Edmonton, November 13, 2046 -- Edmonton fans are grieving over the sudden departure of longtime GM Chris Robillard, who steered the team to three, count 'em, three championships, the most recent being just two seasons ago. And fans are even more perplexed that team owner Jim Leonard, who is usually hands-off, has decided to hire Mike Dunn, who last won a league championship a half-century ago.
Robillard departs, Dunn arrives
Dunn won his two Landis titles winning in 1995 and 1996 with the Chicago Black Sox before suddenly disappearing. "There was nowhere to go but down," he said years later. "So I left." However, sources in Chicago at the time indicated Dunn was forced out because of ongoing drinking and gambling issues, as well as word that he encouraged Black Sox fans to riot after the first title. Dunn at the time dismissed those reports as "nonsense" fueled by jealous fellow GMs. He promptly disappeared from baseball and public life for a number of years until surfacing in Tripoli in '44.
When Dunn was hired to take over the then-Libyan Generals, he refused to comment on reports that he took the job after filing for bankruptcy in the United States following a series of failed investments, and that he was unable to get any job in any other organized baseball league, even as a Little League coach. During this tenure in the Middle East, Dunn piloted the Tripoli club to wildcard post-season berths in both '44 and '46, with an abysmal 30-games-under-.500 season sandwiched in between. It was during that wretched season that rumors about cavorting in Tripoli nightclubs surfaced, followed by reports that Dunn had entered rehab. "The '45 season flop can entirely be attributed to Dunn's rampant partying and subsequent treatment," said one source.
So fans in Edmonton are skeptical, to say the least, and there's no doubt that in following the successful Robillard, Dunn has big shoes to fill. "Edmonton is a pretty boring town, particularly compared to Tripoli," said one observer. "Dunn will have fewer distractions. Hopefully he can focus on baseball."
Fans on social media are particularly incensed that Dunn has brought with him to Edmonton the Tripoli clubhouse janitor, Otto Pyck, who handled the Piranhas' 2046 amateur draft. It is unclear at press time whether Pyck will be the Jackrabbits janitor, or will be given a position in the front office. "Otto Pyck?," read one fan's tweet. "Who's next, the ticket booth guy Jack Hoff?"