5.30.2006

Stuck in a fog

... As I left work today, the classic lakefront storm clouds and fog were rolling so thick, I couldn't help but speed home to grab my camera (and clock myself for once again not carrying it with me at all times ...)

At home, I grabbed my camera, made sure it was loaded, threw on my rain jacket and was back out the door in minutes, on my way back downtown, toward the lake.

I first drove to one of my favorite spots on Simmons Island and immediately pulled off to snap a few shots of the fog settling in between the park area (above). But that was all I would get ...

... By the time I got down to the harbor area and the Pierhead Lighthouse, the fog was so thick that making out the shoreline about 50 yards in front of me was nearly impossible, let alone seeing the lighthouse which stood about 200 yards further out. ... For a few seconds I thought about marching onto the pier for a closer shot of the lighthouse in the fog. But it wasn't hard to see a fierce storm was rolling in and I'm not that daring when it comes to getting the shot ...

... So I drove off the island to the other side of the harbor, thinking I might get a better shot of the lighthouse over there.

No chance. The fog was becoming more dense by the second and by the time I got to the other side, I could barely see 10 feet in front of my car. ... and then the sky let loose, the rain started falling like machine-gun fire and all I could think about was getting deeper into the city and out of the lake fog ...

It was so scary. And yet sooo cool.

Five minutes later, I was home safely. ... at least I got one decent shot.

5.29.2006

A sad affair


.... so Barry Bonds passed Babe Ruth yesterday. whoopie.

so sad. ... I caught Krukie and Harold having a great conversation about it on 'Baseball Tonight,' saying what a wonderful event Bonds' 716th should've been for Major League Baseball. But given the steroids cloud hanging over Bonds and baseball, there's more fans cringing about Bonds' feat then there are celebrating ...

Count me among those hoping Bonds won't play long enough to catch Aaron ...

5.28.2006

Game #2

... While Kates went off to the family farm for the rest of the Memorial Day weekend, I stayed home to play baseball.

Game Two of the inagural MSBL season in our fair city ...

I started and played the entire day in right field, but that's about as good as it would get. We got clobbered again, thanks to untimely errors and a lack of good hitting. And it didn't help the opposing team had a dominant pitcher who could hurl some heat and then mix in a darn good curve to knock you out ...

I made my first plate appearance in the third and worked the count to 3-2. I managed to foul off a high fastball at the letters and the guy threw me a curve that just disappeared under my bat. I slammed my bat down in frsutration, and THEN, heard my teammates yelling the catcher had dropped the third strike ... So I take off running to first, and see the catcher's throw sail over the first baseman's head. So now I turn it on and head for second, and I look back to see the first baseman still hadn't gotten to the ball, which means I'm heading for third. ... I came in standing up. Not bad for striking out. ... and a couple pitches later, Coach called for a squeeze bunt (not a bad idea since we weren't getting runs across the plate otherwise ...) I got a good jump down the line and Johnny laid down a perfect bunt. Pitcher picked up and threw to first while I slid in safe at home ...

In the field, I didn't fare much better. I let one ball get over my head that probably should've been caught, as well as a ball that was hit to my right. ... I redeemed myself a little late in the game when I got back on a deep fly and caught it short of the warning track ...

...And then I flied out to first in my second and last plate appearance of the day.

... Through two games? ...Our record is 0-2. And in four plate appearances, I'm batting .000, with one walk, two strikeouts and one run scored. ... It's gotta get better than this.

Sunday reads

Some good reads from this week and beyond...

Baseball reads...
a Bonds conserving his anger, too
a Bonds, Pujols Could Make for Quite a Show
a Ten worst baseball teams of all time
a Excuses have kept Cubs, Baker busy

Movies reads...
a Critters Offer Consumer Retorts in 'Over the Hedge'
a Studios avoid critics’ pan of movies that click with fans

Music reads...
a The Wreckers Shine On Debut Album
a Dour Dixie Chicks ‘Taking the Long Way’ back
a Dixie Chicks find way outside of country

TV reads...
a Doing what it takes to steady their grip
a NBC Betting on Aaron Sorkin's New Drama
a TV Highs and Lows: Taking stock of the TV season's memorable and forgettable shows

5.27.2006

Still lovable losers

Cubs game today! … woo hoo!

Kates and I took her parents (who had never been to Wrigley and hinted the last couple years they wanted us to take them …) to the Cubs-Braves game today …

Great fun as usual. We barely caught the 8:47 train and made the usual stops at Davis Street and Howard on our way to catching the Red Line the rest the way to Addison. … and then joined the biggest, best summer block party in the country… the peanut vendors, the ticket hawkers, the T-shirt and memorabilia sellers all surrounding the park. The bars overflowing on the sidewalks. No matter how many times I go, I love every bit of it and it never gets old …

We made the cheap, but worthy stop at the Clark Street McDonald’s for lunch and then stepped inside the gates. A 12:20 start today …

Although it was more than a little frustrating on the way in having to sift through a group of picketers, protesting the jobs Dusty Baker and Andy MacPhail are doing. One sign called him Andy Mc-Fail … good lord people, have some sense!! The Cubs woes this year are HARDLY Baker’s or MacPhail’s faults … They started the season with Wood and Prior already on the DL, so they’ve been forced to go with an -- not counting Maddux and Zambrano -- inexperienced and inconsistent starting rotation. I think, or I hope, we all can agree Glendon Rusch is no savior … And talk about offense -- the first half of the season was blown to pieces when Derrek Lee went down, and no one else in the lineup has played to their standards…

On paper, the Cubs have a competitive, division-contending team, but they’re not getting it done on the field. Andy MacPhail’s acquisitions and Dusty’s managing have very little to do with it, and if the Cubs decide not to renew Dusty’s contract at the end of this season, I think it would be a huge mistake …

But --for now -- Andy says Dusty’s job is safe …

So the game …

The Cubs lost 2-1.

The bottom line was the offense failed again. Juan Pierre led off the game with an infield single and scored on a fielder’s choice by Todd Walker.

And that’s all the Cubbies would get …

While the Braves scored two in the second, the Cubs had base runners in all innings but the third, and those runners got into scoring position in all but the sixth inning when Walker was eliminated on Michael Barrett;s double-play ground out.

