The European League of Champions

[AstaSyneri]

In another shard, just slightly different from ours...

Brussels, February 2nd, 2012

In a spectacular motion EU commission president Manuel Barroso announced the creation of a EU-wide sports league in Baseball.

"In times where everybody questions the strength of the European spirit, we strive to prove to the world the opposite. In creating this league we set an example, something for young people to aspire to and a way for national pride to express itself.
Apart from pride, the placement of each national team may even have influence on the flow of EU monies into or from these countries."

"The league is to consist of thirty teams in the Champions league. One slot is reserved from a team in each national capital, while the three major net contributors to the EU, Germany, Netherlands, and France, receive a second slot, which they may opt out of, passing the slot to the next highest contributor."

"Each team is to have one development team each in the National and Regions level. These do not necessarily have to be placed in the same country, allowing smaller countries to "lend" these teams to other countries in exchange of financial benefits."

"I cannot stress it enough - this is the glue that will hold together our European Unity and I charge all Europeans - you, me, everybody! - to take up this endeavor wholeheartedly."

This is not a game, this is the continuation of diplomacy by other means!

[Note: This thread details the massively enforced creation of a pro Baseball league, you may say in a dictatorial way. Certain national traits will be emphasized and sometimes ridiculed to make it more entertaining. Prejudice is being exploited in this way. Let it be known that this in no way portrays my own feelings towards any of those countries. We all are foreigners - in most countries in the world.]This announcement of course was followed by a cry of outrage.

Leading in these voices was Armand La Folie, Right-Wing MP in France's Assemblée nationale.

"It is a folly and a shame that this league from the start is considered to have the English language as its common denominator. This just is unnatural! I demand, yes, I demand that it will not be call "Baseball" but "Jeux de balle du base".

Similar voices were heard from all-around with German sports management veteran Uli Hoeness ridiculing the league and telling the press "that the league will fold itself within three years" and that "nothing will supplant King Football in Europe". Despite this Germany as yet the leading economy in Europe is expected to take advantage of both its slots.

On the other Hand there were spontaneous celebrations in Helsinki after the Finnish Baseball League Government Action Group had announced that the Helsinki Cavalrymen would participate in this new league. Coming together at the Hartwall Areena they were carrying Latex and plastic swords. Every so often one of them would cry out something akin to "Hacka Pa-alle" which would be answered by the crowd with a huge roar.

It seems that the Finnish team already is gathering a huge support, helped by the fact that there are already many young Fins playing Pesäpallo in the summer, a sport that is very similar to US Baseball rules.

[AstaSyneri]

Brussels, February 28th, 2012

Erasmus van Vrieters, the Commissioner of the newly formed EULoC or ELC has announced today that a preliminary league structure has been agreed upon.

All 27 member nations have agreed to form teams and the three remaining slots go indeed to Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

The soon to be coveted Championship is to be played out in two Conferences, the Continental and the Coastal Conference, each containing three divisions of five teams.

* - asterisks denote provisional team names.

COASTAL Conference

BALTIC Division
Tallin Golden Horde*
Vilnius Uniters
Helsinki Cavalrymen
Stockholm Thunder
Warsaw Tritons

ATLANTIC Division
Lisbon Explorers
London Dreadnoughts
(Rhein-Ruhr) Metroplex Miners
Copenhagen Saxons*
Amsterdam Traders

MEDITERRANEAN Division
Cyprus Beachers
Rome Gladiators
Ljubljana Partisans
Athens Myrmidons
Marseille Volunteers


CONTINENTAL Conference

WESTERN Division
Madrid Matadors
Dublin Green Giants
Luxemburg Citadel [was: Sappers*]
Paris Musketeers [was: Cuisiniers*]
Antwerp Diamonds

CENTRAL Division
Berlin Eagles
Vienna Monarchs
Rotterdam Ports
Prague Golems [was: Spectres*]
Malta Crusaders

EASTERN Division
Sofia Lions
Bratislava Castellans
Bucharest Impalers
Budapest Hussars
Riga Silver Griffons


[Note: Readers are very welcome to post ideas about the non-fixed team names. A reasoning why that city would adopt the name following any suggestion is welcome, too.]

[AstaSyneri]

Brussels, March 5th, 2012

Commissioner Eramus van Vrieters has announced the AAA and AA (separated by "-" in the format Champions - National - Regions) level cities attached to each team. Where these are not in the same country as the primary team, countries are noted in parentheses. Some cities already have suggested team names. Where these are not final, they again are noted with an asterisk ("*").



BALTIC Division

• Tallin Sky Panthers - Tartu Sparks - Turku Reindeers(FIN)
• Vilnius Uniters - Kaunas Bulls - Aalborg Hornets (DEN)
• Helsinki Cavalrymen - Espoo North Stars - Tampere Express
• Stockholm Thunder - Göteborg Gulls - Malmö Fiends
• Warsaw Tritons - Krakow Comets - Gdansk Shipwrights

ATLANTIC Division

• Lisbon Explorers - Porto Vintners - Plymouth Freebooters (ENG)
• London Dreadnoughts - Birmingham Industrials - Edinburgh Highlanders
• (Rhein-Ruhr) Metroplex Miners - Hamburg Commanders - Cologne Cardinals
• Copenhagen Skulls - Aarhus Aces - Odense Towers
• Amsterdam Traders - The Hague Prosecutors - Enschede Smokers

MEDITERRANEAN Division

• Cyprus Beachers - Manchester Mills (ENG) - Nottingham Sheriffs (ENG)
• Rome Gladiators - Milan Tenors - Modena Tilers
• Ljubljana Partisans - Maribor Keys - Venice Gondoliers (ITA)
• Athens Myrmidons - Thesssaloniki Hoplites - Patras Revolutionaries
• Marseille Volunteers - Toulouse Rockets - Monaco Princes

WESTERN Division

• Madrid Matadors - Barcelona Ramblers - Sevilla Hidalgos
• Dublin Green Giants - Cork Banshees - Limerick Leprechauns
• Luxemburg Citadel - Eindhoven Patriots (NED) - Tilburg Tulips (NED)
• Paris Musketeers - Nantes Dwarfs - Bordeaux Grapevine
• Antwerp Diamonds - Ghent Bards, Liege Lynx [Note: Due to Brussels also being the seat of the ECL league office and the EU commission initiating the league, the right to host Belgium's primary team has been passed to Antwerp in order to steer clear of any favoritism.]

