The End of an Era in Omaha: Pere’s Tearful Goodbye
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 9:59 am
The 1 player whom is most synonymous with success in Omaha, Lance Pere, said goodbye to Barnstormers’ nation after a 16 year marriage today as a deal was consummated with Carolina that saw promising, young 2B Jason MacKinney, quality OF prospect Thomas Katongo and depth pitching prospect Harry Martin coming the other way; however, this article is not meant to focus on the return, but rather serve as a tribute to the most well-recognized, influential and beloved player in Barnstormers’ history.
“We discussed the possibility in the offseason, of me moving on, but the timing of it really made no sense to me… the team was winning and still within striking distance of the division – and to compound it I was moved to a team that is even worse off in the standings thus far. Right now, it is just a lot to take in, but all I can say is that I am going to be a Kraken for now – and maybe I’ll even re-sign with them, but I’ll always be a Barnstormer at heart.”
The 37 year old Pere had been with the club his entire career, starting straight with the ML roster at the tender age of 22 in 1993. By 1995 (after putting up a .864 OPS in 1994 in a utility role) at the age of 24 Pere supplanted himself as the Barnstormer’s every day 2B… and the love affair between fan and player was born – being nurtured throughout the next 13 seasons as year after year Lance returned to reprise his role. His first truly breakout year was 1997 when, at age 26, he posted a .977 OPS and 5.1 WAR, solidifying his place as one of the truly elite players in the MBBA. He went on to rank in the top 10 in OPS 3 other times including 1997 (1998, 2004 and 2007) on the way to maintaining a career .892 OPS. As the leader of the Barnstormers, Pere brought the team to 4 WC playoff appearances in ’01, ’02, ’04 and ’05 – including an absolute offensive clinic in ’01 (1.035 OPS) that brought the Barnstormers’ their first (and only 1 of 2) playoff series victory in team history. Noone knows how the team would have fared in ’05 (the team’s only other playoff series victory) had Pere (or Jay Lee) not been injured in September… or how the next series would have played out had Omaha held on and allowed Pere the last few days he needed to rehab and get back in the lineup… but his role in their being there in the first place is undeniable. Not only did Lance bring a power bat to the heart of the lineup, but he brought a sense of relevancy that no player throughout Omaha’s history has matched. In his absence an even further onus will be placed on Tobias Kelly to lead this team into the new era.
Both Pere and Lee continued to perform in ’06 and ’07; however, the recurring back ailments to standout Eric Rouse served as the death knell for the team’s playoff aspirations under the former window of opportunity. Heading into the ’08 season, it was clear that for a new window to open, certain difficult moves needed to be made – and this was one of them. For today; however, Barnstormer’s nation will choose to remember the past… and leave the future for tomorrow. A full season in ’08 will have Lance on pace to collect his 2000th career hit this year… and you can be sure that every TV in Nebraska will be tuned in for that historic moment – cheering on their prodigal son.
“We discussed the possibility in the offseason, of me moving on, but the timing of it really made no sense to me… the team was winning and still within striking distance of the division – and to compound it I was moved to a team that is even worse off in the standings thus far. Right now, it is just a lot to take in, but all I can say is that I am going to be a Kraken for now – and maybe I’ll even re-sign with them, but I’ll always be a Barnstormer at heart.”
The 37 year old Pere had been with the club his entire career, starting straight with the ML roster at the tender age of 22 in 1993. By 1995 (after putting up a .864 OPS in 1994 in a utility role) at the age of 24 Pere supplanted himself as the Barnstormer’s every day 2B… and the love affair between fan and player was born – being nurtured throughout the next 13 seasons as year after year Lance returned to reprise his role. His first truly breakout year was 1997 when, at age 26, he posted a .977 OPS and 5.1 WAR, solidifying his place as one of the truly elite players in the MBBA. He went on to rank in the top 10 in OPS 3 other times including 1997 (1998, 2004 and 2007) on the way to maintaining a career .892 OPS. As the leader of the Barnstormers, Pere brought the team to 4 WC playoff appearances in ’01, ’02, ’04 and ’05 – including an absolute offensive clinic in ’01 (1.035 OPS) that brought the Barnstormers’ their first (and only 1 of 2) playoff series victory in team history. Noone knows how the team would have fared in ’05 (the team’s only other playoff series victory) had Pere (or Jay Lee) not been injured in September… or how the next series would have played out had Omaha held on and allowed Pere the last few days he needed to rehab and get back in the lineup… but his role in their being there in the first place is undeniable. Not only did Lance bring a power bat to the heart of the lineup, but he brought a sense of relevancy that no player throughout Omaha’s history has matched. In his absence an even further onus will be placed on Tobias Kelly to lead this team into the new era.
Both Pere and Lee continued to perform in ’06 and ’07; however, the recurring back ailments to standout Eric Rouse served as the death knell for the team’s playoff aspirations under the former window of opportunity. Heading into the ’08 season, it was clear that for a new window to open, certain difficult moves needed to be made – and this was one of them. For today; however, Barnstormer’s nation will choose to remember the past… and leave the future for tomorrow. A full season in ’08 will have Lance on pace to collect his 2000th career hit this year… and you can be sure that every TV in Nebraska will be tuned in for that historic moment – cheering on their prodigal son.
I was waiting for his contract to expire, and hoping that he retires after that. But it looks like he still has some juice in him.