Baseball Postseason 2026 Part 3 and Other Sports: Now We’re Brewing and Rocking the Trop Off

 

10-13-26

Game 2 of the ALCS with the Indians against the Rays.    I was listening in on the radio broadcast.    The Rays were still wearing their throwback Devil Ray uniforms.    Maybe Cleveland can go back to their throwback uniforms and throw their current uniforms in the trash.   

The Rays (are they still the Rays if they’re not wearing the Rays uniforms?) took a 3-run lead in the fourth.    Jose Ramirez let a ball go through his legs at third with two outs and the Rays capitalized on it by scratching out the runs, all unearned.    Of course, the scoring happened while I was out of the room and I didn’t hear it.    In the seventh, the Indians scored and threatened for more, but two runners were left stranded.    Bryan Baker came in and closed it out in the ninth for a 3-1 Rays’ win.    Baker is unscored on in the postseason and has converted 4 straight saves.    Starter Freddy Peralta pitched 6 scoreless innings for the Rays.   

10-14-26

Jackson Chourio homered on the first pitch to start Game 3 of the NLCS between the Brewers and the Dodgers.    That held up until the sixth.    Abner Uribe walked the bases full and Will Smith delivered a 2-run double to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.    In the seventh, Jake Bauers got the Brewers back in the lead with a 2-run homer off of Blake Snell after a long 11-pitch battle.    Garrett Mitchell, without a battle, came up next and added a solo homer, 4-2 Brewers.    Snell was chased from the game.    The Rays may have taken him out of the game too early in a World Series game because of the analytics.    After this game, fans were questioning why he was left in so long.

In the eighth, 2 singles and a wild pitch scored another run for the Brewers, 5-2.    In the bottom of the eighth, Shohei Ohtani singled.    The big talk before this game was whether he should be in the lineup or not, as Ohtani is scuffling (likely from injury).    He finished the game going 1 for 2 with a walk.    Trevor Megill came in with 2 outs to try for a 4-out save.

In the top of the ninth, Brewer Cooper Pratt stole second with 2 outs and Joey Ortiz singled him in.    Joey was also mentioned for a couple of good picks at third base during the game and there was a New Mexico State reference talking about him.    Brewers win, 6-2, and go up in the series, 3-0.    Listening to Fox Sports Radio after the game, Ben Maller, a huge Dodger homer, absolutely lit up the team.    That’s a bad sign.

10-15-26

Because of incoming rainy weather, today’s Game 3 of the ALCS was moved up to play in the morning.    My local station did not pick up the game when it started.    I tuned in about two hours later and they joined it in progress in the seventh with the Indians up, 3-2, over the Rays.    It was a lovely day in Cleveland, but the wind was already picking up and the temperature was dropping.

In the top of the eighth, Ritchie Palacios doubled and was moved over to third for the Rays.    With 2 outs, Yandy Diaz was up.    The Indians’ closer, Cade Smith, was brought in.    After a 10-pitch battle, Diaz struck out.    There was a no drama ninth, as the Indians won, 3-2.    Junior Caminero struck out for the fourth time in the inning.    The clouds were rolling in and the tarp was immediately put on the field.    In the game recap, the score had gone back and forth, but Petey Halpin’s 2-run homer in the fifth was the difference for the Indians, who are now up, 2-1, in the series.

Later, I did get to listen to all of Game 4 of the NLCS with the Brewers at the Dodgers.    For this possible clinching game for Milwaukee, the Dodgers sent out Tyler Glasnow and the Brewers went with a bullpen day.    Talk about a flex.    The Brewers went right to a reliever in the second when there was trouble.    The Dodgers went right to a pinch hitter and drove in the first run.    Then, Shohei Ohtani, who was back batting leadoff, hit a 3-run homer.    This was absolutely an announcer jinx moment, as they’d said before the game that the Brewers hadn’t allowed a home run in this series.    4-0 Dodgers.

In the fourth, the Brewers got back in to it, as Jake Bauers doubled in 2 runs to make it, 4-2.    In the fifth, the Brewers scored again and chased Glasnow from the game.    With the bases loaded for Bauers, the Dodgers made another pitching change.    Bauers took a walk on 4 pitches to tie it, 4-4, though the Brewers left the bases loaded.    By the sixth, the Brewers had taken the lead on a Garrett Mitchell solo home run, 5-4.

In the seventh, the Brewers brought out Aaron Ashby to pitch.    Andy Pages hit a double and was bunted to third with 1 out.    He was left stranded.    In the eighth, Will Smith doubled and made it to third on an error with 1 out.    Ashby got out of it again.    In the ninth, David Hamilton added an insurance run with a solo shot.    (Was the wind blowing out at Dodger Stadium?)    Ashby came out for a third inning of work and closed it out.    A 6-4 win sends the Brewers to the World Series with a sweep.    Jake Bauers was your MVP.    The Brewers spotted the Dodgers 4 runs, and even spotted them a runner on third twice with 1 out to tie it, and the Dodgers still lost.    Talk about Midwestern hospitality.   

With three of the four championship teams in the lower half of the league’s payroll (in fact they don’t add up to the Dodgers’ payroll), the conclusion of the experts will be that there’s no need for a salary cap.    Others might say the Players Union told the Dodgers and Yankees players to tank it to help negotiations, or the Dodgers tanked, hoping to forestall a salary cap.    Other teams in the league watching this are likely concluding that star free agents are woefully overrated (and overpaid) and that it’s totally possible to win without them.    In fact, the takeaway should be, the Union should gleefully accept the cap, because it will come with a floor that will protect player salaries.    Heed my words.   

