World Baseball Classic 43- Everything (Finals G6 Posted)

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

CAREY CLUE? PLUS ROTATION FOR LIVENTIA SERIES

by Brianne Henry,

Here at The Rocket Report, we don't often analyze trades that happen within the LBL (Baseball league of Super-Llamaland). Sure, it's an entertaining league to watch, and I would certainly recommend it, but as far as analyzing things, we leave that for the Super-Llamaland media. However, a recent development out there concerning the South Falls Athletics is quite noteworthy. Hear me out! The Athletics Archibald McGovern for a pitching prospect and a journeyman. Ok, so you may be thinking deals like that happen all the time in baseball. Here's the clincher: McGovern, a former rookie of the year in the league who has struggled recently, is a shortstop. A certain shortstop has been linked to going to Super-Llamaland, and that of course is Kayla Carey. South Falls would seem to be a perfect spot for her, and I have the feeling this is a big clue. Carey was also used the day off, according to an anonymous teammate, to have "lengthy discussions about finalizing her next contract". Let's put these two together, folks. Carey is likely going to South Falls.

Well, I do not have much time to write, but I want to note that the Rockets are going to keep their rotation rolling, so it is the #3 pitcher, Courtney Duvall, getting the start for the Rockets in Game 1. Shannon Kelly gets the second game, and even though they could go back to #1 afterwards, coach Stevens will pitch Cassie Burke in Game 3, before going to Hannah Lee, if necessary in game 4. If there is a game 5, that could be up in the air now as far as who gets the start.

[Cassadaigua]

(1) Nova Anglicana vs (17) Xelsis @ New Lakeland Stadium, New Lakeland
Game 1:

Xelsis                 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 5  7
Nova Anglicana         1 5 1 0 1 2 0 0 X 10

Game 2:

Xelsis                 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2  5
Nova Anglicana         1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3

Series tied, 1-1


(8) Abanhfleft vs (9) Scootalove City @ Rutland Stadium, Rutland
Game 1:

Scootalove City        0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Abanhfleft             0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  4

Game 2:

Scootalove City        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Abanhfleft             0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  5

Abanhfleft leads series, 2G-0

(5) Super-Llamaland vs (21) Ethane @ Starksville Stadium, Starksville
Game 1:

Ethane                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Super-Llamaland        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  1

Game 2:

Ethane                 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3
Super-Llamaland        1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Series tied, 1-1

(4) Free Republics vs (13) Ko-oren @ Winchester Stadium, Winchester
Game 1:

Ko-oren                1 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 10
Free Republics         1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2

Game 2:

Ko-oren                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Free Republics         0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 X  4

series tied, 1-1

(6) Cassadaigua vs (11) Drawkland @ Concord Heights Stadium, Concord Heights
Game 1:

Drawkland              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Cassadaigua            1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

Game 2:

Drawkland              0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Cassadaigua            1 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 X  6

Cassadaigua leads series, 2G-0

(3) Schiltzberg vs (19) Bauscland @ Grande Mountain Stadium, Grande Mountain
Game 1:

Bauscland              1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  3
Schiltzberg            3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  4

Game 2:

Bauscland              0 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 1  7
Schiltzberg            0 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 0  6

Series tied at 1

(7) West Phoenicia vs (10) Alpine Union @ Victoriaville Stadium, Victoriaville
Game 1:

Alpine Union           0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2
West Phoenicia         0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Game 2:

Alpine Union           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
West Phoenicia         0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X  2

West Phoenicia leads series, 2G-0

(2) Newmanistan vs (18) Liventia @ Brattleboro Stadium, Brattleboro
Game 1:

Liventia               0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Newmanistan            0 0 0 2 2 0 2 3 X  9

Game 2:

Liventia               0 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0  5
Newmanistan            0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Series tied at 1

[Super-Llamaland]

Ezekiel Schwarzer had to be absolutely furious. Even though nobody in the Vargas City Lions front office had seen him, everyone had seen the news about the McGovern trade, and the near-simultaneous announcement that there would be a meeting of all the Lions' higher-ups - including the owner and Schwarzer himself - in the new conference room - made them suspect things. In Schwarzer's words, it was time for the War Room.

So, fifteen minutes before nine in the morning (Schwarzer insisted everyone be fifteen minutes early, although his own arrival times were somewhat inconsistent) everyone relevant to the Vargas City Lions organization, from owner and tech starlet Lisa Zhen to Schwarzer to even Lucien Russo, the team's star outfielder, piled into the War Room and waited for Schwarzer to come in.

Three minutes later, Schwarzer walked in - but instead of fury marring his defined features, it was determination. "I've just been on the phone with David Windhorst." Awe swept across the room - Windhorst was the one GM in the league who could outwit Schwarzer (although Chris Elliott was quickly proving a possible second), and if Schwarzer had been willing to talk to him, then he must have been seriously desperate. "If I don't change my mind in the next forty-eight hours, we'll be sending McAllister, Svensson, Herrera, Zhou, and next year's first-round pick to New Llama City."

If people had been surprised when he'd namedropped David Windhorst, the announcement left them completely stunned. Four of the organization's top five prospects, and a draft pick - was he insane? Sure, they were in win-now mode, but the four prospects were all ready to contribute as soon as next season.

Lisa Zhen spoke up. "Who are we getting in return?"

Schwarzer, for the first time in a day and a half, smiled. "Markus Wright."

"So, ladies and gentlemen, we have two options. Wait for Carey - Lisa has told me she'll put in another eight and a half million herself in the contract offer - or pull the trigger on Markus Wright. That's why I've come to you. Because for the first time in nine years with this team, I'm not sure."

***

Across the nation in South Falls, Tanya Ericsson was completely confused as she picked up her phone and punched in Chris Elliott's number. "Chris, we don't even have the Carey deal complete yet. Why did you trade McGovern? What are you doing?"

Elliott chuckled on the other end. "Don't worry about it. Ezekiel Schwarzer's a smart man - but sometimes, he's a little too smart for himself."

[Nova Anglicana]

Split Decision in Lions' Round of 16 Clash with Lightning

Going into the Nova Anglicana Lions' Round of 16 matchup with unranked Xelsis, there was a certain amount of trepidation in the air. Most baseball analysts in Nova Anglicana predicted a Nova Anglican victory in four or five games, with Newfield Express play-by-play man Rich Greene even predicting the Lions to lose in five games. Everyone seemed to be of the opinion that Xelsis would not go quietly. When asked about it, national team manager Orlando Murray had this to say: "They're a good team, no doubt about it. I think if we don't play up to our standards, we could get a real nasty shock. You can't take them lightly. But we're just going to try to play our game and I think if we do that, we win."

Well, it looks like those expectations of a close series have come true after two games at New Lakeland Stadium in New Lakeland, Cassadaigua. The Lions took the first game of the series 10-7, holding off a furious rally by the Lightning, and then twice blew leads in game 2 en route to a 5-3 defeat. The series is tied 1-1 and it's clear to everyone, if it wasn't already, that the Lions have a challenge on their hands.

Game 1 started out wonderfully, as the Lions jumped to an 8-0 lead after five innings. Lightning starter Edgar Rumenoss was throwing on a single day's rest, and it showed. Ryan Glover hit a two-out double to score Moses Deng in the first, and Rumenoss walked both John Carr and Max Pope to open the second. After Nate McLaughlin's sacrifice bunt, Deng singled home Carr and left fielder Michael Holt roped a ringing double down the line in left to score Pope and move Deng to third. Jake Bryan continued the hit parade by singling in both Deng and Holt, making the score 5-0. Rumenoss' heavy sinker sunk a little bit too much, even for all-world defensive catcher Frederick Lasitos, and Bryan moved up to second. Armstrong hit a long single to left-center, which brought Bryan home, but Rumenoss induced a double-play ball on the next pitch, ending the threat. Brendan Wood led off the third with a solo shot to make it 7-0. Rumenoss clearly didn't have his best stuff, but with the bullpen gassed after a 16 inning game against Hampton Island, he had to gut it out. And gut it out he did. Rumenoss ended up throwing 109 pitches over five innings, surrendering eight runs, the last a solo shot to Glover. The bullpen still had closer Bubba Stevens and lightly-used in game 3 reliever Jimmy Hostens. Hostens entered the game in the 6th, just hoping to keep the 8-1 lead from getting any worse, but Max Pope led off with a single, McLaughlin bunted him to second, Deng singled and stole second, and after Holt hit a sac fly to score Pope, Bryan's single scored Deng, making it 10-1. Hostens would recover to hold the Lions scoreless the rest of the way, saving Bubba Stevens from being used in a meaningless game. But it almost wasn't meaningless. After McLaughlin allowed two runs in eight innings, Murray sent in Ricky Bass to hold the 10-2 lead in the 9th. Bass got his first man, but a single, a walk, a hit batsman and another single later, he got yanked. It was still 10-3, but he clearly didn't have his best stuff. In came flamethrowing Charlie Bowers. Bowers was a little jittery, walking in a run and wild pitching in a run to narrow the deficit to 10-5. He struck out the next hitter, but a two-run single chased him and made it 10-7. With runners on first and second and two outs, Murray brought in Wyatt Templeton. The young Templeton had been used in a bit of a multi-inning fireman role, but now Murray was asking him to get just one out. On a 2-2 pitch, Templeton threw his nasty slider to strike out the last hitter, earn his first save, and preserve the 10-7 win.

Before game 2, Murray said, "We honestly got a little lucky there at the end. It's not often you survive two walks, a hit batsman, and a wild pitch in a single inning when the opponent also brings their bats. But we managed not to give up an eight-run lead, and got the win. That's what matters." Murray was probably hoping for just as good of a start from Damon Singleton as he got from McLaughlin in game 1, and for five innings, Singleton only allowed a walk and a hit while striking out six. But a two-run shot in the 6th broke his shutout, and he saw his chance at a win slip away when with two outs in the 8th, Casey Burke allowed a game-tying single. Singleton had started that inning, but put on two baserunners with one out, so Murray brought in Burke. His final line would be 7.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R/ER, 2 BB, 9 K. On the Xelsis side of things, Larry Harlo needed to save the bullpen and go deep into the game. He allowed two runs in his first two innings, courtesy of a Seth Armstrong double and a Max Pope single, but settled down to get through five with only the two runs allowed. Once Xelsis tied the score in the 6th, he couldn't hold the game tied in the bottom of the inning, giving up an RBI double to Michael Holt to make it 3-2. He did make it through seven innings, saving the bullpen a bit. With Jimmy Hostens likely unavailable after pitching three innings the night before, Salvidar Vasquez injured, and reluctant to use Harold Rolon only one game after appearances in three straight games, manager Able Browning went with his closer Bubba Stevens. Stevens held the game tied in the 8th, setting the stage for a potential Xelsis game-winning rally in the 9th. And that's what they did. Nick Christensen came in and allowed a single on the first pitch. He struck out the next two batters, but it took him 17 pitches to do so. Perhaps tired from his battle with the previous two hitters, his first-pitch slider was a "cement mixer" rather than a biting one, and the Lightning hitter pounded it over the fence for a two-run homer. Stevens retired the side in order in the 9th, tying the series at one game apiece.

