VANCOUVER (AP) - The Vancouver Mounties, having prepared their fans with yesterday's press release, did the expected today and dealt Rich Aude to Long Beach in time for the playoffs. Aude, 37 years old and enjoying a career season with the Mounties, goes to Long Beach along with prospect Jim Collins and Vancouver's 1st and 2nd round picks in the draft.

In return, the Mounties acquire first baseman Eric Gomez, a 5-year veteran at 26 years old, and a pair of veteran starters - Jim Baldwin and Bryan Rekar.

"Our starting rotation has been a concern all season, and we thought that despite their age Baldwin and Rekar could help solidify the rotation for the next few years while our young talent grows a little in the minors. Gomez is really the prize here - they say that whoever gets the best player out of the deal wins, and we think we've got him in Eric Gomez."

"We're certainly sorry to see Rich go - he's been a member of the franchise since 1999. But when you have a career year like his at 37 years old, his value was never going to be higher than right now. We had to take advantage of that and get what we could for him."

The Mounties made more news of sorts, when on the last day of the season they hammered the Edmonton Orcas 6-0 on a seven hitter by Bryan Rekar. The story wasn't the scoreline, or that they smacked around Edmonton's uber-prospect Lee Valdes, or the fact that Rekar won his first game as a Mountie, or that Vancouver's Robb Reuschel rattled a grand slam off the Seadome Restaurant's glass facing on the upper panels (measured at 495 feet), but rather that the team had finished with their best record since 1997.

"We're very proud of the guys in the locker room, they really came together this year and did their jobs", said GM Cory Muzyka. "Next year we're planning to be even better - we'll be one more year closer to our ultimate goal."

Who thought that a team 7 games under .500 would be celebrating? Who thought the former Motown Miracles franchise would ever get their heads above water? Will the Babe return for another season in Vancouver? Can this team continue it's amazing improvement? Will Denny McLain carry on where he left off in 2011 - dominating every batter that steps up to the plate to face him? Will Robb Reuschel and Eric Gomez make the Vancouver fans forget about Rich Aude?

Stay tuned, Mounties fans ... the future is coming!