I heard an interview with Bob Costas in the morning.    He towed the Union line, but even he said, the lack of a cap only benefits the top end free agents.    The rank-and-file are going want the deal that the owners are offering.    The Union had best not be militant and look at making the best deal they can with a cap.   

10-17-26

Interesting day in College Football.    Georgia (to unranked Auburn), Alabama (to lower ranked Tennessee), Texas (to unranked Florida), Notre Dame (to lower ranked BYU, Mormons beat the Catholics), and Indiana (to lower ranked Ohio State) all suffered upset losses.    I only watched Texas’ loss to Florida (at home, no less).    Dad said the problem was with quarterback, Arch Manning.    I said, “Texas’ problem is that they’re Texas and they always disappoint.”

On the other end of the College Football spectrum, San Jose State was playing UTEP tonight.    I just couldn’t resist listening.    The Miners’ first play from scrimmage was a 60-yard pass to near first and goal.    What followed was a penalty, a sack, a negative yardage play, and a missed field goal.    Later, UTEP ran a trick play for a sack.    It was 7-0 Spartans at the half and nothing but regret for those who took up that free ticket offer from last week’s game.    In the second half, UTEP had a blocked field goal, but did make a 47-yard field goal to make it, 21-3.    The final was 24-11 Spartans and good chuckle for myself.    I’m surprised the Miners made it that close.

I was flipping between a few different events, but stopped when I found Game 4 of ALCS between the Rays and Indians on a Mexican station.    Friday’s attempt was rained out.    Saturday was cold, but dry in Cleveland, so Play Ball!    This was good for me.    Instead of listening to radio coverage at work, I got to watch the game.   

Both teams scratched out a run early, 1-1.    For the Indians, it was an extreme bullpen day using 7 pitchers for the game total.    They even had a guy warming up in the first.    The Rays leaned on Nick Martinez.    In the sixth, the Rays got two on.    Junior Caminero doubled over a leaping Jose Ramirez to bring in one run.    The runner at third would be thrown out at the plate on a fielder’s choice afterward and the Rays left two stranded, 2-1.

Martinez came out in the sixth and was relieved by Freddy Peralta in a rare relief appearance.   Indians got two on with 2 outs.  The crowd sang Country Roads, which was Chase Delauter’s walk up song.    The Mexican announcers loved it.    The runners were left stranded.  In the seventh, the Indians had their second infield error to let on the first batter of the inning.    They Rays got two on with nobody out, and a passed ball advanced the runners into scoring position.    Jonathan Aranda snuck a grounder through the infield that drove them in.    An error in the outfield left Aranda standing on third.    (For some reason that error was not recorded officially.)    A sac fly brought him and it was 5-1 Rays.

In the bottom of the seventh, a Travis Bazzana solo shot made it, 5-2.    The Indians additionally got two on with two outs and drove in one, 5-3.    Cleveland was rocking.    A few crowd shots were showing fans wearing the correct Indians gear.    In the top of the ninth, Yandy Diaz hammered in the nail with a 2-run homer.    Bryan Baker was in for the ninth and closed it out for a 7-3 Rays win.   

Getting caught up in the playoffs, we should take a moment to reflect: how unlikely was it that these two teams would be playing in the ALCS at the beginning of the season?    The Brewers and the Dodgers in the NLCS wasn’t a surprise at all.    However, I called the Rays “frauds.”    I wouldn’t even dignify the Indians with even that, though I privately acknowledged they were a good team.    Usually, you’d sort of expect one surprise team out of the final four, but not two out of the same league.    (And who imagined the White Sox even having an above .500 record, much less getting into the divisional round?)   

These two teams did well during the season.    I suppose the shock is how badly other, presumably better, teams in their divisions played or folded during the playoffs.    I don’t follow all of the teams closely enough to really understand what caused all of their downfalls.    (With the Yankees, it was Aaron Judge getting hurt.    Likewise, the Dodgers not having a healthy Shohei Ohtani.)    The real magic is how the Rays and Indians put together good teams on limited budgets and managed to play up to their potentials and avoid too many key injuries.    At least some teams in the league will be studying the Rays, Indians, and Brewers’ success and will be looking to emulate them.    Other teams will just spend and assume success.    Regardless of the CBA talks in the offseason, the league may be about to radically change.   

10-18-26

Thank you Mexican TV for putting on today’s Game 5 of the ALCS between the Rays and the Indians.    It was an odd afternoon start time.    There didn’t seem to be imminent weather, so maybe it was for a get-away-day, since the rainout put everything a day behind.    There were two NFL games on at the same time that I sort of would have liked to have watched, but Baseball rules with me.

I missed the top of the first, since I thought the station was going to show a football game.    I’m glad I checked back.    A bases loaded walk (with a failed ABS challenge by the catcher) gave the Rays a 1-0 lead, but left the bases full.    Drew Rasmussen started for the Rays.    I noticed some sort of bizarre mascot up in the stands that looked like a personified cookie with a pink bow and makeup.    She might have been for the Mascot Race later.    Cleveland’s official mascot is Slider, a purple/yellow Muppet creature that floated around the stadium during the game.  You traded Chief Wahoo for this?

