Fallout 4's Commonwealth Baseball Organization

[StLee]

Originally Posted by Tyke

I get the impression that the Boys are spending too much timing partying with Anne Hargraves and not enough working on their drills! They do seem to be scoring runs, though, even when they lose, which is not what we expected before the season opened.
I would also add my vote for the Red Rockets unis, they look great!

That's the excuses they're going to have to make when it comes to season's end. In all, they may not be good enough, but I still will have to wait and see when it comes to their overall performance. Still, 20% of the season in, they will not have forever to make their mark, at least not this season.

I was thinking about those Red Rockets. There is a story developing in my mind. It's time for Kasumi Nakano to make her mark!

[StLee]

Today in the CBO

Settlements Today

by Nat Wright-Kowalski

28 April 2296 - The Slog

Each Tuesday for the upcoming weeks through the playoffs, we will feature one of the settlements, teams, and owners of the Commonwealth Baseball Organization. This is meant to tell you more about life in the Commonwealth, as well as give you more information about the teams and their owners.

In our third installment of "Settlement Today," I took a tour of The Slog, our second ghoul-run location. As opposed to Goodneighbor, this settlement is all about hard work and tarberries, the delicious little fruits which grow on water. The Slog is the only settlement where tarberries are cultivated, so it is the richest and greatest tarberry-producing location in the Commonwealth. Otherwise, people need to find wild tarberries in ponds and abandoned swimming pools.


The Slog - 2287

According to the intranet (real-life https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/The_Slog so as not to plagiarize),
"Once the Middlesex Country public swimming pool, the Slog is the best (and only) tarberry bog in the Commonwealth. The name 'the Slog' only came about recently after a heavy rainstorm and a trader had to 'slog' through all the mud to get a shipment of tarberries, but it was worth it. Even more unique, the settlement is run entirely by ghouls, who formed it after Mayor McDonough exiled them from Diamond City. The way Wiseman sees it, if the Slog could be more than simply a refuge for outcast ghouls and seen as an example of what can be achieved when a collective put their minds to something and cooperate, perhaps the stereotypes about ghouls being monsters might fade."

In 2296, Wiseman proved to be wise, as The Slog is a well-reputed land with ghouls who benefit the Commonwealth rather than terrorize it. At first, The Slog was a ghouls-only settlement, but in time non-ghouls moved in and peace thrived, as well as the caps. Today, the tight-knit community continues its tarberry production and shares the nearby Saugus Ironworks facilities to repair and maintain farming equipment and settlement improvements.


The Slog - 2296. Parsons State Insane Asylum, the prison for the criminally insane, can be seen in the background.

Owner - Wiseman



One of three ghoul owners in the CBO, Wiseman is in his place in life because of ghoul discrimination. Now an advocate for ghoul rights and equality, Wiseman feels the Commonwealth is a thousand times better than what it was 10 years ago.

According to the intranet, Slog is a "soft-spoken and friendly man" willing to speak "about his past and the community he founded upon first discovering the Slog. Wiseman fled from Diamond City following a decree by Mayor McDonough exiling all ghouls from the community. Instead of traveling to Goodneighbor along with the majority of the ghoul population, he instead founded 'the Slog' within an old public swimming pool. Intending the establishment to be a safe haven for persecuted ghouls, it eventually grew into a tarberry farm - one of the sole producers of the fruit in the Commonwealth."

The Slog and Tarberries



According to terminals around the Wasteland, "Tarberries are small, purple berries of the tarberry plant, itself a water-grown crop ostensibly similar to cranberries.

"Tarberries can only be farmed at the Slog. A swimming pool containing nine farmed tarberry plants, which can normally be harvested once a day.

Most people "will comment on the ingenuity of farming tarberry in a former swimming pool, alluding to the general Commonwealth knowledge that tarberries are rare and difficult to cultivate commercially. The ghouls at the Slog say that they have the best tarberries in the Commonwealth, but truthfully, they have the only cultivated tarberries in the Commonwealth."

[Sizeman21]

The Slog looks like my kinda place!

Cool logo as well. I wonder if you can make Tarberry pie. Would it be any good? Maybe my next profession should be a tarberry farmer at the local pool.

[StLee]

Originally Posted by Sizeman21

The Slog looks like my kinda place!

Cool logo as well. I wonder if you can make Tarberry pie. Would it be any good? Maybe my next profession should be a tarberry farmer at the local pool.

A Tarberry Pie contest sounds like an excellent Promotion Day event! Remember when OOTP used to have Promotion Days as part of the game? I wonder why those were taken out.

