Real Baseball Online Chronicle

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2008-08-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Chronicle has MOVEEEEEEED

2008-08-27T17:42:00.001-07:00

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RBO CHRONICLE - new link

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Elite League Week 3 Preview

2008-08-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Skoal for doing the preview

Bombers Vs. TechEast

This game features two teams, which seem to be firing on all cylinders. Bombers comes off of a big win over Roto NL, while TechEast comes off of an impressive showing against Lynx. These two teams look to establish an early tempo with pitching, and solid defensive play.

Baptiste will set the tone for TechEast early and often with his bat, but don't expect gatyopin2 and ABSmoke to let him do all the talking. Sandman7 will look to stop the potent Bombers bats, but question marks about relief abound. If he needs some, Vejar and kiku can step up, but will they perform? Baptiste knows that this team can score in a hurry, so look for him to set a great example, and show people why he's a great manager. I'm betting he comes out on fire (not literally, that would hurt), and goes all Robert Redford on some baseballs this week.

Bombers looks to be lead by Roguee and Cunning, as well as a tremendous pitching rotation, starting with Ipwn and finishing with ChungFX or ThePope. If ThePope sees action in relief, you better believe pointy, fancy hats will be worn by all, and enjoyed by none. There's a lot of talk about Roguee trying to take league by storm, and thrust him or herself into the MVP lead, and look for him or her to try and show the bat skills to make that happen.

Players to watch: Bombers: Roguee // TechEast: Baptiste

Prediction: Bombers 11 TechEast 8

Roto NL vs Lynx

The two teams meeting in this game, are two teams trying desperately to right their ship, in hopes that a big win will be a harbinger of things to come. Roto NL comes off of a less than stellar showing against Bombers, while Lynx comes off of a tough loss to TechEast.

For Roto NL, the question that needs to be answered is: who is going to pitch well enough to keep them in a game? nubXPRESS and Pesto have both tried, but in the end, the opposition came out on top. You know they're going to hit, with HaZeD, Day, LORDV8R and company, but if you can't pitch, what is the use? Don't forget about EasyOut, who is my man to watch for NL. He's just seething at the mouth (possibly rabid) to breakout, and is fixin' to do so this week.

The Lynx have shown great team spirit and a desire to win, it just hasn't translated into wins. Look for EWade and company to come out firing on all cylinders and try to swipe one here. LSU21 is a solid bat, in a line up that contains many solid bats. Wendigo, Hugebat and Tubby86 are also looking to rough up what ever Roto NL throws at them. Tubby86 figures to see a large chunk of (if not all of) the work on the mound, but in a pinch, you could see XxBRAVOxX out there. I heard Wendigo is excited to go out there and show the boys how she rolls, so keep an eye out for her.

Players to watch: Roto NL: EasyOut // Lynx: Wendigo

Prediction: Roto NL 13 Lynx 11

BigHeros vs FlightAL

BigHeros comes into this week after suffering a real kick in the collective grapes at the hand of D Rays last week. FlightAL comes into this game on the opposite end of the spectrum, as they were kicking (and possibly stomping) all the grapes last week in a rout of Ambition.

The biggest thing for the BigHeros to do in this game, is find some camaraderie and balance. They seem to either score runs, and don't pitch well, or do a decent enough job pitching, but don't score enough to get the job done. Her0 will be looked upon to do a lot of the work, as will Nhr. Those two guys cannot possibly carry an offense by themselves, so look for timely contributions from goTWINS and possibly BigJoll (the artist formerly known as Molholt). Pitching wise, they've got SupaNova and The24Kid, who will look to contain some hot bats on the other side of the field, and are players to watch for.

FlightAL comes into this game on an absolute offensive tear. Kentucky, DrDeath, Majewicz and ZachAtack look to knock the cover off of the ball everytime they step in, and usually succeed. They've got a "throw who ever feels like it out there" attitude about pitching, but when you're stomping face and chewing gum, it really doesn't matter who's pitching for you. If you're looking for a stud muffin to watch out for on FlightAL, you'd have to go with D3thklok. There's no substitute for talent (or beer), he's aiming to go out there, and show everyone how he does it.

Players to watch: BigHeros: SupaNova/The24Kid // FlightAL: D3thklok

Prediction: FlightAL 17 BigHeros 5

D Rays vs Ambition

An interesting dynamic is at play in the D Rays and Ambition game. These are two teams who are new to the Elite league, and are trying to make a mark. The D Rays plowed through BigHeros last week, while Ambition got waxed by FlightAL.

D Rays is one of those enigma type teams, who have chemistry, but on paper don't look like a team who could contend. That just goes to show you what pitching and chemistry can do, because they put it to BigHeros in a big way last week. Y4ankrule threw a gem, and they got timely hits from KeenanG and company to secure their first win. Look for Tyrrel and HAVERFORD to do some damage, and try to keep the D Rays shuffling on, and winning games.

Ambition comes into this game desperately needing a win, to build chemistry and give them something to build off of. h0w has to get the most out of every player, including himself, in order to win games, and shock some people. This is one team I don't know a whole lot about, only that they're hungry to win, and showcase themselves in this League. Mattman13 should have a breakout game, and plays with a chip on his shoulder after a rough split with Empire.

Players to watch: D Rays: Tyrrel // Ambition: Mattman13

Prediction: D Rays 12 Ambition 10

Rage vs DwH

This game features two teams coming off of tough losses last week. Rage watched FlightNL take them downtown, while DwH had a stomach punch game at the hands of a walkoff (more like kick in the groin off) loss against Carnage.

Rage has a unique blend of players who are tasting their first Elite action, but are starving to win and become seen as the best of the best. GoHome96, RomeyC and rUafraid lead this group of quirky mouthy players, who can swing the bat. Cjwalker also figures to have impact, but with only one pitcher, this team needs to light up the scoreboard to have a chance. rUafraid is a player to watch, with his solid bat and pitching prowess, but don't be surprised if Rage looks like a christmas tree after this one.

For DwH (Donuts with Hats), the pitching has been there, the batting hasn't. They've only scored a total of 9 runs, and that won't get the job done. Looking at their lineup, it's tough to figure out why they haven't scored a lot of runs. Guys like ensferum, Ricky8 and LuckyMe89 have always had hot bats, look for them to get on track this week. Pitching for them has been solid, so look for more of the same from RUGJUICE, PiLi and soulcrshr. I'll pick ensferum as a player to watch here, because frankly he entertains me, and is due for a bananas type breakout game this week, as he shows up why this group puts up donuts, and wears hats.

Players to watch: Rage: rUafraid // DwH: ensferum

Prediction: DwH 12 Rage 11

FlightNL vs Carnage

This game has early playoff implications, and will establish a front runner in the Central/West league. These teams are strong in both pitching and hitting, and will look to out do eachother in my Game of the Week.

FlightNL has put up some runs, and had shutdown pitching in the first two games of this league. They've been effective across the board and look strong coming into this one. Papi, Ebola and dcurt25 lead an offense which hopes to score early, score often, and head home with your girlfriend. SmokeOut and ElDuque are a two headed pitching monster, which looks sexy on the field, and on paper. SmokeOut has allowed one run in 9 innings of work, which is unheard of for the Elite league. He is my player to watch, because chances are, he's going to be smoking batters, and will be the difference maker, unless GATECH is out there stealing Carnage's bukkets.

Carnage is another team with a tremendous lineup, and a two faced pitching attack. Megatron and Sparkie come out every week and shut down the best of the best. Wiggy and BlindMan come in riding high this week, after a great offensive showing for each in the last game. BlindMan hit a walkoff homer against DwH, while Wiggy consistently swings a hot bat. I'm looking for a breakout game from the Sexy Swedes though. GAWD and ToyBoy are poised and ready to take the Elite league by storm, and are the players to watch here. They will be the difference between a win and loss for Carnage, and you better believe they come out with adult beverages in tow, and have already put the kids to bed.

Players to Watch: FlightNL: SmokeOut // Carnage: ToyBoy/GAWD

Prediction: FlightNL 9 Carnage 4

Empire vs RotoWire

This game has a big giant X on the calendar for both teams. There are players on both teams that want to show the other what they're all about, and either jump into the upper echelon of players, or reaffirm greatness in the minds of all who play in the Elite league.

Empire has the offense, defense, and pitching of a well oiled Elite contender. They're active and cohesive, and feature some of the top names of RBO's last few patches and leagues. MelkyNYY brings a club into this game which is tired of hearing what one of the RotoWire pitchers has been talking about, and looks to make things difficult early and often for him. Pete998 looks to suppliment the offense provided by MelkyNYY, as well as Oman. They're going to be lead pitching by KMAN (player to watch), FIRE911 and Death. There are other "factors" at work here also, which kick this rivalry into high gear, including 27 page flamewars, and JPEG trophies. Empire wants to silence RotoWire's bats and mouths, and their pitching gives them an avenue to do so.

RotoWire comes into this game after putting the wood to Insanity. After a hard luck loss on opening night, they came back strong in game two and really showed why time after time, they're one of the elite squads in RBO. Lead by the get on base attitude of the Oregon Connection (CBothe and Haskell), and some timely hitting with runners on by Skoal, which got the job done. The pitching has mostly fell on Skoal's broad, rippling shoulders, but look for Boget to come out fired up, and show why he has been a top pitcher in RBO for some time now. BenyDJet gets my nod as a player to watch however. The man is due for a beastly performance, and it would not surprise me at all to see him bring the noise here. Will there be a lot of rawr, and little bite? Or lots of rawr and lots of bite? We will see on Tuesday.

Players to Watch: Empire: KMAN // RotoWire: BenyDJet

Prediction: RotoWire 10 Empire 9

TechWest vs Insanity

TechWest was looked at a middle of the road type team when this league started, but they look to pile up another win against Insanity this week. Insanity has suffered back to back losses, but looks to rebound, and show they are not doormats.

TechWest has been lead largely by the pitching of WCKDPERK. He has shined in games against RotoWire and Empire. He's on a mission, and looks to continue that here. The batters for TechWest include a trifecta of heft that is DanTheMan, SandMan16 and Own4Life. They're looking to go out there and beat Insanity like they stole something, and put up a ton of runs to help out WCKDPERK. SandMan16 is the player to watch here, he's looking to put some distance between him and Skoal for the MVP of the Central/West league, and add to his league leading 5 homers.

For Insanity, both pitching and hitting have been an issue. They have yet to find someone to supply Killerboy with any relief, should he struggle, and also haven't given him many runs to work with. RickyD and Luna21 will look to change that this week, and as a tandem should be the breakout performers for Insanity. I'm expecting to see Killerboy go out and pitch well this week, making him a player to watch. If he pitches well, and Insanity hits like we all know they can, TechWest could be in some trouble.

Players to Watch: TechWest: SandMan16 // Insanity: RickyD/Luna21

Elite Week 2!

2008-08-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Round 2 is in the books and things are really starting to heat up. Teams are making their case for an all important playoff spot and really starting to kick into full gear. Check out who’s coming out on top and who’s stuck underneath the pile below!!!

TechEast tames Lynx

TechEast came ready to play against Lynx on Tuesday. gatyopin2 started things off right blasting a HR in just his first at bat of the game. Lynx saw offensive support come from Tubby86, LSU21, and Hugebat but TechEast was just too much. gatyopin2 also knocked a 3-run HR to improve on his already solid night.

Final Score: TechEast 10, Lynx 4.

Bombers Blast Their Way Past Roto NL

The Bombers made the Roto NL pitching staff look non-existant on Tuesday night. In just 2 innings the Bombers already had a 9 run lead and never looked back. Pesto had his dome rocked giving up 6 HRs in his two innings of work. HaZeD was the only glimmer of light for the Roto NL roster as he attempted to bring his team back into the game with 2 HRs.

Final Score: Bombers 16, Roto NL 4.

FlightAL Routes Ambition

FlightAL gave Ambition no chance to pickup their first win. Using just the brute force of their offense, FlightAL put up 18 runs. h0w and his Ambition roster still managed to pull 6 runs but ZachAtack just became too much to handle. After the score opened up FlightAL cruised to victory. Ambition will continue to fight and looks forward to trying to pickup their first win against a viable candidate in D Rays.

Final Score: FlightAL 18, Ambition 6.

