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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-15-2024, 12:37 PM

Three teams were fighting for the two playoff byes in the EBF Elite Northern Conference. The #1 seed went to Warsaw at 105-57 atop the North Central Division. The Wildcats earned repeat playoff berths and their fifth playoff berth in six years. Warsaw was nine games better than two-time defending conference champ Kyiv at 96-66. The Kings took the first wild card to extend their playoff streak to five seasons. Notably, Kharkiv dropped to 76-84 for their first losing season since joining EBF. The Killer Bees last losing season in EPB was way back in 1991 at 80-82.

British Isles Division champ Dublin and Northwest Division champ Cologne both took their titles at 102-60. The Copperheads earned the bye with the tiebreaker in their first playoff appearance since joining with the 2000 expansion. The Dinos secured a third division title in four years and had 447 stolen bases as a team, the third best in conference history. Last year’s division champ Manchester dropped to 77-83.

Brussels was seven back on Cologne in the Northwest Division at 95-67. The Beavers easily took the second wild card, finishing ten games ahead of their closest foe Luxembourg. It was Brussels’ first playoff berth since 1994. Last year’s conference runner-up Amsterdam dropped to 80-82.

The newly named Baltic Sea Division had the weakest playoff team with 90-72 Hamburg on top. The Hammers were eight games ahead of Oslo and grabbed their second berth in three years. Copenhagen’s reign of dominance ended with the Corsairs dropping to 79-83. This snapped an eight-year division title streak and was Copenhagen’s first losing season since 1993.

Antwerp struggled in their debut season at 55-107 and were relegated right back to the Second League. Rotterdam was second worst and narrowly escaped their own demotion at 63-99, one loss away from the cut line. Berlin’s pitching was bad, allowing 1674 hits (the second worst in conference history). However, the Barons at 69-93 were safe.

Leading Cologne to their first playoff berth was Northern Conference MVP LF Dominik Brozik. The 25-year old Czech was picked 16^th overall in the 2006 EBF Draft and had won Rookie of the Year in 2007. In 2008, he led in runs (132) and posted 211 hits, 45 home runs, 116 RBI, a .346/.395/.631 slash, 189 wRC+, and 9.5 WAR. The Copperheads had another Rookie of the Year as well in 3B Aaron Romero, who debuted with an impressive 54 home run, 131 runs, 8.6 WAR effort.

Brussels had the Pitcher of the Year Gustav Rosengren. In his second season in the rotation full-time, the 24-year old 6’6’’ Swedish righty led in WAR (8.7) and quality starts (24). Rosengren added a 2.41 ERA over 250.1 innings, 16-6 record, 280 strikeouts, and 161 ERA+.

In the first round of the playoffs, Kyiv edged Hamburg 2-1 and Dublin swept Brussels. The Kings upset their division rival Warsaw 3-2 in round two, sending Kyiv to a fourth straight Northern Conference Championship. Cologne outlasted Dublin 3-2 to give the Copperheads their first shot at a pennant. The Kings’ experience paid off as they were the road winner 4-2 over Cologne, sending Kyiv to a third straight European Championship.

Madrid was the Southern Conference’s only triple-digit winner at 102-60 atop a loaded Southwest Division. The Conquistadors earned repeat playoff appearances and their ninth in a decade. They had to fend off strong efforts from Seville (92-70), Lisbon (90-72), Marseille (90-72), and Barcelona (85-77). The Stingrays had been relegated only two years prior, but returned to form and took the first wild card. It was their first playoff berth since 2001.

Budapest had the #2 seed at 95-67, winning the East Central Division and ending a four-year playoff drought. Athens was second at 91-71, followed by Bratislava at 89-73. The Anchors ended up the second wild and ended their own five year drought. They were one ahead of the Clippers and Musketeers and two better than the Blue Falcons for the second wild card spot.

Bratislava had won 106 games the prior year, but missed the field in 2008. Reigning EBF champ and two-time defending conference champ Barcelona also missed the cut at 85-77, ending their playoff streak at three. Another broken streak was Vienna, who had seen five straight division titles and 100+ win seasons. The Vultures were a non-factor in 2008 at 78-84, their first losing season since 1999.

