As a seemingly-endless winter kept a lot of Southern Manitoba under a white blanket of snow, it seemed like baseball season would never arrive. But when it finally did in early May, Goldeyes fans were ready.

Defying a very uncooperative Mother Nature, the Fish faithful came out once more in numbers that would make their league brethren stand up and take notice. Along the way, they were treated to some individual and team performances guaranteeing their Goldeyes a spot in the playoffs for the thirteenth time in 15 seasons, albeit after another sluggish start.

In what has almost become a rite of spring, Winnipeg took some time to bang off the winter rust, idling in fifth more than a month into the season. But that all changed within the span of one week, beginning with a weekend trip to Fargo and a four-game series with their arch-rivals.

After the dust settled, the Goldeyes had swept the RedHawks for the first time ever at Newman Outdoor Field. That began a stretch where Winnipeg would win six-straight against the RedHawks and 12 of their next 17 overall to sit atop the Northern League standings at the all-star break.

Meaningful in its own right, being in first come the midpoint of the season was made even more so by the fact Winnipeg was rolling out the red carpet for the Northern League All-Star Celebrations. Welcoming the league elite for the first time since 2001, the year they raised the bar for hosting the event, the Goldeyes gave their fans plenty of reason to cheer.

Not only was there a lot of fun to be had at the two-day party, but 11 players and all three members of the coaching staff would be there in front of the home crowd. And of those 11 players, three in particular helped get the party started at the July 7 Pepsi Skills Competition.

A late addition due to injury, outfielder Demetrius Heath made the most of his time, shading teammate Fehlandt Lentini in the Fastest Baserunner final. Not long after, reliever Cristian Mendoza’s pinpoint accuracy saw him take home Most Precise Pitcher. And finally, Kevin West outslugged the competition to win the Home Run Derby and complete the Winnipeg sweep before more than 5,000 appreciative fans.

The following night, that number jumped to more than 7,000 at the Northern League All-Star Game, presented by the Casinos of Winnipeg.  And while all the Goldeyes and their I-29 teammates came out on the wrong end of a 6-5 final, they still gave local fans another night to remember.

When play resumed two days later, Winnipeg picked up right where it left off and won three of its first four to maintain top spot. But things suddenly went south, as the Goldeyes lost six-straight and 13 of 16 to fall to fifth. They ended that tailspin by winning four straight and nine of 10 to climb back to third, which is where they would stay for the remainder of the second half, ensuring a re-match with Gary in the first round of the playoffs.

By all accounts, Winnipeg was the underdog, what with the RailCats finishing higher in the standings, never mind winning the season series for the first time since joining the league in 2002. But all that mattered little when action got underway at U. S. Steel Yard, where the clubs split the first two games, sending the series to Manitoba knotted at a game apiece.

A solid 28-20 at home, the Goldeyes were facing a RailCats squad that was an equally-solid 28-20 on the road, not to mention the only team to sweep the Goldeyes in Winnipeg this year. That domination continued, as Gary took the two games at Canwest Park, bringing Winnipeg’s season to an end.

An early playoff exit notwithstanding, it was still another fine season for the home team in many ways. Among the players that suited up at the all-star game, a certain three had seasons to remember, including pitcher Brian Beuning.

The first reliever to lead the league in ERA since 1995, Beuning became the first member of the Goldeyes to earn NL Relief Pitcher of the Year honours. He was also named to his first NL All-Star Team, as was first baseman West, while outfielder Lentini was named to his third in a row.

All this was witnessed by a league-leading 284,398 fans as the Goldeyes were tops in attendance for the ninth-straight year. In terms of average attendance, Winnipeg’s per-game total of 6,464 was highest among all 58 teams in independent baseball, the ninth-straight year they’d earned that distinction. With all that to consider, the Goldeyes were once again named NL Organization of the Year, the only three-time winner in the award’s six-year existence.

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