Happy New Year from Huggy Bear & T-Bone

The Pontifical Lateran University, where my brother is studying.


Sayonara, suckaz.

Merry Christmas, Part 2

Nothing gets me into Christmas quite as well as sacred space. Welcome to my spiritual home.


Gonna post pics from my parents' trip to Italy, later.

Merry Christmas

Caravaggio, "Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco," 1609

Kong

...which takes me back to lovely memories of former schoolmate Eddie Hong. I miss you, King. And your enormous pythons.

Excellent flick; the only real problem is it's 3. Hours. Long. I've already sat through the dinosaurs, the bugs, Skull Island natives who look like orcs, and the near-shipwreck when I realize that crap: We haven't even made it to New York yet.

As far as I remember, this is the best combo of live-action and digital effects that I've seen. There weren't as many obviously patched scenes, and I didn't notice "green screen stare" too often. (Star Wars is an atrocity on this front). There weren't as many signature Peter Jackson annoyances, either (unnecessarily pervasive slow-mo, actors with mouths half-open staring into space, hobbits about to make out, etc.).

I liked that the last third of the movie had extremely little dialogue. Props to the Best Blond in the Business for making TLC with a giant fake gorilla believable.

snow pants on a thursday

And I could take another hit for you
And I could take away the trips from you
And I could take away the salt from your eyes
Take away skin and salt in you
And I could give you my apologies
By handing over my neologies
And I could take away your shaky knees
And I could give you all the olive trees
And look at the trees and look at my face and look at a place far away from here

-- Wolf Parade, "I'll Believe in Anything"


Looky what Max got arrested at. Good for him. It's good to strike back at the darkness, let 'em know you're still there.

my name is Javy, and I have a problem

Hello Javier. Welcome to the White Sox. We've acquired you and some cash for a playoff hero, a bloated sack of potatoes, and a shiny new metallic object that will bring hours of enjoyment for its new owners. Mind AJ's wrestling gear as you step in. You might want to avoid the lanky, acne-riddled righthander over in that corner because I think you just took his starting job. No worries, though, he should have his job back once we get rid of some excess baggage we picked up on Arbitration Highway via the path to Eternal Playoff Glory. Sorry about the dust, we're still under construction after last October.

Now Javy, we do have a few concerns. For example, the last time you were in the American League (2004 with the Yankees), you had the worst year of your career. The last time we checked, we still don't have the pitchers batting here, so that hasn't changed. Thought we should let you know. Another thing is that you, considerate advocate of the common fan that you are, have become a veritable horn o' plenty when it comes to bleacher souvenirs, giving up 33 and 35 in the past two seasons. You may be happy to know that the cozy confines of the Cell will enable you to continue your charitable efforts with little interruption.

Not all of the news is good, however. Your current contract runs through 2007, paying you 11.5 and 12.5 mill/per, after which you'll be up for arbitration. It seems the White Sox will really want to keep you, however, since the $5 mill + El Duque ($4.25 mill) + Vizcaino ($2 mill) pays for you this year, and the money that they don't spend on Garland now can go to you, and for less total years and salary, since Garland is looking for AJ Burnett money. Also, since you're only turning 30 this coming season, you'll most likely still be productive through 2007 while the Sox still maintain a 5 deep rotation. Being productive means more of that robust 7.8 K/9, 1.27 WHIP, and 200+ IP (basically, being Freddy Garcia). So get comfortable, because you may not be leaving Chicago anytime soon. Sure is a shorter flight from here to Puerto Rico than from Arizona, right? Hope you like cold Aprils and beating the Twins and Indians.

Love, Kenny Williams.

caravaggio

Beautiful paintings. Quite prolific too. I'm a tad jealous that the Ps get to hang with Ed in Rome and check out beautiful stuff like this.

Caravaggio, "The Taking of Christ" 1598.

Schools are putting out their openings for next fall. Happy thoughts?!

