Arriba! La Vida Fantastico de Guillermo Perez... aqui!

[Snap Wilson]

En Iglesia, no se preocupe.

This is my first shot at playing ITP. Just downloaded the demo and I thought I'd catalog it here. Guillermo Perez is a squat, powerful, lefty-hitting shortstop drafted out of high school. Think Miguel Tejada with Kirby Puckett's body. An introduction to Willy Mo:

First Name: Guillermo
Last Name: Perez
Birthday: March 25th

Uniform #: 0
Batting: Left
Throwing: Right

Difficulty Level: Normal

Abilities
Strength: +4
Intelligence: +2
Dexterity: +3
Constitution: +2
Charisma: +1
Luck: +0
Personality Class: Self-Promoter

Guillermo is a gregarious, fun-loving, and likes to have a good time. He's got a big head and lacks maturity, but overall he's a good guy.

Skill Potential
Contact: 4
Power: 7
Eye/Patience: 6
Gap Power: 6
Fielding: 6
Speed: 3
Stealing: 3
vs. Lefties: 3

Inventory
Bat: Power +1
Batting Glove: Contact +1
Glove: Defense +1
Shoes: Defense +1

That's it, let's get this show on the road!

[Snap Wilson]

"So, Uncle Willy, are you nervous?"

Guillermo was pushing his seven year-old neice Angela on the swingset in the park outside his parents' house. Today was the big day, the day of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Inside, his relatives were gathered around the phone waiting for the call that would notify Guillermo which organization he would be playing with. Willy had had enough of the tension inside the house and decided to get some fresh air.

"Nah, mija," said the stocky, muscular 19-year old. "It doesn't matter what round I get drafted, or by who. Once they see your uncle swing the bat..."

He made a noise with his mouth like the bat striking the ball, and then a sharp whistle to indicate the ball taking off. His neice giggled at the sound effect.

"Well, I hope you get drafted by the Dodgers," said Angelica. "They're my favorite team. And we can come and watch you."

Chavez Ravine, where the Dodgers played, was a scant thirty minutes away from the Perez home in Highland Park.

"Don't you worry, mija," said Guillermo. "As soon as I am making millions of dollars in the big leagues, I will fly you to all my games, wherever I play. Okay?"

He grinned and tweaked her nose, and she smiled back at him.

But a shred of worry did creep into Guillermo Perez's mind. A lot was riding on this. He had foregone college against his mother's wishes, because his parents needed money NOW. His father, a mechanic, was fifty years old and was struggling with a bad back. The family didn't know how long he'd be able to work.

The distant ring of the telephone inside the house broke his train of thought. Somebody answered it, and for a moment there was silence. Then his cousin Armando opened the screen door and walked out. He could barely contain the smile on his face.

"Willy... it's Dave Dombrowski of the Detroit Tigers. He wants to talk to you."

[Snap Wilson]

$250,000! A quarter million! Damn!

Okay, so the Detroit Tigers stunk, but that was a heck of a signing bonus. Guillermo was no fool, seeking representation the moment he graduated from high school, and now it had paid off. His family could put that money to good use.

After the contract deals were worked out, Guillermo was told to report to Lakeland, Florida, to the Tigers Single-A affiliate the following March. When the time came for him to leave, there were tears at the airport. Not only was his mother crying (of course), but little Angela as well.

"Don't cry, Angie," he told her. "I'll only be there during the season. I'll be back home in September, unless the Tigers want your Uncle Willie in the big leagues." He gave her a wink.

**************

Guillermo was met at the airport by the team's equipment manager, Tony Mullane, a thin, balding man in his sixties. Per the terms of the contract, the team had rented him an apartment and gave him the use of a car during the season. Mullane drove him to the apartment, which was small but serviceable, Guillermo thought. The car was the car Eddie drove him around in, a 1995 Mercury Sable.

"The air conditioning's a little wonky," Eddie said. "But it's got a CD player."

After dropping his things off at the apartment, Eddie drove him down to Marchant Stadium to meet the coach. As he entered the park, he saw some players running laps and throwing the ball around on the field. Too many players, it seemed. And he thought he recognized some of them.

"Hey, isn't that Felix Cortez? And Bradley O'Hare? What are they doing here?"

