1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 263 Why don't you just come work in our department!
On the afternoon of June 6th.

After get off work, Theodore and his team went to the DuPont Bowling Centre to continue training with the Criminal Investigation Department.

Just as Agent Lombardi picked up a 14-pound dark blue bowling ball, Martin Joseph Cronin suddenly appeared beside him, pointing sternly to the bowling rack next door:

"You should try a 15-pound or 16-pound ball."

Agent Lombardi was startled; the ball fell to the ground and nearly hit his foot.

He quickly stretched out his leg to stop the bowling ball from rolling away, bent down to pick it up, and put it back on the rack.

Bernie came over and asked what had happened.

Martin Joseph Cronin repeated it again and suggested to him:
"You should choose a 16-pound ball."

Bernie held out the burgundy bowling ball:
"This is 16 pounds."

"But it feels too heavy."

"I just tried it, and it feels very strange."

“I’m going to switch back to 15 pounds.”

Martin Joseph Cronin shook his head, disagreeing:

"You should give it a try."

"Moreover, bowling competitions don't require familiarity or comfort; all you need to do is score high points."

He took the opportunity to promote the playing style he had summarized in the laboratory:
"Yesterday's five games were all played in a style that was comfortable or familiar to each player."

"Data shows that it is difficult to improve the score using this strategy."

Agent Bourne, holding the ball, also came over. He was about to speak when Martin Joseph Cronin interrupted him.

He glanced at Agent Bourne:

Even without loud talking or laughter, the results remained stable, without any significant improvement.

Agent Bourne shut his mouth.

Martin Joseph Cronin gathered everyone together again, shared yesterday's game data, and concluded that since using their familiar playing styles was no longer effective in improving scores, they should change their strategies and try the playing styles summarized in the lab.

Everyone looked at each other.

Agents Lombardi and Byrne continued to show clear aversion to the lab-based approach.

This is an example of hating someone because of their surroundings.

Billy Hawke and Bernie didn't have many complicated thoughts; they were more enthusiastic about results and were open to the lab-based approach, but they were skeptical about its actual effectiveness.

Theodore used this method yesterday, but his results didn't improve as quickly as expected. He bowled every pin, hitting the pins every time, beating professional players and league champions, becoming the god of bowling.

Theodore's performance was similar to theirs; he did improve in the later stages, but not to an exaggerated degree.

That kind of progress looks more like the improvement that should come with familiarity with the sport.

Billy Hawke even managed a putback in the fifth round of the fifth inning, while Theodore's best score was only 8 pins.

Theodore agreed with Martin Joseph Cronin's proposal.

He believes that since established, habitual playing styles can no longer improve performance, changes should be made.

After a few seconds of silence, Agent Lombardi and Agent Bourne agreed to give it a try.

Martin Joseph Cronin pulled out his rough-edged notebook, opened it, and began helping them choose balls.

He strictly followed the rules summarized in the laboratory and selected heavier balls for everyone.

Before the match began, he demonstrated the moves of that style of play again and repeatedly emphasized the key points.

Agent Lombardi was the first to appear as usual.

During the initial walking phase, his body became unsteady and shaky.

On his fourth step, he swung his arm, instinctively about to throw the ball, but then remembered that he hadn't taken another step yet, so he immediately stopped the swinging motion of his right arm.

This adjustment completely disrupted his rhythm.

Agent Lombardi stumbled and fell on the fairway.

The rest area erupted in laughter.

Bernie. Billy Hawke and Agent Bourne rushed over to help Agent Lombardi up and check him for injuries.

Agent Lombardi, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, turned around and glared at Martin Joseph Cronin.

Martin Joseph Cronin was engrossed in taking notes, his pen blurring into the distance, completely oblivious to Agent Lombardi's gaze.

Theodore next to him was also taking notes in his notebook.

The two were surprisingly in sync.

Agent Lombardi shook his head at Bernie and the other two, then took the ball and stood still again.

This time, he silently repeated to himself: Five steps, five steps, five steps...

The initial walking assistance phase was successfully completed.

The moment the bowling ball left his hand, Agent Lombardi stumbled and nearly fell again.

