Today in the CBO
News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
13 September 2298 - From the Publick Occurrences Archives
Hi, Publick Occurrences readers.
Our home team, The Diamond City Swatters, made the playoffs for the first time in team history. Today, pitcher X10-44 Mannson will pitch Game 5 against the Goodneighbor Hancocks in the Swatters' first-ever playoff appearance. His success and being a welcome member of the Diamond City community marks the epitome of change in our beloved city.
Today I want to continue our feature of a string of stories that indicate the change of Diamond City from a place of fear and loathing to an open city welcoming all. This story string takes us back to the first change in 2229; to 2287 when my sister, Piper Wright, wrote an article about the Institute history in Diamond City; to 2288 and the change; all the way to today in 2298 when Diamond City has become a beacon of the peaceful and equal Commonwealth.
Below is the fifth story in this string of stories by Piper. Please enjoy this Publick Occurrences classic, "The Great Green Jewel: A Baseball Spectacle." In this story, Piper covered the 2294 baseball exhibition, the first in the Great Green Jewel after the last of Diamond City moved out of the stadium. You will see that a few of our stars of today played in that game.
The story below:
The Great Green Jewel: A Baseball Spectacle
By Piper Wright
4 June 2294 - Today marked a change for Diamond City, once a settlement entirely inside the Great Green Jewel. Today marked a change for the Great Green Jewel, returning to its roots as a baseball spectacle.
In an exhibition game between Cronin’s Swatters managed by Moe Cronin and the Home Platers managed by Arturo Rodriguez, the Swatters won the game, 7-3. Two talented pitchers took the mound today with Pete Pembroke pitching for the Swatters and Sheng Kawolski pitching for the Home Platers, each pitching six innings. Phlip Wallace and Gavin Everitts each pitched the remaining innings for their respective teams.
The Swatters best hitter was traveling baseball player John Rose. He played center field and batted first for the Swatters. In five at bats, he had four hits with two doubles off the Wall. He also stole three bases and scored three times. That earned him the Game MVP.
One of the best stories of the exhibition was watching a synth player take left field for the Home Platers. The Brotherhood of Steel’s Paladin Danse, unit designation M7-97, who has been confirmed as a formerly escaped synth many years ago, was a specially invited guest of Nate Howard who hopes to start a full baseball league in the Commonwealth sometime in the next few years. Danse was just 1 for 4 for his team, but he did hit an RBI single in the third inning.
The game was one thing, but seeing a live baseball game in the Great Green Jewel has a different significance here in Diamond City. Last week, the last of the shacks in the Stands was torn down. That opened up the Great Green Jewel for being a future baseball stadium when Howard’s dream has come true. Howard now has an office in Mayor MacCready’s former mayor’s office, and there is now a working elevator inside the stadium to replace the former freight lift. MacCready’s mayor’s office is now on the top floor of the Hangman’s Alley Hotel.
In the last few years, after a treaty between the four factions of the Commonwealth brought peace and protection, Howard has been accompanied by a man we only know as the Mysterious Stranger. Howard has refused to identify the man, but one thing that they did together was to teleport—more on that later—to different areas of the Commonwealth spreading “peace” and baseball.
Together, they were known to wipe out a raider stronghold north of Salem, defeated the largest-known super mutant collection west of the Glowing Sea, and a deathclaw breeding ground near Lynn Woods. In the time that the Mysterious Stranger has been here, no one has spoken to him but Howard. Even then, they seem to speak in whispers, and the Stranger teleports away when anyone else approaches. Some say that Howard’s behavior is unbecoming in its secrecy, but he has stated that keeping the Stranger’s identity “mysterious” was necessary for the mission he had. Howard’s companion, Detective Nick Valentine, who has been investigating the Stranger for years, was not happy about the situation. Valentine recently has been working on a case in Goodneighbor for the famous singer, Magnolia.
The baseball that Howard and the Stranger has been spreading around consists mostly of “youth camps” where children in settlements and young adults can be trained in baseball. Howard has promised the growing settlements will need a form of entertainment that will replace some of the former pastimes of the Commonwealth. Those pastimes were usually violent in nature, like pugilism, raiders sniping, and declawed and deteethed wrestling against various creatures of the wastes.
Back to the teleportation: the Institute was known to be the only faction capable of teleporting. It consisted of relay units to and from the Institute under the C.I.T. Ruins. When the Stranger appeared, one thing that people noticed was that there was no technology other than the Stranger and Howard’s Pip-Boys that were used. Instead of only going to and from the Institute, they could be seen disappearing and appearing “out of thin air” in various places around the Commonwealth. Instead of teleporting, Howard has called it “fast traveling.” I must admit that I have fast traveled with Howard, and the technology is still mysterious and bizarre to me. That fast traveling has allowed Howard to respond to any and all threats alerted to him on his Pip-Boy. Amazing but sometimes frightening to think that technology could end up in a raider boss’s hands. Thankfully, I put my full trust in Howard, the old “Blue,” that he is using fast traveling only for good.
Now back to the Baseball Spectacle. As the sun set on the stadium and the lights turned on, I thought back to how much has changed in such an overall short period of time. It’s been fewer than seven years since I first met Howard. I would have never guessed on that day that the grind that was life here in the Commonwealth would change so much. In 2287, fear dominated the day. Ghouls and synths were unwelcome here out of fear. Today, we watched in comfort, security, and safety a joyful event. The Baseball Spectacle showed that things have changed. A synth played in the game. Ghouls cannot because of the fragility of their bodies, but we did see four ghouls on the field as umpires. This is our new truth. This is the blessing of 2294. This Baseball Spectacle was a change indicating that we have come far, and we can only get better.
Cheers to baseball.
14 September 2298 - Playoff Action: Boston Minor Series and LS Game 5
Today offers an exciting double-header in baseball playoff action as the Boston Minor Series plays Game 4 of the best-of-five series and the CBO sees Game 5 between the Diamond City Swatters and Goodneighbor Hancocks at Third Rail Stadium at S. Boston HS.
In the Boston Minor Series, the Galleria Robotics Experts could clinch the series if they win their home game against the Natick Banks Big Leaguers. Punky Shaum takes the mound for the Experts, while Burp Taylor pitches for the Bigs. Game time is 3:05 PM.
Tonight, the Hancocks will try to avoid each association's number one team falling in the League Semifinals. Goodneighbor will send Bruce Iddings to the mound to face off against X10-44 Mannson, whom we featured above. In the Game 2 match between the two teams, Mannson pitched a gem of a game in the Swatters' 6-1 victory, their first ever playoff win. First pitch is 8:05 PM and will be covered by the BNN on television and Diamond City Radio on the sound box.