FEBRUARY 13 - Just hours after the 2010 NYLISL Draft ended, the New Jersey Bandits officially locked up catcher Joe Mauer by signing him to the longest contract in league history. Mauer has put his signature on a 10-year deal that includes club options which will ensure he will finish his career in the Garden State.

"The rumors are true," Bandits Owner/GM Chris Forster said at a makeshift press conference in the same room where the draft was held earlier that day. "Joe Mauer will always have a home in New Jersey."

Word of Mauer's deal, which was first reported on the popular baseball blog Productive Outs and Crackerjack, was hotly debated when it was first leaked. However, Mauer's agent Ron Shapiro confirmed the deal directly to the site's author days before Forster confirmed the signing.

The 10-year deal is the longest in NYLISL history, even longer than the 9-year deal signed by fellow Bandit Evan Longoria in 2009. The contract also comes with a full no-trade clause, at the insistence of club management.

In the end, Mauer said that money was never a stumbling block.

"There were only two things I cared about - playing for a winner and long-term security," Mauer said. "No team has been more successful then my Bandits, but I told Mr. Forster that I wouldn't sign a contract for anything shorter than 10 years."

Now that Mauer's 10-year contract is official, Forster said that his franchise is ready to defend its seventh league title. He has no plans to deviate from the blueprint that has brought New Jersey so much success - outrageous dice magic that has been known to reduce rival managers into a quivering heap of tears and frustration.

"How many times will I roll a 1-4 with Joe Mauer this season? As many times as I feel like it!" Forster quipped.