World Baseball Classic 44- Everything Thread (IC)

[Cassadaigua]

Player Blog: Preparing for Lycrabon
by Cortnie Nicholson,

We have played very well in the World Baseball Classic so far. There is plenty that we can be excited about, starting with a great group stage, and now knocking off The Sherpa Empire in the first round. That is a good team. I know that they will be disappointed to not have gone further during the playoffs. There is no one on any decent team that sets a first round exit as their goal for the playoffs. The turning point for us was the five run ninth inning in game two. We seemed down and out on paper, but in the dugout, we never stopped believing. Stringing a big inning together in baseball can happen, you just have to put together hits. It doesn’t have to be grand slams that do it, although they are always fun to hit. We had a complete effort in the third and fourth games and now prepare for Lycrabon.

Lycrabon is a great team with a lot of great players. Then, there’s Garry Barnett III, who makes the rest of them look bad because of their association. Garry’s father was a great player, but somewhere along the line GB3 as I’ll call him, did not go down that path. I’m not too concerned with the insults that get thrown our way. It is what is, and they just make him sound like an idiot. We have heard now that he will be pitching in game two. That’s good, we want to see you, Garry. Come on, pitch against us. But you know, pitch. Don’t go headhunting, or act like a sixth grader and feel the need to throw at us. Maybe you will have the last laugh and have a game close to what Wes Jordan did for you.

However, GB3, if you do feel the need to not be a pitcher, but instead be an overgrown manchild and throw at us, let me remind you that Mikayla Warren is pitching for us in Game 2. You know, the hardest throwing pitcher in Cassadaigua. Hate to see her have to retaliate for one of you’re actions. Just “throwing” that out there.

[Ethane]

''If I land on The McTidley arena, I am definitely going to be out.' Looking down at the board, you could see why. The property was loaded: a hotel, with double rent, had sent the rent value of that property flying. It would probably send almost anyone who landed on it bankrupt, although certainly not as savage as if it would have been a purple property. But it was less of a concern to everyone else. Benjamin and Joseph were in prison, while Lucas had just passed it, so had enough time to build up some money. The likelihood of landing on it wasn't that high for Leigh, but with the rent for all the properties surrounding it also quite high, he was in a rather fragile place.

It had been quite a long game already though. Oliver had already bankrupted Jake about 10 rounds before, which in itself was about 40 rounds into the game. It had taken a while to build up all the capital to this place; Jake had already gone to bed not long after he was bankrupted; it was quite late and watching other people play a game you just lost at isn't the most exciting thing in the world to be doing.

He grabbed the dice off Joseph, who had - to his relief - failed to roll a double for the second go in a row. Everyone watched in anticipation. Joseph didn't have enough money to pay really much rent at all, so this was a make or break round for him. Either he was about to go bankrupt, or just survive but need someone to land on one of his properties.

He started to shake the dice in his hand, before releasing them. They bounced on the table a couple of times. One stopped rolling immediately, toppling almost over to a different number but in the end landed on a 5. The other dice continued to roll a little longer, spinning slightly on its axis. With the other dice on 5, a 3 would land him on the dreaded property, although it didn't look good for him if it landed on a 2 or 5 either - these properties all had high rent values.

The 3 flashed past. The 5 flashed past. And it rolled a little more, before landing on... 4. Collective groans from everyone except Joseph. He survived. For now. Everyone questioned their sanity. Why were they playing this game so late in the middle of a really important international baseball tournament? They all looked at each other wearily, all sensing the feeling that their interest in the game was starting to wane, slowly being replaced by an interest in their beds, needing to get up early in the morning for training. Yet still, they were determined to finish the game.

Joseph picked up the Chance card. He flipped it around and read it outloud to everyone. A look of dread slowly came over his face as he was reading it out, while everyone else started laughing. The irony of missing one really high rent property to be told to do that on a Chance card; it can only be labelled as really really unfortunate. The Chance card, of course, was to go to the most expensive property on the board when fully built - the second purple property.

He moved around to it. Benjamin perked up: ''I believe that is mine.''

Leigh sighed. This was it, probably. ''How much is it?'', he asked, picking up the very little money he owned to give to his friend and teammate.

''More than you have.'' Leigh grabbed the property card and looked at the rent price. He ran his hand through his hair. It was obvious he couldn't afford the rent.

''And on that note, goodnight.'' Naturally, the rent was a lot more than he could actually afford. He handed over his money and cards to Benjamin, before retreating from the room.

And so the rest of them carried on playing. And the next morning, they were very tired. Graham wasn't happy. Graham wasn't happy at all.

[Newmanistan]

We got a couple games to play today, so let's do it now!

