A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 448

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good. Episode 448

96. Take Me Out to the Ball Game (4)

Huck Flender, who had been the stadium organist for the Tampa Bay Rays for nearly 20 years, was leaving the city due to Alzheimer’s. Charles Flex, ‘The Greatest Showman,’ wanted to give him one last stage for his retirement. At Charles’ request, Ji-seop was heading towards the organ room in question.

Before suggesting the event to the team’s executives, he needed to assess its feasibility firsthand.

“Alright, Kim! This way. The stairs are quite steep, so be careful.”

The path to the organ room in Tropicana Field was more challenging than expected.

Because it wasn’t directly connected to the team’s office, he had to climb the narrow stairs between the second-floor seats with considerable effort.

Putting strength into his toes and climbing the narrow stairs was a real ordeal for Ji-seop, who was larger than most people.

“No, I’m fine, but… Can Mr. Huck Flender even climb these stairs? The game will be over before he even gets to the organ room.”

“Hey, don’t worry about that! If you give the okay, there will be a line of people willing to carry Huck up here!”

To be honest, Ji-seop was inwardly skeptical at this point.

He thought Charles Flex’s characteristic exaggeration was kicking in. Huck Flender had been retired for quite some time, and Tropicana Field had since been equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system.

How many people would even remember the stadium organist? Therefore, Ji-seop was reacting with some indifference that day, but-

“Oh, Kim!! Welcome!!!”

When he arrived at the organ room, feeling like he’d almost climbed a mountain, Ji-seop realized that Charles Flex wasn’t bluffing.

It was one of the highest points in Tropicana Field, and already more than a dozen team employees had arrived at this place, which was difficult for most people to find.

“Welcome to the organ room! The way up wasn’t easy, was it? Have a sip of water first.”

The person handing Ji-seop a bottle of water with a bright smile was Nicole Cassan, the director of stadium operations.

She was in charge of Tropicana Field’s sound system and had been managing this organ room all along. More than anything, he was told that she was the one who had taken care of Huck Flender’s dog, ‘Toto’.

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

Ji-seop took the water and looked around.

“But the welcoming crowd is more impressive than I thought. Was it Charles Flex’s request to mobilize the staff?”

“Yes, there was that too.”

Charles Flex waved his hands, denying it, but Nicole Cassan said firmly.

“But I only brought two employees myself. I needed someone to help test the organ facilities.”

“Really? Then the other ten or so people are…”

“Yes, it’s their own decision.”

Nicole Cassan replied.

“If you like baseball, you must have memories of the stadium organist, right?”

* * *

For about an hour after that, Ji-seop toured the interior of the organ room with Director Nicole Cassan’s guidance.

“It’s a smaller space than I thought. I imagined a larger space for a pipe organ, but…”

“Actually, it wouldn’t have been impossible to make it larger, but I heard that they had no choice at the time. Since everything was live, the sheet music and snacks had to be within reach, right?”

He was surprised by the much smaller space than expected, at best about one and a half *pyeong* [approximately 60 square feet].

“The window is also incredibly large compared to the space. Is there a reason for this too?”

“Of course. These days, TVs come in wall-mounted versions, but there was no such thing back then. The organist had no choice but to check the situation on the field through the window while playing.”

He imagined the organist sticking his head out the window and playing the keyboard.

“Well, I think the setup is almost done. Would you like to try playing it once? Yes, I’ll press the pedals for you.”

“Oh! The sound of the pipe organ is amazing! I never thought I’d hear this kind of sound in a baseball stadium…”

It was very impressive.

The existence of the organ room, the stadium’s sound system, and the technicians’ efforts to prepare it perfectly.

It was quite a fresh experience for Ji-seop, who had always been involved only in baseball itself, only in what happened on the field.

But at this time, what caught Ji-seop’s attention the most was the conversation of the stadium operations staff.

While Ji-seop was touring the organ room, the Tampa Bay team employees were also reminiscing about their own memories.

“Haha, hearing the organ sound suddenly makes me feel like I’ve gone back to my childhood. Billy, don’t you think?”

“I know, right. A bottle of cola, a bag of Cracker Jack, and organ music… There was a time when that was all there was to a baseball outing.”

“Ah, should we record the organ sound this time? I think it can be used in many ways…”

A story that felt a little distant to Ji-seop, who was born and raised in Korea.

But it seemed to resonate with people who were born and raised in the United States.

The special feeling that organ music gives. It’s not particularly sophisticated or fancy, but it’s a gentle melody that reminds you of the past.

‘Okay. If this works for Americans, it might not be bad to give it a try…’

However, now that he had toured the organ room facilities, there was one thing that had to be made clear.

Ji-seop turned his gaze to the director of stadium operations to check this point.

“Excuse me… Director?”

“Yes, what’s the matter?”

“I understand that you have a deep interest in Charles’s plan, but…”

Ji-seop narrowed his brow slightly.

“What do you think, Director? Can Mr. Huck Flender handle an entire game?”

“You mean…”

“Now that I see it, it seems that the stadium organist is not just someone who plays the organ.”

Ji-seop had already confirmed Huck Flender’s organ-playing skills.

But the stadium organist was someone who had to play more than that role.

“In order to put in appropriate sound effects, you have to accurately grasp the game situation, right? You also have to quickly capture the reactions of the audience and select the songs to play accordingly…”

In fact, it meant that he had to handle the roles of the current sound system staff all by himself.

“You know Mr. Huck Flender’s current condition, right? Do you still think it’s possible?”

“Ah, about that…”

Director Nicole Cassan seemed to have thought about this part as well.

Almost at the same time as Ji-seop asked the question, she gave this answer.

“To be honest, it will be difficult. I don’t think a 100% perfect performance is possible either.”

