Baseball Journal September: Mullets

 

8-9-26

The MiLB Free Game was the Erie Sea Wolves at the Reading Fightin Phils.    The Phils were wearing sweet red pinstripes tonight.    Their stadium has something almost like a giant warehouse in right field, like Camden Yards.    A couple of top prospects were playing against each other.    Gage Wood was pitching with the Phils.    I saw him load the bases in the fourth, but stranded the runners.    He pitched 5 innings, with 2 runs and 5 strikeouts.    Zyhir Hope was playing for the Sea Wolves.    He was the loose change the Dodgers handed to the Tigers for Tarik Skubal.    I wasn’t really watching.    The Phils won 11-3 with several home runs.    Their magic number was down to 1 to make it into the playoffs.

The Chihuahuas were playing Rainiers in Tacoma and were wearing their alternate Matachines uniforms.    In the first inning, Nick Solak drove in an unearned run.    When I tuned in late, that single run had held up until the eighth.    This was in spite of the Rainiers’ best efforts with 2 errors and the Chihuahuas had left 12 runners on base.   

In the eighth, the Chihuahuas loaded the bases with 2 outs.    The Rainiers intentionally walked the batter before Solak, who flied out.    It was the third time the pups had left the bases loaded.    There wasn’t great attendance tonight.    The Seahawks were playing their season opener.    There was some random cheering in the crowd this inning, indicating a Seahawks’ win.

In the top of the ninth, Nick Pratto led off with a home run.    After another error letting on a runner, Mason McCoy drove in a run with his fifth hit of the night.    Another single brought in another run, 4-0 Chihuahuas, with 3 unearned runs.    In the bottom of the ninth, Connor Joe hit a line drive 2-run homer, but the Chihuahuas finished it out, 4-2.    There was no shutout, but where has this good pitching been all season for the pups?    The Chihuahuas finished with 17 runners left on base and 13 hits.    Losing this one would have been criminal.

I tuned into the Rivercats versus the Aviators afterward.    This was a good decision.    It was nil-nil in the eighth.    Las Vegas got 2 on, but they were left stranded.    They’d only scored 1 run in 26 innings, and that’s with Joey Meneses, who is leading the league with 109 RBI’s.   

In the top of the ninth, LV catcher, Bryan Lavastida, stole an out with a challenge.    He was 6 for 6 in challenges today.    (And might be avoiding the ump after the game.)    A Rivercat tripled with 2 outs.    A girl was screaming on every pitch and I guess it worked as the next batter fouled out.    In the bottom of the ninth, it was a “Splash off” home run into the pool by Lavastida to win it, 1-0 Aviators.    This guy must be living right.   

9-10-26

It was a late afternoon game today between the Rangers at the Mariners.  Unfortunately, it was on the west coast, so I knew I was only going to be able to listen to maybe an hour of the game.  The pregame started with an interview with the M’s voice, Rick Rizz, who is retiring.    He’s going to the Mariners’ Hall of Fame, like his predecessor, Dave Niehaus.    Him and Eric Nadel had a nice time reminiscing about past meetings between the teams.    The Mariners’ great 1995 season is particularly fondly remembered for their first playoff appearance and it helped them get a new stadium and stay in Seattle.   

It was a nice afternoon in the city, so the roof was open.    Jacob deGrom was pitching against Logan Gilbert for the fourth time this season.    This was an MLB first in this current schedule format.  Both pitchers were sharp early.    In the third, Joc Pederson hit a two-run homer to put the Rangers up 2-0.    deGrom had 8 strikeouts through 3 innings.    He threw 9 pitches for 3 outs in the fourth.   

In the fifth, there was a safety squeeze with Evan Carter on third after a stolen base and an error.    Nicky Lopez made a great bunt to bring him in, 3-0.    However, the Rangers had two runners thrown out at the plate in the inning.    I had to go to work and listened to those plays on my car radio.   

I brought up Gameday at work later to follow along with the rest of the game.    The score was 4-3 M’s, which would be the final.    What happened?    In the sixth, the Mariners got their first baserunner on a line drive that hit deGrom on the mitt.    He finished the game with 12 K’s.   

