Off Topic
A Perfect Plan For Future Domination Hits
February 1, 2058: Forever Land: Bikini General Manager Ron Collins is sitting in the Krill’s front office observation desk, which is a wonderfully earthy porch built out over the Pacific Ocean, covered by an island thatch and filled with the pleasant sounds of Caribbean Polynesian music. It’s a normal day on the atoll, meaning short sleeves and cargo shorts to go with the Bikini baseball cap he’s wearing perched on the back of his head. It’s early evening, and the sun is setting. In the gemlike ocean below mackerel and tuna swim by in schools. Across the way Monica Green and Dustin Zuniga are having a chat. The two were a thing for a bit, but it turns out Green is a little too smart for Zuniga, which is probably a good thing since Zuniga is beginning to wear on him, too.
He'd hate to see Monica Green go. She’s done amazing things with fan outreach. The springtime turnstiles are blazing to the tune of $4M extra buck from Westmoreland.
Collins takes a sip of his paradise rum and teliqua combo, heavy on mango and ginger spice.
Excellent.
It’s good to wind down. Even if it’s just for a little while. Off season is winding down, but there’s still a lot left to do. A lot of moving parts to settle. He sits back in the hard chaise lounge and thinks back to the old days in Yellow Springs. Ohio was fine and all, but it was no island paradise. The season is looking hopeful to a degree. He’s still got the thing with Borges to deal with, and Andrade for that matter. But the team has a couple solid players coming in and if the kids can make a few things happen…you never know. They ‘ve learned today that they’re drafting in the #2 slot.
Breathing deep, takes a step bac k to sit in a hardbacked chaise lounge. He thinks about John Hickman, starting his coaching stint in Ogden with the rookie hitters. Hickman’s going to be great, Collins thinks, remembering that era in the league when the outfielder was a terror. It makes sense he’d want to coach. Lots of guys on the Nine back then could have done it too. Those were good teams. Lucas and Crash and Dogface. And…
Suddenly Collins sat bolt upright.
Crap. That could work.
Hickman was a young guy. He could work his way up the organization as a hitting coach a stop at a time, right? And if they paired the guy up with a similar kind of talent on the pitching side, by the time they got to the bigs they’d be an unstoppable force.
A thrill ran through him.
Yes, that would work. And he knew just the guy. Steady. Solid. A total leader, and a teammate non-paralleled. And he could pitch, too. Man, could he pitch. If John Hickman was the most perfect hitter flying under the radar, this guy was his partner on the hill.
“Dustin!” he called, saving Monica from a longer conversation than maybe she wanted.
The assistant GM turned his way.
“Stop whatever you’re doing and get me Ernasto Ramos on the phone. I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse!”
With that, Collins got up and went back to his office. He had a contract to draw up.
February 1, 2058: Forever Land: Bikini General Manager Ron Collins is sitting in the Krill’s front office observation desk, which is a wonderfully earthy porch built out over the Pacific Ocean, covered by an island thatch and filled with the pleasant sounds of Caribbean Polynesian music. It’s a normal day on the atoll, meaning short sleeves and cargo shorts to go with the Bikini baseball cap he’s wearing perched on the back of his head. It’s early evening, and the sun is setting. In the gemlike ocean below mackerel and tuna swim by in schools. Across the way Monica Green and Dustin Zuniga are having a chat. The two were a thing for a bit, but it turns out Green is a little too smart for Zuniga, which is probably a good thing since Zuniga is beginning to wear on him, too.
He'd hate to see Monica Green go. She’s done amazing things with fan outreach. The springtime turnstiles are blazing to the tune of $4M extra buck from Westmoreland.
Collins takes a sip of his paradise rum and teliqua combo, heavy on mango and ginger spice.
Excellent.
It’s good to wind down. Even if it’s just for a little while. Off season is winding down, but there’s still a lot left to do. A lot of moving parts to settle. He sits back in the hard chaise lounge and thinks back to the old days in Yellow Springs. Ohio was fine and all, but it was no island paradise. The season is looking hopeful to a degree. He’s still got the thing with Borges to deal with, and Andrade for that matter. But the team has a couple solid players coming in and if the kids can make a few things happen…you never know. They ‘ve learned today that they’re drafting in the #2 slot.
Breathing deep, takes a step bac k to sit in a hardbacked chaise lounge. He thinks about John Hickman, starting his coaching stint in Ogden with the rookie hitters. Hickman’s going to be great, Collins thinks, remembering that era in the league when the outfielder was a terror. It makes sense he’d want to coach. Lots of guys on the Nine back then could have done it too. Those were good teams. Lucas and Crash and Dogface. And…
Suddenly Collins sat bolt upright.
Crap. That could work.
Hickman was a young guy. He could work his way up the organization as a hitting coach a stop at a time, right? And if they paired the guy up with a similar kind of talent on the pitching side, by the time they got to the bigs they’d be an unstoppable force.
A thrill ran through him.
Yes, that would work. And he knew just the guy. Steady. Solid. A total leader, and a teammate non-paralleled. And he could pitch, too. Man, could he pitch. If John Hickman was the most perfect hitter flying under the radar, this guy was his partner on the hill.
“Dustin!” he called, saving Monica from a longer conversation than maybe she wanted.
The assistant GM turned his way.
“Stop whatever you’re doing and get me Ernasto Ramos on the phone. I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse!”
With that, Collins got up and went back to his office. He had a contract to draw up.
