Altitude Sports Aurora Playoff Roundtable

[Borealis]

Altitude Sports Aurora Playoff Roundtable

October 2, 2012: Aurora, Colorado – Altitude Sports presents a roundtable discussion on the upcoming playoff series between the Aurora Borealis and the Bakersfield Bears, which begins tomorrow, October 3rd. Joining Altitude Sports TV Host Ynca Starks will be Northern Lights News beat writer Francis Ferry, NLN baseball blogger Ray D. Enzé, and KOA Radio and Aurora broadcasters Mark Gunter and George Crocker.

Ynca: Welcome, baseball fans, to Altitude Sports’ Aurora Playoff Roundtable, a special look at the 2012 PEBA season and the Borealis’ first round matchup with Bakersfield. Joining me this eve…

Crock: Wow! Thanks, Maya. Like I said last year, déjà déjà vu vu, alrighty, yes indeedy…

Ynca: Clearly you folks don’t need any introduction. We‘re all familiar with George Crocker of “A Crock of Gunt”. Also, here is his partner, Mark Gunter…

Gunt: Thanks for having us, Ynca. (points towards Crocker) Try to ignore this one. We look forward to calling the games. It’s bound to be exciting.

Ynca: Also here from NLN is blogger Ray D. Enzé, and Ray, let me just say we are all thankful that you are okay and back on the job.

Ray: Thanks, Ynca. I’m still not clear what happened and why, but I’m working on it. In the meantime, I’m tickled pink to be back covering my team. This is an amazingly resilient group that I think will surprise people. Any one of the eight playoff teams has a legitimate shot at the Rodriguez Cup.

Crock: Yeah, but I don’t think they compare to the teams we had in K-Zoo. My word. Power… speed… gloves coming out of our behinds… pitching. I tell you, we were a five-tool team!

Gunt: (under his breath) I think you’re a five tool…

Ferry: George, may I remind you that Kalamazoo made the playoffs your first year and have had a series of five years where each has been worse than the previous one.

Ynca: And that is Francis Ferry, beat writer for NLN. Gentlemen, for starters, I’d like to hear your impressions of the season for Aurora. What surprised you and what was disappointing?

Ray: Well, Ynca, I think that the depth of the team, facing mounting injuries and a Tempe club that all summer refused to cave under pressure, was impressive. There were an array of injuries to key players: Ice Cold, McDonald, Weaver, Knight and now Pierce. Berry. Guys stepped in and did a great job. Cory Pierce is a great example. With Knight and Weaver out, Pierce became the batting champ, with the highest single-season batting average ever. Even the least likely guy on the team, Ernie Card, hit .350 over the last two weeks as the Borealis fought off the Knights.

Ferry: And even someone like Aaron Turner, whom I don’t think anyone in this room expected to even be on the team by August 1, performed under the stress of his unknown status, hitting .311 with a .514 SLG%. The saddest story, I think, was rookie En-guo Guao. He played one week when Pierce went down and he gets a concussion slamming into the wall making a catch. He hit .400 that week and played great defense.

Crock: Nah… he just banged his head a little. He can play. Let me tell you from experience. You just have to see the ball, be the ball. The ball doesn’t get a concussion bouncing off the wall. Neither should he. I remember one at bat against Aurora, as a matter of fact. Jon Mitchell was pitching and he threw the nastiest slider, but it was up and in. Coming at my head. I just said, “Be the ball,” and made myself a slider. I took it off the head, but it was like me hitting myself in the head. It was, like, psychedelic or something. I’m convinced he’s okay. Look at me! George Crocker, international baseball star! I’ve been banged up a bit and they love me everywhere. Man, down in Bogota…

Gunt: (looking dismissively at his broadcast partner) Offensively, the depth is there, and it’ll get tested right away with John Knight out for at least the first round and Pierce almost ready. I think they’ve activated him, although word is he’ll sit out Game 1. With Guao out, Aurora looks very thin in the outfield and vulnerable in center. As long as they don’t give up too many hits because of this, they should be okay because the infield is healthy.

