A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 424

New Recruit of Baseball Team Is Too Good 424

93 Boys, Be Ambitious (1)

Richard Stellmach, who joined the Tampa Bay Rays, said one thing at the official press conference.

-Derek… Who?

In English, Derek Who.

Who is Derek? Who is Derek Jeter? I don’t remember such a person.

This one word, with roughly that meaning, had a huge aftermath.

-Yeah, that’s it!!!

The Tampa Bay Rays fans showed an enthusiastic response.

-I like that guy. It was the most refreshing thing I’ve heard in recent years!

-That’s right, he’s with Tampa Bay now, right? Then it’s right not to care about other team legends like Derek Jeter!

-It feels like a great guy has joined us for the first time in a long time? Our club is doing a good job these days!

They were the ones who poured out all sorts of complaints even after 10 consecutive wins, but on this day, it was almost a festive atmosphere.

Welcome to Tampa Bay, when will Richard’s uniform come out, and release a T-shirt with [Derek Who] printed on it.

So-called ‘championship buzz’? Richard was emerging as a new topic for fans whose excitement from winning the World Series was fading a little.

Everything in the world is,

Like two sides of a coin.

At the very moment when Tampa Bay fans were creating a festive atmosphere, a truly brutal atmosphere was rising in the New York Yankees fandom.

-Disappointing.

It was a message posted on the New York Yankees’ internet fan channel.

-Isn’t Richard a friend who received special treatment from our Yankees? But you can’t come out like this.

-Yeah, you might be upset with the club that released you. But insulting Derek Jeter is absurd.

-What is Tampa Bay doing? Shouldn’t they post an apology? Derek Jeter is not just a legend of the Yankees, but a legend of the entire Major League!

In fact, until this point, Ji-seop was calmly looking at the posts on the bulletin board.

Ji-seop had seen enough of the internet’s public opinion since his Cannons days to be fed up with it.

In some ways, it seems to lack ‘firepower’ compared to Korean baseball fans.

‘Is this… not working as well as I thought? Then it’ll be a bit difficult?’

He even thought that for a moment, but in conclusion, it was ignoring the power of the Yankees fandom.

The firepower of the New York Yankees fans was not limited to their internal bulletin board.

-This is not right! Shouldn’t legends be treated with the respect they deserve?

-Tampa Bay Rays, I didn’t see them like that, but I’m really disappointed! Did they become arrogant because they won the championship?

Experts who appeared on sports broadcasting raised their voices, banging on the desk with their palms.

-I’m going to watch Tampa Bay next season. Let’s see how well they do. #Derek_Eternal_Legend #Yankees_Win.

-Tampa Bay has touched the King of New York. They will definitely pay the price. #King_of_New_York

People in the media, culture, and politics who thought they were hot stuff started posting on their SNS [Social Networking Service] channels in a hurry.

I wonder if you can say that this is moderately the center of attention. At that moment, that thought flashed through Ji-seop’s mind.

Even Ji-seop didn’t expect what was happening at Tropicana Field.

“Wait, what… is that?!”

“Th, that’s right?!”

It was the day after Richard’s inauguration press conference.

Early in the morning, the stadium security guards who went to work at Tropicana Field saw an unexpected sight.

It was graffiti. Graffiti was very largely engraved on the right wall of Tropicana Field.

Was it called graffiti? Next to a large Yankees logo and a portrait of Derek Jeter sprayed, it was written in red letters like this.

[Traitor Richard Stellmach]

[We are watching you]

* * *

Perhaps it was a natural step,

Immediately after graffiti was discovered on the outfield of Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays were literally turned upside down.

“Wh, what did you say?! Graffiti?!”

“No, what the hell was the security team doing! Were they just watching the strangers come in and do graffiti?!”

The police were dispatched, reporters from the press rushed in, and executives who were on vacation for the end of the year were ordered to return.

The quiet Tropicana Field was as noisy as if a beehive had been poked.

To be honest, at this moment, Ji-seop was feeling like his head was turning white.

‘Is this… okay?’

Looking back, this was the first time.

It was the first time that he had a conflict with the fandom of another club, and it was the first time that an accident had occurred as a result.

In fact, he was not afraid of being criticized. He could accept the criticism that he had done something unnecessary. It wasn’t like he started this without that kind of determination.

However, he was worried that something might happen to the player himself. He was worried that it might affect Richard Stellmach.

Ji-seop was entering the office of the Future Strategy Planning Division with such concerns.

“Hahaha, our Deputy Director was more timid than I thought?”

While everyone was running around frantically with pale faces, there were only two people in Tampa Bay who were showing a relaxed attitude that day.

One of them is ‘The Greatest Showman’ Charles Fleck.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Why all the fuss about something like this? Anyway, the Tampa Bay friends are too soft-hearted, that’s the problem.”

Rather, it’s a good thing.

That was Charles Fleck’s opinion.

“Isn’t that what we wanted? Aggro [Aggression, provocation], I mean. When I saw it earlier, the graffiti was painted wonderfully! They’re really skilled guys!”

He said that the incident of the day would remain vividly in people’s memories.

Every time there is a match against the Yankees next season, the graffiti drawn that day will be talked about among people.

“Well, it was certainly a picture that would leave a deep impression…”

Ji-seop scratched his head.

“I’m worried about Richard. I don’t know who did this. Something might happen to the player himself…”

“Kim, I know that.”

And right at this timing, the second person who was looking comfortable that day joined the conversation.

‘Flamingo’ Richard Stellmach himself.

He was smiling as he opened his mouth when he visited Tropicana Field to have lunch with Ji-seop that day.

