Saturday, April 6, 2013

December 7^th, 1941 will forever be known as the “date that will live in infamy”.  That was the date that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.  Seventy-two years have passed and most Americans have forgiven Japan for their forefathers actions.  One man that still holds a grudge is Crystal Lake Sandgnats General Manager Dean Giesey.

You see, to Giesey, it was more than just an act against his country; it was an act of terror against his family.  Dean’s Grandfather, Karl Anthony Giesey, was aboard was aboard the USS Arizona on that dreadful day.  His legacy would forever be a faint memory.  The 24-year-old marine left behind his pregnant wife who would later give birth to Dean’s fat her.  She had a tough time raising the young boy.  She could not cash in the Navy’s insurance policy, as the name on the death certificate did not match his birth certificate.  After years of fighting, she was able to prove that the Coroner’s Office had misinterpreted the “Y” in his last name as an “N”.  This resulted in a multimillion-dollar settlement.  The Giesey family would later use that money to buy a professional baseball team in the PEBA.

When the PEBA was in negotiations to buy the LRS back in 2009, there was a vote at the Winter Meetings on whether or not to make the acquisition.  The vote was 23-1.  Crystal Lake was the only team opposed to the deal.  At this point, it was obvious that the Giesey family still held a grudge.

In winter of 2011-12, Ton Nan was coming off a career year for the Kuwana Steel Dragons.  He declined a multimillion-dollar arbitration award to test the waters of international free agency.  His dream was to play on the biggest stage of them all.  Crystal Lake seemed like a good match and Ton agreed to take a non-guaranteed deal with the promise that he would be called up soon.

After dealing with a few nagging injuries early in the season, Ton caught fire in the summer months while playing for the Brampton Camels (AA).  Surely, a 1.214 OPS would get him a September call-up, right?  Well, instead of a call-up, Nan was demoted to the El Cajon Virus (Hi-A), where he

had a 1.117 OPS, and then finally to the Mauna Loa Vulcans (SS-A).  Why would a 35-year-old who can still hit be buried in a league designed for 18-21-year-olds?

Executives from all over the LRS are calling foul play.  The league offices have hired a high-profile team of lawyers who claim that the Crystal Lake Sandgnats are guilty of holding Ton Nan as a prisoner of war.  Their case states t hat the only reason why Nan was signed is to hold the Japanese native hostage and force him to play in the Hawaiian League in front of a fan base that doesn’t take kindly to his kind.  Nan is subjected to massive amounts of hecklers and is like a moving target on the field, with fans throwing pineapples, toy A-Bombs, and even spitting on him.  Giesey’s sick and twisted way of avenging his grandfather’s death.

Why Ton Nan is the chosen one is still unknown.  Some believe that it is because Nan was the face of the Kure Arsenal for so many years.  When the PEBA took ownership of the league, LRS teams were encouraged to change their nicknames if they referred to WWII.  The Kawaguchi Transmitters (formerly the Battleships) complied; the Arsenal did not.

As a show of solidarity, LRS teams will be sporting a POW-NAN patch on the left sleeve of their jerseys, with the words “You are not forgotten” underneath.  Whether Nan played for them or not, he is entrenched in the history of the league.  As part of the lawsuit, the LRS is urging Crystal Lake to put Nan on waivers.  If claimed by a PEBA team and placed on an active roster, they will drop the case.  If he clears waivers and is traded in a cash deal to an LRS team, the LRS League Office will match the deal dollar for dollar and donate it to the families of Pearl Harbor victims.