ISML 2016: Yui Upsets Eucliwood As Musaigen Is Upended

ISML 2016: Yui Upsets Eucliwood As Musaigen Is Upended

By Jo-Ryan Salazar
The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue
November 6, 2016

Musaigen no Phantom World isn't all it's cracked up to be. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku Wo! will claim the Winter Diadem. Megumin is the odds-on favorite by the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue to win this after routing Mai Kawakami 1581-922 in Match Day 6 of the 2016 International Saimoe League Diamond Period. Aqua prevailed over Reina Izumi 1297-1219 in the other semifinal, the closest race of the round, but will go into the final as the clear-cut underdog.

In the Female and Male Divisions, the last Round of 16 tickets were punched. In the Female Division, Rin Tosaka defeated Yui-nyan 150-11265, Jibril flew past Shino Asada 1481-1185, Yui Yuigahama scored the Upset of the Round, a 1415-1319 victory over Eucliwood Hellscythe, Yukino Yukinoshita trounced Chino Kafuu 1533-1203, Shana torched Chiyo Sakura 1630-1177, Asuna Yuuki slashed past Azusa Nakano 1471-1281, Kurumi Tokisaki shot down Isla 1550-1128 and Nanami Aoyama hammered Shinka Nibutani 1557-1101.

In the Male Division, Touma Kamijou broked Karma Akabane 1414-1073, Archer dominated Gilgamesh 1325-996, Ryuuji Takasu roared past Nagisa Shiota 1358-1163, Kyon prevailed over Shirou Emiya 1288-1176, Sora slammed Tatsuya Shiba 1521-941, Edward Elric whipped past Shidou Itsuka 1377-1096, Koyomi Araragi thumped Iskandar 1493-930 and Izayoi Sakamaki stormed past Rentarou Satomi 1294-959.

ISML 2016 Top 16, Female Division
(in no particular order)

1. Kurisu Makise
2. Shiro
3. Rin Tosaka
4. Jibril
5. Nao Tomiri
6. Illyasviel von Einzbern
7. Yukino Yukinoshita
8. Yui Yuigahama
9. Mashiro Shiina
10. Ayase Aragaki
11. Shana
12. Asuna Yuuki
13. Saber
14. Iroha Isshiki
15. Kurumi Tokisaki
16. Nanami Aoyama

ISML 2016 Top 16, Male Division
(in no particular order)

1. Hachiman Hikigaya
2. Saitama
3. Touma Kamijou
4. Archer
5. Yuzuru Otonashi
6. Rintarou Okabe
7. Ryuuji Takasu
8. Kyon
9. Korosensei
10. Souma Yukihira
11. Sora
12. Edward Elric
13. Kiritsugu Emiya
14. Keima Katsuragi
15. Koyomi Araragi
16. Izayoi Sakamaki

Match Day 1 of the 2016 International Saimoe League Round of 16 is scheduled for November 7, 2016. Vote for your favorite candidates at InternationalSaimoe.com and join the ongoing debate.

Diamond Day 6 Standings

Female Group 1

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Makise Kurisu	9.0000	3	0	0	4408	3736	672	11.4754	1
2	Shiro	6.9066	2	1	0	4275	3825	450	11.6893	1
3	Kuroyukihime	4.7035	1	2	0	3825	4114	-289	10.4575	1
4	Nishikino Maki	2.4405	0	3	0	3557	4390	-833	9.7998	1

Female Group 2

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Tōsaka Rin	9.0000	3	0	0	4660	3756	904	11.5088	2
2	Jibril	6.8517	2	1	0	4205	4043	162	11.5598	2
3	Yui-nyan	4.7792	1	2	0	4011	4282	-271	9.8879	2
4	Asada Shino	2.4905	0	3	0	3733	4528	-795	10.2026	2

Female Group 3

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Tomori Nao	9.0000	3	0	0	4264	3859	405	11.3214	3
2	Illyasviel von Einzbern	6.9100	2	1	0	4250	3991	259	11.8485	3
3	Katō Megumi	4.8871	1	2	0	3997	4081	-84	10.3360	3
4	Takanashi Rikka	2.6066	0	3	0	3780	4360	-580	10.3745	3

Female Group 4

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Yukinoshita Yukino	9.0000	3	0	0	4499	3607	892	12.0363	4
2	Yuigahama Yui	6.7422	2	1	0	3902	4155	-253	11.2133	4
3	Eucliwood Hellscythe	4.8098	1	2	0	3972	4165	-193	9.6967	4
4	Kafū Chino	2.6991	0	3	0	3823	4269	-446	10.5456	4

Female Group 5

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Shiina Mashiro	9.0000	3	0	0	5160	2899	2261	13.2722	5
2	Aragaki Ayase	6.5985	2	1	0	3724	4095	-371	10.5397	5
3	Oshino Shinobu	4.6656	1	2	0	3807	4070	-263	10.2447	5
4	Tachibana Marika	2.0486	0	3	0	3059	4686	-1627	8.8875	5

Female Group 6

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Shana	9.0000	3	0	0	4906	3604	1302	12.2329	6
2	Yūki Asuna	6.7548	2	1	0	4186	4296	-110	11.1645	6
3	Nakano Azusa	4.5979	1	2	0	3837	4426	-589	10.4580	6
4	Sakura Chiyo	2.6179	0	3	0	3871	4474	-603	10.8444	6

Female Group 7

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Saber	9.0000	3	0	0	4766	3581	1185	11.7769	7
2	Isshiki Iroha	6.9329	2	1	0	4217	3554	663	10.8195	7
3	Hikigaya Komachi	4.4676	1	2	0	3562	4211	-649	9.7743	7
4	Tedeza Rize	2.2424	0	3	0	3377	4576	-1199	9.3790	7

