A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 342

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good – Episode 342

80. With the Heart of Planting a Seed (6)

Every team in the world has a legendary story.

Like the time when fans, enraged by a series of losses, sat cross-legged and blocked the team bus.

Or the time someone tried to throw a Korean melon [likely a Chamoe melon, a popular Korean fruit] at an umpire who called a balk [an illegal act by the pitcher], but accidentally hit the manager in the back of the neck.

Even the Tampa Bay Rays, with their relatively short history in Major League Baseball, had their own legendary tale.

It was called:

The Cowbell Boys’ Manatee Kidnapping Attempt.

Opinions vary among the staff regarding the motive behind the incident.

Some say it was just drunken foolishness, while others claim it was a protest against a certain team policy.

In any case, the main point is that members of the ‘Cowbell Boys,’ the most enthusiastic cheering squad in Tampa Bay at the time, snuck into the stadium in the early hours.

And they tried to move a manatee, leisurely swimming in the ‘Rays Touch Tank,’ a famous attraction at Tropicana Field, into a pre-prepared tank.

Of course, their movements were completely exposed on the team security’s CCTV [closed-circuit television] from the start, so their kidnapping attempt failed miserably.

-Freeze! You goddamn bastards, what do you think you’re doing here?

-Put the fish down and put your hands up! Walk forward slowly!

-Hey, take a picture first. They might deny it later.

Click, click, click.

The Cowbell Boys members were photographed as evidence and then handed over to the local police by the team security guards.

They spent three days behind bars, paid a fine of $1,000 per person, and were banned from the ballpark for life by the team.

According to Tampa Bay team officials, one of those ‘crazy’ intruders is now-

“Then, let’s begin.”

On the mound, with the Rays Touch Tank visible in the distance.

He was undergoing a tryout to join the Tampa Bay Rays.

Whoosh- Pow!

Whoosh- Pow!

“Excellent, Mr. Evans!”

* * *

Brett Evans, the ‘Professor,’ a legend with 251 career wins in Major League Baseball.

He hadn’t been officially notified yet, but in reality, his signing with Tampa Bay was almost certain at this point.

After a multifaceted analysis by the baseball operations department, it was determined that Brett Evans was still competitive in the Major League arena.

It was said that he had further enhanced the advantage of being a left-hander by changing his pitching form, and praise was pouring in for the extremely high quality of his newly acquired curveball.

Now, all that was needed was the approval of manager Mike Clemmblas and the rest of the field staff, and the Major League legend would be wearing his hometown team’s uniform.

Whoosh- Pow!

Whoosh- Pow!

Of course, there were reasons beyond skill for the Tampa Bay front office to make this decision.

“This is truly unbelievable.”

Said Brian Sphan, the general manager, watching Brett Evans’ pitching.

“The Professor, who has always shown a serious and calm demeanor throughout his career… was a member of the infamous ‘Cowbell Boys.'”

Brian Sphan was the general manager who was directly in charge during the Cowbell Boys’ manatee kidnapping incident.

Perhaps that’s why he couldn’t seem to stop the laughter that kept bubbling up.

“If I had known, I would have checked the list of people who were banned from the stadium… If I had, I could have realized the connection between the Professor and us sooner.”

The general manager, looking somewhat regretful, watched Brett Evans’ first pitch.

He seemed satisfied with this pitch as well, and after slowly nodding his head, he turned his gaze to Jiseop.

“Kim, you’ve worked hard.”

His voice was very pleased.

“You’ve solved another one of our Tampa Bay Rays’ long-standing problems.”

“Long-standing… problem?”

“That’s right. A long-standing problem. It’s an issue we’ve been concerned about even before Vincent Hyama mentioned it.”

The ‘long-standing problem’ that the general manager mentioned was none other than this.

“The lack of stories.”

He continued.

“This has been a real problem. Aside from the usual ‘this player is doing well’ or ‘that player is being traded’… there hasn’t been any material that our fans can enjoy talking about.”

