Last week, the ESOX defeated the Bloomington Redbirds and the Hort Hurricanes to lay claim to a 2-0 record in the Riverview League. Everything seemed in tact as all pistons were firing in the ESOX engine. Great pitching, timely hitting, and the all-around knack of getting the job done seemed evident. This could truly be the year the ESOX became a legitimate ballclub and would challenge for not only the league title, but also a potential bid to the state tournament.
Funny how things can change in one night. I am here to tell you on the record right now: the ESOX are not what they used to be and that is a bad thing.
The ESOX were slap pounded and tortured by the Richfield Ramblers 12-1 Thursday night. The performance was typical of the ESOX when facing the Ramblers: zero clutch hitting, well-below average pitching, defensive breakdowns, and simply losing to a ball club that does not exactly strike fear into the likes of the Minnetonka Millers and Minnesota Athletic, who rather soundly defeated the Ramblers just two weeks ago.
But the skull duggery on the diamond was not the worst thing for the ESOX. There seemed to be no enthusiasm. Everything was pointed at anger in the dugout. The ESOX have lost the edge that made them the ESOX.
The ESOX opened Riverview League play in 2000 and were given an expensive lesson on how to play the game. They took defeat after defeat, usually large in scoring nature. However, the ESOX were playing the game, a game that they were still lucky to be playing after being removed from high school only a few years earlier, an opportunity that not everyone has. They took advantage of their brotherhood by bringing a sense of enthusiasm that was unmatched by any organization in the Riverview League and Minnesota amateur baseball, for that fact. Nightly meetings at the Braemar shack and the Bloomington Park Tavern were considered mandatory and participated by at least 90% of the organization. This was the true meaning of �we�ll get �em next time!�
They improved dramatically in 2001 with the addition of a much more talented cast. However, the key to the 2001 team�s success was that they did not lose this sense of enthusiasm. They continued their reputation as the most fun team in amateur baseball with such occurrences as the classic 4th of July kegger at an undisclosed house near Braemar. They also added little wrinkles such as the yellow pants, an absolutely hideous sight to the eyes, but a wardrobe that added a certain attitude to the team; an attitude of �we don�t care what we look like or what you think of us, we�re here to have fun and we�re having more than you are.�
The decline began in 2002. Perhaps it was natural to see it coming. With the success and natural progression of the ESOX in 2001, it was only fitting to raise the bar of expectations and demand results. However, the lack of enthusiasm pop began to surface and it continues to this current day with the ugliness reaching an unprecedented peak Thursday night in the 1st base dugout at Richfield High School.
The brass of the ESOX wants too much to be like other teams in the Riverview. True, baseball is the reason the ESOX exist, but it was the fun and ballyhoo in the dugout and after the games that allowed the ESOX to survive during the rough early years. It was knowing that 4 days of the week, you were going to go to the diamond on a sunny day enjoying playing but having fun with your friends, and then going to the bar after until midnight, and that was only if you had to work at 6AM. This fact has either been lost, forgotten or simply ignored.
There is a hockey term that the ESOX have yet to learn and should practice: know your role. Although they may sneak in a couple of wins or good outcomes versus the traditional powers, the ESOX are never going to consistently be at the level of Minnesota Athletic or the Millers. The powers that be want too much to be like the Millers and need to realize that how the ESOX were having success against them was when they were inside their heads due to yellow pants and all around camaraderie on the bench.
The ESOX simply have two options. They can 1) go back to what made the ESOX the ESOX, and that was the fact that they were the FunSOX, or they can 2) continue down this path of anger and frustration with 15 guys on the bench that don�t say a word, don�t smile, and follow the lead which will result in another quick playoff exit, which results in everybody not saying a word to each other, getting in their cars, driving off, and not talking to one another until next year�s debacle occurs. The enthusiasm is gone, the results are the same, and clown ball is back.
A problem still exists, though. Aren�t clowns supposed to have fun when they�re at the circus?
-Scoops McCracken can be reached by clicking here.
THIS ARTICLE IS DEDICATED (A) TO ETHAN WALKER ANDERSON, BORN @ 5:30AM ON JUNE 6, 2003, TO KEITH & JAIME ANDERSON, & (B) THOSE MEN THAT STORMED THE BEACH AT NORMANDY IN FRANCE 59 YEARS AGO TODAY. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ALL OF HER ALLIES THAT HAVE HELPED PRESERVE OUR DEMOCRACY & FREEDOM!
