John Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported on si.com today that the Seattle Mariners may be trying to move Ichiro Suzuki as part of Seattle’s ongoing efforts to shake up its flagging team.  Interestingly, Heyman also reported that while Suzuki is widely regarded as a consummate team player, he may have in fact “hastened” manager Mike Hargrove’s sudden “retirement” from the team last year.

But that’s not even the most titillating tidbit in Heyman’s article.  No, what caught my eye was the fact that Hargrove now manages for a semi-pro team operating out of the metropolis of Liberal, Kansas.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Liberal BeeJays!

Word is the fans in Liberal go wild for their Beejays.  And in return, the fans get showered with love from the players.  Except for outfielder Clint Stubbs. He’s basically been impotent at the plate, hitting a meagre .204.

 The Beejays are truly a fan-friendly team.  Why, for you aspiring hardcore pornography photographers, the Beejays are even running a snapshot contest.

Oh, minor league baseball.  We thank you for your continued willingness to offer up ridiculously headline- and punchline-friendly team names.  Speaking of punchlines, here’s your chance, readers (we do still have readers, right?)

Hargrove was heard to implore the batter to “choke up on that thing”