2062.29 Whitworth keeps a journal-Part 1

[Krathan]

4/17/62: I saw my cube light up. It was the big boss. Garrison. It seemed too early in the year for our usual talk. He typically calls me when my season's about to start and then again when it's over. But April 17?

Turns out this was the big one. The one I figured wouldn't come for a long time, if it ever did. I mean, I've been managing the Buzzards for eleven years. I never even got a call asking about moving up to Adirondack. Now he's asking me to take over the big club.

I think I said yes before he even finished the question. He said my interview had been the last six years of managing and our two phone calls a year. He said he wanted me in his office in an hour so I got ready and stepped through the door.

We talked about the current team and all the recent changes. We walked about a plan for getting the boys to play better. We talked about tonight's game and he looked at his watch. He said I better get to Atlantic City. That we could talk more on the off day tomorrow.

I stepped through the door and ended up outside the visitor clubhouse in Atlantic City. When I opened the door, some of the guys who had spent time with me in Elkins. Jacquot Natta was the first guy to greet me. Apparently they call him Bandit now. Ben Graybill and Reynaldo Fernandez were there too. It was good to see them.

They took me around and introduced me to the guys on the team. I guess Ivan Correa, the previous guy, had told them he was moving to the front office last night after they won the middle game of the series. He told them they'd find out who their new manager was today.

It seems like a good group of guys. They're eager to win. Oh, and the coaches seem like good guys too. We'll get a chance to talk more soon but the first impression was positive.

The game was a little anticlimactic, losing 3-1 because Kent Johnson was lights out on the mound, but today was a great day.

4/19/62: What a game! So, first off, the last couple of days were a whirlwind. I met with Garrison again. Then I met with the coaching staff. Then we met with the players. I guess maybe I'll sleep at the All-Star break.

Back to the game. Bandit seems to be struggling a bit with his mechanics. Allen has some ideas. But anyway, he gave up a bunch of hits and the Blazers scored early. But man, Domingo Chavez is a heck of a player. The way he turned on that ball in the second inning, there was no doubt it was gone. The boys were really energized after that. They kept grinding the whole game. That was great to see.
Then it happened. Paul Long fouled a couple of balls off and poked one into right before Wani Matos hit the ball about as hard as it can be hit. That ball went sailing into the night air and the fans in the stands made so much noise I couldn't even hear myself or the players shouting as we all ran onto the field to congratulate Wani.
I couldn't really contain myself. Was it unprofessional for me to go running out there like that? I don't know. Honestly, I don't care. That's a hell of a way to get my first win in the BBA!

4/21/62: The boys played really well the next couple of days and got the sweep over Montreal. That felt great. We're all starting to feel a little more comfortable around each other. My bench coach, Porky, told one of the stupidest jokes I've ever heard right after the game today but we all laughed our heads off like it was actually funny. It was a nice bonding moment or something like that.

What was the joke? I really can't remember. It was just so incredibly stupid. But it was perfect for that moment.

4/22/62: We lost but Ben, Domingo, and Jose Bedreddin all homered. It was John Rasmussen III and his inability to fool any of the hitters that was the issue. It's sad to watch someone who's been so good have so much trouble. He's a good guy but there's no way we can keep running him out there every five days. That's going to be a tough conversation.

4/23/62: What a great effort from the boys today. Bedreddin crushed those two homers and Buwono Mainaky was phenomenal on the hill. Total team effort today. Little Johnny didn't like it when I told him he was headed to the pen, but I think he understood it on some level.

4/24/62: Damn. I wanted to win the series but Bandit still hasn't found his rhythm on the mound. Little Johnny's bullpen debut was a good one. Hopefully he can settle into that role. He's a good guy. I want to see him do well. Off to Charm City. That's going to be a tough series.

4/27/62: At least the opener was good. I'm excited about Ignacio Lewis. That kid shut down a great offense on Tuesday. But that offense showed its greatness the rest of the series. It seemed like every pitch our guys threw came off the bat like a race car on a straightaway. We've got some work to do figuring out how to stop them next time they're on the schedule. We can't throw Ignacio every day.
Next up is "that team out east." John Watson made it clear he expects us to beat them pretty much every time we play against them. I've got to make sure I make the right calls this weekend.

4/30/62: Today has been a rollercoaster of emotions. The whole weekend has been intense, really.
The boys really battled back on Friday night after falling behind early. And then it turned into my first extra inning big league game ever. Talk about intense. Mokichi Nakamura was lights out in the top of the tenth. I felt good about Bedreddin leading off the bottom of the inning. I knew he hit that ball good but I wasn't sure if it would get out. When the right fielder jumped, my heart skipped a beat. Then the crowd went nuts again and everything felt right in the world.
Bandit pitched a little better on Saturday. Hopefully he's getting things figured out. But we just couldn't get the bats going, outside of Jorge Trujillo. We split the first two games and I could swear I felt the warm breath of John Watson on my neck as I heard his voice inside my head saying "Don't let that team beat you. They betrayed this city."
That brings me back to today. The game was smooth sailing. Two bombs by Bedreddin and another one by Ben. Ignacio was brilliant on the hill. We cruised to a 9-1 win.
But after the game I got a call from Garrison. They were releasing Little Johnny. I had to tell him. I felt awful delivering the news. He took it better than I thought he might.
April is over. The team is tied for last place but we're 7-6 since I got here and just beat our big rival. It's time to turn the calendar to May and start moving up the standings.