Bucharest grabbed the Southeast Division at 89-73, topping defending champ Yerevan by four games. This was the first EBF playoff berth for the Broncos, whose last playoff appearance was the 1991 EPB season. The South Central Division had Munich (87-75) outlast Malta (84-78) and Milan (81-81). The Mavericks extended their playoff streak to eight seasons, the longest active streak in EBF.

Newly promoted Cluj-Napoca was an abysmal 42-120, tying 1982 Malta for the worst record in EBF history. They were the lone relegated team from the Southern Conference, although Sofia (63-99) and Tirana (64-98) both came very close to the dreaded 100 loss mark. Zurich was notable at 68-94 as well, the worst season for the Mountaineers in 38 years.

Marseille RF Jean-Luc Tapie repeated as Southern Conference MVP in his second season as a starter. The 23-year old French lefty led in runs (130), home runs (59), walks (97), total bases (407), OBP (.451), slugging (.758), OPS (1.209), wRC+ (215), and WAR (9.8). Tapie added a .346 average and 121 RBI.

Pitcher of the Year was fourth-year Malta lefty Albino Molinari. The 26-year old Italian led in wins (20-8), ERA (2.47), innings (262), and complete games (18). Molinari added 236 strikeouts, a 155 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR. He fell 22 strikeouts short of a Triple Crown season.

Munich edged Seville 2-1 and Bucharest swept Athens 2-0 in the first round. Madrid outlasted the Mavericks 3-2 in round two, while the Broncos upset Budapest 3-1. The Conquistadors were making their fifth Southern Conference Championship appearance in a decade, while Bucharest hadn’t been there before. The Broncos pulled off the road upset 4-2 over Madrid for their first SC pennant. Bucharest had twice won the EPB’s European League (1957, 1984).

The 59^th European Championship was notable for being the first finals matchup between two squads that came over from Eurasian Professional Baseball in the 2000 exodus. There wouldn’t be another such matchup until 2036. Once upon a time, Kyiv and Bucharest were also rivals in the EPB European League’s South Division.

In the finale, the Kings bested the Broncos 4-1 to give Kyiv its second EBF title in three years. Finals MVP was LF Thomas Alasia in his lone season with the Kings. The Italian journeyman at age 34 had 19 playoff starts, 18 hits, 14 runs, 3 doubles, 8 home runs, and 14 RBI.

Counting their EPB rings, this was the 10^th overall championship for the Kings. They joined EPB’s Minsk (12), SAB’s Ahmedabad (12), and CABA’s Mexico City (10) as the only franchises with ten titles. Kyiv is now 10-4 all-time in their finals appearances. This ultimately was the peak for the Ukrainian capital, which wouldn’t be back in the EBF Championship in the following 28 years.

Other notes: Athens; Tanveer Mannan became the fourth EBF player to bat above .400 in a season. His .4041 remains the second-best mark in EBF history behind Franco Gilbert’s .4083 from 1984. Mannan had two separate 31-game hitting streaks and narrowly missed having those combined. In an opener role, Charles-Henri Delacoeur set the EBF record for games started on the mound with 73. He had a 3.25 ERA over 122 innings in the effort.

Villum Kleist joined Jack Kennedy in the 800 home run club. Kleist would play one more season and finish with 823 dingers, second to Kennedy’s 875. He still ranks third as of 2037. Kleist also became the 25^th to reach 2500 hits. He finished also with 1934 RBI, retiring fourth all-time and ranking ninth as of 2037.

Mattias Stole and Carsten Dal became the 13^th and 14^th to reach 1500 runs scored. Two-way player Atanas Kalkanov won his ninth Silver Slugger and his eighth as a pitcher. Oslo SS Harvey Coyle won his first Gold Glove and second Silver Slugger at age 21. He posted a 12.0 WAR season to begin his path to becoming pro baseball’s all-time WARlord.

Promotion/Relegation: Both Antwerp and Cluj-Napoca were sent right back down after only one season in the top rung. Rome took back the Paladins spot in the South Central Division, while Krakow was placed in the North Central Division. For balance, Berlin was shifted from the North Central to the Northwest and Rotterdam was sent into the British Isles Division to replace the Airedales.

