World Baseball Classic 54 (IC thread)

[Kohnhead]

Kohnhead National Baseball Team
Nation Name: The Galactic Empire of Kohnhead
Abbreviated Name: Kohnhead
Nation Trigramme: KHD
Nickname: The Pandas(The only time it's not The Brains)
Denoym: Kohnheadian
Overall Record: 114-83
Rank: 10

Info: Kohnhead did okay at their first WBC in Newmanistan ending with a 14-16 record in the group stage good enough to finish in 5th of their 6 team group which was obviously not enough to qualify for the next round. They came into the 50th World Baseball Classic and did a lot better going 20-10 and finishing as the surprising 15 seed following the Group Stage. This however only got us into the Round of 32 given the extra field size and so we took on Tikariot in a best of five series that we just barely lost 3-2 to send us home. Baseball was the first of the major four sports where Kohnhead has qualified for the next round with gridiron being the only other one. Two seasons Kohnhead went 20-10 once again in the Group Stage although it was only good enough for 3rd in a group containing Banija and South Newlandia whom would play in the finals before a run to the quartefinals that included a surprising sweep of reigning champs Cassadaigua. In Chromatika, Kohnhead went 21-9 in the Group Stage before doing things like sweeping Nova Anglicana in the Round of 16 before falling in the quarters once again in heartbreaking fashion against Zwangzug with a blown 4-0 lead late in game 5. Last time around in Banija, Kohnhead would bow out in the Round of 16 to a South Newlandian squad after only going 16-14 in the Group Stage.

Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Clay Glass, 54 years old (M)
Glass will guide this team, although he was a surprise pick for the job. He rose through the ranks having first been a pitching coach before being named to the team. Glass has done a fantastic job so far and is beloved by the players.

Hitting Coach: Phoebe Chapman, 57 years old (F)

Pitching Coach: Belle Parry, 73 years old (F)

Bench Coach: Dewey Horn, 77 years old (M)



Starting Pitchers
SP-RH Ralphie Bloggs, 29 years old (M) - Emerald City Greens (Super Llamaland)
Bloggs is the team's ace and is one of the best players. He has five pitches but really only uses four of them his 4 seam, slider, change, and curve. His speed tops out a 95 mph normally around 93 but it's his control and movement that got him in this position. Bloggs can normally go 7 innings into games but will reach the full 9 on occasion. Bloggs recently joined the South Newlandia-Super Llamaland super league becoming the first Kohnheadian to join a team from Super Llamaland as his prime continues.

SP-RH Fletcher Crouch, 24 years old (M) - Rüsselsheim Blue Sox (South Newlandia)
Crouch is a very different type of player than Bloggs and that's why he's our number 2, although he most definitely has the upside of a true number 1. Crouch has our best arm capping out a 98-99 mph at his best with a slow windup, but he can be very inaccurate and needs to develop a true secondary pitch whether it be a curve or a slider. Crouch has joined Hahn in South Newlandia as he signs for the Rüsselsheim Blue Sox alongside Hahn.

SP-RH Allan Fox, 25 years old (M)
Fox is a flamethrower with accuracy and stamina issues. While he can get up to 97 mph on his pitches faster than most players on the team his accuracy issues are well documented. He is a streaky player so he will follow a shutout with a 7 runs in 2 innings performance. Fox had a very good IBS which why he got promoted to the National Team for the 50th WBC and he has played himself into the third spot in the rotation surpassing Mclellan.

SP-LH Sharon Mclellan, 34 years old (F)
Mclellan is a low upside southpaw pitcher on the wrong side of 30 at this point that is an okay at best fourth pitcher in the rotation, however before long we could easily see her supplanted by Duncan Park if he outperforms her. With Mclellan you know you're going to get 6 solid innings where they score 3 or 4 runs as she tries to navigate with a slowing fastball, slider, and change.

SP-LH Duncan Park, 21 years old (M)
Park was the ace of the IBS team that did really well in Banija and replaced Murrary Marshall in the rotation. Park will be the second southpaw on the team and the streakiest pitcher although he showed some good composure at the IBS. When he's on he could be the future ace of the team, if he's off the bullpen will have a lot of work to do. Park becomes the second starting pitcher promoted from the U-21 team that has shined in recent years.


RP-RH Kara Conroy, 23 years old (F)
Conroy was the best pitcher on the U-21 team over in Banija and was a reliable reliever. She replaces Austin Sutton in the bullpen as he has elected to retire and switch to a full time coach and could be a future manager of the National Team. Conroy has a lot of stamina but will mostly be used in the earlier innings if Millington or Arroyo need rest but won't see many innings during this WBC.

RP-RH Jasmine Millington, 29 years old (F)
Jasmine Millington is the reliever called upon to go 2-3 innings if the starter can't make it far into the game and we need someone to get us through to the 7th. Millington in addition has a pretty good fastball but is most known for her screwball which is not a normal or usual pitch.

RP-LH Nela Fowler, 32 years old (F)
Fowler is really only on this team because she is a left-handed specialist and can be counted on to pitch to lefties on the other team, something none of our other pitchers can do. Fowler is really only brought in if they have a stretch of good lefties and while she will pitch against right handed batters it normally doesn't turn out well.

RP-RH Scarlett Arroyo, 24 years old (F)
Arroyo is a developing reliever who will be pitched most of the time in the 7th inning if Millington needs rest. Arroyo has the same skillset as Millington (without the screw) except that Millington can go further than Arroyo. Arroyo throws decently hard and gets good movement on her pitches and is of course only 24.

Set up Melissa Berger, 26 years old (F)
Berger is the set up pitcher for the 8th inning. She's okay with no real fastball but she makes up for it with a plethora of other pitches in her arsenal. Maddy Lane is on a short leash as the closer and Berger might have to move down there if Lane performs poorly.

CP Maddy Lane, 23 years old (F)
Lane was a very surprising call up to the National Team three Classics ago and what's even more surprising is that she's our starting closer. Lane has talent there's no question about that but she struggled in the 12th IBS and was handed this job. Yes, Lane is the closer of the future it's just I don't quite feel she is ready for this role and if she struggles Berger will have to move down to become the closer, overall it was a mixed bag at her first Classic and she outperformed expectations while also falshing her upside.


Starting Lineup
1. CF-RH Lucca Hahn, 28 years old (M) - Rüsselsheim Blue Sox (South Newlandia)
Hahn is your stereotypical leadoff center fielder and is probably the best player on the team. He has the speed, plate vision, and on base ability a leadoff hitter needs to have. Despite this he also has above average power with great contact making him a complete asset. His biggest question mark is most definitely his arm speed but he has excellent range out in the field and that's why he has gone to South Newlandia to play professionally.

2. SS-LH Jessie Cherry, 31 years old (M)
Cherry has good speed in the 2 spot as well as nice contact and the power to go deep every so often. However his fielding skills are a bit below average for a shortstop. Despite this he has the best hands in the infield except for maybe Chiara Thompson who is on the bench until she improves her hitting. This is because our infield is not very good at fielding and we will commit errors a lot more frequently than most teams.

3. 1B-LH Monica Ratliff, 32 years old (F)
Ratliff is a power hitter plain and simple who will not draw walks and is an okay fielder at best with surprising speed consider her batting order and skillset. Ratliff and Vlad Burch will lead the team in homers and rbis and it won't be close. She is however a very hit or miss type of player as most like her are.

DH-RH Callie Dudley, 24years old (F)
Dudley is an extremely good hitter who also hits for power in the 4 spot but is highly slow and cannot field very well. However her power in the lineup will be essential so she plays out in right field when the pitcher has to hit. She is a highly regarded prospect and was the starting DH for the first time on the National Team during the 51st Classic.

5. 3B-RH Cecilia Dickerson, 26 years old (F)
Dickerson is our 5 hitter and has almost no power which is interesting for her role. Dickerson hits in this spot because of her speed, ability to draw walks, and batting average which is very high. Dickerson's greatest strength is her ability to easily hit it the other way meaning you cannot switch on her or she will hurt you.

6. RF-SH Stuart Dorsey, 29 years old (M)
Dorsey has a good amount of power as the starting RF and is a decent fielder overall, he is just a solid well rounded player in the six spot who brings good hitting and good fielding to the table. In addition Dorsey is only entering his prime, the big knock on him is he's a little injury prone. Dorsey will not play when we play without the DH with Dudley shifting into right field because we want her in the batting lineup.

7. C-RH Sandra Craft, 33 years old (F)
Craft is the catcher and is most known for her defensive prescence compared to her hitting abilities. Sandra has a very good arm and her pop time is off the charts as she stops almost everyone from stealing second. She is also good on bad pitches blocking almost all of them. At the plate it's a different story as she struggles immenslely.

8. 2B-RH Artur Wagstaff, 27 years old (M)
Wagstaff is the same story as Sandra Craft, a better fielder than hitter although he is worse at both of them than Craft. Wagstaff doesn't have the best glove but his throws are powerful and accurate. At the plate Wagstaff can draw walks, maybe, sometimes go yard (rarely) and the hope was for Chiara Thompson to replace him. That clearly hasn't happened as she fails to take the next step hitting wise.

9. LF-RH Alvin Clayton, 24 years old (M)
Alvin Clayton is the third player from the U-21 team to be promoted to the National Team and their starting center fielder and leadoff hitter is almost a carbon copy of Lucca Hahn. However he still needs some time to adjust to the next level at the plate and isn't as fast as Hahn so he will be put into left field sending Dorsey to right field.

Lineup without DH
1. CF Lucca Hahn
2. SS Jessie Cherry
3. 1B Monica Ratliff
4. RF Callie Dudley
5. 3B Cecilia Dickerson
6. C Sandra Craft
7. 2B Artur Wagstaff
8. RF Alvin Clayton
9. Pitcher

Bench
IF-RH Chiara Thompson, 23 years old (F)
As eluded to before, Thompson has all the neessary tools to play in the field as the shortstop but has failed to show she can be even close to trusted at the plate. However Thompson is still young at 23 years old so she will get her shot at sometime in the future.

OF-LH Adrianna Holden, 36 years old (F)
Holden is not a promising option off the bench and will be replaced soon considering she couldn't win a job from Helena Mata.

1B-RH Leon Mcintrye, 33 years old (M)
Mcintrye is known for his power but struggles in all other aspects and thus is left on the bench.

C-RH Prince Santana, 26 years old (M)
Santana is the backup catcher and he doesn't offer much. As was discussed with the U-21 team the state of the catcher is not good in Kohnhead and it would be awful if Craft got injured.

CF-SH Esme Mohamed, 36 years old (F)
Mohamed is just another outfielder who at this point is last on the roster as the 26th person and probably won't ever see the field during the tournament as the coaching staff prefers Callie Dudley.

DH-RH Vlad Burch, 38 years old (M)
Burch as mentioned above is just another power hitter who used to hit in the four slot. Burch actually was a very good fielder in his early and later 20s but with age and injuries he has turned into a slow, prodding power hitter with his plate vision all but dissolved. However Burch will still send a lot deep as he swings the bat so well, he will be used as a bench option this classic as his time dwindles on the team.


Stadium:

Real Kohnhead Dressing Park, 15,000 capacity.
Dimensions
Left: 356
Center: 387
Right: 368



Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes, please let me know beforehand by tg or on discord
Use DH at home: Yes, pitchers should not be hitting.

[Milchama]

"Well that was super weird"

"Oh yeah it was"

"But those extra strikes sure did help"

"Yeah, it gave our players more space to swing and miss. This was especially with somebody like Piochta who swings and misses a lot"

"It definitely helped"

"Also, it turned out all those cricket lessons really did help"

"I wasn't expecting it to, but it really did work!"

