Dropped Third Strike (Portland Pioneers #1) (10 page)

“You’ll have to do better than that if you want Jamison,” Ed said.

He named two minor leaguers and it was Kate’s turn to scoff. He wanted two of the top prospects in the game. She had labeled the two as untouchable, which basically meant they were staying put unless she could swap them for a big fish. The catcher she was asking about was a medium-sized fish at best.

“You and I both know that’s not happening,” she said.

“Well, I had to try,” Ed said.

“Same here,” Kate said. “I knew prying Jamison away would be a long shot, but I had to at least make an attempt.”

“Yep, I get it, and I appreciate the interest,” he said. “Good luck finding a catcher. There aren’t a lot of great options out there. Some good defense, but shaky offense. Then again, maybe your new hitting coach can find a gem in there somewhere.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Kate said.

“That was a good pick-up, by the way,” he said. “The guy’s had it rough lately, but I think he’s still got some good in him.”

“I do too, obviously,” Kate said. “Thanks for the vote of confidence though.”

She hung up with Ed and made a few more calls, but no one else was willing to deal with her at the moment either. Each of them made a comment on her hire of Reid Benjamin, which wasn’t surprising but was definitely encouraging. Maybe the Mets had given up on Reid, but it was clear other GMs still saw him as somewhat of a threat. She was anxious to see how that would pan out in the weeks and months ahead.

As she hung up with the fourth GM she’d called, her stomach growled. She looked at the clock and realized it was almost two. She still didn’t have an answer to their catching dilemma, but she needed to get something to eat. She should probably check in on Fan Fest as well.

She shut down her computer and locked up her office before heading down to the main concourse, which was alive with people decked out in Pioneers gear milling between stations, chatting about the players they’d just seen and those they hoped to see. Kate had tried to convince all players to attend Fan Fest, but it wasn’t required, and some of them had other off-season obligations. Fortunately, many of the players in her organization understood the importance of interacting with fans, and they genuinely seemed to enjoy it. She bought a sandwich at a concession stand and ate it while she continued her rounds. As she passed an autograph table, she caught a glimpse of Ian Davis posing for a playful photo with a teenage boy. The youngster’s grin could not have been bigger, and the fans right behind him in line were laughing and enjoying the moment as well. At the next table, Justin Tanner was talking to a young girl who declared very loudly that she wanted to play baseball like him instead of softball. Kate continued on, eventually making her way to the lower levels where the fans were lined up to take a few pitches in the batting cages. Kids and adults alike were patiently waiting for their turn to feel like a big leaguer, even if only for just a few moments.

It was nice to see the ballpark occupied again. Pioneer Stadium was a gorgeous facility – the newest in the nation but designed with tradition and old school charm. She loved coming here every day. Even during the off-season, it was a beautiful place to work. It was even more special on days like today when the optimism and excitement about the team were likely the highest they’d be all season. There is nothing quite like the start of a new season. Everyone is undefeated and still a contender for the World Series. Sure, on paper there are always favorites, but in the time leading up to Opening Day, it feels like anything is possible and everyone has a chance. That optimism would begin to fade after game one, when only half of the teams in the leagues could still claim to be undefeated and the grind of a full season began to wear on everyone in the business. But for now, there was still hope.

Kate didn’t even try to contain her own smile as she took it all in. Days like today made the stressful offseason worth it, and they reminded her why she chose this career path. Being a GM required long hours, a thick skin, and a knowledge of stats and data that sometimes made her head hurt. Some would say she’d given up a lot for her job – romance, a family, and a home life – but, as she constantly stated, she wasn’t interested in those things anyway. Occasionally when she saw her sister’s children or kids at the ballpark, there were brief moments of wondering what her own children would be like. Then she remembered that her lifestyle didn’t even allow for a pet. Plants weren’t likely to survive her schedule either, so children were definitely out of the question. 

