Week 5 saw the Legends travel to Goat Hill Park to take on the Babycakes who are in the middle of the best season in their franchise history. Multiple absences saw the Legends short handed on the hottest Sunday of the year so far. We jumped on the board in the top of the 1st, taking advantage of a Babycake error. Unfortunately for us the Babycakes returned the favor and scored 3 unearned runs in the 2nd to tie it up at 3. Eli Puchner who was a star on both sides of the field today ripped a RBI double down the line to put us up 5-3 in the 4th. The Babycakes battled back to score 3 more to take the lead 6-5 in the bottom half of the 4th. We weren’t able to muster up the tying run and lost our 5th straight game. 

 

Game 2 did not start in our favor as the Babycakes hit the ball hard and before we knew it we were in a 4-0 hole after 1. After a rough 1st inning Christian Holcomb settled down and shut down the Cakes while our offense chipped away. Christian went the distance, allowing only 3 hits after the 1st inning. 4 straight hits from Keir Anderson, Rob McLain, Devin Quigley and Dylan Verschleiser and a sac fly from Derek Rydlund and we were right back in the game after 2. We added 1 run in each of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th innings, highlighted by RBI singles from Rob McLain, Eli Puchner and Jon Lucktenberg. We went on to win 6-4 to get us back to 0.500.

 

Week 6 preview: Next week has us matched up against a new TCMABL team in the Sweepers. We look forward to the matchup and hope to get back above 0.500.

 

The Forgotten Star Player of the Week is Eli Puchner. Eli was a leader on both sides of the ball with multiple big hits and stellar defensive play to keep the Babycakes rallies at bay. Eli went 4-8 2B 2RBI R and had 2 PO and 7 A defensively.

Week 4 saw us matched up against the undefeated Cardinals. Game 1 was a fairly uneventful game. We scored runs on a wild pitch and a fielders choice. Tanner Anderson threw out a runner at third base trying to take an extra base. John Harper stepped in for his first start of the year and delivered 4 gritty innings holding the Cardinals potent offense to just 3 hits. Unfortunatley our offense was just as quiet and the Cardinals took Game 1 4-2. 

 

Game 2 we fell behind 1-0 after the 1st. In the top of the 3rd back to back Cardinals base runners reached base and both made the mistake of testing Carl Engbretson’s arm. Both found out the hard way he has a cannon and were thrown out trying to swipe 2nd. We tied it up on Eli Puchner’s RBI single in the bottom half of the 3rd. The Cardinals took the lead right back in the top of the 4th. In the bottom of the 4th Jared Anderson came up clutch ripping a triple to the left field gap, scoring Devin Quigley and then himself after a Cardinals error. The Cardinals would get some timely hitting to retake the lead in the 5th. Derek Rydlund’s pinch hit infield single followed by Quigley’s walk had us in business to start the 6th but we couldn’t manage to get the clutch hit we needed. The Cardinals took another close battle 4-3.

 

We look to get back in the win column next week againsr our friends in the Babycakes. The Babycakes are off to a torrid start at 7-1 so we look forward to the challenge.

 

The Forgotten Star Player of the Week is Jared Anderson for his little league home run.

Week 3 saw the Legends matched up with the Tomcats. Game 1 started in our favor with Carl Engbretson crushing a double. Carl later came around to score on an Eli Puchner sacrifice fly. Jackson Nelson and Keir Anderson led off the 3rd with a pair of singles. Jon Lucktenberg brough them both home on a double. Michael Walsh’s sac fly in the top of the 5th put us up 4-0. Things started to go down hill from there. Walks and a couple infield hits led to 5 runs for the Tomcats. We weren’t able to muster up any more offense and game 1 went to the Tomcats 5-4. 

