Sunday reading

Some of the good reads I caught during the last seven days ...

Baseball ...
a Cubs use Zambrano, offensive explosion to down Padres
a In covering Cubs, bias suspicion looms
a Cubs can't stop all sales of offensive Kosuke Fukudome T-shirt
a The forgotten confines
a The Great Holdout
a White Sox are hot, city is not bothered

Politics ...
a Eight reasons why Obama should not choose Clinton as his running mate in `08
a Obama apologizes to 'sweetie'

TV ...
a Every night live ... I love Jimmy Fallon, but I'm a bit skeptical of his chances on a late night talk show.
a A tale of two Jimmys
a 'The Office': Worst episode ever? ... I think this review is a little harsh, but it backs up my thoughts that 'The Office' is better viewed as a collection of workplace scenes or sketches than as a 30-minute episode.

Music ...
a Coachella DJs get the party moving with MP3s

Travel ...
a 75 cool reasons to visit MSI
a This Year, The Heat's Really On

The Bush wedding ...
a Goin' to the ranch, gonna get married
a Henry Hager, Jenna Bush wedding pictures

Sunday reading

The good reads that caught my eyes over the last couple weeks ...

Baseball ...
a Cubs' selection Sunday fast approaching
a Piniella settles on batting order
a Wrigley Field sale to state looking like latest Cubs loser
a Lasorda and the Dodgers say goodbye to Vero Beach
a Emotional day at Dodgertown for Lasorda
a Do-it-all Bill Hall returns to infield for Brewers' new defensive look
a Brewers slugger Prince Fielder now eating a Field of Greens
a Q & A with Brewers' owner Mark Attanasio
a Brewers owner: Yost dynamic leader who gives stability to club
a Japan Trip on for Red Sox, Athletics ... an extraordinary move indeed.
a Keeping up with Jones: Aside from closer, Tigers' bullpen is a big concern ... Not good.
a Why it's so Grand to be Tigers' Granderson
a Nobody's calling for Barry Bonds, and the phone won't start ringing soon
a Suspicion lingers in wake of Report
a Nats' Food Will Tag More Home Bases

Other sports ...
a Knight's ESPN gig could provide a bleeping good time ... From what I've seen, it has been.
a Rodgers ready to play for Packers

TV ...
a TV series alter time

Music ...
a Apple Said to Weigh Unlimited Music Deal
a Nine Inch Nails scares up sales with 'Ghosts'
a Judge Portrays McCartney's Ex As 'Out of Control'
a Judge says Heather Mills 'her own worst enemy'

Politics ...
a '3 a.m. call' Clinton-ad actress gets rude awakening
a What we don't know about Obama hurts him

Media & the Internet ...
a Wikipedia starts to look a bit less wiki
a In a newspaper war, we must mind our p's and q's ... an update from the Trib's big contest win.

Travel ...
a Mount St. Helens' booming history
a Restoring the Mall From 'Disgrace' to Showcase

Life & other stuff ...
a Hey, It's Your Funeral
a Dump the penny
a Starbucks tips ruling is made to order for baristas
a Neighbor 'ghosts' haunt drama on deadly summer ... I remember that summer -- and the heat -- well. It was the first time I'd ever been to Chicago, and every night on the news there were reports of more deaths ...

Sunday reading

So the storm that was coming yesterday? ... Yeah, it came all right -- in the form of a wet, icy mess. Shoveling the driveway and sidewalks last night was like trying to shovel Lake Michigan ...

Kates and I just finished watching "Elf" on TV ... We saw it in the theater a few years ago, and I hadn't seen it since -- mostly because I haven't had a high regard for it. I think perhaps it was one of those movies where it was so hyped that we went in with huge expectations, and left the theater feeling let down. So last week when my cohorts were putting together a short list of the greatest holiday movies ever made, I bemoaned "Elf" going on the list ... Seeing it again today, I realized how charming of a little holiday film (and cast) it really is. Forgive me.

Here's some of the reads that piqued my interests last week ...

