Rich Whales’ Rookie Impresses, Inspires, Rests

By Anthony Harrison

Baseball has a new richest man.  A humble 26 year old leftfielder, Hyman Rickward, has signed with the Brooklyn Whales for a less-than-humble $52,000.  Rickward is reported to be a complete player with a strong bat, strong glove, and speed on the bases.

The star rookie was much sought after an off-season showcase that is said to have dazzled scouts across the Legacy Baseball League.  A bidding war allowed him to command such a large contract despite having never played professional ball. 

The Whales emerged as Rickward’s preferred suitor given the significant presence of the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn.  The Brooklyn team also no doubt had to pay a premium to secure the young man’s services given the recent scandal still looming over the team.  Despite the large contract, the son of Jewish immigrants and a devout man of faith, Rickward has already pledged all but $1,000 of his contract to support the Temple Israel and the Hebrew Benevolent Society.

One wrinkle for the Whales to navigate this off-season will be the young man’s schedule.  As an observer of the Sabbath, Rickward will not be available for the Whales’ Saturday games.  Whales manager

Marques Williams responded to the potential challenge of having the League’s most expensive player unavailable on Saturdays as follows. “Have you seen this […] kid play?  Saturdays, Tuesdays.  Let him take whatever […] days God demands if His […] Almighty is going to let him smack the […] ball around the yard like we know he can.  [Commissioner] Madigan [… hurt the Whales], but […] we are […] going to […] compete this year just the same.  This kid is going to be a big […] part of that.”

The rookie impressed on the diamond in his debut.  Rickward went 8-for-27 with a double, triple, RBI, and 2 runs scored across 6 games in his first week.  He has also shown tremendous aptitude roaming left field, thrilling young fans and old alike with his feats with the glove.  He did not compete in Saturday’s contest against the Philadelphia Brewers.

It is inevitable given the size of his contract that all eyes will be on the Whales’ star rookie this season.  But, that may yet be a good thing for the Brooklyn squad given the recent events casting a shadow on the sport of baseball.  Beyond the diamond, the work that Rickward has done with the local community has already made in-roads to an entirely new breed of fan for the Whales.  During the homestand against the cross-town rival Bakers, the Field of the Whales saw a noticeable uptick in Jewish fans in attendance to root on their new hero.