Baseball Journal August 25-27, 2018

8-25-18

Today’s MLB game on Mexican TV was the Cubs and the Reds.  The game started a bit too quick for them and they weren’t able to show all the league standings.  Oh, my God.  The Orioles are 52 games back in the AL East.  The Yankees are only 8 ½ games back as the Red Sox are now only playing .600+ ball.  Some divisions are decided, others are too close to call. 

In the second, Daniel Murphy hit a two-run homer to cap a three-run inning for the Cubs.  It’s his second homer since he was been traded from the Nationals.  In the third, he made a diving catch at second.  That was his second good fielding play of the game.  I told you this guy was a good pickup for the Cubs.

Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 5-2.  The pitcher spun around on the mound without looking at the ball fly out.  By the seventh, it was 7-2.  Cubs’ catcher Willson Contreras got the Purple Heart for this game.  After getting hit on the knee while batting in the first, a foul ball bounced off the ground and hit him right between the legs while he was catching.  (I didn’t need the slo-mo replay of that.) 

His Little League uniform nickname read “Willy the Beast.”  The players were all wearing Little League World Series style uniforms this weekend.  Speaking of that, Hawaii won US bracket this afternoon while this game was going on.  I stopped watching the LLWS after too many domestic abuse scandals and steroid allegations.  I also don’t like the kids taking a knee during the Anthem, even the International kids doing it now.  (Or maybe I couldn’t take the five-minute commercial breaks between each inning and the announcers breaking down each kid’s game like they’re a bunch of prospects in the minors.)

The Reds played like a bunch of Little Leaguers in the bottom of the seventh.  (Ooh, what a segue.)  Three fielders converged on a popup only to have it clank off a glove and load the bases.  “Murph” hit a sure double play ball that the shortstop muffed, allowing everyone to be safe.  A single drove in two more runs.  The bases were loaded again before the Reds got the final out.  It was now 10-2 Cubs.

In the eighth, the Reds did make a comeback on a three-run homer, followed by a solo shot, to make it 10-6.  I’d name names here, but I had the sound down and couldn’t figure out who was who based on the nicknames on the back of their jerseys.  In the ninth, Anthony “Tony” Rizzo went over the rail at the camera well to catch a foul ball for the second time.  The Cubs won 10-6 and are looking sharp. 

About halfway through the Cubs’ game, the Rangers and Giants game came on the radio.  As the coverage started, Brandon Crawford hit a three-run homer to center as part of a four-run inning in the first for the Giants.  Well, that was all the scoring until the seventh, when Hunter Pence hit a pinch hit homer for a 5-0 lead. 

I didn’t hear about last night’s game until today, but the Rangers went down early then and came back late and won.  This afternoon in the eighth, Roughned Odor hit a three-run bomb off Hunter Strickland to make it 5-3.  He’d hit a similar home run last night.  Joey Gallo had reached on an error with two outs to start the rally. 

I suddenly became a bit worried about Eric.  To start the eighth, he got ready to read his daily limerick.  It was dedicated to Bruce Bochy, manager of the “A’s?”  And then he lost the paper that he wrote it on and couldn’t read it until he found it later.  On the other hand, Eric did write a limerick, something I couldn’t do on the fly, so he’s still got plenty of faculties left. 

Ranger reliever Chris Martin let runners on the corners with no outs in the bottom of the eighth, but got out of it.  In the ninth, the Rangers got two on in scoring position.  Adrian Beltre came in as a pinch hitter, but struck out.  Bochy took out his closer after a walk loaded the bases.  Carlos Perez, just called up, came in to pinch hit and ended the game on a fly out.  Giants won 5-3.  That wasn’t much of a game until the end.   

Aggie Football’s game against Wyoming and the Chihuahuas’ game against the Rainiers both started at the same time later at night.  Football was on FM and was the Aggies’ opening game of the season.  The Chihuahuas’ station was on AM and was coming in poorly tonight, however they were on the verge of clinching their division tonight.  I put two radios on and tried to listen to both, which worked about as well as you’d think. 

Let’s just pull the band-aid off.  The Aggies lost 29-7.  Those 7 points came inside of the last two minutes when new quarterback, Matt Romero, threw a 31-yard touchdown.  It was against the Cowboys’ first team defense, who were going for the shutout and are reportedly one of the top 10 defenses in the country.  Offense and special teams were an issue tonight for the Aggies.  20,000 fans showed up at Aggie Memorial stadium, which is awesome.  That’s about 2/3 capacity.  Hopefully, they’ll all come back next month for the game against the Lobos.

In Tacoma, the Chihuahuas either needed a win tonight or a loss by the Bees in the Fresno to win the division and get to the playoffs.  Admittedly, it’s a matter of “when” not “if,” but you want to hear that winning moment.  The Rainiers went up 4-0 early.  The pups got back in it with a couple of runs in the fourth.  In the seventh, they put up three runs to take the lead, 5-4.

But in the bottom, the Rainiers tied it back up on a solo home run.  In the eighth, they loaded the bases and scored them all, as Dusty Coleman fell down in the outfield trying to catch the ball.  In the ninth, down 8-5, Tim Hagerty was somewhat excited by the out-of-town score.  The Bees and the Grizzlies were in the ninth.  The Grizz were down 6-2 to start the inning, but had scored a couple and had two on.  The Chihuahuas got one on in their ninth, but a double play ended the game, 8-5 Rainiers.  We went to commercial.

A completely stunned Tim Hagerty came back on two minutes later and announced that the Grizzlies had beaten the Bees.  The Chihuahuas are the PCL Southern Division champs for the fourth time in a row!  What a way to end a 10-game winning streak!  Tim pronounced Kyle Tucker a “friend of the Chihuahuas” for his walk-off home run in Fresno, at least until the playoffs.  That homer also clinched a playoff berth for the Grizzlies too.  Okay, that was fun and unexpected. 

8-26-18

When I got back from Aggie Soccer, I tuned into Stadium for a scheduled Women’s College Volleyball match, which wasn’t on, as usual, unless they finished up real early.  I’m getting disenchanted with their scheduling.  The Chihuahuas were on and I came into their game with the Rainiers in the seventh. 

With the pups clinching yesterday, neither team is playing for anything.  Manager Rod Barajas even put out a joke lineup card before the game.  It was 4-2 El Paso when I started listening.  Tim Hagerty was commenting on the between-innings entertainment there in Tacoma where a community theater puts on skits.  They only do original bits.  So, as Tim said, “Sometimes they’re good, sometimes not.”

The first pitch of the bottom of the seventh went straight out to make it 4-3.  Then the score would get tied on a blooper just inside the foul line.  The crowd got into it and then booed loudly on a close play at first that ended the inning.  The Chihuahuas worked three walks to start the ninth.  Auston Bousfield drove in one run on a fielder’s choice, but that was enough.  Seth Simmons allowed a lead-off single to start the bottom, but got the save.  5-4 Chihuahuas.

KROD carried the ESPN game right afterward.  It was the Yankees versus the Orioles.  Didn’t I just mention that the O’s are 52 games out of first in the AL East?  (It may be more than that today.)  I know these games are chosen well in advance, but was this really the best matchup to broadcast?  I was almost insulted.  Was this game even necessary?  I think we can all guess who the winner was going to be, it was just a question what the final score would be (in this case, 5-3 Yankees).  The Red Sox have hit a bit of a skid lately and the Yankees are closing in, just five games back.

 

I did learn a couple of things from the broadcast.  You can use player nicknames to get their attention for autographs.  And Hawaii won the Little League World Series over Japan.  Congratulations.  

8-27-18

I hate to admit I wasn’t into baseball today.  Going to the soccer match yesterday got me worked up for Aggie Sports this season.  I made a half-hearted attempt at listening to the Giants and the Diamondbacks on the MLB.TV free game.  The warm friendly tones of Jon Miller greeted me on the broadcast for a game that at least was meaningful for the D-Backs.  However, the stream suddenly dropped when I walked away from my desk for a minute and I gave up on it.  Listening at my other workstation to another game, the Richmond Flying Squirrels were in the midst of a three-game, 20+ inning scoreless streak.  Their announcers were downright depressed.