Female Group 8

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Tokisaki Kurumi	9.0000	3	0	0	4817	3499	1318	12.4846	8
2	Aoyama Nanami	6.8523	2	1	0	4293	3896	397	10.7748	8
3	Isla	4.6123	1	2	0	3788	4267	-479	10.0448	8
4	Nibutani Shinka	2.2439	0	3	0	3453	4689	-1236	9.7340	8

Male Group 1

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Hikigaya Hachiman	9.0000	3	0	0	4821	2731	2090	13.1414	1
2	Saitama	6.5976	2	1	0	3607	3888	-281	9.3192	1
3	Okazaki Tomoya	4.4532	1	2	0	3346	4036	-690	8.5500	1
4	Kanda Sorata	2.2848	0	3	0	3111	4230	-1119	9.6180	1

Male Group 2

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Kamijō Tōma	9.0000	3	0	0	4167	3490	677	10.9452	2
2	Archer	6.9532	2	1	0	4051	3371	680	11.0088	2
3	Gilgamesh	4.5600	1	2	0	3363	3947	-584	9.2266	2
4	Akabane Karma	2.4611	0	3	0	3317	4090	-773	9.3644	2

Male Group 3

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Otonashi Yuzuru	9.0000	3	0	0	4174	3232	942	11.8235	3
2	Okabe Rintarō	6.9274	2	1	0	3859	3555	304	9.8506	3
3	Yato	4.5813	1	2	0	3310	3858	-548	9.2978	3
4	Togashi Yūta	2.4977	0	3	0	3275	3973	-698	9.3392	3

Male Group 4

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Takasu Ryūji	9.0000	3	0	0	4119	3424	695	10.8279	4
2	Kyon	6.8468	2	1	0	3687	3735	-48	10.0228	4
3	Shiota Nagisa	4.8209	1	2	0	3619	3858	-239	9.9296	4
4	Emiya Shirō	2.7049	0	3	0	3538	3946	-408	10.0464	4

Male Group 5

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Korosensei	9.0000	3	0	0	3816	3286	530	9.9214	5
2	Yukihira Sōma	6.8814	2	1	0	3490	3407	83	9.9266	5
3	Kanie Seiya	4.6898	1	2	0	3339	3712	-373	9.5428	5
4	Totsuka Saika	2.8202	0	3	0	3478	3718	-240	9.6257	5

Male Group 6

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Sora	9.0000	3	0	0	4765	2816	1949	12.0364	6
2	Edward Elric	6.7191	2	1	0	3775	3721	54	9.9194	6
3	Shiba Tatsuya	4.4728	1	2	0	3332	3935	-603	8.8113	6
4	Itsuka Shidō	2.1185	0	3	0	2987	4387	-1400	9.1553	6

Male Group 7

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Emiya Kiritsugu	9.0000	3	0	0	3950	3374	576	10.5427	7
2	Katsuragi Keima	6.8553	2	1	0	3469	3458	11	9.8443	7
3	Otosaka Yū	4.9098	1	2	0	3637	3484	153	10.1232	7
4	Aikawa Ayumu	2.4195	0	3	0	3072	3812	-740	8.1443	7

Male Group 8

Rank	Name	Points	Wins	Loses	Draws	VF	VA	VD	CVP	Group
1	Araragi Koyomi	9.0000	3	0	0	4142	3152	990	11.1882	8
2	Sakamaki Izayoi	6.9264	2	1	0	3816	3315	501	9.8377	8
3	Satomi Rentarō	4.5057	1	2	0	3288	3821	-533	8.5369	8
4	Iskandar	2.3267	0	3	0	3174	4132	-958	8.4302	8

BoBA ISML 2016 Predictions: Diamond Match Day 6

ARENA 01: [Tōsaka Rin] Yui-nyan
by >=100
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 02: Asada Shino [Jibril]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 03: Yuigahama Yui [Eucliwood Hellscythe]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 04: Kafū Chino [Yukinoshita Yukino]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 05: [Shana] Sakura Chiyo
by >=100
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 06: Nakano Azusa [Yūki Asuna]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 07: [Tokisaki Kurumi] Isla
by >=100
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 08: Nibutani Shinka [Aoyama Nanami]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 09: [Kamijō Tōma] Akabane Karma
by <=400
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 10: Gilgamesh [Archer]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 11: [Takasu Ryūji] Shiota Nagisa
by <=400
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 12: Emiya Shirō [Kyon]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 13: [Sora] Shiba Tatsuya
by <=400
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 14: Itsuka Shidō [Edward Elric]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 15: [Araragi Koyomi] Iskandar
by <=400
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 16: Satomi Rentarō [Sakamaki Izayoi]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2300
Over

ARENA 17: Megumin [Kawakami Mai]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2600
Under

ARENA 18: [Izumi Reina] Aqua
by >=300
Over/Under: 2600
Under

ISML 2016: Tickets Being Punched For The Round of 16

ISML 2016: Tickets Being Punched For The Round of 16

By Jo-Ryan Salazar
The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue
November 3, 2016
Match Day 5 of the 2016 International Saimoe League Diamond Period is in the books and in a rare occurence, there are no Upsets of the Round, as form has followed. In the Female Division, Shiro defeated Maki Nishikino 1460-1123, Kurisu Makise prevailed over Kuroyukihime 1396-1205, Nao Tomori whipped past Megumi Katou 1299-1223, Illyasviel von Einzbern cruised past Rikka Takanashi 1458-1154, Ayase Aragaki rolled past Marika Tachibana 1348-1065, Mashiro Shiina dominatedf Shinobu Oshino 1555-1044, Iroha Isshiki stormed past Rize Tedeza 1467-1041 and Saber slashed past Komachi Hikigaya 1592-1114.

