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BelgianBomber · 02-11-2014, 02:02 PM

Houston, November 21st, 2012

I arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport earlier today, where I was greeted by one of Mr. Wynn’s trusted employees. The young woman, her name was Ashley, informed me that she would be taking me straight to Minute Maid Park, where I would meet with Steve Wynn himself. I tried to get my nerves under control during the short drive from the airport to the ballpark. I don’t think I was able to pull that off, because I felt like I was sweating like an otter when I walked into the meeting room. I was cordially greeted by Steve Wynn, who appeared to be the only person in the room.

We sat down and after a brief “getting to know each other”-moment Steve got straight to the point. He told me ‘Kristof, I hope you aren’t expecting to get the keys to the franchise, because frankly, that’s not going to happen. You will be allowed to run the club on a daily basis, as I just don’t have the time to do all of the work myself. But I will have the final say about every major decision that will be made regarding this ballclub. As you are well aware, we are moving this team to Las Vegas, hopefully before the start of next season. We have to take advantage of the opportunities that the Las Vegas market will bring and I think I have a pretty good idea about how that will work. I want, and fully expect, the team to be competitive from day one. I’m not interested in building a team for the future, as there is no such day as the present day. I want the local fans to be excited about the product on the field from the moment the team sets foot in Vegas. And I want the tourists to want to come to our games.’

Steve could see I was taken by surprise because of his statement and asked me what I was thinking about his view for the team. I told him ‘Well Mr. Wynn, I fully understand that you want the team to be competitive from day 1. Especially with the relocation to Las Vegas coming after the season. We obviously need to win the fans over and you can only do that by putting a good product on the field. A winning team that is. However, I would not put all the eggs in one basket. In baseball, as much as in any other sport, there is a need to consider the future. A strong minor league system allows continued success, and I think that is also something we need to strive for. But I do feel there is more about your strategy that you haven’t shared with me yet. I’m very curious to learn more.'

And boy, was I right about that. Steve told me that he didn’t only expect me to draft a team that would be able to contend, but that he expected me to draft in a certain direction. What follows is a brief layout of what he expects me to do in the draft:

Draft a team that is capable of contending from day 1.
Draft a “face-of-the-franchise”-type of player. A player that fans are excited to see and who will appeal to tourists from other countries. Players such as Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz come to mind.
Draft 3-4 other players who will generate interest because of their names. Big names means more revenue and merchandise sales.
Draft a well-known Asian player. A lot of Asians visit Las Vegas and it is known that they like their baseball. That is a potential market we need can’t ignore. Players as Ichiro Suzuki, Yu Darvish, Shin-Soo Choo, Hiroki Kuroda would get the Asian fans interested in our team.
Don’t neglect the minor league system. It’s always a positive to have options within the system when injuries occur and when it is time to replace a certain player.

So now I pretty much know what I’m expected to do. It won’t be easy to nail all 5 of the points above, but we’ll have to see what we are able to do and how the draft shapes up. With only a couple of weeks to go before the draft starts, I have a ton of work to do. Steve informed me that he had arranged a suite for me in the nearby Embassy Suites hotel. It’s only about half a mile from the ballpark, so I wouldn’t be wasting much time getting around.

Ashley, the young woman I met at the airport earlier would also show me my office at Minute Made Park and she would function is my secretary/link with Mr. Wynn. (I wonder what the wife will think about me having a lovely young lady as my secretary.)

After a quick tour of the ballpark, Ashley informed me of my schedule for the next couple of days. Tomorrow I would meet with the rest of the staff, as coaches and scouts would come to my office for introductions. Later on the day there would be a press conference at which I would be officially named the GM of the Las Vegas Aces.

It’s 8pm now and I’m looking out the window of my new ‘home’. A hotel room thousands of miles away from home. What have I gotten myself into??? It will be a ride with ups and downs, I have no doubt about that. But I’d feel much more at ease if I had my family here. So let’s hope things go well and they can get here soon and join me in this adventure.