(5) Nova Anglicana vs (12) Liventia @ The Jungle, Loudon
Game 5:

Liventia               0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  3
Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 X  4

Nova Anglicana wins series three games to two

(7) Banija vs (10) Ethane @ Olympia Stadium, Olympia
Game 5:

Ethane                 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  3
Banija                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2

Ethane wins series three games to two

Quaterfinal Matchups:
(1) Newmanistan vs (8) Hampton Island @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls
(4) Free Republics vs (5) Nova Anglicana @ Emperor Michael IV Stadium, Pocono City
(3) Cassadaigua vs (11) Lycrabon @ The Jungle, Loudon
(2) West Phoenicia vs (10) Ethane @ Empress Jessica I Stadium, Jessicaville

[Lycrabon]

Umpires and location announced for Cassadaigua series

NEWMANISTAN - The Jungle.

The sites for all four quarterfinal matchups were announced today, and the Blue Jays quest continues in Loudon at The Jungle. Also revealed were the umpire crew for the series, and only one would work the plate if the series goes the full five games.

Home plate umpires for the series are (locations for the other games):
Game 1 - Bridget MacKenzie (The Babbage Islands; 3B, 2B, 1B, HP in 2-5)
Game 2 - Tyler Webster (Lycrabon; 1B in 1 and 5; 3B in 3, 2B in 4)
Game 3 - Byron Malcolm (Schlitzberg; 2B in 1 and 5, 1B in 2, 3B in 4)
Game 4 - Jennifer Schaefer (Cassadaigua; 3B in 1 and 5; 2B in 2, 1B in 3)
Game 5 - MacKenzie

Not surprisingly, all Garry Barnett III tweeted was "we win game one, we sweep."
Also not surprisingly, he is the only one who has that opinion. Every journalist here in Newnanistan has this series going at least four games, if not the distance. Lycrabon's news media is split down the middle as to who will win.

[West Phoenicia]

The West Phoenicians Confederate have slid into the WBC quarter-finals after a clean sweet against Ko-oren. Celebration onfield was kept low key due to the Ko-oren disdain for all the West Phoenicians pomp and gaudy behaviour. Of field the locker room was alive with passion and a fired up team ready to face their next hurdle.

The next hurdle happened to be the nation of Ethane. The two last played off in the World Baseball Classic 39 in the semi-finals where the Confederate suffered a defeat of 3 to 1.
West Phoenicians management has made it clear we do not want history repeating itself.

The games will be held at the Empress Jessica I Stadium. Many fans who toe the superstitious line see it as a positive sign. Playing in a stadium named after an empress while the Confederates will also have their own Empress supporting them in the form of Cleopatra-Olympias Nèo Theà Philadèmos Gryphon-Bush, who many see as a living incarnation of the goddess Fortuna.

West Phoenician sport pundits are not seeing these games as a clean sweep, rather the feeling among many is it was come down to game 5 to determine the victor who will progress to the semi-finals.

Coaching staff have confirmed the pitching rotation has been changed in the lead up to the first game in the quarter-finals with Mandeep Singh leading the order.

Pitching Rotation
* LHP Mandrel Singh
* RRHP Jordan Thomas
* LHP Cliff Samuels
* RHP Hieu Phan
* RHP Ashwyn Sid

Fans are being urged to come out in force and rally behind the Confederate as they take on Ethane.

[Lycrabon]

Remainder of rotation announcedfrom LSPN.com

The pitching rotation is complete for the Cassadaigua. As previously mentioned, Demarcus Kennedy will pitch game one, Garry Barnett III game two, and Hunter Anderson game three.

The if necessary games:
Game 4: 2 Phillip Gilbert
Game 5: Demarcus Kennedy OR 99 Brant Powers

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

BEATING THE BEAR

by Brianne Henry,

As you have probably heard, and probably have watched videos of since it is so unique, the nation of Hampton Island sports a black bear on their team, named Midnight. As the season goes on, the team named the Golden Bears had some difficulty getting comfortable with Midnight on the roster, and it took the bear a while to learn how to play the game the right way. He is still awfully prone to the strike out, but we have heard that he has improved on that of late. You really have to give credit to Hampton Island, I don’t think enough has been made about what they have already accomplished. They won a group with Super-Llamaland in it. Then, they eliminated Schiltzberg. That’s a total of two nations, accounting for nine World Baseball Classic titles that Hampton Island has knocked out the tournament. This is a nation that has participated in several Classic now, and slowly but surely, you began to see them improve their ranking. Now, they are looking to knock off another Classic giant. Us.

