came to play tourist and bought tickets to the games.

At game 3, Pasang Sherpa-Zhou's wife and kids had tickets way the hell up in the nosebleed seats, but they spent most of the game standing in an aisle near the bullpen, nowhere near their actual seats, chatting with the pitchers. When Finjhok Chang shooed them away so he couple get a couple pitchers warmed up without being distracted by the chatter, they went to the other side of the park and tried to talk to the St. Saratoga pitchers -- which failed miserably because the St. Saratoga pitchers didn't speak Sherpa. Eventually an usher said something to them which they interpreted to mean they should go back to their own seats and stop taking up space around the good seats that they hadn't paid for. They might have misunderstood, though. The usher didn't speak Sherpa any more than the pitchers did.

---

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

---

Back in Lukla-Namche, a cold wind was blowing, and the weather reports said there was stormy weather on the way. Above the city, some of the world's highest mountains loomed. The wind blew snow off their peaks, and it streaked sideways across the sky in great white plumes, like banners unfurled by the gods. Kami Ihawa's hair blew into a disheveled mess as she made her way up to the shrine at Syangboche, and the wind kept blowing out her incense before she could plant it in the sand at the foot of the shrine. She begged the spirit of the mountain not to let any of the games get snowed out in the upcoming series against Melbergia.

---

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

[Vangaziland]

Following the 2 - 1 series loss to the Group's top seed, both Del Bjornberg and Don Haverly were reached for comment. Haverly had the most prominence, at least from the angle of coach v. coach. Cameras caught up with Haverly at one of his team's scheduled batting practices before the next series.

"Coach, what was it like to see Prosper and shake his hand?"

Don laughed, the memory of the Phoenician coach immediately bringing the reaction. "He's a quirky guy. He showed up and had this big gloating smile. He made it seem like he was there to shake hands. Then he came up with a weak comeback. You could tell he worked on it for awhile."

"What did he say?"

"3rd place. He has a point. But let's be serious. It's easy to talk like that when you're the top seed. He's put a big spotlight on himself. Everyone will notice their final result."

"Some say Jacob Prosper might be a lacrosse fan. If you remember, West Phoenicia was bounced from World Lacrosse Championships 28 by Vannish colony, Wrexwic."

"It was a similar situation", said Coach Haverly. "The Phoenician media did what it does and promised a Championship. The Phoenicians lost to Wrexwic twice in the Group and once in the playoffs. Then Vangaziland beat Wrexwic for the Championship in the very next game. That had to be rough. I guess Prosper calls this revenge."

The sideline reporter shared a laugh with the Vannish coach. "Well, rivalries are a part of sports. If the Confederates seek a rivalry, one they will find."

"For now, we have to keep putting our best foot forward. Ugly enough, we have to root for the Confederates to sweep Lycrabon." He laughed. "We'll see how that goes. We actually went 2 for 6 against the Phoenicians. If not for that, we'd be severely in 3rd place right now. At least we've remained competitive. Next season, we can't fall to a team like Lycrabon. This one isn't over yet though."

"So the Confederates didn't crush your will?"

"Not even close", said Haverly. "The series got the blood flowing. We're picking up our second wind. But we have another tough series ahead. Devonta is a better, more experienced team than us. We're putting in the effort, but sometimes skill comes first. Age beats beauty, ask Prosper."

Del Bjornberg was interviewed later after a team meeting.

"The games were sold out. Broadcast numbers were pretty high too, I hear", said the pitcher. "You might think that doesn't matter to us players, but it does. More scouts and teams will see us, not to mention the fans. It can help with future contracts, which can be competitive to get in Vannish baseball. It's good for the nation and the sport. So I love the rivalry. This isn't the end."

"What do you think was the key to the two wins the Royals took from the Confederates?"

"It comes down to pitching", said Bjornberg. "I may be biased, since I pitch and all, but it's true. On those two nights, we pitched a sharper game and they were just downright sloppy."

"How do you feel the Royals' season has gone compared to the Confederates'?"

"Well if we were the 6th ranked team in the group, I'd like to think we'd actually build a lead. Instead they are racing the 30th and 40th teams in the multiverse. But things aren't perfect for us right now either. If we fall big to Devonta, it's all over. They're a better team than us, so it's definitely possible. If that's the case, we showed up every inning and will until the season's end. We can be proud of that."

Baseball is still growing in popularity along with other sports like Gridiron and Association football throughout the Vannish territories. Basketball and Lacrosse, two of Vangaziland's best teams also form the two most popular sports. The rivalry which just played itself out will help draw more and more attention to baseball. There are kids who watched this game who would have played basketball or lacrosse but have just picked up the lure of baseball.

And those fans are the ones who truly won tonight.

[Abanhfleft]

Part One Part Two Part Three

Baseball Is Dead, Long Live Baseball (Part Four)

Even from far away, Evan Martin could still recognize the face of Zachary Tyler, his friend and comrade, the man with whom he had served during the Verbergerkinnh Campaign. The intervening years between their last deployment to Verbergerkinnh and today had done little to smooth that chiseled jaw and soften those broad ox-like shoulders. But despite that, Zachary Tyler still showed the signs of aging, and Evan knew that he must look like he had also been through hell and back from Zach's perspective.

"Are you Zachary Tyler?" Martin asked him.

Tyler raised his head and looked at who had asked the question to him, and then a smile formed on his face as he finally recognized Evan Martin. "Well, look who the cat just dragged in," Zach said as he stood up from where he had been sitting down beside a paramedic. "Evan fucking Martin in the flesh," he said as they shook hands. "Where the hell have you been? The last time I saw you was in Imgortur."

"I became a cop; Riuwiee PD," Martin replied. "How about you, Zach? I know that you live on the other island, but what have you been doing?"

"I didn't choose the cop life; the cop life chose me," Zach replied. "I guess you're here for the thing, huh?"

"As a serving detective of the Riuwiee Police Department of the Fleftic National Police, it's kind of my thing to take care of, investigate, and deal with the thing," Martin replied. Martin then happened to notice that there was another person in the ambulance where Zach had just come from, and he asked him, "Who's the girl? Zach, don't tell me that you and Kimber already broke up because that would just be sad. I know just how much you love Kimber, man. It would really be sad if you two went your separate ways."

"Wait, what? Who--no, that's Alice, guy," Zach said when he recognized just who Martin was talking about. "Were you talking about Alice? I assume you're talking about Alice. Hey, Alice!" he called out. "Come out here and say hi to your Uncle Evan!"

"Wait, Alice? Your Alice? That's Alice?" Martin asked as Alice approached him. "My, my, you've definitely grown up, haven't you?" he asked as Alice finally got to them. "Last time I saw you, you were still a five-year-old girl who couldn't even get up to my belly button! How come I never saw you grow up like you did?" Martin asked her.

"That's because you've been hiding from her ever since she was old enough to keep asking you about her Christmas present," Zach replied with a smile. Evan Martin and Zachary Tyler were not actually related, but since Evan had been Alice's godfather during her baptism, that allowed her to call him "Uncle Evan".

"Hi, Uncle Evan," Alice said. "You owe me eighteen Christmas gifts, Uncle!" she said immediately.

"I'll get them when I can get them," Martin replied to her statement. "The PD doesn't pay me enough between my own bills, my alimony payments, and my kids, but I promise you that I'll finally scrounge up something for you, Alice. "So, what are you two doing here?" he asked Zach. "And where's Kimber?"

"Kimber's off on some psychology seminar in Imgortur, of all places," Zach replied. "And thank God for that. She didn't have to see the carnage that happened in this place. Would you believe that Alice and I were here to watch the Revolution game, Evan?" he asked.

"I'm actually very tempted to believe you, bro," Martin replied. "Look, seriously now, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

"Oh, sure, sure," Zach replied, recognizing that Martin was now all business. "Alice, why don't you go back to the doctor and see if there's still something you need?"

"Okay, Dad," Alice replied, and she walked back to the ambulance where she had just come from.

"Okay, what is it that you want to talk about?" Zach asked Martin once his daughter was out of earshot.

"You know what I want to talk about, Zach," Martin replied. "What did you see? What did you do? Why did you do it? That kind of stuff. That's because I heard scuttlebutt that one of the spectators watching the game shot dead one of the secondary shooters before the shooter could kill one of the Revolution's players."

"Where did you hear that? The lady in white?"

"More like the rugby player trying to squeeze himself into a suit," Martin replied. "Did you by any chance turn over your weapon to my cops?"

"Of course I did," Zach replied. "This time I'm sure I gave it to the lady in white. Look, Evan, I know that this is your turf, but I know that you would do the same thing if you were in my shoes. If you were at Monsanto Stadium watching United against Arsenal, and some shooter went onto the pitch and was about to shoot Oren Ya'akovi, and you had a gun in your hand and you were within range of the shooter, wouldn't you bring him down as well?"