[StLee]

Today in the CBO

News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth

by Nat Wright-Kowalski

28 April 2296 - Third Saturday Passes, McCort to Prison

Last month, Oberland T-51s reliever Vince McCort was arrested and charged with assaulting his elderly neighbor, Third Saturday Montana, in relation to Montana's pet molerat damaging McCort's property. Oberland, in cooperation with August Oberland and Nate Howard, agreed to suspend McCort 60 games, or the entirety of the 2296 regular season, for the incident.

Unfortunately, Montana was slow to recover from his injuries, and on the evening of April 27, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away. Local authorities, who were under direct order to keep McCort in a local Oberland jail until the time Montana had recovered, will now officially charge McCort with murder.

Under Commonwealth law established by Howard, in cooperation with the Four Factions--Brotherhood of Steel, Institute, Minutemen, and Railroad--settlers of the Commonwealth charged with murder are to be held at Parsons State Insane Asylum, considered to be the most humane location for the criminally insane. McCort will thus be relocated from the Oberland holding cell to Parsons via an armed cavalry of either local Minutemen or a Brotherhood regiment.

It has not yet been determined to what extent the Commonwealth Baseball Organization will suspend a player, but since McCort is young, he could be ready to play later. Still, he will need to serve his sentence, however long that may be. It is estimated that the sentence will be no shorter than two years.

August Oberland was unavailable for comment, though he had previously agreed that McCort would suffer the consequences of his actions.

28 April 2296 - Party Boys Player's Drunken Mishap

The Nordhagen Beach Party Boys may be a bit of a loose end in the Commonwealth Baseball Organization. Not only did they lose their last two series, but they had a lot of fun doing it. The past two weekends have also been spent lounging about the beaches in Nordhagen Beach and Salem with the Charles River Trio, the broadcasting team for WRVR.

Well, one Party Boys player is now in a bit of a pickle thanks to the number of caps he spent on booze and chems over the past two weekends. Dustin Mart, first baseman and third-round pick of Nordhagen Beach, apparently used an advance on his full season's salary to buy booze and chems for the entirety of the team and to impress others. In turn, Mart now has no money. If he is not bailed out by teammates or another benefactor, like the wealthy club owner, Mart may need to consider double-dipping his time with a second job.

Maybe Emogene could use another pool boy at her beachside estate. That could make up for the encouragement she has given her team in emphasizing the Party over the baseball.

[Tyke]

It's just youthful high spirits, nothing to worry about, he's helping to bond the team. It will all be ok. Don't worry about it!

[StLee]

It's in His Blood

by Piper Wright

County Crossing - County Crossing may not look like an important plot of land, but its role as a trading hub in the Northeast Commonwealth has led it to be more than just a mud pond in the great expanse. First founded by two mutfruit farming brothers, Carlos and Carlton House, County Crossing was then turned it into its current chems and meds empire by roving doctor Doc Weathers.

From there, the area grew into an advanced and expanded settlement with the old National Guard Training Yard serving as Doc Weather’s emporium. The Houses’ mutfruit farm still serves as the local staple food, with barns of molerats, radstags, and brahmin on the extended property to serve up the heavy appetite for meat the locals love.

Across from the National Guard Training Yard, Beantown Brewery Stadium shines like the new building it is. Arrays of plants have been spread around the fan entrance to the stadium, giving an aesthetic peace to the wastes.

My destination on my stroll through the “Crossing” is behind the National Guard Training Yard, where some of the old supply buildings has been turned into player housing, along with several shacks built for those desiring the outdoors more. Front Porch Potter, acquired in a three-way trade among his original team, the Sunshine Tidings Chemists, the Starlight Lady Killers, and the County Crossing Bloodbugs. The trade was perpetuated by a front office tiff that caused the Chemists’ sponsor, Small Bertha, to force team owner Talia McGovern to move Small Bertha’s brother to her team. In a swap of three first-round picks, including Potter, and 12 players in all.

“I wasn’t drafted by the Bloodbugs, but I belong here,” Potter says. He lives in one of the shacks, the one with the biggest front porch of them all. Fitting, I think. So I have to ask.

“They don’t call me Front Porch for nothing.”

In fact, his shack was custom-designed, which makes me wonder what might happen if he moves on to another team through trade or other means. His shack is like no other I have seen. The indoors area is what he calls the “fallout shelter in case of radstorms.” It is windowless, with one sleeping bag on the floor, a locker for some of his equipment, a dresser for clothes, a comfortable chair and a lamp for reading. The outside, though, is something else. The porch outdoors are as large as most indoors areas of shacks. There is a large couch, a hospital bed for sleeping, a cooking stove, and a few shelves for reading and other goods. I see his baseball equipment hanging from nails on the shack wall.

