First Pitch: Day Eleven

12 Dec 2021

The big news yesterday was that Kyle Keller signed a deal to play in Japan in 2022. We could joke about the second Keller no longer being an option for the Pirates. Instead, I wonder how many fringe players will end up going to another professional league around the world if the lockout persists for the long-term?

MLBTR had a story about how Chris Stratton and David Bednar could both be on the trade block when the lockout is finished. There’s nothing really in this story about why Stratton and Bednar could be on the trade block, or drawing interest, other than “They’re good relievers and the Pirates are trading good players.” I wouldn’t rule out a trade of either based on that logic, but wouldn’t expect anything either.

This week on PBN, I’ll be focusing on the Pirates’ rebuild. I was going to do that this past week, but held off to give priority to Ethan’s series on the lockout. If you haven’t checked that out, be sure to take some time to catch up on what’s going on.

What Led to the Lockout – An Introduction

What Exactly Do the Players Want?

How Do the Players Achieve Their Goals?

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I write a lot every week that doesn’t get published. Some of that writing is non-baseball writing, mostly geared toward poetry. Every Sunday, I’ll share a poem that I wrote recently. I’ve got plans to develop some of these into a book one day, with hundreds of poems to choose from.

This week, I’ll go with a fun option. This is a poem I wrote about Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, talking to his younger version (Young Lad), with some of my ideas on how Kang could be woven into the universe.

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I am Kang the Conqueror
And Immortus is Tony Stark
He learned of time
He snapped his fingers
His powerful chest piece
Ran the gauntlet for 15 minutes
Giving him infinite time
To re-shape my multiverse
The Living Tribunal caught him in the act
But they were tired of me
And every variant just like me
So they put Stark in charge of everything
He had me running every branch of his operation
But he let a demigod escape
And that demigod helped me escape

This man was the richest human of his time
With the most technology that money could buy
Controlling the next generation of an energy race
Using all of his power to fly to the top of the world
From this one lifetime he controlled the multiverse

I felt it was unfair the Eternals helped him along
So I traveled back in time to help his enemies along
Each time he defeated a weaker version
A new branch in time created a new ally of mine
And I grew stronger through time
While hiding away in the Quantum Realm

One of Stark’s Avengers arrived
And I barely escaped through time
Ending up in Egypt around 10,000 BC
Using my technology to rule the world as Rama-Tut
Stashing away fortunes and weapon stashes
For all of my future selves
The Fantastic Four arrived and foiled my plans
But I got my revenge
Removed those four from Stark’s timeline
Along with every insect that invaded my land
Eliminated Captain America
Using the only thing that could eliminate me
Love
Then I worked to tarnish his legacy
Freed the Red Skull, armed with a lie
Which caused Gamora and Black Widow to die
By the end, the weak ones were all split with rage
With no help coming from a weaker Doctor Strange

I could show you every step you’ll have to take
But I’m not that confident you’ll stick to the path
So I’ll show you the destination
With checkpoints along the way
And mind you to kill DOOM before he kills you
This will all make you much stronger, young lad
For the last thing I need is for you to become
Another weak Kang, trapped under Stark’s thumb
I am Kang, and so are you
We need allies in this time of greed
The Scarlet Witch has come