World Baseball Classic 60: Everything Thread

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 7:10 pm

Lucien Azagury-Zovaco was feeling dizzy, almost out of it when visiting the Daemyeongoong Palace.

The weekly meeting with the Prime Minister, set and held under the coordination of Sir. Cliff Gerrard, Private Secretary to the Sovereign, wasn't the issue that he had. The visit to the Palace itself, a 1760s palace made under the Alexandrinian style of arcitecture with its limestone decorations and mountains of roof tiles, was the procedure that he was familiar with, having been in the Prime Ministership for seven years by this point in time. The palace itself, while not located right in the immediate eye of the public, was very much part of Joongyeong proper and was routinely refurbished to provide the latest additions available where necessary.

He didn't mind that so much. For Lucien, this was close to a power that he could have gotten in a stratified society like Quebec and Shingoryeo. Being the second generation immigrant, children of Tamazghan Jews, he was closer to Arsene Pineau Kim, a fellow immigrant's child whose parents were St. Croix professors from Acadiana no less, than his preceding party leader, long-disgraced Pierre 'Peepee' Pointon. Growing up middle class in the heart of Joongyeong, he had a stable education at one of the capitol's better-known lycees, Alexandre-II, and then a PPE degree at St. Croix to follow.

Perhaps that was why Lucien's foray into the federal politics, and also with Moogoongwha Party looking to rebrand its image, felt so natural. For what he had lacked in background, Lucien certainly made up for it with wit and ability to compromise in ways eerily similar to the Mayor of Songak and eventually the PJLQ leader Arsene Kim possessed. This was the comparison that he did not mind, the two of them having met through their respective interests in squash and shared group of mentors. His ability to present a solution, especially to the Red Tory voters increasingly tired of PeePee but weren't so enamoured with cultic fervours of Arsene Kim's PJLQ or the liberal-liberal NPD, was the reason why he unanimously won Moogoongwha Party leadership at age 44 in 2056.

He still had to wait a few more years, of course. While Arsene Kim would walk off while on the peak of his popularity in 2058, and Jacques Lee Ellington blow it apart in less than a year, his old friend, former Greater Menagwes Mayor Irene Kweon Binnington took the front by storm that election. While her term would only work under a coalition with the Greens and a smaller PJLQ, it would end up lasting all the way to the end of amended four year term. So when the time came for him to be elected in 2063 General Elections, mere months after the disastrous management of the 2062 Summer Olympics' closing ceremony that many had regarded as an Cenian act of betrayal on international community, he had seen plenty.

Fortunately for him, the seven years of his Prime Ministership had been mostly stable. This might have been due to the increasingly unstable state of international affairs abroad, most notably in Rushmore where Nephara would go isolationist in a mist, Eura overtaken by reformist factions infecting the hyper-urbanised state, and Mytanija likely to return to the state of isolationism following two to three years of nationwide instability. But Lucien also governed mostly in consultative status, choosing not to waste so much time bickering in an effort to avoid the spreading of extremist fervours from abroad.

Of course, right now was a challenging time for him though, especially with the Hotel Cheval Noir bombing just two months ago. The Quebecois had acted out accordingly, rounding up the Quebeco-Shingoryeoite Jopok rumoured to have been working under a Busogan terrorist abroad, the latest revelations coming from the NIS weren't so much on that. It was rather over the upcoming plan by the Montevician Prince, 43-year old Louis III, and a Mwasi-Africain billionaire Ferran Tusk intending to self-coup and impose a martial law in the principate of 650,000 people, with the intention to rule it under so-called Project 2070.

The Privy Council meeting, which would involve past PMs and both him, Kweon Binnington and the members of the royal family, had briefed all of them of the upcoming security threat, but the plan still had to be drafted to counter it on the earliest moment possible. Considering the tendencies of Louis III, whom many in the Quebecois nobility and the royalty had shunned to be too low-class in essence, this could happen any day or week. All of this, of course, was frustrating enough considering the topic of discussion for today's meeting - the ACES conference in Raynor City.

'Your majesty,' said Lucien, as he gave a light neck bow before kissing her palm. 'Good to be here in your presence once again.'

'Likewise, Lucien,' Christine II answered, as she sat on her chair while Lucien stood. This was a custom that had been around time immemorial, and even the modernisation of many courtly customs had not taken that away, usually under the insistence of past Prime Ministers who, in many ways, were royalists at heart. This included Lucien, who was no different from Arsene Kim or Thierry Saganash in this regard. 'Please tell me what your thoughts are regarding the ACES Summit.'

'Well, ma'am, you know just as much as anybody else here in the room when it comes to the Vanorians' intent,' Lucien answered. 'But it appears to be an universally-agreed initiative that is less likely to be driven by a few, as you would see in Anaia, rather closer to the multipolar model exhibited in the CRC. Right now, the southwestern Arrosia is where lots of regional activities occur, but it's probable that those on the northernly half of it, namely Patriotlandia, Squornshelous, and likely our Avatarian allies, agree to the vision as well.'

'I suppose that's reasonable enough. It shouldn't be led by a nefarious core of players the same way we've seen Anaia and Rushmore fall into it,' Christine nodded. 'But do you think that we should attend the summit, especially with continued state of uncertainty at home?'

'I don't think that should change your determination, ma'am, especially when we consider that the military chain of command were present at the Privy Council meeting. Additionally, the presence of like-minded, progressive nations at the summit should pave way for greater international cooperation against extremeism,' Lucien answered. 'Bigger question, however, is over who is expected to be present in case where both of us are heading to Valanora at earliest possible opportunity.'

'It could be Philippe, my brother, recalled from Istria under stately and naval duties, or that my husband, the Duke of Halifax, be present in my place,' Christine answered. 'I believe that both myself and the Prime Minister ought attend the function due to the nature of summits like this. But it is worth thinking about the arrangements and handle whatever contingencies in a field manual style the way we'd be expected to do so.'

'Indeed, your majesty. While most of the stately visits would only involve either of us heading, such a summit would require the presence of both the head of state and government to attend accordingly,' answered Lucien. 'In that case, I will notify the cabinet and the Prime Minister's office to adjust the logistics accordingly for the summit in a week's time.'

'Thank you, Lucien,' Christine answered. 'Now, can you please tell me what the Queen Mother's been up to with her Balle de Balons plan...'

by **Milchama** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 9:01 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

Race for Erez Goldman Heats Up

Last year in the MBL the Tel Morlin Wizards were relegated. We all know that, we watched the games, saw the standings etc. However, there was one big thing in their relegation. It was despite the exploits of their star first baseman Erez Goldman. Goldman, the current Milchamian starter, is still currently employed with the Wizards in his day job but that seems pretty obvious to change. With Tel Morlin's relegation having the Milchamian starter on the team is much too expensive and Goldman has made some sounds about wanting better competition than would be available in the Milchama League. So this seems a pretty cut and dried conclusion about part of how this saga will end, which is with Erez Goldman on a new team.

While, obviously, Tel Morlin would love to keep the Milchamian starter it's a little hard to keep the guy when you just got relegated. Fans of the Wizards, for their part, seem to be ok with their star man understanding the inevitably and mostly cursing management for not doing enough with the rest of the roster to keep the Wizards up in the MBL and thus keeping Goldman. The new GM of the Wizards, Count Omer Goldbloom¹, has said that he will be prioritizing keeping shortstop Ehud Vernon and centerfielder Emmet Trustman, aka the only other good players on Tel Morlin, in their promotion push back to the MBL and fans seem to be fine with it. For their part both Vernon and Trustman have said they plan on staying.

There is one other part that we still don't know yet, which is where will Erez Goldman end up? So the sweepstakes are on! While every team would obviously love a Erez Goldman, some already have some good first basemen and don't need a new guy coming in. So let's look at our contenders:

Alexandria Commies - Do already have a first baseman in Marius McNeesh and while that would get awkward, quickly, McNeesh is slowing down and getting a replacement would be something that the Commies have done in the past. They are the wildcard here as a disappointing 5th place finish, despite prognosticators thinking the Commies were shoo ins for the playoffs, have made Commies fans mad and wanting massive change in the offseason. There is really only one player on the marker who could do it and Goldman would be just the fit.

Karakorum Horses - The newly promoted side obviously need reinforcements to stay up and nothing would be better than a great slugging first baseman.

New Babylon Pirates - The Pirates were clearly a hitter away last year as they were not good enough to really push for the playoffs. Adding at least a 5 WAR player in Goldman would clearly give them the boost they need to challenge for the playoffs next year.

Of course Milchamian teams are not only ones vying for Goldman's services, while no LPB teams have bid for him, yet, there are also Banijan teams that could use a slugger on like Goldman.

Herzegovina City Hippos - The Hippos were the best Banijan team last year, in fact the only Banijan team to make the playoffs last year in the MBL. And while the Herzegovina did make the final, it wasn't good enough. Moreover, just being in the running isn't enough for a team with real ambitions so the Hippos are in with a shout.

Busukuma Rhinos - Like all the other, non Hippo, teams the Rhinos were terrible last year. At 77-89 and in 12th place they almost got themselves relegated. Thus, the only question anybody from Busukuma had was "how do we get better?" And there's a clear answer in a player who not only dominated the competition but also plays first base for one of the best national teams in the world. Thus the Rhinos are particularly interested.

Now the fun begins. The real question that Goldman needs to answer and one that will dictate quite a few things is does he want to stay in Milchama? There are clear reasons to stay but also leaving across the border to Banija would open up a whole new realm of player movement, one anticipated by both the MBA and the BBA, that would change both countries but one that may be too soon for a player of Goldman's status. We'll let the scenarios unfold and then work from there.

¹ Important note for our international readers; there are no titles of nobility in Milchama. The count thing is a nickname and a joke. Look up Count Omer to see more.

by **Banija** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 9:32 pm

Hello folks! Welcome to the second cutoff for World Baseball Classic 60! Good luck to all!

I know you all are STARVING for scores

RP Prompt: Tell us about the best vacation spot in your nation. Where do tourists love to go, or locals? Does it have natural wonders, or is it littered with resorts? Who are the frequent attendees at this spot? Tell all!

(Reminder that RP Prompt can be amended or ignored by users at their choosing. There is no punishment for ignoring the prompt, nor any bonus for following it).

OOC reminder that penalties have started for not having your roster in, so if you haven't yet, get those rosters in!

Matchday 3 Scores

Group A
Ranoria                     0 0 0 0 3 0 3 2 1  9
Kamijiro                    0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  2

Loyo                        2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Tarcena                     0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  3

Busoga Islands              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1  4
Banija                      2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1  5


  Group A                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                       3    3   0    22    6  +16
2 Ranoria                      3    2   1    16   14   +2
3 Kamijiro                     3    2   1    17   19   −2
4 Tarcena                      3    1   2     8   13   −5
5 Loyo                         3    1   2     5   12   −7
6 Busoga Islands               3    0   3    13   17   −4

Group B
Visayas Islands             0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0  3
Ingont                      0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 X  4

Liventia                    0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  5
The Kytler Peninsulae       0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  4

HUElavia                    2 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 1  8
Milchama                    0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3  5


  Group B                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 HUElavia                     3    2   1    15   23   −8
2 Milchama                     3    2   1    22   14   +8
3 Liventia                     3    2   1    19   14   +5
4 Ingont                       3    2   1    13   11   +2
5 The Kytler Peninsulae        3    1   2    11   12   −1
6 Visayas Islands              3    0   3    11   17   −6

Group C
Eshialand                   0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3  6
Zwangzug                    0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1  4

Crpostran                   0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  4
Circola                     3 1 0 2 1 1 1 1 X 10

Woodsmere                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Vaishnavaria                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0


  Group C                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Circola                      3    3   0    22   14   +8
2 Eshialand                    3    2   1    16   13   +3
3 Woodsmere                    3    2   1     8    9   −1
4 Zwangzug                     3    1   2    14   11   +3
5 Vaishnavaria                 3    1   2     6    5   +1
6 Crpostran                    3    0   3     6   20  −14

Group D
Oscioru                     0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1  4
StrayaRoos                  0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  3

Abanhfleft                  0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Drawkland                   1 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 X  5

Kelapa                      1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  3
The Mind Corporation        0 2 0 0 1 2 0 2 X  7


  Group D                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Drawkland                    3    3   0    19    6  +13
2 The Mind Corporation         3    2   1    25   18   +7
3 Kelapa                       3    2   1    19   19    0
4 Abanhfleft                   3    1   2    16   17   −1
5 Oscioru                      3    1   2    11   22  −11
6 StrayaRoos                   3    0   3    13   21   −8

Group E
Cardenao                    1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Quebec and Shingoryeo       0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2

Dhemexia                    0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0  4
Mt Panorama                 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2

Chobotan                    0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0  5
Nova Calania                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2  3


  Group E                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Dhemexia                     3    3   0    14    7   +7
2 Cardenao                     3    2   1     8    8    0
3 Mt Panorama                  3    1   2    15   11   +4
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo        3    1   2     9   17   −8
5 Chobotan                     3    1   2    10   13   −3
6 Nova Calania                 3    1   2    10   10    0

Group F
The Kaisers Syndicates      0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 1  5
Ko-oren                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0  4

New Umoja                   1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1  6
TJUN-ia                     0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0  5

Oateria                     0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Equestria                   0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 X  2


  Group F                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 New Umoja                    3    2   1    13   14   −1
2 Ko-oren                      3    2   1    10    6   +4
3 Equestria                    3    2   1    14   13   +1
4 TJUN-ia                      3    1   2    12    8   +4
5 Oateria                      3    1   2     8   10   −2
6 The Kaisers Syndicates       3    1   2    14   20   −6

Group G
Tikariot                    0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 0  6
Sarzonia                    0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Valanora                    1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1  4
Natkr                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Thaeloria                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
South Newlandia             0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 X  4


  Group G                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Newlandia              3    3   0    18    1  +17
2 Valanora                     3    2   1    16   15   +1
3 Natkr                        3    2   1    11   12   −1
4 Thaeloria                    3    1   2    14   16   −2
  Tikariot                     3    1   2     9   11   −2
6 Sarzonia                     3    0   3     8   21  −13

Matchday 4 Scores

Group A
Kamijiro                    0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0  3
Banija                      0 0 0 3 0 1 1 0 X  5

Tarcena                     0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0  4
Busoga Islands              0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 X  5

Ranoria                     2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Loyo                        1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 X  3


  Group A                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                       4    4   0    27    9  +18
2 Loyo                         4    2   2     8   14   −6
3 Ranoria                      4    2   2    18   17   +1
4 Kamijiro                     4    2   2    20   24   −4
5 Busoga Islands               4    1   3    18   21   −3
6 Tarcena                      4    1   3    12   18   −6

Group B
Ingont                      0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Milchama                    0 0 4 0 0 2 0 1 X  7

The Kytler Peninsulae       0 0 0 5 1 1 3 1 0 11
HUElavia                    0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  3

Visayas Islands             0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0  4
Liventia                    0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1  3