I eventually settled on listening to the Chihuahuas playing the Rainiers, but didn’t pay a huge amount of attention.  Granted that the pups have won their division, the rest of the regular season doesn’t matter.  Not to mention, I missed all of the scoring in the game.  That was Shane Peterson getting an RBI hit in the second inning.  The final score was a 1-0 Chihuahuas’ victory.  Logan Allen, Kazuhisa Makita, Carter Capps, and Rowan Wick obviously pitched well for the dogs.

Speaking of Kaz, Tim Hagerty mentioned that most Japanese players in the US have significant fan followings in their home country.  Kaz live-streamed the Chihuahuas’ victory celebration on Saturday to thousands of people back in Japan.  Tim gave the disturbing news during the game that Chihuahuas’ star Luis Urias was about to be called up because of an injury on the Padres.  He did assure everyone that all Triple-A teams lose good players at this time of year.  Don’t panic yet.  This was the Rainiers last home game of the season.  After the game, their players went into the crowd to sign autographs.  That’s a nice gesture.

Baseball Journal August 22-24, 2018

8-22-18

Somehow, I was at work at 8:00am again for a meeting.  Once again, I stuck around all day.  If I’d been home, I could have heard the Rangers this afternoon on the radio.  The game was also a free game on Facebook, but only if you’re a signed-up, which I’m not.  The other MLB.TV free game was a power match-up between the Indians and the Red Sox.  The Sox had lost three-in-a-row, including two to the Tribe.  This was their longest losing streak of the year. 

They were showing the NESN feed.  Tonight, they were doing a fund-raiser for the Jimmy Fund, a cancer charity.  They had guests on during the broadcast.  Most striking was a kid, maybe 10 or 12.  He had cancer and problems coming from it, but was still brave and upbeat and a big Sox fan.  He was a New Englander in the best sense of the term.  Unfortunately, it was a short inning, but he loved the view from the pressbox.  “No wonder you guys can call home runs so quickly up here.”  The kid had plenty to cheer for with a 10-4 Red Sox victory.

On the Flying Squirrels tonight, Jeff Samardzija made a rehab start for the Giants’ Double-A affiliate.  Meanwhile, the Giants are trying to deal off Andrew McCutchen and Buster Posey may be about to have surgery, thus effectively ending their season.  In El Paso, it was the best-est Diablos Days of the season with a replica Diablos jersey giveaway.  Okay, I’m sorry I missed attending this game. 

So, we had the Diablos facing the Isotopes tonight.  The Diablos got off on a bad foot with a Luis Urias’ error and a single scoring two runs for the Isotopes.  Francisco Mejia made that lead short-lived in the bottom with a two-run homer.  The Padres organization may have gotten a winner in the Brad Hand trade.  Javy Guerra piled on with a two-run homer in the second to make it 4-2.  In the third, Tim chatted with a season ticket holder.  The fan actually called Ty France’s leadoff homer as it happened.  Javy doubled in another run that inning and singled in a run in the fifth to make it 7-2 Diablos, which was the final.  Logan Allen had a good start pitching, including a four-pitch sixth inning.  The Chihuahuas have got an eight-game winning streak going and their magic number for the playoffs is four.

8-23-18

Today started off with the MLB.TV free game between the Rays and Royals.  When I tuned in, it was Duffy versus Duffy.  In this case Royals’ pitcher Danny Duffy was pitching to Rays’ batter Matt Duffy.  The announcers were excited and had been waiting all day to make that call.  I didn’t actually watch much of the game, but I did see in the third when a fly ball hit the “B-ring” catwalk that was caught at the wall.  Balls hitting that catwalk are in play and it was almost a three-run homer.  You gotta be aware of those Tropicana Field ground rules. 

With the scored tied at 3 in the bottom of the ninth, the bases were loaded with Rays with one out.  Kevin Kiermaier grounded into a fielder’s choice.  The throw came right home.  Salvador Perez, very uncharacteristically, clanked on the low throw and the run scored.  The Rays won 4-3. 

I heard a bit of the pregame for tonight’s Chihuahuas’ game.  Steve Kaplowitz gave Tim Hagerty some news about the Isotopes, tonight’s opponent.  Matt Holliday was called up to the Rockies.  However, his cleats didn’t make the trip with him.  But, his cleats from his great 2007 season were there at Coors Field on display.  They broke them out for him and that’s what he used when he played for them today. 

The Chihuahuas’ magic number to clinch is 3.  Early in the game, Tim talked about the team’s division-winning plans.  He was unafraid of jinxing them at this point as it’s just about inevitable with a couple of week’s worth of games left.  The pups got it started with Ty France hitting a two-run homer in the first.  This kid is even not listed in my baseball season preview magazine as a top 10 prospect.  I’m simply amazed.

The Chihuahuas never looked back after that lead.  I was pretty busy during most of game (admittedly mostly stuffing my face with a large dinner).  I’ll just hit the highlights.  Forrestt Allday cranked a three-run homer in the fourth.  Santiago Casilla, former great reliever with the Giants, came into pitch for the Isotopes in the fifth.  Dusty Coleman hit a two-run homer off him.  Cal Quantrill started for the dogs and went six innings with only 1 earned run.  Dusty made a great jump catch at the wall to end the game with Tim making an emphatic call of the play.  Let’s add it up.  It was 14-2 Chihuahuas today.  That’s a four-game sweep of the Isotopes, a nine-game winning streak, and a 16-game home game winning streak.  I’m just going to let that speak for itself.

8-24-18

My definition of “work” is turning into being overwhelmed by paperwork on a daily basis.  Well at least today, that meant I was mostly at my desk and able to listen to a good game.  The MLB.TV free game was the Phillies versus the Blue Jays.  This was at least a meaningful game for the Phillies.  The pleasant baritone voice of Dan Shulman did the play-by-play with Buck Martinez providing color.  It was a bit like a good ESPN game where they talked about the players, teams, and baseball in general around the game being played.

There was a great crowd there at Rogers Centre in Toronto.  The Blue Jays do some good promotions.  Upcoming ones included a Buck Martinez alarm clock, an R2-D-Took sock hat, and a Jays batting helmet.  I caught a couple of glimpses of one of the hot waitresses that work the seats behind home plate.  At Turner Field, there was a girl working there for a couple of years that always got my attention during the game. 

The teams were wearing their Little League World Series-themed uniforms with nicknames on the back.  This is a great promotion for baseball.  Kevin Pillar, who wanted to be identified as “Superman,” but couldn’t because of trademark restrictions, threw out Scott Kingery at the plate from centerfield in the second.  Seemed pretty super to me.  In the bottom, Kendrys Morales homered for the fifth straight game, also pretty super.  He’s flirting with a record. 

In the fourth, Rhys Hoskins “Big Fella,” made a great diving catch in center.  (Hoskins’ teammate, Tommy Hunter, took the nickname “Bigger Fella.”)  Rhys came up shaking his hand.  Martinez reminded everyone that it’s concrete underneath that Astroturf.  Yeesh.  You don’t like thinking about those things.  There was a discussion later about bats.  Most players now favor shorter, lighter bats.  Martinez said it was because they were more like the aluminum bats they used in college.  Not to mention, it’s bat speed that causes home runs, not heavier bats. 

Curtis Granderson was not in the game.  His replacement in the lineup hit a homer.  They showed the “Grandyman” in the dugout a couple of times.  The announcers were wondering what he was going to be doing after he retires.  They thought, with his experience and personality, he could manage, go into broadcasting, try politics, or might work as a charity fundraiser (he’s raised millions for various causes).  His options are wide-open.  He’s pretty likeable player.  I remember him starting with the Tigers and then following him along to various teams. 

The Blue Jays won 4-2.  I was too busy to really keep track of the scoring, but I really enjoyed the commentary.  I admit I was rooting for the Phillies, but the Jays played a good game.         

Meanwhile in Arizona, Aggie Volleyball played ASU as the Soccer team played Northern Arizona.  Since I’ll hopefully be going to their matches in the near future, I think I’ll save my commentary for those reports.  Unfortunately, they both lost.  It was a bit disappointing.   

