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EHCC Notebook
A look ahead to the end of the season
By Max Power / EHSPN.com
--Piglet catcher Russ Martin hit a home run to give the Piglets the win in Runs Scored against PEO in the final at bat of week 19. That home run not only hurt the expansion Cardinals, it also delayed the Las Vegas Doggs from clinching a 2006 playoff spot. If the Doggs were to loss all 30 games in the next 3 weeks, with the Piglets winning all 30 games, the two teams would be tied in the "games back" category, with the tie breaker (overall winning percentage) going to the Piglets. The Doggs need just one tie in the next 3 weeks to clinch their 6th straight playoff berth, and with Bye Week coming up in the final week of the season, I'm sure no Vegas fans are worried.
--Though nothing is official as of yet, the playoff seedings look to be taking shape. Where all the team will be is still up in the air, but it looks as though the top 5 teams are pretty set, barring any late season mishaps. It's the #6 spot that still seems up for grabs between 3 teams. WS and QC seem to be the front runners, with TIJ gaining some steam. It should be a fun ride down the stretch to see who makes the final spot. WS has the most difficult final 3 weeks, facing off against WEY, RAK, and GLD. TIJ and QC face off in week 21, which could decide TIJ's fate all together.
--TKO and LV could very well break their own season-long records respectively. TKO needs just 19 losses in the final 3 weeks to break their "most losses in a season" mark set in 2005. LV needs just 10 wins to break their 140-win mark set in 2004. Vegas is more likely to break their record due to their final 3 week schedule, which included BYE in the final week.
--Las Vegas clinched their second Eastern Division crown with their win against Bridgewater in Week 19.
--After a hot start to the season, Nick Swisher finds himself keeping the Golden bench warm as of late due to his recent cold street. Also, with the addition of 2B Felipe Lopez, Alfonso Soriano has moved to the outfield which has forced Swisher to the bench. "It's nice here. I get paid to sit here and I can't get hurt," commented Swisher.
--Peoria management is very please with their performance in the past few week, even with a couple losses thrown in there. They have gone 31-33 in the last 7 weeks but they feel they have taken a lot from those match ups. "We feel there a lot to improve, but with some of the new guys that have come in and the mistakes we'll learn from, I think we'll have a strong final 3 weeks of 2006," commented a Peoria fan after the match up against Piglets. Peoria is still in the hunt for a playoff spot, but with 8 more losses they'll be fighting for a top draft pick instead.
--Some names that are eligible for nomination for the 2006 EHCC Rookie of the Year award are: Felix Hernandez, Matt Cain, Jeremy Hermida, Prince Fielder, Hanley Ramirez, and Francisco Liriano. Final ballots will announced during the 2006 playoffs.
Max Power is a regular contributor to EHSPN.com. His previous job as a male model didn't work out, but he decided to keep his stage name anyway.
