League of Nations - Page 2

Syd Thrift · 06-28-2008, 04:23 PM

August 5 - The Treaty of St-Germain is signed, ending the Great War with Austria. The baseball team had already been operating without Hungarian players so no changes need be made to the team.

August 5-8: The Florida Keys Hurricane kills 600 in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and Texas. No American baseball players are affected.

August 10: The Steel Strike of 1919 begins, and Americans are not immune. The following players are suspended for the remainder of the season:

Cincinnati Reds
----------------
RF Jose Sanchez (.293, 0, 27, 1)

New York Giants
----------------
C Vincent Newman (.276, 0, 36, 0)

US Army Baseball Engineers
----------------
2B Oscar Stephens (.251, 0, 49, 2)

Chicago Defenders
----------------
MR John Carlton (3-1, 6.09 ERA)
2B Benny McConnell (.258, 0, 6, 0)
RF Paul Stewart (.303, 6, 54, 0)

August 15: Omaha riots result in a lynching and the assignment of 1,200 soldiers to the city to restore peace. This is only the latest in a series of race riots by whites against blacks in the summer of 1919. No US Army or Chicago Defenders are directly involved, although SS Jamal Dodd announces he's leaving the team as he'd "rather spit than play on the same field as a white person again."

Syd Thrift · 06-29-2008, 05:03 AM

August 16 - The Elaine Race Riots occur. None of the baseball players in the league are involved.

August 17 - US President Woodrow Wilson suffers a stroke and is partially paralyzed. His wife Edith Wilson takes over the day-to-day running of the Cincinnati Reds ballclub.

August 20 - The Boston police go on strike. No US players are involved.

August 29 - Prohibition begins. -1 culture to all US teams due to the stupidity.

Syd Thrift · 06-30-2008, 01:07 AM

Everything Begins To Shake Down As the League of Nations Enters Its Final Month

Code:

America/Asia Standings

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Mexico City Aztecs	78	48	.619	-	81-45	-3	34-22	44-26	9-2	21-19	29	W5	8-2
RC Mounted Baseballists	76	48	.613	1.0	67-57	9	43-27	33-21	9-6	28-14		W1	8-2
New York Giants		67	60	.528	11.5	61-66	6	32-24	35-36	4-7	19-14		L1	7-3
Tokyo Rising Sun	65	62	.512	13.5	68-59	-3	28-31	37-31	6-7	11-15		L1	4-6
USA Baseball Engineers	58	66	.468	19.0	57-67	1	28-38	30-28	8-7	19-23		L5	4-6
Cincinnati Reds		54	72	.429	24.0	59-67	-5	30-27	24-45	5-9	12-24		L2	2-8
Chicago Defenders	52	72	.419	25.0	54-70	-2	31-39	21-33	4-5	15-15		W1	2-8
Shanghai Dragons	51	73	.411	26.0	53-71	-2	26-41	25-32	5-7	19-20		W2	5-5

European League Standings

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
London Monarchs		72	55	.567	-	70-57	2	44-26	28-29	4-6	20-18	26	W2	7-3
Paris Revolutions	66	57	.537	4.0	66-57	0	34-21	32-36	11-1	20-22		L1	5-5
Berlin Teutonic Knights	64	59	.520	6.0	68-55	-4	24-32	40-27	7-8	17-21		W4	7-3
Madrid Matadors		63	65	.492	9.5	54-74	9	37-38	26-27	7-6	22-18		W3	6-4
Rome Cardinals		63	65	.492	9.5	58-70	5	26-41	37-24	5-3	23-12		W1	2-8
Vienna Meisterflauten	62	66	.484	10.5	67-61	-5	33-38	29-28	7-13	24-24		L4	5-5
Moscow Proletariat	57	66	.463	13.0	62-61	-5	25-29	32-37	5-6	16-21		L3	3-7
Amsterdam Admirals	55	69	.444	15.5	56-68	-1	23-31	32-38	3-6	12-18		L1	4-6

The only thing truly left in the Asia/America League is whether the Mexico City Aztecs or the Royal Canadian Mounted Baseballists will achieve homefield advantage. An August fade by the Tokyo Rising Sun that saw the former contenders win just 10 of 26 games pretty much sealed the deal there. We have to say that this was a bad month for top-rated clubs... but more about that in a second. The Aztecs have 3 of their starters in the top 10 in the A/A in ERA while the Canadians house 3 of the top 10 in RBIs in the league. Given that, it's surprising that the Rising Sun lasted as long as they did.

Meanwhile, in the European League, somebody has finally separated themselves from the pack. It was looking like the Tour de France for a while there with everybody bunched up together. The London Monarchs suffered a spate of injuries early on but as the hot summer months progressed, their talent - particularly their dynamic pitching duo of Cameron Boden (17-10, 2.69 ERA) and Freddie Turville (15-10, 2.49) - moved them apart from everybody else.

Of course, it's not over yet. The Monarchs could still, after all, pull a Vienna. Remember how they were on top of the world (or at least half of it) just a month ago? As you can see, they're now several games below .500 and are fighting to stay out of the second division. A 6-22 record and a 15-game losing streak will do that to you. Yes, 15 games. We've seen collapses, and we've seen long losing streaks, but we can't remember ever seeing that deep of a fall from a contending ballclub. Perhaps we're making too much of this - at the height of their power, the Meisterflauten were still only 12 games above .500 - but let's face it: it was pretty big.

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times
Let's take a look at the best and worst hitters and pitchers in the game today.

Code:

Best		Team	AB	R	H	BA
H. Sato		JPN	463 	 76	176	.380
T. Schroeder	NY	327	 84	120	.367
S. Lenyashin	USSR	501	 95	183	.365
R. Beatty	NY	447	 70	161	.360
D. Bunch	NY	524	103	187	.357
O. Perrell	UK	406	 67	143	.352
J. Dumoulin	FRA	506	 71	176	.348
K. Eckhardt	GER	524	105	182	.347
L. Vargas	MEX	496	 89	171	.345
D. Bernard	FRA	380	 47	131	.345

Worst		Team	AB	R	H	BA
D. Mallam	UK	368	 58	 81	.220
P. Schreurs	HOL	447	 55	104	.233
V. Schusetka	AUS	434	 62	101	.233
R. de Best	HOL	355	 33	 85	.239
X. Xin		CHN	342	 48	 86	.251

Best		Team	W-L	IP	ERA
S. Daly		NY	20-4	257.0	2.66
V. Schmeling	GER	15-3	182.1	2.86
M. Figueroa	MEX	12-3	138.1	2.21
Y. Ishida	JPN	19-5	238.1	2.98
Y. Calzolai	ITA	21-7	243.1	2.81
J. Galvan	SPN	19-7	233.0	2.12
M. Uenohara	JPN	10-4	132.2	2.98
C. Cyr		CAN	10-4	129.1	3.90
J. Gonzalez	MEX	19-8	248.1	3.08
M. Lavoie	CAN	19-8	237.1	2.94

Worst		Team	W-L	IP	ERA
T. Wheeler	USA	 4-9	133.0	4.26
E. Robin	FRA	 6-12	129.1	4.45
H. Xia		CHN	 9-15	214.2	3.65
J. Spencer	CIN	 6-10	133.0	3.25
J. Lozano	NY	10-16	223.1	4.59

What's In A Name
Let's take a look at some of the crazy nicknames from around the league.

