Quinn Greene.

[Clayman]

One of the best things about a writing league is bringing the players to life, giving them a story. Whilst I've wanted to do some writing my mind just asn't been in the right place, whenever I've started an article I get a few lines into it then trail of and don't get past a paragraph. So my nephew who as just got into his first online league said he'd give writing a go and I could concentrate on the team and also not feel guilty about not doing articles, well this is his first go, couldn't be anyone else but Quinn Greene could it?

Being the beat reporter of the Athens Fighting Centaurs since before they even stepped foot on a ballfield I knew every player that had swung a bat in the organisation, from the likes of the guys who didn't take much more than a cup of coffee like Pedro Herrera who took the field on 4 occasions in 2042 or Pepe Gonzáles who played 6 times during the Championship winning season in 2048 and never so much as got on base but still walked away with a championship ring.

Then there's players like Tsuyoshi Kobayashi still plying his trade for Nashville in the BBA who was a rock in that 48 Championship team even at the tender age of 22, or Éamon Sherrill who looked like a future legend but suffered with injuries and a career cut short.

Whoever you ask associated with the Fighting Centaurs who'd be the first player they'd have on an Athens team it would be The Mighty Quinn, Quinn Greene.

I've known Quinn since before he was drafted by Athens, I'd heard a rumour that the Centaurs had there eye on a kid called Aaron Comyn but his stock had fallen due to injuries. Athens were sending head scout Hank McMullen to see how far Comyn had fallen and was he worth a late pick, I'd known Hank for a few years so I tagged along and am I glad I did.

Presence.

We'd travelled over from Athens to London to watch Aaron Comyn play for the Arsenal Gunners college ball club, however plans were ruined when Comyn had suffered a strained oblique injury and would be out for a couple of weeks. Rather than it be a wasted journey we decided to look for any rough diamonds, we also decided to make it a competition, dinner would be on the loser.

The competition would be to pick a player and whichever player would be drafted highest would win dinner, Hank went for Charlie Cawsey the centrefielder for Arsenal, a power hitter with an above average glove and room to improve. I was a bit jealous of Hanks pick if I'm honest.

I scoured the field as the Gunners took batting pratice.

"That's the guy"

As I pointed over to the leftfielder.

Hank looked over, took note of the number 19, then down at the line up sheet then at his notes.

"Quinn Greene, English, outfielder, 6 feet tall and weighing in at 200lbs. This is his first season in baseball, played cricket over in England before moving to the states. Earned a football scholarship at Fresno State Bulldogs bad knee injury ended his football career, the Gunners took a baseball risk on him. It's his 20th game not even an high school game, raw talent doesn't even come close. Boyd if this kid even gets drafted I'll buy you dinner for a week, so what do you see in him?".

"Presence? To be honest I have no idea. Just an hunch I guess.

If I was honest I could have stuck a pin in Hank's bible of high school and college players and probably come up with a better choice.

Just an Hunch.

The 2045 draft came around and Hank invited me to the draft room, I think it was to gloat when his pick coming up before mine. He'd later admit this was the case and to claim dinner on me.

Outfielder Éamon Sherrill was the first of the Athens draft board, a couldn't miss prospect drafted 3rd overall.

Pitcher Liam Johnston was 11th overall with the 3rd pick in round 2.

Outfielder Cristián Canales drafted 19th with the 3rd pick in round 3.

It was the 4th pick for Athens that brought utter confusion to the draft room, they'd got a player ready but it had turned out he'd been arrested for drug possesion the previous day.

"Do we pick Eligio Cosmo?"

A voice rang out.

Cosmo was meant to be Athens 5th round pick but would want too much money if drafted with the 4th pick.

I saw Hank look over at me, he picked up the phone and spoke to Commissioner Matt Rectenwald. I looked at the TV screen broadcasting the draft.

"Please welcome the Commissioner to the podium".

"With the 27th overall pick of the 2045 UMEBA Draft the Athens Fighting Centaurs pick outfielder Quinn Greene of the Arsenal Gunners".

I looked over at Hank, raised my eyebrows and slowly shook my head, he looked over and pointed and mouthed the words "it's on your head" and gave a wry smile.