 

In the top of the 1st of game 2 the Tomcats continued with the momentum they built at the end of game 1. A combination of some hard hit balls and sloppy defense and we were in an early 4-0 hole. The Tomcats held us scoreless until the 4th inning when Dylan Verschleiser came through with an RBI single. Charlie Jones followed it up with a RBI double. We added 1 more in the 6th to make it 4-3 but that would be as close as we would come. The Tomcats added 2 insurance runs in the top of the 7th and went on to win 6-3. 

 

No Forgotten Star Player of the Week this week. Instead we went to pay them a visit post game.

 

Week 4 Preview: Next week doesn’t get any easier as we finally return to our home confines of Fridley HS against the long time TCMABL powerhouse Cardinals. We hope we can flush this weekend and play some better baseball next weekend. 

The Legends opened the 2025 season on a cool sunny morning in Victoria. In the bottom of the first Legends starter Jon Lucktenberg helped himself out with an RBI single to get us going. The 2nd inning saw 5 Legends collect hits, highlighted by Keir Anderson’s bases clearing "double.” We went into cruise control from there, adding 1 run in the 4th and 5th innings. Jon Lucktenberg and John Harper combined for 9 strikeouts and only yielded 1 hit each on the mound in route to a 9-1 W.

 

Game 2 was more of the same. Carl Engbretson, Michael Walsh and Matthew Vang paced the offense with 2 hits each. Other highlights included 14 walks as a team and 11 different Legends scoring a run. Christian Holcomb was dominate on the mound going 4 strong shutout innings with 8 strikeouts. Charlies Jones came in relief and struck out the side in the 5th inning to close out the win.

 

For Week 1 the Forgotten Star Player of the Week goes to Christian Holcomb. Christian earned the win in G2 going 4IP 0R 3H 1BB 8Ks.

 

Week 2 Preview: After a week off for Memorial Day the Legends head to Eagan to take on the Expos. We’ve had some fantastic pitchers duels in the past with the Expos and expect more of the same when we face off.

New for 2025, we are excited to announce our first ever sponsor: Forgotten Star Brewing Company! We’ll be fueling up at the Forgotten Star taproom after home games this season, as well as hosting our end of year banquet there (hopefully celebrating a championship!). Thanks to the FSBC folks for their generosity - make sure to stop in any time you’re in Fridley and need some refreshment.

After a long winter and busy offseason the Legends are back and ready for the 2025 season! We lost a few long time Legends this winter as Grant Ryerse and Wynn Stoxen moved, Rob McLain hung up the Sunday cleats to spend more time with his family (watch out for Rhys McLain on the Legends 2042 roster) and Erik Lundgren due to injury. In an effort to try fill the void left the Legends so far have welcomed Ducks stalwart Devin Quigley and free agents Matthew Vang and Dylan Verschleiser.

The season’s seventh week posed a unique challenge as the Legends played their first home field home series of the season at Fridley High School. Nearly all of our pitchers and three fifths of our starting infield were out of town as we matched up against the young Colts franchise for the first time. Prior to this week, seven Legends had combined for 80 innings pitched in the season. This past weekend, five of those pitchers, representing 70 of those 80 innings, were unavailable. That being said, we had to get creative. We’re talking “Corbett was game-ready”, “Rob came out of retirement”, “WynnCity Stoxen made an appearance”, “Catchers as middle infielders”, and “Keir bumpday” creative.

 

The Legends took the field behind John Harper in Game 1, who was making his first start of the year. I’ll cut to the chase, Harper went the distance in a five-inning, two-earned-run, eight-strikeout effort to secure the run-rule victory. Remarkably, Harper smashed the over on the batters-before-HBP betting line of 8.5, facing 26 Colts without plunking one.  Defensively, the Legends’ infield, anchored by all-star-catcher-turned-utility man Carl Engbretson, was (sadly) almost completely untested as Harp induced most of the game’s outs via strikeout or fly ball. The Legends’ offensive attack was balanced, accruing fourteen runs on eleven hits, six walks, and an HBP (Keir, of course) as they cruised to their twelfth win of the 2024 season. Final score: 14-3 Legends.

