NM State Aggies vs Cal State-Fullerton Titans Soccer 8-27-23

Mya Gonzales gives us a smile.

“We need a win,” as fan Michael would say during Aggie Baseball losing streaks.  Indeed.  After Thursday’s Soccer loss, Aggie Football lost their home opener against UMass, 41-30.  Turnovers did the Aggies in.  It was a low-scoring game until the fourth quarter, where the teams combined for 48 points!  It seemed like the crowd was there until the end, though the outcome wasn’t in doubt.  They were waiting for the fireworks afterward.  UTEP also lost their first game.  Nobody in the Borderland is happy. 

 

The game was on ESPN.  I was told that their commentators called the game, “a pillow fight.”  (I was listening to the local radio coverage.)  I hope you guys still have jobs after your network gets sold.  It’s not like they couldn’t replace you all with AI voiceovers that would do a better job.

 

Aggie Volleyball lost their first game at a California tournament, but came back and won the next two.  Even better, Ryleigh Whitekettle is not only not injured, she’s awesome.  She led the team in kills.  Alex Connatser had a bunch of blocks.  The team also seemed to settle on Peyton Castillo as their main setter, only to lose her to injury in their last game.  Hopefully, it’s a minor injury.

 

Back to Soccer, I found out that Valerie Guha was a late scratch on Thursday at goalie.  She was also out today.  I got no further information about Sydnee Johnson’s ejection.  I ran into Rito on the broadcast crew.  (He’d had a late night working Saturday and was back working today.)  He didn’t know, but said, “Soccer loves drama.  It’s a like a novella.”  Sydnee was still on the roster.  I thought I saw her on the sidelines, but she did not come in to play today.

The new championship banner is the black square in the center.  

I came in about 45 minutes early.  What a mistake.  It was in the high 90’s and a bit humid.  I was also wearing long sleeves and a floppy hat to protect against the sun and was sweltering just sitting.  I was able to use my new prescription sunglasses at least.  The picture above shows the Aggies’ new WAC Championship banner if you enlarge it enough.  There are also new C-USA Conference flags flying over the stadium.  I did not take a picture of the massive excavation going on behind the south goal.  I don’t know what that was for.

 

The Cal State-Fullerton Titans were on field warming up.  They looked fairly tall and well-drilled.  The program showed them beating BYU and UNM so far this season.  The ref’s were warming up in front of me.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same group as Thursday, so I couldn’t ask any questions.  I talked to one of them and told him to have a good game.  Fan Danny came in and sat down next to me.  We exchanged a few sports quips. 

 

I think I waved to Adam Young broadcasting the game from the high perch of the nearby Softball stadium.  I couldn’t entirely see him.  He waved back.  I need to run into Adam and congratulate him on his new producer, who was born this summer to his wife.  I hear that the new kid yells a lot, but is lovable anyway. 

 

The crowd seemed a bit light, but was near 600, even without a lot of Aggie athletes being there.  There were smarter people who had pavilions set up on the sidelines and the hill.  There a couple of teams of the little girls that came in for the game.  Some of them happily worked as ball girls.  There might have been a few football players there in a tent.  Most of the fans in the grandstand were sitting on the top row with umbrellas out.        

 

First Half

Cal wasted no time.  In the first minute, they took advantage of a missed pass and ran it into the Aggie box.  This lead to a corner kick, but was shot out.  Bianca Chacon made a solo charge downfield that was broken up.  We could hear Coach Baarts yelling clearly across the field.  (There was no Band here today.)  Right at the beginning there were a couple of takedowns.  It was going to be a rough match.  The ref would whistle plays, but didn’t hand out any cards. 

 

The first real threat was at 37’ left in the half.  Bianca led a counter charge and took a shot that was stopped by Mia Ranson.  (Unlike the rest of her team, Ranson had short hair.  Most female athletes have long hair.  Aside from looks, I think it helps with sweat.)  A minute later, Bianca was in a boxing match without her hands with two Cal defenders.  The Titans made a kick downfield.  Aggie goalie, Karolanne Lafortune, was caught way out of the box on it, but no damage.

 

33’ Ariana Leamons took a shot on the wing that went high.  The Aggies got a corner right after.  Xitlaly Hernandez made a left-footed kick that was caught.  31’ Gia Valenti made a great steal, but tripped and lost the ball.  30’ X fought her way through the defenders and took another shot, but it went wide.  (She’s tough.)  The Aggies got a free kick and took a shot off it that went wide.   

 

It was really hot.  There was a breeze, but it had no effect.  I swear I was smelling burning flesh.  It might have been my feet.  The heat was going right through the soles of my hightops.  26’ my favorite, Mia Hammack, was tripped and fell defending.  23’ a serious Cal attack began.  Karol ended up on the ground grabbing around the players’ feet for the ball.  It was eventually kicked away. 

 

22’ hydration break for the players.  I was grateful for the courtesy water jug outside the stands.  Subs followed for both teams.  17’ Makenna McGill took a shot on the wing for the Titans.  Karol made a dive catch on it.  Cal immediately got a corner.  They took a shot from the other side of the field.  Karol made a leaping grab on it.  15’ Bianca took a shot that deflected off of X’s shoulder and headed to the net.  Ranson caught it anyway.

