Thursday, May 30, 2024

Memorial Day Weekend 2024 Part 2


Part 1

Sunday

I started watching a Blondie marathon Saturday night.  The Catchy Comedy network was showing the old movies and they are funny stuff.  They did a bunch of these in the 40’s.  There were running gags going through them, like Dagwood running over the mailman.  It was like a sitcom series, but for the movies.  Penny Singleton is extremely charismatic as the titular character (and also the voice of Jane Jetson).  Watching the kid actors grow up over the series was a trip.  I’d forgotten that there was also a string very classy hotties guest-starring in these movies as well.

 

I’m only mentioning this because there was a four-hour rain delay before the Indy 500 started.  I had plenty of time to watch Blondie.  This year, this would also be my only Memorial Day race.  Monaco’s F1 race was moved to ESPN, while ABC instead showed the NHL playoffs.  (The NY Rangers beat the Florida Panthers in OT.  They’re still early in the Western Conference final.) 

 

Also, dad was sick, so I was watching at home.  He said he didn’t need anything other than rest, so I just called a couple of times to check in on him.  He sounded better in the evening and did get up to watch the end of the race.  This left me in some suspense, as I wasn’t sure about dad or the race, so I just sat around waiting.  I wanted to rest my sore back, anyway. 

 

The Rangers were playing the Twins at noon on the radio to keep me company.  Corey Seager hit a couple of home runs in the game to help give the Rangers a 6-2 win and break their losing streak.  After Seager’s second homer in the fifth, the Indy coverage said they were an hour away from starting the race and dad said he was going to keep sleeping. 

 

I hadn’t eaten yet, so I took off next door to 5 Guys.  They’d sort of fallen out of favor with me.  (Legend Burger in the mall is better for the same inflated price.)  I got my usual plain hot dog and they gave me a bunch of fries.  It was really good.  The last two dogs I’d had there had had stale buns, but this one was fresh and perfect.  Still, dad had mentioned getting pizza today on Friday.  This was a bit of a comedown.    

 

I was a little shocked by the sunny skies over Indy when the race started.  It was overcast and raining hard earlier.  The Thunderbirds themselves were there for the Anthem flyover.  They made a surprise return for Back Home in Indiana and finished with a crowd-pleasing bomb burst over the track.  (Wait.  Not actually bombing the track.  They were flying in formation and then flew apart at the same time.)

 

The main storyline going into the race was NASCAR driver, Kyle Larson, was planning on doing the “Double” today.  The rain was messing up his tight schedule, but I was shocked he said, “Indy is the priority today.”  He would stick it out, as long as there was a chance of running the race today.  Jimmie Johnson was there doing some pre-race commentary with Danica Patrick.  He did bump out before the start of the race to go race in Charlotte today.

 

The first wreck happened even before the first lap finished.  Four cars were out almost immediately in the race for different reasons.  Katherine Legge’s engine blew up 23 laps in.  They were still running her sponsor commercial after she was out.  There was another blow up and a couple more solo crashes before we got inside 50 to go.  Larson did lead late, but that was due to a pit stop error earlier and he ended up on a different strategy. 

 

Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi started trading the lead as the laps wound down.   Pato O’Ward forced his way into second and passed for the lead with five to go to the cheers of the crowd.  (He’s got a lot of fans.)  Newgarden retook the lead with four to go, but Pato was in front to start the final lap.  Newgarden made the final pass for the lead coming out of the backstretch and took the checkers. 

 

Josef had won last year and had memorably rushed into the crowd at the finish line.  (Wait.  He got out of his car first and then went into the crowd.)  He did so again this time and went around further.  Josef had to sit down for a minute before his interview.  The exercise had winded him.  He and his crew had been penalized after the first race of the season and stripped of the win.  With much of his regular crew still suspended, this win was some vindication.           

 

I’d mentioned Newgarden to a co-worker on Friday and said he had “matinee idol” looks.  She looked at some of his pictures online and didn’t think he was that handsome.  Good grief, this guy makes my heart flutter a little.  She either has impossibly high standards or a really specific taste in men.

 

Poor Pato.  He sat in his car with his head down after the race.  To know how much this race means to the drivers, just look the reaction of the winner and the guy who came in second.  Kyle Larson took off in a helicopter after the race to catch a private jet.  He finished 18-th.  That’s pretty awesome for a rookie.  He was on his way to the NASCAR race, though it had probably been going on for two hours.  (And he didn’t to race.  It was rained out halfway through.) 

 

The Chihuahuas started their game with the Rivercats right after the race ended.  Sacramento went up 3-0 early.  It also got chippie.  After the third hit batter (hit in the back), the benches cleared (no fighting), and both teams were warned.

 

In the bottom of the fourth, a Rivercat player going after a flyball, hit the wall hard enough to open the gate.  He lost his hat and mitt, but still managed to throw the ball back in and hold the batter to a triple, instead of an inside-the-park home run.  The fielder had to come out after the play.  The pups get two runs in the inning to make it, 3-2.    

