Chris Jackson likes baseball and beer. He even talked about the microbrew scene in Albuquerque, which is apparently substantial.

Albuquerque. It’s the title of one of my favorite Weird Al Yankovic songs and, more importantly, the location of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ AAA team, the Albuquerque Isotopes.

That’s where Chris Jackson comes in. No, basketball fans, I’m not talking about the mid-90’s sharpshooter who changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul Rauf. I’m talking about the Albuquerque-based baseball writer of the same name. Jackson grew up in Albuquerque, worked in Los Angeles, and is now the baseball reporter for the Albuquerque Examiner. Jackson spent his formative years as a fan of the Albuquerque Dukes (the Dodgers’ former AAA affiliate) and told us the story of how Albuquerque lost and then regained their minor league franchise and why they aren’t called the Dukes anymore.

He also regaled me with stories about some of his favorite Dukes and Isotopes of the past, the significance of Billy Ashley and the last Albuquerque team to win a PCL title, and the mentality of sports fans in the city of Albuquerque.Do you know why Zach Lee and other top-level minor league pitchers aren’t often sent to the Isotopes? You will after you listen. Most interestingly for me, Jackson makes connections between current Dodger prospects like Dee Gordon and Yasiel Puig.

You can follow Chris Jackson @topeswriter on twitter.

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