 

14’ a Cal corner kick was kicked out, which led to another corner.  On the counter, Loma McNeese went downfield solo.  She was taken down and went face-first into the turf.  No!  Not the face!  (Loma’s complexion is flawless.)  The ref must have seen blood and immediately called for the trainer.  Loma stepped on to the sidelines, had her face cleaned off, and stayed in to play.

 

10’ the Aggies had a corner.  Jena Johannes took a header shot at the goal that went just high.  8’ Loma took a shot outside the box.  Ranson made a diving catch on it.  6’ Titan Sail Bozinovic (what an interesting name) was double-teamed on an attack, but still got a shot off.  Karol kicked the ball away.  2’ a Cal player lied down flat on her back on the field.  It was probably a cramp.  1’ Meredith Scott took a shot.  It was stopped.  With under a minute, Karol ran way out of the box to successfully stop an attack.  We are at a stalemate: nil-nil.

 

Halftime

Both teams retreated to the locker room.  No bravado today in braving the heat for any extra time.  The teams comingled going up the ramp.  I refilled my water cup.  I noticed they were selling little souvenir soccer balls at the team shop tent.  I’ll keep that in mind if there’s an autograph day.  A gorgeous blonde intern led a couple of little girls, who were ball girls, out to midfield for a contest.  (I guess there was guy intern helping too.)  The girls twirled around and ran to the goals to kick balls.  They were happy with their prizes afterward.  I think me and Danny were watching the blonde intern on the far sideline for the rest of the game.       

 

Second Half

The Aggies picked right up on the attack.  (And Mya H. was now working on my side of the field, thus making me happier.)  A minute in, Ari made a free kick from way out that was caught.  42’ a Cal player was upended.  There was a free kick outside of the Aggie box.  Karol was screened, but still made the save from a kick from the top of the box.  39’ Ari made another strong kick from outside the Titans’ box and it was caught again. 

 

38’ Meredith was taken down in the Cal box.  No call.  36’ undaunted, she then faced Ranson one-on-one.  Meredith’s shot went just wide.  35’ Meredith again (she was everywhere).  She took a downfield kick and made a pass to Gia at the top of the Titan box.  Unfortunately, the turf monster got her and spoiled the shot. 

 

32’ Xitlaly took a shot from well outside the Titan box.  She chipped it just right.  The shot sailed over Ranson’s head and into the net.  The goalie had no chance on it.  Perfect.  1-0 Aggies!

 

The Titans immediately picked up the intensity.  27’ Karol caught a shot.  After putting the ball back in play, she was screaming at her teammates to pick up their intensity.  26’ Loma and a Cal player collided.  The Titan got the worst of it.  (I’m not sure if it was the same player that knocked her down earlier.)  With the stoppage, the girls grabbed some water. 

 

25’ the Aggies made some great passes on this possession.  X finished with a shot that was just off.  23’ Cal had a corner.  A long shot from center was caught.  22’ Ari beat a defender on a charge to the cheers of the crowd.  Her shot went wide.  21’ Shila Rasoul had an open shot.  Ranson just got a hand on it to deflect it.  That was a highlight save for the match.  Tati Jerman took a follow up hook shot that was just out.

 

18’ the Aggies got off a good rush, but it was blown offsides.  16’ the official hydration break.  Karol and Mya H. chatted about strategy (presumably) as they came back on field.  (Most on field chatter involves one word screamed.)  Danny made the comment that the girls were all moving slower as the game wore on.

 

14’ possibly the most critical play of the game.  There was a broken field with players scattered everywhere.  Karol called for the ball to be back-passed to her.  Mya thought the better of it as a couple of Titans came at her.  She dribbled back, but couldn’t get the ball away.  The Coach was screaming from the sidelines.  The ball came out to the top of the box.  Titan Karla Rodriguez made something of a bicycle kick while lying on the ground.  Karol barely caught it.  (Coach Baarts will be haunting his players with video of this play.)

 

11’ there was a Cal free kick at the top of the Aggie box.  The pass went to the side to Vanessa Buso (I think).  She went down by herself like she’d been shot.  The girl twisted her ankle severely.  She had to be half-carried off.  Karol actually ran over to help, but was waved off. 

 

There was some complaint, but the Aggies were given possession afterward.  Gia would take a shot that went wide.  10’ a shot inside the Aggie box just went over Karol, but also over the bar and landed on top of the net.  The crowd was really getting into it now.  8’ a repeat of the last play.  The Aggies were getting a bit lucky. 

 

5’ Mya Gonzales was taken out on a rush and came up limping.  No call.  The side judge called attention to her and she was subbed out.  On the other end, Titan Laurie            Ann Moise took a shot inside the Aggie box that went high.  She pounded the ground in frustration afterward.  3’ the Aggies were still attacking.  A great pass went across the Cal goal to an open shot, but it was kicked away.  1’ a Cal kick bounced over Mya H. to the Aggie net.  Karol smothered it.  Cal’s last shot at the goal hit the scoreboard over the Aggie goal.  The crowd counted down the last 10 seconds.  Time’s up!  Aggies win 1-0!

 

I’m not going to lie.  A loss or tie here would have been personally devastating.  I wanted all my sweating in the heat to have a payoff!  Xitlaly Hernandez and Karolanne Lafortune get nods for Player of the Game, but it was another great team effort.  Cal State played very well, perhaps even better.  It was a game that hinged on a couple of feet difference for them.  Shots on Goal were 5 to 6 and corners were 8 to 4 in favor of Cal.

