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Westheim · 10-24-2018, 12:56 AM

Ever since the unfortunate incident in Stanley Park where I ripped the Canadiens cap off a kid's head and stomped on it when the little bugger pointed at me and laughed about the Raccoons, I had been barred from travelling back to Canada, which hadn't stopped me from trying at one occasion or another. This was an "occasion". No way I could watch these games from home without going completely bananas.

So the smart plan that I came up with was to get tied up in a bag labelled "baseballs" in Indy and smuggle myself onto the plane to Vancouver this way. All went rather well – until the guys unloading the assorted bulk cargo in Vancouver dropped that bag of baseball six feet onto the cargo space of an unloading cart. I was swiftly discovered – mainly because baseballs don't usually cry out in pain – and immediately detained and deported back to the US before the Monday game even began…

Raccoons (90-65) @ Canadiens (87-68) – September 28-October 1, 2026

Nominally, the Raccoons were in a comfortable position, three games up and with a split in this series really being all they needed against the Elks who had the top-ranked offense in the league, and were conceding an average amount of runs. However, two things reduced our confidence to barely anything at all: our absolutely torpid performance in Indy (two runs, no wins), and that the Elks were already up 9-5 in the season series, and this 4-game set in the final week seemed like it was going to be right up their ally. 50 years later, still screwing over the Raccoons at every possible opportunity. There was ONE crucial development that worked in the Coons' favor: the Elks had lost BOTH of Tony Coca and Alex Torres to injury, which conveniently took a third of their home runs out of the lineup as well as some significant damage potential against the Portlandians in general.

Projected matchups:
Rico Gutierrez (15-5, 3.61 ERA) vs. Jesse Bowsher (12-7, 3.29 ERA)
Mark Roberts (13-10, 3.11 ERA) vs. Frank Kelly (7-4, 5.22 ERA)
Kyle Anderson (9-6, 4.09 ERA) vs. Andrew Gudeman (15-12, 3.34 ERA)
George James (2-1, 2.04 ERA) vs. Antonio Muniz (13-11, 2.98 ERA)

Three right-handers, then a southpaw.

Oh dear heavens, please give us a split …!

Game 1
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Spencer – CF Jamieson – 1B Harenberg – RF Alfaro – LF Kopp – 3B Nunley – C Tovias – P Gutierrez
VAN: CF Wojnarowski – 3B Anton – RF Day – SS Calfee – 1B Myles – C Balcome – 2B Gura – LF T. Campbell – P Bowsher

First blood was drawn by Matt Nunley with a 2-run homer, his ninth of the season, in the second inning. Omar Alfaro had started the inning whiffing, but Terry Kopp had drawn a 4-pitch walk and was collected on the shot to right-center. That wasn't it with hits for the Coons early on; with their first four hits they would combine for a cycle. Ramos had already singled but had been left on base in the first inning, and he tripled in the third inning, then was doubled home by Matt Jamieson, 3-0. Rico Gutierrez was swift the first time through the Elks' order, but put Brian Wojnarowski and Matt Anton on base with two outs in the bottom 3rd, then ran a 3-1 count on left-handed batter Norman Day, who continued to ground out to Harenberg in that spot.

Speaking of Harenberg, KEVIIIIIN ended a dreadful 0-for-20 spell in the fifth inning with a quick single to rightfield. It came with Ramos and Spencer on the corners and two outs, and gave the Coons another run to go up 4-0. Then Rico gave up a leadoff walk to Tim Campbell in the bottom 5th, and after the obvious bunt by Bowsher, another walk on four pitches to Wojnarowski. Anton struck out, bringing up Day again with two outs and two on. Rico ran another 3-1 count on him, and Day still had no patience at all, flying out rather easily to Terry Kopp in shallow left to strand another pair. Only the top of the order seemed to give Rico any trouble, and especially the left-handed batting Wojnarowski, while the right-handed middle of the order did nothing at all against him. He got through seven innings on 105 pitches, still nursing a 3-hitter, but of course would not get to finish it. Top 8th, right-hander Victor Govea put on Jamieson and Harenberg with singles to begin the inning, giving Portland a chance to put the game away, but suffered two strikeouts and Nunley grounding out to Ted Gura. Bottom 8th, Josh Boles took over the 4-0 lead, faced the top of the order, and retired nobody. The left-handers singled, Anton walked, and the tying run was up with nobody out. Ricky to the rescue! Please! And Ohl dug out the Coons… more or less. After fanning John Calfee, he walked Adan Myles to push in a run, then surrendered another run on Riley Balcome's groundout, but retired the Elks eventually while maintaining a 4-2 lead.

On to the ninth, where the Coons sent pinch-hitters to start against Govea. Cookie batted for Tovias, singled, but Justin Gerace struck out in the pitcher's spot. The Elks lost Victor Govea to injury at this point, while the Coons lost Cookie to a cranky ankle after he dashed for third base on Ramos' single off J.R. Hreha, who threw only one pitch before being replaced by righty Sean Carlsen with Butch Gerster (pinch-running) and Ramos on the corners and one out. Spencer brought in Gerster with a sac fly to center before Ramos was caught stealing on the first offering to Jamieson, ending the inning, but giving Jonathan Snyder a 3-run edge. Snyder would not require the extra cushion – he retired Chris Tanzillo, Wojnarowski, and Anton in order. 5-2 Furballs!! Ramos 3-4, BB, 3B; Jamieson 2-4, 2B, RBI; Harenberg 2-4, RBI; Carmona (PH) 1-1; Gutierrez 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K, W (16-5);

Whoopie!! Oh, this was big!! Magic number down to three on the stinking Elks, two on the Crusaders, and one on the Titans!

Not that I was relaxing. Horrors were traditionally boundless in Vancouver, which was why I had to get back there to be with the team. I chartered a small private plane on Tuesday morning to fly me over the border from Seattle, where I would drop with a parachute. To my surprise, no holes in the equipment! It did not surprise me, however, that when I landed after a 20-minute descent, a horde of Mounties was already waiting for me, rounded me up, and deported me back to the States, six hours before game time.

I'LL BE BACK. (And Cookie might be, too, but the Druid recommended to leave him out of the series with that sore ankle)

Game 2
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Spencer – CF Jamieson – 1B Harenberg – RF Alfaro – LF Kopp – 3B Nunley – C O'Dell – P Roberts
VAN: CF Wojnarowski – 3B Anton – RF Day – SS Calfee – 1B Myles – C Balcome – 2B Gura – LF G. Morales – P Kelly

To even our dismay, poor sod Frank Kelly lasted one batter in the game, yielding a single to Alberto Ramos, before once more disappearing with an injury. The Elks, with their ugly butts to the wall, had to declare a bullpen day right in the first inning, with left-hander Joe Williams (5.88 ERA) taking over. He got Spencer to smack a really hard grounder at Calfee for two and got Jamieson out as well to deny the Coons instant offense. Further spicing up things would be an hour-long rain delay (it was the Pacific Northwest after all) after two innings. The Elks were in their pen anyway and didn't bother much, while Mark Roberts had thrown 27 pitches prior to the delay and returned afterwards, apparently unfazed as he struck out the side in the bottom 3rd, giving him 5 K and no runners through three innings, yet he lost cohesion as early as the following inning and after the fourth inning admitted that his arm felt heavy like he had thrown 110 pitches when in reality it was rather half that. Thus, the Coons also were in their pen by the bottom 5th, all in a scoreless game.