Daryl "Cats" Evans, Chicago Defenders. Evans is a true diamond in the rough. His 15-13 record doesn't look all that great until you realize that the rest of his team is 37-59. Evans is 2nd in the A/A with 76 strikeouts and is fond of telling reporters that "all their base are belong to us" following a win.

Maxandre "Grizzly Man" Lavoie, Royal Canadian Mounted Baseballists. Lavoie has been stuck on 19 wins for 2 straight starts now, but Canadian baseball fans can be sure that he'll reach the 20 victory plateau eventually. The "Grizzly Man" is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia (not to be confused with Vancouver, Washington, which is the home of "The Slacker" Terry Schroeder! Although to be honest both places are in the middle of nowhere and we confuse them all the time!) where he insists that the only time he's ever seen a grizzly bear was in a zoo. Not that we believe him.

Scott "The Socialist" Ellis, Moscow Proletariat. His official nickname is The Socialist but New York fans have several unrepeatable monikers for him. This Red sympathizer defected to the Soviet Union and the Proletariat over the summer. We're happy to report that he's had limited success since his turncoat move - after starting the year 7-2 for the Giants, he's won just 1 of 4 decisions with his new keepers.

Syd Thrift · 07-01-2008, 07:18 PM

September 5 - The Chehalis Massacre occurs. Terry Schroeder, at home resting his shoulder, is rumored to be involved in some nefarious way (possibly even with the Wobblies) but his extreme popularity causes the newspapers to play this down. Wait, how do we know this?

September 10 - Einstein's theory of relativity is confirmed. +1 culture to Germany.

September 14 - Lady Astor becomes the first British Member of Parliament. Oh, what the heck... I will give England culture for this.

September 15 - The Spanish Flu pandemic has ended. +1 culture to Spain for no longer having to be associated with a disease!

Eckstein 4 Prez · 07-03-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

September 14 - Lady Astor becomes the first British Member of Parliament.

Before that, they were using... the French?

Syd Thrift · 07-04-2008, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eckstein 4 Prez

Before that, they were using... the French?

The first LADY British MP.

I am going to keep adding in stuff that is obviously not true and historical because it's the only time you all ever comment on my dynasty!!!!!

September 16, 1919 - Warner "Davey" Eckstein is named King of the Entire World. +1 culture for the world!

Syd Thrift · 07-04-2008, 02:53 PM

September 20 - Gabriele D'Annunzio, with his entourage, marches into Fiume and convinces the Italian troops to join him. No Roman players are involved.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 12:25 AM

As always, you can look at the league in all of its splendor here.

Canada, Mexico, England, and Germany All Move Along To World Series Playoffs

Code:

America/Asia Final Standings

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#		Streak	Last10
RC Mounted Baseballists	92	62	.597	-	83-71	9	46-31	46-31	10-6	31-19	Clinched	W1	5-5
Mexico City Aztecs	90	64	.584	2.0	93-61	-3	43-34	47-30	9-5	24-23	Wild Card	W1	2-8
New York Giants		78	76	.506	14.0	74-80	4	41-36	37-40	5-9	22-17			L1	4-6
Tokyo Rising Sun	76	78	.494	16.0	79-75	-3	34-43	42-35	7-8	16-18			W1	4-6
USA Baseball Engineers	74	80	.481	18.0	74-80	0	33-44	41-36	10-7	20-27			L1	5-5
Shanghai Dragons	70	84	.455	22.0	72-82	-2	33-44	37-40	7-9	25-25			L2	8-2
Chicago Defenders	68	86	.442	24.0	72-82	-4	35-42	33-44	5-7	21-21			W2	7-3
Cincinnati Reds		68	86	.442	24.0	71-83	-3	39-38	29-48	8-10	18-27			L1	4-6

European League Final Standings

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#		Streak	Last10
London Monarchs		85	69	.552	-	86-68	-1	45-32	40-37	5-7	21-22	Clinched	L5	4-6
Berlin Teutonic Knights	84	70	.545	1.0	87-67	-3	38-39	46-31	8-9	24-26	Wild Card	W4	9-1
Rome Cardinals		80	74	.519	5.0	74-80	6	31-46	49-28	8-4	26-15			L1	8-2
Paris Revolutions	77	77	.500	8.0	79-75	-2	42-35	35-42	13-4	25-28			W1	4-6
Madrid Matadors		76	78	.494	9.0	67-87	9	38-39	38-39	8-6	26-21			W1	3-7
Vienna Meisterflauten	75	79	.487	10.0	80-74	-5	36-41	39-38	8-14	27-28			W2	6-4
Amsterdam Admirals	70	84	.455	15.0	68-86	2	35-42	35-42	5-8	19-22			L1	4-6
Moscow Proletariat	69	85	.448	16.0	73-81	-4	36-41	33-44	5-8	20-26			L4	5-5

The first season of the League of Nations was nothing short of a success for the world, even though the United States teams faltered a bit. The Royal Canadian Mounted Baseballists finished with the best record in all of baseball, and if they coasted towards the end (a 16-14 record from September 1 on) it was only because they clinched themselves a playoff spot so early. Their south-of-the-US-border counterparts the Mexico City Aztecs found themselves in a similar position come September but suffered from a spate of injuries and could only end with an even 90 victories.

In the European League, the Berlin Teutonic Knights made things look a lot closer than they really were, rattling off 9 wins in their last 10 games after the London Monarchs had more or less clinched homefield advantage in the playoffs. While this late run did allow them to overtake the fading Paris Revolutions (5-18 from September 8 through October 3) and halt the advances of the Rome Cardinals (13-3 from September 13-30, but the season just ended too quickly for them), but by and large we just don't know what the Knights were trying to prove. It is generally considered a good idea to be leery of the treacherous Germans.

