With Meteors Eliminated from Playoffs, Legend Returns for Final Send-Off

[Dembe Kihiga]

MELBOURNE, Australia: Last Saturday, the Melbourne Meteors defeated the China Groove 8-7, but the mood around the clubhouse wasn't exactly jubilant. That's because on the same day, the Rome Generals defeated the Ljubljana Dragons to mathematically eliminate Melbourne from the playoffs. This, of course, was not unexpected, as the Meteors were projected to finish with a 67-89 record by the Huckleberry 3000™. I sat down with GM Bob Weinberg to discuss the season. He called the elimination "disappointing, but not surprising" but added that he was happy with the season: "We weren't supposed to be good, this was one of those 'wait and see what you have' years. Some of our young guys took major steps forward, which should start to pay off soon. I'm especially excited that Jorge Pérez has turned into a reliable starter, and Hung-K'uei He had a solid season in Adelaide and will get a start in the last game of the season."

Weinberg made a lot of trades at the deadline, which we'll examine in detail in an article after the season is over. One of these, though, sent $3 to the Santo Domingo Palmchats in exchange for Tamirat Sifiye. Any Meteors fan, or indeed just WBA fan, should instantly recognize the name. Drafted 11th overall in 2103 by the Tokyo Samurai (who later became the Meteors), Sifiye played for the Meteors until 2110, winning the 2106 and 2108 IBL titles and the 2108 WBA championship. He won both the hitter of the year and defender of the year awards at shortstop in 2107, as well as finishing 2nd in position player of the year voting. The following year, he won that award (as well as hitter of the year at SS). He was also named 2108 IBL Championship Series MVP, as the Meteors went on to win the WBA title. In 2110, the Meteors traded him to Buenos Aires for legendary pitcher Fudd Mitchell, in a deal that both managers later expressed regretting. "I never should have traded Sif", Weinberg told me. "I felt like he would regress, but still, he was the face of the franchise. That's one I'd like to undo if I could." Weinberg was correct that Sifiye would regress - after hitting .346 and .336 in 2108 and 2109, he never reached .300 in his 5 seasons in Buenos Aires - but the regret was too much to handle, and Weinberg re-acquired Sifiye in 2115 for second baseman Atílio Sobreiro. Once regarded as a very skilled prospect, Sobreiro's development never quite took off, and at this point he seems likely to be a career minor leaguer. Sifiye, though, declined his contract option in 2116, opting for free agency. He played several seasons in Rome, Black Forest, and Karachi, eventually ending up as a minor leaguer in the Rio system, where he was traded to Santo Domingo and then Melbourne.

Sifiye, now 40 years old, appears to be a sure first-ballot hall of famer. Currently 7th all-time in WAR by hitters, he sits 6th all-time in hits, with 2,486, and 5th all-time in hits, with 1,446. He's also third all-time in steals, with 610. Having amassed 40.95 of his career 80.69 WAR in Melbourne (and Tokyo and Brisbane, where the Melbourne franchise was previously located), Sifiye will go into the Hal of Fame wearing a Meteors cap, the first Meteor in the Hall.

Sifiye announced his retirement from pro baseball when the minor league season wrapped up, but told me he was convinced to come out of retirement for one last game in the big leagues. He told me "Bob called me personally on the phone. Told me 'Sif, listen, we want to give you a hero's farewell, send you off in style. Come out of retirement, we'll start you in the last 6 games of the season.' How could I say no?"

Despite being a shortstop and second baseman for most of his career, Sifiye will be starting at first base for the next six games. This is because he hasn't played short in the pros since 2120, but it's also a symbolic move: Sifiye will be starting in place of Tristan Vantassell, Melbourne's 27-year-old hometown hero who, if he stays in Melbourne, looks almost guaranteed to break just about every Meteors batting record, possibly including Sifiye's batting average of .315 with Melbourne. Asked about being benched in favor of a 40-year-old Sifiye, Vantassell said "No, it's not like that at all! Bob has assured me I'm starting next year, and pretty much into the future. This is a 6-game stretch to give a veteran player his final bow. And come on, it's Tamirat Sifiye! I grew up in Victoria, I was 8 years old when Sifiye led the Meteors to a WBA Championship! I'm more than happy to sit for 6 games and let Sif get his well-deserved hero's farewell." Weinberg concurred, saying "Oh, this isn't at all about Tristan - in fact, we have no plans to move him or let him go in free agency. He is our first baseman of the future."

Weinberg added that September 28th, Melbourne's last home game of the season, will be Tamirat Sifiye Day - all fans in attendance will be given a free Sifiye bobblehead and t-shirt, and a montage of his best plays with Melbourne will be shown before the game. His last game will take place on October 1st in Manila, but it's expected to be almost a home game - Manila has been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Melbourne front office bought 25,000 tickets to the game and is planning to resell them to Meteors fans at half price, plus pay for airfare. Sifiye can expect a warm sendoff after his final game.

Asked if Sifiye's number would be retired by the Melbourne organization, Weinberg said "It's our policy to never discuss number retirements for active players. But, come on. He's Tamirat Sifiye." Sources in the Melbourne front office tell me that planning for the retirement ceremony is already underway.

I asked Sifiye what his plans were after his retirement. He told me "I've always been interested in ownership, actually. I'll probably take a year or two off just to enjoy myself, but after that, I dunno, maybe I'll buy a minority stake in the Meteors. Could be fun!"

More emotional words about Sifiye's impact on the game will surely be spoken when his jersey is retired. For now, it's enough to leave you with the words of GM Bob Weinberg: "I'm just so glad we can give him the send-off he deserves. He's a true Meteors legend."

Dembe Kihiga is the beat writer for the Melbourne Meteors, and the author of the book Growing Up With Sports: My Life as the Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter of a Meteors Legend.