“Well, I can’t say 100%… but I can say it’s about 90%.”

“No, you know who it is? Our security team said they still don’t know exactly.”

“Yes, there’s actually a set of people who would do this in the Yankees fandom.”

Bleacher Creatures.

That was Richard’s answer.

“Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox… People often group these three together as the three major fandoms in Major League Baseball, but in my opinion, the real ones are these guys. It’s no joke.”

“It’s no joke?”

Ji-seop tilted his head.

“Is there something special about them? I’ve only heard their names here…”

“In fact, it may not seem special on the outside. They just look like noisy old men.”

For this reason, it is true that they are not as well known as Philadelphia or Boston.

However, they are the oldest cheering squad in Major League Baseball and the most well-organized cheering squad. And decisively-

“They have a lot of money.”

Richard’s lips curled up.

“Isn’t New York famous for being the most expensive place in the world? Most of them are rich young masters who have lived there for three or four generations. So they have a lot of money. They do a lot of ridiculous things with that money, too.”

For example, hiring people to sneak into the opponent’s home stadium and engrave graffiti.

Richard shrugged.

“But those old men also have their own honor. Even though they do all sorts of nonsense, they don’t directly harm the players. They think it’s defiling sacred baseball.”

“Damn it, America is wide.”

Ji-seop clicked his tongue.

“There are some strange people hanging around the baseball field.”

“Hehe, that’s right.”

Richard nodded.

“Anyway, the only harm they can do to me in the future is to boo me during the game. So you can rest assured. Actually, more than that…”

He continued, shining his eyes.

“Are there any accommodations left for the players near Port Charlotte? If possible, I wish I could use it this year-end.”

“Port Charlotte?”

It was where the Tampa Bay Rays’ spring training camp was set up.

“Yes, isn’t the real aggro done on the ground? To give the Bleacher Creatures, who will pour out boos at me, a proper blow… I’ll have to hurry up and prepare.”

“Aha.”

It meant that he would secure accommodation around Port Charlotte early and prepare for the upcoming spring training.

It was at this moment that Ji-seop looked at Richard Stellmach with new eyes.

Could he be the same person who surprised everyone with his ridiculous disguise just a day ago?

Ji-seop, who was staring blankly at Tampa Bay’s flamingo, slowly opened his mouth.

“The Yankees will miss you a lot.”

It was a word given with a faint smile.

“Richard, they lost a player like you.”

“Haha, will they?”

And the answer that came back was quite meaningful.

“Well, if it’s the Yankees I know… I don’t think they’ll even care about someone like me.”

* * *

Ji-seop later learned that Richard Stellmach’s prediction was correct.

The day Richard provoked the Yankees fandom with ‘Derek Who’. Furthermore, on the very day that the Bleacher Creatures engraved wonderful graffiti on Tropicana Field.

A regular strategy meeting was held at the New York Yankees’ home stadium, but there was almost no talk about Richard.

“Good. Then I would like the baseball operations department to notify Vincent. The owner, as well as the governor and the mayor, will be attending, so please be especially mindful of your attire.”

“Understood, General Manager.”

It is said that Vincent Hiyama was the main agenda item at the Yankees’ regular meeting that day.

The two-way ace who became a member of the Yankees with the largest contract ever.

It was an agenda to invite Vincent to the owner’s charity party held at the end of the year.

“Then I think we can wrap up the meeting at this point… How is it? Is there any agenda left that needs to be dealt with urgently?”

Before the general manager could finish speaking, the people attending the meeting were packing their bags.

However, at this moment, there was a man who raised his hand with a nervous expression.

“Oh, Nicholas?”

Nicholas Byner II.

He was the New York Yankees’ general manager’s special assistant, and the very person who was studying with Ji-seop at Port Myers Graduate School.

“Why? Is there a problem that needs to be discussed separately?”

“Yes, as some of you may already know… it’s because of Richard Stellmach.”

Nicholas got up from his seat.

“Richard made a statement in public that disparaged our legend Derek Jeter. Because of that, the baseball world inside and out is in an uproar… Shouldn’t something be done?”

At this time, Nicholas had an expression that he couldn’t understand why this matter was not mentioned.

However, unlike Nicholas, who spoke firmly, the reaction of the people attending the meeting was lukewarm.

“Action? What action?”

It was the words of a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

“How many clubs are making absurd provocations to our Yankees? Whatever a guy who left for a rural corner of Florida says!”

“That’s right, Nicholas! There’s no need to deal with this! You’re young, so you might get angry…”

People were laughing and trying to brush it off lightly.

However, Nicholas shook his head violently.

“No! I’m not angry at Richard’s words! I think this could be a good opportunity.”

“A good opportunity?”

“Yes! An opportunity to attract people’s attention. To create a clearer rivalry so that fans can have more interest…”

Nicholas took out a bundle of documents from his bag.

“Wouldn’t you like to review it? It seems that the Tampa Bay Rays are intentionally trying to attract our attention. Then let’s not just stand still…”

He was trying to distribute the documents to the people around him, but the reaction that came back was quite cold.

“Nicholas, put it away! Put it away!”

It was the general manager’s order.

“Didn’t I say before the meeting? Richard’s case is something that can just be ignored. If we react unnecessarily, it will only lower our dignity.”

“But General Manager!”

“And people’s attention? Why is there any reason to attract more attention? You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

We are the Yankees.

The New York Yankees.

The general manager said firmly.

“Why should the best prestigious club in the world be involved with a club like Tampa Bay? Don’t say nonsense, and do what I told you to do.”

“Still, please listen to me…”

“The meeting is over.”