02-11-2014, 02:02 PM	#6
BelgianBomber Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 278	Meeting Mr. Wynn Houston, November 21st, 2012 I arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport earlier today, where I was greeted by one of Mr. Wynn’s trusted employees. The young woman, her name was Ashley, informed me that she would be taking me straight to Minute Maid Park, where I would meet with Steve Wynn himself. I tried to get my nerves under control during the short drive from the airport to the ballpark. I don’t think I was able to pull that off, because I felt like I was sweating like an otter when I walked into the meeting room. I was cordially greeted by Steve Wynn, who appeared to be the only person in the room. We sat down and after a brief “getting to know each other”-moment Steve got straight to the point. He told me ‘Kristof, I hope you aren’t expecting to get the keys to the franchise, because frankly, that’s not going to happen. You will be allowed to run the club on a daily basis, as I just don’t have the time to do all of the work myself. But I will have the final say about every major decision that will be made regarding this ballclub. As you are well aware, we are moving this team to Las Vegas, hopefully before the start of next season. We have to take advantage of the opportunities that the Las Vegas market will bring and I think I have a pretty good idea about how that will work. I want, and fully expect, the team to be competitive from day one. I’m not interested in building a team for the future, as there is no such day as the present day. I want the local fans to be excited about the product on the field from the moment the team sets foot in Vegas. And I want the tourists to want to come to our games.’ Steve could see I was taken by surprise because of his statement and asked me what I was thinking about his view for the team. I told him ‘Well Mr. Wynn, I fully understand that you want the team to be competitive from day 1. Especially with the relocation to Las Vegas coming after the season. We obviously need to win the fans over and you can only do that by putting a good product on the field. A winning team that is. However, I would not put all the eggs in one basket. In baseball, as much as in any other sport, there is a need to consider the future. A strong minor league system allows continued success, and I think that is also something we need to strive for. But I do feel there is more about your strategy that you haven’t shared with me yet. I’m very curious to learn more.' And boy, was I right about that. Steve told me that he didn’t only expect me to draft a team that would be able to contend, but that he expected me to draft in a certain direction. What follows is a brief layout of what he expects me to do in the draft: Draft a team that is capable of contending from day 1. Draft a “face-of-the-franchise”-type of player. A player that fans are excited to see and who will appeal to tourists from other countries. Players such as Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz come to mind. Draft 3-4 other players who will generate interest because of their names. Big names means more revenue and merchandise sales. Draft a well-known Asian player. A lot of Asians visit Las Vegas and it is known that they like their baseball. That is a potential market we need can’t ignore. Players as Ichiro Suzuki, Yu Darvish, Shin-Soo Choo, Hiroki Kuroda would get the Asian fans interested in our team. Don’t neglect the minor league system. It’s always a positive to have options within the system when injuries occur and when it is time to replace a certain player. So now I pretty much know what I’m expected to do. It won’t be easy to nail all 5 of the points above, but we’ll have to see what we are able to do and how the draft shapes up. With only a couple of weeks to go before the draft starts, I have a ton of work to do. Steve informed me that he had arranged a suite for me in the nearby Embassy Suites hotel. It’s only about half a mile from the ballpark, so I wouldn’t be wasting much time getting around. Ashley, the young woman I met at the airport earlier would also show me my office at Minute Made Park and she would function is my secretary/link with Mr. Wynn. (I wonder what the wife will think about me having a lovely young lady as my secretary.) After a quick tour of the ballpark, Ashley informed me of my schedule for the next couple of days. Tomorrow I would meet with the rest of the staff, as coaches and scouts would come to my office for introductions. Later on the day there would be a press conference at which I would be officially named the GM of the Las Vegas Aces. It’s 8pm now and I’m looking out the window of my new ‘home’. A hotel room thousands of miles away from home. What have I gotten myself into??? It will be a ride with ups and downs, I have no doubt about that. But I’d feel much more at ease if I had my family here. So let’s hope things go well and they can get here soon and join me in this adventure. Last edited by BelgianBomber; 02-11-2014 at 02:09 PM.