World Baseball Classic 61 | IC thread

[Tikariot]

A knock on the gate. A heavy knock. When it swung open, Jonathan Villiers groaned. "Not again..."

Wiołeta Motyka stood right at the front, arms folded, grin unholy. Behind her, Andarra Belfrage and Solfrid Frøya Fiskerstrand-Kyvåg were already waving Tikariotian flags. Cassiopeia Hawthorne and Calliope Vespera had scarves draped around their necks like regalia. Geneviève de Verronneault and Léonie-Alexandra Dufour-Vandenberghe were recording the whole thing for posterity.

“Baseball Owls,” Wiołeta announced, voice carrying like a war horn. “We raided your barbecue. You survived. Now it’s our turn. You’re coming to Copa Rushmori. Tonight.”

Jonathan Villiers stepped forward, hands raised in what he clearly thought was a reasonable gesture.
“Ladies, I appreciate the offer, but we have a very big series coming up against—”

“NO EXCUSES.” Wiołeta cut him off. “The vans are outside.”

And just like that, the Owls were herded out, barely given time to grab hats and sunglasses.

---

Arrival at the Stadium

The moment they reached Carva Dock Arena in Kytler Bay City, the world changed. The WBC was noisy enough, but Copa Rushmori was something else entirely. Drums. Horns. Flares painting the sky black and maroon. People everywhere.

Riley Thompson craned his neck. “Do… do they ever stop?”

“Nope,” Solfrid said cheerfully, handing him a flag twice his height.

Meanwhile, Walter Bismuth was spotted in the wrong entrance queue entirely, already half-interviewing fans of the opposing side. Nobody had invited him. Nobody knew how he got there. He was shouting into a microphone that wasn’t plugged in.

---

Seating in the Ultra Section

The Valkyries led the baseball team straight into the ultras’ section. If Villiers had any illusions of a quiet night in the upper rows, they were crushed instantly. The fans were forewarned and they immediately embraced the Owls as their own, wrapping them in scarves, handing them drums and painting their faces.

Wiołeta gave Lars Edgren a megaphone. This was a tactical error. Within minutes he had completely taken over the entire section but she was proud of him.

---

The Match

The match against Gatchingerrak Union was a feast for the Tikariotian fans. The Valkyries, still riding high on the 8-2 over Mytanija decided not to take any prisoners in this one either, blowing away the opposition 6-0, which sent the entire Dark Tide into a frenzy that the baseballers got swept up in.

And Walter? He was now inside the away end, confidently reporting live with absolutely no awareness of the flags behind him. Or the fact that it was a football match, for that matter.

By the time the second half started, the Owls were full Dark Tide ultras, waving flags, chanting, waving flares. Villiers had long since given up, painted in Tikariotian colours, scarf around his forehead like a bandana, yelling incomprehensible chants with Andarra.

---

Aftermath

After the match ended, the Owls were led into the catacombs, where they joined in the celebrations, but the Valkyries weren’t done. They dragged the Owls into the plaza afterwards for an after-party, complete with drums, dancing, and more food, right amid a big group of Dark Tide members. Cross-sport trash talk ensued:

By the time the bus arrived back in Alcassar in the wee hours of the morning, the Owls were still humming football chants. Walter filed a report on the wrong game entirely.

And coach Villiers? He swore, out loud, to never let the Valkyries “invite” them anywhere again.

No one believed him.

[Dhemixia]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inconsistency: The Baseball Team

Schedule:

Series 1: @ Ranoria L 1-2
Series 2: vs. Chromatika L 1-2
Series 3: vs. Ko-oren L 0-3
Series 4: @ Hapilopper W 2-1
Series 5: vs. Riandera L 1-2
Series 6: @ Terefuxe L 1-2
Series 7: vs. Natkr W 2-1
Series 8: @ Kamijiro
Series 9: @ Andso Mangis
Series 10: vs. South Newlandia
Series 11: @ Banija
Series 12: vs. Loyo

In the midst of "it's so over", the Dhemixians seem to have found there was, within them, an invincible "we're so back". For a team who is 2-5 through 7 series in the WBC, didn't end up winning a series until Jack Guzman (the starter) hit a grand slam, and actively has four Russelsheim Blue Sox players (two of which expedited their vacation that postseason), this simply shouldn't be possible. It also shouldn't be possible for a team at #23 in the world to be 25th in the table with an 8-13 record, but I guess that's just delayed gratification. It seems as though all Margaret wanted was humility from a team that honestly couldn't be humbler, and yet somehow still found a way to become more humble. For the first time in a while, this is actually a good team that appears to have been blown off course by some mysterious external factor, seeing as how their actual winning percentage is 173 POINTS lower than their Pythagorean. They'd be sixteenth if their Pyth. was a reality, which is obviously just not the truth (boy do I wish), and that would have given every single Dhemixian fan a hoard of things to mald on twii.tur about. That is, if they had any left.

Entering the Natkr series, the general populace's opinion of the Serpents drastically shifted to that of every other national team, and it appears that the euphoria of actually doing something in their first cycle has worn off. At the beginning of this tournament, practically everyone would have defended this team's ability to actually win a knockout series for the first time in a while, and much like all of the NTs, that trust has slowly and surely worn away as the downsides of perpetual mediocrity begin to rear their ugly heads. Nobody believes in them anymore and nobody is in their corner when they're down, which means the Dhemixians need to learn how to save themselves. In the top of the ninth of game three, Alexandra Graham was trotted out for a fourth time in six games to put a lid on the prospective Dhemixian series win. Three pitch punchout. Then another. Then another 0-2 count. As Graham released the backdoor frisbee of a slider, the fire in her eyes relit. This was the same fire Alexandra Graham had on the inside her whole life, that is, up to game four of the LPB8 SNLDS. When the ball hit mitt and the Natkr hitter's bat hit the netting above the away dugout, the fire lit in everyone else. The immaculate inning didn't matter. It was a mentality switch. The problem in tournaments past was that Graham was the only one who had this idea of "all or nothing" every single time she was on the field. Now that everyone's got it, the Kamijiro series is all or nothing for this tournament.

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

RESULTS
LEAGUE PHASE SERIES 8

Cardenao @ The Kytler Peninsulae Scored by Tikariot Cardenao 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 The Kytler Peninsulae 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 Cardenao 0 2 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 7 The Kytler Peninsulae 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 Cardenao 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 The Kytler Peninsulae 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 3

Liventia @ Eshialand Liventia 3 5 1 0 4 0 3 0 0 16 Eshialand 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 Liventia 0 0 2 3 0 0 1 1 0 7 Eshialand 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 Liventia 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 1 0 7 Eshialand 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 5

United States of Nova Calania @ Tikariot United States of Nova Calania 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 4 Tikariot 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 5 United States of Nova Calania 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 4 9 Tikariot 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 3 1 8 United States of Nova Calania 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 Tikariot 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 0 X 6

Loyo @ TJUN-ia Loyo 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 4 TJUN-ia 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 3 X 6 Loyo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 TJUN-ia 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 X 5 Loyo 1 0 0 0 1 1 9 0 0 12 TJUN-ia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

Dhemixia @ Kamijiro Dhemixia 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 6 Kamijiro 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 4 Dhemixia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kamijiro 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 X 2 Dhemixia 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 Kamijiro 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 5

Ranoria @ Ko-oren Ranoria 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 5 Ko-oren 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 Ranoria 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 Ko-oren 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Ranoria 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 6 Ko-oren 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 7

Delaclava @ South Newlandia Delaclava 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 South Newlandia 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 X 4 Delaclava 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 South Newlandia 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Delaclava 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 South Newlandia 0 0 0 4 2 0 2 0 X 8

Sarzonia @ Zwangzug Sarzonia 3 0 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 8 Zwangzug 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 Sarzonia 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Zwangzug 0 0 3 0 4 0 0 2 X 9 Sarzonia 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 Zwangzug 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

Natkr @ Milchama Natkr 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 Milchama 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 Natkr 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Milchama 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 X 5 Natkr 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 Milchama 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 X 4

Visayas Islands @ Banija Visayas Islands 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 Banija 1 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 X 7 Visayas Islands 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 5 Banija 1 0 1 0 1 3 1 1 X 8 Visayas Islands 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 7 Banija 0 2 0 4 4 0 0 0 X 10

Kronbia @ Drawkland Kronbia 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 Drawkland 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Kronbia 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 5 Drawkland 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 3 8 Kronbia 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 4 Drawkland 1 0 3 3 0 0 0 1 X 8

Hapilopper @ Quebec and Shingoryeo Hapilopper 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 5 9 Quebec and Shingoryeo 0 0 1 0 1 2 3 0 0 7 Hapilopper 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 6 Quebec and Shingoryeo 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 4 Hapilopper 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 7 Quebec and Shingoryeo 6 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 X 9

Zenic @ Paradystopia Zenic 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 5 Paradystopia 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 X 6 Zenic 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 Paradystopia 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 X 3 Zenic 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Paradystopia 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Terefuxe @ Andso Mangis Terefuxe 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 Andso Mangis 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 0 X 7 Terefuxe 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 Andso Mangis 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 Terefuxe 3 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 2 11 Andso Mangis 0 2 0 3 0 1 2 2 0 10

Oriental of Rio de La Plata @ The Martian Independent Republic Oriental of Rio de La Plata 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 The Martian Independent Republic 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 X 5 Oriental of Rio de La Plata 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 4 The Martian Independent Republic 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Oriental of Rio de La Plata 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 The Martian Independent Republic 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X 2

The Batavia @ Riandera The Batavia 4 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 9 Riandera 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 The Batavia 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 2 6 12 Riandera 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 5 The Batavia 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Riandera 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 X 4

Valentine Z @ Kwrpania Valentine Z 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 Kwrpania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Valentine Z 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 4 Kwrpania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Valentine Z 1 0 0 1 0 4 1 0 0 7 Kwrpania 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 4

Chromatika @ Katzeburg Chromatika 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Katzeburg 7 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 X 10 Chromatika 0 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 7 Katzeburg 0 0 2 3 0 5 5 0 X 15 Chromatika 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Katzeburg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

LEAGUE PHASE STANDINGS AFTER SERIES 8		P	W	L	RF	RA	PythR
1	Banija					24	23	1	162	82	0.796
2	South Newlandia				24	20	4	149	65	0.840
3	Drawkland				24	18	6	140	73	0.786
4	Milchama				24	18	6	142	83	0.745
5	Liventia				24	18	6	135	88	0.702
6	Ranoria					24	17	7	154	90	0.745
7	Kamijiro				24	17	7	118	80	0.685
8	Quebec and Shingoryeo			24	16	8	124	95	0.630
9	Katzeburg				24	15	9	125	86	0.679
10	Zwangzug				24	14	10	115	94	0.599
11	Tikariot				24	14	10	121	99	0.599
12	The Kytler Peninsulae			24	13	11	109	83	0.633
13	Sarzonia				24	13	11	119	109	0.544
14	TJUN-ia					24	13	11	84	96	0.434
15	United States of Nova Calania		24	12	12	119	105	0.562
16	Hapilopper				24	12	12	124	111	0.555
17	The Batavia				24	12	12	107	109	0.491
18	Kronbia					24	12	12	98	106	0.461
19	Valentine Z				24	12	12	102	114	0.445
20	The Martian Independent Republic	24	11	13	73	100	0.348
21	Eshialand				24	10	14	117	130	0.448
22	Cardenao				24	10	14	104	118	0.437
23	Chromatika				24	10	14	104	121	0.425
24	Ko-oren					24	10	14	108	136	0.387
25	Terefuxe				24	10	14	93	131	0.335
26	Loyo					24	9	15	117	97	0.593
27	Dhemixia				24	9	15	126	115	0.546
28	Zenic					24	9	15	90	116	0.376
29	Paradystopia				24	8	16	99	133	0.357
30	Kwrpania				24	8	16	101	141	0.339
31	Riandera				24	8	16	92	130	0.334
32	Visayas Islands				24	7	17	101	151	0.309
33	Natkr					24	7	17	87	154	0.242
34	Delaclava				24	6	18	89	142	0.282
35	Oriental of Rio de La Plata		24	6	18	71	156	0.172
36	Andso Mangis				24	5	19	86	166	0.212

[Katzeburg]

+-----------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Player          | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | SO | Average |
+-----------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Anthonyson (RF) | 4  | 2 | 2 | 2   | 0  | 1  | 0  | 0.500   |
| Neely (1B)      | 5  | 2 | 3 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.600   |
| Nye (CF)        | 4  | 1 | 1 | 2   | 1  | 0  | 1  | 0.250   |
| Lyall (C)       | 4  | 1 | 2 | 2   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.500   |
| Egger (2B)      | 4  | 1 | 2 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.500   |
| Smith (DH)      | 3  | 1 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.333   |
| Walther (LF)    | 3  | 1 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 1  | 0  | 0.333   |
| Willard (3B)    | 4  | 0 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.250   |
| Rice (SS)       | 4  | 1 | 0 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.000   |
+-----------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+

+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+
| Player   | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+
| Sangster | 9  | 6 | 1 | 1  | 1  | 8  |
+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+

OOC: All stats have been partly AI-Generated (Prompt is to generate stats based on the final box score).

+-----------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Player          | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | SO | Average |
+-----------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Anthonyson (RF) | 5  | 2 | 2 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.400   |
| Bennet (1B)     | 5  | 3 | 3 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0.600   |
| Nye (CF)        | 5  | 2 | 3 | 3   | 1  | 0  | 0  | 0.600   |
| Lyall (C)       | 5  | 2 | 2 | 3   | 1  | 0  | 1  | 0.400   |
| Gartner (2B)    | 5  | 2 | 2 | 2   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.400   |
| Smith (DH)      | 5  | 1 | 2 | 2   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.400   |
| Garland (LF)    | 4  | 1 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 1  | 1  | 0.250   |
| Flowers (3B)    | 4  | 1 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 1  | 1  | 0.250   |
| Blythe (SS)     | 4  | 1 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.250   |
+-----------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+

+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+
| Player   | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+
| Unkle    | 2  | 4 | 3 | 3  | 1  | 2  |
| Holmwood | 4  | 5 | 3 | 3  | 1  | 4  |
| Wendell  | 3  | 3 | 1 | 1  | 0  | 3  |
+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+

OOC: All stats have been partly AI-Generated (Prompt is to generate stats based on the final box score).

+--------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Player       | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | SO | Average |
+--------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Tobias (RF)  | 5  | 0 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.200   |
| Bennet (1B)  | 5  | 0 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.200   |
| Alan (CF)    | 5  | 0 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.200   |
| Wallis (C)   | 5  | 0 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.200   |
| Egger (2B)   | 5  | 0 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.200   |
| Smith (DH)   | 4  | 0 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 1  | 1  | 0.250   |
| Walther (LF) | 5  | 0 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.200   |
| Willard (3B) | 5  | 0 | 0 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.000   |
| Rice (SS)    | 4  | 1 | 0 | 1   | 0  | 1  | 0  | 0.000   |
+--------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+

+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+
| Player   | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+
| McLain   | 8  | 4 | 0 | 0  | 0  | 8  |
| Beringer | 4  | 1 | 0 | 0  | 0  | 4  |
+----------+----+---+---+----+----+----+

OOC: All stats have been partly AI-Generated (Prompt is to generate stats based on the final box score).

