Hot Microwave Report

You can say St. Louis has been pretty cold since last week's winter storm. Apparently the winter signings in Florida were just a warm up to the fat deals we'll be seeing this offseason. I've got to say that I'm unnerved by the unpredicatability of it all. I'm in limbo between wanting to enjoy our World Series Championship and wanting our team to improve. It sounds kind of funny insisting there's room for improvement on a championship team but if you paid attention to our team last year, you'd know that we were an exception to the rule.

The Cubs are finally going into panic mode. Apparently they cannot patiently endure another cursed team or rival winning their own championship. Not that I blame them. If I were the Cubs and I just witnessed three years in a row of the Red Sox breaking the curse, the White Sox breaking their own 80+ years of heartache and their Central Division/83 win Cardinal rival winning the World Series, I'd kind of lose my bonkers too. So they're dishing out the big bucks but somehow I see these players getting injured or something. Just call it a hunch.

Needless to say, I really want to go to a Cards-Cubs game next year. Besides the usual banter I'll enjoy, there's the added twist of seeing them in complete misery..well...okay, I'll be honest. The pathetic misery thing just doesn't do it for me. I like to see them think they'll win, and then lose. The whole "yeah, we're pathetic and you won the WS and we're gonna go cry in our corner and maybe buy a hotdog on the way over" look takes the fun out of the banter. But if the Cubs fans are as predictable as I think they are, they'll think next year is their year. They'll believe that this new team is unlike any other they've had before and coupled with the belief that everyone who deserves a win is getting their turn, they'll be excited. As one Milwaukee Brewer fan pointed out:

"...they have a superiority complex with nothing to back it up given that they haven’t been in a World Series since Harry Truman was in the White House".

Those are the Cub fans I want to point and laugh at next year.

On to more important things, pitching is something the Cardinals are obviously looking for. I like that they made sure to tie up Carpenter. Geez louise these sub-par pitchers are getting a freak load of cash. I would like Suppan to sign with us because he's been, at times, our best pitcher in the post-season. But as luck would have it, that is also part of the reason teams with the moolah are gonna throw it at him and probably steal him away. (Damn those money mongering fools!) And then Tony and Dunc will have to find some cast-away repair project and think they can fix him. They've done it before but I've got to say, projects frustrate me. For once, can we have a pitching staff that doesn't need to be "fixed" during the season, like they're a bunch of those kids from "Dangerous Minds". Okay, that was me unnecessarily complaining, but I've got to make you believe that things aren't always peachy keen with my opinion of Cardinal logic. But seriously, last year I had a coronary heart attack and I'm not just saying that because I watch Grey's Anatomy or ER. The 83 win season gave me a reason to jump off a bridge. If it weren't for my general ability to recognize that jumping off bridges is bad, very bad, I probably would have done so.

But, as I've said every time I feel down, "At least we won the World Series". That's been my attitude this winter as ice/snow storms attacked my city, every time the Rams and Blues lose and whenever something that usually ticks me off occurs now. Heck, I even bought an Asian inspired noodle packet from Walgreen's yesterday and found out the soy packet that is vital to the essential reason I like the taste of this meal was missing from my noodle container. Now, this would usually give me a hunkering to attack the Walgreen's I bought it from. Perhaps I might've thrown the tasteless disarray of noodles at the "pharmacy America Trusts" (they lose the soy, they lose my trust), but on this occassion I realized that winning the World Series made a bad situation go from "DAMN THEM ALL! They're gettin' a bland noodle drive by!" to "DAMNIT! okay, on to plan B". So thank you Cardinals.

"No, dear, this movie is bullsh*t"

Ugh. I'm so bored. I wanted the Cardinals to win, but I didn't want them to stop playing! I just wish they could play and win everyday for the next 3 months. Is that so bad? It could be worse. I could be a Detroit-er (whatever, just go along with that)and feel the pain of loss for the next 3 months. I'm not mocking them. Lord knows, 2004 taught me to be nice to losers. Unless you're a Cub. In that case: "Bow down to me, infidel".

So,to get my mind off of the non-playing, I've decided to go down memory lane. See, I had to write a character review for one of my classes a few weeks ago and we had the choice of writing one based on someone who's a good role model or not, backing up why we thought so. That got me to thinking. Who's the shittiest excuse for a character out there. Who are the characters that are likeable by memory but through further analysis show they actually suck. In other words, who will I be telling my children to stay away from?

1. The Little Mermaid: When my daughter watches this movie, I'll tell her that being the skinniest girl in the neighborhood doesn't matter, being 16 does not make you eligable for marriage, and losing two legs to get a man is unforgiveable. For example, I would not bless my daughter if she decided to grow a tail and marry a dog. Rules are rules. "If she really were responsible," I'd tell her, "Ariel would have known not to take mysterious medicine from a witch/Octopus." Ariel might as well have been taking crack for all she knew.
2. Molly Ringwald-Pretty in Pink: The poor character Ringwald plays is dissed by her rich boyfriend after he caves in to peer pressure and decides not to take her to the dance. Who's there to rescue her but her best friend who despises school dances but, because he loves her, takes her to it anyway. What does she do once she gets there? Within the first five minutes, she leaves her best friend for the rich jerk who already made the wrong decision. Way to go movie-makers with a message. Way to go.
3. Cinderella: This one hurts too, but think about it. If you're ugly, it's probably because you're mean and have feet made to flatten land. New members of your family will probably treat you like a slave. (By the way, what is up with Cinderella's dad marrying that bitch? Was that a wrong judge of character of what?) Talking to rats, even cute fat ones that stutter, is not cool. And why wouldn't the cat be evil, he was named after the devil. Lucifer? Hello, he was screwed from the get-go! Do not blame the cat, people. Do not blame the cat.
4. The Wizard of Oz: That good witch Glenda, the one that's supposedly pretty, is a bitch. "Only bad witches are ugly" she said. If I ever wanted to reach into a screen and punch a character, it was Glenda. She ain't even that pretty. And she overdresses. I mean, who wears a ball gown on the job? It's not like she's "Glenda the princess"...she's a witch.Be modest, hoe.