Guillermo realized his mistake and slapped his forehead.

"Ay, stupido! Spring training!"

Lakeland, in addition to serving as the team's A-ball affiliate, was also their Spring training home, so players from all the levels were here. A smile crossed Guillermo's face. He hoped he would get a chance to face some big league pitching.

Mullane took Guillermo to the manager's office, where he met the Lakeland manager Kip Spencer. Spencer was a tall, thin, pleasant man in his forties with horn-rimmed glasses and neatly-groomed, slightly graying hair. Guillermo knew that he had spent some time in the major leagues, but he looked out of place in the uniform. He looked more like a high school English teacher or something.

The meeting with the manager was uneventful. They exchanged pleasantries and Spencer welcomed him to the team. Mullane went down to show Guillermo his locker, which was just an open wooden cabinet with a shelf and a hook, where his uniform was hanging. He immediately noticed the number.

"'Ey, what's this? 72? I requested number zero, man."

Mullane smiled at him. "You'll have to take that up with Carino."

Manuel Carino was the Tigers shortstop. He had only hit .243 with four home runs last year, his first year in the bigs as a 22-year old, but his glove was solid and big things were expected of him. Like Guillermo, he also wore the number zero.

Guillermo just sighed. "Enjoy your time in the sun, hermano," he thought. "I'll have your job and your number before you know it."

[Snap Wilson]

Spring training hadn't gone quite as well as Guillermo had hoped. The Tigers had given him a good long look, but he had failed to impress, hitting .167 and striking out nine times in 42 at bats. He looked overmatched by the pitchers. Guillermo was haunted by one particular at bat where he thought he had a pitch lined up perfectly, a hanging fastball that he was going to take for a ride. Only it wasn't a fastball. The bottom dropped out of that pitch and he missed it by at least a foot. In the field, he performed okay, showing quick feet, sure hands and a strong arm.

In the locker room, he had gravitated to Adelardo Frau, a big muscular second-baseman who was so ripped, his teammates started calling him "The Hulk." Frau was the crown jewel of the organisation, the #1 pick in the draft who was picked a round ahead of Guillermo. There was a natural rivalry there, both power-hitting middle infielders, but that was the sort of relationship Willy enjoyed. A little competitiveness got his juices flowing.

When camp broke, Frau was assigned to Toledo, the Tigers AAA affiliate, while Perez stayed in Lakeland. Perez's closest teammate on the A-ball club was Bruno Cabello, an 18-year old relief pitcher from Venezuela who wasn't considered much of a prospect. He had a wicked sense of humor, though, which Guillermo liked, and was always playing practical jokes. Willy himself had been victimized by the old "shaving cream in the shoes" trick.

*************

The time came for Lakeland's first game of the season against Kinston, the Cleveland Indians' A-ball affiliate. Perez checked the lineup and noticed with some disappointment that not only was he batting eighth, but he was playing DH.

When Guillermo got his first at bat in the second inning, his team was already leading 2-0 off a home run from their third baseman Byford. Guillermo tried to be patient up there, working the count and eventually hitting a grounder to third. Lakeland's pitcher, Santucci, allowed a solo homer in the bottom of the second to make it 2-1, but center fielder Sammy Dones hit a shot in the top of the third to bring the lead back to two.

Santucci lost control in the bottom of the third, walking the first three batters and then walking in a run. He wound up allowing four runs in the inning as Kinston took the lead 5-3. Santucci allowed another in the fourth as a Kinston baserunner beat center fielder Dones' throw home. 6-3. Spencer yanked him for reliever Adam DeJesus, who got the final out.

Guillermo got his second at bat in the fifth, with no one on and one out. He decided he was going to try and pull the ball and put some muscle behind it, but he just hit a weak grounder to first.

DeJesus wasn't any more effective, allowing another run in the bottom of the fifth to give Kinston a 7-3 lead. In the sixth, Nicholas Sanchez generated a run by beating out an infield hit, stealing second and then scoring on Hernan Rojas's single. 7-4. Catcher Ronald Steves doubled, scoring Rojas. 7-5!

DeJesus set them down in order in the bottom of the sixth.

