Comics Review: JSA, WITCH, Archie, and Amber

Continued from Part 1.

 

JSA #2

Certainly this was the most traditional of the comics I picked up.  The Justice Society of America splits up to find a special baby somewhere in the world.  There’s some personality shown in the characters, but it’s mostly a very functional story.    

I will say this issue has a heck of a final page reveal, especially since Mordru is a Legion of Superheroes villain from the 30-th Century.  I suspect next issue would be more interesting than this one.  

Archie and Sabrina #4

Another decompressed book.  Very decompressed.  Basically nothing happens in this.  There’s some kind of mystery going on.  Issue #5 is the last issue of the series, so I hope they tie everything up quickly.  I’d sort of like to see the beginning of this story just to see how Archie and Sabrina got together.  Harvey must be furious.  Of course Archie has just about dated everyone, except for Josie (who might be his cousin) and Melody (I have no explanation for this oversight).    

This was very much a girl’s comic.  The female characters were pretty, but he male characters were beautiful, even Jughead.  Weird, but good for him.  I can see why Big Ethyl is trying to get with this guy.      

W.I.T.C.H. Halloween Preview

Okay, okay, I know this looks bad for me.  This comic isn’t just for girls.  It’s downright girly.  Then again, there’s some casual nudity, but its under-aged.  Wow, suddenly I’m not feeling good about having this in my possession. 

This was an impressive giveaway from Zia Comics in 2017 for Halloween.  It is 48 pages on thick bright white paper with a glossy cover.  It’s in black and white, but with lots of shading and wash tones. 

 

The story is completely derivative of any other magical girl story.  If you like the genre, this will be extremely familiar material.  It’s more of a Disney marketing effort than a story and a low-effort one at that.  I wasn’t expecting much, but I think I can use this for my drawing practice.  There’s a lot of interesting facial expressions in the Disney/anime style to learn from.

 

Amber Blake #1, #2, #4

These three I picked up at Zia Comics, while the other comics were used from Coas.  Zia Comics doesn’t have a Dollar Box (which is a mistake), but I found these in a box and they were at cover price and not marked up.  They are magazine-sized and surprisingly full-color inside.

 

I was hoping for a female spy story like Nikita, Modesty Blaise, or Alias from what was on the cover.  I was also looking forward to Butch Guice’s fine detailed line work.  So, this is what you get from this, but at the absolute minimum in story.  There is some complexity to it, but the backstory and set up feel like wasted pages.  This would have been better as a known work in the genre, so that the setting and character could have been described in a couple of text boxes and then it could gone on with the story immediately.  There’s not enough originality in the setting or characters to make it more interesting than the other works that inspired it.

 

Basically, this is a revenge story.  Amber is an orphan raised in a special institute.  She finds out her friends are being abused by the headmaster.  Amber is forced to escape after trying to expose it.  She ends up getting recruited by a mysterious organization that goes after powerful, corrupt people.  Issue #4 seems to resolve the story and the character. 

In any case, there is some really great artwork. 

 

Sorry if this wasn’t much of a review of these comics, but after reading them, I had very little enthusiasm for doing it at all.  Overall, this load of comics was big strikeout.  I need to just buy stuff I’m sure I’ll like or stop buying comics. 

Comics Review: Batman 66 and Friends

After going to work way early one day last week, I decided to go to the Downtown Mall for lunch at the Rad Retrocade.  As implied by the name, it’s an arcade, but also a bar and grill.  We’d had a company dinner there last year with nachos and other snack food and all the video games you could handle.  The food was pretty good and was it fun.  I’d wanted to try the burger on their menu, especially since they offered sweet potato fries with it. 

 

Nearby Day’s Hamburgers was the only other place I knew of that served those kind of fries.  Unfortunately, Day’s closed down last year.  I was there the day after they announced they’d be closing at the end of the month.  It was me and a restaurant full of other patrons who wished to pay homage to the decades-old establishment.  It took an hour get served, but it was the best burger I’d ever had there (and their burgers are great to begin with).         

 

The Rad burger and fries were great, too.  The burger was thick and juicy, though it took awhile to get it.  I don’t think they were expecting someone to come in in the middle of the afternoon for lunch.  For eating at what was essentially a restaurant, the price was reasonable, as well.  I told the waitress to thank the chef, since the meal was really good.  She gave me a puzzled look, “It was?”

