2034 All-Star Game

[Borealis]

The 2034 All-Star Game will be held as part of Thursday's (10/28) 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 and do the broadcast. Game time is tentatively scheduled for 5pm PT/8pm ET - but I'll begin when I've got it ready to roll. Grab your tickets, a tall Miller Lite and a tasty Brat! Our hosts for this years game, the Madison Malts, have the Malthouse all dressed up for the festivities. You might even spot a few Blue Ribbons around the shiny, new park! There's even talk of a mid-game 'Beer Race' for the fans to enjoy!

All-Star voting has closed. All-Star rosters will be posted here with Monday's sim.

[Board of the PEBA]

The Mayor of Madison and members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors join the Madison Malts in welcoming fans to the 28th PEBA All-Star Game! This year's game will be held at Malthouse, the new home of the Madison Malts and will be the first hosted by the Madison/Canton franchise and is the 4th PEBA Midsummer Classic hosted by a Great Lakes club – Crystal Lake hosted the 2008 game (a SL 6-5, 11-inning win, with West Virginia’s Alberto Benitez the MVP), Kalamazoo hosted the 2017 game (a SL 7-3 win, with Reno’s Tony Carmona the MVP), and most recently, Fargo hosted the 2029 game (a SL 6-4 win, with Crystal Lake’s Tony Parker the MVP). All-Time, the Sovereign League holds a 15-12 advantage.

Amongst the celebrities who attended the opening festivities, at Madison’s Capital Square, was PEBA Commissioner ‘Harry’ Castle, former-Madison GM Michael Czosnyka, franchise career win leader, Pedro Cruz, franchise save leader, Julian Olivares, and Madison owner William Marsten IV, who received a ‘Madison Cheer’.

[Board of the PEBA]

The Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance
Announces
2034 Imperial League
All-Star Team

Manager: Felix Garza – Florida

Starters
C Dan Collins - San Juan
1B Vito 'Drang' van Wondel - Florida
2B Carlos Garza - West Virginia
3B Adrian Fuentes - Arlington
SS Ricardo 'Ogre' Mateo - Havana
LF Javier 'Doppler' Drake - West Virginia
CF Gordon 'Sturm' Knoop - Florida
RF Scott Carpenter - Manchester
DH Rocky Kowalski - Kentucky
SP Joe 'Slippery' Arnold – Florida

C Jaime Villanueva - London
1B Ramon 'The Wizard' Francisco - Havana
INF German Lima - New Orleans
INF Bill Jones - London
INF Luis Cedeno - San Antonio
INF Francisco Montoya - Amsterdam
OF Sandor 'Pooky' Vis - Amsterdam
OF Bernardo Rios - San Juan
OF Alfredo 'El Jaguar' Guzman - West Virginia
OF Juan 'Redeye' Mendoza - Havana
DH Yosuke 'Tofu' Morimoto - Florida
SP *Jose Tojeria - West Virginia
SP Chris Brown - Kentucky
SP Gustavo Hernandez - West Virginia
SP Mito Okuda - Charleston
SP Arinori Kitamura - Hartford
RP Ricardo Perez - Havana
RP Keiji Honda - Scottish
RP Carl Ford - Amsterdam
RP Kelsey Buck - Amsterdam
RP Bob Burns - Florida
RP Greg Bowen - West Virginia
RP Jose Gomez - San Juan

*Enrique Vazquez voted in, but pitched Sunday

[Board of the PEBA]

The Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance
Announces
2034 Sovereign League
All-Star Team

Manager: Kenny Butler - Fargo

Starters
C Kevin 'Iron Heart' Newton - Toyama
1B Raul Munoz - Aurora
2B Alfonso Reyna - Bakersfield
3B Yoritomo 'Matsukaze' Maeda - Toyama
SS Naomi 'Dr. Evil' Honma - Duluth
LF Felix Rodriguez - Shin Seiki
CF Ramiro 'Footloose' Salinas - Toyama
RF Claudio 'Matchbox' Hernandez - Okinawa
DH Pablo 'Mountain Man' Garza - Madison
SP Jorge Castillo - Shin Seki