The Chihuahuas were in Tacoma and were looking to clinch the division tonight.  It was cool there in the Pacific Northwest.  It was projected to be 50 degrees by the end of the night.  There was smoke in the air from forest fires in Canada, but not bad enough to make it unpleasant.  I was busy and sort of mentally tuned out of the game, though it might have had more to do with the score.  I think it was 1-0 Chihuahuas for much of the game. 

Tim Hagerty was searching for Wi-fi in the broadcasting booth, looking for updates on the Salt Lake game.  The Chihuahuas winning and the Bees losing would decide the division tonight.  By the eighth, the pups were up 2-0.  The Rainiers loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom.  They got a run on a sacrifice.  Shane Peterson threw out a runner at home on a single to end the inning. 

The other game was close too.  Tim was basically alternating play-by-play on the games.  The Bees won, though Fresno nearly came back in the ninth.  The Chihuahuas won their game 3-1.  It was a bullpen day and they did a great job.  Their magic number is now 1.   

NM State Aggies vs Pacific Tigers Soccer 8-26-18

The Aggie Soccer team has started the season 0-4, if you count the exhibition game with ASU to start the season.  They were close in that game, but I think goalie Dmitri Fong came out before the end, maybe injured.  They played to a 1-0 loss at San Diego State against the Aztecs.  Hey, I’ve actually seen those girls play on TV (10-6-17 and 11-4-17).  I love their goalie’s name, Gabby English.  The worst thing about that loss was the Aztecs were a player down because a red card.  I don’t know how the rules work on that.  They might have gotten the player back later or not, but it was for at least a half. 

They lost in Arizona again to Albany.  Dmitri was out for that game, but I think Aileen Galicia had a goal in that one.  Coach Rob Baarts was on the Aggie Coaches Show after that game.  He said that Dmitri was out with back spasms and he had started a freshman, Mia Montano.  (Actually, I don’t think he mentioned any player names during the interview.)  He was promoting the team’s first home game and promised a “New and exciting” style of play.  I ran into the coach earlier in the year (1-20-18), and I did mention that the team was playing in a defensive, counter-punching style.   

Friday night (8-24-18), I followed along on the team’s Twitter feed as they played Northern Arizona.  The Aggies had a two-goal lead, but were tied at the end of regulation.  They lost in overtime, 3-2.  Dmitri started the match, but was not in the game by the overtime.  I suspect she may have come out for injury.  I won’t say the Aggies’ season hinges on Dmitri being healthy, but I’m sure everyone concerned would like her to be in goal and able to play well.  Aileen had another goal in the game.  I’m sorry I’m playing favorites and not mentioning every scorer. 

We’re up-to-date.  Ron was not able to go with me for today’s game, so I was solo again.  My Aggie Country Pass got me right in.  That’s one.  If I go to 27 more games this school year, the pass is paid for and everything else is a bonus.  (Don’t worry.  I won’t keep a countdown in every post, just mentally.)  I thought I’d go without an umbrella today, but after roughly two seconds out in today’s heat and humidity, I changed my mind.  It was announced at 91 degrees and I’d guess 50 to 60% humidity.  The guy sitting next to me was actually using a little water bottle to spray himself.

There was no courtesy water today, so I bought a Gatorade.  There was a nice poster of Rebecca Mazzie and Micaela Miavec on the table though.  I’ll post it next time.  Becca actually has an Alex Morgan-y look going for her in the picture.  (Oh, Alex.  Sigh.)  There was a group of students attending the table.  One asked if I was a student.  How polite of you, child.  Actually I think they were looking for blood donors.  Boy, all you’d need to help out with the heat and humidity today would be some blood loss.   

The crowd seemed pretty thin to start, but filled in well during the first half.  I wished it was a bit more sparse, a few specific fans actually.  (I only heard a couple of comments about last night’s football loss.  Maybe that’s for better.)  Right off the bat before the introductions, some of the fans were complaining about the refs.  Suddenly, I was reminded of how much I hate soccer fans.  I’m going to make a guess they’re the same everywhere, and not just annoying here. 

Let’s just vent on this right now.  I am sick of these people coaching their daughters from the stands, if not outright deriding them.  (You’ll see what I mean later.)  I’m tired of them getting on the refs, no matter how much they might deserve it.  At least baseball umps can directly eject fans to keep some order.  There’s no way to really adequately call this game by the rules anyway (just like the NFL).  It’s probably the nature of the sport itself that brings out this bad fan behavior, not just limited to drunken English hooligans.  Over-serving the angry parents here might cause a riot though.      

Fan-wise, the Old Man was there at one end of the stands cheering.  However, I didn’t see Danny.  Nor did I see Marty, the senior lady that the girls had befriended last year.  If she’d been there, I would have gone with her to see the girls after the game.  The Aggie Baseball team came to support the girls.  They must like them.  One of guys is really handsome, but I don’t know who he is without his player number and a lineup card.  I’m sure the girls know who he is.  Another guy had a drop dead gorgeous girlfriend with him. 

On that note, some girls from the Swimming and Diving team were there along with their coach.  Two of the girls were really hot.  Unfortunately, one that wasn’t so hot kept yelling for a friend on the soccer team to embarrass her, but really mostly succeeded in embarrassing herself.  She might have come into the stands over-served already.  I have this vision of getting banned from the park for what I write and then complaining, “You let all these obnoxious jerks in and you’re kicking me out!”

Team-wise, star goalie Dmitri Fong was on crutches.  I don’t know what the specific injury is, but it’s probably not good.  I hope it isn’t season-ending.  I really like watching Dmitri play.  Beyond her goaltending, she very much takes charge whenever she has the ball.  Another big loss is Devin Hart, but that was from graduation.  Devin was one of the big scorers for last years’ team and she was really nice.  (I still have her poster up.  I can’t quite part with it.)  Cristina Bertoldo also graduated and was a good defensive presence.  I got a glimpse of her at this match later.   

I noticed a few players that didn’t return to the roster from last year.  Mariah Baker was hard to miss out on field with her piles of curly, red hair (and freckles).  Alyssa Greenblatt was also easy to spot with her long, blonde hair.  Mariah and Alyssa seemed a bit awkward playing at times, but I was rooting for them to do well on the field.  Diminutive Puerto Rican Tuti Tirado, whom I’d spoken to after a couple of games, was gone too.  Raemann Garcia was the third goalie, but actually saw quite a bit of action.  I advocated for her to start at one point (9-10-17) when Dmitri was injured.  Good thing the coach didn’t listen to me.  After that rough fill in, Ashley Martin bounced back with a good game (9-17-17).  

The baseball players should have been right at home as the PA played that Genesis song that gets played before their games start.  (I should really get the name of that song.)  An angry-looking black cloud appeared out of nowhere to the south of the stadium.  I hadn’t brought my jacket, thinking there wouldn’t be any weather issues for a couple of hours, but I did have my umbrella.  There was an undesired five-minute delay before starting the match for a repair on one of the nets.  I was just about a puddle of sweat already.  My dear Aileen Galicia stood near the stands waiting to play and danced a bit.  That was about as happy as she’d get during the match.         

First Half

And another thing I hate about soccer is my notes on the games, which are almost as hard to decipher and worthless as my volleyball notes.  At least my volleyball notes describe players scoring, not almost scoring, as they do here.  One of the parents shouted out some last minute instructions to his daughter, but did add a “Have fun out there!”  That’s the most encouraging thing I’ve ever heard a soccer parent say here. 

Given that I heard several different parents say a dozen times during the match, “Shoot it!”  I’m only surprised I didn’t hear one of them yell it before the opening the whistle.  If Ron had been with me, I might have been an ass and started yelling, “Shoot it!” if the ball was a midfield or the goalie was holding it, until somebody figured out I was mocking them.  And I would have been!  On the rare occasions when a player took that advice, the ball inevitably bounced off a defender or never reached the goal.  If the players aren’t shooting the ball, it’s probably because they know they don’t have a clear shot.           

