World Baseball Classic 46- Everything Thread

[Ko-oren]

Intro
Kuzuyama pt 1

Kuzuyama continued his campaign through Yoshima by visiting the four islands that make up the subdivision. Starting with the northernmost island, Alara, then to nearby Etena, then to the easternmost, hottest and most humid Selesi, and finishing on the largest, southernmost, furthest away, and most populated, Leleia. Kuzuyama's Yoshima Independence Party is a small party, with a single seat in parliament. They secured the seat after the previous election, three years ago, when the 48 other 'national' seats were up. This marked only their sixth seat in party history.

There are 48 seats which are designated for the 48 regions, each receiving one 'geographical' or 'local' seat. Yoshima has six of these in total, as Yoshima makes up about one eighth of the total population - and these local seats have never gone to the Yoshima Independence Party. Before you think that this party might be new, or completely irrelevant, well, that's not the case either. The YIP (or YDT, using the local language: 四島独立党, Yoshima Dokuritsutou) has been a part of Yoshiman politics from the very onset of talks between the Ko-orenite and Yoshiman governments, centuries ago, about joining the two nations together. Despite their low seat total, they are always involved in local politics, and while they don't receive many votes, they likely attract a lot of votes for the Party for Decentralisation, a party that largely wants the same as the YDT.

Nothing would prove the small party's point more than if another seat would go their way. After all, the Party for Decentralisation wants more legal power for the subdivisions and municipalities - the YDT wants autonomy for the region first, and independence later. Their extreme viewpoint has chased potential voters away for decades: Yoshima has been part of Ko-oren for a while now and nobody who is alive still remembers independence. Even the more conservative part of the Yoshiman electorate wants to go back to the past, a few decades ago. Not centuries ago. Still, a good one out of every 144 Ko-orenites wants an independent Yoshima, judging from the current configuration of the parliament.

The question about local autonomy versus central authority is one that is central to Ko-orenite politics. It's one of many axes that separates the many, many parties that want to go into parliament. Since antiquity, the Capital Cities ('four cities' capital') have attracted more and more power, and making central administration work for the rest of the country. Politically, there is a sine wave going between extremes of 'centralism' to 'decentralism' and back again... and we might just look at the first signs that 'centralism' goes towards 'decentralism' once again.

[Hapilopper]

Hapilopper clubhouse, Emperor Michael I Stadium, Pocono City, Newmanistan
The morning of Game One against Free Republics

One by one, players made their way into perhaps the most deluxe clubhouse they had ever seen, and the reaction of virtually all of the players were the same. Eyes agape, jaw dropped, at just how luxurious the facility was. And this was the visitor’s clubhouse. It was easy to see why Newmanistan was seen as the top baseball country in all the world, just by looking at the clubhouses. Emperor Michael I Stadium in Pocono City was one of the real baseball gems across the world, and it was a real privilege for the Hapiloppians to start their playoff campaign in this stadium. Several days before, they had found out they would be facing the biggest speedbump they encountered in the group phase, Free Republics, in the first round.

Upon hearing that news, the only reaction a Hapiloppian baseball player could really generate was a grimace. They had played Free Republics numerous times in the group phase, and lost every one of those games, except for the last one. It wasn’t much of a stretch to say that Free Republics had Hapilopper’s number. But as today dawned, the feeling was different. All of the players had come to the grips with the reality that, yes, once again, they’d be playing those damned Republicans again. Believe it or not, a lot of them were starting to relish that challenge. Charlton Forest would be taking the mound for game one, and unlike that disastrous day he started the first game, that day he got lit up against that same team, Forest was far from nervous. Instead, his demeanor was that of pure coolness. He sat in a plush sofa, watching a local news program, checking out what was going on in and around Pocono City.

Manager Sam Kitchens, already decked out in the HNBT’s new uniforms, known as the “Postseason Special,” sat down next to Forest, to make sure he would be OK to start the game.

“You know, we need the absolute best from you today,” Kitchens said, looking Forest directly in the eye. “We can not afford to go down even one game today. Can you give us the very best you can give us?”

Forest smiled at him and looked back at the TV.

“We’re good,” Forest responded. “We’re great.”

Kitchens looked at him, then at the television, and then walked back to his office. He realized pretty quickly that, sure enough, if Forest was any more relaxed, he probably wouldn’t have a pulse. For the Hapiloppians, that was a very good thing. In the first game, Forest had been a basket case of emotions, having been desperate to put on a good show for his home nation. Today, however, all was well. All was just fine.
Other players were starting to arrive, and noted the different jerseys waiting for them. It was a Hapilopper tradition for playoff teams to wear different, more deluxe jerseys for postseason baseball, a tradition that started in the early 70s when the West Hampton Royals showed up in gaudy baby blue uniforms for the NLH championship. The new jerseys were validation that yes, they had made it.

“LOOK AT THIS!” shouted Jerome Hayden with glee. “WE’RE A PLAYOFF TEAM, BOYS!”

All in all, the mood was light. Players stretched out, waiting for the first batting practices to start. Others grabbed some lunch, which, to tell the truth, blew anything from a Hapilopper clubhouse out of the water. The two Pemberton brothers that made the trip to Newmanistan, meanwhile, sat on either side of Forest to watch the local news, and provided their own commentary of what was going on in the area, with the kind of language that honestly would have gotten them thrown out of the country had a Newmanistani agent heard them.

One person who didn’t make the trip, however, was starting pitcher Vic Foster. His locker was empty, with no nameplate on the top of it. No player from the reserve squad had been called up, so Martin Meadows, who had been listed on the Hapilopper depth chart as an emergency starter, was named the #5 starter for the HNBT, with Mill Gibbs moving up to the #4 slot. Foster was asked to stay home in the aftermath of an incident in Oscioru, when Foster was caught, red-handed, doctoring a ball. The World Baseball Classic Council got wind after the umpire’s reports were sent in and was furious. Behind the scenes, threats of disqualification from either that game, or from the entire tournament, were thrown about, and NLH Commissioner James Parkhurst had to beg for the result to stand.

The result did stand, but as a concession, Foster would be asked to “stay home” and not travel with the HNBT to Newmanistan for the playoffs, or risk further punishment from the National League of Hapilopper. Foster wasn’t happy about it, but the fact was, he had been caught red-handed doctoring a baseball. It wasn’t as if it was an isolated incident, either – he had been suspected numerous times over the last decade of doing the exact same thing. Eventually it was going to catch up to him.

Foster, at this point, had become a complete afterthought among the Hapiloppians. If the HNBT had thought back to that incident in Oscioru weeks before, it would cost them today, and this was absolutely not the day to think back to past failures. Today was the day to take down the Free Republics, a team that had given them all kinds of trouble during the group stage.

The Press Box, Emperor Michael I Stadium, Pocono City, Newmanistan
Several hours before gametime

Media from all over Hapilopper and the Free Republics had already converged in the very plush media facilities behind home plate at Emperor Michael I Stadium. Among Hapilopper’s representatives included Cassandra Jennings of the Hapilopper Television Network, Mike Steele of H-Sports, and unfortunately, those loud mouths that host the H-Sports show “The Hot Take.” Tucker Dunst and Mack Masters were shouting at each other in a booth overlooking the field, and both gleefully expressed on air that the HNBT would be swept by Free Republics.

“Hapilopper making the playoffs is quite frankly the biggest fluke in the history of international sports,” Dunst shouted. “If this was a bigger field, Hapilopper would have been swallowed up and been forgotten, which is exactly what they should be. Forgotten.”

“They only made it in the playoffs because of their spitballs,” roared Masters. “Free Republics WILL expose them as the frauds they are, and they will be out of the playoffs just like that! They’ll be swept, and they’ll lose by at least a dozen runs every single game!”

Jennings, sitting not too far from the booth, could hear the bloviating, even though the door was shut. She didn’t like it either, but there wasn’t much she could say at that point. After all, the first thing she had learned on her first day of journalism school was “no cheering in the press box.” So she put on some headphones, opened up her laptop and started writing a story to file for an early deadline. If there was any way she could get back at those two pests, it would be through a few subtle grafs in her story, grafs she could get away with, since she had played baseball in high school alongside Jerome Hayden and Randall Pemberton.

“In spite of the naysaying from two well-known TV panelists on H-Sports who, according to all accounts, have never played a baseball game, professional, amateur or otherwise, the Hapilopper National Baseball Team is expected to give it their best against the Free Republics juggernaut,” Jennings wrote.

Jennings went on to write that, while she expected Free Republics to advance in five games, Hapilopper, with their never-say-die attitude, would take everything from the Republicans in the process. It was a sentiment shared amongst many of the calm-of-mind Hapiloppian media members, who were there more to record what was going on in this first round of the playoffs, rather than just there to give some obnoxious, and likely incorrect, take on what was going on.

