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8/26/2020 9:18 pm  #121


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

Section30 wrote:

Way to go Kings

Hopefully the T-Birds can build off this season and become a contender down the line

RoughRiders9 wrote:

Finally! The Stars go down! 

Glad to see the T-birds improving. Wonder when you're planning on expanding the playoffs. Might give some more teams for an upset opportunity. 

Yep, the Kings did the whole country a favor. Hokkyo's improving, they've got some young talent and their scouting has been top-notch in the past few years. As for the expanded playoffs, that'll happen when the four expansion teams hit, the structure will be rearranged into 4 divisions and the division winners will all make the playoffs.

Dan O'Mac wrote:

Look at my Kings bringing it home!

Yep, after several failed attempts they finally were able to get a crown.

1970 Offseason:

Identity Changes:

Two teams made small tweaks this year, the Shockers and the Kings.


San Juan, tired of years of being cursed, finally switch back to white text on the road jerseys. This a 1-to-1 return to their original look. 



The reigning champs also made two tweaks: their primary logo is now outlined in ruby red and crowns were placed on the chest of both jerseys to signify their status as champs. Of course, the Stars' chest star has been removed for this season. Unless they meet in the RICS, the Kings and Stars won't actually play each other, but owner Bernard Bartram wanted to get back at Shinosaka after years of the league getting pushed around.

Retirements:

It wouldn't be a RIBF offseason without retirements, so here's what happened:

It's a sad day in Aorin as 2B Norihito Sasaki has retired at age 37. Acquired in a trade with Joestar in 1957, Sasaki was integral to the Carp's great teams of the early '60s. He was most known for his defense, but he was certainly no slouch with the bat, either.

SP Atsushi Furukawa also hung up his cleats. He was mostly known for his time with the Robins, winning three RICS championships before being dealt to the Crusaders in '61. He was still good in Joestar, but never quite as good.

Player Movement:

Normally this would the "trades" section, but something strange happened this offseason. 

Joestar starter Randy Fullmer was released by the team. This isn't anything new, but he's still a solid player. The common theory is that Crusaders owner Hikari Mizuno didn't want to pay him for whatever reason. He was picked up across the river by Toramoto and is currently on the Mechaven Tigers, their minor league team.

Here's where it gets even weirder: not 10 days before his release by Joestar, Fullmer was living it up in Aorin. He, along with prospect Dustin Leone, were traded to Joestar for two pitching prospects, Masakatsu Fujii and Hisataka Mukai. Fans of every team involved were baffled at the moves, seemingly a trade for nothing by Joestar. Who knows what the reasoning was?

Vertlac and the Shinkyo Senators made a swap, Vertlac sent two prospects in exchange for CL Francisco Gomez and RP Sal Serrano. This trade is also notable because the Emeralds sent Shinkyo a player named Remke van der Beek, and that's awesome. Vertlac, in "win-now" mode, hopes to finally reach the postseason this year.

For the last big trade of the offseason, the Grizzlies sent star 1B Javier Torres to the Tigers for three prospects. Yosemite is hoping they can improve in the long run, seemingly rebuilding for like the 11th year in a row.

Other teams like the T-Birds, Sens, Stars, and Carp sent around prospects but nothing major for now.

Other News:

Aorin's stadium, to be opened next season, is nearing completion. The stadium, named Aorin Stadium, will seat 35,000 people, making it the largest stadium in the league. It replaces Aorin Municipal Ballpark, the 21,000-capacity ballpark that served as the home of the Carp from 1955.

In expansion news, Commissioner Aoyama has announced the three remaining cities that would be getting an RIBF team in 1971: in addition to Shinsakai-shi, which will be headed by Ryuji Shimizu of BB Communications, Ft. Hayakawa, Sol, and Crescent City will be getting teams. Ft. Hayakawa's owner is Felix Ichinose, a military veteran who's settled into his adopted hometown and built defense company Boreas from the ground up. Sol will be headed by Koji Hatoyama, Sol native and head of Faultline Apparel, a popular sports and street apparel company. Finally, in what some see as a risky move, the RIBF is heading to the southern island and granting a team to Crescent City, to be led by William Isaacson, a resident of Luna Island and incredibly wealthy from his father's inheritance. All four expansion teams' brands will be revealed next offseason.

NEXT: 1970 Season

 

8/27/2020 12:10 pm  #122


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

The ruby is a GREAT addition to the Kings! I love how it's a red color that isn't the popular cardinal red that so many teams use nowadays. And plus it gives off that royalty feel too. 