Drew Peterson ...
a Relative's help alleged in Peterson case ... Like I've said: The twists get better each day ...
a Peterson's camcorder footage shown on 'Good Morning America'

Music ...
a 'Idol' Jordin Sparks makes CD debut ... I do like her first single.

TV ...
a Late-night laugh-in

Baseball ...
a Dodgers' activity absent after Torre ... Yep. It's pitiful.
a Raines deserves Hall of Fame induction ... Until I read this story, I wouldn't have taken a second look at ol' Rock. Indeed he's a worthy candidate ...
a What the voters got right ... and wrong ... more on baseball's objectionable postseason awards. This one is quite a bit closer to my opinions compared to a column I cited last weekend on the same subject. Jimmy Rollin should have finished at least third in the NL MVP voting ...
a Hometown Views of Bonds Are Unchanged
a Next year's Rockies: Six teams poised to go from sub-.500 to postseason ... I do believe the Reds are going to be in it next year; they've been on the cusp for a couple years now. But the Royals and the Rangers!? I'll believe it when I see it ...

The Internet and media ...
a How Do You Tell a Web Name From A Typo?
a Storming the News Gatekeepers: On the Internet, Citizen Journalists Raise Their Voices

Politics ...
a Calculation and Conviction
a Her Heart's in the Race: Michelle Obama on the Campaign Trail and Her Life's Path
a Obama's Amnesia Problem
a Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton Bring Star Power to Iowa

Life and other stuff ...
a Capturing final, precious moments
a The Truth About Lying: Our Lives Are Filled With Untruths. But Why Do We Lie, And How Can We Tell When Others Are Full of It?
a What's wrong with this picture?
a Lincoln had cancer, doctor theorizes
a Is Lincoln Earliest Recorded Case of Rare Disease?
a Step Inside, and Back in Time, and Dial Away: The Area's Last Public Phone Booth Is Shabby but Holding On

More on Thursday night's football game ...

a In heart of Packers country, Romo's hometown faces tough choice

Sunday reading

We've just watched the Packers dominate the Vikings and settled in for a cozy, November Sunday afternoon ...

Here are some of the stories and headlines that caught my eyes this week ...

TV ...
a In Sweeps, Will Green = Green?
a Are the corporate suits ruining TV?
a Alexander revisits 'Seinfeld' finale
a 'Survivor's' name truly says it all ... I've stopped watching this season's Survivor; the case wasn't appealing to me at all. And I wouldn't call myself a big Survivor fan, but the three or four seasons I have watched have been tremendously entertaining ...
a Viewers Have Growing Selection in Online Video
a Who needs writers? How television could break new ground during the strike
a Hey, did you hear the one about Jay Leno and his eco-friendly Burbank garage?

Politics ...
a America values marriage, but not a dual presidency
a At WTC site, souvenirs are big business
a Editorial: Ryan's gone. Who's next?
a Delusion lingers longer than freedom
a How to win elections, FDR style

The Internet & Media ...
a Fighting for members, MySpace tries to outcool Facebook ... I do both. And I've got to say Facebook is growing on me for exactly the reasons this article points out. I still looooooooove MySpace for its ease of finding new music and monitoring my favorite bands, as well as the ability to really personalize my page and stay in touch with old friends. But, I'll admit I'm finding Facebook to be a good means of staying in touch with people, too, not to mention all the fun applications that you can download on to your page. You have to admire Mark Zuckerberg for doing it his way ...
a Balancing Bottom Lines and Headlines
a Taking on the Talkers
a Nokia and Reuters develop an N95-based "Mobile Journalism Toolkit ... I want one.

Sports
a Baseball GMs Recommend Instant Replay
a Baseball's Jose Guillen, Matt Williams bought steroids from clinic ... my heart aches every time another player is named in the steroids probe, especially when it's one I really admired. In this case, it's Matt Williams.
a First active player volunteers to meet with Mitchell
a Dodgers introduce Torre in center field ... I watched the Torre press conference online. So cool! Though, seeing him being greeted so warmly by Dodger legends like Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully was kind fo surreal ...
a Dodgers get a star, but will they get A-Rod?
a Cubs' sale crawling into '08
a The nation might be at a loss for words to explain Kansas ... I'm with the nation.
a For lots of reasons, Mets and A-Rod make sense

Life & other stuff ...
a You Can Hear Google Now
a To Mark 150 Years, History Will Go on Tour
a Atari 2600, Raggedy Andy, Kite Enshrined
a Lonely Planet: Satellite Pictures Drive Home The Fragility of Our Earth
a Soldier survives bizarre injury thanks to heroics and a bit of tech
a Katie Holmes runs and finishes NYC marathon
a 'Small World' rehab will keep the big kids afloat
a Amid ashes, neighbors rally and new life stirs
a Dream House or Nightmare?

