Evolution: Neloxian Baseball Revisited

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With one game to go, a win against the Dominican Republic would give Sanfranchez an outright berth into the elimination rounds of the inagural JLB season, while a loss and a win by Japan would force a one-game playoff to determine who moves on, joining Australia who are representing Group A and Canada who is representing Group B.

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A three-way tie for 2 spots in the next round between Puerto Rico, Japan and Sanfranchez is the way the first season of Junior League Baseball will determine who makes it to the next round.

Puerto Rico faced off against Japan first, with Puerto Rico winning 3-2.

Sanfranchez and Japan played, with the winner advancing to the next round and Sanfranchez won 5-3, sending Japan home and giving the Neloxians a chance to capture the Junior League title.

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Sanfranchez v. Australia 2 games to 0
Puerto Rico v. Canada 2 games to 0

(BEST-OF-THREE) JLB SEMI-FINALS


JLB FINALS (BEST-OF-FIVE)
Australia v. Canada 3 games to 2

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As you may know, Neloxian Leagues do not currently have ANY foreign players in them.

Should the advent of the new international league allow foreign players into Neloxian Baseball? Or should the league stay Neloxian only?

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The new slate of Junior League players are preparing for the second season of league play.

Four new teams have been added: Mexico, Cuba, South Korea and Venezuela.

The teams should have stepped up their games, as countries that were embarassed during the last itieration have streamlined and improved their teams heading into the new season.

One of those teams that managed to qualify for the elimination rounds before being eliminated was Sanfranchez. GM Dark Cloud said that people will be impressed with the new crop of players from Sanfranchez.

"We've scoured the Dominion for top players. Last time, we didn't get a whole lot of turnaround time to pick players, but this time we're looking for something a little bit better,"

Unlikely teams Australia and Canada were in the Junior League final last year, with Australia capturing the title.

The league has not been a well-spring of talent, with only one player signing a deal in a top-tier league after last season. 1B Dean James from Sanfranchez signed with Dominion Elite of the Conference League, but was traded to Carsons Welch later in the season.

He hit .223 with 9 HRs and 35 RBI in 310 at-bats last season.

But there are supposedly better players in the league this season who are prospects for other leagues.

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NELITZ - Neloxian Premier Baseball was in need of four more teams to round out its league alignment and so, league officials decided today to invite several clubs it'd been eyeing to join the league, as well as adding the first expansion team into the Premier League since 1923.

The Sarta Emiliae Statesman, Brynsel Brigade and Nelitz Nine all came from the Conference. West Villa, the NCB champions last season declined an invitation, as owners cited the higher costs of doing business in the ***.

The *** added the club PHR Pharmacists, who are based in Hampton Ridge, South Nelitz and are named after the PHR Pharmaceutical Company which is based there.

The NCB added the Cornersberg Firefighters and the Julietascene Giants, two teams with long histories in the Township Association, to round out the league with 20 teams, while the Premier League should stay with its 36 team alignment for the foreseeable future.

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What a difference a year makes.

The Dominican Republic leads all comers with a 10-1 record, which leads Group B. Puerto Rico is 4-7, leading Group A, while Cuba is also 10-1. At 9-2, Sanfranchez is leading the 4th spot.

There are 3 groups in the JLB. Each Group champ will qualify for the next round, as well as the non-division winner with the best record.

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GROUP A
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Puerto Rico
Mexico
USA
Netherlands

GROUP B
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Dominican Republic
Sanfranchez
Japan
Canada

GROUP C
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Cuba
South Korea
Australia
Venezuela

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GROUP A
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PUERTO RICO 15-9
MEXICO 9-15
USA 5-19
NETHERLANDS 3-21

GROUP B
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SANFRANCHEZ 20-4
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 19-5
JAPAN 15-9
CANADA 6-18

GROUP C
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VENEZUELA 17-8
CUBA 16-9
SOUTH KOREA 14-10
AUSTRALIA 6-18

SEMI-FINALS
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Sanfranchez v. Puerto Rico
Venezuela v. Dominican Republic

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Sanfranchez, after securing a 20-4 records throughout pool play, entered the Semi-Finals series and defeated Puerto Rico in two straight games, while groupmate Dominican Republic defeated Venezeuela in two straight in the best of three game series.

The best-of-five games finals series was pretty anticlimatic in the end, as Sanfranchez defeated the DR in three straight, to sweep through the playoffs and capture the JLB 1977 title.