For the Lightning, this has to be a pretty good scenario. They split the first two games and their three-man bullpen only had to pitch five innings across two games. They will now send knuckleballer Katerina Deachrist to the mound in game 3. Deachrist had struggled in the group stage, but she pitched 6.2 shutout innings in the clincher against Hampton Island, proving her value in a clutch situation. It will be interesting to see how she handles the strong Lions lineup and whether she can keep Browning from having to dip into his bullpen. Rolon will certainly be available, probably for multiple innings, and as a submariner, Hostens can recover more easily from a long outing and will probably be available as well. Honestly, it would not be surprising if we saw Stevens pitch as well, if only to get one or two outs in a late-game situation. For his part, Murray is hoping that Ben Clayton will continue his return to form and shut down the Lightning offense. He probably wants him to go as late into the game as possible, seeing that the bullpen has allowed eight runs in 2.2 innings pitched, good for an ERA of 26.97. He will probably trust Christensen to close it down late, but Burke has struggled enough to be demoted, and Bass and Bowers' game 1 stinkathon will keep them rooted to the bench for at least game 3.

After a split in games 1 and 2, no one knows who will take the upper hand in game 3 and perhaps clinch in game 4. It will all be decided between the two white lines, with the potential for a game 5 still looming.

[Super-Llamaland]

As soon as Chris Elliott hung up on Tanya Ericsson, he got another call. Caller ID recognized the number as that of David Windhorst's. Was the Cyclones GM offering a trade?

He picked up. "This is Elliott."

"Chris," said David Windhorst drily, "how have you been?"

"Pretty good," Elliott said, "now that we've got Kayla Carey in the bag, things are looking good for South Falls. How about-"

"No they aren't," the Cyclones GM replied. "You don't have Carey wrapped up yet. I would know about it."

Oh shit. How does he know? Elliott disguised his confusion well. "Be reasonable, Dave. We just traded our starting shortstop. We have Kayla Carey in the bag. I don't know what Ezekiel's been telling you-"

"Don't question how I know, Chris. But your clever little bluff didn't fool me. You would've traded McGovern no matter what. But you made sure you got Dunsinane in the deal, even though you know he's garbage."

Despite his attempts to calm down, cracks were beginning to show in the young GM's facade of serenity. "W-what do you mean? Look, Jordan Dunsinane's a good player, versatile, good clubhouse presence. We like him a lot. And we also got Erin Rowan out of it!"

"For fuck's sake, Chris. Dunsinane hit .234 this season, and he's terrible at short and second. And Erin Rowan is a 23-year-old taken in the sixteenth round with a FIP over four-fifty. If you could've gotten anything better for McGovern, you would've held onto him. But you need him as a bluff, because you want Schwarzer to do something stupid."

"Well, yeah, that would be nice, but-"

"Schwarzer just offered me four top prospects and a pick for Markus Wright. So your plan has worked, Chris. Pretty clever of you. There's only one thing in the way - me."

"What - you're going to turn it down? That's a great deal for you. You wouldn't--"

"I know many journalists. One of them is named Bryant Kennedy, and he will publish anything I tell him to. So if I tell him to write that, say, Tanya Ericsson's resignation is imminent or that she's fighting with one of your players, I can do some serious damage. Maybe enough so that Kayla Carey won't want to come to your team anymore. But I can do the same thing to Vargas City."

"Wh-what do you want?"

"You have a very good young setup reliever. Justin Schübert. In return for him, I'll try to swing Carey your way, and I'll trade Wright to Vargas City. I'll also send you some cash or whatever so the commissioner's office approves it. Sound good?"

In return, Elliott could only laugh. "What's so funny?" Windhorst asked.

Elliott hit a button on the phone so it would stop recording the conversation they'd just had, and emailed it to himself. "I can do something you can't," he replied. "And you can't afford for the Wright deal to fall through. If Schwarzer knew we had this conversation, he'd cancel his trade in a heartbeat."

"What's that supposed to m-" Windhorst got out before the South Falls GM hung up.

[West Phoenicia]

The first two marches of the round of 16 of the WBC has left a sweet taste in the mouth of West Phoenicians after they took out the first two games out of the best of 5 against the Alpine Union.

Coach Prosper praised a tight pitching rotation that came out strong and dominated both games, a flurry of curveballs and fast balls kept Alpine Union players in a state of confusion allowing The Confederates to restrict the Alpine Union from obtaining too many runs.

West Phoenician fans were out in force dominating the stands cheering on their players. The West Phoenician Baseball Federation has called on fans to be respectful whether they win or lose, after complaints came through of verbal abuse by fans, players and cheerleaders towards Beepee.


Confederate baseball fans across West Phoenicia spent the day in celebration compared to Water Polo fans who are bracing for new fresh scandals that have arisen and which has taken time away from the Confederates win by airing details of the Water Polo scandal.


In other sporting news, West Phoenician Soccer fans are appalled that further funding has been cut from the International soccer program that may see the teams no longer represented by government funding at an Olympic level. The West Phoenician Soccer Council is looking at obtaining private funding to ensure soccer is represented at the next Olympics.


Meanwhile other sports across West Phoenicia are starting to step up in the pursuit of finding the best of the best for the next Olympics. After such a great medal haul at the last games, West Phoenicia wants to improve. They are envisioned wins in Equestrian, Swimming, Beach Volleyball, Athletics and Gymnastics. 5 areas where they lacked at the previous games and looking to obtain medals to build up a bigger following throughout West Phoenicia.

[Schiltzberg]

Sonnet 9

It’s funny how you used to love me. Now,
With your neglection at its full incline,
For your own sake, you shan’t best try endow
Yourself to me; it isn’t so designed
In such a way that it is your sole choice
Without consent from my end. My mind does
Not wish to once again hear your foul voice,
Nor turn again our states to how it was,
So go now. Leave. Approach me nevermore.
You left me once. You shan’t come back again.
I need ye not as I once thought before.
Go break the hearts of less respected men.
You’ve turned on me; a bachelor now am I.
More women I shall find before I die.

[Free Republics]

Winchester, Cassadaigua

The two lovebirds from Malifornia were disappointed upon arriving in Winchester to find that the city was nothing at all like the exciting city of Brattleboro. As they walked around the city, they saw lots of elderly people and a bingo hall on seemingly every block but couldn't find much to do besides watch baseball.

Elio Lucchese - I wish the National Team had ended up in a more exciting city. This place is like a giant retirement home.

Sarah Fuerst - Well at least they don't have police everywhere, watching to see whether we've sinned against some obscure part of the Bible. Its great to be able to walk around freely for once.

Sarah grabbed her boyfriend's hand and started pulling him in a seemingly random direction.

Sarah Fuerst - Come on, Elio. I want to go shopping.

Sarah had spied what looked like a large clothing store. Elio stopped resisting and followed her inside. Several hours later, the two of them were at the register checking out. Sarah had picked out over a dozen outfits and a half dozen pairs of shoes for herself. She'd also decided to buy her boyfriend a few things she thought would look good on him.

Clerk - Your total comes to [amount equivalent to around 1500 thalers].

Elio Lucchese - That's alot of money.

Sarah Fuerst - You said your parents gave us a virtually unlimited credit card, right?

Elio Lucchese - But we're supposed to be here as missionaries and missionaries don't run around spending a fortune in clothing stores!

Sarah Fuerst - Isn't there some way we could disguise what the transaction was for on the statement?

Elio Lucchese - If my parents ask about it, I guess we'll just tell them we were buying clothes for starving orphans or homeless people or something.

Sarah Fuerst - They trust you right, so they should fall for that.

The clerk heard all of this and was visibly conflicted about letting them go through with the purchase but he decided not to say anything. Afterall, such a large sale doesn't come along every day and he'd probably get in trouble if he cost the store that much business. Elio handed his credit card to the clerk and the two of them left the store, each carrying two heavy bags full of clothes.

Elio Lucchese - Oh look at the time. Game 1 starts in only an hour and a half and we need to get this stuff back to our hotel.

Sarah Fuerst - I'm not sure if we can make it on foot. Can we find a taxi somewhere?

The two of them found an old taxi driver and didn't pay attention as the driver deliberately took the long way to their hotel, overcharging them. They only realized something was wrong when they looked at the time. By the time they took their bags to their room, they only had half an hour left until the game started. As they were leaving the hotel, they ran into Teresa Mrazova. Teresa was the personal catcher for Zac Gatehouse, the starting pitcher for tonight's game, and thus she was supposed to be the starting catcher. Thus, they were surprised to find that she hadn't left yet. She noticed them, turned around and walked up to the two of them. As they were wearing officially licensed Republican National Team jerseys, it was obvious that they were fans.

Theresa Mrazova - Are you guys going to the game tonight?

Elio Lucchese - We're actually trying to head there right now.

Theresa Mrazova - Do you need a ride? It looks like all of us are going to arrive late.

Sarah Fuerst - Aren't you Theresa Mrazova?

Theresa Mrazova - Yes, that's me.

Sarah Fuerst - I thought you were supposed to be the starting catcher tonight. Zac Gatehouse can't seem to get anybody out whenever somebody else catches him.

Theresa Mrazova - Yes. I overslept today but time's a wasting so we should just talk about it on the way.

The three of them got into Theresa's rental car, with the two women sitting in the front seat. Sitting in the backseat, Elio was lost in thought for a moment. It sure seemed like something about being in Cassadaigua made women more assertive. He had even noticed this trend with other Republican fans. Something about being in a female-dominated country had to be giving these women an aura of confidence that they didn't have in the Free Republics and they certainly didn't have in the Salvation Circle's Malifornia.

Sarah Fuerst - So how did you end up oversleeping on the day you were supposed to be in the starting lineup?

Theresa Mrazova - I was up all night last night studying film of Ko-oren's hitters, identifying their weaknesses to help call the best game I could. I didn't get to sleep until dawn and I just slept straight into the afternoon. By the time I woke up, I needed some time to shower and put my makeup on so that I'd look good at the pre-game press conference and then I went to leave the hotel and it was already practically gametime. If I'd known it was so late, I would have been in a hurry but my phone is still set to New City time and the game time is in local time so I didn't realize how late it was.

Elio Lucchese - You need to change your clocks. You're too important a part of the team's success to be showing up late to games.

Theresa Mrazova - I've had a constant problem with that even at the club level. For whatever reason, I lose track of time really easily.

Sarah Fuerst - Yeah, it is so easy to get lost in something and then suddenly discover that 5 or 6 hours have passed. We spent too much time in a clothing store earlier and then some crooked taxicab wasted our time and ripped us off!

Theresa Mrazova - At least you got a chance to buy some nice clothes!

Sarah Fuerst - Its good to have some new clothes that aren't grotesquely ugly and unfashionable like the ones the Salvation Circle makes me wear!

Something clicked inside of Theresa's head...

Theresa Mrazova - By any chance, are you the girl that Honomi keeps talking to us about? The one she talked to during that game in Malifornia?

Sarah Fuerst - I guess. I asked her what hotel the team was staying at and she told me, which is how we ended up running into each other.

Theresa Mrazova - While we're here in Cassadaigua, could you please try out for the team? Honomi says you used to be a star player before the Salvation Circle took baseball away from you.

Sarah Fuerst - I'd love to but I have to warn you that I'm not in baseball shape at the moment and that I'm not allowed to play for any baseball team until I graduate high school next year and leave Malifornia.