 

8/27/2020 2:41 pm  #123


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

I'm also a big fan of the ruby for the Kings

I actually am quite a fan of the crown on the chest on the home, I think it looks good... the road on the other hand not so much. The extra crown looks forced in there with the logo (which already has a crown) being in the upper chest



 

8/28/2020 3:40 pm  #124


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

RoughRiders9 wrote:

The ruby is a GREAT addition to the Kings! I love how it's a red color that isn't the popular cardinal red that so many teams use nowadays. And plus it gives off that royalty feel too. 

Thank you! I agree, the use of the ruby is really cool and it sets them apart.

Section30 wrote:

I'm also a big fan of the ruby for the Kings

I actually am quite a fan of the crown on the chest on the home, I think it looks good... the road on the other hand not so much. The extra crown looks forced in there with the logo (which already has a crown) being in the upper chest

Thanks! The crown on the chest worked out really nicely on the home, less so on the away. I've got a plan for what I want to do, the Kings'll be touched up in the '71 offseason.

1970 Draft:

1 - TOR - SP Dorian Smith
2 - AOR - Dave Negron
3 - SJ - SP Isamu Saga
4 - HOK - CF Kumanosuke Otsuka
5 - JOE - CF Futoshi Nakata
6 - SKR - SS Tsuneo Hata
7 - YOS - SP Jan Due
8 - QNS - CF Chikao Kai
9 - VER - C Masahiko Furukawa
10 - SM - SP Blake Harrison
11 - SKS - 2B Frank Diaz
12 - SNO - SP Jaheim Day

13 - TOR - SP Kenichi Sato

1970 Season:



Returning to the RICS is San Moriuchi, who actually tied with Vertlac for 1st place in the RBL. In the play-in game, the Kings took a quick lead before the Emeralds clawed back slowly. Fending off a comeback in the 8th, the Kings were able to clutch it out and take their place atop the RBL. Behind them were the Shockers, who led most of the year but fell off at the end to give it away. The Grizzlies had a decent year, fading a bit but still in contention for a while. Queenston and Shinkyo were really never in it, with the Robins having their worst year ever.

In the SBL, it finally won't be the Stars representing the league in the RICS! After four years in a row, they seem to be a bit of a slump, allowing the Senators to take it. This will be the Sens' fourth time in the RICS, looking to finally win one. Behind them were the Stars, who were solid but not quite good enough. The Tigers rebounded, while their rivals in Joestar were really bad this year, finishing with the worst record in the league. Aorin improved slightly, hoping to get back to .500 and finally make the playoffs. Finally, Hokkyo regressed this year, but should still be improving overall.

These two teams have never played each other, as the Canaries became the Kings when the Senators moved to the SBL. Both have consistently fielded good teams, but Shinkyo has an inability to win when it counts. They're hoping to shed their choker label while San Moriuchi wants two in a row. Both teams have high-flying offenses, it should be a good series!

NEXT: 1970 RICS

     Thread Starter
 

8/29/2020 5:02 am  #125


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

While I did enjoy the Stars' run of dominance, it is nice to see a new team win the league.  The Senators look like they've got a good chance for sure!

I liked the write up about Joestar's very odd decision making in the off season, should be interesting to see what the concequences are there.  Could it be the start of a horrbile slide for them?  

Last edited by Stickman (8/29/2020 5:04 am)




 

8/29/2020 2:30 pm  #126


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

Stickman wrote:

While I did enjoy the Stars' run of dominance, it is nice to see a new team win the league.  The Senators look like they've got a good chance for sure!

I liked the write up about Joestar's very odd decision making in the off season, should be interesting to see what the concequences are there.  Could it be the start of a horrbile slide for them?  

The Stars were really good, and they could still be contenders in the near future. This certainly the Senators' best chance since 1955, they've been very unlucky in the RICS so far. It'll be interesting to see how the two compete since they'll be in the same division starting next season.

As for Joestar, I'm honestly dumbfounded by it. Something's going on in the FO, literally everyone is confused by the move.

1970 RICS:



Oh, those poor Senators fans. Shinkyo blew a 3-0 lead to break the hearts of the West Side once again. 

