Las Vegas Gold Read Online Free PDF

the one word, “Tonight.”
    â€œWho the hell are you? Whaddy’a mean ‘tonight’?”
    Finally, after the fifth repetition, Pat’s head cleared and he realized what was going on. “Tabby? ’Zat you?”
    â€œWake up. I’m tryin’ to tell ya’ somethin’. Ya’ drunk or what?”
    â€œOkay, Okay. I got it now. Are you saying the Dodgers are gonna’ lose tonight? You pitchin’?”
    â€œYeah, and twenty-five grand tells me the Dodgers ain’t gonna’ win tonight.”
    â€œThat’s a lotta’ money.”
    â€œIf it’s worth that much to ya’, say so. If not, then say so and save me a lotta’ grief. ’N I want it right after the game. You’ll find me in a bar near the stadium.”
    The phone line was quiet for several seconds. At last, Pat sighed, “Yeah. Okay. Twenty-five. But you make sure you earn it. Unnerstand?” Tabby didn’t answer. He just hung up.
    That evening, in Milwaukee, the fans who had come to watch Tabby O’Hara pitch failed to see the great rookie at his best. The Brew crew was hitting him all over the place. By the sixth inning, the Dodgers’ manager had seen enough and took him out. When he arrived at the mound, he held his hand out for the ball and said, Ya’ can’t win ’em all, Tabby.” The pitcher grunted something unintelligible and walked off the field, then into the dugout, slung his glove at the trainer and disappeared down into the dressing room. He was gone when the rest of the team slouched unhappily into the dressing room, none of them happy at a seven run loss following a seven run win the night before.
    Tabby sat alone in a seat at the back of the bar for nearly an hour before Pat sat down across from him. The man was smiling as he slid a thick envelope across the table for Tabby. “Bin’ a helluva lot sooner if youda’ tol’ me which bar. Then I wouldn’da’ hadda’ go looking all over hell’s half acre to fin’ ya’.”
    Tabby picked it up and, without checking the contents, put it in an inside pocket of his windbreaker, got up and walked out. He hadn’t said a word—hadn’t even finished the beer in the glass he had left on the table. Pat sat there, shaking his head. Then he also got up and left.
    The same scenario was played out three more times before the end of the season. Tabby won a few, lost a few. He wound up with a 20 and 9 record by October, won the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young trophies, but the Dodgers remained in second place. Their fans, always optimistic in the spring, were again unhappy. Team management vowed a shakeup of players, and maybe a new manager also, just for good measure.

4
    Construction of the brand new Malone Stadium in Las Vegas was moving along rapidly. The contractors assured Mike Malone the showpiece stadium would be ready in plenty of time for its grand opening the following April, when the new Las Vegas Gold would take the field for the first time.
    In the meantime, activity in the front office was also moving apace. General Manager Larry Henderson had hired a couple of knowledgeable baseball men as Assistant General Managers, and all three had been busy negotiating Minor League franchises.
    Some of the 51s’ players appeared to be ready for a move to a big team; others appeared to be trade material by the following year. Henderson negotiated the purchase of a Double A franchise in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada which was in reasonable shape for playing facilities, and took over the franchise there. They had also secured a Double A franchise in the Southeastern League to establish a second. And they found a Single A team in Kansas and a rookie league team on the east coast. Eddie Harper, the AGM for Player Personnel, was busy at filling rosters for the new teams, which would also begin operations in the following spring. He had found some good