Whitehorse Baseball

[CatKnight]

On the outer rim, perhaps 150 light years from the seat of the Terran Star League, lay a small planet orbiting a pale yellow star on the outer fringes of its biozone.

It's hard to be certain when this planet, named Whitehorse by Canadian explorers after the city in Yukon, was settled. The League can't involve itself in the details of every petty little world. Certainly not the poor, barely subsistent ones with no exports worth talking about and little or no tourism.

Some time around 2180 a colonial transport suffered severe damage during a botched hyperjump. They were fortunate to have exited in a star system at all, albeit not the one they hoped for. With the jump drive crippled and supplies running out, that single, cold, relatively arid planet would just have to do. They settled, and even somewhat prospered.

That was one hundred eight years ago. Crises have rocked the League, and Whitehorse found itself devastated by the League's own military. The governor-general, fearing both retribution on his person and the bloody vengeance the Terrans would exact on his world, seeks a way to distract his people - something to unify them and fill their idle thoughts with something besides desperation and anger.

He thinks he's found his answer.
*******

As you may have noted, my Indians dynasty ran into trouble when I entered the offseason. Repair attempts would have been far...uglier...than I'd have liked.

I enjoyed that league though, so I'm anxious to get back in the saddle. I'm going to borrow (or at least try out) a trick I read about by Eugene Church: Play out every game from the seventh inning on so I can learn more about the teams I'm dealing with.

I won't get involved in roster movements and the like, except for possible storyline purposes.

While we're waiting for the first post, here's a map of the Whitehorse colony to get you started.

[CatKnight]

November 108 S.F.

Janos Alamaris, Governor-General of Whitehorse, sat alone in a room lit by a dingy flourescent bulb simply not up to the challenge of beating back the shadows. A fat man with thick jowls, his pale face appeared almost grey in the dim light while his burgundy uniform shown black.

He sat alone at the head of a small metal table. In the middle perched a holographic projector, forlorn, dark and dusty. No other site on the planet had a projector, so the only use for it was speaking to League warships or receiving the occasional canned message from Terra. Alamaris had seen neither in months. He wondered if they were putting down another rebellion and hadn't bothered to occupy his planet this time. He could find out if he really wanted to: He had his own courier ship for emergency communications, but attracting the unblinking eye of the League Senate invited trouble.

The projector remained dark, but the speaker broke into hissing, reluctant life. The three major cities shared limited phone service thanks to a League satellite.

"Governor?" asked a raspy voice that fought for dominance with static and a low, unpleasant hum.

"Bertrand. I received your pulse rescheduling this meeting. You're very late." Alamaris paused. "Did you have any trouble?"

"Significant," said Bertrand "That is why I'm late. I was forced to visit the outlying towns with your proposal. None on the rails signed on."

"None?" Alamaris paled. If his grip on Whitehorse was already so precarious..

"None," Bertrand confirmed. "As it is, we only have six."

"I wanted eight, minimum!" They'd identified twenty possible sites...

"You have six. I visited every settlement capable of financing and maintaining a team. They're it."

Alamaris closed his eyes. "Who?"

"The three cities of course: New Haven, Blackwell and Portland. In addition: Hanover, Selenica and Rio Grande."

Mostly eastern towns: Not necessarily a bad thing, though it moved the potential league's power block far from the capital. "Very well. Are you in Portland now?"

"Yes. I'll catch the morning rail. I should be back by sundown tomorrow."

At that moment the tone and static allied to defeat Bertrand, then the signal failed entirely.

Janos stared at the silent receiver for several minutes. If the Star League was 'busy,' then it was up to him to maintain order...not to mention his position. He hoped finding a way to unite the colony's disparate settlements in a friendly rivalry, a base-ball league, would keep the people...distracted.

"Bread and Circuses," he muttered.
*******

"F-ing Imperial!" hissed Erik Harding as he watched the burgundy clad officer leave the Portland communications tower.

"Sh!" hissed his friend, Charlie. "He'll hear you!"

"Let him. He's with the governor. Far as I'm concerned the governor can kiss my pale, white..."

Charlie, shorter by a head but stronger, grabbed Erik's arm and hustled him into an alley.

"Look," he said. "I know what they did to your pa, but that was twelve years ago."

