Christopher Mark Arrives

Christopher Mark was born 8/15/05 at 4:35pm weighing in at 8lbs 1oz and a "height" of 21 inches. Mark says everyone is adjusting well at home.

Howdy

Has anyone heard any news from the Howdys? I've received inquiries. We've assumed that his uncharacteristic silence was due to the new addition in his family. If you've heard anything leave the news in the comments.

Cards Win!

On Saturday, August 13, Roy, Rochelle, Mom and I made the pilgrimage to Wrigley Field to watch our Cardinals do battle with the small bears. After enduring a three hour rain delay, we watched a fine ballgame. Chris Carpenter pitched a complete game. Albert Pujols homered, and the Cards won 5-2.

The highlight of the game for us, however, came on a Pujols foul ball. We were sitting behind the plate, a little to the right, when Pujols fouled one back. It looked like it would land 10 or 20 rows behind us at first, but the prevailing winds at Wrigley took over.

As it came down it drifted slowly toward us, until it came down in the row behind us. I saw it the whole way and could have made a play if I had stepped on my mother. Roy almost had a play on it and claims he would have caught it if he'd brought his glove.

The ladies behind is knocked it down and it was rolling around when Roy reached down to snag it. The lady behind us smacked him across the side of his back and made a remark about stealing her ball.

The day became a little surreal when the husbands returned, and the ladies related their tale of the stolen ball. One of the men made several provocative remarks. We made a few return remarks. You didn't expect Rochelle, Mom, and me to be quiet did you?

One of the women said something about stealing the ball from her eight-year old. Roy said he was going to sell it on E-Bay. Not really. I wish he'd said that, but he said his seven-year old would enjoy the ball.

Of course, being Cub fans they had to leave early. The loquacious husband made a departing crack, "I hope you enjoy the ball."

And let me tell you, we will enjoy the ball. Willa and Parke were thrilled to see it. Roy's plan is to take it to spring training next year and get Albert to autograph it.

To be fair, on our other trip to a Cards game at Wrigley we were treated wonderfully in spite of all our Cardinal regalia. So we won't draw any lasting conclusions from this trip.

So . . . .

Does everyone remeber exactly what they were doing the last time the Royals won a baseball game? It was so long ago.

I will have a real post soon. As soon as my brother emails me a picture from our Wrigley Field outing. We have a good story to tell.

Brush with umm . . .

Everyone rush over to Paul's blog and check out his brush with ummm, fame I guess. Or maybe he found his long lost brother. Either way, you'll see some 'Big Ass Heads' over there.

Crime and Punishment?

As if baseball didn't have enough troubles...

Kenny Rogers, who physically assaulted a cameraman who (from all reports I've read) was quietly doing his job, was reinstated from his 20-game suspension. This wasn't a run-in during the heat of a game. He attacked, walked away, CAME BACK and attacked again. Then for good measure, he went after the cameraman a third time when he put the camera back on his shoulder. The arbitrator felt as if Rogers had served his time and should not have been suspended for 20 games. I always suspected that Bud Selig had no power...this confirms it.

At the same time, a frustrated DJ sounded off on the sad state of the Giants (gee, I wonder what he'd say about the Royals). He exercised his right to voice his opinion (he should have stayed away from the word 'Caribbean'...he may have gotten away with it). He was promptly called 'a messenger of Satan' by manager Felipe Alou. He chose to make fun of that on the air and was fired, along with the program director and morning show producer.

So let me see if I have this straight...a player can physically attack another person and is punished, but his penalty is reduced, a manager can call someone a 'messenger of Satan' without any recourse, but a radio DJ and others lose their jobs for making fun of being called Satan.

This sounds peculiarly like a government-run operation...or maybe it is.

Support Cindy Sheehan

Cindy Sheehan is holding vigil in Crawford, Texas. She has Vietnam Vets standing with her. Sheehan would like to speak with the President about the Downing Street Memos. Sheehan's son Casey died in Iraq on April 4, 2004.

It's a painful thing to realize your son was a pawn in someone else's game. It's painful to discover the war that took him was pre-planned, boxed up, marketed and served to Americans like the latest, greatest ground beef sandwich a red and yellow clown could dream up.

It will only get worse as the talk radio screamers and the Fox talk shows start to devour her as the latest traitor in their great 'War on Terra.'

Eventually they'll arrest her. They'll say she's a threat to national security.

Meanwhile, our great protectors will continue on, outing CIA agents for political vengeance, ignoring elected bodies that don't fall in line, and promoting torture.

I used to sleep at the foot of Old Glory
And awake in the dawn's early light
But much to my surprise
When I opened my eyes
I was a victim of the great compromise

The Great Compromise - John Prine