A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 514

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 514

109. Interview with the Devil (2)

Jiseop, now the general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Brett Evans, soon to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, hadn’t met in person like this in quite some time, though they’d kept in touch.

The last time was at the Legend Invitation event at Tropicana Field last year, about a year and three months prior.

They had a lot to catch up on, but even that proved difficult.

“Kim! Welcome to the Hall of Fame!”

“We’re all Tampa Bay Rays fans! Wow, meeting the Dark Lord of St. Petersburg here!”

“Have you had dinner? If not, join us! Or how about a tour of the museum first?”

The front office that achieved the World Series victory, and the genius general manager who did it for two consecutive years, made Jiseop a celebrity in the industry. The Hall of Fame staff buzzed around him. Margaret Lawich, the secretary-general, was ecstatic, and even employees who’d already left for the day returned to the museum, creating a stir.

Take a commemorative photo, please sign the guestbook, let us show you the museum’s special collections.

Surrounded by the staff, Jiseop paid the price of fame, and the two friends finally caught a breather close to midnight.

“Hehe, this is something else… I’m overwhelmed,” Jiseop said, loosening his tie as he entered his accommodation near the museum.

“Even if I go downtown in St. Petersburg, almost no one recognizes me… What’s going on?”

“Haha, isn’t this Cooperstown? The home of the Hall of Fame. It’s no exaggeration to say this whole town is crazy about baseball,” Brett Evans grinned.

“Kim appearing here is like Robert Downey Jr. showing up in Hollywood, isn’t it?”

“Wow, Robert Downey Jr.? Are you comparing me to him?” Jiseop took off his gold-rimmed glasses, smiling at the comparison.

Seeing this, Brett Evans frowned slightly.

“But… why the glasses?”

“Yes?”

Jiseop blinked.

“Kim had perfect eyesight, didn’t he? He could immediately recognize the expressions of players in the distant outfield… I don’t remember him wearing glasses last time I saw him?”

“Yes, it’s been about two months,” Jiseop said, taking out a glasses cloth.

His hand movements to wipe the lenses felt a bit clumsy, as if he was still getting used to the glasses.

“As you said, my eyesight was excellent… Ugh, suddenly my eyes got really bad. I think it’s because I played too many mobile games.”

“Mobile games?” Brett Evans’ eyes narrowed.

Mobile games? That couldn’t be.

Jiseop was someone who never wasted time, even during his days in the Future Strategy Planning Division [a department focused on long-term planning and innovation].

For him to become a general manager and play mobile games? So much so that his eyes deteriorated?

‘Wait a minute, if it’s two months ago…’

It was around the time Mark Kohoun, the Tampa Bay Rays’ starting shortstop, was sidelined for the season due to injury.

Mark Kohoun, who brought vitality to Tampa Bay’s infield with his solid defense and timely hits.

His injury was widely reported, so Brett remembered it vividly.

‘I think he gave an interview with a nonchalant expression back then… Was he really stressed out a lot?’

Mark Kohoun’s injury wasn’t the direct cause.

Injuries are common in baseball. Tampa Bay would have had contingency plans.

However, Jiseop had been doing this kind of work for almost 5 years.

Could the accumulated stress be affecting his health?

Jiseop, noticing Brett Evans’ worried look, adjusted his glasses.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. The rest of me is perfectly healthy. I got almost perfect scores in the pre-season health checkup.”

“Really?”

“Haha, of course! If you’re suspicious, ask John LaMar. He was the first to see my test results.”

Such a stubborn friend.

Jiseop lifted his glasses to check the lenses.

“If I traded mild nearsightedness for two championships, the exchange rate isn’t bad. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with the important ‘function’…”

“Function?”

At Brett’s question, Jiseop waved his hand, slightly embarrassed.

“Haha, never mind. More importantly… Brett, what do you think? Do I look smarter with these glasses on? Like former General Manager Brian Spon?”

“Well, now that you mention it, you do look a bit similar…” Brett reluctantly nodded, and Jiseop turned his chair with a satisfied expression.

“Alright! Let’s wrap up this pointless talk and have a really important conversation, shall we?”

“Important conversation?”

“I’m talking about Brett’s future plans.”

Jiseop’s voice became serious.

“Isn’t it about time to start a new project? After the Hall of Fame induction ceremony next week…”

The general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays gave a sly smile.

“Your ‘prison life’ of the past 5 years will also come to an end.”