In the Male Division, Hachiman Hikigaya routed Tomoya Okazaki 1525-889, Saitama punched Sorata Kanda 1269-1096, Yuzuru Otonashi shot down Yuuta Togashi 1403-926, Rintarou Okabe cruised past Yato 1250-1043, Souma Yukihira won a 1141-1114 nailbiter over Saika Totsuka, Korosensei defeated Seiya Kanie 1241-1044, Keima Katsuragi won the closest race of the round, a 1125-1122 thriller over Yuu Otosaka and Kiritsugu Emiya defeated Ayumi Aikawa 1296-1031.

In Summer Diadem action, Mizuki Usami prevailed over Chiaki Nanami 1190-1025 and Hifumi Takimoto defeated Crusch Karsten 1282-1031.

Match Day 6 of the 2016 International Saimoe League Diamond Period is scheduled for November 4, 2016. Vote for your favorite candidates at InternationalSaimoe.com and join the ongoing debate.

St. Anthony Saints: A Proper Long Beach Prep Football Team

I am thoroughly disgusted in my alma mater, Lakewood. Their football team is no longer watchable. Here is something you should know about me: watching high school football is no different that watching any sports event. I have expectations for the teams I care about. I demand, as a requirement: 1. proper mastery of the game on offense and defense, 2. consistency against comparable opposition, 3. convincing victories that affirm 1. and 2. Lakewood has failed in all three categories and does not deserve to be in the playoffs. In fact, given their loss to Cabrillo, it would be a miracle if they are able to upset the Panthers of Long Beach Jordan.

Mike Wadley, who is the girls volleyball coach of the Lancers, is one of my biggest critics. However, his criticism of my criticism is unfounded and naive. 1. The quality of football in the Moore League has dropped. 2. Long Beach Poly, who have a new coach apparently, are also struggling this season and were just Sandusky'd by an actual, proper prep team in the IMG Academy Ascenders, a convoy of all-stars from Florida. 3. The Moore League is playing in the wrong division and needs to move down because it is the weakest of all the leagues in the Pac-5, the highest in the CIF Southern Section. 4. The public schools in my area are not retaining the best players. The private schools are getting the better players in my area. Because of his inability to open his eyes to the new reality that I have accepted, he has been permanently blocked on my Twitter.

One of the schools that has been benefitting from all this happens to be a small school near downtown Long Beach. It's a school called St. Anthony. It is one of the oldest high schools in the city and is exactly next to St. Anthony's Church, the primary church in Long Beach, and one of downtown's top attractions. The team name is called the Saints. Their colors are purple, white and silver.

Their football team is coached by man named Mario Morales, who used to coach at Long Beach Wilson, whose Bruins defeated the Saints earlier this year. Their stadium, however, is off-campus, but has been their ground for a long time: Clark Avenue Field, which I took some photos of on my Flickr years ago. That's all changing on Friday, when I watch my first high school football game for the first time in a few years, since I was taken away from a game between Lakewood and Cabrillo at Cabrillo High School in handcuffs before being released.

By the way, this season, Cabrillo did defeat Lakewood. I am convinced that unless the Lancers start recruiting good players and stop losing out to the private schools, this team will find itself again. Right now, I will not waste my money on an alma mater that presents an inferior product and an atrocious return on investment. It's gonna take a million-dollar handout, lump sum, no fake cash, to convince me to watch these idiots show their inferior mastery of the game, maybe two. And I mean it.

But back to the match at hand. St. Anthony plays in a four-team league called the Santa Fe League. Three other teams from three others schools play in this league: the Valiants of St. Genevieve High School of Panorama City, Los Angeles; the Stars of Mary Star of the Sea High School in San Pedro; and the opponent that St. Anthony is facing on Friday: the Mariners of St. Monica Catholic High School, based out of...you guessed it, Santa Monica, California. The Avalon Schools Lancers field an 8-man side that plays in the Express League, another four-team league. They, however, went unbeaten in the regular season, going 8-0 and are doing the postseason business against the Lightning of the Sage Hill School of Newport Coast.

Currently, the Mariners are clearly out of the postseason. They come into Clark Avenue Field with a 3-6 record, 0-2 in league play, winless. A St. Monica victory won't change St. Anthony's playoff situation as they have won the tiebreaker with St. Genevieve and Mary Star. On the other hand, the Saints, well, they want to fine tune their game for the playoffs, they want to win Santa Fe outright, and they want to send their seniors out with a bang.

Watching St. Anthony football is nothing new to me. I have experienced the team win games, lose games, I have been to a few of these matches in the past. In fact, I even helped do chain gang work during a match between the Saints and the Crusaders of Downey Valley Christian, a team that, historically, has had form against St. Anthony and who inflicted the team their second loss of the season. I remember watching St. Anthony face this somewhat obscure team named Verbum Dei of Los Angeles, another team that is also not getting it done at 4-5 (2-1 league). I watched the kids warmup with an "oooh" and "aaah" chant. That, to me, is my only relevant impression of Verbum Dei football. All hype, but lacking in talent.

Verbum Dei compete in the South Catholic. The Knights of Bishop Montgomery, a school from Torrance (known more for its four public teams in Torrance, North, South and West), currently lead the South Catholic at 6-3 (3-0 league). One of their opponents happened to be...St. Anthony. They were smashed, 43-6. Of course, they also lost to the Valiants, 23-6 two weeks prior, but that's a different story.

In any case, I am more than motivated to watch high school football and I think I have found a winner in St. Anthony, a team with the talent that Lakewood is supposed to have but does not. I don't deal with jobbers to the stars like Poly, either. As mentioned before, St. Anthony tick 1, 2, and 3. The expectation is that St. Monica (who have been hilariously designated as their rival school [although, to be fair, St. Monica have had form against St. Anthony in the past]) will get smoked, and get smoked badly.

There was, believe or not, a time where St. Anthony football was just not that good. A lot of soul searching had to be done to sway the youngsters coming out of Pop Warner to give the Saints a shot. They have had a massive shot in the arm ever since. Since 2010, they have had enough players to field a JV side. Morales took over the program in 2012, and since 2013, they have been a regular in the playoffs. Their best season came in 2014, when they finished 11-2 on the year.

