By Burke Davis, Gloucester Daily Times 

Writer’s note: To fully appreciate the joy of last night’s incredible triumph over Omaha, I am reprinting a portion of my ILAT Game 1 recap to offer a contrasting tale of two locker rooms.  I prefer this ending to the one many anticipated after that fateful game.

October 15, 2015: Gloucester, MA – Game 1 of the IL Alliance Tournament was a triumph by Gloucester over defending champ Charleston, but the locker room is mostly silent.  One exception is the area next to Gregory Arnold’s locker.  The right fielder/DH is staring at a fixed point no one else sees.  He is repeating a four letter Anglo-Saxon expletive every thirty seconds.

Orlando Carmona is silent, but an occasional tear rolls down his cheek.  George Árias, whose home run was the first and only necessary run of the game, is silent, but the dent in his locker and his reddened knuckles testify that his silence is not emotionless.

For 5.2 innings, the Mayor was nearly as masterful against the Statesmen as he was in his history-making no-hitter against the Arlington Bureaucrats in Game 1 of the IL Division Series.  But after a 96 MPH fastball to León Valentín with two out in the sixth, Manuel Corona stepped off the mound for a moment and flexed his right elbow.  After retiring Valentín on a routine pop fly to right, Corona motioned to the bench and was removed from the game.  The initial word was that he would miss the rest of the post-season.  After the game, the front office confirmed that Corona’s elbow injury would take him off the mound through most of 2016.

Unofficial captain Kurt Thornton is another exception to the silence.  Thornton moves from player to player.  “We can still do this,” is his message to each.  “We have come this far when no one gave us a chance.  We can still do this.  Do it for Wes (Scott).  Do it for the Mayor.  Do it for all of us.”

In the visiting manager’s office, Bob Howard and GM Paul Moots huddle to assess their team’s chances.  Neither is smiling.  Can Alfredo Velázquez and Cristo Santiago handle the pressure?  How much can we count on Leslie Johnson?  Can the offense wake up enough to compete?  Moots pats Howard’s arm.  “No matter what happens here, Bob, I’m not blaming you.  No one else could have taken this team this far.  We’ll ride this while we can, do what we have to do next year.”

October 30, 2015: Omaha, NE – Game 5 of the Planetary Extreme Championship was the clinching game of a most improbable run by the Gloucester Fishermen, PEBA champs for the year 2015.  The locker room is anything but silent.  Gregory Arnold waves a champagne bottle, giddily uttering the same Anglo-Saxonism from two weeks ago

Glen Ganey, speaking to a reporter, grins wearily.  “It’s just nice I had something to contribute after the way this year has gone.”  Ganey, still recovering from last year’s hip injury, shared the PEC MVP with William McKee.

Even the Crip Corp (as Corona, Scott, Carmona, Angelo Centena, and Thornton have been dubbed by their teammates) join the celebration.  At first, they linger on the fringes of the hugs and champagne spray, but McKee and Dae-ki Pak haul them into the center.  “We aren’t here without you guys,” McKee yells over the noise as he sprays the group with bubbly.

Manager Howard and GM Moots, soaked to the skin, watch from the visiting manager’s office.  The mood is different this time – big grins on both faces.  “Let’s take a couple of days,” Moots says finally.  “Then we have some things to talk about.”

After Moots leaves, Howard watches the celebration for another minute.  He turns to the reporter.  “Anyone tells you they have this game figured out… they’re lying.”