Real Baseball Online Chronicle

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2008-08-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Chronicle has MOVEEEEEEED

2008-08-27T17:42:00.001-07:00

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RBO CHRONICLE - new link

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Elite League Week 3 Preview

2008-08-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Skoal for doing the preview

Bombers Vs. TechEast

This game features two teams, which seem to be firing on all cylinders. Bombers comes off of a big win over Roto NL, while TechEast comes off of an impressive showing against Lynx. These two teams look to establish an early tempo with pitching, and solid defensive play.

Baptiste will set the tone for TechEast early and often with his bat, but don't expect gatyopin2 and ABSmoke to let him do all the talking. Sandman7 will look to stop the potent Bombers bats, but question marks about relief abound. If he needs some, Vejar and kiku can step up, but will they perform? Baptiste knows that this team can score in a hurry, so look for him to set a great example, and show people why he's a great manager. I'm betting he comes out on fire (not literally, that would hurt), and goes all Robert Redford on some baseballs this week.

Bombers looks to be lead by Roguee and Cunning, as well as a tremendous pitching rotation, starting with Ipwn and finishing with ChungFX or ThePope. If ThePope sees action in relief, you better believe pointy, fancy hats will be worn by all, and enjoyed by none. There's a lot of talk about Roguee trying to take league by storm, and thrust him or herself into the MVP lead, and look for him or her to try and show the bat skills to make that happen.

Players to watch: Bombers: Roguee // TechEast: Baptiste

Prediction: Bombers 11 TechEast 8

Roto NL vs Lynx

The two teams meeting in this game, are two teams trying desperately to right their ship, in hopes that a big win will be a harbinger of things to come. Roto NL comes off of a less than stellar showing against Bombers, while Lynx comes off of a tough loss to TechEast.

For Roto NL, the question that needs to be answered is: who is going to pitch well enough to keep them in a game? nubXPRESS and Pesto have both tried, but in the end, the opposition came out on top. You know they're going to hit, with HaZeD, Day, LORDV8R and company, but if you can't pitch, what is the use? Don't forget about EasyOut, who is my man to watch for NL. He's just seething at the mouth (possibly rabid) to breakout, and is fixin' to do so this week.

The Lynx have shown great team spirit and a desire to win, it just hasn't translated into wins. Look for EWade and company to come out firing on all cylinders and try to swipe one here. LSU21 is a solid bat, in a line up that contains many solid bats. Wendigo, Hugebat and Tubby86 are also looking to rough up what ever Roto NL throws at them. Tubby86 figures to see a large chunk of (if not all of) the work on the mound, but in a pinch, you could see XxBRAVOxX out there. I heard Wendigo is excited to go out there and show the boys how she rolls, so keep an eye out for her.

Players to watch: Roto NL: EasyOut // Lynx: Wendigo

Prediction: Roto NL 13 Lynx 11

BigHeros vs FlightAL

BigHeros comes into this week after suffering a real kick in the collective grapes at the hand of D Rays last week. FlightAL comes into this game on the opposite end of the spectrum, as they were kicking (and possibly stomping) all the grapes last week in a rout of Ambition.

The biggest thing for the BigHeros to do in this game, is find some camaraderie and balance. They seem to either score runs, and don't pitch well, or do a decent enough job pitching, but don't score enough to get the job done. Her0 will be looked upon to do a lot of the work, as will Nhr. Those two guys cannot possibly carry an offense by themselves, so look for timely contributions from goTWINS and possibly BigJoll (the artist formerly known as Molholt). Pitching wise, they've got SupaNova and The24Kid, who will look to contain some hot bats on the other side of the field, and are players to watch for.

FlightAL comes into this game on an absolute offensive tear. Kentucky, DrDeath, Majewicz and ZachAtack look to knock the cover off of the ball everytime they step in, and usually succeed. They've got a "throw who ever feels like it out there" attitude about pitching, but when you're stomping face and chewing gum, it really doesn't matter who's pitching for you. If you're looking for a stud muffin to watch out for on FlightAL, you'd have to go with D3thklok. There's no substitute for talent (or beer), he's aiming to go out there, and show everyone how he does it.

Players to watch: BigHeros: SupaNova/The24Kid // FlightAL: D3thklok

Prediction: FlightAL 17 BigHeros 5

D Rays vs Ambition

An interesting dynamic is at play in the D Rays and Ambition game. These are two teams who are new to the Elite league, and are trying to make a mark. The D Rays plowed through BigHeros last week, while Ambition got waxed by FlightAL.

D Rays is one of those enigma type teams, who have chemistry, but on paper don't look like a team who could contend. That just goes to show you what pitching and chemistry can do, because they put it to BigHeros in a big way last week. Y4ankrule threw a gem, and they got timely hits from KeenanG and company to secure their first win. Look for Tyrrel and HAVERFORD to do some damage, and try to keep the D Rays shuffling on, and winning games.

Ambition comes into this game desperately needing a win, to build chemistry and give them something to build off of. h0w has to get the most out of every player, including himself, in order to win games, and shock some people. This is one team I don't know a whole lot about, only that they're hungry to win, and showcase themselves in this League. Mattman13 should have a breakout game, and plays with a chip on his shoulder after a rough split with Empire.

Players to watch: D Rays: Tyrrel // Ambition: Mattman13

Prediction: D Rays 12 Ambition 10

Rage vs DwH

This game features two teams coming off of tough losses last week. Rage watched FlightNL take them downtown, while DwH had a stomach punch game at the hands of a walkoff (more like kick in the groin off) loss against Carnage.

Rage has a unique blend of players who are tasting their first Elite action, but are starving to win and become seen as the best of the best. GoHome96, RomeyC and rUafraid lead this group of quirky mouthy players, who can swing the bat. Cjwalker also figures to have impact, but with only one pitcher, this team needs to light up the scoreboard to have a chance. rUafraid is a player to watch, with his solid bat and pitching prowess, but don't be surprised if Rage looks like a christmas tree after this one.

For DwH (Donuts with Hats), the pitching has been there, the batting hasn't. They've only scored a total of 9 runs, and that won't get the job done. Looking at their lineup, it's tough to figure out why they haven't scored a lot of runs. Guys like ensferum, Ricky8 and LuckyMe89 have always had hot bats, look for them to get on track this week. Pitching for them has been solid, so look for more of the same from RUGJUICE, PiLi and soulcrshr. I'll pick ensferum as a player to watch here, because frankly he entertains me, and is due for a bananas type breakout game this week, as he shows up why this group puts up donuts, and wears hats.

Players to watch: Rage: rUafraid // DwH: ensferum

Prediction: DwH 12 Rage 11

FlightNL vs Carnage

This game has early playoff implications, and will establish a front runner in the Central/West league. These teams are strong in both pitching and hitting, and will look to out do eachother in my Game of the Week.

FlightNL has put up some runs, and had shutdown pitching in the first two games of this league. They've been effective across the board and look strong coming into this one. Papi, Ebola and dcurt25 lead an offense which hopes to score early, score often, and head home with your girlfriend. SmokeOut and ElDuque are a two headed pitching monster, which looks sexy on the field, and on paper. SmokeOut has allowed one run in 9 innings of work, which is unheard of for the Elite league. He is my player to watch, because chances are, he's going to be smoking batters, and will be the difference maker, unless GATECH is out there stealing Carnage's bukkets.

Carnage is another team with a tremendous lineup, and a two faced pitching attack. Megatron and Sparkie come out every week and shut down the best of the best. Wiggy and BlindMan come in riding high this week, after a great offensive showing for each in the last game. BlindMan hit a walkoff homer against DwH, while Wiggy consistently swings a hot bat. I'm looking for a breakout game from the Sexy Swedes though. GAWD and ToyBoy are poised and ready to take the Elite league by storm, and are the players to watch here. They will be the difference between a win and loss for Carnage, and you better believe they come out with adult beverages in tow, and have already put the kids to bed.

Players to Watch: FlightNL: SmokeOut // Carnage: ToyBoy/GAWD

Prediction: FlightNL 9 Carnage 4

Empire vs RotoWire

This game has a big giant X on the calendar for both teams. There are players on both teams that want to show the other what they're all about, and either jump into the upper echelon of players, or reaffirm greatness in the minds of all who play in the Elite league.

Empire has the offense, defense, and pitching of a well oiled Elite contender. They're active and cohesive, and feature some of the top names of RBO's last few patches and leagues. MelkyNYY brings a club into this game which is tired of hearing what one of the RotoWire pitchers has been talking about, and looks to make things difficult early and often for him. Pete998 looks to suppliment the offense provided by MelkyNYY, as well as Oman. They're going to be lead pitching by KMAN (player to watch), FIRE911 and Death. There are other "factors" at work here also, which kick this rivalry into high gear, including 27 page flamewars, and JPEG trophies. Empire wants to silence RotoWire's bats and mouths, and their pitching gives them an avenue to do so.

RotoWire comes into this game after putting the wood to Insanity. After a hard luck loss on opening night, they came back strong in game two and really showed why time after time, they're one of the elite squads in RBO. Lead by the get on base attitude of the Oregon Connection (CBothe and Haskell), and some timely hitting with runners on by Skoal, which got the job done. The pitching has mostly fell on Skoal's broad, rippling shoulders, but look for Boget to come out fired up, and show why he has been a top pitcher in RBO for some time now. BenyDJet gets my nod as a player to watch however. The man is due for a beastly performance, and it would not surprise me at all to see him bring the noise here. Will there be a lot of rawr, and little bite? Or lots of rawr and lots of bite? We will see on Tuesday.

Players to Watch: Empire: KMAN // RotoWire: BenyDJet

Prediction: RotoWire 10 Empire 9

TechWest vs Insanity

TechWest was looked at a middle of the road type team when this league started, but they look to pile up another win against Insanity this week. Insanity has suffered back to back losses, but looks to rebound, and show they are not doormats.

TechWest has been lead largely by the pitching of WCKDPERK. He has shined in games against RotoWire and Empire. He's on a mission, and looks to continue that here. The batters for TechWest include a trifecta of heft that is DanTheMan, SandMan16 and Own4Life. They're looking to go out there and beat Insanity like they stole something, and put up a ton of runs to help out WCKDPERK. SandMan16 is the player to watch here, he's looking to put some distance between him and Skoal for the MVP of the Central/West league, and add to his league leading 5 homers.

For Insanity, both pitching and hitting have been an issue. They have yet to find someone to supply Killerboy with any relief, should he struggle, and also haven't given him many runs to work with. RickyD and Luna21 will look to change that this week, and as a tandem should be the breakout performers for Insanity. I'm expecting to see Killerboy go out and pitch well this week, making him a player to watch. If he pitches well, and Insanity hits like we all know they can, TechWest could be in some trouble.

Players to Watch: TechWest: SandMan16 // Insanity: RickyD/Luna21

Elite Week 2!

2008-08-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Round 2 is in the books and things are really starting to heat up. Teams are making their case for an all important playoff spot and really starting to kick into full gear. Check out who’s coming out on top and who’s stuck underneath the pile below!!!

TechEast tames Lynx

TechEast came ready to play against Lynx on Tuesday. gatyopin2 started things off right blasting a HR in just his first at bat of the game. Lynx saw offensive support come from Tubby86, LSU21, and Hugebat but TechEast was just too much. gatyopin2 also knocked a 3-run HR to improve on his already solid night.

Final Score: TechEast 10, Lynx 4.

Bombers Blast Their Way Past Roto NL

The Bombers made the Roto NL pitching staff look non-existant on Tuesday night. In just 2 innings the Bombers already had a 9 run lead and never looked back. Pesto had his dome rocked giving up 6 HRs in his two innings of work. HaZeD was the only glimmer of light for the Roto NL roster as he attempted to bring his team back into the game with 2 HRs.

Final Score: Bombers 16, Roto NL 4.

FlightAL Routes Ambition

FlightAL gave Ambition no chance to pickup their first win. Using just the brute force of their offense, FlightAL put up 18 runs. h0w and his Ambition roster still managed to pull 6 runs but ZachAtack just became too much to handle. After the score opened up FlightAL cruised to victory. Ambition will continue to fight and looks forward to trying to pickup their first win against a viable candidate in D Rays.

Final Score: FlightAL 18, Ambition 6.

BigHeros fall to D Rays

The D Rays aren’t going to be a team to roll over in the 2008-3 Elite. They proved their value after beating the BigHeros squad. Y4ankrule deserves credit as he held the tough BigHeros squad to just 5 runs while pitching the bulk of the innings. Her0 will look for his team to rebound against FlightAL next week. SupaNova will certainly have to step things up against an even tougher squad in FlightAL.

Final Score: D Rays 8 , BigHeros 5.

FlightNL Pitches Their Way to Victory…Again

FlightNL took down another team in Rage. SmokeOut has been absolutely lights out giving up just 1 run this league in a total of 9 innings. Rage saw some limited success against ElDuque, but they could not contend with the superior FlightNL squad. Though SmokeOut has been great, Carnage will be gunning to put runs on the board early and often next week. Look for SmokeOut to attempt to continue his run as a clear cut All-Aces favorite at this standpoint.

Final Score: FlightNL 13, Rage 5.

Hey, Now Walk It Out

Carnage might have been a little understaffed against DwH on Tuesday but that didn’t stop them from stealing a win. BlindMan played the role of hero with a walkoff HR in the bottom of the 6th. Things got shaky for Carnage after Megatron dropped and ToyBoy had to take over the pitching duties, but it was all good after BlindMan ’s walkoff HR. DwH put up a valiant effort, but Carnage took the opportunity to slide the victory from under their feet.

Final Score: Carnage 9, DwH 8.

TechWest Shocks Empire

TechWest is pushing themselves into the upper echelon of teams after two straight wins over RotoWire and Empire. This time around WCKDPERK gave the opposing team no chance. Holding Empire to no runs heading into the last innings, things were looking bleak. The former MVP, KidNasty, was held 0-5 with multiple strikeouts. Even former All-Aces KMAN saw the ball fly over his head. TechWest is looking strong both offensively and pitching wise and will look to improve to 3-0 on the season against Insanity next week.

Final Score: TechWest 11, Empire 2.

RotoWire Back on Track

Perhaps last week was an eye opener but RotoWire seems to be ready to go now. Skoal continued to push his RotoWire teammates. After a solid performance in RotoWire’s loss, Skoal added 3 HRs to bring his season total to 5. Add in a few innings of great pitching and you’ve got an early candidate for MVP. Insanity managed only 5 runs while Killerboy and crew allowed 11.

Final Score: RotoWire 11, Insanity 5.

Week Two League Preview

2008-08-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

TechEast vs Lynx

TechEast came off a strong and convincing win last Friday, defeating a favored Roto NL team. Though there was some controversy surrounding TechEast after the victory, the power-hitting squad should continue to have motivation throughout the season as they look to become an "established team." Moreover, that quest should be a lot easier with solid effort from both sides of the ball. TechEast, with help from manager Baptiste, were able to score 6 runs off the dynamic duo of NubXPRESS and Pesto. Pitching was just as solid, with Sandman7 pitching a full 6 innings and holding Roto NL to just 3 runs. If TechEast can continue this domination today and throughout the season, they might just become a possible favorite to win league.

Lynx had a solid effort against Bombers last week but the Bombers offense was just too hot. Lynx also had a commendable offense, scoring seven runs and almost put the game in reach. Manager EWade and LSU21 should both continue to lead the Lynx offense today.

Players to Watch For:

TechEast

Sandman7. Coming off a very impressive win against Roto NL, Sandman7 might be in a position to show that he really is an elite pitcher. If Sandman can shut down the Lynx offense, look for TechEast to cruise to an easy victory.

Lynx

EWade. EWade has certainly proven that he can hit. Coming off a 2 homerun game against Bombers, EWade should continue to show off his hot bat.

Fire's Prediction: 7-5 TechEast

Newbert's Prediction:

Bombers vs Roto NL

What can be said about Bombers? Although the pitching was a little shaky, the offense managed to score enough runs to lead the team to victory. Individual leaders included gimmepie and BigJuddd, who both combined for 8 RBIs. The Bombers offense should strike fear into the hearts of all elite pitchers. And NubXPRESS should be no exception.

Roto NL came off a disappointing loss Tuesday against TechEast. The offense managed only to score 3 runs and did not give their pitching enough offensive support. The desire for a major upset should motivate Roto NL to score more runs against a tough Bombers squad.

ChungFX will also be starting against his former squad for the first time tonight. Will Roto NL show Chung that they are indeed the better team?

Players to Watch For:

Bombers

BigJuddd should once again lead the Bombers offense. A top offensive performer, BigJuddd should have no problem hitting against Roto NL.

Roto NL

HaZed showed a little fieriness after the game Friday, complaining of a certain play which I still dont understand :). However, his passion for winning might enable him to catch fire and make some noise against former teammate ChungFX.

Fire's Prediction: 12-8 Bombers

Newbert's Prediction:

FlightAL vs Ambition

FlightAL had an easy victory against D Rays last week. Puddles and ZachAtack combined 5 homeruns and 8 RBIs. The beastly offense should perform well against Ambition. Moreover, DrDeath pitched well, going 6 innings and allowing 5 runs.

Ambition also played well but suffered a heart-broken lose against BigHeroes. Ambition kept the game close through 6 innings but 3 homeruns by Nhr made the difference. NlaLoosh pitched well but gave up 10 runs over 6 innings.

Players to Watch For:

FlightAL

DrDeath. If he can pitch well against the experienced offense of Ambition, FlightAL should score enough runs to win the game.

Ambition

NlaLoosh. It will be a very difficult assignment for Loosh as he pitches against the power-hitting lineup of FlightAL. Its highly unlikely Ambition will be able to outscore FlightAL; therefore, if Ambition wants to win, they will have to depend on Loosh to shut down FlightAL.

Fire's Prediction: 12-5 FlightAL

Newbert's Prediction:

BigHeros vs D Rays

BigHeros succeded in denying Ambition an upset last week as they managed to score 10 runs. Led by Nhr, the BigHeros will look to continue their same success tonight against D Rays. Though there is a chance for an upset, it is highly unlikely against D Rays.

D Rays came off an unsurprising loss against FlightAL. The offense was too much to handle for D Rays and they did not have much success on offense either. D Rays might have a chance to defeat BigHeros, but unless their offense can get some runs, it will be close to impossible for them to win.

Players to Watch For:

BigHeros

Nhr came off a big game last week against Ambition. Nhr blasted 3 homeruns and batted in 6 RBIs. The BigHeros offense will once again have to rely on Nhr to have a big game.

D Rays

Tyrrel. Tyrrel also had a multi-homerun game, smashing 2 homeruns to give the D Rays some hope last week. If Tyrrel can continue his same offensive production, maybe the pitching can hold BigHeros and give D Rays the W.

Fire's Prediction: 13-6 BigHeros

Newbert's Prediction:

DwH vs Carnage

DwH suffered a lose to start the season last Friday against FlightNL. While the pitching was certainly there, offensive production was not evident. Sadly, 1 run in elite will not get you any type of victory. In order to win tonight against Carnage, DwH will have to solid effort in both pitching and offense.

Carnage showed last week they can still score runs and have solid pitching. Megatron pitched well, and combined with Toyboy, allowed 3 runs over 6 innings. Offense was just as solid, with production coming from Wiggy and Klemens. Carnage should have another solid game against DwH tonight.

Players to Watch For:

DwH

Luckyme89. Lucky has a strong bat and should be able to drive some runs in DwH and give the pitching some support.

Carnage

Megatron. Megatron might have a hard time shutting down DwH if he is not careful. Whenever these two teams play each other, it is always in an interesting matchup to see who can come up on top.

Fire's Prediction: 13-10 Carnage

Newbert's Prediction:

Rage vs FlightNL

Rage suffered a disappointing loss against Carnage as they were shut down offensively. Defense was apparently a problem for Rage as well, as some missed plays in right field accounted for some runs. Rage will need to play their best tonight against FlightNL. Offense will be the key. If they can score early, chances are they will be able to pull off an upset.

FlightNL came off a impressive win last week. SmokeOut was incredible, going 5 innings while allowing only 1 run. If he can continue his same success and shut down Rage, FlightNL should be able to claim victory.

Players to Watch For:

Rage

rUafraid had to pitch the entire game last Friday against Carnage. He was also disappointed with some defensive plays. rUafraid should be able to ignite some passion in his team and gain some offensive and defensive support.

FlightNL

SmokeOut. This guy had obviously proven he can be a big part of FlightNL's success. If he pitches well, FlightNL should be able to start the season 2-0.

Fire's Prediction: 8-2 FlightNL

Newbert's Prediction:

Rotowire vs Insanity

Rotowire suffered a lose last week against TechWest. While they were many apparent reasons why Roto lost, it seems they will be able to get it together tonight against Insanity. A strong pitching peformance by Skoal last week did make it close for Rotowire but they did fall short. Boget will look to regain his confidence against Insanity, and should let Roto to a W.

Insanity had a strong performance against Empire last week. Killerboy pitched very well, shutting down Empire's offense for the most part. Offense also did well but fell short to the strong pitching combo of Death and FIRE911. Tonight, Insanity will face another tough pitching duo. If Killer can pitch well again, and gain some offensive support, look for Insanity to pull off the upset.

Players to Watch For:

Rotowire

Boget. Boget will look to reclaim his title of "greatest of all-time" tonight against Insanity. He should be able to pull off a great pitching peformance and lead Rotowire to a win.

Insanity

Killerboy. Coming off an amazing pitching peformance, Killer will once again need to pitch well to give his team a chance to win.

Fire's Prediction: 7-6 Rotowire

Newbert's Prediction:

Empire vs TechWest (Game of the Week)

Empire won just by a hair last week against Insanity. MelkyNYY led the team in offensive production, hitting 2 homeruns and batting in 3 RBIs. Strong pitching performances from Death and FIRE911 gave Empire the win. The offense for Empire was a concern but pitching did well enough to carry the team.

TechWest was able to pull off the upset against Rotowire last week. Sandman16 led the team in offense, smashing 2 homeruns and batting 6 RBIs. He will certainly look to lead the team once again against Empire.

This will most likely be a pitching dual. Both teams will have to score runs late in order to win.

Players to Watch For:

Empire

MelkyNYY. Melky proved to be the difference last week and should be able to put on another impressive game tonight.

TechWest

Sandman16 was able to put up some amazing game against Rotowire. He should be able to strike some fear into the hearts of Empire's pitchers.

Fire's Prediction: 8-6 Empire

Newbert's Prediction:

Elite Week 1 Wrap-Up

2008-08-18T21:21:00.002-07:00

*As Posted by Newbert on the RBO Website*

After the 1st round of the Elite League was postponed due to a rain delay, things seemed to be off to a rocky start. Luckily, 8 games of competitive Elite League action is the remedy for anything. Players soon forgot about the postponement as they geared up for their 2008-3 Elite League debuts. Read below to see how everyone fared!

TechEast topples Roto NL

TechEast seemed to click early as they blasted 4 HRs off Roto NL’s pitcher, nubXPRESS. Baptiste found himself with 2 HRs and 2 RBIs to guide the TechEast offense to 6 runs. The real hero for the TechEast squad in the win was Sandman7. Pitching all 6 innings, Sandman7 picked up 2 strikeouts while holding Roto NL to just 3 runs. He also supported his own cause with a 3-run HR in the game.

Final Score: TechEast 6, Roto NL 3.

Bombers Slide Past Lynx

Lynx put up an excellent fight against a tough Bombers lineup. Ewade and LSU21 each knocked 2 HRs and amounted for a combined 6 Lynx RBIs. Despite Lynx firing on all cylinders the Bombers offense just proved to be too much. BigJuddd and gimmepie each had a HR. BigJuddd went 5-6 with 1 HR and 5 RBIs while gimmepie followed suit going 4-6 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs.

Final Score: Bombers 10, Lynx 7.

FlightAL Cruise Against D Rays

DrDeath really controlled the game early giving FlightAL the opportunity to open up a sizeable lead. Puddles was an absolute machine, blasting the ball and his kilt over the wall 3 times. Puddles collected 5 RBIs. Teammate ZachAtack also dealt his share of damage with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs. The D Rays struck late and received 2 HRs from Tyrrel but it was all too late.

Final Score: FlightAL 11, D Rays 5.

BigHeros Deny Ambition

Ambition made their league debut but fell just shy against BigHeros. Pitching proved to be a slight concern but offensively they mustered 7 runs. Mattman13 blasted 2 HRs, h0w knocked 2 HRs, but Nhr took the cake with 3 HRs and 6 RBIs. NlaLoosh allowed 10 BigHeros runs which proved just enough for SupaNova and the BigHeros pitching staff.

Final Score: BigHeros 10, Ambition 7.

FlightNL Pitches Their Way to Victory

DwH just couldn’t find a groove against SmokeOut and FlightNL. FlightNL didn’t need many runs but Corv and Ebola teamed up to prove more than enough. Each found themselves with balls sent far over the wall. SmokeOut was the main event in the game throwing 5 strong innings, giving up just 5 total hits. ElDuque came in for the close and SmokeOut finished with a smoking 1.80 ERA for the game.

Final Score: FlightNL 6, DwH 1.

Carnage Unleashes Rage

Some people may think that Carnage isn’t as good as previous leagues but the current squad is the first to disagree. Megatron and ToyBoy together pitched well only allowing Rage to a mere 3 runs. Carnage saw their offense come from Wiggy, xXbnUtzXx, and klemens through HRs.

Final Score: Carnage 8, Rage 3.

TechWest Strikes Early Against RotoWire

TechWest took full advantage of Boget’s underhand blunder hitting 10 runs early on in the game. After moving Skoal to pitcher things seemed to calm with TechWest only scoring 2 more runs but it was already too late. RotoWire pushed for a late inning comeback but the lead was just too big. SandMan16, Own4Life, and Jeeps had brought TechWest plenty of runs and more importantly, the win.

Final Score: TechWest 12, RotoWire 8.

Empire Stands Tall Against the Insanity

As teams finished up their games, many players were amazed to see Insanity neck and neck with Empire. Killerboy found himself pitching a gem against one of the tougher squads of the Western Conference. Despite a lacking offensive output, Empire found the win with 2 HRs by MelkyNYY and strong pitching from Death.

Final Score: Empire 5, Insanity 4.

Week One League Preview

2008-08-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Roto NL vs TechEast

The Roto NL roster makes its debut tonight against a tough TechEast tonight. Hitters, such as HaZed and HrPower, should strike fear into the hearts of the unproven TechEast pitchers. However, NubXPRESS might have a difficult time shutting down the incredible TechEast offense. Baptiste, gatyopin2, Nataliamo, and ABSmoke should all give the pitching combo of NubXPRESS and Pesto a hard time. Look for this game to be an offensive battle.

Keys to the Game

For Roto NL:

Solid defense. Defense is something that Roto NL has always seemed to struggle with. By showing they can make plays in the outfield, Roto NL will surely impress and prove they are serious in making a playoff run.

For TechEast:

Pitching. We all know TechEast can hit but with that pitching staff, you never know if they can pitch consistently enough to win. If the pitching trio of Sandman7, kiku, and Vejar can somehow shut down the Roto NL offense, TechEast might be able to pull of a win.

Fire’s Prediction: 12-10 Roto NL

Newbert’s Prediction: 14-8 Roto NL

Players to Watch For: Baptiste, NubXPRESS

Lynx vs Bombers

The heavily-favored Bombers team will look to begin its quest for league champions tonight against Lynx. Do I need to go into detail how dangerous the Bombers offense is this season? Combined with some old and new faces, the Bombers offense should have no problem scoring runs this season. Cunning, Roguee, TheMan, and gimmepie will all look to dominate league this season. For Lynx, this will be their very first elite league for most of their players. In order to defeat Bombers, Lynx will have to hope for timely hitting and solid pitching.

Keys to the Game:

For Lynx:

Shut down the Bomber offense (sound easy enough). Limit the Bombers scoring opportunities and Lynx might be able to pull a major upset.

For Bombers:

Score, score, score. Dominate on offense and Bombers should be able start off the season with a win.

Fire’s Prediction: 14-6 Bombers

Newbert’s Prediction: 19-3 Bombers

Players to Watch For: Cunning, EWade

D Rays vs FlightAL

Well, this should be interesting. Not much can be said about this game except D Rays has no pitcher so it looks like they will have to rely entirely on their offense to win this game. FlightAL certainly has a strong offense and a proven elite league pitcher in DrDeath. In other words, this should be a total blowout in favor of FlightAL. If they do not win this game, I swear I will forever retire from RBO.

Keys to the Game:

For D Rays:

Score as many runs as possible. With no pitcher, its highly unlikely you will be able to limit the offense of FlightAL. The best the D Rays can do is to keep scoring runs and just they can outscore FlightAL.

For FlightAL:

Shut down D Rays. Their offense can be tough to handle. However, DrDeath should have no problem pitching against D Rays and it should be an easy win for FlightAL.

Fire’s Prediction: 17-3 FlightAL

Newbert’s Prediction: 11-8 FlightAL

Players to Watch For: KeenanG, DrDeath

Ambition vs BigHeroes

Ambition enters this league as a new team looking to pull off some upsets. This quest might come tonight against BigHeroes. Ambition is full of old of new faces. H0w and Bolter have both had previous experience in elite league and will look to lead the team in offense and defense. BigHeroes also has players that have also had previous league experience, including Bigio, BigJoll, and manager Her0.

Keys to the Game:

For Ambition:

Pitching? The only pitcher on the current roster is NLaLoosh. It might even just benefit Ambition to go with a non pitcher since Loosh only has 5 speed. Nonetheless, look for Ambition to stop the BigHeroes offense. If they also maximize their offensive potential, Ambition could start the season with an upset.

For BigHeroes:

Shut down Ambition. The duo of The24Kid and SupaNova can very easily limit Ambition. Along with solid defense, BigHeroes should be able to win.

Fire’s Prediction: 7-5 BigHeroes

Newbert’s Prediction: 12-10 Ambition

Players to Watch For: h0w, Her0

FlightNL vs DwH

FlightNL enters league with dominate pitchers. ElDuque and SmokeOut have to be considered two of the best pitchers in league this season. Both have had experience in elite league and both know how to win. In order to beat this team, DwH will have to hope for an offensive miracle. Hitting off those two pitchers will not be easy and must have solid pitching and hitting throughout the game.

