2061.09 Flipping His Lidstone

[Trebro]

Owner Bo Jordan hammered on the locked door of missing General Manager Rob McMonigal, currently occupied by asinine Assistant General Manager Eric Russell.

"Let me in now, damn it!" bellowed Jordan, who prepared himself to see if this reinforced door could handle the full bulk of his 275 pounds. He might be aging, but he could still pack a whallup. Just as he was setting up for the first shove, Russell opened the door.

"Do you mind?" asked Russell, his voice as usual painful enough to qualify as a war crime if broadcast in a combat zone. "I was busy."

"Doing what? Because it sure wasn't your job." Jordan pushed him aside, marching into the office and grabbing him by the arm, HR problems later be damned.

"It's this new game. Angry Bluebirds."

"You have got to be kidding me," thought Jordan. This was arguably worse than the Forever Game.

"I was doing really well, too. You throw icons of other Heartland Teams at their General Manager and try knock him out before he gets mad and sends his team over to beat you in a short series 4-1."

"I didn't ask for details," said Jordan.

"I know. Very rude of you."

"So in addition to padding the pocket of yet another rival, you also took money out of my pocket and stuck us with a potential roster problem?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Russell, slipping past Jordan and trying to inch his way back to the desk and his game.

"I'm saying that after eating 4.3 million in team options, I'm not in the mood to lose anything else and due to your stupidity, Jim Kantor and Bryce Lidstone are still members of the Yellow Springs Nine organization."

"Oh. Yeah. I forgot to tell you about that."

"About what?"

"Well, you see, I met with both of them. They're really fine young men. Did you know Kantor gives 90 percent of his salary to charity? And that Lidstone flips pancakes in the off-season because he has to support thirteen step-siblings? How could I possibly let them go after learning that? How could you?"

"I'll show you flipping something!" Bo grabbed the desk, shocking his idiotic employee, and managed to upturn it, smashing Russell's game to bits in the process. "You absolute moron! They were lying to you! How gullible are you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nevermind. Just know you cost me a million dollars and if McMonigal were here, you'd be gone, you got me? No more games, no more distractions. Just do what I tell you from now on, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever. I'm putting a replacement game on my expense account." Russell looked forlornly down at the ruins of his portable.

Jordan grabbed his temple and walked out. He'd call maintenance later about the desk. Wherever McMonigal was, he hoped it was better than this.