“When I was a kid, I would only go inside when there was a radstorm blowing through. Otherwise, I stayed outside 24 hours a day. My mom said she didn’t like that I never came inside, but I think she secretly preferred that all of us stayed outside so she could have more room.”

He described his “bedroom” at his home at Outpost Zimonja. The shack was his mom’s. His dad and older brother mostly stayed away either working the farm or guarding against roving marauders or drinking at the bar stand. As for Front Porch . . .

“I made the front porch of our house my own fort. I set up a covered area, and I slept there.”

He cannot explain exactly why he was so attracted to the front porch and wanted to spend his time there, but the settlers at Outpost Zimonja all called him Front Porch. Eventually, his brother and father started calling him that, too. His mother was the last to hold out.

“To her, I was always Harry. Always. It wasn’t until I was around 16 that I finally heard her say it. All my life, my momma would always say, ‘It’s too dangerous to be outside. Or come inside for once to eat with us.’
“That day, she said, ‘Front Porch, watch out, or the bloodbugs will get you.’ Well, as it turns out, she was right!”

The Bloodbugs did indeed get Front Porch, and the nickname followed him to Sunshine Tidings Co-Op where he was assigned to player housing, a place with a small porch crowded inside with four beds and outside with four chairs. After he was traded, the first thing he asked about was getting a custom-built shack. Doc Weathers agreed.

“Doc’s been great. He really supports the team.” Front Porch pauses. He starts to rebut himself but thinks better of it. He then just repeats himself, the first time I see a lack of confidence in himself.

We get to talking about baseball, about his story. It’s as typical as a lot of the players. Though Outpost Zimonja does not have its own field for all-out baseball, a lot of the youth there would play a version using sticks and rocks.

“Rockball, we called it. Everybody hated when I would pitch because they could never hit my pitches. It didn’t really matter. A home run in rockball was hitting the ball over the pitcher’s head. The rock just wouldn’t fly.”

From Front Porch’s skills in rockball, he later decided to do some traveling in his mid-20s. That’s when he hooked up with one of the Commonwealth’s pre-CBO traveling teams, the Quannapowitt Mud Hoppers. Front Porch’s first chance to pitch a baseball did not go as well as his rockball days, though.

“I would love to say I was a natural at baseball and dominated every time I ever pitched, but I will never forget my first game with the Hoppers. We were playing against the Malden Middlemen. It was the 5th inning of a six-inning game. They told me to go finish up the game for our team. When I went in, we were losing 8-1, I think. I know when I threw my last pitch to strike out their worst hitter, we had given up 25 runs for the game. That didn’t feel good.”

Front Porch got better, though. He went from pitching late in the game to starting to get in earlier in the game, until he got the hang of pitching and started pitching at least a full game a week. By the time tryouts started for the CBO, league representatives could see that he was one of the better pitchers out there, despite being more than 10 years older than most of the players there. His talent made him good enough to go 21st overall.

For now, Front Porch is the best pitcher on a team trying to find its identity after being swept by the Finch Farm Four Leafs last weekend. Potter suffered his first loss, falling to 2-1 on the season, as well as watching his ERA swell to 4.71, which is still much better than teammates Bad Company Grognak (5.79) and Blaine Phrasemaker (9.31).

“We’ll get better,” Front Porch says. He finds his confidence again. “We have The Slog coming in this week, and we beat them two out of three just a couple of weeks ago. We’ll find our wings.”

With a player like Front Porch Potter leading the team as the team ace and the acting player-coach, I have no doubt he can help the Bloodbugs fly. And bite. It’s in his blood.

[StLee]

Originally Posted by Tyke

It's just youthful high spirits, nothing to worry about, he's helping to bond the team. It will all be ok. Don't worry about it!

I feel like some of my dice rolls should do something more. For one of my categories, I have the dice roll as "player financial loss" at a maximum, medium, or minimum level. However, there is no in-game penalty or consequences like there is for the injury, trade, and other incident rolls. Therefore, currently a finances roll is just cosmetic. I am not even using financials for this dynasty because I could not figure out a realistic way to incorporate financials with the concept of a bottle caps-based economy.

