2009 Season Review: Weymouth Shaddupu

The self appointed "team of the decade" has not fared well the past few seasons. For a franchise that is used to winning championships, anything else is failure.


2009 Season Review: Weymouth Shaddupu
By: Nick Bruce; Owner Weymouth Shaddupu


With a post-season berth every year, to include four championships thank you very much, hard times have fallen on the team from the Island and 2008 was no different. GM Yukon Cornelius tried to spark the franchise back to the winning ways by trading away a cornerstone OF in Bobby Abreu (for Homer Baily) and an elite relief pitcher (Joe Nathan for OF Nelson Cruz and draft picks) and punting saves.

Analyzing the team on paper leading up to Opening Day, the natives were excited. They looked like a favorite to get back to the promised land. The offense was loaded with slugging Ryan Braun, Josh Hamilton and up and coming prospect Nelson Cruz, making up a formidable outfield. They were hoping for a bounce back year from the best catcher in the EHCC, Victor Martinez, as well as SS Stephen Drew to draw from his 2008 coming out party. Filling out the roster with speedster and run machine 2B Chone Figgins, one can see why Weymouth was excited about this offense.

From a pitching standpoint, they were top heavy with starters. That’s the way they were built going into the season while throwing saves out the window. With aces Johan Santana and Dan Haren front and center, anybody would be scared to face this 1-2 punch. Jered Weaver and Ervin Santana were prepared to take off and land in the upper echelon of pitchers after coming off of promising 2008 campaigns. Jeremy Bonderman, coming back from off-season surgery, and new-comer Homer Bailey figured to round out a pretty decent rotation heading into Spring Training.

So, what happened you ask? Well injuries and poor performances happened. It seems like the injury bug is in the water in Weymouth, as I wrote a similar article this time last year. Bonderman never came back to form, Hamilton was in and out (mostly out) of the lineup and never got going, Johan was never himself and shut it down in early August, Drew crapped the bed and E. Santana took a step, but it was not forward.

I’m not here to talk about the past…I’m here to be positive about this subject. Heading into the winter, GM Yukon Cornelius has vowed to get this franchise back to continuing its legacy of winning, and winning championships! They have several chips they are looking to move, including ace Johan Santana and elite closer Huston Street. His top priority is to improve the first base position as that has never been a cornerstone of this proud franchise. With a full and extremely talented roster of uber-prospects in Nantucket, this team could be major players in the trading carousel.