"It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason itself is a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all."
-- GK Chesterton, from Orthodoxy

recuperating

...after a long weekend in Seattle (Mercer Island, specifically. Beautiful place), either from short sleep, giving a presentation to the parish youth group out there, or indulging in the legal drug of choice, Starbucks. There were 4 coffee places within a half mile of one another, and all doing booming business. These people are serious about their coffee. Roy drank hot chocolate the whole time.

I like making lists, to the point that making lists of something, anything, calms me down sufficiently when I get panicky. Anyway, I think there are a bunch of lists that people carry around with them, including:

-possible purchases you're mulling: books to read, music to hear, movies to watch, gifts, clothes, etc.
-people you can date
-people you *want* to date
-people you can *take* on a date: can differ from the above, depending on the situation. For instance, the person you'd take to a wedding could be different than the one you'd take out to dinner.
-people you'd like to harm or see harmed in some way

same great taste, much more filling (baseball post)

White Sox re-sign Konerko for 5 years, $60 million. I think most of us are aware that we don't live in a perfect world, so Konerko getting about $12 mill/per is about right, although the chances are good that he's not worth that in the last two years of the contract. The brighter side of it is that Thome and Konerko will hopefully spend their remaining productive years together. One note, however; I'm getting irritated at media (local and national) sticking Thome in the 5th spot behind Konerko. Nuh uh. I want the on-base machine as high up in the order as possible. I think it'll look more like this:

1. Podsednik (L)
2. Iguchi (R)
3. Thome (L)
4. Konerko (R)
5. Dye (R)
6. Pierzynski (L)
7. Crede (R)
8. Anderson (R)
9. Uribe (R)

Other baseball-related rumination:

- For once and flipping all, I don't want Frenchy on the South side. I do want another bullpen arm and some bench depth, considering the championship run didn't heal Crede's two herniated discs, and last year's roster didn't particularly weather Podsednik's absence very well. (Bringing back Tony Graffanino or Kenny Lofton would be delicious irony).

-I'm sad that Brian Giles re-signed with Saaan Dieaaaaahgo. In the cavern the Padres play in, Giles will have no shot at all at making the Hall of Fame.

-The new hotness, other than Frenchy, is batting Brian Anderson or Uribe second to drop Iguchi down in the order. Let me wipe the blood from my eyes first. Batting hacktastic maniacs second ahead of the big bats will pretty much negate whatever Thome adds to the mix offensively. I don't think anyone wants to revert to the Cubs' "solo shot by DLee" approach to scoring.

-The best rumor so far of the offseason is that Manny Ramirez might not go to the Angels (which is scary enough), nor the Mets (the most money) but actually to the Phillies (for Lord knows what). I'm sad at the thought of Big Papi breaking Bonds' walk record when Manny leaves.

according to jim

All I want for Thanksgiving is... Jim Thome?

I haven't decided whether I like this acquistion or not, because the Konerko situation has yet to be consummated, so who knows. A highly unscientific straw poll of my Sox friends has resulted in two definite "no's" (from Jill and LeiGh, who have a strong affection for Aaron Rowand), one yes, and a maybe.