Charlie Cawsey went in the 7th round, starting from that draft day I ate for free for a week, Hank was true to his word.

The first evening we went to dinner I asked Hank why he'd drafted Greene.

"Lasr year I wasn't sold on picking Tokimasa Yano with the 1st pick so I asked for your input, now Yano could turn out to be one of the great catchers of all time. Who knows what Greene will be but I figured it was a good risk, also most draft picks don't pay of however the guys I work with want to see a chief scout make quick and decisive decisions and Greene was that".

Opening Up.

Till this day I don't know if I caught him off guard or not, one evening though I was leaving the ballpark and saw Quinn sitting in the bleachers, I went over and sat with him. I don't think he even noticed I was there, he was in a world of his own.

"Hi Quinn how are things?"

"Oh, hi Boyd".

Before I could say something, he just........opened up.

"Did you ever realise what time means? I'm not on about days or weeks I'm on about split seconds in life how much they can change history, change lives. I swing at a pitch, time it perfect and it goes over the fence, we win the game. I'm out a split second, it's a strike and we lose the game, history is changed, lives are changed.

It's only a ballgame that's changed nothing big in the grand scheme of things but imagine if that split second of change was a big change in history, in peoples lives. A guy goes of to work one morning in one reality nothing happens as he leaves the house, in another reality he drops his car keys and for that split second he takes to pick them up the course of his day is changed.

For that split second of change, the guys life changes, my life chnges, then other peoples lives change some people because of that split second of change don't even have a life".

"I learned alot about Quinn Greene that night, the "guy" he was on about was his Father who had died in a car crash when Quinn was 3 years old. Quinn was right, if his Father had been a split second late that morning his Father may still be alive, Quinn doesn't play baseball, he doesn't meet his wife, his daughters aren't born whole lives are changed because of a split second".

And We Begin.

Quinn spent his early years in Manchester within the North of England some 31 years ago, he would move to London at the age of 10 some 7 years after his father Bill Jenkins passed away in a car accident. His Mother Karen felt that they needed a fresh start, 2 years after moving to London the seeds of that fresh start sprouted.

The Greene family were spending 2 weeks in London, Frank Greene had just retired from the Traverse City police department. The vacation was a pat on the back from his wife Irene, the hotel were they were staying was just a short walk from the cafe were Quinns mum worked. The Greene's would stop in now and again, Karen would give them tips on where to visit. Quinn would go straight from school to the cafe and do his homework. he and Lucy Greene would get on like an house on fire.

When the Greene's returned to Traverse City they kept in touch, so much so Quinn and his mum would go and visit the Greene's. After a couple of years Karen would return home but Quinn would stay, the Greene's and Jenkins had become family.

Dark Days.

Local authority budgets at the time were stretched to the limit, kids homes weren't an happy place, it would be awhile before the cavalry came to the rescue until then it was a matter of survival.

It would take weeks maybe even months for any of the people within Quinns life to foster him let alone adopt him, he had no family just neighbours who would gladly take him in but the authorities wouldn't let them so until then it was a kids home.

The kids home had taken it's toll on Quinn but it wasn't over and it took awhile before not only the physical scars had healed but also the mental scars as well.

The Cavalry Are A Coming.

Frank and Irene Greene were and still are a formidable team, throw in their daughter Lucy and you have a whirlwind of trouble that even the British goverment weren't prepared for.

Since the Greene's had met Quinn they had stayed in touch, never a week went by without some communication between the two families.

All of a sudden the communication stopped, Karen had passed away in her sleep, Quinn shipped of to a kids home. Frank being the ex-cop he was, wasn't giving up though. He finally found out what had happened to Karen and where Quinn was, once Irene had found out nothing was stopping her get Quinn to the states. Once the state department got involed having found out a decorated ex-cop was trying to get this poor kid out of a home into a stable enviroment nothing was going to stop them.

It only came out what had really happened to Quinn when the Greene's had gotten Quinn back home to Traverse City. Quinn was still wearing the red shirt and trousers from the home he'd been in. Irene Greene had wanted to get Quinn back to America before anyone could change their mind and keep him in England, there wasn't time to get new clothes until they got stateside.

