St. Paul Saints vie for first championship win in years

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It's the first time in seven years in which the St. Paul Saints are competing for a title.

On Tuesday, the Saints played game one in their championship series against Kansas City, Kansas.
It served as a chance for the city to bring home its first championship in more than a decade.

“This is what we’ve worked all year for. The guys are excited; that’s what you play for, to be in this situation with a chance to win,” said player Brady Shoemaker.

The Saints haven't been champions since 2004, but with a new stadium and a growing fan base they've captured the hearts of families in the community.

“We’re the only professional franchise in the Twin Cities to wear ‘St. Paul’ across their chest, so I think the city is going to be proud. We love our Wild, we love the Vikings, we love the Twins, we love the Gophers. There are so many great opportunities—the United and the Lynx—there are so many opportunities for folks to enjoy and follow franchises here in the Twin Cities,” said Saints General Manager Derek Sharrer.

St. Paul Saints Manager George Tsamis said the guys have been building momentum all season and he's confident this is the team that will get it done.

“When you’re growing up as a kid you want to play in the World Series, you want to play in the Super Bowl, you want to play in the championship. It’s hard to play in the championship, so when you have a chance to win, you go for it,” Tsamis said.

But a familiar face was missing Tuesday--the funniest man in baseball, co-owner Mike Veeck. He's currently evacuating his family, including his disabled daughter, out of Charleston to get out of the way from Hurricane Florence.

“It’s time for all of us to ‘get out of Dodge,’ and because she is heavily disabled, we had to scoop her up and now we’re making our way down I-95 in bumper to bumper traffic,” Veeck said in a phone call.

Veeck said he’s streaming the game from a hotel room. Meanwhile, fans are always on the lookout for fellow owner Bill Murray, who usually comes unannounced.