If you know anything about bears, you know they hate loud noises. They scare off the bear, so while they try, and will act very intimidating (just ask Schiltzberg about it before their game 3 matchup), they will cower and run when the noises are loud. And for Game 1, it will be very loud. You see, the Tundra Falls 500 of NSSCRA will be going on at the same time. Baseball in the stadium, and the race along the track that surrounds out. Loud engines of powerful race cars may be a little too much for poor Midnight. Rockets players are used to it at the Proving Grounds, so this will certainly play an advantage. We’ll just have to figure out a way to create excessive noise for each game of the series.

[Newmanistan]

(1) Newmanistan vs (8) Hampton Island @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls (Scorination provided by Cassadaigua)
Game 1:

Hampton Island         0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2
Newmanistan            2 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 X  7

Game 2:

Hampton Island         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Newmanistan            0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  3

Newmanistan leads series two games to none

(4) Free Republics vs (5) Nova Anglicana @ Emperor Michael IV Stadium, Pocono City
Game 1:

Nova Anglicana         0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  5
Free Republics         1 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 X  7

Game 2:

Nova Anglicana         2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0  6
Free Republics         1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1  4

series tied at one

(3) Cassadaigua vs (11) Lycrabon @ The Jungle, Loudon
Game 1:

Lycrabon               1 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 0  7
Cassadaigua            0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3  5

Game 2:

Lycrabon               0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0  3
Cassadaigua            0 2 0 0 0 2 6 0 X 10

series tied at one

(2) West Phoenicia vs (10) Ethane @ Empress Jessica I Stadium, Jessicaville
Game 1:

Ethane                 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
West Phoenicia         1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 X  6

Game 2:

Ethane                 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1  4
West Phoenicia         0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4  5

West Phoenicia leads series two games to none

[Lycrabon]

Jays split first two, Barnett snaps
from LSPN.com

NEWMANISTAN - It was a tale of two games. A hard fought game one ended up with seven runs combined, and closer Gil England shutting the door with the bases loaded to win 7-5.

Game two, though... What can we say?

Garry Barnett III went 6 1/3 innings, and was charged with 6 of the 10 Dagan runs. He had 7 strikeouts, and after each, he did a crotch chop in the direction of the Cassadauguan bench. After the fourth K to end the fifth, he was asked to refrain from it by home plate umpire Tyler Webster. After the sixth, he was told he would be thrown out. After striking out the second batter of the seventh, another one had him tossed. It just so happened he had the ball in his hand when he got the hook. His response to the ejection was a 96-mph fastball at the Webster's head. That set off a melee involving Barnett and Webster, and took the entire Blue Jay team to separate.

After that, the floodgates opened. The Blue Jays manager said post game, "I don't care why you get tossed. You DO NOT throw at an umpire. He is MIA right now, but should we advance to the semifinals, he will not be on the squad moving forward."

In an interesting side note, Demarcus Kennedy was ejected in the 5th by Bridget MacKenzie after a breaking ball got away and hit a Dagan player in the shin. The manager then got tossed for arguing the ejection. Kennedy said after the game that it was accidental and that it was supposed to be on the inside corner. At press time, it appears that that explanation was accepted, as we have heard nothing from the honorable ladies.

[West Phoenicia]

Spring Palace; The Confederate Empire of West Phoenicia

Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II, Emperor of the Confederate Empire of West Phoenicia has gathered a number of family members and their courtiers to the city-state of Antebellum Territory, the home of the opulent Spring Palace; the official residence of the royal family during Spring.

The purpose of the visit is the creation of the West Phoenicians Bloodline Pact, a unity among the noble royal houses in the region who share West Phoenicians blood.

In attendance Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II father King Thaddeus Gryphon; ruler of The Kingdom of Gryphon.

Emperor Glenton's eldest sister Princess Aphrilis Sunbury-Bush and her husband Crown Prince Christian Sunbury of The Widemeadows Isles.

The Emperor's second oldest sister Princess Jezebel Bush, Queen Consort of The Kingdom of New Hobart and her husband King Marcus Van Diemen.

The Emperor's fourth eldest sister Princess Mariamne Bush-Dallas, Queen Consort of Phontika and her husband Samuel-Amun Dallas IV, King of Phontika.

And Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II ex-deep mother Queen Regnant Kya Mordiallic-Gryphon and her daughter and the Emperor's half sister Princess Rhea Gryphon-Mordiallic from the Empire of the Morning Rose Isles.

Security forces were tight escorting the royal and their courtiers from Antebellum Territory Airport.
Thousands of citizens turned out to watch the arrival of so many royal families, many originally marrying for political alliances. The rumour being the sun never set on West Phoenicians blood due to the numerous marriages and intermarrying to foreign houses the nation of West Phoenicia has took part in since its separation from the Greater Phoenicia Empire in the 1500's.
A joke by many anti-royalists is the West Phoenician family tree has branches reaching everywhere and many even interweaving.
A joke taking a dig at West Phoenicia's history of sibling marriages in the royal household in the hope to keep the bloodline as pure as possible.

