World Baseball Classic 62 Everything Thread

[Kamijiro]

Diamond IX, Vol. IV, Part I: Rouxgaroux

The Red Wolf's - Atsuji Akaminai - always had a bit of a problem with the other cultures of Kamijiro. It's not an unknown fact.
Porto? Too loud.
St. Jerome (and South St. Jerome)? Their food sucks.
Nieuw Volendam? He hates biking.
Jirō Island? More like "nothing to do" island.
The only place he's put up with is Jirinho.
Jirinho, Jirinho, Jirinho.

That's where he's been holing up recently. Narakugai's still firmly in his grasp and the money still flows directly into his pockets. But it's been much more dangerous for him recently. Two hit attempts and an active "dead or alive" bounty from the Miraisaki Police will do that to you. He was able to worm his way out of a bounty hunter's grasp by simply offering more than the bounty itself in cash once. But he can't afford to keep doing that, so he simply vanished into the Jirinho bayou one night. His top guys run the district, but he's taking a little vacation. During the time away, he's slummed it a bit. Got rid of the flashy designer clothes so that he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. Switched out his distinctive dyed crimson hair for his natural black. Learned a bit of French. (Though, Jirinho speaks what they like to call 'dirty French' since it's far from what you learn in textbooks).

The city of New Imperia is the largest city on the island - he's been there. The locals (generally) know who he actually is, but a town that was built as a pirate haven isn't likely to give him up to the police any time soon, especially considering he spends money like a tourist and drinks like a fish. He knew the call-up for the Diamond IX was gonna include his name. He practiced with the local kids. Got into better shape than he's been in since he moved up the ranks of the Narakugai. Back when he was the one doing the alcohol running and not the one directing it like one might direct traffic.

He's the one who set up the first-ever Kamijiro-Jirinho friendly in baseball. Now, Jirinho technically is a part of Kamijiro and is under the Department of Miraisaki's jurisdiction. However, since they rarely receive call-ups and it's very difficult to get to Jirinho on a consistent basis, their players very rarely make it to the national team. So, they compete independently and go from there. So he got the whole team down to New Imperia - paid for it himself, chartered helicopter flights and whatnot - and the team was on a field that clearly had been hastily made to support baseball.

"Well? We ready for our first ever friendly match, Rouxgaroux?" One of the Jirinho boys, Marcell, asked. That shit-eating grin plastered on his face. He knew this was a big deal for a sports-crazed town with nothing better to do. And he also knew that this was going to be a slaughter. The Diamond IX picking on their little brothers from the tiny island between Kami and Jirō Islands.

"Laissez les bons temps rouler." Atsuji grinned. "We're ready."

[Tikariot]

Episode I: The Night Survey of Sector D-9

Oriannor does not expand outward. Its location within the massige Khazagh Range prohibits sprawl, so the city has to grow in different ways. It descends, it climbs and it hollows itself into the mountains, layer upon layer of habitation carved into stone that does neither yields easily nor forgets where it has been cut.

To manage this complexity, the city depends on maps, and, to make navigation easier, it created sectors and levels. Sectors received letters, levels numbers. So, sector A-1 was the ground level of sector A, C-4 was the fourth level of sector C (and no, not an explosive). It was all precise, continuously updated, and—by necessity—trusted. It should be stated, that the levels were not like floors in a building, but larger areas, so you would have several floors per level.

Sector D-9 was not.

The Complaints

The first reports were minor, goods being misdelivered, couriers arriving late, insisting that stairwells had led somewhere else. Residence filed small, almost embarrassing notices with municipal offices, which, taken on their own, were insignificant, even ridiculous:

A turn that shouldn’t be there.
A corridor longer than it used to be.
A landing that feels... different.

Most were dismissed. Oriannor’s older sectors were known for irregular design where centuries of expansion had taken place without central planning or proper cataloging of what was built when or where. It was easy to get turned around.

But, over time, the complaints accumulated. None of them identical or even consistent. But persistent and always within D-9.

The Survey Order

Eventually, the Department of Urban Cartography issued a routine directive:
Sector D-9 to be re-surveyed and reconciled with current municipal maps, a standard procedure that is happening across Tikariot on a regular basis, especially in older neighbourhoods.

A team of four was assigned, two senior surveyors, a junior assistant, and a recorder responsible for maintaining a live log of measurements and deviations. Again perfect standard. By the end of the first day, they had already noted discrepancies.

Initial Findings

The initial findings were nothing dramatic, nothing that couldn’t be explained with shoddy planning (if any), even shoddier record keeping or simply unpermitted expansions or extensions.

A stairwell measured two steps shorter than recorded
A corridor whose angle deviated by a few degrees
A junction that appeared slightly offset from its mapped position

These were logged as legacy errors, simple artifacts of older surveying techniques.

Still, the team noted an unusual pattern: the inconsistencies did not cluster, rather they spread. There was no central point of error or obvious cause. Just a sector that didn’t quite align with itself.

The Decision to Continue at Night

The team made a decision that would later be questioned. They extended the survey into the night. The reasons given were twofold. One was for efficiency; D-9 was less crowded after dark. The second one, however, seemed a little more... peculiar... because several residents had insisted the discrepancies were “more noticeable” in the evening.

The official log records the reasoning simply:

“Reduced foot traffic may allow for clearer measurement.”

They resumed at 21:40.

The First Irregularities

The recorder’s log becomes less precise from this point. Not necessarily inaccurate, just a noticeable change occurred.

Entries begin including qualifiers:

“Corridor appears longer than previous measure; rechecking”
“Acoustic delay noted; source unclear”
“Lighting inconsistent; may be fixture-related”

At 22:15, the assistant notes that a stairwell they had already measured earlier in the evening now appears to have an additional landing.

The senior surveyor dismisses it. Fatigue. Miscounting. It had been a long day. So, they measure it again. The landing is not there. However, one set of stairs seems to be at a 90-degree angle it was not when they had been there earlier in the day.

Conflicting Directions

Around 23:00, the team begins consulting residents for confirmation of routes. This is where the reports become difficult to reconcile. Multiple residents, interviewed separately, provide directions to the same location, a communal well in the lower tier of D-9. Each set of directions is clear and confident; internally consistent.

However, where things became both confusing and a little unsettling is that none of them match each other.

When followed, each route leads somewhere plausible. But not to the well. The surveying team eventually locates the well, but not by any of the described paths.

The recorder notes:

“Residents are not confused. They are certain.”

Acoustic Disturbances

But, it did not stop there. Shortly after midnight, the team reports unusual sound behaviour. Footsteps echo before they occur, faint, but distinct, and when they look around the corner, there is nobody. Voices carry strangely, arriving from directions that don’t correspond to the speaker’s position.

At one point, the recorder logs:

“Heard conversation ahead. No one present when reached.”

The assistant suggests the acoustics of the stone, sound reflecting through unseen channels. The explanation is accepted. It does not stop the occurrences, however.

The Measurements Stop Agreeing

By 00:40, the survey begins to break down. Repeated measurements of the same corridor yield different results. Not wildly different, but enough to exceed acceptable tolerance.

The team attempts controlled re-measurement:

Fixed starting point
Consistent pacing
Verified tools

The numbers still shift every single time.

One of the senior surveyors insists on marking the wall at the corridor’s end. They walk the length again. The mark is not where it should be.

The Stairwell

At approximately 01:10, the team reaches a vertical junction, a narrow stairwell connecting D-9 to D-8. It is not marked on their map. This, in itself, is not unusual, they had encountered issues like this in other sectors before, where builders just built adjoining wells to either connect levels or make planning errors look like something they had accounted for the entire time.

What is unusual is that they cannot agree on where it leads. From the top, it appears to descend one level. From the bottom, it appears to ascend two.

They test it. Descending, they count thirteen steps. Ascending, they count fifteen. They repeat the process. The numbers do not stabilize.

The Argument

The log records a disagreement. The senior surveyors argue over whether to continue, as one of them insists the data is compromised, whether through fatigue, poor lighting or compounding errors. The other argues that the inconsistencies themselves are the point of the survey and that they should finish what they started..

The assistant remains silent for most of the exchange, the recorder notes only:

“Team cohesion deteriorating. Assistant mentions that she is not getting paid to make decisions.”

The Final Entry

At 01:47, the log becomes fragmented. Sentences trail off. Measurements are started but not completed.

The last coherent entry reads:

“Returning to initial reference point to re-establish baseline.”

After that, there is a gap. The next recorded time stamp is 03:12. There is no accompanying entry.

Recovery

The team was found just after dawn. All four were located within Sector D-9, but not together. Their equipment was intact. Their notes were incomplete. None could clearly explain how they had become separated. They all stated that they took the same stairwell at different times of the night and ended up where they were found.

Aftermath

The official report attributes the incident to:

Fatigue
Navigational error in a complex environment
Accumulated minor discrepancies exaggerated by poor conditions

Sector D-9 was marked as requiring future review. No follow-up survey was scheduled. No survey ever happened.

Unresolved Details

Several aspects remain, let's call it, unaddressed.

The team’s combined measurements cannot be reconciled into a single coherent map
The stairwell they documented does not appear in any subsequent inspection
The recorder’s log contains references to landmarks that cannot be identified within D-9

And perhaps most notably:

Each member of the team, interviewed separately, provided a different account of their final movements.

Each account is internally consistent.

None align with each other.

Closing

Oriannor prides itself on precision. On engineering, structure, knowing exactly where everything is, and how it connects.

Sector D-9 remains on the map. But not, it seems, in a way that can be fully agreed upon. And for those who live there, the advice, unofficial, unrecorded, but widely repeated, is simple:

If you find yourself taking a route you don’t remember, don’t try to correct it. Just keep going. Until something looks familiar again.

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

Maybe the clutch powers of the last cycle's miracle run have been exhausted. (Although, let's be honest, it was worth it, right?)

Two narrow defeats in a row to Rushmori rivals Zenic has put the Phoenix behind right out of the gate, despite winning the series opener convincingly. But with the bizarre coincidence of every opening series of this WBC being split, there's not much that's truly been lost here. Except pride.

"It sucks to have a losing rest cord against another Rushmori team, we've always thought of ourselves as the best team in the region ever since we first broke out into being a playoff team so to have this happen is a real eye-opener," conceded veteran shortstop Alexander Fox. "But there's an awful lot of baseball left and as long as we get into the bracket anything can happen. People forget we didn't have the best league phase last time and had to go through the repechage, almost lost that too, and then that crazy run happened after that. Get in the bracket, and you never know in this sport."

A trip to Andso Mangis should pose no terrors, nor should Drakur in their first home series. The plan is to get five wins from those two, leaving the Phoenix 6-3. Even if they have to settle for four - two more split series? - that's a winning record going into the trip to Paradystopia. With the top two and most of the third-place teams advancing to the octofinals, there's still room for error. But the Phoenix would rather not burn through it just yet.

