Baseball Journal: August 25-27, 2017

8-25-17

Tonight’s game between the Chihuahuas and the Rivercats was rained out.  Tim Hagerty reported that the shower came out of nowhere to soak the field.  A bit later, a weather alert said central El Paso was under a flood warning, at which point I gave up on the game starting.  I had a bit of a similar experience where I live in Las Cruces before the game.  It poured for a short, but heavy time, where I live, though the sun was still shinning.  When I went to work, the streets were flooded, until I got to a major intersection, after which, the streets were completely dry.

So, all I have to report on the game is the pre-game.  Steve Kaplowitz, still injured, but in the lineup, hosted his show from Twin Peaks.  I know Ron has been there.  I think remember asking him, “Is it themed after the TV show?  That’s cool.  I was a big Twin Peaks fan.”  No.  Actually, the name is a reference to something else.  I’ll let you chew on that.  Kappy had a conversation with one of those eponymous assets, a waitress named Anna.  She was so bright, sweet, and perky, and sports knowledgeable, I found myself wishing I was there.  (Though I would have been too shy to have talked to her.)  In any case, Anna did a great job of selling the restaurant, just by being herself.

Kappy reported that Jay Jaffe had a great time at the ballpark last night and sold plenty of books.  When Tim Hagerty came on, Kappy brought on a special guest, Tim’s toddler son.  He just barely knew how to talk, so it wasn’t much of a conversation.  Tim might have been a little too professional in acknowledging his child.  Maybe Tim was wondering how why his kid was at a sports bar.  There was no talk of impending bad weather, so all of us were surprised by the rain.  We await a double header on Saturday.

I tried to watch the Cardinals versus the Rays on the MLB free game, but I wasn’t into it.  The teams were wearing the Little League style uniforms, along with a nickname on the back.  They’re kind of appealing.  I picked up the game in the fourth with the Rays up 4-2.  The game was on, but I wasn’t paying much attention.  In the seventh, I did see a bunted ball actually stop on the foul line for a hit.  In the ninth, the Cardinals had some uncharacteristic, inattentive play and let a runner take second, unopposed.  This lead to two runs scoring (with a runner already on third) on a single.  7-3 Rays was the final.  The Cardinals almost deserved to lose for that.  I’m sure the Cardinals fans in attendance there in St. Louis were less nice about it.           

8-26-17

After a morning at an estate sale with comics and toys and a local comic book convention, I settled in for some baseball.  It was the Rangers vs. A’s in the early afternoon.  Rangers went up by two in the first. Thanks to the station joining the game late, I didn’t hear either run.  Cole Hamels was doing the pitching for the Rangers.  He gave up a homer in the bottom, 2-1.  I thought Eric Nadel alone in booth, since I didn’t hear Matt Hicks until the bottom of the second.  They were wondering about upcoming games in Houston with a hurricane currently battering the area.

By the third, Hamels was clearly having trouble finding the strike zone and gave up another home run, 2 all.  The A’s got the lead in the fourth on a grounder that skipped past Adrian Beltre and went all the way to the wall.  A runner was waved all the way in from first, 3-2 A’s.  In the fifth, the Rangers loaded the bases with Mike Napoli up.  He struck out on a pitch that bounced to the plate, inning over.  Napoli slammed his helmet and bat down afterward.  In the bottom, the A’s came up with three more runs and chased Hamels out of the game, 6-2.    

By the sixth, the game was dragging badly.  The guys started discussing the drummer in the outfield seats.  (I thought that guy was in Cleveland.)  Then they started talking about rock drummers and rock in general, then an A’s double to the wall scored two more, 8-2.  The Rangers got a run back in the seventh, but the A’s were threatening in their half.  I switched over to the Chihuahuas/Rivercats’ game that was just about to start.  A little bit later, I turned back and ran into the post-game.  I think the pace of the game must have picked up after I left.  8-3 A’s was the final. 

Game One of the Chihuahuas’ double header started with a leadoff homer by the Rivercats into the left field green seats, 1-0.  The Rivercats proceeded to tack on three more while I was answering a phone call and not listening, 4-0.  I’m suddenly getting the impression that this won’t be the Chihuahuas’ game. 

Tim Hagerty mentioned that several of the players on the Rivercats had been Chihuahuas recently.  He mentioned one trade that involved Anthony Rizzo, who had been on the Padres before being sent to the Cubs.  “I know Padres get furious with me whenever I mention that,” Tim said apologetically.  And then it was 5-0 by the third. 

Tim had time to offer an explanation of that close play at first that was reversed on Thursday.  Manager Rod Barajas hadn’t disputed the catch beating the runner, but rather that the first baseman had come off the bag.  It must have been pretty obvious for the Chihuahuas’ dugout to have seen that from across the field.  They were probably fortunate that the home plate umpire had been watching the play and agreed with them.   

In the fifth, Hunter Renfroe made the defensive play of the game by throwing out a runner going first to third from left field.  Tim reported some good news.  The groundskeeper at the Southwest University Park was honored by the PCL for best field.  The award is voted on by the various team managers, so it’s pretty prestigious.  Back to reality, the Rivercats clubbed a two-run homer just out of Travis Jankowski’s reach, 7-0.  It’s like there’s no crowd at the park.     

By the seventh, the last inning for this double header, Rivercats’ pitcher, Casey Kelly, had only thrown 56 pitches.  I stepped out of my apartment for one minute to take out the trash.  In that time, Renfroe hit a two-run homer, 7-2.  The crowd suddenly made itself known, cheering loudly.  I am present when Diego Goris hit another two-run homer for the inning, 7-4.  This knocked Kelly out of the game.  A reliever got the next two outs.  7-4 Rivercats in Game One.

I missed the top of the first since I’d tuned away, not wanting to listen to ESPN Radio talk about Colin Kaepernick again.  So much for 20 minutes between games, or that was a three-pitch half inning.  It appeared that I didn’t miss much for the rest of the game.  In the fourth, the Chihuahuas scored on a fielder’s choice.  That was it.  Adam Cimber got the save in the ninth with a runner on second and after a nine-pitch final at bat.  Chris Huffman got the win.  The Chihuahuas at least wouldn’t lose ground tonight in the standings.  (I admit I was watching a movie while the game was on.)  Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw pitched for the OKC Dodgers on rehab in front of a full house.  That must have been a thrill.  And this game finished in time for me to watch the McGregor/Mayweather fight.  I wonder if the teams actually meant to do that so they could watch too.

8-27-17

Sunday had another afternoon matchup between the Rangers and the A’s.  Adrian Beltre scored the first run of the game in the second on a dropped popup, 1-0 Rangers.  Again, the game dragged and Eric Nadel discussed the weather in Texas with the hurricane.  In the second, the A’s hit a two-run homer and a solo home run, 3-1 A’s.  Ranger AJ Griffen was finally knocked out in the fourth after he got in trouble.  Austin Bibens-Dirkx came in and walked the bases full, but he got out of it on a grounder.  Shin-Soo Choo homered in the fifth, 3-2, but the A’s got another run in the bottom on a fielder’s choice, 4-2.

In the eighth, Elvis Andrus singled in a run for Rangers.  Adrian Beltre then doubled on a ball that the outfielders should have caught.  A’s not a good fielding team and made two errors today.  Mike Napoli then hit a hard shot that was caught by the third baseman, who then doubled off Elvis to end the inning, 4-3.  Errors are contagious.  In the bottom, an error by Roughned Odor gave the A’s another run, 5-3.  Two more scored on a hit, 7-3.  Then another hit brought the score to 8-3 A’s, and that was the final. 

This was a three-game sweep of the Rangers by the worst team in their division.  I hate these games against the A’s.  They always seem to take forever and end in a blow out.  The worst of it is, with college football, the NFL, and Aggie sports, I’m not even sure how many more games I’ll get to listen to this season.  These two games were a terrible way to close the season if that’s the case.  Meanwhile, the heavy weather in Houston is going to cause the Rangers and Astros to fly to Dallas, instead of Houston for their series that starts Tuesday.  They’re not sure where they’ll be playing.    

Tim Hagerty started off Sunday night’s Chihuahuas/Rivercats game by mentioning that the second game of Saturday’s double header was the first 1-0 game in the stadium’s history.  The Chihuahuas started off the bottom of the first with four hits in a row.  Rafael Ortega scored two on a double.  Hunter Renfroe brought him in with a double.  Rocky Gale singled in a fourth run and the inning ended on a rundown after that hit, 4-0. 

The Rivercats scored a run at some point by some means early in the game, 4-1.  I don’t know how or why I missed it happening.  I was listening.  In the second, the Chihuahuas got three on, but came away with no runs.  In the third, a Rivercats batter accidentally tossed his bat into the crowd for the second time.  Meanwhile, Tim interviewed another Chico’s Kids Club member, a rather laconic little girl.  Here’s something of a transcript.        