 

In the sixth, the Rivercats exploded for six runs to make it, 9-2.  Broadcaster Tim Haggerty started focusing on doing out-of-town scores after that.  In the eighth, Mason McCoy stole home on a loose ball at the plate.  The crowd loved it.  The Chihuahuas scored a couple more, but left the bases loaded.  McCoy also made a great diving play in the ninth, but pups didn’t have another rally in them and lost, 9-4.

 

Monday

Well, this recap is going to be quick and anticlimactic.  The Chihuahuas and Rangers had the day off and the Rockies were playing a day game I couldn’t get on the radio.  I was lucky that on Friday, KROD announced that they’d be carrying the Dodgers and the Mets in the afternoon, so wouldn’t be shutout.  

 

Unless there was a rain out.  I was lucky I tuned in on time and got the message.  I did try to watch tennis, after going out to get a slice of somewhat questionable pizza at the mall.  I lasted my usual 30 seconds.  Even watching my hero, Novak Djokovic, I couldn’t put up with the grunting.  I ended up watching some old sitcoms, reading a Conan trade paperback (which I’ll be reviewing in the near future), and taking an impromptu nap.  Well, not the worst way to spend the day off.   

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Memorial Day Weekend 2024 Part 1


The tradition continues (“like no other”) though it’s going to be missing the usual.  There’s no NASCAR or F1 on this greatest weekend in motorsports.  I haven’t seen any NASCAR this season.  Surprisingly, I really haven’t missed it.  I probably will next month when I don’t have much else to do, but NBC will pick it up in July and I can watch again.      


Aggie Baseball and Softball Postseasons

I agonized about going to the Softball Tournament.  I have been to two tournaments (2017 and 2018), which both resulted in the Aggie Softball winning championships.  I wasn’t quite as confident about this time.  Given my workload, I didn’t know about taking three days off.  With a $60 tournament pass (up from $25 the last time), I would be committed to going to all four days regardless of the results. 

 

After looking at the schedule, I noticed that there would be a noon game every day, which meant I could have gone to see a game before going to work.  But I just couldn’t do it.  Between sitting out in the sun and my aching back, I didn’t think I could be there and enjoy it.  (The previous tournaments were a labor to sit through.)

 

Boy did I regret that decision after the first game at noon, which featured the Aggies winning in extra innings.  Desirae Spearman stole home early in the game.  Des and Dezianna Patmon both solo homered in the seventh to send it to extras.  Jillian Taylor hit a walk off homer to win it.  The next day, also a noon game, the Aggies run ruled #1 seed Liberty

 

They played a third noon game the next day and lost and were eliminated later in the evening by Liberty, who would win the tournament on Saturday.  Jill did give the crowd one last highlight in the Aggies’ final game, as she went over the wall to bring back a home run.  (That’s my girl!)  So, I could have seen the Aggies three times just going at noon without taking any days off, but I couldn’t have known that beforehand.  Sorry. 

 

There was a news report on Sunday about Desirae.  She was the C-USA Player of the Year.  Des was promoting a softball camp in El Paso at her alma mater, Hanks High School (mine, too).  She’s ambitious.  I kind hope this means that Desirae will stick around at NMSU, at least as long as Coach Rodolph is there.

  

After their two wins over #1 in conference, La Tech, Aggie Baseball went on to split a pair with TCU.  That was their second win this season over a Power Five conference team.  However, they then lost two of three to WKU going into the C-USA tournament.  Their run only lasted for two games, where they lost to DBU (who’d been nationally ranked) and were eliminated the next day by WKU.  I think the good news is that this team is a definite improvement over last year.  If this Aggie team was still in the WAC, they might be contending, but the bad news is that they are in a much better baseball conference.  

 

MLB

I’m looking pretty good to this point on my World Series prediction.  The Phillies have the best record in baseball.  Everything else was self-evident or I’ve been surprised by.  I’ve been listening to Rangers and Chihuahuas games on the radio.  (The pups are having a down season again.)  I’ve been pleasantly surprised that MLB.TV hasn’t been blacking out a bunch of games like they were.  I’ve been able to watch the Rangers, Rockies, and Astros.  So far, there’s been an odd preponderance of the A’s and Tigers on their free games.  I’m okay with it.   

 

The Yankees and Orioles are at the top of the AL East.  Aggie Kyle Bradish is thankfully back pitching for the O’s.  Cleveland is leading the Central and the Royals are looking pretty good.  The AL West is a toss-up.  So far, it’s the Mariners and everyone else is sub-500, but even the A’s are competitive.  The Astros early season swoon appears to be over, but they’re still not looking great.  The Rangers’ injuries are hobbling them badly, but they’re in second. 

 

The Phillies own the NL East.  The Braves have had their injury issues and are looking mediocre.  The Central is up for grabs.  The Brewers are the surprising leader for now (Aggie Joey Ortiz is a regular player with them) and the Reds are at the bottom, which is also surprising.  The Pirates’ new pitching prospect, Paul Skenes, looks like Stephen Strassberg when he first came into the league before his injuries set in.  Aggie Nick Gonzales is back up with them and hitting well.  He had a walk off hit the other day.  I’m excited.  The Dodgers are already pulling away in the West.  The Padres, Giants, and D-Backs aren’t bad and will be fighting for Wild Card berths.

