After the War, the country latched onto baseball as a stabilising force. Piazza and Floyd quickly reorganised the MLB, and the teams almost immediately began playing at minor league stadiums that were not affected by the war, and the fields filled to capacity and beyond. As the cities rebuilt themselves (and new cities, as well), they added huge and magnificent ballparks the likes of which had never seen before. The teams were new, too.

The New MLB:

NL East

New York Nightmare

Philadelphia Bells

Atlanta Bulls

Gotham City Knights

Washington Grays

NL Central

Keystone City Pirates

St. Louis Cardinals

Houston Cacti

Chicago Bears

Kansas Tumbleweeds

NL West

San Diego Midshipmen

Los Angeles Dodgers

Coast City Guards

San Francisco Rainbow

Las Vegas Aces

AL East

New York Goliaths

Boston Red Sox

Hub City Caps

Florida Hurricanes

Philadelphia Athletics

AL Central

Kansas City Kings

Green Bay Shippers

Detroit Demons

St. Louis Browns

Dallas Sheriffs

AL West

Seattle Reign

Oakland Crushers

Salt Lake City Reverends

Idaho Potatoes

Los Angeles Stars

Brian and Wright quickly signed with the New York Nightmare after their creation, as Floyd stepped down from an ownership stake in the New MLB to become owner/GM of the Nightmare. They played in the Cathedral, a towering, 150,000 person Neo-Gothic structure built on the site of the former Yankees Stadium which was regularly filled to capacity (as were all baseball stadiums). After the Bronx was annihilated by the Bonds Rocket in the war, the U.S. Government opted to rebuild it as a quiet, idyllic suburban area, with the sky-scrape dominated by the towering Cathedral, its height exceeding 60 stories.

The Cathedral itself, as stated before, was a towering Neo-Gothic structure, with five decks optimised for maximum visibility of the field no matter where you sat. In the first full season of New MLB ball in 2007, the Nightmare faced the Goliaths in the World Series, with the Nightmare winning a thrilling full seven game series with a walk-off shot by Wright. Both teams participated in the trophy presentation, a moving ceremony of both looking to the future and remembering the past, with a memorial video of the Yankees presented on the Jumbotron in left field. Conspiracy theorists to this day insist that the Subway Series was rigged.

As for the characters ourselves, after the war, Brian devoted his life to baseball, and as his arm matured, he was able to throw faster. By age 23, his arm had strengthened enough that he could throw 95 mph, which only made his off-speed stuff all the more deadly. He won the Cy Young award in 2007, amassing 34 wins and 2 losses, a WHIP of .50, and an ERA of 1.18. By 2015, his career stats were so mind-numbingly extraordinary that fans everywhere - New York and beyond - were clamoring for a special exception to be granted so that Brian could be inducted into the Hall of Fame as an active player. Being only 27 years old, Brian still has quite a bit of career ahead of him, and things only look to get better.

David Wright grew into the white version of the 1990's Barry Bonds. In 2008, he won the MVP award on the heels of 60 HRs, 30 SBs, 180 RBIs, and a .350 AVG. He and Brian are the superstars of New York, approaching the levels reached by the duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. They remain firmly anchored in the Big Apple and look to be going nowhere fast.

Mike Piazza is now the Commissioner of the New MLB, having helped organise the league. In 2009, his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, he was elected in with an unprecedented unanimous vote, for his on-field accomplishments, his stepping-up in the War, and his hand in creating the New MLB. If his reign continues as it has so far, he may be elected into the HoF as a Commissioner as well.

Cliff Floyd is now the owner/GM of the New York Nightmare. After the war, he wanted to go into seclusion to percolate the events in his head, but Piazza talked him out of it, and he and Floyd were the co-creators of the New MLB. After this, Floyd bought the New York Nightmare and realised his dream of owning a Major League franchise. His standards for GMs were so exceptionally high that he couldn't find one he wanted, so he appointed himself GM. People protested at first, but quickly quieted down when he signed Wright and Brian to the same team. He has proven to have a good head for the economics of the game, and having a 150,000 person ballpark doesn't hurt, does it?

Pedro Martinez is now the manager of the Boston Red Sox. After the War, he continued to pitch, and even played for the Nightmare during the 2007 season. Unfortunately, an car accident during the 2007/2008 off-season forced his retirement, and he was immediately offered a managing position by both the Nightmare and the Red Sox. Pedro respectfully turned Floyd down and signed with Boston, reasoning that his heart remained in Boston as he had the best years of his career there. In 2011, Pedro was voted into the HoF with only one dissenting vote, that one vote being a stodgey old Yankees fan voting against him in good-natured fun.

After the War, Stacy enlisted in the military. She proved to be an excellent firearms specialist and was the first woman in United States history to fight in a standard infantry unit. After completing tours of duty in Latveria and Atlantis, she and Brian began dating again. In 2007, during the World Series trophy presentation, Brian proposed to her on national television, which she happily said yes to. They are now celebrating their 7th anniversary.

Mo Vaughn lost 100 pounds over the course of a couple of years thanks to a strict diet. He started playing baseball again, his arthritic knee almost a non-factor due to his decreased weight. After a while, he was signed from the Somerset Patriots to the Nightmare's AAA team, the Edison Eagles. He was brought up to play the final game of the 2009 season, and retired for good afterwards. He is now the Nightmare's first base coach.

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April 3rd, 11:30 PM: After Opening Day 2015, Brian's Bronx house.

Brian stumbled into his house, slightly tipsy from the celebration. The Nightmare had just won one of the most thrilling games in New MLB history, and man those guys knew how to party! Even Floyd got crocked. Brian showered, put on some clean clothes, and walked into his bedroom. Stacy was fast asleep on the bed. Brian spotted a champagne bottle on the night table on her side of the bed. Apparently she had a bit of fun as well. A piece of paper on his pillow intrigued him. Did Stacy leave one of her love letters? Brian read it.

"You may have forgotten me, but I haven't forgotten you. I swear on my grave that I WILL have revenge. Love - The New Boss."

500 yards away, a sniper took aim.

A gunshot.