Last season, the Saints finished 6-5 but still made the playoffs on a 3-1 league record. That one league loss? St. Monica, 17-16, at Santa Monica College, the home of the Corsairs, whose team this year has regressed from last season. In this aspect, there is reason to believe that there will be payback. I would be tempted to lay it on these Mariners if St. Anthony demolishes these guys by halftime but my job is to simply film what's going on and also take HD photos of the old stadium with its rustic, rusty old bleachers that may or may not have gotten a facelift thanks to donations since I was last at this venue. So I would be wasting my breath giving St. Monica the riot act. Too busy filming, too angry at Lakewood Football for making me come to Clark Field instead.

If St. Monica pull off a shock result on Friday, it might discourage me from coming back to watch the Saints for a while. I don't earn six figures, but even if I did, an upset like this is a long-haul dealbreaker. It's all up the Saints to prove to me that in terms of watchablity, they are a more-than-competent alternative to the worse-than-Trump's mess that is my alma mater's football program.

One more thing: Mike Christensen, my former P.E. teacher at Lakewood, is back as head coach of the team. When the coach during my time at the school is now the coach this year after going through so many coaching changes and a lack of stability, this tells me one thing: stay away from John T. Ford Stadium until the flogs there clean up their bloody act. The principal at this school, Mario Jimenez, must think I'm a shill-faced jackass or something. Well you know what they say: it takes one to know one. It is, undoubtedly, a complete disgrace how Lakewood High School Lancer Football has now been reduced to an unwatchable, losing shell of themselves and it's for this reason I have officially adopted the Saints of St. Anthony as my main prep team in the area until further notice.

Somebody give me a flaming effigy. Go give 'em a good martyring, boys. Up the Saints.

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series Champions

CLEVELAND -- After a 108-year wait for a World Series championship, the Cubs had to wait just a little longer.

Ben Zobrist smacked a one-out tiebreaking RBI double in a two-run 10th inning that lifted the Cubs to an 8-7 rain-delayed victory over the Indians Wednesday night in Game 7. Zobrist was named World Series MVP.

Game 7 of a series in any sport is significant, but this was more than a baseball game to Cubs fans. This win ended more than a century of frustration as the Cubs won their first championship since 1908, ending the longest drought in professional sports. This was for Ernie and Ronnie and Billy and many more.

Dexter Fowler, Javier Baez and David Ross each homered, and the Cubs had leads of 5-1 and 6-3, but the Indians rallied against Aroldis Chapman in the eighth, tying the game at 6 on Rajai Davis' two-run homer.

The Cubs are the first team to come back from a three games to one deficit and win Games 6 and 7 on the road since the 1979 Pirates.

Rain halted play for 17 minutes prior to the 10th inning, and gave both teams and the sellout crowd a chance to regroup -- and breathe. Kyle Schwarber singled to open the 10th against Bryan Shaw, and was lifted for pinch-runner Albert Almora Jr., who advanced on Kris Bryant's flyout to the wall in right-center. Anthony Rizzo was intentionally walked to set up Zobrist, who lined a double down the left-field line past a diving Jose Ramirez.

Miguel Montero added an RBI single and rookie Carl Edwards Jr. got the first two outs of the 10th before walking Brandon Guyer and giving up an RBI single to Davis. Mike Montgomery took over for Edwards and got Michael Martinez to ground to Bryant at third for the most important 6-3 in Cubs history.

Back at Wrigley Field, Cubs fans flocked to the corner of Clark and Addison and were anticipating their own celebration, considering the commanding lead Chicago had until the eighth. They also were well-represented in the stands in the Tribe's home, making it sound like a neutral site at times.

The Cubs, who won 103 games, are the third team in Wild Card era (since 1995) to have baseball's best outright regular-season record and win the World Series. They join the 1998 and 2009 Yankees.

It wasn't easy. This was the third time the Cubs faced Indians ace Corey Kluber in the Series, and the first time in his career that the right-hander did not strike out a batter. Kluber was charged with four runs over four-plus innings, including two home runs, which bookended his outing. Fowler led off the game with home run to straightaway center, and Baez closed Kluber's outing with a leadoff blast in the fifth.

The Indians tied the game in the third on Carlos Santana's RBI single, but the Cubs tacked on runs in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Game 6 hero Addison Russell and an RBI double by rookie Willson Contreras.

Baez's homer not only made up for two errors he made early in the game but chased Kluber, and Andrew Miller took over. Bryant and Rizzo combined for another run as Bryant walked and then scored on Rizzo's single to right. Since Sunday's Game 5 win, Rizzo has been playing the music from the movie "Rocky." As he stood on second base following his hit, he raised his arms in the air, just like Rocky Balboa, and did a little shadow boxing.

Who could blame Rizzo, either? Cleveland looked to be on the verge of a knockout.

Kyle Hendricks started for the Cubs and held the Indians to two runs over 4 2/3 innings, but he was lifted with two outs in the fifth after walking Santana. Jon Lester, making his first relief appearance since the 2007 American League Championship Series, entered along with veteran catcher Ross. It was a little messy, as a Ross throwing error and a wild pitch by Lester allowed two runs to score. But Ross made up for that in the sixth when his solo shot gave the Cubs a 6-3 lead, a great way to cap this storybook season as he heads into retirement.

The Indians were not done writing their own ending, though.

