Off Topic
Ground Crew at Fault
Aug 1, 2042: Sacramento – The YS9 announced the starter Tomas Ramirez would be placed on the Injured List after suffering a back injury in today’s game at California. To add insult to the injury, the Crusaders beat the Nine 11-6 in a game as shameful as it was damaging to the team’s playoff hopes. The Louisville Sluggers pulled an extra game ahead. Ramirez is expected to return to service in "weeks not months," but back injuries are always dicey. Time will tell.
Was Ramirez Victim
of Foul Play?
“I didn’t really feel right straight from the beginning,” Ramirez said. “The mound was kind of sludgy and it was hard to get my balance out there.”
The right-hander struggled in the first inning, but escaped with the aid of a fancy double play turned by Roberto Viramontas and Luis Pena. He wasn’t so lucky in the second when an error by Pena put an extra man on base. Ramirez struck Kazuki Saito out, but bore down too hard and felt something twist. “My foot slipped,” he said afterward. “I was going full-throttle on my fastball, and I felt the dirt shift.”
Manager Sam Brewington was visibly upset after talking to his pitcher, pawing at the dirt with his foot and going to the umpire crew to lodge a groundskeeper protest. A review of the mid-inning reply showed a member of the crew going to the mound prior to Ramirez’s inning and spraying the surface with a mysterious liquid. As he was protesting, that same member ran to the mound with a bag of fresh dirt and covered over the evidence. After the game, the crew member carried a smug expression. "I was just doing my job," he explained when asked why he spread the second layer of dirt.
“The place smelled of oil,” Brewington said. “We’ll send it to the league office, but with the commissioner managing a team in the Heartland, we’re not optimistic. It’s been open season on us all year. Don’t see why we should expect anything different now.”
Next Steps Coming Soon
Team officials had no comment on what steps might be taken to fill Ramirez’s spot in the rotation. Options include sliding Luis Colon back into the slot, or calling up either Al Colbert or Josh Henson. Alternately, the club could swing a deal. (Yes, that’s some Rhodes Scholar level analysis right there)
