The following report is from Will Bigby, lead baseball correspondent for Treasure Valley Sports.* * * * * * * It's been a rather auspiciously quiet season from the Boise front office in 2040, and for good measure. Through nearly three-quarters of the season, the Spuds find themselves in last place of the Frontier Division, the second-worst record in the Johnson League, and fourth-worst record in the entire Brewster. All this after an encouraging 2039 season that saw the Spuds set a new team-high in wins with 77.
After Boise's 12-5 road win against Phoenix, reporters were alerted of an impromptu press conference being held by second-year General Manager Joe Lederer just outside the visitors' locker room.
"Thank you for staying late tonight on a Friday, I'll be quick," Lederer told a small throng of media members. "It's be a trying, if not frustrating, year to say the least. I set expectations high after last year and it wasn't fair to this club. It's one thing to have goals and make improvements from season-to-season, but I should have kept our plans close to the vest and not air it out for public scrutiny."
Lederer, visibly worn from the toll of the season, continued on.
"Yes, this is a lost season, no doubt. But there's still things we can accomplish from here on out and we'll continue to work toward that game-by-game," Lederer said into a group of outstretched iPhones and digital records. "One thing for damn sure is that we won't be bullied. I don't care what our record is, what our payroll is, or how young of a team we are. We're going to give it our all and through hardworking and most important, teamwork, we're going to end up better than ever before."
"Do you have a plan?," one reporter asked.
"Oh, we have a plan," Lederer snapped back.
The same reporter fired with a follow-up question: "Does it have a name?"
The handful of media members chuckled, knowing the ongoing trend in the Brewster of teams bestowing names to their organizational philosophies.
"Ah, yes. Why wouldn't it?," Lederer played along with a grin. "While we won't disclose what the details are, I can assure you that everyone in this organization is bought into The Great Wheel™."
Lederer's proclamation was met with silence and a few chuckles.
"Hey, it's not as sexy as The Process™ or The Blueprint™," Lederer added. "I mean, it's damn better than The Right Wind™. Think about it...a wheel has spokes, a hub, perfect symmetry. It takes several components to make it work and once it's complete, it creates power and movement, rolls and turns on its own as all the parts work together."
The media, still puzzled, started quickly typing on their phones or jotting notes down into little notepads.
"Again, I appreciate you coming here," Lederer said as the group started to disband for the night. "I'll be available before tomorrow's game if anyone has questions. Thank you."
