The Greenland Winter Ice Baseball League

CBL-Commish · 04-10-2007, 04:57 PM

Qaanaaq, Greenland. October 1, 2006.

The commissioner of the Continental League and the Prime Minister of Greenland have come together today to announce the formation of the Greenland Winter Ice Baseball League.

Since the Continental League was formed in 1988 and became a third major league its players have had few opportunities to keep their skills honed throughout the long winter months. Greenland, locked in an ice-encrusted 24-hour darkness throughout the winter was bereft of entertainment opportunities. The CBL and Greenland have become an unlikely, but perversely logical, partnership to solve their disparate needs.

While baseball has rarely been played on ice-covered fields lit by the combination of the aurora borealis and arc lights, it is believed that tens, or even dozens of baseball mad Inuit and other Greenlanders will flock to the ballparks that will be carved and plowed into the landscape in a half-dozen communities. No doubt the -20 degree temperatures and 30 knot winds common throughout the area will prove challenging for players and fans alike, but Greenlanders are a hardy bunch.

The rules will be similar to typical pro baseball, although the equipment and playing conditions may differ quite radically. Traditional ballcaps and jerseys will be repaced with knit and fur hats, and trim, athletic parkas. Gloves will be newly designed specifically for protection from the elements as much as the ball. The playing fields will be the same dimensions as everyone is accustomed to, but will be built on frozen lakes, rivers, or ponds. The infield will be mostly a skin of relatively bare ice, but the outfields will often be covered with several inches of snow. Crampons will often be worn instead of normal cleats. Error rates may be high, long hits may be in short supply, and pitchers may take weeks to warm up, but the excitement of the action will surely keep spectators on the edge of their bitterly cold metal bleachers.

Players from far and wide will be welcomed into the league. No strict limits on foreign born talent will be imposed on the teams, and they've been encouraged to look around the globe to attract the best and brightest players willing to take on a challenging and fun off-season job. Among the first players signed was former Baltimore Oriole and Kansas City Royal Chris Fussell. "This is a unique opportunity to get my career back on track" said Fussell. "I've never been to Greenland, and, frankly, some of the conditions up there scare the ever-living bajeezus out of me. But they were willing to write me a check for $1000 so I'm willing to do most anything."

Franchises have been awarded to the following communities (nicknames, if already chosen, in parentheses): Qaanaaq (Tusk), Nuuk (Franchise), Paamiut (Legionaires), Tasiilaq, Nord, and the Canadian outpost of Alert in the Nunavut Territory (Desolation). Most of the cities have plowed their diamonds out of the tundra and ice, and have set up temporary bleachers and toilets to serve the expected crowds.

The first season's opening day will be on November 14th. More details will be fleshed out as the date approaches. Stay tuned.

CBL-Commish · 04-13-2007, 10:00 AM

October 14, 2006. More details of the Greenland WIBL were revealed in a press release today.

The final two franchise nicknames were revealed. They'll be the Tasiilaq Superheroes and the Nord Jawbreakers. Along with the names, the divisional alignment was also laid out:

Division 1
Alert Desolation
Nord Jawbreakers
Nuuk Franchise

Division 2
Qaanaaq Tusk
Tasiilaq Superheroes
Paamiut Legionaries

Each team will play a 34-game schedule between November 14th, 2006 and January 1, 2007. The final games of the inaugural season will be played at midnight on the 1st, spectacularly kicking off the new year under the aurora.

The league also announced several player signings of note.

Marcel Zambaco is a 36-year-old Italian starting pitcher. The 6' right-hander spent the summer of '06 in the German Bundesliga for Saarlouis, where he went 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 8.00 innings. He'll be called on to anchor the Qaanaaq rotation.

Dave Bradshaw is a former Colorado Rockies' prospect who spent the summer of 2006 split between Casper in the Pioneer League and Tri-Cities in the Northwest League. After a bit of arm troubles the Rockies released him, but he quickly caught on Nord on a $250 deal.

Six-foot, 20-year-old Gordon Kraul had a winning record split between the Mets' affiliates in the NY-Penn League and the Gulf Coast League, but was released in August after an undisclosed off-field incident. The same day he was granted his release he put pen to paper on a $250 deal to start for the Alert Desolation. His contract includes room and board, and stipulates that he'll do meterological research at the Alert Station on his off days.

Mandel Kammerling might be 42, but he threw four perfect innings in the Bundesliga before leaving the Paderborn Untouchables in April. He'll be a key arm on the Paamiut staff this winter. He has four quality pitches, and has been known to touch 94 mph in more temperate climates.

CBL-Commish · 04-13-2007, 10:05 AM

November 14th, 2006. Opening Day! Finally, after months of preparation the first season of the GWIBL started today.

The first game in league history was Alert at Qaanaaq:

Code:

 	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	 	 	 	 	R	H	E
Alert	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	3	0	 	 	 	 	5	12	0
Qaanaaq	2	0	0	0	4	0	0	1	X	 	 	 	 	7	18	1
W: J. Bannister (1-0) L: C. Strype (0-1)
HR - None

John Bannister, former Rangers' prospect, went the distance, allowing 12 hits while neither striking out nor walking an Alert batter.