Simply being good at baseball isn’t enough to attract fans’ attention.

Whether it’s a team or a player, there needs to be an interesting story, a fun tale to pique the fans’ interest.

Brian Sphan seemed to want to emphasize this point.

“In that sense, signing Brett Evans is valuable.”

The general manager narrowed his eyes.

“A respected legend who was once a notorious troublemaker, who tried to catch the manatees at Tropicana Field, and who is returning to his hometown team to challenge for his first championship… Wouldn’t everything surrounding him be a fun story to tell?”

“Now that I hear it… that’s true.”

Jiseop nodded, but then scratched the back of his head.

“But it would be a little difficult if you attribute that to my credit.”

“Is that so? Why?”

“The information about Brett Evans was received from his agent. It’s something that would have been reported to you eventually, even if it wasn’t me…”

To be exact, the information was received from Ryan Choi of Boras Corporation [a powerful sports agency].

Jiseop was trying to pinpoint the source of the information, but the general manager’s reaction was a bit strange.

“Ah, I see. Well, Kim hasn’t dealt with agents much… so you may not be familiar with their customs yet.”

“Yes?”

As Jiseop tilted his head, the general manager said in a soft voice.

“Other agent companies are the same, but Boras Corporation, in particular, operates as a company.”

“What do you mean by ‘as a company’?”

“The first meaning is that everything – where individual agents visit, who they meet, what they talk about – is reported to the company.”

The general manager checked his phone messages and then spoke again.

“And the second meaning is that the company determines the negotiation policy of individual agents based on the information they obtain.”

“Th-then?”

“That’s right. Do you get the picture now?”

The general manager looked at Jiseop.

“The fact that the agent came to you, the fact that he told you about Brett Evans, all of that was Boras Corporation’s decision.”

“…”

“In other words, if Kim hadn’t told me that information, our Tampa Bay Rays would never have known about the Professor’s colorful past.”

Ryan Choi, or rather, Boras Corporation, specifically targeted Jiseop to leak the information.

So, they guided things so that Brett Evans’ signing could be solely attributed to Jiseop’s efforts.

Jiseop couldn’t help but scratch his cheek with his finger.

“What’s the reason…?”

Jiseop couldn’t readily understand.

“This level of information could have been obtained through official channels, but the fact that they leaked the information through me…”

“Well, isn’t it obvious?”

The general manager chuckled.

“Kim, they’re trying to score points with you in advance. They see potential in you; they’ve decided that you’ll rise to even higher places than you are now.”

“…”

“Even the agent who came to you probably didn’t know it, but this is actually a long-standing business strategy of Boras Corporation. They earmark promising junior front office staff and support them so that they can grow quickly, so that they can receive help from them someday. So, in other words…”

With the heart of planting a seed.

At Brian Sphan’s words, Jiseop felt a bit dazed.

‘From Boras Corporation? Me?’

It wasn’t easy to make a judgment.

Should he be upset that he didn’t grasp Boras Corporation’s intentions?

Or should he be happy that he was recognized by the best agent group he had only heard about?

‘No, what the hell is this…’

Jiseop was slightly confused, but fortunately, he had Brian Sphan by his side.

A legend in the industry who could neatly sort out the confusion of a young front office employee.

“Haha, Kim! Why do you have that look on your face? You don’t think you’ve been taken advantage of by Boras Corporation, do you?”

“No, actually, I kind of feel that way…”

At Jiseop’s answer, the general manager looked at his subordinate with an ‘as expected’ expression.

“That’s a good attitude. That’s right. You should be upset about the fact that you didn’t accurately grasp the other party’s intentions.”

“…”

“But at least for now, I think you can feel proud. It’s Boras Corporation, isn’t it? The best agent company in Major League Baseball.”

The general manager continued.

“Feel proud only today. Call home and brag about it. But someday, you’ll get back at Scott Boras, that ‘Devil Agent’… Just keep that in mind.”

