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WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 3, 2018
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 43 • No. 7
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TWICE AS NICE! Skeeters win second championship in three years
The Sugar land Skeeters celebrate the 2018 Atlantic League of Professional Baseball championship Monday night at Sugar Land Town Square.The Skeeters beat the Long Island Ducks 4-1 in Game 5 of the championship series to win the title for the second time in three years. (Photo by Joe Southern)
Sugar Land throws a party for returning champs By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
For the second time in three years, the Sugar Land Skeeters have beaten the Long Island Ducks to bring home the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball championship. The series went to the fifth and deciding game Sunday night with the Skeeters winning it all 4-1 behind a complete game pitching performance by series MVP James Russell. The series began with two victories by the Skeeters at home in Constellation Field, followed by two losses in New York to set up the final game. Two years ago the Skeeters swept the Ducks in three games to claim their first championship.
Hosting the first two games, the Skeeters won the first one 5-4 in 13 innings. They trailed 3-0 after the first inning, but tied it at 4 in the eighth. Javier Betancourt’s sacrifice fly in the 13th brought home Tony Thomas for the win. The second game was all Skeeters 10-0 behind a complete game shutout by pitcher Konner Wade. In Game 3 in Long Island, the Skeeters took an early 2-1 lead, but the Ducks scored two in the eighth and held on to win 3-2. In Game 4 on Saturday, the Skeeters drew first blood with a run in the first, but the Ducks scored six over the next three innings. The Skeeters picked up a couple runs late, but fell 6-3. In the final game, the Skeeters scored four runs off 12 hits while Russell limited
the Ducks to one earned run on seven hits. On Monday the team returned to Sugar Land where they were treated to a victory celebration in Sugar Land Town Square. Mayor Joe Zimmerman read a proclamation and welcomed the team home. “The Sugar Land Skeeters are 2018 Atlantic League WORLD champions!” he said. “We won it in 2016, we come back, we won it again in 2018; these guys deserve a real round of applause.” Stadium announcer Shane Brown served as the master of ceremonies and introduced each of the speakers. Team owner Bob Zlotnik expressed thanks to the team and the fans. “I want to thank the players,” he
said. “This is probably the most effort I’ve seen one of our teams put forth in the seven years that we’ve been in existence.” He also credited first-year manager Pete Incaviglia for putting together a winning team. “Pete was either wise enough or lucky enough to get a group of guys together that played hard the whole season and we won the first half, won the second half and won the championship, so it’s very difficult to pull a trifecta like that,” he said. “A lot of credit goes to the players and the coaches.” He got a lot of cheers from the hundreds gathered in the square when he thanked them. “We appreciate last of all but not least the fans, especially in the playoffs. … We all notice, we all care, and we all appreciate it.” Special Advisor Deacon Jones,
who helped bring a team to Sugar Land, was elated. “Woo, this is awesome! I never thought I’d see another championship,” he said. “That last game, I thought I was gonna die!” He also thanked the fans. “Thanks so much, I really appreciate it. I want to see you back next year,” he said. Next up was team President Jay Miller. “I can’t say that I’m surprised that we’re here. ’Cause I’m going to start with the fans. You guys were there all year,” he said. He called Incaviglia, “the glue of this organization.” “Last night when we won that thing, it just never gets old. We’ve got guys here that have World Se-
SEE SKEETERS, PAGE 9A
Veteran expands mission to help others By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
When Curtis Brown wrote his self-published book “PTSD: Programmed To Self-Destruct” last year, he intended it to help fellow veterans suffering from the same issues that plagued him after his service in the Gulf War.
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Brown was an E4 in the Army and served during the Gulf War in 199091 with the Brown First Cavalry. He received two bronze service stars for his service, but while in Iraq he was exposed to chemicals that made him sick. In August of 1991 he was injured in a training accident and medically discharged. For 18 years he suffered with chronic pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and an addiction to the pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and antidepressants the doctors at his Veteran’s Affairs hospital kept prescribing him. He found a way to overcome those problems and shared them in his book. Since then, the scope of his mission to help
others has expanded dramatically. He found that his book and his message were reaching more than just veterans. People from all walks of life were benefitting from what he had to say. “Although we may not be in the same war, we’re in the same battlefield called life,” he said. He took his message to elected officials who have embraced his efforts to help veterans. With the encouragement of radio personality Sam Malone and others Brown now has his own weekly radio program, a foundation, speaking engagements, and soon a relaunch of his book on Amazon. “I never knew I’d have a foundation,” he said. Through his website, www. curtisbrown.org, people can
SEE VETERAN, PAGE 10A
Fort Bend County Fair begins The Fort Bend County Fair got under way Friday with the annual parade in Richmond and Rosenberg. The fair and rodeo runs through Oct. 7 at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds in Rosenberg. (Photo by Joe Southern)
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