Steve Costilow pitched a scoreless fifth, then lined up for the W when the Coons got Ramos on base in the top 6th, he stole second base against Pete Chagnon, finally came home on a Spencer single for the first tally in the contest, and the only one in the top 6th. Kevin Surginer assumed pitching duties in the bottom 6th and lost the combined no-hitter attempt on an infield single by Guillermo Morales, who nevertheless was caught stealing right away by Brett O'Dell, one pitch before Tom Fitzsimmons might have doubled him in with a gapper to right-center. Wojnarowski ended up grounding out to Harenberg to end the inning. Surginer would have completed the seventh, too, but the inning-ending strikeout to Calfee was fumbled by O'Dell, allowing the shortstop to reach on the uncaught third strike. Lefty Curtis Hargraves then pinch-hit for Myles, and the Coons twitched and sent Billy Brotman, who got him to pop up. Ramos made the catch, and the Coons were through seven.

Top 8th, Ivan Morales pitching. Juan Magallanes had entered the game in a double switch and was batting ninth, and livened up that .116 batting average by 20 points with a single to right. Ramos lined out to Guillermo Morales in leftfield, and Spencer grounded at Fitzsimmons, who was eaten up by it for an error. Jamieson singled over the disgusting head of disgusting man Ted Gura, loading them up for Harenberg with a chance to do some real damage. Norman Day cut off his liner to right-center that fell for a single, holding the Raccoons to one run, but one run was better than a double play! And the Coons continued to hit! Tim Stalker batted for Billy Brotman and ripped a single up the middle to extend the lead to 3-0. Kopp made it 4-0 with a sac fly, and then Nunley also cracked a single to center to load the bases again, a spot in which O'Dell grounded out to Calfee to end the inning. Barzaga got the Coons through the eighth, but Kearney walked two left-handed batters(!) in the ninth inning before grinding to a halt. Snyder came in again with Max Weigel and Norman Day on second and first, respectively, facing John Calfee with one out. Calfee put a 1-2 pitch in play, grounding to Tim Stalker at short, and the only play was at first base while the runners advanced. Hargraves then grinded out a walk to load the bases and bring up the tying run in pinch-hitter Adrian Crosby … who popped out to short, ending this game. 4-0 Furballs!! Spencer 2-5, RBI; Stalker (PH) 1-1, RBI; Roberts 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K; Surginer 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

(gasps!)

Alright! This win eliminated the Titans, while the Crusaders were eliminated with them in one scoop after losing to the Indians, 3-0. Meanwhile the magic number on the Elks was ONE.

ONE more win to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years!

Also, still no luck in getting to the stadium. After Tuesday's failure, I drove back down to Portland and wrestled the mascot costume away from Chad. That damn thing smelled like he had been in it without a break for the last 25 years! I drove back north on Wednesday morning, then tried to cross the border in the costume in a forest some distance east of Vancouver.

Alas, a 7-foot raccoon sneaking across the border sure enough attracted the attention of yet another Mountie. By 3pm, I was back in the States, and none the wiser.

Game 3
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Spencer – LF Jamieson – 1B Harenberg – 3B Nunley – RF Kopp – C O'Dell – CF Magallanes – P Anderson
VAN: LF Day – 3B Anton – RF G. Morales – LF Wojnarowski – SS Crosby – C Balcome – 1B Hargraves – 2B Gura – P Gudeman

Did the Raccoons get a dream start or did the Elks get off to a terrible one? Both were probably true. The Coons batted through the lineup in the first inning and plated FOUR runs, but the Elks also helped them out beyond belief with two critical errors in the opening frame. Ramos and Spencer singled, and then Jamieson reached on an error by Crosby. Harenberg walked to force in a run, Nunley singled in another one, and then Kopp plated a run on a double play grounder. O'Dell grounded to Matt Anton, who overran the ball for a run-scoring error, and then Magallanes even singled before Anderson was struck out looking to end an Elkish nightmare. With this, they were on the clock. 27 outs to elimination. Norman Day hit a leadoff single in the bottom 1st, but Anton grounded into a double play right away, and though unlikely, Matt Anton managed to dig the Elks' hole even deeper in the third inning. O'Dell and Magallanes were in scoring position with two outs for Kyle Anderson, who grounded to third base, and Anton butchered ANOTHER play. Again, the Raccoons scored a run on the error, going up 5-0. An angry Andrew Gudeman go an angry K on Alberto Ramos to end the inning, but it was all running away from the Elks now. And that was BEFORE Jarod Spencer hit his first homer of the season, a leadoff jack in the fourth that did in Gudeman, who left on the short end of a 6-0 drubbing, half the runs unearned.

The Elks didn't get onto the board until the bottom 5th. Adrian Crosby and Riley Balcome went to the corners with a pair of singles against Anderson to begin the frame, but Hargraves chucked a ball into the claws of Nunley for a double play. Crosby scored, but they were still down 6-1 with 12 outs left once Gura flew out easily to Kopp. On to the sixth, Andy Purdy had another encounter with the Coons' sterling top of the order. Ramos and Spencer both scratched him for singles, and he loaded them up when he drilled Matt Jamieson. Nobody out for Harenberg, who grounded into a force out at home, but Matt Nunley beat Day in left with a drive to the base of the wall for a 2-run double! Kopp's run-scoring groundout and O'Dell's 2-out RBI single got the Coons to double digits, and the home crowd was reduced to dejection and despair. There was an eerie silence in the park. And most importantly, no ****ing Ray Gilbert to suddenly show up and turn things around. And silence started even before Ramos and Spencer reached yet again against Joe Martin in the seventh and Jamieson doubled them in, and a string of 2-out singles by Nunley, Kopp, and O'Dell plated another two runs for the Critters' third 4-spot in the game. COME ON, ELKS – I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!

Anderson left the game in the bottom 7th with a stiff back, replaced by Nick Derks, who was trusted with a 13-run lead and eight outs left to collect, while the Coons also removed most of the key pieces of their inventory from the game around the seventh inning. By the eighth, Ramos and Spencer and Harenberg and Nunley and Kopp were all no longer in the game. On their noses, boys, give them square on the noses! Oh, Nick Derks sure did – he finished the game for the Coons, yielded no runs, and struck out four batters to kill THE DAMN ELKS!! 14-1 Furballs!!! Ramos 1-2, 3 BB; Spencer 4-5, HR, RBI; Jamieson 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Nunley 3-5, 2B, 4 RBI; O'Dell 2-4, BB, RBI; Magallanes 2-5; Anderson 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (10-6); Derks 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K;

PORTLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!!!!

On the same day, the Thunder wrapped up the South with a 5-3 win over the Falcons, setting us up for a rematch of the 1983, 1995, and 2010 CLCS.

The U.S. Navy at Whidbey Island was not inclined to launch a warship or two to amphibiously land me on Canadian shore on Thursday either, so I just went to the airport and flew over to New York to meet the team there.

I wore a silly grin all the way to the East Coast. Meanwhile, the Coons would run out the reserves on Thursday, facing not "Furball"(??) Muniz, but another right-hander in Luis Vasquez (2-2, 4.41 ERA). And yes, that was SIX switch-hitters in line starting with Justin Gerace.