[Drawkland]

7,000

History of the Hit Record - The Contender - Glenn and Gelia - The New Fire - Shooting For 6 - Vow Renewal - Chasing .400 - A Pleasant Surprise - Jamming the Blues - Lingering Questions

A player hitting .400 in the modern baseball environment feels impossible. For pretty much every hitter, it is. Lane Kavana couldn’t manage to do it in his prime, and some would say he was the greatest hitter in Drawkian history during his peak. Lane told anybody who’d listen that he could hit .400 if he wanted to, but the necessity of home runs and extra base hits required sacrifices on otherwise hittable balls. That was generally followed by the listener rolling their eyes and saying “yeah right, buddy.”

Yet, at the ripe Drawkian age of 48, Lane Kavana did just that. In his nearly certain swansong with the Gelia Blues, Lane finished the season with a .401 batting average. The Blues went on to win the pennant and lose the Drawkian Series, but that was alright with Lane. He already had rings, he already had MVPs, he already had money. The only goal he had left was chasing the Drawkian career base hit record … and perhaps going even further beyond.

Speaking of MVP awards, even the cynical and power-favoring voters of Drawkland’s PBL couldn’t ignore the fact that Lane hit four freaking hundred in the regular season. Forget that his 1.017 OPS on the season didn’t even crack his personal top five, this was Drawkian baseball history. The chances of that happening again were extremely slim. The fact that Gelia managed to make the playoffs comfortably (somewhat thanks to Lane’s hitting consistency) was enough to put him over the top. Lane Kavana won ML MVP, the fifth league MVP award in his career. At this point he was considering converting one of the trophies into a lazy susan for his dining room table.

Again, Lane didn’t care for the material accolades anymore. There was a more pressing issue that many people saw coming: despite his transcendent regular season and acceptable playoff performance, the Gelia Blues didn’t offer him another contract in the offseason. It would be a lot harder to chase the hit record if he wasn’t playing baseball at all.


Another Classic

If there was one other thing that Lane hoped to achieve before he retired, it was winning a World Baseball Classic with the Base Corps. He may have said in years past that he gave up on that dream thanks to the years of futility the Corps suffered even with himself anchoring the lineup, but the tantalizingly close near-misses of the last couple years had reignited that passion. He had one chance left, perhaps two if he was lucky.

Lane hadn’t yet decided whether he was glad or frustrated that the Corps lineup had moved on from him being the biggest set piece. He was still the team captain for obvious reasons, but with the former Skyhawk Core Four and big-arm-big-bat-big-head Tyler Silvanus forming the meat of the Drawkian lineup, Lane was finding himself on the back end of the batting order.

Perhaps it was for the best. Lane simply didn’t have the power to be a real threat in the heart of the order. Base hits are good, but if the Base Corps planned to make a deep run, they needed big boppers where it mattered. Lane insisted to himself that he could be a big hitter again if he needed to, but he didn’t want to risk messing up his approach for a short tournament when he had a long season of domestic stat padding to worry about. Convenient excuse, buddy. In any case, he found pleasure in the idea that an unknowing foreign pitcher could take him for granted as a 7 or 8 hole hitter, only to be made a fool.

Any reservations Lane had were quickly tossed out the window. In a time where people were questioning whether the Base Corps were a legitimate threat in the WBC or merely a flash in the pan, Drawkland went out and absolutely razed the competition. The odd groupless format of WBC 61 did little to deter this stronger Corps core. Drawkland was the undisputed #1 seed after the 36-game qualifying stage. They won 3 more games than any other team. They scored 232 runs when only 3 others even cracked 200. They allowed a mere 105 runs, also a tournament best. Scoring more than 6 per game, allowing less than 3? It’s a recipe for success.

Throughout it all, Lane was there peppering singles and doubles around to move any stragglers left from the action in the top of the order. Throughout his career, Lane loved knocking in runs by any means necessary. Nowadays those means generally included balls flicked into the shallow outfield or punched through the infield. The wins kept coming, and it kept Lane in good enough spirits to ignore that he still didn’t have a contract locked in. It was the same situation as 4 years ago, but a little more dire.


61 Playoffs

Naturally, the wheels fell off once the Drawkians entered the World Baseball Classic playoffs. After dominating nearly every team they faced in the opening phase (including smashing then-undefeated Banija) and earning a bye to the Round of 16, the Base Corps came out flat. It took five games to put down Nova Calania, and though the worst possible result was avoided, it did raise questions about Drawkland’s viability in the rest of the ‘offs. Only one other Round of 16 series even went to 5 games.

Worries were assuaged with a more sane 3-1 defeat of Kamijiro including back-to-back shutouts to clinch the series. Then came the toughest test yet. Drawkland had to face the hosts in the Kytler Peninsulae, who boasted a surging Phoenix squad attempting to extend their playoff run which was already a personal best.

The series had the Base Corps on their heels from end to end. A measly 1-run showing in the opener meant the Kytlerians took an early lead in the series, and it became a case of punch/counterpunch. Drawkland responded, then lost, then responded again to push the series to five games.

Lane himself felt frustrated with his own performance. He’d been a non factor for most of the series, besides an RBI double in game two and a few knocks in a blowout game four. It didn’t help that the Drawkian lineup got shoved for eight shutout innings in game five.

Throughout that rubber match in Zube, Lane felt his spirits sink lower and lower. It wasn’t just the impending sense of defeat. The worries of his PBL contract situation returned to his mind as well. The deficit eventually reached 7-0 by the late innings, and not even the most delusional Drawkian fans believed a comeback was possible. Cut the Scootalove City references, people. We get it.

Despite all that, there was somehow hope. Aaron Frost got to lead off the bottom of the ninth, Drawkland’s last chance at returning to the championship series. He blooped a single into left, and his wife Richelle blasted a homer over the enormous warning track and past the left field wall. Drawkland was finally on the board, and now a mere FIVE run deficit with three outs to do something about it.

Lane Kavana was the one to come up to bat next. Their chances were slim, but he felt confident he could help keep the rally alive. They needed baserunners to cut into a five-run hole, and Lane was better than anybody else at Becoming A Baserunner in the PBL last season. He was patient, waiting for his pitch. When he saw a fastball spinning in from Andrew Matthews, Lane believed that the rally was truly on.

Lane swung. He topped the ball, pushing it past Matthews on the mound and heading into the gap over second base. The ball was sharply hit … but not sharp enough. The Kytlerian shortstop tracked the ball and zipped a throw that beat Lane by half a step. Maybe if Lane wasn’t a rumbling dinosaur at this point, he might’ve beaten the throw and kept things going. He wasn’t exactly fat now, but the classic Old Ballplayer Bod had started to manifest in the offseason. In any case, he wasn’t the speedster he was even a couple years prior.

It might not have mattered, considering the next two hitters also grounded out to end the game, but that didn’t stop Lane from kicking himself for killing the rally before it could really get going. Whatever the case, he was going to find a way to roll up for WBC 62, even if he had to be there as a fossilized bench bat.


Where To Next?

To make matters worse for Lane, this extended WBC format had left him missing most of spring training. It’s not like he needed it, especially with the high-level ball he was playing with the Corps, but it did prevent a lot of teams from bothering to look at signing him for the year. He was coming off a season that he hit .400, but he was also turning 7*7 years old in the coming fall. It was the same issue he had before he got his contract with Gelia 4 years prior – teams are generally unwilling to waste a roster spot on an aging veteran. A designated hitter role was certainly possible, but who wants a singles hitter in that position? Accolades be damned.

It didn’t help that a lot of people expected that last season to be Lane’s true swansong. A fantastic career achievement and a nice playoff run? Most players would dream to have a sendoff like that. A few teams had sent offers, but none of them promised the playing time that Lane wanted. He needed hits, and he couldn’t get those while sitting on the bench and/or getting a single pinch hit opportunity every couple days.

Lane tried to keep himself from panicking. There was still time to sign one of those subpar contracts and maybe strongarm the manager into letting him get more playing time, but he really didn’t want to do that. It wasn’t reliable, and becoming a locker room cancer was a great way to ensure this next season would be his last. Even if he managed to replicate the 250+ hit efforts of his last three seasons, that wouldn’t be enough to put him over the record. That’s what made this situation difficult. He needed to plan for two more seasons, not just one.

There was a week until the next PBL season started. If Lane still didn’t have word about a new contract offer when he got back to his house in Gelia (which was already in a mostly-packed state), he’d just bite the bullet and prepare to fly out to Archifel and start petitioning PBL GMs in person as spring training came to a close. He would do whatever it takes.

[Dhemixia]

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The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)
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Are we back?

Schedule:

Series 1: vs. Nusandara W 2-1
Series 2: @ Liventia
Series 3: vs. Abanhfleft
Series 4: @ Chromatika
Series 5: vs. Drawkland
Series 6: @ Nusandara
Series 7: vs. Liventia
Series 8: @ Abanhfleft
Series 9: vs. Chromatika
Series 10: @ Drawkland

You can't really complain about a series win. You did what you were there to do and won more games than they did. That being said, I'm going to come about as close as possible to complaining.

Nusandara's baseball federation sits unranked, while the Serpents are at a crisp #18 in the world. That's definitely a mismatch, but then again, it's Dhemixian baseball. Winning the first two, you'd probably want to step off the gas and rest your starters for the Liventia series coming up. That is a mistake. If you're Neil McCarthy, you should want as many wins as possible, you absolutely should not punt a game to give yourself a better chance of beating a better opponent. The funny part is, he didn't do that. He left his starters in; he put the #3 starter, Cael Robertson, on the bump and let Terry Hjalmarsson and the gang swing away. Through all that, they still managed to lose to a completely new squad. Robertson, known for his ability to go deep into games, left in the fifth with 6 ER to his name.

That really tells you all you need to know about Dhemixian baseball. On any given day, they're able to hang with the best of the best, and they're able to play to the level of the worst of the worst. Now that's not really a new observation, but it's funny to know that the best of Dhemixia's pitching talent culminates in a high-leverage reliever who couldn't close a window if her life depended on it and a starter shakier than Franklin Bell after seeing Stuart Nova step into the box.

It's contradictory and paradoxical, but the Dhemixian NT may simultaneously be the deepest and shallowest team imaginable. Do I trust Hayden Young in game one of a series against at top ten team in the multiverse? Yes. Do I trust her in game one of a series against a team starting 9 newborn babies? No. Make it make sense.

[Chromatika]

Living for the ninth inning is a dangerous prospect in baseball. When you're the home team, you get the benefit of going last if the game is tied or you're losing; this means the pressure is on the opposing team to take the game to extras or to hold on to the win, and your team gets the last say.

In the opening series against Abanhfleft, it was some bottom-of-the-ninth magic that came through for the hometown Outliers as they came back twice before losing Game 3 to open Group play with a 2-1 series victory.

In Game 1, Eddard Friend couldn't survive the fifth inning, but the Chromatik batters came to play at the bottom of the fifth. Miles Sturdevantt got things going with a three-run home run, and Park Hye-Bin's loop single tied the game at seven. Abanhfleft would take a one-run lead at the top of the eighth, but Sturdevantt, in the Group Stage opener, crushed another home run to tie the game at ten. Then, at the bottom of the ninth, with the bottom of the order coming up, one final home run from Alena Egorova was the decider, a two-run shot that ended the game, 12-10.