“You have a jersey on with a player autograph?” “Yes.”  “You met the players?”  “Yes.”  “You like them?”  “Yes.”  “You met Chico?”  “Yes.”  “What do you think of him?”  “Love him.”    

In the fourth, an ill-advised around the back throw by a Rivercat fielder went into the dugout to let Travis Jankowski on by an error.  He scored on a Renfroe double, 5-1.  Tim was closely following the Bee’s game in Albuquerque.  They were winning big.  In the fifth, the fans started jeering the Rivercats’ batter who can’t hold on to his bat when he comes up.  They loaded the bases.  I nod off (it was a long day).  Three runs scored, 5-4.  That’s what I get.

Tim related some more news.  The hurricane rain is hitting San Antonio hard.  As the home of Padres Double-A affiliate, they’re now having scheduling issues.  Colorado Springs clinched a playoff spot.  It’s their first since 1997.  That’s nice as a going-away present for the city, since the team is leaving in the near future and is going to be replaced by like a rookie ball team.  In the seventh, a walk and a double by the Rivercats tied the score at 5.

The Rivercats loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with two outs.  A grounder finished off the inning.  In the bottom, Ortega beat out an infield single.  Renfroe made it on via an error.  Christian Villanueva popped up to invoke the infield fly rule.  Tim reported that Salt lake won in Albuquerque.  Nick Buss hit a foul ball that was dropped for another error, but he ended up as a fly ball out.  Two on, two out, Tony Cruz came to bat and singled in Ortega for a walk off.  6-5 Chihuahuas final.  It’s coming down to the wire for the playoffs.

Boxing Report: Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Conor McGregor

It’s time for yet another disappointing big boxing match.  At least that’s what the sports “experts” were saying in a rare display of honesty.  In fact, they were quite upset about this fight making a “travesty” of boxing.  As if we’ve forgotten all the crappy fights and controversies before this and this time we should be upset.  Actually, all of the talk probably had the opposite effect and people ordered the fight out of curiosity.  Also, given how one-sided the analysis has been, people may have been watching just on the possibility of seeing an upset. 

Regardless, this was actually an interesting matchup.  Here we have undefeated, unlikable, and the very technical (read: boring) boxing champion, Floyd Mayweather.  Floyd is 40 and has been retired for over a year.  In the other corner, there’s loud-mouthed UFC fighter, Conor McGregor.  He can box, but as an MMA fighter, that’s not his preferred fighting style.  Conor is in his prime and been fighting regularly.  Just writing this out, it’s kind of strange that anyone even thought to arrange this match for anything other than money.  On the face of it, it’s like a freak show exhibition where it’s only going to embarrass everyone involved.  Maybe the “experts” were right.    

I was a bit more open-minded before the fight.  My own prediction was “12 rounds, split decision for Mayweather just to set up the re-match.”  Given the other Mayweather fights I’ve seen, how could I think anything otherwise, no matter who the opponent was?  You think Floyd’s going to fight Canelo or anybody good at this point?  He waited until Pacquiao got old before he fought him.  Still, there was always the chance something interesting would happen and there wasn’t anything else on TV.  Of course I’m watching this on free Mexican television, which is exactly what most of Mayweather’s fights have been worth.

The undercard was terrible.  I didn’t bother watching after the first couple of seconds.  Demi Lovato’s breasts came out to sing the National Anthem.  Let’s just say her “dress” was rather dramatic in what it wasn’t covering.  Is she like 30-something now or what?  Mayweather came out wearing a black mask in gold trim, like the gaudiest member of ISIS ever.  Maybe he doesn’t want to be recognized.  I wonder if they’ll be able to get the stink out of the new T-Mobile Arena before the hockey season starts if this fight sucks.  Mayweather’s belt was put on display.  I’m thinking it’s not up for grabs tonight, whatever the outcome.  Was that Jennifer Lawrence in the crowd?  I can’t decide if she’s the plainest beautiful woman ever or the most beautiful plain woman ever.  Okay, let’s box.

First round: Something that never came up in all of the pre-fight talk quickly manifested as soon as the bell rang.  McGregor is bigger.  He’s taller with a longer reach.  I’d kind of assumed he was smaller for some reason.  McGregor has an odd, MMA-ish boxing stance and kept his right arm extended to keep Mayweather back.  McGregor came out swinging and aggressive.  At one point, he put his hands behind his back, daring Mayweather to try to hit him.  This round went to McGregor.

Second round: McGregor got a couple of warnings for hitting Mayweather in the back of the head, and another warning for wrapping him up.  I’m not going to bother mentioning this again as it happened throughout the fight.  Technically, McGregor probably should have gotten a point taken away or even DQ’d.  The ref however, more wisely, as long as it was never a really bad hit, just let them fight.  Round to McGregor.

Third round: There was lots of clutching and grabbing in this round.  McGregor clearly wanted to drag Mayweather into a wrestling match.  The crowd was roaring for him at this point.  McGregor again.

Fourth round: Mayweather started off the round in a defensive shell with McGregor pounding him into the ropes.  Conor got in a good shot to Mayweather’s jaw and the crowd rose in anticipation.  Mayweather looked a bit winded.  I gave the round to McGregor, but the TV Azteca guys gave it to Mayweather.  They saw it differently as Mayweather got in some hits as the round went on.

Fifth round: Given the exchanges in the first four rounds, I was surprised the fight was still going.  Mayweather got in some good hits.  McGregor spent a lot of time backing up.  There was quite a bit of hugging.  McGregor was now looking tired.  Mayweather definitely won this round.

Sixth round: The crowd on the floor behind the ringside seats were now standing.  McGregor briefly started bludgeoning Mayweather MMA-style.  The ref broke them up quickly.  Mayweather started to force the action back on to McGregor and the crowd roared.  Conor smiled and then again put his hands behind his back, inviting an attack.  Maybe he didn’t expect to last this long either.  Mayweather.

Seventh round: McGregor put his guard up to start the round.  This was the first time I’d seen him do that.  Mayweather got in a cheapshot at one point, but got in a legit hard shot to the jaw later.  Mayweather.

Eighth round: McGregor came out swinging again.  I gave the round to him for his aggression, but the TV Azteca guys gave it to Mayweather.

Ninth round: McGregor charged into Mayweather and forced him into a corner.  The ref broke them up immediately and lectured McGregor.  Mayweather took the opportunity to cheapshot McGregor to head when the ref moved away.  Given the blows to the back of his head, that almost seemed deserved, but would have been a poor way to end the fight.  The ref gave him a quick warning.  Still, McGregor was on his heels and looked exhausted.  Mayweather scored a big hit in the round.  Mayweather.

Tenth round: Mayweather picked up where he left off.  McGregor was getting pummeled.  He got to the point where he couldn’t defend himself.  The Ref stepped in and stopped it a bit more than a minute into the round.  TKO for Mayweather.      

Afterward, McGregor said he could have kept fighting.  He wasn’t bloodied or knocked down.  Conor perhaps wasn’t done by UFC standards, but he was finished by boxing standards.  If you go to your ground game in boxing, the referee starts counting over you. 

McGregor and Mayweather were friendly at the end.  McGregor went over to congratulate him.  Mayweather said afterward that he owed the fans for the Pacquiao fight and that this would be his last.  He would retire at 50-0.  This is a great idea.  Stop now after finally giving the fans a good fight so they’ll remember you better.  (Actually, the fans at the arena didn’t seem happy.  They weren’t boo’ing, just murmuring.)  Jim Gray asked him if he’d upheld boxing’s reputation.  I’ll answer that.  No.  Boxing’s reputation for putting on crappy, overblown fights was delightfully ended tonight.  Thank you for that.    

Mayweather, in a good show of sportsmanship, praised McGregor as a fellow champion and for a good fight.  McGregor shouted to him before his own interview, “I made you fight like a Mexican!”  It took me a moment to realize he was complimenting him.  McGregor meant Mayweather fought with passion and aggression.   The TV Azteca coverage actually broke away right after he said that.  I wonder if they had to decide if that was a compliment or not to them.      

McGregor was now sporting a shiner under his left eye.  The TV crew was translating over the interview, and I had trouble hearing it.  Gray asked him why he was smiling after being beaten.  “I’ve been strangled on TV before.  This wasn’t a big deal.”  Or something like that.  It was something only an MMA fighter would say.       

Those who paid for the fight had to be happy to not have been cheated.  Mayweather fans and his bettors had to be more than happy.  Those who bet on McGregor were unhappy, but be consoled, if the betting hadn’t evened out, Vegas would have fixed the fight anyway.  If you were rooting for McGregor, you were pleased with his great underdog performance.  Boxing was happy to put on a good match for a change.  UFC’s status had to have been increased with boxing-only fans, though I’m doubting these crossover matches are going to be happening with any regularity.  Lastly, sports writers and commentators, who were decrying this fight before the match, will now have to eat their words.  At least, they had a good meal.  