07-15-2024, 12:37 PM	#1429
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,809	2008 in EBF Three teams were fighting for the two playoff byes in the EBF Elite Northern Conference. The #1 seed went to Warsaw at 105-57 atop the North Central Division. The Wildcats earned repeat playoff berths and their fifth playoff berth in six years. Warsaw was nine games better than two-time defending conference champ Kyiv at 96-66. The Kings took the first wild card to extend their playoff streak to five seasons. Notably, Kharkiv dropped to 76-84 for their first losing season since joining EBF. The Killer Bees last losing season in EPB was way back in 1991 at 80-82. British Isles Division champ Dublin and Northwest Division champ Cologne both took their titles at 102-60. The Copperheads earned the bye with the tiebreaker in their first playoff appearance since joining with the 2000 expansion. The Dinos secured a third division title in four years and had 447 stolen bases as a team, the third best in conference history. Last year’s division champ Manchester dropped to 77-83. Brussels was seven back on Cologne in the Northwest Division at 95-67. The Beavers easily took the second wild card, finishing ten games ahead of their closest foe Luxembourg. It was Brussels’ first playoff berth since 1994. Last year’s conference runner-up Amsterdam dropped to 80-82. The newly named Baltic Sea Division had the weakest playoff team with 90-72 Hamburg on top. The Hammers were eight games ahead of Oslo and grabbed their second berth in three years. Copenhagen’s reign of dominance ended with the Corsairs dropping to 79-83. This snapped an eight-year division title streak and was Copenhagen’s first losing season since 1993. Antwerp struggled in their debut season at 55-107 and were relegated right back to the Second League. Rotterdam was second worst and narrowly escaped their own demotion at 63-99, one loss away from the cut line. Berlin’s pitching was bad, allowing 1674 hits (the second worst in conference history). However, the Barons at 69-93 were safe. Leading Cologne to their first playoff berth was Northern Conference MVP LF Dominik Brozik. The 25-year old Czech was picked 16^th overall in the 2006 EBF Draft and had won Rookie of the Year in 2007. In 2008, he led in runs (132) and posted 211 hits, 45 home runs, 116 RBI, a .346/.395/.631 slash, 189 wRC+, and 9.5 WAR. The Copperheads had another Rookie of the Year as well in 3B Aaron Romero, who debuted with an impressive 54 home run, 131 runs, 8.6 WAR effort. Brussels had the Pitcher of the Year Gustav Rosengren. In his second season in the rotation full-time, the 24-year old 6’6’’ Swedish righty led in WAR (8.7) and quality starts (24). Rosengren added a 2.41 ERA over 250.1 innings, 16-6 record, 280 strikeouts, and 161 ERA+. In the first round of the playoffs, Kyiv edged Hamburg 2-1 and Dublin swept Brussels. The Kings upset their division rival Warsaw 3-2 in round two, sending Kyiv to a fourth straight Northern Conference Championship. Cologne outlasted Dublin 3-2 to give the Copperheads their first shot at a pennant. The Kings’ experience paid off as they were the road winner 4-2 over Cologne, sending Kyiv to a third straight European Championship. Madrid was the Southern Conference’s only triple-digit winner at 102-60 atop a loaded Southwest Division. The Conquistadors earned repeat playoff appearances and their ninth in a decade. They had to fend off strong efforts from Seville (92-70), Lisbon (90-72), Marseille (90-72), and Barcelona (85-77). The Stingrays had been relegated only two years prior, but returned to form and took the first wild card. It was their first playoff berth since 2001. Budapest had the #2 seed at 95-67, winning the East Central Division and ending a four-year playoff drought. Athens was second at 91-71, followed by Bratislava at 89-73. The Anchors ended up the second wild and ended their own five year drought. They were one ahead of the Clippers and Musketeers and two better than the Blue Falcons for the second wild card spot. Bratislava had won 106 games the prior year, but missed the field in 2008. Reigning EBF champ and two-time defending conference champ Barcelona also missed the cut at 85-77, ending their playoff streak at three. Another broken streak was Vienna, who had seen five straight division titles and 100+ win seasons. The Vultures were a non-factor