The weather was an amazingly balmy 39 degrees at first pitch, and an enthusiastic crowd of 113 was on hand to witness the historic game.

CBL-Commish · 04-13-2007, 10:14 AM

A bitter wind and -26 degree temperatures kept the crowd at the Alert Station to a single spectator, and hampered fielding all day. By the end of the game both teams were suffering from mild hypothermia, and it showed. Alert's South African second baseman Yellel Machungwa made six errors, including three in Qaanaaq's 11-run 9th inning. Alert's Mexican third baseman Teobaldo Galindo hit the league's first homer in the opening frame, but as conditions deteriorated the homer was long forgotten. Near-whiteout conditions caused many balls to be temporarily lost, but Qaanaaq's catcher Javier López seemed to take things in stride. He smacked six hits and drove in seven runs, including a 9th-inning round tripper that disappeared far into the night, carried to the far corners of the globe by the blizzard.

Code:

 Game ID: 22349 - Wednesday, November 15th, 2006 - Game Log

	
Wednesday, November 15th, 2006
  	                1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	9 	R	H	E
Qaanaaq Tusk 	        2 	0 	3 	3 	0 	3 	0 	6 	11 	28	34	3
Alert Desolation 	1 	0 	1 	2 	0 	0 	2 	0 	3 	9	15	11
	

Qaanaaq	       AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	LOB	AVG	HR	RBI
R. Bernard CF	8	4	4	5	0	0	6	.462	0	5
R. Kotyk LF	7	3	5	4	0	0	3	.583	0	7
F. Arroyos RF	6	3	3	2	0	0	2	.400	0	2
b-J. Quinhones PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	0	0
c-G. Wang RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000	0	1
J. López C	8	4	6	7	0	0	3	.769	1	7
M. Burghardt 2B	6	2	3	0	0	0	5	.500	0	0
N. Gouhara SS	6	3	4	2	1	0	1	.455	0	2
L. Heintze 3B	7	2	1	1	0	1	5	.250	0	1
E. Olica 1B	7	2	4	1	0	0	2	.500	0	2
M. Zambaco P	3	2	2	1	0	0	0	.667	0	1
a-C. Najcrea PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	0	0
H. McCauley P	1	2	0	1	1	0	1	.000	0	1
Totals	61	28	34	24	2	1	28			

a - C. Najcrea pinch hit for M. Zambaco in the 8th
b - J. Quinhones pinch hit for F. Arroyos in the 9th
c - G. Wang substituted for J. Quinhones in the 9th

BATTING
Doubles: E. Olica (1, 4th Inning off G. Kraul, 0 on, 1 out) N. Gouhara (1, 8th Inning off T. Cante, 2 on, 0 outs) R. Bernard (1, 9th Inning off I. Desoto, 3 on, 0 outs)
Home Runs: J. López (1, 9th Inning off C. Tamires, 2 on, 0 outs)
Total Bases: J. López 9, M. Zambaco 2, E. Olica 5, F. Arroyos 3, M. Burghardt 3, N. Gouhara 5, L. Heintze, R. Bernard 5, R. Kotyk 5, C. Najcrea, J. Quinhones
2-out RBI: , J. López 2, M. Zambaco, E. Olica, F. Arroyos 2, L. Heintze, R. Kotyk 2
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: J. López, H. McCauley, M. Burghardt, N. Gouhara, R. Bernard 2
GIDP: R. Kotyk
Sac Bunt: M. Zambaco, R. Bernard, R. Kotyk
Team LOB: 13

FIELDING
Errors: J. López (1), M. Burghardt (1), G. Wang (1)
Double Plays: 1 (Gouhara-Burghardt-Olica)

	
Alert	       AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	LOB	AVG	HR	RBI
P. Kaustrop SS	4	1	0	0	1	0	1	.000	0	0
T. Galindo 3B	5	1	3	2	0	0	0	.556	1	2
S. Sperl 1B	5	1	2	0	0	1	3	.400	0	0
Y. Machungwa 2B	4	2	3	2	0	0	1	.750	0	2
R. Arreorila LF	4	2	2	0	1	0	3	.375	0	0
L. Frometa CF	4	1	1	3	0	1	5	.250	0	4
J. Reuter C	5	0	2	1	0	0	2	.333	0	2
A. Larsen RF	5	1	2	1	0	0	2	.250	0	1
G. Kraul P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
a-C. Valarde PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	0	0
Á. López P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
b-J. Laffin PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.600	0	2
T. Cante P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
I. Desoto P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
C. Tamires P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
C. Fussell P	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	0	0
Totals	41	9	15	9	2	4	19			

a - C. Valarde pinch hit for G. Kraul in the 4th
b - J. Laffin pinch hit for Á. López in the 6th

BATTING
Doubles: R. Arreorila (1, 9th Inning off H. McCauley, 1 on, 1 out)
Home Runs: T. Galindo (1, 1st Inning off M. Zambaco, 0 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: J. Reuter 2, S. Sperl 2, Y. Machungwa 3, T. Galindo 6, R. Arreorila 3, L. Frometa, A. Larsen 2
2-out RBI: Y. Machungwa
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: C. Fussell, J. Reuter, R. Arreorila, L. Frometa
GIDP: A. Larsen
Sac Bunt: L. Frometa
Team LOB: 10