League Batting, Pitching and Fielding for 1919

Code:

America/Asia Batting

Team			AVG	HR	R	AB	H	2B	3B	BB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
Mexico City Aztecs	.296	15	852	5522	1632	359	52	430	287	.347	.388	.734	67
Tokyo Rising Sun	.289	27	830	5572	1612	290	35	447	239	.344	.368	.712	90
New York Giants		.289	26	820	5475	1585	305	44	448	277	.346	.376	.721	69
RC Mounted Baseballists	.288	28	863	5460	1570	402	43	592	204	.361	.392	.753	79
USA Baseball Engineers	.287	25	841	5548	1594	359	38	448	248	.344	.379	.723	114
Cincinnati Reds		.287	19	795	5503	1580	354	43	483	354	.349	.377	.726	44
Chicago Defenders	.284	17	804	5503	1564	353	51	443	291	.341	.376	.717	69
Shanghai Dragons	.273	25	705	5476	1496	339	41	382	400	.324	.364	.688	88

America/Asia Totals
Team			AVG	HR	R	AB	H	2B	3B	BB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
TOTALS			.287	182	6510	44059	12633	2761	347	3673	2300	.344	.378	.722	620

European League Batting
Team			AVG	HR	R	AB	H	2B	3B	BB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
Paris Revolutions	.297	32	801	5554	1647	354	41	343	275	.339	.392	.731	64
Berlin Teutonic Knights	.293	26	840	5510	1613	384	71	426	286	.347	.402	.749	168
Moscow Proletariat	.288	21	791	5499	1581	308	43	422	309	.342	.371	.713	85
London Monarchs		.285	27	846	5380	1532	373	40	544	249	.352	.384	.736	115
Rome Cardinals		.278	13	758	5543	1540	359	43	407	315	.328	.365	.693	80
Amsterdam Admirals	.268	18	684	5419	1452	286	29	384	356	.322	.341	.663	52
Vienna Meisterflauten	.264	38	783	5445	1440	321	42	463	364	.324	.360	.684	90
Madrid Matadors		.263	20	635	5290	1390	327	43	329	413	.314	.352	.666	118

European League Totals
Team			AVG	HR	R	AB	H	2B	3B	BB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
TOTALS			.279	195	6138	43640	12195	2712	352	3318	2567	.334	.371	.705	772

America/Asia Pitching

Team			ERA	S	IP	HA	R	ER	HRA	BB	K	OAVG	CG	SHO
Mexico City Aztecs	3.37	8	1380.0	1468	677	517	11	382	244	.272	87	10
Tokyo Rising Sun	3.78	11	1388.1	1557	812	583	21	426	354	.283	69	3
Shanghai Dragons	3.81	9	1386.0	1561	761	586	35	413	310	.285	80	3
RC Mounted Baseballists	3.81	9	1387.1	1612	797	588	14	429	300	.292	73	6
Cincinnati Reds		4.04	6	1373.1	1662	865	617	13	369	307	.296	78	3
New York Giants		4.05	10	1371.2	1598	856	617	19	595	236	.292	66	4
Chicago Defenders	4.13	10	1378.2	1622	865	633	24	443	277	.290	63	2
USA Baseball Engineers	4.29	12	1386.2	1553	877	661	45	616	272	.282	65	3

America/Asia Totals
Team			ERA	S	IP	HA	R	ER	HRA	BB	K	OAVG	CG	SHO
TOTALS			3.91	75	11052.0	12633	6510	4802	182	3673	2300	.287	581	34

European League Pitching

Team			ERA	S	IP	HA	R	ER	HRA	BB	K	OAVG	CG	SHO
London Monarchs		3.25	12	1374.1	1505	742	497	18	293	397	.273	73	7
Berlin Teutonic Knights	3.42	9	1391.2	1514	727	529	27	448	272	.277	79	5
Madrid Matadors		3.51	6	1374.0	1411	734	536	36	497	349	.267	78	7
Vienna Meisterflauten	3.56	6	1396.1	1543	753	553	17	351	324	.280	74	5
Amsterdam Admirals	3.56	8	1376.1	1568	778	544	22	345	314	.286	79	4
Paris Revolutions	3.78	5	1380.0	1511	774	579	24	471	298	.280	80	3
Rome Cardinals		3.85	14	1395.2	1555	795	597	27	437	311	.282	72	6
Moscow Proletariat	3.96	9	1377.2	1588	835	606	24	476	302	.290	57	6

European League Totals
Team			ERA	S	IP	HA	R	ER	HRA	BB	K	OAVG	CG	SHO
TOTALS			3.61	69	11066.0	12195	6138	4441	195	3318	2567	.279	592	43

America/Asia Fielding

Team			PO	A	TC	DP	TP	E	PCT
Mexico City Aztecs	4140	2269	6668	123	0	259	.961
Shanghai Dragons	4156	2093	6511	102	0	262	.960
RC Mounted Baseballists	4160	2197	6638	104	0	281	.958
USA Baseball Engineers	4158	2024	6458	106	0	276	.957
Tokyo Rising Sun	4164	2185	6639	107	0	290	.956
Cincinnati Reds		4119	2259	6703	91	0	325	.952
New York Giants		4113	2054	6503	113	1	336	.948
Chicago Defenders	4136	2251	6744	103	0	357	.947

America/Asia Totals
Team			PO	A	TC	DP	TP	E	PCT
TOTALS			33146	17332	52864	849	1	2386	.955

European League Fielding
Team			PO	A	TC	DP	TP	E	PCT
Rome Cardinals		4184	2064	6499	98	0	251	.961
Moscow Proletariat	4131	2171	6569	124	0	267	.959
Berlin Teutonic Knights	4172	2121	6565	105	1	272	.959
Paris Revolutions	4140	2000	6412	107	0	272	.958
Vienna Meisterflauten	4188	2316	6796	122	0	292	.957
Madrid Matadors		4121	2014	6421	126	0	286	.955
Amsterdam Admirals	4128	2121	6551	97	0	302	.954
London Monarchs		4122	2156	6657	105	0	379	.943

European League Totals
Team			PO	A	TC	DP	TP	E	PCT
TOTALS			33186	16963	52470	884	1	2321	.956

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 12:48 AM

Mexico City 1, Royal Canadians 0

Manuel Figueroa won this pitcher's duel in Toronto and, in doing, swiped homefield advantage away from the Mounted Baseballists. Neither side got a runner past 2nd base until the 9th inning, when a single, an intentional walk, and another single brought home the only run in the game. Maxandre "The Grizzly Man" Lavoie picked up the loss for the Royal Canadians.

London 11, Berlin 9

It wasn't nearly as fun for the pitchers on the European side of things. Both starters Hahn Franckel were knocked out of the box, Franckel in the 7th and Boden in the 4th. This one came down the relievers and the "dark, Satanic mills" that England is so renowned for seems to have produced the superior ones. Lee McKimmie threw 3 1/3 innings of shut-out ball and allowed the fine hitting of SS Orrin Perrel (3-5, 2 R, RBI) and CF Cameron Reed (a clutch 8th-inning double to put the game away) to win it for the Monarchs.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 01:13 AM

Royal Canadians 4, Mexico City 3

It can't be said that Bob Maitland doesn't like drama. Cruising through 8 innings, the right-hander out of Nova Scotia who delivered 14 victories in the regular season for the Mounted Baseballists almost gave up the ghost in the 9th. He allowed a couple singles and a double to bring the game from 4-1 to 4-3 with the tying run on at first base with no outs. Fortunately, his defense behind him then got the job done, turning a sharp ground ball by Aztecs catcher Ramon Guzman into a 6-4-3 double play and then forcing out pinch-hitter Jose Rodriguez to end the game.