Ay-yay-yay.

5.26.2006

...So we were talking about ‘The Office,’ and Kates mentioned how comical Dwight’s personalized bobblehead doll appears on his desk …

‘I want my own bobblehead!’ I said … and immediately googled ‘your own bobblehead.’

Here’s what I came up with:
http://www.whoopassenterprises.com/
http://www.bobblefactory.com/
headbobble.com

The cost was a little steeper than I’d expected, unfortunately. ... donations anyone?

Amid controversey

... so me and hundreds of other journalists gathered Wednesday at the Museum of Science & Industry for the big preview of the King Tut exhibit.

All the usual fanfare was there. The Museum officials praised the exhibit and lauded all the big corporate sponsors, who in turn spoke of their support for the exhibit and the importance it will have on the city and cultural upbringing ...

yada. yada. yada.

... and thus, I barely noticed the huge controversey swelling when the secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr. Zahi Hawass, made a stern request for a CEO to put the sarcophagus he had into a museum ... although, admittedly, I did find it a little odd this CEO had this artifact just lying around his office ...

... but this beat went on ...

...it wasn't 'til today that I stumbled on this article and realized how big a deal this a sarcophagus thing had become ...

Kind of cool I was there to see it all begin ...

5.25.2006

Getting Lost

... so after King Tut. After Imogen Heap. After writing my posts about King Tut and Imogen Heap. I stayed up to watch the season two finale of 'Lost.' ... so I wouldn't be lost when everybody was talking about it at work today ...

I finally got to bed a little after 3:30 a.m. ... and was back up at 7 for work.

So tired.

... but how good was Lost!?

To quote the EW's Scott Brown, "I was up, I was down, I was frustrated, I was thrilled, and finally I was...well, a bit numb."

NY Times: Dickens, Challah and That Mysterious Island
EW: Electromagnetic Field Day
AP: ‘Lost’ finale finds some answers for viewers
MSNBC: ‘Lost’ thinks outside the hatch
... and some Lost revelations

Entertaining myself

…went to the media preview for King Tut today at The Field Museum.

… The exhibit, as expected, was a fascinating collection of antiquities, gilded statues, carvings, jewelry and many more treasures taken from King Tut’s tomb. And I learned more than I'd ever expected about King Tut himself and the Egyptian culture.

When British archaeologist Howard Carter and his crew discovered a step cut into the floor of the Valley of the Kings on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 4, 1922, an unusual silence cut through the air. Finally, after five years of searching and his bank nearly empty, Carter had found the tomb of the storied Tutankhamun.

A spectacular discovery, the tomb and its 5,000 beautifully preserved artifacts had been untouched since ancient times. Carter had found the only tomb of its era still intact and, in doing so, created a worldwide sensation.

Movies and television soon delved into Egyptian themes, and Steve Martin sang about it. When Tut came to America and stopped at The Field Museum for the first time in 1977, the exhibition was a blockbuster in the truest form. Lines stretched around the museum as 1.35 million paid $1.50 each to see 55 treasures from the boy-king’s tomb.

The $25-admission price is a little steeper this time, but 29 years after the original stop, King Tut has returned to The Field in an updated exhibit that’s twice the size. "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" will offer visitors face-to-face encounters with more than 130 ancient artifacts — of gold and silver, jewels and semi-precious stones, alabaster and gilded wood — excavated from the tomb of Tutankhamun and other royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

The Chicago stop is the third of four on this latest U.S. tour, and many of the objects, including the royal diadem worn by Tut during his life, are traveling to the United States for the first time.

At the exhibit, visitors will learn about the life of Tutankhamun, as well the years between 1539 B.C. and 1292 B.C. when Egypt enjoyed stability and peace, and art, architecture and literature flourished.

Visitors will see many of the objects used by and buried with the ancestry that preceded Tutankhamun’s ascension to the throne as a 9-year-old child. People also will learn about life and death in ancient Egypt, and the intimate relationship between the two.

Among the galleries that visitors won’t want to glaze over is the exhibit’s fifth, "Death, Burial and the Afterlife," a complement to an earlier gallery with religious artifacts. The space concentrates on items placed in elite tombs, preparation of the body and the steps Egyptians took to protect the body for the afterlife. The centerpiece is the gilded, elaborately-decorated coffin of Tjuya.

Two more galleries showcase gold or gilded statues of Tutankhamun, exquisite jewelry and scenes of Tutankhamun with his wife, Ankhesenamun, before the ninth gallery, "Daily Life in Tutankhamun’s World." Here, visitors can view objects that Tut might have used during his life and were placed in his tomb to be used in the afterlife. Although no two objects may illustrate the boy-king more than a tiny game board with similarities to Parcheesi and a child’s chair and footrest Tut probably used as his royal seat during rituals.

Absent from the exhibit are the familiar solid gold death mask, Tut’s coffin, or any mummies for that matter. Toward the end of the exhibit, however, are the chilling sights of objects actually found on Tutankhamun, along with a series of photos depicting the unraveling of his mummy.

A solid gold dagger placed at Tutankhamun’s waist for protection against dangers in the afterlife features a handle with decorative bands of granulated gold and cloisonné of red and blue glass. Fighting animals on the sheath are symbols of the king’s control over chaos.
In the same room, visitors can view Tut’s gold collar made of carnelian glass with inlaid beads, a golden diadem found on the head of Tut’s mummy and the royal headdress made of gold obsidian, carnelian and glass.

The final gallery gives visitors a glimpse into how Tutankhamun might have looked when he was alive and insight into how, unexpectedly at age 19, he might have died. X-rays taken in 1968 suggested the young king might have been killed by a blow to the head.

But the updated exhibit offers the results of landmark CT scans taken just last year that showed no signs of trauma. The new research instead speculates Tutankhamun might have died from an infection that developed in a severe break just above his left knee.

The exhibit was as fascinating as any of the other half-dozen or so I’ve been lucky enough to see over the last year.

… Just as fun, though, is simply being in Chicago. The city. The rush. Taking that calming train ride downtown. Getting off at the transportation center and moving with the rush hour crowd. Listing to my iPod, watching others doing the same, wondering what their listening to, and taking pleasure in knowing that I too am part of 'the iPod nation.' And then transferring between the buses. Enjoying all the scenery. The activity. The environment. ... and then stepping back on the train to leave it all ...