"Yeah we only had 3 errors, which was less than Bardney!"

"That's insane considering they usually play gloveless"

"It's pretty crazy! I wouldn't have expected it at all"

"No, so it was all good"

"Yeah and they seemed very troubled by the sidearm motion from Masmerim"

"He was called for an illegal pitch like 8 times but he generally did a very good job in staying side on and using the crease to his advantage"

"No windup was weird, it was some combination of cricket run up and softball throw"

"It was weird but it worked, hopefully it won't mess him up too much for his other games"

"I agree but it was cool to see him throw a complete game"

"Only the homer from Sparky Buchanan"

"And it was one of just 4 hits"

"It was really excellent pitching"

"Surprisingly good"

"Do you know if anybody else could have pitched?"

"I know that Nervy was practicing, eventhough he technically plays short and of course Arik Hall is a natural submariner"

"Oh yeah forgot about that, so I guess he was ready to go"

"I think he said something about that on TV. I think it was if Mesmerim had too many illegal pitches, Hall was going to come in and just pitch for as long as he could"

"Man that would have been something"

"I think it might still happen"

"Really why?"

"Well we still have to play them again"

"Oh yeah good point"

"Kinda important bit there"

"Yeah that is something we need to work on"

"I guess but after today it should be easier"

"Yeah and Mesmerim says he's good to go for MD 3 which is crucial"

"That is pretty cool"

"I knew that softball would be helpful to us!"

"We shoulda put a softball pitcher on the roster"

"Oh that would have been a great idea!"

"Too late now"

"Definitely, oh well, next time we play Bardney"

"Oh definitely"

"So then it's going ok"

"Pretty much, good to get the campaign off to a good start and now we can turn that momentum into more victories!"

"Woo! More victories!"

"So then there's only one thing to do!"

"Yep"

"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 6 minutes*

"We pray the Margaret of SnubNose 38 and Random Number God that you may deliver us victory over all our group members 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"

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

[Tikariot]

A meeting room somewhere within the bowels of Oceanview Park in Port Rhovanyon, where Owls coach Jonathan Villiers has gathered the Tikariotian national baseball team for their final team meeting prior to their home game against TJUN-ia as part of the qualifying campaign for the World Baseball Classic 54 in Zwangzug.

Jonathan Villiers: OK, guys, I know, this was a painful one to start things off, nobody wants to lose the first game, especially with the condensed schedule. But - for one Drawkland are not a nobody, they're a uncomfortable team to play, plus we played away first, so that's out of the way. Put a checkmark on it, it is what it is.

So now let's look forward at what we still can influence, alright? TJUN-ia. I know, they're the top seed and a tough competitor, so it definitely won't be a walk in the park, no, no pun intended. But let's have a look at what we've got here. First off, we're playing at Oceanview. Our fans, our home turf, so have that advantage right then and there, we'll have all of the support and we're all familiar with the dimensions and all that. Secondly, the winds. Sure, they're as unpredictable for us as they are for them, but still, we're used to them the Jags aren't. Most of you should be able to read the patterns and the flags. For this campaigns we've added more flags in different locations, so it'll be easier to keep track of where the wind is coming from. So pay attention to them and use that to our advantage on both ends. Both for the pitches and also where to aim with the bats and where their balls might go, this could be a huge, especially if we get one of those days, ok? Really important.

Now they're coming off an 11-1 win against St Saratoga, which is a big one as we don't see double-digits often, but remember, it's still just one win. They'll obviously go for the win, but there's another thing. Literally each and every one of their starters, both field and pitchers are over 30, I'm not kidding. So they have tons of experience, but try to push them, test them. They might not be able to react as fast anymore, run as fast anymore, pay close attention when they're at bat for any sign of weakness or slowness. Anything you see, exploit it.

Don't forget, the whole schedule is different this time, we don't get the usual 30 games to balance things out if something go south, but only 10, so any mistake of theirs we can capitalize on could reap huge benefits! At the same time, if we screw up, this could backfire badly for us, too, so I need each and every one of you to be as focused as you can be, alright? Alright. That's it for now, take some time to yourselves, do whatever you do to get yourself into the right mindframe, I'll leave that up to you guys. You're all professionals and I don't want to have to babysit you.

Oh, one last thing, that old relic from Tikariot Sports+ is ghosting around the stadium I've heard, you know, the Bismuth guy. If you see him, try to avoid him and let Cathy from Communications deal with him. If he catches you, stay calm, don't let him unfocus you and just somehow finagle your way through it. I had an interview with him a few months ago where he ended up telling me everything about how he had pickled pinecones one year and how horrible they tasted instead, so, uh, yeah. And if he addresses you as the head mufti of Banija, then to him you'll be just that, trust me, trying to convince him otherwise will - not - work. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!

Graham, a word.

As the rest of the team files out, second starting pitcher Graham Pettersson walks up to Coach Villiers, as requested.

Jonathan Villiers: OK, Graham, Carruthers will be your catcher. Dammit, I should have asked him to stick around, too.

From the back of the room William Carruthers' voice can be heard.

William Carruthers: No need, coach, I'm already here. Figured that if you wanna talk to Gray, you're gonna wanna talk to me, too.

Villiers couldn't help but smile. When he had signed the contract, they had told him about Carruthers being the personification of genius and insanity, but he had no idea how close to the truth they were with that. On a good day, he could be among the best of the best in the world, on a bad day he could put a pylon at homebase instead and get a better job out of it.

Jonathan Villiers: OK, I'm going to keep this short. I have no idea how you two manage to play off each other and quite frankly I don't care, but whatever weird connections you have, surprise the Jags, confuse them, anything within the rulebook goes, alright?

Both men nod in agreement.

Jonathan Villiers: OK, then let's get out of here, we have a game to win!

[South Newlandia]

Disclaimers:
* this project would not be possible without the efforts from Super-Llamaland. The words and pictures on screen right now were made by me, but would not be possible without extensive background work from both of us. Please do grade accordingly.
* this RP series may, on occasion, mention numbers about your players. Feel free to ignore them if you don’t like them; but keep in mind that scoring rates are lower in the LPB, with roughly 10% fewer runs than in the MLB.
* quick note on amateur draft grades: S is best, followed by A, B, C, D, F)
* meaning of the dots next to players: Blue: All-Star | Silver: Silver Slugger | Gold: Golden Glove | Red: MVP | Purple: Evan Masorka winner | Lime: Reliever of the Year (each as of last season)

South Newlandian League

Roster Movements, Drafts, Rosters – Part 1

SNL North


Elephant Valley Homers

Offseason Movements:
After Tanya Ericsson led the Homers back to the postseason, prevailing in a close race in the SNL North, which was followed by an exciting playoff series with the Stingrays, in which the Homers fell just barely short, the Homers are positioning themselves to keep winning. Beyond retaining their key talents, headlined by Alisen Moyamoto, the reigning MVP, at shortstop - if the Chromatik can have another season like the last, the Homers will be in good hands – and their three key South Newlandian bats in King, Zimmerman, and Ventura. They were also able to keep Horace Choo, their Quebecois star catcher, and Darien Rodriguez, their Drawkian fire-baller, on the pay-roll.
However, the Homers weren’t content with just keeping their existing talent; they also added in free agency, signing a new ace pitcher in Kevin Buchanan, who could easily turn up in the top ten of Evan Masorka voting; and a couple of minor pieces; Jordan Jam-Jams from Qasden will provide some extra bullpen help, and Lachlan Cocrine, a Sylestonian cricketer, was signed to play for the Homers as well. Despite all of these moves, the Homers had one of the less hectic off-seasons out there; but after this season, some important contracts will expire, and the Homers will have to get busy.

Draft: (Position: 18)
Having traded their second round-pick to the Cyclones, the 18th-overall pick became by far the most important asset for the Elephant Valley Homers. The Homers made use of the rule that allowed LPB teams to draft a selected amount of players from the Chromatik Baseball League, spending their choice on the 29-year-old Niles Pandolt, who was previously with the Eyrods Pilots, playing as a short-term reliever. The Homers will elevate the Chromatik to their closer role; a position they struggled at last season. Pandolt will give the Homers a reliable option to close out games, making sure they can secure the wins they’ll need every single one of this season.

Outlook:
The Homers remain in pole-position to defend the SNL North, and go right back to the playoffs. They retained their biggest strengths (one of the best lineups in the league) and added at their weak spots (pitchers). Both Buchanan and Rodriguez can be top 10, top 5 pitchers in this league, and Niles Pandolt is an immediate answer to their bullpen struggles. The Homers aren’t quite on the same level as the Dolphins or Blue Sox, but they have a team that will contend for the pennant.

Masmow Dragons

Offseason Movements:
After narrowly making the playoffs last season, where they ended up losing a close wildcard game to the Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, the Dragons are looking to conquer the North this season. The team of Jack Kingsman has made a couple of exciting additions, signing a pair of Solderan pitchers; David Maxwell, an elite starter, and Vince Nelsen, an excellent addition to their already powerful bullpen. Next to those major additions, they also signed Jeff Bitches from Qasden to provide depth for their rotation. Beyond that, they also made an exciting trade for one of the best catchers in baseball; receiving Laure Valle from the Sun City Flames in return for their first-round selection in the third LPB draft. The only notable loss for the Dragons was shortstop Jason Valbuena, who left for Malidridad in free agency.

Draft: (Position: 16)
Like the Homers, the Dragons had traded their second-round selection prior to this draft; and like the Homers, the Dragons used their first-round pick on a position of need, choosing an established Chromatik star in shortstop Molina Ishkaya with the 16th-overall pick, who was previously with the Chromia Comets, who will be an upgrade to the departed Valbuena at least at that plate.

Outlook:
The Dragons are in a position to go toe-to-toe with the Homers. Their rotation features three international stars; Kramer, Maxwell, and Donaldson; and so does their bullpen, in Butt, Nelsen, and Frazier. They also kept their elite batting lineup, with Acosta always a threat for the batting title, along Burrows, Caamano, and Dunlop; adding Valle to the mix will only make the Dragons more dangerous. This Dragons team is a likely playoff contender, and will be a serious threat to conquer the North. However, there are concerns; nearly all stars are on the wrong side of 30, and the Dragons, still stuck in a stadium that seats only 4,500, are stuck in negotitions with the city that don’t seem to go anywhere. If an agreement can not be reached, it is possible that this team might be leaving Masmow.

Ruditown Dachshunds

Offseason Movements:
The Dachshunds came as close as you possibly can to a playoff berth last season; finishing with the same exact record as the Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, but losing a tie-breaking game 161. In this season, the Dachshunds will be looking to re-bound, and exercise old demons, hopefully on their way back into the playoffs. To help them accomplish this, they traded for TJUN-ian ace Jose Almas. In return, thy sent over Phil Dunn and their first-round selection in the third draft, although they will also receive the second-round selection of the Denison Dynamo in the same draft. Beyond that, the Dachshunds made no major additions, but they did manage to keep their elite starting potation on the payroll, including Almac (no relation to Almas) and Fitch.

