Shinbum Online (04/22/2057) [post-Sim 3]

[R.Umali]

filed by Hiromi Yamane

2-3 sim

1-1 @ London
1-2 vs Sao Paolo

5-13 season record (-6.5)

Ah, the Tokyo Pearls, our beacon of consistent underachievement in the GBC! They consistently find ways to lose. Take their recent visit to London. A rare outburst by the offense - 26 hits! - in London against the Monarchs and we still graciously granted a split in the two game set.

But for the London Monarchs, wins and losses are almost a sidebar when you have a player with the unusual charisma of Taylor Barfoot. It was a pleasure to watch him feed off the crowd and mash our pitchers. He did not disappoint the 47,000 paid patrons who visited London Stadium on Monday and Tuesday night. Over the two games, Barfoot went 4-8 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs. And here we are, struggling to find such bright sparks within our own roster, and struggling to attract 20,000 to Manama Fields even on weekend nights.

At the end of this Sim 3, we have a grand total of 6 home runs. Barfoot and fellow Englishmen, Max Shepperson of the Fighting Centaurs, each have more.

Behind this fleeting facade of a bustling offense lies a bitter truth: most of our regulars are batting like they've never held a bat before. Take Elton Warr, for instance, who's slashing a measly .210 / .286 / .290. Quite the nosedive from the potential he teased us with in last year's brief stint.

Returning home against Sao Paolo, the hitting trend briefly continued to support Umar Dogar's lone win this season. Gods be praised. But then, predictably, our offense took another vacation, managing a grand total of 2 runs over the next two games. Gods be damned. Both of these were 1-run losses. Wasted pitching efforts by Jayin Ranjani, still hunting for that elusive victory, and Huang Cheng, thanks to an offense that couldn't hit water if it fell out of a boat.

How is new GM Renato Umali responding? He's playing piano at the back of the peloton. Is it such a big move to sign 31-year-old Cuban outfielder, Ismael Zumaya, that he needs to stage a formal presser? Let us remind you, Zumaya washed out of the GBC after two seasons with the Yellow Springs Nine. Yet it is telling that such meager achievement provides such promise over the dismal reality that is Steven Bursey. We implore Bursey, the second oldest player on the team, to follow the footsteps of the wise and hitless Hadji Ufanisi and announce his retirement. That's one press conference I'd look forward to attend.

[Jwalk100]

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