BigHeros fall to D Rays

The D Rays aren’t going to be a team to roll over in the 2008-3 Elite. They proved their value after beating the BigHeros squad. Y4ankrule deserves credit as he held the tough BigHeros squad to just 5 runs while pitching the bulk of the innings. Her0 will look for his team to rebound against FlightAL next week. SupaNova will certainly have to step things up against an even tougher squad in FlightAL.

Final Score: D Rays 8 , BigHeros 5.

FlightNL Pitches Their Way to Victory…Again

FlightNL took down another team in Rage. SmokeOut has been absolutely lights out giving up just 1 run this league in a total of 9 innings. Rage saw some limited success against ElDuque, but they could not contend with the superior FlightNL squad. Though SmokeOut has been great, Carnage will be gunning to put runs on the board early and often next week. Look for SmokeOut to attempt to continue his run as a clear cut All-Aces favorite at this standpoint.

Final Score: FlightNL 13, Rage 5.

Hey, Now Walk It Out

Carnage might have been a little understaffed against DwH on Tuesday but that didn’t stop them from stealing a win. BlindMan played the role of hero with a walkoff HR in the bottom of the 6th. Things got shaky for Carnage after Megatron dropped and ToyBoy had to take over the pitching duties, but it was all good after BlindMan ’s walkoff HR. DwH put up a valiant effort, but Carnage took the opportunity to slide the victory from under their feet.

Final Score: Carnage 9, DwH 8.

TechWest Shocks Empire

TechWest is pushing themselves into the upper echelon of teams after two straight wins over RotoWire and Empire. This time around WCKDPERK gave the opposing team no chance. Holding Empire to no runs heading into the last innings, things were looking bleak. The former MVP, KidNasty, was held 0-5 with multiple strikeouts. Even former All-Aces KMAN saw the ball fly over his head. TechWest is looking strong both offensively and pitching wise and will look to improve to 3-0 on the season against Insanity next week.

Final Score: TechWest 11, Empire 2.

RotoWire Back on Track

Perhaps last week was an eye opener but RotoWire seems to be ready to go now. Skoal continued to push his RotoWire teammates. After a solid performance in RotoWire’s loss, Skoal added 3 HRs to bring his season total to 5. Add in a few innings of great pitching and you’ve got an early candidate for MVP. Insanity managed only 5 runs while Killerboy and crew allowed 11.

Final Score: RotoWire 11, Insanity 5.

Week Two League Preview

2008-08-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

TechEast vs Lynx

TechEast came off a strong and convincing win last Friday, defeating a favored Roto NL team. Though there was some controversy surrounding TechEast after the victory, the power-hitting squad should continue to have motivation throughout the season as they look to become an "established team." Moreover, that quest should be a lot easier with solid effort from both sides of the ball. TechEast, with help from manager Baptiste, were able to score 6 runs off the dynamic duo of NubXPRESS and Pesto. Pitching was just as solid, with Sandman7 pitching a full 6 innings and holding Roto NL to just 3 runs. If TechEast can continue this domination today and throughout the season, they might just become a possible favorite to win league.

Lynx had a solid effort against Bombers last week but the Bombers offense was just too hot. Lynx also had a commendable offense, scoring seven runs and almost put the game in reach. Manager EWade and LSU21 should both continue to lead the Lynx offense today.

Players to Watch For:

TechEast

Sandman7. Coming off a very impressive win against Roto NL, Sandman7 might be in a position to show that he really is an elite pitcher. If Sandman can shut down the Lynx offense, look for TechEast to cruise to an easy victory.

Lynx

EWade. EWade has certainly proven that he can hit. Coming off a 2 homerun game against Bombers, EWade should continue to show off his hot bat.

Fire's Prediction: 7-5 TechEast

Newbert's Prediction:

Bombers vs Roto NL

What can be said about Bombers? Although the pitching was a little shaky, the offense managed to score enough runs to lead the team to victory. Individual leaders included gimmepie and BigJuddd, who both combined for 8 RBIs. The Bombers offense should strike fear into the hearts of all elite pitchers. And NubXPRESS should be no exception.

Roto NL came off a disappointing loss Tuesday against TechEast. The offense managed only to score 3 runs and did not give their pitching enough offensive support. The desire for a major upset should motivate Roto NL to score more runs against a tough Bombers squad.

ChungFX will also be starting against his former squad for the first time tonight. Will Roto NL show Chung that they are indeed the better team?

Players to Watch For:

Bombers

BigJuddd should once again lead the Bombers offense. A top offensive performer, BigJuddd should have no problem hitting against Roto NL.

Roto NL

HaZed showed a little fieriness after the game Friday, complaining of a certain play which I still dont understand :). However, his passion for winning might enable him to catch fire and make some noise against former teammate ChungFX.

Fire's Prediction: 12-8 Bombers

Newbert's Prediction:

FlightAL vs Ambition

FlightAL had an easy victory against D Rays last week. Puddles and ZachAtack combined 5 homeruns and 8 RBIs. The beastly offense should perform well against Ambition. Moreover, DrDeath pitched well, going 6 innings and allowing 5 runs.

Ambition also played well but suffered a heart-broken lose against BigHeroes. Ambition kept the game close through 6 innings but 3 homeruns by Nhr made the difference. NlaLoosh pitched well but gave up 10 runs over 6 innings.

Players to Watch For:

FlightAL

DrDeath. If he can pitch well against the experienced offense of Ambition, FlightAL should score enough runs to win the game.

Ambition

NlaLoosh. It will be a very difficult assignment for Loosh as he pitches against the power-hitting lineup of FlightAL. Its highly unlikely Ambition will be able to outscore FlightAL; therefore, if Ambition wants to win, they will have to depend on Loosh to shut down FlightAL.

Fire's Prediction: 12-5 FlightAL

Newbert's Prediction:

BigHeros vs D Rays

BigHeros succeded in denying Ambition an upset last week as they managed to score 10 runs. Led by Nhr, the BigHeros will look to continue their same success tonight against D Rays. Though there is a chance for an upset, it is highly unlikely against D Rays.

D Rays came off an unsurprising loss against FlightAL. The offense was too much to handle for D Rays and they did not have much success on offense either. D Rays might have a chance to defeat BigHeros, but unless their offense can get some runs, it will be close to impossible for them to win.

Players to Watch For:

BigHeros

Nhr came off a big game last week against Ambition. Nhr blasted 3 homeruns and batted in 6 RBIs. The BigHeros offense will once again have to rely on Nhr to have a big game.

D Rays

Tyrrel. Tyrrel also had a multi-homerun game, smashing 2 homeruns to give the D Rays some hope last week. If Tyrrel can continue his same offensive production, maybe the pitching can hold BigHeros and give D Rays the W.

Fire's Prediction: 13-6 BigHeros

Newbert's Prediction:

DwH vs Carnage

DwH suffered a lose to start the season last Friday against FlightNL. While the pitching was certainly there, offensive production was not evident. Sadly, 1 run in elite will not get you any type of victory. In order to win tonight against Carnage, DwH will have to solid effort in both pitching and offense.

Carnage showed last week they can still score runs and have solid pitching. Megatron pitched well, and combined with Toyboy, allowed 3 runs over 6 innings. Offense was just as solid, with production coming from Wiggy and Klemens. Carnage should have another solid game against DwH tonight.

Players to Watch For:

DwH

Luckyme89. Lucky has a strong bat and should be able to drive some runs in DwH and give the pitching some support.

Carnage

Megatron. Megatron might have a hard time shutting down DwH if he is not careful. Whenever these two teams play each other, it is always in an interesting matchup to see who can come up on top.

Fire's Prediction: 13-10 Carnage

Newbert's Prediction:

Rage vs FlightNL

Rage suffered a disappointing loss against Carnage as they were shut down offensively. Defense was apparently a problem for Rage as well, as some missed plays in right field accounted for some runs. Rage will need to play their best tonight against FlightNL. Offense will be the key. If they can score early, chances are they will be able to pull off an upset.

FlightNL came off a impressive win last week. SmokeOut was incredible, going 5 innings while allowing only 1 run. If he can continue his same success and shut down Rage, FlightNL should be able to claim victory.

Players to Watch For:

Rage

rUafraid had to pitch the entire game last Friday against Carnage. He was also disappointed with some defensive plays. rUafraid should be able to ignite some passion in his team and gain some offensive and defensive support.

FlightNL

SmokeOut. This guy had obviously proven he can be a big part of FlightNL's success. If he pitches well, FlightNL should be able to start the season 2-0.

Fire's Prediction: 8-2 FlightNL

Newbert's Prediction:

Rotowire vs Insanity

Rotowire suffered a lose last week against TechWest. While they were many apparent reasons why Roto lost, it seems they will be able to get it together tonight against Insanity. A strong pitching peformance by Skoal last week did make it close for Rotowire but they did fall short. Boget will look to regain his confidence against Insanity, and should let Roto to a W.

Insanity had a strong performance against Empire last week. Killerboy pitched very well, shutting down Empire's offense for the most part. Offense also did well but fell short to the strong pitching combo of Death and FIRE911. Tonight, Insanity will face another tough pitching duo. If Killer can pitch well again, and gain some offensive support, look for Insanity to pull off the upset.

Players to Watch For:

Rotowire

Boget. Boget will look to reclaim his title of "greatest of all-time" tonight against Insanity. He should be able to pull off a great pitching peformance and lead Rotowire to a win.

Insanity

Killerboy. Coming off an amazing pitching peformance, Killer will once again need to pitch well to give his team a chance to win.

Fire's Prediction: 7-6 Rotowire

Newbert's Prediction:

Empire vs TechWest (Game of the Week)

Empire won just by a hair last week against Insanity. MelkyNYY led the team in offensive production, hitting 2 homeruns and batting in 3 RBIs. Strong pitching performances from Death and FIRE911 gave Empire the win. The offense for Empire was a concern but pitching did well enough to carry the team.

TechWest was able to pull off the upset against Rotowire last week. Sandman16 led the team in offense, smashing 2 homeruns and batting 6 RBIs. He will certainly look to lead the team once again against Empire.

This will most likely be a pitching dual. Both teams will have to score runs late in order to win.

Players to Watch For:

Empire

MelkyNYY. Melky proved to be the difference last week and should be able to put on another impressive game tonight.

TechWest

Sandman16 was able to put up some amazing game against Rotowire. He should be able to strike some fear into the hearts of Empire's pitchers.

Fire's Prediction: 8-6 Empire

Newbert's Prediction:

Elite Week 1 Wrap-Up

2008-08-18T21:21:00.002-07:00

*As Posted by Newbert on the RBO Website*

After the 1st round of the Elite League was postponed due to a rain delay, things seemed to be off to a rocky start. Luckily, 8 games of competitive Elite League action is the remedy for anything. Players soon forgot about the postponement as they geared up for their 2008-3 Elite League debuts. Read below to see how everyone fared!

TechEast topples Roto NL

TechEast seemed to click early as they blasted 4 HRs off Roto NL’s pitcher, nubXPRESS. Baptiste found himself with 2 HRs and 2 RBIs to guide the TechEast offense to 6 runs. The real hero for the TechEast squad in the win was Sandman7. Pitching all 6 innings, Sandman7 picked up 2 strikeouts while holding Roto NL to just 3 runs. He also supported his own cause with a 3-run HR in the game.

Final Score: TechEast 6, Roto NL 3.

Bombers Slide Past Lynx

Lynx put up an excellent fight against a tough Bombers lineup. Ewade and LSU21 each knocked 2 HRs and amounted for a combined 6 Lynx RBIs. Despite Lynx firing on all cylinders the Bombers offense just proved to be too much. BigJuddd and gimmepie each had a HR. BigJuddd went 5-6 with 1 HR and 5 RBIs while gimmepie followed suit going 4-6 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs.

Final Score: Bombers 10, Lynx 7.

FlightAL Cruise Against D Rays

DrDeath really controlled the game early giving FlightAL the opportunity to open up a sizeable lead. Puddles was an absolute machine, blasting the ball and his kilt over the wall 3 times. Puddles collected 5 RBIs. Teammate ZachAtack also dealt his share of damage with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs. The D Rays struck late and received 2 HRs from Tyrrel but it was all too late.

Final Score: FlightAL 11, D Rays 5.