Canada ended their playoff scoreless streak early, acquiring 2 runs in the first off of a single, a double, a triple, and an error against Jose Gonzales, who won 25 games in the regular season for the Aztecs. Gonzales, incidentally, got the loss for the Aztecs.

London 4, Berlin 3

Freddie Turvill went the distance for the Monarchs, putting his team up 2 games to none and placing the Teutonic Knights into a must-win situation in their home town 2 days from now. The Monarchs overcame a 2-error 8th inning that saw the score close from 4-1 to 4-3. Errors have bedeviled this team all season long. In better news, 18 year old whiz kid 2B Max Lesage had 3 hits in as many at-bats.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 01:43 AM

Canada 6, Mexico City 1

Mexico City had a problem with the back of their rotation all season long, but it was nonetheless a bit of a surprise when they named little-used Ivan Lopez to start Game 3 at home against the Mounted Baseballists. Lopez did have a superficially decent 3-1 record in 4 starts and 10 relief appearances for his team, but you'd think they'd have found somebody more... substantial.

At first, it was Canadian starting pitcher John Seaman who looked like he didn't have his "sea legs". Seaman walked the first batter he faced and was quite lucky to escape the first inning with just a run. However, he seemed to find control of his nickel curve as time went on and meanwhile during the Canadian halves Ivan Lopez looked more and more hittable as the game progressed. He finally left after 7 innings and 5 runs off of 6 hits and no strikeouts.

London 6, Berlin 0

The Teutonic Knights are not looking like a team that finished just 1 game behind in the European League standings. Byron Weld, a .500 pitcher in the regular season, didn't allow a base hit until the 7th inning and absolutely dominated Berlin.

The Monarchs scored the only run Weld needed in the first off of some clever baserunning by RF Byron Feveryear, who reached on a double, then advanced on two consecutive outs. Weld supplied some insurance of his own with a double in the top of the 5th. He came around to score in an inning that saw some questionable management by the Teutonic Knights. Their starter Victor Schumann was already having a tough day and his providing of 3 intentional walks in that inning did not help. Granted, the Monarchs did turn one of those IBBs into a double play to end the inning. But that was after 1B George Green cleared Weld and the other 2 intentional batters off the bases with a 3-RBI triple.

Now the Monarchs hold a commanding 3 games to none lead, a lead that our best scientists have told us is impossible to overcome.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 03:26 AM

Royal Canadians 7, Mexico City 3

Following the first match, the Royal Canadians have really taken it to the Aztecs. Today saw a rematch between the clubs' aces. This time around it was the Grizzly Man Lavoie who emerged victorious. This was a game that was threatening to turn into a slugfest all the way. Maxandre Lavoie scattered 12 hits over 9 innings while his counterpart Manuel Figueroa allowed 9 in 7 before being removed for a pinch-hitter. In the end, though, the Aztecs simply could not string their hits together. Their 3 and 4 hitters 2B Luis Vargas (.352, 1, 70 in the regular season) and 3B Antonio Mateo (.338, 1, 82) had 2 hits in 10 collective at-bats in the game and overall are just 3-30 in the series.

London 12, Berlin 5

This time it was London who made the contentious decision to start someone other than a top starter. They used change pitcher Taylor Royce, who was just 2-5 in the regular season, albeit with a sub-3.00 ERA. As it turned out, they could have placed a trained monkey in the role and probably would have still come out ahead, as the Monarchs hit starter Hahn Franckel early and often and then blew out his replacements. Royce tired in the 8th, giving up all 5 runs. This less than great finish is far overshadowed by the performance of Berlin's Rolf Lammesfelder, who surrendered 4 earned runs in just 1 inning of work and now holds a post-season ERA of 36.00.

All in all, London outscored the Teutonic Knights 33 to 8 in earning the League of Nation's very first playoff sweep.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 02:54 PM

Mexico City 4, Royal Canadians 3

The Aztecs entered Game 3 having taken homefield advantage in the America/Asia Championship Series and in general looking like a team that could advance to the World Series. Two games later, they were on the brink of elimination. They would bring back LoN wins leader Jose Gonzalez to try and stave off the long off-season (well, by "long" we mean a day or so since thanks to Tesla and Einstein the playoffs were conducted in "no time" but you get the idea).

This time, though, Jose Gonzalez came through with a complete game victory. Although he trailed for much of the game, when Antonio Mateo's flyball to left proved to be deep enough to score Luis Rangel from first base in the 7th, the Aztecs were not going to lose this series at home.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 03:12 PM

When your third starter completely dominates your opposition, it's hard not to win a championship series. John Seaman shut down the Aztecs once again, yielding 1 run on 6 hits to lead the Royal Canadian Mounted Baseballists to the first World Series. It will be a Commonwealth series, but until Seaman made his appearance it still could have been a Zimmerman Letter series. George Bannerman went 2 for 3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI for the Royal Canadians.

The Aztecs elected to start Sancho Perea, who had sported a record of 6-12 in the regular season but who also had been the team's best relief pitcher following his demotion to the bullpen. Given the choice between him, Game 3 loser Ivan Lopez, and 4th starter Juan Jaramillo (3-6, 5.21 ERA), it seemed like a solid decision. In the end, he pitched valiantly, but it was just not enough.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 03:27 PM

London 9, Royal Canadians 5

What was expected to be a pitcher's duel turned into something of a hitting parade. The Monarchs scored their runs in bunches - 5 in the 4th off of Mounted Baseballist ace Grizzly Man Lavoie and then 4 in the 9th inning to seal the victory. Youngster Max Lesage continued to be unstoppable in the playoffs, getting 3 hits in 4 at bats and adding a stolen base. This is the second straight series that the Royal Canadians lost their home opener.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 03:37 PM

Royal Canadians 6, London 1

When the Monarchs put up a run in the first, it looked like they were going to win their 6th straight playoff game. But the Mounted Baseballists had other ideas and ended up knocking London's 18-game winner Freddie Turvill out of the box in the 6th. The baleful spectre of the error again came to haunt London, as miscues by 1B George Green and C David Mallam were directly responsible for prolonging the Canadians' 4-run 4th inning.