Keys to the Game:

For FlightNL:

Simply score. Pitching is solid enough to give you a chance of winning every single game. Solidify this by giving your pitchers some run support. This will not be hard to do tonight against DwH.

For DwH:

Score early. You don’t want to be down late in the game. FlightNL has deep relief that will shut you down late in the game. Score runs early, and hope your pitching can do the rest.

Fire’s Prediction: 10-6 FlightNL

Newbert’s Prediction: 16-3 FlightNL

Players to Watch For: ElDuque, ensferum

Carnage vs Rage

Carnage comes into this league looking to repeat its same success that they had in the 2007-4 league. With its current roster, it is very possible to not only repeat but actually win league. Their offense has improved, and they even have some pitching depth with the addition of Sparkie. Megatron will face off with Rage tonight looking to win. Rage, on the other hand, does have some potential to win. Despite having a small roster, they do have some power hitters in Duster, RomeyC, and Cjwalker.

Keys to the Game:

For Carnage:

Pitching. Limit the hitters of Rage and trust your defense.

For Rage:

Focus on hitting Megatron. You do not want to be losing if Sparkie comes in to relief Megatron.

Fire’s Prediction: 9-4 Carnage

Newbert’s Prediction: 12-9 Rage

Players to Watch For: Megatron, RomeyC

TechWest vs Rotowire

TechWest, despite adding some key pitching additions, is still a relatively weak team. Compared to its sister team TechEast, offense is stacked in favor of TechEast. However, TechWest just might be able to defeat the inactive Rotowire. Moreover, Boget should still have no problem against TechWest.

Keys to the Game:

For TechWest:

Take advantage of Rotowire inactivity. The hitters of Rotowire might not be as good as they once were. Use this to your favor.

For Rotowire:

Trust Boget. Despite having a weaker offense, TechWest can still surprise and score some runs. If Boget can stop their offense, Rotowire should be able to win.

Fire’s Prediction: 8-5 Rotowire

Newbert’s Prediciton: 8-6 TechWest (walkoff HR)

Players to Watch For: Sandman16, Boget

Insanity vs Empire

Insanity is a combination of old and new faces that can score some runs. Colacino2, RickyD, and Dual are all potential hitters that should be able to hit the pitching staff of Empire. Empire is also filled with young and new faces, all with amazing talent.

Keys to the Game:

For Insanity:

Score runs early. Again, Empire does have a deep pitching staff in the trio of KMAN, Dre, and FIRE911. If they can score some runs early, their pitching should be able to hold the Empire offense.

For Empire:

Take advantage of scoring opportunities. Make sure to score early as well and let the pitching do the rest.

Fire’s Prediction: 9-6 Empire

Newbert’s Prediction: 12-4 Empire

Players to Watch For: Colacino2, KMAN

So who will be king? The quest for a league championship begins tonight at 9 EST. Good Luck to all teams.

Elite League Team Preview

2008-08-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

**As Published by Newbert on RBO League News**

The 2008-3 Elite League is finally here! Beginning August 12th teams will collide in the tournament server as they push for a run at the RBO Elite League Championship. The Elite League consists of 16 teams ready and willing to show their best. Get to know the teams below!

TechEast

TechEast, half of the T.Tech Organization, brings an explosive offense to the table. Their key offensive contributors are gatyopin2, ABSmoke, and manager Baptiste. TechEast may have to lean heavily at times on gatyopin2 and Baptiste but Nataliamo should be good for his share of homeruns.

Pitching seems like a weakness for TechEast but manager Baptiste has faith in his guys. Vejar and kiku can hang with the best when they’re on their game. DIESELUSA knocked over 1000 homers in PUGs last season but the pitching prowess of the Elite League greats might be too much for him to handle. If TechEast can get all their players on the same page and catch a hot streak they should be a serious contender to make a push for the playoffs.

Roto NL

Roto NL seems to have a history of looking great heading into league and this season is no exception. They’ve got one of the better looking offenses on paper. Though their defense can be shaky Roto NL has one standard in LF, HaZeD. He gives Roto NL some consistency in his hitting and great outfield play is always expected. Roto NL recently added the HrPower and Pesto, who will team up with nubXPRESS to handle the pitching duties. Look for nubXPRESS to use his hybrid pitcher/hitter type build to the fullest as he will probably see time both in the outfield and on the mound.

LORDV8R and Day round out Roto NL’s rather deep offense. There are quite a few questions, concerns, and haikus with Roto NL’s lineup. You never know what you’ll get out of EasyOut and BiGSwolL. Also, Scooter has yet to see an at bat this season. Ozzy may make a league appearance but he has been M.I.A. for the past few months.

Lynx

Lynx may not have a lot of Elite League experience but EWade has assembled a team that makes up for it in talent. ThatMan’s move to TechWest will probably hurt their offense but Tubby86, EWade, and N8te can provide plenty of pop. At this point in time Lynx seems like a stretch to win it all but anything can happen

I met with EWade to find out his opinion on his team for this upcoming league.

nubXPRESS: Do you think your team’s lack of league experience will hold any negative effect?

EWade: It is possible that we will have a bit of a learning curve but we’ve been in similar situations before and I believe we’ll do fine.

Do you think Lynx can be a dark horse of the 2008-3 league?

Yes, we have the confidence and believe we can compete with the best.

Bombers

Bombers are a clear-cut favorite to win the Eastern Conference heading into the season as they have the tools to score 10+ runs each and every game. Cunning, BigJuddd, and Jiraiya are all tough outs for any pitcher. Let’s not forget about the former Elite League MVP, Roguee, either. Ipwn should carry the bulk of the pitching duties but ChungFX and ThePope will probably relieve him and see more time against easier opponents.

The newer look Bombers might not be the same squad that won the 2007-3 Elite League, but they’ve got the potential to push for that 2008-3 crown.

FlightAL

FlightAL is another one of the toughies in the Eastern Conference. DrDeath is the undefined leader of the squad and always seems to carry the team on his shoulders when called upon. He’s a former Elite League MVP and has an All-Star League All-Aces under his belt as well. FlightAL’s ZachAtack will be hard to strikeout with his signature low red batting style. Even good pitchers should find themselves playing in traffic with this tough lineup. YardDog, Majewicz, D3thklok, Puddles, and Kentucky are all capable of putting up multi-HR games. Pitching could be a slight concern but BeanBalla will aid DrDeath as needed. Look for FlightAL to rough up some of the lessers of the Eastern Conference.

D Rays

The D Rays may appear pretty shallow but they’ve got a “talented” core of players. To do it, they are going to need a lot of offensive output from HAVERFORD and team manager KeenanG. Hydro08 and Tyrrel are two other offensive threats but Borrelli will most likely notch a good amount of playing time.

Ambition

Ambition, assembled only days before the close of registration, is an interesting group of players. Though team chemistry may come at a premium, they’ve got the ability to surprise any team on any given night. Bolter is the wild card of the group with his limited playtime in the pickup game clubhouse.

Teams will need to make sure not to take this Ambition squad lightly. Canada, h0w, and Nos all have ample league experience and know how to win. A personal favorite to watch is MattMan13 who will gun to prove his value to his former Empire Organization. Ambition is no pretender; they’ve got the talent to take more than just a couple wins. If there was one team to watch, it’s Ambition.

BigHeros

The BigHeros are back, though only a couple of these supermans are from the team that competed in the Elite League just a few seasons back. BigJoll, more known to the community as Molholt, will make his return to the tournament/league scene. The BigHeros are going to look for large offensive contributions from Nhr and goTWINS. They do have their own share of question marks with DanIAm, BigPoppy, 66, and Busted among others due to lack of activity within the Pickup Clubhouse.

DwH

DwH, or Donuts with Hats, is the old ReJected squad relabeled with a new name. Though a stretch to win the Western Conference, DwH has some solid bats that could surprise some teams. Ensferum will probably need to put up MVP type numbers for DwH to be a serious contender. PiLi provides DwH with some pitching but he’ll need a solid defense to back him. soulcrshr, ensferum, and AWinkler2 should satisfy that void.

FlightNL

The second team in the Flight organization, FlightNL has one of the best pitching staffs in the Elite League. SmokeOut and ElDuque team up to provide FlightNL with the pitching they need to win. FlightNL’s offense seems a little weaker than usual this season but Corv, ST3WART, and manager Papi should keep the ball flying. YanksBoy and GATECH will make their Elite League debuts and will hopefully contribute and aid in FlightNL’s 2008-3 Elite League takeoff.

Carnage

Megatron has built a pretty diverse team within the last couple of months. Looking at the current roster you find your older Carnage players in Smith, HeadAke, Megatron, and Wiggy. Then you see xXbnUtzXx making his return to Carnage. After that it just looks Swedish to me. Oh wait, that’s because Megatron has added the sexy Swedes, ToyBoy and GAWD. Carnage could have one of the top offenses yet again if everyone decides to show up. HeadAke and Wiggy always seem to be offensive producers but their defense will be invaluable to Megatron.

Sparkie is on the roster to relieve Megatron on the mound, but seems to not always be available. Six innings of pitching usually spells trouble so look for Carnage to aim for double digit runs each and every game.

Rage

Rage consists of nine players, one of the smaller rosters in the Elite League. Led by rUafraid, Rage has a few old faces mixed with a lot of new. Rage lacks experience with Duster, bden2, and GoHome96, but rUafraid and RomeyC have been around the block enough to guide them and possibly steer them to victory. Pitching may be an issue for Rage and the Western Conference won’t be showing any mercy.

RotoWire

Despite being on the fence for returning to play in another Elite League, RotoWire is back. Though only Skoal has played enough to be considered “active”, RotoWire certainly has the talent. Boget, a 3-time Elite League All-Aces winner will split duties with Skoal this time around. EviLPants, aka Midget, will focus his luck at the plate. CTap brings new faces to the plate for RotoWire this season. BenyDJet, CBothe, and JSparks will all see their share of at bats. RotoWire’s core players are still there and that’s just bad news for everyone else. CTap will rely heavily on MiiG, TarHeelS, and Haskell to bring in the runs this season. SpliF may sneak in a few rare at bats this season, but his playing time will come at a premium due to other commitments.

TechWest

The T.Tech Organization certainly has some talent in their TechWest team. Manny73, DanTheMan, and former Lynx player, ThatMan, can all carry the offense if needed. Driverhit seems to have the ego necessary to pitch but he doesn’t quite strike fear into any batters just yet. JimmyJohn should handle a large chunk of innings for TechWest. TechWest has a solid team and should be able to compete for a playoff spot.

Insanity

Insanity enters the league with an eleven man roster and probably just as many concerns. Insanity will need strong production from Killerboy, Luna21, and arodf5 to even compete. Granted a strong pitching performance can provide a win for anyone, but Curtis92 and crew will have their hands full. Insanity’s wildcards come in RickyD and Dual. If RickyD and Dual can hit like the MVPs they are then don’t take the Insanity roster lightly.

Empire

Empire’s got former MVPs, Silver Sluggers, and All-Aces throughout their roster and should be one of the top teams in the 2008-3 Elite League. First up on the Empire roster is KidNasty. He’s a 3-time Elite League MVP with enough tournament wins to write a book. After KidNasty, Empire has Frogger and MelkyNYY who both have Silver Slugger awards stashed away in their trophy cases. The anchor for the Empire team is KMAN. Despite batters getting tougher and tougher KMAN seems to find a way to get outs league after league. With two All-Aces under his belt KMAN is obviously a favorite and will be attempting to guide his team deep into the playoffs. The Empire lineup rounds out with big123, FIRE911, Oman, and Pete998, aka “Pro998”. Empire has depth and talent and will accept nothing but a championship as success.

I was able to meet up with KidNasty to talk about the upcoming league.

nubXPRESS: Do you think you can make another run at MVP?

KidNasty: Yeah, but there’s a lot of competition now especially within my own team. I’ll try.

nubXPRESS: Would you rather win a fourth MVP or take Empire to the league finals?

KidNasty: Finals, I’m a team player and I’ll do whatever Shock (MelkyNYY) needs me to do. The team comes first.

The RBO Factor/Chronicle Presents...

2008-07-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Brand new to the scene of REAL Baseball Online, the RBO Factor/Chronicle will be introducing a ladder for all to participate. Teams of any level are welcome to join and compete for the top spot on the ladder. Hosted through www.myleague.com/rboladder the ladder will not require any games beyond your normal Tournament/League games in conjunction with your team vs team games in PUG.

After a game is played the losing manager/representative simply just heads over the the RBO Ladder website and reports the loss. Teams are ranked based on the rank of the teams they beat.

As per www.myleague.com, "Case's Ladder has one of the simplest ranking systems ever used for competitive play. We call it a "Ladder" because each member holds a unique rank or "rung" that represents their standing among other members. The highest-ranked member holds the #1 Ladder position; someone ranked #2 is ranked below the #1 member. The goal is to "climb" the Ladder all the way to the top! When you first join you are placed in an "unranked" category on the Ladder, and you become "ranked" after winning your first Ladder match. When you defeat a higher-ranked member, you move up in rank half the distance between their rank and your own. For example, if you are ranked #50 and you defeat the #1-ranked member, then your new rank would be #25. Your rank on the Ladder does not go down if you lose a match unless your opponent is ranked DIRECTLY below you. When members ranked below you are victorious against members ranked above you, it's possible the member will jump over you in rank and you will move down one rung."

Remember any and every team are welcome to join and participate. Already signed up are Phenoms, Lynx, Carnage, TechWest, TechEast, Empire, FlightNL, FlightAL, Roto NL, RotoWire, and multiple others. Get in on the action and fight your way to the top!

Weekly Tournament I - Round 2!

2008-07-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Crede24 for the FlightNL/Bombers game recap.

FlightAL puts down Lynx

FlightAL left EWade with little to say. In an old fashion beatdown FlightAL won 18-1. After the game, EWade simply put it "FlightAL > Lynx". FlightAL saw great hitting and great pitching on their way to victory.

Final Score: FlightAL wins 18-1.

NL Offense Takes Flight

The Bombers came into the semi-finals knowing FlightNL scored 25 runs in the opening round, and their bats certainly responded, scoring 12 total runs in the semi's. However, the FlightNL offense outmatched them, putting up 21 runs against the Bombers, totaling 46 runs in two nights.

The game started quick for the Bombers, as they scored two runs in the top of the 1st, including BigJudd hitting a first pitch homer against starter SmokeOut. FlightNL responded in the bottom of the inning with dcurt25 and ST3WART hitting solo shots to tie the game at 2-2.

FlightNL blew it wide open in the 2nd inning. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 2nd, they scored 9 runs which included a bases loaded grand slam by ST3WART. 2-11 FlightNL. Bombers starter SlayerXX put up a good effort before being relieved by veteran pitcher Ipwn.

The Bombers, carried by gimmepie and Roguee, would come back to score 7 more runs including a grand slam against starter SmokeOut and an additional 3 off of reliever ElDuque. Unfortunately for the Bombers, they could not keep pace with the FlightNL offense. Explosive nights by ST3WART and dcurt25 carried the team, with each hitting 3 home runs, including ST3WART's afermentioned grand slam. Pitchers also supported themselves as well, with SmokeOut, Ipwn, and ElDuque all hitting solo shots.

Final Score: FlightNL wins 21-12.

FlightNL will meet their sister team FlightAL in the Championship game of this weekly tournament.

RBO Chronicle Entertainment Tonight - Surprise Interview with Panther

2008-07-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

For your entertainment I caught up with Panther in the RBO game client for a RBO Chronicle exclusive interview.

NEWBert: On for two days in a row, you animal.
Panther: Life is boring. This game is kind of like sex with Kobe Bryant. No matter how much you kick and scream, it's going to happen.
NEWBert: Are you going to be sticking around or perhaps playing in league?
Panther: **ck no. Boredom has its limits.
NEWBert: Lol, but you used to enjoy the game.
Panther: Playing the same game for 5 years isn't much fun.
NEWBert: But UBO has made such GREAT improvements.
Panther: The name is the only thing that's changed.
NEWBert: You going to check out RBOz when it comes out?
Panther: No clue what that even is.
NEWBert: You know, the new build for UBO.
Panther: I'll check it out probably. When's that supposed to be coming out, 2012?
NEWBert: Sounds about right. If you could add 1 thing to this game what would it be?
Panther: Some Vaseline for all the years it **cked me.
NEWBert: Thanks for the interview, Panther.
Panther: Put that in your article and shove it. I need to make some forum posts. See how long they can stay up before they get deleted.

Weekly Tournament 1 - Round 1

2008-07-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to ElDuque and EWade for their contributions. Sorry for the formatting issue with the spaces, still looking to get that resolved.

Lynx vs TechEast

The first round of Weekly Tournament 1 presented Lynx vs TechEast. Both squads boast deadly lineups, with TechEast getting the edge in pitching. However, that was not going to stop EWade and Lynx from toppling TechEast's pitching staff.

TechEast had the lead for much of the game, contributed by 4 HRs from Nataliamo, 2 from ABSmoke, and 1 from DIESELUSA. xXBRAVOXx had a hard time containing their bats.

However, Lynx's bats proved more adept in the end. The slugging barrage was lead by EWade with 5 HRs, followed by xXBRAVOXx with 1 HR. N8te and Tubby86 both had very good games with several hits and RBIs, and ThatMan did well subbing in for xSWIFTx.

The game was decided in the bottom of the 6th inning, with Lynx down 12-10. With 1 out and runners on the corners, EWade knocked a walkoff 3 run HR to seal the deal and the victory for Lynx.

Final Score: Lynx wins 13-12.

FlightAL vs Empire

The FlightAL/Empire matchup saw both teams use a combined total of 7 pitchers. Whether the tournament spurred FlightAL into a crazed league preparation mode or they just found a groove, they easily shrugged Empire off. Things just didn't work out for Empire as they watched 8 HRs cruise over the outfield wall.

ZachAtack started things off in the 1st inning, knocking a leadoff HR (déjà vu). FlightAL gave Rbush the start lodging full confidence in the unexperienced pitcher. Unfortunately for Rbush he ended his night prematurely after bugging himself on a low curve.

Empire took full advantage of when he was on the mound knocking 2 HRs (1 for KidNasty, 1 for MelkyNYY). Pete998 snuck in a HR of his own in the bottom of the 2nd to hand Empire a 3-1 lead.

It seems that Flight has a knack for huge innings. Time after time they explode for an inning pouring run after run to take an edge. Empire saw first hand the brunt force of FlightAL in the top of the 4th. SEC, DrDeath, and Krynn started the inning on back to back to back HRs.

Following a ZachAtack single (ZachAtack hitting singles, more déjà vu), ClarkKent superman'd an Empire offering for a 2-run HR. After another HR by DrDeath, ZachAtack completed the FlightAL HR-fest by hitting one of his own. All FlightAL players HR'd in the inning completing the 8 run inning.

The last two innings were fairly quiet with a solo HR by Krynn in the 5th and a solo shot by KMAN in the bottom of the 6th.

Final Score: FlightAL wins 10-4.

FlightNL vs Bunters

Contrary to initial beliefs by the community, Bunters did have enough players show up to field a team. Unfortunately, they were undermanned with no pitcher. Always good when you are facing the glutton of punishment, FlightNL.

We will leave it as a murder of Bunters by FlightNL. FlightNL put up a tad more than double digit runs and cruised to victory. ST3WART made an impressive Flight debut blasting 3 HRs and picking up 8 RBIs. Beyond ST3WART's fierce effort, Corv and Dcurt each hit grandslams of their own.

Bunters in their own favor did hang with FlightNL early on. Szymon hit a 2-run HR in the 1st inning to keep Bunters tied, 2-2. Unfortunately, the Bunters never found any offensive groove and failed to cross the plate beyond Szymon's HR.

SmokeOut and ElDuque looked sharp in their pitching efforts combining for 5 strikeouts and only 2 earned runs.

Final Score: FlightNL wins.

Bombers vs D Rays

The D Rays came into the game looking to prove themself against a relatively tough Bombers squad. With Pesto and Ipwn on the mound you knew it'd be a battle of attrition for the batters. Hits and runs would come far apart with two aces on the mound.

gimmepie started things off right for the Bombers knocking a 2-run HR in the 1st inning. ChungFX added a solo shot to give the Bombers an early 3-0 lead after the top half of the 3rd inning.

KeenanG attempted to bring his team back into it with a solo HR in the bottom of the 3rd. Even after a 30 minute rain delay KeenanG came back in the 4th with another solo HR to bring the Bombers lead back down to 1.

The 6th inning belonged to the Bombers as gimmepie belted his second HR and Ipwn finished things up 1-2-3.

Final Score: Bombers win 4-2.

League: Epic Fail? Pro Success?

2008-06-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

We are back with a quick league update. Today, the managers of some of the major elite teams and their representatives met at the Netamin vent to update the community on the upcoming league. I did my best to take some notes on the meeting before i had to head out for food :P. Anyway here we go.

1. The League Start Date

Well this is the first thing everyone wants to know right? Well there is no exact set date, but league is a lot farther away than we initially thought. Registration will most likely be the week of July 13th and the start date will be sometime in late July. The hold up? Basically Netamin and Customer Service is busy testing the new league system. They are stuck on a seeding bug when it gets to the playoffs. As soon as the seeding system is done, registration will be over.

2. League Format

The new league system only allows for 8 teams per division. Meaning there will be two separate leagues going on but they will correspond to each other come playoff time. The problem is with the number of teams. We are fine if we get 2 divisions of 8, but if we fall a few short or a few over it can throw off the entire league system. What they may do to compensate for this is combine the AS league and the Elite league. The schedules will be automated using the new league system, and they will be posted on the main website as are the "Team Activities".

3. Prizes? Gimme Ipods! Gimme Moneh! Gimme PIE!!

None of the above. Well, technically we might get a prize in the form of baseball memorabilia (signed Ripken hat ftw?) but all of that is premature right now. The league will not be pay to play and the prizes might only go to the team manager. Right now with the current state of RBO, they can not frankly afford to give the entire winning team prizes. But if it is memorabilia, they might be able to pull something where the entire team may get something. For now, the 2008-3 league will have no prizes.

4. All Star Week?

One of the bright spots of the meeting was the mentioning of an All Star Game. The league season will most likely be 14 games long. It will take about one month to play 7 games, then the league system will take a short break for an All Star Game. After the ASG, the league will resume for 7 more games. Daniel Sloan (AKA The New SMack) informed the managers that GM19/Rubber will be the Elite league commissioner. It will be interesting to see what the new commissioner decides to do as far as All Star voting is concerned. Anyway, the ASG is a big plus and something the community has sought for quite some time.

5. The CoC, The Rules, what you need to know...

Daniel Sloan/GM26/RBOPress will be releasing a thorough Code of Conduct for tournaments and leagues in the upcoming weeks. He will also be releasing a "manager's guide" that will show the managers all the necessary commands and deadlines they will need to adhere to. "We want to get all the gray area out of the COC and I have been working on it for weeks" - Daniel Sloan

6. Miscellaneous

The Stadium 2 nonsense is figured out. We will all be playing in Stadium 1. Time outs and subs will be clarified and waving will be brought back for league. Many minor issues that the managers brought up will be solved. Bugs, ruling questions, and roster issues. The managers will have the final say via vote on any scheduling or rules for this upcoming league (plus plus plus).

Do not be surprised if I add to this article, but for now this is all I can remember. Look for the thread on Factor for discussion.

School's Out Blowout: Recap and Netamin's Awards

2008-06-25T20:57:00.001-07:00

Long time no hear from. A lot has changed in the world of RBO but I will just recap the School's Out Blowout Finals where Empire defeated FlightNL 10-8 on a walkoff homerun by Frogger. Frogger was the star of the game, homering twice and making stellar plays in the infield all game. Smokeout pitched solid but was outpitched by the duo of KMAN and Fire911.

Netamin's Awards
MVP: KMAN - The Chronicle disagrees. Though KMAN did pull double duty and homered in every tournament game, he failed to put up the productivity that d1nonly2 did. D1nonly2 hit .640 and drove in 13 RBI in the tournament.

Silver Sluggers: Nos, D1nonly2, Pete998 - The Chronicle disagrees. Not only did Netamin give out 1 more than they should, they completely ignored the other teams in the tournament.

All Aces: SmokeOut - The Chronicle disagrees. Smokeout pitched solid, but was clearly outpitched by KMAN who only allowed more than 3 runs once.

School's out Blowout: Round 2 Recap, Round 3 Recap, Finals Preview

2008-06-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yes I have been really really off the ball lately but RBO isn't the only thing that throws you curveballs. I'm back but will only unfortunately give a brief sentence or two on each Round 2 and 3 game and preview the finals.

Round 2 Recap

Lynx vs Bombers
- Lynx certainly did not disappoint in its first tournament game on the Elite level, stunning a solid Bombers team convincingly 9-4. Bravo pitched a great game and is emerging as a good enough pitcher on the Elite level. ThatMan and Swift helped the offense out enough, as manager Ewade successfully notched his first ever elite tournament win.

Final Score: Lynx 9, Bombers 4
Player of the Game: xXBravoXx

Insanity vs Empire
- In an unfortunate turn of events, 2 Insanity players lagged out in the top of the first of the Insanity Empire game. The GMs were unable to restart the game seeing as the game itself was not bugged. They played on, and Curtis92 then bugged out on a low curveball. This 2v5 game was unfair from the start as Empire scored 14 runs in the first inning and never looked back.

Final Score: Empire 16, Insanity 8
Player of the Game: D1nonly2

FlightAL vs Rage
- Dr.Death and SlayerxX put out a solid pitcher's duel in the best game of the night. Unfortunately, a late FlightAL grandslam put Rage away. Up 4-2 late in the game, Rage gave up a grandslam and let the game slip away. Dr.Death had an all around game and looks to be returning to his MVP form.

Final Score: FlightAL 6, Rage 4
Player of the Game: Dr.Death

Hybrids vs FlightNL
- Hybrids had complete control of this game from the start, but a LordSmrf lagout in a 4-0 game in the 4th caused the game to unwind. FlightNL capitalized and won 9-7 leading us to a round 3 Flight vs Flight matchup. Hybrids former manager Toyboy played on Pesto/Lord Smrf and had 4 homeruns on the night combined in a losing effort. This tournament loss marked the end of Hybrids, and the RBO community tips its cap to Toyboy for a great effort against a very good team.

Final Score: FlightNL 9, Hybrids 7
Player of the Game: Toyboy

Round 3 Recap

Lynx vs Empire
- Empire dominated Lynx in round 3, scoring 14 runs off of Bravo and holding Lynx to 3. KMAN pitched 4 innings of 3 run ball and Fire closed the door with 2 innings of scoreless baseball. Homeruns by D1nonly2 and Big123 off of Bravo put the game out of reach. ThatMan homered for Lynx. KMan helped his own cause with a 3-run homerun of his own early in the ballgame.

Final Score: Empire 14, Lynx 3
Player of the Game: KMAN

FlightNL vs FlightAL
- Nos was a 1 man recking crew in Round 3 as he was responsible for 3 homeruns and 10 RBI in a 13-5 rout of FlightAL. Smokeout pitched solid and has found a stretch of consistency. FlightNL is the first team to get to Dr.Death in this tournament as the normally shutdown-type ace surrendered a tournament high in runs. Nos caught fire and carried NL to the finals.

Final Score: Flight NL 13, Flight AL 5
Player of the Game: Nos

Finals Preview

Empire vs FlightNL
- Game remains close the entire way through. Late homeruns by Big123 and Pete998 put Empire ahead late and Fire closes the door on FlightNL.

Final Score: Empire 6, FlightNL 5
Players to Watch: KMAN, Nos

*no top performers until the end of the tournament*

NEWBert's Top Performers, School's Out Blowout - Round 1

2008-06-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well...Looks like we've got another tournament of surprises. Rage pulled off another upset, HaZeD was subbed out after just 3 innings for Roto NL, and Hybrids look like they are left for dead.

I'm going to entrust Melky with the job of handling the Top Performer's for the rest of this tournament. I will be away for the next 10 days, spending my time with a fishing pole on a lake. We all know Melky won't do nearly as good a job, so these Round 1 awards are EXTRA special.

Top Performer - Hitting

I'm going to give the hitting award to a duo who certainly dominated in the cleanup spot for their team. The Round 1 Top Performer award for hitting goes to gimmepie and Roguee. Together they went 5-5 with 5 HRs in their victory over Roto NL. ChungFX and nubXPRESS just could not handle the cleanup hitters. Don't be surprised if we see either Roguee or gimmepie making another Top Performer appearance in the near future.

Top Performer - Pitching

The Top Performer for pitching goes to Curtis92. Though he wasn't facing the top of the line offenses that we see in the Elite competition, he pitched a hell of a game. Going 6 strong innings, he gave up just 3 earned runs and picked up 4 K's in the victory. Curtis92 definitely brought the WD-40 as he showed no signs of rust.

School's Out Blowout: Round 2 Preview

2008-06-18T12:08:00.001-07:00

Empire vs. Lynx
Lynx sat at home watching the first round of the School’s Out Blowout waiting to see if they would face off against Empire or TechEast. Both teams would provide a challenge to the newest Elite team so they knew that Wednesday night would be a hard fought first game. Lynx has been one of the most dominant teams in recent memory, and they have gone up and down Netamin’s tournament level system exactly the way Netamin intended them to. They leveled together and gradually became good enough to shift to Elite. Lynx knows all about tournament play, and the only thing that might surprise them is the difference in skill between the AS and Elite leagues. Lynx has no big name players that would wow you just yet, but this Elite team can collectively annihilate anyone thrown at them. Jeeps and Weller have dominated most of the AS tournament innings, with Weller having a better WHIP. Both pitchers have a sub 2 WHIP in the pickup server which is impressive. Jeeps has played in 23 games but has only gone on record for 10 of them, going 5-5. ThatMan and xSwiftx are solid hitters, and they are the only two players hitting over 600 in tournament play. Manager EWade has become one of the most respected managers of the game, but like most managers his on the field play goes unnoticed.

