NM State Aggies vs WKU Hilltoppers Softball 3-29-26

Mission accomplished! I saw Wave the Wonder Dog and petted same. Today Wave’s birthday was celebrated at the Softball game between the Aggies and Western Kentucky. I was wearing my Wave hat and Wave t-shirt like a true fanboy. There was a Wave statue giveaway up front, but I already had one.  Wave and his agent showed up right after I got there. Petting and praise followed.

Inside the stadium, I ran into Marketing Director Nicole Sack. She was also wearing a Wave shirt. Coach Rodolph came in a bit later. She got a souvenir statue, but didn’t bring her adorable dog. I was looking forward to seeing them meet and become best friends (if not more). The Coach said, Kayleigh doesn’t like the heat. With that dog’s luxurious coat, no doubt. Oddly, this interlude with Wave wasn’t even the most interesting event that happened at the ballpark today.

It was warm with a little wind. It was very nice. A good crowd of 454 showed up and brought a few kids this time, unlike the aborted Autograph day earlier in the month.  During the Anthem, a dad sitting below me grabbed his boy, stood him at attention, and took off the kid’s Spider-Man hat and had him hold it at his heart. There’s a good dad.

These added up fairly well, even with a change of scoring on an error after the first inning. I had some confusion with the lineup with the use of the flex player position for centerfielder Taylor Baca. I wasn’t entirely surprised by this, since Taylor’s glove is more valuable than her bat, as shown by yesterday’s performance.  Essentially, this more gave the Aggies two DH’s (in theory).

I could can hear the WKU dugout singing starting in the top of the first. The Hilltoppers’ batting helmets have cute little googliy eyes on them like their mascot, Big Red. Faith Aragon started for Aggies. Trouble started with a double and an errant throw that advanced the runner to third. (Initially ruled a single and two errors.) A sac fly brought the runner in. Faith finished off the inning with a looking strikeout. 1-0 WKU.

In the bottom of the first, Devin Elam cranked the first pitch out to left field for a home run. A very happy Faith greeted her at home plate, after equalizing that unearned run. Troublingly, the next three batters went down in order. Tied at 1.

According to the PA (a new girl has been doing it the last couple of games), it was 73-degrees and sunny here and 63-degrees and breezy in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Faith got a fly out and a looking strikeout in the top of the second, but then gave up a solo home run to left center by Kennedy Stinson. The balls were flying out today. Stinson’s teammates met her at home plate spraying soap bubbles that filled the air briefly. Faith finished the inning with another looking strikeout was to Maci Masters. Masters battled. Faith and her catcher, Kendal Lunar, thought they’d gotten her with a strikeout earlier in the at bat, but the ump disagreed, so Faith had to do it again. 2-1 WKU.

The Aggies went down in order in the bottom of the second. Hilltopper pitcher, Rylan Smith had two strikeouts. The ump was trying to move the game along. I had to look twice, but Men’s Basketball Coach Hooten came in with his lovely wife and Internet sensation, Clavicular. I thought he got arrested this weekend. Oh, that’s actually Coach Hooten’s son. I’m thinking that this tall, handsome lad does well with the ladies, anyway.

The Coach sat down next to me, as his wife chatted with another fan. I had to make something of this opportunity. I mentioned he was a customer where I work at. He praised one of the ladies working up front for helping him. (She is a sweetheart.) I praised Faith and did some other babbling about the Softball team.

In the top of the third, Wave came up front and the crowd sang Happy Birthday to him. Wave barked along with the singing. On the field, an error let on the first batter and a triple by Jenna Blanton scored another unearned run for the Hilltoppers. Faith came back with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning. On one K, the crowd was unhappy with a swing that may have hit the bat and gone fair that was instead ruled a foul ball. Coach Hooten said it was fair. It ended up being another looking K anyway. “She should have swung at that one. It was too close to take,” he said. 3-1 WKU.

In the bottom of the third, the Aggies went down in order again with a couple of strikeouts. I asked the Coach about Liberty’s collapse during the season. He said they didn’t use their bench enough and rode their starters into the ground. Liberty’s coach was mad at him. “But you beat us twice,” Hooten told him. “Yeah, but you showed the other teams in the conference how we could be beaten.” I congratulated him on putting together a talented team and getting into the tournament. He thought they were talented, but not gritty and defense-minded enough.

Faith finally had a quick inning with two strikeouts in the fourth. In the bottom, after a walk, Skye Johnson smashed a 2-run homer to left center. The Aggie dugout was now singing. Smith may have gotten hurt on a pitch in the inning. She stayed in, but this was her last inning. Stinson made a nice running catch in right field to end the inning. We were tied at 3.

Coach Hooten, Wave, and a bunch of the crowd left at this point. Was it lunch time? That might have been a good thing, because the top of the fifth was brutal. Faith gave up a single, but a passed ball and a groundout advanced the runner to third. An error at short brought in the runner and then another error from third brought in another run. Two walks then loaded the bases. The crowd was getting angry with the ump again. A fan shouted out to the girls, “Don’t beat yourselves!” A bunt back to Faith got an out at the plate. The Hilltoppers had already had two successful bunts in the inning. That was one too many. A looking strikeout finally ended it, but WKU was up, 5-3.

Erica Houge came on in relief in the bottom of the fifth. The Hilltoppers had an error, but no other damage. Faith had her best inning in the top of the sixth, though you wouldn’t have known it the reactions. The crowd heckled the ump with, “Want glasses?” Faith even stared in as she was getting squeezed in the strikezone. That said, she struck out the side. She was grunting and really working out there.