Draft: (Position: 14)
With the 14th-overall pick, the Ruditown Dachshunds selected a young South Newlandian relief pitching prospect. Samuel Vaughn, a B-graded rookie, has great velocity for his age, but the 20-year-old struggles with home runs, giving them up more frequently than you’d like; he’s definitely a developmental piece. The Dachshunds were up again at 35, thanks to a previous pick-swap with the Renaissance, but chose to trade down, receiving a player to be named later and the 48th selection. (Fun fact: The Renaissance didn’t pick the 38th pick they got from the swap, either). At 48, the Dachshunds picked up a D-graded pitcher prospect in Griffin Henderson. The 23-year-old Llamanean has a great fastball, but struggles with his temperament; the Dachshunds will try the best to develop him.
Outlook:
The Dachshunds remain in position to contend. They have the pieces; a strong starting rotation featuring two TJUN-ian stars and one from Newmanistan, a solid good-enough bullpen, led by Tori Fuller, and a very decent batting lineup. This could be the season the Dachshunds finally break through to the playoffs, even though the North might be just out of reach at the moment.

Elephant Valley United

Offseason Movements:
After an unlucky season where United won more games than they lost, yet still finished last in the hyper-competitive SNL North, United had to prioritise keeping Hillary Angelou, the reigning Evan Masorka winner who had an ERA of 1.95 last season, on the roster. They managed to pull that off, and also added a few minor pieces; including Wota Radinka, corner outfielder who left in Newport Owls in free agency. However, they failed to make any big splashes, and didn’t sign any international stars.

Draft: (Position: 13)
With the 13th-overall pick, United decided against picking up established Drawkian talents, and instead choose B-graded starting pitcher Lola Marques. The right-handed starter is 21, and is known as a great teammate. On the field, her biggest weakness is a struggle with command that typically results in too many walks. At 37, the team selected a young second baseman in Arpit Seth. The 24-year-old B-graded recruit had dropped all the way down to the middle of the second round; despite a strong arm, even if it lacks power at the plate. He practically fell into the lap of United, who didn’t have a great second baseman on the roster.

Outlook:
It’s hard to interpret the offseason moves, or rather, lack thereof, as anything but a sign that United is starting to enter a rebuild. Angelou will likely be traded at the deadline to the highest bidder, and even though the team will still have a great pair of bullpen arms in Jang Hyo-Seung and Connor Harris, the lineup will likely have to be rebuild slowly around Julian Breit and Hansel Eriksen, the young, budding stars of the team. It’s unclear for how long the two Tikariotian studs Ghirardello and Baines will stick around; and same goes for McFadden.

EVSM Estimated odds of | Winning the division | Making the playoffs
Elephant Valley Homers: 44% | 76%
Masmow Dragons: 27% | 51%
Ruditown Dachshunds: 24% | 45%
Elephant Valley United: 5% | 13%

[Quintessence of Dust]

Nation name: Quintessence of Dust (QoD or Quod)
Demonym: Quodite
Adjective: Quodite or Quintessential (formal, rarely used)
Team nickname: The Things
Kit: All grey, but players wear the caps of their domestic baseball teams

Home stadiums:

Home games against Concordians and Abanhfleft will be at Raptor Park, Nowy Orpington, a large pitchers’ park; when Quodite batters hit a home run, a giant mechanical orange will rise from the stands.

Home games against The Greater Nordics and Murderbum will be at Dodger (Not That One) Stadium, Highmark, an average park, which slightly favours left-handed batters.

Home again against Barnettsville will be at the Frosty Dome, New Cleethorpes, a hitters’ park with a small outfield and very short left field, which favours right-handed batters.

Minimal League Baseball games use robo-umps incorporating holographic strike zones. For home games electronic strike zones will be used, so please do not RP incorrectly called strikes (contact me if you consider this permission unfair).

Cheerleaders: The official cheerleaders of the Things are “the Riot Squad”, so named for their raucous and lewd behaviour. They consist of two men, two women, and one gender-non-conforming individual, all dressed in shapeless grey outfits collar-to-toe. Their sole dance move consists of standing squarely in place in an exact line, unsmiling. In the event of a particularly brilliant play one member may hold up a sheet of A4 paper printed with a smilie :) in Arial, 10 pt., but this sort of extravagance is usually reserved for something truly special like back-to-back grand slams or unassisted triple plays to cap perfect games.

Names: All Quodite names use the forename-surname format, including for players of Japanese or Chinese descent.

Coach: Jun Jiang. Jun lost his starting place at WBC 50 but enjoyed a couple solid domestic years before succumbing to injuries. Rather than endure a long slow decline, he sensibly hopped straight into coaching. A pretty traditional guy (in Quodite terms, meaning he favors splits, though he has slightly tempered this tendency recently; aggressive use of relievers, being willing to use his high-leverage closers before the 9th inning; aggressive base running; and conservative base stealing). He led the team to the WBC finals, the most impressive run in national history; and then went one better with a first ever World title. Understandably, his services have been retained.

Starting pitchers: Starters can now afford more generous pitch counts than allowed in the past thanks to the single game format. Unlike in previous WBCs, you have my permission to have my starters throw over 100 pitches. Complete games should still be rare, though, and in any tight game relivevers will be used aggressively, especially to give splits.

v Concordians, v Abanhfleft #32 Juzo Sakaguchi (R/R)
Throws a four-seam fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup, but he mainly relies on the fastball, which can clip high 90s. His stamina is an issue. Had a great WBC53, and has been promoted to opening day starter, though he is not considered the “ace”.

@ Abanhfleft, @ Barnettsville #53 Haakon Kalberg (R/R)
Big unit power pitcher with fairly mediocre control. On his day he's unhittable, off it he's uncatchable. Good for a massive home run every 150 at bats or so. With Jack Martin retiring on the high of winning the WBC title, Haakon takes over as “ace”, but he will not be the opening day starter, with that honor instead going to Juzo.

@ Murderbum, @ The Greater Nordics NEW! #7 Jörg Hochmeister (R/R)
Steady pitcher who throws a hard slider as his best out pitch. Has good control of a knuckle-curve and a four-seam fastball that clips high-ish 90s on his day. Has an unusual high-kicking windup that can be a little balky. Not a terrible bat, good for the odd hit.

v Barnettsville, @ Concordians NEW! #52 Erwin Wilder (L/L)
Replacing leftie Mayumi Kawakami, a tiny Japanese woman, is leftie Erwin Wilder, an enormous Austrian man. An at times erratic, at times overwhelming leftie fireballer who throws with a high arm to make the most of his imposing size, he throws a slurve and some off-speed trash but mainly relies on a fastball that lives in the upper 90s, and occasionally the upper jaw.

v The Greater Nordics, v Murderbum NEW! #99 Caelan Power (R/R)
Nominative determinism run amok. Power, from the same Highmark City Irish lineage as Luke Moran, is a savage fireball prospect who’s been picked up at 3 figures on the speed gun (Quodites, weirdly, still use mph measurements for pitching speeds). In addition to his fastball he throws a power curveball, a circle change, and is improving control on an absolutely filthy sinker. With a three-quarter arm action, his pitches can be hard to pick up.

Arm barn: Listed in approximately ascending order of leverage. Splits favored. Right-handed unless otherwise stated. Waismann, a starter in WBC53, has been demoted. Also gone is experienced “closer” Hong Liang: though never used as a traditional closer, he was the ace of the arm barn. Michael Ryan and Benoît Beaufils, both of whom had exceptional WBC53s, have big shoes to fill. Most of the trashy LOOGYs who pitched so poorly in WBC53 have been replaced.

NEW! #64 Lucas Thompson (L)
#84 Niklas Waismann (long reliever/spot starter)
#74 Kaspar Wahl
#88 Bjarte Amundsen
NEW! #6 Andy Butler (L)
NEW! #15 Hu Ja (L)
NEW! #50 Hjálmgeir Reidarsson
#79 Benoît Beaufils
#37 Michael Ryan

Position players: In general, batters will take a lot of pitches and be aggressive on the basepaths. The “Manslaughterer’s Row”, so named for their less than awe inspiring HR numbers over the last two WBC tournaments, forms the offensive heart of the lineup: a series of “power hitters” whose output hasn’t always quite lived up to that.

C: #50 Yazhu Long (R/R)
Energetic defence-first catcher. Excellent with the glove; makes solid contact but without much power or drawing many walks with the bat.
NEW! C: #37 Naritoshi Tachikake (S/R)
Quick, surprisingly slightly built for a catcher. Powerful throwing arm but doesn’t have Yazhu’s rapport with pitchers and unlike him isn’t used to pitch framing. Excellent all fields hitter but lacking in power.
1B/DH: #4 Sigurkarl Borgþórsson (L/L)
Physically the strongest man to play for the Things since the likes of Barry Pullman. Acceptable on the basepaths and less so with the glove. Awful lefty splits.
2B: #77 Kaori Yutani (S/R)
Great speed, great glove. OK bat.
NEW! SS/2B: #91 Akihiro Yasumoto (R/R)
The new utility fielder is Akihiro, whose natural position is shortstop but is more likely to see playing time at second covering for the light hitting Kaori. Line drive hitter who rarely strikes out, nice glove.
NEW! 3B/LF: #58 Natalí Ágústsdóttir (R/R)
WBC53 bat girl who was promoted to the playing roster for the final after injuries devastated the outfield. Now back on her own merit as a power corner, who is more likely to play at 3B.
3B: #52 Maas Pheng Yang (R/R)
Tall and wiry glove-first utility infielder. Has an unusual swing that makes his power stroke an extreme pull. Was a sensation as a specialist pinch-hitter at WBC53.
SS: #21 Jack Theriault (R/R)
Hard-hitting hustler with a rocket arm. Lacks polish and not the most patient at the plate. Excelled in the leadoff role in WBC53 but likely to move into the Manslaughterer’s Row given his plus power.
LF/DH: #78 Luka Chevalier (R/R)
Pure slugger. Not an embarrassment in the field but wouldn't want him out there in a clutch inning.
CF/RF: #73 Tom Brøndum (R/R)
Rounded hitter with a good eye and solid power. Spectacular fielder, although more natural in RF. Very whole-hearted player. Was injured for much of WBC53.
CF/RF/LF: #81 Jay Stevens (S/R)
Sweet line drive hitter. Fast but not always the best instincts on the basepaths. Powerful arm.
LF/RF/DH: #99 Rémy Weber (S/R)
Vaguely gargantuan power slugger with awful K rates. Not much in the field. Has emerged as probably the best power hitting switch hitter in Quodite history, and was WBC53 MVP.
DH/1B: #20 Kutoshi Kawasuda (L/R)
Specialist power hitter, here to hit home runs and chew bubble gum. And he’s all out of… ooh, cherry!
OF: #95 Jude McCallum (R/R)
Oustanding athlete who is mainly a defensive sub/pinch-runner.

Default lineup (but you, and I, may freely depart from it)

1. Brøndum CF
2. Theriault SS
3. Chevalier LF
4. Weber RF
5. Borgþórsson 1B
6. Ágústsdóttir/Yang 3B
7. Yutani/Yasumoto 2B
8. pitcher
9. Long C

RP permissions:

You may choose run-scorers and otherwise assign statistics for my players. You may RP baseball events. You may choose my lineup and RP substitutions, in line with my roster. You may assign injuries. You may RP ejections. You may RP any story elements you like. We will waive our right to determine DH preference at home and will use at home whatever the DH preference of the visiting team (unless the team has no stated preference or has a similar permission, in which case to avoid getting stuck in a causality loop we will not use DH). If you consider any of my RP lore wank you may ignore it.

Kaori and Natalí are women. If you do not wish to RP women players, you may ignore them. I will assume such players will not feature against teams with all-male rosters.

But: please ask before RPing unusual statistical events such as no-hitters or immaculate innings. Please do not RP any of my players or fans being involved in violence, or use RL photographs and say they represent my players, fans, ballparks, or nation.

