ThisIsFine wrote:

Put it by Sirius just for the sake of a dog-related team name

The Sirius Goodest Bois

Welcome back! Cool to see this series returning.

I like SF7's suggestion of Eris, though Sirius would be cool too. Maybe both?

Solar League Baseball Enters New Era With Expansion to 36 Teams
SLB unveils Two Moon teams, Proxima, and Sirius franchises, ushers in Core and Frontier Leagues 

Solar League Baseball (SLB) announced today that the sport is expanding once again, adding four new franchises and introducing a sweeping realignment that reshapes the future of the game. The additions of The Moon Selenites, Tycho Lights, Proxima Flares, and Sirius Dogs bring the league’s total to 36 teams, the largest in its 100-year history. The move signals the league’s ambition to match the growing footprint of humanity across the solar system - and beyond. By welcoming two additional Lunar teams (The Moon, Tycho) alongside baseball’s first clubs from neighboring stars outside of the solar system (Proxima, Sirius), SLB has officially stretched from Mercury to Sirius. 

Meet the Expansion Teams 

The Moon Selenites 
Name Origins – The term "Selenite" is derived from the Greek word "selene," meaning moon. In literature, science fiction, and fantasy, "Selenite" is frequently employed to characterize extraterrestrial beings or residents of the moon. This usage gained popularity as the Moon became colonized. While "Lunarian" is the more widely recognized term for an individual from the moon, the inhabitants of this lunar region – mostly on the “far side of the moon” from the Earth’s perspective – prefer to identify themselves as Selenites. And the Moon Selenites came into existence. 

Logos & Colors – The owner wanted to keep it classic and baseball-like, so they decided to pay homage to the ole days of baseball where “every” team were wearing navy blue and red. The Selenites’ logo is an unidentified insect in the shape of an M, for the Moon. The wordmarks on their jerseys are a classic baseball script. 

Stadium: Selenite Bowl – Selenite Bowl is located in a crater, known for its perfectly circular structure. The seating areas are built into the sides of the crater, allowing for a panoramic view of the game, mimicking the famous multi-purpose bowl stadiums from the 1970’s on Earth. Atop of the stadium is a flat see-through roof that is flush with the surface of the moon. It’s literally inside a hole. 


  Tycho Lights 

Name Origins – Tycho City (also known as just Tycho) is located within the Tycho Crater on the moon, and it is renowned as the brightest city in the solar system. The city's lights are so bright that they can be visible from Earth, other space stations, and even other planets. Dubbed as the "Las Vegas" of the Solar System because of its vibrant and colorful lights, the new baseball team there will be called the Tycho Lights. 

Logos & Colors – The light spectrum. Seriously. The Lights took their team colors from the light spectrum. The Lights will be one of the more unique teams in the league as they utilize a rainbow-style colors scheme with each star having their own individual color, with a navy blue as the base color. The wordmarks will be in a rainbow gradient color. 

Stadium: Starlight Stadium – Starlight Stadium in Tycho City, on the galactic-famous strip full of resorts and casinos, dazzles with a radiant exterior of LED lights, cutting-edge holographic technology for immersive game experiences, and a breathtaking lunar light show during games between innings with stunning celestial images for a truly mesmerizing atmosphere. Of course, the league set a strict rule to not play the shows during game action. Unless a Light player hits a homer. 



  
Proxima Flares 

Name Origins – As the first team outside of the Solar League, the Proxima Flares are named after their home star, Proxima Centauri, which is the Sun's nearest stellar neighbor and a flare star. Flare stars are known for their unpredictable and dramatic increases in brightness for short periods of time. Plus, in baseball there are flare hits, a lazy fly ball that drops in between the infield and outfield usually to the opposite field. 

Logos & Colors – Since the team is named after a star, it’s natural to choose orange as their primary color. With a base color of navy blue to give it some contrast, it will give them a solid classic color scheme. The logo is an orange starburst with a white dot in the middle. The cap logo is in the shape of a P, with the flare burst atop a crescent. 

