The next couple of days went by like lightning. Ken felt like he had hardly spent any ti with Ai or his parents before he was sent off to Detroit to start the next part of the process.
He soon arrived at Corica Park and was instantly enamored by the statue of a Liger outside the entry. The detail was magnificent and the pose dynamic, as if it was going to claw at sothing.
The ballpark itself was even more impressive. In fact, it reminded him of Rodgers stadium where he had played the U18 World Cup all those years ago.
Ken was ushered in and taken directly to a room to begin a physical exam with one of the team's doctors. They went through a range of mobility tests and gave the all clear rather quickly.
He was then taken into the offices to et with so of the executives.
"There he is!" A fit man who looked to be in his forties dressed neatly in a suit exclaid. He had a wide smile and a receding hairline, but it suited him well. He was flanked by two others, a shorter man and soone that he easily recognized.
Ken smiled. He wanted to go and greet his grandfather, but that would be rude in front of the General Manager, his boss.
"Mr. Greenberg, thank you for having ." Ken said, bowing slightly.
"Haha, nonsense. We're glad to have you aboard. In all honesty, I was surprised when you were still available by the ti we picked you." Geoff said, he extended his hand and they shook.
"This here is Cheryl, she's the head of public relations for the organization. She handles anything related to the dia, good and bad." He said, gesturing to his left.
Ken bowed slightly, saying a few words of greeting. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire
"And this is our coach, Mark Williams. This might be his first year with us, but I can assure you that he has much experience." Geoff stated, pointing to the tall man beside him.
Ken grinned and walked over to his grandfather, wrapping his arms around him for a hug.
"Congratulations my boy, I'm so proud of you." Mark said, patting him on the back. He was a tad emotional, but one could hear the pride in his tone.
Both Geoff and Cheryl were taken aback and shared a look. They stood awkwardly while the two n hugged each other, only speaking up once they stood back.
"It seems that you two are acquainted?" Geoff said, looking unsure.
"Haha, Ken is my grandson." Mark said with a grin.
"Oh?" Geoff was silent for a while, as if contemplating sothing. "Well that's good." He nodded. "Welco to the organization Ken, shall we move to the eting room? I believe your agent is already inside waiting."
"Thank you sir, please lead the way." Ken replied respectfully.
The four walked through the halls and eventually arrived in the eting room. There was a man with a cara, likely to record the mont that he signed the contract.
Barry was seated on the couch and stood up when everyone arrived.
"Good to see you again Barry." Ken said with a smile.
"What?" Barry replied, obviously having not heard him.
Ken stifled a laugh and pointed to his ears.
"Ah, damn it."
Soon enough, the details were agreed upon by everyone in the room and Ken took the mont to sign on the dotted line. With his signature he would officially beco a Detroit Liger for the next 3 years.
After so back and forth, the organization decided that it would be best to place Ken in the Double-A affiliate team the Erie SeaWolves in Pennsylvania. However, he would not leave until the day after tomorrow.
"Excellent! Welco to the Ligers, Ken." Geoff said with a wide smile. The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
"We have a ho ga tomorrow against the Raiders, would you mind throwing the ceremonial first pitch?" he asked.
"Sure, I don't see why not." Ken agreed. He didn't see any issues in giving the crowd a taste of what he would be bringing in the future, even if it was just a ceremonial pitch.
"Wonderful."
"We shouldn't keep the dia waiting." Cheryl said, standing up from her chair.
"dia?" Ken asked in confusion.
"Oh right, we've just got a small press conference organized, it's nothing big." Geoff said, waving it off as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
Ken gulped. Thankfully he had made sure to dress nicely, otherwise he would have been mortified. Still, he was feeling a little nervous.
Interviews on the field after a ga were one thing, but a press conference was another thing entirely. Up until now, he had not participated in one.
His grandfather pat his shoulder on the way past and flashed him a smile, "Good luck out there."
Ken nodded and followed Cheryl to the designated room. The mont he entered he saw over 20 people and various caras set up, all pointing towards the front of the room. There was a backdrop with the Ligers logo and other various sponsors.
When he arrived, the chatter died down quickly and the flashes of photos began to snap, almost blinding him. Cheryl led him to the front and directed him to one of the chairs where he would sit.
Geoff sat down on one side and his grandfather the other.
What happened next felt like a bit of a blur. He was peppered with loaded questions basically asking how excited he was to beco a Liger, what his plans were and the like.
Ken basically answered on autopilot. There were no questions with substance, making him confused as to why he was required to attend the press conference in the first place.
Towards the end, Ken was prompted to stand up alongside the coach and GM. He was given a white Detroit jersey with his na on it and held it up.
"Welco, number 13, Ken Takagi."
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