September 10, 2063 — All That Glitters Is Not Gold
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the Gold are falling apart.
With three weeks left in the season, Johannesburg has surrendered the division lead, lost six of their last eight, and is now clinging to a one-game edge for the second Wild Card spot like it’s the last rail on a crumbling bridge.
If the playoffs started today, the Gold would be backing into them like a minibus taxi with three flat tires and no brakes. And if that sounds harsh, it’s only because what we’ve witnessed over the last ten days isn’t just bad baseball, it’s soft baseball. Lethargic at-bats. Shaky bullpens. And a clubhouse, by all accounts, inching toward open revolt.
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From Golden Start to Gold-Plated Meltdown
The warning signs have been there. We were all just too busy calculating playoff clinch scenarios to see the rot underneath.
The Cairo series? Dropped two of three -- at home, no less -- to a team that sold its soul at the deadline and now fields a lineup made of spare parts and motivational slogans. The bullpen imploded, and nobody in the dugout seemed interested in fixing it.
Then came the trip to Tokyo, where the Gold faced a real playoff team and looked like Junior Varsity filler. Max Dawe, the club’s highest-paid player, turned in a performance so flat it should’ve come with a warning label. Three innings, seven earned, and a social media firestorm later, and he’s the new face of the fade.
Buenos Aires, last place in the division and already mathematically allergic to October baseball, just handed the Gold a 5–2 loss with one timely swing and a shrug. Johannesburg’s offense managed three hits total. This isn’t a slump. This is a systemic collapse.
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A GM’s Vision or a Failure to Plan?
You want to know who doesn’t look rattled right now? The Sydney Sharks. Winners of seven straight. Leaders of the division by three full games.
So while we’re at it, let’s ask the uncomfortable question: Did GM Graham Luna build a roster capable of withstanding the pressure of a playoff chase?
Because right now, the answer feels like no.
Kiminobu Seki is the only pitcher showing any backbone (0.77 ERA in his last two starts, bless him). But the rest of the rotation looks lost. The bullpen is throwing gasoline on leads. And while the deadline trade for Dima Rozinov gave us a sexy double-play combo on paper, he’s coming off a week of hitting .091 and Callum Montgomerie's bat looks allergic to contact. His vocal contract extension talks have not made things better.
Players' agents are expressing their displeasure on podcast. The lineup looks disinterested. Rumors swirl about discontent with skipper Alberto Sanchez, who reportedly received a one-year extension before this tailspin began. If Luna’s move was a vote of confidence, it may have come three weeks too early.
Ten games remain on this road trip. The Sharks are surging. The Monarchs are one game back in the Wild Card. The Pilots are looking to go kamikaze on playoff hopefuls they face.
And the Gold?
Well, they’d better find their identity fast. Because for all the April hype and midsummer joy, September doesn’t care about past results. It only counts wins. And right now, Johannesburg doesn’t have nearly enough of those.
Prove me wrong, gentlemen.
—JvW