BigHeros Deny Ambition

Ambition made their league debut but fell just shy against BigHeros. Pitching proved to be a slight concern but offensively they mustered 7 runs. Mattman13 blasted 2 HRs, h0w knocked 2 HRs, but Nhr took the cake with 3 HRs and 6 RBIs. NlaLoosh allowed 10 BigHeros runs which proved just enough for SupaNova and the BigHeros pitching staff.

Final Score: BigHeros 10, Ambition 7.

FlightNL Pitches Their Way to Victory

DwH just couldn’t find a groove against SmokeOut and FlightNL. FlightNL didn’t need many runs but Corv and Ebola teamed up to prove more than enough. Each found themselves with balls sent far over the wall. SmokeOut was the main event in the game throwing 5 strong innings, giving up just 5 total hits. ElDuque came in for the close and SmokeOut finished with a smoking 1.80 ERA for the game.

Final Score: FlightNL 6, DwH 1.

Carnage Unleashes Rage

Some people may think that Carnage isn’t as good as previous leagues but the current squad is the first to disagree. Megatron and ToyBoy together pitched well only allowing Rage to a mere 3 runs. Carnage saw their offense come from Wiggy, xXbnUtzXx, and klemens through HRs.

Final Score: Carnage 8, Rage 3.

TechWest Strikes Early Against RotoWire

TechWest took full advantage of Boget’s underhand blunder hitting 10 runs early on in the game. After moving Skoal to pitcher things seemed to calm with TechWest only scoring 2 more runs but it was already too late. RotoWire pushed for a late inning comeback but the lead was just too big. SandMan16, Own4Life, and Jeeps had brought TechWest plenty of runs and more importantly, the win.

Final Score: TechWest 12, RotoWire 8.

Empire Stands Tall Against the Insanity

As teams finished up their games, many players were amazed to see Insanity neck and neck with Empire. Killerboy found himself pitching a gem against one of the tougher squads of the Western Conference. Despite a lacking offensive output, Empire found the win with 2 HRs by MelkyNYY and strong pitching from Death.

Final Score: Empire 5, Insanity 4.

Week One League Preview

2008-08-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Roto NL vs TechEast

The Roto NL roster makes its debut tonight against a tough TechEast tonight. Hitters, such as HaZed and HrPower, should strike fear into the hearts of the unproven TechEast pitchers. However, NubXPRESS might have a difficult time shutting down the incredible TechEast offense. Baptiste, gatyopin2, Nataliamo, and ABSmoke should all give the pitching combo of NubXPRESS and Pesto a hard time. Look for this game to be an offensive battle.

Keys to the Game

For Roto NL:

Solid defense. Defense is something that Roto NL has always seemed to struggle with. By showing they can make plays in the outfield, Roto NL will surely impress and prove they are serious in making a playoff run.

For TechEast:

Pitching. We all know TechEast can hit but with that pitching staff, you never know if they can pitch consistently enough to win. If the pitching trio of Sandman7, kiku, and Vejar can somehow shut down the Roto NL offense, TechEast might be able to pull of a win.

Fire’s Prediction: 12-10 Roto NL

Newbert’s Prediction: 14-8 Roto NL

Players to Watch For: Baptiste, NubXPRESS

Lynx vs Bombers

The heavily-favored Bombers team will look to begin its quest for league champions tonight against Lynx. Do I need to go into detail how dangerous the Bombers offense is this season? Combined with some old and new faces, the Bombers offense should have no problem scoring runs this season. Cunning, Roguee, TheMan, and gimmepie will all look to dominate league this season. For Lynx, this will be their very first elite league for most of their players. In order to defeat Bombers, Lynx will have to hope for timely hitting and solid pitching.

Keys to the Game:

For Lynx:

Shut down the Bomber offense (sound easy enough). Limit the Bombers scoring opportunities and Lynx might be able to pull a major upset.

For Bombers:

Score, score, score. Dominate on offense and Bombers should be able start off the season with a win.

Fire’s Prediction: 14-6 Bombers

Newbert’s Prediction: 19-3 Bombers

Players to Watch For: Cunning, EWade

D Rays vs FlightAL

Well, this should be interesting. Not much can be said about this game except D Rays has no pitcher so it looks like they will have to rely entirely on their offense to win this game. FlightAL certainly has a strong offense and a proven elite league pitcher in DrDeath. In other words, this should be a total blowout in favor of FlightAL. If they do not win this game, I swear I will forever retire from RBO.

Keys to the Game:

For D Rays:

Score as many runs as possible. With no pitcher, its highly unlikely you will be able to limit the offense of FlightAL. The best the D Rays can do is to keep scoring runs and just they can outscore FlightAL.

For FlightAL:

Shut down D Rays. Their offense can be tough to handle. However, DrDeath should have no problem pitching against D Rays and it should be an easy win for FlightAL.

Fire’s Prediction: 17-3 FlightAL

Newbert’s Prediction: 11-8 FlightAL

Players to Watch For: KeenanG, DrDeath

Ambition vs BigHeroes

Ambition enters this league as a new team looking to pull off some upsets. This quest might come tonight against BigHeroes. Ambition is full of old of new faces. H0w and Bolter have both had previous experience in elite league and will look to lead the team in offense and defense. BigHeroes also has players that have also had previous league experience, including Bigio, BigJoll, and manager Her0.

Keys to the Game:

For Ambition:

Pitching? The only pitcher on the current roster is NLaLoosh. It might even just benefit Ambition to go with a non pitcher since Loosh only has 5 speed. Nonetheless, look for Ambition to stop the BigHeroes offense. If they also maximize their offensive potential, Ambition could start the season with an upset.

For BigHeroes:

Shut down Ambition. The duo of The24Kid and SupaNova can very easily limit Ambition. Along with solid defense, BigHeroes should be able to win.

Fire’s Prediction: 7-5 BigHeroes

Newbert’s Prediction: 12-10 Ambition

Players to Watch For: h0w, Her0

FlightNL vs DwH

FlightNL enters league with dominate pitchers. ElDuque and SmokeOut have to be considered two of the best pitchers in league this season. Both have had experience in elite league and both know how to win. In order to beat this team, DwH will have to hope for an offensive miracle. Hitting off those two pitchers will not be easy and must have solid pitching and hitting throughout the game.

Keys to the Game:

For FlightNL:

Simply score. Pitching is solid enough to give you a chance of winning every single game. Solidify this by giving your pitchers some run support. This will not be hard to do tonight against DwH.

For DwH:

Score early. You don’t want to be down late in the game. FlightNL has deep relief that will shut you down late in the game. Score runs early, and hope your pitching can do the rest.

Fire’s Prediction: 10-6 FlightNL

Newbert’s Prediction: 16-3 FlightNL

Players to Watch For: ElDuque, ensferum

Carnage vs Rage

Carnage comes into this league looking to repeat its same success that they had in the 2007-4 league. With its current roster, it is very possible to not only repeat but actually win league. Their offense has improved, and they even have some pitching depth with the addition of Sparkie. Megatron will face off with Rage tonight looking to win. Rage, on the other hand, does have some potential to win. Despite having a small roster, they do have some power hitters in Duster, RomeyC, and Cjwalker.

Keys to the Game:

For Carnage:

Pitching. Limit the hitters of Rage and trust your defense.

For Rage:

Focus on hitting Megatron. You do not want to be losing if Sparkie comes in to relief Megatron.

Fire’s Prediction: 9-4 Carnage

Newbert’s Prediction: 12-9 Rage

Players to Watch For: Megatron, RomeyC

TechWest vs Rotowire

TechWest, despite adding some key pitching additions, is still a relatively weak team. Compared to its sister team TechEast, offense is stacked in favor of TechEast. However, TechWest just might be able to defeat the inactive Rotowire. Moreover, Boget should still have no problem against TechWest.

Keys to the Game:

For TechWest:

Take advantage of Rotowire inactivity. The hitters of Rotowire might not be as good as they once were. Use this to your favor.

For Rotowire:

Trust Boget. Despite having a weaker offense, TechWest can still surprise and score some runs. If Boget can stop their offense, Rotowire should be able to win.

Fire’s Prediction: 8-5 Rotowire

Newbert’s Prediciton: 8-6 TechWest (walkoff HR)

Players to Watch For: Sandman16, Boget

Insanity vs Empire

Insanity is a combination of old and new faces that can score some runs. Colacino2, RickyD, and Dual are all potential hitters that should be able to hit the pitching staff of Empire. Empire is also filled with young and new faces, all with amazing talent.

Keys to the Game:

For Insanity:

Score runs early. Again, Empire does have a deep pitching staff in the trio of KMAN, Dre, and FIRE911. If they can score some runs early, their pitching should be able to hold the Empire offense.

For Empire:

Take advantage of scoring opportunities. Make sure to score early as well and let the pitching do the rest.

Fire’s Prediction: 9-6 Empire

Newbert’s Prediction: 12-4 Empire

Players to Watch For: Colacino2, KMAN

So who will be king? The quest for a league championship begins tonight at 9 EST. Good Luck to all teams.

Elite League Team Preview

2008-08-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

**As Published by Newbert on RBO League News**

The 2008-3 Elite League is finally here! Beginning August 12th teams will collide in the tournament server as they push for a run at the RBO Elite League Championship. The Elite League consists of 16 teams ready and willing to show their best. Get to know the teams below!

TechEast

TechEast, half of the T.Tech Organization, brings an explosive offense to the table. Their key offensive contributors are gatyopin2, ABSmoke, and manager Baptiste. TechEast may have to lean heavily at times on gatyopin2 and Baptiste but Nataliamo should be good for his share of homeruns.

Pitching seems like a weakness for TechEast but manager Baptiste has faith in his guys. Vejar and kiku can hang with the best when they’re on their game. DIESELUSA knocked over 1000 homers in PUGs last season but the pitching prowess of the Elite League greats might be too much for him to handle. If TechEast can get all their players on the same page and catch a hot streak they should be a serious contender to make a push for the playoffs.

Roto NL

Roto NL seems to have a history of looking great heading into league and this season is no exception. They’ve got one of the better looking offenses on paper. Though their defense can be shaky Roto NL has one standard in LF, HaZeD. He gives Roto NL some consistency in his hitting and great outfield play is always expected. Roto NL recently added the HrPower and Pesto, who will team up with nubXPRESS to handle the pitching duties. Look for nubXPRESS to use his hybrid pitcher/hitter type build to the fullest as he will probably see time both in the outfield and on the mound.

LORDV8R and Day round out Roto NL’s rather deep offense. There are quite a few questions, concerns, and haikus with Roto NL’s lineup. You never know what you’ll get out of EasyOut and BiGSwolL. Also, Scooter has yet to see an at bat this season. Ozzy may make a league appearance but he has been M.I.A. for the past few months.

Lynx

Lynx may not have a lot of Elite League experience but EWade has assembled a team that makes up for it in talent. ThatMan’s move to TechWest will probably hurt their offense but Tubby86, EWade, and N8te can provide plenty of pop. At this point in time Lynx seems like a stretch to win it all but anything can happen

I met with EWade to find out his opinion on his team for this upcoming league.

nubXPRESS: Do you think your team’s lack of league experience will hold any negative effect?

EWade: It is possible that we will have a bit of a learning curve but we’ve been in similar situations before and I believe we’ll do fine.

Do you think Lynx can be a dark horse of the 2008-3 league?

Yes, we have the confidence and believe we can compete with the best.

Bombers

Bombers are a clear-cut favorite to win the Eastern Conference heading into the season as they have the tools to score 10+ runs each and every game. Cunning, BigJuddd, and Jiraiya are all tough outs for any pitcher. Let’s not forget about the former Elite League MVP, Roguee, either. Ipwn should carry the bulk of the pitching duties but ChungFX and ThePope will probably relieve him and see more time against easier opponents.

The newer look Bombers might not be the same squad that won the 2007-3 Elite League, but they’ve got the potential to push for that 2008-3 crown.

FlightAL

FlightAL is another one of the toughies in the Eastern Conference. DrDeath is the undefined leader of the squad and always seems to carry the team on his shoulders when called upon. He’s a former Elite League MVP and has an All-Star League All-Aces under his belt as well. FlightAL’s ZachAtack will be hard to strikeout with his signature low red batting style. Even good pitchers should find themselves playing in traffic with this tough lineup. YardDog, Majewicz, D3thklok, Puddles, and Kentucky are all capable of putting up multi-HR games. Pitching could be a slight concern but BeanBalla will aid DrDeath as needed. Look for FlightAL to rough up some of the lessers of the Eastern Conference.

