THE FUNNEL REPORT 4/23/12 - The struggles for the Tornadoes continued in the third week of the season, as they were swept by the division leading Jokers, and then lost 2 of 3 to the Seattle Sasquatch.  The Tornadoes are now just 5-13 on the year and the big wart on the team face has been the pitching staff, particularly the starting rotation.  After 18 games, the Tornadoes feature a league-worst ERA of 6.64, with the rotation posting a ridiculous 7.60 ERA.  The reputations of the Manager and Pitching Coach are both among the league's best, but they haven't been able to stop the slide at this point.  "There's no denying that our pitching staff is putting the team in a terrible hole right now," said manager Damian Connor.  "But there really isn't a magic bullet.  We just have to continue to try to lead these guys out of the slump and ultimately someone in the rotation has got to step up and give us a big game that can pump some confidence into the staff."  No one in the organization believes this team will end the season with an ERA over seven.  Nevertheless, the longer the pitching staff serves up runs on a silver platter, the more it will come to define this team.  The larger the sample, the more your stats represent who you are.  The clock is officially ticking, and judgement day is coming early for the 2012 Tornadoes.