+-----------------+----+----+----+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Player          | AB | R  | H  | RBI | HR | BB | SO | Average |
+-----------------+----+----+----+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Bennet (1B)     | 66 | 16 | 25 | 3   | 1  | 1  | 12 | 0.379   |
| Nye (CF)        | 66 | 12 | 25 | 25  | 4  | 5  | 10 | 0.379   |
| Tobias (RF)     | 35 | 7  | 13 | 4   | 0  | 2  | 7  | 0.371   |
| Anthonyson (RF) | 70 | 16 | 25 | 5   | 0  | 3  | 13 | 0.357   |
| Alan (CF)       | 37 | 3  | 11 | 10  | 2  | 0  | 7  | 0.297   |
| Lyall (C)       | 69 | 7  | 20 | 18  | 1  | 2  | 19 | 0.290   |
| Garland (LF)    | 31 | 6  | 8  | 5   | 0  | 1  | 8  | 0.258   |
| Neely (1B)      | 36 | 6  | 9  | 3   | 0  | 2  | 8  | 0.250   |
| Wallis (C)      | 33 | 4  | 8  | 6   | 0  | 3  | 10 | 0.242   |
| Walther (LF)    | 58 | 11 | 13 | 7   | 1  | 5  | 13 | 0.224   |
| Egger (2B)      | 63 | 6  | 14 | 7   | 0  | 2  | 20 | 0.222   |
| Smith (DH)      | 68 | 8  | 15 | 5   | 1  | 2  | 20 | 0.221   |
| Gartner (2B)    | 35 | 2  | 6  | 6   | 1  | 1  | 11 | 0.171   |
| Flowers (3B)    | 30 | 4  | 5  | 3   | 0  | 3  | 7  | 0.167   |
| Werner (P)      | 7  | 1  | 1  | 1   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.143   |
| Willard (3B)    | 57 | 5  | 8  | 6   | 0  | 3  | 12 | 0.140   |
| Blythe (SS)     | 29 | 3  | 3  | 2   | 0  | 1  | 12 | 0.103   |
| Rice (SS)       | 57 | 6  | 4  | 4   | 0  | 2  | 21 | 0.070   |
| Sangster (P)    | 7  | 0  | 0  | 0   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.000   |
| Unkle (P)       | 5  | 1  | 0  | 0   | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0.000   |
| Kurzmann (P)    | 4  | 1  | 0  | 0   | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.000   |
+-----------------+----+----+----+-----+----+----+----+---------+

+----------+------+----+----+----+----+----+
| Player   | IP   | H  | R  | ER | BB | SO |
+----------+------+----+----+----+----+----+
| Werner   | 41   | 30 | 11 | 11 | 3  | 37 |
| Sangster | 38   | 30 | 12 | 12 | 5  | 36 |
| McLain   | 34.2 | 32 | 17 | 17 | 5  | 32 |
| Unkle    | 28.2 | 32 | 18 | 18 | 4  | 24 |
| Kurzmann | 27   | 28 | 13 | 13 | 3  | 24 |
| Courtney | 13.1 | 8  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 12 |
| Holmwood | 12   | 12 | 7  | 7  | 2  | 10 |
| Beringer | 10   | 8  | 5  | 5  | 2  | 10 |
| Wendell  | 8    | 5  | 2  | 2  | 0  | 8  |
| Glazier  | 6.2  | 4  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 6  |
+----------+------+----+----+----+----+----+

OOC: All stats have been partly AI-Generated (Prompt is to generate stats based on the final box score).

Before the Katzeburgian Revolution, Katzeburg had a long and often unproud tradition of Kaisers. A figurehead at the top of the proverbial food chain (or literally, in the case of Kaiser Douglas the Rather Big-Boned), the Katzeburgian Kaiser would rule over the many states of the nation of Katzeburg - sometimes with an iron fist, sometimes in a kind and gentle manner, and more often than not, rather incompetently.

For the last decade, boffins at the University of Waldstein history department have been diving into the history of feudal Katzeburg, aiming to stretch the royal line back as far as they possibly can. During their research, they have uncovered numerous tales of rulers who were history making for better or for worse. These are their stories.

Kaiser Doug the Good At Fighting - BK840 - BK806

A century on from Kaiser Karl the Hopper's reign as ruler of Katzeburg, the nation was in a very different place from when Karl departed this mortal coil. The popular ruler gave way to his son, Kaiser Roderick the Refuses to Have A Gimmick, who was quickly detested by a number of regional lords for the crime of being an absolute bore. Katzeburg slowed to a crawl culturally in the decades following Karl's death, as Roderick spent his days simply doing little but watching the world pass him by and occasionally do some bird watching. But Roderick would eventually give way to his son, Kaiser Mattias the Draining, who had learnt a great deal from his father's rule - namely the sheer amount of ways one could be boring. Mattias very much looked to follow his father's lead and guide Katzeburg through another period of nothing significant happening; simply treading water as a nation.

This naturally, wouldn't do for many lords, who were itching to give their swords and shields a good swinging, and tensions would eventually start to mount between the borders of a number of regional lords as minor attacks and raids on border villages began to increasingly break out. These border battles would see the gradual rise of the Deerhaven Lord Tilman Walker and his son Doug, who had an cosmos-given skill of being one hell of a fighter. Doug would lead the Deerhaven military in a number of skirmishes against neighbouring lords and would be successful in every single one of them - spreading the reputation that Doug and the Deerhaven military were the best in the land and a crucial part of the puzzle for any potential challenge to the throne.

Mattias, to his credit, would recognise the growing influence and strength of Deerhaven and reached out to Tilman to discuss a potential alliance, especially as the ageing ruler was now starting to turn his mind to the succession of the throne. He had never had a male heir, with only a daughter to his name, and it was proposed by the Kaiser that Doug would marry his daughter to strengthen the ties between the throne and the Walkers. Of course, the key caveat would be any children reared from this agreement would formally be part of the Kudosian bloodline, keeping the family on the throne for hopefully years to come. This would be quickly accepted by Lord Tilman, with Doug marrying Jane the Good-Natured the following summer and quickly siring a child, Arthur the Child. But like any good Katzeburgian drama, there would be another rising from the ashes, and in BK842 the long-exiled brother of Mattias, Jarrod the Not As Good At Fighting would return to Katzeburg and the royal court.

Jarrod had his exile lifted by his brother as a way to restore familial ties within Katzestadt Castle and prepare his eventual successor in Arthur for the throne. However, this drew considerable ire from Doug and the Walkers, who were cautious to the fact Jarrod was initially exiled for threatening to take the crown from Mattias in the first place - having the backing from some of the Western lords of Katzeburg who were seeking a change at the top to kickstart a flagging country. The two would often be at loggerheads over the next couple of years, with neither able to agree on anything when it came to the tutelage of the young heir in waiting. But tensions would hit boiling point in early BK840 when Mattias would eventually pass away of old age in the company of his brother and his brother alone.

This would be the igniting incident when Jarrod would exit the room declaring the Kaiser had made a death-bed change of mind when it came to succession, instead opting to grant the throne to Jarrod over the young Arthur. Doug and the Walkers were furious at this change of events, believing no such deal had been agreed between Jarrod and the former Kaiser - leading to the Walkers declaring immediate war on Jarrod's offshoot while the newly installed Kaiser shot off to the west of Mount Mercer to try and avoid an immediate execution. Doug would lead a strong army made up of Deerhaven forces and a number of additional Eastern lords who were backing the claim of Arthur and headed west, sweeping down south of Mount Mercer and knocking back successive militaries as the force advanced further west.

Eventually the force would be met by Jarrod's largest group just north of Shepton, on Katzeburg's southwestern edge in what would become one of the most significant battles in the history of the nation, the Battle of Shepton. More than 10,000 soldiers would spend the next three days fighting on the open plains, only ending after Doug located Jarrod and engaged in a fierce battle to the death, won by Doug who managed to knock Jarrod to the ground with a shield charge before decapitating him with one swift downswing of his sword. The rival threat to the throne would disappear almost overnight following the death of Jarrod, and Doug would in his place claim the throne for himself - purely as a way to keep it in the family's hands until Arthur was of a suitable age. With his military prowess striking fear into the hearts of lords across Katzeburg, no one was willing to challenge the claim from Doug to the throne, rather opting to simply let him take it with the understanding he would eventually pass it onto his son as the rightful heir.

This would end up resulting in Doug remaining on the throne well past Arthur growing into age, as the fractures sparked by Jarrod's claim to the throne resulted in numerous wars across Katzeburg as lords jockeyed for position and land. Doug would often spend his years as ruler battling across Katzeburg to quash rebellions left right and center, allowing Arthur to spend time at the royal court learning and preparing to eventually take the throne, which he would eventually do at the age of 35. Kaiser Doug would eventually pass away in the very nature he lived, fighting - ultimately felled by a stray arrow from one of his own men during a battle on the rivermouth which would eventually become Inverhaven.

The reign of Kaiser Doug and the battle which would ultimately put him on the throne would be portrayed in the historic Axmund Tapestry, which for the longest time would be the historical record of note regarding Doug's reign on the throne. But it would eventually be destroyed by Kaiser Wilhelm the Rather Incompetent in the fire which would destroy the first Katzestadt Castle in BK387. Much of his reign was thankfully covered elsewhere in historical records only recently rediscovered in a dank cellar in Deerhaven behind a pair of suitcases and a pile of ancient copies of the Deerhaven Herald, seemingly sitting untouched for decades.

[Drawkland]

This is continued from the World Bowl thread. This part is somewhat football-related but I promise it'll become more about baseball for the remaining episodes I post in this thread.

"The Futile Appeal"

Sadeg State was officially eliminated from championship contention in the DOCA football playoffs. It didn’t matter that the game ended on a horrific no-call that should’ve given State a fresh set of downs on the goal line. Sadeg State was resigned to a Bronze Bowl appearance, but less than 24 hours after the final whistle rang out, Brooklyn Beck was told she wouldn’t be taking part in it. Her rage at the referee that refused to call pass interference on the final play of the game may have been justified, but shoving the ref after the game was over was still a big rule violation. You can’t assault a game official and get away with it.

Brooklyn couldn’t be too angry about that. The no-call was still an atrocious act and yet another ugly stamp on her collegiate career, but you can’t have a worthwhile sports career without getting screwed by the refs at least once. She did, however, object to the sentencing doled out by DOCA in the official notice the day after the game. It incensed her enough to go to campus (though there was still a week until the next semester started) to speak with the Sadeg State athletic director, Donnie Hollis.

“‘Suspended for the next three football games played by the Sadeg State football team. Barred from all team activities during this span.’” Brooklyn quoted the paper notice to Hollis across the desk in the AD’s office. “That’s ridiculous! There’s only one game left in the DOCA season!”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem, right? You’re already a senior,” Hollis replied, propping up his chin with one hand. He had an almost bored expression on his face, which was starting to bother Brooklyn.

“Look at the wording.” Brooklyn pointed at the statement, showing it to Hollis. “It says ‘three football games.’ I checked some other punishments they handed out to other players. Those all specify DOCA contests, this one doesn’t. They’re trying to take me out of the first two games of the NSCF season. The openers against the Chromatik schools? That’s attempted murder for our season! They don’t even have the authority for that.”

“Do they not?” Hollis asked rhetorically. He himself wasn’t sure of the answer, but it was clear that he hardly cared.

“No, they-” Brooklyn stopped herself, giving a quizzical glance to her athletic director. “Does this not bother you at all? Your football team just got screwed on national television. One season killed. And now they’re trying to mortally wound another season because of some bull, uh, crap.”

“What am I supposed to do about that?” Hollis replied, leaning back in his chair, hands now folded on his lap.

“Uh. Gee, I dunno, Mr. Director. Maybe appeal the damn punishment?” Brooklyn narrowed her eyes. “This is a no-brainer! DOCA is overstepping their boundaries. This is exactly why you exist, to help out your athletes in situations like this.”

“And why should I do that?” Hollis tilted his head with a curious expression. “Is this situation unfair? Certainly. Is DOCA overstepping here? Most likely. Should this decision be appealed? Probably. But why should I go through all that trouble for you, Ms. Beck?”

“Because …” Brooklyn started, trying to collect her thoughts. She wasn’t exactly prepared for this line of questioning. “I’m your senior quarterback? Veteran of the baseball team? One of the biggest names to come through the program in years? I’m not sure why that matters anyway. It’s an unfair decision that’s negatively impacting your program-”

“Is this DOCA decision really affecting my program that badly?” Hollis interrupted. “Let’s look at the other end of the equation. How badly have you negatively impacted this department? Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Before you even got here, your father undermined my authority in this very office.”

“That’s not my fault! I didn’t even know he was going to-”

“No matter. How about you chasing off our perfectly acceptable quarterback because he was in your way?”

“I had nothing to do with that!”

“And, in the same tournament, tanking public opinion against our long-tenured and beloved football coach so much so that I was forced to fire him on short notice?”

“Don’t act like Manlio’s last few years were great. He-”

“Speaking of long-tenured coaches, our basketball coach nearly died on the court thanks to your-”

“I wasn’t even on the floor that game! I was barely involved with the basketball-”

“Yet, with all your sporting prowess, your alleged multi-sport ‘dominance,’ which I had to move heaven and Sonnel for by the way, Sadeg State has come away with zero titles or impressive feats since you debuted. Our football team, a disappointment. Our baseball team, never reaching the heights of the last decade.”

“Hey, the basketball team won the DOCA tournament-”

“Which you, so accurately reminded me, had nothing to do with you. All that’s happened since you came to our esteemed university is an erosion of my authority in the department and reputation everywhere else. So again, Brooklyn Beck, please tell me why I should even lift a finger on your behalf?” Hollis stared coldly across the desk.

“Wouldn’t …” Brooklyn scrambled for conversational purchase. The intense deconstruction of her college career had frankly caught her right on the chin. “Wouldn’t just letting DOCA do whatever they want without a fight just make you look even weaker? Losing me in two of the most important games of the NSCF season would just make matters worse.”

“Would it really?” Hollis stuck out his bottom lip. “I seem to recall the last three and a half seasons of Skyhawk NSCF football to be some of the worst on record. Worst losing streak in franchise history … zero playoff appearances … zero division titles, much less a Horizon conference title … losing a bowl game to a washed-up squad of nobodies … am I forgetting anything?”

“Okay, fine.” Brooklyn fumed. That turned her hurt and confusion into anger. “Fine. I guess I am just a worthless piece of garbage that’s stained your career and put your job at risk. But what if I never came here? I can tell you right now I would’ve gone to Cavsar. Say all you want about me, there’s no way Jimmy Chapman or Reed Harper were going to save the football team. Manlio would’ve still been fired eventually. And the daughter of Dustin Beck would be enjoying championships at Cavsar, while you stopped your coaches from recruiting me. Think your job would be any safer then?”

“Sure, sure.” Hollis chuckled at first, then broke into a full gut laugh. “Yes, I’m sure Cavsar would’ve performed just as well with you under center. Do you actually believe that? Do you have no self-awareness?”

“Kevin Sajak couldn’t pass his way out of a paper bag.” Brooklyn growled. “I have the worthless OPOY nomination to prove I’m better than him, yet he’s the one with an NSCF ring while we’re sitting in here arguing. So yeah, I’m pretty confident that I would’ve been just fine at Cavsar. But would you be?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Hollis’s face darkened. “Regardless, I see no reason to help you whatsoever. You’ve brought nothing but misfortune and death to my department. I owe you zero favors. You arguably owe me several. I’m not going to appeal your suspension.”

“So what, I’m just screwed now?” Brooklyn threw her hands up in exasperation.

