World Baseball Classic 59 (IC thread)

by **Zwangzug** » Wed Jul 24, 2024 5:11 pm

Welcome to Zwangzug! We hosted WBC3, and fifty-one editions later, WBC54. Now we are happy to bring you WBC59. If trends continue, the space-time continuum is probably in more danger than usual.

Format:

With fifty-four teams, there will be nine groups of six. The best three teams from each group, and the five next-best teams overall, will advance to the knockout stages, which are seeded by group finish followed by overall record. Ties for advancement are broken by overall record, head-to-head record, head-to-head margin of victory (within groups), run differential per nine innings, scorinated playoff. Should there be a multi-way tie (usually within a group), it will be sorted from the top down: one team clearing the tiebreaker will reset other teams.

All knockout rounds prior to the final will consist of five-game series, scorinated two games at once; the final and third place playoff will be scorinated one game at a time, and are a best-of-seven and best-of five respectively.

Pots: By the grace of the random number deities, we had exactly twenty-seven ranked teams and twenty-seven unranked teams, so three unranked teams will be drawn into each group. Nevertheless, you are encouraged to double-check these for errata. Current WBC ranks

After groups were drawn with one team from each pot in each group, the order was randomized. On Matchday One in group 1, Crpostran will visit Yakk, Avisora will visit Eshialand, and Srednjaci will visit Quebec and Shingoryeo, and so on.

Group 1
Crpostran
Avisora
Srednjaci
Quebec and Shingoryeo
Eshialand
Yakk

Group 2
Tikariot
StrayaRoos
New Jarwel
Drawkland
So uh lab here
North and South Slavo-Baltia

Group 3
Juldonia
Dhemixia
TJUN-ia
Hapilopper
HaIvrim
Super-Llamaland

Group 4
Milchama
Valanora
Holy Marsh
Ardsk
Fezziktopia
Liventia

Group 5
Zwangzug
Sarzonia
Vaishnavaria
Oclea
Caribbia
United States of Nova Calania

Group 6
Abanhfleft
The Fortem
Ochre Islands
Kamijiro
Libonesia
South Americanastan

Group 7
The 189
Ko-oren
Kronbia
Mercatoren
Dod Rava
Farfadillis

Group 8
Equestria
The Kytler Peninsulae
South Newlandia
Dotivija
Taxonomic Kingdoms
Panay Islands and Guimaras

Group 9
Banija
Diarcesia
Kanmer
Nationy Mcstateface
Zug um Zug
Oscioru

Schedule:
July 24: group draw
July 30: MD1: 1@6, 2@5, 3@4
July 31: MD2: 6@4, 5@3, 1@2
August 1: MD3: 2@6, 3@1, 4@5
August 2: MD4: 6@5, 1@4, 2@3
August 3: MD5: 3@6, 4@2, 5@1
August 4: rest day
August 5: MD6: 6@1, 5@2, 4@3
August 6: MD7: 4@6, 3@5, 2@1
August 7: MD8: 6@2, 1@3, 5@4
August 8: MD9: 5@6, 4@1, 3@2
August 9: MD10: 6@3, 2@4, 1@5

August 12: Round of 32, games 1 and 2
August 13: Round of 32, games 3 and 4
August 14: Round of 32, game 5 (if necessary)
August 15: Round of 16, games 1 and 2
August 16: Round of 16, games 3 and 4
August 17: Round of 16, game 5 (if necessary)
August 18: Quarterfinals, games 1 and 2
August 19: Quarterfinals, games 3 and 4
August 20: Quarterfinals, game 5 (if necessary)
August 21: Semifinals, games 1 and 2

**Games beyond this point are subject to change; there may be delays/off days. Since there will only be a few teams left I'm guessing it'll be okay for me to confirm times with participating teams and reschedule accordingly, but this won't be finalized until the event.**
August 22: Semifinals, games 3 and 4
August 23: Semifinals, game 5 (if necessary)
August 24: Final/third-place playoff game 1
August 25: Final/third-place playoff game 2
August 26: Final/third-place playoff game 3
August 27: Final/third-place playoff game 4*
August 28: Final/third-place playoff game 5*
August 29: Final game 6*
August 30: Final game 7*

(third-place playoff is best of 5, final is best of 7)

*In baseball, unlike many sports on NS, the home team is always listed second. So on matchday one, the teams listed in positions 6, 5, and 4 in the randomized group draw will play at home.

Playoff schedule to be confirmed after the group stage.

Scorination will be around 9 PM Eastern Daylight Time (US) on the given days; this may be early the next morning in your timezone.

At this time, you may begin posting rosters and roleplays. A roster is a list of players on your team, along with any information you want your opponents to know about your team. Some good information to include might be your players' defensive positions and handedness, your starting lineup against left-handed or right-handed starting pitchers, which pitchers will start which games, or the name of your home stadium.

Along with your roster, please include some type of RP permissions box or statement to give opponents information about what they can RP against your team. An example box would consist of yes/no answers (possibly with elaborations) to each of these.

Choose my starting lineup: If you have a "default" starting lineup in your roster, can your opponent vary from this? (Injuries, platooning, whatever.)
Choose my starting pitcher: If you have a "default" rotation given, can your opponent vary from this?
Choose how I scored: Can your opponent describe the on-field sequence of events leading to outs and runs?
Godmod baseball events: "Godmod" refers to anything that is highly unlikely or impossible during a standard baseball game. Can your opponent assume freak statistical events?
RP injuries to my players: Can your opponent injure your players? Feel free to give restrictions like "no more than two players" or "hurt no longer than one game."
Godmod injuries to my players: Can your opponent RP godmod injuries?
Eject my players: Can your opponent RP about your characters getting kicked out of the game? Under what circumstances?
Godmod other events: Can your opponent RP events not related to sports? (Flash flood, mascot brawl, hot dog vendor ejected...)
Use DH at home: The designated hitter is a baseball position that bats in place of the pitcher. For the WBC, the home team chooses whether both teams will have access to a DH. This does not affect scorination, though ICly, games with a DH would feature slightly higher scoring rates.

(Despite pushback from the purists' union, Zwangzug baseball authorities have acceded to changes in the modern game. For games where neither team has expressed a preference, ICly the DH will be in play, along with the Ohtani rule.)

Please do not "reserve" posts. If you post a partial roster or RP and then edit it, there is no guarantee that the entire post will be awarded bonus. If you do this anyway, please TG me to inform me of the update, but also, please don't do it.

Some links:

WBC 59 Signup/OOC thread (you can post questions here)
WBC Discussion thread (another good place to ask questions)
WBC 58 (previous edition)
WBC ranks
WBC on NS Sports Wiki
Baseball on Wikipedia

If you have questions, feel free to post in the above OOC threads, or contact me by telegram. Thank you, and we look forward to welcoming the world!

by **Zwangzug** » Wed Jul 24, 2024 5:12 pm

Welcome to Zwangzug! We look forward to welcoming your teams and fans. Click for giant map!

Please do not cause permanent harm to my characters or in my country without asking me first.

-Things to know: Zwangzug is a large and diverse nation with lots of silly chess allusions. (In more recent times we have branched out and now feature allusions to other board games.) Currently, our economy is under the control of well-intentioned but questionably-competent robots. Probably the easiest thing for foreigners is to get a temporary "ID card" and link that to a debit account; this will help you pay for groceries, restaurants, etc.

There are no automobiles allowed in the country, but a very extensive network of inter- and intra-city train transit will be able to get you to the stadium on time (hopefully). Many drugs popular in other countries are prohibited also, however, if you claim a religious exemption for their use, you can probably get away with a lot!

All of these stadiums are older than dirt (credit to 2007- and 2012-era Zwang for writing these names up, and saving them in places where they'd be just feasible enough to track down). However, we believe in the "Ship of Theseus" model, and most of them will have undergone many reconstructions/modernizations so that they are roughly up to international standards, while theoretically preserving the original location/identity.

102d: X Park is in a city known for being on the cutting edge of trendy innovations. They are archrivals of Bassabook in baseball as well as football and life in general. Their favorite board game is Scrabble, which isn't very trendy, except when literal zebras are involved.

Arlington: Paddock Park is found in the northeast, in a city that's said to be a good encapsulation of Zwangzug on a smaller scale. Fans avoid the wind and cold by travelling via skyways, and their accent often drops the letter "R" at the ends of words. Their favorite board game is Pandemic, although they'd like you to know they were into cooperative games before pandemics were cool.

Bassabook: Delacruz Field is found in the southeast, which is somewhat of a more socially- and religiously-conservative area than the country as a whole. There's a famous fountain in a downtown plaza that's a fun tourist site. Their favorite board game is Bananagrams.

Belpub: Fans are proud of Aganath Stadium, whose elaborate multi-deck tiering allows large capacities to take in the game, and has a luxurious press box for visiting scribes. Their favorite board game is Splendor.

Frischberg: Rise Stadium has elaborate floral decorations outside. Its deep fences favor pitchers, but the left-center wall has some weird caroms that allow for triples and the occasional inside-the-park homer. The city itself was once a religious haven and is now known as a large college town. Their favorite board game is Patchwork.

FTC: Zwangzug's two largest cities grew next to each other. The west side is traditionally known as "Merano"; fans are snooty and consider themselves cultured. The east side is traditionally known as "Bangkok"; fans are prone to rioting and making incomprehensible math puns. However, it's more common these days to just refer to the entire area as "the FTC" ("fraternal twin cities"). Their favorite board game is Mafia/Werewolf.

Chet Barzun Stadium, located on the west side, is named after the first commissioner of the Batter Up! Baseball League in Zwangzug, many aeons ago. East Side Park, located on the east side (fortunately), is home to a franchise that is historically unable to hold down a consistent nickname. ~~They are currently known as the "Secret Squirrels," and thanks in part to Wenjie Liu's leadership of the national team, that name has stuck around for a while. But don't count on it lasting.~~ This was true during WBC54, but the nickname was cancelled for being appropriative of Hazelnut culture. They are now the FTC Unicorns.

Hadiln: located near Spenson, eventually overshadowed by their upstart neighbors, and slightly resentful about it. Mepo Stadium has a lot of open space outside the park, perhaps an attempt at leaving space for further construction/stores, which given our economy didn't exactly materialize. Their favorite board game is Spades.

Inver: Historically influenced by the culture of Ferahgotopia, though not much of a presence these days. Salick Stadium has excellent groundskeeping and a lovely playing surface, but the internal structure can be a bit of a maze. (This has been slightly alleviated in more recent years by bright paint colors and photos of bygone seasons, but it's still worth leaving extra time to find your seat.) Their favorite board game is Great Western Trail.

Kerlagrad: Moore Field is found in the south, a region historically influenced by the former nation of Unkerlantum, and known for its Russian-language names. It is now more commonly known as being the home of a rather satiric newspaper. Their favorite board game is Codenames.

Logrove: Cormau Park, home of the Dolphins, has seats painted in bright blue and silver, with a few rows of violet just for the Violetists out there. Their favorite board game is Manila.

Noh Weir: a consistently small town that has been settled, then abandoned, by many generations of utopians. Some claim that Wee Field is naemd for a distinguished academic who hailed from the city, but it certainly applies to the capacity, which doesn't need to be very large for professional league games. International fans will have to deal with a lottery for tickets. Fans' favorite board game is Taboo.

Nuel: Eastridge Park is a bandbox, built to fit amid the fancy architecture of the puritanical "city in the valley." Their favorite board game is Citadels.

Spenson: the Worm Hole is the Zebras' traditional home, an incongruous mix of high-tech dome technology and a throwback manual scoreboard. Spenson's vast suburbs were the home of the space program after the modern country was created. Their favorite board game is Hearts.

Weegham: known for its terrible weather, the northern city resents nearby Arlington for similar reasons to the Hadiln-Spenson rivalry. Glieb Park is domed to minimize rainout/snowout risk, and has large outfield dimensions. Their favorite board game is Pandemic Legacy, although again, they're into it for the narrative and emergent gameplay and not because they actually enjoy global outbreaks.

Zwischen: Swainyo Stadium is located in the nation's capital. Visitor attractions include the "Ziggurat," the former government headquarters and occasional scene of inter-parliament strife. Their favorite board game is The Resistance.

by **HaIvrim** » Wed Jul 24, 2024 7:13 pm

Tikvah Tribune

Controversial Selection Policy Gives HaIvrim Roster

HaIvrim Hammers are using Milchamian castoffs to complete their roster for the 59th World Baseball Classic. Generally, using dual citizens is acceptable in international play but the Hammers are going one better and using players who would theoretically be able to gain citizenship even if they are not citizens. Since HaIvrim's citizenship laws say that every Hebrew, aka Jew, are potentially eligible citizens that means most Milchamians fit the bill. Therefore, instead of having players from the actual nation of HaIvrim where baseball is at best a marginal sport with few players, HaIvrim instead just borrowed players from Milchama where it the most popular sport and is generally considered one of the best national teams in the multiverse. The MBA, to tamp down on, well, tampering, has said that any players who play for HaIvrim will not be eligible for Milchama for the next 3 WBCs at minimum. That did stop some players but many took the leap saying, "well the MBA is lazy and doesn't really scorinate the league, doesn't really update the rosters that much, so we're not going to lose much really"

So, without further ado, here is the HaIvrim roster aka the pseudo-Milchama B team:

Manager: Billy Lyon - Grew up in Milchama but moved to HaIvrim when he was 18 for college and has lived here ever since. Billy was a big baseball fan in Milchama and has used his extensive connections with Milchamian baseball to try and build the team. That means he was allowed to be the manager, despite not really managing at high levels in Milchama. Despite that, Billy has plenty of experience as a manager in HaIvrim and in the lower levels of the Milchama baseball pyramid.

Assistant Manager: Gal Tal - The Milchamian who has been tasked with keeping a leash on Billy.

Starting Lineup:

1. Emmet Trustman - CF Tel Morlin Wizards
2. Miller Changenon - 2B Karakorum Mongols
3. Dillon Marks - 1B Alexandria Ships
4. Dalen Daniels - SS New Vargas Lions (SLL) - former second baseman for the Milchama Warriors in 2 or 3 WBCs.
5. Olivia Maia - 3B Alexandria Commies
6. Leah Rayson - RF Akkad Libraries
7. Hank Dearish - C Tel Chittor Forts
8. Loren Jones - LF New Sparta Phalanx
9. Pitcher

Starting Pitchers
SP 1: Neta Rothsenns - Tel Chittor Forts, formerly of the LPB and Milchama for some number of WBCs
SP 2: Bella Thoron- New Babylon Pirates
SP 3: Milo Vashington - Alexandria Ships
SP 4: Adam Green - Tzor Islanders

Relievers:
RP 1: Itamar Wasani - Punjab Titans
RP 2: Gal Tal - Tel Morling Wizards
RP 3: Ben Lindon - Karakorum Horses
RP 4: Bev Rabbiman - Karakorum Mongols
RP 5: Eyal Ben Levi - New Sparta Phalanx
RP 6: George Heastmit - New Sparta Phalanx
Swing: Misgav Pardes - Alexandria Commies

Bench:
Morton Grubner - C Roma Hadash Yellow Sox
Ehud Vernon - IF Tel Morlin Wizards
Finnan O'Ben Johnson - IF Akkad Libraries
Asa Shirley - IF Alexandria Commies
Jackie Ben Robin OF - Milchama City Avenues
Harry Rosen OF - Cleveland Guardians
Ma'ayan Wells OF - New Babylon Pirates

General playing note:
This is a team basically managed by a Milchamian that is entirely Milchamian. This means they play like Milchama. What does Milchama play like? Imagine a more powerful version of somewhere between 1960s and 1980s baseball, lots of stolen bases, hustle, taking the extra base etc. Starters attempt to go 9 and rarely go less than 7. That said, sabermetrics are a thing and walks and launch angle are both known concepts.