RF Byron Feveryear was forced to leave the game with a sore arm. It is not known whether he'll be able to play again in the Series.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 08:39 PM

London 4, Royal Canadians 3

Lee MacKimmie proved why the Monarchs have so much faith in him as their "closer". With 1 out in the 9th the Royal Canadians had runners on the corners and were down by just one run. Starter Bryon Weld was faltering and the Mounted Baseballists had their 3, 4, and 5 hitters due up so they brought in their man. He yielded a base on balls to Ron Nock, loading the bases for MacKillan Dwywy, the Irish first baseman whom the Monarchs traded to the Canadians in a Commonwealth deal this summer. Dwywy hit .391 for the Baseballists in the regular season but this time up he popped out to short left field, not nearly deep enough to score Sebastian Beaupre. That brought up Michele Briand, team Canada's regular season MVP. Lee MacKimmie got him to ground harmlessly to short to end the game and put the Monarchs back in the lead in the Series.

In the top of the 4th, Cameron Reed made a sensational grab of a Stu Nicholson blast with his back against the right-centerfield wall. Had he not made that catch, it would have certainly gone for extra bases and put the Royal Canadians in the lead. As it turns out, this play saved the game for the Monarchs. It was a rare occasion that the London fans saw one of their own win a game with their glove rather than lose it.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 09:05 PM

Royal Canadians 9, London 8 (11 innings)

Jason Lanning gave the visiting Canadians one heck of a scare but he finally managed to shut down the Monarchs in the 11th to even the series at two games apiece. Lanning entered the game with one out. Raynald Racine had just coaxed Cameron Wakefield to fly out to center but was losing feet off his fastball. Lanning promptly got the second out but then allowed four runners to reach base without a single ball being put into play. The last of the four bases on balls narrowed the score to 9-8 and Canadians all about the frozen tundra of their native land let out a mournful "eh" as it looked inevitable that the 26 year old out of Windsor, Ontario was going to lose the game and perhaps a reasonable shot at the Series for them all. However, the Mounted Baseballists' manager perservered, even after Lanning missed the strike zone against Nate Vessey twice. The next pitch went over for a strike - his 7th in his last 25 pitches - and the next one after that was hit into right field, where RF Ben Bragg clutched it like a precious jewel.

Ben Bragg's 4th inning single led the Mounted Baseballists back from an early 7-0 deficit. That prompted the Monarchs to bring in their bullpen ace Lee MacKimmie. MacKimmie gave the team 3 solid innings before being relieved by former Canadian and eventual loser Tim Lindstrom. Following a trade to London, Lindstrom had been placed in the rotation where he was mostly effective. He moved back to the bullpen and had been pretty decent but today the Monarchs' fielding and his own wildness did him in.

The Monarchs scored 5 runs off of Grizzly Man Lavoie before the Canadians recorded the first out of the game. Lavoie barely made it out of the 3rd inning. Surprisingly, nearly all of the Monarch's offense left with him.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 09:22 PM

London 5, Royal Canadians 4

The Royal Canadians gambled on a double play in the bottom of the 8th and their inability to turn 2 broke open a 4-4 tie and put them behind in the Series 3 games to 2. The inning started with a Nate Vessey double, followed by a walk to catcher Doug Mallam and an excellent bunt by Russian defector Ilia Akbash which very nearly got him on base. As it stood, his play put runners on at second and third. Cameron Wakefield, playing for injured right fielder Bryon Feveryear, was then put on intentionally, which brought Max Lesage to the plate. Lesage has had 16 hits in 39 playoff at-bats. He didn't get one here, but his productive out won the Monarchs the game.

The Series now travels back to Canada, where the Mounted Baseballists must win both remaining matches to win.

Syd Thrift · 07-05-2008, 09:42 PM

Royal Canadians 5, London 4 (10)

Alexandre Maurice hit a walk-off single in the 10 to win the second extra-inning showdown in this Series. George Bannerman, hitting just .222 in the postseason, got things rolling in the inning with a leadoff double. He got to third on pinch hitter Harry Redmond's deep fly ball and was off at the crack of the bat with Maurice at the plate.

The Monarchs tied it all up in the 9th thanks in part to Finley Hawes's single, his first base hit since July 14. Hawes had opened the season as London's starting first baseman but was demoted in July after hitting only .264 with little power or patience. He proved himself worthy of clutch hitting accolades today, but this performance will probably be entirely forgotten given the eventual outcome of the game.

In the top of the 5th, LF Ron Nock of the Canadians sacrificed his body to help the team in a big way. The Monarchs had runners on 2nd and 3rd with just 1 out when Cameron Wakefield hit a shot into the gap in left-centerfield. Nock somehow caught up with it just as it was about to hit the fence. He made the catch but the impact of running into the wall knocked him out cold. A heads-up play by CF Alexandre Maurice got the ball into the infield. Nathan Vessey did score, but if it weren't for Nock's headiness the inning might still be playing.

In just-as-good news, Nock stayed in the game after being tended to by the Royal Canadian team doctor.

06-28-2008, 04:23 PM	#21 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Events - August 1 to August 15 August 5 - The Treaty of St-Germain is signed, ending the Great War with Austria. The baseball team had already been operating without Hungarian players so no changes need be made to the team. August 5-8: The Florida Keys Hurricane kills 600 in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and Texas. No American baseball players are affected. August 10: The Steel Strike of 1919 begins, and Americans are not immune. The following players are suspended for the remainder of the season: Cincinnati Reds ---------------- RF Jose Sanchez (.293, 0, 27, 1) New York Giants ---------------- C Vincent Newman (.276, 0, 36, 0) US Army Baseball Engineers ---------------- 2B Oscar Stephens (.251, 0, 49, 2) Chicago Defenders ---------------- MR John Carlton (3-1, 6.09 ERA) 2B Benny McConnell (.258, 0, 6, 0) RF Paul Stewart (.303, 6, 54, 0) August 15: Omaha riots result in a lynching and the assignment of 1,200 soldiers to the city to restore peace. This is only the latest in a series of race riots by whites against blacks in the summer of 1919. No US Army or Chicago Defenders are directly involved, although SS Jamal Dodd announces he's leaving the team as he'd "rather spit than play on the same field as a white person again." Last edited by Syd Thrift : 06-28-2008 at 10:37 PM.

