A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 401

New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 401

89 Another Sunshine Day (3)

About ten minutes later.

Jisub was visiting the office of Brian Span, the general manager.

“Haha, Kim! You must have had a hard time.”

Brian Span, the general manager, said, looking at the mouse-shaped cookie Jisub had brought.

“Disney World… I remember taking my kids there when I was young and suffering from body aches for about a week.”

The world’s largest theme park, crowded with people all year round.

The general manager of Tampa Bay seemed well aware of its reputation.

“Can you get back to work right away? Shouldn’t you rest for a few more days?”

“Haha, my heart is in it, but…”

Jisub gave a bitter smile.

“I think this is the time to be patient. It seems like there’s been some trouble in the Future Strategy Planning Department while I was away.”

Jisub’s reckless direct superior.

It was about ’72-Hour Man’ John Ramer Taylor.

Because he allowed his subordinates to negotiate transfers, the Future Strategy Planning Department had to find replacements as soon as possible.

“Speaking of which…”

Jisub said, looking around.

“Where is John Ramer? I thought he would be here by now, since he was summoned by the president.”

“Ah, John went to the sandwich shop across the stadium to buy something to eat.”

The general manager replied.

“Both John and I, and the guest who visited here today, haven’t had lunch yet.”

“Guest?”

It was at this moment that Jisub tilted his head slightly.

“Was there a guest here?”

“Yes. I thought it would be good to introduce you to Kim… Oh, it looks like our sandwich expedition is returning.”

As soon as the general manager finished speaking, there was a knock, and the office door opened wide.

“Oh, Kim!! You’re back?”

John Ramer Taylor was smiling brightly at Jisub, holding a large paper bag in his arms.

And another person peeking out from behind his broad shoulders.

“Kim? The Kim you mentioned, Ramer?!”

“Yes, that Kim!”

“Oh, my God! I finally get to meet him!”

A middle-aged woman, making exaggerated gestures, strode forward.

She put the drink carrier she was holding on the table and suddenly extended a hand as big as a pot lid towards Jisub.

“Nice to meet you, Kim! I’ve heard so much about you from John Ramer that my ears are ringing!”

Hahahaha.

She laughed so loudly that her uvula [the fleshy extension at the back of the soft palate] was visible, and then looked at Jisub with sharp eyes.

“I’m Lauren K. Ortega. Lauren, Mrs. Ortega, or LK. You can call me whatever you want, but since you belong to the Tampa Bay Rays…”

Mama Ortega.

She said with a smile.

“I would appreciate it if you called me ‘Mama Ortega’.”

“Mama?”

Mom…?!

* * *

Lauren K. Ortega.

She was said to have worked as the main director in the general administration department of the Tampa Bay Rays until a few years ago.

Her main job was to provide legal advice to the club. When there were contract issues with players, conflicts with the city government, or troubles with partner companies, she would review them legally and report them.

Of course, if she had only played this role, she would not have been given the affectionate nickname ‘Mama’.

“Mama helped so many people.”

John Ramer said to Jisub, spreading out the things he had bought from the sandwich shop.

“Players who had their contract money taken away by agents, or front office staff who couldn’t get their deposit back from their landlords… Anyway, when there was a legal problem, everyone went to Mama first.”

It was the United States, often called the ‘Nation of Lawsuits’.

Among them, Florida was a state famous for its many petty legal disputes.

To the Tampa Bay people who had lived in such a place with anxious hearts, the existence of Mama Ortega was very reassuring.

So, what is she doing now, the woman who was once loved by everyone as ‘Mom’?

“I’m working as a lawyer.”

Lauren Ortega, or ‘Mama Ortega’, took out a business card from her jacket pocket and handed it to Jisub.

“Should I introduce myself again? Nice to meet you, Kim! Partner Attorney at the law firm Parthenon Group… Lauren Ortega, at your service.”

“Ah, Parthenon Group?”

Jisub received the business card with a calm expression and polite manner.

But at that moment, John Ramer, who was nodding with a pleased expression, suddenly joined the conversation.

“Hey, Kim! What’s with that reaction?”

“Um? What reaction?”

“It’s the Parthenon Group, the Parthenon Group! Haven’t you heard of it?”

To be honest, it was a name he had never heard before.

Jisub had no interest in the legal field in the first place. Why would he know the name of a law firm?

However, John Ramer was continuing with the most serious expression he had made in recent months.

“The Parthenon Group is one of the top three law firms in the eastern United States! Whether it’s negotiating power or past performance, it’s no exaggeration to say it’s the best law firm in the United States, right?”

“Ramer, Ramer! It’s not the best in the United States, no matter how you look at it. There are so many places that are better than us.”

Mama Ortega waved her hand with an embarrassed expression, but John Ramer didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

“No, Mama! Didn’t the Parthenon Group also oversee the Oakland Athletics’ move to Las Vegas? Then it’s the best in the United States! At least for us in Major League Baseball.”

Then, with a triumphant expression, John Ramer puffed out his chest.

Jisub, staring at him, couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

‘What’s wrong with that guy?’