[Chromatika]

Clara Ayonara, Outliers Saved by Big Bats to Squeak by Bongo Johnson

Chromatika                   0 2 1 1 3 2 1 0 0 10
Bongo Johnson                0 2 2 0 3 0 0 0 0  7

BONGO JOHNSON - When Clara Ayonara was given the #1 spot on the Outliers' pitching rotation, everyone thought that she would continue to perform as well as she has in the past - as the Chromatik pitcher has only ever lost one start in her career with the World Baseball Classic.

However, in her first start as the Outliers' ace, Ayonara struggled, conceding seven runs on ten hits across five innings before settling down to pitch seven. Thankfully for her, the Outliers' bats came to play as they scored two runs at the top of the sixth and never looked back.

Edith Ponce had the best day behind the plate for the Outliers, going four-for-six with two home runs and three runs batted in, including the go-ahead homer in the top of the sixth. The Vargas City Lions Third Baseman worked the count on all of her at-bats, seeing at least the sixth pitch before making contact that dictated the result.

"I love playing the mind game with the pitcher," admitted Ponce, "It's fun to work the cerebral side of the match."

Player-Coach Alisen Mayamoto acknowledged that a win by such a small margin wasn't the best start, but didn't give any apologies.

"We saw the last time around during the Group Stage that wins cannot be guaranteed," spoke Mayamoto, "We'll move on and just try to play a bit better."

Hilary Angelou will taken the mound against Krigiersien next, a side that dropped their home opener 2-3 to StrayaRoos.

"They'll be desperate to get back on the board," said Catcher Laure Valle, "We can't take their loss to heart."

Elsewhere, co-favorites South Americanastan took care of Dotivija, scoring three runs at the top of the ninth for the final margin.

With only ten games in the Group Stage this time around, the margin of error will be far smaller.

---

Frenei Chromatik Baseball League - Season 6

Through Thirty Games:

CBL                        Pld     W    L     RF    RA    RD 
 1 Chromia Comets           30    22    8    160   102   +58
 2 Knetyohai Dynamo         30    18   12    159   126   +33
 3 Eyrods Pilots            30    18   12    140   125   +15
 4 Umbar Corsairs           30    18   12    155   125   +30
 5 Shantarr Scorpions       30    17   13    121   113    +8
 6 Chromia Diamonds         30    17   13    128   112   +16
 7 Felswyr Fire             30    16   14    129   106   +23
 8 Urrheddiao Knights       30    15   15    109   129   −20
 9 Rhoni Rhonin             30    14   16    126   150   −24
10 Myana Merfolk            30    13   17    118   135   −17
11 Larhai Legends           30    13   17    116   142   −26
12 Hanai Heroes             30    13   17    131   141   −10
13 Sanar Vipers             30    13   17    110   140   −30
14 Alnio Reds               30    13   17    127   131    −4
15 Lanar Rangers            30    12   18    137   147   −10
16 Z'ai'ai Loggers          30     8   22    113   155   −42

The biggest news through this part of the season is that this will be the last season under this current format. The Chromatik Sporting Commission, which the Chromatik Baseball League is a part of, wouldn't elaborate too much further, but stated that "Baseball in Chromatika will not look the same next year" and that "exciting times are ahead".

A fifth of the way through the season, the Chromia Comets have the league lead comfortably, led by their stable rotation of pitchers in RHP Kim Jung-Wook, RHP Jayce Drew, and LHP Sai Yokamoto, all three of which had great regular seasons but fell off in the playoffs. Though SS Molina Ishkaya is gone to the LPB, the Comets' farm system has replaced her with Beatrice Casteaux, who's done a good enough job filling in.

Knetyohai Dynamo are in second place by four games, SS Mizaya Karuki proving to be the MVP candidate that everyone expected her to be; Edwin Jarwin, Cho Yung-Jin, and Gregory Jackson are a solid rotation as well. The Eyrods Pilots remain in the top three even after losing so many to the LPB, Karla Levey being a MVP candidate and SS Lidia Lisowska being yet another shortstop that is star material. What is up with Chromatiks and shortstops? Who knows.

The Corsairs, Scorpions, Diamonds, Fire, and Knights round out the top eight, while the Rhonin have fallen a bit behind than expected along with the Heroes. Still, there are one hundred and twenty games left to go.

[South Americanastan]

South Americanastan @ Dotivija
Top of the Ninth Inning

"And a nasty slider from Matt Jackson and that will strike out the side!"

"Now the Bears will come to the plate. This will be their final chance to win this game, they'll need two runs to tie and three to win."

Frank Malone strides up to the plate, toeing the edge of the batter's box and readying himself for the pitch.

"Malone up to the plate now. 1 for 3 on the game with a single and a walk."

A slider comes on the outside edge of the strike zone, and Malone makes solid contact, pulling it to right field.

"Line drive down the right field line by Malone, stays fair. Malone's rounding first as it rolls into the corner, now, rounding second with no sign of stopping as the Left Fielder picks it up and heaves it in..."

Malone slides into third base under the tag, his helmet flying off as he drops down into the slide.

"AND HE'S SAFE AT THIRD! WHAT AN ELECTRIC WAY TO START THE NINTH, A FIRST PITCH TRIPLE BY FRANK MALONE!"

"And that's going to give the Bears pretty good momentum going into Timberlake's at-bat. Cleanup hitter, let's see what he can do."

The closer throws a hard fastball, clipping the edge of the plate and making the count 0-1.

"Strike 1 for Timberlake there. Steps out of the box for a moment to look towards the third base coach, wonder what he's being told to do."

Timberlake steps back into the box, and is thrown a changeup.

"And Timberlake nails that ball for a line drive down the middle, and that will send Frank Malone steaming towards home plate as the outfielder takes it on a hop and throws it in..."

"AND HE'S SAFE! WHAT A RUN BY MALONE TO MAKE IT A ONE RUN GAME"

"Dotiivijan catcher bleeding a little now, looks like Malone's cleat got him right on the side of his leg. They'll take a pause to patch that up real quick."

"Now that we have a break, all you folks at home my be wondering why we haven't used any of the names of the Dotivijan players during this broadcast, and the truth is, they didn't provide us or the WBC with a roster sheet yet!"

"I hope they can get one in soon, Jeff, this is getting a bit repetitive"

"Indeed it is."

The next batter, Jacob Monte, begins walking to the plate. He taps the plate with his bat before settling in the box. He takes the first pitch for a ball.

That'll be a 1-0 count now."

The Dotivijan pitcher winds up, throwing a changeup which just barely misses the bottom of the strike zone. A yell comes from the umpire.

"STRIKE!"

Monte steps out of the box, looking back at the umpire and shrugging his shoulders, as if to say "What the hell?". The next pitch is a curveball, which hangs in the strike zone. Monte pounces on it.

"AND WHAT A HIT BY MONTE! IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, AND BOY, IS IT GONE!"

"Solid hit there by Monte. All the fundamentals are perfectly in place, ball hits the sweet spot of the bat, and the second it starts flying you know it's out of the park."

"Speaking of knowing it's out of the park, that ball is currently rolling around in the parking lot of the stadium, as it has cleared the top deck of the left field stands."

"One of the tailgaters is getting lucky tonight."

[Quintessence of Dust]

TalkBaseball.qd

Your stats hub for Quodite baseball!

Top ten plants in Quintessence of Dust!
Posted by sox2BU2

1. Alpha-One Manufacturing Plant, Starkresh

No list of Quodite plants would be complete without Alpha-One, the hub of the Starkresh launch facility that connects Wysterian Quintessence of Dust to its Lunar and Martian habitats. The enormous plant is powered by its own self-contained nuclear generator, and produces the shuttles, orbit buoys, launch vehicles, and other assorted spacecraft needed to keep regular passenger and freight traffic in operation.

2. Samseong AV Plant, Nowy Orpington

No longer in operation, the Samseong plant now stands as a historic monument, a testament to the Golden Age of Quodite manufacturing, when Han investors Samseong poured sovereigns into regenerated the Rustbelt city of Nowy Orpington. Totally revitalizing the East of the country which had languished in postindustrial slumber since the Colonial Wars, the Samseong AV Plant at its peak employed one in every five Quodite workers in the city.

3. That’s it, that’s the joke

Oh.

[Zwangzug]

Cutoff for Matchday 2!

(QoD's RP above was posted before the cutoff, and included and graded as part of this matchday.)

--

Optional RP prompt:

<What is softball?>

"It's a game we play."

<And you hit people in the face with rocks?>

"Not usually." - Animorphs

There are all kinds of injuries that occur to elite athletes. Some occur as a result of overexertion during a game or practice. But some occur due to violent behavior from opponents--beaning, spiking, collisions, and so on. And yet others come from unusual or implausible circumstances off-the-field. Have any of your stars ever been injured in dramatic or unexpected circumstances? When--if ever--did they recover? Did the fans learn the whole story, or did management put a spin on some of the gory details?

---

The original tables posted with this set of scores were incorrect and have been spoilered out. Corrected tables will appear in a new post below.

Group 1

South Newlandia              0 0 0 0 9 1 0 0 1 11
Araznan                      1 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0  6

StrayaRoos Barrier Islands   0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1  5
Liventia                     1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 X  6

Sevendia                     0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3  4
Ethane                       0 2 1 5 0 0 0 0 X  8

* Group 1                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Ethane                        2    2   0    13    5   +8     2
2 Sevendia                      2    1   1     9   12   −3     1
3 South Newlandia               2    1   1    15   11   +4     1
4 Araznan                       2    1   1     9   12   −3     1
5 Liventia                      2    1   1     7    8   −1     1
6 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands    2    0   2     6   11   −5     0

Group 2

Virginia Nova                0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0  3
Cassadaigua                  0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2

Super-Llamaland              0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 2  6
Raspotochje                  1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4

The Sherpa Empire            0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1  4
Reorganized Portugal         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  2

* Group 2                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The Sherpa Empire             2    2   0    14    4  +10     2
2 Super-Llamaland               2    2   0     8    5   +3     2
3 Virginia Nova                 2    1   1     5   12   −7     1
4 Cassadaigua                   2    1   1     9    5   +4     1
5 Reorganized Portugal          2    0   2     3    6   −3     0
6 Raspotochje                   2    0   2     6   13   −7     0

Group 3

Unpleasant                   0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0  4
Delaclava                    1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2  6

Kohnhead                     0 1 0 0 0 6 1 0 1  9
Odessa-Dneiper               0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  3

Quebec and Shingoryeo        1 0 4 0 1 1 0 0 0  7
Hapilopper                   0 6 1 0 0 2 0 1 X 10

* Group 3                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Kohnhead                      2    2   0    15    8   +7     2
2 Delaclava                     2    2   0    14   11   +3     2
3 Hapilopper                    2    1   1    15   13   +2     1
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo         2    1   1    14   12   +2     1
5 Odessa-Dneiper                2    0   2    10   17   −7     0
  Unpleasant                    2    0   2     6   13   −7     0

Group 4

Mylderm                      1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Drawkland                    0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

TJUN-ia                      0 0 0 2 1 0 2 0 1  6
Tikariot                     0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Big D Nation                 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  3
St Saratoga                  1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 X  4

* Group 4                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 TJUN-ia                       2    2   0    15    9   +6     2
2 St Saratoga                   2    1   1    12   12    0     1
3 Big D Nation                  2    1   1    11    6   +5     1
4 Mylderm                       2    1   1     6   10   −4     1
5 Drawkland                     2    1   1     7    7    0     1
6 Tikariot                      2    0   2     4   11   −7     0

Group 5

Nova Anglicana               0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  4
Gortolekua                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Bardney                      4 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 2 11
United Adaikes               0 1 0 0 0 0 3 2 0  6