06-30-2008, 01:07 AM	#23 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	September 1, 1919 Everything Begins To Shake Down As the League of Nations Enters Its Final Month Code: America/Asia Standings Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Mexico City Aztecs 78 48 .619 - 81-45 -3 34-22 44-26 9-2 21-19 29 W5 8-2 RC Mounted Baseballists 76 48 .613 1.0 67-57 9 43-27 33-21 9-6 28-14 W1 8-2 New York Giants 67 60 .528 11.5 61-66 6 32-24 35-36 4-7 19-14 L1 7-3 Tokyo Rising Sun 65 62 .512 13.5 68-59 -3 28-31 37-31 6-7 11-15 L1 4-6 USA Baseball Engineers 58 66 .468 19.0 57-67 1 28-38 30-28 8-7 19-23 L5 4-6 Cincinnati Reds 54 72 .429 24.0 59-67 -5 30-27 24-45 5-9 12-24 L2 2-8 Chicago Defenders 52 72 .419 25.0 54-70 -2 31-39 21-33 4-5 15-15 W1 2-8 Shanghai Dragons 51 73 .411 26.0 53-71 -2 26-41 25-32 5-7 19-20 W2 5-5 European League Standings Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Monarchs 72 55 .567 - 70-57 2 44-26 28-29 4-6 20-18 26 W2 7-3 Paris Revolutions 66 57 .537 4.0 66-57 0 34-21 32-36 11-1 20-22 L1 5-5 Berlin Teutonic Knights 64 59 .520 6.0 68-55 -4 24-32 40-27 7-8 17-21 W4 7-3 Madrid Matadors 63 65 .492 9.5 54-74 9 37-38 26-27 7-6 22-18 W3 6-4 Rome Cardinals 63 65 .492 9.5 58-70 5 26-41 37-24 5-3 23-12 W1 2-8 Vienna Meisterflauten 62 66 .484 10.5 67-61 -5 33-38 29-28 7-13 24-24 L4 5-5 Moscow Proletariat 57 66 .463 13.0 62-61 -5 25-29 32-37 5-6 16-21 L3 3-7 Amsterdam Admirals 55 69 .444 15.5 56-68 -1 23-31 32-38 3-6 12-18 L1 4-6 The only thing truly left in the Asia/America League is whether the Mexico City Aztecs or the Royal Canadian Mounted Baseballists will achieve homefield advantage. An August fade by the Tokyo Rising Sun that saw the former contenders win just 10 of 26 games pretty much sealed the deal there. We have to say that this was a bad month for top-rated clubs... but more about that in a second. The Aztecs have 3 of their starters in the top 10 in the A/A in ERA while the Canadians house 3 of the top 10 in RBIs in the league. Given that, it's surprising that the Rising Sun lasted as long as they did. Meanwhile, in the European League, somebody has finally separated themselves from the pack. It was looking like the Tour de France for a while there with everybody bunched up together. The London Monarchs suffered a spate of injuries early on but as the hot summer months progressed, their talent - particularly their dynamic pitching duo of Cameron Boden (17-10, 2.69 ERA) and Freddie Turville (15-10, 2.49) - moved them apart from everybody else. Of course, it's not over yet. The Monarchs could still, after all, pull a Vienna. Remember how they were on top of the world (or at least half of it) just a month ago? As you can see, they're now several games below .500 and are fighting to stay out of the second division. A 6-22 record and a 15-game losing streak will do that to you. Yes, 15 games. We've seen collapses, and we've seen long losing streaks, but we can't remember ever seeing that deep of a fall from a contending ballclub. Perhaps we're making too much of this - at the height of their power, the Meisterflauten were still only 12 games above .500 - but let's face it: it was pretty big. The Best of Times, The Worst of Times Let's take a look at the best and worst hitters and pitchers in the game today. Code: Best Team AB R H BA H. Sato JPN 463 76 176 .380 T. Schroeder NY 327 84 120 .367 S. Lenyashin USSR 501 95 183 .365 R. Beatty NY 447 70 161 .360 D. Bunch NY 524 103 187 .357 O. Perrell UK 406 67 143 .352 J. Dumoulin FRA 506 71 176 .348 K. Eckhardt GER 524 105 182 .347 L. Vargas MEX 496 89 171 .345 D. Bernard FRA 380 47 131 .345 Worst Team AB R H BA D. Mallam UK 368 58 81 .220 P. Schreurs HOL 447 55 104 .233 V. Schusetka AUS 434 62 101 .233 R. de Best HOL 355 33 85 .239 X. Xin CHN 342 48 86 .251 Best Team W-L IP ERA S. Daly NY 20-4 257.0 2.66 V. Schmeling GER 15-3 182.1 2.86 M. Figueroa MEX 12-3 138.1 2.21 Y. Ishida JPN 19-5 238.1 2.98 Y. Calzolai ITA 21-7 243.1 2.81 J. Galvan SPN 19-7 233.0 2.12 M. Uenohara JPN 10-4 132.2 2.98 C. Cyr CAN 10-4 129.1 3.90 J. Gonzalez MEX 19-8 248.1 3.08 M. Lavoie CAN 19-8 237.1 2.94 Worst Team W-L IP ERA T. Wheeler USA 4-9 133.0 4.26 E. Robin FRA 6-12 129.1 4.45 H. Xia CHN 9-15 214.2 3.65 J. Spencer CIN 6-10 133.0 3.25 J. Lozano NY 10-16 223.1 4.59 What's In A Name Let's take a look at some of the crazy nicknames from around the league. Daryl "Cats" Evans, Chicago Defenders. Evans is a true diamond in the rough. His 15-13 record doesn't look all that great until you realize that the rest of his team is 37-59. Evans is 2nd in the A/A with 76 strikeouts and is fond of telling reporters that "all their base are belong to us" following a win. Maxandre "Grizzly Man" Lavoie, Royal Canadian Mounted Baseballists. Lavoie has been stuck on 19 wins for 2 straight starts now, but Canadian baseball fans can be sure that he'll reach the 20 victory plateau eventually. The "Grizzly Man" is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia (not to be confused with Vancouver, Washington, which is the home of "The Slacker" Terry Schroeder! Although to be honest both places are in the middle of nowhere and we confuse them all the time!) where he insists that the only time he's ever seen a grizzly bear was in a zoo. Not that we believe him. Scott "The Socialist" Ellis, Moscow Proletariat. His official nickname is The Socialist but New York fans have several unrepeatable monikers for him. This Red sympathizer defected to the Soviet Union and the Proletariat over the summer. We're happy to report that he's had limited success since his turncoat move - after starting the year 7-2 for the Giants, he's won just 1 of 4 decisions with his new keepers.

07-01-2008, 07:18 PM	#24 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	September 1 - 15, 1919 September 5 - The Chehalis Massacre occurs. Terry Schroeder, at home resting his shoulder, is rumored to be involved in some nefarious way (possibly even with the Wobblies) but his extreme popularity causes the newspapers to play this down. Wait, how do we know this? September 10 - Einstein's theory of relativity is confirmed. +1 culture to Germany. September 14 - Lady Astor becomes the first British Member of Parliament. Oh, what the heck... I will give England culture for this. September 15 - The Spanish Flu pandemic has ended. +1 culture to Spain for no longer having to be associated with a disease!

07-04-2008, 02:53 PM	#27 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	September 16-30, 1919 September 20 - Gabriele D'Annunzio, with his entourage, marches into Fiume and convinces the Italian troops to join him. No Roman players are involved.

