2063.01 Was It Enough?

[Trebro]

With the 2062 season in the books, GM Rob McMonigal headed into his meeting with owner Bo Jordan, curious about what the future held. He was well aware that despite a few cities either dropping out or being rejected, Bo had narrowed down his theoretical homes.

McMonigal really wanted Yellow Springs to remain that home.

He stepped into Bo's office, filled with nostalgia from his playing days with a smattering of items from the Glory Days of the Nine. Nothing from their current run, not even anything related to the jersey retirements. It was as though Bo was trying to distance himself from the recent past.

Hard to blame him, in a way.

"Hi Bo," said McMonigal. "It wasn't quite as good as the year I'd hoped, but we improved significantly, just like I said we would. And the fans came back. We were over 3,000,000 again!"

Bo barely looked up from his notes.

"Still second lowest since 2028," he grumbled at his GM.

"400,000 more people is nothing to sneeze at. We're on the upswing again, Bo! It's finally going to happen and it's going to happen HERE, in Yellow Springs!"

"Maybe. Revenue was okay, but that's because our payroll is so low. We can't sustain this level, Mac. Once we have to start paying these young guys, we're going to lose money. Take a look at this."

Jordan spun his laptop around to McMonigal, who peered down at it. He frowned a bit when he saw who'd created it for Jordan, but he couldn't dispute the accuracy or the stark relief of how little wiggle room they actually had right now. Once players like Juan Silva and Emilio Narvarro got into their prime arbitration years, to say nothing of free agency, there would be some hard choices to make and fast if things didn't change rapidly, soon.

"Wow. That really puts things in black and white or should I say, red and green."

"And that's assuming we have enough fans left after yet another losing season to keep season tickets at roughly the same rate as last year, Mac."

"I'll get to work on that. We can do some work to promote our current stars. That doesn't cost much. And we've got the money - " here McMonigal pointed to the salary cap "to bring in some bigger names in a few key spots. That'll drive tickets and jerseys."

"It's not going to be enough. I'm going to have to make a decision soon. And I know where I'm leaning, as much as I don't want to." Bo's eyes fell to the floor.

"We can do this here, Bo," McMonigal said, slamming his hand on the desk and watching the laptop jump, momentarily making the spreadsheet flicker. "I know we can."

"Why are you so insistent on this? You aren't even from around here."
McMonigal paused. That was a good question.

"It's hard to explain Bo. But the fans are so loyal. They come from all over the region. They've come so close to winning a Monty and it's never happened for them. I want to show them it can be done. I want us to be the one who brings the Monty home. And I think we can do it, too."

"You said that when I signed off on those horrible ideas a few years ago and now I have to watch Carter Cramer tear it up for Nashville and wonder what Rusty Miller might have done as a starter for the Nine. We have nothing to show for it, and those mistakes as much as anything to say nothing of your top of the line lack of draft history is a big part of why I don't think we can be viable here anymore."

Bo's eyes that devastated pitchers bore into McMonigal. He rarely let the GM have it like this. The draft part hit the worst because it was true. Jim Kantor. Felix Abernathy. Edgar Barron. Not a great look. The trades were different but they failed, too. And that was what mattered, ultimately.

"Then why not just let me go?" asked McMonigal.

"Because I'm not ready to do that, yet. GMs don't grow on trees and being the best of the best here in the BBA is one of the hardest things anyone can do in baseball. And we are trending the right way. But we need money. And Peoria has it. So does Wheeling. And I hear Toledo might even be willing to make a pitch."

"Toledo? Really?"

"They have a rabid fan base, Mac. You know that."

"But they're the Tarpons arch-enemy."

"You know the song. Money talks."

McMonigal threw up his hands.

"I appreciate you giving me one more year, Bo. I really do. I think we can outsell the season tickets and bring up overall attendance for the second straight year. Trust me on this. I was right in 62, wasn't I?"

Bo paused. He looked down at the spreadsheet.

"You'd better get those butts in the seats. If not, I'm making a call. I already missed out on one region and if we're not careful, we're going to lose our dominance in Ohio, too. I've heard rumors."

"I'll make it work, Bo. I promise."

"See that you do."

McMonigal nodded and left his owner's office. He'd talked a big game but it was going to be hard to follow up on it. Everything would have to go right this off-season, and he knew as well as anyone that was an almost impossible order, like getting a medium rare burger at Denny's.

He'd done the work to improve. But was it enough?

[ae37jr]

I was looking at your team other night. Yellow Springs could be a real sleeper. Hartman is ready to go and you have 3 young ground ball starters right there. Those 4 players are going to have a huge impact on run prevention. While your offense is already pretty good.

[Trebro]

I was looking at your team other night. Yellow Springs could be a real sleeper. Hartman is ready to go and you have 3 young ground ball starters right there. Those 4 players are going to have a huge impact on run prevention. While your offense is already pretty good.

Thank you. I'd love to be competitive into the All Star Break. I think if we can do that, it's a majors step forward.

I have some reason to be hopeful and I really do think getting close to my personal high watermark of 80 wins is doable if things break right for me. But I've felt that before, so I'm cautious. I need a lot of players to stay strong to make any of this work short term.

On the other hand, I feel better about having a stronger system coming up. But we'll see. That's why we sim 'em, right?