In Depth: Spokane Warriors

The Spokane Warriors. Some could make a case that they are the greatest of all time. In fact, they are probably the greatest of all time. The Spokane Warriors started off in season 46 with a respectable 37-23 record, that record was enough to get them the division title. That wasn't enough to get them the league title, but that was the start of a dynasty, the Warriors won all the division titles since (except in season 69 when they lost in a tiebreaker), but let’s rewind to season 58 when all the work finally paid off.

The Warriors finished 48-12 that season coming first in the world. The Warriors won the first round of the playoffs 4-5 over the Seattle Mariners! Cuarto Tovar hit the walk-off smash in the bottom of the tenth to put the Warriors over the Mariners!  In the next round the Warriors won 10-9 against the Allentown Catfish. After scoring 5 runs in the 5th, the Warriors had a comfy 8-4 lead. The Warriors added two more to make the score 10-4. But the Catfished rallied to get 5 runs in the top of the 8th. But the Warriors held on and won 10-9.

In the League final, the Warriors played the New York The HC’s. The Warriors jumped out early with a two run second inning. The Warriors let up one run in the top of the 4th because of a solo shot by Jerardo Riojas. The Warriors got that run back in the bottom half and never looked back. Jan Wagner who started this game for the Warriors was pitching lights out. The southpaw pitched 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts and no walks. The Warriors were off to the world playoffs.

The first round, the Warriors got a bye, but in the second, they played the 74th ranked Atlanta Apples. The pitchers were locked in early, but a 5th inning two home run by Aryan Do put the Warriors on top. The Warriors got one more run in the bottom of the 6th and held that lead to a 3-0 victory. The starting pitcher, Jayden Gallardo, pitched a game any pitcher would dream of. 7 innings, 1 hit, no runs, 6 strikeouts and 0 walks. The Warriors were off to the World Series!

In game one, pitching was dominant for the first 3 and a half innings, but the Warriors struck first with a two-run shot by Anbessa Corrales. In the bottom of the next inning, the Warriors got another home run, this time a two-run shot by Aryan Do. At the end of the 7th, the Warriors were 7-0. That lead stuck for a 7-0 Warriors win. The star of this game was the Warriors starting pitcher, Rodney Connor. Connor pitched 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 8 strikeouts and 0 walks. The Spokane Warriors are leading the series, 1-0.

In game two, the Warriors were off to a 2-0 lead early, but the Smoke Eaters got a run back in the top of the 2nd. After 5 innings, the Warriors were up 5-1. The Smoke eaters tried to rally, but fell just short and the Warriors won the World Series! The final score was 5-4. DH, Cuarto Tovar was the star of this game going 3-4 with a triple.

How that we rewinded to the first World Series won by the Warriors, let’s ask them some questions about the Warriors.

Question 1: How do you make such a great team? It is crazy that the Warriors won their division every season but one.

Answer: “It takes a lot to build a solid team. It takes time to understand what type of players to look for and how to acquire them. There are different ways to research players and different ways to acquire players. There is no single right way to do it. You just need to find a way that works for you.”

Question 2: Was the Warriors the first name choice?

Answer: “It was the first choice. When my son (Anchorage Polar Bears) convinced me to start playing, he helped me come up with the city and name. He said pick your birthplace for the city and use your high school mascot for the name. I liked it and went with it.”

Question 3: What were your first thoughts when you entered FB?

Answer: “My first thoughts when I started was curiosity. I was wondering how the game worked and what I needed to do. I wasn't serious about playing. Just something to do in the evenings and talk to my son about. A little father son bonding.”

Question 4: When you won your first world championship what was your reaction? What did you do with the money? Use it on bids?

Answer: “When I won the world championship for the first time, I was shocked. I beat the legendary Toronto Smoke Eaters. I really couldn’t believe it. They were one of the best teams at the time and I felt really lucky to beat them. It was an honor to play against them. The money I got probably went to saving my players from bids other teams put on them. I wasn't really active at bidding at the time. Relied on purges and trades to get players.”

Question 5: Do you think that you are the GOAT of FB? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Answer: “When anybody calls me the GOAT I feel honored and humbled that somebody thinks I am doing that good. There are many great teams out there. I personally don’t feel I have done enough to earn it. If I had as many league titles as HTFD_YANKEES and a greater distance in WS title between myself and the Dolphins, then maybe I would like I have earned it.”

Question 6: What advice would you give to up and coming teams?

Answer: “My advice to new teams would be to watch the trends in your players performance. Short term and long term. Short term trends will tell you if your player is hot or cold. If he is cold, get him out of the line up. At least for a few days, then go back to him to see if he gets going again. Long term trends will let you know what kind of ratings you want in a player. What works for one team may not work for another. Find what works for you and go with it.”

Question 7: What advice would you give to older, more experienced teams?

Answer: “The older more experienced teams don’t need any advice from me. They already know what they need to do and know this game as well as I do. There are different ways to be successful on this game and they will continue to do what works for them.”

Question 8: Who is your FB mentor?

Answer: “Can’t really pick a mentor. When I started, I would check out what the Chicago Dolphins, Hartford HTFD_Yankees and the Toronto Smoke Eaters were doing. My first ideas on how to play the game came from watching them. Since then I started watching what the San Diego Bombers, Peoria Destroyers/Yonker River Rats and Honolulu Shimakaze on what they are doing.

Question 9: Which player had the best performance on your team?

Answer: “Best performance? Hard to say. Had so many great players over the seasons. In the early days there was Jadon English, Anbessa Corrales, Kendrick Buford, Jan Wagner and Rodney Connor. Then there was Nickolas Beckett, Tariq Provast Toby Gass, Jerardo Uloa, Cortez Lambert and Finn Cates out of the bullpen. Those players would stick in my mind.”

Let’s see what other teams think about the Spokane Warriors.

Question 1: Do you think the Warriors are the GOAT of FB?

St. Johns Deadly Sins: “These GOAT questions are always hard to answer. There always seems to be an argument against someone being a GOAT but in this case it is really hard to argue. 5 world titles is just hard to imagine.”

San Juan PRnacionals: “nope,.”

San Diego Bombers “The Warriors could be considered the GOAT of FB. There aren’t many teams I consider better.”

Honolulu Shimakaze: “I think Warriors is the Goat,.”

Question 2: Do you think the Warriors will have seven titles by the end of the decade?

St. Johns Deadly Sins: “2 titles in the same decade will be no easy task for any team but if anyone has a chance it’s likely the Warriors.”

San Juan PRnacionals: “they are on decline no 7 championship that way.”

San Diego Bombers: “It is definitely possible they get 7 titles.”

Honolulu Shimakaze: “and seven titles is possible.”

Thanks to the San Diego Bombers, San Juan PRnacionals, St. Johns Deadly Sins, Honolulu Shimakaze and the Spokane Warriors for making this article possible!