World Baseball Classic 52 Everything Thread

[The 189]

The 189's pregame routine involved charging batteries, tightening screws, and lubricating themselves. If you think baseball players lubing themselves sounds sexy, you would probably be disappointed, since this was just machinery being oiled. -------- and -------- might like to make it sexy, but unless you had some very thick beer goggles or a serious robot fetish, it just wasn't sexy.

In Murderbum, they went through their routine as usual -- but then as they made their way out to the field for the first game of the series, they realized that something was not right. ---------- went back to the locker room to investigate and realized they had used the wrong lube.

Some of the machines coped better than others. ---------- could use just about anything for lube, but -------- was really struggling.

They were careful not to make the same mistake in their next two games, but they still couldn't seem to find their groove.

[Delaclava]

Symphony Monthly

A legislative exposition: Understanding the upcoming Parliament discussion on Massenet's anthem

The Delaclav concert music community was abuzz with excitement when ScPM Marie Savitz, on behalf of the Delaclava Parliament, announced that Javel Massenet's "A Nation of the Phoenix" had made it to the legislative floor for discussion. Those of us who live and breathe songs and sonatas have already had their own discussions on the composition's merits (and we'll have a separate article on that coming soon!) - but first, we wanted to write up a piece for the common person who didn't pick up their piano or violin after the mandated few years in primary school, and who are now wondering, "What exactly is happening?"

First, if you haven't seen and heard already, the Parliament has been kind enough to post both sheet music and a recording by the Men's Chorale at the Carnstone Institute of Music, where Massenet is a composer-in-residence. Linked here are the recording, as well as the TTBB sheet music in B-flat major, and the TTBB sheet music in the recorded key of A-flat major.

Now let's dig into the big questions!

What are the three parts of the song Parliament is voting on? Isn't it just one verse?

Great question. Parliament mentions what they'll be discussing - here's what each piece actually means:

- The lyrics: Put simply, the words themselves - which were also written by Massenet. They are as follows:

"Soaring o’er the seas and lands
Mountains, rivers, flowers, sands;
Flames alight with loyalty
The spirit of fraternity.
A proud and glorious nation sings
Though whatever strife it brings;
Ne’er it seem all hope is slain
What falls will always rise again."

If Parliament does not approve these words, the rest of the discussion is moot at that point. Sure, there are instrumental national anthems, but this anthem was specifically written with words. It would be pointless for Parliament to continue to discuss and approve the musical notes and later retrofit a new stanza to them; that's why Parliament has since clarified that the lyrics must be approved before discussion of the musical content comments.

On the other hand, if Parliament approved the lyrics, but declined the entirety of the musical content, Parliament is at least signaling that they like the symbolism of the words, and would be open to - in fact, anticipate - a new musical composition that set the text. That could be Massenet himself, or it could be anyone else. That could actually create a fun scenario; if Parliament explicitly solicits new musical settings of the words, it would unofficially represent a prestigious composition competition sanctioned by the nation's highest legislative body.

- The melody: If the lyrics are approved, the next matter would be the basic melody - if one singer were to perform this song, that's what they'd sing. Here's that melody, in the key of B-flat major:




Let's dig into the opposite scenarios at play here as well. If Parliament fails to approve this basic melody, the discussion wouldn't continue to the arrangement either. A song is, at minimum, a melody with words (shut up, avant-gardistes). You can't talk about an arrangement of a song that doesn't exist (and we don't want to hear any shit from the postmodern folx on this one). At that point, what's approved is a set of words that have legislative approval for use in a new national anthem, as described above.

If Parliament approves the melody along with the words, in some respect, it almost doesn't matter if the full four-part arrangement is approved. At that point, an anthem exists, and it can be publicly performed by any solo vocalist out there. When a premier opera performer like Lucy Douglas or Pal Donazet is invited to a military ceremony to deliver the anthem, it'll be those words and notes they express, the song that a chorus of army members will sing proudly alongside them. (Chilling, isn't it?)

- The harmony/arrangement: We won't reproduce the full arrangement as an image, but see the links above as we tackle this last part.

At this point, an anthem would legally exist. But the Delaclav code on patriotic ceremonies is incredibly strict on how national songs can be performed. For any given song, only "approved arrangements" are permitted for use. If, say, a rock band like Permafrost wants to perform the national anthem, a version specifically for their ensemble of guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, and vocals must exist in the National Registry of Songs. If no such version exists, Permafrost can't perform the anthem. Keep in mind, it's actually relatively straightforward and quick to submit an arrangement and get it approved, so long as it conforms to the spirit of the original song. But until that happens, no such luck. And if, say, a string quartet wants to perform an approved string quartet arrangement, they may not "significantly deviate" from that arrangement under penalty of defacement of a national symbol. That means no improv, no jazziness, and arguably no mistakes either (although courts have equivocated on that last point).

Massenet has submitted his anthem as arranged for four-part men's choir, or TTBB. That means there are two separate tenor (high voice) parts and two separate bass (low voice) parts. Now, if Parliament does not approve this arrangement, that's fine. A national anthem still exists, and it can be performed by any vocal soloist, as well as any instrumental soloist (who would of course perform it without words), but that's it. No men's choirs, and no string quartets or rock bands or kazoo ensembles.

If Parliament does approve the arrangement, that means soloists can perform the melody as written, but also men's choirs may perform that approved version. For the time being, still no one else (and arguably, women's and mixed choirs are still not permitted to perform the anthem), but musicians could begin to submit other versions for approval. But the approval of the Massenet arrangement would be significant for another reason: it would effectively set in stone the harmony, or underlying chords, set underneath of the melody. If a musician wanted to take the same melody and put different chords underneath, they'd have a much harder time doing so.

What about this clause about "assignment of status"?

Parliament can approve the song for one of two purposes:

- A selection in the national songbook: This is somewhat redundant. If Parliament has approved any version of the song, surely they have approved it for something? So we'd expect this vote to be little more than a formality.

What this means, if "A Nation of the Phoenix" isn't also approved as the national anthem, is that the song is still in a registry of songs that can be used much less strictly, for a variety of occasions that aren't patriotic ceremonies or parades (where it must be the national anthem that is used), but where an expression of national pride may be appropriate. Sports are the primary example, but other municipal and state celebrations may also call for such a selection.

- The Delaclava national anthem: This is fairly self-explanatory. You know how most countries really have one official song? This would be Delaclava's one official song. It would be the one performed at patriotic events, and around the world to announce the presence of a Delaclav delegate.

This vote could go any way. Perhaps every PM who approves does so with the intention that it will be the main anthem; perhaps every PM will approve the song without a desire to put it on a pedestal; or anything in between.

How musically technical will Parliament's deliberations be?

In general, not particularly. Parliament is more concerned with the symbolism and demeanor of a song rather its pitches and rhythms. On the whole, expect discussion to be more evocative of emotion and pride than theoretical. Additionally, this anthem will be performed not only by professionals, but also by amateurs and children and musicians spanning the whole gamut of ability. This submission is not the time for Massenet to show how clever he is (and to his credit, he hasn't done so - he's written a relatively straightforward song that stands a good chance in the votes.)

The exception to this is, if Parliament partially but not completely approves anthem, they will be expected to provide Javel Massenet with constructive feedback, so that Massenet could potentially submit revised music. With the vast majority of Parliament having at least some degree of formal training, they will be concerned with at least having on record some concrete, actionable suggestions for Mr. Massenet.

But if Parliament thinks it sounds like a good national anthem, "A Nation of the Phoenix" will become the next national anthem. Simple as that. And soon, we'll discuss what we think of that question. Stay tuned...

[Chromatika]

The following essay was entered into a contest put on by The Rebel in which high schoolers wrote a piece on sporting matters in Chromatika. It won the contest, and was then published. The author has since started to receive offers to differing Chromatik universities despite being only a Sophomore.

WBC 52: How the Chromatik Sporting Council Gained the Approval of the Chromatik Government
By: Kieran Small, 10th Grade, Myana Northwestern High School

When the hosting bids of the World Baseball Classic began to circulate, a rumor began to go through the nation of Chromatika: that the Chromatik Sporting Council would submit for a bid to host the classic, despite only being two years removed from hosting the World Bowl, less than a year removed from hosting the World Cup, and scheduled to host the International Basketball Championships, which will conclude before the World Baseball Classic will reach Chromatika. Questions began to circulate amongst the population: Where did the nation get all the money from? What was it doing to the infrastructure of the nation al large? What were the greater goals of the Chromatik Football Federation and the Chromatik Sporting Council, as well as the Chromatik government allowing them to host all these tournaments? What are the greater implications of hosting so many tournaments in such a short period of time to the Chromatik populace? These are all great questions to be pondered.

When looking at the four tournaments that will be hosted in Chromatika within a span of just over two years, it's apparent that not everything is being funded by the Chromatik government. World Bowl XLI was a joint effort of Death Templars Law Firm and Black Raven Technologies. BRT reportedly funded over 70% of the costs of hosting the tournament, making its money by the amount of market shares that it has gained in the regions around Chromatika as well as the nation itself, while DTLF funded about 20% of the tournament. The Chromatik Football Federation only had to fund 10% of the competition, mostly to provide oversight, referees, and the like. This model, known in Chromatika as the "Dual Sponsor Funding Model", made it so that the World Bowl was primarily a cash cow as far as the Chromatik government and its population was concerned. With how well the Iron Legion did in the tournament, as well as the quality of matches contested, it was a good investment.

Next was the World Cup. The World Cup is an interesting competition - it is one of the greatest in all of the multiverse, but it is also hosted with another nation. With the Cassadagan Association for Soccer Excellence helping to fund half of the funds, the Chromatik Football Federation and the Chromatik government didn't have to carry all of the load. Still, it remains one of the most expensive things Chromatika has ever hosted at an international stage; however, the amount of tourism that it brought to Chromatika's shores, and the amount of tourism that it is expected to carry going forward (people will come to visit previous World Cup venues and locations, and the people that only came to watch the matches may return now that they've been exposed to Chromatika) is projected to make up for the costs in a relatively short period of time. In fact, there is already talk that the Chromatik Football Federation should bid to host another World Cup in the next ten years in order to bring exposure to the cities that did not get to host in the prior World Cup. As far as the data suggests, hosting the World Cup remains a net plus.

What about the International Basketball Championships? Basketball isn't a very famous sport in Chromatika, and that made this the most obscure of the competitions to be hosted so far. According to Death Templars Law Firm, the primary sponsor of the tournament, they "received substantial funds" from "legitimate businesspeople who wanted to further the sport of basketball and its role in Chromatik society". The Chromatik Sporting Council has, reportedly, vetted all funds and verified them to be legitimate. Therefore, the hosting of the most recent International Basketball Championships 32 remains to some an extravagant expense but to others a sign that there are those who are passionate about the sport. Since the tournament was mostly sponsored by those who funded the tournament through the Death Templars Law Firm, it bears no long term negative repercussions to the country and will actually give basketball a chance to see if it has captured the general audience.

So, where does that leave the World Baseball Classic 52? Well, the Chromatik government had more than enough reason to approve this bid. When the Chromatik Sporting Council grabbed the attention of the Regional Transit Corporation of Banija, the game was over. After the Foxchester Declaration and the subsequent displacing of the lands from Atlantian Oceania that has become Anaia, relations with some of the nations of Atlantian Oceania remain strained; however, one of the nations that Chromatika is having absolutely no issues with is Banija. Busukuma has stated explicitly that any and all limits being placed on Anaian nations exclude Chromatika given the ties that have been built since the first free election. In fact, with Xollie Lulabalo coming into prominence in Banijan politics, there may come a day where Chromatika's greatest friend will actually help rule Bainja. A tournament being majorly funded by RTC that is being hosted on Chromatik soil only deepens the relationship between the two nations while also providing a red carpet to the numerous projects that RTC will be doing in Chromatika, namely being building transportation infrastructure in areas of the Rainbow and Heartland Districts. This isn't just a celebration of baseball - it's a celebration of Chromatika's bond with Banija, and a step forward into a better future.

Therefore, it is my opinion that each of the four tournaments that Chromatika have hosted/will host have had a legitimate reason for the occurrence. By helping each of the sports thrive, the Chromatik government and the associations that helped fund the hosting of the competitions have done the nation a service. The lasting effects of this hosting binge will remain to be seen.

[Murderbum]

Chapter 6
28th June 1892
South of Heichelheim

“Hey boy, what’s your name?”
“Gifuldy, sir.”
“Okay Gifuldy, are you sure about this?”
“Yes, definitely.”
“Good because this is not going to be easy.”

Petrīçk had got a very good idea of how to exploit the sudden rise in support for the Resistance. The upheaval caused by his essay could give them a crucial advantage that might just make the difference in the ongoing battle. He was as good a military strategist as he was at exploiting people's feelings so hew formulated a plan quickly. But just like all his other plans, there would be people standing in between him and success.

“Lorentio, this is a fabulous plan and we have literally nothing to lose.”

“Oh yes, nothing to lose. I wonder why that sounds familiar. Oh wait, it was a few days ago when you said the exact same thing and then went and killed almost a whole contingent. Grow up for once.”

“You know as well as I do that yesterday’s failure wasn’t my fault. You know that very well yet you keep me from trying anything. Why don’t you get of your ass for once and actually get something done.”

“Be stubborn if you want but that’s a no. I will not be allowing anything like this.”

Petrīçk had been denied once, denied something he knew would work. Things were very much not going his way. In this moment of distress and anger Petrīçk could only think of solace from his dear friend Lukas.

“Hey, how you doing Lukas?”
“I’m fine, which you don’t seem to be. What’s on your mind?”
“Oh don’t ask. I had come up with this great plan to create some coordinated chaos for the Republic forces here, and maybe give us a win. But Lorentio as always played spoilsport.”
“What was your plan?”
“I was approached by this new guy from Heichelheim, he wanted to join us after being influenced by my essay. He told me that there were others too, I thought we could cause an inner riot. It would be incredibly efficient.”
“You can just go ahead y’know. Keep it quiet.”

Petrīçk had never been the type of person to disobey direct orders. Even if he wasn’t satisfied, he would let his dissatisfaction be known, but he never disobeyed orders. Lukas’s proposal presented Petrīçk with a difficult conundrum. Does he follow his orders’s despite knowing it’s a wrong decision or go against them knowing how much it could benefit them? He was at a crossroads, but he had had enough. Enough of being pushed around, he would now run the show. He had made his mind, he had made the decision to blatantly refuse orders for what he thought would speed up the war.

“Gifuldy, are you clear on the plan? You will go in and get out. Your only task is to ignite the riots and let the people take over. For these riots to be effective you’ll need weaponry. I have arranged for a number of pistols and rifles to be used. Distribute them among the mutineers. If this works, Heichelheim will fall in the matter of days.”
"What if it doesn't?"
"It bloody well will."