[StLee]

DCR –ATOM CATS (4-8) AT QUINCY GUNNERS (4-8)

WHAT TO KNOW

Before the season started, P.A.M. predicted the Quincy Gunners to be a playoff-contending team: predicted to finish 34-26 and finish a game behind Goodneighbor and Warwick. Instead, the Gunners are currently tied for dead last in the Minutemen League, along with their opponents for the weekend, the Atom Cats.

The Cats are exactly where they are supposed to be: tied for last place at 26-34 with Jamaica Plain and Univesity Point in a division of the haves and the have nots. The Treasures have maintained their place in the division, tied at 4-8 with the two teams in this matchup, but the Deathclaws have sprung up into 3rd place, two games ahead of these teams.

Before the season was begun, it was pretty much evident that Deke’s approach to drafting was looking for the guys who fit his idea of cool instead of the absolute best ball players in the business. That could also explain why Matt “Ace in the Hole” Hope (1-2, 7.48 ERA) was selected 21st overall instead of a few guys that would be considered more of first-round capable.

So here we are in Week 5, watching two teams in a “Battle for the Bottom” in early-season play. The loser of this series is going to be in last place or at best just a game ahead of it.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM ATOM

Based on what we’re seeing in the first 20% of the season, the “Coolest Team in Town” is all about manufacturing runs for their success. They are currently 3rd in runs scored (83) while being atrocious from the mound, giving up a league-worst 105 runs. That number is far worse than every other team in the CBO but the Institute League’s Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (106).

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM QUINCY

The Gunners are the opposite sort of atrocious, scoring a league-worst 62 runs, topping only the Brotherhood League’s Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (52) in the CBO. Thankfully for the team, the pitching has come through, or else this team would be a disaster. Currently, Quincy is 2nd in runs allowed (65) in the ML, with the 2nd best starter ERA (5.35) and best bullpen ERA (3.33).

KEY PLAYERS IN THE SERIES

ATOM: 1-2-3—The Cats top three hitters have been en fuego for the season, and they will need to continue that to break up the Gunners’ pitching. CF Ed Tarberry (.382/2/13), RF Travis Alone (.321/1/6), and LF Jeremy Schoolboy (.314/2/10) have not been Deke’s “Bee’s Knees,” but they have helped the Cats to stay competitive.

QUIN: The Rise of the Pet – The first-round pick for the Gunners, Ben Pettinato started horribly on the season, but he has been on a tear in the last two weeks. After securing Player of the Week in Week 3 and nearly doing the same, Pettinato is now batting a team-leading .383 with 3 home runs and a team-leading 12 RBI. If he continues on the same path, and the Gunners pitching holds, Quincy may come out near .500 after this series.

PREDICTION: Gunners Take Two

[StLee]

WRVR – SHAW HS KNUCKLE PUNCHERS (5-7) AT DIAMOND CITY SWATTERS (4-8)

KNOW THE STARS

SHAW: 1B Matt Ratican – If anyone can, Ratican! The Punchers first baseman was the team’s 5th round pick, 111th overall, has been the beast of the beasts on the Shaw HS offense. In 51 plate appearances, he has 20 hits (2 doubles and 4 home runs), 9 RBI, 5 walks, and 6 strikeouts for a .444 average, a .490 OBP, and a .756 slugging percentage.

DC: SS Wally Warwick – The heir to the Warwick Homestead throne, Wally Warwick has played above his level thus far this season. The 3rd-round pick and starting shortstop of the Swatters (65 overall), Warwick is batting .413/.509/.652, putting him in early contention for the top player award, called the Alpha Award in the Railroad League. In other stats, Warwick has produced 19 hits (2 doubles and 3 home runs), 14 runs, and 13 RBI. He has walked 7 times and only struck out 3 times.

PLAYER VS PLAYER – GAME ONE LINEUPS AND STARTING PITCHERS



TEAM ANALYSIS

These teams met two weeks ago, where the visiting Knuckle Punchers were able to take two of three in three low-scoring games (5-2, 3-1, 3-6).

Arlen Glass is the oldest owner in the CBO, and his team is a reflection of that, with the highest average age in the league. While we will not use the term geriatric here, the Knuckle Punchers may want to put on the armor and avoid future geriatric-like performances if they want to contend for a playoff spot. Luckily for them, this week they visit a team struggling more.

Outside of the steady production of Ratican, the offense has been poor, scoring a tie for the Railroad League-low 64 runs. We will mention that team they are tied with below. Luckily for the Punchers, the defense has been the best in reducing runs with only 67 allowed, pretty good for a high-scoring league.