Theresa Mrazova - I understand that. You can't afford to publicly defy the Salvation Circle but you should be fine to do a private tryout with no press allowed.

Sarah Fuerst - That sounds great but only if Elio gets to watch.

Elio Lucchese - You really don't have to include me in this.

Sarah Fuerst - Shut up, silly! I want you to be with me.

Theresa Mrazova - I'll talk to the coaching staff and my teammates but I don't see any reason why letting your boyfriend sit in on our practices would be a problem.

Sarah Fuerst - That's great. Thank you, Theresa.

Theresa Mrazova - Oh shit, the game's already started. Guess we need to part ways here. If the two of you need a ride home after the game, just call me.

Theresa gave them each a business card with her cell phone number and email address on it. As they arrived at their seats, it was already the bottom of the second inning and Ko-oren led 5 to 1. This time, Kyle Thomas decided to bench Theresa for the entire game rather than "reward" her for being late again. Ko-oren would go on to take game 1 by a 10 to 2 margin. The two Malifornian teens watched from the left field upper deck right by the foul pole, sitting in the seats which they had purchased for the entirety of this series. They would accept a ride home from Theresa after the game but they made sure to arrive at the stadium early for game 2, which saw "Wild" Ralph Fiedler pitch a complete game, striking out 16 Ko-oren batters while walking 9 and allowing just 3 hits. Fiedler allowed just a single run on the day to tie the series at 1 game apiece, which meant that both teams needed just 2 wins to advance to the quarterfinals.

OOC: I think its reasonably safe to assume that clothing stores and crooked taxi drivers exist in every city in every country.

[Ko-oren]

At the Admirals HQ, part 4 (part 3)

The statisticians of the Aviansola Admirals hold a meeting in their office at the club's HQ.

"Team, finally no call from Shimoda today. I think we can finally get to work. I think we're also all together now, the data team that will have to help the Aviansola Admirals win next season. Welcome, all! As you know, head coach Shimoda is now involved with the national team over in Cassadaigua, he's working as a quality assurance coach. Think of it as running all decisions and what's happening by a model game, to see what assumptions hold up and which don't. An example: say that it's always a bad decision to bunt. And a player bunts. Then Shimoda looks at that and notes down the result of that pitch and that at bat. With every single example of a bunt throughout the Classic, he should have an idea of if bunting is actually bad or not."

"So, is bunting bad?"

"No clue."

"Ok. But you said you talked to Shimoda a lot, so hasn't he relayed his knowledge to us, or at least to you?"

"If he calls, it's to say that he got caught in a bad gamble and we've got to bail him out, and meanwhile we're trying to get an understanding of the game so we observe some practice matches and get training in the subject of baseball. But all that's fallen to the wayside a little with Shimoda's odd plans."

"Such as?"

"Oh right, you're new here, just arrived a week ago. So, The Dragonflies are off in Cassadaigua, and to even get there, it was a hell of a campaign. 30 games to qualify, and then batches of 2-5 games per round in the Classic itself. Shimoda's put himself a little too central, so now apparently they rely on him for advice on their next opponent. If not, he has two seasons to move the team from Aviansola to Intermare."

"Intermare's gorgeous though..."

"I said as much, but apparently there's no baseball up there. Anyway. With the kind of gamble he made, if the national team does too well, he will have to move the team. The way he explained it, if the team doesn't do very well but not awful, nothing happens. If the team never made the Classic at all, he would've been fired and that would mean the end to metrics in baseball, at least for now, right here."

"How did he even get to such a point?"

"Well, bad decisions never really come alone, so it wouldn't surprise you that that wasn't the first time he caught himself in a high risk, low reward gamble. If Aviansola does worse than Suvira next season, it's all over for metrics in baseball as well."

"Suvira? I don't know much about baseball, but Suvira's the running champion, right?"

"Yes, and they have no signs of stopping, other than that they run their team extremely traditionally. So that way, if the advantage presented by metrics outweighs the higher quality of their team, we can win this."

"How many bad decisions and gambles can one man make?"

"We're about to find out. I expected him to call us during the Free Republics series, but he hasn't contacted us so far. If you want to know, the series is tied 1-1, so there are at least two more games - it's a best of five now."

"How good are the Free Republics?"

"They're pretty good, I'd say a little around our level. Individual players have a little more oomph than ours, but that one-sidedness can get to them as well. They've also changed over all of the staff. On the other hand, they've been named as surprise candidate for WBC winners, as well. They've qualified for the Classic with 20 wins and 4 losses. This team has a high peak."

*ring, ring*

"Hi, Julien? Shimoda here."

"Hello, Mr. Shimoda! How are you?"

"Things are pretty good right now, I don't know if you've seen the games so far, but we can take the Free Republics. Anyway, I've got a bit of a favour to ask. They want this team in the quarterfinals, I want us to go out right here, I need us to lose. But not to an embarrassing degree. Just a tiny loss, edged out by a superior Free Republics team... Basically, I'm going to need more of those team overview reports you've given me for North Prarie. And I'm going to tell them the opposite, right, as we've done before. Thanks!"

*click*

"And as you can hear, now to get the Dragonflies out, he's telling them the opposite from what our reports tell him to do. But what he doesn't know, is that the information on those reports is completely made up. Our time is far too valuable than to be writing reports that will be ignored completely, or rather, reversed. As a first task, I want you to look up some baseball terms, and write some fictional advice to Shimoda, and then it's a roll of the dice to see if they use the advice, the opposite of the advice, or ignore it completely. And then it's a roll of the dice whether the Dragonflies advance."

"On it, Julien!"

[The Sherpa Empire]

To: Ethan de Vries, General Manager, New Llama Wizards
From: Phurwa Adhikari

Dear Mr. de Vries,

I am Jamling Ihawa's agent, and we are considering your offer. If you are willing to pay $13 million per year, money is not a sticking point. However, there are some things we'd like to discuss before making a final decision, to make sure this is the right team for Jamling.

Given the length of contract you are offering, I want to make sure you understand that Jamling is 40 and although he has a variety supernatural powers, these do not include eternal youth. Jamling can still pitch a good game, and is not necessarily unwilling to make a 4 year commitment, but I want to be sure that everyone is on the same page. If you would prefer the flexibility of a shorter contract with the option to extend it if mutually agreed, this would not be a problem.

Secondly, Jamling has always insisted that his contracts include a no-trade clause. This is not negotiable. He has never asked me to act as a cut-throat negotiator, milking the market for every last rupee, but in exchange for not being overpaid and not inflicting Dawang Singh on innocent civilians such as yourself, he wants to be in control of where he plays and how often he has to relocate his family.

And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, could you tell us a little about New Llama City, or would it be possible to visit and you could help Jamling and his family get a feel for the place?

Awaiting your reply,
Phurwa Adhikari

* * * * * * * *

(Dawang Singh is a sports agent in the Sherpa Empire who is notorious for representing big-name players and landing obscenely lucrative contracts, the sort that often become a burden to the team because they don't have enough money to get other good players.)

[The Sherpa Empire]

* * * * * * * *

"I thought you were going to keep playing in SIBA until they settled all this stuff about blood magic and gender issues," said Lakshmi Songtsen. She was on the phone with Jamling Ihawa. She was at her apartment in Jaipur. It was a pretty apartment in a nice neighborhood, but it was just a rented apartment. She hadn't gotten around to buying a house yet because she wanted to wait until she had the money to build her dream home.

Ihawa was still in Brattleboro. In the next room, his sons were yelling about how weird Cassadagan TV was, and his wife was trying to explain to them that they should keep their voices down so as not to disturb him when he was on the phone. "I wanted SIBA to address the gender stuff separately from blood magic," Ihawa said. "They're doing that now. They announced they're going to have women's teams. If you want something else from them, that's your fight, not mine."

"But what if you go to play overseas and they kick me out after you're gone?" said Songtsen.

"Then maybe it really is about magic," said Ihawa. "If they just want you out because you're a woman, you'll still be able to play on one of the women's teams."

Songtsen scoffed. "You don't really think anyone's going to take the women's teams seriously, do you?"

"That's not my fight," said Ihawa.

"Seriously?"

Songtsen wanted to be strong, to persevere until she got what she wanted, to argue until she changed Ihawa's mind -- but instead she was struggling to fight back tears. Her voice cracked as she asked, "You're really going to just throw your hands up and walk away?" In all the controversy surrounding Songtsen's career, one of the hardest things for her was when the players she had seen on TV growing up turned out not to be everything she imagined. When her childhood hero Zahid Sheikh said that women shouldn't play baseball, that was worse than all the hate-mail and death threats. It was the most hurtful thing she had ever heard, and all because it was Zahid Sheikh who said it. The players whose names she had learned when she first discovered baseball at the age of 5 were larger-than-life heroes to her. She had never loved Ihawa the way she loved Sheikh because Ihawa had always played for the wrong team, but she still looked up to him, and it still hurt when he didn't want to be her knight in shining armor.

(Songtsen had actually gone through a phase of hating Ihawa because her beloved Snow Leopards had too much trouble batting against him, but as she grew up and got less petty, her hate changed to respect. It took real skill to be that annoying as an opponent.)

"Look," said Ihawa. "If you want people to take you seriously, you have to earn that. If you want people to take women's baseball seriously, it's up to the women who play it to show what they can do. I'm in Cassadaigua and you're trying to tell me people won't take women's baseball seriously. People here sure as hell take it seriously, and if you want that kind of respect, then you need to prove you can play at that level. I can't do that for you because I'm not a woman, and if the gods are merciful, I never will be a woman. I know some people think I'm not the most masculine guy, but I'm still a man, and this is just not my fight."

"I guess I just thought you actually gave a crap," said Songtsen. "Never mind."

Ihawa started to say something, but then realized that Songtsen had hung up.

* * * * * * * *

It was some time later.

Jamling and Kami Ihawa were discussing whether there was anything else they wanted to do in Cassadaigua before they went home when they were interrupted by another phone call. This one was from Kalden Wang.

"Jamling, are you really leaving Namche or are you just annoyed with SIBA?" Wang asked.

"I don't know," said Jamling.

"Okay, well, here's why I'm asking," said Wang. "I recently offered a contract to a Llamanean pitcher named August Bendtner."

"I know who Bendtner is," said Jamling. "I wouldn't sign him."

"If I sign him, is that going to make a difference whether you stay or go?" Wang asked.

"No, probably not," said Jamling.

"Then it doesn't matter if you would sign him," said Wang. "You're not the general manager. Anyway, his agent seems to be under the impression that you're leaving. He says he'll negotiate with us after you leave. I'm not happy about his attitude, but we need more pitching even if you stay on. I want another starting pitcher so we can send Li back to the minors and let him get a little more seasoning. So I'm trying to figure out if this guy is going to talk to me, and I guess it depends if you are really leaving."

"Did he say why he would only negotiate after I leave?" Jamling asked. "I'm not that impressed with Bendtner, but I'm surprised that he would say that. I didn't think we had the sort of problems where we couldn't pitch for the same team. We've never met, and I never heard that he had an opinion of me one way or another."

"His agent didn't say why," said Wang. "If he doesn't have a personal problem with you, then maybe he's just worried that he'd be in your shadow. Apparently, he didn't like being second behind Jacob Burr."

