Did you know?: During a game that carried into the dusk hours, Clarkson once pitched a lemon to the plate to persuade the umpire, Jack Kerins to call the game due to darkness. Kerins called the lemon a strike, and when shown by Boston’s catcher that he had called a lemon a strike, Kerins finally called the game.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Bombs Away!

There is a 2nd jewel in the Bombers’ crown and a peaceful, easy feeling across their empire. The Bombers captured their second title in five years, humbling perennial powerhouse Boston four games to one in a dominating performance.

The Bombers’ offensive explosiveness proved to be too much for any pitching staff to handle, and was led by Joaquin James, Gustavo Escobar and Clarkson legend Raul Urbina.

Urbina, in his 18th season overall, was a free agent steal for the Bombers, who signed the sure-fire Hall of Famer for a paltry 2-year 8.8 million dollar deal. The gamble paid off on the aging superstar, as Urbina made his 12th All-Star team and passed the 800 milestone mark for homeruns.

“I’m just blessed to have been able to play with so many great players and teams through the years. It feels great to finally get that monkey off my back and get to the top of the mountain for the first time.” Urbina said regarding his first World Series Ring of his career. Overcome with emotion as his teammates chanted “Urby! Urby! Urby!”, he was quickly rescued from tears as he was showered in champagne by catcher Pablo Samuel.

It wasn’t easy for the Bombers this season however, as the team was devastated early on by a career-threatening injury to one of their top pitchers, Julio Saenz. The multiple time all-star and Cy Young award winner was happy for his teammates, but frustrated at not being able to play in the World Series.

“It’s tough not being out there with the guys. These guys are like brothers, and they’ve supported me throughout my injury. Hopefully my rehab goes well this season, and I can make it back early next season.” Saenz said from just outside the locker room. Team officials speculate that he could return just after spring training next year, but said that he will receive a World Series ring for his contributions to the team throughout his career.

On the other side of stadium, the losing Boston Brown Sox exit the postseason with disappointment for yet another year. After back-to-back seasons of early round upsets, the Brown Sox finally made it back to the World Series for the first time since they won it all in Season 11. However, the Bombers proved to be too much for the Boston powerhouse, leaving them disappointed again.

“I give credit to some of the Bombers’ pitching, but it seemed like our offense, when we had a chance to really get down and get the big hits, or we had to do things to kind of take them out of the game, it seemed like we couldn’t do it,” Head Coach Lee Clark said. “We kind of sputtered a little bit.”

The loss leaves many question the security of Clark and his coaching staff, as fans are rumbling that the Brown Sox have turned into a regular season powerhouse, and are frustrated at the lack of postseason success. Angry callers in Beantown had already begun calling into local radio shows in frustration by the 8th inning of Game 5.

“They should change the name of the team to the Brown Sheets, because they just crapped the bed, again! Clark has no business coaching this team!” one angry caller said.

Despite the disappointing postseason, the Brown Sox had another stellar year, and with a wealth of talent in the ML and Minors, will undoubtedly break through for another championship in the near future.

But the story of the night was the World Series win by the NY Bombers. Many speculate that this could start a lengthy title run for New York, as they expect to get Saenz back next year for the second half of the season at least.

When asked about how he felt about the win, LF Joaquin James said, “It feels great. Going to have a few beers tonight, enjoy this victory for the next week or so, and then start thinking about how to get the next ring. But it feels pretty damn good right now.”

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