World Baseball Classic 56 Everything Thread

by **Loyo** » Mon Jan 23, 2023 10:17 pm

Loyo opens high speed rail line between Baisu City and Mitsuda with AO assistance

Baisu City and Mitsuda residents are celebrating the opening of a high-speed rail line connecting the two cities. The new rail line, which was completed alongside assistance from experts from Atlantian Oceania, will significantly reduce travel time between the two cities.

During peak hours, engineers estimate that five trains will be in transit between the cities. Trains were constructed by the Machia Electric Railway Company, alongside assistance from Quebecois engineering advisers and specialized parts from Arnaud in Cabo Azure.

The current track covers a distance of only about 150 km (90 mi), but the line will cover 560 km (350 mi) when complete, stretching from Baisu City to Hanseong, with stops at Mitsuda, Kwanya, Arayoro, Sayosona, Kanai and Hanseok. A system of high performance rail lines is planned to shoot off of the main high speed rail hubs.

“We’re hoping to see economic development across the nation,” said Economic Development Chairman Kim Sable. “There’s a lot of cities that have been left behind by the growth of the big cities. We’re hoping that we can convince them that we haven’t forgotten their communities.”

The high-speed rail line, which features state-of-the-art technology and advanced safety features, will be able to reach speeds of up to 250 km/h, cutting the travel time between Baisu City and Mitsuda from three hours to just one hour. Commuters and business travelers who frequently travel between the two cities say that the new line will greatly reduce their travel time.

“It was a nightmare to get to Mitsuda,” said agricultural manager Mungo Bass. “Now I think it’s going to be a breeze. I had to take a horse drawn buggy just two years ago! There’s parts of this country that are pretty far behind, like where my family is. It’s good to see progressions like this. I hope they can visit me by train someday at my office in Baisu City.”

In the baseball world, managers and players in the LRL stated their opinions about the project.

"Who doesn’t get a station? Yoosan’s! Aw, that’s rich. Army brat's gotta march all the way up to Arayoro just to catch a train," said first baseman Shiryo Gerras.

"Mhmmm… Yeeeeessssss…” said Jago Quin, manager of National Pantheon in Baisu City, slimily. “More people in the cathedral. They can see the glimmering lights. And see the arches that stretch to infinity. Mhmmm… Yeeeeeessssss… Bring them to see my precious, wondrous, architectural gem!”

"I think they should've gone with Kamisusunai Steel for the job," said shortstop Patrick Dore. "Machia Electric chose Gussaji Steelworks. Everyone in Loyo knows you don't go to Gussaji Steelworks, the guys who make steel pans, to make a rail line. You come to KSS because we make real shit that really lasts."

Lineup for Series V: Cassadaigua:
SS: #2 Patrick Dore, 28, R (Kamisusunai Steel)
1B: #17 Shiryo Gerras, 32, R (St. Hayahoma’s)
DH: #7 Nika Vulcae, 27 (National Pantheon)
3B: #16 Chrissy Salvatore, 30, R (Loyo Athletic Reds)
CF: #6 Francis Koo, 30, L (St. Donghai’s)
2B: #11 Ra Min-Joo, 27, R (St. Mianho’s)
LF: #20 Isabel Morata, 29, R (Saint Reicarn Saints [SNL])
RF: #12 Sonny James, 28, R (United Sugar)
C: #1 Hyon Shin, 28, R (St. Yoosan’s)

Pitching (SP, RP, CP):
Game One: Maccz, Min, Hajoon
Game Two: Hawoo, Moon, Mun
Game Three: Zao, Avantaje, Hajoon

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Mon Jan 23, 2023 10:58 pm

OOC: The IC information behind this RP is assisted by Zwangzug.

Primary reference material:Memoires d'Athletes - Do Or Die, the 2038 story of Quebecois HS Baseball's Greatest Match
Other reference materials: RPs from WBC 53 (Theo and Myeong-Shin's story with Haley's song, a Grim Reapers' anthem), TWGS Season Two 'Auld Lang Syne' (involves the story of the narrator)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Zwangzug, sometime in February

Narrator: Sometimes, spring training is the place for young player to find the right moment to stand out, to show that the hard work they had put together over the offseason's enough to secure their spot in the starting lineup. Perhaps, that youthful spirit's very much something that the veterans of Kingston Tigers and Montevicio Dodgers who are looking during their spell in the sun and the warmth of the monthlong sojourn. For past century the QBO sides have stayed within their comfortable confines, with Baja Calania in Yoseo-Manitoba, Seongsan Valley in Inteachan, and Acadiana out in western Esportiva being preferred destinations, but the recent years seem to see a different trend with many sides, propelled by the current era of rejuvenation in international baseball after many years of stagnation, flying abroad to run spring training seasons of their own.

Enter Kingston Tigers, as the camera scrolls to the red-blacks' travelling via high-speed trains Zwangzug is known for. The players and the coaching staff have been there before, with the Tigers running their spring training camps for a few years now, but it also holds a special place for many of its ageing core, whose memories of the '54th Magic' run three seasons ago still ran freely.

The Tigers' manager Baek Yong-Min knows the challenge. Famous for his dislike of formal occasions that required the pale-haired, 45-year-old manager sits on the same table as some of the veterans, with him dressed in a black and red Grim Reapers' cap, jacket and sweatpants. He, once one of the finest bullpen pitchers in Quebec, too had represented the Grim Reapers, and after retirement from baseball at age 33, saw himself quietly rise to the coaching ranks of the Kingston Tigers, before being appointed the manager a year ago.

'Alright, it's the poll time-,' asks Lester Currie Jr, the first baseman with a thick, brown beard, as he sets himself up to ask a familiar question. 'Worling's or Barkenstein Pizza?'

Two people - Currie and Heo Myeong-Shin - raise their left hands, while the other two, both Baek Yong-Min and team's star acquisition, Baek Nam-Soo, a raise their right hands. It's a stalemate.

'We are not going to decide once again, aren't we?' says pitchers' captain Baek Nam-Soo, the long-haired southpaw giving a light smirk. 'I still think that their gyro slaps. They know how to cover the sauce, specifically Tzatziki, and add more than enough fries.'

The fielders' captain disagrees. 'Pizza's all about getting the toppings right, and you can't have enough toppings on top without a deep crust.' Myeong-Shin argues this on the ground of Kingstonian perspective. 'Like it's the way of the Midwest, and generally adding more means the better because more the merrier. We've all been there while playing school-level ball.'

'Nuh-uh,' the team manager looks back. 'You know what happens when all of the grease and the sauce comes bloating after about half an hour?'

'They all bloat and we all roll over feeling like a whale,' answers Nam-Soo, causing all four to chuckle upon the sight of it. 'Not that a Levisian like me would know what a whale is either but-'

Then the camera would scroll to the rest of the carriage, mostly the younger players and a couple of coaches, before the train would eventually make their arrival in Weegham.

It was probably a good sign that this is being discussed on a more private level of high-speed train, and that Myeong-Shin, Lester and Yong-Min have known each other for over fifteen years by now, even if their relations have somewhat changed from that of teammates to that between a coach and two players.

Narrator: For a long time, the Kingston Tigers are known for being the have-not's, whose fate to eventually sell their stars near free agency had coincided with the dynasty years of the 1980s and the 1990s. It's a matter of struggle, with their biggest rivals being the star-studded, high-bankroll Saguenay Lions of the northeast, and them also having to compete against more 'expressive', urbanite Blue Jays. a team best remembered for the fraternities of the Mahan-based players.

The camera shifts to montages of Tigers' championship-clinching moments briefly, with newer footages from the three won in the forties and the fifties, before the train arrives into the station. It is cold, cloudy, and snowy outside in Weegham - not exactly what most would envision to be the city for the spring camp - but perhaps that's better designed for postseason baseball they are set to face in the Quebecois soil.

Narrator: This identity, even as the Tigers have long transformed into a historic franchise whose descendants of the original fans show more gentrified identity, continues to be evident for those who visit the Mudeung Field, as they are greeted by the sheer presence of the hills that envelope the 35,000-seat arena on the northern suburb of Kingston.

The screen turns into black, before resuming few seconds later to an early-morning's practice.

It is 6am in the domed confines of the Glieb Park. Early hour of the day means that the players who, even with their second year of spring training here, aren't exactly used to train this early. With the Kingston Tigers having come short of their intended target of reaching the Quebec Series the previous postseason, when they had lost to their rivals Saguenay Lions in the Royal League Championship Series (RLCS) in seventh game, there appears to be additional tension in the team as the players start it out with personal sessions.

'It is difficult, considering that we flew into Zwangzug yesterday, took the train from Arlington to here, and then had a night's sleep before starting early,' answers Claude Lassonde, second-year catcher for the team, in front of the pitching cage, as he awaits his turn to receive ball from Baek Nam-Soo, the team's new ace.

'How many days left?' asks Helene Miller-Toney, the outfielder a year older than him, as she walks past Lassonde. 'You know, until the Quebec Series?'

'Two-fifty days!' Claude shouts back at Toney in disgruntlement at his fifteen seconds of fame being interrupted. 'But we all got to work for those eight months because nobody wants the autumn baseball to be short.'

We would then shift to the bullpen session as Baek Nam-Soo pitches multiple, mostly curveballs and sliders, at Claude. Claude, whose framing has drawn positive notes from the scouts before his selection as a collegiate catcher from Coloratura State University, catches most pitches right but fails to catch the sole, high fastball thrown at him.

'Excuse me?' Nam-Soo immediately shouts back at him. For a long-haired pitcher with temper issues like him, this wasn't anything new, though the morning hours may have made it worse. 'Pay attention, Claude, think of this like you are on a game seven!' His voice is loud enough to be heard from some distance away.

'Sorry about that,' Claude quickly answers. Nam-Soo pitches a couple more fastballs and a circle-change-up - Claude catches all of them safely.

Across the Dome, famous for its gigantic outfield and pitcher-friendly design, players are engaging in catching sessions or batting drills. Myeong-Shin, the overall team captain, is some distance away - he doesn't do much this early in the morning, preferring to do his own batting drills with a pitching machine. Most players, aside from an odd rookie or two, don't interrupt him; he prefers his routines that way, at least in staying true to how he had done so for years.

'He's a habitual creature, what else can I say?' comments Gregory Reynolds-Walusimbi, as the former Grim Reapers' shortstop is asked about the routine. 'I've played with and against him for twenty years now, and it's still the same. Him and I have our own routines and in a world where things change ever so quickly...it's a good thing to at least have.'

For the most part the morning session goes along smoothly, with the players practising on their own. Mostly the coaches usually stay on their observation for the first day, though some of them do go out and help now and then as needed, there's a clear exception to it as Baek Yong-Min, the team manager, wanders around and observes, writing down notes as he deems necessary. To some, he appears as a buffoon, while to others he's a tight-lipped man who purposefully behaves it this way.

Whether you find him one or another is up to the viewer, of course.

But it is in his sole remark that we find out that Baek's more than aware of the situation: 'Lassonde's a good starter, but we need Christabel (Jansen) for Nam-Soo,' he says, as he first catches sight of it by sound. He then turns around to see it, before shaking his head. We are then followed by the rest of the training camp's first half for the Kingston Tigers, as they are to spend it in Zwangzug, before moving to Drawkland for the second half. For the most part, the team appears galvanised, with distance away from home providing a good layer of separation for the team, and you would see the team's leaders, whose desire for another championship is spoken over and over again, setting examples. Whether it's the right kind of examples, or more questionable kind (e.g. corporal punishment), is not being specified.

by **Chromatika** » Mon Jan 23, 2023 11:00 pm

This is your Series 5 Cutoff.

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 56

GROUP STAGE - SERIES 5
Chromatik Games were scored by Squornshelan Remnant States

Group A

Game 1
Imperial Haiti                  0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Aust Scor                       0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3

Abanhfleft                      0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1  5
South Newlandia                 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0  4

Ko-oren                         1 1 1 0 1 2 0 1 0  7
Qasden                          1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1  5

Game 2
Imperial Haiti                  0 0 7 0 0 1 0 0 1  9
Aust Scor                       0 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 1  7

Abanhfleft                      7 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 13
South Newlandia                 1 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0  8

Ko-oren                         0 0 0 3 0 1 0 3 0  7
Qasden                          1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4

Game 3
Imperial Haiti                  0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
Aust Scor                       1 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 X  5

Abanhfleft                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  2
South Newlandia                 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Ko-oren                         1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  4
Qasden                          0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0  3

Group A                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Abanhfleft             15   11   4    92   64  +28
2 Ko-oren                15   10   5    86   78   +8
3 South Newlandia        15   10   5    98   67  +31
4 Imperial Haiti         15    6   9    60   74  −14
5 Qasden                 15    5  10    69   76   −7
6 Aust Scor              15    3  12    49   95  −46

Group B

Game 1
The Greater Nordics             5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  7
Nova Anglicana                  1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Ingont                          1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  4
Zwangzug                        3 0 0 0 6 0 2 0 X 11

Dod Rava                        0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
The Cannaland Islands           0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Game 2
The Greater Nordics             1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1  5
Nova Anglicana                  1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2  6

Ingont                          0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 1  6
Zwangzug                        1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 2  7

Dod Rava                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The Cannaland Islands           0 1 3 1 0 0 3 0 X  8

Game 3
The Greater Nordics             0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  3
Nova Anglicana                  0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

Ingont                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Zwangzug                        3 0 1 4 2 0 0 2 X 12

Dod Rava                        0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0  5
The Cannaland Islands           0 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 X  6

Group B                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Zwangzug                15   12   3    94   39  +55
2 Nova Anglicana          15   10   5    61   53   +8
3 Dod Rava                15    6   9    60   75  −15
4 The Cannaland Islands   15    6   9    66   76  −10
5 The Greater Nordics     15    6   9    65   78  −13
6 Ingont                  15    5  10    76  101  −25

Group C

Game 1
Drawkland                       0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0  3
The Eshurium Empire             0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

StrayaRoos                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Zorinitiee                      0 0 2 0 2 0 0 3 X  7

Tikariot                        0 5 0 1 1 1 0 0 0  8
Quebec & Shingoryeo             0 8 3 0 1 3 0 1 X 16

Game 2
Drawkland                       1 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 2  8
The Eshurium Empire             1 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0  5

StrayaRoos                      0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3
Zorinitiee                      0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 X  5

Tikariot                        0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0  4
Quebec & Shingoryeo             0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 X  5

Game 3
Drawkland                       0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0  5
The Eshurium Empire             1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 4  9
*Originally, this was 5-10, with The Eshurium Empire scoring five runs at the bottom of the ninth. As this is not possible, the score has been corrected.

StrayaRoos                      0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2  4
Zorinitiee                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2

Tikariot                        0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2  3
Quebec & Shingoryeo             1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Group C                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Drawkland              15   12   3    74   46  +28
2 Quebec & Shingoryeo    15   11   4    83   52  +31
3 Tikariot               15    8   7    76   77   −1
4 Zorinitiee             15    6   9    62   52  +10
5 The Eshurium Empire    15    5  10    61   86  −25
6 StrayaRoos             15    3  12    38   81  −43

Group D

Game 1
Benjium                         0 3 0 2 0 1 0 1 0  7
South Americanastan             1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0  4

Sherpa Empire                   1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Katterimunk                     2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  5

Atheara                         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Super-Llamaland                 0 0 3 0 0 4 0 0 X  7

Game 2
Benjium                         0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
South Americanastan             0 0 0 3 0 0 3 1 X  7

Sherpa Empire                   0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Katterimunk                     0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 X  4

Atheara                         0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2  5
Super-Llamaland                 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  4

Game 3
Benjium                         0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0  5
South Americanastan             3 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  7

Sherpa Empire                   0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Katterimunk                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 X  4

Atheara                         2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Super-Llamaland                 0 1 0 0 0 6 2 0 X  9

Group D                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Super-Llamaland        15   11   4    92   35  +57
2 South Americanastan    15    8   7    77   69   +8
3 Benjium                15    7   8    64  100  −36
4 Katterimunk            15    7   8    75   73   +2
5 Atheara                15    6   9    55   77  −22
6 Sherpa Empire          15    6   9    58   67   −9

Group E

Game 1
Ranoria                         0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
New Portland Republic           0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 X  3

Liventia                        0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0  3
HUElavia                        0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Srednjaci                       1 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2  7
The 189                         1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0  5

Game 2
Ranoria                         0 0 5 0 1 1 1 0 1  9
New Portland Republic           1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Liventia                        1 4 0 1 0 2 0 7 0 15
HUElavia                        1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 2  6

Srednjaci                       1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  3
The 189                         0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2

Game 3
Ranoria                         0 1 0 0 3 0 0 3 0  7
New Portland Republic           1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  4

Liventia                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
HUElavia                        0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 X  3

Srednjaci                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The 189                         1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Group E                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Liventia                15   11   4    75   50  +25
2 Ranoria                 15    8   7    61   52   +9
3 Srednjaci               15    7   8    57   69  −12
4 HUElavia                15    7   8    51   67  −16
5 The 189                 15    6   9    63   52  +11
6 New Portland Republic   15    6   9    59   76  −17

Group F

Game 1
Banija                          0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  4
Canadian Dominion               0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  2

Le est de Espanya               0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
The Republic of Covelandia      0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Eshialand                       1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 3 10
Hapilopper                      0 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0  7

Game 2
Banija                          1 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0  9
Canadian Dominion               2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1  6

Le est de Espanya               1 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0  5
The Republic of Covelandia      0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Eshialand                       0 1 0 0 1 5 0 0 3 10
Hapilopper                      4 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2  9

Game 3
Banija                          0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2  4
Canadian Dominion               0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0  3

Le est de Espanya               0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
The Republic of Covelandia      1 0 0 1 1 6 2 0 X 11

Eshialand                       0 5 1 0 0 1 2 0 0  9
Hapilopper                      1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

Group F                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Banija                       15   11   4    85   57  +28
2 Eshialand                    15   10   5    93   69  +24
3 The Republic of Covelandia   15    8   7    68   76   −8
4 Le est de Espanya            15    7   8    49   68  −19
5 Hapilopper                   15    6   9    68   82  −14
6 Canadian Dominion            15    3  12    56   67  −11

Group G

Game 1
Melbergia                       0 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 0  6
Milchama                        1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

TJUN-ia                         0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2
Milk Island                     0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1  3

Barnettsville                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3
Caribbia                        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3  4

Game 2
Melbergia                       0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  2
Milchama                        5 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 X 11

TJUN-ia                         2 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 1  9
Milk Island                     0 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  6

Barnettsville                   1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 2  7
Caribbia                        0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0  5

Game 3
Melbergia                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Milchama                        0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

TJUN-ia                         0 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 1 0  6
Milk Island                     1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2  8

Barnettsville                   0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0  4
Caribbia                        0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 1  5

Group G                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Caribbia               15    9   6    74   76   −2
2 Melbergia              15    9   6    60   51   +9
3 TJUN-ia                15    8   7    75   64  +11
4 Milchama               15    7   8    63   56   +7
5 Milk Island            15    7   8    60   72  −12
6 Barnettsville          15    5  10    49   62  −13

Group H

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

Oateria                 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 1  6
America B.W.S.M.H.      0 5 0 1 0 1 1 0 X  8

Loyo                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Cassadaigua             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2

Game 2
Chromatika              0 3 0 2 0 0 2 1 0  8
The Star Enpire         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

Oateria                 4 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1  8
America B.W.S.M.H.      0 2 3 0 1 0 1 0 0  7

Loyo                    0 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 10
Cassadaigua             0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3  5

Game 3
Chromatika              0 3 0 1 1 1 0 1 0  7
The Star Enpire         2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Oateria                 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
America B.W.S.M.H.      0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 X  5

Loyo                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Cassadaigua             0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 X  4

Group H                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Chromatika             15   11   4    93   44  +49
2 Loyo                   15   10   5    76   71   +5
3 Cassadaigua            15    8   7    68   70   −2
4 America B.W.S.M.H.     15    7   8    78   78    0
5 The Star Enpire        15    5  10    48   72  −24
6 Oateria                15    4  11    54   82  −28

by **Super-Llamaland** » Tue Jan 24, 2023 12:26 am

Here’s a swing and a towering fly ball to right field, going back is Bill Parent…
but he’s got no shot at that one! A mammoth home run for Nicolas Perez!