"Okay...," said Jamling. "That's his problem."

"Yeah, I know," said Wang. "I'm not going to ask you to kiss his ass. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm still talking to him or not."

Then Jamling had an idea. "Would you like me to talk to him?" he asked. "We're both in Cassadaigua anyway, and I wouldn't mind going to a Tigers game."

"That depends on what you're planning to say," said Wang.

"I'll ask him what his problem with me is, and we can go from there."

* * * * * * * *

Jamling and Changjun Ihawa arrived at Starksville Stadium well before the game and went down to the edge of the field, where they could see the Llamanean players warming up. A couple of them came over to talk to fans. Changjun was impressed with their fine muscular figures and how smoothly they ran through their warm-up exercises. When they moved, it was poetry in motion.

Jamling pointed out Bendtner and said, "That's him over there."

Changjun snapped out of her daydream as she remembered why they were there. She also remembered that there were people who liked to ogle her father the same way she had been ogling the Llamanean players, and she thought that was gross. She wanted to say something about how gross it was, but her father was the last person she wanted to say it to. She tried not to think about it as she waved and yelled to get Bendtner's attention.

"Hey! Excuse me, Mr. Bendtner! Hi! I want introduce you someone! You know my father, Jamling Ihawa?"

Jamling smiled and said, "Hello."

"He want know why you tell Icefall Doctors you don't talk to them until he leaves," Changjun went on. "You have a problem with him? If you want be ace, no problem, you wait. You're 24 and he is 40. If you have a problem with him, something else, you meet us outside after the game and he fight you."

* * * * * * * *

If Bendtner is stupid enough to fight Ihawa (doesn't believe in magic, too macho to turn down a challenge, etc.) Ihawa plans to use magic to knock him on his ass and embarrass him. The spell he plans to use works like this:

There is a flash of blue light and a sharp cracking sound. Any attack, no matter who is attacking or what weapon they are using, will be repelled. Doesn't matter if it's a guy trying to punch you in a bar fight or the Death Star trying to blow up your home planet. ANY attack will be repelled, and the attacker will be thrown back. Even if you are being attacked with a remote-controlled weapon or a ranged weapon like an ICBM, the spell will track the person who launched it and it will hit them back.

The strength of the spell is proportionate to the severity of the attack. If you use it to stop a guy charging the mound at a baseball game, he'll be thrown back in the grass, but he won't be hurt. If you use it to stop a guy shooting you, the spell will cause burns and broken bones. If you use it to stop a tank, the tank will be a crumpled heap of scrap metal and everyone inside will be dead. If you use it to stop a nuclear attack, everyone responsible for launching the nuke, both the person who pushed the button and the person who ordered the attack, will be vaporized.

This spell can only be used against people that are attacking you. It doesn't matter if you provoked them or if they attacked you for no reason, but it only works if someone attempting violence against you.

Since Ihawa's magical power comes from his own body, it is possible for him be hurt by his own spells if he uses too much power. The strength of the spell is determined by the severity of the attack, and Ihawa can't adjust it. Stopping someone from punching him doesn't draw enough power to have any ill-effects. Stopping a bullet or stopping several people from dogpiling him will draw enough power to give him headaches and nosebleeds. Stopping a nuke or a Death Star or something... Ihawa would get blown away by his own magic (but not by the nuke).

Ihawa thinks that using this to embarrass Bendtner might help him learn some humility. He thinks being hit with something unnatural might get through to Bendtner that when he can't do what other people can do, it's not always a matter of not being given a chance or not being given a fair shake. Sometimes other people just have abilities that he can't match.

Of course, it's all moot if Bendtner doesn't take the bait.

Or if Bendtner takes the bait, but he does believe in magic and he brings friends to back him up, then that could get messy.

[North Prarie]

Chris Voralitti is frustrated after Kayla Carey put CLC off of her list. So he calls Alex Ariimandi into his office again, this time with some new developments.

CV: "Alex, hello."

AA: "What is it this time Chris? Please not another Newmanistani or news about someone signing with Righteous Bay.."

CV: "Even better. Sherpas. See, I sent a scout to the Himalayas to watch their group stage games, plus some SIBA games as well. He followed the Sherpas to Battleboro, where they played Ethane. He just sent his reports back today, and I've picked the ones I wanted.

AA: "Fine. If Gurung's good, his teammates probably are too."

CV: "Okay, here we go. Number one:
Keo Norbu: 34, right fielder for the Islamabad Snow Leopards, mildly inconsistent and injury-prone, but he is an absolutely phenomenal power-hitter when he's having a good season. Speaks Sherpa and a little Arabic and Khmer.
Dachhiri Chao: 29, another power-hitter, not as injury prone as Norbu, but sometimes swings at stuff he shouldn't. Plays Center field for the Kunming Dragons. The Dragons are not a great team, and Chao has been the star of the team for the last few years, so Dragons management wouldn't be happy if he left. Speaks Chinese and Sherpa.
Ghang Tharkay: 29, starting pitcher for the Guiyang Grasshoppers, pretty normal pitching style and has been pretty good for a few years, but fell just short of making the national team for WBC 42. Speaks Sherpa.
Pei Tan: talented rookie catcher, 22, not the most experienced and still has a little to learn about calling pitches, but he is a good hitter and just generally athletically gifted. He speaks Mandarin and a few words of Sherpa, and he plays for the Fuzhou Bats. (The team's logo is a bat, the animal, not a baseball bat.) Needs a translator and a good coach, but has a ton of potential.
And that's the ones I want.

AA: "Okay. This Norbu guy is old and sounds pretty inconsistent, so we can rule him off the list. And as for Tan, we already have a good young catcher, Kris Dainer. We don't need him."

CV: "Ah, fine. I agree with you on Norbu, I don't know why I picked him out. And even though Tan sounds good, he just doesn't sound like a fit.
And that leaves Chao and Tharkay."

AA: "Yeah, those were the ones that sounded good. We're gonna have to put in a good offer for Chao, since he sounds like a fan favorite."

CV: "True. But I have a better idea."

AA: "What?"

CV: "They sound like a sucky team, right? So say that they can build an office here in North Prarie, and that we'll give 'em someone young to build around. I dunno......Vorania?"

AA: "Xavier Vorania? No, no no. He's a young up and coming center fielder! We could build around this guy! We could beat the Lions!"

CV: "But you know a center fielder that's in his prime?"

AA: "No way."

CV: "That's right. Chao. MAybe we can put in a couple million too. 6?"

AA: "Fine. Fine fine fine. What about Tharkay?"

CV: "Sounds like a good pitcher. Whaddya say, 19 million?"

AA: "Sure, why not."

The Cobblestone Lake City Silver Bullets offer Ghang Tharkay 19 million N$ to play for them. They also offer the Kunming Dragons 6 million, Xavier Vorania, and a scouting facility in CLC for Chao.

[The Sherpa Empire]

The Cobblestone Lake City Silver Bullets offer Ghang Tharkay 19 million N$ to play for them. They also offer the Kunming Dragons 6 million, Xavier Vorania, and a scouting facility in CLC for Chao.

Ghang Tharkay's agent showed the letter from Cobblestone Lake City to the general manager of the Guiyang Grasshoppers. "How much is $19 million?"

"A litte over ₹2 billion."

"Are you out of your mind???" said the general manager.

"You won't match it, then?"

"Of course not! Did you even need to ask?"

"Just crossing my t's and dotting my i's," said the agent. "Tharkay won't be re-signing with the Grasshoppers."

"Yeah, I got that."

* * * * * * * *

Tharkay accepts the offer from Cobblestone Lake.

The trade deal with Kunming is bogged down in red tape because they aren't sure if they want to let Chao go, and SIBA is not sure if they're OK with the part about the scouting facility. It's not something they've run into before because the Sherpa Empire relatively new to international baseball. The Empire is kind of inward-looking in some ways, and SIBA is getting paranoid about foreign influences and good players going overseas.

[Newmanistan]

Kayla Carey sat in her hotel room again, awaiting a call from her agent. Finally, it came.

“Good morning Kayla. Are we still going to do this?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, I have reserved the hotel’s meeting room for 9:30am. I have alerted the press and any one who wants to make it will be able to come. Or would you like a more restricted press conference?”

“It does not have to be restricted, but make sure the proper media sources from Newmanistan and Super-Llamaland have the best seats in the room, please. After all, it concerns them the most.”

“You don’t leave for practice until 10:30am, so it will allow us to keep questions short, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, this can’t be a distraction. See you at 9:30"


(In the hotel meeting room, at about 9:25am)

Kayla’s agent steps up to the makeshift podium. “Good morning, everyone. Hello Brianne with The Rocket Report, I knew you would get that seat! Good to see the people from Super-Llamaland who could get in to Brattleboro on short notice. I see some others I do not know, but welcome, glad to see there is a lot of interest. You are here to get the announcement of the team in which Kayla Carey has agreed to sign with. In a few moments, this will be over with.” After allowing for some chatter, the agent resumes, “Ladies and Gentlemen, or should I say, since this is in Cassadaigua, Gentlemen and ladies, I present the starting shortstop for the Newmanistan Rockets, Kayla Carey.” (The crowd applauds)

“Thank you. Thank you all for being here. I can’t begin this without thanking the North Charlotte Wildcats organization, the only team that I have ever known. It has been an honor tp play for you guys for so long, and I have had some great memories. It is difficult for me to say that such time is over with. Thank you, though. I know this is not what you guys want to hear, but I am really interested in doing something a little different with my career at this point. I want to thank Tundra Falls. Jessicaville. Loudon, Pocono City, and others who submitted offers for me. You were all willing to play me a lot of money, and I appreciate that. The decision I have made, though is a little different. I have decided that I want to pursue an opportunity in another league. Playing in the World Baseball Classic has allowed me to see so many great countries, and to see that there is so much more out there. I loved playing in Newmanistan, but just like other great stars from other leagues came to play in the ENBL, it can go the other way as well. I found an opportunity intriguing.” Carey pauses, and whispers take over in the audience.

“I had a few offers to play for teams in various leagues. One of them, to play right here in Cassadaigua. I also had interest from North Prarie, but the draw of playing in Super-Llamaland really began to bring me in. I want to thank everyone with the South Falls Athletics for their interest me, but I am here to announce that I have decided to play in Vargas City. (Pulls out Vargas City hat from a bag she was carrying and puts it on). The Lions are everything I want in a future team, and they have opened their arms for me. I look forward to joining them immediately after the Classic.”

[Union of Socialist Alpine Republics]

The Alpine Union loses two against West Phoenicia

Victoriaville, Cassadaigua - (NAP) The Alpines likes to keep it close, we beat Maklohi Vai by one point in each games against them and now we lost by one point in both games against West Phoenicia. Alejandro Gonzalez (2-2) was the starting pitcher in game 1 and he allowed 3 runs in the first three innings and West Phoenicia were already leading 3-0. In the top 4th inning, Wilton Jimenez was the first at bat and he walked. He stole the 2nd base. Kevin McNeill strikes out. Jimenez stole the 3rd base. Nate O'Flaherty hits a sacrifice fly, Jimenez scored. In the top 7th inning, Nate O'Flaherty batted first and he hitted a double. Travis Layne was flied out, O'Flaherty stayed at 2nd base. Designated hitter Tyson Lindsey hitted a single, O'Flaherty advances to the 3rd base. Zlatan Belec hitted an optionnal, O'Flaherty scores, Lindsey was out at the 2nd base. West Phoenicia were leading 3-2 and this is the final score.