Having filed her story, Cassandra sent a text to Hayden, having known of the team’s hatred for “The Hot Take.”

“Tell your teammates the Piss Takers are here,” Cassandra wrote. “Tell them to rub it in their faces today.”

The Postseason Special uniforms

[Cassadaigua]

Respecting The Previous Power,
by Maddie Polanco, Manager

In World Baseball Classic 37, playing for Super-Llamaland, I was part of a team that lost in the finals to Schiltzberg. I would get my title a few Classics later as a bench coach in number forty, right before I took over this team. It’s hard to believe that I am in my sixth Classic with Cassadaigua now. We have done so much here, but at the same time we have not done enough. I have felt comfortable here, and well respected by the fans. I appreciate all of that, but in your sixth tournament, semifinal appearances start to not be enough. It’s time to get a little more.

Our first round opponent is Schiltzberg, a four time champion, something in which we aspire to be. We have had several playoff meetings and even group stage meetings in the past, and initially they had the edge on us, but the momentum turned after a couple Classics. Now, we have had the better of hand and that’s something we wish to continue. There have been rumblings out there that this will be the last Classic for Schiltzberg, and with that I was reminded that if we were to eliminate Schiltzberg, we would have been the last team that both Newmanistan and Schiltzberg played, and lost too, before they stopped participating. Newmanistan came back of course, and maybe after some time away, as is rumored, Schiltzberg will do the same thing.

Naturally then, we can expect the Poets to want to make one last stand. They had a very mediocre group stage, a stunning one actually. They only went 15-15, putting them in the #16-seed, barely making the playoffs. Now that they are here, though, we can expect them to find themselves and want to make that last push. We will be ready for that. A lot of prognosticators out there are saying that we should have a pretty clean run to the semifinals, at least. They say we should be able to handle Schiltzberg and either Hampton Island or The Greater Nordics as well. That is not going to come easy. No one should be looked past.

As for the team, we are just going to do what we do best. We took a day to just enjoy the culture here in Kolkata. The Sherpa Empire has a lot of beauty to enjoy, and the people have been kind to us. Sure, I sense that some of us see us as being the biggest obstacle in the way of the home country, and want us to lose, but that’s fine. That’s what it’s all about.

[West Phoenicia]

Every year at this time The West Phoenician royal house honours citizens from all different walks and fields of life from doctors and nurses to humanitarians, movie stars and people who bring a change in West Phoenicia.

The reward they receive for their good works in the offering of the Medal the Order of the West Phoenician Empire. Non royals also receive the title of Dame or Sir. While members of the nobility are often bestowed a new nobility title.


Baseball fans applauded Trevor Rushworth, former manager of the West Phoenician Confederates making the list for his hard work and dedication in sports and lifting West Phoenicia baseball profile on the international stage.

Many sports fans were happy to see Olympic Gold Tennis Medalist Kamal Dallas and Free Style Wrestler Michael Vassell receive the honour for back to back gold medal wins.

A number of other Olympians were also awarded the medal due to their work which saw West Phoenicia break new records in the last Summer Olympic Games in The Free Republics.

Ambassador to the World Assembly Baroness Margarita Too-Rak also received the Medal in honour of her hard work in the area of diplomacy.

There was Also honours in the arts, science, technology, medicine and literature.

This year there were a few murmurs from citizens on some of the choices that were made for the Medal of the Order of the West Phoenician Empire.

Nicolette Cruz, one of West Phoenicia's famous movie stars received the honour in the area of arts even though she was harshly rebuked this year for her statement that only bad people catch aids and third world nations are being punished for their sinful lifestyles.

Mrs Tina Check a high ranking member of the Un-West Phoenician Activities Committe was nominated for public safety even though she was quoted as saying Some times you need to lie about someone for the greater good of the rest of the country, after the Un-West Phoenician Activities Committe boasted a record year of dealing with unsavoury types.

And Cedric Von Kelpling a 15 year old student from Titania; West Phoenicia who created Students against the Climate Change lie. While many around the world are looking at ways to tackle climate change. West Phoenicia leads the charge in denouncing anyone who speaks out against climate change as a trouble maker and scaremongering. A number of scientists and environmental activists booed when Mr Von Kelpling received such a high medal honour.

While these medals are seen as an honour and most people are worthy, many citizens are wondering why such controversial people were chosen and what was the Royal family doing in endorsing them.

[The Sherpa Empire]

With the debate over the Imperialist Party's immigration bill heating up in the People's Court and the Sanctii coming to play at Syangboche, protests in the Sherpa capital were inevitable. These mostly took the form of conservative groups and Buddhist monks gathering outside the People's Court in downtown Lukla. Their chants were a mix of shouted political slogans and the gentler more melodic sounds of chanted prayers. They carried prayer wheels and colorful flags and signs that said things like "The Sherpa Empire is a Buddhist country" and "Iesus Christus is a scam artist."

Luckily, Syangboche was in a different part of the city, so players and fans could get to the ballpark without having too much contact with the protesters.

Liberal opponents of the immigration bill were reluctant to protest too loudly on Saintland's behalf. They were more opposed to the proposed visa requirements for Vangazis, Vilitans, Republicans, and Cassadagans, which they thought were unnecessary and xenophobic. Suggesting that visas should be required for travelers from Saintland was much less controversial, and a few right-wing Courtiers were even delaying the vote on the bill to argue that it should be amended to ban travelers from Saintland entirely.

A few people had still taped over Sherpa language signage with English or Latin in a pro-tourism protest similar to the one that had been staged earlier in Guilin. Amused locals took to Twatter to post pictures with sarcastic comments like, "Signs in Nepali and Latin: That's really going to help people find their way around."

The signage protests also spread to Delhi, Kolkata, and Islamabad where there were a lot of foreign visitors in town for the World Baseball Classic. The temporary signs were especially prevalent in Kolkata due to the number of progressive and educated people, and the fact that Schiltzberg's multilingualism gave the protesters an excuse to clutter up the streets with French and German as well as English.

Meanwhile, the national baseball team was getting ready for their series against Saintland, doing excercises and going over video footage from their previous games and such. They had played hard to beat out the Sanctii for the top slot in Group 1, and they thought it would be very embarrassing if they let it all go to waste by losing now -- so they were determined to win.

[Banija]

Banijans win group and head to World Baseball Classic Knockout stages against a familiar opponent- Ethane


2Players celebrate a win in the group stages of the 46th World Baseball Classic

DELHI, SHERPA EMPIRE- The histories of baseball in Banija and Ethane are intertwined with each other. Or , most accurately, the history of baseball in Banija is intertwined with Ethane- while saying the reverse would probably give us too much credit. But regardless, for fans of Banijan baseball, Ethane is one of the most important nations in the multiverse for us. Why? Well, for one, when you talk about the resurrection of Banijan baseball by the Olympic Committee before the 41st World Baseball Classic, what exactly are you talking about? You have to talk about Raymond Cloutier, the longtime manager. He was the centerpiece of that resurrection- the OCB knew that they needed to go out and find a manager with a winning pedigree, one who understood the pressures of the international game, and who could build a world class coaching staff so that the Banijans wouldn’t simply show up, as fodder for the big names. But so that the Banijans could build a program that could compete with the sport’s best, as they strive to do in all the sports that they compete in. There’s no point being in it if you aren’t in it to win it, right?


Back, of course, to the subject. Raymond Cloutier, of Ethane, had the reigns of this program for 15 years- the duration of five World Baseball Classics. And he, by all accounts, was an excellent choice for the program to resurrect itself. Their first World Baseball Classic back, WBC 41, was not good at all- they lost their first 9 games en route to a 9-21 record at the tournament. They struggled there, but Cloutier was thinking long term. He picked an extremely young roster, full of college players, that could grow together in the international game. When he brought the same squad back to WBC 42, the results were much better, where they were able to get to the play-in rounds. 16 teams would make the knockout stages, and 14 berths were automatic. Teams ranked #15-#18 would enter a playoff, #15 v. #18 and #16 v. #17, to see who would make the Round of 16.

World Baseball Classic 42- Banija v. Ethane Part I

The first time these two nations met was at this tournament. Beyond the group stages, trying to clinch a berth in the Round of 16, these two teams, almost evenly matched, battled ferociously in a Best of 5 series to see who would earn the right to face the ladies of Cassadaigua. Game 1 of that series saw one of the sport’s rarities- a walk-off grand slam by Jebel Sowe in the bottom of the 10th, to give the Banijans a win. And then they took a commanding 2-0 lead when they won the next game, a pitcher’s duel, by a score of 1-0.

