JOHANNESBURG (AP) - It was a funeral, a farewell, and a fiesta, all rolled into one.

Fans turned out in force to say goodbye to three of Weaverball’s best, the men who made the Steelmen franchise a powerful force in 2014 and 2015.

Chris Goodwin, the team’s catcher, who hit 77 home runs over the two Inferno League Championship seasons. The all-time Weaverball batting average champ, George Sisler, who in 2015 turned in the first .400 or better performance (.404) in fourteen seasons. And back-to-back MVP Joe Morgan, who hit .366 with 74 home runs and 255 RBI in nearly identical seasons during the championship run.

All are gone, in deals that put an exclamation point on management’s desire to rebuild.

Sometimes, when a team’s stars are traded, its fans are alienated, angry that some of “their boys” are sent away. But that’s not the case in Johannesburg.

The farewell ceremony, held on the team’s off day of July 27 before the Steelmen departed for Tehran, drew a capacity crowd to the Steel Mill. And to a man, the crowd just wanted to thank the core of the best Steelmen teams ever.

“It was a great ride,” said Steven Miller, adorned in his Smiling Giant hat and 2015 IL Championship Commemorative jersey. “These men are the finest baseball players we’ll ever see in Johannesburg, and they deserve our adoration.”

The players took the microphone after a brief statement from Steelmen owner Rick Gregg. Chris Goodwin was first.

“I was part of a Weaver Championship team in Havana, and owe so much to Cigars owner Ed Mercado. But the run here in Johannesburg was so exciting… I wouldn’t trade those two years for anything in the world. Except maybe a ring with the Steelmen.”

Joe Morgan took the microphone second. The shortstop spent the first half of his rookie season in Weaverball with Cairo, before a trade to Johannesburg.

“No matter what happens from here on, I know the best years of my career will have happened in Johannesburg. And you were all there to support me, and this team, even when we weren’t as good the last couple of seasons. That means so much to me…I can’t thank you enough.”

Finally, the “Original Steelman”, George Sisler. Sisler has the moniker because his arrival in Johannesburg brought more attention to the club than any who had come before, including Hall of Famer Noto Otoyo with the old Johannesburg Zebras.

“This is my home. We have it worked out with Mr. Paplanus (Long Beach Owner Ken) that when I retire, if I’m fortunate enough to reach the Hall of Fame, it will be in a Steelmen uniform. My only regret about the trade is that I’m going to the Blizzard League, and won’t be able to come back and play in front of you fans at this fantastic stadium.

“I’ll miss you all.”

Statues of the three were then unveiled. Sisler’s statue had already been erected and installed in the Johannesburg Baseball Hall of Fame. Both Morgan and Goodwin’s statues are new. Morgan’s depicts the MVP diving to stop a hot groundball in the hole. And Goodwin’s shows the catcher, mask up, ready to catch a foul pop fly.

Morgan, Goodwin, and Sisler join Otoyo, Koufax, longtime Johannesburg Franchise player Bobby Higginson, Rookie of the Year Hugh Baumann, and manager George Brett as those honored with statues in the Johannesburg Hall.

The players were each given framed jerseys to commemorate their time in Johannesburg.

Then, each in turn tipped their cap to the Johannesburg faithful, before departing for a three-game series in Tehran, and then their new destinations.

Sisler and Goodwin boarded a plane for Jamaica, where the Long Beach Lobsters faced the Rastafarians. Sisler was 0-5 in his debut with Long Beach, while Chris Goodwin hit a home run in his first at-bat for the Lobsters. But Jamaica still won, 5-2 in 11 innings. Goodwin homered in the first three games he played in a Long Beach uniform.

Morgan met the White Sharks in Argentina, where Amity wrapped up a set with the Archers. Playing Centerfield, Morgan went 0-7 in his first two ballgames, but caught fire as he got used to the Amity ballpark.

In exchange for the trio, Johannesburg pulled in a haul of players, prospects, and picks. Catcher Ed Thomas, Shortstop Lep Kauffman, and Pitcher Johnny Hahn all have seen limited action in their careers. First Baseman Justin Hartley, Second Baseman Rolando de la Maza, Third Baseman Jack Farmer, Shortstop Weldon Rye, and Pitcher Eduardo Clark will start their Johannesburg careers with the team’s minor league affiliate, the Joliet Jackhammers. The team also received a first round draft pick from Amity in next year’s Weaverball Amateur Draft.