 

The girls came out and waved to the crowd.  They were happy, but were clearly exhausted.  X’s post-match interview was really subdued.  I left happy.  Out in the parking lot, I could hear the batting cages in use.  I probably didn’t need more fast food for the week, but I went to Burger King for dinner.  (Hey, I had a $7 coupon for a burger, fries, and a drink.)  I think it took one minute for them to hand me my meal.  That’s service.  I called Ron after eating to update him.  “The bad news is that you missed a great Aggie Soccer win.  The good news is that you didn’t have to fry to watch it.”    

Here's your happy winning pic.

NM State Aggies vs ASU Sundevils Soccer 8-24-23

Lauren Machuca

I wasn’t sure what I was more worried about going to tonight’s Thursday night Aggie Soccer match against the Arizona State Sundevils, the weather or what I would come back to at work the next day for taking the day off.  I couldn’t do anything about work, except for quitting, and even less about the weather.  The weather forecast was never good for today, but it was never cloudy during the day.  I looked at the radar before leaving and the storms looked pretty far away.  As for the game itself, I was hoping for the best.

 

The team had played two road games since their opening exhibition.  They had won 2-1 over Portland State.  Loma McNeese had kicked the game-winner late in the match.  They’d lost in Lubbock to Texas Tech 0-5.  In an interview afterward, Coach Baarts used it as a learning experience and put in his freshman when the game got out-of-hand.       

 

Lunch was good.  After furiously trying to decide where to go, I settled on taking a hike to Freddy’s to try their new Pretzel Bun Bacon BBQ Sauce Burger.  It didn’t look terribly impressive and the first couple of bites were the same.  However, by the time I got to the end, I’m like, “Can I have another?”  Pretty tasty.  That was functionally all I did during the day.

Mya Hammack looking sweet.

I left early for the game on a hunch, since this was the biggest visitor get ever for the program.  There was one pavilion with a tailgate in the parking lot.  The next door parking lot was already set for Aggie Football’s opening game on Saturday.  The Baseball batting cages were in use.  At the gate, a couple of Aggie Softball players in team shirts, got harassed trying to get in.  No respect, I tell ya, no respect.   

 

The courtesy table had two new Aggie Soccer posters that I’ll post another time, since I liked all three of this game’s promo images.  I ran into Heidi Moccia there and handed her a program, though I didn’t recognize her at the time.  Tonight’s game would be on ESPN+ and her and Adam Young would be calling the game.  If only it had been on the radio so I could listen at the game and not been so confused later.

It says "Women's Soccer."

After I sat down, a cameraman at the top of the stands called me out for bringing my cowbell.  He’d been at the Mississippi State NCAA tournament game and had heard enough of them.  Across the field, the rock logo was finished.  A new WAC Championship banner was hung on up the fence (which I forgot to get a picture of).  On field, the grass looked fairly good after yesterday’s heavy rain. 

 

The Coach came over to stands to set up a camera on the sidelines.  He amicably chatted with the refs there, who were warming up.  I watched the pretty silver-haired player, who I still haven’t identified, warm up with the reserves

      

The stands were fairly empty when I got there, but the solitude wouldn’t last long.  I expected a bunch of ASU fans, but they didn’t materialize.  Aggie fans did show up.  The attendance was nearly at capacity at over 900.  The hill behind the north goal looked like a couple of Aggie Men’s teams were watching.  The crowd was jazzed to be there with a buzz going around.  I saw two guys wearing dress shirts and ties that must have come directly from work.  There was also a little girl wearing a sparkling pink princess dress to the game. 

 

Introducing the starters, ASU’s Allison Carabin towered over her teammates at 6’.  I was surprised that Karolanne Lafortune was the starting goalie for the Aggies.  Was Valerie Guha injured or has she lost the coach’s confidence?  I wasn’t as surprised as freshman starter, Emma O’Neill.  She ran out and greeted the wrong end of the line of players.  

Xitlaly Hernandez kicking it.

 First Half

Taking up the southern secondary stand were members of the Aggie Pride of New Mexico Band.  (The full band would have taken up all of the stands.)  They provided musical accompaniment for the game and their contribution was appreciated.  I think they were happy to be playing at a game for the first time this school year.           

 

People were still coming in as the match started.  I think I missed Karol making her first save in the first minute.  The Aggies pressed on offense in the first half.  Mya Gonzales and Loma took early shots that were off.  The defense on both sides was tenacious.  Xitlaly Hernandez got stripped of the ball.  Bianca Chacon stole a throw-in. 

 

34’ left in the half, off an Aggie corner kick, Megan Ormson pushed a header to the net that was caught by ASU goalie, Pauline Nelles.  Freshman Mia Daniel from the Volleyball team walked by wearing a foam finger.  I wished I’d recognized her quicker.  I’d have said, “Hello,” and asked about her teammate, Ryleigh Whitekettle.  (On the Aggie Coaches Show, Assistant Coach Whitis talked about Ryleigh playing in the present tense, so maybe she’s okay.) 