In the seventh, another Ranger was thrown out at the plate.    Gilbert finished his day with 11 K’s.    23 was the most combined strikeouts in a game this season.    Jakob Junis came in to pitch the seventh.    The Mariners finally broke through and scored.    Then, Julio Rodriguez hit a 3-run homer for the lead and the win.    This might have been the back-breaking loss dismissing the Rangers from the playoffs, but we’ll see.

The MiLB Free Game was the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.    A school choir did a lovely Anthem before the game.    Beyond the outfield was a view of the Gulf of America in the background.    It was overcast there in the Florida panhandle with weather incoming, but it still looked very pleasant.    There was a party in a pavilion in the outfield.    Lots of fans were in Hawaiian shirts and shorts.    For some reason, the field is artificial turf.    How hard could it be to grow grass in Florida?

The Wahoos were in neon green 80’s-styled jerseys with their alt identity as the “Mullets.”    Their logo was a shark sporting a mullet.    This game was a playoff preview between the first and second half winners of the Southern League.    The Wahoos went up by 2.    In the third inning, they hit a solo shot in the bay to make it, 3-0.    Still, the broadcasters were worried about the weather.    “The wind suddenly shifts direction and dark clouds are rolling in,” said one.    “I’m not a meteorologist,” answered the other announcer.    There was rain over the bay, so they were hoping the game would be official before it got there.

The announcer also used the phrase, “Choke and poke approach,” as two-strike batting strategy.    In the fourth, a pitcher got hit on his shoe.    He stayed with it and got the out at first.    In the fifth, another Wahoo batter slapped a bay shot.    It was not wind-aided; it was all muscle.    The whole game did finish and the Wahoos won, 7-2.

Meanwhile, the Chihuahuas were at Tacoma.    Broadcaster Tim Hagerty’s crowd mic was picking enough noise that I kept hearing fans conversations in the background.    Double-A call up pitcher, Luis Gutierrez, did well throwing 4 innings and giving up 1 run.    In the fifth, the Chihuahuas scored to tie it at 1.    The inning ended on a double play. It was a strikeout and a multi-throw (7 touches) run down with two runners on base taking off.

It was 3-2 Rainiers in the top of the ninth.    Marcos Castañon started off the inning by cracking two bats, but he got a double.    Bryce Johnson doubled him in to tie it.    Neither team could break the tie, so we went to extras.    The Chihuahuas immediately scored in the tenth.    Tacoma tied it on a triple with 1 out.    Patrick Wisdom was intentionally walked to load bases and face Nolan Jones, but a line out ended it.   

In the eleventh, a couple of kids were chasing down a foul ball.    What were they doing there this late on a school night!    (Real baseball fans being raised there.)    The Chihuahuas didn’t score in the top.    In the bottom, the Rainiers loaded the bases with no outs.    The pups brought in a fourth infielder, but a soft liner deflected by the pitcher scored the winning run, 5-4 Rainiers.

9-11-26

The MiLB Free Game was the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at the Portland Sea Dogs.    It was the two ladies doing the call again.    The Sea Dogs were wearing patriotic stars and stripes uniforms.    It was a full house.    Much of the crowd was wearing jackets and sweatshirts, so I assume it was cool there.    (It was 101-degrees here.)   

Willson Contreras was on rehab with the Sea Dogs.    He scored on a disputed home run in the second.    It did go over the yellow line on the outfield wall.    It was 7-0 Portland after 10-batter inning.    In the bottom of the third, the Ponies’ second baseman got the out at first, after the ball deflected off the pitcher and the shortstop.    In the sixth, the Ponies successfully made a double steal from the corners and stole a run at home.    However, that only made it, 8-2 Sea Dogs.    It was an 8-4 Portland win, though there was some base traffic in the ninth.