During Masters’ at bat this inning there was a rather unique occurrence. The bats they’re using in college are not aluminum bats. They are BBCOR bats. What are BBCOR bats? They’re made of alloy and composite materials. (No, I don’t have a better explanation than that.) They are supposed to simulate a wooden bat without being breakable. This inning, Masters’ bat broke clean in half on a foul ball. Faith’s fastball is very hard and Masters is a big girl with a big swing. I also thought I heard her bat crack in the previous inning, but couldn’t believe it. In any case, the crowd was laughing. PA added, “She’s okay; the bat isn’t.”

Couple of young women got up in the stands. They seemed to be sunbathing given how scantily clad they were. No complaints from me. Kendal led off the bottom of the sixth with a fly ball. It kept carrying and went into the scoreboard, just like yesterday. Thankfully, there’s netting in front of the new scoreboard. Skye singled right after, but that was all for the offense. 5-4 WKU.

Faith probably gave it her all in the previous inning. The top of the seventh would have been a good place for a reliever. No relief was coming. Faith was back in. A double, a walk, and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out before Morgan hooked a shot into right field for a 2-run double. A follow up single brought in another run. This was even with the WKU fans getting mad over the count to one of their batters. There was a double steal with runners on the corners. Kendal got the runner at second, but the runner from third scored. Faith finished it off with a strikeout, but after 4 runs had scored to put WKU up, 9-4.

A fan led a herd of three bulldogs out. This place is going to the dogs and I’m totally okay with that. The Aggies went down in order in the bottom of seventh with 3 groundouts. They seemed to be conceding. The Hilltoppers win, 9-4.

This one hurt a bit. Like yesterday, this one was winnable. Aggie hitting unfortunately failed on the same day that their fielding did. The Aggie girls looked so dejected when they lined up for handshakes. Poor things. WKU did their cheer for their fans, but the stands were mostly empty. I don’t know where their fans went. Did they have something better to do? The game clocked in at 2 hours, 13 minutes, so it did run a bit long.

Gameballs. WKU again spread around the offense. I’ll tag Morgan Sharpe for her 2-RBI double in the seventh that broke it open. Erica Houge gets another nod for getting the 3-inning, 1-run save. For the Aggies, Skye Johnson went 2 for 3 with a game-tying 2-run homer. Faith Aragon was 0 for 3 (1 for 7 for the last two games) and gave up 9 runs. However, she was working with 4 errors behind her, which led to 4 unearned runs. Faith had 12 strikeouts and gave up 7 hits in 7 innings. Ask WKU if she pitched well.

Faith’s dad was in the bathroom while I was there. He was talking to someone else and he was hot. He was blaming the Coach for not putting a good-hitting line up out there. He was still going when I left. His daughter is being ridden like a borrowed horse, starting two of the three games in this series and hitting in all of them.

The team is flawed. The rest of the pitching staff isn’t there. There are holes in the lineup and on defense. There isn’t a way to plug all of these gaps. Even 2 DH’s and 2 pinch hitters in the 8 spot didn’t help today’s offense. WKU seemed to be hitting the ball away from Taylor in center and at the weak spots in the Aggie defense. When the Aggies win, it feels like they’re overachieving. When they lose, all these problems come up.

After the game, I called dad and asked if he wanted me to bring over lunch. He agreed to the $10 large Dominos pizza I’d seen advertised. It turned out the deal required that you order it through their app. The person at the counter gave me a bit of a discount, but it was the same overpriced, not-that-great pizza that they usually serve. Another restaurant gets on my crap list, like Jimmie John’s did. I hope I don’t run out of places to eat out at.

Two NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games on. The first one was a blowout. The second one was looking like a blowout, so we continued watching a Jack Ryan series from a few years ago. It was some outlandish scenario about overthrowing the dictator of Venezuela. How preposterous. (The episode we watched was good. It took six episodes for this to get good, though.)

We still had the game on (muted) and somehow, UConn got back into the game with Duke from the being 19 points down. CBS did Duke no favors by putting up a graphic stating that a #1 seed with a 15-point lead had never lost in the tournament. In the closing seconds, UConn, down by 2, was trying to foul and Duke instead turned it over. In the last second, UConn made a long range 3 that swished in for the win. It was a classic. That made me feel a little bit better about how I spent my day.

NM State Aggies vs WKU Hilltoppers Softball 3-28-26

 

I spent my Saturday morning and early afternoon somehow watching a bunch of Women’s sports on TV. There was a professional Volleyball all-star game, the Women’s NCCA Basketball tournament, NWSL soccer, and, surprisingly, Women’s professional hockey. I watched the volleyball, which was pretty entertaining and featured a very attractive player I’d love to see more of. I also watched a bit of the soccer, which featured the largest NWSL attendance ever. The new franchise in Denver drew 63,000 fans to see a nil-nil draw. Otherwise, I was watching a NASCAR race and irritated that the radio wasn’t broadcasting the Texas Rangers game.

Aggie Softball came back from their loss last Sunday to win an 8-0 run rule shutout against Western Kentucky. Faith Aragon got the win and collected 2 hits. Jade Valladares had a 3-run homer and Devin Elam had 3 hits and 2 RBI’s, including a home run.

It was cool and breezy today, in contrast to last weekend’s 90+ degree heat. I was wearing long sleeves to stay warm. Britney Spears and Ariana Grande greeted me over the PA coming into the stadium. It was Girl Power Princess pop day. There was a young girls softball team sitting at the bottom of the stands below me. They would be invited on field to stand with the Aggies team for the Anthem. The Hilltoppers all had red rags in their back pockets when they came out for player introductions. They took them out and waved them after the Anthem.

