"A pleasure to watch"

I remember when this years edition of the Vancouver Canadians arrived from Phoenix, AZ, just days before they would take to the field trying to bring home Vancouver's first NWL Championship in the clubs nine year history. Usually the C's have a high round draft guy that everyone is raving about, or one dimension of the team that makes it easy to figure out if they will compete or not over the course of the season. In 2000, SS Freddie Bynum was a 2nd rounder who had a ton of potential, but was as raw as you would find in a first year pro. The C's went on to finish around .500 and based on what came off of the plane - it was almost predictable. The same can be said by the team that walked into Nat Bailey Stadium in 2005. The C's had an immediate swagger about them with guys like Haas Pratt, Jeff Baisley and Mike Madsen bringing the franchise to within a game of their first championship. Its so easy to see within a few short days, just what the A's organization has dealt you for the upcoming season. I have been very good at 'pegging' teams based on the talent they have provided us early on... That was until this season. When I first walked into the clubhouse this season - I looked around at the names on the locker stalls and like the fans of the Cleveland Indians in the movie Major League, said to myself, "Who the hell are these guys?" Where was the blue chipper (high draft pick), where was the flamethrowing starter that was going to put this city on his back and bring us a championship? I am speaking from the heart when I say I had little confidence in the team the A's sent up to fill the roster for the 2008 season. Am I putting myself out there by saying this, yes. But Let's be honest - in the first 15 games of the season, how wrong were my initial thoughts? The C's after 15 games in the NWL were a miserable 4-11. Four wins in the teams first 15 games!!! It looked like a long season was ahead as the C's offense was as hot as former Golden Girl Bea Arthur posing for Playboy (what?). But something happened to this team amidst all the struggling, frustration and bickering that suddenly made me a believer that this team can win - and will win the NWL Championship. I am putting my neck out on the line once more by saying on this day, Thursday, July 17th, 2008 - that the C's will win the NWL West Division This is not a guarantee, I don't want to hear others saying the 'radio' guy hung his guys out to dry... This is just one person who believes that he has seen enough to know the Canadians, if they can clean it up, can beat any team in the league - and are good enough to put together a run worthy of a NWL Championship. The contributions about two weeks ago started coming from sources that had no business doing so. A player that started the season 0 for 15 is now the teams hottest and most consistent hitter bumping his average from .000 to .295. On July 1st, 2008, 3B Francisco Tirado was 0 for 15, not a single, solitary hit through the first 15 at-bats of his season. I wondered what the A's saw in Tirado in those first few games... But now, I see it, and I see why Manager Rick Magnante stayed with Tirado when most would have had him back in Arizona. Since Tirado's 0 for 15 start, he has since gone 16 for his past 41 (.391) bumping his average to .295!!! In three weeks Francisco has become the most enjoyable player on this team to watch. His swing is smooth, consistent and dependable. I have enjoyed the emergence of Francisco Tirado as much if not more than any other player on this team. What a treat it is to watch a player blossom right before your very eyes. Manager Rick Magnante stuck with 2B Marcos Luis when few others would have. Marcos is the type of player that is quiet, anything but flashy - but plays with a passion you wish every player in this league would find. Luis struggled early as well, but worked his ass off in the batting cages when others would simply go through the motions. He would tweak, learn and apply every single day. Luis went 2 for 5 against the Emeralds on Thursday night bumping his average to .323 The best part of Luis improvement is the fact he remains quiet, anything but flashy and still works his ass off in the batting cage. Rick stuck with him - and in return he has made Magnante look good in return. His Manager's vote of confidence gave Marcos the confidence he needed to fight through an early season slump - and what a pleasure to watch today. The Canadians bullpen has a cast of characters that is almost laughable in how they all manage to get along. From the Harvard graduate Shawn Haviland, who has become one of the most dependable RHP in the NWL league chewing up innings and sits Thursday night in his hotel room with an ERA of 1.04 in his first ten games as a pro... Beside Haviland sits LHP Trey Barham who is unassuming and as easy going as you will find. His fastball isn't blazing, his curveball is a big, looping curve that some would say is so overbearing that it is almost effective... Yet game in and game out, Barham continues to simply throw strikes and bring the C's back into the win column. Barham's ERA as of the end of tonight's game has dropped to 2.19 The tandem of Haviland and Barham is as good as you'll find, the numbers don't lie - and yet you could walk past either of them on the street and neither would strike you as a baseball player. They look like two regular joes, who have been anything but in helping the C's stay in games and begin to find their stride. These are the stories that make me wonder, what if??? I can't see many players moving at this point. LHP Carlos Hernandez deserves a bump up more than anyone else, but he too is unassuming in his dominance. Carlos has been the C's best pitcher right out of the gate, his numbers are very, very good. And yet he picked up his first win on July 16th in Salem-Keizer. You see Carlos' numbers and say 1-0??? What's the big deal? How about the 7 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio... How about the fact that in all of his first six starts, he has never given up more than two earned runs? Those are big boy numbers, and yet Carlos Hernandez gets looked over. Sooner or later, they will take notice, the only question is when? Simply put, the C's are a puzzle that if put together in time, can make a run and win their division. I have not seen one team that is better than them this season, not one. Yes, others have taken four of the five games, and that would be a pretty big 'up yours' to those who would disagree with me. But, I am telling you, there is something here. And if these guys can simply stop shooting themselves in the foot, they are going to make a run at some point. The C's are a better team than Salem-Keizer, I guarantee it. Everett, Eugene, the East - I stand by my guy, I think the C's right this minutes, just 72 hours off of a six-game losing streak, are playing their best baseball - and with the lessons they have already learned this season through the highs and the lows, are simply, a pleasure to watch. Rob Fai