Two Minute Drill (Bases Loaded Jam Series #2)

Ch. 5: Owner (Scout)

Arriving inside the box, I could see the office desk that my bosses' boss (aka the Owner), Thomas Jefferson Eisenhower. A man in his fifties with white hair, the man had made millions of profits off of his fantastic cinnamon rolls, which dominated the market landscape. Although it wasn't his ideal way of business work, Mr. Eisenhower had kept most of his profits to fulfill his dream of owning and NFL team.

When the Texans were up for sale, Mr. Eisenhower bought the team and soon started to work his magic trying to hire the best employees to bring a winner and that included two of us. He was real impressed with Brett's resume that he was willing and able to take a chance on hiring her for the general manager job.

While the hire was positively received by the media since we were in a time when female leaders were starting to make themselves known, it wasn't well-received by the fans. They wanted a general manager that had experience in building winning teams and yet, they were stuck with a rookie general manager who just happened to be a woman. I was part of a storyline where the criticisms would be directed at us when things didn't go well.

Our first season saw us in a difficult position. Because of the terrible regime of the previous administration, we had know first or second round draft picks in the NFL Draft as they had been traded away for players that wound up being disasters for us. So, we took the best players possible for us. While they did make good impressions in the first season, it didn't lead to wins.

Our second year saw us with picks in the first and second round, but we still were unable to get the results we wanted. The players we got were unfortunately busts either through injuries or stupid decisions off the field. It was a total disaster. When the crowd booed the team off the field for another miserable season, I felt like they were booing me because I had contributed in creating the product for the fans to see on the field.

So, Brett and I arrived to our bosses' office and he was sitting down in his chair with a picture of the team logo behind him. On his desk were pens in a cup that were in a cup holder shaped like a cinnamon roll. There were also pictures of him and his family. He had a wife and four kids with two sons and daughters.

We sat down in the chairs in front of his desk and soon, Mr. Eisenhower looked us in the eyes.

"Are either of y'all attached to anyone right now?" He asked with a stern look.

"No," Brett and I said together.

"Good, because your attachment to this team is about to be tested for this year."

He got up from his chair and started walking to the side of the building. Anytime he did this, there was always something serious to follow.

"Tomorrow morning, I'm going to be announcing that we are firing our head coach. As much as I don't like firing good character people, the fact is he hasn't been getting the job done. So therefore, we're bringing in a new coach. I've set up a committee to look for a new coach. Brett, I need you on the committee to help us."

"Yes sir," Brett said. Anything the owner wanted, Brett would follow suit.

"But, just because the coach is going doesn't mean others are safe. We have had one too many disastrous seasons since I took over as owner and I am not happy my promises of a championship are not being met. Do you remember what I told you when I first hired you?"

I thought back to the day Brett and I were hired. Mr. Eisenhower was very complimentary about the excitement about having a female general manager on the payroll. But, he did say something else to Brett that made me quiver as much.

"I will give you the leniency of five years for a team. But if I feel you need to be replaced, it won't because you're a woman."

It was those words that made me ponder if there was any sort of controversial personality that had yet to be discovered by Mr. Eisenhower. Of course, I'm sure he meant if we were to get fired, the job we did wasn't good enough. I nod my head to confirm his quote.