Fastball down the middle, strike three, the runner goes, and Löfgren guns him down!
A strike ‘em out throw ‘em out double play for the dynamic duo of Nakamura Jossei and Sofia Löfgren!

Infield in, the pitch to Bellefeuille…soft liner and that’ll get over the infield!
Henry will score from third, and the Renaissance have again defied all odds to steal another game at the death!

Huang ranging to his left, the throw to Wagner, the relay to Perez, and it’s a double play!
Erik McGuire unleashes an earthshaking fist pump as the Nova Anglican reliever escapes the jam!

High fly ball to center, Duffy is tracking back, back at the wall, and makes a leaping catch!
Schuyler Duffy with an absolute web gem of a play, and the Renaissance are still alive!

that’s OUT OF HERE! One swing of the bat and Valery Robiquet has tied the ball game at three runs apiece!

Swing and a miss, strike three!
Another dominant half-inning for Solveig Jørgensen, and the Renaissance are cruising here in southern Super-Llamaland!

The Xingcheng Renaissnace once again find themselves three outs from history! Can they do it again?

BALL OR NOTHING: the XINGCHENG RENAISSANCE

episode 15

Before the playoffs began, it would’ve been unimaginable that the Renaissance could find success without Jeff Huang. It wasn’t that he was single-handedly carrying the lineup, although the young third baseman is having another breakout season. But the Xingcheng native’s success has so perfectly encapsulated the meteroic ascent of the Renaissance this season. His peaks - like a three-HR game agains the Lions - seem to follow the Renaissance’s high-water marks. And when Xingcheng struggle, Huang’s numbers tail off with the rest of his hometown team. But up until game two of this series, he has hit a mere .187 in the playoffs, although MacRaun insists that he continue to bat second or third in the lineup every day. For his part, Huang maintains focus on the team’s performance as a whole, which has seemingly finally fallen to his level.

I mean, it’s obviously frustrating now, with the team struggling and my bat going cold, but I trust in the process. It’d just be nice to lift my team back up while we’re in this hole, since they’ve been carrying me pretty hard these playoffs.

In the bottom of the ninth, he now has a chance to rescue his team from the prospect of a 3-0 series deficit - something that no LPB team has ever come back from. After a leadoff walk from Fiona Niemi, a second baserunner - even down five runs - could give the team a glimmer of hope. But he can’t quite figure out reliever Y.P. Ying’s secondary pitches in time, and instead dribbles a slow roller between the mound and third base. Despite Ying’s reputation as a sure-handed defender, though, the Renaissance get a miracle.

Huang makes weak contact and takes off, a little hang-up between Ying and Nieves-Gau, but the former will field, the throw to first - yanked WIDE! Tallis can’t make the stop and that ball is going to roll all the way to right-field! Niemi around second, heading to third, and Huang slides in ahead of the throw for extra bases! A costly two-base error puts runners on second and third with nobody out!

Huang can hardly take credit for it, and looks somewhat sheepish on second. But his at-bat has sparked some life in the flagging Renaissance, and Yousuf Henry manages to plate Niemi and Huang with a sharply-hit single, narrowing the lead to 5-2.

”Attaboy, Fiona! Yeah, Jeff!”
“Huang with the ground-rule double!”
“Man was unlucky not to get a home run there! How far’d that go, twenty feet?”
“Fuck off guys, any of y’all score lately?”
“Don’t piss him off, Billy, you see that display of power he just showed us?”

Although the mood in the clubhouse remains jovial, the Renaissance continue to humiliate the Dolphins, who thought they had their Llamanean opponents’ backs to the wall. Nicolas Perez manages to draw a walk, and Vincenco Goodman replies by bringing in Benoit Beaufils to shut the door on the Renaissance. But Jean-Noël Bellefeuille singles in a run, and Valery Robiquet walks to load the bases and put the tying run in scoring position. It’s an unlikely hero who does the next.

”Beaufils facing Sofia Löfgren, and the first pitch is…swung on and sent high into left center!”
“There’s no way.”
“That one’s carrying…”
“There’s no way.”
“Back at the wall is Long, Annovar trailing as well…”
“Ohhhh shit-”
“And the XINGCHENG RENAISSANCE HAVE STOLEN GAME THREE! 7-5 the final score off a walk-off GRAND SLAM from Sofia Löfgren! The Dolphins still lead in the series, but the Renaissance are on the board here in the Esportiva Series!”
“Absolutely incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Goodman is left speechless on the bench, and stays there long after the players have left the stadium. The Renaissance trailed 5-0 entering the ninth, and took just twenty-two pitches to score seven unanswered runs without making an out. It quickly enters the conversation for the greatest-ever Llamanean comeback, and leaves fans and players alike with no idea how to process the miracle that has just happened in front of them. Stunned, the Dolphins drop the next game as well, and the would-be dynasty are now level with the plucky underdogs. The battle for Esportiva is, against all odds, a best-of-three.

by **Ko-oren** » Tue Jan 24, 2023 5:34 am

KOR West Season 4 Previews - Llamaphant Pro Baseball

Ferrovente Whales @ Ventovente (28010), Ferrovente, Finisterre
The Whales are a proud team from Ferrovente, a colourful city in the southeast. The stands, surrounding the entirety of the field, are one big party where you'll find the rowdiest fans of the Ko-orenite divisions. Their biggest rivalry is with the Stars, and beating them is as important as making the playoffs.
This is your club if you want to see all the tricks, bat flips, and other things that the old guard don't like.
Prediction: Overall: 1 // Pitching: 6 / Fielding&Batting: 1 // Infield: 7 / Outfield: 1 / Starting pitchers: 7 / Bullpen: 5
Coaching Staff: Rafael Miranda (55) KOR
Fielding: C: Fred Burn SNL (25y)★★★★ - Infield: Anselmo Troche (21y)★★✩, Leonardo Jefferson CMT (24y)★★✩, Ian Pearce SNL (30y)★★★★, André Barreira (21y)★★✩ - Outfield: Darrell Striker QAS (y)★★★✩, Nikko Norsholm SLL (32y)★★★, Sev Ballak SNL (23y)★★✩ / DH: Yorick Diamond CMT (24y)★★★★
Pitching: Starters: Takenao Tone (23y)★★★✩, Josephine (f) Arreaux CMT (25y)★★★, Ju-Han Park CMT (20y)★★✩, Xerman Figueredo (34y)★★✩, Euloxio Rodis (20y)★★ - Relievers: Bert Hoosier SNL (30y)★★, Bento Chan (22y)★★★✩, Bruno Davila (20y)★★✩, Moises Carballar (37y)★★✩, Bernabe Reza (27y)★★★ - Closer: Pascoal Barreira (20y)★✩
Last season: 115-69, 1st in the West/1st in the Conference. 0-3 loss to Santa Teresa Stars in Divisional Series.

The West has quickly established itself as the best division in Ko-orenite baseball. They were always up there, especially with the clubs in Ferrovente and Santa Teresa, but Katashi often proved a bigger foe. Well, since the move to the LPB, both western clubs exploited their momentum and transformed into the two best clubs of Ko-oren. This obviously leads to some great in-division meetings: only one team can qualify directly to the divisional round, and the other has to play a risky wild card game. On top of that, there's the possibility of a rematch down the line - all ingredients to make Stars-Whales the best and biggest rivalry of Ko-oren's early LPB story. Year one of the matchup didn't disappoint: the Whales - often the smaller of the two clubs, as indicated by the number of historical (pre-LPB) titles both clubs have: the Stars have 6... the Whales none - won nine games more for 115 total, claimed the West and the entire conference.

And then they ran into the Stars, who - spoiler alert - made it through the wild card game.

Three Santa Teresa Stars wins, two of which in the Ventovente. Fans weren't happy: this was the perfect moment to eclipse their southern neighbours and become Ko-oren's most successful LPB club in two metrics - regular season success, and playoff success. Instead, the Stars move on to the Conference Series.

Picking last in the draft, which is seeded by regular season standings rather than post-playoff standings, there was still a lot of good talent on offer. They went with Takenao Tone in the first round, a player who somehow dropped to twelfth as other clubs were busy selecting the foreign players in round 1. They picked more positions of need in round 2 and 3: Chan as a reliever, and then Davila, also as a reliever. Maintaining their fielding and batting, this gives them a huge edge in pitching, their biggest problem in season 3.

The Whales maintain the best outfield in the conference, with Striker, Norsholm, and Ballak, none of which are Ko-orenite but does that matter if you win things? The trio from South Newlandia, Super-Llamaland, and Qasden should continue to play to their high level in a league where we'd certainly expect more great outfielders down the line - it's just the Whales who have got no holes there. Compared to, say, the Arakura Knights, who have two excellent players paired with a liability. The infield is fine, if nothing too special: no holes, no stars. Pearce, however, is one of the better infielders in the league as it stands. The biggest strides were made in pitching, with Tone leading the charge for now, and Arreaux, Park, as well as veteran Figueredo backing them up. Again, it's nothing too special, but it's allround enough to succeed. For relief pitchers, it's Chan, the recent draft pick, and Carballar and Reza to do most of the heavy lifting. The Whales also arguably have the best designated hitter in Diamond. What you'll also realise is that the Whales have gone all in on foreign talent: not a promising future for the national team, but it's winning the Finisterrans a lot of games.

Santa Teresa Stars @ The Citadel (37000), Santa Teresa, Finisterre
The Stars are the biggest team of the mainland and while their biggest rivalry is with the Whales, they've long looked eastward at the dynasties in Katashi for a challenge. Somewhat arrogant and entitled, the Stars aren't successful by default, though.
This is your club if you are secretly a little smug, or you like shiny new modern stadiums.
Prediction: Overall: 2 // Pitching: 1 / Fielding&Batting: 3 // Infield: 8 / Outfield: 5 / Starting pitchers: 2 / Bullpen: 1
Coaching Staff: Sara Seixas (f, 49) KOR
Fielding: C: Juan Berganza (34y)★★★✩ - Infield: Kingsley Rust CMT (19y)★★★, Arpit Seth SNL (28y)★★★, Jaira (f) Hyllik CMT (23y)★★★, Gustavo Farina (35y)★★✩ - Outfield: Benvito Parga (20y)★★★, Xacinto Leyton (32y)★★✩, Liam Desjardins SLL (35y)★★★ / DH: Manfred Jager (21y)★★✩
Pitching: Starters: Noah Harris HNS (33y)★★★✩, Kristen (f) Osborn SNL (31y)★★★✩, Ensa Suso BNJ (27y)★★★, Fernan Mazon (28y)★★, Goio Padron (20y)★★★ - Relievers: Roman Sotolongo (36y)★★★, Arximiro Saravia (31y)★★★, Kōlō Kamada (19y)★★✩, Atanasio Cervantes (25y)★★✩, Winfield Basshale (22y)★★✩ - Closer: Montaro Wakajoshi (27y)★★✩
Last season: 106-78, 2nd in the West/2nd in the Conference. 1-0 over Teragaseki Originals in WC, 3-0 over Ferrovente Whales in Divisional Series, 4-1 over Echizen Dragons in Conference Series, 0-4 loss to Chromia Comets in Regional Series.

Bested by the Whales in the regular season - see the notes above - the Stars went on to claim the West in the playoffs. Following their sweep of Ferrovente, they played the Echizen Dragons - the best the 'East' had to offer - and won 4-1, only to further show just how good the West was in comparison to the other two divisions. Moving on to the Regional series, the Anaian crown went to the Chromia Comets after four straight losses. If we needed anything else to say that we're the fourth of four LPB conferences, that's probably it. The twelve clubs, as a whole, weren't too bad versus clubs from the other three nations, but this'll put us in last place for at least a season. Are we just not making the same leaps as the Chromatik teams, or are the differences very small and we just got unlucky?

The Stars avoided picking a pitcher early, with most of the great ones gone early. Parga, an outfielder (currently LF), followed by starting pitcher Padron, and then designated hitter Manfred Jager - it's not the most typical of drafts but the Stars had very few holes to cover, after all. Post-draft we expect them to be second overall in the conference - behind the Whales, of course - with the best group of pitchers and a competitive group of fielders/batters.

Heading into the season, we expect a lot of shutdown pitching by Harris, Osborn, and Suso, and decent contributions by Padron in his first year. In later innings, Sotolongo is still the benchmark to which other relievers are compared, even at age 36, given how good he still is for the national team. Saravia is the other big name there, ahead of all at least average players. Fielding and batting, it's the catcher - Berganza - who should be familiar to many, followed by a complete roster with Rust, Seth, Hyllik, Parga, and Desjardins. We expect all twelve teams to one day field teams as good as the current Stars, given a few years to draft and deal with the other LPB nations, but right now the Stars are an example in roster building.

Amandine Wanderers @ Vamada Océanique (12000), Étouille, Cote Austral
The Wanderers have been shipped around the mainland (as their name would suggest) trying to find greener pastures. After Aminey, they have their home base in Étouille now - that's southern Cote Austral - the place with the best weather and easiest living in the country. The players are from all over: a bunch of misfits that are making it work together.
This is your club if you want to see more than just Yoshimans and Finisterrans, with decent support all over the country.
Prediction: Overall: 7 // Pitching: 5 / Fielding&Batting: 9 // Infield: 6 / Outfield: 8 / Starting pitchers: 8 / Bullpen: 2
Coaching Staff: Michelle Knox (57) SNL
Fielding: C: Xaaf Geele BNJ (26y)★★✩ - Infield: Titi Barrande (38y)★★★, Edtas Dakritdhen (20y)★★★✩, Turner Kirkham (28y)★✩, Simon Gray (35y)★★★✩ - Outfield: Pamela (f) Sullivan SNL (26y)★★★✩, Aman Teklu BNJ (25y)★★★, Barden Esheross (19y)★★ / DH: Cativo Varivuliva (35y)★
Pitching: Starters: Gus Gavreau (37y)★★✩, Simon Chu ? (y)★★★★, Éloi Michaeux (27y)★★★, Greg Julius SNL (32y)★✩, Naomichi Yoshigahara (31y)★✩ - Relievers: Ralph Ewing SNL (29y)★★✩, Mia Nicholson SLL (22y)★★★, Jean-Charles Andry (20y)★★★✩, Nanako (f) Moriyama SNL (21y)★★★, Taka Utsugi (22y)★★★ - Closer: Gil Chaufourier (25y)★✩
Last season: 81-103, 4th in the West/12th in the Conference.

The West was a two-faced beast. Two great teams with 100+ wins, and those wins have to come from somewhere. Turns out, most of them came against the other two teams in the division. The Wanderers completed their first year in Amandine with 81 wins, last in the division and the conference. Moving from Aminey - their second move in five years - to Étouille certainly improved their weather and even their support, with most of the 'rest of the country' supporting Amandine if they care about baseball at all. It should be a matter of time before the team become powerhouses with all that support and potential playerbase, and the Wanderers certainly made up for their awful first campaign.

All eyes on Étouille for the first pick in the draft. Would they go pitcher, picking the best while the rest has no chance to? Or will they get the biggest name in the draft? Turns out, they did neither and went for biggest immediate impact, which for them meant Edtas Dakritdhen, from the capitals, marking the first time in decades that no Finisterran or Yoshiman went first overall - take that, traditional baseball markets. The leftie infielder is indeed the biggest immediate improvement, and they followed that up with pitcher Andry at the start of round two and South Newlandian reliever Nanako Moriyama in the third. Add two UDFAs - set-up pitcher Utsugi and closer Chaufourier, and the Wanderers have made huge steps. They also traded away some players to the Athletics earlier in season 3, to hopefully do better in upcoming years.

And we do have them as one of the better stories in the LPB right now. From lowly 12th to potentially third in the division and only a few spots out of the wildcard, the future is bright in Amandine, if a little unpredictable. Geele, Dakritdhen, Gray, Sullivan, Chu and Michaeux, Andry, Moriyama, and Utsugi: there's some individual talent, but there are still numerous ways to improve. Let's see if the Wanderers can go over .500, which seems to be their ceiling for now.

Desierto Challengers @ Colenario Municipal (14000), Colenario, Finisterre
A new team to unify the towns around the edge of the Finisterran desert, continuing the Challengers name from Aonishi, will have some of the strangest home conditions. Small stadiums and small field dimensions and the heat will make for a great combo. Expect a lot of local flavours.
This is your club if you want the best food and vibes in and around the stadium. Probably the only tailgate-like opportunity in the Ko-orenite divisions. Mind the alcohol ban, though...
Prediction: Overall: 10 // Pitching: 8 / Fielding&Batting: 12 // Infield: 5 / Outfield: 9 / Starting pitchers: 6 / Bullpen: 11
Coaching Staff: Océane Sauvage (51) KOR
Fielding: C: Daniel Fermin (19y)★★✩ - Infield: Assefa Mulugeta BNJ (27y)★★★, Holly (f) Davids TJU (22y)★★★✩, Suke Enya (28y)★★★, Bran Souto (35y)★★ - Outfield: Michinoli Kawasaki (33y)★★, Dillon CarMichael CMT (23y)★★★, Tametoki Atagi (32y)★★ / DH: Roibén Peredo (37y)★★
Pitching: Starters: Bieito Vasquez (20y)★★★★✩, Xesus Basquez (21y)★★★✩, Stéphane Benne (20y)★★✩, Napoleon Campbell (37y)★✩, Kikugolo Vola (24y)★✩ - Relievers: Oswald Hogwood (26y)★✩, Bernal Troche (21y)★★, Micajah Darleston (25y)★✩, Stéphane Monat (19y)★★✩, Ange Léger (28y)★★✩ - Closer: Virovaru Janagimoto (30y)★★
Last season: 83-101, 3rd in the West/10th in the Conference.