Second Peenadian             0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  4
Milchama                     0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 X  5

* Group 5                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                2    2   0     9    2   +7     2
2 Milchama                      2    2   0     8    5   +3     2
3 Bardney                       2    1   1    12    9   +3     1
4 Gortolekua                    2    1   1     6    9   −3     1
5 Second Peenadian              2    0   2     6   10   −4     0
6 United Adaikes                2    0   2    11   17   −6     0

Group 6

Quintessence of Dust         0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0  3
Abanhfleft                   0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3  6

Murderbum                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
The Greater Nordics          0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Concordians                  0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  2
Barnettsville                0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 X  3

* Group 6                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The Greater Nordics           2    2   0     5    1   +4     2
2 Murderbum                     2    1   1     6    4   +2     1
3 Abanhfleft                    2    1   1     6    6    0     1
4 Quintessence of Dust          2    1   1    16    8   +8     1
5 Barnettsville                 2    1   1     5    7   −2     1
6 Concordians                   2    0   2     4   16  −12     0

Group 7

The 189                      2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Banija                       0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Nueva Orinoquia              0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2  4
Eshialand                    0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

Huron League                 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Norrhem                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  4

* Group 7                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The 189                       2    2   0    10    3   +7     2
2 Norrhem                       2    2   0     9    3   +6     2
3 Banija                        2    1   1     6    4   +2     1
4 Nueva Orinoquia               2    1   1     5    7   −2     1
5 Eshialand                     2    0   2     3    9   −6     0
6 Huron League                  2    0   2     4   11   −7     0

Group 8

Camcity                      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Zwangzug                     0 0 0 3 0 1 1 0 X  5

Krytenia                     0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Ranoria                      0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 X  3

Brookstation                 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
HUElavia                     1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

* Group 8                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Ranoria                       2    2   0    13    2  +11     2
2 Brookstation                  2    2   0     7    3   +4     2
3 HUElavia                      2    1   1    14    3  +11     1
4 Zwangzug                      2    1   1     6   11   −5     1
5 Camcity                       2    0   2     2    9   −7     0
6 Krytenia                      2    0   2     1   15  −14     0

Group 9

Dotivija                     0 2 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 1  8
Bongo Johnson                3 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 2  9

Kriegiersien                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Chromatika                   0 0 4 0 1 1 0 0 X  6

South Americanastan          0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0  5
StrayaRoos                   0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3

* Group 9                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Chromatika                    2    2   0    15    2  +13     2
2 South Americanastan           2    2   0    10    7   +3     2
3 Kriegiersien                  2    1   1     7   11   −4     1
4 Bongo Johnson                 2    1   1    10   17   −7     1
5 Dotivija                      2    0   2    12   14   −2     0
6 StrayaRoos                    2    0   2     8   11   −3     0

[Drawkland]

With the shortened schedule of World Baseball Classic 54, the Drawkian gameplan was going to be different, going into the group stage. As many managers did, Base Corps skipper Blanton Evergreen decided to tighten the starting rotation to three pitchers, rather than a more standard five. Drawkian pitchers are more likely to pitch deep into the games, as endurance is a common trait among Drawkians, especially elite athletes. The role of a bullpen is more of a stopgap measure when the starter gets injured, or is ineffective against the opposing lineup that day. In half the Drawkian league where the DH is not used, relievers get the ball often when a pinch hitter gets used. Still, a majority of starters in the PBL average over 6.0 IP per start.

For the most part, Evergreen has been following that doctrine for the Base Corps. It doesn't help that the Corps bullpen has been historically bad for decades, but it just made sense to keep the starters in as long as they weren't giving up obscene amounts of runs. WBC 54 would be different. With a shortened season, and a smaller rotation, it becomes crucial to rely more on the bullpen arms and given the starters more rest. In an interview during training for the Classic, Evergreen indicated that any starter - even an ace like Leo Roy - will be tied to the Quality Start stat. If they give up four earned runs and lose the chance to earn a QS? They get the hook. Once they pass the 6th inning, unless they're pitching a shutout? They get the hook. With the DH rule in effect at home and in many opposing ballparks, pinch hitting considerations likely won't come up enough to deviate from this formula.

Of course, a lot of people, especially Drawkian fans, were very worried at such a strategy. Base Corps bullpens, as we mentioned earlier, have been anywhere from middling to downright offensive for most of Drawkland's history in the WBC. With more reliance on relief arms, will this just give opposing teams more opportunities to stick it to the Corps and steal away wins in the final frames? Even with the "addition" of normal starters Moore and Masterson in the pen, it's a very big question mark going into this tournament.

With the home opener against Tikariot, fans streamed into Hydrogen Cyanide Field with plenty of anxiety. Drawkland had been bad in the past few seasons, even by Drawkian baseball standards, and in a shortened group stage, it was likely they'd only come away with a few wins. Every home game counted. The game would become a pitcher's duel befitting of opening day, with Leo Roy going against Tikariot fireballer Patrick Lundgren. Roy would slip up early, allowing a solo shot from Foster Fleming to lead off the second inning, but besides that the early frames were just two great pitchers dealing against lineups that hadn't found their rhythm yet.

Drawkland would finally strike back in the fifth inning, as Abram Kavana would laser a double into the gap with two outs left in the inning. Elder statesmen Roger Madison, in what we believe is his final season with the Base Corps, would manage to pull off a hit-and-run for Kavana. Madison's shot just popped over Bronson Ghirardello at first base, and with momentum on his side, Kavana would beat the throw home to tie up the game. An inning later, his brother Lane Kavana popped a huge moonshot over the right field fence to take the lead. As Roy had just finished pitching the sixth inning, this put him in line for the win.

Unfortunately for Roy's stat sheet, the score would not remain in Drawkland's favor. Evergreen gave the ball to Jack West out of the pen, and he almost instantly threw away the game. It was almost too predictable for a Drawkian reliever. He walked the first two batters, allowed a shallow single to left field, and then allowed a run off a nice RBI single from Ghirardello. There it was, no outs, game already tied back up, and the bases still loaded. It was time to pull the plug on West.

With the game in the balance, Evergreen decided to take the chance. He called on the rookie star reliever who'd just gotten called up the season before in the PBL. Lorraine Lockwood came in the high-leverage situation. Everybody at HCF expected this to be the moment where she gets blown up, her first WBC appearance being a disaster, and ruining her viability as a leverage pitcher forever. Instead, something incredible happened.

Lockwood came up against Emilia Chamberlain to begin. Chamberlain isn't a power hitter, but her contact skill made her a threat to hit the ball anywhere. With the bases loaded and no outs, that's basically a death sentence. Instead, Lockwood sent her back to the dugout in four pitches. Then came Fleming, already with one RBI on the night, to have another crack at it. First pitch, Lockwood had him tricked with a nasty curveball, and it bounced right to Kavana for the inning-ending double play. Lockwood came in probably the worst situation and delivered three straight outs.

The crowd was restless. Did we just watch a Drawkian reliver be clutch? In the WBC? The next inning the Corps couldn't get anything done against fresh Tikariot reliever Devon Cargill, and Lockwood went back on the mound for the top of the eighth. The middle of the Owls lineup went down one-two-three. In the bottom of the eighth, Lane Kavana led off the inning, and again got a hit to start. This one was a grounder that streaked straight up the middle of the field, a single. Kavana would steal second, and Chan Ford would score him on an RBI double to left field. Drawkland had the lead with one frame to go.

Then, Evergreen did what nobody wanted him to do. He sent old Franklin Bell to the mound to close the game. Lockwood sat in the dugout, surrounded by her new teammates, who all gave her a sort of congrats for keeping the game in reach. If Bell could actually close out this one-run game, she would deservedly be in line for the win. Against the bottom of the lineup, could he really blow this?

JJ Bernardetti, a two-outcome hitter, goes down swinging at a forkball.
William Carruthers, a catcher with a spotty hitting resume, goes down swinging at a slider.
Anderson Bourget, the leadoff hitter, has one last chance to keep Tikariot in the game. After a six-pitch at-bat that goes to full count ... he flies out to center field to end the game.

Hydrogen Cyanide Field erupts into a cheer that's perhaps a bit too excited, given the circumstance. Drawkland had just won their home opener of a WBC. The Base Corps bullpen didn't blow it. Franklin Bell protected a lead, and induced the simple three outs he needed. Tikariot aren't really worldbeaters, they were the Pot 2 team barely ranked in the Top 15, but this was a big moment. Who knows if anything good was to come for Drawkland, but they got a win to start. And if you keep winning games ... who knows where you'll end up?

[Cassadaigua]

It’s Official: CBL Locks Out Players
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

With the World Baseball Classic underway, Cassadagan sports fans were hoping that the only possible bad news for baseball would be any games that the Fillies could possibly lose. They knew, though, all the chatter going on within the Cassadagan Baseball League, which would be due to have its opening day at the conclusion of the Classic. The collective bargaining agreement between the CBL and the CBLPA (Players Association) had not been agreed upon yet. The CBL claims it had made the best possible offers to the CBLPA with “massive concessions” made to the players. There are smaller issues effecting the ratification of a new bargaining agreement (which will be referenced in the article as a BA instead of a CBA because using CBL, CBA, and CBLPA would be hard on the eyes).

The league wants a salary cap. The players say no way.
The PA wants the elimination of the entry draft and massive restructuring of the minor league system. The league says that is a complete non starter of a discussion point that they won’t even carry on a conversation about it. Well, that might be pushing it, but that is essentially the message that the CBL has given.

And now, the league has done what was feared: locking out the players. On the CBL website, commissioner Roberta Frederick posted,

“It is with great sadness that the CBL has taken the action this morning to declare a league wide lockout. However, there has not been a new bargaining agreement made with the players union, and we cannot conduct business without the agreement. The CBLPA has been stubborn in its actions up to this point, making demands that are simply reckless to our sport and the potential to have league wide parity. They have also refused to accept the notion of a salary cap, refusing to listen to the fact that it does not have to mean that players make less money, and that the salary cap would also create better parity within the league. I apologize to our fans, who are the biggest losers in this decision.”

Of course, the CBLPA, led by former WBC star Cortnie Nicholson, made a statement of their own, in response. Here is that response,

“To the great Cassadagan baseball fans, I want to apologize for the decision of the owner’s to lock us out and risk the delay of the upcoming CBL season. Do know that the players were willing to practice and even play without a new BA while using the terms of the one that expired last year. The owner’s were unwilling to do that, and instead demanded that we not only play under a new BA but proposed something in a salary cap which will greatly impact players. The owners have also been unwilling to listen to our proposal to develop an academy season, which the Cassadagan Soccer League has done, and then restructure the minor league system accordingly. Such a proposal would have offered more baseball for fans to watch, and in more cities and towns, and not less. CBL revenues have not been any better, helped with the addition of international players, yet they refuse to provide more in revenue sharing. We will not be forced to agree. So, here we are.”

This has been called a dangerous stalemate for those who were hoping to watch an uninterrupted baseball season. Jenna Morgan, a 23-year old starting pitcher with the Starksville Brown Birds was one of the first to make a public social media comment about it, saying, “Maybe I will just leave the league, in general, and go somewhere else, like the Llamaphant league. The CBL is not the only league in the world with a high level of prestige. As of right now, I don’t have a team because of the lockout, which is unreasonable. I want to stay in Starksville, but mark my words, Roberta Frederick, if I sign with another league, I am not coming back if the lockout ends.” Would more players follow suit? Of course, right now that could just be seen as a bluff, as who knows if another league would actually look to capitalize on grabbing Cassadagan players during the lockout. Morgan stated later that, “The Llamaphant league is the only league I would have an interest in playing in. On a prestige level, it is even with the CBL.” While it is probably only Cassadagans that would say the CBL was even with the Llamaphant (most consider Llamaphant to be a better league), we can’t see another league out there interesting top players, or second tier players. Borderline major leaguers? Maybe.