But Ethane rallied in Games 3 and 4 to set up a decisive, winner-take-all, Game 5. This, of course, was the sight of the biggest moment in the modern history of Banijan baseball(defined as post WBC 41, the previous, of course, being their Olympic bronze medal). Ethane entering Game 5 of that game with the series tied at 2, and the sport’s old boys, facing these newcomers, with a single game to determine who would advance, and who would go home. Ethane taking a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the 9th. And then Banija rallying, and a walkoff, base loaded, 2 run double to send Banijan players into ecstasy and int o the Round of 16, where they immediately got swept by a much stronger Cassadaigua side. But still- the first sign of progress for the Banijans came against Raymond Cloutier’s home country.

World Baseball Classic 44- Banija v. Ethane Part II

Of course, while they were expected to get swept by Cassadaigua at WBC 42, a team that was the 2nd highest seed for the knockout stages of that tournament, and ended up making a run to the semifinals, it was WBC 43 where the Banijans expected to make some more progress in the tournament. While they had a successful group stage, earning the 14th seed for the Round of 32, the Round of 32 was a disaster, against Bauscland. In a best of 3, the Banijans got absolutely shredded- losing the two games that they played by scores of 8-1 and 7-1. The Banijans got rocked and in shocking fashion, as well, with them being slight favorites to at least advance to the Round of 16. A disappointing finish for them in the tournament, and they geared up for WBC 44.

The 44th World Baseball Classic was set as a redemption tour for the Banijans, for that shocking and disappointing early knockout stage exit. The Banijans worked extremely hard to set themselves up for late stage success, winning their group at the World Baseball Classic and giving themselves their highest ever seed to that date- the #7 seed in the knockout stages of the sport’s most prestigious tournament. And who were they drawn with? You probably guessed that by now, but none other than Ethane for another Best of 5. Raymond Cloutier, once again managing against his former country. Ethane wanting revenge for WBC 42, the Banijans, looking to advance to their first ever WBC Quarterfinals. Would this be the year?

In Game 1 of that best of 5, the Banijans once again jumped out to an early lead in the series, with a walkoff win in the Bottom of the 10th to go up 1-0 in the series. But just like that, in Game 2, Ethane responded, as they knocked out Banija’s starter in the first inning, scoring a stunning seven runs in the top half to earn a scorching 17-2 win over the Banijans. In Game 3, it would be Ethane who would resort to late game heroics, as the Banijans missed a chance to take a 2-1 lead in the series after blowing a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the 9th. And then, down 2-1, in an elimination game, with our backs against the wall, the Banijans fought off an Ethane trying to eliminate them, and won 4-3. And even then, the winning run was scored in the 9th inning. 3 out of 4 games had come down to the final inning, with one blowout in this series. Not much to separate the two. And then? Game 5, with a quarterfinal berth on the line.

This time, instead of Banija winning, it would be Ethane who would win. They took a 3-0 lead into the back half of the 9th, when Banija was batting. While the Banijans were able to score two, and it looked as fi they had yet another 9th inning rally in them, they could not squeeze it out, stranding runners on the bases as Ethane closed the door on Banija’s quarterfinal hopes. And then, of course, we all know how WBC 45 went and the changes made afterwards- that doesn’t need to be rehashed.

World Baseball Classic- Banija v. Ethane Part III- who is the winner?

Now, of course, these two teams face off in the World Baseball Classic once more, this time in the Sherpa Empire, for a spot in the WBC Quarterfinals. While Ethane has been there before, this would be uncharted waters for the Banijans. Fortunately for the Banijans, however, this seems to be the strongest side we’ve ever sent to a World Baseball Classic. Ethane has generations of players who are experienced with deep runs into the World Baseball Classic, and who expect to come to this tournament and succeed. The Quarterfinals would mean jubilation for Banijan baseball, and vindication for Ousman Kakay, the manager. Can they get there?

Ethane are here as the non-automatic qualifier with the best record, at 19-11. They are certainly dangerous. Their offense scored 165 runs throughout the group stages, or an average of exactly 5.5 runs per game. This was good for 2nd among all teams throughout the entirety of the World Baseball Classic group stages, tied with Cassadaigua and just five total runs behind Lycrabon, who scored 170 runs for an average of 5.66 runs per game. It is going to be up to the Banijan pitching staff, who haven’t had dominant numbers, but, who throughout the group stages consistently came up big in big moments, to make a difference. The ball is going to the team’s workhorse, the #1 starter, the ace- Assan Condé. With a week off between the group stages and the knockouts, he is well rested, even after dominating the defending champions in their final group stage match on Matchday 30. Reports say that, if the Banijans need him, he’ll be ready to go on three days rest, as well, in Game 4, if the Banijans are down 2-1 and desperately need a win.

This Banijan team is ranked 4th for a reason, even though we don’t have a dominant offense or pitching staff. That is simple- we know how to win big games. WE took 5 of 6 from the defending champions, Ko-oren, in the group stages, which shows that this team does not get intimidated by big name opponents. Not this year. Ko-oren could not intimidate us, Schlitzberg could not, and neither will Ethane. It will be a scrappy series, as these two are 5-5 against each other all time beyond the group stages, and we imagine that this is a series that will go four or five games. However, we think that the Banijan team is strong, and that we will win the series, 3-1, to advance to our first ever WBC Quarterfinal- to face none other than one of the tournament’s host nations, the Sherpa Empire. A run ending there is likely, but even getting there would be a record for this country in this sport, and we think that the stars are aligned for us to achieve that at this tournament.

[Nova Anglicana]

Election Day results are in, PJP the big loser

House of Deputies (100 seats)

Party                Constituencies           PR        Total              +/-          Vote %
People's                         18           18           36               +4           35.04
Progressive Justice              14           14           28              -12           27.55
National                          4            6           10               +3            9.56
Liberal Secularist                5            4            9               +2            8.76
Stewardship                       5            4            9               +2            8.58
Libertarian                       4            4            8               +1            8.05
Equality                          0            0            0               +0            1.07
Socialist Workers'                0            0            0               +0            0.67
Democracy                         0            0            0               +0            0.44
Dominonist                        0            0            0               +0            0.28

Senate (note: # of seats increased from 25 to 30)

Party                             # of Seats       +/-     
People's                           9               +0
Progressive Justice                8               -2
National                           4               +2
Liberal Secularist                 3               +1
Stewardship                        3               +2
Libertarian                        3               +2

Additional analysis to follow.

[Ethane]

Roster

Pitchers:

NO.  POS.  Age    BAT.  THW.  NAME.
#65  SP    31     L     R   Jake Tyndall    
#33  SP    32     R     R   Alex Furnley       
#28  SP    30     R     R   Timothy Bellinger              
#89  SP    34     L     L   Carl Stepweaver     
#24  SP    27     R     R   Harry Markwright          
#63  RP    29     R     L   James Hannersson             
#29  RP    35     L     L   Lucas Jaile           
#65  RP    29     R     R   Mark Oswald       
#41  RP    33     L     L   Jamie Parkins                
#43  RP    37     L     R   Eric Mitchell     
#56  RP    31     R     R   Daniel Steingurst

Catchers:

NO.    POS. Age     BAT.   THW.  NAME.
#09    C    31      R      R     Thomas Harley
#23    C    37      L      L     Leigh Stinton

Infielders:

NO.    POS.  Age    BAT.  THW.   NAME.
#63    1B    26     R      L     Benjamin Cutleigh
#42    2B    34     L      L     Oliver Curtley
#77    2B    39     R      R     Philip Lewis
#99    2B    26     R      R     Samuel Mann
#36    3B    31     L      L     Graham Wilde
#03    3B    38     L      L     David Washington
#06    SS    40     R      L     Jeremy Williams
#86    SS    33     L      R     Henry Phillipa

Outfielders:

NO.    POS. Age    BAT.  THW.   NAME.
#91   LF    35      L      R     Joseph Sutton
#80   LF    28      R      R     Benjamin Lynch
#54   CF    38      L      L     Ian Fletcher
#39   CF    36      L      R     John Brady
#51   CF    33      R      R     Alan Murphy
#13   RF    35      L      R     Gregory Foster
#19   RF    31      R      R     Michael Carr
#40   RF    29      L      L     Jeremiah Wheeler

Designated Hitter:

NO.   POS.  Age     BAT.  THW.   NAME.
#01   DH    32      R      R     Gerry Myers

Batting Order:

NO.    POS.  Age    BAT.  THW.   NAME.
#63    1B    26     R      L     Benjamin Cutleighy
#91   LF    35      L      R     Joseph Sutton
#23    C    37      L      L     Leigh Stinton
#40   RF    29      L      L     Jeremiah Wheeler
#29   RP    35      L      L     Lucas Jaile
#13   RF    35      L      R     Gregory Foster
#42    2B    34     L      L     Oliver Curtley
#80   LF    28      R      R     Benjamin Lynch
#01   DH    32      R      R     Gerry Myers

IF DH IS NOT ALLOWED
#77    2B    39     R      R     Philip Lewis

Staff:

Manager: Graham Steadhall
Ever since the national team won the World Baseball Classic, it has been downhill from there. The state of the Ethanian national team has got so dismal that for the first time since the start of the nation's time in the tournament, Ethane is now ranked outside the top ten in the World Baseball Classic rankings. Lockie, while he brought good fortune to begin with, had lost his magic spark in the team, so one of the more left-field options has been brought in to try to change the culture in the club. Graham Steadhall leads one of the local-run baseball clubs in Ethane and is well-known for being a tough manager, which is what is seen to be needed for the national team. He won't be their friend; he'll probably be their enemy, but he views it that when that is the case he is doing his job right. It's hoped he can instill a sense of discipline into the side.