5 Good Things about this trade

1. We don't have to watch Jurassic Carl waste four at bats a game, especially when he hit a brutal .206 in September. Thome immediately upgrades the worst #3 production in the majors with his solid OBP (career .408) and his lefthanded bat balances out a mostly righthanded lineup. Granted, Thome will swing and miss a lot, but the dude can also hit 35-40 bombs in the Cell.
2. Konerko - Most people seem to think that acquiring Thome means Konerko is gone. I happen to think otherwise; Thome is not going to take away any of Konerko's playing time, since Ozzie wouldn't put a brutal fielder like Thome out into the field. If I'm Paul Konerko, I'm going to have a lot more runners to drive in, and more protection behind me since Dye and/or Iguchi will drop down in the order. Heck, even if Konerko doesn't sign, the Sox have made progress toward replacing his production. Tasty.
3. Organizational depth is strongest in the outfield, namely flowing blond rookie Brian Anderson (who has a strong defensive reputation) and AA hotshot Chris Young (both listed as top 10 prospects here). It is also possible to move Podsednik to center, where he played for two years with the Brewers. Selling Rowand high, knowing that adequate contingencies that match his strengths were in place, is a good fricking idea. This also eliminates the possibility of insanity like "Jermaine Dye playing first base" from happening.
4. Philadelphia will pay $22mill of the $46 mill Thome is owed over the remaining 3 years. Also, Thome has a "solid citizen" reputation, so he won't disturb the highly prized Clubhouse Chemistry (TM). No one can tell me he's more of clubhouse risk than when AJ signed last year. He's returning to his hometown, he's got doubters after his surgery, he's coming off a crappy year, he doesn't have a ring, and he doesn't have to be the Messiah because he's on a championship level team. He's not going to get any more motivated but still relaxed than he is in this situation.
5. Daniel Haigwood and (reportedly) Gio Gonzalez are excellent prospects, but Haigwood was in AA last year, Gonzalez in high A. Excellent lefty prospects, but not close to being guaranteed, can't miss, ironclad locks. The path to the White Sox rotation is decorated with the remains of Corwin Malone, Lorenzo Barcelo, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, and Scott Ruffcorn. The path out isn't much prettier (Mike Sirotka, Jim Parque, James Baldwin). I'm saying, it's really hit or miss with pitching prospects; this isn't nearly as awful as missing on signing Clemens in '97 or even trading Kip Wells (ugh... I just had a Todd Ritchie relapse).

5 Bad Things about this trade

1. I think LeiGh put it best: "Don't we already have an injured guy that can hit home runs?" Thomas has been more brittle, and chronic foot injuries to a 280 lb guy isn't good news, but Thome has had a history of back issues, and was out last year with right elbow surgery. He's also 35, and I imagine the track record for 35 yr olds coming off surgery to have excellent years isn't stellar. A check swing on a cold April day and he might be back on the DL.
2. Everyone knew that Philadelphia was looking to get rid of Thome since rookie Ryan Howard showed he can handle first base. In a buyer's market, giving up Rowand, Haigwood, and Gonzalez is a lot of swag, especially so early in the buying season. Maybe if this is the end of spring training, but not when December hadn't even rolled around.
3. Rowand played wall-defying, pain-ignoring defense, and if Anderson/Podsednik fall short of it, there is going to be a very noticeable upwards tick in the staff ERA. I think Pods would wear down faster playing in center, and Anderson is an unknown quantity at the big league level. The acquisition of Thome notwithstanding, the Sox won because of run prevention, and even a small dropoff in the overall defense could tip the balance on the razor-thin margins the Sox skated by (35-19 in one run games).
4. Less risky propositions, like the equally old but healthy Carlos Delgado, and the younger, cheaper Lyle Overbay were still on the market when this deal was being talked about. Big spending teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox were also looking for good defensive centerfielders and had pretty shiny pieces for trade (I'm looking at you, Manny Ramirez).
5. Konerko, after the free agent golden treatment, may decide over the creme brulee that the Sox are trying to send him a message, and sign with the Angels/Red Sox/Dodgers. Konerko not re-signing, the perceived void in center, and World Series hubris may also lead KW to something truly horrific, like trading for Juan Pierre.

I'm personally having a great time dreaming of Thome crushing 38 home runs and the Great American Hero in center doing the memory of Rowand proud. I don't think the Sox will win 99 games again, but that has more to do with not being as lucky (the 35-19 in one run game stat evening out, and avoiding the injury bug) more than anything else. The roster still has all of the ingredients necessary for a long postseason run. The Sox had only one clear upgrade, in the DH slot. It could be a lot worse; we could be paying $23 million for middle relievers.

the city of champions

as a classmate called her hometown, Pittsburgh, in a poem she shared. Speaking of poems, I wrote one to express the depth of my emotion during one of my sessions at the English teacher convention:

Eyes too wide, smiles too set
Speech a little too slow and careful,
Your effervescence is too resilient to be believed.
Snap off your hope in the concrete of reality
Before I walk out.