Study Finds Working At Work Improves Productivity

WASHINGTON, DC—The groundbreaking research found that by simply sitting down and doing work, employees can dramatically increase their output of goods and services.

Fall Canceled After 3 Billion Seasons

WASHINGTON, DC—Autumn, which had been slotted between summer and winter, will be replaced by stifling humidity, constant sunshine, and little precipitation.

Peyton Manning Shows His Backup Proper Way To Hold Clipboard

TERRE HAUTE, IN—Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning interrupted an intrasquad scrimmage Tuesday for approximately 45 minutes in order to show backup quarterback Jim Sorgi how to properly hold his...

Baseball tonight

... So the Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals all lost today ...

The Cubs got creamed, actually, 11-3 by the Dodgers. And us Cubs fans said yesterday's dramatic win was a pivotal one ... But hey, if there's a silver lining for me, it was the Dodgers, and I need some wins from them right now too for a chance at my ultimate postseason ...

But c'mon, the Brewers should have won their game today. Tonight, they should be just a half game behind the Cubs. And I hate to say it, but I gotta blame this one on Ned Yost ...

The Brew Crew went into the eighth inning with a 7-4 lead. They were in the driver's seat ... Buuuuuut Derrick Turnbow got into trouble and loaded the bases. Ok, no need to panic yet, right?

Yost yanks Turnbow for Brian Shouse, who quickly gets Craig Biggio to fly out for the second out of the inning. The runner on third base did tag and score, but the Brewers still led by two. We're still good ... Right?

Not for long. Yost yanked Shouse after one batter for freshly-called-up rookie Greg Aquino.

Now, I understand the whole idea of wanting to get the right matchup, but the FSN crew had just finished showing a clip of the last time Aquino pitched in the majors -- in April when he gave up a game-winning grand slam to Craig Biggio! ... Why, why, why!? would you put in an unexperienced rookie on the mound with two runners on and your team fighting for their postseason lives. Shouse would've been just fine ...

Ay yay yay.

Sunday reading

Some of the headlines and stories that caught my eye this past week ...

TV ...
a 'Star Wars' on TV: These are the clones you're looking for
a Saluting TV's best: Small characters made a big impression this television season.
a Season wraps up -- now it's grading time

Music ...
a The post-50 Police rock: For the reunited trio, 2007 is the new '80s as it enthralls fans on the first tour stop.
a Paul McCartney is a man on the run
a It Was 40 Years Ago Today

Other entertainment ...
a Which way now, Lindsay Lohan?
a For the Shues, 'Gracie' Is One From the Family Heart
a Feeling at home in Carnegie Hall: A band teacher and his students first taught kids at a Santa Ana homeless shelter to play, then invited them along on a little gig in New York.
a The Risque Rites of 'Spring': Creators of Hit Musical Embraced a Touchy Subject: Teen Sexuality

Baseball ...
a They showed him the money
a All-you-can-eat seats a hit with Dodgers ... I want to go to a Dodgers game just so I can be a part of this thing ...

Life & other stuff ...
a Venice officials crack down on eating, trashy habits of hordes of tourists ... darn. And Kates and I were just talking about our desire to visit Venice ...
a Teen Tests Internet's Lewd Track Record ... Fascinating story; it's terrible what's happened to this girl ...
a Is It Summer Already? Time to Let the Dogs Out.
a Police: Man Stole 1,500 Pairs Of Shoes To Sniff ... ugh.

Good baseball

At times this spring I've felt ashamed of myself for being so busy that I can't follow the baseball as closely as I'd like ...