Okay, let’s start.  42’ minutes left (I’m still not going to bother translating the scoreboard timekeeping into proper soccer timing), the Aggies got a shot on a breakaway that went high.  40’ Kaitlyn May (who apparently has friends on the Swim team) made a great defensive play, kicking a good chance out of the Aggie box.  38’ a Pacific player hit the scoreboard over the Aggie goal with a terrific bang.  That must have been a very hard kick. 

“Run her over!” Thanks, dad.  More great coaching from the stands.  36’ Aileen made a solo breakaway.  (You wouldn’t have to tell her to run someone over.)  35’ Mia went down in goal during a rush at the Aggie net.  Samantha Afonso made two no-hands blocks from point blank to save a goal.   Alternately, it was #14 Kaitlyn.  Fonzi is #4.  (That’s her up top with Dmitri in the poster above.)  It’s hard to see who’s at the goal when there’s a bunch bodies there.  Either way, it was a tremendous.

34’ there were a pair of Aggie offsides at midfield.  I’m officially confused about the offsides rule again.  Thank goodness I’m not playing.  26’ it’s still hot and bright, but we all heard a couple of rolls of thunder from that dark cloud.  It didn’t seem that threatening at this point.  24’ after two good passes, Audriana Chavez took a good shot.  If they could just develop plays like that more often.  20’ Sarina Stockton got taken out at the knees and hit the deck.  Her dad (at least I hope, because otherwise this would really be awkward) shouted and told her to get up and keep playing.  Even with the somewhat disappointing result of this match (spoilers), that was the low point of the match for me.  Easy.

19’ Pacific hit the Aggie crossbar.  They’re getting closer.  18’ Emma Smith drove the field immediately afterward and took a shot.  Right after, a girl, who didn’t even entirely have possession of the ball at the time, was encouraged to (you guessed it) “Shoot it!”  13’ after a good crossing pass, Aileen did a great dribble and took a shot.  12’ Fonzi kicked away another shot on an open Aggie goal.  Mia recovered and then caught a follow up shot. 

8’ Fonzi stripped a Pacific player on the Aggie side of the field and led an attack downfield.  Aileen kicked it to the front of the net from the corner.  I have #9 Alexa Barrera taking a headshot on goal that was saved.  (That might not be the correct player.)  Aileen looked like she was starting to cramp, but at 5’ left she kicked another assist from the corner.  A shot in front of the net just missed.  Right before the half, Aileen gave Kaitlyn a quick chewing out in front of the stands during play.  It was a little shocking, but Aileen is a senior and should be one of the leaders on the team (as opposed to some yahoo in the stands shouting out random instructions).            

Halftime

Oh, and the score was nil-nil at the half.  There were only three official shots on goal total after 45 minutes of play.  There was a quick student soccer skills competition on field.  They surely didn’t want them running on field too long, lest they collapse from the heat.  Lovely and sweet Cristina Bertoldo walked by the stands.  She now seems to be an assistant with the team.  Cristina spoke briefly with a parent nearby.  If she’d come a little closer, I would have said “Hello,” but I didn’t want to bother her otherwise.  It was nice to see her.  Maybe I’ll get another chance later in the season to talk to her. 

Second Half

Some more clouds rolled in and the wind kicked up.  I wasn’t worried about the weather yet, but was happy for the breeze.  43’ right off the bat off a free kick outside the Aggie box, Abigail Wolf put one just under the crossbar and over a jumping Mia.  She made a good try at it, but up to this point, Mia had probably been bailed out mostly by her teammates’ efforts.  1-0 Pacific.   

This might have let the air out of the crowd and my notetaking, which got sparse at this point.  36’ Becca got a pass to Aileen in front of the net, who took a shot that was blocked by the Pacific goalie.  34’ nearly the same play, but the ball went just wide.  After two good rushes at the net, Aileen may have been gassed.  She came out.

Pacific took the offensive.  (In fairness, it might not have been because Aileen wasn’t in.)  22’ off another free kick, a Pacific header went over Mia into the net.  I’d attribute the goal, but I couldn’t see the player and DJ Downs kind of muttered her name afterward.  2-0 Pacific.  21’ sprinkles started falling on the field.  This is sort of welcome, but worrisome. 

The Aggies went into offensive mode.  On the sidelines, Coach Baarts was becoming noticeably animated and vocal.  18’ Micaela Milavec got a shot on goal.  16’ Aileen came back in.  15’ Fonzi took a shot outside the Pacific box.  In spite of the two goals, the ball was on the Pacific end of the field for most of the half.  2’ left in the game.  Micaela again, but this time she fired right in front of the net.   “Gooooooooooal!”  2-1 Pacific.  I almost missed the goal while I was scribbling (as usual).  I’m not sure how the play developed, but I think Pacific was distracted too and fell asleep on defense.  There was no one except the goalie in front of Micaela. 

2-1 Pacific was the final.  Official shots on goals were 6 to 4 for Pacific.  Yeah, I’m not a soccer expert.  I don’t how to break this down.  I would say the girls are playing more of a pressure offense under Coach Baarts than under Coach Delgado, so on some level it was more entertaining.  The Aggies had chances on offense, but Pacific could have scored more too, but for some good impromptu defensive work at the net. 

The two goals the Aggies gave up were off free kicks, so penalties played a part in the loss.  I think Dmitri would have stopped both shots, but mostly because she’s taller than Mia.  Obviously, telling someone to “Be taller,” isn’t constructive criticism.  Ashley Martin has more experience as a goalie, but she’s even shorter than Mia.  If Dmitri can’t come back, there might need to be some strategic rethinking.  The team is a work in progress.      

“Please clear the stands.  There’s lightning in the area.”  Well, that announcement took everyone’s mind off the loss right away.  I didn’t even stick around to see the girls wave to the crowd, if they did.  There was a thunderclap about a minute later, so I’d have cleared the field too.  It didn’t look that stormy, and in fact, it didn’t hit for another hour and was pretty brief. 

I told myself to go straight home, or stop by Schlotzsky’s, which is on the way.  (I’m afraid to go back.  If the ice cream machine is still gone, I may not recover.)  Instead, I ended up at What-a-burger.  It turns out my stomach will control the wheel when hungry enough.  I may have lost a few pounds just from sweating.  I used a coupon for free chicken strips, which I inhaled and was still hungry afterward.  I’m hoping to go to the game this Friday and that it will work out better.

Baseball Journal August 19-21, 2018

8-19-18

The Rangers played the Angels in Arlington.  Matt Hicks was doing the commentary with Jared Sandler.  Eric Nadel was out for the weekend.  It was overcast there, but they didn’t seem worried about the weather, especially after the two-and-a-half hour rain delay last night.  I couldn’t get that game to come in later in the night, but I wasn’t trying too hard either.  Too bad I missed it.  The Rangers won 11-6.

In the first, Roughned Odor drove in Shin-Soo Choo.  Ruggie has really got it turned on.  Late last night, Matt did a limerick in honor of Bartolo Colon, who was honored before the game.  He has the all-time record for wins for a Latin player.  Matt said he’d never worked harder on a poem.  He was still revising it right up until when he read it.

Yovani Gallardo started for the Rangers.  He struck out the side in third.  In the fourth, the Angels scored a run on a play at the plate.  The runner got around Isiah Kiner-Falefa taking the throw.  Shohei Ohtani, who hit a three-run hr last night, scored on a double play to make it 2-1.  The fans at the park suddenly applauded.  The announcers figured it was for the clouds completely covering the sun and providing some shade.

In the fifth, the fans were probably not quite as pleased with the weather.  Severe winds kicked up, even blowing a fair ball foul.  The guys had trouble keeping their notes from flying away.  Unsurprisingly, rain started up soon after, delaying the game for 20 minutes.  I took a nap.  Play resumed and a bit more rain fell in the sixth. 

In the bottom of the seventh, it was full-on raining again.  Ruggie came up with two on and jacked out a three-run homer.  The crowd erupted.  Jared Sandler gave a tremendous call of the play.  It was now 4-2 Rangers.  With the rain increasing, the grounds crew dragged out the tarp with two outs in the inning.  Matt and Jared admitted to being lost in predicting the weather, because Eric was the one with the magic weather app.  During the hour delay, Matt composed a limerick about the rain and Ruggie’s home run, which he read in the eighth.  In the ninth, Jose LeClerc made short work of the Angels for the save and a 4-2 Rangers’ win. 