Stadium: Flaredome – The Flaredome sits right in the middle of “downtown” of Proxima Base, offering a stunning view of the Proxima Centauri star. Spectators enjoy celestial backdrops while watching games, with the stadium's transparent dome automatically adjusting to the star's sporadic bright light flares. Flip-up sunglasses are a popular accessory for the players just in case it gets a little too bright. 



  
Sirius Dogs 

Name Origins – The Sirius Dogs take their name from the star Sirius, known as the "dog star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, or "Greater Dog." Embracing the enduring love for dogs even in the 27th century, the team chose this fitting moniker to represent their Solar League Baseball team. 

Logos & Colors – Opting for a more domestic dog image over a wolf or husky, the Sirius Dogs feature a goldendoodle in their logo, a playful blend of a golden retriever and poodle. The logo depicts a goldendoodle donning a baseball astronaut helmet, capturing the essence of space exploration and the team's canine theme. The team's colors of golden tan and royal blue pay homage to the goldendoodle's fur and create a visually striking look. Space walkies, anybody? 

Stadium: Sirius Dog Park – Setting themselves apart from other SLB teams, Sirius Dog Park is located in a separate but attached mini-dome of the space station, offering a spacious grassy field for games. The stadium features a traditional grandstand for fans, while the outfield is transformed into a massive dog park (separate by a transparent outfield wall). Every game at the Sirius Dog Park is a "Bark in the Park" event, allowing dogs and their owners to enjoy the game together. If a dog catches a home run ball hit by the Dogs, they get to run the bases post-game. Yes, bat dogs are a thing there too. They’re all the goodest doggos. 



  
A New Structure: Astronomical League & Cosmical League 
With expansion came the opportunity - and necessity - for a major realignment. After a century of operating under the Astro League and Cosmo League, Solar League Baseball has retired its legacy format, ending after the 2599 season. 

Beginning in 2600, the league will be reorganized into the Astronomical League (“inner league”) and the Cosmical League (“outer league”). The update preserves the beloved ‘Astro’ and ‘Cosmo’ shorthand while giving the leagues fresher look, geography-based leagues. Fans and historians alike view this as a respectful passing of the torch - honoring SLB’s roots while embracing the new era of interstellar competition. 

Much like how relocated franchises often treat their past and present as distinct eras, the Astro and Cosmo Leagues will stand as completed histories of their own, while the Astronomical and Cosmical Leagues will begin fresh chapters, carrying forward the spirit but writing their own records.” 

One of the trickiest pieces of the realignment came with the fate of the long-standing Sol Divisions. For the past few decades of Solar League Baseball, the “Sol” name had carried weight for the two divisions in the old leagues, signifying the league’s foundation in the heart of the Solar System among the rocky planets. For decades, the Sol Divisions were split across the old Astro and Cosmo Leagues, anchoring their schedules with fierce rivalries and tradition. With the new era, however, the league chose not to abandon the Sol identity, but to refine it. 

Two of the three divisions inside the Astronomical League will officially be known as the Sol Prime Division and the Sol Nova Division. Sol Prime retains five of the original Solar Six franchises, honoring their legacy as the bedrock of the sport. Sol Nova, while equally historic, embodies the league’s evolution, blending classic powers such as the Venus Reign, with newer entrants like The Moon Selenites.

The Prime/Nova distinction preserves the shared heritage of the Sol name while giving each division its own identity in the modern, geographically aligned structure. Also, there will be two clusters in the Solar League that will form their own divisions, the six teams from the Lagrange Islands and the six teams from the planet Jupiter and their moons. Finally, the remaining 12 teams will be sorted into pure geographical divisions from Saturn to the neighboring stars. 

Full Division Breakdowns 

Astronomical League - Sol Prime Division
The Sol Prime Division is where it all began. Anchored by five of the six founding clubs, the Mercury Mets, Venus Sparrows, Earth Astronauts, Luna Apollos, and Mars Warriors, it remains the spiritual heart of SLB. The addition of the Tycho Lights, with their spectral Lunar flair, ensures this division carries tradition into the new era. 