“You can appeal it yourself. It’s well within your rights as an athlete.” Hollis broke into a smirk. “Good luck actually achieving anything in the hearing, though. They’ll find one bylaw to hook you and it’s over. Have fun trying to figure that out!”

“Fine then. I will.” Brooklyn snatched the envelope she brought with her and stood up from her chair in a huff. “Thanks for nothing,” she added as she rushed out of the office, shutting the door behind her.

The appeal had to happen quickly. Suspension from all team activities meant Brooklyn couldn’t participate in the practices the team was holding all week. She wasn’t exactly thrilled that Sadeg State was going to the Bronze Bowl to determine DOCA’s third place football team, but she didn’t want to miss out on a chance to end her domestic college football career on a high note. Brooklyn’s chances of playing in the bowl game were slim if the suspension wasn’t lifted by midweek.

As soon as she got home from the unhelpful meeting with her athletic director, Brooklyn reread the suspension letter and noted the process for an athlete appeal. She dialed the number, set the meeting for two days’ time, then used some of her NIL money to get a hotel in Drawk City the night before so she wouldn’t have to drive as far the morning of the meeting. She pulled up the DOCA and NSCF bylaws she could find, doing as much research cramming as she could. It’s not like she had anywhere else to be.

Two days later, Brooklyn strode into the offices of DOCA, the Drawkian Organization for Collegiate Athletics. She was wearing a suit which she’d bought for a formal presentation in one of her business degree courses the year before. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary for her, as she’d grown used to wearing suits on gameday Fridays with the rest of the football team in high school. Ironically, the business degree she hardly cared about had assisted her in assembling a binder full of bylaws and previous decisions that she thought might help her case. It’s not like it was a full legal hearing, but Brooklyn knew she’d have to be prepared since nobody was going to be helping her.

Brooklyn reached the conference room where the appeal hearing was set to take place, taking a moment to smooth her clothes down and collect herself. The room was oddly cold when she walked in. A panel of people sat on one side of a long table, which she assumed was the appeals committee. Some sort of paralegal, notetaker, or secretary sat at one end of the table. Brooklyn wasn’t sure what they were, but they seemed to be directing the meeting as soon as Brooklyn sat down.

The appeal wasn’t a chance to argue the full case again. That was fine, because there was really no way to claim that Brooklyn didn’t grab and shove the referee. The whole country saw it live on camera, and it was clear that it wasn’t an accident since Brooklyn had been following and verbally lambasting the man for about a minute prior to the contact.

“I’ve made the decision to appeal this punishment on my own behalf,” Brooklyn said in her opening statement, “because I believe the punishment I’ve been given is unjust and a gross overstep by DOCA.”

“Suspensions are customary for infractions involving misconduct between a player and official,” one member of the committee replied. “There’s no reason why this punishment shouldn’t stand.”

“I disagree.” Brooklyn grabbed a tab in her binder and flipped to a certain page. This had some specific information she wanted to reference, as well as a couple lines she had rehearsed. “Thankfully incidents involving altercations between student-athletes and game officials are rare. I regret that I became one of these incidents and hope that it doesn’t inspire similar behavior from future athletes. However, all of the past incidents I could find in similar severity to my own resulted in 1 or 2 suspended games. This is noticeably shorter than the punishment I received, which includes 3 games and no participation in team activities.”

“The severity of the punishment was determined by the prominence of the incident,” a board member answered. “DOCA does not tolerate misconduct against officials, especially on the biggest stages our sports have to offer.”

“I thought that may be the case, but there is no such provision in DOCA’s bylaws. Several articles imply that punishments should be uniform for incidents of similar severity, so this punishment runs afoul of those rules.” Brooklyn flipped to another tab in her binder, preparing herself for the next line of reasoning. “Not to mention the fact that the punishment itself is illogical. Sadeg State only has one remaining football game scheduled, and as a senior, I won’t have any future DOCA seasons to serve the suspension.”

A couple of the committee members gave a knowing look to each other before one spoke up. “The penalty sentence does not specifically mention DOCA contests. Any football games played by Sadeg State apply to this end.”

“That’s even more incorrect!” Brooklyn replied quickly. “The games left after the Bronze Bowl are NSCF contests. DOCA has no authority over how the team utilizes its roster for games in that tournament.”

“Sadeg State University is affiliated with DOCA. Organizational discipline is considered universal since Sadeg State is a member university.”

“This isn’t the case for NSCF.” Brooklyn tried to keep herself calm so she wouldn’t lose the points she’d gone over in preparation. She looked down at the page she’d turned to and nodded. “NSCF participation is organized unilaterally by the Drawkian International Sporting Council. DISC and DOCA have no agreements about this competition. DISC makes agreements directly with the athletic directors of the institutions DISC wants to include in Drawkland’s entry. DOCA has no bylaws regarding participation in international tournaments, and no involvement in the NSCF specifically. Regardless of this committee’s appeal decision, I will not be held out of any NSCF games. DOCA has no legal authority to enforce that.”

A few members of the committee didn’t seem to like that line of thinking. Several of them muttered to themselves or each other, but none of them spoke up.

The meeting continued for a few more minutes as Brooklyn cited the specific rules, bylaws, and cases that supported her argument. Eventually she had nothing left and was asked to leave the meeting room. The committee would talk amongst themselves and make their final decision about the length of Brooklyn’s punishment. At this point, she was just hoping she could play the beginning of the NSCF season without getting into a legal pickle. She was confident that her point about DOCA/NSCF separation would stand, but it would be easier for everyone if it wasn’t part of the equation at all.

After what felt like an eternity, the committee members finally appeared in the hallway, filing out past the waiting room where Brooklyn was sitting. She stood up, but none of the committee seemed interested in looking at her. Finally, the paralegal, or whatever she was, found Brooklyn and presented her with a recently-printed sheet of paper.

Thank you for your attention and care to the matter of your DOCA rules violation, the letter read. Due to various factors presented during the appeal process, the punishment for this violation has been officially modified. The student-athlete in question, Brooklyn E. Beck, shall be suspended from all team contests and practices in any varsity sports for a three-week period. This sentence shall only be served during active seasons in sports which the athlete is eligible to play.

“Huh?” Brooklyn read the notice again to be sure. “Does this mean it’s carrying over into baseball season?”

The paralegal nodded with an apathetic expression, then shrugged as if to show the futility of the situation. She rejoined the rest of the departing committee without a word.

“Great. Wonderful.” Brooklyn muttered to herself. The NSCF season openers wouldn’t be an issue now, at least. She was much less excited about that fact than she thought she’d be. Now she also had to have an uncomfortable conversation with James Denton, the baseball coach. “So glad I drove all the way out here for this garbage.”

[Ko-oren]

Series 8: Ranoria @ Ko-oren
Bad Things:
It could've been better

Good Things:
It could've been worse. Just kidding

Bad Things:
In game one, the Dragonflies were up 0-3 up until the seventh inning, when we allowed a singular (1) run to Ranoria. No biggie. Then the eighth: two more runs, 3-3 tied game. Can happen. Bounce back. Ninth inning: two more runs, 5-3 loss. Game two: the Dragonflies are tied 1-1 until the eighth, where they'd give up the winning run and then another one in the ninth.

Good Things:
At least we won game 3 where they gave us the lead in the ninth. It goes both ways (but it goes the other way a bit more often than it goes our way)

Almanac Razahnensis

Every year, a body of researchers, philosophers, moral teachers, and so on, gathered in the region of Razahne, to compile and publish a vast array of works. These included anything from weather and climate forecasts to fortune telling, decisions of leaders and the opinions of the compilers thereon to the newest codified rules of games and sports. In their honour, the organisation behind the Almanac Razahnensis aims to compile and publish a massive body of work of their own, to be used as reference material for elementary and high school curriculums, for collectors, for the broadly interested, and so on. The topics of the modern Almanac Razahnensis vary.

Cultural Regions

There's a hundred ways to divide Ko-oren. Official governmental boundaries like municipalities and subdivisions ('states/provinces'), or soil type, or sports affinities, and so on. But a fairly contentious but well-established one: cultural regions.

Every town should have more in common culturally-historically with other places within the region rather than outside it. Sometimes that is a little hamfisted, such as where zones 20, 10, and 9 touch, where these distinctions can be pretty arbitrary. But at the same time, at a macro level, few Ko-orenites are going to debate this map and it division into 31 (the numbering is, as with all things culture and Ko-oren, duodecimal). It also gives us a weird zone 4 which stretches along almost all of the north, but yeah, a random town in its west will have more in common with the towns at the east of zone 4 rather than coastal Mahrkioren, or the weird pocket of zone 3, or the cold northern zone 2. That's unfortunately how these maps come out.

For these zones, the population, area, and physical geography are secondary. They might pop up in some form, but the actual statistics don't matter.

We've looked at the north (zones 1-6), the west (zones 18-20), the east (zones 22-27), and the south (zones 11-16). That leaves us with the central area (zones 7-10, 17, and 21).

Zone X
Amahne. The city long outdone by the efforts of the capitals, but for long it held its own against the four of them. It's disingenious to always mention this city alongside others, as for a long time, it was the measure of all things. It had its own currency, policies, and it represents an important counterbalance to national meritocracy - namely, an independent press and a separate democratic body. To this day, it's a very rare city in that its mayor is elected, and that Amahne, together with Thelesra, are the only cities where official government bodies are located outside of the capitals. For Thelesra, it's defence, for Amahne, it's the fourth branch of government; the Auditory branch, made up of 144 elected members of parliament. It defends that body fiercely. As far as that independent press goes: Amahne is the centre of journalism and entertainment, with every major TV and radio studio and station located right there.

On top of that, it has a unique sense of aesthetics: rounded shapes and lines inspired - like much in Ko-oren - by the random way plants grow. Art deco, is another name for it. It wasn't necessarily created here, but the design principles that the city already adhered to happened to coincide so well with the more international wave. The city is also famous for having so many public works and buildings - that aren't parks or gardens - but wide plazas, boulevards, beaches, and so on: lined with statues, fountains, plaques, monuments: the place has protected its past well and continues to make it publically available for no cost at all.

Interestingly, the culture of modern Ko-oren might be shaped more by Amahne than by other cities, with national media presenting their materials from here. Perhaps, after all these centuries, Amahne has won the cultural battle after all?

Zone Y
What Razahne is to the capitals, this area is to Amahne. A base of operations for diplomacy, philosophy, learning, writing, critiquing, and all of that on a more open - democratic - basis. At the same time it has a far higher population that other places considered 'hinterland' so it held its own economically, propping up Amahne's economy while profiting off its policies at the same time. The industrial revolution had different effects in different parts of the country: the southeast saw its exports skyrocket, the southwest were early adopters of steam and electricity, but it's here where industry and manufacturing really took off. The link between premodern and modern might well have been forged here, and the layout of a surprising amount of large cities are a testament to that.

Unfortunately, because Razahne has historically and presently overshadowed this region, some of its achievements are ignored. But many teachers, artists, professors, scientists, and so on, that would make the capitals great, are from here.

Zone 10
The massive fertile line intersecting the mainland. In itself it's roughly made up to two large areas: a northern line from the mountains in the west to the Bay coast in its northeast, and a southern line from the same point in the western mountains to the south coast. Either way, it's a region of large(r) distances and few(er) people and a modern breadbasket for the entire country, growing grains, vegetables, and so on, cattle farming, and also getting into forestry towards its western end as well.

Many people from cities that wanted a quieter life settled down here, and its scenes were featured on paintings, or described in novels and other stories - mostly from the last five centuries as opposed to what we usually think of for storytelling, which mostly happened before that. The image of a troubled artist settling down in a remote town is not strange here either.

Zone 17
Garihnkatar is as old as any Ko-orenite city, with over two millennia of inhabitation, but it's also the new kid on the map. That's because the city's golden age is right now, as far as population, prosperity, and relevance is concerned. For ages, the city has been the main port for the mainland, with navigators, merchants, and diplomats leaving for the Calanian continent through here, but for all of those ages, there's been little more than a harbour and a shipbuilding industry, powered by being downstream from the mighty Monrama markets. But as the place was also the port of entry for visitors into Ko-oren, Garihnkatar has always been a more international city, and that can be seen from the much more contemporary and conventional architecture in the city centre and around it.

That said, visitors often shot straight for Monrama to secure imports and exports, Ilohbonu, Amahne for its culture, or the capitals for their culture and political influence - Garihnkatar nothing more than a speed bump in getting there. That changed when planners actively set out to grow Garihnkatar until it sprawled all the way to previously separate Igobahl (of Sydberg Olympia fame), and that's where the extent of the city currently lies. In that span of about two centuries, it has overtaken southeastern Thelesra as the biggest port, Berelkhanaur and Serekhan as industry leaders, Monrama as the centre of business, and arguably even Shemurdar as the country's biggest city in music. Oh - and it overtook both Amahne and Ilohbonu as the biggest population, a category which it now leads by so much that the gap between #1 and #2 would rank in the top 10 of Ko-orenite agglomerations. With so many people nearby, it shouldn't surprise that subcultures that were often much more niche have found each other, making Garihnkatar the place to be for small podiums and theatres.

At the same time, the full extent of the conurbation is so large that some of its neighbourhoods have also carved out a role for themselves. As mentioned, Igobahl is a fairly upper class area, quietly bankrolling maintenance on the older structures in the city's centre (but also keeping a safe distance). Argahr, one of few centres of organised religion and home to the seat of the catholic diocese of Garihnkatar - not the archdiocese, but it is the one with the larger cathedral. Finance bros populate Haluhsan, sick beats propagate through the streets of next-door Anahwidu, and there is the international quarter of Winadh. Markets and antique shops in Dhipili. We could go on for a while: it's not unique to Ko-oren in that neighbourhoods have a distinct flavour, it's just that Garihnkatar has so many different flavours that's unique.

Zone 21
Ilohbonu lies in the exact middle between the capitals (north), Amahne (east), and Garihnkatar (south). It might not have had the first railway running through it, but it did have the first railway station (as in, multiple routes intersecting) as railroads gradually fanned out of the central city over the last three centuries. Then it had the first high speed train running through it, from the capitals to Garihnkatar, and today it has the nation's largest (by far) airport as well, also connected to the high speed rail network. It's transport and logistics at any point in time for the area.

They also had a hand in early diplomacy between the seats of power - the capitals, Amahne, Monrama, Orental - as most leaders and mayors travelled together from Ilohbonu onwards to their destination. The city reserved a quarter for official visits, which still is a beautifully protected zone of (once) luxury pavilions, restaurants, hotels, and so on. Most of the nation's greats - artists, statespeople, musicians, professors - passed through its gates at some point, delivering speeches, holding public lectures, and so on. Some of those are still remembered, and the local university definitely still has a record of all of those historic moments.

Where most of Ko-oren's history is written by systems, plans, and careful decisions, Ilohbonu's history is one of individuals. Rich members of city council paying for grand public works and of course all of the aforementioned greats who travelled through, but often stayed for a few weeks or months to connect with other big names.

[Chromatika]

Chromatika	 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Katzeburg	 7 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 X 10
	
Chromatika	 0 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0  7
Katzeburg	 0 0 2 3 0 5 5 0 X 15
	
Chromatika	 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Katzeburg	 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Disaster. Total, unmitigated disaster.

A series after taking two of three from Quebec and Shingoryeo, a top team in the World Baseball Classic, Chromatika were completely and utterly dominated by fellow unranked Katzburg, as Ashley Witters lasted a total of two thirds of an inning, Justinian only three, Ling's seven-inning effort was wasted on a twelve-inning thriller decided on a walk-off double at the bottom of the twelfth. The result drops Chromatika to 10-14 - and twenty-third, which is barely at the edge of playoff contention.

