How The Mighty Have Fallen

The 3-time champions made a surprising playoff push in 2010, but 2011 hasn't been so lucky. The Las Vegas Doggs currently sit in 9th place in the standings, wondering how things got to where they are and contemplating how the rest of the season will play out.

How The Mighty Have Fallen

By Conor Intabedd; Reno Weekly Rag

The Las Vegas Doggs were once a feared opponent week in and week out, sporting a fearsome offense and a pitching staff that pulled things together just enough to win. Las Vegas held parades for the Doggs down the strip three times in 5 seasons between 2004 and 2008, but ever since the city has had to hold their hat on their basketball franchise, as the Doggs seems to have lost that luster.

Blame it whatever you want - unflattering production by star players like Hanley Ramirez, who is currently sitting on a .241 batting average, and Alex Rios who's barely hitting over the Mendoza Line, injury bugs to Buster Posey and David Wright, or mismanagement on the part of Roger Lodge, who's consistently fallen asleep on the bench when it was time to put new pitchers on the mound - the Doggs have turned into a team that opponents look forward to playing. They've split their match ups this year (6-6-1), but the losses have come at a much steeper price, including the team's first 0-10 loss in franchise history.

"We've just hit a slump we just can't seem to break out of," Doggs' All-Star first baseman Joey Votto told reporters, "it's been very frustrating to see production go untapped. I hope something changes soon."

It's been cries like that that have put manager Roger Lodge on edge.

"There's been plenty of guys I've benched who would have hurt us if I had let them take the mound," Lodge said as he defended his recent hiccups.

Many within the organization have wondered exactly where Lodge's head has been at. Many assume he's been drinking more often as cases upon cases of free have been found in his office on a weekly basis.

"It's one of the perks of the job, but it has never influenced how I manage the team," Lodge said.

Former player Jose Reyes noted that he can remember seeing cases of beer in Lodge's office ever since the 2008 championship.

"I just assumed it was for us to use in the locker room after the [2008] championship. I didn't think much of it until I was traded," Reyes told reporters during the recent Doggs, Piglets match up.

Lodge was given a raise after the 2010 playoff push, and with it a stipulation in his contract was hit - one that gave Lodge even more free beer from the team's official beer sponsor.

With what seemed like such a promising team after the 2010 playoffs, Rodger Lodge has dug quite a hole in 2011. Fans will have to wait and see how GM Howe Dogg reacts as the trade deadline approaches.