[Super-Llamaland]

Llamanean Baseball Association - Office of the President
New Llama City, Super-Llamaland

It had been a very good World Baseball Classic so far for Troy Vasquez. Ever since taking over for the controversial Owen Duffy in the wake of Fuchsgate, Vasquez had faced nothing but turbulence on his quest to return Llamanean baseball for relevance. Yet, under Isaac Oladipo, the WBC52 Tigers had been refreshingly boring and competent. At the halfway point of the group stage, they were 11-4 and in firm control of the group despite an early series loss to Hannasea. The WBC had been completely drama-free as the Heartball machine rolled smoothly into what was shaping up to be a top-10 seed in the Ro32.

Of course, a competitive national team was only the first step of the plan. Oladipo was working wonders with the current crop of talent, but the foundation that it rested on - the league - was in dire need of reform. There were plans underway to rejuvenate the league, but they would be incredibly controversial with both the owners and the public, so it was imperative that they be kept under wraps. But if they could force their way through the pressure, then the future of Llamanean baseball would be secured after all. Luckily, under Vasquez's administration, leaking had been all but snuffed out, so it didn't seem like there would be anything to worry ab-

Troy's internal monologuing was abruptly cut off by a phone call. "Hello?"

"It's Morgan. He's gone to the press about the project."

"Shit, really? What happened?"

"We rushed to the scene as soon as we could, and as far as we can tell...the journalist* pushed him off of a stepladder to his death? We intercepted the body, but whoever he was with is gone."

"Any idea who it is?"

"We're on it."

"Bring him to me."

[Le Choix]

Is Maïté Deschanel the Next Big Name in Chosen Baseball?
Word on the street is that there is a new hot prospect in town. According to the Bishop of Sport, the #1 prospect that will enter the Ligue de Baseball in the next year a soon as she reaches the age of eighteen is Maïté Deschanel, out of the small town of Rivière de Feu, Le Choix. Deschanel has been in the Chosen's system for four years, developing into the best that the Ministry of Sport has been able to accomplish.

Deschanel is a right-handed thrower who can either be a pitcher on the mound with a decent command of fastballs of three different speeds, changeups, and splitters, or be a center fielder with her ability to cannon the ball to any base to record an out. In academy play, she was noted as being able to reach home plate on more than 90% of her throws from deep center, an astonishing margin for someone so young.

She's an above-average batter, struggling against left handed pitchers but knowing how to work the pitch count to full; she doesn't have the greatest power in sending balls outside the park, but her hits do tend to fall into spots where there aren't fielders, resulting in doubles and triples.

However, the biggest reason why she's being hailed as one of the upcoming stars is due to her intangibles. Pressure doesn't seem to shake her, and she is so calm always that at times, it's frustrating to see just how melancholy she is at all times. Some say that if she can't be excited to play, she lacks motivation; others say that this demeanor will help her maintain composure. This is what makes her the most intriguing prospect.

It remains to be seen which team will take a chance on her, and then just how her presence will impact that squad. However, in a year or two, don't be surprised if she's part of the squad participating in the World Baseball Classic.

[Chromatika]

Series 6 Cutoff!

---

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 52

GROUP STAGE - SERIES 6
Chromatika and Le Choix Games were scored by Nephara/Brenecia

Group A

Game 1
Atheara                 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Barnettsville           2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 X  5

Arjunnagar              0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
South Americanastan     0 0 0 1 5 0 2 0 X  8

Nova Anglicana          4 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  7
Chromatika              5 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0  9

Game 2 
Atheara                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Barnettsville           0 4 0 0 0 1 1 1 X  7

Arjunnagar              0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3  5
South Americanastan     1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Nova Anglicana          1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Chromatika              0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2  4

Game 3 
Atheara                 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2  4
Barnettsville           1 0 4 2 0 0 0 2 X  9

Arjunnagar              0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 2  7
South Americanastan     1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Nova Anglicana          0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0  4
Chromatika              2 3 0 0 2 0 0 2 X  9

Group A                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Chromatika             18   15   3    94   56  +38
2 Barnettsville          18    9   9    89   80   +9
3 Nova Anglicana         18    9   9    86   83   +3
4 South Americanastan    18    8  10    76   68   +8
5 Arjunnagar             18    7  11    68   84  −16
6 Atheara                18    6  12    65  107  −42

Barnettsville ahead of Nova Anglicana due to H2H (2-1).

Group B

Game 1 
Eshialand               3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  5
Ranoria                 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 2  7

Venmere                 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  4
Sarzonia                0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  3

Delaclava               0 0 0 1 4 0 0 1 0  6
Equestria               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Game 2
Eshialand               1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0  5
Ranoria                 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 2  7

Venmere                 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  4
Sarzonia                0 0 2 2 0 3 6 1 X 14

Delaclava               1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  4
Equestria               0 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 X  5

Game 3
Eshialand               0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3  5
Ranoria                 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Venmere                 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1  4
Sarzonia                1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3

Delaclava               0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
Equestria               0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2  4

Group B                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Venmere                18   10   8    66   82  −16
2 Delaclava              18   10   8    76   64  +12
3 Eshialand              18    9   9    71   78   −7
4 Equestria              18    9   9    69   66   +3
5 Sarzonia               18    8  10    95   75  +20
6 Ranoria                18    8  10    64   76  −12

Venmere ahead of Delaclava due to H2H (2-1).
Eshialand ahead of Equestria due to H2H (2-1).
Sarzonia ahead of Ranoria due to H2H (3-0).

Group C

Game 1
Quintessence of Dust    3 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0  6
Drawkland               0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

Sylestone               0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1  3
Vangaziland             0 1 1 1 5 0 0 0 X  8

Barhe                   2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  5
Banija                  0 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 X  7

Game 2
Quintessence of Dust    2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0  7
Drawkland               0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  4

Sylestone               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Vangaziland             3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 X  5

Barhe                   0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0  3
Banija                  3 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 X  8

Game 3
Quintessence of Dust    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
Drawkland               1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  3

Sylestone               1 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 0  7
Vangaziland             0 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0  5

Barhe                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Banija                  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Group C                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Quintessence of Dust   18   12   6    83   64  +19
2 Banija                 18   11   7    97   58  +39
3 Vangaziland            18   11   7    70   59  +11
4 Drawkland              18    8  10    75   74   +1
5 Sylestone              18    6  12    64   95  −31
6 Barhe                  18    6  12    53   92  −39

Banija ahead of Vangaziland due to H2H (2-1).
Sylestone ahead of Barhe due to H2H (2-1).

Group D

Game 1
The Star Enpire         0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2
Gim                     0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 X  3

Le Choix                0 0 0 1 0 1 1 8 0 11
HUElavia                1 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 0  7

Hapilopper              0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0  4
Kohnhead                2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 X  5

Game 2
The Star Enpire         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0  3
Gim                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Le Choix                2 1 0 2 0 6 1 0 0 12
HUElavia                0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 1  5

Hapilopper              0 0 3 0 0 5 0 0 0  8
Kohnhead                1 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 0  6

Game 3
The Star Enpire         1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1  5
Gim                     0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0  4

Le Choix                1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  6
HUElavia                0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0  5

Hapilopper              1 2 0 0 1 1 5 0 0 10
Kohnhead                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Group D                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Le Choix               18   13   5   105   66  +39
2 Hapilopper             18   11   7    96   73  +23
3 Kohnhead               18    9   9    67   72   −5
4 The Star Enpire        18    8  10    71   80   −9
5 HUElavia               18    7  11    84  105  −21
6 Gim                    18    6  12    70   97  −27

Group E

Game 1
South Newlandia         1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Marigred                0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 X  4

Qzvarkian Qaz           0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Bahia Roja              0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 X  3

Martune                 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 0  5
Quebec and Shingoryeo   0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Game 2
South Newlandia         0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  3
Marigred                0 0 0 0 4 2 0 2 X  8

Qzvarkian Qaz           3 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 11
Bahia Roja              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2

Martune                 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1  4
Quebec and Shingoryeo   0 0 1 0 2 1 1 1 X  6

Game 3
South Newlandia         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Marigred                0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 X  3

Qzvarkian Qaz           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Bahia Roja              0 2 2 0 0 1 0 2 X  7

Martune                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Quebec and Shingoryeo   0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  2

Group E                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Bahia Roja              18   12   6    91   64  +27
2 Marigred                18   12   6    81   75   +6
3 South Newlandia         18   10   8    75   58  +17
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo   18    7  11    81   88   −7
5 Martune                 18    7  11    63   82  −19
6 Qzvarkian Qaz           18    6  12    81  105  −24

Bahia Roja ahead of Marigred due to H2H (2-1).
Quebec and Shingoryeo ahead of Martune due to H2H (4-2).

Group F

Game 1
Liventia                3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  6
The Kytler Peninsulae   0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  2

Xanneria                1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Milchama                0 1 0 1 0 0 4 1 X  7

The Sherpa Empire       0 5 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 10
Abanhfleft              2 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 1  9

Game 2 
Liventia                0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 0  8
The Kytler Peninsulae   3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  6

Xanneria                4 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  6
Milchama                0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

The Sherpa Empire       0 0 3 0 0 4 4 0 2 13
Abanhfleft              0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Game 3 
Liventia                0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 0  7
The Kytler Peninsulae   0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3

Xanneria                1 0 0 3 1 4 2 0 1 12
Milchama                0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1  5

The Sherpa Empire       0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1  4
Abanhfleft              1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  3

Group F                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 The Sherpa Empire       18   14   4    98   48  +50
2 Liventia                18   12   6    84   56  +28
3 Xanneria                18   11   7    96   81  +15
4 Milchama                18    7  11    69   99  −30
5 Abanhfleft              18    6  12    74  105  −31
6 The Kytler Peninsulae   18    4  14    59   91  −32

Group G

Game 1 
West Phoencia           0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Tikariot                2 0 3 0 0 0 2 1 X  8

Magnecia                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 6 13
Ethane                  0 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 2  7

Daehae                  1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  3
TJUN-ia                 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

Game 2
West Phoencia           0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Tikariot                1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X  3

Magnecia                1 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 2  8
Ethane                  0 1 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0  6

Daehae                  0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
TJUN-ia                 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 X  7

Game 3
West Phoencia           0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0  4
Tikariot                0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Magnecia                0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 0  5
Ethane                  1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Daehae                  0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 1  5
TJUN-ia                 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Group G                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Magnecia               18   13   5    89   61  +28
2 Tikariot               18   12   6   101   62  +39
3 TJUN-ia                18   11   7    79   66  +13
4 West Phoencia          18    7  11    61   92  −31
5 Daehae                 18    6  12    61   74  −13
6 Ethane                 18    5  13    63   99  −36

Group H

Game 1
The Jovannic            0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  5
Ko-oren                 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 3 X  9

Snow and Ice Caps       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Sevendia                0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 X  5

Kriegiersien            0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Daskel                  0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2  5

Game 2
The Jovannic            0 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  5
Ko-oren                 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1  3

Snow and Ice Caps       0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0  3
Sevendia                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Kriegiersien            1 0 3 1 0 0 2 1 0  8
Daskel                  0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0  3

Game 3
The Jovannic            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Ko-oren                 0 0 0 6 3 0 0 0 X  9

Snow and Ice Caps       0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Sevendia                1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  2

Kriegiersien            0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Daskel                  0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  3

Group H                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Kriegiersien           18   12   6    74   60  +14
2 The Jovannic           18   10   8    78   73   +5
3 Sevendia               18    9   9    62   76  −14
4 Daskel                 18    8  10    81   74   +7
5 Ko-oren                18    8  10    73   65   +8
6 Snow and Ice Caps      18    7  11    40   60  −20

Daskel ahead of Ko-oren due to H2H (2-1).

Group I

Game 1
The Greater Nordics     0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 4  8
Bardney                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Raspotochje             0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Fondalma                0 0 0 2 1 5 5 0 X 13

Zwangzug                0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Norrhem                 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1  4

Game 2
The Greater Nordics     1 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 0  9
Bardney                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2

Raspotochje             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3
Fondalma                0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 X  5

Zwangzug                0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Norrhem                 0 6 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  7

Game 3
The Greater Nordics     1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0  4
Bardney                 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Raspotochje             0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Fondalma                0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 X  4

Zwangzug                0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Norrhem                 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 X  3

Group I                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Bardney                18   11   7    88   74  +14
2 Norrhem                18    9   9   100   88  +12
3 Zwangzug               18    9   9    88   84   +4
4 Fondalma               18    9   9    70   78   −8
5 Raspotochje            18    8  10    76   92  −16
6 The Greater Nordics    18    8  10    73   79   −6

Norrhem, Zwangzug, and Fondalma have not played each other the same number of times. Therefore, the ties are being broken by RD for now.

Group J

Game 1
Murderbum               0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0  4
Hebitaka                0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2

Super-Llamaland         1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1  6
Hannasea                2 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 X 12

Cassadaigua             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3
The 189                 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Game 2
Murderbum               0 0 0 0 3 0 2 3 0  8
Hebitaka                0 0 0 3 1 0 5 0 X  9

Super-Llamaland         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Hannasea                0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

Cassadaigua             0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 4  7
The 189                 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1  4

Game 3
Murderbum               3 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0  7
Hebitaka                0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 2  6

Super-Llamaland         1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Hannasea                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2

Cassadaigua             0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
The 189                 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 X  5

Group J                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Hannasea               18   13   5    93   68  +25
2 Super-Llamaland        18   11   7    86   68  +18
3 Cassadaigua            18   10   8    84   77   +7
4 Murderbum              18    8  10    69   84  −15
5 Hebitaka               18    7  11    80   88   −8
6 The 189                18    5  13    65   92  −27

---

Tables showing the Top Three per group and the Fourth Placed Teams will start to be compiled tomorrow.

For the announcement click here

[Sarzonia]

Closed-door meetings can be dangerous for teams.

If they work, the team sees marked improvement in results. If they don't, they could lead to trouble.

In the case of the Sarzonian national baseball team, the latter has proven to be the case. Sarzonia lost two of three matches for the fourth consecutive series, this time losing to unranked Venmere to fall to a last place tie with Ranoria in Group B.

Following the match, a sombre Geoff Yancey finally openly addressed questions about his job.

"I don't think anyone on this team is coasting and expecting us to qualify for the knockouts solely based on rank," he said. "We've been fighting each and every time out there, but you see where we are in the group tables. It's incredibly frustrating.

"I don't know what my status is going to be, if I'm going to be here beyond this series or beyond this Classic if we fail to qualify for the knockouts. That question's above my pay scale."

As for Sarzonia (8-10), there aren't too many other options according to sources familiar with the Incorporated Baseball Federation's thinking. They could fire Yancey and replace him with bench coach Brad Howland, but the source said the problems with the team extend far beyond Yancey and anything he's doing.

"You've gotta remember this team played in the semifinals in the previous World Baseball Classic. Was that a fluke? I can't say for sure, but I don't think anyone wants to overreact to one bad Classic."

However, Yancey said the fault was not that of World Baseball Classic organisers as he addressed what he dismissed as a "kooky conspiracy theory" that host nations Chromatika and Banija have it in for the Stars.

"I'm not going to glorify that shit with a response," Yancey said. "In fact, who gave you your credential?"

