Section30 wrote:

Tough to see both the Carp and T-Birds at the bottom of the standings

Big fan of the updated unis for Hokkyo, the scripts are both classics

Yeah, I've been rooting for the Carp to do something but they've just missed their window it seems. Thanks for the complements, I'm glad the new scripts went over well!

I've got the results of the 1965 RICS right here!


Both the Kings and Tigers returned to the RICS, with the Kings looking for their first and Toramoto looking their second. 

Game 1 - SM 5, TOR 3 - San Moriuchi barnstormed the first two games, showing up to play while beating down the Tigers. This game wasn't close, Toramoto only got on the board in the 9th. Tigers pitcher Ray Riley gave up all 5 runs in the first three innings, then his replacement Tetsuyuki Miyatake was injured while pitching. 

Game 2 - SM 12, TOR 2 - If you thought Game 1 was bad for Toramoto, Game 2 was awful. The Tigers gave up 12 runs while the Kings walked all over them in Toramoto. Toramoto's starter Kazukuni Yoshimoto finished the game with an ERA of 21.00, giving up 7 runs in three innings. His replacement wasn't much better and it only got worse from there.

Game 3 - TOR 4, SM 3 - Looking to take a commanding 3-0 lead at home, the Kings slipped and let the Tigers get 4 on the board and couldn't fight their way back to victory. San Moriuchi looked weaker as their bats slowed a bit, but the game was very close.

Game 4 - TOR 19, SM 5 - No, that is not a typo, the Tigers actually scored 19 runs in this game. This is the highest-scoring playoff game in RICS history, and several other records were set as well: the playoff game Hits record (both for one team and combined) was set, with the Tigers hitting 22 and the Kings hitting 11 to set a record of 33 (previous was 27), most individual players at bat by one team (19, SM), and largest margin of victory in a playoff game (14, previously 10, SM over TOR). 

Game 5 - TOR 5, SM 4 - In a decisive Game 5, the Kings looked to bounce back from their beatdown the previous game. They put up a good fight, but gave up 2 runs in the 9th to lose the game, get swept at home, and go down 3-2.

Game 6 - TOR 5, SM 4 - Facing series defeat, the Kings toughened up and put 4 runs on the board to go up 4-0 in the 5th before giving up 5 runs over the next 4 innings, including a walk-off RBI in the 9th to seal the game and the series at home. Tigers RF Sam Prince was named MVP, launching 11 hits and 2 homers in the series.

YOUR 1965 RICS CHAMPIONS ARE: TORAMOTO TIGERS!

NEXT: 1966 Offseason

Dan O'Mac wrote:

19-5 in game 4... Woof.

Yeah, I couldn't believe it when I saw it. You'd think with a game that was 12-2 and a game that was 19-5 this would be the highest-scoring RICS ever, but it's actually not. The combined run total for this one was 71, while the 1962 series between Queenston and Shinosaka had a combined total of 79. Just domination by Toramoto, they've got a good team that should last them for a while.

Sorry for the wait, here's the 1966 draft and season!

1966 Player Draft:
1 - Hokkyo - RF Shingo Nitta - Age 20 - Roosevelt University - Potential: 3.5/5
2 - Yosemite - SP Fumiya Sato - Age 23 - University of Shinsakai - Potential: 3/5
3 - Vertlac - 1B Todd Holden - Age 22 - San Moriuchi Christian University - Potential: 3/5
4 - Aorin - CF Matt Jones - Age 18 - Aorin Municipal High School - Potential: 4/5
5 - San Juan - 3B Jonathan Hayworth - Age 18 - North Hokuseikyo High School - Potential: 2.5/5
6 - Joestar - SP Tomoyuki Niimi - Age 21 - Apana Mauna City College - Potential: 2.5/5
7 - Queenston - SS Chris Stewart - Age 22 - Shinkyo University - Potential: 3/5
8 - Shinkyo RBL - 3B Josh McClain - Age 18 - Hikigaya High School - Potential: 3/5
9 - Shinkyo SBL - CF Erik Pierson - Age 22 - DeMia University - Potential: 2.5/5
10 - Shinosaka - SP Takeru Hashimoto - Age 19 - South Straight High School - Potential: 2/5
11 - San Moriuchi - LF Kenji Nakanishi - Age 22 - Hayakawa University - Potential: 2/5
12 - Toramoto - SS Kusuo Fukunaga - Age 19 - Kira Yoshikage High School - Potential: 3/5

53 - San Juan - 2B Masataka Ando - Age 17 - Northwest High School - Potential: 3.5/5

And here's the season!


In the RBL, it's back to the Robins show as they win their first pennant in four years. Hot on their heels were the Kings, who were probably the second-best team in the Federation this year but missed out on the playoffs. The Monarchs slipped a bit, but are still a good team. The Emeralds just couldn't put it together and ended up under .500 again, while the Shockers continue their decline from mediocrity to awfulness. However, they were still better than the Grizzlies, who simply can't put together two consistent seasons to save their lives. Instead of competing and finally finishing above 6th, they got worse and lost nearly 100 games again. 

