The Heroes and Van Hekken are Headed to the Korea Series

The Nexen Heroes throttled the LG Twins 12-2 on Friday night to secure the organization's first-ever berth in the Korean Series. Nexen won the semi-final series three games to one to advance to the best of seven championship series, where they will face the Samsung Lions.

By clinching the series in four games, the Heroes avoided using their top starting pitcher Andy Van Hekken.  Van Hekken, who won 20 games during the regular season, should be available when the Korean Series commences on Tuesday, November 4 in Daegu.

Samsung and Nexen were the top two teams in the KBO during the regular season.  Samsung was 78 and 47 with three ties.  Nexen finished the regular season 78 and 48 with two ties.

Nexen Heroes take 2-1 Lead in Semi-Finals

The Nexen Heroes knocked off the LG Twins 6-2 on Thursday night to take a two games to one lead in their Best of Five Semi-Final Series.  Game Four is scheduled for 6:30 pm Friday (4:30 am, Central Time).

Game Five, if necessary, is slated for Sunday afternoon.  The winner of the semi-finals advances to the Best of Seven championship series against the Samsung Lions.

The Hill at Minute Maid Park presented by YOUR NAME HERE

I have made it clear to Bryn M'Taggare't that I'm not interested in her articles about the Astros.  I posted some of her stuff on Farmstros, because she does good work in her coverage of the franchise. However by and large, I feel that the best course of action for this space is to ignore the goings on at Crawford and Texas.

I will give Ms. M'Taggare't credit for her persistence.  She still regularly sends me her stories about what is going on at Minute Maid Park. Although I usually don't share what she writes, I find I must pass on her most recent essay.

Astros Look to Sell Naming Rights to the Hill at Minute Maid Park

by Bryn M'Taggare't

Via a prepared statement, the Astros have announced that they are considering selling the naming rights to the hill that sits in center field at Minute Maid Park. "We feel that the hill is a unique asset of our stadium," the release stated.  "We would be remiss not to look into the possibility of making money off of it."

The statement indicated that the current plan is to keep the flag pole in place on the hill. However, if "an organization pays $10 million, they will have the final say so on the status of the flag pole in addition to the naming rights for the next 15 seasons."

Independent sources have indicated that the club's interest in getting rid of the hill has been prompted primarily by ongoing awkwardness with the hill's current namesake.  According to these sources, when the Jim's Crane purchase of the team took place three years ago, the buyer was under the impression that Tal Smith would continue paying rights to have his name ascribed to the hill through the 2017 season.

These payments from Mr. Smith have not materialized. Numerous attempts to find a resolution on this matter have proven unsuccessful.

The club is also considering getting rid of the hill entirely, which could provide alternative ways to monetize that part of the stadium.  A final decision on the matter is expected after an appropriate amount of time.

Spartan Basketball Is Just Around the Corner

Scarborough High School starts their boys' basketball season three weeks from today on November 18.  As the high school is down the street from my home, I will be following their progress through February.  If you are looking for a high school basketball team to follow this season, consider the Spartans and check their website often.

Read a preview of the upcoming Spartan season.

Van Hekken and Heroes Hit a Bump in Korean Play-offs

Andy Van Hekken and the Nexen Heroes bullpen allowed six runs in the top of the eighth inning as the LG Twins evened their KBO semi-final series against Nexen at one game apiece with a 9-2 victory Tuesday night.

Van Hekken had allowed two runs (one earned) through the first seven innings of the contest, before the wheels fell off in the fateful eighth.  He departed after two batters with one out and a runner on second.  After four walks, one hit by pitch, one single, one double and a sacrifice fly allowed by the Heroes bullpen, the Twins held an 8-2 lead.

The Best of Five Series resumes with Game Three on Thursday night.  Van Hekken is slated to pitch again in Game Five on Sunday.

Van Hekken Looks to Lead Heroes to 2-0 Lead on Tuesday

Andy Van Hekken will take the mound on Tuesday night in South Korea with a chance to lead the Nexen Heroes to a 2-0 lead over the LG Twins in their Best of Five KBO semi-final series.  Van Hekken who was 20-6 in the regular season, was 3-3 with a 3.38 in six appearances against the Twins according to @MyKBO.

