Power Couple Purchase Community for Retirement
Manning at Today's Press Conference
Two seasons ago, British pop star and Yellow Springs Nine infielder Lucas McNeill acquired ownership of the Nine’s minor league club on Cat Island. Now the pair have gone a step further, noting that they have officially purchased the island itself.
“Everything will stay the same,” Manning said. “I love cats, after all.”
Business opportunities have been flooding into the area after the arrangements that Manning made with Nine owner Bo Jordan and his consortium of fat spenders, who have found tax ramifications of investing a positive. Suggestions are that independent ownership of the island will do nothing but fuel that process. Manning noted that the Hope Town District Council, the island’s small governmental group, will stay in place, and be funded by Manning herself, and that other elements of the Bahamas would remain unaffected.
When asked how the couple would fund the purchase, McNeill laughed and said "We just put it on the credit card, you know? It's always a good idea if you pay it off in full."
The Pirates, of course, will continue to play in Feral Park, which will continue to be updated.
“The whole island comes to the games,” Manning said. “It’s a great feeling, really. We’re just a small little place, but baseball here is a thing everyone can share.”
Local businesses are pleased.
“She’s been a life changer to me,” said Marianne De Leon, operator of a concessions boutique near the baseball park. “It’s amazing to see someone who can do it all like that.”
NINE TO INCREASE PRESENCE
Meanwhile, the Yellow Springs Nine executive suite have agreed to continue holding their winter executive meetings on the island, and will be upgrading its communication technologies in order to support additional gatherings. “It’s a real paradise,” GM Ron Collins said. “I look forward to it.”