"They had us beat thoroughly," admitted Mayamoto, "They were all over our pitching and never let us get into rhythm. The home crowd were into it, and they are definitely an outfit with the potential to make it deep into the tournament. We have to just take our hats off to them."

This means that the matchups against Zenic and The Martian Independent Republic loom even larger. That's five of six games that Chromatika have lost to fellow unranked teams, and if they are to make it to the next round, it's imperative they pick up some wins against the remaining two unranked teams.

Time is running out. The runway is starting to run short, and it's going to take the team getting back together to overcome what is ahead of them. Bynum-Jackson, Friend, and Witters will take to the mound - with Witters hell bent to prove that the first game of the Katzburg series was just an outlier in her performance.

It hasn't been easy for the Outliers - it was never expected that it would be in their first foray back into international baseball - but the fact that they still have a chance is a testament to their baseball pedigree and history.

How will this story end, and will it be enough for Chromatika to fully recommit to baseball in the future? That part of the story remains to be told.

[Milchama]

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

MBL Preview Post

Unlike some nations, *cough* South Newlandia *cough* who make large elaborate of every team in their league and unlike other nations *cough* Banija *cough* who are traitors we will do what one is supposed to do in a preview which is give a little background on each team, say what changed over the offseason, establish a clear narrative theme that will drive them forward and be used regardless of results, wildly speculate on their record without anything to back you up. Some people would say you should talk about players to which we say, eh, depends on the team.

Thus, we will use those points to show our MBL preview which we will do in order of last year's finish.

Tel Chittor Forts
A little background - Two time defending Magen Ikhaka champions (as a reminder for our international audience, the Magen Ikhaka is awarded to the team with the best regular season record). Defending Arrosian Series champions. They are very good and probably the best team in the MBL.

What changed over the offseason - Basically nothing, some bench players and deep relievers got replaced. Their names don't matter. They have the same starting 4 and the same starting lineup. It turns out winning 124 games means that you don't really want to do very much to change the team besides tinker around the edges so that's what's happening.

The clear narrative theme - Continuity/Keeping the Band Together/Bringing the Band Back. Will making no changes to one of the greatest club teams of all time be a good or a bad thing?

Wild record speculation - 102-64

New Sparta Phalanx

A little background - Won the Arrosian Series in the first season of the MBL, finished 2nd place last year with 111 wins.

What changed over the offseason - Eitan Gomez has competition for the first baseman job. Itay Gashka chewed up his AAA stint where he hit .330 with 28 homers and seems ready to potentially play in the MBL. The Phalanx are looking for a loan with Gashka but nothing has happened yet. In the meantime we'll see if Gomez gets pushed for playing time. They also signed some other excellent bench players in Walter Walets and Hemmings Lansly who will add depth for the Phalanx.

The clear narrative theme - Can they beat Tel Chittor? The Phalanx were a surprise 4th seed in the first MBL playoffs and despite their lower ranking, they pulled off a few upsets to get over the hump and win. Last year they used that momentum to finish 2nd and play even better. Now they have one thing left, beating the Forts. It's going to be hard but somebody will probably do it at some point.

Wild record speculation - 90-76

Alexandria Commies

Quick note here: Yes we're skipping the Banijan teams, we don't know their offseasons well enough to wildly speculate on their records. \

A little background - The most decorated team in Milchamian baseball history.

What changed over the offseason - Not much on the field as the Commies tried and failed to land Hong-Seok Joh from Quebec and were in on Itay Gashka but weren't able to do it. However, oh boy did a lot happen in the front office. Both the GM and Manager were fired, despite a playoff appearance and replaced with Marius McNeesh, who will player-manage, and Ken Takahoma respectively. The new manager and the new GM have some big shoes to fill.

Random extra fun fact - Marius McNeesh has announced that this will be his final season. Expect a big first base signing at some point and the rumor mill to keep turning in the meantime.

The clear narrative theme - Despite an illustrious history, the Commies have struggled in the MBL, not making the playoffs the first year and only finishing fourth last year, which is why there were big changes in management. Can the new management get more out of the players? Will the Commies take their rightful place among the elite of the elite?

Wild record speculation - 90-76

Alexandria Ships

A little background - The little brothers to the Commies. They're basically the Milchamian version of the Mets or White Sox. Clearly inferior teams to their more popular same city siblings. However, they did make the playoffs, at the Commies expense, in the first MBL season.

What changed over the offseason - The Ships signed a catcher. Normally this would not be a big deal but this is the first non-Milchamian in the history of the franchise, not that the Ships were known for being particularly insular or anything, it's just one of those things that happened you know. Anyway, this catcher, Luca Conti is one of the starters for the Quebec Grim Reapers. The Ships expect two things from Conti -a good middle order bat and bringing in the insane Grim Reapers supporters group the Bubonic Plague (great name) to help them get more recognition in Quebec. One will definitely happen, whether Conti will adjust to the MBL will be the big question this year for the Ships.

The clear narrative theme - Did you see all that about the catcher? Yeah that stuff. We will make everything Ship related somehow be about Conti, even if he gets injured in like the first game. You heard it here first.

Wild record speculation - 110-56

New Babylon Pirates

A little background - Generic mid table side.

What changed over the offseason - Surprisingly little after a very disappointing season they had after signing all world first baseman Erez Goldman last offseason, the Pirates seem content to finish between 6th and 10th.

The clear narrative theme - Generic midtable mediocrity. Can they turn into not Crystal Palace or something? Who knows?

Wild record speculation - 83-83

Karakorum Mongols

A little background - Based on the city, they are underperforming, but man it would be nice for them to not suck for once.

What changed over the offseason - Not enough, they got a new catcher in Eleanor Kostak, a new pitcher in Altan Groovin, and attempted to tinker a bit more but like Tailblot is still a first and sucks, Garibaldi isn't good enough at short, and the pitching staff only has two reliable pitchers. It's not enough, it's never enough.

The clear narrative theme - Failure and depression

Wild record speculation - Sadness 70=93

Akkad Libraries

A little background - The least notable, poorest, and least important team historically in the MBL. They've survived two seasons! They're the little team that could!

What changed over the offseason - Akkad won a bidding war! They got Quebec's ace Hong-Seok Joh in a coup. Joh is, by far, the Libraries most expensive signing of all time and he comes with big expectations. Akkad need to survive again and Joh is their short cut for doing that. Sure he'll only pitch once every 4 days but if he averages the 7 innings, 2.84 ERA he's done so far in his career that would go a long way to helping Akkad's staff.

The clear narrative theme - They spent the money on the guy, can the guy change the side that keeps overperforming a little bit into one that performs a lot bit?

Wild record speculation - 83-83

New Ashur Pioneers

A little background - Newly promoted. They did well to get promoted.

What changed over the offseason - Somebody got on the phone with Zwangzug, the Pioneers signed 3 Zebras including extra dimensional third baseman Cedric Arx-Goren, center fielder Adele Doutre-Lane, and ace starter Evgeny Travda. It's a pretty big investment in foreigners. They also signed Quebec closer Lucillle Bourgault-Caccia for kicks and to reenforce the theme of hyphenated names. Notably, none of the Milchamians on the team have hyphenated names, although second starter Ashurbanapal III has a Roman numeral for a last name.¹

The clear narrative theme - The last newly promoted team, the Karakorum Horses, decided to invest heavily in foreigners with 3 Banijans in the starting lineup. The Horses are currently in the second division. Will the Pioneers trying the same trick be able to do better?

Wild Record Speculation - 90-76

¹ This, of course, opens up many questions including, is III a real last name and not just a regnal number or some other type of suffix? Will his kid be Ashurbanapal IV or [Something Else] III? We could ask him these questions but I think it's more valuable to do baseless speculation as a footnote.

And yes even after the footnote we'll still end with a prayer to Margaret.

"Ringa pakia!''
''Uma tiraha!''
''Turi whatia!''
''Hope whai ake!''
''Waewae takahia kia kino!''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru''
''Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā''
''Ā upane, ka upane''
''Whiti te rā, hī!''

"Now repeat after me!"

"Forini! Forini!"
"Finidi! Finidi!"
"George! George!"
"Oh Brother! Oh brother!"

*They strip and run around for 18 minutes*

"We pray the Margaret of SnubNose 38 and Random Number God that you may deliver us victory over all infidels that we face in international play"

"Sacrifice the Rubber Chicken!"

*Swoosh of an axe and the chicken is dead*

"Margaret we pray that you take this sacrifice of a rubber chicken in good faith and that by your deliverance Milchama does well in all international competitions"

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

[Paradystopia]

It was the bottom of the eighth in the second game of the series hosting Zenic and strangely enough, it was looking like Paradystopia were heading to their second series win of the competition thus far. Wilfred was in an oddly jovial mood by his standards and the dejected atmosphere the camp had witnessed following their defeats by Ko-oren had mellowed a touch. The faintest ripples of enthusiasm passed about the dugout, though this was maybe partially due to a new drinking game the squad had devised whereby any time your likeness appeared upon the massive screen at the far end of The Nub's baseball park, you were obliged to take a shot of some aggressively fruity liquor that one of the women had smuggled in. You had to drink double if the camera happened to display you taking aforementioned shot.

President Pisshead was beginning to struggle a little with this game, but that's what you get for scoring a two-run home run in the fifth.

"f' Fugg'sh shake"

Yet another replay of what seemed to be the defining moment of the game was once again replayed on the big screen, and once again, the camera panned to the dugout when El Presidente had the small glass at his lips resulting in much giggling throughout the squad as well as Tomislav instigating the usual chant of 'Popi, popi, popi, ...'; his local dialect's variant of 'Down it'.

Off to the side from the congenial attempt of the alcohol poisoning of August Humphrey, sat Oggy. He sat ignorant of his team-mates jeers at a man attempting to surreptitiously finish a further two shots and stared vacantly into the field. It was clear he wasn't watching the game as it was currently Skwee Darter at bat and the combination of wild swings and Mijo Slaven Grgić's struggles with finding the Pteron's strike-zone didn't exactly make for a riveting watch. Genevieve placed herself next to Oggy, intrigued by what was causing his consternation.

"What's the count?"
"The wha...? Oh, I dunno. 2 dots, 2 no balls, I think."
"So, 2 balls, and 2 stri... Ah, 3 strikes."

Expecting another sinker, Skwee had swung for a pitch that flew by virtually level with the top of her head and trudged to the dugout to find that her team-mates had been totting up each individual instance she had appeared on the screen. Seven shots had been lined up and she was trying her best to remind the team that she had made it very clear previously that she didn't want to participate. Eventually they relented, and as it was President Pisshead who had last drunk prior to this, rules dictated that he was obliged to drink on behalf of the player opting out. Whether this was an actual rule or not was subject to some debate. Nevertheless, after another 'Fufugg shek', the Prez did have a further seven shots and only managed to incur one penalty for being caught on camera this time.

Meanwhile, Genevieve further questioned Oggy.

"Is something up?"
"Well, y'know, I was just thinking ..."
"You'll give yourself an injury trying that ..."
"Har har, yeah yeah, but, well, do we actually want to go to Western Pavlova?"
"West Pavola. But, well, what do you mean?"
"The thing is, is there's too much sport with this Baysball. I mean, take Cricket. The whole point of Cricket, is not playing Cricket. We get our kit on, go 'Oh look, it's raining, what a shame', and then go get thoroughly bollocksed in the pavillion. That's how it should work, right? But this, I mean, this is like actually a sport or something. I thought it was just some made-up bullshit done for a laugh."
"Well, yeah? There's nations out there that take Cricket seriously too, you know?"
"You what?! Fucking weirdos. Anything that involves hitting a ball as far as you can with a stick should be nothing but a prelude to getting absolutely shit-faced. I saw some dumbass actually correlating stats. Some foreign journalist even asked me about my slugging percentage. What the fuck is that? If you ask me, we'd all be better not qualifying and staying home, with a nice pint or six."
"I think you mean 'collating', but anyway, what does it matter? Why not see how far we can go?"
"Ugh ... maybe, I guess, anyway that's Woody out so I best get ready in case Quinn manages to hit something."

[Ranoria]

When Is It Time To Cut A National Teamer?


The infamous Rylan Rodgers Jr

By Zack Mills

Ranoria, even at her peak, usually isn't quite this good at baseball. The national team topped out around 18-12 or 19-11 outside of the lone 20+ win regular season that won us enough momentum to win the whole damn thing. That isn't happening this cycle. But at 17-7, they're sitting pretty and primed for a playoff nod. A lot of that is thanks to Rylan Rodgers Jr. He's second on the team in home runs, behind just Jesse Griffith, has made some incredible plays at centerfield, and is generally playing like every bit of the two-sport superstar he's always been hailed as.

But is that enough?

The answer is no.

Let's just cut the crap. We're all adults here. We recognize that this is a children's game, and we're mature enough to acknowledge that winning just can't be the primary objective of an international tournament. This is about forging new bonds, strengthening old ones, and making friends, both with your countrymen and women who you don't regularly interact with and with people from other countries! Which makes the Butler's individual contributions to those wins completely irrelevant. After all, we're Ranorians, not barbarians! We don't care about actually winning these games, we care about cuddling with our elefriends, clowning on Banija (action not available at this time) and being cool with everyone else so we can sell more tanks and stuff, not like we need them anymore!

This is a nation that hasn't been to war in three decades. It's time to let this new era of peace and harmony bleed into sports. Just like those tanks, RRJ is a relic of a bygone era, one that cares about winning at the expense of his opponent. Hell, the guy's already flipped his bat at opposing pitchers a half dozen times in this Classic, waved bye twice when he secured the game-winning flyout, and once spiked his helmet like a football after a home run!

Toxicity! It has to stop! And even if this same Rylan Rodgers Jr continues to slander me, as he did once on social media by telling me to "get a life," I will continue to preach, to be the voice of the unheard! This sort of behavior has no place in Ranorian sports. Who cares if he’s slashing .285/.401/.501? That only mattered when winning was the objective!

He has to be stopped, and even if you all don't have the platform to say it, I do.

So I will.

---

RSNN Headquarters, Dietrich, Ranoria

"My attorneys have looked everything over," Anna Rodgers, owner of Flower Power(ed by THC) among a few other smaller companies, wife of Rylan Rodgers Jr, and perhaps the youngest billionaire in Ranorian history, twirled a pen in one hand and smoked out of a bowl in the other - blue and orange - for her husband's new baseball team in Busukuma, Banija. "Everything looks good on our end. But...I did have one thing I wanted to add in."

She took a drag out of her bowl while staring down one of the most powerful unknowns in Ranoria - Jackie Golden, Chief Financial Officer of RSNN, who offered nothing more than a tight lipped smile and a drumming of his fingers - one that made an unexpected symphony with the steady whirring of the ceiling fan above them.

"Mrs. Rodgers," he shook his head, "We've discussed all possible arrangements, this is hardly the-"

"I want you to fire Zack Mills."

Jackie snorted, "Excuse me?"

"One of your B list writers," she examined her perfectly kept nails, "He's been producing nothing short of libel directed at my husband as of late." Anna looked up from her hand, back to Jackie, and shrugged, "Shouldn't be too hard I'd figure."