The Chihuahuas were playing the Rainiers later.    Trailing 1-0, in the fourth, the Chihuahuas hit 3 doubles in a row.    That, with a single, scored 3 to take the lead, 3-1.    In the bottom of the fourth, Rainiers scored and it sounded like a huge crowd there in Tacoma.    An error loaded the bases and a walk tied it at 3.    Two more runs scored after a pitching change.    The bases were reloaded for a grand slam by Nolan Jones, 9-3.    That was 8 runs, 7 unearned.    Even broadcaster Tim Hagerty got caught up in the moment with the scoring and became excited calling it.    9-4 Rainiers win.    “One ugly inning,” as Tim said in the postgame.

I did switch over to the Rivercats at the Aviators.    It was 6-5 Las Vegas in the fifth there.    There was a great crowd there too, a sellout.    The seventh inning stretch went a bit long with an extra singing of God Bless America.    They carried Take Me Out to the Ballgame live on the radio broadcast.    Broadcaster Russ Langer reported that pitcher, Jamie Arnold, who was hit in the face on a comebacker **(9-8-26)** was going to be okay.    That’s good news.

Russ complimented a fan catch in the ninth before the game finished with a 9-6 LV win.    A young Rivercat player drove in a run in the ninth, but was thrown out going to third to end the game.    Never make the first or last out at third.    Also reported during the game, the Brewers beat the Reds, 20-0, to clinch a playoff spot.    Way to show up, Reds.    You had no pitching and no hitting in the game.

9-12-26

After a somewhat disappointing lunch date with Zanaya (she’s insane for blind box collectibles, insane), I came home in the late afternoon and listened to the Chihuahuas at Tacoma under cloudy skies there.    The game was moved up three hours for impending heavy rain.    Broadcaster Tim Hagerty was really impressed with the Tacoma fans, who filled up the stadium with a 24-hour notice on the time change.    It’s especially impressive given that this move probably canceled fireworks.    This is also their final home series, so the fans wanted come out.

It was 2-0 Chihuahuas in the third.    In the fourth, the Rainiers loaded the bases with nobody out.    A foul out and a 3-2-3 double play ended the threat.    In the sixth, the Rainiers had a DP with the centerfielder running down a sure double and then easily doubling off the runner at first.    In the eighth, Rodolfo Duran was injured on a check swing and had to come out of the game.    In the bottom of the eighth, the Rainiers scored off a solo home run, 3-1.    At this point, I got call from Zanaya and turned it off.    It was a pleasant call (she’d acquired another little collectible figure).    I don’t think I missed much with the Chihuahuas winning, 4-1.

While chatting, I saw on TV something I hadn’t seen in a NASCAR race before.    During the O’Rilley race at St. Louis, they had The Big One, but it happened on pit lane!    A couple of cars went sideways at the front of the field under caution coming in to pit.    11 (?) cars were involved in the crash.    What a mess!

I picked up the Rangers on their Amarillo affiliate after dark.    They were up 6-1 over the Diamondbacks in the sixth.    In the eighth, Evan Carter got on base, but forgot the number of outs and got called out by the announcers.    At 6-2 Texas, Nathan Evoldi was pitching in relief.    Maybe he’s off rehab and they’re building him up.   

As usual for this radio station, there was a weather alert for a severe thunderstorm during the game.    I think this has happened every time I listen to this station.    The only surprise was that it only happened once.    The Rangers won it, 6-2.    The pivotal play was in the fifth, before I started listening.    There was a challenge at first that looked like an inning-ending out for the Rangers, even to the announcers, but the review let the call stand.    The Rangers scored four more runs afterward.   

The big news was in the Rangers’ postgame, when an exuberant announcer said, “How about Texas State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Texas all winning tonight!”    I had watched those first three wins earlier.    However, #1 Ohio State was beating #4 Texas 23-3 in the fourth quarter and I didn’t bother watching the end, since there were two other close games on.    Yeah, the Longhorns came back and won 24-23.    Shame on me for giving up on that one.    I was watching a sports betting show in the morning.    They correctly picked Texas to win.

At 10:00pm, the Aggies versus the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors came on the radio.    It was 5:00pm local time in Hawaii, I think.    HI was a 7.5 point favorite at home, probably not so much because they’re hugely better, but because NMSU has never won in Hawaii.    HI is still playing at a temporary facility that’s like a high school stadium, while they’re waiting for their new Aloha Stadium to be built.    The field at the stadium is artificial grass.    These guys don’t know how to grow grass in Hawaii?