Get back at Scott Boras.

It was such a huge thing in Jiseop’s mind that he just chuckled at this point.

“Hmm, it feels like things are wrapping up.”

Looking up, he saw manager Clemmblas approaching Brett Evans.

The manager’s expression was very bright. He seemed very satisfied with the fact that a great asset had been added.

At this moment, when Brett Evans’ joining Tampa Bay was almost confirmed, General Manager Brian Sphan put his hand on Jiseop’s shoulder and said.

“Well, in a situation where the best legend is joining our Tampa Bay Rays…”

This atmosphere.

It felt very familiar for some reason.

“Could I ask a favor of the employee who has been recognized by Boras Corporation?”

“A favor…?”

Just how far is this guy going to exploit me?

Jiseop was thinking that for a moment.

* * *

The ‘Professor’ Brett Evans’ signing with Tampa Bay became a major topic in Major League Baseball, where each team’s roster reinforcement was coming to an end.

The fact that the 41-year-old veteran pitcher was returning after two years also received attention, and the fact that he was returning to his hometown team also received great attention.

But the part that received the most spotlight was, of course, this.

[Professor and Tampa Bay Rays! Turns out there was a deep connection?]!

[Shocking past of Professor Brett Evans revealed on today’s broadcast!]!

[Twenty-year-old Brett Evans! The story of his arrest?!]!

The story that Brett Evans was the person involved in the manatee kidnapping incident.

Everyone was buzzing about the unexpected side of the legend who was respected enough to be called ‘Professor’.

While the topic of when he, who had joined Triple-A [Minor League Baseball] for the time being, would be called up to the Major League was being discussed, the story of ‘Professor’ was also frequently mentioned in the Future Strategy Planning Department.

“The results of his Triple-A appearances are very good… I heard that he is scheduled to be called up as early as the week after next.”

This was David Wilson’s report.

“Since Louis’ fatigue has accumulated a lot, he is scheduled to pitch in place of him for one game…”

“I understand. Then let’s start collecting data on Mr. Evans.”

Jiseop thought he answered calmly, but David Wilson’s expression was a bit strange when he faced him.

“You seem to be very worried?”

“Yes?”

“That… event. The Brett Evans’ signing celebration event.”

David continued.

“Ever since that story came out, Kim’s expression hasn’t been very good…”

“Did it show that much? Haha.”

It was an instruction from General Manager Brian Sphan.

To commemorate Brett Evans’ return to the Major League stage, plan and report on an appropriate event.

Jiseop was feeling quite a headache from the sudden new task.

“It’s not easy.”

Jiseop rubbed his head.

“If it was baseball, the answer would come right away, but I’m not confident in events…”

“If you look at it, the general manager is a bit too much. Frankly, the situation is already overwhelming with just the game prediction reports.”

David Wilson didn’t seem to have any particularly good ideas in this area either.

How can we attract more people’s attention? How can we make it a comeback that people will talk about?

And one of David Wilson’s habits was to always bring in one specific person at times like this.

“Hey, John! Don’t you have any ideas?”

“Ah, ideas?”

John Lama, who was secretly checking stock prices, flinched at the sudden arrow.

“Well, I don’t have any experience in event planning either…”

“Are you just going to stand by and do nothing? Kim is racking his brain like this; you should help him with something.”

It was now a daily routine in the Future Strategy Planning Department, David Wilson’s nagging time.

“Even if it’s just asking questions or checking facts… that might help create new ideas, right?”

“Ah, questions?”

Usually, this flow would end with John Lama getting scolded, but today was a little different.

“Actually, there was one thing I was curious about ever since I first heard about the manatee incident.”

“Really? What is it?”

“The cheering squad that Brett Evans was a member of… it was called ‘Cowbell Boys’, right?”

Why ‘Cowbell’ of all things?

John Lama scratched his chin and said.

“Cowbell and Tampa Bay Rays… they don’t seem to have any connection at all?”