 

I still had plenty of time before work, so I walked over to Zia Comics and Coas Used bookstore.  I ended up picking up a pile of older comics from both places.  I couldn’t find anything new on the rack that interested me or any books or graphic novels.  There was an older Conan trade that I was interested in, but not for $40.  In retrospect, I should picked that up and not bothered with the rest.

Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77 #4

I remember quite a while ago, I bought the original Batman ’66 revival trade paperback for a friend.  I read it before giving it to him and was fairly impressed with it.  Later, I found a few issues of Batman ’66 meets Archie.  My review of that was mixed mostly because the story felt very unnecessarily decompressed.  Still, it was fun.  What I did not know was that this concept has been turned into a full franchise of nostalgia. 

 

I’ve seen the Wonder Woman ’77 comic based on the Lynda Carter show and a Superman ’78 comic based on the Christopher Reeve movies.  I suppose the teamup would be a natural.  (They could also do a 70’s Shazam comic with Isis.  There could also be a 40’s Superman from the cartoons and a 50’s Superman based on George Reeves.  Why not?) 

 

The guest villain for this issue is Ra’s Al Ghul.  He seems a little intense for Batman ’66.  His daughter, Talia, is there simping for Batman.  Catwoman is on Team Batman in this issue, too.  At the end, Catwoman gets asylum from the Amazons to avoid Batman taking her back to prison.  And, she blames the patriarchal society for her being bad.  I think tongue was in cheek there.  Then, Batman credits Wonder Woman to inspiring him to be hero.  (Maybe Catwoman was being serious.)   

 

We do get the obvious pairing of Robin and Wonder Girl.  Him teaching her the “Bat-tusi” is the best part of this issue.

 

The second best is this F-4 Phantom Batjet.  I would love a model of this. 

 

Batman ’66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel #1 & #3

I don’t know why they didn’t call this Batman ’66 Meets the Avengers? 

Oh, wait. 

Okay. 

 

I showed this to a co-worker and she had no idea who the English characters were.  That’s understandable.  The first time I encountered the British Avengers in the 80’s, I had never heard of them either.  I only got to see them a few years ago when episodes were shown on the Charge network briefly.  They showed them uncut.  As it was an English show and ran longer than an hour, they had to show two episodes to even it up.  (Space: 1999 had the same issue when they were shown on the Comet network.)        

 

The first page of issue #1 was all feminist Agenda, as Bruce endures a lecture from a modern woman, but plays along in hopes of getting some.  In issue #3, it turns out that she’s the villain.  It sort of feels like a mixed message to the comic’s presumed young female audience.  (Of course, they’re not actually reading this.  They’d have no interest in 60’s superhero nostalgia.) 

 

The villain woman even had the cheek to tell Mrs. Peel she’d be replaced and that Mr. Steed has had other partners.  This is all actually true.  The show is only identified with Diana Rigg, but there were ***three other women partners*** on the show, including Honor Blackman, who was a Bond Girl (as was Rigg).   

 

The artwork is like it’s traced and painted over photographs.  I don’t think it is, but I can’t say for sure.  It’s odd, but not unappealing.  It’s certainly distinctive. 

 

Catwoman appears in issue #1.  I’m surprised both of these series feature the Julie Newmar Catwoman.  You’d think they’d do the obvious race-swap with Eartha Kitt, just to be annoying.  Issue #3 just features an Avengers villain, I think. 

 

Steed and Mrs. Peel are reasonably witty, which was a hallmark of the Avengers.

I was admittedly pleased to see Aunt Harriet make an appearance.  The characters are much more in-character in this series than the other two series I’m reviewing.  While the other two series are aping; this one is a genuine homage.  I liked this series the best of bunch, but I’m not entirely sure I recommend it, even if you’re a fan of both shows.      

 

Batman ’66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E. #2

This issue suffers from way too many characters.  It reminds me of the teamup with Archie in that respect.  There’s a whole menagerie of villains and Batgirl.  Also, this was a bit of an odd pairing.  Batman and the British Avengers works as the Avengers was a fairly surreal kitschy show at times.  UNCLE wasn’t hugely realistic, but was a bit more grounded and known for its gunplay, which Batman doesn’t deal with.  Being a 60’s TV show was, I guess, enough of a connection.    

