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Heat's Monhaut speaks out on Mikey Smith's departure, the rivalry that has been created
HUDSON LAKE- It happens all the time in sports, a big time star, franchise player doesn’t resign with his team . He abandons an organization leaves behind a whole city that once believed he was the answer to their championship. Fans that once chanted his name now throw dirt on it and burn his jerseys. We’ve seen it before as Lebron left for south beach, KD left for Golden State, while Shaq left the Magic for LA. Sometimes when a player feels he can’t get it done himself he sells out to go to another organization he feels he can contend for a title. ORWBL saw that first hand in the 2017 off-season.
Let me take you back four years prior when a young aspiring GM created a team in his basement over a series of email exchanges between him and Koby Keck. This man’s name was Jared Monhaut and he was assembling the Hudson Lake Heat. As he compiled his roster of his closest friends and most talented friends, he reached out to a long time pal named Mikey “The Kid” Smith. He was a stocky junior in high school still in Algebra II but the guy was hungry for success in the wiffleball world. Jared knew when he signed Mikey he had a heavy bat in his line up and what he thought would be a loyal long time friend and player to the franchise. Little did he know what would come four years later.
Now fast forward four years later. Mike is thriving staple in Hudson Lake a corner stone of the city. He debuts his first all star appearance as a member of the Heat, but the team did have a slightly disappointing season going 15-15. Everyone on the squad is ready to gear up for next year and hopefully get it right this time........besides one man.
It’s early in the offseason and the rumors of a new team called the Landsharks is surfacing. Levi Miller a one year member of the Heat is trying to get the wheels rolling on his own franchise. Monhaut the GM of the Heat is down a player but had understood this was gonna happen for awhile and Miller had filled in on the Heat because his team had folded, but little did he know the trickery and scheming that his stud Mike Smith was doing behind his back.
It’s a Saturday afternoon on a day early in October when the Heat's manager's phone gets a ring from his guy Mike. He probably figures it’s a call to go get lunch maybe talk some wiffle, but that is the farthest from what it was. Jared picks up the phone “hey kid! What’s up? How’s the family been?”
Mikey replies with a shaky voice “They are good real good, but I got something I gotta tell you....... I’m not resigning I’m gonna be Shark in 2018”. Monhaut was shell shocked he didn’t even know what to say his star player had back doored him, bailed on him and gave up on their dream.
The only thing Jared said back was “Good Luck” and he hung up the phone. He did not know how the Heat could fill this void, what would the team think? How could his friend do this to him ? The Heat franchise was hurt from players to coaches to supporters. Even the owner of “The Pit”. Granny said her heart was hurt. How could Smith do this to his friends? The answer no one knows.
The Heat weren’t only hurt, they were mad. Mike Smith sparked the fire in a rivalry that will be top notch. The Heat don’t like the Sharks and the Sharks don’t like the Heat. Every single player on both teams is awaiting the week one meeting. The pitching match ups will likely be long time friends but now foes in Smith vs Monhaut . It’s not just another start for these guys it’s a revenge start for Mikey who thought he was over looked and taken for granted. For Monhaut it’s a start to prove a point that Mike chose the wrong side and the Heat are off to a new beginning with out him and it’s going to better without him!