That was a long broadcast, but I was busy during it writing.  About an hour later, the Chihuahuas played Las Vegas.  Steve Kaplowitz and Butch Henry were again doing the commentary.  A lovely cello version of the Anthem started the proceedings.  I could hear some dogs barking, so it was obviously a Bark at the Park game. 

In the first, catcher Raffy Lopez threw out a runner to end the inning.  In the bottom, Luis Urias was hit by a pitch and was then doubled home by Raffy.  Brett Nicholas drove him in to make it 2-0 pups.  Kappy had dropped an eggroll in the booth during dinner.  He was sure Tim Hagerty would be furious when he got back.  In the second, a single and an error by Forrestt Allday got the 51’s a run, but the batter was thrown out trying to advance to end inning, 2-1.  Javy Guerra came right back with a homer to make it 3-1.  In the third, a balk moved up Raffy on base, who was then driven in by Shane Peterson to make it 4-1.   

The fifth was special for a couple of fans as there was a proposal between innings.  (She said, “Yes.”)  In the sixth, Dusty Coleman made a diving catch in the outfield.  He’s been making some good plays out there for an infielder.  The 51’s scored later in the inning to make it 4-2.  Guerra did it again in the bottom by driving in two to make it 6-2. 

In the seventh, Patrick Kievelhan, former Chihuahua, hit a two-run homer.  It seemed to carry in the wind.  Another run scored on a double to make it 6-5.  Jerry Keel had been pitching since the fourth, but there was no relief in sight.  He came back out in the eighth and got one more batter before he was taken out.  Kazuhisa Makita came in and gave up a two-run homer and the lead, 7-6 51’s. 

It was looking bad in the ninth.  Allday was on first, but there were two outs and two strikes on Luis Urias, whose hitting streak was on the line.  He tripled to tie the score.  Ty France came up after an intentional walk.  He banged one off the wall to bring in Urias to win it 8-7.  Wow!  This call-up kid Ty is impressing the heck out of me.  Games like this are why I never get tired of baseball.

8-20-18

I’d been watching (well, mostly listening, because I was busy with work) Gibi on Twitch playing Fortnight for a while, when I checked the MLB website for the free game.  It was the Giants and the Mets and it just started.  However, I just couldn’t tune away from Gibi. 

Today’s stream was titled, “If I don’t win a solo match today, my family disowns me!”  She came in second in one match and screamed and fell out of her seat and kept screaming.  She started talking to herself, “Gibi, stop looting.  You’re going to get yourself killed.”  The funny thing was that she wasn’t listening to herself and continued to loot.  Gibi came in second twice, but didn’t win and her family disowned her.  I should have posted a marriage offer to give her a new family.  (I can already sense this blog is going to turn into a daily Twitch-watching summary in the offseason.) 

The game, meanwhile, moved pretty quickly and was already official by the time I tuned back.  I felt a bit bad for not watching, but I could listen to the red-hot Chihuahuas later anyway.  I looked at their schedule.  Oops.  They’re off today.  This was my only game.  Nevertheless, I regret nothing.  (Gibi was so fun today.)

Actually, my viewing of the game never got on track.  It was 1-0 Mets for most of the game.  This was the Giants’ feed of the game.  Rich Waltz and, former player, Javier Lopez were doing the call.  They were doing a good job.  Javy had a very relaxed, conversational style.  I came in in the middle of a discussion about position players pitching.  60 different players have done it so far this year.  They thought there should be an award for the best one.     

They had quite a bit of discussion on the Giants’ hitting woes.  They’ve tried all the “voodoo” stuff and a “Come to Bochy” meeting to break the collective slump.  Eventually, the Giants did manage to scratch out a run to tie it tonight.  Mr. Met was shown working the crowd.  Javy mentioned he was a Mets’ fan as a kid, watching them on WOR on cable.  (I saw them there too.)  Jon Miller came in to work with Javy later.  Even with the close score, I still wasn’t really paying attention.  I kept assuming it was going to be over soon.  It wasn’t. 

Let’s jump ahead to the thirteenth inning.  In the top of the inning, the Mets made two errors, had a wild pitch, and allowed a stolen base without a throw.  All that said, the Giants only scored because two fielders collided on an infield popup by Brandon Crawford that allowed Andrew McCutchen to score from third.  “It’s better to be lucky than good,” observed Javy.  The Giants won 2-1 in a tidy four hour, 20 minute game.  I think the only people left there at Citi Field were the group of Giants fans who came together on a charter bus from their hotel.

8-21-18

When I got into work yesterday, I asked some co-workers how the Chihuahuas’ outing went.  There was apparently a good turnout for it.  The hour delay wasn’t too bad and the rain was pretty quick.  I asked if Chico came by.  He did and played catch with one of them.  An opposing player even tossed a ball into their section.  The fireworks show was spectacular.  All that said, I-10 was indeed closed that night.  Getting back home, especially given the late start and the fireworks, was a long, difficult process for some.  I’m still okay with not going, though playing catch with Chico would have been cool.  

Before tonight’s Chihuahuas’ game, I heard a couple of interesting baseball interviews.  On El Paso Sportstalk, Tracy Ringolsby, Rockies reporter, was a brief guest.  Boy, is he smart about the team and baseball.  I wish Steve Kaplowitz had had more time with him.  Ringolsby also offhandedly dropped at the end of the interview that he knew Don Haskins well and had some stories about him, so he’ll be invited back.

Meanwhile on the Flying Squirrels’ game, they interviewed an umpire, whose name I unfortunately missed.  (I’ve got to start writing down names better.)  His knowledge of baseball was real deep and fascinating.  The announcer asked the ump to explain a “fourth out."  I’ve never even heard of this.  Even after looking at the Wikipedia entry, I still don’t understand it.  Did you know that there’s a difference between the “hitting stance” and the “batting stance?”  It makes a difference in calling high strikes how the batter stands when he actually swings, as opposed to how he just stands in the box.  And in answer to the question, “Do umps do makeup calls?”  The answer was a resounding “No.”  (They only do that in the NBA, which is a reality show, not a real sport.)

Tonight in El Paso, the Chihuahuas were taking on the Isotopes.  The Rockies affiliate featured one of their top prospects, Brendan Rodgers, and distinguished veteran, Matt Holliday.  Tim Hagerty was particularly excited to talk about Holliday during the game.  (Good to have you back, Tim.)  I missed the first half of the game.  Chihuahuas’ starter, Walter Lockett drove in a run in the second.  Matt Holliday drove in a run in the third. 

I basically joined the game in the fifth with the score 3-3.  In the sixth, El Paso got two runs, one on a double play and another on a single by Forrestt Allday.  The crowd hadn’t finished cheering when a large clap of thunder suddenly stopped play.  The umps cleared the field and the tarp came out as rain was incoming. 

During the one-hour, 21-minute break, I found out about Nationals giving up on the season and sending Daniel Murphy to the Cubs.  I’ve seen this guy do well in the playoffs.  This move might be a big deal later on.  Even more shattering was that they’d put Bryce Harper out on the waiver wire.  I’m not sure if it was surprising or not that he fell all the way to the Dodgers, who also refused to take him.  The Nats waited too long.  They couldn’t even give him at this point.  Now Harper just walks away.

Play resumed in El Paso.  In the seventh, Rodgers drove in a run on a fielder’s choice to make it 5-4.  Shane Peterson made a sliding catch to end the inning and saved a couple of runs.  In the bottom, Ty France homered to make it 6-4.  Where did this kid come from?  RBI-landia?  In the ninth, Colten Brewer came on.  He put two on with nobody out, but got the next three batters without letting a run score.  6-4 Chihuahuas and 14 home wins in a row.  The fans are getting spoiled.        

