Circle the wagons
Sunday was designated circles the wagons day for the Wild Things.
There was a team meeting in the afternoon at which manager Greg Jelks, coach Chris Carter, general manager Ross Vecchio and at least one player, shortstop Brett Grandstrand, addressed the club.
The subject of the meeting? The season's final 23 games.
"Having a team meeting is something unusual for us," Grandstrand said Sunday night. "But we had some guys come in Sunday, probably thinking we have no shot at the playoffs. We had to say, 'Guys, we still have 23 games left. We're only 3 1/2 games out of the playoffs, three games back in the loss column."
Grandstrand said he could draw upon his experiences last year when he played for the Columbus Catfish (a Tampa Bay affiliate) who won the championship in the Class A South Atlantic League.
"Right after the all-star break, we were eight or nine games out of first place," Grandstrand recalled. "We were terrible. But we got together, said it's not about you, me or some guy's stats, it's about winning. Winning a championship, at any level, is what makes everything worthwhile. After that, things fell into place for us. We won the division in the second half and didn't lose a game in the playoffs.
"What we have to do, is realize we still have a shot at the playoffs. We have to find a way to get into the playoffs, whether it's as No. 1 or No. 4. It doesn't matter how we do it, we just have to get in."
Heading into Tuesday's game at home against Kalamazoo (47-28), which brings with it the best record in the league, Washington is 37-37 and 2 1/2 games - two games in the loss column - behind Gateway (40-35), which is currently in fourth place, the final wild-card spot. The Wild Things, however, are eighth overall and there are three teams between them and a playoff spot. It's going to take more than just being three games better than Gateway down the stretch to make the postseason.
posted by Chris Dugan at
11:42 AM
4 Comments:
Look at this crap! Mazz post something on this board (he doesn't like it) and all of a sudden everybody stops posting anything. Are all of you afraid of a guy that couldn,t BUY a championship.
It's none of his business
I genuinely hope the Wild Things pull together and find their way to the playoffs, but I agree with one blogger who said that teams aren't supposed to make the playoffs every season. The Wild Things' fans are genuinely spoiled. They've seen the best team in Frontier League history for six years. Don't be greedy, and don't believe that the manager is the reason the team hasn't performed as well as we'd all hoped.
Both Ross and Jelks have worked diligently to find the right mix of players. I think they have. Unfortunately, there have been lots of injuries and other unforseen circumstances that have had an impact on the team's record.
Forgive my view, but I believe the Wild Things' organization was established to provide entertainment. It goes far beyond winning every baseball game. Remember, this is a rookie league...a well-known baseball operations guy who was with the team the first two years cautioned everyone not to promise winning baseball because that is an IMPOSSIBLE order to fill in rookie baseball.
The majority of the players over the years have gone above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to working with the kids and playing good baseball and being a nice addition to our community. I believe we have a team in 2008 who has continued in that tradtion, including Ledbetter and Haran.
People who talk about Jelks, Swiatek, and Ross not caring are showing their ignorance (ignorance, by the way, means lack of knowledge). The owners of the team are NOT sitting back counting their money because they have yet to make any money. Ross and Jelks are not highly paid professional baseball executives who are in it for the money. They are two baseball professionals who LOVE baseball and LOVE kids. And if any of you paid any attention to what's happening out there, you'd see that.
The average fan doesn't always see the innerworkins of an organizations, but I think before people get all bent out of shape badmouthing everyone and everything about an organization, they need to find the facts. Sit back and observe.
The Wild Things are a huge community asset. They offer affordable entertainment, and they do it well. I admire Greg Jelks, Ross Vecchio, and John Swiatek because they're doing something for our community.
Sit up people....if you hate the Wild Things and what they're about, why don't you stop going to games, listening to radio broadcasts, and reading and posting on this blog. You don't stop because underneath it all, you know we have a treasure here. Don't be so negative. sit back and enjoy it...it's only a game. Have fun with it, circle the wagons, and cheer these kids on...they could still make it to the playoffs!
I'll bet Ross's salary is higher than Chris Dugan's salary!
Anonymous said “Remember, this is a rookie league”
NO it’ is not rookie league, just a league that plays like rookies. That’s not a knock on their efforts just an observation. Learning a profession is never easy if you want to get it right.
“The owners of the team are NOT sitting back counting their money because they have yet to make any money.”
If John isn’t making any money how do suppose he paid for that car he drives? (Nice car it is too, John – I am VERY jealous).
“The average fan doesn't always see the innerworkins of an organization”
Have you had the opportunity to watch goes on inside the Wild Things organization? If so, what did you observe? Prayer meetings, yoga, rain dances, debates, fist fights, parties? If you know, which I’m sure you do not, then why not place your name on your post so we can check your credibility? I think it is all just supposition on your part – perhaps wishful thinking! If you have some evidence to back up what you say then, lets hear it!
“cheer these kids on...they could still make it to the playoffs!”
I agree with you on part of this, the part that we should cheer for our team, but at what point do we stop calling them “kids”. I’m an old ‘goat’ so I guess I could call darn near anybody ‘kid’. However, these are young men and NOT kids and should be given the respect that comes with manhood. They also need to learn how to accept criticism as well as the ‘cheers’. Couldn’t help noticing that in a Jelks quote in the O-R he also refereed to them as “kids”.
Even he can’t treat them with their due respect.
I sure wish people would have the stones to identify themselves. The ones that don’t are just blowing smoke.
Ron Wilson
Illegitimati non carborundum!
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