     

On the Aggies’ first series, NMSU got a gift third down conversion from a penalty, however quarterback, Trey Hedden, fumbled the ball on a rush.    Hawaii quickly worked downfield for a touchdown, 6-0, but with a missed PAT after a penalty.    Next, HI threw a 55-yard bomb, but the Aggie defense held them to a field goal, 9-0.    Then, there was another Hawaii bomb and a rushing touchdown for the finish for a 16-0 lead.    I didn’t recognize the color commentator, but he said, “We haven’t gotten any rain here this week, but it’s pouring now.”

Finally in the second quarter, Hedden found AJ Williams III on third down for 40-yard bomb.    With first and goal and a penalty putting them on the 2, James Jones took it in.    After a failed 2-pt conversion, it was, 16-6.    The Aggie defense finally got a lick in on HI QB, Micah Alejado, and forced a punt.    The Aggie offense capitalized.    TK King finished a two-minute drill with a 33-yard reception for a touchdown, 16-13.    However, HI marched right back down the field with a minute left.    The Aggie defense held them to a field goal, 19-13 Hawaii.

Sorry, Aggies.    At about midnight, I’d had a long day and wanted to go to bed.    I had to read the game recap the next day.    To start the third quarter, the Aggie defense came up big by forcing a fumble and scored.    After another missed PAT, it was tied at 19.    Hawaii was limited to a field goal and a touchdown in the second half.    Unfortunately, the Aggie offense did not show up and it was a 29-19 Hawaii final.    Well, they weren’t favored in the game, but this one was winnable.    The Aggies have a bye week to figure things out before meeting the Lobos here at home.

9-13-26

The first weekend of the NFL season means there’s little baseball to be had.    Nothing on Mexican TV or NBC.    Today’s Rangers’ game was preempted on the radio.    (They won and still have a good chance of catching the Astros.)    I watched a pretty exciting Bills/Texans game at dad’s apartment and then went over to Buffalo Wild Wings to join my neighbor, Monty, to watch his Packers play at the Vikings.    I finally found something I liked on the menu there: mac and cheese and seasoned fries.    It was very tasty.    Monty ended up ordering the same.   

I left at halftime.    It was a good thing I did.    The Packers would lose it badly in the second half and Monty’s a very vocal, passionate fan.    I did see a cool scene at the game.    After a Packer touchdown, the receiver found a couple of Packer fans by the endzone and handed them the ball.    They were thrilled and stunned.    There were also Washington fans there watching another game.    One of the guys was wearing a Redskins t-shirt.    I wanted to thank him.

I got back home and listened to the last few innings of the Chihuahuas at Tacoma for their final road game of the season.    I didn’t miss much.    It was 1-0 Rainiers in the sixth.    I had heard the opening of the game to make sure it was on.    Yesterday, broadcaster, Tim Hagerty, had said the forecast wasn’t good.    He came on today and said it had rained all night and was gloomy now, but the tarp was off and we’d be playing.    7,000 fans came out for their team’s final home game.

Shockingly for a Triple-A game, Connor Joe’s solo homer held up for the entire game, 1-0 Rainers.    In the ninth, the Chihuahuas got two on thanks to a couple of great at bats, but both were left stranded.    At least the Chihuahuas got some terrific pitching today, which they’ve been lacking all season.

Baseball Journal September: Loco

Loco of the Altoona Curve

9-6-26

It was a sad start to this Sunday morning.    I was watching this Sports Grid show that’s been on all summer.    It’s about sports betting, but they seriously talk about baseball, so I’m interested.    Today was their final baseball show for the season before switching over to football.    They seemed kind of sad.    So was I.       

I took in the NBC Sunday game at dad’s apartment.    It was a tight game in Philadelphia, 2-1 Phillies over the Braves in the sixth, but that didn’t preclude a little humor.    Justin Crawford and Luis Arraez had a near collision on a popup.    Arraez caught the ball.    Crawford may have said he was calling for it, but Arraez just turned around and gave him a big hug.   

