THE HEAD FRIAR

INTRODUCING BROTHER JOHANN
INTRODUCING BROTHER JOHANN

The St. Francis Friars, the 2009 expansion team entry into BARB, has introduced its chief operating officer and signaled a different operational model for the Friars as compared with other franchises. That officer, Brother Johann, is a Friar in the recently-convened Concordian Order, an offshoot of the Dominican order of friars influenced by the thought of Albertus Magnus. While the franchise will employ many regular baseball people, and the GM remains the elusive Scott Hatfield, the day-to-day operations of the franchise will take its lead from the order, which emphasizes charity, education and open-mindedness.

"As Paul said," Brother Johann quoted, "charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and bears all things. We have the greatest of gifts in charity, by which I mean the sort of love that the Creator bears for all of creation. A baseball field is like a clearing in a vast wood, another vision of Eden. We view this task as symbolic of our calling to pursue union with the Creator, and restore what was obscured in the Fall."

As veteran baseball scribes scratched their heads (and more than a few turned their Blackberries or I-Phones to wikipedia), Brother Johann introduced the players, castoff from their 2007 BARB teams, that make up the nucleus of this year's expansion team:

C Ronnie Paulino
C/IF Brandon Inge

IF Felipe Lopez
IF Nick Punto
SS Cesar Izturis
IF/OF Ryan Freel
IF/OF Casey Blake
IF/OF Ben Zobrist
OF Johnny Damon

RHP Kyle Davies
RHP Gavin Floyd
RHP Frank Francisco
RHP Freddy Garcia
RHP Edwin Jackson
RHP Yusmeiro Petit
RHP Chris Ray
RHP Juan Salas

LHP Jamie Moyer
LHP George Sherrill
LHP Jason Vargas

"With these young men, we will make our stand and do the work we have been called to do," concluded Brother Johann, with obvious satisfaction.

INTRODUCING BROTHER JOHANN