8-14-17
The pre-game for tonight’s Chihuahuas/51’s finale was pretty interesting. Steve Kaplowitz mentioned that on Saturday he was able to hang out with Cody Decker before the game. During, he sat with Cody’s mom and with his finance’ Jenn Sterger. (Today, I got to see the video of her sitting in with Kappy on Friday. Yikes! Now we all want to be Cody Decker.) Tim Hagerty (and I’m disappointed he didn’t get Jenn with him in the booth to call a couple of innings) said the Chihuahuas had given Cody a Diablos t-shirt. Cody admitted he was embarrassed by the ovation he got for his first at bat in town. As a visiting player, he didn’t know what to do in such a situation. It’d never happened to him before. I admit this is a lot of adulation for a guy who doesn’t play for the home team, but what can you do, he’s iconic.
Oh, I talked to my co-workers who went to the game on Saturday. They all had a good time. My boss did leave the game early and found out about the exciting end she missed later. “Why did leave early? Didn’t you did know there was going to be fireworks afterward?” I think she blamed her boyfriend for wanting to beat the traffic. Those who wisely stayed, thought the game was boring until that ninth inning, which made up for everything (which was also how I felt). One lady was very impressed with the fireworks show. “It was better than the Fourth of July.” If you’re sitting in the outfield, however, you will be somewhat frighteningly close to where they’re being shot off from.
For tonight’s game, Chase d’Arnaud got the scoring started by tripling in a run in the first. The Chihuahuas would take a 2-0 lead. This would not be the end of the scoring. The 51’s tied it in the second. Cody Decker doubled in one of the runs. Rafael Ortega slammed into the wall, going after a liner. He was shaken up, but stayed in to a round of applause from the crowd. In the bottom, the Chihuahuas scored three for a 5-2 lead. A couple of fans were really letting the opposing pitcher have it, commenting on the size of his posterior.
In the third, Tim was joined by Ponchy Herrera (maybe I’m spelling that right). He’s a season ticket holder that was invited up to the booth as part of fanfest earlier. I doubt they could have picked a bigger pups’ fan. His team knowledge may well have rivaled Tim’s, no small feat. He remembered the first Chihuahua to get a hit from listening to the first radio broadcast. He was at the first game at the new park. The bathrooms weren’t finished at the time. After that game, Ponchy said everyone was so happy, nobody wanted to leave. They finally had to push everyone out.
Ponchy’s a big Astros’ fan. He attended the Triple-A Championship game that was hosted in El Paso and got to see their affiliate, the Grizzlies, win. After the game, the players tossed some of their gear to the Astros’ fans there, including him. With his seat along the first base line, Ponchy has gotten to chat with several visiting players, including Cody Decker. He even got to talk to Tim Lincecum during a rain delay. He said Tim was a really nice guy and tossed balls to the fans. This is really good to hear, since I like Timmy. Ponchy also did what all of the fans listening wanted to do and that was thank Tim Hagerty for his wonderful radio call of the games.
Much like the Cody Decker coverage, it may seem excessive to talk this much about a guy that’s just a fan, but it was a fascinating and joyful half inning of listening. Unfortunately the downside of the top of the third was that the 51’s scored three to tie the score at five. In the bottom, Chihuahuas’ pitcher, Dillon Overton, drove in two runs. It was just that kind of game, where even the pitchers were going to get their knocks. 7-5 pups. In the fourth, I stepped away to do some work. When I came back, the Chihuahuas had scored two more, 9-5. In the fifth, no runs scored. Not one for the entire inning.
In the sixth, the Chihuahuas tacked on another run for a 10-5 lead. The 51’s led off the inning with a home run. A bunch of little kid’s boo’d the heck of it. Cody then got his third hit of the game. With two on and nobody out, the Chihuahuas managed to limit the damage to one run, 10-7. Franchy Cordero got his fifteenth triple of season in the eighth. I like that. Triples usually show off hustle by the player. The ninth got hairy. The 51’s loaded the bases with one out and Cody Decker at the plate. The crowd really started getting into it here. Cody struck out and immediately started arguing with the ump. (I’m sure Jenn was yelling at him too.) The last out was a grounder to the pitcher. Whew. 10-7 Chihuahuas final.
In MLB news (that interests me), I read on a Giants’ fansite that Pablo Sandoval was back on the team. The superfan writer of the piece was deeply ambiguous about this development. At least he can’t hurt the team at this point. The Panda’s message to the fans about his return said that his poor performance with the Red Sox was because he’d “left his heart in San Francisco.” I’ll just let that lie there without further comment.
The MLB free game was the Phillies and the Padres. Please don’t spoil us with these critical, late-season matchups. Of course, I wanted to see my former Chihuahuas playing in the bigs, but I was pretty busy for most of the game. It was 2-2 in the top of the sixth went I turned it on, but I missed all the excitement in the bottom, went the Padres scored four. I did see the ninth. Brad Hand came in for the save. The mission bell rang every time he got an out. With the final out, the announcer shouted, “Talk to the Hand!” 7-4 Padres.
8-15-17
Beautiful rainbows sparkled over Southwest University Park Tuesday night after a short rain shower. I’m sure it was lovely. Thankfully, there was only a half hour delay in starting the game. Not so thankfully, KROD went back to ESPN Radio programming. There, the hosts were haranguing that Ezekiel Elliott’s punishment by the NFL was mild. He wasn’t actually charged with a crime, but the NFL is a private company and can set their own standards of behavior. Meanwhile, they ran promos for another show that was demanding that an NFL team must hire Colin Kaepernick. Well. Even though he didn’t commit a crime, the NFL is a private company that can set their own standards of behavior. So there.
Sports Illustrated has hit this story from every angle. Three months ago, they preemptively called the NFL owners “racist,” because Kaepernick didn’t have a job then. Two months ago, they did an article on the Star Spangled Banner to explain how it’s just a song with some nebulous connection to sports. It was just a tradition to sing it before sporting events and not terribly important. A couple of days ago, they did an online piece carefully explaining how not standing for the anthem is not a sign of disrespect to the country, especially not the armed forces. I’ve heard a suggestion elsewhere that sporting events should just do away with this whole anthem thing to avoid any further controversy. This is a great exercise in social justice: socialists fighting for a dilettante activist millionaire to make more millions. With a cause so righteous, how can it not succeed?
Earlier in the evening, I spoke to another co-worker, who’d gone to the Saturday night Chihuahuas’ game. He’d left early too! They were only down three runs! Chuck knew better. He went back on Monday and got the Hunter Renfroe bobblehead. He already had the Austin Hedges one. Getting them did require him to show up at the ballpark a couple of hours early.
Anyway, this game started a really important series between the Chihuahuas and the Isotopes, the teams in third and second place in the standings, separated by just a couple of games. That said, I didn’t get into the game initially. The half hour delay got me off on the wrong foot. I found myself watching some new Media Day player interviews of the NM State Aggie volleyball team. I’m looking forward to seeing the girls this weekend.
The Chihuahuas scored three runs, one at a time, over the first four innings. In the sixth, the Isotopes scored and put two more on, with one out. Chris Huffman came out and Jason Jester came in. Rocky Gale caught one runner stealing and Jester struck out the batter to end the inning, 3-1 Chihuahuas. In the seventh, Ryan Howard entered the game for the Isotopes as a pinch hitter. That must have been impressive to see a former NL MVP playing in person at the ballpark. This time, he just moved a runner over, who scored off a single from the next batter, 3-2. In the bottom, Travis Jankowski got his third hit of the game, but was picked off with a good move by Nelson Gonzalez.
Bottom of the eighth, Ryan Schimpf homered on a 3-0 count, 4-2. Jabari Blash got picked off first to end the inning by the same pitcher from the last inning. That guy must have a heck of a move. Kevin Quakenbush came in in the eighth and finished out the ninth as well for the save and the 4-2 win. That’s his second save in two days.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Baseball Journal August 12-13, 2017
8-12-17
The radio coverage started just as Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez finished his speech in Arlington. The Rangers were retiring his number tonight. There was a short interview with him afterward. Pudge was clearly overwhelmed. So, tonight’s rivalry game between the Rangers and Astros was delayed a bit. Eric Nadel mentioned that there was a light rain falling on the sold out crowd, but the radar and forecast agreed that there wasn’t any chance of heavy rain. One inning in, Matt Hicks reported on hearing “The sound of 48,000 people fleeing for cover,” as the rain came down. Eric was still sure it would be a quick shower. Unfortunately, I lost the station shortly thereafter, and the Rangers’ nighttime station was carrying the Cowboys' pre-season game. I found out the next day that the Rangers won, but no further details.
In El Paso, my co-workers were among the 9,000+ fans in attendance for tonight’s game between the Chihuahuas and the 51’s. I declined to go for a variety of reasons. The good news for everybody is that the rain in our forecast never materialized so we could all enjoy the game. Proceedings started off with a father and son (though it sounded like more people) harmonizing through an excellent rendition of the anthem.
In the second, Cody Decker came up and hit a single. I don’t think he’s getting cheered as he comes up, but I’m sure everybody still likes him as a person. Jordan Lyles was making his second start for the Chihuahuas, and he’s still a bit shaky. He loaded the bases with two out and gave up a two-run single, 2-0 51’s. The Chihuahuas loaded the bases in the bottom, but Lyles struck out to end the inning. The pups had their best defensive play in the fourth. A runner on third tried to take home on a wild pitch, but was thrown out to end the inning.
The El Paso PA sang a country song between halves in the fifth. Tim Hagerty stopped his intro to let the radio audience hear him. I think the PA was promoting a country/western concert coming to the park after the season. The 51’s loaded the bases again in the sixth and came up with a run before a strikeout ended the inning, 3-0. The Chihuahuas had been so listless to this point that I was sorry that the Rockies game was over and I couldn’t get the Rangers game. In the eighth, the crowd finally got a reason to cheer. Franchy Cordero tripled in a run as the fielder fell down trying to catch his fly ball. Ricky Knapp, pitching for the 51’s, finally came out after 7 2/3 great innings of work, 3-1.
The ninth led off with pinch hitting Ryan Schimpf hitting a home run to bring the score to 3-2. The crowd literally roared. Diego Goris then singled. Then there was a strikeout of Rocky Gale. Jabari Blash then came in as a pinch hitter and also struck out. Nick Buss, who’d come in as a pinch hitter the last inning, singled. Goris fell down at second and stayed there. Travis Jankowski then came up as a pinch hitter. He grounded to second base, who fumbled it. Goris charged home and touched the plate before being the tagged. Tie game! Tim and the crowd exploded. With fireworks afterward, the capacity crowd was all still there. Chase d’Arnaud walked to load the bases. With two out, Franchy hit a single up the middle for a 4-3 win! Shoot off those fireworks!
