London, UK –

Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith – has died. She was 108 years old. All the mortal realms over which she watched join together in collective mourning and weep. Though in failing health for many years it seemed as though the Queen would live forever. Her last public appearance had come just a few weeks prior as she threw out the first pitch as the London Underground opened their new stadium to begin the PEBA season.

The Underground were slated to wrap up their three game series with the Thoroughbreds on the day the news broke, and while the team considered postponing the game they ultimately decided that the Queen would have wanted the games to go on. The usual pre-game ceremonies were scrapped and replaced with a lengthy, mostly impromptu memorial and remembrance for the Queen, which began with live remarks from General Manager Winters and included video footage of the Queen throughout the years culminating in her ribbon cutting and first pitch just weeks prior. It was an extremely emotional tribute which left the 45,000 in attendance and some on the field in tears. The Underground eventually triumphed 1-0 after a walk off RBI single by Freddy Hernandez in the 9th inning. Felix Reyes and Frederick Cotton combined to shutout the Thoroughbreds. The walk off win served to lift the spirits of those assembled and provided a momentary distraction from the tragedy of the day.

However the Underground’s decision to go ahead with the game was widely panned by the media and many across the mourning nation. Many businesses across the nation closed upon hearing the news or scheduled closures around a national day of reflection and remembrance. The Underground again reiterated their position that the Queen would have wanted the game played, though this response was generally found wanting. Buckingham Palace did not weigh in on the issue. Throwing further fuel on the fire, the Underground also confirmed they would play their upcoming short series at home against San Antonio before heading back to America for a prolonged road trip. Hitting coach Louie Beverley, the only Briton on the team’s staff will not be traveling with the team, though Graham Ainsley and George Farleigh are expected to.

The Underground are expected to be on the road when the Queen’s funeral takes place and early rumors indicate that the front office is quite happy about that as it allows them to avoid a second controversy regarding possible conflicts with home games around that. Nevertheless concern rippled through the marketing and sales department as they considered how to advertise and draw fans for the next home stand and worried that the mini-controversy about not postponing and games might spiral into something more. “Distractions are something we can ill-afford” one unnamed sales rep was quoted as saying in The Sun tabloid.

The Queen will lie in state for a week beginning April 24th and then be laid to rest following a Royal funeral.