Game 2 was a classic pitchers' duel, Ashleigh Witters one the mound for the Outliers. She gave up a solo shot at the top of the fourth, but did go seven innings deep, conceding five hits and three walks on a successful outing that unfortunately ended up being no-decision. The Chromatik bullpen held firm, and at the bottom of the ninth (once again), Béa Arcierge got on base on a sharp double. Jackie Parisan came on to pinch-hit and moved Arcierge to third on a single, and for the second game in a row. Alena Egorova's double scored the winning run as Arcierge came home.

The series finale saw the Outliers struggle, as Marceaux Justinian lasted a total of four and a third innings before having to step off. Though the Outliers came from down five up to a score of 6-5, they would go a total of two for ten in RISP for the game, blowing a chance for the series sweep. The one-run loss means that they failed to take advantage of the fact that neither of the other series ended up in sweeps, with three teams going 2-1 and the other three teams going 1-2.

When asked about the state of starting pitching through the first series, Manager Alisen Mayamoto was a bit cagey, explaining that "Everyone is having to get used to this level of play again. I trust that they'll be able to sort through the issues that they had today and that the pitching will pick up as the tournament goes along. I was impressed by the level of hitting that we showed today and how we adjusted to the challenges placed before us. It's a good sign to start 2-1, but it's a long, long Group Stage, and we're just getting started."

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Milos's Assessment: An Election Blog and Political Review

Which way the wind will fall at Belwood Park?

By Miilos Kujundzic

Howdy folks! As we approach closer to the mega-byelection weekend with ten ridings set to be put to an electoral test from coast to coast to coast, we continue looking into constituencies that we'll be looking into great details.

As I have previously said, the history of Belwood Park is a rather interesting one. Created out of the three rural ridings that it used to be divided into in 1965, it has stayed competitive for most of its history between the Moogoongwha, the Liberals and the Shinminjeon. With Belwood Park being a traditional midway point between Hanbat and Agawa, standing on the Western Transhingoryeoite Railroad and the Caledonia Highway that would start from Songak and end in Montevicio, the city has enjoyed steady population increase that would also see it evolve from a city that's mostly natural resources driven to a regional centre.

The city's politics, as a result, has become a diverse mix that tended to come and go. Traditionally the city centre's mostly been an even split between Liberals and Moogoongwha, while the variables in the city, that of the surrounding rural villages on a fairly large electoral district were more competitive with the voters tending to come and go in waves, though usually favouring the Liberals over the Shinminjeon. Those trends, keep in mind, do not reflect what you would see on the provincial races, as the riding's actually turned blue for most of last three decades. As they say, after all, the Quebeco-Shingoryeoite audience are perfectly aware of differences between federal and provincial politics.

In the last fourteen years, Belwood Park's retiring incumbent, Joel Bruneau, had a solid grasp on the riding. Bruneau, a former Francophone school principal, pulled off a stunning upset over Christine Noh, a former Kim Seung-Yin cabinet minister, in 2059 Federal Election. He would go onto win the riding mostly without trouble, facing an alternation of Moogoongwha and Shinminjeon candidates since, but would mostly be remembered as a fiesty, fiery speaker on the House of Commons due to the fact that he had spent all but the final year of his tenure on the opposition bench. While Bruneau had relatively easy victory in 2071 securing 40.32% in a 11.18% victory over his Moogoongwha opponent, Bruneau's refusal to be considered for the cabinet had raised minor suggestions that his decision to run again was a strong call from the federal headquarters and one of his particular preference.

Now, with Bruneau retiring, it is likely there will be an intense contest for the by-election that would involve a competitive race, but still a favourable one for the Liberal candidate, Mason Moh, as there are only a week left until we all head into the polls. With all three parties having won this seat over multiple elections in last fifty years, there will be plenty of intrigue and finances to be planted over the riding. Now, the biggest question is: who will likely win it?

The most likely answer is that the riding's mostly going to be fine for the Shingoryeoite Liberals.

If you look at Elect-Atlas Shingoryeo in the 2071 Federal Elections corner, you would notice that most of the polls were steady on the voter base that was around for Bruneau. Bruneau, who would win 56 out of 72 polls in this riding, had a fairly consistent support across the riding, winning about 53% votes in the city while pulling respectable numbers in the rural areas, where the Moogoongwha candidate Juliette Goyette made considerable gains at the expense of the Shinminjeon and the CIS (now-Nationals') candidates.

So on the surface it is a riding that shows at least steady base of support for Moh. This is something that should help the former Agriculture Department deputy minister, as the consistency allows for the preference votes to push him slightly further than what he would have gotten in a traditional, First-Past-The-Post system where the chance of being outraced would have been higher as a first-time candidate.

Not only will he be playing ahead with voter group who have felt responsive to Moh's predecessor, Moh would also inherit a mostly familiar and highly galvanised group of staff and volunteers. Having the presence of Bruneau, who has campaigned for much of the trail with him, should help even further especially as the riding's occupies a relatively lower priority among the SLP ranks.

With the current focus being spent less on defences, in part due to how safe Jeongju Centre, Gaepoong and Hills of Madeleine-Linfield have been, great focus has been taken by Kang Tae-Goo government to target elsewhere. Not only is Leuchtenberg, where House of Commons speaker Ji Gyeong-Wan moves from Jeongju, a city where he's lived for last 20 years, and is expected to produce 40-point swing, they are now targetting Moogoongwha stronghold Seunghakpo-Lansdowne-Kejimkujik, and even trickier ridings such as Stretford End and Songwha-Ravenscraig that were considered traditional Shinminjeon heartland.

So with less priorities being spent on Belwood Park, there lies a slight risk of making the race bit too close for comfort. Even with conditions all looking favourable, local grounding strong as it was a decade ago when the party struggled to find the tune, and of course the incumbent around, risk remains abound for the Shingoryeoite Liberals to remain close. With that said, however, the runoffs should benefit in the electoral scenarios like this, and as the nation prepares for widespread adoption of it by next Federal Election, which is scheduled to be no later than in February 2075, the chance of holding ridings like this can go the long way for the Grits.

[Chromatika]

Cutoff for Series 2.

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Group A

Game 1
Haltoria                                    0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  3
Equestria                                   1 1 0 0 4 4 3 0 X 13

Loyo                                        0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 1  8
Quebec and Shingoryeo                       0 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0  7

Natkr                                       0 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 0  6
Eshialand                                   1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0  4
Game 2
Haltoria                                    0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Equestria                                   0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 X  5

Loyo                                        0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2
Quebec and Shingoryeo                       0 0 0 2 5 1 0 0 X  8

Natkr                                       0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
Eshialand                                   4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X  4
Game 3
Haltoria                                    1 1 0 5 2 0 0 0 0  9
Equestria                                   1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3

Loyo                                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Quebec and Shingoryeo                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  1

Natkr                                       2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  3
Eshialand                                   1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

Group A                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Quebec and Shingoryeo    6    4   2    42   21  +21
2 Eshialand                6    4   2    35   31   +4
3 Equestria                6    3   3    32   40   −8
4 Haltoria                 6    3   3    23   29   −6
5 Natkr                    6    2   4    19   21   −2
6 Loyo                     6    2   4    30   39   −9

Group B

Game 1
Solgavden                                   0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  3
Crpostran                                   2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 X  5

New Montreal States                         0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2  4
Ranoria                                     0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  3

South Newlandia                             0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 3  6
Ko-oren                                     0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Game 2
Solgavden                                   0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 1  5
Crpostran                                   0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4  6

New Montreal States                         1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Ranoria                                     0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1  3

South Newlandia                             0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0  4
Ko-oren                                     0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Game 3
Solgavden                                   0 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 1  7
Crpostran                                   0 0 6 0 0 2 0 2 X 10

New Montreal States                         0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 2  7
Ranoria                                     0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2  8

South Newlandia                             0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0  3
Ko-oren                                     0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 X  6

Group B                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Ranoria                 6    4   2    29   22   +7
2 Crpostran               6    4   2    30   30    0
3 South Newlandia         6    4   2    30   24   +6
4 Ko-oren                 6    3   3    28   26   +2
5 New Montreal States     6    2   4    26   32   −6
6 Solgavden               6    1   5    29   38   −9

Group C

Game 1
The Martian Independent Republic            0 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 0  5
Soryeon                                     0 3 0 0 2 0 0 2 X  7

Srednjaci                                   1 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0  7
Tikariot                                    1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Zwangzug                                    1 1 3 3 0 0 1 1 0 10
TJUN-ia                                     0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1  5
Game 2
The Martian Independent Republic            2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0  7
Soryeon                                     0 0 1 0 3 4 0 0 X  8

Srednjaci                                   2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
Tikariot                                    1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 X  4

Zwangzug                                    0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0  4
TJUN-ia                                     1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
Game 3
The Martian Independent Republic            0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
Soryeon                                     1 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 X  6

Srednjaci                                   0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
Tikariot                                    0 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 X  5

Zwangzug                                    0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0  2
TJUN-ia                                     0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Group C                             Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Tikariot                            6    4   2    27   18   +9
2 Soryeon                             6    4   2    27   31   −4
3 Zwangzug                            6    4   2    29   24   +5
4 Srednjaci                           6    3   3    31   25   +6
5 The Martian Independent Republic    6    2   4    29   34   −5
6 TJUN-ia                             6    1   5    24   35  −11

Group D

Game 1
Zenic                                       2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
Paradystopia                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Milchama                                    0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Drakur                                      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

The Kytler Peninsulae                       0 7 6 0 0 0 0 2 1 16
Andso Mangis                                2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0  6
Game 2
Zenic                                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3
Paradystopia                                0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 X  5

Milchama                                    2 0 3 1 0 0 4 5 0 15
Drakur                                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3

The Kytler Peninsulae                       0 1 7 1 0 3 0 0 1 13
Andso Mangis                                1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  4
Game 3
Zenic                                       3 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 0  8
Paradystopia                                4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1  7

Milchama                                    0 1 0 1 3 0 1 0 2  8
Drakur                                      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

The Kytler Peninsulae                       2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  4
Andso Mangis                                0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0  3

Group D                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Milchama                 6    5   1    34   14  +20
2 Zenic                    6    4   2    28   30   −2
3 The Kytler Peninsulae    6    4   2    51   27  +24
4 Paradystopia             6    3   3    27   26   +1
5 Andso Mangis             6    1   5    23   41  −18
6 Drakur                   6    1   5    16   41  −25

Group E - Series involving Chromatika scored by Tikariot

Game 1
Dhemixia                                    0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 1  5
Liventia                                    0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 2  6

Chromatika                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Drawkland                                   0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 X  4

Nusandara                                   0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0  4
Abanhfleft                                  1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Game 2
Dhemixia                                    0 4 0 0 1 0 2 0 1  8
Liventia                                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Chromatika                                  0 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  6
Drawkland                                   6 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 X 11

Nusandara                                   0 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1  6
Abanhfleft                                  1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
Game 3
Dhemixia                                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Liventia                                    0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 X  4

Chromatika                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Drawkland                                   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Nusandara                                   1 0 2 0 0 8 1 0 0 12
Abanhfleft                                  0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  5

Group E                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Nusandara               6    4   2    32   22  +10
2 Liventia                6    4   2    22   28   −6
3 Drawkland               6    3   3    31   22   +9
4 Chromatika              6    3   3    29   33   −4
5 Dhemixia                6    3   3    25   20   +5
6 Abanhfleft              6    1   5    27   41  −14

Group F

Game 1
Kamijiro                                    1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3  7
The Batavia                                 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  5

Banija                                      2 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  6
The Authority of the Underwater Cities      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  2

Valentine Z                                 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0  4
United States of Devonta                    3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 X  7
Game 2
Kamijiro                                    0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 3  6
The Batavia                                 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2

Banija                                      2 0 3 2 0 0 2 2 0 11
The Authority of the Underwater Cities      0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2

Valentine Z                                 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  3
United States of Devonta                    2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 X  4
Game 3
Kamijiro                                    0 0 4 3 0 1 0 1 0  9
The Batavia                                 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  3

Banija                                      0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
The Authority of the Underwater Cities      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Valentine Z                                 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0  3
United States of Devonta                    0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1  4

Group F                                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                                    6    5   1    40   16  +24
2 Kamijiro                                  6    5   1    35   21  +14
3 United States of Devonta                  6    4   2    26   31   −5
4 The Batavia                               6    2   4    29   28   +1
5 Valentine Z                               6    1   5    21   28   −7
6 The Authority of the Underwater Cities    6    1   5    11   38  −27

[Zenic]

The Diamond Survivors coaching staff was stood near the dugouts as they watched the players perform their positional training.

