WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

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WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by recte44 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:56 pm

WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office
August 18, 2039
by Chip Stidwell, Feature Reporter


***Editor's Note: This article contains some semblance of actual conversations, with some embellishments. (and with the permission of those involved).

Grant Hardin is the Las Vegas Hustlers Assistant GM. He's usually the voice of reason behind the scenes in the Hustlers front office. "Recte is a character, I'll tell you what," chuckled Hardin when asked about his boss, Las Vegas GM Matt Rectenwald. "He's always concocting crazy trade offers and I usually have to be the one to tell him he's being a cook." After the announcement that Rectenwald would be leaving at the end of the season to take over the Nashville franchise, Hardin now finds himself in a strange position- the intermediary between outgoing GM Rectenwald and incoming GM Brett Schroeder. "Recte told me we need to keep Brett in the loop, so that's what I do," explained Hardin. "It's not a normal setup, that's for sure."

This reporter was recently allowed full access behind the scenes in the Las Vegas Hustlers front office on August 18th, and we picked a good day. The following is as accurate of an account as we can recall with all of the puzzle pieces scrambling throughout the day.*

9:01 am. Hardin knocks on Recte's door. "Hey chief, I got a message from Brett last night." Looking up from his morning coffee, Rectenwald smirked. "What's he want us to do now?" Hardin chuckled. "I think you might like this idea, boss," said Hardin. "He told me Kelly would look good in Vegas."

Chris Kelly, of course, is the ace starting pitcher of the Twin Cities River Monsters. He's widely acknowledged as one of the few true frontline starters in the BBA, and was recently made available for trade offers by Twin Cities. Hardin had a good working relationship with the River Monsters' Assistant GM, Brock Howell, and knew that trade talks could be started easily enough.

"Well, that's an idea," an intrigued Rectenwald said. "How much does he want us to give up?" Las Vegas currently has one of the lowest ranked farm systems in the BBA, and are also right up against the league's $110 million Salary Cap.

Hardin handed Rectenwald a piece of paper. "Here's the message he sent me on that." The message read as follows. "Whatever you want man. Go for it. After really looking at the system, the team seems headed for mediocrity unless I strike gold in free agency anyway. So I’m fine walking into an empty system."

Rectenwald nodded. "I couldn't agree more, Grant. And how perfect would it be if we could go out with a Landis title," said Rectenwald with a twinkle in his eye. "Call Howell. Offer him Akahori, Yan and....," Rectenwald said and paused for what seemed to be minutes. "..and the Italian," he added with a sigh.

"The Italian?," asked Hardin, shocked. "Are you serious?"

"The Italian", as the two referred to him, was this year's #1 draft pick, Girolamo L'Archibudelli. The Hustlers front office were thrilled to have had drafted him, and the inside scoop from those in power was that they viewed him as a generational talent. Now, not two months after signing him, Rectenwald was talking about trading him.

"I know it's a blow, Grant," said Rectenwald with a sigh, "but you heard Brett. He wants Kelly and you better believe most of the other clubs do as well. So we gotta go big or go home."

"It's so much though. Ryosei's no slough, either, and Yan has really moved up the list to be a big prospect," said Hardin. "It's too much. And have you thought about the cap?"

Rectenwald nodded. "It's probably too much, you're right. We gotta do it, though. We can soften the blow and manage the cap, though, if we get them to take Gervasio." Gervasio Ridder, of course, is one of the best players in the history of the Hustlers franchise. However, with a bit of an age decline the contract Rectenwald decided to offer him has now become a hindrance to the franchise. "Damned if my feelings didn't get in the way of making the right decision on Gervasio," said Rectenwald. "Now it's come to this."

Hardin then left the room to make a call to the Twin Cities AGM.

"Brock, it's Grant Hardin from the Hustlers," Hardin said on the phone. "Recte wants Kelly to come and give the Hustlers one last hurrah."

"I'm listening," replied Howell. "What can you offer?"

Hardin reads off the offer to Howell, then immediately adds his own two cents. "I think Recte may have lost his mind. Can't believe he's putting The Italian on the table."

Howell says he'll need some time to look into the offer deeper, and says he'll call back soon.

Hardin goes back to Rectenwald's office, and tells him they're awaiting a reply. "Good enough," Rectenwald says. "Now we wait."

It seems like days passed, but it's actually three hours later that Hardin's phone rings with Howell on the line. "I'm hesitant to take Ridder's salary," the River Monsters executive says.

"No kidding," chuckles Hardin.

"I'm only on the hook for this season and next, right?," inquires Howell.

"That's right, so it's not that bad," Hardin says.

Howell says he needs to check in with his bosses, and he'll call back in just a couple minutes.

