Mike Powers
VCNB Sports Writer
From time to time, to clear my notebook and my head, I’ll share random thoughts on what is happening in the sports world, from my perspective. Feel free to agree or disagree.
I am boycotting professional men’s golf on television or in-person until further notice because of the “marriage” between the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf. That decision is a bummer because the golf has been really interesting this summer. Still, the merger seems slimy. I reserve the right to end the moratorium if new information about the arrangement becomes available and becomes more palatable.
Without golf, the WNBA has become a regular “must watch” for me. The basketball is really good, especially with the top teams. For the uninitiated, the talent will likely surprise you. They shoot lights out.
Kickoff for the Valencia Bowl between Belen and Los Lunas is Friday, Aug. 18. While the Tigers are the clear favorite, my gut-feel is that it will be a more competitive game than we’ve seen in a few years. BHS second-year coach Kevin Peña has had a full off-season to prepare the Eagles for the rivalry game.
The efforts by Major League Baseball to speed up the game have been a dramatic success, making America’s pastime more enjoyable to watch. The impact, including for the Albuquerque Isotopes, is noticeable.
At Isotopes Park, the pitch clock winding down is easily visible, the scoreboard shows exactly where the ball crosses home plate and highlights the number of trips to the mound each team makes. Those visits are now limited to five, ending the string of endless chats between pitcher, catcher and manager.
I am done with victory parades following major sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA and Stanley Cup Finals. Watching boorish behavior from alcohol-infused athletes and fans may have been a novelty at some point, but not anymore. Throwing beer cans and flinging expletives is so 2010. And, for the record, I am not a prude, just a grumpy old man.
It is a bit perplexing, perhaps even disheartening, to realize that the University of New Mexico is never in position to be considered a target by any major athletic conference looking to expand.
As the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, et al, continually seek new members, UNM is left waiting by the phone, apparently not worthy. Certainly, the Mountain West Conference has been a good fit, but UNM’s lack of attention from the “big boys” seems to indicate Lobo athletics has been spinning its wheels, unable to break from the pack.
This as MWC members San Diego State, UNLV, Fresno State, Colorado State and Boise State flirt with others. Maybe when the dust settles, New Mexico and New Mexico State will finally be in the same league.
Mike Powers spent more than 40 years as a television news and sports anchor, mostly in the Albuquerque market. He has won numerous awards including New Mexico Sportscaster of the Year. He covers a wide range of sports, including the Valencia County prep scene.
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April 25, 2024