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One of the best parts of the JLB's ascent in the baseball landscape, is that it starts the flurry of activity among youth players into the leagues. Last season, only three of the players from the Neloxian squad actually made it onto teams, with only one player going to the level of Conference (Dean James, Carsons Welch)

But this season, it is expected that more players will get the chance to play at higher levels and perhaps one of them becoming the first to make a Premier League roster.

Among the players who are stadnout talents on the JLB champions squad from Sanfranchez, include Assunção Monterroio, who had 14 HRs, tied for third in the JLB this past season and 38 RBI, good for second overall.

The top pitcher from the Neloxian squad, 18-year old Kyle Eccles was 7-0 with a 1.44 ERA, 80Ks in 62 1/3 innings this past season. 19-year old Carlton Brindle was also 7-0 with a 3.12 ERA, 80Ks and 23 walks in 75 innings.

19-year old lefthanded Mitchell Hook is the top rated hitting prospect according to the SportsNeloxia Magazine. He hit .308 with 7 HRs and 35 RBI in the JLB action.

With an announcement that foreign players WILL finally be allowed in Neloxian Leagues, there is an even bigger buzz than normal for the clearing of national rosters and the signing of players from the Junior Leagues.

We'll note all the major signings here after the FA period begins in that league.

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With foreign players being allowed to sign with any club in Sanfranchez, there is a buzz after the JLB free agency period begins. Normally, entire rosters are cleared and new players are signed for the following season. This year, that will still happen, but..now many of the players will be able to look forward to greener pastures in Neloxian baseball.

"We're happy that this is finally allowed to happen, because it opens up a whole world of talent for us to search. I doubt it'll be a huge thing for most teams, simply because Neloxians want to watch their own players and there are tons of talented kids throughout Sanfranchez. But this at least gives us a small wellspring of talent," said Tommy Jacohnsen, GM of Dominion Elite in the Conference.

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The foreign players announcement was also preceded by the statement that only 5 foreign players per team would be allowed in the *** and NBC. The township has no such restrictions.

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The Nicosa Kingfishers, after a 9-19 start to their season, have sent GM Jordan Henley packing and have hired a familiar face to Neloxian baseball fans, who is coming off a successful season with Team Sanfranchez of the Junior League, inking a deal today with the Kingfishers to be their next GM.

"It's good to be back up here," said Dark Cloud, who prior to signing on with the JLB club last season, had been out of baseball since leaving after the 1971 season with Dominion Elite.

DC said that he believed that they could create a winner in Nicosa. "This is one of the most successful franchises in Neloxian Baseball," he said, citing the club's heritage of being the only team to win a title at every level of Neloxian baseball -- except the Premier League -- which he said he wanted to be there to claim with the team.

"This is an awesome opportunity for me and I'm glad to be here at this moment."

DC spent years as an Assistant GM with Seminary in the Premier League and has long cited that his goal was to get back there. He originally bought Dominion Elite and spent five years there, getting the team from out of the Township after winning the Township Series, to what was then the Second Division and won a title there too. But in 1971, the team failed to promote, instead having their worst season and he resigned.

Dominion Elite is now part of the NBC, essentially making them a First Division club.

After two years with Team Sanfranchez, he said he "got his swagger back" and was ready to take this team to new heights.

With several key members of his Team Sanfranchez squad still unsigned, don't be surprised to see DC plunge into the free agent market to pick a few up, just to stock the team's reserve roster for the future or to have someone off the bench or the bullpen.

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West Nelitz Nightcrawlers (***) become Nelitzwest State Bank

The club, that plays in the city of West Nelitz in the state of Reyevist, has signed a new deal which will change the club's name officially to Nelitzwest State Bank immediately.

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Valleyville Alleycats change name to Castle Parke Metropolitan

PHR Pharmacists eshew expansion label.

THough they've been in the *** for a total of just 28 games in franchise history -- which began this past year -- PHR is capturing a fan base quickly in Hampton Ridge with their play on the field.

GM Lewis Stamfordham says that its all about finding the right personnel.

"We obviously knew that if we were going to do this, we had to do it right. So far, things are working well for us, but we're not getting too carried away with it. It's a long season," he said.

Featuring a team that is largely comprised of first-year players -- the Neloxian leagues don't do expansion drafts, teams are simply responsible for recruiting players on their own -- the team is playing extremely well to start the season. Their team ERA of 3.36 so far this season is 2nd best in the Continental League and they lead South Beach Commodores and Royal Kingsbridge by a 3 game margin so far in the CL Black Division.

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Kingfishers sent Mo Whitley packing.

DC's first move as GM of the Nicosa Kingfishers was to acquire a new hitting coach. Today he sent Mo Whitley packing and also fired Manager Joe Suggit, a 22-year veteran.