BASERUNNING
SB: S. Sperl (1)

FIELDING
Errors: C. Tamires (1), Y. Machungwa 6 (6), R. Arreorila (1), A. Larsen 3 (3)
Double Plays: 2 (Kraul-Sperl, Kaustrop-Machungwa-Sperl)

Qaanaaq	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PI	PS	ERA
M. Zambaco W (1-0)	7.0	12	6	6	2	3	1	113	76	7.71
H. McCauley 	2.0	3	3	2	0	1	0	31	22	9.00

PITCHING
Game Score: M. Zambaco 30
Batters Faced: M. Zambaco 35, H. McCauley 10
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: M. Zambaco 12-5, H. McCauley 1-4
Pitches - Strikes: M. Zambaco 113-76, H. McCauley 31-22
WP: M. Zambaco
HB: H. McCauley

	
Alert	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PI	PS	ERA
G. Kraul L (0-1)	4.0	12	8	7	0	1	0	78	51	15.75
Á. López 	2.0	8	3	3	1	0	0	39	20	13.50
T. Cante 	1.2	4	6	1	0	0	0	33	23	5.40
I. Desoto 	0.1	5	6	5	1	0	0	25	16	135.14
C. Tamires 	0.2	4	5	1	0	0	1	30	18	13.51
C. Fussell 	0.1	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	5	0.00

PITCHING
Game Score: G. Kraul 9
Batters Faced: G. Kraul 23, Á. López 13, T. Cante 13, I. Desoto 8, C. Tamires 9, C. Fussell 2
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: G. Kraul 6-3, Á. López 2-2, T. Cante 3-2, I. Desoto 0-1, C. Tamires 1-1, C. Fussell 0-1
Pitches - Strikes: G. Kraul 78-51, Á. López 39-20, T. Cante 33-23, I. Desoto 25-16, C. Tamires 30-18, C. Fussell 6-5
Inherited Runners - Scored: I. Desoto 2-1, C. Tamires 1-1, C. Fussell 2-0
WP: G. Kraul
HB: G. Kraul, T. Cante
Balk: G. Kraul
GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: J. López
Ballpark: Svendborg Grounds
Weather: Clear skies (-26 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 26 mph
Start Time: 7:15 pm
Time: 4:03
Attendance: 1

CBL-Commish · 04-13-2007, 10:19 AM

Code:

Division 1

Team	                W	L	PCT	GB	AVG	HR	R	AB	H	2B	3B	BB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
Alert Desolation	1	3	.250	-	.402	1	46	179	72	7	1	4	9	.420	.469	.889	3
Nord Jawbreakers	1	3	.250	-	.396	1	31	169	67	6	1	3	12	.414	.462	.875	1
Nuuk Franchise	        1	3	.250	-	.437	2	35	167	73	11	1	2	7	.439	.551	.990	0

Division 2

Team	                W	L	PCT	GB	AVG	HR	R	AB	H	2B	3B	BB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
Qaanaaq Tusk	        4	0	1.000	-	.470	1	64	198	93	17	1	5	11	.481	.581	1.062	0
Tasiilaq Superheroes	3	1	.750	1.0	.416	0	38	173	72	14	1	6	8	.429	.509	.937	0
Paamiut Legionaries	2	2	.500	2.0	.414	1	54	191	79	7	0	1	4	.420	.466	.886	3
Sub League 1 Totals

Team	                W	L	PCT	GB	AVG	HR	R	AB	H	2B	3B	BB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
TOTALS					.423	6	268	1077	456	62	5	21	51	.435	.507	.942	7

Code:

Division 1

Team	                W	L	PCT	GB	ERA	S	IP	HA	R	ER	HRA	BB	K	OAVG	CG	SHO
Alert Desolation	1	3	.250	-	8.92	0	35.1	99	67	35	2	3	6	.469	2	0
Nord Jawbreakers	1	3	.250	-	7.68	1	34.0	75	44	29	0	6	10	.426	0	0
Nuuk Franchise	        1	3	.250	-	6.35	0	34.0	70	45	24	0	3	7	.400	1	0

Division 2

Team	                W	L	PCT	GB	ERA	S	IP	HA	R	ER	HRA	BB	K	OAVG	CG	SHO
Qaanaaq Tusk	        4	0	1.000	-	5.25	1	36.0	60	31	21	2	5	8	.366	1	0
Tasiilaq Superheroes	3	1	.750	1.0	5.66	2	35.0	69	25	22	0	1	13	.416	0	0
Paamiut Legionaries	2	2	.500	2.0	9.34	1	35.2	83	56	37	2	3	7	.449	0	0

Sub League 1 Totals

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	ERA	S	IP	HA	R	ER	HRA	BB	K	OAVG	CG	SHO
TOTALS					7.20	5	210.0	456	268	168	6	21	51	.423	4	0

Jamee999 · 04-13-2007, 02:32 PM

Bwhaha.

Attendance: 1

Samuel Vimes · 04-13-2007, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamee999

Bwhaha.

Attendance: 1

That's good for a game at Grace Road, isn't it?

Disturbing lack of natives here though. Only one seems to be A. Larsen of the Desolation. And no wonder it was cold when the game started at 7:15 - do they have flood lights?

all the same though.

