2031 All-Star Game

[Borealis]

The 2031 All-Star Game will be held as part of Thursday's (7/16) sim and we will (plan on) have a live broadcast of the game right here in this thread!! We will have a special 4pm PT cut-off for exports so that I can do all the grunt work of setting up the All-Star teams. Game time is tentatively scheduled for 5pm PT/8pm ET - but I'll begin when I've got it ready to roll. Come one, Come all - bring a jug of moonshine, a day-old chili & slaw dog, and some pepperoni rolls & ramps! This year's game will be played at Watt Powell Field, as the West Virginia Alleghenies play host to this years event!

All-Star voting will close soon (midnight ET). All-Star rosters will be posted here with Monday's sim.

[Borealis]

The Charleston, WV, Chamber of Commerce and the West Virginia Alleghenies are prepping the city for the 25th PEBA All-Star Game! This year's game will be the first hosted by the Alleghenies and is the 6th time the PEBA's Midsummer Classic has been held in the Northeastern region.

Last season's game, a Sovereign League 6-2 win at Elderberry Field, Palm Springs, tied the series at 12 a piece. Games played at Imperial League parks have gone the IL's way, 7-5, most recently in 2028, at New Orleans, with the IL slaughtering the SL 15-7.

As we gaze at the beautiful scene for our coming event, the big question is: How do the Alleghenies cram 65,000 into their cozy ballpark? I'm guessing lots of Crisco...

[Akira]

I guess the apartment buildings and parking garages are considered ballpark seating.

[Board of the PEBA]

The Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance
Announces
2031 Sovereign League
All-Star Team

Starters
C Francisco Alejandez - TOY
1B Antonio Vega - CL
2B BJ Gassaway - NT
3B Antonio Santos - SS
SS Naomi ‘Dr. Evil’ Honma - NT
LF Pat Barry - BAK
CF Carlos Ryan - OKA
RF Tomas Martinez - NT
DH Jerry Long - SS
SP Jeffrey ‘Jetstream’ Mendoza – BAK

Subs
C Steve ’20 Piece’ McDonald - BAK
1B Armando ‘Gorilla’ Gandarilla - TOY
INF Mario Menendez - KAL
INF Adrian Fuentes - REN
INF Royce ‘Jester’ Raines - PS
INF Evan Kaufman - FAR
OF Raul Ortega - BAK
OF Jason Box - NT
OF Jose Barajas - YUM
OF Chris Jensen - MAD
DH Tony Parker - CL

SP Chris Acevez - SS
SP Ernesto Martinez - NT
SP Colin Hopps - NT
SP Angel Valdez - REN
SP Zenko ‘Emperor’ Okada – TOY *
RP Jesus ‘Weasel’ Lopez - SS
RP Mark ‘Toast’ Powers - AUR
RP Jose Trejo – DUL**
CL Bob Burns - AUR
CL Miguel Vega - KAL
CL Lucio Rodriguez - FAR
CL Takahiro Takaki - TOY

*Tony Cuellar, Crystal Lake, was named to the team, but is replaced by Zenko Okada, Toyama for having pitched 7/13
**Cain Bright, Duluth, was elected, but is injured, and is replaced on the roster by Jose Trejo, Duluth.

[Board of the PEBA]

The Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance
Announces
2031 Imperial League
All-Star Team

Starters
C Cesar Salgado - MAN
1B Dave Petersen - AMS
2B Shigekazu Shimizu - SA
3B Alejandro Lujan - WV
SS Ricardo ‘Ogre’ Mateo - HAV
LF Roberto ‘Fudd’ Martinez – SJ**
CF Francisco Rodriguez - KTY
RF Javiar ‘Doppler’ Drake - WV
DH Mike Rose - SJ
SP Takanobu Shirai – HAR

Subs
C Miguel Angel Galvez - LON
1B Vito Valkenburg - MAN
INF Bill Jones - AMS
INF Shu-de Mu - KTY
INF Christian Webb - FLA
INF German Lima - NO
OF Tom Patton - HAR
OF Maxime Plamondon - HAV
OF Bartolo Mora - KTY
OF Jose Aguilera – LON**
DH Lorezno Gonzalez – LON

