62.1- Making Good on A Drunken Promise

[chicoruiz]

I’m certainly sensitive to the fact that managing in Bogota is not a job for the squeamish. Like all short-season A teams, most of the best prospects tend to pass you by; if a high draft choice does well in rookie ball, the tendency is to move him to a full-season league. This leaves the unfortunate SA manager to make do with whatever odds and sods are left over, and try to put together something that will satisfy the very vocal Latin American fans.

So I wasn’t too surprised when Bogota manger Roberto Duran called me up after the season and said “No mas!” He is apparently going into the family construction business, and I can’t blame him. In fact, the whole situation kind of solved a problem for me.

You see, I had promised our retiring catcher, Hollis O’Hara, that I would find a place for him in the Gamblers organization for 2062. I was perhaps just a teensy bit under the influence of strong drink when I made this promise, but when I sobered up I decided it actually wasn’t that bad of an idea. Hollis was a good guy, a clubhouse leader, and an expert in the fine art of catching. The only fly in the ointment had been that I had no current job openings when I made the promise; now that problem had solved itself.

But now, where to send him? With his playing record, I couldn’t see making him a hitting coach. I know a lot of the best hitting coaches were poor hitters themselves, but it’s not like that’s something you can count on. And I didn’t want to send him to Bogota; his Spanish was very limited, and I was afraid that given that situation he would throw up his hands and leave after a few weeks, and I’d have another opening to fill.

My solution was to move manager Owen Mata from rookie-league Albany to Bogota. I presented it as a promotion, and he was cool with it. Hollis will work with our catchers in spring training and through the first part of the year, then take over as Albany manager. I have a feeling he’ll be pretty good, too.

So now I can get back to navigating the off season: free agency and staring incomprehensibly at the blueprints for our stadium expansion...

[Krathan]

I appreciated Hollis the year I had him. Glad to see him find a coaching home.