Friends, I’d like to tell you that this season ended with another storybook run to a Nippon Series title a la 2010, but it’s not going to be.
Our Marines fought hard through so much this year, but ultimately they – we – lost the last two games to Rakuten in Sendai. That’s 2-0 on Saturday, and after a rainout on Sunday, an 8-5 loss to send Rakuten to the Nippon Series on Monday.
It’s tough to take.
I’m not ready to talk about the games in any detail at this point – perhaps in a few days – just know that the guys fought hard, and we cheered hard, and we gave our best.
There’s a lot going on this offseason – the draft is this week, fall camp in Kamogawa starts next month, free agency gets going soon as well. Heck, Spring Camp gets started in February, and that’s just a bit over 3 months away.
I just wasn’t ready for this season to end yet.
I do want to give a very big thanks to all of you that have read this blog this year and in previous years. I love Chiba Lotte and I especially love sharing my love of Chiba Lotte with everyone, so I hope you’ve enjoyed the season as much as I have.
Thank you for always providing us with the latest news. My love for Chiba began on a Tuesday morning around 5:00 AM here in the east coast U.S when I was unable to sleep and stumbled upon a live streaming of Chiba facing the Softbank Hawks. I manage every now and then to find archive games through Justin.tv until the channel is reported and shutdown. I’m glad that whoever records and broadcast the games always manages to create a new profile in the website and upload full games for us fans. Thank you for your continued passion for the team and for providing us with detailed, passionate and up to date coverage of the Marines. Thank you!
Steve: Thanks for letting me contribute with some posts during the season. And thanks for doing the bulk of the work, especially down the stretch. It’s a joy to contribute to the Chiba Lotte community/family in any fashion, so thank you for providing me with the opportunity to do so. Also, thanks for the Climax Series tickets!
Thanks to everyone who read, shared, or commented on the site. Thanks to Our Marines for a memorable season and for fighting hard all year.
Steve & Craig: how many days until opening day?
Counting today, 74! 34 days until the first preseason game.
I’m going to try to have the schedules posted this week or next.