Empire is coming off of a convincing win against TechEast. The Empire offense involved a total of 7 hitters and 2 pitchers last night and they scored 10 runs against Baptista and Kiku. The pitching combination of KMAN and Fire911 had TechEast off balance the entire night. Homers by D1nonly2, MelkyNYY, Big123, EduaNYC and Pete998 kept the pressure on as Empire defeated TechEast 10 to 3. The veteran Empire players will need to take Lynx very seriously, as the community is very aware of how good Lynx really is.

Melky’s Prediction: Empire 16, Lynx 4
Newbert’s Prediction: Empire 12, Lynx 6
Melky’s Players to Watch: KMAN, xSwiftX
Newbert’s Players to Watch: Pete998, xSwiftx

Bombers vs. Insanity
The newest manager on the elite scene, Roguee, led the Bombers to a solid 11 to 5 win over the veteran Roto NL team. Led by the arm of iPwn, the Bronx Bombers held a solid Roto NL team to only 5 runs on the night. Gimmepie was the star of the game and will look to repeat his performance against Curtis92 and Insanity. Cunning, Roguee, ThePope, and company want to keep the runs high against a young team like Insanity. 2007-3 All Aces winner Precision makes his return tonight and will probably get the nod against Insanity. Does Precision still remember how to pitch?

Insanity is coming off their first ever win in an Elite tournament and have gotten their franchise off to a very good start. Against Rejected, Curtis92 pitched 6 innings of 3 run ball and earned himself attention from the Real Baseball Online community. Pitching is incredibly difficult and he has seemingly come out of nowhere to hold a team that can hit to only 3 runs. Though the win was marred with controversy from complaining Rejected players, Insanity manager Killerboy kept his cool and his team moves on to the second round looking to make a Cinderella run into the finals. For this to happen, Luna21 and Killerboy have to continue to get on base, and Colacino2 has to prove that his grand slam was no fluke. Other sluggers to look out for include Proto, Dual, and AraBBeast. Insanity has a shot, but they all have to click and not be intimidated by the Bombers offense.

Melky’s Prediction: Bombers 13, Insanity 5
Newbert’s Prediction: Bombers 17, Insanity 3
Melky’s Players to Watch: Roguee, Curtis92
Newbert’s Players to Watch: Dual, Precision

Rage vs. FlightNL
TechWest fell to Rage last night in convincing fashion. That Rage offense just seems to push and push and push until they get into double digit runs. Nataliamo is clearly Rage’s best hitter as he has hit over .700 in 62 Abs with 14 homeruns and 25 RBI. To beat FlightNL, Rage has to rely on their bats to score on Smokeout and if possible SlayerXX and Her0 have to pitch to their impressive sub 2 WHIPs. Driller made a solid debut for Rage, and if he continues the way he is going he might actually make a name for himself as a tournament threat. DanIAm had a great round 1 and will definitely be a key factor in the outcome of the game. Rage has now gone from underdog, to a legitimate winner every night. Let’s see if they can keep the ball rolling.

FlightNL proved that activity is overrated when it comes to veteran players. Papi and Crede24 at least, were able to overcome any inactivity concerns and mash the ball to the tune of 2 homeruns and 4 RBI each. SmokeOut pitched 5 innings of 6 run ball to keep FlightNL in the game throughout. FlightNL may be the favorite, but a shorthanded roster with no clear cut bullpen needs to rely heavily on their starter. SmokeOut is very capable of going deep into games, but if he somehow fails to do so, Papi will have to step in and try to play damage control. With only an 8 man roster, FlightNL has to have bodies show up.

Melky’s Prediction: Rage 8, FlightNL 6
Newbert’s Prediction: FlightNL 12, Rage 4
Melky’s Players to Watch: Nataliamo, SmokeOut
Newbert’s Players to Watch: Papi, Her0

Hybrids vs. FlightAL
Hybrids have made a great run in their franchise history but it all seems to be coming to an end. Reports out of Hybrids camp deem the School’s Out Blowout the final tournament of the Hybrids organization. Inactivity and other problems have ended the Hybrids time here at RBO. In a short time, they went from potential champions of the Cinco De Mayo tournament managed by a great player in Toyboy, to a team that resembles a fish out of water. I have no information on whether or not SniperX will see the mound, or if Toyboy, Gawd, and Pesto will be there to take the field behind him. Will there be a game? Does Haverford have the ability to reassemble his team for this once tournament? We will find out soon enough.

FlightAL had a bye in the first round and will be on the other side of the field against Hybrids. With no inhouse turmoil, FlightAL already has the upper edge off the field. On the field they may have that same edge. SEC, Puddles, and ClarkKent are dangerous tournament hitters, and if ZachAtack can ever translate his PUG success to tournament play they would be that much more destructive on the offensive end. Dr.Death has regained his pitching prowess that led him to a 2007-4 MVP award. FlightAL takes the field at 9PM EST attempting to advance to the semifinals of their second consecutive tournament.

Melky’s Prediction: FlightAL 9, Hybrids 3
Newbert’s Prediction: FlightAL 12, Hybrids 4
Melky’s Players to Watch: SEC, ToyBoy
Newbert’s Players to Watch: Puddles, Haverford

School's Out Blowout: Round 1 Recap

2008-06-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

Round 1 of the School's Out Blowout 2008 Tournament figured to be a solid one. The tournament itself was filled with small story lines that the typical baseball fan would love to follow. You had the defending champions attempting to repeat, the newly molded Tech teams, the return of FlightNL, and the game of the day would arguably be between Carnage and FlightAL. To everyone's surprise, every single game in round 1 had was filled with entertainment.

Empire vs TechEast
Empire and TechEast duked it out in Stadium 2 Tuesday night in what on paper was supposed to be a hotly contested game. Empire welcomed KMAN back to the mound while TechEast started CooCooKal until Baptista took the reigns in the second inning. To start, TechEast would homer KMAN twice, as ABSMOKE and company made it a 2-0 game rather early. Surprisingly, CooCooKal held Empire scoreless in the first inning and it was not until Baptista took the hill that Empire would see any success. TechEast would not score over the next 2 innings, as KMAN pitched 3 innings of 2 run ball. Meanwhile, the Empire offense proved to be consistent eating as they ate away at Baptista. Baptista allowed 8 runs over 3 innings as Empire scored on homeruns by EduaNYC and Pete998. In the 4th, Melky brought in Fire911 to relieve. The Legacy call up pitched a stellar 3 innings, allowing 1 run on a homerun by N8te. Kiku entered the game and surendered a homerun to Melky and Big123.

Final Score: Empire 13, TechEast 3
Players of the Game: KMAN/Fire911 (6 IP 3 ER)
Next Game: Empire vs Lynx

Rejected vs Insanity
I introduce to you, the newest elite team...Insanity! I also introduce to you, the newest elite league pitcher...Curtis92??!? Yes! Curtis92!! Curtis92 faced 25 hitters in 6 innings, allowed only 3 runs and struck out 4. His dominating performance led his Inanity ballclub to a convincing victory over Rejected. Rejected fell to 1-5 in tournament play after the game. The first inning was scoreless for as both teams seemed to be getting the early jitters out of their systems. Proto put Insanity on the board early with a solo homerun in the second, and Dual would follow suit with a solo homerun in the third. Proto and Curtis92 also tacked on RBIs in a 4 run 5th, and Colacino hit a grand slam in the 6th to put the game well out of reach. Ensferum and company only mustered 3 runs and it was their second game in a row where they failed to provide offense for their pitcher. Killerboy's Insanity got off to a great Elite start, winning convincingly over Rejected.

Final Score: Insanity 9, Rejected 3
Player of the Game: Curtis92 (6IP 3 ER 4Ks)
Next Game: Insanity vs Bombers

FlightNL vs Carnage
In the battle of inactives, FlightNL came on top. The 2007-4 Elite league champions showed signs of life today defeating Carnage in a 9 to 6 game. Smokeout pitched a solid game, allowing 6 runs in 5.1 innings of work. Papi would come in to close and would not let Carnage make any noise. Carnage manager Mega sent himself out for all 6, and he allowed 9 runs over the course of the game. Sparkie did not make his Carnage debut in this game. Crede24 and Papi had 2 homerun games to lead FlightNL to victory. The two combined for 8 RBIs which was pretty much the FlightNL offense for the night. Carnage was fairly quiet the entire night not flashing much power as they fell rather silently to FlightNL.

Final Score: FlightNL 9, Carnage 6
Player of the Game: Papi (2 HRS 4 RBis)
Next Game: FlightNL vs Rage

Bombers vs Roto NL
Roto NL came out a team on a mission. Unfortunately, they ran into a very good Bombers team for the second tournament in a row. iPwn pitched 5 innings of 5 run ball and was only truly hurt by ChungFX. Chung has 2 homeruns in the game but gave up 6 runs through 3 innings. Roguee led the way with 2 homeruns but the true bright spot was Legacy call up GimmePie who hit 3 homeruns on the night. Also called up with GimmePie was Cunning, who provided solid offense and great defense the entire night. ThePope would make a late inning appearance and also homer in the game. To close, Bombers brought in Cunning and he pitched 1 inning striking out 2 RotoNL players.

Final Score: Bombers 11, Roto NL 5
Player of the Game: GimmePie (3-3 3hrs 3 RBIs)
Next Game: Bombers vs Insanity

Rage vs TechWest
Did the T.Tech split fail? Both Tech teams lost tonight and the normally potent Tech offense was held to 3 runs again. SlayerXX pitched 3 innings to the tune of a 1.67 WHIP, the second highest of the night. Slayer was relieved by Her0 who pitched 2 shutout innings, and DanIAm even contributed with an out via the K. Offensively, Dan batted 1.000 and hit a homerun and drove in 3 runs. Newly acquired Driller also had a homerun and 3 Rbi on the night. Rage would complete the trifecta with the24kid also adding a homerun and 3 RBI. TechWest could not muster any type of rally and had a relatively dead offense the entire night. WckdPrk was not bailed out by the bats and both Tech teams were sent home in the first round.

Final Score: Rage 10, TechWest 3
Player of the Game: DanIAm (1.000 1 HR 3 RBI)
Next Game: Rage vs FlightNL

Prediction Time!#!>$?
Empire vs TechEast: Melky (Correct) Newbert (Correct)
Insanity vs ReJected: Melky (Correct) Newbert (Incorrect)
RotoNL vs Bombers: Melky (Correct) Newbert (Correct)
FlightNL vs Carnage: Melky (Incorrect) Newbert (Correct)
Rage vs TechWest: Melky (Correct) Newbert (Incorrect)

Mega Meet's the Manager's: Vol 2

2008-06-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

In every sport there are names attached to them, a name that invokes that thought of the other one. Football has the Montana or Elway, Bradshaw or Emmitt. Hockey has maybe one universal one in Gretzky. Baseball has Ruth and Bonds, Griffey and Clemens. When it comes to Real Baseball and UBO MelkyNYY is one of those names and is the feature in our second installment of Meet's the Manager's.

MelkyNYY is the manager Empire. and is their organizational leader. His teams have won two of the past three Elite league championships and both of his organization's teams, Empire. and the Bombers. continue to put up a serious challenge for any titles up for grabs. On top of that, Melky put tireless hours into community building, as his RBO Factor forums allows community members to communicate mano-eh-mano so to speak. Filter free.

On to the questions.

Mega: MelkyNYY, who are you away from Real Baseball?
MelkyNYY: My name is Chris and I attend Seton Hall University in New Jersey. I’m a political science major and I want to be a criminal defense attorney. I have a dog, Bayley who would kill you. Other than that I’m an ordinary Dominican Yankee fan.

Your how old?
I am 19.

What is your favorite sports to watch and play?
Has to be baseball. I can watch a baseball game from start to finish and it keeps my interest. I also enjoy playing baseball because it’s one of those sports that you just can’t be human if you don’t have fun playing it.

What is your favorite meal?
Interesting question. I eat a lot of Spanish food at home, like rice and beans and stuff, but my favorite meal would have to be Baked Ziti. Hits the spot.

If I'm buying, what are you having?
A Dr. Pepper. I don’t drink alcohol.

Cats or Dogs?
Dogs. Cats are yucky. *Editor's note* lol

Do you play any other online games besides Real Baseball?
We have tried as a team to play other games, but when you are a manager you can’t really afford to play another game. Too much to do.

What is the one piece of technology you cannot live without?
My Laptop. If I didn’t have it I couldn’t be here with you guys all the time.

Whats your favorite sports movie?
Sandlot no question. Isn’t that everyone’s favorite sports movie?

How long have you been playing UBO?
Almost three long years now.

In your beginning you went by a different name and somehow lost possession of the name. Would you go back to SHOCK after all this time if you could now? Or would you stay with MelkyNYY?
You know what I wouldn’t go back if I could. I don’t really care much anymore about my name. Most of my guys still call me Shock anyway.

Who was the first UBO team you played with?
Yankees. I never played on a team, I always managed.

The Yankees were created before which season?
UBO2

Who are the original Yankees still with the team today?
Wow. Kidnasty and PatientJ. That’s about it.

What is the difference between Melky the manager now and Melky the manager before the championship, personality wise?
I wasn’t nearly as prepared as I am now. I learned after we won back to back championships as an organization that we couldn’t take anything for granted anymore. After we took 2007-4 off I realized I needed to get back to work. I started scouting, playbooks, monitoring our pitchers almost obsessively analyzing every aspect of the game. Our forums have videos and plays and a bunch of information that just makes us feel prepared. I learned to differ to my veteran players. I realized KMAN knew most about pitching and could help manage, and PJ could be a great scouting director and started giving my players bigger roles. This allowed me to focus on my job as a manager, getting to know my players and how they perform. Going to the practice clubhouse and doing individual sessions. One thing I pride myself on is giving my teammates the best chance to win, and everyone on my team will tell you I’m the hardest working manager they’ve ever played for, and easily the most prepared.

When you were starting out in UBO, who were some of the more experienced playere that you maybe looked up to, learned the ropes from?
I really like the way BenyDJet managed Siege. He wasn’t one of those managers who kind of just didn’t talk in PUG and never answered you, positively or negatively he would tell you what was on his mind. His teammates respected him and I did too.

Where do your teammates call home, geographically?
We are a worldwide team. We have players in Canada, California, New York, South Carolina, New Jersey, Holland, Italy, and probably Mexico I’m not sure lol.

Who will log your teams innings this year?
We have a boatload of pitching. KMAN will always be there and so will Goblin. Dre is back and ready to contribute and so is Precision. Fire is stepping up and will do much better with all his pitches. I would love to have 3 pitchers on each team, and we are looking for the third pitcher on either Bombers/Empire.

You dedicate a lot of yourself into Real Baseball, are you optimistic that we will see 'Z' in the near to somewhat distant future?
I am. I mean they have to do something right? I really enjoy this game and I love baseball and I love my team. I would hate to see it all disappear because the game is making false promises.

How do you feel about the current state and future of Real Baseball?
The community is what used to carry this game and it has lost it. I think the current state of the game is pretty bad, but it is looking up. I just hope that in the future UBOZ is as great as it’s rumored to be.

Is there a way to market the game that isn't being utilized at the moment?
I have no idea why they aren’t going to gaming forums or sports websites. I am sure they could get hundreds of sports fans to at least try this game.

Finally, in your opinion, who's the top player in Real Baseball right now, not in your organization?
Wow. Tough question. I would have to say Gatyopin. Hard to dispute Gat.

Melky, I appreciate you taking the time to this with me and I will see you in the game.

School's Out Blowout Preview

2008-06-17T06:42:00.001-07:00

By now, the school year is all but over for much of the United States. The kids get out of an 8 hour jail sentence and get to spend those 8 hours playing Real Baseball Online. The summer has always been an interesting time. The veterans and adults despise it, as their late night sessions usually filled with drunkenness and a good time will now be marred by hundreds of kids who should be sleeping. The School's Out Blowout marks the end of these late night sessions, and the boys of summer throw their book bags aside and get set for some Real Baseball Online.

After a win enthralled in controversy, Empire enters the School's Out Blowout with an entirely different team. We look at the changes to each of the participants, two new Elite teams, and the increase in competition even with the absence of some of the veteran teams.

#1 Lynx vs Bye
The newest team to the Elite scene gets a bye. Nothing like a nicely timed bye to kill all momentum. Lynx was created October 12th, 2007 by Weller with the idea of creating a great team built on chemistry and goodwill. Ewade joined soon after, and has taken the reigns and built Lynx into a perennial powerhouse. After defeating Empire/Bombers affiliate Legacy in the finals of the Memorial Day Tournament, Lynx felt primed to take a jump at Elite competition.

Lynx is the lowest level team in the tournament at an average level of 72. Their activity can be a great added advantage as their players attempt to level. They should look out for the new 2-level rule that will be enforced this tournament. Lynx is dominated by names many of us have never heard. Their best player is xSWIFTx, who hits over .640 in PUG and averages a homerun every 8 abs. In tournament play, Manager EWADE leads the team in homeruns with 13, while Jeeps usually mans the mound. ThatMan, Wendigo, Macilous, Bravo, and LSU round out the lineup. Lynx is a small team which gets along extremely well and uses that to their advantage. They get the winner of Bombers and RotoNL.

#8 Bombers vs #9 RotoNL
The last time these two teams faced off Bombers won impressively. This time around, RotoNL sees an entirely different team. Goblin now mans the pitching staff as Precision returns to tournament action as his backup. New manager Revoke will be making the calls and the lineups and looks to develop a reputation as a great player and a great manager. Bombers also called up Cunning from Legacy, giving them one of the best, most active players in the game. Also called up from Legacy gimmepie will try and stick around as a solid defensive player who can hit the ball a long way. Moving over from Empire is the hero from the Memorial Day Tournament, KidNub. He also brings along BigMarc and Mafia as well. Still around though are TheMan, Jiraiya, and ThePope who appreciate the incredible offensive support sent over from Empire.

RotoNL sends the same team out with the exception of Skoal17. Skoal will be playing on his alt on Roto NL this tournament as he looks to get some tournament at bats in before league. Talking to ChungFX in PUG I got the impression that he will be used differently this tournament. ChungFX has been a reliever much of his Roto NL career and has been rumored as a possible starter. Chung taking a bigger roll in Roto's pitching duties and Newbert focusing more on his bat might actually be a good thing for RotoNL. Scooter, RedK, and Skoal will most likely see most of the at bats for the heavily inactive RotoNL team. Expect a much different team come league time as Roto NL seems to just be going through to motions in these past few tournaments.

Melky's Prediction: Bombers 11 , RotoNL 8
Newbert's Prediction: Bombers 14, Roto NL 5 (Is it bad I'm picking against me own team?)
Melky's Players to Watch: Cunning , Skoal17
Newbert's Players to Watch: Goblin, Scooter McBeast

#4 TechEast vs #13 Empire
The T.Tech organization cut themselves into three teams which may end up hurting their overall skill level. TechEast is an 8 man team with Vejar and Kiku as their two main pitchers. That leaves TechEast with 6 hitters to work with. Baptiste will be your on the field manager most likely as he is the most decorated and experienced Tech member on that roster. N8te, 0, and CooCooKal are other familiar names from the jointed Tech team. Newly acquired DERAILER and DIESELUSA add some firepower to the offense. DIESELUSA leads nearly every offensive category in RBO this season. O and don't forget that guy ABSMOKE who seems to hit everything come tournament time.

Continuing their organizational makeover, Empire finds themselves with just as strong of a team as before. KMAN returns from his managerial sting on Bombers as the ace of the staff along with his right fielder Frogger. The rest of the incredible defense is rounded out by upstart hitter D1nonly2 in Centerfield and Pete998 in Leftfield. KMAN will be backed up by Legacy call up Fire911, who has been learning from the experienced pitchers in the organization attempting to harness his ability and relieve KMAN properly. Kidnasty, Big123, and EduaNYC can all play the infield positions and provide a solid bat whenever they are put on the field and Melky remains the constant manager on his Empire squad. Should be a very interesting game between these two newly formed teams

Melky's Prediction: Empire 13, TechEast 4
Newbert's Prediction: Empire 8, TechEast 6
Melky's Players to Watch: D1nonly2 , Vejar
Newbert's Players to Watch: EduaNYC, ABSmoke

#5 Rejected vs #12 Insanity
Soulcrshr and Rejected look to make some noise in tournament play with a very powerful offense. Rejected has a poor 1 and 4 record in tournament play this season but have gained experience and an opponent who has yet to play in an Elite tournament game. Their best offensive players include Luckyme89, RUGJUICE, and former pitcher ensferum. All have above 600 averages and a hr/ab ratio hovering around 1/8. Luckyme89 is especially incredible striking out less than any other hitter on his team. It is very important for Rejected to get some offense, as Soulcrshr looks to pull off an upset or two and get into the championship round. Pili will most likely carry the load on the mound but BRM1975 and Ensferum both have better WHIPs then the struggling starter.

Insanity faces off in a favorable match up seeing as they have never played in a tournament game. Killerboy's band of high level players will try and get their organization off on a positive note. Dual is arguable their best hitter, with RickyD, Proto, Colacino, and deek close behind. Those 5 are the only players hitting above 600 in PUG. This offense might sputter and struggle to remain consistent, but power hitters such as ArabBeast and Killerboy might change that in a heart beat. RedEyesz is a notoriously streaky hitter, and Damoon/Luna21 has tons of PUG games under his belt. If Curtis92 shows up, the famous 560+ hitter with 99 Catching RANGE might make an impact (he no longer has that build). Finally, Jeter994 might see the mound for the most part, as he has some tournament experience as a backup pitcher.

Melky's Prediction: Insanity 7 , Rejected 4
Newbert's Prediction: ReJected 10, Insanity 4
Melky's Players to Watch: BRM , ArabBeast
Newbert's Players to Watch: Ensferum, Killerboy

#2 Hybrids vs Bye
Manager HAVERFORD has an interesting dilemma on his hands. He can either fire his ace SniperX for attempting to develop hack tools, or he can ignore it and isolate his team from the general community. The survival of Hybrids is highly dependent on his decision, keeping SniperX guarantees him a solid pitcher, but Co-Manager Toyboy has been on record saying he would fire SniperX in a situation such as this. In a past interview with Toyboy, he made it clear that he respected SniperX's demeanor but if anything major came up he had no problem firing him. This is major. If HAVERFORD chooses to keep SniperX, it might cause ToyBoy and GAWD to leave, causing the end of Hybrids.

Hybrids are back down to an 8 man roster after a surge in membership after their near win vs Tech. An already unhappy Pesto might make Haverford's decision on SniperX easier if he can see the mound and throw some solid innings. BigJuddd could ignore the controversy and just show up and swing a good stick. But the story can not be ignored. SniperX was caught red handed attempting to develop hacks, and Haverford has one day before Hybrids takes the field to figure this out.

Melky's Prediction: Haverford chooses to stay with SniperX, Toyboy and Gawd leave
Newbert's Prediction: Deja vu...but same result as last time. Same way that parents are blind toward their children's mistakes, managers are blind toward their players.

#7 Carnage vs #10 FlightNL
Carnage is back and fully loaded and capable of making some noise. Manager Megatron and pitcher Sparkie are the two arms that are very capable of carrying the Carnage team far. In 62 Tournament At Bats, Stugots is hitting over 600 with 14 homeruns. A big game player, StuGots will certainly put some numbers on the board against an inconsistent FlightNL pitching staff. Former Flight member Bnutz steps into the game with a 1/4 hr ab ratio in tournament play and always puts it into another gear when he faces his former team. To round out the offense, Wiggy will take the field. Wiggy is clearly Carnage's most consistent tournament player and his impressive performances have caught everyone's eye. Phloppy, BigJoe, and goTwins are inactive for the most part and should be non factors. HeadAke, Smith, and Jacke might surprise FlightNL with some great abs and solid defense.

FlightNL is becoming an enigma. The organization itself is experiencing an evident separation. What FlightNL does has nothing to do with what FlightAL does. Unlike Kentucky, Papi has been unable to remain active enough to compete and his team has fallen to 8 players. Ebola who was rumored to be leaving Flight for quite some time, is still on the roster. As long as he remains there he should produce quite well. Crede24 has the ability to hit whether active or not and so does Corv and hopefully they can continue that pattern and provide some much needed offense. 66, Nos, and Dcurt25 round out the FlightNL roster, and SmokeOut is the sole pitcher. Unless you count Papi. The key to the game for Flight is to keep Smokeout's stamina somewhat steady and prevent them from having to go to a second pitcher.

Melky's Prediction: Carnage 16, FlightNL 5
Newbert's Prediction: FlightNL 9, Carnage 8 (nail-biter)
Melky's Players to Watch: Wiggy, Corv
Newbert's Players to Watch: Wiggy, HeadAke (crappy offensive game, but stellar OF)

#3 FlightAL vs Bye
The complete opposite of FlightNL, AL has been flourishing. SEC may very well be one of the better managers in the game, as he has taken FlightAL back to where they should be. ClarKKent should but up numbers as he has one of the better hr/ab ratios in the game. Puddles is always a great tournament hitter and if active, YardDog can do just about the same. FlightAL has a deadly offense when they click and it should be easy enough to get Dr.Death enough runs, especially the way he has been pitching lately. His backup, ConMan, does not see much time, so expect Death to go 6 regardless of the situation. BeanBalla, RBush, Deathklok, and 96 round out the FlighTAL offense and to be honest, I have no idea who BeanBalla is. ZachAtack is probably their best PUG player, but has been abysmal in tournament play with a hr/ab ratio of 1 in 10 and a sub 550 average. Flight takes on the winner of TechWest vs Rage.

#6 TechWest vs #11 Rage
New faces. TechWest recruited JLPR, Jimmyjohn, and Own4Life. Own4Life is clearly the best recruit of the three and should see a lot of time during this tournament. Manager Manny73 is in charge of TechWest and has to find out what lineup clicks best. The pitcher, WCKDPRK, is the easiest. He will be on the mound and he will try and develop as an elite pitcher. Gatyopin2 is arguably the best player right now and has done his PUG work in tournaments consistently. DantheMan and w00ds15 were both Tech bench players before the switch, and now will see a boatload of at bats that should keep their timing honest. Sayheykid and former Hybrids player Masterpai round out the roster. TechWest is set up on an entirely different bracket than TechEast and the dream Tech vs Tech final is possible.

Her0 has built Rage into a perennial powerhouse. Losing Sparkie to Carnage though, might cost them a trip to the Final Four round. In an attempt to keep up with other teams, Rage went on a recruiting rampage. Former RBO delinquent xXFlashXx returns to RBO as a member of Team Rage. Former Rejected member St3wart has also joined Rage along with Driller. Nataliamo is still on the roster and if he continue to hit like he has been he should help Rage win this ballgame. SlayerX, DanIAM, and Bigio join Hrtbrkr and CJwalker to round out an offense that can either be really good, or really bad. Rage is an entirely different team now and it is up to Her0 to build them back up to their recent success.

Melky's Prediction: Rage 8, TechWest 5
Newbert's Prediction: TechWest 15, Rage 3 *calling a TechWest slaughter of Rage*

Melky's Players to Watch: Nataliamo, Gatyopin2
Newbert's Players to Watch: Woodpecker, DanTheMan

Someone's been busy...

2008-06-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Netamin's been active lately, showing us that they are going to provide the necessary work to make this game great.

School's Out Blowout:

The School's Out Blowout, slated to begin on June 17th, is another team tournament for bragging rights. Registration will be open until June 16th. Remember to get your team registered to get that last practice in before league. No one wants to be found rusty against an easy opponent in the early rounds of the upcoming league. Sign up and get your team in tip-top shape (might as well win the tournament while you're at it).

Improvements, Patch:

Speaking of league, Netamin is still testing the league tool and working out the kinks. Let's not forget about that patch, though. Netamin will be filling us in on the specifics once we get nearer to the release date. You can expect an addition that will make hosting a team tryout or practice a breeze for your team's manager.

Look at the Bright Side(s)

2008-06-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Long time no post. After feeling a negative vibe around UBOFACTOR and the Real Baseball Online Forums, I decided to make a post highlighting the bright spots in the game. Yes this game is not perfect, but considering that people still play it it is certainly playable. Well, here we go!! The Top 10 Reasons you should say..Look at the Bright Side!!

10. A Growing Community

The game is seeing a growth that has not been seen in a very long time. The RK Channel and the PUG Channels are flooded with new characters. The breakdown (with no scientific proof) seems to be 50/50 between alts and new players. This game's foundation is its community, and the current community is a lot larger than it has ever been. When the older players return, the community should continue to excel at an all time high.

9. Improving Moderation

RK Challenges? Minor Challenges? Major Challenges? Ultimate Challenges? In the past these events were non existent. The current GM corp has been active constantly posting new events for the newer players and even including the higher level players in the action. The fact is, the players have constantly complained about the lack of GM moderation in this game, and suddenly we are being treated to events that are certainly not mandatory. Enjoy them.

8. More Tournaments.

Memorial Day Tournament, Cinco De Mayo Tournament, various Saturday Blasts, the tournament scene has returned to RBO. UBO2 saw very few tournaments, while RBO has now seen a prize tournament and is showing improvement as far as tournament availability is concerned. If you look at the registration for these tournaments, even without Rotowire, Storm, Blitz, Stigma, Gearheads and Redhorns, the game has seen excellent numbers for these tournaments.

7. A Pinkers Nightmare

No more pink. No more easy homeruns. The game changed immediately as pink was nerfed. The amount of homeruns a game dropped dramatically and the average hr/ab ratio is about 1 in 10. This leads to tighter league and tournament games as well as more competitive PUG games. It also allows for the development of good pitchers and for the separation between good, great, and bad hitters.

6. Improving Website

Though the UBO website team seems to have taken away features such as "last 24 days" stats, it has been improving. The Trophy Case is back for everyone's egotistical satisfactions and tournaments have been changed to a more specific format. The statistics can be viewed in top 10 format, and we can see a nice detailed schedule and recap of every game. Also, the annoying Slideshow on the main page is gone, and we have a nice sensible layout to look at. There is now a schedule on the main site and on the events page monitoring the challenges, keeping the community up to date.