With a runner on first and two out in the eighth, Cubs manager Joe Maddon handed the ball to Chapman, who promptly allowed a run-scoring double to Guyer, trimming Chicago's lead to 6-4. That set the stage for Davis, who ripped a 97-mph fastball to left field, where it cleared the 19-foot wall, eliciting a riotous roar from the crowd.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

You go, we go: Fowler gave the Chicago contingent of fans something to cheer about when he opened the game with a home run, the first homer in history to open a winner-take-all World Series game. Fowler, who had seven leadoff homers during the regular season, launched a 2-1 sinker from Kluber a Statcast™ -projected 406 feet to straightaway center. What also was encouraging was Schwarber on the bases, as he followed Fowler with an infield single, then stole second. Schwarber, playing on a surgically repaired left knee, was limited to being the designated hitter during the Series.

Davis' heroics: The stadium was shaking in the eighth inning, when Davis delivered his game-tying shot off Chapman. The veteran shot an arm high in the air as he rounded first and his teammates could not help but pour from the dugout in celebration. Up in a suite, NBA star LeBron James flexed and shouted with approval, while the crowd erupted in a riotous roar. Davis' blast pulled the game into a 6-6 deadlock, giving Cleveland a slice of hope before the Cubs' final push.

Breaking through: The Indians pulled the game into a 1-1 deadlock in the third inning, when veteran Coco Crisp led off by slicing a pitch from Hendricks down the left-field line. Crisp showed that there is still life in his legs by hustling around first and diving headfirst into second with a double. Crisp then moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by Roberto Perez, and then jogged home when Santana sent a line drive over a leaping Rizzo and into right for an RBI single.

No way, Jose: Jose Ramirez opened the home half of the second with a chopper up the middle, where it ricocheted off Hendricks and rolled into no-man's land between short and third. After Ramirez reached with the infield single, the Progressive Field crowd roared and chanted his first name. A moment later, though, Hendricks caught Ramirez leaning at first and used a quick move to pick him off. Lonnie Chisenhall followed with a single but was erased by an inning-ending double play off the bat of Davis. So, the Indians had two hits, but Hendricks faced the minimum.

Add-on runs: With the game tied at 1 in the fourth, Bryant singled to left, threading the ball between two defenders, and moved up when Rizzo was hit by a pitch. Rizzo was forced at second on Zobrist's fielder's choice, but Bryant advanced to third and scored on Addison Russell's sacrifice fly to center. Davis threw home, but Bryant safely slid in under Perez's tag. Contreras followed with an RBI double off the center-field wall that Davis misjudged and had to chase. Zobrist scored on the hit to open a 3-1 lead.

Wild turn of events: Ross took over behind the plate when Lester entered in relief with one on and two out in the fifth. After Ross made a throwing error on Jason Kipnis' swinging bunt, the Indians had runners on second and third. Then a wild pitch by Lester caromed off Ross' face mask to the backstop. He stumbled initially when he went to to give chase, allowing both runners to score. Ross then redeemed himself in the Chicago sixth, hitting a solo home run off Miller to open a 6-3 lead. It's a nice way to head off into retirement. At 39 years 228 days, Ross is the oldest player to homer in Game 7 of a World Series.

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW

The Indians caught a break in the third inning, when Kipnis sent a grounder to shortstop Russell, who gloved the ball after it hit the lip of the grass and took an odd last bounce. Russell quickly flipped the ball to Baez, but the second baseman botched a barehanded grab. Santana was ruled out at second, but Cleveland challenged. After viewing all relevant angles, the replay official definitively determined that Baez did not demonstrate complete control and firm and secure possession of the ball. The call was overturned and what looked like a possible double play instead turned into the Tribe having two runners on with one out. Chicago escaped when Francisco Lindor flied out to left and Mike Napoli sent a 103-mph liner into the glove of Bryant at third base.

After Baez's homer chased Kluber, Fowler greeted Miller with a single and the Cubs had one on and nobody out in the fifth, but Schwarber grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. The Cubs challenged the out call at first, saying Schwarber beat the throw from second baseman Kipnis, but the replay official definitively determined that the ball contacted the interior of Napoli's glove prior to Schwarber's foot touching first base and the call was confirmed. The Cubs still mounted a two-out rally, with Bryant walking and scoring on Rizzo's single to make it 5-1.

With the game caught in a 6-6 tie in the ninth, Jason Heyward hit a grounder to Kipnis, who fired it to Lindor at short to retire pinch-runner Chris Coghlan. The Indians challenged that Coghlan's slide interfered with Cleveland's shot at a double play, but the replay official definitively determined that Coghlan engaged in a bona-fide slide and Heyward remained at first base. Heyward ended up on third with one out after a stolen base and an error on the throw from Perez, but the game remained tied after a Baez strikeout on an attempted two-strike bunt attempt and a Heyward groundout that took an impressive play by Lindor.

Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on Twitter @MLBastian and listen to his podcast.

Carrie Muskat has covered the Cubs since 1987, and for MLB.com since 2001. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings. You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat and listen to her podcast.

BoBA ISML 2016 Predictions: Diamond Match Day 5

ARENA 01: [Shiro] Nishikino Maki
by >=500
Over/Under: 2600
Over

ARENA 02: Kuroyukihime [Makise Kurisu]
by <=500
Over/Under: 2600
Over

ARENA 03: [Tomori Nao] Katō Megumi
by <=300
Over/Under: 2600
Over

ARENA 04: Takanashi Rikka [Illyasviel von Einzbern]
by >=200
Over/Under: 2600
Over

ARENA 05: [Aragaki Ayase] Tachibana Marika
by >=500
Over/Under: 2600
Over

ARENA 06: Oshino Shinobu [Shiina Mashiro]
by >=600
Over/Under: 2600
Over

ARENA 07: [Isshiki Iroha] Tedeza Rize
by >=400
Over/Under: 2600
Over

ARENA 08: Hikigaya Komachi [Saber]
by <=300
Over/Under: 2600
Over

ARENA 09: [Hikigaya Hachiman] Okazaki Tomoya
by >=800
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 10: Kanda Sorata [Saitama]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 11: [Otonashi Yuzuru] Togashi Yūta
by >=700
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 12: Yato [Okabe Rintarō]
by <=300
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 13: [Yukihira Sōma] Totsuka Saika
by >=200
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 14: Kanie Seiya [Korosensei]
by >=400
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 15: Otosaka Yū [Katsuragi Keima]
by <=500
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 16: Aikawa Ayumu [Emiya Kiritsugu]
by >=400
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 17: [Usami Mizuki] Nanami Chiaki
by <=500
Over/Under: 2700
Under

