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.