Off Topic
Winning Streak Fuels Imaginations!
August 25, 2058: Hawaii – A fifth-inning homer off the bat of oft-maligned catcher Pedro Jimenez carried the Bikini Krill to a 3-2 victory over the Tropics tonight, keeping alive a seven-game winning streak and setting up an ultra-Cinderella situation in which fans can now see the team sitting only four games back from a post-season appearance.
“That would be wild,” said Menny Himosa, a fan from Malaisia who took to social media after right-hander Shea Valance retired the Tropics in order to acquire his 18th save on the season. Starter Jayden Nicholls got the victory, his 9th on the season.
Let’s face facts here. A post season appearance is not a safe bet in any way. But it is a bet – one the most sportsbooks are putting at about 19:1 odds. And at this rate, maybe anything is possible. Since the All-Star break, the team went 12-6 in July against Heartland competition, and is 17-11 since returning to division foes. That seven-game streak will see some stiff resistance after an off-day when Sacramento comes to Forever Land for a four-game tilt, but with the club’s starting pitching seeming to settle a bit, the Krill are hitting on all cylinders.
The offense—fueled by a stream of solid young players and a resurgent year from third-baseman Run-ming Gui—is fourth in the league in runs scored, second in homers and slugging, third in on-base percentage and extra base hits. The bullpen has had streaks of brilliance and streaks of … um .. not so much brilliance, but the big news is that the rotation seems to be settling with Nicholls, mid-season signing Armando Ramirez, Francisco Ortiz, and the still-surprising Norberto Garcia joining Samuel Nebraska by taking more routine slots. With their stabilization, the club’s SP ERA has dropped to 4.18, good for 8th best in the Frick League.
“We’re a better team than our record indicates,” said manager Richard Lawson. “And we’re not giving up the ship until we have to. If there’s a chance, there’s a chance, and these guys want to win as much as they want to have fun. We’ll be getting Carlos (Silva) and Keith (Williams) back any time now, and that can’t do anything but help.”
Lawson also ruminated on the rugged months of May (9-20) and June (9-18) that seemed to have doomed the club. “We were dealing with a couple injuries, and sorting through some question marks on who could play big-league baseball right now and who couldn’t,” he said. “Some of that is on me, and some of it is just the nature of sorting through a young team as it finds its beat.”
At present, though, it seems like the squad has found that beat, and it’s been a right-proper rhythm, it has.
“Literally anything is possible!” Himosa posted. “Anything is possible! You can bet the Atoll will be rocking this week!”
Attendance Reaches New High
As Krill fans begin to boil and roil with exotic dreams of post-season appearances, it’s worthwhile to note that with a month remaining in the season, the team’s attendance at Forever Park sits at 2.37M, a number that surpasses last season’s jump to 2.18M after struggling to see even a million fans while in the dogdays of the franchise’s time in Seattle. As a result of this, the club’s gate revenue projects to considerably exceed last season’s.
“It would be great to be able to spend up to the salary cap,” said GM Ron Collins. “But that’s a thing for another time. Right now, I’ve got a team shooting for a place in the silly exhibition tournament to deal with.”
August 25, 2058: Hawaii – A fifth-inning homer off the bat of oft-maligned catcher Pedro Jimenez carried the Bikini Krill to a 3-2 victory over the Tropics tonight, keeping alive a seven-game winning streak and setting up an ultra-Cinderella situation in which fans can now see the team sitting only four games back from a post-season appearance.
“That would be wild,” said Menny Himosa, a fan from Malaisia who took to social media after right-hander Shea Valance retired the Tropics in order to acquire his 18th save on the season. Starter Jayden Nicholls got the victory, his 9th on the season.
Let’s face facts here. A post season appearance is not a safe bet in any way. But it is a bet – one the most sportsbooks are putting at about 19:1 odds. And at this rate, maybe anything is possible. Since the All-Star break, the team went 12-6 in July against Heartland competition, and is 17-11 since returning to division foes. That seven-game streak will see some stiff resistance after an off-day when Sacramento comes to Forever Land for a four-game tilt, but with the club’s starting pitching seeming to settle a bit, the Krill are hitting on all cylinders.
The offense—fueled by a stream of solid young players and a resurgent year from third-baseman Run-ming Gui—is fourth in the league in runs scored, second in homers and slugging, third in on-base percentage and extra base hits. The bullpen has had streaks of brilliance and streaks of … um .. not so much brilliance, but the big news is that the rotation seems to be settling with Nicholls, mid-season signing Armando Ramirez, Francisco Ortiz, and the still-surprising Norberto Garcia joining Samuel Nebraska by taking more routine slots. With their stabilization, the club’s SP ERA has dropped to 4.18, good for 8th best in the Frick League.
“We’re a better team than our record indicates,” said manager Richard Lawson. “And we’re not giving up the ship until we have to. If there’s a chance, there’s a chance, and these guys want to win as much as they want to have fun. We’ll be getting Carlos (Silva) and Keith (Williams) back any time now, and that can’t do anything but help.”
Lawson also ruminated on the rugged months of May (9-20) and June (9-18) that seemed to have doomed the club. “We were dealing with a couple injuries, and sorting through some question marks on who could play big-league baseball right now and who couldn’t,” he said. “Some of that is on me, and some of it is just the nature of sorting through a young team as it finds its beat.”
At present, though, it seems like the squad has found that beat, and it’s been a right-proper rhythm, it has.
“Literally anything is possible!” Himosa posted. “Anything is possible! You can bet the Atoll will be rocking this week!”
Attendance Reaches New High
As Krill fans begin to boil and roil with exotic dreams of post-season appearances, it’s worthwhile to note that with a month remaining in the season, the team’s attendance at Forever Park sits at 2.37M, a number that surpasses last season’s jump to 2.18M after struggling to see even a million fans while in the dogdays of the franchise’s time in Seattle. As a result of this, the club’s gate revenue projects to considerably exceed last season’s.
“It would be great to be able to spend up to the salary cap,” said GM Ron Collins. “But that’s a thing for another time. Right now, I’ve got a team shooting for a place in the silly exhibition tournament to deal with.”