The minority anti-royalists voices were drowned out by the vast majority who support the monarchy.

While there is deep grudges and hatred among many of those present, Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II called on a time of peace and unity. A time to work together for the Greater good for the family and their nations.

Many political analysts are predicting that Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II is looking to goto war with ancient nemiseses The Empire of Greater Phoenicia and the Kingdom of Rhodes. The three nations having multiple wars and strife for generations which has caused great loss of life and shame all three economies.

It is believed with the growing internal turmoil erupting in Greater Phoenicia, now would be the time to strike. The West Phoenician Bloodline Pact would further assist West Phoenicia in their agenda with a promise to split the spoils with the other 6 nations.

The Emperor has promised to release a full story to the media once talks have ended.

[Cassadaigua]

Series All Even,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

The first game of the series with the Blue Jays of Lycrabon saw the Dagans be defeated by the score of 7-5. Looking deeper at the game, you saw the resilient nature of our team, much like we saw when we had a five run bottom of the ninth in game 2 against the Sherpa Empire, in a 7-6 win. That was the turning point of the series, as we went to win the next three games. While Lycrabon gets the win, this game was 7-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth, and again, we were not going down with a fight. We got three home, and had the winning run on first with the bases loaded, but this time, we could not complete the comeback. The tough part of this game was allowing the Blue Jays to pull ahead as they did in the 8th inning, to turn their 3-2 lead into the 7-2 cushion. Maddie Polanco after the game gave credit to Lycrabon on the win, as well as her own team in trying to fight back.

In Game 2, everyone was interested in seeing how the game against Garry Barnett III would go. The first batter of the game, Jenna Bailey, loosened up the mood for her team when on the first pitch of the game, she took five steps out of the batters box, and ducked. This got the Dagan bench laughing, and a couple pitches later, they were cheering, when Bailey singled to left. Mikayla Warren stifled the Blue Jays, and while the Dagans did not light up Barnett like we would have wanted, everytime he.... needed to adjust his jock strap... he would hear “scoreboard!” shouted from the Cassadagan bench. In the 7th, he really became unraveled, after he was warned by the umpire, Tyler Webster, to cut it out, Barnett continued, and would be ejected from the game. Then, came one of the most ugly incidents that I have ever seen in the Classic. Barnett inexplicably aimed a fastball at the ump, ironically also from Lycrabon, and set off a scuffle between the two. Cortnie Nicholson, who was coming up to the plate at the time, told me, “I didn’t know what to do. I mean, there they were, having a go at one another. I didn’t want him to come swinging at me, because we know he has been some kind of a nutcase.” That overshadowed the big win, 10-3 for the Dagans, to even up the series.

After the game I caught up with a family traveling from Lycrabon, two parents, and a boy about ten and a girl about eight. The girl asked me, “Why was he doing that with his privates. Does he not think that girls are good too, or is he just mad because he was losing?” The father looked at me in the eyes and told me, “I am really ashamed of this. They (Lycrabon baseball association leaders) need to think about the message they are sending to all of their fans. Our other pitchers are getting the job done just fine.”

[Newmanistan]

(1) Newmanistan vs (8) Hampton Island @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls (Scorination provided by Cassadaigua)
Game 3:

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

Game 4:

Newmanistan            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Hampton Island         0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  2

series tied at two

(4) Free Republics vs (5) Nova Anglicana @ Emperor Michael IV Stadium, Pocono City
Game 3:

Free Republics         0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 2  6
Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  2

Game 4:

Free Republics         0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3  6
Nova Anglicana         2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3  7

series tied at two

(3) Cassadaigua vs (11) Lycrabon @ The Jungle, Loudon
Game 3:

Cassadaigua            2 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0  6
Lycrabon               0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1  5

Game 4:

Cassadaigua            0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Lycrabon               0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

Cassadaigua wins series three games to one

(2) West Phoenicia vs (10) Ethane @ Empress Jessica I Stadium, Jessicaville
Game 3:

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

Game 4:

West Phoenicia         0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0  4
Ethane                 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0  3

West Phoenicia wins series three games to one

[Lycrabon]

Two Heartbreakers end Jays run

LOUDON - In a reversal of fortune, Lycrabon lost game 3, 6-5, after having the tying run at third in the bottom of the ninth. Much like game1, it was a back and forth affair, just like predicted.

Game 4 was more of the same as the Dagans took an early 3-2 lead that they kept to win the series 3-1. The series ended on a flailing strikeout on a outside curveball. Gil England summed it up best about the ladies: "That's the reason they have their titles, and that respect. Absolutely no quit in them. Unlike what a certain someone has said, most - in not all - of those ladies would compete extremely well in the NBL."

