What the Abilene Reporter-News liked and disliked: Softball success

Our view
·3 min read

LIKES

1. Hello, Summer vacation season. And in a few weeks, it'll be "Hello, Dolly!" Nice to have both back where they belong.

2. Welcome, rodeo fans. The Texas High School Rodeo Association finals are underway, and we welcome our guests to town. We wish you good luck in your events, a good time in our town and, of course, we take cash, checks, debit and credit cards at all our businesses ...

3. Break in the weather. Certainly enjoyed a couple of cooler-than-normal days Thursday and Friday with good rain, finally. How about May with 14 days of 100 or hotter? June generally is our rainiest month of the year, so here's hoping for more relief.

4. Softball success. The Abilene-area sent three teams to Austin this year - Hermleigh in Class 1A, Stamford in 2A and Coahoma in 3A. We didn't come away with a champion, with the Lady Cardinals and the Bulldogettes taking second. Stamford lost a tough one, 1-0, in the semifinals. Still, a great season for all three teams. And we still like it that Coahoma remains old school and are called the Bulldogettes.

Coahoma players celebrated a dramatic 14-10 win over Franklin in the Class 3A semifinals. The Bulldogettes came up a run short in a 6-5 loss to Hallettsville in the title game. Three Big Country teams played for state championships this year - Hermleigh and Stamford were the other two.
Coahoma players celebrated a dramatic 14-10 win over Franklin in the Class 3A semifinals. The Bulldogettes came up a run short in a 6-5 loss to Hallettsville in the title game. Three Big Country teams played for state championships this year - Hermleigh and Stamford were the other two.

5. Joy of graduation. We attended graduation ceremonies for three Abilene ISD high schools and for Wylie High. A couple of thoughts struck us, besides gusts of wind at Shotwell Stadium. First, outdoor graduations seem more animated. Secondly, you could feel the overall happiness. Sure, some grads may not care so much and some spectators have to be there. But otherwise, there was a happy vibe at a time of so much sadness. Congratulations to the grads. It's a week later, so hope you have a job ...

6. Top fun. We don't normally recommend movies. Some we've cautioned against, but everyone seems to like the new "Top Gun" movie. We did, even if it's Navy guys doing the flying and not the Air Force. But you have to admit, taking off from and landing on a  carrier is pretty dramatic. Tom Cruise was a reach as Jack Reacher but he's up to being Maverick. Sorry, no space aliens or superpowers in this one. Just popcorn fun, which we could use more of these days.

7. Well done. Lots of flags flapping in the breeze Monday for Memorial Day. That's just a great sight.

DISLIKES

1. Save on gas, ride a horse. If you hadn't filled up, you were kicking yourself this week. We saw $4.49 on Friday, a record high. Some pumps, such as H-E-B, rose from $3.97 to the more average price of $4.39. That's 42 cents in a week, or $6.30 more for 15 gallons.

HMMM

1. It's. Coming. Along. We checked but construction at the north entrance of the Convention Center still is not done. Exterior wall sheathing already is being placed at the hotel site on the other side.

2. Rangers a danger. Let's not make a big deal of this yet, but the Texas Rangers almost are back to respectability. The Rangers played Tampa Bay on Thursday with a chance to get to .500. Texas hadn't been at .500 since Opening Day (0-0), then lost. Alas, the Rangers lost a close one. Maybe a drive to Arlington for a game this summer will be worth the price of gas.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: What the Abilene Reporter-News liked and disliked: Softball success