Assistant Manager: Jonathan Herts
First Base Coach: Lucas Robinson
Third Base Coach: Damien Malsanger
Batting Coach: George Orcusson
Pitching Coach: Lee Wilkinson

Stadium:


The McTidley arena is the baseball arena recently commissioned after the IBS X by the government, as they felt even though not many baseball games take place in Ethane, that we ought to have a baseball arena in Ethane for those times when we would be playing home matches. The McTidley arena is named after the teacher who tried to set up a baseball league in the humorous reality tv show, ''But it's Baseball'', which ran from 2003-2005, and attracted an average of 3 million viewers an episode in its first 2 series. This stadium has recently been expanded with the increasing popularity of baseball in Ethane, and now can hold around 20,000 spectators and is currently operated by the EBA (Ethane Baseball Association).

RP Permissions: My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Sure?
Godmod scoring events: Yes but don't be too unrealistic.
RP injuries to my players: Yes. I decide the length and severity of the injury, but you can report on a potential injury and stuff. I am allowed to 'undo' an injury if it gets in the way of my narrative (eg say rumours of injury were overstated).
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes, but please don't be too unrealistic. Same disclaimer as above.
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes, again don't be too unrealistic.
Use DH at home: No.

[Newmanistan]

(1) Cassadaigua (23-7 +60) vs (16) Schiltzberg (15-15 +15) @ Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Game 1:

Schiltzberg              1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  3
Cassadaigua              0 1 0 1 1 2 0 1 X  6

Game 2:

Schiltzberg              2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0  5
Cassadaigua              0 1 0 0 1 0 5 2 X  9

Cassadaigua leads series, 2-0

(8) Hampton Island (20-10 +21) vs (9) The Greater Nordics (19-11 +31) @ Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad
Game 1:

The Greater Nordics      1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Hampton Island           0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 X  9

Game 2:

The Greater Nordics      0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Hampton Island           2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 X  5

Hampton Island leads series, 2-0

(4) Banija (21-9 +14) vs (13) Ethane (19-11 +17) @ Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi
Game 1:

Ethane                   0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0  4
Banija                   0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  2

Game 2:

Ethane                   0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  2
Banija                   0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 X  4

series tied, 1-1

(5) The Sherpa Empire (20-10 +33) vs (12) Saintland (17-13 +23) @ Syangboche Athletic Complex, Namche
Game 1:

Saintland                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The Sherpa Empire        0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  6

Game 2:

Saintland                3 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 1  9
The Sherpa Empire        0 2 0 0 0 6 1 0 1 10

The Sherpa Empire leads series, 2-0

[Free Republics]

Sister Polus's Thoughts

Hello, I am Sister Maria Polus. I am the Housemistress of Tomlinson House at the Barjavel Academy at Republica, the Instructor in Religious Studies, Deportment and Latin at the Academy and the Headmistress of the Barjavel Junior Academy, Republica Branch. I am joining you today on VirtueTube and SanctusTube to discuss current events in the Free Republics and around the multiverse. First off, I want to start off by talking for a moment about the World Baseball Classic. Recently, Sarah Fuerst, the wicked young backslider who assaulted me at the Rally for the Unborn, joined the Free Republics baseball team which will play Hapilopper in a Round of 16 where most of the matchups seem to be group stage rematches. The series will take place in Pocono City, Newmanistan. I am not particularly familiar with Newmanistan but I am aware that they send women's teams to the World Baseball Classic. This seems rather misguided as women are biologically worse at sports than men unless the nation systematically discriminates against men like Cassadaigua does. They'd surely win more often if they'd send a men's team instead! (OOC: Yes, Sister Polus really knows next to nothing about Newmanistan's baseball team...)

But I am not joining you today to talk about baseball. Let's just say that I'm sure Hapilopper will sweep the Republicans out of the WBC and the Sanctii will sweep The Sherpa Empire's team. There's not really much to talk about there so let me focus on more important matters. Firstly, I have been informed that the so-called "Liberty Party" has proposed new legislation to breach my Barjavel Academy contract. This is not only a sign that the party that should call itself the License Party is comprised of followers of that wicked snake Satanas but also that the License Party does not even understand the Constitution of the Free Republics. I'm pretty sure there's an Article of the Constitution that prohibits bills of attainder, which is a law designed to specify punish an individual or group of individuals. While I do not agree with this prohibition as it is impossible to expressly prohibit every malum in se act before it is committed, it is supremely hypocritical for a party that supposedly believes in that wicked document to violate it to take away our rights! As the scriptures teach, it is our duty as Christians to vehemently and jealously guard our "rights" so that we may utilize them against the Enemies of God, who by definition should not have rights of any kind! For, in a moral society, there can be no speech but Christian speech, no religion but the Christian faith and no tolerance of wickedness. But in the meantime, until we can establish a Christian society, we Christians need to use the Enemy's rulebook against Him. Editor, on second thought, please remove that part from this video. Its still too early to say that part out loud.

Back to the point, it is our duty as Christians to elect a government that reflects our values. Thus, we need to elect a Christian government.

---

Sister Polus accidentally hit the submit button on VirtueTube and the video was viewed around a hundred times and downloaded by 5 people before she realized her mistake and deleted the video...

[The Sherpa Empire]

(6) Nova Anglicana (19-11 +36) vs (11) West Phoenicia (17-13 +34) @ The Jungle, Loudon

Game 1:

West Phoenicia         0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0  5
Nova Anglicana         0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0  4

Game 2:

West Phoenicia         0 1 0 0 3 0 2 2 0  8
Nova Anglicana         0 0 2 0 1 3 0 0 0  6

West Phoenicia leads series 2-0


(3) Free Republics (21-9 +46) vs (14) Hapilopper (17-13 +29) @ Emperor Michael I Stadium, Pocono City

Game 1:

Hapilopper             2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  4
Free Republics         3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 X  5

Game 2:

Hapilopper             2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  4
Free Republics         0 5 1 0 2 1 0 1 X 10

Free Republics leads series 2-0

(7) Lycrabon (21-9 +48) vs (10) Ko-oren (18-12 +40) @ Keisler Stadium, Southport

Game 1:

Ko-Oren                0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 2  7
Lycrabon               0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  4

Game 2:

Ko-Oren                0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0  4
Lycrabon               0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2  5

Series tied 1-1

(2) Newmanistan (21-9 +50) vs (15) Liventia (16-14 -11) @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls

Game 1:

Liventia               4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  8
Newmanistan            0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  6

Game 2:

Liventia               0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Newmanistan            2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 X  4

Series tied 1-1

[West Phoenicia]

In West Phoenicia Sporting news;

The West Phoenician Lighting Bolts who took out the GCF World Twenty20 Championship XI have bounced back from a terrible start that saw them hovering towards the bottom of their pool. Under the leadership of coach Edward Mount-Alexander they have fought back at the current championship in Liventia to slide into the second place in their pool after a terrific win against Lisander by 23 runs. The team confidence over the last two wins, a streak they will need to get up if they want to progress and show the international cricket world they are not just a one trick pony.

Vanessa Tamworth, manager of the West Phoenician Mountain Lions International Softball team has announced during a meeting at the West Phoenician Softball Association meeting that she will be stepping down at the end of the month and will not be renewing her contact. The West Phoenician Olympic Committee had held high hopes that the international title winners could snag a demonstration event medal for the nation, but all hopes were dashed when they failed to progress passed round 1. Mrs Tamworth blamed lack of funds and international competitions which would have kept the ladies bot and competitive for the loss. So far a replacement has not been announced.

Good news on the baseball front for the West Phoenician Confederates where they began they play offs at the Jungle Stadium against Nova Anglicans a fierce competitor. A brilliant home run by second baseman Emanuel Army at the top of 7th kept the team one run ahead. While no fault pitching by Tiger Singh and Hieu Phan kept the competition from taking the lead towards the end of the game, a time when West Phoenician players tend to let their guard down. Game one ended in a terrific 5-4 finish.