"No, no, you're right," Martin said, nodding his head. "But I have to tell you, some of our colleagues in green here in the capital won't like it a little bit that it was a a Releinthino that saved their asses and stopped this thing becoming an even bigger mess than it already is."

"Do you Riuwenos still take this Releinthino thing seriously?" Zach asked with a smile.

"You know what I'm talking about. It's all about the jurisdictions. A Releinthi PD cop firing off his gun in the middle of a case being handled by Riuwiee PD? You know we cops take matters like this very seriously."

'I'll take your word for it," Zach said.

"Just don't go right back to Releinthi just yet," Evan told him. "We still need to talk, and you still need to send in your signed and sworn statement."

"All right, then. I'll be staying at my cousin Georgie's place with Alice. I'll give you the address and the phone number too." Zach gave the address and the phone number to Evan.

"Looks like we'll be seeing more of each other soon, bro," Evan told Zach.

"Don't I know it," Zach agreed.

[Free Republics]

World Baseball Classic 42: Free Republics

This is your Ninth Series Cutoff presented by Dixon Light! Dixon Light: The Beer that Makes Love Happen since 1836!

---

Results

Group 1:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                  G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Nova Anglicana 27 18  9 125 105 +20 0.667
2        Cosumar 27 16 11 129 119 +10 0.593
3      Fungsland 27 14 13 123 117  +6 0.519
4     Gratissima 27 13 14 135 132  +3 0.481
5      Drawkland 27 11 16 141 150  -9 0.407
6       Juvencus 27  9 18 115 145 -30 0.333

Group 2:

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

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

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 Total
New Jarwel  1  1  1  0  0  1  0  2  0  0  0  0   6
Ethane      0  1  0  0  1  1  2  0  1  0  0  3   9

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

Team Name                1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 Total
Royal Kingdom of Quebec  0  1  3  0  1  0  2  2  0  0  0  0   9
Alpine Union             1  1  0  0  1  3  2  0  1  0  0  1   10

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

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

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

Team Name                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
Pripet Socialist Republic  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1   2
Ferret Civilization        0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0   1

                             G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1                    Ethane 27 15 12 122  85 +37 0.556
2 Pripet Socialist Republic 27 15 12  95 114 -19 0.556
3              Alpine Union 27 14 13 120 119  +1 0.519
4   Royal Kingdom of Quebec 27 13 14 120 115  +5 0.481
5                New Jarwel 27 12 15 114 129 -15 0.444
6       Ferret Civilization 27 12 15 115 124  -9 0.444

Group 3:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                               G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1                  New Sangti 27 18  9 126  88 +38 0.667
2                      Darmen 27 17 10 139 117 +22 0.630
3                  Abanhfleft 27 15 12 159 126 +33 0.556
4                   Azadeshia 27 15 12 118  99 +19 0.556
5 Vakolicci Haven and Celeria 27  9 18  85 115 -30 0.333
6                New Doltania 27  7 20  79 161 -82 0.259

Group 4:

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

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

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

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

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Free Republics  2  1  7  0  0  0  4  0  0   14
South Covello   1  1  3  1  1  0  0  0  1   8

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

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

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

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

                    G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1      Newmanistan 27 19  8 111  84 +27 0.704
2    South Covello 27 18  9 148  99 +49 0.667
3   Free Republics 27 14 13 147 116 +31 0.519
4 Carstantinopipal 27 11 16 126 163 -37 0.407
5          Yoannes 27 10 17 127 139 -12 0.370
6           Krossa 27  9 18 114 172 -58 0.333

Group 5:

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

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

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

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

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

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 Total
Sandberg     1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   2
Maklohi Vai  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1   3

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

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

Team Name     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
North Prarie  1  0  1  0  0  2  2  0  0  2   8
Sorrentopia   3  0  0  2  0  1  0  0  0  0   6

                   G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Super-Llamaland 27 20  7 126  74 +52 0.741
2     Maklohi Vai 27 16 11 112 103  +9 0.593
3    North Prarie 27 15 12 100 101  -1 0.556
4           Siroy 27 12 15 103 120 -17 0.444
5        Sandberg 27 11 16 110 119  -9 0.407
6     Sorrentopia 27  7 20  96 130 -34 0.259

Group 6:

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Banija           2  0  1  1  1  1  1  1  2   10
Scootalove City  1  0  1  1  0  3  5  2  X   13

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

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

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Hampton Island  1  1  1  2  0  2  1  3  1   12
Hicana          1  1  6  2  4  0  1  2  X   17

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

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

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 Total
Humaliwo           0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  1  0  0  0   3
DEAT By Chocolate  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  4   7

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

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

                     G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1   Scootalove City 27 21  6 191 150 +41 0.778
2            Banija 27 16 11 150 133 +17 0.593
3            Hicana 27 14 13 220 213  +7 0.519
4    Hampton Island 27 10 17 136 156 -20 0.370
5 DEAT By Chocolate 27 10 17 120 156 -36 0.370
6          Humaliwo 27 10 17 145 154  -9 0.370

Group 7:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Melbergia          2  2  0  1  0  1  0  2  1   9
The Sherpa Empire  2  4  1  3  3  4  0  0  X   17

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

                      G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1        Schiltzberg 27 19  8 144 102 +42 0.704
2 Northwest Kalactin 27 16 11 154 139 +15 0.593
3  The Sherpa Empire 27 15 12 194 183 +11 0.556
4        St Saratoga 27 13 14 134 128  +6 0.481
5            Tenburg 27 12 15 126 115 +11 0.444
6          Melbergia 27  6 21  91 176 -85 0.222

Group 8:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Kita-Hinode  1  0  6  3  1  3  0  0  0   14
Ngongo       1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   2

                     G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1       Cassadaigua 27 20  7 173 125 +48 0.741
2           Ko-oren 27 18  9 155 112 +43 0.667
3 Equestrian States 27 14 13 126 126  +0 0.519
4          Lisander 27 12 15 163 158  +5 0.444
5       Kita-Hinode 27  9 18 121 166 -45 0.333
6            Ngongo 27  8 19  99 150 -51 0.296

Group 9:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Philamer Island  1  3  0  1  1  4  0  3  1   14
Tierra Fuego     2  0  2  1  1  1  0  2  0   9

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

                            G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1                 Lycrabon 27 20  7 148 123 +25 0.741
2           West Phoenicia 27 17 10 138  98 +40 0.630
3 United States of Devonta 27 16 11 145 116 +29 0.593
4              Vangaziland 27 15 12 131 107 +24 0.556
5          Philamer Island 27  7 20 112 165 -53 0.259
6             Tierra Fuego 27  6 21  99 164 -65 0.222

[The Sherpa Empire]

I kind of messed up my last RP because I got confused about the schedule, but I'm keeping the part about Lukla-Namche having crappy winter weather.

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

Debashish Morrison was beginning to wonder if he was working as a baseball player or a diplomat. First Lakpa Fang asked him to translate his letter complaining about the news coverage in St. Saratoga. Then Dinesh Mohn asked him to go talk to Princess Yahia and keep her occupied. (That assignment hadn't been so bad. Princess Yahia was reasonably friendly and good-looking, and Debashish wasn't the type to get intimidated talking to people from other walks of life.)

Now Nawang Gurung wanted him to translate an email from a recruiter in North Prarie and help him write a reply. Debashish translated the email, since he had time on his hands. Throughout the World Baseball Classic, he had only been put in the game for an inning here, and inning there, or pinch hitting for some pitcher who was getting pulled.

When Debashish commented on how many requests he was getting to translate things and talk to people, Seojun Sherpa said, "You should be thankful you're good at that stuff. I've lived all kinds of places and tried to learn all kinds of languages, and I still can't write and talk to people like you do. I'd give anything to be able to do that."

---

*The thing about the letter from the recruiter in North Prarie is based on something he sent me by TG.

---

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

---

There was a foot and a half of fresh snow on the ground when the Sherpa national baseball team returned to Lukla-Namche to play their final series against Schiltzberg. The grounds crews at the airport and the ballpark had miraculously managed to get both back in usable condition, but the streets were a slippery mess. Kids were climbing and playing on the giant mound of snow where the Syangboche grounds crew had dumped the snow they removed from the field.

