(Black Sox general manager Vic Caleca is seated in the team’s temporary headquarters at the JW Marriott in downtown Chicago. He’s alone in the suite that front office executives are using during the offseason while Black Sox Park is being used as overflow impound parking for owner Vinnie Vitale’s towing operation.
GM Vic Caleca
(Caleca dials Vinnie’s number and leans back.)
Vic Caleca: Vinnie?
Vinnie Vitale: Hey, Vic. What’s up.
Caleca: Well, like you asked, I’ve been trying to get ahold of Heidi Hickman.
Vinnie: Yeah, yeah. Good. Any luck?
Caleca: Well, she’s been letting her cell go to voice mail, so I finally called her office over in Yellow Springs. I had to go through the main number, and when they figured out I was from the Sox and trying to call Heidi, they patched me through to Ron Collins.
Vinnie: Jesus.
Caleca: Well, he kept asking why I wanted to talk to Heidi, and I finally decided to just tell him the truth.
Vinnie: The truth? That’s almost never a good idea.
Caleca: In this case, I’m not so sure.
Vinnie: So? Spill? What’d you tell him?
Caleca: I told him we had a question for her: who’s Kate?
Vinnie (laughs): That must’ve rocked his simple little head. What’d he say?
Caleca: Either he didn't know or he did a good job of playing dumb.
Vinnie: Yeah, well, that ain’t play acting with him.
Vinnie "You Never Know With Yellow Snow" Vitale
Vinnie: Yeah?
Caleca: Yeah. You can usually tell if somebody’s puttin’ you on, but I don’t think he was. If the pig shit thing originated in Portland – and I don’t doubt that it did – then I don’t think Collins or Yellow Springs were in on it.
Vinnie: Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not. You never know with Yellow Snow. Tell you what. Call Miss Heidi back and leave her a message that I want to talk to her – and tell her if she doesn’t call, I’m gonna have Mort the Snort look into suing her ass for leaking proprietary intellectual property.
Caleca: You mean the Blueprint™ memo?
Vinnie (impatient): Yeah, of course the Blueprint™ memo. We’ve had this conversation before, right?
Caleca: Yeah, sorry boss. Just crossing my T’s and dotting my I’s.
Vinnie: Do that on your own time. Anyway, do what I ask and let’s see if we can shake this bird outta the bush.
Caleca: Yep. You got it.
Vinnie: Let me know when it’s done.
Caleca: I’ll call her as soon as we hang up.
Heidi Hickman
Voice of Heidi Hickman: Hi. This is Heidi. I can’t come to the phone right now, but you know what to do. (Voice mail beeps)
Caleca: Heidi? This is Vic Caleca with the Sox again. Hey, Vinnie Vitale wants to talk to you. And, I’m sorry to say this, but it was his instruction: if you don’t return my call, he’s going to – and I’m quoting – ‘sue your ass for leaking proprietary intellectual property.’
Just so you know, this should be pretty simple. We’ve got one main question: Who’s Kate?
[The call and recording end]