D Rays

The D Rays may appear pretty shallow but they’ve got a “talented” core of players. To do it, they are going to need a lot of offensive output from HAVERFORD and team manager KeenanG. Hydro08 and Tyrrel are two other offensive threats but Borrelli will most likely notch a good amount of playing time.

Ambition

Ambition, assembled only days before the close of registration, is an interesting group of players. Though team chemistry may come at a premium, they’ve got the ability to surprise any team on any given night. Bolter is the wild card of the group with his limited playtime in the pickup game clubhouse.

Teams will need to make sure not to take this Ambition squad lightly. Canada, h0w, and Nos all have ample league experience and know how to win. A personal favorite to watch is MattMan13 who will gun to prove his value to his former Empire Organization. Ambition is no pretender; they’ve got the talent to take more than just a couple wins. If there was one team to watch, it’s Ambition.

BigHeros

The BigHeros are back, though only a couple of these supermans are from the team that competed in the Elite League just a few seasons back. BigJoll, more known to the community as Molholt, will make his return to the tournament/league scene. The BigHeros are going to look for large offensive contributions from Nhr and goTWINS. They do have their own share of question marks with DanIAm, BigPoppy, 66, and Busted among others due to lack of activity within the Pickup Clubhouse.

DwH

DwH, or Donuts with Hats, is the old ReJected squad relabeled with a new name. Though a stretch to win the Western Conference, DwH has some solid bats that could surprise some teams. Ensferum will probably need to put up MVP type numbers for DwH to be a serious contender. PiLi provides DwH with some pitching but he’ll need a solid defense to back him. soulcrshr, ensferum, and AWinkler2 should satisfy that void.

FlightNL

The second team in the Flight organization, FlightNL has one of the best pitching staffs in the Elite League. SmokeOut and ElDuque team up to provide FlightNL with the pitching they need to win. FlightNL’s offense seems a little weaker than usual this season but Corv, ST3WART, and manager Papi should keep the ball flying. YanksBoy and GATECH will make their Elite League debuts and will hopefully contribute and aid in FlightNL’s 2008-3 Elite League takeoff.

Carnage

Megatron has built a pretty diverse team within the last couple of months. Looking at the current roster you find your older Carnage players in Smith, HeadAke, Megatron, and Wiggy. Then you see xXbnUtzXx making his return to Carnage. After that it just looks Swedish to me. Oh wait, that’s because Megatron has added the sexy Swedes, ToyBoy and GAWD. Carnage could have one of the top offenses yet again if everyone decides to show up. HeadAke and Wiggy always seem to be offensive producers but their defense will be invaluable to Megatron.

Sparkie is on the roster to relieve Megatron on the mound, but seems to not always be available. Six innings of pitching usually spells trouble so look for Carnage to aim for double digit runs each and every game.

Rage

Rage consists of nine players, one of the smaller rosters in the Elite League. Led by rUafraid, Rage has a few old faces mixed with a lot of new. Rage lacks experience with Duster, bden2, and GoHome96, but rUafraid and RomeyC have been around the block enough to guide them and possibly steer them to victory. Pitching may be an issue for Rage and the Western Conference won’t be showing any mercy.

RotoWire

Despite being on the fence for returning to play in another Elite League, RotoWire is back. Though only Skoal has played enough to be considered “active”, RotoWire certainly has the talent. Boget, a 3-time Elite League All-Aces winner will split duties with Skoal this time around. EviLPants, aka Midget, will focus his luck at the plate. CTap brings new faces to the plate for RotoWire this season. BenyDJet, CBothe, and JSparks will all see their share of at bats. RotoWire’s core players are still there and that’s just bad news for everyone else. CTap will rely heavily on MiiG, TarHeelS, and Haskell to bring in the runs this season. SpliF may sneak in a few rare at bats this season, but his playing time will come at a premium due to other commitments.

TechWest

The T.Tech Organization certainly has some talent in their TechWest team. Manny73, DanTheMan, and former Lynx player, ThatMan, can all carry the offense if needed. Driverhit seems to have the ego necessary to pitch but he doesn’t quite strike fear into any batters just yet. JimmyJohn should handle a large chunk of innings for TechWest. TechWest has a solid team and should be able to compete for a playoff spot.

Insanity

Insanity enters the league with an eleven man roster and probably just as many concerns. Insanity will need strong production from Killerboy, Luna21, and arodf5 to even compete. Granted a strong pitching performance can provide a win for anyone, but Curtis92 and crew will have their hands full. Insanity’s wildcards come in RickyD and Dual. If RickyD and Dual can hit like the MVPs they are then don’t take the Insanity roster lightly.

Empire

Empire’s got former MVPs, Silver Sluggers, and All-Aces throughout their roster and should be one of the top teams in the 2008-3 Elite League. First up on the Empire roster is KidNasty. He’s a 3-time Elite League MVP with enough tournament wins to write a book. After KidNasty, Empire has Frogger and MelkyNYY who both have Silver Slugger awards stashed away in their trophy cases. The anchor for the Empire team is KMAN. Despite batters getting tougher and tougher KMAN seems to find a way to get outs league after league. With two All-Aces under his belt KMAN is obviously a favorite and will be attempting to guide his team deep into the playoffs. The Empire lineup rounds out with big123, FIRE911, Oman, and Pete998, aka “Pro998”. Empire has depth and talent and will accept nothing but a championship as success.

I was able to meet up with KidNasty to talk about the upcoming league.

nubXPRESS: Do you think you can make another run at MVP?

KidNasty: Yeah, but there’s a lot of competition now especially within my own team. I’ll try.

nubXPRESS: Would you rather win a fourth MVP or take Empire to the league finals?

KidNasty: Finals, I’m a team player and I’ll do whatever Shock (MelkyNYY) needs me to do. The team comes first.

The RBO Factor/Chronicle Presents...

2008-07-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Brand new to the scene of REAL Baseball Online, the RBO Factor/Chronicle will be introducing a ladder for all to participate. Teams of any level are welcome to join and compete for the top spot on the ladder. Hosted through www.myleague.com/rboladder the ladder will not require any games beyond your normal Tournament/League games in conjunction with your team vs team games in PUG.

After a game is played the losing manager/representative simply just heads over the the RBO Ladder website and reports the loss. Teams are ranked based on the rank of the teams they beat.

As per www.myleague.com, "Case's Ladder has one of the simplest ranking systems ever used for competitive play. We call it a "Ladder" because each member holds a unique rank or "rung" that represents their standing among other members. The highest-ranked member holds the #1 Ladder position; someone ranked #2 is ranked below the #1 member. The goal is to "climb" the Ladder all the way to the top! When you first join you are placed in an "unranked" category on the Ladder, and you become "ranked" after winning your first Ladder match. When you defeat a higher-ranked member, you move up in rank half the distance between their rank and your own. For example, if you are ranked #50 and you defeat the #1-ranked member, then your new rank would be #25. Your rank on the Ladder does not go down if you lose a match unless your opponent is ranked DIRECTLY below you. When members ranked below you are victorious against members ranked above you, it's possible the member will jump over you in rank and you will move down one rung."

Remember any and every team are welcome to join and participate. Already signed up are Phenoms, Lynx, Carnage, TechWest, TechEast, Empire, FlightNL, FlightAL, Roto NL, RotoWire, and multiple others. Get in on the action and fight your way to the top!

Weekly Tournament I - Round 2!

2008-07-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Crede24 for the FlightNL/Bombers game recap.

FlightAL puts down Lynx

FlightAL left EWade with little to say. In an old fashion beatdown FlightAL won 18-1. After the game, EWade simply put it "FlightAL > Lynx". FlightAL saw great hitting and great pitching on their way to victory.

Final Score: FlightAL wins 18-1.

NL Offense Takes Flight

The Bombers came into the semi-finals knowing FlightNL scored 25 runs in the opening round, and their bats certainly responded, scoring 12 total runs in the semi's. However, the FlightNL offense outmatched them, putting up 21 runs against the Bombers, totaling 46 runs in two nights.

The game started quick for the Bombers, as they scored two runs in the top of the 1st, including BigJudd hitting a first pitch homer against starter SmokeOut. FlightNL responded in the bottom of the inning with dcurt25 and ST3WART hitting solo shots to tie the game at 2-2.

FlightNL blew it wide open in the 2nd inning. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 2nd, they scored 9 runs which included a bases loaded grand slam by ST3WART. 2-11 FlightNL. Bombers starter SlayerXX put up a good effort before being relieved by veteran pitcher Ipwn.

The Bombers, carried by gimmepie and Roguee, would come back to score 7 more runs including a grand slam against starter SmokeOut and an additional 3 off of reliever ElDuque. Unfortunately for the Bombers, they could not keep pace with the FlightNL offense. Explosive nights by ST3WART and dcurt25 carried the team, with each hitting 3 home runs, including ST3WART's afermentioned grand slam. Pitchers also supported themselves as well, with SmokeOut, Ipwn, and ElDuque all hitting solo shots.

Final Score: FlightNL wins 21-12.

FlightNL will meet their sister team FlightAL in the Championship game of this weekly tournament.

RBO Chronicle Entertainment Tonight - Surprise Interview with Panther

2008-07-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

For your entertainment I caught up with Panther in the RBO game client for a RBO Chronicle exclusive interview.

NEWBert: On for two days in a row, you animal.
Panther: Life is boring. This game is kind of like sex with Kobe Bryant. No matter how much you kick and scream, it's going to happen.
NEWBert: Are you going to be sticking around or perhaps playing in league?
Panther: **ck no. Boredom has its limits.
NEWBert: Lol, but you used to enjoy the game.
Panther: Playing the same game for 5 years isn't much fun.
NEWBert: But UBO has made such GREAT improvements.
Panther: The name is the only thing that's changed.
NEWBert: You going to check out RBOz when it comes out?
Panther: No clue what that even is.
NEWBert: You know, the new build for UBO.
Panther: I'll check it out probably. When's that supposed to be coming out, 2012?
NEWBert: Sounds about right. If you could add 1 thing to this game what would it be?
Panther: Some Vaseline for all the years it **cked me.
NEWBert: Thanks for the interview, Panther.
Panther: Put that in your article and shove it. I need to make some forum posts. See how long they can stay up before they get deleted.

Weekly Tournament 1 - Round 1

2008-07-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to ElDuque and EWade for their contributions. Sorry for the formatting issue with the spaces, still looking to get that resolved.

Lynx vs TechEast

The first round of Weekly Tournament 1 presented Lynx vs TechEast. Both squads boast deadly lineups, with TechEast getting the edge in pitching. However, that was not going to stop EWade and Lynx from toppling TechEast's pitching staff.

TechEast had the lead for much of the game, contributed by 4 HRs from Nataliamo, 2 from ABSmoke, and 1 from DIESELUSA. xXBRAVOXx had a hard time containing their bats.

However, Lynx's bats proved more adept in the end. The slugging barrage was lead by EWade with 5 HRs, followed by xXBRAVOXx with 1 HR. N8te and Tubby86 both had very good games with several hits and RBIs, and ThatMan did well subbing in for xSWIFTx.

The game was decided in the bottom of the 6th inning, with Lynx down 12-10. With 1 out and runners on the corners, EWade knocked a walkoff 3 run HR to seal the deal and the victory for Lynx.

Final Score: Lynx wins 13-12.

FlightAL vs Empire

The FlightAL/Empire matchup saw both teams use a combined total of 7 pitchers. Whether the tournament spurred FlightAL into a crazed league preparation mode or they just found a groove, they easily shrugged Empire off. Things just didn't work out for Empire as they watched 8 HRs cruise over the outfield wall.

ZachAtack started things off in the 1st inning, knocking a leadoff HR (déjà vu). FlightAL gave Rbush the start lodging full confidence in the unexperienced pitcher. Unfortunately for Rbush he ended his night prematurely after bugging himself on a low curve.

Empire took full advantage of when he was on the mound knocking 2 HRs (1 for KidNasty, 1 for MelkyNYY). Pete998 snuck in a HR of his own in the bottom of the 2nd to hand Empire a 3-1 lead.

It seems that Flight has a knack for huge innings. Time after time they explode for an inning pouring run after run to take an edge. Empire saw first hand the brunt force of FlightAL in the top of the 4th. SEC, DrDeath, and Krynn started the inning on back to back to back HRs.