Billy Marriott got plunked to lead off the seventh. Perez, standing in the on-deck circle, was grinning. This was his chance to be a hero. He was striding to the plate when he heard a commotion from the dugout. What? They were calling for a pinch-hitter???

The manager motioned Perez back to the dugout and Camilo Ramos took his place at bat. Perez slammed his batting helmet on the top step of the dugout. Spencer only gave him a terse look. Guillermo didn't feel any better when Ramos struck out swinging. Right fielder Robert Shirk forced Marriott at second, but eventually came around to score on Nick Sanchez's single. 7-6.

Perez noted happily that Bruno Cabello got in the game in the seventh, relieving DeJesus and striking out a batter.

He also noted, with disgust, that Ramos struck out again with runners on first and second as Detroit didn't score in the eighth. Cabello, unfortunately, had a rough bottom of the inning, allowing a couple of hits, hitting a batter and allowing two runs, one of which he walked in.

Lakeland couldn't manage any runs in the ninth and that was it, a 9-6 opening day loss. Perez wasn't happy about that, but he was even angrier about being pinch hit for late in the game. He wasn't going to make a big stink about it. He figured his bit with the helmet indicated his displeasure enough. But if this kept up, he wouldn't keep quiet for long.

[Snap Wilson]

April 2nd
Guillermo dug in against Cleveland's pitcher, a young kid named Timothy Colon. Colon had a good fastball and set it up with a decent breaking ball, but Guillermo had been watching him closely and thought he had his timing down. After two breaking balls and one fastball inside, Willy had figured he was going to throw a fastball away. Colon wheeled and fired and Willy's bat jumped off of his shoulder, uncoiling like a snake. The crack of ash was audible throughout the ballpark. Colon didn't even bother to turn around, as Guillermo rounded the bases. A two-run homer to open the scoring. Lots of hands slapped his helmet when he got back to the dugout, and even the manager, Spencer, gave him a slight nod and clapped politely.

Plenty more where that came from, thought Willy.

Perez didn't get a hit the rest of the day, but he didn't mind. Hunter Pickrell, the Tigers' starting pitcher, shut Cleveland down and Benjamin Collela pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save in a 3-0 win. Pickrell was the tallest player that Guillermo had ever seen. He was 6'7" and looked like he should be playing basketball instead of baseball.

There was lots of celebrating on the bus ride to Fort Myers, where the Flying Tigers would take on the Twins' affiliate, the Miracle.

The Tigers won again, this time 5-1 on the strength of four home runs and a seven-inning, one-run outing from pitcher Sean Grimes. Guillermo wasn't happy, as he went 0-for-4, but he did have a hard hit ball late in the game that reached the warning track.

***********

Things went better for Guillermo in the second game as he hit a two-out, two run home run in the bottom of the fourth to put the Tigers up 4-0. It was his second home run and his second hit of the season. Unfortunately, the relief pitching couldn't hold the lead and the Miracle wound up winning 10-4. Perez took his buddy Bruno, who got rocked in the ninth allowing three hits and two runs in one inning, out for a consolation beer after the game.

"'Ey, B, don't worry about it. You'll find your stuff," said Guillermo, taking another pull from his Budweiser.

"I don't know, man. Baseball managers, they usually like ERAs to be three digits. If this doesn't work out, it's back to the refinery in Trujillo."

Bruno was one of six Venezuelans on the club. Guillermo and reserve third-baseman Rafael Brugal were the only Mexicanos, although Guillermo was born on the U.S. side of the border. He worked out with Brugal on occasion, since Brugal didn't speak any English, but Bruno was the only guy he really hung out with. It seemed that most of the players on the teams had formed cliques, and since Perez was one of the new kids in town, he hadn't really fit in with any particular group yet.

"Mida, Bruno. Have a look."

A girl at the end of the bar had grabbed Guillermo's attention.

"Who, her? She doesn't look like much, man. Plus, she's gotta be forty."

"She looks okay. Hey, I'll bet you five bucks I can get her to come over and have a drink with us."

"You're on."

*********************

"Caramba, man, what did you say to her?"

"I didn't say anything!" Guillermo continued to dry the beer out of his hair with a towel.

"She poured her drink on you, man!"

"These Fort Myers gringas. They're crazy!"

[Rasmuth]

good read...looking forward to more.