Want to be the best, Ogden Raptors?
Great. That brass ring is right in front of you. Now all you've got to do is grab it.
Now all you've got to do is get past the big, bad Orem Owlz, because they're the best.
Since joining the Pioneer League in 2001, the Orem/Provo franchise has played in eight league championship series, winning four of them.
That, folks, is the definition of dominance. While they're not exactly the New York Yankees, the Owlz/Angels are certainly the modern-day Pioneer League equivalent.
If you're scoring at home, they've won four of the last six league titles, including last season's sweep of the Missoula Osprey.
As if those facts don't make them menacing enough, Ogden fans know all too well that these brutes from Utah County have eliminated the Raptors from the playoffs five times since 2002.
Look away loyal fans, here are the hard facts: 2002, Provo defeats Ogden 2-1; 2003, Provo defeats Ogden 2-1; 2005, Orem defeats Ogden, 2-1; 2007, Orem defeats Ogden 2-1; 2009, Orem sweeps Ogden 2-0.
Numbers like those can leave you feeling like you've just been kicked in the gut; they can leave you feeling enough hatred to keep you warm through the winter.
Numbers like that make you wonder why someone hasn't written a musical called, "Damn Angels!"
OK, so we've established these guys from Orem/Provo have built themselves a dynasty. The question is, what are the Raptors going to do about it?
See, as luck -- yes, luck -- would have it, Ogden and Orem are going to meet again in the Pioneer League's divisional playoffs, which begin tonight in Orem. Yes, they're 0-5 to this point in history. But if the Raptors are ever going to break through against their southern enemies, now might just be their best opportunity.
"If the planets are ever lined up for us to get past Orem, it would be this year," said Raptors team president Dave Baggott.
Now, before we go any farther, let the record show Mr. Baggott chose his words carefully. A former Pioneer League player himself, the franchise frontman understands all too well the power of bulletin board material.
Still, there are reasons to believe and he wants everyone to know them. So he happily points out that the Raptors have never won both halves of the PL season, which they did this year.
What's more, this year's team established a club record for wins in a season, with 44 going into Thursday night's regular-season finale.
Going into Thursday, Ogden led the PL in hitting with a team average of .296, slugging (.464), on-base percentage (.363), runs (482) and total bases 1,229.
League MVP Jake Lemmerman was hitting .364 with a dozen homers and 45 RBIs and outfielder Nick Akins was leading the league with 15 home runs.
Pitcher Red Patterson finished the regular-season with a record of 6-1 and a 3.33 ERA. Reliever Shawn Tolleson finished with 17 saves.
But those are all just numbers, just like Ogden's 0-5 record against the Owlz/Angels in the divisional playoffs. Facts and figures, especially in baseball, may define the situation but it's the players themselves that define the moment.
The Raptors are good, no doubt about it. Very good. They belong on the playoff stage with the Owlz.
And they're aware of the situation ... of the opportunity in front of them.
"Call it being snake-bitten, call it what you want," said Baggott. "I'm kind of glad we're playing them. If the Raptors are fortunate enough to advance to the championship series and actually win the whole thing, then I think there would be more satisfaction from how we got there."
And at that, Baggott paused and added one more thing.
"If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best," he said.
Jim Burton is the Standard-Examiner's sports columnist. He also covers the Utah Jazz and the NBA. He can be reached at (801) 625-4265 or at jburton@standard.net. He Tweets at http://twitter.com/jmb247
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