 

Saturday

After a long week (they all seem long now), I made it to the weekend with little in the way of plans.  I executed on that lack of planning by doing nothing.  At least I had baseball to keep me company. 

 

I got lucky turning on the radio in the morning and running into the start of ESPN Radio’s coverage of the Blue Jays at the Tigers.  They were also the free game last night on MLB.TV and the Jays won on a late rally.  I was surprised by the cheering I was hearing for the Jays, but then I remembered Detroit was next to Canada.  (Games in Seattle also get plenty of Canadian fans for the Jays.) 

 

It was a good thing I came in on time for this game.  It ran just a little over two hours.  Blink and you’d have missed it.  The Tigers came out on top in this 2-1 pitchers’ duel.  Tiger pitcher, Reese Olson, who’d gone into the game with a hard luck 0-5 record and a low ERA in the 2’s, came out of it with his first win and a sub-2 ERA. 

 

I really enjoyed the commentary from Dave Jageler and color from Greg Olson.  Even with short game and quickened pace, they managed to keep it fun and lively and informative.  I mention this mostly because I noticed a puff piece interview with Joe Buck on Youtube.  I didn’t watch it, but it was titled that Buck “Didn’t care what the fans thought of him.”  Yeah, right back at you, pal.  FOX actually replaced his hysterical woman-like call of the game with some guy that sounds like the game is interrupting his nap time.  There are so many good announcers out there, like Jason Benetti and Jon Sciambi.  Why were tortured with Buck for so long?

 

I did have a dilemma during the game.  Coverage of the Rangers’ game with the Twins started a half hour after the Tigers’ game started.  Well, I couldn’t possibly listen to two radios at the same time, could I?  Of course, I could!  I was mostly listening to the Tigers and walking over to hear the Rangers on another radio during the breaks.  The Tigers’ game was through six innings before the Rangers’ game started the second, so that strategy seemed like a good one.

 

The Rangers had lost a close one last night for their fifth-straight loss.  Just as the Tigers’ game finished, I could hear them shouting on the other radio.  Ezequiel Duan had hit his first home run of the year and his second deck blast put the Rangers up 2-1 in the fourth.

 

Things started going downhill later.  In the seventh, manager Bruce Bochy was ejected after questioning a foul tip strikeout for his pitcher.  Umpire Laz Diaz, had made the correct call initially (on video replay) that it had been caught by catcher, but the third base ump changed the call in conference afterward.  This resulted in a walk, which loaded the bases, and then a sac fly made it 3-2 Rangers.  Duran threw out a runner at home from the outfield that ended the inning, which would have tied the score.  Finally, a three-run Twins’ home run in the eighth would decide it.  5-3 Twins, for the Rangers’ sixth-straight loss. 

 

I watched a couple of short PBS WWII documentaries in the afternoon, so don’t say I didn’t do anything for Memorial Day.  In the evening, I listened to the Chihuahuas play the Rivercats on the radio.  On TV, I sort of watched a couple of women’s professional soccer games on ION.  The network, which normally shows cop shows, has been running double headers on Saturday nights.  Alex Morgan has been injured, so I’m not getting much out of this.  Occasionally, the play is lively and interesting.  This just makes me miss the Aggie Soccer girls. 

 

The Chihuahuas won their second in a row, 9-5.  It was 9-0 after four innings, so there wasn’t much drama.  The Rivercats got four of their runs off of a pair of two-run homers.  The offending players were booed as they rounded the bases. 

 

At the conclusion of the game, I was finally able to tune in KOA to listen to the Rockies and the Phillies.  The Rockies were leading 3-2 in the bottom of sixth.  The signal kept fading in and out.  Regrettably, I did get to listen to the ninth, where the Phillies scored six runs and ended up winning, 8-4.  At least my World Series pick is still on track.  In the out-of-town scoreboard segment, Joey Ortiz was mentioned in Brewers’ win over Red Sox.  Also, the Astros and Mariners lost today to keep up the race to the bottom in the AL West with the Rangers. 

Part 2

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Comics Review: Secret Origins #1


I went with dad to the Coas Used Bookstore satellite location a few weeks ago.  The store had been damaged in a storm last year and reopened after a lengthy remodel.  I wanted to see what the store looked like.  Basically, it was about the same, except the Kid’s Section had been moved to the front of the store.  There was one comic book in the Graphic Novel section and I picked that up.  


Secret Origins #1

I was a little leery of the faux anime-style artwork on the cover, but I liked the characters (before they were mangled beyond recognition in the current DC continuity).  For the most part, the art inside wasn’t a selling point even with a couple of stories drawn by Amanda Conner and Ethan Van Sciver.  The stories themselves are just vignettes recounting the origin stories of the members of Young Justice, as well as introducing a new character, which forms the framing device for the stories. 