ARENA 18: Crusch Karsten [Takimoto Hifumi]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2500
Over

In Loving Memory Of Pangya Global: 2005-2016

The first thing I will take out of this: Winning Putt will now be my golf game of choice as a result of this news. Secondly: my money that I could have used to recharge will now be moved to other things, such as buying a new laptop, peripherals, etc. Thirdly, all of the photos that I have uploaded to Flickr, my five Pangya Collections, are now immortalized. My last Memorial Shop item won will have now been a set of Black Platinum Gloves for Hana, now moved over to Hana R.

So I have been proven wrong: Pangya has officially chosen to close down after years of being the golf game of choice. I have been playing this game for a little over three years, since Canada Day 2013. So I have played this game for three years and four months and the game will be shutting down on the Global server on December 12, 2016. There were so many items I wanted to win on Gacha but never won. Black Papel will have remained elusive, permanently, as well as Sporty Pippin. And this closure is in line with other closures in the past, like Pangya Brazil, Pangya Southeast Asia, Pangya Philippines, Pangya GOA, etc.

I may not be as motivated to play online golf now, unless GMO steps in and opens a new Global server. I invested thousands of dollars on my two accounts and now that the server is closing, I now have a very low opinion of Ntreev, and they need to make GMO and everybody on the Japan team the new owners of the game. I liked playing as Madoka and I will have completed the game earning almost all of the possible rares from the collab, save for the Ultimate Madoka set.

I want to share some thoughts from the two player moderators that are signing off.

3 years ago, 3 individuals were selected to be player moderators for the game of Pangya.  These individuals were given the task to find ways to advance Pangya so that players can continue to have fun in a game where swinging a club at a miniature ball is all one does.


3 years later and we find ourselves at the last legs of a long journey.  As player moderators, we ask ourselves: Were there any remaining regrets we had with Pangya?  The answer to that is particularly long and difficult.  Nonetheless, this is an opportunity for us to finalize our roles and wrap up loose-ends regarding this game.



First, let us be clear: We have no regrets on the work we did accomplish these past 3 years.  Regardless of what players may think, we got a significant amount of activities successfully done in these last 3 years in an era of the game that was clearly in a declining, unrecoverable state.  With the Korean developers having long abandoned the game, it was a time where all servers had to fend for themselves using whatever resources were at each server’s disposal.  Fortunately, for Global, a tiny spec of resources remained available still and we made use of them to the best we could possible.  The end result were the additional updates and patches that were added for the game and while these updates were not always perfect, they represented chances - a chance that there was a turning point which would allow the game to pull it out of its hole.

That chance never came and that was where our regrets lie.  For the 3 years that we were player moderators, we devoted a heavy amount of time to researching Pangya’s deeper ends - how items, systems, and mechanics worked.  We placed many suggestions on the suggestions stack.  Just as when we felt we had a better understanding of the information to advance the game with more content, it was too late.  We did not anticipate a publisher change and we did not anticipate that Global’s new publisher would be lacking a programmer.  All the research information we had on hand was now worthless.

If we had the research information much earlier in time, we could have done more for the game.  Would it have changed the eventual outcome?  Probably not.  However, it would have at least made Pangya feel more “complete” as the game approached the last days.  In the end, this was our regret - that we were unable to do a number of things for Pangya still and will never be able to now.

These last 3 years have been a challenge for us as much as it has been a challenge for everyone in this community who have to had endure a game that even the original developers had abandoned.  We are grateful for those who stood by Pangya Global until the very end despite all that has happened.  We are grateful to have been part of a community which once flourished for a game that was praised as the “best fantasy golf game”.  Though we did not do our moderator roles perfectly, we are thankful for the players who have worked with us, helped us, and supported us throughout these years.

This is the last chapter of Pangya Global.  No matter where you will be after this, we hope you will continue to remember the times you had here on Pangya Island.



--- From the Pangya Player Moderators

I'm a player for 10 years (started off in PYSEA-A18-here). I feel the same way as most of you guys do.  Yes, we had the same thoughts as you do constantly.The mods tried but I'd say I didn't try my very best. There were countless of dead ends and frustrations. After knowing how things were working at that end, I've just become less motivated. Most of the things we wanted were just not doable anymore. Nevertheless, we had seen some new recipes being available in Cadie's Cauldron, change in Gacha/Papel/Scratchy until they couldn't. We tried to give out something new within the means even if there weren't major playing events or new items. And then suddenly, it all seems a little too late when we had planned out for the rest of the year, it couldn't be done anymore. That was some time ago already. There's actually so much more I have to say but I'll just keep it within this post.



I've had fun with the community in-game but it is time to say good bye. Take care everyone five 
Thank you Pangya [English] for everything.  



--- noobcat, Pangya Player Moderator

Throughout the 7 years I have been a Pangya player, I have contributed much to this game, both in-game and on the website.  I have created a number of events that players have participated in, many of which have been successful.  The Pangya Wiki has turned from a dead asset to now one of the most widely used resource for Pangya not just for our server but for other servers as well, and not just for English-speaking players but for international languages too.  None of my contributions would have been worked without the assistance of the players of this community.  It is thanks to you that we were able to bring about many great things on this server.

I've met many great people on Pangya and I had fun playing games with all of you.  I wish all of you the best of luck on your journeys beyond Pangya Global.



