A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 499

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good 499

105 The Major League Promised (3)

A dilapidated two-story building.

A young man appeared in front of this building.

“…….”

When Ji-seop first saw him, he momentarily felt like he was at a zoo.

The man standing right in front of him resembled an American black bear.

‘Is that a person or a bear…….’

He must have been at least 2 meters tall. It seemed difficult to measure his weight with an ordinary scale.

That enormous size alone was enough to attract attention, but he was also wearing a skull-covered T-shirt and a red bandana.

In a word, he gave off a formidable vibe. It was admirable how R. J. Higgins was confidently saying what he had to say in front of such a man.

“So, you’re saying you haven’t paid rent for the past few months? Is that how I should understand it?”

“……Tch.”

The bear-like man frowned and kept his mouth shut.

“You are currently infringing on someone else’s valuable property rights. I won’t beat around the bush. Please pack your belongings and leave immediately.”

To be honest, Ji-seop was mentally prepared at this point.

Because the bear-like man’s expression was ominous. In contrast, Vice President Higgins was increasing the pressure.

Even though it was downtown St. Petersburg with decent security, it wasn’t uncommon for a fistfight to break out.

No, it would be fortunate if it only ended with a fistfight. This was the streets of America, where a gun could appear at any moment.

“……Are you done talking?”

As expected, the bear-like man rolled his eyes and put his hand in his pocket.

“Yes, I am done?”

Vice President Higgins glared and took a step forward, not wanting to back down, but just then.

“Hold on a second, why are you getting so heated……. Huh?!”

What came into Ji-seop’s view as he tried to separate the two was-

‘……Glasses?’

That’s right. It was glasses.

The bear-like man took out a case from his pocket and took out the glasses inside.

Round glasses. Gold-rimmed ones at that. It was quite a peculiar item for a man wearing a skull T-shirt to wear.

“Ah, I’m sorry for interrupting. My eyesight is really bad, you see.”

While even asking for understanding by raising his hand, he pushed up his glasses and opened his mouth.

“I admit that I haven’t paid the rent, and I also acknowledge that it has resulted in unauthorized occupancy. However, according to the administrative order issued by the Florida state government…….”

“Excuse me?!”

Vice President Higgins tilted his head.

“What did you just say? Administrative order?”

“Yes, administrative order. I don’t think I’m misremembering?”

The bear-like man pushed up his glasses again.

“Anyway, according to the order, even in a situation of unauthorized occupancy, a court eviction order is required. Excuse me, but do you have an order from the St. Petersburg court with you?”

“Order?”

They didn’t even know the man existed, so there was no way they would have brought a court order.

As if anticipating the situation, the bear-like man clicked his tongue and smiled slyly.

“Ah, you don’t have it? That’s unfortunate. Then I can’t help you either.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Then would you please visit again with a court order? I promise. I will fully cooperate then.”

“No, this, this is……. Hmph, really!”

R. J. Higgins wasn’t ignorant of legal matters either.

He was known as the most knowledgeable person in the Tampa Bay front office. And his eloquence was extraordinary.

But at this moment, Vice President Higgins seemed to be unilaterally pushed back by the bear-like man.

It wasn’t so much a lack of knowledge as it was being caught off guard. Who would have thought that someone who looked so fierce would bring up legal clauses?

‘Hehe, he’s an interesting fellow?’

Ji-seop was quietly smiling to himself as he watched the bear-like man politely greet them and turn around, and Vice President Higgins blinking with a dumbfounded expression.

It was then, as the two men formed a strange contrast.

“Oh?!”

The bear-like man, who was entering the garage, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Wait a minute! Are you perhaps…….”

The bear-like man stared intently at Ji-seop’s face while pushing up his glasses.

And the next moment, he took a deep breath without realizing it.

“Kim?!!”

His eyes widened.

“You’re Kim, right? Tampa Bay Rays Future Strategy Planning Division! The one who was in charge of the official announcement of the new stadium construction a while ago…….”

“Ah, yes, that’s me, but?”

Before Ji-seop could say anything, the bear-like man grabbed his hand.

“It’s an honor!!!”

He was about to bow.

“To meet Kim here……. It’s a pleasure! I really wanted to meet you!!”

* * *

About 5 minutes later.

Ji-seop and R. J. Higgins were inside his ‘office’ with the guidance of the bear-like man.

It was the same room that Ji-seop had looked around earlier. The place with a computer, a monitor, and a rare Edgetronic camera.

“Haha, I’m sorry about this. If I had known Kim was coming, I would have cleaned up a bit…….”

The bear-like man swept all sorts of junk to one side with an awkward smile.

Vice President Higgins looked at the man suspiciously before finally opening his mouth.

“It doesn’t seem like there will be a big change, so stop cleaning……. How about we introduce ourselves first?”

Vice President Higgins took out his business card.

“I’m R. J. Higgins. I’m the Vice President of Marketing for the Tampa Bay Rays.”

“Ta, Tampa Bay Rays? You too?!”

The bear-like man’s face showed a difficult expression at this moment.

He didn’t seem to know that Vice President Higgins was also from the Tampa Bay side.

“Oh my, I didn’t know you were from a Major League team……. I was rude. I’m sorry.”

Then, the bear-like man started rummaging through his desk drawers and jacket pockets.

