Cliffi-Leaks 3: Scouting Department Intrigue
[ed: what follows it an email chain that was apparently extracted from the account of Tomatsu Yoshida, the Lupin Cliff Hanger’s beleaguered scouting director. It is impossible to read this without pondering what is going through Yoshida’s mind, and (given he’s become quite publicly known for being on the last year of his contract) without getting certain ideas about the directions his future might lie. That said, we’ll leave it to the public to decide what’s going on here.]
| Date: Jan 2, 2022 08:12 Subject: Dispatch XI9 From: Ziggurat To: T-Yod Dear Sir.Enclosed find the information you’ve requested. Apologize for the delay. Had a scare and bedded down in place for an extra week to avoid prying eyes. All systems clear now. None seem the wiser, and am now complete with full system scans of all offices promised. Please inform when payment is to be transmitted. I do like to eat. Z |
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| Date: Jan 2, 2022 08:23 Subject: Operation XI9 From: T-Yod To: Ziggurat Please not to send to this address. Payment in process. Expect final receipt now. |
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| Date: Jan 2, 2022 08:31 Subject: Operation XI9 From: Ziggurat To: T-Yod Thanks for rapid transmission. Here is info. All scouting departments of each team in the Rising Sun appear to be well run, by directors who know what they are doing. With the exception of a newcomer in Okinawa, all have been with their clubs for at least three seasons. OSA [ed: the PEBA-wide scouting combine] publishes information about each scouting director, which can be helpful in guessing what kind of organizations each might run. That information is listed below, along with each organization’s estimated ability to scout (Maj/Min/Int/Ama), and our assessment of their preferences for player types. Shin Seiki International Complex: 17 players With 17 IC players, and 10 picks, it is fairly certain that SS’s focus is toward amateurs and International scouting. Issue – Data from SS system is difficult to piece together due to the high-level DN encryption procedures that appear to be employed within the inner circle [ed: “DN” in this instance may suggest “Dark Net”]. $42M is inferred due to a reference by one team officer that the plan should be code named “Jackie Robinson.” This is the estimate with the most uncertainty. Estimated Budget Distribution: Scouting: $25M, Development: $17M Notes: Harada is an eyes-on scout who has helped define the “Eva Way.” Known to be disciplined, but open to all ideas. Hires good assistants, then keeps them happy. One weakness could be his enjoyment of high risk entertainments in the off-season (known to ski, and sky dive). Family consists of an estranged wife, and three kids, all now out of high school. Neo-Tokyo Estimated Development and Scouting Budget: $28M I was able to piece together some elements [see attached files], but I cannot confirm $28M is precise. Neo-Tokyo has a low budget cap to begin with, though, so it is unlikely they could spend more than this without blowing the budget. Notes: Craig Lee has been with the club only 3 seasons. My time in the office was quite tense, and contacts I made with the administrative pool confirm he’s a control freak who wants things his way, and who can take his frustrations out on totally innocent bystanders. (Note the hotel bar receipt in my previous package was expended this this contact. I did not include the two-hour room charge in your invoice). I was, however, able to confirm Lee’s travel records have been heavily weighted toward the Dominican and Mexico. Strongly suspect that scouting effort is deeply focused on developing players in the international markets. Given his tripwire fuse and limited tenure, Lee may be the easiest target for your operation. Niihama-shi International Complex: 7 players With the GM seat empty in Niihama-shi for so long, it was almost too simple to get hold of this information. Per the attachments, all data is clean and simple to follow. Only source of error would be if a new GM comes in and makes last minute changes. Notes: Hernández has been scouting at various locations across the globe for decades, including the last seven seasons in Japan. He’s gregarious and easy to speak with. Patted me on the back and welcomed me personally to the Ghost family when I interviewed. He is, however, managing only seven real prospects in his international complex, and hallway conversation suggests that the merger has affected him. At 60 years of age, he’s the grandfather of the division scouts, and may be considering life after retirement. Perhaps he could be bought out? He has only two seasons left on his contract. Okinawa International Complex: 7 players This is Rivera’s first job as a Scouting Director. Like most things in Okinawa, you can’t really tell what he’s going to be like, yet. In addition, slipping into their system is strange. I can get in, but their file structure seems to constantly shift. I actually had to charge you more for the total crash and burn I did on my drives after disconnecting. I just didn’t feel safe after landing in their system. They were also the only team that wouldn’t hire me directly. All I can say about Rivera for certain is that he’s brought a lot of energy to his job, and that it’s my opinion that you’re just not going to be able to get rid of him. Notes: This is an estimate, but it’s based off a pair of business reports (attached), and the fact that the team’s overall budget is nowheresville. It’s possible that the scouting organization is being funded through a different budgeting line, however, as Okinawa ownership does not feel constrained to play the game exactly like anyone else. (But you already knew that, right?) Per your request, I’m also adding information I was able to discover about your own organization. I’m still not sure why you decided to pay me to spy on yourself, but this is it. Lupin: International Complex: 12 players This is Rivera’s first job as a Scouting Director. Like most things in Okinawa, you can’t really tell what he’s going to be like, yet. In addition, slipping into their system is strange. I can get in, but their file structure seems to constantly shift. I actually had to charge you more for the total crash and burn I did on my drives after disconnecting. I just didn’t feel safe after landing in their system. They were also the only team that wouldn’t hire me directly. All I can say about Rivera for certain is that he’s brought a lot of energy to his job, and that it’s my opinion that you’re just not going to be able to get rid of him. Notes: You are who you are. And, yes, it is true your base salary is less than others in your division. But, you should know that people are talking about you behind your back. Your pushback against the programmers and Excel experts that your GM brought in this fall was not well received, and your request for a budget of up to $35M get within SS’s range was roundly laughed at. That’s your overview. Feel free to scan the attached files for further details. Z |
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| Date: Jan 2, 2022 10:12 Subject: Operation XI9 From: T-Yod To: Ziggurat I said not to send to this address. Please send to personal, per agreement. Please inform which players each organization is highest on, both in SSA/A levels, and in IC. |
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| Date: Jan 2, 2022 10:42 Subject: Dispatch XI9 From: Ziggurat To: T-Yod Dang. Sorry for error. I am usually so discrete. Sending requested data under separate invoice to address requested. Z |
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