5. Yes...They Are Listening!!!

Back in the "good ol' days" Netamin would have never listened to our feedback. Netamin did have closed Beta testers and the opportunity for information to flow was there. Unfortunately, the information was not flowing. Today, we see polls around the RBO forums and we have a small sense of understanding from the GMs. For example, the wave feature which we all hated was not completely taken away but it was edited drastically. The fact is, they are listening.

4. Game...Guard...For...The...Win....

Its security aside, Netamin and NCK have made progress beyond "memory hack detection". GameGaurd is a legit anti-hack and the days of not being so sure about the players on the other side of the field are gone. "Hacker!!! OMGZ HE HACKZZ" Hopefully, those days are gone.

3. League is COOOMING!!

Late June. Though Netamin seems to be inconsistent with deadlines, league is definitely on its way. We have a brand new automated (bug free) league system to look forward to. With teams anxiously waiting for competition, this league looks to be one of the most competitive of all time.

2. More Competitive!!!

In UBO2, it was Storm. They outleveled the competition and dominated tournament play. In 06, it was Stigma and Storm until the rest of the teams caught up level wise. Now, with every team on an equal level playing field, we have the most loaded Elite field to date.

1. The Game...Is Free..

Double Fusion and Advertising allows the game to be Free. No subscription necessary you can stop playing whenever you wish. You are not tied to this game.

Basically, we have a lot to look forward to. The game is getting better. Ignore the whiners and the people who make this game unplayable. Ignore the vets who long for the good ol' days and criticize the game when they could just play something else. They are like old people at a nursing home wishing for the 40s. Good Luck!! See You On The Field!!!

Small Updates from Netamin

2008-06-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

NEWBert here, just checking in to keep everyone posted on the league situation and the next patch. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend, later.

As far as the league situation is concerned, Netamin is now testing the playoff stages.
The small patch to be released did indeed remove the spirit system (didn't know it even worked).
The wave has been changed back...sort of. Everyone is able to wave, but a runner still must be on base or running.

Netamin's Three-Course Meal

2008-06-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Netamin's been busy lately and the community is benefiting as a result. Currently, Netamin is dishing out a three-course meal to die for.

First up, is the Home-Run Derby.

The Home-Run Derby Tournament is in short an open particpation HR derby that is run through the UBO camp. Players of all levels may participate by just heading over to camp and selecting "Homerun Derby". The player from each rank (RK, MIN, MAJ, AS, MVP) that totals the most HR's in a single 10 out session will be declared the winner and inducted into the Hall of Fame. Each winner will then be allowed (if desired) to put a photograph of themself in the list of Hall of Famers.

The Home-Run Derby Tournament opened on June 2nd and will close in 2 weeks time.

I caught up with Kreston, the current leader of the MAJ Homerun Derby standings.

NEWBert: So, Kreston, you think you can win this Home-Run Derby Tournament?
Kreston: I hope so, lol, but I'm going to beat my own record.
NEWBert: What's the most homeruns you've hit so far?
Kreston: 12.
NEWBert: Do you have any tips for other players to hit more homeruns in the Home-Run Derby?
Kreston: Well if I told them my trick then 12 wouldn't be enough, but if I could give them one tip it's be to not use big blue.
NEWBert: Cal Ripken got into the Hall of Fame on his first try, do you think if you don't make it this time, you'll be the clear cut winner for the 2nd HR Derby?
Kreston: I plan on taking all of them.
NEWBert: Thanks for your time, best of luck out there.
Kreston: But if I could just add one more thing.
NEWBert: Sure, go ahead.
Kreston: This is RBO, nothing is a set win.
NEWBert: Thanks.

The second course to dine on is the small patch that will be released shortly. Make sure to check the RBO Chronicle website for specifics in the near future. There are rumors of removal of the spirit system and the re-addition of waving, but nothing has been confirmed.

The last course or the dessert, is the arrival of league. Straight from Customer Support, "we’re nearing the launch of our league." Get excited, because registration may be here sooner that you think. On the rumor end of things, the RBO Chronicle caught word of an auto-updating news and scores system. Also heard in the rumor mill, was that the league system had been tested and determined to be bug-free. No need to bring your RAID cans to your league games anymore...thank God!

BBRI - June Update

2008-06-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

I wasn't exactly sure how or when to display Bothe's Batter Rating Index (BBRI), so I'm going to make it a monthly thing. I've perfected the formula as well as added in some new factors. One of the bigger changes that you will see is the seperation by season. Each season is now seperate, however the formula for all is the same. I included all of the season 2008-2 players I have entered but only the top 10 for the seasons of old.

2008-2 Season

1. Roguee - 9.568
2. MiiG - 9.389
3. ZachAtack - 9.310
4. aroy - 9.091
5. gatyopin2 - 8.469
6. BigJuddd - 8.390
7. HaZeD - 8.357
8. Baptiste - 8.332
9. Corv 8.191
10. ClarkKent - 8.036
11. Crede24 - 8.032
12. ABSmoke - 7.927
13. Nos - 7.905
14. HrPower - 7.818
15. 66 - 7.785
16. CptnWoot - 7.738
17. Pete998 - 7.628
18. dcurt25 - 7.622
19. klemens - 7.593
20. Cunning - 7.590
21. d1nonly2 - 7.587
22. William - 7.509
23. Puddles - 7.497
24. 96 - 7.303
25. Ebola - 7.189
26. HugeEvil - 7.187
27. SEC - 7.113
28. Wiggy - 7.078
29. GAWD - 7.077
30. SpliF - 7.042
31. ensferum - 6.974
32. MelkyNYY 6.968
33. Skoal - 6.950
34. Papi - 6.932
35. Scooter - 6.862
36. Yardog - 6.838
37. DrDeath - 6.754
38. XdSnipe - 6.574
39. Junior03 - 6.545
40. Rbush - 6.458
41. h0w - 6.359
42. masterpai - 6.356
43. SPIDAJ - 6.258
44. D3thklok - 6.210
45. DIESELUSA - 6.070
46. ConMan - 5.435
47. Zack - 5.419
48. SmokeOut - 5.394
49. yardsale - 5.280
50. ElDuque - 5.181
51. Zac - 5.166
52. Megatron - 5.070
53. nubXPRESS - 4.878
54. Ipwn - 3.899
55. SniperX - 3.642

2008-1 Season

1. klemens - 10.199
2. Papi - 10.138
3. Roguee - 9.577
4. MiiG - 9.522
5. HrPower - 9.455
6. HaZeD - 9.371
7. Kentucky - 8.922
8. DrDeath - 8.877
9. TheMan - 8.837
10. Yogster - 8.761

2007-4 Season

1. MiiG - 10.255
2. HaZeD - 9.793
3. Frogger - 9.542
4. BenyDJet - 9.298
5. Papi - 9.249
6. YardDog - 9.003
7. klemens - 8.987
8. HeXDeMoN - 8.948
9. DrDeath - 8.933
10. HrPower - 8.815

2007-3 Season

1. 9cWrath - 10.461
2. Shockz - 10.439
3. CptnWoot - 9.944
4. Revoke - 9.643
5. Paula19 - 9.464
6. Papi - 9.355
7. MiiG - 9.339
8. XdSnipe - 9.258
9. Final - 8.829
10. big123 - 8.824

Saturday Blast III - Recap

2008-05-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

Over 80 players showed up for some Saturday Blast action, all to compete for fun, respect, and a nice trophy. After the first two rounds of play the huge 18 team field was narrowed down to just 8 teams.

The final 8 teams:

Rage - Her0, Mattman13, PrinceAL, Proto
ReJected - AWinkler2, LuckyMe89, soulcrshr, BRM1975
Empire - Mafia, Futurama, TheMan, Fire911, Frogger
BombSquad - DERAILER, Killerboy, PapaRoach, AraBBeast
Legacy - MelkyNYY, BiGMarC, Dre
Lynx - ThatMan, Writhe, xXBRAVOXx, SantiagoM, Jeeps
Flight - Puddles, SEC, Yardog, D3thklok, DrDeath
BumbleBees - gatyopin2, Baptiste, 0, DanTheMan, ABSmoke

Quarterfinals

Rage vs ReJected
Rage dominated ReJected who were "hawt" off a win over Hawtness (klemens, Skoal, Scooter, TunaGob, Zack). ReJected's lone run came in the top of the 3rd from a BRM1975 solo HR. Rage's offense exploded in the bottom of the 2nd with RBI singles from Proto and Her0 and then a monsterous grandslam from Mattman13.

Final score: Rage 7, ReJected 1.

Empire vs BombSquad
Maybe it was the BombSquad spirits of old that carried the team this far, but they stood no chance against Empire. Futurama hit Empire's only HR of the game, and went 3-4 for the game. TheMan knocked in 3 RBI's and Mafia chalked up a RBI, going 4-5 in the winning effort. Fire911 pitched well giving up 0 runs through 2 IP, but after a UDP TheMan was forced to take over the helm. The BombSquad scored 2 runs in the 3rd inning, but it wasn't enough to match the 6 runs Empire had already put up.

Final score: Empire 6, BombSquad 2.

Legacy vs Lynx
Legacy got a nice shock to their system as Lynx powered their way to victory. SantiagoM blasted 2 homeruns and xXBRAVOXx hit a solo shot. Heading into the bottom of the 3rd inning, Legacy was staring at a 6-1 deficit. With a nice rally Dre hit a 2-run HR and Melky added another 2 run HR, but it was all too late.

Final score: Lynx 6, Legacy 5.

Flight vs BumbleBees
With good pitching on both sides, each team was always within strike of taking the lead. DrDeath and gatyopin2 each pitched excellently, but DrDeath was on the wrong end of 2 BumbleBee homeruns. gatyopin2 took the initiative early, hitting a solo HR in the very first at bat of the game. ABSmoke hit the 2nd HR giving the BumbleBees a 2-0 cushion heading into the bottom of the 3rd. Down 2 with a runner on base and 2 outs, Krynn was unable to deliver.

Final score: BumbleBees 2, Flight 0.

Semifinals!

Lynx vs Rage
Jeeps made a late arrival to take out the Rage offense holding them to just 1 run. Rage's only run came off a harmless RBI single in the top of the 2. Even with only allowing 1 run, Lynx still saw themselves losing in the bottom of the 3rd. Writhe changed all that knocking a walkoff 2-run single.

Final score: Lynx 2, Rage 1.

BumbleBees vs Empire
How you score 7 runs and hit 0 HRs I'm not sure. BumbleBees did just that with hits all across the board. Baptiste led the BumbleBees with 3 RBIs and gatyopin2 and 0 each had 2. Empire made a late run with Frogger hitting a solo single and an RBI double from Futurama. Unfortunately, it was all to late and gatyopin2 recorded the 3rd and final out.

Final score: BumbleBees 7, Empire 3.

Championship.

BumbleBees vs Lynx
Before the game even began, Jeeps had a bad feeling in his gut. After asking him to keep my informed on the game highlights, he responded "I can tell you the future and make it easy...me = raped." Though a little crude, he was spot on. The first inning saw his prediction come true as 0, DanTheMan, and gatyopin2 went back to back to back, but things were only going to get worse. Writhe hit a solo HR in top 2 to attempt to bring Lynx back into the game, but it was to no avail. The BumbleBees stung Jeeps were it hurts the most knocking an insane 11 runs in the top of the 2nd. 0 and gatyopin2 each had hit their 2nd HRs and the game quickly became a slugfest. After the carnage was cleared, Lynx made a dying effort with SantiagoM hitting a HR to bring Lynx back within 10 runs. gatyopin2 deemed it was enough and registered his 3rd strikeout of the game to bring things to a close.

Final score: BumbleBees 14, Lynx 4.

Recap

I caught up with Baptiste after the game.

NEWBert: Do you have any closing words for the tournament?
Baptiste: Banana phone.

To coincide with my Top Performer Awards (TPAs), I have to give out the usual MVP for the Saturday Blast. The BumbleBees had two standout players, 0 and gatyopin2. Each blasted 5 homeruns and knocked 10+ hits in the tournament. I really cannot choose one over the other, so hell, we've got our first Co-MVPs. Congrats 0 and gatyopin2, y'all are MVPs.

Once again I'd like to thank all for participating in the 3rd installment of the Saturday Blast. I'd also like to give a special shout-out to GM19 for spending his Saturday with us, as well donating his time and effort.

Memorial Day Finals: Recap

2008-05-30T20:25:00.001-07:00

The Pregame
Both managers had their respective teams in the practice clubhouse getting the last bit of atbats in before the start of the ballgame. Two of the premier elite teams in RBO were looking to get underarmb down to a tee before game time. The starters....

Empire: MelkyNYY, Roguee, Pete998, Prooot, ElDuque
FlightAL: ZachAtack, Puddles, ClarkKent, SEC, DrDeath

Empire vs Flight "Controversy Flies High"

Top 1 - FlightAL Batting
ElDuque started strong getting ZachAtack to fly out to Right Field. Puddled then singled. ClarkKent lined out to LF. Manager SEC then also singled. DrDeath nudged a soft hit between the 3B and the SS to load up the bases.

KEY MOMENT: With 2 Outs and a chance to put his team on the board, ZachAtack grounded out with the bases loaded. After the Top of the First, it was 0-0.

Bottom 1 - Empire Batting
MelkyNYY led off the game with a homerun, working a full count and launching a knuckleball into the centerfield seats. Roguee popped out, then had to leave the game because of an undisclosed injury. Cristobal was ubbed in to take his place. After the substitution, Pete998 Homered to RF to give Empire a 2-0 lead. Dr.Death recovered momentarily striking out BigMarc, but then let up another homerun to ElDuque making it 3-0 Empire. Melky homered again, as Empire started off hot with a 4 homerun first inning. Cristobal would single but Pete998 would pop out to RF to end the frame.

Top 2 - FlightAL Batting
FlightAL looked to cut the lead quickly in the second. Puddles singled but back to back outs by ClarkKent and SEC rendered it moot. DrDeath followed with yet another infield single, and ZachAtack did the same.

KEY MOMENT: With 2 Outs and 2 consecutive bases loaded, Puddles failed to bring a runner home by grounding out to LF.

Bottom 2 - Empire Batting
Proot/BigMarc started the inning off flying out to RF. Duque followed with his second homerun of the night, and the inning ended with a ground out to firstbase by Melky, and a lineout to RF by Pete. An infield single by Cristobal was sandwiched in the middle. It looked as if DrDeath had made the adjustment.

Top 3 - FlightAL Batting
ClarkKent singled to leadoff the third. Duque managed to induce a fielders choice and then get DrDeath the strike out. Zach singled in his next ab and then the big bat came: Puddles. With a 3-run homerun, Puddles put Flight within 2 runs. Clark then flied out to RF

KEY MOMENT: With 2 outs and a shot to get out of the inning, Elduque gave up a single to Zach and a 3 run homerun to Puddles.

Bottom 3 - Empire Batting
Nothing doing for Empire in the bottom of the frame. A single by BigMarc, a lineout by ElDuque, a single to the LCF gap by Melky, and another single by Cristobal loaded the baes for Pete. Nothing. Dr.Death wiggled out of the jam.

KEY MOMENT: With 2 Outs and the bases loaded, Pete998 could not get the runners home.

Top 4 - FlightAL Batting
ElDuque tried his best to get through a tough fourth inning but not before Flight got right back into the game. SEC led off with a homerun to RF to make it a 5-4 game. DrDeath then added his third consecutive infield single. Zachatack grounded out into a fielder's choice, continue his early struggles. Puddles hit the ball hard into the LCF Gap but Melky managed to get there in time and make the play for the second out. 6-5 Flight. That wasn't all though. SEC singled and DrDeath added yet another infield single. Zachatach shot an RBI single down the right side to make it a 7-5 ballgame. Puddles then connected with a 3 run homerun to make it a 10-5 contest. ClarkKent then singled, and SEC homered to make it 12-5 Flight. DrDeath then shoved every infield single he had, put them together, and launched a bomb over the fence to make it 13-5. ZachAtack ended to rally, by making the last out of a long inning. 13-5 Flight.

KEY MOMENT: More 2 Out baseball as Flight was unable to be stopped by ElDuque.

Bot 4 - Empire Batting
How will Empire respond? Not a good start as BigMarc lined out. ElDuque though, would single to put a baserunner aboard for Melky. Melky doubled in the gap to give Pete runners on 2nd and third with one out. Pete would then homer to make the game respectable at 13-8. BigMarc lined out to end the frame.

Top 5 - FlightAL Batting
ElDuque was still in the game. Puddles singled and Clark homered to give FlightAL 15 runs on the night. SEC struckout, DrDeath added an infield single to the party. Zach and Puddles both made outs to end the inning.

Bot 5 - Empire Batting
ElDuque started the inning with a pop out. Melky, KidNasty (subbed in for Cristobal), Pete all singled to load the bases. BigMarc added another single over the head of the shortstop to make it 15-9. ElDuque then launched a single down the LF line that plated 2, but BigMarc got hung up between second and third and was tagged out. 15-11.

On first with a 1-1 count, KidNasty asked Melky on vent before the windup if he wanted him to white now, shocked that Melky would consider it with one strike. Melky then typed during the windup up "white now", since no one talks during the actual ab on vent. Melky jumped off of first base and saw the 1B wave, seeing this he slid into second safely. He then asked to go back, which FlightAL did not want to do. Knowing that every other team does this, Melky called a GM who misunderstood the situation as a bunt for some reason. Anyway, later, knowing all the details Rubber would rule that he would have had Melky go back anyway. DrDeath gave up a 3 run homerun to Kidnasty on the very next pitch. Pete would single, and BigMarc continued to struggle by striking out.

KEY MOMENT: Really?

Top 6 - FlightAL Batting
ClarkKent started the inning off with an out. SEC singled, Dr.Death Kd and Zach continued his rough night by lining out to end the inning.

KEY MOMENT: ElDuque came back on the hill and allowed no runs to score.

Bot 6 - Empire Batting
ElDuque led off with a single. Melky took a ball to the LF wall, barely missed it, for the first out of the inning. KidNasty grounded into a Fielder's Choice and Pete followed suit with a signle. With 2 on and 2 outs BigMarc launched a down and in sinker over the RF wall for a walkoff victory.

KEY MOMENT: Walkoff

Though Newbert seemed to have not given out MVPs because i guess he misunderstood the Flight situation (NEWBert didn't misunderstand the situation, he just disagrees with the end result), I will. Obviously Rubber ruled that he would have made the SAME ruling knowing the facts, and other managers like CTAP also confirmed teams let the runner back, I don't think it really is an issue anymore.

MVP: ElDuque - with no backup pitcher he helped his own cause and came up big and big situations throughout the tournament.

Predictions: Melky 1-0 , Newbert 0-1

Final Score: Empire 17, Flight 15

MVP Award - Memorial Day Mayhem

2008-05-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

The MVP for the Memorial Day Mayhem does not go to either team due to the controversy surrounding the game. Instead the award goes to GM19. His stats for the tournament include having his balls against the wall, being up the creek without a paddle, and trying to dig his way out of a hole.

In a situation where video footage would solve all, GM19 was left to make a controversial decision. Unfortunately, there was no 100% correct solution to the situation. So props to GM19 for winning his 1st Top Performer Award!!!

Catching Up to the Top Performers

2008-05-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

Looks like I've fallen behind on my Top Performer Awards (TPAs). I'm going to do this ass-backwards and say congrats to KidNub, Wiggy, Nataliamo, SlayerXX, and DrDeath to winning their 1st TPA's. Don't ask why I picked 5 players, I just can't leave some guys out.

Wiggy - The man is an animal...nuff said. He basically carried the Carnage squad in their game against Empire. He's hit 4 HR's and slugged 2.875 for the tournament, so it's virtually impossible to deny him a TPA.

KidNub - Walkoff HR anyone? KidNub is 9-12 with 3 HRs and 6 RBIs. He was a huge roadblock for Megatron in the Empire, Carnage game and he's got his eye on that Memorial Mayhem trophy.

Nataliamo - He's one of the reasons that Rage had some early success. 16-20, 5 HRs, 8 RBIs, 10 runs...scary that he's just an All-star with limited tournament experience.

SlayerXX - The other reason Rage had their early success. No one really knows what to expect from SlayerXX and he's certainly made a push to establish him as yet another great pitcher in the elite ranks.

DrDeath - He's back. DrDeath's underhand pitching is never fun to bat against (unless you're one of those underhand hitting freaks). DrDeath's been back on his game and has carried a 6.50 ERA through 18 innings of work.

Memorial Day Finals Preview

2008-05-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Preview time once again. Time to highlight why so and so will win so and so by so and so. FlightAL is coming off of a thrilling late inning win last night again Rage. Puddles' walk off homerun sent FlightAL to the finals in style. FlightAL celebrated through the night and want to put their organization back on the map with a solid win today. Not to be outdone, the New York Empire are coming off of a 2 out, 4 run barrage of a comeback against Carnage. Kidnub's walkoff homerun also sent his team into the finals against a solid Carnage team. The Carnage and Rage dream matchup was not to take place tonight, as FlightAL and Empire try and build their own rivalry.

The Side Story
If Crede24 sees the field, it will be the first time he faces his former team. Crede24 has been rather nonexistent in FlightAL's plan, but if FlightAL manager SEC wants to add some fire into the lineup look for Crede24 to have a reason to play well.

ElDuque looks to face off against his former team with Empire first baseman Mafia taking the field behind him. Does FlightAL have ElDuque's number? Can Mafia and ElDuque use their experience on FlightAL for an added edge?

The Pitchers
Dr.Death: 2 - 0 6.50 ERA 18 IP 11 Ks 1.44 WHIP .333 BAA
ElDuque: 2-0 6.23 ERA 13 IP 7Ks 1.38 WHIP .321 BAA

Advantage: Draw
Both pitchers have righty under b windups and both of these teams are familiar with each pitcher. DrDeath and ElDuque are both more or less on the same boat when it comes to their incredible tournament stats. Death has been consistently solid and ElDuque seems to shut every team down for 4 or 5 innings.

The Sluggers
ZachAtack: 9-18 2 homeruns 3 RBIs
Puddles: 9-20 4 homeruns 7 RBIs
-----
Roguee: 9-15 1 Homerun 1 RBi 5 Runs Scored
KidNub: 9-12 3 Homeruns 6 Rbis

Advantage: Empire
Both are solid hitters, but Roguee and KidNub are on base and across the plate slightly more than FlightAL's sluggers. Both hitters hitting well over 600 or 600 and both hitters showing gap power.

What Will Happen?
Game will be tied until the fourth, where Roguee hits a solo homerun to put Empire on top. FlightAL ties it up with a SEC homerun in their abs. The Bottom of the 5th sees Empire go Scoreless, and FlightAL manages to put together a small rally and score one in the 6th. In the Bottom of the 6th, KidNub walks off again and sends Empire home in a 3-2 victory.

Melky's Prediction: Empire 3, FlightAL 2
Melky's Players to Watch: ElDuque, DrDeath
Newbert's Prediction: Empire 6, FlightAL 8
Newbert's Players to Watch: MilkyNYY, DrDeath

Memorial Day Tournament - Round 3 Recap

2008-05-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

The semifinal game between FlightAL and Rage proved to be much more than the laugher I predicted (or Newbert for that matter). The game was a competitive game from the first inning all the way to the sixth inning in which one team came up big. Empire sat their intently watching as they awaited their opponent in the Finals.

Lo' and Behold
Are we seeing a rise of more elite teams, or is Rage just having one of those tournaments. Expected to be blown out for the second straight game, Rage found themselves entwined in a prototypical pitcher's duel. Dr. Death did not disappoint, masterfully picking apart what has now become a solid Elite hitting team. Nataliamo has been having one hell of a tournament, and Rage proved that their timely hitting in their last game was not a fluke.

The Offense
Nataliamo is 16-20 with 5 homeruns and 8 RBIs in this tournament. His continued pressure on the Flight defense and his ability to drive home runs put FlightAL on notice. Only behind Nataliamo in batting average, Her0 has been having a solid tournament. Not showing any power since his first game, me managed a pair of hits off of Dr.Death and is only second to Nataliamo in runs scored.

SEC and Puddles carried the FlightAL offense today both homering in the game. ZachAtack failed to homer for the first time this tournament. FlightAL managed to score about a run an inning throughout the game, and found themselves trailing by 1 heading into the final frame.

The Upset?
Not on FlightAL's watch. Puddles drilled a 2 out walkoff homerun that broke the heart of every Rage player in the lobby and in the game. A gallant effort by Rage but FlightAL moves on to face Empire later tonight.

Final Score: FlightAL 8, Rage 7
Player of the Game: Puddles
Next Game: Finals v Empire

Memorial Day Tournament - Round 3 Preview

2008-05-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

A little late for previews, as game time is about an hour away but we will give it a go anyway. Only one game will be played tonight as the winner of the matchup will face Empire in the finals. FlightAL knocked off T.Tech, the best team in the field per RBO Chronicle Power Rankings and Rage upset the second best team, Bombers. The matchup should be interesting. FlightAL clearly seems to have the upper edge, can Rage pull off another upset?

FlightAL vs Rage "Can They Do It Again?"
No. I have FlightAL winning this game rather easily. After analyzing the Rage and Empire game, I came to the conclusion that Rage ran into some incredible luck and timely hitting. These two things are very hard to duplicate. Nataliamo and Busted both had great games, and the way Dr.Death is pitching I am pretty sure the FlightAL ace should be able to control them. Her0 needs to hit the ball hard and the rest of the Rage offense has to put some runs on the board which is very difficult to do off of Dr.Death.

The Rage pitcher, xxSlayerxx, had an amazing game against the Bombers offense. Impressive. Can he repeat it? FlightAL is far more active and more dangerous than FlightNL right now, so their offensive inconsistencies should not be compared. FlightAL has repeatedly scored runs off of difficult pitchers. Zachatack, RBush, and SEC look to continue end Slayer’s streak. Rage made a hell of a run, but I am predicting FlightAL defeats rage rather easily and face off against Empire in the finals tomorrow.

Melky’s Prediction: FlightAL 11, Rage 3
Melky’s Players to Watch: Zachatack, xxSlayerxx
Newbert’s Prediction: FlightAL 30, Rage 0 (I figure I can't go wrong, twice)
Newbert’s Players to Watch: SEC, Her0

BBRI - Round 2

2008-05-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Bothe's Batter Rating Index is up and running and I've currently got the first 100 players entered. I figured you'd enjoy seeing where you rank up compared to everyone else. Remember the BBRI takes into account multiple factors. Just because you batted .680 does not mean you are ranked over the guy who batted .590. Dink singles never got you anywhere to begin with. Please note these update BBRI numbers do not coincide with the previous numbers. The formula was tweaked to better suit the post-pink era of UBO. Good luck finding yourself, try guessing which category you're in. The first column denotes rank, second is player name, third indicates the season used for calculation, and the last column is the actual rating.

Amazing.

Nice.

Not too shabby.

Consider Uninstalling.

Memorial Day Tournament - Round 2 Recap

2008-05-29T05:29:00.000-07:00

The second round of the memorial day tournament saw three games neck and neck early. Apparently, the baseball gods were enthralled with the idea of extra inning games, as two of the three games flirted with extra innings. But of course, they had to have that offensive explosion and that upset that keeps every baseball fan on their toes.

T.Tech vs FlightAL - "3 Times is NOT? A Charm"
My apologies for the lack of details in this game ahead of time, I had to step out almost immediately after the game and the T.Tech and Flight game was still going on. What I do know, is that FlightAL seemed to constantly push ahead, and remained in control of the game 7-4 until the latter stages of the game. T.Tech fought back to make it a 1 run contest but to no avail, as Flight came through with a win. If anyone on Flight or Tech would like to send me a recap of the game, I am available through PM on Factor and will more than happily recap the game.

What i will discuss is the reset that occurred in the final inning. Again, I respect both Tech and Flight and am giving my objective opinion on this matter. I have no idea whether Tech forfeited or whether the game was played but from what I know, T.Tech should have forfeited that game. The 2 Timeout Rule was in effect last night. The rule is self-explanatory, you get 2 timeouts throughout the entire game. Regardless if the game goes extras or someone has to go, it does not matter. In the Empire-Carnage game, Empire was not allowed to sub a third time because of this rule, even though the game went into extra innings. The GM and the opposing manager informed me of this and I just had to let my team play on.

In the Flight and Tech game, the opposing manager allegedly informed Tech, and he chose to sub anyway. The illegal sub caused the game to crash. Immediately, FlightAL should have won by forfeit. After doing this, Tech was not allowed to sub. Tech though, got a complete restart with fresh stamina all around. Even if they successfully pull that substitution and Puddles does not lag out, they should forfeit. Even if the player subbed in leaves and someone reenters, or they play with 4, they still forfeit. The advantage they gain because of this is astounding. That aside, FlightAL behind ZachAtack, RBush, Puddles, and DrDeath defeated T.Tech. Kiku came in earlier than he ever has and could not handle the workload. Look out for T.Tech as they try and mold a second pitcher to use in the latter stages of the game.

Final Score: FlightAL 8, T.Tech 7
Next Game: vs Rage
Player of the Game: TBA

Bombers vs Rage - "Nothing Makes Sense Anymore"
Their offense is scintillating, relentless, they play solid baseball all around. They use every part of the field and everyone compliments each other. They have someone who just gets on base, they have power hitters, they avoid striking out at all costs. Their pitching is solid. No, not Bombers. Rage. After almost getting upset by StarFire, Rage dealt the upset of the tournament by dominating the Bombers 12-4.

iPwn gave up 5 of those 12 runs, unable to muster a rhythm. The same culprits from last game, Nataliamo, Busted, and Might added some power while Her0 managed to get aboard with infield singles. This combination managed to get 5 runs off ipwn and then 7 off of KMAN. The Bombers offense could not score off of xxSlayerxx who might just be one of the up and coming pitches in RBO. The leadoff hitter for Rage, Busted, set the tone early, and gave his club all the runs necessary to win.

