Lexington Legends rebrand as Counter Clocks

The professional baseball franchise in Lexington, Kentucky, played as the Legends for more than two decades, dating back to 2001. That changed today, when the team announced that it will heretofore be known as the Lexington Counter Clocks, a tribute “to Kentucky’s historic spirit of independence,” per the team.

The nickname derives from Kentucky’s role in changing the direction in which horses race around tracks. The team’s website explains: “Traditionally, horses in England raced around a grass track in a clockwise direction. However, declaring independence from the British way, early Kentuckians began to race their horses in the opposite direction—counter-clockwise—and on dirt.”

Of course, baseball players also go counter clockwise when they run the bases, so the double entendre is in full effect.

The suite of logos features a pair of mascots, Hoss and Dinger. Hoss is a horse charging to the left with a backwards-facing ballplayer on his back, while Dinger—not to be confused with the Rockies’ Barney lookalike mascot—is a clock swinging a bat. The primary logo features the letter C (backwards, of course) with the legend “Counter Clocks” contained within.

The Lexington franchise played in the Class-A South Atlantic League until Major League Baseball forcibly realigned the affiliated Minor Leagues in 2020, when the Legends found themselves on the outside looking in, and joined the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

The Counter Clocks will take the field when Atlantic League play begins April 28.