SP Juan ‘Pez’ Lopez - HAV
SP Luppe ‘Terrible’ van Dam - FLA
SP Manuel ‘Blueprint’ Gonzales - WV
SP Enrique ‘Old Nick’ Vazquez - HAV
SP John Turner – AMS*
CL Ricardo ‘Puddi’ Perez - HAV
CL Matt ‘Zippy’ Brown - HAR
CL Alfredo ‘R’ Aranda - KTY
RP Jose Martinez - NO
RP Cleve Douglas - CST
RP Sadakuno ‘Eagle Eye’ Nakagawa - SCO
RP Jin-hyun Chon – ARL

*Luigi Bright, New Orleans, was named to the team, but is replaced by John Turner, Amsterdam, for having pitched 7/13
**Pedro Flores, West Virginia, was elected, but is injured, and is replaced in the line-up by Roberto ‘Fudd’ Martinez and on the roster by Jose Aguilera, London.

[Borealis]

Charleston Senators, 1932

Charleston, West Virginia may be known today for the Championship Allegheny team of the PEBA - the first major league level club in city history, but the City of Charleston has a rich minor league history that dates back to the early days of baseball.

From the late 1800's into the early 1900's, Charleston was home to a variety of clubs, moving into the 1910's with the 'Statesmen' moniker - that lasted for two seasons. Of course, in baseball's modern era, another Charleston has incorporated the Statesmen name.

From 1914, and then off and on over the next 46 years, the club was known as the Charleston Senators, and were affiliated with numerous Major League Baseball franchises, at a number of levels, until they folded in 1960.

In 1961 through '64 a couple of franchises moved to Charleston, only to fold - then in 1971 the 'Golden Age' of Charleston baseball began, with the birth of the Charleston Charlies, winning a pair of titles in the 70's as the franchise represented four MLB franchises during the Charlies 13 seasons in West Virginia, before moving to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Minor league baseball returned to Charleston in 1987 with the birth of the Charleston Wheeler, who were mostly a co-op team, would win a title in 1990.

In '93, the franchise was sold and renamed the Alley Cats and they would remain so until 2005, under multiple parent franchises.

Finally, in 2005 - and for the last, singular season before Major League Baseball killed itself, the club rebranded, yet again, to be the West Virginia Power.

In the fall of 2006, as MLB crashed and burned, John Rodriguez, Sr and his collection of renegades, founded the PEBA (a tale for another day) and awarded the hard-working people of West Virginia with a franchise - the Coal Sox, in honor of the States long mining history.

The Coal Sox remained so until 2013 when the team rebranded to the Alleghenies

Before using their current logo in the 2020 season.

[Arroyos]

Great history, Mike! Thanks. I expected to find a parallel history of West Virginia's involvement in the Negro Leagues, but nothing turned up. With all the great Negro League teams in the South and the Piedmont area, I was shocked not to find any reference to Negro League teams in West Virginia.

[Fishermen]

Gratz to all the All-Stars.

And I like the history post!

[Borealis]

Many fans who are in town for the All-Star Game are taking in the day long music festival sponsored by the West Virginia Culture Center and State Museum and a number of the music establishments throughout the State. Amongst the artists and clubs represented was Davey O, who's often performed at The Purple Fiddle, . Grandstands and a stage were erected in Ruffner Memorial Park, nestled on the shores of the Kanawha River.

As part of the music festival, an 'adult beverage' tasting was held, and amongst the crowds favorites the CYSER, an apple-honey mead, offered up by the folks at Hawk Knob. Also gaining raves was the Devils Anse IPA from the Greenbrier Brewing Company

A walking tour of the public art was also developed to move people through the city and expose those from out of State to the wonders of Charleston. Among the many sites were the Capital Street's "Mortar Man" - a hard to spot treat, the West Side Mural Project, and "Hallelujah" at the Clay Center.

