The Hamaguri

[Steel Dragons]

Thank you , Mike did it for me

[Daniel Diemer]

I really enjoyed your update. This is a huge reason why this league is so awesome. In most leagues, it is really easy to only care about your own team. Even if you tried to follow what other teams are doing, it doesn't have any real feeling to it because it feels like each GM is in their own world with occasional contact to the other owners in their worlds. Articles like this are why this league feels so real, because we are all part of the same world. Thanks for the story.

[Steel Dragons]

Was a pleasure,


This story is going to get much bigger and better. It is all about growth within our universe. I am just growing another branch on the giant Tree of life that is PEBA

[Daniel Diemer]

Are we the only league out there that has the amount of history and writers that we have?

[Steel Dragons]

I have been in 4-5 other leagues and I have yet to come across anything as great as PEBA. I actually left those leagues when I started writing for PEBA and took over a team.

[Neil Thomas]

Are we the only league out there that has the amount of history and writers that we have?

Not the history part as it didn't last for long but the writers part came close to the PEBA, can't for the life of me think of the league name as I wasn't in it although I wrote a couple of articles for them. I have the articles on an hard drive somewhere so I'll dig them up, it was a fictional league based in Canada.

[Steel Dragons]

Today we have great news to share with the League of the Rising Sun. Shoe maker Bottega Veneta out of Milan, Italy
has created a new brand of athletic wear. With the LRS’s popularity skyrocketing over the past few years shoe companies
have been trying to get in on the market here in japan. Looks like the Italians beat them to it. Here is more from
Bottega Veneta head designer Tomas Maier.

Tomas Maier: When you see a market that is ever expanding we look at how we can become part of that explosion of popularity.
As head designer we wanted a baseball cleat that was stylish as well as comfortable. When we looked for contacts
inside the LRS, Tricia Takanawa came running to our aid. She introduced us to Kuwana Steel Dragons owner
Michael Chance as well as GM Mark Kierstead.

We knew as soon as we sat down we were leaving with a deal. Mr. Kierstead already had multiple ideas being
tossed around, and Mr. Chance was excited about the positive future and the promotional value we could
represent to Kuwana and the rest of the league.

We kinda hit a roadblock 3 hours in, we had our main design but we had no link to the shoe. It was just a
Bottega Veneta cleat. That was when he walked in. Then I knew he had to be the link that connected
Kuwana to Bottega to the LRS. So I asked him what he thought about the shoe. He thought add green
red and some black.

Then my mind just exploded with visions, then it hit me. I designed the outline once more then showed it
to Mr. Chance, Mr. Kierstead and the player. They all were shaking their heads yes. Before I left the player
stood there bat over his shoulder with the glove attached to the end. I asked what they called him.

“Hobo” , he said. Jun'ichi 'Hobo' Yoshino was his name.

We left the meeting very excited.

I hurried back to Milan and had the team make enough cleats for the whole Kuwana organization, including
both minor affiliates. When we arrived back this is what we had. Below is the first look at the
Hobo Vapor Elite Baseball Cleat. Engraved with the now copyrighted Hobo logo, but also the #30.

In the coming weeks every we are going to make sure Every player who makes the LRS All-Star roster
this year get a free pair. The cleats will sell directly from our website. We have plans that
by the end of 2019 we are looking to have a store near Kuwana, Japan as well as one in Okinawa.
The store on Seoul, Korea was built last year and will have the cleat in stock within 4 months.
The website will have a sale for Pre-orders with 10% off for any LRS Pro Player.


Without Further adieu, The Hobo Vapor Elite




Below is the Pre-press release in Milan, We had to fly Hobo out over night for the event and get him back the following morning.

[John]

Want. The only downside? Mizuno shoes of the early 2010s haven't been quite as good as previous models (well, at least the Wave Riders haven't). Of course, I'm quite sure that Mizuno has addressed all concerns in their 2018 models.

[Steel Dragons]

Yeah, Took forever trying to remove the logo on the sides doing re-repair work. We wanted the shoe priced to sell also.

[Borealis]

That's Awesome, Mark! Excellent work!!!

[Steel Dragons]

Thank you,


More and exciting stuff in the near future. With some new and upcoming work I plan on involving as much as the LRS possible to give each character I work with a unique out of game lifestyle. My latest idea has already been mailed to the LRS GMs looking for Talent

[Steel Dragons]

Word out of Kuwana is that Kierstead left the the team meetings last week with his head down low... very low. He was heard saying "Don't expect me at the games this week"


More to come!!

[Steel Dragons]

Today chaos ensued at the Steel Fire Stadium. Team owner Michael Chance brought out the broom and dustpan and cleaned out the closet. I watched closely as he stayed up until the wee hours in the morning talking trade with several teams. I had the opportunity to take notes on what was going on.

Several times he thanked numerous owners while repeating several times that this stays between them until everything was official. He obviously had other plans then what GM Mark Kierstead had thought. It was 7am when he finally sighed deeply, smiled and made one more call. I heard him say “Be here in 30” then promptly hung up.

I began to look over the notes and gasped when I saw what he was doing. He was having what one GM called a fire sale. That was when Mr. Chance had several Gms on the phone at once. He tossed out ideas and waited for replies while flipping to another line. He was getting rid of all the top talent our beloved GM Kierstead just signed and traded for this past off season. Maybe 20 minutes had passed when Taro Kudo came strolling in. Mr. Chance slid him a piece of paper and said sign it. Kudo then looked back and asked “10? are you sure?” Mr. Chance just smiled and said “Yes, and please sign it. One time offer.” Kudo signed the paper and left.