* * *

By 7 p.m. I was at The Rave in Milwaukee for my long-awaited date with Imogen Heap (go to her MySpace site to hear music clips of her coolest songs in full!!) … It’s crazy to think I hadn't heard of this woman like six months ago. Then I discover her music, become mesmerized by it, find out she’s coming to Milwaukee and jump at the opportunity to see her …

Having never seen a show at The Rave, I didn’t know what to expect but had my mind made by the end of the night that I will definitely be looking for some future shows there. For my Kansas City-area and KU peeps, the venue’s size and atmosphere reminded me an awful lot of The Granada in Lawrence. I also saw shades of Omaha’s Sokol Auditorium with its balcony area that makes for a great view of the stage and layers of audience members leaning over the railings... (I saw Ben Folds Five at both of those locations ...)

On this night, the venue was set up with small candlelit tables and chairs, as if ready for a taping of VH1 Storytellers. It was so perfect, so intimate.

As I’d expected, about 70 percent of the audience were teenage girls. There also was a clear set of middle-aged moms toting elementary-aged girls, which actually didn’t surprise me much either considering Imogen’s honest, wholesome lyrics and her fun-for-all-ages sound. Then, there were the guys like me -- and the similarly-aged guy sitting next to me with whom I built up a good conversation -- who simply like good music and have added Imogen’s unique sound to their collections …

Right on schedule, Imogen came out to introduce the opening act, cellist Zoe Keating. … I know, not exactly the kind of music to get you energized for the main act, and apparently much of the audience agreed because the talking nearly drowned her out at times. Too bad, because she was hugely talented and extremely interesting to watch.

Much like Imogen, Keating plays her cello and records each part as she plays, controlling the composition in real time via foot pedals linked to an array of electronic devices. On several songs, she began by tapping, even beating, her cello to get a percussive background going, and then one by one added additional melodies with her bow, soon coming up with wonderful, multi-layered compositions …

As for her banter between songs, Keating, who was wearing a skirt with slits that nearly cut to her hips, explained to the audience early on that she typically wears shorts underneath her skirt but on this night she had forgotten her shorts -- so she was hoping not to have a ‘Sharon Stone moment.’ ... And later, she introduced a song by explaining how her electronic devices failed during a recent performance, she freaked out and made up a new composition on the spot. She paused and then said, “It’s called ‘Don’t Worry,” drawing a good laugh from the crowd …

Keating played for about 45 minutes. There was a short intermission, and …

Imogen appeared on stage for her set.

What.
A.
Treat.
Her performance was far more than I had hoped it would be, and yet everything I wanted.
Playing just about every track on her current album, ‘Speak For Yourself,’ she opened with an a cappella version of ‘Just For Now’ which sparked one of those I-can't-believe-I'm-right-here-in-this-moment smiles on my face. Oh, that voice …

Then in her own whimsical way, (by the way, she was dressed in this Mary Poppins get-up, complete with flowers in her hair) Imogen introduced ‘her band.’ The thing is: Imogen is the band. She surrounds herself with keyboards, organs, synthesizers and beat boxes to create an amazing sound all her own … First, she introduced her bass box and played a ditty on it. She did the same for her beat box, her vocoder and on until it appeared she was ready to start her next song. Then she stopped, thought for a second and said, ‘Oh yeah, and I have to introduce one more member of the band -- my lights.’ And right on cue, a huge sheet of Christmas lights illuminated the stage.

Did I say how great this show was!?



…The fanciful melodies. The lush harmonies. The catchy beats. It was all there, and even more mesmerizing live. … ‘Goodnight and Go’ never sounded better to me, and the opening melody and lyrics of ‘Let Go’ -- most recognized from the Garden State soundtrack and a product of her Frou Frou side project -- drew a warm applause too as Imogen played it out in a beautiful piano version …

Then, midway through the show, Imogen added yet another dimension to her set as Zoe came out and teamed her cello up with Imogen on a few songs, including ‘Headlock’ and ‘Have You Got It In You?’ -- which the duo totally rocked with the songs’ hard, loud chorus sections.

Eventually, Imogen -- or Immi as she's sometimes called -- stepped to the mic and said the next song would be ‘my last,’ holding up quote marks as she said ‘my last.’ She proceeded, ‘I say it’s ‘my last,’ but you all know it won’t be my last. I say it’s my last, but I’ll go off, you’ll applaud and I’ll come back out again any play some more …’ Then she strapped on one of those keyboards you wear like a guitar and played that wonderfully haunting tune that turned me on to her in the first place: ‘Hide And Seek.’

… As promised, Imogen went off the stage -- for what couldn’t have been more than a minute -- and then returned to play three more songs. She started by playing her newest song ‘Speeding Cars.’ She took a request, asking the crowd, ’should I play something from I Megaphone or Frou Frou?’ She opted to play a Megaphone song I hadn‘t heard and then ended with yet another beautiful one -- ‘The Moment I Said It.’

When she finished, the crowd erupted almost immediately in a standing ovation … A hugely memorable show is one way to describe it, but even that doesn’t seem to do any justice. It was an experience …

Even though I already had a copy of ‘Speak For Yourself,’ I splurged for another one at the show in hopes of having her sign it … but the tight-wad security, which was almost unbearably stiff all night long, shooed everyone out of the theater almost as soon as the show finished.

I probably would have started walking back to my car and started home, had I not been walking next to another guy, who I later learned had driven all the way from Iowa for the show, veering toward Imogen’s tour bus parked in front of the theater. ‘I wanna get my s*#@ signed,’ he says to me, also explaining he had just purchased the special edition CD he was holding from Japan last week. … a few other fans joined us and we began waiting -- quite patiently, as thunder rumbled in the background -- on the sidewalk outside the tour bus.

We passed the time quickly, chatting about the show and fending off the two or three beggars who shuffled by on the sidewalk. Then we were chatting up the security guard just as I noticed Imogen appear from the doorway.

‘Here she comes guys,’ I blurted. … a hush fell over us and we broke away from the security guard, gazing at Imogen as if she was some angel traipsing down the stairway and walking toward us ... My first reaction? Gosh, she’s really tall!