 

There’s some action in this and some dialogue interplay, but this one left me disappointed.  Maybe it was the artwork.  I thought Batman was smarter than that.  I almost want to read the rest of this series just to see if there’s a NCIS reference somewhere.  (UNCLE and NCIS share an actor, if you don’t know.) 

 

Overall, these comics seemed to be aimed at kids, which is an odd choice.  Granted the Batman and Wonder Woman TV shows have been in constant syndication to where kids might have watched them, but UNCLE and the British Avengers are much more obscure.  I’d have gone for an older audience. 

 

I feel like this concept would have worked better as a continuing series, rather than six-issue limited series.  Like the classic TV show, every story could be two parts with a special guest villain and maybe a hero.  These comic stories were suffering from decompressed storytelling, which only has a chance of working with really great artwork.  Tightening up the stories and limiting the guests would have helped.  The best choice DC made was with the Michael and Laura Allred covers on all these issues.  They are very eye-catching. 

Also cool were the ads for Batman: The Animated Series action figures.  

Here’s more nostalgia.  Now this would have some kid appeal.

 

Continued in Part 2.

NM State Aggies vs FIU Panthers Softball 4-13-24

I’m a bad fan.  My next Aggie post should have been about the Aggie/Lobo Baseball game and the Aggie Softball game against Arizona on Tuesday.  I had the day off, but the weather deeked me out.  I was planning on going to Game 1 of the softball’s double header, but it got cold, cloudy, and windy right before I was about to leave.  It did rain a little, but certainly not enough to stop the game. 

 

It seemed like the weather wasn’t going to clear, so I called work and told them I was coming in.  Then it cleared off.  I felt like a dummy.  However, there was a big pile of work waiting for me, which would have doubled the next day.  I was also able to listen to the baseball game on the radio and it was about 50-degrees out at the ballpark.  In that respect, I probably made the right decision.

 

The actual game results were mixed.  Softball lost both of their games to the Wildcats by run rule.  Meanwhile, the Baseball team really took it to UNM to the tune of 10-2.  Softball began their current series against FIU on Friday and won 9-6 in a walk off win.  It was also Coach Rodolph’s 600-th Aggie win.  Congratulations.  I also have to mention Baseball playing Middle Tennessee on the road.  Keith Jones tied it in the ninth with an RBI hit and Logan Galina sealed it with a two-run homer in the eleventh to win it, 15-12!

 

That brings us up-to-date.  Today’s softball game was at 4:00pm, but there was no double header.  It was warm and sunny.  (If only it had been like this on Tuesday.)  I’d had a somewhat disappointing afternoon as today’s Texas Ranger game never came on the radio.  Maybe they changed the game time.  I was further disappointed pulling into the Softball Complex.  (After 600 wins, I wonder when they’ll rename it Rodolph Field?)  I saw that there was a next door soccer match finishing up.  I wasn’t sure if the Aggies had been playing a scrimmage, but their merchandise tent was up.  If there was a game and I’d known about it, I might have gone.

 

A pretty good crowd of over 500 came out for a late Saturday afternoon game, including a group of Football players.  (I also noticed that game prices were $7, up from $5.  I’ve been getting in with my season pass.)  Fan Danny came in after I did and looked a bit worse for wear.  He’d been to the games on Tuesday and Friday and wasn’t very impressed with the team’s performances.  On field, both teams made a circle.  The Aggies seemed fairly solemn.  The FIU Panthers were pretty spirited.  

Jaileen Mancha started for the Aggies and got three quick groundouts.  The Panthers were singing loud out of the dugout to start the game.  Their coach worked at third base and shouted out some encouraging chatter to his batters. 

 

Jillian Taylor singled to start the bottom of the first.  Makayla Navarro at third for FIU made a great dive stop on a Desirae Spearman liner.  Navarro made strong throw to first for the out.  Two groundouts to second ended the inning.  There was a pitching violation early by FIU starter, Ella Whitney, for a ball.  I don’t think I’d seen one this year.  The Aggies were singing from their dugout as usual, though FIU was singing back in competition. 

