Durham Tobbaconists, World Series Champions

By KYLE KEOUGH
Double Day Daily

A year removed from a 119-win season--and a shocking blow-up against rival Louisville--it appeared that the window to win a championship for the Durham Tobacconists might be closing.

This season, after 109 wins, the Tobacconists were again embroiled in a tooth-and-nail fight to the end with the Colonels. They had been down this road before - Louisville clawed their way back into the NLCS in season two to usurp Durham. This time, though, the Tobacconists claimed their first World Series birth in history, ousting the Colonels in a game-seven classic.

The World Series, by comparison, seemed almost anticlimactic. A loaded Tobacconists rotation staved off a formidable Boston Beaneaters lineup en route to the franchise's first-ever World Series title. Despite two nailbiting extra-inning victories, Durham controlled the series from start to finish and ended strong with a 4-1 series victory.

Where do the newly crowned champions go from here? Who might test the Tobacconists in season four? As season four looms closer, these questions persist.

The most pressing question for Durham will be the status of Keith Lee, whose three-year contract will expire come the offseason. Lee, who was acquired early in season one by Durham and has been there ever since, has hit 122 home runs and driven in 365 runs for the Tobacconists over the course of his career. One of Durham's top offensive leaders, Durham will have to decide whether they can afford to bring back the 31-year-old slugger.

29-year-old Bonk Logan, who is entering the final year of arbitration, will be another major question for the Tobacconists. Outside of this, it is possible that Durham will look to fill a few position holes and maybe find an additional source of power to help shoulder the load offensively. It is unknown whether or not Durham will try to re-sign Lee in free agency.