I will say that the ninth more than made up for the rest of the game. I think Albuquerque dropped a double header and Salt Lake was losing late [edit: they came back and won, down to their last strike], so this was a great day for the Chihuahuas to win. That said, why were so many of the team’s best hitters on the bench for this game? Thank goodness they were used in the end, but I’d think they would done better if they’d been on the field for the whole game.
8-13-17
Eric Nadel was not broadcasting today’s Ranger game. Matt Hicks and Jared Sandler had it covered. Dallas Keuchel was on the mound for the Astros, Andrew Cashner for the Rangers. The Rangers managed their first threat on Keuchel in the third by getting two on, but neither scored. Right after in the fourth, Jose Altuve belted a solo home run, 1-0 Astros. In the bottom, Adrian Beltre got caught in a rundown trying to take second on a single, I think. The coverage back late to the game from commercial, I’m not sure I even heard the end of the inning. I’m not sure if it was me not paying attention or them.
The top of the fifth was eventful. After a hit batter, a warning was issued by the umps, prompting both managers to come out and argue (with different umpires). Jeff Bannister was tossed for whatever he said. AJ Hinch was not. Bannister made a mock motion to toss out the ump as he left the field. Next, Elvis Andrus dropped a liner on purpose to get a force out of a faster runner in favor of putting on a slower one. Then, Matt made an emphatic call as Delino Deshields laid out to catch a liner. Carlos Beltran, on base during the play, had apparently made it safely back to first. However, he’d passed second watching the play, and not retouched it on the way back. He was ruled out on appeal for the third out. Matt and Jared, while still admiring Delino’s play, were completely confused and had to figure things out in the next inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Keuchel got two outs, but then loaded the bases. He managed to end it on a strikeout. The Rangers finally got on the board in the sixth with an Adrian Beltre opposite field homer. “Right over the Jimmy Johns’ sign, and it went out ‘Freaky fast!’” exclaimed Matt Hicks. The score was now tied, and Jared Sandler rolled his eyes at the call.
In the seventh, the Astros scored, making it 2-1. In the bottom, Delino got on, stole second, and took third on a bad throw by the catcher, but he was left stranded. In the eighth, Astro’s closer, Ken Giles, was brought in with two on and one out. He got a double play on one pitch to Joey Gallo. Matt questioned the use of the sacrifice bunt before the Gallo at bat, since the tying run was already in scoring position. So did I. Giles got the save in the ninth, 2-1 Astros final. The Astros broke their longest losing streak of the year at five.
KROD was broadcasting ESPN’s baseball pre-game before putting on the Chihuahuas versus the 51’s. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that until tuning over just before the game started. Given what I had been listening to after the Rangers’ game, I wish I’d known. Anyway, it was Bark at the Park day at Southwest University Park. The Chihuahuas were again wearing their famous special dog face jerseys. There was even a wiener dog race during the game.
Tim Hagerty was still buzzing about last night’s game. He said that was the loudest he’d heard the crowd at the park this year. Things started well. After Chase d’Arnaud got hit on the dog face and let out a grunt loud enough to get picked up by the mics. Franchy Cordero then hit a three-run homer over the centerfield fence, 3-0.
Cody Decker got some love from the crowd in his first at bat in the second. In an interview with the media, he mentioned that his favorite moment in the park was the last home game of the first season. The manager asked the players to tip their hats to the crowd after the game. The crowd went wild. Manager Pat Murphy told him, “Think how these people would react if we were going to the playoffs.”
In the third, Tim talked with a Kid’s Club member. Unfortunately, the four-year old wasn’t terribly cogent. At one point, Tim noticed someone was on first and asked the kid how he got on. Tim wasn’t sure, he’d spent too much time trying to talk to the kid. In the bottom, the pups scored on slow rolling infield hit, 4-0.
The fourth didn’t go well. The 51’s got runners at second and third via two errors by d’Arnoud. Both of them scored on a double. Another run scored on another double. Decker scored on another hit, but the trail runner was thrown out at the plate on by Jabari Blash, 4-4. In the fifth, the 51’s scored twice and scored again in the ninth. The Chihuahuas had no answer tonight. Again, a couple of the team’s better hitters only came up as pinch hitters in the ninth. 7-4 51’s. Meanwhile, in Albuquerque, the last reported score was 22-1 Isotopes. Tim mentioned Ryan Howard was playing for them. That will be cool to see later in the week.
The radio coverage started just as Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez finished his speech in Arlington. The Rangers were retiring his number tonight. There was a short interview with him afterward. Pudge was clearly overwhelmed. So, tonight’s rivalry game between the Rangers and Astros was delayed a bit. Eric Nadel mentioned that there was a light rain falling on the sold out crowd, but the radar and forecast agreed that there wasn’t any chance of heavy rain. One inning in, Matt Hicks reported on hearing “The sound of 48,000 people fleeing for cover,” as the rain came down. Eric was still sure it would be a quick shower. Unfortunately, I lost the station shortly thereafter, and the Rangers’ nighttime station was carrying the Cowboys' pre-season game. I found out the next day that the Rangers won, but no further details.
In El Paso, my co-workers were among the 9,000+ fans in attendance for tonight’s game between the Chihuahuas and the 51’s. I declined to go for a variety of reasons. The good news for everybody is that the rain in our forecast never materialized so we could all enjoy the game. Proceedings started off with a father and son (though it sounded like more people) harmonizing through an excellent rendition of the anthem.
In the second, Cody Decker came up and hit a single. I don’t think he’s getting cheered as he comes up, but I’m sure everybody still likes him as a person. Jordan Lyles was making his second start for the Chihuahuas, and he’s still a bit shaky. He loaded the bases with two out and gave up a two-run single, 2-0 51’s. The Chihuahuas loaded the bases in the bottom, but Lyles struck out to end the inning. The pups had their best defensive play in the fourth. A runner on third tried to take home on a wild pitch, but was thrown out to end the inning.
The El Paso PA sang a country song between halves in the fifth. Tim Hagerty stopped his intro to let the radio audience hear him. I think the PA was promoting a country/western concert coming to the park after the season. The 51’s loaded the bases again in the sixth and came up with a run before a strikeout ended the inning, 3-0. The Chihuahuas had been so listless to this point that I was sorry that the Rockies game was over and I couldn’t get the Rangers game. In the eighth, the crowd finally got a reason to cheer. Franchy Cordero tripled in a run as the fielder fell down trying to catch his fly ball. Ricky Knapp, pitching for the 51’s, finally came out after 7 2/3 great innings of work, 3-1.
The ninth led off with pinch hitting Ryan Schimpf hitting a home run to bring the score to 3-2. The crowd literally roared. Diego Goris then singled. Then there was a strikeout of Rocky Gale. Jabari Blash then came in as a pinch hitter and also struck out. Nick Buss, who’d come in as a pinch hitter the last inning, singled. Goris fell down at second and stayed there. Travis Jankowski then came up as a pinch hitter. He grounded to second base, who fumbled it. Goris charged home and touched the plate before being the tagged. Tie game! Tim and the crowd exploded. With fireworks afterward, the capacity crowd was all still there. Chase d’Arnaud walked to load the bases. With two out, Franchy hit a single up the middle for a 4-3 win! Shoot off those fireworks!
I will say that the ninth more than made up for the rest of the game. I think Albuquerque dropped a double header and Salt Lake was losing late [edit: they came back and won, down to their last strike], so this was a great day for the Chihuahuas to win. That said, why were so many of the team’s best hitters on the bench for this game? Thank goodness they were used in the end, but I’d think they would done better if they’d been on the field for the whole game.
8-13-17
Eric Nadel was not broadcasting today’s Ranger game. Matt Hicks and Jared Sandler had it covered. Dallas Keuchel was on the mound for the Astros, Andrew Cashner for the Rangers. The Rangers managed their first threat on Keuchel in the third by getting two on, but neither scored. Right after in the fourth, Jose Altuve belted a solo home run, 1-0 Astros. In the bottom, Adrian Beltre got caught in a rundown trying to take second on a single, I think. The coverage back late to the game from commercial, I’m not sure I even heard the end of the inning. I’m not sure if it was me not paying attention or them.
The top of the fifth was eventful. After a hit batter, a warning was issued by the umps, prompting both managers to come out and argue (with different umpires). Jeff Bannister was tossed for whatever he said. AJ Hinch was not. Bannister made a mock motion to toss out the ump as he left the field. Next, Elvis Andrus dropped a liner on purpose to get a force out of a faster runner in favor of putting on a slower one. Then, Matt made an emphatic call as Delino Deshields laid out to catch a liner. Carlos Beltran, on base during the play, had apparently made it safely back to first. However, he’d passed second watching the play, and not retouched it on the way back. He was ruled out on appeal for the third out. Matt and Jared, while still admiring Delino’s play, were completely confused and had to figure things out in the next inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Keuchel got two outs, but then loaded the bases. He managed to end it on a strikeout. The Rangers finally got on the board in the sixth with an Adrian Beltre opposite field homer. “Right over the Jimmy Johns’ sign, and it went out ‘Freaky fast!’” exclaimed Matt Hicks. The score was now tied, and Jared Sandler rolled his eyes at the call.
In the seventh, the Astros scored, making it 2-1. In the bottom, Delino got on, stole second, and took third on a bad throw by the catcher, but he was left stranded. In the eighth, Astro’s closer, Ken Giles, was brought in with two on and one out. He got a double play on one pitch to Joey Gallo. Matt questioned the use of the sacrifice bunt before the Gallo at bat, since the tying run was already in scoring position. So did I. Giles got the save in the ninth, 2-1 Astros final. The Astros broke their longest losing streak of the year at five.
KROD was broadcasting ESPN’s baseball pre-game before putting on the Chihuahuas versus the 51’s. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that until tuning over just before the game started. Given what I had been listening to after the Rangers’ game, I wish I’d known. Anyway, it was Bark at the Park day at Southwest University Park. The Chihuahuas were again wearing their famous special dog face jerseys. There was even a wiener dog race during the game.
Tim Hagerty was still buzzing about last night’s game. He said that was the loudest he’d heard the crowd at the park this year. Things started well. After Chase d’Arnaud got hit on the dog face and let out a grunt loud enough to get picked up by the mics. Franchy Cordero then hit a three-run homer over the centerfield fence, 3-0.
Cody Decker got some love from the crowd in his first at bat in the second. In an interview with the media, he mentioned that his favorite moment in the park was the last home game of the first season. The manager asked the players to tip their hats to the crowd after the game. The crowd went wild. Manager Pat Murphy told him, “Think how these people would react if we were going to the playoffs.”