 

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What’s that? Surely that’s not the opening to John Fogerty’s “Centerfield”. It is? Well, though some might accuse me of revisionist history, I could’ve sworn the CCR crooner’s beloved baseball anthem rang out across that field in Fridley as Legends’ skipper Keir Anderson took the mound. There was not a dry eye in the house as Keir warmed up for his first Sunday pitching start in eight years to his least-favorite baseball tune. Soon, it was the Colts crying, as Keir carved up their lineup, facing one above the minimum and needing only 69 pitches to get through five innings. Nice! Our brown-eyed, handsome man struck out six with a devastating cutter, curve, changeup, and cnuckleball combination, yielding two hits, a walk, and a lone earned run. In contrast to Game 1, Game 2’s outs were made in the infield as the Legends’ outfielders finished the game without a single putout. Runs were a bit tougher to come by in Game 2, despite the fact that the bats still notched ten hits (five of which were for extra bases), drew seven walks, and swiped six bags. The Legends couldn't quite secure the early victory via run-rule due to a single rough inning, but still came away with a 9-3 win. 

 

A few quick series standouts. Nelly led the offense with five hits on the weekend, including a double and a triple. Grant, Tanner, Jared, and AY were close behind with three a piece. Additionally, AY and Grant contributed to Keir’s impressive start with dominant relief outings of their own, each striking out two.

 

Week 8 Preview

Heading into the eighth week of the season, the Nordeast Legends remain in second place in the TCMABL 18+ American Division, trailing only the Cottage Grove Coyotes, who have played a perfect season thus far. This week’s matchup is another interleague series, as the Legends match up against the North Stars. The Stars are playing 0.500 ball, but almost certainly lead the league in impressive last names. I’d like to see an announcer cruise through “Bruggeman Cohen”, “Hindbjorgen”, “Rock-Gilbertson”, “Schultz Perry”, and “VanderSanden” without a slip of the tongue.

On perhaps the most beautiful Sunday morning of the season, the Nordeast Legends opened our annual series against the Stillwater Saints in North Saint Paul. The Saints scratched an unearned run across in the top of the first thanks to a pair of defensive miscues, but the Legends rallied back with six of their own in the bottom of the frame knocking out the Saints’ starter before he could record an out. The Legends added two more in the second and three more in the fourth, holding on for an 11-1 mercy-rule victory.

Game 1 Saintly Awards, as bestowed by St. Robert the Reasonable

Blessed are the Base Stealers - Leadoff man Jackson Nelson tallied three swipes in Game 1, two of which were in the first inning and led to the first Legends run of the game. Grant and Keir each added stolen bases, applying pressure to the Saints defense during the early innings.
 

Divine Doubles - In the first inning, rookie Eli Puchner and veteran Christian Holcomb smoked RBI doubles in the outfield gaps. Andrew Young added an RBI double of his own later in the game to push us toward the mercy-rule threshold. It’s always a good sign when the bottom three slots in the order are providing power.
 

Sacramental Sac Flies - The sacrifice fly might be one of the more overlooked offensive contributions, but I’ll take productive outs any day. Andrew Young and Jon Lucktenberg were happy to oblige and both added an RBI to their Game 1 box score via the noble sacrifice. 

 

Game 2 was a much different game, although it opened in similar fashion to Game 1. The Saints struck first with a first inning run and the Legends battled back with five runs on four hits in the next half inning. In the bottom of the second, the Saints tacked on three more to bring the score to 5-4 Legends. Beyond those second inning rallies, both offenses were stymied for the remainder of the game. Thanks to strong pitching and defense, the Legends were able to come away with the 5-4 Game 2 victory and a series sweep.

Game 2 Saintly Awards, as bestowed by St. Rob the Raucous

The Sermon on the Mound - With little margin for error, relievers John Toraason and Grant Ryerse combined for four shutout innings to close out Game 2. Although not technically immaculate, Grant’s dominant inning featured nine pitches for strikes and zero for balls en route to his second save of the season.
 