The ball in his hand was chosen based on the advice of Martin Joseph Cronin; it was a 16-pound ball, 2 pounds heavier than his usual ball.

This made it difficult for him to adjust and adapt in a short period of time.

With his superb skill, the ball went straight to the right side of the fairway, raced along the edge, and rolled into the track after knocking over the rightmost pin.

Laughter and applause filled the rest area again.

Agent Lombardi covered his face, returned to his chair, and downed his coffee in one gulp.

1 points!
A score he never achieved!

Agent Lombardi wasn't the only one who couldn't adapt to the lab-based gameplay; Agent Bourne was in the same boat.

After ten rounds, the competition ended.

Theodore lost the game by a huge margin of 103 to 248.

In the post-game review, Theodore was surprisingly the highest scorer, followed by Billy Hawke.

After a short break, the second game began.

They performed better this time than in the first round, but they still couldn't fully adapt to that awkward posture and lost the game by a large margin again.

Then came the third game, the fourth game, the fifth game...

After five rounds, Theodore and his team still hadn't won a single round.

Today's matches were all very long, but thankfully tomorrow is Saturday, so the stadium's opening hours will be extended by nearly two hours.

Shortly after 1 a.m., the DuPont Bowling Centre closed, and staff began cleaning.

A group of people came out of the venue chatting and laughing.

They were talking about tonight's training.

These people are all FBI agents. Most of them know each other, and even if they don't, they get to know each other through introductions from familiar colleagues.

Seven or eight taxis were parked in front of the stadium. The drivers were leaning against the car doors smoking and chatting with each other. When they saw this group of people, they immediately threw their cigarettes on the ground and went up to solicit business.

FBI agents mainly live in Arlington, so even if they don't have a car, they can hitch a ride back with a colleague.

Therefore, only a few agents waved to their colleagues and went ahead.

The taxis outside the door quickly all left.

The taxi drivers parked not far away were still chatting by their car doors, watching the empty space and the large group of potential customers at the entrance.

No one drove up, and no one approached to inquire about the price. Several agents who were heading back to the Department of Justice building to retrieve their cars broke away from the crowd, walked to a nearby taxi, inquired about the price, got in, and quickly drove away.

As they parted, the detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department invited Theodore and his team to train together the following afternoon.

The tall detective jokingly suggested that tomorrow's dinner could skip the beef ribs and they could choose a cheaper restaurant instead.

Agent Lombardi and Agent Bourne's smiles became strained.

Theodore thought about it and readily agreed.

For the next few days, the two teams trained together.

As the number of training sessions increased, everyone gradually adapted to the strange fighting style used in the laboratory.

Agent Lombardi has basically mastered the ability to achieve the results he is accustomed to using this style of play.

Agent Bourne's performance is slightly worse; he has already been caught up by Bernie.

Billy Hawke has seen the biggest improvement.

Sometimes he can even rival Agent Lombardi.

Theodore, who initially saw a significant improvement, has become less noticeable.

He focuses most of his energy on others, and when it's his turn, he makes all sorts of subtle adjustments, resulting in fluctuating performance.

The Criminal Investigation Department trained alongside them, so they had the most direct experience.

Although the score difference between the two teams is still over thirty points, the tall detective and others are much more serious than on the first day.

On the evening of June 7th, Theodore and his group only played two rounds against the Criminal Investigation Department before hastily ending their training session.

After leaving the stadium, the group headed straight to the restaurant.

DuPont Roundabout is one of DC’s trendiest and most vibrant neighborhoods, home to a large number of diplomats, government officials, journalists and socialites, as well as artists, writers, musicians, activists and free thinkers, creating a rather avant-garde nightlife.

Around nine o'clock, when most restaurants are closing up shop, this place seems to have just opened.

The restaurant was almost full.

Bernie approached the restaurant owner to negotiate.

The owner, a portly middle-aged man, was leaning against the food counter, constantly urging the food to be served. When he saw Bernie, he warmly asked what he wanted to eat that night and whether he wanted a meal for 12 people.

Bernie and Billy Hawke have been coming here every night for the past few days to buy dinner for twelve burly men, and the people in the restaurant have long remembered them.