 


The new character is Secret.  I’d never seen her before or since.  The story briefly gives her origin, as Red Tornado tells her the origins of the Young Justice team. 

 

Impulse, yet another young version of the Flash, has a convoluted, to say the least, origin.  The story where he recounts it has him fighting some school bullies.  The Flash fighting school bullies and even losing.  Still, Impulse has a likable, well-defined perky personality.  (The artwork and scenes aren’t worth posting a sample of.)  



This was Superboy back in his original 90’s “radical” look, before his makeover (thank goodness).  For the remodel, he got a haircut and just wore jeans and a black t-shirt with a Superman logo on it.  Minimalist, but cool.  This story was set as an X-Men Danger Room-style training lesson.  He’s being mentored by Guardian, a DC version of Captain America. 

     


This story features two Robins, Tim Drake and Dick Grayson, chatting about Tim’s background.  This was probably my favorite of the stories, since I like the characters.  Tim basically became Robin because he figured out Dick was Robin and that Bruce Wayne was Batman.  At least, it’s a straight forward origin.  

 

Okay, I am an unabashed Grayson fan.  I’ve said before, he’s more interesting than Batman.  I’m not saying he’s cooler or a better superhero; he’s just more interesting.  This goes back to Burt Ward and the ’66 Batman show.  Ward was a martial artist and was neighbors with Bruce Lee and sparred with him.  (And they fought on the show as Robin and Kato when Batman met the Green Hornet.)   



Stephanie Brown had a bad upbringing by a Batman villain.  She changed sides and became the Spoiler to “spoil” his plans.  By this, she met Batman and Robin and had a relationship with Tim.  This I knew.



Imagine how shocked I was by this panel.  This delicate condition was not explained in the story and sent me scurrying to Wikipedia.  Tim didn’t have anything to do with Stephanie’s pregnancy, which would have been scandalous, but very interesting.  Steph was also later killed off.  What an overly tragic story. 

 


I didn’t know the origin of the Cassie Sandsmark/Wonder Girl.  After reading the story, I still don’t think I know.  It was told from her own highly biased and embellished perspective.  This was again before her later Teen Titans makeover (a tremendous improvement).  Here, she’s portrayed as a ditzy kid.  In Titians, she’s more mature.  Later, in the Yara Flor/Wonder Girl series, Cassie was kind of a ditz, but had some brains.    

   


The Arrowette origin was again uncomfortable with another bad upbringing story.  Basically, Cissie’s mom was forced into becoming a champion archer by her mom and returned the favor by forcing her own daughter to become an archer and a superhero to boot.  This character has the most attitude of the bunch.       

 

A consistent problem of all of these characters is the lack of a really good origin story, which sort undercuts them finding greater popularity.  (That and being not just derivative, but in fact, a copy of a copy.)  That you needed to make this 80-page giant to explain their origins sort of bears this out.  The Tim Drake/Robin has the best origin of the bunch and is definitely the most popular, though I think that popularity is more due to his updated Robin costume.

 

I wasn’t a fan of the artwork and there wasn’t much in the way of story here, but I kind of liked it anyway.  In spite of their weird origins and lack of originality, these characters are pretty likeable.  The book would have the selling point of making you want to read more about them.   

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

NM State Aggies vs LA Tech Bulldogs Baseball 5-5-24


It was a perfect day for the final home ball game for Aggie Baseball.  It was warm and sunny with a nice breeze.  Since we starting in the morning, instead of the late evening like yesterday, it wasn’t too hot and there was some shade in the stadium.  I visited the restroom first and ran into Mando, the son of a co-worker, who works for Aggie Vision.  He wasn’t there for yesterday’s game.  I told him that his brother, Rito, had been out in the heat holding up a camera for 13 innings.  Mando said he’d be working the roof camera today.  

 

I picked up a bottle of tea and a tasty corn-in-a-cup at the concessions and joined Fan Michael inside.  He was handing out signed posters to the player parents that were there for Senior Day all during the game.  He does this every year to give them a keepsake.

 

Speaking of perfect, the team photographer was in the dugout chatting with the players, while the hot marketing intern girl was organizing the parents for the first pitch.  Both were dressed alike and had their long, pretty hair straightened out today.  They were like beautiful twins.  (Are they best friends?  Coincidence?) 

 

13 sets of parents threw out first pitches to their sons on field.  We had a flyover with a squadron of birds for the Anthem.  (How do they organize that?)  I was wearing my nice Aggie polo shirt today.  A guy next to me assumed I was working for team, as I had my scorecards out, too.  No, and if the Aggie Sports department read my blog, they’d disavow me and refuse me entry to the games. 

 

Otherwise, it was a decent crowd for a Sunday morning start.  Bianca Perez from the Volleyball team was there, maybe with a couple of new players that I didn’t recognize.  She’s been a regular supporter of the Baseball team this season.  (Is she going out with someone on the team?)  Soccer Coach Baarts was here also, but I didn’t see the team.  On field, LA Tech was in a solid blue top and grey pants and were the spitting image of the Cubs’ road uniforms.               