In the SBL, the Tigers were dethroned as the Stars stormed to the top to try for their fourth crown. It wasn't even close as the rest of the league stumbled and couldn't catch up. The Tigers were the only other team to even reach .500, while their rivals in Joestar were just under. Aorin tied the Crusaders, while the Senators fell and had a subpar season. The big news was the Thunderbirds becoming competitive, as they were only three games away from the Sens by season's end. 

And so, it will be the Robins and Stars in the RICS. These two have actually never played, with both just missing the other's competitive window. It should be a good series, expect lots of fireworks.

NEXT: 1966 RICS

I've got the 1967 offseason ready to go!

Two teams made identity adjustments this year:


Of course, the Stars have a new look, creating something that should last for a while. The brand is centered on a new "star S" that adorns the cap and primary logo. The primary is a roundel with "Shinosaka Stars" at the top and five stars on the bottom, for the four championships and "one to grow on", in the words of Stars owner Tooru Seki. The Stars became the first team to use a sleeve patch as they placed the primary on the sleeves of both the home and away. As promise, a star was placed over the chest for Shinosaka's championship win.

The other green team also made changes for the first time:


Vertlac update their look with a new emphasis on "emerald green", their main shade. The home jerseys feature a new emerald with striping and a new Vertlac green cap, while the road is entirely different and uses emerald green. Additionally, they become the first RIBF team with a different home and road cap as well as the first team to use colored belts. With MLB teams beginning to experiment with their jerseys, RIBF teams are looking to mix things up and give fans something different.

In other news, Shinkyo Senators owner Daisuke Yoshida passed control of the team to his son, Tomoya. Tomoya is only 24, but his father had become unable to effectively head team operations. Senators fans hope that the new owner will improve their luck like it did for Shinosaka.

As for player movement, a couple things of note happened:

In a trade with Vertlac, Aorin sent aged superstar Takeshi Kawamoto in exchange for SP Josh Hurley. The move was widely unpopular in Aorin, as Kawamoto was a star for the Carp during his 12 years there and wanted to finish his career with the team he played for his whole time in the majors. 

Speaking of the Emeralds, they sent SP Ryuta "Bizarre" Ishihara to the Joestar Crusaders in exchange for prospect RP Virigilio Lopez and solid SP Josh Randall. 

Joestar also made a trade with San Moriuchi, gaining young starter CF Motoaki Watanabe for prospect RP Peter Second, the former first-round pick, and star SP Jason Walker, who was a stud for the Crusaders while he pitched there. It's unknown why Joestar chose to trade away so many pitchers.

There were several notable retirements as well:
Robins pitcher Sumiki Nishimura retired after 12 years of service, a consistent All-Star who helped the Robins win four titles.
Queenston's catcher, Hisashi Miwa, who is most known for his time with the Senators, gave it up after 12 years.
In San Juan, 40-year-old SS Yoshio Taniguchi retired after excellent seasons with both the Carp and Shockers.
Additionally, 3B Masakatsu Masuda hung it up after some great play with both the Senators and Shockers.
With the Senators, SP Hisanori Furukawa called it career. Pitching most of his time for Joestar, he won the 1957 RICS before giving one last year for the Senators.
Vertlac star Katsuaki Terada retired after 12 years with the Emeralds, becoming a consistent all-star from 1959-64, only skipping '62.
The Grizzlies also lost star Kiyoshi Abe, who played with Shinosaka for most of his career before one year with the Robins and one final year with Yosemite. 
Finally, Carp fan favorite Taizo Nishimoto called it quits, an excellent pitcher for both the Carp and Emeralds.

Preseason Predictions:
RBL:
San Moriuchi Kings - 80-62
Shinkyo Robins - 76-66
Vertlac Emeralds - 74-68
Queenston Monarchs - 73-69
San Juan Shockers - 64-78
Yosemite Grizzlies - 62-80

SBL:
Toramoto Tigers - 82-60
Shinkyo Senators - 79-63
Joestar Crusaders - 76-66
Shinosaka Stars - 72-70
Aorin Carp - 69-73
Hokkyo Thunderbirds - 50-92

Additionally, the Carp have begun seeking a new stadium in the city of Aorin-shi. Aorin Municipal Ballpark is 30 years old, and is the smallest in the RIBF. Owner Junichi Maeda has said his desire is for the team to remain in Aorin, but if a new stadium deal cannot be reached, he may begin looking for places to relocated the team. Most fans believe that a new stadium will be built, though the city of Shinsakai-shi has already begun heavily promoting their home as a new place for baseball.

Well the Carp almost had a winning record... so thats something lol

Hoping the T-Birds can turn it around sometime soon