Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Strange Case of Kent Corbin (as re-told by HP Lovecraft)

Kent Corbin
Rochester
North Stars
Age: 30B/T: R/R
Born: Swampscott, MA
Position(s): P (LRA)
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The fevered, nightmarish dreamscapes began haunting young Mr. Corbin in his western Massachusetts cabin prior to Season 9. Every night, without exception, saw the man sit bolt upright in his bed - covered in sweat and a healthy sense of foreboding. The cabin itself, it's rustic sensibilities telling of its extreme age, was quiet but for the insistent sounds of whippoorwills.

Each morning over coffee he would entertain the possibility of driving to Arkham to see the alienist at Miskatonic University, but would quickly dissuade himself from this frantic notion by the time his morning workouts were completed.

Corbin was a major league pitcher for the Rochester Red Royals at the time, and, by all accounts, a rather good one. In the 'Bullpen' as the vernacular would describe it, Corbin would relieve starting pitchers of their assignments, and proceed to get opposing batters to make an out with regularity. But starting in season 9, this would no longer be the case.

His fragile mind, possessed by horrific images that haunted what should be his restful night-sleep, would parade themselves in his waking mind, disrupting his conscious thought to an irreparable degree. Atop the pitching mound, in a situation that previously saw him inducing batsmen to ground the baseball to an infielder, Corbin would now issue a poorly thrown ball that the batsman would now drive to the outfield, uncaught. Runner after runner would score, spoiling the efforts of the starting pitchers and causing harm to the Rochester side.

This continued game after game, with each progressive season becoming worse and worse for Corbin. Team-mates and coaches alike tried to counsel Corbin, but none could draw forth the horrible truth from the beleaguered baseballer. Nevertheless, the Rochester organization continued to employ Corbin, much to the dismay of fans throughout Western New York.

To this day, in season 11, Corbin is still plagued by these unspeakable montrosities.
Formless mounds of evil, be-tentacled things with multiple eyeballs revolving in loathsome sockets - batrachian minions eager to tear at Corbin's flesh - these appeared night after night, and haunted his appearances atop the baseball pitching mound.

Afraid to tell anyone, and unwilling to seek professional counsel, Corbin may be doomed to this downward statistical spiral until the visiting night gaunts are called off.

As to why Corbin is accursed, one may investigate the sailing misadventures of his great grandfather Charles Dexter Ward Corbin, who brought back many amulets and oddities from the South Seas, and expired on his death bed rattling on about a mysterious place called 'Dagon'.
Of course, the place of the elder Corbin's passing was the very ancestral cabin that the younger Corbin has been suffering through thse haunting nightmares!

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