 

Both frames of the second inning began with singles.  Neither team scored.  I did find it interesting that the Aggies actually sacrificed to move the runner into scoring position.  Coach Rodolph seemed to be anticipating a close game.  For the top of the third, Jaileen started with a couple of impressive strikeouts on the bottom of the FIU order.  The team even celebrated the second one on the shortstop.  A good bunt hit broke up the streak, but was left stranded.

 

Okay, let’s try to deconstruct this bottom of the third.  Jessica Carreon led off with a mishit slap swing that was mishandled at first for an error.  Once again, there was another sacrifice to move the runner to second.  (That seemed like a waste of Jillian’s strong bat.)  Desirae grounded to third next.  Navarro threw to second to try and get Jessica in a rundown, but the ball was dropped for another error.  Everyone was safe with runners at first and third.

 

We’re not done.  Dezianna Patmon hit an easy grounder to short, which was muffed.  Error #3.  Jessica came in to score.  Next, Devin Elam doubled to drive in Des.  Riley Carley, who was last night’s hero bringing in the winning runs, hit a little infield blooper that the first baseman dove for and dropped.  (No error.  Definitely a hit.) 

 

This loaded the bases.  Jayleen Burton then singled to drive in another run and keep the bases loaded.  Kayla Lunar hit a sacrifice to center to drive in another run.  Unfortunately, the throw into the infield was overthrown and the runners advanced for another error.  A groundout finally ended the inning.  4-0 Aggies off of 3 hits and 4 errors.               

 

The top of the fourth was all Jayleen at short.  She got all three putouts in the inning off of grounders.  There was single mixed in.  Jayleen would have gotten the third out on the stolen base.  Kendal Lunar’s throw beat the runner, but the runner slid into Jayleen’s glove and knocked the ball loose. 

 

Jessica started the bottom of the fourth with a shot that Navarro deflected at third and the ball went to the left field corner.  The left fielder had trouble digging it out and Jessica made it to third.  (No error given for having to fight with the fence.)  The FIU coach challenged the play, probably on the basis that Navarro had maybe touched the ball while it was foul, but the play stood.

 

No need to move the runner over here.  We just needed one of the outfield.  Jillian provided that with a laser over the wall to center for a two-run homer.  (I told you it was a waste to have her bunt sacrifice.)  The Aggies then mounted a two-out rally.  Devin singled and Riley drove her in with a double.  Aggies up 7-0.

 

The top of the fifth was all Jess at second as she made all three putouts.  Danny left at this point.  He wasn’t doing great and the game seemed functionally over.  For the bottom of the inning, FIU brought in a new pitcher and made some other defensive changes.  There was a new third baseman and shortstop.  The Aggies countered with a couple of pinch hitters.

 

Kendra Levesque got an infield hit on the scorecard.  I don’t know how to put this delicately, but Kendra is a big girl.  Her beating out that infield hit to third was probably the play of the game.  She was lifted for pinch runner, Savannah Bejarano.  That was a good call.  Jess came up and hit another one to third.  This one was thrown away.  While the first baseman ran off the field to try and recover the ball, Sav rounded the bases and scored for an 8-0 Aggies run rule win.

 

The good news was that with the game over, the Panthers could commit no more errors.  Five in five innings was plenty.  FIU was milling around at the front gate after the game waiting for their ride.  I resisted the urge to try and meet Isabella. 

 

I felt bad for an older gentleman who sat down beside me in Danny’s spot.  He literally only got to see the final play.  At least he’d been waved in and didn’t have to pay $7.  He’d thought it was a double header.  I made sure to tell him about tomorrow’s game.  As it was, the game only went for an hour-and-a-half.  I’m not sure this is providing good value for the money.    

 

I’ve got some Gameballs for the Aggies.  (And I’m recommending some extra infield for the Panthers.)  Jaileen Mancha got the win with 5 scoreless innings.  Devin Elam went 2 for 3 with an RBI double, Jillian Taylor went 2 for 2 with a two-run homer, and Riley Carley went 3 for 3 (she was seeing the ball well) with an RBI double. 

 

I wasn’t going to mention this, but on the way out I heard two different groups of people talking about it, so I’m perhaps obliged to report it.  The starting shortstop for FIU, Ashton Lansdell, had no definable female characteristics.  (There was no way of phrasing that diplomatically.)  Some people were thinking this was actually a guy.  Like I said, the Aggies did seem celebrate after that strikeout in the third. 