But really, it was the only bad part of the weekend. I learned a heck of a lot, got a bunch of books for cheap, was reassured of my calling as a teacher, drank in a microbrew in an old church, kicked myself for not writing more, almost got shot near a bar but didn't even know it, earned a permanent red handprint on my forehead from slapping it so often at stuff that made so much sense (my favorite was "the telling board"), coolly eyed the booth babes on the exhibition floor, almost puked on the plane ride home. Happy Thanksgiving!

click click

Was flipping through a magazine recently, and my latent desire to take up photography was piqued by an article about print collecting. Here are a few of the more interesting pieces:

"Sunday afternoon on the banks of the Marne," 1938, by Henri Cartier-Besson.

"Mirror view of Yosemite Falls," 1600 feet, 1871, Carleton E. Watkins.

"Mario," 1978, Philip-Lorca diCorcia.

And my personal favorite:

"Two buffoons," 2005, Jill Meier.

peeling away

it's a little strange to think that you could live or be around someone for an extremely long period (decades even) and you still find out things about them that you'd never even suspected. Which is what happened when I took my dad out for dinner on Sunday. He was telling me about his business trips that he took all over the place before I was born, meeting the Shah of Iran and his wife in the 70s, touring Paris, visiting the Philippines. I didn't know he had this adventurous spirit within him to go out and see the world; his current configuration is that of a quiet, reserved, and hardworking father of two. He talked about growing up raised by my great-grandfather who wanted to make him into an educator, but my dad wanting to see the world and also improve the lot of his family. Korea in the 50s wasn't very luxurious. It made me wish very much that I talked to him more frequently, but at the same time, feeling really close to him in that moment.

This sort of tangentially relates to something I caught on the radio about a young woman who was retracing the past of her mother, who had escaped from Nazi Germany with the help of a Polish woman who'd carried her out. As she untangles the string of oral history to track down the family of the Polish who rescued her mother, and in essence rescued the entire family, she finds that there are deeper connections of guilt and shame and remorse than she'd anticipated from the glowing, heroic account she'd been given. I think what got me the most was the years the narrator spent trying to disentangle the conflicting stories she got about what happened, and how strong our own drive is to find out where/who/what we came from. Judging from how frequently my conversation with my dad rings in my ears, it's still something I want to know more about, especially that I now know that there is much more there than I'd assumed.

backing away from the ledge

Took my camera on my trip at the end of week to Michigan, but then I realized a funeral may not be the best place to have a camera.

At the funeral, I was trying to read expressions of the children who were present. Honestly, I think they handled things a lot better than the adults, and not because they were too young to understand what happened to Grandma. Their attitude was more, well, should we stop playing? Should we stop doing the things that we normally do? And they didn't, which was great. They drew pictures with love notes to Grandma, and prayed by the casket, and it was fine. I wouldn't want my kids to be afraid of death, either.

I was reminded, though, that there are so many ways to deal with it. There was a possibility that the wake could have been done in typical Irish fashion, with lots of wailing, beer, and the casket right next to the table where everyone is sitting and eating. Heck it's weird to me, but that's how the Irish do it. They want it all out in the open, and sort of pretending that the person is still alive.

I'm more afraid of not dying "well." The romance of a heroic death is appealing, but that could potentially involve a lot of pain, and who knows how one would deal with that, right in the moment?

It was weird to hear that some of my friends' parents have shared with their children on funeral arrangement. It's jarring to think that's more of a possibility. Yet another sign that I'm getting old.

