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Brisbane Bandits win ABL title, take home glorious Claxton Shield

With the Super Bowl taking place on Sunday and equipment trucks from around Major League Baseball headed south this weekend, the countdown to spring training is officially on. It's so close now that every sound we hear resembles the pop of a baseball glove or the crack of the bat, because that's how our baseball-loving minds work.  

Come to think of it though, maybe those sounds were real this time. We're just hearing them on delay as they emanate from the Land Down Under.

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It's possible, because the Australian Baseball League season has been heating up in recent weeks leading up to its culmination on Saturday.

For the first time ever, the Brisbane Bandits reigned supreme in the ABL's championship round, sweeping the Adelaide Bite in a best of three series. Brisbane ran away in the clincher, winning 7-1 behind Donald Lutz's three-run homer, six excellent innings from former major leaguer Travis Blackley and the leadership of Dave Nilsson, who was MLB's first Australian All-Star.

And to the victors went all of the spoils, including being presented with the prestigious and equally glorious Claxton Shield.

(MiLB)
(MiLB)

Granted, the Claxton Shield is no Stanley Cup, but it surely is a beaut. And it leaves no doubt who the superior team is.

The Claxton Shield has quite a history too, which dates all the way back to 1934.

The shield is named for Australian sports philanthropist Norrie Claxton, who donated the trophy after serving as the South Australian Baseball League's president from 1913 to 1929. The shield was awarded to the national champion every year until 1988, with the exception of 1940-1945 seasons when the tournament was suspended for World War II.

Since then, the trophy has alternated between the national championship and the ABL, where it currently serves as the symbol of absolute and undeniable excellence.

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For a little perspective, Major League Baseball's Commissioner's trophy, which is awarded to the World Series champions, was not introduced until 1967 or named until 1985.

The Claxton Shield has history and longevity on its side, and while the Commissioner's trophy's design is pretty nice too, there's nothing like a mighty shield.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!