Hello, Mr. October

A walk-off grand slam in the playoffs was perhaps a baseball lover's dream, that is until ALCS MVP Nelson Cruz came along and made that dream come true in the 11th inning.

Born in the coastal town of Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, Cruz grew up in a baseball family. His father, Nelson Cruz Sr., played professional baseball in the Dominican Republic. By the age of 20 he was signed by the New York Mets, after playing for the Dominican Republic Junior National Team.

In 2000 he was traded to the Oakland Athletics. He played in the A's system until 2006 when he was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers. Shortly after, the Texas Rangers acquired him from the Brewers, marking the beginning to what is so far a great career.

Cruz started the 2011 season off with four home runs in his first four games, something previously done by only Mark McGwire and Willie Mays. Cruz hit 29 home runs during the regular season.  Last season he hit 22. Of his 512 career hits, 108 are home runs. It is said that October baseball is where legends are made, and Cruz has set the bar high.

Marcos Puente, co-host of "The Exotic Blitz" at 1 p.m. on Mondays for Richland's KDUX radio, has been following the Rangers closely throughout the regular season.  Puente has paid particular attention this postseason.

"Well, what can I say about Nelson? He is an awesome slugger, he really improved his game, and you could see his improvement over the past few seasons. Last season was great, and this season he dominated at the plate and carried this team. When they needed a spark, he provided it. Hopefully, he can deliver in the World Series and be a legend in North Texas sports," said Puente.

Cruz-madness has invaded not only the Richland campus, but the entire DFW area. On Oct. 14, the day before the Rangers clinched the ALCS to advance to the World Series, I called the Dallas area Texas Rangers' retail stores. When I asked if they had any Nelson Cruz shirts for females, their response was "No, we have sold out of Nelson Cruz everything," with a strong emphasis on "everything."

I then called the store in Fort Worth. Their response was, "No, we sold out of all Nelson Cruz shirts." Finally I called the store at the Ballpark in Arlington and they said, "Yes, but only men's large and extra-large."

It is obvious to see he is a fan favorite and the reasons why. The fan base at the Ballpark was clearly heard chanting "CRUUUZZ" when he would step up to bat and when presented with the MVP award. At press time, he has hit 12 home runs combining last year's postseason and the current one. He also became the first player in MLB history to hit multiple home runs with two or more on base in a postseason. The Rangers have a deep lineup of strong hitters, but it seems Cruz has exceeded everyone's expectations.

Like Puente said, hopefully our "Nelly Cruz" will continue with his hot bat when it matters most against the St. Louis Cardinals and help his teammates who have not been as dangerous at the plate this postseason.

It appears that pitchers have seen Cruz swing his bat and send those balls deep into the upper deck. However, as we all have seen, it's not easy to strike out Cruz. Rangers fans: Yes it is written in the stars. We have a Dominican-born, Texas Rangers' delivered legend.