Faith and some other pitchers were playing hacky sack on field, while the rest of the team warmed up. A great crowd of 585 showed up. Coach Rodolph was here with her delightful dog. She had some friendly banter with the umps. (The Coach that is, not the dog.) A group of older women came in and sat down in front of me. One lady in a rainbow-colored shirt talked about being out at a protest today. She was also talking about her European vacations (plural). She was thinking about going to Sparky’s for lunch tomorrow. (It’s been all Sparky’s lately.)

I actually had all of the scoring right on today’s scorecard. I even got the weird play in the first right. I might have these framed. Taryn Bennett started for the Aggies. After a leadoff single, the next batter tried to bunt, but ran into the ball coming out of the box for an out. After a groundout, Lauren Slatterly doubled in the runner and Morgan Sharpe singled her in. A single and a bobbled ball error in right put runners on the corners, but Taryn was able to strand them with a groundout. 2-0 WKU.

Between innings, there was some extra time waiting on the TV coverage for the whole game. The PA reported that it was 70-degrees and sunny here and 56-degrees and cloudy in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Aggies went down in order in the bottom of the first with Erica Houge starting for WKU. The Hilltoppers also only sent up three batters in the top of the second. Taylor Baca in centerfield went horizontal on a liner to end the inning.

In the bottom of the second, the Aggies started off with a pair of singles. A fielder’s choice moved a runner up to third. Madi Bachman smacked a sure home run to center, but the wind knocked it down on the warning track. That was enough to get a run in. Jade Valladares followed that with an RBI single. The Aggies had tied it up at 2.

Coach Rodolph and her dog came over to chat with the women in front of me. I finally found out that the dog’s name is Kayleigh. (I think.) The Coach had been in Montana consulting with the team there and is still working with some of our players. After they left, a woman with a little dog walked by them. Kayleigh was fascinated with the dog and kept staring after him.

The PA announced it was Wave the Wonder Dog’s birthday tomorrow and they were giving away 100 little statues. I actually already have one, as documented in my Wave Adoration post.  Hopefully, the dog himself will make an appearance. We need a meeting between Wave and Kayleigh.

In the top of the fourth, Devin got twisted around on a flyball to right, but caught it. Taryn got the next batter out, but then gave up a pair of doubles, which gave WKU a 3-2 lead. She had a wild pitch that put the runner on third. The fans thought the batter had actually tipped the ball. I thought I heard something too, but the ump checked with another ump to confirm the call. Taryn finished the inning without further damage. The Aggies tied it back up in the bottom. Bella Clapp, on via a fielder’s choice and advanced on an error, was cashed in on single by Madi. 3 all.

A chatty guy next to me was mentioning that there’s a 50% off sale of Aggie Underarmor gear. I was interested, but remembered how Aggie stuff I have at home and then stopped myself from being interested. On the other hand, between innings, a large man fell into me trying to get a souvenir hat. I guess he didn’t have enough hats.

Destiny Perez relieved Taryn in the fifth. 4 runs came in via 2 doubles, a single, a sac bunt, and a 2-run homer by Kennedy Stinson. Zantelle Rodguez had to come in to finish the inning. 7-3 WKU. During the inning, Taylor made another great play by running down a liner and backhanding it. The Aggies got some traffic on in the bottom, but couldn’t get them in.

Zantelle worked a 1-2-3 top of the sixth. Again, Taylor made an over-the-shoulder catch in center. She was putting on a clinic today. The “music” between innings was a rap song with a woman saying, “Sponge Bob.” I’ll just let that lie there. A family left with their little boy crying, probably not related to the song, but who knows? He walked past the Softball girls below. They consoled him and patted him on the back. Suddenly, the kid was all better.

The Aggies felt a little better in the bottom of the sixth. The wind blowing in had stopped and Madi pounded a home run that she’d been denied earlier. 7-4 WKU. In the top of the seventh, Zantelle worked another scoreless inning. She got a big strikeout to end the inning and pumped up the crowd.

There was a tent by the entrance coming in. A local credit union was handing out souvenirs. (I didn’t see anything I wanted.) A couple of the girls working there came in to the stadium late to give away the rest of their neon green drawstring backpacks. The concessions were giving away left over hot dogs. Some of the kids were running after foul balls. The ushers were also going after them and bringing them back to the kids, so they could turn them in for suckers. Pretty much, if you wanted a giveaway today, you could get something.

To the bottom seventh, Kendal Lunar came in to pinch hit for Taylor to start the inning. Kendal put a home run into the scoreboard with her picture up on it no less. Devin singled right after, but was erased on a fielder’s choice. Finally, Houge got a comebacker from Skye Johnson. Houge twirled around and got the lead runner at second and Sharpe at short turned a double play to end the game. WKU wins, 7-5.

That was disappointing, but we weren’t cheated. It was a good game. That ran about 2 hours, so it was pretty tidy. The Aggies waved to the fans from the circle. WKU went to the stands and clapped and chanted for their fans. They seemed to travel pretty well.

Gameballs for WKU. Erica Houge went the distance pitching giving up 5 runs in 7 innings. The team had 3 errors behind her, but Erica gave them lots of groundballs to work with. (The Aggies hit 2 flyball outs.) The Hilltoppers spread their offense around. I’ll spotlight Kennedy Stinson for her back-breaking 2-run home run.

Gameballs for the Aggies. Zantelle Rodriguez did well with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief that gave the Aggies a chance to comeback late. Madi Bachman was 2 for 2 with 3 RBI’s and a home run. Kendal Lunar made the most of her pinch hitting appearance with a solo homer. Lastly, I have to mention Taylor Baca for 3 highlight reel plays in centerfield. She was reminding me of Jillian Taylor and I can’t give higher praise than that for a softball outfielder.