Alamilla had a big grin on his face as he did so since the team had recently come back from the Esportiva region after winning the series against Paradystopia 2 games to 1. Manoel Alvarado, Roxana Narcisa Ortega, Mijo Slaven Grgić, and Wenceslao combined for the shutout in Game 1 to jump out to a strong lead. Paradystopia did not like that and came out to a 5-0 lead for most of Game 2 before Zenic rallied for three runs to cut the lead down heavily but ultimately it was too large of a lead to overcome. Game 3 was a back-and-forth affair where it wasn't clear who would manage to take the final lead. Paradystopia managed to cut an 8-6 lead down to 8-7 but Wenceslao proved why he was the best closer in Zenician history and earned another save to clinch the second straight series win to start the tournament.

"Who do we have up next?," he asked as he watched the shortstops practice their throws to first base. Salcedo responded while intensely scanning the scouting reports, "Andso Mangis. Not the toughest opponent we've faced but they did manage to crush Milchama 8-1 in the first game of the tournament." Alamilla nodded his head with an impressed look on his face. "And how did the other matches go?" Salcedo scoffed. "As well as you think they did: 5 straight losses with several of them by double digit scores. There's no guarantee on sweeping them but we could really use it to keep up with Milchama and The Kytler Peninsulae."

"So, it'll be Kuroki, Koppel, and Alvarado for their second starts, right?" Salcedo nodded. A living multi-tool followed by back-to-back speed demons on the mound: not the greatest combo of pitchers but maybe good enough to sweep this series in particular. As long as the bats provide adequate support. They've been pretty consistent this tournament, scoring at least 3 runs a game and hitting a high of 8 runs. At this point, Alamilla could only do what made the most sense: focus on every area of the game with the hope of either finding out which areas are the weak points in order to fix them before the knockout rounds or just improving everything in general and raising the team's potential floor and ceiling.

"So, what's going through that noggin of yours?," Salcedo inquired. "Thinking we DO need to sweep this series considering we have to head to Milchama afterwards. I'm going to talk with Ogawa and Dioli to make sure Im Duri is ready. I don't like pulling starters early but if we need to in order to get a win, then that's what we need to do. Heck, if we have to resort to that, then we might have to consider bringing in the pulled starter as a relief pitcher in one of the later games in the series to keep other arms fresh."

"Is that allowed?" Salcedo was earnest in his questioning as was Alamilla in his response. "I don't know but better find out soon so we don't look like complete buffoons in a tense situation."

[Ko-oren]

Major train lines of Ko-oren

When you're traveling around, chances are you'll rely on these lines most often. They link together the largest cities and the airport - but be aware that many of the best views and grandest national parks are not on these lines (though they're still well connected through public transport).

Sere Line
This is the big one: it links Garihnkatar (south coast) to Ilohbonu, the airport, then three out of four capitals. Formally it's continued on the northern flank of the mainland, with the Alahinga-Shemurdar corridor also added. Trains often do run the entire stretch - including the 'missing' middle bit. Often, they leave behind some material at the edge for the next train back to pick up. It makes little sense to carry every section across the 'gap' to the other side, when the extra capacity is very much needed at every bit of the Sere line. The western part of it sees trains every 10 minutes and, at times, even more often, almost running at metro intervals.

Thanali Line
This one links the capitals to Amahne and is therefore a tremendously important line for business and government. On the eastern end, it connects Amahne to the 'holiday' towns of Gehenohn and Ethuweri, to which there is a great amount of traffic on weekends.

Debi Line
Not the most glamorous line, but a well used trunk to support all of the other lines. It goes from Edihlbahl in the west, through Ilohbonu - the transport hub of the nation if you hadn't already figured that out - through the provincial towns of Nurili and Anahrku, to end up in the most overlooked large city of the nation, Ahmilo.

Basilo Line
This one takes care of the Amahne-airport-Ilohbonu connection, something you would think was covered by multiple lines/other lines, but here we are. It's connected on the western side to Monrama - to make sure there's a mesh of important lines covering the densely populated southwest despite few big big cities there.

Pehnath Line
The gaps left by the Sere Line are formally connected by the Pehnath line, and then extends all the way to the growing cities of the northeast. In practice it only stops at the final end of it before going down to Seterbohdu and Seterdahn. Ideas to let it run as a high speed line to make the northeast a bit better connected have been tested but so far, no dice. As the northeast is increasingly important to the national economy, a high speed, high capacity line is a necessity on the long run. It also isn't much of a touristic line, unless you're headed for the northeastern islands.

Kirigi Line
A small southwestern line to connect the cities that haven't been covered by the other lines. Garihnkatar has a few satellite towns that really need it; the Kirigi line finishes the southwestern mesh started by the Basilo line. Also not the most touristically interesting line, but definitely one you'll take when going to the forests and lakes of the southwest or the more adventurous journeys on the west coast.

Other Lines
There are six other lines that connect one city to another, and are used simply because two places are close together, not particularly close to anywhere else, and have quite a bit of traffic to one another for commutes and cargo.

[Milchama]

"You know I don't think it's a good idea to accuse the host of antisemitism just because he decided to have a cutoff on Passover. He isn't Jewish"

"Ok but how can we RP?"

"Well there is a cutoff on Easter Sunday, so clearly it's an equal opportunity offender thing"

"I guess"

"And there are so many cutoffs on Shabbat, which is technically more holy than chag, so like what are you complaining about"

"Really the lack of time"

"We all know that RL > NS"

"Sure but when RL interacts with major religious holidays"

"Whatever, we know the world is Christonormative, it's fine"

"Are we working out the issues of Christonormative via the mechanism of fake RPing?"

"Maybe, unclear let's continue the conversation and see where it leads"

"Did you expect it to go to Christonormativity?"

"Frankly, no but I did expect this meander and we should get back to the matter at hand"

"What is the matter at hand?"

"The World Baseball Classic"

"Oh yeah, that's still happening, huh"

"It's pretty neat"

"It is pretty neat"

"I also like Chromatika as a host and voted for this bid"

"True, so it's all fine"

"Basically, but do you want to talk about the structural problems of Christonormativity?"

"Not really, as a nominal person in a Jewish majority country, I don't really think about it and ICly the game is definitely taking place Erev Passover, which just basically means everybody gets some entertainment while they frantically scramble to complete the seder. That sounds like a fun tradition that would exist in a Judeonormative society"

"What about the players? Shouldn't they get to prepare to Passover?"

"They're fine, they'll probably be a team seder, that would make an interesting RP, and then we'll move on"

"Have we really ever done a character study RP before?"

"Not really, not sure if anybody knows any personality details about any Milchamian roster that aren't in the short roster bios"

"We should do something like that"

"That would be interesting for like two posts"

"Yeah that could be a good thing"

"Then maybe that's the move, we could also prewrite"

"That's no fun, also I like big picture strategizing"

"Maybe do a recorded one?"

"That would be fun, haven't done that before, not sure I have the technical know how"

"That's fine, that can be figured out"

"Fair enough, we can do it"

"So that's two RPs done"

"Want to do some sports talk radio?"

"Not really, how would it look different than this? There would just be more IC restrictions and like this is fine enough"

"God this RP is so weird"

"Is it really an RP?"

"Unclear"

"Very unclear"

"We probably shouldn't be mentioning that in the RP"

"Meh, it's too late"

"Nah, the text can be deleted"

"We're not fixing it in post"

"I hate you so much right now"

"Was it the post joke?"

"Yes"

"Ok then"

"Anyways, we're off to a good start"

"Yeah until we had a RP that went off the rails"

"The next one will be better, it's fine, it's all fine"

"I blame Passover"

"I blame the move"

"Oh yeah you moved recently"

"That I did"

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you"

"Anyways, I think all that's left is to pray to Margaret"

"That and reapologize to Chrom"

"That too"

"So sorry Chromatika"

"Now let us pray"

"Yes"

"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!"

[Ranoria]

A Lack of Professionalism:
Ranoria's Professional Baseball League Embraces Chaos With Shocking Changes

What we all remember about the fall of the Federation of Ranorian baseball was how quiet it was. Literally, because nobody was watching. There are real leagues out there in Banija, Ko-oren, or of course the LPB. Even the best of the best here at home - short of Rylan Rodgers Jr for awhile - had basically packed it up to go play somewhere else. The exploding market of baseball was awesome, but unfortunately despite viewership growth, all that really happened for Ranoria was watching more kids play baseball here just to go play it somewhere else once they achieved any level of personal autonomy.

That left the Federation's brass in a tough spot. All of these new stadiums, all of this interest, but no talent to really compete with the big dogs. (No, not Ol' Red, he's just a little floofer.)

So the first thing they did, per league commissioner Alexie Dandruffman, was make the league more attractive to players in general.

"Lots of people prefer a lower paying job that treats them better to a higher paying one that sees them as just another human resource," Alexie said, taking a pause to pop a gummy bear from a bag with a bold CannabisCorp logo on the front, "We can't shell out the big bucks like those pesky elephants, but we figured we could give the players some leeway. For example, who doesn't like playing with a metal bat instead of a wooden one?"

And while no one would ever admit it - this killed two birds with one stone. All of a sudden there were no low scoring games. Baseballs were getting launched over and over again. It was chaos. Completely out of control. It didn't do much to keep anybody playing at home, but viewers tuned in and the league gained a ton of social media traction.

That said, it wasn't enough. Costs were high, overhead was killing the Federation fast. Third party support companies monitoring gambling, performance enhancers, and other things could choke this league before the next season started at this rate. So Alexie came out just before the draft, claiming the league needed to cut costs, and did away two of the Federation's longest-lasting partners. The first, The Ranorian Institution For Clean Sport, had routinely, thoroughly tested the entire league for performance enhancing drugs. Without RICS, players of course had less of a hassle when it came to peeing in a cup, but better yet for them, they could get as jacked as they wanted.

