Reasons to be thankful: Happy Thanksgiving

Hyvinkää were thankful that Juha Korhonen’s bat was able to overcome the team’s leaky defence

As someone growing up in the UK I never had much knowledge about thanksgiving other than reference to sitcoms or movies. But the one thing that I have always admired is the central message of the holiday - reflecting on things to be grateful for and showing thank and appreciation to others. Despite the historical or political contexts that often overshadow Thanksgiving, or NFL games for that matter, the central message is one I believe is of benefit to all.


This year has been a terrible one for many people around the world and many people have suffered in a number of years; perhaps this year more than eve, it is important to reflect on what we are thankful for and highlight the positives that we still cling to in our darkest times.


For me, I am truly thankful for being welcomed into the Pesis community and getting to talk to some amazing ad insightful people about a sport I love so much. But this got me thinking - what are the teams thankful for? Here are my thoughts...


Sotkamon Jymy

There is a lot to be thankful for in Sotkamo - the fact that the locker room politics didn’t overshadow the quality of its players; that the youngsters are already playing championship level pesis; that the 10 year drought without a championship is over... But I think the one moment Sotkamo fans will be thankful for is Roope Korhonen’s supervuoro blast in game 2 of the championship series against KPL in Kouvola; arguably the moment Sotkamo saved their championship dreams.


Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat 

It’s easy to dwell on what could have been, but KPL has a lot to be thankful for. Top of the list must surely be the fact that Janne Kivipelto was exceptional this year and pitched his team into the final series. KPL fans will also be thankful for the semi-final victory over reigning champions Joensuu. In any other circumstances, this would have been the finest moment in the season, ending JoMa’s longest winning streak in club history...


Vimpelin Veto

If you asked a Vimpeli fan at the beginning of the season what they would be hoping for at the end of the season, a bronze medal against Joensuu would have been the stuff of dreams; however that is exactly what happened. So what are Vimpeli thankful for? Perttu Ruuska’s mature head and growth as a pitcher is surely the top of the list.


Joensuun Maila

The postseason did not go the way JoMa hoped, despite a stunning performance in the regular season. JoMa are thankful for the many fans who turned out to Kerubi stadium in record numbers and cheered on their team as they now bid farewell to some of their star players; however the highlight of the season has to be the regular season wins over Sotkamo and KPL that left both teams searching for answers.


Kiteen Pallo-90

The anniversary year was a real celebration for Kitee. Despite many critics writing them off before the season started, Kitee were the most surprising team to watch in 2020 and surpassed all expectations. KiPa must be thankful for their 2 pitchers that they fielded in the season and the sheer determination to win.



Hyvinkään Tahko

Hyvinkää had some desperate moments definsivly this year, with their offence struggling to keep pace with their opponents. Tahko are grateful that they managed to plug the gaps when it counted and surge up to 6th in the table. In particular Tahko fans will remember “that catch” by Jere Vikström against Vimpeli that quickly became a topic of conversation amongst the pesis community.


Seinäjoen JymyJussit 

Seinäjoki had a strong start to the season but faded in August, slipping down to 7th place and almost out of the top 8 entirely. The key moment for JymyJussit was their 2-0 win over KPL in the last game of the season to secure their 7th place finish and their place in the postseason - something to be thankful? Definitely


Pattijoen Urheilijat Raahe

Despite having high hopes for 2020, like so many people’s plans, they faded fast. PattU looked unlikely to make the top 8 at times; however the return of injured veteran and mentor Jari Törmänen just before the end of the season was the stuff of Hollywood fairytales. Surely this is a contender for PattU fans to be thankful for.


Imatran Pallo-Veikot

The end of the season was yet another heartbreaker for IPV, who had gambled with having Tuomas Jussila and Sami Partanen on the lineup. Whilst IPV fell short at the end of the season, their opening win against Joensuu was immense. Partanen’s RBI in the supervuoro from a short hit to a deep set field was truly beautiful to watch and something to be thankful for.


Kempeleen Kiri 

The highs and lows of Kempele didnt see them finish in the top 8, but some exceptional batting performances made critics take them seriously. OK, so maybe Kempele are not a top 8 team this year, but the team has some good energy and is making strides forward. Kempele will be thankful for their headline grabbing win over 2019 silver medalists and 2020 champions Sotkamo at Hiuka...


