2011 PBL Season In Review

The biggest bombshell of the off season was that the Tofield Lakers were packing up and moving down the highway to reboot the Camrose Roadrunner franchise. It was nice to see Camrose back in the league, but it came at the price of one of the PBL’s longstanding franchises. The two franchises had historically been polar opposites as the Roadrunners seem to fold and be reborn every few years, despite enjoying a lot of success on the field with multiple regular season championships and one playoff championship, while the Lakers have operated uninterrupted for decades, despite a decade long playoff drought. Hoping that the merger could marry the off season stability of the Lakers and the on field success of the Roadrunners Josh Banack and Larry Lewsaw joined forces. The move payed off as the Roadrunners stunned the pundits and finished second in the regular season as they used stingy defense and great pitching from rookie Alex Roth to host a home playoff series. Despite getting swept, albeit in two very close contests, the season would have to be considered a success as many long time Lakers finally got their first taste of playoff action. It will be interesting to see how they do in 2012 as they will no longer be able to sneak up on teams, but at the same time they have learned how to win, and that can take you a long way, and it also doesn’t hurt to have one of the league’s premier young pitchers in your rotation. 

2011 Bardo Athletics: Changing Of The Guard

If the 2011 season was considered a great success for the Lakers/Roadrunners, then the 2011 Bardo Athletics would be at the opposite end of the spectrum. After multiple playoff runs and two championships the veteran Athletics finally started to look a little long in the tooth. Thought to be a big benefactor of the Lakers move to Camrose as they garnered talented youngsters Dylan Berrecloth and Sean Melanson as they didn’t want to make the move, it just didn’t pan out as the team just never got it going. Despite some great efforts from Hall of Famer Ray Lehman on the mound, the normally deep pitching staff was was inconsistent as hard throwing Donny Oslund and crafty veteran Chris Mittlestad missed much of the season. Even more inconsistent was the offense as it seemed to lack cohesion and the clutch hitting that delivered their two championships. The Athletics will have many questions to answer if they want to get back to their winning ways. Was 2011 just an off year from their veterans, or has age finally caught up to them? Are their youngsters talented enough to take the next step and start to be difference makers? Depending on how those questions are answered will determine whether the Athletics can return to championship contenders or slide back into mediocrity. 

2011 Holden Blue Jays: Tough Lesson Learned

The playoff success of the young Blue Jays signifies a changing of the guard in the pecking order of the league as the youngsters took the next step towards a championship. After a bit of a sophomore slump in the regular season the Blue Jays stepped it up in the playoffs as they swept the Roadrunners in two one run games and then pushed the Milleteers to the limit in the final. With the Blue Jays just two innings away from the prize they imploded defensively and allowed the Milleteers take their third crown. It will be a bitter pill to swallow, but should also provide valuable experience for the young squad as they seem primed for many championship runs to come. With good depth on the mound and lots of athleticism in the field the Blue Jays should only get better as they grow into their primes. The youngsters will also have to learn to win on the road if they want to get to the next level as they had just two wins there this season. 

2011 Ryley Rebels: Hard Hitting Rebels Fall On Hard Times

After making it to the finals in 2010, the Rebels seemed poised to take the next step and be a force in the league for years to come. Early on they looked the part, but then self destructed as they could barely field a team most nights as they often played with only eight guys and fell out of playoff contention. They then showed some resiliency by squeaking into the playoffs with hard fought come from behind wins against Leduc and Bardo, powered by big home runs as the big bats finally came alive. They looked to ride the momentum into the playoffs and were on their way in game 1 versus Leduc before a demoralizing walk off defeat broke their spirit and lead to a first round sweep. Then the Rebels were rocked in the off season with sudden passing of their ace and one of their team leaders Curt Stensrud. The Rebels are going to have show even more resiliency in 2012 to recover from the tragic loss and the tumultuous and frustrating previous season if they want to get back on track into becoming a perennial championship contender. 

2011 Armena Royals: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

Frustration would be the word to sum up the Royals’ season as they missed the playoffs for the second straight year and matched their two wins from the previous season. While in pro sports you at least get the consolation prize of the number overall pick and a potential exciting future talent when you finish last, in the PBL all you get is bitter disappointment. With the rebuild going on four years now in Armena the fans are starting to get restless. The youngsters that were brought in that were supposed to mature into impact players have yet to deliver on their promise and the veteran holdovers from the dynasty years haven’t been able to get them over the hump. With the second consecutive last place finish management has called for major changes as it seems their patience has run out as well. What these changes will look like is any body’s guess, but a 2 win team has many leaks to plug so they are going to need a few buckets to bail out this ship. 

2011 Leduc Milleteers: 3rd Time’s A Charm

The 2011 edition of the Milleteers looked a little different as they turned into an offensive juggernaut. This lead them to a 12-2 regular season, but for a couple of walk off losses could have been undefeated. The playoffs were a bit of different story though as the games tightened up and the Milleteers were pushed, first by Ryley, and then by Holden. After getting by the hard charging Rebels the Milleteers had to dig down deep against the Blue Jays. Injuries started piling up and the coaching staff’s inability to identify a reliable second starter for the playoffs after the retirement of Scott Peterson nearly sunk them as Holden was able to force a third and deciding game. In the finale the Milleteers came out a bit flat, but kept the pressure on and eventually got their young foes to crack on the way to their third championship to officially become a dynasty. Now it remains to be seen if they can break the PBL three peat curse as no team in the modern era has been able to take four in a row. The powerhouse Rebels of the 80s and 90s failed twice to do it and the Armena Axemen became perennial bridesmaids after their three triumphs.

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Steven Pahl