RP Permissions:
Do whatever. It's fine
No DH at home, will use the DH on the road if the other team has the DH.

Relievers note:
Relievers are listed in order of leverage situation. RP 1 = reliever likely to come on during the highest leverage situation, RP 2 in the second most important etc. No traditional closer but you get the idea.

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Jul 24, 2024 7:30 pm

Sarzonia Stars

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my run scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes. If there are any changes I make, follow those.
Godmod scoring events: Yes, as long as they're realistic
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: No
Godmod other events: No
Use DH at home: Yes
Style Modifier: 0
Do not use RL baseball images and say they are my players.

Home field: Fleetwood Park, Woodstock (capacity 57,600), part of the Dave Wilson Athletic Complex. Park factor: 97

[OOC: Image created using Nightcafe AI]
Dimensions:
Left: 335 feet
Left Centre power alley: 375 feet
Centre: 415 feet
Right Centre power alley: 358 feet
Right: 325 feet. A 23-foot high wall containing a hand-operated scoreboard sits out in right field, called McVie Mountain

Note: Kate Schmidt's No. 9 is retired and will not be issued to any other Stars player.

Manager: 6 Desmond St. John
Bench Coach: 23 Brad Jackson
First Base/outfield: 28 Akil Rogers
Third Base/Infield: 13 Austin Quimby
Hitting Coach: 49 Hank Everly
Pitching Coach: 36 Calen George
Bullpen Coach: 58 Kyle Lund

STARTING PLAYERS
C: 3 Harry Mills (calls a great game, not a great arm)
1B: 23 Wade Emerson (Average defensively, hits for power, but strikes out a lot)
2B: 12 Lysa Beaupre (Not a great throwing arm. There for speed with 38 steals in 96 games and average, hitting. 338 with five homers and 48 RBI)
SS: 18 Jaia Thornton (.295 average, 16 homers, 79 RBI), good defensive shortstop
3B: 32 Lee Worthy (.318 average, 21 homers, 90 RBI), best all-around player besides Brady.
LF: 19 Tyler Stewart (.258 average, 10 homers, better as a speed guy)
CF: 62 Elijah Hoskins (.299, 16 homers, 66 RBI)
RF: 2 Kendall Young (VERY strong arm in right. Above average offensively and sneaky fast on the basepaths)
DH: (also a pinch hitter/backup first baseman) 44 Yasi Gonzalez (Hit 30 home runs in 97 games, driving in 100 runs)

BENCH
C: 8 Scott Ranford
SS/3B: 13 Quinn Andrews
UT: 76 Vince Pastrano
OF: 59 Kenny Dillon
OF: 89 Pete Breech

STARTING ROTATION:
30 Mike Howe (RHP; Hard throwing, devastating curve, killer slider. Not great at changing speeds)
43 Marcus Greenberg (LHP, has to keep the ball down to be effective. Sinker-slider pitcher with a good change)
29 Casey Flanagan (RHP, deceptive with the ball. Typically throws off-speed and relies on control. He can occasionally throw it in the mid-90s when he has to.)
38 Russ Gerhart (LHP; high-90s fastball, great breaking stuff, but has control issues sometimes.)
53 Alton Long (LHP; Relies on keeping the ball down and having impeccable control. Like Greg Maddux in his prime, but as a lefty. Now the elder statesman in the rotation. )

BULLPEN
30 Matis Deutsch (RHP; long reliever, could be a "sixth starter" if that were needed. Can go three or four innings.)
43 Cal Yelchin (LHP; Extremely hard throwing, didn't work out as a starting pitcher, so hes in the bullpen now.)
47 Teryn Russell (RHP; he relies on control and keeping the ball down. Typically pitches in a middle relief role)
50 Eddie May (LHP; Fastball/slider/curve, often used to get one lefty hitter out)
15 Paul Long (LHP; fastball, curve, slider pitcher, often used as a setup pitcher. Can close if needed)
49 Dan King (RHP; fastball typically in the high 90s to low 100s; also throws a change up. He typically closes)

Starting lineup w/o the DH:
Stewart
Beaupre
Worthy
Thornton
Emerson
Hoskins
Young
Mills
Pitcher's spot

Lineup w/DH
Gonzalez hits cleanup. Everyone else moves down one.

by **Milchama** » Wed Jul 24, 2024 8:29 pm

Karakorum Forum-Democracy-Times-Tribune-Sun-Stars-Gods-Men-Tribute-Fightin'-Picayune-Post-Gazette-Chronicle-Eclipsor-Ellipsor-Report-Spin-Connector-Deflector-News-Today-Yesterday-And-Tomorrow

Sports Section

Controversy as HaIvrim Uses Milchamian Players!

Our Roster is also in here

Horror! Pain! Controversy! All of these things describe the unveiling of the HaIvrim roster across Milchama. The new nation, new to international sport, and possibly brand new to the world, has a citizenship policy that allows any Hebrew (which basically means Jew but may be larger) and since their new citizenship policy says that any Jew could become a citizen that means that non-citizens can play baseball. So, they basically raided a bunch of Milchamian players to build their name. This could be a problem for Milchama down the road but not now because HaIvrim raided the nation after, Milchama decided what players they wanted for the squad. So the Milchama Warriors are still the A team from Milchama.

Of course, there is one problem, Milchama has become not that good at baseball. The Warriors have been the 8th or 9th seed the last 3 World Baseball Classics, making the quarterfinals twice and somehow losing to Drawkland, of all teams, once. Also, for some reason, every single in the 8-9 series the Warriors play team starting with a D whether it's Drawkland or Delaclava so expect that again for some reason. Dod Rava, we see you! Basically, that means that Milchama is probably the 8th best team in the world right now. That's not a great place to be and we would very much not like to be like Drawkland in baseball or always losing in a particular round like Farfadillis in soccer. That means the slogan this cycle is: Semis or bust!

So now the question becomes: what do you do with the team as constructed? The core of this team is basically the same one from WBC 55, a long time ago and while Marius McNeesh and Maia Tennons can still mash, having some more help around the edges or bringing in new blood is probably a good plan. That did start last WBC but with Jones, Tennons, McNeesh, Kerenton, and others still around it just feels like the Warriors are not experienced but just plain old. Now there comes some more changes, a lot of the starting staff has changed over, McNeesh is on the bench (gasp!), and, of course there is the usual newness. Without further ado, here is the roster:

Manager: Gershon Terron - He did not get fired because it's hard to fire a guy after doing not bad for two straight tournaments. So now comes the part where it's put up or shut up. Terron's seat is warm and if the Warriors get off to a poor start he may get fired. Of course, it could be the opposite and if he does well he gets an extension.

Startling Lineup:
1. Batya Jones CF LHB - Newport Dolphins (SNL) - Was moved to leadoff after hitting very well and being a key piece for her club team.
2. Tali Mironer 2B RHB - Newport Dolphins (SNL) - Has become a great contact hitter while in South Newlandia, seemingly always on base.
3. Erez Goldman 1B LHB - Tel Morlin Wizards - New preeminent hitter in the MBL. Won the Milchamian side of the 3 slash triple crown with a .354/.461/.723 line last year. He's damn good and great replacement for McNeesh in the lineup.
4. Maia Tennons LF RHB - New Llama Cyclones (SLL) - One of the all time greats in Milchamian history. Her exploits are legendary across tournaments and she's looking to continue her HOF baseball career. Many are whispering this might be her last WBC.
5. Elise Heffard SS Switch - New Babylon Pirates - Leading base stealer in the MBL last year, she also won a gold glove for the Milchamian side of the league. Not the traditional power from the 5th spot but someone who almost always gets bat on ball and can usually get on base.
6. Gilli Goldberg RF LHB - Karakorum Mongols - Was brought into the team last time as new blood. He did alright and keeps his job for at least a little bit but many think he should be demoted.
7. Kenny Kefauver 3B RHB - New Sparta Phalanx - Good player, solid third baseman who can bat a bit. Will stop 56 game hit streaks.
8. Max Krennick C Switch - Alexandria Commies - Took over from the legendary Shosh Hamat and definitely justifies his place here. He hits better than her but he's still a catcher. 93% caught stealing percentage. Run on him at your own risk.
9. [Pitcher]

Starting Rotation:
SP 1: Diego Numarkez RH - Alexandria Ships - Up and coming Mizrahi prospect. Was aggressively promoted to the ace of the staff but many are excited for him.
SP 2: Benjamin Miller LH - New Babylon Pirates - Known for his curve and screwball but his fastball might just be his best pitch. It's certainly underrated.
SP 3: Erin Aarons RH - Alexandria Commies - Throws 3 different variations of fastball (4 seam, 2 seam, cutter) and a changeup, a unique pitch mix that keeps batters guessing. Finally gets to make her debut!
SP 4: Lev Garrick LH - Tel Chittor Forts - Curveball specialist and known for his off speed stuff. Has the most endurance of anybody on the staff.

Relievers:
RP 1: Norry Tookan LH - Alexandria Ships - He's not a bird, he's just a man with 102 mph fastball.
RP 2: Taylor Tailor RH - Akkad Libraries - Their father was a taylor. So was their grandfather. Sorry that there is nothing notable about them baseball wise.
RP 3: Eric Ha'Adomim RH - New Vargas Lions (SLL) Former starter for Milchama. One of the best Milchamian players of all time but now he's old and in the bullpen. May be used as an insurance starter.
RP 4: Barry Bruck LH - Alexandria Ships - In the olden days would have been a loogy but because that's now illegal he learned how to get righties out, had his best season ever last year.
RP 5: Daren Belshblatt LH - Tel Chittor Forts - Starter in her day job but not for the national team. Has a great 4 pitch mix.
RP 6: Tenli Food RH - Newport Dolphins (SNL) - He wants food. He also wants to strike you out.
RP 7: Jonas Hemekt RH - New Babylon Pirates - Former closer was demoted because of how the Drawkland series ended. However, he should really rank higher after his 1.04 ERA last season.

Bench:
David Gavry C RHB - New Babylon Pirates - He's the backup catcher!
Khojin Mikanikei OF Switch - Karakorum Mongols - Great player but still young, one day they will start. Looks likely to be the replacement for Jones in the next World Cup.
Marius McNeesh 1B LHB - Alexandria Commies - The greatest Milchamian player since the end of the Isolation. McNeesh is a little too old to start, especially with the emergence of Goldman, but is still a legend. First man off the bench in basically any hitting situation.
Sydney Meyer IF RHB - Akkad Libraries - Great defender, can somewhat contribute on offense.
Sally Tannenbaum IF RHB - Tel Chittor Forts - Generally plays on the left side of the infield, many think she may start for the Warriors at some point.
Eden Hazadly OF LHB - Alexandria Commies - The defensive outfield sub if necessary. Hazardly can hit but doesn't hit well enough to play on the national team.
Ro'ee Marquez OF RHB - New Sparta Phalanx - Good player, good guy. Will probably start one day but is on the team as a slightly longer term prospect.

RP Permissions:
Do whatever except obviously I do not use the DH at home (or on the road).

Milchamian Playing Style:
Imagine a more powerful and sabermetric friendly version of somewhere between 1960s and 1980s baseball, lots of stolen bases, hustle, taking the extra base etc. Starters attempt to go 9 and rarely go less than 7. That said, sabermetrics are a thing and on base percentage is the most important hitting stat, launch angle is a known concept, and generally statistical analysis is very similar to modern MLB.

A note on Milchamian pitchers:
Since cricket got increasingly popular in Milchama over the Isolation there has been a concurrent belief in increasing the ability of pitchers to hit. Therefore, Milchamian pitchers tend to hit like Greg Maddux or like pitchers in the 1920s. Not actually good hitters but will be able to get on base if you give them an easy pitch.

Relievers note:
Relievers are listed in order of leverage situation. RP 1 = reliever likely to come on during the highest leverage situation, RP 2 in the second most important etc. No traditional closer but you get the idea.

by **Avisora** » Wed Jul 24, 2024 9:07 pm

After a great performance which saw the Avisoran Penguins into the quarterfinals of the 84th Baptism of Fire, the nation is once again ready and hopeful for a great sporting performance at the 59th World Baseball Classic. As with the aforementioned tournament, the baseball team which will represent the Community in the Baseball Classic is a selection of players from the 4 best amateur teams that make up the Avisoran Amateur Baseball League.

Avisoran baseball is based on the latin game, with players showing a lot of flair, we bunt, hit and run, tag up and try to stretch hits into doubles. Basic stats are used to judge players, but sometimes decisions are made with the heart. Hitters are not focused on hitting homers and pitchers are not focused on striking everyone out. The atmosphere is almost like a football game, with chants, drums and trumpets common in the stands, some pundits even say Avisorans are more passionate about baseball than football.

Home Stadium: Parque Central, 800 capacity. A small stadium in the nation's capital that fits enough people for a small nation with an amateur league.
The wall is 12ft tall all around.
LF: 346, CF: 408, RF: 342

Here's the full roster:

Rotation
1. RHP Leocadio Montalvo - 24 - Costa - Great control and pitch movement, though his pitches are a selection of fastballs, sinkers and cutters that won't induce many swings and misses. He touches 96 mph and he has the stamina to go maybe 6 or 7 innings.
2. RHP Aniceto Valdivia - 23 - Pikwee - Contrary to Leo, his stuff is great, with a nasty changeup being his best pitch. Ani will also throw fastballs, sinkers and cutters that reach 94 mph. His control and pitch movement are just above average, and he has the stamina to go a full game and then some.
3. RHP Baltasar Zaldivar - 33 - Juventud - Similar to Montalvo but with slightly worst control, he throws a fastball-sinker combo that reaches 94 mph with his third pitch being a weak knuckle curve. Zaldivar might eat 7 innings or more if the defense is also being effective behind his pitch to contact style.
4. Tony Almaraz - 24 - Central - His 97 mph fastball is the best in the new Avisoran league, with his cutter and sinker also having plenty of movement. He has great control, but is prone to making mistakes and giving up the long ball.
5. LHP José Vega - 25 - Costa - Another pitcher with great stuff, this time it's a fantastic curveball that gets Vega swings and misses. It complements a nice repertoire that includes a fastball and sinker that reaches 95 and an 85 mph changeup. Vega is great at picking off runners, but his control of the strike zone leaves room to grow.

Bullpen
Pitchers usually go all the way, with relievers being rarely used in the AABL. For this reason, only 4 relievers were selected to the 25 man roster.
RHP Miguel Gomez - 32 - Pikwee - 98 mph FB, SN, CT combo with plus-plus movement and control.
RHP Israel Castañeda - 25 - Pikwee - 99 mph FB to go with the best slider in the league, having just average control slightly hinders his game.
LHP Victor Mendoza - 35 - Costa - 93 mph FB, CT and CH combo. Somewhat prone to homers.
RHP Francisco Caseres - 28 - Costa - 99 mph FB, SN, FS, CT. Just average pitch movement and control makes him rely solely on his velocity to get outs.

