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Pittsburgh, Pa. -
As soon as Robby Sisson's bat cracked, the once loud Pittsburgh crowd was silent. The same result that has plagued this team over the entirety of it's history has happened again. Another early exit from the playoffs.
Last year the team was great during the regular season, and that team was three outs away from sweeping Wilmington in the wild card round before former Miller Ethan Bafford hit a walkoff three run home run in game 2, causing the series to go three games. Which, we all knew how would play out.
What is different this season? Or, rather, what could be different this season? Not a whole lot.
Well for starters, pun intended, the team has added one of the games best up and coming lefties in Ian 'Extreme' Lofink, in a trade with Dallas that seemingly was completed during last season. Lofink's strong spring and success early in his career has earned him the number two slot in the rotation. The pitching, always a concern for the Millers looks to be improved from last season. Heading into opening day, the rotation will line up as:
Jarrod Syversten, RHP (34)
Ian Lofink, LHP (25)
SC Zhang, RHP (26)
Tom Pryor, RHP (27)
Ron Bynum, LHP (29)
Joey Marohnic, RHP (27)
This six man unit should certainly be one of the games best staffs, especially considering that they will have a good amount of run support this season. We spoke to Jarrod Syversten, the team's ace and one of the best pitchers in Millers' history, about this:
"You know, last year, I thought we had a really good staff, it wasn't quite like the years before with TT (Todd Taylor), JT and me at the top, but we felt like we could compete every night. I feel the same about this group. Man, 'lo (Lofink) just looks like a guy that I'm happy to have here. His stuff is pretty nasty, this spring we kind of talked about his mechanics and how he can be so smooth and just seein' his heat at 95, and how he mixes in that slow curveball and that change...kinda basic but his command is something that is extremely impressive. I didn't have command of my stuff like that until I was...I don't know, 28? We should be good. Our goal this year is to be the best and I hope we can make that happen."
Syversten, of course, has been the mainstay in the Millers rotation as he now enters his 10th season with the club. Last season was his best with the club as he posted an 18-9 record, with a 2.97 ERA, earning him 3rd in the DL Pale Ale award voting.
On the offensive side, the team has a ton of promise.
We had a long sit down with Millers CF Jamie O'Hearn about what the loss meant to him in the playoffs, and the video will be posted on pittsburghmillers.blb.com later this week. Here were some of the more surprising things that he had to say.
"Last season, missing time really gave me a different perspective on the game. It showed me how important it is to stay on the field, even though we really didn't miss a beat without me. That scares me man, honestly. It just goes to show how replaceable anyone truly is. I don't like that feeling. Another feeling I don't like, is ******* losing in the ******* playoffs every year. I'm tired of this $**t. What do I have to do? The last two years in the playoffs I've had 14 hits in 6 games. And what? nothing. We didn't get the job done. I'm the leader of this team. I know we have 24 other guys here and the coaches and the front office and owners and stuff, I get that. But this is my team. I don't like to be a guy that gets in people's faces and stuff but that's different this year. I'm 27 now, bro. I've been out of the first round once in 5 playoff trips. That's not why I play the game. I've had enough success in this league personally. I don't care if I haven't won any postseason awards or anything like that. I want a ring. I want a ring, here, with my guys. That's it now. Everyday I am challenging these guys to be better. I don't care. You're gonna see a different guy this season, anytime you wanna talk to someone in the clubhouse you start with me from now on. I told the coaches before camp started that everything has to go through me now. Not decisions or anything like that, but if we have a problem or something I need to know. They seemed to be cool with it so that's it."
The Millers of course had a response to O'Hearn's passionate plea:
Millers' GM Mike C said this.
"That's fine with me. Jamie wants to be a more vocal person in the clubhouse, I have no issues with that. I welcome it. Losing sucks for everyone. He's experienced it 5 times in his career. I've sat in my box and watched our team lose it's last game for 11 years of the 13 I've been here. I hate it too. Trust me, I work to get that ring just like he does. I'm tried of the snarky comments I've received in league meetings. I look forward to someday raising the banner with the guys one the next years opening day."
The Millers projected lineup will look like this:
2B Vickers (27)
DH/CF Gurley (25) / Ontiveros
1B Stoll (27)
CF/DH O'Hearn (27)
LF Garcia (26)
RF Marcus (25)
C Foshee (28)
3B Seibert (24)
SS Skolfield (25)
That team should score a lot of runs.
From all accounts, it seems like this team will attempt to stay under the radar as much as they can. It doesn't seem as if they will be loud in the media, or active participants in league discussions. For them, it's business time. Last season is last season. It's over and done with, there's nothing more that can be done. It's time to focus on what's ahead of them and that should be winning ballgames beginning Monday in Maine.
The mentality of the team? It can be summed up briefly, in a comment by Dave Seibert, seemingly the only comment he's made since being on the big league club.
"We're out for blood. We didn't make many changes. We all know he we felt last year. I can't wait for people to doubt us. They'll learn quick"
And Pat Vickers?
"Jame said what needed to be said. One day at a time, one pitch at time. Dominate. Everything we do."
__________________________________________________ ___________________________
Ben Dover is a writer for the Pittsburgh Journal-Post-Gazette-Constitution-Times. He can be reached at 412-555-5569.