In fact, I had no idea Alex Rodriguez was so hot until seeing some of his stats on the scoreboard at Miller Park a couple week's ago ...

But I still get at least a glimpse at my daily newspaper. All I need to know is that the teams I've attached myself closest to -- the Dodgers, Tigers, Angels and Red Sox -- are playing well. Heck, the Brewers are in first place and nine games over .500!! And the Cubs appear (as I pause for good measure) to be putting together a run ...

But the best part: The Yankees are losing.

I'm not holding my breath yet, though. They seem to start this way every year ... Check back in October.

This from yesterday's SI newsletter ...

Something is rotten in the Bronx. Despite a big month from third baseman Alex Rodriguez (far left, with Derek Jeter), who leads the majors with 14 home runs, the Yankees finished April at 9-14 and at the bottom of the AL East standings. Can New York turn things around in time to make the postseason? Despite last night's 10-1 win over the Rangers, in which rookie righthander Phil Hughes threw 6 1/3 hitless innings before leaving with a hamstring injury (one that will sideline him for 4-6 weeks), SI's Tom Verducci foresees an uphill climb. "The cold fact is the Yankees face overwhelming odds to get into the postseason," says Verducci. "They were not just a little off their game in April, or a game or two below .500. They were .391 baseball awful. How many teams recover from that kind of terrible start to get into the postseason? Would you believe 4.8 percent? From 1996 to 2006, 62 teams played worse than .400 baseball in April. Only three of those teams made the playoffs. If there is good news for New York it is that it was done twice just last year, bringing the odds up all the way from 1.3 percent."

Streaming from my consciousness ...

... Kates and I didn't make to our Ash Wednesday church service tonight ...

The reason: I landed an interview at 3 this afternoon with a family grieving the death of their mother, who had earned quite the reputation in this region for running a quirky goat farm on a cramped 1 1/8-acre lot alongside the interstate ...

All the time I'm interviewing the family and listening to the stories of their childhood growing up on this farm, I'm watching the clock, knowing my deadline is looming. But how do you explain that to a family of greiving kids who want to share all their stories about their mother ...

So the interview goes on.

By the time I got back to the office, wrote up my notes, tracked down and then scrolled through some microfilm to find a story we wrote about the woman 17 years ago, and finally wrote the story, it was almost 8 p.m.

* * *

Kates had sandwich fixings and seafood salad waiting for me when I arrived home ...

And then I turned on the TV to find the 1975 All-Star game playing on FoxSportsNet. Nice!

To my chagrin, the network has been showing classic Brewers games the last few weeks, and I've managed to catch parts of some of them. I watched all of this one tonight, though ...

... Pete Rose was such a great player -- and every time I see games or clips of his playing days, it makes me sadder about his ban from baseball. Though I don't at all condone what he did to receive that infamous ban ...

... Johnny Bench was darn good too ...

... I never realized Jim Kaat had such a crazy delivery ...

... and I just watched Carl Yastrzemski hit a homerun off the first pitch he saw from Tom Seaver to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning.

... I keep trying to find my father out in the crowd. He was at the old County Stadium that night in July (lucky man ... ), but I'm not having much luck picking him out from the other 51,000 people jammed in the stadium ...

* * *

I haven't watched any of this week's American Idol episodes yet. So don't tell me what happened ...

* * *

I finally started feeling as though I was healthy again yesterday ...

It's probably helped that our weather has been gorgeous here this week ...

The snow will be gone by the weekend ...

As frigid as it was a couple weeks ago, it seemed like spring was never going to arrive ...

* * *

Watched the Badger game last night ...

Can't say I was surprised by the outcome ...

I mean, I'm thrilled! watching the Big Red this season, but as soon as I saw the headlines proclaiming they were ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, I figured they'd be heading for a loss. It always happens that way. Being ranked No. 1 in the AP college basketball poll is worse than being on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

PS. I received my copy of SI today. The Cubs' Lou Piniella and Alfonso Soriano are on the cover. And the subhead reads "Enjoy it while you can, Cubs fan." ... Perfect.