Following a ZachAtack single (ZachAtack hitting singles, more déjà vu), ClarkKent superman'd an Empire offering for a 2-run HR. After another HR by DrDeath, ZachAtack completed the FlightAL HR-fest by hitting one of his own. All FlightAL players HR'd in the inning completing the 8 run inning.

The last two innings were fairly quiet with a solo HR by Krynn in the 5th and a solo shot by KMAN in the bottom of the 6th.

Final Score: FlightAL wins 10-4.

FlightNL vs Bunters

Contrary to initial beliefs by the community, Bunters did have enough players show up to field a team. Unfortunately, they were undermanned with no pitcher. Always good when you are facing the glutton of punishment, FlightNL.

We will leave it as a murder of Bunters by FlightNL. FlightNL put up a tad more than double digit runs and cruised to victory. ST3WART made an impressive Flight debut blasting 3 HRs and picking up 8 RBIs. Beyond ST3WART's fierce effort, Corv and Dcurt each hit grandslams of their own.

Bunters in their own favor did hang with FlightNL early on. Szymon hit a 2-run HR in the 1st inning to keep Bunters tied, 2-2. Unfortunately, the Bunters never found any offensive groove and failed to cross the plate beyond Szymon's HR.

SmokeOut and ElDuque looked sharp in their pitching efforts combining for 5 strikeouts and only 2 earned runs.

Final Score: FlightNL wins.

Bombers vs D Rays

The D Rays came into the game looking to prove themself against a relatively tough Bombers squad. With Pesto and Ipwn on the mound you knew it'd be a battle of attrition for the batters. Hits and runs would come far apart with two aces on the mound.

gimmepie started things off right for the Bombers knocking a 2-run HR in the 1st inning. ChungFX added a solo shot to give the Bombers an early 3-0 lead after the top half of the 3rd inning.

KeenanG attempted to bring his team back into it with a solo HR in the bottom of the 3rd. Even after a 30 minute rain delay KeenanG came back in the 4th with another solo HR to bring the Bombers lead back down to 1.

The 6th inning belonged to the Bombers as gimmepie belted his second HR and Ipwn finished things up 1-2-3.

Final Score: Bombers win 4-2.

League: Epic Fail? Pro Success?

2008-06-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

We are back with a quick league update. Today, the managers of some of the major elite teams and their representatives met at the Netamin vent to update the community on the upcoming league. I did my best to take some notes on the meeting before i had to head out for food :P. Anyway here we go.

1. The League Start Date

Well this is the first thing everyone wants to know right? Well there is no exact set date, but league is a lot farther away than we initially thought. Registration will most likely be the week of July 13th and the start date will be sometime in late July. The hold up? Basically Netamin and Customer Service is busy testing the new league system. They are stuck on a seeding bug when it gets to the playoffs. As soon as the seeding system is done, registration will be over.

2. League Format

The new league system only allows for 8 teams per division. Meaning there will be two separate leagues going on but they will correspond to each other come playoff time. The problem is with the number of teams. We are fine if we get 2 divisions of 8, but if we fall a few short or a few over it can throw off the entire league system. What they may do to compensate for this is combine the AS league and the Elite league. The schedules will be automated using the new league system, and they will be posted on the main website as are the "Team Activities".

3. Prizes? Gimme Ipods! Gimme Moneh! Gimme PIE!!

None of the above. Well, technically we might get a prize in the form of baseball memorabilia (signed Ripken hat ftw?) but all of that is premature right now. The league will not be pay to play and the prizes might only go to the team manager. Right now with the current state of RBO, they can not frankly afford to give the entire winning team prizes. But if it is memorabilia, they might be able to pull something where the entire team may get something. For now, the 2008-3 league will have no prizes.

4. All Star Week?

One of the bright spots of the meeting was the mentioning of an All Star Game. The league season will most likely be 14 games long. It will take about one month to play 7 games, then the league system will take a short break for an All Star Game. After the ASG, the league will resume for 7 more games. Daniel Sloan (AKA The New SMack) informed the managers that GM19/Rubber will be the Elite league commissioner. It will be interesting to see what the new commissioner decides to do as far as All Star voting is concerned. Anyway, the ASG is a big plus and something the community has sought for quite some time.

5. The CoC, The Rules, what you need to know...

Daniel Sloan/GM26/RBOPress will be releasing a thorough Code of Conduct for tournaments and leagues in the upcoming weeks. He will also be releasing a "manager's guide" that will show the managers all the necessary commands and deadlines they will need to adhere to. "We want to get all the gray area out of the COC and I have been working on it for weeks" - Daniel Sloan

6. Miscellaneous

The Stadium 2 nonsense is figured out. We will all be playing in Stadium 1. Time outs and subs will be clarified and waving will be brought back for league. Many minor issues that the managers brought up will be solved. Bugs, ruling questions, and roster issues. The managers will have the final say via vote on any scheduling or rules for this upcoming league (plus plus plus).

Do not be surprised if I add to this article, but for now this is all I can remember. Look for the thread on Factor for discussion.

School's Out Blowout: Recap and Netamin's Awards

2008-06-25T20:57:00.001-07:00

Long time no hear from. A lot has changed in the world of RBO but I will just recap the School's Out Blowout Finals where Empire defeated FlightNL 10-8 on a walkoff homerun by Frogger. Frogger was the star of the game, homering twice and making stellar plays in the infield all game. Smokeout pitched solid but was outpitched by the duo of KMAN and Fire911.

Netamin's Awards
MVP: KMAN - The Chronicle disagrees. Though KMAN did pull double duty and homered in every tournament game, he failed to put up the productivity that d1nonly2 did. D1nonly2 hit .640 and drove in 13 RBI in the tournament.

Silver Sluggers: Nos, D1nonly2, Pete998 - The Chronicle disagrees. Not only did Netamin give out 1 more than they should, they completely ignored the other teams in the tournament.

All Aces: SmokeOut - The Chronicle disagrees. Smokeout pitched solid, but was clearly outpitched by KMAN who only allowed more than 3 runs once.

School's out Blowout: Round 2 Recap, Round 3 Recap, Finals Preview

2008-06-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yes I have been really really off the ball lately but RBO isn't the only thing that throws you curveballs. I'm back but will only unfortunately give a brief sentence or two on each Round 2 and 3 game and preview the finals.

Round 2 Recap

Lynx vs Bombers
- Lynx certainly did not disappoint in its first tournament game on the Elite level, stunning a solid Bombers team convincingly 9-4. Bravo pitched a great game and is emerging as a good enough pitcher on the Elite level. ThatMan and Swift helped the offense out enough, as manager Ewade successfully notched his first ever elite tournament win.

Final Score: Lynx 9, Bombers 4
Player of the Game: xXBravoXx

Insanity vs Empire
- In an unfortunate turn of events, 2 Insanity players lagged out in the top of the first of the Insanity Empire game. The GMs were unable to restart the game seeing as the game itself was not bugged. They played on, and Curtis92 then bugged out on a low curveball. This 2v5 game was unfair from the start as Empire scored 14 runs in the first inning and never looked back.

Final Score: Empire 16, Insanity 8
Player of the Game: D1nonly2

FlightAL vs Rage
- Dr.Death and SlayerxX put out a solid pitcher's duel in the best game of the night. Unfortunately, a late FlightAL grandslam put Rage away. Up 4-2 late in the game, Rage gave up a grandslam and let the game slip away. Dr.Death had an all around game and looks to be returning to his MVP form.

Final Score: FlightAL 6, Rage 4
Player of the Game: Dr.Death

Hybrids vs FlightNL
- Hybrids had complete control of this game from the start, but a LordSmrf lagout in a 4-0 game in the 4th caused the game to unwind. FlightNL capitalized and won 9-7 leading us to a round 3 Flight vs Flight matchup. Hybrids former manager Toyboy played on Pesto/Lord Smrf and had 4 homeruns on the night combined in a losing effort. This tournament loss marked the end of Hybrids, and the RBO community tips its cap to Toyboy for a great effort against a very good team.

Final Score: FlightNL 9, Hybrids 7
Player of the Game: Toyboy

Round 3 Recap

Lynx vs Empire
- Empire dominated Lynx in round 3, scoring 14 runs off of Bravo and holding Lynx to 3. KMAN pitched 4 innings of 3 run ball and Fire closed the door with 2 innings of scoreless baseball. Homeruns by D1nonly2 and Big123 off of Bravo put the game out of reach. ThatMan homered for Lynx. KMan helped his own cause with a 3-run homerun of his own early in the ballgame.

Final Score: Empire 14, Lynx 3
Player of the Game: KMAN

FlightNL vs FlightAL
- Nos was a 1 man recking crew in Round 3 as he was responsible for 3 homeruns and 10 RBI in a 13-5 rout of FlightAL. Smokeout pitched solid and has found a stretch of consistency. FlightNL is the first team to get to Dr.Death in this tournament as the normally shutdown-type ace surrendered a tournament high in runs. Nos caught fire and carried NL to the finals.

Final Score: Flight NL 13, Flight AL 5
Player of the Game: Nos

Finals Preview

Empire vs FlightNL
- Game remains close the entire way through. Late homeruns by Big123 and Pete998 put Empire ahead late and Fire closes the door on FlightNL.

Final Score: Empire 6, FlightNL 5
Players to Watch: KMAN, Nos

*no top performers until the end of the tournament*

NEWBert's Top Performers, School's Out Blowout - Round 1

2008-06-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well...Looks like we've got another tournament of surprises. Rage pulled off another upset, HaZeD was subbed out after just 3 innings for Roto NL, and Hybrids look like they are left for dead.

I'm going to entrust Melky with the job of handling the Top Performer's for the rest of this tournament. I will be away for the next 10 days, spending my time with a fishing pole on a lake. We all know Melky won't do nearly as good a job, so these Round 1 awards are EXTRA special.

Top Performer - Hitting

I'm going to give the hitting award to a duo who certainly dominated in the cleanup spot for their team. The Round 1 Top Performer award for hitting goes to gimmepie and Roguee. Together they went 5-5 with 5 HRs in their victory over Roto NL. ChungFX and nubXPRESS just could not handle the cleanup hitters. Don't be surprised if we see either Roguee or gimmepie making another Top Performer appearance in the near future.

Top Performer - Pitching

The Top Performer for pitching goes to Curtis92. Though he wasn't facing the top of the line offenses that we see in the Elite competition, he pitched a hell of a game. Going 6 strong innings, he gave up just 3 earned runs and picked up 4 K's in the victory. Curtis92 definitely brought the WD-40 as he showed no signs of rust.

School's Out Blowout: Round 2 Preview

2008-06-18T12:08:00.001-07:00

Empire vs. Lynx
Lynx sat at home watching the first round of the School’s Out Blowout waiting to see if they would face off against Empire or TechEast. Both teams would provide a challenge to the newest Elite team so they knew that Wednesday night would be a hard fought first game. Lynx has been one of the most dominant teams in recent memory, and they have gone up and down Netamin’s tournament level system exactly the way Netamin intended them to. They leveled together and gradually became good enough to shift to Elite. Lynx knows all about tournament play, and the only thing that might surprise them is the difference in skill between the AS and Elite leagues. Lynx has no big name players that would wow you just yet, but this Elite team can collectively annihilate anyone thrown at them. Jeeps and Weller have dominated most of the AS tournament innings, with Weller having a better WHIP. Both pitchers have a sub 2 WHIP in the pickup server which is impressive. Jeeps has played in 23 games but has only gone on record for 10 of them, going 5-5. ThatMan and xSwiftx are solid hitters, and they are the only two players hitting over 600 in tournament play. Manager EWade has become one of the most respected managers of the game, but like most managers his on the field play goes unnoticed.

Empire is coming off of a convincing win against TechEast. The Empire offense involved a total of 7 hitters and 2 pitchers last night and they scored 10 runs against Baptista and Kiku. The pitching combination of KMAN and Fire911 had TechEast off balance the entire night. Homers by D1nonly2, MelkyNYY, Big123, EduaNYC and Pete998 kept the pressure on as Empire defeated TechEast 10 to 3. The veteran Empire players will need to take Lynx very seriously, as the community is very aware of how good Lynx really is.