Then the hammer really fell. The league had been shelling out millions to a former startup of kids who monitored gambling activity and could flag suspicious players, games, et cetera - that was done away with all in the name of profit. And of course, critics (weird to be a hater of such a small league, but whatever), said it would violate the integrity of the game - but who cares? The Federation was far beyond that point.

Now the league really exploded. Sure, some pitchers took brutal, career ending line drives ton the face, but all of a sudden every batter on very roster was built like a brick shithouse. You want record distance long balls? You've got 'em - within the regular season alone, only two of the previous fifteen longest home runs in Federation history still stood on the list. This wasn't even baseball anymore - it was like if you took Jack Hoy's football world, played as the offense for both teams, and set it on arcade mode. The scores looked more like something you'd see in football than in baseball.

Liability lawsuits from fans who got an involuntary ICU trip included with their front row seats? Record numbers of pitchers getting called off the couch because of season or career ending injuries? Who cares! Check out this crazy comeback where the Cincinnati Warbirds closer allowed back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the ninth to blow a three run lead, all while his manager refused to pull him and smirked while it happened.

Alexie Dandruffman had monetized the league's social media, and capitalized on all the insanity by instructing their marketing departments to pump out short-form content with that in mind, drawing viewership, additional sponsors, and a bit of money from the social media companies. A short-sighted ploy? Perhaps - the league has practically nuked any possibility of contending with the bigger, more legitimized baseball leagues in the multiverse. But in the short term, they've carved themselves out a niche as one of the most hectic, entertaining, gimmicky professional sports leagues in the world. They're making money, if not waves, and can at least start paying off those new stadiums again.

[TJUN-ia]

Zwangzug 10-5 TJUN-ia
Zwangzug 4-3 TJUN-ia
Zwangzug 2-1 TJUN-ia

What in the hell happened here?
This was supposed to be the Home Opener of the WBC campaign, an opportunity to host #6 Zwnagzug at Rounders Field in Portside in front of a packed house.
Instead, we got swept to rights by a very good team. Simple as that.
- Khamis Ali Makame vs Justin McReal was over after the 4th inning
- Mohammad Al-Rayyan vs Samuel Tunduk was ripped away from our grasp in the 8th
- and Yolande Sirapui vs Kenji Ikebana was just a tight affair we happened to lose.

We're really 1-5 already? I get it, we still have 24 for games to go and plenty of time to turn things around.
But really?! 1-5?!
We go to Mars next. MIR that is.
GO BATTIN' JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE
S1: @Srednjaci (72) L 1-2 (5th)
S2: vs Zwangzug (6) - Rounders Field, Portside L 0-3 (6th)
S3: @The Martian Independent Republic (32)
S4: @Tikariot (11)
S5: vs Soryeon (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside
S6: vs Srednjaci (72) - Rounders Field, Portside
S7: @Zwangzug (6)
S8: vs The Martian Independent Republic (32) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S9: vs Tikariot (11) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S10: @ Soryeon (UR)

[South Newlandia]

Heimlich Manoeuvre

John Trunkman is not the closer, unlike his manager used to be. The Elephants do not assign this role, and this situation is exactly why. In this back-and-forth game in Ko-oren, Elephants and Dragonflies find themselves deadlocked at 3 runs apiece in the bottom of the ninth. South Newlandian starter Charles Morgan had allowed the Ko-orenites to take a quick lead, with Pafa Jidazen hitting a key home run, before South Newlandia battled back against young lefty Baihu Sautheidin. The game being tied means this is not a save situation, so some traditionally minded baseball teams might not use their best available reliever here. The Leverage Index is huge, though, so Franklin Bell gives the ball to his. That's Trunkman, who is looking to stop the streak of terrible bottom of the ninth Elephants blowups.

According to media reports, Franklin Bell took some time to have an in-depth meeting with the entire bullpen soon after the Elephants landed on the Anaian island. The content of this meeting isnt known -- as usual, South Newlandians rarely leak these things to reporters. Whatever the meeting was, it does appear to have worked.

Trunkman was up against the heart of the Ko-orenite lineup, with absolutly no margin for error.
Center Fielder Arinobu Shiina led off the inning for the Anisoptera. Against him, Trunkman was able to quickly get ahead in the count with the fastball above the zone, before inducing a weak ground ball with the slider, which was comfortably fielded by Barros.

Robbrecht Visser was next up, with the Right Fielder holding the platoon advantage against the veteran closer. With the count even at 1-1, Trunkman was able to get a sword on the curveball, before sitting the cleanup batter back down with the heater, flashing triple digits on the radar gun.

Two down, one to go. That was Hoku Falozen of the Furune Bees. In a different situation, Dragonflies manager Kenichi Honda might have considered pinch-hitting, but it made sense to keep the defensively strong outfielder in the game here. In this case, Trunkman was able to get her to pop up on the first pitch, skying a fastball that Kathryn King was able to haul in without issues to send the game to extras.

The Elephants prevailed in 10 because they managed to get to Ko-orenite reliever Bento Chan, plating three runs, two of them doubled in by Sofia Rasmussen, and the team never looked back from there, winning the game 6 to 3.

The two teams would split their other two games, which means the Pachyderms return from their road trip at 4-2, with the home opener against their bestest friends, Ranoria, up next. The Krauts/Snow Bears are 4-2 as well, making this a pivotal series between the two top seeds early in the campaign. It’s also a chance to cuddle with their snow bear friends. After all, the two teams haven’t seen each other since checks notes a couple of months. Then, the Ranorians had narrowly out-cuddled the Elephants, but South Newlandia won the other game that took place during the Second Great Puppy Bowl in Banija, so they’ve been about even lately.

[Tikariot]

Episode III: The Thirteenth Crossing of Lake Viljan

Fort Viljan has stood for centuries, it has seen wars, trade routes rise and fall, governments change, and the city on the shore grow from a fishing settlement into the capital of Viljamark.

Through all of it, one thing has remained constant: The crossing. The causeway, stretching from the mainland to the fort’s island, is the only way to reach the fort, as it cannot be reached from the lake. Stone-laid, narrow, exposed to wind and water on both sides. Every crossing is visible. And for most of history, every crossing was meticulously accounted for.

Except, occasionally... one too many.

The Earliest Record

The first known reference appears in a garrison log dated nearly two hundred years ago. It is not highlighted. Not investigated. Just noted.

“Thirteen crossings observed before dusk. Twelve accounted for.”

No follow-up is recorded, the entry siting among routine notes on weather, supply deliveries, and personnel movement, just a note of many. It could have been an error. Most likely, it was, how much is one missed crossing really going to do if nothing else happens, right?

The Pattern Emerges

Over the next century, similar entries appear, not often, not even regularly, they could be spaced out over months, years or even longer. But still, they are consistent enough to be noticed; if someone went through the trouble of actually looking across decades of records. Different handwriting. Different officers. Different circumstances. Basically, it was a rounding error that didn't have any consequences. There were no casualties, no thievery, nothing.

The wording varies, but the structure remains:

A count of crossings
A discrepancy of one
No resolution

Sometimes it is phrased differently:

“Cart observed departing. No arrival recorded.”
“Two figures seen approaching. One confirmed at gate.”
“Late crossing. No corresponding entry.”

It's always the same imbalance, always just one more or less than what it should be.

Independence

What makes the pattern difficult to dismiss is its independence. The entries are separated by years, sometimes even decades. There is no pattern in the sense of a particular trigger that could be determined.

They occur under different conditions:

In winter, when the lake freezes at the edges
In summer, under clear, extended daylight
During periods of heavy traffic
During complete isolation

There is no seasonal trend or time-of-day consistency. There never is any witness either, other than the fact that there is a discrepancy of one, never two. There also is no repetition close enough in time that could suggest coordination or shared error as each incident stands alone, completely explainable on its own.

The Midwinter Account

One of the more detailed entries comes from a winter watch rotation approximately eighty years ago. It was one of the harshest winters Fort Viljan had experienced in decades. Heavy snowfall, strongly limited visibility and, because of that, reduced movement. Nobody would really willingly walk out onto the completely exposed causeway if they didn't really have to. The log of that day describes a supply cart crossing from the mainland toward the fort at dusk.

The watch records:

“Driver acknowledged. Entry granted. Gate secured.”

Later, during the same shift:

“Second crossing observed from mainland. No lantern. No driver visible.”

The gate was never opened because no one actually arrived. The next morning, the causeway showed a single set of tracks. Leading to the fort, none returning, but only one cart at the fort, the one that arrived hours earlier. The incident was attributed to poor visibility and drifting snow and, predictably, th

The Civilian Report

Now, you may think that this phenomenon is strictly confined to military records, but no, it goes beyond that. A merchant ledger from the early expansion period of Fort Viljan includes a marginal note:

“Counted twelve men crossing. Charged for eleven.”

The notation is followed by a correction in different ink. No explanation is given, according to fort records, they were only charged for eleven men because there were only eleven, despite the merchant's ledger clearly listing twelve, with names and dates of crossing.

The Modern Audit

The pattern might have remained buried indefinitely, scattered across archives, if it was not for a group of interns who had royally pissed off the chief of administration, leading to him sending them to the archives to perform what he called a "routine historical audit." Which, in truth, was just a punitive measure.

However, the interns actually took the task seriously and they began flagging irregular entries. At first, for clarity, then, for consistency and, finally, when the administration saw that there was an actual pattern spanning centuries, for concern.

The Compilation

When the entries were gathered, the pattern became visible. It was neither frequent nor predictable, but undeniably, it was there. Dozens of instances across almost two centirues that all shared the same structure:

A crossing observed. A count made. A discrepancy of one.

The Attempt to Replicate

As administrations are wont to do, an internal review was conducted. For the first time, the possibility of systematic error was explored across time rather than within a single incident. So, the administrators created a committee, which, in turn, assigned observers to monitor the causeway under controlled conditions. A lot of criticism was levied for this, as the last discrepancy had been 25 years ago, so, in theory, this observer group could have been stationed at the causeway indefinitely. Counts were double-checked and movements verified at both endsm but, predictably, nothing unusual occurred. Weeks passed, then months, without any discrepancies and, just as predictably, the entire effort was deemed inconclusive.

The Last Recorded Instance

The most recent confirmed entry is less than ten years old. Unlike earlier accounts, it includes a level of detail that stands out, likely because the entire system has been updated.

“Two individuals observed departing the fort at 19:10. Both acknowledged at midpoint. Only one arrived mainland side.”

The report includes names. One individual confirmed arrival, while the other is listed in the fort’s personnel registry, assigned to that very shift. He was listed as present before departure, but absent afterward. No record of reassignment, no transfer, no incident report.

The file ends with a notation:

“Administrative review pending.”

However, there is no record of the review’s conclusion.

The Unofficial Practice

Among those stationed at Fort Viljan, the pattern is not widely discussed, likely because it is so inconsistently consistent, but it is known. People do not call it a phenomenon but view it more as a precaution.

Counts are made carefully, twice, if possible. And if a discrepancy is found—

Well, it is not reported or correct immediately. Rather, it is waited on. In several recorded instances, the count actually resolves itself. Not through explanation but through time, whether it's a delayed arrival or a missed acknowledgment. Basically, a correction that appears without intervention, which is any bureaucrat's dream.

