Honolulu Gunmen - A Fight to the Finish

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 25, 2015 10:21 pm

Previously:

detroittigers15 wrote:

December 12th, 1998

"Wake up, Matt!"
I groaned. "What time is it?"
"Seven-thirty," Preston replied. I groaned again. We had only arrived at our hotel four hours earlier, as the trip had taken most of the night. "C'mon, we've got to get down to the resort."

I reluctantly lifted myself from the bed and got dressed, donning a white dress shirt and dark pink tie along with blue suit pants. Preston, however, picked out a strange-looking red suit with a black vest and a ruffled white shirt.

"What the hell are you wearing?" I asked him.
Preston stuck up his nose at this. "Please, Matt, you just don't understand fashion."

After a quick breakfast, we left our hotel.
"Where are we going, anyway?" I wondered as we stepped into Preston's car.
"The Opryland Hotel," he replied, "in downtown Nashville."
"How far away is that?"
He shrugged. "About fifteen minutes, maybe."

Sure enough, we arrived after twenty minutes of driving. The Opryland Hotel was awe-inspiring, with an enormous garden out in front and tall white columns supporting the roof.

"So they just let anybody in this place?" I asked.
"Sure," Preston answered. "Luckily, the winter meetings aren't much of a spectator sport, so it won't be all that crowded."

It was still two weeks before Christmas, but the interior of the hotel was absolutely sprawling with Christmas lights and other such decorations. An extravagant chandelier hung from the center of the roof, likely providing more decoration than actual light. I hardly saw anyone in the lobby. Perhaps the actually meeting part hadn't started yet.

Preston tapped my on the shoulder. "Who's that?" he asked, gesturing to a middle-aged man sitting alone, reading a book.
"How should I know?"
"I don't know, you usually know all about owners and stuff."
"He's probably just some guy."
Preston shook his head. "He's wearing a Diamondbacks shirt."
"So? He could just be a fan."
"A Diamondbacks fan in Tennessee, reading alone in the lobby where the MLB winter meetings are taking place? I don't think so."
"Well, if you're so sure, why don't you go over and introduce yourself."
"Me? You do it."
"You're the one who insists he's-"
Our conversation was suddenly interrupted. "Who might you two gentleman be?"
Startled, we turned around to see him standing before us. His smile was warm, but I still felt intimidated. I froze, but Preston replied for me.
"I'm Preston Greene," he said, "MLB enthusiast and budding General Manager. And this is Matthew Weaver, also an MLB enthusiast and budding General Manager."
"I presume you two are here for the winter meetings?" The man asked.
"Yes, sir," Preston answered.
The man smiled. "It's always nice to see young men such as yourself taking an interest in the finer points of baseball. Myself, I'm Rodrick Reilly, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Well, partial owner, anyway." Reilly extended his hand, and Preston and I each shook it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," said Preston. "Say, what are your team's plans for the meetings, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, we're not looking to do much. We've already picked up Greg Swindell, but we're still maybe looking for another pitcher."
I spoke up. "Greg Swindell... he's not much of a starter anymore, is he?"
"Well," said Reilly, "he hasn't started since '95, but we think we can give him a shot."
"Sir... I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think that's a good idea," I suggested.
"Oh?"
I shook my head. "Swindell's stamina has really taken a dive, and he'll be 34 by the time the season starts. I'd recommend looking into some other options for starting pitching."
Reilly laughed. "You really think so?" I nodded. "Well, who would you pick up?"
"If I could pick from any free agent, I'd probably sign Randy Johnson."
"Randy Johnson? But he's older than Swindell."
"Sure, but he's got a lot left in the tank, if you ask me."
Reilly paused for a moment. He seemed to be thinking. "What did you say your name was?"
"Matthew Weaver, sir."
"Matthew Weaver..." Reilly mumbled, "I'll be sure to remember that."

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 25, 2015 10:46 pm

December 15th, 1998
8:03 AM
New York University, New York, New Yorklol

"MATT WAKE UP!"

I was being rudely wakened by my roommate leaning over me and shouting at me with wide, unblinking eyes.

"What the..." I groaned.
"You'll never guess what happened last night!" Preston shouted.
"You finished your term paper?"
"...That's not what we're talking about."
"And what exactly are we talking about?"
"I am talking..." Preston turned around and reached into his backpack, "about... this."

I found myself looking at a copy of the New York Times. The headline read, "Johnson Signs With the Diamondbacks for $52 Million." I suddenly felt completely awake. I sat up and grabbed the paper out of his hand.