 

31’ Karol caught a free kick from the wing.  27’ Carabin made a nice pass to Gabi Rennie, who was wide open in front of the Aggie net.  She was forced out.  24’ Meredith Scott was in the ASU box.  She dribbled around before shooting.  It was stopped.  23’ Megan had a steal and shot, but it went wide.  22’ Lieske Carleer took a hard shot from way outside the Aggie box.  Karol made the catch. 

 

19’ Dangerous moment.  The ball was kicked around in front of the Aggie net.  The crowd gasped, but it was kicked out.  A resulting ASU corner shot hit on top of the net.  Subs came in for both teams.  15’ the Aggies had a corner.  The ball danced around in front of the ASU net.  Xitlaly got knocked down on her back in the scrum.  The ball was kicked out downfield. 

 

And here comes one of my two missed plays.  (This is kind of embarrassing for me.)  I had to read about this on the official game recap.  14’ there was an ASU foul at the corner of their box.  Before the free kick, Aggie Sydnee Johnson said something to the ref or an ASU player and was promptly ejected.  Given the lack of an argument with the ref, I suspect Sydnee said something really out-of-bounds to a player.  

 

I heard people in the stands commenting on this, but nobody heard it from where we were.  It didn’t make sense, since the Aggies got the foul call and the free kick outside of the ASU box (which was caught).  What I missed on this whole exchange was that the Aggies were playing the rest of the game A PLAYER DOWN!  It was 10 versus 11 out on the field.  Sydnee is also the fastest girl on the team and plays on offense.  All of this should have been crippling for the rest of the game. 

 

The Aggies did not give up and kept up on offense.  12’ the Aggies had another corner.  Tati Jerman whiffed on a kick at the top of the box.  Ariana Leamons picked up her teammate and made a hook kick on the loose ball, but shot wide.  On another corner, Loma got the ball and took a shot that went across the front of the net. 

 

8’ my girl (she’s my favorite), Mya Hammack got beat on defense on the Aggie end.  The ball got kicked away and Mya ended up back with it.  Basically unopposed, she dribbled the ball downfield and kept going all the way to the ASU net and took a shot.  It was a bit reckless, but I think it fired up the team. 

 

And here comes my second missed play.  6’ Bianca Chacon scored to make it 1-0 Aggies.  I saw the whole play, but so much happened, I had no opportunity to write it down.  (I even had the scoring player wrong.)  There was no video highlight on Twitter.  (I guess ESPN+ isn’t allowing its footage to be used.)  From the official scoring, Mya G. and Bianca each took shots beforehand.  It looked like it was going to be a blown opportunity, until Bianca got another clear shot.  After the score, Xitlaly ran out to hype up the crowd.

 

5’ ASU came right back.  Birta Gudlaugsdottir (I feel like I just hit random keys on the keyboard) was wide open in front of the Aggie net.  She was wide open because she was offsides (the only offside call of the game).  With 30 seconds left, ASU had a corner kick that Karol caught.  1-0 Aggies at the half.

 

Halftime

The Band and their two Folklorico dancers came out and performed for the crowd.  Before starting, the Band director turned around and thanked the crowd for coming out.  That was a nice touch. 

 

The scoreboard showed that the Aggies were up 4 to 1 in Shots on Goal and 4 to 2 in corners.  Coach Baarts was demonstrably talking to the team on the sidelines and showing what he wanted to see.  There was a hat toss into the stands before the game started and a t-shirt toss before the Second Half.  A lady in front of me caught one of each.  (She did give away the hat to a girl.)

 

Second Half

The strategy for the half soon became apparent.  The Sundevils would be pressing on offense.  Coach Baarts had his players stay on defense to conserve their short-handed legs.  (Well that was an all-time mixed metaphor.) 

 

44' right off the bat there was a shot across the Aggie goal that Karol made a dive catch on.  A minute later, ASU took two shots on goal on the same play.  40'  Tati kicked a ball to the sidelines on defense right into the stands with the Band.  Somebody took a hit.  Tati put her hand over her mouth and shirked.  Don't feel too bad, dear.  Two more shots went into the Band right after. 

 

38' an ASU shot went wide.  35' Karol had to fall on another ball.  An Aggie player went down with what appeared to be a cramp and had to be subbed out.  (I couldn't see her number.)  34' Carabin pushed down an Aggie player.  Things were now starting to get chippy.  33' the Aggie defense stopped a downfield rush and I'm seeing lightning in the distance to the east.  31' Karol caught a shot from the wing.

 

I hope you're getting the proper impression that the Aggies were putting up a valiant defense.  I was wondering why they were only putting one girl on offense and trying to nurse their slim lead, but I didn't know at the time that they were down a player.  30' Enasia Colon finally found the net for ASU with a running shot to make it 1-1.  That was basically 45 minutes of stalemating ASU's offense short-handed.

 

The game officially got rough after the goal.  Ariana threw a hard elbow and Megan threw an armbar on defense.  The lightning continued by the mountains.  I was worried about the the outcome of the game, but maybe more about enduring a dreaded lightning delay.  25' Karol got caught well away from the goal and fell down.  A defender came in from behind and kicked the ball out.  Another shot came right after and went over the net. 

 

The lightning seemed to be getting closer.  22' the Aggies and ASU put in subs.  19' Bianca took an elbow to the face, but still dribbled the ball away and passed it.  18' Mya H. made a nice breakup on defense.  17' ASU shot wide.  15' Shila Rasoul, basically the only Aggie on offense, nearly caught Nelles completely out of the goalie box.  13' an Aggie player took a forced tumble (couldn't see her number).  The Ref flashed a yellow card on ASU.  The Aggie free kick sailed high.

