Crabtree Still Crabby, Crushers Are Champs!

On August 7th I wrote a blog about Michael Crabtree and his hold out. Then, and now, I feel like this kid needs to do some serious soul-searching, fire his cousin/agent and get on a football team. Am I saying that the 49ers should sign him? Hell no. There is no way that Crabtree would fit in on this team now. He has missed the time that was meant for him to build camaraderie with his teammates, he has missed learning the playbook and he has missed out on a TON of money. Which raises the question, what money is Michael Crabtree surviving on right now? Maybe that's another question for another time.

Mike Singletary, in my honest opinion, couldn't care less if Michael Crabtree shows up, contract in hand, ready to play. This kid is not going to be a 49er. It just can't happen. His potential teammates should be upset because he kind of left them hanging, thinking they would have a stud receiver to help the turnaround of this once proud franchise. Instead, they are 2-0 without him and his value to them drops with every victory. Now, the Niners are accusing other teams of tampering with Crabtree while he holds out.

The biggest loser in all of this is going to end up being Crabtree. He was the tenth overall pick in the 2009 Draft in the class that was mediocre to say the least. Next year, he is looking at being involved in a draft that could be one of the strongest ever, top to bottom. Because of the potential for a lockout for the 2011 NFL Season, many players who would, under normal circumstances, stick around for their Senior season in college, will head for the NFL. Why would they stick around and possibly not have an employer after they graduate? Unless something drastic changes with the Collective Bargaining Agreement between now and the draft, Crabtree could end up being the 5th or 6th best receiver available in the draft, and out of all the players who could come out, he could end up at the bottom of the 1st round or even become a 2nd round pick.

One last thought on this: Mike, your agent/cousin knows that he doesn't get paid unless you do, doesn't he?

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2009 Frontier League Champions, the Lake Erie Crushers!!! (Applause)

That's right, the season of dreams ended like a true Fantasy. A year ago, this team hadn't even been named. The website was simply "avonprobaseball.com" and they hadn't even started the "Name the Team" competition. Now this group of guys can call themselves Champions. The season ended with a 13-10 victory over the River City Rascals in O'Fallon, Missouri. The game was decided on a 7-run fifth inning in which the Crushers sent 10 men to the plate. The Rascals made it interesting though, scoring two runs in the sixth, three in the seventh and two more in the ninth. But the Crushers did their fair of scoring as well, always answering the Rascals runs.

Paul Fagan ended up being credited with the victory, a fitting player to do so as he dominated the Frontier League all season. The Crushers really utilized their entire pitching staff though, using five arms to get the victory. Eddie Tisdale and Arden McWilliams each had 3-hit nights for the Crushers with McWilliams driving in three runs. Todd Balduf also contributed two hits and three RBI. Andrew Davis was named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship series, as he hit .324 in the post-season. As a team, the Crusher hit .267 in the post season, scoring more runs than anyone (52) and the second most Home Runs (11).

Now, if only the other baseball team in the Cleveland area could figure out how to win a game...

Fire Wedge. Fire Shapiro. Get a New Owner.