Don't You Forget About Me
by: Jack Bing
The phone rings on a cold March evening, filling a single-bedroom apartment in the middle of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A young man picks it up, straightens his back, and clears his throat. He gives an uncertain, "hello?"
Minnesota Twins manager Charlie Scott is on the other line. The young man answers his questions, agrees to his conditions, and when he places down the phone, he has a job.
Ricky Steele's last memories of fake baseball were not pleasant ones. A haze of anger and discontent prompted the then-outfielder to give up the sport entirely. He disliked where the game was going, and decided enough was enough.
"I felt slighted," Steele says. "By the commissioner, by the sport, by everything."
He went immediately on a path of cleansing. He would give up the game forever, vowing to never follow or deal with it again. He shut himself entirely from even thinking about his former career path, making sure to skip MLR Network each time he watched the TV.
"I actually remember arguing with my television provider to get it off my sports package," he says. "I really wanted to wipe the game from my mind."
But Steele was a fake baseball player. He knew it in his heart, as much as he didn't want to admit it. And it took a few calls from friends and fellow players to make him consider it. At first he denied any interest in returning, but one night, while watching television, he succumbed and checked the MLR channel for the first time in months.
"Everything looked so different," Steele recalls with a chuckle. "The Nationals and Phillies were bad now!"
It was what he needed to get back in gear. After an hour of watching game highlights, seeing new players in action, Steele decided he wanted to return to the grind. And so, the next morning, he went on training.
This time, as a pitcher.
"I saw the needs in the game," explains Steele. "Pitchers seemed more coveted than ever. That's when I first thought about joining Minnesota. They had just traded one of their star pitchers away, and I said: 'I could be that star.'"
Steele's main challenge would be to wash away his stigma. He knew all-too-well that his exit was explosive. A lot of emotions were burning, and he knew he'd need to prove to people he was serious. From morning to night he would throw bullpen sessions in the gym, running laps around the indoor track.
"I rediscovered my love for the game, thanks to my friends," says Steele. "It was tough getting back into shape. To be honest, I'm still not entirely there. But I'm working on it."
He reapplied as a free agent shortly after beginning his training. He knew his biggest hurdle would be approval. He wasn't sure if he was even allowed to reenter the league. He filled the form out, and just waited...
And waited...
And waited...
He was almost prepared to give up when he got the message.
Application Approved. Welcome to Major League Redditball.
Ricky Steele had made it back. He immediately took the MLR scene by storm. News sources all over the MLR Network announced his reentry. Former commissioner and current Phillies GM J.A. Bird offered no comments on the readmission.
That night, offers flooded his inbox from teams looking for a pitcher. Minnesota caught his eye, because he was expecting them. He had used them as a model for his comeback. Still, however, other teams such as the Montreal Expos also caught his eye.
The next day, he held a showcase for team scouts, his mind clouded by a decision. He was back in the league, but with which team?
"I was glad I had the chance to showcase in front of so many teams," says Steele, recalling his fears of notoriety. Ultimately, however, he chose the Minnesota Twins as the team he would return with. When Charlie Scott called him about the job, the new pitcher was quick to agree to conditions.
Steele sits in his apartment, now, and waits. His boxes are stacked against the wall, ready to be moved to Minnesota. He doesn't know when his first appearance will be, or if it will be a start. He simply awaits Session 8, his first report to the stadium, where he expects the eyes of the MLR to be watching him.
"I understand if fans boo me," Steele says. "I understand some may hold resentment. But I will make sure to show them I am ready to compete. I'm ready to play fake baseball."