Hitters (B/T)
C Danny Torres - 26 - Juventud - R/R - An average hitter who's a very reliable catcher, there's no weaknesses to his skill behind the plate.
C David Martinez - 34 - Central - R/R - A plus player all around
1B Faustino Alarcón - 25 - Costa - L/L - Has great pitch recognition, which allows him to hit the ball hard whenever he hits. No speed or defense.
1B Narciso Montemayor - 23 - Central - L/L - Makes consistent contact with nice pop in his bat, rarely strikes out but rarely walks. His defense makes him better suited to the DH role.
2B Ixak Mikila - 31 - Costa - R/R - Hits for good average and power. Despite being slow, he's a great defender and can also play a great shortstop.
2B Guillermo Revilla - 30 - Juventud - R/R - Another player better suited for the DH role, Revilla is great at hitting it into the gaps with a patient approach.
3B Eztli Zishu - 25 - Costa - L/R - Has a great swing with a few holes, manages to hit for distance whenever he pulls the ball. Average 3B defender.
3B Hermógenes Esparza - 27 - Central - L/R - Rarely strikes out, putting the ball in play with average power. Has a cannon for an arm but won't get to the complicated balls.
SS Crispín Barragán - 33 - Costa - R/R - Also puts the ball in play regularly, with good power. His speed hampers him on the bases and with the glove, could probably do a better job if moved to 2B or 3B.
SS Edwin Rodríguez - 29 - Juventud - R/R - The defensive backup. His bat is not good enough to be a regular in the lineup, though he hits for plus-plus power whenever he manages to put his bat to the ball.
LF Triyoli Spiki - 26 - Costa - L/L - He might be the best pure hitter in the league, seeing every pitch means he walks more than he strikeouts but his swing is also perfect. He won't hit any homers, but his blazing speed means he's a terror on the basepaths, stretching hits and stealing bases. His lack of strength means he's a better fit in left rather than center but his speed gives him great range.
LF Aurelio Quiñones - 29 - Central - R/L - He could easily be the starter if Spiki wasn't so good, Quiñones hits .270 for good power. Has above average range with a strong arm.
CF Mimo Kurram - 26 - Costa - R/R - Competes with Spiki as the best player on the team, Kurram is truly a five tool player. His swing and pitch recognition is not as good as Spiki, but is still one of the best in the league, adding fantastic raw power to a nice skillset. His arm is something rarely seen, and only the fastest and smartest of players will run on him.
CF Nakoa Vilaxi - 27 - Juventud - R/R - Kurram redux, he strikes out a bit more, is a bit faster and his defense is the same minus the arm.
RF Yaretz Tukari - 31 - Central - L/R - Rarely swings, prefering to get on base via walks, but his swing is up to par with his teammates. His arm makes up for a lack of range, being able to consistently throw strikes to 3B.
RF Héctor Encalada - 29 - Pikwee - R/R - A serviceable bat and defender who will make pitchers struggle to get him out, might be used as a platoon option with Tukari.

The Avisoran outfield is clearly stacked, with manager Raúl Capuchino putting together a nice roster. The Community is hoping for a nice performance that makes all of them proud.

Lineup w/DH
1. LF Spiki
2. RF Tukari
3. 3B Zishu
4. CF Kurram
5. SS Milika
6. 1B Alarcón
7. DH Montemayor
8. 2B Barragán
9. C Torres

Lineup w/o DH
1. LF Spiki
2. RF Tukari
3. 3B Zishu
4. CF Kurram
5. SS Milika
6. 1B Alarcón
7. 2B Barragán
8. C Torres

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my run scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No
Follow my pitching rotation: Follow the set order.
Godmod baseball events: I'm all for ESPN-stat type things happening.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, maximum one hitter and one pitcher per game, no serious injuries.
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: No
Godmod other events: Fun mascot/fan happenings are alright
Use DH at home: Yes

by **Anonymegg** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 12:35 am

INNING # 1
Left Field: Marko Sharexvili
Center Field: Tomas Mercurius
Right Field: Daniel Merxardimalkorovili
Third Base: Ahmed Mansour
Shortstop: Rowe Bott
Second Base: A sentient cowpat in a human team
First Base:Zomm B. Fyde
Catcher:Meow Cattison
Pitcher:Qwerty Uiop

INNING # 2: Inning 1 in reverse

INNING # 3
Left Field: A sentient cowpat in a human team
Center Field: Rowe Bott
Right Field: Ahmed Mansour
Third Base: Daniel Merxardimalkorovili
Shortstop: Tomas Mercurius
Second Base: Marko Sharexvili
First Base:Qwerty Uiop
Catcher:Zomm B. Fyde
Pitcher:Meow Cattison

INNING # 4
Left Field: Meow Cattison
Center Field: Zomm B. Fyde
Right Field: Qwerty Uiop
Third Base:Rowe Bott
Shortstop:A sentient cowpat in a human team
Second Base:Ahmed Mansour
First Base:Tomas Mercurius
Catcher:Marko Sharexvili
Pitcher:Daniel Merxardimalkorovili

Are there any more innings?

by **Dod Rava** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 2:50 am

Dod Ravian National Baseball Team

Head Coach: Leszek Kois (59) • Trigramme: DOR • Style: +1.5

Assistant Coach: Paula Kozera (40) • Pitching coach: Roch Pajor (45) • Hitting coach: Ivan Ogórczak (38) • Bullpen: Marc Monedero (42)

Home stadium: AGD Baseball Arena Rawa • Capacity: 20,000

WBC 58 was a disappointment to everyone. Dod Rava finished fifth out of six teams and quickly said goodbye to the rest of the tournament. Media and most baseball enthusiasts were sure that after that defeat they would see the national team under major changes coaching wise and play style wise. It came as a surprise that Leszek Kois got offered a new contract, the heads of the federation justified it by the fact that Leszek Kois is experienced and that there was no other suitable candidate to replace him. So you should be expecting that the Dod Ravians will be playing all out, hard and brutal baseball under Kois like they always did.
For this WBC campaign head coach Leszek Kois decided to stick to the same line-up as he did before with only two new call up's that being a young and promising pitcher from Koronki Grzegorz Kabacki and a back-up center fielder Leszek Duda.
This team might be the strongest Dod Ravian team to date, but it also has its struggles mainly it's aging stars, the coaching team and the fans still believe that the veterans like Ernest Gronek, Włodzimierz Biały, Waldemar Styś and Jan Angel Drabik can lead them all the way and because of that they are often favored over young and promising talents and are rarely criticized. It's not like Dod Ravian baseball doesn't have any talents, it does, but they are often overlooked.

Pos. No. Name.                  (Hometown.)      B/T  Age. [Team.]           Additional Info.                             
Starting lineup:
SP: #1  Ernest Gronek           (Rawa)           R/R  34   [Rawa Marineros] - Rubber arm pitcher with great movement - Ace                         
C:  #5  Hugo Szałwia            (Rawa)           R/R  28   [Rawa Marineros]  - Accurate thrower                                
1B: #21 Henryk Hudak            (Szczylek)       R/R  29   [Gorals Szczylek] - Reliable fielder                                
2B: #12 Waldemar Styś           (Rawa)           L/L  35   [Rawa Marineros] - Contact hitter                                   
3B: #8 "Bolo" Angielski         (Belchatow)      L/L  33   [KSSP Belchatow] - Slugger                                          
SS: #13 Feliks Korab            (Rawa)           R/L  23   [Elephant Valley Homers (SNL)]  - Energetic and acrobatic shortstop 
RF: #72 Matias "Maciuś" Martín  (Rawa)           R/R  31   [Rawa Marineros] - Reliable fielder                                 
CF: #99 Jan Angel Drabik        (Szczylek)       R/R  39   [Gorals Szczylek] - Veteran fielder                                 
LF: #31 Filip Więcław           (Rawa)           R/R  25   [Elephant Valley Homers (SNL) ]  - Homerun robber 

Starting pitchers:
SP: #1  Ernest Gronek           (Rawa)           R/R 34 [Rawa Marineros] - Rubber arm pitcher with great movement - Ace                          
SP: #68 Adrian Wnuk             (Rawa)           R/R 30 [Elephant Valley Homers (SNL) ]  - Overhand pitcher 
SP: #70 Alex Saucini            (Ptakograd)      R/R 26 [Amandine Wanderers (KOR) ]  - Submarine pitcher 
SP: #69 Włodzimierz Biały       (Rawa)           R/L 38 [Rawa Marineros] - Sidearm Pitcher - Knuckleballer                  
SP: #51 Broja Díez              (Rawa)           R/R 24 [Amandine Wanderers (KOR) ]  - Short fuse
SP: #18 Abel Valdes             (Rawa)           L/L 20 [Elephant Valley Science Institute (SNL) ] (College)   - Determined 
SP: #94 Grzegorz Kabacki        (Koronki)        R/R 18 [Wrony Koronki] - Overhand pitcher (Debut)

Bullpen:
RP: #19 Rosa Sánchez            (Rawa)           R/R 21 [Elephant Valley Homers (SNL) ]  - Submarine - Rubber arm pitcher 
RP: #71 Henryk Kabat            (Malopole)       R/R 20 [Rawa Marineros] - Sidearm Pitcher - Curveball thrower              
RP: #26 Teo Zaragoza            (Nova Port)      L/L 27 [Nova Port Orki] - Overhand Pitcher - Knuckleballer                
RP: #81 Clara Alonso            (Rawa)           R/R 20 [Sophie City College (SNL) ]  - Deadly cutter - Rubber arm pitcher 
CP: #14 Sara Kot                (Helow)          R/R 20 [Foki Helów] - Overhand pitcher                                     
CP: #98 Franek Gronowiak        (Mała Łysa)      L/L 31 [Gorals Szczylek] - Sidearm closer                                                             


Backup/Bench:
3B: #5  Arnau González  (Rawa)            R/R 21 [Rawa Marineros]                                           
1B: #2  Mateo Kownacki  (Ptakograd)       R/R 18 [Nova Port Orki]                                                    
2B: #52 Julian Wiater   (Garłowo)         L/L 26 [Rawa Marineros]                                          
LF: #20 Henri Muller    (Nova Port)       R/R 29 [Nova Port Orki]
CF: #49 Leszek Duda     (Helów)           R/R 20 [Foki Helów] (Debut)                                        
1B: #29 Gerard Pena     (Graboste)        R/R 24 [Rawa Marineros]                                          
C:  #12 Piotr Schulz    (Ptakograd)       L/L 25 [Ptaki Ptakograd]                                         
DH: #42 Marek Kubera    (Rawa)            R/R 33 [Rawa Marineros]                                          

Batting Order:                                 Batting Order DH:
1. 2B: #12 Waldemar Styś                       1. 2B: #12 Waldemar Styś        
2. 3B: #8 Bolesław "Bolo" Angielski            2. 3B: #8 Bolesław "Bolo" Angielski 
3. SS: #13 Feliks Korab                        3. DH: #42 Marek Kubera              
4. CF: #99 Jan Angel Drabik                    4. CF: #99 Jan Angel Drabik        
5. RF: #72 Matias "Maciuś" Martín              5. RF: #72 Matias "Maciuś" Martín  
6. LF: #31 Filip Więcław                       6. LF: #31 Filip Więcław            
7. C:  #5 Hugo Szałwia                         7. SS: #13 Feliks Korab              
8. 1B: #21 Henryk Hudak                        8. 1B: #21 Henryk Hudak                       
9. SP: #1 Ernest Gronek                        9. C:  #5 Hugo Szałwia

by **Panay Islands and Guimaras** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 3:25 am

THE PANAY ISLANDS AND GUIMARAS NATIONAL BASEBALL TEAM

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the country, alongside football, basketball, volleyball, boxing, and Australian rules football. It started when the team won gold at the 1954 Asian Games. And ever since it has been so popular since the '54 reign led by an American named Herbert McCloskey.
The baseball team is known for their good defense and good batting skills. They've entered some World Cups at that time and sometimes became champions. Aside from sports, the sports has been a cult lifestyle with some of their old and new jerseys worn by famous actors, actresses, musical artists and groups especially the 1998 Asian Games one, which currently wears the team today but with some modifications.

Trigramme: IPG
Head coach: Enrique Solórzano (50)
Assistant coach:Roberto Villamor (45)
Pitching coach: Fernando Álvarez (43)
Hitting coach: Justiniano Choi (49)
Bullpen: Eduardo Nolasco (47)
Home stadium: Petropanay Jorge Cañete Memorial Stadium, Iloílo City, Federal Canton (Capacity 25,000)
Style: +1.60

NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER

PITCHERS:
15. Rolando Andrés Santiago (starting pitcher)
23. Romualdo Lozano Villegas
2. Leonardo Jang
31. Gallardo Miguel Nagashima
4. Alberto Orlando Solano
17. Rosalino Armando Sotto
19. Javier Manuel Esparza
16. Florencio Nam
5. Josué Fernando Leyva
22. Santiago Adrián Velarde
11. Raymundo Álvaro Santos
27. Vladimir Contreras de Jesús
9. Joel Misael Sánchez

CATCHERS:
91. Giraldo Antonio Salvador (captain)
44. Lorenzo Alberto Facundo
33. Noliberto Miguel Fajardo

INFIELDERS:
1. Belivaldo Antonio Legazpi
14. Carlos Asanuma
6. Rolando Miguel Yamaguchi
3. Florentín Chieh
18. Santiago Romualdo Araullo
13. Rigoberto Paner
21. José Manuel Zambrano

OUTFIELDERS:
30. Adalberto Yoo
7. Cristián Tejada Villacampa
20. Romeo Eduardo Gonzalgo
24. Luís Alberto Zaragoza
22. Misael Ronaldo Rivera
26. Gabriel Manuel Nierva

STARTING BATTERS:
• Belivaldo Legazpi
• Adalberto Yoo
• Giraldo Salvador
• Cristián Villacampa
• Carlos Asanuma
• Rolando Yamaguchi
• Romeo Gonzalgo
• Luís Zaragoza
• Santiago Araullo

RP PERMISSIONS
Choose my run-scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes, it's on the rosters
Follow my Pitching Rotation: TG me if you want
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes, just 2.
DH used at home: No
Godmod other events: No

by **Holy Marsh** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 4:14 am

Theocratic Matriarchy National Baseball Team Off to 59th World Baseball Classic

Selection for the Theocratic Matriarchy’s national baseball team has concluded, with the headache of the process ending much later than originally proposed. With several dozen professional baseball leagues playing in a largely decentralized manner- and many of those seasons ongoing during the World Baseball Classic- deciding on the pool of candidates itself was problematic. Many leagues failed to come to agreement to open up their players for selection, while some teams and players pulled themselves out to focus on the season. Theocratic Sports Department Spokeswoman Sarjara Eshterlia threatened some leagues with centralization of their operations, though this threat was quickly pulled back and Eshterlia issued an apology.

Nonetheless, Manager Ashtar Verdaloop stated that they are exceptionally pleased with their team. “We believe that We have done the best We could during this time, and We are proud of this team and believe We shall do well with them,” they said. When asked of expectations as the team left for Zwangzug, Ashtar kept them realistic. “We play a somewhat different brand of baseball and We are mostly insular. We will be pleased to get some wins, and getting out of the Group would be a pleasant surprise.”

Manager: Ashtar Verdaloop
Bench Coach: Hindkalav El’Bataram
Pitching Coach: Stype Strygjae
Bullpen/Asst. Pitching Coach: Loire Jargajara
Hitting Coach: Bo Talalapaia
Asst. Hitting Coach: Erij Stablevein
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Praemate Kirdo
Trainer: Albainia Charvisky
Bullpen Catcher: Tynu Sabar

BATTERS
C: L Suneet Jatasra (.277/.374/.435/.809, 20 HR, 80 RBI) Starter for Vidara Dynastic in the Upper Western Pushania Baseball Association (UWPBA). UWPBA All-Star. Western Pushania All-Star.
C: S Haileen Charvala (.232/.306/.456/.762, 30 HR, 75 RBI) Starter for Khaska South Female Sarda in the Khaskan Baseball League (KBL). KBL All-Star.

Suneet is the battery mate for RHP Jagtaran Sehwag, RHP Ekjit Kaler, and LHP Manjaap Warraich.
Haileen is the battery mate for LHP Aslesha Anaadi , and RHP Simrita Sial.
Suneet is considered the primary starter, but Haileen will often be subbed in when pitchers change. Of the two, Haileen is considered the more technically gifted of the two catches in terms of pitch framing, while Suneet leads all Pushania catchers in throwing runners out.

