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End of an Era
Late in Game 4, the Washington Bats were down 5-2 entering the bottom of the eight against the Windy City Playboys. Already down three games to none, the end was near. The Bats rallied to score two in the 8th but gave up a run in the 9th. Pinch hitter Victor Montano popped out for the first out. Cy Gray hit a full-count single. Manny Reyes popped out. Pinch hitter Victor Sandoval hit an RBI double. Two outs. Runner on second. Down one. Arguably the Bats best hitter all season at the plate, Antonio Cardenas. 1-0 pitch…ground out. Series over. Era over.
Immediately following the Playboys celebration at The Capital, the team announced that all ticket holders for the previously scheduled Game Five would be invited back for a free evening of beers, vendor food and a big announcement from the front office.
Tuesday, October 11th, 2005, the stadium was filled once again but no game was to be played. The 40-man roster was introduced and cheered on by the fans. At the podium was owner Danny Martinez and GM Pat McLaughlin.
“I can’t say this was an amazing year. Frustrating might be a better word,” said Martinez. “I expect this team to compete for the Brewmaster’s every year and after winning the last three, we failed to reach our goal. I would like to thank all the fans for their support and I now leave the microphone to your general manager to give you some news about going forward from here. See you all next season. Let's try and win it again!”
McLaughlin stood at the podium and looked down at the long line of players.
“I’m going to make this as quick and painless as possible. The 2005 season is over and we are immediately starting to make plans for next year. With that in mind, the roster is going to look a bit different.............Officially on the trade block are closer Clarence “Doodle” Ortiz, OF Heishu Shiraishi and C Mal “The Crow” Brady. If these players can’t be traded before the year turns over they will be released.”
The crowd immediately was blown away. Some were screaming. Some crying. Some speechless. These are three of the most popular players in D.C. history. “Doodle” is the franchise leader in saves, with more than 100 more than the #2 on the list. Shiraishi has been the starting CF for the past seven years. “The Crow” is second to only Mike Murdock on the Washington homerun list. The players had to know this was a possibility. Ortiz and Shiraishi were on expiring contract all year. Brady is scheduled to make $16.25M next year on a team option that would be the highest salary on the team. Ortiz and Brady’s first year with the club was 1995. Shiraishi was drafted in 1996. Now, heading towards 2006, all three are likely to be playing for different clubs.
In the two days that have followed rumors are swirling about the coaching staff as well. Martinez is a demanding owner and the first year with Youp Koen as manager, Brad Flowers as bench coach and John Royce as hitting coach, did not go as expected. Sources say if the right personnel is available in the off-season, they might clean house.
This team will look a lot different next season but the expectations will probably be the same.
Late in Game 4, the Washington Bats were down 5-2 entering the bottom of the eight against the Windy City Playboys. Already down three games to none, the end was near. The Bats rallied to score two in the 8th but gave up a run in the 9th. Pinch hitter Victor Montano popped out for the first out. Cy Gray hit a full-count single. Manny Reyes popped out. Pinch hitter Victor Sandoval hit an RBI double. Two outs. Runner on second. Down one. Arguably the Bats best hitter all season at the plate, Antonio Cardenas. 1-0 pitch…ground out. Series over. Era over.
Immediately following the Playboys celebration at The Capital, the team announced that all ticket holders for the previously scheduled Game Five would be invited back for a free evening of beers, vendor food and a big announcement from the front office.
Tuesday, October 11th, 2005, the stadium was filled once again but no game was to be played. The 40-man roster was introduced and cheered on by the fans. At the podium was owner Danny Martinez and GM Pat McLaughlin.
“I can’t say this was an amazing year. Frustrating might be a better word,” said Martinez. “I expect this team to compete for the Brewmaster’s every year and after winning the last three, we failed to reach our goal. I would like to thank all the fans for their support and I now leave the microphone to your general manager to give you some news about going forward from here. See you all next season. Let's try and win it again!”
McLaughlin stood at the podium and looked down at the long line of players.
“I’m going to make this as quick and painless as possible. The 2005 season is over and we are immediately starting to make plans for next year. With that in mind, the roster is going to look a bit different.............Officially on the trade block are closer Clarence “Doodle” Ortiz, OF Heishu Shiraishi and C Mal “The Crow” Brady. If these players can’t be traded before the year turns over they will be released.”
The crowd immediately was blown away. Some were screaming. Some crying. Some speechless. These are three of the most popular players in D.C. history. “Doodle” is the franchise leader in saves, with more than 100 more than the #2 on the list. Shiraishi has been the starting CF for the past seven years. “The Crow” is second to only Mike Murdock on the Washington homerun list. The players had to know this was a possibility. Ortiz and Shiraishi were on expiring contract all year. Brady is scheduled to make $16.25M next year on a team option that would be the highest salary on the team. Ortiz and Brady’s first year with the club was 1995. Shiraishi was drafted in 1996. Now, heading towards 2006, all three are likely to be playing for different clubs.
In the two days that have followed rumors are swirling about the coaching staff as well. Martinez is a demanding owner and the first year with Youp Koen as manager, Brad Flowers as bench coach and John Royce as hitting coach, did not go as expected. Sources say if the right personnel is available in the off-season, they might clean house.
This team will look a lot different next season but the expectations will probably be the same.
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