Well, that's all I can think of. I'll try to update this list later.

By the way,as a Rams fan, I want God to put the Rams out of their misery and end this season. And as a Blues fan (although watching them lose for the last 2 yrs hasn't been a priority) I kind of wish next year would be here already too. Gosh, this is what losing is like. This is what the Cubs must feel like every year. Interesting.

Cardinals Apologize For Winning World Series

Cardinals Apologize For Winning World Series

ST. LOUIS—Calling Friday night's victory on baseball's grandest stage "a terrible mistake," members of the St. Louis Cardinals issued a formal apology for making the playoffs, winning the World Series, and depriving baseball fans everywhere...

ST. LOUIS—Calling Friday night's victory on baseball's grandest stage "a terrible mistake," members of the St. Louis Cardinals issued a formal apology for making the playoffs, winning the World Series, and depriving baseball fans everywhere of a season featuring the kind of heartwarming, storybook ending to which they have grown accustomed in recent years.

"I'm still struggling to understand how this could have happened," said a sober Tony La Russa during a press conference following Game 5. "It seemed all but certain coming into this series that we were going to be a part of something truly special, that we would easily put the finishing touches on a magical season that inspired millions of fans around the country, but instead we somehow ended up winning."

"It's disappointing, to say the least," La Russa added. "We were rooting for the Detroit Tigers just like everyone else."

According to Cardinals players, they "tried absolutely everything" in their pursuit to earn the Tigers their first world championship since 1984, including eliminating the far more dangerous New York Mets in the NLCS, entering the series completely unrested after a grueling seven-game series, starting a rookie pitcher with five career wins in Game 1 in Detroit, and postponing Game 4 due to rain in the hopes that an off day would swing the momentum back in the Tigers' favor.

"I don't know what we could've done differently," second-baseman Ronnie Belliard said. "We gave the Tigers every opportunity to win ballgames, but when their pitchers keep making errors on simple ground balls, what are we supposed to do, pretend we forgot the rules and start running to third base?"

Desperate for a Tigers win in Game 2, the Cardinals chose to overlook the fact that starter Kenny Rogers was pitching with the aid of a foreign substance on his left hand. "Of course we all knew it was pine tar, but it seemed like they were finally finding their rhythm… We certainly didn't want to shake their confidence, so we decided to just let it go," La Russa said. "Frankly, if the umpires didn't bring it up, we probably would've let him pitch with it the whole game."

After the final out of the World Series was recorded, the stunned Cardinals retreated to their dugout and watched with disappointed, glazed-over expressions as the Detroit Tigers—the feel-good team of the season whom everyone expected to win it all—packed up their equipment in the dugout across the diamond.

According to Albert Pujols, some teammates took the World Series victory harder than others.

"For a lot of young guys like [Anthony] Reyes and [Yadier] Molina, this was their first chance to see an exciting, inspirational, and truly deserving team win a championship," Pujols said. "Even though the outcome of this series has definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, I can handle it, because I was there in 2004 when we were able to see Red Sox beat us in the World Series. Man, what an incredible feeling that was… Just watching those guys celebrate, I really felt like I was seeing history unfold before my eyes. It was definitely my greatest baseball moment."

"I hope we have the chance to see something like that again next year," Pujols added. Reporters and sportswriters around the nation were critical of many of La Russa's successful managerial decisions, second-guessing such effective moves as leaving staff ace Chris Carpenter in for more than five innings in Game 3, and failing to bench third-baseman Scott Rolen, who batted a team-high .421 in the series. La Russa, however, said that things would be different next year.

"I think I speak for my players, the front office, the coaching staff, and every fan in St. Louis when I say that all season long, we had just one goal: bringing a championship to the great city of Detroit," La Russa said. "And even though we failed this time around, we will be committed to achieving similar goals next season."

In the somber clubhouse following the victory, Cardinals centerfielder Jim Edmonds admitted that "the wrong team won," but said that the outcome of the 2006 World Series is "just something we're unfortunately going to have to live with."

"Nobody thought we could do this, nobody thought we could stop this powerhouse team that beat the odds to go from worst to first and rolled through the playoffs looking like they were invincible," Edmonds said. "And we thought we had taken every possible step to prove them right."

"We shocked the world," Edmonds added. "We're sorry."

I'm Going to Disney World!!!!!!!

What does one say when a dream of theirs comes true and how long does it take to efficiently thank God for what He's Provided?

These are some of the things I've had to ask myself since last Friday October 27th, the day the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, yes THE 83 win St. Louis Cardinals, beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 to win the World Series in 5 games. The Cardinals are world champions?! I've been digesting this fact for more than 5 days now and I've yet to get over it. I still find myself going back to the moment we won, the fresh memory lulling me into a stupor I've never been more happy to have. I giggle to myself in my car, smile on the streets and sigh blindly into the ceiling of my bedroom at night before I fall asleep and again as I wake up to relive Friday night over and over and over...

The hours before the game dragged along as slowly as I knew they would. At work, I read up stories about my Cardinals from every which way: Stltoday.com; ESPN.com; CNNSI.com; mlb.com; USAtoday.com...the pages flew before me from one site to another, my hunger for Cardinal coverage all consuming.

I was supposed to attend a "Eid Party" I had been invited to but had made up my mind to stay home in the 24 hours I had realized we could clinch. After all, if I was going to witness the first Cardinals WS championship victory in my lifetime, I had to savor every single moment. I couln't have any distractions beyond my control. None.

