Story Behind The Man Part 1.

[NeilT]

The San Juan Coqui shocked the world of the PEBA by announcing a blast from the past as new GM replacing JD Caldwell replacing Caldwell as new GM was none other than the ex Yuma Bulldozers GM, ex Hyakujuu Shinkansen GM, ex Bakersfield Bears GM and ex San Antonio Calzones of Laredo GM Neil Thomas. GM Thomas not only as 4 teams on his PEBA Universe CV but also as professional karaoke singer, rattlesnake breeder, chicken breeder and as of late elk breeder on it as well, and that little known career of elephant dung collector and salesman of said dung.

After the announcement our reporter Luis Rivera sat down and spoke to the new San Juan Coqui GM.

Luis Rivera: Its not your first rodeo within the PEBA though.

"No Luis I started in Yuma when my friend Joe Dobbs purchased the Yuma Bulldozers, that was a disaster. Just because you played OOTP does not mean you can go be a professional GM in the real world, trust me I know.

Luis Rivera: After Yuma we never heard of you until your cruise ship docked in Hiroshima and ended up being GM of the Hyakujuu Shinkansen.

"That's correct Luis, I wanted to get as far away from Yuma as possible, so I went to L.A. and got passage on a cruise ship washing dishes next thing I know I'm singing karaoke on my night off and being offered a job as the ships entertainer, turns out the original ships entertainer had food poisoning".

Luis Rivera: It was a short stay in Hiroshima?

"It was, however I can't go into too much detail on that one, CIA, Yakuza that kind of thing. What I can and do say is in the "Life and times of a Professional Karaoke Singer" which you'll probably be able to pick up for a $1 at your local thrift store".

[NeilT]

Luis Rivera: What came after Hiroshima?

"Well I actually I went back to Yuma, Joe Dobbs my best friend got me a place in the desert I just wanted to be away from people. Well I went for a walk one day and found a rattlesnake turns out it had no teeth so I kind of adopted it and he adopted me, I named him Gummy. So to look after him I read up on rattlesnakes and found out there venom was valuable so I started raising them".

Luis Rivera: Must have been a dangerous job?

"At first it was, had to call for a few ambulances after they sunk there fangs into me but after a while I got immune from there venom. They always aimed for my ass, sorry a snake joke there".

Luis Rivera: Oh yeah I get it kind of, then Bakersfield came calling.

"Indeed they did, I'd gone to a Yuma and Bakersfield exhibition game and met a few old friends, got talking to the Bears owners who asked if I was interested in getting back into baseball, well you don't need to ask me twice so it was a return to the PEBA".

Luis Rivera: Reason behind leaving Bakersfield?

"Bakersfield is a blue collar type team, least it was when I was there. I never felt like I fitted in, I kind of did when I first got there but I just felt out of place as the days went by".

[NeilT]

Luis Rivera: Chickens and elephants?

"Yes that was after Bakersfield, I'd gone back to England with more money than I could dream of so got a nice place in the country and raised chickens, only one elephant though. A zoo closed down near where I loved that's how I ended up with Nelly".

Luis Rivera: Eccentric?

" I call myself eccentric, people on the whole call me crazy".

Luis Rivera: The last time we saw you within the confines of the PEBA was with the San Antonio Calzones of Laredo, what went wrong?

"Love Luis pure and simple it was love, a Chinese travelling circus came to San Antonio and I fell in love with a knife thrower named Huan so when the circus left, I went with her".

Luis Rivera: So you joined the circus?

"Well I wasn't talented enough to actually join the circus, I cleaned up after the elephants, lions and such also earned a bit of extra money by selling what I cleaned up. You can actually trace were the circus as been by the beautiful roses that grow along the route we travelled, you can also smell it".

Luis Rivera: What happened to Huan and the circus?

Well we grew apart, I got itchy feet she fell in love with a clown, although many thought she was already in love with a clown".

Luis Rivera: And of late ?

"Elk breeding, Luis. When I left the circus I was stuck in China, I'd got a big sack of money from the dung business and met an old man at a bar. Anyway he was selling his elk business, so I bought it. Turns out there's a boat load of money to be had in elks, see the Chinese use the velvet from elk antlers in medicine so I've been making more money from elks than with the dung business. Actually twice as much, as not only do I sell the velvet but the dung as well".

[Ghosts]

Well if you get into frog breeding in San Juan, make sure you keep them on the island. Hopefully the Coqui (the team, not the frogs) and Mr. Thomas are in for a long, successful pairing.

[NeilT]

Well if you get into frog breeding in San Juan, make sure you keep them on the island. Hopefully the Coqui (the team, not the frogs) and Mr. Thomas are in for a long, successful pairing.

I hope that'll be a good while of, I think I'd be hung by my thumbs it I went frog breeding so soon although there maybe an opening in San Juan for frog racing.

[NeilT]

Luis Rivera: Do you think your itchy feet will return?

" Well Luis it turns out I really did have itchy feet, I twisted my ankle in China so went to see a doctor. Anyway the doctor said I had a small rash on my foot and I was allergic to the trainers I was wearing, so I told him about my itchy feet travelling wise. Nothing to do with travelling he said, it was down to every time I got a new pair of trainers my feet would react to them until I'd worn them in, that's why they'd itch for a couple of weeks so my itchy feet have been cured".

Luis Rivera: Boat loads of money, why return to the PEBA?

"I bumped into Arturo Torres the scouting director for San Juan, he was on a scouting trip to China in Beijing, I'd gone into Beijing to sell some velvet and decided to catch a game before I headed home. We ended up in the same section and got talking, he tells me about San Juan maybe looking for a cheap replacement for there GM. So I'm thinking I could be cheap, I have sack full of cash from the elks, well a phone call later to the owner I'm the new GM of San Juan".

Luis Rivera: So a long stay in San Juan?

"Hopefully Luis, just as long as the fans don't run me out of San Juan having realised I'm not that good of a GM but keep that to yourself Luis, no honestly keep that to yourself".

*Note the representation above of Neil Thomas does not represent the real Neil Thomas, I have never bred elks nor rattlesnakes and have never dabbled as a professional karaoke singer although I can belt out a decent Teddy Bear by Elvis with a couple of cider in me at my local and I have raised chickens but no elephant.

Also note the "Life and times of a Professional Karaoke Singer" is published under copyright of which half are owned by the Yakuza so be warned unless you want to be known as 9 fingers Michael, Dylan or Greg etc.

However just because my nickname is 9 fingers Neil is just coincidence.