07-05-2008, 12:48 AM	#29 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Regional Championships - Game 1 Mexico City 1, Royal Canadians 0 Manuel Figueroa won this pitcher's duel in Toronto and, in doing, swiped homefield advantage away from the Mounted Baseballists. Neither side got a runner past 2nd base until the 9th inning, when a single, an intentional walk, and another single brought home the only run in the game. Maxandre "The Grizzly Man" Lavoie picked up the loss for the Royal Canadians. London 11, Berlin 9 It wasn't nearly as fun for the pitchers on the European side of things. Both starters Hahn Franckel were knocked out of the box, Franckel in the 7th and Boden in the 4th. This one came down the relievers and the "dark, Satanic mills" that England is so renowned for seems to have produced the superior ones. Lee McKimmie threw 3 1/3 innings of shut-out ball and allowed the fine hitting of SS Orrin Perrel (3-5, 2 R, RBI) and CF Cameron Reed (a clutch 8th-inning double to put the game away) to win it for the Monarchs.

06-29-2008, 05:03 AM	#22 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	August 16 - The Elaine Race Riots occur. None of the baseball players in the league are involved. August 17 - US President Woodrow Wilson suffers a stroke and is partially paralyzed. His wife Edith Wilson takes over the day-to-day running of the Cincinnati Reds ballclub. August 20 - The Boston police go on strike. No US players are involved. August 29 - Prohibition begins. -1 culture to all US teams due to the stupidity.

07-05-2008, 01:13 AM	#30 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Regional Championships - Game 2 Royal Canadians 4, Mexico City 3 It can't be said that Bob Maitland doesn't like drama. Cruising through 8 innings, the right-hander out of Nova Scotia who delivered 14 victories in the regular season for the Mounted Baseballists almost gave up the ghost in the 9th. He allowed a couple singles and a double to bring the game from 4-1 to 4-3 with the tying run on at first base with no outs. Fortunately, his defense behind him then got the job done, turning a sharp ground ball by Aztecs catcher Ramon Guzman into a 6-4-3 double play and then forcing out pinch-hitter Jose Rodriguez to end the game. Canada ended their playoff scoreless streak early, acquiring 2 runs in the first off of a single, a double, a triple, and an error against Jose Gonzales, who won 25 games in the regular season for the Aztecs. Gonzales, incidentally, got the loss for the Aztecs. London 4, Berlin 3 Freddie Turvill went the distance for the Monarchs, putting his team up 2 games to none and placing the Teutonic Knights into a must-win situation in their home town 2 days from now. The Monarchs overcame a 2-error 8th inning that saw the score close from 4-1 to 4-3. Errors have bedeviled this team all season long. In better news, 18 year old whiz kid 2B Max Lesage had 3 hits in as many at-bats.

07-05-2008, 01:43 AM	#31 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Regional Championships - Game 3 Canada 6, Mexico City 1 Mexico City had a problem with the back of their rotation all season long, but it was nonetheless a bit of a surprise when they named little-used Ivan Lopez to start Game 3 at home against the Mounted Baseballists. Lopez did have a superficially decent 3-1 record in 4 starts and 10 relief appearances for his team, but you'd think they'd have found somebody more... substantial. At first, it was Canadian starting pitcher John Seaman who looked like he didn't have his "sea legs". Seaman walked the first batter he faced and was quite lucky to escape the first inning with just a run. However, he seemed to find control of his nickel curve as time went on and meanwhile during the Canadian halves Ivan Lopez looked more and more hittable as the game progressed. He finally left after 7 innings and 5 runs off of 6 hits and no strikeouts. London 6, Berlin 0 The Teutonic Knights are not looking like a team that finished just 1 game behind in the European League standings. Byron Weld, a .500 pitcher in the regular season, didn't allow a base hit until the 7th inning and absolutely dominated Berlin. The Monarchs scored the only run Weld needed in the first off of some clever baserunning by RF Byron Feveryear, who reached on a double, then advanced on two consecutive outs. Weld supplied some insurance of his own with a double in the top of the 5th. He came around to score in an inning that saw some questionable management by the Teutonic Knights. Their starter Victor Schumann was already having a tough day and his providing of 3 intentional walks in that inning did not help. Granted, the Monarchs did turn one of those IBBs into a double play to end the inning. But that was after 1B George Green cleared Weld and the other 2 intentional batters off the bases with a 3-RBI triple. Now the Monarchs hold a commanding 3 games to none lead, a lead that our best scientists have told us is impossible to overcome.

07-05-2008, 03:26 AM	#32 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Regional Championships - Game 4 Royal Canadians 7, Mexico City 3 Following the first match, the Royal Canadians have really taken it to the Aztecs. Today saw a rematch between the clubs' aces. This time around it was the Grizzly Man Lavoie who emerged victorious. This was a game that was threatening to turn into a slugfest all the way. Maxandre Lavoie scattered 12 hits over 9 innings while his counterpart Manuel Figueroa allowed 9 in 7 before being removed for a pinch-hitter. In the end, though, the Aztecs simply could not string their hits together. Their 3 and 4 hitters 2B Luis Vargas (.352, 1, 70 in the regular season) and 3B Antonio Mateo (.338, 1, 82) had 2 hits in 10 collective at-bats in the game and overall are just 3-30 in the series. London 12, Berlin 5 This time it was London who made the contentious decision to start someone other than a top starter. They used change pitcher Taylor Royce, who was just 2-5 in the regular season, albeit with a sub-3.00 ERA. As it turned out, they could have placed a trained monkey in the role and probably would have still come out ahead, as the Monarchs hit starter Hahn Franckel early and often and then blew out his replacements. Royce tired in the 8th, giving up all 5 runs. This less than great finish is far overshadowed by the performance of Berlin's Rolf Lammesfelder, who surrendered 4 earned runs in just 1 inning of work and now holds a post-season ERA of 36.00. All in all, London outscored the Teutonic Knights 33 to 8 in earning the League of Nation's very first playoff sweep.

07-05-2008, 02:54 PM	#33 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Regional Championships - Game 5 Mexico City 4, Royal Canadians 3 The Aztecs entered Game 3 having taken homefield advantage in the America/Asia Championship Series and in general looking like a team that could advance to the World Series. Two games later, they were on the brink of elimination. They would bring back LoN wins leader Jose Gonzalez to try and stave off the long off-season (well, by "long" we mean a day or so since thanks to Tesla and Einstein the playoffs were conducted in "no time" but you get the idea). This time, though, Jose Gonzalez came through with a complete game victory. Although he trailed for much of the game, when Antonio Mateo's flyball to left proved to be deep enough to score Luis Rangel from first base in the 7th, the Aztecs were not going to lose this series at home.