"Is this real?" I asked, astounded.
"You bet it is. That guy took your advice."
"No kidding... and he went big too. $52 million..." My head was spinning. I looked up at Preston. "Did you get his contact information?"
Preston thought for a minute. "No... did you?"
"No."

I went back to reading the paper. "One of Johnson's agents, Barry Meister, said, 'We became convinced of Arizona's determination to make the team a winner and the fact that they have the resources to do it.'"
"Geez," Preston marvelled, "it's like you changed the whole outlook of the organization."
"I wouldn't go that far."

Then something occurred to me.

"Did you steal this paper from the library?"
Preston was busy miming a newspaper headline in the air.
"18-Year-Old GM Revolutionizes Baseball."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves..."
"This is our big break," he said. "Just you wait Matty. Just you wait..."

Kungfupandacam · **Posted:** Thu Nov 26, 2015 9:15 am

So this is like in two different time periods. Uhhh.... now I a m a little confused/not now.

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Tue May 31, 2016 11:23 pm

August 29th, 2015
12:44 AM
Los Angeles, CA

"How wonderful it is to finally see you again, Matt."

I sat in stunned silence for a few moments before being able to speak.

"M-Mr. Reilly..."
He smiled. "Matthew, you know me better than that. Call me Rodrick."

Rodrick Reilly hadn't changed. Sure, the laugh lines around his warm smile had deepened, and his gray-speckled hair had gone full gray, but... he was still the same man. Welcoming, charismatic, reassuring... he was overall one of the greatest people I'd ever known.

"Of course. It's just... it's just such a shock, and... and a pleasure of course, I mean, in a good way-"
He laid a hand on my shoulder. "Trust me, no one is as happy for us to be working together again as I am." He smiled, and I smiled back, but it soon vanished. I spoke.
"I have to ask you something, though. And it's a little forthright."
"Of course," he replied.
"Why all the secrecy? Why didn't you tell me sooner that it was you?"

Rodrick sat back and looked up as if in deep thought.

"Well, I had decided when I bought the team that you were my top candidate for general manager. I also like to think that I know you pretty well, and so I decided to buy the team anonymously. I had a strong feeling that you wouldn't take the job if you'd known I was the man hiring you. You would've seen it as a personal favor."

He had me there.

"And while I'm certainly glad to be working with you again, and I consider you a good friend, I can assure you it was nothing of that nature." He tilted his head and returned his gaze from the ceiling to me while offering me a warm smile. "You're a gifted person, Matt. You understand baseball, and you understand people. You're the perfect man for the job, and I needed to ensure that you'd take it."

There was a brief moment of silence as I took in all that he said. Then I spoke.

"That means a lot, Rodrick. Especially coming from you."
"It's the truth."
"But even so, it's almost September. Surely you could've told me sooner."

Rodrick looked up again as he thought.

"Well, what's life without a little mystery?" he said as a sly grin crept across his face. I laughed.
"You haven't changed a bit."

AgentP · **Posted:** Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:18 am

10/10 squealed audibly

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 01, 2016 3:30 pm

August 29th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (78-53) vs. Los Angeles Angels (62-69)

Final Score:
Honolulu Gunmen - 1
Los Angeles Angels - 3

John Lackey dominated our hitters in this one.

Box Score
Win: John Lackey (9-11)
Save: Francisco Rodriguez (23)
Loss: Akinori Otsuka (11-6)
HR: Raul Alcarez (25)

J. Medrano - 0-4, .294
M. McElroy - 1-4, K, .264
J. Hernandez - 0-4, R, K, .282
M. McCarthy - 2-4, 2B, .289
D. Wayne - 1-4, RBI, K, .325
P. Warr - 1-4, .273
D. Wilde - 0-3, K, .276
S. Bernard - 0-2, K, BB, .274
C. Raines - 0-3, K, .233

A. Otsuka (L) - 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 K, 4 BB, 3.40
E. Lorrier - 1.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 1.79

August 30th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (78-54) vs. Los Angeles Angels (63-69)

Final Score:
Honolulu Gunmen - 5
Los Angeles Angels - 10

What an ugly game for our pitching. From Rivera to Wilson, every pitcher today struggled except for Rick Allen, who got a two pitch ground out to end the eighth. We actually held a 5 to 1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth, but it all fell apart there as the Angels scored nine runs over the next three innings.