An unremarkable season for the Challengers, who knew it was going to get difficult wedged between the two big franchises and the Wanderers, as the latter have the fans of the west and th league needs them to do somewhat well. In season one, the Challengers finished third at 83 wins, tenth in the conference, with most losses coming to the big two of the West. It's a terrible time not being the Stars or the Whales, after all. Desierto did establish itself as the wildcard team, with a handful of crazy stats, achievements, and scenarios playing out in the Colenario Municipal. Small field dimensions saw more homeruns launched there than in any of the other 11 stadiums, but simultaneously the sole immaculate inning of the Ko-orenite conference was pitched there, as well as some wildly improbable double plays - again, because fielders can cover way more field with their throws.

The fans quickly learned that the Draft was going to be their Conference Series, and they hyped it up after the all-star break. The fans didn't seem to mind too much - getting LPB baseball in their town is huge enough already, especially for a season one. Desierto is already the town to visit for away games - kind of what the league hoped that Étouille and the Wanderers would be - with better food, better 'tailgates' as much as they are possible in a mostly train-based country. They didn't have to coerce too much in the draft, they were seen as friendly enough and Sauvage is actually not a very bad manager. Round one, they took pitcher Vasquez, round two, they went for Basquez, and round three, they went for Davids - or Davidsasquez, to keep with the theme. Davids, from TJUN-ia, is an infielder, but let it be clear that Desierto starts building from the bullpen.

The extremely young team - with just players over thirty like Kawasaki, Campbell, Peredo, and Souto, holdovers from a previous era who might no longer have the skill to profile themselves in the LPB. How much better our teams got, and how much higher our bar was set for 'replacement level play' in this short a time is nothing short of amazing. Instead, the youngsters will rule Desierto, with Fermin (C), CarMichael (CF), Davids (2B), and a rotation that went from bottom 3 to top 6 within one offseason given Vasquez, Basquez, and Benne. Monat is just 19 and a leading reliever. Yes, there's a lot of work to do, and they'll have to think of signing some older players because you need some on-field guidance and mentorship, but this rebuild is exciting as can be - shame that the Challengers will likely not do much better than 4th or 3rd in the division.

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Tue Jan 24, 2023 7:18 am

After we ended the first section of the WBC56 Group Stage on a high, the Battin' Jaguars of TJUN-ia were 7-5 and looking like a team who wanted nothing more than to enforce their dominance over the rest of Group G come what may. This team was certainly looking pretty good at the moment and while we still had a long way to go in terms of the schedule, you could certainly feel the confidence beginning to refind itself within this team and Phillip Hellas-Verona certainly knew that as well...but he also knew that they had to be ready for anything no matter what.

Game 1 (TJU 2-3 MKI F/10)
Our final new opponent would turn out to be Milk Island, a debuting team that we presume doesn't have any real issues with their calcium intake. Harrison Kyle and Chris Gray would start Game 1 for our first series with the DH and while there would be little in the way of actual runs, this game certainly had the drama. We struck first thanks to Svetlana Mykvinich in the 2nd but the hosts grabbed two in back-to-back innings (HRs from Charlie Hudson and Yasiel Puig) to grab the lead late. We sent the game into extras thanks to a brilliant RBI double from Joe Gregory to bring home Martina Andrade de Souza, but the hosts wanted their moment in the sun and they would get that with a walk-off bomb by Pete Luck. 3-2 was the final, advantage to calcium.

Game 2 (TJU 9-6 MKI)
Kim Tsu-Ka vs Tyler Joe would headline Game 2 and this one would certainly be a bit of a wacky one, with 15 combined runs. I think you know where this is going.

Top 1st: Palila Kalawai’a 2-run HR (TJU 2-0 MKI)
Bottom 2nd: Charlie Hudson Grand Slam (TJU 2-4 MKI)
Kim Tsu-Ka was pulled by TJU and replaced by Maddison "Missy" Jembembe
Top 4th: Joe Gregory solo HR (TJU 3-4 MKI)
Top 7th: Santino Fenatti solo HR (TJU 4-4 MKI)
Top 8th: Martina Andrade de Souza Grand Slam (TJU 8-4 MKI)
Tyler Joe was pulled by MKI and replaced by Vladimir Ono
Bottom 8th: Cy Who 2-run HR (TJU 8-6 MKI)
Top 9th: Anastasia Mykvinich via Svetlana Mykvinich RBI (TJU 9-4 MKI)

Another wacky game in this wacky WBC. Series tied with 1 to play.

Game 3 (TJU 6-8 MKI F/10)
Jason McRae vs Maddox Cash would headline this finally and, oh boy, this was fucking chaos. Milk Island came out of the games hard with Gianni Farina, Quandale Dingle and Yasiel Puig (2-run) certainly turning things up in comparison with our 3rd inning run from Holly Davids. Yolande Sirapui entered the game after the 3rd and from that point, we got our momentum back as Kalawai’a added a 2nd and later we had a run of 4 unanswered runs thanks to Anastasia Mykvinich, Andrade de Souza (2-run) and Svetlana Mykvinich. We took a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the 9th but two daggers would sink us in the white stuff - first came Cy Who to send the game to extras and then, in the bottom of the 10th, Quandale Dingle sent the crowd home happy by winning the game and the series by himself. In an instant, the winning run came crashing down...and it was Milk Island who did it.

Starting this 3-series road trip with a series loss is not the best way to start this 2nd section of the group stage...but with 15 games left to go, we still have plenty of time to improve on our 8-7 record. O'Halloran Ballpark in Portvestir will host our return visit to Melbergia, now 2nd in this group at 9-6. This group is looking very tough at the moment and with that in mind, we have to make sure we do as well as we possibly can if we want to avoid the drop below. GO BATTIN' JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group G)
S1: vs Melbergia (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside L 1-2 (5th)
S2: vs Milchama (9) - Rounders Field, Portside W 2-1 (5th)
S3: @Barnettsville (26) W 2-1 (3rd)
S4: vs Caribbia (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington W 2-1 (1st)
---------------------BREAK---------------------
S5: @Milk Island (UR) L 1-2 (3rd)
S6: @Melbergia (UR) - O'Halloran Ballpark, Portvestir
S7: @Milchama (9)
---------------------BREAK---------------------
S8: vs Barnettsville (26) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S9: @Caribbia (UR) - Ballpark of Caribbia, Yeir
S10: vs Milk Island (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside

by **Milk Island** » Tue Jan 24, 2023 12:49 pm

TJUN-ia wrote:After we ended the first section of the WBC56 Group Stage on a high, the Battin' Jaguars of TJUN-ia were 7-5 and looking like a team who wanted nothing more than to enforce their dominance over the rest of Group G come what may. This team was certainly looking pretty good at the moment and while we still had a long way to go in terms of the schedule, you could certainly feel the confidence beginning to refind itself within this team and Phillip Hellas-Verona certainly knew that as well...but he also knew that they had to be ready for anything no matter what.

Game 1 (TJU 2-3 MKI F/10)
Our final new opponent would turn out to be Milk Island, a debuting team that we presume doesn't have any real issues with their calcium intake. Harrison Kyle and Chris Gray would start Game 1 for our first series with the DH and while there would be little in the way of actual runs, this game certainly had the drama. We struck first thanks to Svetlana Mykvinich in the 2nd but the hosts grabbed two in back-to-back innings (HRs from Charlie Hudson and Yasiel Puig) to grab the lead late. We sent the game into extras thanks to a brilliant RBI double from Joe Gregory to bring home Martina Andrade de Souza, but the hosts wanted their moment in the sun and they would get that with a walk-off bomb by Pete Luck. 3-2 was the final, advantage to calcium.

Game 2 (TJU 9-6 MKI)
Kim Tsu-Ka vs Tyler Joe would headline Game 2 and this one would certainly be a bit of a wacky one, with 15 combined runs. I think you know where this is going.
Top 1st: Palila Kalawai’a 2-run HR (TJU 2-0 MKI)
Bottom 2nd: Charlie Hudson Grand Slam (TJU 2-4 MKI)
Kim Tsu-Ka was pulled by TJU and replaced by Maddison "Missy" Jembembe
Top 4th: Joe Gregory solo HR (TJU 3-4 MKI)
Top 7th: Santino Fenatti solo HR (TJU 4-4 MKI)
Top 8th: Martina Andrade de Souza Grand Slam (TJU 8-4 MKI)
Tyler Joe was pulled by MKI and replaced by Vladimir Ono
Bottom 8th: Cy Who 2-run HR (TJU 8-6 MKI)
Top 9th: Anastasia Mykvinich via Svetlana Mykvinich RBI (TJU 9-4 MKI)

Another wacky game in this wacky WBC. Series tied with 1 to play.

Game 3 (TJU 6-8 MKI F/10)
Jason McRae vs Maddox Cash would headline this finally and, oh boy, this was fucking chaos. Milk Island came out of the games hard with Gianni Farina, Quandale Dingle and Yasiel Puig (2-run) certainly turning things up in comparison with our 3rd inning run from Holly Davids. Yolande Sirapui entered the game after the 3rd and from that point, we got our momentum back as Kalawai’a added a 2nd and later we had a run of 4 unanswered runs thanks to Anastasia Mykvinich, Andrade de Souza (2-run) and Svetlana Mykvinich. We took a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the 9th but two daggers would sink us in the white stuff - first came Cy Who to send the game to extras and then, in the bottom of the 10th, Quandale Dingle sent the crowd home happy by winning the game and the series by himself. In an instant, the winning run came crashing down...and it was Milk Island who did it.

Starting this 3-series road trip with a series loss is not the best way to start this 2nd section of the group stage...but with 15 games left to go, we still have plenty of time to improve on our 8-7 record. O'Halloran Ballpark in Portvestir will host our return visit to Melbergia, now 2nd in this group at 9-6. This group is looking very tough at the moment and with that in mind, we have to make sure we do as well as we possibly can if we want to avoid the drop below. GO BATTIN' JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group G)
S1: vs Melbergia (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside L 1-2 (5th)
S2: vs Milchama (9) - Rounders Field, Portside W 2-1 (5th)
S3: @Barnettsville (26) W 2-1 (3rd)
S4: vs Caribbia (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington W 2-1 (1st)
---------------------BREAK---------------------
S5: @Milk Island (UR) L 1-2 (3rd)
S6: @Melbergia (UR) - O'Halloran Ballpark, Portvestir
S7: @Milchama (9)
---------------------BREAK---------------------
S8: vs Barnettsville (26) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S9: @Caribbia (UR) - Ballpark of Caribbia, Yeir
S10: vs Milk Island (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside

W Calcium Jokes lol

by **Nova Anglicana** » Tue Jan 24, 2023 1:32 pm

Just Missed: Up-and-comers you might see in the next World Baseball Classic

The Nova Anglican national team for World Baseball Classic 56 saw just four new players: Ryan Montgomery, Xavier Pineault, Sean Wilson, and Andy Hudson. With talent abounding in the NABL, it's clear there were more than four contenders for those spots, and even more spots might have been open had Charlie Snyder decided to drop more veterans. In this series, we'll take a look at some of the players who "just missed" a spot on the national team.

Part 1: Brent Lee
Part 2: Ben Poole

Shortstop for the Nova Anglican national baseball team has traditionally carried a gleaming aura around it. To be shortstop, for many teams the field captain, of the national baseball team is a dream for many young people in Nova Anglicana. The position has been home to some of the best Nova Anglicans to play the game. From "never won a WBC" Jarrod Novak, to perennial powerhouse Tim Mills, bona fide stars have occupied this spot on the diamond. For WBC 56, Davis Shipley was going to take a step back, and the Quebecois phenom Xavier Perault took his place. But who could have been chosen instead? This year, one of the other contenders for the role was Ben Poole.

The thing about national team shortstop is that there are only 12 starting shortstops in the league. It's not like outfield, where you have 30+ guys you can pick from. There are only 12, and sometimes, the list is only two deep: the starter and the backup. But this year, Ben Poole made the case that he should be invited. Poole, a native of Eboracum, was drafted at age 18 in the first round, with the fourth overall pick, by the Newfield Express. Big expectations for him were quickly dashed when he tore his ACL just 14 games into his Labrador League career with Hopedale. He would miss the entire season. The following year, he hit just .256/.321/.389, albeit with good defense, back at Hopedale, a big blow for a bat-first prospect. There were whispers he'd have to move to second base, or maybe even not make it entirely, if his underdeveloped defense didn't improve and his bat didn't pan out. But Poole was still just 20 when they moved him up to AA Thunder River; he had plenty of time to improve. His bat wasn't off to a great start, and then he broke his ankle after 23 games, which limited him to finishing out the final dozen games of the season or so at DH. Another wasted season.

He had two leg injuries and a mediocre stat line to show for his three years in professional baseball. Then the Express told him they wanted him to move to left field, a much less demanding position defensively. He admits that he considered quitting: "I wanted to play shortstop. I knew I could play short, and they were giving up on me. I shed a lot of tears that winter thinking about it, but I got up and decided I was going to be the best damn left fielder they had ever seen." Back at Thunder River, Poole came out on fire, slashing .357/.429/.559 with four homers in his first 20 games. When the starting shortstop got hurt, he thought he had a chance to play again. But they called up somebody from Single-A Hopedale instead, and Poole slumped, dejected. But the kid couldn't hit, and Poole got his chance to return to short, thanks to a voice in the clubhouse. Grizzled third-base coach Don Blasingame saw how hard Poole was working and how much he wanted to play short and spoke up for him to the manager: "I told [manager Evan Marks], this kid is dying to play shortstop. He takes infield and outfield practice every day, and works on shortstop drills after most other players have gone home. He wants the chance, and he'll reward us if we give it to him."

Poole responded with just 4 errors in the team's final 60 games, OPSing .838 along the way, leading Thunder River to a playoff spot. The next year, at AAA Souris, he continued to show that his surgically repaired knee and fragile ankle couldn't hold him back, playing excellent defense through the grind of a 108-game season. He wasn't prepared, however, for Maritime League pitching, and struggled to a .238/.313/.358 slash line. For his age-23 season, the former top prospect knew he'd have to shake the reputation for inconsistency and injury to win a big-league spot. But nagging injuries and what looked like a hole in his swing over the inside part of the plate limited him to just 104 at-bats and 4 homers through half the season. When somebody else got the call-up to play short in the wake of an injury to the starting shortstop for Newfield, it lit a fire under Poole. He worked relentlessly to handle the inside fastball and engaged in strength and rehabilitation training to fight past his injuries. He hit 10 homers in 18 games to start the second half, and showed off both his arm and range in the field. When he finally got his chance, he showed Newfield he could play shortstop, making zero errors across his 31-game stint, and holding his own at the plate with a .722 OPS.

Over the next three seasons, Poole led the league in games played, missing only two of 384 games, an astounding feat for someone thought incapable of avoiding injury by the time he reached the big leagues. He showed grit and toughness as he reached the mark of a decade in professional ball. He didn't keep his job just because he was the only guy available, either. He also led the league in fielding percentage and fewest errors. On offense, except for stolen bases, he ranked in the top 20 in most stats, no mean feat for a position that many think is defense-first. He was a consistent performer day in and day out for Newfield, which is what caught the eye of the national team.

So why wasn't this 28 year-old former first-rounder picked for the national team? For that, we have to dig into some more advanced stats. Stats like "defensive runs saved" and "zone rating" attempt to quantify defense not just by avoiding errors, but by making plays. While Poole handled almost every chance he got cleanly, he wasn't getting to as many balls as he perhaps could. Can't make an error if you never make a play. Similarly, on offense, Poole's "expected weighted on-base average (xWOBA)", or how you'd expect him to perform based on the quality of contact he was making, regularly trailed his actual numbers. This indicated some underlying weaknesses to Snyder's team. While Poole had put the injury thing to bed, he still looked better than he actually played. That and Perault's five-year age gap led the national team to call his name instead.

Davis Shipley will retire after this Classic, so Poole still has the ability to be selected as a reserve for WBC 57. And he very well might be, or another young talent might emerge onto the scene with the upside to make Snyder consider them and leave off Poole once again. But even if he's never selected to a WBC squad, he's overcome enough adversity at this point to justifiably brag about his baseball career.

by **Barnettsville** » Tue Jan 24, 2023 10:09 pm

Capital City Gazette

It's over

CARIBBIA - Our headline says it all.

In last place, the Blue Jays needed at least two of three against the leaders to have a prayer. They got it, in the wrong direction. Barnettsville now sits at 5-10 at the midway point. Granted, we're three games out of the playoffs. The way this team has played, there's no chance. In game one, our starter pitched eight innings of 1-run ball, and was set to take the win. Up 3-1 in the bootom of the ninth? Yeah, walk off double, Carribia 4-3.

Game 2 was the bright spot as a wild came came the way of the Blue Jays with two in the ninth for a 7-5 win. Crooked numbers (4 in the third here) have been the curse of the defense all Classic. But 5-9, with a chance to win the series, was here. Then came game three.

Tied at 3 in the tenth, Barnettsville took a 4-3 lead on a solo shot off the foul pole. The problem was, the bottom of the tenth was still to be played. Carribia tied it, and then won it in the eleventh, 5-4.

Apparently, the BBA has seen enough. The entire team was informed post game that upon the final game of the Classic, none of the team will be returning for WBC 57. It wsas also announced that 57's manager will be Brianna Bruce, one time nemesis from Newmanistan, and also coach for the Blue Jays. At the press conference announcing the move, she remarked:

"This team has gotten to where they were happy to make the knockouts. When was the last time THAT happened? The BBA brought me in to shake things up, and started it themselves by dismissing the entire squad as of the end of this Classic. So far, I've only decided two things: I'm going with the Cassadaigua strategy of an all-female team. They were always a competitive rival of my Rockets, and we respected them. They still are a top team today.

The other thing is I've named my ace pitcher for next Classic's squad: Melanie Kramer. Yes, she is on this team. I like what I see from her. I see things that our ace back in the day had. She fits in with my philosophy."