Baseball Journal August 16-18, 2018

8-16-18

This has just not been my week for baseball.  I’m glad the Chihuahuas are winning at least.  Once again, I was too busy or didn’t have access to the station to listen.  A storm blew through town here tonight that caused a problem at work.  Unlike previous years, where strong rains would flood through our back door (thankfully, finally fixed), now the A/C cooling the computer room keeps going out during storms.  This requires a repairman to fix and a couple other co-workers had to come in.  It was fixed and the rain never got near the ballpark in El Paso, but it was really hard to listen to the game with all this stuff going on.

The Chihuahuas returned home to face the Las Vegas 51’s tonight.  Francisco Mejia got things started by driving in a run in the first to make it 1-0.  I did get to hear the big play of the game in the sixth, well event of the game.  A Vegas player was hit to put two on with no outs to start the inning.  A player in the Vegas dugout thought it was intentional.  He started shouting and said the wrong thing and the umps tossed him.  He then went out on field to continue complaining and then confronted the El Paso dugout.  With the crowd booing the player’s one-man show, there was nearly large confrontation, but it was diffused.  Bronswell Patrick, the Chihuahuas’ pitching coach, was also ejected.  And the net result was a double play that ended the inning without Las Vegas scoring.

In the bottom of the sixth, it was Mejia again with a double to bring in Luis Urias.  Shane Peterson then drove in Mejia to make it 3-0.  Las Vegas would score off of solo home runs in the seventh and the ninth.  El Paso really shone on defense in the ninth with two great fielding plays, including Dusty Coleman diving flat out to catch the final out of the game.  Chihuahuas won 3-2.  They’re still on a roll.

The MLB.TV free game should have started earlier in the evening, but rain in Kansas City delayed the game between the Royals and the Blue Jays.  The delay must have been at least two hours, because the game was still on after the Chihuahuas had finished.  I joined the game late and the stadium there was pretty empty.  They did a shot of some kids cheering for the camera.  The announcers were wondering why they were there so late on a school night and chastised their parents.  I was busy at this time with the air conditioner.  All I caught was the announcers mentioning something about the Royals having a consecutive game streak without an error.  The announcers were also tired and started rooting for a double play to quickly end the inning.  They got their wish on a slick-looking DP and didn’t jinx the streak by mentioning it.  The Royals won 6-2.

8-17-18

It was the Indians versus the Orioles for the MLB.TV free game.  The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the first on Jose Ramirez two-run homer.  He’s actually leading the AL in that category.  In the third, the Indians loaded the bases with two outs, but ended the inning with a strikeout.  In the fourth, the O’s did exactly the same thing.  Strange. 

Jim Thome was being honored in Cleveland this weekend after his Hall of Fame induction.  The announcers talked to his manager, Mike Hargrove, one inning.  Then they talked to Thome.  He was just beaming.  It’s pretty easy to be happy for him; he seems like a good guy.  He remembered once getting a special home run ball from a couple of ladies, who were big fans.  The team gave them a bunch of stuff for the ball.  Thome was pleased they took care of the fans.  They must love him in Cleveland.  There was already a statue of him at the stadium.     

I missed most of the game, but came in at the end.  In the ninth, it was 2-1 Indians, a low-scoring game.  The Orioles got a runner to second, but Cody Allen got a strikeout to get the save.

I tuned in for the Chihuahuas’ game with the 51’s and unexpectedly heard Adam Young, the voice of Aggie Baseball.  I was actually disoriented for a moment and was sorry I missed the pregame.  I didn’t find out why Tim Hagerty wasn’t there for the evening, but was assured he’d back.  In any case, it was great to hear Adam, and he must have been thrilled to be doing a Triple-A game.  That’s a big time call up.  Adam was talking about the team in enough detail that I wonder if he listens to their games too.  He must have at least been listening to their last game, since he knew all about it.

Being another busy night, I had some trouble listening.  Mostly, I just got the scoring.  The Chihuahuas loaded the bases in the first.  Allen Craig drove in a run with a sacrifice to give them a 1-0 lead.  In the second, Las Vegas loaded the bases with two outs.  Logan Allen struck out their pitcher to end the inning.  In the bottom, Javy Guerra hit a no-doubter homer.  Logan Allen then hit a blooper that had two fielders colliding trying to get it.  Carlos Asuaje, down from the Padres, hit a two-run homer to make it 4-0.

In the fourth, Vegas hit back-to-back homers.  One went clean out of the park.  Their rally may have been cut short with catcher Francisco Mejia throwing out the lead runner on a bunt attempt.  In the bottom, Luis Urias singled in a run to make it 5-2.  In the fifth, the pups piled on some more.  Ty France doubled.  Allen Craig drove him in, and then Javy doubled him in, 7-2. 

In the seventh, reliever Carter Capps, who was guarding El Paso’s bullpen mound made a play on a foul ball.  He was all smiles from making a good fielding play, as he tossed it into the crowd.  Asuaje drove in a run that inning to make it 8-2 Chihuahuas, which was the final.  I’m out of superlatives for this team.      

8-18-18

While I waited to go to the Aggie Volleyball Scrimmage, I tuned into the MLB game on Mexican TV, featuring the Yankees and the Blue Jays.  They started off the broadcast by looking at the standings.  The Yankees are playing .600+ ball and are 10 games behind the Red Sox in the East, who are playing .700+ ball.  The Indians are up by 12 in the Central.  The Astros were one game up on the A’s, until today, when they lost, so now they’re tied.  The A’s are red hot.  The NL is closer all around.  The Braves and Phillies are about tied in the East with the Nationals seven games back.  The Cubs are up by four on the resurgent Cardinals.  The Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Rockies are knotted up in the West.

The YES TV coverage was featuring the twentieth anniversary of the 2018 Championship Yankee team.  Oh wait, I mean 1998 Championship team.  Don’t want to get ahead of myself, like the Yankees’ marketing staff might have.  For the anniversary, the players came back and were honored on field.  Derek Jeter appeared via a video.  They also had some players in the booth, Andy Pettitte and Paul O’Neill.  I think the Mexican announcers were mostly ignoring them and just trying to call the game.

They Yankees won 11-6 (like they’d lose on a day like today?).  It was 8-1 when I left in the sixth, so I didn’t miss much.  It was kind of a sloppy game.  On one play, the Jays’ catcher turned around three times trying to find a wild pitch that was right behind him.  Him and Austin Romine, both took hard shots from fouls.  Romine had to come out, though they waited until the next inning to do it, even though he was clearly disoriented.  We’ll see if this has any lasting ill effects.  (Gary Sanchez is still out.)  Speaking of disoriented, Brett Gardner looked lost on a long single.  He mishandled the ball twice and the batter got to third.  That was highlight of the game for me.

When I got back from the Scrimmage, I later tuned into the Rangers’ game.  They were doing Rain Delay Theater.  They played an interview with Joey Gallo that I admittedly enjoyed while I was waiting for the Chihuahuas’ game.  Gallo is a big taco fan.  He has some kind of sponsorship with Chipotle’s, who gave him a year’s pass to the restaurant.  After six months, they stopped accepting his card.  When he called about it, they told him he’d used it up.  Him and some other players are big video game players, including Fortnight.  Gallo hopes to meet Derek Jeter someday, since he’s a fan.  And Gallo loves cookies and was asked the eternal question: Are oatmeal raisin cookies healthy?  So much for my Ranger coverage.           

I flipped stations to the Chihuahuas’ game.  The warm, friendly tones of Tim Hagerty were still absent.  (He’s out for the weekend to go to a wedding.)  Instead, Steve Kaplowitz was doing the call, and his call was that the game was in a rain delay.  Suddenly, I didn’t feel so bad about not going to the game, which I could have via tickets from work.  However, this was a dreaded double rain-out situation for my night’s entertainment.  I starting watching something, but kept checking the radio.  After an hour, I fortunately started the game with the first batter. 

The reception was really poor with a lot of crackling, which meant there were still storms in the area.  If I’d gone, it would have been with somebody.  Even with fireworks afterward, I wonder if I’d been able to stay for the whole game, especially if there’d been another delay.  Kappy was clearly loving doing play-by-play.  I’d guess his daily duties keep him from doing this on a regular basis.  Kappy was joined by fellow El Pasoan and former big leaguer, Butch Henry, doing color commentary. 

