Chapter 13: Information Seeking and Finding

“I had an unexpected assault at the hotel from a Charles Gogan claiming to be from ESPN. Is he in fact with ESPN and what is the Braves; position on his type of journalism?”

Mister Jensen said, “He is an independent stringer loosely connected with ESPN though he’s more paparazzi than real reporter.”

“I suspected and hoped that would be true. He was handled by the hotel’s security people who didn’t seem to have a high opinion of him.”

The other man there said, “We terminated his press credentials last year. I had hoped he would find some other sport to follow.” I nodded in response.

Then I asked. “Could I get a schedule for next year once its firmed up? My wife is a teacher so will be working until after the beginning of the season. We have been and are living in Colorado Springs.”

The other man said, “I guess you will want to know so she can visit or you can get back to see her.” I nodded. “We will do that as best as possible.”

Mister Jensen asked, “Do you train or exercise during the off-season?”

“I haven’t had much off-season in my career but yes, I do exercise. I had been going into the Sky Sox field for their batting machine twice a week. Other than that, I run.”

“Good.” Said Jensen.

He continued, “Our plan for the rest of today is to give you a tour of the field, have lunch, and then meet with the press. There is already some interest in our new third baseman.”

I nodded and we stood. They led me to a young woman and introduced Helen Daniels. Jensen said, “Helen knows the field well and is the guide for all our VIP tours. There might be a few players here though most don’t come in until after the first of the year even if they live in the area.” I nodded and shook hands with Helen.

She said, “It’s a fair bit of walking. Do we need a cart?”

I smiled. “I’m a runner. Walking around and up and down, I can do.”

“Okay. We’ll start with the locker room. We went down a corridor to a door not far from the field. She knocked loudly. She entered shouting, “Helen’s here.” It was quiet. She said, “I didn’t think anyone was here but the guys know I don’t like to surprise or to be surprised.”

I asked, “What is your job?”

“Primarily, I give VIP tours to players or others.” She looked at my hand. “I give tours to players’ wives, too. I am also Mister Jensen’s admin’ so know everyone.’

I nodded. The tour continued with the tour and she added, “Gogan isn’t the only asshole around though we try to weed them out. I don’t wear my wedding ring often to smoke them out. It amazes me after doing this for five years how many people don’t think about their actions. I read about your problems in Colorado Springs with the sportscaster. It happens. Some of the sportscasters who are quickest to castigate players for sexual misconduct have been guilty themselves. We toss them when we find them. Mister Jensen doesn’t like people who screw up or who screw around.”

We finished our tour at the team restaurant. I had lunch with Helen, Mister Jensen, and a few of the coaches. I also met the manager. A few sportscasters were there since we were planning a news conference and they never missed a chance for a free meal. One of them sat with us.

He said, “Eric, I recognized your name from around Macon or Dublin in high school. You played college ball, didn’t you?” I nodded. “Are you looking forward to playing for the Braves next year?”

“Actually, I am. I married two weeks ago to a girl in Colorado Springs. She’s a teacher and we are discussing the logistics of living. We plan to pick up that discussion when I return.”

“Since you’re a Georgia boy, this is familiar ground.”

“Yes and no. Atlanta is quite different from my hometown and even the University.”

“Are you considering moving here?”

“Yes, but there is going to be some considerable discussion about that.”

“I noticed you bring some power to the plate.”

“Yes, the third base coach for the Sky Sox made some suggestions that have paid off well. I’ve been fortunate in my short career to have good coaching. I just try to listen and learn.”

“Okay, Eric. You’ll be at spring training as our leading candidate to start at third. How well you do will determine if that happens. I think it can. There also is some, but little, likelihood that you might be traded during the off-season. It’s happened. However, I don’t think it likely. The Brewers really decided they didn’t have a place for you. We do. We expect you to work hard and do well.”

Helen stuck her head in the door and said, “It’s time. They’re gathered.”

Jensen said, “Let’s go out and talk. Eric, be honest with them. They are the regular ones covering us so they will be knowledgeable and have good questions.” I nodded.

We went out to sit at a table. Jensen said, “Eric Sloan is here. We’re looking forward to his contributions to the Braves. Questions?”

One of the TV reporters said, “Eric, you were batting at an easy three hundred clip while playing with the Brewers. Do you think you can continue that pace for the Braves?”

“Yes, I do. I have played against most of the teams in the league and my average has held up consistently.”

Another said, “We had originally planned for this meeting to occur last week but you weren’t available. Please comment.”

“I married the Saturday before that Monday and was on my honeymoon last week. My wife is a middle school teacher in Colorado Springs.” That drew a slight chuckle.

Another asked, “Early this year on channel six in Colorado Springs, you were accused of accosting a sportscaster. Would you comment on that?”

“Yes, I will. The story was untrue with the other stations picking up the truth. There was a news conference in which that sportscaster was stripped of his credentials by Sky Sox management. Do you usually fail to properly check out stories or, like them, broadcast fake news?”

All the cameras shifted to the sportscaster asking the question. He stammered, “We were given that report by a stringer.”

I looked him in the eye. “Since you give credibility to Gogan’s lies and didn’t check out your facts, you will understand why you will not receive answers to any further of your questions from me.”

The cameras shifted back to his red face. Jensen was not happy. The other man who hadn’t given his name looked up. “Mister Moore, leave your credentials here when you leave. You won’t be back in this stadium with press credentials. Ladies and gentlemen, I must admit to surprise that someone would broadcast or even refer to a story without checking its facts. It’s not a good idea and this team will not tolerate it.”