Comics Review: Spaaaaace Ghooooooost!

What a week! It’s been miserable, except for the baseball and an overabundance of food and sweets. I decided to go to the Farmer’s Market this morning. Dad took back the iPad and gave me $40 cash. (I still feel terrible that he spent so much money on that iPad that I didn’t need and it wouldn’t have replaced my old one.) I invested the money in a jar of local honey and a bag of kettle corn. Unlike last time, I only had to wait in line for the popcorn for like 15 minutes, though it was hot.

There were some interesting comic strip collection books at Coas that I passed on. At Zia Comics, a large X-Men collection that I’d had my eye on had been sold. I also passed on a large Rob Liefield New Mutants collection that I’d seen before. I actually have a reproduction of the first appearance of Deadpool, which is in this volume (11-25-22).  That’s probably enough of that material. I’m worried that I’ll start seriously considering those $125 hardback collections if I keep going back to Zia Comics.

Something interesting I saw was a Snagglepuss trade paperback. Yes, that Snagglepuss, the swishy Hanna-Barbera version of the Pink Panther. In this case, it was an “adult” reimagining of the character as a Southern writer, who does social commentary. Part of me was horrified, the other part was slightly intrigued. DC did a line of these reimaged cartoon character comics. I read their updated version of The Jetsons a while back (10-3-18).  What I settled on was two new Space Ghost comics.

I went to the Little Toad Creek Brewery for lunch. I’d never been there before and wanted to try something new. Inside, it looked like a reproduction of the famous CBGB club, but much cleaner. I got a big turkey sandwich with cheese and bacon on a sourdough bun with fresh kettle chips. It was great, though the Cokes I drank with it were likely the most appreciated after being out in the heat. When I got home, I couldn’t stop drinking water.

Space Quest #3

Oh yeah, I’m here to do a review. Whatever I think of these comics, I’m keeping this one just for the cover. Joshua Middleton has done an all-time great cover. I’m putting this on display and wondering if I should get a picture frame for it.

I haven’t actually seen a Space Ghost cartoon in a long time (there are some up on Youtube), though I did recently buy an issue of Back Issue featuring the character (1-20-25). I am a Nexus fan (2-17-21), so I feel like I’ve been reading a bunch of comics that are like Space Ghost. (A sort of “mature” and “adult” Space Ghost as it were.) I’m also a Jonny Quest fan. That’s why bought this team up when DC did it years ago and called it, Future Quest.

The comic itself (“Finally!” says the reader) is action-packed and feels pretty true to the characters and stories. Basically, Jonny, Hadji, and Bandit change places with Jan, Jace, and Blip with their respective adult guardians. Jonny’s crew has been deputized by Space Ghost to fight monsters. The other kids are helping Dr. Quest to try and get a machine going to transfer everyone back to where they came from.

Unfortunately, this is just a slice of bigger story and it’s not a very large one. It’s mostly decompressed action scenes and a couple of expository interludes. And a whole bunch of in-house ads for other titles. It feels like the entire series story would have worked better as a full-sized non-decompressed annual. The artwork is pretty good, as are the characters and the story. It’s only the presentation that’s at fault.

Look, there’s no point in not waiting for the trade paperback version if you’re publishing these floppies with nothing extra in them. I’m sure the fans would rather pay more for a single double-issue, with no ads, with a nice, tight story.

Space Ghost Annual #1

It’s another dynamic cover. Whatever Dynamite is paying for these covers, it’s probably worth it in increased sales. I think this was recommended to me by Wes at Thinking Critical a couple of weeks ago. He’s also been promoting the Energon Universe comics by Image featuring GI Joe and Transformers.

While this is an annual, it is not a standalone story. I think it’s the finale to their first year of Space Ghost comics. While I was advocating for a double-sized issue above, this isn’t how I meant it to be done. Once again, there’s lots of house ads and it’s not even actually double-sized anyway. The storytelling isn’t decompressed, but it’s a bit padded with action scenes. The extra pages do allow for more story, though it’s not a complete story. I liked the artwork in Space Quest better, but it’s still good here. It depends on your tastes.