 


Aaron Treloar was way too amped up for Senior Day.  In his first inning pitching for the Aggies, he walked two, threw two wild pitches, and threw to the backstop a couple of times.  Somehow, LAT did not score.  Titus Dumitru made a great twisting, jumping catch in right for the first out. 

 

The Aggie offense was amped, as well.  Keith Jones hit a line drive homer to begin the bottom of the frame and also Nick Gore solo homered.  2-0 Aggies.  The hot intern came down for a couple of t-shirt tosses.  Between innings, she was joined by the ever effervescent marketing chief, Nicole Sacks.  They handed out rolled tacos to everyone.  I don’t like rolled tacos, but couldn’t resist free food, even if it possibly spoiled my lunch.  (It didn’t.)  Actually, they were okay.  It’s good thing I avoided a $1 dog at the concessions.


 

Treloar worked another scoreless inning.  He had a pair of strikeouts between another walk and another wild pitch.  The Aggie offense kicked it up a notch in the bottom of second.  Steve Solorzano began with a double.  Edwin Martinez-Pagani brought him in with a single.  Damone Hale singled.  In his at bat, Keith Jones protested that he was hit by a pitch.  The umps conferenced and agreed, which loaded the bases.  Titus sacrificed one run in.  Logan Galina, who was starting at first today, hit a three-run homer to make it 7-0 Aggies.  I think the boys wanted to win on Senior Day.  LAT brought in a new pitcher to finish the inning. 

 

During the inning, the ump talked to EMP after he scored.  Edwin protested that he didn’t do anything.  I also thought I saw a couple of Aggies taunting the LAT dugout while running to first.  After the inning, the home plate ump talked to both coaches.  However, later in the game, Michael came back from delivering posters and said that the argument was that the LAT coach said the Aggie dugout was using binoculars on their bullpen.  Well, if that’s the case, they were using them to see who was warming up, which isn’t secret information.  I don’t know what was going on. 

 

The hot marketing intern handed out more souvenirs in the break.  She handed a fanny pack to an adorable little girl in a cheerleading outfit.  Good call.  Josh Sharman relieved Treloar, who was the opener today, I guess.  LAT plated their first run after a double, a wild pitch, and a sac fly.  7-1 Aggies.  The Aggies didn’t score in the bottom, though Solo collected another hit and advanced to second after a bad pickoff throw.

 

I went to bathroom during the break.  I came back to find my seat occupied by another fan.  Meanwhile, Michael was speaking to a very attractive blonde woman.  She didn’t seem to be the right age to fit any profile to be related to the players.  After she left, Michael said that was the coach’s wife.  “Can this guy recruit or what?” he said.  She was extremely pleasant and circulated around the crowd to the different player families and probably charms the boosters, too.  That is a husband and wife working as a team. 

 

LAT tacked on two more runs via a walk and a home run in the fourth.  7-3 Aggies.  In the bottom, Titus hit a hustle double off a lazy throw to the infield, but was left stranded.  Romeo Ballesteros hit a grounder to first to start the frame.  Dalton Davis juggled it, dropped it, and finally flipped it to the pitcher ahead of Romeo diving headfirst to bag.  Michael mentioned he’d once asked him if he had any trouble living up to his first name.  The roguishly handsome young man answered, “No.”

 

Sharman allowed another walk and homer combination and was relieved by Kade Benevidez, who got the final out in the fifth.  The Aggies responded in the bottom with Solo’s third hit of the game and Damone driving him in with a single.  8-5 Aggies. 

 

Kade was getting squeezed by the ump in his second inning of work in the sixth and was pitching well below the strikezone on top of it.  He left the game with the bases loaded from two walks and a single.  Austin Corbett relieved him.  Wait.  (Checking scorecards.)  He was yesterday’s centerfielder and he’s not listed as a pitcher on the program.  Michael said he’d pitched on Friday.  This didn’t seem like the best moment to put in a position player to pitch with the bases loaded and one out.  The next batter grounded to second.  EMP tagged the runner going by and threw to first for the inning-ending double play.  This is why I’m not the coach.

 

Connor Nation (what a great name) came in to pitch for LAT in the sixth.  He began with a walk and a single, which were cashed in by Logan and Preston Godfrey for two more runs.  10-5 Aggies.  Hayden Walker pitched for the Aggies in the seventh.  Wait.  (Checking scorecards.)  He pitched two innings yesterday.  No problem.  He went 1-2-3 for the inning. 

 

The Aggies exhausted another pitcher in the bottom of the seventh, as Damone doubled to start the inning and Romeo suddenly hit a two-run home run on an arc to left field.  Wait.  (Checking program.)  That was his first home run of the season.  Caden Copeland came in to mop up the inning.  Adarius Myers made a great diving catch on a liner that was curling away from him.  12-5 Aggies.

