The Lubbock Weekender: Baseball, Blithe and barbecue.

Between a bustling music scene, robust options for food or drink, and an ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics: Lubbock is anything but boring. Join me here every Friday in our new series, The Lubbock Weekender, for a quick look at what’s going on around the Hub City.

A little sport: TEXAS TECH FREAKIN’ BASEBALL

It’s baseball season, Red Raiders! Texas Tech baseball is building up to be quite a legendary program in West Texas, and for good reason. The past few seasons under Coach Tadlock have seen incredible success including a trip to the College World Series. This season the Red Raiders are poised to make another CWS run especially behind the preseason #5 ranking. Dan Law Field is loud, it’s homely, and just look at that view! If you’re in the area try to make it to one - two, three - games! You won’t be disappointed with the energy that the Red Raider faithful bring.

A little art: Blithe Spirit, a play

Now, don't scoff. Plays are our connection to the past, projection of the future, culture-abiding and culture-smashing. Plays are an infinitum of realities. This weekend in Lubbock one of the better, and less known plays out there will be preforming. From the site, “The smash comedy hit of the London and Broadway stages, this much-revived classic from the playwright of Private Lives offers up fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, re-married but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who is called up by a visiting “happy medium,” one Madame Arcati. As the (worldly and un-) personalities clash, Charles’ current wife, Ruth, is accidentally killed, “passes over,” joins Elvira, and the two “blithe spirits” haunt the hapless Charles into perpetuity.” Hm. You had me at cantankerous. This show goes on every night this weekend starting at 7pm! You can get tickets for the event here.

A little food: Mac’s BBQ

“You keep doing BBQ places, Jeramey, stop doing BBQ places. There’s better places Jeramey.” OKAY, okay okay I hear you chat, I hear you. But listen, listen... BBQ is fantastic. It’s an art, and when we stumble across good places we should tell others about it yes? Well then just sit back down and fill up on more red meat for a bit. Today I want to highlight a newer restaurant on Slide, called Mac’s BBQ. As most beautiful things in life go- I hadn’t heard of a new barbecue place opening up until I found a certain somebody tweeting about it. Yeah, Josh Abbott the country singer and Red Raider said he was in town and grabbing lunch at a new barbecue place. Why not try and exercise a little twitter power and ask for some free food - it worked! (see below)

And he delivered! (see below again)

The food was great, the style of the restaurant was on point, and I will be going back. But don’t take my word for it - go see it for yourself, and maybe you’ll run into the man himself (me). Or, you know, Josh Abbot. Learn more about this bustling barbecue spot here and be sure to let us know of any new spots in town or your favorites by hitting us up on twitter, facebook, or leaving a comment below.

I’VE BEEN YOUR HOST, JERAMEY MCAWESOME, AND THIS IS VIVA THE MATADORS. GOOD NIGHT, or day - I don’t know when you’re reading this.