A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 336

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good – Episode 336

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good 336

79. I’ll Give You 5 Minutes (4)

About an hour later.

Jisub was visiting the office of Brian Span, the president of baseball operations.

“Hi~yama! Let’s go, let’s go!”

Tropicana Field was bustling with fans entering.

From the distant field, cheers for Vincent Hiyama could be heard.

Unlike usual, the field wasn’t quiet; it was already filled with the sounds of cheering fans.

It was at that moment that Jisub realized the ticket-selling power of Vincent Hiyama, the two-way ace who had newly joined the Tampa Bay Rays.

“Ah, right.”

Brian Span, the president of baseball operations, returned to his office after briefly stepping out to take a call.

“Kim, have you ever met Benjamin Oznovich, the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies?”

“Ah, yes, once before…”

Jisub said, accepting the teacup offered by the president.

“I happened to run into him at a place I visited for an MBA course. We talked for about 30 minutes.”

“Ah, I see. So that’s why he…”

The president of baseball operations smiled wryly and sat down.

“Yesterday, Benjamin called me out of the blue. He was so loud and fussy about the acquisition of Vincent.”

‘What’s the reason?’

‘What’s the reason for suddenly acquiring Vincent?’

The Phillies’ general manager protested in a very strong tone.

“He kept mentioning Kim, so I wondered what the story was… I see, you two were acquaintances.”

Brian Span, the president of baseball operations, nodded slowly and took a sip of his tea.

It was at this moment that Jisub carefully asked him, looking at him.

“So… what did you say?”

“Pardon?”

“About the reason for acquiring Vincent Hiyama.”

This was also something Jisub was curious about.

“I heard from General Manager Oznovich that you usually run the team in a way that thoroughly protects promising prospects.”

“…”

“But you didn’t say a word at the last meeting, and in the end, you traded away the team’s top prospect to acquire Vincent. What’s the reason for that…?”

“Haha, that?”

Brian Span, the president of baseball operations, put down his teacup with a strange smile.

Then, after staring at Jisub’s face for a moment, he finally said,

“Would it be an exaggeration to say it’s because I gained courage…?”

“Pardon?”

“But I don’t think I can find a more appropriate expression than that.”

‘That’s right.’

He continued.

“At the last general meeting, Kim… you gave me a lot of courage.”

* * *

Courage.

A lot of courage.

When Jisub heard the words of Brian, the president of baseball operations, the following thought came to his mind.

‘Americans are so amazing. How can they say such words so casually?’

Sakhalin Park would never have said that word.

Not even Director Seo Chang-ki would have said such a word.

The president of baseball operations’ choice of words was direct, and if you think about it, a little cheesy.

Whether he knew that Jisub was thinking that or not, he continued to speak with a calm expression.

“It was exactly half and half.”

“Pardon?”

“My feelings about winning, winning the World Series.”

He let out a short sigh.

“I’ve spent 20 years as the president of baseball operations. Some of those years, we even went to the threshold of winning. So, my desire to win is greater than anyone else’s, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But it’s very strange.”

He continued.

“Almost at the same time as my desire to win grew, my attachment to what I’ve achieved so far also grew.”

“…Attachment?”

“That’s right. The story that I’ve been running the team well for 20 years, the story that I’ve raised Tampa Bay into a strong team… Wouldn’t there be a reputation that comes with that?”

Reputation.

He emphasized again.

“It’s not difficult to challenge for the championship. I can boldly sell off promising prospects and bring in good players. But what if we fail to win by doing that? What if we end up losing both the championship and the prospects?”

“…”

“Then I’ll just be an executive who ruined the team’s future because I was blinded by the desire to win.”

Surprisingly honest story.

Jisub had no choice but to sit up straight.

“So it was half and half. Half of me wanted to boldly challenge for the championship, and half of me wanted to maintain the team’s strength at a moderate level.”

Strictly speaking, it seemed that he was leaning more towards the latter.

After all, he had been rejecting the opinions of ‘hardliners’ like Benjamin.

“Maybe this year wouldn’t have been much different either. I would have been torn between winning and maintaining the status quo, and in the end, I would have ended up compromising at an ambiguous level.”

He raised his head.

“Kim, if you hadn’t been there.”

The story that the balance, which had been slightly tilted towards maintaining the status quo, was reversed thanks to Jisub.

It wasn’t a bad thing to hear, but there was also a part of Jisub that was hard to accept.