Final Score: Rage 12 - Bombers 4
Next Game: vs Flight AL *thanks Majewicz for the heads up on the edit*
Player of the Game: Busted

Empire vs Carnage - "No More Subs? No Problem."
Carnage exposed Empire last night. They showed that the key to beating Bombers is to keep the game somewhat close heading into the final frame. If you do that, you get to the bullpen. With Precision on the disabled list, Empire is running one pitcher out there hoping he throws 6 innings. Against Rejected, maybe, against a veteran team and a hot hitter like Wiggy...not so much.

ElDuque handled Carnage fairly well. Only Wiggy managed any success off of him. Wiggy had 2 homeruns in the first 6 innings and was responsible for half of his teams RBIs in the first 6 innings. The game was 9-5 heading into Carnage's last licks, and that is when everything imploded. The 9 runs for Empire came off the bats of KidNub, Roguee, Pete998, and Kidnasty. KidNub belted 3 homeruns on the night and Pete and Kidnasty added one homerun a piece. In the 6th, Wiggy and company tied the score with a homers by their sub, bNutz. With 2 outs, they would sub in Sparkie to relieve.

KidNasty would be forced to pitch, and he gave up a homerun to Wiggy, his third, making the game 11-9. He would give up one more run make it 12-9 heading into the bottom of the 8th. With their backs against the ropes and 2 outs, Empire's final hope was KidNasty. Sparkie was one strike away, but kidnasty managed to work a 3-2 count and hit a solid single. Pete998 would follow with his second homerun of the night, making it a 12-11 game. The pitcher, Elduque followed with a single of his own, all with 2 outs. The game was now in the hands of KidNub. GG. A 2 run homerun deep and gone sent the Empire ballclub home in walkoff fashion.

Final Score: Empire 14, Carnage 13
Next Game: Bye
Player of the Game: KidNub

Bothe's Batter Rating Index (BBRI)

2008-05-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

This is another one of my bright ideas to add to the RBO Chronicle. Bothe's Batter Rating Index, better known as the BBRI, was developed by the legendary CBothe. Though in need of some minor tweaking to adjust to modern times, the formula still holds some value. I plan to implement the BBRI to the Top Performer Awards on the hitting end of things and then possibly tracking BBRI for all hitters across a tournament.

The BBRI formula factors in batting average, slugging percentage, AB/HR, and strikeouts.

Now, I figured rather than just listing the base for the formula I should put it to good use and rank some of today's top players. To be fair and to include some players of old I'm going to use one season from some players. I used my best judgement in choosing the players "standout" season, but I probably cheated some of you a bit. I'll eventually have a huge excel file with hundreds of players entered, but data entry is boring work. If you wanted to be added to the excel file, even if you are a random RBO player, I'll add you. Just mention it to nubXPRESS in the game client and I'll add you to the excel file and you'll get to see where you rank in a future RBO Chronicle posting. So for now, here are the results of 20 players that I hand selected (players ranked by the BBRI). If you are at the bottom of this list it really isn't that bad of a thing (unless your name is ElDuque). Just wait until I run some of RBO's "champions".

1. CptnWoot, 2007-3 - 14.279
2. 9cWrath, 2007-3 - 13.443
3. Papi, 2008-1 - 12.245
4. klemens, 2008-1 - 12.165
5. HaZeD, 2007-4 - 11.864
6. Revoke, 2007-3 - 11.759
7. MiiG, 2008-2 - 11.363
8. BigJuddd, 2008-2 - 9.342
9. KidNasty, 2007-3 - 9.295
10. Baptiste, 2008-2 - 8.710
11. d1nonly2, 2008-2 - 8.424
12. Cunning, 2008-2 - 8.078
13. ToyBoy, 2007-4 - 7.849
14. HeadAke, 2007-4 - 7.791
15. SpliF, 2008-1 - 7.576
16. ensferum, 2008-2 - 7.485
17. klemens, 2008-2 - 7.225
18. Puddles, 2008-2 - 7.023
19. Wiggy, 2008-2 - 6.866
20. GAWD, 2008-2 - 6.774
21. MelkyNYY, 2008-2 - 6.576
22. Junior03, 2008-2 - 6.083
23. ElDuque, 2008-2 - 4.634

As you can see, the BBRI is still pretty good at ranking players. If necessary the formula can be tweaked, but I think it's fine for now. Please note, slugging percentages are skewed under the statistics section of the RBO website for season 2008-2. I have taken this into account and edited the slugging percentages. Also, take note that parameters have recently been tweaked. You can see the difference between a 2008-2 statistic line compared to 2008-1. I ran myself twice just to show that. I'd also like to point out that some players on the list have 3 triples while others have over 100. It affects the slugging percentage, but is more reflective over the player themself. Luckily, slugging percentage is only part of the BBRI and it is weighted properly.

Memorial Day Round 2 Preview and Prediction

2008-05-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

T.Tech vs FlightAL
The defending tournament champions played 4 to 5 innings of close baseball against RotowireNL. RotowireNL managed to mix great outfield defense and solid pitching with a consistent offense in the early stages of the game to push Tech to their limit. Unfortunately, Baptiste and company will not be able to rely on poor infield defense to win their upcoming game against FlightAL. FlightAL manager SEC has been consistently playing his active players, by doing so, he is putting his best team on the field and giving his club the best chance to win. Active players rarely make defensive mistakes, especially active elite players.

WCKDPRK has another challenge ahead of him. ZachAtack and SEC look to put the pressure on the T.Tech ace. Zach looks to follow his 2 homerun performance with another offensive show against Tech. Against Hybrids, FlightAL dominated a very good pitcher in SniperX and will face a very similar pitcher in WCKDPRK. The story might have to just be Dr.Death, whos return to tournament play was highlighted by a 1 ER performance. But Death might face different results when faced with Baptiste and Gatyopin2 and company as Tech is notorious for double digit run totals.

My prediction. FlightAL. FlightAL has been the complete opposite of their sister FlightNL team. Active, with pitching, and with consistent bats. FlightAL has the offense to hurt WCKDPRK and get to that inexperienced bullpen early, and the pitching to hold Tech between 5-9 runs. I usually hate picking against the champions, but FlightAL seems poised for an upset.

Melky's Prediction: FlightAL 11, T.Tech 8
Melky's Players To Watch: ZachAtack, Gatyopin2
Newbert's Prediction: FlightAL 8, TTech 11
Newbert's Players To Watch: ZachAtack, gatyopin2

Empire vs Carnage
Carnage earned (err) a bye in the first round of the Memorial Day Tournament and look to build on their Cinco De Mayo Final Four appearance. If you remember, Carnage had various key late inning homeruns that seemed to push them to success throughout the tournament. Their loss to the eventual champions in extra innings only furthered their desire to succeed in the Memorial Day Tournament.

The difference between this tournament's Carnage and last tournament's Carnage is the supporting cast. They lost bden2 to free agency and Ebola to FlightNL. To regain their strength, Mega recruited Sparkie, a legit Elite league pitcher. Wiggy, bNutz, Smith and the rest of the Carnage offense look to step right into the tournament and pick up where they left off.

My prediction. Empire. Empire defeated ReJected convincingly 9-0. Their offense started off slow, but picked up late scoring 9 runs in the final 3 innings. They should carry the momentum into the next game. Revoke, KidNasty, Pete, Big123, Proot, and Melky should hit the Carnage pitching staff. It may all depend on who is on the mound for Carnage. ElDuque showed last game that a shutout is still a stat in RBO, and would enjoy another performance.

Melky's Prediction: Empire 8, Carnage 6
Melky's Players To Watch: KidNasty, Megatron
Newbert's Prediction: Empire 12, Carnage 14 (ElDuque gets rocked, but so does Mega)
Newbert's Players To Watch: Wiggy, MilkyNYY

Bombers vs Rage
Before the Carnage and Rage breakup, d1nonly2 found himself on an All Star team far from dominant. Rage was good for an AS team, but they were not a cut above the rest. Most Rage players aspired to be on Carnage, but when they broke up, many of them saw no reason to remain. D1nonly2 left Rage and fell onto the lap of the Empire organization, and today will be the first time he ever faces his former team. D1nonly2 looks to repeat a 4 homeruns top performer performance and drive in 9 more RBIs. When you put up those numbers, you DESERVE an opening paragraph dedicated to you and only you.

Rage is a solid team that is just being introduced to Elite league play. Her0 put up solid numbers knocking out 3 homeruns off of maico and the Starfire pitchers. Starfire played Rage tough until the final frame and lost by two runs, but a win is a win regardless who it is against and by how many runs. Nataliamo, Might, and The24Kid all impressed and it is RBO....you never know.

My prediction. Bombers. Starfire "held" Rage to 12 runs, you assume KMAN or iPwn can hold them to at least half of that. Also, Starfire knocked home 10 runs, you could assume also that Frogger, Edua, Jiraiya, D1, KMAN etc... can knock out double that.

Melky's Prediction: Bombers 15, Rage 5
Melky's Players To Watch: iPwn, her0
Newbert's Prediction: Bombers 30, Rage 0
Newbert's Players To Watch: KMAN, Jiraiya

Saturday Blast 3 - Registration Closes May 30th

2008-05-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

The 3rd installment of GM19's Saturday Blast will be held on May 31st. All players lvl 30 and up are encouraged to sign up and get in on the action. Currently, a total of nine teams are registered, but there is always room for more.

The Saturday Blast is in the "Create your own team" format. Any player may be a manager, registering the names of his fellow teammates as well as choosing a creative team name. After the manager has submitted his team name and players, the players must each individually login to the website and confirm their participation in the tournament. Once all 5 members are confirmed, the team will be approved.

Games will be held at 10:00 AM PST/1:00 PM EST.

Sign up now as registration closes soon and all players must be confirmed by 11:59 PM pacific on May 30th.

Top Performers - Memorial Day Mayhem, Round 1

2008-05-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Memorial Day Mayhem has begun. With the start of the tournament comes great responsibility...wait, this isn't the Spiderman blog...nevermind. Round 1 of the Memorial Day Mayhem gave us some amazing performances on both sides of the ball. Both of my picks for the Round 1 Top Performers come from the Yankee Organization. Each were clear cut winners as their performances stood out above the rest.

Top Performer: Hitting

-d1nonly2, Bombers

d1nonly2 has been on fire on the tournament end of things. Fresh off a Saturday Blast MVP award, d1nonly2 is back on the podium with a Top Performer Award. This may be d1's first TPA, but if he continues on his rampage he might be in store for a lot more. d1nonly2 launched 4 homeruns and accounted for 9 RBIs. With 6 hits on the night, d1nonly2 helped his team put up 15 runs on FlightNL as they cruised to victory.

Top Performer: Pitching

-ElDuque, Empire

One word, wow. Pitching 6 innings in a RBO game is hard enough. RBO leaves most pitchers in need of therapy. ElDuque put up a Grade A performance pitching a 4 hit shutout against ReJected. Shutouts are rare enough in a 3 inning PUG affair, but to do it in the heat of the tournament clubhouse is truly amazing. ReJected left the field demoralized after batting a mere .182 in the game. Possibly related to the Big Unit, Randy Johnson, the Big Gay Latino threw a gem in the Empire win.

Congrats to ElDuque and d1nonly2 for winning their 1st Top Performer Awards.

Memorial Day Tournament - Round 1 Recap

2008-05-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

RotowireNL vs T.Tech

Rotowire started off somewhat undermanned with Klemens and HaZeD not seeing the field until the 5th inning in their game against T.Tech. Even so, Roto jumped on Tech early and often scoring 6 runs before the 5th inning. New acquisition Blindman struck first with an RBI single off of WCKDPRK, and pitcher nubXPRESS followed suit with a key grandslam to help his own cost. Manager Day would also homer tacking on Roto's 6th run of the ball game. It was 6-5 heading into the T.Tech bottom of the 4th.

But bad defense and poor fundamentals cost RotowireNL the game. By allowing hits that should not have been allowed, the RotowireNL infield opened the door for back to back homeruns by Baptiste and Gatyopin2. Gatyopin's homer hurt the most, as his was a 3-run shot that put the game out of hand. To this point, nubXPRESS had pitched a great game, becoming one of the few pitchers to hold Tech to 1 run an inning. Even so, nubXPRESS was taken out of the game in favor of Chung. Chung would more or less hold Tech, but the RotowireNL offense fell dormant and failed to score anymore runs.

Final Score: T.Tech 10, RWNL 6
Player of the Game: Baptiste
Next Game: vs FlightAL

FlightAL vs Hybrids

FlightAL put on an offensive show early off of SniperX. ZachAtack started the scoring with a solor homerun in the second, and with 2 outs RBush added a three run shot of his own. Hybrids found themselves down 4 rather early. The usually reliable Hybrids pitching and defense seemed out of this game from the get go. And the barrage of homeruns would not end, as Puddles and Zach would both homer to give FlightAL 7 runs on the night.

Usually, Hybrids match their opponent run for run but Toyboy and company could not figure out DrDeath. GAWD homered off of Death in the latter stages of the game for the Hybrids only run. New manager Hybrids was nice enough to give me a quick interview on his first managerial loss after the game.

Melky: First managing job for you, how did it feel?
Haverford: A little pressure.
Melky: How so?
Haverford: ToyBoy is pretty big shoes to fill.
Melky: What is the biggest difference between you managing and Toyboy managing?
Haverford: The knowledge of the game. He was still learning the game a little bit.
Melky: If I gave you one chance to replay that game, what would you have done differently?
Haverford: Practice underhand B beforehand. Our D was great and our pitching was very good.
Melky: Do you have any other comments?
Haverford: We will be back...bank on it.

Final Score: FlightAL 7, Hybrids 1
Player of the Game: ZachAtack
Next Game: vs Tech

FlightNL vs Bombers

If you walked into the Practice Clubhouse an our before the game, you would have seen d1nonly2 dinking underarm against his teammate ElDuque all of the place. Gradually, he gained his swing and felt confident heading into the game. The last time against the Bombers, FlightNL lost 6-3, unable to figure out IPWN. Today, they failed to even make the game competitive.

Kman went 5 and 1/3 giving up 4 earned runs, thankfully iPwn was available to close out the game for Bombers. Corv was the only FlightNL player to find any success off of KMAN hitting 2 homeruns in the game. D1nonly2 gave Bombers all the offense they needed, going 6-8 with 4 homeruns and 9 rbis. The Bombers left fielder Jiraiya, also went yard to add insult to injury. Frogger, KMAN, and EduaNYC all hit around .500-.600 finding the bases with ease. The end result: a 15-4 rout of FlightNL. As iPwn shut the door in a non-save situation, the RBO community remained in awe of the scoreboard. This might be the kind of loss that either demoralizes flight, or pushes them to activity. Time will tell.

Final Score: Bombers 15, FlightNL 4
Player of the Game: d1nonly2
Next Game: vs Rage

Starfire vs Rage

The 3-man Starfire team once again avoided a forfeit, challenging Rage to the last inning. Rage, an All Star team going Elite for the first time, made an easy game quite difficult. The rage offense used the lack of defense to their advantage, constantly getting on board for her0 as he would homer 3 times in the ball game. Nataliamo, Might, and and the24kid all had homeruns in the ballgame. The third inning was big for rage, as they batted around and saw 2 homers off the bat of her0. With a full defense, starfire might of had a shot. 12 runs for Rage.

Starfire did not play dead though, as GATECH had 2 homeruns and Vlad added one of his own. Even maico left the yard with a homerun to cut the gap in half. It was 12-7 going into the final hacks for the pesky Starfire club but they would pull 2 runs short. Rage will be tested in their first true elite league match tonight.

Final Score: Rage 12, Starfire 10
Player of the Game: Her0
Next Game: vs Bombers

Rejected vs Empire

The first 3 innings of the Rejected v. Empire game saw 2 underarm pitchers, BRM and ElDuque, duke it out. ElDuque held Rejected to 1 hit and no runs over the first 3 innings while BRM shut the Empire ballclub down through 3 as well. After rumors of BRM duplicating ElDuque's pitches after the second inning, Melky subbed in, as he just like d1 practiced underarm B from ElDuque previously.

What would follow? An eventful 4th inning. Roguee led off with a single, and Pete998 would get aboard with a single as well. KidNasty who had disappeared off the face of the tournament/league earth came back strong with a 3 run homerun to put Empire on top. The recently subbed in MelkyNYY went back to back giving Empire a surging 4-0 lead. ElDuque would proceed to pitch a 4 hit shutout in a game that would also see a homerun by Roguee, a double by Pete, a walk to Melky, and a 2 RBI single by ElDuque. Rejected could not put anything together as Pili and BRM struggled to keep the game close.

Final Score: Empire 9, ReJected 0
Player of the Game: ElDuque
Next Game: vs Carnage

Predictions!! Lets see what's going on with all the predictions.
RotowireNL vs T.Tech - Melky Correct Newbert Incorrect Melky correctly identified POG
FlightAL vs Hybrids - Melky Correct Newbert Incorrect Newbert correctly identified POG
FlightNL vs Bombers - Melky Correct Newbert Correct
Starfire vs Rage - Melky Incorrect Newbert Incorrect
Rejected vs Empire - Melky Correct Newbert Correct

Melky: 4-1
Newbert: 2-3

Memorial Day Tournament Preview

2008-05-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Almost a month since the start of the Cinco De Mayo Tournament, the Elite RBO teams are set to take to the field for bragging rights. 11 Elite Teams registered for the Memorial Day Tournament which will take place tonight at 9 EST/6 PT. Defending champion T.Tech looks to continue their search for RBO kudos and stay on top of the power rankings for this tournament. Most of the elite teams made changes to their rosters after the Cinco De Mayo tournament, in the previews, I will highlight some of the most notable acquisitions and moves around the RBO community.

Rotowire NL vs T.Tech

T.Tech returns the same team that won the Cinco De Mayo Tournament. The MVP of the tournament, WCKDPERK, looks to build on his growing reputation as a big game pitcher. The silver slugger award winner, gatyopin2, looks to provide that incredible offense T.Tech has maintained. Throughout the community, you hear discussions on the elite teams and it has become evident that T.Tech has stepped up as a team to be taken quite seriously. Was T.Tech just a team that caught fire at the right time? Well Manny, ABSMOKE, Baptiste, and that T.Tech offense will have to remain as hot as they were in order to prove their win wasn't a fluke. In preparation for league, all you have to go by is tournament play, and T.Tech has certainly proven to be a big game tournament contender.

Only in RBO does the 1 seed play the 4 in the opening round. Nevertheless RotowireNL introduces a new roster loaded with talent. Scooter, BlindMan, and TunaGob join RotowireNL in an attempt to bring RWNL to the elite forefront. Scooter a former member of the Storm organization, bring a winning attitude to RWNL. BlindMan a veteran, looks to provide a solid bat to a RWNL team that has struggled to score runs. The exceptional fielding of TunaGob should be useful for the RWNL pitching staff. RotowireNL lost 12-1 to Bombers in their only game of the Cinco De Mayo Tournament. They failed both hitting wise and pitching wise. In order to beat Tech, RWNL needs their best hitter, HaZeD, to hit like he does in PUG. Arguably one of the best hitters in the game, HaZeD has faltered mightily in league and tournament play. It is important for RotowireNL to get going as a unit and score a lot of runs. NubXpress is handed the pitching duties again most likely, as he looks to rebound from a tough Cinco De Mayo Tournament.

Melky's Prediction: T.Tech 11 , RWNL 5
Melky's Players To Watch: Baptiste , Scooter
Newbert's Prediction: T.Tech 6, RW NL 8
Newbert's Players To Watch: gatyopin2, HaZeD

FlightAL vs Hybrids

FlightAL has basically the same team from the Cinco De Mayo tournament in which they lost 9-6 to Carnage. Pitching wise, ConMan or DrDeath has to discover their respective grooves and hold opposing teams to about 1 run an inning. FlightAL is pretty much an unknown team, as the reconstruction of the Flight organization has seen little success. Offensively, FlightAL is a pretty good team. ZachAtack and ClarkKent are the only two active hitters in PUG from FlightAL, but i doubt 96 or Puddles forgot how to hit. Hopefully the time away from RBO does not hurt the rest of the FlightAL offense. DrDeath and Conman the 2 potential pitchers have been inactive as well. The biggest problem for AL might just be their activity, and if their pitchers fail to pitch well, the offense has to pick up the slack.

New Manager. New Players. Same Mentality. HAVERFORD has taken the reigns from ToyBoy as Hybrids Manager. ToyBoy had a very successful run and the Chronicle would like to acknowledge the amazing job he did. The 8 man roster that made it to the Cinco De Mayo finals added 3 more solid players. Masterpai, Killerboy, and 2Nice4Dis look to add some pop and an arm to the Hybrids lineup. Masterpai is an average hitter, who hits around .608 in pug and averages a homerun every 12 at bats. Killerboy is a similar hitter, with his PUG average around .600 and a homerun every 15 or so at bats. The most controversial acquisition has to be 2Nice4Dis. With him, Hybrids add another hurler who might bring more harm than good. If he is able to stay away from controversy, 2Nice4Dis might be a pretty good pickup. HAVERFORD has a difficult job ahead of him to see what works. Look for ToyBoy, Gawd and SniperX to perform.

Melky's Prediction: FlightAL 8 , Hybrids 5
Melky's Player's To Watch: ClarkKent , ToyBoy
Newbert's Prediction: FlightAL 6, Hybrids 11
Newbert's Player's To Watch: ZachAttack, SniperX

FlightNL vs Bombers

Papi and FlightNL made one change over the break. After 2Nice4Dis left Flight, they recruited POGO/Ebola. Other than that, FlightNL is basically the same team that lost to the Bombers 6 to 3. Flight could not generate any offense, and as I mentioned previously, the reconstruction of Flight has shown few plus signs. Nevertheless, Papi is an experienced Elite manager, and should find a way to remain competitive. Yardog, Papi, Pogo and company should score some runs. The question, as always for Flight, is pitching. Against a solid Bombers team in the Cinco De May Tournament, Flight allowed only 6 runs. They would take that every time out. The boatload of innings will fall on SmokeOut with Papi providing relief most likely.

Bombers lost to Hybrids in the Cinco De Mayo Tournament in a pitcher's duel between IPWN and KMAN. IPWN and KMAN have been sharing pitching duties and have proven to be one of the best 1-2 punches in the game today. IPwn and KMAN both pitched complete games in every one of their starts, and IPWN dominated to the tune of an ALL-Aces award. In an unofficial tournament, Bombers won the Saturday Blast behind the hot bat of d1nonly2. Looking to continue his hot hitting, the Bombers CF will be looking to capitalize on Flight's pitching. The rest of the key hitters for Bombers include TheMan, Jiraiya, Frogger, EduaNYC, and ThePope. The question of a win or loss lies on the arm of either IPWN or KMAN.

Melky's Prediction: Bombers 10, FlightNL 3
Melky's Player's To Watch: KMAN , Papi
Newbert's Prediction: Bombers 12, FlightNL 4
Newbert's Player's To Watch: Jiraiya, Corv

Starfire vs Rage

JCornett, maico, VladBomb, GATech, HRPower, wagon, DHarp. Can you find three players from that list that have been active in PUG, and will show up for this tournament. No? Well Starfire shocked the world in the Cinco De Mayo Tournament, showing 3 and losing miserably. If Rage somehow loses this game....

Her0 needs to basically show up 5 players. If a game does go on, look for it to be a long ugly 5v3 affair.

Melky's Prediction: Starfire 5 , Rage 4
Melky's Player's To Watch: HrPower, Nataliamo
Newbert's Prediction: Starfire 10, Rage 3
Newbert's Player's To Watch: HrPower, JP

Rejected vs Empire

Rejected surprised many people in the community scoring 14 runs off of Mega and Carnage in the Cinco De Mayo Tournament. The offense might be what has to show up most against Empire, as LuckyMe89 and Ensferum have been incredible hitters in PUG. ReJected is slowly becoming a contender, with an offense that rivals any and a developing pitching staff. Pili will probably be given the ball, and will try to find some type of success against a tough Empire ball club.

Empire lost to Hybrids in the first round 7 to 6 behind the arm of BrianR. No longer on the roster, Empire turns to ElDuque to help the team rebound. Offensively Empire should not have problems scoring, with Pete998, Revoke, Big123, KidNasty, BigMarc, KidNub, and the rest of the Empire hitters. The big question mark might just be who takes over for ElDuque if he gets into trouble. Empire needs a second pitcher to pick up the slack and who that is is an unknown.

Melky's Prediction: Empire 9 , ReJeCTed 4
Melky's Player's To Watch: Big123 , Luckmy89
Newbert's Prediction: Empire 18, ReJected 8
Newbert's Player's To Watch: Pete998, Ensferum

The RBO Herald

2008-05-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Published by Goblin (IPwn)

Welcome to the first addition of RBO news. We bring you up to date news so YOU'RE prepared. In today's edition we will be covering a plethora of topics:

Inquisitive Minds Want to Know

Melky's Rant- In the past, the Lacoste wearing fiend has duked it out with Sarkhan on a number of issues. This week, that hatred resurfaced as Melky clashed with Sarkhan on Yankees Practice and hacking. Melky was reportedly "irate" with Sarkhan when Sarkhan called the predominantly Latino team of Yankees "fagots", or as we say "Faggots". Melky then proceeded to write a large rant in his local newspaper to release his tears in an orderly fashion. This was then followed by calling someone a "fat paki bitch" in game. Though we can not release who he shouted these slurs at, the person is on team Lynx. Today, we are happy to have a specialist on the matter give us some insight on how this all started.
Me:Professor Fatjo, how are you today?
Fatjo:Im fat and I smell like poo.
Me: Very insightful Fatjo. We from RBO news thank you for being with us today. Can you please clear the air on this Melky vs Sarkhan issue?
Fatjo: I like mudkips.
Me: Alright I think we will have to cut this interview short, thank you Fatjo.

Breaking News:Melky is reportedly holding several lacoste shirts hostage. The color of these shirts are unknown and we will bring you more on this matter as more information comes in.

Brianr Has Disappeared...again- Brianr, who was reportedly on hiatus from RBO and instead amusing himself with World of Warcraft, made his triumphant return a few weeks ago when he submitted his hefty vote in for Empire council members. Many were ecstatic over the large mans return, some calling it a blessing. This event was short lived however, when he made his large debut in the Cinco De Mayo tournament. The obese Brianr was lit up like a pinball machine as home runs surfed as far as 500 feet. Brianr has since then vanished into fat air after giving his thoughts on the game. He reportedly told us that the game was laggy and that he couldn't hit his meter. Actually, the lag was so bad he ended up chugging bottles of hot sauce so he didn't punch his computer screen. Sadly, we haven't heard from Brianr since that tragic game but some still say they can hear his raspy voice when they are driving down a freeway filled with angry drivers.

The Second Generation of Tres Amigos - The Yankees have always been a team of diversity as well as having a healthy amount of Latino players. This was similar to the old team except we have some new faces. The first generation of Tres Amigos has been long gone and we have been searching for three fresh faces to fill their spots. No one will ever forget the legendary Tres Amigos of the Yankees which included Kidnasty(Funnyjo), Melkynyy(Shock), and Precision(Roberto). Their adventures from Walmart to Taco Bell had us all rolling. Sadly, the time has come for them to pass the torch onto a new Tres Amigos. These three scrappy dominicans include Edua, D1nonly2 and Phray. This new generation hopes to revive Tres Amigos and bring it into a new age of prosperity. These comics will be released on upcoming editions of RBO news in the "Comics and Funnies" section.

Current Rumors

The fifteen names - Similar to the Mitchell report, RBO had it's own unveiling of players that might have used E-steroids in the world of RBO. These E-steroids are also known as hacks. Below I will give my opinion on if each of these people are capable of hacking and if I think they are indeed hacking.

1. DrDeath - Do I even have to cover this one?
2. Oman - What? Oman? No way.
3. ConMan - Who the hell is Conman?
4. Newbert - This idiot couldn't even open Microsoft Word, let alone a hack.
5. Zack *not ZachAtack, the one who used to be on GearHeads) - Anyone with Zack in their name is retarded. That includes all variations such as Zach and Zakk.
6. DCurt25 - If there is a number in their name, they are most probably lame.
7. Edua - His house runs on Energy star and his computer has less memory than him. Due to financial reasons I rule Edua has NON-HACKER.
8. Hoodstar - Who the hell is Hoodstar?
9. Rubber - Cheapest undercover spy Netamin could afford.
10. JimmyJohn - If this is how he plays with hacks, I don't want to see how he'd play without them. I'd say let him keep them so it atleast gives him a fair shot at hitting the ball.
11. YardDog - ^^
12. K1llface - Reguardless of what a fail name he has chosen, I doubt he hacks. NOT KILLYFACEY!!!
13. rUafraid - Very possible. It seems rU has hit himself in the face with a brick one to many times then let a bunch of ants poke at his face. This mad man is out for revenge and revenge only. Don't let his signature of Brie dancing fool you.
14. Megatron - I hope not, otherwise I'm going to call Optimus Prime.

Video of the week: http://youtube.com/watch?v=hDa5G0czkTY

Retard(s) of the week: K1llerboy and Derailer

That about raps up this addition of RBO news. If you have any ideas, comments or questions, please do not hesitate to ask them ingame or PM them to me through the UBOFactor forums. My username is Steven. Thanks for reading and remember, it is your ideas and antics that fuel this newspaper.

The End

2008-05-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ever since I could maintain any type of recollection of what i could see with my eyes I was fascinated with storylines. You know, the movies or TV shows that follow a strict storyline and you can just predict what happens next. These Shows and Movies kept me interested. More often than not, two wors, "The End" would follow. I would want more. I would want to continue watching and would always wonder what would happen to the main character. In reality, it was just over. Eventually, I forgot about the characters and the story and it was truly the end.

There have been two controversies that have dominated my time here in UBO. 1) Yankees Practices 2) Hackers. Obviously, I have put the first one behind me. I figured whoever started the rumor and made the post on UBO forums would never be found. So it was over with I guess. The latter was ongoing and a lot more powerful and effective on the community. Hopefully, this article bring an end to both. The same end I always seem to have a love/hate relationship with when i was younger.