Review: Marvel Comics Digest #2 Starring the Avengers

As long as I’m talking comics, I’ll mention something I bought at Wal-Mart last week.  This is a digest-sized Avengers comic that was on display at the checkout.  I’d seen it solicited, but not actually seen it anywhere.  (I never saw their first one, which I think featured Spider-Man.)  It was $7, but when you consider that even at a smaller size, its 250 pages, and a regular 32 page comic is $4, it’s a bargain.  I haven’t read it yet (boy, have I accumulated a pile of reading material here lately), but I’ve paged through it.  So this isn't so much of a review of the material, which I'm sure is fine, but rather the concept.  

The first part reprints the first Avengers stories.  Iron Man is wearing a clunky gold suit, and they haven’t found and thawed out Captain America yet.  The next part is a series of tales from the 80’s with a guest appearance by Spider-Man.  The last half features more recent stories.  Some of these may have been from the kids’ magazines Marvel has tried out.  In any case, they’re not the mainline Avengers comics and are based on the more kid-friendly animated versions that have come out since the movies.  That probably says a lot about most of the comics Marvel publishes for comics fans.  They all used to be kid-friendly.   

     

It says “Marvel” on it, but it’s actually published by Archie.  (There were Archie comics with it on the rack.)  This seems like a commentary on both companies on some level.  It’s a good idea and should be expanded to include DC comics as well.  Marvel and DC can’t really reach the newsstand anymore.  They’ve both tried publishing magazines for the rack.  Archie at least has a small foothold.

Unfortunately, I’m wondering how much longer Archie will be around.  They lost their Sonic license and can’t produce their popular horror comics on any sort of schedule.  Their flagship Archie is about their only monthly comic; everything else is reprints.  This superhero digest could be good for both Marvel (wider distribution than comic book stores or Internet and more closely supports their movies) and Archie (publishing something that sells). 

There’s no chance of putting new material in these digests, but I’ve often liked the idea of a general audience magazine version of Marvel, DC, and Archie characters with new material.  They’ve all tried it, but it’s never worked.  Its either bad rack placement, price, or lack of commitment (or something else, I’m just guessing).   Marvel and DC are too involved with direct distribution to really focus on it.  Worse, most of their mainline titles are currently not suitable for such a format using reprinted recent material. 

DC did a reprint magazine not long ago, also at Wal-mart, but the decompressed story style and use of several titles, made it more of a sampler.  Marvel’s taken a few shots with kid-friendly new material in magazines.  Archie had Life With Archie, which started off as an odd mix of looking like a teen girl magazine, and featuring adult-ish Archie stories, but still drawn in the usual cartoony house style.      

I think the magazine format for comics could work on the newstand, but they need a line of them to take up more shelf space and be more conspicuous.  They’ll probably need a different publisher to make them udner license.  I’m thinking of a couple of team books (Avengers, Justice League) and solo books (Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Archie, Betty and Veronica) and maybe even spotlight books (rotating central characters like Guardians of the Galaxy, Wonder Woman, etc).  Use the classic mythos of the characters.  Stay away from heavy continuity.  There should be multiple stories per issue.  They wouldn’t have to all be self-contained, there could be serialized stories lasting several issues.  Lastly, it should be all-ages. 

Unfortunately, the entire magazine rack section at my Wal-Mart has disappeared.  I’m not sure yet if its been moved or is gone.  I guess I’d just like comics to be fun and easily available again.  This digest is a step in the right direction.             

2017 Las Cruces Comic Con Report and Geek Estate Sale

I went to two interesting places Saturday morning (8-26-17).  The first was an estate sale put on by a former co-worker of her deceased brother’s possessions.  This guy was a serious collector of comics, memorabilia, and toy soldiers.  The house was filled with comic book trades, models, and hundreds of painted soldiers (packed in individual slipcases).  I’d been there before, but hadn’t seen the items on display for sale, so I wanted to go back to get a better look.

The comics trades featured a lot of Conan books and pulp heroes, like The Shadow.  There were a few X-Men trades, which were the most conventional superhero fare.  The rest was stuff like The Authority and various comics from the late 90’s and 2000’s.  Most of the trades were new, like they may not have been read at all.  I suspect even the older comics I saw, like some old Gold Key Man from UNCLE comics, had probably been bought recently.  Unfortunately, his tastes were pretty specific and not in tune with mine.  

The figures were mostly Zulu and 1800’s British troops.  There were also WWI Palestine theater troops: Turks, Arabs, and British, including a TE Lawrence figure.  Unfortunately, none of them were on display, which might have helped sales.  I’d gotten a look at them during the previous visit.  They were gorgeous, hand-painted, about two-inch high, lead figures.  A model kit that caught my eye was a large Gundam support vehicle kit, still in the box.  I also liked a GI Joe doll in sniper gear.  I’d seen a Batman cowl before there.  The crowning piece was a signed Franzetta Conan print.  Affording any of this stuff wasn’t so the issue as not desperately needing them or having anywhere to put them.

The whole collection had to be worth tens of thousands.  On the one hand, this was very cool and impressive.  On the other, it was all left to his relatives to get rid of.  It was kind of sad and awesome at the same time.  You could almost see it as a warning.  I picked up a three Osprey military history books, some WWII history magazines, and a couple of toy soldier catalogs.  (If the figures had been Napoleonic, I wouldn’t have been able to resist getting some.)

There was a sign on the figures at the sale estimating the value of the collection that I could not have possibly read right.  [Monday edit: The sign was right, $70,000.  The individual figures were $30 to $40 a piece.]   I wouldn’t be surprised if a representative of the company, based in Hong Kong, didn’t come to the funeral if the number was right.  There weren’t any prices in the catalog.  If you have to ask, you can’t afford it, I guess.

Just up the road from the sale, the Las Cruces Comic Con was this weekend.  A very nice co-worker left me two tickets to the event.  That was very sweet of her.  Unfortunately, coming into work at 5:00, I was only able to ask a couple of people if they wanted to go with me, which didn’t work out.  Since I was going past the Con anyway on the way back from the estate sale, I stopped in for a while.  If I’d been with somebody, I’d probably have stayed longer. 

For $30 for a day pass, I’d pass on the event.  For free, I’m there.  Other people were not deterred, a whole lot of other people.  The convention center parking lot was full.  I didn’t know it was this big a deal here.  The main hallway and dealer room had to be near capacity.  This might be the convention center’s main event of the year.   

Many of the people were in costume.  This accounted for a lot of young women being there.  There was a vendor stall featuring some professional female cosplayers.  Wonder Woman was popular, especially the movie version.  One young woman working at a vendor stall in the main hall probably had the best one.  With her good looks, she didn’t need a costume to attract attention.  I noticed news crews making a bee-line towards her for interviews about the Con.  There was another large industrial vendor booth that was making costume props.  A beautiful young woman, not in costume since she was working at crafting, was sitting out front and getting attention from guys there (which might have been the intention). 

There were any number of different characters represented in costume from superheroes to anime to probably original creations.  I saw three really good ones.  There was a Batman/Robin pair.  They were fully up-armored versions of the characters.  There was a great Star-Lord costume, right out of the movie.  But the best was a Tony Stark impersonator.  He was a double-take vision of Robert Downey Jr. with the hair, goatee, and sunglasses.  He just had on a t-shirt, but with the glowing core underneath it.  (Yes, I know.  I don’t have any pictures.) 

As for me, though I have two Star Trek t-shirts and a great dragon t-shirt, I went with my Aggie Empire shirt with the Stormtrooper on it.  As usual, I got a compliment on it.  I did have the coolest t-shirt there.  The Star Wars cosplayers had a booth, but I didn’t see any Stormtroopers, who would have certainly stopped me to compliment me on my shirt.  There was a full size Chewbacca suit on display.  Did you know Ghostbusters apparently has a national cosplaying organization?  They had a booth too.

The main hallway was filled with a line of vendors and there was a ballroom filled them as well.  For a comic book convention, it was kind of sad that there were only three comic book sellers there and they all had small stalls.  So much for finding stuff on my long-term wish list, which I carry with me for just such contingencies.  I decided I was going to buy something while there to support the vendors.  I picked up three old Gladstone Disney comics.  (One has Donald and the boys dressed as Batman-like characters going out to fight crime.  This should be good.)  I got an issue of Guardians of the Galaxy, but annoying I already had it, just with a different cover.  Grrr.  At least it has a nice cover.

Other vendors had all sorts of crafts.  The Estate Sale was there with a booth.  They had some older Conan comics and some large superhero figures.  There was some kind of snake and reptile handling area.  Dave & Busters had a ball toss game area.  (I don’t think there’s a D&B anywhere in the area.)  The Girl Scouts had a recruitment booth.  I’m not sure how it worked for them, but I think most of the kids there were actually little girls, so it wasn’t a bad idea. 

