63.2- New Manager Writes Home

[chicoruiz]

My Dear,

Remember those years we spent in Albuquerque? How even though I wasn’t making a lot of money we had a nice house in a safe neighborhood, and the neighbors were respectable and quiet, and you could walk out on the patio at night and experience nature all around you?

Atlantic City is definitely not like that.

Atlantic City seems like it half wants to be a beach town like Miami, and half wants to be a big showbiz and gambling mecca like Las Vegas. It really doesn’t succeed at either. All it has is a crumbling veneer of sleaziness; everyone here seems to be a hustler who couldn’t quite make it in the big time, but is still dedicated to working whatever feeble angles they can dream up. Basically everyone here wants to be like the people in Las Vegas, only they’re not quite good enough. You could say the same about the baseball players here, but that’s another story…

Actually, for a team that won only 73 games last season, the cupboard is not completely bare. There are established, useful players at every position except catcher and first base, and there are options at both of those spots. I also need to figure out the back of the rotation and the bullpen depth, but I’m sure you could say that about twenty or so other teams. And I’m an old pitching coach after all; this kind of thing should be pretty much in my wheelhouse.

As far as management is concerned, the GM, Chico Ruiz, seems to be an amiable nincompoop who is doing his best, however limited he might be. The owner, Keith Bleeker, is relatively new, having recently inherited the team from his late father, but Chico tells me so far, so good. Of course, we’re all still in our honeymoon period, and before spring training is over we may be sharpening the knives we intend for each other’s backs.

All in all, it’s not a perfect situation, but what situation is? If I waited around for the Nashville job to come open, I’d be a pitching coach forever.

I continue to try to find a realtor in the area that doesn’t give off the vibes of a conman, and if I can, I’ll task him with finding a decent place to live in this hellhole while we’re in Florida for spring training.

Much Love,

Alejandro

[shoeless.db]

.. a crumbling veneer of sleaziness .. a hustler who couldn’t quite make it in the big time, but is still dedicated to working whatever feeble angles (he) can dream up.

Wow.. that's how one of my exes described me after I broke up with her...

[RonCo]

Caleca for the font alone.