in 2008 at 78-84, their first losing season since 1999. Bucharest grabbed the Southeast Division at 89-73, topping defending champ Yerevan by four games. This was the first EBF playoff berth for the Broncos, whose last playoff appearance was the 1991 EPB season. The South Central Division had Munich (87-75) outlast Malta (84-78) and Milan (81-81). The Mavericks extended their playoff streak to eight seasons, the longest active streak in EBF. Newly promoted Cluj-Napoca was an abysmal 42-120, tying 1982 Malta for the worst record in EBF history. They were the lone relegated team from the Southern Conference, although Sofia (63-99) and Tirana (64-98) both came very close to the dreaded 100 loss mark. Zurich was notable at 68-94 as well, the worst season for the Mountaineers in 38 years. Marseille RF Jean-Luc Tapie repeated as Southern Conference MVP in his second season as a starter. The 23-year old French lefty led in runs (130), home runs (59), walks (97), total bases (407), OBP (.451), slugging (.758), OPS (1.209), wRC+ (215), and WAR (9.8). Tapie added a .346 average and 121 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was fourth-year Malta lefty Albino Molinari. The 26-year old Italian led in wins (20-8), ERA (2.47), innings (262), and complete games (18). Molinari added 236 strikeouts, a 155 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR. He fell 22 strikeouts short of a Triple Crown season. Munich edged Seville 2-1 and Bucharest swept Athens 2-0 in the first round. Madrid outlasted the Mavericks 3-2 in round two, while the Broncos upset Budapest 3-1. The Conquistadors were making their fifth Southern Conference Championship appearance in a decade, while Bucharest hadn’t been there before. The Broncos pulled off the road upset 4-2 over Madrid for their first SC pennant. Bucharest had twice won the EPB’s European League (1957, 1984). The 59^th European Championship was notable for being the first finals matchup between two squads that came over from Eurasian Professional Baseball in the 2000 exodus. There wouldn’t be another such matchup until 2036. Once upon a time, Kyiv and Bucharest were also rivals in the EPB European League’s South Division. In the finale, the Kings bested the Broncos 4-1 to give Kyiv its second EBF title in three years. Finals MVP was LF Thomas Alasia in his lone season with the Kings. The Italian journeyman at age 34 had 19 playoff starts, 18 hits, 14 runs, 3 doubles, 8 home runs, and 14 RBI. Counting their EPB rings, this was the 10^th overall championship for the Kings. They joined EPB’s Minsk (12), SAB’s Ahmedabad (12), and CABA’s Mexico City (10) as the only franchises with ten titles. Kyiv is now 10-4 all-time in their finals appearances. This ultimately was the peak for the Ukrainian capital, which wouldn’t be back in the EBF Championship in the following 28 years. Other notes: Athens; Tanveer Mannan became the fourth EBF player to bat above .400 in a season. His .4041 remains the second-best mark in EBF history behind Franco Gilbert’s .4083 from 1984. Mannan had two separate 31-game hitting streaks and narrowly missed having those combined. In an opener role, Charles-Henri Delacoeur set the EBF record for games started on the mound with 73. He had a 3.25 ERA over 122 innings in the effort. Villum Kleist joined Jack Kennedy in the 800 home run club. Kleist would play one more season and finish with 823 dingers, second to Kennedy’s 875. He still ranks third as of 2037. Kleist also became the 25^th to reach 2500 hits. He finished also with 1934 RBI, retiring fourth all-time and ranking ninth as of 2037. Mattias Stole and Carsten Dal became the 13^th and 14^th to reach 1500 runs scored. Two-way player Atanas Kalkanov won his ninth Silver Slugger and his eighth as a pitcher. Oslo SS Harvey Coyle won his first Gold Glove and second Silver Slugger at age 21. He posted a 12.0 WAR season to begin his path to becoming pro baseball’s all-time WARlord. Promotion/Relegation: Both Antwerp and Cluj-Napoca were sent right back down after only one season in the top rung. Rome took back the Paladins spot in the South Central Division, while Krakow was placed in the North Central Division. For balance, Berlin was shifted from the North Central to the Northwest and Rotterdam was sent into the British Isles Division to replace the Airedales. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)