  Group B                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Milchama                     4    3   1    29   16  +13
2 Liventia                     4    2   2    22   18   +4
3 The Kytler Peninsulae        4    2   2    22   15   +7
4 Ingont                       4    2   2    15   18   −3
5 HUElavia                     4    2   2    18   34  −16
6 Visayas Islands              4    1   3    15   20   −5

Group C
Zwangzug                    0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0  3
Vaishnavaria                0 0 2 0 0 2 3 0 X  7

Circola                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  3
Woodsmere                   0 0 3 1 0 1 2 3 X 10

Eshialand                   0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  3
Crpostran                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1


  Group C                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Woodsmere                    4    3   1    18   12   +6
2 Circola                      4    3   1    25   24   +1
3 Eshialand                    4    3   1    19   14   +5
4 Vaishnavaria                 4    2   2    13    8   +5
5 Zwangzug                     4    1   3    17   18   −1
6 Crpostran                    4    0   4     7   23  −16

Group D
StrayaRoos                  2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  3
The Mind Corporation        2 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 X  6

Drawkland                   0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 6  9
Kelapa                      0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2

Oscioru                     1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  5
Abanhfleft                  0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  6


  Group D                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Drawkland                    4    4   0    28    8  +20
2 The Mind Corporation         4    3   1    31   21  +10
3 Kelapa                       4    2   2    21   28   −7
4 Abanhfleft                   4    2   2    22   22    0
5 Oscioru                      4    1   3    16   28  −12
6 StrayaRoos                   4    0   4    16   27  −11

Group E
Quebec and Shingoryeo       1 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 4  9
Nova Calania                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Mt Panorama                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Chobotan                    0 2 0 3 3 2 3 0 X 13

Cardenao                    2 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 1  7
Dhemexia                    4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  6


  Group E                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Cardenao                     4    3   1    15   14   +1
2 Dhemexia                     4    3   1    20   14   +6
3 Quebec and Shingoryeo        4    2   2    18   17   +1
4 Chobotan                     4    2   2    23   14   +9
5 Mt Panorama                  4    1   3    16   24   −8
6 Nova Calania                 4    1   3    10   19   −9

Group F
Ko-oren                     0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3  5
Equestria                   1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2

TJUN-ia                     0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Oateria                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  2

The Kaisers Syndicates      0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  2
New Umoja                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3


  Group F                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                      4    3   1    15    8   +7
2 New Umoja                    4    3   1    16   16    0
3 Equestria                    4    2   2    16   18   −2
4 Oateria                      4    2   2    10   11   −1
5 TJUN-ia                      4    1   3    13   10   +3
6 The Kaisers Syndicates       4    1   3    16   23   −7

Group G
Sarzonia                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
South Newlandia             0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 X  3

Natkr                       1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  5
Thaeloria                   0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  2

Tikariot                    0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0  3
Valanora                    1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1


  Group G                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Newlandia              4    4   0    21    1  +20
2 Natkr                        4    3   1    16   14   +2
3 Tikariot                     4    2   2    12   12    0
4 Valanora                     4    2   2    17   18   −1
5 Thaeloria                    4    1   3    16   21   −5
6 Sarzonia                     4    0   4     8   24  −16

by **Ranoria** » Tue Mar 25, 2025 7:24 am

The Celery Isn't Supposed To Be Red

Clackclackclackclack

Yahweh Bohannon scraped the remains of the sassafras from the cutting board and into a bowl, then snagged the next vegetable.

When you're the ace pitcher for a World Baseball Classic championship, life is pretty good. And Yahweh Bohannon was just that. The fireballer had pitched 9 innings in the series-winning game six against Banija's Lions and 8.1 in game 1. Both wins, just three earned runs allowed, and nineteen total strikeouts - Concord Heights had seen him ascend from a talented pitcher to a superstar.

So when the team rode into Banija, they felt like they were hot shit. Sure, they were basically running it back with the same roster, just six years older. And sure, some of the guys on that championship squad had been average in their prime. But that wouldn't hurt, right?

Yeah anyway they got torched. Eight to one, including a three-run bomb from Sadiiq Xoosh that really broke the thing open.

Clackclackclackclack

Another scrape. 'The Cannon' wasn't in a great mood, but the cooking gave him something to focus on besides, you know, being bad at baseball the other day. The one thing in life that he was better than almost anybody at, and he had downright sucked.

Clackclackclackclack

Unfortunately, like with all his other hobbies, he failed to really consider the potential jeopardy to that one thing he was really good at. And he was almost in a trance at this point, moving automatically with a very large knife while very much lost in thought.

clunk

Another scrape, this time of celery, and he went to grab another vegetable, only to see an odd pool of red fluid on the cutting board.

That's weird, celery isn't red.

Then his eyes moved about a quarter inch to the left, went wide as saucers, and Mr Bohannon got very dizzy very fast.

Some might ask how he managed to almost completely chop his index finger off while prepping dinner. A few more might ask why he was wielding the knife in his off hand - that didn't make much sense.

Most just wanted to know when he was back for the World Baseball Classic though, obviously. What the implications were for the team. If it really mattered after that disaster against the Lions. And if there were any long-standing consequences for his career.

Krauts Ace OUT for Remainder of World Baseball Classic 60 With Finger Injury

The Cannon Bohannon has always been a star, but has had a tendency to get injured off the
diamond in remarkable ways going all the way back to high school

In a shocking development, Yahweh Bohannon, the Krauts' star pitcher who went 2-0 in the WBC Championship series with two dominant performances, has been ruled out for the remainder of the Classic. He apparently almost completely severed the index finger of his throwing hand while preparing dinner.

According to team manager Leonardo Harrison, the surgery was completed within a couple hours, so Bohannon should heal completely, but it won't be fast.

The team's longtime doctor Melina Fulches called it "the most bizarre surgery I've ever had to perform on an athlete," and gave an estimated return timeline of 4-6 months - though she said that was optimistic, as fine motor control likely wouldn't be back until month four. Bohannon apologized profusely when he bravely showed up for the presser, looking to almost be in tears after "letting the whole damn country down" in his words.

His legacy is far from hurt - a single group stage flop won't kill the guy, and Ranorian fans all over social media and networks have been huffing enough copium about why we got blown out that none of them believe he was at fault - but he's certainly lost a chance to add to a resume that includes a world championship and a South Newlandian title. We'll likely see him next back in the LPB playing for everyone's favorite team, the Elephant Valley Snow Bears, who will not be losing to the Blue Sox in four.

by **Kamijiro** » Tue Mar 25, 2025 8:53 am

Diamond IX, Vol. 2, Part 2: The Team Reunites.

After a long time away from the national team, the Diamond IX are officially reunited. Planes from all over the country land at Spolia International on Jirō Island for the short walk to the baseball stadium. The first ones in were the Chamonix crew, who had met up at the airport in Trèves to fly as a team. Orielle, the team captain, hung around at the airport to wait for the rest of the team as Ryuji and Emi Phaëthon acted as guides to the stadium - they are the locals, after all. Orielle takes out a checklist and mutters to herself as she goes over who's where. "I'm here, Adélaïde's here, Devyn's here, Napoleon's here, Magurix is here... all of the Islanders should be here as well. Just waiting on the Miraisaki guys and the St. Jerome guys, I guess. Oh, and Markus."

The next plane arriving was from St. Jerome. Off stepped both Clarence and Howard, who surprisingly get along well despite their polar opposite upbringings. Lucian isn't far behind, sporting a trenchcoat and parasol despite the subtropical climate. He gives Orielle a smile and a nod as he walks by, his pale skin glowing slightly even as he hides perfectly from the sun. Before much longer, a private plane arrives with every Miraisaki resident on the team in tow. Atsuji strolls out first and blows a kiss to Orielle. She rolls her eyes, but smiles to him. He then turns around and grabs both Maou and Tenshi to get them to stop arguing so damn loud in the airport. Shousuke and Daijiro walk off the plane in silence. The Porto de Kamijiro plane arrives next, with Joaquim and Félix both walking in with headphones on. They're both introverts, no surprises there.

Markus is the last to arrive. He's been taking baseball quite seriously since signing for the St. Riecairn Saints in South Newlandia and he's muscled up quite a bit. When he left the Diamond IX following their elimination, he was a shy kid from a tiny beach town in New Volendam, but he's clearly much more confident and outgoing.

"Yoooo, Orielle!"
"Markus." Orielle replies, standing up. "You're last to arrive, let's get going."
"Damn. I got the first flight here, swear it."
"All good, we're still well ahead of schedule. I fully expected Atsuji to be five hours late."
"Oh, he actually showed up to something on time?"
"Yeah. Shocker." Orielle grins. "I mean, he's actually good at showing up when he cares about something. But still, guess he's improving on that."

The two of them walk the fifteen minutes to the field, where the team is warming up. It's clear who had been practicing. Markus, Howard and Félix look like double the players they were before they left for South Newlandia, but the Narakugai guys (Atsuji, Maou and Tenshi) have clearly had no time to practice. Their gang had taken over a large swath of downtown Miraisaki due to their bootlegging operation, which requires a ton of upkeep. Atsuji's pitch control looks shaky at best, Maou's a lot faster around the bases but can't hit off of a tee, and Tenshi's pitch speed has taken a pretty big hit. Everybody else seems to have maintained their abilities, otherwise. The new guys look good, too. Joaquim, Adélaïde and Devyn are all pitching straight heat in the pitchers versus batters scrimmage, all three of them striking out multiple batters. Orielle's pitching remains a marvel to behold, her two-handed abilities something that batters have trouble keeping up with.

The first two games of the group stage went about as planned, with the Diamond IX taking two wins. Lucian slammed in another home run against Tarcena in the sixth (he flashed those sharp teeth of his as he rounded the bases) and the team gave Joaquim Gomes his first mound appearance in the top of the ninth. He allowed a single run, but he was able to calm his nerves and strike out two of the next three to close down the first win. The second game was a thrilling comeback after Clarence "Sunrise" Bartley had a terrible third inning to put the Kamijiroans in a 7-3 hole. However, the bats came to life behind homers from Lucian and Napoleon, plus some solid batting from Markus and Maou to give the Kamijiroans the lead back in the seventh. A relieving trio of Devyn, Ellie and Tenshi kept a shutout after the fourth, with Tenshi striking out three straight in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win.

However, the trouble begins here. Going against established teams like Ranoria and Banija, the Diamond IX froze in the spotlight. Adélaïde Mignault lost her damn mind in the top of the fifth against Ranoria after giving up a three-run homer. She proceeded to throw a pitch directly at the next batter and got ejected. This threw the entire bullpen off, as no one was really warmed up yet. Shousuke replaced her, but he got picked apart in the top of the seventh as the Kamijiroans floundered and fell into a 6-1 hole. Joaquim Gomes didn't do much better, giving up another two runs in the top of the eighth, the deficit growing to 8-1. A solo homer from Ryuji Phaëthon clawed back a single run. Tenshi came in for the ninth and allowed a single run and despite the Kamijiroans being at the meat of their batting order, they couldn't get another run. 9-2 loss.

The Banija game was a similar story, but Orielle kept her head a little better than Adélaïde did, despite the three-run homer she gave up. She held it together for the rest of the inning, then held for another in the bottom of the fifth. The bullpen allowed two more runs, but it was the lack of run support that did the Diamond IX in this time. Three runs total didn't cut it, with every run being solo homers. The contact hitters lacked their usual ability to get on base, or when they did, they simply just didn't get brought home. A team meeting was held immediately after the game.

Orielle started. "Loyo's next. We have to grab a win. It's at home, they're good but we're better. This shit can't go on."
Atsuji sat in silence, fuming at his situation. He's now under a lot more pressure than he expected - a loss in the next game would push the Diamond IX to a losing record. A win would put them back above .500, where they'd be in a much, much more comfortable spot. "Fuck this." He said, getting up. "I'll do what I can. But I swear, if I don't get any help..."
"We're doing our best!" Magurix replied. "They're good pitchers and we're still getting back into the swing of things. No pun intended. More importantly, we just need to stay calm. Even if we go below .500 for right now, there's a ton of time left in the group stage. Just stay calm, please."
"Not good enough!" Was the emphatic shout back by Atsuji. "If this is your best, it's not good enough."

Suddenly, Lucian rises. "Silence."
The room goes dead quiet, nobody moving. "Forget the past five minutes."
He snaps his fingers, and as if in a trance, everybody sits down and waits.
"Release." Another snap of his fingers.

Everybody snaps back to attention. "Orielle's right." Lucian said, calmly. "We'll do our best. Everybody."

"Diamond IX on three..." Orielle counts in.
"Three, two, one... DIAMOND IX!"

by **Ko-oren** » Tue Mar 25, 2025 12:12 pm

v TJUN-ia - Katashi Dome (43000) Katahshi
@ Oateria
v Kaisers Syndicates - Uvesaki Field (20150) Ethizehn
@ Equestria
v New Umoja - Obsidian Hive (19800) Erpuhnur
@ TJUN-ia
v Oateria - Vidari Stadium (17600) Setergehse
@ Kaisers Syndicates
v Equestria - Naminaka Park (14500) Amahsohla
@ New Umoja
v TJUN-ia - Le Losange (20900) Amahne
@ Oateria
v Kaisers Syndicates - Vamada Océanique (12300) Ethuweri
@ Equestria
v New Umoja - Colenario Municipal (14600) Kolunedin
@ TJUN-ia
v Oateria - Ventovente (22100) Erpubehte
@ Kaisers Syndicates
v Equestria - The Citadel (33000) Thelesra
@ New Umoja

World Baseball Classic - the best reason to visit the south. And with ten home games, all spaced out, there's no better time to schedule a few extra days off in the mildest part of the country at this time of year. While most of Ko-oren is geared towards domestic tourism with a motto 'anywhere but here', as in, people are encouraged to travel to wherever they haven't been to, international visitors tend to flock to the same parts of the country. That's either the big cities (the four capitals, Ilohbonu, and Garihnkatar), or the greater southwest (baseball country). So what's the draw?

Our tour starts in Katahshi, the major city of the eastern islands. If you've followed Ko-orenite baseball before, you'll probably already know more than we could tell you here in a single paragraph. You might know their palaces or their sweet and sour cuisine. And honestly, the same goes for most of the places on the eastern islands. Ethizehn has the mildest cuisine of them all, located closest to the mainland, but boasts some impressive sights for a city that small. Erpuhnur, where we'll face New Umoja, is a university city that is the starting point of rainforest journeys, and therefore a big thing with those looking for the best natural destinations. Setergehse, well, you can't schedule the national team without including the fourth of the four eastern islands, no matter how, uhh, hard a sell it is to foreigners. Nothing against the place, but between the fields around Ethizehn, the rainforests past Erpuhnur, and literally everything in Katahshi, it might not be the most impressive place to go. That said, it's a good thing the national team gets to visit, so the locals can see what good baseball is. They might love baseball, but they're cursed with having the Originals in town. Last in our tour of the islands is Amahsohla, nearly tropical. Most people who go here try not to do too much while they're there...