"Excuse me?" Jackie shook his head, "This is preposterous. We will not simply fire a man, take away his liveli-" Jackie couldn't even get through the sentence with a straight face, bursting out laughing. "Yeah, no, I'm actually aware of that particular situation. Not to worry, your 'boo thing,'" he made air quotes as he said it, "Is pretty popular in general and we've gotten some bad press for it. Mills will be out the door tomorrow, regardless."

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC: Short RP due to a busy 48 hour period.

The Mathletes - Scientific, Literary Venue of Sports Journalism

WBC-61: Longtime Expos, Grim Reapers Reliever announces retirement at age 36

Leland Gunn III

JOONGYEONG, JOONGYEONG -- SONGAK - Longtime Mr. Reliable is heading off to the sunset.

Park Seung-Dong, 36, who was better remembered internationally for his longtime tenure as an utility reliever for the Reapers team for World Baseball Classic 58 to 60, announced that he's retiring from playing professional baseball.

'Happy to say I've had a solid run, and that I'm ready for the next phase of my life,' he said on an unexpected l'Instagramme live video earlier that morning. 'It is time for me to say goodbye to professional baseball for once and all.'

The 36-year-old reliever played for 14 QBO seasons with Oakwood Dinos and Songak Expos, winning three QBO all-star selections (one with Dinos, two with Expos) and a 2058 Quebec Series MVP award with the Dinos.

Having played first six seasons with the Dinos, who also drafted his younger brother, current Reapers' reliever Park Seung-Dong, before trading him the same day as a draft-day package, spent the last eight seasons of his career with his hometown Songak Expos.

During his final professional season with the Songak Expos, Park continued to play well, pitching a solid season with the record of 102 innings, 3.00 ERA, 54 strikeouts pitched as the Expos would make the Royal League Divisional Series, where they would lose to Saguenay Lions 3-0 in their first postseason in five years.

'Thank you everybody, whether you are Reapers, Expos or Dinos fans, thank you for making me try my best,' Park continued on his l'Instagramme announcement, which was eventually adapted into a post that he would make in subsequent hours. 'It has been my absolute pleasure, and I'm happy to say that you won't be done seeing me with some baseball. Just not on the pitch.'

The announcement was made as the Reapers would inch closer to WBC postseason following a shameful series loss to Hapilopper at home, where The Bubonic Plague fans have reportedly launched flares into the field at the end of the second game of the series, a 4-6 loss no less.

Park Seung-Dong represented Quebec and Shingoryeo for the World Baseball Classics 58, 59 and 60, most notably part of the third-place team at home soil on the 58th edition. He has previously expressed the desire not to return for the 60th edition, a request that was respected by Reapers' manager Taylor Bryant and the coaching staff.

Drafted out of Dongnae University by the Dinos in the second round of the second phase of the 2056 QBO draft, he's recorded 2.68 ERA and 1,003 strikeouts in 2,054 innings pitched in his 14 professional seasons. A strikeout pitcher with high-velocity slider and strong changeup, Park's career-high season was in 2068, where he's recorded his third All-Star appearance with 1.43 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 120 innings pitched at age 30.

He will be eligible for Quebecois Baseball Hall of Fame induction in 2078, six years after the retirement of a player.

[Zenic]

"We're laying the groundwork for the future."

It was a day or two after the Diamond Survivors had returned from Paradystopia and had begun preparation for the series against Chromatika to kickoff the beginning of the third and final segment of the group stage. Zenic had gone into the Paradystopia series looking for another series win or the first sweep but ultimately were outplayed. They did come away with at least one win but that was not enough to prevent the series from being dubbed a 'failure'. At least, as far the media at the ongoing press conference seemed to suggest.

"We crashed out early in our first Copa Rushmori back. We barely stood a chance in our first World Cup of Hockey back. We struggled in our inaugural U-18 World Cup. This isn't just our first World Baseball Classic since the Empire opened back up completely: this is our first in a while, taking into account events before the Empire mostly closed itself off from the rest of the multiverse. We're going to have some growing pains, especially considering everyone is a collegiate player." Manager Alamilla took some time to catch his breath and clear his thoughts.

"Not every nation that becomes a powerhouse starts off as a powerhouse. Some literally struggled for decades before becoming the best in the world. All we ask is for people to have a bit of realistic expectations. That's it." The crowd of reporters roared up, vying to be selected and heard. "You mentioned that people should have some more 'realistic expectations.' What should they be expecting from the Chromatika series coming up?" Alamilla finished the sip of water he had taken during the question and cleared his throat. "Both squads are very close in the standings and stat sheet so there's a great chance of a similar series to the Paradystopia one. But Chromatika have a habit of big wins and big losses so this could also be more of a batting practice session than a baseball series. But coming in expecting a sweep where we win everything by double digits is not realistic. Even if we get swept and expectations are not met, as long as we are competitive, we can use the lessons learned to improve for the 62nd edition. Remember, these are kids that stepped up to do the job of adults. They deserve a bit of slack and some respect."

A few more hands raised up and Alamilla went on to answer them as best he could. But all he really cared about was wrapping up the press conference and getting his players and staff ready for Chromatika. Win or Lose, he loved baseball. He grew up with baseball, he played baseball, he managed baseball. He lived and breathed baseball. In a perfect world, he would be allowed to manage for as long as he could, regardless of winning or losing.

But winning was always a nice side effect.

[Banija]

MBL Season 3 Preview Part 1- Can the Banijan clubs emulate the success of the national team with the looming LPB Threat?]

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- As the defending WBC Champions, the Banijans most certainly have a lot of baseball talent within the country. But in the MBL, sometimes, it doesn't shine through- the Karakorum alphabet soup newspaper will tell you all about how Milchamian teams clear the Banijan ones each and every year in this league. "The Banijan clubs are sick of being the butt of the joke in this league." Said an unnamed source at MBL's Banijan HQ in Istria. "And with a LPB team encroaching on their turf, it has suddenly caused a lot of Banijan teams to splurge on some layers, taking international recruitment twice as seriously. All of these league owners are pissed off about the appearance of the Triceratrops in the nation's capitol, and they all intend on making sure that one of their own clubs is the one making a big splash on the domestic baseball scene this season."

Let's take a search around the league, eh?

Herzegovina City Hippos

Certainly Banija's banner holders in this league. They've been to the Arrosian Series twice now, in the two years of this league's existence- without any silverware to show for it. "The Hippos are a team that are on the brink of being league champions, and they intend on being the first ones from Banija to win this league." Said a local reporter. "You can see it in the way they build their roster, the way that they carry themselves. It's the same way teams from that city always carry themselves- Herzegovina City is Banija's oldest city, they believe they have some sort of birthright to titles, and basically every single one of the city's teams act like that. The Hippos, are no different."

No difference indeed. The league's biggest payroll, they've got stars everywhere- they inked Salia Kamara to a big contract extension a year before his contract was up- to prevent the LPB from calling for their star left fielder, who seems to be the guy they are building around. They've got 4 other WBC players on their roster, including a trio of Banijans. Kakooza is a pretty damn good third basewoman for the team, and is a mainstay as a utility person for the national team. She will be looking for a big season- a key homegrown talent. And then, let's look at the rotation. Led by the team ace, Baaku Kutate, who also got inked to a big money extension a year early, they've got horses at the front.

The team is almost a title team- almost. Get to the Arrosian Series twice in a row, but lose both times- something's gotta change, but not too much. Gotta build around the edges. And so, what do you do? Build in the bullpen- get the strongest backend bullpen in the entire league, Banijan or Milchamian. Jallom Tate is the closer, and he is one of the league's best. But they were not satisfied- so they went and signed Chloe Botez, out of free agency, from Quebec. "She's gonna help us lock down the back end- be the setup man like she is for Quebec." Said the team's manager.

You got one of the game's best ground ball pitchers in Botez in the 8th, and Tate in the 9th? Lockdown bullpen. You know why they did this- pitching, and specifically bullpens, win championships, and they've gone all in on the backend of their pen. Is it a good bet?

Also one to watch for- Yobeb Jassey, the son of Banijan NT manager Kingston Jassey, and nephew of LPB Ratzupalfu Rhinos manager Addo Jassey, will be a rookie making his debut as a starting pitcher for the Hippos.

Prediction: If they aren't in the Arrosian Series this year, expect big changes.

Busukuma Rhinos

An eventful offseason for the Rhinos. In the news all offseason- many times, for reasons unrelated to them. The MBL's capitol club suddenly has the fiercest competition of any in the league, as the LPB has planted down a team in the same city, the Busukuma Triceratops. Rhinos are in an interesting spot- sharing a city with one LPB team, and sharing a name(the Rhinos) with a different LPB team. They, of course, garnered headlines for their absolute refusal to work with the Triceratops on a temporary groundshare at the Capitol Proving Grounds, forcing the Triceratops to play their inaugural season at a gridiron stadium(Sun Valley)! while they build their own, brand new stadium.

There has been talk about trying to rebrand- already, with all these Banijans who play for the Rhinos, there was talk about getting a new nickname to differentiate themselves- and those calls grow stronger by the day, But for this season, they will remain the Busukuma Rhinos. They've made no mistake about it- they don't want the Triceratops here. But there's nothing they can do to change the past, besides spending the next 166 games putting out a competitive product of their own on the field. And boy, have they spent to get there.

Last season, they signed the Milchamian power hitter, Hamilton Brooks, to play first base. Him and Ugonna Akachi give them two of the MBL's most consistent power hitters. Yup, Ugonna Akachi, the hometown lad, is still playing- even at 38 years old, he's moved to DH. He's' no longer at the heart of the order, and he's retired from the NT after helping them win WBC 60, but the Banijan legend, and team captain, can absolutely still play. "Love seeing the Rhinos invested in winning." He told reporters. "Nobody's thinking about the Triceratops- once Busukuma's original team starts playing, the energy will be all at the Capitol Proving Grounds."

Where is it going? Well, off to Quebec, like Herzegovina City- but grabbing a future star, the young Yi Jeong-Woon. The 22 year old left fielder is set to make an impact for a long time in the heart of the order for Busukuma. Even as a rookie, he's going to hit cleanup, showcasing his potential. And then, big money on a veteran- they dropped a bag to get Elisabeth Houston from Drawkland, to Banija. She's a star over there- she's won an all-star game MVP, and a Drawkian Series MVP, and is a perennial all-star. To play second base and hit leadoff here is a huge opportunity for the Rhinos, especially with all of those mashers behind her. Lots of potential for doubles, and going from first to home on those.

A team with real, legitimate playoff hopes- can they get there?

Istria Vultures

The biggest team from Banija's biggest city. Doesn't mean they are Banija's biggest team, of course- but the Vultures are looking for a playoff appearance. This league is incredibly tough to make the postseason in, as just four teams, out of 16, qualify for the MBL Playoffs. But the team from the Olympic City, are not often talked about. The Rhinos had a big offseason, and obviously, Herzegovina City, their bitter rivals, have been Banija's standard bearers in the MBL so far. But the Vultures are back, and ready to move from fifth to fourth in the league standings- and get a chance at a ring themselves.

How do they do that? By improving their pitching. Vunaana, who was a starting pitcher for the NT for the last few cycles, is a mainstay in Istria's rotation. He was a free agent in the offseason, and with his WBC ring, he retired from the NT to focus on his pro ball career. He signed late, not signing until the eve of spring training, but eventually decided to go back to Istria instead of taking a competing offer from the Kosactus Forest Elephants(more on them later). They were heavily focused on their rotation- they have a prototype of a pitcher that they love, and they went out to get their guys this offseason. "Our goal this year, is to have the best rotation in the league." The GM proclaimed boldly, at Winter meetings.

They went out and signed Joseph Shrubbin, out of Drawkland. The gigantic 36 year old can really hurl the baseball- and can pitch deep into ballgames, a key for a team who's bullpen leaves them wanting more. They wanted the veteran pitcher to help lead the rotation, and promised him the ace spot- the crown jewel of what they thought would be a hell of a haul. They got Joe Shrub, they resigned Vunaana... And then, go get themselves a stud lefty. Why not go to Rushmore, and grab Brian O'Carroll- an elite southpaw from the Kytler Peninsulae, who's just 25? Win now and win later- big money on older pitchers, and sign O'Carroll to not only be a big part of the present- but a foundational piece of the future as well.

Unfortunately, it did not come to pass. No real fault to the Vultures, who pursued hard. Sometimes, it's just not gonna happen. Istria, of course, was where the infamous Flight 134 originally departed from, and that holds an emotional space in the Kytlerian consciousness. While the Vultures tried to pile it on, O'Carroll was clear- he was not ready to move to Banija just yet. Rumor has it that after joining the NT for WBC 61, he might think differently next offseason- but that's a next offseason issue.

Wakiso Chimpanzees

Let's look at Istria's other team, the Wakiso Chimps. Moravica always punches above its weight- that's what happens when you're the largest and wealthiest state in the country. As well as have two top 5 cities in the country in terms of population. And that's before you get into the history of how the Kasanke originate from here, and how the church was founded here, and all that noise. And that's true with this league, where four of the 8 Banijan teams are from Moravica. One from Herzegovina City, two from Istria, and one from Kosactus. Not how the Commissioner's office would've drawn it up, but that's what happens when you have promotion and relegation, right? Earn your way in!

But this preview couldn't be done perfectly in order. The first 3 teams we read about today are the teams expected to be the Banijans best 3 teams. But Wakiso? Very much not the 4th best team. Instead, they'll be expected to fight off relegation. They've got a pair of NTers, but in reality, this team is in a tough situation. They've gone all-in on the youth movement, which is exciting, so that means a lot of variance. Three of their 5 starting pitchers are rookies, and the fourth of those was a rookie last season- meaning that 4 of their 5 starters have a combined one year of pro ball experience, and all four of those guys are 23 or younger. Exciting for the future? Yes, of course- assuming they can avoid relegation, which certainly is not promised.

Four of the 9 everyday outfield players, too, are rookies. But even more importantly, there's locker room trouble brewing- Caku Jula didn't show up to spring training, and has been asking for a trade. He's a hybrid catcher/1B, although at age 34, he was likely going to DH for them. And while the NTerr has said he'll show up for opening day, he hasn't kept it secret about his desire for a trade. "I'm 34, this team is getting younger, I get it- but I want to play for a contender." He told reporters. The club, of course, want their veterans there, as a guy like Jula can help hold up from the bottom if they are indeed in the midst of a relegation race. It's a stand off between player and front office- we'll see who can blink first. Publicly disgruntled player, or does the club wield its stick?

WBC 61 Roundup
- Banija is playing it's best baseball, possibly ever. At a breakneck pace, the NT has won 19 games in a row- shattering previous national records for winning streak at a World Baseball Classic, previously set at 13 from the knockout stages at WBC 47. "Everything's going well- pitching well, hitting well, performances home and away. Cannot complain." Said a Banijan TV reporter. "Nothing's promised in the knockouts, though- while they've got the inside track for the #1 seed, many fans will be worrying about the team having peaked too early."
- The future will come, but the present is fun. 23-1, top of the table, 3 games ahead of South Newlandia with 12 games remaining. We've already mathematically clinched our spot in the KOs(top 24), and the next milestone is to clinch a spot in the top 8, which comes with a crucial bye from the repechage series. The magic number to do that? 5.
- With these wins, it's Banija's offense that's lighting the world on fire. 162 runs in 24 games, averaging nearly 7 runs a game- again, would be another national record. While Sadiiq Xoosh is hitting like he's still 26, there's contributions up and down the lineup- right now, it's a nightmare for any opposing pitcher to try and get through. We put them in bad spots, and really go for it.
- The winning streak is likely to come to an end when the team travels to Drawkland for Series 9, which is our next series. Two teams with title hopes, it's a potential late round playoff preview- and fans on both sides are excited for it. And, of course, even more anticipatory than a normal meetup of top 4 teams, as the Banijans beat Drawkland, 3 games to 1, in last cycle's semifinals. Revenge on Drawk minds, a hell of a chance to prove ourselves against elite competition on Banijan minds.. It'll be one heck of a series.