Starting pitcher Jeff Parrish followed Yancey to the press room and said, "look. We're 8-10. That's the overriding concern. A team that should be contending for a top seed is 8-10 and would miss the knockout rounds if the Classic ended right now. That's what we're faced with."

Jamie Pearson and Brian Lynch will get the ball for the Stars as they travel to Ranoria. Yancey didn't commit to sending out fifth starter Alton Long for the final match of the series, hinting that he may pitch Parrish on short rest against the Krauts.

"Nothing else has worked, so why the fuck not?" he asked.

[Nova Anglicana]

Clark government, power-sharing agreement take shape in wake of election

John McAvoy, Political Columnist, Londinium Courier

Josephine Clark is moving fast after her snap election victory. Just three weeks after the poll, she has announced the formation of a government between her Progressive Justice Party, the Stewardship Party, and the Liberal Secularists. The PJP and their Stewardship Party allies won 48 of 100 seats, and they could have tried to form a minority government or agree to confidence and supply with the Liberal Secularists. There was some talk of doing that, as the Liberal Secularists themselves were a little skittish on being too closely identified with the left, especially after the departure of two left-wing Deputies in the last session. But in the end, the PJP and the Stewardship Party signed a full coalition deal, while the Liberal Secularists made a "co-operation agreement" with the PJP, which will give them positions in government, but not bind them to support all government policies. The new government will have 56 seats, a fairly comfortable majority, and the PJP will hold 10 Cabinet positions, the Stewardship Party 4, and the Liberal Secularists 2.

Josephine Clark, PJP party leader, will be the Prime Minister, with Marilyn Greenfield, head of the Stewardship Party, as her Deputy PM. As Deputy PM, Greenfield will be responsible for managing the rank and file as well as giving input on and articulating government policy. This is the first Deputy PM to come from a different party than the Prime Minister, an important step that acknowledges the importance of the SP to this coalition. Being elevated to the Minister of Defense is PJP leadership candidate, former Justice Minister, and former Premier of New Brunswick Tim McKenzie. This shows the rise of McKenzie, being selected for such an important post. He'll have to learn somewhat on the fly, but is considered to be more than competent and will continue the traditional PJP dovish approach. Lester Gray is a first-time Deputy, but he brings decades of experience as a professor of economics at universities both at home and abroad. He's expected to find the best way to adjust taxes and budgetary issues after the PP's cuts last year. Emily Waterford, party leader of the Liberal Secularists, continues in her role as Minister of Education; her priorities include STEM education and keeping tuition rates low. Talia Sherwood moves up from Minister of Immigration to Foreign Affairs, where she will be tasked with implementing Nova Anglican foreign policy. This is the same path Clark followed two terms ago, so look out for future Sherwood ambitions. She'll continue to uphold a humane and multilateralist foreign policy, probably with special emphasis on Esportiva. Alexandra Ward returns to the Minister of Health portfolio and is reportedly looking for ways to strengthen the pre-natal and early childhood parts of healthcare, as well as improving equity. Colin Clarke, Stewardship Party Deputy, returns to the Social Services role. He wants to look for ambitious ways to rethink the Nova Anglican welfare system so it reaches everyone in need. Bryan McKinney, the Liberal Secularists' Deputy Leader, comes back to the Minister of Infrastructure role. He'll look to continue the work begun on the high-speed rail system as well as renewable energy infrastructure. Sheila Gordon replaces McKenzie at Justice, and has said she wants to resolve jurisdiction issues with First Nations groups and ensure diversion and treatment for low-level drug offenders. Isaac Okomo-Grant is the nation's first Black cabinet minister, and he takes over at Commerce and Labor. Some would have preferred a Minister with more of a labor background, but Okomo-Grant is talking up ways to supercharge minority-owned businesses, so equity trumps supposed neoliberalism for now. Michael Greer becomes the new Interior Minister; he comes from a cybersecurity background and says he wants to modernise security infrastructure to fight right-wing terrorism, a huge issue after the mosque bombing, and protect elections. Paulette Joseph is the new Environment Minister and has promised to work hand-in-glove with McKinney on energy. Bruce Russell, a leadership candidate and close ally of former Agriculture Minister Ralph Coleman, becomes the new head man at Agriculture. Clark took some criticism for not appointing a more progressive minister, but Coleman had a lot of influence in this pick and Russell has promised to be open to "any and all suggestions to support and improve Nova Anglican agriculture." Robin Carpenter continues to serve as Minister of Culture, and she has announced her focus on expanding tourism, especially in the NAAZE.

Nova Anglican Cabinet

Prime Minister: Josephine Clark (PJP)
Deputy Prime Minister: Marilyn Greenfield (SP)
Minister of Defense: Tim McKenzie (PJP)
Minister of Finance: Lester Gray (PJP)
Minister of Education: Emily Waterford (LS)
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Talia Sherwood (PJP)
Minister of Health: Alexandra Ward (PJP)
Minister of Social Services: Colin Clarke (SP)
Minister of Infrastructure: Bryan McKinney (LS)
Minister of Justice: Sheila Gordon (PJP)
Minister of Commerce/Labor: Isaac Okomo-Grant (PJP)
Interior Minister: Michael Greer (PJP)
Minister of the Environment: Paulette Joseph (SP)
Minister of Immigration: Annette Chandler (PJP)
Minister of Agriculture: Bruce Russell (PJP)
Minister of Culture: Robin Carpenter (SP)

Series against Chromatika

Game 1 losing pitcher: Justin Chandler, 0.1 IP, 1 ER (Rex Boyd, 6.2 IP, 2 ER, Cody Brock, 1 IP, 0 ER)

Game 2 losing pitcher: Christian Hammond, 4 IP, 6 ER (Branford Bass, 2 IP, 0 ER, Caleb Sherman, 2 IP, 1 ER)

Game 3 losing pitcher: Dallas Hawkins, 1 IP, 1 ER (Rocky Gantt, 5 IP, 4 ER, Roger Bizet 1 IP, 1 ER, Ricky Hart, 1 IP, 0 ER)

[Ko-oren]

Stats without Context - Lunaro Tsukida's As Of Yet Barely Named Baseball Series.

With football in the middle of the offseason, it's time to widen your horizon. For some, that means going on holiday to foreign lands. For others, it means putting the TV on a channel that isn't football 24/7. Today, I've pressed the + channel button on my TV's remote and ended up with the World Baseball Classic. Where Ko-oren has a decent history - arguably better than football - interspersed with some absolutely hilariously unlucky and downright bad seasons. If you thought that Advance Alara was up and down, we'll, here's our national baseball team for you. Or to put it in terms that baseball aficionados would understand: if you thought the Teragaseki Dynamo were up and down, well, here's our national baseball team for you - but as a baseball aficionado, you already knew that.

This first table shows our record in each series in the S column (S for Series). We went 2-1 in the away series at the Jovannic in round 1. The next column shows our record versus that opponent: having played all six games against the Jovannic, you can see in the sixth row (for Series 6) that we're 4-2 against them. Rec indicates our overall record in the tournament at that point. Ko-oren are now 8-10. Finally, you can see the home venue for each home series, divided up into region.

Again, for those familiar with baseball, that's easy. For everyone else: the KBA gives out home series to a region. For Finisterre, that involves playing in Ferrovente and Santa Teresa - I've not specified it down to that level. I just said 'Finisterre'. Same with Alara & Etena. I haven't specified whether a game was played at the Teragaseki Dynamo or the Echizen Dragons - just saying "Alara & Etena" is enough.

Series n  H/A Opp.              S   Vs  Rec  Home stadium

Series 1  @   Jovannic          2-1 2-1 2-1
Series 2  @   Sevendia          1-2 1-2 3-3
Series 3  v   Daskel            1-2 1-2 4-5  Finisterre
Series 4  @   Kriegiersien      0-3 0-3 4-8
Series 5  v   Snow and Ice Caps 2-1 2-1 6-9  Selesi
Series 6  v   Jovannic          2-1 4-2 8-10 Katashi
Series 6  v   Jovannic                       Katashi
Series 7  v   Sevendia                       Leleia
Series 8  @   Daskel
Series 9  v   Kriegiersien                   Alara & Etena
Series 10 @   Snow and Ice Caps

Starting out with two away series and going 3-3 is mediocre. But check out that midseason back-to-back-to-back home series, in which Ko-oren is 4-2 at the moment, with the Sevendia series left to play. All are played in the southeast, with Selesi, then Katashi, then Leleia (which is the island Katashi is on). The schedule is a bit more favourable to us at the end, and we'll need it. So far we're looking at Ko-oren's worst WBC group stage in at least 6 Classics.

And the above gives us the following stat. You hope to be doing better at home than away...

Home: 3-3
Away: 3-6

... and we narrowly are.

Now we've got a feeling for how each series went, let's look at the games themselves. Each series comprises three games. Each game is a loss or a win. But exactly when was each result decided? In other words, during which inning did the winning team score their nth run, where n stands for the opponent's score?

If Ko-oren vs Sevendia were to end 7-0, the inning where Ko-oren scores its first run is the one where they established their deciding lead - as Sevendia would never overcome that one run. If Ko-oren scored its first run in the first inning, and scored no further run, they'd still be recorded as having established their deciding lead in the first inning. It's a bit convoluted, but I hope it's enough.

In which inning was the deciding lead established?
Wins:
1st 
2nd 
3rd 
4th 1
5th 2
6th
7th 
8th 1
9th 2
Ext

Losses:
1st 
2nd 
3rd 2
4th 1
5th 1
6th 
7th 2
8th 
9th 
Ext 3 (10th, 11th, 14th)

Ko-oren has played in three games that went to extra innings, and came away with three sweet losses there. At least they didn't give away crucial games in the eighth and ninth innings, which would be heartbreaking. Instead, the Dragonflies established winning leads in the ninth twice (and in the eighth once), which indicates that the team can absolutely be clutch at the end and has three wins to show for it - but is immediately past their due date once the extra innings start. Those two losses given up in the 7th aren't great either... and then we see that the Dragonflies regularly refuse to score on the relievers. Five losses were sealed in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, when the starters were often still on the mound. Our wins came in the middle of the game (4th, 5th, 6th innings) most often - which makes me say that our bullpen is pretty decent, and our starters are not pulling their weight.


Now for something cool and historic: going back to WBC 47 (we might be going back all the way to early Ko-orenite history, for what it's worth, at some point), how did the national team do in each region?

Record in each region, going back to WBC 47 (does not yet include results of WBC 52 Jovannic, Sevendia and Kriegiersien series)

Selesi        9-2  0.818
Elsewhere     11-3 0.786
Leleia        7-2  0.778
Finisterre    14-5 0.737
Katashi       11-4 0.733
Alara & Etena 10-5 0.667

So if Ko-oren's so good in Selesi and Leleia, why don't they play there more often?
Well, that's pretty simple. The KBA schedules the toughest games against the best opponents in the big markets of Katashi and Finisterre - which puts them lower, as you're not going to do as well against Pots 2 and 3 as you are against Pots 5 and 6. Teams from lower pots get assigned to smaller venues... like the ones in Selesi and Leleia. 'Elsewhere' refers to Schemerdrecht, Aminey, and the occasional game in Étouille/Granon, and the reason they're high up is that the KBA only assigns bad teams to those venues, so the locals can see the team win more often, hopefully tricking said locals into thinking Ko-oren is good at this sport so they'll make their kids play it.

Apparently, Ko-oren is just straight garbage in Alara and Etena. No clue why.

Why does this only go back to WBC 47?
- We'll go further back in future articles, though information on the scheduling on the KBA's side of things gets muddier the further back you go.

Why isn't each place's record divisible by 3?
Because games weren't always scheduled in threes. The Casaran WBC had two home games at a time, for instance, and one WBC featured the KBA dividing games within a series over multiple cities in different regions.

[Kriegiersien]

Baseball, the sport of leisure and luck?


While the best professional players of Kriegiersien are deserved in the Olympic finals, some amateurs are also doing a great job at the Classics. Being first in their group, their biggest losses were against the weakest teams. Asked about their secret, the coach lifted his head from a hammock model Coopertin, putting aside a Piña Colada:

We are not training. We have seen other teams putting much effort in getting better, to no avail. So we stopped that. Just keep your head low and win. Works like a charm. Of course sometimes a bit boring, but I’ll take that. It is the way.

[Sevendia]

This article has been translated from Sevendian, the language spoken in Sevendia, to make it somewhat readable. The original, of course, followed the various complicated Sevendian language rules, including using 7 in place of any other number. This has been observed to make foreigners uncomfortable.

Sevendia with perfect 7-win record halfway into World Baseball Classic

Following a very successful venture into WBC50, where Sevendia finished with 7*2 wins and just shy of a playoff spot, the team of Seven-Seven Seventy-Seven has taken a solid start in WBC52 (5+2=7). Highlights so far include a seventh-inning home run by Sejal-Seven Seventy-seven to score all the runs (7÷7) for Sevendia in game 2 in a nation called Snow and Ice Caps, and of course, the best performance of the Sevens so far – a 7-0 road win in game three. Beautiful stuff.
They followed this up with skilfully engineering 7 runs for their Ko-orenite visitors in game 5, thanks to Selvin-Seven Iöderhven masterfully blowing the lead late.
In game seven, the Sevens lost by seven runs, by 10-3, to be exact. No team can come back from such a deficit, but why would you want to beat The Jovannic if you can achieve seven.
Later, visiting Daskel for game 11, the Sevens put their achievement they had gotten against Ko-oren even better, giving up 7*2 runs. Cho Juzou, Left Fielder of the Daskelian team, wearing the number seven, accumulated seven total bases. Beautiful!
With Kriegiersien visiting in game 14, they once again allowed seven runs in a fantastic game.
Overall, the Sevendian performance has to be viewed as an overwhelming, very seven success. How Seven can the Sevendian team take things in the second half of the schedule? We’ll soon find out.

[Sarzonia]

The following is an excerpt from the diary of Sarzonian national baseball team manager Geoff Yancey.

woke up early. like 3:45 a.m. i never wake up this early, but my sheets are soaked.

i'm still trying to make sense of the nightmare i just had. i mean we played venmere again, this time at fleetwood and we lost two out of three to them again. i don't know what to make of that. i mean, i was dreaming of pitching changes and pinch hitters and arguing with umpires and shit. it was all real, like i remember specific details.

and then? turns out it was just a dream. i was seriously wondering if lou coletti was going to call me in to fire me. like it was that real.

and now? we're still at fleetwood park. i could hear the boos in my sleep. it took everything i had to not yell at the fans. i mean, i get why they're upset. we're 7-8. we should be rolling this group right now but we've lost every series so far except against ranoria. and that was the only time we actually played the way we should be against these teams.

i mean eshialand played us tough but that's expected. delaclava? that's a throw out the records-type rivalry. equestria's pretty highly ranked too and that was an away series so i get it. but i remember it all. i remember the press conference. i remember jeff parrish telling me he wanted the ball against the krauts even if that pushed alton to the bullpen. i mean, i could pick out the zit on jeff's face. wait. jeff doesn't have a zit. he did in the dream.

either way, this might be my last series as manager if we don't figure something out against these guys. i mean, we don't even know what the names of the guys on the other team are. they haven't sent a roster in. we don't know what to serve their people for breakfast in the clubhouse.

at least we have some more games at home now. we have to travel to ranoria and then we have our last series in delaclava. are they actually talking about a new national anthem?

anyway, i better try to get back to sleep.