 

To start the top of the eighth, Walker threw five straight balls.  Gore went out for a chat with him.  Hayden came back with a strikeout and double play ball.  That was a good talk.  In the bottom, Grant Comeaux was given a tough error on a squib shot to third, but Copeland came back with three strikeouts.  Regular first baseman, Mitch Namie, came in for the ninth.  I’d seen him in the dugout cheering earlier in the game.  He seemed okay with letting Logan get the Senior Day start.  Walker began the ninth with another leadoff walk.  He almost worked around it, but Romeo lost a popup in the sun and a run scored.  That’s okay.  Aggies win 12-6.           

  

Both teams came out to shake hands after the game.  I always like to see that.  Oh my goodness!  Michael had mentioned yesterday that LA Tech had a 7’ player and there he was!  Brenton Thiels towered over everyone else on the field.  Wow is this kid playing the wrong sport. 

 

Here’s your Gameballs.  For the Bulldogs, I’m giving one to Caden Copeland for pitching two scoreless innings and he looked fairly impressive doing it.  For the Aggies, I’m glad to say Steve Solorzano seems to finally be back from his injury with a couple of hits yesterday and going 3 for 5 today.  Coach Angier did well sticking with him.  Damone Hale also broke out of his slump going 3 for 4 with an RBI. 

 

Logan Galina shined going 3 for 5 with 4 RBI’s and a home run.  He also made a couple of great stretch plays in his return to first.  Aaron Treloar was all over the place to start the game, but came away with two scoreless innings.  Lastly, Austin Corbett and Edwin Martinez-Pagani probably saved the game for the Aggies with that DP in the sixth. 

 

The Senior Ceremony was tremendous.  The photographer girl and the intern girl were on the field the whole time.  There were also 13 guys graduating: Aaron Treloar, Josh Sharman, Tyler Hoeft, Cade Swenson, Preston Godfrey, Logan Galina, Edwin Martinez-Pagani, Romeo Ballesteros, Damone Hale, Trey Meza, Nick Gore, Hayden Walker, and Keith Jones.  Yikes, I’ll miss these guys, almost as much I’ll miss the girls.  I should give some parting advice to the graduates.  Logan!  Marry Xophia Venegas already!

 

That was a tremendous way to end the season at the ‘Skew.  This was a great weekend for baseball.  I was handed a Raising Cane’s coupon on the way out, so that settled lunch.  There was a new red Corvette parked behind me as I nervously pulled out.  I wonder who owns that. 

          

This marks the end of my Aggie Country Pass this year whether I go to the Softball tournament this week or not.  By my count, I went to 49 games with it, including Baseball, Softball, Women’s Basketball, Soccer, and Volleyball.  I might have to pick Saturday’s Baseball game as the best game of the bunch, but that’s mostly because I don’t feel like auditing 48 other games on my blog. 

 

I certainly got my money’s worth.  Individually, all those games would have probably cost more than twice what I paid for the pass, especially with the ticket price increase.  I almost didn’t get it as there was talk of another lockdown in August of 2023, and I haven’t forgotten losing half the value of my card in 2020 when Softball and Baseball were canceled (for nothing I might add).  I don’t know what I’ll be doing in the fall with Aggie Sports, but I do plan on coming back for more baseball next year, and following along with the rest of their season this year.      

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

NM State Aggies vs LA Tech Bulldogs Baseball 5-4-24


May the Fourth be with you.  It’s a Star Wars celebration at the ballpark.  (Star Wars wasn’t actually released in the theaters on May 4.  Star Wars is also currently a dead franchise.  Thanks, Disney.)  They changed the start time on tonight’s start time from 2:00 to 4:00, which screwed up my evening.  Given last night’s performance by Aggie Baseball, I nearly decided not to go, but it was an opportunity to wear my Aggie Star Wars shirt.  (What a mistake that would have been, if I hadn’t gone.)

 

Last weekend, the Aggies swept out Jax State, the last place team in the C-USA.  The final game was 22-8.  Earlier this week, they’d beaten the UNM Lobos, 10-8.  Even better, they’d come from behind, 8-2, and won it on a Keith Jones’ walk off home run.  (The game was on month end.  I couldn’t take that day off.)  Friday, things came right back down to earth.  The Aggies lost to LA Tech, 18-4, in a run rule.  Logan Galina did hit a home run in the game.  He’s definitely got this stroke back.

 

I was not feeling well last week and going to Softball on weekend caused me to relapse on Monday.  I kept going to work, but I slept all during the day for two days before going there.  At least my back was feeling better from being laid up.  On Saturday, I shouldn’t have exhausted myself doing it, but I walked over to the mall to get a foot-long chili cheese dog at Legend Burger.  It was a bit of a labor, but delicious.  With that, I was ready for the game.         

 

I went through an improvised car wash on the way past the soccer field, as a few sprinklers were on and spraying the road.  A groundskeeper on a cart drove by me as I pulled into the parking lot.  I went for a tea at the concessions, as it was hot and cloudless with only a slight breeze.  I’d need it.  At the merch trailer, I noticed they were selling Keith Jones t-shirts, which didn’t entirely surprise me.  (They were also selling Jaileen Mancha shirts from the Softball team, which did.)   

