A few baseball thoughts...first, congrats to the Little Leaguers from Worcester! They had a great run, and did it w/ skill and class- nice job, guys! As for their major league counterparts...I should say that I'm not a huge baseball fan (probably cuz I was never a very good baseball player!)- don't get me wrong, I follow it, and I certainly enjoy seeing the Sox do well, but it doesn't hold the appeal for me that football, basketball, even hockey, hold...but this apparently impending strike by the players...I don't begrudge them trying to earn as much as they can as fast as they can. But neither do I begrudge the owners in (finally) taking a stand against some of the more exorbitant demands made upon them by their employees, the players. Yes, the owners were/are the ones dumb enuf to pay these outrageous salaries, particularly when they are paid, not to the true superstars in the game, but to relatively average ballplayers. The owners are the ones taking the biggest risk, putting up much of their money to pay the salaries, build the parks, etc...The owners have more at stake than any individual ballplayer, and as such should have the latitude of deciding how their monies, and profits, are allocated. The folks I feel bad for are, obviously, the die-hard baseball fans, but even moreso, the folks who make a living off of the game, the ticket-takers, ushers, sausage and souvenier vendors, the staffs at restaurants and bars around ballparks, etc...folks without minimum 6-figure plus contracts, whose livelihoods will be adversely affected by a players strike. (And BTW- do these players have a clue of what they're doing to their "profession"? Another strike in less than 10 years, when many franchises haven't recovered fully from the last one, and with the start of the NFL season right around the corner? Talk about alienating your fan base...at this rate, Little League may BE the only baseball fans care about!) And let's hope Tedy Bruschi's knee heals quickly! :)

"Put me in coach, I'm ready to play, today..."

One addendum on yesterday's entry...I found out my friend had suffered a bit of an injury recently as well...I can be a real heel at times, I really didn't need to add to her injury...we all make mistakes, but I always seem to time them incredibly wrong when it comes to her...and she's a good person, too :) And FINALLY some rain this am- the heat wave has broken!

"In the end, only kindness matters..."

I believe I ended my longest-running "T" friendship today. Actually, it probably ended quite sometime back but, out of my overwhelming sense of personal loyalty, I tried to keep it alive. This person was, and is, important to me, and I thank and value her for her insights, wisdom, and past kindnesses and patience with me (I can be tuff to take at times- trust me!), but for too long now, it seemed all we did was bicker back and forth, and even that wouldn't have been so bad except this person, as one of her few real "flaws", seems incapable of owning up to, admitting, or apologizing for being hurtful, out-of-line, or just plain wrong while I, even with my considerable faults, have usually been quick to admit and try to make amends for when I've been wrong, etc...I owe this person a lot, and there'll always be a special place in my heart for her, but unless she makes some effort toward repairing our friendship (and given her ways, I don't see that happening), its probably best for both of us that it eases away. It saddens me a great deal, tho', and I wish her ALL the best!

"I'm not waiting on a lady/I'm just waiting on a friend..."

Is there a better pure rock song than "Brown Sugar?" A memorable opening guitar riff, rollicking keyboard, wailing sax, lyrics sexual and un-pc as hell...everything good rock & roll is supposed to be!...the Patriots opened Gillette Stadium last night- a VERY impressive facility from what I saw on television (and they won, too! :) ...it's been a hot summer here, the last week+ has seen temps above 90, with high humidity, too ("It's not the heat, it's the humidity!"- agh!)...people sometimes think that, because Boston is in the north we don't get that hot but really, during the summer, when we get in a weather pattern the temps and humidity here can be as oppressive as all but the deepest South- it just doesn't last quite as long...but I'll take it- it SURE beats 20 degrees and snow and cold and ice!

"I bet your mama was a tent show queen/And all her boyfriends were sweet sixteen/I'm no schoolboy but I know what I like/You shoulda heard me just around midnight..."

Well, I THOUGHT I was finally going to have a bit of free time this week, but no, sigh...what is it they say, something about the best-laid plans of mice and men, or women, or sumthin' like that?! Anyway...didya ever notice that so often, it seems much easier to forgive than to forget? At least it usually is with me...what is they call it? "Irish Alzheimers"- you forget everything but the grudges, lol! Not that I'm nursing any real grudges, or hurts or anything, just an observation more than anything...my hair's growing a bit longer again, anyway, woohoo! :) Later, gators!

"Vacation, all I ever wanted/Vacation, had to get away..."