… My second reaction was how cool, how sweet, how refreshingly friendly she is. She said hello -- in her British accent, of course, and apologized for taking so long to come out. She politely began signing items and posing for pictures (my camera, unfortunately, was in my car -- another casualty of the tightest concert security I’ve ever dealt with …) … Then, my turn. She took my CD as I told her my name. She signed it to me, filled it with hearts, stars and wrote ‘love and kisses, Immi.’

I thanked her, shook her hand and told her how much I loved the show.

I walked back to my car in bliss.

The icing on my cake. The cherry on my sundae.

What.
A.
Treat.

5.23.2006

Lost!

... with the (cue angel chorus) 'Lost' finale just one night away, some good reads about the show have been floating around the wire services this weekend, including this one about Michael's 'lost' cause and this preview about the finale ...

... CanNOT wait!

... although it may be 2 a.m. Thursday morning before I get around to watching it on our DVR. And I will NOT DARE going into work Thursday without watching it, or I risk hearing about it from one of my cohorts -- if not on TV or the radio before work ...

... while anticipating the what's-sure-to-be-a-wild-finale, a couple of us got into a conversation today about Lost theories, although we were stretching our imaginations perhaps a bit too far ... My buddy Brian thinks the Oceanic Flight never crashed in the first place and it's all some big dream. ... And as our conversation evolved, I threw out the wild theory that maybe they all know it's a TV show and they're playing one big joke on us crazy viewers. Like the final scene of the show will be a camera pulling back to show a huge soundstage. Then a director says 'cut, that's a wrap' and all the actors come out of character while stagehands start wheeling away set pieces ...'

Right.

In the meantime, while the anticipation builds tomorrow, I'll be boarding another train to Chicago and previewing the world-famous King Tut exhibit opening this weekend at the Field Museum... Woo hoo! ...Tickets are selling like hot cakes, but I get to see it all early and free! ... I love my job.

Then tomorrow night, I'll be in the presence of Imogen Heap (aka: the mystifying woman with those mystifying vocals in the music video that's been playing on this site for the last month and a half) ... Can I get another woo hoo!?

... Can't stop thinkin' 'bout tomorrow ...

'Desperate' finale

I think 'Desperate Housewives' has officially lost its mojo ...

The finale was good, it was suspenseful (somewhat) ... but it wasn't great.

The flashbacks of the housewives moving onto Wisteria Lane and becoming friends were entertaining, and it was great to see killed-off characters Mary Alice, Rex and George ... Lynette remains far and beyond my favorite character (... as insane as her kids driver her sometimes, most of the time, it seems she's the only intelligent and halfway decent person living on the block ...) ... and the climaxing scene with Bree facing a gun-pointing Matthew was gripping ...

But ...

... Susan's on-again, off-again thing with Mike and her do-nothing-right personality and constant ditzy, whiny heart-breaking is getting a little (ok -- a lot) annoying. ... And where the heck did Mr. Creepy Dentist guy come from!?! Suddenly he appears after Susan's house burns down and becomes the new creepy guy on the block ... and to make matters worse, Bree appears to have some affection for him.

sigh.

... Another 'Desperate' story being recylcled for a 'Desperate' cause. ... I'm actually contemplating not watching next season, but I'll probably watch anyway out of habit ... I hate good TV.

I'm tired.

This story says it all ...

5.21.2006

The Long Way Home

So today was the day. The culmination of months of training, planning and anticipation. The Tour de Cure bike ride and my first game in the city’s new men’s adult baseball league … Given the day I was about to have, it struck me that when I started my car this morning, plugged in the iPod and set it on shuffle, the first song that came on was Supertramp’s ‘Take the Long Way Home.’

… I certainly took the long way today.

My alarm had gone off at 5:58 a.m. and -- after I literally jumped out of bed (I saw how bright it was outside and thought I was late, and then realized I was fine …), got dressed, ate a bowl of cereal and skimmed the paper -- I was on my way a little after 6:30 …

It took a little over an hour to drive to the registration site. I checked in. Got my free T-shirt. And waited.

A group of riders already had left on a 100k trip. And at 8:30, after a few pre-ride introductions and guidelines, I slipped on my iPod and joined the hundred or so riders as we set out for our 50k ride. 34 miles.

The ride started easy enough with a stretch of downtown roads and neighborhood streets. Soon, however, we were riding on wide-open rural roads, head-on into a northeast wind. Pile on top of that some gradual, but grueling hills that left me seriously doubting whether I would be able to complete this thing. Not to mention my calves already were burning.

The first of four rest stops finally came about eight miles into the ride, although it seemed like 20. … I grabbed a banana, a power bar, downed a cup of Powerade and was off again.

… Fortunately the second and third legs of the ride proved to be much easier. We stayed on rural roads, but they remained mostly flat and some abundant tree lines helped block the winds. I found myself gaining some good speed at times. And by the end of the third leg, the course was beginning to loop back to the starting point, pitting the wind at our backs … But it also was the end of the third leg that my iPod battery ran out of juice (doh!), which meant I was going to have to finish the thing on my own will power with no energizing music to help me keep going ….

I contemplated skipping the fourth and last rest stop, but stopped anyway, I was glad in the end. I chowed down one more banana, grabbed some water and got my mind set on finishing …

Though the fifth and final leg proved almost as difficult as the first. The final miles took us along side busy streets, up some more gradual hills and into more wind. Even in a low gear my legs were burning so badly it was as though lava was bursting from them. And then trying to ride on the Interstate overpass with the wind currents coming over the bridge … ugh.

Finally, 34 miles and 3 ½ hours later, the finish line appeared and I rode in … stopping at my car, hopping off my bike and, well, taking a lot of pride in what I had just accomplished … and realizing, amazingly, yeah I’ve still got some left to play a ball game

I picked up my goodie bag, another free T-shirt, chatted with a team member, grabbed a sandwich and was on the road again. On my way home to play ball -- I hoped …

* * *

Somehow I beat the traffic and arrived at the ball field about 1:10, ten minutes passed the game’s start time. With my uniform in the back seat, I changed in my car, then grabbed my gear and jogged to the ball field. My team was in the field and I stepped into the dugout to the surprise of my teammates. … (I had told them last week my bike ride probably was going to prevent me from making the game. It wasn’t until last night that I started thinking about it and realized I might be able to pull off both …)

… Now, I wish I could say I got into the game and came up with a game-winning hit. Nope. Didn’t happen. Not even close.