The remaining games are on the mainland, where we're starting with the odd one out. Amahne, the third largest city of Ko-oren, located pretty far away from the rest of the southwest, and a unique cultural city. Leaving that, we're seeing more southeastern energy with the second best natural destination in Ko-oren: Ethuweri. From there, the Amandinoren National Parks aren't far away, but even without those, the city draws enough visitors by itself. Located on the calm side of the bay, it's the place with the best weather, the highest standard of living, and a blue zone. From there, we complete a trip past all of the ProNine baseball stadiums: Kolunedin, mostly desert and fairly overlooked, Erpubehte, with the best restaurants and food in the country, a rare spicy dot on the map, and Thelesra, a fortress atop the cliffs at the far southeastern end of the country, now with a whole sprawling city around it.

by **The Mind Corporation** » Tue Mar 25, 2025 9:25 pm

Motivator
Raoul

OOC: Randomly generated number (between 300 and 500) for this matchday: 353

Svarn

When designing the Units for the Mind Corporation's first foray into baseball, along with deciding the pilots that will be paired off with those Units past the barrier, the Second Baseman position was difficult. Knowing that the duo of The Madeira and The Vincente would be more of a defensive pairing in charge of "Raoul", it was determined by Motivator X-329 that the one in charge of Second Baseman "Svarn" would be the polar opposite.

So, they tuned the Unit known as "Svarn" to be a bit more power-driven, right-handed, and big in stature. As for the Pilot, The Network allowed Motivator X-329 the permissions needed to pull over a Pilot who'd been in hand-to-hand combat while in charge of other Units in the past - simply known as The Collector.

In their last three Piloting excursions, The Collector has piloted Units that were a headsman during an iteration set in the equivalent of the Medieval Age, a Monk Enforcer in an iteration set in a fantasy world where the Monk had to fight off both magical and non-magical threats, and a Shield Warden in an iteration set in a futuristic world where space zombies were present. Not a stranger to combat, The Collector is aware of how to notice threats and neutralize them.

In this instance, the threat is the ball - and The Collector's only job with "Svarn" is to crush it. "Raoul" and the Third Baseman Unit/The Shortstop Unit are equipped well enough to handle any fielding deficiencies "Svarn" will create, meaning the only thing The Collector has to do is hit the ball and hit it hard.

Through the first four games, "Svarn" leads all Units of The Mind Corporation with ten of the thirty-one runs batted in, including three home runs. The Collector reports that they're reading the game very clearly, and that "it's both very much more complicated while being so devastatingly simple at the same time".

There may come a game or two where the all-in nature of "Svarn" will come back to bite The Mind Corporation - but chances are that those will be far in between.

by **Drawkland** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 6:11 am

7,000

History of the Hit Record - The Contender - Glenn and Gelia - The New Fire - Shooting For 6

It was time for Lane Kavana’s second year with the Gelia Blues. While some people were prepared to call his first season with the Blues a step back and a failure, Lane considered it moving in the right direction. Slugging percentage? OPS? Starting more in right field than center? Fewest games played since he blew out his knee a decade and a half ago? All irrelevant. The only number he cared about was 237: the number of base hits he’d knocked that season.

The idea of racking up sabermetric stats was simply absurd to Lane at this point. As long as he was productive enough for GMs to continue giving him money and managers to continue giving him playing time, that was alright with him. His two-year deal with Gelia was flipping over to its second half, so he had job security for the coming season. He was also close friends with the manager, Glenn Sutton, from the time they’d shared on the Base Corps. It would be arrogant to say that Glenn was in Lane’s pocket, but he did have somebody in the organization in his corner.

That said, even Lane knew that his first year in Gelia wasn’t up to his typical standards. He grounded into a career-high 19 double plays. That was only natural, given his new ground ball approach for many of his ABs. He walked half as many times as he had his last season in Raikennax, 102 dropped all the way down to 49. Lane considered that an even trade considering he also struck out the fewest times in his career: a mere 42 Ks. What bugged him the most was the 37 doubles. It was only the third time in his 26-year career that he didn’t hit over 40 doubles. Again, the heavily increased ground ball rate does that to you.

Stir-Crazy

Now Lane had to get back to the lab. His offseason was wide open. No World Baseball Classic that year to prepare for, he didn’t have to move or figure out a free agency decision, and he hadn’t had a girl since his first year at Raikennax when his long-term girlfriend left him for spending “too much time doing baseball.” Like that was even possible. It was probably for the better, anyway. It afforded him as much time as he needed to study, work out, and continue working on his plate approach.

Even this endeavor proved to be difficult. After nearly two months of constant work, Lane was starting to go a little insane. With the batting cage, pitching machine, and other training equipment all contained in his home gym, he’d really only left the house to get food and essentials. It was almost like a voluntary quarantine, though it was mostly accidental. He could feel that he was starting to max out what he could accomplish by standing in the cage all day, but every hour spent not working felt like an hour wasted. He wasn’t getting younger, but the pitchers in the league sure were. Every step he lost robbed him from a potential hit, and he would need every last one if he was gonna come away with the record.

He needed something more. A change of pace and scenery would probably do well, he thought. What he wanted was live batting practice, but that was going to be hard to come by in the middle of winter. As he’d found during his crusade to improve the Base Corps roster, Lane was not very popular among the pitchers of the PBL. His attitude, his infuriating skill at the plate, his apparent hate of anybody opposing him on the mound, it didn’t lead to him making many friends. The few pitchers who wouldn’t immediately ignore his calls were all members of the Base Corps, so that’s what Lane had to work with.

The first order of business was to establish a venue. Gelia wasn’t too far north, but the winters were a little too chilly to comfortably play outside. Lane wanted a place where they could block out a local ballfield and get some full-field BP. He needed some place in the south where the weather was still acceptably warm. Fortunately, he knew somebody who lived in a place like that.

Enlistment

“Hey Brammer,” Lane blurted into the phone. “What are you up to this month? In town? Doing anything special?”

“Hey.” Abram Kavana answered with a sigh. “No, I’m not doing anything. What’s up?”

“I’m going to invite myself over. I need to do some training outdoors and I need a place where I don’t need a jacket to be outside. Archifel seems to fit the bill.”

“Don’t you have a batting cage in your basement?” Abram groaned from the other end of the line. “What do you need me for?”

“I’ve been hitting my cage for two months and I’m going crazy. I need a change of pace. Don’t you have a high school ballpark like a mile away from your house?”

“I don’t own the place, but yeah.”

“Nobody else is gonna be using it,” Lane insisted. “We can call the high school if need be.”

“This use of the word ‘we’ is worrying me.”

“It won’t just be you and me. I’m gonna invite some Corps pitchers over. Live BP. Better than the machines. You understand.”

“I understand you’re a grade-A freak.” Abram paused, but he relented slightly. “Who’s coming?”

“Haven’t invited anybody yet. Needed to secure the venue. Like I said, they’re all gonna be Corps pitchers. Not like any others will answer my calls.”

“Fine, fine.” Abram sighed again. “But don’t say I neva do nothin’ fo’ ya.”

“I owe you, brother.”

With the choice of venue secured, it was time to actually invite the pitchers to this shindig. Lane also hoped Abram would participate and assist, but he knew he didn’t have the energy for that argument right then. He had to save it for the hurlers.

The first call would be the easiest. Not only was she a teammate on the Corps, but she was also a key piece of the Gelia Blues pitching staff.

“Hi Lorraine,” Lane said quickly. “I’m inviting some Corps people over to Abram’s place in Archifel for some offseason practice in a couple weeks. I’m thinking some live batting practice, maybe some group defensive drills. Mostly BP, though. I don’t know what your offseason plans are or if you’re in shape at all, but would you be interested?”

“Hmm, when did you say it was? A couple weeks?” Lorraine Lockwood paused to check something. “I think I can make it. Just text me the exact details. I can’t promise 100% pitching effort though,” she chuckled.

Lane was hoping for an even mix between starters and relievers. With a closer secured, he thought it may be easier to get other relievers to come over. Robert Butcher gave a curt no, but Trevor Bell seemed plenty interested once Lane mentioned Lorraine already being in. Once he had Trevor committed, Lane thought of inviting another Jaffro Drawks member. Andrew Boone had other obligations, but Sara Barton was game.

Now he had a link to the starting rotation. He didn’t dare call Tyler Silvanus, but he did poke Joseph Shrubbin. Joe Shrub gave tentative interest, which left really one consistent member of the rotation left.

“Hey there,” Lane said, actually tired from all the calling and social interaction he’d been doing that day. At this point he was just trying to finish the job without any regard for tact. “Sorry to call out of the blue, but I was wondering if you’d want to come down to Archifel with me.”

“Huh?” Claire Kirkland answered on the other end, a bit taken aback by the sudden request. “Well, it seems a little forward … but y’know what-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve gotten some people together for an offseason mini-camp.” Lane continued abruptly, not seeming to register what Claire was saying. “All Corps people, mostly pitchers, we’re doing batting practice and some other drills, stuff like that.”

“Oh. I see.” Claire put on a brighter tone. “That sounds good to me! I should be able to be there.”

“Great news. Would love to see you come.” Lane cleared his throat, trying to remember if he said everything he needed to. “I’ll text you the details and everything. Nice to chat.”

“Thanks, same here-” Claire tried to say, but Lane had already hung up. What game was this guy playing?

The Extra Bump

It was a little awkward at first, but things worked out. Abram had the foresight to also invite a couple hitters, which Lane had completely neglected to do. It ended up being a sort of Base Corps minicamp, a half week with a dozen players getting some work done in the offseason. The group hit the town in Archifel and did some island-hopping in the evenings, rounding out a nice sort-of warm getaway in the middle of winter.

In the end, Lane got exactly what he wanted. Live pitching, not necessarily full strength, but real enough that he could get reps with his developing hitting approach. With the feedback and observations he made on himself, Lane felt that he charged into the PBL season a step ahead.

Lane’s feeling was right. Just when the pitching coaches and staffs of the league thought they finally had Lane Kavana figured out, he made just enough changes and improvements to his approach to get the better of them. Despite playing about the same number of games this season as the last, he racked up exactly 40 doubles, lowered his strikeout rate some more, and even improved his slugging percentage a little bit. Simply put, he was making more contact, and it was a high enough quality to land safely.

More importantly, Lane did something he’d never done before. He eclipsed 250 hits on the season, beating his personal record by 6 for a grand total of 251 base knocks on the year. It came on the back of a .377 batting average, also a personal best. It was exactly what he wanted from this season … but it didn’t stop the naysayers from continuing to deride him for the lack of power. He only hit 24 homers, and the fact that he got to the 40 doubles mark again was more explained by the fact that he just got more hits in general.

The haters could whine about how he was only a slap hitter now, how the supposed “greatest hitter in Drawkian history” was now a weak and pathetic shell of his former self. They could say all they wanted. Lane didn’t care. In game 172 out of 176, Lane’s third-to-last appearance of the year, he had a 2-hit performance. The first hit, a grounder squibbed up the middle and into the shallow outfield, was hit number 6,000 in the regular season career of Lane Kavana.

6K down. 1K to go. He’d be turning 47 next season, though. Would he have enough juice left to catch Titus Kash at 6,870? Would there be any time left after that to go … further beyond?

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 7:12 am

Encouragement can be a good thing.

That was the mindset technical director Jeff Parrish brought to his daily conversations with manager Desmond St. John after yet another loss in the 60th World Baseball Classic group stage as the Sarzonian national baseball team fell to 0-4 after a 3-0 defeat to defending champions and world No. 1 South Newlandia.

However, encouragement can only go so far when a person's going through it and hears what sounds like the usual bromides.

"Jeff, I get it," St. John snapped, a vein becoming more prominent on his forehead as he delivered those words into the computer screen on his laptop. He'd just finished conducting a team workout and was giving his regular state of the team address to Parrish. "I know it's a 'process' and building a team takes time, but we should be 2-2, not 0-4. We played two unranked teams and lost to them both."

Parrish's eyes widened and his head inched back a moment at the outburst. He knew losing was going to frustrate St. John. Sarzonia didn't do much of it when the two guys took the Stars to a semifinal series and a bronze medal back in their playing days. Yes, there was a shocking sweep at the hands of Soldera at Fleetwood Park that brought out the boo-birds, but that was Margaret being peak fickle bitch. He steadied himself.

"Desi, look, I know you're frustrated. Everyone is. But we chose you to manage this team for a reason. We're confident in you. That hasn't changed no matter what the record indicates."

St. John studied his boss's expressions for a moment. The two knew each other well enough as former teammates, but there was a difference, of course. Parrish was the team's ace starting pitcher during their playing days. St. John was a reserve third baseman, best known as the punch-and-Judy hitter who somehow hit a dramatic home run in a knockout round series against Delaclava to push the Stars past their longtime neighbours and forever sporting rivals. The pitcher-position player divide was one thing. The starter-depth player distinction was even more noticeable.

Thus, the two weren't close friends the way Parrish might've been if that team's starting catcher Matt Lopez had been tabbed as manager. It gave enough professional distance between the two former teammates where they didn't necessarily know exactly which buttons to press to truly antagnoise the other, but Parrish knew the uncertainties of an inexperienced manager well enough from pitching for one.

"Look, Desi, your feelings are valid, but I expect you to treat me with respect. Otherwise, we'll have to pick up this conversation later."

St. John gave a glance at Parrish that told the latter it was probably for the best to wrap up that day's discussion right then. St. John was no dummy. Of course, playing in a tough group with the defending champs, a team that's become somewhat of a multi-rival in recent years, and other tough sides wasn't exactly a recipe for success for the 44th ranked team in baseball. And sure, coming back from 0-4 in a 20-match group stage wasn't necessarily impossible, but it certainly was going to be a tall order in this group.

"We'll talk again tomorrow?" St. John replied.

"Sounds like a plan," Parrish said, ending the video chat.

by **Valanora** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 1:17 pm

To say that things were going poorly for the team in their group would be perhaps a bit of an overstatement, things were proceeding exactly as many had expected that they were going to go when the group had been drawn. Getting the defending champions and number one ranked team in the sport, again, was a bit of a tough pill to swallow, even more difficult when it was then compounded with a second top ten team in the form of Tikariot. Both of those teams had come to the Empire and completely and utterly nullified the team's offense, shutting them down in a way that neither of the unranked teams that the Empire had traveled to had been able to. That was the rub though, there was such a massive difference in the levels of talent that the team was having to face in this competition, it was the best of the best and then it was the droll and fresh faced. There was also Sarzonia but the sub-forty ranked team was having far more trouble than they were, having lost every single game of the first four and were going to be in desperate need for a victory when the Empire arrived in Sarzonia to finish off the first half of group play.