In game two Glen Melbourne and Jack Navy kept the game firmly in Confederate hands, where a brilliant home run by Glen Melbourne sent him and Jack Navy running to the home plate. Another fantastic game where the game was tight, the Confederates winning 8-6 and leading 2 games to 0.
Team Coach Julian Pancrete has called for extra practise which will focus on pitching and fiddling as they wait for Nova Anglicana to seek their revenge in games three and four.

[The Sherpa Empire]

The oddsmakers in Macau said the Sherpa Empire was favored to win the series against Saintland, but that didn't mean anything until they actually played the games. The imperial family came out to Syangboche to watch the games, though the Empress looked like she was enjoying it about as much as a root canal. When Debashish of Gorkhaland was not needed on the field -- which was most of the time, since he was a bench player -- he stood by the end of the dugout and chatted with Princess Yahia. Their love was no longer a secret, and they made no effort to be discreet about their chatting. Ayappan Banerjee and Jamling Ihawa, two of the greatest players that had ever called Syangboche their home park, were there as well. Both of them were retired and Ayappan Banerjee was an old man, but the local fans still remembered exactly who they were. Kusang Banerjee, the right fielder on the current national team, was Ayappan's son.

The mountain spirit who lived under the stadium was happy to see the World Baseball Classic return to Namche, but it didn't like the Sanctii or their church. Who does Iesus Christus think he is telling people not to believe in other gods? Are you supposed to pretend I'm not here?

"You know most people can't hear you," said Ihawa. "It makes it easier for them to pretend."

I am still here, said the spirit.

"Yeah, but they can't hear you," said Ihawa.

I will make my presence known.

"Don't interfere with the game," said Ihawa. "It's bad sportsmanship."

No one can control the weather, said the spirit.

Usha Chawa, who had been put in the starting line-up at 2nd for today's game, hit a long fly ball down the third base line, which looked like it was going to go foul, but then the wind shifted and it stayed fair, only clearing the inside of the foul pole by about an inch.

"Really?" said Ihawa.

No one can control the weather, the spirit insisted.

Chawa's home run turned out to be the start of a 5 run rally, the rest of which could not be blamed on wind patterns and spiritual meddling. With Akunjee throwing 9 shut-out innings, it was unlikely that the spirit of Syangboche had had any effect on the outcome of the game. The good thing about letting Thepgumpanat pitch to the Sanctii all through the group stage was that it meant they had never batted against Akunjee before and were not familiar with his pitching. Scouting footage of him was easy to find, assuming they cared enough to look for it -- but watching it on video wasn't the same as batting against him.

In game 2, Mingma Al Ali, who was usually very reliable, had an uncharacteristically terrible start. After giving up 6 runs in 3 innings, he admitted he wasn't feeling well and handed the ball over to Sangakkar. Ali said after the game he must have eaten something that didn't agree with him because he just didn't feel right. "I thought I could play through it and I didn't want to let the team down by missing my start, but obviously I misjudged," Ali said.

But if there was any park where you could give up 6 runs in three innings and still have a realistic chance of winning, Syangboche was it. The mountaintop stadium was known for high-scoring games. The townhouses in the surrounding streets all had wooden shutters on their windows, which they closed during games to protect their windows from home runs and foul balls. Because of how steeply the land dropped away, the balls could sometimes bounce across the rooftops far into the city.

A big inning in the 6th turned things around, and what had initially looked like it was going to be a disaster instead became a close game. The Sanctii tied it up in the top of the 9th. Gurung reached base on a line drive into right-center field to start the bottom of the inning. Pei Tan was out after Maccius chased down a foul ball, almost diving over the fence to catch it. The fans booed and jeered at Maccius, but Tan was still out. Yi came in to pinch hit and bounced one off the outfield wall. It didn't go out of the park, but it still gave Gurung enough time to reach home plate with the winning run.

[Banija]

There is nothing to seperate Banija and Ethane after two games at the 46th World Baseball Classic


2Players celebrate a win in the group stages of the 46th World Baseball Classic

DELHI, SHERPA EMPIRE- The Kingdom of Banija and Ethane were drawn against each other for the knockout stages. We, of course, before the series, outlined how the last two times these two teams played each other, there was nothing to separate the two teams. They were 5-5 against each other all-time in World Baseball Classics, with Banija winning a series 3-2 at WBC 42, while Ethane returned the favor, winning a series 3-2 at WBC 44. We talked about how, due to the history between the two baseball teams, this would almost certainly be a long series, a tight series, one that has the potential to go the distance. And after two games, that was proven right. There isn’t much to separate Banija and Ethane- frankly, there is almost nothing to separate them. Not only is the series tied, 1-1, after two games, both games were decided by the same score. Ethane won Game 1 by a score of 4-2, and Banija returned the favor, winning Game 2 by a score of 4-2.

Game 1- Ethane 4, Banija 2

Game 1, the Banijans threw our own ace on the mound- Assan Condé. And naturally, Ethane did as well. It’s Game 1- of course you are going to put your ace on the hill, right? The Banijans had ridden this man throughout the group stages, including him ending the group stages by shutting out the defending champions, Ko-oren. They were naturally going to trust him with the ball at this stage, and it was not a bad choice. OF course, pitching gets better as you get deeper into the postseason for baseball, as defenses improve, and it becomes harder to generate good offense. But Assan Condé had a quality start, even if he had a no decision- he went 6 innings, allowed 5 hits, 1 walk, and two runs. Benjamin Cutleighy, one of only three right handers in the batting order and the team’s lead off hitter, hit a two run shot off of him in the fourth inning. Assan Condé was able to mostly tame the lefty dominated batting order, but he allowed a lot of balls in play, getting only two strikeouts across six innings. He had a lot of pitches in that time period as well, throwing 101 pitches across six innings.

At that point, he was not in line for a decision. That was thanks to Banijan efforts to score in the 3rd and 5th innings. Jonkong Sillah singled home Duwa Sohna in the 3rd, and in the 5th inning, third baseman Lalo Diene hit a solo home run, to make the score 2-2. It was a tight and level game until the 7th inning, when the Banijans were the first team to reach to the bullpen. They brought 21 year old middle reliever Jebel Darboe to face the top of the Ethane order, and it was not pretty. While he got Cutleighy to strike out, the lefties were up next, and they took advantage of the right hander. Joseph Sutton and Leigh Stinton had back to back doubles, which allowed Sutton to score with 1 out and give Ethane a 3-2 lead in the 7th. Ousman Kakay then went to his left hander, Foday Kandeh, to get the last two outs. Kandeh came back for the 8th, however, he did allow a solo home run in that inning. There was no more scoring in the rest of this game, and the Banijans fell, 4-2 to Ethane. Darboe got the loss for Banija. Jake Tyndall(6.2 innings, 2 ER) got the win, while Eric Mitchell(1.1 innings, 0 ER) got the hold, and Daniel Steingurst(1.0 innings, 0 ER) got the save.

Game 2- Banija 4, Ethane 2

With the Banijans down 1-0, many Banijan players and fans were calling this one a must win. Going into the game, Ousman Kakay told reporters that he thought the game was a must win. “Going down 2-0 in a series and coming back is very tough in a Best of 5. Now, of course, nothing is written yet- but a win here would be very big for our chances. We need to come back out and tie this series at 1 game a piece, and I am confident in our team’s ability to do so.” For Game 2, the Banijans called upon Banta Jawara, the team’s #2 starter, to go out and pitch the Banijans to a W. He would go against Red Kite starter Alex Furnley, the Ethane right hander. Now, of course, Ethane has a left-handed dominated lineup- this would be one of those games, where you would think this would serve as an advantage for Ethane. It would make the task for Banta Jawara that much harder, with the 2-7 hitters all hitting from the left side. How would he fare against the lefty dominated Red Kites? (EDITOR’S NOTE: Or, left kites? Get it? Bringing the great Dad jokes to my professional life as well.)

Banta Jawara was able to, largely, have his way with the Ethane lineup. He went 7 innings, allows 5 hits, 2 walks, had 8 strikeouts(a large improvement on the proceedings from the day before), and allowed just 2 runs, one of them earned, one of them unearned. The Banijans gave him some run support in the fourth inning, when Cyper Kandeh blasted a solo home run to give them a 1-0 lead in the second inning. They gave another run of support in the 4th inning, when Yakuba Kah went yard as well, giving the Banijans a 2-0 lead heading into the fifth. So far, so good for the Banijans, right? Well, it’s not that simple. Right with that happening, in the fifth inning, the Red Kites started to rally. A two out single by Cutleighy started the rally, as Sutton followed that with a single, and a third straight single by Leight Stinton allowed them to score. With 2 on and 2 out in the fifth, after three straight singles, Ousman Kakay opted to keep in his starter, who got Jeremiah Wheeler to pop up to stop the bleeding.