Off to Madison on Saturday.

keeping it real

I was talking to Jill, and we both agree that it's weird not to have baseball to watch. But I guess I'll take that as long as we won the World Series. That's not going to get old anytime soon. By the way, totally fell asleep Monday night analyzing the Sox roster, which means none of you are as big of a nerd as I am.

Saw one hellacious set by Broken Social Scene on Friday. Crazy loud (who plays trumpets into microphones?). I tend to think of their songs as turning into chaotic sonic goo the further they go, but Durty thinks it goes the other way, from organic soup into a cohesive bang. You're deaf either way, but it's still great to listen to. I always think of BSS as perfect driving music for a sunny autumn afternoon. It has that dreamy, hammocky feel to it.

Ditched my civic duties of candy-distribution to minors by holing up in a bookstore and reading through Gabriel Garcia Marquez's latest, Memories of My Melancholy Whores. And the first line is:

"The year I turned ninety, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin."

Priceless. Fortunately, he doesn't do, and finds himself re-living, and re-loving life, at the age of 90. It's good stuff, and got me to check out Of Love and Other Demons from the library.

Coda

What do we root for? Why do we feel good when the team we love wins? It's not that the players are from Chicago. I don't personally know the players or the front office guys. I don't do anything that directly influences the team, although I guess the money I pay for tickets and merchandise does something. What connection do I have?

I love baseball because my father loves baseball, taught me the game, taught me what to watch. Aside from my family, the Sox have been the one constant since I've moved here. My following of the White Sox has been longer than any friendship I've had.

The funny thing is that I could have moved away from here for college, but I chose to stay near Chicago, because I was tired of moving around so much, and wanted some continuity. As silly as it may be, rooting for my baseball team is part of that. I email and phone my brother, now in Rome, and we've talked about the Sox constantly during this playoff run. I made sure we caught games when he came back to visit. Whatever "home" might be, in all of its connotations of warmth and comfort and ease, the White Sox is part of that for me and for my brother.
Although we strive to be the best in the small ways we can, it's so very rare and difficult to ever be the best. So we share the vicarious joy of our baseball team actually proving themselves to be so, because it shows, in a small way, that it can actually happen, that not everything is destined for endless cycles of failure or ruin.


It's also vindication for not being stupid, in a way. It's the reply to every time I've heard "why are you a *White Sox* fan?" ever since I started following this team when I moved back here as a sophomore in high school. It's for all the endless "who's better: Cubs or Sox?" arguments with friends, which always consisted of more Cubs fans than Sox fans in the north suburbs. It's a little payback for the agony of watching the Twins and the Indians always be just a little bit better (sometimes a whole crapload better) than the Sox every year.


I feel so good for Frank Thomas. He's the best player in the history of a franchise that is over a hundred years old, and has done everything there is to do: MVPs, All-Star Games, been in the playoffs, been the hero, will probably go into the Hall of Fame. But he never had the ring, never could get his proper due because he'd never won a championship. People blamed him because his personal greatness never lifted his teams high enough. And he didn't even play this year, except for 105 ridiculous at-bats (he homered 12 times), couldn't get into the action. But he was here, he stayed because he wanted to win one in Chicago, although he could have opted out of his contract and played somewhere else (although I won't get into the fact that no other team would pay him as much either). And now... vindication, for a guy that never should have needed it in the first place, because he was that damn good.

When standing at the edge, you don't say anything

Like the monkey that hits random letters on the keyboard and ends up typing the Gettysburg Address, Ozzie has concocted an alchemy that has turned Houston strength into weakness, and Sox weakness into strength. To wit:

No bench pop - Ozzie double switches Blum, who hit .143 in September, for the Gooch in the 14th inning, setting off creative and unique profanity from me and fellow Blum-hater ToddH. How do you put Blum in for the steadiest player outside of Konerko? And if you're going to double-switch, why insert Blum instead of Ozuna, who's a better glove and a offensive threat with his speed? Whatever, Blum delivers a 2-0 fastball into right field and a stomach punch to the Astros fans.