Facing teams that were desperate was not a promising outlook for the team either heading into the halfway point of the group, after seeing Tikariot lash out against themselves and Sarzonia in back to back games after their shock winless start from the first two games, having been bested by a Thaeloria side that seemed like they were still trying to figure out their own team, unlike Natkr which had only lost to the Vanorians thus far and were causing a stir. For whatever reason when the team was playing against these top ten ranked teams they were tensing up, they were not playing their style of game. In the Tikariot game they left seven runners on base, which is very out of character for a team that is known for its affinity for being able to get on base and score runs when runners are in scoring position. The worst part of that is that they played both South Newlandia and Tikariot in the Empire in the first half of the group stage and would be having to travel to those places in the second half where they were likely to be even better. The team was still nursing a negative run differential after South Newlandia ran riot and put up the ten spot on the team in their visit to the Empire.

In an effort to try and raise morale, the coaching staff decided that they needed a moniker, all the other national teams that represented the Empire had a moniker and it was time for them to have one as well. There was the Marauders of the football team, the Dragons with the basketball team, the Calcuttas with the ice hockey squad, and the Sabres with the youngest of the national teams in the gridiron squad. There had been a bit of jealously with the team of amateurs and that of the Sabres, seeing the youngest of the national teams to not only get a moniker before they did but that a professional league within the Empire started up within five editions of them taking part of the World Bowl. There had been teams that represented the Empire in the World Baseball Classic well before and there had been the Elven Baseball League of yesteryear and yet it was not enough, they were left to make do and figure out how to keep in shape and form while playing only when they were able to in rural fields and city parks while the gridiron team was handed a new league to continue the development of their sport and national team.

Some ideas were being tossed around the clubhouse as they tried decide among themselves what the name of the national team should be, as they wanted something that would stick and actually feel like it represented themselves but also Valanora. They were here representing the nation after all and the nickname of the national team needed to have some sort of tie in or good representation of the Empire as a whole, not just their wants or desires even if they felt a bit bitter about the lack of support the VSC gave them. Folke Petersson suggested the blue sox, given that the team wore a navy pinstiped home shirt with navy socks but the media manager for the team informed him that another team was called that and didn't want the confusion. Finally there seemed to be some sort agreement to a bird motif, referencing the original Vanorian flag that had a talon on it and the many different birds of prey that made their home in the many different woods and forests of Valanora. When the final vote came together as the team was preparing to board their plane for Sarzonia, they had decided the nickname was going to be the Hawks and hoped it would bring them good fortune in their next game, a game which both they and Sarzonia desperately needed a victory from if they wanted to keep their chances of advancing intact.

by **South Newlandia** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 2:33 pm

Llamaphant Pro Baseball Season 8 - Previews

Sophie City Monarchs Preview

Starting Pitchers
SP Khris Kirchenbaum (Super-Llamaland)
SP Eddard Friend (Chromatika)
SP Darby Nikolasson (South Americanastan)
SP Penny Herrera (Super-Llamaland)
SP Nic Huang (Super-Llamaland)
6th SP Liam Soares-Nuñez (South Newlandia)
Bullpen
RP Kayla Sandlin (Cassadaigua)
RP Wally Quinn (South Americanastan)
RP Isabella Romero (South Newlandia)
RP Clara Alonso (Dod Rava)
RP Emily Rosen (Super-Llamaland)
RP Divyansh Thakur (South Newlandia)

Starting Fielders
C Will Gutierrez (Super-Llamaland)
1B Helen Ellis (South Newlandia)
2B Ludwig Pohl (South Newlandia)
SS Jack Goodson (South Newlandia)
3B Kristen Martorella (Cassadaigua)
LF Frank Monteforte (South Americanastan)
CF Tommy Vincent (South Americanastan)
RF Tyler Alameda (Super-Llamaland)
DH Louis Clement (South Newlandia)
Bench players
C Mateo Marchand (South Newlandia)
1B Levi David (South Newlandia)
2B Juan Alvarez (Soldera)
OF Nathan Kamble (South Newlandia)
RF Thomas Khan (South Newlandia)

It seemed like the Monarchs were already well on their way into another rebuild, but the team around first-year manager Samantha Owens fought admirably last season to remain in the playoff picture for as long as they could. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough, and the team finished 80-80, failing to make the postseason. Analysts aren’t very optimistic about their chances to repeat that feat, given that most of the other Central teams seem better positioned at this point.

The team is dealing with an unusually high amount of players that have left the organisation, although not many of them were instrumental. Players like veteran Chromatik catcher Kyoko Daha or the Licentian outfield duo of McCann and Wright have retired, and so has Nico Cagliari, who spent 7 seasons in the LPB being a reasonably decent back-of-rotation guy for 4 different teams. The retirement of Kai Liao from the Sherpa Empire, who has been the unofficial captain of this team for some time, will sting a lot more, and so will Melissa Moore electing to leave Sophie City in Free Agency to join the Cyclones. The former top-five pick never really panned out with the Monarchs, and is hoping to improve on the other side of the Sea of Llamaphants.

The Monarchs stuck with their usual, cautious approach in Free Agency. They acquired a couple mediocre players to plug various holes, like Mateo Marchand, Nathan Kamble and Thomas Khan, but otherwise didn’t do much. It’s not a great look when your marquee acquisition for an offseason is Nic Huang, who is basically just Nico Cagliari if he went back in time by about a decade. Oh well; they did also elevate a couple of players they drafted. Outfielder Louis Clement was picked in the first round last season out of EVSI as a Center Fielder with upside to eventually fill the footsteps of Tommy Vincent. Having hit very well with AAA North Oldsea, he’s going to be starting for the Monarchs this season. Clara Alonso, meanwhile, was fast-tracked; the reliever from Zalivinia played briefly for SCC in college, but having broken onto the national team already with great consistency from the pen, the Monarchs chose to pick up the local product with the 14th-overall pick – high for a reliever – and send her directly to the big league squad. At just 20, she’s the youngest player on an opening day roster this season.
The Monarchs do have an excuse for not spending big, which was that they re-signed almost everyone – except for Melissa Moore – that was up for a contract, with Penny Herrera, Ludwig Pohl and Tyler Alameda all choosing to stay in the lime jerseys.

The ace of this squad is Khris Kirchenbaum by now. The Llamananean, going into season two, just barely failed to win Rookie of the Year with a very strong debut season that began in the bullpen. The right-hander has a fastball that touches triple digits and managed to reign in the command since being drafted in the last first round. The team has some excellent pitchers behind him, with Chromatik Eddard Friend, an always underrated lefty, as well as Darby Nikolasson, who plays for the national team of South Americanastan and saw a nice bounceback last season. Penny Herrera and Nic Huang round out the rotation nicely.
The bullpen is solid, too. Recent reliever of the season Kayla Sandlin remains the closer, a Cassadaiguan WBC champion. Wally Quinn and Clara Alonso don’t quite have that in the trophy case, but have also been good at various levels. Isabella Romero is a solid right-hander, too, and the depth drops off after that; even though lefty Divyansh Thakur is just a way for the Monarchs to give home runs to opponents at will.

The fielding is good too, with the big star, of course, being catcher Will Gutierrez. The Llamanean superstar backstop was brought in by the Monarchs to be a guide for their young pitching, and he has done that nicely while also providing a ton of pop at the plate. On the left side of the infield, the team has a pair of veterans with Cassadaiguan superstar Kristen Martorella as well as former Elephant Jack Goodson. In the outfield, the team has a pair of South Americanastan Bears with Frank Monteforte and Tommy Vincent, who seem to be flipping a coin every season to figure out if they’re going to be fringe All-Stars or replacement level. In the gaps, the Monarchs have a bunch of younger Esportivans in various stages of development. Tyler Alameda and Ludwig Pohl have probably peaked, but Louis Clement and Helen Ellis represent the hope of the next generation of bats for the M’s. Ellies is playing her first full season after a cup of coffee late last season, having proven great power at NCTU and AAA North Oldsea, before also hitting 10 dingers in 40 games last season. Great pace, but the underlying numbers suggest you shouldn’t bet on that continuing. The bench is pretty unremarkable barring Solderan Juan Alvarez still trucking along.

The Monarchs do also have a deep array of future draft picks, and still have the second-highest ranked AAA team in the SNL. That includes two of the top five prospects according to EVSM, with right-hander Virginia Bai and left-hander Kiaan Nayak each coming off of excellent seasons with the AAA North Oldsea Swans. Neither of them are far along enough yet to help the big league squad immediately, but soon, they’ll make an excellent trio with Kirchenbaum of home-grown starters.
The hitting Swans aren’t as strong, but Isabel Pedro has exceeded expectations after being pick 69. Nice. From the most recent draft, first-round pick Alonso is already in the bigs, so second-round pick Michelle Huang is the most important addition to the Swans. The Llamanean lefty impressed with a deep pitch selection for her age, but she’ll need either time or a jump in fastball velo if she wants to contribute in the big leagues as a starter any time soon.

In theory, this team looks like a potential playoff squad, and it shows just how much the standards have been elevated in the LPB over time that the Monarchs are considered just a fringe playoff hopeful this season. No one thinks they’ll win the Central, given the strong competition, and maybe that’s okay, given the Monarchs have more assets coming.

by **Milchama** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 3:29 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

What Makes Milchama Tick at this WBC?

Things have been looking up for the Milchama Warriors through four games in group play so far at the World Baseball Classic. Despite a bad start from Erin Aarons against HUElavia where she gave up 5 runs in 3 innings and the Warriors couldn't come back until it was too late, the other games have been going swimmingly for Milchama. 3 wins out of 4, the best run differential in the group, and a general good job of pitching by the other starters and relievers in the game.

The question then is what makes this Milchama team tick? Last time the big thing was starting pitching. The Warriors starters averaged an under 2 ERA with over 6 IP, which even by our standards is very very good. Despite some mediocre hitting, Milchama was able to overcome that with superior pitching. This time around, it's been the hitters who have been leading the way. The Warriors have scored the second most runs in the whole tournament behind only the Mind Corporation but they seem to have some weird thing that gives them some advantage apparently in scoring runs. Beyond that the pitching has been ok but no great shakes, Aarons, obviously, having a bad start but also, in general, being kinda mid. It's not been terrible mind you, just not great and certainly nothing like last WBC where the starters dominated.

So what's changed in the hitting which has moved from mid to good? A couple of major things: first, the incredible production at the top of the lineup. The two LBP hitters in Batya Jones and Tali Mironer have proven, yet again, why they play abroad. Mironer is hitting .520 while Jones is hitting a "mere" .440, anytime your top two hitters are basically always on base it makes it pretty easy to score runs. Beyond that, Erez Goldman has been knocking them in with 10 RBIs already. And while RBIs are obviously based on whether the people in front of you are getting on base, well they've been getting on base and from there the goal is to drive them in and Goldman has been doing that with pretty good efficiency. While the rest of the lineup has not quite lived up to the top three's utter domination of pitching, that assault has led the Warriors to a lot of runs and from there the only question from Milchama is who else can break out.

The middle and lower order has also had incredible spurts of brilliance and that has been borne out in Milchama's penchant for big innings this tournament. The Warriors already have 3 innings of scoring 4 or more runs in this tournament. And even if their loss against HUElavia, Milchama scored 3 in the 9th and had the bases loaded before a pop out from Eden Helfand to end it with 2 outs. Basically, once a game, Milchama seems to break out and the only question is when, which inning will all the Warrior bats come together for some big action.

This also leads to some questions: Can the pitching catch up to the hitting? So far, the Warriors have been a batting reliant team but eventually the pitching will need to get better for Milchama to win a championship, or get to the semis. And second, can we keep up the hitting? Obviously, in small sample sizes, like over four games, you can get results like your top two hitters both hitting over .400 but they will likely regress to the mean. Can the other hitters also regress to the mean, start hitting better, and eventually start winning games by themselves? We sure hope so because that's kinda what we're relying on in order to keep winning.

by **Eshialand** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 4:33 pm

Past the Tough Part
Eshialand 6-4 Zwangzug
Eshialand 3-1 Crpostran

If there was ever a time when something could go catastrophically wrong... well, maybe could was the wrong word considering that things have already gone catastrophically wrong in a different game, so it's best we rephrase that. If there was ever a time when things should go catastrophically wrong, there was no time quite like a roadtrip to Zwangzug and Crpostran, but this Screwballs team managed to get through it with flying colors.

The first matchup against Zwangzug seemed very even for a while, with an early 3-0 lead disappearing in the middle innings and the score being tied 3-3 into the eighth. The top of the ninth, however, saw an impressive three-run effort from the Eshians, who really, really didn't wanna see this thing go into extras. Zwangzug did attempt a rally in the bottom half of the inning, with one run to make it 6-4, but Matt Hallyer did a good job making sure that was the only run the Zebras could get off of him.

After that, it was off to Crpostran, where Eshialand once again found themselves up 3-0 in the top of the fourth, but this time the rally never showed up for Crpostran. Ryan Halamer did far more than was asked of him in this game, only being removed from the game after 7.2 innings when the shutout was finally broken. It would only be the one run for Crpostran, though, and Eshialand took the win home by a score of 3-1.

Despite being 3-1 in this group, however, the Screwballs only found themselves in third place in the table, with both Circola and Woodsmere also being 3-1! This was quite the bizarre situation to be in, with two unranked teams both keeping up with some of the best, but it wasn't meant to last, with Eshialand's next games set to be at home against Woodsmere and Vaishnavaria. Woodsmere were just coming off of a strong two games where they overcame Vaishnavaria 2-0 in fourteen innings and then demolished Circola 10-3: rookie Eliana Marija, who was assigned to pitch all of the Woodsmere games in this group stage, wasn't too afraid, however. "They were able to do some good things in the last two games, but we have what it takes to shut them down. We're a better team than them, and we just need to show that now. All I need is some run support, which I know I can get... right guys?"

As for Vaishnavaria, they were also in some amazing form, as even though they may've been worn down in their game against Woodsmere, they were able to beat Zwangzug by a massive 7-3 margin. Was Terry Stryre afraid of this? "Absolutely not. We were able to beat them on their turf, and now they're coming over to ours. They aren't ready for what we have prepared, and I hope the good folks at Yeshley are holding onto their seats, because we're about to show them something they won't soon forget."

It's still early in the campaign, but things are already getting excited. Let's see what the Screwballs have in store in their next two games!

by **Tikariot** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 5:01 pm

World Baseball Classic 60: Tikariot's Journey So Far – Through the Eyes of Chaos and Clarity

Game 1: South Newlandia 4, Tikariot 0 – A Lesson in Frustration
Samuel dell'Orio: “Well folks, Tikariot’s debut at the World Baseball Classic 60 didn’t exactly go as planned. Facing off against the defensive juggernaut South Newlandia, the Owls were held scoreless in a 4-0 shutout. Sebastian Forsberg took the mound for Tikariot and, despite pitching six solid innings and allowing only one earned run, the offense simply couldn’t find a way to break through.”

Walter Bismuth: “Now, let me tell you, Sam, that Forsberg kid was throwing like… like a… oh, what’s the term… like one of those guys who throws balls really fast! A… bowler?”