"It was yesterday," snapped Erik, his usual reply to such reason. "They had no reason to be here. We weren't doing nothing."

Twelve years ago several Rim worlds rose in rebellion against the distant League, citing inattention, inefficiency, high taxes, and poor representation. The League put the rebels down with terrifying force, then just to make sure, occupied every colony ... even the loyal ones like Whitehorse.

Fifty thousand soldiers descended on a planet that barely held three times that total. Their presence devastated the planet's fragile food supply, and duties paid to support them broke the economy. Soon the rebellion they were sent to deter broke out...and was crushed at Harrowdale.

Since that day locals called Harrowdale 'Battledale' or 'Despair', and the Terran Star League 'the Empire'.

"We should go," Charlie insisted. "Your momma will worry."

Mentioning his mother yanked Erik away from daydreams of painful, bloody revenge. "Okay."

"What do you think of this base-ball idea of theirs?" They'd read about it in the morning paper.

"Not sure yet," Erik shrugged. "Maybe I'll try out and show those Imps what for."

[Boom Boom]

interesting Catknight, I will be reading. I have always enjoyed your dynasties at SM.

[CatKnight]

Boom Boom: Thanks. It's good to hear from you!
*******

January, 109

"Gentlemen?" Bertrand Collier stepped into the room. "Thank you for coming."

Leather backed chairs surrounded the table on the top floor of the Travelers Hospice, the hotel favored by what few tourists came to Whitehorse. Bright overhead lights filled the room with a warm glow, and a waiter in burgundy livery, a member of the governor's staff, moved from chair to chair refilling drinks and taking orders for the luncheon to follow their meeting.

Collier watched the other team 'owners' closely: Especially those from the rural settlements of Hanover and Rio Grande. They looked awed, and perhaps put them a little on the defensive. Once you got away from the major cities, technology dropped off rapidly. There electricity was, at best, unreliable and combustion engines a rich man's toy. Half of Selenica's merchant marine bore sails for God's sake.

"Thank you for this opportunity," replied Jason Branton, owner of the Blackwell Mudrakers. Deposits from the sea tended to clog Blackwell Harbor with alarming frequency, hence the name. Branton wore a suit straight out of the late nineteenth century, with a thin tie at the neck, loose blue jacket and pants and a frilled shirt. "I believe the governor's goal is noble and will bring our people together in common endeavor." He spoke slowly, savoring each word almost as much as he savored his drink. "I can assure you the people at home are excited and anxious to start."

The same couldn't be said of Keith Heinz of the Hanover Eagles, whose clothing might have fit better in the seventeenth century than elsewhere. Thin, with a pale complexion and trembling hands, he opened a portfolio. "Hanover will be ready by spring," he said crisply. "The stadium dimensions you outlined are...peculiar."

"They are standard," Branton interrupted. "I verified the historical data from the Terran leagues myself."

"Peculiar, sir," Heinz emphasized coldly. "We have had to work to spare the land necessary to hold such a project. The Aldermen are displeased, but willing to continue. For now."

Bertrand nodded. He was honestly surprised he'd found anyone in Hanover willing to go along. As its name implied, the town was founded by German settlers seeking to escape the predominately American colonists. They had no baseball tradition. No one he spoke to even heard of it before he found Heinz.

"It is of no consequence," said Rafael Chavez of the Rio Grande Caballeros. "Truly. Any difficulties we suffer now are but...temporary." He lounged back with his drink. Chavez wore a suit in more modern tastes, though didn't see the need for a tie. Indeed, he'd opened his collar. "May I?" Without waiting for a reply he lit a thick cigar and pointed at Bertrand. "I have a general manager," he continued softly, "and in May I will have the players. We will be ready."

"We'll all be ready!" affirmed Portland's owner in a booming voice. Tyrion Jordan of the Sealions was a heavily muscled black man who favored white clothing and an impressive array of rings. Shipping made him the second richest man on Whitehorse behind the governor and he enjoyed showing it. "God damn it, man! Is that why we're here? A status report? I could have called mine in! I have people to do and thinks to see!"

Most smiled at the quip. Heinz sniffed.

"Actually I wanted to make sure we agreed on the basic rules and meet you. Did everyone receive my pulses with the specifics?" Where phone service wouldn't do or proved too expensive, communication generators sent 'pulses' town by town to be relayed as many times as necessary. They worked similarly to ancient telegraphs without lines nor Morse code.

