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White Hot Streak
Typically, a four-game stretch of solid
play doesn't negate a 15-game stretch of horrid play.
Or does it?
Scott
Carmichael and the >Holy
Whites, this year's odds-on favorite to take the first-ever
team title, sure hope that what Mike
Walsh displayed in the 2000 playoffs is a sign of his
soon-to-be greatness. Mike, picked fourth overall in the 2001 draft,
suffered through all of the 2000 regular season, his rookie one
at that, disappointing many who thought we were getting the second-coming
of Nate
Stuempfig. It wasn't until the 2000 playoffs however
that Mike, on the opposite team as Nate, blew up, hitting .405 in
the final four games, leading me and him to the Series at the Sac
championship. Coming into 2001, most people have forgotten about
the "regular season" Mike and now point the finger at "post season"
Mike as this year's leading candidate for the 2001 Most Improved
Player of the Year Award...myself included. And take it from me,
I called Casey
Sylvester's 2000 season.
I
played with the guy in the playoffs. I was there, firsthand, watching
the metamorphasis reach its final stage. Mike Walsh stepped into
the playoffs an unrespected rookie, and stomped out a champion.
He gave up 10 ER's in the very first game while going 1-8 with 5
K's at the plate, and lost 15-0. It was the worst beating in the
history of our league. Ten minutes later, he was back on the field,
ready for Game 2. In that game, he went 5-8 with 2 HR's, 8 RBI's,
and most importantly, 0 ER's in 2 IP en route to a 10-1 win. He
was all but knocked out, getting his ass handed to him in the worst
way possible, facing elimination, and beat the shit out of those
in his way from there on out, not stopping until he was the champion
(and MVP).
The problem though is that everyone
is now expecting Mike to do well, just like they did before the
2000 season and we all know what happened there. Casey, '99 most
improved-winner Clint
Wattenberg, and '98 winner Nate Stuempfig all had one
thing in common before they tore it up--no one was anticipating
jack from them. People are anticipating plenty of jacks from Mike,
and three guys' season rides on whether or not Mike can do what
he could not do one year ago.
"I just sucked," says Mike when asked
to explain his 2000 season. "I simply sucked all the way around.
In all ways a player can suck, I sucked. It's just that I finally
hit my groove in the playoffs, and showed how good I will be." Surely,
most people remember his playoff performance as one of dominance,
but many of those same people wonder if it was simply a four game
hot streak and nothing more. Mike points out his astounding numbers
from the WBL (Water Baseball League, the wiffleball league Mike
competed in during 1998 and 1999) as proof of his legitimate talent.
"I don't think my WBL numbers were a fluke. I hit .458 with 55 homeruns
in only 310 career AB's. I mean, I know this league provides better
competition, but not THAT much better." If you think Mike is a little
confident, keep reading. His primary goal for the 2001 season is
to lead the league in homeruns. If he truly believes he can
do this, his toughest competition will probably come from Scott
Carmichael, his teammate. The Holy Whites have two guys who
both think they'll be leading the league in homeruns. Is that how
good they are?
"We
are incredible, and if (teammate) Ian
(Byrd) is nothing more than a better pitcher than his
brother (Derek Byrd), we should have no problems winning the title,"
says Mike. "No team jumps out at me as being decent competition,
except for us, as long as Nate shows a few times." Not many people
disagree with Mike, as the Holy Whites are at the top of most critics'
choices to take the first-ever team championship. Mike is even confident
on the one aspect of his game that never really improved over the
course of 2000: his pitching. His secondary goal (after leading
the league in homeruns) is to drop his 2000 ERA of 4.15 over two
runs. "I am simply going to try not to aim as much as just increase
my velocity and hit spots. Plus, I have a secret pitch that I think
will give a few hitters trouble." The last person to have a "secret"
pitch was Casey Sylvester, who was privately developing a sinkerball.
That pitch propelled Casey towards the top of the league in pitching,
and I'm no one to think it won't work for Mike.
One last reason for Mike's positive
outlook for the Holy Whites and his season is the fact that both
Nate and Scott are on his team. "I am very happy to have them...I
can't express how much I hated facing them last season." He acknowledges
others though. "I'm still leery of Casey, and Joey
Creighton is dangerous. Luke
Carriere absolutely frightens me; he's in my nightmares."
All of those players play on separate teams however, and Mike knows
better than anyone that it takes more than one player to win a game,
and for every IP against Casey, Joey, or Luke, he'll get one against
Dean
Evans, Eric
Christensen, or Aaron
Kemper. As far as players he looks forward to playing
against, the only name I got was James
Vassar. "I like the competitive fire. Anyone who plays
hard, I want to play against. I just hope he doesn't kill someone.
Actually, I just hope he doesn't kill me."
Mike can talk the talk, and who knows,
Mike might just walk the walk all the way to the homerun title as
well as the team title. This question will remain in the air though,
until Mike proves it wrong on the field--was your 2000 playoff performance
a fluke? "What is the last thing you remember about the 2000 season?
Is it me dominating?" asks Mike, with an air of irratibility.
Yes.
"It should be, because I did."
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