Samuel: “A pitcher, Walter. A pitcher.”

Walter: “Right, right. And that Newlandian… Southlander… um, their guy… Nismack?”

Samuel: “Hailey Clark. And she absolutely shut us down, Walter. She had the Owls chasing sliders and popping up fastballs all night.”

Walter: “Well, you know what they say, Sam… If you can’t hit the ball, you can’t… um… hit it!”

Samuel: “…Indeed.”

Despite a valiant defensive effort and a steady bullpen performance from Viktor Söderlund and Natalie Burke, the Owls’ bats stayed ice-cold. Marcus Lindström had the only extra-base hit of the game, a double in the sixth that was stranded like a castaway on an island. Isabella Parker made some brilliant stops at third base, but her heroics on defense couldn’t overcome the silent bats. The Tikariotians left nine runners on base, a fact that had Villiers pacing the dugout with his arms crossed the entire game.

---

Game 2: Natkr 5, Tikariot 3 – Late-Inning Heartbreaker

Samuel: “Game 2 against Natkr was a gut-wrencher, Walter. Despite fighting back from a 2-0 deficit with a rally in the fourth inning, the Owls ultimately couldn’t keep Natkr at bay. Noah Eriksson had a solid start, but the bullpen struggled to close it down late.”

Walter: “Sam, that Eriksson lad had the sinker working like a… like a… what’s that thing you use to unclog drains?”

Samuel: “A plunger, Walter?”

Walter: “Yes! Yes! His sinker was plunging better than that! But those Natkr fellas… sneaky. They kept finding gaps like… like—”

Samuel: “Like professional hitters, Walter.”

Walter: “Exactly! And that one guy… uh… Fernando?”

Samuel: “*Nikolai Kazmir,* Walter. And yes, he drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth.”

Freja Nyström was sharp in the field, turning two slick double plays and keeping the Owls within striking distance. The offense sparked momentarily when Isabella Parker delivered a two-run single to tie the game, but despite a late rally in the eighth with Viktor Blomqvist’s RBI single, the Owls fell just short.

Villiers looked like he aged five years in one evening, rubbing his temples in frustration as Tessa Morgan just missed a game-tying homer in the ninth. It was a tough loss, and the mood in the locker room was somber. Even Viktor Blomqvist’s post-game attempt at lightening the mood with a series of dad jokes (“Why don’t we ever see baseball players tell jokes? Because they might strike out!”) couldn’t quite lift the spirits.

---

Game 3: Tikariot 6, Sarzonia 2 – Bats Finally Come Alive

Samuel: “Game 3 was a turning point. After two frustrating games, the Owls’ offense woke up against Sarzonia, putting up a 6-2 win that felt like a breath of fresh air. Amanda Sagubrio delivered a gem, going seven strong innings and keeping Sarzonia’s hitters off balance all night.”

Walter: “Amanda… Sagubrio… What a name! Rolls off the tongue like… like… uh…”

Samuel: “Like a name, Walter.”

Walter: “Exactly! And that changeup of hers, Sam, it was… what’s the word… the one with deception?”

Samuel: “Nasty, Walter. Her changeup was nasty.”

Walter: “Oh, I was going to say slippery, but nasty works too.”

Down 2-0 early, the Owls responded with a two-run sixth sparked by a gap-shot double from Erik Holmberg and a timely slap hit by Hannah Sullivan to tie things up. But the real fireworks came in the eighth. Tessa “TNT” Morgan crushed a towering three-run homer to left-center, electrifying the crowd and sending Villiers into a fist-pumping frenzy.

Söderlund and Callahan closed it out with an almost unnatural calm, and for the first time in the tournament, the Owls looked like the team everyone had hoped for.

---

Game 4: Tikariot 3, Valanora 1 – Defensive Masterclass

Samuel: “Game 4 was a masterclass in clutch pitching and airtight defense. Henrik Lundqvist, the grizzled veteran, took the mound and gave Tikariot exactly what they needed – seven innings of one-run ball, using his cutter and curve to keep the Valanora hitters guessing.”

Walter: “Henrik… Lundqvist… Any relation to the hockey goalie?”

Samuel: “No, Walter. No relation.”

Walter: “Ah, pity. But that old Viljanese was pitching like… like… what’s that term for when you keep them from scoring?”

Samuel: “A gem, Walter.”

Walter: “No, no… um… goose… something?”

Samuel: “…Goose egg, Walter?”

Walter: “Yes! Yes! That’s the one!”

Freja Nyström dazzled at short, making highlight-reel plays that had the Valanoran runners second-guessing every step. Lars Edgren provided the offense with a clutch RBI double in the fourth, and Isabella Parker added insurance with a perfectly executed squeeze bunt in the seventh.

Ellie Callahan came in and slammed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth, earning her first save of the tournament. Villiers finally cracked a smile in the post-game press conference – and that’s when we knew the Owls were back in business.

---

Life Off the Diamond: Chaos at the Camp
Team Karaoke Night – Featuring Death Metal and Disaster
When you have a team full of personalities like the Owls, downtime is never boring. One night at the team hotel, Chloe Bennett organized a post-game karaoke night to unwind after the tough loss to Natkr.

Walter: “Ah yes, karaoke… where voices go to die.”

Samuel: “Walter, I think you’re still traumatized from last night.”

What happened? Well, it started off innocently enough. Olivia Magnusson belted out an almost perfect rendition of “Tears of a Dragon,” the number 1 hit by Tikariotian hard rock band Colums of Alabaster, while Viktor Blomqvist managed to sneak in five baseball-related puns into his version of “We Are the House.” But things went off the rails when Freja Nyström channelled her inner Wiołeta Motyka from Tikariot's Copa Rushmori team when she grabbed the mic and unleashed a full-throttle, growling death metal version of the old Viljan folk song “När vindarna viskar ditt namn," which worked great with the hard hitting lyrics, as the title translates to "When the Wings Whisper Your Name."

Walter: “I swear, Sam… I thought we were being invaded by a swarm of angry bees…”

Samuel: “That was Freja, Walter. Not bees.”

Even Villiers couldn’t keep a straight face as the usually reserved shortstop transformed into a Viljan metal goddess. Tessa Morgan, of course, was up next and serenaded the crowd with “The Snow Leopard's Strike,” complete with shadowboxing and a mid-song flex.

---

Prank Wars: Lindström vs. Thompson
Prank wars have become a staple in the Owls’ camp. Riley Thompson, the team’s resident prankster, started things off by swapping out Marcus Lindström’s protein powder with powdered sugar. Lindström, in retaliation, added ghost pepper sauce to Thompson’s morning eggs.

Walter: “Now, Sam… I’ve had my share of spicy food, but watching Riley’s face turn redder than a stop sign was a highlight of my year.”

The war escalated quickly. The next morning, Lindström woke up to find his cleats filled with shaving cream, and Thompson’s batting gloves mysteriously “shrank” in the dryer. Villiers eventually had to step in after finding his own clipboard glued shut.

---

Chess and Poker Nights – Edgren vs. Forsberg
Lars Edgren and Sebastian Forsberg have developed an ongoing rivalry over chess and poker nights. Edgren, the chess aficionado, has yet to lose a match, while Forsberg’s poker face has made him the undisputed king of bluffing.

Walter: “Now, I’ve seen poker faces in my day, Sam… but Forsberg? He’s got a face that could bluff a vending machine out of a Elleray's bar.”

Edgren’s response? A personalized chess clock for Forsberg with the words *“Better Luck Next Time”* engraved on it.

---

Friendships and Rivalries – The Heart of the Owls
Off the field, friendships have flourished. Tessa Morgan and Hannah Sullivan have become inseparable, often seen working on speed drills together or planning spontaneous beach runs. Marcus Lindström and Erik Holmberg, on the other hand, have bonded over their mutual love of fishing, often discussing the finer points of salmon fishing between innings.

But don’t let that fool you – the Owls are as competitive off the field as they are on it. Whether it’s karaoke, pranks, or chess, everyone is looking to outdo each other. And with the knockout rounds looming, that fire could be exactly what Tikariot needs to go all the way.

---

Walter: “Sam… I tell you… I’ve covered a lot of baseball, but this bunch? They’re something special.”

Samuel: “That they are, Walter. That they are.”

And with the Owls finding their rhythm, the rest of the World Baseball Classic had better take notice. Tikariot isn’t just here for a good time – they’re here to break that infamous Round of 16 curse.

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 5:37 pm

What the fuck happened? What the fuck happened?

New Umoja 6-5 TJUN-ia
Yolande Sirapui was doing so well out there, helping us take a 5-1 lead into the 6th in our Opening Day at Rounders Field in Portside after Luke Jaxon and Khin Marlar Tun let off the bomb squad in the middle of this game. But things fell apart from the 6th onwards, both Daisy Goldstein and Trinity Shelby-Dowora couldn't stem the tide and so we fell, 5-6, in our home opener. Not the way Vojtěch Heyrovský wanted this new era to start...

TJUN-ia 1-2 Oateria
And then it got worse. Joseph "JoJo" McAlbo managed a strong performance for most of this game, going scoreless into the 8th while Seo Ji-kyo put us 1-0 up in the 7th...but one wrong pitch with a runner at 2nd saw that lead evaporate...and we couldn't recover. From 1-1 to 1-3 just like that.

We HAVE to do better, we simply have to, if we want any shot of making our Playoff return. The Triple Header in The Diamond in The Gardens of New Washington is coming up, starting with both the Equestrian States and Part 2 with Ko-oren, so the NAU crowd will be expecting nothing but the best from now on. GO BATTIN' JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group F)
MD1: @Ko-oren (2) L 1-2
MD2: @The Kaisers Syndicates (UR) W 6-0 (4th)
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD3: vs New Umoja (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside L 5-6 (4th)
MD4: @Oateria (UR) L 1-2 (4th)
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD5: vs Equestrian States (32) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
MD6: vs Ko-oren (2) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD7: vs The Kaisers Syndicates (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
MD8: @New Umoja (UR)
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD9: vs Oateria (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside
MD10: @Equestrian States (32)
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD11: @Ko-oren (2)
MD12: @The Kaisers Syndicates (UR)
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD13: vs New Umoja (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
MD14: @Oateria (UR)
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD15: vs Equestrian States (32) - Rounders Field, Portside
MD16: vs Ko-oren (2) - Rounders Field, Portside
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD17: vs The Kaisers Syndicates (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside
MD18: @New Umoja (UR)
------------------------Batter Up!------------------------
MD19: vs Oateria (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
MD20: @Equestrian States (32)

by **Zwangzug** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 5:42 pm

Hello, and welcome to "Zebs on the Web!" (1) I'm Windy-Vine, and this is Snow-Hoof. Snow-Hoof, could you please tell our international readers about our homeland's geography? (2)

Well, sure. We hail from the Namiri rainforest, a temperate and coniferous region. It's bordered by two mountain ranges--the Rackham Range to the east, and the Alai Mountains to the south. These ranges intersect in the human city of Paharopa.

Okay, could you also share some more about Zwangzug as a whole?

We don't live in Zwangzug as a whole, we live in the rainforest.

Um...okay. While the mountains and rainforest are perhaps the most distinctive features of Zwangzug's physical geography--

They're not distinctive, every country has a rainforest in its southwest.

Every country that cares enough about issues canon. But humans also mark the eastern border of the country by the Pinual River--or, the "absolute pin," in contrast to the "relative pin," a smaller tributary that forks from the main branch.

All of this has already been written up somewhere in the vast archives, you shouldn't pretend like you're making up something new and original.

I'm not! Humans actually care about this!

I find that quite difficult to believe.

There's also the Deep Blue Lake in the city of Forbridge, on whose shores you'll find the famous AIU.

Aren't we supposed to be talking about baseball? Which is dumb, because neither of us play it.

I enjoy watching it, actually.

Why?

Because it's...fun? Watching players accumulate statistics and produce narratives? Keeping score?

On what, your glyphpad?

Metaphorically speaking.

We're not even human.

If the Divine Host of Archangels are to be believed, species physiology isn't deterministic, what matters is--

We are not going to debate DHA theology unless you want this blog to be censored by every civilized country. Which would be fine with me, actually, because I think this entire series is a waste of time, but I think you actually enjoy it.

I do. Thanks for your concern. Anyway, for those of you familiar with the Worm Hole, you'll find it in the western city of Spenson, which is relatively close to where we live--Namiri is more of a football than a baseball region, so we don't have a major league team of our own. After the Consolidation, Spenson developed rapidly as a spaceport area.

The human Consolidation.

Is there any other kind?

I'm just saying, it's not really our history, is it? Not our country.

You want to know something funny?

Based on your sense of humor, I assuredly do not, but I suspect your imaginary readers do, so sure, go for it.

Trying to play this off as "well it's not my history, I wasn't born yet, stop blaming me" is an extremely Zwangzugian thing to do. You fit right in.

Do you even root for the team? The Zeeeeeebras, I mean.

Of course! The start they're off to, they need all the good vibes they can get!

I just thought that if you were so hip about not really caring where you were from, you might as well root for a team that's doing well.

That's not how it works.

(1) "Zeb" pronounced to rhyme with "web" refers to the sentient but non-anthropomorphic beings in the southwest. They don't mind "Zebras" with a long e being used as a mascot.

(2) Zebs don't have humanoid vocal cords; they communicate in large groups by stomping their hooves or, in one-on-one conversations, "writing" with tails on someone's torso. For communicating with humans, they tend to "write" on touchpads, which is how this blog post was produced.

(3) If you're wondering whether it's a chess pun, yes, yes it is.

by **Loyo** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 6:12 pm

The Sunshine Tigers: Off The Field

With this WBC likely being the last for some older players, It’s a good time to overview the chemistry of the squad, and look into the social groups that make up the team. Let’s break down some of the bonds that keep the main squad together.

The old school old guard

Comprised of the most veteran senior squad members, this group is the center of Loyo’s national team.

Loyo’s baseball history is steeped in tradition. That’s only changed very recently, and most of the team’s core comes from the LRL’s historic Hammer Division, which features clubs that have backgrounds in Loyo’s military, coast guard, and police.

Saint Yoosan’s is the most prominent club within this group, which has long been the frustration of Germaine DiPiccolo, who now plays for their biggest rival, Hayahoma’s following a stint in LPB. While Jimi Fiazzo butts heads with DiPiccolo from time to time, it doesn’t compare to the rivalry he had with retired veteran Shiryo Gerras. These players often get together during the offseason to golf (A habit that Ra Min-Joo introduced the group to), but during the LRL season, they won’t be caught on record admitting to being friends. Some camaraderie is best left for international competition.

You can often find these players decrying the changes to the LRL, the addition of expansion teams, and complaining about how they can’t use foreign substances when pitching (Ok, that’s just Seung Hawoo, but the others respect him enough to listen every time.)

The ambitious youth

Not every young player is as ambitious as this group. In fact, their passion can be a bit distracting for other members on the team. While older members value teamwork and overall execution, this group of players has taken it upon themselves to shine as bright as they can.