Several nods, then: "Why only ninety games to start?" All eyes turned to Timno Brem, a small man with a wide, curled moustache representing the Selenica Guardians. He dressed similarly to Branton, but in yellow with gold cuffs. "I chanced to go through the archives while in Portland on the way here," he nodded at Jordan, "and the Terran leagues used to play 154-162 games. Surely we can match that?"

"I noticed that as well," agreed Branton. "It seems easy enough to simply start earlier and play later." Jordan nodded as well.

Collier opened his mouth, but Heinz answered for him: "Climate. Terra is warmer than Whitehorse. Expand the season much more and we will be bundling our players in parkas. A lack of snow does not mean it can't be too cold to play."

"That," Bertrand said, "and we don't want to overcommit anyone. A closer look at the Terran leagues will tell you it took them some time to stabilize their membership. We don't want anyone to have to bow out unless absolutely necessary."

"Perhaps we try ninety now," said Chavez. "Then next year? Who can say?"

The conversation continued: Ninety games, single division with the top two teams playing each other in a best of five series for the championship. They would use a designated hitter and impose the old reserve system to control costs with a luxury tax to keep the cities from dominating. Tryouts would be held through late April into early May, with the season starting on May 15.

"As the Governor wishes more direct control of the New Haven Redcaps, he has asked me to oversee league administration," Bertrand finished. "Do any of you have objections?"

"None at all," replied Branton with a smile. The others, however, looked thoughtful or even wary. Jordan lifted his chin and started to speak, but shrugged and reconsidered. Heinz finally shook his head.

"You work for the Governor, Mister Collier. How are we to be assured of your neutrality in any matter involving the Redcaps?"

"I assure you that I will be completely impartial," Bertrand said firmly. He leaned forward for emphasis. "This league is an autonomous project for the betterment of the entire colony. Neither the governor, nor I, are going to endanger it through favoritism."

Heinz sniffed.

Brem smiled. "I see no reason not to take Mr. Collier's assurances at face value. As he says, any favoritism would doom the league and thus ruin the governor's reputation." He added a slight edge to the last part as a warning. "We have all already committed to this course."

"Are there any other objections?" Bertrand asked. "Excellent. Then, if you will follow me, lunch has been prepared and we can toast to our mutual success."

[glenn]

Sorry to hear about the troubles with your Indians dynasty. Nice start. I look forward to reading and seeing where you take it.

[CatKnight]

glenn: Thanks! I'm curious where this will go as well. Currently I'm trying to introduce the teams, then we'll get started.
*******

Early May 109


Jason Love, General Manager of the New Haven Redcaps, sat in the owner's booth overlooking New Haven Field, an open park that favored long singles and doubles as opposed to homers, Far below him manager Alfonso Soto slowly picked his way through a legion of hopefuls.

Love sipped his drink, a stiff local whiskey, and sighed as it eased his toothache. Love didn't want this assignment. He barely knew the rules of the game. At age fifty-eight (old for a Whitehorse native) he simply wanted to make it to his promised retirement in seven years. The idea that said retirement might depend on the productivity of people he'd never met and probably wouldn't want to meet....

Still, Soto's reports were promising. Their offense depended on 2B Miguel Cano, a thirty-three year old who scouts thought would never strikeout. Cano didn't have much power, but routinely hit balls over and through the infield for what would be base hits.

The rest of Blackwell's offense was neither here nor there, but Soto assured him their pitching would shine. He called 32 year old Ryan Hall and 22 year old Carl Sutter the best one-two combination in the Whitehorse League. His assertion was difficult to prove, considering scouting on the other teams had only just begun, but to Love's untrained eye they seemed impressive. Both promised excellent command and movement.

Twenty-one year old Keith Williams might be even better, as he added a blazing fastball to good command and movement, but he lacked the endurance and patience of the others. Soto wanted to use him as a closer.

*******

Andres Martinez, manager of the Rio Grande Caballeros, sat in the dugout watching his hitting coach go through the paces with each batter in turn. He stared at a clipboard full of names, most of which he didn't recognize, and shook his head. Mr. Chavez had invested very, very heavily in the team and it was thought he might have the highest payroll in the league - even over cities like Portland and New Haven. Martinez couldn't afford to make mistakes.