Game 4
POR: 2B Stalker – SS Gerster – LF Gerace – RF Alfaro – C Tovias – 1B Koel – 3B Bullock – CF Magallanes – P James
VAN: LF Day – 3B Anton – RF G. Morales – CF Wojnarowski – 1B Myles – SS Crosby – C Tanzillo – 2B Calfee – P Vasquez

Never mind the scrubs in the lineup – Tim Stalker lifted a leadoff jack to start the game as there were barely 14,000 fans at the park one day after the Elks had been righteously eliminated from playoff contention. Those that were there witnessed another frightful spectacle in the first inning, as the Coons threw a handful onto the board even after Butch Gerster singled and was caught stealing by Tanzillo. Gerace singled, Alfaro doubled; Tovias brought home a run with a groundout, and then Koel, Bullock, and Magallanes all had run-scoring base hits of some sort, giving George James a 5-0 cushion right out of the gate. The Raccoons laid down after that and waited to see what would develop with George James. The rookie was absolutely not sharp at all, walking five in as many innings, but the Elks got only three base hits to support their efforts and plated only one run against him through a qualifying amount of innings. Wojnarowski's leadoff double, an RBI single by Crosby, who stole second base, and then an RBI single by Tanzillo knocked out James with one out in the bottom 6th after 99 messy pitches. Steve Costilow took over, then immediately blew the lead when he served up a 2-run homer to John Calfee, who hit his 16th on the year while batting .206. Costilow left with a biceps injury after retiring reliever Dusty Kulp, with Barzaga taking the ball after that and logged four outs before Elias Tovias' leadoff single off Kulp in the top 8th. Jarod Spencer ran for Tovias and stole second base as the bare-bones bottom of the order tried to get the go-ahead run in with nobody out. The Elks opted to walk Kyle Koel intentionally, then got two fly outs from Bullock and Magallanes. With new pitcher J.R. Hreha arriving here, Harenberg batted for Barzaga, but grounded out to end the inning. The Elks got Gura and Tanzillo on against Josh Boles in the bottom 8th before Surginer struck out three, but the Coons wound up losing in the bottom 10th with Jonathan Fleischer, who walked Tony Casillas and George Rego. Casillas was cut down at home by Magallanes on a Day single, but the runners advanced to scoring position and Fleischer plated Rego with a wild pitch… 6-5 Canadiens. Stalker 3-5, HR, 2B, RBI; Koel 3-4, BB, RBI; Bullock 2-5, 2B, RBI;

Ah, **** it. We're still in the playoffs.

It was season over for Steve Costilow with that biceps strain and he was struck from the roster after a meh showcase that yielded a 7.07 ERA.

On the other hand, the Raccoons managed to activate Rafael Gomez from the DL, who had not played in a game since breaking his front paw on July 9!

Raccoons (93-66) @ Crusaders (87-72) – October 2-4, 2026

These games would count nothing and were all about not breaking more paws. The Crusaders had dropped behind the Titans by now, eighth in offense and third in pitching in the league. They still had the best rotation with a 3.17 ERA, but in the end it had not been enough for them. The Coons were up 10-5 in the season series.

Projected matchups:
Dan Delgadillo (12-6, 2.65 ERA) vs. Carlos Marron (15-7, 2.01 ERA)
Rin Nomura (9-5, 2.63 ERA) vs. Eddie Cannon (12-10, 4.09 ERA)
Alvin Smith (3-3, 2.70 ERA) vs. Jesse Wright (3-7, 3.57 ERA)

Three more right-handers to end the regular season. THE REGULAR SEASON.

We would sprinkle out another off day to one everyday player or another here, but not all on the same day. Also, Rafael Gomez would be in the lineup every day to get warm again and to see whether he was a candidate for the playoff roster after all.

Game 1
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Spencer – RF Gomez – 1B Harenberg – 3B Nunley – LF Gerace – C O'Dell – CF Magallanes – P Delgadillo
NYC: CF Ugolino – LF Espinosa – 3B Schmit – RF Ellis – 1B J. Richardson – 2B McWhorter – C Leal – SS Kane – P Marron

Rafael Gomez' body stood a first test in the second inning, slamming into the wall on robbing Jamie Richardson of extra bases, and living to tell about it. Both teams had only two base knocks the first time through the lineup, and for both teams this included the pitcher. Delgadillo hit a single, but Marron hit a 1-out double in the bottom 3rd, and the Crusaders loaded the bases when both Fabien Ugolino and with two down Andy Schmit drew walks. Nate Ellis turned on an 0-2 pitch, drove it to deep center, but was denied by Magallanes making a wonderful catch to end the inning and strand three runners, but Delgadillo remained unconvincing afterwards, allowed leadoff base hits in the fourth to Richardson (single) and Tom McWhorter (double), then surrendered both runs on a pair of groundouts by Armando Leal and Mike Kane, thus putting New York 2-0 ahead. A Juan Espinosa homer put the score even at 3-0 in the fifth, and in the sixth McWhorter whacked another shot off Delgadillo to extend the Crusaders' lead to 4-0. All the while, he Coons had absolutely nothing against Marron, amounting to hardly three soft singles through six innings. Getting a fourth hit took them until the eighth inning when Magallanes dropped a floater into shallow left, but Marron remained unfazed and got the last two outs of the inning from Jamieson on an easy fly to left, then a K on Ramos. This looked like a shutout for Marron until Gomez and Harenberg both singled up the middle with one down in the ninth inning. They went to the corners – first time a Critter had toed third base all game long – and the Crusaders yanked their starter in favor of often-met Travis Giordano and his 3.08 ERA through 87 innings this year. Nunley didn't care and bombed him for a 440-footer to straightaway centerfield – his tenth of the year! Unforunately that left the Coons still one run short. When Gerace singled up the middle to produce the go-ahead run at the plate, Terry Kopp hit for Brett O'Dell. He smacked a 1-0 pitch squarely at Mike Kane, who had no trouble to turn two to end the game. 4-3 Crusaders. Gomez 2-4; Nunley 2-4, HR, 3 RBI;

We may want to win a game here or there… the battle for home field advantage in the CLCS was very real, and the Coons and Thunder were even at this point, both with 93-67 records. Either team would have home field advantage over the Buffaloes should they win the FLCS, but neither would have if the Buffaloes lost to whichever California team would wrap up the FL West, which was still contested at this point.

Game 2
POR: SS Stalker – 2B Spencer – LF Gomez – 1B Harenberg – 3B Nunley – CF Jamieson – RF Alfaro – C Tovias – P Nomura
NYC: CF Ugolino – 2B McWhorter – 3B Schmit – RF Ellis – C F. Delgado – LF R. Allen – 1B Douglas – SS R. Soto – P Cannon

The Raccoons could be bothered to score a bit earlier in this game, getting started in the second on a Nunley single, Jamieson double, and then Alfaro pushing a grounder just inches past the glove of McWhorter for a 2-run single. When Tovias was retired for the second out, the inning figured to be fizzling out, but Rin Nomura helped himself with a 2-out single up the middle, and then Tim Stalker deepened the score with an RBI double to center. Spencer grounded out, but maybe that extra run would come handy at some point. In fact, the 3-0 lead looked like it was eroding already in the second inning, in which Nomura issued a single to Lance Douglas after a leadoff walk to Roger Allen, and also walked Ugolino with two outs to load them up. McWhorter grounded out to Stalker, though, keeping the Crusaders off the board. And the pendulum was swinging with some energy – the top of the third inning saw the Coons load them up on straight singles by the 4-5-6 batters, bringing up Alfaro with three on and one out. This time he grounded out, but Lance Douglas, who handled the grounder, only had the out at first base to collect, and a run scored as Harenberg scurried home. An intentional walk brought up Nomura, who grounded out to strand three, then issued another leadoff walk in the bottom 3rd, this time to Schmit, and allowed a single to Nate Ellis. Mound conference – no security gained by it. Felipe Delgado ripped an RBI single, but at least the next spiked ball was shot at Stalker, who turned a 6-4-3 and Douglas flew out to Jamieson in center. 4-1 after three eventful innings.