-Geoff

[Venmere]

UNHEARD HITTERS

Sometimes, you lose. Most of the time, nobody notices, nobody cares. People are usually too interested in other things to care that you lost.

There are other times when you lose, and everybody notices. Everyone sees your failure. That's the worst kind of loss.

Sometimes, you win. Most of the time, somebody notices, somebody cares. People who care about your team care that you won, and are excited for you.

Then there's the Venmere National Baseball Team in WBC 52.

The Peregrine Falcons have risen to a 10-8 record and the top of the group, poised to take the group and make a tournament run.

But nobody at home seems to notice.

Ticket sales to national team games are holding steady at 36% capacity. Sales of shirts, hats, and other gear is low.

But somehow, these Peregrine Falcons are ignoring all of that and leading their group, which includes such greats as Sarzonia.

The few who pay attention to them point out in disgust that they have a negative run differential and are only in first on a tiebreaker.

National Team pitcher Paul Frankinson points out that the team has come farther than anyone, "including the team itself, has expected."

Following Frankinson's pitch to end the 4-3 win last night, he stood up and faced the empty stands, throwing them a salute.

When asked about the gesture following the game, Frankinson said, "I was tipping my hat to everyone who cares about this team."

The supporters, apparently, are the thousands of empty chairs in the grandstands.

[Chromatika]

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 52

GROUP STAGE - SERIES 6 RESCORE
Chromatika and Le Choix Games were scored by South Newlandia

Group A

Game 1
Atheara                 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  5
Barnettsville           1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  4

Arjunnagar              0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1  4
South Americanastan     0 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 X  5

Nova Anglicana          0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Chromatika              0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 X  3

Game 2 
Atheara                 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  4
Barnettsville           0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  3

Arjunnagar              0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1  4
South Americanastan     0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Nova Anglicana          0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0  3
Chromatika              2 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 X  7

Game 3 
Atheara                 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 0  7
Barnettsville           1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Arjunnagar              0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
South Americanastan     0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 5  7

Nova Anglicana          0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0  4
Chromatika              0 0 2 0 2 1 1 0 X  6

Group A                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Chromatika             18   15   3    88   52  +36
2 South Americanastan    18    9   9    77   64  +13
3 Nova Anglicana         18    9   9    82   77   +5
4 Atheara                18    9   9    73   95  −22
5 Arjunnagar             18    6  12    64   85  −21
6 Barnettsville          18    6  12    77   88  −11

South Americanastan 2-1 Atheara (+9), (5-4, 3-5, 14-4)
South Americanastan 2-1 Nova Anglicana (+7), (5-1, 4-5, 5-1)
Nova Anglicana 3-0 Atheara (+17), (10-2, 4-1, 11-5)
South Americanastan 4-2 Atheara and Nova Anglicana
Nova Anglicana 4-2 South Americanastan and Atheara
Atheara 1-5 South Americanastan and Nova Anglicana. Therefore, Atheara is fourth.
South Americanastan ahead of Nova Anglicana by H2H Result (2-1).
Arjunnagar ahead of Barnettsville due to H2H Result (2-1).

Group B

Game 1 
Eshialand               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ranoria                 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 X  6

Venmere                 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  3
Sarzonia                0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1  4

Delaclava               0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  2
Equestria               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  3

Game 2
Eshialand               0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
Ranoria                 0 4 0 0 6 0 0 1 X 11

Venmere                 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0  3
Sarzonia                0 4 0 3 0 0 2 0 X  9

Delaclava               0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 4  8
Equestria               0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Game 3
Eshialand               0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0  5
Ranoria                 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0  4

Venmere                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Sarzonia                0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

Delaclava               0 0 2 4 2 2 0 0 2 12
Equestria               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Group B                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Delaclava              18   11   7    85   59  +26
2 Sarzonia               18   10   8    89   69  +20
3 Eshialand              18    9   9    63   84  −21
4 Ranoria                18    8  10    70   68   +2
5 Venmere                18    8  10    60   76  −16
6 Equestria              18    8  10    64   75  −11

Ranoria 2-1 Venmere (-1), (2-5, 5-4, 4-3)
Ranoria 2-1 Equestria (-1), (4-2, 2-6, 7-6)
Venmere 2-1 Equestria (-2), (0-4, 4-3, 4-3)
Ranoria 4-2 Venmere and Equestria
Venmere 3-3 Equestria and Ranoria
Equestria 1-2 Venmere and Ranoria
Therefore, Ranoria is 4th, Venmere 5th, and Equestria 6th.

Group C

Game 1
Quintessence of Dust    0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2  4
Drawkland               1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  3

Sylestone               5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  6
Vangaziland             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Barhe                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Banija                  1 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 X  7

Game 2
Quintessence of Dust    1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Drawkland               0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 X  4

Sylestone               0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  2
Vangaziland             1 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 X  6

Barhe                   0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  4
Banija                  0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2  6

Game 3
Quintessence of Dust    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Drawkland               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Sylestone               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Vangaziland             0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 X  4

Barhe                   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Banija                  1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  3

Group C                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Quintessence of Dust   18   12   6    76   61  +15
2 Banija                 18   11   7    96   54  +42
3 Vangaziland            18   11   7    62   57   +5
4 Drawkland              18    8  10    72   67   +5
5 Sylestone              18    6  12    62   87  −25
6 Barhe                  18    6  12    49   91  −42

Banija ahead of Vangaziland due to H2H Result (2-1).
Sylestone ahead of Barhe due to H2H Result (2-1).

Group D

Game 1
The Star Enpire         0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  5
Gim                     1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

Le Choix                0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0  4
HUElavia                0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 2  6

Hapilopper              0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Kohnhead                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Game 2
The Star Enpire         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Gim                     0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 X  5

Le Choix                1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
HUElavia                0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Hapilopper              1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
Kohnhead                0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 X  4

Game 3
The Star Enpire         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Gim                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4  4
The original score of this match was 0-5. As that isn't possible, it's been corrected.

Le Choix                0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0  5
HUElavia                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Hapilopper              0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Kohnhead                4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Group D                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Le Choix               18   11   7    87   59  +28
2 Hapilopper             18   10   8    80   71   +9
3 Kohnhead               18   10   8    65   56   +9
4 HUElavia               18    9   9    77   87  −10
5 The Star Enpire        18    7  11    68   84  −16
6 Gim                    18    7  11    74   94  −20

Hapilopper 3-3 Kohnhead, Hapilopper ahead by H2H RD (17 vs. 16), (4-1, 5-0, 2-6, 2-1, 3-4, 1-4).
The Star Enpire ahead of Gim due to H2H Result (4-2).

Group E

Game 1
South Newlandia         0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Marigred                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Qzvarkian Qaz           2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0  6
Bahia Roja              0 1 1 0 1 0 4 0 X  7

Martune                 0 3 0 1 0 3 0 0 0  7
Quebec and Shingoryeo   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  2

Game 2
South Newlandia         1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  3
Marigred                0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 X  4

Qzvarkian Qaz           0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  4
Bahia Roja              1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2  6

Martune                 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
Quebec and Shingoryeo   4 5 1 0 0 2 1 0 X 13

Game 3
South Newlandia         0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  3
Marigred                0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Qzvarkian Qaz           3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Bahia Roja              0 0 0 5 3 0 0 0 X  8

Martune                 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0  4
Quebec and Shingoryeo   1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3

Group E                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Bahia Roja              18   13   5   100   65  +35
2 South Newlandia         18   12   6    79   49  +30
3 Marigred                18   10   8    72   79   −7
4 Martune                 18    8  10    67   91  −24
5 Quebec and Shingoryeo   18    6  12    90   92   −2
6 Qzvarkian Qaz           18    5  13    82  114  −32

Group F

Game 1
Liventia                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
The Kytler Peninsulae   1 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  7

Xanneria                0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  2
Milchama                1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 X  7

The Sherpa Empire       1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Abanhfleft              3 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 X  8

Game 2 
Liventia                0 0 2 0 4 2 2 1 0 11
The Kytler Peninsulae   0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3

Xanneria                0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  3
Milchama                3 0 2 0 0 1 3 0 X  9

The Sherpa Empire       1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Abanhfleft              0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  3

Game 3 
Liventia                0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
The Kytler Peninsulae   0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Xanneria                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Milchama                0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

The Sherpa Empire       1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
Abanhfleft              1 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 X  5

Group F                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Liventia                18   11   7    77   56  +21
2 The Sherpa Empire       18   11   7    77   49  +28
3 Xanneria                18    9   9    81   85   −4
4 Abanhfleft              18    9   9    75   84   −9
5 Milchama                18    9   9    73   84  −11
6 The Kytler Peninsulae   18    5  13    59   84  −25

Liventia ahead of The Sherpa Empire due to H2H Result (2-1).
Xanneria, Abanhfleft, Milchama tie broken by overall RD as some teams have played each other more times than others.

Group G

Game 1 
West Phoencia           0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  3
Tikariot                0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Magnecia                1 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0  5
Ethane                  9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  9

Daehae                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
TJUN-ia                 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 X  4

Game 2
West Phoencia           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Tikariot                2 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 X  6

Magnecia                1 1 0 0 3 0 0 1 0  6
Ethane                  0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0  4

Daehae                  0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0  2
TJUN-ia                 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 X  5

Game 3
West Phoencia           0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0  3
Tikariot                0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1  4

Magnecia                1 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0  5
Ethane                  0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0  3

Daehae                  0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
TJUN-ia                 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 0 X 12

Group G                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Magnecia               18   12   6    79   63  +16
2 TJUN-ia                18   12   6    88   61  +27
3 Tikariot               18   12   6   101   59  +42
4 West Phoencia          18    7  11    58   92  −34
5 Ethane                 18    6  12    65   89  −24
6 Daehae                 18    5  13    56   83  −27

Magnecia 3-0 TJUN-ia (8-5, 4-2, 11-3)
TJUN-ia 2-1 Tikariot (10-3, 7-5, 4-7)
Magnecia 2-1 Tikariot (2-1, 1-3, 4-2)
Magnecia 5-1 TJUN-ia and Tikariot
TJUN-ia 2-4 Tikariot and Magnecia
Tikariot 2-4 TJUN-ia and Magnecia
Therefore, Magnecia is first and TJUN-ia is second via H2H Result (2-1).

Group H

Game 1
The Jovannic            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ko-oren                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  1

Snow and Ice Caps       4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  6
Sevendia                1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2  5

Kriegiersien            0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Daskel                  0 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 X  5

Game 2
The Jovannic            0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Ko-oren                 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 X  4

Snow and Ice Caps       3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  4
Sevendia                0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1  5

Kriegiersien            1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  7
Daskel                  0 0 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 0  6

Game 3
The Jovannic            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0  4
Ko-oren                 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 X  5

Snow and Ice Caps       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Sevendia                0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 X  5

Kriegiersien            5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  5
Daskel                  0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4  6

Group H                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Kriegiersien           18   12   6    77   66  +11
2 The Jovannic           18    9   9    73   62  +11
3 Ko-oren                18    9   9    62   60   +2
4 Sevendia               18    9   9    69   81  −12
5 Daskel                 18    8  10    87   77  +10
6 Snow and Ice Caps      18    7  11    45   67  −22

Ko-oren, The Jovannic, and Sevendia tie broken by overall RD as some teams have played each other more times than others.

Group I

Game 1
The Greater Nordics     2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Bardney                 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  3

Raspotochje             0 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  6
Fondalma                0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  5

Zwangzug                0 0 0 0 7 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 11
Norrhem                 1 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 1  9

Game 2
The Greater Nordics     0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0  5
Bardney                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Raspotochje             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Fondalma                0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 X  3

Zwangzug                2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Norrhem                 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3

Game 3
The Greater Nordics     1 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0  7
Bardney                 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0  5

Raspotochje             1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  3
Fondalma                0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 X  6

Zwangzug                0 0 3 0 0 1 2 2 0  8
Norrhem                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Group I                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Zwangzug               18   12   6   106   82  +24
2 Bardney                18   11   7    93   69  +24
3 Raspotochje            18    9   9    78   84   −6
4 The Greater Nordics    18    8  10    68   84  −16
5 Fondalma               18    8  10    62   80  −18
6 Norrhem                18    6  12    98  106   −8

The Greater Nordics ahead of Fondalma due to H2H Result (2-1).

Group J

Game 1
Murderbum               0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Hebitaka                3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Super-Llamaland         0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1  3
Hannasea                0 0 1 0 7 0 0 1 X  9

Cassadaigua             1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
The 189                 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 X  5

Game 2
Murderbum               0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0  4
Hebitaka                0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 7 11

Super-Llamaland         1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0  4
Hannasea                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Cassadaigua             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
The 189                 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 2 X  6

Game 3
Murderbum               0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  2
Hebitaka                1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2  4

Super-Llamaland         0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 0  5
Hannasea                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Cassadaigua             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
The 189                 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 X  3

Group J                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Super-Llamaland        18   13   5    91   63  +28
2 Hannasea               18   11   7    88   73  +15
3 Hebitaka               18    9   9    81   77   +4
4 Cassadaigua            18    8  10    77   80   −3
5 The 189                18    7  11    68   85  −17
6 Murderbum              18    6  12    58   85  −27

[Atheara]

What The Hell Is Going On?

Type: Dialogue
Time: After Series 6

---

"Alright, it seems this is back on. Alright. Now, what do you want now mate?" Grevibov Zech asked Olaken Bart. Zech is a drug deliverer that work with the Mariwe drug corporation, they do the delivering of drugs for public use. Zech and Bart had also recently gotten into sports, and most prominent of all, baseball. "Two kilos, that's all. Also, you been watching that base thing on TV?" Bart asked back. "Yeah, we shitted on Arhunaggar or someplace with two wins of 5 - 1. Though we had to shithead ourselves as we lost 4 - 2 in that darn second game." Zech answers back. "Oh yeah, you want the heavy stuff or the light? This one is on me." Zech also asks. "Yeah, the heavy stuff if you can." Bert says. "Ah yes, the usual." Zech answers back to Bart.

"Wasn't there another series of games?" Bert asks. "I think ya meant two, but yeah. Atheara barely won against Crohromawhatever 3 - 4 in game one, but the rest, we got swept like we probably should've." Zech answers. "Agh damn. Also if you are wondering, it's Arjunaggar and Chromatika. I really think you should learn the map properly." Bart says. "Yeah yeah alright. Oh yeah, after this, would you mind meeting at Resona Cafe at seven?" Zech asks. "Why are you inviting me all of a sudden? Is this the illegal trade deal of drugs you are inviting me to?" Bart asks suspiciously. "No, not that. Me and some colleagues have an outing, and they really want to know you! So, will you come?" "Sure i guess." "Oh yeah, there is another game series that happened most recently." Zech said.