Box Score
Win: Justin Speier (3-4)
Save:
Loss: Mike Colyer (4-6)
HR: Garrett Anderson (13,14), Howie Kendrick (14), Derek Wayne (19)

J. Medrano - 1-4, RBI, K, BB, .293
M. McElroy - 1-4, 2 RBI, K, BB, .264
J. Hernandez - 1-5, 2B, R, K, .281
M. McCarthy - 1-4, 2B, RBI, K, .289
D. Wayne - 2-4, HR, RBI, R, K, .327
P. Warr - 0-4, .271
D. Wilde - 3-4, 2B, E, .280
S. Bernard - 2-4, R, E, .276
C. Raines - 2-4, 2 R, SB, .235

J. Rivera - 5+ IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 K, BB, 3.40
M. Colyer (L) - 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K, 2.83
J. Hampson - 0.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 4.15
A. Wilson - 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 2.95
R. Allen - 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4.09

August 31st, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (78-55) vs. Los Angeles Angels (64-69)

Final Score(10):
Honolulu Gunmen - 7
Los Angeles Angels - 5

We just barely managed to avoid the sweep and our franchise's first ever five-game losing streak. Down 5-3 in the ninth, we pushed across two runs on three hits against Francisco Rodriguez before adding another two in the tenth, giving us a 7-5 win.

It's of note that the winning and losing pitchers for this game were the opposite of last game.

Box Score
Win: Mike Colyer (5-6)
Save: Rick Allen (39)
Loss: Justin Speier (3-5)
HR: Raul Alcarez (26), Matt McCarthy (56)

J. Medrano - 2-6, 2B, RBI, R, K, .294
M. McElroy - 3-6, 2B, R, .267
J. Hernandez - 1-6, RBI, .280
M. McCarthy - 4-5, HR, 2 RBI, R, .294
-----T. Weaver - SB, R
----------M. MacKenzie
D. Wayne - 3-5, RBI, R, .329
P. Warr - 0-5, .268
D. Wilde - 3-5, 2B, R, .284
S. Bernard - 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R, .280
C. Raines - 0-2, .234
-----D. Millwood - 0-3, .278

M. Davis - 5.1 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 K, 2 BB, 3.89
V. Trieu - 1.2 IP, H, 0 ER, K, 2.25
J. Hampson - 1.1 IP, H, 0 ER, 3 K, 3.98
M. Colyer (W) - 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2.80
R. Allen (SV) - IP, H, 0 ER, 4.02

Series MVPs:
Matt McCarthy - 10-19, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 R
Derek Wayne - 7-18, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB
Donnie Wilde - 8-18, 3 2B, RBI, R
Steve Bernard - 6-16, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 01, 2016 3:38 pm

I realize that a lot of the members who were around for the beginning of this log almost four years ago are gone, and even those that are still around may have lost interest or simply don't remember what is going on. So, for any newer members who are interested in getting up to speed or older ones who have forgotten things, please feel free to ask questions about characters, plot lines, really anything, and I'd be happy to answer.

While I enjoy writing this log for its own sake, making it reader friendly is still a top priority for me.

AgentP · **Posted:** Wed Jun 01, 2016 3:56 pm

detroittigers15 wrote:

Series MVPs:
Matt McCarthy - 10-19, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 R

that's a slash line of .526/.526/.895 lol

remind me again what his abilities are? iirc it's like B contact and A power

edit: found 'em, I was right. does he have any special abilities?

also I appreciate the symbolic gesture of substituting Mac for Tweav

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 01, 2016 7:53 pm

The full, more detailed roster can be found here.

And yeah, McCarthy is stupid good.

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 02, 2016 4:29 pm

August in Review

After going 19-6 in July, a 15-13 August is a little underwhelming. The Dolphins, meanwhile, went 19-9 and now hold a three game lead in the AL West. We're tied with the Red Sox for the Wild Card.

Player Statistics

SP - Brendan Bikowski
This month: 0-1, 5.55 ERA, 24.1 IP, 27 K
This year: 10-4, 2.66 ERA, 152.0 IP, 166 K
Bikowski had a really rough month that could seriously hurt his ROTY chances.

SP - Charlie Huff
This month: 2-0, 3.39 ERA, 34.2 IP, 22 K
This year: 11-4, 3.39 ERA, 151.1 IP, 106 K
Huff's WHIP (0.98) is fantastic, but his tendency for giving up the long ball keeps his ERA good, not great.

SP - Akinori Otsuka
This month: 2-2, 1.95 ERA, 37.0 IP, 20 K
This year: 11-6, 3.40 ERA, 161.1 IP, 121 K
Otsuka continues to impress following his rough start. He has some command issues, but overall he's an excellent pitcher.

