Wilson sat there in awe. His head ached from the off-season already and it was still December. He was overwhelmed frankly. The dreams, the reality. He didn't really know what was real and what wasn't. Something about this new season, 2059, seemed challenging. It was a lot. It was overwhelming the long time General Manager. The Lumberjacks were coming off a 63 win season, had no real looks at improving much on that going into this coming season. And to make matters worse, the team lost what it thought might be their 4th or 5th outfielder in a Rule 5 debacle. Sure, the team claimed a pair of guys but its the Rule 5 draft. Those guys won't make it. Wilson needed help and he knew it. And here in his office, waiting to be interviewed, was frankly the only person who had shown any interest at all in the job opening. I mean, who wants to come on and join a team in complete disarray with a GM that appears inept to run a team.
"Says here your name is Sandy, is that correct?"
This blonde bombshell of a woman sat there, legs crossed femininely. She wore a polo shirt with a sweater over top. Pants, no skirt. Of course gorgeous and, well, lets just say she had other certain "qualities" that matched the previous assistant in Portland.
"That is correct" she said. "Sandy Mounds is my full name."
Wilson stared at the resume. Nothing on it mentioned baseball. Hobbies did include golf, so at least there was some athletic interests there. He scrolled some more. Played golf in college it said. Wilson's warped mine felt that could be good. He was an avid golfer himself. And considering Portland's seasons typically ended sooner rather than later, perhaps he'd gain a golfing partner in all this. He continued browsing the resume while the room was filled with silence.
"Says here you're a professional creator of content. What does that mean?"
"Well, some say influencer. Social media type stuff mostly. But I creator of content sounds more professional. I've managed to make good money, and honestly, garnered some celebrity status thanks to some of the things I've done outside of a brief golf career and my other line of work."
Wilson darted to the previous employment section and saw nothing listed.
"Other line of work?" Wilson asked. "I don't see any previous employment listed here. What line of work were you in?" Wilson asked. A quick glance back at Sandy and he became fearful of her answer.
"For a brief time I was a stripper" Sandy continued. "Only briefly. But I managed to parlay that experience into quite a bit of wealth. So now I'm looking for my next challenge. I figured if I can turn golf into stripping into a profit as a content creator, I figured why not assisting in running a baseball team."
Wilson rubbed his eyes. He didn't really have time for this. But again, he thought to himself he needed help. "So, Sandy, what sort of baseball knowledge do you have? Have you ever evaluated players, or done anyting in the baseball arena."
"Not at all" Sandy continued. "I mean, I know baseball. I know the positions. Know good players when I see them. But other than that, I don't know much. But I'm good with finances. I'm good at building an image. Heck, I'm great at that. I figured I could come in to a position, maybe let you run the baseball player evaluation side of things while I build this team a new image. Give it a direction. Push this team in a way that the good players would want to come and play here. I think I can boost fan interest. I can take all of those things off your plate and just let you handle the player side of things. You handle the team. I handle the other stuff."
Wilson rubbed the top of his head. The stress of life and the job had pretty much left the top of his scalp bald. "Look Sandy, I appreciate the interest, but......" Wilson was interrupted by a knock at the door. In walked team owner David Wallace.
"Hey Wilson" Wallace walked in, "we need to" he stopped seeing Sandy sitting in the chair, "oh, I'm sorry. Didn't know you had anyone in here."
"It's ok' Wilson responded. "Just doing some interviews for the vacant assistant GM spot. This is" Wilson looked back at the resume, "Sandy. Sandy Mounds."
Wallace looked at Sandy and stuck out his right hand. "Sandy, I'm David Wallace. Team owner."
He then turned back to Wilson and began frantically getting back to why he entered the room. "Look Wilson, this is 2059, the end of the decade. Our 20th year. And you know what that means?"
Wilson stared back blankly. Again, he was the guy that let Rule 5 players go for free. What did 2059 mean?"
"It means it's the last year of this logo, this jersey" Wallace continued. "Remember, when we got this franchise and I became owner, we made it a point to create a new logo and new jersey every season. After this year, it's time for a rebrand. It would be great if you'd build a team this year that at least draws enough interest to make this rebrand next season have some pop. Some bite. You know, create some buzz and make this team some money."
Wilson opened his mouth and began to speak but Sandy spoke first. "Then I'm you're hire" she said standing up to shake Wallace's hand again. "Mr. Wallace, I'm a content creator. My expertise is generating a buzz. If you want buzz. If you want bite heading into a new "rebrand" as you call it, then there isn't anyone better around. Sandy Mounds is your gal."
Wallace looked at Sandy. Then back at Wilson. Then back at Sandy.
"Mrs, Mounds, welcome aboard. You're going to love working for the Lumberjacks. Wilson, show her to her office." Wallace left the room.
Wilson sat there. Perplexed. The sense of being overwhelmed seemed to increase exponentially in the last 60 seconds.
"Well, Mrs. Mounds. Welcome aboard. Let me show you to your office."
"Sure thing! But Mr. Wilson, I should tell you. Sandy Mounds was just my stage name. You can call me Paige!"