"And what would that be, my friend?" Bart asks. "Atheara vs Bar... Barnet... Barnettsville! I finally remember something. We tharshed them, as simple is that. 5 - 4, 4 - 3, and 4 - 2." Zech answers Bart. "You mean thrashed. Also, can i bring a fellow bud of mine, he is and always will be with me. It's literally impossible to separate us." Bart asks. "Eh sure, as long as he doesn't cause or stir up any trouble, a friend of yours is a friend of ours! See you soon mate!" he ends the call. "No need to rush, it's in seven hours." Bart says to himself.

What the hell is going on? No one knows. Let's just wait and see things out.

[Quintessence of Dust]

(Provisional) box scores as posted on the TalkBaseball.qd website.

                        AB   R   H  RBI BB   K  LOB  AVG  HR  RBI
I. Gennarelli CF         4   0   1   0   1   0   1  .328   1   6
N. Hisakawa SS           3   1   2   1   1   0   1  .375   1   5
  d–L. Dai 1B            1   0   1   1   0   0   0  .375   2   6
S. Akerström 3B          3   0   1   0   2   1   3  .263   2  11
B. Wilson LF             5   0   1   1   0   0   6  .296   1   9
L. Chevalier DH          5   0   0   0   0   2   7  .205   0   3
S. Borgþórsson 1B        3   0   1   0   0   1   0  .358   1   8
  a–J. Stensrud C        1   0   0   0   0   0   0  .304   1  10
  c–T. Watanabe 2B       0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .167   0   1
T. Brøndum RF            4   0   1   0   0   2   1  .269   0   2
K. Yutani 2B             2   1   0   0   1   0   2  .158   0   1
  b–J. Tsukamoto SS      1   0   1   0   0   0   0  .244   0   0
Y. Long C                4   1   1   1   0   2   3  .167   1   2

a–J. Stensrud pinch-hit for S. Borgþórsson in the 8th
b–J. Tsukamoto pinch-hit for K. Yutani in the 8th
c–T. Watanabe substituted for J. Stensrud in the 8th
d–L. Dai substituted for N. Hisakawa in the 8th

Doubles: T. Brøndum (6, 4th inning, 0 on, 1 out), S. Akerström (6, 9th inning, 0 on, 1 out)
Home runs: Y. Long (1, 9th inning, 0 on, 0 outs), L. Dai (2, 9th inning, 0 on, 1 out)
Total bases: Y. Long 4, L. Dai 4, N. Hisakawa 2, T. Brøndum 2, S. Akerström 2, B. Wilson, S. Borgþórsson, I. Gennarelli, J. Tsukamoto
2-out RBI: N. Hisakawa, B. Wilson
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: L. Chevalier 4, Y. Long 2, B. Wilson
Team LOB: 10

BASERUNNING
SB: N. Hisakawa 2 (10)

                            IP  H   R  ER  BB   K  HR  PI  PS   ERA
J. Scherer                 3.2  6   3   3   0   3   1  56  38  6.75
K. Wahl                    2.1  0   0   0   0   4   0  25  18  3.00
M. Ryan                    1.0  0   0   0   1   1   0  14   8  6.30
C. Young                   1.0  1   0   0   0   1   0  22  13  6.43
H. Liang W (1 – 0)         1.0  0   0   0   0   2   0  12   7  0.79

Game score: J. Scherer 40
Batters faced: J. Scherer 17, K. Wahl 7, M. Ryan 3, C. Young 4, H. Liang 3
Ground outs – fly outs: J. Scherer 6 – 2, K. Wahl 1 – 2, M. Ryan 0 – 1, C. Young 2 – 0, H. Liang 0 – 1
Inherited runners – scored: K. Wahl 2 – 0

Scoring plays:

3.2: Naoko Hisakawa singles on a flyball to left. Kaori Yutani scores.

3.2: Ben Wilson singles on a line drive to left. Naoko Hisakawa scores.

9.0: Yazhu Long homers on a line drive to left. Yazhu Long scores.

9.1: Lingxin Dai homers on a flyball to left. Lingxin Dai score.

                          AB   R   H  RBI BB   K  LOB  AVG  HR  RBI
K. Yutani 2B               5   1   1   1   0   1   2  .163   1   2
N. Hisakawa SS             4   0   1   0   1   2   0  .367   1   5
S. Akerström 3B            4   1   2   0   0   1   1  .279   2  11
J. Stensrud C              4   0   2   0   0   0   0  .300   1  10
S. Borgþórsson DH          4   0   1   1   0   0   3  .351   1   9
L. Dai 1B                  4   1   1   0   0   0   3  .357   2   6
B. Wilson LF               3   0   1   1   1   1   0  .298   1  10
T. Brøndum RF              4   0   1   0   0   1   3  .268   0   2
I. Gennarelli CF           5   0   1   0   0   0   1  .318   1   6

Doubles: L. Dai (3, 2nd inning, 0 on, 1 out), S. Borgþórsson (9, 3rd inning, 2 on, 1 out), T. Brøndum (7, 8th inning, 0 on, 2 outs)
Home runs: K. Yutani (1, 1st inning, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total bases: K. Yutani 4, L. Dai 2, S. Borgþórsson 2, S. Akerström 2, J. Stensrud 2, T. Brøndum 2, N. Hisakawa, B. Wilson, I. Gennarelli
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: K. Yutani 2, T. Brøndum 2, S. Borgþórsson 2, L. Dai, I. Gennarelli
GIDP: S. Akerström
Team LOB: 9

FIELDING
Errors: K. Yutani (1), J. Stensrud (2)

                            IP  H   R  ER  BB   K  HR  PI  PS   ERA
J. Isaacson                3.0  2   2   2   3   2   0  58  33  2.00
B. Beaufils                2.0  2   1   1   1   2   0  40  24  6.43
C. Young                   1.0  1   0   0   0   2   0  15  10  5.63
J-N. Boudreaux             1.0  2   0   0   0   1   0  16  11  0.00
M. Ryan L (1 – 1)          0.2  1   1   1   0   1   0  11   7  6.75
K. Wahl                    0.1  1   0   0   0   1   0   9   5  2.84

Game score: J. Isaacson 46
Batters faced: J. Isaacson 15, B. Beaufils 11, C. Young 4, J-N. Boudreaux 5, M. Ryan 3, K. Wahl 2
Ground outs – fly outs: J. Isaacson 1 – 5, B. Beaufils 2 – 2, C. Young 0 – 1, J-N. Boudreaux 2 – 0, M. Ryan 1 – 0, K. Wahl 0 – 0
Inherited runners – scored: J-N. Boudreaux 1 – 0

Scoring plays:

1.0: Kaori Yutani homers on a flyball to left-centre. Kaori Yutani scores.

2.1: Ben Wilson singles on a flyball to centre-right. Lingxin Dai scores.

3.1: Sigurkarl Borgþórsson doubles on a line drive to left. Stig Akerström scores.

                        AB   R   H  RBI BB   K  LOB  AVG  HR  RBI
I. Gennarelli CF         3   0   0   0   0   1   1  .304   1   6
  a–L. Chevalier LF      1   0   0   0   0   0   0  .200   0   3
N. Hisakawa SS           4   0   1   0   0   0   0  .359   1   5
S. Borgþórsson DH        4   0   1   1   0   1   0  .344   1  10
L. Dai 1B                4   0   1   0   0   2   2  .344   2   6
S. Akerström 3B          3   0   0   0   1   0   1  .266   2  11
J. Stensrud C            4   0   2   0   0   0   2  .315   1  10
B. Wilson LF, RF         4   0   1   0   0   1   0  .295   1  10
K. Yutani 2B             4   1   1   0   0   0   2  .170   1   2
T. Brøndum RF, CF        2   0   1   0   1   0   1  .276   0   2

a–L. Chevalier pinch-hit for I. Gennarelli in the 8th

Doubles: J. Stensrud (6, 2nd inning, 0 on, 2 outs), K. Yutani (1, 3rd inning, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total bases: J. Stensrud 3, K. Yutani 2, N. Hisakawa, S. Borgþórsson, T. Brøndum, L. Dai, B. Wilson
2-out RBI: S. Borgþórsson
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: L. Dai 2, B. Wilson, K. Yutani
GIDP: I. Gennarelli
Team LOB: 4

BASERUNNING
CS: T. Brøndum (1)

                            IP  H   R  ER  BB   K  HR  PI  PS   ERA
J. Martin W (3 – 0)        8.0  3   0   0   0  11   0  93  64  1.38
H. Liang SV (7)            1.0  0   0   0   1   1   0  16   7  0.73

Game score: J. Martin 87
Batters faced: J. Martin 26, H. Liang 3
Ground outs – fly outs: J. Martin 3 – 9, H. Liang 1 – 0

Scoring plays:

3.2: Sigurkarl Borgþórsson singles on line drive to right field. Error on throw (E9). Kaori Yutani scores.

Change to pitching rotation

The decision was taken to use Jan Scherer and Justin Isaacson, the long relievers, as starters for games 16 and 17, in order to break-up the 5 person rotation over the cycle of a 6 round robin which would otherwise have meant the exact same starting pitchers for each series.

[TJUN-ia]

Game 1: Daehae (UR) 0-4 TJUN-ia (9) (TJU lead series 1-0)
Heading into the start of the second half, here in Rounders Field against Daehae, I dreamt that this series would be won by us 2-1, with our hosts taking the 3rd game to leave us a game back on 2nd and two back on first. Thankfully for us and for the crowd here in Portside, the situation would turn out to be much better than that and the good times would start tonight with Chris Harris starting on the mound and not looking back from there. He would just decimate the Daehae batting lineup and produce a shutout that was surely appreciated by the home crowd indeed. That gave the bats plenty of time to make their mark and they certainly did that as well, with a 2-pitch solo bomb by Pedro Moires setting the tone for the entire series. Three more runs would come before the end of this one, with an RBI via Ki Yung-son in the 5th and a 2-run bomb by Joe Gregory in the 6th capping off a fun night on the Bay of Peace.

Game 2: Daehae (UR) 2-5 TJUN-ia (9) (TJU win series 2-0)
Game 2 would be the game that saw the most fight out of our opponents, but it didn't start that way. With both Moires and starting pitcher Davis Johnson batting in RBI, things were looking good until the visitors scored a run in back-to-back innings to tie up the game...only for Gregory to send out of the park and end that debate once and for all. Kagawa and Steven Fulmer added two more RBI before this game was up, securing this series in style.

Game 3: Daehae (UR) 2-12 TJUN-ia (9) (TJU won series 3-0)
All you need to know about this game is that all 14 runs scored were through homers, which certainly was fun for the crowd and a great way to cap off this series. The order or scorers were as follows: 2-run bomb for Daehae, Grand Slam by Matoko Kagawa (this guy is on fire!), solo bomb by Gregory, Grand Slam by Rafael Llorente, 3-run bomb by Llorente. Yep, Llorente scored two bombs in 1 night for a combined 7 runs and that would be a brilliant way to start the 2nd half. The Top 3 in this group now have the same record, with the Jaguars in 2nd due to a 3-way head-to-head. The team we are behind is Magnecia and we play them next at Maze Field in Leeland with that sweep in Portside still ringing in our ears. We want revenge and this will be the perfect opportunity to try and get it. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group G)
S1: @Daehae (UR) W 3-0 (2nd)
S2: vs Magnecia (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside L 0-3 (T-3rd)
S3: @Tikariot (14) - Oceanview Park, Sports City, Port Rhovanyon W 2-1 (3rd)
----------------BREAK TIME----------------
S4: vs Ethane (26) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington W 3-0 (3rd)
S5: @West Phoencia (66) - Emperor Glenton Gryphon-Bush II Stadium, Melbourne-Haven? L 1-2 (3rd)
S6: vsDaehae (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside W 3-0 (2nd)
S7: @Magnecia (UR) - Maze Field, Leeland
----------------BREAK TIME----------------
S8: vs Tikariot (14) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S9: @Ethane (26)
S10: vs West Phoencia (66) - Rounders Field, Portside

[Banija]

#10- Dennis Zervos- Gridiron
#9- Kiggwe Akello- Track
#8- Cyper Kandeh- Baseball
#7- "Mr. Main Event" Duta Condé- Baseball
#6- Labanzi Nabongo- Basketball
#5- Namakula Kawesa- Soccer
#4- Amadou Secka- Basketball
#3- Isaka Jawara- Gridiron

Special Edition - Coach Isaiah Lavaga - Basketball
Special Edition - Manager Ousman Kakay - Baseball

#2 on the list of the greatest Banijan athletes of all-time- "The Boy Wonder" Gitonga Kahara
Banija's all-time leading goalscorer and World Cup winning captain was never going to be left off of this list

HOIMA, ANKOLE- Gitonga Kahara- one of the greatest Banijan athletes of all-time. Certainly the most hyped teenager of all-time, in any sport. Talk about a kid who overcame the odds, and the pressure, to vault to superstardom at a time when a true Banijan superstar in association football was not seen as realistic.

But how do we rank him just #2? If there was a poll on this, he'd undoubtedly be #1- such is his popularity with Banijans. His career is complicated, and we are really at the margins here- but Gitonga Kahara will probably forever be Banija's favorite son. Most popular athlete of all-time(among Banijans), and the fact that he was the captain for Banija's World Cup victory can never be taken away from him. All-time caps leader, all-time leading goalscorer, the last ever MVP of the Banijan Soccer League.

Some men don't get the storybook ending, like Amadou secka and Isaka Jawara on this list before him. But some do- like Gitonga Kahara. Let's dive into it.

The Early Hype- Gitonga Kahara as a youngster

The youngest native Banijan to ever play abroad. At just 16 years old, Gitonga Kahara, who grew up in Herzegovina City, was noticed by Project Olimpo in Kita-Hinode. Considered to be one of the multiverse's elite youth academies, they had a great reputation for churning out elite talent, that would go on to star elsewhere. And Gitonga Kahara, receiving help from local coaches and others who saw and believed his talent would be best developed abroad, was able to apply to the project.

His first (and only) season at Project Olimpo was an overwhelming success. He helped lead the Project to a league title in the All-Hinodejin Youth League, playing a starring role on the team. Not only did he finish in the top XI for the league, but he also lead the league in goal-scoring- 17 goals to his name to lead all goalscorers across the season. That earned him attention both back at home and abroad, and that delivered hype for his first ever youth call-up, at the U21 World Cup at DBC 42.

He was being called "The Boy Wonder" by Banijan fans, especially those on social media, going into the tournament. And the squad's main man did not disappoint. Gitonga Kahara fed into the hype by opening his youth international career with a hat trick, as the Vijana Kadongo Kamu massacred Northwest Kalactin's U21s by a score of 5-1. Everybody always says, don't feed into the hype. But with all this pressure on him, all the hype at home, and seeing him open with a hat trick? It was stunning. And then, he had his star moment. 86th minute of a 1-1 game, with Schottia. Schottia's senior side was coming off of one of the most dominant cycles of all time to win World Cup 79, which happened prior to this U21 World Cup. But their U21s could not stop The Boy Wonder. Kahara launched an incredible bicycle kick to break the deadlock in the 86th minute, as the Banijans stunned the world to win 3-1.