"When a team is underacheving, you are expecting that changes will be made and that's what we're doing here."

Newly hired hitting coach John Howse, who actually spent a day in that job after the team fired Mo Whitley, their previous coach, was promoted to Manager.

DC was rumored to have not originally planned to have fired the team's manager, but decided that Howse would be better suited to reaching the club's veterans, as well as handling rookies.

The team's new hitting coach is Freddie Blusden.

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After starting 9-19, Dark Cloud has the Nicosa Kingfishers in the hunt for the playoffs as we enter August.

The Kingfishers retooled their roster, fired their manager and hitting coach and DC's squad is 40-15. At 49-34, they lead NBC Capital and Raspberry 1924 by 2 games in the CL Green Division.

"We're happy with where we sit. We naturally came in here and made a lot of changes. But, we're not really going to rest on our laurels," said Dark Cloud about the team's turnaround.

One of the biggest standouts for the club has been a player who they selected in the draft, but not in the first round. 24-year old Vic Bodle was on the board until the 22nd round (769th overall pick) and yet, is anchoring a rotation, going 9-1 in 10 career starts with a 1.14 ERA, 102 Ks and 6 complete games.

(for the record, I autodrafted after the 9th round of the amateur draft..so I didn't even pick this kid up myself..or know who he was until a few minutes..)

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Starting in 1978, the Nicosa Kingfishers might be making a bit of history. With a glut of players on their roster, league officials are seeking out a deal that would allow the club to send some of its reserve roster players to the NBC for seasoning, rather than leaving them to play what amount to "junior varsity" games against other clubs.

"The fact is, we want to see these guys in meaningful situations and this would allow us the chance to do that. It's never been done before, but we don't see that as a reason not to do it," said GM Dark Cloud.

More information will be available towards the end of the season.

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NICOSA -- The Nicosa Kingfishers are sure taking it down to the last few days. The Kingfishers are 8-2 in their last ten, while the CL Green Division leading Raspberry 1924 are 2-8 and just a game ahead with a magic number of 9.

In the CL Wild Card race, the Kingfishers are just a game out with Southstate Capital owning the top spot, and Royal Kingsbridge just 2 games out.

"It's coming down to the wire. But given how we started the year, we'll take this," said GM Dark Cloud, about his club's chance to make their first ever Premier League playoff appearance since moving up in 1972.

 Neloxian League Standings
Red Division	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Langsburg Victors	81	60	.574	-
Mapletown Express	76	65	.539	5.0
Seminary 	75	66	.532	6.0
Saint Etienne Excelsior	71	70	.504	10.0
Astern Valley Winemakers	70	71	.496	11.0
Nelitz Dominion	69	72	.489	12.0
Blue Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Mount Lara Blue Collars	92	49	.652	-
Becheolivia Cheese	91	50	.645	1.0
North Bay Insurance	78	63	.553	14.0
Crystal Empire	73	68	.518	19.0
Queens Parke Pioneers	66	75	.468	26.0
Brynsel Brigade	56	85	.397	36.0
White Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Mt. Regal Bernardos	83	58	.589	-
Cassius Claymakers	67	74	.475	16.0
Turtle Beach Bombers	63	78	.447	20.0
Mapletown Prime	60	81	.426	23.0
Nelitz Nine	53	88	.376	30.0
Fifty Lakes Professional	45	96	.319	38.0

Continental League Standings
Black Division	W	L	PCT	GB
PHR Pharmacists	89	52	.631	-
Southstate Capital	82	59	.582	7.0
Royal Kingsbridge 	80	61	.567	9.0
South Beach Commodores	78	63	.553	11.0
South Nelitz Steel	70	71	.496	19.0
Anderson United	67	74	.475	22.0
Green Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Raspberry 1924	82	59	.582	-
Nicosa Kingfishers	81	60	.574	1.0
NBC Capital	77	64	.546	5.0
The Sons of Evanston 	64	77	.454	18.0
Coorsville Chocolatiers	57	84	.404	25.0
Nelitzwest State Bank	56	85	.397	26.0
Orange Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Castle Park Metropolitan	77	64	.546	-
Des Villes Bengals	73	68	.518	4.0
Mapletown Candystripers	69	72	.489	8.0
Grensmett Granite	59	82	.418	18.0
Sarta Emiliae Statesman	57	84	.404	20.0
Crystal Lake Motors	51	90	.362	26.0

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NELITZ - Baseball officials announced today that the Junior League will not return in 1978. Officials stated that the league was "great" but that it wasn't really what the leagues had in mind, in terms of player development.

The league will be replaced shortly, with a completely new organisation, but no plans have been announced as of yet.