That's What Cheesehead: 36.51 - That's All Folks

[7teen]

It was a slow, agonizing death of a finish for the Wolves of Madison in 2036. A season that started with high hopes and promise finished about as poorly as anyone could have hoped. After a rebound last season from the losing campaign in 2034, the Wolves appeared ready to turn the corner and appeared to be competitive in the tough Frick League this season. But a 7-20 final month capped off a 69-93 finish, the worst season for a team in Madison since 2030. It left many in the front office wondering what to do next.

"I'm not really sure where we go from here" said Madison Wolves GM Chris Wilson after the team concluded the season this week, losers of their final 6 games including being swept in Des Moines to finish the season. "We acquired some pitching last off-season that we thought would solidify us as at least a contender for a post-season spot. No, we didn't think we were a lock by any means but we thought we'd be competitive. We were early, but it just fell apart midway through the first half of the season and we never recovered. This final month just dreadful on all fronts."

Obviously some of the final month woes can be attributed to the September call-ups. The Wolves called up several guys from the farm and gave them opportunities to make appearances. Most of the young arms used down the stretch had little to no success which doesn't bode well moving into 2037 when looking for help from within.

Another problem down the stretch could be lineup construction by the Wolves. The club went with an offensive approach and put defense aside and it accounted for the worst month of the season. There was some speculation from within that the club would approach 2037 with a similar offensive approach and hope the defense would be ok but if September 2036 is any indication, that may not work.

"It's going to be an interesting off-season for sure" said Wilson. "We are going to have to figure out this roster and see what we can do. We scored the fewest runs in the division and allowed the most runs in the Heartland. That's never a good combination."