 

A local organization was handing out sunscreen, which I took and used during the game, and inflatable bats for the kids, which they used on each other.  I found Fan Michael under an umbrella, so know it was hot.  Once again, the canopy over the stadium is gone.  There’s no shade, especially not at 4:00 in the afternoon.  On field, the cute team photographer girl and the hot marketing intern girl were working with the people throwing out the first pitches.  Both had their hair down and looked gorgeous.  The intern girl hung out outside of the press box for most of the game and looked majestic there.   

 

Some Star Wars music played over the PA before the game.  There was a trivia contest later in the game.  That was it for the promotion.  No Aggie/Star Wars giveaways today.  I was disappointed that the photographer didn’t even take my picture for social media, since I was the only one there in a Star Wars shirt.

 

LA Tech were in road greys that were a splitting image of the Texas Rangers’ uniforms.  I felt like I should have worn my Ranger hat to fit in.  (I got a compliment on it at the mall earlier.)  Their lineup was read off to the tune of the Imperial March.  Michael told me they were first in the conference and looked very impressive Friday night.

 

I have to mention the first pitches.  The first fellow pitched from the mound and threw and actual strike.  An El Paso TV weather girl and alumni, Monica Cortez, threw out a second pitch.  It wasn’t quite as accurate, but she enjoyed herself immensely.  The crowd for the game was a bit light, though the Diamond Club section was packed with boosters.    

 






As you can see, we all got our money’s worth from this game.  I was actually somewhat worried I was going to run out of space on the back.  College baseball is using the pitch clock, but they are not banning shifts, limiting throws to first, and, obviously, aren’t using the “Ghost runner” rule in extra innings.  (They might want to revisit that.)  Even more shocking, these scorecards added right up.  (I did miss during the game when the first Bulldog reliever came in and I had to look that up.)

 

Dalton Davis took the first pitch of the game from Aggie pitcher, Conor Wylde, over the left field fence to give LAT a 1-0 lead.  Michael groaned that the Bulldogs were slugging like last night.  Titus Dumitru answered in the bottom of the first with a line drive homer center.  I could hear someone in the LAT dugout say, “That just barely got out.”  1-1. 

 

It should be noted that the strikezone was called very tight this evening.  Pitchers were at a disadvantage.  Keith Jones made a good running catch in the top of the scoreless second.  In the bottom, Edwin Martinez-Pagani walked and Austin Corbett doubled him in.  Austin was then thrown out at the plate, when he tried to score on a deflected Romeo Ballesteros’ infield single.  2-1 Aggies. 

 

Wylde started the third, but after three straight hits, including a two-run homer off the scoreboard, he was lifted for Trey Meza.  3-2 Bulldogs.  Next inning, Meza gave up a leadoff homer off the scoreboard.  There was another solo home run to right that I wish we had Statcast for, because it screamed out.  Finally, a pair of doubles plated another run to make it 6-2 Bulldogs.  The Aggies loaded the bases in the bottom, but a popup and a fielder’s choice ended the inning without changing the score.

 

Meza worked 1-2-3 fifth with Romeo making a nice play on an infield grounder.  The Aggies also went down in order in the bottom.  Titus hit a monster foul ball in his at bat.  Meza had a rough sixth.  A leadoff walk was brought in by a two-run homer.  A double, an error, and a groundout brought in another run, and LAT was up 9-2.  Michael Ballard made a nice sliding play at second to begin the bottom of the sixth.  The Aggies got some traffic on the bases, but didn’t score.

 

The son of one of my co-workers, Rito, is on the Aggie Vision staff.  He was working the handheld camera by the Aggie dugout.  I could see him kneeling in between innings.  He really looked gassed working out in the heat.  Meza worked a quick top of the seventh for his final inning.  LAT brought in a reliever to start the bottom of the seventh.  Logan Galina came up big with a two-run homer to make it 9-4 LAT.  He might have passed AD Mario Moccia on the All-time Aggie home run list with that one.  Michael was surprised to learn that Mario used to be a really good baseball player.

 

Matt Romero pitched the eighth and gave up a home run to Jorge Corona that went over the batter’s eye.  10-4 Bulldogs.  From here, it starts to get wacky.  Three walks with one out loaded the bases for the Aggies.  KJ hit a hard liner to the wall that nearly went over, but ended up being a single.  This caused some confusion on the basepads.  EMP scored from third.  Corbett held up there, but then Romeo joined him at third.  This started a comical rundown that took forever and I had no chance of scoring.  Corbett made the out and Romeo stayed at third.

 

A member of the stadium staff came by and asked me for the score.  He might not have had good enough vision to see the scoreboard.  I told him it was 10-5 LA Tech and he said, “Good, we’re making a comeback.”  I’d remember those words. 

 

The Bulldogs brought in a new pitcher, who hit his first batter to load the bases.  He then hit Logan to force in a run.  Catcher Nick Gore came up next.  He hit a foul popup that was dropped by the catcher.  That felt like that should have been an error, but it wasn’t scored that way.  (I looked it up.  There’s a specific situational rule where that isn’t an error if judged that way by the scorer.  I don’t think that situation applied here.)  The next pitch, Gore grand slammed it and tied the score at 10!