When asked what that philosophy was, the only comment was: "There will be no easy wins against us. You may win, but it will be 5-4 more often than 9-0."

by **Cassadaigua** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:15 am

This hasn't been the same,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

After fifteen games in the World Baseball Classic, the Fillies have a record of 8-7. This isn't a terrible mark, as it is good enough for third place in the group, but the team doesn't seem to have the same kind of spark that we saw in Drawkland. Out on Sonnel, we saw dominant pitching and hitting that was just good enough to get more wins than losses thanks to the pitching. The biggest change during this classic is that the pitching has not been as strong, although in two games against Loyo, it showed that flashes. Breanne LaViolette pitched eight innings of shutout ball in the first contest, but got no run support. It stayed 0-0 through nine, and the Fillies won 2-1 in extras (complete game summary available here ). In the third game of the series, Roman Hickey, formerly from North Cassadaigua had his best career game wearing pink and black with a complete game shutout and thirteen shutout. He would get run support en route to the 4-0 win. These games were not against a bottom feeder, either, but against a team ahead of us in the group. With these games, we clearly saw flashes of the team that was great in Drawkland.

In the middle game of the series, things were not good. A dreadful second inning saw Loyo push eight across the plate, making quick work of Natalia Gomez and reliever Haley Newell who was brought in to try and stop the bleeding. The result was a 10-5 win for the Sunshine Tigers. We could throw the line in that, "at least they used up all their scoring in one game, or in this case, one inning", but the game does show the inconsistencies of this ball club. This is something that will need to get rectified as we move into the second leg. Our matchups against the likes of Chromatika and Loyo this time around will be on rival turf, so while we do have three home series coming up out of five, the most important ones are away.

If you're Allyson McIntosh, you don't want to overreact. The team is showing flashes, they just need to get it going on a consistent basis. We'll be counting on her to make the correct adjustments.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:22 am

MUSINGS OF AN ARMORED DINNER JACKET
Official blog of Ibrahim Ahmadinejad, former Right Fielder of the Verbergerkinnh Cubs and the Abanhfleft Revolution

SO APPARENTLY WE'RE NOW THE BEST TEAM IN GROUP A?!

WRITING FROM ELEPHANT VALLEY, SOUTH NEWLANDIA - That did not happen. That did not just happen. Someone tell me right now that that did not just happen. How in the world is this possible? How in the world did the Abanhfleft Revolution manage to get two games out of three from bloody South Newlandia?! This was supposed to be the impossible task! This was not supposed to happen! We’re not supposed to take advantage of the Elephants being in some sort of championship hangover. And yet we did, and now we are in sole possession of top spot in Group A. How in the world is this even possible? Have the Revolution really turned the corner? Are we finally about to become an actual contender for the World Baseball Classic title? Or is this going to be yet another false dawn once again, and is our bad luck finally going to catch up to us in the second half of the group stage? I really hope that the latter won’t be the case because it would just be a complete and utter disappointment if it were to come to pass. But then again, isn't that the entirety of Abanhfleft’s history in baseball? Ecstasy in the first half of a qualifying period and utter despair in the second half?

I’m sorry if I’ve begun rambling once again. My simple brain just can’t comprehend the fact that we’ve managed to get two wins against South Newlandia, and away from home at that! Elephant Stadium might seem small in comparison to the National Baseball Stadium in Effelenendro, what with that place only having a capacity of 30,000 compared to the 60,000-plus that the NBS is capable of holding, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more intimidating place in the entirety of my travels with the Revolution. And that’s both as a player and a freelance blogger! It just shows how much baseball means to the South Newlandian people that they can make a place with only 30 thousand people in it sound like the entire universe is rooting against you and your team. And you know what? The Revolution of old would have absolutely crumbled under all of that pressure. I’m sorry, but we all know that that’s true. There was no way on earth that the Abanhfleft Revolution of my time would have been able to win one game at a place like Elephant Stadium, let alone two. But this Revolution really looks like they’re going to be different this time around. Of course, it’s easy to say that while we’ve only been through one half of the group stage. Let’s see how the second half plays out before making any calls.

This particular World Baseball Classic is rapidly turning into one of the craziest and least predictable ones I’ve ever seen. There’s no other way for me to describe it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this Revolution team be this methodical and clinical about playing their games. We’ve won all of our series so far even though only one of them can be described as an actual sweep (that series being the one against Aust Scor), but it looked to all the world that that run was finally about to come to an end against South Newlandia. Then again, we were also the same team that handed the Ellies their first losses in the previous WBC before they eventually eliminated us after a close-fought five-game series so getting a handful of wins against them was not as inconceivable as most of us would have initially thought. But yet again, we are Abanhfleft. We never get the job done, whether we’re the favorites or the underdogs. Never ever bet on us becoming a Cinderella story because we will always get beat by a team that’s expected to beat us, and always bet on us extending someone else’s Cinderella story because we will always fail to beat any team when it’s crunch time.

At this point in the current Classic, it was almost expected that the other team was going to score the first run against Abanhfleft, and though we’ve come back from that situation more times than not this time around, that didn’t look like it was going to be even a remote possibility against South Newlandia. So what was Kurtis Lingenfelter’s solution to this conundrum? Score first and thus put the onus on the other team to come back. And I guess it must have worked because the results literally do not lie. But who would have thought that Antonio Myles batting in Booker Draves for the first run scored by Abanhfleft on South Newlandian soil in just the second inning would be the start of the two most improbable victories in the history of the Abanhfleft Revolution? Just ignore the fact that the Elephants responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning because it was the piecemeal reduction of the deficit that had me almost convinced that we really might be witnessing the start of something special here. Even when Yousuf Henry knocked in a single homer and increased the gap that the Revolution had to make up, the lads just continued working at it one run at a time. Sometimes it wasn’t even home runs that were doing the job for us but RBIs as the lads loaded the bases and kept the innings ticking along, and it eventually paid off when Ben Anderson was batted in by Maël Corneau in the ninth inning to finally put an end to the game.

But that was only one game at the end of the day. We still had two more to play against the Elephants, and surely we weren’t going to be able to get another W against the defending WBC champions, right? Um, yeah, about that. The first inning of Game 2 of the South Newlandia versus Abanhfleft series would like to disagree. Now that is the craziest opening inning that I have ever seen in my life! It just seemed like everyone in the batting order was getting good hits! I was about to say that even our pitcher was hitting the ball well, but then I remembered that we could play the DH in South Newlandia so it was Antonio Myles who was out there knocking balls out of the park that day. In any case, it was Aedan Soto who started all of the chaos that was to come when he hit a home run that allowed him and both Maël Corneau and Donald Edwards to score the first runs of the game. The next three Fleftic batters then proceeded to load the bases, and then Booker Draves walked his way back to home plate as a consequence of Giovanni Perkinson getting a walk. And then after that, Cedric Colon gave spectators from Ratzupalfu a taste of what they were about to get with another great hit from the left hander, and while he didn’t get enough air time on the ball to get a home run, Cedie still got enough to put both Antonio Myles and Elbert Freeman home. And that was all just in the first inning!

Maël Corneau batting in Cedie Colon for the seventh run of the game in just the first inning was the cherry on top, and a comeback from the Elephants seemed all but impossible at that point. Especially after the Revolution added two more runs on top of all that in the second inning. South Newlandia had a mountain to climb at this point, and unfortunately for them, elephants weren’t much suited for climbing mountains. Except for that time that that Punic general, whatever he was called, crossed some mountain range with an army of elephants, although from what I could remember, none of the poor pachyderms survived that journey in time to fight their enemies. But these Elephants did put up a fight worthy of the name and befitting their status as defending champs, though in the end they would end up falling short. That didn’t mean that they didn’t give us a few scares of their own though. Daryl Dunlop scoring a grand slam in the fourth inning counts as a scare for me, all right? Don’t act like all of you weren’t scared that there was actually a comeback afoot when Dunlop smashed that ball into the stands on the right side.

However, South Newlandia were always going to win at least one of these games, and that victory for the Elephants finally came in the third and final one of the series. We already had the series victory at that point, so an argument could be made that we let the defending champs have this one because it wouldn’t look really good to their own supporters if their team got swept by the team that they had beaten in the previous Classic, would it? Then again, I don’t really know about that. I would have preferred it if we took full advantage of the situation while the Elephants were still in their championship hangover because they’re probably not gonna be so hungover anymore when they come to play us in the final series of this group stage, but maybe that’s why I never went into management after my playing days were over. I haven’t got a single shred of sportsmanship in me. In any case, all of the action and excitement of the series appeared to have been used up in Game 2, and there was only so much that could be spared for Game 3. I mean, the game literally boiled down to the fact that the Ellies scored three runs in the third inning and we didn’t start scoring at all until the eighth. Credit to both Don Edwards and Elbert Freeman for making sure that this wasn’t a shutout on our part, I guess, but I’m not really sure if we were actually trying to win this game in the first place. Am I weird in thinking that?

In any case, all teams in the Classic are now headed for a well-deserved break before the second half of the group stage kicks off, and for Abanhfleft, this means a trip to Imperial Haiti. The Haitians are beginning to gather some momentum now, I think, and now that they’re fourth in the group, right behind South Newlandia in third. Who would have thought that that sentence was going to make sense at this point in time? Certainly not me! But this means that we’ll have to be more careful around this Imperial Haiti team this time around because now it looks like they’ve got some good form going their way. It probably wouldn’t be the end of the world if we lose a game against them, but if we lose two or the whole series then maybe it’s time to start panicking. Like I said, the Elephants won’t be struggling forever, and we should always put ourselves in the best possible position while South Newlandia are still trying to find the form that made them champions for two Classics running. Because the next time that we meet the Elephants, I’m sure that we won’t be as lucky as we were this time. This is the Armored Dinner Jacket saying ciao, peace. Catch you in my next post.

by **Drawkland** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:30 pm

Meet the Base Corps Bullpen
We understand if you don't want to.

Throughout Drawkland's history in the WBC, the Corps has been routinely snakebitten by poor relief pitching in every facet of the game. A vast majority of Corps losses can be directly blamed on runs given up in the final three frames of the game, where the armbarn has been tasked with holding down the game (and failing).

Obviously, this pen sees a lot of turnover between editions, and this transition period is no exception. The quest to construct a national team bullpen that doesn't suck ass has been ongoing for literally two decades, and the coaching staff hopes the newcomers here will help solidify this group into one that can actually hold wins.

Elly Jacobs - #48
Long Reliever, Spot Starter
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Chelstio Stars [DRK]
4-seam fastball, sinker, changeup, 2-seam fastball, 12-6 curve

Elly Jacobs is a rookie to this squad, but comes to fill an important position. With a couple veterans, a rookie, and a pitcher prone to blowup starts all in the starting rotation, it's important to have a long reliever who can eat up a significant number of innings or even put in a start every once in awhile. Jacobs brings that flexibility to her domestic team, the Chelstio Stars, where she's used as a starter in case of rotation injuries, often in conjunction with an opener. For the Corps, she'll be expected to be the inning-eater, or used in medium leverage situations where the pen is already mostly depleted. As far as pitching style, she's a classic sinker/changeup contact pitcher who relies on defense and throwing strikes to get through innings quickly.

Jack West - #55
Middle Reliever, Primary
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Drawk City Scouts [DRK]
4-seam fastball, changeup, slider, knuckle curve

The (second) longest tenured player in the Base Corps bullpen, Jack West is a do-it-all type reliever. Domestically, he's played everything from closer to setup to primary relief. His stuff is excellent, featuring a solid fastball and deceptive straight changeup that plays well off the heat. For pesky batters he has a couple other breakers, but except him to get most of his outs with his primary pitches on the swing-and-miss. His one weakness is a lack of stamina, as West is usually unable to pitch more than 2 innings in relief. His best work comes when he bridges the gap between starter and closer sequence in the 7th inning.

Ralph Harris - #31
Middle Reliever, Secondary
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Ifferdam Station Caravan [DRK]
4-seam fastball, splitter, curveball, forkball

Ralph Harris is an interesting pitcher. His chunky frame and scraggly beard make him an odd sight on the hill, but his elite control and pitch deception make him an excellent asset. All of his frequent pitches live in the same "line," being a fastball, splitter, forkball, and a couple variations of a similar curveball. Figuring out where Harris's pitch is going to go from an east/west standpoint is easy, but the difficulty is fishing out the right north/south spot and speed that the ball is going to come in on. Harris lives on weak contact and whiffs, but he's generally only good for one pass through a lineup at most. This is why he lives midway in the bullpen, offering an inning or two in relief when West is unavailable.

Casey Redondo - #66
Short Reliever (high leverage), Mop-up (low leverage)
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Whisrold Golds [DRK]
4-seam fastball, sinker, changeup, slider

Redondo has an interesting role in this bullpen. While she is usually pegged for short relief in big situations when it's too early to bring in a closer, but also used as a low-leverage inning-eater when necessary. Her sinker/changeup combo is effective at getting quick outs, and she will often use a fastball or slider to keep hitters guessing. Her pitching can be elite when necessary, but her performance is a little too spotty to depend on her for closing duties, at least at a national team level.

Dion McDaniel - #70
Short Reliever, Lefty Specialist
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Cove Port Tankers [DRK]
4-seam fastball, slider, 2-seam fastball, changeup

It's important to have a couple lefty arms in the bullpen when the time is right. Dion McDaniel is one of the most fearsome left-handed relievers in Drawkland right now, serving as a closer for the Cove Port Tankers. He primarily employs a triple digit fastball and wickedly breaking slider, along with a two seamer to back lefty hitters off the plate. McDaniel's lankier frame and odd delivery add to the difficulty of facing him. His issue is his lack of stamina, being elite for about 3 outs and not much more. The Corps coaching staff have decided to invite him to the team to mostly serve as a lefty specialist when the time calls for it, or as a spare arm in case of emergency.

Lorraine Lockwood - #60
Setup Reliever, Backup Closer
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Raikennax Eruptors [DRK]
4-seam fastball, 12-6 curve, changeup, splitter, 2-seam fastball

What can't be said about Lorraine Lockwood at this point? Domestically, she's had a meteoric rise to being a consensus top three closer in Drawkland as soon as she got to the big leagues. She doesn't like to define herself as a power pitcher, but she does have an upper 90s fastball along with a nasty straight curve. Her spinrate and presence on the mound combine for a fearsome pitcher, one who puts down batters quickly, mostly by strikeout. Her accuracy is solid as well, but the stuff is what gets most batters out. She serves as the setup man for the timeless Franklin Bell, or as a closer when Bell is unavailable for workload or game situation reasoning. When Bell retires (hopefully soon), most expect that she'll take over the primary closer role on the Corps.

Franklin Bell - #51
Veteran Closer
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Sun City Flames [SNL]
4-seam fastball, circle changeup, forkball, slider, knuckle curve

The man himself. Many people know Franklin Bell for his historically insane collapse in his rookie season as the Base Corps closer, where he somehow managed to blow a 7-run lead in the bottom of the ninth of a WBC Ro16 game. Despite that terrible start to an international career, Bell has quietly played elite ball for over two decades. He is certainly nearing retirement, but his domestic resume speaks for itself. He was a top closer in the PBL for years, and switched to the LPB for a late career renaissance with the Sun City Flames. He even picked up an All-Star selection and won Reliever of the Year in his advanced age, proving his worth as a pitcher. On this Corps, he's been snakebitten a few too many times, but his persistence and smooth attitude despite the circumstances make him a great locker room guy. Don't forget, he still converts a vast majority of his saves ... but once you have a reputation everybody will focus on that instead.
As for his pitching style, it's gone through some changes throughout the years. Originally he was a fireballing fastball/slider pitcher with a nasty knuckle curve thrown in, but as he aged, the velocity tailed off and he was forced to reinvent his style. He started throwing a disgustingly slow changeup and picked up a forkball for additional speed change at a lower level of arm strain. Most hitters will have to contend with the string-pulling and brake-pumping of the fastball/changeup/forkball, but Bell will still throw a little slider or curve if he's got a feel for the pitch on that particular night. For this team he serves as the main closer, only coming in for the ninth inning or maybe late in the eighth, but in his advanced years he may not be on the mound for every save opportunity anyway.

by **Eshialand** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 3:20 pm

A Wave to be Ridden?
Eshialand 10-7 Hapilopper (10)
Eshialand 10-9 Hapilopper
Eshialand 9-2 Hapilopper

RING! RING!

The king's Ministry of Sport phone once again started ringing off the hook. Was something eventful happening on this Monday morning, or has a weekend's worth of work starting to pile up? Well, the king figured it was probably the latter, which would be a bit of a shame, but oh well.

"Hello again King William..." the caller was Jérôme Lafontaine. Not the most pleasant person for William to be talking to before he had his morning coffee, but given their recent discussion, this was probably some sort of update about the EBA, so it might be interesting. "Oh, hi there Jérôme..." he replied, while signaling to Michael that he needed a cup of joe, pronto.

"So," the king continued, "is this call for what I think it's for? Have you figured out some stuff about the EBA?"
"Yes indeedy we have, but I'll keep all of our ideas somewhat secret, more will be revealed later down the line."
"Well, you may wanna start hyping some of that up, did you see what just happened in Hapilopper this weekend? Absolute video game scores! Surely you can capitalize on impressive NT results like those, right?"
"We'll try our best to ride the wave, but we need to make sure the wave continues on, first. After all, trying to market ourselves on NT success makes little to no sense when the NT crashes and burns in the Round of 16 all over again."
"No guarantees on that, but I'll forward your sentiment to Ray Frounta, it may give him some motivation to try a bit harder."
"Cheers Will!"
"Cheers to you too Jérôme."

"Oh thank Margaret..."

The general manager of the Windsor Interprovincials was absolutely relieved at receiving a phone call from Jérôme Lafontaine with the good news. The owners of the team, back when they moved across from Detroit in 2023, had changed the team's name from the Lakers to the Interprovincials to capitalize on... something. The uniqueness of the move? Well, whatever it was, it wasn't working in the slightest. It was a lame name, and everyone knew it, but the owners wouldn't budge. This call from Mr. Lafontaine was notice that the owners, the Twin City Entertainment Group, would be forced to budge. Either change the team name to the Lakers or be kicked out of the Association. They agreed, on one condition. They would not be the Windsor Lakers for the next season, but rather the Twin City Lakers, in order to promote the two cities of Windsor and Detroit as one market with one identity, which they increasingly were becoming since they found themselves in the same country these days.

This change would be approved, and the Lakers name would return after its 3 season absence, with that slight twist. This was just the first of multiple changes that would be coming to the Association in the attempt to save it from going defunct, but for the people in that area, it was certainly a welcome one. Their team's identity would be returning to the old days. The days of that 2021 Eshian Championship that they so desperately wanted to recapture.

by **Zwangzug** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 5:56 pm

The Spenson Star

For a long time, asking Zwangzug baseball fans for their snap judgments about Weegham would get a reaction fairly similar to Hadiln. In both cases, older cities are still sizable, but not quite the megapolis tier of their neighbors (Arlington and Spenson, respectively), leading to the old-timers' ineffective griping about "wah wah, we were here first." The board game allusion phenomenon could have helped with this, as Weegham got the evolving, plot-twisty co-op mechanics of "Pandemic Legacy" to reckon with, but then some pandemics happened in the real world and the mood for board game allusions was tempered.