Nomura would not get the win, because he didn't last five innings. The Crusaders continued to run long counts and get on base, and he was removed after 107 pitches that got him only through 4.1 innings. The score was still 4-1, but there were also Schmit, Ellis, and Delgado on the bases and one out when he got yanked. Kevin Surginer got a sac fly from Roger Allen, the only batter he faced, but Kearney allowed an RBI single to Douglas before Soto flew out to Jamieson in deep center, and he score was only 4-3 after five, although Elias Tovias quickly made it 5-3 with a solo homer off Eddie Cannon in the sixth. The Raccoons went do Barzaga in the bottom 6th, and he gave them five outs before a walk to Schmit and a single by Allen put on the squeeze again. The Crusaders sent a left-handed pinch-hitter in Jamie Richardson for left-handed batter Lance Douglas, but that was their business. Any which way, the Coons brought in Billy Brotman in a double switch (exiting Gomez for a healed Cookie), and Billy got a (deep) fly out to Jamieson in center.

Top 8th, Nunley led off with a double, then moved to third on Jamieson's single. Alfaro grounded out, not getting anybody in this time, before Tovias walked to load them up, which now brought up Cookie Carmona, who faced new and old reliever Travis Giordano, who had Cookie at 0-2 before surrendering a single up the middle that plated a run. Stalker also hit an RBI single before Spencer flew out to shallow left. That brought up Brotman with three on and two outs, but Portland was up by four, so we let him in the game, because we wanted another few outs from him, if at all possible. In a clear sign to the Crusaders that it was time to go home to the fireplace for the winter, Brotman cracked a 2-1 pitch to right, Richardson dove and missed, as did McWhorter, and Billy had a 2-run single! Those were the final runs in the game; while Jonathan Fleischer loaded the bases with walks in the bottom 9th, Josh Boles came in for the Coons and struck out Richardson before Soto fouled out to end the game. 9-3 Coons! Stalker 2-5, 2 RBI; Harenberg 2-5; Nunley 3-5, 2B; Jamieson 3-5, 2B; Tovias 1-2, 2 BB, HR, RBI; Carmona 1-1, RBI; Barzaga 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K; Brotman 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K and 1-1, 2 RBI;

This was the first career hit (in three attempts) for Billy Brotman, and also the first RBIs for him.

Also, Kevin Surginer won his ninth game of the season, only one behind Kyle Anderson at the low end of starters that were with us all year.

Also, the Thunder lost, giving us good chances for home field in the CLCS. In the FL West, the Pacifics and Scorpions were tied going into the final game. Sacramento would play the Wolves once more. The starter for the Wolves?

Jonny Toner (3-3, 3.48 ERA).

Game 3
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – RF Gomez – 1B Kopp – CF Jamieson – LF Carmona – 3B Bullock – C Burrows – P Smith
NYC: CF Ugolino – C F. Delgado – 3B Schmit – RF Ellis – 1B J. Richardson – 2B McWhorter – LF I. Vega – SS Kane – P J. Wright

Alvin Smith retired nobody before Nate Ellis hit a grand slam following an Ugolino double and two walks to Delgado and Schmit. While Terry Kopp would drive in a pair of unearned runs with a 2-out single in the third inning – Schmit had thrown away the Gomez grounder that should have ended the inning with Stalker on first base – the top of the order gave Alvin Smith nothing but fits and he walked two more in the bottom 3rd while conceding another run on a sac fly. The fifth saw a Gomez home run to cut the gap to 5-3, but also a leadoff walk to Schmit in the bottom half, and that was well enough for Smith after 4+ innings, four hits, and five walks. Josh Boles struck out Ellis, but walked Richardson, and when Nick Derks came in he had nothing better to do than to surrender a 2-out, 2-run double to Ivan Vega. That was probably the game, down 7-3 after five, but who knows – Kevin Surginer got involved in the game in the bottom 7th, getting a double play from McWhorter to erase Richardson having walked against Brotman and to end the inning, and if the Coons now scored five in the top 8th and would hold on, Surginer would end the season with double-digit wins! There was a leadoff walk by Gomez, but that was as much rally as they had in them against righty Brandon Smith. Surginer finished the bottom 8th, too, with the Coons having to try and poke against right-hander Casey Moore in the ninth. Spencer, Gerace, and Alfaro were retired in order to end the regular season. 7-3 Crusaders. Ramos 2-4; Gomez 2-3, BB, HR, RBI; Koel (PH) 1-1; Derks 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K; Surginer 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

The… REGULAR SEASON.

Eh – still enough for home field in the CLCS!

In other news

September 28 – The Pacifics promise some big bucks to SP Bryan Hanson (13-12, 3.56 ERA), signing the 32-year-old to an early 2-yr, $7.6M extension.
September 29 – Despite only 82 wins to their name, the Topeka Buffaloes are the first team to notch a playoff spot by outlingering everyone in a terrible FL East. A 2-0 win over the Capitals clinches the division for them, their seventh playoff berth overall and the second in the last three seasons, although they won 95 games in '24. They have never won the World Series.
September 30 – The Gold Sox beat the Scorpions, 3-2, and also end the hitting streak of LF/RF Pablo Sanchez (.300, 9 HR, 75 RBI), who goes 0-for-4 in the game.
October 2 – The Scorpions walk off for a 4-3, 11-inning win against the Wolves when a wild pitch by Salem's Kaleb Babcock (4-9, 4.42 ERA) plates SAC LF/RF Pablo Sanchez (.301, 9 HR, 75 RBI) after his leadoff triple.
October 3 – SAC INF/LF Jorge Castro (.270, 14 HR, 102 RBI) drives in five runs on three base hits as the Scorpions clobber the Wolves, 16-3.
October 5 – The FL West tie-breaker goes to extra innings, where veteran utility player Erik Janes (.241, 5 HR, 31 RBI) lifts the Pacifics in the top of the 11th, singling home Ben Cook (.246, 4 HR, 66 RBI) for the deciding run in L.A.'s 4-3 win. This ends a string of seven consecutive playoff appearances for the Scorpions, the longest streak in ABL history, and lifts the Pacifics to the postseason for the first time since 2018 and the tenth time overall.

Complaints and stuff

(still wears that stupid grin)

You know, sometimes losing the season series to the Elks doesn't matter. We won the important games!

We met the Thunder (who we went 5-4 against this year) three times in the CLCS, beating them in 1983 and 2010 on six games each, but got swept by them in '95. The good news – none of the players on the 1995 Thunder are still on their roster.

Jonny Toner lasted six, allowing four hits and two runs to the Scorpions on Sunday, enough to take the loss. He ends the season with a 3.43 ERA and more question marks than before. Denzel Durr won that game, his 13th of the year, and since L.A. also won, the teams were set up for a run-off contest on Monday.

Even with this great success, we still have a cringer. Our A-level team, the Aumsville Beagles, kinda blew the horn this season. They lost triple digits. Now, bear in mind, that they only play a 140-game season down there. Yup, they went 37-103, and we canned the entire single-A coaching staff in one big swoop, including pitching coach Cisco Andrade, who had been in the organization for 15 years.

PLAYOOOOOOOOFFFFFFSSSSS!!!! See ya at Game 1!

Fun Fact: No team from outside California has won the FL West in more than a decade.

In fact, going back to 2008, when the Stars won the last of four consecutive division titles, the division has been taken 15 out of 18 times by either the Scorpions (8) or the Pacifics (7). The Warriors took the remaining years, three in a row from 2013 through 2015. The dry spells of the Wolves (22 years) and Gold Sox (23 years) are the longest active in the majors, followed by the Indians' 20 years of futility.

Yup, the last time the Wolves made the playoffs, Alberto Ramos (born December 20, 2005) had yet to be conceived.