As fate would have it, at home we were all distracted by the stupidest things possible. First, there were Ibrahim's toenails. Never one to miss an opportunity, he picked the most inappropriate time to clip his toe nails. As Banan and I urged for him to stop, he tried (and failed) to convince us that the longer he clipped his toenails, the more Justin Verlander walked men on our team.( In a slip of insanity, I almost believed Ibrahim's toe nails actually yielded that kind of power) kholood and Banan had snapped at eachother over whether Kholood would eat too loudly. Finally, there were the cupcakes Kholood brought. "I want the one with sprinkles!" (Ibrahim) and "No! The cupcake with sprinkles is mine, thief!" (me) were actually exchanged. Yes, it's true, we argued over the cupcakes with sprinkles. But to be fair, at no point that night did we call eachother doo-doo face or fart and laugh.

I couldn't believe how well Weaver was pitching or that Duncan played so poorly in right field (I've made up with him since). And I absolutely, positively could not believe Justin Verlander threw that ball away from 3rd base. When that happened, the superstitious part of me started to toy with my emotions. With knots in my stomache, I started to grasp what was happening.

After the 8th inning, Fox showed a shot of Pujols and Edmonds hugging in the dugout and it really took a toll on my emotions. I broke down and started to cry tears of joy. But they weren't just tears of joy at this year's pending championship. The pain of the past was easing as I thought back to the years that I felt built up to this moment. I remembered losing a vital piece of our future, a wild Rick Ankiel, and ultimately the NLCS series to the Mets in 2000.I remembered the 2001 NLCS we lost to Arizona on a game winning hit. I went back to that summer we lost Jack Buck and Darryl Kile and in spite of the pain, our team playing inspirational ball before losing the 2002 NLCS on another game winning hit to the San Francisco Giants. I still shudder at the memory of getting swept by the Boston Redsox in 2004. As if the team we were shocked to see lose all four games wasn't enough, we were made a laughing stock by the callous national media for 2 years since. Last year, we lost the 2005 NLCS, even after that miraculous blast by Pujols in Houston. After that, I started to wonder if our time had passed and if we would ever win.

Alas, we got to hug and high five like crazed lunatics one more time. We got to scream and celebrate like it was 1982. I realized I was going to a victory parade on Sunday. The rush of happiness was overwhelming and welcomed. If you've witnessed your own team win, you know what I'm talking about. But if you've never felt that pride and glory, I highly, highly recommend it. It's hard to describe without sounding elementary. It's your birthday, losing weight, winning the lottery, being loved, sleeping in and eating your favorite food all rolled into one. It's the feeling you get when you land after a flight, laugh until you cry or slump into your warm bed with hot soup on a cold, rainy day...times a million.

For those Cardinal fans feeling down from all the negative press, pay no heed to what these "experts" have to say. Instead, relish in the fact that we have tradition second to none in baseball. Remember that we are second to no one in WS wins in the NL. And remember that we are second to no one in baseball this year. We beat the team with the best ERA, the Padres. We beat the team with the best lineup in the NL, the Mets. And we beat the team that everyone figured was destined to win (or beat us in 3), the Tigers. When no one gave us a chance and when everyone wrote us out as Dead On Arrival, we showed up and played our best baseball all year. We are the World Champions. As for my next goal, I look forward to torturing Cubs fans and wearing my WS Champions shirt to Chicago in the next year. If they attempt to mock us for winning in any which way they're bound to try, I'll simply reply with an evil laugh and say "Don't talk to me, inferior"

And in reply to my first two questions: You dream for more wins. And you can never, ever thank God enough.

Rain Rain, Go Away

So far the Cardinals lead the World Series 2 games to 1.

Highlights:

• Anthony Reyes pitched his ass off in game 1. If the Cards win the WS, we can look to game 1's victory on the road as a big reason why.
• Kenny Rogers played with a foreign substance on his hand in game 2. Doctors will look back at that moment as the earliest indication he doesn't wash his hands after using the restroom.
• Carpenter pitched his ass off in game 3. Three hits, no runs, 8 innings and 82 pitches. Sweet.
• Rain resulted in the first World Series game postponement in 10 years.
• NY media is still whining about the Cardinals backing into the playoffs. Hey, Beltran is still thawing after that freeze. Give us credit, haters. Better yet, shut up.

The Cardinals Win the Pennant!

The night the Cardinals won the pennant, my brother Ibrahim, my sister Banan and I went into some psycho fan mode that most diehard fans get in their lifetime during pennants and game sevens.

We tried to pretend that it wouldn't be such a letdown if we lost because people expected us, the underdogs, to lose. At least we had given the Mets a tough fought seven games. But of course our true feelings emerged as the game progressed.

During the latter innings I looked to my left to find a Washington University graduate with a Psychology degree covering her face with uncertain hands, reciting every chapter of the Quran she could think of. When I looked to my right, a usually calm athlete had an uncharacteristically flushed face, spontaneously yelling "Oh no! That's it! They're going to score! We lost! That's it!" more to himself than to anyone else in the room, before screaming in the utmost joy when the opposing team failed to score. (This being the neurotic Woody Allen impersonator I referred to in the previous post)

Game seven was as close to a panic attack that three people in the same room could possibly get. For that matter, it was as close to a city-wide panic attack as it could possibly get. First there was the Endy Chavez theivery that had Cardinal fans, and most viewers, thinking would prove to be the turning point in a game won by the Mets.

The next inning I seized the moment to yell, "momentum shifter! momentum shifter!" as soon as the Mets failed to score on a bases loaded jam Suppan was in, thanks in large part to a throwing error by the usually stellar defensive third baseman Scott Rolen.