An entity known as The Collective is enacting a scheme to produce universal harmony via computer-controlled mind control link. (I think. It’s like I walked into a movie during the third act. A recap page would have been helpful.) Somehow, Blip being tortured is pivotal to this plan.

Space Ghost (looking pretty awesome here) and Jan and Jace are immune to the control thanks to their Inviso-Belts and are coming to rescue Blip and stop this takeover.

Is it a spoiler to say they succeed? Afterward, they have lunch at a diner. Yep, that’s SG out-of-costume.

Space Quest’s Jan and Jace seemed a bit younger than their cartoon counterparts. In this comic, they’re even younger. Perhaps these supposed to be stories from early in Space Ghost’s career?

I feel like I have to highlight the in-house ads in these comics. It felt like half of these issues were ads. (It was probably like a fourth.) Dynamite has the license for a whole gambit of Gen-X franchises. The editorial in the back of these issues are promotions for upcoming titles. They all assure the readers that the comics will more “adult” than you remember from the cartoons, though still faithful to the concept (sort of). I have read their version of the Herculoids already (4-23-25).

I’m not surprised to see Thundercats here.

I probably shouldn’t been surprised to see Cheetara as the breakout character. Furries are freaks, but for Cheetara we’ll make an exception. (Wasn’t she topless in the first episode at one point?)

Here you go: Blue Falcon and Dynomutt. It’s Batman and a dog version of Inspector Gadget. (Are they already doing an edgy, mature Inspector Gadget comic?)

Captain Planet with a beard doesn’t make this more mature.

Silverhawks? It was a sort of conceptually interesting cartoon, but of absolutely consequence. Maybe it could work with some extensive changes.

They don’t forget the classics, though, like The Wizard of Oz. Especially when it ties into Wicked.

What I am waiting for is a more “mature” version of Galaxy Goof-Ups. This was one crazy concept wrapped up in a psychedelic cartoon.

Finally, an iconic Alex Ross Space Ghost cover.

So, I wouldn’t say these two comics are great, but they’re okay. Maybe they’re better than the Rob Liefield New Mutants trade, maybe not, maybe about the same. (Honestly, there's no beating that Steve Rude Space Ghost comic from the 80's.)  Too bad there wasn’t another Nexus trade paperback at the store.

Baseball Journal August 2025 Part 1

8-1-25

I started listening to the Chihuahuas at Round Rock when the game started.    However, between working, being interrupted a couple of times, eating, reading an article about the Trade deadline, and engaging in some Twitter drama, I didn’t hear any of it.    Pups’ starter, Jackson Wolf, went four innings allowing 3 runs, none of them earned as they came in via two errors.    The Chihuahuas tied it in the sixth and went ahead via an error, 4-3.    Tim Locastro tripled in two runs to make it, 6-3, before the first out.    They finished the inning, 7-3, and went on to win, 9-3.

I can’t really pretend to have followed tonight’s MLB.TV Free Game.    The Twitter drama earlier in the evening and it played out later in a three-hour monologue by one of the parties.    It was very compelling.    Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks at the A’s game was audio-only.    Shea Langeliers hit a three-run homer to start the bottom of the first for the A’s.    There was a play at the plate on a single.    Tyler Soderstrom, slapped the plate around the tag for another run.    4-0 A’s.

The game was running this annoying Celsius commercial nearly every break.    Some woman is saying, “I got up at 5am, ran 12 miles, went to work, had meetings and workshops, and then went out with the girls.”    You go, girl!    Pound that energy drink!    Thank goodness you’re not wasting that energy on taking care of a family.    The A’s win 5-1.

