by Valerie Davies, for the Yellow Springs World
In a surprising announcement, both because of the news and who provided it, the Yellow Springs Nine sent out a release from owner Bo Jordan (not GM Rob McMonigal) indicating they'd signed GBC all-time great Quinn Greene to, of all things, a minor league deal.
Greene was rumored to join the BBA multiple times over the years, starting in the 2058-59 off-season. His demands were definitely BBA-level money, according to my sources, which often turned the Brewster clubs away and left Greene heading back to the GBC for the 2059 and 2060 seasons. However, this time around, despite starting at his usual figures, Greene couldn't get a bite in either league, apparently, and has settled for not just a minor league deal, but one that pays only 2.5 million ig he's promoted.
That's quite the come down from the 12.5 million salary he earned with Buenos Aries in 2060 or the 12.9 million he got from them in 2050 to jump ship from the Athens Fighting Centaurs.
I'm not kidding when I talk about how good Greene was in the GBC. At age 35 and after 14 seasons, he's amassed the following records:
All Time Slugging % Leader (.6589)
All Time OPS Leader (1.056)
All Time Runs Leader (1528)
All Time Total Bases Leader (4926)
All Time Home Run Leader (632)
All Time RBI Leader (1627)
All Time WAR Leader (89.98)
Single Season Slugging % Leader (.7399 in 2053)
Single Season OPS Leader (1.1536 in 2055)
Single Season Runs Leader (146 in 2055)
Single Season Total Bases Leader (453 in 2055)
Single Season WAR Leader (10.07 in 2055)
Greene is 162 home runs higher than the next person on the career ladder. The active leader after Greene has 404, placing Greene 228 ahead of him. His dominance of the GBC is virtually unmatched in all of professional baseball right now, and possibly ever. Greene led the GBC in a positive offensive category 57 times. He's led in everything from hits to homers and holds two triple crowns.
He could easily have made ten million or more in 2061 as a member of any of the GBC clubs, but instead he opts not just for a minor league deal, but one with the Yellow Springs Nine. It may be the team I regularly cover, but it's still a really bad team. I simply had to ask him.
"I'm well aware I turned down more money, but I've been wanting to play in the BBA for years now," said Greene from his home in Manchester, England. "It just never worked out. So when BBA legend Bo Jordan himself asked me if I was interested in coming, I felt it was fate. Now of course, I was a little insulted when some twit from the back office only gave me a minor league deal with a major league option, but I still felt it was the best place for me to be. Good grief, his voice was obnoxious. And I thought listening to cockney people was bad."
I pushed on this a bit further. Why didn't he get a major league deal from anyone?
"You'd have to ask them, right? I'm clearly capable of batting the ball out of the park with consistency, and I've shown that. I have over 2,000 hits, more than 600 home runs. I'm one of the best to ever play the game I just played it in Greece instead of Georgia."
While it may be true that Greene is a historic player, but looking at his 2060 numbers versus 2059, there are reasons to be cautious if you're Yellow Springs, or any other team. While it makes sense his counting stats would be down a bit due to less games started (137 in 2060 vs 159 in 2059), he did hit 11 fewer home runs, which is significant. Looking at his stats that aren't dependent on at bats, Greene's batting average dropped 47 points to .251 and his slugging fell 91 points to a still strong .549. He's also almost useless in the field, featuring a career of negative 56.2 in left field and negative 7.9 in right. From this viewpoint, he's an aging DH who is starting to decline. Not the type of playing to build around. But I wasn't going to insult him by saying that, so I asked him a different question: What are you trying to prove?
"I once talked about how time can be measured in split-second decisions. One of those for me was going to the GBC. Another was each and every time I re-signed with Athens instead of trying to come over here to the BBA. I think about those decisions. I need to know 'what if?' I have to have the answer on if I can connect on a Alaric Wullenweber fastball. I know I'm not going to be a Yuu Suzuki at this point in my career, but can I still be a top player? I think so. I'm capable of it, Valerie, if I'm only given the chance."
I admit I have my doubts. I've watched his swings in the batting cage, and they're a bit slower than they used to be. And no matter how good he is in the GBC, it's still a secondary league where BBA players go when they're still very good, but not good enough.
A fellow journalist in Athens, Boyd Flanagan, referred to Greene as a "Greek God" in relation to his popularity and impact there.
A lot of Greek Myths end with men who think they're gods being humbled. I worry that's Greene's fate as we disconnect the call. It might have been better to build on a myth than face reality.
