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CHAPTER FIVE
NEWSLETTER To: Salem Cowtippers fans Well...it was fun while it lasted. For a brief period this past chapter, it actually looked as though the Baseball Gods were finally giving us a break. Our team began Chapter Four with a record of 11-5, while the New Milford Blazers finally began playing at a realistic level of ability, going 4-8 over that same span. We cut the Blazers' deficit in half -- from an insurmountable ten games to a more hopeful five. It was at this time that I began to seriously contemplate making a bold move to get this team back in the race. I began exploring options to shore up our lineup and bullpen, and entertained the notion of trading players that are key pieces to the Salem franchise's future in order to do so. But then, as they always seem to do, the Baseball Gods slapped us right across the face. In our final eight games of the chapter, we went 1-7, first getting swept by the far superior Los Altos Undertakers and then losing three of four to the slightly-less-superior Las Vegas Flamingos. At the same time, New Milford was busy beating up on the Sylmar Padawans' MP manager. In a span of just days, our deficit in the division nearly doubled. As I type, we sit nine games back in the division. After such a promising start, we wrapped up Chapter Four with a 12-12 record, giving us an overall record of 50-54. I have been, and continue to be, completely dumbfounded by this performance. Quite simply, it defies all rational explanation. We can no longer blame this lack of performance on small sample size. At this point, we have no choice but to concede that this team just isn't that good. After suffering through another miserable chapter in Chapter Three, our pitching staff finally stepped up in Chapter Four, posting a much more reasonable ERA of 3.73. Even Felix Hernandez (3.59 ERA in 42+ IP) managed to put together a solid chapter despite a drubbing by the Undertakers. This chapter, it was our offense that failed to live up to expectations. We hit just .269/.344/.434 on the chapter with 113 runs scored (4.7 per game.) All season long, we have had great difficulty synchronizing our hitters and pitchers. It seems as though when we allow just two runs in a game, we score just one. And when we drive in eight runs at the plate, our pitchers allow nine. In over a decade of managing BDBL games, I have never witnessed anything like this for such an extended period of time. Two-thirds of the way into our season, there are still some mind-boggling overall performances on this team's stats sheet:
Those are just the hitters. And those four hitters happen to be the guys we were counting on the most this season. All four have failed miserably to come anywhere near their MLB performances, and there is no way to explain any of it. Then, there is the laughable performance of Felix Hernandez, whose ERA continues to hover more than two runs above his MLB ERA. And Josh Beckett, who has already allowed 33% more home runs in the BDBL than he allowed all MLB season (and there is still 33% of the season left to play.) And Brett Myers, who consumed $7 million in salary, and will consume another $8 million next year, without giving us anything for it. Myers pitched in one of MLB's most brutal hitter's parks last year, yet in our far more pitcher-friendly park, he's sporting an ERA well above his MLB ERA. This season has caused me to rethink everything I know about the game of baseball. Heading into next season, for example, will we get the Mark Teixeira who is posting a 913 OPS for the Yankees? Or will we get some mutant cousin who sports a 750 OPS for us all season and leaves dozens of runners stranded on base? Will we get the Felix Hernandez who currently sports one of the best ERA's in Major League Baseball? Or will we get some laughably ridiculous waste of a rotation spot with a 5.50+ ERA? What is the point in acquiring great players if they don't give you great performances? I'll have plenty of time to ponder these philosophical questions over the next two chapters. In the meantime, I'll continue to "work the phones" and find a way to improve this team in 2010. And if I can't find the right fit, I'll just ride this sinking ship to the bottom of the division. It's not like I have a choice. Mike Glander |