Also on Twitter, I noticed “JP Crawford” was trending.    He’d just hit a walk off homer for the Mariners over the Rangers.    I later found out about a couple of other interesting games.    The Marlins won in a walk off against the Yankees, 13-12.    This game made the top of the baseball news.    The Yanks haven’t lost when scoring at least 12 in a couple of decades.    The game of the night was in Colorado.    The Rockies went down 9-0 in the first to the Pirates.    They were still down, 16-12 in the ninth, but ended up winning 17-16.    I think my dad said he watched some of that game.

8-2-25

I went to the Farmer’s Market Saturday morning, bought a few things, and had lunch there.    I’ll post a ***review of the comics*** I got later.    I went back home in the early afternoon.    There was a NASCAR Xfinity race on, but Dad was out visiting a friend in the hospital, so I stayed home and listened to the Rangers at the Mariners on the radio (which annoyingly won’t come in if I’m watching TV).    Merrill Kelly was making his pitching debut with the Rangers and was doing well.    In the third, big Rowdy Tellez legged out an infield hit and “light-hitting” catcher Kyle Higashioka got the scoring going with a two-run homer.    2-0 Rangers, though a foul ball that was caught in the TV broadcaster’s booth seemed to get most of the radio guys’ praise.

In the fourth, Julio Rodriguez got turned around twice on a liner that dropped and Rowdy ran to second.    He was getting a workout today.    In the bottom, Kelly had an extremely efficient 5-pitch inning, which included striking out Cal Raleigh.    He made the MLB home run leader look silly and frustrated.    In the next inning, Marcus Semien popped up a ball that dropped between two fielders.    He tried to run it out to a double and was thrown out.    This was scored as a single and a putout.   

Dad got back home and had me over to watch the rest of the race.    They were at Iowa in front of a really good crowd.    Connor Zilisch won the First Stage, which I didn’t see.    Ross Chastain won the Second.    Dad got annoyed by the side-by-side coverage with the commercials for some reason.    There were a couple of wrecks before the end and some different strategies came out.    Sam Mayer checked out on the final restart.    There was a last lap accident and Mayer took the checkers with the yellow.                          

I resumed listening to the Rangers game on a portable radio.    Before I started listening, JRod had doubled in two runs to tie the game.    In the bottom of the seventh, the M’s had the bases loaded.    Danny Coulombe got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning, including Raleigh striking out looking.    This one went to extra innings.

In the tenth, Higashioka drove in Ezekiel Duran, who was running on the play, with a blooper that dropped in front of JRod.    Semien drove in another with a fielder’s choice grounder.    The bases were loaded with one out, but the M’s escaped without further damage.    4-2 Rangers.   

Robert Garcia came in to close it like last night and last night’s result occurred again pretty much.    Randy Arozarena tied it immediately with an upper deck two-run homer.    The M’s didn’t walk it off here, though.    In the eleventh, Wyatt Langford and Duran both singled in runs.    That would hold up and the Rangers would win, 6-4.    That broke an 0-8 streak in Seattle for the Rangers.    Luis Curvelo closed it out for his first win.    After the game, he was ecstatic and even hi-fiving the press interviewing him.       

Dad invited me out to dinner at Chik-fil-a with his neighbor, Lamae.    Crap, of all times to be stuffed full from lunch.    I went with them, but only got an Ice Dream cone and had to watch them eat their delicious chicken sandwiches.    Still, we had a pleasant time.   

I got home and started listening to the Chihuahuas at Round Rock, but didn’t really play much attention to it.    It was sort of pleasant background noise.    Apparently, there was a great fan catch in the previous game and the players were even talking about it after the game.    In the fifth, Nate Mondou gave the pups a 5-0 lead with a three-run homer.    Somebody in the green seats caught it.    They’d go on to win, 5-2.   

The Reds and the Braves were scheduled to play their Speedway Classic at Bristol tonight, but the weather did not cooperate.    They had to reschedule for tomorrow.    I wasn’t going to be able to watch it on Fox anyway, but I did see baseball on TV.    On two different channels, there were two Mexican League baseball playoff games on.   