 

Adam Young on the radio broadcast for Sunday’s game talked about Ashton.  She (definitely) was a female high school and junior college baseball player and had only recently switched to softball.  Ashton did well in Sunday’s game with a home run, a triple, and two RBI’s.  What can I say?  Playing baseball with the boys apparently left an indelible impression on the young woman. 

 

I did not eat out before or after game, as I usually do.  I had plans with my dad for Sunday, which involved eating out.  So, I wasn’t able to go to Softball’s Sunday game.  When I got together with dad, he told me that he could have waited until after the game.  Now he tells me.

 

The game was on the radio and I was able to listen to it.  It didn’t seem like the Aggies’ day as they were down late, until they erupted with a six-run sixth inning.  A two-run homer by Desirae put the Aggies out front for a 9-5 win.  (My new favorite player name, Casey Goguts, played in the game for FIU.)  Meanwhile at Middle Tennessee, Aggie Baseball lost 10-9 on Saturday, but notched a 9-1 win on Sunday.  Keith Jones had another big day.  And my meatball sandwich for lunch was awesome.  It was overall a pretty good weekend.     

NM State Aggies vs Liberty Flames Baseball 4-7-24

 

Liberty, Bibberty.

 

Sorry.  No disrespect intended, but I couldn’t resist.

 

It’s been awhile since my last Aggie Baseball post.  In that time, the Aggies got a road win over Arizona, but were swept over three games by nationally-ranked conference opponent, Dallas Baptist.  (Along with non-conference losses to Nebraska and UNM.)  Friday, in bad weather, the Aggies fell to conference-leading Liberty, 9-3.  It was a close game, until Liberty pulled away late.  (I was told the Student Section was nuts for that game.) 

 

I was woken up Saturday morning to the sound of a 50-mph wind thrashing at my window.  It calmed down a bit in the afternoon, but was still strong and cold.  I decided to sit that game out.  Just as well, Liberty took advantage of that wind blowing out and crushed the Aggies 15-5 in a run rule win. 

 

Aggie Volleyball also played a scrimmage in the morning with Arizona and a couple of other teams.  Unfortunately, they were playing at Las Cruces High School, instead of the Pan-Am.  I have no familiarity with that facility, so I decided not to go, since I didn’t know where to go there.  (It’s a pretty big place.)  It’s a pity, since I enjoyed last year’s a lot.  If only Ron was still available.  I’m sure we could have figured it out.

 

Today was a much better day for a ballgame.  It was a little chilly in the shade, but almost no wind.  Though more pleasant, there was a bit of a light crowd today at 512.  We had radio call with Adam Young and Marcel Renteria.  Marcel’s doing a good job of pointing out the strategy in the game. 

 

On field, the Flames were wearing eye-catching powder blue tops with red numbers.  A new pitch clock timer has been added to the scoreboard.  The bright red numbers were making the dim scoreboard lights look even worse.  (And I’d rather have the radar gun numbers back.)  I was sitting with Fan Michael and we were both surprised that Ken showed up.  He’s a big Iowa fan and their Women’s Basketball team was playing in the NCAA Championship in the afternoon.  He had enough time to see a couple of hours of this game before going back home for that.            

 I guess these are right (sorta).  We’ll go with them.  Hayden Walker started for the Aggies and had a 1-2-3 first.  In the bottom, we started with the fielding weirdness.  Keith Jones grounded out to third on the scorecard, but Flames third baseman, Cam Foster, was actually playing to the left of second.  The NCAA hasn’t banned shifts, like the MLB.  Michael mentioned that Foster had hit two home runs yesterday.  The guy looks huge on field.  After two outs, the Aggies started the scoring with a single by Titus Dumitru, driven in by Damone Hale, who tripled into the right field corner.  1-0 Aggies.

 

Michael also mentioned a kid was hit in head by a foul ball yesterday on a deflection.  It seems so unlikely at Presley Askew Field, but it can happen.  The kid even saw it coming and tried to cover himself.  In the top of the second, Aggie third baseman, Sheehan O’Connor, got the second out of inning . . .  playing to the left of the second base.  A grounder ate him up on the next play and was ruled a hit, but that was the only damage.  The Aggies went down in order in the bottom.