C Mauro Mata - Bakersfield
1B Gustavo 'Bullets' Lopez - Kalamazoo
INF Logan Malone - Shin Seiki
INF Pablo Ortiz - Palm Springs
INF Lorenzo 'Stocky' Castanieda - Fargo
INF Rodrigo 'El Cid' Vasquez - Toyama
OF Dean Walden - Aurora
OF * Tony 'K9' Mireles - Fargo
OF Pat Barry - Tempe
OF Jason Box - Neo-Tokyo
DH Leonard 'Ratchet' Inmn - Reno
SP Pat Willis - Bakersfield
SP Brenden Clymo - Kalamazoo
SP Toby Ayers - Reno
SP Jeff 'Jetstream' Mendoza - Bakersfield
SP Zenko 'Emperor' Okada - Toyama
RP Yasuyuki Hayagawa - Yuma
RP Daniel Boorman - Fargo
RP Ernest 'Professor' Middleton - Niihama
RP Kyle Weaver - Crystal Lake
RP Miguel Vega - Kalamazoo
RP Yellel 'Hyena' Twia - Aurora
RP Scotty Shorland – Toyama

* Pat Watson voted in, but injured
** Manuel Lopez voted in, but pitched Sunday

[Borealis]

The City of Madison sits on an isthmus between two lakes – Lake Monona and the larger Lake Mendota, and for 54-years the city has hosted a unique event – the Paddle & Portage race. The event famously begins on one lake with a paddle – be it canoe, kayak or paddleboard, to a set location, followed by a portage of your watercraft across the city to the other lake, followed by a second paddle to the finish line. Over the years it has become a festive event for the city of Madison, that has become famous for its costumed contestants – much like the more infamous Bay to Breakers race run in San Francisco since the 1906 earthquake and fire.

The 2034 All-Star festivities – famous for their own interpretation of regional events, designed an All-Star Paddle & Portage race – pitting All-Star pairs and a local portage expert, in a race, which drew tens of thousands of fans along the shores and streets of Madison. The race course began at Law Park, on the shores of Lake Monona and then paddle their canoe to the Camp Randell Rowing Club. From there, the portage across the city begins. A 1.5-mile trek will be assisted by their portage experts and works diagonally across the isthmus – past the State Capital, to James Madison Park, where they will then paddle once more – this time ending at the Lake Mendota Docks at the University of Wisconsin.

There were 10-teams that set out from Law Park, and right off the race was down to 9. The team of Ernest Middleton and Felix Rodriguez had barely traveled 30-yards – that’s 90-feet – the distance between the bases, when they capsized their canoe and could not get back in. After 10-minutes of flailing – and three near successful attempts to get back in the canoe, the two gave up and swam ashore – which took them far less than the 10-minutes they spent out in the water. When they were subsequently asked what happened, the Ghosts' reliever just shook his head and pointed at Shin Seiki outfielder Rodriguez, whose replay was “I don’t know – we were going so well and then – BAM!” he paused, and lowering his voice said “I think it was El Chupacabra”

The remaining groups remained tightly grouped as the race headed south, past the Convention Center, with its terraced rooftop, filled with fans – many with banners, cheering on the participants. Two canoes brushed sides as they passed the Convention Center – which led to a heated argument between Kevin Newton and Dan Collin’s – the starting All-Star catcher’s boat and Amsterdam’s Kelsey Buck and Florida's Bob Burns. The argument led to splashes, then to paddles scooping water into each other’s boats. Then Kevin Newton – who did not graduate from Tulane with high honors, stood up – shakily, and jumped at the Burns-Buck boat – flipping both theirs and his own boat over. After a brief tussle in the water, their canoes had drifted away – leaving them to the mercy of the trailing life guard crew.