In the third, Tim talked with a Kid’s Club member. Unfortunately, the four-year old wasn’t terribly cogent. At one point, Tim noticed someone was on first and asked the kid how he got on. Tim wasn’t sure, he’d spent too much time trying to talk to the kid. In the bottom, the pups scored on slow rolling infield hit, 4-0.
The fourth didn’t go well. The 51’s got runners at second and third via two errors by d’Arnoud. Both of them scored on a double. Another run scored on another double. Decker scored on another hit, but the trail runner was thrown out at the plate on by Jabari Blash, 4-4. In the fifth, the 51’s scored twice and scored again in the ninth. The Chihuahuas had no answer tonight. Again, a couple of the team’s better hitters only came up as pinch hitters in the ninth. 7-4 51’s. Meanwhile, in Albuquerque, the last reported score was 22-1 Isotopes. Tim mentioned Ryan Howard was playing for them. That will be cool to see later in the week.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Baseball Journal August 11, 2017
8-11-17
This was an interesting change of pace. With Cody Decker in town with the visiting team, he brought his finance’, Jenn Sterger with him. She sat in with Steve Kaplowitz on his local sports talk show. It wasn’t really an interview; Jenn was more of a co-host for two hours. She was quite well-spoken and engaging. She certainly has some inside information on sports from her sports broadcasting career and from being with her future husband. I didn’t have access to the live studio video feed, but it was inferred that she looked great too. (A reported record number of viewers were watching.)
There were plenty of sports talk topics on tap for today to comment on, such as Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension and Colin Kaepernick’s unemployment. Brett Farve was not mentioned by name, but the topic came up. I liked Jenn’s informed, passionate, professional takes on these matters. On the other hand, I didn’t really agree with most of her positions. They were too ESPN. You know, “Tim Tebow sucks! Free Colin Kaepernick!” Still, I was heartened by one of Jenn’s little asides. She’d met an actress at a Los Angeles dinner party that she really looked up to. Then she was horrified and disappointed as the actress left to go do drugs. At least, Jenn doesn’t have Hollywood morals.
Today’s game between the Chihuahuas and the Las Vegas 51’s started off with a cello version of the anthem by a Grammy-award winning artist. It was lovely. Tim Hagerty sounded very happy to be back home after a long road trip. In Tim’s discussion with Kappy before the game, he was pleased that his toddler son still recognized him.
In the top of the first, two bad defensive plays gave the 51’s a run. The crowd immediately began grumbling. For some defensive redemption, catcher Rocky Gale gunned down a runner at second on a steal. Tim was already calling him safe, as it looked like an easy steal. He was shocked Gale got him. Unfortunately, another score came in on a solo home run, 2-0 51’s. Franchy Cordero got one run back on a leadoff homer that may have landed on top of the Big Dog House, 2-1.
El Paso fan-favorite, Cody Decker, came up in the second to a round of applause. Jenn related that the love affair is mutual. Don’t be surprised to see him show up at some of his favorite local restaurants. I almost think I heard walkup music for him. Cody walked and was then driven in by a two-run homer, and another run scored on top of that, 5-1. A “misting” started over the stadium from rain clouds in the area. In the bottom, Nick Buss was called out at first on an infield hit. Uncharacteristically, he got mad about it and argued. It was quick and, upon looking at the replay, he was actually safe. Then there was a roll of thunder. The field was immediately cleared, and the rain began. Tim took off his headset as a precaution. The station went to ESPN Radio.
The MLB free game was the Rockies visiting the Marlins in Miami (Florida, not Ohio or Oklahoma). Not only was the video blacked out, I joined the game in the bottom of the eighth, tied at three. Thankfully, I still got the offered radio feed. A not so great development was the Marlins driving in three runs in the inning, including two off a triple. 6-3 Marlins final.
In other MLB news, I didn’t pay enough attention to the St. Louis Rally Cat story. He ran out on field during a game against the Royals, right past an amused Lorenzo Cain. A brave stadium attendant was slightly harmed subduing the cat. Sorry, Kitty. Fans aren’t allowed on the field. That’s an eject-able offense. Yadier Molina, inspired by this good-looking black and white cat, then hit a grand slam home run, earning the super-fan pussycat his nickname. Said cat was then claimed by another fan, who was likely drunk, and then he was lost. Rally Cat was found a couple of days later. Hopefully, he’ll get a friendly new Cardinal-fan owner. The Royals were swept, by the way. The Cardinals have worked themselves into a position to challenge the Cubs for the Central.
An hour later, play in El Paso resumed at 9:00 pm. It was also very windy for the rest of the night. I suspect much of the crowd abandoned the park. Two new pitchers entered the game. In the fourth, the Chihuahuas loaded the bases on three singles with no outs. But, they only came away with a run and the inning ended on a double play, 5-2. In the fifth, the pups were back on the attack. Diego Goris doubled in a run. A fielder’s choice brought in another. Buss then singled in the tying run. Five all.
Cody Decker homered in the top of the sixth. I was away at the time, so I don’t know what the crowd reaction was, probably not good (but I’m sure they still liked him). The 51’s ended up scoring three and retook the lead, 8-5. The Chihuahuas got back a run in the bottom and a Chase d’Arnaud home run in the eighth, but 8-7 51’s was the final. Tim sounded disappointed. Me and the rest of the fans were disappointed too. The 51’s are one of the worst teams in the PCL (as were the Baby Cakes). The Chihuahuas shouldn’t be losing these games. They also shouldn’t have taken three of four from a very good Grizzlies team either. That’s why this is so frustrating. At least Cody had a good game.
This was an interesting change of pace. With Cody Decker in town with the visiting team, he brought his finance’, Jenn Sterger with him. She sat in with Steve Kaplowitz on his local sports talk show. It wasn’t really an interview; Jenn was more of a co-host for two hours. She was quite well-spoken and engaging. She certainly has some inside information on sports from her sports broadcasting career and from being with her future husband. I didn’t have access to the live studio video feed, but it was inferred that she looked great too. (A reported record number of viewers were watching.)
There were plenty of sports talk topics on tap for today to comment on, such as Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension and Colin Kaepernick’s unemployment. Brett Farve was not mentioned by name, but the topic came up. I liked Jenn’s informed, passionate, professional takes on these matters. On the other hand, I didn’t really agree with most of her positions. They were too ESPN. You know, “Tim Tebow sucks! Free Colin Kaepernick!” Still, I was heartened by one of Jenn’s little asides. She’d met an actress at a Los Angeles dinner party that she really looked up to. Then she was horrified and disappointed as the actress left to go do drugs. At least, Jenn doesn’t have Hollywood morals.
Today’s game between the Chihuahuas and the Las Vegas 51’s started off with a cello version of the anthem by a Grammy-award winning artist. It was lovely. Tim Hagerty sounded very happy to be back home after a long road trip. In Tim’s discussion with Kappy before the game, he was pleased that his toddler son still recognized him.
In the top of the first, two bad defensive plays gave the 51’s a run. The crowd immediately began grumbling. For some defensive redemption, catcher Rocky Gale gunned down a runner at second on a steal. Tim was already calling him safe, as it looked like an easy steal. He was shocked Gale got him. Unfortunately, another score came in on a solo home run, 2-0 51’s. Franchy Cordero got one run back on a leadoff homer that may have landed on top of the Big Dog House, 2-1.
El Paso fan-favorite, Cody Decker, came up in the second to a round of applause. Jenn related that the love affair is mutual. Don’t be surprised to see him show up at some of his favorite local restaurants. I almost think I heard walkup music for him. Cody walked and was then driven in by a two-run homer, and another run scored on top of that, 5-1. A “misting” started over the stadium from rain clouds in the area. In the bottom, Nick Buss was called out at first on an infield hit. Uncharacteristically, he got mad about it and argued. It was quick and, upon looking at the replay, he was actually safe. Then there was a roll of thunder. The field was immediately cleared, and the rain began. Tim took off his headset as a precaution. The station went to ESPN Radio.
The MLB free game was the Rockies visiting the Marlins in Miami (Florida, not Ohio or Oklahoma). Not only was the video blacked out, I joined the game in the bottom of the eighth, tied at three. Thankfully, I still got the offered radio feed. A not so great development was the Marlins driving in three runs in the inning, including two off a triple. 6-3 Marlins final.
In other MLB news, I didn’t pay enough attention to the St. Louis Rally Cat story. He ran out on field during a game against the Royals, right past an amused Lorenzo Cain. A brave stadium attendant was slightly harmed subduing the cat. Sorry, Kitty. Fans aren’t allowed on the field. That’s an eject-able offense. Yadier Molina, inspired by this good-looking black and white cat, then hit a grand slam home run, earning the super-fan pussycat his nickname. Said cat was then claimed by another fan, who was likely drunk, and then he was lost. Rally Cat was found a couple of days later. Hopefully, he’ll get a friendly new Cardinal-fan owner. The Royals were swept, by the way. The Cardinals have worked themselves into a position to challenge the Cubs for the Central.
An hour later, play in El Paso resumed at 9:00 pm. It was also very windy for the rest of the night. I suspect much of the crowd abandoned the park. Two new pitchers entered the game. In the fourth, the Chihuahuas loaded the bases on three singles with no outs. But, they only came away with a run and the inning ended on a double play, 5-2. In the fifth, the pups were back on the attack. Diego Goris doubled in a run. A fielder’s choice brought in another. Buss then singled in the tying run. Five all.
Cody Decker homered in the top of the sixth. I was away at the time, so I don’t know what the crowd reaction was, probably not good (but I’m sure they still liked him). The 51’s ended up scoring three and retook the lead, 8-5. The Chihuahuas got back a run in the bottom and a Chase d’Arnaud home run in the eighth, but 8-7 51’s was the final. Tim sounded disappointed. Me and the rest of the fans were disappointed too. The 51’s are one of the worst teams in the PCL (as were the Baby Cakes). The Chihuahuas shouldn’t be losing these games. They also shouldn’t have taken three of four from a very good Grizzlies team either. That’s why this is so frustrating. At least Cody had a good game.
Friday, August 11, 2017
Baseball Journal August 9-10, 2017
8-9-17
It was a matinee featuring the Rangers versus the Mets today. As usual (thanks to bad station scheduling), we picked up the game in progress. Shin-Soo Choo bluffed while on third and induced a balk out of Raphael Montero, scoring. Joey Gallo immediately followed that up with a two-run, second deck home run. It was his seventh in eight games. The bases were loaded after Carlos Gomez was hit by a pitch, but Martin Perez, the pitcher, the struck out to end the inning. 3-0 Rangers after a half inning, and Queens crowd was already letting the Mets have it.