Speaking of that someone:

He had gone MIA following that game two shellacking, and was found just prior to the team boarding the plane back to St. Catherine. In exchange for charges not being pressed, an agreement was made that Garry Barnett III has been banned permanently from Newmanistan.

The official statement from the Office of Foreign Affairs:

We made an agreement with the local authorities that in exchange for no charges in reference to solicitation of a male prostitute in Pocono City, the player in question can never enter the country of Newmanistan. Once back in Lycrabon, he will be admitted to University Hospital in St. Catherine in regards to various mental issues. We appreciate the cooperation of the local police in this matter, and respect all the hard work that they put in.

[Nova Anglicana]

Condorcet Paradox

Politics, polls, voting, and stats galore

How has the surveillance scandal affected the election?

Gordon Tate

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard by now that the Interior Ministry was conducting illicit surveillance on top members of the National Party. The Interior Minister and the head of the Domestic Security Agency were dismissed by Hal Blackwood and the government has been mired in this scandal since.

Prior to Surveillancegate, as people are calling it, how did the polls look, and how do they look now? Below are the polling averages for the polls we've tracked here at Condorcet Paradox over the last few months. Keep in mind that these are polls conducted by different polling groups, not by us, and as such are subject to biases or poor or excellent polling methods. We have tried to correct for biases or poor polling methods by weighting different polls differently, but we can't remove all errors. Each poll also has margins of error ranging from 3 points to 5 points, so people's actual preferences might be a bit different.



In August and September, the economy was quietly humming along; jobless numbers remained steady and relatively low; the effect of this plus the minimum wage increase meant that the government coalition (PJP, Stewardship, Liberal Secularist) was projected to win more seats than the opposition and be favored to form the government once again. Additionally, undecided voters were in the 9-12 percent range. But with the revelations from Surveillancegate, we can see three things. First, PJP support craters. It went from 34-35 percent to just 23 percent, a major drop. Second, support for the National Party increased, going from 7 to 12 percent. Lastly, the number of undecided voters jumped from 9-12 percent closer to 15-18 percent.

Taken together, what do all of these mean? Well, we could assume that it means a very disappointing election for the PJP and the triumph of the opposition. That's what the polling averages seem to indicate. But with a month left until the election, there's plenty of time for things to change. For example, the PJP has never fallen below 40 percent of the vote, which indicates that they have room to grow. Just because they've never gotten less than 40 percent doesn't mean it's going to happen again, but 23 percent is awfully low for a major party. Second, is the National Party bump because people believe they have the right stuff to govern, or because they feel sympathetic to the party that was spied on by the government? Will they fall back down or continue to grow? And lastly, what about all of these undecideds? Are they typical PJP voters who have shied away because of scandal? Some of them will probably return to the fold once they think about their options. We might also see a late break for the People's Party, since they are the other major party. And how will the rest of the coalition be affected? Will voters punish the PJP but reward their coalition members for not being involved or will voters want to throw all the bums out, regardless of party?

The point is, a lot of things could change with a month to go until the election and roughly a sixth of voters still undecided. There is massive uncertainty, but voters right now are telling pollsters that they are more skeptical of the PJP.

[Newmanistan]

(1) Newmanistan vs (8) Hampton Island @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls (Scorination provided by Cassadaigua)
Game 5:

Hampton Island         1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  4
Newmanistan            2 1 3 0 0 1 0 2 X  9

Newmanistan wins series three games to two

(4) Free Republics vs (5) Nova Anglicana @ Emperor Michael IV Stadium, Pocono City

Nova Anglicana         2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Free Republics         0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Nova Anglicana wins series three games to two

Semifinals:
(1) Newmanistan vs (5) Nova Anglicana @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls
(2) West Phoenicia vs (3) Cassadaigua @ Emperor Michael IV Stadium, Pocono City

[West Phoenicia]

Can The Confederates break the Semi-finals curse?

The World Baseball Classic 44 has been extremely blessed for The Confederatees. They placed first in their grouping, second overall before they progressed to the top 16 and breezed through the quarterfinals taking out Ethane 3-1. They now face their next hurdle and it will be a big one...The Semi-finals.

The Confederate made their first debut in the Semi-finals in WBC 39 where the came up against Ethane and lost 3 games to 1. While they suffered the loss it was a golden opportunity for the team progressing so far in such a short time. It allowed the team to absorb the atmosphere and use it to combat any jitters that may arise if they were to get to that position again.

In the following WBC 40 The Confederate were blessed again to reach the semi-finals. This time coming face to face with Schilzberg, one of the top teams in the league who had a large fan base and experience behind them. West Phoenicia suffered the same defeat losing 3-1.