 

10' the Aggies brought in more fresh legs, but Enasia found the net again off of a nice pass to the middle of the box by Savannah Maley.  1-2 ASU.  A ball flew into the grandstand right after the midfield kick.  The Aggies did make a push on offense.  8' they got a corner kick and put the ball into a scrum in front of the ASU net.  Nelles eventually came up with the ball.  The Baseball team behind the net (that might have been them) disagreed with the call. 

 

7' Xitlaly was blatantly held, though the Sundevil player actually went down from a shot to the face.  ASU received another yellow.  The Aggie free kick from deep was on target, but caught.  That was probably all for the Aggies' legs for the game.

 

3' Enasia again with the score, as she rolled one past Karol to make it 1-3 ASU.  The crowd deserted at this point.  I was no longer concerned about the weather.  The clouds were staying away.  2' Enasia found Ella Opkyitne wide open in front of the Aggie net for a goal, 1-4 ASU.  With about a minute left, a Sundevil player went down and was ignored for about a minute before the game was stopped to tend to her.  1-4 ASU was the final.

 

Enasia Colon is the easy player of the game with 2 goals and an assist.  For the Aggies, I'd call it a real team effort for them.  Bianca Chacon's goal was an obvious highlight.  It was 6 to 4 in shots on goal for ASU.  The Aggies were up 5 to 3 in corners. 

 

When I got to work on Friday, a co-worker said the game was the lead local news story on the radio.  He asked about the penalty, which the story blamed for the loss.  I couldn't give him a definitive explanation.  He said they interviewed the coach and he was very pleased with their effort.  I agree.  This felt like it could have been a great win or a tie at worst, until the ejection.  Whatever happened, I'm sure Sydnee feels awful.  (An interview with the Coach Baarts before Saturday’s Aggie Football game offered no additional insight on the incident.)

 

The Aggies came out and waved to the crowd.  The Sundevils did as well?  One of the girls shouted, “Thank you, so much!”  Was this sarcasm or were they waving to their two fans in the crowd?  It was weird.  When I left the grandstand, I saw there was also frequent lightning to the west.  We got lucky.  Aggie Baseball players were still hacking away in the batting facility.  In spite of the work I came back to the next day and the loss, I was really glad I went.  It was great to see the stands full and the Aggies playing well against a good team. 

Comics Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #17

Previous review.

I had gotten raving reviews of the current version of the title from Wes at Thinking Critical.  I wasn’t sure I really wanted a standard superhero comic, but I decided to take a chance on it.  It was between this comic and another indy title that I can’t remember.  I lucked out and made the right choice.    

He has all of the combined powers of the Legion of Superheroes, but none of their looks.

My previous experience with the World’s Finest title in the 80’s and involved the Composite Superman.  That was enough to scare me off getting any more issues in my youth.

My favorite page.  This is beautiful artwork.

This title takes place outside of regular DC continuity and instead focuses on classic DC continuity.  In other words, the real DC continuity.  (That’s not a snarky, throwaway line.  The Post-Crisis DC setting is something of a baseline.  Modern DC is this weird, non-functioning divergence from that.  Occasionally, classic stories, mostly Batman, have come from the Modern, but then they get incorporated into the mainline and diluted.)  This comic features real Batman and real Superman.  You tell this because they’re wearing their underwear on the outside the way God intended. 

 

This issue was the finale to a five-issue storyline.  I cheated and used a comic book “archive” site to read the previous issues afterward.  First, this comic was fun.  It was classic superhero comic.  The formatting was a bit of a hybrid.  The storyline was “made for the trade,” but the pacing was not “decompressed.”  If anything, it was frenetic. 

 

The storyline starts small with a murder and climaxes with a world-wide AI/robot rebellion.  In modern DC, this would be a major crossover event lasting for months and touching every title.  In the span of five issues of one comic, this feels a bit rushed.  One the other hand, it’s much better to leave the audience maybe wanting a bit more than overstaying your welcome and yearning for an ending.

World’s Finest is essentially its own little corner of the DC universe, but has the full universe to play with.  The JLA guests stars.  Other superheroes, other supervillains, and the whole toybox of robot characters from all of the history of DC comics appear.  This is a lot to cram into one issue.  Still, Mark Waid does a good job writing it.          

This two-page spread worked.

This one, not so much.

What doesn’t help are some two-page spreads, especially the totally unnecessary all black title intro pages.  (Those were in all the issues, unfortunately.)  The one spread showcasing all of the foes was effective.  But, some of the odd formatting of the fight scenes made them a bit confusing.  Dan Mora’s character art is excellent, but it seems like backgrounds weren’t his specialty.  The action takes place mostly in a featureless environments. 

 

Batman and Superman aren’t in this issue together a whole lot, but the duo has to work to their strengths which often means working apart.  (Earlier in the series, Batman was incapacitated, so Superman worked with Robin as his deductive partner.) 

 

I'm sure Jimmy will be okay.  Don't worry.

Overall, this issue was lots of fun (in spite of all of my criticisms).  I especially liked this bit at the end with Jimmy Olsen.  Unfortunately, this title is a bit of an anomaly on the comics rack and it shouldn’t be.  This should be the norm.  I concur with Wes that everyone should be picking up this title.  There should be more like it at DC and Marvel.