In the second, Elvis Andrus got on. After Eric Nadel mentioned that he’d shutdown his running game since June, Elvis stole second and third and took home on a fielder’s choice, dodging a tag. How do they hear those comments in the booth? Gomez was hit for a second time and the bases were again loaded. Another strikeout ended the inning. 4-0 Rangers. Martin Perez actually had a no-hitter going until a leadoff homer in the fifth by Wilmer Flores. It bounced back on to the field and was ruled live, but replay showed it going out.
In the sixth, Adrian Beltre got hit #3,008 and passed Al Kaline. (I have a Kaline card. It’s one of my favorites.) Again, the Rangers loaded the bases. They got a run on a walk, but that was all, 5-1. In the eighth, Eric talked about a player named “Hansel.” By way of that, he mentioned that “Gretel” was a popular girl’s name in Cuba and Latin America. I’m almost sensing a prank. Perez goes eight innings with a great performance.
During the ninth, Eric talked about the multitude of kids that were at the park. Many were from the Spartan Day Camp. “That sounds horrible,” said Matt Hicks. Eric, who grew up in New York, winsomely described the camp’s daily schedule. 5-1 Rangers win. The Rangers left 15 runners on base and struck out 15 times, but still won. Joey Gallo, with his homer, three walks, and one strikeout (Yes! That’s what we’ve been waiting for: keeping the K’s to a minimum), Three True Outcomes performance was interviewed after the game. Joey was just happy to be hitting behind a Hall of Famer (Beltre) and considers it a career highlight. That’s what we like hear. What a lovely afternoon.
Later, the Chihuahuas played the Grizzlies (no longer the Tacos for the rest of the week). "There we go. We learned something," said Tim Hagerty. Indeed, we did. There's a Miami in Oklahoma. I didn't know that. Apparently, one of the players is from there. Yep. Okay, in the sixth, Tim was running down the night's games for all levels of Padres' affiliates. I think you can guess how interesting the game was, at least compared to yesterday's and Monday’s, from just that. Not every game can be epic.
On the bright side, the Chihuahuas won 5 to 3. This seemed to be mostly because the Grizzlies' pitching broke down. They were warming up a reliever in the first and brought him in by the third. So far, the Chihuahuas' pitching hasn't had exhaustion catch up with them. Dillon Overton gave a good six innings, only giving up two runs. A pair of relievers only gave up a solo home run in the ninth. The most exciting play of the game was by Tony Kemp of the Grizz in the sixth. Nick Buss and Franchy Cordero collided in the outfield on his fly ball. Kemp managed to play that into an inside-the-park home run.
I suppose the big news of the game was Tim saying that Cody Decker had sent him a message. Cody will be with the 51's when they come to El Paso at the end of the week. Everybody's looking forward to seeing him. Cody announced that he'll have a new movie coming out later this week too. Even better.
8-10-17
I was super busy at work tonight, which was a shame because there was plenty of interesting baseball going on. The MLB free game was the Astros versus the White Sox. I came in in the ninth, so I was a little late. I noted a few throwback Astros’ jerseys in the Chicago crowd. The Astros were leading 2-1 until a tying home run sent the game to extras. In the eleventh, Yoan Moncada, the White Sox last remaining good player (they probably actually have a couple more), knocked in the winning run, who’d been put in scoring position by an error in the outfield. 3-2 White Sox and a series sweep by them. On TV, the Dodgers with Yu Darvish on the mound were playing the Diamondbacks, who wearing their throwback uniforms. Yu went five innings and gave up two runs in an 8-6 Dodger win.
Ahead of his return to El Paso on Friday, Cody Decker released a new video, The 4-A Team. Good stuff. I’m not worried about Decker’s career after baseball (especially given the hottie he’s getting married to, Jenn Sterger). The Albuquerque Isotopes ran into the same bad weather in New Orleans that the Chihuahuas did. Their game tonight with the Baby Cakes was cancelled. While Tim Hagerty was there, the locals warned him about crossing flooded streets. Poisonous snakes apparently wash out on to the road during flooding.
As for the Chihuahuas, they were still in Fresno playing the Grizzlies. The Grizz jumped out to a 2-0 lead on two solo home runs in the first. The pups answered back with three runs in the second, but in the bottom Fresno put up two more runs, 4-3. Chihuahua catcher, Rocky Gale, again seemed to be getting some heckling from the crowd. Actually, it seemed like a rough bunch there period.
The score held until the seventh, Chihuahua pitching had flirted with disaster the previous inning, but consummated it in this one. As the PA played, Who Let the Dogs Out, the Grizz scored four runs for an 8-3 lead. Ryan Schimpf, hit a solo home run in the eighth, but the damage was mortal. Meanwhile in that inning, there were calls for “Jumbo,” but we all had to weight . . . err . . . wait until the ninth. And out he came, all 6’4” 315 lbs of Fresno Grizzlies reliever, Jumbo Diaz. Yeah, that’s his listed name too. I can see where this guy might be something of a fan favorite. Not to mention, he closed the ninth out in an efficient manner. 8-4 Grizzlies final. Vacationing manager, Rod Barajas, breathes a sigh of relief that he’ll still have a job when he gets back.
It was a matinee featuring the Rangers versus the Mets today. As usual (thanks to bad station scheduling), we picked up the game in progress. Shin-Soo Choo bluffed while on third and induced a balk out of Raphael Montero, scoring. Joey Gallo immediately followed that up with a two-run, second deck home run. It was his seventh in eight games. The bases were loaded after Carlos Gomez was hit by a pitch, but Martin Perez, the pitcher, the struck out to end the inning. 3-0 Rangers after a half inning, and Queens crowd was already letting the Mets have it.
In the second, Elvis Andrus got on. After Eric Nadel mentioned that he’d shutdown his running game since June, Elvis stole second and third and took home on a fielder’s choice, dodging a tag. How do they hear those comments in the booth? Gomez was hit for a second time and the bases were again loaded. Another strikeout ended the inning. 4-0 Rangers. Martin Perez actually had a no-hitter going until a leadoff homer in the fifth by Wilmer Flores. It bounced back on to the field and was ruled live, but replay showed it going out.
In the sixth, Adrian Beltre got hit #3,008 and passed Al Kaline. (I have a Kaline card. It’s one of my favorites.) Again, the Rangers loaded the bases. They got a run on a walk, but that was all, 5-1. In the eighth, Eric talked about a player named “Hansel.” By way of that, he mentioned that “Gretel” was a popular girl’s name in Cuba and Latin America. I’m almost sensing a prank. Perez goes eight innings with a great performance.
During the ninth, Eric talked about the multitude of kids that were at the park. Many were from the Spartan Day Camp. “That sounds horrible,” said Matt Hicks. Eric, who grew up in New York, winsomely described the camp’s daily schedule. 5-1 Rangers win. The Rangers left 15 runners on base and struck out 15 times, but still won. Joey Gallo, with his homer, three walks, and one strikeout (Yes! That’s what we’ve been waiting for: keeping the K’s to a minimum), Three True Outcomes performance was interviewed after the game. Joey was just happy to be hitting behind a Hall of Famer (Beltre) and considers it a career highlight. That’s what we like hear. What a lovely afternoon.
Later, the Chihuahuas played the Grizzlies (no longer the Tacos for the rest of the week). "There we go. We learned something," said Tim Hagerty. Indeed, we did. There's a Miami in Oklahoma. I didn't know that. Apparently, one of the players is from there. Yep. Okay, in the sixth, Tim was running down the night's games for all levels of Padres' affiliates. I think you can guess how interesting the game was, at least compared to yesterday's and Monday’s, from just that. Not every game can be epic.
On the bright side, the Chihuahuas won 5 to 3. This seemed to be mostly because the Grizzlies' pitching broke down. They were warming up a reliever in the first and brought him in by the third. So far, the Chihuahuas' pitching hasn't had exhaustion catch up with them. Dillon Overton gave a good six innings, only giving up two runs. A pair of relievers only gave up a solo home run in the ninth. The most exciting play of the game was by Tony Kemp of the Grizz in the sixth. Nick Buss and Franchy Cordero collided in the outfield on his fly ball. Kemp managed to play that into an inside-the-park home run.
I suppose the big news of the game was Tim saying that Cody Decker had sent him a message. Cody will be with the 51's when they come to El Paso at the end of the week. Everybody's looking forward to seeing him. Cody announced that he'll have a new movie coming out later this week too. Even better.
8-10-17
I was super busy at work tonight, which was a shame because there was plenty of interesting baseball going on. The MLB free game was the Astros versus the White Sox. I came in in the ninth, so I was a little late. I noted a few throwback Astros’ jerseys in the Chicago crowd. The Astros were leading 2-1 until a tying home run sent the game to extras. In the eleventh, Yoan Moncada, the White Sox last remaining good player (they probably actually have a couple more), knocked in the winning run, who’d been put in scoring position by an error in the outfield. 3-2 White Sox and a series sweep by them. On TV, the Dodgers with Yu Darvish on the mound were playing the Diamondbacks, who wearing their throwback uniforms. Yu went five innings and gave up two runs in an 8-6 Dodger win.
Ahead of his return to El Paso on Friday, Cody Decker released a new video, The 4-A Team. Good stuff. I’m not worried about Decker’s career after baseball (especially given the hottie he’s getting married to, Jenn Sterger). The Albuquerque Isotopes ran into the same bad weather in New Orleans that the Chihuahuas did. Their game tonight with the Baby Cakes was cancelled. While Tim Hagerty was there, the locals warned him about crossing flooded streets. Poisonous snakes apparently wash out on to the road during flooding.
As for the Chihuahuas, they were still in Fresno playing the Grizzlies. The Grizz jumped out to a 2-0 lead on two solo home runs in the first. The pups answered back with three runs in the second, but in the bottom Fresno put up two more runs, 4-3. Chihuahua catcher, Rocky Gale, again seemed to be getting some heckling from the crowd. Actually, it seemed like a rough bunch there period.