The Rule

There is one piece of guidance, passed quietly between long-serving personnel, which is neither written down nor official in any capacity, but has been repeated enough to persist. If you count the crossing and you reach thirteen, count again.

[Zwangzug]

At first glance we gave quite a start
at the outfield's bizarre "modern art"
at the field known for rounders,
but we then induced grounders;
our infielders all did their part.

The ace of the Millers, McReal,
has a fastball he truly can deal
and behind the plate
Corey Southland was great
throwing out Jags attempting to steal.

Scott Kelvin (we call him "0K")
has a great throwing arm on display.
He gives a long toss,
and the horsehide will cross
the diamond as we win the day.

We swept and we brought out our brooms!
And now the home opener looms.
Let's go beat those Owls,
ignoring their howls
as we cast their hopes to their dooms.

[Haltoria]

Haltoria with 3-for-6 record in the WBC!

Aidan Brødsjø hits a three-run blast in Game 3 against Equestria

Frans Mäkelä - CNBS Sports
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC -- With the series against Equestria now complete, Team Haltoria is 3-for-6 so far this WBC, an incredible start for a newcomer to the international baseball scene.
Andrew Scrubb, centre fielder for Team Haltoria, and a free agent coming off a 31-homer season with the New Cascadia Majors, hit his second home run of the tournament in Game 3 against Equestria, a leadoff homer to begin what would become a 9-3 victory for the blue and white. Scrubb was not the only batter to hit a longball in that game. First basemen Aidan Brødsjø of the Laketown Sluggers hit a 3-run blast to centre field in the top of the fourth inning, after a Joseph Carter bloop single and Varsho walk. Despite being only win of the series, defeating an established team, coming off a 2-1 winning series against an even more established team has led Haltorian baseball fans across the nation into a frenzy.

The pitching staff leaves some more to be desired, however. In Game 1, starting righty pitcher Hoang Phuc Ty loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning, and was pulled for lefty reliever Scott Tallion. Tallion proceeded to throw a hanging curveball to the Equestrian Designated Hitter, blowing the game open with a grand slam to right center field.

"Swing and a drive, right field, Joe Carter... watches it go! And that will blow it open for Equestria in the bottom of the fifth..."
-Annnouncer Jamie Trevel after the Equestria grand slam in Game 1 of the series.

Mikael Moen, star pitcher of the Haltoria Series, who threw five shutout innings in Game 4 of the Federal League Championship Series last year for the Fensalir Giants, gave up four runs in four innings in Game 2, being pulled after a 2-run RBI triple from the Equestrian side.

With the upside of the nine-run Game 3, and Haltoria's offence remembering their jobs, Team Haltoria is, at the very least, looking forward to the upcoming series. Despite dropping to fourth in Group A, Manager John Walker said in an interview with the New Cascadia Standard, "We're looking to win games, we're looking to shock the world, and if any team can do it, it's these boys. They believe they can beat anybody."

Rested after his win against Natkr in Game 2 of that series, Charles Conrad will take the mound to start Game 1 against Quentin Wright of the Eshian Screwballs tomorrow. As a right-handed pitcher, Walker will leadoff with LF Andrew Scrubb, shortstop Tobias Enright, and Designated Hitter Henrik Anderson, all three of whom have driven in runs in this World Baseball Classic. One thing is for sure, no matter the outcome, Haltorian baseball fans across the nation are in for an exciting series.

Frans Mäkelä is a sports reported for the Commonwealth National Broadcasting Service and United Baseball Leagues.

[Kamijiro]

Diamond IX, Vol. IV, Part II: Super Oli Arceneaux

The friendly match against Jirinho was supposed to be a professional blowout. Orielle had taken the game through four innings just fine. Atsuji took the next three just fine. But the bats were frozen. Absolutely frozen. The pitcher from Jirinho, a kid who looked barely out of high school, if that, had been pitching the nastiest stuff they'd seen in a very long time, especially from someone who wasn't on the Diamond IX's radar.

Oli Arceneaux had pitched the Diamond IX through seven innings and hadn't given up a single run. Eighteen-year-old high school senior with zero experience outside of Jirinho. Apparently, the Cajuns had been keeping a secret from the mainlanders this whole time. It started out shaky for him, though. Two singles given up in the first before working his way out of the jam with some wicked curveballs that felt like they fell off a cliff right as they reached home plate. A change-up that made Lucian Belvedere swing and miss thrice in the same at-bat. The seventh-inning stretch was spent by the Jirini players high-fiving and fist-bumping. They'd taken a top-ten ranked baseball side this far without giving up a single run. Impressive.

Meanwhile on the other side, Orielle and Atsuji pitched a combined shut-out through seven as well, with neither of them giving up more than one hit per. But the run support had completely vanished. There was not a single happy face in the dugout as the Jirini locals sang songs in the stands. One thing to note about Jirini culture: they love to sing. Not just at sporting events, but in general. It's usually slower paced songs with medium pitch and a lot of lilt to it. And boy were they singing during that seventh-inning stretch and into the bottom of the seventh.

Then the top of the eighth came and the Kamijiro bats finally got something on Oli Arceneaux's curveball. Napoleon Sarre's bat made contact with a crack that could be heard from New Imperia all the way down to the Portside District and that ball was gone the moment it left the bat.

"Mais làààààààààààà!!!" Oli put his hands over his head. Didn't turn around. Knew that ball was completely crushed. 1-0 to Kamijiro, top of the eighth. Then Lucian Belvedere doubled to right. Markus Blaauw singled to left. And Oli Arceneaux left the game, replaced by Rémi Forêt, who proceeded to give up another six runs. Game over, basically. Tenshi Hikari came in to sweep up the rest of the game with his typical cool-headedness. But it was still the Jirini celebrating at the end of the game. Celebrating a very, very impressive Oli Arceneaux performance. He'd probably just put himself on the map for future call-ups and may have put Jirini baseball on the map as a potential source for talent down the road... assuming the Jirini don't just sign themselves up like they did with football.

[New Montreal States]

ENTIRE NATION ANNOYED AT BULLPEN

Agitated fans pound furniture, yell at televisions as relievers give up 18 runs in first six games

RANORIA CITY - The Reformed Expos' big comeback party is being spoiled by a clique of eight horrendously behaved houseguests. They've shown up already drunk, broken the lovely handcrafted bowl your mother brought back from her first real vacation since the kids moved out, tried to fight the cat, and puked all over the couch while blaming an innocent bystander for the crime.

Atrocious relief pitching has squandered five quality starts from a staff that nobody thought had the velocity to compete internationally. Ace Ernie Wantland has given up one run in 14 innings of work. Fred Smart, Étienne Jopard, and Thierry Després have hit safely in all six games, and the only Reformed Expo without an extra-base hit so far is Marc-Andre Bernier. It's surely given him something to think about while watching another late-inning rocket to the gap scream over his head.

The Ranorian press is deservedly having a laugh at 7th-inning specialist Émilien Legros-Dutour, who loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 7th of the series finale before getting Barney Jetson to hit a pop foul a bit to the right of home plate. Legros-Dutour called off the catcher, lost the ball in the lights, and watched it land six feet out of reach while the crowd howled with laughter. Jetson then launched a hanging slider directly into the batter's eye.

The hitters, used to this by now, came charging back in the 9th after Quentin Duchamp-Basselier and Joseph Rocellier beclowned themselves in the 8th. Floyd Desmarais-Sutton drilled a ball into the right-field corner and took advantage of a bobble by RJ Hall to make it to third on what was ruled a leadoff triple. Malachi Starman drove him in, then went station-to-station for the go-ahead run. Coty Shield-Langier then issued a leadoff walk, fought his way back to two outs, and then watched Jetson go yard a second time to send the Ranoria bench pouring out to home. A 5-0 lead against the world's #8 team had evaporated, and the gas will surely linger in the air during the flight back home.

Ranoria and Ko-oren are both strong contenders to advance on paper, and the Reformed Expos going 2-4 against them is what most neutral observers would expect. Instead, both the lineup and the rotation played well enough to steal both series, only to watch a conga line of incompetence dance through the bullpen gates and onto the mound. Hitters from the rest of Group B would be advised to practice their walkoff celebrations in advance. Barney Jetson's will be hard to beat.

[Drawkland]

7,000

History of the Hit Record - The Contender - Glenn and Gelia - The New Fire - Shooting For 6 - Vow Renewal - Chasing .400 - A Pleasant Surprise - Jamming the Blues - Lingering Questions - Oh Brother

Lane Kavana didn’t exactly show up unannounced, but telling his brother Abram “hey, I’m flying into Archifel today, can I crash with you?” over the phone while he was about to board said flight definitely qualified as short notice. If anybody on Sonnel had grown used to Lane’s antics, though, his little brother was certainly the most prepared to handle them. Kavana The Lesser had lived in Archifel for a vast majority of his baseball career, so his manor was well-established at this point. It was convenient, since half the PBL held their spring training in the greater Archifel area. Lane drove there in a rental from the airport without needing to look up directions.

“So,” Abram started once he let Lane into the house, carrying the smallest piece of luggage Lane had brought with him, “you’re here for spring training, huh? Without a team?”

“It’s unbelievable, really. I come off a season batting .400 and still nobody wants to call my agent.” Lane rolled his eyes, tossing his main duffel bag on top of the guest room bed.

“Surely the fact that you’re a shambling fossil who can’t play center field has nothing to do with that?”

“Five M-V-Ps.” Lane said, putting great emphasis on each letter.

“Forty. Nine. Years. Old.” Abram replied, eyebrows raised.

“That shouldn’t matter. I’m still producing.”

“You were producing. Last year.”

“You don’t seriously believe that every GM thinks I’m immediately regressing that hard?” Lane folded his arms. “At least one of them had to be watching the WBC. I was still hitting around .300 for the tournament.”

“Right. The Classic.” Abram shook his head. “Can’t imagine why GMs were hesitant to sign a guy new to the team who was gonna miss 90% of spring training.”

“Just because you quit the Corps doesn’t mean you have to deride me for sticking with it.” Lane grumbled.

“This is the exact type of reason why I left the team.” Abram said. He gestured vaguely. “Third place runs are cool and all, but you get home and everything’s chop chop chop to get into gear for the actual season. You know, for the team that actually pays you money.”

“You’d prefer a Round of 16 exit?” Lane scoffed.

“Uh, yeah. Quite honestly.” Abram shrugged. “The Corps isn’t winning the chip while we’re still playing. I think that’s pretty obvious. Any deep playoff run short of gold is a literal waste of time. I’m glad I got out when I did. You haven’t even gotten back to the championship series.”

“Are we seriously going to bicker about the Base Corps right now?”

“I’m not bickering, I’m telling you why I’m right.”


[Where To Tomorrow?]

“Alright, alright, that’s enough.” Lane screwed up his face, like he was physically restraining himself. “The point is that yes, I do still need a team to take me. One that will be giving me consistent playing time. I do have offers, but they said they don’t envision me as an everyday starter.”

“Ah, right.” Abram nodded in understanding. “Still chasing your hit record pipe dream.”

