Rakeville Times: No seats on the bus

Jason Isringhausen thought he would be the only Rocket closer last offseason, but now he is one of six as Rakeville looks to shut down offenses across the EHCC.

No seats on the bus
By Aviator McShadless

When pitching coach Justin Fuller told reliever Tom Gordon he would no longer be in the Rakeville bullpen, the veteran pitcher thought he has been cut or traded. He soon realized there simply wasn’t enough room on the right field bench. The Rockets made two trades at the deadline, bringing in closers Fransico Cordero from Peoria and Joe Boroski from Tokyo to max out Reed Field’s bullpen capacity.

“Both deals were last minute,” said GM Jack Reed. “We were in discussions with Peoria most of the night, trying to pry Cordero from them. Boroski was discussed briefly, and the price seemed reasonable. Five minutes before midnight, we were happy to see both come our way.”

Closers weren’t the only players being targeted by the Rakeville front office. Gary Sheffield, Bill Hall, Ty Wiggington and Reid Brignac were rumored to be part of talks, but ultimately the Rockets went with pitching.

“Arlington and Las Vegas have good bullpens,” said Fuller. “We thought we could hold our own with them before the trade, but now there is no doubt.”

As the Rockets gear up for the playoffs, recently acquired utilityman Julio Lugo looks to be an important addition also

“He and Willits give us speed,” said Reed. “Lugo can also play almost every infield position, allowing us to spell Utley and Young. An ability we haven’t had all season. I hope that now we are a more complete team.”

Rakeville wasn’t the only playoff team making moves. Arlington, Las Vegas and Quebec City made substantial moves to boost their teams.

“We new they would,” said Reed. “All we can do is earn the bye, then see where the chips fall.”