The score held until the seventh, Chihuahua pitching had flirted with disaster the previous inning, but consummated it in this one. As the PA played, Who Let the Dogs Out, the Grizz scored four runs for an 8-3 lead. Ryan Schimpf, hit a solo home run in the eighth, but the damage was mortal. Meanwhile in that inning, there were calls for “Jumbo,” but we all had to weight . . . err . . . wait until the ninth. And out he came, all 6’4” 315 lbs of Fresno Grizzlies reliever, Jumbo Diaz. Yeah, that’s his listed name too. I can see where this guy might be something of a fan favorite. Not to mention, he closed the ninth out in an efficient manner. 8-4 Grizzlies final. Vacationing manager, Rod Barajas, breathes a sigh of relief that he’ll still have a job when he gets back.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Baseball Journal August 7-8, 2017
8-7-17
While waiting for tonight’s West Coast Chihuahuas’ game, I checked out the MLB free game. It was another Padres’ game. I came in in the eighth with the ‘Dreys down 7-3 to the Reds. Carter Capps was on the mound, just called up from the Chihuahuas, and I finally got a good look at his unique delivery. Cincinnati announcers, Thom Brennaman and some guy who sounded like a cowboy, had a long discussion about it and congratulated Capps on making it back to the big leagues. They also discussed the cowboy’s sleeping habits, and they commented on the poor pace of tonight’s game. In other words, Capps loaded the bases and took a long time to do it.
Capps was pulled for Phil Maton. I had to walk away for a few minutes, but when I came back I saw a Reds player high-fiving his teammates in the dugout. One look at the score and the cleared bases, gave me a good idea what had happened. It wasn’t till later that I was informed by Tim Hagerty, that it was former Chihuahua and Maton’s former teammate, Patrick Kivelhan, who had hit a grand slam off him. The Reds struck out the side in the ninth to finally end the game. 11-3 Reds final.
I came into the Fresno Grizzlies/El Paso Chihuahuas game a little late. The bases were already loaded with Grizzlies in the first. Already? Chihuahuas’ pitcher, Michael Kelly, did not start the game well. Kelly began with a hit batter and followed that with five walks and three runs, before he was finally pulled. After the pitching change, his replacement was charged with an error that allowed two more runs. It was 5-0 Fresno after one.
Two Chihuahuas were hit in the second, but neither scored. In the bottom, after five runs, we had our first hit of the game, a run-scoring double, 6-0 Fresno. Don’t say it’s over. To start the third, the pups scored and then loaded the bases for Jabari Blash. Boom! Grand slam! It was 6-5 Fresno with an improbable game line of 11 total runs and three total hits. BP continued as the Grizzlies added a run in the bottom, 7-5.
Kaboom! Rocky Gale hit a solo shot out of the park in the fourth. This was only his second home run of the year to give you a good idea of the quality of tonight’s pitching. Peter Van Gansen was sacrificed in to tie the score at seven. Let me catch my breath. The Grizzlies retook the lead in the bottom on a solo home run, 8-7. In the fifth, Blash scored on a fielder’s choice, 8-8. In the bottom, the Grizzlies did not score! Finally!
With some small momentum, the Chihuahuas took the lead in the sixth via an RBI single and a bases loaded hit by pitch, 10-8 Chihuahuas. There was another scoreless bottom of the inning! It was too good to last. In the seventh, fans, no doubt understandably disgruntled, started getting on catcher, Rocky Gale, after two wild pitches and a passed ball. Tim stood up for Gale and his record as a good defensive catcher saying, “The fans are uninformed.” (That may be about as angry as Tim will likely get over the air.) After the runners on got moved up, a fielder’s choice would score one. The scoreboard operator then committed an error with the count, and the inning suddenly ended on a strikeout that only the players and ump seemed aware of. 10-9 Chihuahuas.
Haboom! (I’m running out of interjections.) Franchy Cordero hammered the first pitch of the eighth for a homer. The second home run of the inning was a three-run shot by Rafael Ortega. 14-9 Chihuahuas. This set off the crowd chanting loudly afterward. I couldn’t figure out what they were saying and didn’t get an explanation. The hecklers also started chiming in on every pitch. This no longer seemed liked a family-friendly event. In the bottom of the ninth, some of these guys sounded really angry. The game ended with a whimper and a moan and probably some raspberries. 14-9 Chihuahuas final. I’m guessing none of the players stuck around for autographs. And can you believe this epic game time was done in three hours, four minutes? That’s only seven innings in a typical American League game.
8-8-17
The Braves did not get off to an auspicious start in their game against the Phillies on the MLB free game. A Braves player tripped on the foul line coming out the dugout and had to be helped off the field and was out of the game before it started. How do these things happen? Their luck didn’t improve during the game. In the bottom of the first, the Phillies pitcher made an awkward catch on a grounder and a bad throw and still started a double play. This was mostly due to a great catch and throw by Phillies shortstop, Freddie Galvis. However on the next pitch, Freddie Freeman hit a homer, so it wasn’t all bad to start the game.
Work kept me from watching most of the game. I did notice that the Braves were playing Matt Adams in left field, which didn’t seem like a good fit. They also had Brandon Phillips at third base, who did look pretty good there. Once again, new Suntrust Field looks very nice. Not a full house, but there were plenty of happy kids and families. I saw Freeman make a great heads up play in the ninth. Not being able to get a runner at first on an infield single, he threw from his knees to get a runner trying to take home. In the end, it was a 5-2 Phillies win. The Phillies have Braves number this year according to the Braves’ announcers.
The Chihuahuas were playing the Tacos in Fresno tonight. The Tacos are the Grizzlies’ alternate identity (until they change their name to the Surfin’ Bears, as I’ve suggested). I saw a kid at an Aggie baseball game wearing a Taco’s hat a couple of times this year. Really. Jordan Lyles made his pitching debut for the Chihuahuas tonight. While it wasn’t as bad as yesterday’s starter, Lyles didn’t make it out of the third after giving up four runs. After two double headers and two short starts, this can’t be good for the bullpen.
By the fifth, the Grizzlies were leading 4-2. I’m not sure I heard this right, but I think Tim Hagerty called a player going into the netting to make a catch. I must have been busy. More clearly, I heard Tim calling the Tacos’ pitching coach being ejected from the game during a mound visit. After the bases had been loaded, the coach came out, loitered on the mound for a long talk, waited for the ump to come out and break it up, and then gave the ump his two-cents about what he thought about his strike calling. The ump gave him his change and showed him the door. The talk didn’t help anyway, the Chihuahuas tied the score.
El Paso lost the lead, but got it back in the seventh on a sac fly and a wild pitch, 6-5. The Tacos’ pitcher was Jordan Jankowski. No relation to the Chihuahuas’ Travis Jankowski. Meanwhile, Brian Rodriguez had another great long outing (though a bit impromptu), going 6 2/3 and giving up two runs. The pups tacked on another run in the ninth. Adam Cimber came on for the save. A pinch hitter came up wearing #2. There was no #2 on the roster. Tim didn’t know who it was and neither did the PA, since the player wasn’t announced. These alternate jerseys might have caught the Tacos a bit short on wardrobe. “Whoever it is, goes down on strikes,” said Tim. Chihuahuas won 7-5. That’s two come-from-behind wins while manager Rod Barajas has been on vacation.
While waiting for tonight’s West Coast Chihuahuas’ game, I checked out the MLB free game. It was another Padres’ game. I came in in the eighth with the ‘Dreys down 7-3 to the Reds. Carter Capps was on the mound, just called up from the Chihuahuas, and I finally got a good look at his unique delivery. Cincinnati announcers, Thom Brennaman and some guy who sounded like a cowboy, had a long discussion about it and congratulated Capps on making it back to the big leagues. They also discussed the cowboy’s sleeping habits, and they commented on the poor pace of tonight’s game. In other words, Capps loaded the bases and took a long time to do it.
Capps was pulled for Phil Maton. I had to walk away for a few minutes, but when I came back I saw a Reds player high-fiving his teammates in the dugout. One look at the score and the cleared bases, gave me a good idea what had happened. It wasn’t till later that I was informed by Tim Hagerty, that it was former Chihuahua and Maton’s former teammate, Patrick Kivelhan, who had hit a grand slam off him. The Reds struck out the side in the ninth to finally end the game. 11-3 Reds final.
I came into the Fresno Grizzlies/El Paso Chihuahuas game a little late. The bases were already loaded with Grizzlies in the first. Already? Chihuahuas’ pitcher, Michael Kelly, did not start the game well. Kelly began with a hit batter and followed that with five walks and three runs, before he was finally pulled. After the pitching change, his replacement was charged with an error that allowed two more runs. It was 5-0 Fresno after one.
Two Chihuahuas were hit in the second, but neither scored. In the bottom, after five runs, we had our first hit of the game, a run-scoring double, 6-0 Fresno. Don’t say it’s over. To start the third, the pups scored and then loaded the bases for Jabari Blash. Boom! Grand slam! It was 6-5 Fresno with an improbable game line of 11 total runs and three total hits. BP continued as the Grizzlies added a run in the bottom, 7-5.
Kaboom! Rocky Gale hit a solo shot out of the park in the fourth. This was only his second home run of the year to give you a good idea of the quality of tonight’s pitching. Peter Van Gansen was sacrificed in to tie the score at seven. Let me catch my breath. The Grizzlies retook the lead in the bottom on a solo home run, 8-7. In the fifth, Blash scored on a fielder’s choice, 8-8. In the bottom, the Grizzlies did not score! Finally!
With some small momentum, the Chihuahuas took the lead in the sixth via an RBI single and a bases loaded hit by pitch, 10-8 Chihuahuas. There was another scoreless bottom of the inning! It was too good to last. In the seventh, fans, no doubt understandably disgruntled, started getting on catcher, Rocky Gale, after two wild pitches and a passed ball. Tim stood up for Gale and his record as a good defensive catcher saying, “The fans are uninformed.” (That may be about as angry as Tim will likely get over the air.) After the runners on got moved up, a fielder’s choice would score one. The scoreboard operator then committed an error with the count, and the inning suddenly ended on a strikeout that only the players and ump seemed aware of. 10-9 Chihuahuas.
Haboom! (I’m running out of interjections.) Franchy Cordero hammered the first pitch of the eighth for a homer. The second home run of the inning was a three-run shot by Rafael Ortega. 14-9 Chihuahuas. This set off the crowd chanting loudly afterward. I couldn’t figure out what they were saying and didn’t get an explanation. The hecklers also started chiming in on every pitch. This no longer seemed liked a family-friendly event. In the bottom of the ninth, some of these guys sounded really angry. The game ended with a whimper and a moan and probably some raspberries. 14-9 Chihuahuas final. I’m guessing none of the players stuck around for autographs. And can you believe this epic game time was done in three hours, four minutes? That’s only seven innings in a typical American League game.
8-8-17
The Braves did not get off to an auspicious start in their game against the Phillies on the MLB free game. A Braves player tripped on the foul line coming out the dugout and had to be helped off the field and was out of the game before it started. How do these things happen? Their luck didn’t improve during the game. In the bottom of the first, the Phillies pitcher made an awkward catch on a grounder and a bad throw and still started a double play. This was mostly due to a great catch and throw by Phillies shortstop, Freddie Galvis. However on the next pitch, Freddie Freeman hit a homer, so it wasn’t all bad to start the game.