Princess Yahia and a handmaid stopped to greet the children and help a little boy with a snowman he was building. Then they went on into the stadium. Yahia walked around like she owned the place, making her way through the bowels of the building without ever worrying that she might be intruding and without ever having to stop for directions. She had been here often enough to know her way around. She emerged onto the field from a door in the left field wall. The grounds crew were in the process of shoveling away the last of the snow. Yahia went around the park giving each of them her personal thanks for getting the field cleared, and a few hundred rupees as a token of her appreciation. The handmaid rolled her eyes at the whole thing and prayed that Yahia wouldn't find some excuse to talk to Debashish Morrison once the series got underway. It was unseemly the way she flirted with Kao Tong at Icefall Doctors games, but it was never going to go anywhere beyond that because Kao Tong knew his place and never got too comfortable with her. Debashish Morrison was different. He talked to her like an equal, and worse still, they seemed to genuinely like each other -- not just because of Yahia's title and Debashish's baseball career, but on a personal level. They had to be kept apart at all costs, before anything really scandalous happened.

---

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

[Ko-oren]

A trip to Nitoya

Oh wait, what's that? The Dragonflies going to a second round of the WBC in how long? Ok, World Baseball Classic 37. And how did that go? Oh, wait, we survived the second round, too? And then? Ah, there we go, I almost forgot we were talking about the same national team. Winless in the quarterfinal, you say. I assume we used to be quite the different team back then. 12th in the rankings? Makes sense. So it was a little expected that we'd do at least alright. It's still a big thing to actually not disappoint, though. I still can't get over the fact that we were 12th in history. Is this real? I bet people were elated back then! Or, wait, what players were in back then? Ah, no roster for that edition. So we finally do well and it's documented in exactly zero places in this nation. At this point, the age-old joke holds... when I die, I want the (baseball) Dragonflies to lower me into the ground, so they can let me down one last time.

[record scratches]

Day 25 - Lisander 6, Equestrian States 3. Ok, now the Dragonflies only need three wins over Cassadaigua, should be easy, and we're in. Actually, THAT'S NOT EASY AT ALL. And there we go, Cassadaigua nicks the victory with a ninth-inning run, 4-3. Well done Dragonflies, that's the NT we grew up and got used to.

Day 26 - Lisander 5, Equestrian States 2. I refuse to get hyped. Ko-oren 8, Cassadaigua 4. LAK;SDJCSALEH WHAT. No. It almost got me. This Dragonflies team will find a way. To choke it all away. We're on 18 wins, they're on 14. Four games to play. Thats's plenty of time to mess it all up if you're in Green and Blue.

Day 27 - Cassadaigua 9, Ko-oren 1. HA! I EFFING KNEW IT! Equestrian States 4 - SEE! FOUR IS PRETTY GOOD, WE CAN STILL FUCK THIS UP I TOLD YOU - Lisander 7. WE'RE GOING TO THE SECOND ROUND WHAT IS GOING ON... We got out-choked?

And that was a pretty decent summary of my next three days. After the disappointing stretch in Aonishi and the revenge taken on the unsuspecting Ngongo team in Katashi, it would all come down to six games against the first and third placed team in the group, with more than enough time to choke it all away. Except, that's not what happened. Ok, so we lost the series 1-2 to Cassadaigua, but the Equestrian States lost all three to Lisander. And that means whatever the outcome in the ES-KOR series... it doesn't matter. Well, it matters if we're playing Round of 18 or Round of 16. And that matters a whole lot. So far, we're looking like a Round of 16 team, just barely missing the Round of 18.

I'll be honest, it casts Nitoya in a much better light. The town where for the first time in three weeks, I allowed myself a breather. Heart rate down, we're ok. It'll make my stay in Aviansola for the last series something to enjoy, even. Who'd've thought it?

As always, a completely unsponsored tourism roundup of Nitoya. Nitoya is like a binary star, like Sirius. Except Nitoya has a companion in a town called Yonomura tucked away between the hills. They feel like two distinct towns, even though they're completely conjoined now, and it's just an optical illusion from half the town always being hidden behind a ridge. Way down near the beach is a lovely little baseball stadium (ok, it's pretty big and dominates the Nitoya skyline) for the Nitoya Silvers, named after the industry which is completely based in Yonomura - a point of contention, now, still, over 75 years after the team was founded. And they still remember this, with an annual three-game series between Nitoya (Starfish, on this occasion) and the (Yonomura) Silvers, collectively called the Nitoya - Silvers series (the dash is important. It means versus.) The first game is between the high-schoolers, the second between amateurs, and the last game is a pre-season warmup game between the pros from Nitoya and the semipros, playing in the second division, of Yonomura. It's one of the older series that are still alive and kicking today.

I saw two matches in Nitoya, and one in Yonomura. Nitoya is a far warmer place - and this would be a good time to mention it was hot here. Warmer isn't just a way of describing the atmosphere of the town. We're in far southeastern Ko-oren, and the nice lack-of-cold of Alara and Etena, and the humid but nice warmth of Selesi turned into the (occasional) furnace of Leleia island. Yonomura traps some of the heat inside but the clouds outside, making it an even worse place for someone who prefers the cold. It didn't help that we got some scorchers these days, though breezy Aviansola (together with the good weather forcasts) should make up for it. I've gotta come back to Nitoya at some point, in a different season. Now, up through Katashi, into Aviansola for the Equestrian States series, which totally isn't turning into the Winner-Takes-it-All-series that it looked to turn into after all. But I'm entirely ok with that.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

TDDROH News

Protector 7 stocks go up 2000% after new gun and plane reveal


Protector 7 revealed it's new gun, Starlight-1 (S-1), on tuesday, to be used on the newly assembled Shining Star-1 (SS-1).

The Shining Star-1 can go a top speed of a reported Mach 10, carrying what Protector 7 claims to be a "revolutionary new AI pilot system" that can smartly control the plane without any pilot input. It can also be used apparently in tandem with pilots, for things such as: bombing runs with 'smart' ai controlled disbursement and detonating bombs and, programming complex flight plans.

That last one is helpful sense the plane has a built in ejector seat that is much like one of the Cannonball transportation system that can be entered. It also has a remote control tablet to fly it.


As for the gun, the S-1 fires 950.JDJ ammo but now with an incendiary twist. named 950.Starcore. Or 950.SC.

The two of these planes in existence will be flying with the 2,000+ Derpian Friends as the Scootalove city Unicorns have won there way to the postseason in Free Republics.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

TDDROH Sports chat

Unicorns Clinch Postseason spot



Results

Group 6:

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Banija           2  0  1  1  1  1  1  1  2   10
Scootalove City  1  0  1  1  0  3  5  2  X   13

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

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

                     G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1   Scootalove City 27 21  6 191 150 +41 0.778
2            Banija 27 16 11 150 133 +17 0.593
3            Hicana 27 14 13 220 213  +7 0.519
4    Hampton Island 27 10 17 136 156 -20 0.370
5 DEAT By Chocolate 27 10 17 120 156 -36 0.370
6          Humaliwo 27 10 17 145 154  -9 0.370

And with that great series we are in the postseason!

Lets just talk about that first game and that 7 run inning!

Stuart 'Super' Nova, Muffinus Cute, and Zoey Derpus loaded the bases and Dave Candy got a grand slam sending them home! Dave 'The King' Haggard then got a solo homer.

It was a fantastic game from both sides.

[Schiltzberg]

SCHILTZBERG CLINCHES WITH SWEEP OF ST. SARATOGA

While it is true that to this point in the competition, Schiltzberg has not quite lived up to the hype, they are still a major threat, and this was proven by their performance in the last series versus St. Saratoga. Schiltzberg came through with a three-game sweep of the visitors, and this gained them a spot in the playoffs for the tenth straight World Baseball Classic. With three games to go, Schiltzberg has a three-game lead over Northwest Kalactin, which puts them in a very likely position to win the first place spot from their division, which would put them in at least the top half of the seeds for the playoff rounds. If the season ended today, Schiltzberg would be in a position to win the number five seed in the playoffs, and that would give them an advantage during the first round of playing a less-capable team. Granted, if Schiltzberg hopes to go far in the tournament, they will have to be prepared to face tougher opponents as well, but it never hurts to push off the high stress games to the second or third round. Now that Schiltzberg is guaranteed a spot in the finals, it will be interesting to see who they will be matched up against, and it would be ideal if they would have a strong end to the preliminary round so that they could push for a top seed and play a team that is just above .500.

Up against St. Saratoga, Schiltzberg had a great series. They got the sweep, which they had struggled to do in the past several series, and it felt good to finally get on a streak, especially right before the playoffs start. This will hopefully still be just the beginning of Schiltzberg's season, as they look to achieve much more success as the season continues.

