Has this limp, poorly disguised, made-up-for-money holiday got you down?

Here’s some Happy Valentines Day news you’ll love.

Big-league pitchers and catchers have reported. And college baseball’s 2019 season began this week. Most teams open this weekend.

Those include Louisiana Tech, picked to finish first in Conference USA (actually second; I picked them first and I’m the one writing this and it don’t make no never mind anyhow, where you are picked in preseason), at Southeastern Louisiana, picked to finish second in the Southland Conference.

None of that means squat concerning the final standings, but it does mean, barring catastrophic injury and if the preseason pickers are not complete idiots — always a possibility — that this should be a good tell-tale series to start the 2019 season with, and for both clubs.

From Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in Hammond, Tech and SLU play Friday at 7, Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 1.

All three games will be streamed live through lionsports.net/watch (subscription required). Fans can tune into KNBB SportsTalk 97.7 FM for Friday’s and Sunday’s action; Saturday’s game audio will be broadcast on KPCH The Peach 93.3 FM. A Designated Writer co-founder will bring you the play by play this weekend while Tech Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Nitz is with Bulldog Basketball. Freeway Dave will have the call of Tech’s home opener Tuesday at 6 from J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park when the Bulldogs welcome Louisiana-Lafayette.

Tech lost 15 seniors two years ago so brought in 15 transfers. Now they have 24 returners (returnees? guys who are back? veterans?) from a team that finished 39-20 last season and just missed earning a spot in the NCAA tournament.

See you at the ballyard.

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The moment I’d been waiting on for several years happened, out of the blue, just the other day.

Someone complimented me on my hair?, you say?

No. Still waiting for that one. Won’t hold my breath.

Several years ago I read my favorite books on WWII in the European Theater/(Theatre?), the Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson. The books are An Army at Dawn (war begins, war in North Africa), The Day of Battle (Italy/Sicily), and The Guns at Last Light. Wept when I’d finished because … I’d finished. They were that good.

In May of 2013, Atkinson announced he’d begun work on a trilogy about the American Revolution. You remember that one: it was in most of the papers. Well, you don’t just sit down and knock one of those out overnight so … it was going to be a while. But at least the clock was ticking.

And this week, I discovered that the first book of the trilogy, cleverly titled The British Are Coming, is due for release May 14.

Joy! Rapture!

You can pre-order or you can read mine. I’ll be done around May 17.

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