A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 300

73. How to Feed a Carrot (3)

Since joining the Tampa Bay Rays, that was probably the toughest hour I’d had.

The coaching staff meeting with Major League’s youngest manager, Mike Klemblas.

“Hmm, good. I understand now. So, about the ball distribution on the next page…….”

Manager Klemblas was meticulous.

Scarily meticulous.

He didn’t just gloss over even the smallest points, and he demanded perfect answers with reasons, grounds, and countermeasures.

Honestly, considering the amount of content covered, it would have easily taken more than three or four hours.

Nevertheless, the reason why the meeting on this day could be ‘cut short in an hour’ was entirely thanks to this guy.

“Yes, I’ll answer!”

“Yes, I’ve thought about that too!”

“Of course, coming to a meeting without any countermeasures is not the style of our Future Strategy Planning Department!”

Ace of the Future Strategy Planning Department, David Wilson.

Before the questions that flew in like a rain of arrows in a martial arts movie, he continued to answer without a moment’s hesitation.

John LaMar, who was watching from the side, even whispered, ‘Kim, you’ve picked a really good analyst.’

Of course, a slight bitter smile appeared when he appealed his name to the manager every time he answered.

“This is David Wilson from the Future Strategy Planning Department! I’ll answer!”

“This is David Wilson from the Baseball R&D Team who was in charge of building Uncle Charlie [a specific type of curveball]! I’ll tell you!”

“This is David Wilson who played in the Tampa Bay minor leagues! Let me explain based on my experience…….”

Anyway, after finishing the one-hour meeting, the people from the Future Strategy Planning Department returned to ‘Storage D’.

Without anyone saying anything first, they each returned to their seats and wore blank expressions for a while.

After spending an hour with Manager Mike Klemblas, they felt like all the energy had been drained from their bodies.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Searching for data with blank expressions, reviewing reports with blank expressions, and watching the game of the day with blank expressions again.

-A high fly ball to the outfield! The center fielder comes down and…… catches it! Game over! The Tampa Bay Rays avenge yesterday’s defeat!

The people in the Future Strategy Planning Department spent their afternoon and evening with such blank expressions.

It was after the day’s game ended with a victory for Tampa Bay that they regained some vitality.

Right after the closing pitcher caught the final out count, John LaMar stood up, clenching his fist and exclaiming, ‘Alright!’

“Hoo, it was a nerve-wracking game until the end.”

The main director of the Future Strategy Planning Department was shuddering.

The final score was 4-3. A close one-point game is tough even for those watching.

“You guys couldn’t even eat dinner properly because of the game…… How about grabbing a quick bite before heading home?”

John LaMar turned to Jiseop and David Wilson as he continued.

“I recently discovered a decent restaurant! It’s cheap, delicious, and most of all, it’s open 24 hours, so you can go there anytime…….”

At this time, Jiseop was muttering inwardly, ‘That guy is really something.’

He’s almost always stuck in this underground office because of work, but when did he find a new restaurant?

But if it’s a restaurant recommended by John LaMar, it’s worth a visit.

Jiseop quietly nodded, but another member of the Future Strategy Planning Department was waving his hand over the partition.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll join you next time.”

It was David Wilson who spoke.

“Didn’t the umpire’s ball judgment create a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere today? I think that story will come up in tomorrow’s meeting…….”

He didn’t say the following words directly, but Jiseop could easily guess what he meant.

If Manager Klemblas brings it up, he intends to give a clear answer and get his attention.

Because it was such an obvious action, even the clueless John LaMar chuckled and threw out a word.

“……David.”

“Yes?”

“Are Kim and I that unappealing to you? It seems like you’re trying too hard to leave the Future Strategy Planning Department?”

“Y-Yes?!”

It was a story that could be laughed off.

Jiseop and John LaMar both knew David Wilson’s lifelong wish.

But this picky and stubborn man didn’t seem to have that kind of smoothness.

“N-No, it’s not that I dislike you two…….”

David Wilson’s face turned red as he stammered, unable to answer.

He’s a fun friend to tease, Jiseop thought to himself at this moment.

* * *

That night, Jiseop and John LaMar headed to a port area about 20 minutes by car from Tropicana Field.

Southeast of St. Petersburg, a place where passenger ships and yachts traveling to Florida come and go endlessly.

The reason why there is a ’24-hour restaurant’, which is rare in the United States, is probably because of the people working in this port.

Although most of the seats were for one person, there were only two tables where two people could eat.

“I’ve ordered.”

When Jiseop had somewhat adapted to the restaurant’s atmosphere, John LaMar approached with a beaming face.

“Fried rice and beef noodle soup…… It’ll probably come out soon. The chef here is super fast. It’s a good place to come alone, slurp it down, and leave.”

John LaMar rubbed his hands together.

Chinese food after work is always special.

After taking chopsticks, fetching water, and making a fuss for a while, he looked at Jiseop and asked.

“But…… Kim.”

“Yes?”

“What are you looking at so seriously since earlier? Are you checking today’s game footage?”

John LaMar stretched his neck and looked at Jiseop’s phone screen.

A look of not knowing the intention at all appeared on his face.

“It’s a picture of an animal?”