Game 1

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

Game one was a close game that ultimately did a lot to shape Schiltzberg's morale and turn them in the right direction. Played at Royal Dome, the Schiltzbergers had home field advantage, and they tried their best to keep the visitors at bay. Early on, St. Saratoga seemed to be getting hits off of Schiltzberg's number five starter Steven Murray, scoring a single run on a scoring chance in the third inning, and then scoring another lone run on a solo home run in the fourth. Schiltzberg tied it up though with a solo home run in the third by Ducky Fitzhugh and then another solo home run by Francis Thom in the sixth. St. Saratoga took the lead in the top of the seventh, scoring a lone run on a scoring chance when a runner scored from second on a single to left field. Schiltzberg took the lead back though in the bottom of the inning, when they rallied to score two runs with a double from Steven Wilitzer, who knocked in Ducky Fitzhugh and Mark Daly, who had both singled. St. Saratoga was relentless, and they scored another run on Schiltzberg with a solo home run in the eighth, tying up the game. Despite the close game, manager Mathew Stuart left starter Murray in the game, hoping to get him good experience. The risk paid off, as Murray was able to hang on for two more innings without giving up any more runs, and he got the complete game ten inning win, as Schiltzberg won the game on a Steven Wilitzer solo walk off home run. The performance brought Murray's record up to 4-1, and it held his ERA at about the same level, going up slightly to 3.16. Regardless, it gained Murray a lot of respect from the team to go the distance and get the win as the number five starter, and he will likely be a crucial asset as the season continues.

Game 2

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

Heading out to the mound to start game two against St. Saratoga, William McKey's record to that point in the tournament was 5-0 with five complete games in five starts, including one complete game shutout. He had quite the resume, and he continued to lead his team to victory in his final start of the preliminary round this season. Once again, McKey went the distance, giving up just three runs in nine innings and pulling off the win with just seven hits and two walks. The performance brings his record up to a perfect 6-0, and his ERA increases slightly to a still good 2.67. The runs scored against Schiltzberg came in the third, sixth, and eighth innings, as St. Saratoga tried to get something going. They took the early lead with a solo home run in the third, but Schiltzberg responded with two runs off of a rally in the bottom of the inning. Francis Thom led off with a single, and then Chris Vrooman advanced him to third with another single, and catcher Daniel Newsom knocked them both in with a two-RBI double to left-center. Schiltzberg scored again in the fourth with a solo home run from Mark Daly. After that, St. Saratoga once again struck McKey, creating a rally in the sixth. McKey gave up three hits in the inning, but luckily, only one run scored, and Schiltzberg still held the lead. Schiltzberg made this lead more comfortable with a two-run home run by Bob Rutledge in the bottom of the inning, which made it a three-run game. St. Saratoga struck again late in the game, scoring after a lead off triple was knocked in with a sacrifice fly, but they could not get anything else going, and Schiltzberg won the game with a 5-3 final score.

Game 3

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

Going into game three, David Toups knew that he had to impress, not only to support his team, but honestly, to secure his spot on the roster for next season, after going 2-3 with a 5.73 ERA against otherwise averaged teams. To his credit, Toups did very well in this start, getting past an early hiccup and finishing his preliminary season strong, getting a complete game one-run win. This brought his record up to an even 3-3, and it brought his ERA down to 4.92. The game did not start out very well for Toups, as he walked the first two batters and gave up a single to allow a run to score with no outs yet in the game. On the single, the runners each advanced two bases, so one runner scored and the bases were left with runners on first and third. From there, the next batter struck out, and the batter after that grounded into a double play, and the inning was over. It was a low-scoring game, but Schiltzberg tied it up in the fourth with a rally. Mark Daly led off with a single, and then Ducky Fitzhugh doubled to make it runners on first and third. Then, the next two runners walked, and a runner was walked in to score with the bases loaded and two outs. St. Saratoga was able to limit the damage to just the one run though, and Schiltzberg's offense walked off the field disappointed not to make the most of their scoring chance. The game remained tied, as Toups pitched a gem, giving up just five hits and three walks in the game, including the rough first inning, and Schiltzberg finally got something going in the ninth. With a runner on and two outs, Daniel Newsom hit a two-run home run to left field to win the game, and this was Schiltzberg's second walk off of the series. Not only did it clinch Schiltzberg's spot in the playoffs, but it also increased their morale, as they are now in good shape to continue on to the next stage.

This Is Your New Schiltzbierg Times Sports News!

[North Prarie]

The North Prarie team got off the bus at Pompeii Park. They saw posters quoting popular songs, and posters of them doing their thing. Playing Baseball. That was all they had to do.
But they HAD to win. For the team, for the people, for the Prarie.

[West Phoenicia]

The West Phoenician Confederates were stunned with the results of the latest series against Lycrabon, a nation that so far has had no media reports on the games they have played was able to make it to the top of the groupings.
The latest series had them win with a 3 game clean sweep upsetting West Phoenician Baseball Management and fans.

Coach Jacob Prosper was not only enraged but stunned, fans who lingered after the games for autographs could hear his rage build.

What did The Confederates do wrong?

Knowing that these 3 games were needed to help progress to the next stage the team could not have played any better

Results,

Game 1: 5-9,
Game 2: 5-6
Game 3:2-3

To keep the pitchers fresh, alert and energetic, each received a turn at the pitch. But Lycrabon batters would not let up, smacking balls in every direction.
The results could have been far worse if it was not for the stamina of the fielders who kept the field tight doing their best to avoid unnecessary base running.

"They gave all they had, they were not sloppy, we were just outplayed. I would not say the better team won, we feel umpires were clearly against us today and that makes it harder when you have an umpire rooting for the other team. Otherwise it is not possible with all our hardwork we could have been beaten 3 times by Lycrabon. If my men were resting on their laurels they better wake up fast. We are just glad our group rivals Vangaziland faired just as bad, also losing all three of their games

West Phoenicia will play its last series against Tierra Fuego, a team second from the last who have lost more than they have won. We beat them last time and we need to beat them again. All three games need to be won to avoid a run off with United States of Devonta or Vangaziland which if tied for number of wins may seem them progress to the next stage ahead of West Phoenicia.

[Banija]

Gutsy 122 pitch performance by staff ace Musa Sidibeh puts Banija on brink of the knockout stages


Musa Sidibeh delivers his final pitch of the night against Scootalove City

SCOOTALOVE CITY- The Kingdom of Banija national baseball team went into Scootalove City with the goal of getting at least one win. They wanted to control their own destiny heading into the season-ending, do or die, three game set with Hicana at home, that is going to set Banijan baseball attendance records. They got some help from the Hampton Islands, who after losign the first game by a stunning score of 17-12, won the last two games on the road, which had to be quite the blow for Hicana to take. This leaves Banija, of course, in pole position, needing to win just one of their last three games to get to the knockout stages, while if Hicana sweeps Banija in Banija, then they will go. There will be no tiebreaker, as one team will have to finish ahead of the other in terms of win-loss record.

Banija, of course, had an extremely tough matchup, travelling to Scootalove City. Banija was going on the road to face a top 5 team, and with the pressure turned on, needing to find a way to win at least once. And who did they turn to for that? Their staff ace. But first, you cannot talk about game 2 of this series without talking about game 1. It was a wild 13-10 victory for Scootalove City, where Banija's bullpen got blasted for 10 runs between the 6th and 8th innings. It was the only game of this classic where the entire bullpen pitched- Cloutier desperately searching for somebody, anybody, to get a hit. A Dave Candy grand slam off of Idi Sene in the 7th was the lowlight of the game.

With that, the staff ace, Musa Sidibeh, was approaching the mound. He knew that he'd have to log some innings- when your team gives up a total of 23 hits in one game, you need to find a way to put things under control, and put out the fire, and Sidibeh did just that. Raymond Cloutier made it clear- "we have plans to pitch him on three days rest if we need to, but we needed to ride him for this game today. We had a chance to win what was a big game, and I couldn't say no to that opportunity." Scoring occured early for both teams, as they each scored in the first, but a three run bomb by Kairaba Savaneh gave the Banijans a 4-1 lead in the top of the 2nd. Scootalove City responded with a solo shot of its own, but it was clear- Cloutier would have to ride Sidibeh, good or bad, to prepare his bullpen for the back end of group play.

Sidibeh had perfect innings in the 3rd and 4th, but would face a storm brewing in the 5th. A leadoff walk on 12 pitches, whiich is never good. Then, a pop out. But then, it followed with a hit and run, which allowed Scootalove City baserunners on the corners with just one out. A single scored the baserunner from third, and on the ensuing at-bat, a RBI ground rule double scored one more, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out. The young pitcher was going to have to pitch himself out of this jam- the pen was too exhausted from the previous game to make a long appearance in this game.

Pitching Coach Yakuba Borussa visited the mound, and devised a strategy. They intentionally walked the next batter, meaning that now the bases were loaded. However, the Banijans would play the infield in, and have a force out available at all bases. However, they didn't need a defensive strategy. Sidibeh struck out the final two batters of the inning, to get out of the jam, and with this confidence soaring, he pitched the 6th and 7th innings, with only 4 batters faced in each inning, allowing a 2 out walk in each one, and then slamming the door.