Disciples of Defense - The Legends did not commit an error in Game 2 and were anchored by the infield law firm of Puchner, Walsh, Jones, & Rydlund, who combined for a perfect 9 for 9 on ground ball opportunities. For the second straight week, Walshy recorded a game’s final out on a webgem-worthy play.

 

Angel in the Outfield - It’s getting to the point where I wish we had a better way of tracking outfield assists on our league stats page. I suppose Keir only plays outfield and has accumulated 22 defensive assists in the past five seasons…meaning it would be safe to say that all of those are indeed outfield assists. Thanks for bearing with me on that. Of those 22 outfield assists, I’d reckon that about half of those have been recorded via the “Keir Special” 9-3 putout during which Keir fields a scorching liner on the hop and fires a dart from right to the awaiting first baseman, usually beating the stout and/or sluggish would-be baserunner by a step. Keir added another victim in the sixth inning of Game 2, keeping the go-ahead run off base. Electric stuff.

 

Since half of my readers are team dads, I might as well wrap up with a gently modified Billy Joel lyric to sum up this weekend’s series: “I'd rather laugh with the Legends than cry with the Saints. The Legends are much more fun…You know that only the good die young”. I suppose that last part doesn't really fit my message, but so be it. In recent weeks, the Legends have indeed been playing a fun brand of baseball and the results speak for themselves. We’re 11-1 heading into the all-star Fourth of July weekend, have a four game lead over the third place Bombers, and, with the sweep of the Saints, just secured our eighth consecutive postseason bid. Well done, gentlemen.

 

Week 7 Preview

To open the second half (technically the remaining five elevenths) of the season, the Legends will play the first series at our new home field, Fridley High School on July 14th against the winless Colts. The scouting report indicates we might see a fun combination of arms on the mound for the Legends that weekend.

This week, I heard that a few team dads actually read these, bringing our average readership up to about six or so. We’re going places!

 

Week five found the 7-1 Legends returning to the aptly-named Northeast Athletic Field Park and our former home field, Stan Cyson, for an inter-league series against the 3-5 Tomcats in our first Game-of-the-Week feature. As I mentioned in last week’s week five preview, our objective, secondary to coming away with two wins, was to play a clean series and bounce back from last year’s messy series split against the Cats. I’ll do things a bit differently this week, because, to be honest, the games themselves were somewhat unremarkable compared to last week’s nail biters versus the Giants. Bottom line, we played two clean games and came away with two convincing wins, scoring 16 runs while yielding only three (one earned) on the way to 7-2 and 9-1 victories. We played with a bit of a skeleton crew this week, and each player filled an important role. This might be a bit longer than usual, but the boys deserve it. Heh. Here are this week’s Legends and some of their contributions this week (in no particular order of importance…with the exception of this week’s three standouts, we’re in numerical order):

• #4 - Carl Engbretson - C/IF
  In what should be a lock for TCMABL 18+ player of the week, Carl’s series stat line should speak for itself. Five for seven with a home run, a triple, a double, four runs scored, an intentional walk, and a stolen base. Carl moved up a few spots in the order to cover for some vacationing comrades and hit the homer out of the leadoff spot in the series’ first inning, giving him sole possession of the Legends all-time home-run record for about 30 minutes. As if that wasn't enough, Carl hit for the cycle in his first eight innings of play, showcasing a combination of power and newly-found speed to compliment his excellent plate discipline. Although this would be a career performance for any player in the league, Carl did this in addition to 14 gritty innings of work behind the plate. Carl is now slashing .450/.667/1.050 for a team-leading 1.717 OPS. Sheesh.
   