10-24-2018, 12:56 AM	#2634
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,778	Ever since the unfortunate incident in Stanley Park where I ripped the Canadiens cap off a kid's head and stomped on it when the little bugger pointed at me and laughed about the Raccoons, I had been barred from travelling back to Canada, which hadn't stopped me from trying at one occasion or another. This was an "occasion". No way I could watch these games from home without going completely bananas. So the smart plan that I came up with was to get tied up in a bag labelled "baseballs" in Indy and smuggle myself onto the plane to Vancouver this way. All went rather well – until the guys unloading the assorted bulk cargo in Vancouver dropped that bag of baseball six feet onto the cargo space of an unloading cart. I was swiftly discovered – mainly because baseballs don't usually cry out in pain – and immediately detained and deported back to the US before the Monday game even began… Raccoons (90-65) @ Canadiens (87-68) – September 28-October 1, 2026 Nominally, the Raccoons were in a comfortable position, three games up and with a split in this series really being all they needed against the Elks who had the top-ranked offense in the league, and were conceding an average amount of runs. However, two things reduced our confidence to barely anything at all: our absolutely torpid performance in Indy (two runs, no wins), and that the Elks were already up 9-5 in the season series, and this 4-game set in the final week seemed like it was going to be right up their ally. 50 years later, still screwing over the Raccoons at every possible opportunity. There was ONE crucial development that worked in the Coons' favor: the Elks had lost BOTH of Tony Coca and Alex Torres to injury, which conveniently took a third of their home runs out of the lineup as well as some significant damage potential against the Portlandians in general. Projected matchups: Rico Gutierrez (15-5, 3.61 ERA) vs. Jesse Bowsher (12-7, 3.29 ERA) Mark Roberts (13-10, 3.11 ERA) vs. Frank Kelly (7-4, 5.22 ERA) Kyle Anderson (9-6, 4.09 ERA) vs. Andrew Gudeman (15-12, 3.34 ERA) George James (2-1, 2.04 ERA) vs. Antonio Muniz (13-11, 2.98 ERA) Three right-handers, then a southpaw. Oh dear heavens, please give us a split …! Game 1 POR: SS Ramos – 2B Spencer – CF Jamieson – 1B Harenberg – RF Alfaro – LF Kopp – 3B Nunley – C Tovias – P Gutierrez VAN: CF Wojnarowski – 3B Anton – RF Day – SS Calfee – 1B Myles – C Balcome – 2B Gura – LF T. Campbell – P Bowsher First blood was drawn by Matt Nunley with a 2-run homer, his ninth of the season, in the second inning. Omar Alfaro had started the inning whiffing, but Terry Kopp had drawn a 4-pitch walk and was collected on the shot to right-center. That wasn't it with hits for the Coons early on; with their first four hits they would combine for a cycle. Ramos had already singled but had been left on base in the first inning, and he tripled in the third inning, then was doubled home by Matt Jamieson, 3-0. Rico Gutierrez was swift the first time through the Elks' order, but put Brian Wojnarowski and Matt Anton on base with two outs in the bottom 3rd, then ran a 3-1 count on left-handed batter Norman Day, who continued to ground out to Harenberg in that spot. Speaking of Harenberg, KEVIIIIIN ended a dreadful 0-for-20 spell in the fifth inning with a quick single to rightfield. It came with Ramos and Spencer on the corners and two outs, and gave the Coons another run to go up 4-0. Then Rico gave up a leadoff walk to Tim Campbell in the bottom 5th, and after the obvious bunt by Bowsher, another walk on four pitches to Wojnarowski. Anton struck out, bringing up Day again with two outs and two on. Rico ran another 3-1 count on him, and Day still had no patience at all, flying out rather easily to Terry Kopp in shallow left to strand another pair. Only the top of the order seemed to give Rico any trouble, and especially the left-handed batting Wojnarowski, while the right-handed middle of the order did nothing at all against him. He got through seven innings on 105 pitches, still nursing a 3-hitter, but of course would not get to finish it. Top 8th, right-hander Victor Govea put on Jamieson and Harenberg with singles to begin the inning, giving Portland a chance to put the game away, but suffered two strikeouts and Nunley grounding out to Ted Gura. Bottom 8th, Josh Boles took over the 4-0 lead, faced the top of the order, and retired nobody. The left-handers singled, Anton walked, and the tying run was up with nobody out. Ricky to the rescue! Please! And Ohl dug out the Coons… more or less. After fanning John Calfee, he walked Adan Myles to push in a run, then surrendered another run on Riley Balcome's groundout, but retired the Elks eventually while maintaining a 4-2 lead. On to the ninth, where the Coons sent pinch-hitters to start against Govea. Cookie batted for Tovias, singled, but Justin Gerace struck out in the pitcher's spot. The Elks lost Victor Govea to injury at this point, while the Coons lost Cookie to a cranky ankle after he dashed for third base on Ramos' single off J.R. Hreha, who threw only one pitch before being replaced by righty Sean Carlsen with Butch Gerster (pinch-running) and Ramos on the corners and one out. Spencer brought in Gerster with a sac fly to center before Ramos was caught stealing on the first offering to Jamieson, ending the inning, but giving Jonathan Snyder a 3-run edge. Snyder would not require the extra cushion – he retired Chris Tanzillo, Wojnarowski, and Anton in order. 5-2 Furballs!! Ramos 3-4, BB, 3B; Jamieson 2-4, 2B, RBI; Harenberg 2-4, RBI; Carmona (PH) 1-1; Gutierrez 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K, W (16-5); Whoopie!! Oh, this was big!! Magic number down to three on the stinking Elks, two on the Crusaders, and one on the Titans! Not that I was relaxing. Horrors were traditionally boundless in Vancouver, which was why I had to get back there to be with the team. I chartered a small private plane on Tuesday morning to fly me over the border from Seattle, where I would drop with a parachute. To my surprise, no holes in the equipment! It did not surprise me, however, that when I landed after a 20-minute descent, a horde of Mounties was already waiting for me, rounded me up, and deported me back to the States, six hours before game time. I'LL BE BACK. (And Cookie might be, too, but the Druid recommended to leave him out of the series with that sore ankle) Game 2 POR: SS Ramos – 2B Spencer – CF Jamieson – 1B Harenberg – RF Alfaro – LF Kopp – 3B Nunley – C O'Dell – P Roberts VAN: CF Wojnarowski – 3B Anton – RF Day – SS Calfee – 1B Myles – C Balcome – 2B Gura – LF G. Morales – P Kelly To even our dismay, poor sod Frank Kelly lasted one batter in the game, yielding a single to Alberto Ramos, before once more disappearing with an injury. The Elks, with their ugly butts to the wall, had to declare a bullpen day right in the first inning, with left-hander Joe Williams (5.88 ERA) taking over. He got Spencer to smack a really hard grounder at Calfee for two and got Jamieson out as well to deny the Coons instant offense. Further spicing up things would be an hour-long rain delay (it was the Pacific Northwest after all) after two innings. The Elks were in their pen anyway and didn't bother much, while Mark Roberts had thrown 27 pitches prior to the delay and returned afterwards, apparently unfazed as he struck out the side in the bottom 3rd, giving him 5 K and no runners through three innings, yet he lost cohesion as early as the following inning and after the fourth inning admitted that his arm felt heavy like he had thrown 110 pitches when in reality it was rather half that. Thus, the Coons also were in their pen by the bottom 5th, all in a scoreless game. Steve Costilow pitched a scoreless fifth, then lined up for the W when the Coons got Ramos on base in the top 6th, he stole second base against Pete Chagnon, finally came home on a Spencer single for the first tally in the contest, and the only one in the top 6th. Kevin