The 2005 Northern League season for the Winnipeg Goldeyes was marked by a few lows, but there were also a whole lot of highs.

Following a pre-season where they lost just one of seven games and held opponents to only 14 runs, Winnipeg hit the road and promptly hit the wall, getting swept in Fargo and then losing three of four in Lincoln to come home with just one win in seven games. That set the tone for a first half where the Goldeyes finished 22-25, bottoming out on June 26 with a 7-3 loss in St. Paul to sit at 12-23, putting them 11 games under .500 for the time in franchise history.

Things slowly showed signs of turning around as the Goldeyes went 35-25 the rest of the way, but it was not enough to return to the playoffs following a one-year absence. Winnipeg ended the year at 47-48, the first club in the organization's 12 years to finish below .500.

Straight up, it would appear to have been a disappointing season. But appearances can be deceiving, as Winnipeg enjoyed success at both the individual and franchise levels.

Three pitchers left Winnipeg during the season when their contracts were picked up by Major League clubs, the most ever in mid-season in team history. Closer Darwin Soto left in June for Milwaukee, starter Roger Lincoln headed for Boston in July and fellow starter Shawn Sedlacek was bound for Baltimore in August.

Speaking of Lincoln and Sedlacek, both were key members of the North Division club that posted a 5-1 win at the NL All-Star Game in Gary. Joined by designated hitter Harry Berrios, who went 2-3 with a triple and a run batted in, the two pitchers both tossed an inning of perfect relief.

For Berrios, appearing in his third all-star game was just the beginning. Already the league's all-time leader in runs batted in, he added the all-time hits record to his collection and later tied the record for the most career home runs in league history. At season's end, he was named to his third Northern League All-Star Team.

Berrios was recognized not only at the league level, but at the franchise level as well. He and outfielder Jorge Moreno were co-winners of the Labatt Lite Cup as the Goldeyes MVP. In other team awards, Max Poulin was the overwhelming choice for the Rogers Wireless Goldeyes Player of the Year, voted on by fans at goldeyes.com or at the ballpark via text message.

Other individual performances worth noting include Poulin's six triples, which made him the franchise's career leader and placed him second in league history. The only player to appear in all 95 games, Moreno set numerous personal bests. Rookie reliever Clint Marcus appeared in 45 games to set a single-season franchise record and Donnie Smith, who has pitched in more games than anyone in franchise history, made a successful return from off-season shoulder surgery to become the closer after Milwaukee picked up Soto.

At the franchise level, it was another huge year, as the best fans in baseball packed the park yet again.

In 47 home dates, the Goldeyes welcomed 322,758 fans to CanWest Global Park, an average of 6,867 per game. It was the sixth straight year the club led the league in attendance and marked the fourth consecutive year where attendance eclipsed the 300,000 mark, a feat unmatched by any other Northern League team.

Included in that season number was a crowd of 8,668 that attended the August 29 game vs. Lincoln, shattering the old ballpark record of 7,930 set just 19 days earlier against Calgary.

And, it would be remiss to note the various significant attendance figures without mentioning another milestone. Just three years after welcoming the one-millionth fan to a regular season game at CanWest Global Park, the Goldeyes saluted the two- millionth fan to attend a regular season game at CanWest Global Park on Thursday, August 25 when they hosted the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

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