March 18, 2065
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
Another Bluebirds legend will have his number retired today - Barney Lindsay.
Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2043 amateur draft as a reliever, Lindsay worked relentlessly to improve as a player. He quickly became a valuable arm out of the bullpen and was called up in 2045 – before he would change his career forever. That offseason Lindsay grinded all offseason and transformed into an entirely new pitcher. One who elevated his game to a level most don’t dream of. He mastered a new changeup and fine tuned all other areas of his game, becoming one of the league’s most lethal starting pitchers.
LHP Barney Lindsay
In his first year as a starter in 2046, Lindsay went 13-9 with a 3.02 ERA and 76 FIP-. He would continue this string of dominance for the next decade, racking up Nebraska Awards in 2048 and 2052 and 11 ASG nods. He won 3 championships with the Bluebirds, but the stats alone don’t tell the whole story of who Lindsay was as an athlete.
Lindsay pitched one of the most prolific postseason performances of all-time in 2048. After a grueling Doubleday Series, Lindsay stepped into Game 1 of the Cartwright against the Yellow Springs Nine, a powerhouse throughout the decade, on short rest and delivered a performance of legend. In a true display of courage, the southpaw pitched into the 11th inning after 10 IP WITHOUT ALLOWING A HIT! A leadoff single in the 11th would take the exhausted star out of the game to an eruption of applause from both dugouts and the Nine fans.
When Lindsay hit free agency after the 2060 season, he had accumulated 3119.2 IP with a record of 230-103 with a 3.41 ERA and 2,681 Ks. He was pivotal in launching the Nashville dynasty that still exists to this day. He would finish his career with more than 250 wins and 3,000 Ks and today his number 26 will be retired forever by the Nashville Bluebirds.