CENTRAL Division

• Berlin Eagles - Munich Blue and White - Hanover Scorpions
• Vienna Monarchs - Graz Hoppers - Salzburg Opus
• Rotterdam Ports - Nijmegen Bridgers - Utrecht Bishops
• Prague Golems - Ostrava Cavaliers - Plzen Brewers
• Malta Crusaders - Palermo Dons (ITA) - Bari Jackboots (ITA)

EASTERN Division

• Sofia Lions - Varna Parasols - Burgas Dolphins
• Bratislava Castellans - Kosice Knights - Passau Barons (GER)
• Bucharest Impalers - Lyon Titans (FRA) - Cluj Werewolves
• Budapest Hussars - Debrecen Horde - Pecs Fivers
• Riga Silver Griffons - Uppsala Elks (SWE) - Daugavpils Ogres

[joefromchicago]

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Tallin Golden Horde*

Tallin may have been one of the few places that was not invaded by the Golden Horde, so I wonder if that's appropriate. That area around the Baltic is known historically for producing amber, furs, and timber.

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

London Dreadnaughts*

Spelled "dreadnoughts."

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Copenhagen Saxons*

Not sure what you're going for here. The Angles and Saxons came from further south. The Jutes came from the Danish peninsula (Jutland).

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Luxemburg Sappers*

Again, not entirely sure what you're going for. The citadel of Luxemburg city is pretty famous, but I think the only time it was ever captured in war was as the result of subterfuge, not sapping.

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Paris Cuisiniers*

France has a rich military tradition that offers lots of naming possibilities: Voltigeurs, Mousquetaires, Tirailleurs, Poilus, Grognards, Singes capitulaires qui mangent du fromage, etc.

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Berlin Eagles*

I like this one.

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Rotterdam Ports*

This is ok.

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Prague Spectres*

This one has me stumped. The only kind of supernatural being that I've heard of associated with Prague is the golem.

[AstaSyneri]

Hi Joe!

Thanks for your help!

Dreadnaughts exist, too, but yes, I was looking for Dreadnoughts. Great catch!

Reading through some Mongol Invasion stuff (I would have called Budapest's team the Budapest Horde, but Hussars already worked nicely for them, so i thought as Tallinn hasn't been that prominent, they'd take over the name as the Golden Horde has trampled many an acre east of them (in the Rus'lands etc.). But as the "*" signifies, I am much open to suggestions involving amber, furs, and timber ;-).

Copenhagen: I was pressed for time to much to properly research it atm and wanted the avoid yet another "Vikings". My bad. Jutes sounds to much likes "Utes", as in the tribe mostly native to what today is the State of Utah.

In Luxemburg I was looking at the people hiding and fighting from the "Kasematten". Combat Engineers imho is not a fitting name for it, tunnel rats rather applies to Vietnam. So I am out good ideas here. Maybe just "Today we are playing the Luxemburg Citadel"?

Paris/Ile-de-France Musketeers. How obvious. *slaps forehead*

Prague Golems. Another slap on the head, this time the back, though. Another obvious solution. Thank you!

Any ideas on the minor league teams?

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

Tallin may have been one of the few places that was not invaded by the Golden Horde, so I wonder if that's appropriate. That area around the Baltic is known historically for producing amber, furs, and timber.

Not sure what you're going for here. The Angles and Saxons came from further south. The Jutes came from the Danish peninsula (Jutland).

Again, not entirely sure what you're going for. The citadel of Luxemburg city is pretty famous, but I think the only time it was ever captured in war was as the result of subterfuge, not sapping.

France has a rich military tradition that offers lots of naming possibilities: Voltigeurs, Mousquetaires, Tirailleurs, Poilus, Grognards, Singes capitulaires qui mangent du fromage, etc.


This one has me stumped. The only kind of supernatural being that I've heard of associated with Prague is the golem.

[joefromchicago]

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Hi Joe!Reading through some Mongol Invasion stuff (I would have called Budapest's team the Budapest Horde, but Hussars already worked nicely for them, so i thought as Tallinn hasn't been that prominent, they'd take over the name as the Golden Horde has trampled many an acre east of them (in the Rus'lands etc.). But as the "*" signifies, I am much open to suggestions involving amber, furs, and timber ;-).

Lumberjacks. Timber Barons. Trappers. I'm not sure what a person who deals in amber is called. Ambermonger?

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Copenhagen: I was pressed for time to much to properly research it atm and wanted the avoid yet another "Vikings". My bad. Jutes sounds to much likes "Utes", as in the tribe mostly native to what today is the State of Utah.

Not sure what else to call them. Lutherans, maybe.

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

In Luxemburg I was looking at the people hiding and fighting from the "Kasematten". Combat Engineers imho is not a fitting name for it, tunnel rats rather applies to Vietnam. So I am out good ideas here. Maybe just "Today we are playing the Luxemburg Citadel"?

Citadels. Gunners. Sentinels (Luxemburg was considered one of the gateways into the Holy Roman Empire).

Originally Posted by AstaSyneri

Any ideas on the minor league teams?

Milan Tenors* - Milan is known primarily as the industrial center of Italy -- it's the home of Fiat -- although La Scala is the nation's foremost opera house.

Barcelona Ramblers* - Catalans would work.

Nantes Dwarfs* - Not sure what connection you're aiming at here. You could call them Bretons or Atlantics (Atlantiques).

Bordeaux Red* - Gascons.

Liege Gourmets* - Liege is known as an industrial city -- not sure where you got "gourmets" from. In the early modern era, it was known as an arms manufacturing center -- cannons and muskets, that sort of thing.

Munich Mountaineers* - Munich isn't in the mountains. Jägers would be good.