Chapter Four

Kate was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice she was no longer standing alone. Well, she hadn’t technically been alone since she left her office, but she’d viewed everything from the perimeter, keeping to herself. She heard a throat clear a few feet away, and she shouldn’t have been surprised to look over to find Reid at her side. She should have sensed his proximity, but she didn’t, and she wondered how long he’d been standing there.

“Seems like a pretty good turnout,” he commented. “I’m used to New York crowds, but this is decent.”

She probably should have been slightly offended by his comparison, but she wasn’t. She was well-acquainted with the differences in fan counts among various franchises. She’d seen the good, the bad, and the ugly during her time in the business. The Pioneer fan base was steadily growing, but it was difficult with a new team, especially since Seattle was just three hours away. Many in the Pacific Northwest had adopted the Mariners when they were enfranchised in 1977. It was tough to break four decades of loyalty. Kate understood that and had encouraged stakeholders to be patient in drawing fans to the ballpark. Slowly, the Pioneers were attracting new fans and those seeking a team closer to home. Attendance went up a little with each passing season, and that’s all Kate could ask for at the moment.

“Maybe someday we’ll have New York crowds,” Kate said optimistically.

“That might be expecting a bit much given the population difference,” Reid said.

“Good point, but you can’t blame a girl for dreaming,” Kate said.

“It’s good to dream,” he agreed. “There are some great fans here anyway. I’ve had a lot of fun today.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said, smiling proudly. “I like to think we have the best fans in the majors.”

“They’re certainly the friendliest I’ve encountered in awhile,” Reid said. “None of them have cussed me out yet, so that’s a point in their favor.”

Even though he’d tried to drown out the fan criticism while he was with the Mets, Reid had still heard plenty. It was hard to miss when it was being yelled from nearly every corner of the stadium. And avoiding fans while he was out in the city was practically impossible. Everyone knew who he was. Funny, that’s what he thought he wanted in his childhood dreams of being a ballplayer. But the reality had turned out to be more of a nightmare. On some level, he knew he deserved the shouts and boos. He hadn’t lived up to anyone’s expectations, not even his own. He never expected to be an instant All-Star, but he believed he had the talent to be a serviceable if not reliable player for the Mets. He’d worked hard through college and the minors to build his skills, and although it felt like a long road, he’d believed it would all pay off when he finally got the call-up. At first, he was right. Everything was going just as he planned, but then it all changed. All of a sudden, he couldn’t get hits to fall in, and then the strikeouts became the standard outcome for his at bats. He still didn’t know where he’d gone wrong, and now it was too late to fix it. At least for himself.

In his new role, however, he had the opportunity to help other players maximize their offensive talents. He only hoped he didn’t fail at that too. After spending the morning with Pioneers fans and a few of the players, he was beginning to feel the pressure. These were good people with high hopes. He wanted to help those hitters give the fans something to cheer about well into October. He would give them his best and hope it was enough. He owed them that.

If he was being completely honest, he knew he owed it to Kate too. He couldn’t afford to let her down after she’d taken a huge gamble and hired him. When she offered him the job, he momentarily thought she was doing him a favor, extending a kind gesture to an old friend. But their conversation that morning seemed to indicate otherwise. Her words and tone made it abundantly clear that she still had some anger toward him and his past behavior, but she’d pushed past it for the good of the organization. She’d done this for the team, not for him. Because of her, he now had a new opportunity to impact the game he’d loved all his life. He needed to make sure she didn’t regret her decision. Maybe he’d manage to earn her respect again in the process.

“You’re not in New York anymore,” Kate said. “You’ll find the fans here are pretty patient and forgiving. Just look at how they’ve taken to Derek Beaman.”

Reid cocked his head in thought. He knew the Beaman story well, and it was one to which he could relate.

Derek Beaman had been a top draft pick by the Houston Astros after one season of college ball thanks to a killer left-handed delivery that made opposing hitters whiff and scouts drool. His minor league career had started off promising. He breezed through A and AA ball and was named minor league pitcher of the year in the Astros organization.