Celebrating the Year of the Dog, the Chihuahuas were wearing special Asian-themed jerseys with their name written in Mandarin Chinese.  Vegas started off the game with a two-run homer, but Francisco Mejia answered back with a two-run homer in the bottom.  Butch was asked about the pitch clock.  He didn’t like it and chuckled, saying that he was pretty sure that Players’ Union won’t allow it.  Between the owners and fans wanting it, and it not costing the players any money, don’t be so sure.

 

In the third, Ty France doubled in a run.  Allen Craig would be thrown out at the plate, trying to score on a single.  The call was apparently wrong on replay, but it was 3-2 dogs.  Kappy asked Butch about comebackers to the mound.  Butch remembered getting hit by one hard enough to break his cup.  Kappy was aghast and kept asking him about it. 

In the fifth, Chihuahuas’ starter, Cal Quantrill gave up a homer to Jose Lobaton that went over the Big Dog House to make it 3-3.  In the bottom, Kappy reported seeing lightning in the distance.  I was hearing some thunder, but it couldn’t have been the same storm.  It got close enough that I turned off my computer and I went to my laptop to keep writing.

 

In the seventh, Luis Urias tripled off the wall.  It was nearly a home run.  France singled him in to give the pups the lead, 4-3.  Kappy was worried that the lightning show in the sky would be overshadowing the fireworks show after the game.  (I’m not sure if they shot off the fireworks or not.)  By the next inning, there was a light rain at the park (and here in Las Cruces too). 

In the ninth, Vegas loaded the bases with two outs.  Rowan Wick ended it on a strikeout.  That’s a 4-3 Chihuahuas’ win and 12 in a row at home from the team that couldn't win at home earlier in the season.  The game finished around 10:45.  I’m pretty sure if I’d gone with somebody, they would have left before the end, even with the close game and fireworks afterward.  I think the city was also shutting down I-10 this weekend, so who knows what traffic was like getting back.  I think I’m okay with having just gone to see volleyball and listening to the ball game on the radio. 

NM State Aggies Volleyball Crimson and White Scrimmage 8-18-2018

On the one hand, I was looking forward to the start of Aggie athletics for another school year, especially volleyball.  This Scrimmage is a nice event for the fans to start the season with.  On the other, I’d passed on going to see a Chihuahuas game tonight that my workplace was paying for.  There were a variety of reasons, but ultimately I didn’t think I was entirely welcome and I didn’t want to see some of the people there either.  I assured a co-worker that I was going to be partying with the lovely volleyball girls tonight, so he needn’t feel bad for me. 

It seemed like a bad omen when I was reminded that both games were on the same day though.  Ron was going to go with me, and we were going to go early to visit the ticket office and buy Aggie Country Passes.  Those are full year passes to everything except Men’s Basketball and Football.  Yes, I was finally making a commitment.  Unfortunately, Ron canceled.  I ended up scrambling to get ready and left in a hurry.

The ticket office was open, but it was nearly the worst-case scenario.  The beautiful blonde ticket girl from last semester (5-12-18) was there.  This was a bit awkward.  She was probably dreading seeing me again, and there I was right off the bat this semester.  Meanwhile, here I was buying a pass, which meant I wouldn't be buying tickets from her this school year.  She recognized me (little wonder, I was wearing the same shirt I had on the last time I'd seen her) and we shared a friendly wave as another woman took my order, but we didn't talk.  Well, this got everything off to a bad start.

I was an hour early for the match, but the doors were thankfully open, as it was hot and humid outside.  Inside, the courtesy table had some definite goodies.  Sometimes I wonder if I just come here for the free posters and cards.  I'll post them later, but I'll tease out that they're very, very nice.  The football poster is cool with Jason Huntley.  The soccer poster features Dmitri Fong looking hot.  The schedule cards with Aileen Galicia and Megan Hart are lovely.  Oh, but that Briana Ainsworth poster may be my all-time favorite.  It's her smiling like she always does on court and you could just fall in love with it.  Like I said, I'll post them later. 

Since it was a free event (except for the $140 I just spent at the ticket office), I thought I'd get something at the concessions, which conveniently opened right after I bundled up my posters.  I was also pretty thirsty after I walked back in the heat to my truck after getting the pass.  They gave me a deal on a large raspberry tea and a small popcorn for $6.  (Trust me, that's a deal.)  The tea was great.  The popcorn might have been leftover from last semester. 

I must have looked like the perfect Aggie fanboy, as I made way down the stairs to a seat in my “Made History” t-shirt, juggling my drink, popcorn, and notebook.  And I was the first fan there, an hour before the game.  There were plenty of arena personnel there, along with a full camera crew.  Out on the court was the whole cheerleading squad (except for the Sundancers and the cute little Goth cheerleader wasn't with them anymore).  A couple of coaches were instructing them and telling them what the event schedule was.  I didn't know they had coaches.  I've literally never seen a coach with the cheerleaders before.  PA Ed (whose last name I forgot to write down) was working the mic.  This wasn't just a dress rehearsal for the volleyball team.  I’d hoped to run into Adam Young to congratulate him on filling in for Chihuahuas’ baseball, but he wasn’t there. 

The volleyball team came out to warm-up along with their coaches.  The cheerleading coach came over and gave Coach Mike Jordan a hug.  There was no sign of that pretty blonde assistant that worked with the coach last year.  I think I may have mentioned her once or twice, but really she distracted me for the whole season and I actually wanted to figure out some way of meeting her.  (At least we have a common interest in the volleyball team.)  I was mentally noting who was playing, but it wasn't until some other fans came in with programs that I went back up front and got one (they were laid out after I’d gotten the posters) and then confirmed the personnel.       

I knew that the team would be missing some key players from last year due to graduation.  Captain Jordan Abalos went down early last season.  Multiple players had to step up to make up for her loss, as she was almost irreplaceable (and above all, her brave heart).  Sasha-Lee Thomas never seemed right all season.  She could take over games by herself when healthy.  KC Tohm really came into her own last year and led the team in kills.  Somebody's going to have to get those points this year. 

Libero Ari Sierra is a really bad loss because she was getting all the digs and nobody else was close, except for Jordan.  This means nobody was really being groomed to fill in for her this year.  Kaylee Neal, who was the other main defensive specialist last year, is now working with the Pan-Am staff for her degree.  She was sitting with the volleyball assistant coaches, and at first I thought she might have joined their staff. 

There were a few more subtractions.  One of last years' standout freshmen, Brielle Sterns had gotten over her knee problems, only to succumb to a season-ending shoulder injury.  (I hope this wasn't another practice injury, but it probably was.)  Hannah Combs, who'd come off the bench and played so well, wasn't on the team anymore.  I don't know why, but I can guess her on-court injury last year (10-21-17) may have ended her career. 

Megan McGuire was also not on the roster.  She'd been on the team for a couple of years.  She was injured one of those years and had had very limited play time.  I was looking forward to seeing her or Analyssa Acosta being the libero.  Megan McGuire and Megan Hart also seemed to be good friends off court, so Hart probably misses her.  I also think she was going out with a baseball player, but I don’t know who.  Maybe he graduated and took her with him.  I actually talked to Megan once at the ballpark after that game where Hannah was injured.  Megan was very composed and polite.  If she’d been a starter, she would have been a good candidate to be a team spokesman to the media.   

The team got plenty of reinforcements though.  Jordan George and Savannah Davison (she took a great picture for the promo image above for this game) were red-shirted from injury last year and are ready to go now.  Seven new freshmen and a red-shirt sophomore have joined the team.  Okay, between these players and the returning players who've had only very limited playing time, that's most of the team.  I'm honestly wondering why the coaches picked the Aggies to win the conference.  Well, Coach Jordan does do a great job of recruiting and training, so the new players are probably pretty good.