English_Ray · 04-13-2007, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CBL-Commish

A bitter wind and -26 degree temperatures kept the crowd at the Alert Station to a single spectator, and hampered fielding all day. By the end of the game both teams were suffering from mild hypothermia, and it showed.

Love it.

This dynasty could become an absolute classic!

CBL-Commish · 04-16-2007, 12:56 PM

Paamiut Legionaires News

Friday, November 17th, 2006: Arreorila Tags Legionaries Pitching for 5 Hits
It was a parade of hits for Rynie Arreorila of the Alert Desolation...one right after another...a total of 5 for the day. He ravaged the Paamiut Legionaries for 5 hits in his 5 at-bats and propelled the Desolation to a 13-12 victory.

"Arreorila was really good and we were really bad," groaned the Legionaries manager. "Next time he's that hot, we'll just walk him."

R. Arreorila singled in the 2nd, singled in the 3rd, singled in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 6th, walked in the 8th and hit an RBI single in the 9th.

Thursday, November 16th, 2006: Great Day for Poirier! 5 Hits!
It wasn't just another day at the ballpark for Jerry Poirier. It was very special day, one that many players never experience. But he did. Poirier went on a tear and cracked hit after hit off Alert pitching.

When the dust settled on the diamond at Legionaries Ballpark, he had a career 5-7 day and something he will long remember. And the Paamiut Legionaries had a 20-19 victory over the Desolation.

"Yeah, it'll be something nice to tell the grandkids, but it won't get me a hit tomorrow," he laughed in the SION postgame interview.

J. Poirier singled in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, grounded out in the 5th, hit a two-run single in the 6th, hit an RBI single in the 7th, hit an RBI single in the 9th and flied out in the 10th.

CBL-Commish · 04-16-2007, 01:10 PM

The Fielding - Hitting Race. Anyone want to take bets on who wins?

The GWIBL season is barely a week old, but the trends are for an historic season. Rarely has a league had a higher OPS than fielding percentage, but so far that's the case for our far northern ballplaying friends. Through four games of the schedule the league OPS is .942, driven by a healthy .423 batting average. It seems the iced over infields, heavy clothing, and driving winds have consipred to shoot batting averages through the roof.

On the other side of the ball, the fielders are still getting accustomed to the rather difficult environments, and are fielding .911. The Alert Desolation have already had consecutive 9-error and 11-error games during a particularly windy stretch of last week. Even in the gloveless era in the 1870s and 1880s teams typically fielded in the .900s. One interesting experiment could be to run one of those oldtime Base Ball leagues in Greenland, just to see what the theoretical limit of errors is.

Poster child for this bizarre inversion is Alert infielder Yellel Machungwa (pictured below). He's 3-for-9 fielding (.333), but 5-for-6 batting (.833).

Jamee999 · 04-16-2007, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samuel Vimes

That's good for a game at Grace Road, isn't it?

Disturbing lack of natives here though. Only one seems to be A. Larsen of the Desolation. And no wonder it was cold when the game started at 7:15 - do they have flood lights?

all the same though.

It's the total attendance for all games in Norway (and that 1 was you

)

Doesn't Greenland just go Sun for months, dark for months?

Bobbert · 04-16-2007, 06:16 PM

Depends on where in Greenland you are, it's a huge island. The southern tip is at about the same lattitude as Stockholm But if you go far up north on Greenland then it's probably dark for a few months in a row during the winter.

CBL-Commish · 05-01-2007, 10:24 AM

People have been getting paid to play baseball for going on 140 years now, so it's possible that somewhere, somehow a team once suffered through a nine-day stretch worse than that experienced by the Alert Desolation from November 22nd through the 30th, 2006.

Possible. But pretty darn unlikely.

The horror began with a normal, pedestrian 11-5 loss at Tasiilaq. It was a well-played game for the GWIBL, with only three errors, and gametime temperature was a balmy 40 degrees. All 10 of Tasiilaq's paying spectators went home happy as Brian Bannatyne had four hits, pushing his season's average to the cusp of .700. Merrimack New Hampshire's Chad Strype took the loss, going 5.1 innings of 17-hit, 11-run ball. And Álex López surprised everyone with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Oh, but what awaited the Desolation.

After Thursday's off day, they traveled to Nuuk to take on the Franchise. A rowdy crowd of 90 was on hand to see a pitcher's duel. After eight innings it was 6-2 Nuuk, with Baio Wu throwing an incredible game with only six hits allowed, no walks, and four strikeouts. Truely one of the best pitching performances of the season. But he tired, and in the 9th Nuuk brought in Prospero 'Moose' Cndida, a Brazilian righty. He promptly coughed up four runs, tying the ballgame. Then things got interesting. Both teams traded runs in the 10th, and Alert plated three runs in the 11th. But Nuuk tied it back up on a Ulysses Bower bases-loaded triple that skipped around the frozen outfield for what seemed like forever. Unbelievably, Alert bounced back and scored another three-spot in the 12th. But just as unbelievably, Nuuk responded. Stringing together four singles, a walk, and benefitting from an error, they scored four times in the frame off of the normally dependable Tadeo Cante. For both of the Alert faithful it was a second straight disappointing defeat.

They didn't know what was coming next.