Remember- this era was totally different from the present era of Banijan soccer. Nobody expected us to do much of anything back then. Because we hadn't. We were the answer to a trivia question, 'who was one of two teams to get 0 points in World Cup 73 Qualifying?' Never otherwise finishing higher than fourth place in six World Cup Qualifying cycles, our peak was a mid table qualifying side. The World Cup Qualifying cycle we had begun to do some damage, but amidst upsets of much bigger teams at the time, like Eshan and Chromatika, we were felled by unranked sides who doomed our World Cup 79 Qualification campaign. So the idea that there was this huge amount of young talent in the country, a country that had never done any sort of damage at that point on the international level, simply didn't exist.

So Kahara's star turn was even more shocking. Banijans didn't think they'd have that type of guy get international relevance. Foreigners didn't expect that type of guy to come out of Banija. You'd think it'd be Schottia having a star emerge from this tournament, right? But nope- it was Banija. And Kahara was still explosive. He got his second hat trick of the tournament in the Round of 16, as the Banijans won 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals. And then, of course, the star man scored twice in the quarterfinals. That meant he got a stunning 9 goals in that U21 World Cup. With a number of assists as well, amidst all sorts of chances created, Kahara was getting all sorts of looks from clubs and foreign scouts.

His Club Career and his return home

Gitonga Kahara, to this day, has said this about his career. "I wanted to leave Project Olimpo right after that U21 World Cup, and start at the senior level." He told a reporter in an interview after he had retired. "The Project encouraged me to stay, work on developing myself as a player and as a man, and letting my market develop. But I didn't listen to them- I simply took the first big money offer that I laid my eyes on. Should I have done that? Probably not. But of course, I grew up poor. Hard to say no to your first seven figure contract, even though the risk ended up being far too great."

He was a teenager, just 18. Can't blame a kid on trying to cash in, can you? He immediately went to one of the biggest teams in the Terrenean League, joining Polaris in the TL East. He scored a boatload of goals for the Ceni club in year 1, highlighting the end of the season by scoring a goal in the Pablito Numedo Trophy Final(The Cup in the TL East) to help his team to a bit of silverware. It looked as if he would be locked into a long, successful career in Rushmore. But then- things simply did not work out. The Terrenean League simply seized entering international domestic football, not giving Kahara much of a platform. A potential Young Galactico for sure(according to Banijans, anyways)- but derailed.

How it goes, however. He played for a little bit longer in Ceni before his desire to play IFCF football overtook him. So then he decided to leave Polaris, and go on a $10 million NSD transfer to OAS Royal FC in Cosumar. The first 8 figure player in Banijan history. And there, he found success. Quickly becoming a key starter for "the other" big-time Ramusok club, he maintained strong and consistent production for years there. As Cosumar again fell out of contention for IFCF berths, he did not get the attention at the club level that many Banijans felt he deserved- again, an elite level player who could not seem to catch a break.

But then, the pinnacle of his club career. After spending the entirety of his prime in Cosumar, getting there at age 24, he decided that he wanted to return home for the final phase of his career. And who was calling? None other than Hoima. The Warriors were trying to be ambitious in their push for a league title. A slow riser for the past few years, they felt they were a big enough club to make that push. And with Banija's national team captain and favorite son returning to the country- what better player to round out the roster than Kahara? And even at 34, Kahara's star shined brightly for Hoima. He only scored 20 goals and 12 assists to lead a prolific Hoima attack to the league title.

First season ever playing professionally at home, leads the Warriors to their first league title in 11 years. The next year, of course, the sport was upended in the country as the Shango-Fogoa Premier League was form, and Hoima was a founding member. While many may not remember his lone season in the S-FPL(a strong start followed by the then 37 year old wearing down with the team on his back), that title he won with Hoima, in dominating fashion, will be talked about for many years.

His national team career- Turning up again and again for the Kadongo Kamu in the biggest moments

And now, for his senior national team career. What did he do for the Kadongo Kamu? Well, of course- the list of accomplishments is long. One of two men to hit the century mark in terms of career goals scored for the national team. And that's just where we start. HE scored his first ever competitive goal on Matchday 3 of World Cup 80 Qualifying. And he simply could not stop scoring after that, now could he? And then- wait, let's set the stage.

World Cup 80 Qualifying. We are in 8th place out of 10 after 9 games. We fire our manager, and hire Marcus Waters(now in the WCC Hall of Fame). We are turning things around, and make it to the playoffs after an upset win over Turori and a late 1-1 draw with Ethane on the final matchday. We aren't playing games on home soil anymore. We're amidst a drought at home, that caused a political crisis that sparked into a regional war, so Equestria and Baker Park forces are actually fighting Banijan forces. All those distractions, and yet- the football must go on. First leg is the "home" leg against Mercedini, played in Quebec.

We score a stunning 3-0 upset win over Mercedini in front of a partisan crowd in Montreal, with Kahara scoring the game's second goal. That game practically sent us to the World Cup. We lost 3-2 in the second leg, but we had enough first leg firepower to get past that. Qualify for our first World Cup ever. He landed the assist on our first ever World Cup goal, against Equestria(still one of the craziest matches of all-time, opening the World Cup against a nation that we were actively at war with.) He scored his first ever Finals goal in the very next game as well, against Vilita, but we were eliminated anyways.

Let's skip ahead a little bit, to the 83rd World Cup cycle. We're co-hosting the AOCAFs with Baker Park. He was electric during the tournament, scoring and assisting in Banija's first ever AOCAF Quarterfinal win, and scoring a goal in Banija's first ever AOCAF Semifinal win. Unfortunately, we lost to our greatest rivals on home soil in the AOCAF LVIII Final. And then, World Cup 83. The previous three World Cups- one Round of 16 elimination on home soil, two group stage eliminations. We were establishing ourselves as a frequent World Cup participant, but an infrequent contributor- could show up and compete(we've won at least one game at nine consecutive World Cups).

But this time on home soil, it's different. A certain buzz in the air with this national team. We win our group, with 7 points, and make the Ro16. He scored in extra time against South Covello, and buried his penalty in the penalty shootout. He was electric in our upset win, on home soil, against the then two-time defending World Cup champions, Vilita. And that run, however great it was, was not simply the beautiful run that ended with a third place finish. It would launch the Banijans up. As Kahara took the captain's armband after that tournament, he pushed more and more success.

World Cup 84- Quarterfinals. World Cup 85- semifinals. World Cup 86. Coming off a MVP season, 35 years old. Many wondering, how many years does Kahara have left? Does he have what it takes to win a major trophy for his country, either the AOCAFs or the World Cup? World Cup 86. The Qualification cycle was perfect for the Kadongo Kamu- 18-0-0 with 86 goals for- nearly 5 goals per game pace. And in the Finals, he rose to the occasion. Although he didn't score in the group stages, he came alive in the knockouts. Four goals in the knockout stages- one in each match, including bending in an incredible free kick in the World Cup 86 Final.

Of course, that was the pinnacle of his career- winning the World Cup. He had his storybook- starring his whole career, winning the World Cup in his final game wearing the green jersey of the Kadongo Kamu. He's surely one of the greatest of all time, right?

Other News
- Banijan baseball moves 3 games ahead of 4th place Drawkland with series sweep of Barhe. After a first half marked by a remarkably tight group, the top 3 in the group started to really separate themselves, with QoD and Vangaziland both winning two of 3, while Banija earned the sweep against the group's unranked side. QoD sits at 12-6 and leads the group, while Banija and Vangaziland are both one game behind them at 11-7(Banija holds the H2H tiebreakers, 2-1, over Vangaziland). Both teams sit three games ahead of an 8-10 Drawkland side that started hot, punctuated by their series sweep over our Banijan squad, but now finds itself cooling down.
- Banija's sweep over Barhe marks the team's 5th win in a row, and their 7th win in their last 9 games here at the WBC. After struggling to a slow start, this sweep marks the third consecutive series that the team has won. This includes an exciting comeback win in Game 2 of the series. Down 3-2 entering the bottom of the 8th inning, it would be a bases clearing, two run double by Momodou Joof to take a 4-3 lead. While struggling closer Sama Kinte would go on to record his third blown save of the tournament in the top half of the 9th, Banija's bats would come to the rescue in the bottom of the 9th. A leadoff single by Luxolo Mbeki started the rally. Nyaniso Hani struck out, and then Jung Jassey hit the walkoff, 2 run bomb.
- Banija's form on home soil has been electric during the tournament, as their second home sweep of the WBC gives them an 8-1 home record through 9 games, compared to being just 3-6 on the road so far. Manager Ousman Kakay has given 'credit to the home fans for their ability to create a fortress at each stadium we play at within the country', and has said that he believes the road record with improve with time. Banija will take a visit to a Sylestone team for a 3 game set that they annihilated the last time out, so it looks to be a tricky series as Sylestone's players are surely motivated for revenge.

[Barnettsville]

SWEPT.

ST. CATHERINE -- The second half is starting out badly.

Ten looks to be the tragic number for Barnettsville’s playoff hopes after being swept by Atherea. Darren Klein’s job looks to be in serious jeopardy as the Jays are falling apart. “How we are losing is even worse than the fact of us losing,” said Klein post-game of game three of the series. “We can’t keep leads, bad fielding, bad pitching.....we don’t deserve to be in the playoffs at this point.”

Game 1 saw Tyler Randall (0-4) give up all five runs in five innings of work, as the bats died in the late innings. Granted, so did the visitors’ bats. But when you don’t allow any runs, you don’t need to score.

Game two was more of the same as Ian MacGregor (0-2) took a complete game loss. A solo shot in the eighth proved to be the difference. “After we tied it in the sixth, to get shut out after that....,” lamented MacGregor after the game.

Game 3? Rick Benson (1-2), in a word, sucked. Six runs, three innings. A four spot in the third basically sealed the game.

Four sweeps to the good might be the only prayer this team has. The hosts and South Americanastan look to be the frontrunners to clinch auto bids. This Blue Jays team? They have serious work to do.

[Hannasea]

(Provisional) game logs as posted on the website literallythemostboringwebsiteintheworld.han.

Pitching: Will Matthews
Lily Scutaro singles
Summer Huang walks
Brünhild Gunnlaugson walks
Noah Slater strikes out swinging
Gabriel Acosta grounds into double play (3–6–1)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Pitching: Isaac Colón
Jake Walsh grounds out (4–3)
Jason Mathis lines out (6)
Zach Walker grounds out (5–3)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Miranda Gray strikes out swinging
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao flies out (9)
Emery Wu grounds out (U3)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Aaron Green strikes out swinging
Joe Mills flies out (9)
Jesse Lowe grounds out (6–3)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Derrick Armstrong grounds out (4–3)
Lily Scutaro singles
Summer Huang singles, Lily Scutaro to 3rd
Brünhild Gunnlaugson strikes out swinging
Noah Slater grounds out (fielder’s choice 6–4)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Ethan Harman singles
Jay Wagner flies out (7)
Chase Lee singles
Jake Walsh grounds out (fielder’s choice 1–6), Ethan Harman to 3rd
Jason Mathis singles, Ethan Harman scores
Zach Walker grounds out (5–3)
SLL 0, HAN 1

Gabriel Acosta strikes out swinging
Miranda Gray reaches base on error (E6)
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao grounds out (4–3), Miranda Gray to 2nd
Emery Wu singles, Miranda Gray scores
Emery Wu steals 2nd
Derrick Armstrong flies out (9)
SLL 1, HAN 1

Aaron Green singles
Joe Mills grounds into double play (4–6–3)
Jesse Lowe flies out (9)
SLL 1, HAN 1

Lily Scutaro flies out (9)
Summer Huang grounds out (3–1)
Brünhild Gunnlaugson strikes out swinging
SLL 1, HAN 1

Ethan Harman singles
Ethan Harman steals 2nd
Jay Wagner grounds out (4–3)
Chase Lee hit by pitch
Jake Walsh singles, Ethan Harman scores, Chase Lee to 3rd
Jason Mathis homers, Chase Lee scores, Jake Walsh scores, Jason Mathis scores
Pitching change: Simon Chu
Zach Walker singles
Aaron Green singles
Joe Mills singles, Zach Walker scores
Pitching change: Evangeline Lu
Jesse Lowe doubles, Aaron Green scores, Joe Mills scores
Ethan Harman singles
Jay Wagner grounds into double play (1–6–3)
SLL 1, HAN 8

Noah Slater grounds out (U3)
Gabriel Acosta lines out (9)
Miranda Gray flies out (7)
SLL 1, HAN 8

Chase Lee flies out (9)
Jake Walsh pops out (6)
Pitching change: Y.P. Ying
Jason Mathis strikes out swinging
SLL 1, HAN 8

Trevor Mikkelson-Yao flies out (9)
Emery Wu doubles
Derrick Armstrong singles, Emery Wu out at home (7–2), Derrick Armstrong to 2nd
Lily Scutaro singles, Derrick Armstrong scores
Summer Huang flies out (7)
SLL 2, HAN 8

Zach Walker grounds out (6–3)
Aaron Green lines out (3)
Pitching change: Kris Headley
Joe Mills flies out (9)
SLL 2, HAN 8

Brünhild Gunnlaugson strikes out looking
Noah Slater grounds out (4–3)
Gabriel Acosta strikes out swinging
SLL 2, HAN 8

Jesse Lowe doubles
Pitching change: Courtney Mikkelson
Ethan Harman grounds out (5–3)
Pitching change: Justin Frazier
Jay Wagner strikes out swinging
Chase Lee doubles, Jesse Lowe scores
Jake Walsh walks
Jason Mathis grounds out (fielder’s choice 4–6)
SLL 2, HAN 9

Miranda Gray homers, Miranda Gray scores
Pitching change: Benjamin Palmer
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao grounds out (4–3)
Emery Wu lines out (5)
Now at 3B: Alex Hamilton
Derrick Armstrong singles
Pitching change: Tom DiVicenzo
Lily Scutaro strikes out swinging
SLL 3, HAN 9

Injuries are like New Blopping buses…

Hannasea’s national baseball team have been dealt a blow in their quest for qualification to the World Baseball Classic in Chromatika with an injury to star third baseman Aaron Green. Green pulled a back muscle diving to snag a sharply hit Emery Wu line drive in the first game of the Choughs’ home series against Super Llamaland at Principality Ballpark, and has been removed from the Choughs roster for the remainder of the series; he is also not expected to travel to Hebitaka and could miss the remainder of qualifying depending on the diagnosis from the medical team. “We will be consulting with the Corsairs’ [Green’s HBL club] medical team,” said Assistant to the Manager, John. “We’re hopeful of getting Aaron back, though.”