They came back out in the sixth inning. While Jawara got Jaile to strike out, the 35 year old Gregory Foster hit a ground rule double, showing that Ethane was, indeed, back in the game. Another veteran player, 34 year old second baseman Oliver Curtley, got in on the act, and sent one the other way, down the line. A fair ball, Foster scored easily and the game was level once again, at two runs. After mound visit by Kakay, Jawara convinced his manager to allow him to stay in, and struck out the side, getting both the 8 and 9 hitters to strike out looking. In the bottom half of the same sixth inning, Lama Ouattara had another solo home run to make the score 3-2. The Banijans added another run in the 8th for breathing room, making the score 4-2. Jawara pitched the seventh inning. Against the 5-6-7 hitters in the 8th, Kakay brought on his setup man, Sarjo Touré, who retired the trio of left handers, in order, as he recorded the hold. And then closer Demba Baturu retired the lineup’s three right handers, in order, to close out the game, 4-2, and record his first save of the postseason.



There isn’t much to separate these two sides after just two games. What’s in store for Game 3? Well, first, you’re going to have Duta Condé on the mound for Game 3, and Suntukung Kandeh on the mound for Game 4. How trustworthy is the back half of the rotation? The bullpen had just 5 combined innings in Games 1 and 2, so expect Kakay to have a much shorter leash with the players who are not his top two starting pitchers. That means long relievers, like Ensa Suso and Tairu Sesay should be ready for playing time. He’ll be tighter with the leash, and much more willing to use more relievers, managing here. “It’s do or die at this late stage, and everybody understands that they have a role to play.” He told us. “It’s a best of 3 now- we’ve got to do whatever it takes to get to the next stage of this tournament. And I am going to pull out all the stops. All of our pitchers have to be ready in the pen, as they can expect to be used.” We’ll see what happens, but expect the fiery manager to leave everything on the field in both Games 3 and 4, as they try and pull out all the stops to reach the WBC Quarterfinals.

[Hapilopper]

The Hapilopper Clubhouse, Emperor Michael I Stadium, Pocono City, Newmanistan
The morning of Game Three
The HNBT wasn’t really in the best of moods just prior to the third game of their series with Free Republics. Oddly, it appeared to mirror the mood they felt just before the first game of the World Baseball Classic. This was a team full of nervous ballplayers. A few short days before, they had wanted to make a name for themselves on the back of the Free Republics baseball team. Instead, it had been Free Republics walking over the Hapiloppians with relative ease. If Hapilopper did something, Free Republics did it better.

Players had arrived for their usual morning warmups. Jerome Hayden and Dayton Rowe had taken to the cold tubs and were talking amongst themselves as far as what to do after leaving Newmanistan.

“Probably going to spend a week fishing,” Jerome said glumly. “There’s a nice lake just south of Buckridge where they’ve got some big ones. Might go out there with my boat and a few six-packs and forget about getting eliminated. What are you doing afterwards?”

“I don’t know yet,” Dayton responded. “The NLH season doesn’t start for another month or so, so I figure I might record a few ‘Let’s Play’ videos, my subscribers have been wanting something for a few weeks now.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been getting messages on social media demanding I leave the team and record a video or two,” Dayton said. “I’ve thought about it, but you know, it’s actually kind of silly. My subscribers don’t seem to realize what we make playing this game. They’re not sports fans, you know. They think this whole ‘World Baseball Classic’ is just some stupid way to get out of recording a video about the new games coming out.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Jerome responded, with a facial expression that pretty much said the same thing.

“Tell me about it.”

Meanwhile, Whit Dabney was in manager Sam Kitchens’ office, along with pitching coach Clyde Ely, going over pitching strategies for the game. More specifically, Dabney might have been trying to argue his case to start against the Republicans. Kitchens was less than confident in the idea that a knuckleballer would be a great fit against a juggernaut like Free Republics. Dabney, on the other hand, had an entirely different argument – he hadn’t even faced the Republicans during the group stage.

“Every time we faced the Free Republics, I was on the bench,” Dabney said. “See, I mapped it out. Charlton Forest was the starting pitcher every single time we faced them in the group stage, and except for one time, we lost every time. Maybe a knuckleballer is what we need for this game. I don’t know how well Free Republic bats work with knuckleball pitching. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“We clear out our lockers and get on the first plane back to Hapilopper City,” Kitchens said without missing a beat.

“Well, yeah, there’s that possibility, but why not think about another alternative? I mean… hell,” Dabney said, thinking about his next words. “You know, it’s not really like the knuckleball is that common of a pitch anymore these days. How much scouting do you think they’ve had on it?”

“Probably enough,” Kitchens said. “They’re not stupid.”

“I never said they were stupid. You don’t make it this far in this game being an idiot,” Dabney said, grinning like he should have never made it out of low-A ball. “But, you know, let’s try it and see how it works. If it works, fine, if not, well, there’s next year, and hell, we made the playoffs, right? Nobody really expected that.”

Unfortunately, Dabney inadvertently triggered one of Kitchens’ buttons. Something about making the playoffs.

“Yeah, that’s it! I’m not just happy to say ‘hell, we made the playoffs!’” Kitchens barked. “We came here to win, dammit, and I’m not sure you’re the guy to do it! I fear they’re going to look at that damned junkball of yours and they’ll tee off like they’re at the golf course. I don’t really want to run that risk, no matter what you say.”

“So… I’m not starting then?”

Kitchens thought about it for a bit. He had an unusual idea for who would start the game, but it probably wouldn’t be his knuckleballer.

“No,” Kitchens said after hesitating. “Get… hm… Armstrong and Ware. Tell them I need to talk to them for a second.”

“Alright, I’ll pack up my things,” Dabney said, visibly frustrated at being passed over. “Looking forward to whipping your ass in the NLH this year.”
“Just get Armstrong and Ware and get out of my office.”

Aaron Armstrong and Calvin Ware were called into Sam Kitchens’ office, where they were informed of an unusual idea that the manager had just thought up. Rather than utilizing a starting pitcher, Armstrong would take the mound for the first inning, Ware would take the mound for the second, and Mill Gibbs would take the mound for the next three innings – three, four and five, if you’re keeping score at home. It wasn’t an idea that had been commonly seen in Hapiloppian baseball, the idea of an opening pitcher, but Kitchens had weighed the idea with the Buckridge Blues, before being asked by the team’s general manager that, no, that would not be a fine idea.

After leaving the manager’s office, Armstrong went over to starting pitcher Mill Gibbs, who was watching videos of Hapiloppian public access television for some reason. Armstrong told Gibbs of Kitchens’ idea that was “so stupid, it just might work.”

“We’re doing WHAT?” Gibbs said incredulously. “An opening pitcher? Christ. I’m going to go pack up my stuff. I’d like to not be here that long after we get eliminated tonight. Maybe I’ll write a note to Free Republics congratulating them on sweeping us. An opening pitcher. Never heard of such a thing. I mean, no offense to you, you’re a hell of a pitcher, but… what about gaining some kind of rhythm? I can’t get a rhythm when I start in the 3rd inning.”

Armstrong wasn’t offended. He thought the idea was ridiculous too, but he wasn’t the kind of player to defy his manager’s orders. He also wasn’t offended by seeing his teammates actually packing their things up. Gibbs and Dabney, whose lockers were adjacent to one another, were talking amongst themselves about the idea of the “opening pitcher,” and neither were too thrilled about it.

Rowe and Hayden walked back from the cold tubs to find their teammates starting to grumble over this proposal. They moved to their lockers, which were across from the pitchers, and questioned them about just why, if you could believe it, morale appeared to be a little bit lower than it was when the day had started.

“Aaron’s pitching the first inning. Calvin’s pitching the second. I’m pitching three, four and five,” Gibbs said, still trying to comprehend this idea. “Isn’t that about the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard? We’re going to get swept.”

Jerome looked at Dayton, smirked, then looked back at Mill. “Yeah, that actually is the dumbest thing I’ve heard today,” Jerome said. “Even more so than Dayton’s subscribers telling him to quit the team to record video game videos.”

Gibbs chuckled. As if this day couldn’t get any more idiotic.

[Lycrabon]

Tied, with a walk-off

Karl Lester became the latest hero in Blue Jays lore, hitting a game-ending two-run homer to knot the series at 1, with a 5-4 win. The Dragonflies took game one 7-4. Game three is tonight, where the Jays look to take command.