In the second, Jonathan Aranda drove in a run in the second, but the Rays left two on base, 2-0 Rays.    Between innings, there was a lady giving the weather forecast on the Jacobs Field Jumbotron.    Boy, that screen is so big, it’s almost threatening.    In the third, a single and an error (no, just a misplay), and a double and then a passed ball (no, a stolen base) eventually put a Rays runner on third, who was driven in on a single, 3-0.  The Rays’ infield really flashed some leather in the bottom for a clean inning.

In the fourth, Steven Kwan gunned down a runner at the plate on a shallow single.    That was probably a bad send by the third base coach.    In the bottom, there were a couple more great plays at second by Ben Williamson.    In the fifth, Taylor Walls had a great play at short.    The Rays’ infield was putting on a clinic.    Between innings, a guy playing a live electric guitar entertained the Cleveland crowd.  Kwan and Jose Ramirez started the bottom of the sixth with a pair of singles.  A fielder’s choice brought in a run, 3-1.   

About a quarter of the crowd was wearing Indians gear.    Another quarter was wearing some knockoff of the Indians gear.    Another quarter was wearing the “CLE” City Connect jerseys, who didn’t want to commit to either side.    Lastly, the rest were wearing Cleveland Browns jerseys and those people must have been really confused by what was going on on field, but too drunk to care.    That would be on-brand for Clevelanders, though it’s poor branding for the team overall.

In the eighth, with Kwan on and two outs, Ramirez was up.    New reliever, Tyler Wells, came in with the crowd chanting “Ole!” That was prophetic, as Ramirez struck out. In the top of the ninth, Kwan robbed a double off the wall with a man on.  (Boy is he good.)  Bryan Baker was in for the bottom of the ninth.   There was a walk to start.    On a double play ball, the replacement second baseman got one out, but didn’t convert on the second.    No problem, the Rays closed it out with a 3-1 win and a 3-2 series lead.

10-19-26

I had Game 6 of the ALCS between the Indians and Rays spoiled.    Yandy Diaz let the cat out of the bag by guaranteeing a Rays victory.    I listened anyway, just to see how it would play out.    The Rays were still wearing their throwbacks.    The Indians sure won’t wear theirs.    Shawn Armstrong and Freddy Peralta started for their respective teams.    It was a quick first inning for both.   

Armstrong gave up a hit to start the second and was immediately relieved.    Indians manager, Stephen Vogt, was employing the “Pitching chaos” strategy, which essentially means “We’re out of starting pitching and it’s a bullpen game.”    With two on in scoring position, Ritchie Palacios doubled them in.    The Indians brought in another new pitcher.    In an at bat, a fan behind the plate caught a foul ball that bounced off the press box.    Even the Rays’ fans are sure-handed.    It was a full house at the Trop with 40k in attendance.    Yandy was hit by a pitch to load the bases.    Surely that was an accident in this situation (maybe?).    The inning ended, 2-0 Rays.

In the top of the third, the Indians got two on with 2 out.    Catcher Liam Hicks got the final strikeout with an ABS challenge.    In the bottom, a Rays’ sac fly gave them a 3-0 lead.    In the top of the fourth, the Indians had two on again, but with nobody out.    After a line out, shortstop, Taylor Walls, caught another liner, got a tag out, and then threw to first to finish the double play.    By the bottom of the fourth, the Indians were on their fifth pitcher.

The Indians finally scored in the top of the sixth with a Nathaniel Lowe single, 3-1.    Peralta was relieved by Cam Booser, who ended the threat.    The Indians brought out their closer, Cade Smith, in the bottom of the seventh to face the heart of the Rays’ order.    The commentators mentioned he may have been overworked in the series.    Junior Caminero agreed with that, as he hit a 2-run homer off the left field foul pole to make it, 5-1 Rays.   

In the eighth, the Indians loaded the bases with two outs.    After a run was walked in and a hit batter brought in another, the Rays brought out new pitcher, Kevin Kelly.    He got the strikeout for the final out, but now it was 5-3 Rays.    In the bottom of the eighth with a runner on, Yandy was up.    One of the broadcasters literally called him “A volcano ready to erupt,” the moment before Diaz swung for a 2-run homer.    Diaz got pushed out of the dugout for a curtain call.    Bryan Baker, probably also overworked, came in for no-drama ninth and the Rays win, 7-3 and take the series 4-2.  Freddy Peralta was your ALCS MVP.

I didn’t want to root against Cleveland.    If they had still been named the Indians, I’d be all over rooting for them.    I think they have the longest championship drought.    [Edit: It’s the Football Cardinals by one year over Cleveland, 79 long years.]    They went down in flames, but still firing their guns.   

It’s a World Series between the best team in the NL versus the best team in the AL, just like we all imagined at the beginning of the season.    It’s going to be an interesting matchup between two scrappy teams.  Both organizations have done things “the right way.”    Granted, they haven’t had much of a choice economically, but it’s easy to root for teams that aren’t trying to money their way to victory.   

The Brewers are favored and a more sentimental favorite.    I’m not picking a winner, but I’ll be rooting for the Brewers, since they have a former Chihuahuas manager and a former Aggie great and I know a couple people rooting for them.    However, I do like the Rays and won’t be unhappy if they win.    This series will bring crushing heartbreak for one fanbase either way.    Meanwhile, Fox Sports Radio broadcaster, Ben Maller, unsentimentally said this was a matchup between two teams you wouldn’t watch play in your front yard.    Yeah, Ben.    Your Dodgers still finished the season as LOSERS!

