ESPN Insider - Panthers Sharpen Their Claws
It was his 11th major league inning and for some reason he got the call for the struggling Vista Panthers in the bottom of the 7th with a 5-3 league over the division leading Pocatello Boccabellas. A team that is the only CL West rival the Panthers have never minded losing to. Maybe it's the fact that GM Jordan Calhoun has a great trading relationship with Pocatello GM Alan Jengehino. Maybe it's the fact that Pocatello's GM isn't named Kevin. Or Bill. Or Travis. Or Mike. But for whatever reason, Angel Gomez didn't feel the drive on this night. Called up out of desperation, Gomez was quickly thrown into the fire for a Vista Panther team that many expected to finish poorly and win around 60-68 games. Instead the Panthers jumped out to 1st place in the CL West with a hot start and then traded the lead with Seattle and Pocatello before going on awful 3-14 run. Now, with the chance to finally get another win in the books the Panthers throw a guy with only 10 major league innings into the fire with only 2 runs of cushion. Gomez quickly blows the lead. Giving up 3 runs before earning an out. The game is lost. And the struggle continues.
The away clubhouse was silent after the loss. This youthful team that started off so well was deep into it's toughest test and was failing. Morale had fallen. This team has only won games on Wednesdays since June started. This team has lost it's hard working and rising fan favorite lead off hitter Ceasar Torres to injury for 2 more weeks, gone 2 weeks already.
Everyone in San Diego felt the pitching was too good to be true. But hope was always there, and hope has remained. Prior to the losing streak, it was well known that the Vista organization was looking to improve the roster with a legit starter and left handed reliever. Rumors started surfacing within the organization that St. Louis's Sancho Valdez might be coming to town. During the weekend of April 12th, St. Louis GM Bill Chan was spotted at bars in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego with Calhoun. He was spotted again in Indio, California at the Coachella festival with Calhoun and several other former UCLA colleagues of the two young GMs. Rumor was they were trying to work a deal to send Valdez to Cali but nothing ever got past that. Later it became known to Vista fans that the team reached out to St. Charles GM Glenn Polyn to acquire Gilberto Montano but New Orleans won that sweepstakes.
Fans began to lose hope. Calhoun reassured fans that moves would be made to fix the pitching problem but nothing surfaced until Madison Bombers Cipriano Montanez become available but fans refused to believe it. If a deal couldn't be worked out for Montano or Valdez how would they bring Montanez into town? He definitely has more experience with winning than the other two pitchers and was most likely going to be the top free agent pitcher this off season.
The cost was steep but Panther fans got their man who should be arriving in Vista in time to face the mighty Pittsburgh Swag. In a phone interview after the trade, Cipriano mentioned that extensions have already been discussed to keep him in Vista as the ace as many years as Doby signed to stay as the main slugger. Montanez hasn't signed yet but mentioned that he doesn't see himself turning down the 5 year 53 million dollar deal offered to him by Calhoun. "This team has a nice core of young talent. I like the direction we are headed. Doby is balling and I don't see that changing. Bojo's improved a lot over last season. Cee's should contribute when he comes back from the DL and even though they sent some young guys to get me, there's still a few guys we expect to come up and help contribute very soon. I believe in this team and after seeing who they gave up to get me, and receiving this contract extension, I know they believe in me and I will do my best to help this team win as many ballgames as possible," Montanez stated over the phone.
Only time will tell what will happen for Panther fans but everyone is getting excited in So Cal with Montanez Mania.
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