Remembering The Wind Surge And Ohawks

Well, not too long ago both the Chicago Ohawks and Windsor Wind Surge killed their teams based off of personal decisions. Though it may have benefited them, it devastated us and today we remember them.

Long read, maybe?

BEGINNINGS

The Chicago Ohawks were founded ¾ of the way through Season 83 with the goal of winning, winning, and winning some more, and finished off 83 with an 8-7 record. They built their roster over the offseason and were ready to roll. They had a very good run that season, finishing 38-22, but it was not enough and the Ohawks ended up 2nd in their division.

Meanwhile, that offseason, a team quietly formed and began acquiring free agents at a fast pace. This team was the Windsor Wind Surge, and they had big, big plans. They had a rocky first season, but overcame the downs to finish with a respectable 31-29 and a 3rd place division finish, which gave them the much-needed $500,000 bonus to build up their team some more. In the meantime, the Ohawks improved their game and finished with their first record over .700 (42-18) but they could not snag the division title and the ‘Hawks trudged into their 3rd offseason with no division title.

RISE TO THE TOP

Season 86 was a turning point for both of our teams, as the Wind Surge drastically improved to 47-13 and the Ohawks tore up the field with a 48-12 mark. Both teams captured their first division titles and advanced to the playoffs. 1st seeded Chicago steamrolled the San Diego Giants’ 2nd team, 10-3, but then had to face the actual Giants, the eventual league champion, and lost 11-7, mostly because of a 7-run San Diego 4th. Meanwhile, the Wind Surge, seeded 2nd in Alta Canyon, blew out the Regina PicheeCharlee, 11-2, but, like the Ohawks, fell in the 2nd round to another eventual league champ, as the Peoria Massacre picked apart the Surge’s pitchers for a 12-4 Masacre win. Season 87 saw Windsor regress slightly to a 43-17 record, but it was enough to win their 2nd division and send them to the playoffs as a 5 seed. However, a go-ahead 2-run double in the 6th by Stamford Demo Yankees SS Christopher Newcomb sealed the Surge’s fate, and Windsor was sent home with a bitter 6-5 defeat.

Meanwhile, the Hawks had an amazing season, improving to 52-8 and earning their 2nd straight #1 seed in Epsilon. They dispatched Detroit Detroit in the 1st round, 8-5, and survived a scare from the upstart Honolulu rbis, 5-4. This sent them to the league finals, where 2 homers and 5 RBIs from Santiago Whitcomb gave Chicago the league title, a 13-7 win over the Houston Nightcrawlers. On they went to the worlds, where an 8 run 5th gave them the dub over Cinderella story Valencia Dragon Shrimp, 15-11. Chicago got a bye in the quarterfinals and used the time wisely, resting up for a blockbuster against the Yonkers River Rats. They got themselves to the World Series with an 8th inning, game-winning 2-run bomb by Reese Nelson. In Game 1, the Peroia Massacre used identical performances by Frankie Peck and Bruno Walter (4-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI) to take Game 1, 8-6. However, Chicago kept the dream alive with 3 RBIs from Whitcomb and 4 from Emerson Washington, with Whitcomb knocking in the go-ahead single in the 8th for the 9-8 victory. Back and forth action dominated Game 3, but the Massacre built a 13-12 lead in the bottom of the 9th. The Ohawks managed a solo shot by Fidel Razo to tie and won the series with a walk off 3-run jack by Nelson, the biggest hit of his career.