Surginer assumed pitching duties in the bottom 6th and lost the combined no-hitter attempt on an infield single by Guillermo Morales, who nevertheless was caught stealing right away by Brett O'Dell, one pitch before Tom Fitzsimmons might have doubled him in with a gapper to right-center. Wojnarowski ended up grounding out to Harenberg to end the inning. Surginer would have completed the seventh, too, but the inning-ending strikeout to Calfee was fumbled by O'Dell, allowing the shortstop to reach on the uncaught third strike. Lefty Curtis Hargraves then pinch-hit for Myles, and the Coons twitched and sent Billy Brotman, who got him to pop up. Ramos made the catch, and the Coons were through seven. Top 8th, Ivan Morales pitching. Juan Magallanes had entered the game in a double switch and was batting ninth, and livened up that .116 batting average by 20 points with a single to right. Ramos lined out to Guillermo Morales in leftfield, and Spencer grounded at Fitzsimmons, who was eaten up by it for an error. Jamieson singled over the disgusting head of disgusting man Ted Gura, loading them up for Harenberg with a chance to do some real damage. Norman Day cut off his liner to right-center that fell for a single, holding the Raccoons to one run, but one run was better than a double play! And the Coons continued to hit! Tim Stalker batted for Billy Brotman and ripped a single up the middle to extend the lead to 3-0. Kopp made it 4-0 with a sac fly, and then Nunley also cracked a single to center to load the bases again, a spot in which O'Dell grounded out to Calfee to end the inning. Barzaga got the Coons through the eighth, but Kearney walked two left-handed batters(!) in the ninth inning before grinding to a halt. Snyder came in again with Max Weigel and Norman Day on second and first, respectively, facing John Calfee with one out. Calfee put a 1-2 pitch in play, grounding to Tim Stalker at short, and the only play was at first base while the runners advanced. Hargraves then grinded out a walk to load the bases and bring up the tying run in pinch-hitter Adrian Crosby … who popped out to short, ending this game. 4-0 Furballs!! Spencer 2-5, RBI; Stalker (PH) 1-1, RBI; Roberts 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K; Surginer 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K; (gasps!) Alright! This win eliminated the Titans, while the Crusaders were eliminated with them in one scoop after losing to the Indians, 3-0. Meanwhile the magic number on the Elks was ONE. ONE more win to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years! Also, still no luck in getting to the stadium. After Tuesday's failure, I drove back down to Portland and wrestled the mascot costume away from Chad. That damn thing smelled like he had been in it without a break for the last 25 years! I drove back north on Wednesday morning, then tried to cross the border in the costume in a forest some distance east of Vancouver. Alas, a 7-foot raccoon sneaking across the border sure enough attracted the attention of yet another Mountie. By 3pm, I was back in the States, and none the wiser. Game 3 POR: SS Ramos – 2B Spencer – LF Jamieson – 1B Harenberg – 3B Nunley – RF Kopp – C O'Dell – CF Magallanes – P Anderson VAN: LF Day – 3B Anton – RF G. Morales – LF Wojnarowski – SS Crosby – C Balcome – 1B Hargraves – 2B Gura – P Gudeman Did the Raccoons get a dream start or did the Elks get off to a terrible one? Both were probably true. The Coons batted through the lineup in the first inning and plated FOUR runs, but the Elks also helped them out beyond belief with two critical errors in the opening frame. Ramos and Spencer singled, and then Jamieson reached on an error by Crosby. Harenberg walked to force in a run, Nunley singled in another one, and then Kopp plated a run on a double play grounder. O'Dell grounded to Matt Anton, who overran the ball for a run-scoring error, and then Magallanes even singled before Anderson was struck out looking to end an Elkish nightmare. With this, they were on the clock. 27 outs to elimination. Norman Day hit a leadoff single in the bottom 1st, but Anton grounded into a double play right away, and though unlikely, Matt Anton managed to dig the Elks' hole even deeper in the third inning. O'Dell and Magallanes were in scoring position with two outs for Kyle Anderson, who grounded to third base, and Anton butchered ANOTHER play. Again, the Raccoons scored a run on the error, going up 5-0. An angry Andrew Gudeman go an angry K on Alberto Ramos to end the inning, but it was all running away from the Elks now. And that was BEFORE Jarod Spencer hit his first homer of the season, a leadoff jack in the fourth that did in Gudeman, who left on the short end of a 6-0 drubbing, half the runs unearned. The Elks didn't get onto the board until the bottom 5th. Adrian Crosby and Riley Balcome went to the corners with a pair of singles against Anderson to begin the frame, but Hargraves chucked a ball into the claws of Nunley for a double play. Crosby scored, but they were still down 6-1 with 12 outs left once Gura flew out easily to Kopp. On to the sixth, Andy Purdy had another encounter with the Coons' sterling top of the order. Ramos and Spencer both scratched him for singles, and he loaded them up when he drilled Matt Jamieson. Nobody out for Harenberg, who grounded into a force out at home, but Matt Nunley beat Day in left with a drive to the base of the wall for a 2-run double! Kopp's run-scoring groundout and O'Dell's 2-out RBI single got the Coons to double digits, and the home crowd was reduced to dejection and despair. There was an eerie silence in the park. And most importantly, no **ing Ray Gilbert to suddenly show up and turn things around. And silence started even before Ramos and Spencer reached yet again against Joe Martin in the seventh and Jamieson doubled them in, and a string of 2-out singles by Nunley, Kopp, and O'Dell plated another two runs for the Critters' third 4-spot in the game. COME ON, ELKS – I CAN'T HEAR YOU!! Anderson left the game in the bottom 7th with a stiff back, replaced by Nick Derks, who was trusted with a 13-run lead and eight outs left to collect, while the Coons also removed most of the key pieces of their inventory from the game around the seventh inning. By the eighth, Ramos and Spencer and Harenberg and Nunley and Kopp were all no longer in the game. On their noses, boys, give them square on the noses! Oh, Nick Derks sure did – he finished the game for the Coons, yielded no runs, and struck out four batters to kill THE DAMN ELKS!! 14-1 Furballs!!! Ramos 1-2, 3 BB; Spencer 4-5, HR, RBI; Jamieson 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Nunley 3-5, 2B, 4 RBI; O'Dell 2-4, BB, RBI; Magallanes 2-5; Anderson 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (10-6); Derks 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K; PORTLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!!!! On the same day, the Thunder wrapped up the South with a 5-3 win over the Falcons, setting us up for a rematch of the 1983, 1995, and 2010 CLCS. The U.S. Navy at Whidbey Island was not inclined to launch a warship or two to amphibiously land me on Canadian shore on Thursday either, so I just went to the airport and flew over to New York to meet the team there. I wore a silly grin all the way to the East Coast. Meanwhile, the Coons would run out the reserves on Thursday, facing not "Furball"(??) Muniz, but another right-hander in Luis Vasquez (2-2, 4.41 ERA). And yes, that was SIX switch-hitters in line starting with Justin Gerace. Game 4 POR: 2B Stalker – SS Gerster – LF Gerace – RF Alfaro – C Tovias – 1B Koel – 3B Bullock – CF Magallanes – P James VAN: LF Day – 3B Anton – RF G. Morales – CF Wojnarowski – 1B Myles – SS Crosby – C Tanzillo – 2B Calfee – P Vasquez Never mind the scrubs in the lineup – Tim Stalker lifted a leadoff jack to start the game as there were barely 14,000 fans at the park one day after the Elks had been righteously eliminated from playoff contention. Those that were there witnessed another