Game 1 - SKS 2, SM 1 - The game was scoreless until the 8th inning, when the Kings scored 1 and the Sens scored 2 to take the first game. SKS 1-0

Game 2 - SKS 5, SM 4 - Fending off a comeback from San Moriuchi, the Sens took a solid 2-game lead. SKS 2-0

Game 3 - SKS 9, SM 1 - Back in San Moriuchi, it was pure domination as Shinkyo just destroyed the Kings. They just couldn't get their bats going and their pitching collapsed, putting them on the brink of elimination.

Game 4 - SM 4, SKS 3 - In what many expected to be Shinkyo giving the Kings the "gentleman's sweep", it turned out to be the Kings finding the resolve to keep going. Rallying from behind late in the game, they took their first game of the series and avoided the sweep. SKS 3-1

Game 5 - SM 4, SKS 2 - It was all San Moriuchi, all day as the Kings won their second game of the series. 1969 RICS hero Morihiko Takahashi launchers two homers this game to seal the deal. SKS 3-2

Game 6 - SM 6, SKS 3 - Heading back to Yoshida Field, maybe expected the Sens to close out the series here and now. Instead, the Kings took a commanding 4-2 lead and tacked on 2 in the 9th to make it a do-or-die game 7. TIE 3-3

Game 7 - SM 5, SKS 1 - Going back to the classic sealing-game blowout, the Sens couldn't do anything as San Moriuchi won it all two years in a row. Morihiko Takahashi added another homer to his total while the Shinkyo bats went silent. SM 4-3

Kings CF Kazuo Ikeda was named series MVP, a key part of the San Moriuchi attack. This marks the Sens' 4th RICS loss and the Kings' 2nd win, placing them 3rd overall in the rankings while Shinkyo is 7th. 

NEXT: 1971 Offseason - 4 Expansion Teams + Identity Tweaks

     Thread Starter
 

8/30/2020 8:25 am  #127


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

So I was just paroozing through the site, looking at some baseball stuff to gather ideas for my own. I was not expecting to meet such a man of culture such as yourself. I see those Joestar Crusaders that use Araki Purple and have one of the fiercest rivalries. Anyway, guess I'm a Joestar fan as of now. I haven't read through the whole thread yet, I just had to comment about the reference



Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
 

8/30/2020 12:39 pm  #128


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

master BDoof (CodeG) wrote:

So I was just paroozing through the site, looking at some baseball stuff to gather ideas for my own. I was not expecting to meet such a man of culture such as yourself. I see those Joestar Crusaders that use Araki Purple and have one of the fiercest rivalries. Anyway, guess I'm a Joestar fan as of now. I haven't read through the whole thread yet, I just had to comment about the reference

Thanks! Yeah, the reference is pretty obvious if you're a fan of JJBA. Also in the province of Araki is a town named Morioh and a city named Naples (and there are a couple other references scattered about the country) so as you can see I'm quite a big fan. As a fellow man of culture, I tip my hat to you, and good luck in your baseball endeavors.

1971 Offseason - The boring stuff:

I'm going to separate the expansion teams/identity changes and the other offseason posts so that they don't clutter each other up. Here's the boring stuff:

Retired Players:

Only one notable retirement this offseason. SP Tim Reed finished his career this season after playing 9 years for Queenston and Toramoto. He won three championships and was an All-Star once. 

Expansion Draft:

In the expansion draft, all four teams looked for a combination of veteran presence and young talent. Here's the first three rounds:

1 - Shinsakai (SHS) - LF Francois Marie from SNO
2 - Ft. Hayakawa (FTH) - SS Yukio Watanabe from SNO
3 - Sol (SOL) - CF Erik Pierson from SKS
4 - Crescent City (CC) - C Etsuji Akiyama from SKS
5 - CC - RF Kanji Kato from VER
6 - SOL - 3B Seiju Kaneshiro from VER
7 - FTH - RF Mauricio Tahara from SKR
8 - SHS - 2B Alex Nunez from SNO
9 - SHS - SS Brian Haase from AOR
10 - FTH - C Josh Blanton from VER
11 - SOL - LF Joaquin Moncada from SJ
12 - CC - RF Nick Williams from AOR

By the end of the night (35 rounds!) the Senators, Stars, and Emeralds had been decimated. Crescent City, Ft. Hayakawa, Shinsakai, and Sol should all be much more competitive than Yosemite and Hokkyo were to start. With only 4 teams in each division, it's entirely possible they make the playoffs their first year!