The outfield adventures didn’t end there for the Phillies.    In the top of the seventh, Bryce Harper in right field caught one flyball with the sun in his eyes, while wearing special sun-blocking sunglasses and still using his hand for shade.    He couldn’t get a bead on the next liner that went for a double.    Alec Bohm dropped a foul ball in the sun.    Still, the runner was left stranded.   

In the bottom of the seventh, pinch hitter, Derek Hill, smashed a no-doubt solo homer.    Kyle Schwarber followed that up with a solo shot of his own for a 4-1 lead.    Then events took a turn for the Braves.    In the top of the eighth, Ronald Acuna Jr. tied it with a 3-run homer.    The boo’s came out, as Acuna circled the bases egging it on.    He even took a curtain call.   

In the top of the ninth, a triple by Austin Riley drove in the go-ahead run for the Braves off of Philly closer, Jhoan Duran.    In the bottom, the Phillies had a chance.    A single, a fielder’s choice, and a passed ball got a runner to third with 1 out.    A line out into the drawn in infield made it 2 outs.    The crowd was standing and cheering the final batter, but he struck out on three pitches.    4-3 Braves.    Boooo!

Dad and I got a pizza at Papa John’s thanks to a coupon from work.    It was great relative to the fact we were both really hungry.    On the radio, the Chihuahuas were playing the Aviators in a sweltering day game in El Paso.    It was 90-degrees with storms in the area.    We got some brief rain getting the pizza.   

In the fifth, Will Wagner hit a 3-run homer to make it 7-0 Chihuahuas.    The Aviators seemed to be having more short staffing issues with their pitchers.    Meanwhile, the Chihuahuas had a no-hitter going through six innings.    At one point, the Las Vegas manager argued a walk saying there were only 3 balls thrown.    The umps had to conference on that one and ask for assistance before allowing the free pass.    Jose Leclerc loaded the bases in the ninth, but preserved the shutout for a 7-0 Chihuahuas win.   

The Rangers were playing the Rays at the same time on the radio.    I got to listen to a bit of it going for the pizza, where I had decent reception, unlike my portable radio.    After the pups’ game, I decided to put up with the bad reception to hear the end of the Ranger game.    The Rangers were up 8-6 in the eighth after a Corey Seager home run and they’d win, 8-6.    I found out in the postgame that the Rangers had overcome being down by 4 runs twice before getting ahead.

Back at home, I flipped on the radio and unexpectedly got the Twins versus the White Sox.    I had thought they were covering college football today.    I turned on the TV and got the end of the Yankees versus the Padres on a Mexican station.    I didn’t even remember to look for that game.    It was 4-3 Padres in the top of the ninth.    It was about a full house with plenty of Yankee fans in attendance.    Mason Miller was trying to close it out.    Catcher Luis Campusano stole the second out with a well-timed ABS challenge.    Miller finished it off with a strikeout to Ben Rice, who didn’t like the call, but was out of challenges.    Isn’t Padres management glad they didn’t trade off Miller?

The White Sox game was scoreless until the fifth, when Munetaka Murakami singled in a run.    We little suspected this game would end up as a 10-1 White Sox win by the end.    It was punctuated with a 3-run homer in the ninth.    Go win that AL Central, White Sox!          

                

9-7-26

I tuned in an hour late to the Braves at the Phillies on Labor Day on the radio.    Hey, I didn’t even know they were broadcasting a game today; I was just tuning in to check.    It was a fast-moving game, as it was scoreless in the fourth.    Luis Arraez made a strikeout.    This is news, because he never strikes out (unlike every other baseball player).    It was on a caught foul tip, so he still got a piece of it.    The commentary was, “It’s like seeing an eclipse.”    In the fifth, a pitcher took a comebacker to first base himself.    “It’s like an insult to the first baseman,” the broadcasters were laughing about it.   

The color guy, Doug Glanville, was talking about playing in Philadelphia.    He was having a tough time when he started.    He’d written an article in college about building a new stadium in the city.    A Philly fan cat-called him and said, “Hey Glanville, why don’t you design a stadium that you can hit the ball out of!”    He had to credit the heckler’s research.    His partner was laughing hysterically.