Melky’s Prediction: Empire 16, Lynx 4
Newbert’s Prediction: Empire 12, Lynx 6
Melky’s Players to Watch: KMAN, xSwiftX
Newbert’s Players to Watch: Pete998, xSwiftx

Bombers vs. Insanity
The newest manager on the elite scene, Roguee, led the Bombers to a solid 11 to 5 win over the veteran Roto NL team. Led by the arm of iPwn, the Bronx Bombers held a solid Roto NL team to only 5 runs on the night. Gimmepie was the star of the game and will look to repeat his performance against Curtis92 and Insanity. Cunning, Roguee, ThePope, and company want to keep the runs high against a young team like Insanity. 2007-3 All Aces winner Precision makes his return tonight and will probably get the nod against Insanity. Does Precision still remember how to pitch?

Insanity is coming off their first ever win in an Elite tournament and have gotten their franchise off to a very good start. Against Rejected, Curtis92 pitched 6 innings of 3 run ball and earned himself attention from the Real Baseball Online community. Pitching is incredibly difficult and he has seemingly come out of nowhere to hold a team that can hit to only 3 runs. Though the win was marred with controversy from complaining Rejected players, Insanity manager Killerboy kept his cool and his team moves on to the second round looking to make a Cinderella run into the finals. For this to happen, Luna21 and Killerboy have to continue to get on base, and Colacino2 has to prove that his grand slam was no fluke. Other sluggers to look out for include Proto, Dual, and AraBBeast. Insanity has a shot, but they all have to click and not be intimidated by the Bombers offense.

Melky’s Prediction: Bombers 13, Insanity 5
Newbert’s Prediction: Bombers 17, Insanity 3
Melky’s Players to Watch: Roguee, Curtis92
Newbert’s Players to Watch: Dual, Precision

Rage vs. FlightNL
TechWest fell to Rage last night in convincing fashion. That Rage offense just seems to push and push and push until they get into double digit runs. Nataliamo is clearly Rage’s best hitter as he has hit over .700 in 62 Abs with 14 homeruns and 25 RBI. To beat FlightNL, Rage has to rely on their bats to score on Smokeout and if possible SlayerXX and Her0 have to pitch to their impressive sub 2 WHIPs. Driller made a solid debut for Rage, and if he continues the way he is going he might actually make a name for himself as a tournament threat. DanIAm had a great round 1 and will definitely be a key factor in the outcome of the game. Rage has now gone from underdog, to a legitimate winner every night. Let’s see if they can keep the ball rolling.

FlightNL proved that activity is overrated when it comes to veteran players. Papi and Crede24 at least, were able to overcome any inactivity concerns and mash the ball to the tune of 2 homeruns and 4 RBI each. SmokeOut pitched 5 innings of 6 run ball to keep FlightNL in the game throughout. FlightNL may be the favorite, but a shorthanded roster with no clear cut bullpen needs to rely heavily on their starter. SmokeOut is very capable of going deep into games, but if he somehow fails to do so, Papi will have to step in and try to play damage control. With only an 8 man roster, FlightNL has to have bodies show up.

Melky’s Prediction: Rage 8, FlightNL 6
Newbert’s Prediction: FlightNL 12, Rage 4
Melky’s Players to Watch: Nataliamo, SmokeOut
Newbert’s Players to Watch: Papi, Her0

Hybrids vs. FlightAL
Hybrids have made a great run in their franchise history but it all seems to be coming to an end. Reports out of Hybrids camp deem the School’s Out Blowout the final tournament of the Hybrids organization. Inactivity and other problems have ended the Hybrids time here at RBO. In a short time, they went from potential champions of the Cinco De Mayo tournament managed by a great player in Toyboy, to a team that resembles a fish out of water. I have no information on whether or not SniperX will see the mound, or if Toyboy, Gawd, and Pesto will be there to take the field behind him. Will there be a game? Does Haverford have the ability to reassemble his team for this once tournament? We will find out soon enough.

FlightAL had a bye in the first round and will be on the other side of the field against Hybrids. With no inhouse turmoil, FlightAL already has the upper edge off the field. On the field they may have that same edge. SEC, Puddles, and ClarkKent are dangerous tournament hitters, and if ZachAtack can ever translate his PUG success to tournament play they would be that much more destructive on the offensive end. Dr.Death has regained his pitching prowess that led him to a 2007-4 MVP award. FlightAL takes the field at 9PM EST attempting to advance to the semifinals of their second consecutive tournament.

Melky’s Prediction: FlightAL 9, Hybrids 3
Newbert’s Prediction: FlightAL 12, Hybrids 4
Melky’s Players to Watch: SEC, ToyBoy
Newbert’s Players to Watch: Puddles, Haverford

School's Out Blowout: Round 1 Recap

2008-06-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

Round 1 of the School's Out Blowout 2008 Tournament figured to be a solid one. The tournament itself was filled with small story lines that the typical baseball fan would love to follow. You had the defending champions attempting to repeat, the newly molded Tech teams, the return of FlightNL, and the game of the day would arguably be between Carnage and FlightAL. To everyone's surprise, every single game in round 1 had was filled with entertainment.

Empire vs TechEast
Empire and TechEast duked it out in Stadium 2 Tuesday night in what on paper was supposed to be a hotly contested game. Empire welcomed KMAN back to the mound while TechEast started CooCooKal until Baptista took the reigns in the second inning. To start, TechEast would homer KMAN twice, as ABSMOKE and company made it a 2-0 game rather early. Surprisingly, CooCooKal held Empire scoreless in the first inning and it was not until Baptista took the hill that Empire would see any success. TechEast would not score over the next 2 innings, as KMAN pitched 3 innings of 2 run ball. Meanwhile, the Empire offense proved to be consistent eating as they ate away at Baptista. Baptista allowed 8 runs over 3 innings as Empire scored on homeruns by EduaNYC and Pete998. In the 4th, Melky brought in Fire911 to relieve. The Legacy call up pitched a stellar 3 innings, allowing 1 run on a homerun by N8te. Kiku entered the game and surendered a homerun to Melky and Big123.

Final Score: Empire 13, TechEast 3
Players of the Game: KMAN/Fire911 (6 IP 3 ER)
Next Game: Empire vs Lynx

Rejected vs Insanity
I introduce to you, the newest elite team...Insanity! I also introduce to you, the newest elite league pitcher...Curtis92??!? Yes! Curtis92!! Curtis92 faced 25 hitters in 6 innings, allowed only 3 runs and struck out 4. His dominating performance led his Inanity ballclub to a convincing victory over Rejected. Rejected fell to 1-5 in tournament play after the game. The first inning was scoreless for as both teams seemed to be getting the early jitters out of their systems. Proto put Insanity on the board early with a solo homerun in the second, and Dual would follow suit with a solo homerun in the third. Proto and Curtis92 also tacked on RBIs in a 4 run 5th, and Colacino hit a grand slam in the 6th to put the game well out of reach. Ensferum and company only mustered 3 runs and it was their second game in a row where they failed to provide offense for their pitcher. Killerboy's Insanity got off to a great Elite start, winning convincingly over Rejected.

Final Score: Insanity 9, Rejected 3
Player of the Game: Curtis92 (6IP 3 ER 4Ks)
Next Game: Insanity vs Bombers

FlightNL vs Carnage
In the battle of inactives, FlightNL came on top. The 2007-4 Elite league champions showed signs of life today defeating Carnage in a 9 to 6 game. Smokeout pitched a solid game, allowing 6 runs in 5.1 innings of work. Papi would come in to close and would not let Carnage make any noise. Carnage manager Mega sent himself out for all 6, and he allowed 9 runs over the course of the game. Sparkie did not make his Carnage debut in this game. Crede24 and Papi had 2 homerun games to lead FlightNL to victory. The two combined for 8 RBIs which was pretty much the FlightNL offense for the night. Carnage was fairly quiet the entire night not flashing much power as they fell rather silently to FlightNL.

Final Score: FlightNL 9, Carnage 6
Player of the Game: Papi (2 HRS 4 RBis)
Next Game: FlightNL vs Rage

Bombers vs Roto NL
Roto NL came out a team on a mission. Unfortunately, they ran into a very good Bombers team for the second tournament in a row. iPwn pitched 5 innings of 5 run ball and was only truly hurt by ChungFX. Chung has 2 homeruns in the game but gave up 6 runs through 3 innings. Roguee led the way with 2 homeruns but the true bright spot was Legacy call up GimmePie who hit 3 homeruns on the night. Also called up with GimmePie was Cunning, who provided solid offense and great defense the entire night. ThePope would make a late inning appearance and also homer in the game. To close, Bombers brought in Cunning and he pitched 1 inning striking out 2 RotoNL players.

Final Score: Bombers 11, Roto NL 5
Player of the Game: GimmePie (3-3 3hrs 3 RBIs)
Next Game: Bombers vs Insanity

Rage vs TechWest
Did the T.Tech split fail? Both Tech teams lost tonight and the normally potent Tech offense was held to 3 runs again. SlayerXX pitched 3 innings to the tune of a 1.67 WHIP, the second highest of the night. Slayer was relieved by Her0 who pitched 2 shutout innings, and DanIAm even contributed with an out via the K. Offensively, Dan batted 1.000 and hit a homerun and drove in 3 runs. Newly acquired Driller also had a homerun and 3 Rbi on the night. Rage would complete the trifecta with the24kid also adding a homerun and 3 RBI. TechWest could not muster any type of rally and had a relatively dead offense the entire night. WckdPrk was not bailed out by the bats and both Tech teams were sent home in the first round.

Final Score: Rage 10, TechWest 3
Player of the Game: DanIAm (1.000 1 HR 3 RBI)
Next Game: Rage vs FlightNL

Prediction Time!#!>$?
Empire vs TechEast: Melky (Correct) Newbert (Correct)
Insanity vs ReJected: Melky (Correct) Newbert (Incorrect)
RotoNL vs Bombers: Melky (Correct) Newbert (Correct)
FlightNL vs Carnage: Melky (Incorrect) Newbert (Correct)
Rage vs TechWest: Melky (Correct) Newbert (Incorrect)

Mega Meet's the Manager's: Vol 2

2008-06-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

In every sport there are names attached to them, a name that invokes that thought of the other one. Football has the Montana or Elway, Bradshaw or Emmitt. Hockey has maybe one universal one in Gretzky. Baseball has Ruth and Bonds, Griffey and Clemens. When it comes to Real Baseball and UBO MelkyNYY is one of those names and is the feature in our second installment of Meet's the Manager's.

MelkyNYY is the manager Empire. and is their organizational leader. His teams have won two of the past three Elite league championships and both of his organization's teams, Empire. and the Bombers. continue to put up a serious challenge for any titles up for grabs. On top of that, Melky put tireless hours into community building, as his RBO Factor forums allows community members to communicate mano-eh-mano so to speak. Filter free.

On to the questions.

Mega: MelkyNYY, who are you away from Real Baseball?
MelkyNYY: My name is Chris and I attend Seton Hall University in New Jersey. I’m a political science major and I want to be a criminal defense attorney. I have a dog, Bayley who would kill you. Other than that I’m an ordinary Dominican Yankee fan.

Your how old?
I am 19.

What is your favorite sports to watch and play?
Has to be baseball. I can watch a baseball game from start to finish and it keeps my interest. I also enjoy playing baseball because it’s one of those sports that you just can’t be human if you don’t have fun playing it.

What is your favorite meal?
Interesting question. I eat a lot of Spanish food at home, like rice and beans and stuff, but my favorite meal would have to be Baked Ziti. Hits the spot.

If I'm buying, what are you having?
A Dr. Pepper. I don’t drink alcohol.

Cats or Dogs?
Dogs. Cats are yucky. *Editor's note* lol

Do you play any other online games besides Real Baseball?
We have tried as a team to play other games, but when you are a manager you can’t really afford to play another game. Too much to do.

What is the one piece of technology you cannot live without?
My Laptop. If I didn’t have it I couldn’t be here with you guys all the time.

Whats your favorite sports movie?
Sandlot no question. Isn’t that everyone’s favorite sports movie?

How long have you been playing UBO?
Almost three long years now.

In your beginning you went by a different name and somehow lost possession of the name. Would you go back to SHOCK after all this time if you could now? Or would you stay with MelkyNYY?
You know what I wouldn’t go back if I could. I don’t really care much anymore about my name. Most of my guys still call me Shock anyway.

Who was the first UBO team you played with?
Yankees. I never played on a team, I always managed.