24 year old SS Juan Ventura had progressed notably since the first round of tryouts. He hit a few home runs, but his real danger was a supernatural ability to avoid bad pitches. 30 year old CF Gabriel Stevens promised the power Ventura might lack. Unless pitchers really bore down, Stevens hit every ball off the wall and ran outfielders ragged.

27 year old Brian Anderson was pitching now, offering decent power and control. 28 year old Chet Myers probably wasn't elite, but he should still be a solid performer.

Martinez slowly, hand shaking, 'X'd out another hopeful and thereby banished him back to whatever subsistence living he held before trying out. He hated making these kinds of decisions. The sooner he could get the roster down to 25 players...

"Cesar? Tell Simmons he can go home." Martinez watched his bench coach sigh, rise and head towards the field.

Mr. Chavez wanted a winner. He'd get it...but at what cost?

[CatKnight]

Early May 109 (II)


Oil lamps lit the conference room at the headquarters for the Hanover Eagles, actually a spare room at Heinz Industries. Derek Griffin, the manager, leaned back as the trainer reported on the state of the team.

Griffin was in his forties, a tough, unsmiling man who'd painstakingly surrounded himself with the most experienced, grounded, temperate men he could find: His bench coach was the sole exception, but he expected little from his assistant other than to follow orders. Overall a good crew, and they'd easily pared down the squad to 25.

Their general manager, Pat Huff, would be a problem. Huff was one of Heinz's junior managers, a puppy lacking in common sense, business sense, or much of anything else. Griffin had enough problems turning twenty five young men into a cohesive team without having to train his boss too.

"Our payroll is excessive," Huff said. "Can you explain that, Mr. Griffin?"

"According to our reports, our payroll is fifth in a six team league," Griffin retorted. "I would add that I didn't negotiate the contracts. Your assistants did."

"Hm..." Heavy lidded, as if he'd much rather nap than hold a meeting, Huff flicked his hand as if brushing away an insect. "What are our prospects?"

"We have the best offense in the league," Griffin replied. "I doubt anyone can hold a candle to CF Walt Reynolds. He'll get on base one way or the other, and he's fast. He doesn't have much power, but 1B Lao Quan does. He also gets his bat on the ball and may lead the league in homers. C Jaime Jiminez is simply the best catcher in the league."

Huff hummed. "You seem confident considering we have limited reports on the other club."

Griffin's face twisted, but he held his tongue. "Our best pitcher is Tony Hicks. Hicks' control needs work, but he's young yet. He's great at baffling hitters."
********

Joe Clark, General Manager of the Blackwell Mudrakers, sat alone in his office overlooking Blackwell Harbor. The pale, cold sunlight shone on his face as he read paper after paper, folder after folder.

His boss, Jason Branton, made it clear that he considered the Mudrakers his top priority. It would be good for the colony, he said. It would be good for Blackwell. It meant jobs, trade, and hopefully prosperity for everyone. Winning was secondary, but competing and doing well was absolutely essential.

Clark opened one folder and frowned. 30 year old Tim Cunningham might be the best pitcher on Whitehorse, though no doubt others would make that claim. What couldn't be argued was Cunningham's salary: He would earn quite a bit to hopefully dominate the league. He wouldn't walk many batters, and his wicked breaking ball promised a significant number of strikeouts. His backup, Ricky Stover, clearly needed more time to develop but he should hold his own.

Offensively? Another folder. More frowns. Here Blackwell would need help to prosper. CF Joe Massey was a bright guy who would get a lot of hits..none of them homers. RF Antonio Hernandez at least offered some power, though one day his greed would be his undoing.

Hum. A third folder: 32 year old 3B Pedro Lopez. Unnecessary..but not necessarily useless. He stood, walked swiftly to the door to his office, and opened it wide. "Daniel? I have a pulse I want sent to the other GMs. Tell them...."

[CatKnight]

Early May 109 (III)


Corey Hart, GM of the Selenica Guardians, frowned as he ran the tape again. So fast! He'd barely finished working with his team to cut the roster down to 25, and Blackwell already made a trade!

From what he could tell, it was a good trade for both sides. They received 30 year old reliever Ken Pierce from New Haven in exchange for 32 year old 3B Pedro Lopez. Both were expected to make the final roster.