Baseball Postseason 2026 Part 2 and Other Sports: Sweep

10-5-26

Two ALDS series on the radio today.    I joined the Indians versus the White Sox in progress, but I was too busy to take notes.    The Sox beat the Indians with a comeback win with a 3-run sixth.    The Indians sent a ball to the wall a couple of times late, which might have tied it, but to no avail.    The pitching chaos strategy for the Sox without a proper starter is still working.

In the second game, the Yankees ran out Cam Schlittler against the Rays.    The Yanks’ defense didn’t help out Cam in the first inning with 3 errors.    Talk about the yips.    However, the Rays only scored 1.    In the second, a Yankees’ ball hit one of the roof rings for an out.    (This seems like a running gag in this postseason.

In the fourth, Ben Rice homered for the Yankees to tie it at 1.    In the fifth, Austin Wells hit a double.    The entire Yankee dugout held up their hands telling him to stop there.    The bases were walked full with 2 outs, but a catch at the wall to ended it.    In the bottom, the Rays came back with a single, a double, and a fielder’s choice for a run.    Another error let in another run.    (It was later ruled a single, but the broadcasters didn’t even acknowledge it for a couple of innings.)   

Schlittler was chased from the game.    A Rays’ stolen base was challenged, but the call stood.    Then the Yankees committed another error, though a runner at third didn’t score on it. A broadcaster said, “Has there ever been a cycle of infield errors?”    Ritchie Palacios then singled in 2 to make it, 5-1 Rays.

In the seventh, Palacios dodged a broken bat to get an out on a grounder, thus making the Yankees look even worse in their fielding.    In the eighth, Rice hit a second home run to make it, 5-2.    Bryan Baker came in to close in the ninth for the Rays.    The catcher and the hitter traded successful challenges on succeeding pitches.    The Rays won, 5-2.    4 is the magic number today.    The Yankees had 4 errors (possibly should have been 5), and only 4 hits.    Also, the Rays had only 4 strikeouts facing the probable AL Cy Young winner for this year.

10-6-26

Two NLDS games were on the radio today.    The Dodgers versus the Braves featured a marquee pitching matchup between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale.    The Atlanta organist was again surprising us with the Sesame Street theme mixed into the music.    In the top of the first, the Dodgers got two on, one via an error, but Sale struck out the side.    In the third, Mauricio Dubon reached over the fence to rob Freddie Freeman of a 2-run homer.    The Dodgers loaded bases in the inning with a catcher’s interference call on Shohei Ohtani’s at bat, but nobody scored.   

The Braves’ luck ran out in the fourth, as Kiki Hernandez hit a 2-run home run.    (How does this guy keep coming up so big in the postseason?)  Freeman followed with a solo home run and that would effectively be the game in a 3-1 Dodgers’ win.    The Dodgers were now up 2-1 in the series.

The late game was the Brewers versus the Padres.    Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in first run of the game in third on a fielder’s choice for the Padres.    Manny Machado drove in another for a 2-0 lead.    In the fourth, William Contreras homered, and in the fifth, Jackson Chourio’s sac fly tied it.    The Brewers loaded the bases after that, but Padres got out of it.    In the bottom of the fifth, Jake Cronenworth homered on first pitch of the inning to give the Padres back the lead.   

In the sixth, an uncharacteristic infield error scored another run for the Padres.    In the seventh, Christian Yelich drove in a run to make it, 4-3.    The top of the ninth brought up an issue for the Padres, as they were missing both of their ace relievers.    Michael King came in to close.    The Brewers got two on via walks, but a double play ended it, 4-3 Padres.    It’s still 2-1 Brewers in the series with a chance to close it out again tomorrow.

10-7-26

There were four MLB DS games on tap today.    I tuned into the game between the White Sox playing the Indians in progress.    I’d missed Jo Adell’s triple in the third driving in 3 runs for the Indians.    In the fifth, the Sox got 2 on with nobody out.    Munetaka Murakami came up and grounded out, but moved the runners up.    The next batter hit a liner that was caught and a runner was doubled off to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, a hit batter loaded bases for the Sox.    A second hit batter brought in a run.    The Chicago crowd was really loud and into it.    The next hit was a liner that was dropped, but picked up and the runner thrown out.    It was 5-3 Indians in the eighth, when Jose Ramirez hit a 2-run triple to make it, 7-3.    9-3 Indians was the final, but the White Sox still lead the series, 2-1.    The key stat was 19 strikeouts against the White Sox.

The Dodgers beat Braves, 4-1, to take series 3-1.    That snuck up on me.    I didn’t realize today was a possible close out game.    All the Braves managed was 1 run in the first and 2 errors.   

The Rays beat the Yankees, 4-3, in an absolute classic that I didn’t actually listen to.    The game was joined in progress and the game was too tense early and I was afraid to listen.    The Rays made a 3-game sweep and never trailed in the series.    The Yankees matched Rays’ scoring during the game.    Victor Mesa Jr. hit a 2-run homer in the sixth.    Anthony Volpe would have tied it in the bottom with a 2-run homer, except fan interference robbed the Yankees of the home run. Heh, heh, heh.    Yeah, unlike the Jeffrey Maier incident, the umps can go back and look at those plays now.    Bryan Baker closed out another playoff game for the Rays.   

