Weekend Project: OOTP Civilization V

[Hammercraft]

1927

The cities of Constantinople and Adrianople are no longer under a state of martial law. Peace is returning to the region with the heretics' influence removed, and a modern railroad is being constructed to connect them to Houston to accelerate improvements to the region. While somewhat nostalgic for their old empire, the people of this continent are excited to see their standard of living improve. There are plans to build modern courthouses, schools, hospitals... and stadiums.



The Seattle Anglers have unexpectedly bought out the last year of SP Abdu Pili's contract. Do they know something other teams don't? Pili is as steady as they get and can be counted on to be a top hurler in any rotation. Even at age 36 he is expected to be a solid addition to any club.

Pili signs a one-year deal with a vesting option with Atlanta and takes the top spot in their rotation.



The investment by Atlanta pays off, and Pili leads his team to the best record in the Masters Division.



Unfortunately, he is not effective in the playoffs. New York stroked 15 hits against him in the opening game, and while he recovered to pitch well in a game 3 victory, it proved to be their only win in the series and the Admirals sent the Bison packing in 5 games. In the Legends Division the Los Angeles Steel finished with the top mark but were swept by the depending champion Washington Elephants.

The giddy Elephants were expecting another title, but the New York Admirals' offense was too strong. Yoshifumi Shimizu and Luke Hobkirk each hit three home runs, and Rafael Estrada had 16 hits in 32 trips to the plate (.500). Elephants fans were devastated, and the Admirals celebrated their return to glory after a decade of futility.

[Westheim]

Go Stags!

[Hammercraft]

1928

The New York Admirals have traded postseason hero RF Yoshifumi Shimizu to the San Francisco Zoo for pitching prospect Chad Mintz.

The Byzantines have publicly denounced the Americans. It's a little late for that.
We renewed our open border policy with Venice (Italy).
We renewed our open border policy with Russia.
We initiate an open border policy with Mongolia, and we will accept free agents from their country:



SP Eduardo Perez, the League's first winner of the Best Pitcher Award, becomes the third player to enter the Hall of Fame as a member of the Boston Gold.

Philadelphia anxiously awaits the opportunity to join the CBL, but there is not another city ready to join with them. The league would like to accommodate them, but options are limited. There is probably enough interest for a second team in Boston, but Gold team officials are resistant to the idea. Philadelphia has begun construction of a fleet of transport ships to carry supplies to Constantinople to help them prepare for their own stadium.



The Houston Citadel make the playoffs for the first time behind the strength of their young catcher Masashige Suga. Suga's 26 HR tied the league record set in 1926 by Terry Callaway.





But Houston's visit the playoffs was short-lived, as they were ousted by the New York Admirals in five games. In the Legends Division, the Los Angeles Steel dominated the Washington Elephants with strong pitching and a balanced offense. But in the championship the Admirals were winners again, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to take the series. The Admirals were carried by the pitching of young SP Mike Trego who won his second Best Pitcher Award at age 23.

[Hammercraft]

1929

American cultural influence over the world continues to grow. More countries are beginning to appreciate the virtue of Baseball.



It was a year without many surprises, with the Houston Citadel, New York Admirals, Washington Elephants, and Los Angeles Steel all making the playoffs again. Masashige Suga won another MVP award, and Mike Trego won the Best Pitcher Award again. After the Elephants dispatched the Admirals in five games there was some grumbling around the league that the disparity between franchises was too great and changes need to be made. Philadelphia suggested that a second team be admitted in New York to allow them entry, creating an expansion draft and more opportunity. The League took it under consideration as the Elephants celebrated their victory.

[Dark Horse]

Looks like Suga needs a little more help. Go Citadel!

[Hammercraft]

1930

The city of New Orleans founded west of St. Louis.


The city of Baltimore founded northeast of Portland.