Hart leaned back and closed his eyes. So damned fast. For a moment a surge of panic rose from the depths. How could he compete against all these people? Selenia wasn't ready.

And yet...Timas thought so. Doubt didn't exist in his universe, and it was hard not to believe in Selenica's eventual championships when he spoke.

Getting there, though...past five other teams determined to win. That would prove difficult.

Selenica's team was built primarily to score runs. LF Alejandro Ortiz would hit many home runs. The rest of his outfield, RF Fred Ramsey and CF Jorge Hernandez complimented him well. Ramsey would get his bat on the ball frequently, while he'd never seen anyone run as fast (or defend as well) as Hernandez.

Pitching was more of a question mark, but Manuel Dominiguez, the staff ace, had a great curve ball and decent power. He could be a headhunter though. That could be a problem, Hart worried.

"I'll talk to Jose," he said aloud. Jose Perez was the team's field manager. "I want to go over the roster again before we open."
*******

"Alright everyone!" Roberto Galvan, manager of the Portland Sealions, roared. "That's enough for today! Take your showers! I'll have final rosters posted in twenty minutes!"

It wouldn't take twenty minutes to figure out who to cut, but Galvan wanted the chance to go over his notes and talk to his bench coach one more time, just in case.

Galvan had no doubts who he would keep. New Haven claimed to have the best pitching staff in the league, but he doubted that very much. Tim Polk had it all. He'd compared the 30 year old's style to old vids of Terran games - Polk was a natural. 29 year old Jesus Ramirez was almost as good, just with a slower fastball. 24 year old Guillermo Garza also showed amazing potential, while closer John Sellers had pinpoint control.

The offense wasn't nearly as impressive, but Galvan thought their pitching staff would carry the team through. By his reckoning, the team needed to win 54 games to win....an average of 11-13 wins per starter. No problem.

Erik Harding, an angry 18 year old right fielder, trotted past. He showed real potential...if he could hold his temper in check.

[bwburke94]

Since April Fools' Day is coming up in less than a month... no jokes, OK? And don't kill off anyone.

(For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, CatKnight made recurring player killings and April Fools jokes on the Baseball Mogul forums last year.)

[Jeff49]

CatKnight, I'll be following your league from its infancy.

I see Prescott on your map, on an island, and I know Prescott is unable to support a team in your league's first year, but should expansion ever come their way, might I be so bold as to suggest the nickname, Roughriders. Prescott, Arizona is my home town, and a famous statue graces the park surrounding the county court building, that of Bucky O'Neill on his rearing-up horse. O'Neill was Prescott's Sheriff in the late 1800s, a long time ago in your universe, I know, and a member of Theodore Roosevelt's Roughriders cavalry unit, who fought in Cuba. O'Neill was killed in the charge up San Juan Hill. The name 'Roughrider' is sprinkled around the town in various ways, and is the nickname of the local community college. What an honor it would be for the Roughrider legacy to continue on Whitehorse.

[CatKnight]

bwburke: No, no April Fools jokes. Maybe.

Jeff49: I imagine this league will expand at some point. We'll see what we can do for Prescott.
*******

May 16, 109 S.F.

Dusty Jackson sat along the first base line at Mudrakers Stadium where, soon, the governor's pet project would see the light of day.

Jackson represented a group of businessmen who might be interested in bringing baseball to Prescott. They had the funds and room, but it wasn't at all certain whether they wanted to deal with their continental brethren on a regular basis.

Prescott was a conservative town: No cars. No paved roads. Farms scratching out a living on the infertile soil fought with ranches for room. People came together only for prayer and market day when freighters from the mainland came to trade their wares for their horses. Genetically modified to help withstand the bitter winters, Prescott horses tended to be bulkier and perhaps slower, but they were also all but immune to cold and wind.

Nearly 2,000 people - a good percentage of Blackwell city - crowded the stadium to capacity and Jackson constantly dealt with jostling men and boys. His mission: Watch and observe. Find out if this baseball league was for real, and if so whether they wanted to join in.

The visiting New Haven Redcaps finished up practice: A strange name for a team whose caps were jet black. Jackson took out a small notepad and began writing: Governor Alamaris apparently took this seriously enough to forsake the honor of opening in the capital to show his sincerity.
*******

Tim Cunningham started for the Mudrakers and struggled much of the game, though not nearly as much as pitchers elsewhere. 1B Peter Doyle hit an RBI single to put the visitors up 1-0. SS John O'Neal came home on a sacrifice in the third, while RF Rich Reid followed one inning later on a groundout.