No more than two minutes goes by, and it's Howell on the line again. "We have a counter offer," he says.

The wheels in Hardin's head start spinning. What else could be possibly ask for? Rafael Flores, probably. Rectenwald had prepared him for this. With anticipation, Hardin replied. "What were you thinking," he said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"How about Juan Valdes, Rafael Flores, Meles Lisimba, Declan Hounsell, and Ridder?," Howell offers.

In stunned silence, Hardin's inner monologue begins to run wild. The Italian is off the table and we still get Kelly? Hot damn. Taking a deep breath, he replies. "I'll check with the big wigs and get back to you. Shouldn't be long."

I witness Hardin actually sprint from his office to Rectenwald's and tells him the details of the counter offer. "Call him back now and take the offer, Grant," Rectenwald exclaims. "Why the hell are you still here? Go!"

With haste, Hardin is back in his office. "Get Howell on the line!," he hollers to his secretary. "Brock Howell on Line one boss," she replies.

"Alright, Brock. We're in," Hardin says. "It's a deal." While on the phone, he's already texting with Brett Schroeder.
Off Topic
GrantHardin 1:20 PM
You’re about to be a happy camper
GrantHardin 1:23 PM
What did you do?
GrantHardin 1:24 PM
Think I’m about to get Kelly
And dump Ridder in the process
Bschr682 1:24 PM
Wow that’s pretty good
GrantHardin 1:24 PM
And... not give up the Italian
Or Yan
:)
Bschr682 1:25 PM
Whoa I thought for sure it would cost the 11 contact guy
GrantHardin 1:25 PM
Me too
As of now it doesn’t
Bschr682 1:27 PM
Wow. That gives you a hell of a rotation for the playoffs if Flores can hang on to his ratings for a bit longer
GrantHardin 1:28 PM
I was planning on skipping him this sim
Bschr682 1:29 PM
He is gonna be a real anchor if he doesn’t opt out
There's just one problem as the text messages are happening. Howell hasn't responded. It's been radio silence on the other end of the phone. Ten seconds pass, then twenty. Finally, a sigh and Howell responds. "Hang on a sec," Howell says. "I've got two other calls on hold."

"We can send this to the league office if you're busy," Hardin says. The inner monologue starts up again. For crying out loud, Grant, don't screw this up.

"Not yet, please," Howell replies. "Answering these calls as fast as I can during lunch. I'll get back with you soon.:

Hardin hangs up. I observe as he puts his head down on the desk and stays there for five minutes. Shit, I gotta tell Brett there might be a problem. Did I jump the gun?
Off Topic
GrantHardin 1:37 PM
Uh oh, potentially a snag. Stay tuned
Bschr682 1:39 PM
Lol.
Hardin's secretary buzzes in. "Howell on Line one!"

"Brock- what's the word," Hardin says as casually as he can muster.

"We had a possible better offer come in after sending our counter offer to you," Howell says. "Sorry to do this, but as you can imagine we're pretty sick to our stomachs over shopping Kelly in the first place."

Hardin knows he's screwed. "I'll beat any offer," he blurts out.

Howell mutes the phone to conceal his laughter. "Just have one more question before we get to our final decision," he says. "Is Valdes eligible for a starting pitcher conversion?"

Hardin confirms that, yes, he is and the Hustlers were already planning to do so in the offseason.

"Ok, call you back," says Howell.

It's clear to Hardin at this point that he's lost Kelly. Crap! I'm going to look really bad here. Dejected, he goes to the cafeteria and attempts to eat away his sorrows. Four cheeseburgers later, his cell phone rings. Minneapolis area code. Here it comes.

"Sorry, Grant," Howell cut right to the chase. "Couldn't say no to the other deal. You'll see why. Ridder's contract would have brought on issues that we were trying to mitigate by moving Kelly. I'll tell you, though, I was really looking forward to seeing what we could do with Valdes as a starter."

Click. It was over. Now Hardin had to tell not one, but two bosses how Kelly was not going to be a Hustler, but instead a Jacksonville Hurricane.

First, he tells Rectenwald. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Grant," Rectenwald says. "If we got every player we wanted it wouldn't be fun. Besides, it was a long shot anyways. Did he tell you anything we might be able to use for another trade?"

Hardin recalled the Valdes comment. "I think they are really high on Valdes," Hardin said. "I'll think of something."

"Do what you gotta do, champ," quipped Rectenwald. "I'd sure like another lefty in that rotation."