The Heroes won game one of the series, 6-3 on Monday night. The winner advances to the Best of Seven championship series against the regular season champion Samsung Lions next month.  Tuesday's game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm local time(4:30 am, Central Time).

Reflections on Internal Pressures Endured While Waiting for a #HERO

Reflections on Internal Pressures Endured While Waiting for a #HERO

The voices echo loudly 

Throughout the streets of town

A flood of so much rightness

That I’m certain I might drown

Is everyone a HERO?

And an enemy as well?

The swords of words swing quickly.

It’s difficult to tell

My bladder’s full to bursting,

But I don’t no where to pee

I hope they figure this out soon

Or I’ll just use a tree

They Did Good Work, or so I'm Told

A poetic reflection on the impending demise of CSN Houston:

They Did Good Work, or so I'm Told

The House of Cards has fallen

The deck has tumbled down

On sandy ground constructed,

I guess rock could not be found.

They did good work, or so I’m told

In truth, I could not see

The signal they were sending

Never entered my TV

My hands run out of fingers

When it comes to pointing blame

This chapter nears its end and soon

More fans will see the game

2009 UDFA Love

R.J. Alaniz, RHP, Signed 8/14/2009 (Still with org.; GCL and CC in 2014)
Garrett Bullock, LHP, Signed 6/28/2009 (Highest Level Reached- Low A-Lexington)
Kirk Clark, RHP, Signed 8/2/2009 (High A- Lancaster)
Max Fearnow, RHP, Signed 6/28/2009 (Short Season- Tri-City)
Jack Frawley, RHP, Signed 7/28/2009 (Short Season- Tri-City)
Ben Paxton, RHP, Signed 11/12/2009 (Spring Training)
Philip Rorabaugh, RHP, Signed 6/24/2009 (Rookie- Greeneville)

This post is brought to you by the Scarborough Spartans basketball team.  The Spartans season starts on November 18. 

Former Legends in the World Series

For the first time in franchise history, two former Lexington Legends are participating in the World Series.  Hunter Pence (Giants) and Terrance Gore (Royals) spent time as Legends earlier in their careers.  Pence was in Lexington in 2005, and Gore was a Legend in 2013.

Prior to this season only two former Legends have taken part in the World Series:

2008- Ben Zobrist with Tampa Bay.  Zobrist went 1 for 7 as the Rays fell to Philadelphia.

2012- Hunter Pence with San Francisco.  Pence was 4 for 14 with one double and one RBI as the Giants swept the Tigers.

This post brought to you by The Gamble- The Season the Local Brewer Bet Against the Dukes.

ex-Legends in the Post-Season

Who are the former members of the Lexington Legends participating in this year's play-offs?  Here's a rundown.

UPDATE on 10/16/2014
To the World Series:

Terrance Gore, Kansas City
Hunter Pence, San Francisco

This post is brought to you by THE GAMBLE- A DUKES TALE.  This book is available online now.

UPDATE on 10/8/2014

Who's on to the LCS:

Terrance Gore, Kansas City
Bud Norris, Baltimore
Jimmy Paredes, Baltimore
Hunter Pence, San Francisco


(Year in Lexington in parenthesis)

Fernando Abad, Oakland (2008)
Terrance Gore, Kansas City (2013)
J.D. Martinez, Detroit (2010)
Bud Norris, Baltimore (2007)
Jimmy Paredes, Baltimore (2010)
Hunter Pence, San Francisco (2005)

Andy Van Hekken is a 20-Game Winner

Andy Van Hekken, 35, became the first left-hander since 1995 to win 20 games in a season in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). According to @BaseballinKorea on Twitter, Lee-sang Hoon was the most recent left-hander to accomplish this feat.

Van Hekken (20-6), who is in his third season with the Nexen Heroes, picked up the milestone victory Tuesday in a 12-4 win over the Lotte Giants.  Tuesday's start should be the final one of the 128-game regular season for Van Hekken.

The play-offs await for Van Hekken and his Nexen teammates.  The Heroes enter the post-season as the KBO's #2 seed, meaning they will receive a first round bye and are scheduled to begin play on October 27.

In three seasons with Nexen, Van Hekken has established himself as one of the top pitchers in Korea.   The Michigan native has collected 43 wins in three seasons overseas.