The early game had the Chihuahua Dorados, they’re the ones with the rear end uniform advertising, winning, 9-6.    (I’m not sure over who.)    The later game featured the Juarez Indios.    This one was Game 2 of the Semifinals with the Indios up 1-0.    (I’m not sure who they were playing, either.)    They had a drone outside the stadium giving views of the outside.    Most of the fans inside were fanning themselves in the heat.    The Indios won it in a rout, 12-5.    Their Chicken mascot was on field celebrating with them.

8-3-25

The Reds/Braves Speedway game finally got played this morning.    I missed it.    I also missed going over to dad’s apartment to watch the MLB.TV Free Game.    I settled on staying home and listening to the finale of the Rangers at the Mariners.    The Blue Angels were flying nearby them in Seattle.    You could hear them during the game.

Jacob deGrom was starting for the Rangers.    In the second, he gave up a solo home run, but also set a strikeout milestone of 1,800 right after.    In the third, Corey Seager hit a two-run homer to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.    In the bottom, Julio Rodriguez, who missed robbing Seager’s home run, hit a two-run homer to put the M’s back up, 3-1.

In the fourth, the station had a problem with running commercials over the broadcast.    The game came back with Rowdy Tellez driving in two runs to tie it at 3.    JP Crawford put the Mariners back up with a two-run homer, 5-3, in the fourth.    In the fifth, JRod made a leaping catch at the wall.   

In the out-of-town scores, the Marlins swept the Yankees.    Was I right about the Yankees making too many trades?  The Yankees are the Rangers’ next opponent.    In the sixth, Adolis Garcia homered to make it, 5-4.    The ninth was decided on a couple of umpire reviews at second.    The Rangers lost their appeal and a runner was out on a force.    The Mariners won their appeal and the runner was out stealing second.    M’s win, 5-4.    Phooey.    Those stupid reviews made it worse.

The game at least finished before the Chihuahuas and the Round Rock Express came on.    The pups went up 2-0 in the first.    It could have been more with bases loaded and no outs.    Too bad it wasn’t.    Round Rock came back with a run and then a two-run homer in the bottom to make it, 3-2 Express.    They added on with a three-run third, which included a 400’+ home run.    6-2 Express.    The Chihuahuas started a comeback in the fourth with another solo home run, 6-3.    There was a mascot race afterward that delayed the start of the next inning.    The umps were not amused.

In the sixth, Luis Campusano hit a two-run homer to make it a one-run lead.    After an Express pitching change, Rodolpho Duran drove in the tying run.    6-6.    Then there was a Teddy bear toss by the fans.    Even some Round Rock relievers joined in with the toss.    The Express got a runner to third in the eighth, but he was left stranded after a couple of good Chihuahuas’ defensive plays.    The tie was finally broken in the ninth, as Mason McCoy led off with a home run.    7-6 Chihuahuas.

The bottom was all tension.    The Express loaded the bases with two outs.    Justin Fosque, who’d been up with Rangers this season, came up and went to a full count.    Suddenly, the radio station powered down.    I hustled to find a sweet spot to reacquire the weakened signal.    Pitcher Manuel Castro put one right in the strikezone and Fosque sent it deep, but it was catchable on the warning track.    Chihuahuas win, 7-6.    Whew!    

Baseball Journal July 2025 Part 12

7-30-25

It was another Free Day on MLB.TV.    When I came into work, it was the Pirates at the Giants tied at 1 in the ninth.  Aggie great, Nick Gonzales, led off the tenth and moved over the automatic runner.    The Giant broadcasters praised his work.    The runner did come in on a fielder’s choice, which came off of a mental error by the pitcher on a comebacker.    Pirates win, 2-1.

There were a bunch of day games I missed, but I was pleased to see the Tigers had won, 7-2, over Diamondbacks.    Also, the Padres shutout the Mets, 5-0.    Yu Darvish was the starter, so he seems to be back in shape.    Out of the remaining choices available, I started watching the Rockies at the Indians.    I’d noticed “Kwan” was trending on Twitter.    This being the day before the Trade Deadline, fans were wondering if Cleveland would move Steven Kwan.    From what I was seeing in the posts, Indians fans were madder at the thought of trading him than about the team name change.

