Flanders sat with his head in hands. His team had just come back from a 5 run deficit, but the game was about to enter extra innings and they only had Proctor and Hernandez left. Not exactly his best acquisitions.
The trade for Proctor was not working out well. He was getting lit up just about every time he took the mound. At least Shea Hillenbrand had hit a home run today and Betemit was no longer hitting home runs every night, so the flak he'd been taking on that deal was diminishing.
What really galled him was that Kim might have been right. She said we could just use Meloan or even that guy, Eric boatpartsomething or another, instead of trading our key utility guy. What the hell was she worked up about anyway; Betemit was only hitting 239. How was he to know that Nomar would get hurt? It is not like he has a history of getting hurt. Plus, it is not like Betemit was getting on base like Pierre. Pierre has been on fire, soon he'll be hitting 300 and all his detractors will look like fools, and they will recognize his genius. It is not his fault that Proctor has been an incendiary device since he got him, he ran the numbers, that ERA was as good as it gets.
Now, Kim has been pestering him to bring up Meloan and release Roberto, but what does she know. She must have the hots for Meloan. I've heard he's ripped but that is why you don't let gays or skirts into the front office. The hormones get in the way. Roberto has been pitching for 20 bloody years and he has that PVL that this team needs, even if his arm has no life left. And here she is right now; with her hand on her hip in that I told you so look that has driven men crazy for thousands of years. Good God I hope the Astro's give her a call. He was tired of having to clear every little decision through the little dominator. It irked him to no end, that she had the ear of Jamie. While Frank may pretend to be the guy, he knew it was the skirt that pulled the strings in Chavez Ravine.
God how he hated LA. The people, the fans, the media, the weather, and the blogs, especially the blogs, who dissected every single move he made as though they knew something about what it takes to build a winning baseball team. In SF all they talked about was Barry, it was so easy to screw up there because no one noticed. They were a 2nd class franchise and no one cared how they screwed up the team. Man, he missed SF.
He couldn't wait to make his name here so he could replace Sabean when he falls on his face after Barry hangs em up. They don't expect much up there, hell they even gave Lou an extension, but at some point they will realize what a dolt he is without me propping his sorry ass up. And then I can go back home and leave these clowns behind.
Until then he knows he has to be successful for anything like that to happen so he peers through his fat, grimy fingers at the game. OMG it was hot, his sweat intermixed with his after shave lotion gave off an odor that was all too familiar in a press box full of men.
Cripes, Proctor was coming in. If he blows this game I'll never hear the end of it. Come on boy, show me something, where is that ERA that Cashman was touting. Kim said he was toast, that he'd been burned out and her Harvard intern had the numbers to prove it. Screw the numbers, his ERA said solid to me, and that was the only number I've ever needed. That and saves.
Hey, not bad he got us through an inning. Wonder who I should drop for Loaiza? Probably Stults, he's just a kid and while he's pitched better then anyone I've brought in, you can't count on him. Heck, his ERA was something like 7.90 at AAA. Yeah, I'll dump the kid. Crap, we didn't score and Proctor is going back out there. Phew, another good inning. That is what were talking about, 3 up and 3 down. Okay, now we've got the speed demons coming up; they should do something. I can't believe that anyone complains about Juan. The man is a force when he gets on base. He never strikes out, he works hard, plus he has a ring. I only hope I can take him to SF with me when I go home.
Dang we still can't score. What is with this Kemp kid, friggin ground ball to 3rd. My boy Feliz would have put that ball into the bleachers. I bet I can find some fool who will take a chance on a young power hitter, with speed to burn. He just makes to many mistakes for me. Reminds me of Manny and I don't want to go down that route. Maybe I can get Chavez for him, Tommy told me he was available. We need a steady influence at 3b and once Chavez gets his back straightened out I'm sure he'll be okay. I may need to throw in LaRoche but he's always hurt so that will work out for us. I love screwing Billy and his numbers.
Yea baby, Proctor goes 3, who the hell needs Meloan. I can smell victory or is that myself? Either way it smells good.
SHEA SHEA SHEA you're the man, I'm a friggin genius, take that blogger boys. He hurries past Kim, giving her a triumphant smile and sets out to find Simers, so he could rub Shea in his face, ignorant of the fact it was a weak ass fly ball that won the game.
Kim shakes her head and leaves. Cashman, Depodesta, and now this idiot. She's worked for a trinity of losers and yet she is still on the outside looking in. She storms down the hallway but passes the windows and can't help but stop to admire her petite figure. Meloan will be up soon and then she can put this figure to good use. If not him, then maybe that intern. It was kind of cute the way his hand moved like magic over the 10key.