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NOVEMBER 2, 1955 . . . Our owner John Hollingsworth just announced he’s extending my contract as GM / Manager, with a significant pay raise to $25,000 per year over the next five years! I’m not sure what I can accomplish in the next five years that will make me happier than I am right now, but I’ll be damned if I’ll quit trying to top the feeling!
The top ten prospects list just came out, and we’ve got Don Demeter (#8) and Bud Watkins (#10) on the list. But we’re definitely going to be on the lookout for Pittsburgh in the coming years. They’ve got Jim Gentile (#1), Harmon Killebrew (#2) and Leon Wagner (#9), and they’re going to add another top pick in the upcoming MLB rookie draft, having finished with just 62 wins. The Giants have Norm Cash (#3), Cincinnati has Don Drysdale (#4) and St. Louis has Orlando Cepeda (#5), with Milwaukee right-handed pitcher Pedro Ramos coming in #6. So the NL is stacked with incredible young players who are all going to make things interesting for us as we try to repeat as champions.
Tom Ferrick made the announcement that he’s retiring officially at age 40, now that he’s been able to be part of a Cubs championship at long last. He leaves the baseball world with a record of 44-52, a 3.63 ERA, 285 K’s and a 1.32 career WHIP to go with 5.8 WAR while playing for six different ballclubs.
We finished the season with Wrigley Field attendance of 1,993,716, so there’s room to start drawing more fans still. My goal for the upcoming year is to get up past 2.5 million in total attendance, which would be a lot closer to a sold out ballpark on most days. At the very least, a World Champion team should be able to bring in 32,000+ fans on a daily basis.
Right now the free agent market is a bit thin, but we’ve got our eyes on a couple of potential relievers who can help keep our bullpen at the top of the National League rankings. We’re also in the bidding for first baseman Alonso Perry, who is trying to make the move from the Negro Leagues into playing for Major League Baseball at age 32. He’s a lifelong friend of Willie Mays, which has to help us ... and his contact, discipline and gap power would make him a lethal addition to our roster. But he won’t come cheap. I have to convince our owner that it’s worth paying the big bucks to lure him here.
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