Finally, the Brewers were at the Padres.    In the seventh, the Padres brought in their closer, Mason Miller, while they were down, 3-1.    In the eighth, Garrett Mitchell robbed Manny Machado of a tying 2-run home run.    He absolutely took the ball away from a mob of Padre fans at the wall.    Mitchell also drove in a run, hit a triple, and scored a run in the game.    The Brewers won the game, 3-1, and the series, 3-1.    The Padres’ one run was a Fernando Tatis Jr. home run.

Meanwhile at the same time, the Aggie Football team was playing on the road against FIU.    I ended up not listening to the game, except for some of the pregame and postgame.    A weather delay in starting the game probably caused me to tune out.    I was tickled that the game was being played in Pitbull Stadium.    (Yes, the rapper guy.)    The Panthers were also wearing Miami Vice-themed uniforms tonight.    Of note, they had 10k in attendance.    Not a great college football crowd, but double what the Aggies had in their last weeknight game.

The other reason I wasn’t listening was that I was checking in on the gamecast.    The Aggies got a first quarter field goal and the Panthers got a touchdown.    Thereafter, it was FIU kicking in field goals and the Aggie offense doing nothing.    Adam Damante not doing well at quarterback.    In the fourth, Trey Hedden was put back in, but did no better.    Each had an interception and negligible passing yardage.    FIU won 22-3.   

Running back James Jones did reasonably well with 89 yards.    The Aggie kicker was 1 for 1 in field goals.    That means that the offense only managed to get into field goal range once before they probably had to start going only for touchdowns later in the game.    Props to the Aggie defense on some level.    They only gave up 1 touchdown and held the Panthers to 5 field goals.    The defense must have been on field a whole lot for the game.

10-8-26

The White Sox made their second attempt to close out the Indians and I got to hear the radio broadcast.    In the first inning, the bases were walked full of Indians.    The White Sox went to a reliever and got out of it.    In the third, the Sox loaded the bases loaded with 1 out with Munetaka Murakami up.    He took a walk for an RBI.    The Indians went to a new pitcher, but the Sox sac’d in another run.    The White Sox executed a double steal right after, but the runners were left stranded.    2-0 White Sox.

The Indians took the lead in the fifth after a home run and then a Jose Ramirez 2-run homer, 3-2 Indians.    In the bottom of the fifth, with 1 out and after 2 walks, Murakami was up and a new pitcher came in.    The Chicago crowd serenaded departing pitcher.    Kami singled to load the bases.    A hit batter tied the game, and with a sac fly, the White Sox retook the lead, 4-3.    The Sox reloaded the bases and another Indians pitcher came in to end the inning with a strikeout.

However, the Indians took the lead back in the sixth.    It was 5-4 Indians with the bases loaded for Ramirez.    An error on the drawn in infield brought in another run.    (It was later changed to a hit.)    Then there were two more RBI’s on a pair of singles, to make it, 9-4.       Too late, the White Sox brought in a new pitcher.    The Indians almost executed a double steal, but one was caught upon review.    That was finally the third out after 6 runs, 9-5 Indians, which was the final.    Has the White Sox’s “Pitching Chaos” strategy finally hit the wall?    On to Game 5.

10-10-26

Evil triumphs.    Cleveland beat the White Sox in Game 5, 2-0, on a 2-run home run by Jose Ramirez.    They’ll face the Rays in the ALCS and the winged fish better be taking them seriously.    (I noticed they went back to their old “Devil Rays” uniforms on the road against the Yankees.)   

I did not try to find the game on the radio or on a Mexican station.    I had better things to do, namely The Duel in the Desert Aggie Baseball fundraiser.    Fan Michael had offered me a free ticket to the event, which he’d gotten from Coach Angier.    (Surprisingly, he’s still here.)    I asked for two and hoped I could take Zanaya with me.    She had the night off, but declined.    I’d also gotten a hold of Ron, but he did not have the day off from work to go.    I apologized to Michael for asking for an extra ticket (which were sold for $25) and told him to find someone else to give it to.    He said, “I think half of the tickets were given away anyway.”

There was no rain in the forecast, and yet, after watching some entertaining college football at dad’s apartment, I couldn’t help but notice the dark clouds overhead as I walked home.      I checked the forecast again, which now read, “Rain will arrive in 34 minutes.”    As I left 30 minutes later, it was sprinkling.    If there wasn’t a free ticket and free food involved, I’d be staying home for more football, but as was, I just hoped it would be a light sprinkle.   

No, it was a full downpour.    I got to use my new (expensive) wipers for the first time driving over.    I saw umbrellas at the next door Softball stadium.    They must have been playing some exhibition games today.    I didn’t see anyone in the stands at Baseball.    I had left my rain-proof jacket and my umbrella at home, and left another umbrella in my car, but did take my rain poncho and notepad in with me.    I met Michael and we hid under the grandstand with the rest of the crowd.    Like last years’ game (10-11-25), in spite of the rain, there was a large crowd.   

   

After Michael and I caught up (he’s had some bad medical issues), we braved the rain to get some food.    I got some delicious pizza from Lorenzo’s, so I was glad I’d come.    I also picked up some fajitas and a very tasty “Shirley Temple” 7-Up.    (Oh, and the reason for the crowd was the same as last year, free beer.    I forgot to mention that to Zanaya when I asked her to come.)    [Edit: after talking to her later, apparently I also hadn’t told her that the food was free.    She said she would have gone in that case.]