--- TwinsLight, Pangya Player Moderator

I feel that Smilegate and Ntreev have failed to listen to their players and by choosing to close the Global server instead of handing it over to Japan, they have done a massive disservice to their base. It is the stubborness of this company, Ntreev, that could cause them to go bankrupt and close down forever. With this, Winning Putt now becomes the golf game of choice around the world and is now the people's game for online golf.

I am in no rush to resume grinding on Winning Putt once I get my second laptop. Dynasty simming now has some room and time, as well as fanfic writing. A large amount of my time and money that could have gone to playing Pangya or spending on the game has now been freed up as a result of this historic news that is in no way a positive.

So I officially leave Pangya Island with three-plus years of memories playing the game and zero regrets. I will now play Winning Putt on my two accounts some time in the future. To the Pangya community that has been reading my blog, thanks for stopping by but be sure to keep it here on The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue for more anime, sports and Saimoe news and other BoBA-relevant stuff.

Remember, at The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue, there's always something going on around here. 

Thank you, Pangya Team. 

Good luck and high five.

ISML 2016: Tricks, Treats And Close Races In Diamond 4

ISML 2016: Tricks, Treats And Close Races In Diamond 4

By Jo-Ryan Salazar
The Bedlam On Baltic Avenue
November 1, 2016

Match Day 4 of the 2016 International Saimoe League Diamond Period took place on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2016 and there were plenty of races that went down to the wire. In the Female Division, Rin Tosaka defeated Jibril 1517-1292, Yui-nyan rocked Shino Asada 1405-1349, Yukino Yukinoshita cruised past Yui Yuigahama 1470-1091, Eucliwood Hellscythe blew past Chino Kafuu 1340-1254, Shana torched Asuna Yuuki 1627-1228, Azusa Nakano romped past Chiyo Sakura 1357-1306, Kurumi Tokisaki shot down Nanami Aoyama 1523-1298 and Isla prevailed over Shinka Nibutani 1388-1279.

In the Male Division, Touma Kamijou broke Archer 1324-1262, Gilgamesh won a 1212-1193 barnburner over Karma Akabane, Ryuuji Takasu roared past Kyon 1338-1133, Nagisa Shiota scored the Upset of the Round and the closest race of the round and season, a 1235-1234 thriller over Shirou Emiya, Sora slammed Edward Elric 1495-1075, Tatsuya Shiba defeated Shidou Itsuka 1261-1091, Koyomi Araragi whipped past Izayoi Sakamaki 1264-1171 and Rentarou Satomi shot down Iskandar 1278-1152.

In Summer Diadem action, Aoba Suzukaze defeated Kyouko Kirigiri 1372-1143 and Maihime Tenkawa won a 1063-1046 nailbiter over Yumemi Hoshino.

Match Day 5 of the 2016 International Saimoe League Diamond Period is scheduled for Nov. 2, 2016. Vote for your favorite candidates at InternationalSaimoe.com and join the ongoing debate.

BoBA ISML 2016 Predictions: Diamond Match Day 4

ARENA 01: [Tōsaka Rin] Jibril
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 02: [Asada Shino] Yui-nyan
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 03: Yuigahama Yui [Yukinoshita Yukino]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 04: Kafū Chino [Eucliwood Hellscythe]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 05: [Shana] Yūki Asuna
by <=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 06: Nakano Azusa [Sakura Chiyo]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 07: [Tokisaki Kurumi] Aoyama Nanami
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 08: Nibutani Shinka [Isla]
by <=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 09: Kamijō Tōma [Archer]
by <=100
Over/Under: 2400
Over

ARENA 10: Gilgamesh [Akabane Karma]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 11: [Takasu Ryūji] Kyon
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 12: Emiya Shirō [Shiota Nagisa]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 13: [Sora] Edward Elric
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 14: Itsuka Shidō [Shiba Tatsuya]
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 15: [Araragi Koyomi] Sakamaki Izayoi
by >=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 16: [Satomi Rentarō] Iskandar
by <=100
Over/Under: 2500
Over

ARENA 17: [Suzukaze Aoba] Kirigiri Kyōko
by <=600
Over/Under: 2400
Over

ARENA 18: Hoshino Yumemi [Tenkawa Maihime]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2400
Over

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters: 2016 Japan Series Champions

HIROSHIMA – A pitcher getting it done on the mound and at the plate helped the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters bring home a championship, just like everyone expected.

Not many had reliever Anthony Bass as said pitcher. What third baseman Brandon Laird did, that was pretty much business as usual.

The Fighters broke open a tense contest in the eighth inning, with a bases-loaded walk drawn by Sho Nakata, an RBI single by Bass and a grand slam courtesy of slugger Laird, and returned to the NPB summit with a 10-4 win over the Hiroshima Carp in Game 6 of the Japan Series on Saturday night at Mazda Stadium.

“We were on a mission this year” said Laird, who was named Japan Series MVP. “We had a long season, went through our ups and downs, but we overcame them. Look at us now, we’re Nippon champions, it feels great.”

The Fighters won their first Japan Series title since 2006, rebounding to win four straight games after dropping the first two in Hiroshima.

“We never got down even after losing the first two games of the series,” said manager Hideki Kuriyama. “We were able to win all three games at home and the momentum was with us when we came back to Hiroshima.”

Bass threw two scoreless innings to earn the win in relief. He struck out three and walked a batter. Bass finished the series with a 3-0 record, 0.00 ERA and eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

“I feel like I did my job, so I was happy with that,” Bass said. “More important is winning the championship. That’s why I signed here in Japan. I wanted to be part of a championship.”

The Fighters are champions for the third time in franchise history, also winning in 1962 and 2006. Their win continues the dominance of the Pacific League in the Japanese Fall Classic. Since 2003, PL teams have won 11 of the past 14 Japan Series titles. Nippon Ham accounted for the only losses in 2007, 2009 and 2012.