Then there were the groups that were there that I couldn’t figure out why.  The public library had a display with a strange collection of magazines and books.  I think they have comics trades there to borrow, but they had old teen magazines featuring Justin Bieber sitting out on their table (for the little girls at the convention?).  A hip hop dance troop had a booth, maybe to coach cosplayer groups for a routine for the costume contest?  A local radio station had a table.  They weren’t doing a remote broadcast.  It was a guy with a table and a sign.  I hadn’t even heard of the station.         

I also decided I’d buy something from one of the writers or artists that were there.  There were a couple of authors selling novels.  I think they were aimed at young women.  The protagonists were probably having affairs with sexy, but sensitive vampires in a dystopian future.  (GD it!  As sure as I publish this, somebody will start writing it.)  Then there was a small comics publisher, Vault Comics, that looked kind of interesting, but I wasn’t sure what their main title was about.  Ah, there’s a small sign summing it up: “Lesbian Vikings.”  It’s from one extreme to another.  On the one hand, given the number of little girls present, this didn’t seem entirely appropriate.  On the other, the high female population made me feel a bit out of place and alienated AT A FREAKING COMIC BOOK CONVENTION!

I finally decided on patronizing writer Meredith Finch.  She was a pleasant looking lady that was nice to the fans she was talking to.  I wasn’t familiar with her work, so I asked.  She’s best known for working on the New 52 Wonder Woman.  In a more quiet setting, I might have had some questions, but even then, I haven’t even seen the Wonder Woman movie, much less read any new 52 comics.  She was pleasant and nice; I’m just too awkward with strangers.  

I picked up her new comic, Rose, without even asking what it was about.  (I think its aimed at young women since it features a young woman in a medieval dystopian future with a sexy vampire boyfriend.  Sigh.  Just kidding, sort of, maybe.  Haven’t read it yet.)  I got the comic and a print, both signed, for $5.  The comic has a parchment-like cover and the print is really nice.  I may need to get a frame for it.  I felt slightly bad about not buying more (like a few more issues of Rose or something from another small comic publisher that was there that might have been local).  I just didn’t want to feel dumb later, like I did when I found out I’d bought same Guardians comic again.   

I don’t feel bad about not visiting the cafeteria.  $2.50 for a soda?  I waited to get a couple of pizza slices from a local place on my way home.  The panels didn’t interest me, so I didn’t go into that ballroom.  I wasn’t around long enough anyway.  The one I might have wanted to attend would have been Meredith’s, which ended right after I got there. 

The PA announced that Gary Busey, the Con’s main guest, was available for photographs, though I noticed later that his panel was canceled.  No, I’m not sure what the Sci-Fi/Horror/Fantasy relation angle was with him either.  I understood last years’ guests, the guy from Starship Troopers and another guy from Walking Dead.  (They got introduced on field at halftime during the Aggie football game that weekend.  Football hasn’t started yet this year.)  I think the lady that got me the tickets was going to see an actress there from Walking Dead, one of her favorite shows.   

I strolled around the large game room before leaving.  This was one area that wasn’t crowded.  At the tables there were demos of a bunch of different miniatures games, all of which are insanely expensive and I wouldn’t want to be getting into.  There was a table playing Settlers of Catan.  A Magic: The Gathering tournament was scheduled earlier in the morning, but I would have thought it would have been still running.  I might have had some interest in the D&D Adventurer’s League, but I would have had to have stuck around for another couple of hours waiting for it.  The room was also listed as the video room, but I didn’t see any videos.  What is a comic book convention without an anime room?  Answer: not geeky enough at all. 

Overall, it was an interesting morning.  It wasn’t very expensive either.  I think I spent $30 if you include the pizza.  I got plenty of stuff to read now.  Would the convention have been worth $30 to get in?  Only if you were going with some other people (or are a very friendly sort of person) or taking kids (ouch, that would get expensive quick) and planning on staying awhile, if not all day.  You should definitely know in advance what panels and games you’re going for, so you show up on time for them.  (I didn’t even have a watch with me.)  I didn’t even know this event was going on until Friday, the day it started, and only because a couple of other people told me.  I wouldn’t mind going again under the right conditions, so I’ll keep an eye out for it next year. 

Baseball Journal August 21-24, 2017

8-21-17
It’s Eclipse Day.  Tacoma was in the path of Totality.  Tim Hagerty was there and reported that the city went nuts for the event during a pre-game interview.  He’d forgotten about the eclipse himself and hadn’t packed any special glasses, so Tim actually missed it.  My co-worker, Mike, wanted to go to Wyoming for the eclipse.  His girlfriend refused when he made the suggestion.  She turned out the lights in the room and said, “There!  It’s just like an eclipse!  You’re sitting in dark!”  She left the lights off for two minutes until she’d made her point.  If you think I’m making a joke here, you obviously don’t know her.

The Chihuahuas started the night in first place by virtue of having the same record and the tiebreaker over the Salt Lake City Bees.  The game started on a sour note for everyone, as the Rainiers’ shortstop tripped on the mound going after a popup in the first.  He hit the ground very hard and had to come out of the game, completely shaken up.  Hunter Renfroe was in the lineup for the Chihuahuas tonight, down from the Padres.  He started off his stint with a hit.  Carlos Villanueva hit the chalk for a double, which drove in two runs, including Renfroe busting it all the way from first, 2-0 Chihuahuas.  So far, so good.

Then, the Rainiers tied it in the bottom of the first, 2-2.  The Rainiers’ reindeer mascot, Rhubarb, put in an appearance, wearing sunglasses for the eclipse.  Tim may have been a bit jealous that the mascot was better prepared than he was for the spectacle.  Chihuahuas’ pitcher, Kyle Lloyd, may not have been ready for this game.  He loaded the bases without getting an out, gave up two runs on a double, and two more on a single.  It was 6-2, still without any outs, when Lloyd came out, and Jason Jester came in.  I got busy at that point, but got a recap.  Three more runs scored, and Jester was injured by a line drive off this leg and had to come out.  9-2 Rainiers and the Chihuahuas were on their third pitcher.

I admit that I somewhat drifted out of the game at this point.  In the fifth, Tim mentioned former Aggie pitcher, Joe Galindo.  He was promoted by the Padres today.  Joe is from El Paso, so there is some anticipation of him making it Triple-A in the future.  In the sixth, Renfroe hustled out a triple and scored on a Fielder’s Choice, 9-3.  Former big leaguer, Ernesto Frieri, was pitching for the Rainiers for the inning.  Renfroe wasn’t done.  In the seventh, he doubled in a run, 9-4.

For the ninth, the Rainiers brought out a Brazilian pitcher.  Brazil’s starting to come on as a baseball country.  The Chihuahuas scored once on another Fielder’s Choice and scored another on a wild pitch to bring the score to 9-6 Rainiers.  Unfortunately, it never felt that close, and that was the final.  Renfroe made the final out on a pop up.  He went 3 for 5, with 2 runs, 1 RBI, and no walks, which was actually what he was sent down to work on.  I’ll take the hits instead.  Salt Lake won, so the Chihuahuas went back to second.  It was unlikely that the Rainiers weren’t going to do start scoring at some point in the series.  Let’s hope for a better pitching performance tomorrow.

8-22-17
I got to work today and was informed upon entry that we were in a disaster recovery situation.  If you’re in a data processing profession, a chill just went down your spine.  We were down for the day, but recovered.  Whew.  So that said, baseball wasn’t a top priority.

Later in the evening after things had gotten back in order, I got an update on the Chihuahuas/Rainiers game in progress.  It was the sixth with the pups up 2-1.  It wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh that I was able to sit down and listen.  That was right after the Rainiers hit a two-run homer to take the lead, 3-2.

In the eighth, Hunter Renfroe doubled.  He then attempted to take home on a shallow single by Chase d’Arnaud.  Tim Hagerty was a bit flabbergasted by what happened next and had some confusion calling it, but Renfroe hesitated, then ran through the stop sign and was thrown out at the plate.  To make it worse, Rafael Ortega singled next.  When Chase stopped at third, the crowd actually laughed.  No one scored here, and the Chihuahuas went down quietly in the ninth.  3-2 Rainiers was the final.  This one stings, especially as the team had apparently had chances to break it open earlier in the game.  Salt Lake also lost, so at least no further ground was lost.  Unfortunately, Jose Rondon and Carlos Villanueva left the games with injuries.  At least the team has a day off tomorrow to recover.

8-24-17
I was not able to get any baseball Wednesday.  Sad.  Steve Kaplowitz was a guest on his own show Thursday.  Kappy was injured this week and had to take time off, and what better way to take time off than to go to the ballpark.  He called in as something of a pre-game show, since the replacement host doesn’t like baseball.  Kappy reported that Hunter Renfroe was out signing autographs for fans.  Jay Jaffe, a sports writer who is a weekly guest on Kappy’s show, was also there, signing his new book.  Tim Hagerty came on later with updates on player injuries.  Carlos Villanueva was okay and back in the lineup.  Jose Rondon wasn’t in, but was not on the DL at this point.

