Puzzling Broncos eliminated from playoffs

By way of a 3-2 defeat to Edinburg on Tuesday, the Broncos' season is all but finished.

Sure, two games remain against those pesky Coyotes but if you thought the Broncos threw in the towel long ago - and you would be right - just wait and see how they approach these next games.

There will be no playoff appearance for the Broncos this year, and truthfully, aside from Broncos coaches and management, I don't know if I can say the players are really disappointed.

Many of them - not all, but the majority - mentally checked out a long time ago, which is why Edinburg was able to rally from six games back to a six-game cushion with five games remaining.

"It's a huge disappointment," Broncos Manager Dan Shwam said. "All the negative words you can think of, they apply to us. I have not been able to get these guys to play with passion or heart. I don't know if they're beat up or just really tired, I don't know. There's no sense of urgency and that's on me. We played our whole season for these six games, or that's what I thought anyway."

Laredo's entire season could be summed up by last night's lethargic performance in which it had more errors (5) than hits (3).

"This one game sums up our whole season," Shwam said. "We left guys on base, we only manage one big home run. We never manufacture runs or run the bases. Our defense was shabby and made ill-advised plays. We made a run late - again. It's just disappointing."

The Broncos have lost 24 of their last 37 games. They didn't deserve to be in the playoffs, though they had the talent and capability; heck, they had the potential to be the best club in ULB.

After all, four Broncos were named to this year's ULB All-Star team, and right-hander Santo Hernandez was named ULB's Pitcher of the Year.

Instead, with no leadership or accountability, the Broncos were an underachieving club, counting down the days, waiting for winter ball, or whatever lies ahead in their year.

"This team is so much better than it's shown," Shwam said. "I don't know why it doesn't play hard or why they don't play well together. It's an interesting mixture."

With two games remaining - Mickey Callaway will start tonight's game, with the starter of Thursday's game undecided - Shwam said he will continue to do what he feels is right.

"I'm going to manage the same way I always have, and that's to win games," he said. "We've got two games left to try and win - which we might, since the pressure is off - and try and bounce back and get things right.

"I would like to say we gave it our best but we didn't. I can blame the players all I want, but this is my responsibility and my team. I just didn't get the job done."

But anyone would be kidding themselves to think Shwam is at fault.

While he's not blame-free, of course, he's not the reason the Broncos are 11 games under .500 and playoff-less.

Shwam led the Broncos to their first playoff appearance in 2006. He's third all-time in wins in independent ball and is known as a "player's coach", highly respected in the game.

He's been lax on the Broncos this year. He's been tough as nails. He's held meetings and talked with each player. He's done everything possible to find out what the problem is.

In 20 years of managing, he - along with GM Jose Melendez and the Broncos' fans - has never been as perplexed and bewildered by a team as much as this one.

There were a few players who played hard every game and respected their jobs. But far too many did not, and those few became the precious minority.

In reality, ULB lucked out.

This was a heavily talented ballclub throughout the season which league officials, managers and players feared and scouts drooled over.

The Broncos had the hitting and pitching ability. They had youth and veterans. They had a manager who knows how to win.

No one wanted to see the Broncos in the playoffs.

And that included, ironically enough, the Broncos.