I went straight back home afterwards for a quiet evening listening to a Chihuahuas game. I’ll try to get something out to eat tomorrow after the rubber game of this series.

MLB Season Preview 2026

Sorry, this blog was originally titled, “MLB Hot Stove 2025.”    I really meant to do it, but the trades kept dribbling out until I decided to make it part of this season’s preview.    I tried keeping up with major trades, but probably missed a few anyway.    Well, let’s get to the Preview.

Preview Magazine

I picked up Lindy’s Baseball Preview magazine at the end of January.    I was surprised to find     it there so early.    In fact, it was way too early.    There were a bunch of important signings and trades that happened after.    I don’t know why they don’t publish this at the beginning of March.    Trades no longer mostly happen at the Winter Meetings.    It goes all winter. 

I actually really wished I’d waited.    I went back to Barnes & Noble a couple of times and found more and likely better ones.    The Athlon one seemed to have better articles.    Baseball America, now a regular-sized magazine instead a tabloid, produced a preview issue.    (They also had a separate College Baseball preview issue.)    Sports Illustrated had a mostly baseball issue for Opening Day week with the latest updates.  The best I can say is that the Lindy’s one may have been the cheapest option.   

The text of the preview magazine I did get was fairly functional, but there were a few zingers.

About the World Series: “In a subhead that required three semicolons and an inconsistent use of capitalization, the league proclaimed: Game Seven is Most-Watched MLB Game Globally in 34 years.”    The MLB points to the huge ratings of last years’ World Series and international viewers, but two/thirds of the audience was in Canada and Japan for the Blue Jays and the Japanese players on the Dodgers.    Last years’ Series with the marquee teams of the Dodgers and Yankees did not pull in those ratings.   

About the Rays: “Josh Lowe-Trade of Brandon Lowe reduces surname confusion but increases pressure on Josh’s stick.”   These two players have the same last name, but they are pronounced differently.

About the Phillies: “Adolis Garcia: Two years after being a World Series hero, was non-tendered by the Rangers.”

“Kyle Schwarber: Knows what it’s like to be non-tendered by a team for whom you were a World Series hero.”

About the Reds: “TJ Friedl: His picture is next to ‘scrappy’ in the dictionary.”

“Ke’Bryan Hayes: Terrific with the glove at third base, but might as well wear a mitt in the batter’s box, too.”    Ouch.

About the Cardinals: “Victor Scott II: Raps on the side, under the name, “Argo,” center-field defense outstrips his flow.”

About the Padres: “Top Prospects Kruz Schoolcraft.    The 6-foot-8 2025 first-round draft pick has a name you’ll remember even if he doesn’t pan out.”   

About the Rockies: “Paul DePodesta is back from the gridiron, but the Broncos have as good a chance of winning the NL West as the Rockies do.”    DePodesta was previously working for the Cleveland Browns, obviously some real out-of-the-box thinking there.    The Rockies did have the distinction of being the only team that Lindy’s didn’t have anything good to say about.    They didn’t even think much of Ezequiel Tovar, whom they put on the cover of this Mountain West edition.    I handed the magazine off to my dad and told him to read the entry about the Rockies.    He said, “Boy, they really don’t like their chances this year.”    

There was also a back page article on Women’s professional Baseball, for some unknown reason.

One thing I always find interesting in these Preview magazines are the stats on attendance and payroll.    The Dodgers are first in attendance with over 4M and first in payroll at $350M.    The Padres are second in attendance at 3.4M (eighth in payroll), while the Mets are second in payroll at $342M (fifth in attendance).    (The Yankees were third in both categories, if you were wondering.)

The A’s (768k) and the Rays (786k) were at the bottom in attendance, but they were playing in minor league parks.    The Marlins (1.1M) were the lowest in attendance at an actual Major League stadium.    The Marlins were also lowest in payroll at $67M with A’s and Rays not far off.       

A few other stats I found interesting.    Most teams’ payrolls track with their attendance.    The Rangers had the worst discrepancy being seventh in payroll, but seventeenth in attendance.    The Rockies may have made out the best being twenty-second in payroll, but fifteenth in attendance to see the worst team in the league (.265 winning percentage).    The Brewers were the best regular season team at .599.    They were twelfth in attendance and eighteen in payroll.   

The St. Louis Cardinals were twentieth in attendance and payroll.    That is shameful for such a proud franchise.    Finally, the Orioles were twenty-third in attendance, but sixteenth in payroll.    Granted, the team wasn’t winning last season, but they weren’t drawing well when they were.    They were just below Washington in attendance.    That’s a worse team with little prospect of getting better in a much smaller, but far richer, market.                               

I should mention that attendance is also dependent on the capacity of the stadium (and the city population to some extent).    Most stadiums are in the high 30’s to low 40’s.    Currently, only Dodger Stadium is in the 50’s (56k capacity) and that’s after a recent renovation.    Surprisingly, Chase Field (Diamondbacks) was #2 at 48k, but it will be renovated in the near future and likely lose seats.    T-Mobile Park (Mariners) was third at 47k.    Yankee Stadium and Coors field used to have 50k capacity, but they’re now at 46k.    [Actually, Coors has a 50k capacity, if you add in standing room area.]    At the other end, Sutter Health Park (A’s) only holds 14k and George Steinbrenner Field (Rays) holds 11k, but Tropicana Field reopens this season, so the Rays will return to their usual poor attendance in a Major League stadium.    (Do we need a Weighted Attendance (wAtt) stat?    Where’s Bill James?)