• #16 - Jon Lucktenberg - P/IF
  Lucky threw a complete game (7IP).
  Lucky threw a 76 pitch complete game (on pace for a ‘Maddux’…look it up).
  Lucky threw a 76 pitch complete game NO HITTER.
  Thanks to two two walks and a play during which we threw the ball around the park and allowed two unearned runs to score, it was neither a perfect game nor a shutout, but it was pretty special. Lucky was locked in from the first inning and tossed his seven innings to the tune of three strikeouts, 80% first pitch strikes, and a ridiculous 0.29 WHIP. On the offensive side, Lucky reached base four times in the series for a cool 0.571 OBP. To top it off, you all know that he’s just about the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.
   

• #21 - Grant Ryerse - P/3B
  Not to be outdone by Carl, Grant took back co-ownership of the all-time Legends homerun lead with a towering shot of his own in the fourth inning of Game 1. Grant also hit for the cycle on the day with a home run, triple, double, and single to complement four runs, two walks, and a stolen base. As part of a bold strategy in Game 2, the Tomcats walked Carl to load the bases for Grant. Naturally, Grant delivered a bases-clearing triple to blow the game open. On the other side of the ball, the Grantelope held down the overgrown Stan Cyson hot corner all day long and closed out Game 2 with a mostly-unassisted 1-2-3 seventh inning on the bump with a 1-3 comebacker and two strikeouts. Grant is now slashing .314/.460/.461 for a 1.073 OPS….and he’s only getting started.
   

• #2 - Michael Walsh - SS
  Although he consistently exemplifies this trait, Walshy was a true leader this week. In addition to his weekly managerial tasks, Walsh had to wrangle the long infield grass at shortstop while anchoring the middle of the lineup on offense. In a vintage performance (in front of his in-laws, no less), Walshy was a perfect 10 for 10 on defensive opportunities and recorded the final out of Lucky’s no-no with a stellar play deep in the hole. Team leader, wore number two, shortstop, elite defense, global icon…we’re all thinking it….Zack Cozart.
   

• #3 - Christian Holcomb - P/UT
  Usually a bullpen arm for the legends, Christian made the Game 2 start and delivered a career performance. In six innings of work, Christian got ahead of hitters and finished them off with his five pitch mix. Christian fired 70% of his 86 pitches for strikes, striking out six Tomcats, walking none, and yielding one earned run on four hits. In an Ohtani-like effort, Christian helped his cause with two base hits, two runs scored, and two runs batted in.
   

• #5 - Tanner Anderson - OF/3B
  Sorry, I gotta speed things up a bit.
  Speaking of speedy, Tanner played a flawless left field and wreaked havoc on the basepaths. Tanner was a bit unlucky at the plate, with a couple of plate appearances that didn't pan out after hard liners just foul down the line. Watch out for when he gets things going.
   

• #11 - Keir Anderson - OF/P
  Trusty as ever, Keir migrated from his usual post in right field to lock down center for the day. He tracked down a few balls in the gap to back Lucky and Christian’s efforts.
   

• #26 - Chase McGuiggan - OF
  With perhaps the most clutch defensive play of the day, Chase ranged from right field, laying out to rob an extra-base hit and preserve Lucky’s no-no.
   

• #27 - Derek Rydlund - 1B/OF
  In his first year at the position, Derek continues to make the most of his opportunities by playing an impressive first base. During the series, Derek’s solid decision-making (with one exception due to a sudden onset of what must’ve been day blindness) and footwork converted what could have been a pair of throwing errors to crucial outs.
   

• #35 - Charlie Jones - 2B
  Jonesie, a regular defensive wizard at second, had the opportunity to bolster the back half of the lineup this week. He did not disappoint, delivering two base hits and drawing two walks while making consistent hard contact.

 

Week 6 Preview:

Next week, the Legends will travel to North St. Paul for a series against the third-place Stillwater Saints. The Saints are another relatively new team (currently in their fifth season), and are having their best start to date. The Legends have yet to drop a TCMABL game in eight opportunities. We’ll look to continue that trend.

