If there is a predominant factor to explain the under-performance of the Portland Wild Things this season, it would be the injuries they have suffered to key players. Shortstop Willie Romero, arguably the best defensive player in the WPK, missed 5 weeks at the beginning of the season with a calf strain and is now back on the IL with a strained hamstring suffered on July 29th and is not expected back until mid-September. They are also without starting pitchers Jason Good and Jared Johnson (team captain) until at least early September and their young star center fielder Quincy Schultz is expected to miss 3 more weeks with an intercostal strain (having been out for about a week already). And now they get the news that perhaps the biggest star of the team, Justin Ficklin, has been lost for the season. Ficklin is a distraction in the clubhouse (disruptive) but he is a force on the field and his loss might be the final nail in the Wild Things coffin this season when it comes to any hopes of getting back into contention for the MGL West division title.
The San Antonio Keys also got some bad news, though with their deep and talented lineup they will likely still be able to win the SJL West, when they learned that their MVP-candidate second baseman John Mussaw's recovery from a hamstring strain is not going well and he is not expected to return to action until at least early September. While this won't likely keep the Keys from another pennant, it might mean that Mussaw won't win his second straight SJL MVP award.
Denver Brewers fans were very pleased to learn that 26-year old left-handed starting pitcher
Austin Bond has inked a contract with the club for the 1984 season, getting a well deserved raise from league minimum ($58K) to $250K next season. The signing wasn't a surprise given that
Bond still has two more years of arbitration eligibility but many were relieved to see this box checked well before the stretch run of this season.
