World Baseball Classic 62 Everything Thread

[Ranoria]

An Ellietastrophe:
Cuddles With South Newlandia Somehow Result In Losses For Ranoria


As you can clearly see, this bear is confused. There also appear to be words on the picture, which is odd because Ranorians can't read

There have been a lot of cuddles in the past few months. Initially, these came in the second ever Eight Nations Shield, where the teams extended their series to all five possible games, and the Snow Cubs emerged victorious with three wins, which really doesn't matter because it was all about maximizing time with their elefriends. Then after that, they played in the World Bowl, putting on the also second ever puppy bowl in World Bowl history, much to the chagrin of the Banijan Olympic Committee. For some reason, that game ended with the four-time champion Krauts getting eliminated from the playoffs. But everyone kinda brushed that off, since the puppy bowl was more important and, as our elefriends pointed out, everybody wins a puppy bowl!

But here in the World Baseball Classic, the cuddles were clearly calculated incorrectly - because Ranoria went in a 4-2 winning baseball team, then emerged a 4-5 laughingstock. The team didn't mind too much, because they got to play with their elefriends eight times now in baseball alone these past few months, but it was very strange.

"I'm not sure how this is possible," said Leonardo Harrison, the former Krauts star and current manager, while his arguably more qualified assistant manager crashed out in the background, "I've analyzed the tape, and come to the conclusion that these things just happen, the WBC had to give the wins to someone after all. It's no biggie, shit'll buff."

As Leo said this, his own ever-handy pup - who is certainly full grown but still a pup - decided to chew on the shoelaces of our reporter. Hopefully, those shoelaces will also buff.

The Krauts will host the Dragonflies next, and are certainly looking to turn things around after a tr(unk)agic sweep from South Newlandia - which no one is too worried about of course - leaves the 8th ranked Krauts at 4-5 and desperately needing these things, wins, which appear to matter in the standings.

[Dhemixia]

Columbus, Dhemixia
Brigantine Park
Game one vs. Abanhfleft, top of the tenth inning

In game one of a series that absolutely has to be won by the Dhemixians, they've found themselves in extra innings with an Abanhfleft side ranked 38th in the world. That alone is not a good look, but losing to an unranked nation at home in their first series was arguably worse. Regardless, Dhemixia is essentially allergic to clutch situations. Call it a chronic case of the yips, call it mass hysteria, they just don't win in tight games. It's not from a lack of effort, either, they're just that bad. Having burned Alexandra Graham in the ninth, somehow escaping with a NOBLETIGER, Dhemixian skipper Neil McCarthy has to turn to a veteran Gustavo Benson for the tenth.

Well, Phil, McCarthy's gonna turn to the railgun arm of Gustavo Benson here in the hopes he can take the Serpents to the promised land with a quick tenth. I don't think any of the Dhemixian relievers would truly be able to handle this situation, Benson included, but how confident are you that he can pitch without spontaneously combusting on the mound? To give it to you straight, John, I'm more confident in the Base Corps winning a WBC in the next ten cycles than I am in his ability to escape damage-free.

The cracks started showing after the first batter.

The 0-0 from Benson - swung on and grounded softly to the left side. Carlisle's there an- OH! He's airmailed Dawson over at first! That'll be an E5 on Wade, as the Serpents are already making it harder for themselves here in extra innings. Hate to see that from them, Phil. The boos are raining down here in The Brig.

After the second, the wheels were falling off.

Now the 2-1, kicks, fires - oh that one got him! Benson seemed to have let go a little early and that one rode up and in as a result. His sinker usually has that snappy armside action but it may have been what hit him there. Gus has just been a little off tonight as he's gotta find a way out of two runners on and no outs. From past experience, John, taking 90 off the elbow may be one of the worst ways to get on first base. That or a bunt single. Weren't you on the bowling team in high school, Phil?

It completely disintegrated by the third.

McCarthy's got Harper Avila warming in the pen here as a "break glass in case of emergency" option, of whom will probably need to be used at this rate from Benson. The 2-0 - waaaaaay outside. Price-Williams had to make a leaping grab there to prevent a wild pitch. That's not a good sign in the slightest. The first two weren't particularly close either, so I've got a hunch McCarthy's gonna be climbing those steps after this batter no matter what. The 3-0 from Benson - swung on and belted. That one's way back, gone. I bet you that ball's in the river by now, John. Much like that ball, we've got rows of fans exiting the ballpark alongside it as Abanhfleft breaks it wide open, 5-2. Scenes out of a fire drill here at Brigantine Park, and you've got to wonder if the Dhemixian fans who are staying are here to hatewatch the Serpents. I wouldn't doubt it.

Neil McCarthy has never climbed a set of stairs faster. He'd end up putting Avila in the game to just get outs so they didn't have to waste another reliever. After a quick 1-2-3, Avila found herself at the plate in the bottom of the tenth. Theoretically, McCarthy could have pinch hit William Roach to simply have a chance at a rally, but that thought was gone as soon as the 3-0 pitch left the bat against Benson. Following a subsequent two strikeouts from Harper Avila and Jaxson St. James, the latter being extremely predictable, it was Easton Marsh up as the final out for the Dhemixians.

So now 2 down here for the Serpents as their last hope in this game comes in the form of one Easton Marsh. Shortest guy on the team, absolutely no pop, Franklin Bell's got a better shot at closing against Scootalove City up a touchdown than this guy does at getting on base. 0-0 - dirt curve, backstop wants an appeal, he went. Just a plain horrible swing there from Marsh. He's got no shot at hitting that, and I've got no shot at understanding the swing decision. He's gotta shake it off here as the 0-1 comes - heater right down the middle taken for strike two. Just right down the pipe, center cut, middle-middle, and it doesn't even warrant a swing from him. Pathetic stuff from the Serpents, really. Now you gotta imagine a breaking ball out of the zone, here's the 0-2 - swung on and missed on a bounce. The backstop collects, and that's the g- no he's skied it into right field! The Dhemixians get another life with Natalie Walker up now! Easton Marsh reaches on what else but a dropped third strike on a chase in the other batters' box. Go figure.

Then Walker would again find the most Dhemixian way to reach base, breaking the record set one plate appearance ago.

Walker's got two on her now, gotta have a big zone here and defend the plate. The 1-2, cut on and missed and that's the ballgame. But wait, Walker's adamant that she hit the catcher on the swing! Umpires conferring here, she's given first base! How about that? Catcher's interference in the WBC! You know, John, that might be rarer than converting a 7-10 split. And I've seen a lot of bowling in my life. Why did we even hire you, Phil?

Enter the 4-hole, Terry Hjalmarsson.

And would you look at that! Coming up to the plate as the tying run with two outs, it's none other than Terry Hjalmarsson! I tell you what, John, this ball's either gone or he's whiffing and sending the bat into row J. He wants to hit this ball to Placeham.

I think you know what happens next.

Kicks, fires - outside! And so that'll make it a 3-0 count as Hjalmarsson has yet to see a strike! He's almost scared to throw him one! You know what, John, a walk here would be crazier than bowling on an un-oiled lane. And trust me, that's pretty crazy. Whatever, Phil. Here's the 3-0 - SWUNG ON AND BELTED! DEEP TO LEFT! THE BRIG WON'T HOLD IT! WE ARE TIED IN THE TENTH! TERRY JUST BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN! JOHN, THERE'S A SUPERHERO IN THE BUILDING, AND NOBODY CAN SPELL HIS LAST NAME.

The Serpents would not go on to win the game in the tenth after Carlisle would crush a hard lineout to the second baseman to end the inning. Nor the eleventh. Avila would once again go 1-2-3, and Dhemixian batters would match her with three straight strikeouts. In the twelfth, McCarthy would once again trot Avila out to the bump instead of warming up another pitcher. Somehow, on her fortieth pitch of the night, she would coax an inning-ending double play and get out of her third inning of work. As a night game turned into a next-day game, the Serpents would send everyone home.

In steps the leadoff man, Jaxson St. James, for his sixth AB of the night. He's 0-5 with a golden sombrero up to this point, and I've got no clue how he's still in the game. Well, John, you can't have a strike every time. Sometimes you have to settle for converting spares, and that's what McCarthy's doing. Please shut up, Phil. Here's the 0-0 to St. James - SWUNG AND A DRIVE! DEEP CENTER FIELD! BACK TO THE WALL! GOOD NIGHT COLUMBUS! THE BLUE SOCK COMES THROUGH! GOLDEN SOMBRERO NO MORE! DHEMIXIA 6, ABANHFLEFT 5!

[Chromatika]

Chromatika Sweeps Liventia to Gain Momentum

Taking two of three from Abanhfleft is a good start. Managing to salvage a game against Drawkland is acceptable, especially when it was as dramatic. For Chromatika to make the Playoffs, though, there's two teams that they have to contend against: Liventia and Dhemixia.

By sweeping Liventia in a three-game set, the Outliers gained a lot of momentum and showed just how good they can be. Game One saw Ashleigh Witters go eight inning deep, only conceding the four runs at the top of the third before the run support came in in the bottom of the fourth. Béa Arcierge hit a rare home run for her, a three-run shot; the Chromatiks never looked back after that. Witters's command of her contact pitching was on for this game, as she only had two walks throughout the game.

In Game 2, Marceaux Justinian pitched six strong innings and exited the game with a 4-2 lead. Liventia would catch up a bit, but the bullpen and Pavlova were able to pitch around those moments to close out the game and give the Outliers the series win. Miles Sturdevantt continued his good play during this Group Stage, driving in three runs; but it was the relief pitching that sealed the deal, not letting a single runner on base.

Then, it was Carmen Bynum-Jackson's turn. Aided by a five-run first inning, the youngster settled in and went eight innings strong, conceding two runs on nine hits. Alona Egorova was the major run scorer on the day with a three-run shot in that fate first inning.

The series sweep keeps the Outliers on par with both Drawkland and Dhemixia, with the series head-to-head against Drawkland proving to be the tiebreaker so far. Dhemixia the next series will ultimately determine just how the Outliers look as they head into the second round-robin, as Nusandara is the last series of both legs.

If they can keep up this level of starting pitching, they definitely have a shot to make those Playoffs.