[Zwangzug]

These should be the corrected tables for MD2. Please notify me if anything seems amiss.

Group 1

*                             Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 South Newlandia               2    2   0    20    9  +11     2
2 Ethane                        2    2   0    12    6   +6     2
  Liventia                      2    2   0    13    7   +6     2
4 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands    2    0   2     7   10   −3     0
5 Araznan                       2    0   2     8   18  −10     0
  Sevendia                      2    0   2     7   17  −10     0

Group 2

*                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The Sherpa Empire       2    2   0     9    5   +4     2
2 Super-Llamaland         2    2   0    10    7   +3     2
3 Virginia Nova           2    1   1     6    7   −1     1
4 Cassadaigua             2    1   1     6    6    0     1
5 Raspotochje             2    0   2     7   10   −3     0
  Reorganized Portugal    2    0   2     5    8   −3     0

Group 3

*                         Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Kohnhead                 2    2   0    12    3   +9     2
2 Hapilopper               2    1   1    10   10    0     1
3 Odessa-Dneiper           2    1   1    12   17   −5     1
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo    2    1   1    15   11   +4     1
5 Delaclava                2    1   1    14   13   +1     1
6 Unpleasant               2    0   2     5   14   −9     0

Group 4

*                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 TJUN-ia                 2    2   0    17    2  +15     2
2 Mylderm                 2    2   0     8    4   +4     2
3 Drawkland               2    1   1     5    6   −1     1
4 St Saratoga             2    1   1     5   14   −9     1
5 Big D Nation            2    0   2     5    8   −3     0
6 Tikariot                2    0   2     3    9   −6     0

Group 5

*                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Milchama                2    2   0    13    5   +8     2
2 Second Peenadian        2    1   1    11   10   +1     1
3 Bardney                 2    1   1    12   14   −2     1
4 Nova Anglicana          2    1   1     9    7   +2     1
5 United Adaikes          2    1   1    13   15   −2     1
6 Gortolekua              2    0   2     4   11   −7     0

Group 6

*                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Barnettsville           2    2   0    13    3  +10     2
2 The Greater Nordics     2    2   0     9    4   +5     2
3 Abanhfleft              2    1   1     9   10   −1     1
4 Quintessence of Dust    2    1   1     7    8   −1     1
5 Concordians             2    0   2     4    7   −3     0
6 Murderbum               2    0   2     2   12  −10     0

Group 7

*                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Norrhem                 2    2   0    12    9   +3     2
2 Huron League            2    1   1    11   10   +1     1
3 The 189                 2    1   1     9   10   −1     1
4 Banija                  2    1   1     7    4   +3     1
5 Nueva Orinoquia         2    1   1    11   10   +1     1
6 Eshialand               2    0   2     3   10   −7     0

Group 8

*                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Ranoria                 2    2   0     9    4   +5     2
2 Brookstation            2    2   0     5    3   +2     2
3 Zwangzug                2    1   1     8    7   +1     1
4 Krytenia                2    1   1     4    5   −1     1
5 HUElavia                2    0   2     4    6   −2     0
6 Camcity                 2    0   2     2    7   −5     0

Group 9

*                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Chromatika              2    2   0    16    8   +8     2
2 South Americanastan     2    2   0    11    8   +3     2
3 StrayaRoos              2    1   1     6    7   −1     1
4 Bongo Johnson           2    1   1    16   18   −2     1
5 Dotivija                2    0   2    13   15   −2     0
6 Kriegiersien            2    0   2     3    9   −6     0

[The Sherpa Empire]

Phuntsok Bahadurzada was standing around scratching his crotch on international television and occasionally spitting into the dirt, as was usual in his line of work. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Sachdeva threw a slider that just missed the strike zone and the umpire called it a ball.

But then there was some sort of disturbance among the crowd in the stands. Fans began yelling and booing, gesturing angrily, and pelting Bahadurzada with peanuts. One guy even threw a soda cup at his head. "What the fuck???" he said.

He saw some fans pointing into left field, and he looked to see what they were pointing at. It took him a while to notice it. The umpire had called a ball, the Portuguese batter was toeing the dirt in the batter's box getting ready to take another pitch, and Sachdeva was still on the mound thinking about what to throw next -- but the guy working the scoreboard had recorded a strikeout instead of a ball.

They had to stop the game while someone went out to the scoreboard and told the scorekeeper to fix it. The home plate umpire confirmed that the pitch was a ball, not a strike; and gave the scorekeeper a good tongue-lashing for getting it wrong. Khan and Sachdeva made a half-hearted effort to persuade the umpire that the scorekeeper was correct and it was actually a strike, but the umpire shooed them back to their usual places.

The scoreboard was corrected, the fans settled down, and the game resumed. Khan and Sachdeva shrugged. "It was worth a try."

[Chromatika]

Hilary Angelou Shines as Chromatika Wins Home Opener

Kriegiersien                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Chromatika                   0 0 4 0 1 1 0 0 X  6

NATIONAL STADIUM, CHROMIA, CAPITAL DISTRICT - As she gets older, Hilary Angelou knows that there may be a day coming when she hangs up her mitts and steps away from the Chromatik national baseball team.

However, if you talk to the winningest pitcher in Chromatik baseball history, the one that helped put the Outliers on the map, she isn't talking about that, nor the fact that the Outliers placed her second in the pitching rotation this year. No, she's all about what the Outliers can do in this World Baseball Classic, how the team needs to improve, etc.

She reminded everyone just how good she was as a player as well, pitching seven strong innings and giving up a single run before giving way to Vette Beux in the eighth inning as Chromatika won its home opener handedly by a score of six runs to one in front of a sold out crowd at National Stadium.

"She (Angelou) is deadly when locked in," commented Laure Valle, her catcher, "The years at Elephant Valley United have been grating on her, but she understands that baseball is a process, and that even at her age, better days are still ahead."

Valle is, of course, talking about how Elephant Valley United of the LPB have been doing so abysmally despite having a pitcher like Angelou on the roster. Angelou is rumored to move after the current season of the LPB, but is refusing to talk about it during the World Baseball Classic.

"She was vintage Hilary out there," admitted Alisen Mayamoto, the team's Player-Coach, "This is what we need her to be like in the days to come to really show up this tournament, and it's great to see her in top form already."

The Outliers put together thirteen hits on the affair, with Edith Ponce continuing her stellar play behind the plate with three hits and four runs driven in. Raitis Ranta added a home run for good measure, and even Mattieu Gammond got in on the scoring action, scoring a run after he got on base due to a walk.

This is a far better start than the one Chromatika had in the previous World Baseball Classic, and the team will be tested as they head off to South Americanastan. With both teams sitting at 2-0, the result will determine who leads the group in the early going - something that the Outliers will be looking to grasp with two hands.

---

Frenei Chromatik Baseball League - Season 6

Through Sixty Games:

CBL                        Pld     W    L     RF    RA    RD  Mov  Las30 
 1 Shantarr Scorpions       60    38   22    302   234   +68  +04  21-09
 2 Chromia Comets           60    38   22    270   196   +74  -01  16-14
 3 Felswyr Fire             60    36   24    283   226   +57  +04  20-10
 4 Knetyohai Dynamo         60    36   24    296   236   +60  -02  18-12
 5 Eyrods Pilots            60    33   27    257   258    −1  -02  15-15
 6 Urrheddiao Knights       60    32   28    231   253   −22  +02  17-13
 7 Hanai Heroes             60    32   28    252   224   +28  +05  19-11
 8 Chromia Diamonds         60    31   29    242   248    −6  -02  14-16
 9 Rhoni Rhonin             60    30   30    267   273    −6  ===  16-14
10 Lanar Rangers            60    29   31    277   276    +1  +05  19-11
11 Umbar Corsairs           60    28   32    276   275    +1  -07  10-20
12 Larhai Legends           60    27   33    228   276   −48  -01  14-16
13 Alnio Reds               60    25   35    248   278   −30  +01  12-18
14 Sanar Vipers             60    24   36    225   272   −47  -01  11-19
15 Myana Merfolk            60    21   39    217   276   −59  -05  08-21
16 Z'ai'ai Loggers          60    20   40    231   301   −70  ===  12-18

With the best split of thirty games, the Scorpions have tied the Comets at the top of the table, despite the Comets having the best pitching staff out there. Behind them are the Fire and the Dynamo, while the Pilots split their games evenly. Keep an eye on the rising Heroes and Rangers, while the Diamonds have fallen on hard times along with the Corsairs. For the Loggers and Merfolk, it may already be a lost season - but with how Eyrods turned things around in prior seasons, there is a chance out there that things might change.

[TJUN-ia]

After one of the most convincing Opening Day victories in our history over St Saratoga, the Battin' Jags of TJUN-ia were certainly in high spirits as the final WBC of the current era got underway. Phillip Hellas-Verona was certainly happy with how things went that night, back on Rounders Field and with the full support of The Jungle behind them, but everyone knew that harder tests were to come...and tonight would certainly be one of them. Going to Oceanview Park, a land of unpredictable wind speeds, and Port Rhovanyon's Sports City to take on the #13 Owls of Tikariot - an Owls side with a new manager in Jonathan Villiers and who were looking to bounce back big time from defeat in Drawkland. You wouldn't think a game this big would be in only Game 2 - and yet, here we are.

Davis Johnson started against Graham Pettersson in this one and with the DH in full effect, both Killian O'Mally and Yevani Fernandez would head up to the plate for this one. The first three innings would certainly be tight, with everyone trying to figure out what can be done to break down the opposition's resolve. Everyone ended up with a player on base in the first three innings but finally, the walls of deadlock would be broken - with O'Mally himself getting a 2-run bomb out of the Park. The 5th would see another TJUN-ian run, this time a good play from Pedro Moires that sent Joe Gregory back to home plate, and that would be the end of poor Pettersson - replaced by Devon Cargill for the rest of the game. Cargill would hold on for a while and would be present for when Foster Fleming made it home plate...but only after a 2-run bomb from Gregory at the top of the inning. Tikariot did try and try to get back into the contest but this game was already won, sealed by the long bomb from Rafael Llorente at the top of the 9th. The final score was 6-1 Jags, a good game by these veterans that certainly proved that while they may be old, they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

2-0 is certainly a good start, but the team will need to make sure they don't drop the ball in the 8 games to come. Up next will be the double-header at The Diamond in the Gardens, with another good team in the Base Corps from Drawkland coming to New Washington. Should be a fun one back in the NAU...GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group G)
G1: vs St Saratoga (84) - Rounders Field, Portside W 11-1 (1st)
G2: @Tikariot (13) - Oceanview Park, Sports City, Port Rhovanyon W 6-1 (1st)
G3: vs Drawkland (35) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
G4: vs Mylderm (48) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
G5: @Big D Nation (UR)
----------------BREAK TIME----------------
G6: @St Saratoga (84)
G7: vs Tikariot (13) - Rounders Field, Portside
G8: @Drawkland (35) - Hydrogen Cyanide Field, Drawk City
G9: @Mylderm (28)
G10: vs Big D Nation (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside

[Virginia Nova]

Jim Sanderson was having the time of his life. Not in the fun way, this was a game versus Cassadaigua, a known powerhouse team in baseball, but no this was sarcastic metaphor. Sanderson was have to deal with a pitcher with control issues. Shockingly through four innings the infield had saved his pitcher Carl North's ass as they had managed to get any player who was plunked on base to either groundball into a double play or just imply get out. That was until the fourth. An actually half way decent pitch from North got hammered by the usually light hitting Caitlin Williams, for a single bag Home Run. North tightened up his grip and got the remaining out.