That’s not to say that these players are the best at their position (Although Rei Uno and Tea Huishan are often looked to as the best of the next generation), just that they’re relentless opportunists, looking for any way to prove their worth.

This group regularly meets up, even during the regular LRL season, to catch up, train, and watch television shows together.

The expats

While also forming some of the oldest members on the team, this group all shares something in common: they’ve spent significant time abroad, and play in the LPB.

Because of this, they’ve typically been treated cooly by the other veterans, and even if there’s no significant beef between them, there’s been a culture shift in the national team, and these players are part of the reason why.

While in the past the national team shared similarities with domestic clubs, with Saint Yoosan’s and the Loyo Athletic Reds defining the team’s culture the most, that Loyon baseball culture has to contend with modern opinions coming from this group. With a focus on power hitting, substance-free pitching, and the de-emphasis of baseball ritual, these players find community in similarly-minded teammates.

These players are the first to introduce new fashion trends to the rest of the team, and are often the most informed about international issues. For fun, these players regularly play 3-on-3 football, which provides red meat for Sayosona’s tabloids, who decry the fact that baseball players would play the “foreign” sport.

The development team

The team’s emotional anchor, this group ensures the team remains resilient during high-stakes matches. They are likely the ones to rally the team when things aren’t going well and who stay calm in tight, high-pressure situations.

The most diverse social group, the players that make it up represent various clubs from across the country, bringing different experiences and insights from their respective domestic teams to the national squad.

Interestingly enough, the focus on power hitting that’s defined Loyos coaching ethos comes from these players, with Sonny James discussing the need for more power with manager Chase Min-Son many cycles back. Veterans like Sonny, Misty, and Nika guide and inspire emerging talents such as Emre and Dao, fostering a sense of continuity and development for the team.

These players enjoy hiking and backpacking when they’re not playing, and have made trips around to different countries to see natural wonders. Falco Wissan convinced the group to start a travel blog, which has accumulated a large number of subscribers (Although it’s still him doing 80% of the work).

Lineup for Game 5,6: Kamijiro, Busoga Islands
CF: (CF/LF) #12 Sonny James, 36, R (United Sugar)
SS: #18 Bo Ayoyara, 37, R (SLL’s New Llama Wizards)
3B: #13 Jimi Fiazzo, 38, R (St. Yoosan's)
1B: #2 Tea Huishan, R, 26 (United Sugar)
RF: #5 Germaine DiPiccolo, 35, L (St. Hayahoma’s)
2B: #11 Ra Min-Joo, 35, R (St. Mianho’s)
DH: (If Applicable) #7 Nika Vulkae, 35 (SNL’s St. Riecarn Saints)
LF: #20 Isabel Morata, 35, R (SNL’s St. Riecarn Saints)
C: #33 Jackson Free, R, 24 (Narangara Motors)

Pitching Rotation (Use relievers and closers as needed)
Game One
SP: #5 Rei Uno, R, 26 (Sayosona Cockerel)

RP: #14 Reagan Ahadi, L, 24 (Sayosona Cockerel)

CP: #23 Dao Nahass, R, 26 (St. Donghai’s)

Game Two
SP: #15 Seung Hawoo, 36, R (St. Yoosan’s)

RP: #32 Misha Moon, 37, R (SLL’s Vargas City Lions)

CP: #25 Dewayne Kenny, L, 25 (Kanai Stallions)

by **Vaishnavaria** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 6:44 pm

Ravi Deshakum smacks 2 homers and 1 RBI in bashing of Zwangzug

In a recent game between the Zwangzug National Team and the Vaishnavarian National Team the Tigers managed to slap them with a brutal 7-3 loss off the back of a resurgent Ravi Deshakum who struggled against Woodsmere in the 2-0 loss. Deshakum smashed the Zwangzug pitchers all around the park hitting 2 deep homers past right and center field and showed a new birth to his play. Deshakum was in a sort of slump struggling to get a good hitting streak and now he has got it now.

The first game in a quick two game tri team series the Tigers headed up north to play High Ranking Woodsmere where they struggled immediately. The Woodsmerian pitching attack rode into this game pretty high and they shut down the lead hitters well. Ravi Deshakum and Kai Nakam struggled to play against the cold yet calculated pitching and strategy of the Woodmserian pitching attack. The rotations and changes were perfectly crafted to throw off Deshakum especially. Deshakum struggled to get a good hit smashing it to right field many times into the fielders hand.

However the Tigers pitching attack responded back with Alejandro Martinezo Opening the innings and pitching a hard shutout for 3 innings straight. Then Coach Brusiller made a bold move and sent out his young Ace Sanjay Iyengar. Iyengar managed to pitch two tight innings with only 2 singles coming out of it. The problem was that Deshakum and Nakam were still struggling to get a hit in and the strategy for Woodsmere relied on them getting active early.

The hitters past Russo didn't have the power or technique to score quickly but they could get on base slowly. With Nakam's steady doubles and long triples out of commission Miguel Santos managed to rally his troops and he hit a long deep ball that nearly went for a homer in which he turned into a double. Russo Managed to Hit a Single and Santos managed to make it to third off a clean hit that nearly strayed a foul ball by Jayson Mulls.
However disaster struck as Shortstop Savin Jones hit a deep ball to left field. A wonderful catch was taken by the Woodsmerian backup left fielder running 10 feet in the blink of an eye and lunging forward to make a wonderful diving catch. However Santos and Russo did not now and were charging dont the track to the opposite base while Santos was heading home. A quick throw led to Santos being tagged out and another quick throw back led to Santos being forced out far from second base. The second basemen stepped and immediately chuckled it to first who swooped in one motion to tag a sliding Jayson Mulls.

The Umpire in charge stepped and ruled "Safe!". It didn't matter though as this disaster left the Tigers in worse shape in scoring the first runs. Jamal Jaegar Fell Early

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 7:58 pm

Evening of ACES Summit, Day One
Raynor Family Mansion, Valanora

Christine II and the Prime Minister Azagury-Zovaco were mostly following along the initial premise of the ACES proposal, as they listened to the other delegates' raising their own proposals in the Raynor family mansion of the Vanorian capitol.

Both of them, who had arrived in what was a fairly large-sized delegation of few hundred security and staff members, had a fairly ordinary day. The eight hour flight southbound was a fairly effortless one, with the Avro A380 mostly cruising along fine, which had meant that the Queen and the Prime Minister were able to consolidate their respective stances on what was likely to be raised and how they were going to answer this. In all honesty, a lot of the talking points were still going to be coming from the Azagury-Zovaco Ministry, who had for most part been insistent upon protecting domestic industries and the intra-Commonwealth ties in recent years, but they still sought to find common ground that they could use to possibly set a closer meeting point with the ACES.

As for how they had reacted to the Raynor family mansion was a slightly different story, in the meanwhile. Having long accustomed to travelling to other royalties, including those with scales grander or more 'modern' than the Daemyeongoong Palace, she was mostly nodding along to the neo-glacial look of the mansion. And while she didn't necessarily agree with the architectural choices made, Christine still appreciated that the Vanorians had taken a significant care in detailing and not to let unwelcomed elements ruin the greater picture and considered it a major virtue.

Lucien, in the meantime, was perhaps too occupied to think much about the palace itself, at least until minutes before they were to head to the dinner of the first day of the ACES Summit. On one hand he was very much occupied with the news back home, possibly in worries that something bad may have happened while in his absence, while he wasn't exactly feeling the appetite to taste no less than a dozen bottles of elven wine that's been placed on the room. Due to medical reasons, he's mostly stayed chaste and simple with his diet, most notably staying away from alcohol and other substances, and while he was more than confident that the Vanorians were going to handle his dietary requests perfectly, Lucien still had to be careful on his own grounds.

Soon, it was time for them to attend the dinner in the dining hall. There the time flew by quickly, as Lucien and Christine spent most of the time conversing and partaking in usual ordeals expected of such a function. It was fortunate in their case that both had been familiar with the heads of state in past, headed by the likes of octogenarian Mwanga, Squornshelan chancellor Erland Kraft, and others, so the ordeals themselves weren't as bad as dealing with those from The Dreamed Realm, or so to speak. They were going to make out of it fine, and mostly in agreement.

Later, a few heads of state and/or government had gone by, with those from Banija, Squornshelous and Siovanija and Teusland answering the call. After the initial remarks, the biggest concern Lucien and in turn Christine had over were that of the border control. While the Quebeco-Shingoryeoite government had a fairly lenient policy when it comes to immigration under conditional terms, especially in education and early-career programs, they were lot more cautious about border control than what other nations, such as a growing Banija, had over border control especially with its previous, now-past border issues over illegal immigration from Huaryamarcans and criminal activity along Quebeco-Semar borders. Right now, even as most of its connections to Anaia had been severed outside of an underground tunnel in Montevicio, and another near Coloratura Falls, the current issues facing criminal activities between Quebecois Jopok and Squornshelan mafia have gotten big enough to the point where the public, without the internal knowledge, suspected their part in the Hotel Cheval Noir bombing two months prior.

Fortunately, the topic seemed to have turned some half-hour before Christine were to speak, as they had moved onto an unified force brought together by the ACES member nations' forces. This was something that they had a bit more common ground with the rest, having gone through this for over a century now with the Quebecois Commonwealth and its own affiliated forces. The unified forces were something that transcended time for those in the homeland, whether in the days of the Shingoryeoite Empire or the Southern Rushmori War, and it was something that both of them, as well as the public, would have no issue over. Additionally, the military might of some of the states, namely the Vanorians and the Equestrians, were palpable enough for them that they saw enough merit in case where unusual contingencies like a Drawko-Vanorian War were to happen. Double whammy.

Eventually, it was Lucien's turn to speak, as he rose to the table.

'Thank you everybody, and especially Imperator Raynor, for generous acts of hospitality, as well as bringing all our open minds to the summit,' Lucien said, his deep voice roaring into the chamber. 'I will start by reiterating our stances, which have been known for few years now, on the matter.

'I believe that the priority has to go first and foremost to the free trade between the shared Rushmori markets, especially as most produces and products of primary, secondary and tertiary industries are specialised to the extent where such is a must-have,' Lucien said. 'In the world of growing uncertainties where Rushmori regimes fall down, Anaia remains close-circuited as ever, and Esportiva suffering rapid soil erosions, Arrosian states must find ways to secure a more intricate free trade network that does not threaten one another's economic stability. Both the home nations and the public back this, this Ministry backs this, and this is endorsed from that of her majesty the Queen,' he stopped, before gesturing his way to the Queen.

A brief round of applause followed to Christine II, as they gave an additional round of congratulations. Many of them, heads of states and/or government, had been present for the last April's royal wedding between HRH Alexandre, Prince of Abitibi, and Claire Lundrigan at the Sandringham Abbey, and in the close world of multiversal states' monarchies, affirmations were routine and appreciated.

'In terms of freedom of movement, Joongyeong remains firm on its commitment towards a stricter requirement due to the current times where an act of terrorism appears to transcend beyond the Quebeco-Shingoryeoite soil. Right now, the general rule is for majority of the Arrosian, Rushmori and Commonwealth nations to enter under 90-day visa free entry, and we do not expect it to change. But we are optimistic that it's subject to change in future, and more than happy to cooperate in more stable times to come,' he answered. It was a rare moment of disagreement the Quebecois had over the rest of the summit here.

Lucien then would close it out with one more remark. 'The Quebecois, however, are most open to lead the way in setting aside military commitments for the joint Arrosian forces should the need be. Historically, as our Kabaka Mwanga would know the best, the Quebeco-Shingoryeoite nation has led the way when it comes to its military prowess, most notably in naval combat through our centuries of experience, and has victoriously fought off the two major world wars in the Felixian Liberation Campaign and the Free Republican Campaign in the days of late Jacques IX, also known as the Emperor Jeongdeok.'

He coughed briefly before continuing. 'We, too, have history of unified forces in the past, that has come back to the days of Southern Rushmori War, and would continue into the forms of the Commonwealth Peacekeeping Forces 115 years ago. The history it serves is palpable, and legacy respectable with strong combat and security capabilities necessary. In those cases those of the military were from across various Commonwealth states with its command structure, that's answerable not to the individual states but to the Commonwealth Assembly in Joongyeong.

'The similar, in my opinion, could be applied here with representatives from various states representing under the command structure in Joongyeong, and for the soldiers to come from individual forces under their own merit, priorities and values. This is something that I believe Joongyeong could provide and prioritise at this point in time, thank you.' He answered, before stepping down.

by **Banija** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 8:02 pm

OOC Note: This is an extremely opinionated writer with extremely biased opinions. As the writer is a graduate of the University of Moravica, he is particularly biased towards the University of Moravica, and particularly biased against Northern Moravica.

The Coulibaly Corner: Your one stop shop for everything college football!

Hey guys! Welcome back to my corner of the internet for everything college football! I, of course, usually cover the NSCF, especially the two Banijan schools, as well as domestic college football here in Banija. But I'm a U of M grad, aren't I? The University of Moravica has the best basketball team in the NSCAAs right now, winners of 25 in a row and sitting at 29-1. But, of course, I'm not here to talk hoops.

It's baseball season baby! The World Baseball Classic is back in the Kingdom, and it's our turn to ensure that the sport's greatest tournament runs smoothly- as we surely will. But ther'es a whole lot going on. We've got a new league, with the Milchama-Banija League replacing the WBBL, and the WBC in Banija. A new era for the sport in the country, as we try to rebuild ourselves into being a consistent power. South Newlandia are the undisputed kings of this sport right now- and as we chase, we put ourselves in position to chase.

Banija is off to a hot start right now. 4-0 at this tournament so far, we've gotten off to a strong start. And you all saw that game against Ranoria, right? 8 to 1! Sadiiq Xoosh going yard! Bohannon just out for the entire tourney. Fantastic stuff. And we beat the Busoga Islands too! Those fucking bastards- trying to beat us in every sport these days. Soccer, gridiron.. SOMEONE TELL THOSE PEOPLE THEY CAN'T BEAT US ON THE DIAMOND.

Yeesh.

Anyways. You didn't come here for my rants about the Busoga Islands. Nor did you come for normal analysis. You come to Coulibaly's corner for the weird, for the wacky, and for everything in between.

What is my story day? We're going to take players from other Banjian sports- particularly gridiron, soccer, and basketball- and see which players from those sports would be best at this sport. At the same time, we'll do a comparison- use Banija's current baseball stars, and see which ones of those would be best if they went pro at one of those three aforementioned sports.

Got that? Ready? Let's ride...

Gridiron

The answer here is obvious, isn't it? Isaka Jawara, arguably the greatest Banijan quarterback of all-time, would transfer best to baseball. I mean, his own brother was a championship winning starting pitcher in Banija's first ever world title in this sport, earned at WBC 47. He did, of course, play a little bit of baseball growing up, but he stopped at age 12 to focus on gridiron. It worked, of course. But his stamina, and his ability to throw a football, could probably mean that he would be at least a decent pitcher. He could definitely get some pace behind the baseball, and throw some heaters. Plus, the dude was a fucking monster of a competitor- would you want to go against him in a WCS game? I didn't think so.