07-05-2008, 03:12 PM	#34 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Regional Championships - Game 6 When your third starter completely dominates your opposition, it's hard not to win a championship series. John Seaman shut down the Aztecs once again, yielding 1 run on 6 hits to lead the Royal Canadian Mounted Baseballists to the first World Series. It will be a Commonwealth series, but until Seaman made his appearance it still could have been a Zimmerman Letter series. George Bannerman went 2 for 3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI for the Royal Canadians. The Aztecs elected to start Sancho Perea, who had sported a record of 6-12 in the regular season but who also had been the team's best relief pitcher following his demotion to the bullpen. Given the choice between him, Game 3 loser Ivan Lopez, and 4th starter Juan Jaramillo (3-6, 5.21 ERA), it seemed like a solid decision. In the end, he pitched valiantly, but it was just not enough.

07-05-2008, 03:27 PM	#35 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	World Series, Game 1 London 9, Royal Canadians 5 What was expected to be a pitcher's duel turned into something of a hitting parade. The Monarchs scored their runs in bunches - 5 in the 4th off of Mounted Baseballist ace Grizzly Man Lavoie and then 4 in the 9th inning to seal the victory. Youngster Max Lesage continued to be unstoppable in the playoffs, getting 3 hits in 4 at bats and adding a stolen base. This is the second straight series that the Royal Canadians lost their home opener.

07-05-2008, 03:37 PM	#36 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	World Series, Game 2 Royal Canadians 6, London 1 When the Monarchs put up a run in the first, it looked like they were going to win their 6th straight playoff game. But the Mounted Baseballists had other ideas and ended up knocking London's 18-game winner Freddie Turvill out of the box in the 6th. The baleful spectre of the error again came to haunt London, as miscues by 1B George Green and C David Mallam were directly responsible for prolonging the Canadians' 4-run 4th inning. RF Byron Feveryear was forced to leave the game with a sore arm. It is not known whether he'll be able to play again in the Series.

07-05-2008, 08:39 PM	#37 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	World Series, Game 3 London 4, Royal Canadians 3 Lee MacKimmie proved why the Monarchs have so much faith in him as their "closer". With 1 out in the 9th the Royal Canadians had runners on the corners and were down by just one run. Starter Bryon Weld was faltering and the Mounted Baseballists had their 3, 4, and 5 hitters due up so they brought in their man. He yielded a base on balls to Ron Nock, loading the bases for MacKillan Dwywy, the Irish first baseman whom the Monarchs traded to the Canadians in a Commonwealth deal this summer. Dwywy hit .391 for the Baseballists in the regular season but this time up he popped out to short left field, not nearly deep enough to score Sebastian Beaupre. That brought up Michele Briand, team Canada's regular season MVP. Lee MacKimmie got him to ground harmlessly to short to end the game and put the Monarchs back in the lead in the Series. In the top of the 4th, Cameron Reed made a sensational grab of a Stu Nicholson blast with his back against the right-centerfield wall. Had he not made that catch, it would have certainly gone for extra bases and put the Royal Canadians in the lead. As it turns out, this play saved the game for the Monarchs. It was a rare occasion that the London fans saw one of their own win a game with their glove rather than lose it.

07-05-2008, 09:05 PM	#38 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Royal Canadians 9, London 8 (11 innings) Jason Lanning gave the visiting Canadians one heck of a scare but he finally managed to shut down the Monarchs in the 11th to even the series at two games apiece. Lanning entered the game with one out. Raynald Racine had just coaxed Cameron Wakefield to fly out to center but was losing feet off his fastball. Lanning promptly got the second out but then allowed four runners to reach base without a single ball being put into play. The last of the four bases on balls narrowed the score to 9-8 and Canadians all about the frozen tundra of their native land let out a mournful "eh" as it looked inevitable that the 26 year old out of Windsor, Ontario was going to lose the game and perhaps a reasonable shot at the Series for them all. However, the Mounted Baseballists' manager perservered, even after Lanning missed the strike zone against Nate Vessey twice. The next pitch went over for a strike - his 7th in his last 25 pitches - and the next one after that was hit into right field, where RF Ben Bragg clutched it like a precious jewel. Ben Bragg's 4th inning single led the Mounted Baseballists back from an early 7-0 deficit. That prompted the Monarchs to bring in their bullpen ace Lee MacKimmie. MacKimmie gave the team 3 solid innings before being relieved by former Canadian and eventual loser Tim Lindstrom. Following a trade to London, Lindstrom had been placed in the rotation where he was mostly effective. He moved back to the bullpen and had been pretty decent but today the Monarchs' fielding and his own wildness did him in. The Monarchs scored 5 runs off of Grizzly Man Lavoie before the Canadians recorded the first out of the game. Lavoie barely made it out of the 3rd inning. Surprisingly, nearly all of the Monarch's offense left with him.

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07-05-2008, 09:22 PM	#39 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	World Series, Game 5 London 5, Royal Canadians 4 The Royal Canadians gambled on a double play in the bottom of the 8th and their inability to turn 2 broke open a 4-4 tie and put them behind in the Series 3 games to 2. The inning started with a Nate Vessey double, followed by a walk to catcher Doug Mallam and an excellent bunt by Russian defector Ilia Akbash which very nearly got him on base. As it stood, his play put runners on at second and third. Cameron Wakefield, playing for injured right fielder Bryon Feveryear, was then put on intentionally, which brought Max Lesage to the plate. Lesage has had 16 hits in 39 playoff at-bats. He didn't get one here, but his productive out won the Monarchs the game. The Series now travels back to Canada, where the Mounted Baseballists must win both remaining matches to win.

07-05-2008, 09:42 PM	#40 (permalink)
Syd Thrift Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,113	Royal Canadians 5, London 4 (10) Alexandre Maurice hit a walk-off single in the 10 to win the second extra-inning showdown in this Series. George Bannerman, hitting just .222 in the postseason, got things rolling in the inning with a leadoff double. He got to third on pinch hitter Harry Redmond's deep fly ball and was off at the crack of the bat with Maurice at the plate. The Monarchs tied it all up in the 9th thanks in part to Finley Hawes's single, his first base hit since July 14. Hawes had opened the season as London's starting first baseman but was demoted in July after hitting only .264 with little power or patience. He proved himself worthy of clutch hitting accolades today, but this performance will probably be entirely forgotten given the eventual outcome of the game. In the top of the 5th, LF Ron Nock of the Canadians sacrificed his body to help the team in a big way. The Monarchs had runners on 2nd and 3rd with just 1 out when Cameron Wakefield hit a shot into the gap in left-centerfield. Nock somehow caught up with it just as it was about to hit the fence. He made the catch but the impact of running into the wall knocked him out cold. A heads-up play by CF Alexandre Maurice got the ball into the infield. Nathan Vessey did score, but if it weren't for Nock's headiness the inning might still be playing. In just-as-good news, Nock stayed in the game after being tended to by the Royal Canadian team doctor.