THE OFF SEASON

The front office of the rebuilding team
swung for the fences in free agency,
or so they claimed before the hurly-burly and scrum
of extended mics and jostling flashbulbs.

The front office sought the two biggest and most hyped
free agents available on the open market that winter,
claimed they could afford to sign them both
and completely whiffed in the end.

The front office struck out swinging,
failed the much-touted off season,
and tried to placate the irate fans,
who were unloading all hell and fury on Twitter,
with claims it could not guarantee season 10 money
and later afford to keep its vaunted young core together.

That is, its mostly hypothetical young core
of raw and untested minor league prospects
who were unproven and injury prone,
who were after all minor league,
and who increasingly seemed like
just another empty promise
in a tired litany of many empty promises.