 

That was encouraging.  Saul Soto came in for the ninth—probably the Aggies’ best closer.  What was discouraging was that he gave up four runs, including a three-run homer.  14-10 Bulldogs.  KJ made a great diving play after the scoring to help end the inning. 

 

Shadows were crawling across the home plate area.  I wasn’t sure what the time was.  The game had been clipping along until the eighth.  Gnats were flying around and annoying people.  The Bulldogs had to be feeling pretty good going into the bottom of the ninth, but the Aggies were like gnats today.  The Aggies began the frame with a walk, a single, and a hit batter to load the bases with no outs, which brought on a new pitcher.  A sac fly and a three-run homer by Titus and we’re tied at 14 and going to extras and flipping over the scorecards.  The stadium worker came by again and I told him, “Hey man, you were right!”

 

You could tell how often games go to extras at Presley Askew Field, as the tenth inning lights on the scoreboard were way brighter than the rest of the board.  LAT loaded the bases in the top of the tenth with two outs, but didn’t score.  In the eleventh, Corona hit a solo home run to make it 15-14 LAT.  That was his third home run of the game.  In that inning, EMP caught a liner at second, it popped out of his mitt, and then he re-caught it.

 

Grant Hubka struck out the side in the bottom of the 11-th, but unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Logan hit a home run to tie the score again.  15 all.  That was clutch.  Hayden Walker came on in the 12-th and worked two 1-2-3 innings. 

 

We go to the bottom of the 13-th.  I took a quick trip to the bathroom between frames, sensing the Aggies might finish it here and wanting to avoid the rush after the game.  KJ (who else?) led off with a double against a new pitcher.  To add insult, Corona took a hard foul ball that leveled him during the at bat.  (The ump took one the previous inning.)  Credit Corona and Gore for catching all 13 innings today.  Titus moved KJ over to third and Logan was intentionally walked.  Finally, the biggest play of the game was a pitch that spun well away from Corona’s reach and all the way to backstop.     

 

KJ trotted home and was immediately mobbed behind home plate.  Aggies win 16-15!  A barrel of Gatorade was dumped on the impromptu mosh pit.  The crowd likewise went crazy.  What game!  How does a four-and-a-half hour game not get boring?  Well, this one somehow accomplished that.

 

Your MVP of the game today is me!  I credit going to Rally Hat-mode in the bottom of the ninth for the victory.  I folded the back of my black and white Aggie hat in and put it on top of my head like a NASCAR rear deflector.  Before you scoff, I did run into someone else wearing their hat like that on the way out.  Do not doubt the Rally Hat!

 

We’ll hand out some Gameballs for the players and their less important efforts in the game than mine in determining the outcome.  For the Bulldogs, their starter, Luke Nichols, should have gotten the win after a great long effort, but the bullpen lost it for him.  Ethan Bates went 4 for 8 with 6 RBI’s off of 3 home runs.  Catcher Jorge Corona went 3 for 8 with 4 RBI’s off of another 3 home runs.  The top half of the LAT’s order did massive damage today.  Also of note was Will Safford.  He was warming up in the on deck circle swinging a sledgehammer. 

 

For the Aggies, hand it to Hayden Walker.  He pitched 2 scoreless innings.  The other 9 pitchers in the game were all scored on.  Titus Dumitru went 3 for 7 with 4 RBI’s from 2 home runs.  Nick Gore was 1 for 6, but that one was a grand slam that tied the game in the eighth.  Logan Galina was 2 for 6 with 4 RBI’s, but that tying run in the 11-th, was huge.  Lastly, Keith Jones was 2 for 6 with 2 RBI’s, but that double to start the 13-th was the key to the victory.  For a game like this, it’s not so much what you hit, but when you hit it.           

 

A few LA Tech fans walked out below me, as I was furiously scribbling on my notepad.  “They’re still in last place, right?”  “Doesn’t matter.  We’re still in first.  The championship still goes through us at home in Ruston.”  Okay.  A trifle bitter there.  

 

I walked past Saul Soto on the way to the gate.  I attempted to congratulate him on the win.  He wasn’t having any of it and only had a thousand-yard stare.  Okay, you had a rough outing, but you win and lose as team.  Celebrate!

 

My stomach was upset when I got home.  I know Michael was saying he couldn’t take the pressure in the game.  Maybe I had a delayed reaction.  I listened to the end the Chihuahuas game and heard a 5-4-3 triple play.  Unfortunately, it was turned by the Space Cowboys, which explained the muted reaction from the El Paso crowd.

 

At least I was home in time for the Canelo/Munguia fight.  I was way too wiped out to think about scoring the fight for a blog post to maintain by press credentials.  (I don’t have a hard card.  I’m just kidding.)  Munguia surprisingly won the first three rounds convincingly, but Canelo came back in the fourth and knocked Munguia down with a shot to the jaw.  Munguia wasn’t knocked again, but didn’t recover for the rest of the fight and Canelo took over for a unanimous decision.  Anyway, what a day for Aggie Baseball!