A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 314

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good – 314

Chapter 75: I See Your Hand (2)

A few days later.

Jisub was visiting Port Myers University to attend the MBA program orientation.

“……”

At first, he felt good.

Around 3 PM, a time he would normally be racking his brain in the musty basement office.

Just escaping the complicated workplace and leisurely strolling through the well-manicured campus made him feel like he could breathe again.

But that was only for a moment. Jisub, having arrived at ‘Heinz Hall,’ where the orientation was supposed to be held, soon tilted his head in confusion.

“302B, 302B… Damn it, where the heck is 302B?!”

The problem was that Port Myers University’s internal structure was as whimsical as Professor Kevin Fryer’s personality.

Getting up to the third floor was easy, and finding room 302A wasn’t difficult either, but the elusive room 302B was nowhere to be seen.

“Is this the second floor again? But I didn’t even go down the stairs…”

It was like a wizard school from a Harry Potter movie. The existence of room 302B was becoming increasingly mysterious.

Just as Jisub was scratching the back of his head and clicking his tongue, a lifeline descended upon this poor soul.

“Excuse me… Kim? Are you Mr. Kim?”

A voice came from up ahead.

When Jisub looked up, he saw a short white man waving his hand.

“Ah, it is Kim! Hello, Mr. Kim! Wow, what a surprise to meet you here!”

The man had a bright expression and offered a handshake, but Jisub, while shaking his hand, couldn’t quite place him.

“Ah, yes, hello.”

Jisub returned the greeting out of courtesy.

“I’m honored to meet you too, but…”

Who… were you again?

As Jisub tilted his head and asked, the young man gave an embarrassed smile and replied.

“Haha, I guess you don’t remember me. I can understand. You probably didn’t have time to pay attention to someone like me that day.”

With that, he pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“My name is Lonnie Cordell, and I work in the baseball operations department for the Baltimore Orioles.”

His round glasses caught the sunlight and glinted.

“If I say I was the team employee who met with you and Jimmy Morris when you came to Baltimore for the away game last time… does that ring a bell?”

* * *

Jisub finally remembered this white man with the round glasses.

Lonnie Cordell, the team employee who took Jimmy Morris’s place at the bar.

Although young, he was recognized for his abilities and worked directly under the Baltimore general manager.

And above all, he was the one who had turned the Baltimore series upside down last time-

‘Vincent’s killer pitch… He was the one who subtly told me about it.’

Lonnie Cordell said that he was also taking the MBA course this semester.

Professor Kevin Fryer’s reputation was well known even in Baltimore, so they sent a team employee every year to take his lectures.

“Were you looking for the lecture room? Haha, it’s a bit like that here. They keep expanding, so the room numbers are all messed up.”

Let’s go together.

It’s that way.

Lonnie Cordell had completely switched to graduate student mode, but Jisub couldn’t help but bring something up.

“How have you been… since then?”

“Yes?”

“I’m talking about the Vincent situation.”

Jisub had heard the rumors.

That the Baltimore general manager had called Vincent Hyama’s agent and officially expressed his regret.

However, he also knew that the information leak was entirely blamed on Lonnie Cordell’s personal mistake.

“Ah, that?”

It wouldn’t have been a pleasant experience for him, but surprisingly, this team employee showed a calm reaction.

“That was an unavoidable decision. I had to take the fall. If the responsibility went up to the general manager, things would get too big, wouldn’t they?”

He gave a bitter smile.

“Thanks to that, I haven’t been able to work for the team for a while, but I’m trying to think of it positively. Either way, the most important thing for our Baltimore is to extend the contract with Vincent.”

Unlike his appearance, Lonnie Cordell seemed to have a special affection for the team.

He closed his mouth firmly after that, but Jisub could see right through him.

[The general manager needs to find an answer quickly. Vincent’s attitude has been noticeably colder since that day…]

Despite Lonnie Cordell’s sacrifice, the contract extension negotiations between the Baltimore Orioles and Vincent Hyama seemed to be facing difficulties.

It was a little unfortunate for Lonnie Cordell, who had greeted him so warmly, but Jisub was quietly smiling inside.

‘I got some good information in an unexpected place.’

Just getting this information made it feel worthwhile to visit Port Myers University today.

‘If this continues, will Vincent Hyama be on the trade market in July?’

That seemed highly likely.

The Baltimore Orioles had definitely lost momentum since Vincent Hyama’s killer pitch incident.

While Tampa Bay was steadily advancing with a 10-2 record, Baltimore was on a steep downward curve with a 3-9 record.

If they couldn’t find a turning point this month, the Baltimore general manager would have to make a decision.

‘Vincent is on the market?’

Jisub licked his dry lips.

‘Then it would be good to secure more routes to get information….’