1B: R Didar Rai (.331/.410/.567/.977, 29 HR, 102 RBIs, 23 SB) Starter for Athletics Sarda North Mar'si in the Mar'si Primary Baseball Association (MPBA). MPBA All-Star. Mar'si United All-Star. Pushania All-Star.
Coming off of his best year, Didar is a reliable defender and good baserunner, something of a rare five tool player at the first basemen position.

3B: L Savraj Sahani (.282/.356/.475/.831, 24 HR, 80 RBI, 28 SB) Starter for Camp Gajura in the Mushania Western Survivors Baseball (MWSB). MWSB All-Star. Mushania Baseball Association comeback player of the year. Eight time MWSB Grand Glove.
Savraj was declared legally dead while on duty in Ixana during a terrorist attack for sixteen hours; the medical system was capable of reviving him, but has had to deal with numerous serious injuries as a result. Considered the best fielding third basemen available to the National Team.

1B/3B: S Samarpal Nandal (.250/.309/.518/.827, 34 HR, 80 RBI) Starter for Khaskan South District V's Railbarons in the KBL. Selected to Khaskan All-Star Team. Second-Team Eastern Mushania All-Star. 3 KBL Grand Gloves.
One of the younger bats, Samarpol brings pop and fielding prowess to both first and third. Will pinch-hit often, especially for Sahani. Hits over .300 against LHP.

2B: S Antara Abusaria (.354/.393/.469/.862, 10 HR) Starter for Antarean Jayki in the Southeastern Pushania Baseball Association (SEPBA). SEPBA MVP. SEPBA All-Star. Southern Pushania All-Star. Pushania All-Star. Seven straight SEPBA Grand Glove.
Starter for the Women's Baseball Demonstration team in the XIII Olympiad that finished in first, Antara is a brilliant fielder and excellent contact hitter. Conservative on the base paths; while fast, rarely steals.

SS: R Samara Aiju (.339/.416/.481/.897, 15 HR, 73 RBI, 22 SB) Starter for Alstera Prime VI in the Alsertan Primary Association of Baseball (APAB). APAB MVP runner-up. APAB All-Star. Mar'si United All-Star Second Team. Alserta All-Star. Nine straight APAB Grand Gloves.
Starter for the Women's Baseball Demonstration team in the XIII Olympiad that finished in first, Samara is well on her way to becoming a hall-of-fame player for Prime VI. Makes good contact, has a great eye, and is an excellent fielder.

INF: R Tarin El'Sara (.276/.319/.495/.814, 30 HR, 96 RBI, 49 SB) Starter for St. Husky Athletic Sarda Youth Team in the St. Husky Sarda Baseball League (SHSBL). SHSBL MVP. Two time SHSBL Grand Glove winner.
Tarin is the youngest player on the team at only 18 but is expected to make a name for himself in the major leagues soon enough. Selected due to his developing eye but more importantly superlative defensive abilities and ease at both second and shortstop, though if needed he can play in the outfield. Also the fastest player on the team, and will often be used as a pinch runner.

LF: R Sojara Saini (.285/.362/.506/.868, 25 HR, 76 RBI, 54 SB) Starter for the Hjinala Disrict II Coldeyes in the Mar'si Primary Baseball Association (MPBA). MPBA All-Star. Mar'si United All-Star.
Starter for the Women's Baseball Demonstration team in the XIII Olympiad that finished in first place, Sojara is a true five tool player and one of the most aggressive baserunners on the team.

CF: S Hannah Smartine (.275/.333/.485/.818, 32 HR, 103 RBI, 37 SB) Starter for the Sara Sparkies of the Foreign Demonstration League (FDL). FDL All-Star. FDL MVP.
Recent Marshite convert out of Lamoni, picked as the required FDL representative. Excellent fielder on top of a developing and keen eye at bat and vicious aggression on the basepaths.

RF: L Shaleen Tuli (.311/.401/.601/1.002, 48 HR, 111 RBI) Starter for the Wayjura Engineering Sarda in the Alsteran Sardan Baseball Association (ASBA). ASBA MVP. ASBA All-Star. Mar'si United All-Star Second Team. Alserta All-Star.
Shaleen is an elite hitter with a clinical approach at the plate. Conservative fielder- rarely makes mistakes, also rarely makes great plays. Unremarkable speed.

OF: S Dejeet Cahju (.289/.338/.445/.783, 20 HR, 22 SB) Starter for Antarean Ankyaji in the Southeastern Pushania Baseball Association (SEPBA). SEPBA All-Star.
Young and developing hitter who has made a name by being a plus-plus fielder at all three outfield positions.

OF: L Emriel Sar'Tuyu ViKonimen (.301/.355/.415/.770, 8 HR, 60 RBI, 70 SB). Starter for the Erasper Initiji of Hitlion Mountain Northern Baseball (HMNB). HMNB All-Star. Eighteen-time HMNB Grand Glove Winner.
Oldest position player on the team but still widely considered the best base stealer in the Theocracy, even at the age of 44. One of less than a hundred players to have played professional baseball before and after the Shift. Owner of the HMNB career record for steals at 1,750, third all time in Marshite baseball. Still a good fielder though not as good as he once was; experienced in all three positions.

DH: L Nirmol Duhan (.304/.412/.654/1.066, 44 HR, 95 RBI, 20 SB) Starter for Reijan Polytheistic Sarda in the Central Pushania Baseball Association (CPBA). CPBA MVP. Central Pushania All-Star. Pushania All-Star.
Renowned power hitter with a swift bat and great eye, Nirmol narrowly survived an incident with a Kraken that saw his conversion to the Polytheistic Sarda before the season. A mediocre but passable 3B when pressed.

Utility: R Ajara Vijbu (.300/.343/.489/.832, 26 HR, 102 RBI, 25 SB) Starter for Teraban Ultra in the Coastal League 2 (CL2). CL2 All-Star. CL All-Star.
Good professional hitter and base stealer who can play three positions at a plus-plus level- 2B, SS, and CF- and at a plus level at LF, RF, 1B, and 3B.

PITCHERS
SP RHP Jagtaran Sehwag (21-5, 1.89 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, .178 AVG, 269 SO, 46 BB) Starter for the Sarda District Commune Sarda in the Mar'si Primary Baseball Association. MPBA All-Star. Mar'si United All-Star. MPBA Golden Arm.
One of the top five aces in the nation and the top pitcher available to the team, Jagtaran is an efficient workhorse who is capable of throwing 130-140 pitches before running into difficulties.

SP RHP Ekjit Kaler (18-4, 2.25 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, .193 AVG, 265 SO, 36 BB) Starter for the Non-Human Sarda in the Alsteran Sardan Baseball Association (ASBA). ASBA All-Star. Alsertan All-Star. ASBA Golden Arm.
Ekjit is arguably the best non-human Sarda pitcher of the year and one of the top Sardan Athletes, with a brand worth millions outside of the Theocracy. When in command he is essentially unhittable, with fastballs in the upper 90s and hitting triple digits consistently and a cruel assortment of breaking pitches. Fiercely emotional.

SP LHP Aslesha Anaadi (18-9, 2.22 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, .220 AVG, 204 SO, 45 BB) Starter for Khaska South Female Sarda in the Khaskan Baseball League (KBL). Selected to Khaskan All-Star Team. KBL Golden Arm.
Starter for the Women's Baseball Demonstration team in the XIII Olympiad that finished in first, Aslesha is 46 years old yet considered one of the most mentally prepared and touch pitchers in history. Her fastball no longer reaches the 90s, but she can paint the corners and has developed a reliable rotation of breaking and offspeed pitches that leave hitters flummoxed.

SP LHP Manjaap Warraich (20-4, 2.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .194 AVG, 291 SO, 77 BB) Starter for the Boajiun Saerver in the Southeastern Pushania Baseball Association (SEPBA). SEPBA All-Star. Southern Pushania All-Star. Pushania All-Star. SEPBA Golden Arm.
Manjaap throws three pitches, but throws them intensely- a triple digit fastball and one of the meanest sliders in history that seems to snap viciously. Even his changeup is clocked in the high 80s. A workhorse who has finished at least 7 innings in sixty-seven straight starts.

SP RHP Simrita Sial (23-4, 2.07 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .205 AVG, 313 SO, 37 BB) Starter for the St. Husky Athletic Sarda Youth Team in the St. Husky Sarda Baseball League (SHSBL). SHSBL All-Star. SHSBL Golden Arm.
At only 18 years old, Simrita has already thrown a no-hitter and is quickly gaining a reputation as the best female pitcher in the nation. She can locate her near 100 MPH fastball accurately and has paired it with an amazing circle changeup, a tremendous curveball, and very respectable cutters and sinker.

LR RHP Dalbir Rupal (20-13, 3.01 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .225 AVG, 385 SO, 130 BB, 33 CG) Starter for Chargan Kili in Hitlion Mountain Central Baseball (HMCB). HMCB All-Star.
A very good pitcher in his own right, Dalbir nonetheless does not match the top 25 candidates for the starting pitching roster. Instead, what earned him the spot over the quality of others is his legendary streak of Complete Games. He has thrown 198 straight Complete Games in HMCB action, and earned national fame when (following a spiritual illness that felled part of the team), Dalbir pitched 5 Complete Games in 6 days during a playoff series. He will be used to eat innings in case of a bad start, or even be prepared for shock use in extra innings.

MR RHP Jagjot Beniwal (3-2, 2.43 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, .244 AVG, 55 SO, 23 BB, 28 SV) Reliever for Vidara Dynastic in the Upper Western Pushania Baseball Association (UWPBA). UWPBA All-Star. UWPBA Golden Reliever Award.
An elite junkball pitcher who gives up mostly soft contact, Jagjot often frustrates batters with a confounding mish-mash of knuckle curves, palmballs, and pure knuckleballs.

MR LHP Rimpi Harl (3-2, 1.83 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, .150 AVG, 104 SO, 11 BB, 17 SV) Reliever for Yarrin Pirates of the Tarvencore Baseball Association (TBA). TBA All-Star. Sea of Faith All-Star. TBA Golden Reliever Award. Sea of Faith Golden Reliever Award.

Considered one of the best Marshite pitchers outside of the Theocracy itself, Rimpi has a dominating arsenal that is used effectively. While normally dominant, she does tend to give up hard contact when she does allow it- and while most of those are outs and indeed she often breezes by whole series, she is known to once in a while go through a poor stretch.

Setup LHP Hema Pilania (8-3, 1.53 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, .129 AVG, 80 SO, 28 BB, 36 SV) Reliever for Delyta Cane in the Coastal League 1 (CL1). CL1 All-Star. CL All-Star. CL Golden Reliever Award.
The first of three near-equal talents, Hema has what appears to be the most unique out pitch of the trio A good four-seamer and a capable cutter, but it is her elite and unique high movement changeup that makes her so effective. The pitch certainly looks hittable, but when well located it has proven to be one of the most effective pitches in baseball.

Setup RHP Ikbal Sehgal (8-2, 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .144 AVG, 110 SO, 20 BB, 33 SV) Reliever for the Dereria Carevai in Hitlion Mountain Central Baseball (HMCB). HMCB All-Star. Hitlion Mountain All-Star. HMCB Golden Reliever Award.
Throws one of the best sinkers and an elite splitter, both of which top out at 100 MPH. Rarely speaks and appears unflappable, which is ironic considering his electric stuff.

Closer RHP Balraj Basanti (8-3, 1.53 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .145 AVG, 87 SO, 3 BB, 44 SV) Reliever for Alstera Prime VI in the Alsertan Primary Association of Baseball (APAB). APAB All-Star. Alsertan All-Star. APAB Golden Reliever Award.
A very good fastball and a very good changeup do not make the case for Balraj being the named closer. Instead, it is a deadly cool calm and a laser accurate sense of control that allows him to paint the corners and dive his pitches as he wills it. Has not walked more than 3 batters in a year over the span of his sixteen year career.

by **Oscioru** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 4:33 am

THE OSCIORU SAINTS

...presented by the Republican Batting Sports Association

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the Repubblica. It is played in every little corner or small stadium around the country, from it's cosmopolitan cities in the west, to its rough north or the steppes of the south. Baseball remains in the hearts of many and as such, a longing for international play has been put into place yet again. Mediocre performances in recent editions have left a bitter taste in fans' hearts, however there is trust in the team's process in this edition.

Pitching Rotation:

First: RHP - Gaëtan Cavallo
Second: LHP - Nichifor Ostea
Third: RHP - Adalberto Rama
Fourth: LHP - Oddo Abreu

Bullpen:

LR: RHP - Naldo St Pierre
MR: RHP - Poncio Lopez
MR: LHP - Danko Novak
SR: LHP - Claudiu Tanzi
SM: RHP - Michelangelo Francini
SM: RHP - Gigi Fava
CL: LHP - Gustave Bellincioni

Position Starters:

1B: L - Dragutin Biancardi
2B: R - Daniel Lobo
3B: R - Grégory Sarti
SS: R - Tammaro Abategiovanni
RF: L - Romeo Apugliese
LF: L - Augustin Lambert
CF: R - Odilon Torres
C: R - Samuele Bandini
DH: L - Todor Tahirović

Substitutions:

C: L - Ademar Paternoster
IF: R - Lope Aldebrandi
OF: R - Bojan Kovač
SM: R - Lazăr Fonseca

Coach: Antonije Đorđević-Gasperini

Roster comments: Ambitious team with little changes over the year is entering the competition with a lot of experience at hand. Đorđević-Gasperini believes that building chemistry within the team over the long run is what makes teams successful. The Republican Batting Sports Association has his back and will be looking toward improving the team in due time.

RP Permissions:
Choose my run-scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my Pitching Rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: TG first
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but nothing too serious please
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes
DH used at home: Yes
Godmod other events: Depends
Other Info: Super aggressive style. Style +4.

by **Ko-oren** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 4:46 am

Ko-orenite National Baseball Team
野球コ・オレン代表 - Jakyuu Ko-oren Daijhou - Selesson Co-orenensa de Beisbol

Batting order/打順/Orden de Bateadores
1B Kurenai Komamura (23, F) // Echizen Dragons // R
RF Sanae Natsuka (25, F) // Katashi Giants // R
2B Len Pijpenbroek (32, M) // Elephant Valley Homers, SNL // R
3B Eikichi Matsuoka (23, M) // Nitoya Silvers // R
CF Arinobu Shiina (26, M) // Rhoni Rhonin CMT // R
DH (Amachi)
LF Kava Jamana (32, M) // Nitoya Silvers // L
C Woutre Bardemaker (29, M) // Nikcoro Suns, SLL // R
SS Letha Newich (22, F) // Desierto Challengers // L
P

The hitting has to take shape in the Pijpenbroek-Matsuoka-Shiina-Bardemaker combination. A seriously fast and powerful group that most innings will either start things off - and score - or hopefully bat in the few runners on base from the other five positions. In innings where the group appears split, we're not looking too hot, but don't forget that every player on this roster is already among the best in the Ko-orenite League. Not the LPB and maybe a tad worse than when we still had easier access to the best in the multiverse, but still a pretty damn good league.

Newich is the first on the team sheet but not for her hitting prowess. She's a great defensive player - and you don't want to count her out entirely at bat.

Komamura is more of a contact specialist, even if she might not always reach base on a hit. That makes her skillset a bit awkward to work around: do you let her try to get people from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd? If so, who do you expect to already have reached base and why won't you just shoot for the stars and go for a homerun at that point - which Komamura isn't the best at?

Natsuka is also a mainly defensive player, yes, in the outfield, but she's a little smarter about approaching her at-bats, which she tends to get a decent return on if only her BA was higher. On the left side, Falozen is the better player by sheer talent but at 20 years old it's a hard sell to rely on a rookie. Hence Jamana.