[Ko-oren]

##################Katahshi

General
Katahshi is the 5th largest city of Ko-oren. It is located on the island of Leleia, of which it is the largest city, with a population of just over 700 000. Known for its eight hills on top of which eight palaces are built, each belonging to a different influential family across the city's history, Katahshi was the seat of power for the Kingdom of Josima until its incorporation into Ko-oren. The city has been the hub for government, economy, culture, and education for most of the kingdom's existence, maintained diplomatic connections to the Calanian mainland for far longer than other Ko-orenite city states, all of which has made a mark on the layout and allure of the city. Katahshi's convenient location, with both a north and a south coast, acting as a landbridge between the two parts of the island of Leleia, has helped it earn its status.

History
Katahshi is one of the oldest cities of Ko-oren, with evidence for permanent human habitation going back thousands of years. Villages seem to have been established on the city's north and south coast for fishing, from where the city grew out to encompass the entire land bridge. The Loudosen family constructed a palace on the hill overlooking both beaches - the only hill to have a clear sightline to both - and acted as its regents from that moment on. Other families vied for power as well, resulting in several assassinations in the Red Decade, until several families faced a severe succession crisis. The Red Decade ended with the treaty of Djahasi, establishing the city of Katahshi, merging the dozen-odd towns, and acting as a single seat of power. From there on out, the city's influence spread across the island of Leleia, and through trade with the other eastern islands, soon established the Kingdom of Josima (the eastern dialect's name for the combination of all four islands). At that moment, the separate families stopped their squabbling among each other, and a series of marriages merged the family trees well enough to prevent further infighting.

Trade with the mainland increased, and Katahshi ticked at the rhythm of Ko-oren rather than the rhythm of Calania from then on. An artistic wave that started on the mainland reached the city, causing it to open its first museums and galleries some 800 years ago. The city maintained its isolation, regardless, continuing its monarchy, but taking in migrants from both Ko-oren and Calania alike, resulting in the neighbourhood of Ontoru. The city kept growing, as opportunities in the kingdom resided mostly there, and trade missions to Calania were planned, paid for, and departed from there as well. People from all over Josima and Calania came in, bringing their cuisines, which resulted in Katahshi's reputation as the culinary capital of Ko-oren.

200 years ago, the city reached its largest extent, running into the rainforests that occupy most of the inner island of Leleia, with the completion of the areas of Nganjama and Kanamerju. After that, and the establishment of Ko-oren's first tram network, major stations saw redevelopment, a huge increase of apartments and living areas close to major stations, and the population was allowed to keep growing still. The Third Calania Caravan passed by Katahshi on its way back to the Capitals bringing industrial equipment, until eventually the kingdom of Josima was fully incorporated into modern Ko-oren. Since then, a number of redevelopments have modernised the city further, have pushed industry out of the city centre, though it remained a hub for steel production for a number of decades after. Closure of industrial plants led to minor uprisings, and Josiman independence movements flared up, until 30 years ago, when the final group closed down.

Geography
Katahshi is situated on the land bridge between the two sides of the island of Leleia, with the smaller and more populous part to its west, and the larger, mostly forested part to its east. Water access to the city has always been secure, though freshwater has been an issue at times. Neighbourhoods on the waterfronts have had more access to food, water, and colder air, starting out as poorer fishing villages but since then those areas have attracted rich citizens first and foremost. As the city consisted of multiple towns, each with their own planning under the different families, Katahshi remains a polycentric city, with the areas around Djahasi, Kurino, Masaki, Omape, and Ontoru all creating their own commercial centres. Some areas are gridded while others have organic street patterns. Outside of the hills, Katahshi is a flat city, hemmed in on each side by hilly (rain)forests. As a result, winds are slightly stronger over the city, carrying out smog and providing surprisingly clean air for a large, industrial city.

Architecture in Katahshi has always been different from other cities, and mayors have actively defended its architecture. To this day, new buildings must be constructed with Josiman tradition in mind, though with modern materials and standards. As a city around water and in a high precipitation area, both the collection of (rain)water as well as easy disposal of it have been central to city planning.

Economy
Katahshi has the sixth-largest local economy of Ko-oren, behind the four larger cities and the collection of capitals. The economy is much like other cities' though with a larger focus on fishing, transport and logistics, consulting and finance, and metalworking. The large media house of Nanaba is based in Katahshi as well, holding several major national TV channels. Hoshino, a top two insurance company, is also based here. Lith-Onordelgehn is a rare IT company not from the northeast, it is also from here. Kyandar's main office (a major supermarket chain) is found next door.

Education
Katahshi is home to one of Ko-oren's most important universities, the Katashi Daigaku, a broad university offering Bachelors, Masters, Doctorates, and Postdocs. Yoshima Daigaku is the secondary university, offering Bachelors and Masters. Kanatsu Senshudaigaku, Maesaki Kousendaigaku, and Yonenomura Kousendaigaku offer vocational, pre-bachelor and some bachelor programmes, and Kurino Shokugyou Gakkou and Ontoroi Shokugyou Gakkou offer vocational degrees. Much like other things in Katahshi, the education scene is also polycentric.

Transport
With the oldest tram network in the country, the city still has a dense network of rail and a complicated set of services running through it. Katahshi Central Station has trains going west and east, and most travelers must pass through the city multiple times to find their destinations in 'country' Leleia. Furthermore, Katahshi has completed construction of an international airport, which has daily flights to various Calanian destinations. The Katahshi Ferry Port, on the north coast, has regular departures for other Josiman islands as well as various mainland destinations, all ending in the capitals.

Culture
The palaces on the hills have been opened to the public as galleries, while the extensive gardens around them are now public parks. The polycentric city has given rise to several different entertainment districts, such as Djahasi's nightlife, Kurino's theatres, Masaki's writers and academics, and so on.

Katahshi has a rich sporting landscape centered around soccer, baseball, and rugby league. The city is the only one with multiple teams active in the Top League at one time, with Katashi-Kanatsu often a title candidate, Katashi Azula a regular mid-table team, and Maesaki Palace and Odahayashi Revolution all having made appearances. In baseball, the city is home to the best supported and largest budget team, the Katashi Generals, and it's the only city with two professional teams, also hosting the Katashi Giants. In rugby league, the city has two teams as well (the only other city with two teams being Amahne), hosting the Katashi Hawks and Katashi Wasps. In recent years, as basketball is becoming a bigger sport, the Katashi Asahi and Katashi Higure are both in the main 48-team league.

In baseball, one of the four main minor leagues is played out entirely within Katahshi, a short-season rookie league with teams in each major neighbourhood of the city.

[TJUN-ia]

TJUN-ia 5-4 The Martian Independent Republic
TJUN-ia 1-7 The Martian Independent Republic
TJUN-ia 3-4 The Martian Independent Republic

At least we won a game this time.
JoJo McAlbo managed to help win this tight game, alongside Trinity Shelby-Dowora in the clutch.
Peter Glendinning didn't even stand a chance in his game, MIR was on his butt right from the off.
Khamis Ali Makame didn't either but once Jackson Jeeves got into the game, we almost came back and snatched everything from the hosts.
Almost.

What has this team become?
A double-header in Portside awaits us.

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) L 1-2 (6th)
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]

Elephants have great time at cuddle series, leave Snow Bears confuzzled

South Newlandia was driven by their pitchers in the series win over their Ranorian friends. In game one, a close duel between Jorge Billing and Elephants ace Hailey Clark was derailed in the fifth, when the South Newlandian batters were able to put some runs together. Veer Murphy and Kathryn King went back-to-back, and by the end of the frame, the Snow Bears had gone through three different pitchers, the Ellies had plated six runs, and the game was now basically over. In fact, neither team scored another run for the rest of the game, as both teams were either saving themselves for the games to come, were too busy playing with Ol’ Red, or maybe the bullpens were just really good.

In game two, the Elephants took an early lead against Jacklyn Flowers. Unlike her brother, she actually performed well against South Newlandia in this game, allowing just two runs in six innings. Unfortunately for her, her team let her down, and she would still take the loss. Wolodymyr King had himself another great start, leading the Elephants to a win despite the Ellies only putting up 5 hits all game. After he handed the game over to the bullpen, Côme Nguyen and John Trunkman locked down the game, and the Pachyderms once again clinched their series after two games. In the previous two series, they’d then proceeded to drop game three.

It looked like that was going to be the case again in the Cuddle Series. Southpaw Dylan Borges was pitching very well, but so was Drew Applemore for the Snow Bears. The game was still scoreless after five, when the Ranorians finally broke through with a solo shot off the bat of Breit, his second of the series. In the seventh, RJ Hall added on with an RBI single, and after Applemore pitched a clean seventh, the Pachyderms were staring down a two-run deficit with just six outs to go. Things got a little closer when Maria Philipps drove in a run in the eighth inning, but Ricky Mouser eventually did manage to pitch out of a jam with runners on the corners, preserving the lead. That meant Miellen Walker entered for the save situation in the bottom of the ninth with Ranoria up one.

So far, the cuddle series had been terribly, sadly, short. They’d played the minimum 8.5 innings in both of the previous games, and they were relatively low-scoring too. The cuddles were almost over already! Fortunately, Miellen Walker had a plan. He quickly allowed Lio Fischer to hit a solo home run to tie the game. That sends the game to extras, which means more cuddles!

Politely, the Snow Bears did not score in the top of the tenth, as South Newlandian reliever Mats Molina struck out two Ranorians. They surely expected the Elephants to follow suit against reliever Miles Rickson to send the game to the eleventh inning. Just as the Ranorians had started to wonder if they could extend the cuddles forever, and if baseball has any provisions in case two teams just want to cuddle for the rest of time, as they noticed the Elephants had done something unexpected. Sofia Löfgren had doubled in the winning run, ending the game at 3-2 for the Elephants, leaving the Snow Bears swept and quite confused.

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

Just as expected, two lesser sides provided succor for the Phoenix after the Zenic series, the WBC61 runners-up winning five straight before Drakur stole the series closer to snap that streak. Still, 6-3 doesn't look so bad for this team anymore, and while they still have their toughest opponent in Milchama to come, that also means they have an opportunity to take wins off them, especially as that series will be in Alaer.

