Read Online Las Vegas Gold by Jim Newell - Free Book Online Page B

in her star pitcher, and she was diffident about questions about her debut as the first female Major League manager. She absolutely refused to answer questions about the protest, now moot since Las Vegas had won the game.
    â€œI’m a rookie manager. The fact I’m a woman doesn’t really figure in,” she said without a smile. “If you want to talk about rookie managers, fine. Otherwise, forget it.”
    Las Vegas swept the Mariners in that three game series. Rookie T.Y. Hollinger made his Major League debut in the second game, went six innings and got credit for a 6-4 win. Mac Driscoll got his second save. Damaso Gonzalez pitched the third game, and to everyone’s surprise, including his own, went the entire nine innings, spinning a neat three-hitter, striking out ten batters, and winning a shutout 5-0. Diego Martinez hit home runs two and three. The first one to offer Gonzalez congratulations on his fine pitching performance was Tabby O’Hara, but the entire team felt the same sense of elation as Gonzalez did. The first big series of the season had gone as well as anyone could have expected, Molly included.
    In each game, Molly made her way to the field to lodge an official protest. In the second game, the question concerned the strike zone. When she went out again in the third inning, the umpire was ready for her. “You can’t protest balls and strikes,” he said, whipping off his mask as he saw her coming.
    â€œI’m not protesting balls and strikes,” she replied. “I want to know what your interpretation of the strike zone is according to the rule book.”
    â€œAre you crazy? What do you mean my interpretation? The rule is as clear as it can be made. If the ball crosses any part of the plate between the hollow below the knee and halfway between the shoulders and the top of the pants, it’s a strike.”
    â€œGood for you. Then why aren’t you calling the pitches that way for both sides?”
    â€œI am and you are out of the game!” He made the classic arm motion of throwing somebody out. The crowd roared approval. This rookie female manager was about to learn a thing or two.
    â€œOkay, Molly replied, unperturbed. “How do you interpret Rule 9.05(b)? What “flagrant offense” have I committed or what “obscene language” have I used?”
    The umpire just looked at her. “I tol’ you, you’re out of the game. Now move it.”
    â€œThis game is now officially under protest.” She turned and headed toward the dugout.
    Once again they went through the routine of Sam Mahaffy trying to talk her out of the protest. Once again she stuck to her guns. She watched the rest of the game on TV from the dressing room.
    In the third game, her protest arose over a call of a trapped ball that the second base umpire, Sam Mahaffy himself this time, called “caught.” In Molly’s opinion, backed up by the TV, the umpire was out of place to make the call, and the ball was clearly trapped by the Seattle left fielder.
    She had dinner with her father before the team flew back to Las Vegas and the two toasted each other’s success, looking forward to their own home opening in two day’s time. Mike asked about the protests, and, satisfied with her reply it was about the umpiring abilities and not about winning or losing, said no more than, “Go for it, Molly dear. You’re like a breath of fresh air out there.” Privately, he thought to himself, “There’s a chip off the old block.”
    The newspapers and TV talk shows were full of comments pro and con about the number of protests, and whether a woman manager really knew how to manage a Major League baseball team. The West Division of the American League was garnering more publicity than the other two divisions together, and the New York sports writers didn’t like that very much.
    * * *
    Malone Stadium in Las Vegas was jammed to the