Monday, July 17, 2017

Baseball Journal July 12-14, 2017

7-12-17 #Triple-A ASG
Baseball has managed to fill the All-Star Game week with events and games.  In today’s case, the MLB Network broadcast the Triple-A All-Star Game.  It was also on our local Chihuahuas’ radio affiliate.  I had both on, but unfortunately work obligations kept me from enjoying either.  This was really too bad, because it was a great game.

This All-Star Game counts for who gets to be the home team at the Triple-A Championship game.  (The site has already been chosen.)  Tacoma was hosting tonight’s ASG.  It was a lovely evening there and a full house of fans, who were loudly cheering for the PCL over the IL.  On the radio, they talked about the recently remodeled stadium.  One older feature that was mentioned later was Tight-Wad Hill.  They said kids on their bikes used to ride up there to watch games.

The first half of the game featured a lot of offense with four total home runs.  Nick Buss from the Chihuahuas came in in the sixth and slapped a hit.  Even with some drama in the ninth, the PCL would win 6-4.  Again, sorry.  It looked like a great game, clocking in at a quick two hours and forty minutes, but I wasn’t able to sit down for it.

7-13-17
We’re back to regular baseball in Triple-A.  The big leagues are still on break.  Tonight’s game was the Chihuahuas versus the Reno Aces.  Again with the work obligations, I barely got to listen.  Tim Hagerty sounded refreshed and was cheerfully talking about baseball on all sorts of topics.

One thing I couldn’t help but notice was the music over the PA.  They were playing bizarre walk up music for BOTH teams’ players.  “Loving You is Easy,” “Should Have Put a Ring on it,” and “Baby, One More Time,” were clearly heard.  Finally later, I heard the PA in the background promoting “Bad Songs for a good cause.”  You could buy songs to play for the players for charity.  I wonder if Nick Buss bought his signature tune, “Kashmir,” since I heard that played for him.  It was weird fun.  Unfortunately, it was a 6-2 loss for the pups.

Late in the game, Tim mentioned that what had baseball’s attention today was a Single-A game between the Lexington Legends and the Delmarua Shorebirds.  The game was 20 innings in without a winner.  I remember actually seeing a Lexington game on TV on a minor league showcase.  Their logo is a handlebar mustache.  I brought up their game on Gameday, though I kept the audio with the Chihuahuas.  Just to add insult to injury, after 20, the game went to a rain delay, and was then suspended, still tied.  (Yeah, this is why changed my mind about adopting the WBC, start off with a man on second, extra innings rule.)

7-14-17
The MLB free game was an early evening affair between the Nationals and the Reds.  This wasn’t a matchup I cared about, but I wanted something to listen to while I was doing my work.  My only takeaways from the game were really random.  “Redzilla” made its debut in Cincinnati.  This is a large, steam-snorting ATV that shoots foam balls into the stands (and even upper deck) in a rapid-fire fashion.  There was a great crowd there getting pelted with souvenirs, which surprised me, given the team.  Lastly, a kid in the outfield caught a Bryce Harper home run and went crazy.  Not sure which team he was rooting for.  5-0 Washington final.

The D-Backs were playing the Braves in Atlanta on Fox Sports Arizona.  Though it was late in the game, I tuned in to get a look at Sun Trust Stadium.  I like that section in right field with the tabletops in front of the seats.  Those would be great seats for keeping a scorecard at.

The D-Backs were leading 3-2 in the eighth, until Freddie Freeman drove in two with a double.  Brandon Phillips actually fell down rounding third and still scored.  Not a great moment for the snake defense.  It got a little more embarrassing as Gregor Blanco in left tried to slide catch a Matt Adams’ hit and it bounced into his face.  With a 4-3 lead, Ender Inciarte robbed AJ Pollack of a lead-off homer at the wall.  Jim Johnson struck out Paul Goldschmidt to end the game.  I was surprised by the number of players that I didn’t realize were now playing for these two teams.    

To clear up business from yesterday, the Lexington Legends won the suspended 21 inning game today 7-6 with a home run in the twenty-first inning.  As chipper as Tim Hagerty sounded yesterday, he was clearly under the weather today for the Chihuahuas versus the Aces.  He could still talk, but wasn’t able to put any energy into it and was having trouble doing more than a mechanical recitation of events on field.  By the fourth, Tim reluctantly gave up and the broadcast switched to the Reno home broadcasters.  Dejected, he said just couldn’t perform at the professional level that game deserved.  That’s some integrity.

Reno had a pair of guys with a fairly light-hearted attitude doing their broadcast.  Surely somebody told them that they were now on in El Paso for the game, but I didn’t hear them say anything about it.  Quite a bit action happened after the switch, so it was probably good that they took over.  The Chihuahuas put up a bunch of runs (I was busy at work and listened intermittently).  An Ace player hit an inside-the-park home run.  Chihuahua, Nick Buss (the guys liked his name), took home on a double steal.  Well down in the eighth, the Aces still managed to load the bases, but only drove in two.  The pups won 10-4.  Hopefully, Tim will bounce back for Saturday’s game.

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