A lil' bit from Shwam

As I've said before, I'm in the midst of working on the Broncos' season wrap up story that is slated to come out Sunday.

I just finished transcribing quotes from manager Dan Shwam.

Here's a taste of some of the leftovers. And if these are leftovers, just imagine what the story will tell....


On the state of his return (which he's told me he'd return if welcomed back): “If I were to come back, I’d definitely bring back a younger team. I’d want a team that could handle the bumps on the road that Laredo has to offer – the stadium, the grind, it’s hot everyday. On this team, nothing worked for long periods of time. I tried to clean house and get rid of bad guys. I held meetings with each player. I tried to keep guys fresh, limiting batting practice because of the heat so they don’t wear down. I just never got it right.”

On the difference between his two tenures with the Broncos, one in 2006 and going 30-20 to lead them to a playoff spot, and then this year's 39-48 debacle: “It was a great group of guys in ’06. We had great team leadership. Edwin Maldonado. Orlando Cruz. Bryan Batson. Daryl Roque. Guys that hated losing. They were hungrier, out to prove themselves and would kill themselves for a win.
“As soon as someone messed up, Edwin would call them out. He’d let them know they were slacking. When I first got there, I inherited a team that was awful. We made some changes, made them believe and that was enough.”

On what he learned about himself as a manager in his 20th year of teaching the game, now second all-time in wins in independent baseball: “I still take losses very hard. I thought the older I got, the more games I got under my belt, I’d start caring less and less; they’d all run together. But I still love the game and hate the days before a game. I hate the nighttime, when I either sulk about losses or can’t enjoy a victory because I’m too busy preparing for the next game. But from 7:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., it’s the best three hours of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

To clear up any speculation: Shwam blames this season completely on himself. He still, like every other Bronco loyalist, does not know what made this team tick. It was an eclectic mix of egos, and all he knows of the ballclub is that it was a self-consumed bunch that prioritized stats, not winning.

You'll read a lot more interesting comments from him come Sunday so be on the lookout.