PUERTO RICO -- 6 months ago, Clifford Mitchell took the mound in the most important start of his illustrious career. It was game 9 of the WBA Championship in front of a raucous crowd in Buenos Aires. 9 innings later, his Dolphins emerged victorious, champions of the world.
Buenos Aires opening day starter Clifford "Fudd" Mitchell
"A feeling like that doesn't come around often," said a reflective Mitchell. "It was euphoric. Winning that game, in a game 9, in front of our fans. I can't describe it really. It was special."
Since that day an offseason has come and gone. A championship parade wound through the streets of Buenos Aires, and a star 3rd baseman, Toshikuni Hashimoto, departed for Paris. The Dolphins front office opted for a conservative offseason approach, even as division rival Sao Paulo pushed all their chips to the center of the table.
"It was hard to let Hashimoto leave. He was an enormous part of what we've been able to build here," said Dolphins GM BuenosAires_Jake, "But we see ourselves as a perennial contender. We made moves we think will put us in a position to win in 2110, but also 2120."
Many fans in Buenos Aires expressed some disappointment that the team was not more aggressive during WBA's hot stove season, but Dolphin skipper Jon Taylor's optimism was unfazed, saying "Our goal is the same as it was last season. A few faces may have changed but we believe that we have 25 guys we can count on in October, just like we did last season."
Taylor's optimism will get an early test in the next ten days, as the Dolphins open the season on the road against the upstart Puerto Rico Coqui before hosting division rivals Sao Paulo and Rio in back to back series.
Dan Farnell
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