Player Movement:

No Joestar-like odd releases/signings/trades this season, but here's the rundown:

Crescent City was already wheeling and dealing, sending 7th round expansion draft pick sh-t Okada to Sol for young talent Seiju Kaneshiro. Okada had played his entire career for the Robins, but was selected by Crescent City only to be flipped for Kaneshiro. Additionally, Crescent City sent prospect C Bang-won Ahn and elder statesman RP Katsuburo Kubo to the Robins for 2B Yoshiyuki Shimizu. Shimizu is an impact player that should help Crescent City right away.

Ft. Hayakawa also made some moves, gaining 2B Santos Gonzalez for prospect RF Tetsuo Yamamoto and C Marcello Longari, who were sent to the Stars.

Other teams made trades as well, with Joestar gaining two prospects from the Senators in exchange for role player Toshio Irie.

The Kings made a big trade, shipping star Eddie Cordona to Sol for prospect Rainier MacDonald and solid player Doug Raab.

The Robins also made a deal with Shinsakai, gaining Mitsumasa Shimizu for prospect Kazuo Hattori. Shinsakai seems to be the only expansion team looking to build for the future instead of competing now.

Finally, the Tigers and Grizzlies swapped players, with Toramoto sending two prospects in exchange for a young player and Jim Chionchio.

Other News:

The Carp officially moved into their new stadium! Named Aorin Stadium, the new building should last for many years. With the 21,000 seat Aorin Municipal Ballpark being demolished, now San Juan's 22,000 seat San Juan Stadium is the smallest ballpark in the league. It's only 16 years old, but some speculate the Shockers would like to expand the stadium. Vertlac, Toramoto, and Joestar also could use some upgrades, but for now they have solid enough stadiums. Aorin Stadium, with 35,000 seats, is the largest stadium in the RIBF, supplanting the record set by the Senators' Yoshida Field, which seats 31,000.

NEXT: 1971 Offseason - Identity Changes + 4 Expansion Teams!

     Thread Starter
 

8/30/2020 4:12 pm  #129


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

Alright, here we go. The first expansion in over a decade and two other changes to make note of.

1971 Offseason Pt. 2 - The Fun Stuff



The Kings made one change: they moved the former chest patch crown on the road to their sleeve, becoming the second team to have a sleeve patch, after the Stars.



The Carp made their first changes since '57 when they added a script to the road jersey. That script is now on both jerseys, but that's the least of the changes. Gone is the "AC" logo, replaced with the A from the script. The caps are now orange, as is the road jersey. Orange is now the dominant color, and the jerseys reflect this. The Carp become the first team to unveil pullover jerseys, both at home and on the road. The home jersey features thick broken striping on the sleeves, waist, collar, and pants. A front number was also added. The road jersey goes for single-color striping, with different pants that emphasize the orange. Now the back. Inspired by real koi, the back features a spotted pattern that resembles the back of a carp. Initial fan reaction is mixed, with some hailing it as a new step in uniform design and others calling it gimmicky.

(Editor's Note: I sincerely apologize to Carp fans, this is an idea I wanted to do for a while and moving into a new stadium was the perfect excuse to try it. I haven't decided if I like it or not yet.)

Expansion Teams:

And now for the moment you've been waiting for for two years: the RIBF expansion teams will reveal their identities!

Crescent City:




About Crescent City:

Crescent City is the resort town of Robin Island. It's home to plenty of hotels and resorts, really playing up the hospitality factor. Plenty of farms are also nearby, growing delicious pineapples and bananas. That said, the city is vibrant culturally, with plenty of traditional celebrations that occur throughout the year. This is supplemented with traditional Japanese festivals, making Crescent City a party year-round. This can be clearly seen at Crescent City basketball games: the fans are truly like no other.

About the Identity:
Owner William Isaacson, an Oakland native, initially wanted to name his team the Athletics and give them a kelly green and gold color scheme, after the MLB's Athletics, but the RIBF put a stop to that quickly. So, he went in a different direction. Naming the team after the Hawaiian Duck, the provincial bird, he settled on a teal and gold color scheme (officially named "Pacific Teal" and "Sunshine", respectively). The primary logo is a "D" in the shape of a crescent, for the city's name. A "Ducks" script graces the jerseys, which are otherwise simple. What sets this set apart is the use of sleeve numbers, a first in the RIBF (and I think the world at this point in time). The road jersey is a simple teal color swap of the home.