The Chihuahuas were starting their final homestand of the regular season with a series against the Rivercats.  Whether they’re having any post-season games is yet to be determined.  What sounded like a large, lively crowd was present.  Jaffe came into the booth in the second to chat with Tim.  He’s a Hall of Fame expert and that’s what his new book is about.

Jaffe is a stat geek and very geeky.  WAR wasn’t good enough for him, so he made up his own version of the WAR stat.  (The ultimate goal for all Sabermetricans is to find the One True Stat, which will condense all players down to single, catch-all statistic.)  Jaffe’s statistical work has actually helped players get in the Hall.  He would also probably have a few players booted, who he says got in via cronyism of elected members getting their friends in.  It was an interesting conversation.  Tim clearly would have liked to have talked to him more.  I kind of wished I was at the ballpark, so I could get a signed copy of the book and maybe chat a bit too.  (He might not have liked what I’d have to say about what I think about the importance of baseball statistics.)

Meanwhile there was a game going on and the call somewhat suffered.  In the bottom of the second, the Chihuahuas started off with three straight hits.  Nick Buss even got on by a bunt!  Unfortunately, even with no outs, the pups only managed one run and that was on a double play, 1-0 Chihuahuas.  Diego Goris flashed some “skin” in the third by making a barehanded catch of a grounder.  Renfroe doubled in the bottom and Goris doubled him in, 2-0.  In the fourth, the Rivercats would get a run on a fielder’s choice, 2-1.  At this point, the game had been flying along and was only an hour old.

This all set the stage for the bottom of the eighth.  I’d been busy and just came in as the inning was ending.  Or not.  There was a close play at first where Rafael Ortega was ruled out to end the inning.  Manager Rod Barajas came out and asked the home plate umpire to overrule the call.  I’m not sure what the Chihuahuas’ bench saw, but they seemed sure the runner should have been safe.  Obviously the crowd thought so too.  After the umpires gathered to discuss the situation, they agreed.  Tim was utterly shocked.  Either there’s some other ruling coming into play or it wasn’t as close Tim thought it was.  Certainly, this kind of reversal never happens where there’s no video replay involved.

Since Ortega was safe, this impacted the score too, as a run scored from the amended result.  Almost needless to say, the Rivercats’ manager was ejected arguing the reversal.  The Rivercats’ pitcher had to come back out from the dugout.  This didn’t go well.  Three more runs scored, including one by a passed ball.  It was 6-1 before the final out was definitively recorded.  That score would hold as the final.  In the ninth, the Rivercats’ pitching coach and substitute manager was ejected for arguing fair/foul on a batted ball.  I suspect they’ll still be pissed tomorrow.  Hunter Renfroe went 3 for 4.  Salt Lake won their game versus the Isotopes 12-0, so there’s no change in the standings.    

Numbers-Ball--A Baseball Essay

Moneyball by Michael Lewis is a book about trying to make a purely analytical approach to constructing an MLB team on a budget.  This approach eschews traditional baseball wisdom in buying and drafting players, and looks for assets that can be acquired cheaply, but still produce in certain important stats.  I haven’t seen the movie, and I don’t have a clue how they made one from this material.  It’s mostly baseball theory with some personal life profile digressions.  I got about halfway through the book and compulsively wrote out a few disjointed pages of commentary.  I stopped at that point and decided to wait until I’d finished the book before putting anything together to post.  That made some sense, but left me with a mess where I ended up cutting everything I’d written and starting over.

This book is over 10 years old, so this review is a little late.  In the meantime, the Oakland A’s, who were featured in the book, had their best chance team a couple of years ago.  Unfortunately, their GM, Billy Beane, traded for pitching, when they needed hitting.  This resulted in yet another post season flameout and the depletion of their farm system, which they’re still trying to recover from.  They’ll be back to competitiveness at some point.  Finding overlooked, value players, hungry to prove themselves (so they can make more money with another team) should produce another good team down the road.  

There’s some obvious irony that Beane’s A’s are as guilty of having blinders on as the rest of the league.  If the same strategy keeps not working in terms of a championship, just blame the format of the playoffs.  At some point, you might have to think that the A’s playoff opponents weren’t just lucky to have beaten them, but maybe they had better players.  In a short series, it’s not that season average statistics that break down, but rather it’s that individual players shine.  And just to make it worse, there are unsung role players in the perpetual shadow of great players that will inevitably break out when given their moment in the spotlight.  Statistics and analytics can’t measure heart and desire.    
 
In the afterward of the paperback edition that I have, the writer makes an angry, bitter case for the correctness of the strategy detailed in the book.  On some level, the rest of the league did listen, but they came to different conclusions.  Theo Epstein, who took the Red Sox’s GM job that Beane turned down at the end of the book, was a “numbers guy,” not a baseball guy.  He likely used some of Beane’s strategy and theories, but figured out what the missing ingredient was to make it work: lots of money.  Epstein used that “secret” formula to bring championships to two cursed cities.

Perhaps more galling has been the Kansas City Royals.  They’re a low budget team that went to the World Series twice and won one in the time since Moneyball came out, and they did so using almost the opposite strategy of the A’s.  Royals position players are speedy and go up to the plate hacking.  They value putting the ball in play and forcing the defense to react to their speed, rather than taking walks and then waiting for home runs.  Hosmer’s Mad Dash would have gotten him fined on the A’s.  (Ironically, that insane rush at home was actually a planned, calculated maneuver based on advanced opposition scouting.)  
 
I’m not a “numbers guy” as this blog has always demonstrated.  I recognize that the older stats have their limitations, but I generally like them.  Batting average, on-base average, and (the basically unused) total bases are based strictly on what batters do.  Newer stats add weighting to the stats, which makes them, in my view, arbitrary.  Those stats can now be used to prove whatever you believe in.  Sabermetricians are proof of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle: examining stats influences them.

Whether using large or small samples, weighted data is going to be slanted in the some biased way to prove the legitimacy of the stat, as opposed to the other way around.  Nobody has to “prove” batting average as an indicator of a player’s ability to hit.  Pitchers can only really be judged by Three True Outcomes (walks, strikeouts, home runs) by Sabermetrican theories.  Every other result is luck.  Yep, that’s why teams pay great hitters and pitchers millions, because they’re lucky.  Judging a pitcher by walks is even a bit misleading, because walks are sometimes a defensive weapon.  Batters are pitched around and intentionally walked to go after hitter that are perceived to be a better matchup or less dangerous.  

Moneyball featured two connected arguments.  One, you can pick better players by focusing on certain statistics, rather than just picking players by looks and traditional methods.  Two, you can put a winning team together on a budget using that focused strategy.  Michael Lewis dismissed what I think was the actual real issue in the book.  Yes, you can build a good team on a budget.  A low payroll team can compete with and beat out high payroll teams to get to the playoffs.  The problem is the year-to-year competitive imbalance between those two types of teams.

Big payroll teams are good at finding good prospects.  They’re bad at figuring out when a good player is going to decline or not going to live up to expectations.  Much of the big payroll teams’ payroll goes to players who are retired, not on the team, not playing regularly, off the playoff roster, just plain suck, or are taking up so much payroll that they can’t put a complete team around them.  When small payroll teams make these kind of mistakes, they may be done for years.  The big payroll teams just keep spending, if for no other reason than it drives up player salaries to keep them away from smarter-managed teams.

The Dodgers are playing well right now because of great young players, some guys who have performed above expectations, guys finally living up to expectations, and some good trades (namely Yu Darvish), not because of their payroll.  A bunch of that has gone towards guys not on the team anymore, high-priced veterans who don’t play every day, and Clayton Kershaw.  Yes, Kershaw gets them wins, when he’s healthy.  He’s missed significant time over the last three years from injury, and let’s face it, he hasn’t been that great in the playoffs.

Sports leagues sell competition, but some franchises are much more valuable than others.  While the franchises seem to be in economic competition, this market isn’t a capitalistic exercise.  A richer franchise putting a poorer franchise out of business, wouldn’t make the rich franchise stronger, it would make the league weaker, and thus the rich franchise weaker as well.  Nobody’s paying full price to watch the Yankees take infield and BP.  A national audience isn’t going to be satisfied with watching the Yankees play the Red Sox every weekend.  (I might be wrong on there, since the baseball-carrying networks clearly believe otherwise.)  So, richer franchises are constrained by the rules of the game and in business transactions, not just for the good of the poorer franchises or the league, but also for their own good.        

I’m okay with a league that has smart, small payroll teams playing dumb, big payroll teams.  On some level, this should be encouraged as it will increase innovation in the game.  But, the dumb teams can learn from the smart ones and put money behind those theories if they’re proven to work.  They can also waste a bunch of money making it work and only have to pay a luxury tax penalty for doing it.  Small payroll teams lose their good players to free agency, or if they do pay to keep someone who then flames out, they’re wrecked for years rebuilding.  If it ever gets to a point where small payroll teams can’t compete for a championship, this issue will need to revisited.