Tyler Floyd (6-1) was the starting pitcher in game two. In the bottom 4th inning, Kevin Dances was at the 2nd base and Jimmy Geelong hitted a double that sent Dances to the plate. 1-0 West Phoenicia. in the top 8th inning, when phoenician pitcher was on his way for pitching a no hitter, Travis Layne came at bat first and he was grounded out. Tyson Lindsey hitted a double. Zlatan Belec followed with a single, Lindsey advanced to 3rd base. Esmeralda Sanchez hitted a single, Lindsey scores, Belec advanced to 2nd base. The next batter, Nick Riefenhauser hitted in a double play that ended the inning. The game was tied at 1-1. In the bottom 8th inning, with two outs, Jack Navy hitted a solo homerun and West Phoenicia took a 2-1 lead and this is the final score.

It seems Alpine batters were unable to hit phoenician pitchers' curveballs and fastballs and West Phoenicia is leading the series 2-0. Rusty Castillo (5-0) will be the starting pitcher for the Alpine Union in game 3 and, if necessary, Zvonimir Hajrovic (3-2) will throw in game 4.

[Xelsis]

Entez Sporting Network-WBC Playoff Special


Rumenoss finally crashes, while Harlo dig deeps to set up comeback

If you had told any Xelsian fan that in the first two games against the Nova Anglicana Lions that one of the two starters would get pulled after five innings, visibly tired on the mound and pounded for eight runs, and the other fought his way through seven long ones, holding the opposition to three, then nine out of ten of those who were following the Classic would have clucked at the pity of overworking the young and still-developing Harlo, and praised the resilient Rumenoss for his durability.

For those of you who watched the games, you already know that those nine out of ten would be wrong, as the big righthander just couldn't hack the Lions lineup, and the lankier lefty fighting through. The unpredictability of baseball is one of the reasons we all love it, and in two games against the number-one seed in the Classic, there was plenty of unpredictability to go around.

Of all the pitchers in the Xelsian rotation, Rumenoss was by far the least flashy, a ground-ball man, mostly pitching to contact, still elite, mixing in sharper droppers with his typical heavy splitters and sinkers, but lacking the star power of Harlo or Baker, or even the dominant ability Deachrist was able to show when her knuckler was moving right. His hallmark was consistency, and it was that consistency that got him promoted up to the ace slot in the Classic, one he proved worthy of in throwing the only victory against Cassadaigua, a complete-game one-run effort, and had held through never breaking down and blowing up a game-until now.

It was only fitting that Rumenoss would come undone against the best offensive team in the Classic, and arguably the world, and come undone he did. Giving up a run in the first inning was a minor blip, but two walks, four hits, and five runs in the second inning had the Xelsian faithful's fire doused as quickly as if the 6 ft. 11 in. man had fallen on it. Browning kept his starter in, however, as there was no other real choice-the game was already near-lost, though Browning would never be caught dead conceding on such a point, and his bullpen desperately needed rest. Rumenoss did nothing to prove himself worthy of that confidence, as one of the best pitchers at keeping it in the park, in a deep-fenced field, led off the third inning by allowing a home run to Brendan Wood, a shortstop not even particularly known for his power.

Rumenoss staggered on for two more innings, finally making it through one without a run in the fourth, and then giving up yet another home run, this one to Ryan Glover, in the fifth-finally enough to end the day of the clearly exhausted hurler, with Browning sending him to the showers as soon as he made it back to the dugout. At that point the score was 8-0, a goodly number of Xelsians had turned off their television sets or radios, and the Lightning had still failed to bring a run across the plate. They managed to deliver on that, at least, in the top of the sixth, breaking McLaughlin's shutout, finally getting good wood on the lefthander's devious slider-curveball combo, using both pitches to great effect, when most throwers could only handle one. The Lightning had managed only two hits through the first five innings, and were still on that through five and two-thirds, with a groundout from Lasitos, continuing a string of futility after having allowed a passed ball earlier, and a strikeout from O'Connor, who, after a hot start to the Classic, has been up-and-down since, with the first match against the Lions clearly a down game, going 0-4 with a hit-by-pitch. With two outs, Albert Deachrist drew a walk, and Mario Teros doubled him in, followed by a Nolan Maneros walk, but ending on a flyout to shallow left by Abdul al-Umar.

Any momentum the two-hit, one-run inning might have gained, though, quickly was quashed in the bottom half of the frame. With limited selections, Browning brought in Jimmy Hostens, the most-rested arm without Stevens's growing infamy, but two singles and two sacrifices later had seen the deficit swell to 10-1. Lasitos, for his part, usually at least stellar defensively, could be forgiven for allowing a stolen base to the lightning-fast Deng, but muffed the pitcher's bunt, missing what could have been a double-play opportunity, with the catcher on the run to second base.

On the night of surprising pitchers, though, Hostens settled down, going into a rare second inning without allowing another run, and then a remarkable third, an extensive outing for the closer who almost never throws more than one, a series of innings that were not especially valuable in winning the game, but certainly of worth in preserving other arms-though perhaps at the expense of his own.

Entering into the top of the ninth, the Lightning had managed to scratch across another run against McLaughlin, finally getting back to getting men on base in the two innings, but developing a bad habit of leaving them there, and were facing an eight-run deficit, and would be expected to have their minds on the next game, to take out a win there. It seems though, that someone forgot to tell the players. Submariner Ricky Bass was brought in, and induced Colton Li to strike out to start off well. With a near-zero chance that the bottom of the inning would be pitched, Browning brought in Matthew Silvercreek to pinch-hit, and was rewarded with a first-pitch single that apparently shook up Bass, who walked Lasitos on four pitches, and then, after leading off with a ball, beaned O'Connor in the helmet on the second pitch of that at-bat, loading up the bases. Bass left the next one over the plate, and Albert Deachrist slapped a single to right field that was snatched up on the run in an excellent defensive play by Ryan Glover, allowing only one run to score, but getting Bass yanked. The young Charlie Bowers was brought in to replace him in an unenviable situation, bases loaded, one out, with the 3-4-5 hitters coming up next. Bowers was an advantageous righty-righty matchup against Mario Teros, but he played it safe with the Lightning's strongest hitter, and perhaps a little too safe, nibbling too much on the corners, but not tempting the shortstop, who drew an RBI walk. Nolan Maneros, the hottest hitter in the Classic, came up on the left side of the plate, and apparently intimidating Bass enough for him to throw wild, bringing the quick O'Connor scampering home, bringing the score to 10-5, and stirring some hope in the breasts of their countrymen, that a miracle really could happen.

After al-Umar struck out swinging, though, giving only one out to double their run total, hope faded, even if spiking a bit on a single by Carhoones that scored two, Deachrist scoring with ease, but Duke Yander, brought in to pinch-run for the lead-footed Teros, blazing around third and beating the throw to the plate. With Colton Li coming up for the second time in the inning, Wyatt Templeton was brought in to get the out, and Li complied, mimicking his first plate appearance, striking out for the second time in the inning, and ending the game.

The second game didn't have the fireworks of the first, much to the relief of pitching coach Joe Ciscok, but with the Lions at least partially tamed, another waking of the bats at games end was exactly what the doctor ordered-even if The Doctor wasn't on the mound.

Harlo, truthful or not, has gathered something of a reputation as arrogant, perhaps unavoidable for a young phenom taking the league by storm, but certainly exacerbated by his often terse interactions with teammates, and lasting only short innings while receiving reported off-field pamperings, from luxury hotel suites to specialist teams of masseuses specifically for him. Criticism of his stubbornness has only been amplified by those traits of his, but when he took to the mound against one of the most daunting lineups in the world with only a day of rest after going seven innings, Harlo did something he was never known for, and never expected to-he adjusted, and he compromised.

While never a fastball-focused pitcher, Harlo's heat could get into the upper nineties, but right from the first pitch, never even reached into that decade, hovering primarily in the 87-89 range. With his curveball always as his best pitch, Harlo was soft-tossing, working his control well, testing the edges of the plate, trying to backdoor batters rather than send them twisting on sharp breakers. Giving up a run in each of the first two innings made the showing look less like a deliberate tactic, and more like a gassed pitcher just trying to hang on, but once Harlo got into his groove, he stayed in it, with one hit and two walks through the third through fifth innings, and no runs allowed.

While Harlo had to get into his groove, however, Lions starter Damon Singleton was in his from the start, with only two men getting on base, one double, one walk, and no runs scored through the first five innings. Having gone through five himself, even while pacing himself, Harlo wasn't expected to last much longer, and with a questionable bullpen, Xelsis needed to find a way to get runs across against a pitcher who looked like he was on pace for a nine-inning shutout, the Lions ace having already struck out six for his line.

In the top of the sixth inning, something finally got going for the Lightning. Lasitos became Singleton's seventh strikeout victim, but O'Connor, seeing the apparent futility of swinging away or waiting on pitches, took the third option, bunting down the first-base line, leaping over the perfectly-placed ball and beating out the throw. Deachrist became number eight of SIngleton's strikeouts, but Teros turned on a low slider to mash the ball on a long arc to left-center field, and over the fence for a two-run shot, and a tie ballgame, Maneros grounding out to end the inning.

Harlo, though, soft-tossing or not, was clearly tiring, and gave up two walks and an RBI double in the sixth to lose the lead, and then another double and a walk to open up the seventh inning. Now over one hundred pitches thrown, Providence smiled on the youngster, as he only had to throw one more. With Brendan Wood up, two on, with no outs, Wood cranked a frozen rope off of a fastball to the right side of the infield that was caught on an amazing high dive by Colton Li, who whipped the ball from his back to Teros covering second to double off the first runner, who hurled it himself to Deachrist at first, beating the retreating Glover by a quarter-step for an inning-ending triple play.

Now down by one with two to go, the Lightning drove Singleton out of the game with the same set of batters that they had scored with before, Lasitos again striking out, now nine for Singleton, but O'Connor this time hooking a long one over Glover's head in right that got into the corner, and legging out a sliding triple, the throw very nearly getting him, the fourth hit of the game. Deachrist drew a walk, the second Singleton had allowed, and with two on and one out, the bullpen finally got the call. Casey Burke was brought in, and going righty-vs-righty on Teros, struck him out, but couldn't do the same against the switch-hitting Maneros, who singled to centerfield tot tie them up at three apiece.

With Harlo done, having gone farther than ever expected, Rolon not on the field, and Hostens burned out, Browning had only one real choice available to him, and put up Stevens, who had allowed a run in all four and five of his last appearances, three of those blowing a potential win, setting Xelsian fans nationwide to biting their fingers. Stevens, though, came up with aplomb, and showed the same magic that had made the overweight switch-thrower so popular in the XHL. After teasing the onlookers with peril giving up a double against the first batter, Stevens retired the next three in order to bring the game to the ninth inning, tied.