Many superstitious fans of the team labelled it the semi-finals choke. They make it so far to choke just before the finals. The team pulls off some brilliant wins but they lose that confidence once they enter the semi-finals.

With The Confederate going into the Semi-finals now against Cassadaigua at the Emperor Michael IV Stadium in Pocono City fans wait with baited breath to see if there team can finally break the curse.

Team Coach Jacob Prosper says they certainly can. The Confederate are playing a superb season and with Team Manager Trevor Rishworth retiring the team has transformed and gone into over drive to give him the best send off every...winning a World Baseball Classic.

[Cassadaigua]

Player blog: Preparing for the next round,
by Cortnie Nicholson,

We have put aside the team from Lycrabon and now are another step closer to reaching the championship series. Standing in the way is the team from West Phoenicia, and they have been very good. No, I am not only talking about their impressive cheerleading squad that incorporates fire batons into their routine, but the baseball team has been very good as well. We don’t have cheerleaders for our baseball team, but at the same time, we are not one of those nations that will say they have no place in baseball. When they are as highly skilled as the West Phoenicia group, they should have the ability to perform on the biggest of stages. The world is lacking cheerleading competitions. We held one way, way back before we hosted one of the World Bowls, but there was no great interest, and we may have bribed some nations to signup for it. (OOC: It came on one of those April Fools games where we agreed to give others whatever it was in return for signing up!). Not sure if there has ever been another formal cheerleading competition at the interregional level. So, bring on the fire batons!

While they will kick our butt in that aspect, we are hoping to return the favor on the field. The West Phoenicia News Network suggests that their team may be cursed in the semifinals. They have gone this far on two occasions, coming in the 39th and 40th Classics, but could not get any further. Since our return, we have also made it to the semifinals, that being in the 41st and 42nd Classics, and we too, we outed. No one will say there is a curse on us since we have won titles in the past, but the current roster is also very hungry to make it to the championship series, and play either Newmanistan or Nova Anglicana. Nova Anglicana is another of those nations that have struggled to get past the semifinals, though Newmanistan has had no problem with it. It’s am impressive final four, to say the least.

Thanks to taking out Lycrabon in four games, we are able to go right to the top of our rotation for this series, so it Kelsey Bowen and Mikayla Warren in the first two games, then Katia Tavarez. Lauren Sutter would pitch the fourth game if necessary, and it likely will be since neither team is likely to get a sweep.

[Newmanistan]

(1) Newmanistan vs (5) Nova Anglicana @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls (scorination provided by Cassadaigua)
Game 1:

Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2
Newmanistan            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Game 2:

Nova Anglicana         0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Newmanistan            0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Nova Anglicana leads series two games to none

(2) West Phoenicia vs (3) Cassadaigua @ Emperor Michael IV Stadium, Pocono City
Game 1:

Cassadaigua            1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  4
West Phoenicia         0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 X  5

Game 2:

Cassadaigua            0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0  3
West Phoenicia         0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

series tied at one

[West Phoenicia]

The mood of the Confederate fans transformed into something savage today as they played off against Cassadaigua. The Confederate scored a run in the bottom of the 8th inning to cinch the game for the Confederates who up until than had been sitting on 4 runs each. While in game 2 Cassadaigua tied up the semi finals with a 3-1 game, however it was not the game that turned Confederate fans into a tizzy it was in the form of Feminist Party leader and senator Gabriella Pascoe.

Seated in the VIP section Senator Gabriella Pascoe stunned fans seated nearby when she was spotted wearing a cap for the other team. Low mumbling transformed into loud grumbling when it became clearer this was just not some cheesy stunt to get her party noticed but a deliberate slight at the Confederate players and their fans.

By game 2 a chorus of boos and hisses began to be thrown out by the crowd at her disloyalty for wearing an opposition cap in the Confederate's fans side of the stadium. Aware the attention was on her she did not shy away but beamed an arrogant smile while even her lesbian lover who sat next to her looked uncomfortable and continued to shoot disapproving looks at the cap.

The crowds boos did turn to cheers when a six year boy tossed his hot dog at her, hitting her in the head. And by the middle of game two Lisa Seddiac; the lover of Gabriella Pascoe grabbed the cap using it as a frisbee as it sailed across the heads of fans.

Media were quick to decend on the political leader smelling meat like hungry hyena. Senator Gabriella Pascoe said it was just a game of baseball and she had the right to support any team she desired. The fact that our nation refuses to send women or a women's team to the WBC is a travesty and until they do, I will support teams that support equality and female empowerment.

Me Pascoe's lover choose to disagree stating it is us against the enemy. Even if your team losing you support them. Fans are the positive energy that our team needs to win. You never cheer for the opposing team never ever.