Koskenkorvan Urheilijat

Koskenkorva’s season was full of fielding errors and problems at bat, except one man - Patrik Wahlsten. If any teams was thankful to have a single player on their lineup this year, it was KoU and Wahlsten. Their 2020 season doesn’t bare thinking about if Wahlsten wasn’t doing what he does best... so let’s not think about it.


Manse PP, Tampere

Manse’s big break into Superpesis yielded some positive results, but many critics thought they could have achieved more. For a debut season, being only 3points from 9th place is pretty good; however Manse fans will be thankful that the club has opened its wallet and invested in some big names for 2021 in a lineup that looks more like an East v West (all star) team.


Kankaanpään Maila

KaMa had few standout moments in 2020 and will be thankful that there was no risk of relegation this season. On a positive note - Kari Kellokoski’s blistering performance in the Halli-SM game against Seinäjoki will live on for some time to come; 8/9 overall with 2 RBI and 1 run, which saw KaMa secure a 2-0 win.


Siilinjärven Pesis

Like KaMa, the fact that there was no relegation in 2020 will have been a welcome sigh of relief for SiiPe, who finished in 14th in the regular season. SiiPe however (unlike KaMa) scored some incredible victories this year, including a supervuoro win over Vimpeli at the end of July and a tight 1-0 win over Seinäjoki at the end of the season. SiiPe fans are likely to be thankful for the determination the team showed despite coming up against some tough competition.


Thanksgiving message

To all the fans and readers in the US and indeed all around the world, I wish a happy Thanksgiving.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Playoff previews 2021: Semifinals

Image
The semifinals promise to be action packed and full of surprises… The first round of the playoffs are now over and the semifinals are set. Here is my preview of the last 4: (1) Manse PP v (4) Sotkamo Both of these teams played a tough series to reach the semifinals. Manse almost became the victims of a surprise series win by IPV; however Manse came back from losing their opening 2 games and won in 5 games. Sotkamo’s road to the semifinals had a substantially more threatening roadblock in the form of a hungry Joensuu side. If JoMa had home field advantage for the series, or the ball had bounced a certain way, this semifinal would look very different. Sotkamo’s regular season games against top 4 sides were not great and they lost more games than the other 3. Despite a dazzling performance at Kaupi on 30th July, Manse still got the better of the reigning champions in their most recent matchup. Manse now have to prove that they are the championship contenders they claim to be. Expect th
Read more

Finals review 2021

Image
In 5 games we were treated to some tense games and superb defence, but in the end Manse PP managed to break through and seal their first men’s championship in the club’s history in a 1-0 win over KPL. Manse finished top of the league in the regular season and soon became favourites to reach the final; however they were soon faced with elimination from the playoffs when they unexpectedly lost the first 2 games of their quarterfinal series against IPV. In the end, neither IPV or reigning champions Sotkamo could stop the star-studded team from securing their first final in only their second season in Superpesis. In my predictions going into the final, I struggled to pick a clear winner, but ended up backing KPL. At that point, I was convinced that Manse hadn’t reached their true potential this season and thought KPL would exploit that. A few weeks later and it seems that Manse did indeed unlock their potential and showed the strength of their defensive game in ways we rarely got to se
Read more

Playoff previews 2021: the final

Image
Can KPL go all the way this season and take gold in their second consecutive final? After some intense semifinal series, the finals are set, with Manse and KPL in search of gold, whilst Vimpeli and Sotkamo go head to head for bronze. The post season so far has been one of the most thrilling and exciting in recent memory, now we will we if Manse’s big spending can pay off, or whether KPL can end their long wait for a championship… (1) Manse PP v (3) KPL This has been the toughest series for me to predict so far. Both teams are worthy champions this year and I have gone back and changed my mind several times. Manse beat Sotkamo in 3 straight games, but it was far from being an easy series. The first 2 games went to a scoring contest! Manse executed their game plan well to defeat the reigning champions, but some uncharacteristic errors (like Puhtimäki walking in a run in game 1) that made things harder than they needed to be. In a scoring contest, Manse probably has the best batting a
Read more