Perennial Powerhouse Punxatawny Pounds Opponents
September 15, 2001
Punxatawney, PA (AP)
After bowing out 1 victory short of the playoffs in 2000, the Punxatawney
Groundhogs recently clinched their 4th Riker division title in 5 seasons.
It came as a surprise to owner Dan Shapiro, who was used to having teams
close on their tail for the greater part of two seasons, that his club had
put enough distance between himself and Carolina to guarentee themselves a
birth in the 2001 postseason.
"Someone mentioned it to me today. I grabbed the paper, looked, and there
it was--a little x next to our team in the standings," said GM Shapiro.
"I'm certainly happy, but I think I need to watch the standings a little
closer from now on."
All eyes in Punxatawney now turn toward the postseason. With the amazing
Data Division foes almost guarenteed to face off against each other,
Punxatawney is all but assured of a opening series against Area 51 or
Sacramento. They also have a few players on the disabled list, but all of
them will be back well before the postseason begins.
"We intend to be at 100% full health coming in," said Shapiro. "We might
lose a lot of games from here on out in our efforts to do that."
Among the wounded is Scott Rolen, who put up phenomenal numbers this year.
Batting 2nd for most of the season, Rolen hit .312 with 102 runs, 45
doubles, 23 homers, 81 RBI, 50 walks, 22 strikeouts, a .364 OBP, and a .511
SLG. He, and Tony Batista, present perhaps the scariest 1-2 combo in
baseball. Batista, limited to 86 games due to injury, is hitting .320 with
a .364 OBP and .444 SLG, including 24 steals and 65 runs.
Additionally, Jason Giambi has stepped up and knocked 34 homers and 114 RBI
this season, while Jose Valentin put up typically solid numbers, but a bit
below his average. The pitching staff also had strong seasons all around,
and are more than ready for the postseason.
One of the biggest unexpected bright spots this season has been the play of
rookie Jeremy Giambi. Giambi was called up due to a few mid-year injury
and has played in 21 games. He's batting an impressive .325 in 77 at bats
including 3 doubles, 2 homers, and 12 RBI. His OBP is an incredible .381.
"Extrapolate those numbers out over a full season and you have an amazing
rookie campaign," said Shapiro. "Jeremy and Jason Giambi will provide a
lot of pop for us in the years to come, I'm sure."
For now, everyone is gearing up for the postseason. Jeremy Giambi, Jose
Netzel, Robin Jennings, and others will get a lot of playing time over the
last two weeks as the rest of the heals and gets rested so they are ready
to answer the bell when the postseason comes calling.
