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Last updated
11-17-09 01:37 PM
Pittsburgh NABA
Joe Graff
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Thursday, June 14
Playoff races are heating up!
PITTSBURGH, PA - Every team in the league is thinking playoffs as the Pittsburgh NABA passes the half-way mark of the regular season. No clear-cut favorite has yet emerged for the Pittsburgh NABA Championship, yet the balance of power between the divisions appears to favor the Allegheny Division, as all five teams in the division are within a game of .500, and a half-game of the final Allegheny playoff spot.
The Oilers are currently in last place in the Allegheny Division at 6-7, yet over the weekend they pulled to within 3.5 games of the division lead, and 0.5 games of the third and final playoff spot by defeating the first-place Bulldogs 13-12. “It was a great win for us, a real team victory” gleamed Oilers manager Matt Ciccone after the contest. Scott Kramer, manager of the Bulldogs offered a considerably less optimistic appraisal of the game. “We had our opportunities, but unfortunately we were too focused on getting to the Rochester Inn after the game. We actually had a player leave during the game… unbelievable. But give the Oilers credit, they beat us with only eight guys on the field.”
The Bulldogs, at 9-3 are trailed closely by the Wheeler Warriors at 10-4. The Warriors boast a powerful pitching staff that has already thrown a combined no-hitter this year. “In this league, pitching and defense will win you championships, and the Warriors are loaded with both,” noted Black Sox manager Kenny Rayl. Warriors manager Doug Ryba added, “with players like we have, it makes job easy. Even when my guys miss games for law school, or business trips, or cultural visits to Japan, somebody always steps up to contribute. In my five years of managing, this is one of my best groups of guys.”
Rounding out the division are the 7-7 Phantoms, followed closely by the upstart 7-8-1 Matadors. “You have to hand it to those Matadors,” noted Phantoms manager Don Stetzer, “they sure can attract a crowd to the game. They have some talent on the field to be sure, but they might have more talent off it.” When asked to respond to Mr. Stetzer’s remarks, Matadors manager Ron Tiedeman replied, “I have to give all the credit to my teammates.”
At 8-5, the expansion Rebels lead the Monongahela Division over the 6-5 Black Sox. The pair opened the year with a real barn-burner that was suspended in the top of the 7th inning after the Rebels regained the lead. The pair will finish play as part of a doubleheader on June 23rd. The Rebels feature key acquisitions from last year’s Black Sox and Orioles, and look to increase their lead in the coming weeks, while the Knights (formerly the Orioles) and Black Sox look to exact revenge on their former mates. “I’m not going to speak for Kenny (Rayl, the Black Sox manager), but we are ready to show those guys what they’re missing over here, “ noted Knights manager and spiritual leader, Mick Yoder.
The Ducks, at 3-10 sit at the bottom of the conference currently, but are 2-0 against the Knights, who currently hold the third and final seed. Ducks manager Ben Gwinn has done an awesome job of rallying the troops after an auspicious start to the season that saw the Ducks lose 20-0 in their opening game, and winless in their first six games. “We had a rough stretch early and didn’t get many breaks, but now that our pitching is coming around to support our bats, the Ducks just might get lucky again.”
The Eagles at 3-8 hold a slight edge over the Ducks, and with Mike Whitaker allowed to play more first base and outfield due to some key free agent acquisitions, they just might be catching some sleeping teams by surprise. “We certainly are looking to regain some of that old magic,” Whitaker quipped. “Heck, we’ve got a solid rotation, a couple of guys fresh out of high school, and the play-maker. Smells like playoffs to me.”
With all teams still within three games of a playoff berth, and half the season remaining, look for the divisional games to become very closely contested. The top three teams from each division will earn a trip to the playoffs, with the top seed earning a first round bye.
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