Still, none of us were sure. We thought we felt sure when Yadier Molina hit the 2-run homer in the top of the 9th, breaking a 1-1 tie as fragile as a newborn.

We jumped for joy, not believing the good fortune of being 3 outs aways from advancing to the world series. If anyone from the outside were to look in, they would have seen 3 grown siblings huddled and jumping in circles like overgrown children. "I know I don't always show it, but I love you guys..." Banan's faint voice revealed in a state of raw emotion even as Ibrahim and I continued to scream.

But then the bottom of the 9th happened. The kind of inning that ages anyone watching, that gives 20-somethings gray hairs. The kind of inning that people walk away from trying to make some sense of as soon as it's done, or try to grasp even as the realization of what we just witnessed starts to settle in. As soon as the shock subsided,relief settled in. As soon as we were done squeaking and hoo-hawing in glee, we slumped back in similar fashion to all other game 7 finishes.

Adam Wainwright escaped with bases loaded and "Cardinal killer" Carlos Beltran looking at a curve ball that will live on in post season folk lore. They'll say, "remember that curve ball that froze one of the best post season hitters in recent memory?" That curve ball froze everyone in their seats at home, evoking moans from the Mets crowd and awe from the Cardinal crowd.

One day my grandchildren will ask me about one of the best games I ever saw. I'll tell them about game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. I'll tell them their uncle bit his tongue drawing blood out of excitement as he watched Molina's home run sail away, right over the head of a man who made one of the greatest post season defensive gems of all time earlier, robbing the greatest defensive 3rd baseman, known for ritually robbing hitters of hits, of a 2-run homer. I'll say we hugged and loved eachother as much as we loved the Cardinals in that moment. I'll tell them a Cardinal killer recieved a lethal injection from a kid and his uncle Charlie.

Maybe I'll show them the blood stained shirt if they don't believe me. And if they're lucky enough, I'll be able to tell them that game paved the way to our first World Series victory in 24 years and the first of many in my lifetime.

Crazy, Crazy Week

Insanity is hijacking the sports world! Or am I just realizing insanity is an indelible part of sports!? This is not good for someone fasting. I already think of food all the time, I don't need to daydream about pepto bismal too. (sidenote* watching Rams/Cardinals games during Ramadan may cause: nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea [do the dance if it makes you feel better])

Here are the games to blame for my chronic urge to consume pepto-bismal ...

1. Cardinals v. Mets: Game 7-NLCS. (*I faint at the recollection of last night, we'll get to that in a little bit.)
2. Rams v. Seahawks: Tori makes catch of the year and Seahawks win with a so-so field goal kicker, after an illegal formation call by umpires gives us a moment of glory, we realize the 10 second run-off rule does not apply. nausea.
3. Bears v. Cardinals-Monday Night Football: Are you KIDDING ME? The Arizona Cardinals lost that game? That was painful to watch, even as someone with no real vested interest in that game. Someone summon Dr. Burke, that team choked!
4. Cardinals v. Mets: Every game. Every single damn game. I was at the blow out game on Sunday which we lost. As much as it sucks losing, we cheered and made so much noise that we eventually got the stiffs in our section to do the same.

highlights:-

• singing "living on a prayer" at the top of our lungs with the sound system, inspiring two other people in front of us to do the same, including "rich, snobby lady" (that's her real name)
• dancing with Banan to swing music
• yelling "let's go sand-frogs!!" over and over to Scott Speizio towards end of the game, and "It's cool, you can ignore us... you're busy right now. There's a game going on! We understand!! After the game then? (No response) No? ok then, it's cool" which draws laughs out of our once robotic section. It's always nice when people stop acting like robots.
• testing the bleacher-usher/nazi's vision and attention. Standing on our bleacher seats when she was busy flirting with other usher and jumping down when we thought she'd turn around and see us like 2nd graders in detention.
• singing and dancing to all the songs, really.
• pretending we thought we'd mount the biggest come-back in post season history
• seeing a police officer accidentally break off a handicap sign with his hands outside of Busch. Sheer strength, I tell you. Don't mess with cops.

There's an empowering feeling in blowouts regardless of which side of the scoreboard your team is on. Dancing is usually a consequence.

Now, on to game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. I honestly did not know what to expect. I won't sit here pretending that I assumed we would win, because anyone who does is lying or delusional. The night of October 19th, 2006, was such a gut wrenchingly, nerve wracking one that I cannot even bring myself to describe the events that transpired before our very eyes. In my next blog, I will summon up the energy to describe what we went through. Here's a preview...

• someone bites their tongue and draws lots of blood out of sheer excitement.There'll be pictures.
• Three Ead siblings huddle and bounce in circles as a Yadier Molina homerun sails over the guy who just made one of THE best defensive catches to rob a HR in post season history a few innnings earlier.
• The tongue biter also has the most disturbing display of neurotic behavior since Woody Allen. Almost tourette-like.
• A Red Sox fan is bashed. (just for kicks)
• Did I mention there'll be pictures?

Stay tuned. You won't want to miss it. (Unless you're a Mets fan. You'll, ahem, probably want to, uh, miss this next blog.)

Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated

Screw "You gotta Believe!".

The Cardinals' mantra for the post-season should be "Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

Never mind that Mark Twain probably/actually said "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated". It's all the same. "Demise", "death", "termination", "failure", "suckiness"...Pick one. You used it. It all added up to "loss", either way.

Suddenly, 83 wins, two 8 game losing streaks and one 7 game losing streak seem part of the master plan. What do the baseball experts always say? Just get into the post-season and anything can happen. The Cardinals are on the verge of "anything can happen" and playing the Mets in the NLCS. And it's nice not caring what the experts are saying. Being an underdog gives us that advantage.