Hanover Scorpions* - Again, another industrial city -- it's the home of Volkswagen. Here you might to use "Saxons."

Salzburg Composers* - Apart from Mozart, Salzburg is most noted for its salt mines, which were the source of the region's wealth in the middle ages. So Miners would work.

That's about all the inspiration I can muster right now. If I think of anything else I'll let you know.

[AstaSyneri]

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

Lumberjacks. Timber Barons. Trappers. I'm not sure what a person who deals in amber is called. Ambermonger?

Hmm. For a minor team I'd take something like Amber Ants. But for a ELC team? Need more time to think (and less heat).

Not sure what else to call them. Lutherans, maybe.

Nah, I try to keep religion out of it (Personally I am Lutheran ;-)).

Mermaids would fit, but it is female and Triton is taken already. They have that hippie commune on the other side of the harbor... no.

Simply Northmen?

Citadels. Gunners. Sentinels (Luxemburg was considered one of the gateways into the Holy Roman Empire).

Guardians (of your money). Bankers. I do like simply Citadel, though.

Milan Tenors* - Milan is known primarily as the industrial center of Italy -- it's the home of Fiat -- although La Scala is the nation's foremost opera house.

The last. Phantoms would work, even though that plays in the Paris opera house.

Barcelona Ramblers* - Catalans would work.

Too blatant, imho - the central government in Spain doesn't really like the Catalan independence movement. Ramblers is a word-play on the most famous street(s), leading down to the sea IIRC, the "Ramblas".

Nantes Dwarfs* - Not sure what connection you're aiming at here. You could call them Bretons or Atlantics (Atlantiques).

It's a word-play on the french word for Dwarf - nain. Nantes Nains.

Bordeaux Red* - Gascons.

And there we go again. Musketeers would be a fit (for D'Artagnan). On the other hand the city just might want to rub in being a premier wine-producing region.

Liege Gourmets* - Liege is known as an industrial city -- not sure where you got "gourmets" from. In the early modern era, it was known as an arms manufacturing center -- cannons and muskets, that sort of thing.

It is also known as a center of fine foodstuff.

Munich Mountaineers* - Munich isn't in the mountains. Jägers would be good.

No, it isn't but everybody there goes into and relates to the Alps.

Hanover Scorpions* - Again, another industrial city -- it's the home of Volkswagen. Here you might to use "Saxons."

The Scorpions are a quite famous rock band and they hail from Hanover. Have them be part-owner and there you go!

Salzburg Composers* - Apart from Mozart, Salzburg is most noted for its salt mines, which were the source of the region's wealth in the middle ages. So Miners would work.

Miners are already taken for the Metroplex Miners. Hmm. How about Salzburg Opus? Mozart was pretty dominant in the city last time I was there.

[rferry]

I have 27 countries and set the league to Europe-at-large (still fiddling with set-up rules, before inaugural draft) and I'd like the players to be generated from those 27 countries... and not from out of EU-countries.

From your post in another thread.

You can control this by using regions. You can create a new region of EU-only by editing the world default xml.

[AstaSyneri]

Originally Posted by rferry

From your post in another thread.

You can control this by using regions. You can create a new region of EU-only by editing the world default xml.

Like this:







































This contains the 27 member states plus those little countries that are affiliated to one of them (Monaco -> France, Andorra -> Spain, San Marino -> Italy, etc.), excluding those British channels islands.

[AstaSyneri]

Good Day! This is Hans den Lechteren, your host for the EBNN. Today is a most exciting day as the 30 teams in the ECL will draft their players.

Looking through the crowd I can see a lot of tension - none of the managers around have experience with a Baseball league of this importance and everybody relies on less than perfect information.

The Draft Order in this Serpentine Draft should not be that important, but the supposed first Superstars of the League should go to

1. Bucharest Impalers
2. Metroplex Miners
3. Stockholm Thunder
4. Rome Gladiators
5. Luxemburg Citadel

The top Prospects by position for this draft, according to Metroplex Miners Head Scout Michael Hummert are:

Starters

1. Freddie Attoe, ENG, 26 years old - Off the board potential, excellent Stamina, Cuttter, Curveball, Splitter, Great at holding runners. Work ethic is a concern.
2. Geronimo Canonicca, ITA, 32 - Excellent Control, 4 pitches with good, but not excellent quality, mediocre Stamina. Does not hold runners well. Gritty personalilty.
3. Alfred Eickhoff, GER, 33 - Very decent pitches Sinker, Slider, Changeup, Forkball, above average Stamina
4. Treasaigh Killeen, IRL, 27 - Very decent Arsenal Fastball, Sinker, Slider, Changeup. Abover average Stamina. Tends to be arrogant.
5. Owen Macarthur, ENG, 22 - Elite prospect, Fastball, Sinker, Changeup very good, Curveball needs work. Bad Stamina.

Relievers

1. Joachim Becker, GER, 29 Excellent Fastball and Slider resulting in incredible Stuf, low in Stamina, good leadership
2. Pascal Colin, FRA, 26 Good Fastball and Splitter, good stuff, excellent Stamina (possible Starter)
3. Michaelangelo Dichio, ITA, 33 Decent Sinker and Slider, good Stamina
4. Pascal Le Bars, FRA, 31 Decent Sinker and Curveball, good Stamina, good leader
5. Liam Le Bihan, FRA, Excellent Sinker, Curveball, Stuff and Controll, below par Stamina

Closers

1. Xavier Bonnard, FRA, 29 - Immense quality across the board, Sinker, Slide, excellent Stamina (possible Starter), introverted.
2. Michael Delattre, FRA, 25 - Extremely good values, error prone in the Infields, miserable Stamina, good teammate
3. Rolf Färber, GER, 29 - Excellent Fastball and Curveball, excellent Stuff, good Movement. Okay Stamina.
4. George Fiat, ROM, 37 - Excellent Sinker and Slider, great values, arrogant, okay Stamina.
5. Ralf Härtel, GER, 29 - Great Stuff on Cutter and Curveball, superior Stamina, loner.

[AstaSyneri]

"Thank you for your insights. How did you arrive at those lists?"

