In the early 1980s, fans of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers grew fond of the phrase "One for the Thumb." It became a rallying cry for the team's rabid fan base, celebrating the Steelers' four Super Bowl wins and reminding opposing fans that they expected the next one to be right around the corner. It was a phrase that found new life throughout the state of New Jersey in 2006.
From the beaches of the Jersey Shore to the industrial plants of Elizabeth, from the crack houses of Camden all the way to the brand-new complex in Fair Lawn - Bandit fans throughout the Garden State looked down their noses at fans of other NYLISL teams as they looked down at their (barely opposable) thumbs in anticipation.
On January 3, less than a calendar year since the Bandits won their fourth NYLISL championship and revitalized that famous phrase from the banks of Pennsylvania's famous Three Rivers, the waiting came to an end. The Steelers waited nearly 25 years to put one on the thumb - the Bandits waited less than 365 days.
Eight innings of one-run ball from the league's best bullpen was enough to hold off the upstart Wellwood Scribes of Lindenhurst, as the Bandits won Game 7 by a score of 5-1 to clinch the series and a fourth straight league championship. League MVP Derrek Lee was a destructive force throughout the series, a one-man wrecking crew that proved to be too much for the valiant Scribes to handle.
The teams split the first four games of the series before the Bandits, on the strength of a Jason Bay grand slam, took control with an 8-2 win in Game 5. This set the stage for a memorable Game 6, filled with dramatic moments climaxing in one of the all-time great redemption scenes in NYLISL playoff history.
The Scribes were down 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth but took the lead on a shocking three-run homer by Geoff Jenkins off of the great Mariano Rivera. A rare Omar Vizquel miscue at short lead to Jenkins's heroics - a three-run homer that needed a roll of 1-4 to leave the park. A ball that should've settled harmlessly in the glove of right fielder Vladimir Guerrero instead carried out of the park when Scribes owner Jim Baumbach rolled a 1.
The lead was short-lived, however - Lee smashed a three-run homer off his card the very next inning to put the Bandits back in control. The lead held until the ninth inning, with Joe Nathan on the mound trying to close out yet another New Jersey championship.
With two outs and a man on, Michael Young rolled a 3-7, setting up a SI* 1-11 split that the Scribes had to have to survive. Baumbach rolled an 11, setting the stage for beleaguered slugger Travis Hafner. The man they call "Pronk" hit just .236 this season and had earned Baumbach's ire for the lack of production. However, he managed 19 homers in 288 regular season at-bats, a reminder that one mistake pitch could change everything.
Just 2 for 24 in the series to that point, Hafner strode to the plate amid the catcalls of derision from the Bandits faithful. Even Forster, so often a beacon of class, chuckled, "c'mon, A-Rod," as Hafner knocked the dirt from his spikes and focused on Nathan.
He would pay for his insolence.
Baumbach rolled a 1-5 and Hafner unleashed a mighty swing at a Nathan changeup, driving the ball deep into the stinking Jersey air and directly into the hands of longtime Scribes fan Sean O'Leary, who laughed with delight at the astounding turn of events. The score was 8-7, Hafner was the hero and Destiny's Darlings (after an eventful but ultimately fruitless ninth inning for New Jersey) were on their way to Game 7.
It was there that the clock struck 12 on Wellwood's Cinderella story. Brett Myers pitched just one inning for New Jersey before giving way to the vaunted bullpen and a two-run homer in the fourth gave New Jersey the only lead it would need. The Scribes cut the lead in half in the fifth and chased Rivera from the mound after just one-third of an inning in the sixth, but Neal Cotts struck out two straight batters and Wellwood's best chance at taking control of the game had been frittered away.
New Jersey added three more runs in the next two innings off of Al Reyes and Aaron Heilman and went into the ninth with a depleted bullpen - Forster only had Tom Gordon or Huston Street left to choose from. He chose Gordon and the Scribes went down meekly, with Tony Clark striking out to end the series and send the Bandits faithful into their yearly paroxysms of joy.
Ever gracious in defeat, Baumbach released this statement through personal PR flack Howard Rubenstein after the series: "While I am greatly disappointed by the final result of the World Series that was played earlier today, I would like to express the pride I feel toward my team for the strong fight they put forth against a very worthy opponent. Chris Forster's ball club was made up of the finest talent around the league, and it is an honor that we took him to the seven-game limit. I congratulate Chris and manager Yoda on a well played series. "And to all the Scribes fans out there, I thank you for your amazing support. I understand your disappointment, but rest assured, we are already hard at work building our 2007 team."
Immediately after the statement was released speculation ran rampant, as curious fans wondered if it was prelude to a deal for megastar Alex Rodriguez, who is rumored to be on the trading block. St. Jack's owner Jack Flynn was tight-lipped, saying only that he would "explore every option available for building a championship-caliber ball club."
But for Chris Forster and the New Jersey Bandits, the beat simply rolls on. Four straight titles have created a legacy on Tony Soprano's turf and it is a proud one. With the 2007 free agent draft just over a month away, there will be no rest for the wicked. Bandit fans are already wondering ...
"Eyyy, when will we get our Six-Pack?"