After an 18-hour hovercraft ride back home to the Alert Station, they took on Tasiilaq Superheroes once again. It was over before it started. Tasiilaq scored 15 times in the first, and coasted to a 34-7 win. Alert, clearly not so alert after the long journey, made nine errors on the windswept, icy playing field. It was -26 degrees, with a stiff 24 mph breeze blowing in from left, but that didn't deter 17 fans from paying to sit on metal bleachers and chew lustily on seal blubber. Aruban Pjotr Veeneman seemed most effected by the Hoth-like conditions, making four errors. Former KC Royal and Baltimore Oriole Chris Fussell was once again disappointing, giving up four runs in three innings, seeing his ERA stay above the 14.00 mark.

On Sunday the schedule makers clearly were taking their revenge for some past slight, as the Desolation had to take an 8-hour flight on a Twin Otter to Qaanaaq, to face the league-leading Tusk. After two innings it was 23-3. In the second, a quick groundout was followed by nine consecutive hits. Then with two outs the Tusk had seven hits, a walk, and reaped the rewards of four Alert errors and a wild pitch. By the time the carnage had mercifully ended, 5:27 later, the final was 47-13. Three different Alert pitchers had allowed 10 or more runs, and the team combined for 287 pitches thrown.

You might have thought this was the bottom, and it could well have been, but the Desolation wouldn't pull themselves out of the mire for four more games. On Tuesday the 28th they started a three-game set with Nord, and got ended up taking the bad end of a sweep. By a combined score of 70-21. Tuesday's game was -26 degrees, Wednesday -24, and Thursday was a bone-numbing 28 below. Thursday saw the Desolation throw four pitchers with season ERAs north of 11.00. Chris Fussell was beside himself. "I came up here to try and resurrect my career. It wasn't a lot of money, and I was fearful of the polar bears and the whiteout conditions. But it's baseball. How bad could it be, right? Well, with all this protective clothing my fastball rarely breaks 70, and I don't even want to think about trying a slider with a -26 degree headwind. I'm not going to lie, it's ugly. I don't know how the fans do it. There were 15 or 20 guys out there waving banners and singing songs four hours into the game yesterday. I was near death!"

But as surely as the sun goes round the earth... or something like that... November came to a close. And with it the Alert Desolation's misery. At least for a moment. On the 1st of December they went to Nord to play the Jawbreakers, and finally, thankfully, got some luck. Lopez pitched brilliantly in relief. And at 10:45, with the thermometer dipping perilously close to 40 below, they pushed across four runs in the 12th, and had that elusive win. Danish catcher Jakob Reuter tried to open a celebratory soda, but it was frozen harder than a steel pipe. The team hustled back to the awaiting sno-cat, and set off for the airstrip, content in the knowledge that no one had died, and they had survived one of the most harrowing nine days in baseball history.

CatKnight · 05-01-2007, 01:27 PM

This is bizarre.

I'm going numb just reading your descriptions and trying to imagine baseball in 20-40 below weather.

Alert should be VERY happy no one died.

CBL-Commish · 05-01-2007, 05:03 PM

The GWIBL has reintroduced that staple of old time baseball, the Sunday doubleheader. The hopes were that attendance would spike with twice as much fun in an afternoon.

But a secondary concern was the immense distances between communities in the league. Alert is 676 km from Qaanaaq, and well over a thousand to the other stadiums in the league. Two-for-one games help to cut travel expenses and danger. In a league where games are often played in dark of months-long night with temperatures far below zero and heavy winds, just getting to your next game can be a frightful adventure.

December 3rd was an unusual Sunday in the GWIBP, with some close-fought contests, and some surprising pitchers' duels. The Qaanaaq Tusk split two games with the Paamiut Legionaires, a 6-5 win and a 6-3 loss. Danish 3B Argus Jacobsen launched the only homer of the day, into the teeth of a chilly 13 mph breeze. Mandel Kammerling of Paamiut provided a stellar start in game two, going seven and allowing a single earned run.

Nuuk swept the hapless Alert Desolation 13-5 and 8-4, despite committing 11 errors in the twin bill. Nord swept Tasiilaq 13-10, and 10-9, in two scores more representative of the league. In game two Tasiilaq lost despite 19 hits, including four more from Brian Bannatyne, who upped his league-leading average to .745. The 19-year old has gotten a little buzz from the greater baseball world, as several North American indy leagues have requested information on the teenage star. Nord's Dave Bradshaw, formerly of the Colorado organization, came within an out of throwing the league's first complete game. His 8.2 inning, 15-hit, 9-run performance was good enough for the win. In the nightcap he pitched another 1/3 of a inning for good measure.

Elendil · 05-01-2007, 05:33 PM

Weekend doubleheaders are nifty. I've been using them for my Alaskan League's minors. They play back-to-back doubleheaders on Saturdays and Sundays, so that players can work at real jobs during the week. Still, I think the Barrow club might have to be dropped. Players complain about flying for hours and then playing baseball in 35 degrees - in July.

Still nowhere near Greenlandic midwinter conditions!