What is this sensation Cardinal nation is feeling? Hope? Happiness? We don't know what to do with ourselves except cheer. We know it could all end in 4 games. But we've also had the realization that it doesn't have to end, regardless of what everyone around us is saying. Regardless of what we remind ourselves in uninspired reality checks.

As you've probably realized, Mark Twain is famous for many-a-quote. It was Twain who said "All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure." The Cardinals are obliged to take that information in heavy doses as it proves true, elongating whatever life they have left. Everyone expects them to lose as they play the role of underdog with a poetic enthusiam worthy enough to make Shakespeare cry.

I'd like to see how far the Cardinals' ignorance and confidence can take them. I'd also like to try out a new name on them.

I like the sound of "winners". It has a nice ring to it.

Avoiding a Disaster isn't as Fun as it Sounds

I pride myself on being a Cardinals fan, in case you haven't noticed. There are some things in life that I'm never ashamed to admit. I have no qualms about telling anyone I'm Palestinian. I leave no apologies for being a Muslim. And of course, I relish in every opportunity to claim my undying love for my Cardinals. Whenever I go to Chicago, for example, I always consider taking some item of Cardinals clothing to wear or a hat to showcase in the car just because there's that small window of opportunity to piss a Cubs fan off.

Still, there's a certain amount of shattered pride and utter embarassment that goes along with witnessing night after night of suffocating losses. In what every sportswriter seemed to twistedly enjoy describing in their little articles as a "total meltdown" or "historic collapse", I didn't have the guts to write about my Cardinals in the last 2 weeks because I feared the worst. I'll admit, I don't take embarassment well. I didn't want to say something I would regret. On the other hand, ever the optimist even in their most dire moments, I refused to throw the towel in. I was more afraid of admitting we were choking than anything else. Well, almost as afraid of actually choking, anyway.

But something happened that most of those twisted writers didn't expect. We didn't collapse (completely). With the help of two strong pitching performances from Weaver (who would've thought?) and rookie Anthony Reyes, timely hitting from the great Albert Pujols and Scott Speizio, and an Atlanta Braves team intent on punishing the Astros for last year's painful 20+ inning game and ultimately series loss, the Cardinals managed to avoid becoming a coined phrase.

"Whoa, they're choking. Think they'll pull a Cardinals'?"

Don't get me wrong, I'm not ignoring the fact that our division was the weakest or that the Cardinals' measly 83 wins are the least amount for a division winner needed to get into the post-season. I don't pretend to think that our first round opponent, the padres, didn't beat the Cardinals in the regular season 4 games to 2. I'm aware of the fact there's a chance the Cardinals may be embarassed on national television.

That said, there's a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing the White Sox, who totally dismantled the Cardinals in June, aren't in the post season and the measly Cardinals are. Or that EPSN.com's Page 2 writer Eric Neel who listed a number of reasons he wanted to see the Cardinals collapse, won't get his wish fulfilled (I also don't pretend to understand why that damn Red Sox fan hates us so much. His team whooped us, what more does he want?).

It's the post-season, not everyone makes it to the play-offs. Only 8 teams and 8 cities get to enjoy the moment and pretend they have a chance, large or miniscule, at winning it all. As much as this season has represented one huge rollercoaster of emotions, with its high highs and very low lows, nearly getting to the point of that rollercoaster running off its tracks, a new season begins. If there's anything I've learned in watching sports, it's that October produces miracles.

Unlike the previous two post-seasons, I don't carry high hopes for my Cardinals. I feel like a mom watching her 5 year old son about to play in a game filled with 10 year olds. I find my team in unfamiliar territory as the underdogs. But that's ok, everyone loves an underdog. (Assuming Eric Neel isn't in this picture)

If we lose, we lose. But if we win, perhaps this ride (near freak accident included) was worth it all.

Notable Quotables

Before you read on, just know that a certain team from a certain city will not be mentioned because of the sensativity of the current situation. I will provide my thoughts after the unspeakable does or does not occur.

As for now, I offer a series of quotes taken from my Geology Instructor that I have compiled over the semester thus far. Once I realized how insane and funny this harmless, nice, likeable old guy was, I knew I had to write them down. What's great about them is that all you need to know is he's a Geology nerd. That's All :)

• "It's like putting a midget up against a sumo wrestler. You know who's gonna win.......unless the midget has a gun."
• "Elements....not to be confused with elephants"

• "Stinks, doesn't it? It's like a scratch 'N Sniff fart"

• "Rose Quartz...sounds like an exotic dancer or stripper or something. (later) Smokey Quartz: Does not prevent forest fires"
• "It sounds like one of you are french kissing a balloon"

• in Conan O'Brian voice: "Nothing but the best for my babies!"

• "That's a raw uncut diamond, not a booger"

• Someone is hunched over a desk, unmoving and arms fall to either side (sleeping): "uh oh, I think I killed somebody"

• "Minerals aren't quite as sexy as volcanic eruptions"

• "Volcanic eruptions get Pierce Brosnan. Nobody does a movie about quartz"

• "you wanna see mother nature's equivalent of beef jello?"

• "It's carbonized. Like Hans Solo in Star Wars"

• "Is a Pluton a Futon? Only if you're a Clingon. Warf would lie on an igneous bed and say (in Warf's voice): A WARRIOR'S BED!"

Head On-Apply Directly to the Forehead

Friday August 25, 2006

They win. Damn those "Head On" people. What do you do with Head On? You apply it directly to the forehead. This line will be engraved throughout the deep recesses of my mind until I am no more. One day, at the very late stages of seniority, I will sit in my corner rubbing my cat and all I will say is "Head On-Apply directly to the forehead...Head On-Apply directly to the forehead...Head On-Apply directly to the forehead...".

Nursing Home caretaker: "Ms. Ead, do you want to have lunch?"