So overall, Moneyball was a thought-provoking book, which is almost more important than whether the theories it supported are right or not.  Baseball, with all of its statistics, fools you into thinking you make sense of it, but you never will.  They mystery will only reveal just enough of itself every night, on every ball field to keep you coming back for more.  In the end, the biggest question the book raises is: How did they make a movie out of this?

Baseball Journal August 18-20, 2017

8-18-17        
It’s so rare to catch Tim Hagerty in an unguarded, opinionated moment, that one must cherish each instance.  Such was the case on today’s pre-game segment with Steve Kaplowitz.  It was “Bad Music Friday” on the local sports talk show, and Kappy innocuously asked Tim about music that he wouldn’t want to hear during a game.  Unexpectedly and somewhat uncharacteristically, Tim went off on Freefallin’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  He thought Petty was a great artist, but that song was “like a bad boy band song.”  It was something of a “sellout.”  Of course, Kappy immediately had the song played and, listening to it in that context, Tim may have had a point.  Kaplowitz enjoyed the light ranting so much that he insisted that Tim must give out a “hot take” every Friday.

Sidebar: I’m basically neutral to uncaring about Tom Petty, but I can empathize with Tim’s point view on popular songs.  I’m a huge fan of Sting and the Police.  I even saw Sting in concert, which is about the only concert I’ve attended as an adult.  Can you guess what my least favorite Police song is?  It’s Roxanne, the one song of theirs that everyone else likes.  I’m convinced it’s just because of the Eddie Murphy’s gag version, because it’s just pure caterwauling.  

Before I heard the pre-game and the game, I had a meeting with my boss’ boss.  She was at the business’ outing to the ballpark last Saturday, and she didn’t stay till the end of it either!  Like the other two people I’ve talked to that didn’t stay, she felt kind of dumb and cheated.  The people who’d watched the end obviously rubbed it in on the others.

Tonight was the finale of the Chihuahuas versus the Isotopes.  It was the pups’ last chance to directly affect a team in front of them.  Jose Rondon rejoined the team from the IR.  Peter Van Gansen was sent down to High-A to make room for him.  I’m sure he’ll be back with the club in the near future.  The game started well in the first with Carlos Villanueva bouncing a ball off the wall to score Franchy Cordero.  Nick Buss, finally in the lineup, drove in CV for a 2-0 Chihuahuas lead.

Brian Rodriguez had the start for the team.  He got in trouble in the second with two on and no outs, but a double play and a strikeout ended the threat.  A fielder’s choice scored another run in the bottom for the pups, 3-0.  Buss collected his second hit in the third.  Franchy doubled in a run in the fifth, 4-0.

BRod got in trouble again in the sixth, yielding four hits in a row.  Rocky Gale helped out by picking a runner off third, but Jordan Patterson (again with this guy!) doubled in a run.  Eric Yardley came in and got two outs, without further damage, 4-1.  At this point, I got busy working.  Looking at the scoring, the Chihuahuas scored in the sixth via a wild pitch/ball four that brought in a runner from third, 5-1.

In the seventh, the crowd went wild for Nick Buss, who got this third hit of the night, a run-scoring triple.  Jose Rondon doubled him in, and Rocky Gale singled in the third run of the inning for an 8-1 lead.  Meanwhile in Salt Lake, Tim reported that the Bees were down by one in the ninth and had loaded the bases.  With this game out of hand, he was keeping a close eye on the out-of-town scoring apparently.  Third out!  Bees lose 7-6.  The Chihuahuas would finish out their game 8-1 before a happy crowd of 9,099.  El Paso retakes second place, two games back of Salt Lake.

8-19-17
Since I was at Aggie Volleyball in the evening, I didn’t bother trying to pick up the Rangers’ game when I got back.  I indifferently watched the NASCAR Bristol race until the Chihuahuas/Rainiers game came on.  Given the late start, my night time reception was bad and made worse by storms in the area (which thankfully didn’t go off over my head).  I had some hard times following the action.

Two bits of news.  Hunter Renfroe was optioned back to the Chihuahuas from the Padres.  That should help the pups.  Also, while the team was catching their connecting flight to Tacoma in Dallas (ugh, hold on a minute, I’m momentarily sick imagining how miserably long that trip must have been), they saw Manny Ramirez at the airport, who is still somehow playing baseball professionally.  (Were there any direct flights from El Paso to Seattle?  You could have taken a bus to Tacoma from there.)

Tim Hagerty started off the game scoreboard watching, as Salt Lake was playing at the same time.  In the second, the Chihuahuas made two errors in the field, but somehow managed not to give up any runs.  The Infield Fly rule was invoked during the inning to the delight of baseball rules geeks.  The first hit of the game didn’t actually occur until the third by Rainier, Gordon Beckham.

Reception-wise, it was probably a good thing that there wasn’t a lot of action in this game, since I had trouble hearing anything.  Rainier starting pitcher, Max Posey, came out of the game in the fifth, after pitching four 2/3 scoreless.  To that point, he’d only given up one walk in the inning and that for the entire game.  As you might imagine, he tried to talk his way into staying in the game.  The Mariners organization told the Rainiers a week ago to limit all of their pitchers to essentially a long relief role at most.  This was so they could have all of them available to the big league club as relievers.  Tonight in Tacoma, Posey’s relief gave up two hits to score the walk, 1-0 Chihuahuas.

On the other side, Dillon Overton pitched seven scoreless innings for the Chihuahuas.  In the eighth, the Rainiers got two on with one out.  That threat ended on a fly ball and Rocky Gale then throwing out a runner at second on a double steal attempt.  (Why?  You already had the tying run in scoring position.)  Carlos Villanueva hit a homer in the ninth to give the Chihuahuas a little breathing room, 2-0.  Kevin Quackenbush came in for the save, giving up only a hit and ending it on a strikeout.  The Chihuahuas won 2-0.  Salt Lake was losing by five late in their game, so the pups may be only a game back of them after tonight.

8-20-17
The Rangers’ game didn’t come on.  I had to endure more Kaepernick talk while waiting for the game.  I have more to say about him and the media supporting him, but I’m sick of talking about this (even if they aren’t).  Maybe the game came on later.  I didn’t bother checking and got a final score at the end of the Chihuahuas’ game.  Disappointing.  At the beginning of that game, we started off getting the final from last night’s Salt Lake game.  They lost.  The Chihuahuas are one game out.    

Once again, the Chihuahuas’ and the Rainiers’ hitters started off the game stone cold.  Tim Hagerty reported a pair of good fan catches in lieu of talking about the players making good plays.  Those plays at least gave the large crowd something to applaud.  The first Chihuahuas’ hit was by Franchy Cordero in the fourth.  He took second on a wild pitch, but was stranded there.

In the fifth, the pups left two on without scoring.  In the bottom, the Rainiers got their first hit.  The heavy air in Tacoma was knocking down long fly balls left and right.  Oh no, since there’s only Three True Outcomes, if nobody can hit a home run, nobody will score.  Just to prove me right, in the sixth, Chase d’Arnaud hit a homer down the line.  Tim hesitated in calling it since it was so close to being foul.  There we go.  They just needed to hit the ball harder to get it out.  Franchy got a hit next, but was caught stealing later.  In the bottom, the Rainiers figured it out too and hit a tying home, 1-1.

Jose Rondon threw out a runner on a great play in the eighth.  Fired up, the Chihuahuas got two on with no outs.  Ryan Schimpf was then awarded first on Catcher’s Interference.  Again, baseball rules geeks celebrated.  Now, the bases were loaded with no outs.  Next, Rondon singled in two.  I think he came back off injured reserve ready to play.  Two more scored on a single by Travis Jankowski, 5-1.  The Rainiers got a double in the ninth, but that was all, as a pair of strikeouts ended it.  5-1 Chihuahuas final.

Chris Huffman pitched six shutout innings, though he didn’t get the win.  That’s another good starting effort by a Chihuahuas’ pitcher.  The team is finally .500 again.  Salt Lake doesn’t play until later, so we’ll have to wait on the standings.  If it wasn’t overly exciting, at least the game was quick at two hours and 20 minutes.  A song with a winsome sax solo was playing in the background while Tim was doing his post game message.  He was very pleased with the game, the outcome, the large crowd, and the beautiful day there in Tacoma.

NM State Volleyball Crimson and White Scrimmage 8-19-17

First, this scrimmage was false advertising.  Everyone was wearing the same uniform for the match.  I could not be more upset.  Thankfully, it was a free event, so I didn’t have demand my money back.  Also, I picked up a couple of good-looking posters, a football one with Larry Rose III and a volleyball one with Ariadnne Sierra, which is pictured above.  Doesn’t Ari look pretty there?  I got it up on my fridge now.