04-10-2007, 04:57 PM	#1
CBL-Commish All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,999	The Greenland Winter Ice Baseball League Qaanaaq, Greenland. October 1, 2006. The commissioner of the Continental League and the Prime Minister of Greenland have come together today to announce the formation of the Greenland Winter Ice Baseball League. Since the Continental League was formed in 1988 and became a third major league its players have had few opportunities to keep their skills honed throughout the long winter months. Greenland, locked in an ice-encrusted 24-hour darkness throughout the winter was bereft of entertainment opportunities. The CBL and Greenland have become an unlikely, but perversely logical, partnership to solve their disparate needs. While baseball has rarely been played on ice-covered fields lit by the combination of the aurora borealis and arc lights, it is believed that tens, or even dozens of baseball mad Inuit and other Greenlanders will flock to the ballparks that will be carved and plowed into the landscape in a half-dozen communities. No doubt the -20 degree temperatures and 30 knot winds common throughout the area will prove challenging for players and fans alike, but Greenlanders are a hardy bunch. The rules will be similar to typical pro baseball, although the equipment and playing conditions may differ quite radically. Traditional ballcaps and jerseys will be repaced with knit and fur hats, and trim, athletic parkas. Gloves will be newly designed specifically for protection from the elements as much as the ball. The playing fields will be the same dimensions as everyone is accustomed to, but will be built on frozen lakes, rivers, or ponds. The infield will be mostly a skin of relatively bare ice, but the outfields will often be covered with several inches of snow. Crampons will often be worn instead of normal cleats. Error rates may be high, long hits may be in short supply, and pitchers may take weeks to warm up, but the excitement of the action will surely keep spectators on the edge of their bitterly cold metal bleachers. Players from far and wide will be welcomed into the league. No strict limits on foreign born talent will be imposed on the teams, and they've been encouraged to look around the globe to attract the best and brightest players willing to take on a challenging and fun off-season job. Among the first players signed was former Baltimore Oriole and Kansas City Royal Chris Fussell. "This is a unique opportunity to get my career back on track" said Fussell. "I've never been to Greenland, and, frankly, some of the conditions up there scare the ever-living bajeezus out of me. But they were willing to write me a check for $1000 so I'm willing to do most anything." Franchises have been awarded to the following communities (nicknames, if already chosen, in parentheses): Qaanaaq (Tusk), Nuuk (Franchise), Paamiut (Legionaires), Tasiilaq, Nord, and the Canadian outpost of Alert in the Nunavut Territory (Desolation). Most of the cities have plowed their diamonds out of the tundra and ice, and have set up temporary bleachers and toilets to serve the expected crowds. The first season's opening day will be on November 14th. More details will be fleshed out as the date approaches. Stay tuned. __________________ For the best in O's news: Orioles' Hangout.com

04-13-2007, 10:00 AM	#2
CBL-Commish All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,999	October 14, 2006. More details of the Greenland WIBL were revealed in a press release today. The final two franchise nicknames were revealed. They'll be the Tasiilaq Superheroes and the Nord Jawbreakers. Along with the names, the divisional alignment was also laid out: Division 1 Alert Desolation Nord Jawbreakers Nuuk Franchise Division 2 Qaanaaq Tusk Tasiilaq Superheroes Paamiut Legionaries Each team will play a 34-game schedule between November 14th, 2006 and January 1, 2007. The final games of the inaugural season will be played at midnight on the 1st, spectacularly kicking off the new year under the aurora. The league also announced several player signings of note. Marcel Zambaco is a 36-year-old Italian starting pitcher. The 6' right-hander spent the summer of '06 in the German Bundesliga for Saarlouis, where he went 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 8.00 innings. He'll be called on to anchor the Qaanaaq rotation. Dave Bradshaw is a former Colorado Rockies' prospect who spent the summer of 2006 split between Casper in the Pioneer League and Tri-Cities in the Northwest League. After a bit of arm troubles the Rockies released him, but he quickly caught on Nord on a $250 deal. Six-foot, 20-year-old Gordon Kraul had a winning record split between the Mets' affiliates in the NY-Penn League and the Gulf Coast League, but was released in August after an undisclosed off-field incident. The same day he was granted his release he put pen to paper on a $250 deal to start for the Alert Desolation. His contract includes room and board, and stipulates that he'll do meterological research at the Alert Station on his off days. Mandel Kammerling might be 42, but he threw four perfect innings in the Bundesliga before leaving the Paderborn Untouchables in April. He'll be a key arm on the Paamiut staff this winter. He has four quality pitches, and has been known to touch 94 mph in more temperate climates. __________________ For the best in O's news: Orioles' Hangout.com

04-13-2007, 10:05 AM	#3
CBL-Commish All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,999	November 14th, 2006. Opening Day! Finally, after months of preparation the first season of the GWIBL started today. The first game in league history was Alert at Qaanaaq: Code: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Alert 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 5 12 0 Qaanaaq 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 X 7 18 1 W: J. Bannister (1-0) L: C. Strype (0-1) HR - None John Bannister, former Rangers' prospect, went the distance, allowing 12 hits while neither striking out nor walking an Alert batter. The weather was an amazingly balmy 39 degrees at first pitch, and an enthusiastic crowd of 113 was on hand to witness the historic game. __________________ For the best in O's news: Orioles' Hangout.com Last edited by CBL-Commish; 04-13-2007 at 10:06 AM.

