A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 272

68. A Cup of Warm Cocoa (4)

LA Dodgers’ legendary manager Tommy Lasorda once said:

“The saddest day of the year is the day baseball ends.”

In that context, wouldn’t the day baseball begins be the happiest day of the year?

Friday, exactly four days after Jiseop joined the Future Strategy Planning Department.

That happy day was also dawning in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The opening of the Major League season. The start of a long journey lasting eight months, considering the postseason.

*Ding-*

*Ding-*

From early morning, Jiseop’s phone was flooded with messages.

It was the season opener. Acquaintances in Korea were sending messages of support.

-Jiseop, fighting! I’ve decided to support the Tampa Bay Rays this year!

-Hyung [older brother or close male friend], I heard the season is starting there today? Good luck! I’ll be cheering for you!

-Special Assistant Kim, I heard you joined the Tampa Bay Rays. I hope you’ll perform as well there as you did with the Cannons.

-Kim Jiseop! Why aren’t you answering your phone? Just send me one Major League signed ball!

If you exclude the last person, who didn’t need to be bothered with, everyone seemed to be looking forward to Jiseop’s performance.

He must be doing his best for the team’s victory alongside those amazing Major League players.

Soon, I’ll be able to see Jiseop’s name on TV or in newspaper articles.

Yes, just like he did in the KH Cannons.

“……”

However, contrary to the high expectations of his acquaintances, Jiseop was in a place far removed from the team’s victory that day.

The field where the players played was out of the question, and he couldn’t even enter the media room where the reporters were or the War Room where the front office’s key personnel watched the game.

Four hours before the game started, Jiseop and John Ramer were entering this place.

[Sunshine City Parking Management Services]

It was one of the many partner companies that had a contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.

More precisely, a small company that was commissioned by the Stadium Operations Department to manage the 10 parking lots and shuttle buses around Tropicana Field.

That day, Jiseop and John Ramer came to this company to help out at the request of Gregory Campbell from the Stadium Operations Department.

“We’re here to help! We are…….”

As always, John Ramer Taylor greeted people with a loud voice.

However, his energetic voice was not properly conveyed inside the office.

“We, we are…….”

As was the case with most offices under the Tampa Bay Rays that day, [Sunshine Parking Management] was also running around like crazy.

“Wait a minute, didn’t you check the system? Why are strange messages popping up since a while ago?”

“I, I’m sorry! I’ll go and do it right now! Ugh, the machines are being unusually troublesome today.”

“Hurry, hurry! And what about the shuttle bus! Did you put up all the shuttle bus notices?!”

Some people were frantically typing on the computer, some were hurriedly moving boxes, and some were scratching their heads in front of the map on the wall.

Because everyone was so busy, Jiseop and John Ramer just stood there blinking their eyes like spare parts.

“Hmm?”

The two of them began to receive attention from [Sunshine Parking Management] after standing awkwardly for more than 10 minutes.

“Hey, you there! What’s going on?”

It was the man who had been complaining about the system check a little while ago.

Wiping the sweat streaming down his face, he frowned slightly at Jiseop and John Ramer’s attire.

“Ah, you’re from the Rays?”

Even though Jiseop didn’t say anything special, the man waved his hand dismissively.

“Ah, no. I’m too busy right now to make employee parking passes. Just use the general parking lot today and bring the receipt back tomorrow morning. Then we’ll take care of it…….”

“No, no.”

Jiseop shook his head.

“We’re not here for the parking passes. We’re here to help with the parking lot management at the request of Gregory Campbell from the Stadium Operations Department…….”

“Ah, parking lot management?”

The man looked at Jiseop and John Ramer alternately with a displeased look.

“Do you have any experience? Like working part-time at an amusement park, or even at a discount store?”

“No, not really…….”

Jiseop tried to add something, but the man nodded perfunctorily.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re in a position to receive help, so we can’t be picky. Hey, Peter! Peter!”

When the man shouted loudly, one of the employees who was taking care of the LED light stick ran over in a hurry.

“Yes, boss!”

The employee with freckles all over his face asked the ‘boss’.

“What’s the matter?”

* * *

About 10 minutes later.

Jiseop and John Ramer were in the back seat of a golf cart with the Tampa Bay Rays logo emblazoned on it.

It was to move to the place where the two would be working that day.

“Don’t take the boss’s words too seriously. He’s not usually this bad! It’s a little difficult to say he’s a good person usually….”

Said the employee named ‘Peter’ who was driving.

“I think it’s because the number of pre-sale tickets for today’s opening game is too low……. Yes, I think that’s why he’s so sensitive.”

“Opening game pre-sale numbers? Is the situation that bad?”

When Jiseop showed interest, the employee of [Sunshine Parking Management] nodded and continued.

“Yes, I heard that it’s not even 20,000 people? If we screw up like this from the opening game, Tampa Bay’s box office performance this year will be obvious.”

The parking management company can only make a living if a lot of spectators come.

But they have been failing at the box office for several years, so how could the parking lot manager’s face be good?

“But it’s good for you two.”

“Yes? What is?”

“Thanks to the fact that fewer guests are coming to today’s opening game, you two have been assigned relatively easy tasks.”

“Alright, we’re here.”

It was at this moment that the employee named Peter stopped the golf cart.