The return of Everyday Damaso Marte - Ozzie had even gotten to the point where he doesn't use Marte at home because the fans boo when he starts to warm up. For the second night in a row the bullpen gave up the lead, with Ozzie burning through every arm until only Marte was left. And the undeiably worst reliever on the staff slams the door for one and two-thirds by re-finding mid-90s cheese and a humpback slider.

Clemens and Oswalt will both finish in the top 5 in Cy Young Voting, and Lidge is the best closer in the National League, but all three got knocked about by the vaunted(?) Sox offense, which displayed a patience and a knack for fouling off pitches that extended pitch counts and crumbled away at morale.

Freddy to close it out?!

the power of podsednik, los dos

No matter the outcome of this World Series, this Sox team has burned itself into the cultural memory of White Sox fans forever. In 2075, grandparents will still remember and talk about the starting rotation and the lineup for the 2005 White Sox. Fantastic sports weekend by the way, with NU pirate-raiding Michigan State, and the Bears "beating" the Ravens.

Game-Changing Break (TM) - Dye's HBP, loads the bases, Paulie's spanks one into the misty night. The new Sox drinking game is taking a swill every time an ump blows a call and the Sox cash in. The other one involves when AJ pisses someone off (like calling time and stepping out of the box when Clemens was in his windup). Double bonus if AJ's the one that drives in the run. Speaking of which, I think Clemens is done for the series. That's three series in a row that the Sox have missed the other team's top starter (altho, I'd probably put Oswalt ahead of Clemens).

Shut UP - Bubba, don't tell the world, including Jeff Bagwell and the Astros, that you were trying to throw high heat to Bagwell at the end of Game 1 because that's what the scouting report said to do at 0-2. Game 2, Bagwell faces Jenks in the 9th, singles. The man's not a Hall of Famer because he's an idiot.

Smartball (TM) - Been noticing that if Ozzie has a runner on first with Podsednik at bat with two outs, he generally sends the runner, figuring that if the runner gets thrown out, Pods still leads off the next inning; if not, a runner moves into scoring position. Thus Uribe stealing in the 2nd inning against Pettitte, the best pickoff pitcher in the game. Smartball (TM) is also calculated risk-taking like that, and also like Podsednik, a slap hitter all year, looking to pull the fastball from Lidge when he got the count to 2-1.

The menta' game - Pujols beats Lidge on a bad slider, Pods beats him on a fastball. I didn't think he'd be fazed, but maybe he's still shaken up?

Crede - Local media were making a big deal of Joe's defense, comparing him to immortals like Brooks Robinson or Graig Nettles. He reminds me more of Scott Brosius from the championship Yankees of recent vintage, right down to the quiet demeanor, steady glove, and late-inning/bottom-of-the-lineup thunder.

Oswalt - is going to be flat-out untouchable. He's going to give up 1 run, if any. I like Garland's sinkerball stuff to keep the Astros out of the Crawford Boxes, but I don't see him shutting them out, not with how Berkman is swinging the bat.

solving the Astro puzzle

Complete game mania - I'll leave it to the media idiots to talk about whether the Sox are some sort of pioneers for throwing complete games. They're pretty unlikely to throw any complete games in this series, due to Houston's homer-friendly ballpark and the Astros' more patient approach at the plate.

Starting Pitching - The starters are pretty evenly matched. Durty thinks the Houston 3 are better than the Sox 4, which may be true, but it's not like Houston is going to be awarded 1.5 wins if Clemens or Oswalt dominate their starts. It's still one win. They also have to probably pitch Backe against Garcia or Garland, which favors the Sox. Clemens looks the most road weary and vulnerable out of the big three, and he hasn't been his normal bulletproof self in the playoffs or in his starts in September. Freddy Garcia, who tends to run up high pitch counts and gives up flyball outs, will be the most vulnerable Sox starter at Minute Maid.

