Ten in a row

It's hard not to enjoy the recaps when they describe the team's tenth win in a row.

Charlie Nobles hits on the highlights, such as Rob Mackowiak's diving catch in his report for MLB.com. Said Moses:

McClendon said, "Mac is probably our best athlete. He plays all over the field. He's a great leaper, sprints well, comes in on the ball well and has a strong arm. That was a heck of a play."

Joe Rutter leads with a signature joke in his recap for the Tribune-Review. Click over and see for yourself.

The rest of Rutter's report emphasizes the fact that the win was a team effort. Moses answered and said,

"When you're winning, everyone steps up and contributes," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "You get production from a lot of different people."

That's the truth, Mac. A winning team is a group of equals characterized by each of the players taking control of the game at unexpected times and in an unexpected order. If a player can't step up and be the leader on occasion, he doesn't belong on the team. If one player dominates the leadership responsibilities, the team lacks the spirit of equality that invites lesser players to step up, and you wind up with a loser like Alex Rodriguez's Rangers.

Bob Dvorchak focusses on Wells' performance as part of a recent trend in his report for the Post-Gazette. He summarizes the defensive plays as contributions to Wells's final numbers, and he tempers the impressiveness of the win by noting that the Marlins have not been playing well. He closes with Moses. Moses said,

"The thing that's most amazing is the guys in that locker room haven't changed. They have the same attitude as when we lost nine in a row," McClendon said. "There's not a lot of things that affect them. This is most workmanlike group I've been associated with. They go about their business day in and day out. It's nice to see."

That's a good thing to hear from the manager. Even if it isn't true, it should be, and this wouldn't be the worst way to remind the players that they have to keep their wits about them. The last time they had some emotional wins, they followed them up with one of the worst losing streaks in team history.