Comics Review: Barbarella #3 The Center Cannot Hold

Las Cruces’ beloved Day’s Hamburgers is closing down at the end of the month.  I rushed over to the Downtown Mall for a last meal.  (I’d actually just been there a couple of weeks ago, so don’t say I didn’t support the place.)  Unfortunately, a good deal of Las Cruces had the same idea and I had to wait a half hour for the burger.  It was worth it.  That was the best burger I’d ever had there with a super fresh bun and extra meat on the burger.  They are going out in style.  I chatted momentarily with the owner.  She didn’t preclude the idea of reopening someday, but in another location.

 

Afterward, I went to nearby Coas Bookstore and Zia Comics before going to work.  I picked up a sweet 500-page Sabrina omnibus at Coas.  I’m still reading that (no surprise), and I’ll review that later.  At Zia Comics, I discovered that essentially their entire comics rack is all gay comics.  Their rack has always been on the swishy side, but this time, I felt like I really had to search to find something that would appeal to me.  (Next time, I should get a trade paperback, but even that selection isn’t too much different, unless I want to spurge on a $100 hardback treasury tome.)  I found two comics to take a chance on.         

 

I picked this up for the great cover and that I have some familiarly with the character.  I saw the 1968 Barbarella movie a long time ago.  While I have a severe distaste for Jane Fonda, I have to admit she’s rather appealing in it.  (The opening credits will keep your attention.)

 

Simply, Barbarella is a sci-fi secret agent.  She’s a lot like classic James Bond, especially how often she ends up in the sack with everyone she meets.  She can’t help it; she’s irresistible.  This particular issue has Barb and her friends rescuing her fox-ish companion, Vix.  Yes, there’s an angel (Talan) and a buff rabbit-man (Jack).  And, she’s fighting evil little fox creatures.

Is Jack an upgrade on Jaxxon?  You be the judge.

I read this when I had some time waiting to leave for somewhere.  After being burned any number of times by buying independent (non-Marvel and DC) comics, I was expecting disappointment.  Though it was a sliver of a larger story and featuring a character I only had passing knowledge of with some silly-looking companions, I found myself sort of engrossed with the comic.  It was a bit sexy, but not overtly so (darn it).  There wasn’t a lot of action, though certainly danger was present.  The artwork was pretty good, but felt kind of workman like.  The tech, backgrounds, and fantastic creatures were better than the renderings of our titular heroine, who is the main reason why people would be buying this.    

 

This issue felt like an interlude that was setting up a future climax.  However, it worked for me because of the setting.  It set up a lot of interesting concepts, even sort of philosophical.  If it hadn’t been kind of fascinating, it would have just been talky.  I enjoyed this comic enough that I’m hoping there’ll be another issue on stands the next time I’m at Zia Comics. 

 

Here, I’m gonna cheat.  I went to a comics “archive” site to look up the past issues.  (I’d link to it, but that might not be prudent unless you’ve got some spyware protection.  There’s a couple of them and they’re not hard to find.  I wasn’t even looking for them and stumbled on them.) 

 

This is the second series of this current itineration of the character.  There is an overarching plot.  There is more action and sexy stuff (and, frankly, the first series was much better illustrated).  I was also able to check out some classic Barbarella material from her creator, Jean-Marc Lofficier.  The old movie and this new comic are well in keeping with his original vision. 

 

I was honestly worried seeing up front that a woman wrote this comic.  Barbarella is an active heroine, but not a modern feminist.  I was relieved that the character was not “updated for a modern audiences,” perhaps only a bit more modest, but still a romantic.  Sarah Hoyt did a good job of staying true to the original character and that made the comic enjoyable. 

 

And I’ll review the other comic next.

NM State Aggies vs Western NM Mustangs Volleyball 8-19-23

Aleka Darko rocks the cowboy hat.

I’ve agonized over buying an Aggie Country Pass for the last couple of days.  There are rumors of another lockdown.  (A planned emergency may be declared next month for purely political reasons.)  Finally, I found out on Friday that tonight’s Aggie Volleyball exhibition game versus Western New Mexico would require a paid admission.  That, more or less, cinched it.  I was miffed that there still weren’t any Volleyball posters yet in the ticket office, especially since I’d remember to bring a rubber band with me for them.

 

I decided I’d get something from the Concessions and settled on the Pete combo.  I didn’t really want a hot dog, but it was cheaper than a pretzel.  When I got to my seat to eat, it was a miracle!  The bun was fresh (and the dog was huge).  I don’t know what to say.  This is the first time this has happened to me at an Aggie sporting event.  Suddenly, I felt a little better about buying the Pass.  Of course, they buy all their buns at the beginning of the school year and they just get stale as the year goes on.

As mentioned at the Scrimmage, the Pan-Am Center is undergoing some renovations.  The obvious first change is the lighting.  It was like sunlight inside over the court.  I almost needed my sunglasses.  The court was now bounded with a layout like bigger colleges have for their volleyball courts.  The seats in the pullout sections next to the court have been replaced with new ones.  Other seating sections are supposed to be replaced as well. 

