Edinburgh News - 2028-03-19 - "Sour note"
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:52 pm
By Hamish Campbell
Evening News Staff Writer
2028-03-19
Edinburgh, Scotland – Listen closely and you can hear a discordant note wafting from the Claymores’ front offices.
Just days into the tenure of new manager Hayato Sasaki, one of his pitching staff moves has already been overruled by General Manager Vic Caleca.
The decision in question was whether long-time starter Terry Dumont would start Wednesday’s game against the Kentucky Thoroughbreds, or whether reliever Soichiro Ogawa would get the nod.
Granted, the disagreement amounts to who will start one spring training game, but it does raise the question of just how much Caleca will interfere with the day-to-day field management of the team.
Caleca, speaking by phone from his office in Indiana, downplayed the disagreement, saying it was a matter of fulfilling a promise he’d made to Ogawa prior to Sasaki’s hiring.
“Listen, no one is more appreciative than I am of letting your people do the jobs you’ve hired them to do,” Caleca said. “But there’s also such a thing as personal honor and keeping your word. I promised Soichiro at the start of training camp that we would give him a look in a starting role, and I’m committed to fulfilling that commitment.”
Does this mean that Terry Dumont, who the team just signed to a four-year, $20 million contract, would be relegated to spot starting and long relief duty this season?
“Son, you sure do love to jump to conclusions,” Caleca retorted. “This means that Soichiro will get a chance to show what he can do as a starter – and that’s all it means. We love Terry, we appreciate everything he’s done for the Claymores, and we look forward to him doing much more for us this season.”
But if Ogawa wins a spot in the rotation, who will fall out to make room for him?
“We’ll cross that particular Rubicon when we have to,” Caleca said. “You all have a nice day now, hear?”
Ogawa’s only statement on the matter was short and to the point: “I’ll let my pitching do the talking, OK with you?”
Dumont said nothing for the record, but could be seen slamming his locker shut and hastily exiting the clubhouse, muttering a string of expletives that would make any sailor blush.
Which left Sasaki to sum up how this particular sour note would play into his philosophy of analytic-driven baseball as the “music of the sphere.”
“In the symphony that is a season, this is merely one off-key note during the orchestra warm-up. I understand that Vic wants to fulfill his promise to Soichiro, and I am fine with that. We shall see what kind of melody Ogawa plays on the mound tonight, and move forward from there.”
Whether into discord or harmony, though, is still an open question.
Evening News Staff Writer
2028-03-19
Edinburgh, Scotland – Listen closely and you can hear a discordant note wafting from the Claymores’ front offices.
Just days into the tenure of new manager Hayato Sasaki, one of his pitching staff moves has already been overruled by General Manager Vic Caleca.
The decision in question was whether long-time starter Terry Dumont would start Wednesday’s game against the Kentucky Thoroughbreds, or whether reliever Soichiro Ogawa would get the nod.
Granted, the disagreement amounts to who will start one spring training game, but it does raise the question of just how much Caleca will interfere with the day-to-day field management of the team.
Caleca, speaking by phone from his office in Indiana, downplayed the disagreement, saying it was a matter of fulfilling a promise he’d made to Ogawa prior to Sasaki’s hiring.
“Listen, no one is more appreciative than I am of letting your people do the jobs you’ve hired them to do,” Caleca said. “But there’s also such a thing as personal honor and keeping your word. I promised Soichiro at the start of training camp that we would give him a look in a starting role, and I’m committed to fulfilling that commitment.”
Does this mean that Terry Dumont, who the team just signed to a four-year, $20 million contract, would be relegated to spot starting and long relief duty this season?
“Son, you sure do love to jump to conclusions,” Caleca retorted. “This means that Soichiro will get a chance to show what he can do as a starter – and that’s all it means. We love Terry, we appreciate everything he’s done for the Claymores, and we look forward to him doing much more for us this season.”
But if Ogawa wins a spot in the rotation, who will fall out to make room for him?
“We’ll cross that particular Rubicon when we have to,” Caleca said. “You all have a nice day now, hear?”
Ogawa’s only statement on the matter was short and to the point: “I’ll let my pitching do the talking, OK with you?”
Dumont said nothing for the record, but could be seen slamming his locker shut and hastily exiting the clubhouse, muttering a string of expletives that would make any sailor blush.
Which left Sasaki to sum up how this particular sour note would play into his philosophy of analytic-driven baseball as the “music of the sphere.”
“In the symphony that is a season, this is merely one off-key note during the orchestra warm-up. I understand that Vic wants to fulfill his promise to Soichiro, and I am fine with that. We shall see what kind of melody Ogawa plays on the mound tonight, and move forward from there.”
Whether into discord or harmony, though, is still an open question.