On field, Jesus Luzardo had pitched 8 shutout innings for the Phillies.    In the bottom of the eighth, Kyle Schwarber broke up the nil-nil soccer match with a home run.    He is the Major League home run leader.    Luzardo came out back out for the ninth.    Kudos for that decision.    Ronald Acuna Jr. came up and worked a full count walk with one out.    That was Luzardo’s first walk, but he was kept in.    Luzardo responded with his 12-th strikeout.    A flyout ended the game.    That was a 2-hit shutout in a 1-0 Phillies win.    It was a happy game.    Even the studio announcer got the giggles during the game recap.               

NBC was nice enough to broadcast a baseball game in the evening on Labor Day.    I appreciate that.    (There was also a classic Star Trek marathon on two different stations for the 60-th anniversary that I was tuning in and out of over the weekend for entertainment.)    The game was the Cardinals at the Giants.    There was kind of a lousy crowd there in San Francisco.    It was an early start on the west coast even with the holiday.    There was a very appealing shot of a guy with a bread bowl and a plate of garlic fries going to his seat.    There was a heartwarming shot of a guy giving a ball to a kid, who went crazy for it.

Logan Webb had it working for the Giants as their starting pitcher.    The Giants took a 3-0 lead.    In the fifth, Jordan Walker made two good catches in Oracle Park’s difficult right field to keep the Giants from adding to it.    My dad and my Aunt Judy were also watching the game being Cardinal fans.    I took the opportunity to call Judy to chat.    While talking, I commented on Cardinal Alec Burelson hitting a monster shot into the bay in the sixth.    Aunt Judy was watching on another outlet that was running five minutes behind.    Sorry, spoilers.    I had to shut up on giving game commentary.    A kayaker in the bay got the ball, which was the 111-th splash down and it was 3-1.   

It was 3-2 in the seventh.    In the bottom of the eighth, the coverage was showing a longship-like boat with a rowing crew coming into the bay.  There was a bad strike call by the ump that was an easy challenge for the batter.    The catcher turned around to say something to the ump.    I really wonder what he said.

Things got interesting late.    In the top of the ninth, the Cards loaded the bases with one out and a sac fly tied it.  In the bottom, the Giants got three on with two out, but a fly out ended it.    In the tenth, the Cards scored their automatic runner on a blooper for the lead.  Bryce Eldridge drove in the automatic runner for the Giants after a walk to Rafael Devers.    Jung-Hoo Lee was intentionally walked to load the bases after a sac bunt.    With two outs, there was a nubber at the plate.    The Cardinals’ catcher stepped on home for the force and threw out the runner at first for an inning-ending double play.    That was heads up.

It was 4-4 to start the eleventh.    The Cards got two in scoring position with two outs.    A broken bat flew out to short on a ground out.    There was a distracted bad throw to Eldridge at first, who scooped it for the out.    In the bottom, with the automatic runner on third, Shay Whitcomb hit a big chopper over third to win it, 5-4 Giants.    That was pretty exciting.    Even dad stayed up late to see the ending (though disappointed).

9-8-26

There was an afternoon game today with the Chihuahuas at the Rainiers.    It was 68-degrees in Tacoma, quite the change from high 90’s here.    Rich Burke joined broadcaster Tim Hagerty on the play call.    We’ve heard Rich before on Chihuahuas’ games.    They’re friends and were planning on going to a Mariners’ game tonight.  Rich had hired Tim for his Triple-A job. 

Rich calls High-A Hillsboro Hops’ games.    (A-Ball has ended their season.)    Him and Tim had an interesting conversation about the team.    The town is outside of Portland and their new stadium is Triple-A level.    Rich hinted they may get an unnamed team (it’ll be the Aviators when the A’s move to Las Vegas).    Portland has wanted an MLB team too, though.      

 

Nolan Jones on rehab came to bat for the Rainiers with walk-up music from a Disney movie, which Tim questioned.    He also questioned why the PCL has divisions, since it doesn’t matter for getting into the playoffs.    It was moving day for the Chihuahuas with 12 roster moves since Sunday.  Jose Leclerc was released.   

