BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, CYL, and CBA
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
17 August 2314
Perfect Game Highlights Exciting Action
We have copied the news story to the "Noteworthy News" section below, but that was the news article. Here is the touchy-feely part.
On August 8 in a matchup against Easy Town, Salem's Jaa Thirtysix made history. Thirtysix became both the second player in CBO history to throw a perfect game and the CBO's first player with two no-hitters in his career. In 2299, Nordhagen Beach's Tommy Beach threw the first-ever perfect game in a victory over Fort Hagen.
It took Thirtysix 92 pitches, striking out four Assaultrons in the 6-0 victory. To cap off his perfect day, Thirtysix also delivered a two-RBI single.
Thirtysix's first no-hitter came on April 20, 2312, in a victory over Goodneighbor. No other player has had two no-hitters, though some have come close.
CBO Analysis
Just two weeks remain in what has been an interesting and exciting 2314 season with a lot of drama and action left to go. Just two teams, Vault 81 and The Slog, have clinched playoff. Nine teams are officially out. The Dwellers have a chance to make history, but we will chat about that in the Railroad League analysis below.
Here are the current team power rankings for Commonwealth Baseball Organization:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Vault 81 Dwellers (127.6, o)
2) Quincy Gunners (118.6, ++)
3) Lexington Synths (118.3, o)
4) FHE Yao Guai (117.3, ++)
5) The Slog Ghouls (115.8, --)
6) Atom Cats (111.5, +)
7) Diamond City Swatters (107.6, +)
8) Glowing Sea Radscorpions (107.1, --)
9) Salem Witch Hats (102.8, ++)
10) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (98.5, --)
11) Oberland T-51s (98.5, -)
12) Concord Radstags (94.4, +)
13) Southie Brews (93.7, ++)
14) Cambridge Coursers (89.7, ++)
15) University Point Deathclaws (89.3, o)
16) Bunker Hill 75ers (84.4, --)
17) Starlight Killers (84.2, -)
18) Easy Town Assaultrons (82.2, --)
19) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (76.5, o)
20) Goodneighbor Hancocks (72.5, ++)
21) Roxbury Rad Sox (71.7, o)
22) Malden Grognaks (69.8, -)
23) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (69.7, +)
24) Spectacle Island Reapers (68.3, ++)
25) County Crossing Bloodbugs (67.8, -)
26) Egret Ninjas (67.4, --)
27) Nahant Celtics (63.2, -)
28) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (55.6, o)
The present playoff positions look like this:
NCA
1. z-The Slog - Magic # 3 to clinch BL
2. Lexington - Magic # 9 to clinch IL
3. Fort Hagen
4. Salem
5. Bunker Hill (5-5 vs Concord, 29-23 in IL play)
6. Concord (5-5 vs Bunker Hill, 30-25 in IL play)
SCA
1. z- Vault 81 - Magic # 2 to clinch RL
2. Atom - Magic # 14 to clinch ML
3. FHE
4. Diamond City (3-1 vs Quincy)
5. Quincy (1-3 vs Diamond City)
6. Glowing Sea
Brotherhood League
The Slog has been consistently good all season, with the expectation that the BL is theirs to own in just a few days. This will be the first Ghouls league title in the full CBO. Their one other title came in 2297. Salem has been one of the hotter teams, including an 11-4 record so far in August to burst into the #4 spot and a solid 2nd in the BL. The remaining five teams are either almost out or officially eliminated with Easy Town, Nordhagen Beach, Malden, County Crossing, and Nahant making up places 3-7.
The Witch Hats were out of playoff contention, it appeared, at one point. Now, they may host a first-round series. Salem is better on offense than pitching, as shown being the 2nd-best run-scoring team (633) and 7th in runs allowed (582). Part of the offensive success has been the one-two punch of RF Thatch Heard (.351/36/119) and 1B Brian DeLong (.321/35/98). LF Jig McGhee (.310/18/47/33 SB) is also a top contributor to the offensive machine. On the mound, the top three starters have an ERA below 4.00: Paul Stains (7-0, 3.12), Jaa Thirtysix (11-10, 3.58), and Chris Teddybear (9-4, 3.96). CL Corpulus Vinius (22 SV, 3.35) is the player holding the bullpen together.
Institute League
Lexington, along with Quincy, has been the CBO's hottest team, going 9-1 in their last 10, which included an 11-game winning streak before dropping one at Jamaica Plain on Saturday. Fort Hagen is still in the running for the IL, but they need to get hot like the Synths have been. Bunker Hill and Concord are tied for 3rd, while 5th-place Cambridge is still in the race. Starlight is not eliminated but will be later this week. Sunshine Tiidings still owns the #1 overall pick for the 2314 Draft.
