July 1, 2058
by Valerie Davies for the Yellow Springs World
In a move that was, to say the least, unexpected, Nashville Bluebirds General Manager @Dington Chad Nason announced his roster for the Frick League and one of the two Yellow Springs Nine's representatives is no less than 20 year BBA veteran Dong-Po Thum.
You read that right.
Dong-Po Thum, All Star
"Hunter," as he is known to his friends for his love of going into the woods and tracking animals, is heading to his 13th All Star Game.
"I'm absolutely honored to represent Yellow Springs again," said Thum, "even if I admit I was surprised to get the call. I'd already made arrangements to set up a duck hunt with some of the guys."
I suppose it shouldn't have been too surprising, since first of all, the Nine aren't exactly dripping in players exceeding expectations this year, though at least it's an improvement on the disaster that was 2057. He is batting .273 on the year, mostly backing up at first and third base. He's doing much better this year. I asked him about that, too.
"Look, it's no secret that I had a rough 2057. I'm not too into statistics, but I understand that for the first time ever I was anti-war or something like that. You'd think you'd want less war in the world, but baseball's funny like that, right? I'm doing much better and doing everything I can to help our team win games for the fans."
I also reached out to GM Rob McMonigal for his thoughts.
"I am so happy that Hunter gets to go back to the All Star Game. We certainly had a few great candidates, but Chad decided he was the best selection. And given we're honoring him all year, this just adds to that. I may hate Nashville and all it stands for, but he did something good here."
And so, that just leaves us with one question: Why did Nason pick Thum?
"Just a proper send-off," said Nason.
"But he hasn't announced he's retiring yet and well, you know how that went last off-season."
"I announced it for him," said the Nashville GM with a wry grin.
Never underestimate Nashville, folks.
No matter the reason, it's a great (potential) send off, and even if Thum does return for the last year on his contract extension, there's no guarantee he'll be playing well enough to warrant a look.
Along with Thum, fellow infielder and former first round draft pick Felix Abernathy was also selected to the team. He's only batting .235 but has had good defense at second and decent at shortstop and third base. He's having a decent, if not great rookie season.
"I'm super happy for Felix as well," said McMonigal. "I want him to go there and just soak up the experience. He'll have plenty of time to shine under the big lights, both at the big game and in playoff games for us, too."
In the meantime, Nine fans will just be happy to see some of their uniforms represented at the game, even if one of the most hated GMs in the league is behind it.