Bernie waved his hand, indicating that this time he only wanted six servings, and it was for dine-in only.

The owner was somewhat disappointed, but considering they had placed orders for several days in a row, he found them a good table and asked the kitchen to prioritize their order.

While waiting for their meal, Theodore discussed with Martin Joseph Cronin the data they had collected over the past few days, as well as the direction for improving and building the data model.

Billy Hawke leaned over and listened for a while, then looked surprised:
"That data model hasn't even started yet?"

Theodore and Martin Joseph Cronin looked at him and nodded.

Billy Hawke was puzzled:

"I thought it was already finished!"

"I feel my grades have improved a lot these past few days."

Martin Joseph Cronin looked at Theodore and wondered how the two, who were so different, had gotten together.
Theodore hesitated for a moment, then reminded Billy Hawke:

"It's normal for you to see a significant improvement since you haven't had any prior experience with this before."

Martin Joseph Cronin pointed to Agent Lombardi and Agent Bourne:

"Their grades were already quite good, but after a week of training, they barely reached their original level."

He pushed the notebook over:
"According to the statistics, it may take you at least two more weeks to improve your grades."

The four of them glanced at the notebook, then put it down.

The notebook was filled with drawings, but apart from a few names, nothing else was readable.

Martin Joseph Cronin had anticipated this, and he took back the notebook, offering a brief explanation:
"According to Theodore and I, each person should have their own data model, rather than everyone sharing the same set of data models."

"This is a fine-tuning based on different people's height, strength, wingspan, etc."

"This kind of data model is more suitable for individuals than the data models developed in the laboratory, as it is tailored to individual differences."

"The reason you feel awkward when using the tactics summarized in the lab is precisely because these tactics do not take into account individual differences."

Bernie shifted his position, feeling like Bernie had stolen his job.

Theodore picked up the conversation:
"But the new data model requires a large amount of individual data."

Bernie confirmed with him:

"So you're saying we need to train more frequently, right?"

Seeing Theodore nod, Bernie asked again:
How many matches are needed exactly?

Martin Joseph Cronin replied:

"At least a hundred matches, the more the better."

A brief silence fell over the dining table.

They are all FBI agents, not professional bowlers, so they simply don't have that much time.

Even if they had that much time, Theodore and Martin Joseph Cronin wouldn't have had the energy to process that much data.

Agent Lombardi broke the silence:
"Do we really have to be like a lab lab?"

He still harbored resentment towards the laboratory.

Martin Joseph Cronin looked at him and answered decisively:
"This is an inevitable trend!"

"The future of sports, not just rugby, will follow this path."

“The lab insists that we should summarize ways to adapt to everyone, but I think we should differentiate based on individual differences.”

"That's why I left the lab and joined you."

Theodore looked at him, somewhat hesitant.

He and Martin Joseph Cronin had been handling the data collection and processing, and he found that Martin Joseph Cronin was very good at statistical analysis.

This gave him an urge to invite them.

However, considering his past success rate, Theodore suppressed the urge.

He glanced at Bernie, then remembered that Bernie had also failed to invite the bald firefighter last time, so he looked away and began to think about how to get his hands on the man.

Martin Joseph Cronin is not only good at data analysis, but he can also go on field missions with them.

He is a member of the laboratory's materials analysis group and can also help analyze physical evidence.

Especially considering that they will be receiving various old cases from remote areas, this ability to analyze on-site physical evidence becomes particularly important.

Law enforcement agencies in many large cities are terrible at evidence analysis, and Theodore couldn't possibly expect a materials analysis lab in a remote town police station with only two or three people.

Martin Joseph Cronin delivered a passionate speech, outlining his disagreements with the lab's data modeling team, as well as his own goals and vision, leaving the audience bewildered and silent for a moment.

Theodore slammed his fist on the table:
"You're absolutely right!"

He stared at Martin Joseph Cronin with a sincere expression:
"Why don't you just come work in our department?"

Everyone looked at Theodore, then at Martin Joseph Cronin, with puzzled expressions.

Martin Joseph Cronin also looked bewildered, exchanging puzzled glances with Theodore, wondering if he had misheard.

(End of this chapter)