 

Alum player Lia Mosher was back to watch the team.  She’s not working for them and I don’t think she’s going to classes.  She’s just there.  That’s loyalty.  Ashley Herman and Darian Markham weren’t suited out play.  I was looking forward to seeing Ashley play some more, and I suspected something was wrong with Darian.  Nothing obvious looked wrong with them.  Maybe they’ll be playing soon.  I didn’t see Kaitlyn Espiritu anywhere, though she’s still on the roster. 

 

Morgan Stewart has a massive bandage on her hip, but she’d be the libero to start.  (I’m sorry Ron wasn’t here to see his favorite out playing.)  Rilen Garcia was the surprise starting setter.  During a promo on the video board, Rilen’s image came up, along the Sydney McIntosh.  The rest of the team cheered them. 

 

A pretty decent crowd came out.  I didn’t see fan Danny there.  I know he’s a fan of Western.  I probably just missed seeing him somewhere.  The team intro video had a couple highlights featuring alum Molly Johnson, who was there on the bench as the grad assistant.  (I still need to talk to her to gush on her.)  I noticed a very pretty Asian lady working as a line judge.  I hope to see more of her, though she did look very unhappy out there.

The girls in a huddle during the match.

Set 1

The WNM Mustangs went up 0-3 on the Aggies to start.  This team was not terrible.  They’ve got some height and were able to block.  Starr Williams fired high a couple of shots.  Mustang libero, Janey Cortez, made a nice off-court save on a point. 

 

The Aggies made a comeback with Ryleigh Whitekettle on serve.  She ran off 5 points.  Bianca Perez cycled in as setter.  Kacia Brown made a couple of kills on a tip and firing through a block.  10-6 Aggies, Sydney got a kill.  Morgan made a great dive save on the play.  Timeout WNM.  The Cheerleaders came out and performed, though they were wearing t-shirts, not their uniforms.  Pistol Pete was here in his traditional Western garb.

 

11-6 Aggies, Mari Sharp and Aleka Darko combined on block.  Aleka and Syd would combine on a block later.  17-8 Starr got her first kill and put in a couple more right after.  Late in the set, Peyton Castillo cycled in as setter and Bella Castro came in to serve.  Aleka finished the set with a kill, 25-14 Aggies.       

 

Set 2 Aggies 1, Mustangs 0

The teams did not changes ends, probably because this was an exhibition.  Bella changed into the libero jersey.  She looked loose and happy.  Peyton would be the starting setter.  The Football team in the stands showed off for Flex Cam.  I was pleased to see Ashley was still high-fiving everyone, including the coaches, before each set.

 

The set started with a long rally that Mari ended with a kill.  WNM would take the lead 2-3 with a kill and Kacia firing long on a swing.  The Aggies retook the lead 4-3, as Peyton made a low set and Mari came in from the backcourt for a kill. 

 

Assistant Coach Hertel was actively moving the players around on court before a point.  6-4 Aggies, Peyton snuck in a dump shot.  8-4 Peyton made a successful dive for a ball.  Aleka made a bump set and it fell in for a kill.  Alex Connatser cycled in early.  (Ron would have been so happy to see her, too.)  There were a couple of long rallies that the teams split.  Peyton made a save on an attempted dump shot. 

 

9-7 Aggies, Ryleigh missed a couple of shots and WNM got back into it.  10-8 Alex made a bad miss on the previous shot, but came back here with her first kill.  10-10 WNM tied it with a nice block.  Ryleigh put the Aggies back up with a kill down the line.  WNM tied it again at 11.  Bella made a great save at the net on that point. 

 

13-15 WNM, the automatic timeout came up.  Coach Jordan remained seated and talked to the team standing in front of him.  They were nodding along with what he said.  Coach Hertel talked to them some more in a huddle.  There were a couple of ladies sitting in front of me that were like fan coaches.  They were groaning and critiquing on every bad play from the Aggies. 

 

14-15 WNM, Peyton set Aleka for a kill.  15-16 Starr tooled a block.  16-17 Bianca hooked up Alex for a kill.  Ryleigh finally put the Aggies up, 18-17, with a kill.  Timeout WNM.  Kaylee Peterson came in and served up the Aggies’ first ace.  20-17 Mari made a diagonal kill at the net. 

 

Timeout WNM again.  The Football team had fun with Bongo Cam.  Assistant Coach Whitis had a long talk with Mari.  21-18 WNM got hit with a second Lift call in the set.  Coach Whitis talked to Kaylee out on court and got a smile out of her.  23-20 Mustang Maria Osorio got a clutch kill.  WNM took the next point with a save off the net and a tip kill.  However, a serve that went long ended the set, 25-23 Aggies.      

 

Set 3 Aggies 2, Mustangs 0

Morgan came back in as libero.  Anji Vishwanathan came in for the first time.  An excited little girl jumped up and down in front of me for Dance Cam.  The Football team declined to dance.  Bianca talked to the up official before the set.  It seemed official and not chatting.

 

Once again, WNM started with the lead with an ace.  Bella made a good dive save on the next point.  Serving had been pretty steady to this point, but Morgan served out early and WNM followed suit.  Maggie Lightheart (be still my heart) came in for the first time to serve.  Mari got her second kill of the set before making a net serve. 