Salary Cap Analysis

This is it!    This is the year I’m rooting for the Dodgers to win the World Series!    Have I given in to the inevitable and succumb to the hype?    Heavens, no.    I just want them to win so that the salary cap finally gets implemented.       

This is the big issue this year.    The apologists for the current system (the Dodgers spending their way to victory) are negotiating with themselves at this point over the impending lockout at the end of this season.  They acknowledge that there’s a severe spending imbalance.    They want to tweak the competitive balance tax and also force the low end franchises to spend more money.    I don’t think that attitude works when even when even the New York Yankees fold in the offseason and say, “Too rich for my blood.”   

The Dodgers spend a lot, but they make a whole lot more.    Shohei Ohtani has been a gushing well of money for them in the Japanese market.    The Mets are trying to keep up, but don’t have the organization to properly utilize the resources to compete like the Dodgers do and look like idiots.    Mets Owner, Steve Cohn, needs guardianship on his bank account to stop him from hurting himself any further. 

The other teams are either trying to be prudently competitive or just not trying.    In effect they’re saying, “We’re not spending until we’re facing each other on more equal terms.”     Simply, the Dodgers may have broken the will of the other 29 owners. 

Maybe back in the day, people were okay with superstar Yankee teams being in the World Series every year with their fans saying, “We bought our championships fair and square,” but not today.    The NFL has already faced this problem of a maverick, free-spending franchise upsetting the apple cart and dealt with it (much to my chagrin as a Cowboys fan).    Fans may hate the Patriots and Chiefs’ dynasties, but they don’t think that the teams purchased their success.    (This isn’t to say that the Patriots might not have cheated their way to the Superbowl and that the Chiefs weren’t getting help from the refs to help script perfect endings for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, but that’s a different issue.)

I’m not against the Dodgers or other teams making as much money as they can.    Wide disparity between markets virtually guarantees revenue will be unequal in a sport that depends heavily on attendance revenue.    However, everybody should be limited on what they can spend on their teams, because the MLB is selling competition amongst equals at the top level of the sport.  Nobody’s paying to watch the Dodgers take infield and they’re not paying to see them play the Washington Generals if the umpires aren’t getting hit with buckets of confetti.      

Right now for salaries, there’s no floor and there’s a soft cap that allows unlimited spending, but with penalties (the competitive balance tax).    So, this is where you get the discrepancy of $67M to $350M in spending.    The current proposal is a minimum salary and a maximum salary for the teams and these would be hard caps.    The fans and the teams are for it, while quibbling about the numbers and how to implement it.    (The Dodgers have an enormous amount in deferred salaries, which would have to be accounted for.    Deferred salaries must also be eliminated.) 

I think the owners had been okay with the soft cap, because it allowed them to “go for it” whenever they felt they’d built up a team that could compete for a World Series.    Without a floor, owners could tear down and draft high to rebuild without having to overspend for little hope of good results.    That system has been abused at the low end and now completely exposed at the top end.    Too many teams have dropped into the non-competitive category and are “drawing welfare” from the competitive balance tax.    A handful of teams are running up the salaries of superstar players, ensuring they’re the only ones who can get them.    The ones in the middle may have calculated that their best chance of competing is to change the system and implement the cap.

 

Essentially, the Players Union and the Media are the only ones fighting the cap.    They really can’t articulate why.    All they are saying is, “This won’t work to create more competition,” and, “The players won’t accept a cap.”    That’s it.    A floor on spending should actually increase player salaries overall.    The cap isn’t necessarily going to limit superstar salaries, since more teams will be in the running for them.    I’m tired of hearing the inevitable talk about star players on small teams approaching free agency, and it’s always the Dodgers and Yankees listed as likely suitors.    The small market teams should not be a feeder system to the large market teams.   

When I say, “the Players Union,” even that is a misnomer.    It’s the high-powered agents, lawyers, their superstar players, and the true believers in the union.    You’ll recall what happened the last time there was a lockout.    The union reps rejected the owner’s final proposal.    The rank and file players overrode them and voted for it.    A lot of these players are doing pretty well and have little motivation to fight (and lose their income) for the “right” of superstar players to make enormous salaries.    It’s not like everyone will get to play on the Dodgers and the Yankees.   

One thing about this Dodger reign: it will end when Shohei Ohtani stops playing for them.    Right now, the Dodgers are making tremendous amounts of income from the Japanese media and sponsorship.    They are wisely attempting to win championships in this window as long as the money is pouring in.    When it closes, they’ll be more restrained, likely actively seeking out more Japanese stars for the team.    Now, this isn’t to say they still won’t be a first-class organization and always in title-contention; they’re just not going to be as brazen about it.

A salary cap might be seen as a permanent fix to a temporary problem, but really the salary imbalance has been unacceptable for quite a while now.    The Dodgers winning another World Series this year will prove it to everyone.    Certainly, the number of lower tier teams will grow regardless.    The Union wants that floor to fix it.    How bad to they want it?     

 

My best guess for a settlement is a hard $150M salary floor, which will double salaries for the lower tier teams.    There will be a corresponding drastic increase in the penalties for going over the current soft cap of $244M, which will essentially be a hard cap.    The distribution of those penalties will count towards that increased floor number.    The Dodgers will be free to continue what they’re doing, since they can afford it (for now).  Some owners may sell rather than meet the floor, but there will be buyers.    The Union could “save face,” by saying they kept the MLB from implementing a cap.  