Work kept me from watching most of the game. I did notice that the Braves were playing Matt Adams in left field, which didn’t seem like a good fit. They also had Brandon Phillips at third base, who did look pretty good there. Once again, new Suntrust Field looks very nice. Not a full house, but there were plenty of happy kids and families. I saw Freeman make a great heads up play in the ninth. Not being able to get a runner at first on an infield single, he threw from his knees to get a runner trying to take home. In the end, it was a 5-2 Phillies win. The Phillies have Braves number this year according to the Braves’ announcers.
The Chihuahuas were playing the Tacos in Fresno tonight. The Tacos are the Grizzlies’ alternate identity (until they change their name to the Surfin’ Bears, as I’ve suggested). I saw a kid at an Aggie baseball game wearing a Taco’s hat a couple of times this year. Really. Jordan Lyles made his pitching debut for the Chihuahuas tonight. While it wasn’t as bad as yesterday’s starter, Lyles didn’t make it out of the third after giving up four runs. After two double headers and two short starts, this can’t be good for the bullpen.
By the fifth, the Grizzlies were leading 4-2. I’m not sure I heard this right, but I think Tim Hagerty called a player going into the netting to make a catch. I must have been busy. More clearly, I heard Tim calling the Tacos’ pitching coach being ejected from the game during a mound visit. After the bases had been loaded, the coach came out, loitered on the mound for a long talk, waited for the ump to come out and break it up, and then gave the ump his two-cents about what he thought about his strike calling. The ump gave him his change and showed him the door. The talk didn’t help anyway, the Chihuahuas tied the score.
El Paso lost the lead, but got it back in the seventh on a sac fly and a wild pitch, 6-5. The Tacos’ pitcher was Jordan Jankowski. No relation to the Chihuahuas’ Travis Jankowski. Meanwhile, Brian Rodriguez had another great long outing (though a bit impromptu), going 6 2/3 and giving up two runs. The pups tacked on another run in the ninth. Adam Cimber came on for the save. A pinch hitter came up wearing #2. There was no #2 on the roster. Tim didn’t know who it was and neither did the PA, since the player wasn’t announced. These alternate jerseys might have caught the Tacos a bit short on wardrobe. “Whoever it is, goes down on strikes,” said Tim. Chihuahuas won 7-5. That’s two come-from-behind wins while manager Rod Barajas has been on vacation.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Baseball Journal August 5-6, 2017
8-5-17
At game time, the Chihuahuas were not on. There was no broadcast explanation. I kept tuning back to the station periodically, but their game never came on. I assumed they’d been rained out. I hope Tim Hagerty and Leah Piri at least got some rest.
Flipping over to the Rangers/Twins game, I got Rain Delay Theater with Jared Sandler. Thankfully, the delay ended within an hour. The game seemed to run pretty quickly. Cole Hamels was dealing. He pitched a the complete game in about 90+ pitches. By contrast, the Twins’ pitchers needed over 150. The Twins’ only run came on an error, unearned. Normar Mazara homered, and Robinson Chirinos drove in two runs. 4-1 Rangers was the final. Meanwhile in Round Rock, Willie Calhoun hit a three-run homer against the Isotopes.
Shockingly, KOA was coming in clear, and even more surprising, I got to hear a bit of the Rockies playing the Phillies. I joined the game in the eighth with the Rox up 8-4. It was raining lightly in Denver. Was it raining everywhere except here today? The Rockies loaded the bases in the bottom, but failed to score. Rockie newcomer and former Phillie, Pat Neshek came in to close. There was some miscommunication on a fly ball for the final out. It dropped untouched, which lead to a run, but no error was charged. The damage ended there with the Rockies winning 8-5.
8-6-17
Tim Hagerty sounded a bit tired to start today’s double header between the Chihuahuas and the (gag) Baby Cakes. Thankfully, he perked up as the games went along. He described a deluge yesterday in New Orleans, which canceled the game. The (gag) “Shrine on Airline” stadium ended up underwater and thoroughly unplayable. The new groundskeeper at the stadium just started this week. What an introduction to the job. A viral video showed a couple of the players swimming in the dugout/improvised pool after the game was canceled. The video was shown on Sportscenter, and you can bet the hosts made note that the scheduled game was between the Chihuahuas and Baby Cakes (snicker, snicker).
I actually learned quite a bit about the stadium during the double header. First off, it’s right next to the New Orleans airport. At night apparently they don’t have a lot of flights out, but during the day it’s shades of old Shea Stadium. A steady roar of jets filled the air for most of the afternoon. That’s not all. The stadium is also next to a Harley-Davidson plant. On a couple of occasions, there was an unmistakable growl of an HD motorcycle thundering by. (Over the radio, they were louder than the low-flying jets.) The Saints’ practice facility, a big warehouse, is next door. The football players come over to take an annual swing at batting practice. The stadium is located in a suburb, nowhere near any tourist stuff. Let’s not forget the weather either. Frankly, I might avoid this place if I was touring ballparks around the country.
The fans might feel the same. Announced attendance was over 5,900, but if they were there, they were real quiet. Tim all but apologized for a lack crowd noise. Later, Tim spotted a kid in the stands with four foul balls that he’d shagged during the game. I think that tells you everything you need to know about the size of the crowd. (Friday night’s Game Two, where even friends and family left because of the hour, needed no explanation.) He thought that the weather might have scared them off, though Sunday was a nice day. Normally, the New Orleans fans show up better. The team had been expecting a big crowd for Star Wars Night on Saturday.
I feel like I’m delaying talking about the games. The Chihuahuas had actually gained good ground on the division leaders by not playing. The ‘Cakes, on the other hand, were the first team in the PCL eliminated from the playoffs on Friday. One of these teams has something to play for; the other doesn’t.
However, it’s not that simple. The Padres have “too many outfielders.” This resulted in Travis Jankowski being sent down to the Chihuahuas, which in turn gave the Chihuahuas “too many outfielders.” Collin Cowgill, former big leaguer and the guy who hit a grand slam on Friday, was released. Two other players have been let go over the last seven days. Not to mention, big contributors like Jose Pirela and Phil Maton, were called up earlier in the season. So in my opinion, the Chihuahuas are well short-handed of Triple-A level talent at the moment. I’m not hearing about any great players being brought up from the lower levels. The organization has made a determination on the Chihuahuas’ season, and it’s not “Let’s go for another championship!” It could be worse. Tim incredulously mentioned that Tacoma had been reduced to nine position players for today.
Let’s just tear off the band-aid. The Chihuahuas lost both games. In Game One in the first, a ‘Cakes runner was thrown out at home, but four runs scored afterward anyway. It was starter Kyle Lloyd’s only bad inning, as he no-hit them for five consecutive innings following. The Chihuahuas got runners on, but only managed a bases loaded balk run. In the sixth, Ryan Schimpf hit a solo home run into the pool in the outfield. (Oh, apparently there’s a pool at this stadium for some reason where it also rains a lot. The one in Phoenix barely makes any sense.) 4-2 Baby Cakes was the final in a one hour, forty minute game.
In Game Two in the third, the pups loaded the bases. The closest they came to a run then was a force play at home. In the bottom, the ‘Cakes loaded the bases with no outs. They sac’d in a run, singled in a run, reloaded the bases, and sac’d in another run, 3-0. Next inning, they put up two more runs, 5-0. In the seventh, Peter Van Gansen doubled in a run, going three for three in the game. His defense is lacking, but he’s getting the runs back on offense. 5-1 Baby Cakes final in two hours and twenty minutes. Damn, this is how other teams feel when they lose to the Chihuahuas. The name thing just makes it worse.
Meanwhile, I missed the first inning of the Rangers versus the Twins, where Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer and Joey Gallo followed that with a two-run, tape-measure shot home run to a 5-0 Ranger lead. So, I didn’t really miss anything, did I? I came in just after the Twins had hit a two-run shot and showers sent the game to Rain Delay Theater in the second. The delay ended right after the Chihuahuas’ Game One. The Twins would tie it thanks to another two-run homer and then a solo home run in the third. You know, I think I’m starting to see a pattern this season in the scoring, like most of the runs are coming in a certain fashion. I’ll have to do some research before I write out any conclusions, wouldn’t want to be too hasty. A disputed call gave the Twins the lead. 6-5 Twins was the further disappointing final.
At least with the early afternoon game, we got the ESPN Sunday Night game, between the Dodgers and the Mets. Jerry Hairston Jr. joined the broadcast. He added an energetic flavor to the proceeding. He hoped to catch a foul ball and be signed by a scout to re-start his playing career. My favorite exchange was Hariston saying that he had a “Key to the City,” which entitles the holder to a free meal anywhere in town. Play-by-play co-host, Jon Sciambi, wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.
As for the game, in the first, a reversed call on a steal extended the inning for the Dodgers. Three runs scored immediately afterward (including a double steal). The final out of the inning was thrown out at the plate. That set the tone for the rest of the game. Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger homered later. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up a single hit. Up 8-0 in the ninth, Kenley Jansen was brought in. That seemed like overkill. He gave up one walk to give the Mets their second baserunner of the night (and he took forever to pitch the damn the ball). The Dodgers swept the season series with the Mets for the first time ever. I’m almost foreseeing sub-500 teams, forfeiting games for the rest of the season rather than embarrassing themselves against the nigh-unbeatable Dodgers at this point.
At game time, the Chihuahuas were not on. There was no broadcast explanation. I kept tuning back to the station periodically, but their game never came on. I assumed they’d been rained out. I hope Tim Hagerty and Leah Piri at least got some rest.
Flipping over to the Rangers/Twins game, I got Rain Delay Theater with Jared Sandler. Thankfully, the delay ended within an hour. The game seemed to run pretty quickly. Cole Hamels was dealing. He pitched a the complete game in about 90+ pitches. By contrast, the Twins’ pitchers needed over 150. The Twins’ only run came on an error, unearned. Normar Mazara homered, and Robinson Chirinos drove in two runs. 4-1 Rangers was the final. Meanwhile in Round Rock, Willie Calhoun hit a three-run homer against the Isotopes.
Shockingly, KOA was coming in clear, and even more surprising, I got to hear a bit of the Rockies playing the Phillies. I joined the game in the eighth with the Rox up 8-4. It was raining lightly in Denver. Was it raining everywhere except here today? The Rockies loaded the bases in the bottom, but failed to score. Rockie newcomer and former Phillie, Pat Neshek came in to close. There was some miscommunication on a fly ball for the final out. It dropped untouched, which lead to a run, but no error was charged. The damage ended there with the Rockies winning 8-5.