Nick Christensen, a remarkable reliever in Nova Anglicana this last season, allowing barely over a single earned run per nine, was brought in, and al-Umar promptly welcomed him to the game with a single on the first pitch he threw. Sam Carhoones was next up to the plate, and while his at-bat didn't result in a hit, it may well have been more valuable than al-Umar's. The long-time Outback League veteran was pesky to the extreme, falling behind 0-2, and then fouling off four pitches, allowing a ball past, and fouling off three more. Christensen swapped between a slicing slider and near triple-digit heat, but Carhoones kept on getting the tip on the ball, letting the count go to 2-2 with another ball going by before being sent down watching a close pitch on the low outside corner. Li, for his part, didn't go down easily either, fouling a pitch, letting a ball go, fouling another, and then letting another ball go before going down swinging, leaving the thirty-year old fire-thrower on the mound with seventeen pitches racked up in only two at-bats. There was only one out left to use for the Lightning, though, and Browning called on the same pinch-hitter he had the game before in Matthew Silvercreek. He did not disappoint. Christensen put the ball over the plate, a slider that just didn't break, and the backup catcher got every inch of it on the swing, sending it flying dead-center and deep, into the stands of New Lakeland Stadium for a two-run home run. Christensen was left in, and gave Lasitos a Golden Sombrero, but the damage had been done, and when Stevens came in to save, his wildly spinning and breaking arsenal was as untouchable as it had ever been in his career, twelve pitches, three strikeouts, and a Xelsian victory to celebrate.

But the series is not over yet. With elimination looming on the horizon for tomorrow, Browning finally has relented to increasing fan pressure and benched Frederick Lasitos in favor of Matthew Silvercreek behind the plate. While Lasitos's awful hitting was consistently excused on part of his excellent defense, a passed ball and a muffed bunt in the first game, not to mention some blame for particularly bad pitch-framing on both of Rumenoss's leadoff walks in the fateful fifth inning, has officially made him expendable. Silvercreek is still a below-average hitter, but has been annointed a King with the bat for his small sample-size success, going 3-for-3 in pinch-hit appearances, including the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the ninth of the latest game, in his three chances in the Classic. A good arm against baserunners , if not as remarkable as Lasitos, Browning hopes that his pitch-framing skills will give a little extra edge to the pitching staff in facing the potent Lions offense, particularly with the wild knuckleballer Deachrist on the mound, and if his staccato hot streak can be kept going, all the better.

Buck Garner will also return to play, sat for a day for simple fatigue for the forty-two year-old over his objections, a defensible choice by the Coach, but one that won him little love after Li, his replacement at second base, struck out three times in two ninth innings, the first two in the five-run hopeful comeback, adding outs that could have become runs, the second nearly spoiling the go-ahead effort of the second game. Li made a remarkable attempt at atonement in the field in the seventh inning of Game 2 turning three to get Harlo out of a dangerous inning, but he was pulled from his starting spot at third base for batting under .200 in the regular-season portion of the Classic, and has received the same treatment removed from second base here. Garner will be hoped to add some extra oomph to the lineup when its needed, but a good step and a half slower on defense, a solid glove, but steadily declining range, Browning will be crossing his fingers that the veteran adds more than he lets get by.

Hostens is not expected to pitch after his three-inning sprint, but remains available for emergency work, with Stevens, stopping his skid of bad appearances with a solid save in the second game, available, as well as Rolon, who did not even suit up yesterday, sent home to sleep and rest to get as close as possible to 100%. Should circumstances demand it, though, the Lightning do have a rarely-commented on secret weapon in Sam Carhoones. The utility man has been the starting third baseman in the last several contacts but can, and has, pitched, with a surprisingly effective slurve and capable of reaching the mid-to-high eighties. He's not an ace by any stretch, a position player first and foremost, but neither is he incompetent, and though Browning has been tight-lipped, a reliable inside anonymous source in the dugout has informed us that if the Lightning are again trapped in a game that goes past the tenth or eleventh inning in a non-deciding game, or a deciding one, if all other arms are exhausted, that the everything man might get shifted from the corner infield to the rubber in the very middle of it.

While the odds are still against them, the Lightning have shown they can win against the Lions-now they just have to do it two more times. Deachrist may continue the dominance of her clutch relief effort in her start tomorrow and send the Lions swinging and missing even on pitches in the fifties that just can't be predicted, or she might return to the same form that got her demoted to the bullpen, and turn nasty flutterballs into hanging meatballs. Daylen Baker may live up to the reputation that comes from winning four of the last five Hube Pettering awards, or he might be the same pitcher that was feasted on by Cassadaigua. Baseball is a game of the unknown and uncertain, but all we know is that it's going to be a heck of a time-and that the best place to watch it will be here on Entez.

[Cassadaigua]

(1) Nova Anglicana vs (17) Xelsis @ New Lakeland Stadium, New Lakeland
Game 3:

Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2
Xelsis                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3

Game 4:

Nova Anglicana         0 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 0  5
Xelsis                 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

series tied, 2-2

(8) Abanhfleft vs (9) Scootalove City @ Rutland Stadium, Rutland
Game 3:

Abanhfleft             0 1 0 3 0 0 1 0 0  5
Scootalove City        3 1 0 0 1 0 2 6 X 13

Game 4:

Abanhfleft             0 0 0 4 1 0 0 2 0  7
Scootalove City        1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  4

Abanhfleft wins series, 3G-1

(5) Super-Llamaland vs (21) Ethane @ Starksville Stadium, Starksville
Game 3:

Super-Llamaland        0 3 0 2 1 0 0 1 3 10
Ethane                 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1  3

Game 4:

Super-Llamaland        2 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0  5
Ethane                 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  4

Super-Llamaland wins series, 3G-1

(4) Free Republics vs (13) Ko-oren @ Winchester Stadium, Winchester
Game 3:

Free Republics         2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1  7
Ko-oren                0 1 2 1 0 0 0 2 0  6

Game 4:

Free Republics         0 0 0 1 0 1 4 1 0  7
Ko-oren                0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 X  8

series tied, 2-2

(6) Cassadaigua vs (11) Drawkland @ Concord Heights Stadium, Concord Heights
Game 3:

Cassadaigua            2 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 1  8
Drawkland              0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  2

Cassadaigua wins series, 3G-0

(3) Schiltzberg vs (19) Bauscland @ Grande Mountain Stadium, Grande Mountain
Game 3:

Schiltzberg            0 0 0 2 3 3 0 1 0  9
Bauscland              0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Game 4:

Schiltzberg            1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1  5
Bauscland              0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Schiltzberg wins series, 3G-1

(7) West Phoenicia vs (10) Alpine Union @ Victoriaville Stadium, Victoriaville
Game 3:

West Phoenicia         1 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  8
Alpine Union           1 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  9

Game 4:

West Phoenicia         0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1  5
Alpine Union           3 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 X  6

series tied, 2-2

(2) Newmanistan vs (18) Liventia @ Brattleboro Stadium, Brattleboro
Game 3:

Newmanistan            2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  4
Liventia               1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  3

Game 4:

Newmanistan            0 4 0 1 1 0 2 0 0  8
Liventia               0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0  3

Newmanistan wins series, 3G-1

[Xelsis]

Entez Sporting Network-WBC Playoff Special


Lightning's trend of late-game surges continues as series heads to a decisive Game 5.

"If the team of the last inning showed up in the first, we'd be lounging on a bye before the next round already"

Such was the quote of Lightning pitcher Salvidar Vasquez, and while it's good to see him in good health and good spirits enough to joke around with us after an especially nasty and graphic wrist injury ended his WBC bid, what he's saying isn't far off the mark. eleven of the nineteen runs scored by the Lightning thus far in the series against Nova Anglicana have been scored in the ninth inning or later, and from the seventh on, the Lightning have outscored the Lions a whopping 13-0, (Compared to being outscored 20-6 in the first six innings of play).

Once again splitting a set, this time taking the first, and dropping the second, the question going into the final game is whether the Xelsian players can get themselves going before the last three innings on offense, and whether the remarkable efforts of the bullpens in closing out games thus far can be continued.

The first game saw Katerina Deachrist come to the mound on a quest to continue her redemption, coming in as the last possible option from the bullpen, and throwing 6.2 shutout innings in the sixteen-inning clincher against Hampton Island, she came to play against the even more deadly Lions offense, and bore down exactly when she needed to.

Through the first four innings of play, Deachrist was perfect, striking out five, no hits, no walks, and no errors. Once the fifth rolled around, a few calls started going against her with the dancing knuckler, and she walked both Max Pope and pitcher Ben Clayton with one out, before sending down the last two without further damage. In the sixth, that behavior caught up to get her, as she gave up two more walks in the process of getting her first two outs, and lost a run from it with a single from John Carr breaking a streak of 12.1 scoreless innings, and then walking a batter for the third consecutive inning in the seventh, before allowing another run in the eighth, this time off of a slow knuckler going inside and striking a batter's forearm, with a double bringing him home.

Deachrist bore down, though, and Browning, historically quick on the trigger with her, let her soldier on through the ninth, and then through the tenth as well, both innings perfect, arm holding up well as the pitch count ballooned without having to deal with the stress of harder fastballs and curves, finally exiting after walking the leadoff man in the eleventh to no small amount of applause from the mixed fans in the stadium, many Cassadaiugan. Her final line of only two hits across ten innings was marred somewhat by the six walks and a hit batsman over that time, but she had done her part well, and given the team the chance to win it needed.

The only reason she made it that far, though, were the Xelsian bats once again sleeping through the game, and waking up at just the time they were needed. Stymied by the Lions pitching, entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the Lightning had gathered only two hits and one walk, a mixed display of offensive futility, and pitching excellence on the part of Lions starter Ben Clayton. After the first two batters went down, though, one out from defeat, the Lightning accomplished a rare feat in Xelsian baseball, and for the first time in the Classic went back-to-back over the fences, longtime rival outfielders Nolan Maneros and Abdul al-Umar swatting dingers one after the other, and putting aside that feud to embrace at home plate, Maneros grabbing al-Umar, after the second solo dinger. A Carhoones groundout, though, sent it into extras. A Silvercreek double threatened in the tenth, advanced to third after a bunt-for-hit by O'Connor, but Deachrist flew out to end that frame. It was in the eleventh that Mario Teros decided to join the party, and end the party. Apparently jealous of the two hitters in front of him hogging the glory with their ninth-inning solo shots, he added one of his own on the third pitch of the inning, walking off the Lightning for the first time in the Classic, in their first three-homer game in the Classic, and the first time they'd taken a series lead over Nova Anglicana.

The second match seemed like it may have finally seen the Lightning strike before the final hour, as down 1-0 entering the third inning, the Xelsians scored three on a very Xelsian series of events, with Buck Garner singling to center, Matthew Silvercreek reaching on a throwing error that saw Garner take the chance to advance to third, and a runner score and another move up on a Baker bunt. O'Connor then bunted SIlvercreek over to third and reached first on the play, then stole second, and made a daring advance to third on a Deachrist sacrifice fly that scored Silvercreek. Mario Teros looming at the plate was enough to occupy the attention of any pitcher, and slowly dancing more and more off of the bag, O'Connor timed a mad dash home perfectly while an eighty-four mile per hour curve was on the way towards the plate from the arm of Damian Ryan, the ball in the dirt making the tag too slow. Teros would strike out, but three runs were across, and for the first time in the entire series, Xelsis had a lead before the final inning of play.