The Yankees were created before which season?
UBO2

Who are the original Yankees still with the team today?
Wow. Kidnasty and PatientJ. That’s about it.

What is the difference between Melky the manager now and Melky the manager before the championship, personality wise?
I wasn’t nearly as prepared as I am now. I learned after we won back to back championships as an organization that we couldn’t take anything for granted anymore. After we took 2007-4 off I realized I needed to get back to work. I started scouting, playbooks, monitoring our pitchers almost obsessively analyzing every aspect of the game. Our forums have videos and plays and a bunch of information that just makes us feel prepared. I learned to differ to my veteran players. I realized KMAN knew most about pitching and could help manage, and PJ could be a great scouting director and started giving my players bigger roles. This allowed me to focus on my job as a manager, getting to know my players and how they perform. Going to the practice clubhouse and doing individual sessions. One thing I pride myself on is giving my teammates the best chance to win, and everyone on my team will tell you I’m the hardest working manager they’ve ever played for, and easily the most prepared.

When you were starting out in UBO, who were some of the more experienced playere that you maybe looked up to, learned the ropes from?
I really like the way BenyDJet managed Siege. He wasn’t one of those managers who kind of just didn’t talk in PUG and never answered you, positively or negatively he would tell you what was on his mind. His teammates respected him and I did too.

Where do your teammates call home, geographically?
We are a worldwide team. We have players in Canada, California, New York, South Carolina, New Jersey, Holland, Italy, and probably Mexico I’m not sure lol.

Who will log your teams innings this year?
We have a boatload of pitching. KMAN will always be there and so will Goblin. Dre is back and ready to contribute and so is Precision. Fire is stepping up and will do much better with all his pitches. I would love to have 3 pitchers on each team, and we are looking for the third pitcher on either Bombers/Empire.

You dedicate a lot of yourself into Real Baseball, are you optimistic that we will see 'Z' in the near to somewhat distant future?
I am. I mean they have to do something right? I really enjoy this game and I love baseball and I love my team. I would hate to see it all disappear because the game is making false promises.

How do you feel about the current state and future of Real Baseball?
The community is what used to carry this game and it has lost it. I think the current state of the game is pretty bad, but it is looking up. I just hope that in the future UBOZ is as great as it’s rumored to be.

Is there a way to market the game that isn't being utilized at the moment?
I have no idea why they aren’t going to gaming forums or sports websites. I am sure they could get hundreds of sports fans to at least try this game.

Finally, in your opinion, who's the top player in Real Baseball right now, not in your organization?
Wow. Tough question. I would have to say Gatyopin. Hard to dispute Gat.

Melky, I appreciate you taking the time to this with me and I will see you in the game.

School's Out Blowout Preview

2008-06-17T06:42:00.001-07:00

By now, the school year is all but over for much of the United States. The kids get out of an 8 hour jail sentence and get to spend those 8 hours playing Real Baseball Online. The summer has always been an interesting time. The veterans and adults despise it, as their late night sessions usually filled with drunkenness and a good time will now be marred by hundreds of kids who should be sleeping. The School's Out Blowout marks the end of these late night sessions, and the boys of summer throw their book bags aside and get set for some Real Baseball Online.

After a win enthralled in controversy, Empire enters the School's Out Blowout with an entirely different team. We look at the changes to each of the participants, two new Elite teams, and the increase in competition even with the absence of some of the veteran teams.

#1 Lynx vs Bye
The newest team to the Elite scene gets a bye. Nothing like a nicely timed bye to kill all momentum. Lynx was created October 12th, 2007 by Weller with the idea of creating a great team built on chemistry and goodwill. Ewade joined soon after, and has taken the reigns and built Lynx into a perennial powerhouse. After defeating Empire/Bombers affiliate Legacy in the finals of the Memorial Day Tournament, Lynx felt primed to take a jump at Elite competition.

Lynx is the lowest level team in the tournament at an average level of 72. Their activity can be a great added advantage as their players attempt to level. They should look out for the new 2-level rule that will be enforced this tournament. Lynx is dominated by names many of us have never heard. Their best player is xSWIFTx, who hits over .640 in PUG and averages a homerun every 8 abs. In tournament play, Manager EWADE leads the team in homeruns with 13, while Jeeps usually mans the mound. ThatMan, Wendigo, Macilous, Bravo, and LSU round out the lineup. Lynx is a small team which gets along extremely well and uses that to their advantage. They get the winner of Bombers and RotoNL.

#8 Bombers vs #9 RotoNL
The last time these two teams faced off Bombers won impressively. This time around, RotoNL sees an entirely different team. Goblin now mans the pitching staff as Precision returns to tournament action as his backup. New manager Revoke will be making the calls and the lineups and looks to develop a reputation as a great player and a great manager. Bombers also called up Cunning from Legacy, giving them one of the best, most active players in the game. Also called up from Legacy gimmepie will try and stick around as a solid defensive player who can hit the ball a long way. Moving over from Empire is the hero from the Memorial Day Tournament, KidNub. He also brings along BigMarc and Mafia as well. Still around though are TheMan, Jiraiya, and ThePope who appreciate the incredible offensive support sent over from Empire.

RotoNL sends the same team out with the exception of Skoal17. Skoal will be playing on his alt on Roto NL this tournament as he looks to get some tournament at bats in before league. Talking to ChungFX in PUG I got the impression that he will be used differently this tournament. ChungFX has been a reliever much of his Roto NL career and has been rumored as a possible starter. Chung taking a bigger roll in Roto's pitching duties and Newbert focusing more on his bat might actually be a good thing for RotoNL. Scooter, RedK, and Skoal will most likely see most of the at bats for the heavily inactive RotoNL team. Expect a much different team come league time as Roto NL seems to just be going through to motions in these past few tournaments.

Melky's Prediction: Bombers 11 , RotoNL 8
Newbert's Prediction: Bombers 14, Roto NL 5 (Is it bad I'm picking against me own team?)
Melky's Players to Watch: Cunning , Skoal17
Newbert's Players to Watch: Goblin, Scooter McBeast

#4 TechEast vs #13 Empire
The T.Tech organization cut themselves into three teams which may end up hurting their overall skill level. TechEast is an 8 man team with Vejar and Kiku as their two main pitchers. That leaves TechEast with 6 hitters to work with. Baptiste will be your on the field manager most likely as he is the most decorated and experienced Tech member on that roster. N8te, 0, and CooCooKal are other familiar names from the jointed Tech team. Newly acquired DERAILER and DIESELUSA add some firepower to the offense. DIESELUSA leads nearly every offensive category in RBO this season. O and don't forget that guy ABSMOKE who seems to hit everything come tournament time.

Continuing their organizational makeover, Empire finds themselves with just as strong of a team as before. KMAN returns from his managerial sting on Bombers as the ace of the staff along with his right fielder Frogger. The rest of the incredible defense is rounded out by upstart hitter D1nonly2 in Centerfield and Pete998 in Leftfield. KMAN will be backed up by Legacy call up Fire911, who has been learning from the experienced pitchers in the organization attempting to harness his ability and relieve KMAN properly. Kidnasty, Big123, and EduaNYC can all play the infield positions and provide a solid bat whenever they are put on the field and Melky remains the constant manager on his Empire squad. Should be a very interesting game between these two newly formed teams

Melky's Prediction: Empire 13, TechEast 4
Newbert's Prediction: Empire 8, TechEast 6
Melky's Players to Watch: D1nonly2 , Vejar
Newbert's Players to Watch: EduaNYC, ABSmoke

#5 Rejected vs #12 Insanity
Soulcrshr and Rejected look to make some noise in tournament play with a very powerful offense. Rejected has a poor 1 and 4 record in tournament play this season but have gained experience and an opponent who has yet to play in an Elite tournament game. Their best offensive players include Luckyme89, RUGJUICE, and former pitcher ensferum. All have above 600 averages and a hr/ab ratio hovering around 1/8. Luckyme89 is especially incredible striking out less than any other hitter on his team. It is very important for Rejected to get some offense, as Soulcrshr looks to pull off an upset or two and get into the championship round. Pili will most likely carry the load on the mound but BRM1975 and Ensferum both have better WHIPs then the struggling starter.

Insanity faces off in a favorable match up seeing as they have never played in a tournament game. Killerboy's band of high level players will try and get their organization off on a positive note. Dual is arguable their best hitter, with RickyD, Proto, Colacino, and deek close behind. Those 5 are the only players hitting above 600 in PUG. This offense might sputter and struggle to remain consistent, but power hitters such as ArabBeast and Killerboy might change that in a heart beat. RedEyesz is a notoriously streaky hitter, and Damoon/Luna21 has tons of PUG games under his belt. If Curtis92 shows up, the famous 560+ hitter with 99 Catching RANGE might make an impact (he no longer has that build). Finally, Jeter994 might see the mound for the most part, as he has some tournament experience as a backup pitcher.

Melky's Prediction: Insanity 7 , Rejected 4
Newbert's Prediction: ReJected 10, Insanity 4
Melky's Players to Watch: BRM , ArabBeast
Newbert's Players to Watch: Ensferum, Killerboy

#2 Hybrids vs Bye
Manager HAVERFORD has an interesting dilemma on his hands. He can either fire his ace SniperX for attempting to develop hack tools, or he can ignore it and isolate his team from the general community. The survival of Hybrids is highly dependent on his decision, keeping SniperX guarantees him a solid pitcher, but Co-Manager Toyboy has been on record saying he would fire SniperX in a situation such as this. In a past interview with Toyboy, he made it clear that he respected SniperX's demeanor but if anything major came up he had no problem firing him. This is major. If HAVERFORD chooses to keep SniperX, it might cause ToyBoy and GAWD to leave, causing the end of Hybrids.

Hybrids are back down to an 8 man roster after a surge in membership after their near win vs Tech. An already unhappy Pesto might make Haverford's decision on SniperX easier if he can see the mound and throw some solid innings. BigJuddd could ignore the controversy and just show up and swing a good stick. But the story can not be ignored. SniperX was caught red handed attempting to develop hacks, and Haverford has one day before Hybrids takes the field to figure this out.

Melky's Prediction: Haverford chooses to stay with SniperX, Toyboy and Gawd leave
Newbert's Prediction: Deja vu...but same result as last time. Same way that parents are blind toward their children's mistakes, managers are blind toward their players.

#7 Carnage vs #10 FlightNL
Carnage is back and fully loaded and capable of making some noise. Manager Megatron and pitcher Sparkie are the two arms that are very capable of carrying the Carnage team far. In 62 Tournament At Bats, Stugots is hitting over 600 with 14 homeruns. A big game player, StuGots will certainly put some numbers on the board against an inconsistent FlightNL pitching staff. Former Flight member Bnutz steps into the game with a 1/4 hr ab ratio in tournament play and always puts it into another gear when he faces his former team. To round out the offense, Wiggy will take the field. Wiggy is clearly Carnage's most consistent tournament player and his impressive performances have caught everyone's eye. Phloppy, BigJoe, and goTwins are inactive for the most part and should be non factors. HeadAke, Smith, and Jacke might surprise FlightNL with some great abs and solid defense.

FlightNL is becoming an enigma. The organization itself is experiencing an evident separation. What FlightNL does has nothing to do with what FlightAL does. Unlike Kentucky, Papi has been unable to remain active enough to compete and his team has fallen to 8 players. Ebola who was rumored to be leaving Flight for quite some time, is still on the roster. As long as he remains there he should produce quite well. Crede24 has the ability to hit whether active or not and so does Corv and hopefully they can continue that pattern and provide some much needed offense. 66, Nos, and Dcurt25 round out the FlightNL roster, and SmokeOut is the sole pitcher. Unless you count Papi. The key to the game for Flight is to keep Smokeout's stamina somewhat steady and prevent them from having to go to a second pitcher.

Melky's Prediction: Carnage 16, FlightNL 5
Newbert's Prediction: FlightNL 9, Carnage 8 (nail-biter)
Melky's Players to Watch: Wiggy, Corv
Newbert's Players to Watch: Wiggy, HeadAke (crappy offensive game, but stellar OF)

#3 FlightAL vs Bye
The complete opposite of FlightNL, AL has been flourishing. SEC may very well be one of the better managers in the game, as he has taken FlightAL back to where they should be. ClarKKent should but up numbers as he has one of the better hr/ab ratios in the game. Puddles is always a great tournament hitter and if active, YardDog can do just about the same. FlightAL has a deadly offense when they click and it should be easy enough to get Dr.Death enough runs, especially the way he has been pitching lately. His backup, ConMan, does not see much time, so expect Death to go 6 regardless of the situation. BeanBalla, RBush, Deathklok, and 96 round out the FlighTAL offense and to be honest, I have no idea who BeanBalla is. ZachAtack is probably their best PUG player, but has been abysmal in tournament play with a hr/ab ratio of 1 in 10 and a sub 550 average. Flight takes on the winner of TechWest vs Rage.