New Chihuahua on rehab from the Padres, Miguel Andujar, drove in the first run of the game in the third.    It was 2-0 after another run came in.    There were more questions about the Sacramento Rivercats’ schedule crossing up with the A’s and the PCL postseason.    “Will they have to play the games in Oakland?”   

Rich took over the play-by-play in the fourth through the seventh innings, though he said he was just going to call a couple.    The press box in Tacoma is down third base line, which isn’t the best view for calling the game, but they can see Mt. Rainier.    Tim embarrassingly admitted to getting hit by a foul into the booth at the stadium in April.    (I heard about it happening, but I didn’t actually hear it happen.)

In the sixth, the Rainiers loaded the bases with the Chihuahuas up, 5-1.    Rich was discussing the scoring.    He was trying to figure out the number of hits on his scorecard compared to the scoreboard.  Keeping a scorecard is hard, even for professionals.    A run was walked in, the third walk of the inning, but that’s all, 5-2.    In the eighth, an error brought in 2 runs for the Rainiers and it was suddenly, 5-4.   

I took off for work and heard the end of the game in my car and then in my office.    In the top of the ninth, Bryce Johnson scored on a shallow sac flyball and a double on a ball lost in the sun scored another, 7-4.    However, in the bottom, the Rainiers loaded the bases with no outs.    A run came in on a fielder’s choice, which was nearly turned into a double play, 7-5. Patrick Wisdom, who was just optioned from Seattle, came up to bat.    He’s the league leader in home runs and proceeded to prove that with a walk-off 3-run homer.    Rainiers take their first lead of the game with an 8-7 win.    That was kind of cool, but shockingly disappointing.

The MiLB Free Game was the Akron Rubber Ducks at the Altoona Curve.    I’d heard about a feature at the Curve’s stadium and now I’ve seen it.    There is a roller coaster behind the right field wall.    The moving lights on it would seem like a distraction for the batters, though I didn’t see the coaster running during the game.    They also have a big yellow mascot named Loco.    He’s friendly creature hugging and kissing the fans.

They had the most condescending Fan Cam ever with the PA all but mocking the waving fans, “Get your five seconds of fame.”    Their centerfield camera looking in at the plate seemed to be at field level.  Sometimes the shortstop would be blocking the view like he’s photo-bombing the picture.    One of the announcers was doing his fantasy football draft during the game.

As for the game itself, former Aggie, Titus Dumitru on the Curve, was called the “Ironman” by the announcer for how many games he’s played.    He walked and got picked off in the seventh and was nearly doubled off on a flyball before that, but he’s hustling.    Altoona won 3-0. “Play the song!” said the announcer.    I didn’t hear the song on the broadcast.    I feel a bit cheated.

I noticed the Aviators were still playing their late game against the Rivercats, so tuned in.    Announcer, Russ Langer, was still talking about the series in El Paso last week and talking about the playoffs, which the Aviators are already locked into.    I tuned in late and missed major news of the game.    Las Vegas pitcher and top A’s prospect, Jamie Arnold, was hit on the face on a comebacker.    The ball was travelling at 107-mph, but he walked off the mound to the dugout.   

Russ said he’d been taken to hospital and didn’t have any more information.    [Update: Arnold’s not in great shape, but okay.    There’s no timetable listed for his return.]    Arnold was very impressive against the Chihuahuas last week.    We hope he fully recovers.    It’s a bad streak for the A’s organization, as they also recently lost Leo de Vries, another top prospect, to injury.    As for the Aviators, they avoided a second shutout in a row with a solo home run in the eighth, but lost, 11-1.

Comics Review: Archie #1 by Oni Press

Zanaya had not been to Zia Comics before. I took her after lunch at the Grounded Café (excellent pizza). She enjoyed it and loved all of the anime figures there. I told her that she had one job: Don’t let me buy any comics for myself. She saw a Vampirella with a sexy cover that she had to have and that was okay. As we went down the rack, I was looking for a My Little Pony comic for her, but came up empty. (She has wide-ranging tastes.) Then I found this new Archie comic. I couldn’t resist and Zanaya did not restrain me. (I didn’t bother explaining to the friendly cashier that the cheesecake comic was for her and the kid’s comic was for me.)