Good things were not to last, though, as Baker gave up one more run in the fifth inning, but made his bed to lie in in the sixth. Giving up a walk and then a single to bring him to third, Browning came out to visit the ace, but was veritably stared back into the dugout, Baker determined to see it through, to bear down and get his man. He very nearly succeeded, striking out one, then two, then going two strikes up on Ryan Glover before throwing a cut fastball that just didn't cut, and seeing it disappear over the right-field fence to turn a 3-2 lead into a 5-3 deficit. With the bases emptied, Browning let Baker induce a flyout to get out of the inning, but the Lightning were once again playing catch-up. After the Lightning failed to score in the bottom of the inning, Harold Rolon did his utmost to make sure that that catch-up had the greatest chance possible. With three games off, and three games of film to study, The Doctor was hard at work, allowing only a single through the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, and leaving the deficit right where it was at 5-3 going into the bottom frame.

The Lightning started hitting again, and if not for the slings and arrows of misfortune, may well have swung themselves into another extra-innings thriller. As it happened, they came as close as one can without tasting victory. After Silvercreek flew out, Rolon was set to come up next in the inning, and was sensibly pulled for a pinch-hitter. Who the pinch-hitter was was somewhat less sensible. Mikey Ramirez, a fifty-one year-old stand-up comedian making it onto the team solely on the basis of political pressure via fan vote, never once used in the Classic by the heavily conservative and old-fashioned Browning, was brought up to the plate, all three feet and three inches of him, there to do exactly what was expected. He drew a walk on four pitches, drew applause, and then was promptly swapped out for Duke Yander to pinch-run, having set the table, a run ready to score. O'Connor was up next, but asked to do what he was best at, the best bunter in the XHL failed, bunting thrice foul on his attempts, the third making it a strikeout, and leaving the Lightning hanging on their last out. The next batter was Albert Deachrist, and the pressure did not stop him from swinging on the first pitch, launching a roaring double to centerfield that scored Yander and brought the tying run into scoring position. Then, however, fate struck. Mario Teros, the strongest batter in the lineup, made meaty contact on his swing, driving the ball past the shortstop and into deep left-center for a sure double-or at least he would have, if the ball did not hit Deachrist straight-on in the helmet. By rule, Deachrist was out, and the game was over-but he was out in more ways than one. The line drive, measured at an exit velocity of one hundred and eighteen miles per hour, knocked Deachrist out cold, leaving him to be carried from the field in a crowd-silencing ending, emotions going from thrills to shock in a matter of a split-second for Xelsian fans. We still wait on reports for Deachrist's condition, but to step outside of our role for a moment, we here at Entez are going to be praying for him, and we hope you'll take a moment to send a prayer for healing to the Almighty as well.

After all of that, there's not much more to say. This is what it all comes down to, folks. Xelsis was never expected to come this far by all but the faithful, and it is the faithful that will be out there rooting tomorrow night for the great clincher. No change will be made on the mound. Edgar Rumenoss, hungry for redemption, will be given the ball for the honor of the responsibility of throwing the decisive game, and tens of millions of eyes will be tuning in to watch him from the homeland.

Ladies, gentlemen, and all viewers, it's time to ask yourself if you believe in miracles-and if you do, it's time to prepare-because with one game left to play, one just might be about to happen.

[Super-Llamaland]

Ezekiel Schwarzer received a mysterious email the night after he'd heard about the McGovern trade - and gone to his archrival, Windhorst, to strike a blockbuster deal. It was sent from an anonymous account and consisted of an audio recording captioned "hurry". He clicked "play", and a phone conversation between...Windhorst? And Chris Elliott? How did the mysterious sender get access? He kept listening, but as he did so, his confusion began to wane. And was replaced with excitement.

The next day, Kayla Carey signed a three-year deal with the Vargas City Lions, and Schwarzer canceled the Markus Wright trade. He had never been happier. There would be a new king of the LBL. And it sure as hell wouldn't be South Falls.

---

A despondent Chris Elliott sat in his office, with just Tanya Ericsson. "I really thought we had Carey," he said to himself.

"And now you've gone off and traded our starting shortstop for Jordan Dunsinane," Ericsson replied. "What are we doing now?"

As if on cue, the phone rang. Elliott picked up and set it to speaker.

"Chris! Good to see you." It was David Windhorst - because of course it was. "Sorry to hear Carey didn't swing your way. But at least you've got Jordan 'two thirty-four batting average' Dunsinane to replace McGovern, eh?"

"Why did you call me, David?"

"Listen - I'll offer you the same deal I offered Schwarzer. Four prospects of my choice, plus a draft pick, and you can get Markus Wright. Oh, and I'd like Schübert - that setup guy I mentioned - too. That's for trying to fuck with me and record the conversation. You think I didn't know what you were d-" Elliott briefly muted the phone and turned to Ericsson. "Don't do it," she said. He smiled, said, "don't worry about it," and unmuted. "Thank you for the...ah, generous offer, David. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that we've gone forward with another plan already."

"Wha-who?"

Elliott glanced at Ericsson again. "Dominik. Kästner." And hung up. He stared at the phone for a few seconds, dialed in another number, and put it to his ear. "Hey Erika, good to hear from you again. Thanks for agreeing to keep Kästner on the block while I went after Carey. I'm ready to make the deal now...yes, yes, of course, the same package. Johanssen, Chen, Blanc, and Schübert. Oh, and one more thing? David Windhorst is going to make an offer for Schübert. Don't take it. That kid's going to be a great reliever."

[Super-Llamaland]

August Bendtner blinked, nonplussed. He'd just been minding his own business, and now this...girl and her dad were trying to fight him? Despite his arrogance, Bendtner knew he had to do well this Classic to stay on the national team and earn a big-money contract abroad. And he...wasn't going to achieve either of those if he fought an opposing team's ace for seemingly no reason.

"Is this the best ti-" Upon realizing that the look in Changjun Ihawa's eyes was confirming that, in fact, this was the only time things could be discussed, Bendtner changed tactics and leaned in to shake hands with the veteran Sherpa ace. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ihawa, I've heard a lot of great things about you. I may have been unclear to your team's management, but I've just spent five years as a second starter, so when I pick my next team abroad, I'd just prefer to go somewhere without an established ace so I can lead the pitching staff." Still, despite his veneer of sensibility, Bendtner couldn't resist talking back a little to the Ihawas that had just, in his mind, blatantly disrespected him. "Sorry, if you'd like to talk later, we can do that, but I've got to get back to warmups. Some of us are still in the WBC."

---

To: Phurwa Adhikari
From: Ethan de Vries, General Manager, New Llama Wizards

Dear Mrs. Adhikari,

Thank you for the rapid reply. While we are fully aware of Mr. Ihawa's age, we believe that he can continue being an asset for us even if he slows with age, due to his powers. However, if your client would like a full no-trade clause, which we are willing to offer, we would prefer a two-year, frontloaded contract with separate, mutual options for the third and fourth years. The total AAV would remain the same, but perhaps we would change the structure to $15 million for the first two years and $11 million for the final two.

We would be honored to invite Mr. Ihawa and his family to New Llama City in order to tour our team's facilities and the surrounding area. Since we are aware that Mr. Ihawa has never been to our nation before, the team would be more than willing to help his family find accommodations in the area and settle into Llamanean society.

Please let us know if these terms are agreeable to you and your client, and we can begin moving forward with a visit to New Llama City and further contract negotiations. All of us with the Wizards are elated to have your client consider our offer.

Best,
edv

[West Phoenicia]

West Phoenician Confederate baseball fans were left in a state of hostility, confusion and disappointment. After great success in games 1 and 2 at the Victoriaville Stadium, many fans felt it was going to be clear skies to victory.

The gods, goddess and animal deities of West Phoenicia dealt a serious blow to an easy victory for West Phoenicia by allowing their competition The Alpine Union the ability to play catch up by taking out games 3 and 4, pushing both teams into game 5 as both battle to progress to the Quarter-finals.

"Victory should have been ours in game 3, however weak fielding by the bottom of the 9th allowed 2 Alpine Union batters the ability to reach home.

By the top of Game 4, Coach Prosper was urging the Confederate players on. All that was needed was 2 runs to tie the 4th game, or 3 runs which would give them the win. Glen Melbourne started the move forward to victory by scoring a home run. However that was the only highlight of the 9th innings. 2 other Confederate players were struck out by the extraordinary resilence of the Alpine Union pitchers. And Carson Van buren was tagged out as he ran towards first base sealing the victory for the Alpine Union.

West Phoenicia now has a nervous wait as they head into game 5, with both teams wanting to progress to the next round. The Confederates are desperate for the win after slowly climbing the ranks, a big win is needed to still keep the team relevant and to keep fans coming back for more.

[The Sherpa Empire]

August Bendtner blinked, nonplussed. He'd just been minding his own business, and now this...girl and her dad were trying to fight him? Despite his arrogance, Bendtner knew he had to do well this Classic to stay on the national team and earn a big-money contract abroad. And he...wasn't going to achieve either of those if he fought an opposing team's ace for seemingly no reason.

"Is this the best ti-" Upon realizing that the look in Changjun Ihawa's eyes was confirming that, in fact, this was the only time things could be discussed, Bendtner changed tactics and leaned in to shake hands with the veteran Sherpa ace. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ihawa, I've heard a lot of great things about you. I may have been unclear to your team's management, but I've just spent five years as a second starter, so when I pick my next team abroad, I'd just prefer to go somewhere without an established ace so I can lead the pitching staff." Still, despite his veneer of sensibility, Bendtner couldn't resist talking back a little to the Ihawas that had just, in his mind, blatantly disrespected him. "Sorry, if you'd like to talk later, we can do that, but I've got to get back to warmups. Some of us are still in the WBC."

Jamling shook hands with Bendtner while Changjun translated for him. He said something in Sherpa, which she translated back. "He says, good luck out there. We can talk later if you want, maybe have beer. Don't have to, but if you want. But you can't always be a big fish in a small pond, no room to grow in the small pond."

To: Phurwa Adhikari
From: Ethan de Vries, General Manager, New Llama Wizards

Dear Mr. Adhikari,

Thank you for the rapid reply. While we are fully aware of Mr. Ihawa's age, we believe that he can continue being an asset for us even if he slows with age, due to his powers. However, if your client would like a full no-trade clause, which we are willing to offer, we would prefer a two-year, frontloaded contract with separate, mutual options for the third and fourth years. The total AAV would remain the same, but perhaps we would change the structure to $15 million for the first two years and $11 million for the final two.

We would be honored to invite Mr. Ihawa and his family to New Llama City in order to tour our team's facilities and the surrounding area. Since we are aware that Mr. Ihawa has never been to our nation before, the team would be more than willing to help his family find accommodations in the area and settle into Llamanean society.

Please let us know if these terms are agreeable to you and your client, and we can begin moving forward with a visit to New Llama City and further contract negotiations. All of us with the Wizards are elated to have your client consider our offer.

Best,
edv

To: Ethan De Vries
From: Phurwa Adhikari

Dear Mr. De Vries,

That sounds suitable, and we would like to proceed. Please let me know if there is anything that you need my help with in terms of travel arrangements.

Best regards,
Phurwa Adhikari

FYI: She didn't really notice the mistake because she's relying on someone else as a translator, but Phurwa Adhikari is a woman. It wouldn't be at all obvious in written correspondence because Phurwa is a gender-neutral name.