For the Synths, offense has not been their strong suit, but they are still winning games regularly. Like The Slog, Lexington has its flaws, and getting on base is one with the Synths currently 9th in scoring (562) and 13th in OBP (.319). CF Packs Ton Kling (.280/32/74) and 3B Tommy Whitetiger (.316/23/82) have been the leaders with RF Hurr Lee Reyes (.344/6/18) banged up for most of the season. The top two pitcher on the mound, Lyle Pine (15-7, 2.71) and Admiral Kelm (12-9, 3.23) have been great. CL Hunter Kim (35 SV 2.28) is an efficient closer.
Minutemen League
Atom and Quincy are so close that they can smell each other's cess pools. The Gunners are one of the hottest teams in the CBO, and they are now threatening to overtake the defending champions Cats for 1st place. University Point has drifted, the veteran team battling late-season injuries that have made them uncompetitive down the stretch. Southie is also just hanging on, while all of Goodneighbor, Jamaica Plain (which just fired MGR Fowl Rivera), and Spectacle Island make up the eliminated. The Reapers currently hold the #3 overall spot for the 2314 Draft.
The Gunners are quietly good and could make some noise in the playoffs, especially if they win the ML. Quincy is 3rd in runs scored (655) and 6th in runs allowed (574). The true standout on offense has been 2B Will Hell (.308/30/91). Veteran RF Baywatch Fischler (.333/13/64) is still pretty spry. On the mound, Make Money (12-6, 3.12) has been the true hero, while College Luckyman (8-12, 5.07) and Fosdyke Rochambeau (10-10, 4.39) have struggled. The bullpen is not very good, especially with the acquisition of the #1-ranked closer, Professor Harriel (23 SV, 5.55) having a bad season. He had a 1.14 ERA with Roxbury last season.
Railroad League
As mentioned, the Dwellers hold the CBO's best record, 8.5 games better than The Slog. FHE is one of just four teams with 70+ victories, but at 12.5 back, it does not seem as great of an accomplishment. Still, consider the Yao Guai to be a player in the championship race. Diamond City, Glowing Sea, and Oberland make up the rest of the teams over .500 in the RL. Egret and Roxbury are in as tight battle for 6th place.
Vault 81 was handled in two straight weekend games but Salem, 3-0 and 12-1. Before that, they were 10-2 and on pace to set the CBO record for victories in a season. They could still get there, needing to go 9-4 to close out the season to out win the 2304 Roxbury team (91-29 in a 120-game season). The .758 winning percentage of that team will not be touched, though, until a team wins 99 games in a 130-game season. back to 2314, the Dwellers are 1st in runs scored (729) and runs allowed (480). They are the most dominant team we have seen in a while, and anything but a championship would be a major upset. All eight starters have 10+ home runs, with each of LF Stu Gains (.282/22/80), 1B Pockets Wrench (.306/20/75), and C Phantom Vargas (.264/20/61) having 20+. On the mound, the 1-2-3 starting rotation of Zack Million (13-4, 3.47), Exxie Summerset (19-5, 2.99), and Scruffy Taguchi (14-5, 3.96) will be deadly in the playoffs. Fourth starter Ryan Goodpryce (15-5, 3.84) may be the best in the CBO, though he will probably pitch from the bullpen in the playoffs. CL Dynamite Delaney (33 SV, 3.11) leads a bullpen that is also solidly consistent.
CBO Standings
Players of the Week
August 3 - Kasumi Goto demonstrated his potential to be a star in the game last week and today he took home the North Charles Association Player of the Week Award.
The Bunker Hill left fielder wreaked havoc on opposing pitchers last week, pounding them for a .471 average (8-for-17) with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs on his way to claiming the honor.
So far this season, Goto is batting .330 with 32 home runs, 94 RBIs and 81 runs scored. He has 116 hits in 352 at-bats, 75 walks and a .446 OBP. Goto has played in 99 games.
The South Charles Association has chosen Wee Willy Warrington of the University Point Deathclaws as Player of the Week.
What a week Warrington had. He hit .500 (8-for-16) with 2 home runs, 6 RBIs and 4 runs scored.
In the current season, Warrington has put up a .299 batting average with 111 hits, 25 home runs, 79 runs batted in and scored 62 runs.
August 10 - One of the league's most exciting young players, Thatch Heard of the Salem Witch Hats earned himself North Charles Association Player of the Week honors with a standout performance in last week's games.
For the week the 21-year-old right fielder had a lofty .500 average (13-for-26), collecting 5 home runs, 12 RBIs and 7 runs scored.
Heard is currently batting .357 with 35 home runs, 117 RBIs and 89 runs scored. He has 162 hits in 454 at-bats.
Foo Fieterz is respected by most Oberland T-51s fans for his no-frills style of play. The 26-year-old left fielder went about his business with vigor last week to grab the South Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He compiled a .435 average (10-for-23) with 4 home runs, 13 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
So far on the season, Fieterz is hitting .312 with 28 home runs, 90 RBIs and 87 runs scored. He has 120 hits and played in 109 games.