Here's two more good reads from this week's SI ...
a End of Dodgertown may be near, but no signs of gloom in clubhouse
a Cards' Wainwright has look of future ace

Cubs ... lose

Sheesh ...

Lots of big games today. Pennant races going down to the wire. Managers already getting canned ...

So I started my 'final Saturday of the regular season' with the Cardinals-Brewers game on Fox. Not exactly a thriller. The Cardinals took it fairly easily and look to be in the playoffs ... Meanwhile the Phillies won. But so did the Dodgers and the Padres. The Phils are out; the Dodgers and Padres are in. ... I would've rather preferred the Dodgers and the Phillies, but just having the Dodgers in makes me happy ...

Then at about 3:15, I switch over to WGN for what might have been a meaningless game -- the Cubs-Rockies -- to some. Then again, it is the Cubs. At Wrigley. Our manager is as good as gone (pssst, Hendry... Let's go for Girardi ...) ... and we're just trying to save face on what has been a disastrous season, even by Cubs standards ...

... yeah right. The Rockies promptly got off to an 8-0 lead.

... and then the Cubs came back!

... Up until the ninth, I had only been half watching the game. But when Matt Murton walked with two outs in the bootom of the ninth... got to third on a passed ball ... and then Jacque Jones slapped a single that tipped off the Rockies' first baseman's glove, allowing Murton to tie the score ... I was jumping and hollering so loud I nearly tore off our roof ... which wouldn't have been a good thing given that it was pouring rain outside ...

... the game went into extra innings ... went to the 10th ... the 11th ... endured a 38-minute rain delay... the Cubs had chances to win, but couldn't ... the defense (Ronnie Cedeno made a phenomenal catch, running out to left field, lying flat out and snagging the ball over his shoulder ...) and some nice pitching by Jae Kuk Ryu kept the Cubs in it ... and finally in the 14th -- with two outs, two Rockies on base, a 2-2 count and Ryu looking as though he was going to get out of the jam again -- a single up the middle scored two for the Rockies and broke the tie ... I watched as Len & Bob sang the 14th inning stretch for the Wrigley faithful ... thought maybe the Cubs could tie it up again as Cedeno got on in the bottom of the 14th, but Carlos Zambrano -- yes, Zambrano -- flied out to end it ... at about 9:15 p.m.

Talk about an exhausting game to watch ...

* * *

During the rain delay, Len & Bob had the voice of the Cubs, Pat Hughes, in the booth ... as usual, he was full of insight and comic relief about the Cubs season and Ron Santo. He also made a great plug for his new project: recording the voices and history of some of baseball's legendary announcers ... check it out here.

A happy ending for Dodger blue?

From Sports Illustrated's Morning Call ...

Everyone knows that Tinseltown is a sucker for a comeback story. Thought to be dead less than two weeks ago, the Dodgers won their 11th straight game last night, a 4-2 win over the Rockies, to move a half game behind the Padres in the NL West. (L.A. is also tied with the Reds for the wild-card lead.) It has been a quite a run: On July 26 the Dodgers sat 7 1/2 games behind San Diego after their 13th loss in 14 games. They enter play tonight riding their longest winning streak since 1993, four wins short of the team record (15 in a row, set in 1924). L.A. has outscored its opponents 76-27 during the streak. Last night's win was especially sweet considering it was Greg Maddux's home debut. The four-time Cy Young Award winner allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings but did not figure in the decision. Don't be surprised if adding Maddux and infielder Julio Lugo at the trading deadline produces what Tinseltown executives desire most (outside of cash): A happy ending.

Oh, how sweet that would be ... considering the Cubs sure aren't going to have one.

For more go here

Sunday reading ... and relaxing

... Nothing like a lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon -- and some good baseball -- to ease your mind ... With our lawn mower still in the fix-it shop, combined with some rather unhospitable weather, my usual weekend yard puttering has been shut down -- forcing me to relax like I haven't in a long, long time ...