SP - Johnny Rivera
This month: 0-3, 4.55 ERA, 29.2 IP, 16 K
This year: 4-7, 3.40 ERA, 124.1 IP, 77 K
It wasn't a great month for Rivera, who went 0-3 with a mediocre ERA.

SP - Michael Davis
This month: 2-1, 5.23 ERA 31.0 IP, 22 K
This year: 11-5, 3.89 ERA, 136.1 IP, 81 K
20-year old Michael had a really rough month, though he still managed to go 2-1 somehow. His ERA is regressing to where it's expected to be. He needs to work on adding a pitch in the offseason.

SP - Cesario Castillo
This month: 1-1, 3.48 ERA, 20.2 IP, 16 K
This year: 7-8, 3.41 ERA, 132.0 IP, 89 K
Castillo has pretty good stuff, but his control is terrible. It hasn't hurt him that much this year, but it's something that needs to be improved.

RP - Justin Hampson
This month: 5 G, 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 2.2 IP, 3 K
This year: 5 G, 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 2.2 IP, 3 K
Hampson appeared in five of our last seven games this month, usually only facing a batter or two. He's playoff roster eligible since he came up before September 1st, so he'll be with us the rest of the calendar year.

RP - Evan Lorrier
This month: 9 G, 0-0, 5.19 ERA, 8.2 IP, 1 K
This year: 35 G, 4-1, 1.79 ERA, 45.1 IP, 31 K
Lorrier's ERA normalized a bit this month, but it's still the best of anyone in the bullpen.

RP - Viet Trieu
This month: 12 G, 0.93 ERA, 1-1, 19.1 IP, 10 K
This year: 38 G, 3-2, 2.25 ERA, 48.0 IP, 29 K
Trieu really came into his own this month as a staple for our bullpen.

RP - Devin Edwards
This month: 8 G, 2-1, 2.57 ERA, 14.0 IP, 2 K
This year: 35 G, 3-3, 3.00 ERA, 51.0 IP, 26 K
Edwards is not a strikeout pitcher, but he does what he can to get outs. He's one of our oldest players at 26.

RP - Adam Wilson
This month: 13 G, 1-0, 4.11 ERA, 15.1 IP, 10 K
This year: 50 G, 4-1, 2.95 ERA, 61.0 IP, 48 K
Wilson had a mediocre month teetering on the brink of bad, but he's been a quality set-up man for most of the year.

RP - Mike Colyer
This month: 10 G, 2-1, 3.55 ERA, 12.2 IP, 16 K
This year: 45 G, 5-6, 2.80 ERA, 61.0 IP, 51 K
Colyer had an unlucky month, as he racked up a ton of strikeouts but still gave up a lot of hits.

CP - Rick Allen
This month: 14 G, 2-2, 3.75 ERA, 12.0 IP, 7 K, 7/8 SV
This year: 59 G, 5-7, 4.02 ERA, 56.0 IP, 29 K, 39/43 SV
Allen's strikeout numbers are low, but he usually shuts the door out of the 'pen.

C - Matt McCarthy
This month: .293, 10 HR, 22 RBI, 15 R
This year: .294(155-528)/.326/.655, 23 2B, 56 HR (1st), 129 RBI (1st), 90 R (1st)
Business as usual for McCarthy.

1B - Juan Hernandez
This month: .192, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 11 R
This year: .280(151-539)/.306/.466, 25 HR (2nd), 72 RBI (2nd), 76 R (2nd)
Hernandez had a really tough time making solid contact this month.

2B - Steve Bernard
This month: .357, 1 HR, 13 RBI
This year: .280(118-421)/.300/.387, 8 2B, 11 HR, 46 RBI, 42 R
Bernard's clutch hitting was key for us this month.

3B - Donnie Wilde
This month: .301, 9 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI
This year: .284(131-462)/.315/.392, 25 2B (3rd), 7 HR, 43 RBI, 40 R
Wilde's been hitting for power a lot better lately and is now third on the team in doubles.

SS - Jose Medrano
This month: .237, 7 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 9 R, 5/5 SB
This year: .294(168-572)/.319/.421, 32 2B (1st), 7 3B (1st), 9 HR, 58 RBI (3rd), 70 R (3rd) 25/31 SB(1st)
He hasn't been hitting for a high average lately, but he had a good amount of extra base hits and five steals to go along with his stellar defensive play.