White the New York Admirals made the playoffs again, the other contenders from last season did not, confounding the experts. The Almaty Diamond Kings resurfaced for the first time since 1922, seeking their first championship, and they were joined by the Buffalo Argent and the San Francisco Zoo, each making their first playoff appearance. Neither of them advanced, each losing their series 4 games to 2, setting up a match between the Diamond Kings and the defending champion Admirals.

The Admirals dominated the championship series, the Almaty pitching couldn't contain the powerful Admiral offense. Moroccan native Axamuk Siwatu hit three home runs in the series and was named the series MVP. Mike Trego won his fourth consecutive Best Pitcher Award, and credited 25-year old Siwatu with calling excellent games behind the plate.

[Hammercraft]

1931

Washington completes their monument to baseball, the enormous statue Árbitro Redentor, representing the great umpire in the sky who declares us all safe.



This year's draft featured a large amount of young talent expected to change the game's future.



The Admirals failed to reach to reach the postseason, finishing in third place behind the Houston Citadel and the Boston Gold, and their reign as champion has ended. The Almaty Diamond Kings returned to the playoffs along with the Los Angeles Steel. The Houston Citadel defeated the Boston Gold to advance to the championship, nearly giving away a three game lead. The Gold rallied to tie the series, but Houston ultimately prevailed in a high-scoring match in Houston. "We tried not to look ahead to the World Series, but we thought we'd be there for sure," said center fielder Seiji Kawasaki, who was named series MVP. The Legends Division series also went to seven games, with the Los Angeles Steel pulling out a thrilling victory over the Almaty Diamond Kings. RP Mike Bartels came up big in the final innings, pitching two scoreless innings and giving the Steel time to rally for the win.

In the Championship Series Masashiga Suga's star shone bright, and he willed Houston to it's first championship in six games over the Steel. For the series he hit .375 and had a pair of home runs to win game 2, and was named the series MVP. It was truly Suga's season to remember, he was awarded the league MVP, and the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick awards at catcher.

[Westheim]

This is delightful!

[msupoke]

Citadel!

[Hammercraft]

1932

American scientists discover the secrets of combustion, which will allow them to construct landships, destroyers, and bullpen cars.

The city of Denver was founded on an island west of Detroit.



The Greeks have landed settlers on the west end of Houston's continent. They refused negotiations and insist on settling a new city. Hopefully their incursion can be resolved peacefully.



A victory over the Washington Elephants gave the New York Admirals sole possession of second place behind the Buffalo Argent in the Masters Division and the Admirals snuck back into the playoffs after a year of absence. In the Legends Division the Seattle Anglers finished strong by winning 10 of their final 12 games, including a sweep over the San Francisco Zoo. The St. Louis Pioneers grabbed the final spot in the playoffs courtesy of the leadership and strong pitching of veteran SP Wes Barlow. Barlow provided the pitching the Pioneers needed to eliminate the Anglers, and CF Danny Wilson hit .370 in six games and was named the series MVP. The next day the talented prospects from Buffalo pushed the Argent past the New York Admirals to punch their ticket to the big dance.



The Pioneers luck ran out in the championship, and SP Barlow was shelled in his only appearance. Despite their young age it was the Buffalo Argent who played like veterans and earned the sweep over St. Louis, who committed six errors, including three by normally sure-handed Jason Pleasant. SP Randy Dyess finished his postseason run undefeated (5-0) and the Buffalo fans were ecstatic at their first world title.

[Hammercraft]

1933

The city of Constantinople has begun building a new stadium.

The Mongolians seem to have floated their entire fleet into our territorial waters. Aside from calling us 'bloodthirsty' they don't have anything to say to us, so I assume they are taking advantage of our open borders to launch an attack on the Japanese. I don't think they want to attack us with their wind-powered boats when we could easily repel them with bombers and destroyers. All the same, we've dispatched a diplomat to Karakorum to pick up any intrigue about their activity.



