After 4-9 start, 6-game winning streak returns hope to Omaha faithful

Greg Johnsonson reporting for the Omaha Evening Wind

4/26/2009: Canton, OH – After hearing the grumblings about underperformance following a loss at the hands of the Palm Springs Codgers, the Omaha Cyclones got down to business seemingly for the first time in the 2009 season.  They salvaged a series victory against the Codgers by winning the last two games of the three-game set before sweeping the struggling Duluth Warriors and taking game 1 of the season series against the utterly loathed Canton Longshoremen.  A modest 6-game winning streak has brought the team back over .500 and renewed a sense of adequacy amongst the players.  "I want Holyfield!" raved slugger Narahiko Imada, who blasted 4 home runs during the win streak, before insisting he bears a resemblance to former Saturday Night Live legend Chris Farley.

While Imada's round trip antics have drawn him media attention as the PEBA's reigning home run king, the much quieter Shimpei Adachi has been perhaps the best offensive performer for the Cyclones in the young 2009 season.  Adachi has hit .338/.412/.554, smashed 3 home runs and 5 doubles, and stolen 9 bases in 10 attempts, all while attempting to make a transition from left field to center due to Javier Martínez's tragic career ending injury.

On the defensive side of the ball, ace António Rivera and journeyman Rafael Matos have carried the load for the starters, prompting the almost criminally uncreative Omaha fans to coin the saying, "Matos and Rivera and the we don't care-a" (the spiritual descendent of the 1940's Boston Braves mantra, "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain.”)  At least the bunch of hayseeds actually found something that made sense after their former chants of, "Rivera and Moncreiff and then we eat beef.”  Although Rivera himself has compiled a record of 0-1, due to the nonsensical and arbitrary way baseball awards pitching wins the Cyclones have won the righty's last 3 starts after being shutout in the season opener against Kalamazoo.

On the lighter side, the Cyclones have fired clubhouse boy Ike Stevens after it was suspected by GM Bryan Dobney that Stevens was serving "vegan chicken noodle soup" in postgame spreads.  When approached for comment, former Saint Catherine's School for the Defensively Challenged valedictorian Jacques Fillion said, "How is that even possible?”  Dobney furthermore commented that his players need to be eating "manly things like ribs and pancakes" after home victories but will withhold postgame meals after home losses.  "I don't care; go home and make some Ramen Noodles," said the oftentimes moronic but undeniably attractive GM.  "How 'bout you win a friggin' ball game and then ask me for food.  In Little League, does your stepdad take you to Pizza Hut after a loss?  No, you go home and take swings on the tee until you have your protein shake and go to bed."

And now for more of…

Russell's Rantings

– With the recent glut of injuries which have affected the Cyclones, I suggest a new training technique… it is called boot camp.

– I would like to add some rarely seen class to my column and mention our grief over the passing of Herb Score, former Cleveland Indians player and announcer.

– Official Omaha-Canton rivalry season scoreboard: 1-0 Omaha