HISTORY 2001
As you might expect with a 0-20 summer team, there were as many positives off the field as there were on the playing diamond for the WHAT? Sftbll in 2001.
A major shakeup in the Lake County softball landscape occurred Sunday night, March 5 as it was announced that WHAT? Sftbll will move to Thursday nights under the nick-name Go Jo's. In a merger that takes effect for the 2001 summer season, the two circuits agreed on a one year trial period.
By far the starting line-up was the brightest spot on the adult-league team, but even they couldn’t do it alone as poor defense early and a year-long problem of getting on base contributed to the team’s woes.
And finding the worst stories for a last-place team shouldn’t be hard right?
But don’t forget, the WHAT? record during this rebuilding phase is by design. If they wanted to win a few more games they wouldn’t have let go several key veterans during the off-season. So the five worst stories for the WHAT? in 2001 have little to do with actual games won or lost.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for a career worst season after back-to-back All-Star bids.
Tim Sotomayor, Scott Wilson and Torre Gardner combine batting average dipped to an average of .315 and there play in the field was just as curious as ever -- at least early in the season. A better final month-and-a-half on offense and defense gives hope for 2002, but did the WHAT? Club mess with them too much to be fixed?
Four significant starting position players on this team suffered injuries that either put them out of action for a lengthy period, or made their performance decline while they were playing, or both.
The WHAT? Club never really had a lockdown defensive player, even after signing a guy who was supposed to be that Gold Glover’. Largely as a result, they lost THIRDTEEN games they led entering the seventh inning. In 2000, they lost four such games. Win ten of those thirteen this year and the WHAT? Sftbll are in the postseason.
If someone were to describe to you the current state of the WHAT? Sftbll franchise, you would be nearly certain you were listening to the retelling of a large-budget flea market summer blockbuster.
On July 31st, at his farewell press conference Scott Wilson took full responsibly for the team's collapse and wretched management. Wilson also commented on some of the off-season moves, which he felt he made some miscalculations about certain talented athletes who never produce.
The down-trodden sponsor of one of game's most storied and beloved franchises, historically wrought with strange elements of fantasy and the paranormal, maligned after more than 4 months of failure, commits to one of the grandest organizational reboots the industry has ever seen.
Together the two assemble a team of young, scrappy die-hards ( Nestor Toro, Mike Vela ), veteran has-beens ( Dennis Wuorenma, Joey Ratliff ) and outsiders who never thought they'd have a chance (Brian Sheehan), all to keep the ship afloat while the young superstars-to-be get their lumps in. When the time is right-- they'll strike, using an enormous war chest of cash and resources to bring home the first Fall League Sunday Night Championship title.