By the age of 21, Derek was already in AAA, and after a rough first month, he quickly found his stride and was leading the league in strikeouts and ERA by July. While the message boards buzzed about when he would be called up, he collapsed on the mound in the middle of a game holding his left arm. He needed surgery. Season-ending surgery. It could not have happened at a worse time for the young pitcher. At the very best, his career was put on hold. At worst, he might not return to baseball at all. Doctors couldn’t guarantee anything.

The surgery went well and everyone was hopeful Derek would be on track to rejoin the team sometime in the new season. Things took an unexpected turn during his rehabilitation when Derek got hooked on painkillers. Badly. And when the painkillers weren’t strong enough, he sought out other drugs. He was arrested twice, and the second time knocked him out of Major League Baseball. It seemed his career was over before it really ever started.

Derek’s life was on a downward spiral. His baseball dream was over, and a relapse chased his wife from their home, taking their infant daughter with her. If not for his older brother, Derek might have landed in the obituary section before his 24
th
birthday, but Mike Beaman took the young addict in and straightened him out. With some tough love and more than a few arguments, Derek found sobriety and returned to Major League Baseball.

Kate had taken plenty of heat for her signing of Derek Beaman. He submitted to random, regular, and frequent drug tests. But even with those stipulations in his contract, the media had still berated Kate. Opposing fans taunted and poked at Derek’s drug use often. Pioneer fans had been wary at first, but he’d worked hard and given them some good innings. If the length of his autograph line was any indication, the fans were starting to warm up to him. If the fans could embrace a guy with that kind of history, maybe they would accept Reid too.

“Sports fans love a good comeback,” Kate said.

“It makes for the best story,” Reid agreed.

“When it comes to you, I don’t care about the story, I just expect your best effort,” Kate said.

“And that’s exactly what I’m going to give you,” Reid said.

“I know you will,” Kate said, nodding. “You’re a hard worker.”

Reid smiled a little. “Did you just give me a compliment?”

Kate blushed. And then she frowned. “No, I just stated a fact.”

“Funny. It sounded like a compliment to me,” he said.

She didn’t have a retort for that. Even with all that had happened and all the years that had passed, Reid still had a way of making her feel completely inept at speaking. Feeling flustered, she looked at her watch.

“It’s almost time to shut down,” she said, changing the subject. “The cocktail event isn’t until five. You’re free to do whatever you like until then.”

“I was going to look around at the facilities some more, but I don’t want to get in the way of the fans, so I guess I’ll do that another day,” he said. “Maybe we could hang out for a while.”

“I need to go back to my office. I have plenty of work to do,” she said.

“It’s Saturday.”

“You know baseball doesn’t stop for the weekends.”

“No, but the season hasn’t even started yet, and I’m willing to bet you’ve already put in way more than your due this week.”

“We have a lot of holes in the roster. I need to find a catcher who can hit. And it wouldn’t hurt to find a few bullpen arms we can store in AAA just in case.”

“A few hours won’t hurt. You can pick it up tomorrow, right?” Reid said. “If you want, I’ll even come in and look at names with you. Maybe I can offer some insight.”

“No, thank you. I know you mean well, but it’s my job, and I’ll handle it,” Kate said. “You probably need to start sorting out your move anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he said. “But the offer stands. I’m here to help you. As I recall, you once offered to help me when I felt a little in over my head.”

“That was pre-calc. Much different from managing a Major League Baseball team,” Kate said.

“You just don’t want to have to repay me with a date like I did back in the day,” Reid said in a teasing tone.

Kate shot him a fiery look, and Reid drew back a little.

“Even if we could date, which we can’t, what makes you think I would even consider it?” she asked.

“Geez, Kate. I was just teasing,” he said. “What did I do to deserve that kind of anger?”

