PVBL: Montreal Royals
Royals Riding High After 9-3 Win
August 31, 2000

Even after the 9-3 win over the Edmonton Sled Dogs, the Montreal Royals are still 11 games out of first place. And there's only 1 month left in the 2000 season. Anybody would tell you Jean Chretien has a better chance of scoring with Claudia Schiffer than the Royals have of snatching first place in the McCoy division.

Last night, the odds were stacked against the Cormier and the Royals, who faced 17-4 Edmonton ace Tim Belcher. But the Royals lineup got to Belcher early, scoring 6 runs in the second inning thanks to home runs by Rusty Greer and Pokey Reese. The Big Hurt--Frank Thomas--did not get on base all evening, but his production was not needed.

What about the Wild Card?

Out of the question. Two strong teams, the Tijuana Border Patrol and the surprise Anchorage Abominations have a good hold on the Wild Card standings. The AllKnighters, Frogs and Royals are far behind, and it doesn't look too promising.
EL Wild Card            W   L   Pct.    GB
Anchorage Abominations 79  52   .603   ---
Tijuana Border Patrol  76  54   .585   2.5
Montreal Royals        69  62   .527  10.0
Ann Arbor AllKnighers  68  64   .515  11.5
New Diggens Bud. Frogs 67  63   .515  11.5

The Montreal Royals have depended upon the dependable all year; Rusty Greer has come up big with another MVP-quality season, Brady Anderson already has 37 home runs and 104 RBIs on the season, and Frank Thomas has been unable to keep up his '99 numbers but has a solid .312 batting average and 31 home runs. If the Royals are going to make a run at first, they need some good fortune, but they will also need certain key players to come through.

--written by Peter Carbonetto