But now, the confluence of several events is putting Weegham on the map around the world. First, there was Jacinta MacRaun, the manager known for her questionable rationalizations even of reasonable decisions. She scouted Griffith Puyo-Sachar from Universitaet Schwandt in Cham, signed him to the Rainmakers, and he's gone on to impress for the Zebras both as a player and a manager. Since then, she's moved to the aptly-named Xingchen Renaissance of Super-Llamaland, leading them to a national championship and facing off againist the Newport Dolphins in the finals. And of course, given their inclement weather--there's a reason the team's called the "Rainmakers," at least when it's warm enough not to snow--they'd have to have a domed stadium. Which is how Glieb Park became adopted as a spring training home for the Quebecois team, as their home country can also be very frigid in the preseason months. All of a sudden, chilly Weegham is the place to be.

"It's kind of wild," says Minna Soin-Gardel, who now represents the Vargas City Lions after coming through with the Rainmakers. She was born in Fusacjoda, a suburb of Kedzy, which isn't much closer to Weegham than it is to Arlington or Zwischen--or, for that matter, Logrove in the Southeast Division. "I think there is kind of a tendency to forget that it's not just enormous cities, most of the country is in towns that are smaller even if they're densely built up as well. But watching people whose families have been Rainmakers fans for generations, together with people who are just hearing about it now because they saw me with the Lions--it's a great feeling!"

"I have a lot of memories of Weegham, yeah," Puyo-Sachar recollects. "I mean, normal ones, not bizarre prescience ones. Mostly it was me trying to prove myself--Nancy and I were both climbing the ladder, at that point, and we spent a lot of time not seeing each other. So I missed her and was also trying to become an everyday player so the name recognition wouldn't be the most important thing. Maybe I didn't get to do as much tourist, sightseeing stuff as you'd expect, it was just another city. But I don't mean that as a bad thing!"

"It was great meeting the Quebec players, they were obviously very dedicated and working hard to stay in shape," says Heidi Krupp-Galhe, who works at Worling's, the local hotspot for gyros. "The truth is, I didn't know much about Quebec before I saw them come through here. We shouldn't be surprised if other teams' fans can't really tell our cities apart. But hey, you know what they say, parity and competitive balance is good for the game, yada yada, right?"

One way or another, a renaissance is afoot. And while Weegham doesn't have any players on the current Zebras team--the significant number of LPB departures may have something to do with that--you can trust that in time, the city will make it rain.

by **South Newlandia** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 7:06 pm

Part 1: Addressing the Elephant on the Flag (Pt 2)
(see previous RP)

The Elephant Flag Amendment has fallen well short of its required target of 60% approval, including a majority of voters in seven of the ten areas. While needing a unexpectedly good turnout at the polls, the EFA has actually seen the opposite, losing nearly four percent of the projected vote.
As anticipated, the proposal easily cleared 50% in Elephant Valley and Elephant Area, with the latter being one of the few places where the initiative actually slightly outdid polls at the ballot box. Meanwhile, the proposal fell well short in the Southwestern Islands and the Southeast, via even bigger margins than expected. Similarly, the EFA didn’t come close to competing in the Southwest, an area the initiative supports had hoped to take.
Even the Northern Central, seen as a lock for the EFA, was closer than expected, ultimately only having a margin around 25,000 votes. The remaining four areas were all even closer.
In the Far North, polls had predicted a slim lead for the EFA, but the vote ultimately turned against it by a margin of about 5,000 votes, or 1.8%. The East saw similar results, although the EFA was trailing by the slimmest of margins in the most recent poll. In the Southern Central, pollsters had predcted a clear EFA win by more than 20,000 votes, but that margin shrunk to just 3,500 votes.
Closest of them all was the race in the Northeast, one of the main battleground areas, where counting continued for the longest without a clear result. The Initiative had already been well defeated by the time all votes were counted; with the EFA ultimately having an impossibly small lead of exactly 278 votes, in the second-biggest area of South Newlandia.
With this result, the EFA has fallen well short of adoption. Lawmakers have announced that while South Newlandia will continue using the simple blue-yellow-green as its official flag, the Ellie flag will remain of ceremonial importance.

Part 2: College Baseball

South Newlandian College Baseball operates in various layers. The top level is known as the Big 14, comprising of twelve teams from all across the country. Since South Newlandia is relatively small, they can get away with it. The Big 14 is not the only place in South Newlandia where college baseball takes place, there are smaller schools participating in various competitions across South Newlandia, but the big action, the most exciting stuff, happens at the Big 14. More than 70% of Newlandian LPB draftees in the first two rounds of the Llamaphant Pro Baseball Amateur Draft have attended one of the schools in the Big 14, and that figure doesn’t account for players that get drafted right out of high school.
The Big 14 is split into two divisions, Western and Eastern, each containing six teams. This doesn’t mean teams play across each those divisions, they do. The schedule of the Big 14 operates as follows. Each team plays each team in the other division on one occasion, either home or away, and plays each team in the same division on two occasions. Each of these meetings contain two games each; usually played on back-to-back days. This gets us 32 games so far, leaving out the most interesting part of the Big 14 scheduling – rivalry matchups. Each team meets with two rivals in each season (not necessarily always the same every time), travelling to them once and hosting them once each, bringing the schedule up to 40 games. The teams that top the Eastern and Western Divisions respectively meet in the South Newlandian College Baseball Championship. Let’s take a look at the teams!

Western Division:

Elephant Valley University
Relative Size: Very Big
Best players:
RHSP Charles Morgan (Junior)
RHSP Agnese Russo (Junior)
LF Ali Winkler-Villa (Junior)
RF RJ Hall (RAN) (Junior)
Rivalries: Elephant Valley Science Institute, Ratzupalfu University of Nature, Walstreim Business University

You can’t talk about South Newlandian College Sports without mentioning the biggest and most successful South Newlandian school. Elephant Valley University has a bigger budget, more students, and more courses on offer than anyone else, making them a natural draw for talent from all over the country. This season, they are again quite stacked, featuring a trio of talented starting pitchers between the hot heat of Morgan, the clutch-factor of Russo, and the deep arsenal of freshman Alma-Isabell Herrmann.
However, the reason they’re the absolute juggernauts they are, making them the odds-on favourite to repeat as South Newlandian College Champions, is their outfield; featuring the batting prowess of Ali Winkler-Villa and the obvious talent of Ranorian Right Fielder RJ Hall, who has impressed so much that he’s already earned a call-up by the Ranorian national team, making him the likely first-overall pick at whatever point he chooses to enter the LPB draft.
Having all the money and talent and success tends to make the Red Elephants quite unpopular with the students of literally any other place, but EVU seems to thrive in that. This season, they will play rivalry matchups with EVSI and RUoN, with the latter including the traditional season finale.

Elephant Valley Science Institute
Relative Size: Average
Best players:
LHSP Eric Harvey (Freshman)
2B Mary Russell-Munda (Senior)
LF Maria Philipps (Senior)
Rivalries: Elephant Valley University (a lot), New Colk Tech University

If you’re attending EVSI, the thing you’re hating more than anything else in the world is Elephant Valley University. The Science Institute, which, as the name implies, focuses on the sciences. Like all other colleges with a specific field of study in their name, they do also offer other courses, and athletes usually have an easier time to take something that isn’t quite to the core of the college.
This season, EVSI is looking to compete, and maybe take a game or two off of EVU. Their breakout stars this season are a pair of seniors, with Russel-Munda, one of the fastest players in the upcoming draft class, and Philipps, who’s known for her quick-twitch reactions. She can also play right, and the left-handed bat and glove tends to feel slightly more comfortable in left.
For rivalry games this season, they play the hated EVU, and New Colk Tech.

New Colk Tech University
Relative Size: Small
Best players:
LHRP Kevin Moreau (Sophomore)
RHRP Sophia Nascimento (Sophomore)
LF Matthew Bianco (Freshman)
Rivalries: Elephant Valley University, Elephant Valley Science Institute

NCTU tends to focus on the applied sciences, also explaining their fierce rivalry with EVSI, which goes beyond proximity. New Colk, located on an island near Elephant Valley, is famously a place inhabited by many Grearish expats, and many of their students roots can be traced to The Grearish Union.
This year, their best players include a pair of relief pitchers. It’s not uncommon for pitchers to choose the relief-route early in their careers; not everyone is built to throw 80+ pitches every game. NCTU is fortunate to not have a lot of older stars at the moment, which gives fans a chance to watch Moreau, who has grabbed the closer job for now, along with Nascimento and freshman Bianco for a while.
NCTU is one of the smallest colleges in the Big 14, which means that they sometimes schedule rivalry games with the other small colleges to soften up their schedules a little. This season, they play EVSI along with REU in the rivalry matchups.

Ruditown Biologics University
Relative Size: Average
Best players:
LHSP Nicole Rana (Freshman)
RHRP John Trunkman (Senior)
C Manuela Simon (Junior)
LF Lilly König (Freshman)
Rivalries: Kinjestad Medical School, Elephant Valley University, Ratzupalfu University of Nature

RBU is one of the many colleges in South Newlandia if you’re interested in plants, nature, and animals; although RBU tends to focus more on animals that cannot be found on the Elephant Island. It’s also a good place for sports, being a decently big place. The bio-adjacent colleges tend be rivals, and matchups are often fought hard between them.
One of RBUs brightest stars is their closer, John Trunkman, who is projected to be a first-round selection in the next LPB draft, thanks to his triple-digit-touching fastball; but they have a few other good players too.
This season, RBU will play rivalry matchups with Kinjestad Medical and REU.

Rüsselsheim Elephantology University
Relative Size: Very Small
Best players:
RHSP Arlet Weber (Sophomore)
LHRP Roger Weiß (Sophomore)
LF Amira Voigt-Vasav (Freshman)
Rivalries: Ruditown Biologics University, Ratzupalfu University of Nature

Rüsselsheim Elephantology is the second-smallest school in the Big 14, and they almost never compete for the title. This means that their focus is usually on beating one of the other nature-studying colleges.
Big players coming out of REU are few and far between, although Sophomore Roger Weiß, a talented high-velo pitcher, might be one of them. Generally, though, REU is one of the easiest colleges to see the field with if you just want to have some fun playing future LPB stars.
This season, REU plays rivalry matchups with New Colk Tech and RBU.

Kinjestad Medical School
Relative Size: Average
Best players:
RHSP Leonor Pinho (Sophomore)
2B Alex Navarro (Junior)
Rivalries: Ruditown Biologics University, Walstreim Business University, Elephant Valley University

The last of the Western colleges is the college that is usually the biggest threat to EVU winning the West. Despite going through a mediocre stretch lately, KMS has pretty solid attendance numbers. It makes sense for the biggest Medicine-focused college to be in Kinjestad, as the city also features the biggest hospital with the most modern tech in South Newlandia. If you hear of a South Newlandian athlete getting surgery for some injury or another, odds are pretty good he’s in Kinjestad.
The biggest star on the team right now might just be Leonor Pinho, who’s high velocity and tendency to be wild can be quite exciting to watch.

Eastern Division

Newport College for International Relations
Relative Size: Big
Best players:
LHSP Mattia Vasav (Junior)
RHSP Luise Möller (Junior)
CF Samuel Parra (Senior)
DH David Schulze (Sophomore)
Rivalries: Newport Politics Institute, Newport Law School, Ratzupalfu University of Nature

NCfIR tends to be the second-best team in the east, and is usually the biggest title challenger in the East. As one of the three Newport colleges, who famously all hate each other, CIR is usually the favourite between them, largely down to being the biggest.
Despite having a lot of projected mid-round picks in the next LPB draft, CIR doesn’t currently feature a lot of big names. The biggest are likely right-hander Luise Möller, who made a name for herself a painter of the corners, and Center Fielder Samuel Parra, who possesses a rare speed-power combination.
CIR struck a rare agreement to play both of their rivalry slots against NPI this season.

Newport Politics Institute
Relative Size: Small
Best players:
LHSP Dylan Borges (Freshman)
RHSP Russell Davidson (Senior)
C Eva Mercier (Sophomore)
Rivalries: Newport College for International Relations, Newport Law School

Another of the Newport tri-colleges in the Big 14, NPI is the smallest of the three. Despite that, it is famous for producing some of South Newlandians leading political figures.
The product on the field is not quite as good as that, but NPI hopes they’ve got something in freshman Dylan Borgers, who was a quite sought-after high school pitcher, despite still needing to find a little more velocity.
NPI is looking forward to playing CIR in both rivalry slots; with 12 total games between the two teams (more than quarter of the schedule), NPI is bound to take some games away from them.

Newport Law School
Relative Size: Average
Best players:
RHSP Josephine Girard (Sophomore)
2B Jordan Kühn (Freshman)
RF Kelly Griffiths-Mason (Sophomore)
Rivalries: Newport College for International Relations, Newport Politics Institute, Kinjestad Medical School

The middle child of the three Newport colleges, Newport Law sometimes pretends to be above the feud, which they very much are not. As the only Big 14 team focused on law, you can usually count on them to find some weird loophole to patch.
Newport Law was lucky to land the highly talented right-hander Girard, who had a phenomenal freshman season, despite sometimes struggling to locate the nasty stuff. They hope to have landed a similar slam dunk with either 2B Kühn or CF Hansen.
With the other two Newport colleges playing amongst themselves in the rivalry matchups, NLS has games against Kinjestad Medical and Sophie City College scheduled.

Ratzupalfu University of Nature
Relative Size: Very Big
Best players:
LHSP William White (Senior)
RHSP Melissa Moore (Sophomore)
SS Kevin Barros (Sophomore)
RF Patrick-Kyle Wiliams (Senior)
Rivalries: Elephant Valley University, Newport College for International Relations, Walstreim Business University

Ratzupalfu is the Eastern version of EVU. Both colleges are the two biggest in the country, and both also have teams in the NSCF; and it tends to be the most likely final in any given year, with the Egrets usually being able to give the Red Elephants a run for their money.
This season might just be one of them, with the Egrets featuring a nice collection of great players. Like EVU, they feature a trio of LPB-talented starting pitchers, and like EVU, one of their best players plays Right, with Wiliams, who is an OBP-monster, going into his final season.
They’ll play rivalry matchups with WBU, and, as is tradition, EVU.

Sophie City College
Relative Size: Very Small
Best players:
RHSP Liam Soares-Nuñez (Sophomore)
Rivalries: mostly themselves tbh

Sophie City is the smallest college in the Big 14, and they don’t tend to get a lot of good players down there.
Even Soares-Nuñez would be pretty unremarkable on most other teams, but the right-hander has talent that could see him play in the LPB one day.
Sophie City will play rivalry games against Walstreim and Newport Law.

Walstreim Business University
Relative Size: Average
Best players:
RHRP Côme Nguyen (Sophomore)
1B Gaia Bianco (Senior)
RF Teresa Mills (Freshman)
Rivalries: Kinjestad Medical School, Ratzupalfu University of Nature, Newport College for International Relations

The last of the Big 14 teams alphabetically, WBU is a relatively forgettable team. Unpopular with most of the other colleges in SNL, the team playing in white usually is able to fly under the radar for while until things get serious.
This season, they feature the highly talented reliever Nguyen, who is great except for a tendency to get blown up at the worst of times, and Gaia Bianco, the teams speedy first baseman with huge power potential; but despite having some great peaks, WBU definitely lacks in depth this season.
WBU has rivalry games against RUoN and SCC this season, who obviously pack very different punches.

OOC: oh btw in case you read all of that and would like to have some players in South Newlandian College Baseball, too - shoot me a dm

by **Milchama** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:12 pm

"So I want to go back to something that happened earlier"

"What is that?"

"People kept saying that we 'blurred' the 4th wall in our RPs"

"Well they technically said we blur the line between IC and OOC"

"Right"

"So is that true?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"We're currently having a conversation about clear OOC things that we would have no way to know in character"

"Except that we're having the conversation in character"

"Are we?"

"Well, probably"

"But remember there are things that the users know that we don't know"

"Are there? How do you know?"

"I don't and that's the point"

"For example, [he gives the forbidden info]"

"I have been ruined forever"

"This is why we don't know it"

"But I still don't know what it is"

"I mean you just heard it"

"Fair enough"

"So was that OOC or IC?"

"I don't know"

"Well you know something you shouldn't but it's been clearly established as off screen"

"Yes but we're commenting on it now and it's offscreeness"

"So, again, is this IC or OOC?"

"Well I want RP points"

"That's an OOC argument"

"Sure but I'm an IC character"

"How so? You're nameless, even after at least 13 years doing this, you know information that somebody in your position should not, and you only pop up to make pseudo-OOC statements"

"Because I said so"

"That's not a good argument"

"Also because I live in a fictional country, follow fictional sports, and seem to exist only in the NSverse, like I don't know RL countries at all"

"Ok but is that knowledge arbitrarily not given to you or do you actually have that knowledge?"

"I mean isn't everything that a fictional character knows arbitrary?"

"Well you would expect a fictional character to know the basics of their society"

"Then explain the Fish out of Water plot"

"Well that's the point of the plot, that somebody is the audience surrogate but everybody else already knows the rules of the universe"

"Ok but aren't those rules arbitrary?"

"I guess so"

"So then wouldn't that knowledge by arbitrary"

"No because once the rules are established they have to be relentless followed or else either a mediocre story follows or maybe chaos"

"I'm pro chaos"

"I know, that's why we're having a metaficitional conversation about the nature of meta fiction as apparently fictional characters"

"Are we fictional?"

"We're not doing this again"

"That's fair, should we talk about the nature of knowledge?"

"Nah, I don't teach TOK anymore"

"See that's an IRL reference to a subject that the Creator metafictionally taught last year"

"Ok or it could be that I'm a teacher, because write what you know, and am commenting on a similar class in Milchama. I figure the International Baccalaureate can exist in NS as well, it's probably more likely to"

"Milchama's educational system is not going to rely on standardized tests but instead on ways of showing intrinsic knowledge"

"Agreed"

"So it's like a version of IB"

"Basically"

"Cool, so we just figured out part of the Milchamian education system"

"Did we figure it out or did it already exist?"

"What's the difference?"

"Whether we know the rules of the universe or whether we impose our knowledge on the universe"

"Since we're fictional characters in a larger society it must be the former"

"We still haven't established that we're fictional"

"I think we've established it pretty clearly"

"I'm not sure"

"It feels like we did earlier"

"No, you made a claim and I made a counter-claim so that's not establishing rules that's just making the beginnings of an argument. I mean we didn't have a 2AC let alone a 2AR"

"What's that?"

"Oh come on now, you know the answer to this one"

"Fair enough"

"So which do you want to answer first; are we fictional or what is the nature of knowledge?"