[Kamijiro]

Diamond IX, Vol. III, Part V: Rain Delay

The rain started pouring over the field midway through the top of the seventh inning of game three of the Diamond IX's series against Dhemixia. It was like the homer that just got crushed into deep left had opened the floodgates above and put the game on delay. Which the Kamijiroans desperately needed. So, so desperately needed. Down zero to four and with all the momentum against them? An extended timeout was perfect. The radar said the storm was going to take an hour to pass. That meant the teams had probably two and a half hours before they can play again. Baseball isn't rain or shine and the field needs to be dry, so it's time for the waiting game.

The Diamond IX retreated into the locker room. Ever since the 17-0 victory, the team's begun to bond closer together, the divide between the two factions - Orielle's and Atsuji's - slowly mending. And now it's time for them to be stuck in a locker room together for two hours as a classic Kamijiroan lightning storm passes overhead.

"Smoke 'em if you got 'em" was the first thing Atsuji said as he sat in his corner, the red leather recliner he'd brought in as part of a sofa set he'd gifted to the locker room letting him fully relax as he smokes his cigarette. The classic Kamijiroan vice - the cigarette. Even with the advancements in understanding about how bad they are for you, the country can't seem to kick the habit. Nor does it seem to want to. An estimated 55% of adults smoke cigarettes "at least once per day" and the tobacco industry is dominant as ever in the Lightning Isles. And in the case of the Diamond IX? It's well over 55% of the team who partakes in the nation's vice.

After a while of just chit-chatting, a few of the team decide to break out cards and run some poker games. Orielle has to look the other way once money comes out, because gambling outside of casinos is not legal... but she also isn't going to arrest her teammates. Ever since the team started winning with her at the helm, she's felt her role as a federal agent is less and less important. Hell, she's even considering going professional in baseball. However, it's actually not the Narakugai boys that dominate the poker games, rather it's Devyn Navire, pothead extraordinaire. Mostly because he's usually too tired-looking to have any real tells. He cleans out both Tenshi and Maou, who just throw their hands up as their last dollars are forked over to Devyn. Then it's Lucian, Magurix and Napoleon's turn to give it a go. And even with their deep pockets, they end up losing to Devyn. Atsuji sees the scam from across the room. Devyn's cheating, he's either stacked the deck or he's using some sleight of hand bullshit. But it's also none of his business and it's not his money, so what does he care?

After everybody realizes Devyn's either cheating or on the luckiest run of his life, the cards go away and are replaced with something far more destructive - the Monopoly board. However, this gets voted down after everybody realizes that it is far from worth it to risk team morale playing the game that's ruined enough relationships to be considered a homewrecker at this point. So Atsuji leaves and goes to his car in the pouring rain and digs out the holy grail, the brand new Sekai game system that's been nearly impossible to get due to scalpers and re-sellers. He runs back inside with it, some controllers and a slew of discs. The team scrambles to try to get their hands on a controller, the system boots up after being hooked up to the TV and for a while, the team forgets they're technically losing a baseball game by four runs to zero right now. By the time the game actually re-starts, the umps actually have to come in and let the team know - they're that absorbed by the video games.

With some grumbles of not wanting to get off the game right now, the team finally emerges to play some ball again. And the momentum that they'd been behind the eight ball on? All theirs. The big home field advantage for the Diamond IX? The away locker room is basically a prison cell. Grey with metal benches, cinder block walls and the toilets have no stalls, neither do the showers. Meanwhile the home locker room has carpeted flooring in the middle section with hardwood around the edges, the lockers are all decorated for the players and there's amenities such as a hot tub, a television with cable and those wonderfully comfortable sofas that Atsuji had donated. One team came out of the locker rooms looking refreshed, the other looked more tired than when they went in.

The bats roared to life in the bottom of the seventh. A two-run homer by Ryuji Phaëthon brought them back within striking distance and two solid Joaquim Gomes and Tenshi Hikari pitching innings kept it close going into the bottom of the ninth. Both the Phaëthon twins got on base early on and Napoleon drove them both in with a double to right-center to tie it up before Lucian Belvedere sent one into deep left for Napoleon to get home on to win. Despite the ugly scorelines (4-6, 2-0, 5-4), the Diamond IX proved once again they can scrap out wins when it matters. After the game, it was right back to gaming in the locker room. The fractures that defined this team at the beginning of the Classic are looking more and more like they're patched over.

[TJUN-ia]

After losing a close series in Kwrpania, the Battin' Jaguars of TJUN-ia were now 11-10, just in the winning record club, with us 16th in the Table for this WBC. Not exactly the best position to be in, but still in contention all the same. This is good all things considered, but Vojtěch Heyrovský wanted the world for his team - which, in this instance, meant Top 8 in this Table - and he was hoping that we could turn these closer series around all the way to the end. More 3-0s than 2-1s and 1-2s, that's the new mantra...but will it work?

Loyo 4-6 TJUN-ia
The Diamond in The Gardens of New Washington was finally ready to begin their hosting of WBC Baseball, beginning with the #22 Sunshine Tigers of Loyo. Yolande Sirapui would take on Emre Conversos for Game 1 (Game 22 overall), and for this one, it ended up being a game of swings. We took an early lead in the 2nd thanks to Julian Mertz but Loyo would fight back to make it 3-1 after the 5th. Then the comeback began, with Luke Jaxon and Fernando Rodrigo Viera combining to tie it before Daisy Goldstein (the relief pitcher) ended up scoring the 3-run shot that ended up winning us this contest 6-4.

Loyo 2-5 TJUN-ia
Game 2, JoJo McAlbo vs Kyla Maccz, and this one was decided early on - with Fernando Rodrigo Viera hitting the 3-run shot that would ultimatly win us the series. It was smooth sailing from here on out, with us winning 5-2.

Loyo 12-1 TJUN-ia
Peter Glendinning vs Rei Uno...the less said about this one, the better. That is the nature of baseball, no two games against the same opponent play out the same, but conceding 9 runs in the 7th...wasn't ideal. 2-1 series win because we lost this game 12-1.

Back up to 14th now, three games back on the Top 8 with 12 games to go. Certainly not impossible to catch, but we might need help elsewhere to pull this one off. The Visayas Islands, #35 an currently 32nd, are up next in a road test.
BRING IT ON!
GO BATTIN' JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE
S1: vs South Newlandia (1) - Rounders Field, Portside L 0-3 (35th)
S2: @Kamijiro (11) L 1-2 (34th)
S3: @United States of Nova Calania (18) - Tiger-Dolphin Stadium, Burnham-on-Stove W 3-0 (22nd)
S4: vs Riandera (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside W 3-0 (14th)
S5: vs Chromatika (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside L 1-2 (14th)
S6: @Zwangzug (6) - Worm Hole, Spenson W 2-1 (12th)
S7: @Kwrpania (UR) L 1-2 (16th)
S8: vs Loyo (22) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington W 2-1 (14th)
S9: @Visayas Islands (35)
S10: vs Natkr (30) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S11: vs Tikariot (10) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S12: @Valentine Z (UR) - Genesis Stadium, Shinjuku

[South Newlandia]

Llamaphant Pro Baseball Season 9 - Previews (8/10)

Elephant Valley Homers

Starting Pitchers
SP Sylvi Magnussen (Super-Llamaland)
SP Serena Wu (Super-Llamaland)
SP Adrian Wnuk (Zalivinia)
SP Rosa Sánchez (Zalivinia)
SP Andrew Barbosa (Delaclava)
6th SP Brynn Fitterer (Super-Llamaland)
Bullpen
RP Raphael Boyer (South Newlandia)
RP Rishi Mondal (South Newlandia)
RP Simon Huber (South Newlandia)
RP Vincent Sommer (South Newlandia)
RP Preston Barnes (Super-Llamaland)
RP Ty Morel (Super-Llamaland)

Starting Fielders
C Luke Scholz (South Newlandia)
1B Asier Rodriguez (South Newlandia/Super-Llamaland)
2B Len Pijpenbroek (Ko-oren)
SS Feliks Korab (Zalivinia)
3B Anna-Jessica Morgan-Adams (South Newlandia)
LF George Torresino (Delaclava)
CF Amber Jia (Super-Llamaland)
RF Aaron Lewis (South Newlandia)
DH Filip Więcław (Zalivinia)
Bench players
C Nick Albrecht (Super-Llamaland)
2B Ludwig Franco (South Newlandia)
3B Angel Tai (Super-Llamaland)
LF Amira Voigt-Vasav (South Newlandia)
DH Natalie Gray (South Newlandia)

The Homers started as one of the model franchises in the South Newlandian League, winning their division in each of the first three seasons of the LPB era. They’d also been a steady presence near the top back in the SNBL, and three consecutive division titles set them ahead of even the Dolphins. To this day, no other team in the South Newlandian League of the LPB has accomplished this. After that successful streak, they retreated to near the bottom of the league, posting poor records for three seasons in a row, only to rebound with another division title. They were looking to build another streak last season, but sputtered out after the trade deadline, finishing a couple of games out of the playoffs.
Speaking of the postseason, that has been a big struggle for the Homers. After three of their division wins, they were swiftly eliminated in the SNLDS. The one time they weren’t, they managed to defeat the Flames, but fell short in the SNLCS against the Blue Sox. The Homers, one of the historically most successful franchises in the country, still wait for their first modern era title. While they have a penchant for being clutch in the regular season, winning three of their division titles by 2 games or fewer (including one in a tiebreaker game), that ability seems to totally leave them in the postseason.

The Homers had a surprisingly busy offseason, although many of the moves didn’t matter too much. Their three Lozhoan players, Percival Zappacosta, Rezinald Zaratrianias and Zed Zexair, all returned to home shores. Chromatik veteran outfielder Juriel Santos decided to end his LPB career. Antonio Gatti meanwhile chose free agency, returning to the SLLC and signing a contract with Vargas City that’ll likely be the last of his career, with the Llamaneans reportedly beating out the Trikes and Sox.

None of that was the most impactful move of the offseason, though. That was a trade with Busukuma in which the team sent over both of their players from Farfadillis, with starter Tihinerimo Yraskarjá and backstop Patiris Eká Molos headed to Banija. Eká Molos didn’t make much sense for the Homers anymore after the emergence of their young star catcher, and they managed to get a pair of players from Delaclava in return. Left-hander Andrew Barbosa has been a veteran presence from the Sonnelian nation, and will plug into the rotation easily enough, and George Torresino has been a reliable outfielder for the Flames for a while as well.

Replacing many of the minor departed pieces, the Homers turned to free agency. The most impactful player brought in was perhaps Brynn Fitterer, who carved out a solid role for himself in the rotation in Emerald City, and Amber Jia, a Llamanean defensive outfielder who’s already played for three different organizations in the previous four seasons.

That leaves the Homers with a group that seems a little stuck between contending and rebuilding now. Their rotation is headlined by their two Llamanean aces. Right-hander Magnussen and Left-hander Wu were taken in the same draft class, and while they’re both excellent Llamanean starters, they have quite different pitching styles. Sylvi Magnussen tends to blow away batters with her velocity, while the cerebral Serena Wu tends to prefer outsmarting opposing batters. It’s clear that Sylvi Magnussen has learned a lot from her two years older teammate, as she was already one of the best pitchers in the SNL last season as a rookie. Behind the Llamanean duo, the team has a pair of players from Zalivinia, who’ve each struggled the last few years in concert with the Zalivinians not really appearing in the big tournaments. Adrian Wnuk is the veteran, while Rosa Sánchez is quite a bit younger, and they’re both due for a bounce-back season. The rotation is rounded out by Barbosa and Fitterer, who’ll each need to find their way on a new team.
The bullpen is carried by Raphael Boyer, who exceeded all expectations to become a great closer on teams like the Saints and Eyrods Pilots despite a relative lack of velocity. He’s getting older, now, unlikely to play a lot longer. The pen beyond him is pretty bad, including Rishi Mondal, who joined the team last season at the deadline and didn’t help much, AAA callup (for no clear reason) Vincent Sommer and Simon Huber, a player the Homers invested highly in and turned out to be all hype and little substance.

The lineup is where the Homers shine. Catcher Luke Scholz is quickly becoming a focal point, with the South Newlandian on the verge of becoming an Elephant, standing out as an excellent defender and reliable hitter. He’s forming an especially good battery with Magnussen, who he has played together with since he was drafted in the minors.
Asier Rodriguez is a fairly underrated hitter, who doesn’t really hit for average, but gets on base extremely well for a first baseman. Len Pijpenbroek meanwhile is definitely properly rated, with the Ko-orenite veteran infielder still the best player on the roster. The Dragonfly hits for both average and power, and the Homers will miss their second baseman dearly in retirement, which will hopefully not come all too soon.
The move of Anna-Jessica Morgan-Adams to Third Base has helped the South Newlandian, who, like Rodriguez, draws a lot of walks, not lose too much value defensively, having come up as a shortstop but struggling there ever since.
The real difference-makers that’ll make or break this season for the Homers are shortstop Feliks Korab, now fully healthy again, and outfielder Filip Więcław. The two Zalivinians still have a big ceiling to reach. Filip Więcław will share Left Field with Torresino, with the other one likely to be the DH.

Despite a lot of players on the AAA Chekar Triples, the Homers only rank in the middle of the pack of the SNL for their minor league team. Their top prospect is newly minted first round selection Eryk Ciszek, deepening the ties of the Homers to players from Zalivinia, and who made the Top 10 Prospect List. Ko-orenite outfielder Théo Orleans, taken out of Ratzupalfu in the second round, finds himself in the Top 25, and could certainly be a big contributor pretty soon on a team that doesn’t really have many great options in the Outfield. The Homers have two more top-50 prospects, both rookies, but one player that’s not on that list is starter Nick McMaster. The right-hander they drafted in the first round last season spent his first season in Chekar both struggling and missing a big chunk of time with injury. The Homers have a lot of players here that could certainly develop, but not a lot of slam-dunk future stars, either.

It seems near impossible to predict where Llamanean manager Nikki Wang will take this team next season. There’s a bunch of young stars here, but the depth doesn’t really seem to hold up in a pretty competitive SNL North, so the team of Homer the Turtle is not very likely to make the playoffs again. They’ll need to hope that some of those draft picks hit, because otherwise, they might return to the basement of the SNL much sooner than they expected, and that would be a tough scene for the team that plays in the home of the Elephants.

[Tikariot]

Live on TSTV

[Opening Studio Segment]
Camera pans across the TSTV Sports Desk studio. Theme music fades out. On screen sit anchors Caitlyn McNamara and Cameron Sandley, both smiling, with the WBC61 logo glowing in the background.

Caitlyn: “Hello Tikariot! We’ve brought you Owls games, Owls interviews, even Owls barbecues—but tonight, it’s something different. We… lost Walter.”
Cameron: “Well, not exactly lost, Caitlyn. He insisted on going out into Alcassar ‘to connect with the culture.’ Which is Walter-speak for ‘wander without a map.’”
Caitlyn: “Thankfully, one of our cameramen had the wits to follow him, both to document and make sure he wouldn't wander off into the wilderness. Let’s take a look.”

