Juan Encarnacion recently received a prestigious honor from his althetic peers, having won the Defensive MVP award, as elected by other players in the league, in the Metro St. Louis Corkball 25 & Up league. Juan has spent the past season patrolling right field and batting clean up for the Kirkwood Killers, and is having a monster season at the plate. But it has been his perfect fielding percentage that has garnered this honor during his rookie season.
Corkball is a game similar to baseball, but instead of a horsehide ball with a cork center, the ball is typically a used tennis ball, and instead of a regular baseball bat, players come to the plate with a broomstick. Defensive rules also vary from baseball, including the one major difference that a fly ball that bounces once before being caught is still an out.
Encarnacion, who has played in this league during Cardinal off days and on home stand weekends, credits his defensive success in corkball with his laid-back defensive malaise in baseball. "Typically in the MLB games, I don't get to the ball until it bounces at least once. I mean, those things are coming down pretty hard, and I get tired from standing around out there so long. At least this season, I haven't had to work so hard since more balls are landing in the stands instead of in the outfield. That has made my job a lot easier on me," explained Juan.
When asked about how he joined the corkball league, Juan replied, "Some of the corkball league organizers were in the outfield bleachers one day and they told me that they liked my relaxed style of defensive play. They suggested that I join their league. I am telling you, corkball is awesome. You know you can drink beer while playing outfield? Totally awesome. Bud Selig would never allow that in baseball, although he should think about it."
Tony LaRussa, in a post-game interview, fielded a question about Juan's two-sport skills by stating, "Well we pay him millions of dollars in this league to be a defensive sponge, but he pays $35 to join a corkball league where he is a defensive star? If we hadn't traded away all of our minor league outfield prospects, that guy would be riding the pine in Pittsburgh, but here he starts every game."
[This story is a satire of public figures.]
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