"I think we showed that our team is ready to deliver after all," manager Dean Charles noted after the Andso Mangis sweep - and for two games against Drakur, that continued, only an inspired pitching performance and a ninth-inning two-run homer changing things in Game 3. While Drakur did peg back an early 4-1 Phoenix lead in that series opener, an eighth-inning brace of the kind of wallbanger doubles you often get at Angel of Liberation Park proved enough for the win - and it was an encouraging sign to see it from Fredrik Färm and Clituleng Avilass, who were batting in the 6/7 spots and weren't in the starting lineup - or, in the case of the latter, even the roster - for that WBC61 run. "Obviously the loss of the LPB guys has hurt us, but I think it provides an opportunity for some of the players who've proven themselves domestically, obviously REBL is going to change the game too and for Tikariot as well, and I believe that Zenic's performance against us is also a sign that Rushmore might just be becoming a real hub of this sport. We've got three of the top 11 with us, Tikariot, and Liventia now, and I believe once REBL really establishes itself we might have - well, in the post-LPB era we might end up with the second-best league in the multiverse, maybe even the best down the line. Everyone knew that LPB was #1 back in the day, and then it was MBL and the talk of REBL was to eventually be an MBL-level league, but now? Well, being level with the MBL means being #1."

It's a bold statement. But the infrastructure is growing - probably ahead of South Newlandia's at this point - and so too is the interest, the battle for hearts and minds against cricket now surely won in the Eastern Corridor and increasing popularity even in the old cricketing stronghold of the north. "I've been told that young cricketers are switching to baseball all the time and nobody does the reverse anymore, apparently it used to go about 50-50 each way or you'd get kids trying to do both, but now baseball is the #1 summer sport in the country, and if I've been able to play a part in making that happen with managing the Phoenix? That's a heck of an impact to think about."

[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 - Beach Bums

By the time the All-Star Break came around in Drawkland, Lane Kavana was definitely beginning to worry. It’d be a little excessive to say he was panicking, but there was a definite nervous energy he felt when he came to the ballpark each day. As much as he’d try to deny it, he could feel the effects of the aging curve really hard.

His minor wrist injury had remained and nagged at his swing far longer than he expected. He was falling behind on infield grounders: now he was losing by a step rather than beating them by a half step. He was finding himself missing on more swings than he felt comfortable doing given his current approach. If he was still trying to slug for extra bases, he wouldn’t mind the swing-and-miss. Now that he was deliberately attempting an all-contact approach? It stung a lot more.

The only solace was that his defense was still pretty good. Lane was never a truly elite defender, and his most recent Gold Glove win came well over a decade ago in his 77-homer season with Hessport. He was far from a liability though, even now, and even having to play more first base than he had the rest of his career combined. He was a career outfielder, and a center fielder for a majority of his career, but as his speed waned, so did the patience of most managers to keep him in center.

Thankfully he’d played a little first base with the Base Corps and the Gelia Blues over the last couple seasons. It was enough for the Akkor Beach manager to feel confident enough that he could replace their injured first baseman, allowing Lane plenty of playing time. That was all Lane cared about. If he was good enough defensively to warrant consistent plate appearances, that was good enough for him.

All that to say, despite the consistent playing time, despite no pressure to perform since the Hammerheads were mediocre, Lane still fell behind. His batting average was barely .302 when the season resumed following the All-Star Break (which Lane was unsurprisingly not invited to). That still sounds pretty decent to you and me, until you consider that Lane’s lowest end-of-year batting after was .312 … thirty years ago in his rookie year. At least he hit 51 homers that season. After half the Akkor Beach season Lane only had 6 longballs to his name.


[Cyrano’s Return]

Then came the secondary problem. About three weeks after the all-star break, Khris Cyrano returned from his ankle injury. Now the Hammerheads had their everyday first baseman back, and Cyrano himself was expecting consistent playing time. Lane was getting pushed out of the first base position, and now his already-questionable level of playing time was even more at risk.

At least he had versatility on his side. The best ability is availability. Even though the Hammerhead manager was hesitant to allow the Fossilized Singles Merchant (as some were starting to call Lane) to play in lieu of allowing their developing prospects more playing time, Lane made the case for being anywhere he could be. Being a switch hitter definitely helped his case, granting him immunity from platoon considerations.

Lane owed a lot to Buford Grayson, the lefty-swinging right fielder for the Hammerheads. Grayson was a nasty power bat against righties, but embarrassingly terrible against lefties. Once Cyrano returned and sucked up most starts at 1B, Lane was virtually guaranteed a start in right field whenever a left-handed starter was slotted to pitch against Akkor Beach.

Having the designated hitter position would’ve been perfect for Lane, but the Hammerheads were in the half of PBL that had no such position in regular play. Fortunately, after a tad bit of begging, Lane managed to earn the lion’s share of DH starts whenever Akkor Beach played on the road in interleague games.


[Bobblehead Night]

Even with the utility maneuvers Lane pulled to ensure he was playing more than half the games every week, it did little to really help his performances at the plate. With barely five weeks left in the PBL regular season (and the Hammerheads firmly out of the wild card race), things were looking dire. Ignoring the fact that now he’d likely need a herculean effort to surpass the hit record next season, there was the more pressing concern of even getting another season at the PBL level. Teams were hesitant enough to sign Lane this offseason, and all he’d done this year is prove them right. If they didn’t want to sign him after he hit .400 for a pennant winner, they wouldn’t even bother calling him after batting .300 for a team that barely filled their stadium on weekends.

If there was anything Lane could pretend to look forward to, it was his bobblehead night. More accurately, Kavana bobblehead night. Sure enough, the promotions team at Akkor Beach had put in the work. Once they knew both of the Kavana bros would be on the roster, they got to work designing a bobblehead for a late-season giveaway (given the shorter-than-usual order turnaround). The end result was a double bobble featuring both Abram and Lane: Abram rearing back for a throw from second base, and Lane mid-stride from first base ready to receive the throw.

It was a little goofy, especially because the brothers had only ever shared the same infield a handful of times (about 95% of those times came this very season, and back in the day they were more likely to share an outfield), but it was a nice gesture for two longtime legends of Drawkian baseball. Lane figured the average Akkor Beach attendance that season combined with lackluster performances of both brothers at the plate and the fact that neither had played for the Hammerheads before this season would result in an awkwardly low attendance for the giveaway.

Instead, it was a packed house. Thankfully the Hammerhead manager understood the assignment and ensured Abram and Lane would start at 2B and 1B for the game as well as hit higher in the lineup. What the hell, it’s not like they had playoff ambitions to worry about.

“Have you seen this many people show up to a Hammerheads game before?” Abram asked with no small level of shock in his voice as the lineups were being announced before first pitch.

“I think a couple weekend interleague games against Hessport back in the day. And I barely remember what it was like back when dad was playing here.” Lane replied, looking around the stadium and not being able to spot any barren sections in the ballpark.

This was a midweek game. Most of the earlier bobblehead and other giveaways that season had barely drawn a crowd of this size. It may have been the first sellout of the season, or at least the first one that everybody actually tried to show up to. It was bizarre, but it was also gratifying to the two brothers to see that so many people had shown up essentially just in their honor.

“Hey, maybe most of these fans are old Hessport fans. I see a bit of black and orange out in the crowd,” Abram pointed out.

“Half of that orange is probably local Gulls fans who don’t actually care about baseball.” Lane shrugged.

“Still showed up for us, though. Weird.” Abram shrugged, getting ready to take the field.

“Maybe people really do care about the early 50s Base Corps teams, huh?” Lane chuckled.

Maybe it was the spirit of bobblehead night, maybe it was the extra motivation from an actually lively crowd, or perhaps it was just the novelty taking Lane’s mind off the game for a bit. Whatever it was, Lane proceeded to have his best game of the season. He cashed in four hits, including two doubles and his first homer in nearly two weeks. Abram himself added a homer and a cheeky steal late in the game (that could arguably be considered defensive indifference based on how the score was well out of hand in Akkor Beach’s favor by that point).


[The Sendoff]

From there, Lane took the last month and change of the PBL season and made it his bitch. It's impossible to say whether the bobblehead night performance was a catalyst or merely a coincidental beginning of the sudden reversal. Regardless, it's as if a switch was flipped. Lane turned back the clock approximately a year, hitting well over .400 for the rest of the season. His wrist had finally stopped nagging, and maybe that was part of the reason why hitting felt more natural again.

The comeback was sharp enough that people took notice. The media started talking about Lane with something other than derision. On top of his hitting looking better, Lane realized he was only a few steals away from breaking the 1000 career steals mark in PBL. He had lost a step on his stride as noted previously, but his elite situational understanding and pitch prediction proved helpful in knowing which pitches to run on. Not to mention his old age meant many pitchers didn't bother to hold him closely to the bag. A few wily steals brought him above that career mark (which wasn't even top 10 in PBL history but still a clean milestone).

We all know that wasn't the milestone Lane was gunning for, though. And though the true prize of the hit title was out of reach for this season and perhaps even next season, there was still plenty of time to reach the elusive #2 spot on the career list. Lloyd Russo ended his career with a total of 6,747 hits, and until Titus Kash came around, many people back in the day thought that record would last forever. Kash may still stand alone at the top, but Russo would see his record challenged once more.

In the final week of the season, the people around PBL took notice. Lane Kavana entered the penultimate weekend at 6,740 hits in his career, and he grinded away to 6,746 by the final series. Even though the Hammerheads were already eliminated from playoff contention, the ballpark was fuller than the season average from the baseball and history buffs in the area. The career hit records would probably never be challenged again, certainly not in this lifetime. It was a three game series, and unless Lane went hitless, he'd at least match Russo’s mark.

Game 1 of the final series was a bit of a disappointment. Lane got the start (even Akkor Beach's manager recognized the occasion and promised Lane a start in each game), and he proceeded to disappoint the fans by going hitless. He did at least put the ball in play three times (plus a walk), and each time he made contact the crowd lit up. It was merely unlucky that each stroke found a glove.

Game 2 would not be such a downer. In his third at-bat of the ballgame, Lane bounced a ball sharply right up the middle. It eluded the pitcher and rolled into the outfield before either middle infielder could get to it. The crowd roared, but Lane resisted too large of a celebration as he lightly rounded first and returned to the bag. It was a good achievement, but the job was far from over. That would be his only hit of the game, however. He'd need one more knock to stand alone in the #2 career spot.

