All the right moves
We are roughly 38 percent of the way through the Frontier League season, so what do the standings tell us? Well, nothing if you're Traverse City manager Greg Langbehn or any other skipper in this league.
Langbehn's Beach Bums are in third place in the East, four games behind first-place Windy City and a half-game ahead of the Wild Things. He's not worried about the standings. Heck, Lake Erie manager John Massarelli says he doesn't even look at the standings until after the all-star break.
"Last year, we were 10 games out of first place, at one point," Langbehn said over the weekend. "Windy City was 12 games out. They were behind us. And both of us made the playoffs. That's why we're not even worried. It's still early."
Langbehn knows from seeing four of the other teams in the East (the Beach Bums have not played Windy City) that nobody is prepared to run away from the pack. But one or two key roster moves could push a team from worst to first in the East. Rockford needs relief pitching. Washington needs hitting. Traverse City needs a starting pitcher and a hitter. Windy City could use another hitter. ... etc.
"That's why we're making a couple of moves when we get home," Langbehn said. "Making the right moves could be the difference."
Langbehn's Beach Bums are in third place in the East, four games behind first-place Windy City and a half-game ahead of the Wild Things. He's not worried about the standings. Heck, Lake Erie manager John Massarelli says he doesn't even look at the standings until after the all-star break.
"Last year, we were 10 games out of first place, at one point," Langbehn said over the weekend. "Windy City was 12 games out. They were behind us. And both of us made the playoffs. That's why we're not even worried. It's still early."
Langbehn knows from seeing four of the other teams in the East (the Beach Bums have not played Windy City) that nobody is prepared to run away from the pack. But one or two key roster moves could push a team from worst to first in the East. Rockford needs relief pitching. Washington needs hitting. Traverse City needs a starting pitcher and a hitter. Windy City could use another hitter. ... etc.
"That's why we're making a couple of moves when we get home," Langbehn said. "Making the right moves could be the difference."
Labels: Greg Langbehn, Traverse City Beach Bums
posted by Chris Dugan at
8:36 AM
8 Comments:
"the right moves"???? i won't be there to see it, if it ever comes...tonight was it.
it has nothing to do with franni's fanaticism, or stu's stupidity. it has nothing to do with todd's absence (or departure) or the turf (however it is financed). it has nothing to do with washington's pitching or defense.
this is the most pitiful, embarrassing, inept, incapable, useless, disappointing, unsuccessful collection of batters perhaps in the history of the frontier league.
repeated failures in clutch situations, night after night after night.
repeated clueless at-bats by far too many "look-at-me" types wearing hometeam uniforms.
repeated, unending, on-going base-running foibles by one particular runner, but he is not alone in the debacle.
and while i was loathe to blame mr. smily (darin everson)--the fact that these same failures are worse this year than last leave very few other options.
loved the quote from smily about wednesday's flop---"there's a reason why they're in first place." no kidding, dick tracy. where'd you park your squad car? they're in first place because they pitch, and field, AND HIT, you complete fool. and if the wild things' team batting average was even average for the league this year, washington would be in first place in the division by 3-4 games.
will anybody notice that i am not going to any more games? probably not because hundreds of others have long grown tired of the motions this team and company are going through.
will anybody notice that this team's offensive performance while on offense (not redundant, by the way) in a league long dominated by offense is a failure of epic proportions? and will anybody care that mr. smily insists that the offense is his responsibility?
the last really right move this team made was hiring kent tekulve. and since he left (or was shown the door) it's been a constant spiral down the chute ever since.
i'll listen on the radio. that way, it won't cost me anything and when smily's clowns are batting, i can go get some work done because i sure won't miss anything...
"Washington manager Darin Everson said...."There's a reason he's the best in the league."
too bad for the wild things, smily appartently doesn't have any clue what that reason is.
"We need to become more offensive ........not just go through the motions with our swings," Everson said."
how much more "offensive" can this offense become? given the .227 team batting average, it's difficult to imagine "more offensive". as far as "the motions" who is in charge of coaching hitters? that's right, smily.
wrote it last night, writing it again...had enough of the "motions" this team and company are going through.
time for absent todd to exit. time for mr. smily to follow. time to hire a real hitting coach, find some guys that give a hoot, and put winning baseball back on the field.
until then, won't be getting any more of my money.
ANON SAID:
"time for absent todd to exit. time for mr. smily to follow. time to hire a real hitting coach, find some guys that give a hoot, and put winning baseball back on the field."
Todd is having some personal problems so we need to cut him some slack, at least for now.
I do agree with the rest of the comment.
Mr. Smiley, I love that line, should have been out of here a long time ago.
The "front office" needs to get their stuff together also, no doubt about that either.
Ima Fraid
that lead lasted all of four batters. now the pitching's flopped, the defense flagging....
just what isn't needed...the offense finds a two-out, two run hit (a rare find, indeed) and the starter immediately turns around and gives up hit, hit, walk, hit. follow that with a strikeout, another hit and a two-run infielder error.
already got one two-out hit...how many more can this offense possibly have left in it tonight?
kidding right? sacrifice fly to the second baseman to allow an insurance run to score in the 8th...
what a joke this team is...simply a joke.
then, the o gets it tied again and
ball, ball, ball, strike, strike, strike out.
strike, ball, ball, strike, ball, ball.
ball, ball, ball, ball.
ball, ball, ball, strike, ball.
you are kidding, right? 15 balls, 6 strikes....
fielder's choice (two out)
and the wildness continues---throws away three runs....absolutely kidding.
i can read it now: smily says "there's a reason why they are in first place."
very simple reason today---the wild things can't beat them. that's why river city is in first place today.
bye bye smily.
"The whole thing comes down to, if you can't execute, you can't execute."--mr. smily (darin everson, wild things manager)
execution--the rope would probably break, the rifle would jam, the needle would break, somebody would forget to pay west penn power...
as smily said, if you can't execute, you can't execute..."
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