"Lucy take these new clothes into Quinn, ask him what he wants to do with the clothes he's wearing".

"Ok Mum". replied Lucy Greene.

It wasn't an hysterical voice that came from the bedroom, it was a voice of sadness.

"Mum you should come here".

"What is it?"

As Irene Greene turned into the bedroom Quinn stood there with his shirt off, bruises covered his torso and arms, tears started to well up in her eyes.

Lucy asked him to turn around, she'd seen his back when she had walked into the room.

Quinn turned and the tears dried up in Irene's eyes, anger was pulsing through her body as she looked upon the scars of what turned out to be punishment that was dealt out from the people in charge of the home he'd been in.

"Frank come in here please".

Frank Greene didn't say a word, he looked upon Quinn and clenched his fists.

"Burn them Frank, burn that shirt and trousers".

"Yes love".

Apart from Irene kissing him on the cheek and whispering "you're home now", nothing was really ever said about that day or the home but Quinn knew he had someone to talk to if need be.

When Quinn told me about the home he'd been in I had tears in my eyes, when he told me sbout that first day in Michigan I had a smile on my face; I knew he was in a brighter place in his life

He told me that night that Pops is like a big bear, Mom she's Michigan norn and bred my little wolverine, Lucy my big sis who became my agent. He called them Mom and Pops, they deserved more than being called Irene and Frank they also deserved that Quinn would be a Greene.

Greek Legend.

Shenyang Water Pigs.

I was lucky most of the guys got placed with families were the kids in the family were the only ones who spoke English, I got placed with a retired English teacher Miss Huang. She'd never married but counted the kids she had teached as her family, she was addicted to baseball. Sadly she passed away a couple years back but I got to see her one last time and show her the championship ring that I'd won before she did.

Mogadishu Ports.

I stayed with the Elmi family, they couldn't have been nicer. They treated me like family from day one. I think they had alot to do with my development, things kind of clicked when I was in Mogadishu.

Athens Fighting Centaurs.

I spent 2 seasons with the Galifianakis family, I was with them when we won the championship in 48. I owe them so much, they introduced me to my wife Sofia. Not only did I meet Sofia but we've been blessed with 2 children Kassandra and Irini, however whats made it more easier to settle in Athens have been the fans.

We'd spent a couple of hours talking, I hadn't written a word down but at my office the day after every word Quinn had said came flowing out.

"Athens are offering me another contract, looks like we'll be seeing more of each other, keep it under your hat though".

"Mums the word, the stuff you've told me that can stay between us as well".

"No Boyd you print it, maybe it will help a kid who's in darkness realise there is light at the end of the tunnel".

Two days later the Athens Fighting Centaurs announced Quinn Greene would be signing a 2 year extension to stay in Athens, it's estimated that 40,000 people turned up for the announcement. That same day the Mayor of Athens announced a public holiday to celebrate the news, It looks like Greek Gods do exsist.

Boyd Flanagan.
Beat Reporter.
Athens Fighting Centaurs.

[Jwalk100]

Great article Boyd!

[Dington]

Can’t wait to see him in the BBA!

[recte44]

Caleca

[jiminyhopkins]

This could have been 7 or 8 Team Newses.




(j/k mate, great job!)

[Clayman]

Great article Boyd!

My nephew says thank you.

Can’t wait to see him in the BBA!

Hope not but be a day I can't justify that salary, know it's not much difference but he asked for $21m I wouldn't have paid that.

Caleca

I finished 3rd once, I should have mentioned you and added a link to your GM career maybe boosted my chances

This could have been 7 or 8 Team Newses.




(j/k mate, great job!)

I did mention the points rewards but left it to his choice, I did a programme for Valencia i think once and did that as one article, think that was about 40 posts long.

[Dington]

I can't believe he's already 31. What a shame he won't get to play his prime in the BBA.

[KJChmura]

Nice article!

[pandan]

Nice writeup! Kudos to your nephew. Looks like a future GBC hall of famer

[DaveB]

Great write up

[trmmilwwi]

Great read!