It was Claudio Hernandez, the long-time Leone and now Shisa and his partner Dean Walden of Aurora who were first to the Rowing Club, and disembarking at the pier, they picked up their portage expert, who assisted them with getting the boat up on their shoulders efficiently, and took the aft end of the canoe and they headed off down the bike path to South Hamilton Street – the diagonal road taking them to Capital Square. Not far behind was Madison’s own Pablo ‘Mountain Man’ Garza and Sandor ‘Pooky’ Vis, who were out of the water and immediately gaining ground on the leaders. Their porter was barking out encouragement and had situated himself in a way that took the bulk of the load – and his experience paid off as by the time they had traveled the half-mile to the Capital Building, they were nearly even with the leaders.





But the race wasn’t over. ‘Doppler’ and ‘Sturm’, who were third out of the water, used their speed to close the gap, and by the time the leaders had passed the Capital and reached the end of North Hamilton Street, it was a three-way tie heading down East Gorham Street, bordering James Madison Park, towards the entry part for the second paddle and the race to the finish line. As quickly as the team of Drake and Knoop – the unlikely pairing of an Allegheny and Farstrider, caught up, they then had fate rise up and slap them down. Their porter, struggling to keep up with the torrid pace, stumbled on the transition from city street to park gravel path, and in the act of falling, lost a shoe. By the time he had his shoe back on, both the Hernandez-Walden team and Garza-Vis team were in the water – fans dowsing their two porters with beer for their fine efforts, while Javier Drake and Gordon Knoop were steaming and screaming at each other over who was to blame for the porter’s misfortune.

The 1-mile paddle from the park to the U of W was fast and furious – the fans on the shoreline cheering them on as the teams traded the lead; at least five times the lead changed hands – with neither team getting more than a half-canoe advantage, but in the end, it was Hernandez and Walden who had the last second surge, taking 1st place by ¾ of a length.

After the race had finished – in all, five canoes would complete the race; the team of Adrian Fuentes and Tony 'K-9' Mireles reached the end of the portage portion, saw the racers well ahead on the home stretch and walked over to a vendor for a churro. Dean Walden and Claudio Hernandez spoke with the local media about their success and impressive drive to the finish. ‘Matchbox’ spoke of growing up in Panama and participating in the Cayuco races, “I was even part of a Juniors team that raced the Canal”, while Walden talked about getting into outrigger canoeing while he was at Kailua, Duluth’s Short A team in Hawaii. “I still go out a couple of times a year, during the offseason. I’m not a crazy man, like those who will run the Moloka'i Hoe, but I do love the power of those boats through the surf.”

[Borealis]

The Office of the Commissioner and, Florida and Imperial League All-Star manager Félix Garza, are pleased to introduce the starting line-up for tonight’s 2034 All-Star Game:

RF Javier 'Doppler' Drake - WV
SS Ricardo ‘Ogre’ Mateo - HAV
RF Gordon ‘Strum’ Knopp - FLA
DH Rocky Kowalski - KTY
1B Vito 'Drang' van Wondel - FLA
LF Sandor 'Pooky' Vis - AMS
2B Carlos Garza - WV
3B Adrian Fuentes - ARL
C Dan Collins - SJ

Tonight’s starting pitcher is Joe 'Slippery' Arnold of the Florida Farstriders.