"I'm done with epistemology for the night"

"Sounds good to me"

"Good night and good luck"

"Yep, we're going to need it"

by **Banija** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:00 pm

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The Busukuma Post
Covering All of Banija, All of our News, All of the Time

Why go for Union? Why the Territories wanted to become part of the Kingdom of Banija

District Map of the Banijan Esportivan Territories

ZANSASI, BANIJAN ESPORTIVAN TERRITORY OF NJAZA- So, we are here for Part 4 of this issue. What's the impetus for a Union? Why Would Njaza want to join a far distant land, the Kingdom of Banija?

#3 - The impetus- why go for a Union?

Why would each of the parts of Njaza want a Union with Banija?

Mugishaland

This much is obvious, isn't it? It's a land full of Banijans. "Union, some sort of union, with the mother country has always been on the minds of the Banijan community here ever since they settled." Said a political scientist at the University of Kitara. "But the opportunity generally has not been there, for one reason or another. But now- well, the opportunity is here, clear and obvious. And with them constituting around 50% of the Njaza population, the impetus was strong. There was no other serious consideration to join another nation- this population would be riotous if they were to join probably with one of their neighbors.

Nakaseke

The reasoning, of course, is less obvious. There are obvious similarities between Banijans and Nakasekans- the racial similarities, to be particular. But that does not necessarily mean that they would want to join the Banija. In fact, quite the opposite. Because of borders, the members of District 2 have a much longer history of battles and military conflict against Banijan settlers than the rest of the country. So why the heck would they want to be part of Banija? Wouldn't that hurt their position.

Many could argue that. In fact, some Elders did argue that- their decision to endorse joining Banija, as a territory, wasn't unanimous. But it was not an argument that won the day.

Listen to the Paramount Chief talk about this. "There are benefits, and drawbacks, to joining a nation, well outside of Esportiva. But there are benefits as well. For one- the distance can be seen as a positive thing. They will be less likely to try and truly subjugate us, like the Tumbrans in the Northlands(editor's note: The Banijan Government does not endorse any of his comments about the Northlands) to their way of life. Yes, in the modern era, there will certainly be connection- but that ensures that this land is not 'up for grabs'. If anyone was adventurous around us, it would be tough to stop a modern military- but joining a respected nation like Banija would stop that in its tracks."

"Plus, this would give us a good vantage point to start really having positive relations with the rest of Esportiva. The Banijans understand why they are here- primarily, for the purposes of oil. We aren't going to excavate that oil. With this deal, we are going to ensure that proceeds from the oil stay home, without a free-for-all scramble on who controls the rights. Portion of the profits stays home, we don't front any of the costs of drilling that oil, and they will help us access various foreign markets."

Jayunga

The various villages of Jayunga voted to support their joining with Banija. Why? Many felt it was the best option to preserve the peace. "Look- oil is here, and everybody knows about it, whether we liked it or not." Said one elder. "There's going to be a free-for-all on our borders to get it, eventually. It's too valuable. If we join Banija now- we can keep the peace, and this deal will allow us the best say in our own future." The Jayunga, of course, also have a long history fighting the Nakaseke- they said the protection of their autonomy was a big deal here.

"We did not want to join a union where all the power was centrally located, within a Njaza-wide government." Said a different elder. "But the way this is structured- we will be able to maintain our way of life, our traditions, while giving those a chance who want to join the local economy, to do so. Plus- the opportunities for our future children are manyfold. Want to go to college in Banija? You're a Banijan citizen. There will be an advocate to join things like the Esportivan Union now, as well as taking that oil money and fully enjoying it."

Anvik

Now, for the Anvik. Why would they want to be a massive minority in this nation? But as they reminded themselves- they already are one. "Look, there's no way around it- we're a huge minority. Within Njaza, within Esportiva." Said the head of their 33 member Governing Council. "If we're already a minority, we want to make sure that we have a say in securing our future. And this governing structure.. While not perfect, will ensure that we have that say. We have a fair amount of local autonomy over a wide-ranging number of issues. Plus, it's going to generate a ton of money for the tribe. Direct funding, and royalties from PetroBan... It's a pretty good deal. A way to really allow us to step out into the modern century.

Zelland

Last, but not least, Zelland- an ethnic group that greatly resembles the United Clans. "Look- these are challenging times to live in across the multiverse." Said their High King, Mac Eber. "Nations are expanding all over the place, encroaching across the map. And with the newly found energy resources here, it was not a surprise that someone came calling- and that someone was Banija. This, of course, will placate the Banijans in Mugishaland- a huge part of this alliance. If they are placated and supportive, that is a good thing. If we are universally recognized as part of this territory, that's how we can start advocating for ourselves on a bigger stage.

The problem with just Njaza, was that there was no way we could stand as one. But now- we can advocate for ourselves on the world stage. Go to trade fairs. Join the EU. Work with other countries. Work more effectively with each other. Banija is a huge source of support... But if they live up to their promises of allowing plenty of autonomy here on the ground, this is going to be great. But if not... Struggle will happen."

An omnious threat from the High King- Banijja has to tread lightly. Wrong steps in any of these districts, but especially Zelland, could spill over into violence. The Banijans are not eager for that. But so far- so good!

Districts 6 and 7

District 6, of course, is already functionally controlled by Banijans- so there's no where to give them a say. And District 7, of course, consists of a rainforest full of uncontacted tribes... For all we know, they have no idea what the hell Banija is. So they didn't get a say either- who could ask them if we are to maintain them being uncontacted?

Of course, Banija has issued strong promises to protect the rainforest. "The Busiiro is one of Esportiva's great wonders, and we will be stewards- ensuring that the rights of those who live there, and that the protection of its wildlife is greatly preserved." Big words to follow, especially with rumors that oil probably flows underneath the rainforest as well. Of course, making promises and keeping promises are two entirely different things... But you've got to talk the talk before you can walk the walk, right?

The reality is- nobody knows if Banija can be trusted here, to keep their word on the rainforest. They've given no reason to doubt that they will be honest... But you never know. ESPECIALLY if the current left-wing government in Busukuma gets voted out of power at the next general election. We'll see. But if the paper of this legislation is worth what it's written on... That would be a good thing for the Rainforest, and its inhabitants.

Other News
- The Katikkiro, Xolile Lubabalo, told reporters that she herself would head the Banijan delegation to the CORNCOB conference. "We are very supportive of reforms to fight climate change, and protect our environment." She told reporters. "That's why I'll be on the ground myself- to show the importance of this to this Government." Of course, Banija is a country who is heavily reliant on oil revenue, so we'll see how much we contribute to this... But at least we'll show up, right?

Sports: Banijans winners of 7 in a row as road sweep against the Canadian Dominion improves their record to 11-4

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- Life comes at you fast, right? But sometimes, in a good way. After 8 games, this team was really struggling, relative to expectations- sitting at just .500. Still early in the tournament, yes(8 out of 30 games!), but still not where we wanted to be. But get this- ever since losing the first two games in Hapilopper, this NT has not lost since. A win Hapilopper to prevent our AO rivals from sweeping us, and then getting back to back sweeps over both Covelandia and the Canadian Dominion, mean this team is now winners of 7 in a row.

Now, of course- Canadian Dominion is a team we were supposed to beat. They went into the series in dead last in the group, at just 3-9. And now, sit at 3-12. But road wins, in international baseball, are never easy to come by- and just because you're supposed to win a game, doesn't mean you'll do that. "Important series win for us- way to not overlook an opponent." Our manager, Isaac Oladipo, told reporters. "Those are important wins- and it's a fantastic way to keep the momentum up."

But just because we won all of those games, doesn't mean we cruised like we did against the Covelandians. No- we had to earn each one of those. Let's start with game 1. This was a game that started out as a pitcher's duel- A 2nd inning solo shot by Madongo Kiribata was cancelled out by a solo home run by the hosts in the 5th, to make it 1-1. But in the top of the 6th, we responded well- we rallied. The heart of the order was up, and we took full advantage. Our #2 hitter, Moses Oneko, had a leadoff single. A Saddiq Xoosh double saw him score all the way from first, to make it 2-1 to Banija. Ugonna Akachi hit a sac fly to advance Xoosh to third, and then Madongo Kiribata singled to send Xoosh across the plate. 3-1 to Banija. Adoyo hit a double, and then another sac fly, this time by first baseman Gouta Rehana, saw Kiribata score. 4-1 to Banija.

But the hosts attempted to rally in the bottom half of the inning. Odongo Lutaakome fanned the first batter, on a called strike 3. But that's when the Dominion started to rally. Three consecutive singles later- they had runners on the corners, a run had scored, and it was now 4-2 to the Banijans, with just one out. Oladipo had left Lutaakome on the mound, but he issued a walk to load the bases. That's when the manager came out, yanked the starter, and threw on veteran middle reliever, Sarah Teko. Bases loaded, one out? No matter- after a stunning 12 pitch at-bat, she got the first batter she faced to pop up to first base. The second batter she faced, struck out swinging to her wicked curveball. Left 'em loaded. The 'pen would close the door from there- she pitched the 7th, while Sebaga Atla had a 1-2-3 8th, followed by a perfect 1-2-3 9th from Lagum, to get the save.

Then, came game 2. They rattled us in the first two innings, scoring two in the first, and one in the second. They even got them loaded in the second. But our gold medalists southpaw, Dzunani Mazuze, despite throwing 61 pitches over the first two innings, was able to get out with limited damage- only 3 runs earned. Still an advantage to the Dominion, but not an insane one. Then, in the top of the 5th, the Banijan offense did something they're known to do- explode. Entering the inning down 1-3, exited it up 9-3. Everybody was raking, and the inning was punctuated by a Sadiiq Xoosh grand slam. The lead was far too much for the hosts to overcome, as we won 9-6, while Lagum picked up his second save of the series.

And finally, game 3. Get out the brooms, eh? We had anything but an advantage in this game. Xolile Gola was pitching on short rest. And she performed admirably- 7 innings, 2 earned, no decision. She allowed 2 in the third, but we made up for it in the sixth when Ugonna Akachi went yard, to make it 2-2. But once again, we left it to the pen- and struggled. In the 8th, Sebaga Atla went on in a tie game, and allowed a towering, 430 foot bomb to left field. Suddenly, the Dominion led 3-2, and were three outs from an upset win. But never say die, right? Basadi Peoyame started the 9th by pinch hitting for our #9 hitter, our catcher. And what did she do? She was bold- she laid down a perfect bunt, leading off the top of the 9th with a pinch hit, bunt single.

Wild, right? The rally was on. Gadifele, unfortunately, struck out. Oneko then slapped a single to right field, to get runners on the corners with just one out. Then, the Canadian Dominion had a decision- do they pitch to Banija's best player, and load the bases in the 9th? Or pitch around him, and take your chances with our power hitter? They did the latter- intentionally walking Xoosh to load the bases, and chose to face Akachi. The decision failed- Akachi crushed one, as the Canadian Dominion were forced back to their own warning track. But the sac fly worked, as Peoyame easily scored to be the tying run, while Oneko smartly tagged up to third base.

It would be the DH, Madongo Kiribata, who would have the game-winning hit. She smashed one to the gap in right-center, where Oneko walked home. Akachi was always running, and tried to score from first, but was thrown out at the plate for the final out of the inning. No matter- a 4-3 lead was a 4-3 lead, even if the decision to go home was probably ill-advised. Oyella Lagum had a 1-2-3 9th, to have his third consecutive save. "We battled, we were gritty, and we earned all three wins here." Oladipo told reporters. "Now, it's time to get back home, and prepare for Le est de Espanya."

by **Tikariot** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:59 pm

The picture switches to the studio in its usual black and red. One of the two familiar podiums lights up and Blake Church is on his usual spot, wearing a grey suit with a blue shirt and red tie, his shoulder-long white hair .

Blake Church: Good evening Tikariot and welcome to a new edition of 'Church vs. State'. I'm Blake Church--

The second podium lights up and shows Charles State, in a dapper red suit, white shirt and red tie.

Charles State: --and I'm Charles State. Tonight on the chopping block: Hot sauces. After the first episode of the latest talk show 'Conquering the Sun' the social medias have been atwitter about some of the sauces constituting assault, so what better to do than discuss these claims.

Blake Church: On the show, Ragnar Cederholm hosted the head coach of the Tikariotian national baseball team in a series of interview question between which they consumed chicken wings doused with various hot sauces of increasing hotness.

Charles State: Or maybe it was a series of consuming chicken wings doused with various hot sauces of increasing hotness interspersed with interview questions.

Blake Church: (sighs) Yes, it could have been this as well, Charles.

Charles State: Thank you.

Blake Church: So, the argument is that some of these hot sauces are too spicy to consume and could pose serious threats to your health and should either come with a warning label or be outright illegal. Some even called them biological weapons.

Charles State: Well, for starters, nobody is forced to eat the sauces.

Blake Church: While that is true, a lot of products bear warning labels these days.

Charles State: They do, however, Tikariot does not have a litigious legal environment, we trust that people can engage logical thinking.

Blake Church: In theory--yes. In practice I'm not sure I would sign this statement.

Charles State: (pensive) OK, I have to give this one to you. But it is similar to alcoholic beverages. Other than a "please drink responsibly" disclaimer, they don't have any warnings labels per se.

Blake Church: I think you're comparing apples to oranges here. Alcohol and hot sauces are quite the same level here.

Charles State: Why not? Think about it. One can lead to intoxication that can influence their own health and the health of others. They can potentially lead to death.

Blake Church: While hot sauces will, at maximum, be potentially detrimental to your own health, but the wellbeing of others.

Charles State: Well, the day after the consumption of particular hot foods, some life partners or roommates might have a different opinion.

Blake Church: (chuckles) Fair, fair. But still, there is an argument that people who cannot properly evaluate the actual hotness of a hot sauce and its potential consequences might be putting themselves into harm's way when consuming too much or have other issues arise.

Charles State: You see, I can see where you are coming from, but a car doesn't come with a warning label about the potential consequences of speeding either, and I believe we can agre that some people cannot properly evaluate the actual speed they are going.

Blake Church: You are really dragging these comparisons out of the undergrowth today. Now, you're not wrong, but let's focus on the matter at hand. Why are you so adamant about this?

Charles State: Because I just find it ridiculous to call for an over-bureaucratization! If you have a bottle with a stingingly hot red (or orange or green) liquid and it comes with a name such as Firefarter, Widowmaker or Hell's Wrath, shouldn't that give you a hint that you likely shouldn't chug the whole bottle?

Blake Church: You would think so. On the other hand, how else would an amateur to the world of hot sauces be able to know how much is too much?

Charles State: I guess common sense is not an option?

Blake Church: Unfortunately not. As we had established in previous editions, it is now widely considered a super power due to its rarity.

Charles State: I can see your point then, but where do you draw the line, which level of Scoville would be the threshold for when you have to add a label? And triggered by that, what information should such a label contain?

Blake Church: That is the crux with this. Due to the extreme differences in heat tolerance, one would almost have to put a label on every level.

Charles State: OK, let's assume that legislation would be introduced to do so, what should the label say? Should it be a generic label cautioning people to be prudent in the dosage or should it contain more information, specific to the heat level? Should there be a recommended amount? Should it contain a clause that will hold the manufacturer harmless and absolve them of any blame for any loss caused by the user’s potential negligence?

Blake Church: That might be a little far reaching.

Charles State: While that is true, it is a valid question. Some people have argued that hot sauces are part of Darwinism, that only the strongest will survive.

Blake Church: Isn't that a little macabre?

Charles State: Well, it depends on which side you are looking at it from. Sure, if you approach it that the weak will die, it definitely is macabre and wrong on so many levels, but I think that they mean it as a learning curve - that if you are reckless or stupid enough not to realize that you are about to make a big mistake, you kind of deserve it.

Blake Church: (inhales sharply) You are on thin ice there, my friend, but I can't really claim that you're wrong either. Now I understand that even if there would be a consensus that hot sauces should bear warning labels, it would be highly difficult to find common ground on what these labels should contain, what recommendations they should have or even what a warning should look like. Some people have suggested to use a ranking system, but many different examples from many different industries have shown that any voluntary ranking system is worth as much as your suit - next to nothing.

Charles State: Hey, I am taking offense to this!

Blake Church: Noted. What one might consider chemical weapon grade might be mildly amusing to others.

Charles State: As much as it goes against my inner instinct, I do agree. And I think that's what just one of the problems is, and I'm not even going to entertain those outlandish calls to outright ban them. The first one is, do we really need a warning. If so, what should it contain, how would it be regulated, who would even care?

Blake Church: You know that this is one of the rare occasions where we actually came to a consensus?

Charles State: Ssshh, don't tell anyone. We have a reputation to uphold.

Blake Church: (laughs) I think it's a bit late for that. Anyways, thank you for tuning in tonight, please let us know in the comments what your stand on "are hot sauces considered biochemical weapons?"

Charles State: Have a good night, stay safe and keep it hot!

by **Loyo** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 10:02 pm

Loyo Sunshine Tigers
World Baseball Classic 56 Qualifying: At The Half

Loyo sits second in the Group H table at the halfway mark for WBC 56 qualifying with a 10-5 record. Compared to the team's 5-5 performance at the last WBC qualifying halfway point, things look to be on an upward trajectory. The sunshine tigers hold an impressive 7-2 home record at May Revolution Park, and a 3-3 away record, with the team's toughest travel challenges already dealt with.

In series two versus hosts Chromatika, the Loyons managed a shock upset, winning two crucial games to support the team's growing playoff hopes. The team wasn't as lucky against the Cassadagans, losing their own series of the qualifying half in two tightly contested games.

Outside of game two, the Loyons only scored one run, a Isabel Morata single that batted Chrissy Salvatore in from third base during game one. Bats were silent across the board in game 3, as the Loyons were held to their first runless game since WBC 55’s 0-7 loss to Quebec and Shingoryeo.

“It’s a concerning result for sure,” said manager Chase Min-Son. “You can look at the overall record, and it seems to imply that we’re on a path to qualify for the next rounds. But if you do that, you miss some stuff we really stunk at. Not only in games we lost, but also in games we won. There’s plenty to work on, and I would advise fans at home to temper their expectations. We’re a team that’s learning a lot.”

Best players of the qualifying half

Since the disappointment of WBC 55 qualifying, players and coaches for the national team have been hard at work trying to set new habits for hitting and fielding. Some players have improved, while others have struggled to keep up with the brisk pace of development.

Let’s take a look at each series so far, and get a better impression of Loyo’s talent progression by picking the best Loyon player for each series so far.

Series I: America But With Slightly More Hazelnuts
3B #13 Jimi Fiazzo

The recently traded hard-hitting third baseman started the competition off strong, with impressive performances in key moments. In game one, Fiazzo hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth that pushed the Sunshine Tigers ahead, scoring Hyon Shin and Billy Yank. His confidence on the defensive side has improved significantly since the last WBC.

“It’s a challenge to get used to a new way of playing the game,” Fiazzo said. “But I always look forward to a challenge.”

