At long last, Gentle Reader(s), it’s Matador Playlist time once again: The one, the only, the original, ask for it by name, accept no substitutes! Your Humble Narrator is back in the friendly confines of Ye Olde Matador Bar & Lounge and speaking of Friendly Confines, it is also opening day for Our National Pastime—the other beautiful game—so an auspicious occasion on multiple counts. Thanks to the mystical machinations and manipulations of the various entities involved, tonight’s game (Cubs vs. Diamondbacks) is blacked out here in New Mexico—a state with exactly ZERO teams in ANY major league sport—even though the game is being played 500 miles away in Phoenix, AZ. Go figure. The regular season got off to a rather irregular start for Your Humble Narrator, as the first two official games of the 2025 season (Cubs vs. Dodgers) were played in Tokyo. That’s Tokyo, Japan, not Tokyo, Indiana, so the fixtures took place in the approximate middle of the night on this side of the Pacific. My beloved Cubs dropped both games to the reigning Champs, but it’s a long season and they’ve got 160 games to try and bounce back. Fingers crossed.