9-News: 36.052 – Freedom Nixon Remembered

[RonCo]

The Yellow Spring Nine will hold a special ceremony to honor 97-year-old Freedom Nixon this sim. Nixon was a member of the franchise (at that time in Phoenix) in the inaugural season of 1973, playing third base and registering 6.6 WAR while clubbing 47 homers and registering a .958 OPS. He played third base for the team. He was, however, 33 years old at the time, and only managed to make it to age 35 before fading from the league.

For his efforts, he was included in the 50th Anniversary “what if team.”

The resident of Beechwood Trails, Ohio is still living, though a bit frail. He will be brought to the game by a special envoy managed by assistant GM Jim Pickett. The ceremony will include a brief video of highlights from his days in the league, and arrangements are being made to have him throw out the first pitch.

“It’s important that we maintain our connection to the past,” said owner Bo Jordan. “ I remember the discussion about Freedom when I was a player. It’s going to be great to see him back in the park.”

Beyond the fact that Mr. Nixon is still surviving, one reason some thing he’s being honored is that it’s likely either Angel De Castillo or Lucas McNeill will soon exceed his 6.6 WAR season, which will push him off the franchise’s top-10 list for that statistic. Rumor is that the team doesn’t want to lose this opportunity to strike while the iron is hot.