Yankees Practice. For over a year I heard fairy tales from random people in the community who claimed my team cheated. During that same time my teamates were put through hell. It was almost as if the game was not fun and a lot of them turned out to have a pretty sour relationship with the community. 99.9% of the players let it go completely and didn't care for an explanation, but I did. So when Sarkhan/Ovechkin/Laster approached me through PM asking me for help, I looked at it as an opportunity for closure.

See I had always suspected it was Sarkhan who started the rumor. I figured it was him, but had no legit proof. The IP he posted the topic on UBO forums in was unmatchable with the one Netamin had in its database, and Siege and its members were not exactly helpful. Everyone in the community assumed it was true, so as a result it was one of those things where we were guilty until proven innocent. Why did I think it was Sarkhan? For one the IP was canadian. Two, he wasn't exactly on the best of terms with my team.

So Sarkhan approached me. I asked him why he made the Yankees Practice post, and he remembered exactly what happened. He told me "I did it because i thought your team was a bunch of fagots". Upon hearing this, I was irate in PUG. I just lost it. All that because someone thought players on my team were fagots. over a year of harassment because someone thought we were annoying.

Now that I had closure. That i knew who did it I finally put an end to the Yankees Practice nonsense. It was a fairy tale that people tell for reasons that are almost as idiotic and irrational as the accusations. That one post though, didn't ruin team games. It was the community. The communities refusal to believe the innocent was incredible, and because of that, we lost team games, foolish rules were put into play, the community began to fall apart. Who knew that one person could do that.

But he wouldn't neccesarily go away. Here is what he has to say:

Ok lets start off by saying, I am 0vechkin = Sarkhan / Laser. I was banned over a year ago for calling a GM an idiot, and Sir Bobby the noble jackass gave me a life time ban for it. This was during a league tournament, and right when Flight was in the finals which by the way Flight won and UBO denied me my $75 and also didn’t want to give me my refund which I hope went to ubo’s donation fund since the game obviously needs it. So not caring about the money and being pissed that I got a life time ban for calling a GM an idiot, I decided to send an email thru this random gaming forum to a person named WVSNEEK, yep, the creator of one of the first ubo hacks. We came up with a plan of me creating a forum/website to release a hack to get revenge on UBO, I went along with it since I was already banned, I wanted to ruin the game and bring a gigantic headache to Bobby and the rest of UBO to do something about the game and make them actually work at their pathetic jobs. So the website went up, forums went up, I advertised the site on team forums and ubo forums, the next day, I said fuck it, I took down the website, took down the hacks and deleted everything UBO related and I dropped UBO completely just like that, I did not want any part of it. So when I came back about a month ago mainly since I was done college and wanted to kill some time before I got into a professional job, I looked up UBO and started playing under the character 0vechkin. People accused me of being a hacker, of being certain players, I was kind of getting annoyed, I told people to go fuck themselves, apparently it has landed me two bans in two weeks and without an explanation or proof, so whoever reported me can go fuck themselves and grow the fuck up. Anyways while I was searching UBO, I came across my only forum, which I was surprised it existed but even more surprising that it had over 7000 views in the last year and over 50 registered members on it, I was feeling the need to crack down on who decided to register on the UBO Hacks forums. I got a hold of Melky, I told him what I have, he agreed to help me link emails and IP’s from my forum to his forum, after 24 hours of hard work from Melky, he has come up with a list of confirmed registered members on the UBO Hacks forums and I don’t know about you guys, if I was still playing this game, I would want an explanation from the following people on how they can call people hackers when they hacked themselves, and if they claim to deny if they hacked, why register on my forums? There are hackers running around and I get banned for swearing at people, go UBO

So one person, almost single handidly ran this game to the ground. I found it ironic that during my time in UBO 2 Siege would always say that the "Yankees" would ruin the game, and there it was...their ace starting pitcher derailed the sanctity of the only game I truly enjoyed playing.

I talked to him on MSN, forgave him, could care less anymore. I did what he asked, held up my side of the bargain and found about 15 names. The names that appeared BEFORE UBO patched the original XHACK are: (matched by IP or email)

NOTE THESE PEOPLE DID NOT POSITIVELY HACK, THEY JUST REGISTERED ON THE FORUMS.
1. DrDeath
2. Oman
3. ConMan
4. Newbert
5. Zack *not ZachAtack, the one who used to be on GearHeads)
6. DCurt25
7. Edua
8. Hoodstar
9. Rubber
10. JimmyJohn
11. YardDog
12. K1llface
13. rUafraid
14. Megatron

Those who registered after the patch

15. Mafia

- Kentucky (posted as Boget)

Honestly, like the whole stat farming fiasco, no one cares now. People should care, but no one really cares. And the moment we stopped caring, is the precise moment where UBO began to die.

This is The End. One way or another. It is the End.

Patch 2.007 - details released!

2008-05-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

From Customer Service:

Add Ball Search button inside game (Space Bar) - RBO Chronicle gives this addition a thumbs down, fielding using this option is almost impossible. Also, very annoying when typing.
Once the player push space bar, the camera will focus to the location of the ball
Purpose: To make it easier for fielder to find the ball.

Auto TTF - RBO Chronicle gives this a thumbs up for the principle idea, but there is a bug issue with making you un-TTF when waiting.
The game will auto TTF if the player is idle for 20 seconds (When they’re not typing or afk)
Purpose: To make the game start fast

Waving the ball. - Thumbs down for this feature in general (can't wave, pickoff, or throw whenever). If a player turns the corner from 1st base, you can't throw right away. Definitely, a flaw.
Players can’t wave the ball unless there’s runner or leading runner around him. (A message will appear)
Purpose: To prevent players from calling unnecessary plays.

Rookie Channel - Thumbs up for adding this in, should help improve both PUG and RK servers.
A minor can enter the Rookie Channel now. Level 0 to level 20.

Fielder catching. - Thumbs down to this as it makes run downs much harder by eliminating the typical "fake" with your glove out. Also, adds those "oops I didn't want to catch that" situations where you try to put your glove away.
When player click left mouse button, the player will stand in catcher position for 5 seconds.
Purpose: Make it easier for beginner.

New spirit system - Thumbs up for not putting this in. If it is implemented you cannot see the red zones and everything appears normal. Horrible idea concerning league/tournaments.
When a team is losing, the players in that team will get hitting skill of 15 points.

Login issue - Thumbs up, nothing negative about this.
Login issue link has been added to the main page.

Remove Game error: - Thumbs up, they didn't put this in.
There’s no more wild throw and wild pitches.

Increase team xp - Haven't noticed if this is implemented yet, but thumbs down for giving out yet MORE experience. Exp gain is already too high.
You get more points now when you lose. To prevent people from quitting the game.

Additional features not included in Customer Service email:
- Slight interface change with "back, help, info, option, quit"
- ESPN HR derby rank button added (not sure what this is for at this juncture)
- Rank display for HR derby
- F1 Control Tab edited for new additions.
- Can now join a game by typing /j and then the room number

Upcoming Events

2008-05-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

May 22nd - New patch scheduled for release (details on the patch will be released the day of the patch)
May 27th - Memorial Day Mayhem Tournament (registration currently is open)
May 31st - Saturday Blast (registration will run from May 26th to the 30th)

Mega Meets the Managers

2008-05-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

From time to time I'm going to sit down with Managers in the RBO community who are currently in the spotlight. A little something to get to know some of the communities prominent members a little better. For the virgin issue I caught up with Toyboy, the manager of the Elite team the Hybrids.

Mega: Toyboy, Thanks for doing this. To begin, how old are you, where are you from (in Sweden) and what do you do for a living?
ToyBoy: Im 27years old this summer and live in Gothenburg. And at the moment im looking for a job

Mega: What is your favorite sport to watch and play?
ToyBoy: Favorite sport to watch is Soccer. Love english soccer. I have played for 16 years table tennis but have stop for like 4 years back

Mega: What made you give up Table tennis? Too much running?
ToyBoy: got job played to much and my kid was born and I wanted to spend more time with her.
Mega: :) Congrats on the daughter
ToyBoy: thx

Mega: What is your favorite meal?
ToyBoy: Swedish meatballs with potatos

Mega: If I'm buying, what are you having (drinks)?
ToyBoy: cheap or expesive?
Mega: Lets pretend I'm wealthy.
ToyBoy: Cheap i would say Smirnoff Ice. Expensive, clear long island ice tea.

Mega: Cats or Dogs?
ToyBoy: Both
Mega: Nice
ToyBoy: but im allegric to both also
Mega: :(

Mega: Do you play any other online games besides Real Baseball?
ToyBoy: yes i play Counter-Strike Zero, Ultima Online, Shaiya, DOTA, will start with Rohan Online, Lineage 2 and Heroes of Might and Magic 5

Mega: What is the one piece of technology you cannot live without?
ToyBoy: Mobilephone

Mega: On to the good stuff.

Mega: How long have you been playing UBO/RBO?
ToyBoy: I guess around 3 years.

Mega: Were you familiar with the game of baseball before finding the game?
ToyBoy: My friend LordSmrf also a Baseball player showed me this game. I downloaded made a char and in camp i did hr first hit. After that i just stayed with it.

Mega: Have you seen the movies Bull Durham or any of the Major League's?
ToyBoy: Baseball movie you mean?
Mega: yessir, if you haven't they are a must see for the budding baseball fan.
ToyBoy: Seen a movie with Tom Hanks as coach for a girl team and mr.3000
Mega: A league of Their Own. Both of those movies pale in comparision. :)

Mega: Who was the first UBO team you played with?
ToyBoy: Bombers

Mega: After that you went to....?
ToyBoy: i quit playing for a while then when i got back i started to play with Mustangs.

Mega: How long were you with the Mustangs?
ToyBoy: 2 season, untill the Manager showed him self being a Retard!
Mega: takes care of my next question lol

Mega: When you were starting out in UBO, who were some of the more experienced players that you maybe looked up to, learned from, and maybe tried to emulate?
ToyBoy: Must say Shocked, Sonobe and Stumped.

Mega: Your top pitcher SNIPERX gets a rough treatment from the community due to his reputation, was he in your plans from day one when you started the Hybrids and is he on any sort of behavioural leash?
ToyBoy: When i started Hybrids we didnt have any pitcher. Sniper talked to me (saying) that he wanted to follow my foot steps (and) come to our team as a p.
ToyBoy: And yes he has a leash

Mega: Your team, but more specifically SNIPERX shocked the community with your performance in the Cinco de Mayo tourny. Were you surprised with how effectively he pitched or is this something you expect from him everytime he's on the mound after 3 seasons together?
ToyBoy: I expect its and also for that tournement we had some field changes that made him more calm.

Mega: Pesto pitched well for you last season but has gone hitter this season and is not with your team presently. What happened and is he coming back?
ToyBoy: Well i dont know why he left and i dont know if he will come back.

Mega: Alright moving on, yourself and LordSmrf are from Sweden, where does the rest of your team come from?
ToyBoy: Right now in the Team we have Haverford = USA Sniperx = USA BigJuddd = ? MasterPai = USA GAWD = Sweden OldZero = USA FlameON = Sweden.
Rawrrr, NEWBert editing in for y'all information. BigJuddd is from Ontario, Canada

Mega: BigJudd, OldZero and masterpai look like new additions this season, do you expect to make any more additions before the 2008-2 season gets underway?
ToyBoy: Yes we are looking for a relif pitcher at the moment and maby 1-2 hitters more.

Mega: OldZero, where did he come from? I know very little about him.
ToyBoy: OldZero was when i started play 3 years ago in Bombers and his name was ~ZERO~, he has comeback from quitting ubo to start to play again

Mega: I learned something new today. Him and I played together on the Mets.

Mega: What is your motivation for managing? Are you here just to have fun? Is winning more important than that or is it a combination of those things and perhaps more?
ToyBoy: I play to win, fun well always fun to win. I get very upset if i lose. Im a winner guy, (It's) all i think about.

Mega: Last question and it might be a tricky one. If Real Baseball scrapped all the team rosters and instituted a draft and you had the first overall pick, who would be your first selection? For political purposes it can't be anyone currently on your team.
ToyBoy: Ouch that was a hard one. Ipwn (Goblin) or Elduque.

Mega: Awesome thanks for doing this Toy.
ToyBoy: Your welcome

Mega: See ya in the game.

New Patch??

2008-05-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Sources tell the RBO Chronicle that a new patch will be released either the 21st or 22nd of this month.

What will the patch change? Useless add-ons that are not at all necessary. <3 RBO.

Melky out

FA Saturday Blast Recap

2008-05-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

In another attempt to crave the Real Baseball Online communities' hunger for tournaments, Rubber hosted a Saturday Blast for Saturday, May 17th. After a rocky start and quick move to PUG2, the games got underway.

Round 1

Inferno vs Kreston:
Kreston just didn't stand a chance against SniperX's pitching. In 3 innings of work, SniperX picked up 8 strikeouts. Kreston didn't put a single run on the board and Inferno cruised with solo shots from Haverford and SniperX.

Final score: Inferno wins, 2-0.
POTG: SniperX

Empire vs ANIMALS:
Empire just flat out overpowered the ANIMALS squad. Phray hit a 3 run HR and ElDuque added a 2 run of his own. ElDuque euthanized the ANIMALS holding them to 0 runs throughout the 3 inning affair.

Final score: Empire wins, 7-0.
POTG: ElDuque

Bombers vs Freedom:
Ipwn controlled the Freedom offense and picked up 4 strikeouts in the win. Freedom was a little outskilled level and talent wise but their pitching kept them close. Phray went 3-4 as the Bombers picked up 3 runs. Freedom's lone run was from a solo jack by Tyrrel.

Final score: Bombers win, 3-1.
POTG: Ipwn

Potatownd vs Goonies:
Gimmiepie launched 3 HR's to take down Potatownd. The Goonies took full advantage of Potatownd being understaffed with only 2 players and advanced to the 2nd round.

Final score: Goonies win, 14-8.
POTG: gimmepie

Dog Pound vs Rawr:
The first round featured a few games where teams were just outclassed and this was one of them. Despite the Dog Pound only have 55 levels on Rawr, the talent difference was immense. Corv led the Dog Pound offense with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs and SEC added a solo HR. SmokeOut handled the Rawr batters allowing just 1 run.

Final score: Dog Pound wins, 7-1.
POTG: Corv

Fingles vs Underdogs:
The Underdogs really were the underdog in this matchup against Fingles. The Underdogs team of masterpai, Cruise, DarkLotus, GoHome96, and DarthNaka did not look very good on paper but they confidently defeated the T.Tech based team, Fingles. DarkLotus was a key contributing factor for the Underdogs as he knocked 3 homeruns. Fingles were only able to chalk 2 runs on the board.

Final score: Underdogs win, 7-2.
POTG: DarkLotus

Buckeld vs Express:
KeenanG and crew actually faired pretty well against the 2nd T.Tech based team, Buckeld. Baptiste and gatyopin2 provided both runs for Buckeld and managed to hold Express to just 1 run.

Final score: Buckeld wins, 2-1.
POTG: gatyopin2

Round 2

After 1 round of play, the tourney really started to shapen up. With the elimination of the weaker teams, Round saw much better matchups and some close games.

Cupcakes vs Bombers:
This game saw a lot of base runners left on base for both teams as pitchers seemed to work their way out of jam after jam. The Cupcakes took an early lead in the game off a 2 RBI single to the gap from Skoal but the Bombers fired back with a solo HR from d1nonly2. Unfortunately for the Cupcakes, d1nonly2 wasn't done. In the top of the 3rd inning, d1nonly2 blasted his 2nd HR of the game to tie things up at 2 a piece. After 3 innings of play the game was still tied 2-2. Jiraiya broke the ice in the top of the 4th with a solo HR off a juicy curveball from Megatron. The Cupcakes would not fall that easy, though. In the bottom of the 4th the Cupcakes managed to score a run to tie things back up thanks to a costly error in RF from Rios. In the 5th inning, Rios saw his revenge as he took a rising fastball over the LF wall to give Bombers the 5-4 victory.

Final score: Bombers win, 5-4.
POTG: d1nonly2

Dog Pound vs Underdogs:
SmokeOut pitched a gem in this one, working 3 innings of shutout ball. SEC hit the lone HR in the game, but the Dog Pound offense batted their way around the bases. In total the Dog Pound scored 8 runs and easily advanced to the next round.

Final score: Dog Pound wins, 8-0
POTG: SmokeOut

Buckeld vs Inferno:
Baptiste always seems to boost his team in big games. DanTheMan hit a HR of the 2-run variety and Baptiste added a 2-run HR of his own in the bottom of the 3rd. Thanks to the clutch HR, Buckeld beat Inferno despite a studly effort from GAWD.

Final score: Buckeld wins, 5-4.
POTG: Baptiste

Empire vs Goonies:
ElDuque had himself a game, only allowing 1 earned run in 3 innings pitched. The lone run came off a homerun from Wiggy. Empire scored 3 runs for the victory.

Final Score: Empire wins, 3-1.
POTG: ElDuque

Round 3

The 3rd round of play gave us the last 4 remaining teams facing off to secure a spot in the finals. Dog Pound, Buckeld, Bombers, and Empire all played their way through the first two rounds and were looking posed to win it all. Too bad their can only be one champion.

Dog Pound vs Buckeld:
Buckeld took an early 4-1 lead in the game and things really didn't get interesting until late. The Dog Pound's offense had be bleak with their only run coming off a solo HR in the 2nd by Corv. In the bottom of the 3rd down 4-1, Yardog hit a 3-run HR to tie it up at 4-4 and push the game into extras. The extra frames belonged to Buckeld as they picked up 3 runs for the victory.

Final score: Buckeld wins, 7-4.
POTG: *picks name out of hat*, gatyopin2

Bombers vs Empire:
In an all Yankee matchup, the Bombers got some unexpected help from their pitcher. MelkyNYY had hit a 3-run jack for Empire and had a convincing 3-2 lead with 2 outs in the bottom of the 3rd. All ElDuque had to do was get Ipwn, the opposing pitcher, to fly or ground out. With a 3-2 count, 2 outs in the bottom of the 3rd, Ipwn redirected an ElDuque offering and took in deep over the wall. Ipwn's teammates met him at the plate as the Bombers celebrated their walkoff victory.

Final score: Bombers win, 4-3.
POTG: Ipwn

Finals

Bombers vs Buckeld:
The Bombers got off to an explosive start in the 1st inning and tagged gatyopin2 for 4 runs. d1nonly2, Jiraiya, and Rios all homered and Baptiste was forced to switch himself and gatyopin2 on the mound. Buckeld was able to put up 2 runs from Baptiste and 0, but Jiraiya eliminated that push with a 2-run HR in the top of the 2nd. Buckeld fought back hard in the late innings, with a 2-run HR from Baptiste and a solo shot from gatyopin2, but it was all too late. Cheers for the Bombers had already come from the lobby..."BOMBERS WIN!", "BOMBERS WIN!"

Final score: Bombers win it all, 7-5.
POTG and MVP for the Saturday Blast: d1nonly2 (5 total homeruns in the tournament)

Recap

The Bombers won the Saturday Blast and did not have an easy path in doing so. To get to the finals they defeated Freedom, Cupcakes, and Empire. Despite jests from Buckeld to the Bombers of not winning any sunglasses or prize for this win, the Bombers knew they were number one. They were champions this fine Saturday afternoon and no one was going to change that.

After the championship game, d1nonly2 and Jiraiya commented on the Saturday Blast in general.

d1nonly2: it was nice
Jiraiya: I rly had a great time
d1nonly2: ditto
d1nonly2: i loved the game vs klemens, mega, skoal
Jiraiya: they were all good but that one was insane
d1nonly2: hell yeah

Clearly, the Saturday Blast was a success. The tournament saw 0 forfeits, something uncommon for a Saturday Blast. Congrats to Bombers for the win and thanks to everyone for participating.

RBOZ: Truth or Lie?

2008-05-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

The rumors that have been surrounding RBOZ have been numerous. While many players have debated that these rumors are in fact, false, it does offer an interesting hope that RBOZ might accomplish the very goal of Netamin: to bring the dream of a realistic baseball online in a massive multiplayer game. While the game will usher in a new era and bring new meaning to the RBO franchise, it is seemingly still in production and is continually being pushed back. These delays have added to the possibility that RBOZ will never see the "light of day." However, it is important to note that this new game will feature a whole new twist to RBO, making significant advances in realism and gameplay. By examining specific game features and other possible rumors, it is my hope that the entire community will get a better idea of why RBOZ will not only dramatically increase player moral and participation, but also raise the general state of the game, satisfying both hard-core and casual gamers alike.

According to former Netamin advisor, Bobby, in a previous Townhall, RBOZ would have qualities that should not only attract new and current players but also numerous former players. Many realistic baseball elements, including new animations that add the possibility to rob homeruns, and other general features, such as a virtual store, should further add to the popularity of RBO. Other new features include: 6 body types, 900 animations, new stadiums, cast shadowing (i.e. lighting changes as game goes on), pitcher/batter challenge, enhanced AI, ability to enhance pitches, accurate stats, particle effects (i.e. fireworks, homerun animations, chalk on grass when baseball hits it), new leveling system (Rookie, A , AA, AAA, Professional) , ability to choose between accuracy/arm strength for pitchers or power/contact for hitters, and commentary and speech. These new features may sound like only a dream for some players but for others, it offers the promise of a truly complete online baseball game.

“While we all want [RBOZ] to be a complete game, the track record of Netamin isn’t the best, but we can do nothing but hope for the best game possible,” says Skoal, with a hint of wisdom and patience in his voice.

It seems many players are in serious doubt that RBOZ will never become a real experience. According to a recent poll on the RBO Chronicle website, a shocking 35% felt that RBOZ would never be released. While it is clear the setbacks of this great game has caused the destruction of hope for many players, both old and new, these same players do not realize the enormous effort that is being put forth by the developers.

For example, several screens depict a hitter in what appeared to be AT&T Park. This would offer the opportunity for hitters to smash a homerun into the waters of McCovey Cove.

Other efforts are being made to make this game a completely realistic game experience. The new leveling system adds the feeling of working your way up through a farming system, starting from a lowly single A minor to an elite professional. The ability to choose between arm strength and throwing accuracy for pitchers and body strength and speed for hitter should not only simulate the characteristics of many players in Major League Baseball (MLB), but also solve one of the main complaints in the current version of RBO: Hybrids.

Moreover, the fate of Netamin is directly tied to the success of RBOZ. “I’m not sold on [RBOZ] just yet because they have mentioned things about how "great" it is but how can you believe Netamin when they gave out so many empty promises?” says Rbush, a proud member of the Flight organization.

If this game ends up becoming a total bust, expect a large amount of players to simply quit this game. However, if this game ends up becoming a huge success, as many current players are hoping for, expect to see a flood of new players, immersing themselves in the new virtual world of online baseball.

Everyone here in this community knows about RBOZ and many still wait for its release date. Therefore, while the delays may seem to overshadow the fact that this new wonderful game will never be released, I still continue to stress that we must all remain positive. While the details may seem a little foggy, we must remember that we do know specifically when this game will be released. For all we know, the release could be tomorrow, next week, or next month. Like I have already displayed earlier, this game may sound like only a dream; however, I assure to all of you it is not a dream but a very real experience that will occur soon-if we continue to support Netamin by showing that we do truly appreciate this massive multiplayer game. RBOZ will recreate the sport of baseball in many revolutionary ways; we must never forget this as we continue to advance into the summer and 2009.

“I personally think that RBOZ will come, but like this version it will need some time to become what we're looking for. Whether or not it gets there depends on the drive of Netamin to keep it going and the programmers to give us what we're looking for,” comments a precocious Skoal.

Happy Birthday, Fire

2008-05-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to RBO Chronicle writer, Fire. Enjoy your 16th birthday, cake is good.

Who Really Is the Best Player of the Modern UBO Era?

2008-05-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I figured I'd give this a write because it's always nice to compare yourself to the best. Certainly, someone HAS to be the best, but who? Being the best doesn't just mean putting up the best slugging percentage in the Pickup Clubhouse or batting .700 for your career. Part of being the best is showing up in tournaments and leagues and letting the opposing pitcher know who is number one. I pulled 3 players from the modern era of UBO/RBO. Now these players aren't ranked, but rather categorized. Don't cry or whine if you aren't on the list, my epeen hurt as well when I left myself off the list.

Top UBO Stud from Outside North America

This one was quite difficult for me, but I developed 3 criteria in pulling the top player for this category; PUG statistics, broken english, and the will to play in a league/tourney at crazy hours. The first "foreigner" that jumped into my head was Shane. A Korean android, Shane still has the most career experience even though he's only logged 97 games in the past 4 seasons. Though Shane and his 10,000+ career hits were a good candidate for the award, he missed out on my league/tourney criteria. Unfortunately, his english was actually decent, too. Part of my love for players outside the North American continent is their broken english. I'm sure at one time or another everyone has enjoyed yoyoman's faces or the good ol' "87 la".

So if Shane wasn't my choice...then who else is left?

My pick for the "Top UBO Stud from Outside North America" is ToyBoy. ToyBoy's managerial skills partly come into play for the award. He's the manager for Hybrids and has created a legit Elite League contender. ToyBoy hails from Gothenburg, Sweden and is joined on Hybrids by some his fellow drunken Swedes. His english is known for a good laugh (granted it is better than my swedish) and the alcohol never helps. ToyBoy fits all three of my criteria and is in my whole opinion, the "Top UBO Stud from Outside North America".

I Hit Homer's For Breakfast

This next category is for those guys who love the longball. Homeruns have played a huge role in recent times and some pitchers have nightmares of giving up those walkoff jacks. My criteria for this section was fairly simple...Pickup Clubhouse stats and Elite League performances.

This category really destroyed my criteria, but RedK is just too much of a standout in the PUG category. RedK's tournament and league trophy case is empty, but his PUG statistics aren't human. Probably the most telling statistics that RedK is the best candidate for this category are his homerun ratios. RedK has a career 1 HR/3.78 hit ratio and has belted over 2000 HR's in his career. To add onto his resume RedK has dealt out 1500 doubles and is a grade A outfielder.

I Can Actually Pitch in a Hitter's World

UBO/RBO has very rarely been a friendly place for a pitcher. Only a few pitcher's have hung tough and not converted to the offensive side of the game. This was another difficult player to choose because you have a small group of candidates that really stick out from the crowd.

KMAN, Boget, and ElDuque are all legit pitchers and deserving of the award but I eliminated two of them due to my criteria for this award. My first criteria was that the pitcher had to have won an Elite League All Aces Award. That easily eliminate ElDuque as Boget and KMAN are practically automatic for All Aces awards in competition. My second criteria that eliminated Boget was that the pitcher had to have a League Championship under his belt. Probably the only flaw for Boget is his lack to win the big dance in recent times.

The last man standing in the top pitcher debate is KMAN. He's notched over 800 career wins and has struck out over 5200 batters. Probably the most telling PUG statistic for KMAN is his K/9. KMAN has a career 10.43 strikeouts per 9 innings. Unlike most pitchers KMAN is still hanging strong today and will certainly give batters trouble for the next upcoming league.

Cinco De Mayo: Top Performer

2008-05-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm throwing a curveball tonight and only choosing one Top Performer. This Top Performer is not necessarily reflective on their performance in Round 4, but more a MVP for the winning team. With that said let's look at some of the top players from the T.Tech champion squad.

Baptiste

Bap hit 16 of 25 for a .640 average for the entire Cinco de Mayo Tournament. With 7 homeruns and 3 doubles Baptiste was a key factor in the T.Tech offense. In total he scored 12 runs and had 12 RBIs. Though Baptiste's numbers were impressive, he did not win the RBO Chronicle MVP Award for the Cinco de Mayo Tournament.

WCKDPERK

Woodpecker was fairly consistent on the mound and proved crucial in T.Tech's victories over some of the more high octane offenses that RBO has to offer. In 20 innings of work he picked up 20 strikeouts and held his opponents to a .474 batting average. WCKDPERK's ERA was a solid 7.65 for the entire Cinco de Mayo Tournament. With fairly solid pitching stats, WCKDPERK was just out done by one player.

gatyopin2

gatyopin2 was a man on a mission for the Cinco de Mayo Tournament. With perhaps some of the most inhuman numbers ever put up for a tournament gatyopin2 collected 25 hits in 27 at bats for a .926 batting average. His 8 homeruns, 21 RBIs, and 16 runs, led all players in the Cinco de Mayo Tournament. I don't think anyone can overlook this performance and it has got to rank up with some of the best of all-time.

Props to gatyopin2 for batting better than a hacker on steroids and for winning the RBO Chronicle's MVP Award for the Cinco de Mayo Tournament.

Cinco De Mayo: Finals Recap

2008-05-08T19:02:00.001-07:00

Heart. Fire. Determination. Dedication. All words you would use to describe a championship team. Whether you agree with the way either team carries itself, both teams have carried themselves with the neccesary characteristics to win. The Cinco De Mayo prize tournament would come to be an ultimate success. Regardless of your opinion of the game, everyone wakes up for tournaments and gives 110%. At the end of the day, it was not about the sunglasses or Rotowire subscription for either of these teams, it was about pride. Both teams looked to make a name for themselves and they ultimately did. Which team came out on top?

Top 1 - T.Tech Hitting
The T.Tech manager Baptiste and last game's star gatyopin both flied out to start the game. SniperX had great command and worked low extremely well to start. The only hard hit ball in the 1-2-3 inning was a linedrive to BearGryll that was caught by ToyBoy (of course) in Left Field.

Bottom 1 - Hybrids Hitting
WCKDPRK came out tonight a man on a mission. Struggling mightily lately, the young stud pitcher pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the first to match SniperX. Hell, he might have pushed himself further past him. HAVERFORD grounded out to second base to start off, and OLDZERO would fly out. WCKDPRK would then impressively strike out ToyBoy to end the frame 0-0 after 1.

