It's a bitter sweet feeling right now.
My team, the White Sox are the last team standing, the 2008 RHMRBL champs - that feels very good typing that! The bitter sweet part is the knowledge that the season is over, and we won't be playing ball again until next May...ouch!
I'd like to start off by saying thanks to everyone for a fun, succesful and healthy season. It's always nice when us "old guys" can escape the season with just minor aches and pains. I believe the teams were drafted very well, very fair and there was a lot of parity in the league this year - I mean, when the 3rd and 4th ranked teams are battling for the league championship, that tells you there wasn't one clear cut team that was head and shoulders above everyone else. It seemed like every one had a fun season and really enjoyed their teams. I'd like to say kudos to all of you, but more importantly to the guys who drafted the teams, and to the guys who ran the teams. It's not an easy job managing playing time, egos and friendships, but you all seemed to do an amazing job!
I look back, and remember the joy and excitement that everyone had at All-Star Wings when the teams were unveiled, and the feeling that every team had a chance to win it this year. I remember looking at my team and thinking that we had a very balanced team full of great guys, but looking at teams like the Red Sox and they Yankees and thinking "how the heck are we going to score enough runs to beat these guys?" Or looking at the D'Backs and Padres and thinking "how the heck can we match that pitching rotation?" Or looking at the Mets and thinking "how are we going to match that balanced attack?"
Luckily, I had a lot of advice from guys like Bucky, Doc, Jay-R and Jay Gerrard, and I learned on the fly as to how to run a successfull team. We decided early that we play, we win and we lose as a team. Each and every one of us paid the same amount of money and if you showed up, you were going to play if you wanted to...that's what I'm proudest of. In sports, as in any team, you're only as good as the worst player on your team. When one of us was down, the rest of us picked up the intensity and played harder. Rarely did we get down on each other, and that really helped us out in the long run. Every night a different guy stepped up and played the hero.
I was very impressed with a few people in the playoffs, and I'd like to give "shout outs" to them right now: Jay-R, you pitched an amazing game against us, and it's a shame that there had to be a loser, but to pitch a 2-1 game in this league is absolutely insane! Reaper, you always impress me with your skill set, your knowledge of the game and your comfort at the dish. Robbie C, you played hurt and you played like a champ! Levy, you pitched great despite the injuries, and a lot of credit has to go to you.
In the second round, Rocco, you pitched VERY well. We had a game plan going into the game, but your power and effectiveness pretty much destroyed that game plan. Farhaan, to play as well as you did all the while not eating due to religious beliefs, WOW! You earned a lot of respect for your performance. Kerny, you pitched a great game, and it's too bad you got tagged with the loss, but your performance was definitely championship material.
In the finals, well, you can't go forward without saying something about the guy who pitched in EVERY game in this round. Waylen, you pitched very well, and completely baffled us in game one. Matt and Mike Cooper, great performances. Paul So, I never knew you could hit like that...wow!
As for my team, you all know how I feel about you, so there's no need to put it here, as I've sent you all an email telling you how proud I am of us. We really came together near the end of the season, and we really were only getting better as the playoffs went on. Jay-R had suggested that we get the defending champs to come back as a whole unit the following year while everyone else gets put into the draft and tries to dethrown the champs - I TRULY do wish that was the case this year!!!
On another note, as i mentioned above, I do feel the guys who drafted did an amazing job, and they all deserve another shot at drafting a team. Like I said, if you look at the standings, there was so much parity throughout the league, and each team seemed to have a lot of fun. I know there's talk of switching the "drafters" up for next year, and I for one would like to say that shouldn't be the case...give us at least one more shot. Yes, I'm VERY biased because I want to pick again, but all one has to do is look at the standings, the playoffs and the results of the year and you'll see that it was a VERY successfull season for each team. I've spoken to 2 of the other guys who drafted, and they have a lot of interest in doing it again. For those who make the decision about who is drafting next year, I'd like to ask that you seriously consider sticking with the current guys.
Well, I'm rambling, but I'd like to say again, thanks for a great year to all. To the White Sox, thanks for all the laughs, the memories and the pride. You made a first time coach, first time "drafter" look a lot smarter then what I really was. See you all next year...
Zak