---

[Cut to Alcassar Streets, early afternoon]
Camera follows Walter Bismuth, who has traded his usual fedora for a slightly too-large straw hat he got from a street vendor just outside of the Owls' compound. He is also armed with a notebook, a half-eaten pastry, and the confidence of a man who thinks he knows exactly where he’s going.

Walter (to camera): “Ah, Alcassar! A city of mystery, of charm, of… labyrinthine alleyways that all seem to lead to another bakery. Which, of course, is my journalistic duty to sample.”

He confidently takes a turn into a narrow passageway lined with laundry, cats, and small balconies. Definitely not leading to another bakery. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

---

[Montage: Walter’s misadventures]

At one point, Walter attempts to ask for directions in what he claims to be Alcassari. A language that does not exist. The person look at him with concern and hands him a place of fried sardines. Walter being Walter thinks that this is for him to review and eats them, muttering to himself as he walks away.
He follows the sound of a marching band, only to discover it’s a school parade. He joins for three blocks until he is asked very politely to leave.
He is still trying to find the "big palace with the horses," ending up at a cafe with cats. He just shrugs and gets himself another pastry.
At one point, he confidently announces that he is close, as “I’ve reached the palace gardens!” before the camera reveals he’s standing in a roundabout with three potted palms.

---

[Cutaway – Alcassar locals]
Quick interviews with amused shopkeepers and café patrons.

Local 1 (laughing): “He asked me where the bullring was. We haven’t had one in 50 years.”
Local 2: “He paid for oranges with bus tickets. Very polite, though.”

---

[Narrator VO over footage of the team back at the compound]
Meanwhile, the Owls were starting to wonder.

Riley Thompson: “He left six hours ago. Said he was going to find ‘the true Alcassar experience.’ We figured that meant gelato.”
Freja Nyström: “We actually placed bets on what he’d come back with. My guess was a stray goat.”

---

[Cut back to Walter]
As dusk is falling and the sun begins to sink beneath the glimmering horizon, Walter somehow ends up at the harbour. The camera pans to fishing boats bobbing in golden light.

Walter (beaming): “And here it is! The authentic soul of Alcassar. I always knew I’d find it. The sea, the salt air… and, incidentally, the actual stadium is two blocks that way. I was close the whole time.”

A fisherman hands him a paper cone of fried anchovies. Walter looks straight into the lens.

Walter: “Sometimes, you don’t find the story. The story finds you.”

---

[Closing Studio Segment]
Cameron: “Six hours, two dozen wrong turns, and one parade later—Walter did eventually make it back.”
Caitlyn: “He also brought anchovies for the control room, which is why the place smells like a pier tonight.”
Cameron: “Next time we send Walter on assignment, we’re giving him a GPS.”
Caitlyn: “Or a leash.”

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

As the third game of a painful Phoenix series in Alaer played out and Cardenao closed out a 4-3 win and a series sweep that nobody saw coming, a fairly short drive northwards bought you to celebratory scenes in pockets of the right-wing allegedly-separatist state of Varn.

While it hasn't been a majority view even in Varn for some time, there's still a considerable support for the old isolationist policy that kept the Kytlerians out of international sport for a generation and more, a period known simply as The Isolation - all built around moral panic surrounding "Recognised Performance Drugs" (RPDs). That panic never quite fully went away - generational moral panics that engulf a country to that extent rarely do - and a handful of violent activists, including at least one law firm in the Varnian capital Borlfield, have been intent on wrecking havoc.

However, any chance of isolationism even beginning to return would be contingent upon a change of federal government - because this one, led by Alice Mulholland-Pearce who stepped in to replace the incapacitated engineer of the end of Isolation in Clituleng Giisost, certainly won't even consider it. But her term is running out, an election is due, and as it happens, live coverage of this game was interrupted in the bottom of the seventh to bring the Prime Minister's announcement of when the election would be.

That election date would fall in the middle of the World Baseball Classic finals, not to mention the concurrent Olympics - and shortly after a host announcement regarding the historic 100th World Cup, for which a West Pavola bid is one of three contenders with Kytlerian sportsbooks having it down as the favourite. (Though that may be simply because that's probably the way to reduce their exposure to it actually happening; sportsbooks, after all, are profit-making businesses and in this case their profits literally come from your losses!) Was this an attempt to effectively lock in the sporting narrative? Or was dragging the term this long, perhaps, an attempt to make absolutely sure nobody could sabotage the World Cup in the event of a government led by the centre-right NUP, who led the Isolation policy back in the day and whose commitment to not reinstating it is a promise Mulholland-Pearce's Workers' Party deeply distrust given how much The Isolation remains in living memory for all Kytlerians?

Either way, this campaign is going to have a few eyes on it.

And the isolationists could claim one victory right out of the gate. By the time the baseball broadcast returned, the Phoenix had closed the gap to 4-3 - the newsflash literally blocking a drive into deep left field by Asbjørnsson. There's right-wing political history in one of those...

[Cardenao]

HISTORIC Win Vs World #8 The Kytler Peninsulae Launches Cardenao Into Playoff Contention; Must Win Stretch of Four Games Ahead!!!!

It was a bit of a hectic series against The Kytler Peninsulae, the eighth best team in the world, but in the end, your Cardenaoan Boys in Blue came out on top 3-0. The result was a surprise considering the difference in rank and the team’s different starts to the qualification thus far; Kytler Peninsulae looking deserving of their high rank while the Blue and Golds looked…pretty shite to be honest with you. But that was then and this is now, now we’re seeded 22nd in the league phase standings and that means we’re in with a chance at the playoffs provided we stay above 24th over the last four series. It’s a lot to take in, especially considering baseball knowledge in Cardenao is, uh, still under development, but that’s the situation heading into a must-win series against Riandera. But before we get into that, let’s get a brief review of the trio of games against The Kytler Peninsulae.

Game one, honestly it was a pretty straightforward run of things. Solid pitching kept the score level at 0-0 over the first two innings before Claudio Gomez cracked one into the bleachers at the top of the third to give us the lead. That 1-0 lead lasted two innings until it was time for Sirloin Shanghai to step up to the play. Here’s the thing about Sirloin, and it’s a thing we all know, he loves pumping iron and throwing absolute belters of fastballs…but it’s one thing to throw a ball super fast and another thing to do it well. And, in the bottom of the 6th inning, he did not do it well when he threw a chunker right down the middle that was smashed into space for a double run that gave the hosts the lead, one that would again last for two innings. Enter Antonio Silva, designated hitter with a decent semi-professional boxing career on the side. Truthfully, Silva’s had a pretty quiet tournament so far; sure he’s done decently well to get on base, but he hasn’t brought the power hitting to the plate like we needed…until now. It was a beautiful ‘one and done’, step up to the plate, stare the pitcher dead in the eyes, and smash the ball right out of the park to send Silva, Montro LeFonz, and Claudio Gomez home and give Team Nao a 4-2 lead that would hold through the end of the game. Cardenao 1-0 The Kytler Peninsulae.

Game two was a more one-sided affair as Team Nao stormed out to a staggering 7-2 victory over the world #8 in what is truly a historic result for the baseball program. Calabasas Calabasas had an incredible day on the mound, serving up strikeout after strikeout as he further cemented his status as Cardenao’s best, and perhaps only truly talented, pitcher. Freddy Montero got the scoring started at the top of the second before Alex Piston followed him with another ball sent to the stands. 2-nil at the top of the second and the team was probably feeling pretty good, but failing to add to the lead left the door open for The Kytler Peninsulae to get one of their own at the bottom of the fourth and just like that, the game was back on…until the top of the fifth. What a great inning for the lads, Gilman Carbrea Flynn did well to narrowly get to first before showing some real cheek to steal second, leaving room for Antonio Silva to step up and, once again, get things done with his first swing for the second game in a row to the surprise of absolutely everyone. As previously stated, he hasn’t had the best tournament thus far and now he’s got two homers in two games…don’t expect that to last but be happy we can say that we were there when it happened! The inning ended with Jaques Webster getting his first home run of the season to make it 5-1 in our favor; TKP did well to get a run back in the bottom of the 6th but it just wasn’t enough and we hung two more up on em in the 7th and that was that, the match ended 7-2 and this little rag-tag group of Cardenaoans wrote their name into the record book with this one.

Third and final game of the series with the 8th best team in the world and a chance to complete an epic sweep…naturally we got off to a two run deficit in the bottom of the fourth, of course! Fortunately, that only set the stage for a heroic 5th inning where Victor Wulf, Jaques Webster, Freddy Montero, and Axle Rodriguez all crossed home plate to flip the table 4-2 in our favor before the pitchers took over. Lonni Jung? Legend, throwing that thing fast as hell and leaving their batters no chance. Fernandinho Kwon? Legend, switching it up on ‘em and leaving their batters no chance. Relief pitchers too, legends! Joe ‘Momma’ Franktini, staring their hitters down like a boss before sending a piss missile at ‘em? Legend. Shit even Bobby Dials gets a mention here, maybe his first positive one of the tournament so far but my football playing man held it together enough to get a vital 3-3 out. The Kytler Peninsulae did get the better of us in the bottom of the seventh, but fortunately it was only a single which meant the final scoreline held 4-3 in our favor.

It’s been quite the roller coaster for the Baseball Boys in Blue, after a humiliating start they’re clawed their way into the playoff position after sweeping the world #8. That’s quite the turnaround in fortune, but can it last through the end of qualification and secure us a spot in the top-24? That one is a bit trickier to answer. Our next opponent is Riandera, unranked opposition who currently sit nine spots below us in 31st just ready and waiting to ruin our entire tournament experience…unless we continue this fine run of form and push past them like we should. Our reward for that over the final three, absolutely vital must, must win series? World #5 Milchama, world #3 and long time national ally Quebec & Shingoryeo, and world #17 Ranoria, with whom we share a very friendly and very fun gridiron football rivalry with in both the World Bowl and NationStates College Football. So yeah, not exactly an easy route to securing what is, at this point, surely improbable qualification to the playoff round…how do we do it?

Just gotta get more runs than the opponents do, ain’t nothing to it but to do it!

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

RESULTS
LEAGUE PHASE SERIES 9

Zwangzug @ Milchama Zwangzug 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 8 Milchama 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Zwangzug 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Milchama 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 4 Zwangzug 1 0 0 0 2 6 0 1 0 10 Milchama 0 2 1 1 5 0 0 0 0 9

Banija @ Drawkland Banija 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Drawkland 4 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 X 7 Banija 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Drawkland 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 Banija 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 Drawkland 1 0 0 1 3 3 3 0 X 11

Quebec and Shingoryeo @ South Newlandia Quebec and Shingoryeo 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 6 South Newlandia 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 5 Quebec and Shingoryeo 1 2 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 8 South Newlandia 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 7 Quebec and Shingoryeo 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 South Newlandia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

The Kytler Peninsulae @ Delaclava Scored by Tikariot The Kytler Peninsulae 0 0 5 0 2 1 1 0 0 9 Delaclava 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 The Kytler Peninsulae 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 6 Delaclava 0 0 0 4 1 2 0 0 X 7 The Kytler Peninsulae 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 1 0 7 Delaclava 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4

Eshialand @ Sarzonia Eshialand 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Sarzonia 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X 2 Eshialand 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 Sarzonia 0 0 0 1 0 4 2 0 X 7 Eshialand 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Sarzonia 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 3 X 9

Tikariot @ Natkr Tikariot 2 0 4 0 2 0 2 0 0 10 Natkr 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 Tikariot 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 6 Natkr 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 5 Tikariot 0 1 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 8 Natkr 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 3

TJUN-ia @ Visayas Islands TJUN-ia 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 Visayas Islands 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 TJUN-ia 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 4 Visayas Islands 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 TJUN-ia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Visayas Islands 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X 2

Kamijiro @ Kronbia Kamijiro 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 5 Kronbia 0 5 0 1 0 0 1 2 X 9 Kamijiro 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 3 Kronbia 0 0 0 4 1 0 3 1 X 9 Kamijiro 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 0 6 Kronbia 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

Ko-oren @ Hapilopper Ko-oren 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 Hapilopper 1 0 4 0 0 1 3 0 X 9 Ko-oren 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 2 8 Hapilopper 0 0 2 1 2 0 1 0 1 7 Ko-oren 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 Hapilopper 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3

Cardenao @ Riandera Cardenao 0 0 0 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 7 Riandera 2 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 1 8 Cardenao 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 4 Riandera 2 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 X 6 Cardenao 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 Riandera 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4

Liventia @ Kwrpania Liventia 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 9 Kwrpania 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 Liventia 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 7 Kwrpania 0 0 1 0 4 0 1 0 0 6 Liventia 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 5 Kwrpania 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3

United States of Nova Calania @ Katzeburg United States of Nova Calania 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Katzeburg 2 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 X 7 United States of Nova Calania 2 1 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 9 Katzeburg 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 United States of Nova Calania 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 7 Katzeburg 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 5

Loyo @ Paradystopia Loyo 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 6 Paradystopia 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 4 Loyo 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 Paradystopia 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 Loyo 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 Paradystopia 0 1 0 3 0 1 1 0 X 6

Dhemixia @ Andso Mangis Dhemixia 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Andso Mangis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dhemixia 1 0 0 0 1 4 0 4 1 11 Andso Mangis 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 4 Dhemixia 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 Andso Mangis 1 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 X 7

Ranoria @ The Martian Independent Republic Ranoria 0 3 3 2 2 4 0 2 1 17 The Martian Independent Republic 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 Ranoria 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 The Martian Independent Republic 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Ranoria 1 0 2 0 1 4 0 0 0 8 The Martian Independent Republic 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

Terefuxe @ Oriental of Rio de La Plata Terefuxe 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 Oriental of Rio de La Plata 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Terefuxe 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Oriental of Rio de La Plata 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 Terefuxe 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 4 Oriental of Rio de La Plata 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X 5

The Batavia @ Valentine Z The Batavia 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 2 2 12 Valentine Z 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 The Batavia 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 6 Valentine Z 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 The Batavia 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 Valentine Z 0 5 0 1 0 1 0 0 X 7

Chromatika @ Zenic Chromatika 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 2 0 7 Zenic 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 4 Chromatika 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 5 Zenic 1 1 0 1 0 5 0 0 X 8 Chromatika 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 4 Zenic 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 5

LEAGUE PHASE STANDINGS AFTER SERIES 9		P	W	L	RF	RA	PythR
1	Banija					27	23	4	168	105	0.719
2	Drawkland				27	21	6	163	79	0.810
3	Liventia				27	21	6	156	99	0.713
4	Ranoria					27	20	7	181	95	0.784
5	South Newlandia				27	20	7	162	81	0.800
6	Milchama				27	19	8	157	102	0.703
7	Quebec and Shingoryeo			27	19	8	140	108	0.627
8	Kamijiro				27	18	9	132	100	0.635
9	Tikariot				27	17	10	145	113	0.622
10	Sarzonia				27	16	11	137	114	0.591
11	Zwangzug				27	16	11	134	109	0.602
12	Katzeburg				27	16	11	139	103	0.646
13	The Kytler Peninsulae			27	15	12	131	96	0.651
14	TJUN-ia					27	15	12	91	103	0.438
15	Hapilopper				27	14	13	143	123	0.575
16	The Batavia				27	14	13	131	116	0.561
17	United States of Nova Calania		27	14	13	136	119	0.566
18	Kronbia					27	14	13	118	120	0.492
19	Valentine Z				27	13	14	109	138	0.384
20	Terefuxe				27	11	16	104	140	0.356
21	Ko-oren					27	11	16	120	155	0.375
22	Zenic					27	11	16	107	132	0.397
23	Chromatika				27	11	16	120	138	0.431
24	Dhemixia				27	11	16	142	126	0.559
25	Cardenao				27	11	16	120	136	0.438
26	The Martian Independent Republic	27	11	16	78	127	0.274
27	Paradystopia				27	10	17	115	147	0.380
28	Loyo					27	10	17	131	113	0.573
29	Eshialand				27	10	17	122	148	0.405
30	Riandera				27	10	17	110	146	0.362
31	Kwrpania				27	8	19	112	162	0.323
32	Visayas Islands				27	8	19	108	158	0.318
33	Oriental of Rio de La Plata		27	8	19	80	167	0.187
34	Delaclava				27	7	20	102	164	0.279
35	Natkr					27	7	20	101	178	0.244
36	Andso Mangis				27	6	21	97	182	0.221

Edited 20 September 2210 UTC to correct series labels, no scoring was affected

[Chromatika]

Ms. Mayamoto,

We at the Chromatik Sporting Council have come to a conclusion regarding the future of baseball in Chromatika.