frightful spectacle in the first inning, as the Coons threw a handful onto the board even after Butch Gerster singled and was caught stealing by Tanzillo. Gerace singled, Alfaro doubled; Tovias brought home a run with a groundout, and then Koel, Bullock, and Magallanes all had run-scoring base hits of some sort, giving George James a 5-0 cushion right out of the gate. The Raccoons laid down after that and waited to see what would develop with George James. The rookie was absolutely not sharp at all, walking five in as many innings, but the Elks got only three base hits to support their efforts and plated only one run against him through a qualifying amount of innings. Wojnarowski's leadoff double, an RBI single by Crosby, who stole second base, and then an RBI single by Tanzillo knocked out James with one out in the bottom 6th after 99 messy pitches. Steve Costilow took over, then immediately blew the lead when he served up a 2-run homer to John Calfee, who hit his 16th on the year while batting .206. Costilow left with a biceps injury after retiring reliever Dusty Kulp, with Barzaga taking the ball after that and logged four outs before Elias Tovias' leadoff single off Kulp in the top 8th. Jarod Spencer ran for Tovias and stole second base as the bare-bones bottom of the order tried to get the go-ahead run in with nobody out. The Elks opted to walk Kyle Koel intentionally, then got two fly outs from Bullock and Magallanes. With new pitcher J.R. Hreha arriving here, Harenberg batted for Barzaga, but grounded out to end the inning. The Elks got Gura and Tanzillo on against Josh Boles in the bottom 8th before Surginer struck out three, but the Coons wound up losing in the bottom 10th with Jonathan Fleischer, who walked Tony Casillas and George Rego. Casillas was cut down at home by Magallanes on a Day single, but the runners advanced to scoring position and Fleischer plated Rego with a wild pitch… 6-5 Canadiens. Stalker 3-5, HR, 2B, RBI; Koel 3-4, BB, RBI; Bullock 2-5, 2B, RBI; Ah, it. We're still in the playoffs. It was season over for Steve Costilow with that biceps strain and he was struck from the roster after a meh showcase that yielded a 7.07 ERA. On the other hand, the Raccoons managed to activate Rafael Gomez from the DL, who had not played in a game since breaking his front paw on July 9! Raccoons (93-66) @ Crusaders (87-72) – October 2-4, 2026 These games would count nothing and were all about not breaking more paws. The Crusaders had dropped behind the Titans by now, eighth in offense and third in pitching in the league. They still had the best rotation with a 3.17 ERA, but in the end it had not been enough for them. The Coons were up 10-5 in the season series. Projected matchups: Dan Delgadillo (12-6, 2.65 ERA) vs. Carlos Marron (15-7, 2.01 ERA) Rin Nomura (9-5, 2.63 ERA) vs. Eddie Cannon (12-10, 4.09 ERA) Alvin Smith (3-3, 2.70 ERA) vs. Jesse Wright (3-7, 3.57 ERA) Three more right-handers to end the regular season. THE REGULAR SEASON. We would sprinkle out another off day to one everyday player or another here, but not all on the same day. Also, Rafael Gomez would be in the lineup every day to get warm again and to see whether he was a candidate for the playoff roster after all. Game 1 POR: SS Ramos – 2B Spencer – RF Gomez – 1B Harenberg – 3B Nunley – LF Gerace – C O'Dell – CF Magallanes – P Delgadillo NYC: CF Ugolino – LF Espinosa – 3B Schmit – RF Ellis – 1B J. Richardson – 2B McWhorter – C Leal – SS Kane – P Marron Rafael Gomez' body stood a first test in the second inning, slamming into the wall on robbing Jamie Richardson of extra bases, and living to tell about it. Both teams had only two base knocks the first time through the lineup, and for both teams this included the pitcher. Delgadillo hit a single, but Marron hit a 1-out double in the bottom 3rd, and the Crusaders loaded the bases when both Fabien Ugolino and with two down Andy Schmit drew walks. Nate Ellis turned on an 0-2 pitch, drove it to deep center, but was denied by Magallanes making a wonderful catch to end the inning and strand three runners, but Delgadillo remained unconvincing afterwards, allowed leadoff base hits in the fourth to Richardson (single) and Tom McWhorter (double), then surrendered both runs on a pair of groundouts by Armando Leal and Mike Kane, thus putting New York 2-0 ahead. A Juan Espinosa homer put the score even at 3-0 in the fifth, and in the sixth McWhorter whacked another shot off Delgadillo to extend the Crusaders' lead to 4-0. All the while, he Coons had absolutely nothing against Marron, amounting to hardly three soft singles through six innings. Getting a fourth hit took them until the eighth inning when Magallanes dropped a floater into shallow left, but Marron remained unfazed and got the last two outs of the inning from Jamieson on an easy fly to left, then a K on Ramos. This looked like a shutout for Marron until Gomez and Harenberg both singled up the middle with one down in the ninth inning. They went to the corners – first time a Critter had toed third base all game long – and the Crusaders yanked their starter in favor of often-met Travis Giordano and his 3.08 ERA through 87 innings this year. Nunley didn't care and bombed him for a 440-footer to straightaway centerfield – his tenth of the year! Unforunately that left the Coons still one run short. When Gerace singled up the middle to produce the go-ahead run at the plate, Terry Kopp hit for Brett O'Dell. He smacked a 1-0 pitch squarely at Mike Kane, who had no trouble to turn two to end the game. 4-3 Crusaders. Gomez 2-4; Nunley 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; We may want to win a game here or there… the battle for home field advantage in the CLCS was very real, and the Coons and Thunder were even at this point, both with 93-67 records. Either team would have home field advantage over the Buffaloes should they win the FLCS, but neither would have if the Buffaloes lost to whichever California team would wrap up the FL West, which was still contested at this point. Game 2 POR: SS Stalker – 2B Spencer – LF Gomez – 1B Harenberg – 3B Nunley – CF Jamieson – RF Alfaro – C Tovias – P Nomura NYC: CF Ugolino – 2B McWhorter – 3B Schmit – RF Ellis – C F. Delgado – LF R. Allen – 1B Douglas – SS R. Soto – P Cannon The Raccoons could be bothered to score a bit earlier in this game, getting started in the second on a Nunley single, Jamieson double, and then Alfaro pushing a grounder just inches past the glove of McWhorter for a 2-run single. When Tovias was retired for the second out, the inning figured to be fizzling out, but Rin Nomura helped himself with a 2-out single up the middle, and then Tim Stalker deepened the score with an RBI double to center. Spencer grounded out, but maybe that extra run would come handy at some point. In fact, the 3-0 lead looked like it was eroding already in the second inning, in which Nomura issued a single to Lance Douglas after a leadoff walk to Roger Allen, and also walked Ugolino with two outs to load them up. McWhorter grounded out to Stalker, though, keeping the Crusaders off the board. And the pendulum was swinging with some energy – the top of the third inning saw the Coons load them up on straight singles by the 4-5-6 batters, bringing up Alfaro with three on and one out. This time he grounded out, but Lance Douglas, who handled the grounder, only had the out at first base to collect, and a run scored as Harenberg scurried home. An intentional walk brought up Nomura, who grounded out to strand three, then issued another leadoff walk in the bottom 3rd, this time to Schmit, and allowed a single to Nate Ellis. Mound conference – no security gained by it. Felipe Delgado ripped an RBI single, but at least the next spiked ball was shot at Stalker, who turned a 6-4-3 and Douglas flew out to Jamieson in center. 