Astronomical League - Sol Nova Division
Home to some of the league’s most storied expansion eras, the Cosmo Division reflects the second wave of Solar League history. From the Horus Pharaohs orbiting the Sun to the Valles Marineris Canyons representing Mars’ baseball legacy, this group mixes Earth heritage with planetary pride, along with newcomers in The Moon Selenites. 

Astronomical League - Orbital Division
The six Earth-Moon Lagrange Islands’ space stations make up a division of their own. As part of the agreement in the league realignment, all six Lagrange teams banded together and insisted that they be placed in one division together. No other division is so defined by station culture, proximity, and constant competition. 

Cosmical League - Jovian Division
The largest of the planetary groupings, Jupiter’s six franchises form one of the league’s most stable divisions. Similar to the Lagrange Island teams, during the realignment deliberations the Jovians teams banded together and requested to be placed in one division to strengthen their rivals and community. 

Cosmical League - Rings Division
Stretching from the asteroid belt through Uranus, the Rings Division is a blend of history and innovation. The Ceres Belters carry the banner for miners, while the Ceres Gatekeepers embody defense and grit. Saturn’s baseball culture thrives through the Saturn Halos and Titan Kraken, while the Atlantis Atlanteans and Titania Spirits bring unique flair from station and moon alike. 

Cosmical League - Celestial Division
The furthest reaches of the league lie here. The Neptune Mariners and Pluto Demons keep the deep system alive with their icy rivalries, while traveling clubs like the Polaris North Stars and Oort Comets embody the nomadic spirit of exploration. With the arrival of the Proxima Flares and Sirius Dogs, baseball officially becomes interstellar, and the Celestial Division becomes the sport’s boldest frontier. 



Schedule & Playoffs The newly expanded 36-team Solar League will keep the tradition of a 162-game schedule, though with a fresh balance to honor rivalries and maintain interstellar fairness. Each club will face its primary divisional rival 16 times, the other four divisional opponents 14 times each (56 games), and the remaining 12 intraleague opponents six times each (72 games). To round out the slate, teams will also play six interleague opponents from one division in the opposite league on a three-year rotating basis, three games each (18 games). The format ensures intense divisional matchups, full league exposure, and just enough cross-league variety to keep the schedule fresh without overburdening long-distance travel. After a six-year cycle, the league will evaluate the schedule format once all teams have visited each other at least once. 

Playoffs will expand to a 14-team format, with seven qualifiers from each league: the three division winners plus four wild cards. The overall regular season winner of each league will receive a bye directly into the League Divisional Series, while the other six teams will begin their postseason in the Wild Card Series. This ensures both elite dominance and the underdog spirit remain at the core of the SLB postseason. 

RoughRiders9’s Notes Hi everybody! Nice to be back! Sort of. I’ve been sitting on these four teams’ uniforms, logos, storylines over the years and I finally had enough of letting it sit and bounce around in my head that I just had to crank them out and get them posted. I’m finally satisfied with the four teams’ branding, as well the new league realignment. I’m very excited about it.

Unfortunately, I am no longer able to do OOTP simulations of this league. I lost the original files and they were from 4-5 versions ago. A lot has changed since then. No worries! That’s life! 

I genuinely wouldn’t mind growing this league a little bit more because why not? But it just means that I won’t be able to do a whole year by year OOTP simulation posts like I’ve done in the past. Maybe I’ll just do a shorter, simpler simulation to “fast forward” a little bit to the next round(s) of expansions. I'm open to simulation methods if anybody has any ideas? Also, I’m thinking more Moon teams, more Mars teams, etc. Each planets get their own mini division. A third “major” league to go with Astro and Cosmo? Who knows? The possibilities are endless! Always open to your comments, feedbacks, suggestions, and more.

Thank you so much for your time for reading all this.

All the best,RR9.       

Last edited by RoughRiders9 (10/13/2025 2:35 pm)

Great to see this back, Go Reign!