At first, he thought he was trying to praise an old colleague who had come to visit after a long time.

A person who had been a reliable support for Tampa Bay employees for a long time. John Ramer wouldn’t have ignored such a person.

But it felt like it was getting too much. His triumphant expression, his proud face, and even glancing at Brian Span, the general manager, from time to time.

‘…Aha.’

And before long, Jisub was able to figure out what John Ramer’s ulterior motive was.

Perhaps because they had spent a certain amount of time together, he didn’t even need to look into his eyes.

Mama Ortega, who used to work for the Tampa Bay Rays. And now she’s working at one of the top three law firms in the United States.

So, what can be inferred from this?

“Excuse me… Ms. Ortega?”

“Yes?”

“Did you receive help from John Ramer? When you transferred from the Tampa Bay Rays to another place.”

72 hours of negotiation chance.

When Jisub mentioned this, Mama Ortega slowly nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. Thanks to John Ramer giving me 72 hours at that time, I was able to start my career as a lawyer.”

She continued.

“The reason I visited the Tampa Bay Rays today is… to express my gratitude for what happened then.”

The moment these words came out of Mama Ortega’s mouth, Jisub could see a satisfied smile spreading across John Ramer’s face.

[Hehe, Kim must have noticed by now, right? That 72-hour chances sometimes bring good results?]

That was his inner thought.

[Thanks to my help, Mama Ortega was able to enter the best law firm in the United States, right?]

[Knowing a competent lawyer like Mama would be quite helpful to our team as well.]

So-

[The fact that three of our employees are leaving the team… I wonder if you could turn a blind eye to it this time?]

…Would that happen?

Jisub was giving a slight glare to John Ramer, who was looking at him with sparkling eyes.

* * *

Lauren Ortega, who became a successful lawyer at a large law firm and visited her former team.

Jisub also wanted to hear more about her success story, but unfortunately, he wasn’t given the time to do so.

Upon hearing the news that she had come to Tropicana Field [Tampa Bay Rays’ home stadium], the Tampa Bay front office staff kept contacting her.

-Mr. Taylor! Is it true that Mama is here? Then we should see her too!

-The team leader has allowed us to leave early today! How about a simple beer? At our usual pub!

-Hey, we should treat Mama! We even won the World Series!!

Jisub and Brian Span, the general manager, couldn’t do anything about the constant phone calls.

In the end, John Ramer and Mama Ortega left the general manager’s office without even finishing the sandwiches they had bought.

When the noisy office became quiet, Brian Span, the general manager, asked Jisub.

“Kim, what did you think?”

“Yes?”

Jisub, who was cleaning up the bread crumbs scattered on the table, suddenly raised his head.

“What do you mean, what did I think… Ah, are you talking about John Ramer’s shallow trick?”

Of course, it was something that was hard to overlook.

It’s good that John Ramer’s favor has turned out to be a good result.

But strictly speaking, can Mama Ortega’s success be said to be beneficial to Tampa Bay?

That’s that, and this is this. Jisub was going to warn John Ramer very clearly-

“No, not that…”

Brian Span, the general manager, seemed to be interested in something else entirely.

“I’m talking about Lauren Ortega.”

“Ortega?”

“Yes, Kim usually has an excellent eye for people, doesn’t he? That’s why I’m asking.”

The general manager put his hands together.

“What did Kim think? Did she seem to have goodwill towards our Tampa Bay Rays? Did she seem like someone we could work with?”

“Yes, it seems that she has some good feelings for our club, but…”

Jisub straightened his posture.

“Someone we could work with… Then does that mean that Ms. Ortega didn’t just visit St. Petersburg to express her gratitude?”

“That’s right. In the first place, a partner lawyer at a large law firm wouldn’t have flown for hours just for that purpose.”

It was at the very next moment that Jisub’s expression became quite serious.

“In fact, Ms. Ortega has visited St. Petersburg several times. This is exactly the fifth time. However, she has been meeting at the owner’s house all this time.”

“…Yes?”

Then that means there’s something going on.

Just as Jisub was about to look into the other person’s eyes as a habit, Brian Span, the general manager, made the first move.

“Kim, please take Ms. Ortega’s business card first. I think this will explain quite a bit.”

“Business card? I did receive one earlier, but… Hmm?”

The moment Jisub received the business card from the general manager, his expression hardened slightly.

Overall, it was a similar-looking business card. It had her name, contact information, and the company name ‘Parthenon Group’.

However, unlike the business card he had received earlier, the name of the affiliated organization was written in gold-plated letters.

Dynamic Days For Nashville.

Regarding this mysterious group, Brian Span, the general manager, gave the following answer.

“It’s the name of a lobbyist group created in Nashville, Tennessee. Ms. Ortega is its representative.”

He continued.

“And the purpose of this group is to attract a new Major League Baseball team to Nashville, which only has a Triple-A team [the level below Major League Baseball].”

“Mr. President, are you saying…”

When Jisub looked up, the general manager was slowly nodding.

“That’s right.”

He said.

“Nashville, Tennessee, has formally proposed to relocate the Tampa Bay Rays.”