Manama's new GM did not look comfortable in the outdoor press conference which welcomed him to the near east. The pale, heavily bearded, red haired man was leaking sweat in his decidedly budget suit as he took questions from the media. The questions were mainly concerned with the Pearls' decidedly average start to the year (7-6, .538) and the status of the injured players on the roster. Mr. Lawton, answering in his mongrel English accent, informed those present that:
- New signing OF Damien Mayne, formerly a second round draft pick for the BBA's Louisville Sluggers, would be joining the team with a view to debuting before the end of the current series vs. Cairo, after recovering from an injury to his thumb sustained in the spring. OF Jorge Dominguez has been waived and DFA'd to make room for him on the Active and 40 Man roster.
- OF Rhett Lawson continues to be D2D with a strained oblique.
- RHP Orlando Sanchez is still two weeks away as he struggles with a shoulder injury.
On the other side of the ball, it was LHP Gonzalo Fajardo who shone brightest, according to Mr. Lawton. A former top 100 BBA prospect, the Pearls' number 9 joined the team this off-season, having previously seen service with Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Long Beach and Wichita in the BBA proper. This season, he leads the team in ERA (1.77) and IP (20.1 in 3 starts) so far, though he has yet to chalk up a win and falls behind some of his peers in some more advanced metrics.
When asked about backroom topics, including his relationship with owner Lyle Cunningham, Mr. Lawton was unable to maintain his professional air. He narrowly avoided calling Mr. Cunningham "unreasonable", after being asked how their relationship had gone so far. He was ushered from the stage by team staff whilst ranting "demanding an upgrade at Right Field when the player signed by my predecessor(s) to play there hasn't even suited up for one game isn't exactly the epitome of clear thinking though, is it? Referring to a 23 year old in his first season with the club as an overpaid veteran is the prime example of clearsightedness, I suppose?"
After recovering from his outburst, Mr. Lawton confirmed that he had made a couple of Minor League Contract offers to interesting free agents, submitted a few waiver claims to the office of the commissioner and set about finding a new assistant GM to fill the vacancy in his staff. He informed those in attendance he hoped to be able to tell them more about these potential additions next week at his second press conference. That is, if Mr. Cunningham hasn't replaced him, or the heat hasn't finished him off, by then.
-Abdulwahab al-Sakir for The Manama Papers, 10:39AST on 15/4/39
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Manama Pearls - team page, for those interested.