Game 3, Lane wouldn't keep anybody waiting. He was batting cleanup in the starting line, and had the leadoff runner in scoring position to bring him to the plate in the first inning. Batting from the right handed batter’s box, Lane read an inside fastball perfectly and cleaned it out, sending it well over the third baseman’s head for a liner that just landed fair. Once again the crowd lit up, and Lane did permit himself a fiery fist pump as he ran out of the box. Perhaps assisted by the throw going home (too late to prevent the run), Lane rolled into second base for a double.

Lane Kavana had the second most hits in Drawkian baseball history. It was a fact. And though he didn't have any more hits in that ballgame, his brother Abram hit a two-run tiebreaking walkoff homer to end the season. It would serve as the final hit, the final game, of Abram Kavana’s professional baseball career. The Kavanas had returned to the town where they'd been born … and they left it as its heroes, at least for one day.

[Zwangzug]

Their closer's named "Ellie," big news:
We know that the Ellies can't lose
She locked down matchday eight
Worked corners of the plate
And had us all singing the blues.

Their bench coach, one Rachel Monroe
Is quite the strategist, and so
She'll plot out game trees
With the greatest of ease
And leave us fist-clenching in woe.

At third, between Kelvin and Parker
The contrast could hardly be starker.
Scott's glove gave us fits;
She got extra-base hits,
and the mood turned from somber to darker.

Turns out, it's the Owls who sweep.
As the announcers say, "what the bleep?"
But this Friday is Good,
or so we've understood,
which means we're permitted to weep.

[Kamijiro]

Diamond IX, Vol. IV, Part III: Night Games Only

Lucian Belvedere has always been a bit of an enigma. He’s been playing baseball for a pretty long time. Hits homers for fun. Runs like the wind around the bases. Fields passably, doesn’t really showboat but always grins when he hits a homer.

But there’s one thing about him. He’s never, ever played a day game. Not in Kamijiro, anyway. He’s only ever played at night. When his barnstorming team had day games, he always had work commitments, but nobody knows what he actually does for a living. He was once asked by his teammates about it. He simply said he doesn’t want to put on the sunscreen.

Maou Ashiya has another theory.

“Vampire.”

“What?” Atsuji’s reply.

“Lucian’s a goddamn vampire. He’s never aged. Not since we started doing this, anyway. He always looks the same. He never goes to day games. He’s freakishly fast. He’s a vampire.”

“Bullshit. Vampires aren’t real.”

“One of our teammates literally has wings, but vampires are where you draw the line?”

“…yeah. Yeah it is. Just drop it. Last thing either of us needs is him to find out we’re asking questions like that.”

“Don’t vampires supposedly have superhuman hearing?”

“…shut the fuck up.”

“Ooooh, you’re scared, aren’t you? Scared! You’re scared!”

The voice from behind them scared the absolute piss out of them both.

“Talking about me, are you?” Lucian purrs. “‘Suji is right. Drop it. Don’t bring it up again. For your sake and mine.”

And thus, the secret Lucian had been keeping was now a secret shared.

[New Montreal States]

REFORMED EXPOS BEAT CRP OUT OF CRPOSTRAN

Hitters overcome Crpostran pitching, own bullpen’s comical incompetence to secure first series win

JEFF FASSERO MEMORIAL STADIUM, SOREL – Ernie Montmorency-Jones danced in triumph across the locker room after making his WBC debut one to remember. Called in to pinch-hit with two outs and a man on second in the bottom of the 10th, Montmorency-Jones golfed a low slider over the head of Crpostran’s second basemen [[TYPESETTING ERROR]] to drive in Étienne Jopard and give the Reformed Expos a 3-2 walkoff victory and their first WBC series win in over a century.

The gulf between the bullpen and the rest of the locker room was noticeable even in victory. Porkpie Rollingford has a group chemistry problem on his hands, caused by the NMS bullpen being unwatchably bad throughout the first three series of the tourname. Coty (the Stoat) Shield-Langier is rumored to be on his way out as closer after blowing his second consecutive save and handing Crpostran a 9-8 victory in a back-and-forth series opener and remaining on the bench throughout tonight’s game. Shield-Langier, Ulysses Angelos, and Ernie Saxby all have speed-limit ERAs after multiple appearances. Curveballs are flat, fastballs are missing the plate and opposing hitters are pouncing.

A pitchers-only meeting before the Reformed Expos’ 9-3 blowout win poured some oil onto the waters, but tensions are still high and the lineup, flying high with a positive run differential despite the team being 4-5, is starting to turn on the bozos in the ‘pen.

Julien Ômainel, a sports psychologist and best-selling author of When the Best Defense Is a Bad Offense: The Thinking Coach’s Guide To Managing Unequal Teams, laid out the challenges facing Rollingford. “He has to stay positive enough to not completely demoralize the relievers, while making sure the hitters know he’s keeping everyone accountable.” Ômainel pointed to André Granby pitching out of a two-runner, no-out jam in the top of the 8th as an opportunity to “show the team the standard he wants his pitchers to meet, while letting the relievers realize that they’re able to meet that standard.” He also admitted that there wasn’t much else to work with. “I’ve watched every game so far, and sometimes you have to admit: these guys just aren’t that good at baseball. I’m a firm believer that everyone has a gift and that part of your life journey is finding and unlocking that gift. I think Émilien Legros-Dutour should have taken up the clarinet instead of whatever the hell it is he’s doing out on the mound.”

Fellow Group B bottom-feeder Solgavden will be coming to Parc Loic-Duvernier in St-Simon-de-la-Colonne. It remains to be seen how a foreign team will respond to the traditional perfect silence throughout the park maintained by Stylites fans.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

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

The Man of the Hour: Marc Groulx-Sirjusingh's Biography of Kim Seung-Yin a successful, if conventional recollection about the beloved 'Man of the Averages'

Jerome Jacques-Paquin

JOONGYEONG, JOONGYEONG - There is very little doubt that Kim Seung-Yin, for all his personal virtues and ability to be beloved by all fashionable walks of political and ordinary life, has become an undepictable political figure in Quebec and Shingoryeo.

A relatively unassuming, political clean man who followed politics to the book and the extensive knowledge he's held over many years in administration, parliament and eventually government, the reason why very few had tried to pursue a serious biography of the one-term Prime Minister, whose tenures have overlapped between more memorable Thierry Saganash and iconic Arsene Pineau Kim. All of this is the reason why Marc Groulx-Sirjusingh's biography 'The Man of the Hour' provides an adequate, if anything fairly round-the-clock portraiture of the man whose victory and defeat both came from how he ran the expectations.

For those familiar with his stories, there are some remarkable parallels to those who had followed him. Jacques Lee Ellington, in many ways, shared the similar policy-driven background with even less charisma and impression than him for the Liberals, while the current Prime Minister Kang Tae-Goo, while not lacking impact, would not have been considered as a serious national leadership material in the Soongdeok years. Those three men, for better or worse, lack the ability to become memorable but in themselves have also avoided the opportunity to become widely hated, as Groulx-Sirjusingh would point out often in his works.

Groulx-Sirjusingh is quick to praise him for his restrained nature to avoid causing international conflicts, citing the shortcomings of his successor Arsene Pineau Kim in his now-widely criticised Anaian detour and the duplexing of the regions, as well as his ability to not jump too quickly into relationships, also citing the eventual downfall of Lucien Azagury-Zovaco government on the foreign interference-related backlash that came following KK McDonagh's death in the opening days of the 2071 Federal Election. But Groulx-Sirjusingh is also quick to note Kim Seung-Yin as someone who's too binded by the book, which allowed him to come off as 'emotionally distant' and even 'absent', causing significant challenge to what was otherwise a very talented caucus who were ready to keep things going, but unable to level up from their conventional comfort zone.

Personally, Kim is a man who didn't try to play too hard. As a man who started as a public defender in Dongnae, Acadie, he had his love for perennially underachieving Giants, whose superstar pitcher Joh Hong-Seok would only find peace and glory with the Grim Reapers on the last World Baseball Classic victory. He too was someone who found fatherhood not as easy, especially as his three children Woo-Seong, Woo-Yeon and Woo-Heui all took much of their twenties before settling into their careers and marriages, and made sure to know what the term 'retirement' had meant with this in mind. For last twenty years of his life before his quiet passing into the eternity in 2065, he would go onto be proven as a pretty competent grandpa too.

His image as a man of averages also held his ground as well. Partly stepping into the sunshine as the longtime confidante to Isabelle Perreault, whom he had worked as policy director before joining the eventual-Prime Minister to the Jeongdeokgoong parliament and of course, her cabinet, she always saw the value in finding joys in spending time with his longtime wife, late Dame. Song Nam-Heui, visiting different cafes (da-bang or 다방, if we are to use the Shingoryeoite Korean to the most faithful form) and eateries in the streets of Joongyeong. He rarely spent taxpayers' money for holiday if ever, sticking to his personal preferences even as he became the most legitimate successor to the traditional left of the party that his jurist image didn't really fit into. It definitely stood out in contrast to the political empires Saganash house has held for last century and a half, or that of Arsene Pineau Kim's willingness to bring disciples to any event he walks, including most of the current Kang Tae-Goo government, to this day.

It was in Kim's averageness, which earned the nickname 'Man of the Averages' from his compatriot, former Health Secretary Marie-Sophie Galgundec, was where the northwestern Arrosian nation had their moments of solace, especially as the mysterious illnesses of Jacques IX in the final half-decade of his life had led into significant dillemma for both the royal family and the Government. Kang, unlike many of his predecessors on the traditional Shinminjeon left, was a soft loyalist, one who understood the values the Royal House held in the Quebeco-Shingoryeoite conscience. Being an Anglican in his neck of Acadian woods, of course, helped, and his justification of defending his assistance to the crown, especially as the gradual transition from Jacques IX to Christine II, to whom our Taewha era is titled after, ramped up, was marked as one for the stability and the public good. By the time he would leave the office, losing to a super-avid loyalist in Arsene Pineau Kim no less, he would witness the error-free, successful proceedings of not only the Coronation, but the Royal Wedding of this era we would live in between Christine II and Caspian of Cassadaigua, a man he had found to be in better terms with compared to, once again, his predecessor.