While we bring up Warwick’s production, it is important to note that the Swatters are tied with the Knuckle Punchers for lowest run production in the RL (64 runs). Other than home runs (tied for 4th with 11), the Swatters are dead last across the board in all other offensive categories. While the pitching is not much better, it is better than the terrible amount of offensive production.

In all, this is a de facto battle for last place. We had hoped our trip to the Great Green Jewel would produce better baseball, especially since Moe Cronin was all about the Swatters returning glory to Boston. Perhaps he has a lot more to learn about baseball before he is capable of producing a winner. I mean, the man thought the pre-War game of baseball was about people bashing each other with baseball bats and knocking away grenades. Get with the times, Moe! And get your head out of your team’s asses! We predict the Swatters will respond to the Charles River Trio’s presence for the next two weeks. They have the advantage at home this weekend.

PREDICTIONS
Swatters 12, Punchers 6
Punchers 8, Swatters 7
Swatters 6, Punchers 5

CBO FULL SCHEDULE

[G-Force]

Man, you’ve got a really deep dive going here. I applaud your commitment to it!

GH

[StLee]

Originally Posted by G-Force

Man, you’ve got a really deep dive going here. I applaud your commitment to it!

GH

Thanks. I enjoyed doing my Fallout: New Vegas dynasty before, so I knew the next dynasty that would hold my interest was staying in the Fallout universe. It's fun to fix what Bethesda didn't do right, like uniting the factions instead of all-out war. Why more of the same, when your player-character is already as strong as a gun-toting deity?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. This is not supposed to be ONLY about baseball. There are wacky locations, wacky names, wacky "stuff," and wacky whacks that I would like to present.

[StLee]

Today in the CBO

News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth

by Nat Wright-Kowalski

30 April 2296 - Jerky Gets Feisty

This is a two-part story. From today's DCR Game 1 post-game story: There was also an incident between the Cats' reserve outfielder Jessie Jerky and some fans. Jerky had to be separated from a group of fans heckling him while he was sitting on the bench. Jerky was then sent to the visiting locker room. We will report more on the matter later.

Jerky was sent to the visiting locker room once the incident occurred in the 6th inning. The incident occurred when some of the Quincy fans were heckling Jerky about his playing time. Jerky, who is from Quincy, apparently knew the fans heckling him.

Among statements heard: "Hey, Jerkface! Nice job riding the bench on a last place team!" and "Sit on the bench where you belong, you ******* jerk!" and "Glad you're not in Quincy, you pompous ***face!" and "**** you and your ***** mom, Jerky!" Those were just four people we heard.

Jerky decided to take the matters into his own hands by jumping into the stands and fighting the fans, but his coaches and teammates broke up the fight. That was when Deke sent Jerky to the locker room.

Jerky, the 18th pick of the Atom Cats, has not been able to work his way off the reserve roster, not playing at all this season. He was not eligible to play in today's game because he was not on the 25-man roster.

30 April 2296 - Jerky for Jerky

Following the incident between Atom Cats reserve outfielder Jessie Jerky and local Quincy fans, Cats owner Deke has decided to send Jerky home. However, since Jerky is from Quincy, he won't be going far.

The Cats and Quincy Gunners pulled the trigger on a deal that will see 27-year-old LF Jessie Jerky head to Quincy in exchange for 27-year-old reserve RHP Jerky DeWitt.

A source close to Deke said, "The team officials spent long hours drinking after the afternoon game to come to the agreement, and in the end, both agreed the deal should help both clubs."

Neither of the Jerkys commented, but they did shuffle off to their new teams after the deal was announced. A group of armed Minutemen escorted Jessie Jerky to his new team's housing units.

[StLee]

1 May 2296 - Players of the Month

BL - Finch Farm's Tatoeater Acclaimed Best BL Hitter: Peter Tatoeater made his presence known as one of the best young stars in the Brotherhood League this past month.

The Finch Farm Four Leafs third baseman shined through the month of April and has won the Batter of the Month award.

The 18-year-old hit .464 with 4 home runs, 13 RBIs and 16 runs scored.



IL - Concord's Laughy Snags April Batting Title: Concord Radstags fans believe they've got a talented young star in Ricky Ticky Laughy.

He did nothing to dissuade that notion in April, as he hit .310 with 6 home runs, 13 RBIs and 17 runs scored.

The end result was the center fielder being named the Institute League Batter of the Month.



ML - ML's #1 Batter Announced: Jumper Hayes has a lot going for him. The Goodneighbor second baseman just broke into the majors this year as a 16-year-old, and now the Minutemen League has just picked him as its top hitter for April.