We sat there for another 2 hours as the media was just getting a hold of the trades that were just finalized. Mr. Chance checked the teams bank account for the close to $9,000,000 being wired from multiple teams. His phone started to ring, along with the office phone, and his beeper. He turned off his cell phone when he heard “The Good ,The Bad and The Ugly” for the 4th time. He then stood up and dropped the beeper on the floor and stomped on it. He then gave me that look and I turned and ripped the line out the office phone. We both laughed, not too hard I promise.

It was maybe an hour later when Kierstead burst through the office door. Huffing and puffing, you just knew he ran all the way from his car. He wheezed his way through. “Did you get my ....my calls? I called ..I..I beeped you......Heck I even called the office here.” The sweat was pouring down his face by this time and he spurted out. “Did you hear the news? It is all over the BNN!” That was when he looked down and saw that piece of paper. He stood up and paced a few times before getting his breath once more. “You're kidding me right, you signed him to that...No damn way! No ... No...No ...No. He can’t frigging hit!” He cried “Son of a B...damn!” Kierstead said as he stomped around.

He finally calmed down and took of his sweaty jacket tossing it my way. I quickly ducked and let it land near the trash can where it belonged. Desperation was not something Kierstead ever showed. His poker face has always been well hidden. Today he played with his cards facing up. They talked about the direction of the team. A new direction that will have great leadership in the clubhouse. Taro Kudo will be a great leader moving forward. Kierstead looked around as if lost, he lowered his head to the table and just shook his head yes. He got up and walked out leaving his sweaty jacked still on the floor.
Mr. Chance slid me a piece of paper with one word on it...Rebuild!


Tricia Takanawa

[Steel Dragons]

The trade deadline is just a day away and the calls are coming in at Mach 1.
Tom Feese the GM of Naha Shisa called up early this morning, or was it afternoon?
I am not sure I had a ton to drink last night. Plus Tri… I mean a chick I met at a bar just left.
So I staggered to my feet and asked for a minute to get my barring. I tossed 4 Advil,
2 tums, and 3 Alka-Seltzer into a cup of scotch swigged it down and I felt relieved instantly.

I went to leave my hotel room and walked out of the room to notice I was in the player’s clubhouse
in my boxers. I don’t remember arriving at the stadium. So I proceeded to get dressed as I remembered
I had Tom on hold, whoops.

“Tom hey, sorry about that. Clubhouse business you know. So about “Slappy”. I tried to say as
my stomach was not agreeing with the breakfast I had just moments ago.

Tom, who seemed to be more at ease told me. “Mark, I have a deal that will help
you out and my Shisa. My bullpen has been hit hard with injuries and I need a man.
I know “Slappy” has failed in what we all thought was going to be a great season. I think this will work……”

That was when I think I passed out for a few minutes or threw up on my trash can. I am not sure.

“So how does that work for you mark? Tom had replied back.

I had missed 80%, oh hell 90% of the whole conversation. Anything to get Slappy to a new
team was worth doing. I replied while keeping in what seemed last night’s drinks mixed with
an Advil taste in my throat that was coming up fast.

“Fax it over and I will sign it and send it off to the Board’s office. Thanks Tom.

“Yeah No probl….................” He tried to reply

I think I hung up on him by accident. I swigged from a bottle of scotch I found in the players
clubhouse. Wait, what the hell was scotch doing in the clubhouse? OH who cares, anyway?
I got the fax within 30 second, Tom must have been in a hurry. I skipped to the end and
signed the papers, faxed it to the Board. Next I get a call from Vail over at the
evil empire not 5 minutes later.

“Mark, Good move man. You got more than what most would have offered.” He said proudly.

Did he know something that i didn't? He always seemed proud when we talked, too proud sometimes.
He ran a great organization that is for sure. Unsure what he meant I looked back through
the fax I received from Feese,

“Damn, I did do well” I said back slightly proud as well.
I didn’t remember getting a 2nd rounder but hell it was good for me.

“Mark you still there?” Vail had asked concerned.

“Yeah, sorry I was just reading over some stuff. Hey give me a sec I have another call”
I put him on hold to see that it was Mike Dunn GM of the Niihama-Shi Ghosts.

Mike started to say.
“Mark I am looking to get something done I am going to fax a possible trade over sometime today.
Look it over and tell me what you think.”

“Yeah, umm yeah no problem mike. I got to go but I will be looking for it” I said back as I tossed
up what looked like beans and rice.
I looked back over at the phone and had Kevin Vail still on hold.

“Sorry about that Kevin, Fax over what you think would be good and I will look it over.” I said to him
as I sat on my couch.

“Yeah I will get that to you now. Thanks, have a good one mark, he replied back in what
sounded to be an even chipper voice while hanging up.

That man had all the right reason to be happy but damn, too happy sometimes. I went from sitting to
laying down. I was feeling better, much better. I went to doze off for a small nap, I was hoping to get a
good 7-8 hours of nap time in. I closed my eyes and was about to dream of a profitable season ahead,
as well as that chick I didn’t remember from last night.




Deee…deee…errrrrrrrr! Deeet deet da da deet! Eeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhh! Click click click.deeeeee dit dit dat deeeeet.

Those faxes started coming in…….

[Iyou Seigyoki]

If I had known you were passing out while yakking up a Chili's buffet meal while you were on the phone with me, I would have offered you a fifth round pick instead.

Well, that's okay, my second round pick isn't what it used to be before everyone started throwing their draft picks back into the bin for next year.

In the meantime I know of a lot of good meetings in your area...