Green is currently hitting .365/.403/.667 with 4 home runs, 9 RBIs and a team-leading 13 runs scored; he also leads the Choughs in doubles (5). The third baseman will be missed as much for his defensive prowess, though; nicknamed Aaron “Ball Gobbler” Green because of how enthusiastically he gobbles up balls hit to the hot corner, none of Green’s potential replacements offer his range of both offensive and defensive ability. Reserve infielders Bryan Taylor and Alex Hamilton are a combined 3-for-19 so far in WBC play with zero extra base hits and 9 strikeouts. While Hamilton is a capable utility infielder he lacks Green’s powerful arm, and Taylor rarely fields at third base for his club, the Angelwood Green Jaxx, mainly playing first base or designated hitter. Sam Pearce of the Coral Coast Silver Sox has been called up as a temporary replacement in the squad; the switch-hitting third baseman has also played shortstop and left field in his career, but has struggled with high strikeout numbers.

In the event, Green’s injury did not prevent the Choughs taking the first game 9–3 after a collective meltdown in the 5th inning by the Tigers’ pitching staff. After Jake Walsh singled to score Ethan Harman, Jason Mathis hit his 7th home run of WBC 52, a 3-run shot over the short left field fence – though as it ended up in the upper seating deck, it could not be blamed on the park factors; Isaac Colón was replaced by Simon Chu and Evangeline Lu but the relievers surrendered five consecutive hits, including a 2-run double by designated hitter Jesse Lowe, as the Choughs scored seven in total. Harman had earlier got the scoring started on a Mathis line drive base hit, and in the 8th Lowe doubled again to be driven in on a Chase Lee double.

Will Matthews pitched 8.1 innings, striking out 7 and allowing 3 runs, including a solo homer by Miranda Gray to lead off the 9th before he was pulled. The Tigers scored their 1st run when Joe Mills failed to handle a tough grounder from Gray, leading to a Wu RBI single; their best chance at mounting a major rally in reply came at the top of the 7th when Wu, on 2nd following a double, was thrown out at home plate by Mathis trying to score on a Derrick Armstrong hit into left field.

Pitching: Zac Parker
Lily Scutaro singles
Lily Scutaro steals 2nd
Summer Huang grounds out (6–3)
Brünhild Gunnlaugson grounds out (6–3)
Noah Slater singles, Lily Scutaro scores
Gabriel Acosta flies out (8)
SLL 1, HAN 0

Pitching: Kai Söderstrom
Jake Walsh strikes out swinging
Jason Mathis lines out (4)
Zach Walker lines out (8)
SLL 1, HAN 0

Miranda Gray singles
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao strikes out looking
Emery Wu grounds out (3–1)
Derrick Armstrong flies out (9)
SLL 1, HAN 0

Joe Mills grounds out (1–3)
Ethan Harman walks
Jesse Lowe strikes out swinging
Jay Wagner strikes out swinging
SLL 1, HAN 0

Lily Scutaro grounds out (5–3)
Summer Huang singles
Brünhild Gunnlaugson singles
Summer Huang steals 3rd, Brünhild Gunnlaugson to 2nd
Noah Slater singles, Summer Huang scores
Gabriel Acosta strikes out swinging
Miranda Gray walks
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao grounds out (fielder’s choice 5–4)
SLL 2, HAN 0

Alex Hamilton singles
Chase Lee grounds into double play (6–4–3)
Jake Walsh strikes out swinging
SLL 2, HAN 0

Emery Wu grounds out (2–3)
Derrick Armstrong grounds out (U3)
Lily Scutaro flies out (9)
SLL 2, HAN 0

Jason Mathis walks
Zach Walker flies out (8)
Joe Mills grounds out (U3), Jason Mathis to 2nd
Ethan Harman flies out (8)
SLL 2, HAN 0

Summer Huang grounds out (6–3)
Brünhild Gunnlaugson singles
Noah Slater grounds into double play (4–6–3)
SLL 2, HAN 0

Jesse Lowe strikes out swinging
Jay Wagner singles
Alex Hamilton singles
Chase Lee strikes out swinging
Jake Walsh grounds out (6–3)
SLL 2, HAN 0

Gabriel Acosta hit by pitch
Miranda Gray grounds into double play (5–4–3)
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao singles
Emery Wu lines out (8)
SLL 2, HAN 0

Jason Mathis hit by pitch
Zach Walker grounds out (5–3), Jason Mathis to 2nd
Joe Mills grounds out (6–3), Jason Mathis to 3rd
Ethan Harman singles, Jason Mathis scores
Jesse Lowe strikes out swinging
SLL 2, HAN 1

Derrick Armstrong grounds out (6–3)
Lily Scutaro singles
Lily Scutaro steals 2nd, throwing error (E2), Lily Scutaro to 3rd
Summer Huang singles, Lily Scutaro scores
Pitching change: Kody Terrell
Pinch-hitter: Alana Gonzalez
Summer Huang steals 2nd
Summer Huang steals 3rd
Alana Gonzalez lines out (9), Summer Huang scores
Noah Slater grounds out (4–3)
SLL 4, HAN 1

Now at LF: Will Rentería
Jay Wagner flies out (8)
Alex Hamilton grounds out (6–3)
Chase Lee hit by pitch
Pinch-runner at 2nd: Joel Holt
Jake Walsh flies out (7)
SLL 4, HAN 1

Now at 1B: Bryan Taylor
Pitching change: Justin Nevin
Gabriel Acosta grounds out (6–3)
Miranda Gray flies out (9)
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao flies out (8)
SLL 4, HAN 1

Pitching change: Courtney Mikkelson
Jason Mathis strikes out swinging
Pitching change: Calisto Gutierrez
Zach Walker doubles
Joe Mills strikes out looking
Ethan Harman grounds out (4–3)
SLL 4, HAN 1

Pitching change: Tom DiVicenzo
Emery Wu flies out (8)
Derrick Armstrong strikes out swinging
Lily Scutaro strikes out swinging
SLL 4, HAN 1

Pitching change: Kennedy Schumacher
Jesse Lowe grounds out (1–3)
Jay Wagner strikes out looking
Alex Hamilton walks
Pinch-hitter: Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson strikes out swinging
SLL 4, HAN 1

…you wait for ages for one…

Hannasea will have to navigate WBC qualifying without the services of starting pitcher Zac Parker, who pulled a hamstring against Super Llamaland and is expected to be out for the remainder of the qualifying games. “There’s a chance he might be back for the playoffs,” said Assistant to the Manager John, “So if we qualify out of this tough Group J he may be on the plane to Chromatika.” Kent Oranges director of Convenient Press Quotes Jehosephat P. Itchygroinrash however downplayed those chances, saying the club had asked Choughs management to accept that Parker’s tournament was done so he could rehab in time to play for his club side this summer, warning: “If he injures himself again, his whole season could be done.”

Parker injured himself coming off the mound to try to field a groundball from Summer Huang in the second game of the Choughs’ home series against the Tigers; Parker pitched 6.1 innings and gave up 4 earned runs, the 3rd from Huang’s RBI hit, which got into centerfield to score Lily Scutaro while Parker limped off. Pinch-hitter Alana Gonzalez, platooning for Brünhild Gunnlaugson against lefty specialist Kody Terrell, then drove in Huang on a sacrifice fly to deep right after she had stolen both 2nd and 3rd. The Tigers swiped six bases on the day, turning infield hits and groundouts off the groundball specialist Parker into runs in the 1st and 3rd inning. The performance raises further questions about the role of catcher Zach Walker, who is hitting .260/.393/.400 with a team-leading 11 non-intentional walks, but has been unimpressive behind the plate with several errors and passed balls, and poor pitch-framing.

The Tigers did enough for a 4–1 win at Principality Ballpark, but that was thanks to a dominant showing from Kai Söderstrom, who struck out 7 and gave up just 3 hits in his 7 innings of work. For the Choughs, Alex Hamilton made a tidy start in his first game since replacing third baseman Aaron Green, going 2–3 with a walk, but the offense otherwise floundered, without a single base hit. Their only run came when Söderstrom on a 2-out hit for Ethan Harman, driving in Jason Mathis, one of two batters Söderstrom hit. The second, centrefielder Jake Walsh, was taken out of the game with a bruised thumb and will miss the last game of the series, but isn’t expected to miss the Hebitaka trip.

The Choughs have called up Greenfield Shamans pitcher Mike Robertson but may also consider giving a start to Scott Ross, used here as a long reliever but more regularly a starter for the West Chestnut Dragons.

Pitching: Jimmy Morris
Lily Scutaro strikes out swinging, out at 1st (2–3)
Summer Huang lines out (4)
Tyson Long strikes out swinging
SLL 0, HAN 0

Pitching: Savanna Wladecki
Chris Johnson grounds out (6–3)
Jason Mathis flies out (9)
Zach Walker flies out (7)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Noah Slater strikes out swinging
Miranda Gray strikes out swinging
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao flies out (8)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Ethan Harman singles
Ethan Harman is caught stealing 2nd
Joe Mills walks
Jay Wagner singles
Chase Lee flies out (7)
Alex Hamilton grounds out (fielder’s choice 4–6)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Emery Wu singles
Derrick Armstrong hit by pitch
Will Rentería grounds out (fielder’s choice 1–6), Emery Wu to 3rd
Lily Scutaro grounds out (U3), Will Rentería to 2nd
Summer Huang grounds out (5–3)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Joel Holt walks
Chris Johnson strikes out swinging
Joel Holt steals 2nd
Jason Mathis flies out (8)
Zach Walker flies out (7)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Tyson Long strikes out swinging
Noah Slater grounds out (4–3)
Miranda Gray lines out (6)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Ethan Harman grounds out (6–3)
Joe Mills strikes out swinging
Jay Wagner flies out (8)
SLL 0, HAN 0

Trevor Mikkelson-Yao strikes out swinging
Emery Wu triples
Derrick Armstrong strikes out swinging
Wild pitch, Emery Wu scores
Will Rentería singles
Lily Scutaro grounds out (fielder’s choice 4–6)
SLL 1, HAN 0

Chase Lee strikes out looking
Alex Hamilton lines out (7)
Joel Holt grounds out (4–3)
SLL 1, HAN 0

Summer Huang flies out (7)
Tyson Long doubles
Noah Slater grounds out (5–3)
Miranda Gray walks
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao singles
Wild pitch, Tyson Long scores, Miranda Gray to 3rd, Trevor Mikkelson-Yao to 2nd
Emery Wu doubles, Miranda Gray scores, Trevor Mikkelson-Yao scores
Pitching change: Chase Allen
Derrick Armstrong grounds out (6–3)
SLL 4, HAN 0

Chris Johnson singles
Balk, Chris Johnson to 2nd
Chris Johnson is caught stealing 3rd
Jason Mathis grounds out (6–3)
Zach Walker grounds out (4–3)
SLL 4, HAN 0

Will Rentería flies out (9)
Substitution: Sam Pearce replaces Ethan Harman
Now at LF: Sam Pearce
Now at RF: Chris Johnson
Lily Scutaro grounds out (6–3)
Summer Huang homers, Summer Huang scores
Pitching change: William Whitworth
Tyson Long pops out (5)
SLL 5, HAN 0

Sam Pearce flies out (9)
Joe Mills singles
Jay Wagner strikes out looking
Chase Lee grounds out (U3)
SLL 5, HAN 0

Pitching change: Jack Gibson
Noah Slater grounds out (6–3)
Miranda Gray grounds out (6–3)
Trevor Mikkelson-Yao pops out (4)
SLL 5, HAN 0

Pinch-hitter: Bryan Taylor
Bryan Taylor lines out (8)
Joel Holt pops out (3)
Chris Johnson grounds out (5–3)
SLL 5, HAN 0

Pitching change: Tom DiVicenzo
Now at 3B: Bryan Taylor
Emery Wu grounds out (4–3)
Derrick Armstrong flies out (9)
Will Rentería singles
Lily Scutaro singles, Will Rentería to 3rd
Summer Huang lines out (9)
SLL 5, HAN 0

Pitching change: Kennedy Schumacher
Pinch-hitter: Dominik Fox
Dominik Fox flies out (7)
Zach Walker pops out (4)
Sam Pearce strikes out looking
SLL 5, HAN 0

…and then a bunch come along at once

Ethan Harman entered the final game of the Choughs’ crucial home series against the Tigers of Super Llamaland hitting an astonishing .424 (28-for-66); he leaves it with a broken wrist and his WBC dreams over for another four years. The rightfielder’s hot bat will fall cold as he will play no further part in the tournament. He suffered the injury when he hit the wall at Principality Ballpark while catching a Will Rentería flyball and coming down hard on his wrist. Connor Baker, West Chestnut Dragons outfielder, will replace Harman in the squad and may leap straight into the starting lineup given the poor form of reserve outfielders Joel Holt and Chris Johnson, but it’s difficult to believe he will replace Harman’s hitting form.

The injury news seemed to fit the generaly character of the miserable defeat that gave the Tigers the series. Choughs starting pitcher Jimmy Morris struggled with control issues, twice scoring runners from wild pitches; Emery Wu drove in 2 more on a 2-out double, and Summer Huang compounded the misery by poking a flyball just over the short left field fence to put a cap on three games across which, on balance, the Tigers proved deserving winners. Better energy on the basepaths and in the field helped make up the difference, while it was another impressive starting pitching performance, this time from Savanna Wladecki who struck out five and gave up just four hits in eight scoreless inning before Kennedy Schumacher put a seal on the shutout.

[Sarzonia]

We now join Sarzonian national baseball team play-by-play announcer Brett Fischer and colour analyst Craig Tomkins in the bottom of the ninth of Game 1 of the three-match series between the Stars and Venmere:

FISCHER: "We've got a tight one here at Fleetwood Park in Woodstock. Sarzonia and Venmere are level at three apiece here in the bottom of the ninth. You know, manager Geoff Yancey has been reluctant to go to his bench so far this World Baseball Classic. He started Pat Sakata in the second match of the opening series against Venmere only because Matt Lopez was ejected and automatically suspended by rule."

TOMKINS: "You're right, Brett. That's probably one of Yancey's biggest failings so far as we start the second half of qualifying in the World Baseball Classic with the Stars sitting on a 7-8 record. You've gotta think the IBF [Incorporated Baseball Federation] is looking very closely at what's happening here in this series."

FISCHER: "Yeah, but it's also a rough time to make a change so late in qualifying for a team that's still fighting for a chance to qualify for the knockout rounds. It's not like there's a plethora of available managers who can just jump in and manage a team that should be a threat to win the whole thing. Let's pause 10 seconds for station identification on the Stars radio network."

**Various stations play their jingles and announce their call signs and initials**

FISCHER: "So Yancey isn't sending utility guy Desmond St. John to the on deck circle to pinch hit for Lopez. The top of the order will follow Lopez as second baseman Ian Danielson is in the on deck circle. Jodie Schein bats third in this inning. If the Stars can get something going, Ryan Brady would be next. Jeff Parrish went eight innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking two and striking out nine. Scott Lassiter retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the top of the ninth. Who's Yancey got up in the pen, Craig?"

