4/19/09: Charleston, WV – The  Coal Sox master plan for 2009 has gone off without a hitch.  All that remains to be seen is if the master plan is any good.

Twelve games into the young season, the Coal Sox sport the best hitting (.854 OPS) and third-worst pitching (4.43 ERA) in the Imperial League.  So far it’s earned them a 7-5 record and a tie for second place in the Dixie.

The Coal Sox have been led by catcher Ching-hsia Chin, whose three home runs and 1.035 OPS pace the team.  They have received a strong surprise contribution from utility outfielder Wilbur O'Billry, who has continued his hot spring and is OPSing .797.  Manager Armando Zamora is working him in to the daily lineup by “aggressively resting” the other three outfielders and DH Ernest Kaufman.  “We’ll keep it up until Wilbur cools down,” Zamora stated.  “But he’d better not.”

The pitching can only be described kindly as erratic.  Hamilton Cole followed up his Opening Day for the ages with a 3.2 IP, 7 ERA clunker.  Ace Mathys Crête couldn’t get out of the fifth inning in his second start but struck out ten batters in seven strong innings in his debut.

Problem Solved: When the Coal Sox were preparing to break camp in late March, they faced a dilemma: four pitchers competing for one bullpen spot.  Steve Davis won by default, and Artie Herman was waived.  Then, for reasons that have yet to be made clear, Armando Zamora elected to start Davis on April 11^th in San Antonio.  Delivering a pitch in the second inning, Davis experienced excruciating pain in his throwing elbow.  An MRI later confirmed the presence of bone chips in the joint, and Davis underwent season-ending surgery.  A day later, Artie Herman was unpacking his things into Davis’s locker.

Minor Update: For the third season in a row, the Coal Sox have a pitcher at AAA impatiently and mercilessly shredding GBB hitters in an attempt to get noticed by the major league brass.  Following in the tradition of Anthony Bagg and Flobert Hoeks, Craig Rogers has struck out 20 batters in 23 innings while posting a 2-1 record and a 2.35 ERA.  It looks like the Coal Sox may have, for the third consecutive season, made a mistake in their initial choice for fifth starter.

Game of the Week: Tuesday, April 14.  WV 8, NJ 1.  Alfredo Pinto pitching his heart out, overcoming his poor control to go 6.1 innings, giving up only one run.  Terry Farmer would close out the game with a stellar performance in relief, and Glen Harris would lead the offense with two doubles.