Me: "Head On-Apply directly to the forehead..."

Like I said, they win. It almost makes me want to go into Marketing. Or commit suicide.

Speaking of suicide, the Cardinals make me want to commit suicide. What I find interesting is that everyone who knows I am a Cardinals fan keeps saying something along the lines of, "What's happening to your Cardinals?" as if I'm directly responsible for their demise. I will have you know that every game I've attended this season, we've won. So it's not me. Unless those clubhouse speeches I keep giving before the games aren't working. I'm sorry, I thought the speech I've fondly titled "you win this or your families die" was motivational or the time I said, " Taguchi, I think Jimmy has a crush on you" was good for their chemistry. I was just trying to help.

Since there's currently nothing positive to say about the Cardinals (except that I still love them in a 'disappointed father after his son dropped out of college' sort of way), I've decided to make something up. Today, I will create a skit that explains what kind of mindset the Cardinals are in and what goes on in their daily lives. I want to amuse myself. I've titled it, "THE CLUBHOUSE"

A Nelly song is heard booming through-out the clubhouse. That's probably Edmonds' fault. Athletes are congregated in seperate cliques, as we've all imagined. The only loner is Aaron Miles, who eats Banana peels in the video room because it's dark in there and he thinks no one can see him doing that. Only, everyone knows he's doing that.

Tony LaRussa is in his office with Dave Duncan and Jeff Weaver talking over the game plan for the 1st game of the Cardinals-Mets series to take place in an hour.

D. Duncan: Like I said, just take it easy. You'll be fine because we have no other choice.

LaRussa: And whatever you do, do not...I repeat, do NOT give up any grandslams. That is the only thing we ask of you today. You can make love to Edmonds, you can eat Miles for all I care, just do not give a grandslam up today and I think we'll be okay.

Weaver: Eat Miles?

LaRussa: I was just jok...(Tony's cut off by Weaver)

Weaver: No, no... can I?

LaRussa looks over into the video room where Aaron Miles' eyes are darting back and forth as he clearly eats banana peels.

LaRussa: knock yourself out. Anyways, remember what I said and send Isringhausen in.

Weaver seeks out the closer, Izzie, in the clubhouse and spots him chatting with the rookie reliever Adam Wainwright.

Izzie smacks and streches the gum in his mouth, torturing it without mercy. He manages to speak lazily but with a sense of menace.

Isringhausen: So basically, kid, like I was saying, the chicks dig the long ball and that is why I keep giving 'em up, mmkay? I mean, if you can't satisfy the ladies, what's the point of being a closer. You dig? Besides, if anyone complains on the team, I'll do what I did to Bob the Sailor. Mmkay?

Wainwright: "Bob the Sailor?", he asks with disbelief in his voice, "I've never heard of him"

Isringhausen: Exactly. All he had to do was listen to me. And Izzie stares at Wainwright without blinking for what seems like hours.

Wainwright feels uncomfortable, as if he's talking to a boy who's boasting about successfully stealing money from his mother's purse. His eyes are avoiding Izzie's, as if not making contact with the evil will keep it at bay. He tries to focus on Pujols who is across the room speaking to a group of avid and ashamed listeners.

He speaks with the usual deep, thick accent. He almost sounds pained at having to speak, but does so anyway.

Pujols: I don't understand what your problem is. This is enough. I'm sick of it. No, listen, it actually makes me physically sick to be around it. I threw up last night. You don't want to make me throw up, do you?

Pujols stares deeply in each pair of eyes. He stares into Molina's who shakes his head, then Chris Duncan's but gives him a wink, then Encarnacion's who looks confused and finally Taguchi's. He stops at Taguchi's and keeps staring until Taguchi finally lowers his gaze.

Taguchi: I am truely a-sorry sensay. I have foresaken you.

Pujols: Yes. I almost want to throw you in that room with Miles.

Taguchi quickly looks up with tears glistening in his eyes. His face flushes and he clears his throat.

Taguchi: No, I do better. Give me chance SenSay. He looks over into the video room and sees Weaver hovering at the glass window eyeing Miles and licking his lips.

Pujols looks over Taguchi's shoulder and sees Belliard walking into a seperate room alone.

Pujols:Hey fat boy, I told you to steer clear of there. The buffet is still off limits. He puts his hands to his face and whispers to himself, "I miss Hector".

Crestfallen, Belliard re-routes and makes his way toward the group watching T.V. Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen and Eckstein are watching "Project Runway".

Rolen: This makes me feel weird.

Eckstein:This is a good episode

Edmonds: I think it's magical. And he falls violently to his right.

Belliard, uncomfortable at seeing this, notices the other two do not take their eyes off the television. Edmonds gets back up.

Belliard: What the hell was that?

Rolen: Ignore it, he's being dramatic.

Eckstein: He's practicing.

Pujols is heard in the background yelling at Weaver in front of the video room.

Pujols: I don't care what Tony said, you CAN'T eat him.

Weaver whispers something inaudible to the rest of the room.

Pujols: (angrily) And stay the hell away from Eckstein too, you monster!

Eckstein turns around and says, "what?" but they ignore him as Edmonds violently falls over to his left.

Pujols: Jimmy,what the hell, man? The doctor said your concussion would heal if you stopped falling on your head.

Edmonds: Yeah, I know, I can't help it. And he falls hard to the ground.

Encarnacion is seen in the corner speaking Spanish to the mirror, saying "You're a lion....no... no, you're a tiger". He growls.

Molina runs over to Pujols and hugs him from behind.

Molina: I was thinking about what you said about sucking and I'm sorry. I love you, big guy.

Pujols does not move for a moment but turns around and embraces Molina.

Pujols: Shhhh, it's ok, I know.

