This morning it was announced to the press that Shannon Franklin would be taking over the Transmitters. After the stunning departure of the previous GM, Kawaguchi made one phone call to fill the void. A press conference occurred this morning to introduce Mr. Franklin.

Owner Hoso Kyokai, Jr. took the podium first to announce the decision. He said that Shannon was really their only option and that if he would have turned the team down Kawaguchi would be in a really bad place right now.

Next, the Shannon Franklin era began. Through a translator Franklin introduced himself and told the media that he was actually going to apply for the Kawaguchi position, but got the phone call before he could do so. Then the reporters had their turns. Through a series of questions and explanations it appears that Shannon will look to rebuild the team, but is going to have to make a few trades to do so. He said that the team is in dire need of some offense and that some of the team’s high-quality pitchers were going to be moved. He also understands that a good base is in place, but knows that you need an offense to win in this league.

This is Shannon Franklin’s team now and a new era has begun. We hope that maybe this will translate into the win column, but you never know with this league.