“But there have been people who have argued for a championship challenge to you before, right? But why only to my story…?”

In terms of experience and ability as a front office member, Benjamin Oznovich is superior to Jisub.

So why did he reject his proposal and accept Jisub’s proposal?

To Jisub’s question, the president of baseball operations replied with a strange smile.

“No, I wasn’t particularly moved by the story itself.”

“…Pardon?”

“Benjamin is better at speaking than you. If I recall correctly, his arguments were more persuasive back then.”

Jisub was dumbfounded.

“Then why…?”

“It was the reaction of the people.”

The president of baseball operations said.

“Didn’t many people, including the manager, stand up for your story? Even in that situation where Director Campisi was glaring fiercely? I was impressed by this part.”

“…”

“Kim, you haven’t been with our team for very long. If you were a normal person, you would be busy figuring out the team atmosphere. But you’ve already captured the hearts of your colleagues? Everyone actively agreed with your story and stood up for you? That’s amazing.”

He said very firmly.

“I told Benjamin yesterday, too. Kim has something you don’t have. Maybe he has a talent that even I don’t have.”

“Oh, come on, don’t go that far…”

Jisub scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed, but the president of baseball operations didn’t seem to want to stop.

“No matter what team it is, the game will eventually be decided by teamwork. That’s the postseason [playoffs]. We’ve always been defeated because we haven’t had a central figure like this…”

Kim, if you are there.

If you can unite the players, the field staff, and the front office-

“I’ve decided that it’s worth a try this year.”

At this time, Jisub was feeling a little dazed.

He knows how to capture people’s hearts, he has the power to unite everyone.

He had often heard those compliments at KH Cannons, but he never thought he would hear them in America.

Even from Brian Span, the president of baseball operations, who is well-known even in Major League Baseball.

‘Well, it feels good, but…’

In Jisub’s experience, a new mission always followed such compliments.

The higher-ups seemed to have that habit. They don’t compliment you with pure intentions, and they always say these things when they’re about to give you a headache.

And as always, Jisub’s hunch was right.

“In that sense, Kim, there’s actually something I need to tell you.”

‘There it is.’

That’s how Jisub felt.

“Yes, please tell me.”

“Actually, in this decision, there was another variable besides Kim’s existence.”

“Variable?”

“Yes, a variable. It could be a crisis for us, or it could be a great opportunity.”

It was the moment when the eyes of the president of baseball operations, who had been speaking with a soft expression, became sharp for the first time that day.

“Kim, are you aware? There’s one thing that can be said to be the most important project for our Tampa Bay Rays.”

“The most important project…”

Jisub raised his eyes to the ceiling and then lowered them, answering.

“Are you talking about the construction of a new stadium?”

* * *

About an hour later.

Jisub had finished his meeting with Brian Span, the president of baseball operations, and returned to the Future Strategy Planning Division.

“A new stadium… It’s being mentioned again.”

That was David Wilson’s reaction.

“Well, Tropicana Field isn’t a good ballpark. The facilities are outdated, and the location of the ballpark isn’t great either.”

That’s why the Tampa Bay Rays had been discussing a new ballpark for a long time.

In fact, a guideline for a new stadium was announced in a big way a few years ago.

However, the city government of St. Petersburg had been postponing the full-scale construction for various reasons.

The new ‘promise’ signed between them and the Tampa Bay Rays was the mission delivered to Jisub that day.

“The story is simple.”

Jisub said.

“Currently, they can’t build a new ballpark. They have to scrap the existing plan. That’s the city government’s position. The number of spectators is small, and the citizens’ interest is too low.”

“…Damn it.”

John Ramer grumbled.

“They made a plan and overturned it, then made another plan and overturned it… When did they drive people crazy, and now what? World Series championship?! Is that as easy as it sounds?”

“But isn’t it a big deal just to have it officially put on the agenda of the city council? They’ve been refusing for various reasons until now.”

The stakes have been raised.

David Wilson said.

“Giving up Christopher and bringing down Vincent was already a considerable gamble, but now the issue of building a new ballpark has been added…”

“That’s right. It’s certain that this season has become even more important. For Tampa Bay, and for our Future Strategy Planning Division.”

Jisub continued.

“But you don’t have to feel too pressured. We just need to focus on what we can do.”

“What we can do?”

“Yes, first of all…”

Jisub pointed to the standings chart on the office wall.

“We’ll be the first in the AL East Division [American League East Division].”

He continued.