Arnold, in his second year with Florida leads the IL with a 1.73 ERA. The first time All-Star was the 2030 Wunderkind with Crystal Lake and won the PEC in 2033 with Florida… Javier Drake will be making his 3rd All-Star team, a year after getting 201 hits and stealing a whopping 110 bases. This year he once again leads the PEBA in hits (123) and SB (75)... 'Ogre' is making his fifth All-Star appearance and is hitting .303, and with 17 HR. He is on pace to best his career high... ... Gordon Knopp is having a down year in his sophomore season with Florida, but is making his 2nd All-Star team after winning the PEC MVP and Royal Raker last year… Kowalski has traveled under the radar at Kentucky, hit 29 homers last year and with a .316 average thus far, and 18 HR, he’s having a career year… ‘Drang’, in his second full season with Florida, leads the IL in doubles with 29, and is making his first All-Star appearance… ‘Pooky’ has established himself as an on-base machine – second to Drake in the IL and leading in triples. This is his first All-Star team… Garza, the 10-year vet in West Virginia, is on pace to have his best average of his career. The 2-time PEC winner is in his 5th All-Star game… Adrian Fuentes is the most experienced All-Star, in his 12th year. Despite 7 quality years in San Antonio, it wasn’t until joining Reno that he made his first All-Star team. With a .322 average, he is 3rd in the PEBA in hitting… Dan Collins, a PEC winner in both leagues – with Fargo and San Juan, is making his first All-Star appearance…

[Ghosts]

Ghosts and Evas don't mix and never will! I'm sure "Professor" Middleton had a good plan until it was upended by some faceless Shin Seiki-an.

[Borealis]

The Office of the Commissioner and, Fargo and Sovereign League All-Star manager Kenny Butler, are pleased to introduce the starting line-up for tonight’s 2034 All-Star Game:

CF Ramiro 'Footloose' Salinas - TOY
3B Yoritomo 'Matsukaze' Maeda - TOY
RF Claudio 'Matchbox' Hernandez - OKA
DH Pablo 'Mountain Man' Garza - MAD
1B Gustavo ‘Bullets’ Lopez - KAL
LF Felix Rodriguez - SS
C Kevin ‘Iron Heart’ Newton - TOY
SS Naomi 'Dr. Evil' Honma - DUL
2B Alfonso Reyna - BAK

Tonight’s starting pitcher is Jorge Castillo of the Shin Seiki Evas.

Castillo, a 9-year vet, is making his second All-Star appearance and was the 2030 Golden Arm in the SL. He's 11-2 with a 2.85 ERA... Alfonso Reyna is making his first All-Star appearance. For the year he is a perfect 23-23 on SB... ‘Dr. Evil’ will be making his 5th All-Star game – with his third team – previously representing the Scottish and Neo-Tokyo... Evas Felix Rodriguez has averaged 20-2B and 30 HR o each of his 5-seasons with Shin Seiki, and with 14 and 16 on this year, he is on his way for a 6th year – enough to earn his second All-Star game... For the ‘Bullets’, this is his fifth All-Star appearance in ten-seasons, his second with Kalamazoo, and after 32 HR and 111 RBI in '323 he already has 20 HR and 44 RBI in ‘34... Maeda, Toyama’s powerful young 3B, is making his 1st All-Star game – his .310 average is 4th best in the SL... 'Matchbox' Hernandez, in his 7th, and first with Okinawa, is making his 3rd All-Star appearance and is hitting .282 with 16 HR... Toyama’s Kevin Newton, in his first year as the starter, is proving the organizations confidence to be well found, hitting .292 to earn his first All-Star Appearance... ‘Footloose’ Salinas is one of the top defensive players in the SL and one of the most durable players in the PEBA. His .272 average and 33 out of 38 SB attempts earns him his first appearance in the All-Star game... Pablo ‘Mountain Man’ Garza, young, powerful – and in his third full season, he will represent the home team for his second All-Star appearance.

[Borealis]

All around downtown Madison – and particularly the popular and scenic Capital Square, people in droves wondered and checked out the pre-game festivities. The popular Taste of Madison, a annual Labor Day weekend event, made an appearance this All-Star Tuesday. Soft pretzels and Pretzel Dogs were on the menu at Ben's Soft Pretzels, with cheese spreads and mustards unique to Wisconsin. Cafe Costa Rica offered up fish tacos and dessert plantains with a choice of dulce de leche or chocolate. The international food choices were both extensive and delicious. El Labor de Puebla was dishing up their popular Mole con Pollo, Gyro Express with the classic gyro offerings and the Jakarta Cafe with a collection of vegan offerings for the diverse crowd.