Two-time MVP 3B Bobby Aloisi, who won five world championships - three with New York ('08, '09, '10), one with Boston ('21), one with Chicago ('23) - has been elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot with 81.9% of the vote. At his Hall of Fame induction, the superstar third baseman told the audience the secret of his success: "I was born to be a ballplayer... I also practiced a lot. Sunup to sundown in the summertime my brothers and I would be on the ballfield. We did it every minute we could. Boy, I loved to play baseball. Still do, and still would, if I could. I always got a special kick on opening day, no matter how many you went through. I looked forward to it like a birthday party when you're a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen."



The Seattle Anglers made the biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason, signing media darling RF Paulin Spiteri away from the San Francisco Zoo. Adding to their already successful roster they become the favorite to beat in the Legends Division. The Seattle front office reports that the fanatic fans in Seattle are calling in record numbers to buy tickets.



In a race in the Legends Division that comes down to the final games of the season, the Almaty Diamond Kings and the Seattle Anglers finish in a tie for first place, one game ahead of the St. Louis Pioneers. In the Masters Division the defending champion Buffalo Argent ran away with the title, with the New York Admirals finishing a distant second. But their regular season success did not make the Argent any less nervous about playing the Admirals, who always seem to rise to the occasion in the playoffs.

And the Argent had reason to worry. After getting out to a 2-0 game lead over New York, the Admirals fought their way back to even and won the series in 7 games. Veteran SP Danny Mayfield hurled a 6-hit shutout to send Buffalo home. In the Masters Division the Seattle Anglers made easy work of the Almaty Diamond Kings, and 3B Chad Donley hit .432 with a pair of home runs.

The championship series was a tense and hard-fought affair. The New York Admirals opened with a shutout at Seattle, and the teams exchanged wins after that until the final game. Every time it seemed the Admirals had put the Anglers away, they fought back to tie the series. Finally in game 7 in Seattle the Anglers took control. In the bottom of the 7th inning Paulin Spiteri hit a home run off former Best Pitcher winner Vladmiri Goldobin to open the floodgates and give Seattle their first world championship since 1920.





New York Admirals SP Mike Trego continued to build his legend, winning his sixth Best Pitcher Award. The San Francisco Zoo, most likely upset over losing their most popular player to free agency and watching his heroics in the championship, fired their manager and general manager following the season.

[Hammercraft]

League Champions by Year



Hall of Fame Inductees



City Demographics



Council of Advisors

[Izz]

Ah, the fabled knuckleballer, alluded to in many Incan cave drawings...

[msupoke]

Science be on point.

[Westheim]

This almost makes me wanna play a round of Civ again, only to find out after three hours that I have no coal whatsoever.

[Hammercraft]

Originally Posted by Westheim

This almost makes me wanna play a round of Civ again, only to find out after three hours that I have no coal whatsoever.

I never finished a full game of Civ V until I upgraded my computer last year, it really slogs on slower machines if you run a big map with lots of enemies. I'm looking forward to the new engine they're building for Civ VI, which comes out this fall sometime.

[Hammercraft]

1934

The city of Cincinnati was founded on an uninhabited island southwest of Antioch.



We have discovered that the Greeks are planning to move against Venice. We're going to pass that information along to the Venetians.



The top free agent this offseason is another player the San Francisco Zoo can ill afford to lose, SP Chris 'Creole' Sullivan. As the scene played out in the press, the Zoo watched their most popular player leave for a contract in Seattle for the second season in a row.

Members of the press voted to induct three CBL legends into the hall of fame.







The June draft showed us the most promising prospects for the future:



In the Masters Division the Buffalo Argent ran away with the division early on and finished 25 games ahead of the Boston Gold, who squeaked out a 2nd place finish over the New York Admirals. In the Legends Division the difference was narrower but also decisive, with the Almaty Diamond Kings leading from start to finish. The St. Louis Pioneers held second place entering the final month, and were finally overtaken by the Seattle Anglers.

The Buffalo Argent easily beat the Boston Gold in the Masters Division series, with the bullpen coming up big. RP Justin Watters picked up three saves for the Argent in eight scoreless innings of relief. In the Legends Division the Anglers kept their momentum going and upset the Diamond Kings in seven games and Paulin Spiteri was the series MVP.

