As the days leading to the start of training camp flew by, there was a lot of optimism in the Goldeyes clubhouse at CanWest Global Park, and for good reason. Never in the team’s 13 previous seasons had there been four former Major Leaguers in uniform and each member of that quartet was out to prove something.

The youngest member, Walter Young wanted to use his first stop in independent ball as a springboard back to an organization. The most experienced member, Chris Latham wanted to show he still had what it took to play the game to get noticed. The oldest member, Jimmy Hurst wanted to improve on an all-star season in 2006. As for the one member that pitched, Bobby Madritsch wanted to get healthy again and figured Winnipeg was the best place to do that.

All four would be noticed, just in different ways, as the Goldeyes sought a return to the playoffs. Madritsch got hurt in the team’s second pre-season game and was done for the year. Hurst was just a shadow of his 2006 self and proclaimed Winnipeg had made a bad decision when he was traded in June. Latham left the team unexpectedly in August. As for Young, it was hard not to notice him, given his massive frame and team-leading 21 home runs.

With Young and company, the Goldeyes were expected to win a lot of games, mostly a lot of high-scoring games. But they neither won nor scored a lot of runs early on, dropping five of their first six games while scoring just 20 runs. After that, well, they put up 50 runs and six-straight wins en route to a 27-20 record, falling just short of Calgary for the first-half title in the North Division.

Following the three-day all-star break, where six Goldeyes suited up in Fargo for the North, Winnipeg began the second half completely different than how it began the first. Leading the division for the first six games, the Goldeyes then dropped six straight to fall out of first, and they never saw top spot again.

That in mind, if they were to return to the playoffs and make their 12th post-season appearance in 14 years, it would have to come via a wild-card spot. And that’s exactly what happened, with Gary winning both halves in the South, creating a first-round meeting with Winnipeg.

On the one hand, the Goldeyes were cast as underdogs, what with the RailCats finishing with the league’s best record. On the other, Winnipeg won the season series with Gary and outscored them 56-42 in the process.

Either way, the Goldeyes were a confident group when the series opened in Winnipeg on September 4. With NL Pitcher of the Year Willie Glen on the hill, the visitors squeaked out a win in the opener, but the hosts stormed back in the second game thanks to a brilliant effort from Mike Kusiewicz to knot things at a game apiece.

Moving on to Gary’s U. S. Steel Yard, the Goldeyes took a 2-1 series lead, as Ben Moore tossed five shutout innngs before the visitors blitzed the RailCats bullpen. Glen, though, made another strong start in game four to force an all-or-nothing fifth game.

Winnipeg took the early lead and led late into the game. But the scrappy hosts never said die and found a way to win, giving them a berth in the league final for the third straight year.

Heartbreak aside, It was another great season for the Goldeyes in many ways. In addition to the six players (Luis Alen, Matt Davis, Antoin Gray, Brett Lawson, Fehlandt Lentini & Brent Metheny) that suited up in Fargo, several other members of the organization had seasons to remember.

Brandon Kintzler, who didn’t even play last season after undergoing shoulder surgery, capped off a remarkable comeback by picking up Northern League Rookie Pitcher of the Year honours. Other individuals saluted for their efforts included Lentini and Alen, as both were named to the post-season all-star team, Lentini for the second straight year. And speaking of the second straight year, general manager Andrew Collier won back-to-back NL Executive of the Year awards. It was also his fourth win time in six years. And the accomplishments did not stop there.

As an organization, the Goldeyes packed the friendly confines of CanWest Global Park once more, drawing 300,938 to lead the league in attendance for the eighth straight year. The only team to hit the 300,000 mark in league history, something the Goldeyes have done for six straight years, their per-game average of 6,542 was also a league-best and tops among all 66 teams in the eight independent leagues.

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