In 13 games last month this outstanding player batted .527 with 8 home runs, 27 RBIs and 22 runs scored.



RL - RL Batter of the Month Honors to Gold: For a rookie just breaking in, Erns Gold certainly put together a successful month. It was good enough to win the RL Batter of the Month award for April.

The 24-year-old first baseman for the Vault 81 Dwellers hit .404 with 8 home runs, 26 RBIs and 14 runs scored.

[StLee]

1 May 2296 - Pitchers of the Month

BL - BL Top Pitcher for April Picked: Over the past month Terrence Artman has turned quite a few heads. He's young, talented and able to pitch with the established arms in the Brotherhood League. He proved all that and now he's been named April's Pitcher of the Month.

The 26-year-old for the Salem Witch Hats posted a 4-1 mark and a 4.42 ERA. In 5 starts he tossed 38.2 innings, permitted 44 hits and fanned 26 batters.



IL - IL's Top Pitcher in April Is Bertha: Tony Bertha took a much-deserved turn in the spotlight earlier today as he accepted the Institute League Pitcher of the Month award for April.

The 19-year-old Chemists starter racked up an impressive 3-0 won-lost record in 5 starts. This month he fanned 25 batters in 39.2 innings and compiled a 3.18 ERA.



ML - Diner Is ML's Best Pitcher in April: When John Diner takes the hill, there's a good chance for a Warwick victory. At least that's the way it was in May.

He excelled with a 5-0 mark and a 2.19 ERA in 5 starts, tossed 37 innings, fanned 28, and held enemy hitters to a .230 average.

That's why the Mirelurks star was honored today as the Pitcher of the Month by the Minutemen League.



RL - April's Best Hurler in RL is Udder: Matt Udder hasn't been pitching long enough to know that newcomers to the game shouldn't be winning Railroad League Pitcher of the Month. But when you put up numbers like his, you're going to get some notice.

In April the Oberland starter earned a 3-1 mark in 4 starts. He threw 33.1 innings, struck out 15 and compiled a solid 2.97 ERA.

[StLee]

Today in the CBO

News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth

by Nat Wright-Kowalski

2 May 2296 - Crick Saga Reaches Its Conclusion

The Commonwealth Baseball Organization and the Fairline Hill Estates ball club received good news this morning in the situation involving Crick Dubya.

We had been asked to hold off covering this story until its conclusion so that it would not interfere in the news concerning Babyface Aorta and his gang the Toddlers. Well, today at around 6:30 AM, there was a break, so we can now cover the story for Publick Occurrences.

A sentrybot was alerted to activity coming from a canal drainage about 2.5 miles north of the Fairline Hill Estates. This area was not searched before, though patrols north of that area were looking to prevent the Toddlers and Aorta from reaching Boston proper if they were in hiding.

The alert was the result of a bear trap going off, capturing a roving radstag. Then someone exited the canal drainage to pull the radstag in. Local Brotherhood of Steel troops, along with Nate Howard, then entered the canal drainage, where they found Aorta and seven of his Toddlers holed up in a makeshift fallout shelter within the piping system.

The gang was in the middle of preparing the radstag meat and were surprised by the four men entering the shelter. After a short firefight, Aorta and the gang all lay dead.

Howard gave the following statement: "While were looking to apprehend Babyface [Aorta] and his gang, the Toddlers, they decided to have a last stand instead. Therefore, in a gun battle, Babyface and his gang are no more.

"We now have confirmation that they were indeed the perpetrators in the situation with [Fairline Hill Estates player] Crick Dubya's unfortunate injury due to a crib bomb. We are prepared to support Crick in this time, both through counseling and caps compensation.

"I am also going to work with the [CBO] league council to create a player disability program, with Crick serving as our first participant in the program. We will also make it possible for players who enter the program to a career-ending injury to have jobs available to them within the CBO if they so choose.

"We are happy that this situation has come to a conclusion and now my focus can go back to baseball. Thank you."

We were asked not to report it before Howard's statement, but now we can. Crick Dubya's pitching arm, which was injured in the blast, was unable to be saved and had to be amputated. His career in the CBO is now over. For his career, he started two games. In those two games, he was 0-1 with a 24.92 ERA. In 4.1 innings, he allowed 12 earned runs on 10 hits with six walks and a strikeout. He was drafted in the 26th round by the Yao Guai, number 622 overall.

