Boardwalk Empire - 2045.5 - Staff Departures

[Joshua Biddle]

Staff Departures

After a disappointing 69-93 (.426) season in 2044, staff changes are widely expected in Atlantic City. The first of what could be many changes have been officially announced, with bench coach Mark Kidd retiring and hitting coach Bartolo Esquivel departing after the expiration of his contract. In addition, team trainer Silas Ashley also announced his retirement.

Kidd, 62, spent five seasons with the Gamblers as the bench coach, with the team amassing a 387-423 (.478) during his tenure. Kidd ascended quickly to the bench coach job in Atlantic City after joining the organization in 2037, leading the Class-Short Season A Bogota Scholars to back-to-back division crowns and Supremacy Series championships during the 2037 and 2038 seasons. In addition, Kidd won the Manager of the Year Award for his performance both seasons. He was promoted to manager of Class-A Long Island Legion for the 2039 season, where the team went 75-56, just missing out on a playoff berth by finishing one game back of the division leader in 2nd place. The temperamental Kidd had some notable dugout outbursts with players and manager Bruce Frank, which had begun to raise questions as to whether the relationships and philosophies had grown stale amid the disappointing 2045 season. Kidd's retirement allows the Gamblers to proceed with a new voice without an awkward or contentious end to what had been a productive relationship.

Esquivel, 60, served as the Gamblers' hitting coach for four seasons from 2041 through 2044. Prior to his ascension to the Gamblers' hitting coach position, Esquivel was the hitting coach for four seasons within the Gamblers' minor league system, leading to three division championship teams (Class Short Season A Bogota in 2037, Class-AA Trenton in 2039, Class-AAA Brooklyn in 2038) and one championship (Class Short Season A Bogota in 2037). The decline in performance of many of the Gamblers' big hitters in 2044 -- namely outfielder Stewart Illingworth (.228/.291/.388) and first baseman António Martínez (.266/.305/.457) -- made it a near certainty that we would see a change at the hitting position moving forward.

On the retirement of Silas Ashley, general manager Joshua Biddle released a statement that read "we want to provide a sincere thank you to Silas for his service to the organization. His oversight helped facilitate world-class care to our players and helped build a medical staff that our players and ownership have the utmost confidence in. We know he will enjoy his retirement as he and his family retire to the mountains."