"Kinda modest, don't ya think?"
Jesse stopped his spin on a dime and gave his girlfriend a glare over the video call. Having played in an even larger stadium during her storied college football career, perhaps he could've expected that.
"Kidding, kidding. Sheesh. Looks great, I'm sure it'll be even more impressive in person. I gotta go," she brandished a playbook, "Ya know. Love ya, dork."
He echoed the sentiment and let his hand fall to his hip as he surveyed the field.
"You know what Julian, this is it."
Their clean up batter - and LPB all star - was startled out of his intent search for dandelions in what he'd call a too well-kept outfield for a moment to look over to his fellow slugger. "This is what?"
"This is the field that's gonna bear witness to the best Ranorian baseball team ever fielded."
Breit shot him a double thumbs up, not quite soaking in what the youngster was clearly seeing as a surreal moment, but supporting him nonetheless. "Let's hope so big guy."
@KrautsBaseball Official batting order and lineup for opening day has been released! We'll be opening up against Canadian Dominion at Forlane Field! #Krauts #TheRoadTrip #WBC55
Ranoria Looking To Prove It's Worthy of First-Ever Top 10 Ranking As Unconventional and Exciting WBC Format Brings the Krauts to Esmereldane
Leonardo Harrison earned an all star nod in his first ever LPB season, proving he's still got it even at 34 years old
A lot of people are expecting big things from this team after a 9-1 group stage that saw them beat out a perennial contender in Zwangzug in the group stage before storming the gates in the playoffs en route to a quarterfinals berth - an achievement that eventhe hosts of WBC 55 can't lay claim to. But from here on out, those expectations get tricky. And, some say, unwarranted. Despite the impressive postseason run and certainly the most successful Classic they've ever had, they still lose to a heavy underdog in Kriegiersan in the quarterfinals, a team they were largely projected to sweep, and lost out on rights to lock tusks with the reigning champion Elephants.
If the Krauts slip up in the group stage, it'll be even more disappointing than their fall from grace from WBC 51 to 53, especially for a team coming in with legitimate dark horse championship aspirations after such a strong run. Those paltry performances between the 50th and 54th edition of the Classic were a sinker for the momentum these Krauts had built up for baseball at home. If they have that sort of collapse again, well, it might just be game over, but we're not expecting that to happen.
This is certainly the best this team's ever looked, and with Drawkland's DISC making the bold move to bring the entire Classic to a nation brimming with love for the sport, this is the perfect time to cash in on all the hype with as much exposure as you can ask for. Some fans may be upset that they won't be able to watch as many games at home, but ultimately more people are going to get to to see this loaded Krauts team play, and that's a win in our book.
Featuring LPB All-Stars in Julian Breit, Leonardo Harrison, and Vincent Veltrone along with known quantities in former QBO and FRB MVP Nicholas Lux or a perhaps generational talent in Jesse Griffith batting third, this team will post some runs. Harrison, of course, was barely able to sneak in as All-Star, with South Newlandia starter and fellow veteran Carlton Baines taking most of the starts at shortstop for the Elephant Valley United, but regressing or not he's still likely the best Ranorian to ever play the game.
On top of all that, our pitching unit, looks far more formidable than ever.
Still led by Tommy Verona, nipping at his heels for the ace role is another all-star in Jorge Billing, and Yahweh Bohannon enters his first Classic as a cannon-armed slinger with the potential to be a world beater...but for now we just have to hope he doesn't walk opposing teams into wins, or get sued for accidentally hitting them with his pitches.
The young kid is an exciting prospect with all the buzz in the world around his purportedly 100+ mile per hour fastball as a starter, and he played well for the Elephant Valley United this season, but the chips are down now - can this kid be a factor in pushing this team over the edge?
Our projection? 15-5 group stage with at least one playoff series win. The Krauts are poised for a strong run and they will validate all the hype, but they're not quite ready to knock off juggernauts like Quintessence of Dust, Banija, or South Newlandia yet.
That said, with a 20 game group stage...perhaps Leo Harrison can pull off something truly remarkable and finally deliver on the 20-win group stage he promised all the way back in WBC 50.