4-1 after three eventful innings. Nomura would not get the win, because he didn't last five innings. The Crusaders continued to run long counts and get on base, and he was removed after 107 pitches that got him only through 4.1 innings. The score was still 4-1, but there were also Schmit, Ellis, and Delgado on the bases and one out when he got yanked. Kevin Surginer got a sac fly from Roger Allen, the only batter he faced, but Kearney allowed an RBI single to Douglas before Soto flew out to Jamieson in deep center, and he score was only 4-3 after five, although Elias Tovias quickly made it 5-3 with a solo homer off Eddie Cannon in the sixth. The Raccoons went do Barzaga in the bottom 6th, and he gave them five outs before a walk to Schmit and a single by Allen put on the squeeze again. The Crusaders sent a left-handed pinch-hitter in Jamie Richardson for left-handed batter Lance Douglas, but that was their business. Any which way, the Coons brought in Billy Brotman in a double switch (exiting Gomez for a healed Cookie), and Billy got a (deep) fly out to Jamieson in center. Top 8th, Nunley led off with a double, then moved to third on Jamieson's single. Alfaro grounded out, not getting anybody in this time, before Tovias walked to load them up, which now brought up Cookie Carmona, who faced new and old reliever Travis Giordano, who had Cookie at 0-2 before surrendering a single up the middle that plated a run. Stalker also hit an RBI single before Spencer flew out to shallow left. That brought up Brotman with three on and two outs, but Portland was up by four, so we let him in the game, because we wanted another few outs from him, if at all possible. In a clear sign to the Crusaders that it was time to go home to the fireplace for the winter, Brotman cracked a 2-1 pitch to right, Richardson dove and missed, as did McWhorter, and Billy had a 2-run single! Those were the final runs in the game; while Jonathan Fleischer loaded the bases with walks in the bottom 9th, Josh Boles came in for the Coons and struck out Richardson before Soto fouled out to end the game. 9-3 Coons! Stalker 2-5, 2 RBI; Harenberg 2-5; Nunley 3-5, 2B; Jamieson 3-5, 2B; Tovias 1-2, 2 BB, HR, RBI; Carmona 1-1, RBI; Barzaga 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K; Brotman 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K and 1-1, 2 RBI; This was the first career hit (in three attempts) for Billy Brotman, and also the first RBIs for him. Also, Kevin Surginer won his ninth game of the season, only one behind Kyle Anderson at the low end of starters that were with us all year. Also, the Thunder lost, giving us good chances for home field in the CLCS. In the FL West, the Pacifics and Scorpions were tied going into the final game. Sacramento would play the Wolves once more. The starter for the Wolves? Jonny Toner (3-3, 3.48 ERA). Game 3 POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – RF Gomez – 1B Kopp – CF Jamieson – LF Carmona – 3B Bullock – C Burrows – P Smith NYC: CF Ugolino – C F. Delgado – 3B Schmit – RF Ellis – 1B J. Richardson – 2B McWhorter – LF I. Vega – SS Kane – P J. Wright Alvin Smith retired nobody before Nate Ellis hit a grand slam following an Ugolino double and two walks to Delgado and Schmit. While Terry Kopp would drive in a pair of unearned runs with a 2-out single in the third inning – Schmit had thrown away the Gomez grounder that should have ended the inning with Stalker on first base – the top of the order gave Alvin Smith nothing but fits and he walked two more in the bottom 3rd while conceding another run on a sac fly. The fifth saw a Gomez home run to cut the gap to 5-3, but also a leadoff walk to Schmit in the bottom half, and that was well enough for Smith after 4+ innings, four hits, and five walks. Josh Boles struck out Ellis, but walked Richardson, and when Nick Derks came in he had nothing better to do than to surrender a 2-out, 2-run double to Ivan Vega. That was probably the game, down 7-3 after five, but who knows – Kevin Surginer got involved in the game in the bottom 7th, getting a double play from McWhorter to erase Richardson having walked against Brotman and to end the inning, and if the Coons now scored five in the top 8th and would hold on, Surginer would end the season with double-digit wins! There was a leadoff walk by Gomez, but that was as much rally as they had in them against righty Brandon Smith. Surginer finished the bottom 8th, too, with the Coons having to try and poke against right-hander Casey Moore in the ninth. Spencer, Gerace, and Alfaro were retired in order to end the regular season. 7-3 Crusaders. Ramos 2-4; Gomez 2-3, BB, HR, RBI; Koel (PH) 1-1; Derks 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K; Surginer 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K; The… REGULAR SEASON. Eh – still enough for home field in the CLCS! In other news September 28 – The Pacifics promise some big bucks to SP Bryan Hanson (13-12, 3.56 ERA), signing the 32-year-old to an early 2-yr, $7.6M extension. September 29 – Despite only 82 wins to their name, the Topeka Buffaloes are the first team to notch a playoff spot by outlingering everyone in a terrible FL East. A 2-0 win over the Capitals clinches the division for them, their seventh playoff berth overall and the second in the last three seasons, although they won 95 games in '24. They have never won the World Series. September 30 – The Gold Sox beat the Scorpions, 3-2, and also end the hitting streak of LF/RF Pablo Sanchez (.300, 9 HR, 75 RBI), who goes 0-for-4 in the game. October 2 – The Scorpions walk off for a 4-3, 11-inning win against the Wolves when a wild pitch by Salem's Kaleb Babcock (4-9, 4.42 ERA) plates SAC LF/RF Pablo Sanchez (.301, 9 HR, 75 RBI) after his leadoff triple. October 3 – SAC INF/LF Jorge Castro (.270, 14 HR, 102 RBI) drives in five runs on three base hits as the Scorpions clobber the Wolves, 16-3. October 5 – The FL West tie-breaker goes to extra innings, where veteran utility player Erik Janes (.241, 5 HR, 31 RBI) lifts the Pacifics in the top of the 11th, singling home Ben Cook (.246, 4 HR, 66 RBI) for the deciding run in L.A.'s 4-3 win. This ends a string of seven consecutive playoff appearances for the Scorpions, the longest streak in ABL history, and lifts the Pacifics to the postseason for the first time since 2018 and the tenth time overall. Complaints and stuff (still wears that stupid grin) You know, sometimes losing the season series to the Elks doesn't matter. We won the important games! We met the Thunder (who we went 5-4 against this year) three times in the CLCS, beating them in 1983 and 2010 on six games each, but got swept by them in '95. The good news – none of the players on the 1995 Thunder are still on their roster. Jonny Toner lasted six, allowing four hits and two runs to the Scorpions on Sunday, enough to take the loss. He ends the season with a 3.43 ERA and more question marks than before. Denzel Durr won that game, his 13th of the year, and since L.A. also won, the teams were set up for a run-off contest on Monday. Even with this great success, we still have a cringer. Our A-level team, the Aumsville Beagles, kinda blew the horn this season. They lost triple digits. Now, bear in mind, that they only play a 140-game season down there. Yup, they went 37-103, and we canned the entire single-A coaching staff in one big swoop, including pitching coach Cisco Andrade, who had been in the organization for 15 years. PLAYOOOOOOOOFFFFFFSSSSS!!!! See ya at Game 1! Fun Fact:** No team from outside California has won the FL West in more than a decade. In fact, going back to 2008, when the Stars won the last of four consecutive division titles, the division has been taken 15 out of 18 times by either the Scorpions (8) or the Pacifics (7). The Warriors took the remaining years, three in a row from 2013 through 2015. The dry spells of the Wolves (22 years) and Gold Sox (23 years) are the longest active in the majors, followed by the Indians' 20 years of futility. Yup, the last time the Wolves made the playoffs, Alberto Ramos (born December 20, 2005) had yet to be conceived. Attached Images __________________ Portland Raccoons, 92 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here. Last edited by Westheim; 10-24-2018 at 05:56 AM.