As you can probably already tell, both in fielding and hitting we're expecting a lot more from our infielders than our outfielders. Bardemaker is the second name on the team sheet but that's because we have little in catching behind him and his experience. You'll also see we're big on righties, so at times Komiyama could appear in first base for an extra southpaw, Reimeden could take over for any infielder in a pinch. Amachi is left-handed as a DH as well, and we're expecting very, very big things from him. Easily the best pure hitter in the country.

Infielders/内野手/Interiores:
1B Sodjeto Ljotsesen (20, M) // Nitoya Silvers // R
1B Kurenai Komamura (23, F) // Echizen Dragons // R
2B Len Pijpenbroek (32, M) // Elephant Valley Homers, SNL // R
2B Arata Iio (23, M) // Teragaseki Originals // R
2B Edtas Dakritdhen (24, M) // Amandine Wanderers // L
2B Masatane Kanamoli (25, M) // Aviansola Admirals // L
3B Eikichi Matsuoka (23, M) // Nitoya Silvers // R
3B Erina Komiyama (23, F) // Teragaseki Originals // L
3B Mason Bennett (35, M) // South Falls Athletics SLL // R
SS Letha Newich (22, F) // Desierto Challengers // L
SS Nobutaka Sawano (22, M) // Nitoya Silvers // L

IF Honou Reimeden (21, F) // Echizen Dragons // L
IF Sanji Tunazen (20, M) // Nitoya Silvers // R

Outfielders/外野手/Exteriores:
RF Sanae Natsuka (25, F) // Katashi Giants // R
RF Denis Caamano (33, M) // Chromia Diamonds CMT // L
CF Arinobu Shiina (26, M) // Rhoni Rhonin CMT // R
LF Hoku Falozen (20, M) // Furune Bees // R
LF Kava Jamana (32, M) // Nitoya Silvers // L

OF Shichirō Aiso (21, M) // Aviansola Admirals // L
OF Aleixo Padron (22, M) // Ferrovente Whales // R
OF Édouard Fralin (20, M) // Amandine Wanderers // R

DH Tadanari Amachi (24, M) // Aviansola Admirals // L
DH Kazuyo Yokoi (23, F) // Furune Bees // R

Catchers/捕手/Receptores:
C Woutre Bardemaker (29, M) // Nikcoro Suns SLL // R
C Naokatsu Mase (22, M) // Furune Bees // L

Pitchers/投手/Lanzadores
Rotation
SP Bieito Vasquez (24, M) // Desierto Challengers // R
SP Yurika Ōhashi (23, F) // Arakura Knights // R
SP Takenao Tone (27, M) // Ferrovente Whales // L
SP Jocelyn Chastain (31, F) // Shantarr Scorpions CMT // R
SP Xesus Basquez (25, M) // Desierto Challengers // R

Backups
SP Éloi Michaeux (31, M) // Amandine Wanderers // R
SP Molovisa Gotou (35, M) // Echizen Dragons // L
SP Tovi Niva (32, M) // Katashi Generals // R

Vasquez is the clear ace, and has been for a bit now. Assuming no injuries, he'll stay up there for a while longer, if we don't overstretch him. Finesse is his thing with scary breaking balls. Ohashi has worked her way up the rotation to second, going for power over touch but getting a fair amount of the latter anyway. Tone is the most physically imposing of the bunch but has less power and a way bigger arsenal than most give him credit for. Chastain is the anchor, for when it's needed, with little in the way of surprises but extremely reliable and accurate. Basquez can get a little cute with his choices and large ego but tends to get things done when needed.

Micheaux has a very strong arm, Gotou is like Chastain in a more grounded and calming presence if the team are on a losing streak of one/several games. Niva is new - a debutant at 32 - but can't be overlooked after his season with the Generals.

Bullpen/リリーフ/Secundarios
RP Bento Chan (26, M) // Ferrovente Whales // R
RP Eduvixe Pazos (26, F) // Lanar Rangers CMT // R
RP Vide Anabuki (22, M) // Eyrods Pilots CMT // R
RP Xesus Martis (24, M) // Felswyr Fire CMT // R
RP Takeyuki Kanzaki (25, M) // Rhoni Rhonin CMT // L
RP Jean-Charles Andry (24, M) // Amandine Wanderers // R
RP Tashiro Ishibashi (27, M) // Alnio Redhawks CMT // R
RP Ventura de Castro (30, M) // Nitoya Silvers // L
RP Bernabe Reza (31, M) // Ferrovente Whales // R (Set-up)

CP Yumeko Furushima (23, F) // Nitoya Silvers // R
CP Keiko Yamase (24, F) // Shantarr Scorpions CMT // R

The highest expectations are for Ishibashi with a massive arsenal to complement whatever came before him. Chan has a fantastic mentality but under pressure can crack. De Castro is the opposite and stays cool - and cools down teammates - if a game starts off completely wrong. Pazos and Andry should also get some appearances, with Andry especially capable of some top speed madness. The rest might have less of an impact and far fewer innings. Furushima is a new name at closer, where the team still isn't completely set but we're sure it's better than our situations in the past.

Home venues
As with most of this sport, there is some competition between Finisterre and Yoshima. This extends to the home venues as well. Series of three matches are usually scheduled per region (ranked by how often they're used):
1) Katashi: the city of Katashi has several ready venues, including the Katashi Dome (the largest venue in Ko-oren) and Maesaki Park (smaller, but often used by domestic teams). Sometimes even the Heisaka Grounds are used (which is one third the size of Katashi Dome, to give you an idea). Katashi is hot and humid, though the sea breeze makes it nicer than it sounds. The Dragonflies are .778 here.
2) Finisterre: the entire region has several big stadiums and they're almost always sold out if the Dragonflies come to visit. The Citadel (Santa Teresa), Ventovente (Ferrovente). Finisterre has a dry heat that persists for most of the year. The Dragonflies are .737 here.
3) Rest of Leleia: the regions west and east of Katashi don't have the same population as city of Katashi itself, but has a lot of scattered towns with a proud baseball tradition. Twin Field (Nitoya), Obsidian Park (Suvira). These share the hot and humid conditions of Katashi but without the relief blowing in from the coast. The Dragonflies are .667 here.
4) Rest of Ko-oren: not everyone plays baseball all the time, yet there are a few diamonds here and there. Le Losange (Aminey), Honrothru-din (Senoren), Vamada Océanique (Étouille), Naminaka Park (Schemerdrecht). The climates here are friendly and mellow year-round. The Dragonflies are .786 here.
5) Alara and Etena islands: the northernmost islands of Yoshima are baseball-crazy as well, fans come from all over the island just to see a match. Uvesaki Field (Echizen), Vidari Stadium (Teragaseki), Vusodalo Stadium (Teraoka). These have all the humidity of Leleia and the friendly temperatures of the mainland. The Dragonflies are .667 here.
6) Selesi island: the second-largest island of Yoshima has only a few venues, being the least densely populated part of Yoshima, but the few places they do have are popular. Ginofruit Field (Arakura). Like Leleia, it's hot and humid, with a decent chance of extreme weather. The Dragonflies are .818 here.

Coaching Staff/首脳陣/Entrenadores
Head coach: Kenichi Honda
Hitting coach: Rodolfo Melendrez
Pitching coach: Joshiko Vajabusa (f)
First base coach: Andreia Acevedo (f)
Third base coach: Carlos Aldana
Bullpen coach: Shinzaburo Sakai
Fielding coach: Julie Lefeuvre (f)

RP Permissions
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Not necessarily
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: No
Use DH at home: No
Style modifier (if used): -2
Trigramme: KOR
Nicknames: Dragonflies (all players), Macaws (Yoshimans), Cactuses (Finisterrans)

by **Sarzonia** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 7:35 am

Desmond St. John had been harbouring the secret for a long time. It was killing him to keep it to himself for so long, but that's what the powers that be at the Incorporated Baseball Federation told him.

He sat in the waiting room at Fleetwood Park in Woodstock. He shuffled through some notes he'd scribbled, knowing all too well that he was going to stumble through his press conference when discussing the truth he'd kept hidden for so long.

With the rumour mill and 24-hour news cycles being what they were, it was no small miracle that the beans hadn't already been spilt by now. But he heard the telltale knock on the door and knew it was time to unburden himself of his truth. He walked slowly to the press room and walked in to sit in the chair next to IBF technical director Jeff Parrish, his former teammate.

With flashbulbs still popping and cameras rolling, the time had come to end the secret.

"Welcome everyone," Parrish said. "It is my honour to introduce to you all the new manager of the Sarzonian national baseball team, my former teammate and still longtime friend, Mr. Desmond St. John."

St. John was aware of the gasps amongst the assembled media, all of whom had been kept completely in the dark by an expert act of subterfuge the likes of which was only possible thanks to Sarzonian sporting media focusing heavily on the basketball team's run through the International Basketball Championships and the discord threatening to tear the Toddler Stars Under 18 national football team apart.

He could breathe a sigh of relief now. He was now ready to speak openly about the secret he'd been told to not divulge.

"I'm excited about this opportunity to help guide the next generation of baseball players on the pitch," St. John said. "I think we've got an exciting team here and it's got a bright future. I'm looking forward to eventually bringing a second World Baseball Classic championship back to Woodstock.

"I'll take questions. Yes? You in the light green blazer?"

"Roy Cunningham, Wilmington Journal. I noticed that the team has several home run threats and less speed than the Stars had last time, when you played. How much input did you have in that decision?"

St. John smiled. He decided to make a joke.

"None," he said. "I let my boyfriend make all those decisions." He heard laughs ranging from awkward, uncomfortable chuckles to full blown hysterics. Turning serious, he said, "as a field manager, I had the chance to make the final roster pics, and Jeff and I are on the same page with how we wanted to put the team together.

"One of our challenges when we played was having limited power in our lineup when we were the away team and our opponents didn't employ the [designated hitter]. Geoff [Yancey, the previous Stars skipper] had to decide whether to sacrifice defence to get Luke [Brinkley] in the lineup or sacrifice his bat to play better defensively. We didn't want to be in that same position."

"Desmond, this is Red Collins from The Truxtun Times, what is your reaction to only having 10 matches in the group stage as opposed to 30?"

"Well, we probably won't have as much time to develop chemistry as a team as we would have before," St. John said. "But by the same token, previous World Baseball Classics disrupted our IL [Incorporated League] and SL [Sarzonian League] seasons. This allows our players to play with their club sides for most of, if not all of their seasons."

One reporter fixated on St. John's joke about his boyfriend and pressed for an answer.

"I'm pansexual," St. John said, punctuating his response with a shrug. "I'm happy to discuss this team and our prospects in the World Baseball Classic, not my love life."

"Yes, Travis? I'm surprised you're covering baseball."

Travis West, longtime reporter with the Woodstock Daily Mail stood up.

"What's your reaction to the group draw? You've got the host nation Zwangzug and Valanora in the same group."

"We don't have much, if any history with any of the other teams in this group," St. John answered, happy to focus on baseball instead of explaining how he had a boyfriend even though he didn't identify as gay. "We've played Zwangzug in the knockouts before, and Valanora goes without saying. We've played the Vanorians in a lot of sports. But that's not to take away from Vaishnavaria, our opening match opponents Caribbia, or Oclea.

"We know we're going to face a challenge with this schedule. We fully expect this to be a full on rebuilding process. It's not too frequently that a team pulls a Soldera."

by **North and South Slavo-Baltia** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 12:13 pm

Roster and Additional Information
Coaching Staff:
Manager:

Pitching Rotation:
SP: Nedeljiko Dragov RH
Four-Seam Fastball, Vulcan Changeup, 12-6 Curveball, Knuckleball
SP: Zoran Babic RH
Two-Seam Fastball, Circle Changeup, Knuckle-Curve
SP: Vasilije Duric LH
Four-Seam Fastball, Circle Changeup, Slider
SP: Jovan Sedlacek RH
Cutter, Circle Changeup, Slurve
SP: Aca Filip RH
Four-Seam Fastball, Palmball, Sweeper
Bullpen:
MRP: Toni Berzins RH
MRP: Bejamin Ivanou LH
MRP: Kvetoslav Zima RH
MRP: Roman Simon RH
RP: Bratislav Genadiev RH
RP: Markas Yardonav RH
CP: Damir Horvat LH
Catchers:
C: Bor Cerny RH
C: Girgor Pandev LH
Infielders:
1B: Agafon Pawlak RH
2B: Hiacynt Jovanovic RH
3B: Paviel Kral LH
SS: Jaka Balodis RH
IF: Trajan Bozhidarov RH
IF: Dimitrij Nikolov LH
Outfielders:
RF: Paulius Petrov SH
CF: Eugen Janda LH
LF: Radoslav Matousek RH
OF: Samo Korosec RH
OF: Saso Borislavov LH

Pitching Rotation:
MD1: v Tikariot (Nedeljiko Dragov)
MD2: @ Drawkland (Zoran Babic)
MD3: v Strayaroos (Vasilije Duric)
MD4: @ So uh lab here (Jovan Sedlacek)
MD5: v New Jarwel (Aca Filip)
Rest
MD6: @ Tikariot (Zoran Babic)
MD7: v Drawkland (Vasilije Duric)
MD8: @ Strayaroos (Aca Filip)
MD9: v So uh lab here (Nedeljiko Dragov)
MD10: @ New Jarwel (Jovan Sedlacek)

Batting Order:
RHP Pitcher:
1. Paulius Petrov SH
2. Agafon Pawlak RH
3. Bor Cerny RH
4. Paviel Kral LH
5. Eugen Janda LH
6. Hiacynt Jovanociv RH
7. Jaka Balodis RH
8. Radoslav Matousek RH
9. Pitcher/DH

LHP Pitcher:
1. Agafon Pawlak RH
2. Paulius Petrov SH
3. Hiacynt Jovanovic RH
4. Bor Cerny RH
5. Paviel Kral LH
6. Radoslav Matousek RH
7. Eugen Janda LH
8. Starting Pitcher/DH
9. Jaka Balodis RH

Choose my starting lineup: Yes
Choose my starting pitcher: No
Choose how I scored: Yes
Godmod baseball events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Not too harshly, no more than one game
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes
Home Stadium: Stadion Evžena Rošického
Style: +3

by **Oscioru** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 3:09 pm

OOC: A new attempt at an older RP I messed up completely, retconning everything I said.

THE CEMETERY ON THE MOUNTAIN

Maybe Canzaria, Oscioru, April 19th, 1893

It was not too long ago that I had a dream, a vivid dream. I woke up in the middle of the night, as we had set camp somewhere in the Osci wilderness and I sat down trying to recollect my thoughts and to record the dream. As unnecessary as this sounds, this dream would be stuck in my mind all day regardless, but recording it would do the trick.

I was at a hospital and this hallway was dark, without any windows. The material it was made out of was unfamiliar to me, but it gave me an unsettling feeling. There was blood on the walls and the floors, as people were frantically trying to bring injured people inside for treatment. There was mass hysteria in one corner and the other was completely different, quiet, with a lot of corridors and hallways to walk through and more doors than any hospital should ever have. I was supposedely with a dear friend of mine, we saw a door with an inscription on it.

The inscription said. "Do not open this door unless you are a hospital worker." So naturally, me and my friend being rebelllious Juven opened the door and we ended up right at the hospital gates. A vast hallway sprawled before our very eyes, giant windows on our left, and a colossal wall to our right with two open gates in the distance. I could finally tell what time of the day it was again.

But as if time sped up, we were out of the hospital. On our left, a lot of trees of all kinds, mostly cupressus trees and on our right is the main topic of this dream, the one that has stuck to me. On the right, there was a graveyard, moving up a hill as the gentle afternoon sunlight hit my face. I would go in to explore as the graveyard itself was full of people burying the dead. This might be unsettling to write about, but being there felt completely different than what you would expect a graveyard to be like. It was lively, nobody was mourning in the traditional sense, despite all these burials. There were talks of a stampede that killed thousands of people, in the graveyards, it was mostly women.