8-6-17
Tim Hagerty sounded a bit tired to start today’s double header between the Chihuahuas and the (gag) Baby Cakes. Thankfully, he perked up as the games went along. He described a deluge yesterday in New Orleans, which canceled the game. The (gag) “Shrine on Airline” stadium ended up underwater and thoroughly unplayable. The new groundskeeper at the stadium just started this week. What an introduction to the job. A viral video showed a couple of the players swimming in the dugout/improvised pool after the game was canceled. The video was shown on Sportscenter, and you can bet the hosts made note that the scheduled game was between the Chihuahuas and Baby Cakes (snicker, snicker).
I actually learned quite a bit about the stadium during the double header. First off, it’s right next to the New Orleans airport. At night apparently they don’t have a lot of flights out, but during the day it’s shades of old Shea Stadium. A steady roar of jets filled the air for most of the afternoon. That’s not all. The stadium is also next to a Harley-Davidson plant. On a couple of occasions, there was an unmistakable growl of an HD motorcycle thundering by. (Over the radio, they were louder than the low-flying jets.) The Saints’ practice facility, a big warehouse, is next door. The football players come over to take an annual swing at batting practice. The stadium is located in a suburb, nowhere near any tourist stuff. Let’s not forget the weather either. Frankly, I might avoid this place if I was touring ballparks around the country.
The fans might feel the same. Announced attendance was over 5,900, but if they were there, they were real quiet. Tim all but apologized for a lack crowd noise. Later, Tim spotted a kid in the stands with four foul balls that he’d shagged during the game. I think that tells you everything you need to know about the size of the crowd. (Friday night’s Game Two, where even friends and family left because of the hour, needed no explanation.) He thought that the weather might have scared them off, though Sunday was a nice day. Normally, the New Orleans fans show up better. The team had been expecting a big crowd for Star Wars Night on Saturday.
I feel like I’m delaying talking about the games. The Chihuahuas had actually gained good ground on the division leaders by not playing. The ‘Cakes, on the other hand, were the first team in the PCL eliminated from the playoffs on Friday. One of these teams has something to play for; the other doesn’t.
However, it’s not that simple. The Padres have “too many outfielders.” This resulted in Travis Jankowski being sent down to the Chihuahuas, which in turn gave the Chihuahuas “too many outfielders.” Collin Cowgill, former big leaguer and the guy who hit a grand slam on Friday, was released. Two other players have been let go over the last seven days. Not to mention, big contributors like Jose Pirela and Phil Maton, were called up earlier in the season. So in my opinion, the Chihuahuas are well short-handed of Triple-A level talent at the moment. I’m not hearing about any great players being brought up from the lower levels. The organization has made a determination on the Chihuahuas’ season, and it’s not “Let’s go for another championship!” It could be worse. Tim incredulously mentioned that Tacoma had been reduced to nine position players for today.
Let’s just tear off the band-aid. The Chihuahuas lost both games. In Game One in the first, a ‘Cakes runner was thrown out at home, but four runs scored afterward anyway. It was starter Kyle Lloyd’s only bad inning, as he no-hit them for five consecutive innings following. The Chihuahuas got runners on, but only managed a bases loaded balk run. In the sixth, Ryan Schimpf hit a solo home run into the pool in the outfield. (Oh, apparently there’s a pool at this stadium for some reason where it also rains a lot. The one in Phoenix barely makes any sense.) 4-2 Baby Cakes was the final in a one hour, forty minute game.
In Game Two in the third, the pups loaded the bases. The closest they came to a run then was a force play at home. In the bottom, the ‘Cakes loaded the bases with no outs. They sac’d in a run, singled in a run, reloaded the bases, and sac’d in another run, 3-0. Next inning, they put up two more runs, 5-0. In the seventh, Peter Van Gansen doubled in a run, going three for three in the game. His defense is lacking, but he’s getting the runs back on offense. 5-1 Baby Cakes final in two hours and twenty minutes. Damn, this is how other teams feel when they lose to the Chihuahuas. The name thing just makes it worse.
Meanwhile, I missed the first inning of the Rangers versus the Twins, where Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer and Joey Gallo followed that with a two-run, tape-measure shot home run to a 5-0 Ranger lead. So, I didn’t really miss anything, did I? I came in just after the Twins had hit a two-run shot and showers sent the game to Rain Delay Theater in the second. The delay ended right after the Chihuahuas’ Game One. The Twins would tie it thanks to another two-run homer and then a solo home run in the third. You know, I think I’m starting to see a pattern this season in the scoring, like most of the runs are coming in a certain fashion. I’ll have to do some research before I write out any conclusions, wouldn’t want to be too hasty. A disputed call gave the Twins the lead. 6-5 Twins was the further disappointing final.
At least with the early afternoon game, we got the ESPN Sunday Night game, between the Dodgers and the Mets. Jerry Hairston Jr. joined the broadcast. He added an energetic flavor to the proceeding. He hoped to catch a foul ball and be signed by a scout to re-start his playing career. My favorite exchange was Hariston saying that he had a “Key to the City,” which entitles the holder to a free meal anywhere in town. Play-by-play co-host, Jon Sciambi, wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.
As for the game, in the first, a reversed call on a steal extended the inning for the Dodgers. Three runs scored immediately afterward (including a double steal). The final out of the inning was thrown out at the plate. That set the tone for the rest of the game. Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger homered later. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up a single hit. Up 8-0 in the ninth, Kenley Jansen was brought in. That seemed like overkill. He gave up one walk to give the Mets their second baserunner of the night (and he took forever to pitch the damn the ball). The Dodgers swept the season series with the Mets for the first time ever. I’m almost foreseeing sub-500 teams, forfeiting games for the rest of the season rather than embarrassing themselves against the nigh-unbeatable Dodgers at this point.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Baseball Journal August 4, 2017
8-4-17
More sports media crap. The last (maybe?) issue of my free Sports Illustrated subscription had a cover featuring a Brazilian soccer player. Utter, complete irrelevancy. There’s a hit piece on Trump, inferring that he’s a golf cheat, which is the worst thing you can call a golfer. Nothing on Colin Kaepernick, but they already did a editorial demanding that he be given an NFL job a couple months ago. There was a paragraph on the baseball trading deadline. At least there was a nice article on George Springer. I’ve heard an interview with him on an Astros podcast. He seems like a good kid. Bye, bye SI, if this is the end. It’s been . . . umm . . . crappy.
The Chihuahuas were supposed to play a double header versus the New Orleans Baby Cakes starting at 4:00. (Chihuahuas versus Baby Cakes. It’s the apocalypse, folks.) Unfortunately what transpired was another lengthy rain delay. Steve Kapolowitz had to come in on short notice and do some impromptu local sports talk for three hours. I felt bad for Leah Piri (not sure about the spelling), the girl who’s the baseball producer, who had to come in after just arriving back in town from vacation in Hawaii four hours before. Then she had to cool her heels for several hours before the game finally started (and then ended much, much later). Steve decided to go ahead and do a show, which included a commercial-free hour, because “There is no way I’m running ESPN Radio for three hours at this time.” I wonder he had heard yesterday’s show with that liberal woman.
In the meantime, I watched the MLB free game between the Orioles and the Tigers in Baltimore. Honestly, while the game wasn’t bad, the extra circular stuff going on during the game may have been more interesting. This was the visiting Fox Sports Detroit broadcast with one of my favorite color commentators, Rod Allen.
Justin Verlander was pitching. His parents were there and chatted with the in-game reporter. They contributed a picture of Justin as a high school pitcher. A poor guy tried to catch a foul ball going to his seat, while holding dinner. He lost the ball, and his meal, and whatever happiness he had. The guys calling the game felt bad for him and sent the in-game reporter to him with a replacement meal. The guy was still down, but he said he’d get a ball eventually. He might have felt worse later in the game. A mom sitting with her family caught a hot-shot liner into the stands for a souvenir with a round of applause from the crowd and a tip of cap from the players.
As for the game, there was some strange confusion at the bottom of the third. The Tigers got the third out, but the whole team apparently forgot how many outs there were and stayed on the field until the umps finally called them off. The Tigers had one run, and then Verlander gave up two solo homers for a 2-1 O’s score. In the eighth (and I missed it while working), Justin Upton hit a grand slam homer to give the kitties a 5-2 win.
“Are you sure you want to take this?” asked the Baby Cakes’ manager to the umpire, as he held out his lineup card as the rain began. Tim Hagerty spent a couple of innings explaining why these two seven-inning games were being played starting at 8:00 pm CST. Yesterday’s game had come so close to starting, but the rains had started first instead. If the ump had taken the lineup card, it would have caused the game to have been suspended (since it would have technically started) and resulted in a pair of nine-inning games for a double header.
The PCL waived their 12:30 am curfew for starting an inning to begin these games. The weather forecast wasn’t promising for the weekend and this “window” was deemed the best chance to get the games in. I’d say they were really only relevant for the Chihuahuas, since they’re still slightly viable for the division lead. New Orleans has been all-but eliminated from the post-season. If the games hadn’t mattered, maybe a different decision would have been made.
During player introductions, the PA called the team, “The ‘Cakes.” Tim seized on that and used that for most of the game. He did comment that this community had about the same reaction as El Paso fans had to “Chihuahuas,” but they’d come to accept it. Tim really didn’t seem comfortable with saying “Baby Cakes.” (Who could blame him?) I read an interview with him that was linked on his Twitter feed later in the night. Tim knew ahead of time that there was going to be a “mixed reaction” to the Chihuahuas’ name. I’d credit the quality of the ballpark and the team for the acceptance of the name, more than the cute logo and marketing.
The crowd for Game One, in spite of the late start, sounded pretty large at the “Shrine on Airline” ballpark. They’d had to rename Zephyr stadium with the team name change. At the very least, they sounded quite rambunctious. The intro to the Beastie Boys “Girls” was used for bumper music a couple of times. A fan shouted out the lyrics when it ended. Tim mentioned that the earlier name of the team, before Zephyrs, was the Pelicans, the current name of their NBA team. “NOLA” was on the front of the team’s jersey, instead of Babycakes. (Austin Nola on the team, also had “Nola” on the back.)
As for the game, New Orleans went up 2-0 in the second inning off of a well-executed suicide squeeze play. In the fourth, the pups went up 4-2. I missed that inning watching the end of the Tigers’ game. The ‘Cakes answered in the fifth with a three-run homer, 6-4. Ryan Schimpf hit a solo homer in the sixth to make it 6-5. He was from the area and played ball for LSU. Schimpf had a whole cheering section of friends and family there in Chihuahuas’ gear. They picked a good day to be there. He hit two home runs in the game. 6-5 ‘Cakes would end up being the Game One final.
