Photos by Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey
Time has run out on the Lexington Counter Clocks.
Temerity Baseball and a group of local investors have purchased the baseball club. One of those investors is Alan Stein, who helped bring minor league baseball back to Lexington after a 47-year absence.
“You haven’t heard me say the word Counter Clocks,” Temerity founder and chairman Andy Sandler said in a Lexington Herald-Leader story this week. “While I’m not going to spill the beans, you may start seeing billboards around town that say something along the lines of, ‘It will be legendary.’
Stein is referring to the Legends name, used from 2001-2022 before being replaced almost a year ago by previous owners Nathan and Keri Lyons. The Counter Clocks name was never fully embraced by the public, which was already reeling from being dropped by Major League Baseball as an affiliate in December 2020.
The Clocks name was about the horse racing industry, as explained in a statement released by the team last March.
"Kentucky has an edge. A spirit. Once, it was tradition to race horses on the grass, running clockwise. This came from the British. But we raised and raced the finest horses, so we declared our independence. Our horses would race counterclockwise on dirt."
Sandler pointed out that without the Lyons purchase of the team, professional baseball might not have been played last season in Lexington. The couple made much-needed renovations to the ballpark.
Stadium Journey saw a new coat of paint on the exterior, new field seats, renovated bathrooms, improvements to concourse lighting and flooring, and remodeling of the taproom and suites during our visit last year.
The Clocks name never ticked with the public and was universally panned by many others. The three sets of logos, although I enjoyed the swinging clock, were also shunned by many who yearned for the Legends name to be reinstated.
It has not been made official, but all signs appear to be pointing to the former name being reintroduced. Sandler did have this to say about the speculation of the ball club’s new name.
“Draw your own conclusions, but don’t make assumptions because that could be many, many things.”
Will Lexington return to its legendary roots when the ball club officially announces its new name soon? All that is known is that professional baseball will continue to be played in town and that the clock has struck midnight for the old Counter Clocks name.