TOMKINS: "Looks like Carnie Weston is taking warm-up tosses, and Tyrell Douglass is beginning to loosen up as well. If this one goes extras, you'll probably see Dima Ostrelov enter, perhaps in the 11th."

FISCHER: "Lopez steps to the plate. He's 0-for-3 in this one and he's hitting .062 with just three hits in 48 at bats.

TOMKINS: "He's definitely not in for his bat, that's for damn sure."

FISCHER: "New pitcher for Venmere, looks like it's their main set-up guy. He comes set, delivers the first pitch to Lopez and it's low for ball one. Lopez looks like he's squinting a little bit, I don't think he's seeing the ball particularly well out there, at least not at the dish."

TOMKINS: "No, Lopez has been in a bad slump in this Classic, but I don't think Yancey wants to take him out because he handles the pitching staff so well."

FISCHER: "That's certainly true. Parrish loves throwing to him. Here's the 1-0, fastball fouled behind the plate, no chance for their catcher and the count evens up at 1-1. What kind of approach do you think a No. 8 hitter like Lopez will have against a pitcher like this guy?"

TOMKINS: "Probably look for the ball and swing and hope it makes contact."

FISCHER: "If the Stars can somehow get to the bottom of the 10th, you might be able to get [designated hitter Luke] Brinkley or even [first baseman Cody] Frazier up and they're definitely much bigger threats at the plate. Here's the 1-1, swing and a foul tip held by the catcher. It's one ball, two strikes to Lopez. Danielson continuing his practice cuts and looking out at the pitcher trying to get a read on what his repertoire is."

TOMKINS: "Yancey's pacing down in that dugout, it looks like he's trying to calculate whether to call back Schein and let St. John pinch hit for her."

FISCHER: "I doubt that. Schein is one-for-three in this game and she hit the double that drew the match level in the bottom of the seventh inning. She also lined out hard to left in the fourth inning. I don't think you send up a guy who hasn't really been in this situation before. Not when your team is struggling at 7-8. Maybe if the Stars are way ahead in the group tables you might try something like that, but Yancey's fighting for his job and this team's fighting for a spot in the knockout rounds." Lopez calls time and takes a practice cut. Now he inhales and exhales. He steps back in the batter's box. The count is 1-2. The pitcher comes set. Here's the pitch. Lopez swings and sends a fly ball to left field and pretty deep. The left fielder's going back, he looks up and ... it's GOOONE! MATT LOPEZ HAS JUST WALKED OFF VENMERE! STARS WIN! STARS WIN!"

TOMKINS: "Wow! I've never seen Lopez get a hold of a pitch like that before in my life!"

FISCHER: "Lopez is being mobbed at home plate by his teammates! The Stars have won this game 4-3 and have evened their record at 8-8! What an incredible victory for this Stars team!"

The Stars would win the next two matches and sit at 10-8. More importantly for Yancey and company, they were now in second place in Group B, just a game behind Delaclava for first place in what Yancey described as "the revenge tour." Except for their three away matches in Ranoria, whom the Stars dominated in the second series, and the final series against the Phoenixes, the Stars will host the other teams at Fleetwood Park. Even the Delaclava series will carry some motive for revenge after the Phoenixes took two out of three in Woodstock.

The bats came out in force for the Stars in Game 2 as they won it 9-3. Both Mark Conroy (three runs, seven hits, one walk, nine strikeouts) and Jamie Pearson (three hits, no walks, seven strikeouts) went the distance in their respective matches, setting the stage for both Brian Lynch and Alton Long as they travel to face Ranoria. Parrish will start the series finale against the Krauts.

However, the most enduring memory of this series against Venmere will likely be the joyous rounding of the bases by a light-hitting catcher who came up huge in one unforgettable at bat.

[Eshialand]

Culture Collision
Part IV: A Royal Visit
Eshialand 0-6 Ranoria
Eshialand 2-11 Ranoria
Eshialand 5-4 Ranoria

The helicopter landed at Eshialand City Penrose Airport, and Sergey, Jack, and Frank stepped out. Sergey couldn't believe what he was seeing... he was so far away from home, yet found a civilization not that much unlike what he knew. However, he didn't have much time to take this in, as, before long, the King of Eshialand was there to greet him. "Hello there Sergey!"
"Wait, how do you know my name?"
"Your friend Frank told me!"

Frank was visibly angry about this comment, since he did not consider Sergey a friend. In fact, he didn't think Sergey even deserved to stay in the country.

"So what brings you here to Eshialand?" The king asked.
"To be honest, I didn't even know I was in your country, and I wasn't really trying to come here... this is just where the wind took me..."

The two continued talking for quite a long while, as Sergey learned more about Eshialand and its culture and William learned more about Sergey's people, the puteshestvenniki. The two actually seemed to hit it off and become good friends, much to Frank's chagrin. He absolutely despised this stranger, and he had to do something to stop these strangers from becoming accepted into the country. Eshian was Eshian, in his eyes, and those colonists weren't Eshian. It didn't matter if ensuring that meant tearing down the monarchy and government as we know it.

---

Later that day, Sergey decided to ask the king an interesting question. "So, there's a summit coming up next week in Klysevia for all of our peoples' nations, and I was wondering if you'd like to come and observe it?"
"I thought the entire point of travelling like you do is not to look back? Doesn't a summit defeat the purpose?"
"Hahaha, well, we tend to meet up every once in a while just to keep our nations somewhat connected. Once we turn our small colonial settlements into actual nations of course... I figured you might want to pursue diplomatic relations?"
"Oh, absolutely! I'll start prepping a flight immediately!"

For Frank, still listening in to the conversation with Jack, that was the last straw. The king would indeed take a flight to Klysevia, but the return trip would never make it back.

[Zwangzug]

The Kerlagrad Courier

Plight of the Phoenix? Delaclav anthem drama heightens

An unidentified source in the Zwangzug government has claimed that the country is "steadfastly neutral" on the important and much-discussed issue of the proposed national anthem for Delaclava. "Look, if your Parliament has nothing better to do than debate over whether 7777D is the best meter out there, that reflects pretty well on your government," said the bureaucrat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It would be pretty hypocritical of us to weigh in when we stay out of other countries' much more dangerous, and arguably much more important, business."

However, some voices have expressed concern. "I would hope that a free and egalitarian society such as Delaclava would not let the fact that the existing arrangement is TTBB preclude women or mixed choirs from performing this harmonization," said another anonymous source. "Also, the melody as written in B-flat is way too high if the crowd is supposed to sing along at games."

"I thought the imagery of 'flames' was appropriate for the title, although 'falls' and 'rise' feel vague in this context," said a third observer of international affairs. "However, while the imagery of hope being reborn may be appropriate, the penultimate line is awkward both in its meter and rhyme scheme."

"The Parliament should probably just put it in the national songbook," concluded another connoisseur. "I assume that can contain as many or as few songs as necessary. Then we can all go through this gripping drama again in a few years' time."

"If the stuff above the ledger line gets too out of hand, we may have to take extraordinary measures," warned the second source, gesturing to a hotline. (The hotline connects directly to a Kytlerian extension that performs on-demand avant-garde contralto solos.)

"We've got to stop meeting like this"--Liu

Following Zwangzug's thirteen-inning victory over Norrhem to open the second half of the group stage, an exhausted Wenjie Liu expressed her commiserations to her opposite number, Frithjof Hammarsson. "It was a hard-fought effort, very," said Liu. "And I'm sure the next two games will also feature skill and will to win from both sides. However, could we maybe tone down the drama, please?"

Entering the eighth, the score was tied at seven apiece. The Drakkar had chipped away at Zebras starter Carol Snedar-Berg, then tied the game off of Quentin Sirin with three runs in the seventh. Zwangzug, for their part, had an explosive fifth inning, batting around and scoring seven runs, thanks in part to a three-run homer from Aaron Grant-Mond and two doubles from Abigail Noonan.

In the top of the eighth, a single from DH Kelly Tallis pushed in Veronica Adler to give the Zebras a lead off of Christian Björknesjö. Emily Schern-Montgomery pitched a perfect eighth, but hit Samuel Olvegard to lead off the ninth. Zackarias Andreasson got a bloop single, and Schern-Montgomery gave way to Nelson Desai. Kim Saugstad grounded into a double play that moved Olvegard to third, and Sture Holmgard's hard-hit single to right-center tied the game. Birger Huselius would foul out to Jorgi Sarves, but the damage had been done.

Much like their previous meeting, the bullpens would then finally settle down, at least for a while. "It's much appreciated that we had sort of a mid-group-stage break," admitted Liu. "Even if that break was so the umpires could report for brainwashing or other occult tactics. Our arms needed it, and at the risk of speaking for Norrhem, so did theirs."

In fact, this encounter was not the only Group I game to go down to the wire; Raspotochje took twelve innings to defeat Fondalma 6-5. Liu noted with admiration that Fondalma carry an "emergency starter" on their roster, presumably in the event that the normal starters are called upon for situations like this. "That might be a good idea," she said. "Actually, what would be a better idea is if all twelve pitchers were starters for their pro teams and able to pitch several innings at once...Wait a minute," she trailed off, inadvertently re-inventing a strategy used to mixed results by Zebras of yore.

The closest Zwangzug got to scoring in innings ten through twelve was putting runners at the corners in the eleventh, but Tyrone Augustus-Vonn lined into an unassisted double play to Casper Widner at second to kill the rally. The Drakkar, for their part, saw a loud Sebastian Lindberg foul in the twelfth narrowly miss going fair for extra bases.

In the thirteenth, Maia Solloway drew a walk off of Bo Ravelli. Doug Pratt flew out to left, but Ursula Lee hit a two-run homer to make it 10-8. "I knew we needed to continue fighting," said Liu. "Not out of sportsmanship or anything, just because you can't be too careful." Fortunately, Augustus-Vonn singled, and after Kajsa Boole grounded into a fielder's choice, Grant-Mond doubled to add on another run. Kirsten Harris struck out on a foul tip to take it to the bottom half.

Whitney Chavez had the "honor" of defending the three-run lead in the bottom half, and induced a grounder to third from Olvegard. Andreasson doubled, however, and Saugstad's single pushed him in to make it 11-9. Chavez departed for Evgeni Junger, who got Holmgard to strike out, but then Huselius drew a walk. Liu went out for another consultation. "Honestly I was just telling him to throw it over the plate, we didn't really have anyone else," she claimed. "I can't say that's my greatest pep talk ever, but it worked." Indeed, Adrian Lestander hit a sharp comebacker to the mound, which a relieved Junger speared and flipped to Grant-Mond to end the game.

"Really, it just goes to show you that you can never take anything for granted in this game," Liu summarized. "Although, in fairness, the inevitability of marathon extra-inning Zwangzug games is something you can almost take for granted."

[Milchama]

"Svveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppp!!!!!"

"What?"

"Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppp!!!!"

"What?"

"Svvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"We're not curling right now"

"Well I'm not talking about curling"

"What are you talking about?"

"Baseball"

"Oh the sweep of Xanneria. Yeah that was great but what's with the v in sweep?"

"Have you not seen Anna Sidorova from Russia?"

"Oh yeah she always says that in her sweep calls"

"Basically"

"So you're making fun of her accent?"

"No, I'm honoring her because she has a very distinct sweep call"

"True"

"I mean it's better than like Jennifer Jones or like the Swedes who it's pretty clear"

"Yeah"

"Anyway, let's talk baseball"

"Yeah! Because what a game!"

"Well games! Scoring 7 runs in the first 4 innings, forcing Benson out of the game early then pummeling the bullpen for one inning"

"Just brilliant"

"Especially McNeesh with another home run"

"Yeah he's been great so far"

"Really the superstar of the team"

"I'm glad, I wasn't sure if he would make the standard at international level but I've been way wrong in my assessment so far"

"Definitely"

"Then 8 wonderful innings from Tover"

"Only that hiccup in the 4th where he gave up hits to the first 4 hitters"

"Yep but beyond that only 2 baserunners the rest of the way"

"I thought the third through the order they would pulverize him but he got better"

"Yeah defied statistical odds"

"Great job by the manager, Stevens, on that one"

"Yeah Littleton did great with that call"

"What's with the manager changing all the time?"

"Well it was undefined in the roster post so we just feel like winging it and making up names as we feel like it"

"Oh makes sense, but doesn't that person feel bad?"

"Meh, they're not real or else they'd be in the roster post"

"So it's basically like Art Howe in Moneyball?"

"Except he existed, this person does not exist. Milchama has an unnamed and undefined manager who is potentially puff of dust and does not have a clear name"

"Cool!"

"So that third game was even crazier"

"So! much! drama! First we score 2 in the second"

"Then the lead looks like it will hold. I mean Nikent is pitching well but he gets pulled in the 7th"

"Right but that just brings on Filip and Tekblam who have mostly been good"

"Especially Tekblam"

"Then Boston hits a 2 run homer and it's a tie game"

"It looked awful"

"I mean it was a hanging slider in the middle of the zone so of course Boston crushed it"

"Right after walking Sanchez it was just a bad combination"

"Absolutely"

"So it's a tie game and we don't have momentum"

"Yeah and it looks like Margaret is not on our side for this one"

"Just like the fake series where we lost 2 out of 3"

"Exactly but then out of nowhere the offense, which had been hitless since the 3rd inning lights up"

"Ninetent singles, is bunted over by Genteniny"

"God that's dumb"

"Look it increases our chances of scoring one run"

"No it doesn't, only if there are runner on 2nd and 3rd with no outs or if there's a runner on 3rd with 1 out"

"Well, in fairness, I thought it was for a hit. I mean Genteniny is really fast"

"She definitely can run but I still don't like the play"

"Not great management from Lipman"

"Not the Pike we know"

"Nope"

"But it worked here"

"True but only because Jones walked and Thomas avoided the double play"

"But it of course it came down to McNeesh"

"Yep and of course he delivered"

"A single down the line and Mover scored and that was the ball game"

"And a SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!"

"Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"So now there is only one thing to do"

"Be mad about the fact that we technically lost positions in the standings despite winning?"

"I mean on a stat that doesn't matter long term and that we'll do better in anyway"

"True"

"So really the best thing to do is to celebrate"

"Through rubber chickens?"

"Exactly"

"Are you ready?"

Ok then say as I say and do as I do"

''Ringa pakia!''
''Uma tiraha!''
''Turi whatia!''
''Hope whai ake!''
''Waewae takahia kia kino!''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru''
''Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā''
''Ā upane, ka upane''
''Whiti te rā, hī!''

"Now repeat after me!"

"Forini! Forini!"
"Finidi! Finidi!"
"George! George!"
"Oh Brother! Oh brother!"

*They strip and run around for 10 minutes*

"We pray the Margaret of SnubNose 38 and Random Number God that you may deliver us victory over The Kytler Peninsulae and any other infidels that we face in international play"

"Sacrifice the Rubber Chicken!"

*Swoosh of an axe and the chicken is dead*

"Margaret we pray that you take this sacrifice of a rubber chicken in good faith and that by your deliverance Milchama does well in all international competitions"

"Amen."