The offense had been ok, in the fifth they compensated for the mistake North made in the previous inning when he himself give up the HR to Williams. Payton Grilliot had hammered a two run bases clearing double to get the Eagle on the board 2-1. But the next inning it looked to be doom and gloom again for the Eagles when a 4 pitch walk to Ashley McKnight sent her on base and an out of control ball struck Lexi Ford and things looked dire.

The Manager,Sanders, and Carl all came together for a mound meeting.

"Man I had to throw away this meatball man, that thing was getting rotten in my glove"

"Meatball Carl?" said Manager Davey Forkes

"Yeah real beef too!" "I didn't mean to hit that bleep bloop dude either!"

"What the hell ya talking bout Carl?" "Yanno what don't worry about that Carl I'm callin in the pen to warm up"

"I'm callin in Ken"

Davey proceed to get the phone to the pen and talk to Ken Spekevin

Spekevin was a super lank 6'4 stick figure who wore Aviators on the diamond and looked more like a trucker who drove logs from the eastern forests of Virginia Nova out to the pulp mills near the Saint James River. He throw with one most fluid sidearm motion you ever saw, he was also a former teammate of Carl North's at the Fort O'Brien Pirates team located inland near the military town of Fort O'Brien. He knew exactly what was going on and explained to Davey Forkes that Carl had a habit. Carl did LSD as with a lot of the baseball players in Virginia Nova, he had a drug problem. Heck they saw in the last game a coked up outfielder charge another teams coach. It was just something people kind of went with and ignored. Baseball was seen as entertainment and many fans int he area didn't care as long as they were entertained. Spekevin also mention that when him and North were teammates that north, was on an LSD trip during an intra-squad, pre-season practice and when his manager tried to pull him that North pummeled the guy and ended up with a black eye that was never fully explained to the press in Virginia Nova.

So Forkes let him stay in and talked a lil to Jimmy Sanderson

"Jimmy be careful" Forkes whispered "He's on something"

"What? so he's coked up like half the other guys here?"

"Nah he's trippin'. Dude thinks he's playing those 198ers from the north" "Just be careful Jimmy he ain't coming out."

"Yeah Ken says he does acid apparently and hates getting pulled out, so he's probably trippin on the mound."

"Well that explains to weird noises I heard in his hotel room this morning...."

North managed to stay mostly in control, but that wasn't with out some issue. In the 9th inning it got tight as a wild pitch sent a player for Cassadaigua to 3rd base and on the next play a single got said player cross the bag to home. But a fly out to center one play later and the game was over a 3-2 win for Virginia Nova.

Carl North had just pitched a 4 hit, complete game, shutout all while tripping on acid.

[Brookstation]

Two out of two
by Ralph Smith

With the beginning of the 54th World Baseball Classic, one thing has become clearly evident for every Brook baseball fan. David Bayi's team is on to something risky. After a low scoring match in Camcity, Brookstation were now headed to HUElavia. The fans obviously expected something better from the team but none of us expected the pretty much same thing to occur yet again.

In fact this time, the game began on a positive note when Cahill hit a home run in the starting hours of the match when Ripeppi was present in the second base, giving them two runs at an unusually early point of the game. HUElavia weren't willing to let the match go easily either. The HUElavia team singled towards the middle of their first inning and gained another run.

Judging by the pace in which the game was continuing, the match was expected to be a high scoring and intense one. But it didn't turn out to be such. Again, soon afterwards Brookstation gained their run in the third innings thanks to a Harris single. Little did any of the Brook fan know that that was going to mark the early end of Brookstation's scoring. For the next six whole innings, none of the Brook players managed to score at all. Whereas on the other hand, HUElavia were in a position to equalize at any point which kept the audience biting their nails throughout. But thanks to Margaret, they didn't for long either. They managed to get a run in the seventh innings but were never able to catch up to Brookstation.

This must be a part of coach David Bayi's new style of play, a very defensive one but relying entirely on the pitchers might cost the team at any point. Brookstation next encounter will be with group toppers Ranoria who will be welcomed in Halebid and none of us want our team to lose in our home after winning matches internationally.

None the less, coach Bayi had something to say- " Two out of two is very impressive and we will ensure that we greet Ranoria in Halebid with a surprise."

[Barnettsville]

(OOC: My rosters will be posted later this evening. Stupid Garry (me) managed to accidentally delete the post and add in my first RP. It will be fixed.)

Not back....YET

ST. CATHERINE - The Blue Jays, enjoying the shortened group stage, stayed perfect in the Classic after their nailbiting 3-2 win over visiting Concordians. Our manager did not get to see the end, as he was ejected following a hit batsman. After Barnettsville took a two-zero lead courtesy of a towering two-run bomb that two-hopped into the river, the next batter was hit by the first pitch in the shoulder. The complaint was made that it was a retaliation, neccessitating an immediate ejection. Well, he wants an ejection - he gets an ejection. Problem was, it wasn't who he wanted tossed that got the early shower. The Jays added a run in the fifth, which was vital as Barnettsville nursed a 3-2 lead in the ninth, and the starter allowed two runners on for first and third with one out. The closer was the summoned and promptly induced a game ending 4-6-3 double play.


In other games Abanhfleft walked one off against QoD 6-3, and The Greater Nordics also walked off with a 2-1 win over Murderbum. QoD, in a minor surprise - the group stage only being 10 games - are tied for third in the group, courtesy of the aforementioned loss to Abahnfleft. Save that, everything is fairly well as expected.

1 Barnettsville           2    2   0    13    3  +10     2
2 The Greater Nordics     2    2   0     9    4   +5     2
3 Abanhfleft              2    1   1     9   10   −1     1
4 Quintessence of Dust    2    1   1     7    8   −1     1
5 Concordians             2    0   2     4    7   −3     0
6 Murderbum               2    0   2     2   12  −10     0

[Ranoria]

Krauts Book Tickets to Brookstation,
Aim to Make This Their Best Classic Start Yet

It was pitcher Jorge Billing's first time suiting up for a WBC contest. The Edmunton Rebels ace came out with some nerves it seems, allowing a a pair of doubles in the second inning that resulted in a run. He settled down once he got out of that period, but it was a deficit that our squad was hard-pressed to come back from throughout the match. Our lineup had come and gone through four innings of fruitless batting, be that foul balls or fly-outs. It came down to Jesse Griffith to break the monotony, cranking a fastball down the line to get himself a double. Leonardo Harrison knocked him in to help break the game open. We'd score twice more in the sixth, and between Jorge Billing, Thomas Barnet, and Corey Nielman, it was a lead we never let Krytenia close in on.

At 2-0 now, Ranoria's got some experience in the World Baseball Classic. A one-off run in the 44^th edition and their modern era starting from the 49^th, but all that experience has yet to net a strong start. Only twice have the Krauts ever won their opening day games to start unbeaten, those coming in WBC 51 and 52. Even our strongest campaigns, a 19-11 season in WBC 50 and 18-12 last edition saw Ranoria fall in its first match. And only in WBC 52 were the Krauts able to start 2-0. That changed of course in the last two contests, and against Brookstation, Ranoria has the opportunity to make it their best start ever.

Given this is only a ten-game group stage, that kind of burst at the gun would be even more impactful. The more wins we can rack up early, the easier it'll be to avoid teams like Banija, South Newlandia, Chromatika, et cetera early in the playoffs. Granted, that is, that we can make the playoffs. Brookstation is 2-0 as well to their credit and hasn't shown any clear weaknesses yet, with their coach David Bayi making it clear to the press he's confident his team will emerge the victor at home. The winner of this match will take the top spot in Group 8, and assuming HUElavia and Zwangzug win their matches, likely fall to at least third.

"It's as important as one of these early contests can get," Leonardo Harrison admitted at a press conference this week, "The first two wins were important, but we have to keep the train rolling. We've fallen into the trap before of thinking we can make up for a slow start and you've all seen where it's gotten us."

Indeed, in WBC 51 especially, Ranoria was coming off a 10-1 stretch through the final 11 games of WBC 50, and seemed to have in their heads that they could do something similar. As a result, they started slow and things didn't get much better. We seem to have avoided that fate so far, but a win here would plant the Krauts firmly at the top of the group.

[South Newlandia]

Shawn Zimmerman speaks out, supports players of the Cassadagan Baseball League in open letter

Shawn Zimmerman, the biggest star in South Newlandian baseball (and arguably one of the biggest stars of baseball, period) has always been known as a pro-union guy, even by South Newlandian standards. He proved this once again in an open letter, addressing the locked-out players of the CBL; published below.

Zimmerman also made news in other ways, accomplishing the rare feat of two home runs in the same inning in the 5th in the Elephants’ trip to Araznan. Thanks to no shortage of hits, the Elephants’ bat around, scoring nine runs – five of them batted in by Zimmerman – en route to an 11-6 road win.

[Eshialand]

Today's Dreams, Tomorrow's Memories
Part II: The Same Place, a Different Land
Part I

Seven years later...

Now 24, Lucas Heddermaier has gotten his life together... somewhat. Sure, he still had the usual issues that 24-year-olds had to deal with in a mid-2020s society where toxic capitalism had infected everything from the education system to... well, just imagine I came up with a wittier response here... but overall, his life was going pretty well. His job wasn't great, but it paid enough bills for him to live with only two room-mates instead of three... and only one of them had a criminal record!

Okay, strange-ish home life aside, things were going as well as they could be for Lucas. After leaving the land that would become Eshialand, he managed to live a relatively normal life in what remained of the nation of Canada. No regrets, no looking back.

"Heddermaier, we're transferring you."

Lucas' boss at Waverley and Company, Mr. Beshuli, had a stern look on his face as he slammed a pile of papers down on his desk. The look on his face told Lucas that this transfer wasn't an opportunity; it was a punishment.

"Wait, why am I being transferred?"
"Look, I'm just gonna come right out and say it; we have too many employees here, and you're eating into our profits. I have to cut off some of the underperformers, and you were first on the chopping block. Either you take the transfer, or we just fire you."

Well, that was it. There was just no more room in the Winnipeg office for Lucas. For some, the story would end there... but there was more that Lucas wanted to hear.

"What kind of transfer?"
"Okay, well... we're opening up a new office, er, rather re-opening an old one. We moved out of that market seven years ago, and we're trying to make our way back in."
"How far away is it?"
"Not too far, but it would be an international position."
"Really?" The thought of visiting other countries filled Lucas with the joy of a small child, a joy he hadn't felt in a long while.
"Yeah, the new office is going to be in Eshialand City."

"Wait, Eshialand?" the name of the city, the country he'd be visiting hit him like a truck. Eshialand was the name those rebels had given to the land he had once called home, the land he had left oh so long ago. He had a hard decision to make. Should he go back? Should he revisit what he had to leave behind so long before, or just find a better place to work? Who knows, he could find someone with a better benefits package!

Lucas took a deep breath before replying: "I'll take the job sir." He decided that he'd return to this country he'd never seen before.

