Happy Tuesday! I sure hope your week is off to a good start!

I will get to Ketel Marte’s special moment below, but first, in case you didn’t catch the AP Preseason poll that dropped yesterday, the Sun Devils came in at No. 11, marking its third-highest AP Preseason ranking in program history (8th in 1998 and 3rd in 1976). Arizona State finished last year ranked seventh.

A couple of other cool notes — this season marks the 25th time the Sun Devils have been ranked in the preseason top-25, and the first-ever time coming in at No. 11.

We are just a few weeks away from college football. Are you ready?!

On to the show!

Players’ Weekend Offers Marte A Chance For The Final Word

Ketel Marte is going to get the final word.

The Diamondbacks slugger has had some rough moments this season, most notably back in June against the White Sox, when he was left visibly distraught following an encounter with an unruly South Sider who took cheap, uninformed shots from the stands.

It’s not worth mentioning what was said, but the taunts were directed at Marte’s mother, who tragically passed away unexpectedly in 2017.

Marte received an outpouring of support, with manager Torey Lovullo leading the charge by immediately rushing to the star player’s defense. Once the substance of the fan’s taunt was revealed, the baseball world reacted swiftly. The White Sox, and all of Major League Baseball, even banned the fan indefinitely.

Marte to Pay Tribute to His Mom During Players’ Weekend

MLB’s Players’ Weekend is a fun celebration, offering the game’s players an opportunity to express themselves with custom bats and cleats. The festivities connect fans to their favorite stars of the game, and Marte is going to be sporting two custom bats for this weekend’s events.

One is a purple crayon in the color, ‘el pike,’ a nod to Marte’s nickname from his native Dominican Republic, and something he referenced during Players’ Weekend back in 2017.

The other bat is a beautiful tribute to his late mom, featuring purple roses and a touching black-and-white photo of the two of them. PHNX Diamondbacks reporter and host Derek Montilla captured the moments when Marte received the bats on Friday, and they’re truly a marvel:

He said he’ll also have a purple batting glove and foot guard. He actually detailed his rationale on an interview yesterday with MLB Network, explaining how his mom was always supportive of his baseball goals, and how she helped him achieve his ultimate dream.

My Take: The way the baseball community rallied around Marte was incredible to see, but this is just the cherry on top. This is a perfect way to close out an ugly saga, and I’m so happy that Marte was able to take such a sad event and turn it into a tribute to his mom. Kudos to everyone for all of the support they have displayed, and I can’t wait to watch those bats in action this weekend!

Texas-Sized Collapse: The Diamondbacks saw a 6-1 lead over the Rangers evaporate in a hurry, as Texas scored the game’s final six runs en route to a 7-6 win over the D-backs in 10 innings. Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo each notched two RBI in the loss, but reliever Andrew Hoffman (who has been GREAT) allowed a leadoff home run in the ninth before the Rangers ultimately won it in the 10th.

Arizona is right back to it tonight, facing Texas in the second of three games this series (5:05 pm).

Cause for Concern?: Just how concerning was the Cardinals’ 20-17 win over the Chiefs on Saturday? Well, it’s preseason, so it’s probably not that bad, but that didn’t stop Johnny and Bo from discussing exactly that yesterday! Come for that witty banter, but stay for a preview of Arizona’s next preseason game — against the Broncos — as well as a status update of the newly-re-signed Will Hernandez.

Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills

This caption is ::chef’s kiss::