* * *

It was something the players said among themselves.

Prison life, oak barrel, or canned food.

This is how they referred to the 5 years after a player retires from active duty.

There was no particular reason, except that you can only be eligible for the Hall of Fame after 5 years.

The Hall of Fame isn’t just about skills. You must also have excellent character, be respected by your juniors, and, above all, maintain a good image throughout the baseball world.

Therefore, players with even a slight chance of being inducted into the Hall of Fame usually keep a low profile for about 5 years after retirement.

During this period, they don’t start personal businesses, refrain from public appearances, and certainly don’t take on roles as managers or coaching staff.

This is to prevent any controversy. Public criticism could cast a shadow over their Hall of Fame induction.

“In that regard… Brett is now free, isn’t he? He’s been successfully inducted into the Hall of Fame, so he doesn’t need to worry about public opinion anymore.”

Jiseop handed him a can of beer he’d bought on the way in and continued.

“Do you have any plans? Are you preparing a business, or have you already received offers?”

“Well, there are a few…”

In fact, there were many. Really many.

Because it was Brett Evans, a legend respected as the best pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Large, well-known companies offered him positions as a public relations director, and his former team, the Cincinnati Reds, even sent a contract asking him to be a team instructor.

It seemed the world was full of opportunities. However, Brett Evans’s response was a bit unexpected.

“Kim, am I a little disappointed right now?”

“Yes? What do you mean…” Jiseop opened his eyes wide as Brett raised an eyebrow while opening his beer.

“I thought we were still good friends, even after all this time… But the way you’re talking, it seems like you’re trying to distance yourself from me.”

“Aha.”

Jiseop was exceptionally quick on the uptake.

He immediately understood what Brett Evans meant.

“Are you saying I should stop beating around the bush and get to the point?”

“That’s right. Why are you being so formal? We’ve known each other for a long time.”

Gulp, gulp.

The legendary pitcher took a refreshing sip of beer, made a ‘Kheu’ sound, and continued.

“Special advisor to the president?” Brett asked.

“Or pitching instructor?”

The special advisor to the president was a position Jiseop had proposed two years ago, and the pitching instructor was a common role for legendary pitchers inducted into the Hall of Fame.

From Brett Evans’s perspective, it didn’t matter which one it was. Returning to Tampa Bay was the important thing. Working with his old colleagues again was appealing.

‘Tampa Bay Rays…’

He could already feel his heart pounding.

Because of his self-imposed exile, he hadn’t even seen the Tampa Bay Rays’ new stadium yet.

He hadn’t seen Victor Johnson Jr., who had become the league’s best ace, in a while either.

‘The wishes I’ve been putting off because of ‘prison life’ are finally coming true.’

Half in anticipation and half in excitement, he looked at the general manager across from him, just as Jiseop said,

“Brett, I’m sorry.”

Jiseop was slightly bowing his head.

“Unfortunately, that might be difficult. Richard Stelmezek is the special advisor to the president, and former coach Thomas Culkin is the pitching instructor.”

“Is, is that so?” A flustered Brett Evans scratched the back of his head as Jiseop opened his mouth with a soft smile.

“To be honest… that’s right. If I was going to offer you the special advisor to the president or instructor position, I wouldn’t have come all the way to Cooperstown like this today. After all, I’ll see you at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony next week.”

“Hmm, now that I think about it…”

That was right.

It’s mid-July now.

It was a time when the front offices of the 30 Major League teams were moving frantically ahead of the trade deadline [the period when teams can trade players to improve their roster for the remainder of the season].

Coming all the way to Cooperstown, more than 2,000km away from St. Petersburg, at this time, had to be something important.

“Then Kim, what on earth are you…”

“Brett, you said you think of me as a friend, right? A very close friend.”

Jiseop put both hands on his knees and continued.

“If that’s true, can you do me a favor this time? It’s a very difficult request, and it may also be a troublesome one.”

“No, Kim! What on earth is it? Why are you hesitating so much about what you’re going to ask me to do…”

“Haha, it’s the Tampa Bay Rays who have won the World Series for two consecutive years. Then isn’t the request obvious?”

Jiseop winked.

“Brett, I want you to lead us to win the World Series for three consecutive years.”

Up to this point, it was okay.

It was the next moment that Brett Evans’s eyes widened.

“As the manager of our Tampa Bay Rays, that is.”