Express’ rookies looked a little sloppy last week.
Arlington, Va. | Just a month ago, the 20-Minutemen were flying high. Coming off a dominant performance against the Associated Press, Express players were talking about finally finding their bats and hitting their stride. There was talk of a late playoff run.
Week after week, the players prepared for the upcoming games only to be disappointed by holiday vacations or mother nature.
Now, it seems all the Minutemen can find is the gloves of the other team. The drastic breakdown has left Express all but eliminated from the playoff hunt with two weeks left in the regular season.
Almost to a player, everyone on Express points to lost momentum as an explanation for the about-face. The victory over the AP was on May 17. The next weekend was Memorial Day, a holiday weekend on which the Metropolitan Media Softball League does not play. That was followed by two straight weeks of rained out games, leaving nearly a month between the AP victory and the three triple-header losses that sealed Express’ fate.
“It’s a tough task,” said interim manager Dustin Weaver. “We’re usually rusty every Saturday morning for that first game. How could we be expected to perform at a high level after a month off with games at 9 a.m.?”
The layoff was not as much of a problem for teams with veteran players used to taking time off for vacations or arthritis. But the Express team filled with 20-somethings seemed to have lost all concentration.
“That’s a common problem for rookies in this league,” said MMSL commissioner Rob Terry. “We see it all the time when we add new teams. It really takes a veteran group to properly handle a long layoff. Generally, veterans stay home and ice their knees. They know what’s in store for them when the get back on the diamond. But rookies can be reckless. I’m not saying that’s what happened with Express, but I’ve seen teams where people don’t use those rest weeks as rest weeks. They run marathons, go to class reunions or head to Vegas. Then they feel it when they get back.”
Manager Ian Herbert, who has returned to manage this week, says he has implemented strategies to try to prevent another down week this week. He has issued a drinking ban for Friday night and mandated batting practice twice during the week.
“I’m 100 percent sure we’ll be strong this week,” Herbert said. “This is a great group. We’ll bounce back.”
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