The rain had mostly stopped before the game began and we took our seats.    It was actually pleasant out.    It was neither cold nor windy, which would have made and the rain and the damp unbearable.    There were lots of kids there, mostly Little Leaguers.    They were given inflatable light batons up front, which they were hitting each other with.    There were a group of kids behind us that were kicking back of my seat and screaming with their mom yelling at them.    That made me want to leave more than the rain.   

Michael told me that almost the entire team was new.    There were just a couple of returners.    A couple of the new guys immediately stood out as the game started.    Keldrin Rodriguez  hit a line drive home run out to right.    Looks and excitement-wise, I gotta call him, “Baby Tatis.”    Before at bats when he was on deck, he would come by the stands swinging hard and grunting.    Gene Trujillo is very big and tall.    He slapped a hard RBI double.    We’ll call him, “Baby Spencer Jones,” as he bats left.    He’s a former Lobo apparently.  Jonatan Clough, a rare returning player, also hit a 2-run homer early

Pistol Pete was in attendance.    He was tossing shirts to the crowd and the kids and some women nearly went insane calling for them.    Pete also participated in a contest with a couple of kids running across the diamond.    He took a dive on the wet turf and the kids beat him.    He’s not exactly The Freeze.    (I also suspect he wasn’t really trying to beat them.)

By the third, it had totally stopped raining and I brought out my notepad and took a few notes.    (When the kids left, I got to relax and enjoy the game.)    In the top of the third, John Hojnowski, pitched and got two good strikeouts, but he walked Keldrin, after a pitch clock violation.    The next batter hit a blast to left field, but it was caught at the wall.    In the bottom of the third, the catcher picked Gene off first to end the inning.    Gene later got tagged out at second after over-sliding off the base.    He needs some work on the baserunning.   

In the top of the fourth, a grounder shot back to the pitcher.    He jumped over it.    Second base scooped the ball and bounced it off the turf for an out.    There were two other plays in the game where the infielder skipped the ball off the turf for an out.    These guys are obviously practicing that play.    In the bottom of the fourth, shortstop Sonnier Moses made a great pick on a high chopper for an out.   

Between innings, the ump went over visiting dugout for a drink.    He chatted with the fans in the front row, “How many beers have you all had?”    In the bottom of the fifth, a runner stole third.    His slide on the slick turf took out the ump there.    A triple brought him in.    Later, Jaxon Clayton came in pitching some good stuff.    In the top of the eighth, Keldrin motored around bases for a triple and scored on wild pitch.    I think we have a future star here.    In the top of the ninth, Mylan Childers was very effective pitching and struck out the side.    The batters were shaking their heads and a fan proclaimed, “We found our closer.”

It was Crimson 8, Black 4, if you had to know the score.    The game ran about 3 hours, but felt pretty quick.    Even with the disappointment of being dateless and getting rained on, I felt pretty good about going to the game.    I do plan on going to games in the spring.   

10-11-26

Game 1of the NLCS between the Dodgers and the Brewers and I missed the entire thing.    I had no radio coverage and none of the Mexican stations were carrying it.    At least I liked the result: the Brewers win, 2-1.    Bryce Turang homered in the fourth to tie it at 1 and Luis Lara drove in the winning run in the next inning.    Tarik Skubal took the loss.    I’m sure the Dodgers are not concerned to this point.

10-12-26

The Dodgers played the Brewers in Game 2 of the NLCS . . . . without me.    Neither the radio nor Mexican television was carrying the game.    The best I could do for play-by-play was listening to El Paso Sportstalk in the afternoon talking about the TV coverage live.    Early in the game, the Brewers chased Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the game, as Christian Yelich drove in 2 runs for a 3-2 lead in the third.   

UTEP AD Jim Senter came on for a Sportstalk interview.    He was trying to convince listeners to come to UTEP Football games because the athletes are like their kids.    “You’d support your children in sports, wouldn’t you?”    Before this, the hosts were saying the main draw for these games would be having the opportunity to see the other teams in the Mountain West.    Senter was bragging about “dynamic pricing,” where fans get to pay more to go to games.    How great is that?    Is AI helping you set seat prices?    Maybe you should be using AI to figure out how to win freaking football games first.    I needed a good laugh today and this interview really helped.          

Updating the game, the Dodgers tied it, but the Brewers were up in the sixth, 5-4, and would win it, 7-4.    The key stat was that the Brewers out-hit the Dodgers, 12 to 3.    Both sides were playing tight with 2 errors apiece.    William Contreras had 3 RBI’s.    He tied the game and then drove in the go-ahead run.    Aggie great Joey Ortiz was not playing in this one.    I don’t know if he’s injured and/or was taken out for not hitting well.    Okay, now the Dodgers might be a bit concerned down, 2-0.    Yamamoto was their best big game pitcher.   

The Indians and Rays played Game 1 of the ALCS . . . also without me.    It’s a shutout for my viewing and listening.    It was also a 7-3 Indians win.    The Rays had a 2-run lead until the seventh.    Drew Rasmussen worked 6 innings and gave up 2 runs for the Rays, but the bullpen lost it.    It was a clutch team hitting effort by the Indians with several players driving in runs.    It was a 35k full house in St. Petersburg.    See they will show up, even if the Yankees aren’t playing the Rays. 

