(Black Sox GM Vic Caleca and Asst. GM Bill McGuffin are working on laptops in the “business center” of the Calumet City Motel 6, the team’s temporary headquarters until the new stadium is finished).
Bill McGuffin (looks up from his screen): Hey Vic, get a load of this. We got an email from that Endo kid you bid on in the International Free Agent pool.
Yoshino Endo
McGuffin: Well, seems he wasn’t impressed with our offer.
Caleca (frowns): No? I think we offered him $800,000. That seems pretty good to me.
McGuffin: I don’t think he agrees. (Reads aloud) “I know you think you’re making me a decent contract offer, but you’re way off on the money. Come up with more cash, or move on to some other player!”
Caleca: He said that? Come up with more cash or move on? Screw him. What’d we grade him out as, like a 50 potential?
McGuffin: Something like that.
Caleca: I can’t imagine anybody topping $800,000.
McGuffin: Yeah. No way.
( … 24 hours later …)
McGuffin: Jesus, Vic. Look at this! (He turns his laptop so Caleca can read the email on his screen): “Yoshido Endo has signed with Calgary.”
Caleca: Yeah. So. What’d they offer him, $850,000?
McGuffin: Um, no.
Caleca: Well, what then? (Takes a sip of coffee from a Styrofoam cup)
McGuffin: “$5,400,000.”
Caleca (spits out coffee): Say what? $5.4 million?
McGuffin: That’s what it says here.
Caleca (exhales sharply): Well. Hell.
McGuffin: Yeah.
Caleca: Has it ever occurred to you, Bill, that we don’t actually know what the hell we’re doing?
McGuffin: Almost hourly.
[Recording ends.]