By Tomasz Kamien / NewJerseyHitmen.blogspot.com

March 1^st, 2013: Trenton, NJ – Finally making it official, the New Jersey Hitmen today introduced the team’s new General Manager, Holleb Kasprowicz.  A virtual unknown to the PEBA world of baseball, Holleb hails from the Kraków Towers of a small international league, the PBO (Polish Baseball Organization).  In his seven seasons as the team’s manager, Holleb amassed an impressive 595-429 record, a .581 winning percentage.  He led the team to seven playoff appearances, four division titles and two White and Red Championships.  Truly impressive numbers for any one manager, but the question remains as to how this will translate to the much bigger and impressive PEBA baseball experience.

In his final two seasons managing Kraków, the team had begun to lose a bit more than they were accustomed to, and they limped into the playoffs second in the Central League, having to depend on the wild card to continue their consecutive playoff appearance streak.  Holleb will have to adjust – and fast, as the Hitmen are not the Towers.  New Jersey has not made the playoffs or posted a winning season since 2009.

Another big factor for the Towers winning ways was strong pitching, led by PBO Hall of Famer Gerek “Big Red” Huratiak.  The legend led the league in career wins (211), ERA (2.46), win percentage (.740), shutouts (14), strikeouts (2818)… the list  goes on and on. New Jersey’s most efficient pitching performance came in 2007 when Luis Peña went 16-6 with a 2.52 ERA, leading the team to a 108-win season and an inaugural season Planetary Extreme Championship win for the Hitmen – their only win and appearance to date.  He was rewarded by being traded the following season.

There is no doubt that Holleb will have his work cut out for him, but experts wonder if the odds are already stacked too high against him in his PEBA debut.  Lacking any sensible starting rotation, losing their stud catcher in a risky trade with Dixie powerhouse Florida, touting a super-young offense which currently looks to start two rookies in the infield, and with an average starting lineup age of only 25 years, the Hitmen have a long road ahead of them.  Despite improving their record last season, the team has yet to break .500 since 2009, and the experts don’t put their 2013 hopes above 78 wins.

To make matters worse, Holleb does not speak a word of English, which will be a huge hurdle for the team this coming year.  An interpreter has been hired, although he has yet to make it to camp, and whether he will make it in time for spring training is not yet known.  There are no Polish-speaking players in the league.  Nikodem “Eagle Eye” Schulz, a native of Dobre Miasto, plays in the Alianza Béisbol Al Sur de la Frontera.

One thing fans can be happy about, though, is the fact that Holleb does know and understand baseball, which is a large step up from now-owner, Michael “Szef” Czosnyka, who was only able to put together a 136-188 record as the team’s GM.  Little is known into how Michael was able to make the transition from GM to owner.  Some say that his impressive control of the team’s finances helped, and they look for him to put the team into the green as soon as this season.  Others point to rumors of a hostile takeover or backroom shady deals.  At this point, anything is possible.