In each of those innings, the offense gave him one run of run support, so Branco could slam the door in the eight and Kayode could pitch a perfect 9th for the save, as Banija finally won a game against Scootalove City. Another good game for the staff to get rest was game 3, as they lost 2-1. Adama Jobateh, pitching on three days rest, though he got a quick hook in his previous game, pitched like a champ. 7 innings of one run baseball, pitched well enough for the win. Long reliever Buwa Kabba came in for the 8th and stayed on for the 9th, allowing a walkoff home run to Dave Candy to lose the final game of this set.

This series was a perfect setup for the three game set about to occur in Banija. The task is simple- win one, and you're in. If Banija gets swept, and only if Banija gets swept, we will be completely eliminated from this tournament. That's what happens when you're up two games with three left on your closest opponent, and you host them in a three game set to end group play. With the stakes so high, we expect record baseball attendance for this series- a chance to watch Banija clinch its first spot in the knockout stages of this tournament since World Baseball Classic 35, and to go from 9-21 to the playoffs.

Of course, we know the pitching rotation, a little scrambled due to Cloutier going for matchups, for this three game set. Junkung Corr will get the first crack at putting Banija into the postseason. He is the #2 pitcher on this staff, and is pitching on an extra day's rest, as Cloutier moved him back in the rotation for the specific purpose of leading off this all-important series against Hicana. Then, Alasan Marong, in his regularly scheduled spot, will start. And lastly, if and only if Banija has the first two games and game 3 is essentially a playoff, Sidibeh will start game 5 on 3 days rest. If Banija has already clinched, then the regularly scheduled #5 starter, Lallo Ndiaye, will start.

Can we reach the knockouts? Well, the answer is probably. It will be tough- they only have to win once, but there's a reason Hicana swept Banija last time around- they were the group's #2 seed. But they just lost 2 of 3 at home against Hampton Island, when the stakes were incredibly high. Banija's #2 pitcher, Junkung Corr, is leading off this series, and Sidibeh, if necessary, will be ready to pitch game 5 on three days rest. Ultimately, we expect a strong performance from Corr to lift us to the postseason, and then two losses in games 2 and 3, that ultimately won't matter. It doesn't matter how you get there, but once you're in the Free Republics, everyone has the same chance, right?

[Fungsland]

Final Shot at Playoffs for Fungsland Featured Article 7 of The Fungsland Sports Enquirer

This article will only talk about the odds of making the playoffs. As of now, there is only one round of series left in the regular season. That means there are three games left for each team. In Group One, there are four teams left in playoff contention. The Nova Anglicana Lions, after sweeping Cosumar and taking first place earlier, have secured a playoff spot at 18-9. In second place, Cosumar is still in position to make the playoffs at 16-11. Fungsland is in third place and is still behind second place by two games at 14-13. Finally, Gratissima is technically still in contention to make the playoffs at three games behind and 13-14, but it is near impossible.

Most likely, Nova Anglicana and Cosumar will take the two playoff spots in this group. The only way that this could change is if Fungsland is somehow able to sweep Cosumar in the last series. That will move Fungsland to 17-13 and Consumar to 16-14, bumping them out of the playoffs last minute. The FIBT players are all intensely practicing for this series, as it will be the most important one of the regular season.

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

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

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

                  G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Nova Anglicana 27 18  9 125 105 +20 0.667
2        Cosumar 27 16 11 129 119 +10 0.593
3      Fungsland 27 14 13 123 117  +6 0.519
4     Gratissima 27 13 14 135 132  +3 0.481
5      Drawkland 27 11 16 141 150  -9 0.407
6       Juvencus 27  9 18 115 145 -30 0.333

[Abanhfleft]

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

IS IT TIME TO GIVE UP ON THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC ALREADY?


Abanhfleft's Carlos "The Jackal" Tevez congratulates teammate Farris Baoteng after the latter scored a run against New Sangti in the Revolution's home leg against the Indios. Abanhfleft lost the series 2-1 and is now looking at the probability of not making it to the next stage of the World Baseball Classic with only one leg left to go. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Umkhonto Thabowane)

LIVE FROM EFFELENENDRO, ABANHFLEFT - If no one else wants to say it then I'll do it. I think it's time that we gave up on the baseball dream. The simple truth of the matter is that it's not going to happen. We haven't taken advantage of the situation as much as we were supposed to, and now we are going to pay for it with yet another non-qualification situation. I mean, why even fight to get into the knockout stage if we're not going to advance further than the round of 16 or round of 32 or whatever it is they call the first round of the knockout stage?

The root of all the Revolution's problems is that we as a team are not consistent enough. We haven't swept a series since the home series against New Doltania. We always manage to mess up at least one game per series against our group opponents, and frankly, that just won't cut it if we really have aspirations for the World Baseball Classic. A team needs to be perfect if they want to make it all the way to the World Baseball Classic Final and at the moment, Abanhfleft simply isn't capable of that consistency.

I say this as a fan of the Revolution and as a follower of the national pastime. But as a member of the Abanhfleft Revolution, this is all that I can say: we must work harder to achieve the results that match with our team's reputation. And now let me take off my Revolution team cap and put on my fan cap so that I can say that we are indeed achieving the results expected of a team of our caliber. That is, we are not underperforming on the big stage; we are actually performing as well as expected. You say that we have sunk so low as to actually consider a 15-12 record as par for the course for the Revolution. But it is, and the sooner we accept that, the sooner that we will no longer look at our records and despair.

Apologies if this piece is not as long or about the games as they used to. I just needed to blow off some steam after those losses against New Sangti, and this is my greatest outlet for my feelings and frustrations. The Samahang Beysbol ng Abanhfleft might decide to suspend me for my statements, but at this point, I don't care. Maybe some new blood is actually needed to get this team moving once again. We're stagnating, that's for sure, and stagnation plains sucks. This is the Armored Dinner Jacket saying ciao, peace. Catch you in my next post.

[The Sherpa Empire]

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

23 years ago, the Icefall Doctors had a shortstop named Ayappan Banerjee who was a baseball legend, one of the best hitters in the history of baseball in the Sherpa Empire. He was also an absolutely terrible human being. His wife accused him of beating her, and several other women accused him of rape or sexual assault. Most of the accusations were true, but it was difficult to prove what had really happened in each case, and Banerjee was never convicted. Many things were swept under the rug because he was such a great ballplayer and people wanted to admire him for it.

Then one day, he was caught driving drunk, and the cop who pulled him over would not let him talk his way out of it. He was sent to court ordered rehab and sentenced to several hours of community service. As part of his community service, he coached a high school baseball team, where he met a young shortstop named Rangan Choudhury who he felt was a kindred spirit. Choudhury already showed remarkable talent in the field, but his batting wasn't anything special. Banerjee made it his mission to teach Choudhury how to hit like a pro. This was at an ordinary high school in a working-class neighborhood, and the school did not have the space or the budget for specialized things like batting cages. Sometimes Banerjee himself would pitch to the students for batting practice, but he found it easier to have someone else pitch while he stayed over near the batters and gave them pointers. Unfortunately, most of the students at the high school -- even the ones who played baseball -- weren't very good pitchers. It was distracting when Banerjee had stop in the middle of a training session with Choudhury to remind the pitcher of basics like where the strike zone was.

The school only had two pitchers that threw more strikes than wild pitches. Their names were Yongjing Sherpa and Jamling Ihawa. Yongjing had an impressive natural talent for pitching, but he had to go home early every day to look after his little brother. Ihawa was nowhere near as good, but he had time to stick around all afternoon. So it was that one afternoon Jamling Ihawa was pitching to Rangan Choudhury while he tried to perfect his batting technique. Choudhury swung at a pitch and missed. "No, no," said Banerjee. He started correcting the way Choudhury stood and the way he held the bat, but Choudhury seemed to find it more confusing than helpful. "See, you put your hand like this and you swing like..." Choudhury still looked confused. "Here, let me show you." Choudhury got out of the way as Banerjee stepped up to the plate and raised his bat.

Ihawa threw the ball, and to his utter astonishment, Banerjee swung and missed. Banerjee laughed it off. "OK, not like that," he said. They tried again, and Banerjee missed again. Ihawa was throwing his usual 60 miles an hour and putting it right over the plate, so it was odd that Banerjee was having trouble hitting the ball. They tried several more times and Banerjee missed every time, getting more and more frustrated each time he whiffed. "Did you do something to this ball?" he demanded angrily.

"No," said Ihawa. "But I... Is it true what those women said about you?"

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING???" Banerjee shouted.

"I have spiritual powers," Ihawa explained. "There are some people who can't hit against me because of my powers, but only people who are spiritually bankrupt."

"That's nonsense," said Banerjee. "This is real life, not a Saturday morning cartoon. Life isn't all good vs. evil, and good people don't win just by being good."

