WBA Offseason Update - 1/31/2124

[Patrick Turner]

BUENOS AIRES -- As is custom, the offseason league meetings recently took place at the reigning world champions' administrative facility, and we're bringing some of the news, rumors, and gossip we heard at the meeting.

Friction in North America

At one of the nightly social events where various owners and GMs meet to wind down, sources say that an awkward scene developed between Ottawa and Northwest management.


Ottawa GM R Beadle

Some of our Whiskey Jack sources indicate that when Ottawa general manager R Beadle attempted to start a conversation with his old friend, Emerald GM Andy Hustle coolly walked by without acknowledging him. This apparently stirred some old resentment inside Beadle and he fumed to his staff for the rest of the night, swearing that he'd never deal with Northwest as long as Hustle was still there.


Northwest GM Andy Hustle

When we attempted to confirm with the Northwest side, we were told to print that their position is that no such incident occurred, but that if it had occurred then it was because Beadle was taking the Whiskey part of Whiskey Jack a little too seriously.

PED Investigation in Mexico City?

In a move that some WBA followers consider slightly overdue, there was gossip at the meetings that a PED-focused investigation into Stephano Ragusa may be forthcoming. Ragusa, as you'll recall, was a lightly regarded player coming into the 2113 draft and was lucky to be drafted at all. He was picked up in the 20th round by Mexico City and hit a grand total of one home run in high school.


Mexico City RF Stephano Ragusa

Since then he has exploded into the leading raw power threat in the Americas Baseball League, totaling 74 home runs over the last two seasons. Aztec sources were furious about the rumor, stating in no uncertain terms that Ragusa's incredible work ethic and, yes, a bit of the thin Mexico City air, were the reasons for his development. We here at the WBA Times don't anticipate much coming out of this even if the rumor of an investigation is true.

Team Moves and Rebrands

Some of the biggest news of the offseason has been multiple franchise moves and rebrandings. The historically underperforming London franchise's move to Ljubljana, Slovenia was met with mixed reviews. The new name, logo, and uniform were universally praised but some questioned what the small market of Ljubljana would bring to the league.



The other franchise relocation brought the continent of Africa back into the WBA after a long absence. Previously Africa had been represented by the Mombasa Mets (2100-2102, now the Black Forest Foxes) and the Lagos Eagles (2100-2104, now the Rome Generals). The former Barcelona Bulls became the first WBA franchise to move for a third time, now calling Cairo their new home and adopting the Pharaohs nickname. The team started based in Moscow, moved to Glasgow briefly, then to Barcelona. Note that while the Northwest Emeralds are now on their fourth team name that their change from the Tampa Bay Tocobagas to the Florida Hurricanes did not involve a move.



The final big changes to date are the major logo and accompanying uniform redesigns in São Paulo and Melbourne. The iconic mismatched sleeves are no more.





Paris Rebuild Cut Short


Saud Naji

In more of an on-field story, the Fleur-de-Lis rebuild was cut short this offseason after a major signing of catcher Saud Naji. Paris management was unable to find a trading partner to offload the signing, and with their trade market also looking soft in terms of acquiring prospects and draft picks they shifted their focus to competing in the upcoming season. We'll see how it works out for the successful franchise.

This story was revised to include the logo change in Melbourne. Apologies to their fan.

[Coop]

"This story was revised to include the logo change in Melbourne. Apologies to their fan."

 

What a burn.  Bob, you've got to respond to that.