Due to this morning's events, the game between the Yao Guai and the Vault 81 Dwellers has been postponed from the 1:05 start time to 7:05. Typically, games within a league are staggered to start at 1:05, 4:05, and 7:05 each day although Howard's live networking program has not yet been launched for the current justification of those staggered start times.

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Below, please forgive my atrocious Photoshop skills, but I wanted to show you the progression of this story. Visuals help even when they look terrible!
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2 May 2296 - Bradberton Arrives in Jamaica Plain with New Look

John-Caleb Bradberton and his caravan which include his wife Sierra Petrovita, CBO artist and uniform designer Erin Reische, and various bodyguards and headguards showed up to Jamaica Plain, but something was quite different.

While in Boston, Bradberton had a busy week. For one, an unnamed as of yet doctor performed a head transplant for Bradberton, placing his head on a modified miniature robobrain body. That means that Bradberton is now mobile as we are showing in the accompanying photograph.

Bradberton also said that he made a special trip to the Memory Den in Goodneighbor where he has begun an upload of his memories for a future surgery. We do not know the details of that process, but according to sources, there is Institute technology available to upload one's memories and create a virtual copy. That is how the Institute's Generation-3 synths were able to assume others' identities.

One famous early model of that technology is Commonwealth-famous Detective Nick Valentine, who may be considered the prototype for uploading a live person's memories and then transferring those memories into a synth.

Some have questioned if the Nick Valentine person and synth are actually the same person. Based on our agreed-upon Synths Rights Act of 2289, synths are considered to be individual, sentient beings. Therefore, by law, the uploaded person and the synth are considered to be individual personalities, answering those questions.

Nate Howard's son was also a subject of that transference. While the human Shaun Howard grew up and lived a full life, the child Shaun was a perpetual child. Some critics of the Institute felt that it was an unfair life, especially for synth children since they are never able to move beyond the age of their creation. That is why an update to the Synths Rights Act of 2289 included the necessary incorporation of aging technology in all synths so that they live a naturally-aged life like the humans they live among in the Commonwealth.

There are exceptions to that law, of course, and someone with the wealth and power of Bradberton could potentially subvert those rules.

[StLee]

The Confidence Man Minute with Travis Miles

This is a transcript from Travis Miles’ post-game sign off of Game Three of the DCR Series of the Week.

Coming into this weekend, we knew that both the host Quincy Gunners and visiting Atom Cats were struggling. Now, a quarter of the season done, both teams are virtually out of the division race. However, despite one team having to take this series, there is always a chance to turn things around and make a run for a wildcard spot in the playoffs.

With a two games to one series victory, the Atom Cats are now guaranteed to be in the playoff running a little more than the Gunners. I cannot say the series was an exciting one since only Game 2 had any kind of late-game drama. However, there is some hope for both teams. In the end, the Cats outscored Quincy 31-21 in the series, making them look a little more formidable moving on against better teams in the Minutemen League, like the first place Warwick Mirelurks and whichever team will be 2nd between University Point and Goodneighbor.

For standouts in this series, the Atom Cats have to be happy with their offense while not disappointed with their pitching. The amazing thing about the Cats' production is that no one player dominated throughout the weekend. Therefore, let me point out a couple of individual stars per game. In Game 1, Shane "Bee's Knees" Stabb was the standout, going 2 for 5 with two runs scored and three runs batted in. In Game 3, Jeremy Schoolboy was 3 for 5 with two doubles, a run scored, and four RBIs.

The main standout in the series, though, was Quincy's Flatface Parker. In the three games combined, he was 7 of 13 with two home runs, with three runs scored, six runs batted in, and two walks. He also stole two bases. Reliever Rapid Roberts had the standout pitching performance in Game 2 when he pitched seven innings, allowing only one earned run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He may have earned himself a starting spot in the lineup now that he moves to 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA on the season.

Well guys, this has been "The Confidence Man Minute." I am Travis Miles. Listen to me every day on Diamond City Radio where I DJ, share news and gossip, and break down the week in the CBO. Next week, we will meet up with Commissioner Nate Howard and Nuka-Cola CEO John-Caleb Bradberton in Concord when the Radstags host the Lexington Synths. Enjoy the rest of your week, baseball fans!

[StLee]

The Yellow Table Lamp with Anne, Rex, and George

A: Good evening baseball fans and the hopefully romantic. This is your host Anne Hargraves presenting to you WRVR’s “The Yellow Table Lamp,” the most exciting radio show for Week 5 of the Commonwealth Baseball League Series of the Week. Today we saw the Railroad League’s Diamond City Swatters win the series over the Shaw High School Knuckle Punchers with a 12-7 win at the Great Green Jewel. Rex, what did you think of the series?