The names I could read were all from a particular region of Juvencus known as the Sud. I felt like I was in the village of Hortejú right after the genocide, but with an opposite outcome in the reactions of the people. I am going to Canzaria at the moment, a region that has had similar struggles as the borderlands of all Juvenhood, maybe that is why all those flashes would come back to my mind, reminding me of my purpose. A purpose much greater than myself, even if it means part of me shall die.

by **Taxonomic Kingdoms** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 3:36 pm

Starting Line Up:

RF Gallimimus Bullatus
SS Deinonychus Antirrhopus
CF Dilophosaurus Wetherilli
3B Velociraptor Mongoliensis
1B Coelophysis Bauri
LF Kentrosaurus Aethiopicus
DH Kunbarrasaurus Ieversi
2B Psittacosaurus Mongoliensis
C Tarchia Kielanae

Pitching Rotation:

Tyrannosaurus Rex
Therizinosaurus Cheloniformis
Tawa Hallae
Eoraptor Lunensis
Parasaurolophus Walkeri

Bench/Bullpen:

Compsagnathus Longipes
Pachycephalosaurus Wyomingensis
Oviraptor Philoceratops
Utahraptor Ostrommaysorum
Microraptor Gui
Dromaeosaurus Albertensis

All of the players are dinosaur gods who lost most of their powers when the dinosaurs went extinct. All of them understand that they are here to play baseball, not to eat the opposing players. However, they have not trimmed their claws, and it is possible that someone might get scratched by accident. They also might go through more balls than usual because the covering of the balls gets scratched by the pitchers' claws. All of the players are millions of years old and they are the gods of real dinosaur species, not influenced by movie tropes -- i.e. Dilophosaurus is large and non-venomous; Velociraptor is small and feathery, etc.

The bench players can be subbed into any position, and the ones in the starting line-up may be moved around a little. They are not the most experienced team in the world, so they are still figuring out their different roles. The smaller ones like Microraptor and Compsagnathus would probably be used as pinch hitters with the goal of drawing a walk. Utahraptor would be a good candidate for relief pitching. The pitchers could come in off the bench in games they are not starting.

Velociraptor and Coelophysis will try to bunt for hits fairly often because they don't have the arm strength to hit the ball hard, but they do have superhuman running speed. Expect a lot of base-stealing attempts from any of the small birdlike dinosaurs.

Home Stadium:

Maniraptora Colosseum, Maniraptora, AN
Capacity around 50,000 if all the guests are human, but it's common to see large dinosaurs taking up multiple seats or small birds sharing a seat.
The playing surface is crab grass. The dinosaur gods knew it was traditional to play on grass, but they didn't know what kind of grass.

Local Information:

Maniraptora is a small town on the Jurassic Highway, between Triassic City and Philadelphia. The Jurassic Highway is called that because it was built in the late Jurassic, but the peak of its economic and cultural importance was in the Cretaceous. During that time, many towns sprang up along the highway offering food, lodging, and roadside attractions for travelers.

After the dinosaurs went extinct and the dinosaur-gods lost their powers, the region went into a steep decline. Without their divine powers, it was increasingly difficult to maintain the highway and its attractions. It was impossible to compete with the new cities that were springing up in other parts of the Animal Kingdom. Some towns were abandoned, and the remaining ones fell into irrelevance.

The town of Maniraptora has been continuously inhabited for 170 million years, but it is a shadow of its former self. It has been completely overrun by birds and bird-gods, while the remaining dinosaurs live in constant fear of their avian overlords. Sharing your food with the pigeons, seagulls, and kookaburras is required by law. Eating poultry is illegal.

So why is the WBC coming to this backwater instead of a major city? Because the dinosaurs are the ones who wanted to enter the tournament. Some of the local dromaeosaurs saw the success of handball and lacrosse teams from the Taxonomic Kingdoms, and they thought an international sporting event might be a good way to put Maniraptora back on the map and help breathe some life into the economy. They recruited some other dinosaurs from the surrounding countryside, and after a couple of years of preparations, the team is ready to make its WBC debut.

How do you get there if the roads haven't had regular maintenance since the late Cretaceous?

The Taxonomic Kingdoms are a spiritual realm. Those who are very spiritually gifted may be able to visit through the power of prayer and meditation. There are also numerous physical entrances that can be found by those with pure hearts and curious minds. These are often found in caves, old buildings or ruins, dense forests, and remote islands -- but they can be just about anywhere. You might even find one in some odd corner of your nation (if it jives with your canon).

Those who are less spiritually gifted can call the Maniraptora Visitor Information Center for assistance. A giant bird will grab your team bus and carry it to Maniraptora.

If you have access to a portal such as the ones connecting Earth with Sonnel, these can be recalibrated to facilitate flights into the Taxonomic Kingdoms. Those who travel by portal/plane will need to use the Triassic City Airport or land the plane on the highway. Maniraptora does not have an airport because it is ruled by bird gods, and they can fly without an airplane.

RP Permissions:

Choose my starting lineup: Yes
Choose my starting pitcher: No, but you can RP the starter being pulled early if you want to set up a scene with a different pitcher
Choose how I scored: Yes
Godmod baseball events: Yes. Since the players are not human and their bodies work differently, it could result in some unusual plays
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but not anything that would make them miss multiple games
Godmod injuries to my players: Same as above
Eject my players: If you eject a similar number of your own
Godmod other events: Whacky lighthearted events are fine. Serious death and destruction is a big no.
Use DH at home: Yes

by **Super-Llamaland** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 8:30 pm

SUPER-LLAMALAND TIGERS: WBC59 ROSTER

(but fr this time)

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes, within reason (justify any discrepancies from the below lineups if possible)
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: TG for approval
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but I determine the severity
Godmod injuries to my players: TG for approval
Eject my players: TG for approval (Llamaneans really don’t get ejected often)
Godmod other events: TG for approval
Use DH at home: No

Fast Facts:
NICKNAMES: The Tigers (official), The Cubs (unofficial)
MANAGER: Jacinta MacRaun
Formerly of the Weegham Rainmakers and the Xingcheng Renaissance, which she led to two Esportivan championships.
RANK: 4

Uniforms

Credit: No Nonsense Sportswear, Filindostan

Most Likely To...
Hit a home run: Von Gunther, Jeff Huang, Jasmine Xu
Hit a double: Jeff Huang, Jasmine Xu, Elijah Tatum
Get a clutch hit: Jasmine Xu, Jeff Huang, René Corbin
Strike out: Cerulean Baines, Elijah Tatum, Silvia Wang
Draw a walk: Von Gunther, Jeff Huang, Evander Stone
Steal a base: Elijah Tatum, Silvia Wang, Jasmine Xu
Get caught stealing: Jasmine Xu, René Corbin, Christian Norgaard
Make a great defensive play: Silvia Wang, René Corbin, Jeff Huang
Commit an error: Evander Stone, Von Gunther, Cerulean Baines

Starting Lineup
WITHOUT DH
1. RF Elijah Tatum (S)
2. 3B Jeff Huang (R)
3. LF Jasmine Xu (S)
4. 1B Von Gunther (L)
5. 2B René Corbin (R)
6. SS Sylvi Vermark (R)
7. C Cerulean Baines (R)
8. CF Silvia Wang (R)
9. Starting Pitcher
WITH DH
1. RF Elijah Tatum (R)
2. 3B Jeff Huang (R)
3. DH Evander Stone (R)
4. 1B Von Gunther (L)
5. LF Jasmine Xu (S)
6. 2B René Corbin (R)
7. C Cerulean Baines (R)
8. SS Sylvi Vermark (R)
9. CF Silvia Wang (R)
Against left-handed pitchers, Ian Zhuang will replace Von Gunther at first.

Infielders

Cerulean BAINES, #00, 28, C, R/R - Denison Dynamo
As a catcher, Baines is somewhat polarizing - critics note that she has one of the less accurate throwing arms in the league, despite its clear power, while fans point to the natural ability and that she's statistically one of the best framing talents in the LPB. As a hitter, things are more straightforward - she has good power, strikes out a bit too much, but manages enough walks and dingers to make up for it.
Von GUNTHER, #19, 26, 1B, L/L - Emerald City Greens
A young slugger best known for his power and plate discipline, Gunther has also dramatically improved as a baserunner since entering the LPB, stealing sixteen bases last season after swiping fourteen the season before. He seems to be developing into far more than just another three-true outcome guy, which should make Tigers fans very excited for his future.
René CORBIN, #18, 34, 2B/SS, R/R - Emerald City Greens
A flashy defender (although the underlying productivity numbers don't live up to the hype) who likes to swing for the fences and steal bases.
Sylvi VERMARK, #16, 29, 2B/SS, R/R - New Llama Cyclones
Vermark is an effective contact-hitter with enough plate discipline and power to get by, as well as an underrated defender and base-stealer. Has replaced her national team double-play partner Corbin on the Cyclones, which has reportedly driven a wedge between the formerly close teammates.
Jeff HUANG, #11, 30, 3B/1B, R/R - Vargas City Lions
Huang has shown the ability to do it all while locking down the hot corner, first in Xingcheng and now Vargas City. He hit .290 with 20 home runs and tremendous defense in his rookie year, then far surpassed those hitting statistics in a breakout sophomore season that led Xingcheng to the championship. With Vargas City, he's settled in as a perennial MVP candidate and legitimate five-tool player.

Will GUTIERREZ, #20, 30, C/1B, R/R - Sophie City Monarchs (South Newlandia)
A solid, if unspectacular defensive catcher who is very good with the bat, having grown into a more mature approach to his plate appearances to complement his strong game power.
Morgan HUNTER, #47, 33, C, S/R - Newport Owls (South Newlandia)
Morgan Hunter is not good at hitting: even in the LPB, the journeyman backup struggles to cross the Mendoza Line, so it's unclear if he has any hope of getting a hit at the WBC. But he's quietly an elite defender, a great teammate who's made himself at home in three different LPB cities, and far from the weirdest decision that Jacinta MacRaun's made. She probably just liked the sound of his name or something.
Gordon CHERNENKO, #39, 33, 2B/SS, S/R - Emerald City Greens
A defensive wizard who is somewhat limited with the bat, Chernenko is likely to see late-game reps in the infield when the Tigers want to lock down a win. But it’s Jacinta MacRaun managing, so he’s just as likely to pinch-hit with the game on the line.
Nico BONAVENTURE, #38, 29, SS/2B/3B, R/R - Ruditown Dachshunds
A fantastic defender at either middle infield position (and even the corner infield positions in a pinch), Bonaventure's versatility has earned the relatively unheralded infielder a surprise first call-up to the national team. On the offensive end of things, he can do a little bit of everything: he hits for power, but mostly doubles to the gap; he draws enough walks to get by, although his plate discipline doesn't stand out in a crowd; he can run, but is known more for savvy baserunning instincts than blazing-fast speed.
Ian ZHUANG, #37, 32, 3B/1B, R/R - Kyrinson Cosmos
Zhuang's biggest strength is his bat-to-ball ability - he hit .302 in his rookie season, earning a surprise all-star nod for the Cosmos. Since then, Zhuang hasn't quite ascended to stardom as Kyrinson fans might've hoped. The power never caught up to the flashes shown in his rookie season, but he remains an excellent contact hitter who draws more than his fair share of walks. On defense, his arm is a slight weakness when compared to others at the hot corner, but he's developed into an excellent defensive first baseman.

Outfielders

Jasmine XU, #1, 26, LF, S/R - Emerald City Greens
The first overall pick in LPB4, Xu turned in a brilliant rookie campaign, showing genuine five-tool ability on the field despite her young age, and has only grown more since. While her game power hasn't consistently caught up to the BP videos that got her picked first, she's devastatingly fast, has strong defensive instincts, and has a solid, mature approach to hitting that helped lead Emerald City to the LPB title.
Silvia WANG, #9, 30, CF, R/R - Vargas City Lions
An archetypal speed-and-defense center-fielder. She legs out a lot of sneaky extra-base hits owing to her speed, but has work to do to round out her game. While she's picked up some power due to some changes to her swing, it's come at the cost of her once-respectable contact abilities, which has turned her into a real free swinger - albeit one that presents some danger at the bottom of the lineup.
Elijah TATUM, #29, 28, RF/CF/2B/1B/DH, S/R - New Llama Cyclones
Very athletic and a defensive ace at any outfield position or on the right side of the infield, Tatum’s versatility and high situational awareness make him one to watch out for in the clutch. Likes to stretch doubles into triples and take risks at the plate, consequently striking out a lot.

Evander STONE, #31, 29, RF/LF/DH, R/R - St. Riecarn Saints (South Newlandia)
Sure-handed but athletically limited, Stone’s best trait is his incredible plate discipline, which lets him reach base at a high clip. Also boasts some pretty solid power, although his speed limits his ability to go for extra bases when he does put a ball in the gap.
Christian NORGAARD, #25, 23, OF, S/R - Apple Valley Vipers
A do-it-all center-fielder with truly generational outfield range: the corner outfielders won't be doing much when he plays, as he relishes in his route-finding abilities and leaping grabs at the wall. He's good enough with the bat in his hands, although with such a sweet stroke you'd expect him to do more than just holding on offensively. Lacks baserunning discipline, making him most likely to appear as a late-inning defensive replacement.

Starting Pitchers

Maddie BENITEZ, #12, 29, R - Nikcoro Suns
Benitez doesn’t have great velocity, but her control and command are absolutely second to none - maybe even surpassing that of other famous control artists like Savanna Wladecki. Her first few seasons in the league were marked by abysmal run support, but also by some absolute artistry on the mound from the young righty, who has now become one of the world's best pitchers. In terms of repertoire, she has a two-seam fastball, slider, curveball, and newly-developed circle changeup that she mixes to expert effect - and there may be more on the way.
Madison VERDUGO, #27, 33, L - Vargas City Lions
Verdugo has always been one of the most underrated starters in the LPB, but after signing with the powerhouse Vargas City Lions, she's finally in the limelight both domestically and internationally. Verdugo leans heavily on a plus fastball, which sits in the 93-95 mph range but with lots of rise, and a plus-plus slider with some wicked late horizontal break. She also mixes in just enough of a circle changeup to keep batters guessing, although it's certainly not the strongest of pitches. A mentality monster, Verdugo loves to assert herself and go late into starts.
August TAI, #45, 23, R - Denison Dynamo
A young fireballer who has gone from strength to strength after a remarkable Rookie of the Year campaign. Tai's best pitch is the fastball, which sits in the mid-to-high-nineties with remarkable staying power late in starts. The secondary stuff isn't MVP-level quite yet, but a sharp, late-breaking slider and a slow, looping curveball are both more than enough to get by alongside such heat. One of Super-Llamaland's brightest young talents, Tai is now hoping to prove himself on the world stage.
Jade GUTHRIE, #33, 27, R - Xingcheng Renaissance
Guthrie, a longtime rival of Maddie Benitez after they came off the board #3 and #5 in the LPB3 draft, has finally broken through to the international level after a quietly excellent debut season for the Renaissance. As a pitcher, she's most known for the scintillating movement on her offspeed pitches, with a devastating cutter that destroys lefties, a late-breaking changeup that tumbles out of the strike zone, and a sweeping slurve with a late, tight diagonal break. The fastball is solid enough, but in the 94-96 mph range without much movement, it's definitely the easiest way to get to her.
Griffin GONZALEZ, #52, 34, L - Emerald City Greens
The understated Gonzalez has quietly become someone who can hold his own in some stacked domestic rotations. His fastball is in the low-to-mid-nineties with good spin and movement, but he is at his best keeping hitters off balance with a tantalizing array of tight, late-breaking curveballs, sharp cutters, and the occasional circle changeup.

