FOFC - Manager Update
I roll over and look at the clock...it's only 3:04 A.M. That's the 3rd time in the last 20 minutes that I've turned to see what time it is. Figuring this is futile and I'm not going back to sleep, I quietly get up, slip on some clothes, kiss my wife gently, then my kids extremely gently (because if I wake them at 3:10 my wife will shoot me and there won't be any opening day for me). I hop in my car and head towards the stadium. The drive takes me about 45 minutes, but at least there is no traffic.
I pull up to the gate and the security guard gives me a strange look. He looks me up and down with a stern look on his face. I
then pull out my id. He takes probably 2 minutes looking at the card, looking at me, looking at the card - I want to scream at the idiot, but it wouldn't do me any good. He gets on his walkie talkie and calls someone, who is hopefully at least slightly smarter. He tells they guy my name and is told to let me pass. I give him my best sarcastic smile, tell him 'Thank you' and of course I have to add 'Keep up the good work'.
I park the car, head into the club house, start a pot of coffee and grab the
The National Herald to read up on information I already know. I was expecting to find a season preview, but it isn't in the paper. One of the maintenance staff must have snagged it. I sit down and my desk and read through the synopsis of the Spring. I have to admit I'm pretty pleased with my teams peformance. We tied for the league record, and though the wins we were able to accumulate don't count now that the real season is about to start, they do show we can compete. When I finished reading the paper, I turn on ESPN - not to learn anything, but simply to have some background noise. I pull out my stat book from the Spring and begin studying the results.
I'm not sure how long I was working, but I vaguely remember hearing the Sportscenter theme 3 or 4 times, when I'm startled by a magazine being dropped right in front of me. Gasping from the shock, I look up to see Howser standing next to me.
"Thought you might want to read that," he says pointing to the magazine he dropped.
I look down and see
The Sporting News -
Baseball Season Preview. "Thanks," I said. "This is grreat. I wanted to read the Herald's preview, but someone apparently took it out of the paper this morning."
"I got it a couple days ago, and finished it last night. I figured you might be here early and might want to read it, so I brought it in." Dick turns and start out of the office saying something about getting coffee.
I open the magazine to the middle and find a picture of a basketball player about to dunk. I flip around until I see baseball pictures then I start turning pages slowing until I get to the beginning of the article. Then I start reading...