"Then why can't you hit my pitches?" said Ihawa.

"You wanna see me hit your pitches?" said Banerjee. "Throw me another one and I'll wipe that smirk off your face!"

He marched back to where he had dropped the bat, snatched it up, and stepped up to the plate. Ihawa threw a few more pitches, and Banerjee whiffed a few more times. After the last one, he threw the bat down in disgust and shouted obscenities.

"Dude, if you can't hit against Ihawa, you're not going to hit," said Choudhury. "Some people can hit his stuff and some people can't. It's weird."

Banerjee refused to believe that Ihawa had spiritual powers. Instead, he was convinced that Ihawa just knew some sneaky pitching tricks that nobody else did. But he still was impressed enough to call up Xue Gong, the general manager of the Khumbu Icefall Doctors, to report what he had seen.

At first the general manager dismissed the whole thing as frivolous and stupid, but Banerjee was insistent: "No, really, I know it sounds ridiculous, but you have to see this kid pitch. I couldn't hit anything he threw."

Eventually Xue Gong told Banerjee to bring Ihawa to the ballpark so that Gong could see for himself. When Ihawa met Gong for the first time, he could tell the general manager had low expectations. The look on his face, his body language, and the tone of his voice all made it clear that he had absolutely no interest in Ihawa. He was just humoring Banerjee so he could get the shortstop to shut up and stop pestering him.

Ihawa demonstrated his pitching repertoire, and Xue Gong just stood there looking unimpressed with his arms folded across his chest. "You throw 60 miles an hour," said Gong.

"Yeah, I know."

Banerjee interjected and insisted that they have some of the other players try hitting off Ihawa so they could corroborate how weirdly and inexplicably difficult it was.

"What has gotten into you?" Gong asked, but he went ahead and got a couple of other players.

Most of the players said that Ihawa's pitches were weird, but still perfectly hittable. But there were two others besides Banerjee who whiffed at every pitch the same as he did. The ones who couldn't hit off Ihawa were visibly annoyed with themselves. Gong asked them if they were doing it on purpose as part of some bizarre prank, but they swore up that they were trying to hit the ball and they just couldn't.

"Did you bribe these guys to help get you on the team? Gong asked Ihawa.

"No, of course not," said Ihawa.

"How old are you?"

"16."

"And you're in high school?"

"Yeah."

"I can't sign you even if I wanted to," said Gong. "You have to be 18 or have a high school diploma."

"What if I got a GED?" Ihawa asked.

"Then I would be legally allowed to sign you, but I still don't know why I would want to," said Gong.

"Because some of the best batters in all of SIBA can't hit against him?" Banerjee suggested.

"Hmm... That's a fair point," said Gong. He turned his attention back to Ihawa. "Do you think you could get a GED?"

"I don't know," Ihawa admitted. "What's on the test? Do I need to know algebra?"

"Yeah, you need to know algebra."

Ihawa thought about it. "Maybe I can get a tutor..."

"Okay, tell you what," said Gong. "If you come back with a GED, I'll let you come to spring training and we'll see where it goes from there."

"All right!" said Ihawa.

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

The bell rang to mark the end of the day, and the students stampeded out of Mrs. Guan's math class. Except for Yueli Dong and Jamling Ihawa. Yueli Dong asked if Mrs. Guan could go over her homework with her and explain the problems she'd gotten wrong. "Yes, I can do that, but let me see what Jamling wants first," Mrs. Guan answered.

"I want to do some extra studying on my own, and I was wondering if I could borrow an algebra textbook," said Jamling. "Or if you've got some worksheets I could use or something."

Mrs. Guan looked very surprised, but she smiled and said, "Sure. When I print out worksheets, I always make an extra copy or two in case somebody loses theirs or gets transfered into my class. So I can give you some handouts from my algebra classes." She rummaged through her desk drawer and pulled out some papers to give to him.

"Thanks, that should help!"

Studying for the GED test, keeping up with his classwork, and playing baseball left Ihawa with almost no free time. In the few minutes break between classes, he would read his notes or practice math problems. He lost count of how many times his friends complained that he was no fun anymore because he was studying too much. "What do you need to study so hard for?" Rangan Choudhury asked him one day. "You always get Cs without any trouble." His gym teacher wondered about it too.

Mrs. Guan asked him why he was so interested in learning algebra all of a sudden, but it was different from the way other people asked. She wanted to help. She took time after class to explain things that he was having trouble with, and to offer encouragement.

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

It didn't feel like spring, but the Icefall Doctors were holding their spring try-outs anyway, despite the cold.

"Name?"

"Jamling Ihawa"

"What position do you play?"

"Pitcher."

"How old are you?"

"17."

The man at the sign-up table looked up. "You have to be 18 to try out. Next!"

"Xue Gong said if I got my GED he'd let me come to spring training."

"Oh, you're that guy?"

"Yeah."

"Don't tell me you actually got a GED."

"Yeah, it's right here." Jamling reached into his pocket where he thought he had put his GED certificate, but the pocket was empty. He tried another pocket, then another, and on the fourth try he found the certificate.

"Wait here."

The man left and then returned a moment later with Xue Gong in tow.

"You said I could come to spring training with you if I got a GED," Jamling said.

"Yeah, I remember," said Xue Gong. "I didn't think you'd actually get the GED, but come here."

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

For the first few years of his career, Ihawa didn't really know how to pitch at a professional level. He started out as a relief specialist, only pitching to the worst sleazebags in SIBA. While other people studied scouting reports and video footage, Ihawa read his opponents' autobiographies. He pitched to the ones who were scumbags, and intentionally walked the ones that were decent human beings. He would usually only be in the game for a couple of outs, when the opposing team's most obnoxious players came up to bat at a critical juncture. It raised eyebrows when he intentionally walked some no-name utility infielder, then pitched to stars that nobody else wanted to pitch to. People gossiped and speculated about the reason for his bizarre tactics.

Over the years, with a lot of practice and a lot of coaching, his pitching got better and he didn't need to give intentional walks anymore.

Usually people who couldn't hit against Ihawa didn't believe him when he explained about his powers, but there were a few exceptions. Ayappan Banerjee approached Ihawa one day and said, "I want you to teach me how to hit your pitches."

"You can't unless you change who you are," Ihawa told him.

"I know," said Banerjee. "But what do I need to change? What do I do differently?"

---

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

---

Pardon the last-minute posting. Just tying up a loose plot thread since I had mentioned Ihawa's powers before without really explaining, and I don't want to leave it unexplained if I get eliminated.

[Free Republics]

World Baseball Classic 42: Free Republics

This is your Tenth Series Cutoff presented by Olden Automobile Company! Olden Automobile Company: Our Cars Stand the Test of Time!

---

Results

Group 1:

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

Team Name       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Nova Anglicana  2  0  0  0  2  3  0  3  1   11
Juvencus        0  0  2  0  0  1  0  0  1   4

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

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Drawkland   1  1  2  0  4  2  0  5  1   16
Gratissima  0  1  0  1  0  2  1  1  2   8

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

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

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

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

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

                  G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Nova Anglicana 30 19 11 147 124 +23 0.633
2        Cosumar 30 18 12 143 131 +12 0.600
3      Fungsland 30 15 15 135 131  +4 0.500
4     Gratissima 30 14 16 148 155  -7 0.467
5      Drawkland 30 13 17 164 163  +1 0.433
6       Juvencus 30 11 19 134 167 -33 0.367

Group 2:

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

Team Name            1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Ethane               1  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  0   3
Ferret Civilization  1  5  0  4  0  0  0  0  X   10

Team Name            1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 Total
Ethane               1  1  1  0  0  0  1  0  1  1   6
Ferret Civilization  1  0  0  1  1  1  1  0  0  0   5

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

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

Team Name     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Alpine Union  3  1  0  1  1  2  0  0  0   8
New Jarwel    0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  2   3

Team Name                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Pripet Socialist Republic  1  0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0   3
Royal Kingdom of Quebec    0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0   2

Team Name                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Pripet Socialist Republic  1  0  0  0  0  0  2  2  0   5
Royal Kingdom of Quebec    0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0

Team Name                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Pripet Socialist Republic  0  1  2  0  0  0  2  1  1   7
Royal Kingdom of Quebec    1  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  0   4

                             G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Pripet Socialist Republic 30 18 12 110 120 -10 0.600
2                    Ethane 30 16 14 132 106 +26 0.533
3              Alpine Union 30 15 15 131 131  +0 0.500
4                New Jarwel 30 14 16 126 140 -14 0.467
5       Ferret Civilization 30 14 16 136 134  +2 0.467
6   Royal Kingdom of Quebec 30 13 17 126 130  -4 0.433

Group 3:

Team Name     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Darmen        0  0  2  1  0  0  3  4  0   10
New Doltania  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   1

