The IBAF, take two

[RMc]

OK, I've calmed down. Let's try this again, heh?

The IBAF is a three tiered-system with promotion and relegation: the top-level World League (24 teams; the last-place teams in each of the four divisions get relegated), Baseball League One (46 teams; the playoff champion and the next three teams in WPCT are promoted, while the bottom four are relegated) and Baseball League Two (44 teams; the playoff champion and the next three teams in WPCT are promoted).

2001 Standings

World League

Red Division W L PCT GB
USA Revolution* 126 36 .778 -
Mexico Diablos Rojos* 104 58 .642 22.0
Australia Bushrangers* 88 74 .543 38.0
El Salvador Cuscatlecos 79 83 .488 47.0
South Korea Wyverns 74 88 .457 52.0
Lithuania Vetras 73 89 .451 53.0

Blue Division W L PCT GB
Cuba Leones del Caribe* 94 68 .580 -
Argentina Celestes 84 78 .519 10.0
Taiwan Cobras 80 82 .494 14.0
Panama Canaleros 69 93 .426 25.0
Nicaragua Pinoleros 67 95 .414 27.0
India Wonder Boys 58 104 .358 36.0

Green Division W L PCT GB
South Africa Bafana* 96 66 .593 -
Puerto Rico Blue Hurricane* 93 69 .574 3.0
Brazil Canaries 85 77 .525 11.0
Netherlands Orange Crush 83 79 .512 13.0
Italy Azzurri 76 86 .469 20.0
France Les Bleus 58 104 .358 38.0

Gold Division W L PCT GB
Canada Canucks* 95 67 .586 -
Dominican Rep Azucareros* 86 76 .531 9.0
Japan Samurai 81 81 .500 14.0
Venezuela Vintotinto 76 86 .469 19.0
Guatemala Chapines 69 93 .426 26.0
Hungary Magicians 50 112 .309 45.0

*playoff teams
Relegated teams in italics

Baseball League One

Africa W L PCT GB
Mali Eagles* 92 70 .568 -
Cameroon Indomitable Lions 88 74 .543 4.0
Nigeria Super Eagles 88 74 .543 4.0
Togo Sparrow Hawks 75 87 .463 17.0
Namibia Brave Warriors 71 91 .438 21.0
Zimbabwe Warriors 71 91 .438 21.0
Zambia Copper Bullets 69 93 .426 23.0
Ghana Black Stars 66 96 .407 26.0

Americas W L PCT GB
Chile Rojas* 99 63 .611 -
Honduras Catrachos 90 72 .556 9.0
Netherlands Antilles Island Kings 88 74 .543 11.0
Colombia Cafeteros 85 77 .525 14.0
Ecuador Toreros 75 87 .463 24.0
Aruba Islanders 71 91 .438 28.0
US Virgin Islands Dashing Eagles 64 98 .395 35.0

Asia Oceania W L PCT GB
Myanmar Golden Lions* 94 68 .580 -
Phillipines Bohemians* 94 68 .580 -
China Dragons 89 73 .549 5.0
Samoa Gold Star 89 73 .549 5.0
Pakistan Greenshirts 88 74 .543 6.0
Bangladesh Bengal Tigers 81 81 .500 13.0
New Zealand All Blacks 77 85 .475 17.0
North Korea Chollima 77 85 .475 17.0
Papua New Guinea Kumuls 72 90 .444 22.0
Brunei Leopards 71 91 .438 23.0
Indonesia Red and White 71 91 .438 23.0

Euro 1 W L PCT GB
Georgia Crusaders* 113 49 .698 -
Spain Red Fury* 92 71 .564 21.5
Germany Untouchables* 92 72 .561 22.0
Russia Red Horses 88 74 .543 25.0
Armenia Phoenix 82 80 .506 31.0
Denmark Dynamite 82 80 .506 31.0
Croatia Blazers 76 86 .469 37.0
England Monarchs 76 86 .469 37.0
Cyprus Doves 66 96 .407 47.0
Austria Violets 62 100 .383 51.0