#6 TechWest vs #11 Rage
New faces. TechWest recruited JLPR, Jimmyjohn, and Own4Life. Own4Life is clearly the best recruit of the three and should see a lot of time during this tournament. Manager Manny73 is in charge of TechWest and has to find out what lineup clicks best. The pitcher, WCKDPRK, is the easiest. He will be on the mound and he will try and develop as an elite pitcher. Gatyopin2 is arguably the best player right now and has done his PUG work in tournaments consistently. DantheMan and w00ds15 were both Tech bench players before the switch, and now will see a boatload of at bats that should keep their timing honest. Sayheykid and former Hybrids player Masterpai round out the roster. TechWest is set up on an entirely different bracket than TechEast and the dream Tech vs Tech final is possible.

Her0 has built Rage into a perennial powerhouse. Losing Sparkie to Carnage though, might cost them a trip to the Final Four round. In an attempt to keep up with other teams, Rage went on a recruiting rampage. Former RBO delinquent xXFlashXx returns to RBO as a member of Team Rage. Former Rejected member St3wart has also joined Rage along with Driller. Nataliamo is still on the roster and if he continue to hit like he has been he should help Rage win this ballgame. SlayerX, DanIAM, and Bigio join Hrtbrkr and CJwalker to round out an offense that can either be really good, or really bad. Rage is an entirely different team now and it is up to Her0 to build them back up to their recent success.

Melky's Prediction: Rage 8, TechWest 5
Newbert's Prediction: TechWest 15, Rage 3 *calling a TechWest slaughter of Rage*

Melky's Players to Watch: Nataliamo, Gatyopin2
Newbert's Players to Watch: Woodpecker, DanTheMan

Someone's been busy...

2008-06-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Netamin's been active lately, showing us that they are going to provide the necessary work to make this game great.

School's Out Blowout:

The School's Out Blowout, slated to begin on June 17th, is another team tournament for bragging rights. Registration will be open until June 16th. Remember to get your team registered to get that last practice in before league. No one wants to be found rusty against an easy opponent in the early rounds of the upcoming league. Sign up and get your team in tip-top shape (might as well win the tournament while you're at it).

Improvements, Patch:

Speaking of league, Netamin is still testing the league tool and working out the kinks. Let's not forget about that patch, though. Netamin will be filling us in on the specifics once we get nearer to the release date. You can expect an addition that will make hosting a team tryout or practice a breeze for your team's manager.

Look at the Bright Side(s)

2008-06-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Long time no post. After feeling a negative vibe around UBOFACTOR and the Real Baseball Online Forums, I decided to make a post highlighting the bright spots in the game. Yes this game is not perfect, but considering that people still play it it is certainly playable. Well, here we go!! The Top 10 Reasons you should say..Look at the Bright Side!!

10. A Growing Community

The game is seeing a growth that has not been seen in a very long time. The RK Channel and the PUG Channels are flooded with new characters. The breakdown (with no scientific proof) seems to be 50/50 between alts and new players. This game's foundation is its community, and the current community is a lot larger than it has ever been. When the older players return, the community should continue to excel at an all time high.

9. Improving Moderation

RK Challenges? Minor Challenges? Major Challenges? Ultimate Challenges? In the past these events were non existent. The current GM corp has been active constantly posting new events for the newer players and even including the higher level players in the action. The fact is, the players have constantly complained about the lack of GM moderation in this game, and suddenly we are being treated to events that are certainly not mandatory. Enjoy them.

8. More Tournaments.

Memorial Day Tournament, Cinco De Mayo Tournament, various Saturday Blasts, the tournament scene has returned to RBO. UBO2 saw very few tournaments, while RBO has now seen a prize tournament and is showing improvement as far as tournament availability is concerned. If you look at the registration for these tournaments, even without Rotowire, Storm, Blitz, Stigma, Gearheads and Redhorns, the game has seen excellent numbers for these tournaments.

7. A Pinkers Nightmare

No more pink. No more easy homeruns. The game changed immediately as pink was nerfed. The amount of homeruns a game dropped dramatically and the average hr/ab ratio is about 1 in 10. This leads to tighter league and tournament games as well as more competitive PUG games. It also allows for the development of good pitchers and for the separation between good, great, and bad hitters.

6. Improving Website

Though the UBO website team seems to have taken away features such as "last 24 days" stats, it has been improving. The Trophy Case is back for everyone's egotistical satisfactions and tournaments have been changed to a more specific format. The statistics can be viewed in top 10 format, and we can see a nice detailed schedule and recap of every game. Also, the annoying Slideshow on the main page is gone, and we have a nice sensible layout to look at. There is now a schedule on the main site and on the events page monitoring the challenges, keeping the community up to date.

5. Yes...They Are Listening!!!

Back in the "good ol' days" Netamin would have never listened to our feedback. Netamin did have closed Beta testers and the opportunity for information to flow was there. Unfortunately, the information was not flowing. Today, we see polls around the RBO forums and we have a small sense of understanding from the GMs. For example, the wave feature which we all hated was not completely taken away but it was edited drastically. The fact is, they are listening.

4. Game...Guard...For...The...Win....

Its security aside, Netamin and NCK have made progress beyond "memory hack detection". GameGaurd is a legit anti-hack and the days of not being so sure about the players on the other side of the field are gone. "Hacker!!! OMGZ HE HACKZZ" Hopefully, those days are gone.

3. League is COOOMING!!

Late June. Though Netamin seems to be inconsistent with deadlines, league is definitely on its way. We have a brand new automated (bug free) league system to look forward to. With teams anxiously waiting for competition, this league looks to be one of the most competitive of all time.

2. More Competitive!!!

In UBO2, it was Storm. They outleveled the competition and dominated tournament play. In 06, it was Stigma and Storm until the rest of the teams caught up level wise. Now, with every team on an equal level playing field, we have the most loaded Elite field to date.

1. The Game...Is Free..

Double Fusion and Advertising allows the game to be Free. No subscription necessary you can stop playing whenever you wish. You are not tied to this game.

Basically, we have a lot to look forward to. The game is getting better. Ignore the whiners and the people who make this game unplayable. Ignore the vets who long for the good ol' days and criticize the game when they could just play something else. They are like old people at a nursing home wishing for the 40s. Good Luck!! See You On The Field!!!

Small Updates from Netamin

2008-06-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

NEWBert here, just checking in to keep everyone posted on the league situation and the next patch. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend, later.

As far as the league situation is concerned, Netamin is now testing the playoff stages.
The small patch to be released did indeed remove the spirit system (didn't know it even worked).
The wave has been changed back...sort of. Everyone is able to wave, but a runner still must be on base or running.

Netamin's Three-Course Meal

2008-06-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Netamin's been busy lately and the community is benefiting as a result. Currently, Netamin is dishing out a three-course meal to die for.

First up, is the Home-Run Derby.

The Home-Run Derby Tournament is in short an open particpation HR derby that is run through the UBO camp. Players of all levels may participate by just heading over to camp and selecting "Homerun Derby". The player from each rank (RK, MIN, MAJ, AS, MVP) that totals the most HR's in a single 10 out session will be declared the winner and inducted into the Hall of Fame. Each winner will then be allowed (if desired) to put a photograph of themself in the list of Hall of Famers.

The Home-Run Derby Tournament opened on June 2nd and will close in 2 weeks time.

I caught up with Kreston, the current leader of the MAJ Homerun Derby standings.

NEWBert: So, Kreston, you think you can win this Home-Run Derby Tournament?
Kreston: I hope so, lol, but I'm going to beat my own record.
NEWBert: What's the most homeruns you've hit so far?
Kreston: 12.
NEWBert: Do you have any tips for other players to hit more homeruns in the Home-Run Derby?
Kreston: Well if I told them my trick then 12 wouldn't be enough, but if I could give them one tip it's be to not use big blue.
NEWBert: Cal Ripken got into the Hall of Fame on his first try, do you think if you don't make it this time, you'll be the clear cut winner for the 2nd HR Derby?
Kreston: I plan on taking all of them.
NEWBert: Thanks for your time, best of luck out there.
Kreston: But if I could just add one more thing.
NEWBert: Sure, go ahead.
Kreston: This is RBO, nothing is a set win.
NEWBert: Thanks.

The second course to dine on is the small patch that will be released shortly. Make sure to check the RBO Chronicle website for specifics in the near future. There are rumors of removal of the spirit system and the re-addition of waving, but nothing has been confirmed.

The last course or the dessert, is the arrival of league. Straight from Customer Support, "we’re nearing the launch of our league." Get excited, because registration may be here sooner that you think. On the rumor end of things, the RBO Chronicle caught word of an auto-updating news and scores system. Also heard in the rumor mill, was that the league system had been tested and determined to be bug-free. No need to bring your RAID cans to your league games anymore...thank God!

BBRI - June Update

2008-06-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

I wasn't exactly sure how or when to display Bothe's Batter Rating Index (BBRI), so I'm going to make it a monthly thing. I've perfected the formula as well as added in some new factors. One of the bigger changes that you will see is the seperation by season. Each season is now seperate, however the formula for all is the same. I included all of the season 2008-2 players I have entered but only the top 10 for the seasons of old.

2008-2 Season

1. Roguee - 9.568
2. MiiG - 9.389
3. ZachAtack - 9.310
4. aroy - 9.091
5. gatyopin2 - 8.469
6. BigJuddd - 8.390
7. HaZeD - 8.357
8. Baptiste - 8.332
9. Corv 8.191
10. ClarkKent - 8.036
11. Crede24 - 8.032
12. ABSmoke - 7.927
13. Nos - 7.905
14. HrPower - 7.818
15. 66 - 7.785
16. CptnWoot - 7.738
17. Pete998 - 7.628
18. dcurt25 - 7.622
19. klemens - 7.593
20. Cunning - 7.590
21. d1nonly2 - 7.587
22. William - 7.509
23. Puddles - 7.497
24. 96 - 7.303
25. Ebola - 7.189
26. HugeEvil - 7.187
27. SEC - 7.113
28. Wiggy - 7.078
29. GAWD - 7.077
30. SpliF - 7.042
31. ensferum - 6.974
32. MelkyNYY 6.968
33. Skoal - 6.950
34. Papi - 6.932
35. Scooter - 6.862
36. Yardog - 6.838
37. DrDeath - 6.754
38. XdSnipe - 6.574
39. Junior03 - 6.545
40. Rbush - 6.458
41. h0w - 6.359
42. masterpai - 6.356
43. SPIDAJ - 6.258
44. D3thklok - 6.210
45. DIESELUSA - 6.070
46. ConMan - 5.435
47. Zack - 5.419
48. SmokeOut - 5.394
49. yardsale - 5.280
50. ElDuque - 5.181
51. Zac - 5.166
52. Megatron - 5.070
53. nubXPRESS - 4.878
54. Ipwn - 3.899
55. SniperX - 3.642

2008-1 Season

1. klemens - 10.199
2. Papi - 10.138
3. Roguee - 9.577
4. MiiG - 9.522
5. HrPower - 9.455
6. HaZeD - 9.371
7. Kentucky - 8.922
8. DrDeath - 8.877
9. TheMan - 8.837
10. Yogster - 8.761

2007-4 Season

1. MiiG - 10.255
2. HaZeD - 9.793
3. Frogger - 9.542
4. BenyDJet - 9.298
5. Papi - 9.249
6. YardDog - 9.003
7. klemens - 8.987
8. HeXDeMoN - 8.948
9. DrDeath - 8.933
10. HrPower - 8.815

2007-3 Season

1. 9cWrath - 10.461
2. Shockz - 10.439
3. CptnWoot - 9.944
4. Revoke - 9.643
5. Paula19 - 9.464
6. Papi - 9.355
7. MiiG - 9.339
8. XdSnipe - 9.258
9. Final - 8.829
10. big123 - 8.824