"Well, after the announcement the first thing the league did was to open a website where athletes could apply for draft eligibility. Then after four weeks the first camps started, where comparable data was assembled and we could get a first look at players. You have to understand, though, that everybody here works with a very limited set of data, so it's going to be very exciting to see who actually will dominate on the field."

Thank you for that short interview, I am sure we'll have more. Here are the top prospects in the fielding positions.


Catchers

1. Romain Sartoretti, ITA, 36 - Great Home Run Power, avoids K's, looked up to. Catcher Ability and arm subpar.
2. Louis Stowe, ENG, 33 - Great Contact and Eye, good Catcher ability, introverted.
3. Viorel Suciu, ROM, 33 - Decent Catcher abilitey, good discipline. Very good all-around player.
4. Mike Alas, ESP, 27 - below par Catcher ability, very good at avoiding K's. Good influence.
5. Bialy Blaszczyk, POL, 29 - below par Catcher Good Home Run Power. Non-descript personality..

First Base

1. Quincy Chenoweth, ENG, 31 - Excellent at First base, somewhat error prone, Great Batting ability, no base-stealing whatsoever.
2. Lester Dibble, ENG, 30 - Great Gap and HR power. Decent at First Base.
3. Tony Jimenez, ESP, 32 - Below par at 1st Base, great hitter. No speed. Great as DH.
4. Even Maragos, GRE, 22 - Average Defender at 1B and 2B, Phenominal Hitting ability and great Speed. Could cause Trouble
5. Juan Robles, ESP, 29 - below par defender, great contact hitter, gritty.

Second Base

1. Hanni Bastian, GER, 26 - No Power, but excellent values other wise, good infield range, good stealing, no position.
2. Scott Goossens, NED, 35 - Good at 2B, decent at 3B, Great Gap power, very good at 2B, no speed. Private Person.
3. Isaac Greenhill, ENG, 31 - Very good hitter, not so good as a defender, complacent.
4. Brandon Hemus, WAL, 28 - Great Gap and HR Power, very good 2B deender. Gritty.
5. Nermin Kordic, BUL, 36 - Great Defender at Second Base, Great Eye and Gap Power. No speed.

Short Stop

1. Aidan Paisley, SCO, 27 - Top Defender at 2B, 3B and SS, very good hitter, excellent at avoiding K's, good speed, very intelligent.
2. Phil Amati, ITA, 18 - average Defender at 2B and SS, great potential at contact, and eye. Olympics level speed. 0 HR power.
3. Vladimir Andone, ROM, 35 - very decent defender at 3B and SS, decent hitting skills
4. Flip Bremer, NED, 24 - Great Defender at 3B, SS, and 2B. Good Eye, great at stealing. Works hard.
5. Riley Churchman, ENG, 27 - Very good Defender at 3B and SS, very good Gap Power and superior speed/stealing. Writes Short stories.
6. Luke Coenen, DUT, 31 - Excellent infield range and great at SS, can play 2B and 3B in a pinch. Superior Gap Power, ecxellent Stealer, below par eye.

Third Base

1. Mohamed David, FRA, 31 - Great Hitter, Good at Third Base, can play First base. Introverted.
2. Jasny Just, CZE, 29 - Great Infield Arm, great Eye, great Sacrifice Bunt, no speed. Good Influence.
3. Izzy Esquivel, ESP, 30 - Good 3B Defender, great Gap Power, big potential at HR and Eye. Great Sacrifice Bunt.
4. Gerardo Attene, ITA, 29 - Great Defender at 3B, can help out at SS, great HR Power, otherwise average.
5. Sandoval Margalho, POR, 38 - Great Defender at 3B, good contact hitter.
6. Ilya Adabir, LTU, 28, Excellent Defender at 3B, decent hitting skills. Baseball rat.

Left Field

1. Juan Gadea, ESP, 29 - Great Gap and HR power, huge contact potential. Excellent at Left field, versatile at 4 defensive positions. Great at Stealing and Baserunning! Good Influence
2. Guillaume Grenier, 21 - Excellent Outfielder already at all positions, great Contact, stealing, a leader
3. Leo Asther, SWE, 23 - Very good at LF, Excellent Gap Power, Avoid K's, Contact. Excellent Baserunning. Baseball Rat.
4. Serge Besnard, FRA, 32 - Good LF defender, great Contact and avoid K's, very good eye and Gap power, great Stealing, baserunning and Bunting. Baseball Rat.
5. Bryan Heler, ENG, 32 - good RF and LF skills, good batting, great baserunning. very intelligent.
6. Stuart Williams, ENG, 29 - excellent at LF, good at CF and RF, Olympic Gap Power, great stealing. Gritty.

Center Field

1. Robin Dupont, FRA, 23 - Great outfield defender, Great HR Power and Baserunning stealing. Decent values otherwise. Baseball Rat.
2. Rino Busenello, ITA, 37 - excellent at CF, good at LF and RF, great HR Power, plays Poker.
3. Markus Eichholz, GER, 29 - Great Outfielder at LF, good at CF, RF, very good Eye, superior Gap Power, good stealing.
4. Alois Roster, AUT, 30 - Great LF, good CF, RF, decent HR
5. Christopher Ardizzone, ITA, 24 - Great Contact, very good defender in whole outfield, great stealing
6. Fontana Cedronelli, ITA, 22 - great Outfielder (worst at CF), great hitting potential, good stealing.

Right Field

1. Gian Berneri, ITA, 34 - Great Contact and Home Run Power, Excellent Right Fielder
2. Sergio Curbelo, ESP, 30 - Great Hitting, Very good Right Fielder, excellent morale.
3. Johann Keßler, GER, 28 - Good RF defense, great Eye, good contact and gap power, not many HR. decent baserunning. Problematic Work ethic.
4. Milojica Djurdjuvic, BUL, 20 - Great at LF and RF, incredible Gap and HR Power, great Stealing. Baseball Rat.
5. Fiorello Fasoli, ITA, 28 - Decent RF, Great Baserunner, decent hitting.
6. Zenobio Merukides, GRE, 32 - Great Outfielder LF, RF - very good batter, good stealer and baserunner.