Baseball Postseason 2026 Part 1 and Other Sports: Organ Music

9-29-26

The good news was that I could watch a Wild Card series game in the afternoon before going to work.    The bad news is that we were under a flood watch.    It was serious enough as the TV station kept running alerts with a weatherman talking about dams breaking, rivers overflowing, and mudslides in other parts of the state.    I changed my mind about going to work twice before I finally went.    It didn’t seem like it rained that bad here, so I took off when it let up.    The streets were totally flooded and it rained hard after I got to work.

Oh, and there was a game.    It was a great game between the Braves and the Phillies.    The Braves took it, 5-3, mostly off a 3-run homer by Austin Riley in the eighth.  I kind of wanted to relax and not take notes and then there was the weather distraction.    The only thing that really stuck out was the Atlanta organist working in Love Boat theme during an at bat.

That was the best game of the day.    I did get radio coverage of the White Sox beating the Astros, 6-3.    I still wasn’t taking notes.    A one point, a foul ball went into the broadcast booth.    The play-by-play guy tossed the ball to a kid, though I think the former player color analyst actually wanted it.    The Yankees blew out the Red Sox, 9-0.    That one wasn’t broadcast, which was fine by me.    The next game between the Padres and the Cubs was on the radio.    It was another blowout with the Padres beating the Cubs, 8-0.    It was the Fernando Tatis Jr. show.    He homered in the first inning and stole home.    That was quite the play.    He stole second and the throw went into left field.    Tatis didn’t stop running until he dove across the plate.

9-30-26

Take Two with the Phillies at the Braves.    In the top of the first, Bryce Harper drove in a run, but then got caught in a rundown trying to score from third.  In the bottom of the first, Ronald Acuna Jr. took a walk, stole second and third, and was then driven in to tie it at 1.   

The Atlanta organist worked in the Airwolf theme.    I went back and looked on my blog.    I said in 2025, “This guy is giving Dieter Ruehle (of the Dodgers) a run for his money on the organ.”    I was enjoying the commentary.    Joey Votto was really insightful analyzing hitting and pitching.    He wasn’t always right, but he always interesting.  Hey, the Braves have cheerleaders.    That’s a throwback.    They were hovering around in the background with Blooper, the mascot.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Braves loaded the bases with one out, but grounded into a 4-2-4 double play.    In the bottom of the seventh, Christopher Sanchez was still in pitching for the Phillies but didn’t make it out of the inning.  With a runner on first, the Braves tried executing a sac bunt, but a bad fielding choice ended up putting two on with nobody out.    During a break, the crowd sang Country Roads and began doing the Tomahawk chop.  Drake Baldwin doubled over Harper’s head in right field.    This scored a run and a sac fly brought in another.    It was 3-1 Braves and Sanchez came out.    A reliever finished off the inning.   

It wasn’t over.    In the top of the eighth, Kyle Schwarber smashed a Schwar-bomb 447’.    Harper was up next.    Votto called it, “He’s going to want to make up for that misplay in the outfield.”  Harper then smacked a solo home run to tie it.    This sent it to extra innings, as I nervously watched the clock to go to work.    I didn’t have too long to wait.    In the top of the tenth, Alec Bohm hit a solo home run to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.    In the bottom, JT Realmuto stole a strike with 2 on and 2 out for the final out.    4-3 Phillies.  This one will go to a third game.

The other three series finished up.    I got to hear the White Sox at the Astros.    The Sox went up 4-0 in first, but Astros scratched back into it, 4-3.    In the fifth, the Astros loaded the bases but stranded all of them.    In the sixth, Chase Meidroth hit a 3-run homer for the White Sox for a 7-3 win!  This is quite the turnaround from three-straight 100-loss seasons.    They set the modern record for losses in a season and were booed by their own fans when they didn’t set it on their first opportunity to do so at home.

The Yankees were all over the Red Sox, 9-2.  Those were the only scored 2 runs the Red Sox scored in two games.    They didn’t come to play.    The Cubs were at Padres in the other series.    I was able to get the radio call for this one.    It sounded like there were lots of Cubs fans there in San Diego.    In the second, the Padres scored 2, including an RBI sac fly by Ethan Salas.    In the fourth, the Cubs scored a run and loaded the bases, but didn’t score any more.    In the bottom, Gavin Sheets hit a 2-run homer to cement the win for the Padres, 4-1.

10-1-26

Winner take all!    Only the Phillies and Braves were going to go the distance in this best-of-three Wild Card series.    I got the radio call.    Aaron Nola was starting on short rest for the Phillies.    Michael Harris’ 3-run homer in the first put the Braves up.    By the second inning, the Phillies went to a new pitcher.    In the fourth, Ozzie Albies hit a 2-run homer off of Zack Wheeler to put the Braves up, 5-0.    There was some incessant controversy afterward that Wheeler should have started the game.    

In the sixth, the Phillies scored to make it, 5-1, but Matt Olsen homered in the seventh, 6-1. Chris Sale came out in the eighth after the Phillies scored a run.    He’d volunteered to pitch today if needed.    Sale faced Harper and struck him out.    Sale did finish it off in the ninth for a 6-2 Braves win.

