Boardwalk Empire - 2038.3 - EXCLUSIVE: Erosion on the Shore, and in Gamblers' Clubhouse

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Boardwalk Empire - 2038.3 - EXCLUSIVE: Erosion on the Shore, and in Gamblers' Clubhouse

Post by Joshua Biddle » Fri May 31, 2019 8:49 pm

Report: Erosion at the Shore, and in the Gamblers Clubhouse

Though the Atlantic City Gamblers’ 2038 season was an unexciting, bland, below average effort with eroding fan interest, the season was much more hectic behind the scenes than publicly known per sources familiar with the situation.

Fans have accused Atlantic City ownership of “a half-hearted effort”, being “cheap”, and “too focused on ownership’s other sporting interests”. “Ownership clearly cut their budget for the Gamblers to divert the money to their other teams, and it’s [expletive] [expletive]” said a fan, “it’s ridiculous and unfair to people who have supported this team.”

Another fan said, “[expletive] absentee ownership, I don’t even take my transistor radio to the beach with me anymore. And I sure as heck don’t go to the games”

Truth is, the Gamblers have been in a rut of financial difficulty over the past few years, spending money at an alarming rate since BBBS Enterprises’ purchase of the team prior to the 2031 campaign, and it seems as though they took a calculated step back in order to restore the financial stability of the team. “They can’t keep spending close to the cap with minimal chance to win a championship and turn a profit. They were bailed out from a few of their deep playoff runs, but blew through the funds they started with quickly” said our source, “there is an urgency to allow the franchise to turn a profit, build a stable core, and allow the franchise to survive on its own.” The Gamblers’ payroll was slashed from $102,502,531 in 2037 to $93,280,000 in 2038, a decrease of roughly 9%. Neither owner Keith Bleeker nor GM Joshua Biddle made any public statements regarding the payroll figure, and also did not conduct the traditional mid-season “state of the team” address, which further angered fans.

But for all the drama going on from a financial standpoint and from a fan outrage standpoint, it’s possible the drama in the Gamblers’ clubhouse was the absolute worst of them all. Catcher Gabriel Flores, a 23-year old prospect acquired from Charm City in the Nicholas Sutton trade back in 2033, literally brought the usually upbeat Atlantic City clubhouse to lows our source hadn’t seen in quite some time. After hitting .286/.348/.563 with 22 home runs and a 3.7 WAR for Class-AA Trenton in 2036 and .270/.326/.565 with 19 home runs and a 2.4 WAR for Class-AAA Brooklyn in the first half of 2037, Flores only mustered a career .228/.268/.370 slash line with 13 HR and a 0.1 WAR in his 410 plate appearances with Atlantic City in 104 games. Though he only mustered 88 career hits with Atlantic City, he attempted to add more in some locker room scuffles. “Look, Gabriel is a… jerk”, said our source, “that’s probably the most appropriate word I can use as you wouldn’t be able to print the more suitable words. He got into it with [Keith] Dean, got into it with [Millard] Younger, got into it with [Emilio] Flores. After he got into it with all of them, Flores basically went to [manager Troy] Coffman and told him he needs to see to it that he’s gone.”

The requests from Coffman were reportedly met with resistance from management as the team is in a clear transitional period. The team is in a position where they are better off giving young players an opportunity, and Flores was also out of options. After a few failed attempts by Coffman, an impassioned meeting between Coffman - along with Dean, Younger, and Flores - and GM Biddle, the decision was made to designate Flores for assignment. Coffman brought the players along to make it clear it was wrong to have somebody enjoy the privilege of playing at the BBA level without caring at all about his performance, working hard, or his teammates. The players reportedly strongly backed Coffman and it was a united front that wouldn’t be denied. Flores was ultimately claimed by New Orleans on waivers, ending his tenure with Atlantic City.

In late August, the Gamblers ownership group along with general manager Biddle met as part of an emergency meeting to discuss potential late season personnel changes. Coffman, after his bold move to make a point to the front office and ownership, was the first on the chopping block – and he reportedly survived in narrow fashion with at least one owner wanting him terminated. The brunt of the burden was put on pitching coach John Adams, who was unceremoniously fired. It’s unclear whether Coffman will meet a similar fate in the offseason, though the players in the locker room have grown to strongly support Coffman despite being a difficult individual to get along with at times.

One thing is for certain –- whether the fans care or not, and whether ownership cares or not per public perception, it’s clear that Troy Coffman and the players currently in the Gamblers’ clubhouse care. And that’s something fans should know.
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Re: Boardwalk Empire - 2038.3 - EXCLUSIVE: Erosion on the Shore, and in Gamblers' Clubhouse

Post by RonCo » Fri May 31, 2019 9:50 pm

Turmoil behind the scenes is always a problem.

Nice article, though.
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Re: Boardwalk Empire - 2038.3 - EXCLUSIVE: Erosion on the Shore, and in Gamblers' Clubhouse

Post by jleddy » Fri May 31, 2019 9:59 pm

I'd be a surly prick too if I was 6'7" and had to don the tools of ignorance day in and day out!

Nonetheless, sounds like waiving Flores was the right call. I'll be interested to see if there's any additional fallout during the Gamblers' off-season.
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Re: Boardwalk Empire - 2038.3 - EXCLUSIVE: Erosion on the Shore, and in Gamblers' Clubhouse

Post by RonCo » Fri May 31, 2019 10:01 pm

Joshua has proven to be a wily GM. I expect changes.
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Re: Boardwalk Empire - 2038.3 - EXCLUSIVE: Erosion on the Shore, and in Gamblers' Clubhouse

Post by HoosierVic » Sat Jun 01, 2019 8:52 am

Good article. I had a similar behind the scenes issue with Mutsuhito Imai, where he basically destroyed my clubhouse morale single-handedly. Guys didn’t want extensions, etc., because they didn’t want to play with him - so, even though he’s a pretty good pitcher and his ratings are very good, I dumped him. Morale took an immediate up-tick and guys were willing to discuss contracts again. Sometimes you’ve got to do exactly what you did and make the hard decision.

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Re: Boardwalk Empire - 2038.3 - EXCLUSIVE: Erosion on the Shore, and in Gamblers' Clubhouse

Post by shoeless.db » Tue Jun 04, 2019 1:06 pm

This was a fantastic read. I'm thinking the prior GM in Mumbai would be scratching and clawing to bring Flores's awful attitude across the seas to Mumbai.
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