This isn't to say the Mudrakers were silent. C Pete Cote hit a two-run homer in the second to give Blackwell the temporary lead, but slowly the game crawled away from them. Cote's homer was the first in Whitehorse history and gave Jackson something else to think about: Balls. They'd need to order or make lots of balls to get through a season.

Keith Williams earned the league's first save as he pitched one perfect inning to guarantee New Haven's victory. Reid earned the league's first injury as he strained his back throwing to home in the fifth.

Redcaps 3, Mudrakers 2
WP-Hall (1-0), LP-Cunningham (0-1), SV-Williams (1), HR-(BLA) Cote (1)
*******

If Blackwell hosted the closest game on opening day, Selenica hosted the greatest slaughter.

Rio Grande's LF David Castaneda earned 2 RBI in the fourth and later scored as the Caballeros took a 4-0 lead. C Allen Wilt copied the feat in the sixth to extend Rio's lead to eight. More runs followed as Rio Grande blasted Selenica 11-1.

SS Pedro Miranda earned Selenica's only run of the day: An eighth inning solo shot to spoil Brian Anderson's complete game. On the day Anderson gave up 4 hits, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. Castaneda went 2 for 3 with a double, walk, 3 runs and 3 RBI.


Caballeros 11, Guardians 1
WP-Anderson (1-0), LP-Dominiguez (0-1), HR-(SEL) Miranda (1)
*******

Erik Harding didn't appreciate being taken out in the seventh for a pinch runner, though in all fairness the game was close enough that Coach Roberto Galvan needed to take advantage of every opportunity.

Harding went 1 for 2 with a walk, which was better than most of his teammates as Eagle ace Tony Hicks held Portland scoreless through eight innings. Andy Olson slammed the door on the Sealions in the ninth.

Hanover scored on a 1B Lao Quan single in the fourth, and SS Ezekiel Barry's double one inning later. Portland ace Tim Polk went 6.2 innings before yielding the field.

Eagles 2, Sealions 0
WP-Hicks (1-0), LP-Polk (0-1), SV-Olson (1)

[CatKnight]

May 16-20, 109

Roberto Galvan, manager of the Portland Sealions, spat tobacco into the metal can in his dugout with an audible ring. 4=2 Blackwell, top of the ninth, two on and Jesus Lopez at the plate: Lopez, 2/12 so far. Would the twenty-two year old hold it together? Galvan had his doubts. Best to just bring the runners over and hope for teammater Ramiro Souza[/B] to bring them home. He signaled bunt.

Lopez glanced at the dugout and frowned. Fine. Blackwell pitcher Miguel Latigo threw, he squared..and the bunt rolled foul.

Galvan signaled again, and again Lopez frowned. What the hell? How were they supposed to win if they gave Blackwell an out? Latigo threw. He squared. Foul.

This time Galvan folded his arms. Damn straight, Lopez thought. Let me hit. Down 0-2. He watched the third and first baseman edge in, while the middle infielders backed off in hopes of a double play. Latigo grinned with false bravado. Lopez swung almost before he threw.

The bat shook with the impact and for a second Lopez thought he'd broken it...but no. He stared as the ball streaked towards left field and easily cleared the fence. Home run!
*******

Date	Games				:      PoG
5/16:	New Haven 3 Blackwell 2		:  NHV SP Ryan Hall
	Rio Grande 11 Selenica 1	:  RIO SP Brian Anderson (9 IP 4 H 1 ER 3 BB 4 K, W)
	Hanover 2 Portland 0    	:  HAN SP Tony Hicks (8 IP 6 H 0 ER 3 BB 4 K, W)

5/17:	Blackwell 5 New Haven 4 	:  BLA LF Dan Davis (2/4, 2B, HR, 3 BI, R, BB)
	Rio Grande 8 Selenica 7 (13)	:  SEL SS Pedro Miranda (2/4, HR, 3 BI, R, 2 BB)
	Portland 4 Hanover 3 (11)	:  POR LF Jesus Valdez
	