In the championship series the Seattle Anglers were no match for the talent of the Buffalo Argent, who won in six games. The Buffalo staff held Paulin Spiteri to a .208 average and fans wondered if the outcome would have been different if Chris Sullivan hadn't been lost for the season in August with a broken bone in his shoulder.

[Hammercraft]

A map of the main American continent

[Hammercraft]

The train route to Constantinople has been completed, and the CBL has begun promoting the ease of access for southern fans to the games in Houston.

[Hammercraft]

1935

We have entered into a joint research agreement with Korea. It will probably help them more than us, but we're always looking for new discoveries.

Iron man CF Seiji "Three Bags" Kawasaki is the biggest name free agent in a sparse offering this offseason. The speedy outfielder from Houston was snapped up by the Chicago Miners. The Buffalo Argent made a key acquisition also, acquiring former Miners' Rookie of the Year and Gold Glove winner 3B Billy "Matador" Diehl.

Former SP Tashiaki "Toad" Kato was inducted into the CBL Hall of Fame. A quiet and steady performer who played all 18 of his seasons with Atlanta, he was never recognized for a single season award and never won a playoff series. Despite the lack of attention, he amassed an impressive 339 victories with a 3.16 career ERA. At his induction ceremony Kato reminisced about his baseball career: "My how time flies. It is only a mere moment from your first spring training game to your last appearance. But it a magnificent journey." Kato has expressed interest in continuing with baseball in some fashion, possibly as a coach or manager someday.

The June draft had some very promising pitching prospects in it, but the cream of the crop was SP Cody Childress. In addition to having superior talent and four strong pitches to throw he is considered a true student of the game who busts his tail to get better as a pitcher.





Masters Division: Early on the defending champion Buffalo Argent marched out to a strong start and held an 8 game lead over the Boston Gold by the end of June. By September the Argent steamed out to an insurmountable lead, but Boston saw their hold on second place slip as the Houston Citadel chipped away game by game. In the end the Gold took control of their own destiny and grabbed the second playoff spot by one game over the Citadel.

The seemingly invulnerable Argent met their match in the Boston Gold, who were playing stronger as the season went on. The series went a full seven games, but at the end the Argent closed out the series at home in a high scoring game that ended in the bottom of the 9th on a run-scoring error by Boston star 1B Makhmud Melifov.

Legends Division: At the midpoint of the season the St. Louis Pioneers held a narrow lead over the Elephants, Haberdashers, and Anglers who were all within 2 games of each other. As the season came to a close the Pioneers overcame the rest of the teams to win the division, with the Anglers and Elephants tied going into the last day of the season. When the Anglers and Elephants were both shut out by their opponents on the road, it set up a one-game playoff. In the top of the 6th inning of the sudden-death game at Washington, Seattle hero Paulin Spiteri hit a two-run single to tie the game at 4-4. But the Angler bullpen failed to preserve the tie when Brian "Shadow" Stauner surrendered at base hit to Pio Tedeschi and pinch-running rookie speedster Mauro Valli came around to score.

The division series was just as dramatic for the Elephants, who battled the Pioneers to a deciding seventh game in St. Louis. The Pioneers took charge of the game early with a 3-run home run by Adolfo Croce, but Washington fought back to make the score 5-4. The Elephants had the winning run at the plate in the top of the 9th, but closer Danny Garrett shut down the rally and sent the Pioneers in search of their first championship.



CBL Championship: In the battle of David vs. Goliath the Pioneers struck first with a game 1 victory, but the rest of the series was all Buffalo. The Argent proved their 106 regular season victories weren't a fluke and closed the series in 5 high-scoring games, winning their third championship in four years.



Pitcher Mike Trego, who was traded from the New York Admirals to the San Francisco Zoo at the deadline, added to his legend with a 7th Best Pitcher Award.