Duluth News-Tribune

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Nigel
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Duluth News-Tribune

#1 Post by Nigel »

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WARRIORS FUTURE CLEARER?

Reginald Tarquin
Chief Sports Writer


News has been leaking out from sources within the Warriors front office that the official announcement of the appointment of a new GM is imminent. The Duluth franchise has been in a state of flux over the course of the last year or so with no-one quite sure who's pulling the strings in the front office.Despite that the Warriors managed an 81-81 record in 2024, their third straight season at .500 or better but still snapping a two-season Post-Season streak.

Word on the street is the hot favourite to be announced GM is the former PEBA Commissioner, Nigel Laverick, who left the PEBA's highest office last year on medical grounds. Laverick also has a successful stint in London on his CV including a 2018 Championship Ring as well as spells at Marseille, San Juan and Kuwana of the LRS. If that were to be the case several current Warriors might be looking for new clubs in 2025. Laverick's former teams have been built on defence, a quality lacking in recent Duluth line-ups. third baseman David Uribes was particularly guilty in 2024 with a -4.5 ZR as were the corner outfielders. The wide open spaces in the outfield of Doyle Buhl Stadium have exposed the (lack of) defence of many a recent Warriors outfielder and an improvement there could well see an upturn in Duluth fortunes.

We continue to try to find out further details but no-one from the Front Office or owner Jason Bong is willing to confirm anything on the record yet. One thing that has emerged though is the Warriors have bought out the rights to the Unga Bunga blog and have employed former Unga Bunga writer Olaf Halvorsen, fresh from his recent incarceration for libel, as Senior Social Media Director
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Re: Duluth News-Tribune

#2 Post by Sandgnats »

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RJ Ermola
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Crystal Lake Sandgnats

*2024 PEBA Champions*
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Nigel
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Re: Duluth News-Tribune

#3 Post by Nigel »

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NEW ARRIVAL TO SPLIT SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT?


Reginald Tarquin
Chief Sports Writer


The free agents may have only just filed but new GM Laverick already had a rabbit up his sleeve. On the day that the free agents filed the Warriors Front Office announced the signing of 31-yr-old outfielder Nimulodi Chekhemani on a three-year $48m deal although only 2025 is guaranteed with 2026 being a vesting option and 2027 a team option. Chekhemani had a five-year career in the old LRS with Shin Seiki & Edo before heading to the PEBA for years with Havana, Neo-Tokyo and Niihama-shi. He spent last year with Niihama-shi in the World Independent League. He is probably better at defence at the corners which could call into question the corner partnership of Bruce ‘Smokey’ McGuire and Joe ‘The Bandit’ Kenny? McGuire has been a star in left but Kenny has been inconsistent both with his bat and his glove in right. The signing of Chekhemani is the first shot across the bows of the Bandit while young 24-yr-old Hitoshi Sugahara, a 2021 second rounder, will be looking to impress with his first Spring Training invite and throw another cap in the right outfield mix.

The Warriors fans, already upset about missing the play-offs for the first time in three years, now have two more things to upset them. Fan Forums are still flooded with angry posts about the trade of popular shortstop Andrés Hernández to Shin Seiki and fans are now ramping up their protests about the size of Chekhemani’s contract. They see The Bandit as a favoured outfielder and if the Warriors must replace him Sugahara is seen as a viable option after showing solid glove work and flashes of power in the minors.

32-yr-old Phil Anderson who arrived as part of the Hernandez trade is expected to replace him at short while another component, 27-yr-old righty Arinori Mochizuki, is expected to be the 4th/5th man in the rotation. He has a 40-23 record with a 4.18 ERA in his three years with the Evas. He also has 436 strikeouts in his 521 innings pitched but against that he has also walked 223 batters at the same time.

The Warriors might have played .500 ball in 2024 but it appears fairly certain that their line-up on Opening Day 2025 will be much changed from that one that finished 2024 losing six of the last eight games.
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