It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. You could take those two famous sentences and summarize simply the 13 years that Kate Fiscus spent as the assistant general manager of the Portland Lumberjacks. Fiscus, the former secretary of the Madison Wolves and granddaughter of then owner Mick Shrimpton, turned wife of the late former assistant General Manager of Madison Dan Fiscus, and finally the assistant general manager of the Portland Lumberjacks for two stints over those 13 years, has been officially let go by the Lumberjacks organization.
"It's a sad but necessary time in Portland" commented General Manager Chris Wilson in a press release today. "Kate had been a valuable asset of this organization for a very long time. We had a lot of successes here in Portland with Kate at the assistant helm. We also had some down times as well. But the time has come for a fresh start, a new face in Portland."
Fiscus' time in Portland had its "best of times". Under her assistants work, she helped guide the organization to 4 consecutive trips to the post-season that saw the team participate in 2 Brewster championship rounds. "Her guidance and nurturing to our young players helped mold those teams" commented Wilson. "And her ability to get intel on other programs was unmatched. There were times it felt like we were in bed with our opponents before we ever played them. She seemed to know everything about them."
However in recent years, Fiscus' contribution to the program has been lacking. The team has suffered 5 consecutive losing seasons, one of which saw Fiscus take a season off as she battled legal issues. Even during the winning times, there always seemed to be an air of controversy surrounding the voluptuous assistant GM in Portland. Whether it was her earlier ties and links to front office personnel in Yellow Springs or Chicago, to her secret rendezvous with former GMs in Vancouver, Fiscus always seemed to be teetering on the edge of what was ethical and what was not. The straw that appeared to break the camel's back was her DUI and public nudity and intoxication charges two years ago. Not to mention the several leaked rumors of her escapades with Portland draftees. In fact, outside of her link to the "Fire Shoeless" movement of years back, clouds of controversy have swarmed over Kate for much of the last decade.
As for who will replace Fiscus, Wilson only added "we are currently looking at candidates. We have several worthy individuals in mind and will continue to look for one we think fits in best with our direction."
When asked if the team would hold suit and hire another female as the assistant GM (Portland was the first to do so with Fiscus), Wilson added, "We won't put that idea out of the realm of possibility. We'll have something in place over the next few weeks before free agency gets to in-depth."
With Fiscus' dismissal, it is reported she will also be taking with her the "Kate's Kookies" brand. Kate's Kookies have been a staple ballpark food in Portland for over a decade. Kate's Kookies placed 2nd in the Ballpark Food Challenge, losing to Twin Cities' "Juicy Lucy Burger. Kate's Kookies were a pecan, chocolate chip, and maple syrup cookie with enough bourbon to make the 21 and over crowd feel good about eating one!