Rockies starter, Kyle Freeland, was not well, but was playing anyway.    (This says a lot about Rockies’ pitching.)    In the bottom of the first, he was hittable, as he gave up a two-run homer and three hits to left field.    Left fielder, Jordan Beck, made a dive play on a fourth shot to left to end the inning.    Between innings, Freeland was hunched over in the dugout wrapped up in towels.    He gutted out three innings with the score 2-0 Indians.    A reliever in the fourth loaded the bases, but only give up a sac run, 3-0.

Kwan was up to bat in the fifth.    The Rox broadcasters start talking about trades.    The color guy wanted to trade Ryan Spilborghs, the on-field reporter. The play-by-play guy said he thought he remembered a broadcaster being involved in a trade. (I looked it up.    It was Ernie Harwell being traded for a catcher.)  Spilly talked about being traded for “cash considerations,” and thought it must have been a bunch of money.    He found out years later that the amount was $1.    And that was the high bid. Rockies lose 5-0 and Kwan still on the Indians at the end of the game.

The Phillies were at the White Sox and I’ve been avoiding this series the last couple of days.  It was 2-1 Phillies in the fourth.  The Sox tied it on solo home run into the nearly empty outfield bleachers. In fairness, there were some very dark heavy clouds overhead.  There may have also been a lengthy rain delay before I started watching.  However, the Sox broadcast did run an ad for a flash sale on Sox Suites.    “You and your friends ever want to see a game from a suite!    Come on in!    We’re making deals!”    (That’s not actually what they said, but that was the implication.)

In the bottom of the fifth, a back pick throw by the Phillies’ catcher went into the outfield and a run scored, but it was waved off.  The catcher accidentally hit the ump’s mask while throwing.  It was ruled Interference and they played a do-over on the pitch.    In the bottom of the seventh, Miguel Vargas hit a three-run homer.  A kid in the outfield with a mitt caught it.    He seemed more surprised than anybody about the event.    It was also his first game.    The kid was wearing a button you can get at the gate if it’s your first game.

The White Sox went up, 6-2, as part of a run of seven-straight hits.    The only out in the inning had come on a runner being thrown out at the plate.    A new Philies pitcher came in and this led to a three-run homer and another happy kid. 9-2 White Sox.    In the eighth, Andrew Benintendi robbed Bryce Harper on a leaping catch at the wall.  The Sox had some nerves trying to close it out in the ninth, but won 9-3.  Well, that was actually kind of fun to watch.    It was amazing as the clouds kept getting darker, but it didn’t rain.

The Dodgers were at the Reds and tied at 2 in the sixth. Shohei Ohtani pitched 3 innings and gave up those 2 runs.  The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the eighth.  In the bottom, the Reds got two on with two out and Spencer Steer came up.  He hit a foul ball nearly into stands.    Dodger outfielder, Andy Pages, gloved it and dropped it.    No fan interference.   Steer took the extra life and blasted one out to center.    James Outman managed to deflect it to keep it in, but two runs in as Steer tripled. Will Benson drove him in to make it, 5-2.  In the ninth with a runner on, Benson robbed Mookie Betts of a double in center and gloved an Ohtani liner to end it.    5-2 Reds.

The Rays were at Yankees and it 1-0 Rays in sixth.    Brandon Lowe had driven in the only run. Trent Grisham homered into the Little League porch at Yankee Stadium to tie it.    The Yanks took the lead on a Giancarlo Stanton hit (and then he went right back to the injured list, just kidding).    Josh Lowe hit a two-run homer in the ninth to make it, 3-2 Rays.    (The two “Lowes” aren’t pronounced it the same, by the way.)   

