Hammer Time - 2 June 2059

[Jess64]

Hebrew Hammers Setting Up for A Solid Season

(Cairo, Egypt) The GBC has finished the first 2-months of the 2059 season and the Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers are carrying a strong start to the season into a solid season so far.

The season started with a 7-6 loss to the Johannesburg Gold on 1April, but then went on to record a record of 21-7 for the month. This solid start has continued as the Hammers are leading the Eurasia division with a record of 37-21 and a 5 game lead over 2nd-place Cairo.

The Hammers are being led at the plate by 31-year old Ira Patterson. Patterson leads the league with a stat line of .350/.378/.542. The 1st baseman is currently on a team friendly $850K per year contract, but recently signed a 2-year extension that will see his paycheck increase to $1.46M per season. According to GM Jesse Stollings, this is a steal for the organization and both he and the team management, as well as the fans, are excited to know that Patterson will be wearing Hammer blue next season.

Patterson is joined 33-year old Tsuyoshi Kobayashi. The 3rd-baseman joined the Hammers during the off-season after a 7-year career in the BBA. Kobayashi not only provides more firepower at the plate, but his solid defensive skills has earned him a ZR of 1.52.

Speaking of Zone Ratings, the Hammers are blessed to have 2 strong 2nd-basemen. Starter Rod Morse has a current ZR of 3.80 (signed thru 2060 for $2M) while his backup, 33-year old Prabhu Vogelsang has a ZR of 5.06 for 2nd.

To complete the ensemble, the Hammers have Juan Garcia on the mound with a blistering fastball that has helped him earn a record of 6-2. But Edward Johnson is not going to let us forget him as he has recorded a record of 4-1.

The common adage that it takes a whole team to win games is currently being proven right by the Hammers. The team has come together and is in the fight during almost every game. Even when the team losses, they seem to bounce back and fight even harder in the next one.

We caught up with Stollings after their latest victory (a 6-4 victory in Cairo) and asked how he felt about the season so far. As he headed to the team bus with the deliberate and focused stride he is becoming known for he replied, "There is still alot of the season left to go. We all know that a team can hit a bad stretch, just like they can hit a good one. The only game that matters is the next one, the only score that matters is the last one. So we need to stay focused to not let the last game make a difference in the next one...no matter the outcome."

As Stollings put his foot on the bottom step of the bus, we were able to get one more question in. The question everyone is thinking....can the Hammers continue this success all the way to the championship? Stollings paused, took his hat off and ran his hand across the top of his head...."Yall would love me to say something that you could bash me with if things go bad wouldnt you?" He smiled that little smile and said, "We will do as good as we can, where that takes us, only the end of the season will tell us."

With that, he climbed into the bus and the doors closed behind him.

Stollings is right, there is still a long season left to play, but we all hope that the first 2 months is a good blueprint for the, hoped for, success that can be achieved the rest of the season and the Hammers can add another trophy to their display case.

[debot]

hmm...I need a 2B