by Dave Lee, exclusive to the Players Journal
As anyone who follows baseball knows (and if you're reading this, of course you follow baseball!), you know that I executed my player option to be a member of the Yellow Springs Nine for 2060.
I felt it best to explain why.
Now of course, the cynics among you probably are wondering why this article isn't just the number eight million written over and over again until the end of the page. And I'm not going to lie, that's a part of this. I've done well for myself in my career, spent entirely wearing one team logo on my chest, making over 132 million across seventeen years as a player so far. But another eight million isn 't chump change. It's still life-changing money that I can use and I've earned it. I make no excuses for getting paid well for the work I've done as a Nine.
But really, I have my eyes on a bigger prize: I want 200 wins.
I'm at 197 wins. Three away from a magic number that only 47 other pitchers in BBA history have reached. 29 of them are in the Hall, with Alaric Wullenweber (6STU, 6MOV, 8CON, 7PBABIP, 6HRR) a first ballot lock. Now I'm not saying I belong in the BBA Hall of Fame, because I'm realistic. I had some amazing years from 2045 to 2052, but I'm a smart man. (You have to be, to last as long as I have in the game.) I can see my 52.1 career WAR is probably too low. I can compare myself to others already in the Hall and see my metrics fall short. I didn't lead the league often enough in any statistic. I wasn't even on the leaderboard as often as some of my peers during these amazing years I've played. I am a four time All Star, an achievement I'm so very proud of reaching, especially late in my career in 2054.
I also know playing on some truly wretched Nine teams since GM Rob McMonigal took over hurt me deeply in terms of making it to the ultimate pantheon. Maybe I shouldn't have signed that extension in 2054, but I did, because I think so highly of the city that adopted me in 2043 and still cheers every time I take the mound. Mac, as we call him, knows I haven't been shy about reminding him of how he can't keep letting the people of Yellow Springs down and expect them to keep going to the ballpark. Eventually, they're going to move on to other sports or other activities. Baseball will be a distant memory for Yellow Springs.
I hope that never happens. But it could.
And if I can do anything here in the upcoming 2060 season to make people proud to wear my #13 or any other jersey they choose, then I will. I absolutely think I still have it in the tank to be a starter, even if 2057 suggested otherwise. I'm wired to go out there every fifth day and give it my all for 80, 90, 100 pitches or more. I can still do that even now at the age of 38, if given the opportunity.
But I also realize the team has moved to put together a dynamic rotation and perhaps it's time for me to enter a new phase of my career. I was a reliever all year in 2059 for the first time ever, and I did it extremely well. I had a 3.74 ERA, a 6-2 record, and even my first four saves of my BBA career. I maintained a WHIP of 1.29 and had a FIP- of 97, which is better than average. I was used in all kinds of relief, but I am confident that I can help anchor the back end of the rotation if that's where McMonigal and our new manager want me.
Hell, I think I can even be the closer. Maybe that's the final phase of my career. I wouldn't mind picking up a nice set of saves to go with 200 victories.
When life presents you with challenges, you can either crumble under the pressure or you can find a way to turn it to your advantage. I'm not stupid, I know my career is nearing its end. But I will go out on my terms, no one else's. Will I play past 2060? I don't know yet. If I'm still playing well, like I have been the past two seasons, I see no reason not to transition into a high-skill reliever and see where it takes me. I'd like that to be with the Nine, but if not, I'll take my talents elsewhere. If my body says "enough is enough," then I'll retire with my head held high at season's end.
That's why I'm staying. To tell my own story until the end.
Dave Lee (4STU, 5MOV, 7CON, 5PBABIP, 5HRR) is a 17-season veteran of the Brewster Baseball Association, all spent with the Yellow Springs Nine. He's a regular contributor to the Players Journal.
