What is Going on in Salt Lake City?

Lyle Padden of the Salt Lake City Golden Crew

Lyle Padden

The Golden Crew from Salt Lake City was predicted by experts to be the team to beat in the NL West. And for a majority of the season, that prediction seemed to be dead on. The NL West has turned out to be one of the tougher divisions in the National League, and the Golden Crew remained atop the division for most of the season. The lead was never by much, sometimes there was a three way tie, or only a game or two between the second and third place, but for the most part, the Golden Crew managed to win just enough games to stay ahead of the other two contenders, San Francisco and Arizona. The Golden Crew was built to be strong and to fight under pressure. All-Star SP, and team Ace Steven Griffin was solid, and off-season acquisition Juan Barajas looked like an answer to all of the Mormon’s prayers. The team has a cast of Power Mashers, still holding onto a slight lead for the team with the most Home Runs in the National League with (220), and tied the Dover Diamond Devils for the most players on the NL All-Star team with 5. Ten games before the All-Star break, the team was in the midst of a 7 game winning streak, and was looking to begin its attempt to take over this extremely competitive division. The Golden Crew had just reached the 50 win mark, with a record of 50-31, and a winning percentage of .617. The Salt Lake Golden Crew was in the lead of the division, and was not only living up to its expectations as the team to beat out west; it looked as if the road to the NL Pennant would go through Salt Lake. That was then, and the current reality is very much a different story. Now fans are wondering if the playoffs are even a possibility. The Golden Crew stands 7 games back in the division and 5 games off the wild card, and has lost 10 of the last 14 games. Since that 7 game winning streak, 10 games prior to the All-Star Break, the team has only managed to get 21 wins, going 21-30. Their current record is still a respectable 71-61 at .538, but they are falling, and falling fast, and Salt Lake's chances look slim. Once again, Mormons from Salt Lake City, and all accross the country are on their knees, praying that something will soon change.

Ken Turkjian.