Reinventing the game: Neloxian Baseball

[darkcloud4579]

There have been players from other divisions who have made cameos in the Championship. But, there has not been a player as of yet who has had a sustained impact at the top level, after playing at lower levels.

As far as the Township is concerned, there has never been a player who has even made a pro TEAM as a starter from the township, because teams generally avoid signing those players. 2nd Division teams are the most likely to take a chance and usually, that the highest level that any player at the township level -- and we're talking an elite player -- would be able to strive for.

It's akin to a high school player going straight to the pros. The problem is, Township League players by the team they peak out, are old, have bad work habits and aren't going to necessarily fit with a team or going to want to alter their entire lives to become pro players -- just for the CHANCE -- to make a lot less money than they'd make keeping regular jobs.

Especially given none of them are going to have a realistic shot at the Championship, none entertain the idea of doing more than playing on their local township club, which derives a ton of local pride when you consider that there are no varsity sports in schools.

[darkcloud4579]

The fact is, there are no real stars in Neloxian baseball right now. Sure, there are players. There are stats.

But Neloxian baseball fans aren't real seamheads that care about breaking down stats.

They don't even care who plays for them. Ultimately, all they want..is to win.

And teams win, players don't win on their own.

So, Neloxian fans purposely emphasize their teams. Team colours, Team Jerseys, Team Caps and Team Pins. The player as a symbol or a star just doesn't happen at the top levels and salaries aren't routinely published even in the Championship League.

[darkcloud4579]

Saint Etienne Excelsior spent the first 22 seasons of its existance in the city of Alvintowne, a town in the state of Evanston with just over 50,000 people.

In their 20 years in the Championship League -- which are sandwiched on top of two seasons of exile in the First Division in which they won back-to-back titles -- the Excelsior have never finished higher than 3rd, which they did once BEFORE they left the NCL.

Since then, their best finish has been 4th. The hope is, that a new city will allow this team to excel as it has never done before.

The only other NCL team to never make an apperance in the Neloxian Series are the Des Villes Outlaws the team that was moved up and originally replaced Excelsior in the nation's top league.

With murmurs that this move was the only thing saving the team from a permanent exile, the club has decided to get even more serious about winning in the future.

Feeling as if they have nothing to lose, the club signed Colin Masshum to a 5-year deal, in anticipation of the 1923 season. Masshum signed with St. Etienne, because it would allow him to be closer to his family in Nelitz and the Nelitz Metropolitans, the area's other NCL team weren't interested in the hometown player.

We're going to spend the 1923 season -- doing among other things -- focusing on the first season of Colin Masshum in the Championship League. For his ascent to the top division has not gone unnoticed by the baseball talking heads around the country, who sit in pubs and debate this and that.

In fact, they're shocked a team took a chance on this kid, who many think is just an overrated shell of a player. But to the believers...to those who've seen him, Masshum represents the struggle of all of those guys on township teams, in leagues no one will read about or care about.

He's their icon already and he promised them that "He'll make them proud."

Currently, he's listed on the depth chart for the Excelsior as their platoon outfielder, only in the lineup against lefties to start the year.

[darkcloud4579]

Imagine if, just as quickly as baseball burst onto the scene, it disappeared.

The 1922 season was cancelled due to a flu that plagued the entire nation. As Neloxians are wont to do when they're distracted by something else, they tend to move on.

The Championship League did not reform the following year.

In fact, no baseball league did for fifteen years. But when they did, it was only township leagues that tended to form. No one really loved the game with the passion they once had, finding new pursuits such as Tennis Polo and other Neloxian games to keep themselves occupied.

"That doesn't make sense," you say. Baseball can't just fall off the map.

But it did.

There was no lucrative compelling interest for towns to continue funding teams -- league teams were owned by teams from the inception of most leagues -- because there were less dollars to go around and there was no interest in any entrepenuers seeking to start a professional league or rescue the game. After all, baseball -- as passionate as people were about it -- didn't capture the heart and minds of the people as much as their work or other things they do.

Baseball is commonly known as the "Summer Game" and for good reason. It's an outdoor diversion.

The game continued to toil in relative obscurity, with fans attenting township matches and eventually, a new college league sprung up, but without the verocity of the old University Division.

Oldtimers talked about the game with a sepia-toned memory, longing for what became known as "the Old Game." In fact, that's all they called it.

The Old Game harkened back to a time when people were nicer to each other. When Sanfranchez wasn't driven by the "drive" to get more and more money. Yet, the game continued to keep a loyal fanbase, in an unlikely place.

Given the game began in the northern part of the country, it's always had a stronghold there -- though, with most of the monied areas being in the south, it prevented a major league from cropping up again where the sport is strong -- the game began its rebirth in the south east part of the country, near the largest city in the nation, Nelitz.

It was there, that the Old Game found its place in a modern world.

[MikeSlugga]

So was this all just history, leading up to the dynasty, or is the dynasty over?

[Sarcastic]

Originally Posted by MikeSlugga

So was this all just history, leading up to the dynasty, or is the dynasty over?

Based on his sig and the last post, I'd say it's probably over due to a crash that caused him to lose his league, and he doesn't want to set the whole thing up again, resim 20 more seasons, and come up with new material to fit the new league.

[darkcloud4579]

Yeah, that's what happened.

I'm working on doing a new one that's based on this same concept, but I'm leery to start until I'm more confident it's not going to crash on me.