Month: November 2018

Reds purchase contract of T-Bones pitcher

The Cincinnati Reds have purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Nick Lee, according to a Kansas City T-Bones announcement.

Lee is the first T-Bones player to have his contract purchased this off-season. This off-season followed a busy championship regular season where Kansas City had 8 players’ contracts sold to affiliated clubs and another pair of players signed with AAA Mexico, all en route to winning the American Association Championship.

Nick Lee was signed by the T-Bones on July 4, 2018, and went on to post a 3.26 ERA in 19.1 innings with 21 strike outs.

During a 10-game streak from July 6 through July 29, Lee allowed only one earned run over 12 innings. He finished the season strong, working his last 7.2 innings of relief, giving up only one earned run while striking out eight in the crucial stretch drive of the playoffs for KC. The left-handed pitcher was pivotal in the T-Bones’ game four championship series, working 1.2 inning of scoreless relief in a 5-3 Kansas City win over St. Paul.

Lee was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB June draft out of Weatherford College (Texas) and spent parts of seven seasons with the Nationals organization, reaching AA. He spent 2013 with A (Full) Hagerstown in the South Atlantic League.

While with the Suns, he pitched 19 games, posting a 3.96 ERA in 91 innings with a 6-4 record. Lee split time between three different teams in 2014. He started the year with the Nationals of the Gulf Coast League. While there he pitched 8 innings with a 6.75 ERA. He then moved on to A (adv) Potomac of the Carolina League, pitching five games with a 10.05 ERA and an 0-2 record. He finished the season with A (Full) Hagerstown, pitching 8.1 innings with a 7.56 ERA and a 1-0 record.

Lee split time again in 2015, starting the season with Potomac in the Carolina League. He pitched 20 games, posting a 2.57 ERA in 28 innings with 28 strikeouts. Lee ended the season with AA Harrisburg in the Eastern League. He pitched 20 games posting a 3.75.

Lee is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and was a standout at James Madison High School in the “Alamo City.” He was drafted out of high school in the 38th round but did not sign in 2010 by the Nationals. He is the 39th player to have his contract purchased while as a member of the T-Bones.

Other T-Bones players whose contracts were purchased during 2018 included Dylan Tice, New York Mets; Taylor Featherston, Cincinnati Reds; Joe Filomeno, Seattle Mariners; Nick Torres, Texas Rangers; Carlos Diaz, Cincinnati Reds; James Buckalew, Chicago Cubs; Adam Brett Walker, Washington National; and Cody Martin, New York Mets.

The T-Bones wrapped up their first American Association title in 2018, picking up the franchise’s second crown in three championship appearances overall. For season ticket and other ticket plans, visit www.tbonesbaseball.com or call 913-328-5618.

– Story from T-Bones

Appeals court rules on former KCK police officer’s lawsuit

The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled today on an employment case brought against the Unified Government by Doug Parisi, a former police officer.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeals affirmed the Wyandotte County District Court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the UG and the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department. The appeals court also reversed and remanded parts of the case concerning Parisi’s claims against individual employees.

One of the issues in today’s ruling was whether the UG was properly notified of Parisi’s claims before the lawsuit was filed, according to court documents. The UG had stated that it was not notified. The court stated that if the employees were acting outside the scope of their employment, the requirement to notify them did not apply.

Today’s court ruling is at http://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinions/Opinions/Unpublished/Ctapp/2018/20181102/118284.pdf.

Sporting KC to face Real Salt Lake in conference semifinals Sunday

Sporting Kansas City will face rivals Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Semifinals of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.

As the No. 1 seed in the West, Sporting KC will visit No. 6 seed Real Salt Lake in the first leg of the conference semifinals on Sunday at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The match will kick off at 9 p.m. and air live nationally on FS1 and FOX Deportes, while ESPN 94.5 FM and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM will carry local radio broadcasts.

Sporting KC and RSL will then square off in the decisive second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 11, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Tickets for the game – Sporting KC’s first home playoff tilt since winning the 2013 MLS Cup against Real Salt Lake – are now available at SeatGeek.com.

Real Salt Lake posted a 3-2 road win over No. 3 seed LAFC in Thursday’s single-elimination Knockout Round.

As the lowest-seeded playoff team still alive in the West, RSL will now play top-seeded Sporting KC for the fourth and fifth time this season in all competitions.

Led by MLS Coach of the Year finalist Peter Vermes, Sporting KC eliminated RSL from the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 2-0 fourth-round win on June 6 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

In regular season action, Sporting KC took a 4-2 road loss on July 4 before battling RSL to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 30 at Children’s Mercy Park.

Sporting KC is 9-11-8 against Real Salt Lake in the regular season, including a 1-6-5 mark since 2014.

The sides also met in the 2013 MLS Cup at Children’s Mercy Park, an epic encounter played amidst freezing conditions that saw Sporting KC prevail 7-6 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw through regulation and extra time.

The conference semifinals and conference finals of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs are conducted in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal format. If the teams are tied after the two-game series, the team that scored more goals on the road advances.

If the teams remain tied after the away goals tiebreaker has been applied, they will play 30 minutes of extra time-divided into two 15-minute periods-followed by a penalty kick shootout if necessary.
– Story from Sporting KC