gosensgo101: Shut up, and let me go back to worshipping the Griffey effigy in my closet! And the year is 1991, early enough to prevent the Jays from winning their World Series. With hindsight being 20/20, I'd totally do it again!
***
13. Backseat Driving
The blinking light on my phone in my office signaled the message on my answering machine. I didn’t want to answer it, because I already knew: Jeff wanted to talk.
The month had started off on an emotional high: we had won 6 of our last 7, and rapidly closing in on the division-leading A’s. Senior Griffey was tearing up the American League like he was 26 again, and the team was firing on all cylinders. However, the series in Oakland had really sapped all the momentum, as we lost 2 of 3 there and replicated the feat in Toronto. When we came home to face Chicago, I was hoping for a great homestand: we had the White Sox, then two teams with losing records coming into our building. And while we went 5-4 on the homestand, I had expected better, especially if this team was going to compete for a division title.
A large part of that was the injury to Harold Reynolds. Harold was doing an exemplary job setting the table for our big guns, and was well on his way to a career year. Replacing him would be a tough task for anyone. Don’t get me wrong: Al Newman is trying, but Al is very much a utility infielder rather than a starting second baseman.
I sighed, and decided to get it over with. I picked up the receiver and dialed Jeff’s office.
***
“Will! Thank you for returning my call, I was hoping to talk about the team for a while.” Jeff’s overly excited delivery caused me to roll my eyes. Thankfully, you can’t be seen while talking on the phone.
Jeff continued: “I’ve been doing some thinking on the team. I hired some consultants to runs some complicated mathematical tests on the team, so I’ve got quite a bit of information at my fingers here. Let’s see…” He thumbed his way through what seemed like a pretty comprehensive notebook. “…Here we go! The pitching, especially the bullpen, has been great. Fantastic job getting those guys here!”
“Thank you, sir.” I was extremely proud of the bullpen. Although I had only personally acquired Rob Murphy from the Red Sox, it was my idea to promote Kazuhiro Sasaki twice: first to the Major Leagues, second to the closer role. With the lowest bullpen ERA in the Majors, the guys have really accepted their roles well, and are performing to the best of their abilities.
“The rotation, however, leaves a little to be desired. That guy, Burba, needs to be replaced, because he just isn’t cutting so far. Maybe send him to Calgary for some seasoning?”
“Sure thing, Jeff. Actually, Dave just went down with an injury, so we’ll be bringing up Mike Gardiner from Calgary.”
“Is he any good?”
“We’ll find out on Sunday.”
“Alright,” Jeff continued. “Meanwhile, I had some of these consultants look for a solution to our problem at second base, and they came up with a few solutions: first, looks like Willie Randolph was cut by the Dodgers today, so we may want to take a flyer on him. Second, there is a prospect in AAA – Boone, I think – that may be interesting. He looks like he could be a future All-Star. Maybe we should think about calling him up?”
I was afraid of Jeff asking about this. Bret Boone is a great talent, but I don’t think he’s ready just yet. When we traded for Charlie Hayes last season, we parted with Fernando Vina, something that I was okay with because of the presence of Boone. He put up gaudy numbers (.336, 7 HR, 46 RBI in 247 AB) at the rookie level, and our scouts raved about his ability so much, that we rushed him to AAA Calgary. While the power was there (7 HR, 34 RBI), his average wasn’t (.269). While he was good, and probably one for the future, I was afraid of promoting him so quickly and ruining his confidence. That’s why I went with Mike Brumley instead.
“I don’t think that’s such a wise move on either account, Jeff. First, the Dodgers are under .500, so they’re probably just releasing Randolph so they can use his roster spot for an up-and-comer. Besides, he’s been out a year with elbow problems, and while he may be better offensively, Al [Newman] is better on defense hands down.
“I’m worried about Boone. He hasn’t really produced at AAA, so I didn’t think that a promotion to the big club was warranted. I know Al’s been struggling, but he’s 3-9 over his last couple of games, and he’s getting on base via walks, so I’d like to stick with Al.”
It was Jeff’s turn to sigh. “I guess you’re right, Will. But I’m not very patient right now: your success at the beginning of the month has me thirsting for a division crown. I’ll give Newman until the end of the month to improve his hitting, and then we’ll make a move. Is that fair?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Good. Nice talking to you, Will.”
***
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