Relievers

Coaching Staff
Manager: Jacinta MacRaun
Bench Coach: Michael Shelby (ex-Manager, Corbin Island Chariots)
Pitching Coach: Akena Lwanga (ex-Pitching Coach, WBBL)
Hitting Coach: Anthony Smith-Miller (ex-Hitting Coach, South Newlandia NT)
First-Base Coach: Melanie Xia (Third-Base Coach, Xingcheng Renaissance)
Third-Base Coach: Blair Morgan (First-Base Coach, Xingcheng Renaissance)
Bullpen Coach: Nick Jensen (Pitching Coach, Kyrinson Cosmos)
Trainer: Jordan Amelio (Trainer, Xingcheng Renaissance)
Video Coordinator: Addison Korhonen (Video Coordinator, Vargas City Lions)

by **Super-Llamaland** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 9:10 pm

Super-Llamaland WBC59 Fact Sheet

It is no longer Sündstrom Season. After an MVP season with the St. Riecarn Saints, the five-tool shortstop made a long-awaited debut last season. He played reasonably well, but also snapped at a fan after a quarterfinals loss in what became the defining image of the team's disappointing WBC58 campaign. Although Sündstrom had another excellent season in the LPB, voices in the Tigers camp, chief among them bench coach Michael Shelby (who fought with Sündstrom when both were with the South Bryant Chariots), decided that the braggadocious infielder would be too much of a distraction. Sylvi Vermark has returned to the starting lineup, and the supernova Sündstrom era is over as quickly as it started.
In what could be her last cycle with the national team, Jacinta MacRaun is pulling out all the stops: seven Tigers named to the WBC59 roster are making their international debuts. In order, they are: infielders Nico Bonaventure and Ian Zhuang, outfielder Christian Norgaard, pitchers Madison Verdugo, Jade Guthrie, Michael Zhao, and Nathan Johanssen, and most bafflingly, catcher Morgan Hunter. The veteran backstop has a career .207 batting average in the LPB, most of which was accrued as a journeyman backup. It's not clear if MacRaun seems something in Hunter beyond a friendly face in the clubhouse with underrated defense. But while star starters Verdugo and Guthrie are most likely to make an impact this cycle, Hunter will be the call-up people talk about the most. As always with Jacinta MacRaun, it's unclear how the pieces fit together until the puzzle is complete.
While the pitching has changed significantly, with Verdugo, Guthrie, and Tai replacing Solveig Jørgensen, Carter Wilkinson, and Megan Sigurdsson in the starting rotation, the lineup more or less remains the same. The main difference is the lack of Sündstrom, but infield starters Baines, Gunther, Corbin, and Huang all return to one of the better-hitting units in the WBC last cycle. In the outfield, former reserve Silvia Wang represents a like-for-like swap for the retiring Schuyler Duffy, whose number joins Jørgensen and relief legend Evangeline Lu in being retired, while Elijah Tatum and Evander Stone swap positions. But while MacRaun's relentless tinkering has reshaped the pitching staff, she generally seems more or less content to let the starting lineup be.
While the influx of new nations to the World Baseball Classic has led to significant turnover in groups, the Tigers have gotten themselves quite the draw. In what deeply annoying sports radio personalities are already referring to as the "Group of Death", Super-Llamaland joins WBC50 runners-up Hapilopper and WBC52 semifinalists TJUN-ia in what should be a hard-fought battle for first place. If that wasn't enough, one of the unranked teams, Dhemixia, already has multiple players holding down key roles for LPB teams, while another, Halvrim, is...essentially Milchama's B-team, and probably shouldn't have been allowed into the competition at all. Combined with the higher variance of a ten-game group stage, and it's clear that the Llamaneans can't take a single game for granted.
Much has been made of The Deadline, Jacinta MacRaun's three-WBC limit to return the Tigers to their first WBC championship series and end what is now a thirty-six year drought. For her credit, MacRaun has revitalized the Tigers into a true contender for the WBC title, rather than a team whose sports media loudly declares that they're a favorite to win it all before losing in the Round of Sixteen again. The team's back-to-back quarterfinal appearances is literally the most consistent they've been since WBC43. But with an LBA that is increasingly obsessed with the nation's past baseball success, it's clear that nothing short of a title will satiate federation president Owen Duffy. And with the nation warning of "dire consequences" should MacRaun not get the Tigers over the line, the very fate of baseball in Super-Llamaland could be teetering on the brink.

by **Dhemixia** » Thu Jul 25, 2024 10:18 pm

Your WBC 59 Dhemixian National Team

Stadium: Brigantine Park, Columbus (also known as "The Brig"), capacity: 54,387 ["recently refurbished"].
Dimensions:
Walls are 12ft (4m) tall in Left and Left-Center, and 8ft (3m) tall in Center, Right-Center, and Right.
Left Field: 343 ft (105 m)
Left-Center Field: 364 ft (111 m)
Center Field: 403 ft (123 m)
Right-Center Field: 370 ft (113 m)
Right Field: 343 ft (105 m)

Coaching Staff:

Manager: Neil McCarthy
Assistant Coach: Theo Porter
Hitting Coach: Emmanuel Cooke
Pitching Coach: Amari Browning
Bench Coach: Erik Hardrada

Roster
For Hitters: (Batting Handedness/Throwing Handedness)
For Pitchers: (Pitching Handedness/Hitting Handedness)

Schedule
*blue signifies a home game
----------------------------------
@ HaIvrim (Jack Guzman vs. Neta Rothsenns)
vs. Juldonia (Morgan Andrews vs. __________)
@ Super-Llamaland (Cael Robertson vs. August Tai)
@ TJUN-ia (Hayden Young vs. Joseph McAlbo)
vs. Hapilopper (Jack Guzman vs. Pete Lord)
vs. HaIvrim (Morgan Andrews vs. Bella Thoron)
@ Juldonia (Cael Robertson vs. __________)
vs. Super-Llamaland (Hayden Young vs. August Tai)
vs. TJUN-ia (Jack Guzman vs. Joseph McAlbo)
@ Hapilopper (Morgan Andrews vs. Pete Lord)

RP Permissions
-----------------
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, within reason. tg/dm me beforehand
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes, also within reason. tg/dm me beforehand
Godmod other events: No
Use DH at home: No
Style modifier (if used): +2
Trigramme: DHE
Nickname: Serpents

by **Srednjaci** » Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:42 am

NATIONAL BASEBALL TEAM OF SREDNJACI - WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 59

At the last competition, our national baseball team did not perform well. In fact, the young team we sent played disastrously.
But now they are one year older and more experienced, so we sincerely hope that they will be much better this time.

The popularity of baseball in our country was mostly contributed by the competitions on International Baseball Slam !
Neptune Taru is team of the best U18 players of our League. That means, best young players of all clubs in National League will recive invitation for joyin to Neptune Taru Camp. In Camp they will be trained for International Baseball Slam tournament.
Many of those players playing now for the National team.

The first league consists of 10 clubs and the champion is the baseball club Neptune Melarit , their Firs title ever. Optima from Alt Loka, small town near City of Kula have most titles of National championships.
The other 18 clubs are divided into the second league North and the second league South.
Many foreign coaches and players are helping to develop baseball in the country and are increasingly popularizing it among children.
The largest "Pitch Nest" baseball stadium is located in the city of Taru. That the newst and modern one.
Second largest is "Jarun" in City of Kula.

National Team

Starting Rotation (order as given)
RHP #89 Mislav Španiček, 21
RHP #40 Bernard Tully, 22
LHP #41 Josip Rehak, 21
RHP #39 Nikola Lauš, 20

Bullpen
LHP #80 Iztok Marić, 21 - long reliever,
LHP #81 Robert Martinović, 19 - lefty specialist,
LHP #82 Christian Wenger, 20 - middle reliever,
RHP #83 Ljubomir Ivanovski, 22 - middle reliever,
RHP #84 Vasily Safin, 20 - middle reliever,
RHP #85 Korent Perić, 20 - middle reliever,
RHP #86 Bruno Jacelić, 19 - middle reliever
RHP #87 Leon Wong, 20 - setup,
RHP #88 Valerije Šimić, 20 - closer

Catchers (Bats/Throws)
C #62 Antun Matković, 19, (R/R)
C #18 Jakov Ivandić, 20, (R/R)
C #39 Taro Watanabe, 19, (S/R)

Infielders (Bats/Throws)
1B #28 Asmir Mujezinović, 21, (L/L)
3B #26 Kristijan Trumbović, 22, (R/R)
SS #11 Victor Kiryagin, 21, (S/R)
2B #6 Mikhail Beresutsky, 20, (L/R)
3B/1B #21 Miroslav Žubović, 18, (R/R)
SS/2B # 71 Ivan Kljaković Gašpić, 18, (S/R)

Oufielders (Bats/Throws)
RF #50 Robert Itakić, 21, (R/R)
CF #55 Ivan Josip Lozanović, 20, (R/R)
LF/RF #19 Siniša Cvetojević, 21, (R/R) - Home Run Derby
LF/RF #30 Maroje Dumbović, 20, (L/L)
OF #44 Vedran Polečki, 20, (R/R)

Velimir Isić #45 (Manager)

Bojan Vezmarić #12 (Hitting Coach)

Ivica Klaić #27 (Pitching Coach)

Ilija Ivanov #99 (1st Base Coach, Fielding Instructor)

Stanoje Đokić #52 (3rd Base Coach, Outfield/Baserunning Instructor)

Ivica Košara #5 (Bench Coach)

Kevin Leary #77 (Bullpen Coach)

Starting Lineup w/o DH
CF Ivan Josip Lozanović - Kula
3B Kristijan Trumbović - Optima Alt Loka
1B Asmir Mujezinović -Bistua Nuova
LF Maroje Dumbović vs LHP -Optima Alt Loka
RF Robert Itakić -Baseball Katanija
C Antun Matković - Optima Alt Loka
2B Mikhail Beresutsky - Neptun Melarit
SS Victor Kiryagin -Neptun Melarit
P Pitcher's spot

Starting Lineup w/DH
CF Ivan Josip Lozanović - Kula
3B Miroslav Žubović- Dormatisi BC
1B Asmir Mujezinović- Bistua Nuova
LF Siniša Cvetojević - Baseball Katanija
DH Hrvoje Rupčić vs LHP - Optima Alt Loka
RF Robert Itakić- Baseball Katanija
C Jakov Ivandić - Raduč Baseball Club
2B Mikhail Beresutsky -Neptun Melarit
SS Victor Kiryagin- Neptun Melarit

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following: 
Choose my runscorers: Yes 
Choose my lineup: No 
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes 
Godmod scoring events: Yes 
RP injuries to my players: No 
Godmod injuries to my players: No 
Eject my players: No 
Godmod other events: No 
Use DH at home: No 
Style Modifier: +2

by **Sarzonia** » Fri Jul 26, 2024 12:13 pm

Incorporated Baseball Federation Chairman Ned Coletti knew the questions would swirl as soon as he and the Incorporated Baseball Federation Board of Governors voted to hire Desmond St. John as manager.

St. John had only retired as a player six months prior. He was on the roster the previous time Sarzonia competed in the World Baseball Classic. Granted, he was a reserve until he was forced into the lineup because of the suspension to José García for homophobic comments, but he was still a reserve. So what exactly did St. John do to earn the right to manage the national team?

Well, St. John did a lot of learning and watching at the hands of former manager Geoff Yancey. He'd gotten to know Yancey from playing for him, but that relationship became a bit closer after the IBF fired him after the team's flameout in the 53rd edition.

Yancey's team were the fourth ranked team in the sport when they traveled to international debutants Soldera for a three-match series, but they utterly collapsed, getting blown out in a three-match sweep at Fleetwood Park that brought the boo birds out in force. The Stars didn't even win their group and ended up being eliminated by Milchama in the quarterfinals. Even though Soldera finished 21-9 and won the group, ultimately finishing third with a three-match sweep of the third place series, the lack of competitiveness with a team entering the WBC unranked sealed Yancey's fate.

Yancey decided to take a break from his involvement with baseball, going on holiday to Pacitalia and then returning to spend time with his grandson Khalil Calen Yancey. The boy learned to pitch from his father and uncle, and learned a bit of hitting from PopPop, but his paternal grandmother was nowhere to be found after the rancourous divorce between Geoff and Karen Yancey. St. John also got a chance to get to know K.C., and said he hoped to still be in the manager's office when K.C. gets an opportunity to try out for the national team in a few years to come.

"We felt Desmond knows the game. He's a great student of situations in baseball and he knows how to lead people," Coletti said. "He's always been inquisitive, according to [Yancey] and he's taken in as much knowledge as he can from a variety of managers. He convinced me and the Board he was ready for the responsibility."

For his part, St. John is well aware that skeptics will argue there's a huge difference between studying to be a manager and actually having real-world experience. He said he would grow, and he expected the same from the players.

"We know it's going to be an uphill battle for this team to qualify for the knockout rounds as a debutant nation," he said. "One thing that works in our favour is a much shorter group stage. With fewer matches, there's more of a chance for Margaret to rear her pretty head." St. John pointed out that other Cinderfella teams of years past shocked the WBC by qualifying for or winning the WBC in short group stages, and most of the teams that win in a grueling 30-match group stage are teams that have experience at the highest level of baseball. As for Soldera, he said that team turned out to be "a hell of a lot better than anyone thought."

"They were always competitive," he said of the Snakes. "Then all of a sudden, they got real good." After a 5-7 beginning, Soldera went on a 25-8 run that included a 16-2 record in the group stage and knockouts of the two highest-ranked teams in the multiverse before falling to eventual runners up South Newlandia in the semifinals. They would later sweep Milchama in the third place series.

St. John said he didn't have a set philosophy behind how he wanted the team to play, opting instead to determine his team's strengths and weaknesses and adapt accordingly. He said the current team taking the pitch for Sarzonia had more home run threats than the team he last played for.

"That was by design," he said. "We didn't want to be in a situation where we lost a big bat and we couldn't answer because we didn't have anyone who could be a home run threat," he said. "We're perhaps not as strong defensively as we were, but we hope we can make it up with our bats. And we hope our pitching can help us out."

At least the team won't have to give starting pitches six starts in the group stage.

"It gives us a better opportunity to get these players back to their teams and still be able to contribute in a meaningful way to their seasons," St. John said.

Coletti said he knew hiring an inexperienced manager was a risk, but said he took a similar chance on Khalil Dennis a long time ago.

"And he led us to the promised land," Coletti reminded everyone, pointing to the World Baseball Classic 18 trophy replica in the press room.

by **Zug um Zug** » Sat Jul 27, 2024 12:07 pm

Zug um Zug is a recognized puppet state of Zwangzug, founded when the latter nation became "old enough to have its own account," whatever that means. It is unclear if they represent a serious geopolitical entity, a computer simulation run by bored teenagers posting train memes, or something in between. The team, nicknamed the "Railbirds," is all-female, and due to the magic of Numbers Puppets (TM), exactly the same as the one that competed at IBS 18. Our home stadium is the Duluth Depot.