Ron was supposed to go with me, but he canceled.  My dad told me he wanted to go afterward, but didn’t say anything to me beforehand, I guess to see if I could read his mind.  I couldn’t and went by myself.  After I’d picked up the posters up front, I couldn’t find the rubber band I’d put in my pocket for just such a contingency.  I had to walk the posters back to my truck.  By the time I got back (since the parking next to the arena was closed), I was thirsty.  I was slightly surprised that the concessions were open for this free event.  I wanted to give them a little business since admission was free.  Somehow I accidentally ended up with a tub of popcorn and a large drink, about 50% more than what I wanted.  At least the drink was needed and the popcorn was good.  I did get salt all over everything.

There was a whole cast of new freshmen on the team, eight out of 20 players.  Megan McGuire, who missed last season, was out of her leg cast and able to play.  She’s almost like having another new player.  The team now has just two Megan’s, but increased the number of Jordan’s to three (four, if you count Coach Mike Jordan).

Unfortunately, there were some notable subtractions.  Alexsa “Crash” Parker wasn’t there.  She was almost the team’s unofficial serving specialist.  Her delivery didn’t look like anything special, but when the ball went over the net, it turned into a 12-to-6 curveball and was very hard to dig.  When Crash was on, she gave the other team fits.  Briana Bustillos has moved on.  I’m not sure I saw her play, but she was very nice at the autograph signing I went to.  I also saw her at the ballpark in civilian clothes once; she looked gorgeous there.   Lexi May was also missed.  She wasn’t used much, but 6’ 5” female players aren’t something you want to toss lightly.  I was looking forward to seeing her and similarly sized Megan Hart standing side-by-side at the net, intimidating the other team.

On that note, Megan Hart was still in a knee-brace, but a lighter-looking one.  As tall as she is and as good-looking as she is, Megan should be doing runway fashion modeling in the offseason.  (Probably an NCAA violation, never mind.)  Team captain Jordan Abalos was also still in a knee-brace, but again a lighter one, not that huge mechanical one, so we think she’s better too.  The team Tweeted out a picture of her right after her surgery.  Not many women can still look beautiful in a hospital bed and a gown with tubes coming out of them.  Unfortunately, Sasha-Lee Thomas was now wearing a knee-brace.  Her injuries must have been worse than they seemed.  (I thought it was her ankle that was messed up.)  The roster sheet still has her listed being in the middle, but I think I’d heard Coach Jordan saying he was moving her to the outside to take some pressure off her.  (Sasha is also lovely and very approachable.)

For a non-contact sport, these volleyball girls really take a beating.  Recently departed Women’s Basketball coach, Mark Trahk, when asked about their WAC championship run, credited the girls’ health to their success.  And that, he credited to making sure that the girls did NOT hurt themselves in practice.  They weren’t allowed to get physical with each other or dive for balls; they just ran through set plays and situations.  Basketball and volleyball aren’t the same, of course, but I seem to recall that most of the volleyball team’s injuries last year occurred in practice.  I could be wrong, but I think I’m right there.  Anyway, make of this suggestion what you will.            

A pair of Aggie volleyball alumni joined the team for this game, Desiree Scott and Nathalie Castellanos.  They must have been recent players as they were in very good shape and fit into their old uniforms well.  I noticed both of them, kind of kept a bit of distance between themselves and the current team.  Desiree walked down the stairs right past me after coming back from the bathroom.  Up close, she was an extremely majestic specimen.  Out on court, everyone seems a bit smaller.  Natalie was the only girl out on court with short hair, and indeed partially shaved on one side and hanging over her eyes on the other.  She was very eye-catching with a killer smile.  Once between sets, unselfconsciously, Natalie bent over, shook out her hair, then threw it back.  If I’d paid to get in, I would have gotten my money’s worth right there from that dead sexy display.  

It wasn’t a game-level crowd in attendance, but the people there were happy to be there to see the girls.  Adam Young was doing the PA duties at this exhibition.  They’ve got him doing everything.  Unsurprisingly, he did a good job.  This was probably a lot easier than calling a volleyball match over the radio and having to mention everyone who touches the ball in play.  The cheerleaders were there and would likely be working the exhibition football game later.  They were wearing some cool crimson t-shirts with shiny silver lettering.  There were a few shaky moments during their routines, including a fall.  They’re still in training.  They did toss some t-shirts and little footballs in to the crowd, which was nice for free game.  A new Pistol Pete was with them.  He needs to work on his mustache.  

The girls were selling out hitting and diving during the warm-ups before the match.  That was a good sign for the upcoming scrimmage, though maybe not for their health.  Team introductions were interesting.  The two alumni were presented first.  Coach Jordan bowed down in a “we’re not worthy” pose for Desiree.  Then the team was introduced.  Freshman Julianna Salanoa was announced and displayed on the video board.  I suspect my reaction was the same as the coach when he recruited her, “Yikes, this girl looks a volleyball player!”  I mean really, she exudes power and athleticism in a tall, toned, flexible frame.  (Not to mention, good looks, which seems like an unofficial requirement.)  Megan McGuire had the best smile when introduced.  Freshman Jordan George got teased by the coach during her intro.

Set One seemed like the reserves and the alum versus the regular starters, though Briana Anisworth (and her ever-present pleasant smile) was with the reserves and freshman Brielle Sterns was with the starters.  That said, the players did switch around during the set.  Megan Hart looked good with a powerful kill and was jumping well.  Kassandra “KC” Tohm took a large share of attacks and hit well.  Julianna also had an impressive kill.  I noticed a couple of the new girls used the beach volleyball style serve.  It’s flashy, but I’m not convinced it’s worthwhile, at least indoors.  The 19-16 point was the most epic of the match.  I may have to start counting overs on the net during the season to quantify what I mean by “epic.”  The crowd starts going “Oooh” and “Ahh” while watching these kind of points.  Ari and Jordan made some great digs on hard Megan Hart kills to keep the exchange going.  The set went to the starters (?) 25-22.            

During the match, Adam told the crowd about the Aggie Soccer girls beating UTEP on Friday.  I wasn’t able to go because of work.  I’d gotten an update on the game on the local El Paso sports talk show in the evening.  The Aggies were behind late in second half, 1-0.   I checked the team Twitter feed later and found out they’d tied it and then won 2-1 in overtime.  This was the Aggie soccer team’s first win against UTEP in seven meetings.  There was a great crowd for the game.  I felt bad about not being able to go.  I felt even worse that I hadn’t gone to the soccer team’s scrimmage last Saturday.  I’d missed it because I was unsure about the weather and was in a bad mood in general.

For Set Two, the girls switched sides and also switched around some players.  I guess this is why they weren’t wearing different uniforms.  Jordan and Sasha were on different teams.  Actually, I’d sort of imagined this event with these two being team captains and picking their own teams.  More practically, I think Coach Jordan was trying out different combinations of players as units.  Freshman Savannah Davison shined in this set on the attack.  Sasha looked good, but hung back a bit and seemed tentative.  25-16 to Team Sasha, though she didn’t actually play that much.

There was a quick halftime.  Coach Jordan diagrammed something in front of the team on a board.  I could see what he was drawing, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what he was showing them.  The entertainment for the break was a couple of pairs of guys doing a serving challenge.  Lecture over, the girls turned around and watched and got a good laugh out of it.      

Set Three had Jordan, Sasha, Megan Hart, and the Alum versus KC, Ari, and Julianna.  Savannah cycled in on one of the teams.  (Forgive me for not being able to keep track.)  I noticed her making a couple of really smart plays in her shift.  That’s great to see in a freshman.  I do worry that she’s already starting off playing in a knee-brace.  Freshman Lia Mosher came in and got a couple of strong kills.  Something I hadn’t noticed before, Jordan pumps her fists even after a miss on a kill shot.  Maybe she’s practicing celebrating for the season.  27-25 for KC and the Reserves, I think.  It was too confusing.

The crowd stirred at the end of the set.  Adam came on and announced that there would be a fourth and final set upcoming.  Maybe they decided on how many sets to play based on the time.  I’m sure they didn’t want to run over the football exhibition at 7:00.  Set Four had Sasha, KC, Megan Hart, and Jordan versus Briana and the Alums.  In this set definitively, alum Nathalie took over with several kills.  Pity she won’t be playing for the team for the rest of the season.  I was very pleased to see reserve Analyssa Acosta get in some really good digs as a defensive specialist.  I hope we’ll see more of her on court during the season.  Briana and the Alums won this one 25-18.   (The "Crimson" Team was reported later to have won the the match overall.)  
 