Where Groulx-Sirjusingh does well to balance the memories of the late Prime Minister, which were based on a decade of their correspondences, recordings and interviews, is on those who he is often compared to. He made sure to talk to Arsene Pineau Kim, Irene Kweon Binnington and even Oh Jong-Oak, current Moogoongwha Party leader and current Leader of Opposition. Oh in particular is a pleasant yet fitting surprise, especially since he hails from Dongnae-Halifax County and shares some of the soft-spokenness Kim Seung-Yin did display. Among them Pineau Kim's shadows loom the biggest, especially as the inevitable matchup between 43-year-old Pineau Kim and 67-year-old Kim awaited at the September 2044 election. His view about his predecessor skyrockets any other he's faced: 'There is no another person who I held such high personal respect I have held for.'

Was there a sense of victor's remorse in that he had managed to push out someone he had respected so much? It's hard to tell, but the respect he would also receive from others, including in the most unexpected place, suggest perhaps not. Similar sentiments after all were shared by the Queen Mother Elisabeth, whose correspondences to her daughter suggested something similar, that not many have the ability to speak from both the moral compass and what does benefit the people. It is a rare praise, especially considering Queen Mother's reputation as a particularly sharp, often-critical eye for talent and even more so, threats that bound his way.

In an ideal world she'd have liked Saganash, a personal friend going back decades, to rule forever as the Jeongdeok era's eternal Prime Minister. But she too knew that the Taewha era had to rise at some point and saw in Kim Seung-Yin someone, a Shinminjeon Prime Minister no less, who would do her job very well.

Her judgment would go onto be proven right.

[Srednjaci]

World Baseball Classic 62

POINTS FOR DALATS

Reporter : Zoran Treković

Dear viewers, welcome to another show where we cover the latest news from the world of baseball! The Baseball Classic is underway and our team is playing very well so far.
Our national team was visiting a complete unknown, Soryeon. According to sources, our players almost got lost in the unknown. Our team did not know where they were going, what city, where they were located, or who they were playing against. Somehow, after a long and exhausting journey and driving around the hills and valleys, they found the venue for the match. Everything was shrouded in mystery. The matches finally took place, and after three matches, our players won the series 2-1. Statement from the team coach

"We have had preparing our team for this match. Soryeon is playing the card of confusing the opponent and that card has worked so far. But I think that the other opponents will read them and that they will soon fall far to the bottom of the group. They hold a high third position, but I do not believe that they will stay there." Josip Kovač told us

However, we are interested in something else. The biggest sports competition of this part of the season is also underway, the XX Winter Olympic Games in Liventia. Our Olympians, in cooperation with the Olympic Committee, have agreed that for each medal they will donate 20,000 Dalats to homeless children and animals in our country. Homes for homeless children are overcrowded and there is a lack of quality staff to raise them in institutions. Animals in our country have a special status and are protected by the constitution. Animal shelters are also at full capacity and there is a shortage of veterinarians.
Here is what the president of the baseball association, Velibor Bosnić, says.

"We have joined this noble action that the Olympic Committee has agreed with the Olympians. We have agreed in principle that each point we win will carry 200 Dalats. In this way, we will contribute greatly to this valuable and noble action until the end of the cycle."

We certainly cheer for our baseball players to play as well as possible and to score as many points as possible. We also follow our Olympians and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on the medals they have won so far, two golds and a bronze.

[Chromatika]

This is your cutoff for Series 4. We should be back to the usual cutoff time for Series 5.

---

Group A

Game 1
Haltoria                                    0 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0  7
Loyo                                        1 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 0  6

Natkr                                       0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 0  5
Equestria                                   0 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 X  6

Eshialand                                   0 3 1 0 1 1 0 0 1  7
Quebec and Shingoryeo                       0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Game 2
Haltoria                                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Loyo                                        0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 X  4

Natkr                                       1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0  4
Equestria                                   0 0 0 1 3 2 0 1 X  7

Eshialand                                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Quebec and Shingoryeo                       0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  2
Game 3
Haltoria                                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3  4
Loyo                                        0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 X  7

Natkr                                       0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Equestria                                   0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 X  2

Eshialand                                   0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
Quebec and Shingoryeo                       0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Group A                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Eshialand               12    9   3    61   43  +18
2 Quebec and Shingoryeo   12    7   5    71   46  +25
3 Equestria               12    7   5    58   69  −11
4 Loyo                    12    6   6    66   63   +3
5 Haltoria                12    4   8    43   62  −19
6 Natkr                   12    3   9    44   60  −16

Group B

Game 1
Solgavden                                   0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  4
New Montreal States                         1 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 X  6

South Newlandia                             0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0  4
Crpostran                                   0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1  2

Ko-oren                                     2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Ranoria                                     0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 X  4
Game 2
Solgavden                                   0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  2
New Montreal States                         0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1  3

South Newlandia                             0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0  5
Crpostran                                   1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  3

Ko-oren                                     0 1 0 3 3 0 0 0 0  7
Ranoria                                     2 0 0 0 2 4 1 0 X  9
Game 3
Solgavden                                   0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3
New Montreal States                         2 0 0 2 0 1 2 0 X  7

South Newlandia                             0 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0  5
Crpostran                                   2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 X  6

Ko-oren                                     0 4 0 3 0 0 1 0 0  8
Ranoria                                     0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2  5

Group B                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Newlandia        12    9   3    57   39  +18
2 Ko-oren                12    7   5    63   55   +8
3 New Montreal States    12    7   5    62   55   +7
4 Ranoria                12    6   6    51   52   −1
5 Crpostran              12    6   6    55   64   −9
6 Solgavden              12    1  11    49   72  −23

Group C

Game 1
The Martian Independent Republic            0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 1  6
Srednjaci                                   1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  5

Zwangzug                                    2 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0  8
Soryeon                                     2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  3

TJUN-ia                                     0 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0  7
Tikariot                                    0 0 1 4 0 0 1 0 0  6
Game 2
The Martian Independent Republic            1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1  4
Srednjaci                                   1 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 X  5

Zwangzug                                    1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  3
Soryeon                                     0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1  4

TJUN-ia                                     0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0  4
Tikariot                                    0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
Game 3
The Martian Independent Republic            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4  8
Srednjaci                                   1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2  5

Zwangzug                                    0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0  4
Soryeon                                     1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

TJUN-ia                                     0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0  3
Tikariot                                    0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  2

Group D                             Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Tikariot                           12    7   5    56   40  +16
2 Soryeon                            12    6   6    43   56  −13
3 The Martian Independent Republic   12    6   6    62   58   +4
4 Srednjaci                          12    6   6    56   51   +5
5 Zwangzug                           12    6   6    52   51   +1
6 TJUN-ia                            12    5   7    47   60  −13

Group D

Game 1
Zenic                                       4 0 1 0 5 0 0 1 0 11
Milchama                                    0 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 0  6

The Kytler Peninsulae                       0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 1  6
Paradystopia                                0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  3

Andso Mangis                                3 0 2 3 2 0 1 0 0 11
Drakur                                      1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1  4
Game 2
Zenic                                       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Milchama                                    0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  5

The Kytler Peninsulae                       0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 1  6
Paradystopia                                1 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0  5

Andso Mangis                                0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  3
Drakur                                      0 0 0 2 0 0 6 1 X  9
Game 3
Zenic                                       1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  3
Milchama                                    0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  2

The Kytler Peninsulae                       0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0  3
Paradystopia                                0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 X  5

Andso Mangis                                0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drakur                                      0 2 0 0 0 0 5 0 X  7

Group D                  Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Zenic                   12    8   4    67   56  +11
2 The Kytler Peninsulae   12    8   4    81   49  +32
3 Milchama                12    8   4    71   41  +30
4 Paradystopia            12    5   7    53   65  −12
5 Drakur                  12    4   8    45   70  −25
6 Andso Mangis            12    3   9    50   86  −36

Group E - Series involving Chromatika was scored by Banija

Game 1
Dhemixia                                    0 0 1 0 0 4 2 0 0  7
Chromatika                                  4 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 X 12

Nusandara                                   0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 4  8
Liventia                                    0 3 0 5 0 1 1 0 X 10

Abanhfleft                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drawkland                                   0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 X  2
Game 2
Dhemixia                                    0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1  2
Chromatika                                  1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Nusandara                                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1
Liventia                                    2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X  3

Abanhfleft                                  0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0  5
Drawkland                                   1 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 X  8
Game 3
Dhemixia                                    0 7 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  8
Chromatika                                  0 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 0  7

Nusandara                                   0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0  3
Liventia                                    0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 X  5

Abanhfleft                                  0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  3
Drawkland                                   0 0 3 0 6 0 1 0 X 10

Group E                 Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Drawkland              12    9   3    70   37  +33
2 Dhemixia               12    8   4    66   50  +16
3 Chromatika             12    7   5    69   60   +9
4 Liventia               12    7   5    50   60  −10
5 Nusandara              12    4   8    51   59   −8
6 Abanhfleft             12    1  11    45   85  −40

Group F

Game 1
Kamijiro                                    0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0  4
Banija                                      2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 X  6

Valentine Z                                 0 0 1 1 6 6 0 0 1 15
The Batavia                                 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 0  5

United States of Devonta                    0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2
The Authority of the Underwater Cities      0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 X  3
Game 2
Kamijiro                                    2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Banija                                      1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  3

Valentine Z                                 4 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 1 13
The Batavia                                 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0  3

United States of Devonta                    1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0  4
The Authority of the Underwater Cities      0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 X  6
Game 3
Kamijiro                                    2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3  8
Banija                                      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Valentine Z                                 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 2  8
The Batavia                                 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1  3

United States of Devonta                    0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
The Authority of the Underwater Cities      5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 X  6

Group F                                   Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Banija                                   12   10   2    68   40  +28
2 Kamijiro                                 12    9   3    76   42  +34
3 Valentine Z                              12    6   6    78   53  +25
4 The Authority of the Underwater Cities   12    5   7    40   67  −27
5 United States of Devonta                 12    4   8    45   73  −28
6 The Batavia                              12    2  10    50   82  −32

[Ko-oren]

Season 32 Rosters

The era of clear favourites might be over, though you can always argue that the Amandine Wanderers, Desierto Challengers, and Katashi Giants are a couple steps ahead of the rest of the pack. But the era that's definitely over is the one of big market teams lording it over the league like before/in the LPB era. We're talking dominance of the northern division by the Echizen Dragons, the southern division being the Katashi Generals', and the other two semifinalists being the western division's Ferrovente Whales and Santa Teresa Stars. Those four teams, led by the Generals and Stars as the absolute biggest of the biggest, accounted for all three LPB-era titles including the one coming right after it, and the four titles preceding the LPB. That's eight straight years of those four teams winning it all, sometimes with the final loser being one of the other three.