“You really don’t want me to get started,” she said. “And, frankly, neither do I.”

She practically spat those words just in case her glare didn’t convey her displeasure.

“Wow,” he said. “I don’t know what I did, Kate, but -,”

James Scott walked up then, and Kate was relieved at the owner’s sense of timing. She was not interested in continuing this conversation, which felt a lot more like a confrontation.

“Reid, my man,” he said. “I just realized I didn’t talk to you about your living situation. I own some properties around town. Let me know if I can help you find a place to set up.”

Kate was glad James wasn’t particularly perceptive, as he seemed completely oblivious to the tension between Kate and Reid.

“That would be great,” Reid said, turning his attention to the team owner.

James nodded, and the two men arranged a time to meet up so Reid could see a few Scott Properties before he returned to New York.

Kate only vaguely heard any of it. She was still fired up over the brief jaunt down memory lane Reid had initiated. She knew it was foolish to hope they could work together without ever discussing their past, but she planned to do everything in her power to avoid it. She didn’t want to rehash it. She knew it wouldn’t fix anything. Clearly, he didn’t see that he’d done anything hurtful and she didn’t see the point in telling him. An apology wouldn’t do any good after all these years. And it was entirely possible he wouldn’t offer one anyway. That thought made her even angrier. She needed to get away from Reid.

She quietly excused herself from the men and decided to take another trip through the festivities as they wound down. It helped her wind down a little too. Fans were all smiles as she passed them on their way to the exits. Their happiness reminded her she had a job to do. Refocusing on her work, she was able to shove Reid Benjamin to the back of her mind. She could feel her whole body relaxing a little as she took in the crowd.

Kate managed to steer clear of Reid for the rest of the afternoon as she returned to her office to look through some more stat pages and possible pick-ups for the team. The natural light in the office began to dim and she realized she should probably close it up for the day. Only one thing stood between her and home.

By the time she arrived at the cocktail event, Reid was deep in conversation with three of the Pioneers players. She was relieved she didn’t have to make any introductions. Then again, she should have known that would be unnecessary. Reid had always been a social person and making friends was easy for him. He didn’t need any guidance in that realm.

She went to the bar and ordered a glass of white wine. When she turned, Don Carroll was at her side.

“Well, you finally did it. I thought we’d head to Arizona with no hitting coach,” the manager said.

“Come on now, Don. When have I ever left you ill-equipped to do your job?” she asked.

Don gave her a look. “Do I have to mention Sean Weaver?”

A ballplayer-turned-manager, Don had been in several organizations before joining the Pioneers. He didn’t pull any punches and always let Kate know how he felt about her personnel decisions. Sometimes it seemed he was trying to tell her how to do her job, but by now, Kate was used to it. A lot of men in the business thought they knew better than she did. She had done her best to show she was perfectly capable of evaluating and hiring talent, but it didn’t always work out as she had planned.

“Are you kidding me? You’re still mad about that?” she asked. “It’s been three years, and he was my first free agent pick-up. I’m sorry he wasn’t Jered or Jeff. He’s not even related to them, but I honestly thought he was going to be serviceable in the bullpen.”

“Well, you were wrong. He wasn’t even serviceable as a bat boy,” he said.

“That’s a little harsh,” Kate said.

She could understand the manager’s frustration, and knew she deserved to bear the brunt of it. She’d signed Weaver based on one scout’s opinion and he’d never lived up to the hype. Every now and then, he’d throw a scoreless inning, but it was more common for him to give up three home runs in less than an inning. She’d never heard the Pioneers fans “boo” as loudly as they had when he came out of the bullpen. They were a forgiving and patient bunch, but by July, they’d seen enough of him. Unfortunately, they had to endure a few more months of him as Kate couldn’t afford to release him and no one in AAA was ready to take on his role. It was her worst signing to date, and she had hoped she’d lived it down by now, but apparently the manager wasn’t ready to forgive her yet.