In the dugout I learned my team hadn’t even stepped to the plate. It was still the top of the first and we were down 7-0. Apparently our starting pitcher had the jitters and when I arrived, Coach was making his second pitching change …

When our turn came to bat, Coach stuck me at the bottom of the lineup and I made my first plate appearance in the bottom of the third. I drew an easy walk. But I was quickly erased when the next batter hit a line drive into right field and I rounded second, gunning for third.
Making the turn I heard ‘Go three, go three,’ but didn’t think to look up at my third base coach. Big mistake. The right fielder’s throw was dead on, I tried sliding around the tag , but the third baseman got me square.

… At about the fifth or sixth inning (we were losing so badly all the innings were running together), Coach made another pitching change, allowing me to get into right field. … With two outs I had a shallow fly hit to me and should’ve made a shoestring catch, but the ball skipped under my glove and, luckily, died in the grass. We got out of the inning on the next batter, but not before another run scored on my error. It was the only time I would touch the ball on defense.

I got to the plate one more time, in the bottom of the sixth or seventh, I think. I quickly ran up an 0-2 count swinging and fouling off some pitches. But I kept battling, taking some balls, and fouling off some more pitches to run the count to 3-2. Then the pitcher, who was throwing absolute meat, ran one inside on me. I backed away from the plate thinking it was ball four, but the umpire thought otherwise. He called it a strike on the inside corner and rang me up. I would end the day 0-for-1 at the plate with a walk and a strikeout.

Our games are supposed to go nine innings, but the umpires called it at the end of the 2 ½ hour time limit. We lost 19-9.

… but, boy, did it feel good to be in uniform and playing again. If anything makes my summer, this may be it. I’ve been waiting years for something like this …

* * *

4:15 p.m. and I was home. … I had biked 34 miles. Played in a baseball game … and now I was heading out to mow the lawn and work in the yard.

Tired, schmired.

I mowed. Pulled dandelions. And finally sat my butt down at 8, just in time for the ‘Desperate Housewives’ finale …

5.20.2006

Watchin' 'The Line'


Kates and I finally got around to watching 'Walk the Line' tonight ... yet another DVD we borrowed from a friend and let sit in our entertainment center for far too long ...

Loved it! The story line was inspiring, touching and fun! ... It's no wonder Reese Witherspoon earned Best Actress with her sparkling performance as June Carter and Joaquin Phoenix was amazingly believable as Mr. Cash, not to mention the chemistry between the two of them, and their singing, was awesome. And the supporting cast was just as wonderful ...

I'm adding it to the list ...

5.19.2006

Good-bye Will & Grace


Good stuff. And yet another era finished ...

This morning some critics are berading last night's 'Will & Grace' finale for it's lack of wit, it's sometimes dragging plot and moments that didn't flow ...

I say: who cares. ... It was the series finale. Do whatever you want! Have fun with it!!

... Yeah, I'll admit the finale wasn't as fast paced and laugh-out-loud funny as past shows, and at the beginning, with a bald Will and an insanely huge Grace, I wondered where the heck this one was going ...

But in the end ... I liked it. A lot. It was satisfying... the storyline was somewhat innovative, I thought, compared to other recent series finales, in that it didn't wrap up the characters' lives with a nice little bow. Rather it unfolded in a series of snippets showing Will & Grace as their lives progressed in the future, they found healthy relationships, had kids and as destiny would have it, their kids got married. ... Cute.

Jack and Karen's duet, no matter how out of place it was in the show, was truly 'Unforgettable' ... and how could you not smile at the last scene of the gang sharing a toast at the bar as aging friends and then setting their glasses back on the bar looking as young as they appeared eight years ago when it all started -- with Queen's 'You're My Best Friend' playing in the background ...

... and how about that bang-bang ER finale!?!?!

Good stuff.

Good reads...
a ‘Will & Grace’ ends on a high note
a Comedy broke ground but cast treaded lightly
a A graceful exit for Debra Messing
a Say good night, Gracie

5.17.2006

Crazy TV

Yeah! for the Hippies! ... from beginning to end, no one deserved to win the Amazing Race more than they did ...

* * *

As for Lost ...

Michael is crazy. CRA-zy ... first Izzy. Now Michael ... CRA-zy.

And who the heck is Miss Clue!? What the heck are those tribal Others doing with Walt!?! ... and what's up with the boat!?!

Next week's finale should be stellar.

But the really good news of the day? No repeats next season ...

Entertainment Weekly has some good stuff about the cast and their theories. Also here's an interesting story about Evangeline Lilly dealing with her Lost fame ...

* * *

... and Invasion? (see Dave's blog) ... Wouldn't it have been great if Sheriff Tom and Russell killed off Zura, saved the world and everyone lived happily ever after? I mean, how cool was the opening sequence with Tom and Russell pulling up on the crowd and taking over, and then Dave pulling up in his beater car, and the real Army arriving. The show's not coming back next season, so it would've been the perfect ending to a captivating little mini-series, right!? ...

Nope ...

Instead, after Tom and Russell killed off the alien army, we still had 40 minutes to go. Forty minutes that included Murial trying to help the pregnant women, Tom and Russell chasing after Zura, and Larkin, Dave, Lewis and the kids playing cat and mouse with those two crazies in the sheriff's house ... and then in the ultimate cliffhanger, Tom arrives, scuffles with the crazies and takes 'em down just as one of them fires his gun -- in Larkin's direction ...

Aaaaaaaaaand the last scene we see is Tom apparently dumping Larkin's pregnant body into 'the water,' obviously trying to save her, despite probably infecting her and the baby with the alien disease in the process, while Murial and Russell run up on the beach and see Tom's tortured look ...

That's it!?!?!?!?!

Great. See ya, Invasion. Been nice knowin' ya. Thanks for the memories. It was fun while it lasted.

Rediscovering He-Man

If you're a boy from the '80s like I am -- you'll love this one ...

