[jamus23]

One More Shot for Dear?
2/4/2079
Al Vincent
Staff Writer

Veteran slugger John Dear doesn’t have a whole lot left in him, and even he admits that: “I’ve played a long time, and put up a lot of great numbers, but I just don’t think I can do that anymore.” In an impressive display of both determination and humility, Dear, after signing a 1 year deal worth only $600,000 with Denver, has agreed to play for Denver’s AAA affiliate during the regular season if Denver promises to make room for him on their postseason roster if they reach the playoffs. Dear admitted that he wasn’t likely to be able to contribute much during the regular season, and another player would be better able to help Denver reach the postseason. However, he still wants one last shot at a championship. Denver GM John Mounts had no problems with this agreement: “Look, when I was hired, I made the decision to keep Dear because I felt that it was the best decision for the team, no matter how much money it would take. I wanted to bring a championship to Denver, and having John Dear on the roster was more likely to accomplish that than not having him. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet been able to accomplish that, and it’s looking like the end of the road for John. This agreement with John, I think, is a win-win situation. John is at a point where it will be difficult for him to help us win a lot of games during the course of the season. He knows that. So for now, he goes down to AAA. We get him to spend some time with some of our young players, almost like a coach. It will be a great experience for them. And when the postseason comes- and we will be in the playoffs, make no mistake about it- I don’t think it will be too difficult to find a spot for John on the roster. And if we can win it all, then John can walk away from a tremendous, Hall of Fame career with a Championship to his credit as well.”






Thanks For the Memories, Dear
11/2/2079
Al Vincent
Staff Writer

Not even the fact that one of the all-time greats would soon be hanging them up for good could change Denver’s October fortunes. Once again, a strong season came to an abrupt end, as Denver fell in seven games to Miami in the first round of the playoffs, as Miami cruised to a World Series title, losing only one game after the first round. John Dear, the great Denver designated hitter, had hung on for one more year at the age of 39, even agreeing to spend most of the season at AAA in exchange for a postseason roster spot, in the hopes of finally winning a World Series. But it was not to be, as they ran into a Miami team that was simply too strong to overcome.

Perhaps taking it the hardest of all was slugging first baseman Ellis Bolling, who after blasting 49 regular season homers, came up empty in the playoffs, collecting only 4 hits in 28 AB, none of which were HR. “I let everyone down. The fans. My teammates, especially John. Myself. We all wanted this so badly, to win one for John, and I go out there and embarrass myself,” he said. Manager John Wilkerson was also very disappointed: “It’s a shame that such a great player never got the chance to even play in a World Series. Sure, every player wants those personal accolades: The home runs, the RBIs, the high batting average, the awards. A spot in the Hall of Fame. But the most important thing of all is winning games and winning championships. John Dear deserved a championship, and we couldn’t bring him one. That saddens me.”

For Dear’s part, he was surprisingly upbeat. “Sure, it’s disappointing. Every player wants to win a championship. But what can you do? I went out there every year, and left everything on the field. I played hard and I played well. Sometimes, it just isn’t enough. But there are other ways to win a championship. Maybe I’ll get into coaching, and win one that way.” Dear’s career comes to a close with him ranking 7th all-time in home runs with 632 and 24th in RBI with 1924. He also won three Silver Slugger Awards.




Neiman Retires, Dear to Replace Him
11/17/2079
Al Vincent
Staff Writer

Only a few weeks after Denver's season came to a close, 63 year old Hitting Coach Abraham Neiman has decided to retire from that position, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his wife. John Wilkerson quickly replaced him with the recently retired John Dear. "Hey, I did say if I couldn't win a championship as a player, maybe I could win one as a coach."

Wilkerson, being a little bit more analytical about the hire, said that as a hitter, Dear always had an excellent approach, and that he felt that Dear would do a good job passing those skills onto other hitters.