Euro 2 W L PCT GB
Bulgaria Tricolors* 93 69 .574 -
Sweden Tre Kronor 91 72 .558 2.5
Slovakia Jondas 86 76 .531 7.0
Belgium Red Devils 84 78 .519 9.0
Finland Owls 81 81 .500 12.0
Moldova Bison 80 82 .494 13.0
Switzerland Grasshoppers 78 84 .481 15.0
Estonia Tribulised 77 85 .475 16.0
Romania Speedsters 76 86 .469 17.0
Turkey Crescent Stars 58 104 .358 35.0

*playoff teams
Relegated teams in italics

Baseball League Two

Africa W L PCT GB
Kenya Harambee Stars* 111 51 .685 -
Liberia Lone Stars* 97 65 .599 14.0
Ivory Coast Elephants 92 70 .568 19.0
Lesotho Crocodiles 91 71 .562 20.0
Uganda Cranes 90 72 .556 21.0
Morocco Lions of the Atlas 86 76 .531 25.0
Tunisia Eagles of Carthage 72 90 .444 39.0

Americas W L PCT GB
Bolivia Verde* 96 66 .593 -
Costa Rica La Seleccion 94 68 .580 2.0
Paraguay Guaranies 90 72 .556 6.0
Jamaica Reggae Boyz 88 74 .543 8.0
Peru Rojiblanca 87 75 .537 9.0
Bahamas Baha Boyz 84 78 .519 12.0
Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors 44 118 .272 52.0
British Virgin Islands Great Brits 20 142 .123 76.0

Asia Oceania W L PCT GB
Singapore Super Reds* 103 59 .636 -
Malaysia Tigers 94 68 .580 9.0
Fiji Island Warriors 91 71 .562 12.0
Uzbekistan Lokomotiv 85 77 .525 18.0
Iran Persepolis 81 81 .500 22.0
Thailand War Elephants 79 83 .488 24.0
Palau Dolphins 42 120 .259 61.0
American Samoa Manu Eagles 38 124 .235 65.0
Micronesia Four Stars 32 130 .198 71.0
Cook Islands Woodcarvers 29 133 .179 74.0

Euro 1 W L PCT GB
Kazakhstan Kairat* 111 51 .685 -
Ukraine Yellow-Blues* 106 56 .654 5.0
Israel Miracle* 96 67 .589 15.5
Czech Republic Sparta 92 70 .568 19.0
Greece Pirates 92 70 .568 19.0
San Marino TA Eagles 92 70 .568 19.0
Norway Blue Dragons 91 71 .562 20.0
Northern Ireland Green and White 86 76 .531 25.0
Wales Red Dragons 81 81 .500 30.0
Luxembourg Red Lions 38 124 .235 73.0

Euro 2 W L PCT GB
Latvia Skonto* 102 60 .630 -
Belarus Dinamo 95 67 .586 7.0
Scotland Bravehearts 95 68 .583 7.5
Malta Kinghts 85 77 .525 17.0
Slovenia Devils 84 78 .519 18.0
Poland Red Eagles 83 79 .512 19.0
Ireland Green Boys 79 83 .488 23.0
Portugal Golden Nine 74 88 .457 28.0
Serbia White Eagles 67 95 .414 35.0

*playoff teams

[RMc]

Quarterfinal series

WL: USA beat Dominican Republic, 4 games to 2; Cuba beat Canada, 4-2; Australia beat Mexico, 4-1; Puerto Rico beat South Africa, 4-2.

BL1: Georgia beat Germany, 3-1; Chile beat Spain, 3-2; Myanmar beat Phillipines, 3-0; Mali beat Bulgaria, 3-2.

BL2: Israel beat Kazakhstan, 3-1; Liberia beat Kenya, 3-1; Ukraine beat Singapore, 3-2; Bolivia beat Latvia, 3-1.

Semifinal series

WL: USA beat Cuba, 4-2 and Puerto Rico beat Australia, 4-2.