August 17 - Needham Tickler is respected by most Salem Witch Hats fans for his no-frills style of play. The 30-year-old first baseman went about his business with vigor last week to grab the North Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He compiled a .800 average (8-for-10) with 4 home runs, 6 RBIs and 7 runs scored.
Currently Tickler is hitting .316 and has collected 11 home runs, 31 RBIs and scored 19 times, while playing in 81 games.
Will Hell has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 21-year-old second baseman of the Quincy Gunners had a hot bat in the South Charles Association over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.
Hell batted .520 with 13 hits in 25 at-bats, 3 home runs and 8 RBIs.
This year, Hell has hit 30 home runs and posted a .308 batting average.
Noteworthy News
August 7 - The 2314 amateur draft pool was published today with barely a mention on BNN. But then, fans rarely get drawn into amateur drafts. The players are not known commodities and they're not tangible, recognizable names. They might be five years down the road, but casual fans don't get sucked in by "might be," they get excited about what is happening in the here and now. Over the next 30 days, scouts will assess their possibilities, run mock drafts and formulate their plans.
To help them, Commonwealth Baseball Organization has posted an interactive draft section on its Transactions page, which will be available for 90 days before draft day.
The early favorites to be high picks are the following:
1. Fuzz Copman, 17 year-old 1B out of high-school.
2. Evan Keel, 20 year-old SS out of college.
3. Halep Gutteridge, 20 year-old 2B out of college.
4. Size Man Green, 17 year-old 1B out of high-school.
5. Merlin Hodges, 17 year-old 3B out of high-school.
6. Honker Trinkl, 21 year-old 2B out of college.
7. Lateral Booth, 20 year-old 2B out of college.
8. Sluggo Luge, 17 year-old 1B out of high-school.
9. Pop Dylan, 20 year-old 1B out of college.
10. Greenie Jamison, 20 year-old SS out of college.
August 8 - Salem Witch Hats starter Jaa Thirtysix was as good as a pitcher can be, as he hurled a perfect game against the Easy Town Assaultrons.
In doing so, Thirtysix accomplished one of the most difficult feats in baseball and one that will put his name in the record books.
"I can tell you I've dreamed about a day like this," Thirtysix told the press after the game. "Now that I've done it, the feeling is even better."
In his splendid 6-0 victory at Vim! Park of Salem, Thirtysix yielded no hits, walked none and had 4 strikeouts. In the historic outing he retired 27 successive batters.
This year, Thirtysix has recorded a 10-10 mark. In 28 starts he has fanned 107 batters in 161 innings with a 3.69 ERA.
August 9 - Tony Bertha of the University Point Deathclaws pitched his way into the exclusive 200-win club today at Hallucigen Stadium at UP by stopping the Goodneighbor Hancocks 11-1. In his historic outing, he surrendered 4 hits and no runs in 6.2 innings with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks.
With a huge grin on his face, the 37-year-old Bertha told reporters after the game, "Now I got to get real busy -- and start working on my next 200 wins."
In his career, Bertha has amassed 200 wins and 118 losses with an ERA of 3.52 and 1905 strikeouts.
August 17 - You can't fire the players when times get tough. Fowl Rivera learned that the hard way today as he was dismissed from his managerial position with the Jamaica Plain Red Rockets.
Citing a need to "shake things up," a team official said it was time to move on.
"We respect what Fowl has done for the club and we thank him for his time here, but we just think the future of the Red Rockets needs to be handled by someone else and needs to move in a different direction," said club general manager Pacheco in a prepared statement.
For his part, Rivera remained upbeat about the decision.
"I know it's a business and sometimes you've just got to make a change," he said. "I want to thank Jamaica Plain for the opportunity to manage here."
Team officials are expected to announce an interim manager in the next few days.
NEBL Playoffs Update
League Championship Series - Best of 7
Abernathy Adamantium vs Clifton Vertibirds
Game 1: Abernathy 11, Clifton 4
Game 2: Clifton 6, Abernathy, 2
Game 3: Abernathy 2, Clifton 0
Braintree Robobrains vs Providence Warlocks
Game 1: Braintree 6, Providence 4
Game 2: Braintree 4, Providence 3
MML Playoffs Update
League Championship Series - Best of 3
Sanctuary Hills Zetans vs Covenant Refractors
Game 1: Covenant 3, Sanctuary Hills 0
Game 2: Covenant 5, Sanctuary Hills 2 - Covenant wins series 2-0
Mayoral Shelter Tricentennials vs Providence Pips
Game 1: Providence 2, Mayoral Shelter 1
Game 2: Providence 7, Mayoral Shelter 1 - Providence wins series 2-0