Sports Biz

Suffice it to say there were busy fingers in Augusta this morning. At 7:46 a.m., we noted that Augusta was down 54-46 to the Columbus Catfish.

By 8:40 a.m., 20 minutes before the contest had ended, they had knotted up the score at 50-50. And by 8:50, Augusta had taken the lead. Folks, we know the stakes are high. And we're all watching. It's getting rough and as you'll see later in this post. It's even getting ugly!

Congratulations to the Augusta GreenJackets and the Southern Illinois Miners, you are the first two into the "Final Four" of CNBC.com's Minor League Baseball Logo Contest. The GreenJackets taking 51 percent of the vote over the Catfish, who had a great run.

While the Miners bested the Grand Prairie Airhogs by a 20 percent margin. The Airhogs made a tremendous run for a No. 9 seed.

Before we get to today's vote, we should say that there's definitely some mudslinging going on between the Quad Cities River Bandits and the Clinton Lumberkings.

This, according to a release issued yesterday by the River Bandits:

"Questions have surfaced regarding an apparent change in the appearance of Louie the LumberKing. "I'm not going to point fingers, but I've had a lot of people ask me if I've noticed a change," said River Bandits Vice President and General Manager Kirk Goodman. "I really don't think it's fair to comment on the issue. I haven't spent much one-on-one time with Louie so I'm not going to speak to his personal habits or the obvious change in his physique, head size, and appearance.

Still, the questions remain. Fans and players alike have noticed a number of changes in Louie's appearance since the end of the 2007 season, including a larger crown size, an increase in facial hair, and strikingly larger biceps and triceps. While he was not mentioned by name in the Mitchell Report, rumors have also indicated that he has been more aggressive since trading in his two-by-four for a baseball bat.

When asked about the all the changes, Louie was evasive. "I'm not here to talk about the past," said the mascot. "I'm just here to talk about tomorrow's match-up."

The Lumberkings, or I should say Louie, fired back:

"I'd like to say to all Clinton LumberKings fans, Minor League Baseball fans, and the public in general that not at any time did I take any performance-enhancing drugs. Yes, I do look a little different this year, but all I did was change my facial hair and roll up my sleeves. I've always been muscular, and I have been subjected to the same drug tests as all players and mascots throughout baseball. I have even been tested all throughout high school and my college years at Paul Bunyan University."

I should say, whether Louie has used steroids or HGH or not, doesn't matter here folks. This is not for the Mascot Hall of Fame. This is for the best logo. Vote away. It all ends at 9 am EST Friday, when we close them out here at CNBC HQ in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Good luck to all.

#12 wichita wingnuts vs. #6 dayton dragons

#12 quad cities river bandits vs. #2 clinton lumberkings

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