 

Starr made the next two kills for the Aggies.  6-6 Maggie passed to Bianca, who got a tip kill off a block.  Starr got her third kill, before Bianca made a net serve.  Starr pounded another kill, which was nearly dug out on the other side, but went out.  10-8 Aggies, Ryleigh made a flying kill.  11-9 Mari’s swing was dug out, but Ryleigh put down a no-set kill.

 

There had been a muff at the net on the previous play.  Coach Whitis, upset by the play, went over to the reserves to lecture them.  When Ryleigh came out, he took her aside and talked to her.  12-11 Aggies, Kacia had a tip kill and then an “Excuse me” kill, but served out to tie the score at 13. 

 

14-13 Aggies, Anji got her first kill.  16-13 Timeout WNM.  Out of the break, Ryleigh hit the back corner with a kill and made a solo block.  Anji made two solo blocks on the next point.  Bianca had been a long serving run by this point.  She has an awkward jump motion, but it works. 

 

Aspen Aldous finally came in to the match to serve and set.  Kills by Mari, Kacia, and two by Ryleigh finished off the set, 25-15.  Aspen looked good setting.  Her height allows her to have her have a really light touch.  The Aggies take the match, 3-0.      

 

Set 4 Aggies 3, Mustangs 0

“Hold on, folks.  We’ve got extra volleyball,” said the PA.  I’m sure this was supposed to be a four-set match regardless of the score.  They should have said something before the match started.  The Cheerleaders left anyway, as did the Football team, and some of the crowd.  (Of course, I have nothing better to do, especially nothing better than watching beautiful young women play volleyball.)  Bella was back in at libero.  Rilen was the setter.  I was getting cold.  I need to remember to wear another layer in the Pan Am Center. 

 

Sydney started it off with a kill.  Rilen served an ace to make it 2-0.  Ryleigh tooled a block to make it 4-2.  5-3 Rilen had an assist to Kacia.  Peyton and Alex came in, and Peyton had a net serve.  Starr had a kill and Mari added two more.  Peyton cycled out.  Coach Jordan had her sit next to him and put his arm around her for a talk.  Who is this guy?  He’s not yelling.  He’s being nice coaching.

 

Rilen went on a serving run.  Mari and Ryleigh teamed up on a couple of blocks and Ryleigh tooled a block for a kill.  Aspen subbed in to serve.  16-8 WNM blocked out Ryleigh.  She hit the antenna a couple of points later.  16-11 there was an overrule by an official that gave WNM the point.  Bella made a dive save at the net, but the Mustangs took the point, 17-12.  Next point, Syd fired a kill into a block.  Next, Kacia and Maggie teamed up on a block. 

 

Then the disaster.  On a pancake dig attempt where a couple of girls were going for it, Ryleigh went down hard.  She sat up, babied her left arm, and was crying.  The trainers ran out to her immediately.  There was uncomfortable quiet for a minute until Coach Jordan asked for some music.  The down official said back, “They want you to sing.”  It was a moment of levity, but this was serious for the season.  Ryleigh got up and walked off and was tended to off court.

 

Jacqueline Gomez-Gallegos was sent in to several cheers of the crowd.  (She must have had friends watching.)  But then she was pulled back before the point started.  Back to play, 20-13 Aggies, Aspen set Kacia for a kill.  Coach Jordan went over to check on Ryleigh.  Kacia put in two more kills.  Ryleigh went over to sit on the bench holding her arm and appeared to be crying.  I don’t know if she was crying because she was in pain or if she just found out her season was over.  (I’m tearing up myself.) 

 

Jacqueline finally came in for real and may have gotten a tip kill to make it 24-13.  (Freshman Mia Daniel never made it in to the match, though she was suited out to play.  She was the last player in the reserves.)  WNM didn’t quit and ran off four points.  Finally, Maggie ran way off court for a save.  Bella took her hit and long bumped it over the net facing backward.  Maggie made the kill that ended it, 25-17.  4-0 Aggies in sets.     

 

The official story of the match had Kacia Brown with 12 kills, Mari Sharp with 11, and Starr Williams and Ryleigh Whitekettle with 8 kills each.  Morgan Stewart, Bella Castro, and Rilen Garcia had 5 to 6 digs each.  The setting situation for the team looks good with four serviceable options.  The team has several good hitters and some good blocking.  From these two games, the team doesn’t seem to have an ace server, so they’d better work on being consistent.   

 

However, the official coverage ended at Set 3.  There was no mention of Ryleigh’s injury, which was the only thing that really mattered.  I’m not sure if it was her elbow or wrist.  It was her offhand, but she’ll still be out quite a while if something was broken.  She wasn’t put in a sling, but she’ll likely be getting X-Rays.  The team should still be competitive, but losing Ryleigh likely ends their championship run.  More personally, Ryleigh was in terrible pain and that was awful to see.  She didn’t strike me as someone who cries over nothing. 

 

I’m remembering seeing Megan Hart dive for a ball once on court and I think the whole crowd gasped.  I didn’t see her do that again for the rest of the season and I’m sure that was coach’s orders.  The shorter girls can make those diving plays with less chance of injury than the tall ones.  Apparently, Ryleigh wasn’t told to let those kind of plays go, but I don’t blame coach.  I’ve seen girls injured playing other sports, but volleyball injuries just seem to be worst in terms of damage and pain.  We’ll hope for the best.       

Hopefully, we'll get to see Ashley Herman play in the next match.