Top 2 - T.Tech
SniperX would retire DanTheMan, as he started off the game retiring 4 straight hitters. Against WCKDPRK, the opposing pitcher, he gave up a hard single to RF. Baptiste followed sui with a single to RF of his own, putting runners on first and third with 1 out. GatyoPin would also single to RF on a soft grounder that made it through. SniperX was unable to retire WCKDPRK, and it haunted him in the Top of the second as he came around to score. Beargryll made it 4 straight singles putting runners on first and third again. DantheMan tried to keep the streak going, but his groundout to third only induced an out at home. With 2 outs and a runner in scoring position WCKDPRK came up again. And for the second time, WCKDPRK drove in the run helping his own cause. SniperX, apparently angered, would come back and strike out Baptiste to end the threat. 2-0 T.Tech.

Bottom 2 - Hybrids
GAWD singled off of WCKDPRK to end his consecutive out streak, but WCKDPRK would continue to face the minimum as he would get a 4-3 double play off the bat of SniperX. WCKDPRK would then strike out leadoff hitter HAVERFORD to continue an impressive outing. 2-0 T.Tech after 2.

Top 3 - T.Tech
The top of the third saw SniperX continue to struggle. Gatyopin left the ballpark as he continued to impress the spectators in RBO stadium tonight. SniperX would retire BearGryll and WCKDPRK in order, but would then fail to keep manager Baptiste in the yard. Looking to keep the damage to a minimum, SniperX walked gatyopin. The next batter, BearGryll, singled to RF but was gunned out by GAWD trying to run back to first base. 4-0 T.Tech.

Bottom 3 - Hybrids
Boy was WCKDPRK impressive. After giving up a single to OLDZERO, he got Toyboy to ground out. The hot GAWD, singled as well to put runners on first and second. SniperX bunted, an unconventional play with 1 out. WCKDPRK then buckled down and struck out HAVERFORD to end the threat. 4-0 Tech after 3 innings.

Top 4 - T.Tech
SniperX recovered well as he did not allow anything to cross the plate in the 4th. His defense seemed to find a groove and looked to pick up their ace. The Hybrids pitcher was now in clean-up mode, trying to contain the damage.

Bottom 4 - Hybrids
WCKDPRK when in confidently into the bottom of the 4th, but the Swedish Stallion and his sidekick GAWD both homered to get that Hybrids offense going. The problem? No one else was hitting. 4-2 T.Tech.

Top 5 - T.Tech
Now it was time for SniperX to not let anyone cross the plate. He knew he could not afford to give up any more runs because his offense was rather pedestrian tonight. Unfortunately, ABSMOKE and DANTHEMAN had other plans. ABSMOKE singled and DANTHEMAN drove him all the way home with a double. WCKDPERK would ground out, but got the job done to make it a 6-2 ballgame. SniperX settled down and retired Baptiste but the damage was apparently done.

Bottom 5 - Hybrids
WCKDPRK refused to give up anything to HYBRIDS as he retired the side without much of a problem. It was 6-2 heading into Tech's final frame.

Top 6 - T.Tech
Nothing doing for Tech here. 6-2 heading into the final inning.

Bottom 6 - Hybrids
With all the criticism surrounding Tech's pitching and all the focus on their offense, WCKDPRK came up HUGE. After allowing a solo homerun to Oldzero to cut the deficit to 3, WCKDPRK rebounded and struck out the final hitter - looking. A great game for WCKDPRK. Congrats to Tech on an amazing tournament and congrats to Hybrids for a great game as well.

I caught up with an upset ToyBoy. We all know RBO is not the smoothest of games and he was awfully upset about the gameplay issues throughout:

Hybrids Interview - Toyboy
Melky: You played close games the whole tournament, this time you didn't manage to come through, what was different?
Toyboy: In the first 3 games there was no lag and in this last one there was spike/lag/disconnects. And of course, our hitting wasn't the best. We didn't produce as well as we should. And our defense in some places just didn't work.
Melky: I know it is very tough to play in those situations and I am sorry to hear that. What was WCKDPRK doing that made him so effective?
Toyboy: Other then he pitched a realy good game and we had trouble with the lag spikes. Still his pitching style didnt suit us.
Melky: The game seemed to be competitive the whole way through, are you proud of the way your team fought to stay in it?
Toyboy: Yes, we showed that we arent a team that gives away runs for free. Our Defense was good but we need to work on it a little more and our offense need to produce more.
Melky: How does this game prepare you for future tournaments?
Toyboy: As we will have a Mangement change and we got more hitters to our team we will have more changes soon. Then it will be a lot difference than it had been in this tournement. We will try a diffrent style and see how that will work.
Melky: When you look back at this game, what will you remember most?
Toyboy: My perfect first inn with 3 catches and how SniperX keept the ball inside the park, not letting them score high run totals like they have done against the other teams on the road to the finals.
Melky: Anything to say to T.Tech?
Toyboy: Thx for a good game i hope the sunglasses fits all of your teammates and Gj to T.Tech pitcher WCKDPRK. Will see you in next tournament for revenge.
Melky: Thank you Toyboy.
Toyboy: Your welcome.

T.Tech Interview - Baptiste and Company
Melky: Ready for the interview Baptiste?
Baptiste: Yes, but First of i would like to thank our Fans For there support and always keeping our heads up. I want to thank Sayheykid W00ds and N8te for Being Team players. Lots of people doubted us due to our inexperience but we were never let up in crunch time. Our D was solid and Perk pitched a hell of a game.
Manny73: As Co-Manager of T.Tech I want to thank everyone that showed up to play and keeping thier cool during a few stressful games and keeping on the same page with the rest of the team. Bap and I spent hours thinking and re-thinking starters and subs and everyone worked as a team not individuals. Again Great job everyone!
Melky: That's great *laughs*, So Baptiste, how proud of you of WCKDPRK? He rebounded extremely well.
Baptiste: Very he pitched his Heart out.
Melky: Any words from you WCKDPRK?
WCKDPRK: I just wanna thank my defense for making me look good out there and taking all the pressure off along with offense for keeping ahead for most of the games. I especially want to thank you guys for not getting on me when I had the rough spots ..
Melky: You and Gat seemed to constantly come up big with huge homeruns the whole tournament, how do you hit so well in tournament play?
Baptiste: As I told you before, every game...breathe in and breathe out. Try to keep it fun when you're down.
Melky: Well I wanted to congratulate you and wish you luck in the future. Do you have anything to say to Hybrids?
Baptiste: Very Good Game Hybrids. SniperX pitched a hell of a game, he had my number until the third.
Manny73 in the background: Tell SniperX Manny and ABSMOKE will buy him a beer when we meet up.
WCKDPRK: Tell Sniper much respect.
Melky: Thank you for giving me the time to interview you. Enjoy your win.
Baptiste: One more time I just want to mention how important N8te, W00ds15 and Sayheykid are to this team. They are really great leaders in the clubhouse. You do a great job with the site. Thank You.

Congrats to T.TECH!!!! Look out for Newberts Top Performers and the Awards for this tournament!

Prediction RESULTS!!!

Melky 1-0
Newbert 0-1

Thank you for reading.

Finals Preview

2008-05-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

Melky here again for the RBO Chronicle. The Cinco da Mayo tournament saw a surprisingly active registration process despite the absence of Storm, Blitz, and Stigma. The tournament featured the team with the best league winning percentage (Rotowire) and the past 3 league champions (FlightNL, Empire, Bombers). Even more surprising than the registration activity are the two final teams left standing.

T.Tech vs Hybrids

T.Tech

T.Tech is coming off a huge win against Carnage. What makes their win against Carnage that much more influential on tonight’s performance is the fact that they used most of their players and the fact that they did win in walk off fashion. The road to the finals for T.Tech was a lot smoother than Hybrid’s road, but T.Tech can not control the schedule, they can only come out and play hard.

T.Tech defeated Ripit in the first round behind a Top Performer Performance by WCKDPRK. Perk has been inconsistent, shutting down the mediocre teams but struggling against true elite competition. Nevertheless, the T.Tech offense has picked up Perk time and time again to the tune of 15, 27, and 15 runs respiectively. That is easily a record for most runs in tournament play without even playing the finals. T.Tech can hit, there is no doubt, but Hybrids is a considerably better team than Ripit and Starfire.

T.Tech Hitters at a Glance

The T.Tech hitters can all be jumbled up into one big bingo ball machine, deployed 4 at a time, and still score 10 runs. This team can flat out hit and they have proven that they can not be taken lightly. I will glance at 3 of the most impressive hitters on this team.

1. Baptiste – The manager of T.Tech has shown that he can be great. His key homerun against Carnage put his team ahead in the 4th, and he is clearly capable of carrying the load if necessary.
2. GatYoPin2 – gatyopin hit multiple homeruns for the second time in this tournament. With 3 homeruns off of Mega, gatyopin carried T.Tech into the finals.
3. Manny73 – The co-manager of T.Tech sat himself in the game against Carnage to give others playing time, expect him to start and hit as well as he did versus Ripit.

T.Tech Pitchers at a Glance

- WCKDPRK -> Baptiste trusts his young ace with the reigns and will do so once again tonight. WCKDPRK has much longer leash than a lot of other elite pitchers because of his offense, but if SniperX pitches well, WCKDPRK might need to match him out for out.
- Kiku -> Kiku had to leave the game because of a low knuckle bug his last time out. If WCKDPRK striggles, kiku should take over.

What T.Tech Must do to Win
- WCKDPRK can not get knocked out early
- SayHeyKid must not see the mound
- Baptiste, Manny, and Gatyopin have to step up and hit SniperX
- T.Tech can not be distracted by the SniperX shuffle

All in all, T.Tech looks to have a solid shot at winning because of their offense. But SniperX certainly has not been easy to figure out.

HYBRIDS

The Hybrids are an up and coming elite team that have made the most noise in this tournament. Their road has been considerably harder as they knocked out 2 league champions on their quest to the finals. Toyboy and company confidently step into tonights game looking to win a pair of sunglasses and Rotowire subscription, but in reality, SniperX is playing simply for pride.

Hybrids defeated an Empire team that almost knocked them out of the tournament in the early rounds. They persevered and defeated Junior03 and the Masters who also nearly knocked them out of the race for the title. In the final four, the Hybrids systematically picked apart a Bombers team that many here at the Chronicle considered the favorites. With the toughest road to the finals, the Hybrids are easily the Cinderella story of this tournament.

Hybrids Hitters at a Glance
Hybrids rely on 2 or 3 hitters to give them offense. Normally a bad thing, their two-to-three hitters are pretty damn good. Below is a quick glance of Hybrids best Hitters.

1. ToyBoy – The Swedish Stallion is the best left fielder remaining in this tournament. Not only that he swings a mean stick. Clearly the heart and soul of this team, ToyBoy looks to continue a hot tournament.
2. GAWD – The much maligned Right Fielder has not played good defense this tournament, but has swung a hot stick. GAWD’s key homer against Bombers allowed the Hybrids to pull away from a resilient squad.
3. LordSmrf – Watch LordSmrf. He is underrated as he is bunched up with GAWD and ToyBoy but he is an exceptional hitter.

Hybrids Pitchers at a Glance

- SniperX -> He is not well liked, he is not respectful. He is a good pitcher. SniperX proved his critics wrong by coming up big in 2 of the 3 rounds of this tournament. A workhorse, SniperX has yet to be relieved from a game.
- PESTO -> Pesto is pretty upset with his lack of playing time. He did give up 5 runs to Empire in the first round after a SniperX lagout.

What Hybrids Must do to Win
- SniperX must find a way to contain the T.Tech Defense
- SniperX must pitch away from Right Field, and find a way to let ToyBoy’s defense shine
- ToyBoy and GAWD must have their usual big night, but a third Hybrid player MUST step up

Melky’s Prediction: T.Tech defeats Hybrids 11-9
Newbert’s Prediction: Hybrids defeat T.Tech 10-7

Melky’s Players to Watch: Baptiste , LORDSMRF
Newbert’s Players to Watch: SniperX , woodpecker

Meet the Netamin Employees We Know and Love(d)

2008-05-08T02:07:00.000-07:00

This post might not being very relevant for some people, but I pulled 4 pictures of some of the Netamin employees that I think most of us knew. I'm pretty sure we all know Bobby and SMack, but for those of you who don't know, May was the nice voice who used to answer the phone (she's gone). Gabriel Law is a co-founder of Netamin and used to be a producer (to my knowledge is he currently not working with Netamin). Well here they are, hope y'all enjoy.

Bobby hiding behind a baseball and a cup

SMack

May (need confirmation)

Gabriel Law

Cinco De Mayo: Round 3 Top Performers

2008-05-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

With things winding down in the Cinco de Mayo tournament one would think my choices for a Top Performer would be dwindling...au contraire! With the pressure building as teams get closer and closer to those RotoWire subscriptions and high performance sunglasses, players begin to step it up. Both my picks for this round's studs were difficultly chosen due to all the great candidates.

Top Performer: Hitting

- SayheyKid, T.Tech

My original prediction for this game was for HeadAke to hit a walkoff homerun. After I realized that Carnage was the away team, I had to change that. Well, my original prediction of a walkoff homer was spot on. It was SayheyKid who did the damage for T.Tech in the bottom of the 7th inning. For the 2nd straight round, my Top Performer on the hitting side has been a player who hit a walkoff homer. Maybe I'm a little unfair to others, but a walkoff homerun just stands out to me. Nothing speaks more about a player than the ability to step up and get the job done when it counts.

Props to Sayheykid of T.Tech for notching his 1st career Top Performer Award.

Top Performer: Pitching

- SniperX, Hybrids

SniperX may have one too many enemies in the RBO community, but his teammates are sure willing to ignore it when he puts up All-Aces type performances. SniperX got the last laugh against Bombers as he dominated the rough lineup, holding them to just 3 runs in 6 innings of work. Look for SniperX to make a strong push for his Swedish teammates in the finals. T.Tech is very familiar with SniperX, but that shouldn't limit him in his pitching efforts.

Props to SniperX for winning his 1st career Top Performer Award.

Cinco De Mayo: Final Four Wrap

2008-05-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Final Four Round of the Cinco de Mayo tournament featured two experienced pitchers and two relatively new pitchers to the elite tournament scene. That resulted in an incredibly gut-wrenching pitcher's duel, and an awe inspiring offensive war.

IPWN, was given the nod for the Bronx based Bombers while SniperX was once again given the start over Pesto. The experienced IPWN (Goblin) has been around since UBO2, and the trust he has developed from his teammates gives him an added edge. SniperX on the other hand has been a cancer to his team, but his talent in the AS league and in the early rounds of this tournament has put his team in an almost Terrell Owens situation. Live with the cancer because he is just good.

The starters in the second game mirrored those in the first game. Megatron is an experienced Elite pitcher now but struggles with his consistency. Megatron has one of the toughest jobs in all of RBO, as he manages, hits, and pitches. WCKDPRK is a lot less reliable at this point in his career. He has shown flashes of excellence but appears hittable at times. It was also a rookie vs a veteran in this matchup. On to the games...

Bombers vs Hybrids
Bombers Starting Lineup
d1nonly2
Jiraiya
TheMan
EduaNYC
IPWN

Hybrids Starting Lineup
HAVERFORD
OLDZERO
ToyBoy
GAWD
SniperX

The pitcher's duel between Bombers and Hybrids kept both managers on their toes. I will do my best to recap the game as specifically as possible:

Top 1 - Hybrids
The Hybrids were shut down quietly by the solid pitching of IPWN. The Bombers star continued his dominance of elite league hitters despite not playing much in tournaments lately. Without Frogger, TheMan slotted into Right Field and the Bombers defense looked strong.

Bottom 1 - Bombers
D1nonly2 homered the second pitch of the ballgame off of SniperX to take a 1-0 lead. SniperX rebounded well by closing down the innings with no further damage done. SniperX continued his little shuffle distracting the Bombers hitters.

Top 2 - Hybrids
The second inning saw the awakening of the Hybrids offense. GAWD heated up with a game tying solo homerun. OLDZERO would follow with a single, as ToyBoy would then homer to make the game a 3-2 duel after the top of the 2nd. IPWN settled down and would not surrender any more runs in the second.

Bottom 2 - Bombers
SniperX continued the "SniperX Shuffle" dazzling the fans with impressive stuff. He would shut down the Bombers in the second with great defense. He pitched around a hit and was unaffected by the pressure. This is pretty commendable considering the pressure SniperX has. If he does not perform, the community will bash him. He seems to thrive off of this.

Top 3 - Hybrids
IPWN continued to rebound by shutting down Hybrids in the third. He seems to have developed some skin as he used to fold after giving up runs.

Bottom 3 - Bombers
With one out, SniperX got IPWN to pop out. Because of a rain delay, the game had to restart. After the delay, SniperX would induce a ground out, apparently rejuvinated after the delay.

Top 4 - Hybrids
IPWN would shut down the Hybrids again, putting the 2nd inning completely behind him. His manager entrusted him with the game by assuring him he would come out for the fifth after he finally seemed to find a groove

Bottom 4 - Bombers
SniperX did not want to surrender any type of runs tonight. Not to be outdone, he shut down the very tough Bombers lineup in the bottom half of the 4th.

Top 5 - Hybrids
Now really pitching effectively, IPWN shut down the Hybrids offense in the top of the 5th making it 3 consecutive scoreless innings. With his offense struggling, IPWN was able to focus solely on pitching.

Bottom 5 - Bombers
SniperX seemed to get stronger as the game went on. No offense at all for a normally potent Bombers ballclub. They did manage to string together two gappers and a dink that fell through. IPWN was up with the bases loaded and 2 men out and hit a line shot to the gap in LCF. ToyBoy made a magnificent catch which was clearly the play of the game.

Top 6 - Hybrids
IPWN was sent out for the top of the 6th as he seemed to have figured out the Hybrids' offense. Unfortunately, what he did find was the hot Swedish slugger GAWD. After a single by ToyBoy, GAWD homered to give his pitcher some insurance. 5-2 Hybrids after 6.

Bottom 6 - Bombers
The Hybrids took the field one last time as SniperX surrendered one run on another homerun by d1nonly2. That was that as the Hybrids moved on to the finals of the Cinco De Mayo Tournament.

I caught up with the winning and losing managers for two very interesting interviews:

Bombers Interview - KMAN
Melky: Your first managerial job. How did it feel?
KMAN: Well its a learning process. I feel i've got alot more figured out now with the team i have then when i started. That cant be bad
Melky: You chose to go with IPWN tonight after u pitched a gem last night and hit 3 homeruns. Do you go with a rotation?
KMAN: No i don't have a rotation. I try and feel a game out as best i can. IPWN is just as big of a threat on the hill as i am ..he's proven that now.
Melky: What do you take from this tournament?
KMAN: Well ive learned to trust your (Melky) own judgement managing. One big change that i wont specificly name may have been the difference in the game. So im going to take that and all the rest ive learned and move to league which matters most in this organization.
Melky: Any words for Hybrids?
KMAN: lol i'll be careful here as last time you quoted my joke....
Melky: *laughs*
KMAN: i'll just say gg, hope next game goes smoother and wow Toyboy nice fielding and hitting
Melky:thx for the interview as always
KMAN:yep not a problem

Hybrids Interview - ToyBoy
Melky: You defeated Bombers and Empire and arguably had the toughest road to the finals, what do you think when you look back at the teams you beat?
ToyBoy: The first game against Empire we were pumped and we told ourselfves that we have beaten them before and we can do it again. And against Bombers we knew that they were not going to be easy but that we had a better chance than we gave ourself credit for. First time in a long time i was nervous in a game
Melky: How do you manage SniperX?
ToyBoy: That's easy. We tell him to be calm and focus and just do his thing. He knows he has a good defense behind him
Melky: Do u have anything to say to Bombers?
ToyBoy: Other than Thanks for a Great Game that made me be on my toes, no.
Melky: You are playing T.Tech in the next round. They scored over 40 runs the last 2 games combined. Are you afraid at all?
ToyBoy: Not at all, we are a team that likes close scoring games and with the pitcher and defense we have on the team, i dont think they will score much
Melky: Thanks a lot for your time ToyBoy
ToyBoy: You are welcome.

So Hybrids win and move on to the Finals. A very impressive game for a surprising team.

Final Score: Hybrids 6 , Bombers 3
Player of the Game: GAWD
Next Game: vs T.Tech

Carnage vs T.Tech

T.Tech Starting Lineup
gatyopin2
ABSmoke
W00ds15
DantheMan
WCKDPRK

Carnage Starting Lineup
Wiggy
bNutz
Ebola
Headake
Megatron

Want to know what impressive is? How about a 15-14 game that was capped off by a walk off homer by the guy who ended up having to pitch because the winning team did not have any more pitchers. Below is the best play by play anyone at the chronicle could muster:

Top 1 - Carnage
WCKDPRK needed to give his team a solid game and got off to a rocky start. Wiggy clearly was a man amongst boys tonight helping Carnage jump out to an early 3-0 lead. Carnage did it the old fashion way, showing power and stringing together a couple of hits

Bottom 1 - T.Tech
Megatron once again struggled. He gave up homeruns to gatyopin2 and the recently turning 23 year old ABSMOKE. It was 4-3 after 1, in what was shaping up to be a heck of an offensive ball game.

Top 2 - Carnage
Carnage faultered in the second inning as WCKDPRK pitched well. He shut down an obviously powerful lineup. Carnage was getting hits, but the players in the middle were not coming through.

Bottom 2 - T.Tech
W00ds15 put himself on the tournament map with a solo homerun. Megatron would settle down and hold the game at 5-3 after 2 innings.

Top 3 - Carnage
Once again, WCKDPRK held Carnage scoreless. Two straight scoreless innings, pitching around hits, and dealing with the pressure of his first Final Four in elite play. Great outing for WCKDPRK after his rocky first inning.

Bottom 3 - T.Tech
Megatron seemed to have settled down. He would not allow a run in the bottom of the third. The first full scoreless inning of the game.

Top 4 - Carnage
Wiggy and Headake came out and proved to the world why NEWBert and I are so high on them. The two bright spots in the Carnage lineup helped Carnage pull ahead 7-5 as WCKDPRK was finally replaced with kiku. A tough outing for the young T.Tech ace.

Bottom 4 - T.Tech
Baptiste came up big as the manager subbed in and hit a 3 run homerun that fueled his team. The game was now 8-7 and T.Tech regained all lost confidence. Megatron on the other hand lost his. He managed to get out of the inning rather disappointed.

Top 5 - Carnage
Nothing doing for Carnage off of kiku. Unfortunately, kiku was lost due to bugging himself with a low knuckle and Ebola lagged out. The inning would end with a 4v4 game going on.

Bottom 5 - T.Tech
gatyopin2 had Carnage's number. Another homerun for gat gave T.Tech a 9-7 lead. Megatron did not allow another run to cross the plate in the bottom of the 5th. SayHeyKid was set to take the mound in the Top of the 6th.

Top 6 - Carnage
Carnage had one final push in tonights game. Wiggy and HeadAke again attacked the non-pitcher with the help of their teammates and made it a 13-10 ball game. A safe lead?

Bottom 6 - T.Tech
Megatron failed to hold the lead as he gave up a 2 out 3 run homerun to gatyopin2, the star of the game clearly. It was 13-13 going into the top of the 7th.

Top 7 - Carnage
Subbing himself out, Megatron brought in bden2. Another clutch homerun gave Carnage a 14-13. Unfortunately, they were not the home team.

Bottom 7 - T.Tech
N8te would tie the game off of Wiggy in the Bottom of the 7th. A valiant effort, Wiggy was unable to keep the lead. With a 14-14 game, the man who was forced to pitch, SayHey, walked off with a solo homerun. T.Tech celebrated on vent ecstatically.

A great game by both teams. I caught up with the losing manager, Megatron, first for a post game interview:

Carnage Interview - Megatron
Melky: Tough loss tonight Mega, great game by the way.
Mega: thanks
Melky: You played an amazing tournament through the obvious stresses of managing, pitching and hitting. How much does that affect your play?
Mega: It shouldn't affect my play too much...I think as a pitcher in UBO, you kinda crave that kinda pressure. Besides the occasional fire - look after, I think I can do a somewhat decent job of separating the stress from the fun and working around it
Melky: what was the difference between the Flight game where u were lights out, and the past two games where u struggled?
Mega: Ran into a tank of a hitter in both games. Ensferum and Gatyopin, they really had my number
Melky: You have been making amazing managerial decisions with late inning substitutions, how much of Majewicz and bden's clutch performance do u credit yourself for?
Mega: I think the changes were pretty much common sense when you looked at the situations we were in. We had some guys that were struggling and really those two guys just made me look good. I can't take too much credit for that
Melky: Whay do you take from this tournament? Positives? Negatives?
Mega: Definetly it was a positive tournament, I mean a lot of big name teams didn't make it through so we can't feel too bad about losing by a run in extras.
Melky: Well you did great. Good luck in the future.
Mega: Thank You, later mate.

T.Tech Interview - BaPtIste
Melky: How much confidence do you have in WCKDPRK, you seem to throw him out there every game no matter how hard he is hit.
BapTisTe: i feel perk can get the job done thats y he is in there
Melky: Your offense has scored over 40 runs the last two games, SniperX shut down a solid Bombers offense tonight , how confident are u that u can hit him
BapTisTe: he is a very good pitcher but my guys seem to be on the ball everytime i put them in. We play everyone no matter what. Manny decided to stay out tonight for example.
Melky: Manny decided to sit out?
BapTisTe: yes
Melky: why?
BapTisTe: to allow everyone a chace to play
Melky: that is really risky in a prize tourney. You had a big homerun that seemed to put some fire under your team, do you feel they play better when you are in the game?
BapTisTe: We work as a unit. With or without me my guys can get the job done with or without me
Melky: Do you have any words for Carnage?
BapTisTe: One of our best games that have been played in the New Rbo
Melky: well thank you again baptiste it is always a pleasure to interview you. Good luck tomorrow
BapTisTe: thank you

T.Tech wins in impressive fashion. It will be interesting to see if their offense can continue to produce.

Final Score: T.Tech 15 , Carnage 14 - 7 innings
Player of the Game: GatYoPin2
Next Game: vs Hybrids

Now...Prediction Review!!!
Newbert - 0-2
Melky - 1-1

Previews up soon. Great round. Thank you for the interviews and recaps d1nonly2, Kman, ToyBoy, Baptiste, ABSMOKE, Megatron.

Cinco De Mayo: Final Four Previews

2008-05-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

It's prediction time again, and you all know what that means, another chance to embarrass NewBert at RBO pick-em. Yes I have picked Empire/Bombers in every game they have played, but were they really bad picks? (Hybrids,RWNL,FlightNL were the opponents). Anyway, we saw a lot of great action last night and we are now down to four teams looking to take home Rotowire.com subscriptions and some cool sunglasses http://jroptics.com/.

Bombers vs Hybrids
I'm not even sure if it's that sunny in Sweden, but Toyboy will try and win himself some sunglasses nonetheless. Struggling with the stick against Junior03 last night, ToyBoy did not let it effect his defense, as the Swedish Stallion impressed once again in LF. The Hybrids manager needs GAWD to remain consistent. GAWD has shown flashes of becoming a consistent elite hitter but tends to chase and let himself be contained. Look for Toyboy and Gawd to try and hit either IPWN/KMAN of the Bombers. LordSmrf has also quietly been a consistent presence in that lineup. Hybrids will need all hands on deck to defeat Bombers tonight.

SniperX pitched his first solid Elite league game last night against Masters. He struck out 10 masters hitters in 7 innings of work. That performance puts him in the lead for "K/9" in the tournament. How did he do it? While I was interviewing Junior03 last night, the Masters manager, he brought up what the community will call "The SniperX shuffle". Somewhat like icing a hitter, SniperX steps off the mound and runs around after every pitch. Certainly not illegal, but Bombers hitters should not have a problem hitting through SniperX's 2-step. Nevertheless, the Hybrids Ace looks to impress more with a similar performance against Bombers.

Frogger surprised us all by showing up and playing in the 12-1 rout of RWNL, but today, he is definitely not going to be able to make it. It seems as if playing through his injuries made them significantly worse, so Frogger will not be manning RF tonight. Expect Big123 or EduaNYC to take the reigns in his place. SniperX has to hope that TheMan cools of before game time. Arguably one of the streakiest hitters in the game, TheMan has the ability to build on past great games with his incredible power to all fields. Jiraiya, the Dutch God of LF, looks to impressively man LF again. It should be a showdown of two of the best European Left Fielders tonight. Newly acquired D1Nonly2 has fit right in. The slender Dominican born outfielder was recruited for his defense and has surprised Bombers interim manager KMAN with his stick.

KMAN has quite the decision to make. Every manager would love to have this problem. Do you start IPWN (6ip 3 ER vs FlightNL) or yourself (6 IP 1 ER vs RWNL). The game may very well be decided by who takes the mound tonight but this reporter will go out on a limb and guess IPWN will get the start.

Melky's Prediction: Bombers 14 , Hybrids 6
Newbert's Prediction: Bombers 10, Hybrids 5

Melky's Players to Watch: Jiraiya , ToyBoy
Newbert's Players to Watch: TheMan, GAWD

T.Tech vs Carnage - Game of the Day
Spend some time on both of these teams ventrilo servers and you will come out thinking one thing. These teams are identical. Their vent servers are a closed, passworded safe-haven for their members. Not more than 12 people are on at once, and since Rage and Carnage cut ties it was relatively quiet. They laughed and joked with each other but remained a serious and mature demeanor. They gave each other crap and listening to another team communicate is interesting from the eyes of a manager. Both of these teams are incredibly tight-knit groups, and every one of the players who took the field last night was on vent. These two teams both feature a pitcher than can either shut you down, or get hit around. Both of these teams feature streaky offences and solid defense. This is going to be one hell of a game.

Why T.Tech will win:
T.Tech will win because somehow WCKDPERK was able to go 6 innings. He was able to control his stamina and hold Carnage to under 6 runs. In order for T.Tech to win, WCKDPERK can not choke under pressure, he can not falter like most rookie tournament pitchers do. T.Tech will hit, they always do, and after a 27 run outburst that was a league and tournament record, WCKDPERK should feel pretty good about his offense right now. In order for T.Tech to win, WCKDPERK needs to come up big.