Hon Maximillan Dogg, Minister of Sports and Recreation said West Phoenicia had a national female baseball league and will be fielding an all-men and all-female team to the upcoming Summer Olympics if both categories are open. Gabriella Pascoe is simply finding issue's that are not there to use it as a platform to garnish more voters.

[Cassadaigua]

Top 10 Things To Do In Newmanistan,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

1) Check out their illustrious World Cup history.
2) Oh, nevermind. How about their World Bowl history, and titles there.
3) Sorry, how about hockey? No, okay, let’s move on.
4) Watch highlights of their Chase drivers from NSSCRA 6. Oops, no go.
5) Get your kids to throw hot dogs at people wearing a hat you don’t like. (PS, you looked great in that hat, Gabriella!)
6) Check out the Proving Grounds. Seriously, it is a cool venue.
7) Pretend you are possessed by a spirit of the Proving Grounds and randomly scare people.
8) Pay respects to their six baseball titles. At least they can do some sport well.
9) Tell people in Pocono City that the Queen’s Palace in Concord Heights is nicer then the Palace in Pocono City.
10) Call it cyan, and not sky blue.

[Newmanistan]

(1) Newmanistan vs (5) Nova Anglicana @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls (scorination provided by Cassadaigua)
Game 3:

Newmanistan            0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Game 4:

Newmanistan            0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Nova Anglicana         0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Nova Anglicana wins series three games to one

(2) West Phoenicia vs (3) Cassadaigua @ Emperor Michael IV Stadium, Pocono City
Game 3:

West Phoenicia         0 0 0 1 0 1 4 1 0  7
Cassadaigua            1 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  5

Game 4:

West Phoenicia         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Cassadaigua            0 0 0 0 1 3 0 3 X  7

series tied at two

[West Phoenicia]

Superstitious and pagan fans of baseball are lining up around the block at the Sulis Minerva temple in the city-state of Helius Territory; within the province of Sol Plains.



Many in West Phoenicia who follow the United Pagan Faith see Sulis Minerva as a
nourishing, life-giving mother goddess, and as an effective agent of curses wished by her votaries.
Eager Confederate fans lined the walkway to the temple each waiting for the opportunity to write their own curse tablet in the hopes their mother goddess will bless them by cursing the opposition in the final game of the semi-finals.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to the players of Cassadaigua. I've asked my mother goddess to just inflict them with a terrible case of diarrhoea." Sally-Jo, a heavily pregnant fan said as she left the temple.

West Phoenicia and Cassadaigua have slugged out four games in the semi-finals, both winning two apiece and pushing both into game 5 to determine the fate of which team will go up against Nova Anglicana in the finals.

Cassadaigua a 3 time WBC winner is determined to add another title under their belt as more and more people struggle to remember when they last won.

Meanwhile West Phoenicia searches for their first title for the WBC.

As West Phoenician fans are torn at the moment between the WBC and World Twenty20 Championship which have seen the cricket team advance to the finals, the Confederate do not want to play second fiddle and would rather keep the WP Sports channels glued on them.

Coach Jacob Prosper believes they have a golden opportunity going into game 5. The Confederate need to push all nerves aside and instead of treating it as a semi-finals must win, relax and envision the win being achieved.

Whatever way the game swings, it will surely have fans on the edge of their seats as West Phoenicia takes on one of the best teams in the league.

[Vangaziland]

Hidden far away in the most rural part of Vangaziland was a tall round tower made of stark white stone. Circular rings of rare, ornate wood broke up every few stories of the tower. It also furnished the inside of the place, which featured circular levels, and a hollow center that looked up to the wooden roof. Attached and supported to the very top was a golden capstone that was actually a conductor for arcane frequencies.

On the 3rd level of the tower, a red crystal began to glow. It shined onto a mirror before reflecting from one side of the tower to the other. This inturrupted the flow of light which shined down the tower's center. That triggered an alarm which caused a bell to ring.

On the bottom floor, a bald, dark-skinned man heard the sound. "Why, how very odd", said the robed spellcaster. "Someone is using improper means to try to influence a game."


The alarm went off because the Vangazi had been a part of the same event. The wizard rushed to the fourth level, where he had a scrying pool. Eventually he arrived. To activate it, he had to crack open a small hourglass and dump the sand inside. There was smoke and bubbling inside of the cauldron, before indigo and red smoke rose. An herbal scent wafted into the air.

The results were clear and immediate to read, as they shot into his mind like a text message. "Ah. Ye wacky Phoenicians. Ye and your simple religions." The wizard chuckled to himself. "Very well, if interference it is ye wish. Ye shall get."

Since the match was some distance away, he had to change from his robe. He rushed to prepare, changing into conductive black pants. He took his large wooden staff, with its powerful crystal, and moved to the top floor. He stood underneath the gold capstone, with it looking like an expensive square above him.