There were signs that times were changing soon after, with the Challengers beating the Giants in season 30's final, and the Wanderers beating the Giants in season 31. The big four weren't even semifinalists in those years. The expectation still was that the Stars, Dragons, Whales, and Generals would come floating back up inevitably, but that didn't happen. They've well and truly lost the recruiment battle, with top notch pitching prospects entering the league in the last 3 years after efforts to increase the level of pitching at junior levels started paying off. And those prospects have flocked to teams where they'd get starting opportunities on day 1 - that'd be the more creative teams of the Desierto Challengers, Amandine Wanderers, Aviansola Admirals... and you would say the Furune Bees also fit into that category.

What we're left with are the 'bad' teams unwilling to take a risk - the Originals, Knights, Silvers. After all that we're left with one team that nobody can probably pidgeonhole into a single category. The Katashi Giants. You've already read that they were in both of the last two finals. More on them later, maybe.

So looking at the landscape ahead of season 32, we're looking at perhaps three contenders - as mentioned, the Wanderers, Challengers, Giants. Looking at their rosters, there's not one clear route to perceived success, and no team can manage to put together a single star-studded roster well ahead of the rest. Even the Challengers, looking to be the most complete roster for this year, have some doubts, particularly in their bullpen, where Saudhuinin and Vaithuikun are serviceable, but the rest are mediocre at best judging from last season's numbers. And the Challengers don't dominate a single category either: they have above average pitching and fielding/batting, one of the best rotations in the league (adding Peinoinin to Vasquez and Basquez), and as always the services of Letha Newich, the best Ko-orenite baseball player around.

The Wanderers also don't call a single category their own, with their power coming from their batting lineup - still with Kheudhen as their best pitcher at just 20 years old (that's the recruiment we've been talking about) who has it in her to become Ko-oren's best given decent guidance by, say, 34-year old Micheaux. On the batting side, they have Dakritdhen, Mortier, and foreigners Calvo-Rich and Sullivan making them, apparently, not the best in the league and we're wondering what it'd take to claim that title. Perhaps team number 3?

Not really. The Katashi Giants - an enigma of a team - have the best rotation with Namioka, Paljizen (20 years old as well!), and Rothsenns, and most importantly, no clear hole among the top 5. Their outfield is pretty dramatic, with Natsuka trying to pull together two triple A-level players, the infield has Kiribata and Nvunyi, the bullpen has Mane... and that's honestly it. The Giants, well, it's hard to call them good, but they're here, they might well lose another final, at which point we'll have to call what they're doing a 'strategy' that's 'working out for them', for some reason.

Behind the top three we find a class of five teams battling for a spot in the postseason. The Generals, Whales, Admirals, Stars, and Silvers. That's the stalwart Generals, Whales, and Stars, the conservative Silvers, and the risky Admirals. The Generals will have to rely on their pitching, and specifically the bullpen (Nusazen!) while hoping the infield isn't completely overrun offensively and defensively. The Whales are two starting pitchers away from contending - by far the closest to a future final out of all teams - while already having Tone in there. The Admirals might have put together the best hitting core with Sop, Aiso, Amachi, and on-and-off Hosokawa, with Jidazen in the infield capping off a very potent offence. Defensively it's not much, though Fenatti and a handful of bullpen gambles could come through for them. The Stars are good defensively, horrible offensively, and the Silvers have hogged all of the infielders that the other teams so desperately need with Ljotsesen, Tunazen, Matsuoka, and Sawano - which could be a decent national team lineup to be honest.

In the bottom four we have the Dragons (!! How the mighty have fallen), Originals (not 12th!), Knights, and Bees. The Bees were a team with a huge upside but in their expansion team draft they've targeted players too old to carry them long-term, and they've now had to sign whatever was available while they look to be on a 5-year rebuild at least.

[Ranoria]

Balfre's Finest:
Ricky Mouser Lends a Hand To Lift Ranoria To Another Winning Series


The Krauts took their series with the Dragonflies two games to one, and are back to five hundred on the campaign

Everyone loves to see the biggest star of Second Recreational League of Balafre South take the mound. And after the Krauts let up three runs in the fifth inning to let Ko-oren take a 7-2 lead in game 2, it was time to bring out the creature who haunts the dreams of the local divorced dads in Balafre. The southern part, anyway. Ricky Mouser came in and got the final two outs of that fifth to stop the bleeding. That got them to the top of the order - after John Solomons got on base, he stretched a Julian Breit double into a run, and Jesse Griffith hit a double of his own to at least put a couple runs on the board.

Now Mouser was in for it - still down 7-4, the game was at least winnable, but he had to get all three outs. And despite a couple scares, his curveball (which has adapted remarkably well from his rec league) got the final out with two runners on to put their guys back on the mound. That's when Ranoria really turned on the afterburners. Rylan Rodgers Jr smashed a tater over the wall to put three runs on in a flash, and with one more run, they took the lead.

Ricky Mouser had one more inning in him, once again letting up two hits, but with the tying run on third, the batter smashed the ball right back at him, and it literally just happened to land right in his glove. Completely caught off guard, it took him a minute, but he was able to get the ball back to his third baseman to get out of the inning.

Ranoria notched one more run at the bottom of the seventh, and subbed Mouser out for Katla Gardner for an at bat before moving to their closer, Miellan Walker. The thirty five year old allowed just one hit in 1.2 innings to get the save - and Mouser earned his first recorded W for the national team.

It was huge for this squad to knock Ko-oren down a peg, even if it just gets us back to 6-6, a surprisingly bad start for a team that came into this Classic as the eighth ranked in the world. There are no "must win" games this early, but Ranoria's representatives will have to put on a stronger showing down the stretch and consistently win their series if they want to punch their tickets to Chromatika come the knockout rounds. "I'd love to play in Chromatika again," said Jacklyn Flowers, older sister of the World Bowl Krauts' starting quarterback, Dante, "My brother and I grew up there, it'd mean so much to come back home and earn a championship where it all started."

[New Montreal States]

REFORMED EXPOS SWEEP SOLGAVDEN BECAUSE ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE DOING IT

54% of Reformed Expos players and staff would also jump off a bridge if the cool kids did as well, as a life without their beloved friends and neighbors would be a sad and lonely one indeed

PARC LOIC-DUVERNIER, ST-SIMON-DE-LA-COLONNE – Child psychologists, school counselors and parenting advice book authors across NMS are encouraging parents across the country to speak with their children about ways of standing up to negative peer pressure after the Reformed Expos mindlessly went along with the rest of their peers by sweeping last-place Solgavden.

“From talking with all of the participants involved, we all agree that Crpostran started this by sweeping them in the second series. Ko-oren saw them, then went over and swept them as well. When a team that everyone in the group looks up to like Ko-oren does something, that sends a social signal that sweeping Solgavden is one of the behaviors needed for a team to be ‘cool,’ that is, recognized as a socially desireable peer to be associated with, within the context of Group B,” said Dr. Phillip Alderman, a former high school principal and district superintendent, and three-time “Most Avuncular Man of the Year” award-winner. “This was the time when responsible adults should have stepped in to reassert and reinforce acceptable norms of group behavior, and there’s going to have to be some soul-searching to see why the early signals were missed.”

Experts we spoke with all agreed that parents need to nudge their kids to think about why they and their peer groups think certain behaviors and people are “cool” and should be favored over others. “When your elementary- or high-schooler says that Ko-oren wiping the floor with Solgavden over the course of three evenings of one-sided baseball is ‘cool,’ parents need to ask them to explain what makes that ‘cool’ in their eyes and the eyes of their peers, and whether that’s aligned with the type of person they want to become.”

By the time the Reformed Expos closed out their sweep yesterday, with their heretofore universally reviled bullpen allowing only one run across all three games, the damage was likely done. “It’s possible that Ranoria may be able to stand up to the rest of the group and not give in to pressure to sweep Solvgaden,” said High School Counselor's Guild President Rebecca Baines. “But at this point all the rest of their peers have done so and they might not feel like they have a choice. These teams spend more time with their peers than with their parents or other trusted adults, and they will do what they need to do to conform to unhealthy expectations if they don’t have a foundation they can use to push back.

The Reformed Expos will close out the first half of qualification with a series against world # 2 and group leader South Newlandia, coincidentally the only team to drop a game so far against Solgavden with a 5-2 loss in the final game of the first series. Leading experts in hubris warned that it would be very ironic if the Elephants use their trunks to sweep the Expos out of the way using gigantic, elephant-sized brooms after the team finished celebrating their sweep of Solgavden. Dr. Marie-Anne Hubert, a leading child psychology researcher at the Insitut des Sciences Pedagogiques in New Antioch, agreed:

“Letting Solgavden win one game to not leave them feeling left out of the qualifiers entirely shows a lot of emotional maturity on the Elephants’ part in that they understand that the other teams have feelings too,” she said. “That level of emotional maturity goes far in furthering a child’s education, and I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t help them win a baseball tournament as well.”

[Milchama]

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

Sports Section

In Zenic Series Loss, A Worrying Trend Reasserts Itself

It wasn't going to be all high flying and it was obvious that the Warriors were going to drop some games but after going 7-2 in the first 3 series, Milchama finally came to the meat of the schedule; Zenic and Kytler Peninsula. While many would expect the Warriors to be better than Zenic, and, if our B team is anything to go by, better than KP, it's not as obvious. Moreover, it's baseball and anything can happen so a loss to either side would not be surprising. However, the series loss to Zenic shows some reassertion of old trends that again seem worrying in the context of the World Baseball Classic.

Since Drawkland has ended the chokers label, getting as far as the finals in the last WBC, the Warriors have become the new chokers, a perennial top 5 team that has made the semis once and never made the finals since the 50s. This is completely different than the old Warriors who generally did much better in later rounds and usually lost to teams like Az-cz in the finals and rarely did less than that. However, despite the fluky performance of one semifinal Milchama have been good at the beginning and slowly get worse throughout a tournament until by the end the Warriors basically suck. The worry here is that a loss to Zenic is a repeat of old patterns. Sure beating up on scrubs to go 7-2 is good but then we get a good team, a loss, and suddenly Milchama is back at square 1, literally as we are now in a three way tie for first with Kytler Peninsula and Zenic.

