While Washington Burns, Manager Content
September 26, 2001
An Editorial
If the Sea Dogs get any more excited about the
playoffs, we should probably just turn the televisions
off.
The loss streak is now up to six, and it seems as if
the Sea Dogs, who aren't playing all their starters
and were playing upstart Coos Bay and Phoenix at full
power - don't really care if they win another
regular-season game.
In that case, why should we?
Perhaps it was three years ago that Washington Sea
Dogs Manager Aaron Weiner said it best.
"We feel like the underdogs, like the team that's
always clawing to be ahead," Weiner said of the Sea
Dogs' first wild-card team in 1998. But the underdogs
now feel like Uber-Dogs, too good to play out the
string.
When asked if Weiner was intentionally throwing games
for draft position, the manager scoffed.
"We're just trying to get into the playoffs healthy,"
Weiner said. "We have four guys on the DL, including
Chuck Knoblauch, Dave Nilsson and Shawn Estes, and
that's a lot to deal with."
But recently, it seems as if the Sea Dogs are on
another agenda, or maybe another planet. Hideo Nomo
pitched three innings against Phoenix. Jose Rijo will
be glad to get back in the bullpen. Fred Smith,
usually reliable, has self-destructed.
And that's the short list. When you're playing a team
with Buddy Groom - remember him - and Jeff Brantley
with sub-three ERAs, you're not going to win unless
you're on the ball.
"We're certainly not pleased about six in a row, but
one fact remains - we are in the playoffs," Weiner
said.
Thankfully for the Sea Dogs, not yet - because they're
going to need time to right themselves.