Ft. Hayakawa:




About Ft. Hayakawa:

Ft. Hayakawa is the home of the military in Robin Island. Established in 1942 as the last line of defense against the Americans by the Japanese, Ft. Hayakawa has remained as a strategical location for military operations. It's pretty remote, surrounded by Lake Hayakawa (the fort's namesake) and mountains, leaving it far away from its provincial brethren Toramoto-shi and Mechaven. Ft. Hayakawa is known for its shady underbelly of suspicious dealings and off-duty soldiers looking to have fun, but many non-military citizens have begun to move there due to cheap housing and the city is slowly becoming a more traditional area. Recently the passion for hockey has ramped up as people leaving Ōyachi have settled in Ft. Hayakawa.

About the Identity:
The federal government requested Ft. Hayakawa be given a team as a way to attract families to the city, and the RIBF delivered. Tapping Boreas founder Felix Ichinose, the city now has the most unique look in the RIBF. Ichinose, a veteran, wanted to honor the soldiers of the country. He settled on Heroes, and chose to go with "Hayakawa" instead of "Ft. Hayakawa" for alliteration purposes. The logo is an "H" for both Hayakawa and Heroes stretching in both directions, like a superhero's symbol would. The team rocks a red, gold, and black color scheme, wanting bright colors to attract kids. Speaking of, the jerseys are wild. Pullover vests, the front features no wordmark but instead the logo, as Ichinose said that a superhero doesn't have a wordmark on the front of his costume. The stripes are tri-stripes using the color scheme. The road jersey is all yellow to keep the "H" in the logo red, so all gold is switched to white. The numbers are double-outlined, and the jerseys feature names on the back (third in the RIBF to do so) so that, in the words of Ichinose, "kids can identify their Heroes". The road jersey features yellow pants as well, joining Hokkyo as one of two teams to feature odd-colored pants.

Shinsakai:




About Shinsakai-shi:

Shinsakai-shi, as the former capital of the province, took its name from the province, which worked out nicely until the Japanese government decided to make it the capital of their newly conquered territory. The Shinsakai provincial government decided to create a new city to become the provincial capital and Shinōsaka was born. Shinsakai-shi, on the other hand, grew rapidly until the Japanese government was kicked out of the colony, when it collapsed and suffered through a decade of economic hardship. The city recovered with a little help from Toyota, which put their first Robin Island plant in Shinsakai-shi, leading to the city becoming the automotive center of Robin Island for several decades. This wouldn't last, as neighboring city Shinkobe has supplanted Shinsakai-shi as the premier automotive destination in Robin Island.

About the Identity:
Inspired by steamships he saw traveling the Shinsakai Bay as a kid, owner Ryuji Shimizu named the team "Steamers". Utilizing a "Bay Blue" and Red color scheme, the team is traditional, yet modern. Pullovers for the Steamers as well, with a classic pointy font. The logo is a roundel with a steamship's paddlewheel in the middle, which is also used as the cap logo. The jersey is plain, with simple blue/red striping and a wordmark on the front. No NOB, setting Shinsakai apart from the other expansion teams. The road is powder blue, with the white on the cap even being switched out for powder (though it's hard to tell from a distance). 

Sol:




About Sol:

Sol is the small-ish capital of Cloudsgate and the resident "hippie" city. "Keep Sol Weird" is common on t-shirts and bumper stickers around the area, calling to mind Austin and Portland in the States. Sol has a diverse economy built on electronics manufacturer Helius and sports supplier Ace, with plenty of supplemental services and businesses to round out the city. In terms of sports, Sol is a baseball city, with a strong hockey following as well. 

Sol has a team in the KLH, the Flames.

About the Identity:
Owner Koji Hatoyama, who is the head of Ace Athletics, a popular sports apparel company, knew he wanted his team to look great. The name "Orions" is in reference to the constellation, connecting the city's name to the stars. The team uses a bright red, dark gray, and "Cloudsgate Gray" in their color scheme. The logo is a compass rose with an emphasis on the north (where Sol is) and a bright sun in the center, again referencing Sol. The "S" is a custom font that was also used for the team's wordmarks. The jerseys are clean and simple, the home has "Orions" with red spoon piping and basic sleeve and pants striping. The road is a little different, using a mini-wordmark with a font number because of the city's short name. The cap is bright red with a gray brim. 

There you go, the four expansion teams that will join in 1971! I'm pretty proud of them, but what do you guys think? C&C Appreciated!

NEXT: 1971 Season

     Thread Starter
 

8/30/2020 4:59 pm  #130


Re: Robin Island Baseball Federation

Have you tried putting your designs in OOTP? Because there are options for that.




Inmate and Official Riot Provoker of the AHSylum
 

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