 

It’s probably best to avoid political discussions, but I’ll throw caution to the wind. If you’re free Thursday night and are interested in watching two senile old men hurl insults and make a mockery of American tradition on the national stage, Keir and Derek will be patrolling the outfield in the Legends’ Thursday night tuneup against the Tri-City Twins in the Minnesota Thursday Baseball League….Unrelated, I heard there’s also a debate that night. Pick your poison.

I'm on fire with these titles, aren't I? This past Saturday brought hours of steady rain, which usually does not bode well for Sunday morning ball. Keller Field at St. Louis Park’s Dakota Park was somewhat swampy, but after an hour or so of field prep, Lucky popped the catcher’s mitt for a strike to open a 2023 Championship rematch series between the Legends and Giants. Although the Legends opened the scoring as a Carl Engbretson fielder’s choice drove in leadoff man Jackson Nelson, the Giants stormed back in the second with one walk, five singles, and four runs. The Legends struck back in the very next inning to the tune of “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)” with three walks, two singles, a double, a HBP, and 5 runs to take a 6-4 lead. Eight of nine Legends hitters reached safely in the inning. From there both starting pitchers settled in for the next few innings. Grant Ryerse locked down the final two innings with his first save of the season, a two inning, no-hit effort with two strikeouts. Nelly and Jared led the offense and each had two hits, an HBP, and a SB in the 6-5 Game One victory. Notably, Keir “Chicks Dig the Bean Ball” Anderson wore one off the dome for his team-leading third HBP of the season and Nelly hosed a would-be tying run at the plate after a spectacular sliding catch in center field.

 

As the sun came out, dried out the field, and drove up the humidity, Game Two quickly turned into an all-out brawl as the Legends and Giants combined for 21 runs, 24 walks, and 18 hits in a back-and-forth eight inning thriller. Heading into the top of the seventh inning, the Legends were down three runs and turned to the heart of the lineup for a miracle. Jared worked a professional 5-pitch at-bat, singling on a hard line drive up the middle to open the frame and Carl selflessly took the game’s next pitch off the foot, boosting his formidable OBP and giving the Legends a sliver of hope with no outs. After both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Grant Ryerse hit a sac fly to bring us within two. With an infield lineout taking us down to our final out, Keir and Rob worked five-pitch walks to reach base as the tying and go-ahead runs, respectively to load the bases. Rookie Eli Puchner, batting in the eight hole, quickly found himself in a 1-2 hole, down to the final strike. With ice (probably from all of that Junior Hockey) in his veins, Eli smacked the next pitch up the middle, driving in Carl and Keir to tie the game. Now seems as good a time as any to highlight the play’s true hero: yours truly, the weekly writeup wordsmith. Like a desperate nerd on prom night, I was determined to get to third base. I got there, but it cost me a hamstring, which popped somewhere between second and third. I’ll look on the bright side and say this represents a “pass the torch” moment as this old guard Legend’s season ends and Eli’s Legends career takes off. Moving on. The Giants escaped the top of the seventh inning with the game tied, but had their walkoff efforts thwarted by a 1-2-3 inning by Legends hurler and former Giant, Christian Holcomb. It was free baseball for the Father’s Day faithful fans as the Legends took the lead and then some with five runs in the top of the eighth. Grant, Lucky, Charlie, and Eli each had key RBIs in the frame. Christian recorded the final three outs to complete the sweep and send us to an excellent post-game cookout. If you were to see the scorecard, you would note that two of the Legend’s final six defensive outs were recorded via the good ol’ 9-3 putout, otherwise known as the “Keir Special”….or maybe that’s something else….I’ll never tell.

 

Props to the Giants for a well-played series.

 

Week 5 Preview: Now sitting at 7-1 with sole possession of the TCMABL 18+ American Division second seed, the Legends return to their former home field in Northeast Minneapolis to battle the Tomcats. We’ll be looking to play a clean series against the Tomcats this year after being lucky to split last year’s Tomcats series in what was undoubtedly our sloppiest series in the championship 2023 season.