Eckstein's mother walks into the clubhouse and over to her son. She hands him a Power Rangers lunch box as he shifts back and forth on his legs in anticipation.

Eckstein's mom: Here's your lunch, dear.

A loud number of groans and "Taguchi No!" come from a corner of the room as Taguchi tries to impale himself with a baseball bat, an honor killing.

Pujols:Who let him near a bat again!?!?

Boom! Edmonds falls on a banana peel, getting knocked unconscious this time. Everyone looks over at Miles who says, "what?".

Taguchi, in a fit of rage, violently attacks Aaron Miles with his baseball bat, also kicking him and screaming "damnit Mirrrres. Damn you Mirrrres". This gruesome display goes on for a few minutes before Rolen attempts to break up the fight, but Pujols holds him back and says, "Let them fight this one out, Scott." and Scott nods his head.

LaRussa is overheard telling Izzie, "Just don't give up a walk off homer, you sunofabitch. Don't do that." Mumbling is heard before Tony declares, "yeah eat him if it helps, I don't care, just don't give up a walk off homer."

Jose Oqeundo walks into the clubhouse and tells Pujols,

"I had a dream last night that you hit a 3-run homer and a grand-slam!"

Pujols: 7 R.B.I.'s? I've never done that before. Sounds like this is going to be a good day.

Oquendo Smiles but sees the ruckus in the corner and at the sound of Taguchi yelling, "DAMN your banana peels!" asks, "What the hell is up with Taguchi?"

Enough about me! How've ya been?

Hello all! Sorry I've been gone for a while. My bad. It's just that time flies during the summer. Baseball has been an up and down thing with me.

I have to also admit, I'm obsessed with the whole myspace thing. I didn't want to use the word obsessed but the thesaurus tells me other words I could've used were gripped, preoccupied, consumed, fixated, and possessed, and well...pretty much all of that applies to me. I would like to act like a good portion of the population who runs a myspace page and says "whatever, I'm doing this because my friends told me to" or "I still don't know why I signed up for this" but they're lying. It's fun being nosey. I like critisizing everyone else's pictures, pages and surveys. I like knowing every little thing about people. Maybe it's my innate arab mentality or maybe it's just human nature. Either way, I love it.

Not much has happened with me since the beginning of August. I haven't even gotten that haircut placed in my mental to-do list for months now.

I've gone to a protest condemning Israel's disproportianate use of force against the Palestinians and Lebanese in the last 2 months. Although, they always use disproportionate force against Palestinians, so who are we kidding? It was nice seeing other people being proactive. (Does that make anyone else think of acne medication?)

I went to the baseball game that broke the Cards 8 game losing streak. Your Welcome. And no, not the first one, the second 8 game losing streak. Cardinal fans have been so spoiled for the last few years, I never thought I'd have to talk about losing streaks ever again (besides the play-offs, silly). But there the 8 game losing streaks are, dancing in front of me like the devilish facts they've become. As a baseball fan, I know that news doesn't bode well for our hopes of winning it all this year. As a Cardinals fan, I fantasize that this is all part of His plan to make us really appreciate the pending World Series win. I also like to theorize that we're getting the losing aura out of the way now before the post season, as opposed to recent trends. Of course, it's fantasy but as a sports fan, we all thrive on fantasies. We even have leagues where we can all fantasize together. So there you go. We are a sick, sick group of people.

Well, the Cardinals won today's game against Cincinatti in dramatic fashion. The good news is we're 2 and 1/2 games in front of them now. The bad news is we're headed to Chi-town for a 3 game series. If any of this year's previous games in Chicago should indicate how the Cardinals should perform, then I predict we should win...oh...say..according to my calculations...about zero games. I guess I'll pray. Or I'll fantasize He planned on us losing all the previous games played in Chicago so we could sweep in dramatic fashion towards the end of the year. Whatever.

Off topic, I can hear Titanic playing on our television in the backround. I need to ask, why didn't Jack use any other floating debris from the ship to save himself. Or why didn't he and Rose take turns. I know it's cause he "loved her" but I just thought love went both ways. If she loves him, she'll share. Good movie, though.

oooh, it's the part where the life-boats won't go back to save the people in the water. I love the accents and how the guy says in cockney English "shut yo' trap"... or something like that.

Ok, so I know everyone's been watching the news or reading about it online. I'm confused because the press berated the Ramseys (of Jon-Benet Ramsey) for apparently "exploiting" their daughter while she was alive ( because of the whole child beauty queen thing) but it seems that the press has been exploiting the girl's death for ten years now. Let's think about this. Jon Benet was here for 6 years and 10 years later her picture's still on the cover of magazines and all over the news. It's just insane.

Apart from that, the news generally pisses me off, in case you couldn't tell already. It's all about sensationalism and which host of a program gets the most shock and awe out of people. CNN has Nancy Grace and Glenn Beck. CNN! F.Y.I,it is not the most trusted name in news anymore.Yuck.

By the way, here's something to look forward to. Albert Pujols will be a guest on David Letterman's Friday August, 25th. I'm so psyched about seeing Albert charm the pants off of Dave. Oh and the cardinals are playing the N.Y. Mets that week. (fingers crossed very, very, very, very tightly. Very tightly)

Take care peeps. Be good. Don't drink and drive. Don't do drugs. Be nice to people. Commit acts of kindness (don't commit crimes). And smile. ~Badia

I proudly clench my fist

The American media has gone beyond irresponsible and biased in the last few years. I long for the days when the late Peter Jennings gave news accounts that were based on truth as opposed to the reports that come about now in all their false glory and have me shaking my head and yelling at the television. I feel that if Israel told CNN reporters the sky was neon green with flying camels, the report of neon green skies and flying camels would come back to America. It wouldn't surprise me to hear a report that Israel killed a 2 month old baby (not a novelty)because it felt insecure with its crying, especially if Bush responded with an "Israel has a right to defend itself".