This, of course, gets worrying with the upcoming series with The Peninsula since the only other team with real aspirations of going far, after a shocking semifinal performance last time out, are the Phoenix rose like Conchita Wurst in Eurovision, to become an out of nowhere sensation and a team worth watching. The question is can Milchama actually beat a team like that, historically, based on our choker label, the odds have not been great. We expect the Warriors to do better but history says it's not great.

The question coming into this World Baseball Classic was not, is this team talented, but instead, is this team a bunch of chokers and do they have the composure to win? Last night seemed to prove no, Zenic was up 3-1 in the 9th after a solid start from Vashington, (7 IP, 3 runs, 8 Ks) and the Warriors were up in the bottom of the 9th. Leadoff single by Max Krennick, then the pinch hitter Tal Ted takes a walk. First and second nobody out for the top of the order with Helfand, she grounds out to third, Franić had to get the force so again, runners on first and second with one out. Diego McConstaff comes on to pinch hit and he gets a single, plating Ted and making it first and second one out, Milchama down 1 and suddenly everything is coming up Milchama. Erez Goldman, the best Milchamian hitter in the MBL is up, Wenceslao seems to be struggling and Goldman ground into a double play on the first pitch, game over, Zenic win the series.

Why is Goldman swinging at the first pitch? Especially with a rattled pitcher, crowd on their feet, you're the best hitter, wait. That's a mentality problem and that's something we see over and over again. When the Warriors need to buckle down they don't and then we lose. The question is can we change our ways against the Phoenix, can we go from a team of chokers to a team that can actually beat, not only better teams, but also teams that are slightly worse but still competitive with us? No idea but it would be nice to do that for once.

And to help let us pray to Margaret:

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

"Now repeat after me!"

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

*They strip and run around for 18 minutes*

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

"Sacrifice the Rubber Chicken!"

*Swoosh of an axe and the chicken is dead*

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

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

[Zwangzug]

It's Easter, the world is in bloom,
An angel sits down on the tomb,
The beauties of spring
Inspire us to sing,
And first base is guarded by...whom?

Today it was Janet McFreed.
A Bigtopian name, yes indeed.
She's fun in the dugout
And balls, she can slug out,
But isn't renowned for her speed.

So when pitchers like Undset-Black
Look over to deke runners back,
she's not there for the pickoff.
This sometimes will tick off
the pitchers, so they fire flak.

Not firing at batters, of course;
we don't seek success by brute force.
Just insulting their team,
in the tones of a scream,
and rarely expressing remorse.

[TJUN-ia]

TJUN-ia 7-6 Tikariot
TJUN-ia 4-2 Tikariot
TJUN-ia 3-2 Tikariot

I'm sorry, WHAT?!
We swept #11 Tikariot? IN Tikariot?!
We were 2-7 entering this series against a 7-2 side, and suddenly, we wake the fuck up and sweep them?!
How on Earth did we do that?

Game 1
Mohammad Al-Rayyan vs Henrik Lundqvist was basically over after 4 innings as we scored 7 in that time - a Zingisa Mtyanda Grand Salami, Palila Kalawai’a and 2 more via Mtyanda again. It was simply brilliant, our best performance by far, and even a rally from the hosts was enough for young guns Jennifer McDunne and Jasper Stewart to let this game go.

Game 2
Mercedes Bentancur and two from Fernando Rodrigo Viera would essentially be enough for Yolande Sirapui to beat Sebastian Forsberg. Winning this series felt like a big step in the right direction, but how did we complete the sweep?

Game 3
JoJo McAlbo vs Gabriella Reyes would be a tight affair for most of the way, but the big moment that ended up being the one that secured this unexpected sweep was a 3-run bomb in the 6th via Luke Jaxon. So yeah...that was the moment this sweep became real.

We have thrown this group into chaos. Now, everyone is separated by only 2 games and that's it. Shit just got real and all before a double-header series in Portside against both Soryeon and Srednjaci.

We are back in the game. Let's not waste this second chance.
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) L 1-2 (6th)
S4: @Tikariot (11) W 3-0 (6th)
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]

The Elephants managed to win two games in Crpostran, maintaining their lead in Group B in the World Baseball Classic. For the third time in four series, they dropped game three (the lone exception was the Ranoria series, where they won in extras), and the games were quite close throughout, but the Elephants remain well on playoff course, ahead of their series hosting returners New Montreal States. Looking ahead, however, we asked some of the players what they’re looking forward to in Chromatika, should the team make the knockout rounds.

Hailey Clark: Oh, I’d be looking forward most to the food! Back the last time we were there for the playoffs (Clark, among with Löfgren and King, is one of the three Elephants who had already been with the team in WBC56), I had such a good time with the cuisine they’ve got there. I love spicy food, and South Newlandians often prefer stuff that’s pretty bland, at least to me, so I’m sure I’d have a good time.

Kevin Barros: When I’m abroad, I always try to learn about the historically important places of a nation. If we make a deep enough run, we’re probably going to get a series in Chromia, which would do exactly that for me. I’ve only engaged with the surface level of Chromatik history and politics personally, but it seems fascinating, so I’d love to get a chance to learn more.

Teresa Mills: I would love to get a chance to play in the KnetyoDome! 330 to the right field corner sounds like a dream ballpark for me, as a left-handed hitter. It’s not particularly likely we get a series there, and it probably wouldn’t even be great for the team as a whole, given how few left-handed bats we have in general, but I would have a great time!

Mats Molina: Chromatika definitely sounds nice, but I’m much more interested in getting another cuddle series with Ranoria. I miss Ol’ Red already. He’s my favourite. Can anyone call the Ranorians and let them know they need to do a good at baseball so we can have more cuddles?

Shivay Sahu: Maybe we’ll get a chance to visit Shantarr. I love shellfish, which is surprisingly uncommon in South Newlandia, despite being an island. Back when I lived in Peninsulara, I’d have it a lot more often, so Shatarr sounds like a great place to be. Not to mention the stadium capacity being very South Newlandian, like a lot of these.

Dylan Borges: Well, I’m known as a bit of a public transit nerd, so I’m hoping we’ll advance a few rounds, so I get to see some of the Chromatik transportation network. I’ve seen the railroad maps, which seems lovely. I don’t necessarily need to get on a ferry, I get seasick very easily, but I know some of my teammates would enjoy it.

Lio Fischer: Felswyr is their big Snow City, right? I’ve actually never seen Snow in real life, and honestly, I don’t know how cold it would be there around the weeks where we would be in the country, but it seems it would be a very interesting place to see, culturally, even though I don’t really like being cold.

Sofia Löfgren: Well, most of all, we’d be there to get things done. South Newlandia didn’t manage to make a deep run either of the previous two times we were in Chromatika, which seems odd, considering it seems just about the perfect place for us, in terms of being close to home. A lot of teams might struggle with the small stadiums -- certainly not us from Stadium Not Large. Some teams might be upset about the regulations, but they’re actually more permissive of some stuff there compared to South Newlandia. The weather is similar, the attitudes of people there are similar, even their baseball history mirrors and is interlinked with our own. So, if we make it back to Chromatika, I want to finally go on a run there. Let’s hope for the best.

[Zenic]

This was not how the series was expected to go but Alamilla would be remiss if he wasn't excited.

Jumping out to a 5-2 lead after the first three innings was a fantastic start to the series but Alamilla remembered that in the moment, he knew better than to assume they were guaranteed to win. Thankfully, the players disagreed and scored the same amount of runs in the 5th inning as they had in the previous 4 innings combined. After that, pitching and fielding were the name of the game and the Diamond Survivors managed to hold on for an 11-6 victory in Milchama.

Despite riding such a high into Game 2, Milchama replicated Zenic's statline from Game 1 to take a big lead early. Unfortunately, Zenic could not respond in kind and were shutout 5-0 to level the series at 1-1. Game 3 was a much closer affair. José Messias Gonçalves homered for his 6th hit of the series and first homer since the series against Andso Mangis to help Zenic jump out to their second early lead in the series. Max Krennick was having none of that as he was able to drive in Ro'ee Marquez to equal one inning later. The two teams turned from offense to defense for the next few innings as both teams got into scoring position several times but ultimately could not seal the deal.

Then Matis Marius Évrard made his presence felt in the sixth inning. As the designated DH in a road series where DH was not played, he had not made an appearance in the first game as it was a comfortable lead while there was never a real opportunity for a pinch hitter in the shutout during the second game. However, when Daniela Salvación Capilla got on base and slowly made her way to third thanks to Lucas Moreno and Luis Ángel Joabe Tapia. That's when Alamilla turned to Évrard in the dugout and nodded, confirming that it was the catcher's time to shine.

As Évrard went up to bat, he knew that all he needed was a base hit to put the Diamond Survivors ahead. If he just so happened to knock one out of the park, it would be icing on the cake. The count was 1-2 when he saw a hittable pitch: a fastball low and outside that stayed just a bit too high to what the pitcher was hoping for. And with the swing of his bat, Évrard changed the score from 1-1 to 3-1.The bullpen came in and worked their magic with Nicolau Amador and Grgić maintaining the score until Wenceslao could work his magic: magic that almost failed him. One errant pitch and Erez Goldman brought the game to within one run in the bottom of the ninth to increase the pressure and tension. Thankfully, Wenceslao recovered his composure after one final mound visit from Ogawa and allowed him to close out the game for yet another save.

Now, Alamilla and the Diamond Survivors are in an interesting position. They're currently tied with Milchama and The Kytler Peninsuale at the top of Group D with an 8-4 record and lead thanks to their head-to-head results, considering how small Zenic's run differential has been since their return to the World Baseball Classic. Up next was Drakur, who have struggled as much as Andso Mangis and are slated to travel to the Empire to finish out the first half of the group stage schedule.

A series win should be enough to keep them in the hunt for another playoff berth, especially after overachieving with a series win against Milchama. However, Alamilla was on the hunt for that elusive series sweep and now was as good as any to go for it.

He just hoped that he didn't push too hard and end up getting the reserve result.

[Tikariot]

Episode IV: The House That Would Not Empty

The old canals of Avanaroch were not planned, but rather carved. What now houses the financial centre of Tikariot once was far less glorious. Cut slowly through marsh and silt, widened over centuries, edged with stone that sank, shifted, and was built upon again, the canals began the lifeline of early Avanaroch. The houses that line them lean not out of age, but more out of adaptation, each correcting for the failures of the last.

