Sticking Points 2054.1: Taking Off the Offseason?

[JimSlade]

Coming off a successful opening week, in which the Rockville Pikemen went 5-2 against division rivals the Charlotte Cougars and the Jacksonville Hurricanes, a lingering question from the offseason remains: Did the Pikemen simply take off the offseason?

"Not at all," said GM Jim Slade, when asked this question before the Pikemen outslugged the Hurricanes 10-7. "You guys [ie, the media], the fans, the league put artificial boundaries on a season," Slade continued. "I mean, like, who's to say getting Danny Leach back at the deadline wasn't the start of this past offseason?"

Slade was referring to the team's re-acquisition of Leach at the 2053 trade deadline. His reimagining of time and space didn't stop there.

"We bring up Joe MacIndoe, right? Your calendar says June 2053, or whenever, but we'd already turned the page." If that's the case, the lefthanded starter, who was the Pikemen's first pick in the 2051 draft, is off to an 8-4 start in 2054.

I asked Slade, in this case, if there was a particular moment when he felt the organization turned the page on the 2053 season?

"Ah man, don't try to tie my down to your space-time continuum," he said, running a hand through his gray, shoulder-length hair. "Look, we signed Socrates [Kazantziakis] and Bronx [Cortez] going into last season. They were locked in to see if we could make the most of last season, but all last season and as this season gets underway, we're focused on seeing how Nasir [al Din bin Sahir], Luis [Gonzalez], [Cam] Whitten, and Tibbs [Daryl Tibbett] develop. Mix in Joshua Zorn and Varnik Tuncay, who were complete lottery tickets, and our success in 2054 can't really be judged until 2055."

So, what are expectations for 2054?

"You tell me," Slade snapped back and then chuckled. "The sky's the limit for Cesar Rodriguez. Who knows when The Fonz [Vasco Fanzarelli] puts it all together a hits 40 bombs? This week, we add Dixon," referring to late free-agent signing Brian Dixon. "Not every team can send a Richard Wright down to AAA. It kills me to send that kid down, but he needs to get at-bats."

Slade was on a roll, but then he caught a glimpse of the scoreboard clock. "Ooh, it's 4:19. I've gotta wrap this up, man. Been great chatting!"

Suddenly, time mattered.

[trmmilwwi]

Any reference to the Fonz is a good reference for this Milwaukee kid. Agree that it's year round planning here in the Mont.