[Borealis]

The Office of the Commissioner and, Aurora and Sovereign League All-Star manager Kumanosuke Oshima, are pleased to introduce the starting line-up for tonights 2031 All-Star Game:

RF Tomas Martinez - NT
SS Naomi 'Dr. Evil' Homna – NT
3B Antonio Santos – SS
LF Pat Barry – BAK
1B Antonio Vega – CL
C Francisco Alejandez - TOY
DH Jerry Long – SS
CF Carlos Ryan - OKA
2B BJ Gassaway – NT

Tonights starting pitcher is Jeffrey 'Jetstream' Mendoza of the Bakersfield Bears.

Mendoza is making his second All-Star appearance in his two full seasons with Bakersfield, and making his first start in the Midsummer Classic. Mendoza made PEBA history with his Perfect Game on Opening Day against Toyama... Tomas Martinez is making his second All-Star appearance ('28) and was the 2029 Royal Raker. He is currently first in the SL in hits and 3rd in average... 'Dr. Evil' will be playing in his 3rd All-Star game, after playing previously for the Scottish in 2028-29... The Evas 3B, Antonio Santos is making his first All-Star appearance. He was the SL Championship Series MVP - despite the Evas loss, and currently leads the SL in RBI and is second in HR... Pat Barry is a celebrated player, winning the IL Royal Raker and Platinum Stick twice, was runner-up for the IL Wunderkind and a 5-time All-Star while with Arlington. He currently leads the SL in HR ... Antonio Vega, the slugging 1B of the Sandgnats, will be making his first All-Star appearance. In his four previous seasons with the 'Gnats, he has had three 30+ HR (38, 37, 30) and with 19 this year, is on pace for another 30 HR season... 23-year old catcher Francisco Alejandez, of the Wind Dancers, is in his first full year as a starter and is making the most of it - leading the SL with a .331 average, just a hair ahead of fellow ALl-Star, Jason Box (.330)... Jerry Long is another player who has aged well, having won the Royal Raker and Wunderkind with Crystal Lake, and was a member of three championship clubs - the '24 title with the 'Gnats and the '27 & '29 titles with Shin Seiki. This is his 5th All-Star game... Carlos Ryan is making his 3rd All-Star team, after two previous stints for Hartford. The well-paid outfielder has been underwhelming for Okinawa, but continues to swing a powerful stick... BJ Gassaway is in his 9th season as a starting 2B - the first three years with Reno, before joining the Akira, and he is finally getting recognition - making his first All-Star team, in recognition of his steady career...

[Borealis]

The Office of the Commissioner and, West Virginia and Imperial League All-Star manager Salvador Gonzalez, are pleased to introduce the starting line-up for tonights 2031 All-Star Game:

SS Ricardo 'Ogre' Mateo - HAV
3B Alejandro Lujan – WV
LF Roberto 'Fudd' Martinez – SJ
CF Francisco Rodriguez – KTY
RF Javiar 'Doppler' Drake – WV
DH Mike Rose - SJ
1B Dave Peterson – AMS
C Cesar Salgado - MAN
2B Shigekazu Shimizu – SA

Tonights starting pitcher is Takanobu Shirai of the Hartford Harpoon.

Shirai is making his third ALl-Star team, and second appearance in a row for Hartford. He is currently second in the IL in ERA (1.97)... Young 'Ogre' continues to be one of the bright young stars in the game, flashing a great combination of speed and power. He is making his third All-Star appearance... Alexander Lujan, from the PEC Champion and Host Alleghenies, is about a pure a hitter as there is. The 9-year vet has won four batting titles - with a career .321 average. He is making his 6th All-Star game... 'Fudd', after frustrating his clubs in Aurora and Toyama, seems to have finally found his home with the Coqui. A 5-time minor league All-Star, he is making his first PEBA squad after stealing 88 bases in 2030... Making his 2nd All-Star appearance in his three full seasons with the Thoroughbreds, Francisco Rodriguez has shown that he's grown into a 5-tool player ... West Virginia's young outfield superstar, Javiar 'Doppler' Drake, has done nothing but live up to his expectations and press clippings - if he can avoid the West Virginia injury bug, this will not be his last All-Star team... Mike Rose has does nothing but improve in each of his four seasons in San Juan, and his reward is being named to his first All-Star team, after leading the IL in hits (110) at the break... 1B Dave Petersen, who tortured SL and Desert Hills pitching for 10 seasons with Palm Springs, is making his 4th ALl-Star team - his first for his new club... The Manchester Maulers have their first starting ALl-Star since their return to the PEBA in 2029 in 2nd-year player Cesar Salgado, who leads the IL in catcher Defensive Efficiency... San Antonio's free agency splurge this past offseason included All-Star 2B Shigekazu Shimizu. The 2nd overall selection in the 2017 LRS Draft (Lupin), Shige is making his third All-Star appearance, after a pair with San Juan...