Predictions

AL East

The Blue Jays were this close (holds fingers just apart) from winning the World Series, so they’re good and hungry.    The team led the AL in batting and improved their team pitching in the offseason, but I think the Red Sox will win the division.    They lost Bregman, but added pitching and will hit better and will make a move at the trade deadline.    The Orioles added Pete Alonso, but I’m not sold on them turning it around yet.    What am I, nothing to you?    Pipe down, Yankees!    You’re full of sound and fury signifying nothing.    At least the Rays are back to playing indoors this season.    They’re not going to do anything until they for sure get a new stadium.                         

AL Central

It should be the Tigers winning this division.    Tarik Skubal is pitching for a huge free agent contract and they picked up Framber Valdez (and for some reason, Justin Verlander).    They just didn’t pick up some batting in the offseason.    If the Tigers disappoint, that’ll be why.    The Royals do have the batting and will be fighting the Tigers for the division.    (KC has also moved in their fences.)    I know we should have learned to not sleep on the Indians after last season, but until they change their name back, they’re not winning.    The Twins and the White Sox are there to bolster the Tigers’ and Royals’ win numbers.    

AL West

It had better be the Mariners winning the division or Seattle fans will riot and burn down the stadium.    (Given the politics of the people of Seattle, they might not need an excuse.)    They improved the team a bit picking up Brendan Donovan in the offseason, but Cal Raleigh probably won’t hit 60 home runs.    This is still a team that nearly made it to the World Series.    Look for some trades to shore up their hitting some more.   

Speaking as a homer, I think the Rangers may give them a fight for it.    They led the AL in pitching and defense last season; they just couldn’t hit.    They added more pitching with Mackenzie Gore, who just needs better instruction to be a star, though the Rangers did lose Mike Maddux as their Pitcher Whisperer.    They also traded Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo.    This may have been for clubhouse issues as much as for offense.    Semien seems like a really good guy, but there are rumors about him and Corey Seager, who seems pretty mellow, not getting along.    Seager and others on the team staying healthy will determine the Rangers’ success.    If competitive, they’ll add pieces at the trade deadline.

I think the music has finally stopped for the Astros.    There’s talent there, but they’re likely played out.    Look for a teardown and a rebuild starting next year.    The Angels are still irrelevant.    The homeless A’s really need to keep their good, young hitters and hold on to them until they make it to Las Vegas.    Once there, add some pitching, and you’ve got a good team.       

NL East

This should be an entertaining dogfight between the Braves, the Phillies, and the Mets.    By picking up Freddy Peralta (though losing closer Edwin Diaz), the Mets may have the edge, especially if they’re will to pay whatever to win.    However, Phillies are desperately trying to keep their winning window open with some old man energy.    Meanwhile, the Braves may have the best overall team, if they can stay healthy.    It’s a three-sided coin flip.    The Marlins and the Nationals have had so much talent running through them, but it’s all going to go away to other teams.

NL Central

The Brewers traded their best pitcher (Peralta) and are done.    Wait, I’ve said that before.    They were #1 in pitching and #2 in hitting in the National League last season.    There’s got to be a drop off at some point from this talent drain, but it might not be this season.    Granted, the main reason the Brewers are winning is because of how questionable the rest of the division is.   

I actually like the Pirates to challenge them.    Beyond Paul Skenes, they’ve got good young pitching and some upcoming hitting prospects, like Konnor Griffin.    Management did open up the pocketbook finally and brought in Brandon Lowe.    Maybe they’ll add some relief pitching at the trade deadline.    If Oneil Cruz puts it together, this could be a good team.    (Lot’s of “If’s, though.”)    The Cubs are floundering.    Losing Kyle Tucker and picking up Alex Bregman wasn’t really a win.    The Reds are a bit of an enigma.    If players they have play up to potential, they’re a Wild Card team, at least.    (More “If’s.”)    My poor Aunt Judy.    Her beloved Cardinals are going into a rebuild finally, years later than they should have.   

NL West

The Dodgers are going to run away with this.    Apparently last season, they actually laid back a bit to be better rested for the playoffs.    They won the offseason by picking up the best free agent hitter in Kyle Tucker and best reliever in Edwin Diaz.    They’ll likely also win the trade deadline by picking up Tarik Skubal from the Tigers.    The speculation on this was rampant after getting Tucker.    The Dodgers do reportedly have the best farm system to trade with and the Tigers and Skubal had a very contentious arbitration, which the Tigers lost.    If the Tigers don’t play up to expectations, this trade will happen.    The Dodgers greatest opponent will be fatigue from playing through October for the last two years.    If they don’t win, that’ll be the only reason.

Everyone else is playing for a Wild Card.    As talented as the Padres are, they’ve lost pieces and the Giants picked up a good one in Luis Arreaz.  The Diamondbacks resigned Zac Gallen and acquired Nolan Arenado for a bag of chips.    Don’t count them out.    This might be a good fight between these teams.    I feel like I’m forgetting something.    (Flips pages on preview magazine.)    Oh yeah, the Rockies are still in the league and haven’t been relegated in favor of promoting a good Triple-A team.        

How does this all end?    Who loses to the Dodgers in the NLCS and the World Series?    Mariners over the Tigers in the ALCS.    (Alternately, if the Tigers falter and get blown up at the trade deadline, maybe the Royals.)    The Dodgers’ NLCS opponent is wide open, but I’ll pick the Giants, who will over-perform and pick up some help during the season.    Okay, this is a really dumb pick.    Let’s make a less edgy one.    How about the Phillies?    Really, it’s a tossup between several teams that aren’t as good as the Dodgers.  When you know how the movie ends, do you need to know about all of the side characters’ fates?    At least the M’s versus the Dodgers World Series should play well in Japan.