 

My fingers were getting cold and my nose was running a bit.  I was watching the sun line creep too slowly towards me.  Walker got in trouble in the third, giving up three straight singles to start the inning.  Those hits and a sac fly brought in two runs to make it, 2-1 Liberty.  Whatever wind there was seemed to be knocking fly balls down.  Keith would not be denied in the third and jacked one out to left.  Tied at two.  

 

A couple of attractive young women wearing tank tops and shorts came in.  They made sure to sit in the sunlight.  Michael and Ken got an eyeful.  The pretty team photographer wearing her usual yoga pants and tank top went over and chatted with them and got my attention.  Liberty struck back in the top of the fourth.  A single and a hit batter were driven in by a double to make it 4-2 Flames. 

 

Liberty brought out their first reliever in the bottom of the fourth.  With another shift on, Mitch Namie slapped one down the unguarded left field line.  He went for two and was thrown out at second on a good throw by Brayden Horton.  Undaunted, Nick Gore doubled next.  Logan Galina got the start at DH today and made the most of it with a two-run line drive homer to right.  He did not shorten his swing with two strikes.  We were back tied at 4.

 

I was occasionally hearing a guy behind me doing what sounded like a radio call for Liberty.  I didn’t see him.  I was getting dual commentary on the game sometimes.  It was a dog day at the park.  I saw a cute dog coming in, but the owner shook her head about petting him.  (He looked friendly enough.)  Later, a Dalmatian came in.  He took a shine to Ken, but I didn’t get any pets.  After he left, a troop of three little kids kept coming over to play with him.  It was so cute.

 

I was finally in the sun by the top of the fifth and was comfortable for the rest of the game.  Liberty started off with a leadoff walk.  A deep single moved him over to third.  A sac fly by Camden Troyer brought in a run.  Keith made a great throw in to the infield.  In a heady play, Sheehan cut it off and threw to second to get the runner there to end the inning.  5-4 Liberty.  In the bottom, Keith tried to do it all himself.  He worked a walk and stole second.  On a bad pickoff throw, he took third.  On a bad throw to third, he tried to take home and was thrown out by Foster.  Great effort.

 

As I warmed up, I got hungry and wished I’d had a $1 dog here instead of having a bowl of cereal at home.  Michael said he saw a girl drop a whole box of hot dogs, while I was in the bathroom.  Worse news was that I watched new Aggie pitcher, Saul Soto, give up a leadoff home run in the sixth to Brian McClellin.  Saul let on two baserunners, but got out of it with a pair of strikeouts.  6-4 Liberty. 

 

Liberty brought in a new pitcher, Ben Blair, in the bottom after the bases were loaded via two hit batters and a walk.  Blair is one of Liberty’s best relievers and had blanked the Aggies Friday.  He’d only given up one hit.  Kade Benevidez had that hit and came in to pinch hit.  Kade singled and brought in a run.  Romeo Ballesteros brought in another on a fielder’s choice to tie the score again, 6-6.  That play would have probably been an inning-ending double play, but when Blair fielded the ball, there was no one covering second and he had to settle for one. 

 

Saul gave up a triple to Foster in the top of the seventh with one out.  No problem.  Saul came back with a pair of strikeouts to end the threat.  He came off the mound pumped up.  Damone was inspired.  He hammered a homer to right center to give the Aggies a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the seventh. 

 

In the top of the eighth, Saul got helped out with a couple of good defensive plays.  Mitch made a great dive stop on a grounder and Saul lost his hat outrunning the batter to first for the out.  Next, Ty Acton made a jump catch on a liner at second.  The third out was harder to get, after a double and a walk, but Saul got a fly out to end it.

 

Saul needed some insurance for the ninth.  In the bottom of the eighth, Romeo worked a walk and stole second.  Keith drove him in.  The Aggies would load the bases after and force a pitching change, but they’d have to settle for an 8-6 lead for the final frame.

 

The shift worked for the Aggies in the top of the ninth.  Kade, who had taken over third, caught a liner to the left of second to start the inning.  Foster was walked.  After a deep fly out to center, McClellin, who’d homered off Saul earlier, was lifted for a pinch hitter.  I’m not sure about the reasoning, but it ended with a foul out, so I’m okay with it.  Aggies win an epic one, 8-6!   

