After going to the finals 2 out of the last 3 years, we all thought this would be Empire’s year to finally get over the hump. They made huge free agent signings bringing in Shawn, Reggie and Khurram to solidify their team. The team that made it to the finals the previous year just got even stronger. The whole league was put on notice and knew Empire was ready. The original super team now had one of the deepest teams in the league having 20 players on the roster. The feeling was they could finally get over the hump and win a championship. The only problem was, the games aren’t played on paper.
Starting off the season they destroyed the troopers in winning two games in a little over a hour. They won a combined 39-3 and the offense was clicking. It turned out that this could have been the worst thing for Empire. It could have been overconfidence, but they were brought back to reality very quickly. They would lose 7 out of the next 8 games not counting 2 forfeit wins vs the Outlaws. The luxury of having a 20 man roster ended up biting them right in the behind. They rarely had their 11 best guys show up and attendance was dragging this team down. People were missing games for weddings, trips and even getting hungover. This once powerhouse started to question their talents as they just couldn’t hit the ball anymore. From July 9th- July 23rd they would only score a total of only 28 runs in 5 games. They were not stringing hits anymore and all seemed lost.
Even with all these issues they still had a chance to make to the playoffs. If they beat the Outlaws on July 17th they would almost be guaranteed at least a spot in SNL. All they had to do was sweep or split and they would most likely be in. The defense shut down the outlaws for the first 6 innings of both games but then it started to unravel. The outlaws pulled through both games to win in the last inning almost ending Empire’s season. The Outlaws won game 2 on a walk off, and it seemed like the dream ended. The bench of Empire was quiet, and it felt like it was over. There was still a slim chance for them to still get in. They had to go 6-0 to end the season with some luck from the Outlaws losing some games. They went 4-0 against the Scoobys ( 3 wins on forfeits), and they beat the Mets in game 1. All they had to do is win game 2 and they would be in the playoffs. As the story of the season went, they scored a pathetic 3 runs which ended their season. In games decided by 2 runs or less they were 0-4. If they had won one of those games, they would be in the playoffs.
Everyone usually takes chemistry for granted but without chemistry a good team can fall apart very quickly. We learned that without 11-12 committed guys having a 20 man roster is useless. The real question is how this team will respond next year. Can management keep the core intact and bring on key role players? Or will this be the final nail in the coffin for a once historic franchise?
Remember, all empires do come to an end.
