Mike wins first title, vows to repeat next year

It was a very, very good championship matchup, and much like in the semis, Mike had to overcome a bad offense and early deficit to win.

And that he did. Mike is our 2011 champion, capturing his first title in franchise history with a 13-7 win over Shea.

"I couldn't be happier for the boys," Mike said. "The champagne was delicious. The taste of victory is what we play for."


Once again, a division winner won the title, something that has clearly become a necessary part of building a championship team. Mike, despite being a combined 0-4 vs. Chris and Shea, beat both in the playoffs.

"We were excited to see them both in the playoffs," Mike said. "They each took us to the edge, before our boys fought back and earned the victory. No better way to win the championship then that."

Mike had been an afterthought in this league the past three years, and this preseason, the same was true. We even wrote, when ranking Mike 10th, that the hitting was bad and the pitching needed to stay healthy. (http://mtlkeeperleague.blogspot.com/2011/03/2011-preseason-power-rankings.html)

Clearly, it did. Simply put, Mike won the championship because of his pitching. His offense basically disappeared for most of the postseason, but his pitching was damn good.

"Jered Weaver was our Cy Young," Mike said. "He struggled down the stretch, but he was the reason our pitching was as good as it was. Behind him, we focused on getting live arms that could dominate the game at any time. Jon Lester had a strong year, and Matt Garza and Max Scherzer stepped up when needed. But one of our biggest strengths was our bullpen. Axford and Storen each had a solid 40 saves, and Venters bridged the gap with 35 holds and five saves. We couldn't nail down the wins without those three.

So what's next for Mike? Like any good champ, he's already looking ahead to 2012.

"Braun, Weaver, Lester next year? Yeah, obviously going to repeat."