 

Plenty of Gameballs to hand out.  For the Flames, Kane Kepley went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s and Brian McClellin was 2 for 4 with a homer.  For the Aggies, Saul Soto got the win with four innings of work and only giving up 1 run.  Keith Jones went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI’s and a homer.  Logan Galina went 1 for 4, but his two-run homer kept the team in it.  Damone Hale went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI’s.  His home run was the game winner.          

 

I was pleased to see both teams line up and shake hands after the game.  I appreciate good sportsmanship.  That was a pretty entertaining three hours.  I think I walked past Keith’s dad on the way out.  Many parents in attendance wear shirts with their kid’s name on them.  I went over to Dominos to take care of my hunger with a Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich.  I ate it while watching the fourth quarter of the Women’s NCAA Championship.  I didn’t get the result I wanted, but you can’t win them all.  (Hopefully, Ken will get over it quickly.) 

NM State Aggies vs San Diego Toreros Softball 3-30-24

I had the best lunch today.  I got another foot-long chili cheese dog at Stadium Burger at the mall.  I thought their burgers were the best in fast food, but their hot dogs are even better. 

 

While I was at the mall, I also checked out the latest issue of Sports Illustrated.  It was their baseball preview issue, but it was mostly a regular issue.  At $11 bucks, it wasn’t worth it.  There was an article on baseball finances involving their regional sports networks that did look interesting.  There was also a puff piece on Shohei Ohtani that I’m sure they’re regretting given the unresolved gambling scandal surrounding him.  I didn’t notice offhand if there was any mention of his interpreter/possible embezzler best friend, but they did highlight Shohei’s dog.     

 

Sigh.

 

And there was a softball game today.

 

This Easter card was from my Aunt Judy that I’d gotten earlier in the week.  This was before she read my MLB preseason report, where I didn’t give her beloved Cardinals a good prognosis for the season.  When I’m proven right, I’m sure she’ll forgive me. 

 

The most disappointing thing about today’s game with the Aggies versus San Diego was that the Easter Bunny did not put in an appearance.  He’s been at some Aggie Baseball games before and there were Easter Egg hunts in the outfield, but apparently Softball doesn’t rate.  EB does not care about Title IX.  When I was at the mall, I did get to see him there at least.

  

The day started well.  While walking up to the Softball Complex, I got a strong whiff of fresh cut grass.  I had a red nose from yesterday, but had no trouble smelling.  It was overcast with a light breeze, so I wouldn't have to worry about more burn.  (I was wearing sunblock anyway.) 

 

There was another good crowd for the game.  I was again sitting with Fan Danny, who was a bit unhappy that he was going to be missing some of the Women's NCAA Basketball tournament to be here.  The Aggies were in their road grays with San Diego in Navy blue and white.  Were the Aggies' home uniforms still in the wash, or did the Toreros bring the wrong uniforms? 

 

There were only a couple of kids in the crowd surprisingly.  Only one was flagging down foul balls outside of the stadium.  She got the first one, came back in, held it up to show her family, and got a round of applause from the crowd.  Emily Dix started for the Aggies.  Desirae Spearman was not in the lineup at all.  Coach Rodolph was giving her the day off after yesterday's effort (hopefully, it's not for injury). 

 

Dix got the first batter, then gave up three singles to load the bases.  The Coach and Kayla Lunar at third both talked her, as SD got loud in their dugout.  Jayleen Burton got a grounder at short and threw to third to get the lead runner, but overthrew Kayla and a run scored.  Kayla missed the next grounder, but Jayleen got it behind her for the out, but a run did score on the fielder's choice.  Jayleen made the next play to end the inning.  2-0 SD.     

 

McKenna Braegleman started for the Toreros.  She gave up a single, a two-run homer by Jillian Taylor to tie it, a double to Dezianna Patmon, and then got a quick hook by the coach.  I'd have to think there was more going on than just a shaky start.  Maybe she was playing hurt.  Emma Giaime came on in relief.  After a groundout, Kayla walked.  She tried to steal second, but was thrown out by catcher, Arisa Tovar.  A strikeout ended the inning.  2 all.

The Toreros came back in the second with a single, a sac bunt, and a run-scoring double to retake the lead, 3-2.  In the bottom, Kendal Lunar walked, but was thrown out by Tovar while trying to take second.  Given that Kendal is the Aggies' catcher, I'm thinking that that was a blown hit-and-run, rather than a steal attempt.  That ended the rally.  When Kendal came back out to catch, I noticed her pants were ripped where she'd slid. 