[AstaSyneri]

The following interview was held yesterday, when Rhein-Ruhr Metroplex Miners Head Scout Michael Hummert told us about their draft strategy.

"Mr. Hummert - how do you cope with the complexity of the task ahead of you?"

"Excellent question. There are over 3000 players and 30 teams. There are players you immediately fall in love with, but you do have
to realize that you will get only a very few of them. Therefore you have to look at the big picture. None of use has a lot of experience,
and the first season is going to be very crazy. Some team may have a lucky draw - or be very good at drafting out of the inaugural pool.

Our goal is to be a powerhouse in the medium to long run. Therefore we are looking for the players that have the potential to be All-Stars
in 3-5 years, and don't have just 2 years left in them. We plan to take 2 Starting Pitchers with our first 3 picks - we feel this
is going to be a shortage very early on. Then we have identified players we absolutely like. Finally there are positions that are
not equally well represented, and we'll keep an eye on them, how players in these columns are drawn away.

Lastly we want players who add to our team and do not disrupt it in the formation year."


"One last question: What sleepers do you have on your card, that you didn't tell us about yet?"

"Well, there are a few players that we might want. Like

Pitchers

• Zak Barret, ENG, 24 - Great Potential to become a SP, very good Stamina, great Velocity, good Potential on Fastball, Cutter. Changeup needs work. Is Prankster, though. He has the fastest Fastball in the league.
• Richard Zahn, GER, 26 - Listed at Closer, but with excellent Fastball and Slider, Great Stamina.
• Punisa Vukmanovic, BUL, 26 - also list at Closer, but good Stamina and excellent Potential in Stuff, Control and Fastball.

Infielders

• Michel Leroux, FRA, SS - Versatile Defender at all Infield Positions and RF, great potential at Gap, HR and Discipline.Great Speed. Illustrious academic.
• Patrick White, ENG, SS - Versitele Defender at 2B, SS and 3B, very good hitting potential.
• Mehdi Vallet, FRA, 1B - Good Eye, great HR potential. No Running.

or Outfielders

• Theodore Psaros, GRE, 29 - Very good at RF, Immense Contact, Gap, Eye potential.
• Sebastian Jessen, GER, 32 - Very good at RF, LF, Great at Avoid K's, superior at batting. Good Influence.
• Armand Columbana, ITA, 28 - Very good LF, decent hitting
• Patrick Roques, BEL, 31 - Great LF, very good Contact and Gap"

"Thank you for the interview and good luck for the draft!"

[AstaSyneri]

Here we are back, live at the Palais Omnisports in Paris-Bercy. An incredible 14.000 people have assembled here, just to see
what players will go to which team.

The representative of the Bucharest Impalers, Ivan Tepecz, has entered the podium. Now we will see whether they are on the same
page as Mr. Hummelt.

"With their first pick the Bucharest Impalers select RF Fiorello Fasoli." *great Applause thunders through the location and
Italian and Romanian flags are being waved."

That is a little bit of a surprise. Fasoli isn't rated that well and the Right Field position is a bit crowded. His Baserunning is off
the charts, that's true. Now here comes Mr. Hummert. Let's see whether he actually stays true to what he stated in the interview.

"With their first pick the Rhein-Ruhr Metroplex Miners select CF Guillaume Grenier".

Now that again is a bit of a surprise. We'll see what Mr. Hummer has to say on his selection (draft the best available,
cornerstone of the franchise)

The rest of the 1st round draft

1. SP Treasaigh Killeen to the Stockholm Thunder - The 27 year old is a dominant hurler
2. SP Owen Macarthur to the Rome Gladiators - building a bullpen for the future? OM is 22 years old.
3. SP Jaroslaw Melcer to the Luxemburg Citadel - definitely an ace pitcher
4. SP Eusebio Trapa to the Cyprus Beachers - which will not really help the work ethic of this very good 24 year old pitcher
5. SP Dorin Nastasie to the Berlin Eagles - the run on the Pitchers is on.
6. RF Sebastiaan van Trigt to the Madrid Matadors - Top Outfielder, good contact hitter
7. RF Johann Keßler to the Copenhagen Skulls - here goes on of the guys Hummert had on his list, too.
8. LF Leo Asther to the Prague Golems - very good hitter, very decent LF, but not versatile
9. RF Sergio Curbelo to the Bratislava Castellans - another Star player off the list
10. CF Robin Dupont to the Dublin Green Giants - basically the other young star CF off the board.
11. LF Stuart Williams to the Warsaw Tritons - outfield is getting thinned out now
12. 2B Hanni Bastian to the Rotterdam Ports - the first Infielder, excellent young hitter.
13. SP Blair Ogilvie to the Lisbon Explorers - excellent Stamina and Control
14. CF Mathieu Raimbault to the Marseille Volunteers - excellent RF and CF, good Eye and excellent Stealing.
15. RF Theodore Psaros to the Vienna Monarchs - there goes on of the "secret list".
16. LF Markus Eichholz to the Helsinky Cavalrymen - this LF bomb will drive opposing pitchers nuts.
17. RF Michael Towes to the Antwerp Diamonds - excellent baserunner, otherwise only above average, but the outfield pool is getting small
18. RF Leonardo Ferrario to the London Dreadnoughts - excellent LF, above average hitter
19. SS Phil Amati to the Amsterdam Traders - great potential for Eye in this 18 year old kid, only good at Shortstop, but good SS players are rare in this draft.
20. SP Günter Voigt to the Budapest Hussars - okay pitcher, but only two good pitches and not so good Stamina.
21. SP Orlando Anzualda to the Sofia Lions - okay SP, at 22 likely some potential
22. SP Teemu Joutsela to the Malta Crusdaers - they are buying potential here.
23. SS Aidan Paisley to the Riga Silver Griffons - on of the most versatiel infielders, another of Hummert's star prospects is off the board.
24. CF Romuald Visconti to the Tallinn Sky Panthers - they are buying defense on a quickly emptying position
25. LF Manole Leucuta to the Ljubljana Partisans - a very good LF with high HR potential.
26. SS Milutin Vukmanovic to the Athens Myrmidons - very good defender and excellent hitter at 19. Not likely to win HR derby, ever.
27. CF Christopher Weld to the Vilnius Uniters - the run on outfielders continues, this one is an excellent stealer and baserunner
28. LF Ukko Malmivaara to the Paris Musketeers - they buy a 21 year old chance on great defense, stealing and home run power

This concludes the first round.

