At 64-24, Saints Enjoying Record-Setting Season In St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- It's been a magical season in St. Paul. The Saints are 64-24 and lead their division by 22 games.

As David McCoy reports, a new ballpark and a veteran manager have come together for a memorable summer.

How in the world do you pull off something like this? Without a flaw to be found, that's a tough one to answer.

"There are just so many guys that have stepped up," Saints manager George Tsamis said.

When the Saints started the year 34-9, the thought even crossed manager George Tsamis' mind. There's no way they could keep that pace going.

But they've kept it going. So how? He credits his players.

"I mean when we're 63-19 and we lose a game, in the clubhouse it's like we lost Game 7 of the World Series. And that's the right attitude, these guys care," Tsamis said.

Tsamis started playing baseball at age 5.

"I'm old now, I'm 48 now. I'm getting up there," he said.

He's had 43 years in the game, and he's never had a team this good.

"So that just tells you how great these guys have done," Tsamis said.

All despite a boatload of injuries -- seven of their nine position players have been out at some point. It speaks to the depth Tsamis assembled.

Well, they're the ones that are going out there getting the job done," Tsamis said.

Clearly Tsamis is way too humble to give himself any credit, but these kind of things don't just happen in a vacuum. As team owner Mike Veeck said, Tsamis spends his entire offseason traveling the country scouting players and evaluating talent to put this team together.

He is the biggest reason all this is happening.

"It's definitely not a six month job. You know, the harder you work -- and you can say that about anything -- the harder you work, the better you're going to be," Tsamis said.

But he'll quickly remind you there's still more work left to do.

"There will be no let-up or anything like that," Tsamis said.

As good as it's gone, if it's anything short of winning a championship, it'll be a disappointment for everybody.

The Saints are setting records in the seats, too. In their first year at CHS Field, they've already obliterated the league attendance record. And their average of more than 8,000 fans a game is top 10 in all of minor league baseball -- including those affiliated with major league teams.