5/18:	Blackwell 9 New Haven 5		:  BLA SS Dale Winters
	Rio Grande 4 Selenica 0		:  RIO SP Carel Housden (9 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 2 K, W)
	Portland 8 Hanover 3		:  POR CF Bartolo Juarez (2/4, 2B, 3 BI)

5/19:	Hanover 2 Selenica 1		:  HAN SP Simon Harmon (8 IP 0 H 1 ER 6 BB 5 K, W)
	Portland 5 Blackwell 4		:  POR SS Jesus Lopez (2/5, HR, 3 BI, 2 R)
	Rio Grande 12 New Haven 6	:  RIO RF Rio Ra

Team		 W    L   PCT  GB  E#	/  AVG  ERA  /  LWk  St
Rio Grande	 4    0  1000  --	/  313  270  /  4-0  W4	 
Portland	 3    1   750   1	/  292  237  /  3-1  W3
Blackwell	 2    2   500   2  86	/  276  400  /  2-2  L1
Hanover 	 2    2   500   2  86	/  230  295  /  2-2  W1
New Haven	 1    3   250   3  85   /  303  688  /  1-3  L3
Selenica	 0    4   000   4  84	/  167  554  /  0-4  L4

AVG:	Ezekiel Barry (HAN) .500, Pete Cote (BLA) .500, Two tied with .438
HR:	Pedro Miranda (SEL) 2, Six plus tied with 1
RBI:	Jose Beltran (RIO) 5, Alfonso Hernandez (NHV) 5, Shamsedeen Muliro (RIO) 5
SB:	Ezekiel Barry (HAN) 4, Antonio Hernandez (BLA) 3, Three tied with 2
VORP:	Pete Cote (BLA) 4.8, Ezekiel Barry (HAN) 3.9, Pedro Miranda (SEL) 3.5

W:	Six plus tied with 1
ERA:	Four tied with 0.00
K:	Chet Myers (RIO) 8, Jesus Ramirez (POR) 7, Four tied with 5
SV:	Andy Olson (HAN) 2, Four tied with 1
VORP:	Carel Housden (RIO) 4.8, Simon Harmon (HAN) 4.5, Jesus Rainey (SEL) 4.3

[CatKnight]

May 27, 109


"Sir, I realize this is difficult for you," said Michael Stroud, GM of the Rio Grande Caballeros. "I remind you that we're only one game out of the playoffs at this stage, and there are still almost eighty games left."

Chavez leaned back and stared out the window of his house. Rio Grande was a poor city compared to the rest of Whitehorse. His ancestors purposefully moved far from the other settlements to get away from the American dominated cities. His people had little to celebrate other than their heritage and a vast array of holidays...until the Caballeros arrived. This team did more to unify his people than...well, anything. It gave them a chance to show up the other colonists on equal footing. Fans rallied to the cause, and he'd put Rio's attendance up against any of the others...

Except now they were losing. Badly.

"Mister Stroud," Chavez said softly. "You were responsible for building this team. If it is having trouble competing, then..."

"There is nothing wrong with this team's talent," Stroud insisted. "Our early victories proved that. If you wish to find fault, then may I point towards your manager?"

Chavez turned and slowly folded his hands. "Senor Martinez knows what he's doing. He is an excellent manager."

Stroud grit his teeth. He was the outsider...the non-Spaniard by heritage, name or interest. "Perhaps he can tell you where our problem lies, then. If he tells me he needs more talent in a certain position, I will be happy to look for it."
*******

Rio did indeed crash back to earth as the New Haven Redcaps roared to life. New Haven won seven straight, scoring nine or more runs four times including a 20-10 battle with Selenica on the 20th.

Blackwell also put together a solid week, splitting the remainder of their games with Portland before taking 2 of 3 from Hanover and two more from Portland. They did this despite losing C Pete Cote for four weeks with a torn abdominal muscle. Cote is batting .500 with 5 runs and 5 RBI so far.

Despite having reserve clauses with their members, Mudraker MR Ken Pierce earned a contract renewal. He'll earn 176 cr. next year, down from 426. Pierce, who Blackwell took from New Haven, has pitched 0.2 innings so far and has a 40.54 ERA.