R: First, my dearest Anne, I want to expatiate--

G: Let's not do that!

R:--on our mental state and the state of baseball in the Neuschwanstein of the Commonwealth. Firstly, as the fog of our cerebral cortex from a bender of Jet, Psycho, Vodka, Rum, Mentats, and Battery Acid dissolves, we watched two teams treading more water than a ghoul in power armor. In fact, our experience with baseball has been with the Norman Thomases rather than the Herbert Hoovers. These two squads of dilapidation appear to be battling with the bear mutants of Fairline Hill Estates for the crown of sewerage overspill.

G: I am not entirely sure what you're saying, Rex, but it sounds like you don't care for either team.

R: George, if crows had voices, they would caw-caw at the quality of these two accumulations of uniforms and ineptitude.

A: What is your take on the weekend, Rex?

R: I agree with Rex, I think. Both teams are disappointing, though it seemed as though they could be competitors in the Railroad League.

A: OK, well, let's wrap this up then with awards for the week. Rex, you're first.

R: Anne, the Sportiest Sport of this week, the player showing the most pizzazz within the ball game is none other than Diamond City second baseman Danny Suarez. In his team's two comeback victories, the honorable Suarez swatted doubles for runs batted in. He is indeed the Sportiest Sport.

G: For my award, the top pitcher of the weekend goes to the Swatters' third pitcher, Danny Owens, who gave up only two earned runs in today's pitching performance. Other than Shaw's Nick Mutfruit, Owens was a top pitcher.

A: And I will give out the Outstanding Player Award. That is going to be DC right fielder Wayne Lacy. He hit a double and two home runs on the weekend. He also scored four times and drove in six runs.

R: That is an impressive performance.

A: That's right, Rex, and that is why Lacy is our Outstanding Player of the Week.

We are now going to conclude "The Yellow Table Lamp." I am Anne Hargraves of the Charles River Trio, this week's host. Please join us during the week as we move into Chapter 2 of our drama, "The Barrel of Amontillado."

For Rex and George, see you next week as we stay in the Railroad League and travel to Graygarden to watch the Diamond City Swatters again as they visit the Oberland T-51s. Now let's listen to the Stan Kenton and Nat King Cole classic, "Orange-Colored Sky": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdi97HHYJew

[StLee]

The season is now 25% done!

[StLee]

4 May 2296 - Players of the Week

BL: Four Leafs Tatoeater Snags BL Player of the Week: One of the league's most exciting young players, Peter Tatoeater of the Finch Farm Four Leafs earned himself Brotherhood League Player of the Week honors with a standout performance in last week's games.

For the week the 18-year-old third baseman had a lofty .600 average (9-for-15), collecting 3 home runs, 11 RBIs and 6 runs scored.

To date Tatoeater has chalked up a .485 average with 6 home runs, driven in 22 runs and scored 20 times.



IL: IL's Star Player Named: It's always a thrill for fans of the team and students of the game alike when a superstar in the making shows what he's got. Crooked Tostado, the Lexington Synths 18-year-old right fielder, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for Institute League Player of the Week honors.

He ripped 9 hits in 13 at-bats, compiling a .692 average with 1 home run and 5 RBIs.

For the year Tostado is hitting .379 with 3 home runs. His stats include 12 runs batted in and 14 runs scored.



ML: Mirelurks Tutton Gatekeeper Swings Hot Bat, ML Winner: So far in his young career, Tutton Gatekeeper has kept a low profile, but after his performance at the plate last week, he attracted the notice of the rest of the Minutemen League in a big way as he was named the Player of the Week today for his efforts.

The 18-year-old Warwick Mirelurks third baseman hit at a torrid .636 clip as he collected 7 hits in 11 at-bats, 2 home runs, 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored.

This season Gatekeeper is batting .350 with 21 hits, 4 home runs, 12 RBIs, .435 OBP and has scored 12 runs.



RL: RL Star of the Week Honored: At the age of 30, Curtis Slingshot might have some potential he hasn't realized yet -- if his success at the plate last week is any indication. The Oberland first baseman put up some exceptional numbers the past seven days with a .545 batting average. For his efforts Slingshot collected the Railroad League Player of the Week Award.

He racked up 6 hits in 11 at-bats, 1 home run and 5 RBIs last week in 3 games.

This year Slingshot has socked 24 hits in 55 at-bats for a .436 average with 5 home runs. He is getting on base at a .500 pace and his totals also include 21 RBIs and 13 runs scored.