An October Legend Begins…

An October Legend Begins…

– by Mario Cresibene

There is a magic to baseball. Only baseball can give us moments where a Cleveland team storms back from eleven runs down to conquer the Mariners. Only baseball can deliver the lightning bolt of Rajai Davis’ home run in the World Series. And only in baseball do we know the pain of a Mesa letdown, or the ecstasy of claiming a division title after being down 15.5 games. In baseball, larger-than-life heroes are born—figures as great as Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle… and as damned as the 1919 Black Sox.

Only for baseball do we willingly suspend our disbelief, buying into mystical stories like “Field of Dreams,” where ghosts play on a magical baseball field in the cornfields of Iowa; “Angels in the Outfield,” where angels lift a doomed team to win the pennant; or “The Natural,” where a game-winning home run sends sparks flying as it shatters the stadium lights. There is an inexplicable magic that defines the game of baseball and makes us believe in the impossible. And only baseball has the magic needed to bring back a legend from the past…

On the shores of Lake Erie, a hand rises above the water, holding an ancient, mythic sword in its grasp. The legend said that a king would return when his people needed him most—the once and future king. But some stories are retold in different ways. And sometimes the land and the king must change forms so that the legend can unfold once again.

The mighty hand of Stephen Vogt reaches down and takes the hilt of the fabled sword Excalibur, claiming his rightful throne as King Arthur reborn. King of The Land. King of Cleveland: The Once and Future King, King Vogt. The names of his champions have transformed as well: from Sir Lancelot to Sir José Ramírez, from Sir Percival to Sir Steven Kwan, from Sir Galahad to Sir Gavin Williams. Together, King Vogt and the Guardians of the Round Table unite to claim a prize more rare than the Holy Grail itself: the Commissioner’s Trophy.

On their sacred quest, they must conquer foes who are also striving to claim the highest honor in baseball. But their journey begins by defending their home. First, King Vogt and the Guardians of the Round Table must prove their worth in The Wild Card Tournament: The Battle of Lake Erie, where a familiar foe has arrived upon the shores of Cleveland to challenge King Vogt’s legitimate claim to the throne. The dishonorable usurper, Lord Hinch, encroaches upon King Vogt’s domain, bringing with him his army championed by the Northern Knight Sir Skubal and the Black Knight Sir Torkelson, who seek to overthrow King Vogt as the rightful heir.

And so, before the Guardians of the Round Table can venture forth on their sacred quest, they must first defend The Land and win The Wild Card Tournament in The Battle of Lake Erie. Each game will tell another chapter in the sacred saga of King Vogt and the Guardians of the Round Table. A tale that is sure to echo through the ages, where every inning becomes a clash of champions, every at bat a duel of destiny, every home run a stroke of legend. As the sun sets over Lake Erie and the first battle begins upon the morrow, the fate of King Vogt and his Guardians hangs in the balance. And so I invite you, dear reader, to check in after each game to read the next chapter as the saga unfolds in this epic tale where legends are born once again—King Vogt and the Guardians of the Round Table: The Quest for the Commissioner’s Trophy.