Bullpen - I would expect that Ozzie would be a little more conservative and go to the 'pen at the first sign of trouble in the late innings, cuz it's the fricking WORLD SERIES. Houston's pen has been excellent, with the exception of Lidge's spectacular flat slider that Pujols deposited into the Plexiglas. Lidge is still the best reliever on either roster. The Sox counter with depth, but there's no way to tell how the long layoff will affect them. Neither lineup poses an obvious late inning pitching matchup; altho Ozzie may bring in Cotts to turn Berkman around to hit from the right, maybe Politte to face Ensberg. What can Bubba Jenks do against the Stros?

Hitting/Bench - Ozzie hasn't had to make any lineup moves, mostly because the Sox starting lineup is their best offensively AND defensively. Phil Garner has substituted defense for offense in the late innings, taking Mike Lamb out, putting Berkman on 1b, switching Chris Burke to LF and inserting Willy Taveras in CF. He's basically exchanging speed and defense (Taveras) for some more pop (Lamb), which he will probably stick with, although I think Taveras has a greater chance than Lamb of making something happen against a stingy Sox staff.

I'm guessing Garner goes with Orlando Palmeiro as DH, saving Jeff Bagwell for late inning pinch hitting. I think the Sox suffer less than most AL teams when they lose the DH, cuz Carl Everett doesn't really strike fear into anybody. In fact, taking Everett out makes the lineup better suited for Smallball (TM). Houston will definitely pitch around Konerko, which the Angels inexplicably failed to do, so it's up to Crede or Dye or Rowand or Pierzynski to pick up the slack. Houston's 1-5 is better, especially with Berkman and Ensberg, but the Sox are a little more dangerous throughout.

Luck of the Polish - What's it going to be? What kind of voodoo will AJ cook up this time? Notify the ump that Craig Biggio has too much pine tar on his helmet? Accuse Roger Clemens of using sandpaper? Cut down the pole in Tal's Hill?

I'm scared because the Sox have caught every break in crucial moments to swing the momentum back around their way. The umpiring crew from the ALCS looked especially snakebitten, missing three calls in Game 5. How good are the Sox, really, without the breaks going their way? The Astros look bulletproof to bad breaks, dealing with the Pujols drama in workmanlike fashion by calmly closing out Game 6.

I think homefield advantage will be pretty big. Cold weather up in Chi-town favors the pitchers, while the crazy dimensions in Houston favors the Astros. I think games in Chicago will be low-scoring, while games in Houston could get a little crazy. Houston is definitely the best team they've faced so far, with far less flaws than either the Red Sox or the Angels. Six or seven games sounds likely.

And now, a word from the rest of my life...

Breaking up the string of Sox posts. Hopefully, the Sox win streak will not be similarly broken. Anyway. Onward.

Took in Serenity and and A History of Violence in the past few weeks. Serenity was an engaging space adventure movie, and I particularly liked the dialogue, although some of it seemed to be mumbled over the by the actors, as if their tongues were in the way of the words. But it was entertaining without megabudget effects or name actors.

A History of Violence was a little weirder. I missed the punchline. It was too straightforward, and there were parts that confused me, not because the plot was too complicated, but because I didn't understand why the event happened. What's your reaction if a purple duck walked through your living room? Yah. Pretty much the same thing.

Checked out the New Pornographers at Metro. Extremely entertaining and a full order buffet for the ears, with 8 members and 7 instruments. I don't know any of the words but I find myself singing along anyway. Neko Case can belt it out, too.

However, the find of the night was Newest Pornographer and Immaculate Machine keyboardist Kathryn Calder, who plays keyboard and shakes a tambourine with a fetching, freespirited aplomb that had Max and I dreaming of stiffer backbones and slimmer paunches.

I can finally put my socks on in a normal amount of time. It's still no fun to have somebody tell you that you can't play sports anymore, though. There's always darts and bingo, I guess.

Bring on Houston.