Now which of Banija's current baseball players would transfer best to gridiron? That answer is also obvious. And that is Sadiiq Xoosh. Honestly, it's a miracle that he never played organized gridiron at any point in his career. Dude's a tank. 6'4, 244 pounds, he could be a bone crushing linebacker, or running back. Owner of easily the greatest single college season of all-time in Banijan college baseball, you don't think Alanso Isa or Dennis Zervos could have turned him into something? The only thing we don't really test is his lateral quickness- but just looking at him you know he has power, and he has enough speed to be able to run away from defenders. Man could be a tank if he wanted.

Soccer

Now, what soccer player could be the best at baseball? Maybe Gitonga Kahara. Or Toyuwa Okafor. But the answer is neither of those. I would say, and that is a bold choice... Namakula Kawesa. What about her transfers over so well to this sport? Well, she had vision. The way she was able to get assists, thread the needle, etc... was something to behold on a football pitch. There's a reason she's a World Cup Winner. That kind of vision, we think, could transfer to the plate. The ability to see pitches is so difficult in baseball. But if she could feel the strike zone, able to see what's coming at her... we're not sure how much power she would hit for, but if you gave her a few years of elite training, there's faith that she could get to .300.

Now, for who would be best at soccer... Can I go with Lolong Fadiya? He went to the University of Moravica for 2 years- so I might be biased. Go Golden Bears! I know a lot of people would say Atla Gadilefe, because of her speed. But she went to Northern Moravica University. And you know how the people feel about NMU. Fadiya's always wanted to feel like 'the man', and so would have an incredible nose for goal, and a drive to score all of them. The fact that he transferred away from the greatest university in the multiverse, U of Moravica, to continue his career shows that, really, he could succeed at anything he put his mind to. So that's our answer there.

Basketball

Now, this is the most difficult. Not a lot of things transfer over from hoops to baseball, and vice versa. So how does one determine who would be the best at baseball from watching a basketball game? Maybe Ebrahima Faye. A stud hooper, he was a starter during the 4 in a row IBC run that the hoops team had, and was the star player at- you guessed it- the University of Moravica during our run to the NSCAA 11 Championship Game. But we have reasoning beyond him being a Golden Bear, we swear! His skill at being a perimeter defender, an elite one, would make me think that he'd be a rangy outfielder. Great reactions, quick on his feet, is fast as hell. Imagine him patrolling centerfield? He'd be chasing shit down like nobody's business.

Who would be best at hoops? Honestly, nobody really strikes me as a hooper on this team. Let's go with Ugonna Akachi. Unfortunately, we have nothing to really go off of besides the fact that he's the tallest dude on the team.

These are some takes! You think you have better ones? Comment and let us know!

by **Banija** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 8:26 pm

Hello folks! Welcome to the third cutoff for World Baseball Classic 60! Good luck to all!

You all should try dancing through life!

RP Prompt: Sports are entertaining, and bring us to the game- but the emotions that sports drive makes us fall in the love with the game. Tell us about celebrations your players do. Either in game or post game. Celebrations for getting a strikeout, for hitting a HR, getting a RBI, or celebrations that they have after winning a game, or even after a big win. You can go into ones they do regularly, a particular celerbation from the past, or maybe celebrations that they plan on doing if they accomplish something they don't expect to accomplish

(Reminder that RP Prompt can be amended or ignored by users at their choosing. There is no punishment for ignoring the prompt, nor any bonus for following it. Past ones are also always fair game).

OOC reminder that penalties have started for not having your roster in, so if you haven't yet, get those rosters in!

Matchday 5 Scores

Group A
Loyo                        0 3 2 0 0 3 0 0 3 11
Kamijiro                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Busoga Islands              1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  4
Ranoria                     0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3

Banija                      7 0 2 0 4 0 3 0 0 16
Tarcena                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3


  Group A                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                       5    5   0    43   12  +31
2 Loyo                         5    3   2    19   15   +4
3 Ranoria                      5    2   3    21   21    0
4 Busoga Islands               5    2   3    22   24   −2
5 Kamijiro                     5    2   3    21   35  −14
6 Tarcena                      5    1   4    15   34  −19

Group B
Liventia                    0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 0  6
Ingont                      2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

HUElavia                    0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Visayas Islands             2 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 X  6

Milchama                    1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  5
The Kytler Peninsulae       0 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  7


  Group B                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Milchama                     5    3   2    34   23  +11
2 The Kytler Peninsulae        5    3   2    29   20   +9
3 Liventia                     5    3   2    28   20   +8
4 Visayas Islands              5    2   3    21   23   −2
5 Ingont                       5    2   3    17   24   −7
6 HUElavia                     5    2   3    21   40  −19

Group C
Crpostran                   1 0 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  7
Zwangzug                    1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 1  8

Woodsmere                   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Eshialand                   2 5 0 0 1 1 0 0 X  9

Vaishnavaria                0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  3
Circola                     2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2


  Group C                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Eshialand                    5    4   1    28   15  +13
2 Woodsmere                    5    3   2    19   21   −2
3 Vaishnavaria                 5    3   2    16   10   +6
4 Circola                      5    3   2    27   27    0
5 Zwangzug                     5    2   3    25   25    0
6 Crpostran                    5    0   5    14   31  −17

Group D
Abanhfleft                  0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
StrayaRoos                  3 4 0 0 0 3 0 0 X 10

Kelapa                      0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0  5
Oscioru                     1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  3

The Mind Corporation        0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
Drawkland                   0 2 0 1 2 6 0 3 X 14


  Group D                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Drawkland                    5    5   0    42   11  +31
2 The Mind Corporation         5    3   2    34   35   −1
3 Kelapa                       5    3   2    26   31   −5
4 Abanhfleft                   5    2   3    25   32   −7
5 Oscioru                      5    1   4    19   33  −14
6 StrayaRoos                   5    1   4    26   30   −4

Group E
Dhemexia                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Quebec and Shingoryeo       2 0 5 0 0 2 3 0 X 12

Chobotan                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Cardenao                    0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  1

Nova Calania                0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3  4
Mt Panorama                 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 X  6


  Group E                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Cardenao                     5    4   1    16   14   +2
2 Quebec and Shingoryeo        5    3   2    30   19  +11
3 Dhemexia                     5    3   2    22   26   −4
4 Chobotan                     5    2   3    23   15   +8
5 Mt Panorama                  5    2   3    22   28   −6
6 Nova Calania                 5    1   4    14   25  −11

Group F
New Umoja                   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Ko-oren                     2 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 X  7

Oateria                     1 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0  5
The Kaisers Syndicates      2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Equestria                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
TJUN-ia                     1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 X  3


  Group F                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                      5    4   1    22   10  +12
2 Oateria                      5    3   2    15   13   +2
3 New Umoja                    5    3   2    18   23   −5
4 TJUN-ia                      5    2   3    16   11   +5
5 Equestria                    5    2   3    17   21   −4
6 The Kaisers Syndicates       5    1   4    18   28  −10

Group G
Valanora                    0 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 0  7
Sarzonia                    0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  3

Thaeloria                   0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  3
Tikariot                    0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3  5

South Newlandia             0 3 0 1 0 0 4 0 0  8
Natkr                       0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3  4


  Group G                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Newlandia              5    5   0    29    5  +24
2 Valanora                     5    3   2    24   21   +3
3 Tikariot                     5    3   2    17   15   +2
4 Natkr                        5    3   2    20   22   −2
5 Thaeloria                    5    1   4    19   26   −7
6 Sarzonia                     5    0   5    11   31  −20

Matchday 6 Scores

Group A
Kamijiro                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Tarcena                     0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 X  3

Banija                      0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  3
Ranoria                     0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

Busoga Islands              0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2  5
Loyo                        0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  4


  Group A                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                       6    5   1    46   16  +30
2 Loyo                         6    3   3    23   20   +3
3 Busoga Islands               6    3   3    27   28   −1
4 Ranoria                      6    3   3    25   24   +1
5 Kamijiro                     6    2   4    23   38  −15
6 Tarcena                      6    2   4    18   36  −18

Group B
Ingont                      0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
The Kytler Peninsulae       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Milchama                    0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3 0  6
Visayas Islands             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  2

HUElavia                    0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Liventia                    0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 X  4


  Group B                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Milchama                     6    4   2    40   25  +15
2 Liventia                     6    4   2    32   22  +10
3 Ingont                       6    3   3    18   24   −6
4 The Kytler Peninsulae        6    3   3    29   21   +8
5 Visayas Islands              6    2   4    23   29   −6
6 HUElavia                     6    2   4    23   44  −21

Group C
Zwangzug                    0 2 1 2 0 0 1 4 1 11
Circola                     0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0  2

Vaishnavaria                2 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 0  8
Eshialand                   1 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 4 10

Woodsmere                   0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2
Crpostran                   0 1 1 2 0 5 1 0 X 10


  Group C                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Eshialand                    6    5   1    38   23  +15
2 Zwangzug                     6    3   3    36   27   +9
3 Vaishnavaria                 6    3   3    24   20   +4
4 Woodsmere                    6    3   3    21   31  −10
5 Circola                      6    3   3    29   38   −9
6 Crpostran                    6    1   5    24   33   −9

Group D
StrayaRoos                  1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0  5
Drawkland                   1 1 1 1 2 4 4 0 X 14

The Mind Corporation        0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4  8
Oscioru                     0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0  2

Kelapa                      0 2 0 1 0 1 3 3 1 11
Abanhfleft                  0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2


  Group D                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Drawkland                    6    6   0    56   16  +40
2 The Mind Corporation         6    4   2    42   37   +5
3 Kelapa                       6    4   2    37   33   +4
4 Abanhfleft                   6    2   4    27   43  −16
5 Oscioru                      6    1   5    21   41  −20
6 StrayaRoos                   6    1   5    31   44  −13

Group E
Quebec and Shingoryeo       0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0  3
Mt Panorama                 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Nova Calania                1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0  6
Cardenao                    0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Chobotan                    0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  4
Dhemexia                    3 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 X  6


  Group E                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Cardenao                     6    4   2    18   20   −2
2 Quebec and Shingoryeo        6    4   2    33   20  +13
3 Dhemexia                     6    4   2    28   30   −2
4 Chobotan                     6    2   4    27   21   +6
5 Mt Panorama                  6    2   4    23   31   −8
6 Nova Calania                 6    2   4    20   27   −7

Group F
Ko-oren                     4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
TJUN-ia                     0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0  3

Equestria                   0 1 0 1 0 2 3 0 3 10
The Kaisers Syndicates      1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  3

Oateria                     3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  5
New Umoja                   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1


  Group F                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ko-oren                      6    5   1    26   13  +13
2 Oateria                      6    4   2    20   14   +6
3 New Umoja                    6    3   3    19   28   −9
4 Equestria                    6    3   3    27   24   +3
5 TJUN-ia                      6    2   4    19   15   +4
6 The Kaisers Syndicates       6    1   5    21   38  −17

Group G
Sarzonia                    0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0  4
Natkr                       1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

South Newlandia             0 1 5 1 1 0 0 0 2 10
Tikariot                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Thaeloria                   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Valanora                    1 0 1 2 1 0 2 2 X  9


  Group G                    Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Newlandia              6    6   0    39    6  +33
2 Valanora                     6    4   2    33   22  +11
3 Natkr                        6    3   3    22   26   −4
4 Tikariot                     6    3   3    18   25   −7
5 Thaeloria                    6    1   5    20   35  −15
6 Sarzonia                     6    1   5    15   33  −18

by **Drawkland** » Wed Mar 26, 2025 9:02 pm

Note: This is a storyline I started in WBC 45, continued in WBC 50, then predictably got eliminated before I could finish it. There's only a couple parts left, so I figured I'd finally close this little time loop. If you're interested, you can read the previous sections. This isn't as dense as my typical storylines so it shouldn't take that long to catch up. You can also just read the synopsis here to get up to speed.
Links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8
Synopsis: It's the same time loop concept found in the movie "Groundhog Day" (or "Edge of Tomorrow" or "Palm Springs"). In this case, a young Drawkian couple vacationing in Equestrian States have been stuck repeating the exact same day - Game 5 of the Round of 16 series between Drawkland and Scootalove City in WBC 41. In this time loop, though, the Base Corps narrowly holds on to the lead. No matter what the couple, Travis and Tori, have done, they can't seem to escape the time loop. Eventually they came to the conclusion that the game itself had something to do with the loop - but what exactly? And what could they do to change history?

Groundball Day

beepbeep ... beepbeep ... beepbeep ... beepbeep ... beepbeep ...

Travis groaned as he moved to slap his alarm off. Spending the night in the holding cell of Royal Canterlot Stadium's basement wasn't exactly a fun time, but at least the time loop put them comfortably in their hotel room outside of police custody in the morning.

"Okay, seriously," Tori grumbled groggily as she stirred from her position in bed. "How did that not work? We literally ran onto the field and got up in the player's faces! How did nothing change?"

"Things did change," Travis replied. "The Scootalove City guy hit it to second base instead of shortstop, but Roger Madison still somehow made the play. I guess you didn't see because you were arguing with the security guy."

"Really? That's even more ridiculous." Tori sat up in bed, still slouching. "A triple play is already impossible enough. How could it happen in a different way on the same play? Doesn't the butterfly effect mean anything?"

"Nice pull," Travis yawned, pondering the predicament. "I mean, maybe whatever magic force is keeping us stuck here is also keeping the chances of a triple play intact. Or something. Clearly just momentarily distracting the players isn't enough to change the outcome."

"So ..." Tori started tentatively as she rolled out of bed. "What if we did more than just a visual distraction?"

"Are you suggesting we assault our own players?" Travis asked incredulously.

"I'm just saying!" Tori replied quickly. "If we're going to get thrown into the clink anyway, we might as well get our money's worth!"

"Okay, but say that actually works." Travis folded his arms. "We're free from the loop, but now we're gonna be arrested and charged for an actual crime in a foreign nation. No reset! That could end up being really bad."

"Oh I'm sorry, do you have a better idea? It's not like anything else has been working!" Tori said sarcastically, but it was clear she wasn't trying to be mean. "Getting thrown in jail for a bit is better than the prison we're currently stuck in. At least the sentence would have an actual end."

"Fine." Travis relented after a moment. "Who should we go after, then?"

"Well, Serena Hearns is the one who makes the triple play to end it," Tori said after a moment of thinking. "If she was just a couple inches out of position, that grounder sneaks through and loads the bases, keeping the inning alive. Even if she still gets to it, if she's just a little off, then the triple play can't happen and at least the inning stays alive."

"So we somehow jump Serena, a professional athlete, and injure her enough to not be able to play?"