Ynca: What about the pitching? Injuries have taken their toll on the staff as well.

Ferry: I believe the starters are going to have to be more than solid. The bullpen is very thin, and with starters such as García and Thompson in the ‘pen and a rookie in Chávez, I don’t think these guys can make up for the loss of Ángel Lara and Bryant Burris. Lara was one of Aurora’s stars last playoffs, and Burris is a solid candidate for Shutdown Reliever and definitely one of the most improved players in all of the PEBA.

Ray: Again, as with the outfield, it’s a matter of depth. Let’s not forget that injuries are not just this year’s problem, but last year’s as well. Pep and Sugar Bear both suffered devastating injuries last year. Roach has struggled all year because of it and García just hasn’t had the innings. I’m actually surprised he’s still on the roster, although I guess they have until game time to make that decision. I’m guessing they’re playing the experience card. Aurora simply doesn’t have the depth on the pitching staff to be competitive. Look at their record this season. They beat up on everyone except Tempe (whom they were 7-11 against), Bakersfield (8-10) and Crystal Lake, who at least they broke even with at 6-6. Needless to say, those are the other three playoff teams.

Ynca: So what you’re saying is you don’t think Aurora has the hounds to chase the fox?

Ray: Let’s just say that Kojima and Slappy need to be at their best throughout. Aurora can’t afford to lose a game they pitch. Tillman has been very good this season and he was excellent last year in the postseason, but that fourth spot? Very iffy. If the starters start coming out in the 5th or 6th inning, then I’m afraid that’s all she wrote.

Crock: Wrote what? Did you write a book, Cherokee? I know some hounds that’d chase you, especially in Bogota, but I thought you were a TV person… hey, I need a biographer! Want to write about me? It’d be a great story. Titled, “George Crocker, That’s ME!” It can open, “It was the best of times; It was the worst of times. Then George Crocker was born and time stood still.” What do you think?

Gunt: I think I’m going to vomit… Ray you bring up a good point. Bill Bradley faced the Bears three times this season, was 0-2, and gave up 14 runs. Not only did the Bears hit .279 against the strikeout king, their lefties hit .394, and that’s Guerera, Emery, Pew and some guy named Lilly. A very formidable lineup. Kojima was 1-1 and tamed the Bears righties, but again, the left-handed hitters raked at a .429 clip. Oddly enough, the pitcher with the best success against the Bears is the guy who the media worries the most about: John Roach. He’s held those lefty Bears to a .179 average. Artie Tillman has also done a great job.

Ferry: On the other hand, Bears pitchers have had their way with Aurora’s hitters. Pexego hit .254 this season. McDonald, .209. Jim White, .279. Quiñones, .184. Now Mark Richardson hit .360, and last season’s goat is going to need to be this year’s hero with team numbers like that. A healthy Cory Pierce will help, as he hit .389 against the Bears, while Chris Weaver hit .306, so all may not be lost, but Aurora has their hands full with a Bears team that really dominated them this year.


Bakerfield's Murder's Row

Ray: The Bears do have arguably the best staff in the Sovereign League. Aurora has the best offense. Normally, the saying goes “Good pitching beats good hitting” – especially in the postseason. I think Aurora’s key injuries may catch up to them. It’ll come down to starting pitching. Whomever’s starters shine the most will win this series. If it comes down to a battle of the bullpens… well, that’s where Aurora’s biggest losses are right now.

Ynca: Sounds like you’re picking the Bears to win this series, Ray?

Ray: Unfortunately, I think so. If you asked, I think the Bears just might win it all.