04-16-2007, 12:56 PM	#9
CBL-Commish All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,999	Paamiut Legionaires News Friday, November 17th, 2006: Arreorila Tags Legionaries Pitching for 5 Hits It was a parade of hits for Rynie Arreorila of the Alert Desolation...one right after another...a total of 5 for the day. He ravaged the Paamiut Legionaries for 5 hits in his 5 at-bats and propelled the Desolation to a 13-12 victory. "Arreorila was really good and we were really bad," groaned the Legionaries manager. "Next time he's that hot, we'll just walk him." R. Arreorila singled in the 2nd, singled in the 3rd, singled in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 6th, walked in the 8th and hit an RBI single in the 9th. Thursday, November 16th, 2006: Great Day for Poirier! 5 Hits! It wasn't just another day at the ballpark for Jerry Poirier. It was very special day, one that many players never experience. But he did. Poirier went on a tear and cracked hit after hit off Alert pitching. When the dust settled on the diamond at Legionaries Ballpark, he had a career 5-7 day and something he will long remember. And the Paamiut Legionaries had a 20-19 victory over the Desolation. "Yeah, it'll be something nice to tell the grandkids, but it won't get me a hit tomorrow," he laughed in the SION postgame interview. J. Poirier singled in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, grounded out in the 5th, hit a two-run single in the 6th, hit an RBI single in the 7th, hit an RBI single in the 9th and flied out in the 10th. Attached Images __________________ For the best in O's news: Orioles' Hangout.com Last edited by CBL-Commish; 04-16-2007 at 01:01 PM.

04-16-2007, 01:10 PM	#10
CBL-Commish All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,999	The Fielding - Hitting Race. Anyone want to take bets on who wins? The GWIBL season is barely a week old, but the trends are for an historic season. Rarely has a league had a higher OPS than fielding percentage, but so far that's the case for our far northern ballplaying friends. Through four games of the schedule the league OPS is .942, driven by a healthy .423 batting average. It seems the iced over infields, heavy clothing, and driving winds have consipred to shoot batting averages through the roof. On the other side of the ball, the fielders are still getting accustomed to the rather difficult environments, and are fielding .911. The Alert Desolation have already had consecutive 9-error and 11-error games during a particularly windy stretch of last week. Even in the gloveless era in the 1870s and 1880s teams typically fielded in the .900s. One interesting experiment could be to run one of those oldtime Base Ball leagues in Greenland, just to see what the theoretical limit of errors is. Poster child for this bizarre inversion is Alert infielder Yellel Machungwa (pictured below). He's 3-for-9 fielding (.333), but 5-for-6 batting (.833). Attached Images __________________ For the best in O's news: Orioles' Hangout.com Last edited by CBL-Commish; 04-16-2007 at 01:11 PM.

04-13-2007, 02:32 PM	#6
Jamee999 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 772	Bwhaha. Attendance: 1

04-16-2007, 06:16 PM	#12
Bobbert Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Linköping, Sweden Posts: 222	Depends on where in Greenland you are, it's a huge island. The southern tip is at about the same lattitude as Stockholm But if you go far up north on Greenland then it's probably dark for a few months in a row during the winter. __________________