BL1: Georgia beat Chile, 4-3 and Myanmar beat Mali, 4-0.
To be promoted to WL: Georgia, Chile, Myanmar, Phillipines.

BL2: Israel beat Liberia, 4-1 and Bolivia beat Ukraine, 4-1.
To be promoted to BL1: Kenya, Kazakhstan, Ukraine. Winner of 2CS, Israel or Bolivia, also promoted.

[RMc]

NO MIRACLE; ISRAEL FALLS SHORT IN 2CS

TEL AVIV, Israel -- The Bolivia Verde scored two runs in the top of the ninth to defeat the Israel Miracle, 6-4 and clinch the Two Championship Series, 4 games to 1. The Verde will be in Baseball League One in 2001, joining Kenya, Kazakhstan and Ukraine from BL2.

CRUSADE CONTINUES IN THE WORLD LEAGUE FOR GEORGIA

TBILSI, Georgia -- Both the Georgia Crusaders and the Golden Lions of Myanmar had already qualified for the World League in 2002, so the One Championship Series was meaningless...right? Wrong, say the Crusaders, who beat the Lions here, 3-1, behind Rafig Tsereteli's five-hitter. Chile and the Phillipines will also join the WL in '02, replacing Lithuania, India, France and Hungary.

[RMc]

2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, New York: The USA scored 3 runs in the opening inning and held on to win, 4-3, despite being out-hit 12-7.

Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, New York: Wes Dawson pitched eight innings of one-hit ball as the Revolution beat the Blue Hurricane, 3-1.

Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, New York: MVP-to-be William Harmon's solo HR in the bottom of the tenth won a wild slugfest for the USA, 9-8. The contest featured 31 hits and seven errors.

Game 4 at Estadio Hiram Bithorn, San Juan: The USA took an insrmountable 4-0 lead in the best-of-nine WCS with a 5-4 win. Diminutive 2B Jasper Blue got the game-winning hit in the eighth.

Game 5 at Estadio Hiram Bithorn, San Juan: Jose Chavez scrambled home on a fly ball in the bottom of the 11th as the Blue Hurricane avoided being swept in the WCS, 5-4.

Game 6 at Estadio Hiram Bithorn, San Juan: The Blue Hurricane continued to refuse to give up in the WCS with their second straight win, 3-1. Back-to-back doubles by Julio Graza and Julian Fernandez broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth.

Game 7 at Estadio Hiram Bithorn, San Juan: The USA's Ben Couch ensured the WCS wouldn't go back to New York with a five-hit shutout, 5-0. Patrick Higgins and Willie McCormack each hit two-run homers for the World Champs.

USA REVOLUTION
2001 WORLD CHAMPIONS

[RMc]

World League award winners:

Outstanding Hitter Award William Harmon USA .370/.461/.640, 38 HR, 146 RBI, 115.1 VORP
Outstanding Pitcher Award Conor Bedard CAN 22-8, 1.66 ERA, 270.2 IP, 294 K, 104.8 VORP
Newcomer of the Year Award Devin Hooper USA .322/.359/.554, 23 HR, 110 RBI, 51.8 VORP

BL1 winners:

Outstanding Hitter Award Quido Pauw ANT .354/.399/.590, 24 HR, 108 RBI, 91.1 VORP
Outstanding Pitcher Award José Mora CHI 22-6, 2.40 ERA, 263.0 IP, 203 K, 64.0 VORP
Newcomer of the Year Award Henri Ekerot SWE .390/.405/.393, 0 HR, 65 RBI, 58.3 VORP (also won batting crown)

BL2 winners:

Outstanding Hitter Award Rafael Meléndez BOL .315/.426/.493, 22 HR, 81 RBI, 72.4 VORP
Outstanding Pitcher Award Stephen Heard WAL 26-5, 0.96 ERA, 271.2 IP, 237 K, 83.9 VORP
Newcomer of the Year Award Kadidou Kinda KEN .292/.377/.485, 24 HR, 86 RBI, 71.2 VORP