Crock: Wow! Dude! How could you? You must be the guy who crashed into the wall and wasn’t seeing the ball, being the ball. Revisionist history, right, Apache? Come on. Last season Aurora took on the Bears, and despite Bakersfield looking to have the advantage, it was Aurora that won. As a matter of fact, Aurora and Bakersfield have squared off three times before and the Borealis have won two of those series. Aside from Carlos Guerera, these teams are very similar to those in last year’s series. Right here, I’m telling you Mark Richardson is hitting .400 with four dongers and Bradley wins two starts and strikes out something like 1,000 guys. Now, you want my upset special? Put all your clamatos on the ‘Gnats to beat up on the Knights. You think Aurora has problems? Look at the Lake. No Anderson, no Stewart? They do it anyway. Bears win? Sheeeesh…

Ferry: I tend to agree with you, George. Statistically, things look as if everything should go the Bears way, but how in the world did Aurora hold off Tempe – much less Crystal Lake and Charleston – to claim home field advantage throughout the playoffs? Resiliency, that’s how. They find a way to win. Look at last week, down at the end to Yuma, and they still win. Now granted it was Yuma, but even against these Bears, they take the lead, give it up and still come back to win. Same thing at Palm Springs. This team comes back. They keep coming at you. I think that quality will serve them well. I think the Borealis can hold on and win in five.

Ynca: How about you, Mark? You see this team from the booth every day. What are your thoughts?

Gunt: Well, no doubt the Bears are a tough team, and with that core of left-handed hitters, they can give a team nightmares. And oh by the way, let’s not forget one Artie Marsh, who may not have been lights-out against Aurora this season but is a great hitter. This may boil down to defense, especially in the outfield, where Aurora is going to be thin. Aurora had far and away the fewest errors during the season, and keeping runners off base will be huge. Aurora pitchers have struggled all year with walks, setting a team record this year. Good D and few walks and they should manage to survive whatever Bakersfield’s “Murderer’s Row” has to offer.

Ynca: So it sounds like we’ve got a tentative vibe for the Borealis to overcome the Bears. As we close, let’s quickly pick our players of the year. Mark?

Gunt: I’ll take the obvious one: Cory Pierce. He was hitting .400 for nearly three and a half months. Maybe not a classic leadoff hitter, but he stimulated the team from that spot upon his call-up and he forced the club to keep him. Not only did he surprise with his high average, but also his power. Yeah, he faded as the season dragged into the dog days, but without Cory, Aurora doesn’t win this division.

Ray: I’ll take a more obscure choice: Augusto Quiñones. He had a career high in average, and although he didn’t hit for quite the power he has in the past, he still had 24 HR and 111 RBI. This guy had a number of huge late-inning homeruns to tie games or give Aurora the lead. Of course, he’s a solid defender anywhere on the infield. By May Day, he was hitting .300 and was ensconced in the lineup at first.

Ferry: Well, I’ll represent the pitching staff, but it’s a tough call. Bradley’s 17 wins and 324 K deserve some love, and I hope he gets some serious looks for Golden Arm, but he struggled early in the year while Kojima was steady through to the end… almost. Remember, he was, what, 14-0, 15-0?

Gunt: 16-0, actually…

Ferry: When Aurora needed a stopper early in the year, Kojima was their guy. His last few starts haven’t looked good, but hopefully with the rest from his last start skipped, he’ll rejuvenate. Keep in mind his ERA has been in the 2.30 range most of the year, and only he and Hancock have thrown three shutouts this season.

Crock: Atta babe, great choice. I’m going with the 2012 Royal Raker winner…

Gunt: Ah, George… (rolling his eyes) the vote hasn’t happened.

Crock: In my eyes, it has. Voting for anyone other than El Chupacabra is silly. We heard about how great this guy was in San Antonio, but we’ve seen firsthand how great he is. Second greatest player in PEBA history next to yours truly – me, George Crocker. “Chuppy” had career highs in hits, 2B, HR, and set a single-season RBI record. Aurora picked him up last year for his bat in the postseason, and he missed it. He’s been a consistent presence in the middle of the lineup. Plus, look at the great D he plays!

Ynca: George, he plays DH…

Crock: Yeah, but he played two perfect innings at first. Anywhossit, there ain’t a better choice for Royal Raker, and remember, you heard it here from George Crocker!

Ynca: Well, that’s all the time we have. I’d like to thank our panel… George, be quiet! Tune in tomorrow and we’ll see how the series plays out. Goodnight, folks.