Wake Me Up When September Ends

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Wake Me Up When September Ends

Post by Patrick M » Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:29 am

Second Basemen Larry Barkin swung at the first pitch he saw. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th, a hard hit ground ball ended up in the first basemen's glove before Barkin was even halfway up the baseline. The 4-7 loss completed the sweep for the Valencia Stars. Losing to a 60-77 team, the loss, and the series, felt like the end of, well, something.

The Des Moines Kernals find themselves at 68-75 and 8.5 games back of the Wild Card. With their playoff percentage now at below 0.1%, the season is pretty much over. Following the week, new GM Patrick McLaughlin addressed the media.

"Is it over? I mean, I like to think we are still in the hunt until we are officially eliminated."

With that said, actions are louder than words. In the wake of the dire situation, the Kernals have made numerous roster moves looking to next season. Catcher Joe Bradshaw, the teams starter the past three seasons was sent his pink slip. A few other players on non-guarantee contracts for 2055, have been placed on waivers. The expanded roster added over 10 players today from Triple-A.

"We are still trying to win. I have clear, and I can't say this more specifically, clear instructions from ownership to compete. I was hired with the goal of finishing the season close to .500 ball. We aren't where we want to be, but if the season ended today, this is our 4th best season dating back to 2036. We are a competitive ballclub and I have been hired to keep it that way."

That's not the only silver lining. Since his hiring, McLaughlin has drastically improved the attendance numbers and is giving more reps to players who need development. Namely for starting pitchers: Marshall Taylor, Tommy Akers and Ishtaq Dar. The latter, Dar, has been given six starts under the new management, posting a 2.67 ERA.

A season after reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2008, expectations were above this to enter the year. Whenever there is front office turnover, the scapegoat often becomes the manager. McLaughlin during his first week on the job replaced almost every single minor league coach they had, in addition to a new trainer, bench coach, 1B coach and 3B coach. This would suggest that the manager at the highest level, Ricardo Alomar, may be on the hot seat. When asked to address the rumor that if they don't make the playoffs, Alomar would be fired, McLaughlin probably left more confusion than resolution.

"Sometimes you win in this game. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you have years left on your deal and you get fired. Other times a contractual agreement is not met and you part ways. Some people say that cucumbers taste better pickled. So, I really can't speak to Alomar."
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Heartland Division Champions: 2055
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Re: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Post by neugey » Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:01 am

It's September 9th and only 1 out of 32 teams has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. That is wild.
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Re: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Post by Dington » Wed Apr 19, 2023 12:44 pm

neugey wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:01 am
It's September 9th and only 1 out of 32 teams has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. That is wild.
That is actually pretty bizarre.
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Re: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Post by Jwalk100 » Wed Apr 19, 2023 12:46 pm

Parity is the theme this season.
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Re: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Post by chicoruiz » Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:45 pm

I'm the proud GM of The Team That Parity Forgot....
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Re: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Post by CTBrewCrew » Sat Apr 22, 2023 6:17 am

chicoruiz wrote:
Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:45 pm
I'm the proud GM of The Team That Parity Forgot....
LMAO
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Re: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Post by Trebro » Sat Apr 22, 2023 1:03 pm

chicoruiz wrote:
Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:45 pm
I'm the proud GM of The Team That Parity Forgot....
One liner of the year candidate.
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Re: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Post by Jess64 » Sun Apr 23, 2023 2:36 pm

Interesting article, losing to a team with a losing record is tough for sure.
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