First, the baseball. So I discovered earlier this week, by accident, how to use the picture-in-picture feature on our TV. Whoah nelly, am I having fun now!! ... Now, on all those nights where I have three, four baseball games to choose from on the tube, I've got a way to watch at least two of them at the same time ... With the Brewers-Cards, Cubs-Pirates and Mets-Phillies all on yesterday, I took advantage of it and didn't move an inch from the couch for like four hours. ... And now we're doing it again! The rain falling outside has canceled our plans to partake in some of the community activities today, so here Kates and I sit, reading our books, newspapers and magazines, sprawled out in front of our big picture windows ... and on the TV, of course, the Cubs-Pirates and the Reds-Pirates ...

To prove that we aren't just merely a couple of bums who sit around watching baseball, we did get out last night to Prairie Family Days. Had mongo plates of Mexican Food. Took one of the free pontoon boat rides. Walked around the lake. And joked about all the teenie boppers beginning to congregate as the sun set ... I was most excited, however, to hear Wingspan -- a highly-touted Wings tribute band from Chicago -- but when they took too long to get through their sound checks and started 45 minutes late, eventually opening with a terribly loud, blown-out song to which no one could've possibly understood the vocals, Kates and I got up and walked away ...

We got home in time to catch the Saturday Night Live re-run featuring Natalie Portman -- in my opinion, the best and funniest of the season ... which is probably why NBC re-ran it ...

... And now, I'm presenting to you another edition of some of my favorite reads from this past week ...

Film ...
a Oliver Stone's 9/11 is a Tale of Courage ... I'll admit I was a little skeptical at first, but the more I read and see of this one, the more intrigued I am. I talked on here before about my fascination with 9/11. What's more, this film has it's own tragic story and it has an appeal to all ages...
a It Pays to Be a Print Journalist -- in Films

Techy stuff ...
a Why Wiki Can Drive You Wacky ... I've said it before and I'll say it again: Wikipedia is one the best, coolest sites on the Web. It's just too bad pranksters, politicans and vandals are so amused by wrecking it ... although Stephen Colbert's little prank was funny, I'll admit -- but it also goes to show how relentless and careful the Wiki-people are about their site ...
a Downloading firm settles global suits ... And another one bites the dust. I never thought I'd say this five years ago, but thanks iTunes for making us realize legal downloading can be just as fun ...

Music ...
a Marie Claire Editor, Readers Lash Out At Ashlee Simpson ... I don't care what kind of nose she has, to me, she's always seemed fake and too concerned about her image ...
a A Backstage Pass to Intimate Moments in Rock's Odyssey ... a downright fascinating read.
a MTV won't say how old it is (but it's 25) ... I still wish they would just play music.

Sporting news ...
a ESPN Should Return to Its Roots: Broadcasting Sports ... Can I get an amen!?! E$PN (as I saw it written on another blog today ...) seems to be growing further out of touch with its fans every time I turn it on ...
a Rodriguez's sloppy defense hurts Yanks ... The Yankees are getting what they deserve.
a It's still mostly downhill for Cubs' Wood, Prior ... Nothing shocking here. And as much as it hurts this Cubs die-hard to say, I'm not surprised either. With all the hype that surrounded both of them coming up, I laughed everytime someone inferred they were future hall of famers ... I hate it when the sports people do that. Now, Wood's career is as good as over with the Cubs, and unless Prior starts winning he'll be right behind ...
a It's time to tell all, for everyone ... Seriously. As if it's not breaking my heart enough to see the steroid news coming out now about the guys I idolized all through the 90s, I see today that McGwire is refusing to cooperate with MLB's investigation. These guys just don't get it; they're only making it worse by not talking ...
a This Artist Doesn't Paint by Numbers ... Lucky number or not, Maddux waz amazing the other night. It sucked to see him leave Chicago, but, hey, I still have my soft spot for the Dodgers, too! Go Dodgers!!
a A Decade Ahead of the Rest ... and just for kicks, I'm throwing in this one which I stumbled across while perusing the Post archives. It's a good read -- about the days when the Yankees actually won respectably, and not by simply paying top dollar to top talent ...

Life in general ...
a Are You a Toxic Parent? ...lessons in parenting.
a Daughter, Can You Spare a Dime? ... a great, funny read from the Post's Joel Achenbach. If only I had been so smart ...

