9-News: 41.016 – Manning Rips Nine Front Office

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9-News: 41.016 – Manning Rips Nine Front Office

Post by RonCo » Mon Jan 13, 2020 6:43 am

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SOCIAL MEDIA STORM HITS NINE


After several months of relative anonymity Mikki Manning, British pop star and wife of Yellow Springs Nine superstar Lucas McNeill, took to her social media platform this morning to complain about the team’s treatment of her guy.

Her first blast seems a bit mysterious, leading some to joke about her next concert tour and others to go down one of a hundred different rabbit holes that included looking for the dog of recently popular Mackenzie Tazi and trying to find the spine of several recent politicians:

Mikki-tweet-1.png

A Nine insider had a different take, however.

“It seemed clear even then that she was referring to the vesting part of McNeill’s contract,” said Melissa Lester, host of the faux-cast Nine-Talk. McNeill is in what could be the penultimate year of his huge $141M deal (not counting bonuses) he signed prior to 2037, a deal that pays him a base rate of $23M this year, and kicks in another season at the same rate if he sees at least 300 plate appearances in 2041.

To date, the 34-year-old has gone to the plate 112 times in the first six weeks. He has recently, however, seen his time cut to a couple games a week as manager Bill Inkster has penciled in the name of Roberto Viramontas into the lineup against left-handers, and has occasionally played outfielder Ricardo Mendoza in McNeill’s slot against some right-handers.

Manning made it clear that Lester was barking up the right tree when a bit later she followed up with:

Mikki-tweet-2.png

Inkster scoffed at the idea he was being directed to sit McNeill, saying “we’re trying to win a pennant here, and we’ve got a lot of guys who can play baseball. It’s a very long season. I can’t see Lucas not making his 300.”

And there is some truth to what he says. McNeill’s performance against left-handed pitching has led him to sit against the toughest of the tough for parts of the past season or two—and to be fair, Viramontes is having a brilliant start to his rookie season. But it’s been unusual to see him miss right-handed pitching, so the move of Mendoza to the first sack is somewhat suspect.

“You’ve got a good problem to have here,” Lester said when asked about it. There are a lot of left-handed bats coming up from the minors. Mendoza is just one of them. You’ve got Jose Machado, and Andy McKinney trying to find time in the outfield, and George Robertson still embedded is the DH role. Now with Rex Foster forcing the Nine’s hand a little early, it’s hard to find places for them all. Mendoza is a great athlete who some have suggested could play second base if he didn’t throw left handed. He’s probably the heir to McNeill’s slot to some degree, so it’s got to be tempting to tr him out there sometimes.”


ACCUSATION SPLITS FANS

In the social media sphere, Mannings accusation has created the classic schisms one has grown to expect, complete with calls for the team to man up and make things right as well as suggestions that Manning should “pack up her snowflake luggage, go back to the Brits, and let your hubby get back to work.” Yes, it’s 2041 and here are still folks who talk like that.


McNEILL SILENT, TEAM EXPRESSES INTEREST IN FUTURE

“I’m not getting into that,” McNeill said during a brief interview as he arrived at Utopia Field for a game against the Twin Cities River Monsters.

All total, McNeill has played in 32 games, starting 23 of them. Though his numbers are down a little, he’s posted a respectable .270/.330/.480 slash while homering four times (including his milestone #400). To miss his vesting option, he would have to see only 188 more plate opportunities in the next five months, which is seems unlikely for a guy who is arguably the best player to spend his career in Ohio.

“We expect to see Lucas in Yellow Springs in 2042 and beyond,” said GM Ron Collins when asked about Manning’s accusation.

Stay tuned.
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Re: 9-News: 41.016 – Manning Rips Nine Front Office

Post by HoosierVic » Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:50 am

Would that be yellow snowflake luggage Mikki would be packing up? Vinnie was curious ...

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Re: 9-News: 41.016 – Manning Rips Nine Front Office

Post by shoeless.db » Mon Jan 13, 2020 3:27 pm

Seems very Shaw-like...

(don't mind this me, I'm just stirring the... umm... pot).
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