The Fighters got it right this time. Wrapping things up in Hiroshima was the cherry on top, as Nippon Ham entered the game just 2-11 on the road in the Japan Series since 2006.

“Definitely feel like we’re on top of the world right now,” Bass said. “Everyone put a lot of hard work in all season long, leading up to this. We faced a good team in the Carp. It wasn’t an easy series by any means. But we found a way to win, and it feels great.”

They won without calling on Shohei Otani again. Otani, who many thought would make another appearance in the series, either at the plate or on the mound, didn’t play Saturday. He was on deck in the eighth, but was called back to the dugout after Nakata drew his bases-loaded walk.

The Fighters would’ve likely started Otani in Game 7 had they lost. The team would’ve faced an emotional scene Sunday against retiring Carp hero Hiroki Kuroda. The veteran pitcher had mostly held Nippon Ham in check before leaving Game 3 with an injury.

“We faced Kuroda after we took the consecutive losses (in Games 1 and 2), but I was thinking that our players would’ve gone in the game on pure spirit,” said Kuriyama. “In a way, we took advantage of Kuroda’s energy. I really respect him. Maybe he wanted to pitch one more game, but if we were to play one more game, I’m not sure we could’ve won, so forgive me for that.

“I really don’t feel like we’ve actually done it. I need to sit back and reflect on it. But more than the Japan Series title, one of our goals was for the fans to have fun with each game.”

Laird’s grand slam was his third home run of the series. The Nippon Ham infielder, who had a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning that helped win Game 4, drove in seven runs during the Japan Series.

“I was just looking to have a good at-bat, just try to get a pitch I could hit,” Laird said of Saturday’s grand slam. “To get a big hit like that was unbelievable.”

He dedicated his performance to his grandfather.

“I’m just trying to do my best each and every day,” he said. “I’m playing for my grandfather right now, and I know he’s looking down proud. So thank you, grandpa.”

Laird gave his trademark sushi pose after the game and was joined during the award ceremony by Bass, Nakata and Haruki Nishikawa, who earned outstanding player honors. The Carp’s Brad Eldred was given the Fighting Spirit Award as the best player from the losing team.

Nippon Ham did all its damage in the eighth with two outs. Nishikawa, Takuya Nakashima and Hiromi Oka each singled to load the bases against Carp reliever Jay Jackson with the score knotted at 4-4.

Jackson walked Nakata to force in the tiebreaking run. Bass then hit for himself and delivered a single to center that tacked on another run.

“He walked the previous guy, so I was taking a strike and then looking for the fastball,” Bass said. “I haven’t swung in a long time, so I was just trying to start as early as I could. He left a fastball over the plate, and I just hit it.”

Bass pumped his fist wildly in celebration when he reached first base.

“I don’t know what came over me there in the eighth inning,” Bass said. “But it’s been fun. It’s a long season, and that’s why we work.”

Otani, who was 6-for-16 with four doubles during the series, was on deck during Nakata’s at-bat with Bass’ spot due up. But Bass said the plan was for him to hit for himself.

“The plan was, I was hitting 100 percent,” Bass said. “It was kind of like a fake out, I think.”

Laird then connected on a 135-kph slider to put the game away. His home run in Game 4 was also off Jackson, who was charged with the loss on Saturday.

The Carp, who won the Central League pennant for the first time since 1991, were trying to win their first Japan Series title since 1984.

Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.

See You Next Week, Azusa Pacific!

GLENDORA >> Azusa Pacific University began Saturday in search of a championship. The Cougars may have earned a bit more at Citrus College.

They also made a pretty big statement for inclusion in next month’s NCAA Division II playoffs.

Andrew Elffers threw for 321 yards and four touchdowns and the Cougars forced four turnovers en route to a 44-7 victory over Central Washington to clinch their third Great Northwest Athletic Conference football title in four seasons.

Weston Carr also had nine receptions for 189 yards and four touchdowns for APU (8-1, 7-0), ranked No. 15 in NCAA Division II and No. 6 in Super Region Three. The Cougars, who equaled a Division II record with three interception returns for touchdowns last week, had three picks on Saturday to raise their season total to 21, which ranks near the top of Division II.

Central Washington, ranked No. 7 in the region, slipped to 5-3 and 4-2.

“It’s just great to get the title,” APU coach Victor Santa Cruz said. “We work hard to get every championship that’s possible. To be able to celebrate our third title in four years says a lot to what the coaches do, the school and the effort our kids give, not just this season, but all the way back to January. Our kids have had vision. They made the sacrifices and I’m just glad they get the fruit (from that commitment).”

APU pretty much clinched the title during the first two quarters, scoring on five of its first eight possessions for a 31-0 lead at halftime.

The game turned following consecutive Central Washington turnovers during the middle of the first quarter. APU, which took a 3-0 lead on its first drive with a 30-yard field goal by Jamie Cacciatore, used both miscues to extend the advantage to 17-0.

C.J. Broussard, who had both interceptions in the first half, returned the first inside the Wildcat’s 20 before Elffers tossed 12 yards to Carr for a 10-0 lead at 4:39.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Broussard said. “We knew we had to do what we do. (Tonight) was just the product of hard work and great coaching.”

Elffers, after the Cougars recovered a Central Washington fumble on the kickoff on the Wildcats’ 23, followed with a 10-yard pass to Brandon Jackson to setup Aaron Baltazar’s 1-yard run for a 17-0 lead at 2:39.

Elffers then capped the scoring in the first half with second-quarter touchdown passes of 27 yards to Carr and 12 to Ethan Zeidler for a 31-0 advantage.

He made it 37-0 with a 23-yard pass to Carr in the third quarter. Carr had a 45-yard TD reception from Chad Jeffries in the fourth quarter.

“Passing-wise, we knew we had to come out aggressive,” Carr said. “We knew we had to be perfect on the outside, and really just execute the whole game.”