John LaMar blinked.

“It’s not a beaver, it’s not an otter…… Ah, that’s it! Capybara!”

Right?

John LaMar asked.

“Why are you suddenly looking up capybaras? Were you always interested in animals?”

“No, not really…….”

It was because of Manager Klemblas.

The young manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.

To be exact, it was the thought he had while looking at Jiseop and the Future Strategy Planning Department.

[Ah, so these are the people.]

[Future Strategy Planning Department…… Our Tampa Bay Rays’ capybaras.]

After the meeting, I couldn’t even think of looking it up because I was exhausted, but I was just about to come to my senses and search the internet.

Originally, I was going to go to a Wiki site to check, but since the story came up, I decided to ask John LaMar.

“Do you know much about it? About capybaras.”

“Hey, do I need to know much? I haven’t been to the zoo since elementary school.”

He said that, but he seemed to know more than Jiseop.

“I’ve only heard about it on the internet, but…… isn’t the capybara a famous animal for its sociability?”

“Sociability?”

“Yes, their personality is so good…… Not only do they get along well with each other, but I’ve heard they get along well with other animals too.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Only then could Jiseop understand.

Why there were so many other animal pictures in the search results for ‘capybara’.

Looking closely, there was a capybara with a turtle, a capybara with a duck, and even a capybara with an eagle.

All of them were pictures of capybaras showing off their unique ‘sociability’.

‘Hmm, sociability…….’

Jiseop was lost in thought for a moment.

Manager Mike Klemblas seemed to be referring to the sociability of the Future Strategy Planning Department.

It was a reaction that could come out enough. They had become very close to two coaches in a short period of time.

But it felt a little strange that sociability was the first thing that came to mind when looking at the Future Strategy Planning Department.

If it were a typical manager, he would have been more interested in the process or method of picking up the starting catcher.

‘Hmm, they say he’s the youngest manager in Major League Baseball…… Are his thoughts different from ordinary people after all?’

Jiseop was intuitively aware that he needed to observe Manager Klemblas’s tendencies a little more.

To increase the influence of the Future Strategy Planning Department, the manager’s cooperation was more important than anything else.

Especially when he thought about David Wilson, who was so eager to become a coach right now.

‘Should I pack some food and bring it to him? That guy David seems to be working pretty late…….’

Just as he was thinking that and turning his gaze to the menu on the wall of the store, John LaMar, who was quietly sipping water, tapped the table.

“Hey, Kim.”

It was a whispering voice.

“The person sitting across the street…… Doesn’t he look a little familiar?”

“Across the street?”

Jiseop turned his head slightly.

A man in a loose hoodie was quietly eating noodles.

“Well, who is it?”

I wondered if he was one of the players.

Or maybe one of the front office staff in the club.

But John LaMar said with a look as if he didn’t even know that.

“Hey, look closely. The way he’s holding his back straight, the way he’s holding his phone…… It’s 100%.”

So, the identity of that man that John LaMar predicted-

“I think it’s the manager.”

He said.

“Manager Mike Klemblas.”

* * *

Let’s go say hello.

John LaMar was about to get up from his seat right away, but Jiseop quickly reached out and pressed him down.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.”

“Yes? Why?”

“It’s unlikely that a Major League manager would eat in a place like this, but even if that’s the case…….”

He glanced.

Jiseop checked the man in question and turned his head again.

“I think it’s better to just pretend we don’t know each other here.”

“Pretend we don’t know each other?”

“Yes, think about it. There must be a reason why the manager came all the way here to eat.”

Jiseop, who had assisted Manager Arthur Freeman during his KH Cannons days, knew.

Whether it’s Korea or the United States, managers need time to spend quietly alone.

“Whether it’s team management or tomorrow’s game…… It seems like he came here to quietly gather his thoughts, so we shouldn’t disturb him, right?”

“Ah, is that how it works?”

John LaMar nodded, thinking that Jiseop’s words made sense.

“I see. Okay. Then let’s pretend we don’t know each other here.”

It was right at that moment that John LaMar nodded lightly.

“Hey, John! Food’s here!”

The restaurant owner came to Jiseop’s table with the food.

John’s name was called, but how common is the name John in America?

I didn’t think there was a possibility that the ‘manager’ sitting across the street would notice-

“I put a lot of meat in it today!”

It was the owner’s one word.

“I heard the Tampa Bay Rays completely crushed the Yankees? Then we have to congratulate them! To the best ace of the Tampa Bay front office!”

“H-Hey, Steve!”

John LaMar waved his hand.

“W-What are you talking about? When did I say that…….”

“Haha, why are you suddenly like this? When did you say that Tampa Bay escaped last place thanks to you?”

“No, that’s…….”

John LaMar Taylor, who was turning his gaze to make some excuses to Jiseop.

It was the very next moment that he suddenly stopped as if frozen.

“…….”

At the owner’s voice mentioning ‘Tampa Bay’, the man sitting across the street turned his head and looked this way.

He was wearing horn-rimmed glasses instead of gold-rimmed glasses, holding a cell phone instead of documents, and wearing a loose hoodie instead of a uniform-Jiseop could definitely recognize him.

The Tampa Bay Rays manager.

Mike Klemblas.