Minor leaguers revolt against Blazers front office - 2035
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:25 pm
NEW JERSEY- The Montreal Blazers minor league affiliates, the New Jersey River Rats (AAA) and the Mississauga Spartans (AA) have played a combined 122 games up until this point in the season.
They have won just three of them.
Plagued by mismanagement, the teams have been decimated as injured players have not been assigned to the disabled list, and rosters supposed to be stocked full of aspiring big leaguers are as barren as a refrigerator on 4/20. Marcos Marquis, listed as a reliever for the team, was candid in his frustration.
"I've played in 60 of our 61 fucking games! My arm feels like a wet sack of flour, for Christ's sake," Marquis said. "It's clear John Callahan doesn't give a shit about us, otherwise he would sign some players to help us out."
Marquis has begun to organize the 13 other players on his squad (well below the roster limit of 25) to present a list of demands to upper-level Blazers management. He said the time is up for the major leaguers to treat those who aren't in the show like garbage.
Pedro Garcia, Marquis's teammate and a productive right fielder on the roster, said he would trade his solid at-bats and plus performance for a cohesive team atmosphere.
"Look at this," Garcia said through a translator, handing me a sheet of paper with a list of the past week's scores. "We gave up 72 runs in our last series! 72 runs! That's absolutely unacceptable. What do we need to do to show Mr. Callahan he has to do something?"
It doesn't get much better down at Mississauga.
The AA affiliate has only 12 players on the entire roster, or 3 more than needed to fill a team in standard baseball action. The result? Team members have been getting into all-out brawls with the coaching staff, on one occasion breaking manager Mitchell Broadbent's jaw and sending him to the hospital.
The instigator in the fight, outspoken Fei-hsein Zhou, was told by team officials that he would be suspended for his role in the incident. The punishment was later revoked after the team realized there was no other player on the team who could play shortstop reliably.
Things don't look to get better in the foreseeable future.
"We better see some serious changes, and fast," Zhou said. "Otherwise Callahan won't like what comes next."
They have won just three of them.
Plagued by mismanagement, the teams have been decimated as injured players have not been assigned to the disabled list, and rosters supposed to be stocked full of aspiring big leaguers are as barren as a refrigerator on 4/20. Marcos Marquis, listed as a reliever for the team, was candid in his frustration.
"I've played in 60 of our 61 fucking games! My arm feels like a wet sack of flour, for Christ's sake," Marquis said. "It's clear John Callahan doesn't give a shit about us, otherwise he would sign some players to help us out."
Marquis has begun to organize the 13 other players on his squad (well below the roster limit of 25) to present a list of demands to upper-level Blazers management. He said the time is up for the major leaguers to treat those who aren't in the show like garbage.
Pedro Garcia, Marquis's teammate and a productive right fielder on the roster, said he would trade his solid at-bats and plus performance for a cohesive team atmosphere.
"Look at this," Garcia said through a translator, handing me a sheet of paper with a list of the past week's scores. "We gave up 72 runs in our last series! 72 runs! That's absolutely unacceptable. What do we need to do to show Mr. Callahan he has to do something?"
It doesn't get much better down at Mississauga.
The AA affiliate has only 12 players on the entire roster, or 3 more than needed to fill a team in standard baseball action. The result? Team members have been getting into all-out brawls with the coaching staff, on one occasion breaking manager Mitchell Broadbent's jaw and sending him to the hospital.
The instigator in the fight, outspoken Fei-hsein Zhou, was told by team officials that he would be suspended for his role in the incident. The punishment was later revoked after the team realized there was no other player on the team who could play shortstop reliably.
Things don't look to get better in the foreseeable future.
"We better see some serious changes, and fast," Zhou said. "Otherwise Callahan won't like what comes next."