“Really?”

*I thought so.*

It was just then that the weight in Ji-seop’s mind was tilting to the ‘opposite’ side.

“But for the exact same reason… I want to give the Tampa Bay fans a chance to hear the organ performance this time.”

“For the exact same reason?”

“Yes, it’s hard to find anymore. Someone like Mr. Huck Flender who can control all the sound effects in the stadium by himself.”

She continued.

“Just like the baseball operations division, our sound system side has also become divided. The person who watches the game flow, the person who puts in the sound effects, the person who prepares the songs… Now they are all separate.”

“…”

“There are still teams that insist on organ performances, but the situation is the same there. The organist doesn’t take care of everything like before. They also have a sound director, and there are staff who control the system. In other words…”

*Swoosh.*

The sound system director of Tampa Bay slowly raised his head.

“This may be the last chance. The chance to show the fans a near-miraculous skill, where one maestro is in charge of the entire stadium’s sound.”

“Hmm, the last chance…”

As Ji-seop stroked his chin and pondered, the director of stadium operations persuaded him in an even more serious voice.

“Of course, we will make full preparations. We will thoroughly check Mr. Huck Flender’s condition, prepare a substitute performer, and practice switching to the existing system in case everything goes wrong.”

“Ha, I know what you mean, but… Hmm?”

Ji-seop was raising his head in quite deep thought, but his worries didn’t last long.

Before he knew it, all the employees of the stadium operations division and the sound system part had gathered around Ji-seop.

Everyone was staring intently at Ji-seop, with very earnest eyes.

[Kim, can’t you help us just once?]

[Just as players have retired numbers, our staff also have someone called a legend.]

[We also want to treat him. About the person who was called the legend of our industry…]

The heart for Huck Flender.

The heart for the previous generation.

Furthermore, the courtesy to the person who gave him the dream to walk the path he is on now.

Ji-seop, who could vividly hear that earnest voice, already had a faint smile on his face.

“I understand.”

Looking at Charles Flex giving a thumbs up from behind, Ji-seop nodded.

“I will visit the president and general manager once.”

At the same time as Ji-seop’s words fell, the cheers of the stadium operations staff echoed loudly.

“Thank you, Kim!!!”

“Thank you so much!!!”

“We’ll really prepare properly! It will be the best opening game in the last 10 years!!!”

*Haha, the best opening game.*

A slight sense of anticipation was welling up in Ji-seop’s heart.

* * *

He had presented it as a very difficult mission in front of the stadium operations staff, but in fact, at this point, persuading the team’s executives had become a relatively simple task for Ji-seop.

So did President and General Manager Brian Sphan, and so did R. J. Higgins, Vice President of Marketing.

Almost as soon as Ji-seop carefully made the suggestion, he received enthusiastic approval from both.

-If that’s what Kim thinks, give it a try. I’d love to hear Huck Flender’s performance.

-It seems to have marketing value? Kim, leave the promotion to me. You just have to take care of Mr. Huck Flender!

The very next day after obtaining consent from the team’s executives, Ji-seop was meeting Mr. Huck Flender again in front of Gate 7 of Tropicana Field.

More precisely, it would be more accurate to say that he was watching the reunion of Huck Flender and his beloved dog Toto.

“Oh! Toto! Oh, you little rascal!”

*Woof! Woof woof!*

The old dog wagged its tail like a propeller, recognizing its old owner.

Mr. Huck Flender hugged Toto in his arms and rejoiced for a long time before finally turning his gaze to Ji-seop.

“…Assistant General Manager.”

Huck Flender, who used to call him ‘Kim’, was now using Ji-seop’s title very politely.

Although it is American culture to treat everyone without distinction, perhaps he couldn’t bring himself to call the name of the person who had given him such an unbelievable gift so casually.

“Thank you so much for calling me back like this. I don’t even know how to express this feeling…”

“No, Mr. Flender.”

Ji-seop quietly waved his hand.

“There were just a lot of people who remembered Mr. Flender’s performance. There were also a lot of people who were sad to say goodbye to Mr. Flender.”

“Haha, it seems I didn’t live in vain. To get this kind of luck at the end…”

Huck Flender looked at Tropicana Field with a choked expression.

The place where he spent his youth, the place where he could hear the cheers of so many people.

Perhaps the countless memories that were there filled his fading mind.

“I’ve done some preparation.”

After looking at the stadium for a while, he sniffed and said to Ji-seop.

“To be honest, I hardly watched Tampa Bay’s games last year. I was too busy going to the hospital, and somehow my heart was restless.”

“I’m sure you were.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“After hearing the news, I watched the missed games and listened to the music used in the recent games. I picked out the ones that can be covered with the organ… Can I play these too?”

“Ah, you’re going to play new songs?”

“Yes, I’ve been practicing to some extent.”

Ji-seop was a little surprised.

Considering his current condition, he thought it would be too much to just play the old music.

But to think that he would even come out and say that he would play new music. It seemed that people who are recognized as ‘maestros’ by their juniors were different.

“I’m in favor. Discuss the details with Director Nicole Cassan. She’s waiting inside.”

“Ah, yes! Then…”

Huck Flender, holding the dog’s leash, was about to move towards the stadium gate.

Ji-seop, who was staring at him, suddenly realized something and put his hand into his jacket pocket.

“Mr. Flender? You should take this with you.”

“Yes? No, this is…”

“It’s an access pass. This season’s access pass.”

Ji-seop gave a subtle smile.

“It will definitely work this time. You won’t have to tag it multiple times.”

“Haha, this is really something! To take care of even this…”

It was said that the one thing that people who left the baseball team wanted to have again was the access pass.

Having an access pass meant being a member of the baseball team, and it also meant being family.