“I’m not that far away from it, you know. Kash is in my sights.”

“Unlike cash, which you’ll almost certainly be giving up. No way a team is willing to play you often AND pay you good.”

“I’m still getting deferred payments from Raikennax. I’m good, man.”

“Sounds like cope from a guy about to be broke.”

“Aren’t you on a one-year deal yourself?” Lane raised an eyebrow challengingly. “What’s your plan after this season, o wise one?”

“After this year? Probably gorging on sNAX and finding a woman who I can stand to be with for longer than 4 months.” Abram’s tone was weirdly serious for the obvious sarcasm in play.

“You’re gonna retire?”

“Yeah? Dude, I turned 47 like three weeks ago. The fact that I survived this long is a miracle. I would’ve retired this offseason if Akkor Beach didn’t send me a nice deal.”

“I’m sure the Hammerheads are thrilled to know you’ve already mentally checked out.” Lane shook his head.

“Free-agent-says-what?” Abram replied rapidly.

“Listen, unlike some of us in this room, I still have aspirations and goals and shit.” Lane sneered. “Sorry for having standards.”

“Do I need to bring up the pickle conversation from like eight years ago again?”

“No thanks.” Lane sighed. He hesitated a moment before continuing. “Can I bum a ride with you to the Hammerhead camp tomorrow? Figure it’d be a good place to start.”

“Hey!” Abram raised his hands defensively. “There’s only room on that 40-man for one washed up vet named Kavana.”

“Please?” Lane asked, trying his best to not sound desperate.

“Fine. But don’t expect them to give you the time of day.”


[Hammerin’ Hammerheads]

Much to Abram’s chagrin, the Akkor Beach organizational camp was more than happy to see the reigning MVP show up the following morning. The truth was that the Akkor Beach Hammerheads were not expected to really compete for the playoffs that year. Their pitching staff was an absolute mess, and they had a mix of inexperienced prospects and past-their-prime albatrosses making up the starting line. What they really needed were bodies that would breathe any sort of life into the franchise.

More relevantly, Hammerhead management had just received bad news the previous evening. Their starting first baseman Khris Cyrano had left that day’s scrimmage with an apparent ankle injury after an awkward defensive play. Evaluation and x-rays that afternoon confirmed that Cyrano’s ankle had been fractured. He’d be back by the regular season, but probably not until well after the all-star break.

Lo and behold, a good hitter (despite his weird insistence on maximizing base hits and ignoring his power stroke) literally arrived at Akkor Beach’s doorstep. After taking some batting practice, Lane had a conversation with the Hammerheads GM. Lane delivered a rather simple request: “let me play every day.” The GM couldn’t really guarantee that request, but with Lane picking up limited experience at first base over the last couple years, it seemed likely that Lane could slot into that spot and see consistent playing time.

The fact that Lane was going to fill the hole at first base wasn’t as much of a big deal for the GM and baseball operations president of Akkor Beach. They already expected to be punting this season, but signing the reigning MVP (regardless of his age) looked a lot better to fans. More importantly, it would sell a lot more tickets. The Kavana Bros, united on a single PBL team for the first time (and for the first time on any major team since Abram left the Base Corps following WBC 59 about a half decade prior)!

The marketing value of having both Kavanas would surely be enough to counteract the reasonably good contract offer the Hammerheads cooked up. It was even better considering the two brothers were born and partially raised in Akkor Beach since their father Sean was a Hammerhead for the duration of his rookie contract. And the fact that it was probably going to be a 1B-2B tandem on the right side of the infield defensively? The moment Lane signed his contract, the team promotions director called their bobblehead distributor to get something cooking for a late season giveaway.


[Pressure, or Lack Thereof]

The turnaround was so quick that Lane almost felt like he got whiplash. By the next day he was in a spring game lineup, by the next week he was jetting out to Akkor Beach with the rest of his new teammates for the opening homestand of the regular season. Arrangements were made very quickly. Thankfully one of things Sean Kavana did with his modest PBL career earnings was invest in real estate, especially in his first professional home that he fell in love with. Lane and Abram were able to split a rental duplex owned by their dad which had conveniently just been vacated by the previous tenants.

Despite the haphazard start to the season, things were quite relaxed in Akkor Beach. As expected, the Hammerheads weren’t exactly lighting the world on fire. They only stayed out of last in their division (the ML Metro) thanks to the Hellenmack Athletics being truly ass. Arguably it was the influence of the Kavana Bros helping carry the offense to a couple wins they wouldn’t have otherwise managed.

That said, things weren’t going great for Lane, at least by his standards. His batting average was sitting around .350 for the first half of the season, which might as well have been .550 in comparison to the rest of the Hammerheads lineup. The problem came around the fifth week of the season when Lane got drilled in the right hand during a game against the Intersak Lakers. His wrist thankfully didn’t suffer any true damage, but the occasional pangs of pain were seriously affecting his swing. Fractional differences in timing and spacing can be fatal to a professional baseball hitter, and Lane could definitely feel himself sinking lower.

Ironically, that same laid-back atmosphere in Akkor Beach actually felt like a disservice. In Gelia, Lane had felt an obligation to perform for the team that had playoff aspirations and needed good performances from their so-called stars. The Hammerheads didn’t care about that “competing” nonsense, at least not this season. Lane himself was still a competitor, and his quest for the hit record was more than enough to keep him motivated … but the minor injury and lack of additional external pressure seemed to be making a marked difference. If he continued on this pace, the hit record would soon become an unreachable goal.

[Chromatika]

Facing Trevor Bell at the top of the ninth, losing 1-0, the Outliers had nothing to lose but to go for it all. Thankfully, they were approaching the heart of their order, and though Alena Egorova flied out to Center Field, she did make Bell throw seven pitches in the first at-bat.

Rowan Statt was next. The twenty-two year old fouled off four consecutive pitches in route to a nine-pitch inning, finally reaching base on a walk. Jackson Mydol flew out to left field, but Statt moved to second base, and Sarah Pedersen came in to replace him as the pinch runner.

On came Miles Sturdevantt, with two outs and a runner in scoring position - a position that the Outliers had been in three times already in this particular game, falling short every time. Bell's first pitch was in the outside left corner that Miles took for a strike. He then tried to bait Miles outside the right corner but Miles saw that.

One-one pitch, Bell's pitch was a changeup - but Sturdevantt saw it all the way and made solid contact. The ball reached the warning track before dropping in for a double that scored Pedersen with her fast feet, and the game was tied.

Which left Carmen Batista, the youngster. It took six pitches, but the Outliers' ability to continue to fight off pitches from Bell paid off again as a loop single just between the shortstop and the left fielder was enough to drive Sturdevantt home.

At the bottom of the ninth, Katerina Pavlova was lights out, and the Chromatiks had salvaged Game 3 to take one game off the top ranked team in the multiverse.

They'll take that, especially with the game being in Drawkland. A two-game homestand awaits that will determine what kind of baseball they will be playing in the second round robin.

[Chromatika]

This is your cutoff for Series 3.

Host note: Series 4 cutoff will be delayed by three hours, and will be around midnight Pacific time. We will be back to regularly scheduled cutoff time on Sunday.

Also, Quebec and Shingoryeo and Dhemixia's RPs were counted for this Matchday.

---

Group A

Game 1
Eshialand                                   0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0  4
Haltoria                                    0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0  3

Quebec and Shingoryeo                       0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 9 12
Natkr                                       0 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 0  6

Equestria                                   0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 1  7
Loyo                                        0 0 0 1 3 2 0 0 0  6
Game 2
Eshialand                                   2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0  5
Haltoria                                    0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1

Quebec and Shingoryeo                       1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Natkr                                       0 0 4 0 1 0 1 0 X  6

Equestria                                   0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Loyo                                        0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 X  4
Game 3
Eshialand                                   0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 2  7
Haltoria                                    0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0  3

Quebec and Shingoryeo                       0 1 0 7 0 0 2 0 0 10
Natkr                                       0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  3

Equestria                                   0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  2
Loyo                                        2 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 X  9

Group A                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Eshialand                9    7   2    51   38  +13
2 Quebec and Shingoryeo    9    6   3    66   36  +30
3 Loyo                     9    4   5    49   50   −1
4 Equestria                9    4   5    43   59  −16
5 Haltoria                 9    3   6    30   45  −15
6 Natkr                    9    3   6    34   45  −11

Group B

Game 1
Ko-oren                                     0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2  6
Solgavden                                   0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0  4

Ranoria                                     0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
South Newlandia                             0 0 1 0 6 0 0 0 X  7

Crpostran                                   0 0 3 0 1 2 0 1 2  9
New Montreal States                         0 0 2 0 0 5 0 1 0  8
Game 2
Ko-oren                                     3 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0  7
Solgavden                                   0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  3

Ranoria                                     0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1
South Newlandia                             0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 X  3

Crpostran                                   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1  3
New Montreal States                         0 0 1 0 6 1 1 0 X  9
Game 3
Ko-oren                                     0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 1  5
Solgavden                                   0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1  4

Ranoria                                     0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  2
South Newlandia                             0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1  3

Crpostran                                   0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0  2
New Montreal States                         0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1  3

Group B                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Newlandia         9    7   2    43   28  +15
2 Ko-oren                 9    6   3    46   37   +9
3 Crpostran               9    5   4    44   50   −6
4 Ranoria                 9    4   5    33   35   −2
5 New Montreal States     9    4   5    46   46    0
6 Solgavden               9    1   8    40   56  −16

Group C

Game 1
TJUN-ia                                     1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0  5
The Martian Independent Republic            1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  4

Tikariot                                    0 0 4 0 4 0 0 0 0  8
Zwangzug                                    0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  1

Soryeon                                     0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Srednjaci                                   3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X  4
Game 2
TJUN-ia                                     0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
The Martian Independent Republic            1 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 X  7

Tikariot                                    1 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  5
Zwangzug                                    1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0  4

Soryeon                                     0 0 2 0 1 0 2 2 0  7
Srednjaci                                   1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Game 3
TJUN-ia                                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  3
The Martian Independent Republic            0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 X  4

Tikariot                                    2 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0  6
Zwangzug                                    0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0  3

Soryeon                                     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Srednjaci                                   0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 X  5

Group C                             Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Tikariot                            9    7   2    46   26  +20
2 Srednjaci                           9    5   4    41   33   +8
3 Soryeon                             9    5   4    35   41   −6
4 The Martian Independent Republic    9    4   5    44   43   +1
5 Zwangzug                            9    4   5    37   43   −6
6 TJUN-ia                             9    2   7    33   50  −17

Group D

Game 1
Andso Mangis                                0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0  4
Zenic                                       0 4 0 1 1 1 0 0 X  7

Drakur                                      0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0  4
The Kytler Peninsulae                       1 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  5

Paradystopia                                2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0  6
Milchama                                    2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  5
Game 2
Andso Mangis                                0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0  9
Zenic                                       3 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2  8

Drakur                                      1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
The Kytler Peninsulae                       0 0 6 0 0 0 2 2 X 10

Paradystopia                                0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Milchama                                    0 1 0 0 0 1 1 4 X  7
Game 3
Andso Mangis                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Zenic                                       2 0 1 0 0 4 3 0 X 10