Cosmo lifted his staff. The crystal within it began to glow a bright white. The colors red and indigo danced inside the crystal. "Reversus Hexxe Za!" Sparks began to fly around him. "Circle protectionus, basebally... Counterspell Phoenicio!" Three circles formed around him, the sparks gathering above them.


Whatever voodoo WP had tried to cast had just been negated. Cosmo didn't even put a hex on the Confederates. Now they would be forced to play a fair match. If they won, maybe they would still think their dark rituals made a difference. Cosmo would pay attention to the next series as well.

"Now I'll have to report to the Royal Imperial Soothsayer", Cosmo said as he walked away from the circle. It stayed illuminated under the capstone. It would continue to transmit the spell, reinforcing itself with the energy of the universe and the orientation of the sun and moon.

Cosmo laughed to himself as he twisted a descending staircase. "Now I'll have to watch this game", Cosmo said as he headed to his bedroom. After such a spell, he was quite drained. He chuckled to himself with a bubbling laugh that only a true wizard could have. "Go Cassadaigua..." He giggled again to himself as he thought about the close series.

(Featuring Original Art)

[Cassadaigua]

It’s been 50 years (unless),
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

It’s been fifty years, unless the time scale in your nation is different. Time is a fluid thing after all, but in Cassadaigua the World Baseball Classic is played every two years. Therefore, our World Baseball Classic 19 title, twenty-five Classics ago, has been fifty long years. If your fluid time clock has the Classic’s every four years, then it is 100 years. Either way, it has been 25 Classics since our last title, coming at the Proving Grounds, in Tundra Falls, Newmanistan. A lot of time has gone by, but a lot remains the same. We are in Newmanistan, and hoping to get to that title game. Standing in the way, is West Phoenicia. They have made their mark in other sports, and have their own sources of motivation for wanting to win this game. They have never won a title, and while Water Polo is fun and all, and I can’t understand the game of cricket in the slightest, I suppose they are doing pretty well in that, too.

Four games have been played, and awaiting the winner in the championship is another who has never won: Nova Anglicana. In fact, the Lions have been known most for great group stages but never having the greatest playoff. This time, their group stage was not as stellar, but their playoff run has been. Whatever adjustments went on there have worked, and they have learned the importance of peaking at the right time. Of the three nations still with a chance, we’re the only one with championships in this, even if you (probably) aren’t old enough to remember our last one. For those who are old enough, you certainly have been through a lot in your life since the last time you did see us win. No active nation has a longer championship drought from their last one.

On the mound for us will be our ace, Kelsey Bowen. She pitched six innings in game one, and got a no-decision in what ended up being a 5-4 loss. Manager Maddie Polanco feels that she will be sharp despite the shorter rest, mainly because she didn’t throw as many pitches in that outing as she may have in another start. “Kelsey is sharp, and ready to go. You understand at this time of year, you will be needed to go on shorter rest. Kelsey threw 96 pitches in the first game, and she averages 105-115. So, it was a little below her average, and that should help her here, but I don’t think that would have been a problem, regardless.” Lauren Sutter had a complete game shutout in game four, managing 13 strikeouts in the 7-0 win. Polanco credited Sutter greatly, “Such a huge effort that was. So proud of Lauren to have stepped up like that when we were facing elimination. Not only was she dominant there, but it also means our bullpen is fully fresh for this game.”

The winner plays at the Proving Grounds (we assume) against Nova Anglicana. The loser plays Newmanistan at a yet to be determined facility.

[Lycrabon]

From bad to worse for Barnett from LSPN.com


ST. CATHERINE - Embattled pitcher Garry Barnett III, who gained infamy with his vitriol at multiple nations during the Classic, has created quite the tempest for himself at home.

He is still being examined for mental issues at University Hospital in the capital, and has been officially kicked off the team permanently under a little-known rule. All members of squads that participate in international competition are held to the same standard as the military: to not bring shame to themselves or the nation by their actions. His rants in social media did exactly that, and his arrest in Pocono City prior to the team returning to Lycrabon will be prosecuted as if it happened here. That was announced by the Lycrabon Attorney General in coordination with the AG of Newcastle Province.

In related matters, the NBL upgraded his 35-game suspension to a permanent ban as well, ending his domestic baseball career. More as his legal issues progress as to jail time or probation.

Down to three

NEWMANISTAN - One upset down, and another is possible. Nova Angelica pulled the upset of the Classic, eliminating the hosts three games to one. Cassadaigua, meanwhile, has been pushed to a decisive game 5 against the Confederates of West Phonecia. The Dagans, who have a slightly longer drought than the Blue Jays, are looking for their first title in 25 Classics. Lycrabon is in the midst of a 24 Classic drought.