Starting rotation:
Muriel Elugia (L'Enfant Sharks)
Carole Humphrey (Snelling Saints)
Lexie Villanova (Anacostia Parliamentarians)
Noor Kaur (Avalon Rebels)
Erin Davies (Addison Whales)

Bullpen:
Triss Genebra (Cluny Scourges)
Carly Fleet (Wabash Cannonballs)
Jeanne Michel (Montparnasse Dawn)
Adrienne Wedershein (Davis Violets)
Natalie Poissoul (Duluth Coureurs)
Yulin Marshall (Westwood Rovers)
Deborah Lawrence (Gallaudet Buffalo)

Starting lineup:
2B - Tiffany Jokana (Avalon Rebels)
RF - Olivia Fernandez (Wabash Cannonballs)
1B - Karen Morris (Westwood Rovers)
CF - Anita Berger (Snelling Saints)
LF - Brenda Miller (Addison Whales)
C - Leticia Bannock (Gallaudet Buffalo)
SS - Sadako Fujiwara (L'Enfant Sharks)
3B - Bethany Gleason (Cluny Scourges)

Bench:
OF - Megan Sandburg (Anacostia Parliamentarians) (DH if needed, bats fifth)
C - Genevieve Imbadu (Montparnasse Dawn)
IF - Kelsey Mulvaney (Duluth Coureurs)
IF - Dana Spivak (Davis Violets)

If you RP first: anything goes, though I'd rather you not cause lasting harm to my players/in my country without running it by me first, and please ask before RPing unusual baseball events (such as no-hitters). But this is a silly puppet, so feel free to be absurd.

by **Zwangzug** » Sat Jul 27, 2024 1:12 pm

Team Zwangzug, known as the "Zebras," were an early force in the WBC but later faded from relevance. They competed consistently through WBC31, reappeared for 39 and 40, and then popped back again in cycle 49, having entered the last few since then. In WBC55, they were runners-up to South Newlandia in an epic extra-inning game seven. Happily, the 39-40 cycle saw Felix Wainwright break the alleged radio announcers' curse. This doesn't mean we'll necessarily have competent announcers, or any announcers at all; just that we could have some capable of holding down the job for multiple cycles. If we wanted to.

Like their distant ancestors, the Zebras are a defensively-minded team overall, eschewing many power hitters in favor of patience at the plate. Pitchers, likewise, tend more towards finesse than speed. There is no DH used when we play at our home stadium (the Worm Hole in Spenson). They tend to be somewhat new-mathy with regards to not bunting, not stealing very much, etc.

Manager: Griffith Puyo-Sachar (m). Formerly a shortstop for the Weegham Rainmakers, and a Zebras player in cycles 52-54. Now manager of the 102d Gray Sox. His wife, Nancy, is a former midfielder for the national football team. When not angsting over determinism versus free will or the dangers of robots to human identity, Griffith is actually a rather pleasant person. That he took over as Zebras manager as early as WBC55 was a slight surprise, but it paid off splendidly as the national team reached the championship series.

Starting rotation:
#14, Althea Bronca-Steat, Newport Dolphins (SNL), R/R, f, first WBC: 57
#72, Gisele Cambefort, Logrove Dolphins, L/L, f, first WBC: 57
#36, Erin Snair-Gannof, Newport Dolphins (SNL), L/L, f, first WBC: 58
#30, Tadhg Lourne, Hadiln Tigers, R/R, m, first WBC: 58
#4, Evgeny Travda, Kerlagrad Dragons, L/L, m, first WBC: 59

Bullpen:
#66, Tuan Shieh-Kuo, Noh Weir Red-Tails, R/R, m (used for high-leverage, low-duration appearances), first WBC: 57
#22, Paavo Ilmari, Frischberg Flash, L/L, m (ditto)
#9, Ellen Poiger-Snast, FTC Mustangs, R/R, f (medium relief), first WBC: 59
#12, Adrian Opter-Dain, Inver Millers, L/L, m (medium relief), first WBC: 57
#27, Megan Schmidt-Behr, Nuel Panthers, R/R, f (medium relief), first WBC: 58
#91, Brianna Edmonds, FTC Unicorns, R/R, f (long relief), first WBC: 57
#48, Jerry McOrvid, 102d Gray Sox, L/L, m (long relief), first WBC: 58

Starting lineup:
#37, Kyle Lebowicz, Belpub Wildcats, shortstop, R/R, m, first WBC: 58
#18, Lylah Cheltens, Desierto Challengers (Ko-oren), left field, R/R, f, first WBC: 58
#8, Tommy Gulnoi-Kedren, Newport Dolphins (SNL), third base, R/R, m, first WBC: 57
#64, Henry Calvo-Rich, Amandine Wanderers (Ko-oren), first base, R/R, m, first WBC: 58
#20, Herbert Quachri, Weegham Rainmakers, catcher, R/R, m, first WBC: 57
#13, Cyrus Ramakrishnan, Hadiln Tigers, second base, L/L, m, first WBC: 58
#25, Clara Tuvenza, Bassabook Grey Socks, center field, L/R, f, first WBC: 59
#31, Joshua Erasmus, Spenson Worms, right field, R/R, m, first WBC: 59
pitcher

Bench:
#67, Samantha Erst-Glaib, Inver Millers, catcher, R/R, f, first WBC: 58
#15, Susan Kulsam-Breo, Arlington Aurora, outfield, R/R, f, first WBC: 59
#80, Cedric Arx-Gowen, Zwischen Bears, corner infield, L/L, m, first WBC: 59 (DH if needed, bats sixth)
#49, Adele Doutre-Lane, Logrove Dolphins, outfield, L/L, f, first WBC: 59
#24, Matilda Toney-Lynn, FTC Unicorns, middle infield, R/R, f, first WBC: 59

Factbook is ludicrously out of date by now and just linked for tradition's sake. More information about the country is available on the wiki and is infrequently being added to. If you RP first, please roughly follow my lineup and rotation (or ICly justify any large-scale substitutions). Feel free to pick my runscorers, RP injuries to my players, and eject my players. You can be relatively creative; however, if you want to do something like literal godmoding, or something that would cause harm to my citizens/in my country, please telegram me first. Also, please ask first if you want to do something like RPing a no-hitter or statistically rare on-field event.

by **Banija** » Sat Jul 27, 2024 5:00 pm

OOC Note: It's been a while since we've talked abotu the Banijan Esportivan Territories, so here are some links to explainers on the territories

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

Omugabe Lallo, newly appointed Governor-General of BET Njaza, faces 'serious challenges' as 'political monsoon' swept to sweep Banija's Esportivan lands

District Map of the Banijan Esportivan Territories

ZANSASI, BANIJAN ESPORTIVAN TERRITORY OF NJAZA- Political change within the context of a democracy oftentimes starts slowly. A few protesters here and there, a few angry people wanting to make a specific kind of change. Then, those people organize themselves, they figure out leadership somehow, usually led by somebody charismatic, and start running people for office. Maybe within the context of an existing political party, or starting their own, brand new political party. And sometimes, you're able to make progress in small ways- get council seats, win local office, eventually having grander ambitions beyond just your locality.

Now, let's apply that logic to the Banijan Esportivan Territories. There is a territory wide legislature. 147 seats, 2/3s elected via First Past the Post constituencies within their districts- see the map above for District numbers- and the last third are elected, via perfect proportional representation(minimum of 5% territory-wide). across the Territories. Of course, there are a lot of territory specific intricacies that go into conducting an election in these far away lands, which we will get to later on in this article. But remember how we started this?

What makes the Banijan Esportivan Territories different than most democracies, is that formal democratic politics, or at least democracy in how much of Arrosia or Esportiva understands it, pretty much only happens on a territory wide level. And, of course, throughout District 1- also known as Mugishaland. Districts 2-5 are all vast majority native, and ergo, part of the legislative competence was that, at the local level, things like tribal chiefs, ancient customs, and elders would generally be respected.

So local level political organization is a tough time- unless, of course, you are in District 1. So when you think about this in the context of elections... Parties basically exist part-time throughout most of the country, and full-time in District 1. District 1, of course, is dominated by Banijans- over 90% of this district's population considers themselves Banijan. And as a district that has almost half of the total population of the entire territories.. It is crucial politically. As you could imagine... This has serious political consequences when it comes to the ability of groups to conduct elections.

Now that you have the theory, here we provide...

The Context- Political change afoot

This will be just the second ever elections held for the Territorial Legislature. It is timing as well- Omugabe Lallo, the former Olympic silver and gold medalist at 3x3 basketball, was just appointed as the Territory's Governor-General. That doesn't really effect what pollsters think are about to happen- but knowing how politics works, the former Peerless Prince will soon be forced to have a major role in this territory's politics. A lot of buildup, you say- what the hell is going on?

There is a revivalist, nationalist political movement going on among the Banijan population- the Banijan transplant population, those who trace their roots to the mainland territory of the Kingdom. What do we mean by revivalist? Well, of course, the Mormon church out here. A movement that hasn't really be brought home, or to the other populations of Mormons. What some might call a fundamentalist revival- more people going to church, and probably scarily for some, much more political, right-wing pastors and spiritual leaders.

Combine that with a nationalist movement. "Of course, the Banijan population in this land is extremely advantaged- with the power of the state behind them, and many coming here educated and with purpose, they have every advantage when it comes to locking up economic opportunity for themselves. They look around and see- this is a lot like home. But they also see... This is not like home. Much more diverse in many different ways- especaily religiously. A lot of Banija's religious laws, like mandatory tithing, national ban on products like coffee, polygamy marriage laws, etc... Don't apply here. Not to mention, most people don't speak Olusanke, many of the non-Banijans would call themselves hippies. A much more secular, plural version of Banija."

And outside of that- there's a movement that does not like that. That wants to make the Territories more like home. That wants things to be much, much different. What they needed was a charismatic leader, and a system willing to listen. Now remember, Banija's main parties don't campaign here- this place has no seats in the Lukiiko, it'd be too much money for not enough reward. There's a movement consolidated into a new, right-wing political party called the Heritage Party, which has somehow united cultural grievances and pro-business types- and suddenly sit as the favorites to form the next government.

They are led by a charismatic leader. A former athlete, in fact. Jebel Darboe- best known for being a middle reliever on Banija's WBC 47 title winning team. Of course, that was 12 cycles ago- an eternity. He moved to the Territories not that long ago, probably about a decade ago, well after his retirement. He suddenly emerged to be a right-wing personality within the Territories, and suddenly is the leader of his very own political party. "Look, these Territories are beautiful- there is a reason there is a union here between Njaza and Banija." Darboe told reporters when contacted for this article. "We don't want this to be an outpost. We know what makes Banija great- and all those in this land, which is Banija, should honor our history, embrace political change, and do their best to be proud, patriotic, God-fearing Banijan citizens."

Of course, if the Heritage Party and their allies win a Legislative majority... Then those changes can happen. They have an ambitious agenda- anti-coffee, taking direct control of things like the schooling system across the territories, adding mandatory subjects for things like religious education and Banijan 'patriotism'.

Not to mention his economic agenda. District 6 has all of the oil and gas. But the reserves under the Busiiro Rainforest, that is basically the entirety of District 7, is said to be 'limitless'. While has not pushed to drill there, with a right-wing legislature in power in Busukuma, environmentalists fear that the urge to drill for oil underneath one of Esportiva's largest rainforests will be too great- something that could cause a calamatic fight, because of the environmental concerns. Not to mention, the various uncontacted groups who live in the Busiiro Rainforest.

But can the Heritage Party win a majority? Let's take a look at the Electoral System..

Territorial Elections- How do they work?

Like we said- 147 seats. 98 via FPTP, and 49 via territorial wide PR. Let's look at the allocation.

Constituency Territorial Lukiiko Allocation
District 1/Mugishaland - 41 members
District 2/Nakaseke - 20 members
District 3/Jayunga - 8 members
District 4/Anvik - 17 members
District 5/Zelland - 10 members
District 6/Wura - 2 members

Plus 49 PR seats.

Remember the fact that District 7 is basically entirely the Busiiro Rainforest, and ergo, doesn't really have a permanent population (outside of various uncontacted peoples living inside the Rainforest). Ergo, no permanent population, no voters, no seats. Now, below we will have a summary of the demographics of each district and ethnic group.

And below, a table showing the Territory-wide demographics of each ethnic group.

So now you see the numbers here. There is overwhelming support among the Banijan population within the Heritage Party- with the way FPTP shenanigans, there are analysts who think they can win upwards of 35 out of the 41 seats in Mugishaland- they just seem to be hitting those margins just right. They also seem to be running well in District 2, where Banijans are 15% of the population- some think they can win 2 or even 3 seats, but the Heritage Party thinks they can win 4 or 5 seats there. Maybe even a seat in District 5.

But what about everywhere else? No critical mass of Banijans. Is that enough to win even a majority of FPTP setas, let alone the PR? Well, no- not yet. But... Multi-party politics is never so simple. The organizational skills of the Heritage Party cannot be matched- they have a slick operation, a lot more money than any of their opponents.

Aligned with the Heritage Party is a group called the Revivalist Party. A party basically operates in Districts 2-5, many are saying that they sourced a lot of money from the Kingdom- although nothing has been proven, and the Banijan Electoral Commission has flat out denied it. But, they are a pro-Mormon, pro-further Banijan integration group- made up of non-ethnic Banijans. Could those two parties, together, form a majority coalition government? Absolutely.

Of course, the opposition is divided. There is an umbrella group called the "Njaza United Front"- a group of 4 parties, one focused on the majority tribe in each of districts 2-5, focused almost solely on protecting autonomy. This group, of course, tends to lean left. And then, of course, there is probably the only truly cross-cultural group of the entire campaign- the Progressive League. Composed of a coalition of greens, academics, and other left-wingers, they aren't expected to do very well- but, they could play spoiler.

Not to mention, of course, this is a land with a short political history- so plenty of independents running for seats.

When Will we Know?

Well, the polls are tight. Some say that a Heritage Party-Revivalist Party coalition is 'inevitable'. Others say that they could get a plurality- and be forced into either minority governance. There is even a poll or two that says the Njaza United Front, alongside the Progressive League, could get a majoirty of seats themselves. But we will know soon enough. Ironically, the election occurs the same day as Matchday 1 of World Baseball Classic 59- so while most of the mainland is focused on Banijan baseball's quest for glory, the political animals in the Kingdom, in Esportiva, and beyond, will be watching these elections closely, as if they were the sport of the day.

by **Holy Marsh** » Sat Jul 27, 2024 7:55 pm

Change in Opponents; National Team Arrives in Zwangzug

Frischberg, Zwangzug- The Holy Marsh National Baseball Team (HMNBT) has arrived in the host nation of Zwangzug and has already spent their time in practice. They went to Rise Stadium in Frischberg, the site of their first 'home game' during the WBC, and did a quick three inning mock game following conditioning and drills before checking into their primary hotel. The robotic commanded digital economy of Zwangzug has meshed well with Marshite experience, with bench coach El’Bataram working as the main financial advisor and comptroller for the team during the tournament. "The citizenry has been very accommodating and kind, and we have no complaints about our wonderful treatment," stated bench outfielder Cahju. Indeed, the team as a whole has started playing the board game Patchwork with the intent of hosting and participating in a charity tournament on the 29th.

In more direct news relating to this WBC, a redraw due to newer ranking computations has led to a change in opponents for the HMNBT on July 31st, August 2nd, August 6th, and August 8th. The United States of Nova Calania has moved out of the Marshite group and Fezziktopia has moved into their slot, and Valanora has replaced The Cannaland Islands on August 2nd and August 8th. When asked if this is going to change the expected rotation or in-game strategies, Manager Verdaloop responded that it did not change. "We are going to play our style of ball regardless of our opponents. That's all we can do, and all we plan on doing," he replied. Pitching Coach Strygjae agreed. "All of our opponents will be new to us and we will be new to them. No need to concern ourselves about changing opponents just yet."

Updated Schedule:

Ethnic Groups	Total Population	Total Population %
Banijans	1,250,380	45.30%
Nakaseke	485,320	17.58%
Jayunga	212,850	7.71%
Anvik	461,720	16.73%
Zelgian	256,960	9.31%
Other Native	47,560	1.72%
Other	45,710	1.66%
Totals	2,760,500	100.00%

World Baseball Classic 59 (IC thread)

World Baseball Classic 59 (IC thread)

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