Given that the financial turmoil regarding the prior ownership of the LPB Chromatika was the fault of ownership and not that of the players;
Given that the players then created a player-run league and ran it for multiple seasons to help the fans be better engaged with the sport;
Given that the creation of a new Outliers team, once the announcement was made, happened without much problem as everyone was excited to play baseball for the country once again;
Given that the team has shown tremendous grit in staying together throughout this entire World Baseball Classic -

We have decided that if this team is to make the knockout rounds of the World Baseball Classic, we will authorize the reinstatement of a fully professional baseball league in the country. It will show that there is a level of talent to be achieved in the country, the fans are into the sport, and that the worst days of the country regarding the sport are behind them.

If the Outliers aren't able to make it to the playoffs, we will have to reconsider our options.

Best of luck,

Beatrice Collier
Chromatik Sporting Council

Note in hand, Mayamoto sighed. They had just dropped another series to a fellow Unranked team in Zenic - falling to 2-7 in matchups against Unranked teams. They had gone 9-9 in other games. Why was the team falling apart under the pressure?

The Martian Independent Republic, Natkr, and Milchama remained. There was no way they would take the series against Milchama. The next six games would probably decide the tournament for the team - and decide the future of baseball within the country going forward for the most part.

[Ranoria]

On The Back Of Their Bats, Is Ranoria Back?


Jesse Griffith launches yet another bomb in what's been a dominant Classic for the best position player in Krauts history

With an aging core, a few years removed from their championship victory, and overall a pretty inexperienced manager, the Krauts were slotted to win most of their games, but nothing crazy, probably squeak into the playoffs and get eliminated quickly - hopefully via elephant cuddles, but beggars can't be choosers. Instead, this squad has already racked up the second most wins in team history (20) in just 27 games. And led by Julian Breit (who per sabermetrics leads this Classic in hot dogs consumed per game), Jesse Griffith, and Rylan Rodgers Jr, they've somehow managed to be the top scoring side in the tournament.

"I told you all I've still got it," Jesse Griffith said with a scowl at a postgame presser following the team's 8-1 win over The Martian Independent Republic, "Still got some juice left in the arm." Griffith's leading the team in both RBIs and home runs, with Julian Breit and Rylan Rodgers Jr tracking second in each of those categories, respectively. But it takes an entire lineup to pull off scoring over seven runs per outing - RJ Hall is a star on this squad as well, the Elephant Valley graduate and former top pick in the LPB draft has speed to burn and a bat that can change the game. Then you throw in guys like Clark Weaver, Lukas Valentine, and John Solomons? Great contact hitters to keep the flow going, while old Grant Faulkner still has enough to tank one every now and then.

So that leaves us with a truly explosive batting order on a 20-7 team that's somehow tied with our Elefriends in the standings. Which means some are starting to ask - can the Krauts actually pull it off? The first time this team rattled off 20+ wins, they did. And if they can manage to win two of three against Zwangzug - not a given against such a tough opponent - they'll match their record for wins in 30 games with 22. Analysts will, of course, laugh at such a ridiculous notion. Ranoria hasn't been a truly relevant contender in a long time now - not since winning the whole thing - and that's not likely to change now. But the upcoming schedule is pretty favorable. The extended group stage wraps up by hosting Zangzug (16-11) and Zenic (11-16) and then a trip out to Cardenao (11-16).

No pushover teams, and Zwangzug's indisputably better than their record indicates, but the competition's not elite to the point that we should worry about some tremendous crash and burn down the stretch here. "We're gunning or it all," Julian Breit asserted at the mic, with Ol' Red the red golden retriever happily accepting a hot dog during the brief interview, "We got one. That was awesome. But we've got momentum, our bats are as hot as they've ever been, the time is now to remind the world that at our best, the Krauts can be the best in the world."

Of course if you ask the vets, the really exciting part is the young guns. Fred Graham, David Dietrich, Jerry Rubble, and Barney Jetson are all making their Krauts debuts, and they've all looked alright when they've been allowed on the diamond. They won't get a ton of action, but enough for them to cut their teeth on international caliber competition, for sure. The Eight Nations Shield may not have been a first-team roster, but it did get enough attention that the better players on the team proved their mettle, and are now getting ready for some meaningful action on the national team - whether that's this season with an injury or down the line, who knows?

"Got a lot to look forward to," says now veteran manager of both the Krauts and Elephant Valley University Red Elephants, Leonardo Harrison, "But We're not looking ahead to the 62nd Classic, we're not looking ahead to Zenic, we're not even looking at the whole series against Zwangzug. We've got a tough opponent, and we're taking this thing nine innings at a time. And as for our batters," Leo looked back over his shoulder at the squad waiting in the clubhouse, "I dunno, I've seen better hand eye coordination on a snake than I have some of these guys. A cyborg snake, mind you, but still a snake. Don't glaze them too much, alright?"

[Banija]

Banijan MBL Rosters

MBL Season 3 Preview Part 2- How are the other four Banijan teams looking?]

JINJA CITY, HANGAZA- MBL Season preview, part 2. Four more teams to look at- we looked four of the big city squads, the coastal teams. Now, we're looking at teams from the interior- from the Baboons, who are Jinja City's team, and three more teams from much smaller cities- Kosactus, Igulu, and Kabakono. It's not all about the big cities- Baseball support has really run deep in a lot of parts of the country, and so we're going to look at those as well.

Jinja City Baboons

Last season, they finished tremendously under expectation. Many thought that they'd be a team that was pushing for a playoff spot- instead, they were barely above .500, at 85-81, and finished 9th in this 16 team league- nowhere near good enough for the top 4 slot required to make the postseason here. But ultimately, the offseason was defined by a lot of swings and misses.

Don't get me wrong- they got some guys. They were in the competition for good ol' Joe Shrub, but he went to Istria instead (which tends to happen). So why not go off to Ranoria to get the guys you want? They went to the Eight Nations Shield, scouted hard, and found Miles Rickson and Ricky Mouser- a pair of veteran Ranorian starting pitchers, good but not necessarily elite, who are going to be important pieces of their rotation. They are long relivers for the NT, but generally starters- why not start here in Banija?

Of course, the most famous Ranorian ballplayer in Banija plays in the LPB- but these guys will make an impact. Whether that's a good or bad impact, well, remains to be seen. Rumor has it that the owner pushed these signings after seeing these guys at the Eight Nations Shield, over the objections of his front office.

Mouser, in particular, is a high risk move- can you justify an 8 figure contract to a dude who's highest level of play seems to be some rec softball league in a town we've never heard of in South Newlandia? Well, he's here at the World Baseball Classic regardless.

This team might prove that just because you're spending money, it doesn't mean the cash is contributing to winning...

Kosactus Forest Elephants

And now, the first of our smaller town teams. The Forest Elephants, promoted after one year, have managed to find a way to stay in this league. These previews are going to be much shorter- the Forest Elephants, with budgets dwarfed by teams with far larger fanbases in far larger cities(even within their own state!), are trying to avoid relegation.

They simply lack offensive firepower. They didn't have the cash to go out and try to get big, international free agents, or the cache- and so they didn't. First team we've covered without a single WBC player in their starting lineup at the plate, although Luzira has WBC experience. They've got some starting pitchers with talent- and the 23 year old starting pitcher, Mulowa Kantu, is going to be a hot commodity when he eventually reaches free agency in two seasons. Attention from both MBL and LPB clubs.

With him in the rotation, and even the NT's long reliever, Muwanga Ssensonga, also in the rotation, we expect them to avoid relegation. Nothing more, nothing less.

Igulu Bullfrogs

And the Bullfrogs. Freshly promoted to the show, after winning 99 games last season in Banija's second tier. But we're in the bigs now- and it's gonna be a whole different ballgame. No Banijan NTers on this team- a bunch of fresh faces you haven't heard of, plus a couple of backups from Ranoria's WBC team. Is this a team good enough to stay up?

No really crazy prospects on the team, although three rookies as starters is always interesting. Bwire Ssekaana will be an interesting name to watch- the left fielder is a rookie, who was balling out before being grabbed by Igulu straight after one year of school, at Aksum State University.

Lack of top end talent, though- team's got to be likely to go down.

Kabokono Baseball Club

A rarity in Banijan professional sport- Kabakono Baseball Club are a community based, fan owned professional sports team. A long-time fixture on the Banijan baseball scene, they also lack the cash to really compete for titles- but they do have quality player development. But sometimes, they just see their best leave. Akia Nameleego came up through their system, but now is off to play in the LPB. NO pain of a sports fan than seeing a home-grown star leave your team for brighter pastures.

Somehow, they've held onto their NT closer for all this time- Walulya locks down the back end of the bullpen for them. Of course, they don't call on him a ton- but he seems very content there. But at 36, he's got his WBC title, why not get a MBL title, yes? He's never won his domestic league. Maybe a decent trade deadline candidate?

The next club youngster that'll break fan hearts is Kamirakwo Sejjala. Mashing away at first base, the Banijan NT designated hitter is shaping up to be one of the league's best power hitters at the young age of 21. Mash away for KBC now- but who later?

[Paradystopia]

"Please not another innings? Seriously?! When does this game fucking end?"

There was a aura of exasperation in the Paradystopi dug-out. It was now thirteen innings into the second game of the series against the Sunshine Tigers of Loyo, a game for which the Paradystopi squad were on the cusp of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It had begun a close run affair before the Paradystopi batters starting making good with their contacts, claimed 2 runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings and were seemingly cruising to a 5-1 victory.

All it had taken however, was a wayward spate of pitching from Tomislav Savić and suddenly the bases were loaded. Some poor fielding allowing an infield single, followed by two walks as something had apparently got inside Tommo's head and sensing the opportunity, Cain Jose was switched in by the Loyo's coaching staff.

Feeling the heat, Wilfred Barnabus had stumbled out of the dugout to protest this, only to be given a short explanation of the complete and utter legality of pinch-hitting by the nearest umpire. He then waddled up to the mound and provided the same short explanation to a flustered Tomislav, but sensing his pitcher's nerves and acknowledging the gravity of the situation, Wilfred chose to bring Priscilla Gideon-Sterling off of second base and into the pitcher's role.

His logic, was that with Priscilla being a leftie, that that should give Cain sufficient issues so that he wouldn't be able to get a good hit.

Her first delivery was in fact a strike.

The second however, was sent far into the stands.

That grand slam was now three and a half innings ago, and now the same Priscilla Gideon-Sterling found herself this time at the plate. Back from the dugout she could hear Oggy's incredulity that the match was not yet over.

Two outs, no one on base. It was almost something of a miracle that Paradystopia were still in this match.

Kuma Pordazi flashed his pitch past her, but it felt too high. Priscilla held her nerve, and internally breathed a deep sigh of relief upon hearing the call of 'Ball 1'

The next felt a carbon copy of the first, but this time the call was 'Strike'. She gave an accusatory glance to the home-plate umpire but naturally got no response.

The third delivery dipped unexpectedly, and wildly, and with a rush of blood, she swung but made contact with nothing. 'Strike 2'.

She decided there and then that Kuma was going to return to the top of the strike-zone. There was no reasoning behind her decision whatsoever, but she had made her mind up. 'That's the spot he's going for, so just swing for it, give it everything, and hope for the best.'

One can only assume that Kuma Pordazi really regretted his subsequent choice of pitch; A fast-ball, aiming for the top corner of the zone.

With an almighty 'crack', Priscilla watched with awe as her hit drifted high into the night-sky, lolled lazily at its zenith over the outfield, and carried just enough pace and direction to evade the wall at the back corner of the park. Just the right side of the foul pole. A walk-off home run.

Well, it was once someone finally managed to pass the message on that she was still required to run around the bases to home first before she was at liberty to drop to her knees and scream 'Fucking have it!' at the top of her lungs.

[Zenic]

Alamilla read and reread the standings over and over again.

'We're still alive,' he thought to himself. Alamilla was almost positive that, even with a good series, the Diamond Survivors would be on the outside edge of the playoff bubble after Chromatika that he failed to consider that results in other series could boost Zenic inside of the playoff bubble. Yet, here they were, in 22nd place and ahead of 14 other teams when they only needed to be ahead of 12 other teams to reach West Pavola.

The Chromatika series was a vast improvement compared to previous series. Despite eventually losing Game 1, the Diamond Survivors were able to claw their way to a 1-run deficit by the 7th inning before the Outliers sealed the deal in the 8th. The players seemed to learn from that game as they scored 8 runs in 6 innings and led by as much as 5 runs before their opponents cut it down to 3 by the 8th inning. With the series tied at 1 win a piece, both teams were desperate for the series win to help their chances to make the playoffs.

And you could tell each team REALLY wanted that win. It was 4-3 in favor of Zenic heading into the 9th inning. Wenceslao, usually the steadfast anchor of the bullpen, gave up three hits in 5 at-bats to blow the save as Sturdevantt drove in the equalizer. Luckily, he was able to recover and keep the game tied at 4-4. A single. A double. A pop out. A strikeout. Just like that, it was down to one out with the winning run in scoring position. 2B Daniela Salvación Capilla came up to bat with a chance to end this here and now to avoid extra innings. That situation was the entire reason Daniela had been placed in the middle of the lineup by Alamilla: to keep up the pressure well into the back half of the lineup. She was the best hitter on the team, able to hit to any part of the field or drawing walks like no one else in the Empire. And with the swing of the bat, the ball landed in shallow part of center field and a runner touched home plate for the walk off win to claim the series 2 games to 1.

Now, Zenic sits precariously near the edge of the bubble with three series remaining. Up next, another home series against a fellow unranked nation, this time it's Riandera. Both nations were in similar positions (potentially the last time Alamilla could say that) with Zenic having only one more win than their upcoming opponents. Records can be misleading so the manager had looked at the other stats and a tiny smile creeped onto his face. They were equally matching in terms of scoring runs with Riandera ahead by only three runs but Zenic clearly had the advantage in fielding and pitching as they've allowed fourteen less runs in the same amount of games. This was the type of series Zenic NEEDED to take advantage of and win 2 games as a bare minimum. Especially with Ranoria and Ko-oren coming up to finish the group stage.

The Solars would surely be looking to replicate the success of the Pterons but the Diamond Survivors were going to do whatever it took to make sure that never happened again.