Pioneer League Baseball

[griz8791]

Huh.

The local minor-league team sucked so bad the first several weeks of the season I quit paying attention. Next thing I know they have won the league.

I wonder if the Ogden Standard-Examiner will put up a shitty cartoon about it.

 

['68griz]

Just the reverse of the Osprey (Missoula team), which played lights-out the first half of the season -- and lost something like 11 of their last 13 games. These are all real young guys too, so their play reminds me of college kids.

 

[Grizzoola]

What is it about the 1st half vs. the 2nd half of the season? Seems teams that do well/poorly in 1st half play better/worse in the 2nd. I think it has something to do with player changes. No?

 

['68griz]

Sometimes it does seem to have to do with players being "moved up." That was NOT the case with the Osprey this year. Virtually no players moved up. Actually, in the middle of the second half of the season, the Osprey had two opening-of-the-season starters (outfielders), who had been injured early on, return to the line-up, so, in theory, they should have been a better team from then on out. Only, they were not. Just my own personal theory: Josh Parr, the really excellent shortstop, got hurt on July 29 (hit in the face, several broken bones) and never returned from the DL --- I think he was sort of the team's glue and, without him, they faltered.

 

[GrizBBIsKing]

Wins and losses are not as important in minor league baseball. It is more important to develop the players so they can move up.

so, Osprey may have done worse in second half because they were having their pitchers work on different things than what they were doing in the first half, maybe learn new pitches, etc.

 

['68griz]

You could be right, King. In minor league ball, the objective is player development, NOT winning games -- it's nice when those two things come together, but it doesn't necessarily happen. That's a hard concept for a lot of fans to grasp and, to be honest, a sort of frustrating thing to deal with as a fan. Anyway, for whatever reason, the Osprey pitchers -- especially the starting pitchers -- were nowhere near as effective in the second half as they were in the first half.

 

[GRZFTBL]

Billings didn't win 1st or 2nd half but had the best record for the year. And didn't make the playoffs. :roll:

 

[BelierPeaux]

How much is a season ticket for the Osprey?

 

['68griz]

I don't know. I'd guess somewhere in the neighborhood of $250-$300. A reserved seat ticket for a game is $10 ... and there are 38 home games, so....

 

['68griz]

Just looked it up: for this past season, a regular Osprey season ticket was $266 ... $228 for seniors ... $342 for club box seats (first four rows, wait service provided).