Bandit Post, 5.0, 2000

[aaronweiner]

Well, there goes the season. It's not so much that the Birmingham Bandits didn't live up to expectations this year; most would say that they've actually exceeded their meager expectations. But, tied for the wild card lead two weeks ago, Birmingham is now nine games behind the Calgary Marauders and thirteen behind Marquette. A season which could have had the Bandits as a surprise wild card will most likely now end with the Bandits missing the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

"It's not like we're not disappointed, but we've tried our best and done the best we can," said catcher Pat Larkin, who continues to lead the Frick in batting average. "And it just isn't enough this year."

There's been a lot of disappointment, of course (more later) but, overall, this has been a better team than some expected. A winning season would be the team's fifth in seven seasons and highlights tremendous consistency: Birmingham has won between 77 and 88 games in every year of its existence.

"We're a proud franchise, but we'd like to have a 90-win season one of these days," said manager Margarito Escobar. "It's about time."

[scottsdale_joe]

You're due.
Maybe next year.

[recte44]

Yeah, Birmingham seems snakebit.