Anthony Volpe homered off closer Pete Fairbanks to tie it, so we were off to extras.    The Rays loaded the bases in the tenth.    There was an overthrow from the outfield on a play, but it was backed up well without a runner coming in. There was a great catch at the wall by Jasson Dominguez, but a run came in on the sac, 4-3 Rays.    Cody Bellinger tripled in a run in the bottom to tie it at 4. New Yankee, Ryan McMahon, would walk it off in the eleventh with a hit. 5-4 Yankees.    I admit, they showed some grit tonight.   

The Marlins were at the Cardinals.  The Cardinals’ broadcasters were talking a lot about trades.    They’d already traded reliever, Ryan Helsley.    They were mostly wondering if Nolan Arenado would be dealt.    [Note: He wasn’t.]    The Marlins won, 2-0.   

I was listening to a debate by this point in the night during the final two games playing, but I was still watching.    The Rangers were at the Angels.    There were Angels in the Outfield with much of the crowd in Anaheim dressed in white gowns with halos.    They should do this every night.       

It was tied a 1 in the sixth.    Jo Adell dropped a liner by Corey Seager and Marcus Semien drove him in to make it, 2-1 Rangers.    Ranger starter, Nathan Eovaldi, was dealing.    He worked into the seventh only throwing 88 pitches. In the eighth, a foul ball went into the sports writers’ booth next door.    The Rangers guys were laughing at them for all ducking under the tables.  Adolis Garcia would straighten out a following pitch and send it out for a two-run homer, 4-1.

Still in the eighth, Wyatt Langford struck out, but the ball went through catcher’s legs to the backstop and he got on.    With two on, Evan Carter drove in a run.    The bases were then loaded on infield hit.    A run was walked in, which brought in a pitching change.    The Angels fan section looked a bit down as it was now, 6-1 Rangers.    They were momentarily brightened up in the bottom when an Angels’ two-run homer went into the outfield stands, 6-3.    In the top of the ninth, another ball went into the writers’ booth.    This time they weren’t paying attention and it just bounced into them.    The Rangers got the win, 6-3, and Evo got his 100-th win.

Lastly, the Mariners were at the A’s in Sacramento.    The A’s were up 4-1 into the seventh. The M’s scored 2 in the inning, 4-3, but Lawrence Butler did reach over a low wall to rob a home run and end the inning. Miguel Andujar homered in the bottom for the A’s.    M’s pitcher, Bryan Woo, was obviously angry on the mound.  The A’s won it, 5-4.    There weren’t any hits from Nick Kurtz today, but they didn’t need it.

The Chihuahuas won, 8-6, over Round Rock, and I missed it.  Looked like a good game.    A few trades happened tonight.    The Mets bolstered their bullpen, the Phillies got a closer, and the M’s got some offense by reacquiring Eugenio Suarez.

7-31-25

It’s Trade Deadline Day!    Now don’t go crazy.    Show some restraint.    It seemed like most of the teams did.    The most shocking trade of the day was the Twins sending Carlos Correa back to the Astros.    Nobody saw that coming.    The Twins are also picking up most of his enormous contract that he hasn’t lived up to.    (The Giants and Mets are feeling really smart for medically rejecting him.)

Lots of relief pitchers moved.    The Orioles, the Twins, and the Diamondbacks dumped players.    The Yankees made a bunch of moves.    Given that they’re already a good team, I question this, but we’ll see how it works out.    Sandy Alcantra is still a Marlin.    (We’re all shocked again.)    The Phillies picked up Jhoan Duran as their closer.    The Tigers and Dodgers did basically nothing.    (I’m concerned for the Tigers here.)    The Mariners got a couple of good hitters from Arizona.   

The Mets and Padres looked like they made the best moves. (Though the Padres’ moves hurt the Chihuahuas.)    The Mets got Cedric Mullins from the O’s and some bullpen help.    The Padres acquired closer Mason Miller and the A’s got back MLB’s #3 prospect, Leo De Vries.   

