NationStates Jolt Archive

Leagalese opens their first Professional Baseball Season
April 1, 2005
Today, the 8-team Leagalese League opened their first professional season today, with games in Binchensburg, Gavelton, and Sagdineo. After the popularity of the Legalese League last year as a semi-pro/amateur league, the Legalese government assisted League owners in creating a fully professional league.

Teams will play a 154-game schedule, prepared by the League offices, with the best record winning the Cup of Justice, donated by the Legalese Supreme Court. It turns out that Chief Justice Quinten L. Wharli is a "huge baseball fan", having played the game in high school. "I am proud to see Legalese with a fully professional baseball league," commented Wharli, "and hope that these heros will inspire young Legalites for years to come."

In the next issue: a look at the Ballparks of the Legalese League.

(OOC: Figured I'd give this a run. If it works well, and I have the time to do it, I may expand on this a little, with possibly a World Cup... let me know what you think of the LL!)

The Ballparks of Legalese

Legalese City Baliffs- Legalese Courtyard: Chief Justice Wharli, along with the other Supreme Court Justices, requested to Baliff owner Jack Keegan that his team play in the Courtyard enclosed by the Legalese Court Offices. So far, the arrangement has worked for both sides. Keegan got a site which not only was provided cheaply, but comes with security measures greater than anything he would have been able to provide anyways. The Justices not only get a ballgame from their office windows, but a way to draw people into government action: not only do the 12,000 fans see the Baliffs in action, they also stop by and see their government in action, a win-win for everyone involved.

Additionally, the odd-shaped field provides for a lot of home-run balls, which are always a fan delight. A short left-field porch is a nightmare for pitchers, with the distances down the lline at 250 ft, 275 ft in left-center, and 300 in center. The deeper right field is of some benefit, however, with the fence 350 ft away in right center, and the right field foul pole 375 ft away.

Nadiaville Knights- Nadiaville Castle: The Knights hold the distinction of being the only team to play indoors. They also are in the smallest park in the league. This asymmetrical field runs 200 down the left field line, 209 down the right field line, 250 in left center, 235 in right center, and 275 in center field. The result is a park with mostly home runs, turning Knights games into Home Run Derbies. Fortunately, this has been good for attendance, as the Knights pack all 12,000 fans into the park every night, and are considering expanding the Castle.

to be continued...

Standings (as of May 1):
1. Legalese City (14-8)
2. Marselvania (14-9, .5 GB)
3. Okerson (12-8, 1 GB)
4. Nadiaville (11-9, 2 GB)
5. Sagdineo (11-11, 3 GB)
6. Binchensburg (9-12, 4.5 GB)
7. Francis Town (8-14, 6 GB)
8. Gavelton (8-16, 7 GB)

The Ballparks of Legalese, Part II
Marselvania Sparrows- The Bird's Nest: Marselvania, an early contender for the first Cup of Justice, plays in a cozy ballpark known as The Bird's Nest. This 10,000 seat park, despite being of traditionally average size and symmetry- a fact that makes the part fairly unique in Legalese- gains its coziness through the fact that everyone is close to the action, owing to the double-deck construction, allowing 10,000 seats where there would normally be 5,000. Dimensions are 330 feet down both foul lines, 372 in Left Center, 375 in Right Center, and 402 to Center.

Binchensburg Bees- Binchensburg County Coliseum: The Bees play in the only true symmetrical park in Legalese, with dimensions of 300 down the lines, 325 in Left and Right Center, and 350 in Center Field. The Coliseum, also used for Binchensburg's annual "Hivefest", contains a very spreadout seating arrangement, allowing for 12,500 spectators to see what the new buzz is about in the County.

Francis Town Titans- Titan Field: The Titans hold the unique distinction of sharing their park with a soccer club, Francis Athletic, which is reflected in the design of Titan Field. a rounded end near the backstop results in the most foul territory of any park in the league. Furthermore, the rectangular setup of Titan Field results in not only one of the shortest foul pole distances (250 feet on each side), but with a Center Field fence set at 550 feet, one of the greatest discrepancies of any park around. Expect a large number of triples to be hit at Titan Field. There is seating for 10,000 fans.

Gavelton Gringoes- Gringo Lot: Gavelton is the home of the largest capacity ballpark in Legalese. The Lot seats 30,000 fans, who have gotten used to the pitcher's park here in Gavelton. Dimensions are 475 ft down the foul lines, 479 in Right Center, and a Left Center wall, stretching all the way to Center, all at a distance of 500 feet away from the plate.

Okerson Oranges- The Rail Yard: Okerson, in the need for a hastily built ballpark, settled on the abandoned rail yard, using the old station house as the grandstand. An active rail runs behind the left field fence, opening the possibility for a home run ball to start in Okerson, and end in Legalese City. The dimensions of this 20,000 seat park are (from left to right) 333,364, 410, 373, and 318.

Sagdineo Striders- The Track: Despite its name, The Track is not really an athletic track. The name derives from the Sagdineo 2K Relay, where teams of 10 combine for 2,000 km throughout the streets of Sagdineo. The race ends with a final sprint at the Track, with the finish line replaced by the outfield wall, which the anchor leg must hit, in order to finish the race. While access was an issue upon building the field, the problem was resolved by redirecting the course through the Striders' clubhouse.
The perfectly straight center field wall gives the Striders the only field which is a true triangle. Additionally, the 17,500 in attendance will witness the only park where the deepest distances are along the foul lines! The 500 ft measurement to the foul poles seems excessive, but is compensated for by the fact that a ball hit straight only needs to travel 397 feet to cross the fence at center.

Standings (as of June 1, 2005)
1. Sagdineo (27-18)
2. Nadiaville (24-18, 1.5 GB)
3. Okerson (24-19, 2 GB)
Marselvania (25-20, 2 GB)
5. Binchensburg (20-22, 5.5 GB)
Francis Town (22-24, 5.5 GB)
7. Legalese City (20-23, 6 GB)
8. Gavelton (14-32, 13.5 GB)