[Newmanistan]

THE JESSICAVILLE JUGGERNAUT

Editoral by Brian McReynolds,

The playoffs for World Baseball Classic 46 have begun, and with Newmanistan hosting half of the games, you would have expected that the third largest city in the Empire would be hosting a series. Pocono City and Loudon, the top two cities in population, sure, they deserve them. Tundra Falls will always get one. And finally, after them, baseball should be played at Empress Jessica I Stadium. We wouldn’t get the Rockets, but surely we could get one of these other playoff series, even if it resulted in us having to sit through West Phoenicia vs Nova Anglicana. We don’t get anything, as instead the fourth city to get a series is Southport. I was hoping that it would be announced that we would get a second round series, but of course you know that there will be one in Tundra Falls again, and it will probably be Pocono City. No World Baseball Classic playoff games in Jessicaville. That’s just not right.

We have the money, plenty of it. The simple fact is that we are still not respected here. The Emperor still sees within the original borders of the nation, and that did not include us. Even in the ENBL or other domestic sports chatter, you still here people from the original mainland talk about us and say “Anyone but us”. There are other cities in the main leagues that were not part of the original mainland, but we are the despised city of them. We are called arrogant and egotistical. Money-hungry. Anyway, all of this would not have been an issue is we were not splitting the hosting duties with another Empire.

The Rockets, of course, will not win this World Baseball Classic. If you think that they will, you are delusional. They went 21-9, and did win the group and managed to get a #2 seed in the overall tournament. There were a group of 21-9 teams, though, and I feel that given the opposition in the group that we could have done better then that. The telling moment was though was in Game 1, when Liventia got to Hannah Lee early. That just does not happen to us. But it did. During the group stage, we were our normal dominant selves on the mound, giving up the second fewest runs in the entire tournament. Only Free Republics gave up fewer, and it was only by three. Lee, for some reason, was not herself in that game. At least in Game 2, Cassie Burke stepped up.

So, what is going to happen in this tournament? I sense a five game series here with Liventia. Ko-oren may await us if we for a repeat of the finals of the last Classic, or it may be Lycrabon. If we get past the first round, I am not certain we would get past Ko-oren in the second. Perhaps we could take the Blue Jays, though they were better then it would seem in the group stage based on their seed. Free Republics and West Phoenicia have built up 2-0 leads in their series and will have an exciting showdown if they advance. As for the nations playing in The Sherpa Empire, the top seeded Fillies of Cassadaigua appear poised to take out Schiltzberg and meet Hampton Island unless The Greater Nordics comes back. The Sherpa Empire hopes to do well at home, but potentially a series against either Banija or Ethane will be a challenge.

Let us still try to enjoy this tournament even if it frustrating that playoff games are being played in Newmanistan, but not in Jessicaville.

[Free Republics]

News Magazine

Sister Polus Says Controversial Video is a Deepfake
By: Yoshimitsu Kishita

A controversial video of Sister Maria Polus emerged recently on various social media platforms. According to those who uploaded the video, it is an unedited edition of Sister Polus's Thoughts that was accidentally uploaded to VirtueTube while filming was in progress. The video involves the outspoken nun, who leads the Ecumenical Coalition for Morality, advocating that her followers "jealously guard" their rights to utilize them "against the Enemies of God, who by definition should not have rights of any kind." In this video, she appears to go on to argue that "in a moral society, there can be no speech but Christian speech, no religion but the Christian faith and no tolerance of wickedness" and "until we can establish a Christian society, we Christians need to use the Enemy's rulebook against Him" before asking her editor to strike that part from the video.

The video quickly went viral on social media throughout the Free Republics with many people claiming that the controversial Sister Polus had finally "admitted" her true agenda. However, Sister Polus has since released a new video in which she claims that the video is a "forgery" and in which she states numerous facts regarding the Newmanistani National Baseball Team in order to prove that the video was fabricated. In the viral video, a figure appearing to be Sister Polus had claimed "I am not particularly familiar with Newmanistan but I am aware that they send women's teams to the World Baseball Classic. This seems rather misguided as women are biologically worse at sports than men unless the nation systematically discriminates against men like Cassadaigua does. They'd surely win more often if they'd send a men's team instead!" Thus, her repeating facts about the success of the Newmanistani baseball team's success in the World Baseball Classic was intended to provide corroborating evidence that the alleged video is a fake.

I spoke with Googol security expert Kyoko Kuwabara about the video and whether or not it could be fake. Miss Kuwabara told me that "In the security world, we refer to forged videos as 'deepfakes' and they are a growing problem. Advances in computer speech technology and computer graphics technology now permit a skilled computer programmer to program a fake video in almost the same way that you'd program a video game. Such deep fakes appear to be real videos but are fabrications. Fortunately, the math behind computer graphics is so convoluted and impossible for 99.9% of people to understand that it is trivially easy to make a math mistake somewhere in your program that creates a barely visible graphical glitch that can be seen by a select few people with exceptional eyesight. Such glitches, if found, can prove that a video is a deepfake. However, it is also possible that the programmer actually gets everything right, particularly if it is an extremely skilled programmer who also happens to be a math genius. In such cases, it may be impossible to determine whether a video is real or a deepfake. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, this Sister Polus video appears to fall into that particular grey area. I cannot find any graphical glitches in the video and neither can any of my colleagues at Googol but we still suspect that the video is indeed a forgery because, whether or not Sister Polus actually believes those things, we do not believe she is actually stupid enough to say them out loud." Thus, it seems that the question of whether this video is real or a deepfake will remain unanswered unless either Sister Polus admits that it is real or the creator of the video comes forward. If we ever find out the truth, News Magazine will let you know.

Yoshimitsu Kishita reports on the intersection between politics and the Internet. Born in Noburu Taiyou, Yoshimitsu's family moved to Jolarus when he was a teenager. After Taiyou achieved its independence, they chose to remain in the Free Republics where he graduated from the University of Jolarus with a bachelors in journalism. He was hired out of school by the local FBC affiliate in Reco but decided he preferred a career in print journalism.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Kyoko Kuwabara is currently Yoshimitsu Kishita's girlfriend.

NOTE: News Magazine now requires Conflict of Interest Disclosures when our reporters write about any subjects who have a familiar, romantic or business relationship with the reporter. This is part of our commitment to the highest standards of ethics in journalism.

[Hampton Island]

Setting: Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Newmanistan in the baseball stadium stands

Stafford City Speedway CEO: This race track is cool and all. We need to have a better showing here as a race team then we did last year. That was pathetic. Two Shellshock Batteries failures.

James McCurdy (NSSCRA Driver): It is a nice venue. I wish I could be racing though. I totally got stiffed with the new rules change. First it was like I would have a guaranteed ride, and then I have to qualify in.

CEO: You did a good job of it last year, so you will again this year.

McCurdy: Well we are already out of this exhibition crap. I remember last year when we raced here the World Baseball Classic was going on. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

CEO: Yes, but this time we are actually playing in The Sherpa Empire. Now, we are stuck watching Newmanistan versus Liventia here while the racing goes on. They pulled that gimmick to scare Midnight with loud race car engine sounds. Best we are playing out in Islamabad.

McCurdy: Speaking of The Sherpa Empire, have you thought about getting one of their drivers to do our open charter?

CEO: We are thinking about Li. Not sure how she feels about advertising Starlight Suites mattresses, though.

McCurdy: Maybe I could get a cameo in that. Why did you screw over Lexi?

CEO: We’re at a baseball game now, time to root for Liventia.

McCurdy: I’d rather root for Newmanistan. Might piss off the supernatural forces at the Proving Grounds if I root for Liventia, and I plan on qualifying for the race that counts.

CEO: You better. We got two top tens in the exhibition. You have no excuses. The quicker Newmanistan is eliminated, the better for all of us.

