[ifspuds]

Offseason News

One week after the season ended, John Baxter of the Tifton Generals announced that he would be financing the construction of a dedicated ballpark for the Generals. "Tifton City Park should be returned to the citizens of Tifton to use as they see fit. The new ballpark, which will be named Generals Field, will provide our townsfolk with a comfortable, pleasant place to come and watch their hometown team," said Baxter. "The construction of the park will provide jobs for the community as well." Asked about the details of the new park, Baxter stated that there will be room for approximately twice as many fans, with dimensions similar to those of Tifton City Park. The new stadium will open for the 2016 season, and the Generals will continue to use the city park until that time.

Not to be outdone, two days later, Michael Hernandez of the Silver Beach Whales announced that the Whales would also be moving into a new park, to be christened Silver Field, for the 2016 season. When asked if this announcement was a response to Baxter's, Hernandez said, "We have been planning to move into our own park since it was clear that the Bay League would survive the first season. It is an accident of timing, no more, no less." Ironically, the new ballpark in Silver Beach will hold exactly two more fans than Generals Field is projected to hold.

There is talk among the villages and towns of the upper northeast part of the Outposts that a careful exploration of The Sisters must be undertaken. The two islands off the coast have long resisted such efforts due to their forbidding terrain and lack of decent harbors, but recent events suggest that more of an effort may need to be made. A number of fishing vessels that have traditionally worked the waters off the islands have failed to return home, and townsfolk are demanding answers. The larger cities have offered assistance in the venture, but many in the northeast are complaining about the reluctance with which the offers have been made.

The maglev train tracks between the northwestern cities of River Bend and Marsein have been completed, promising to increase ease of travel to and from the remote city of Marsein. Future Transportation Corps plans include an expansion of the maglev system to take in the town of Pelish on the far west coast, as well as completion of the line between Elliott Springs, Gentry Hills and Lorris. Work on transportation lines has been extremely slow going due to the difficulties in moving construction materials between Earth, where the materials are produced, and the Outposts, which lack the manufacturing infrastructure to do the work themselves.

(more news to come...)