Hardin walks back to his office, with a little more pep in his step than five minutes ago. Time to tell Schroeder what happened, I suppose.
Off Topic
GrantHardin 3:07 PM
Welp there goes that :(
Bschr682 3:08 PM
Who got him?
GrantHardin 3:51 PM
Jacksonville
I get it. We just didn’t have the cap space to do it
Bschr682 4:07 PM
What’s plan B?
GrantHardin 4:07 PM
Don’t know. I can get Makim cheap from Madison but that’s for another loogy
Bschr682 4:23 PM
I’d have to look him up. Don’t know him offhand
GrantHardin 4:52 PM
Maybe Legrand
Bschr682 4:55 PM
Sweet name
GrantHardin 4:57 PM
Actually I’m going to go back to Scott and try for Josh Brown
The thought of Josh Brown popped in Hardin's head earlier, when Howell made a point to tell him he was bummed about not getting Valdes. Would he take Valdes straight up for Brown?

The call was answered on the first ring. "Hey Grant, long time no talk," joked Howell. "What's up? You pissed at me?"

"No, I get it," Hardin said. "Let's talk Josh Brown. Would you take Valdes for him?"

Howell quickly replied. "Yeah, I'll do that deal."

Well, that was easy. I probably overpaid, but we needed this. This time, Hardin made sure the i's were dotted and the t's were crossed before telling his bosses. First, he texted Schroeder.
Off Topic
GrantHardin 5:02 PM
Valdes for Josh Brown sound good? It's a done deal, for real this time.
Bschr682 5:04 PM
By all means. Relief prospects can be found anywhere
GrantHardin 5:05 PM
He’s an interesting SP conversion guy but we must win now. Cheap for next two years too, and lefty
Lefty is a big plus in Vegas
Bschr682 5:06 PM
I’m a big believer in flags fly forever
Go nuts my friend
GrantHardin 5:07 PM
Now to get under the cap
There was that little matter that still needed to be dealt with. The deal for Brown put the Hustlers several million dollars over the salary cap. Hardin entered Rectenwald's office. "Well, hopefully I redeemed myself," Hardin said with a grin. "We got Josh Brown for Valdes."

Rectenwald smiled. "That's a good move, Grant," he said. "Exactly the type of lefty we needed."

"There's just one problem," Hardin explained. Rectenwald didn't hesitate to reply and they both said it at the same time. "We're over the cap!"

"You owe me a Coke," joked Rectenwald. "Well, we can get rid of Forryan and call up Craig Jensen as the backup catcher. We'll still need to cut some more just to be safe. Let's cut Wishart and we might as well let Muirhead go as well, he's not pitching again this year and his extension ask is ridiculous."

Hardin nodded. "Done, boss."

Hardin let me know he'd need about an hour to arrange the transactions that would result from the deal. I asked him if we could meet up after he finished for a quick wrapup. "Sure, meet me in the gym," Hardin said. "Hope you won't mind if I get some reps in, you know, with time being so short."

An hour later I popped in the gym. Hardin was already crushing some squat-thrusts. "Gotta blast my calves today, hoss," said Hardin as if we were old buddies.

"So, is that a normal day here," I inquired.

"Normal? Not sure there is a normal," said Hardin. "After Recte announced he was leaving and Brett was coming in everything changed," Hardin explained. "We all know there IS no next year. We gotta do it now."

"Is Brown enough?" The question needed to be asked. "After you thought you got Kelly and then didn't, can you be satisfied with Josh Brown?"

Hardin put the weights down, and looked right at me. "We're better tonight than we were this morning. I can't afford to get hung up on what didn't happen, it's my job to think about what can happen."

"Does that mean there could be more?," I asked.

Hardin laughed. "This is Vegas, baby. Go big or go home."

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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by RonCo » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:16 pm

Second read of the day.
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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by Spiccoli » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:19 pm

That was great! It was a little hectic on my end as well
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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by jleddy » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:37 pm

I don't know what was real or what was embellished but I don't care...I loved every minute of that. FANTASTIC!
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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by recte44 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:47 pm

It was 99% real- and a lot of fun.

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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by niles08 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:57 pm

That was fantastic
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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by bschr682 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:02 pm

Hah this was good.
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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by Spiccoli » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:06 pm

recte44 wrote:
Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:47 pm
It was 99% real- and a lot of fun.
Even the squat thrusts?
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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by RonCo » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:08 pm

Especially the squat thrusts?
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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by recte44 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:09 pm

Spiccoli wrote:
Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:06 pm
recte44 wrote:
Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:47 pm
It was 99% real- and a lot of fun.
Even the squat thrusts?
1%

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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by shoeless.db » Thu Aug 15, 2019 2:16 pm

This was a fantastic read. I wish I could get a recap of all the deals in such a fashion.
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Re: WHIV 2039.12- Behind the Scenes in The LV Front Office

Post by HoosierVic » Thu Aug 15, 2019 4:56 pm

Great stuff!

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