After struggling for a while, he finally found two business cards with worn edges.

And then he said,

“Then, I’ll formally introduce myself to both of you. I’m Dr. Samuel Goldberg.”

“……Doctor?”

Vice President Higgins raised an eyebrow.

“Do you have a doctorate?”

“Yes, well, it’s embarrassing……. I majored in medicine in California. I only worked at the Frank Jobe Lab for about two years, though.”

“Frank Jobe Lab?!”

It was probably at this moment that Vice President Higgins’ eyes completely changed.

“Is that the Frank Jobe Lab I know? The one at the University of Southern California?”

“Yes, that’s right. As I recall, Brett Evans also visited our lab.”

“That’s right. Brett visited, and Jo Holtzman had surgery there recently…….”

Ji-seop had heard the name several times.

Frank Jobe. A legendary surgeon famous for performing the first Tommy John surgery [a reconstructive elbow ligament replacement procedure].

After his death, his disciples gathered to create a lab that is recognized for its skill and reputation throughout Major League Baseball.

So this bear-like man, no, Dr. Goldberg, has quite a colorful career.

As the situation turned out, Vice President Higgins looked a little anxious.

“No, someone from the Frank Jobe Lab……. What are you doing here?”

Vice President Higgins looked around the musty office as if he was dumbfounded.

“Someone with your career can work anywhere with good treatment, right? But why are you in a place like this…….”

At Vice President Higgins’ question, Dr. Goldberg smiled while touching his red bandana.

“If you work for a Major League team, you’ll know it well, right? There’s no real cure for someone who’s crazy about baseball.”

“Baseball?”

“That’s right. I’m researching a new paradigm of baseball here.”

There was even a bit of madness in Dr. Goldberg’s eyes.

“In the past, Billy Bean changed the paradigm of baseball with the Moneyball revolution [a data-driven approach to baseball management]. After that, the player development revolution, represented by [Drive Line] [a baseball training center focused on data analysis and biomechanics], decorated an era. And now……. The new trend led by me, Dr. Goldberg, will sweep the baseball world.”

That is-

“Brave Ball.”

“Brave Ball? Courageous Ball?”

Vice President Higgins glanced at Ji-seop and turned his head again.

“What…… is that?”

* * *

Dr. Goldberg’s Brave Ball.

It was an idea he created through his numerous surgical experiences at the Frank Jobe Lab.

“You two know it well, right? The fact that the number of players going to the operating table has increased dramatically in Major League Baseball recently.”

That was what Dr. Goldberg said.

“That’s because of the so-called ‘Velocity Revolution.’ As pitchers’ velocities increase, the number of players who experience injuries naturally increases.”

This was definitely true.

It’s not just a story limited to Major League Baseball. These days, the number of players undergoing surgery is increasing in the minor leagues and even at the high school level.

“The problem is this. As medical technology has developed, the success rate of surgery itself has greatly increased. But still, nearly half of the players are not performing as well as they did before surgery. In the worst case, they even give up baseball itself.”

“You’re talking about rehabilitation failure.”

Ji-seop just threw out a word, but Dr. Goldberg seemed so happy with just that.

“That’s right! Wow, to be able to explain my idea directly to Kim……. I suddenly feel my heart pounding?”

“Haha, continue.”

When Ji-seop gestured, Dr. Goldberg wet his dry lips with his tongue.

“No one has dug into rehabilitation failure yet. They just said it was bad luck, or the player was insincere……. They used to gloss over it that way. But I found the key factor that causes rehabilitation failure.”

“That factor is?”

Dr. Goldberg’s expression became serious.

“It’s fear.”

“Fear?”

“Yes, it’s a very complex fear. The fear that the pain before surgery may recur, the fear that they may not be able to perform as before, the fear that competitors are steadily building their careers even while I’m doing this…….”

He raised his head.

“If you can properly control this fear, the probability of rehabilitation failure will be greatly reduced. The player can continue a better career, and the team can prevent the promising prospect they worked so hard to develop from disappearing.”

“Eliminating fear……. Aha, so that’s Brave Ball?”

At Vice President Higgins’ words, Dr. Goldberg slowly nodded.

“After years of research, I have almost completed the core strategy of [Brave Ball]. It is a solution that combines surgical methods, non-surgical methods, in-depth counseling processes, and special rehabilitation training. I have achieved considerable success at the amateur level.”

However, the problem is,

Dr. Goldberg licked his lips.

“I haven’t been able to try it at the most important Major League level yet.”

He said that he had submitted proposals to numerous teams, but the answer was that they could not allow it to be tested on their players.

Some teams showed interest, but they set a condition that all research data must be handed over first.

“So…… I wanted to meet Kim.”

He continued.

“I heard that you have done a lot of ridiculous attempts in the Tampa Bay Rays. I heard that you have forced things that everyone opposes and achieved great success.”

“…….”

“So Kim, won’t you…… give me a chance?”

Dr. Goldberg looked at Ji-seop with eyes burning fiercely.

“If you give me a chance, just one chance……. I will definitely prove it.”

That I,

That this Dr. Goldberg,

That the [Brave Ball] I devised-

“Kim, can be the most reliable partner…… for the Tampa Bay Rays that you will lead.”