As soon as Robby Sisson's bat cracked, the once loud Pittsburgh crowd was silent. The same result that has plagued this team over the entirety of it's history has happened again. Another early exit from the playoffs.
Last year the team was great during the regular season, and that team was three outs away from sweeping Wilmington in the wild card round before former Miller Ethan Bafford hit a walkoff three run home run in game 2, causing the series to go three games. Which, we all knew how would play out.
What is different this season? Or, rather, what could be different this season? Not a whole lot.
Well for starters, pun intended, the team has added one of the games best up and coming lefties in Ian 'Extreme' Lofink, in a trade with Dallas that seemingly was completed during last season. Lofink's strong spring and success early in his career has earned him the number two slot in the rotation. The pitching, always a concern for the Millers looks to be improved from last season. Heading into opening day, the rotation will line up as:
Jarrod Syversten, RHP (34)
Ian Lofink, LHP (25)
SC Zhang, RHP (26)
Tom Pryor, RHP (27)
Ron Bynum, LHP (29)
Joey Marohnic, RHP (27)
This six man unit should certainly be one of the games best staffs, especially considering that they will have a good amount of run support this season. We spoke to Jarrod Syversten, the team's ace and one of the best pitchers in Millers' history, about this:
"You know, last year, I thought we had a really good staff, it wasn't quite like the years before with TT (Todd Taylor), JT and me at the top, but we felt like we could compete every night. I feel the same about this group. Man, 'lo (Lofink) just looks like a guy that I'm happy to have here. His stuff is pretty nasty, this spring we kind of talked about his mechanics and how he can be so smooth and just seein' his heat at 95, and how he mixes in that slow curveball and that change...kinda basic but his command is something that is extremely impressive. I didn't have command of my stuff like that until I was...I don't know, 28? We should be good. Our goal this year is to be the best and I hope we can make that happen."
Syversten, of course, has been the mainstay in the Millers rotation as he now enters his 10th season with the club. Last season was his best with the club as he posted an 18-9 record, with a 2.97 ERA, earning him 3rd in the DL Pale Ale award voting.
On the offensive side, the team has a ton of promise.
We had a long sit down with Millers CF Jamie O'Hearn about what the loss meant to him in the playoffs, and the video will be posted on pittsburghmillers.blb.com later this week. Here were some of the more surprising things that he had to say.
"Last season, missing time really gave me a different perspective on the game. It showed me how important it is to stay on the field, even though we really didn't miss a beat without me. That scares me man, honestly. It just goes to show how replaceable anyone truly is. I don't like that feeling. Another feeling I don't like, is ******* losing in the ******* playoffs every year. I'm tired of this $**t. What do I have to do? The last two years in the playoffs I've had 14 hits in 6 games. And what? nothing. We didn't get the job done. I'm the leader of this team. I know we have 24 other guys here and the coaches and the front office and owners and stuff, I get that. But this is my team. I don't like to be a guy that gets in people's faces and stuff but that's different this year. I'm 27 now, bro. I've been out of the first round once in 5 playoff trips. That's not why I play the game. I've had enough success in this league personally. I don't care if I haven't won any postseason awards or anything like that. I want a ring. I want a ring, here, with my guys. That's it now. Everyday I am challenging these guys to be better. I don't care. You're gonna see a different guy this season, anytime you wanna talk to someone in the clubhouse you start with me from now on. I told the coaches before camp started that everything has to go through me now. Not decisions or anything like that, but if we have a problem or something I need to know. They seemed to be cool with it so that's it."
The Millers of course had a response to O'Hearn's passionate plea:
Millers' GM Mike C said this.
"That's fine with me. Jamie wants to be a more vocal person in the clubhouse, I have no issues with that. I welcome it. Losing sucks for everyone. He's experienced it 5 times in his career. I've sat in my box and watched our team lose it's last game for 11 years of the 13 I've been here. I hate it too. Trust me, I work to get that ring just like he does. I'm tried of the snarky comments I've received in league meetings. I look forward to someday raising the banner with the guys one the next years opening day."
The Millers projected lineup will look like this:
2B Vickers (27)
DH/CF Gurley (25) / Ontiveros
1B Stoll (27)
CF/DH O'Hearn (27)
LF Garcia (26)
RF Marcus (25)
C Foshee (28)
3B Seibert (24)
SS Skolfield (25)
That team should score a lot of runs.
From all accounts, it seems like this team will attempt to stay under the radar as much as they can. It doesn't seem as if they will be loud in the media, or active participants in league discussions. For them, it's business time. Last season is last season. It's over and done with, there's nothing more that can be done. It's time to focus on what's ahead of them and that should be winning ballgames beginning Monday in Maine.
The mentality of the team? It can be summed up briefly, in a comment by Dave Seibert, seemingly the only comment he's made since being on the big league club.
"We're out for blood. We didn't make many changes. We all know he we felt last year. I can't wait for people to doubt us. They'll learn quick"
And Pat Vickers?
"Jame said what needed to be said. One day at a time, one pitch at time. Dominate. Everything we do."
__________________________________________________ ___________________________
Ben Dover is a writer for the Pittsburgh Journal-Post-Gazette-Constitution-Times. He can be reached at 412-555-5569.
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