Of course, a small market team like the Tampa Bay Rays wouldn’t be able to afford Vincent Hyama.

What Jisub was hoping for at this time was, in a vulgar term, ‘crumbs.’

If a big player like Vincent Hyama moved, the big market teams aiming for the championship would be turned upside down.

‘Raising money, handing over prospects, securing entries… They’ll be bustling around for a while.’

When big teams move in a hurry, crumbs inevitably fall here and there.

Mid-level players coming up at ridiculously low prices, undervalued prospects, or veterans suddenly being released.

To pick up those crumbs in a timely manner, to gain more profit in the midst of a big deal, he needed more informants than he had now.

‘Is there a good way?’

As he was thinking that and walking along, Lonnie Cordell, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth.

“Anyway… please take care of me in the future.”

Up until this point, Jisub thought it was just a polite greeting.

“Personally, I feel very reassured. I’m glad I get to study on the same team as Kim.”

“Same… team?”

Jisub scratched his cheek with his finger.

“I heard that most of the classes are done in teams… Was there an announcement about team assignments in the admission guide? I don’t think I saw it.”

“Ah, that.”

Lonnie Cordell replied.

“I don’t know about other places, but I heard that the MBA program at Port Myers University traditionally forms teams based on the student’s original workplace.”

The purpose was to help form networks and exchange information between similar professions.

Although the content of the classes was important, the MBA program also focused on such secondary activities.

“Ah, so that’s why Cordell and I are on the same team?”

Jisub nodded.

“Wow, how do you know so well? Did you hear about it from people who took the course before?”

“No, it’s not that…”

It was at this moment that an embarrassed expression appeared on Lonnie Cordell’s face.

“Actually, this is my second time. I mean, coming to the orientation.”

“Yes? No, what does that mean…”

“As you know, there were a total of four orientations this time. New students only have to attend one of them.”

It was a consideration prepared by the school for students who were currently working.

“I attended the first orientation, but I didn’t see any of my teammates then.”

He contacted the school during the second and third orientations, but only received the answer that his teammates would not be attending.

“In the end, everyone on the team will be gathered at the last orientation… So what can I do? I have no choice but to come one more time, even if it’s a hassle.”

“Oh, I see.”

Jisub smiled quietly inside.

It was because the people who would be studying on the same team seemed to be similar to him.

Events like orientation, it would have been nice to attend in advance and feel relieved.

To think that they would drag their feet and not go, only to show up in a hurry at the last minute.

Jisub became curious about the people on his team.

“Do you know what kind of people they are?”

Jisub asked.

“I mean, the people who will be joining our team. If you contacted the school often, you might have heard something about them.”

“Yes, I don’t know them personally… but I’ve heard their names at least once.”

Lonnie Cordell replied.

“The most successful one is probably Nicholas. He’s a special advisor to the general manager of the New York Yankees.”

“Oh, a special advisor to the general manager.”

It was a title he had heard often.

“Christine from the Boston Red Sox is also quite famous. She’s in charge of the Baseball R&D team at a young age.”

“You mean the player development department.”

In Tampa Bay, the Baseball R&D team was also one of the main departments.

“And although he’s not in the baseball operations department, George is also quite recognized. I heard he’s in charge of media relations for the Toronto Blue Jays.”

“Ah, media relations…”

Nicholas, Christine, and George.

Honestly, the names didn’t stick in his head.

Western people’s names are all the same anyway.

But he could easily guess one thing they had in common.

“Wait a minute, the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and the Toronto Blue Jays?”

If you add Jisub’s team, the Tampa Bay Rays, and Lonnie Cordell’s team, the Baltimore Orioles-

“Are they all people who belong to the American League East Division?”

“Yes, didn’t I tell you earlier? Here, they put people in the same profession on the same team as much as possible.”

“That’s right, you did.”

A faint smile appeared on Jisub’s face at this moment.

‘Perfect timing.’

Vincent Hyama’s trade is slowly coming into sight.

In a situation where he had to expand his information network, people had gathered around him just right.

For the first time in a while, Jisub could feel like things were going smoothly.

‘You said they’re all friends who have a position in their respective teams? Then if I can coax them well….’

He might be able to secure a lot of useful information.

Information for the Tampa Bay Rays and the future strategy planning department, and above all, for Jisub himself.

“Kim, it’s here.”

Just as Jisub’s thoughts reached this point, Lonnie Cordell stopped walking.

“It’s room 302B. You should be able to find your way here now, right?”

“Thank you. I feel relieved thanks to you.”

Room 302B. A place where people who will be his good sources of information are waiting.

Jisub grabbed the doorknob with a brighter expression than ever before.

“Mr. Cordell, shall we go in?”

And then, one more word.

“To meet our friends.”