Cedar Chips 2042.3 - PRO-gress

[ca13]

My phone rings again. I look at the number and and silence it. Again. I'm not quite ready yet. It's been a busy week. I'm finally starting to get past having to tell fifteen percent of my minor leaguers their dream was over. There will be more of that to come though. The draft was pretty good, and there may be some undrafted players worth another look.

For now, we picked up a real blue chip in first baseman Brody Bond. Sure, he'll likely be scooped up by our big brother league the BBA someday, but we'll get a few top years out of him. Mi-yuan Fan looks like a nice starter prospect. I'm not sure why he's been playing first base. Austin Blackadder has high octane bullpen stuff. Of course, they're all really young these kids. Not sure I can even get half of 'em to sign. But I guess I may as well dream big with the prospects. Can't really predict who makes it and who doesn't. Sure as hell can't control it. If anyone could, "General Manager" would be one of those jobs you hear about that no longer exist. Like taxi drivers or cashiers. They'll not really understand that a person used to have to analyze and synthesize a frankly impossible amount of incomplete data to hope to make an informed decision. They'll go, "A person used to do that? You mean, they just had some guy guess as to who to invest millions of dollars in? Based on a whim?" Then they'll laugh at how quaint their elders were, feeling superior even though their technology does all their work for them, unappreciative of the skill that people actually had developed to do something that is now automated. Ah well. Time moves on. Great great grandpa August was supposedly a lamplighter.

I've gotten the new guys sorted too. Former BBA center fielder Mauro Saucedo has agreed to ply his craft in the Ballpark of Beirut (note to self, see if someone wants naming rights) for 3.6 mil this year and a couple more of escalating salaries. He's only 27 so this should work out fine. He may have instantly become the best bat-to-ball guy in the UMEBA, which is great for us because the Cedars are seriously lacking there. Miguel Padilla seems happy to be here too, and he only cost me just over a mil per year to shore up our gaping hole at short. Bartolo Munoz should help out the 'pen, and while no star, Larry Ledezma is an upgrade at catcher.

I start to feel a little pleased. One week in charge, a painful remodeling of the minors accomplished, a solid appearing draft, and an addressing of all of my cantankerous manager's wants. I even got him a, what was it? A "pro-fesh-in-al" catcher? Where did they find this guy, and what the hell is he doing in Beirut?

My phone rings again. I look at the number and sigh. Time to face the ... music? No, nothing coming out of B.F.D.'s mouth could ever be called music. By anyone. No helping it though. After all, we went two and five this week.

I pick up, "Chuck August."

"Chuck?!?! THE FUCK AM I S'POSED TO DO WITH THIS SQUAD OF NITWITS???! You'd better have made some PRO-gress with those free agints! If I have to watch Yasertaki Yashida box one more damned pitch ......"

I sigh, (internally, of course) and wait for the deluge of profanity to pass.

[johnd2442]

I love the Salcedo signing. He had a great year, just last year, in the BBA.

And a B.F.D. sighting!

[RonCo]

Saucedo and Padilla, together again!

Now you've got my attention.

[Dington]

I had an offer in for Saucedo as well. Congrats

[ca13]

I had an offer in for Saucedo as well. Congrats

Thanks. Just added Jorge Rodriguez too. I will need to move some players.