War Crimes or Business as Usual? A Coup in Aberdeen
Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 11:58 am
Jacksonville, FL
--In a surprising move that spells a rising of tensions between the Scottish Claymores and the Florida Featherheads, Chris 'Moondog' York has voided his contract to coach the Scottish AAA affiliate Aberdeen Golden Sands with the intent to slot in as pitching coach for the Beaufort Loggerdoggers, thus expelling the journeyman pitching coach John Franklin from his post.
For many, including the Featherheads management, the fact that York had taken a contract with Aberdeen soon after the beginning of the offseason was a bit of a shock. According to sources in the front office, they had always intended to make an offer to York this off-season and were giving him some space to enjoy some time away from the game at his ranch just outside of Loma Linda, CA before making the announcement after the end of the winter meetings.
“We honestly didn’t even notice at first that he was garnering interest with teams. Edinburgh must have been trying to keep it under the radar… which they were obviously successful at,” a source in the front office told me.
Chris York was contacted over by phone from his ranch for comment on the surprising turn of events that led him to turn coats so early into his coaching career. “I think there were two things going on at the same time here,” York said. “One, I had always imagined myself coaching after I was done playing so when I was given the opportunity to do so, I took it. Two, I knew that the Featherheads were full on pitching coaches so I figured I would have to take a job where I could. I was surprised as anyone when they approached me with the offer to take over the Beaufort job. I’m sorry it went down this way with the Claymores. They’re a world class organization, but it came down to what mattered, and at this time, what mattered most was coming home.”
Ken Hannahs, GM of the Florida Featherheads, also gave some short remarks regarding the recent moves.
"Listen, this is all business. At the end of the day, we all need to feed our families. If we can provide Chris with a better opportunity to do that, it should be no wonder that he decides to come home to where he spent the vast majority of his career. We're excited to have Moondog back in the fold and look forward to him coaching up our youngsters and to instill in them the 'Moondog Mindset' in Beaufort."
Where Ken Hannahs was decidedly serene about the outcome, Vic Caleca, GM of the Scottish, was decidedly less so. "We consider this underhanded dealing by the Featherheads to be nothing less than tampering and intend to ask the league to look into it. And if that fails, we'll take it to the international court at the Hague. This shall not stand!" Vic Caleca collected himself if only for a moment and stated "Plus, it wasn't very nice."
For a team undergoing a surge in popularity, the loss of a first ballot hall-of-famer from their coaching roster may not be a significant setback, but it does perhaps dampen some of the excitement of the budding powerhouse team. While Mr. Caleca's call for a war crimes tribunal against Featherheads brass may or may not come to pass, it marks the souring of relationships between the two IL front offices who both guided teams to playoff berths last year.
The Hague may be less interested in prosecuting Hannahs and staff as well considering their local-boy-made-good, Luppe van Dam, is about to reach the majors in Florida maroon. Perhaps this is one less reason for Florida to even consider trading the young phenom.
Read more: Chris ‘Moondog’ York began a dog rescue at his sprawling 100-acre ranch in January 2026 and attained their 501(c)3 non-profit status only months later. Since then, The Moondog House has housed over 750 pups ranging in age from a day old to 16 years and is a dedicated “no kill” shelter. Chris York and his family are avid dog lovers and have some of the lower adoption fees in California but do require more stringent background checks before allowing adoption. Donations are always welcome at http://www.themoondoghouse.com.
--In a surprising move that spells a rising of tensions between the Scottish Claymores and the Florida Featherheads, Chris 'Moondog' York has voided his contract to coach the Scottish AAA affiliate Aberdeen Golden Sands with the intent to slot in as pitching coach for the Beaufort Loggerdoggers, thus expelling the journeyman pitching coach John Franklin from his post.
For many, including the Featherheads management, the fact that York had taken a contract with Aberdeen soon after the beginning of the offseason was a bit of a shock. According to sources in the front office, they had always intended to make an offer to York this off-season and were giving him some space to enjoy some time away from the game at his ranch just outside of Loma Linda, CA before making the announcement after the end of the winter meetings.
“We honestly didn’t even notice at first that he was garnering interest with teams. Edinburgh must have been trying to keep it under the radar… which they were obviously successful at,” a source in the front office told me.
Chris York was contacted over by phone from his ranch for comment on the surprising turn of events that led him to turn coats so early into his coaching career. “I think there were two things going on at the same time here,” York said. “One, I had always imagined myself coaching after I was done playing so when I was given the opportunity to do so, I took it. Two, I knew that the Featherheads were full on pitching coaches so I figured I would have to take a job where I could. I was surprised as anyone when they approached me with the offer to take over the Beaufort job. I’m sorry it went down this way with the Claymores. They’re a world class organization, but it came down to what mattered, and at this time, what mattered most was coming home.”
Ken Hannahs, GM of the Florida Featherheads, also gave some short remarks regarding the recent moves.
"Listen, this is all business. At the end of the day, we all need to feed our families. If we can provide Chris with a better opportunity to do that, it should be no wonder that he decides to come home to where he spent the vast majority of his career. We're excited to have Moondog back in the fold and look forward to him coaching up our youngsters and to instill in them the 'Moondog Mindset' in Beaufort."
Where Ken Hannahs was decidedly serene about the outcome, Vic Caleca, GM of the Scottish, was decidedly less so. "We consider this underhanded dealing by the Featherheads to be nothing less than tampering and intend to ask the league to look into it. And if that fails, we'll take it to the international court at the Hague. This shall not stand!" Vic Caleca collected himself if only for a moment and stated "Plus, it wasn't very nice."
For a team undergoing a surge in popularity, the loss of a first ballot hall-of-famer from their coaching roster may not be a significant setback, but it does perhaps dampen some of the excitement of the budding powerhouse team. While Mr. Caleca's call for a war crimes tribunal against Featherheads brass may or may not come to pass, it marks the souring of relationships between the two IL front offices who both guided teams to playoff berths last year.
The Hague may be less interested in prosecuting Hannahs and staff as well considering their local-boy-made-good, Luppe van Dam, is about to reach the majors in Florida maroon. Perhaps this is one less reason for Florida to even consider trading the young phenom.
Read more: Chris ‘Moondog’ York began a dog rescue at his sprawling 100-acre ranch in January 2026 and attained their 501(c)3 non-profit status only months later. Since then, The Moondog House has housed over 750 pups ranging in age from a day old to 16 years and is a dedicated “no kill” shelter. Chris York and his family are avid dog lovers and have some of the lower adoption fees in California but do require more stringent background checks before allowing adoption. Donations are always welcome at http://www.themoondoghouse.com.
