.jpg)
The Detroit Thunderbirds ran the table in Traverse City opening week as they captured three road wins to begin 3-0, the only team to be undefeated. Silas Carvalho, winner of the 2015 Lake Erie Bat and Lake Superior Player Awards led the way stroking 6 hits in 12 AB’s.
This RBI Leader has earned his wings…
His team won’t make the post-season. They will finish 2015 with a losing record. It’s not an exaggeration to say they are buried in the standings and the news. Anonymity? The franchise has it, like or not.
But, for those who follow Duluth, and the GLBL in detail, Jean Carlier is not an obscure baseball player. Lacking the flash of younger players and the press that often accompanies the hot prospects, this classy vet is waging war on USA pitching. At 39 years, and 39 days, Jean Carlier is leading the USA league in RBI’s with 81. Actually, he is leading all of the GLBL in RBI’s. He’s known as the Team Leader by everyone but himself and because of that old school humility, he garners the admiration of fans and teammates alike and is without question the face of the franchise.
Jean Carlier has won the hearts of the entire city and organization in Duluth. How many games remain in the career of the pride of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario is subject to speculation. Yet, barring injury or unforeseen circumstances the Sea Gulls faithful expect Jean to return to Sea Gull Stadium again next season fulfilling at least the final year on his contract. Keep those RBI’s coming Jean!
you never know what you might see. A few weeks back no one dared imagine….any other reality than a Milwaukee Eagle pennant…..going away. Just one month ago the Eagles had a comfortable 16 game lead over Chicago with the third place T-Birds 16.5 GB. Slam Dunk, right? Play out the season and try and stay away from injuries.
Well, one third of that lead has evaporated and the Chicago Architects are one game away from a single digit deficit in their pursuit of Milwaukee. They have won 11 of 13. They have been on a tear, simply put, but beyond the hot streak there is one stat no one in Milwaukee likes to face. Chicago has a 12-7 advantage in head to head play.
This might get interesting.
That sound you hear down at the corner is not a crime in the act of taking place. Not unless you consider what Silas ‘Shotgun’ Carvalho is doing to South of the Border pitching. In a league that has been dubbed the “The Pitching League” Silas stands apart from the crowd. How apart from the crowd? Here are the top three hitters:
.409 Carvalho (DET)
.317 Li (MIL)
.317 Longchamps (MIL)
The numbers speak for themselves. Can this T-Bird hit .400 in the inaugural season? Seems impossible but 47 games and 217 PA’s argue that it might be done. All eyes on Detroit’s Silas Carvalho.
A Waverider in Control….
‘Apeman’
The #1 Pick of the Owen Sound Waveriders in the inaugural draft was Tate ‘Ape’ Crosby. The 5-1 Crosby has helped propel the 21-19 Waveriders close enough to the Thunder Bay Caribou to catch their attention, now just 4 games back. Tate has a fine ERA of 3.40 and his K rate of 39 in 45 IP is better than average, too. So, what makes this RHP stand out from the rest? Control. Crosby has just 3 free passes all season which translates to a WHIP of 0.93.
All eyes are on the ‘The Apeman’s’ recovery as he was pulled in the 2nd inning of his last outing with a sore shoulder. A club spokesperson has listed him as day to day.
Is the season over in the USA League?
30 Wins and 10 Losses. Frightening when you consider it.
Consider that they are first in:
Batting Average, Runs Scored, Team ERA, Runs Allowed and too many other categories to mention.
They TC Bears have won 7 in a row to push them over .500 while gaining a paltry one game on the Eagles in doing so. The Detroit Thunderbirds, the only other +.500 team in the USA, have a 2-6 record against the Eagles. The aforementioned Bears? 1-5 vs. Milwaukee.
So far the single most descriptive word for Milwaukee? Domination. Pundits are speculating that the inaugural year may see some records set that will last a long time. There are a few out there that say, ‘there is still time’, but that camp is dwindling with each passing day.
So, 40 games played and an 8.5 game lead.
Baseball and winning. It’s all about the Home Run, right? Hit the long ball and win most of your games. And, the fans love it.
Take the high flying Milwaukee Eagles who lead the USA League by 4 1/2 games. They have gone yard 35 times with the next closest competitor just 23. That’s Traverse City and they are in second place. So, yeah, the number one and two teams in the league are in the same order in home run power so we’re confirming our theory here.
Now we’ll look at the Canadian League…but wait. Kingston is in first place? With 7 home runs. The least in all of the GLBL?? Huh?? Hmmm, what does this mean?????
Forget about what you read above it’s pitching that determines who will be in first. Well, sometimes, but not always. I think.
It was a rebuild year. GM Martin Abresch made it clear. We’re drafting for the future. So, after the draft, Toronto Maples rated #1 in Minor League Organizations. So far, so good. Right on script they lost their first four contests scoring a scant 5 runs total. But, wait, 18 games into the season and Toronto is ahead of Windsor and Hamilton in the standings playing .500 ball. And, just 3 games out of first. Huh?
Boasting the North of Borders best defense, second best SP ERA, and third best Relievers ERA this team appears anything but just a team of the future. It’s an interesting organizational mix with several wily veterans doing the pitching for the Maples with about to turn 29 Wayne Conboy as the youngest of the Starters.
With all that team pitching and D something has to come up short, right? OK, the offense it not very good. OK, they are dead last in runs scored. Yet, they are fast (first in stolen bases) but they don’t hit a lick after top of the line up Kevin ‘Wino’ Thomas bats. So, will Toronto reconsider year one and shop for offense? Fred Morris, 27 year old journey man for Mississauga Mad Katz, says, ‘coach I’m hitting over .350!
After taking the first game in Thunder Bay 2-1 the Maples will try and rebound from the 4-0 shutout last evening.
#1 Punch SP Patrick Gerard 9 IP 0 Runs 0 BB 12 K’s
#2 Punch SP Willis Lewis 8 IP 1 Run 1 BB 10 K’s
Traverse City lost their home opener to the Thunderbirds but sent a message to the rest of the league in games two and three that they armed and dangerous. The Bears lead the GLBL in STRIKEOUTS with 40 in 3 games.