[Borealis]

The All-Star Festivities always present unique culture of their region, and this years All-Star Competition pits the players in the rare, yet popular West Virginia sport - Irish Road Bowling. Unlike last years 9-hole golf match (won by Cleve Douglas), this years competition was a pairs set-up, with players having drawn names to select teams.

The Irish Road Bowling course, a 1.2 mile stretch, began at Haddad Riverfront Park and paralleled the Kanawha River along Kanawha Boulevard for 0.6 miles, crossing under the South Side Bridge, and then the players had to maneuver a left-hand turn up Brooks Street, for another 0.6 mile run up to Watt Powell Field, where the finish line lay at the park's entrance.

The rules were simple - roll your ball - all 28 oz of it (5-times that of a baseball), along the road, for as far as you can. Pick it up, and roll again. Whoever makes it in the fewest rolls, wins - and with the trick of maneuvering the corner, there was a certain bit of strategy involved.

Early on, the fortuitous pairing go Alejandro Lujan and 'Doppler' Drake, looked strong, alternating throws, and approaching the turn in what looked like decent position - though they had traveled a tad past the intersection. Lujan lined up his throw, but partway down the first block, his ball hit a pothole, and shot to the left and into a Radiology Office parking lot - and it would take the hometown Allegheny pair a couple of throws to position themselves back on the main road.

Toyama's young catcher, Francisco Alejandez and Crystal Lakes' Tony Parker looked like a winner, as they were able to cross the finish line with 15 throws, crossing the line with 23' 8" to spare - the distance past the line being the tie breaker. Subsequent teams came in with too many throws, or that crossed with too little steam to catch the catching duo. Until the second to last team came 'rolling' down Brook Street - New Orleans German Lima and the 'Jester', they came up to Watt Powell with a distance near enough to match the 15 throws, but it was a matter of distance.

The charting of throws had shown that Lima and Raines throws averaged a foot less then Lujan and Drake, but Lima stepped up for the last throw and it rolled... and rolled... and rolled... it made up the 15" difference they had lost, passed the 23' 8" mark and kept going, before resting an ironic 60' 6" from the finish line! The Trendsetter and Codger were the winners.

As the players finished and shook hands, Lima was heard crediting New Orleans GM Reg LeBlanc with bowling tips. "Reg is great - he's practically a professional candlepin bowler, and we've played off and on back in New Orleans. He's a fanatic."

[Arroyos]

Now there's a sport a fellow could get excited about. Sign me up! Let's form a professional Irish Bowling League!

[Borealis]

The fans are slowly entering cozy Watt Powell Field, and as the grab their chili & slaw dogs, and some popcorn, they are also finding All-Star Moonshine stands, where they can use their refillable 'Allegheny Moonshine Jugs' to lube up for the game, courtesy of the West Virginia management team!

[Borealis]

As the final preparations are made on the field, the scoreboard presents highlights from yesterday's Future's Game, where the Imperial League scored 7-runs on 11-hits - Florida's Pedro Coronado was 2-2 and the games MVP. The SL would score 5 on 16-hits, led by Okinawa's Tony Torres, who was 3-3 and scored a pair. The win went to the Scottish's Kyle Colquhoun and the loss to the 'Hyena', Aurora's Yellel Twia.