a championship for harwich

In some circles, the Cape League has a reputation of being a show league. To some extent, it's probably a deserved reputation. Talent dominates the storylines and the display of that talent is one of the league's main goals.

But every August, when the all-star game is over and the eyes of scouts are turned elsewhere, the Cape League is not a show league. Anything but, in fact, and the photos of Harwich celebrating last night's championship tell that story pretty well.

These aren't talented kids who happen to be playing on the same field. They're talented kids coming together to create a talented team. They're compeitors and they want to win. Individual goals and attention from scouts doesn't change that. When you're with a group of guys every night for two months, you want to succeed. Seeing players embrace that is one of the coolest things about the end of the season.

The unique thing about Harwich's championship run is that the players weren't just embracing that for each other, for their team.

They were embracing it for an organization and a town.

This is what Mark Fleury told the Cape Cod Times: “After being here a few weeks and just talking to the locals, they really wanted, not only a winning team, but a championship team. I’m glad I was a part of it.”

Judging from their reactions, a lot of other players were glad to be part of it, too. That they wanted to be part of it is probably one of the biggest reasons why this team had success.

Take Brian Kemp and Andrew Giobbi. Both got off to strong starts. Kemp, from St. Johns, was hitting the ball well, while Giobbi, a late addition from Vanderbilt, was driving in runs at a faster clip than anybody in the league.

Then they both got injured, Giobbi in scary fashion when he got hit in the face by a pitch. For several weeks, they were out of the lineup and I assumed they were done for the year. That's generally what happens when you get hurt in the Cape League. You pack it in.

Kemp and Giobbi came back. They both had hits in last night's championship clincher. And while I'm sure coming back was motivated to some extent by self-interest, I'm betting they also came back because they wanted to be part of this.

When the team caught fire in the last week of the season, they quickly became part of something bigger. Not just a team with good chemistry chasing some goals, but a team and a town chasing an improbable goal.

Last night, there were more than 6,000 fans at Whitehouse Field. I can't imagine that many people being there. They must have been climbing trees in the outfield.

The high attendance number speaks to what this title chase became. For 21 years, Harwich went without a Cape League title. Most of the players on this year's team weren't born the last time the Mariners won.

But they did it, and when the winning run crossed the plate last night, they weren't the only ones celebrating.