NM State Aggies vs LA Tech Bulldogs Baseball 3-22-26

Aggie Baseball had a tough road trip last week. They lost 2 of 3 to DBU in their first C-USA series. The two losses were by run rule. Their win was in a 17-14 slugfest. In that game, Tommy Meluskey went 4 of 5 with 6 RBI’s and Chris Daniels was 3 of 4 with 5 RBI’s. Each had a 3-run home run. It was a great comeback win, as they were down 13-5 in the seventh. The Aggies also took a mid-week run rule loss to TCU. Cooper Reese finally made it back into a game to pitch, but didn’t do well.

On Friday, the Aggies started their next conference series against LA Tech and suffered a 13-8 loss. This was in spite of 4 LA tech errors. Bryce Campbell had 3 RBI’s, though all of his runs were unearned. I went to Softball on Saturday afternoon and declined to go to Baseball for the nightcap, after being slow-roasted in the heat. I missed a good one, but a long one. The Aggies won a 13-10 slugfest in a nearly 4-hour game. Steve Solorzano went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s and Jonatan Clough had 4 RBI’s. For pitching, Connor Wylde pitched 4 innings and only gave up 2 runs. Jack Turner had a 3-inning save giving up 2 runs, 1 earned.

Sunday morning, it was again hot. There were a few light clouds in the sky and there was no wind. The weather report early in the game was that it was 85-degrees to start. It got hotter into the mid-90’s before the end. However, we’ll take that to 80-degrees and humid in Louisiana.

The crowd was officially 712, but it felt lighter. This did include a contingent of LAT fans. On field, the Bulldogs were dressed what looked like the Chicago Cubs’ away uniforms (one of my favorites, actually). Marcel Renteria was here calling the game with Adam Young. Unfortunately, it was only on the TV call. I was listening to the Softball on the radio, which would be the final Aggie radio broadcast of the season. We had a live Anthem singer, again. We still haven’t identified her, except she has the same last name as Steve Solorzano and he hugged her after the performance.

I sat with Fan Michael, as usual. He had a low opinion of the LAT coach, who wouldn’t talk to him when Michael tried to start a conversation with him. He was impressed with Trey Hawsey on their team. He said, we couldn’t get him out. I asked about Cooper and he said he was out with an arm issue. Michael also said that they’d planted grass on the dirt mound berm. I asked how people were supposed to get to it, since it was behind the Diamond Club area. He didn’t know.

On the one hand, these scorecards added up without the help of the official scoring or help from the broadcasters. On the other hand, I admit, mistakes were made. Jake Carvajal started the parade of pitchers for the Aggies today. A single and a hit batter began the game. Hawsey came up. He is not short, but rather heavy and stocky. He battled on every pitch until he singled in a run. A double play brought in another and the Bulldogs had a 2-0 lead.

On the first pitch of the bottom of the first, Solorzano cranked out a monster home run to left field. Don’t throw this guy a “get-me-over” first pitch fastball. Aidan Taclas followed that with a double. Boston Vest drove him in with a triple and Easton Rulli brought him in with a single. Rulli was then caught stealing and a strikeout ended the inning, but it was productive and gave the Aggies a 3-1 lead.

Embarrassing moment in the top of the second. The PA music was still playing when the inning started. Catcher Dane Woodcook took the first pitch and turned around and made a slashing motion at the pressbox. That cut the music. Matt Houston, fresh off his 80’s TV show, crushed a home run center. (I’m sure that show is so obscure, nobody his age is teasing him about his name.) There was no wind, but the ball was carrying well in the rising heat. After a follow up single, Carvajal was relieved for JT Price, who finished the inning. We’re tied at 3.

Destiny, the adorable team photographer, was back. I’d noticed her on field earlier. She came by and said, “Hi,” to myself and Michael. She’s so sweet and dressed in such a pleasingly provocative manner (tight tank top and tight biker shorts).

Aidan Lombardi led off the bottom of the second with a single. Dane made a perfect bunt to move him over and ended up beating it out for a single. (Also, the new turf plays really slow.) The two attempted a double steal. Dane looked safe, but was called out at second. Don’t run on catcher Matt Houston. He always gets his man, just like on his TV show. After a walk, Solo singled to bring in Lombardi. However, a double play finished the inning. Aggies up, 4-3.

The top of the third was delayed for an argument between Aggie Coach Angier and the umpire crew chief. No idea what that was about. Hawsey led off the inning. On the second pitch, he hit a line drive home run to center to tie the score at 4. Clough almost impossibly ran down a sure double to left field. He closed in and reached out for it. That was the play of the game. Price finished out the inning without any further damage.

A couple of pretty Marketing girls were tossing t-shirts to the crowd between innings. A guy behind us wanted one. Michael lent him his cowbell help him get the girl’s attention and the guy got one. His name is Doug. He’s amiable fellow who’d moved in from Idaho. We both chatted with him during the game. I was jealous that he’d acquired Savannah Bananas tickets, who will be playing in El Paso in the near future.

The Aggies went down in order in the bottom of the third. Doug remarked, “Is that the first 1-2-3 inning of the weekend?” Price worked around a single, a wild pitch, and an error on a bad throw from short for a scoreless inning. Lombardi made a good play from second to get the final out. The Aggies had another in-order inning in the bottom. Clough twice thought he’d walked on Ball 4, but the ump called the pitches strikes. Matt Houston took bad foul ball off his helmet catching, but stayed in. Show Business is tough.

