OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

Orcin · 08-05-2014, 10:08 AM

Postscript

I wrote the ending to this dynasty quite a while ago. It was always intended to be a three-part story. The only question was when, not how, it would conclude.

Otto Orcin was a workaholic. He was obsessed with his work and completely lacked life balance. You might have noticed that there was never a mention of his family beyond the first page of part one. That’s because he did not have a family. There were lots of opportunities for him, but he never invested the time. It was a void in his life that was never filled by accomplishments. Sal was his only real friend. And, bless his heart, Sal only served to assist Otto with his vices. Otto Orcin was a lonely man.

Otto made a tragic mistake when he left Louisville. He was offered a chance to settle down in his dream job as the highest-paid GM in his league. He had built up a lot of political capital. He could have added staff to do a lot of the work. He obviously should have scaled back his hours and improved his lifestyle. The biggest missed opportunity of all was his failure to cultivate a relationship with his perfect life partner – Jennifer.

Instead, Otto chose to chase a career. He pushed Gordon Cooper into a corner with his demand for an ownership stake, knowing that it would be rejected. He went to the “big city” with a compulsion to play on the biggest stage. He did not know anyone there and thus was without his support group (such as it was) for the first time. The only thing Otto knew how to do was work harder. The stress built, and he relieved the stress with bad habits. It was a downward spiral that could only end badly.

I tried to provide insight into Otto’s flawed personality throughout the story, but it was hard to fully develop the character. After all, this was a baseball dynasty on a baseball forum, so most of the story better be about baseball. But, it was also my novel. So, for my sake, it needed a plot and an ending. You might think I could have written a better one, but not all stories end happily. Darryl Kile and Ken Caminiti come to mind.

The lessons to be learned from Otto’s story are simple. Take care of yourself – before it is too late. Cherish the people around you, and try to make their lives better. Learn to relax and smell the coffee more often than you drink it. Find something that makes you happy, and do it as often as you can. (OOTPB is a good choice!) And above all, invest heavily in “swing-and-miss” pitchers. You can never have too many of those.

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement over the past two-plus years. I will take some time off from dynasty writing now, because I have a lot of things going on in my life at the moment. These are very good things, so don’t worry that I am spiraling down like Otto. I also have other projects in mind with OOTPB 15, which I just bought, so I won’t be a lurker forever. Until then, I will have a bit more time to read and comment on some of the great work on this forum. I am looking forward to that.

Thanks for reading.

08-05-2014, 10:08 AM	#310
Orcin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 9,850	Postscript I wrote the ending to this dynasty quite a while ago. It was always intended to be a three-part story. The only question was when, not how, it would conclude. Otto Orcin was a workaholic. He was obsessed with his work and completely lacked life balance. You might have noticed that there was never a mention of his family beyond the first page of part one. That’s because he did not have a family. There were lots of opportunities for him, but he never invested the time. It was a void in his life that was never filled by accomplishments. Sal was his only real friend. And, bless his heart, Sal only served to assist Otto with his vices. Otto Orcin was a lonely man. Otto made a tragic mistake when he left Louisville. He was offered a chance to settle down in his dream job as the highest-paid GM in his league. He had built up a lot of political capital. He could have added staff to do a lot of the work. He obviously should have scaled back his hours and improved his lifestyle. The biggest missed opportunity of all was his failure to cultivate a relationship with his perfect life partner – Jennifer. Instead, Otto chose to chase a career. He pushed Gordon Cooper into a corner with his demand for an ownership stake, knowing that it would be rejected. He went to the “big city” with a compulsion to play on the biggest stage. He did not know anyone there and thus was without his support group (such as it was) for the first time. The only thing Otto knew how to do was work harder. The stress built, and he relieved the stress with bad habits. It was a downward spiral that could only end badly. I tried to provide insight into Otto’s flawed personality throughout the story, but it was hard to fully develop the character. After all, this was a baseball dynasty on a baseball forum, so most of the story better be about baseball. But, it was also my novel. So, for my sake, it needed a plot and an ending. You might think I could have written a better one, but not all stories end happily. Darryl Kile and Ken Caminiti come to mind. The lessons to be learned from Otto’s story are simple. Take care of yourself – before it is too late. Cherish the people around you, and try to make their lives better. Learn to relax and smell the coffee more often than you drink it. Find something that makes you happy, and do it as often as you can. (OOTPB is a good choice!) And above all, invest heavily in “swing-and-miss” pitchers. You can never have too many of those. Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement over the past two-plus years. I will take some time off from dynasty writing now, because I have a lot of things going on in my life at the moment. These are very good things, so don’t worry that I am spiraling down like Otto. I also have other projects in mind with OOTPB 15, which I just bought, so I won’t be a lurker forever. Until then, I will have a bit more time to read and comment on some of the great work on this forum. I am looking forward to that. Thanks for reading.