5.16.2006

Still thinking

... the talk around our water cooler at work today, of course, was more of last night's pitiful Grey's Anatomy finale ...

... It seems none of us will get over Izzy going so psycho for Denny anytime soon, and the more we discussed how the rest of the interns reacted, and the lack of punishment they recieved, the more frustrated we became ...

... Izzy should've been gone before she had time to even think about quitting. And the punishments for the rest of them should've been far more severe than helping organize that cheeseball prom for the Chief's daughter, niece, granddaughter or whoever she was ...

... and then that dirty Meredith-McDreamy sex ... It was about as creepy as watching George and Meredith earlier in the season. I was past McDreamy and Meredith as a couple, and really latching on to them as the adorable pals joking around in the elevator or walking in the park. As if poor Addison hadn't suffered enough ...

... As one cohort quipped: one of the best things to happen on last night's show was that Denny finally died.

sigh.

A sign of good TV, I guess. We can't stop talking or thinking about it ...

Then to cap off the morning, we catch the headline that ABC will move 'Grey's Anatomy' to Thursdays ... Fine. Whatever ... Course, I'll be making the switch with it, and I'm liking the idea of Grey's giving CSI (...talk about an overrated show ... ) a run, but's it a risky move for ABC, messing with its stellar Sunday night lineup ... and P.S., NBC, you'd better move your highly-touted Studio 60 off Thursdays now if you have any hopes of it surviving ...

5.15.2006

The big finishes

Oooooooooo-kay ...?

... After Sunday night's big Part I of the Grey's Anatomy finale, I mostly was left thinking, 'Good Lord, I think they over did it a little bit here. ... Denny should've been dead weeks ago. I was sick of him and Izzy's little fairy tale after the first night ...and now Izzy's gone psycho!!!! ...

... And then Burke gets shot. Didn't see that coming.

... Now we're nearing the end of the big Part II tonight ... and I'm not sure I've been more furious with a Grey's Anatomy episode ...

... Izzy was CRA-zy -- and delusional, and her insistance to compromise Denny's status to 'steal' a heart -- which, of course, led to the whole Burke getting shot fiasco -- was downright ugly ... and it made me even more upset that her intern gang went along with her.

... they all deserved everything they got from Bailey. Although she could've slapped 'em all upside the head, and I would've said they all deserved that too.

... And still you have to admire (a little) the way they hung together, and talked around Chief. But I'll never look at Izzy the same again ...

... and now she's done. So it appears.

... if there was anything to like about the whole three-hour drag-a-thon, (aside from the facts that Burke will survive and McDreamy and Meredith -- ok, a slight yawn -- apparently are over that whole 'whore thing' ... sucks for poor Addison ...) it's that George scored major gentleman points (even while he's already soaring far above the other men on the show) for his apology to Meredith for their little escapade earlier in the season and then his explanation to Callie about why he couldn't say whether he loves her ...

... and just when I wanna go on about how odd of a character Callie is, she's trying so hard to keep up with George and being cool -- like making sure Meredith's dress is tied after -- well, you know, with McDreamy ...

... Oh Meredith, what have you done ... again!?!?!

* * *
Before the whole Grey's Anatomy shebang, Kates and I fondly took in and reflected on West Wing ...

For me, the final episode was well-done, although not near as memorable as other recent series finales. The comedic lines, quirks and subtle reflections of past episodes were all there, but the flow of the episode felt as though the writers had tried to cram a little too much in to it ...

... seeing the pilot, aired before the final episode, offered up some neat moments too, although I really would've enjoyed seeing the 'look back' NBC had advertised several weeks ago ... but apparently the cast suddenly thought they were too good for doing something like that ...

... Hard to believe it was six years ago that 'West Wing' was becoming a sensation and (yes, it's storytime) I was in New York City for a conference. On a rainy Thursday night during the spring of 2000, near the end of the show's first season, I sat with about a hundred other fellow college journalists and our advisers and screened a 'West Wing' episode. It was the first one I'd ever seen, and I was hooked immediately ...

... then Aaron Sorkin, Alison Janney, Dule Hill and Martin Sheen were brought into the room for a brief press conference to talk about the show. Three friends and I stayed for the conference as long as we could, before we had to get over to the Nederlander Theatre for 'Rent' ...

... I got to live out a dream by seeing 'Rent' on Broadway ... but I'll never forget the friends of mine who did stay and later waved in my face pictures of their shoulder-to-shoulder encounters with each of the above-named cast members ...

sigh.

... 'West Wing' is gone and now another tie to another era is severed.

a City Says Goodbye to 'West Wing,' Its Chattier Self -- a neat story from the Washington Post, with a sidebar about the cast members, about how Washington, D.C. said good-bye to West Wing.
a An interesting 'West Wing' fan site

5.10.2006

Doing it again

... another thing I missed last night, thanks to my falling asleep during the Cubs game. Gosh, it would have been good to catch Dave laughing it up with Britney while she announces her pregnancy ... instead I had to read about it in this morning's Post ...

* * *
Our 'Corporate Cup' points were posted today for Week 2 ... all of the teams' scores dropped quite a bit over last week for a variety of reasons (mostly because they say the 389 the 'Four' posted last week and realized they have no chance ...). In fact, my team's points fell to 272 in Week 2, for various reasons, but we still caked the rest of the teams, keeping our comfortable lead for Week 3 ...

* * *
... another baseball practice tonight, and boy does it feel good ... It's just too bad I won't be available for our first game this weekend ...

... nonethless, we spent the entire 90-minute practice tonight on fielding. Coach asked us at the beginning of the practice where each of us played. 'You can put me whevere you want, except for catcher,' I told him, and added that my preferences are second base, shortstop or outfield ...

... so I spent the night trading plays with another guy at second base and shortstop. ... we practiced turning double plays, we practiced hitting the cutoff man. We took grounders, line drives, fly balls. Coach worked us hard and wouldn't let up until we did something right ... it was great work, and great fun. And at one point, I got just enough time to take a step back, look around at my newfound teammates across the field and think to myself how lucky I was to be playing baseball again, and to be doing with such a great group of guys who know their stuff like I do, love the game as I do and want to be there just as badly ...

