By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZThe Paz Files
HARLINGEN, Texas - There's a baseball team on its way to Canada representing this oft-whipped border town, but it's not the same squad local fans supported all season. Talk about a strange twist in the story. The Rio Grande Valley Whitewings of the obscure North American Baseball League have unloaded a pack of foreigners and loaded-up the team with players from their hated rivals, the dreaded San Angelo Colts - a team they whipped mercilessly last week in the run for the league's Southern Division pennant.
It is, of course, minor league baseball, and this particular newfangled league has made a name for itself in the weirdness side of entertainment. It hired disgraced major leaguer Jose Canseco, who now manages the league's pitiful Yuma (Az.) Scorpions, and sanctioned Lady Gaga Night last Memorial Day. It lost one of its star managers, Matt Stark of the McAllen Thunder, halfway into the season amid rumors of something or another.
Now comes this queer bombshell: many of the close-knit WhiteWings squad could not travel to Canada for the championship series because of immigration issues. Or as the league itself put it in a press release: "Due to the Canada Border Service Agency’s (CBSA) policy, all non-US citizens on the WhiteWings’ roster were not permitted to cross the Canadian border, forcing several roster changes. Overall, nine original WhiteWings players will not play in the championship series against the Edmonton Capitals." Nine! Wow!
WhiteWings Manager Eddie Dennis, shown in photo above, and no relation to Joe Torre, took the news in stride, opting to speak glowingly about the new players that were added to his team. "We lost some good players, but these new players really add to the team. We add a lot of depth and some really good power in our lineup now. I can’t wait for the series to start," he said, without laughing.
The new WhiteWings, all members of the San Angelo Colts, joining the team were identified as Cory Patton, Daryl Jones, Landon Camp, Logan Williamson, Chandler Barnard and Brian Henschel. Jones was the league's homerun king. Patton and Camp finished second and fifth. The trio is not shabby, accounting for 77 homeruns, although homeruns are a common sight at these low-level games.
Another addition, thrower Logan Williamson, led the league in strikeouts.
Pitcher Henschel also has played for the same Colts, amassing 34 career wins for the WhiteWings main rival. Now, for this so-called championship series, he will be a Rio Grande Valley WhiteWing. Ridiculous and pathetic.
WhiteWing favorites not making the trip they dreamed of all year long are closer Edgar Martinez, who led the league in saves with 22. Others whose names are known to Valley fans, also not going to Edmonton, are Alexander Concepcion, Edgar Trejo, Wander Perez, Luis Chirinos, Francisco Santana and Welington Dotel. As the league out it, coldly: All are citizens of the Dominican Republic or Venezuela.
So, what exactly is this - an All-Star Game?
One thing is certain. It is hard to take this league and its low level of play seriously.
We know. We know. We're not ignoring that bizarre story by local blogger and tireless WhiteWings booster Jerry Deal in which he bemoaned the possibility that the Southern Division pennant series between the WhiteWings and the Colts might have been rigged by an umpiring crew favoring San Angelo. The WhiteWings swept the series in four forgettable games.
Yeah, to us it was just the set-up line for the ultimate joke...
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8 comments:
The Whitewings are not local. some guy from Dallas owns the team. They just use our field for nothing and they have Jerry Deal making them out to be the Yankees. it's pretty sad.
Nine whitewings players not playing in the big series? this is a joke. City of Harlingen should be outraged! And this lousy outfit wants a new stadium? Obscenity!
It is minor league baseball. what do you expect? good story.
I Went to oen game and that wa sit. Poor play and bad snacks. this is not real pro baseball by any means. and now hey dropped players and added some from an opponent? That's not cool.
ALL:...It is clear to me that this league will do whatever it pleases, fans be damned. Dropping players and adding some from an opposing team to a squad going for the championship is absurd. It again demeans the entire league, making it a laughingstock... - Editor
Why won't Jerry Deal write a story like this. Cause he's for the team, not fans. thanks for being real.
They should rename this team the WingWhats? Taking players from san Angelo and saying you represent the Valley is a stupid, stupid idea! what's with Jerry deal? he's losing it, like Chapa lost it.
This is not a league of professionals. It is run like Amateur Hour. Will harlingen get any joy if the Wings win the championship knowing it was San Angelo Colts scoring the runs and pitching in the games? Noooooooo. This is a disaster! The city should ask the team to get lost!
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