NOTE: Andy Van Hekken is not related to Mark Van Hekken (illustrated above). However, I had Andy in mind when I named a character in my new book Mark Van Hekken. Mark Van Hekken, also a 20-game winner, is one of the main characters in The Gamble- The Season the Local Brewer Bet Against The Dukes.

Mattress Mac didn't Give Me a Refund Check, but He did give me a Book Idea

Gallery Furniture in Houston gave money back to several hundred of their customers Sunday.  Before the 2014 season, Gallery's owner Jim McIngvale bet that the Astros wouldn't win 63 games (i.e. they WOULD LOSE 100 games).  McIngvale lost this bet as the team won 70 games.

Sunday was McIngavale's day to pay up on the lost wager. Customers who had purchased more than $6300 on furniture during a specified promotional period before the 2014 baseball season received a full refund on their purchase Sunday.  The promotion was limited to the first 500 customers. McIngvale reportedly refunded more than $4.2 million as a result of the lost bet.

I didn't buy any furniture during the promotion, so I didn't get a check from McIngvale Sunday. However, his promotion gave me an idea that, over the course of the 2014 season, grew into my first book.  The Gamble- The Season the Local Brewer Bet Against the Dukes is a tale about the Dukes quest to avoid 100 losses in order to win free beer for their fans.  Without giving too much away, I can tell you that the season's drama is flowing until the final at bat.

You can purchase THE GAMBLE online:

As an online book (pdf)- $2.39

As a paperback- $7.50

The Origins of the Dukes

The Gamble- The Season the Local Brewer Bet Against the Dukes is my first attempt to describe the exploits of the Dukes in prose.  However, I started writing poems about the baseball team that plays within the friendly confines of my cranium during the 2008 season.  You can read the seven poems in my Dukes Collection here.

The Gamble- A Dukes Tale (Coming in October)

This tale is now available for purchase.  Click here for more information.

It promised to be a long and uninteresting season for the Dukes. Another 100-loss campaign seemed inevitable. Football season couldn't come soon enough. Then, the local brewer added a little zest to the season. FREE BEER for all Dukes fans if the team could avoid 100 losses said Roland Fredericks. A beer-induced buzz swept through the town that summer as Dukes fans loudly cheered for beer. Hope for a few more wins flowed out into the streets. The stage was set for the most memorable season finale for a bad baseball team ever!

NOTE: The above illustration is the cover of The Gamble.  The narrator of the tale is telling his daughter a story about a memory from his childhood.

Skeeters Bring October Baseball Back to Houston Area

By advancing to the Atlantic League Championship Series, the Sugar Land Skeeters have assured that baseball will be played in October in the Houston area for the first time in four years.  The Astros and Cubs played at Minute Maid Park on October 3, 2010.

Atlantic League Championship Series schedule:

9/30- Sugar Land vs. Lancaster (7:05), Barnstormers win, 10-6.
10/1- Sugar Land vs. Lancaster (6:05), Barnstormers win, 5-0.
10/3- Sugar Land at Lancaster (6:00), Barnstormers win, 8-7 (13 innings)

Barnstormers win series, 3-0.

This post is brought to you by The Gamble- A Dukes Tale.  Coming online in October.

Skeeters Lose Series on a Walk-Off Home Run

A walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th inning, gave Lancaster an 8-7 victory over Skeeters on Friday night.  With the victory, the Barnstormers swept the Atlantic Championship Series from Sugar Land.

Yes, They Have a Plan

Yes, They Have a Plan 

Jeff Luhnow's a brilliant man
We trust in his awesome plan
We watch him and every day
He reveals the Astros Way

Refrain:
Yes, they have a plan
And we love their plan
Oh, it's a great plan
Jeff Luhnow tells me so

Luhnow's eyes can see, it's true,
Far more than most mortals do
We will never understand
All the wonders of His Plan

REFRAIN 

When will Luhnow and His Plan
Lead us to the Promised Land?
Soon and very soon we say
It's nearer now than yesterday.

REFRAIN

c2013 

words by Royal Worm, used with permission
music by unknown

Skeeters Hit Road Down 2-0

Sugar Land fell at home to Lancaster for a second straight night and heads to Pennsylvania down 2-0 in the Atlantic League Championship Series.  After losing 5-0 Wednesday night, Sugar Land needs three straight road wins, beginning Friday, to take the series.