Selenica continues to suffer, losing five of seven. It's early yet, of course, but with a batting average below .230 and ERA over 7.00, the Guardians are quickly turning into the laughing stock of the Whitehorse League.
*******

Date	Games				:      PoG
5/20:	New Haven 9 Rio Grande 5	:  NHV SS John O'Neal
	Selenica 14 Hanover 12		:  HAN C Shusui Ishibashi (3/5, 2 2B, HR, 4 BI, R)
	Blackwell 7 Portland 1		:  BLA SP Pablo Revollo (9 IP 5 H 1 ER 4 BB 3 K, W)

5/21:	Portland 7 Blackwell 4		:  POR CF Bartolo Suarez (4/6, 4 2B, 3 BI, 2 R)
	Selenica 6 Hanover 4		:  SEL SP Manuel Dominiguez (7 IP 4 H 2 ER 3 BB 6 K, W)
	New Haven 4 Rio Grande 3	:  NHV RF Rich Reid (2/3 2B 3 BI R BB)
	
5/22:	Portland 6 Rio Grande 2		:  POR SP Jesus Ramirez (8.2 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K, W)
	New Haven 3 Selenica 2		:  NHV 1B Peter Doyle (2/4 HR 3 BI R)
	Blackwell 9 Hanover 0		:  BLA SP Rickey Stover (9 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 6 K, W)
	
5/23:	New Haven 20 Selenica 10	:  NHV 3B Alonso Alvarez (5/6, 3 2B, HR, 6 BI, 3 R, BB)
	Rio Grande 9 Portland 8		:  POR RF Erik Harding (3/4, HR, 4 BI, R, BB)
	Blackwell 5 Hanover 1		:  BLA SP Stan Adams
	
5/24:	Portland 4 Rio Grande 3		:  POR SP Damon Stone (8 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 BB 5 K, W)
	New Haven 10 Selenica 0		:  NHV SP Steve Martin (9 IP 5 H 0 ER 6 BB 7 K, W)
	Hanover 5 Blackwell 4		:  HAN SP Simon Harmon
	
5/25:	Blackwell 8 Selenica 7		:  SEL 2B Ken Jackson (2/5, HR, 3 BI, 2 R)
	Hanover 6 Rio Grande 5		:  HAN RF Mike Thomas (3/5, 2B, HR, 4 BI, R)
	New Haven 7 Portland 6 (10)	:  POR SS Jesus Lopez
	
5/26:	Blackwell 4 Selenica 0		:  BLA SP Tim Cunningham (9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, BB, 7 K, W)
	New Haven 15 Portland 4		:  NHV RF Rich Reid (3/5, 2B, HR, 5 BI, 3 R, BB)
	Rio Grande 7 Hanover 6		:  RIO LF David Castaneda

Team		 W    L   PCT  GB  E#	/  AVG  ERA  /  LWk  St
New Haven	 8    3   727  --	/  358  478  /  7-0  W7
Blackwell	 7    4   636   1	/  275  340  /  5-2  W2
Portland	 6    5   545   2  79	/  293  486  /  3-4  L2
Rio Grande	 6    5   545   2  79   /  288  478  /  2-5  W1  
Hanover		 4    7   364   4  77	/  272  465  /  2-5  L1  
Selenica	 2    9   182   6  75	/  229  702  /  2-5  L5

AVG:	Alonso Alvarez (NHV) .484, Jose Lopez (NHV) .463, Peter Doyle (NHV) .432
HR:	Pedro Miranda (SEL) 3, Three tied with 2
RBI:	Alfonso Hernandez (NHV) 13, Rich Reid (NHV) 12, Two tied with 11
SB:	Dan Davis (BLA) 6, Ezekiel Barry (HAN) 5, Antonio Hernandez (BLA) 5
VORP:	Alonso Alvarez (NHV) 12.0, Jose Lopez (NHV) 11.5, Ezekiel Barry (HAN) 7.5

W:	Five tied with 2
ERA:	Simon Harmon (HAN) 0.56, Rickey Stover (BLA) 1.23, Stan Adams (BLA) 1.69
K:	Brian Anderson (RIO) 18, Tim Cunningham (BLA) 17, Tony Hicks (HAN) 15
SV:	Andy Olson (HAN) 4, John Sellers (POR) 4, Three tied with 2
VORP:	Tim Cunningham (BLA) 9,8, Simon Harmon (HAN) 9.4, Jesus Ramirez (POR) 7.4