An American Baseball Perspective exclusive by William Tell

Friday, August 14, 2009

Part 3: The future of the PEBA, the Aurora Borealis and the Rodriguez family

(Ed. note: Part 1 can be read here; Part 2 can be read here.)

Parts 1 and 2 of John Rodriguez’s story have shown his rise from relatively humble roots to become the owner of a massive fitness empire.  Though his family has had its share of strife, it will fall to John’s two sons to determine the direction of his team, his company and his league after he is gone.

The colorful manner in which Rodriguez conducts his business is not always welcome among the other members of the PEBA.  Speculation about the innate conflict of interest involved in being an owner in the league of which you are commissioner has not been lost on Rodriguez’s peers.  “Something hinky is going on up there in Colorado,” said Omaha GM Bryan Dobney on the condition of anonymity.  “He always seems to have a leg up in free agent negotiations, trades, the draft… whatever.  It may be no coincidence that the best team in the league is owned by the commissioner.”

While state and federal lawmakers here in the West have turned a largely blind eye to the possible issue, separation of powers may be forced on the Rodriguez family from other sources.  “He should enjoy [his power] while it lasts,” rambled Dobney, “because [the Japanese] are very particular about who they associate with, and the League of the Rising Sun will have a whole lot of questions for John once they hear from me.”

“It’s nothing,” says the younger John Rodriguez, puffing a Swisher Sweet (an unhealthy habit his father doesn’t condone) while surveying the Rocky Mountains.  “Ol’ Dad doesn’t operate that way.  You see the talks of revenue sharing and things like that: who is that going to hurt?  Teams like Aurora.  He loves to win, but what he really wants is for the PEBA to be his legacy.  Hopefully we can make that happen; this Japan thing shouldn’t hurt.”

When the talk of his father’s legacy comes up, JJ becomes more pensive and his words become more measured.  “We all know Chris wants the team, to really be the number one guy there,” Junior continues.  “And there’s no question he would be a good choice.  He’s been my dad’s VP of Operations in everything he does since he turned 25.  He’s a genius for the bottom line.  But sometimes he doesn’t know how to treat people, which is a big thing to my dad.  He always wanted to make our business feel more like a family, much the way Callahan Auto up in Sandusky is run.  What he said about Penny really hurt her and my dad, and I don’t know how Dad feels about leaving the employees he calls his second family to Chris.”

John, Sr. refuses to address the question of succession, claiming that he is “going to live forever”.  When pressed he seems more resigned than defensive, admitting that Chris has the baseball and business pedigree, but that JJ has what he calls “a knack.”  “You can’t define it,” he explains, responding no doubt to my bewildered body language.  “It’s not really a set of skills so much as the ability to give the people around him the feeling that he can get them through any situation, whether he’s landing a space shuttle or priming for the pennant race.”  John, Sr. knows he will have to make a decision at some point, not only to satisfy his survivors but also to ensure that the PEBA continues on the path that he has set for it.

Times are changing in the young league, as it totters from its infancy towards adolescence and a hopefully healthy adulthood.  Both Johns acknowledge that it’s only a matter of time until Congress can no longer ignore the separation of powers questions, though the younger is more philosophical than the older.  “That dunderhead out in Omaha thinks he’s so clever, but I didn’t see his hand raised to be next in line when things went south,” John, Sr. lashes out before collecting himself and moving forward.  “I mean, they trusted me to bring the league to life when it was in the neo-natal ICU; why would they think I would want to sell my soul now?”

Confronted with this, Bryan Dobney simply says, “Power corrupts, and he has a lot of it.”  The PEBA’s outreach program with the League of the Rising Sun adds the question of whether John will be its Commissioner as well, or if it will have its own leader.  If it does become independent, will John have authority over its Commissioner?  Will the powers be shared, or will it be completely autonomous?  And what of the future of the Borealis, who are currently in the middle of a dominating run of baseball the likes of which has rarely been seen at this level?  Will Chris or John, Jr. take over the team, or will the answer come from somewhere yet unseen?  Can they continue their high level of operation even as the league continues to evolve?

These questions and hundreds of others must surely be swirling through Mr. Rodriguez’s mind, but for now he is the picture of contentment.  A man who has accomplished enough to fill a dozen lifetimes, he now sits in the twilight of his lifetime, holding his dear wife on his arm as together they watch the sun set over their estate on Cherry Creek.