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

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

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

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

Team Name   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 Total
Abanhfleft  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0   3
Azadeshia   1  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1   4

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

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

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

                               G  W  L  RF  RA   RD Win Pct.
1                  New Sangti 30 21  9 143  94  +49 0.700
2                      Darmen 30 20 10 161 121  +40 0.667
3                   Azadeshia 30 17 13 133 111  +22 0.567
4                  Abanhfleft 30 16 14 171 141  +30 0.533
5 Vakolicci Haven and Celeria 30  9 21  91 132  -41 0.300
6                New Doltania 30  7 23  83 183 -100 0.233

Group 4:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                    G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1      Newmanistan 30 22  8 131  95 +36 0.733
2    South Covello 30 21  9 161 104 +57 0.700
3   Free Republics 30 17 13 163 118 +45 0.567
4 Carstantinopipal 30 11 19 131 176 -45 0.367
5          Yoannes 30 10 20 138 159 -21 0.333
6           Krossa 30  9 21 116 188 -72 0.300

Group 5:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                   G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1 Super-Llamaland 30 22  8 140  86 +54 0.733
2     Maklohi Vai 30 18 12 130 115 +15 0.600
3    North Prarie 30 16 14 107 113  -6 0.533
4        Sandberg 30 13 17 122 126  -4 0.433*
5           Siroy 30 13 17 115 138 -23 0.433*
6     Sorrentopia 30  8 22 108 144 -36 0.267

*Sandberg finishes 4th due to 4-2 HTH record versus Siroy.

Group 6:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                     G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1   Scootalove City 30 24  6 210 157 +53 0.800
2            Banija 30 18 12 165 144 +21 0.600
3            Hicana 30 15 15 231 228  +3 0.500
4    Hampton Island 30 12 18 156 174 -18 0.400
5          Humaliwo 30 11 19 163 174 -11 0.367
6 DEAT By Chocolate 30 10 20 127 175 -48 0.333

Group 7:

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

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Schiltzberg        0  2  1  2  0  1  1  0  4   11
The Sherpa Empire  0  3  4  0  1  1  4  0  X   13

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Schiltzberg        0  1  1  0  2  0  0  1  2   7
The Sherpa Empire  0  2  0  4  2  0  1  2  X   11

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

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

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 Total
Tenburg      0  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  1   4
St Saratoga  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   3

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

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

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

                      G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1        Schiltzberg 30 20 10 169 127 +42 0.667
2 Northwest Kalactin 30 19 11 171 147 +24 0.633
3  The Sherpa Empire 30 17 13 219 208 +11 0.567
4            Tenburg 30 15 15 140 122 +18 0.500
5        St Saratoga 30 13 17 141 142  -1 0.433
6          Melbergia 30  6 24  99 193 -94 0.200

Group 8:

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Cassadaigua  0  1  2  1  1  0  1  1  0   7
Ngongo       1  0  0  1  0  0  1  0  0   3

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Cassadaigua  1  0  0  2  2  1  0  0  0   6
Ngongo       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0

Team Name    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Cassadaigua  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0   2
Ngongo       0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  1   3

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

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

Team Name          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Equestrian States  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0   3
Ko-oren            2  2  2  0  2  2  0  2  X   12

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

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

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

                     G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1       Cassadaigua 30 22  8 188 131 +57 0.733
2           Ko-oren 30 20 10 173 124 +49 0.667
3          Lisander 30 15 15 182 167 +15 0.500*
4 Equestrian States 30 15 15 138 144  -6 0.500*
5       Kita-Hinode 30  9 21 130 185 -55 0.300**
6            Ngongo 30  9 21 105 165 -60 0.300**

*Lisander finishes 3rd due to 4-2 HTH record against Equestrian States
**Kita-Hinode finishes 5th due to +8 HTH Run Differential against Ngongo

Group 9:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Name        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 Total
Philamer Island  0  1  1  0  1  0  6  2  0   11
Vangaziland      0  1  1  0  3  3  1  1  2   12

                            G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1                 Lycrabon 30 22  8 159 135 +24 0.733
2           West Phoenicia 30 20 10 156 100 +56 0.667
3              Vangaziland 30 18 12 154 123 +31 0.600
4 United States of Devonta 30 17 13 157 127 +30 0.567
5          Philamer Island 30  7 23 128 188 -60 0.233
6             Tierra Fuego 30  6 24 101 182 -81 0.200

Playoff Matchups will be posted soon (in a separate post)...

[Free Republics]

World Baseball Classic 42: Free Republics

Seeding Table

-                             G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
 1           Scootalove City 30 24  6 210 157 +53 0.800
 2               Cassadaigua 30 22  8 188 131 +57 0.733
 3           Super-Llamaland 30 22  8 140  86 +54 0.733
 4               Newmanistan 30 22  8 131  95 +36 0.733
 5                  Lycrabon 30 22  8 159 135 +24 0.733
 6                New Sangti 30 21  9 143  94 +49 0.700
 7               Schiltzberg 30 20 10 169 127 +42 0.667
 8            Nova Anglicana 30 19 11 147 124 +23 0.633
 9 Pripet Socialist Republic 30 18 12 110 120 -10 0.600
10             South Covello 30 21  9 161 104 +57 0.700
11            West Phoenicia 30 20 10 156 100 +56 0.667
12                   Ko-oren 30 20 10 173 124 +49 0.667
13                    Darmen 30 20 10 161 121 +40 0.667
14        Northwest Kalactin 30 19 11 171 147 +24 0.633
15                    Banija 30 18 12 165 144 +21 0.600
16               Maklohi Vai 30 18 12 130 115 +15 0.600
17                   Cosumar 30 18 12 143 131 +12 0.600
18                    Ethane 30 16 14 132 106 +26 0.533

Round of 18 Matchups

#15 Banija vs. #18 Ethane @ Family Farmers Field, Mortonsville, Exastrium, Free Republics (Park Factor: 114)
#16 Maklohi Vai vs. #17 Cosumar @ RayDome, Doranto, Contoria, Free Republics (Park Factor: 99)

Round of 16 Matchups

#1 Scootalove City vs. Maklohi Vai/Cosumar Winner
#2 Cassadaigua vs. Banija/Ethane Winner
#3 Super-Llamaland vs. #14 Northwest Kalactin
#4 Newmanistan vs. #13 Darmen
#5 Lycrabon vs. #12 Ko-oren
#6 New Sangti vs. #11 West Phoenicia
#7 Schiltzberg vs. #10 South Covello
#8 Nova Anglicana vs. #9 Pripet Socialist Republic

Quarterfinal Matchups

Scootalove City/Maklohi Vai/Cosumar vs. Nova Anglicana/Pripet Socialist Republic
Cassadaigua/Banija/Ethane vs. Schiltzberg/South Covello
Super-Llamaland/Northwest Kalactin vs. New Sangti/West Phoenicia
Newmanistan/Darmen vs. Lycrabon/Ko-oren

Semifinal Matchups

Scootalove City/Maklohi Vai/Cosumar/Nova Anglicana/Pripet Socialist Republic vs. Newmanistan/Darmen/Lycrabon/Ko-oren
Cassadaigua/Banija/Ethane/Schiltzberg/South Covello vs. Super-Llamaland/Northwest Kalactin/New Sangti/West Phoenicia

Third Place Series

Semifinal Loser vs. Semifinal Loser

WBC Finals

Semifinal Winner vs. Semifinal Winner

Due to time constraints, ballpark information will be edited into this post and added to my IC information tonight. The first cutoff for the Round of 18 will be on Friday. Expect every playoff series to take place at a different ballpark.

[Schiltzberg]

Ballad of Jack Henry

Jack Henry, he was known
Well by his very flesh and bone.
His father knew what he was fighting for.

“Now, don’t dissuade me, Pa;
I’m gonna fight to save the law.
I’m gonna fight a good old fashioned war.”

Without his pa’s consent,
He went down to the regiment
And took up all the papers he could sign.

They assigned him 201,
And he was fastened with a gun,
And they sent him off to fight on the front line.

Jack Henry got a chill,
Shooting at other men to kill,
Going from one battle to another.

Then, one day, a man he found,
And Jack shot him to the ground,
And when he saw his face, he knew it was his brother.

Brother Jack, just look at you!
Look at what they’ve made you do!
Listen up, there ain’t much time for me to tell

You of all the things I’ve seen
In this great, big war machine
Of guns and guts and gore and men and hell.

I’ve killed many with this bed
Of powder, smoke, and lead.
Oh God! Well, I suppose that it’s my turn.

Jack, you go bury my gun.
Don’t tell our family what I’ve done.
Don’t tell our mother that my soul shall burn.

After that, he breathed his last,
And then a couple moments passed.
With sympathy and grief Jack’s heart did swell.

