Oh No! We suck again!

The Lincoln Saltdogs do not see themselves as a world power of Franchiseball. Hell, it’d be difficult to argue they were anything more than a road bump to the big powers while picking on the absent teams.
        As a free team, labor was the only way to make progress. But the vines of labor bore fruit. And the fruit of victory finally ripened in season 157, with their highest win total ever at 42, their first 40-win season since the revival in season 150, and only their third ever 40-win season. Behind a franchise best 3.55 ERA, and four hitters over .300, the Lincoln Saltdogs had by far their best season ever. But even a season that good could not earn a division title, as the Aurora Brides took the title in a tiebreaker. But there’s always next year.
        Next year boasted only 39 wins due to severe regression in the hitting core. And 36 wins in 159 with awful pitching. 37 wins in 160 due to regression in both categories. But the Saltdogs still met their forever stated goal of a 60%-win percentage. Manager James Frisbie was safe for now.
Then the bottom fell out. The Lincoln Saltdogs fell to a hitting average of .256, their worst since 145, which was notably the last season before the second iteration of the franchise folded. Was the pitching alright?
No. It was not. An ERA over four might not be the worst in Franchiseball, but for a team hitting as poorly as the Saltdogs it was a death sentence. And so there are the ingredients for the worst Saltdogs season in nearly 20 seasons.
The Lincoln Saltdogs had not had a losing season since season 143. Their last before that was season 132. They were a team of boring consistency, never losing but rarely winning. To some sense it felt like the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not until season 161.
29-31. The worst record in a full calendar year and a half. Some of the worst hitting in franchise history. Poor pitching. Zero clutch. Only one pitcher with a winning record. Only one hitter above .300. It couldn’t get worse.
Manager James Frisbie had a record of 253-147 regular season record and a 14-11 postseason record including a run to the semifinals of the wildcard playoffs in 156. There was little pressure on him before 161. That is now far from the case. Questions about the falloff since 156 plagued the clubhouse. The seat was so hot it was glowing red.
As of the time of writing, the Saltdogs are 23-17. Six games above .500. The goal to reach .600, the bare minimum. There is no promise that would save Frisbie. A postseason run would be necessary for safety. But that’s a question that waits until after the season.
Season 162 has been okay. The hitting is still poor, with a team average of .262, there has been much higher offensive efficiency. The pitching is back to the standard. A team ERA of 3.6 has kept the Saltdogs in the games. Hope is here. A new, young core has arrived, and growth is occurring. The fruits of the falloff have begun to bloom. Now all that is left is to wait for the ripening of another hopeful group.