[The Sherpa Empire]

With Tharkay going to North Prarie, the Guiyang Grasshoppers got an idea about how they might replace him:

To: August Bendtner
From: Kaozhen Yi, General Manager, Guiyang Grasshoppers

Dear Mr. Bendtner,

I hope this letter finds you well. It has recently come to my attention that you are considering joining SIBA. As general manager of the Guiyang Grasshoppers, I am willing to match the salary that the Khumbu Icefall Doctors are offering.

I believe that you will find Guiyang a more welcoming environment than Khumbu. At an elevation of only 1,100 m, altitude sickness is unheard of and our weather is much milder. Furthermore, with some distance between yourself and the Empire's holy places, you will not be disturbed by any pesky lamas, gurus, rinpoches, shamans, bodhisatvas, or ihawas and their cults of personality. All in all, I think you can breathe easier here than you would in Khumbu -- both figuratively and literally.

Please let me know if there is any additional information I can provide to assist in your decision.

Sincerely,
Kaozhen Yi

Yi doesn't mention it, but if Bendtner does his own research it would be easy enough to find out that Guiyang has a worse record than Khumbu. Khumbu lost to Bengal in the first round of the playoffs this past season. Guiyang didn't make the playoffs, and hasn't for a while, though there have been some signs of improvement in recent years.

[Nova Anglicana]

Lion's Roar

A SportsWorld Weblog

That darn bullpen!
by Omega Lion



Their hijinks just make you want to strangle them, don't they?

It's times like this that just make you want to spend your entire day uttering loud, long exasperated sighs so people can ask you what's wrong and you can say, "OH, NOTHING! NOTHING AT ALL!". This way nobody will ever know that the real reason for your frustration is the Nova Anglicana national baseball team bullpen. Nobody, guaranteed.

I'm joking, of course. Everyone will know what's bothering you, because who isn't bothered by the bullpen? I know I certainly am. Through two games in the Round of 16 here in WBC 43, the bullpen had allowed eight runs in two and two-thirds innings pitched, a baffling stat. From five runs in the ninth of game 1 to three runs in the eighth and ninth in game 2, it hasn't exactly been a picnic for the bullpen. So you'll excuse me if I feel like screaming now that games 3 and 4 are over and the bullpen hasn't exactly improved its performance.

Everything was looking good through the first eight and a half innings of game 3. Xelsis' Katerina Deachrist was on her way to a tough luck loss, having allowed just two hits, but both run-scoring. The Lions' Ben Clayton had pitched eight innings and given up no runs, with just two hits and one walk allowed. Clayton even retired the first two batters of the ninth inning, striking out one of them to earn his eleventh strikeout of the night. With one batter to go, Nolan Maneros, Clayton tried to bear down. But a 3-1 fastball was a little too meaty, and Maneros crushed it over the wall to narrow the deficit to 2-1. That was enough for Lions manager Orlando Murray, who made the long, slow walk out to the mound and forced Clayton to surrender the ball over his objections. Clayton staying in might have been for the best, as Nick Christensen surrendered a game-tying homer to Abdul al-Umar. It was shades of the MLB Nationals' manager Matt Williams taking out his starter Jordan Zimmerman in game 2 of the 2014 NLDS, only for a reliever to give up a game-tying hit. We will never know what might have happened had Clayton stayed in, but it's a moot point. The game was tied 2-2, and that was that. After getting the last man in the 9th, Christensen gave up two hits in the 10th, but recovered to get an inning-ending flyout. Lions rallies in the 10th and 11th came to nothing, and when Thomas Wagner entered the 11th, presumably for a few innings, he never got the chance. Mario Teros crushed a middle-in fastball for a Lightning walk-off win that would put the Lions on the brink of elimination. The bullpen now had allowed ten runs in four innings, a truly hideous number.

Given that ugly statistic, you had to wonder if Murray would even think about going to his bullpen in game 4. Poor Damian Ryan. It must have been an amazing amount of pressure. First to pitch in an elimination game, and then to know that your manager doesn't trust the bullpen, so you need to pitch a complete game if possible is insane. To be quite honest, it looked like the pressure was getting to him in the bottom of the third. Up 1-0 courtesy of a Moses Deng RBI double, Ryan gave up a leadoff single to Methuselahian second baseman Buck Garner. Then a Seth Armstrong throwing error ratcheted up the pressure, putting runners on third and first. A safety squeeze scored one, and then Reilly O'Connor bunted his way on as well. O'Connor gave Ryan fits, stealing second, moving up to third on a sac fly that gave the Lightning the lead, and then even had the audacity to steal home on a slow curve. Down 3-1 with a guy that just stole home, it would have been understandable if Ryan had collapsed. But he recovered to retire 16 of the next 18 batters he faced, ending up with eight innings pitched and just the three runs allowed. He even got bailed out of a loss when Ryan Glover hit a three-run homer in the 6th, giving the Lions a 5-3 lead.

There was so much anxiety, at least on my part, and I imagine on many other Lions' fans parts when Ryan did not come out for the ninth, having thrown 118 pitches. Christensen would not appear, having thrown a high-stress one inning in game 2, and an inning and a third (3 baserunners allowed ) in game 3. A third straight night would probably put him out of commission for a deciding game 5, assuming that there could be a deciding game 5. A smart move, even if it did make me reach for my antacids when Clay Wilkerson emerged onto the field. Wilkerson has been kinda shaky in the Classic, but it was clear he was there to face Matthew Silvercreek, the lefty catcher who had tormented the Lions with his pinch-hitting. Wilkerson got Silvercreek to fly out for out number one, and then on came Mikey Ramirez, the Eddie Gaedel of the Xelsis team. Wilkerson predictably walked him, all three feet and three inches of him. So no use in wasting another pitcher on more or less a guaranteed walk, plus the lefty-hitting O'Connor was next. But despite his bunting prowess, he couldn't manage to make his third attempt (on a 96 MPH fastball from Wilkerson) go straight, and he struck out. Whew. Two down and Wilkerson hadn't really made a mistake yet. So Murray left him in to face the switch-hitting Deachrist, who of course promptly doubled in a run. 5-4 and a runner in scoring position, with Mario Teros up next. In came Lee Bradley; maybe his submarine style would confound Teros enough to get the last out. Teros instead whacked a screamer towards short, which struck Deachrist straight on the helmet, knocking him to the ground, knocking him out, and, coincidentally, ending the game. But the thrill of the victory and whether or not Brendan Wood could have made a leaping grab to snag the 118 MPH liner and save the game was lost as Deachrist lay motionless on the ground. The whole stadium came to a hush as Xelsian and Cassadaiguan medical personnel carried an unresponsive Deachrist off the field. Eventually, the crowd rose to their feet and clapped mightily in honor of Deachrist, but no one was thinking about that in the moment. There was no news about Deachrist when I posted this, but everyone here at Lions' Roar is certainly praying for his safe recovery.

There are some things that are bigger than baseball, and there isn't a whole lot you want to say after something like that happens. Darren Lawson will oppose Edgar Rumenoss in game 5. I'm hoping for a complete-game shutout by Lawson, personally, but I don't think too many people will be disappointed if the scrappy, injured, underdogs of the Xelsis Lightning pull off an outstanding victory. Pray for Albert and Katerina and hug your own family close.

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

OOC: Additionally, I listed Ben Clayton as my game 3 starter and Damian Ryan as my game 4 starter in a previous RP, so please don't confuse that as contradicting Xelsis' RP.

[Union of Socialist Alpine Republics]

The Alpine Union wins two and the series is tied

Victoriaville, Cassadaigua - (NAP) Rusty Castillo (5-0) didn't lost a single game in this WBC and he was the starting pitcher for game 3. Both teams scored a run in the 1st inning and Wilton Jimenez was the 1st at bat in the bottom 3rd inning. He hitted a single. He stole the 2nd base. Kevin McNeill follows with a two runs homerun. Nate O'Flaherty hitted a double. Travis Layne was flied out. Zlatan Belec walked. Esmeralda Sanchez hitted an optionnal, O'Flaherty advanced to 3rd base but Belec was out at 2nd base. Nick Riefenhauser hitted a 3 runs homerun and the score was 6-1 Alpine Union! West Phoenicia persevered and scored 2 runs in the 4th inning and 6th inning each and another run in the 7th inning and the game was tied at 6-6. The score was still tied at the end of the bottom 9th inning and extra innings were needed! Both teams scored a run in the 11th inning and the Phoenicians took a 8-7 lead in the top 14th inning. Kevin McNeill was the first to bat in the top 14th inning and he hitted a single. Nate O'Flaherty striked out. Travis Layne hits a fly ball in center right field, both Heniel Hewett and Jimmy Geelong tries to catch the ball but they run into each other and couldn't catch it. Layne is safe at 1st base but McNeill stayed at 2nd base. Zlatan Belec hits a ground ball to third baseman Jack Navy who catches the ball but he throws the ball over Emanuel Army's head at 2nd base and everyone on bases are safe! It could've been a double play and the game would be over. The bases are loaded for Esmeralda Sanchez and she hits a double, McNeill scored, Layne scored and the game is over, the Alpine won the game 9-8 in 14 innings! We have to say, West Phoenicia lost it because of fielding mistakes. Zoja Stankovic (1-0) was the winning pitcher for the Bisons.

Game #4, Zvonimir Hajrovic (3-2) was the starting pitcher. Not our best pitcher, he lost 2 times against Wabijust, an unranked team, in group stage. Wilton Jimenez was the first at bat and he hits a triple. Kevin McNeill was grounded out but Jimenez scores. Already 1-0! Nate O'Flaherty follows with a double. Travis Layne was flied out, O'Flaherty stays at 2nd base. Zlatan Belec follows with a two runs homerun and the score is 3-0 Alpine Union in the bottom first inning! Travis Layne was batting first in the bottom 4th inning and he hitted a solo homerun. Zlatan Belec follows with a single. Esmeralda Sanchez was grounded out, Belec was safe at 2nd base on fielder's choice. Nick Riefenhauser hitted a double, Belec scored. Jared Hanson walked. With two out and two runners on bases, starting pitcher Zvonimir Hajrovic comes at bat. Hajrovic hits a single in center left field, Riefenhauser scored and Hanson advanced to 3rd base. The Reprezentacja Alpejski is now leading 6-0! West Phoenicia scored 4 runs in the top 7th inning and the Alpines' lead was cut to 6-4. In the top 9th inning, Genevieve McGowan comes to the mound. She already have 10 saves in tis WBC! She striked out the first batter to come at bat but Glen Melbourne follows with a solo homerun. The next batter strikes out again and Carson Van buren was grounded out to end the game. The Alpine Union won 6-5 and the series is tied at 2!

It's been a really close series, West Phoenicia won the first two games by one point, and the Bisons won game #3 and 4 by one point and one of these games went in extra innings! The phoenicians won their two games when they were the "home" team while the Alpines also won as the "home team". Tyler Floyd (6-2) will be the starting pitcher for game #5, which means that, if the Bisons wins this series, he'll be unavailable to play in game 1 and 2 against Newmanistan. The Alpine Union are one win away from playing against Newmanistan but they're also one loss away from going back home.