EDMONTON (AP) - An unprecedented event recently transpired in the Weaver League. The Edmonton Orcas and Long Beach Lobsters traded players.

GM J.J. Wurz was hired onto the Taegu Tiger franchise before it moved to Canada in the summer of 2007, and since then, he has usually politely just hung up the phone when Ken Paplanus called from Long Beach. Sometimes deals were discussed, but never amounted to anything. Once, in what has been attributed to the "bad year" (where the Orcas lost focus on the rebuilding plan), a trade almost went through, but fellow owners on the Trade Committee saw the error of that deal and prevented it. Still, no trades occurred.

Nine seasons have passed, and the 2018 All-Star game brought Wurz and Paplanus together, in person, for the first time. Someone had managed to assign Long Beach and Edmonton adjoining seats at the game. The good intention worked. A trade was done. Granted, few will remember catcher Dave King for pitcher Gus Beattie years later, but those close to the franchises know this was something historic.

Lobster GM Ken Paplanus had this to say after the trade, "After years and years of off again, on again drawn out talks between Edmonton and Long Beach, through the incredible power of (face to face) meetings, what could not be done in nine seasons was accomplished in ten minutes tonight. A deal that will re-write Long Beach and Edmonton history... or maybe, at least start one."

"No comment," was all Orcas' GM J.J. Wurz would say. However, manager Robin Yount speculated, "We needed a backup to (catcher) Serafin (Quintanar). (Catcher Dave) King was with the club for many years before he left via free agency. I know both (pitchers Rube) Hall and (Gus) Beattie were disappointments for management after showing much promise out of college and in the minors. It was time for Gus to move on."

Could this be the start of something for the future, or have we seen the first, last, and only trade between two divisional rivals? Only time will tell.