The fact that their Goldeyes missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history may cause some fans to want to forget the 2004 season, but, at the same time, so much happened that it was very much a season to remember.

Training camp opened earlier than ever on May 5 and, as the weather can be at that time of year, it was cool. But it was nothing compared with how it would be six days later, when a seemingly endless dump of wet snow not only forced cancellation of Winnipeg's May 11 pre-season game with Fargo-Moorhead, but also forced the Goldeyes indoors for a few days.

The lack of time on the field showed when the season began on May 20 in Sioux City. Facing a team that would finish more than 17 games behind them come season's end, the Goldeyes stumbled out of the gate and dropped three of four to the Explorers. They then lost two of four in St. Paul to return home and face Sioux City again having lost five of their first eight games.

Whatever the Goldeyes did wrong on that initial road trip, they did right in the friendly confines of CanWest Global Park. Winnipeg took four straight form Sioux City, all by a one-run margin. Then, after a quick trip to Sioux Falls that saw them take three of four from the Canaries, the Goldeyes came home and swept Gary to take over first place in the North Division.

Fargo-Moorhead arrived two days later for a first-place match-up that would set the tone for the rest of the first half for Winnipeg. The hosts dropped three of four to the RedHawks and won just 13 of their final 28 games to finish the half in third place.

Regrouping for the second half, the Goldeyes played like they did to begin the first half in Sioux City. After dropping two of three in Fargo, they got swept in St. Paul for the first time since 1995 to sit in last place, four games back of the Saints after just six games.

But, just like in the first half, they came home and got something started. It began with a four-game sweep of Fargo-Moorhead, followed by four wins in Sioux City and two more in Sioux Falls. Those 10 straight wins established a new franchise record. Days later, three straight wins against Lincoln made it nine in a row at home to tie a franchise record.

That surplus of wins gave the Goldeyes their first taste of first place, albeit for a short period of time. Following a 4-2 loss in 13 innings to Sioux Falls on August 10, they slipped into second place behind St. Paul and stayed there for the final 24 games of the year.

When all was said and done, Winnipeg had missed the playoffs, finishing just one game back of the Saints. Making matters worse was the knowledge that Fargo-Moorhead and Kansas City, two teams with fewer wins than Winnipeg, were going to the post-season.

Still, there was plenty to be proud of, from both an individual and a franchise perspective. Third baseman Pat Scalabrini made the rest of the league stand up and take notice with a career year. He was a Daktronics Player of the Week, a Rawlings Player of the Month and a first-time starter for the North at his third-straight Northern League All-Star Game. At season's end, he picked up the Labatt Lite Cup as the team's most valuable player and was also named to the Northern League All-Star Team.

Fellow Quebecer Max Poulin also had a pretty good year. He picked up his second- straight Labour Ready Goldeyes Hardest Working Player award and also represented the club at the NL All-Star Game for the third year in a row. Joining the pair in Joliet were first-timers Brad Purcell and Oscar Montero as well as Roger Luque, who was making his second-straight appearance.

Like Scalabrini, Luque also had a career year. Twice-named the Daktronics Pitcher of the Week, he equaled a franchise record for shutouts and set a franchise record for innings pitched. Montero, meanwhile, set franchise records for saves and appearances.

Other Goldeyes who made their mark included pitcher Donnie Smith, who became the club's all-time leader in appearances, while fellow pitcher Shayn Holbrook set a league record for wins by a reliever. Outfielder Harry Berrios ended the year as the league's career leader in runs batted in and was top five in six other categories.

As an organization, the Goldeyes welcomed 323,241 fans to CanWest Global Park to break their own league record of 303,786 set in 2002 and mark the third straight year the club saw its attendance eclipse 300,000. As well, Winnipeg's average crowd of 7,027 surpassed 7,000 for the second straight year. The only Northern League franchise to draw more than 300,000 fans in any season, the Goldeyes are also the only independent league club to ever average more than 7,000 fans per game.

Overseeing this record-breaking attendance was general manager Andrew Collier, who was honored as the Northern League Executive of the Year for the second time in three years. He first won the award in 2002, the same year pitchers George Sherrill and Bobby Madritsch were teammates on the Goldeyes. This year, Sherrill and Madritsch became the fourth and fifth former Goldeyes, respectively, to play in the Majors when the pair were called up to the Seattle Mariners in July.

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