05-01-2007, 10:24 AM	#13
CBL-Commish All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,999	Alert suffers greatest pounding in pro baseball history People have been getting paid to play baseball for going on 140 years now, so it's possible that somewhere, somehow a team once suffered through a nine-day stretch worse than that experienced by the Alert Desolation from November 22nd through the 30th, 2006. Possible. But pretty darn unlikely. The horror began with a normal, pedestrian 11-5 loss at Tasiilaq. It was a well-played game for the GWIBL, with only three errors, and gametime temperature was a balmy 40 degrees. All 10 of Tasiilaq's paying spectators went home happy as Brian Bannatyne had four hits, pushing his season's average to the cusp of .700. Merrimack New Hampshire's Chad Strype took the loss, going 5.1 innings of 17-hit, 11-run ball. And Álex López surprised everyone with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Oh, but what awaited the Desolation. After Thursday's off day, they traveled to Nuuk to take on the Franchise. A rowdy crowd of 90 was on hand to see a pitcher's duel. After eight innings it was 6-2 Nuuk, with Baio Wu throwing an incredible game with only six hits allowed, no walks, and four strikeouts. Truely one of the best pitching performances of the season. But he tired, and in the 9th Nuuk brought in Prospero 'Moose' Cndida, a Brazilian righty. He promptly coughed up four runs, tying the ballgame. Then things got interesting. Both teams traded runs in the 10th, and Alert plated three runs in the 11th. But Nuuk tied it back up on a Ulysses Bower bases-loaded triple that skipped around the frozen outfield for what seemed like forever. Unbelievably, Alert bounced back and scored another three-spot in the 12th. But just as unbelievably, Nuuk responded. Stringing together four singles, a walk, and benefitting from an error, they scored four times in the frame off of the normally dependable Tadeo Cante. For both of the Alert faithful it was a second straight disappointing defeat. They didn't know what was coming next. After an 18-hour hovercraft ride back home to the Alert Station, they took on Tasiilaq Superheroes once again. It was over before it started. Tasiilaq scored 15 times in the first, and coasted to a 34-7 win. Alert, clearly not so alert after the long journey, made nine errors on the windswept, icy playing field. It was -26 degrees, with a stiff 24 mph breeze blowing in from left, but that didn't deter 17 fans from paying to sit on metal bleachers and chew lustily on seal blubber. Aruban Pjotr Veeneman seemed most effected by the Hoth-like conditions, making four errors. Former KC Royal and Baltimore Oriole Chris Fussell was once again disappointing, giving up four runs in three innings, seeing his ERA stay above the 14.00 mark. On Sunday the schedule makers clearly were taking their revenge for some past slight, as the Desolation had to take an 8-hour flight on a Twin Otter to Qaanaaq, to face the league-leading Tusk. After two innings it was 23-3. In the second, a quick groundout was followed by nine consecutive hits. Then with two outs the Tusk had seven hits, a walk, and reaped the rewards of four Alert errors and a wild pitch. By the time the carnage had mercifully ended, 5:27 later, the final was 47-13. Three different Alert pitchers had allowed 10 or more runs, and the team combined for 287 pitches thrown. You might have thought this was the bottom, and it could well have been, but the Desolation wouldn't pull themselves out of the mire for four more games. On Tuesday the 28th they started a three-game set with Nord, and got ended up taking the bad end of a sweep. By a combined score of 70-21. Tuesday's game was -26 degrees, Wednesday -24, and Thursday was a bone-numbing 28 below. Thursday saw the Desolation throw four pitchers with season ERAs north of 11.00. Chris Fussell was beside himself. "I came up here to try and resurrect my career. It wasn't a lot of money, and I was fearful of the polar bears and the whiteout conditions. But it's baseball. How bad could it be, right? Well, with all this protective clothing my fastball rarely breaks 70, and I don't even want to think about trying a slider with a -26 degree headwind. I'm not going to lie, it's ugly. I don't know how the fans do it. There were 15 or 20 guys out there waving banners and singing songs four hours into the game yesterday. I was near death!" But as surely as the sun goes round the earth... or something like that... November came to a close. And with it the Alert Desolation's misery. At least for a moment. On the 1st of December they went to Nord to play the Jawbreakers, and finally, thankfully, got some luck. Lopez pitched brilliantly in relief. And at 10:45, with the thermometer dipping perilously close to 40 below, they pushed across four runs in the 12th, and had that elusive win. Danish catcher Jakob Reuter tried to open a celebratory soda, but it was frozen harder than a steel pipe. The team hustled back to the awaiting sno-cat, and set off for the airstrip, content in the knowledge that no one had died, and they had survived one of the most harrowing nine days in baseball history. __________________ For the best in O's news: Orioles' Hangout.com Last edited by CBL-Commish; 05-01-2007 at 10:28 AM.

05-01-2007, 01:27 PM	#14
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	This is bizarre. I'm going numb just reading your descriptions and trying to imagine baseball in 20-40 below weather. Alert should be VERY happy no one died.

05-01-2007, 05:03 PM	#15
CBL-Commish All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,999	Sunday doubleheaders The GWIBL has reintroduced that staple of old time baseball, the Sunday doubleheader. The hopes were that attendance would spike with twice as much fun in an afternoon. But a secondary concern was the immense distances between communities in the league. Alert is 676 km from Qaanaaq, and well over a thousand to the other stadiums in the league. Two-for-one games help to cut travel expenses and danger. In a league where games are often played in dark of months-long night with temperatures far below zero and heavy winds, just getting to your next game can be a frightful adventure. December 3rd was an unusual Sunday in the GWIBP, with some close-fought contests, and some surprising pitchers' duels. The Qaanaaq Tusk split two games with the Paamiut Legionaires, a 6-5 win and a 6-3 loss. Danish 3B Argus Jacobsen launched the only homer of the day, into the teeth of a chilly 13 mph breeze. Mandel Kammerling of Paamiut provided a stellar start in game two, going seven and allowing a single earned run. Nuuk swept the hapless Alert Desolation 13-5 and 8-4, despite committing 11 errors in the twin bill. Nord swept Tasiilaq 13-10, and 10-9, in two scores more representative of the league. In game two Tasiilaq lost despite 19 hits, including four more from Brian Bannatyne, who upped his league-leading average to .745. The 19-year old has gotten a little buzz from the greater baseball world, as several North American indy leagues have requested information on the teenage star. Nord's Dave Bradshaw, formerly of the Colorado organization, came within an out of throwing the league's first complete game. His 8.2 inning, 15-hit, 9-run performance was good enough for the win. In the nightcap he pitched another 1/3 of a inning for good measure. Attached Images __________________ For the best in O's news: Orioles' Hangout.com Last edited by CBL-Commish; 05-01-2007 at 05:06 PM.

05-01-2007, 05:33 PM	#16
Elendil Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the dynasty forum Posts: 2,318	Weekend doubleheaders are nifty. I've been using them for my Alaskan League's minors. They play back-to-back doubleheaders on Saturdays and Sundays, so that players can work at real jobs during the week. Still, I think the Barrow club might have to be dropped. Players complain about flying for hours and then playing baseball in 35 degrees - in July. Still nowhere near Greenlandic midwinter conditions! __________________ Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 05-01-2007 at 05:36 PM.