Game Two started less than 20 minutes later. Tim announced the local time at 10:45. “Boy, what a night,” he said in disbelief. While I had other stuff I might have wanted to watch instead, I felt almost obliged to listen for Tim’s sake. He was really working tonight. It was a much quieter crowd, but the ones that were there got individually loud on occasion. A foul ball bounced off an empty seat, which was clearly heard and caused a scramble amongst those there. A “low occupancy game” as Tim put it.
The story of most of the game was ‘Cakes pitcher, Tom Koehler, who had a no-hitter going through five innings of this seven-inning game. The first Chihuahua hit came in the sixth with the first batter. Tim noted that the TV guys went home after Game One. If this had been a no-hitter, there would have been no footage. Diego Goris attempted to score from first on a double and nearly got caught in a run-down. He just made it back to third. He had to wait until Collin Cowgill came up and hit a grand slam a couple of batters later. 4-1 Chihuahuas. The crowd left boo’d loudly.
Meanwhile, I checked my e-mail. I spoke too soon earlier. Sports Illustrated had put up a new Colin Kaepernick article. The title of the click-bait insisted that the NFL’s ratings drop last year was not because of him. It was Trump’s fault. For some reason, I didn’t bother reading it. Elsewhere, Yu Darvish made his debut with the Dodgers in New York City against the Mets. He had 10 strikeouts and gave up no runs in seven innings, and the Dodgers won 6-0. The boys in blue are starting to look truly scary (to other clubs). At the game, Tim was getting some encouraging tweets from fans during the game that he happily read. I was sorry I wasn’t signed up for Twitter.
“The crowd has dwindled down significantly,” as Tim put it. They left too early. In the bottom of the sixth, with two on and one out, an error scored a run. Worse, pitcher, Kevin Quackenbush, injured himself committing the error and had to come out. Another run came in on a fielder’s choice. And then, an error by Peter Van Gansen brought in the tying run, 4 all.
Tim asked Leah how she was doing back the studio after she did the usual seventh inning scoreboard. She was okay. Tim was getting a little punchy. It was near 1:00 am in New Orleans. At one point, he called the home team, the Zephyrs, without noticing. He mentioned he’d shown up at the stadium at noon. No one scored in the seventh. On to “extras.”
In the eighth, Tim noted that the cleaning crew was working around the stadium. The crowd had been reduced to a couple dozen people. Some of the ones there were pretty vocal. Tim actually laughed over some of their shouted comments. Peter Van Gansen would drive in two runs on a single in the top of the inning. In the bottom, Carter Capps came in and put two on with no outs, but managed to get out of it unscathed. 6-4 Chihuahuas. The game was over at 1:35 am CST. The post-game just finished before I was about to leave for the night. Tim was so happy. He wasn’t quite sure when the game was scheduled for tomorrow, but he’d figure it out.
More sports media crap. The last (maybe?) issue of my free Sports Illustrated subscription had a cover featuring a Brazilian soccer player. Utter, complete irrelevancy. There’s a hit piece on Trump, inferring that he’s a golf cheat, which is the worst thing you can call a golfer. Nothing on Colin Kaepernick, but they already did a editorial demanding that he be given an NFL job a couple months ago. There was a paragraph on the baseball trading deadline. At least there was a nice article on George Springer. I’ve heard an interview with him on an Astros podcast. He seems like a good kid. Bye, bye SI, if this is the end. It’s been . . . umm . . . crappy.
The Chihuahuas were supposed to play a double header versus the New Orleans Baby Cakes starting at 4:00. (Chihuahuas versus Baby Cakes. It’s the apocalypse, folks.) Unfortunately what transpired was another lengthy rain delay. Steve Kapolowitz had to come in on short notice and do some impromptu local sports talk for three hours. I felt bad for Leah Piri (not sure about the spelling), the girl who’s the baseball producer, who had to come in after just arriving back in town from vacation in Hawaii four hours before. Then she had to cool her heels for several hours before the game finally started (and then ended much, much later). Steve decided to go ahead and do a show, which included a commercial-free hour, because “There is no way I’m running ESPN Radio for three hours at this time.” I wonder he had heard yesterday’s show with that liberal woman.
In the meantime, I watched the MLB free game between the Orioles and the Tigers in Baltimore. Honestly, while the game wasn’t bad, the extra circular stuff going on during the game may have been more interesting. This was the visiting Fox Sports Detroit broadcast with one of my favorite color commentators, Rod Allen.
Justin Verlander was pitching. His parents were there and chatted with the in-game reporter. They contributed a picture of Justin as a high school pitcher. A poor guy tried to catch a foul ball going to his seat, while holding dinner. He lost the ball, and his meal, and whatever happiness he had. The guys calling the game felt bad for him and sent the in-game reporter to him with a replacement meal. The guy was still down, but he said he’d get a ball eventually. He might have felt worse later in the game. A mom sitting with her family caught a hot-shot liner into the stands for a souvenir with a round of applause from the crowd and a tip of cap from the players.
As for the game, there was some strange confusion at the bottom of the third. The Tigers got the third out, but the whole team apparently forgot how many outs there were and stayed on the field until the umps finally called them off. The Tigers had one run, and then Verlander gave up two solo homers for a 2-1 O’s score. In the eighth (and I missed it while working), Justin Upton hit a grand slam homer to give the kitties a 5-2 win.
“Are you sure you want to take this?” asked the Baby Cakes’ manager to the umpire, as he held out his lineup card as the rain began. Tim Hagerty spent a couple of innings explaining why these two seven-inning games were being played starting at 8:00 pm CST. Yesterday’s game had come so close to starting, but the rains had started first instead. If the ump had taken the lineup card, it would have caused the game to have been suspended (since it would have technically started) and resulted in a pair of nine-inning games for a double header.
The PCL waived their 12:30 am curfew for starting an inning to begin these games. The weather forecast wasn’t promising for the weekend and this “window” was deemed the best chance to get the games in. I’d say they were really only relevant for the Chihuahuas, since they’re still slightly viable for the division lead. New Orleans has been all-but eliminated from the post-season. If the games hadn’t mattered, maybe a different decision would have been made.
During player introductions, the PA called the team, “The ‘Cakes.” Tim seized on that and used that for most of the game. He did comment that this community had about the same reaction as El Paso fans had to “Chihuahuas,” but they’d come to accept it. Tim really didn’t seem comfortable with saying “Baby Cakes.” (Who could blame him?) I read an interview with him that was linked on his Twitter feed later in the night. Tim knew ahead of time that there was going to be a “mixed reaction” to the Chihuahuas’ name. I’d credit the quality of the ballpark and the team for the acceptance of the name, more than the cute logo and marketing.
The crowd for Game One, in spite of the late start, sounded pretty large at the “Shrine on Airline” ballpark. They’d had to rename Zephyr stadium with the team name change. At the very least, they sounded quite rambunctious. The intro to the Beastie Boys “Girls” was used for bumper music a couple of times. A fan shouted out the lyrics when it ended. Tim mentioned that the earlier name of the team, before Zephyrs, was the Pelicans, the current name of their NBA team. “NOLA” was on the front of the team’s jersey, instead of Babycakes. (Austin Nola on the team, also had “Nola” on the back.)
As for the game, New Orleans went up 2-0 in the second inning off of a well-executed suicide squeeze play. In the fourth, the pups went up 4-2. I missed that inning watching the end of the Tigers’ game. The ‘Cakes answered in the fifth with a three-run homer, 6-4. Ryan Schimpf hit a solo homer in the sixth to make it 6-5. He was from the area and played ball for LSU. Schimpf had a whole cheering section of friends and family there in Chihuahuas’ gear. They picked a good day to be there. He hit two home runs in the game. 6-5 ‘Cakes would end up being the Game One final.
Game Two started less than 20 minutes later. Tim announced the local time at 10:45. “Boy, what a night,” he said in disbelief. While I had other stuff I might have wanted to watch instead, I felt almost obliged to listen for Tim’s sake. He was really working tonight. It was a much quieter crowd, but the ones that were there got individually loud on occasion. A foul ball bounced off an empty seat, which was clearly heard and caused a scramble amongst those there. A “low occupancy game” as Tim put it.
The story of most of the game was ‘Cakes pitcher, Tom Koehler, who had a no-hitter going through five innings of this seven-inning game. The first Chihuahua hit came in the sixth with the first batter. Tim noted that the TV guys went home after Game One. If this had been a no-hitter, there would have been no footage. Diego Goris attempted to score from first on a double and nearly got caught in a run-down. He just made it back to third. He had to wait until Collin Cowgill came up and hit a grand slam a couple of batters later. 4-1 Chihuahuas. The crowd left boo’d loudly.
Meanwhile, I checked my e-mail. I spoke too soon earlier. Sports Illustrated had put up a new Colin Kaepernick article. The title of the click-bait insisted that the NFL’s ratings drop last year was not because of him. It was Trump’s fault. For some reason, I didn’t bother reading it. Elsewhere, Yu Darvish made his debut with the Dodgers in New York City against the Mets. He had 10 strikeouts and gave up no runs in seven innings, and the Dodgers won 6-0. The boys in blue are starting to look truly scary (to other clubs). At the game, Tim was getting some encouraging tweets from fans during the game that he happily read. I was sorry I wasn’t signed up for Twitter.
“The crowd has dwindled down significantly,” as Tim put it. They left too early. In the bottom of the sixth, with two on and one out, an error scored a run. Worse, pitcher, Kevin Quackenbush, injured himself committing the error and had to come out. Another run came in on a fielder’s choice. And then, an error by Peter Van Gansen brought in the tying run, 4 all.
Tim asked Leah how she was doing back the studio after she did the usual seventh inning scoreboard. She was okay. Tim was getting a little punchy. It was near 1:00 am in New Orleans. At one point, he called the home team, the Zephyrs, without noticing. He mentioned he’d shown up at the stadium at noon. No one scored in the seventh. On to “extras.”
In the eighth, Tim noted that the cleaning crew was working around the stadium. The crowd had been reduced to a couple dozen people. Some of the ones there were pretty vocal. Tim actually laughed over some of their shouted comments. Peter Van Gansen would drive in two runs on a single in the top of the inning. In the bottom, Carter Capps came in and put two on with no outs, but managed to get out of it unscathed. 6-4 Chihuahuas. The game was over at 1:35 am CST. The post-game just finished before I was about to leave for the night. Tim was so happy. He wasn’t quite sure when the game was scheduled for tomorrow, but he’d figure it out.
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