9 Starting Pitchers, 17 Outfielders and 4 Infielders, 3 of which are SS, have been selected.

[AstaSyneri]

Round 2:

1. 3B Gareth Hill to the Paris Musketeers - versatile 24 year old infielder, but not much of a threat at the plate
2. 3B Juan Robles to the Vilnius Uniters - very good hitter, but only okay defender
3. CF Julien Vernet to the Athens Myrmidons - a decent defender,
4. 1B Jessy Bruijn to the Ljubljana Partisans - excellent 1B out of a big pool, decent hitter
5. RF Rolf Kunze to the Tallinn Sky Panthers - very good outfield, especially at RF, good speed and HR potential.
6. 3B Jasny Just to the Riga Silver Griffons - very patient hitter
7. CF Juan Gadea to the Malta Crusaders - huge talent and on Mr. Hummert's star list - a slight miracle he hasn't been drafted earlier.
8. 3B Mohamed David to the Sofia Lions - one of the best pure hitters in the league, but how does he get such a name?
9. RF Cristiano Scacceri to the Budapest Hussars - the race for even decent outfielders continues, and this one isn't even that good.
10. CF Stanimir Baranowski to the Amsterdam Traders
11. SP Yassin Deschamps to the London Dreadnoughts - now we can see Mr. Hummert sweat for his SP choices, Eickhoff is still on the board.
12. SS Sebastiano Sacratini goes to the Antwerp Diamons - the SS pool is thining, but there still are quite a few good choices.
13. CF Antoine Andrieux to the Helsinki Cavalrymen - they are going to have a very good outfield
14. LF Tuure Leino to the Vienna Monarchs - also outfield-oriented
15. SP Philip Pfeifer (with 2 F) to the Marseille Volunteers - not very good stamina
16. RF Milojica Djurdjuvic to the Lisbon Explorers - there goes another of the prime choices.
17. SP Joe Hackford to the Rotterdam Ports - very good curveball, not so good Stamina
18. SP Laurent Pellerin to the Warsaw Tritons - good pitcher, good influence and only 27 years old. Not great, though.
19. 3B Jose Rodriguez to the Dublin Green Giants - actually better at 1B, and good hitter. Not great either. There is sweat on Hummert's forehead. 9 more picks before it's the Miners' turn again.
20. SP Theron Spyridis to the Bratislava Castellans. Very good Stamina, but pitches are average only.
21. RF Jarlath Williams to the Prague Golems - excellent defender, base runner, stealer and Gap Power hitter. Why didn't he go earlier?
22. CF Boris Nosal to the Copenhagen Skulls - who? Excellent Defender, decent hitter.
23. SP Emiel van Elk to the Madrid Matadors - very good movement, but his pitches are subpar. What are they thinking? Eickhoff is still out there!
24. LF Bryan Heler to the Berlin Eagles - very good hitter and stealer
25. CF Rafael Garza to the Cyprus Beachers - excellent LF, stealer and Gap Power hitter
26. SS Marco van Wensen to the Luxemburg Citadel - versatile infielder and very good contact hitter.
27. 1B Eli Kvamme to the Rome Gladiators - good hitter and very intelligant 27 year old. They must see something Mr. Hummert doesn't.
28. CF Christopher Ardizzone to the Stockholm Thunder - good versatile outfielder and great contact hitter. Now the Miners are up.

Basically the miners have two picks in a row, with the Impalers having drafted an OF, they are likely to go for an SP. So that gets priority.
The scouting team recommends 22 year old Greek 2B Evan Maragos. He is certainly on the list, but OSA rates him extremely low, so he is likely to stay on the board for a while.

Looking at the pitchers left, we have

• MR Joachim Becker, who is a dominant Hurler at 29, but has only very low Stamina.
• CL Xavier Bonnard has great Stamina, but only two pitches, which are off the board good.
• CL Michael Delattre could learn more than his excellent two pitches (Fastball and Slider), but his Stamina is really, really low.
• MR Michelangelo Cichio has decent Stamina, but again only two pitches, a Sinker and a Slider.
• SP Alfred Eickhoff is the best remaining Starting Pitcher and rated as Top-of-the-rotation stuff. Why didn't anybody take him yet, despite his advanced 33 years?

As anticipated, Hummert drafts Eickhoff.

The Impalers select 2B Leo Moncreiffe, continuing their weird choices.

Round two is over

7 SP, 13 OF, 10 IF (2 SS)

[AstaSyneri]

Round 3:

In Riley Churchman the Impalers for the first time draft somebody on the Miners list.

As for the Miners, the Scouting team again recommends Maragos, which is not helpful, since he is likely to be available for quite some time still.
There are some SP available.

Freddie Attoe has great Potential, but he doesn't have a Fastball and his work ethic is a concern at 26 years of age.
Geronimo Canonicca is dominant, but also 32 years old.
Fernando Buzzacarina has great Stamina, and a very good Fastball, but lacks development at 28.
Rolf Färber is listed as CL, but has great Stats while having okay Stamina. Only two pitches

The Miners end up drafting Fernando Buzzacarina.