Drakur                                      0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  3
The Kytler Peninsulae                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Paradystopia                                5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  6
Milchama                                    0 3 5 2 0 1 1 0 X 12

Group D                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Milchama                 9    7   2    58   27  +31
2 Zenic                    9    6   3    53   43  +10
3 The Kytler Peninsulae    9    6   3    66   36  +30
4 Paradystopia             9    4   5    40   50  −10
5 Andso Mangis             9    2   7    36   66  −30
6 Drakur                   9    2   7    25   56  −31

Group E Series involving Chromatika was scored by Tikariot

Game 1
Abanhfleft                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0  5
Dhemixia                                    1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 1  6

Drawkland                                   0 0 5 0 1 3 0 0 0  9
Nusandara                                   1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0  5

Liventia                                    0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
Chromatika                                  0 1 1 4 0 0 1 1 X  8
Game 2
Abanhfleft                                  0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  5
Dhemixia                                    6 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 X  9

Drawkland                                   0 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 0  5
Nusandara                                   0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Liventia                                    0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0  4
Chromatika                                  0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 X  6
Game 3
Abanhfleft                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Dhemixia                                    1 2 1 2 1 0 2 0 X  9

Drawkland                                   1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0  5
Nusandara                                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1

Liventia                                    0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0  2
Chromatika                                  5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  6

Group E                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Drawkland               9    6   3    50   29  +21
2 Chromatika              9    6   3    49   43   +6
3 Dhemixia                9    6   3    49   30  +19
4 Nusandara               9    4   5    39   41   −2
5 Liventia                9    4   5    32   48  −16
6 Abanhfleft              9    1   8    37   65  −28

Group F

Game 1
United States of Devonta                    0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Kamijiro                                    0 5 0 2 0 2 6 0 X 15

The Authority of the Underwater Cities      0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
Valentine Z                                 0 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 X  6

The Batavia                                 0 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 0  6
Banija                                      2 0 2 1 0 0 6 0 X 11
Game 2
United States of Devonta                    0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0  5
Kamijiro                                    0 0 1 0 1 0 3 2 X  7

The Authority of the Underwater Cities      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  1
Valentine Z                                 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 0 X  7

The Batavia                                 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
Banija                                      0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 X  4
Game 3
United States of Devonta                    2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  4
Kamijiro                                    3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 X  5

The Authority of the Underwater Cities      1 4 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 10
Valentine Z                                 3 0 3 0 0 0 1 1 0  8

The Batavia                                 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Banija                                      0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  3

Group F                                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                                    9    8   1    58   26  +32
2 Kamijiro                                  9    8   1    62   32  +30
3 United States of Devonta                  9    4   5    37   58  −21
4 Valentine Z                               9    3   6    42   42    0
5 The Batavia                               9    2   7    39   46   −7
6 The Authority of the Underwater Cities    9    2   7    25   59  −34

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

The Taegukgi: The Korean-language voice of the Quebecois Commonwealth

BREAKING NEWS: Transport Secretary Nelson Grammer Loses Whip After Appearing on Reality TV

Helene Rodrigue

JOONGYEONG, JOONGYEONG - In one of the most dramatic ejections ever seen in some time, even by Quebeco-Shingoryeoite politics, Transport Secretary, Nelson Grammer, has had his party whip suspended following a sudden announcement that he will be running to participate in Night Fever: Quebec and Shingoryeo's latest season.

The Transport Secretary, who represents Songwha City Centre, will be the 8th and final contestant to join the FAS TV reality show that airs every June to July. It involves contestants running around different islands across Quebec and Shingoryeo, attending various challenges that could be described as gruesome.

The news of Grammer's participation, however, wasn't taken kindly as quick backlash followed from the members of Kang Tae-Goo Government, as well as that of his own constituency association. Following his suspension from the party, which would also incorporate the removal of his cabinet position as a Transport Secretary, he will be sitting as an independent for several months.

The timing of his appearance on the show was considered unfortunate by many, especially as the Shingoryeoite Liberals have been preparing for a spectacular, splash weekend that would see them bolster their cadres possibly flipping as many as four seats in what's going to be a mega-byelection weekend featuring ten constituencies.

His neighbouring constituency, Songwha-Ravenscraig, has been a traditional Shinminjeon riding that would see Moogoongwha and Nationals (formerly Indigenous Congress) competing behind them. The Shingoryeoite Liberals, however, have been eyeing on the seat with their candidate, former councilor Amelia Joo-Mordaunt, heading into the run-off on some of the constituency-level polls.

The news of Grammer's suspension is now expected to affect the momentum the Grits have held on the riding to challenge the Shinminjeon candidate, former labour relations specialist Solomon Kenneally.

The Government Chief Whip, Elliott Saada, said the decision was quick and obvious. He was quick to state that the issue at hand was 'unbecoming of a high-ranked cabinet minister, one whose professional standards should come first and foremost.' The attempts to reach the Songwha City Centre EDA chair were unsuccessful.

The Prime Minister's spokesperson said that 'The Transport Secretary has made his choices, and so did the government', before adding that 'Mr. Grammer is welcome to return at a later point, but significant time and reflection will be required before his return to the party'.

The announcement, while only made official on FAS TV's social media accounts last Sunday night, was considered to be one in the making for some time. The Transport Minister not only skipped the committee meetings and the Question Period for last three days of the past week, but also went out and signed autographs and performed two songs at guitar at Exhaler concert in Equinox Hill, Inteachan where he was present to open the Line 6 extension for Equinox Hill Underground system last Tuesday.

Grammer, who was one of two Liberals MPs elected from Nord-Est province, was appointed Transport Secretary to Kang Tae-Goo's cabinet. The former QNR executive, who had long history handling work with MACH high-speed rail, was considered a high-profile recruit at the time of his victory in 2067 Federal Election, and was expected to serve a major role in the Kang Tae-Goo ministry. He would then be reelected in 2071 winning 31.29% of the votes on a 2.42% margin over his Moogoongwha opponent, as the Shingoryeoite Liberals would go onto take power in a upset.

Sources near Grammer had confirmed that the FAS TV's show producers had agreed with him to help provide constituency-based enquiries at a point of need, leaving open the door for his addresses to his constituency, a Downtown constituency in a city of 450,000 people, to be televised.

While surprised with the instant response this had gotten, they were also confident that Grammer's going to return to the governing party at a later point. 'Miscommunication happens all the time, and while it is indeed unfortunate that the whip was suspended, his future with the party remains a positive one as long as there is cooperation between all parties involved.'

[Dhemixia]

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The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)
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We were not back

Schedule:

Series 1: vs. Nusandara W 2-1
Series 2: @ Liventia L 1-2
Series 3: vs. Abanhfleft
Series 4: @ Chromatika
Series 5: vs. Drawkland
Series 6: @ Nusandara
Series 7: vs. Liventia
Series 8: @ Abanhfleft
Series 9: vs. Chromatika
Series 10: @ Drawkland

The Serpents are testing the limits of what a baseball team can do. As it turns out, you don't actually need a functional bullpen to play baseball! Unfortunately for everyone associated with the Dhemixian NT, playing baseball and winning baseball games are two completely separate concepts. You'd imagine that they would understand that concept by now, but Neil McCarthy hardly knows what a designated hitter is. Give him some time, and in 10-15 cycles, maybe he'll even win a playoff series! One can only dream.

The problem with that dream is that the Dhemixians are and will always be a fundamentally flawed baseball team. Normally, you'd see that appear in a team attempting to game the system via some sort of gimmick. Some achieve it with a kind of moneyball, others use sabermetrics, some absolute sickos abolish the idea of a starting pitcher, but the point is that all of those examples have some redeeming quality they're built around. Dhemixian baseball is just plain bad.

As mentioned earlier, there's no greater example on the Dhemixian roster of a major skill issue than the bullpen. Alexandra Graham has a chronic case of the yips in every save situation (see: game one against Liventia), both high leverage relievers in Hicks and Benson are good for 10-15 pitches a night over triple digits (7 of them leave the yard), and the other three can't get a whiff to save their lives. That would be fine on a team with a good offense to back them up, but the Serpents don't have that either.

In fact, them scoring runs is a paradoxical concept in it of itself with this lineup construction. There are two players who actually hit for average, three who are meant to drive them in at the cost of a couple strikeouts here or there, and four who couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. In essence, the run production is bottlenecked: there aren't enough runners on base for the power hitters to score, and the power hitters can't get on base for themselves to score either. This culminated in game three, in which, with the series tied, the Serpents couldn't muster a single run against the Liventian swingman Elton Golby.

Now sure, the Liventians are higher-ranked and were probably going to win the series anyways at home, but the following series against Abanhfleft will tell the full story. Remember, the Dhemixians couldn't finish off an unranked nation at home for a sweep in game three, who's to say they can actually finish off a similarly rated side this time? It's simply going to come down to if the Serpents can push through an abysmal lineup complexion to produce runs from thin air. The pen is beyond saving, so we can only hope the starters go complete games.

[Zenic]

Alamilla was unsure of how to feel.

On one hand, the Diamond Survivors had just won their third straight series to open the latest edition of the World Baseball Classic. They've won every series 2 games to 1 and have finally managed to get a positive run differential while maintaining themselves in a playoff qualification spot almost the entire time. On the other hand, they just seemed incapable of getting a sweep. This most recent series against Andso Mangis was probably their closest shot at doing so and even then they came up just short.

They jumped out to a strong lead early in Game 1 before their opponents nearly strung together a comeback. Thankfully, the relievers were able to stabilize and keep Andso Mangis from scoring any more points while the bats slightly reawakened to build a winnable lead. Game 2 started off the same of Game 1 but the away team had a nearly flawless 4th inning where they dumped 9 straight runs on Zenic. Alamilla's folks rallied late and nearly equalized but it was far too little, far too late. And it was clear that they were pissed off at failing to secure a sweep since Game 3 was an absolute massacre.

6-3 record with a +10 run differential should be something to applaud and be happy about.....if you weren't about to travel to the highest ranked team in the group's home turf with a legitimate shot at losing both your winning record and your positive run differential at the same time at the end of the series. A sweep in either of the last two series would have at least guaranteed a 7-5 record even if the run differential dipped heavily into the negatives. Add in the fact that a sweep by Milchama could send Zenic tumbling all the way down to 4th if everything goes wrong and now it made more sense why Alamilla was apprehensive of the immediate future.

Could they still manage to steal a game from Milchama and reach that 7-5 record? Sure but Alamilla was more pissed off about that being a possibility and not a guarantee. Was the skipper being a little nit-picky? Yes and that's how he's always been: try to bring out the best in everyone he works with but not afraid to call people out for their screw ups. The strategy has clearly worked so far based on their incredible run last tournament and their strong start in this one to follow it up. The issue was that Alamilla also wanted to make the jump from dark horse to serious contender ASAP, even if it was more realistic to give it another tournament or two before declaring such a thing.

One way he can help make his case of being true contenders now rather than later? Winning the series against Milchama in Milchama. Alamilla was gonna whip these players into title contenders one way or another so they just had to hope that could keep up. Milchama better hope they're on their A game next series.