I had heard about this issue a few months ago. Everyone had the same groan of trepidation at the news. Archie Comics was licensing out Archie to another publisher, Oni Press. Certainly, no one saw this pairing coming. Oni isn’t known for producing kid-friendly material. The closest they might have come might be Blue Monday, a comic sort of inspired by Archie. It’s teens in high school engaging in hi-jinks. Everything else about the title is a bit more risqué than Archie and very set in the 80’s. (I’ve read three of their trade paperbacks. Funny stuff.)

Archie is still publishing floppies, in addition to their digests, but only facsimile editions and seasonal specials and such. They are not publishing a regular Archie floppy. Oni is publishing three titles: Archie, Sabrina, and Archie in Hell. Okay, that last one, I would have gone with Betty and Veronica instead. The Hell comic is the one causing some concern with this venture. Not to mention, we wonder if the Sabrina title is going to be a continuation of the horror comic. We want standard Archie, not scary Archie.

The issue on the rack had a friendly enough cover. (This is an alternate cover and was the only issue on the rack, so I haven’t seen the others.) The cover is a bit thick and the pages inside are on a heavy slick paper. It seemed a bit thicker than a normal comic and it does have a few more pages for your $5. There aren’t any ads inside, other than a promo for the next issue and previews of the other two titles. There’s a montage of Archie covers over the years inside the front cover, along with a puzzle page and a pinup (which is not exactly a Dan Decarlo Veronica in a swimsuit and its terrible). There’s also an editorial. The managing editor is an Archie fan, though mostly a Betty and Veronica fan, which begs the question why that isn’t one of their titles.

One thing I wasn’t expecting was that this would truly be a classic Archie Comic in format. It features three short stories: one with Archie, one with the gang, and a Jughead story. The art style is not the classic house style and nor is it something more realistic-looking. It’s kind of a rough cartoony style. It’s sort of illustrated like a kid’s storybook. (Dare I compare this to Tintin? It doesn’t have the detail work.)

The comic begins with a quick story about Archie dreaming. The longer story next is about a student film festival, where everyone wants Archie as their star. Archie is wearing the letterman’s jacket and addressing the audience like in previous Archie title, which was more realistically drawn and written than classic Archie. There’s a small continuity change. Archie’s vehicle is no longer a Mustang (or a Model T), but a Bronco without a top. Both of these stories are okay and well in-keeping with classic Archie. They seem to be meant to introduce the character to a new audience.

Lastly, it’s a quiet story with Jughead eating at Pop’s, who announces that he’s thinking about retiring. That’s not exactly an original premise in an Archie comic, but it’s written as a journal and seems more serious. This story was continued. Interesting.

The Sabrina preview was bright and colorful. It seemed lighthearted, but had a dangerous undercurrent of dark magic. It was sort of a cross between classic Sabrina and that scary, evil Sabrina comic. The Archie in Hell preview essentially seems to be Archie getting abducted by an apocalypse cult for human sacrifice. It looks like Sabrina is going to have to come to the rescue in this one. I wonder how long this series is set to run with this premise. I’m not much of a horror fan, so I’m not the audience for this.

Overall, it’s okay. I’m glad I gave it a chance. I’m not sure what the publishing schedule is, but if I see another issue, I’ll probably give it another shot to see what else they’re going to do with the characters. The Sabrina comic I’m kind of interested in, but a bit apprehensive. I don’t quite understand the obsession with turning Archie into something dark. (Well, actually I do. It’s the Agenda.) It feels like they’re only doing something like classic Archie, so that they can do the horror stuff that they really want to do.

I am curious if Oni has plans, or even sanction, to do more titles. If they’re going to eventually do a Betty and Veronica comic, they should get a different artist to draw them as they should be (the world’s most glamorous teenagers). It certainly appears they’d like to do a Jughead comic, but perhaps doubt he can draw an audience by himself. This is an interesting experiment for Archie. It might be foreshadowing for Marvel (definitely) and DC (maybe) licensing their characters to other companies to publish comics. It has happened before recently, but this time it could be for keeps.