Some stand because they were rebuilt. Some stand because they were reinforced. And some stand because no one has decided what to do with them.

The Property on Veyr Canal

There is one house, located on the picturesque Veyr Canal that is not quite like all the other ones. The house has no official name. It is listed in municipal records by address only, one of many narrow, four-storey canal homes along a quiet stretch of the old city with the traditional brick façade and timber frame that makes this part of town so historic. A private mooring cut directly into the canal wall.

Unremarkable.

Except for its history of occupancy.

The First Record

The earliest confirmed residents date back just over a century, a family of five. Mom, dad, twin girls and a boy. Their time in the house is documented through routine civic records, such as tax filings, school registrations, shipping manifests tied to the father’s trade, so they are not just a myth, they are real.

The last entry is a request for municipal assistance. No details, but marked as urgent. However, there is no follow-up.

The Discovery

What is known comes from a report filed three days later when neighbours raised concerns about a suspcicious lack of activity, shutters closed, deliveries left untouched at the door. Officials entered the property mid-morning and found the house intact. Undisturbed. Looking perfectly occupied.

The Scene

All five members of the household were present, seated. They were positioned throughout the ground floor and first level. Not arranged with ceremony of concealed, but simply still. There were no signs of struggle or forced entry, also no indication of illness or injury that could be determined at the time. Food had been prepared in the kitchen, partially served, and a ledger lay open on the table, mid-entry, as if just abandoned.

One of the children was seated near the canal door, facing outward, as if watching the water.

The Investigation

The official conclusion was inconclusive. The investigators could not establish any probable cause that accounted for all five. There were no external factors, so the house was cleared and the case was closed. Quietly, without decorum or any press releases. Granted, it having been over a century ago likely helped with that part.

The Second Occupancy

The property did not remain vacant, as authorities did not disclose what had happened inside. Also, Avanaroch’s old town does not allow for that. Within a year, it was sold, and the new occupants lasted eight months.

This time, their departure was unremarkable, no incident, no report, they just packed their belongings and moved. Where to, nobody knows.

But the house did not stay empty for long. It never did.

The Pattern

Over the next decades, the house changed hands repeatedly.

Each occupancy differed:

A single tenant
A couple
A small business operating on the ground floor
A family, briefly

In most cases, nothing happened. No reports or complaints, just ordinary habitation. But occasionally, rarely, and without warning, there would be an event.

The Events

These events were nothing that would cause a ruckus. They shared no clear cause, there were no common triggers. However, their descriptions kind of... overlapped.

Residents reported:

A persistent sense of interruption, as though entering a room mid-conversation
Objects placed down and later found in positions that felt intentional, but not remembered
The canal-facing door being found unlatched in the morning, despite being secured the night before

None of these were considered significant and individually, they were dismissed. Together, they formed no official pattern, so there never were any records of anything that would have made the news or caught anybody's attention, really.

The Third Incident

The next confirmed tragedy occurred nearly forty years after the first. This time, it was a single occupant. A clerk, recently relocated to Avanaroch, working in the financial industry that was booming in the city at the time. He had no known health issues, no history of instability.

He was found in the main room. Seated, like some of the first family. The chair was drawn slightly back from the table, almost as if he had intended to stand up but then just... stopped.

The Details

In more similar to the original family, there were no signs of intrusion or struggle. Again, no immediate cause of death was determined. However, there was one little detail that made it stand out and caught someone's attention.

There was a second chair, positioned across from him. In itself, nothing of notice, as most tables have more than one chair. However, this one had been moved. Pulled slightly away from the table, angled toward the canal door.

The Canal

Over time, attention shifted, not to the house itself, but to its position. The stretch of Veyr Canal it faces is older than most of the surrounding structures. It is narrower and deeper and maybe due to that, its retaining walls show signs of repeated reinforcement. There are records of subsidence and structural correction, as well as dredging operations that seemed incomplete. Again, in and of itself, nothing unusual for Avanaroch and its vast canal system. However, it was enough to suggest that the ground beneath the house has never been entirely stable.

Modern Records

In recent years, the property has remained occupied more consistently, complete with renovations and modernized utilities. The city did periodic surveys and no structural anomalies were detected beyond what you can typically expect from an old district. Despite that, tenant turnover remained higher than average, for different reasons. Leasing being terminated early, sales falling through or prospective buyers withdrawing their offers without explanation.

Unrecorded Observations

Despite the high turnover, or maybe because of it, there are only few details known about those who have lived there. Not from official reports, but more conversations, statements that never made it into official records.

The sense that the house is not empty, even when it is
The feeling of being expected, rather than alone
The impression—difficult to articulate—that something has already happened, and you have arrived just after

However, and one detail, mentioned more than once:

That the canal, at certain hours, appears occupied. Nothing visibly, but the way the sound carried across it, in a way, as if movement has just passed that nobody saw.

The Present Day

The house still stands. It is still occupied, well maintained and functional without any ongoing investigation or a designation beyond the address.

Closing

Avanaroch’s canals are old, the oldest ones dating back well over a thousand years. They have survived all buildings that ever stood and are older than any records that ever were used to try to define them. They are almost like living being, shifting, settling, despite constantly being corrected, reinforced and reshaped. But despite all that, nobody ever really understood them or what happened in and around them. If you look at the house on Veyr Canal, you will not find anything that would set it apart from the others along the same canal. There is no continuous history of incidents, the events are not predictable, there is no pattern. And despite some similarities, the tragedies, decades apart, show no connection either that could give any ideas about something being wrong with the house.

Except for one thing: Each time, the occupants were not alone in the way they arranged themselves. Nobody and nothing was ever seen, nothing could ever be proved. However, there often was teh feeling as if the house was shared. With who or what, nobody ever knew.

[Dhemixia]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Bullpen Full of Franklin Bells

Schedule:

Series 1: vs. Nusandara W 2-1
Series 2: @ Liventia L 1-2
Series 3: vs. Abanhfleft W 3-0
Series 4: @ Chromatika W 2-1
Series 5: vs. Drawkland
Series 6: @ Nusandara
Series 7: vs. Liventia
Series 8: @ Abanhfleft
Series 9: vs. Chromatika
Series 10: @ Drawkland

Following whatever you want to call game one against Abanhfleft, Neil McCarthy did not pitch Gustavo Benson or Harper Avila the rest of the series. In the moment, it was a smart move. Save your pitchers for a series you really want to win (against Chromatika, perhaps), and let them mentally and physically recover. In doing so, Benson lost his will to play baseball, and Avila's UCL is being held together by scotch tape and rat poison.

The Dhemixian bullpen simply Did Not want to win a game against Chromatika. Their magnum opus? Game one. To set the scene, it's the bottom of the eighth inning. The starter, Morgan Andrews, let up a four-spot in the first but recovered to go six solid innings. Jameson Hicks had a clean seventh, leaving the door open for a 7-4 Dhemixian lead in the eighth. Assuming he's ready, McCarthy puts in our good friend Gustavo Benson to set up an Alexandra Graham ninth. As you can probably see coming from multiple miles away, Benson sells harder than a Dhemmart on a UCP gameday and gives up both four runs and the lead. Not wanting to waste any more high-leverage relievers, Neil puts in Harper Avila, three days removed from a 40+ pitch outing. The first batter works a 3-2 and then walks on eight pitches. The second does the same and walks on ten. The third doubles on a full count to score a run. The fourth singles and scores two after seven. Avila's acquired zero outs on 31 pitches, and the lead has ballooned to four. Be it sheer incompetence and ignorance or just plain attempting to collect an insurance payout on her UCL, McCarthy leaves her on the bump. She would end the inning having allowed four and having thrown upwards of 50 pitches. That's not exactly a recipe for success.

Welcome back to the bottom of the eighth, this time in game three, and guess who's on the bump again! Good ol' Railgun Arm Benson! I'll let you guess how this outing ended for him. If it weren't for Travis Sellers, Benson would have made it yet another eight spot in the eighth. Somehow, as a result of their miraculous 7-spot in the second, the Serps managed to find a way to win this game. As a product of this series, the Dhemixian bullpen was utterly obliterated, all for two wins.

Worse yet, they've got the Base Corps coming to town. And they don't even have Franklin Bell on the staff anymore!

[Chromatika]

So... Where are we, twelve games in? 7-5. A series sweep over Liventia, two series losses to Dhemixia and Drawkland, and a series win over Abanhfleft sees the Outliers at a respectable clip heading into the game against Nusandara - then we do it all over again. Tied with Liventia, but having won three against them, the Chromatiks are sitting in third place, a game behind Dhemixia and two behind Drawkland. Can't complain, really, except for the fact that the starting pitching has been sketchy, the situational batting has been horrendous, and they are overly reliant on heroes to bail them out in tight situations.

The five losses for the Outliers are as follows: 5-6, 2-4, 6-11, 1-2, 7-8. Notice a pattern? Only in one of those did they lose by more than two runs. The fact that four of the five losses are either by one or two runs showcases both the potential of this squad - they have been i all but one game, and the Run Differential in losses being only -10 is spectacular - as well as the shortcomings. RISP has been a problem for them, and it looks like if Miles Sturdevantt or Alena Egorova are not up to the task, they just can't score runs.

To waste Eddard Friend's great start in the last series - he went eight innings before exiting, just for the game to be lost at the top of the ninth - was a travesty. Then, a five-run comeback at the bottom of the eighth fell just short as Carmen Batista was caught stealing at the bottom of the ninth, and the home fans were left wondering just what could've been had few things gone their way.

After the first round-robin, Alisen Mayamoto may switch things around a bit. Sarah Pedersen has been treat as a Pinch Runner, Carmen Bynum-Jackson's control has been lacking at times, and the entire Management Staff could take a course on how to run things more aggressively when the occasion calls for it.

It's a weird place to be. There are six teams in the group, and Chromatika are seeded fourth - with only the top two teams advancing, plus four of the best third placed teams. This means that just making it to the Round of Sixteen would be considered an accomplishment, one that they are meeting so far.

It's the first World Baseball Classic since the dissolution of the LPB. Chromatik players are now left playing baseball in Chromatika - for better or for worse. There's also the added pressure of this WBC being held within Chromatika itself.

First, Nusandara - an unranked squad, then the second round robin awaits.