The BL2 batting champion is a very strange case: I've never seen a player like him. Kawenaula Mikala of the Palau Dolphins (a tiny island nation) batted .384 in 2001 -- easily the best in the IBAF -- with 198 hits in 545 AB. Here's the thing, though: 191 of the hits were singles, with 4 doubles and 3 HRs! Mikala has a 61 contact (100 scale) with all of his other numbers in single digits...in fact, all of the other Palau players have all of their offense numbers in single digits! With such an awful offense around him and no power, Mikala scored just 22 runs, despite being on base 231 times (!). He's the ultimate one-dimensional player; too bad he's stuck on a sub-awful team for the rest of his life.

Or is he? I'm already thinking about allowing a limited number of foreigners per squad (perhaps 2 or 3, like they do in Japan). This would make the league more competitive (those extra players the top baseball nations churn out gotta play somewhere if they can't make their national team) and would give the occasional diamond-in-the-rough from a tiny country a chance to play at a higher level. What do you think?

[toxicavenger74]

Originally Posted by RMc

World League award winners:

Outstanding Hitter Award William Harmon USA .370/.461/.640, 38 HR, 146 RBI, 115.1 VORP
Outstanding Pitcher Award Conor Bedard CAN 22-8, 1.66 ERA, 270.2 IP, 294 K, 104.8 VORP
Newcomer of the Year Award Devin Hooper USA .322/.359/.554, 23 HR, 110 RBI, 51.8 VORP

BL1 winners:

Outstanding Hitter Award Quido Pauw ANT .354/.399/.590, 24 HR, 108 RBI, 91.1 VORP
Outstanding Pitcher Award José Mora CHI 22-6, 2.40 ERA, 263.0 IP, 203 K, 64.0 VORP
Newcomer of the Year Award Henri Ekerot SWE .390/.405/.393, 0 HR, 65 RBI, 58.3 VORP (also won batting crown)

BL2 winners:

Outstanding Hitter Award Rafael Meléndez BOL .315/.426/.493, 22 HR, 81 RBI, 72.4 VORP
Outstanding Pitcher Award Stephen Heard WAL 26-5, 0.96 ERA, 271.2 IP, 237 K, 83.9 VORP
Newcomer of the Year Award Kadidou Kinda KEN .292/.377/.485, 24 HR, 86 RBI, 71.2 VORP

The BL2 batting champion is a very strange case: I've never seen a player like him. Kawenaula Mikala of the Palau Dolphins (a tiny island nation) batted .384 in 2001 -- easily the best in the IBAF -- with 198 hits in 545 AB. Here's the thing, though: 191 of the hits were singles, with 4 doubles and 3 HRs! Mikala has a 61 contact (100 scale) with all of his other numbers in single digits...in fact, all of the other Palau players have all of their offense numbers in single digits! With such an awful offense around him and no power, Mikala scored just 22 runs, despite being on base 231 times (!). He's the ultimate one-dimensional player; too bad he's stuck on a sub-awful team for the rest of his life.

Or is he? I'm already thinking about allowing a limited number of foreigners per squad (perhaps 2 or 3, like they do in Japan). This would make the league more competitive (those extra players the top baseball nations churn out gotta play somewhere if they can't make their national team) and would give the occasional diamond-in-the-rough from a tiny country a chance to play at a higher level. What do you think?

Regarding this specific player, there was a bug that caused players to be created with extremely high contact ratings but extremely low everything else. They typically hit close to .400 with very few doubles, triples and no home runs. I always found them associated with feeder leagues and never found them in a stand alone league. I usually found 5-6 players of this type for every 5 rounds. Pretty screwy really and caused me to quit using feeder leagues because I got sick of seeing an 18 or 19 y.o. kid hit .399 in my fictional MLB league.

Regardless of this, I am really interested in this dynasty because I tinkered around with trying to have a National World Cup style league. I still believe that how it exists currently that there is too much work that has to be done and too high a chance for error that it takes away from any World Cup league that could be built. Kudos to you for all your work on this. Keep it up if you can.

Thanks,