Blue Mountain League Mid-Season Report
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We hope you are enjoying RCN-TV’s Blue Mountain League baseball coverage this summer!
There’s always some interesting storylines as the BML season unfolds and this year is no exception.
Here’s a few of the highlights:
- This clearly isn’t your father’s BML
When I would attend games as a kid, teams were comprised of the same players on the same teams in the same positions, year after year, and sometimes, decade after decade, with very few contributors under the age of 22. It was very rare if you ever saw more than one or two position players NOT in the same spot, day after day, week after week. Now, the league is seeing an abundance of recent high school grads and college-aged players not just playing, but making impacts and, in some cases, being the cores of various franchises. Furthermore, most teams feature a steady rotation of different starters each game, and it’s a rarity to see the same people from each team playing in the same spots on a daily basis.
- There were plenty of surprising starts and “streaky teams” for the first 5-6 weeks of the season.
Consider…
…the Royals, a perennial power, went their first eight games without a win (they did have two ties).
…the Orioles, another tremendous program, won just one of their first six games.
…the Bulls won eight of their first 10.
…the Creekers won just one of their first five games and two of first seven, BUT scored 20 runs EACH in both of those wins.
…the Dodgers were one game over .500 through the first few weeks of the season (one of their better starts in years) before losing five of their next six games. They also have continued some rather curious streaks of pummeling teams ahead of them in the standings, while losing to the ones behind them, but have a decent shot at reaching their first post-season berth in several seasons.
- The Giants and the Bulls look awfully good – again – this year.
The two teams that battled the full-five games in last year’s championship series may be on a collision course once again for this season’s playoffs. Both Northampton and Limeport have well-balanced teams, with several strong starting pitchers and a lineup that looks very hard to beat.
- Don’t overlook the “Steel”
As we approach the final weeks of the regular season, Bethlehem has currently won five in a row, allowing just two runs (one earned) in three games this past weekend against some very good teams. They’re not only one of the deepest teams (they sometimes have over 20 players active for a game) but they’re playing well in all facets of the game as they look to make their first playoff appearance in the five-year history of this franchise.
Don’t forget to catch our Blue Mountain League “Game of the Week” telecasts on Tuesday evenings on RCN-TV. RCN video customers can see all of this season’s BML broadcasts for free and any time through RCN On-Demand for up to 60 days from the games initial airdates!
Last but not least, thanks to our awesome and very generous RCN marketing team, we will be playing our trivia game and once again giving away a nice prize this week on our “RCN SportsTalk” program to one winner who correctly answers the question.
Tune in to RCN-TV this Thursday at 7pm to learn more.