LF - Marcus McElroy
This month: .184, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 8 R
This year: .267(137-513)/.302/.357, 16 2B, 6 3B (2nd), 6 HR, 51 RBI, 57 R, 11/14 SB (3rd)
He's in a huge slump. I might have to move him from the top of the order.

CF - Colin Raines
This month: .163, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 4/4 SB
This year: .234(96-410)/.265/.300, 13 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 43 R, 22/24 SB (2nd)
Raines' hitting is positively dreadful, and it's actually managed to get worse. He's in the line-up for his legs and his glove, solely.

RF - Derek Wayne
This month: .376, 8 2B, 4 HR, 13 RBI
This year: .329(165-501)/.346/.497, 27 2B (2nd), 19 HR, 57 RBI, 53 R
Wayne has been a hit machine all season long.

DH - Patrick Warr
This month: .270, 8 HR, 14 RBI
This year: .268(114-426)/.296/.467, 19 2B, 22 HR (3rd), 49 RBI, 45 R
Patrick had a pretty big hot streak in the middle of the month, but then came back down to earth. A .270 batting average is about what can be expected from him.

2B/3B - Matt MacKenzie
This month: .452(14-31), 9 RBI, 3 R
This year: .282(33-117)/.288/.333, 4 2B, 0 HR, 14 RBI, 10 R, 2/2 SB
Our second most used bench player was on fire in August, and is now a poor hitter instead of a horrendous one.

OF - Danny Millwood
This month: .250(10-40), 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
This year: .278(40-144)/.293/.521, 4 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 23 RBI, 22 R
His slugging percentage is ridiculously high. He's a great pinch hitter and platoon guy against left-handed pitchers.

OF - Tommy Weaver
This month: .375(3-8), 3/4 SB
This year: .286(4-14)/.375/.286, 5 R, 6/7 SB
He's mostly a pinch runner, but he gets the occasional start in center field. I have high hopes for the 24-year old's future.

Team Statistics

ERA: 3.27 (1st | Prev: 1st)
RA: 464 (2nd | Prev: 2nd)
HR: 115 (t-2nd | Prev: 2nd)
K: 907 (25th | Prev: 25th)
BB: 216 (1st | Prev: 1st)

BA: .280 (6th | Prev: 7th)
R: 571 (27th | Prev: 23rd)
HR: 171 (t-5th | Prev: 4th)
SB: 83 (26th | Prev: 27th)

AL West Standings
1. Sacramento Dolphins - 82-52
2. Honolulu Gunmen - 79-55
3. Seattle Mariners - 66-68
4. Los Angeles Angels - 64-70
5. Texas Rangers - 57-77
5. Oakland Athletics - 57-77

AL Wild Card Standings
1. Boston Red Sox - 79-55
1. Honolulu Gunmen - 79-55
3. Detroit Tigers - 69-65
4. Seattle Mariners - 66-68

We're three back of the Dolphins for the division, and the Wild Card is all but guaranteed to be a two team race. We have a four game set at home against the Dolphins in late September which will more than likely decide the division winner.

American League Players of the Month

Player of the Month: NYY 3B Alex Rodriguez (.438, 8 HR, 28 RBI)
Rookie of the Month: SAC CF Sylvester Coddmeyer III (.358, 8 HR, 25 RBI)
Pitcher of the Month: SAC SP Eddie Cicotte (5-0, 1.35 ERA, 41 K)
Reliever of the Month: Not Awarded

Two Dolphins took home awards as they team went 19-9 in August.

National League Players of the Month

Player of the Month: STL 1B Albert Pujols (.452, 9 HR, 29 RBI)
Rookie of the Month: STL SP Kyle Lohse (5-0, 1.27, 42 K)
Pitcher of the Month: STL CF Brian Barton (.384, 4 HR, 25 RBI)
Reliever of the Month: Not Awarded

The Cardinals absolutely cleaned up, as they went 17-11 on the month. They're really pushing hard to get back into the playoff chase after starting 19-36, but at 64-70 they might be too far back.

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 04, 2016 5:33 pm

Previously:

detroittigers15 wrote:

August 7th, 2004
4:30 PM
Phoenix, AZ

I sat alone in my car, motionless. Upon checking the clock, I estimated to have been sitting there for half an hour. I checked my phone once more. No missed calls.

The engine roared to life as I turned the key. I pulled out of what was now a nearly empty parking lot and onto the highway. The speedometer climbed from 70 to 80, then 90 miles per hour. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and letting off the gas pedal to let the car decelerate to a reasonable speed.