Then, he picked back up his gun,
Got killed before the morning sun,
And he met his brother at the Gates of Hell.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

TDDROH Sports chat

SCOOTALOVE CITY SEEDS HIGHEST EVER IN POSTSEASON HISTORY



Results

Group 6:

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

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

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

                     G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
1   Scootalove City 30 24  6 210 157 +53 0.800
2            Banija 30 18 12 165 144 +21 0.600
3            Hicana 30 15 15 231 228  +3 0.500
4    Hampton Island 30 12 18 156 174 -18 0.400
5          Humaliwo 30 11 19 163 174 -11 0.367
6 DEAT By Chocolate 30 10 20 127 175 -48 0.333

Now, before I show you the seeding table, take a guess what place Scootalove City got.

It wasn't third or forth.

Seeding Table

-                             G  W  L  RF  RA  RD Win Pct.
 1           Scootalove City 30 24  6 210 157 +53 0.800
 2               Cassadaigua 30 22  8 188 131 +57 0.733
 3           Super-Llamaland 30 22  8 140  86 +54 0.733
 4               Newmanistan 30 22  8 131  95 +36 0.733
 5                  Lycrabon 30 22  8 159 135 +24 0.733
 6                New Sangti 30 21  9 143  94 +49 0.700
 7               Schiltzberg 30 20 10 169 127 +42 0.667
 8            Nova Anglicana 30 19 11 147 124 +23 0.633
 9 Pripet Socialist Republic 30 18 12 110 120 -10 0.600
10             South Covello 30 21  9 161 104 +57 0.700
11            West Phoenicia 30 20 10 156 100 +56 0.667
12                   Ko-oren 30 20 10 173 124 +49 0.667
13                    Darmen 30 20 10 161 121 +40 0.667
14        Northwest Kalactin 30 19 11 171 147 +24 0.633
15                    Banija 30 18 12 165 144 +21 0.600
16               Maklohi Vai 30 18 12 130 115 +15 0.600
17                   Cosumar 30 18 12 143 131 +12 0.600
18                    Ethane 30 16 14 132 106 +26 0.533

Round of 18 Matchups

#15 Banija vs. #18 Ethane @ Family Farmers Field, Mortonsville, Exastrium, Free Republics 
#16 Maklohi Vai vs. #17 Cosumar @ RayDome, Doranto, Contoria, Free Republics 

Round of 16 Matchups

#1 Scootalove City vs. Maklohi Vai/Cosumar Winner
#2 Cassadaigua vs. Banija/Ethane Winner
#3 Super-Llamaland vs. #14 Northwest Kalactin
#4 Newmanistan vs. #13 Darmen
#5 Lycrabon vs. #12 Ko-oren
#6 New Sangti vs. #11 West Phoenicia
#7 Schiltzberg vs. #10 South Covello
#8 Nova Anglicana vs. #9 Pripet Socialist Republic

It was first.

That's right, for the first time in the teams history it has seeded first place in the postseason.

This is just amazing. Congrats Unicorns. But it isn't over yet. Keep pushing.

[Banija]

11th inning walkoff homer by Jebel Sowe in game 29 puts Banija in the postseason play-in games


Banija celebrates walkoff solo home run by Designated Hitter Jebel Sowe

HERZEGOVINA CITY- The Banijan national baseball team had a task at hand- they had to win one game out of three against Hicana to qualify for the knockout stages. If not, then the baseball team would be eliminated entirely in their second go around in their return to the World Baseball Classic. Hicana, of course, swept Banija the first time these two teams met, when there was a 3 game set in Hicana, and Banija lost three straight, as part of an overall 6 game losing streak to put this team at 8-7, after a sizzling 8-1 start. But they regrouped, were able to go 10-5 in the second half, and now, Banija is in the postseason for the first time since the 35th World Baseball Classic.

Everyone knows that Cloutier wanted his best pitchers for this do or die series, and so he allowed Junkung Corr to get an extra day of rest, and start the final 3 game set of the regular season. Junkung Corr came out and had an excellent performance. Besides allowing a two run home run in the fifth inning, he came out and shut down Hicana in front of this energetic, amped up home crowd. Junkung Corr pitched 8 and 1/3rd innings with 2 earned runs, 5 hits, 3 walks, and 11 strikeouts, earning a standing ovation when he finally left the mound in the 9th inning. However, he got next to no run support, only getting a solo home run to help him out, and he was outdueled on the day, with Hicana drawing first blood.

For game 2, of course, you have to go back to the normal rotation. Alasan Marong was to take the ball, and there was another massive crowd here at Mugisha III Field, ready to celebrate a Banijan win that would put this squad back into the postseason in baseball. This crowd was treated to a spectacular game, with a spectacular finish. Marong did not have the greatest game, only last 5 and 1/3rd with 7 hits, 2 walks, and 3 earned runs, but throwing 110 pitches in that time span. This game took many twists and turns, as neither team could simply figure out a way to hold onto the lead.

HIcana batted with the first 8 batters of the order in the first inning, scoring two runs and giving their team a great start to the game, getting to Marong early and making him throw quite a few pitches. Banija responded with one in the first, but really broke open in the 2nd. Four straight 1 out doubles, hit by Ebrima Kah, Kairaba Savaneh, Hassan Ndiaye, and Boubacar Iscaraba, gave Banija a 4-2 lead after two innings. The offense was feeling it, hitting the ball well, and the crowd was heavily involved in the game. It was loud, it was energetic, and you could feel the electricity and excitement bubble up in the home crowd.

HIcana added a run in the top of the fourth, while Banija added one the top of the fifth, to give their squad a 5-3 lead going into the latter stages of the game. Marong got into some trouble in the sixth. After striking out the first batter, he had a walk, and then, Cloutier left him on, and he allowed a single on a hit run, to have runners at the corners with one out. With the stakes this high, and Marong over the century mark in terms of pitches thrown, he was pulled from the game. Wassa Joof came on, however, and the next batter, after a 12 pitch at-bat, grounded into a double play, and Banija escaped the inning.

In the 7th, they started to get to Wassa Joof. He had a couple of long at-bats there, and he was tiring. He got two outs in this inning, though he had allowed a solo home run, and Karamo Jammeh came onto the mound to get the last out of the inning. And then, with a 5-4 lead, here came the 8th inning. Perfect for setup man Demba Branco, right? But Branco could not shut the door. He will end up with a blown save, as he pitched the entire 8th inning, but allowed 3 hits and 2 earned runs, which included a 2 run triple, to give Hicana a 6-5 lead.

What a ballgame, right? But the bottom of the 8th was coming up. Many Banijan fans were nervous- would it all come down to the final game of the season? But, a leadoff single by shortstop Hassan Ndiaye meant there was a runner on first base, with nobody out. Unfortunately, neither Iscaraba nor Jallow could advance the runner, as they both flyed out to shallow center field. Which meant, with a man on first and two out, stepped Jebel Sowe to the plate. He ripped one down the first base line, and Ndiaye, running on contact, flew around the basepaths. The throw came in from right field to the cutoff man, and he threw it home but it was not in time, as Banija tied the game at 6.

In the 9th, with this game looking like it could take a while longer, Cloutier opted for his long reliever, Buwa Kabba, to finish the game. He pitched the next 3 innings, and he only allowed one baserunner at that point, getting the win. But it was the bottom of the 11th that was the memorable moment. With 1 out and nobody on base, Jebel Sowe stepped up to the plate. Banija had not reached base since his game-tying RBI double, and he was a man on a mission. He stepped up and hit a towering shot to right field, and it was over the wall and gone. 422 feet down the line, and Banija was officially in the playoffs.

He ran around the bases, jumping up, yelling and crying and first pumping, as the Banijan team rushed onto the field, to await their star man at home plate. The celebration scenes were crazy. Bars stayed open all night long, players brought champagne onto the field, and people could not believe it. This Banijan squad, that started 1-8 at the last edition of this tournament on the way to a 9-21 finish, was now in the postseason. What a story, right?

Banija also won the curtain call to the regular season, where they defeated Hicana 7-3, on the back of Lallo Ndiaye, the #5 starter who probably will go down to the bullpen when the postseason begins. That game was well attended too, as Banijans sent their best wishes to this team that would now be off to the Free Republics for the postseason. Of course, Banija is the #15 seed, the highest ranked non-automatic qualifier, so they will have to enter into a 5 game series with #18 seed Ethane to enter the tournament proper. Ethane, of course, being the home nation of every member of the coaching staff, and a top 10 baseball team in the world, will be a tough matchup.

We'll have a preview as that series gets closer, but for now, we congratulate Banija for clinching their spots in the Free Republics, and we here at this magazine look forward to following both the players and fans to Family Farmers Field in the city of Mortonsville, as we try to battle our way to the tournament proper.