The full round three in overview:

Round 3, Pick 1 - Bucharest Impalers: SS Riley Churchman
Round 3, Pick 2 - Metroplex Miners: SP Fernando Buzzacarina
Round 3, Pick 3 - Stockholm Thunder: 2B Sergio Rousset
Round 3, Pick 4 - Rome Gladiators: RF Nelis Olthof
Round 3, Pick 5 - Luxemburg Citadel: RF Jonne Tikkanen
Round 3, Pick 6 - Cyprus Beachers: RF Roman Burzynski
Round 3, Pick 7 - Berlin Eagles: RF Maurice Arney
Round 3, Pick 8 - Madrid Matadors: C Alexander Hagen
Round 3, Pick 9 - Copenhagen Skulls: SS Flip Bremer
Round 3, Pick 10 - Prague Golems: CF Jean Chauvet
Round 3, Pick 11 - Bratislava Castellans: 1B Rostislav Muller
Round 3, Pick 12 - Dublin Green Giants: 2B Evan Maragos
Round 3, Pick 13 - Warsaw Tritons: 2B Vitantonio Cortesini
Round 3, Pick 14 - Rotterdam Ports: 3B Christian Leclerc
Round 3, Pick 15 - Lisbon Explorers: 1B Medhi Vallet
Round 3, Pick 16 - Marseille Volunteers: SS Miguel Anguiano
Round 3, Pick 17 - Vienna Monarchs: 1B Georges Dufour
Round 3, Pick 18 - Helsinki Cavalrymen: 3B Valtteri Honka
Round 3, Pick 19 - Antwerp Diamonds: SP Jarno Zuidema
Round 3, Pick 20 - London Dreadnoughts: LF Veikko Varjo
Round 3, Pick 21 - Amsterdam Traders: SP Achille Morin
Round 3, Pick 22 - Budapest Hussars: 1B Volker Püschel
Round 3, Pick 23 - Sofia Lions: RF Bras Clemente
Round 3, Pick 24 - Malta Crusaders: 2B Uberto Perfetti
Round 3, Pick 25 - Riga Silver Griffons: SP Jose Gutierrez
Round 3, Pick 26 - Tallinn Sky Panthers: 2B Salvador Montelongo
Round 3, Pick 27 - Ljubljana Partisans: SP Markus Mäkelä
Round 3, Pick 28 - Athens Myrmidons: SP Metin Hipp
Round 3, Pick 29 - Vilnius Uniters: SP Hilarius Kauntiz
Round 3, Pick 30 - Paris Musketeers: SP Freddie Attoe

The hunt for Outfielders and SP continues. There is still talent to be found.

[AstaSyneri]

Round 4 is the Round for Starting Pitchers that the Miners thought they initiated. Out of the first 28 picks, 26 are SP.

Round 4, Pick 1 - Paris Musketeers: SP Geronimo Canonicca
Round 4, Pick 2 - Vilnius Uniters: SP Pierre Leroy
Round 4, Pick 3 - Athens Myrmidons: SP Adalbert Kaufmann
Round 4, Pick 4 - Ljubljana Partisans: SP Alain Delattre
Round 4, Pick 5 - Tallinn Sky Panthers: SP Cornel Coanda
Round 4, Pick 6 - Riga Silver Griffons: SP Waleron Wojciechowski
Round 4, Pick 7 - Malta Crusaders: LF Andreas Ziemer
Round 4, Pick 8 - Sofia Lions: SP Andrew Martin
Round 4, Pick 9 - Budapest Hussars: SP Adrian Visan
Round 4, Pick 10 - Amsterdam Traders: SP Paul Cantagalli
Round 4, Pick 11 - London Dreadnoughts: SP Karl-Hermann Reis
Round 4, Pick 12 - Antwerp Diamonds: SP Vesa Kohvakka
Round 4, Pick 13 - Helsinki Cavalrymen: SP David Saldana
Round 4, Pick 14 - Vienna Monarchs: SP Hubert Beck
Round 4, Pick 15 - Marseille Volunteers: SP Lupul Grasu
Round 4, Pick 16 - Lisbon Explorers: SP Isaac Dunderdale
Round 4, Pick 17 - Rotterdam Ports: CF Craig Forster
Round 4, Pick 18 - Warsaw Tritons: SP Andreas Lutz
Round 4, Pick 19 - Dublin Green Giants: SP Dylan Taylor
Round 4, Pick 20 - Bratislava Castellans: SP Olivier Rousseau
Round 4, Pick 21 - Prague Golems: SP Francisco Vernet
Round 4, Pick 22 - Copenhagen Skulls: SP Kaj Eriksen
Round 4, Pick 23 - Madrid Matadors: SP Kálmán Folwarczny
Round 4, Pick 24 - Berlin Eagles: SP Jonas Gauthier
Round 4, Pick 25 - Cyprus Beachers: SP Nelek Skrzypczyk
Round 4, Pick 26 - Luxemburg Citadel: SP Alain Chaix
Round 4, Pick 27 - Rome Gladiators: SP Tycho Niebuhr
Round 4, Pick 28 - Stockholm Thunder: SP Rolf Bruns

Maragos has been picked up by Dublin in Round 3, now the Scouting team recommends 30 year old Romanian SP Traian David, jumping on the band wagon. He is actually pretty good and has okay stamina. At 30 years this academic pitcher might still learn something. Cannonica and Attoe are gone, and it's not yet time to go into the potentials.

The Miners do pick David and the Impalers follow suite, concluding Round 4.

Round 4, Pick 29 - Metroplex Miners: SP Traian David
Round 4, Pick 30 - Bucharest Impalers: SP Roland Vogl

[AstaSyneri]

And so round for round the selections drone on, for a total of 75 round and 2250 players.

Afterwards den Lechteren manages to snare Hummert in he after-draft party.

"Mr. Hummert - Did your draft strategy bear fruit? You got a top prospect Guillaume Grenier and two very good starting pitchers."

"WHAT? Yes, it was a woot! Grenier is gonna kick ass of everybody. We'll take later!" *turns away* "...Hey, Mädels!"

"Well, we'll let the staff get to the party, they have a lot of work to do with only a short spring training session."

"Let me just provide you with a few short lists, the top young players in the league as they are scouted right now. These are the super stars of tomorrow!"