(Lost? ... here's my March post referencing how my whole summer of baseball got started ...)

* * *
Speaking of 'Lost' ... another mind-blowing episode, filled with even more clues and questions ... but as usual, I'll leave it up to the other writers and 'Lost' bloggers to fill you in ...

... but jeez, how freaky was that 'new' hatch, yet another video and that whole surveillence thing!?!?!

...and 'Amazing Race' -- see ya, Mojo!! ... I don't think I've ever laughed as hard during a 'Race' episode as I did tonight watching Mo freaking out, sobbing and spilling all those pots she was trying to balance on that board ... 'Joseph, I can't do this!' ... (crash!!) ... 'This is so hard!' ... (crash!!) ... 'I can't handle this anymore!' ... (crash!!) ...

HA-larious!!!

Baseball's breakable and unbreakable records

... An interesting piece on Fox Sports this morning: Baseball's breakable and unbreakable records.

By the way, anyone see Juan Pierre's catch last night, taking away Bonds 714th. ...That Pierre is a great man. ... 'course I slept through it ....

5.08.2006

Biking it

... I went to work today on my bike.

... About 30 blocks in 15 minutes and riding about 80 percent of it alongside Lake Michigan, with the bright sun reflecting off it. And my 'Grey's Anatomy' music playlist going on my iPod...

... It's hard to think of a better way to start the morning ...

... And then I arrived at work and my buddy Brian reminded me that 'bike to work week' is next week. ... So I started early; I'm training, I told him.

... actually I kind of am training. My first baseball game is less than two weeks away ( ...tonight's practice was good, really good ...), I signed up to ride 50k in a diabetes bike run in less than two weeks, and at work, we're in the midst of our 'Corporate Cup Challenge' so I gotta earn points for my team ...

...What's the Corporate Cup Challenge, you ask? ... It's six weeks of competitive exercising. While we've divided into teams of four, we earn daily points individually for exercising and participating in fitness activities, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, not smoking, drinking lots of water, etc ... individual points are then added up for each team, and the standings are posted each week. Last week, the first week, my team - aptly named The Fitastic Four - logged 389 points. The closest team to us put up 294, thus beginning our obliteration of the rest of our company. Said one co-worker/opponent: 'What're you guys doing pushing your cars to work?' ... Nope. We're just making sure we earn the maximum points every day ... it also helps that one of my teammates is the workout queen at the YMCA.

Week Two standings will be posted tomorrow ...

5.06.2006

Finding treasures

...So I spent last night flipping around to baseball games (... how 'bout that roller coaster, 14-inning Braves-Mets game! ...and the Cubs lost a-gain) and catching up on more TV shows (... would someone just hand Survivor Terry the $1 million and get it over with, the guy is dominating! ... and is it me or does the lame ESPN infomercial otherwise known as 'Bonds on Bonds' get more mundane and boring each week? The whole thing is edited just to make Bonds look good. He won't even touch the 'S' word and he relays every obstacle he's ever faced as if no one in the world has lived a harder life than him.... C'mon. Really. And we're supposed to feel sorry for THIS guy ...) all while searching the classified section for some intriguing garage sale listings ...

Kates and I are in search of a good entertainment center and buffet/hutch to match the rest of our woodwork and decor. And I'm in need of a corner shelving unit ... and, as always, good music and baseball collectibles ...

... So this morning, the alarm went off at 7:30 a.m. I dressed, snagged a quick breakfast and the first of the half-dozen garage sales I'd circled started at 8 ... one by one, I hit 'em all, working fast and scanning the inventory for treasures ...

... I came home a happy man.

... For a total of $24, I walked away with CDs of the Barenaked Ladies' 'Maroon,' Fleetwood Mac's 'The Dance' and Elton John's 'One Night Only: The Greatest Hits' (I just finished listening to the last two and they're even more amazing than I had expected ...), and on vinyl, vinyl! (my crush on the medium continues ... ) I took home copies of Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumors' (actually it's now the third copy I have of this album, the other two don't play so well ...it's such a great album!!), Carole King's 'Tapestry,' Cyndi Lauper's 'She's So Unusual' (classic '80s pop!), Crosby, Stills Nash & Young's 'So Far' (four words: 'Suite: Judy Blues Eyes'), 'Chicago at Carnegie Hall' (my pops had this one ... amazing!) and Neil Diamond's 'Hot August Night' (another awesome live album ...)

... And I'm not done yet. Still with that $24, I also picked up hardcover biographies by Sandy Koufax and Duke Snider, and a couple nice wood frames for about a quarter of the price I would have paid for them at a Target.

Can you say bargains? ... Yeah. I'm saying it right now.

5.05.2006

Lost shocker

... When Kates and I arrived home Wednesday night I suggested we watch 'Lost.' It didn't happen.

... So I suffered all of Thursday as my cohorts went on and on ... and on about how amazing an episode it was. I had to avoid all the 'shocker' headlines on the Internet. And the stories coming in on the wire. And any e-mails I recieved from friends with 'Lost' in the subject line ...

And when Kates arrived home last night, there was nothing else on the agenda but watching Wednesday night's 'Lost.'

'Wow' is an understatement ... I had a feeling the big ending would involve Anna Lucia, and with the flashbacks of her and Jack's father -- which now seem pretty pointless -- I was thinking it might include some revelation that Anna Lucia was directly responsible for Jack's father's death ...

I never, never foresaw Michael turning on Anna Lucia and then Libby... Libby!!

... Then again, we can't really be that surprised that Anna Lucia, aka Michelle Rodriguez, is gone considering all her off-the-island troubles. That and nobody could stand her on or off the show. She had it coming sooner or later ...

... and although Libby's character was so likable, she was right there with Rodriquez ...As one friend said, at least we won't have to suffer any Hurley-Libby sex scenes

... But are they both really dead!?!? ... ah, the endless questions.

... So anyway, how bout those hippies on 'Amazing Race' ... they squeaked out again, thanks to another non-elimination round!! ...Thank goodness, they're the only team left worth rooting for ...

5.04.2006

That's the game

... at one point last week, I think after Bonds hit homerun No. 711, I caught a story that projected him tying or breaking Babe Ruth's homerun record in Milwaukee. The next morning, I was buying a pair cheap tickets for Kates and I to sit aside Barry in left field at Miller Park, and last night, there we were ...

