The Casper Journal :: Casper's Community Newspaper

Casper area baseball fans got our first look at the latest version of our minor league baseball team over the weekend, and I certainly liked what I saw of the Casper Ghosts.

I have been less than enthusiastic about the identity change from the Casper Rockies to the Ghosts, but now that it is a reality, I like it. The new identity seems to have captured the imagination of a good portion of the community, so why not?

And the ball club already has shown marked improvement over the teams of the recent past. Team owner Kevin Haughian has pleaded with the Colorado front office to provide sufficient talent so that the Casper club is able to compete with the other farms’ clubs that make up the Pioneer League.

Last season was a disaster in the win-loss department, but things seem to have taken a major turn for the better. Haughian told me this is the best ball club he has had in the last decade and that includes the teams in Butte, Mont., before he moved the franchise to Casper.

It is that kind of positive attitude that is evident at Mike Lansing Field, the Ghosts’ home diamond. This year’s team has a more experienced roster with a number of familiar names back from last season.

The team has exhibited more power and some solid pitching along with some excellent defensive play. All in all, after just one weekend in which to judge, I am excited to continue to follow the Ghosts.

I originally questioned the new Ghosts logo and color scheme, but it grows on you. I’m anxious to spend a lot of evenings at Lansing Field this summer.

There are some familiar names on the Ghosts’ roster … players who are returning from last year’s disappointing season. The returning guys show some solid improvement over last time around.

And there is some talent among the newcomers. I am especially interested in seeing the young University of Georgia infielder who has sparkled in the NCAA College World Series in Omaha in recent days. He will be joining the Ghosts as soon as he agrees to a professional contract with Colorado, probably sometime this week.

The Ghosts’ schedule is a little spooky as they play Idaho Falls in eight of their first 11 ballgames. Of course, in the end, it will balance out and we will see plenty of Orem and Ogden before Independence Day.

Writing on the subject of the College World Series leads me to wonder why the powers-that-be in major college football cannot see the merits of a postseason tournament similar to the baseball tournament in Omaha.

Baseball does not rival football at the college level, but the postseason tournament in Omaha has become one of the more popular events on the NCAA calendar.

Wouldn’t a similar playoff format be great at the end of the college football season? Such a format would assure us of a true national champion and interest in the playoff would be even greater than is the case with college basketball and baseball.

Maybe someday …

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