Sarbaugh finally lets young team let loose after championship
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 08:54 p.m. EDT, Sep 21, 2009
As the regular season wound down and the playoffs approached, Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh knew his talented team was capable of winning the Eastern League championship.
Sarbaugh, in his second year managing the Aeros, sensed that the young, fun-loving team still needed to be kept reined in a bit.
A usually laid-back Sarbaugh saw to it in a bunch of little ways behind the scenes that his players kept their egos in check.
He politely asked that the public address announcer not mention that he was the Eastern League Manager of the Year, or that catcher Carlos Santana was the Most Valuable Player or that Jeanmar Gomez was the Pitcher of the Year every time their names were announced or put on the scoreboard.
''Those are nice accomplishments,'' Sarbaugh said. ''But they are individual awards.''
When the team clinched a playoff spot before the end of the regular season and even when the Aeros swept the Reading Phillies in the Southern Division playoffs, Sarbaugh let the group celebrate some, but he held the partying to a minimum.
''We still haven't reached our ultimate goal,'' he kept reminding them.
So when there was nothing left to hold back, when Saturday night's 10-6 win over the Connecticut Defenders at Canal Park secured their third Eastern League title since 2003, Sarbaugh let the Aeros go all out with their celebration and he joined right in.
After the final champagne cork had been let loose and the beer cans all but emptied, Sarbaugh gathered his soaking-wet and giddy players in a circle in the locker room and reminded them to never forget the special moment.
Always champions
''No matter what happens to you in your career from here on out, nobody can take this championship away from you,'' he said.
After a loud round of cheers went up, Sarbaugh quieted the group once more and tried to explain just how rare such an accomplishment is, calling hitting coach Lee May Jr. over to his side.
''I want everyone to congratulate Lee May, who just won his first ring in 23 years of baseball,'' Sarbaugh said.
Once again the group went wild but the point had been made. Whether the players understood it or not, Sarbaugh had just passed on his final words of wisdom for the season: Take nothing for granted in baseball.
As much as championships are about the players, Sarbaugh is proof that in the minor leagues, managing the prospects is just as crucial to an organization's future.
Dream resume
Having managed teams to titles in short-season Mahoning Valley (2004), in high Class-A Kinston (2006) and now with the Aeros, the humble Sarbaugh has put together the kind of resume most minor-league managers only dream about.
''He is the kind of manager every guy hopes to play for,'' pitcher Josh Tomlin said.
Tomlin, a right-hander, finished the season with the most wins on the team, compiling a 14-9 record and 4.16 ERA in 26 games. Tomlin was even better in the playoffs. Serving as the team's ace, he won twice with a 1.93 ERA and racked up 15 strikeouts in 14 innings.
''I can't say enough about Josh and the job he did for us this season,'' Sarbaugh said. ''He was such a steady and consistent force for us all season.''
Breezing into 1st
Led by Tomlin and Gomez on the mound, Santana and company at the plate and Sarbaugh in the dugout, the Aeros breezed to a first-place finish in a regular season by 14 games. The dominating run for a stretch had them touting the best record in professional baseball.
The season also included the franchise's first perfect game by Gomez in May. Several other players, including Santana and Jose Constanza, set a handful of individual franchise records.
The Aeros wrapped up the regular season on an eight-game winning streak and continued their winning ways well into the postseason. It wasn't until Game 3 of the championship series that they lost their first and only playoff game — an 8-7 slugfest that came down to a memorable 10-plus pitch at bat by Jerad Head, the league's postseason MVP.
''This year has just been so unbelievable,'' said Head, who led all playoff batters with nine RBI, eight extra-base hits, six doubles and two triples. ''One through nine, we proved to be a lineup to be reckoned with.''
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians and Aeros blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters.