Why Carnage will win:
Megatron comes out and pitches a gem as he did against flight. He also homers and helps his team out with his stick. In order for Carnage to win, Majewicz can not be subbed in for Ebola, because that means Ebola is struggling. Ebola needs to show why he is one of the better hitters in tournament play and he can not struggle in order for Carnage to win. bNutz has to continue to hit and hit well and this deep Carnage offense will be just fine.

Interviewing both team managers last night and they were pretty confident about the next round. It should be interesting to see if their players are as confident as they were. I'm going to go with T.Tech. T.Tech has no worries right now and all they need to do is "show up" as their manager suggested last night. Carnage has a lot on their plate. They played a close game with ReJected but clearly have some in-house issues distracting their ace and manager Megatron.

Melky's Prediction: T.Tech 7 , Carnage 4
Newbert's Prediction: Carnage 16, T.Tech 9 (HeadAke runs wild over the T.Tech pitching and knocks 4 HR's in the winning effort)

Melky's Players to Watch: ABSMOKE , Megatron
Newbert's Players to Watch: HeadAke, Baptiste

Good luck to all the final four teams!

Cinco De Mayo: Round 2 Top Performers

2008-05-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well Round 2 is in the books, so it's time for me to dish out my 2nd set of Top Performer awards. Once again there were several viable candidates to recieve each award, but there are only 2 awards in total to give out.

Top Performer: Hitting

- Majewicz, Carnage

One of Megatron's newer acquisitions, Majewicz earned his stripes in a close win against ReJected. Denied playing time for the entire first 5 innings, Majewicz was subbed into a tie game in the bottom of the 6th. Unphased by the apparent pressure of the tie game, Majewicz did what he does best; beat the crap out of the ball. Majewicz hit that clutch homer that Carnage needed to continue their run at the sunglasses/RotoWire subscriptions. Though Majewicz only saw 1 at bat in Round 2, he'll certainly see a few more at bats in Round 3.

Props to Majewicz for winning his 1st Top Performer Award.

Top Performer: Pitching

-KMAN, Bombers

KMAN met a decent RW NL squad in Round 2. Though the Bombers took a large 1st inning lead, KMAN never let up. He notched 4 strikeouts and pitched a complete game. One of the more impressive pitching performances in recent times, KMAN took a shutout into the 6th inning. Unfortunately, RW NL found a small groove and strung together a few hits past the AI before Day knocked a ball to the outfield that scored 1. KMAN's shutout was lost possibly by the mid-inning exit of Senzafne, but either way he's this round's Top Performer. KMAN was also a candidate for this round's hitting Top Performer award as he blasted 3 HR's in the Bombers' 12-1 victory.

Props to KMAN for picking up his 1st career Top Performer Award.

Talks of Possible Players' Union

2008-05-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

One of the more popular talks going around the RBO community is the movement to add in a Players' Union. Though the views on the purpose and goals of a Players' Union are conflicting the general idea is uniform. The idea is to have a set crew of players with proper representation from all teams and levels. These players would be able to be in a direct contact with Netamin. Beyond just benefiting the players, Netamin would use the Players' Union to propose new ideas or just to get a general idea on how players felt on rule changes or new tournaments.

EWade, manager of Lynx, stated in a UBO Factor post, "If a player's union is formed, we can provide more of a say as a community and actually help this company get on the right track with RBO."

One of the more intriguing aspects of the Players' Union would be electing a President. The President would have to be able to gather the Players' Union's ideas and propose them in a proper manner for a large Netamin official. Potential nominees would be player GM's (or as Rubber involuntarily called them in a UBO Factor post, "outhouse GM's") or even Rubber himself.

I personally support Rubber as my choice for our head representative/President. Rubber, aka GM19, has been around the block as far as Ultimate Baseball Online is concerned. Though he has not fully stated that he would be willing to head the Players' Union, he has not turned down the idea in any fashion. In a UBO Factor post Rubber stated, "I have no problem passing info on and I'm sure most if not all the other player GM's would be willing to help as well." Potentially, the community could have Rubber as the President with a non-Netamin affiliated player as a Vice President.

For a long time players across the RBO community have felt that their voice wasn't being heard or has been ignored. The movement to add in a Players' Union is very real. Once the new "Bobby replacement" is announced, expect to see the players push this idea. The voice of the community might actually be heard.

Round 2: Cindo De Mayo Recap

2008-05-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

Melky here, so I fared a lot better in my predictions. Here are the recaps:

Bombers vs RotowireNL
The second round of the Cinco De Mayo tournament for the Bombers proved to be just as succesful as the first. Facing a RWNL team who was given a bye in the first round, KMAN and the Bombers set out to move on to the Final Four and did so in emphatic fashion.

The pitching matchup was one that suggested a pitcher's duel. KMAN took the ball from IPWN against Coug. KMAN did not disappoint. With 4 strikeouts, the former All Aces winner dazzled taking a complete game into the sixth inning. Not only was it a complete game, it was a complete game shutout. The defense was as good as that statement suggests, as Jiraiya might challenge for RBO Chronicles Diamond Glove aware in the outfield. Frogger, who was not supposed to play in tonights game, recovered quickly from his surgery and played a magnificent Right Field. On call the whole night, IPWN sat the bench as he watched KMAN pitch 6 innings of 1 run ball. The only blunder came off the bat of RWNL manager Day who drove in a run.

Bombers scored 5 runs in the first, as KMAN took Coug deep in the opening frame. TheMan followed with a pair of homeruns of his own off reliever ChungFX. Not to be outdone, Jiraiya added on his daily tournament homerun from the heart of Deutshland. 1000 time Elite League MVP runner up Frogger also homered in the game. RedK would get aboard in the final frame only to get picked off and end the game.

The star of the game was KMAN. Pitching 6 solid innings and hitting 3 homeruns and driving in 6 rbis. I caught up with KMAN to talk about his team and the game afterwards:

Melky: How did you go about preparing for this game?
KMAN: I smoked a lot of weed and I worked really hard. Batting practice with the guys helped.
Melky: That's unconventional, did you ever contemplate starting IPWN tonight? He did pitch a great game in the first round
KMAN: IPWN couldn't make it. I knew i had to keep my pitches where i wanted them and locate well. Me and Frogger spoke about the gameplan before the game. Wasn't trying to strike anyone out, just make it through 6.
Melky: Well you did a great job. Any words for RWNL?
KMAN: Well ide like to say its nice to play with a team that can best us on any given night, but lose gracefully. The latter is important those guys are a class act.
Melky: Any thoughts on Hybrids? You face them in the next round and they did beat Empire.
KMAN: I won't lie, I am coming out harder for them knowing they did beat my teammates. But it should be a great game.
Melky: Well thanks KMAN
KMAN: No problem, anytime

That was interim manager KMAN after a great game today. RWNL faltered and it has a lot to do with activity. You see great elite pitchers like Coug and Boget struggle because they are not familiar with the patch. I would not be concerned if i was Rotowire as they should improve the more they play.

Final Score: Bombers 12 , RWNL 1
Next Game: vs Hybrids
Player of the Game: KMAN

Hybrids vs Masters
Both of these teams upset quality elite league teams last night and did not disappoint, playing a very close game that would certainly be up for the debate as far as Game of the Day is concerned. Hybrids went into the game with a win over Empire, and Masters looked to build on their victory over Rotowire.

Junior03 started what looked to be a special game, shutting out Hybrids through 3 innings. BigJuddd homered twice to give Masters a 4-0 lead. BigJuddd who was just on the team for this tournament, really made quite the splash. In the 4th, Junior's shutout ended by giving up a 2 run homerun to GAWD. That cut the lead to 4-2. Hybrids would tack on one more and make it 4-3 taking it into the 5th.

Wagon was subbed in for Masters and homered to make it a 5-3 ballgame. As SniperX was beginning to struggle. Throughout the game, SniperX succesfully utilized the "SniperX shuffle", distracting Masters hitters by stepping off the mound on every pitch.

In the 6th, Junior gave up back to back homeruns to tie the game up at 5. He would bring in Jeter994 to end the threat.

The game would go into extras, as the Hybrids defense of ToyBoy and God robbed Junior and company of hits in the gap that were nearly homers. They would go on to homer in the top half of the 7th and hold down Masters in the bottom half. A great game.

No Hybrids players were available for an interview so I caught up with the losing Manager:

Melky: How did it feel to come out and pitch 3 shutout innings, be backed up by 2 homeruns by BigJuddd and build early momentum after your great day last night?
Junior03: It was great i had great D behind me so i didnt have to worry about getting them out myself
Melky: What went wrong after that?
Junior03: Hybrids ended up getting a lucky dink hit and really used that as a key with me making a mistake and giving him a juice pitch to crank for a homerun
Melky: If you could, would you have done anything differently?
Junior03: Switched and put jeter994 into pitcher for the whole top of the 6th. Instead of putting myself out there for the 6th.
Melky: Well I think you played a great tournament and good luck with your team
Junior03: Thanks

Final Score: Hybrids 6, Masters 5
Next Game: vs Bombers
Player of the Game: GAWD

Carnage vs Rejected
Carnage came into this game flying high. After defeating FlightAL, Megatron was confident he could contain an apparently less threatening Rejected team. To his disappointment, Megatron ran into some hard luck as Carnage was tested and tested often.

The Carnage pitcher surrendered 3 homeruns to Ensferum, who surprised me. Ensferum carried the load for the Rejected offense helping the total 14 runs by the 6th inning. Being able to focus on his hitting, Ensferum hit extremely well.

Megatron had his own answer. Also not having his normal stuff on the mound, he homered twice. Former flight slugger BnUtz homered twice as well.

The story was set in the bototm of the 6th as Majewicz pinch hit for Ebola. He subsequently slugged a 2 run walk off homer to end the game before it could head into extras. A great game for Carnage and for Rejected. I caught up with Mega, Carnage manager after the game:

Melky: How different was this game from your last? Flight is arguably a better hitting team and you pitched twice as good.
Mega: Can't expain it. Even the sun shines on a dog's ass sometimes
Mega: give them credit, they capitalized on our mistakes
Melky: So are you saying you had your normal stuff but it was just hit, or are you saying you just ran into some hard luck?
Mega: I think so. I don't think I had the focus I should have had, we had some behind the scenes issues going on
Melky: Care to elaborate?
Mega: Not really...it's something that should stay in the lockerroom
Melky: Very well then, how proud of you of your offense tonight? And is Rejected underrated in your opinion?
Mega: Our offense did a great job, but that's what we expect from them. They're great hitters who adjust well and they did their jobs tonite
Mega: I would say yes they are underrated. They have some definite weapons on offense but are still learning to play as a team
Melky: On a lighter note, how big did Majewicz come up tonight!?
Mega: Huge. Everyone knows he's just a kid and to come in in that situation replacing a hitter like Ebola and do what he did is just awesome.
Melky: Thank you for ur time
Mega: No problems, thanks for all your doing aswell

T.Tech vs Starfire
There is a reason Newbert and I are human. Starfire actually fielded a team. We were BOTH incorrect. Starfire played, scored 6 runs, and still lost by 21 runs. T.Tech completely annihilated Starfire in impressive...well not impressive really...fashion.

The magical 3 who showed for starfire? HrPower his cousin JCornett and VLadBomb. In a galant effort, Starfire played 6 innings. Quite an accomplishment for a team people were flaming for giving a free bye to teams in the past. On to the game...

WCKDPRK took the hill again for T.Tech pitching 6 innings for 6 run ball. An impressive feat considering he faced the same hitters over and over and over again. For Starfire, HRPOWER homered twice and VLADBOMB did so as well.

On to T.Tech. Even though it was a 5 v 3 game, T.Tech still scored 27 runs. This is the most runs ever scored in Elite league play. KUDOS. Who did what???

Gatyopin, Baptiste, W00ds15, SayHey, AbSmoke, and BearGrylle all homered. Baptiste homered 3 times, ABsmoke once, BearGrylle twice, and then the rest tacked on solo homeruns. T.Tech looks to continue at least half of that success in the next round against Carnage.

Melky: How were you able to maintain focus not even expecting your opponent to show up? Or did you expect them to show up?
BapTisTe: I had to keep my guys ready. I knew they would show as soon as two people came in the room. I knew they would show.
Melky: How impressed were you by your offense?
Baptiste: My guys looked good going into the second, but I was a little worried when we left the bases loaded in the third.
Melky: You scored 27 runs, how fun was the game?
Baptiste: It was Great. It was great to let the Bats go.
Melky: Do you have anything to say to Starfire?
BapTiste: *laughing* um Thanks for showing it was a Great upset for the community
BearGrylls in the background: StarFire has a lot of class for showing up
Melky: You face Carnage in the next round, how do you feel going into the game?
Baptiste: We just have to keep our hitters in the zone, and most importantly, we have to show up
Melky: Thank You for your time Baptiste and good luck.

Now let us see how i did compared to Newbert

Melky: Bombers vs RWNL- Correct
Newbert: Bombers vs RWNL - Correct

Melky: Hybrids vs Masters - Correct - Bonus for Player of the Game
Newbert: Hybrids vs Masters - Correct - Bonus for Player of the Game

Melky: Carnage vs Rejected - Correct
Newbert: Carnage vs Rejected - Incorrect

Melky: T.Tech vs Starfire - Incorrect
Newbert: T.Tech vs Starfire - Incorrect

Melky: 3-1
Newbert: 2-2

Thanks to Junior, Baptiste, and KMAN for the interviews.

Round 2: Previews

2008-05-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Melky again...So yea, I went 2-2 last night but I'm looking to go undefeated as I do the previews for tonight's game. Barring a complete server crash, the games are set to start at 9PM EST time.

RotowireNL vs Bombers
With both parent teams watching from the outside, Bombers and RotowireNL square off in what should be an entertaining game with experienced and cute players. Probably the most underrated manager in UBO, DayRod has taken the little engine that could RWNL team and turned them into a perennial powerhouse. Never in the discussion of Elite Teams, RWNL looks to make a splash and take home some sunglasses and Rotowire subscriptions they all probably have already. With the imminent birth of his child, ThirstyT relinquished his managerial duties and they fell right onto the lap of KMAN. How far can the new manager take the Bombers in his first tournament?

Bombers effectively contained a FlightNL offense that can best be described as dormant. Either that, or Goblin is just pretty good. His IPWN character pitched 6 complete innings of 3 run ball and struck out 4. Edua looks to continue his hot hitting and build off of a 2-4 night. Jiraiya was unable to show last night and it looks as if Bombers will have him for tonight's game. In a conversation with Bombers interim manager KMAN, I was able to get some inside information on 2 time Elite league MVP runner-up Frogger.

Melky: So How is Frogger, is he expected to play tonight
KMAN: As a result of chronic..er..hand pain, Frogger will undergo knee and shoulder surgery and will not make tonight's game.

There you have it, Bombers will go into today without Frogger. D1nonly2, TheMan, Jiraiya, and Edua are expected to start. It is unknown yet whether or not IPWN will be given the nod against RWNL.

RWNL was granted the number 1 seed basically because they have 10 players who have/had no life at one point or presently do blah blah blah. Because of the low curve bug, Klemens will not be blessing us with his low curve spam this tournament but should hurt the Bombers enough with his stick. Newly acquired and former StarFire star Ozzy might see some time tonight. This just in...O no..Newbert has cloned himself. Yes ladies and gentleman, NubXpress and Klemens are both on RWNL's roster, making it possible for more low curve spam....

HaZed is probably one of the top 10 all time hitters in UBO and will be a factor in the game. Coug should see the most time on the mound, as one of the most underrated pitchers of all time. Hell i've used that cliche enough, why not throw in the most underrated funny-name of all time...BigSwoll.

Yes, I have nothing to write on RWNL because they have not played a game, but I can say that this will be quite the contest. RWNL is a solid Team.

Melky's Prediction: Bombers 6 RWNL 5
Newbert's Prediction: Bombers 12, RW NL 6

Melky's Players to Watch: TheMan , HaZed
Newbert's Players to Watch: Jiraiya, klemens

Hybrids vs Masters
In all honesty I was dead wrong about both of these teams in the first round and I will be the first to admit I was wrong. Hybrids capitalized off of Brianr's inactivity and unless SniperX lags out again, should be in the game. Then again, Pesto did not pitch as bad as SniperX has done lately against elite competition, another interesting dilemma for manager ToyBoy.

The Hybrids rely heavily on ToyBoy and Gawd and some solid defense in LF. This is easily the most intriguing game of the night. SniperX will feed Masters hitters a heavy diet of slow low fastballs that should keep the inexperienced Masters hitters off balanced, until they get a brian and sit back.

Junior03 was a man possessed last game, apparently mad at someone who writes for this blog. Sorrry Rotowire :(. If Junior improves on his performance, Masters win easily, but I attribute his success to Boget's inexperience pitching in this patch. JLPR did not lag out and the Masters could not pitch. I was 1/2 on that.

Melky's Prediction: Hybrids 12 Masters 5
Newbert's Prediction: Hybrids 16, Masters 8

Melky's Player to Watch: Gawd , Jeter994
Newbert's Player to Watch: GAWD, Junior03

Carnage vs Rejected
Carnage is coming off a hell of a game with FlightAL. Yes the game was lag affected. Yes the game crashed multiple times. Yes the game did not finish. But for one reason or another, Flight did not finish a 3-run game that they should have finished.

Anyway Megatron impressed in his 2008 debut holding FlightAL under 10 runs. His offense played pretty well behind him. Carnage, to there appraisal, has become a very good team and are motivated by accusations of a "light league schedule" in 2007-4.

What does Carnage need to do to win? To be honest...show up. Rejected is a growing up and coming team but I do not see them upsetting a tested Carnage team. Ebola should hit, Megatron should pitch, and maybe Majewicz can get off the bench and strikeout.

What does Rejected need to do to win? I have this down to a science. 1) Killface needs to hit multiple homeruns 2) Ensferum must not flood team chat with nonsense that will distract his teammates 3) Ensferum must not give up more than 5 runs 4) Hunt Down and DESTROY Jacke

Melky's Prediction: Carnage 19 Rejected 4
Newbert's Prediction: Carnage 10, ReJected 12

Melky's Player to Watch: Jacke , K1LLFACE
Newbert's Player to Watch: HeadAke, RUGJUICE

T.Tech vs Bye GAME OF THE CENTURY
Listen T.Tech, I love you guys and Baptiste and Manny and WCKDPERK are awesome. The fact is, you will not play today. It is not because I'm lazy and I don't want to recap last night it is simply because it is a waste of space. You will not play. Just show up 3 people, and ttf. Starfire needs to burn slowly.

Melky's Prediction: Forfeit
Newbert's Prediction: StarFire manages to get 2 players to show, but Forfeit

Cinco De Mayo: Round 1 Top Performers

2008-05-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hola, NEWBert checkin' in for the 1st time in this blog...I'll be giving out Top Performers awards for each round of the Cinco de Mayo Tournament (and whatever other tournaments are worth noting). Hopefully Cinco de Mayo didn't get the best of y'all.

Round 1 of the Cinco de Mayo Tournament saw some solid games, but only 2 players (one hitter, one pitcher) can receive my prestigious "Top Performer" award.

Top Performer: Hitting

- Junior03, Masters

Junior03 may have given up 10 runs in the first 2 innings of play, but his offensive production made up for it. In the 9 inning war of attrition against RotoWire he managed 8 hits in 12 at bats. Don't think Junior03 just big-blued his way to 1st base, either. Junior carried his weight (and then some) blasting 3 homers and knocking 3 doubles off RotoWire ace, Boget. In total he amounted for 7 RBIs, and scored 5 runs. The Masters certainly needed to hit well off Boget to pickup the upset victory and Junior made that happen.

Props to Junior03 for notching his 1st career Top Performer Award.

Top Performer: Pitching

- WCKDPERK, T.Tech

WCKDPERK helped T.Tech cruise into the 2nd round with 4 innings pitched against Ripit. He registered 6 K's and really dominated the Ripit squad, holding them to a .294 batting average. WCKDPERK may have faced what appears to be a weaker offense in the Elite League, but he did a damn good job. Pitching is never easy in REAL baseball and that's why my 2nd Top Performer Award goes to WCKDPERK of T.Tech.

Props to WCKDPERK for earning his 1st career Top Performer Award.

Round 1: Cinco De Mayo Recap

2008-05-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hybrids vs Empire

In an odd decision, Empire chose to go with BrianR. Hybrids took advantage early to the tune of 3 homeruns and 4 runs through 6. SniperX pitched 2 innings, gave up 1 run before a lagout. Gawd came in pitched 1 scoreless inning as Empire was unable to capitalize. Pesto came in, pitched 2 solid innings before the 6th.

In the 6th, Empire rallied to tie the game by scoring 5 runs. Toyboy walked off with a basehit in the bottom half.

Final Score: Hybrids 7 , Empire 6

Player of the Game: ToyBoy

Next Game: Hybrids vs Masters

Rotowire vs Masters

Boget struggles to find his zone as the Masters tore him apart. This is a key example of not playing enough in this patch. The Roto offense scored 15 runs, which would normally be enough to support the ACE, but not today.

Junior03 hit 3 Homeruns and drove 7 runs home off of Rotowire pitching, and Boget followed with the same numbers.

Final Score: Masters 15, Rotowire 14 in 9 innings

Next Game: Hybrids vs Masters

Player of the Game: Junior03

Bombers vs FlightNL

Goblin's return to tournament competition proved to be a solid one, as IPWN pitched 6 innings of 3 run ball. An exceptional performance easily the best pitching performance of the night. EduaNYC followed to the tune of 2 Homeruns and 4 RBIs.

Papi was responsible for Flight's offense as his three run homerun did all the damage that would be done. FlightNL needs to answer its critics in future tournaments.

Final Score: Bombers 6 , FlightNL 3

Next Game: Bombers vs RotowireNL

Player of the Game: IPWN

Ripit vs T.Tech

Baptiste's 3 homeruns and 4 rbis would have been all of the offense neccesary, as T.Tech annihilated Ripit. Manny tacked on a homerun and 5 rbis of his own. The duo combined for 11 runs batted in on the night.

WCKDPERK pitched 4 innings of 2 run ball before being replaced. His 6 strikeouts led all pitchers on the night. Ripit could not make any contact.

Final Score: T.Tech 15 , Ripit 4

Next Game: T.Tech vs Starfire AKA bye

Player of the Game: Baptiste

Carnage vs FlightAL

FlightAL and Carange experienced the most controversy on the night. The final score after 5 innings was 9-6 Carnage.

The game then consequently bugged in the bottom of 2nd inning in tourny server with Carnage leading 3-2, 0 outs.

Game crashed in PUG in the top of the 6th inning with Carnage up 9-6.

FlightAL didn't have enough players to continue and the game was called.

Thanks to Megatron for the PM. Tough blow for both Flight teams as they both fall early. As far as predictions are concerned...

Hybrids vs Empire - Wrong

Rotowire vs Masters - Wrong

Bombers vs FlightNL - Correct

Carnage vs FlightAL - Correct

Previews will be up for the next round soon.

Cinco De Mayo Preview

2008-05-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

1. RotowireNL - Bye
Next Game: Winner of 9. Bombers. and 8. Flight NL

2. Rejected - Bye
Next Game: Winner of 7. FlightAL and 10. Carnage

3. Starfire - Bye
Next Game: Winner of 6. Ripit and 11. T.Tech

4. Hybrids vs 13. Empire
In his inception into Elite tournament play, former AS league All-Aces SniperX was knocked around to the tune of a 19.20 ERA. Empire hitters had a field day against the same pitcher who seemed to dominate the likes of Mustangs, Ripit, and Rejected just a few seasons ago.

Hybrids found late success against Empire pitcher ElDuque the last time out and are expected to hit the ball well. ToyBoy seemed to be the only consistent hitter, while Gawd's struggles in the last tournament do not expect to continue.

On the Empire front, they look to develop a modern day murderers row with Revoke, Pete998, Melky, and Prooot. Those very same 4 hitters all had multiple hits off of SniperX in the last tournament.

Pitching wise, it is yet unknown who Empire will counter with seeing as Hybrid hitters have all ready seen ElDuque. Being a prize tournament, expect Empire to try everything possible to keep a very capable Hybrids team on edge.

Prediction: Empire 6 - Hybrids 3
Players To Watch: Pete998 , ToyBoy

5. Rotowire vs 12. Masters
Rotowire has always been one of the premier teams as far as tournament and regular season play came to mind. Regardless of their lack of playoff success, Rotowire is easily one of the top 5 teams in the game. The only true concern for Rotowire at this point is whether or not their ace pitcher, Boget, and Midget have been active enough to perform at the level they are capable of performing at.

Boget's usual slow cutter has been significantly nerfed this patch, and we will see if the multiple All-Aces winner can adjust to the tune of a sub 4.00 ERA that he has put up in league play.
Offensively it all depends on who shows up. If Splif, TarHeelS, Miig, and Haskell and Snipe show up, Rotowire is in for an offensive field day even if they are heavily inactive. But if CTAP is forced to throw out Skoal and himself into the mix, it is going to be a lot more difficult to win despite the leadership both players provide. It should be interesting how difficult Rotowire makes their tournament run. Their only competition in this first round, seems to be themselves.

The Masters have been under scrutiny for controversial maj down games and controversial recruiting. JLPR, Aceme, and Ravelo are all known laggers, and Junior will have to manage around lagging complaints from CTAP the whole way through.
Pitching duties should fall to Ravelo, who if he doesn't lag out, will have to maneuver past a tough Rotowire offense. If he falters, Tau will be there to pick him up.

Offensively Masters is unproven. JLPR has never finished a game so we can not judge how good of a hitter he is. Ravelo once was a very good hitter, but we are unsure if his pitching stats will damper his ability to hit. Junior has been nothing short of mediocre. And the rest of the Masters team seems to be inconsistent at best. Nevertheless, Rotowire should not overlook any team with AceMe O.O.

Prediction: Rotowire 11 - Masters 2
Players to Watch: Boget , Ravelo

6. Ripit vs 11. T.Tech
Youtube videos aside, Ripit is a team to be taken rather seriously. In this game though, they may be overmatched in every facet of play.

Ripit will continue to struggle as long as Resinator pitches sidearm. He seems to throw the same pitches in PUG as he does in the Tournament Clubhouse. In order to win, JimmyJohn needs to find a way to manipulate the sidearm style so that the ball can be thrown in a way that keeps these T.Tech hitters off balance. This may very well be buying a plane ticket, finding NCK, fixing sidearm pitches, and releasing a patch before tourney time.

Offensively, Ripit is a very streaky team that should not score more than 3 or 4 runs in this ball game. Unfortunately, Ripit's long wait for a tournament will be made longer after tonight.

T.Tech is simply a better team, flirting with the upper-echelon teams in UBO. WCKDPERK or GATYOPIN2 should see the mound, and though statistically unimpressive, they manage to hold opponents rather impressively.

Offensively, Baptiste's team will rely on birthday boy ABSMOKE, who will hopefully not be suffering from er um post-birthday depression. Anyway, this offense should provide enough runs to win this game rather easily.

Prediction: T.Tech 14 - Ripit 4
Players to Watch: ABSMOKE , Resinator

7. FlightAL vs 10. Carnage
One of the most popular story lines in RBO this coming year will be how effective FlightAL's pitching staff will be. Not falling far behind, is Carnage's own storyline of being slapped in the easiest division and taking advantage of it and reaching the league finals. Can FlightAL win with their pitching? Was Carnage's run a fluke?

FlightAL will feature ConMan and DrDeath. A telling sign of the fall of DrDeath is his demotion from FlightNL. Though both Flight teams are apparently "equal" it is evident that Papi has lost some confidence in his former Ace. DrDeath will most likely be handed pitching duties, if not, recently re-acquired ConMan will have to take the load. The Questionable pitching staff should be FlightAL's only question mark in this tournment.

With a collection of new faces, FlightAL's offense should suffer growing pains. New Manager Kentucky will have to find the correct formula for success. ZachAtack and Kentucky should hit, the question lies on who can fill in the other 2 slots. 96 has not proven himself capable, and Crede should hit fairly well. As I said, they should not have any other problem other than pitching, as FlightAL has a very capable offense.

Carnage needs to get Megatron off to a hot start. Megatron needs to avoid making the same mistake that always seems to cause Carnage games, keeping himself in too long. Other than that Megatron is very capable of getting hitters out, and he should maneuver past the inexperienced newer Flight players. The rest, will be a battle.

Ebola, Jacke, Wiggy, and Bnutz should get the start. All very good and capable hitters and as a team arguably have deeper offense than Flight. From an outsider's point of view, Kentucky and ZachAtack are better hitters, but Jacke, Wiggy, and Bnuts are significantly more consistent than the other two Flight can throw out there. Despite that, Carnage should put up similar runs to what Flight will.

Prediction: Carnage 7 - Flight 5
Players to Watch: BNutz - 96

8. FlightNL vs 9. Bombers *Game of the Day*
It can now be argued that FlightAL is a better team than FlightNL, this would have been an afterthought in years past. Now, with new acquisitions, Papi needs to quickly figure out what works and he will not have a good game to do so against a battle-tested Bombers team.

Pitching wise FlightNL needs to figure out who the hell can give them 4-6 innings. Is it 2Nice4Dis, who was hammered in tournament play in the past, or SmokeOut, who has not been trusted with Duque and DrDeath on the roster in games past. As it usually comes down to, pitching will be what FlightNL's question mark is.

Corv, Papi, YardDog, and HugeEvil will hit. They have an incredible offense that rivals any other in UBO. The fourth spot, should alternate throughout the year and it seems that Papi has tried to hide the evident pitching flaws with an overpowering offense. That did not work for Omen, Yankees, and Stigma in leagues past.

The least of concerns for the Bombers is pitching. KMAN took a loss to Flight in a warmup tournament but should rebound. IPWN looks to establish himself as the secondary pitcher needed to make a solid run at a tournament championship.

Frogger, Jiraiya, TheMan, d1nonly2. Runs will be scored off of Flight pitching.

Prediction: Bombers 9 - FlightNL 6
Players to Watch: d1nonly2 , 2Nice4Dis