Both teams were riding high in Season 88, but the Wind Surge flopped, finishing 3rd in their division with a 38-22 record and needed a tiebreaker win to get into the Wild Card. Meanwhile, the Ohawks turned in another awesome performance, finishing 50-10 and earning their 3rd straight #1 seed. Chicago came back from down 8-0 in the 4th to win their 1st round game against the New Orleans Cajun Gamecocks and absolutely smoked the New Orleans Hot Rods, 19-5, to get to the League Finals against the St. Johns Codfish. However, their hopes at 2 World titles ended there with a resounding 7-3 defeat. Meanwhile, the Wind Surge refused to quit, winning the Subscriber Wild Card to enter the playoffs. There, they faced the aforementioned Codfish, and the Surge used a 4-run 4th to propel them to an 8-6 win. Next, Windsor butted heads with the #1 ranked Peoria Destroyers, and used clutch hits to carry them to an 11-9 victory. The only team not to get a bye, Windsor had to face the Paterson Pineapples (who just died, by the way), and gave themselves a ticket to the World Series with a 12-5 victory, fueled by a 6-run 9th. In the World Series, the Wind Surge used 5 runs in the 3rd and 8th to coast to a 13-4 blowout, but the St. Johns Deadly Sins forced a Game 3 with a walk off, 3-run homer by Duncan Milne, which defeated Windsor 4-1. Expectations were high for Game 3, and the game more than lived up to its hype, with lots of back and forth action, but an RBI double by Jamison Heflin in the 8th gave the Surge the World Championship.

THE FALL

The Surge, now World Champions, began being plagued by what is a deathbed for many FBers: high school. The Surge sold off their best players and began logging on only for chatting. Nevertheless, despite briefly closing down, Windsor finished 43-17 and got another division championship. Now the 3 seed in Theta, the Surge survived a 1st round scare, and 8-7 win over the Lexington RED ONIONS, but fell in the 2nd round to the Green Bay Brewers, 4-2. Meanwhile, the Ohawks went 50-10 (again), but got stuck with the 3 seed. In a stunning upset, the always-pesky Dallas Sluggers used 5 runs combined in the 6th and 7th to stun the world with a 6-3 victory. Both were sent home dejected but vowed to come back better than ever. In the new playoff format, Chicago had another solid season, finishing 41-19, but finished as the 3 seed and were pitted against the upstart Alexandria Country Yankees. The Hawks shut down Alexandria in Game 1, as Chaz Ellis threw a 2-hitter en route to a 4-0 victory. However, the Yanks pulled out a 5-4 Game 2 victory, and the Hawks were shockingly eliminated by Alexandria, soon to be the League Champions, after going down 10-2 in Game 3.

The Surge, still tanking but failing, closed down and reopened shop again but managed a 37-23 record and another division title. However, the 7th seed Wind Surge were swept in the 1st round by the Yonkers River Rats, 5-1 and 6-1. Both teams experienced extreme regressions and were sent home as 1st round losers for the first time.

Season 91 was the season both teams collapsed. The Ohawks followed Windsor’s lead and sold off most of their stars on FTD, for reasons that were then unbeknownst. Chicago struggled early in the season, which included a 14-3 defeat at the hands of the Giants, but had a resounding victory to close out their career. It turned out they had got a house and a baby, which explained things but was still sad. In the meantime, the Surge surged in 91, going 45-15 in a very weak Copper Spring and advanced to the playoffs as the 1 seed. However, the rejuvenated Buffalo Bisons overcame a 9-1 Game 2 loss with 5-1 and 6-5 defeats of Windsor for the crazy upset. The Surge, stressed about high school, happy with their accomplishments, and faithful that his younger brother, the Manchester Maniacs, could carth the torch, quietly left during the offseason.

FINAL STATISTICS

Windsor Wind Surge

Seasons Active: 84-89, 89-90, 90-91 (8 Seasons)
Record: 285-136 (.677)
World Rank AVG: 52.0
Division Titles: 5
League Titles: 0
World Titles: 1

Chicago Ohawks

Seasons Active: 83-91
Record: 329-106 (.756)
AVG World Rank: 36.9
Division Titles: 5
League Titles: 1
World Titles: 1

LEGACY

“It ain’t if, it’s how they remember you”- Rascal Flatts

The Wind Surge and Ohawks were just great guys to know and talk to, active players, and real masters of the game. I personally remember the Wind Surge sending me my 1st friend request (besides the Admins) in the midst of their World Series year and it’s something I won’t forget. In terms of performance, both teams will go down as flaming comets, showing up, tearing up the league, and then crashing and burning before you knew it. They may have been in and out really quick, but they will always be remembered and never forgotten.

Country Yankees