Topic: Front Page
SEPTEMBER 15 - Could Chris Forster's luck finally be running out?
The New Jersey Bandits Owner/GM is certainly asking himself that question today, after a 3-11 stretch over the weekend that saw his team drop 5.5 games out of first place. For only the second time in the franchise's nine-year history, the Bandits are suddenly in danger of not making the playoffs.
Forster has been confounding NYLISL followers for years, riding waves of almost inhuman luck to five straight league championships. But the bill may finally be coming due on years of unparallelled success. Sources say that Forster is considering the possibility of setting the wheels in motion for a rebuilding plan to immediately place his franchise back into contention in 2009.
The problems began on Saturday morning, when the Bandits were swept by the Gramercy Riffs in a five-game series. New Jersey's offense was non-existent, at one point going 29 innings without scoring a run. The shocking sweep briefly vaulted Tim Walsh's Riffs into first place, but several hours later Gramercy lost two of three games to the West Side Stories to settle into a first-place tie with the Massapequa Hitmen.
The Bandits got healthy somewhat by taking 2 of 3 from West Side later that day, but the doors really came off on Sunday against the Floral Park Flesheaters.
Yes, you read that right - Floral Park Owner/GM Jason Varvaro has finally emerged from a completely incommunicado four-month period to win 5 out of 6 games against a defeated Bandits squad. Varvaro was licking his wounds after a 4-7 start to the season that was apparently so distressing he took the entire summer off from league business to get his mind back together.
The early results were positive, as the Flesheaters are suddenly back over .500 and only 67 games away from completing their schedule. Forster was irate afterwards, especially after a game where Varvaro rolled on the batter's card 36 times in 50 plate appearances.
