Friday, October 27, 2017

Sports Journal October 15-21, 2017

10-15-17
I tried.  I really tried yesterday.  NASCAR’s Talladega race just didn’t keep my interest.  I used to be a big fan.  I don’t know what happened.  Was it the constant green flag commercial breaks?  The Chase?  The yearly alterations to the Chase?  The ugly cars?  Another five-hour broadcast (without even a rain delay)?  Dale Earnhardt Jr’s comments supporting the NFL kneeling didn’t help.  I don’t think they hurt him with the fans, since he’s retiring anyway.  Certainly NBC supported him during the race.       

This morning on the radio, an ESPN (The Conscience of American Sports) host was actively egging on NFL players to boycott a game and cause a forfeit.  The purpose of this would be to hurt their remaining fans to make them part of the struggle.  Yeah, the logic was convoluted.  Go ahead guys.  Do it.  The host specifically said that the purpose of the protest was policy brutality.  Okay, right after that boycott, if you gentlemen still have jobs and decide to grace your fans with another game, I say the police should make an announcement the night before.  A virulent case of the “Blue Flu” will preclude them from being able to provide security for that game.  Have a great day.  Let’s see if either the fans and the players show up under those conditions.

(Watch some tool at ESPN somehow find this post and suddenly the network starts using my “conscience” gag as their actual slogan.)

Sunday night, the Dodgers beat the Cubs again on a walk off home run by Animal (Justin Turner).  I only saw highlights on Stadium.  I never got a whiff of the game live anywhere.

10-16-17
Aggie Volleyball took on the UNM Lobos Monday night.  It was even on TV.  I was busy with work though.  The best I could do so sneak in a few glances at the game.  (Also, there were technical difficulties with broadcast that I can guess originated with the Pan-Am Center facilities.)  The Aggies took it in straight sets: 25-18, 25-16, and 28-26.  I did get to see the end of the third set.  That one was a fight.  Aggies were down for much of it.  Both teams fought off a couple of set points before it ended.  The girls took care of business.  Since I didn’t see most of it, that’s as much analysis as I can offer.

1,196 were in attendance.  A lot of girls from local volleyball teams were there.  Tatyana Battle led with 19 kills.  A bunch of the kid players were mobbing her afterward.  Sasha-Lee Thomas and KC Tohm also had double-digit kills.  KC was sitting on the bench during those extra points in the third set.  I hope she’s okay.  Lia Mosher had a monster game with 8 blocks.  Natalie Mikels did most of the setting in the match over Briana Ainsworth.  I don’t know what that means.

Adam Young had a lovely former Aggie player named Kelsi Meredith as his color commentator.  At one point, they showed Jordan Abalos on the bench and talked about her.  They said was dealing with the injury well and looking at another surgery.  She looked about as happy as she could be watching the game, instead of playing in it.  Watching her team play well probably helped. 

I was also flipping over to the ALCS during the match.  By the end of the volleyball, it was 8-0 Yankees in the sixth.  I decided not to watch anymore.  8-1 Yankees final.  Astros still lead the series 2-1.

10-17 to 19-17
Okay, let’s not fake it here.  I was watching and listening to the ball games intermittently and wasn’t really taking notes.  The Yankees would win two more games in New York and go up 3-2 in their series with Houston.  I give a lot of the credit to those home town fans there.  The full Yankee Stadium mystique was on display for their three victories. 

There was a funny moment in Game 4.  In the fourth, Aaron Judge was doubled off first on a good catch in the outfield.  Upon review, he was deemed safe at first.  However, Judge had failed to retouch second on his way back.  The Astros somehow muffed the appeal at second after the review.  Judge then suddenly took off for second during the deliberation and was thrown out.  Only in baseball.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers took care of the Cubs in five games.  Yu Darvish did well in his outing in Game 3 with Andre Ethier coming off the bench to chip in a home run.  I’ve had trouble taking Ethier seriously after that hysterical stare-down incident he had with an umpire a few years ago, but I was actually glad to see him do well.  The Cubs won Game 4 to give the Wrigley Field fans a little something for the series.  There was a guy in a tux behind home plate for that game.  The Dodgers took care of business 11-1 the next day.  Kike Hernandez hit three home runs in the process.    

10-20-17
“I literally love Kate Upton!” exclaimed Jose Altuve after the Astros’ 7-1 win over the Yankees.  Who can blame him?  Kate pitched seven scoreless innings as her exuberant fiancĂ©e, Justin Verlander. watched from a skybox.  She’s been a tremendous acquisition for the team for this playoff run.  This win forces a decisive Game 7.  I hope the Astros win this series, so we can all see more of Kate.


10-21-17
Hmmm.  Rereading that last entry, something seems off, but I can’t put my finger on what.  Oh, well.  I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to catch any of Game 7 between the Astros and Yankees.  FOX buried it on FS1 so they could show college football in the evening.  Thankfully, a Juarez station was carrying it, and I could get a weak signal from KROD for English audio.  Yea, no Joe Buck.

Charlie Morton for the Astros went five scoreless innings.  His only real problem was when he was told to stop touching the gum in his mouth by the umpire.  Evan Gattis put the Astros up first in the fourth with a solo home run.  A great play at home plate in the fifth between Alex Bregman and catcher Brian McCann kept Yankee Greg Bird from tying the score.  Yankee catcher Gary Sanchez keeps looking worse and worse. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Jose Altuve hit a solo home run and McCann doubled in two runs.  Four runs for the Astros would be enough for the win and to advance to the World Series.  The Astros organization now owns an AL pennant and an NL pennant.  Justin Verlander was named the series MVP for giving up only 1 run over 16 innings.  Aaron Judge on the Yankees did get one more highlight for the season, as he did a great job stealing a sure homer by Yuli Guriel.

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