Trade talk

... They had to do what they had to do I guess, but geez.

... I switched on Sportscenter tonight, and there it was: Cubs trade Greg Maddux to the Dodgers. ... With all the talk swirling around over the last few days, it was inevitable. So sad... On the other hand, we got a solid infielder in Cesar Izturis ...

...But then came the bigger stinger. Todd Walker gets sent to the Padres ... darn. Say what you will about his glove and bat at times. But he's a solid guy and a solid player, and I've always looked forward to watching him play the last couple years. I'll miss him ...

... and this Jose Ceda guy they got in return better be good ...

Meanwhile ... what the heck are the Yankees gonna do with Bobby Abreu!?! Yeah, yeah, Hideki Matsui's out, Gary Sheffield's out. Blah, blah, blah. But seriously!?! How many more sluggers and all-stars does Steinbrenner think he needs over there!?

...Gosh I hope they fall flat down the stretch and Steinbrenner's head implodes ...

...But hey! By accident I discovered how to use the picture-in-picture on our TV. Now, I can watch the Cubs-D-Backs game and the Red Sox-Indians game at the same time. Nice.

Curses!

Somehow I've managed to stay up every night this week and see every waking out of the Cubs in Los Angeles -- a matchup featuring two of my favorite franchises of all-time and one that evokes fond memories of me as a child begging my parents to let me stay up -- only if the game was on a Friday night, of course -- to watch the games ... although, I was usually asleep on the floor in front of the TV by the fifth inning ...

Either way ... this week's series was as exciting as ever, especially last night with Ronny Cedeno driving in the winning runs.

... Although the exciting win did little to ease the painful sight of Derrek Lee cradling his wrist after colliding with Furcal at first. Not to mention Scott Eyre limping around the infield after he dove for the ball in the first play ... talk about Cubs carnage...

... A lot of the Cubs fan I know, myself included, were more optimistic than usual about this season. ... But all that seemed to dissipate in an instant last night ...

Let's pray it's not as bad as it looked ... in the meantime, Cubbies, let's win some -- ok, let's win a lot -- for Derrek ...

Good reads

Still haven't seen 'King Kong' ... and now I'm back to being not sure I want to. Friends and colleagues who saw it over the weekend all moaned about how long it was ... But, hey, with The Washinton Post's tips, I might be able to get through it ...

* * *
It's been an exciting and depressing baseball offseason all in one. But at least not all the talk this year is focused on steroids ...

Still I cringed when the rumors started flying after the season ended that Johnny Damon was interested in going to play for the Yankees and held my breath that he would come to his senses ...

Then it happened today. Ugh.

And from Sports Illustrated's Morning call:

The Cold War between the Yankees and Red Sox went nuclear last night. Acting boldly as the hour approached midnight, the Yankees agreed with centerfielder Johnny Damon on a four-year, $52-million contract. Damon needed only to pass his physical to consecrate the deal. The move is perhaps the fiercest yet in what many consider baseball's best rivalry. Damon had become a bearded cult figure in Boston. His grand slam against New York in the second inning of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series--his first of two homers in the
game--solidified the greatest comeback in playoff history. Now he will suit up, clean-shaven, for what many in Boston consider the evil empire. (His first game back at Fenway Park would be May 1.) Damon hit .316 in 2005 with 10 home runs and 75 RBIs. He has scored at least 100 runs in each of his eight seasons. "A good leadoff hitter is tough to find," Damon told WBZ-TV in Boston last night, "and I think that New York just found the best leadoff hitter in the game." The signing is a double blow for the Red Sox. Losing Damon is one thing. Losing him to hated New York, which needed a centerfielder and a leadoff man, may be something the Red Sox cannot overcome. (More ...)

Aw, who cares about the Red Sox and the Yankees anymore. I'm a lot more excited to watch the action unfolding in Detroit with Jim Leyland and in Los Angeles with Nomar and the rebuilt Dodgers ...

* * *
Talk about a shocker this week when John Spencer died. As if 'West Wing' wasn't suffering enough ... should be interesting to see how it all plays out ...