Hawsey again led off the fifth inning. He is one tenacious batter fighting off pitches. He’d single and chase Price from the game for Bradyn Barnes. Barnes gave up another single and had a wild pitch, but kept the Bulldogs from scoring.

A light breeze started blowing and we were getting a little shade from some light clouds. There were several pretty girls in shorts and tank tops in the crowd, though I didn’t see the Volleyball girls. Michael mentioned seeing a head-turning player girlfriend last night in go-go boots. Now I’m really sorry I missed the game.

Thomas Allen, the LA Tech starter, had cruised through the past two innings and gotten the first two batters in the bottom of the fifth out. (He might have taken penalty ball during Solo’s at bat for being too slow to the plate.) Taclas then singled and advanced after a bad pickoff throw. After a walk, Vest singled in Taclas and that ended Allen’s afternoon. Rulli greeted the next Bulldog pitcher with a 2-run single and put the Aggies up, 7-5.

Hazen Wright started the top of the sixth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out and Hawsey came up. The gravity of the moment was not lost on the coaching staffs. There were two separate conferences during the at bat, as Coach Angier talked to Hazen and the LA Tech third base coach talked to Hawsey. He ultimately popped out, but Sebastian Mexico came up and hit 2-run single. (“Sebastian Mexico?” It doesn’t seem fair that we’re playing a team with two great player names.) Carson “Chili” Timmons was brought in to finish out the inning. 7-6 Aggies.

In the bottom of the sixth, Cooper Reese ran out some new balls to the ump. At least, I got to see him on the field. Dane worked a walk in the inning. Solo took a hard hit hard on the elbow to put two on, but the Aggies weren’t able to bring in either of them.

Another argument delayed the top of the seventh. Coach Angier went at it with the home plate ump. Again, no idea. Solo dropped a popup on infield to start the inning. A sacrifice moved the runner into scoring position, but Timmons came back with a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning. Chili came off the mound screaming after the final out and charged into the dugout to pump up his teammates.

Doug and the people he was with left at this point. He was getting too hot. The way he was cheering during the game, I thought he was a real fan. (I’m just teasing.) If he’s too hot now, he’ll be missing profoundly Idaho shortly.

Meluskey began the bottom of the seventh with an excuse me swing that dribbled on the slow turf. Tommy was going to be safe, but pitcher Joey Wittig threw ball away trying to get him and Tommy ended up on third. Vest was next and was punched out with a looking strikeout on a delayed call. The fans and the Coach were now mad at the ump.

A troop of boys were charging up and down the aisle after foul balls during this inning, adding to the action. Rulli came up next and hit a hard, low liner back to the pitcher. Wittig ended up on his back like Charlie Brown, as the ball flew over him for an RBI single. Aggies up, 8-6. LA Tech brought a reliever to finish the inning. Rulli was caught stealing. Chalk up another one for Matt Houston, gunslinger. Rulli had words with Brecken Menuet at short while leaving the field. Michael had mentioned there was some bad blood between the teams over this weekend.

Clough taken out at left field. Granted, he was 0 for 4, but he was playing well in the field and not due to come up next inning. Julio Ramos began the top of the eighth, but only faced one batter, who singled. (I thought the 3-batter rule was in place in college baseball.) Dylan Weekly came in, faced Hawsey, and got him to ground into a double play. Lombardi made a nice smothering play from his knees to start it. Hawsey came out and went over to off to side of dugout and yelled and pounded his bat into the ground. Camden Kaufman doubled in the bottom, but was left stranded to set the stage for the ninth.

Weekly was still in. He struck out the first batter looking and got a ground out for the second. The grounder was rolling so slowly on the turf, I was afraid it might stop before it got to Vest at short. The crowd was into it. Hand it to the Aggie fans. When it’s close like this, they come alive. They virtually willed a looking strikeout to end the game. Aggies win, 8-6!

LA Tech is a good team. This was a great series win for the Aggies. Gameballs for the Bulldogs. Trey Hawsey was as advertised. He was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI’s and a home run. I don’t know whether or not scouts are looking at his numbers or if they are overlooking him because he doesn’t have the prototypical MLB build. Brecken Menuet also went 3 for 4.

Of course, I have to mention Matt Houston. Look at this Matt Houston guy. He’s damn handsome and his girlfriend is totally hot. He homered and threw out 3 baserunners. (Slow turf, again?) Matt also took a couple nasty foul balls behind the plate, so he’s tough, too. We’re waiting for Netflix to greenlight that revival series, Matt. (That’s actually actor Lee Horsley and Pamela Hensley in the picture from the TV show. My co-worker, who’s my age, had never heard of this show, so it is a bit obscure.)

Gameballs for the Aggies. Easton Rulli went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI’s. Steve Solarzano set the tone with his leadoff home run. The Aggies went through 7 pitchers with varying results. Dylan Weekly had the best day with 2 scoreless innings. JT Price and Carson Timmons also did well.

I ran into Trey and Robin Reese outside. I’d wondered where they were. Apparently, they were seated somewhere in the shade. They confirmed that Cooper was resting his arm, but wasn’t injured. They were thinking about lunch. I mentioned that I’d went to Sparky’s in Hatch last week and was impressed. Maybe they took my advice.

My stomach was irritated last night. I wasn’t enthusiastic about lunch, but called dad and asked if he was interested in a pizza, since Pizza Hut and Dominos were offering $10 large deals. He instead offered to reheat a hamburger, which he’d cooked up yesterday. I took that and it was pretty good. I ended up at the mall later looking for a couple of magazines and came away disappointed. Well, can’t win them all, but I’ll take the Aggie win today.