Only three games on the slate today to maybe give most of teams time to sort things out after the Deadline.    They were all free on MLB.TV.    The Yankees and Rays were playing when I came into work and it was over before I sat down to watch.    Yankees win, 7-4.    They won three of four from the Rays in this series.    There was a lousy crowd there at Yankee Stadium.    It looked like there was a mist falling there.

It was a cloudy evening in Cincinnati, but a nice crowd out to see the Reds and the Braves.    In the third, the Reds went up, 1-0.    Elly de la Cruz came up and the broadcaster was saying he hadn’t homered in the 30-something games and this was the longest drought of his young career.    He’d barely finished saying it before Elly hit a two-run homer to center to make it, 3-0.    It was a reverse broadcasting jinx.

In the fifth, Red Will Benson crashed into the wall to save a double.    In the sixth, the Braves loaded the bases with no outs. Spencer Steer got the first out reaching into the dugout.    The Reds changed pitchers and a grounder to new Red, Ke’Bryan Hayes, skipped right past him, for 2 runs.    Matt McLain at second dropped a double play grounder and nobody was out with the bases reloaded.    Elly got another chance at a DP ball and converted. Tied at 3.   

In the bottom of the sixth, the Reds loaded the bases with one out, but no runs came in.    In the top of the eighth, the wheels came off for the Reds.    The Braves took the lead.    They loaded the bases with no outs and 3 runs came in.    There was a comebacker to the pitcher.    He threw home and didn’t get the runner.    The Braves scored 8 runs for the inning to lead, 11-3.   

In the bottom of the eighth, the wheels came off for the Braves.    Ke’Bryan hit a three-run homer as part of 8 runs scoring on 8 straight hits with no outs.  The Braves changed pitchers, but Steer hit a three-run homer to tie it, 11-11.    Nobody scored in the ninth.    Elly did come up with two outs in the ninth.    The fans, who had mostly stuck around, had their phones out recording him, but Elly struck out looking.    In the tenth, Marcell Ozuna sac’d in a run for the Braves to make it, 12-11, which would be the final.    Darn, I was emotionally invested in this one.

I finally tuned into the Chihuahuas playing at Round Rock.    I wanted to hear about the trade fallout.    Slugger Brandon Lockridge and closer Eduarniel Nunez were traded.    Nunez was held out of last night’s game so it wasn’t a surprise.    The Padres got a catcher from Royals in return.  The pups were down to one position player on the bench tonight.    It was a sad time in the Round Rock locker room.    The two long-time players were DFA’d and left the team. Broadcaster Tim Hagerty said, “This is the one day I recommend not getting your lineup card filled out before the game.”

It was a tight game with the Chihuahuas up 2-1 into the eighth.    Brett Nicholas, former Chihuahuas’ catcher and current voice of the Express popped into the booth to say, “Hi.”    Tim was very pleased.    I searched and noticed I’d mentioned him in a bunch of posts when he was playing.    It was Month End at work.    I was very busy and not following the games closely.    Round Rock did take the lead.    MLB veteran, Craig Kimbrel, pitched to close it out for the Express.    Two Chihuahuas’ runs scored and there were two on before final out. 6-4 Round Rock final.

The Rangers were at the Mariners and scoreless in the third.    In the fourth, Julio Rodriguez seemed to run a half mile to slide in and catch a blooper by Marcus Semien.    In the bottom, a wild pitch from Kumar Rocker brought in the first M’s run.    In the fifth, Cole Young hit a 470’ homer into the second deck.    Young is not a big home run hitter.    The big home run hitter, Cal Raleigh, came up next and hit a little dinker that just cleared the wall.    3-0 M’s.

In the sixth, two Rangers were left in scoring position.    In the bottom, the Mariners scored again and then added another run on a passed ball to make it, 6-0.    The Mariners would win it, 6-0, but in a costly fashion.    Reliever Trent Thornton injured his ankle falling while fielding a dribbler to the mound with two outs.  He had to be taken off the field on a cart.