A Flock of Bluebirds 2042.9- Labrie Jr. Gets A Lesson of Power and Perspective

[recte44]

A Flock of Bluebirds 2042.9- Labrie Jr. Gets A Lesson of Power and Perspective
April 21, 2042

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

Nashville GM Matt Rectenwald had heard just about enough from the Bluebirds manager Daniel Labrie, Jr.

"I think it's more than well within my bounds to request certain strategies, after all, I do run the team," Rectenwald said.

Labrie, Jr. saw things differently. "You gave me a contract through 2046. We made the playoffs last year. I get to run this team the way I see fit."

"Clearly your way isn't working right now, so perhaps you should listen to the expert here," Rectenwald said, with a smirk.

"I am the manager and I will run things the way I think is best," Labrie, Jr. retorted. "That is non-negotiable. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid." Two could play the snide game, thought the skipper.

Rectenwald unleashed a cold, dead stare towards Labrie, Jr., a look the manager had never seen his General Manager show towards him before.

"Stuck with you," Rectenwald repeated. "I'm not sure if you know who you're talking to here, Danny Boy. You may think I owe you for last season, you may think I may owe you because you played for me, you may think I owe you for all kinds of different reasons. You may think that, and you would be dead wrong."

Labrie, Jr. paused before speaking, pondering what his next move would be. Would he cave in? Would he stand strong?

"I gotta be me, Recte," Labrie, Jr. replied. "That's the only way I know."

Rectenwald let out a deep sigh. "I'm truly sorry to hear you say that, Danny. You leave me only one recourse here."

Labrie, Jr. braced for the worst...

"Danny," Rectenwald said calmly, "you are fired."

Labrie, Jr. nodded and turned to walk out of the room. Approaching the door, he quickly turned back and spoke. "I had to be true to me, Recte. You can't take that away."

Rectenwald smiled. "I would have expected nothing less from you, Danny Boy."

As Labrie, Jr. left the GM's office, Rectenwald had to move quickly to fill his role. "I hadn't expected to do this today," Rectenwald said aloud to no one. "So let's figure this out."

He looked at his team's personnel list. He could promote current bench coach Gilberto Pacheco, but he was in just his first year in the big leagues as a coach himself. Eric Martin was a Hall of Famer and was doing a nice job with their AA team in High Point. No, that didn't seem right either.

Who do I have that has truly made a difference here in Nashville? Rectenwald thought about it, and thought back to last season. We were under-performing as a pitching staff early in the year, and then we made a move and it all turned around. Of course! Mike Ellison turned last season around! He's never been a manager, always a pitching coach, but why not take a shot here?

The GM made the call. "Hello?," the voice answered. "You got Mike-E."

Rectenwald chuckled. "Hey MIke, it's Recte. How you doin?"

"Good, good. Working with some changes to the pitching staff right now," Ellison explained. "What's up?"

"Changes, hey? What are you thinking?" Rectenwald was indeed curious.

"Thinking about asking Danny to completely mix things up here," Ellison said. "Chin Kim and Hao Kun aren't cutting it, so I'm thinking we move them to the bullpen, and bring Ta-heng Hor and Manuel Orozco into starting roles, along with bringing Elliot Buckland back as we planned when we returned to a five-man. Not sure if Danny will go for it, though."

"What if it wasn't his decision?" Rectenwald asked.

"What do you mean?" Ellison was confused.

"I had to let Danny go today, Mike," Rectenwald explained.

"Wow, that's unexpected, but if you think it's the right call then who am I to argue," mused Ellison. "Who's taking over?"

"That's why I'm calling, Mike," said Rectenwald. "Do you want the job?"

A stunned silence ensued. Finally, Ellison spoke up. "Well, sure! It's a bit of a shock to me but sure! I'd love to!"

"Great," said Rectenwald. "Make your changes. When it comes to strategy you need to take my input. Is that a problem?"

"No sir," Ellison responded. "I'm open to any suggestions."

"One more thing, Mike," said Rectenwald. "We need a new Pitching Coach. Who do you want?"

Ellison thought for a second. Then, it hit him. "Hey, you signed Kim Rodas to manage the rookie league, right?"

"Sure did," Rectenwald said. "One of my favorite old pitchers."

"Can you get him up here tonight?" Ellison waited for the reply.

"Done". Rectenwald smiled. We're back on the right track.

[RonCo]

That was a fun read.

[HoosierVic]

As Ron said, good stuff!