However, I probably made the wrong choice in what to listen to.    Aggie Football was playing a weekday night game against WKU at the same time.    It looked like a better game, but I was afraid to start listening.    Usually, the Aggies start losing when I do so.    I only listened after the baseball game.    The Aggies had a convincing win, 34-13. Broadcaster MJ Newsom called it a “Weekday walloping.”    James Jones ran for 157 yards and a touchdown.    His longest run was 46 yards.    De’Marcus Peters had an interception for a touchdown.    TK King had a touchdown.       The bad news was that only 5,500 were in attendance, including Zanaya, who was working security.

10-3-26

The MLB Division Series began today with four games.    Three of the games, I didn’t get to see or listen to, but I got a good one with the one I did.    The White Sox beat the Indians, 3-0.    The dream continues.    Munetaka Murakami had a 2-run homer.    The Dodgers beat the Braves, 5-3.    Dad invited me out to Bubba’s for lunch with Donna.    (I was invited to pay for the meal, as well.)    This game came on there just as we were finishing.    Tarik Skubal started for Dodgers.    I made a whole rant at the table about this.    The Padres played the Brewers late.    Jackson Chourio homered on the first pitch and William Contreras homered in the seventh for a 3-2 Brewers’ win.    Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out in the eighth with the bases loaded and 2 outs.    The Padres apparently lost a home run in the game off a ball that hit a roof wire and was caught on field for an out.   

   

I happened to catch the Yankees versus the Rays on a Mexican station in the afternoon.    Gerrit Cole started for the Yankees and Drew Rasmussen was pitching for the Rays.    Jonathan Aranda homered in the third to give the Rays the lead.    That was all Cole gave up and he came out after the fifth.    In the sixth, the Yankees attempted to bunt for a hit.    This is significant because Rasmussen was pitching no-hitter.    That’s against the unwritten rules of baseball.    (Maybe.    It was a 1-run playoff game.)

The no-hitter was broken up with 2 outs in the eighth, though there still wasn’t a baserunner.    Catcher Austin Wells had a double, but was thrown out trying to stretch it to triple.    It wasn’t even close.    Bryan Baker closed it out in the ninth with 2 strikeouts and a groundout.    DJ Kitty was behind home plate for the inning and really into it.    1-0 Rays.

   

Meanwhile, UTEP lost to the Lobos in college football, 61-7.    Snicker, snicker, snicker.    The Miners’ 5 turnovers might have been a contributing factor.    I suspected a blowout game, so I was listening to some of it.    One of the postgame hosts began with, “I’m already over football season and waiting for basketball season to start.”    (Spoilers boys, basketball isn’t going to go any better.)    That 42-18 Aggie loss to the Lobos a couple of weeks ago suddenly doesn’t look so bad.    UTEP’s next two games are home games.    They are giving are giving away a free ticket to the second game, if you buy a ticket to the first game.   

What a race at Las Vegas in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series!    Corey Day and Carson Kvapil battled for the win with 4 lead changes in the final ten laps.    Kvapil was running on the bottom and Day was running against the wall.    They touched each other on the final lap.    Day bounced off the wall twice, ala Ross Chastain at Martinsville, but still managed to win it.    It was like that classic Kurt Busch/Rickey Craven Darlington race.   

I had no intention of writing about the CW’s late game between Texas State Bobcats and San Diego State Aztecs (the PAC-12, such as it is), but the last two-or-so minutes of this game were unreal.    Texas State was down 4 and stopped on the SDSU 1 on a fourth and goal.    Then, the Aztecs’ running back was tackled in the endzone for a near safety.    It was ruled he’d gotten the ball past the line.    On the next play, their quarterback dropped the ball on the snap.    Fortunately, this was called a safety, because otherwise, he fumbled the ball to a defender.

Now down by 2, the Bobcats got the ball back and on the first play from scrimmage, a pass was batted into the air.    A defender intercepted it and ran it in for a touchdown.    Now down by 9, Texas State got the ball back again.    In spite of two false start penalties, the Bobcats went right down field in four or five plays to score a touchdown.    Back down by 2, the Bobcats tried an on-side kick.    The Aztecs recovered around midfield.   

SDSU got within 3 yards of making a first down, but a false start set them back and forced a punt.    Now out of timeouts, the Bobcats took over.    They managed to work it to midfield.    On the final play, the TS quarterback had to throw it away.    However, the referees invoked the “Michigan rule.”    This allows them to add an extra second on the clock after time has expired.    (Football nerd: “I don’t see this rule in my rulebook.”    Trust me, bro.)    The second chance on the Hail Mary did not go well.    The Bobcats only managed to get one receiver into the endzone and he was quadruple-covered.    Finally, the game ended with the Aztecs winning, 31-29.    This whole thing took like 20 minutes and held me up from going to bed, but there’s no way I could have gone to sleep without knowing who had won (or who stopped losing first).    

10-4-26

The two NL series played out today.    I got zero coverage and was lucky to even find out who won.    (It’s hard to get baseball scores on TV these days.)    The Brewers beat the Padres in the early game, 4-3.    Jackson Chourio got the walkoff hit with 2 outs and 2 strikes off of Mason Miller in a comeback win.    If the Brewers win the World Series, that at bat will be the defining moment.    Meanwhile, the Dodgers lost to the Braves later, 3-2.    I have no other information on that one.    The Brewers go up 2-0 in their series and the Dodgers and Braves are at 1-1.