Batters

1. Sawa Kaczmarczyk, Budapest, 21, LF
2. Leo Asther, Prague, 23, LF
3. Veikko Varjo, London, 20, RF
4. Valentin David, Luxemburg, 24, LF
5. Guillaume Grenier, Metroplex, 22, CF
6. Kurt Linnemann, Marseille, 24, 3B
7. Robin Dupont, Dublin, 23, LF
8. Phil Amati, Amsterdam, 18, 3B
9. Milutin Vukmanovic, Athens, 19, SS
10. Christopher Weld, Vilnius, 24, LF

Pitchers

1. Teemu Joutsela, Malta, 20, SP
2. Zak Barrett, Paris, 24, MR
3. Owen MacArthur, Rome, 22, SP
4. Eusebio Trapa, Cyprus, 24, SP
5. Georg Voigt, Antwerp, 21, MR
6. Francisco Ortiz, Rotterdam, 26, CL
7. Charles Verhees, Sofia, 24, SP
8. Tomislav Stasiukiewicz, Tallinn, 22, CL (I guess nobody else could pronounce the name)
9. Panu Moilanen, Amsterdam, 23, MR
10. Ion Moldovan, Lisbon, 22, SP

[AstaSyneri]

Hello Baseball fans in Europe! Here we are live from spring training in sunny Lisbon.

We are talking to Bench Coach Gunthar Finkeldei.

"Mr. Finkeldei - what are your impressions so far, before the game vs. Lisbon".

"Truth be told I am very surprised how good things are progressing. We anticipated having catch up from behind, so having 7 wins after 10 games is a nice surprise."

"Leading analysts in their preseason predictions have marked you in for a playoff spot - even the best winning schedule in the league. What do you say?

"It would be nice if it happened, but that's all number crunching and fantasy. You might as well take a baseball game and play the season in that. No, in reality a lot can happen and we a going to take one game at a time. We want to make our fans happy and give a good showing. Everything else will come in time."

"Okay, the game is about to begin - thank you Mr. Finkeldei for your time!"

The Metroplex Miners went on to win the game 4-1 on two HR by Scott Goossens. Now, halfway through the spring training period, the Miners share the league best record of 8-3 with the Continental Division Luxemburg Citadel, Prague Golems, and Sofia Lions.

[AstaSyneri]

Opening Day! The Metroplex Miners have traveled to the Eternal City to take on the Gladiators. Today's pitcher will be Alfred Eickhoff.

The starting lineup today is:

• LF Serge Besnard
• SS Isaac Greenhill
• CF Guillaume Grenier
• 1B Lester Dibble
• 2B Scott Goossens
• RF Julien Riviere
• DH Andreas Winkler
• C Camillo Moschino
• 3B Dirk Ehrmann

This lineup is somewhat surprising, as it contains some players we though would start with the Hamburg Commanders in the Nations level AAA league.

Owen MacArthur is on the mound for the Gladiators and the visiting Miners are on offense.

He makes short work of the first three Miners.

Eickhoff steps up and in his second pitch delivers a sinker to Helmut Böttcher for the 1st HR of the league! That's not the start the Miners staff had in mind.

Slowly he shakes of the opening day jitters, but has to see another opposing player cross the home plate before the inning is over.

In the second inning MacArthur walks the HR threat Lester Dibble an makes short work of Goosens and Riviere. But Andreas Winkler hits for the first RBI double of the franchise and Dibble scores!

Moschino is out on a ground ball to.

2-1 Gladiators

In the third inning Serge Besnard hits a sacrifice flyball for a score. 2 - 2.

In the bottom half Alfred Eickhoff finally gets his first strikeout vs. Karlheinz Zeller.

In the top of the fifth MacArthur slowly loses control after 57 pitches and walks Moschino, but manages to pull through. The Miners take
the lead in the 6th, but Karlheinz Zeller ties it again in the bottom of the ninth with and single RBI HR against CL Declan Blakey on the mound and still no Outs, in the 10th they inch in another run and win their home opener in a thrilling way.

The trip to Rome entirely proves to be a disappointing one, as the following two games fall to the Gladiators as well 1-3 and 4-6. Says projected superstar Grenier:

"It is absolutely frustrating, being so close and then to lose them all. Maybe we are all a bit awed by this grand city - many of us got to see the collisseum and the forum romanum for the first time in our lives. Everything is all so new for everybody."

Hopes are high for the second series, this time at home against the London Dreadnoughts.

[AstaSyneri]

Hello European Baseball fans - this is Hans den Lechteren from EBNN and today we return to our coverage of the Metroplex Miners.

The first game of the series vs. the Warsaw Tritons at Schalke Arena in Gelsenkirchen is about to start and I have with me once more Bench Coach Gunthar Finkeldei.

Coach - at 8 and 10 you could say that the Miners are underperforming. What's your take on the situation?

GF: Obviously we'd wish for the record that the Amsterdam Traders have assembled...

HdL: ... which is 13-5 at this point ...

GF: Yes. You have to see that this is the very first season and everybody is scrambling a little bit. We have a very talented group of players, but you need a few games to see what the chemistry is - who is fitting the team well and who doesn't.

On top of that we had some heartbreaking losses like the 7-8 against the Copenhagen Skulls, and a few others against Amsterdam and Vilnius. We need to learn to protect our leads, that's 4 games we basically gave away.

HdL: After the first few games you became very active trading players... trading away your best hitter at that point, Isaac Greenhill.

GF: Exactly. On the plate he was great, but we felt the team as a whole wasn't going where we wanted it to go.

HdL: And he was only the first, you started trading MLB-level for players who are now playing on the AAA and AA level.

GF: Correct. But those players are very young and have tremendous talent, so we are looking for those players to improve and help us on the Miners in the future. And since you mentioned Greenhill - for him we got D. Carmelengo who we are very excited to have in our starting formation.

Now we have a team that we feel very good about and both our Minor League teams are showing their mettle by tearing up their leagues 9-1 so far.

HdL: Okay - now for the upcoming game: What do you expect from the Warsaw Tritons - who are 8-10, just as you are?

GF: It's our first time up against them. From what we can say so far, they don't have league-leading pitchers, exactly, and their batting has been below league average as well. So I'd say if we can get out of the series with 2 wins, I'll be content.

HdL: Thank you, Gunthar! It appears as if the game is about to begin. Let's go down to the green.