[South Newlandia]

[South Americanastan]

THE HALIFAX TIMES
SOUTH AMERICANASTAN NATIONAL TEAM PICKS UP ANOTHER ROAD WIN, ADVANCE TO 2-0

CIRCUNSES INTERNATIONAL BALLPARK, STRAYAROOS - South Americanastan faced off against Strayaroos in what would be their 2nd game of the WBC Group Stage yesterday, and the Bears cruised to an easy 5-3 win over the Emus. John Mikelanton would pitch an amazing game, allowing only 3 runs, 2 earned, over 7 innings. Frank Monteforte, meanwhile, would have career game, going 4-for-4 with a homerun, 2 doubles, and a single. Jack Manning earned an ejection in the 6th inning after an exhange with the Strayaroosian catcher.

The game would begin with a painstakingly long at-bat by Zane Vqa, who would foul off a grand total of 7 pitches from a 3-2 count before finally striking out on a high and tight fastball. Mikelanton would allow a double to the next batter, 1st baseman Greg Qta, before going on a roll for the next 2 2/3rds innings, sending 8 straight batters back to the dugout before a double by Greg Qta would break his streak. A first pitch single by 3rd basemen Tyu Red would put runners on the corners with cleanup hitter Qee coming up to the plate. A deep fly ball would be dropped by center fielder David Timberlake due to a hard run into the center field wall. Tommy Vincent would take his place for the rest of the game as Timberlake he was diagnosed with a minor concussion. He is expected to be available to play for the next game.

In the 6th Inning, Jack Manning would send a ball deep over the right field fence, earning him yet another WBC home run and multiple boos from the Strayaroosian fans. Manning and Zane Vqa were seen exchanging words after the home run, and Manning was ejected after he called Vqa a "F*cking Dipsh*t".

Strayaroo's final runs would come in the bottom of the 6th inning after a 2-run homer by Terry Rea, Mikelanton would be pulled after a short conversation with Micheal Kelly during which Mikelanton complained of some discomfort in his rotator cuff. When asked about Mikelanton's possible injury, Kelly remarked:

"It was really more of a precautionary measure if anything. The rotator cuff is really something you don't want to get hurt in a pitcher and he was already closing in on his pitch count anyway, so we felt it was the best decision."

The South Americanastanian relievers would pull off a shutout for the rest of the game, earning South Americanastan and Mikelanton another win.

[Quintessence of Dust]

(Provisional) box scores as posted on the TalkBaseball.qd website. This tournament, TBQ will be summarising results entirely through The West Wing quotes.

                          AB   R   H  RBI BB   K  LOB  AVG  HR  RBI
T. Brøndum CF              4   0   0   0   0   0   2  .000   0   0
  d–K. Kawasuda PH         1   0   0   0   0   1   2  .000   0   0
  H. Ja P                  0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
J. Theriault SS            4   0   1   0   0   0   0  .250   0   0
L. Chevalier LF            3   0   0   0   1   1   0  .000   0   0
  b–J. McCallum LF, CF     0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
R. Weber RF                3   0   1   0   1   0   2  .333   0   0
S. Borgþórsson 1B          4   1   1   1   0   0   2  .250   1   1
N. Ágústsdóttir 3B         4   1   2   0   0   1   0  .500   0   0
K. Yutani 2B               2   2   2   0   2   0   0 1.000   0   0
J. Sakaguchi P             1   0   1   1   0   0   0 1.000   0   1
  a–A. Yasumoto PH         1   0   1   1   0   0   0 1.000   0   1
  B. Amundsen P            0   0   0   0   0   0   0  .000   0   0
  c–J. Stevens PH, LF      1   0   0   0   0   1   2  .000   0   0
Y. Long C                  4   0   1   1   0   1   3  .250   0   1

a–A. Yasumoto pinch-hit for J. Sakaguchi in the 6th
b–J. McCallum substituted for L. Chevalier in the 8th
c–J. Stevens pinch-hit for B. Amundsen in the 8th
d–K. Kawasuda pinch-hit for T. Brøndum in the 8th

Doubles: N. Ágústsdóttir (1, 8th inning, 0 on, 0 outs)
Home runs: S. Borgþórsson (1, 8th inning, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total bases: S. Borgþórsson 4, N. Ágústsdóttir 3, K. Yutani 2, J. Sakaguchi, Y. Long, J. Theriault, J. Sakaguchi, R. Weber, A. Yasumoto
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: R. Weber, Y. Long, S. Borgþórsson, K. Kawasuda
GIDP: N. Ágústsdóttir, Y. Long
Sac Bunt: J. Sakaguchi
Team LOB: 7

BASERUNNING
SB: K. Yutani (1)

FIELDING
Errors: J. Theriault (1)

                            IP  H   R  ER  BB   K  HR  PI  PS   ERA
J. Sakaguchi W (1 – 0)     6.0  6   2   2   1   3   0  81  56  3.00
B. Amundsen H (1)          2.0  0   0   0   0   2   0  24  18  0.00
H. Ja SV (1)               1.0  0   0   0   1   1   0  16   8  0.00

Game score: J. Sakaguchi 54
Batters faced: J. Sakaguchi 26, B. Amundsen 6, H. Ja 4
Ground outs – fly outs: J. Sakaguchi 9 – 6, B. Amundsen 4 – 0, H. Ja 1 – 1

Scoring summary:

3.1: Yazhu Long singles (9S). Kaori Yutani scores.

4.1: Juzo Sakaguchi singles (6MD). Natalí Ágústsdóttir scores.

5.0: Solo homer

5.0: Sacrifice fly

6.1: Akihiro Yasumoto singles (4D). Kaori Yutani scores.

8.0: Sigurkarl Borgþórsson homers (89XD). Sigurkarl Borgþórsson scores.

“You’ll find it in your filing cabinet under ‘A’ for ‘anal’.” – C.J. Cregg

[Zwangzug]

In light of recent events in Cassadaigua, today's RP cutoff quote is from the videogame "Crying Suns." "A message displays on the beacon: 'Attention all pirates: Don't forget to play your union dues! Violators may be...pirated.' Pirates have unions?!"

What is the state of labor relations in your country? Have there been organizations to advocate for manual laborers/elite athletes/unsavory elements? How, or if, does this factor into broader political or economic movements?

This is the RP cutoff for matchday three, scores may be delayed depending on multitasking/table issues/etc.

Group 1

Ethane                       0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2
South Newlandia              1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2  4

Liventia                     0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Sevendia                     0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

Araznan                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
StrayaRoos Barrier Islands   2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 X  5

* Group 1                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 South Newlandia               3    3   0    24   11  +13     3
2 Liventia                      3    3   0    16    9   +7     3
3 Ethane                        3    2   1    14   10   +4     2
4 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands    3    1   2    12   11   +1     1
5 Sevendia                      3    0   3     9   20  −11     0
6 Araznan                       3    0   3     9   23  −14     0

Group 2

Reorganized Portugal         0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3
Virginia Nova                0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

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

Cassadaigua                  0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  3
Super-Llamaland              1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 X  4

* Group 2                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The Sherpa Empire             3    3   0    14    7   +7     3
2 Super-Llamaland               3    3   0    14   10   +4     3
3 Reorganized Portugal          3    1   2     8    9   −1     1
4 Virginia Nova                 3    1   2     7   10   −3     1
5 Cassadaigua                   3    1   2     9   10   −1     1
6 Raspotochje                   3    0   3     9   15   −6     0

Group 3

Hapilopper                   6 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  9
Unpleasant                   0 4 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  7

Odessa-Dneiper               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Quebec and Shingoryeo        0 0 0 7 6 2 0 0 X 15

Delaclava                    0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  3
Kohnhead                     0 2 1 0 5 0 1 0 X  9

* Group 3                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Kohnhead                      3    3   0    21    6  +15     3
2 Hapilopper                    3    2   1    19   17   +2     2
3 Quebec and Shingoryeo         3    2   1    30   12  +18     2
4 Odessa-Dneiper                3    1   2    13   32  −19     1
5 Delaclava                     3    1   2    17   22   −5     1
6 Unpleasant                    3    0   3    12   23  −11     0

Group 4

St Saratoga                  0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Mylderm                      0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  3

Tikariot                     0 3 0 1 2 1 0 0 0  7
Big D Nation                 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Drawkland                    0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1  5
TJUN-ia                      0 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 X 10

* Group 4                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 TJUN-ia                       3    3   0    27    7  +20     3
2 St Saratoga                   3    2   1     9   17   −8     2
3 Mylderm                       3    2   1    11    8   +3     2
4 Drawkland                     3    1   2    10   16   −6     1
5 Tikariot                      3    1   2    10   11   −1     1
6 Big D Nation                  3    0   3     7   15   −8     0

Group 5

Milchama                     0 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 0  6
Nova Anglicana               0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

United Adaikes               1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Second Peenadian             0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 X  5

Gortolekua                   0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0  5
Bardney                      0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3

* Group 5                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Milchama                      3    3   0    19    6  +13     3
2 Second Peenadian              3    2   1    16   11   +5     2
3 Nova Anglicana                3    1   2    10   13   −3     1
4 Bardney                       3    1   2    15   19   −4     1
5 United Adaikes                3    1   2    14   20   −6     1
6 Gortolekua                    3    1   2     9   14   −5     1

Group 6

Barnettsville                0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  3
Quintessence of Dust         1 0 5 0 2 2 0 0 X 10

The Greater Nordics          2 0 1 0 3 3 1 2 0 12
Concordians                  0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Abanhfleft                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Murderbum                    0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 X  3

* Group 6                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The Greater Nordics           3    3   0    21    5  +16     3
2 Quintessence of Dust          3    2   1    17   11   +6     2
3 Barnettsville                 3    2   1    16   13   +3     2
4 Murderbum                     3    1   2     5   12   −7     1
5 Abanhfleft                    3    1   2     9   13   −4     1
6 Concordians                   3    0   3     5   19  −14     0

Group 7

Norrhem                      0 1 0 0 1 3 0 1  0  6
The 189                      0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0  6  10 *

Eshialand                    0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0  4
Huron League                 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Banija                       0 4 0 0 1 0 2 2 0  9
Nueva Orinoquia              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

* Group 7                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The 189                       3    2   1    19   16   +3     2
2 Banija                        3    2   1    16    5  +11     2
3 Norrhem                       3    2   1    18   19   −1     2
4 Nueva Orinoquia               3    1   2    12   19   −7     1
5 Eshialand                     3    1   2     7   11   −4     1
6 Huron League                  3    1   2    12   14   −2     1

Group 8

HUElavia                     0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 0  5
Camcity                      1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5  7

Ranoria                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0  4
Brookstation                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Zwangzug                     2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4
Krytenia                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

* Group 8                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Ranoria                       3    3   0    13    4   +9     3
2 Zwangzug                      3    2   1    12    7   +5     2
3 Brookstation                  3    2   1     5    7   −2     2
4 Camcity                       3    1   2     9   12   −3     1
5 Krytenia                      3    1   2     4    9   −5     1
6 HUElavia                      3    0   3     9   13   −4     0

Group 9

StrayaRoos                   2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  5
Dotivija                     0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  4

Chromatika                   0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0  5
South Americanastan          1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Bongo Johnson                2 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 2 10
Kriegiersien                 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2  5

* Group 9                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Chromatika                    3    3   0    21   10  +11     3
2 South Americanastan           3    2   1    13   13    0     2
3 Bongo Johnson                 3    2   1    26   23   +3     2
4 StrayaRoos                    3    2   1    11   11    0     2
5 Dotivija                      3    0   3    17   20   −3     0
6 Kriegiersien                  3    0   3     8   19  −11     0

**Due to a longstanding xkoranate bug, the Norrhem-189 game originally finished 14-6, with 10 runs in the bottom of the 9th for 189. This is infeasible and has been adjusted down to the largest possible score. Tables will be adjusted. Questions can be directed to the Committee for Ursine Baseball Strategy (CUBS).