[Newmanistan]

(1) Cassadaigua (23-7 +60) vs (16) Schiltzberg (15-15 +15) @ Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Game 3:

Cassadaigua              3 1 3 0 0 0 5 1 1 14
Schiltzberg              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Cassadaigua wins series, 3-0

(8) Hampton Island (20-10 +21) vs (9) The Greater Nordics (19-11 +31) @ Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad
Game 3:

Hampton Island           1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  4
The Greater Nordics      0 0 1 0 0 4 0 3 X  8

Game 4:

Hampton Island           0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 3  7
The Greater Nordics      0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0  3

Hampton Island wins series, 3-1

(4) Banija (21-9 +14) vs (13) Ethane (19-11 +17) @ Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi
Game 3:

Banija                   0 0 2 4 0 0 0 1 0  7
Ethane                   0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0  4

Game 4:

Banija                   0 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0  5
Ethane                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Banija wins series, 3-1

(5) The Sherpa Empire (20-10 +33) vs (12) Saintland (17-13 +23) @ Syangboche Athletic Complex, Namche
Game 3:

The Sherpa Empire        0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0  4
Saintland                1 4 1 0 0 0 1 1 X  8

Game 4:

The Sherpa Empire        0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3
Saintland                1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

The Sherpa Empire wins series, 3-1

[The Sherpa Empire]

(6) Nova Anglicana (19-11 +36) vs (11) West Phoenicia (17-13 +34) @ The Jungle, Loudon

Game 3:

Nova Anglicana         0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
West Phoenicia         0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 X  2

West Phoenicia wins series 3-0


(3) Free Republics (21-9 +46) vs (14) Hapilopper (17-13 +29) @ Emperor Michael I Stadium, Pocono City

Game 3:

Free Republics         0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0  4
Hapilopper             0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Free Republics wins series 3-0


(7) Lycrabon (21-9 +48) vs (10) Ko-oren (18-12 +40) @ Keisler Stadium, Southport

Game 3:

Lycrabon               1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2  5
Ko-Oren                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Game 4:

Lycrabon               0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  4
Ko-Oren                0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  6

Series tied 2-2


(2) Newmanistan (21-9 +50) vs (15) Liventia (16-14 -11) @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls

Game 3:

Newmanistan            0 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 1  6
Liventia               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Game 4:

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

Series tied 2-2

[The Sherpa Empire]

The Sherpa Ministry of Culture has announced that Eden Gardens will host the quarterfinal series between Cassadaigua and Hampton Island, and Syangboche will host the series between the Sherpa Empire and Banija.

[Hapilopper]

Emperor Michael I Stadium, Pocono City, Newmanistan
Immediately following Game Three

It was over. Hapilopper’s baseball team walked back to the dugout, took their seats and watched the Free Republics team celebrate the fact they had moved on to the next round. There was no anger. There was some sadness, in both the dugout and in the stands. The HTN cameras showed a couple of Hapiloppian fans, tears in their eyes, watching the Republicans celebrate a well-deserved series win. Others were just content with what they had seen. The Republicans were the better team, at least for the time being.

Manager Sam Kitchens, without saying a word to anybody, nodded his head and walked back to the clubhouse. Others joined him, going into the clubhouse one by one until only three players, Mo Beverly, Charlton Forest and Leroy Hunnisett, were the last ones in the dugout. All three wanted to just savor the moment. This was their first time facing the rest of the world, and against all expectations, had actually made it to the playoffs. They all had smiles on their faces, actually. They understood a good baseball team when they saw it, and the Free Republics had a damned good baseball team.

Beverly, the inspirational leader of the Hapilopper National Baseball Team, had a tear in his eye. He had worked to unite a group of warring factions into a united front, a team that, sure enough, played together, won together, lost together, laughed together, cried together, and in the case of when they dealt with those Piss Take loudmouths, warred together. Beverly was also in a great deal of pain. Of all the players on the HNBT, he was the only player who was on the field every inning. Trying to keep up with teams like Free Republics, Hampton Island and Tierra de Castro had almost been too much for him, but he wasn’t about to complain. The National League of Hapilopper’s season started in two months, plenty of time for him to rest before he joined the West Hampton Royals. He’d be back with the national team next year.

Forest and Hunnisett walked back to the clubhouse together. Considering the way they started this World Baseball Classic, that was something of a miracle. Before the WBC had started, the last time the two had seen each other was minutes after Forest threw a fastball at Hunnisett’s head, and right after both Hunnisett’s HC Nationals and Forest’s Kingsland Braves brawled on the field at Fat Chuck’s Park in Kingsland. The two patched up their differences and realized that winning together would be a hell of a lot more fun than losing while trying to kick each other’s ass.

Cameras from all around the world showed Beverly, the last player in the dugout, applauding the Free Republics, before leaving for the clubhouse. When he got there, he saw a group of players getting changed, packing up their items, while shouting random things towards Kitchens’ office. These weren’t derogatory comments. These were suggestions.

“What’s going on?” Beverly asked.

“Skip’s writing some letters,” replied Jerome Hayden. “It’s going to be addressed to the Free Republics, basically congratulating them for beating us. Basically admitting we got our ass kicked, and hopefully we can return the favor in the future. When he’s done, he wants us all to sign it.”

Beverly loved that, and shouted a few things toward the skipper’s office, providing him suggestions with what to put in the letters.

By the time they were finished, Kitchens brought the letters out to read to the entire HNBT. Some of the players openly wept, knowing that yes, this was the end of the road for the Hapilopper National Baseball Team, at least as far as this World Baseball Classic was concerned. It had been a fun road, filled with excitement, tremendous play, controversy, emotion and of course, triumph, but that road had come to an end.

Kitchens, who prefaced the reading by explaining that, yes, the letters to Newmanistan and the Sherpa Empire were pretty much identical, started by reading the letter to the Free Republics Baseball Team.

“To the Free Republics National Baseball Team:

Congratulations on a hard-fought and well-deserved series win. In spite of some of the things that happened in our first games, we have greatly enjoyed competing against you, and we hope that these games will be the start of a very competitive, and very hard-fought rivalry. We watched in awe as players like Honomi Kamei, Oskar Bjorgum, Hollie Rogers and Nicholas Fisher proved why they are among the elite baseball players in the world, and watched in some admitted frustration as pitchers like Ralph Fiedler and Taryn Russell made us look like fools in the batter’s box.

We wish you all the best as you contend in later rounds in the World Baseball Classic. We will be cheering for you, hopefully our future rivals, and hope you go a long way in this competition. Thank you for teaching us about the way international baseball works, and thank you for being a great competitor. We look forward to facing you again, and we hope it’s sooner, rather than later.

Best of luck, The Hapilopper National Baseball Team.”

The players applauded the letter, before crowding together to sign it. The other letters had been addressed to the governments of Newmanistan and the Sherpa Empire, thanking and congratulating them for a great World Baseball Classic, and expressed a hope that Hapilopper could possibly play either nation on the baseball field sooner, rather than later.

Within an hour, the players had left the clubhouse. Many had taken their nameplates from their locker as a souvenir. There was little indication that the Hapilopper National Baseball Team had even been there. Two hours later, at a nearby airport, the team boarded their charter flight.

The next morning, as the sun rose over the Hapilopper City airport, the team’s flight arrived safe and sound, and greeted by several hundred well-wishers. Nobody was really that disappointed in the Hapiloppians, but rather, was very happy to congratulate them on a tremendous performance.. It was the first time ever that the nation had fielded a team in international competition, and had made a very good showing for themselves, all things considered. The nation would be a force to be reckoned with in international baseball as time went on.

For now, however, the attention for the players had shifted. For the next two months, it was time to recover before the start of the National League of Hapilopper’s season. In a month, every player on the HNBT would return to their regular NLH team, and potentially ready to renew old rivalries. Those players would come back with stories from distant lands, tales of facing some of the world’s top teams, and something to brag about. They were the first ones. They wouldn’t be the last ones.

(OOC: I hope this is OK. Thank you for a great series, it's been a lot of fun.)

[West Phoenicia]

The West Phoenician Confederates have wiped the floor with Nova Anglicana in a 3-0 series. Not only did they wipe the floor with an opponent who outplayed them in the early stages that had fans concerned that the Confederates may miss the play offs. But all that has passed and The Confederates have handed Nova Anglicana a broom to clean up the mess.


The first round play offs were better than expected for the West Phoenician fans who travelled to Loudon to support their team. In attendance was Empress Cleopatra-Olympias Gryphon-Bush, along with her two newborn children, Princess Juno-Harmonia Gryphon-Bush and Prince Gwyddion-Glenton Gryphon-Bush; two royal governess and a number of ladies in waiting, security and other important courtiers.

"It was such an honour to play in front of a member of the royal family, especially one so passionate about baseball. It was even a greater honour to win all three games in a row. Knocking out a tough rival.

Empress Cleopatra-Olympias did not disappoint her fellow West Phoenicians, she was the first one to rise from the bleachers encouraging one and all to applauded their opponents before sounding out a victory cheer, that was so loud the heavens shook.

"Today we have toppled Nova Anglicana. Free Republics we are coming for you," The Empress smiled raising her hand in a symbol of victory.

[Lycrabon]

Thrill of victory, agony of defeat, and a surprise

In what is believed to be a first, Lycrabon's pitching staff threw a 5-0 no-hitter in game three of their series versus Ko-Oren. Unfortunately, the Jays bullpen couldn't close out the series, allowing a walk-off three-run bomb to allow the Dragonflies to tie the series at two.

The Rockets-Liventia series is also at two apeice as the vaunted blue machine hasn't been able to slam the door yet. Manager Garry Barnett, Jr. remarked, "That a big upset even if they win. Usually, they're a 1 or 2 seed, and sweep their first round opponent. To go the distance, that's a win for Liventia."