Sick's Pack: Best moments in a 30-plus-year career as a Journal sports writer

Journal Staff Writer — these three words have been a big part of my identity for more than 30 years.

As some of you may have noticed, those words have recently been replaced under my byline with three different ones: For the Journal. That's because, as of December, I transitioned to the ranks of semi-, pseudo-, kinda-retired freelance sports writer.

What does it mean?

For me, it means a bit more time to go see my kids and grandkids in distant lands, hang out with friends and loved ones and even attend some ballgames that I don't have to write about.

For Journal readers, it doesn't mean much. I'm still around, covering UNM women's hoops and other teams and events "for the Journal." I plan to keep assisting the Journal's amazing sports staff for the foreseeable future.

But swapping out my longtime job title does seem a fitting occasion to crack open one final Sick's Pack — Journal Staff Writer style. I've covered way too many games, players and coaches to summarize, or even remember, so I'll limit this to a few random favorites.

Six remains my operative number, fitting because I've worked for six Journal sports editors (Mike Hall, Julie Aicher, Tim Coder, Sam Aselstine, Randy Harrison and Lucas Peerman) and learned from each of them.

That's as far as I'm going with the sappy adiós stuff. After all, I'm not going anywhere.

The following list also covers particularly tasty beverages from my Journal Staff Writer days and various beats. Onward!

Sickenger's Staff Lager — Six for the Road

6. Northern Exposure: My first four years were spent at Journal North in Santa Fe, where I covered games everywhere from Los Alamos to Raton. I had 22 high schools in my coverage area and put hundreds of miles on our bureau's beat-up Ford Bronco. Favorite moments:

• Pojoaque's run to the 1998 3A girls basketball title behind twins Cristal and Sonrisa Garcia, who would not be denied and edged Kirtland Central 67-65 in the state final.
• Roy's 63-42 win over Mountainair in the 1997 Six-Man Football final: The game was postponed because of heavy snow and played on a Monday afternoon in Roy. School was out for the whole county and a few hundred hearty fans turned out to surround the field. A dozen or so invited us to stay for dinner after Roy capped its 10-0 season. So glad I made the trip.

5. Prep posting: I returned home to Albuquerque in 1999 and spent eight years as the Journal's prep editor. The paper was delivered statewide in those days, so our coverage area was, um, large. I went pretty much everywhere, met so many great people and covered championships in every sport for schools large and small. I could fill a section with great moments here but ...

• Las Cruces 17, Mayfield 14 in the 2002 5A football final: A hard-fought game, but the crowd at Aggie Memorial Stadium was the story. Official attendance was announced at 16,868, but I've never bought it. The place was packed. Is it possible that a few (thousand) folks got in free?
• Speaking of packed, I've been lucky enough to cover lots of wild prep basketball games in New Mexico, including girls games involving Gallup, Shiprock and Kirtland Central in the Pit. But for exciting finishes, I'll take La Cueva 55, Sandia 53 for the 2003 5A boys title. Baseball star-to-be Jordan Pacheco grabbed a loose ball and drove for the winning basket in the waning seconds to cap a thrilling rivalry game.

4. Aggies, Oh Aggies: Since leaving the prep beat, I've covered lots of college sporting events, most involving UNM. But I also covered New Mexico State football for several years — which worked out nicely when my daughter was attending NMSU. The highlight? That's easy.

• NMSU 26, Utah State 20 (OT) in the 2017 Arizona Bowl: Aggie nation turned out strong in Tucson as Larry Rose's touchdown in OT lifted New Mexico State to its first bowl win in 57 years.

3. Lab Lightning: I worked the Albuquerque Isotopes beat for a few seasons, too. The 'Topes lost 13-2 in the first game I covered, and then-manager Dean Treanor promptly asked me never to return. I ignored him and have seen great games, great crowds (especially on Mariachi nights) and met my share of star players at the Lab. But I'll dedicate this space to the since-demolished "Topes Slope" on the outskirts of center field.

• In 2010, the always interesting park feature became known as Hoffmann's Hill after Isotopes outfielder Jamie Hoffmann robbed a pair of home runs from its highest point. His back-to-the-infield, reaching-over-the-fence catch to deprive Nashville's Mat Gamel was No. 1 on ESPN's top plays and remains the greatest catch I've seen in person.
• Two years later, Los Angeles Dodgers star Matt Kemp was with the Isotopes on a rehab assignment and carefully avoided the Topes Slope during warmups. He smiled when I asked how he would approach a long fly ball toward the hill during a game. "I'll stand at the bottom and wait for it to roll down," he said.

2. The Beautiful Game: I unexpectedly inherited the New Mexico United beat during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. My first "home" game came in Colorado Springs, when 1,200 NMU fans headed north to the old Weidner Field. (New Mexico was shut down by health restrictions.) I've since enjoyed hanging out with a lot more crazy United fans, but two moments quickly come to mind.

• Daniel Bruce netting a 30-yard clincher on opening night at the new Weidner Field in 2021. Bruce's blast secured a 3-1 United win and came just seconds before the final whistle sounded and the stadium lights went out for a fireworks show.
• Zico Bailey launching a 63-yard rocket over the goalkeeper and into the net on Sept. 10 of last season against Detroit City at Isotopes Park. Bailey's jaw-dropping shot was recently named USL Championship Goal of the Year — despite (somehow) not being selected as Goal of the Week when it happened.

1. Lobos/Lobas: I started covering UNM women's basketball in 2007 and have been lucky enough to miss only a handful of games since. The Lobos (or should it be Lobas, Spanish/Portuguese for female wolves?) have been a pleasure to cover through a lot of ups and a few downs and I hope there are many more to come. Women's college hoops was a much different animal when I started, and many of the changes since have been money-driven and, in my book, not for the better. Still, I wouldn't trade in these mental video clips.

• Smiling coach Don Flanagan standing atop a ladder with a net around his neck after UNM edged San Diego State in the 2008 MWC tournament final in Las Vegas. UNM was 14-12 at one point that season and a No. 4 tournament seed but won its last six games behind Dionne Marsh and Brandi Kimble.
• Nov. 13, 2017 — Jaisa Nunn calmly completing an and-one opportunity with 1.8 seconds left to give UNM an 88-87 win over No. 16 Marquette at the Pit. Nunn went off for 39 points and 13 rebounds, breaking the program's single-game scoring record in a monster performance, and the Lobos needed every bit of it to win a terrific game.
• March 5, 2021 — Jaedyn De La Cerda and Antonia Anderson doing "snow" angels in confetti on the floor of an almost-empty Pit after the Lobos defeated Colorado State to win a Mountain West regular-season title. This one was beyond unlikely. UNM beat the Rams twice on consecutive days to steal the crown in their only two home games of the season (thanks to COVID restrictions). Fans were not allowed to attend, but the strange championship celebration was one I won't forget.

That's it for my six stages as a Journal Staff Writer. For those who actually read all six, I salute you!

As noted, this list could have been so much longer and included more of the great games and people I've been lucky enough to write about. My pseudo retirement moment will never match that of former UNM baseball coach Ray Birmingham, who rode off on horseback after his final game in 2021. But like Birmingham, I'll still be around, taking notes and bugging people on a semi-regular basis.

For now, I'll just say adiós to those three little words that followed me around for 30-plus years. Being a Journal Staff Writer allowed me to make a living doing something I enjoy, which I don't take lightly.

On the other hand, I'm enjoying covering sports For the Journal, with a few extra days off in the mix. Thanks for spending a little time looking back with me. Now onward!