They are the Champions, They are the Champions

Burlington was named the Midwest League Champions because they led South Bend in the best-of-five Championship Series 2-0 and Game Three was rained out two days in a row. I'll let Mark Haley take it from there.

"I feel like I've been punched in the mouth twice and can't swing back,'' said South Bend manager Mark Haley, who, at the same time, realizes there are other things to be considered.

"This is a development league and Saturday was the last scheduled day of the playoffs,'' said Haley. "Seven of our players have flights today heading for the Instructional League.''

Continued heavy rains and standing water in the outfield were factors in the decision to cancel the series.

"We needed a couple of days and sun and wind, and there was none of that in the forecast,'' added Haley, completing his fourth season as South Bend manager.

"The players are disappointed. They feel like they were embarrassed in the smallest park in the league and now they have no chance for redemption where they felt like they would have had home-field advantage in the largest park in the league.''

Here is the Burlington perspective.

The Bees were christened Midwest League Champions earlier in the day without playing a decisive third game in the best-of-5 league championship. After rain wiped out Saturday's game against South Bend with no foreseeable end to the rain, the decision was made to cancel the rest of the series.

"I have no regrets," said Bees' general manager Chuck Brockett, who arrived from South Bend, Ind., shortly before his team. "To be quite honest, we won our first two games in convincing fashion. I have tears coming to my eyes."

Some of the crowd waited about two hours at the stadium for the Bees' arrival and were fully aware the team would receive a Burlington Police escort into town. Every ambulance siren within earshot piqued the interest of younger fans just a bit too early.

Then, there's this:

Bees player Nick Francis said he was thrilled to take home the championship, even though he was hoping a little more baseball would be required to do it.

"At first I was kind of disappointed, because we wanted to play," he said. "But everybody went crazy after we found out."

Asked if he planned on bringing back another championship next season, Francis had only one reply.

"Hell, yeah!"

You know what this reminds me of?

On May 19, 1981, the AWA awarded it's World Title to [Nick] Bockwinkel, who was the #1 contender, after [Verne] Gagne retired from wrestling...infuriating AWA fans once again.
...
Bockwinkle, who was now without Heenan, had been out of the AWA World Title picture for nearly 2 years when the veteran (and now, miraculously, loved by the fans) Bockwinkel was scheduled to meet (and defeat) then-AWA champion Stan Hansen. When told he would be losing the title that night, Hansen walked out of the Denver arena with the AWA title belt (and immediately defended it in Japan, until he was legally forced to stop) on June 28, 1986. Still, the AWA World Championship (minus the belt) was awarded to Bockwinkel that night.

Not perfect, but somewhat similar.

All kidding aside...Congratulations to the Burlington Bees.