He jumped out of the driver’s seat with skillful movements and began to point around.

“The left side here is Parking Lot 8, and the right side is Parking Lot 9. These are the largest parking lots at Tropicana Field.”

But the following words were strange.

“What you have to do today is…… inform customers that these two parking lots are closed.”

“Closed?”

It was John Ramer who reacted.

“No, why? Even if there are fewer spectators, isn’t it good to have a large parking lot available?”

“Haha, I guess that’s how the guests would see it. But we see it as a slightly different problem.”

The employee named Peter scratched the back of his head.

“As you can see, it’s quite a distance from here to the stadium, right? So originally, a shuttle bus was operated. In fact, the cost is not insignificant…….”

Closing parking lots 8 and 9 would save the cost of operating the shuttle bus.

“Anyway, you just have to guard this area and guide the vehicles of the customers who come in to the inner parking lot. Simple, right?”

In a way, it was a pitiful situation.

Still, it’s a Major League team, affiliated with the best baseball league in the world.

To have to close two of the parking lots that they had created because there were so few spectators coming.

‘……How did it come to this?’

Is it because there are no players who can be called star players due to the continuous ‘fire sale’ [trading away popular players for financial reasons]?

Is it because Florida is a region where football is stronger, as someone said?

Or is it because the location of Tropicana Field is really terrible, as is often pointed out?

Jiseop didn’t know the exact cause yet, but he could vaguely guess what the problem was for at least that day.

“Okay, then I’ll hand out the necessary items. Take the seat belt, hard hat, and LED light stick……. Ah, that’s right!”

The next moment, the employee of [Sunshine Parking Management] handed over a set of raincoats.

“Wear this in advance.”

He continued.

“It’s okay now……. But they said it’s going to pour down soon.”

A sudden rain forecast.

It was the existence that dealt a decisive blow to the Tampa Bay Rays’ box office failure that day.

* * *

It was less than 30 minutes later that heavy rain began to fall in St. Petersburg.

Swish- Swish-

In fact, that was the case.

Tampa Bay Rays’ home stadium, Tropicana Field, was a dome stadium.

Whether it rained, snowed, or the wind blew, there was no problem with the game.

However, from the perspective of baseball fans who had to drive their own cars, they couldn’t help but be mindful of the heavy rain.

Thanks to this, Jiseop and John Ramer, who were standing at the entrance of Parking Lot 8, were having a rather leisurely time.

“……”

“……”

Looking back now, I wonder if it was necessary to stand there.

The rain was pouring down, the parking lot was deserted, and notices that the shuttle bus was not operating were posted everywhere.

The spectators who came to Tropicana Field were moving to the inner parking lot on their own.

“This is…… a big problem.”

About an hour after standing there blankly and waving the LED light stick.

John Ramer said, wiping the raindrops running down his face.

“I’ve often heard that our Tampa Bay Rays have few spectators, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”

To the owner’s son, who had been living leisurely chasing alligators, the scenery of that day seemed to be quite a shock.

“Even though it’s raining a lot, it’s still the opening game……. Aren’t we going to go completely bankrupt like this?”

“Well, it’s true that it’s not a good situation…….”

Perhaps because he had heard of the Tampa Bay Rays’ ‘infamy’ [bad reputation].

Even though he was facing the same situation, Jiseop’s assessment was slightly different from John Ramer’s.

“But I don’t think it’s the worst.”

“Not the worst?”

“Yes, it seems like the parking lots around the stadium are almost full.”

Jiseop pointed inside.

“If they came despite this weather, doesn’t that mean that the Tampa Bay Rays also have people who can be called ‘loyal fans’?”

“Ah, loyal fans…….”

“Outside, they say ‘there are no fans, there is no popularity’, but it means that there are still fans who can hold the center.”

Wouldn’t it be possible to gradually increase the fan base around them?

Wouldn’t it be possible to gradually expand the base while not missing them?

Jiseop was thinking that.

“Did he say Peter? That friend said that this season’s box office is also gone, but I don’t see it that way.”

“Then?”

“If those people have a satisfying experience and return, it’s a matter of them coming back with more people next time.”

“Ah, giving a satisfying experience to the customers who come once……. That means that’s important?”

John Ramer nodded with a serious expression, but Jiseop was smiling bitterly inside.

‘Well, it’s not something I can say while leisurely waving a light stick in a place like this…….’

Because there was a limit to what he could do here, even the great Jiseop was getting a little bored.

He felt like his body was getting chilly because of the continuous rain, and he wanted to go somewhere suitable and have a cup of warm cocoa.

‘Should I slack off a little?’

Just as he was thinking that and looking around, there was a shout that poked at Jiseop’s ear.

“Hey! What are you doing right now?!”

It was towards the parking lot entrance.

The path leading to the Tropicana Field parking lot.

“The game starts in less than an hour! We have to go in now to watch the baseball!”

“What’s the problem? Why aren’t you letting us in!”

Just a few minutes ago, there was no problem, but suddenly there was a long line of cars at the parking lot entrance.

The drivers who were tired of waiting got out of their cars and were shouting.

Following that was the voice of the employee named ‘Peter’.

“Wait a minute! Just wait a little bit! There’s an error in the parking system right now…….”

System error.

Something came to Jiseop’s mind.

‘That’s right, he said he didn’t check the system properly, right?’