Byline: Max Offen Sichtlich
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Veteran Sets Sight on 3,000 Hits
Aug 22, 2056
Veteran outfielder Todd Rice went 3-5 today, and drove in a key run during a 6-5 victory over Long Beach. Afterward, the 37-year-old seemed content to be back.
“Oh, yeah.” Rice said. “I’m happy. It’s been a bit of a twisty road, but it’s fun to be here with the guys again.”
Rice, a one-time Comeback Player of the Year, had been with Sacramento for the previous four seasons, a span that included taking home a championship. Along the way he became a bit of a fan favorite. Cash and the league’s salary cap precluded keeping him.
“We would have loved to keep him in Sacramento,” said GM Ron Collins, “but he wanted to be paid and the league frowns upon going over the cap for guys who can actually play, so we had to give millions and millions of dollars to teenagers, instead.” When everyone else passed on the veteran, the club signed him to a minor league deal that came with a $4M bonus. “Worth every penny,” Collins said.
In the interim, the M’opes relied on multiple players, including backup center fielder Kei-Thing Law, and now released Curt Lehman.
“Todd is the guy we wanted, though,” Collins said. “It was just a matter of time until his agent would listen to a deal the league would let us make.”
Law sits at 2,871 hits, and therefore needs only 129 more to make the magic 3,000 some consider to be the passport to the Hall of Fame. Oddsmakers are pessimistic, however.
“I’m not thinking about that right now,” Rice said. “All I want to do is to help break the RonCo curse and bring another Monty into the fold here in Sacramento.”
Well, um … yeah. If Rice can break that curse, perhaps he’ll make the Hall regardless.
Fat chance.