Series II: Chromatika
RP #32 Misha Moon

Moon saw minimal relieving play for the sunshine tigers during the last WBC, and has been waiting for his chance to prove his worth in a big moment. He got it during game two against Chromatika. The series was 1-0 in Loyo’s favor, and were ahead by a single run heading into the bottom of the seventh. Seung Hawoo had just fixed a nearly disastrous situation in the bottom of the sixth, with bases loaded, and handed the reins off to the untested reliever.

Moon demonstrated a vast improvement in his pitching quality. His curveball was more difficult to hit, and he debuted a slider that scored him two critical strikeouts. The 29 year old still has time to improve, and United Sugar is hoping that the pitcher will be able to demolish opposing batters in the LRL.

Series III: Oateria
SP #56 Amon Zao

Amon Zao was a bit of an unknown name when the sunshine tiger’s name was announced. He was pretty well known in the city of Marraya, where he’s become a bit of an overnight celebrity. Zao only gave up one run in seven innings against Oateria, and showcased an incredible agility as he assisted in double plays and caught lucky infield bounces. Zao is an unorthodox pitcher who likes to throw his batters off by exaggerating movements in his progression. Zao has returned to play for his domestic club, Marraya Lions, after a wrist injury benched him on and off for a period of two years.

Series IV: The Star Enpire
Starting Pitchers: Hawoo, Cross, Zao

Through 21 innings, the sunshine tiger starting pitchers that played against The Star Enpire only allowed 6 runs. The three pitchers listed here are all very different, but they’re proving that manager Chase Min-Son and pitching coach Miguel Perras are doing an excellent job in directing Loyon pitchers to change some of their habits. Hawoo has become a more controlling pitcher, even for his standards, analyzing batters' behaviors and striking with precision. Cross has become a student of the game, studying escape velocities and how batters think about hitting her pitches. And Zao is developing into a promising prospect for the future of Loyo’s pitching powers. It's all worked hand in glove to elevate the standard for pitchers across the country, as the unique pitching mannerisms of the multiverse are reaching the ears of Loyons, who eagerly look to supplement their arsenal.

Series V: Cassadaigua
SP #23 Kyla Maccz

Kyla debuted in game one against Chromatika, giving up 4 runs through seven innings, but she really shone in her start versus the Cassadagans, with a solid shutout through nine innings. She battled with opposing pitcher Breanne LaViolette as the two were nearly unhittable. Unfortunately for the sunshine tigers, the run by Nika Vulcae in the top of the tenth was not enough to secure a victory for the pitcher’s stellar performance, as Makenna Anglin skied a fastball to the screaming fans of Dagan Airways Stadium, and the shutout was kaput. Maccz will pitch next in game three against America But With Slightly More Hazelnuts in upcoming Series VI.

Lineup for Series VI: A.B.W.S.M.H:
SS: #2 Patrick Dore, 28, R (Kamisusunai Steel)
1B: #17 Shiryo Gerras, 32, R (St. Hayahoma’s)
DH: #7 Nika Vulcae, 27 (National Pantheon)
3B: #16 Chrissy Salvatore, 30, R (Loyo Athletic Reds)
CF: #6 Francis Koo, 30, L (St. Donghai’s)
2B: #11 Ra Min-Joo, 27, R (St. Mianho’s)
LF: #12 Sonny James, 28, R (United Sugar)
RF: #22 Meung Boma, 31, L (United Sugar)
C: #1 Hyon Shin, 28, R (St. Yoosan’s)

Pitching (SP, RP, CP):
Game One: Cross, Min, Hajoon
Game Two: Wren, Moon, Mun
Game Three: Maccz, Avantaje, Hajoon

by **Chromatika** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 10:25 pm

The Chromatik Developmental League, Season 1 - Regular Season Recap, Part 3

Regular Season Results:

Chromatik Development League 1    Pld     W    L     RF    RA    RD 
 1 Wirr Tsi Opulence              180   106   74    843   755   +88 First-Round Bye
 2 Z'ai'ai Loggers                180   104   76    863   754  +109 First-Round Bye
 3 Myana Merfolk                  180   104   76    902   762  +140 Playoffs
 4 Urrheddiao Knights             180   103   77    941   785  +156 Playoffs
 5 Sanar Vipers                   180    91   89    820   744   +76 Playoffs
 6 Anfanhar Monsoon               180    91   89    797   862   −65 Playoffs
 7 Lhor Waves                     180    81   99    766   830   −64 Eliminated
 8 Nonian Highlanders             180    79  101    778   898  −120 Eliminated
 9 Jatho Joyriders                180    75  105    747   814   −67 Eliminated
10 Tihon Sky                      180    66  114    674   927  −253 Eliminated

Playoffs, Semifinals

1. Wirr Tsi Opulence vs. 4. Urrheddiao Knights

Game 1
Urrheddiao Knights      2 2 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 11
Wirr Tsi Opulence       1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Game 2
Urrheddiao Knights      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  2
Wirr Tsi Opulence       0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1  3

Game 3
Wirr Tsi Opulence       0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Urrheddiao Knights      7 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 X  9

Game 4
Wirr Tsi Opulence       0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 0  5
Urrheddiao Knights      0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

Game 5
Urrheddiao Knights      1 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 1  7
Wirr Tsi Opulence       2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  4

(4) Urrheddiao Knights win, 3-2.

2. Z'ai'ai Loggers vs. 3. Myana Merfolk

Game 1
Myana Merfolk           0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
Z'ai'ai Loggers         1 5 1 0 0 0 1 0 X  8

Game 2
Myana Merfolk           1 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  5
Z'ai'ai Loggers         0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 X  6

Game 3
Z'ai'ai Loggers         0 0 1 1 0 5 0 0 1  8
Myana Merfolk           0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

(2) Z'ai'ai Loggers win, 3-0.

Knights Outlast Opulence, Loggers Trounce Merfolk

For a team that didn't exist a season ago, the Opulence took to baseball with heart. Led by Ace George Perriman, Reliever Edwin Harlett, and Center Fielder Rosa Harmon, they finished with the best record in the Development League. Sandra Howell, Lana Bergsten, and Cree Smalls were the pitchers of Urrheddiao that took them to town, though - as Sandra Howell outpitched George Perriman in Game 1, Cree Smalls took down pitcher Carleigh Waters in Game 3, and the Knights' fifth pitcher, Aaron Harron in Game 5. The Opulence bats would come through in Games 2 and 4, but the Knights outlasted them in Game 5 to move to the Championship Series, a best-of-seven affair. It showed just how much work the Opulence have left to do if they are to establish themselves as a rising power in Chromatik baseball.

As for the other series, the Z'ai'ai Loggers looked like the best team when the league was formed. Getting the likes of Shortstop Erewon Wiles, Left Fielder Aarl Leedwen, and Catcher Dwayne Hughes, the team blew out the Merfolk in Game 1, survived them in Game 2, and blew out the Merfolk in Game 3. They don't have the best of pitching staffs, but have a better bullpen - it whould be an interesting Championship Series.

by **Chromatika** » Wed Jan 25, 2023 11:00 pm

How will you start the second round robin of games? Series 6 Cutoff.

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 56

GROUP STAGE - SERIES 6
Chromatik Games were scored by Tumbra

Group A

Game 1
Aust Scor                       0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
Qasden                          2 0 1 4 0 2 0 0 X  9

Ko-oren                         0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0  4
South Newlandia                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Abanhfleft                      0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  4
Imperial Haiti                  0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  3

Game 2
Aust Scor                       2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0  5
Qasden                          0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2

Ko-oren                         0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
South Newlandia                 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 X  3

Abanhfleft                      2 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 0  7
Imperial Haiti                  1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  3

Game 3
Aust Scor                       0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Qasden                          1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X  2

Ko-oren                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
South Newlandia                 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  3

Abanhfleft                      0 0 4 1 0 0 2 1 1  9
Imperial Haiti                  0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3  6

Group A                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Abanhfleft             18   14   4   112   76  +36
2 South Newlandia        18   12   6   104   74  +30
3 Ko-oren                18   11   7    93   84   +9
4 Qasden                 18    7  11    82   83   −1
5 Imperial Haiti         18    6  12    72   94  −22
6 Aust Scor              18    4  14    56  108  −52

Group B

Game 1
Nova Anglicana                  3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
The Cannaland Islands           0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 X  5

Dod Rava                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Zwangzug                        2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 X  4

Ingont                          0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
The Greater Nordics             0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  2

Game 2
Nova Anglicana                  1 0 0 0 6 0 2 0 1 10
The Cannaland Islands           1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Dod Rava                        2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  5
Zwangzug                        0 0 3 0 0 2 0 2 X  7

Ingont                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
The Greater Nordics             1 0 1 0 2 0 4 0 X  8

Game 3
Nova Anglicana                  1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2  5
The Cannaland Islands           0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3

Dod Rava                        0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3
Zwangzug                        0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1  4

Ingont                          0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  5
The Greater Nordics             0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Group B                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Zwangzug                18   15   3   109   47  +62
2 Nova Anglicana          18   12   6    79   62  +17
3 The Greater Nordics     18    7  11    77   87  −10
4 The Cannaland Islands   18    7  11    75   94  −19
5 Ingont                  18    7  11    85  113  −28
6 Dod Rava                18    6  12    68   90  −22

The Greater Nordics 5-4 against Ingont and The Cannaland Islands
The Cannaland Islands 3-3 against The Greater Nordics and Ingont
Ingont 4-5 against The Cannaland Islands and The Greater Nordics

Group C

Game 1
The Eshurium Empire             0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 3  6
Quebec & Shingoryeo             0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  3

Tikariot                        1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 5  9
Zorinitiee                      1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  4

StrayaRoos                      1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 1  7
Drawkland                       1 7 0 1 1 0 0 0 X 10

Game 2
The Eshurium Empire             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Quebec & Shingoryeo             0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  3

Tikariot                        2 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 0  7
Zorinitiee                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

StrayaRoos                      0 5 0 0 4 0 6 0 0 15
Drawkland                       1 1 0 1 3 0 0 2 2 10

Game 3
The Eshurium Empire             0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Quebec & Shingoryeo             0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  3

Tikariot                        0 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0  5
Zorinitiee                      0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

StrayaRoos                      0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  5
Drawkland                       0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  4

Group C                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Quebec & Shingoryeo    18   13   5    92   59  +33
2 Drawkland              18   13   5    98   73  +25
3 Tikariot               18   11   7    97   82  +15
4 The Eshurium Empire    18    6  12    68   95  −27
5 Zorinitiee             18    6  12    67   73   −6
6 StrayaRoos             18    5  13    65  105  −40

Quebec & Shingoryeo ahead of Drawkland via H2H Result (2-1).

Group D

Game 1
South Americanastan             2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  5
Super-Llamaland                 4 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 X  9

Atheara                         0 0 0 4 1 2 0 0 1  8
Katterimunk                     0 4 7 1 0 0 0 0 X 12

Sherpa Empire                   0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0  5
Benjium                         0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  3

Game 2
South Americanastan             0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0  5
Super-Llamaland                 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Atheara                         0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2  4
Katterimunk                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Sherpa Empire                   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4  6
Benjium                         0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  2

Game 3
South Americanastan             0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Super-Llamaland                 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 X  4

Atheara                         0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1  4
Katterimunk                     0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Sherpa Empire                   1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0  4
Benjium                         0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3

Group D                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Super-Llamaland        18   13   5   108   47  +61
2 South Americanastan    18    9   9    89   85   +4
3 Sherpa Empire          18    9   9    73   75   −2
4 Katterimunk            18    8  10    90   89   +1
5 Atheara                18    8  10    71   92  −21
6 Benjium                18    7  11    72  115  −43

South Americanastan ahead of Sherpa Emprie via H2H Result (2-1).

Group E

Game 1
New Portland Republic           3 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 4 10
The 189                         0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 0  6

Srednjaci                       0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
HUElavia                        1 1 0 1 0 0 3 4 X 10

Liventia                        1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  3
Ranoria                         0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 X  4

Game 2
New Portland Republic           1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 1  7
The 189                         2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  5

Srednjaci                       2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
HUElavia                        0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2  4

Liventia                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2
Ranoria                         0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 X  6

Game 3
New Portland Republic           0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
The 189                         0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  3

Srednjaci                       1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
HUElavia                        0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

Liventia                        0 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 0  5
Ranoria                         0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  2

Group E                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Liventia                18   12   6    85   62  +23
2 Ranoria                 18   10   8    73   62  +11
3 HUElavia                18    9   9    66   75   −9
4 New Portland Republic   18    9   9    80   90  −10
5 Srednjaci               18    8  10    65   84  −19
6 The 189                 18    6  12    77   73   +4

HUElavia ahead of New Portland Republic via to H2H Result (2-1).

Group F

Game 1
Canadian Dominion               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Hapilopper                      0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 X  6

Eshialand                       0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1  4
The Republic of Covelandia      0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0  3

Le est de Espanya               1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  3
Banija                          0 0 3 0 0 1 0 4 X  8

Game 2
Canadian Dominion               0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1  4
Hapilopper                      0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Eshialand                       0 1 2 2 0 1 0 2 0  8
The Republic of Covelandia      0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0  3

Le est de Espanya               0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Banija                          1 0 0 6 5 0 0 0 X 12

Game 3
Canadian Dominion               0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  2
Hapilopper                      0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Eshialand                       0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0  4
The Republic of Covelandia      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Le est de Espanya               2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  5
Banija                          0 1 0 1 5 0 1 0 X  8

Group F                       Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Banija                       18   14   4   113   66  +47
2 Eshialand                    18   13   5   109   75  +34
3 The Republic of Covelandia   18    8  10    74   92  −18
4 Hapilopper                   18    7  11    76   89  −13
5 Le est de Espanya            18    7  11    58   96  −38
6 Canadian Dominion            18    5  13    63   75  −12

Group G

Game 1
Milchama                        0 1 0 1 0 0 3 2 2  9
Caribbia                        0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0  4

Barnettsville                   0 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 0  7
Milk Island                     0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  3

TJUN-ia                         0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1  3
Melbergia                       0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1  4

Game 2
Milchama                        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2  3
Caribbia                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Barnettsville                   1 2 0 0 5 0 0 0 2 10
Milk Island                     0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

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

Game 3
Milchama                        1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  3
Caribbia                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2

Barnettsville                   1 1 0 2 0 7 4 0 0 15
Milk Island                     1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

TJUN-ia                         0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Melbergia                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Group G                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Melbergia              18   10   8    67   59   +8
2 TJUN-ia                18   10   8    83   71  +12
3 Milchama               18   10   8    78   62  +16
4 Caribbia               18    9   9    80   91  −11
5 Barnettsville          18    8  10    81   68  +13
6 Milk Island            18    7  11    66  104  −38

Melbergia 5-4 record against TJUN-ia and Milchama
TJUN-ia 5-4 record against Melbergia and Milchama
Milchama 2-4 record against TJUN-ia and Melbergia
Melbergia ahead of TJUN-ia due to H2H RD (+5).

Group H

Game 1
The Star Enpire         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Cassadaigua             0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 X  5

Loyo                    0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  4
America B.W.S.M.H.      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Oateria                 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Chromatika              0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  2

Game 2
The Star Enpire         1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1  4
Cassadaigua             0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  2

Loyo                    4 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 6 16
America B.W.S.M.H.      0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  4

Oateria                 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Chromatika              0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  4

Game 3
The Star Enpire         1 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  5
Cassadaigua             0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2  6

Loyo                    0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
America B.W.S.M.H.      2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  2

Oateria                 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Chromatika              1 0 3 0 0 0 3 1 X  8

Group H                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD
1 Chromatika             18   14   4   107   48  +59
2 Loyo                   18   12   6    97   77  +20
3 Cassadaigua            18   10   8    81   79   +2
4 America B.W.S.M.H.     18    8  10    84   99  −15
5 The Star Enpire        18    6  12    57   85  −28
6 Oateria                18    4  14    58   96  −38

by **Super-Llamaland** » Thu Jan 26, 2023 1:21 am

Infield in, the pitch to Bellefeuille…soft liner and that’ll get over the infield!
Henry will score from third, and the Renaissance have again defied all odds to steal another game at the death!

Huang ranging to his left, the throw to Wagner, the relay to Perez, and it’s a double play!
Erik McGuire unleashes an earthshaking fist pump as the Nova Anglican reliever escapes the jam!

High fly ball to center, Duffy is tracking back, back at the wall, and makes a leaping catch!
Schuyler Duffy with an absolute web gem of a play, and the Renaissance are still alive!

that’s OUT OF HERE! One swing of the bat and Valery Robiquet has tied the ball game at three runs apiece!

Swing and a miss, strike three!
Another dominant half-inning for Solveig Jørgensen, and the Renaissance are cruising here in southern Super-Llamaland!

The Xingcheng Renaissance once again find themselves three outs from history! Can they do it again?

BALL OR NOTHING: the XINGCHENG RENAISSANCE

episode 16

Something between Games Four and Five seems to remind the Dolphins that they are still arguably the greatest LPB roster ever constructed. Drawkian second starter Syd Masterson has put up an excellent regular season after faltering in the final month of the previous season, where a few frustrated fans gave him the nickname “Mid Disasterson” due to his tendency to blow up in critical innings. But against Newport, he again looks overwhelmed, and Dolphin Stadium smells blood.

The payoff pitch to Larsen…swung on and driven deep into left field! That ball is easily out of here, and Newport have now hit three home runs in one inning off of Masterson! The score with just one out in the bottom of the first - Dolphins 4, Renaissance 0.

Frustratingly, the Renaissance score in four of the remaining innings, and each time seem to threaten to break the game back open. But, perhaps inspired by Erik McGuire’s performance against the Cyclones, the Newport bullpen is able to keep things to one run each time. A late rally slips through the team’s fingers once again, and it’s Newport - not Xingcheng - who find themselves one game away from the title of Esportivan champion.

With runners on first and second, and Nicolas Perez representing the tying run on deck, things don’t seem quite as assured for the Dolphins here in the ninth. Here’s the 2-0 from Beaufils - Henry hits it hard, but Drum fields it cleanly, flips to Hernandez, and over to Tallis for a game-ending double play! The final score from Dolphins Stadium - Newport 8, Xingcheng 4, as the Dolphins once again take a critical lead in the Esportivan Series.

With the potential end of the season hanging over Xingcheng’s heads, and the team playing at home tomorrow, Jacinta MacRaun opts to take the team to the top of Lüshan, a small mountain on the outskirts of the peninsula that Xingcheng is located on. From the summit, one can see both the cities of Xingcheng and Nandaozhou, and the beautiful ocean. After three seasons spent barnstorming all over Super-Llamaland and South Newlandia, MacRaun and pitching coach Carsten Duffy allow themselves some introspection.

