Kenosha, Wis. – It all started on June 25th when Kingfish General Manager Jake McGhee pitched the idea for Guaranteed Win Night. The stakes were simple; if the team pulls out a victory on July 2nd, McGhee sleeps on the Bambino. The Bambino is a 43’ x 13’ wooden fishing boat built into historic Simmons Field’s left field wall. He promised to continue sleeping on said boat until the team’s winning streak was broken. Sure enough, the Kingfish silenced the St. Cloud Rox 14-3 yesterday, sending their GM to the Bambino. Tonight they look to keep McGhee on the ship for another night by beating the Rox again. But now, the stakes are even higher.
This afternoon, a group of Kingfish players became extremely boisterous in taunting their GM for his rough night at sea. Outfielder Buddy Reed, having driven in an RBI in four consecutive contests, was the leader in the mocking. After a friendly back and forth between McGhee and Reed, the freshman from Florida decided to put his money where his mouth was. Said Reed, “I’m so confident Jake will be out there again that, you know what, I’ll sleep on the boat if we lose! Jake should plan on sleeping on the Bambino all summer long!” A smiling McGhee quickly extended his hand shouting, “You’re on!”
Truth be told, McGhee is the one in deep trouble. His team has been red hot at the plate, led by efforts from LF Pat Porter and 2B Chris Godinez. Porter has reached base safely in his last 12 games and leads the league with 38 RBI. Godinez is hitting .318 on the year and has reached base safely in eight straight contests. Other key contributors as of late are IF Alex Dunlap (4-4, HR, 2 R, RBI yesterday) and C CJ Saylor (scored in five of his last six games). Moreover, Kenosha sends Illinois product JD Nielsen to the mound tonight. The lefty has failed to allow a run in his last three appearances out of the bullpen.
Reflecting on the ordeal, McGhee admits it is not all bad. “I really don’t mind sleeping on the boat for a second straight night, because it would mean we brought home another win,” says the man new to camping. “But I would prefer if the train did not wake me up every hour, and the birds left me alone”
