Baseball on Rockway
Origins.
Sport has always been a big deal on Rockway. From the earliest days since the islands were settled, most everyone has spent whatever free time they have playing or watching games and sports.
It is sports that have found their way to Rockway from other nations that are the true loves of the Rockean people. Football (soccer), cricket and boxing are all hugely popular across the islands. But none more so than Baseball.
Baseball arrived in Rockway in the early 1880s, when a barnstorming team of American National Leaguers made a stopover on the island on the journey back from an exhibition series in Europe. They played a handful of games in front of the captivated locals, and the rest is history.
It’s hard to explain exactly what it is about baseball that captured the Rockean heart so completely. But it did. Within a couple of years, just about everyone was involved in baseball in some way. A myriad of teams and friendly competitions started up, baseball was played everywhere.
Sport on Rockway has traditionally tended to be a very local affair - not least because it had always been strictly amateur. Baseball, though, was soon to outgrow that. Throughout 1886, amidst controversy over the professionalisation of the game, there were more and more moves towards establishing an organised baseball league. And so, in that fall, a group of influential baseball figures came together and agreed to establish Rockway's first professional baseball league.
The islands' first professional baseball competition. Established to begin play in 1887, the CL is the jewel in Rockway's newly flourishing professional sporting scene. Originally beginning play with 6 teams, the notionally-national league draws clubs exclusively from the northwest of Rockway main, playing a 60 game schedule each summer to determine the champions of Rockway. The CL is the undisputed highest league of island baseball, the destination of all the premier baseball stars.
The B League.
Also beginning for the Clubs League's 1st season of play in 1887, the professional teams agreed to schedule a series of games for players who were under contract but not on the team's main roster. These 'B' games comprise an informal championship, and allow younger players to develop their skills away from the pressure of the Clubs League proper. The B League currently consists of six teams, and plays a 20 game schedule.
The Amateur Preparatory Tournament.
The proving grounds for young hopefuls looking to make their way into professional baseball. Starting play in 1887, the Tournament sees 4 representative clubs made up of the islands' most talented 15 to 19 year olds take to the field each spring. They play an 18 game regular season before proceeding to a seeded knockout tournament to determine the champion. Upon completing a minimum of two seasons in the Tournament, youngsters are eligible to sign professional baseball contracts.
Find out more about the APT
The proving grounds for young hopefuls looking to make their way into professional baseball. Starting play in 1887, the Tournament sees 4 representative clubs made up of the islands' most talented 15 to 19 year olds take to the field each spring. They play an 18 game regular season before proceeding to a seeded knockout tournament to determine the champion. Upon completing a minimum of two seasons in the Tournament, youngsters are eligible to sign professional baseball contracts.
Find out more about the APT