”I thought we were both done after last year, honestly. We really thought we had a good shot at the playoffs our first two years, and to fall short to Nikcoro both times was disappointing.”
“Haha, yeah, Carsten was pretty anxious when we had that slow first few games. But we all kept the faith.”

“Not that Jacinta made it easy, of course. Poor Annie [Saucedo, the team’s bullpen coach] was pulling her hair out with some of the calls that she made. Lot of them end up working, of course.”
“Yeah, what people don’t get is that I’m not doing all of this to be cute, or to build some kind of brand. I’m just trying to win baseball games, and this is how I do it. This sport was built on intuition.”
“Ownership’s coming around, I’d imagine.”

Refreshed by their field trip, the Renaissance hold their own at home against the Dolphins’ high-powered offense. Nakamura Jossei, the starting pitcher from Daskel who has quietly become one of the most underrated pieces in the league, throws six-plus innings of two-run ball, one of which was unearned after a poor throw from Yousuf Conway. But Haakon Kalberg matches him inning-for-inning, and the game remains unsettled heading into the seventh inning. The Renaissance nearly strike a decisive blow against reliever Boom Teklam…

High fly to left off the bat of Robiquet…that’s going to bounce off the very top of the wall! Umps could call it a home run…but it looks to be just short, as Robiquet stops at second!

But lose not only the scoring chance, but Sofia Löfgren, on a controversial call.

”strike three!”
“That was low! Low!”
“Not the way I saw it.”
“Not the way you saw it? Shit was at my ankles! You can’t do that in the playoffs with a guy on second!”
“Not the way I saw it.”
“FUCK!”
“You’re done, Löfgren! That was the line.”

Still, Kathrine Peterson and Erik McGuire combine for three flawless innings, and as the game heads to extras, the Renaissance manage to get something going in the bottom of the tenth. With two outs in the inning, the Fiona Niemi manages to draw a walk after an eight-pitch battle of an at-bat. It brings up Jeff Huang, whose postseason performances have yet to catch up to his team’s heroic play. While MacRaun differs from the analytic school of thought in many ways, one thing she does encourage is the careful analysis of launch angle to promote more power. It’s something that really shows in Huang’s struggles, as the young third baseman still strikes out far more than he is used to. But it also has its uses.

Goodman opts to stay with Caell-Amoy to face Huang. The first pitch is smoked down the left-field line! Fly ball still going, good if it’s fair, HOME RUN! The Renaissance have come back another time! We’re going to a game seven!

After yet another heartstopping game decided at the last second, some of the fans are hoping that game seven is a little easier to watch (shows a fan at game six holding a “PLEASE BLOW THEM OUT, I HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE” sign). Luckily for those fans though, the night’s starter is Solveig Jørgensen. Formerly thought of as just another young fireballer, Jørgensen has broken out and become one of the most reliable aces in the world, earning an Evan Masorka award and a spot in the national team rotation. But she hasn’t proven herself on the big stage quite yet. Tonight, she gets a chance to. She does not disappoint.

Strike three looking! Jørgensen blows Chavelier away with the high heat, and it’s a 1-2-3- opening frame for Solveig Jørgensen!

Swing and a miss, strike three! Another dominant half-inning for Solveig Jørgensen, and the Renaissance are cruising here in southern Super-Llamaland!...

Brad Moore checks his swing…but not enough! Jørgensen fools him with the curve, and that’s nine strikeouts for the Renaissance ace.

The Newport Dolphins won 123 games in the regular season, then comfortably defeated Elephant Valley and Walstreim in the playoffs. Their progression to the Multiverse Series was a foregone conclusion. Instead, Xingcheng win 4-1 behind a seven-inning, twelve-strikeout performance from their ace. The underdogs from the southern coast are now four games away from the pinnacle of domestic baseball.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Thu Jan 26, 2023 12:17 pm

Just Missed: Up-and-comers you might see in the next World Baseball Classic

The Nova Anglican national team for World Baseball Classic 56 saw just four new players: Ryan Montgomery, Xavier Pineault, Sean Wilson, and Andy Hudson. With talent abounding in the NABL, it's clear there were more than four contenders for those spots, and even more spots might have been open had Charlie Snyder decided to drop more veterans. In this series, we'll take a look at some of the players who "just missed" a spot on the national team.

Part 1: Brent Lee
Part 2: Ben Poole
Part 3: Jonah Quinlan

The Nova Anglican national baseball team has traditionally carried two backup infielders, one a middle infielder and the other a corner infielder. The corner infield slot demands someone who can play third base or first, and has traditionally been handled by a third baseman. Occasionally, however, the team has sacrificed defense for offense and chosen either a suspect defender or someone much more comfortable at third. Such was the case with Jake Wright, the switch-hitter who swatted line drives from the left and homers from the right. Charlie Snyder chose to get better defensively and to get younger, going with Sean Wilson over Wright. But who else might have replaced Wright? This year, one of the other contenders for the role was Jonah Quinlan.

Sean Wilson exploded onto the scene two years ago as a slugging first baseman who could pick it (and more!) on defense, then caught everyone's attention when he shifted over to third base last season in the wake of an injury and showed he could move at the hot corner as well. That made him stand out among a crop of mostly older corner infielders. But there was another who could have potentially made the national team, a young, positionally flexible man named Jonah Quinlan. Wilson took the fast track to the bigs, drafted at 21, then into the NABL at 23, while Quinlan was selected as a burly, late-round catcher at age 18. Quinlan came from an impoverished area in central New Brunswick, and he took his relatively small bonus rather than attend university, which his family didn't have a tradition of completing. The knock on Quinlan was that his beef behind the plate made him relatively less mobile, despite contributing to his power bat and strong arm.

As a rookie in the A-ball Labrador League, he hit just .204, but slugged over .400, mashing 19 homers, a 30-homer pace at the NABL level. A late-rounder who hits .200 in A-ball doesn't often get brought back, but a roving instructor from the big club, Everett Youngblood, saw something special in the kid and convinced them to give him another shot. Youngblood personally went to Quinlan's parents and told them he'd train Quinlan at his own expense, even pay him a small stipend, if they would just let him come to Durovernum Cantiacorum and train over the winter and spring instead of working in the sawmill like the rest of his relatives. It took multiple visits, but they relented. Youngblood knew there was something special about Quinlan: "He'd got all this muscle, and at times, you could see him move with grace, like a panther. It was just hiding under kind of a bad body. We had to let the panther out."

Quinlan and Youngblood did intensive strength and conditioning training, worked on Quinlan's nutrition, and not only did catcher drills over and over again, but trained both at third and at first. By spring training, Quinlan had shed quite a bit of baby fat, and not only looked lither behind the plate, but could play a passable third and a decent first. A player with big power who can play multiple positions has that many more reasons for a team to keep him than a catcher with power who allows dozens of passed balls. At age 19, his batting average didn't improve much, only up to .226, but he hit 21 homers, cut down on the passed balls, and filled in at third and at first. In the AA Twin Provinces League, he continued to mash homers, but moved more to third to take advantage of his big arm, with a better defender at catcher and the limited use of his arm at first meaning he dropped off to about 15-20 games apiece at those positions. He was going to repeat at age 21, but a rash of injuries in AAA bumped him up and he split time at all three positions while sticking at the level for about 90 games. He'd still never hit above .235, but working out with Youngblood had become an annual tradition, and he'd gotten a lot better at hitting breaking balls, so moving up to AAA didn't faze him.

His fifth season in pro ball again began in AAA, but when he hit 11 homers in his first 19 games and 20 in the first 50 (a 50-homer pace in the NABL!), the big club called him up, first to give guys a blow at the three positions he played, then consistently in the last quarter of the season when it became clear the team wasn't going to make the playoffs. He finished with 33 homers for the season, 13 in the big leagues, not quite the pace he'd been on, but it was obvious that there was a learning curve in the bigs. He'd managed to learn to take a walk along the way, so he contributed decent defense, positional flexibility, patience and power, so he was definitely a valuable player. This last year, he turned 23 and became a full-fledged starter, ensconced at third base, but continuing to fill in at first and at catcher, and not just as an emergency option. His .224/.312/.439 line may not look that impressive, but pitchers were legitimately scared of his power (26 homers), and an OBP 88 points higher than his batting average definitely shows off his ability to take a walk.

So why wasn't this exemplar of growth, a living example of Snyder's philosophy of talent development, picked for the national team? While the positional flexibility was definitely appealing, the team already carries three catchers, so a fourth guy didn't add that much more utility. The other issue is that while Quinlan can play any of the three positions adequately, he isn't exceptional at any of them. Additionally, he has a lot of swing-and-miss, and Snyder and others worried that he might be exposed against world-level pitching. They preferred the strong defense of Wilson, and while he has issues with average as well, he hovers more in the .250 range rather than .220, which can be significant.

With Wilson and Shane Frazier both in or approaching their prime years, it might seem like Quinlan is blocked from the national team. However, David Conner and Vincent Saint-Denis probably will not return for WBC 57, so he has a shot to catch on as a catcher or backup first baseman. Additionally, positional maven Luca Favreau will be coming off the squad, so if Quinlan can learn to play a passable left field, he might have some value as a quasi-super-utility guy. He's still very young, so there's plenty of time to prove himself.

by **Eshialand** » Thu Jan 26, 2023 12:42 pm

Climax
Eshialand 4-3 Covelandia
Eshialand 8-3 Covelandia
Eshialand 4-0 Covelandia

"...well, it sure seems like Ray Frounta got my memo," the king told Jérôme in their next phone call, "that was one hell of a series against Covelandia. It may not have been the blowout we saw in Hapilopper, but things have really turned around, especially considering the two wins we let Covelandia get at home."

"Don't count your chickens, King William. Sure, the team is doing well now--"
"They've won their last six and eleven out of their last twelve, and Paul Haskell threw a no-hitter in the series closer. Those are definite signs that Eshian ball is alive and well."

"Again," Mr. Lafontaine reiterated. "I need more results. I'm loving your enthusiasm, but we're nowhere near out of the woods. After all, our next opponents are Banija, who've won ten in a row."

"Oh, you don't think I know that?" the king hands Lafontaine a promo for the upcoming home series.

"Every year," William told him, "well, almost every year, we don't talk about last year, we face Banija in this group stage. WBC LIII? Right out the gate, we're up against the Pot 1 Banijans. This is a story all-too-familiar to Eshialand's soccer teams. They always face Pot 1 teams early, and always curl up into a ball and cry. The baseball team though? They decidedly did not do that. They took 4 of 6 on the world number 5 team, and that made the difference to allow them to win the group. Then, WBC LIV happens and the Owls drop both games to the Banijans. You know what happens? Second place, by three games. If we had won both instead, we'd have won again. Now, here we are in WBC LVI. The tale told in 2023 and 2024 is back for another re-run. We won one of three in Istria, and here we find ourselves one game behind, both teams having a 12-3 record in games that aren't against each other. Once again, the difference will be made in Eshialand City, in the next BNJ-ESL match."

"Okay, thanks for the history lesson..." Jérôme said, "but... what's the point? I don't need budget Josh Seametzles, what I need is to save the EBA. That's why we've been talking, after all."

"The point is simple. These are the stories that sell tickets, Jérôme. These are the stories that glue viewers at home to their TV screens. No matter what you do to a league to make it more entertaining, if you don't have stories like these, rivalries like these, you can't keep interest high. This is marketable! You can't force stuff like this, but when it falls into the palms of your hands, you have to act!"

"Here I was just going to tell you what I was planning for the regular season schedule, and you go and give me more valuable advice than anything that Board of Directors meeting ever gave me. Thank you, William. That's actually incredibly helpful."

"Oh, you have the regular season schedule planned out? Do tell me what your plans are..."
"It's a bit complicated, but alright. You know how, right now, each team just plays every other team four times?"
"Yeah?"
"Here's the big question: why have divisions if everybody plays everybody else the same number of times? That just kinda defeats the purpose."
"True... what's your idea then?"

"Divide the season into three segments. In each segment, each team plays every other team in their division twice, and the teams in the other division once. Thirteen games per segment, 39 total. That's three more games than there are in the season now, but it makes matchups more impactful, cuts down on travel cost, and critically, plays into your suggestion for playing up rivalries. Regional rivalries will surely flourish with this new system!"

"Absolutely amazing idea Jérôme, I love it. Can't wait to see what happens in the next season!"
"We will see, King William. Until next time."

click!

Another productive phone call. Is it possible that the king was starting to enjoy working with Lafontaine?

by **Drawkland** » Thu Jan 26, 2023 1:58 pm

You like to think that you live an active lifestyle. For instance, instead of keeping a waterbottle plastered in stickers at your desk, you decide to get up about once an hour and walk to the water cooler to get the blood pumping. You don't just go to the water cooler in the nearby lounge either, you hike it out to the little hole-in-the-wall break room in the big hallway between cube farms. Surely that will make up for the 9 hours per day you spend nearly motionless on an office chair!

You stand by the cooler, enjoying the serene moment, and decide to refill your cup one more time before heading back to complete the report you have waiting on deck. Heh, on deck. That just reminds you of baseball. Wait, isn't the WBC still going on? You still haven't watched so much as an inning so far. Hopefully you don't run into that Weird Guy again- oh for fuck's sake. Here he comes now.

Weird Dude at Work WBC Recap, Series 6

"Hey buddy! Haven't seen you in a minute! What have you been up to?"

You had just started refilling your cup, too. Not enough time to chug the thing and go, you are already trapped by the societal convention of office water cooler talk. Dammit! Time to roll with the punches here. Things have been fine. It's work, man.

"True that! Hey ... have you managed to catch any more baseball action the last couple weeks?"

Of course it was going that way. Dude cut STRAIGHT to the chase. To be fair though, he works in engineering or something. He's probably the only nerd there that watches real sports and has nobody to talk to about it. Well, "real" being a manner of speaking, we are talking about baseball after all. You then notice that Weird Guy seems a little less than his normally chipper self. Is he doing alright?

"Well, mostly. I tell ya, this group stage has been alright so far, but this StrayaRoos series that finished yesterday? Woof. Definitely impacting the morale in Me-ville."

Wonder what the rent's like in WeirdDude-ville. Anyway, didn't this guy say that the Corps swept StrayaRoos? What happened this time?

"Oh boy, where do I even begin?"

Hopefully not at all, but at this point all you can do is take larger sips than usual from your paper cup.

"Let me just say this. The Base Corps pitching has totally fallen apart. In the first series against StrayaRoos, this was on the road mind you, we only gave up 6 runs all series. StrayaRoos scored that many runs in just eight innings of game one! And unfortunately this was no aberration my friend, no no. This was merely a hint of what was to come all series. At least in game one the offense showed up in a big way. We tied the game at 1 in the first inning thanks to a Taylor Smart RBI double, and then we EXPLODED for 7 runs in the second inning! Lane Kavana hit this awesome grand slam to punctuate the inning, it was a whole thing. Of course, Leo Roy pitched really well, but he threw a lot of pitches earlier in the game and had to come out in the seventh. Thankfully we had such a large lead by then, but that meant that Casey Redondo came in and promptly gave up three runs in the 8th inning, and StrayaRoos scored again in the ninth. We won 7-10, but it was way closer than it should've been."

Hmm, seems like the pitching wasn't that bad though. Surely a few runs given up in mop-up relief isn't that big of a deal when you're already in the double digits? Still, clearly Weird Dude wouldn't be visibly depressed at something like that. Was game two worse or what?

"We gave up 15 runs in game two."

Good Lord. That makes a little more sense.

"Bruce Moore was on the bump for game two, and he just blew up. 5 runs in the 2nd inning, and it was really too early to pull him. With our lead in the group, Sutton thought it would be unwise to tear up the bullpen by making them pitch over seven innings, so he just let poor Brucie get rocked. Then he let the bases get loaded in the fifth inning, so he got chased off the mound. Elly Jacobs comes on in relief, and the StrayaRoos hitter hits a grand slam on the first pitch. The first damn pitch! She held it down for the sixth, but allowed some runs in the 7th where she was chased off. Then Ralph Harris came in and gave up some more runs. Meanwhile, the Kavana bros are the only ones getting anything done at the plate. Sure, we scored 10 runs, including this awesome moonshot by Mark Fields- oh hey there!"

During this recap you were staring blankly at the water cooler tank, wishing there was some way to escape. Weird Dude's greeting woke you up, you whip your head around, and your heart drops from your chest to somewhere around your ankles. Now standing at the cooler is your boss's boss. No wait, your boss's boss's boss. Hello sir, what the hell are you doing here at this moment in time?

"Hello there. You're actually exactly who I was looking for. I need someone from engineering for this project I'm putting together. Are you very busy the next couple weeks?"

"There's nothing I can't handle, sir. I'd be glad to help you out!"

"And you, I've seen you around before. You work in ... ah ... you're in Todd's department, right?"

Um, yes. Todd is your boss, so you work in his department. Of course. There's also no way this man knows you name.

"Perfect. I needed someone from your area for this project, too. I was gonna call Todd and have him recommend somebody. This is better though, looks like you two are friends, eh?"

Oh God. Under no circumstances would you consider Weird Guy a friend. You're about to say something to the contrary, but Weird Guy beats you to the punch.

"Definitely! A little familiarity would help the cooperation between departments, I think."

"Excellent thinking. Let's say you both come to the conference room in 7A right after 5? Unless you're busy, of course."

Right as you're about to protest, your brain stops you. This is a huge opportunity. This manager is like 3 tiers up, if he's heading an interdepartmental project, it's gotta be something big. That can mean recommendations, something for the resume, a chance to get a bonus or promotion ... and all you have to do is put up with Weird Guy and probably some other nerds for a temporary amount of time .... surely that's worth it? You were planning to go to the bar after work with some friends, but this may be better. You'll be there for sure.

"Very good, very good. You'll get all the information there. Must be off now, lots of business to attend to as I'm sure you can expect."

You shoot out an awkward thank you to the big man, and make an audible breath of relief once he's out of earshot. Let's hope this isn't a massive mistake.

"Wow, how cool! We'll get to work on a project together. Oh, I gotta head back to my office now, but I can tell you about the StrayaRoos game three after whatever this meeting is later today!"

This guy has his own fucking office? Oh to hell with it, you're already going to be seeing this guy on a more regular basis. Might as well try to squeeze some level of enjoyment out of this. Say, what time are these WBC games happening anyway?

"Oh, I've got the whole schedule printed out, got it pinned to my wall. I'll make you a copy!"

Could just look it up on your phone, but thanks. Suppose you deserve that for asking a dumb question. At least he seems to be leaving now.

"See you later!"

Time to finish that report. And maybe watch some WBC coverage on a talking head show so you can have some level of preparedness for what's coming next.

World Baseball Classic 56 Everything Thread

Batter Up!: Huh. Right Then.

Base Corps Bullpen

WD@W 2

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