I looked up at the sign that was approaching. Exit 44, leaving 3 miles between myself and home. I glanced at my mirrors and turned the wheel, gliding across to the exit lane. After a series of turns, I ended up on Abbott Road. I pulled into the first parking lot I saw.

Exiting the car and entering the building, I found myself in a bar. I looked around and took a seat. The bartender looked at me, and I raised my index finger. Moments later, a bottle was placed on the counter.

My mind began to wander, but I forced it blank. I picked up the bottle and took a drink, wincing as the piss-colored liquid ran over my tongue and down my throat. I'd never been one for alcohol.

A television set above me showed highlights from the previous night of MLB action, the last thing that would be able to distract me. I instead took to peeling the label off the beer bottle. As I finished off the final letter of the brand name, I felt a buzz in my pocket. I picked up without looking.

"Hello?"
"Matt, where are you?"

It was Melissa.

"Me? I'm, uh... why, what's up?"
"Are you going to be home soon?"
"I... I don't know."

There was a pause.

"I know you're upset, but I think I have something that could cheer you up."

Another pause.

"I don't know about that."
"Come on, Matthew. Please come home as soon as you can. I promise it'll be worth it."
"I... I really don't feel like being home right now."

There was another, longer pause.

"Matthew... this is the last time I'm going to ask. Please come home."
"I... I... I'm sorry..."

There was a sigh, then a click. I returned to my drink.

Minutes passed, then hours as time seemed to accelerate. I'd finished off a fourth bottle and killed two hours staring at the walls by the time I resolved to head home. I paid my tab and stumbled towards the door. Largely unfamiliar with alcohol, perhaps it would've been better not to drink so much. I entered my car and placed the key in the ignition on the third attempt. Realizing what was going on, I took the key back out, set it in the cup holder, and let myself doze off.

10:00 PM
Phoenix, AZ

I awoke to a pounding headache.

Groggily, I tried to clear my head and remembered where I was. I checked my phone and found no new messages. I fumbled for the keys and the placed them in the ignition, this time on the first try. The drive home felt like an hour, but it was only 10:15 when I pulled into the driveway. I placed the car in park and stepped out, walking around it and heading for the front door. I located the house key and unlocked the front door. It opened with a creak, and I headed inside, feeling for the light switch with my right hand. I found and flipped it, illuminating the front hallway. My head ached and I squinted, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the light. I eventually was able to look up.

Above me, straddling the doorway leading from the hallway to the kitchen, was a banner.

"Happy Birthday, Matt!"

I turned the light off again and walked upstairs, falling onto an empty bed and drifting to sleep.

Powerprosfan31 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 05, 2016 1:44 am

detroittigers15 wrote:

OF - Tommy Weaver
This month: .375(3-8), 3/4 SB
This year: .286(4-14)/.375/.286, 5 R, 6/7 SB
He's mostly a pinch runner, but he gets the occasional start in center field. I have high hopes for the 24-year old's future.

<3

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2016 3:21 pm

August 8th, 2004
9:44 AM
Phoenix, AZ

I paced around the kitchen table three times before dialing again. I put the phone to my ear.

"Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voi-"
*click*

I threw to phone across the room in frustration. It landed unceremoniously on the couch. I sat down and buried my face in my hands. I hard a faint ringing from across the room. I stood and ran to retrieve the phone and answered.

"Hello?"
"Hi, Matthew."

I almost broke down in tears at the sound of her voice.

"Melissa... you don't know how glad I am to hear from you."

She didn't respond.

"I'm so sorry," I said. More silence. "Where are you?" I asked.
"Rebecca's."

Rebecca... Melissa's older sister. I never felt she liked me.

"You drove all the way to Tucson?"
"Uh-huh."
...
"When are you coming back?"
She paused before answering. "Not... not for a while."

My heart sank. "A while? What do you mean? How long?"
"I don't know, Matthew. I need some time to myself."

A wave of despair unlike any I'd ever known came over me.

"Melissa, I-"
"I have to go now."
"What?"
"Good luck tonight. And happy birthday."
*click*
"Melissa?"

She was gone.

Tdud123 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2016 5:51 pm

Ok, so I kinda sorta just read all the updates in this log and I had one question. Who's genius idea was it to make the Sacramento team, a landlocked city, the Dolphins? But the storytelling is 10 outta 10

detroittigers15 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2016 6:26 pm

Tdud123 wrote:

Ok, so I kinda sorta just read all the updates in this log and I had one question. Who's genius idea was it to make the Sacramento team, a landlocked city, the Dolphins? But the storytelling is 10 outta 10

Shhhh...

Appreciate it though!

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