Adam ran up the stairs by me right after the game.  He stopped to shake hands and say “Hi.”  I told him he was a busy man, doing this and all those player interviews for University’s Youtube channel.  Adam needed to get to the bathroom and then immediately out to the football field to call the charity game there (a really busy man).  However, he just couldn’t resist chatting with a fan for a minute to compare impressions of the volleyball team, especially with a guy who had been taking notes during the scrimmage.  These are my expanded (and completely uneducated) thoughts about the team.  The actual conversation was very quick and just touched on a few of the girls.  

New freshman girls Lia Mosher, Savannah Davison, Brielle Sterns, and Julianna Salanoa looked really good.  Adam thought one of them would end up being a starter.  The coach had singled out a couple of them as well in an interview.  They all needed a bit of work, especially Savannah and Julianna on their serving, but the raw ability was there.  I mentioned I’ve been reading “Moneyball,” elsewhere and I may be committing the fallacy of thinking that just because a person has the physical looks of a good player, that means that they’ll be a good player, but Julianna felt like a future star of the team.  Savannah also seemed like a really “heady” player who can play smart.

I was really encouraged to see KC Tohm making a lot of attacks during the scrimmage.  About the only bright spot in last year’s tournament game loss, was seeing more of KC and her distinctive attack style.  I could see her really stepping up and finishing the year as the team’s top scorer.  Megan Hart is wearing a lighter knee-brace and can finally jump.  She should be awesome in the middle and on the attack.  Jordan, now healthier, should be great on offense and defense as usual.  Ari will be an anchor on defense and may have some good help backing her up.

My two concerns are Sasha-Lee Thomas and Tatyana Battle.  Sasha looked good when she was playing this afternoon, but she just barely played.  Adam thought they were being careful with her for a practice game.  Looking at her heavy knee-brace, I’m worried she’s still not right.  Boy, is Sasha good when she’s healthy.  With her full time, the team should roll over the conference.  Without her or just some fraction of her, it’s going to be a struggle.

With Sasha and Jordan hurt last year, Tatyana carried the team in several games.  With so much talent on this team and only one ball to hit, I could see her time and swings reduced.  She’d gotten some criticism last year about her defense.  If she’s not in playing enough, I could see her regressing.  That would be a needless shame.  If Sasha isn’t able to play most of a game, Tatyana’s gotta be slotted in as the starter instead.          

Finally, I had to ask Adam about his interview with Ariadnne Sierra.  “She looked like a hostage in a kidnapping video.  What were you doing to her?”  She’d had another interview right before that and had gotten emotional talking about getting a scholarship.  She hadn’t composed herself before talking to Adam.  Alright, but don’t make her cry again.  We need a happy Ari out on court.

If I’d had Ron with me, I would have suggested going to the exhibition football game.  Going by myself didn’t interest me (nowhere near as much sex appeal as the volleyball and too big a crowd to be alone in).  I picked up a great meal at Schlotzsky’s for dinner on the way home.  This was a great start to another semester of Aggie sports.  

Baseball Journal August 16-17, 2017

8-16-17
It’s Game Two of the El Paso Chimichangas versus the Albuquerque Isotopes series.  Ha, ha, just kidding.  The Chihuahuas were actually in their throwback identity as the Diablos tonight.  They’ll be going with Chimichangas next season for alternative uniform day.  Deadpool will be the special guest mascot.  (I don’t why I write things like this when I know I’m going to be horrified when it actually happens.)

Ryan Howard would be in tonight’s lineup.  Were it not for the late season playoff implications of this series, this would be a bigger story.  Tim Hagerty was eager to talk to him as soon as he’s made available to the media.  Howard had to feel old when El Paso starter, Kyle Lloyd, said he’d been a fan of his since he was a kid.

The game started well for the Diablos with a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning.  That’s first base getting the grounder to shortstop covering second to the pitcher covering first.  In the second, Lloyd would face Howard and strike him out.  In the bottom, the Isotopes pitcher committed a pitch clock violation.  Tim noted these had been pretty rare this year.  He speculated that there was looser enforcement of the rule.  In the bottom of the second with two on and two out, Paul Strelzin’s “We want a hit” was played.  A bunch of kids joined in, but no one scored.

Lloyd got the first Diablos’ hit in the third.  In the fourth, he struck out Howard again, but Jordan Patterson would homer off him, 1-0 Isotopes.  In the bottom, Isotopes’ catcher, Tony Wolters, might have trapped a loose foul ball with his mask.  El Paso manager, Rod Barajas, called it, but the umpire didn’t see it or didn’t think it happened that way.  That would have been a detached equipment penalty and a moment of squee for baseball rules geeks.

While I was away from my desk in the sixth, the Diablos got on the board via an RBI double by Christian Villanueva.  Rafael Ortega would sacrifice him in to give El Paso a 2-1 lead.  In the seventh, Lloyd struck out Howard for a third time.  I’m starting to think that Lloyd might have Ryan Howard fan as a kid, but maybe he wasn’t a Philadelphia fan.  Tim mentioned during the inning that Jared Weaver announced his retirement today.  His one game with the Chihuahuas earlier this season was his last.  (I’m too lazy to look up when that was.  I think it was a couple of months ago.)  Lloyd was pulled after putting on two Isotopes.  Barajas lingered on the mound to argue with the ump, but no one was ejected.  (I sense one is coming before the end of the series.)  Jason Jester got the final out.

I noticed in the eighth that the crowd, which was probably good-sized, seemed really tense as the score remained 2-1.  Buddy Baumann came out in the ninth for the Diablos to try and close it.  Ryan Howard grounded out to start the inning.  It wasn’t his night.  There was a single by Wolters.  The crowd became very quiet.  The next batter struck out on a foul tip.  The fans rose and clapped on the next batter when he got two strikes, but he singled.  Wolters took a chance and made it to third.  Tim reminded everyone that lots of different strategies were now in play with the tying run at third.  At this point, I’m quiet and listening.  I only started breathing normally again when the final batter struck out.  The Diablos won 2-1 and took over second place in the division over the Isotopes.  That’s two close, tight games.  Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

8-17-17
Game Three of the Chihuahuas versus the Isotopes.  Jabari Blash got the scoring started with a solo home run in the second.  That was his twentieth, to lead the team.  Later in the inning, Chihuahuas’ pitcher, Jordan Lyles, managed to work a walk on a 3-2 count.  The pups had another chance for more in the third.  Franchy Cordero hit the chalk on the foul line for a double.  He made an out trying to take third on a fielder’s choice.  Tim Hagerty conducted an impromptu lecture on baseball theory about making the first (or last) out at third base.  In this case, he thought it was okay, since Franchy was a quick runner and that some teams don’t want players second guessing themselves about going or not going.  Blash would later hit a double and there were runners on second and third, but a strikeout ended the inning, 1-0 Chihuahuas.

In the fourth with two on and no outs, nemesis Isotope Jordan Patterson drove one in.  Ryan Howard was able to sacrifice in the other.  A third run scored on a double, 3-1 Isotopes.  In the bottom, Travis Jankowski, even though the game wasn’t half over, was having a bad game at the plate.  He argued balls and strikes after his at bat and got tossed before manager, Rod Barajas, could save him.  No problem, the Chihuahuas still had plenty of outfielders on the bench.  (This is a bit of a sore spot for me.  Releasing Colin Cowgill and keeping your hitting leader, Nick Buss, parked [I should be shot for that pun] feels like bad personnel management.)

Franchy singled in a run in the fifth.  The crowd really started getting into it and later jeered the umpire for a bad balls and strikes call (and probably also the ejection).  Tim loved the passion.  Franchy stole third to avenge his earlier out and actually knocked the base loose.  Blash got on from a hit by a pitch, but no other runs scored, 3-2 Isotopes.  No other offense generated until the top of the ninth, when Ryan Howard finally got a hit, a double.  He was brought by a double by Tony Wolters (and Tim indicated that Howard even had trouble scoring on a double).  The Isotopes would score two in the inning and end up winning 5-2.  The Chihuahuas are back to third place.  They left 12 runners on base in the game.  Jordan Lyles at least had a decent game, which is encouraging.

The Rangers and White Sox were the MLB free game.  I was criticizing the game selection earlier in the week, but looking at the standings, there actually aren’t a lot of meaningful games at the minute.  Some head-to-head matchups in the September between the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers may be interesting.  I joined this game in the sixth with the Rangers up 8-5.  I saw Elvis Andrus shatter his bat hitting a grounder.  Half the bat went towards the shortstop, who fielded the ball.  The other half went towards the first baseman, who caught the shortstop’s throw for the out.  That’s some concentration there.

In the seventh, the Rangers loaded the bases with no outs.  A foul ball just went into the stands and a fan interfered with the left fielder getting it.  I don’t think the fielder would have got it anyway.  The fan couldn’t hold on to it and just ended up with a sore hand.  The Rangers only managed to get one run in off of a walk, 9-7 Rangers.  In the eighth, Elvis splintered another bat off a different pitcher.  He needs a new supplier.  Alex Claudio came in for the save.  He gave up a home run and a hit, but finished it, 9-8 Rangers final.