Summer's year and baseball is in full swing... The All-Star game is coming in exactly 20 days and counting!... Vero Beach is no Bum--do NOT wait 'till next year!... What is Tony Gwynn and Kevin Brown doing north of Lake Superior?... Edmonton is in first, Hartford in LAST?... Tuscon and Motor City prove that good hitting CAN beat good pitching!... Springfield proves that the Groundhogs can be beat!... Rocky, a no-hitter would have been special if the year didn't read 1998--meet Matt Wagner!... Binghampton fans are hoping "rising star" Oort Cloud will be blast... HELLO, we are ready to RUMMMMBBLLLLE!!!
ROCKY COPPINGER MADE HISTORY LAST WEEK by tossing a no hitter. Little did he know that the feat would be repeated only days later! Despite that, Rocky Coppinger is having a special year. He still has a realistic shot at a 20-win season, even after being forced out of the rotation for over a month after suffering an severe injury.
"The no-hitter was a great feeling, I just had total command that day," said Rocky. "But the whole season has been like a dream. Last year I was real shaky, and I admit that. I worked hard in the offseason to get where I am... I don't
think 20 wins is an unrealistic expectation."
NORTH OF LAKE SUPERIOR IN WESTERN ONTARIO, big league baseball is making noise in the small city of Thunder Bay, thanks to owner and businessman Jesse Gouldson. Interest was largely spurred by the success of the two other Canadian PVBL franchises in Edmonton and Montreal. So far, baseball has been a big hit for both the fans and the players. Despite having the worst record in the league, there is an air of optimism.
"Well, I guess they have taken a liking to me!" exclaimed slugger Andres Galaragga. "They're all so enthusiastic about getting a major league baseball team here! I guess the change of scenery and the fans have inspired us to play better. In Brooklyn the fans are demanding and when you performed the way we did, especially after winning a pennant, well, it was unacceptable to them."
Even Bernie Williams had good things to say about the move. "I think it's pretty nice up here in the summer. It's not too cold and our goal really should be to play when it is cold, in October. I'm not ready to admit we're out of it yet, we've got a lot of great players here and we've been playing pretty good ball of late. In fact I think we're above .500 since coming to Thunder Bay."
Just after joining the league, Gouldson made some aggressive moves, reeling in stars Tony Gwynn and Kevin Brown. Brown will have to provide an example for the rest of the underachieving staff if the Thunder Bay Storm can maintain a winning attitude. "These guys seem to have really settled quickly for team that has just relocated in mid season. There is a loose attitude in the room because there is not much pressure to perform. Once I get off the DL I hope I could boost the
pitching rotation along with Denny (Neagle)."
Gouldson conducted a series of trades, acquiring veterans Pete Incaviglia, Doug Drabek and Carlos Garcia, but also managed to get three first round picks in the Amateur Draft. Said the GM about the trades: "I think I've filled some big holes that this team had, without touching the core of the team too much. In Garcia, we have a good leadoff man, Gwynn is a contact hitting lefty, and Brown is one of the best pitchers in baseball. All of those are aspects that were sorely missing when I took over. Other acquisitions, like Incaviglia, Neagle and Drabek, have been players that I simply think will improve our team, which is the basic goal of a trade. I think that we will definitely compete next year and for years to come, because we also have some great pitching prospects, like Santo Blade and Lee Sosa, who will be ready for the bigs in a year or two.
June is the month when teams not far behind are still hopeful, when first place teams are no longer unbeatable and can even fall from their lofty perch, and when mediocre teams locked in the middle of their division try to make the magic trade to spur them up in the standings.
And June is not lacking drama.
PUNXATAWNEY, LAST YEAR's DL CHAMPS, are locked in a 3-way fight with the Houston Hellraisers and the Springfield Atoms. The Atoms have relied upon the outstanding pitching of Joey Hamilton, Mark Gardner, Justin Thompson, veteran saves leader Randy Myers and the unhittable rookie Dan Consedine. For the most part, their offense has been horrendous, but the clutch hitting of Angel Sherid and George Milligan has giving them a fighting chance. If their offense gets a resurgence from bottom of the order, they could be unstoppable.
Of the Atoms, the Groundhogs first base coach quoted, "we still can't figure out what they have. Especially with Cecil hurt, they have no offense. Livan Hernandez had a phenomenal start and Dan Consedine has looked utterly amazing out of the pen. Not to mention Joey Hamilton who has been solid in nearly every game. A solid ballclub, but we think they are poised for a fall from grace."
The Houston Hellraisers are still in the race, but they have been disspointingly mediocre at best. The driving force behind the offense has been Jose Canseco, leading the team in RBIs (43) and home runs (20). Alex Fernandez is leading the rotation with a 3.01 ERA, but has a 3-10 record! It only remains to be seen if the undominable fivesome of Glavine, Schourek, Fernandez, Hentgen and Stottlemyre will excel under the pressure of the stretch.
"[The Houston Hellraisers] certainly have a great offense," said Mike Schmidt of the Punxatawney Groundhogs, "with Piazza, Canseco, Rodriguez, and Castilla, and their pitching staff is impressive too--Glavine, Hentgen, and Fernandez. We're a bit worried because they've been underachieving, but we've been playing below our level too."
Punxatawney continues to win thanks to old reliables: Jose Valetin may be looking at another MVP year, Rocky Coppinger is going all out for the Cy Young, and Ricky Bottalico is no surprise with 11 saves on the year. But unlike last year, they haven't been able to piece together a team that could win the pennant.
"Last year was great, but it was a bit of a fluke," quoted Groundhogs GM, Shapiro. "We didn't have much competition, this year some of the teams below us snagged big time talent in the drafts and have really turned themselves around.
Also, Jon Lieber had been in the minors for most of the year and Rocky Coppinger missed a month."
But Shapiro is still optimistic about their post season chances: "We do expect a
trip to the series this season. I'd match up Lieber, Coppinger, Thomas, and Bergman against any 4 pitchers on any team. Hopefully in the postseason our pitching will prevail."
"Jason Gohlke [owner of the Vero Beach Bums], mark my word--we are going to do everything possible to face you, and beat you, in this year's playoffs."
