EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
This Bee Jay team did not live up to the standards of the storied franchise of summer baseball.
It’s harsh, I know. Like all teams I’m sure the desire to succeed was there. But as the saying goes, you are what your record says you are, and the Bee Jays had a losing record in the Rocky Mountain League.
Counting an exhibition win against the Liberal Rattlers, the team finished 15-15 overall, which is still a far cry from the expectations for a summer program that has five NBC World Series titles.
Liberal had chances to turn a corner this summer when the chips were down, but they just never registered a marquis win.
Their best chance was June 26 when they had a chance to win the three-game series with the defending NBC World Champion Hay Larks. Up 9-5 with the final tow innings to go, the Bee Jays gave up a grand slam and eventually lost the game in 10 innings, 11-9.
That was a defining moment that could have catapulted the Bee Jays to a strong finish to the season and potentially playing at the NBC World Series.
Instead, the Bee Jays went 6-7 the rest of the season and fell well below the standard set by a team that has more wins at the NBC World Series than any other team on the planet.
It happens.
Some teams just don’t come together, recruiting turns out to be a letdown, and the on-field performance just doesn’t match the expectations and opportunity that was provided.
But the Bee Jay Board is one of the best organizations in the country for summer baseball. I have no doubt they will make adjustments, and I am already looking forward to 2026.