Then there's the seasoned players coming back.  Tatyana Battle is the captain and she really picked up her game last year.  I don’t think this really means anything, but during this exhibition, just by the sound of it, she had the hardest hit ball of the match.  She reminded me a bit of Sasha there.  Not to mention, Taty is now taking after Sasha’s hairstyle and it looks great.  Megan Hart is still very tall (and beautiful).  The leg brace she’s wearing now looks more heavy duty than last year, but if her knee holds out, she’s literally unstoppable. 

Sweet Briana Anisworth and Natalie Mikels shared the setting duties last year.  The coach likes Nat’s serving, so he had her in a lot.  Briana seems like a leader on court this year.  She really seemed to be enjoying being there today and being a senior.  Lia Mosher is still an impressive presence at the net.  The prediction I made about KC last year was pretty good, so I’ll make another.  Lia’s going to be the star of the team.  Other teams will be game-planning her specifically.  I’ve listed five sure regular players and that only covers three positions, and none of them are liberos.  The coach is going to have some work to do on the roster.                 

Pistol Pete came in right before the match to make this an official Aggie event.  The girls came back out in their game uniforms, unlike last year (8-19-17), the girls were divided up wearing crimson and white.  They did their usual dance, joined together and going around in circles, but they forgot to put the music on for them.

The girls were introduced, freshmen first, and they were mostly in white.  Two of those girls stood out.  Lindsay Blakey was easy to pick out at 6’3” and perhaps the longest hair.  Little (by comparison) Zoe Abeyta seemed the happiest to be there.  Both girls are from New Mexico.  Of the veterans, Julianna Salanoa flashed the best smile at the crowd.  Briana was working a smartphone and videoing the girls during the intro.  Associate Coach Ben Wallis addressed the crowd and told everyone they’d be playing four sets and asked that the fans pick a color to root for.  Coach Jordan sat behind a desk at one end of the court to watch.   

Set 1

There weren’t any alumni players like there were last year.  I’d noticed an athletic young man in shorts and an Aggie t-shirt hanging out with the team during practice.  At one point, he made a great dig and the girls cheered for him.  I was surprised when he joined the White team on court to play.  He was definitely a volleyball player, though I don’t know for whom, not NM State.  Perhaps he’s on a practice squad for the team?  The PA called his name a few times.  I think it was Jared Neal, maybe?  He was an outside hitter, so he took some hard swings that the Crimson team had to deal with. 

The Crimson veterans took a 4-0 lead to start.  Jared got the first White point on a kill, 4-1.  Jordan George served an ace to close it to 4-3.  Julianna got her first point at 7-4.  (I apparently only kept track of who played for which team intermittently in my notes.)  I noticed that freshman Brittany Welch was taking most of the shots for White and got some kills.  Savannah for the Crimson got several of their kills and think she was the one who got a great save dig at 13-9.  Both of those girls played well in the set.  25-16 Crimson was the final.

Set 2: Crimson 1, White 0

A few of the players changed tops before the start of the next set.  This time, a couple of players seemed to be designated liberos.  The first point of was one of those crowd-pleasing long ones.  Brittany got a couple more kills in the set, as she kept getting fed the ball.  Another freshman, Cat Kelly, got a kill and then a block.  The coach may have mentioned her in an interview.  She’s not that tall, but can really jump. 

Natalie Mikels went on a long run serving.  She has an odd motion, standing sideways to start, but it works for her.  Last night, Adam mentioned a ball player from Jenks, Oklahoma, and I was like, Where have I heard of that town before?  That’s Nat’s hometown too.  Savannah ended the run on a dump kill.  I said last year watching her, I thought she was a “heady” player.  Without having to wear a leg brace this year, she’s got the athleticism to go with it. 

14-11 White was another long point with several players diving for the ball.  White took that point and the point at 18-12 with two good saves just off the floor.  22-14 Brittany chalked up an impressive kill.  I need a scorecard for kills, blocks, and digs.  24-17 Cat made a solo block.  The final was 25-17 White.  I think coach liked Jordan G’s serve.  At one point, he had her serving for both teams.

Set 3: Crimson 1, White 1

Some of the girls again changed tops.  The coach was testing out some more combinations.  Julianna got another point and a block early in the set.  Sophomore Kiely Tonge came in to serve.  Freshman Kassi Stolz made her first appearance to serve.  PA Ed made an announcement that Raising Canes was an official sponsor for the volleyball team and that promotions would be forthcoming.  I am more than intrigued, if not enthusiastic, about this.

16-4, I noticed the coach put his head down on his desk as the White team left their middle wide open for an easy kill.  I hope he wasn’t doing that for the whole match.  17-6, Julianna got a tip kill.  That’s really encouraging to see.  She’s got such a powerful (yet very feminine) frame, but she needs to make the smart plays, not just pounding the ball.  Lia Mosher got a pair of kills late.  24-8, Briana ended a long point on a dump kill.  25-8 Crimson final, Set 3.  Pete came by and got a picture with a couple of kids.

Set 4: Crimson 2, White 1

The Cheerleaders did the Macarena between sets.  Pete danced with some kids in the crowd on camera.  Julianna started off the set with a strong kill for the Crimson.  I keep mentioning her in my notes.  I admit I’m playing favorites.  She’s so built, Julianna could totally pull off cosplaying in a chain mail bikini with a sword at a comic book convention.  (Hey, the Las Cruces one may be coming up here soon.  Just a thought.)  I still think she’ll be a great player.  Ari said it took her two years to finally start listening to the coach.  Keep listening, Juli.

Megan Hart came in hammering an overpass kill to make it 4-3.  Like I said earlier, “unstoppable.”  (And stunning in the preseason pic.)  Zoe Abeyta made it into the game.  I was hoping she’d get in, though I don’t think she was announced.  10-9 White, Bridgette Lowe got a kill.  I didn’t see much of her in the match.  In fact, the regulars kind of took a backseat in this game to the reserves. 

12-12, Julianna and Cat combined for a block.  15-13 Crimson, Lindsay Blakey, the tall freshman, combined with Savannah on a block.  15-13 Crimson, I have someone making a solo block on Jared, but the number isn’t right.  It might have been Lindsay.  Alternately, it may have been a great dig by Analyssa Acosta on his shot.  I hate myself and my note taking.  It was an impressive play at the time whatever it was.  Jared (hope I’m getting your name right) actually started taking most of the shots late and kept the game close.  Lindsay and Ashley Anselmo also made a good blocking combo.  Set 4 final was 25-19 Crimson, who won the match 3-1.

I’m no coach, but I’ll throw out a couple of observations.  Last season, by my count, there were 13 regulars in the lineup, but three of those were because of injuries.  So, Coach Jordan may like using 10 regulars.  Megan and Lia have the middle covered.  Bri and Nat will split setting again with Nat cycling in to serve.  Taty is definitely one of the hitters, probably with Bridgette.  Based on what I saw, Savannah and Brittany should be getting regular time.  Sav is smart and Britt, even as a freshman, seems ready to take shots.  Julianna, Cat, and Lindsay should also get some play time for more evaluation.  Libero?  I don’t know.  Jordan G’s good at serving, but may be questionable on digs.  Nobody else stood out.  Blame Ari for making everyone else look bad by comparison.

It was fun, but afterward, the terrible foreboding I’d had all day was fulfilled.  I went to Schlotzsky’s for dinner and . . . and . . .

They took out the ice cream machine.  (Deep breath.)  Noooooooooooooo!

If I’d known this, I might not have bought the Aggie County Pass.  I might have blown off Aggie Sports for the year.  Now I’m stuck with going without Carvel ice cream to celebrate victories and drown sorrow in defeats!  This really sucks!  Further, I had to wait five minutes before being served, they tried to mis-charge me on the meal twice, and they got the order wrong anyway.  The place also seemed to be in semi-darkness, like they hadn’t turned on all the lights.  If there’s some new management there, I don’t like the direction they’re going.  In fact, just tear down the building and rebuild the Dairy Queen that was there.  They had great hamburgers and Blizzards.  I still miss them.

This day started off inauspiciously and ended disastrously.  At least the middle was good.  I guess I’m committed to more Aggie Sports this year and finding somewhere else to eat before and after the games.  I am still eager to see more of this Aggie volleyball team.