 

Dix threw two balls to start the third and walked straight to the dugout.  I'm guessing she felt an injury.  Hard-throwing, but somewhat erratic, Haiven Schoolcraft came on in relief.  The first batter did walk and the next two batters singled to load the bases with nobody out.  Jayleen caught a liner at short for the first out with no opportunity to double anyone off. 

 

EJ Joyner then came up and doubled just inside the third base line.  Two runs scored.  The runner from first tried to come in too, but Dezianna Patmon threw her out at home.  The next batter hit a flyball left center.  Dezi and Jillian converged on it.  Jill backed off late and . . . the ball hit Dezi on top of the head.  Umm.  These things happen.  (To Lucy in a Peanuts comic strip.)  An unearned run scored.  The trainer came out and looked at her, but Dezi stayed in.  She threw out a runner at home and was hit on the head by a flyball on the next play.  Baseball is cruel.  6-2 SD.

 

There was a pink Aggie shirt toss to the crowd in the break.  An enthusiastic Torero mom got one and was very happy.  In the bottom of the third after an out, Jillian drew a walk.  She stole second, but just barely.  I'm not sure why they were still trying to run on Tovar.  Another walk and a single loaded the bases.  Kayla drew a walk to force in a run.  Unfortunately, a possible big inning was cut right off.  A grounder to Giaime was thrown to home for a force and to first for a double play.  5-3 SD.

 

Taylor Johnson began the top of the fourth with a home run.  Joecellia Roberts next hit a massive foul ball into the trees in right field, but would settle for a single.  The next batter walked, and Haiven was relieved by Jaileen Mancha, yesterday's Game 2 starter.  She finished the inning, as Jayleen squeezed a flyout and a lineout, and Kendal caught a little popup in front of the plate with two other players charging for it.  7-3 SD.

 

Bottom of the fourth, Kendra Levesque hit a massive foul to left field.  The Aggie dugout yelled and pointed to the field, “Hit it that way!”  The at bat ended in a groundout.  Jessica Carreon got an infield hit in the inning.  Amanda Limon made a nice play on it to make it close.

 

Bea Martinez from Channel 7 was here shooting footage for the newscast.  From watching her report, I found out Men's Basketball Coach Hooten was there incognito.  (I didn't notice him.)  It's not like he had anything better to do right now.  In the top of the fifth, Jaileen got two outs, but gave up two singles.  A triple down the right field line by Roberts drove them in.  A two-run home run to center by Tele Jennings sealed it.  11-3 SD.

 

The Aggies now needed a run to keep from getting run ruled like the Toreros yesterday.  The Aggie dugout was singing to keep up their spirits.  Unfortunately, the only hit in the inning was a single by Dezi.  She also hit Devin Elam in the on deck circle with a foul ball.  You could hear it in the stands, but Devin laughed it off.  11-3 SD was the final.

 

Several Toreos had a good game hitting.  I'll single out Tele Jennings for going 4 for 4 with 2 RBI's and a home run.  Emma Giaime got the win by going 5 innings and only giving up 1 run.  It wasn't a great day for the Aggies, but Jillian Taylor did well with a two-run homer, scoring twice, and getting a stolen base.  I wonder if this game would have been different with Des in the lineup.

 

The Aggie fans left disappointed.  The SD fans seemed unenthusiastic, as well.  This is what I was afraid of with a single softball game during the day.  A run rule win left everyone wanting more.  The game was probably just under two hours. 

 

I actually did get a little more.  While I was out with dad on Sunday getting lunch, I ran into Logan Galina from the Baseball team coming in.  I'd actually run into him a couple of years ago at Whataburger and I could recognize him out of uniform.  I should have congratulated him on hitting that triple a couple of weeks ago, or on the team's victory against Arizona on the road last week, or asking if he's been playing more.

 

Instead, I mentioned meeting his girlfriend, Xophia Venegas from the Softball team.  I said she was awesome and that he'd better hold on to her.  Logan smiled and heartily agreed with that.  Okay, at least, I solidified his marriage plans.  Danny said he'd met Xophia's mom in the stands before.  Maybe he can find out when the wedding is.  See, it all ends happily ever after.