Musical Offerings were happening on the other side of the Capital, with the likes of Bill Kirchen, Chicken Wire Empire, and Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs. All were frequent players at the Annual Sugar Maple Music Festival.

as the afternoon approached game time, fans streamed along the waterfront to the Malt House for the 2034 PEBA All-Star Game!

Malthouse.png

[John]

This is great. I am so ready for the game!

[Borealis]

While the activities around Madison were extremely well attended, the Futures Game was played on July 10th in front of a packed crowd at the Malthouse.

Despite getting a 1st inning run, The SL's Jose Ojeda (Reno, AA) gave up 4-runs on 4-hits - Antonio Gallo of the Scottish's AAA club hit a 2-run triple in the second, and Madison's Rookie ball pitcher Angel Villa allowed a single run in the 3rd as the IL jumped to a 5-2 lead. Both teams would score another run for the 6-3 final score. Florida's Mike Roberts was 2-3, London's Rocky Nichols was 2-4 for the IL, while Niihama's Esteban Rodriguez was 2-5 and Toyama's Yushiyuki Takahashi was 2-2. Euan McKinlay of Hartford was the winner, with Ojeda the loser. Hector Velasquez of Manchester got the save.

Antonio Gallo's triple was enough to earn him the games MVP award.

[Borealis]

The HR Derby pitted the powerful bats of the PEBA: Pablo Ortiz and Danny Burton; Raul Ortega and Gustavo Lopez; Gilberto Fernandez and Francisco Lucador; and Bartolo Mora and Sean Peters.

After the first round, Burton, Lopez, Lucador and Mora all advanced, with the 'Hitman' having the highest total - 23. Burton continued his slugging in round 2, taking down 'Bullet's' with 15 dingers, While Mora out dueled Lucador to reach the finals.

In the All-Florida final, Mora couldn't keep up with his teammate Burton, who slugged another 21 (to Mora's 17), to take the crown.

[Borealis]

The fans are settling down in their seats, having stopped by many of the 'craft' kiosks around the ballpark, specializing in Wisconsin treats, such as fried cheese curd, Wisconsin Beer Brats, Garlic Butter Stuffed Chicken sandwiches, and Beer Cheese Soup - perhaps the quintessential Wisconsin food.

Performing tonight's National Anthem is the University of Wisconsin Marching Band.

[Borealis]

(sorry for the delay - the AI kept thinking they knew what the line-ups were...)

The Line-ups have been exchanged, the first pitch has been thrown and the Sovereign League has taken the field to the cheers of the predominantly Madison crowd.

Shin Seiki's Jorge Castillo takes the mound, and Javier Drake digs in - and this game is set to begin...

'Doppler' works the count full, but Castillo gets him swinging - AND THAT"S HOW THIS GAME BEGINS!

That brings up the 'Ogre'... Mateo, the Leone star also works a full count before swinging at strike three...

That brings up the 2033 IL Royal Raker, Gordon Knoop - but he's no match for Castillo as he dispatches of him on three pitches - He strikes out the side!

On the the bottom of the first...

IL 0
SL coming up!

[Borealis]

Florida's Joe Arnold takes the mound in his first All-Star game, and he will face 'Footloose, Toyama's Ramiro Salinas...

Salinas is caught looking on a 1-2 pitch on the inside - clearly he though something other than the 99 MPH cheese was coming...

Finally something other than a strikeout, as Maeda swings at the first pitch and lifts a lazy fly to 'Pooky' Vis in left...

'Matchbox' is up third for the SL, and he rolls a slow one to short, but Dr. Evil has plenty of time to get the plodding Claudio Hernandez for the third out...

After and inning...

IL 0
SL 0