Whatever the circumstances, it's Barry Bonds we're talking about. Like him or not, people will flock to see him ... and I too, couldn't keep from the chance of seeing him in Milwaukee, taking in the crowd reaction and, perhaps, being part of history ...

... it's funny. A couple years ago, Kates and I were in the seats when Bonds was sitting on 699. ...it would be a couple days after he left Milwaukee that he hit No. 700. But the crowd reaction to him then was lightyears from what was last night ...

Simply: Bonds got booed and mocked every time he stepped to the plate or even got close to a ball in the field. The fans sitting in teh left field bleachers were relentless, chanting steroids at him nearly the entire game ... And at the plate, he looked terrible, striking out and skying balls to the Miller Park ceiling ... and in case you're wondering, we got their too late to see Bonds get boinked in the head during batting practice, but it sure sounded exciting ...

As for the game, well, it wasn't much more exciting ... Brewers pitcher Dave Bush and Giants ace Jason Schmidt were on their A-games and both went deep into the night. But Bush plunked Moises Alou in the second and on the next at-bat Pedro Feliz homered. That was it. That was the game ... The Brewers did try to make a run in the bottom of the ninth, but Schmidt was too good, and held on for the shutout.

5.03.2006

Joining the Revolution


Had you suggested a few weeks ago I could become a fan of O.A.R. (aka Of A Revolution), I would have shook my head and looked at you like you had a monkey sitting on your head …

Last night, all of that changed. I officially became an O.A.R. fan …

… The wheels were set in motion, of course, last week when I got the assignment to preview and interview the band for the upcoming show in town. I started previewing some of their music on iTunes, and then got a copy of their latest 'Stories of a Stranger,' which I fell in love with almost immediately. The more I read, and the more I heard from Richard On during our phone interview Friday, the more intrigued I became …

Still, I headed to their show last night with barely any expectations …

…Although, it didn’t start off so great. … I rode over to the show on a shuttle bus that stunk like a boy’s locker room, and sitting across from me were a handful of high school-wannabe-frat-jocks who were fidgeting with the radio dial like a bunch of 4-year-olds… and the bus driver was allowing it! If I was him, I would have stopped the bus and made them walk …idiots. ...And while it was a little comical watching the endless stream of girls pulling up their pants because they’re so low-cut they might as well be wearing them at their knees, it was hardly amusing when I made a pit stop in the men’s bathroom and some 20-year-old kid stepped to a urinal and dropped his drawers for everyone to see his bald bottom …

Nonetheless … the show did go on. Army of Me opened … Their songs occasionally were catchy, and they featured some cool guitar riffs, but the vocals were sub par and nasally… Meanwhile, I’m thinking, ‘these guys sound like Bush with members of the Monkees singing vocals’ .. and I’m not sure if the lead singer reminds me more of Rob Thomas or Chris Martin …’

… and as gigantic as the venue appears, it seemed empty. Granted there were no seats set up for this one, leaving the audience with few options other than to stand and crowd around the stage -- even then there had to be only a couple hundred people at the show, in a venue that spans about the size of two football fields and holds nearly 4,500.

By the time, O.A.R. hit the stage, I was actually entertaining the thought of leaving after a few songs …

Sha!

The band’s first song literally blew me away. It was explosive. The light show was spectacular!! …Guitarist Richard On and saxist Jerry DePizzo went off on dazzling solos and didn’t stop all … night … long … I knew the moment the opening song was over that I was in for a treat and wouldn’t be forgetting this show any time soon …

… and while I don’t yet know a lot of the words to a lot of songs, it didn’t stop me from doing my own little dancing and jumping around with the crowd. … several times throughout the show -- the concert, mind you, was taking place on the second floor of a huge field house/recreation center, above a pool -- you could feel the floor trembling beneath you and see the lights bouncing from the rafters like they were hanging from a bungy chord. And I’m thinking, ’well, this is great and a ton of fun, but please don’t let me be on the news tonight for a story about this floor collapsing …’

Nonetheless … The show continued on. ‘Love and Memories’ and ‘Hey Girl’ had the crowd going wild, not to mention a couple more sweeeeeeeeeet saxophone solos (there were a few times I thought I was watching Dave Matthews Band, not OAR ...) ... And after the band had been playing for more than an hour, all of the members left the stage except for lead singer Marc Roberge, who announced he was trying out a new song: Princess Valerie. A light, coffeehouse-type tune, he played solo, singing with his acoustic guitar -- and performed it beautifully. Yeah, this is about the time the lighters came out …

Finally, the rest of the band returned and it came time for the part of the show I’d been reading about -- the band playing the fan-favorite ‘Crazy Game of Poker.’ Personally, I don’t see the appeal of the song, but the crowd went crazy for it nonetheless. There were more soaring saxophone and guitar solos. And the floor continued to shake …

… But if my jaw wasn’t open enough by the end of the show, it hit the floor for the grand finale. The guys invited Army of Me lead singer Vince Scheuerman back on stage and rolled into a cover of U2’s ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday.’ … There’s no words to explain how great it was. It was loud, dead-on and it rrrrrocked!!

As I joined the herds to catch a bus back to the parking area, a guy behind me said to his buddy, ‘That was pretty much amazing.’ … ‘Yeah, that was straight-up,’ the buddy replied.

I’ll say.

(For the complete set list, links to downloads and more reviews of the show -- some of the aspects noted above, and some I didn’t catch on to -- are here.)

5.01.2006

Dream ball

These are the kind of nights I live for ...working out and exercising with the clicker nearby and flipping channels to catch the baseball action ...

...On ESPN, I caught most of the wild one between thre Red Sox and Yankees, Johnny Damon getting booed, David Ortiz wacking a homerun, and Doug Mirabelli talking about his wild night, being traded from the Padres and changing into his uniform in the back seat of a police car as it sped at 100 mph, delivering him to Fenway in time for the first pitch ...

... then I turn it over to FoxSportsNet to see the Brewers squeak one from the Astros ...

... and Matt Murton (call him Mr. Clutch) did it again for the Cubs. Cubs win 2-1 ... woo hoo!