"If she's still playing it might be fine," Tori replied. "She just needs to not have the flawless timing that allows the triple play to happen. Being a little bruised or mentally taken out of the game by a prior incident may be enough."

"I still don't think this is a great idea, but I guess it's worth a shot."

"If it doesn't work, we can just try somebody else tomorrow."

At the game later that night, the couple solidified their plan. Once again they found a new place to sit, this time on the third base side right where the protective netting stopped. They'd need to slip onto the field fast, which shouldn't be an issue. To keep things simple, they'd wait until the middle of the ninth inning to strike. Once the Base Corps came onto the field to warm up for the bottom of the ninth, they'd bum rush the field and try to tackle Serena Hearns, or otherwise rough her up enough to somehow change history.

They each got increasingly nervous as the game went on. Running onto the field and acting foolish was one thing. Actually attacking a player, especially one of their own team, was a whole different ballgame. Eventually it came time for the top of the ninth inning. As the Unicorns warmed up on the field, the stadium scoreboard was running through a ninth-inning hype up dance cam, showing fans of both teams jumping around and getting excited. Well, mostly Drawkian fans. They were leading by seven runs, of course. Victory was guaranteed!

"You know, we've been to this game dozens of times, sat in probably hundreds of different seats, but we've never gotten on the dance cam or kiss cam or anything?" Tori asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. There were only 3 outs separating them from their risky undertaking.

"Hmm." Travis mulled it over for a bit. "I guess you're right. I mean, there's like 40 thousand people here. People and ponies," he corrected himself as he saw a Scootalove City fan walk by. "The odds are really low."

"Well, if this doesn't work, that should be our next mission." Tori cracked a nervous smile. "Try to get on one of the fan cams. Surely we could figure out at least one of the locations from the background? Or maybe a really garishly dressed fan?"

"Sounds like a plan," Travis shrugged.

"You know, I've never been on a fan cam before." Tori continued, probably trying to distract herself as the inning began and Serena Hearns herself came up to the plate. "My dad took me to probably a hundred games when I was a kid, I went all the time in college, we've been to a ton of games, but I've never gotten on the big screen!"

"Really?" Travis turned to Tori with a wry smile. "It's not that big of a deal, you know. You're on there for five seconds, maybe a couple people laugh at whatever you're doing, then it switches the shot and you're done. Nobody besides you and whoever you're with will remember. Not to mention the fact that here it would all get erased when we wake up."

"I guess, but it would still be fun." Tori stuck out her bottom lip. "Why, have you ever been on the big screen?"

"Once, when I was a kid." Travis chuckled as he turned to look at the field. Serena Hearns pulled the trigger on a high fastball but topped it, sending it to second base for an easy 4-3 putout. Just like she did every single time she led off the ninth inning. "I don't even remember it, but my parents said I was dancing like crazy with silly little kid moves and was on screen for a solid six seconds. Truly awesome stuff."

"Oh, well!" Tori said teasingly. "I didn't know I was dating a celebrity!"

"I just told you it's not a big deal!" Travis groaned, but he laughed despite himself. "Fine, seriously, we'll scout out a place to sit to get you on screen. At least that'll give us something else to do while we wait all nine innings."

"Assuming we don't escape tonight!" Tori corrected quickly.

"Right," Travis said, unconvinced.

A few minutes later, time was up. Rachel Atlink hit her weak infield popout to end the inning, and the sides switched. Travis and Tori gave each other a wordless glance, nodded in unison, then got out of their row and into the aisle, casually walking down the steps towards the field wall.

There was a security staff member nearby, but they were eyeing some rowdy teenagers a section over. The window of opportunity was open. The couple hesitated, but Tori finally lifted her foot, clambered over the wall, and leapt onto the field. Once she was going, Travis vaulted over the wall himself. After a few seconds, the crowd took notice, people starting to yell and jeer at seeing two crazy Drawkian fans rushing the field.

Serena Hearns had her back turned, fielding a thrown grounder from Arthur Ware at first and lightly zipping it back to him. Travis and Tori's positioning worked perfectly. Serena didn't turn to notice them until it was too late.

Wham! Tori hit her first, bringing her shoulder down like a linebacker. Serena had just enough time to flinch and only take a glancing blow, but Travis was a step behind from the other side, putting his arms out and dive tackling Serena to the ground.

In an instant, Sean Navis, Roger Madison, and a horde of security guards were piling around the couple as they continued trying to shove and poke at Serena on the ground. After a few seconds of struggle, they were pulled roughly up and escorted off the field as the crowd roared in confusion and anger. Travis snuck a look behind him as security dragged them off the field. Serena was up on a knee, slowly recovering. He just hoped they rattled her enough to put things out of whack.

Travis and Tori didn't know what happened next. They were harshly shoved into the holding cell underneath the ballpark, much more rudely than they were the day they only provided visual distraction while rushing the field. They could only vaguely hear the roar of the crowd as the game ended, but they didn't know what it meant.

Serena was very rattled, of course, but it didn't make a difference for the first seven batters of the inning. Even without the interference of Travis and Tori, the ball never came near shortstop in those first seven at-bats. She didn't know that in advance, of course. All Serena knew is that she wasn't going to let a couple of psychos prevent her from helping Drawkland close the door on their first Round of 16 series win. Yeah her shoulder felt a little off, but it wasn't going to stop her from making a play.

The situation was the same going into the fateful AB. The first five runners had scored. Two more got on base from grounders. Franklin Bell was looking extremely hittable, and had yet to record an out. Serena was ready for anything at shortstop, especially with runners on. Besides the three-run homer, all the hits had been on the ground, so the entire infield was looking alive. A double play here would nearly put the game away.

Then it came. On a 1-1 count, John Avidan correctly guessed slider and sliced it across the infield. It came really fast at Serena, but she managed to stab at the ball and stop it from getting past her. She lagged behind by just a microsecond though, enough to move her from where she'd unknowingly been a hundred time loops before. Now she was too far to tag the runner, so she simply scooped the ball to Madison at second, who zipped it to Ware at first in the nick of time to complete the double play.

History had changed, though. For the first time ever, Stuart Nova came to bat in the ninth inning of WBC 41's Round of 16 Game 5. The double play was crushing, as now he only represented the tying run at the plate rather than having the winning run already on base ahead of him, but he wasn't going to let that beat him down. He just needed to keep the game alive, and that he did. On a 2-1 count, he lined a double into the gap that scored Alex Ponches and brought the winning run back to the plate.

Yet ... Franklin Bell came to play. After giving up 6 runs, Franklin was feeling increasingly hopeless. Unfortunately, because of the bullpen situation that game and the day before, there was nobody left in the pen. It was do or die for him. Dave Candy came back to the plate after leading off the inning, as Scootalove City had just batted around. His first hit came on a Franklin Bell slider, so this time Franklin didn't throw one. With two fastballs and a forkball in the dirt, Franklin Bell got a desperation swing and miss. Wes Navis squeezed that last forkball without a problem, and suddenly, it was over.

Drawkland had narrowly escaped an impossible choke. The Base Corps was going to the quarterfinals!

Underneath Royal Canterlot Stadium, Travis and Tori leaned on each other and tried their best to fall asleep in the uncomfortable concrete room. For perhaps the first time in history, the inhabitants of a cell hoped they'd still be behind bars when they woke up in the morning.

Drawkland              0 2 0 3 1 3 1 0 0  10
Scootalove City        0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 6  9
Drawkland wins 3-2

beepbeep ... beepbeep ... beepbeep ... beepbeep ...

by **Circola** » Thu Mar 27, 2025 8:02 am

We really blew our lead
First we were at the top positions
Now we are down to fifth
There's still 14 more games so we have time to make a comeback

by **Ko-oren** » Thu Mar 27, 2025 3:46 pm

"And there they are! The proud Ko-orenites, entering this game as the group leaders and looking, dare we say, nigh untouchable! They've really picked themselves up from last tournament, an exit earlier that we would've liked, and the time between these world championships was spent looking at, say, whether the coaching staff was still there, if the dominant players from the current generation have another tournament in them, or if we're looking at a minor rebuild and more youth. But then there's the Ko-orenite thing: it turns out we're - usually - quite good at keeping one core intact and adding new pieces to a running engine without much trouble. That said: we're up against a very strong TJUN-ia team, so no guarantees. At bat right now: Katsunuma, take it away for pitch one!"

*click*

"The previous game, the offence was on fire: we didn't expect more than six points on the board. Then again, maybe we're right to have some expectations of this team. After the last few tournaments, we know there's talent - we can see it in the groups here again - but we know that the pressure comes on during the knockouts and that's where the team... kind of faltered. So, relying on the same guys to carry the team, but in a slightly different configuration than last time - that's a gamble! Either way, we're starting with Bitterboom on goal - impeccable - and then Winterhaag and Alrella on defence in possibly Winterhaag's final tournament as a major force, and we're running Tiele Loenaren and Moen on the wings, and then Aegomenna in the middle of it all. Again, talent everywhere - can they deliver once more? Our opponents tonight: a very unlucky TJUN-ia team."

*click*

"What a start for the Ko-orenites! That's a base hit by Shiina that drops just beyond the infield, and that's a double! Katsunuma easily makes it home from third, Pijpenbroek... might not be the one with a reputation for speed but he's just ahead of the ball - that's 2-0!"

*click*

"What a start for the Ko-orenites! That's Bedigelthen in the powerplay - brilliant pass by Van Angelwoud to skip the four Jaguars as they're caught napping, and only a few seconds into the powerplay, that's 2-0!"

*click*

"Brilliant follow-up! Newich doesn't get a ton of power on it but it's more than enough, and Shiina and Matsuoka both make it in. One out, runner on first, 4-0 Ko-oren!"

*click*

"I'm not quite sure what we're seeing here folks, but that's Zashara running circles around the defence, centering it to Lumjagau, who only deflects it but it's enough - that's goal number three, first period.

And right off the face-off that's a lot of work by Loenaren to pin down TJUN-ia in the boarding, puck flies out. Eadalin spots Aegomenna waiting up front, finds him through the air, and that's a one on one... and you can't give those to the Vortex guy in the form he's in! It's barely a minute after the previous goal but that makes it 4-0 Ko-oren!"

*click*

"Whoa, what more can we expect from this team? We know our bullpen hasn't always been that helpful, but that's a four to nothing lead. It's been a masterful five innings, but that's it for Ohashi today. He lasted a good number of pitches anyway but he's up to that stretch of batters that he's had trouble with today. Her breaking balls haven't been moving enough to deceive them, or at least that's the reading on the bench. She comes off and Ishibashi comes on."

*click*

"And there it is, TJUN-ia have done some damage right back. Aunopial didn't look too great there, but it's on the team as a whole that they allow chances like these. Bitterboom stood no chance - or maybe half a chance - but there's no saving that."

*click*

"Oof, and right on the second batter faced, Ishibashi gives away a very easy fastball and that's crushed for a solo home run. TJUN-ia are... on the board!"

*click*

"Oh no - what's going on? TJUN-ia have found life after that goal, and they've closed the gap in record time. Two back to back goals at the end of the second, and it's 4-3. Is this the big team curse that keeps us out of quarterfinals again? 4-0 up and you probably don't need to dig that deep to protect your lead, but apparently there was a way. And now Kuang's men have to find some extra energy to see through the final twenty minutes..."

*click*

"Ishibashi is given the sixth inning as well, but perhaps Honda and Vajabusa shouldn't have! Ishibashi is left out to dry and allows three straight to reach first, and we've gone from strikeouts, to infield stops, to balls landing in the outfield. And... that's a double, two Jaguars find home, and it's 4-3. A comfortable lead given up!"

*click*

"That'll do it - a game that was a lot more tense than it had any right to be after the godlike start the Dragonflies had, but that's still a good win over a good team. It's 4-3, Ko-oren - TJUN-ia, and your Dragonflies seem to be... first in the group - we knew that - but also first seed overall! It hinges on Elejamie's result and goal difference, but can you believe it? They're down two to nothing against Banija so they're prohibitively nine-and-one, and even if they get the win, will they win by six to level the goal difference? The only game to keep an eye on is the Nova Calania game, and with enough goals they can take our spot... and they're... are you sure? They've scored ten goals so far, and there's still time on the clock? And then there's a minute or so in the Kelssek game, they're also 9-0 like Nova Calania, Elejamie, and us... but they too are facing their first loss in the final group stage game! Elejamie and Kelssek find that the group stage is just a game too long, if this result holds. And there's no sign of that, Kelssek are playing some blazing fast, attacking hockey, no goalie, of course."

*click*

"And that's that! 4-3, Ko-oren - TJUN-ia, and the Dragonflies improve to five-and-one in the group, first place, with Oateria one game behind at 4-2. A close battle, good start, worse follow-up and Ko-oren are scoreless after the first inning. The lead holds, it's all just enough, and... I'm told that we've just had two? games? at the same time? against TJUN-ia? and we won both 4-3? despite them being different sports. That'll be a weird one for the record books - thanks for writing history with us, and we'll see you for the next game!"

*click*

uhh, what's this glitch in the matrix?

OOC: celebrating the really weird simultaneous baseball and ice hockey wins?

by **The Mind Corporation** » Thu Mar 27, 2025 7:33 pm

Motivator
Raoul
Svarn

OOC: Randomly generated number (between 300 and 500) for this matchday: 343

Hyrax

Every team needs a jack of all trades - someone who doesn't excel in any one area, but doesn't lack skills in any one area, either. That is the role being given to the Unit known as "Hyrax", who will play Third Base. The Pilot for "Hyrax" is an interesting choice by Motivator X-329 - Joax Havstanhan.

One of the only beings in the Mind Corporation to actually have a given name, Joax Havstanhan is the name given to a Spirit that most agree is reformed. A few iterations ago, Joax Havstanhan was a serial criminal in a dimension run by a large corporation. Havstanhan got in the way of a Mind Corporation mission, and, in a rare turn of events, discovered the existence of the Corporation by directly intervening. In the course of neutralizing Havstanhan, Joax managed to talk himself into joining the Corporation - though it's not really known how he managed such a feat.

Now, Havstanhan has been a Pilot with the Corporation for more than five iterations. He's been mostly used in subterfuge, infiltration, and secrecy. He's shown to have a level head, the ability to make decisions on a whim, and the understanding of how to see a mission to fruition.

It was a bit of a surprise to see Motivator X-329 want someone like Havstanhan. When asked, the Motivator explained that it is beneficial to have someone who can adapt to situations on the fly without having to have explicit instructions all the time. As the Corporation enters this new world of the sports dimension, it is good to have someone who can help with anything that comes their way.

Through six games, "Hyrax", piloted by Joax Havstanhan, has been a gem. Never done an error, bats well, field well, and is just involved in the game from start to finish. The team continues to play well - they only have two losses in their first foray into baseball - and with the way that the hocky team is playing, there is a buzz in the Corporation about what sports can be.

World Baseball Classic 60: Everything Thread

7,000 - Shooting For 6

Batter Up!: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Groundball Day, Part 9

Who is online