Israel has a right to defend itself? Really? As if Israel is the only country that has a right to defend itself. The mere audacity of that statement makes my blood boil.

While I was in Palestine, and in ongoing attacks that are taking place at this very moment, reports of Israeli soldiers committing massacres, because that's what purposefully killing numbers of innocent civilians is, was on the news daily. Israel claimed to be targeting "militants", but for every suspected militant they assassinated, they killed another 10 innocent bystanders. Hundreds of Palestinians have died in the recent weeks but Israel has since laid claim to being victimized once again with one of its soldiers having been captured. Notice I didn't use the word kidnapped because a soldier illegally occupying another country and making life miserable for millions does not deserve the word kidnapped.

If this "democratic "Israel is leading by example, as the American government has repeatedly reminded us, then the cost of one captured Israeli soldier would equal at least 200 Palestinian lives. What would it cost for an actual dead soldier? For every one of these Palestinian lives, should the Palesitinians seek revenge to what would amount to 40,000 Israeli lives? Why does it bother Americans to know an Israeli soldier to be imprisoned, but the illegal imprisonment of over 10,000 Palestinian men, women and children who aren't even considered militants is ignored? Why is it OK for most of these prisoners to be imprisoned without a trial or sentence, a policy Israel has infamously followed for as long as its existance.

I can't even begin to explain how violated, humiliated and oppressed the Palestinians are right now. They are doubley violated. Once by Israel and the second time by the American media who refuses to recognize Israel for what they are: The oppressors, not the oppressed. The Palestinians aren't the ones who perpetrated the Holocaust. They are the ones who have had their homeland taken away from them. They are the ones who live in a virtual diaspora now, with at least 3.1 million refugees and generations of an ignored plight who live as second and third class citizens, even in the Arab world.

How can a nation whose 3 out of every 4 citizens living below the poverty line be considered a security threat to a country that recieves more monetary and military aid than the whole African continent and is the 13th most powerful military in the world? (Although I dispute even that low of a number for Israel has the most powerful country in the world in its corner)

The recent response Israel has taken to Lebanon further shows the trigger happy nation as more dangerous to the Middle East than the other way around. I've heard American Media try to make the situation sound equally devastating for both sides and have heard one famous news face say that "scores of civilians have died on both sides" which infuriated me. He didn't point out that over 200 mostly Lebanese civilians had died as opposed to the 24 Israeli lives. This disproportionate number should have been pointed out at that point, but I forgot that this media had taken the Israeli math class. 1 Israeli=more valuable than any arab life.

Some Americans are taking notes and trying to claim that Israel has a right to defend itself (yawn) and that Hezbollah should not even exist because of UN resolution 1559. I wasn't aware of the fact that the United States and Israel complied with UN resolutions. All I can say is that U.S. government should have "persuaded" its eternal ally Israel to comply with UN resolution 242 and UN resolution 381 which called for the immediate withdrawal of occupying forces from Palestine which would have meant less bloodshed in the region and less groups like Hezballah fighting against the occupiers. (Israel had occupied southern Lebanon for almost 20 years. )

CNN's Glenn Beck went as far as to say that the only people responsible for the Lebanese deaths were the Lebanese themselves because Hezballah exists and not Israel. So what Glenn Beck is saying is that a democratic parliament that includes two members of a group that were voted in represent a whole population who deserves to die? The government does not equal to the civilan population. What Glenn is saying, is that innocent civilians are responsible for their own deaths because of another nation's hatred of a government or their policies which the civlians may have nothing to do with. In other words, 9/11. Those men, women and children in their apartment buildings and gas stations in Lebanon deserved to die no more than the people in the Twin Towers and doomed flights. That is what Glenn Beck is telling us and that statement infuriates Arabs as much as 9/11 infuriates any American.

As for all those know-it-alls who insist the Lebanese government is responsible for having no control over Hezballah, I offer Iraq and the hundreds of thousands of the best trained and powerful American military forces who cannot control insurgants.

Think twice before you watch the news and soak in every word they tell you. Think twice about supporting a state which has caused the world over to view Americans as hypocrites. Remember that this current American administration who has created a civil war of this bloodbath we call Iraq does not always work in the best interest of Americans. I'm not asking you to support Hezballah or attack Israel, I'm asking you to look at the Palestinian and Lebanese lives the same as you would an Israeli. I'm asking you to put yourself in the shoes of the Palestinians who have no freedom or justice, who are subjected to death and destruction, who are met with racism and apartheid. Look beyond the empty words and excuses and into the truth.

Israel's former prime minister and resident evil, Golda Meir, once said "You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist". I offer that sentence back to the Israelis, although I also add, we cannot shake hands with the barrel of a gun. Israel has pointed that gun at us for as long as they existed. If we clenched our fists, we did so out of frustration.

Land and Settlement Issues

At the heart of the Israel/Palestine conflict lies the question of land and who rules it. The collision of Jewish nationalist colonisation and Palestian nationalism, both laying claim to the same territory, forms the basis of this long conflict, deepened by the tragedies of the Holocaust and of the dispossession and occupation of Palestine. The United Nations partition of the land in 1947, an effort to resolve the two claims simultaneously, did not result in a lasting settlement.

Since the war of 1967, Palestinians have come to accept the reality of Israel within the 1948 boundaries. The land dispute has increasingly focused on Israel's occupation of the remaining territories -- the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. UN Resolutions 242 and 338 stipulate that Israel must withdraw completely from these territories. Israel has not withdrawn, however, and it has built many Jewish settlements in the territories, actions deemed illegal by virtually all other states. The Oslo Accords (1993) and the Road Map (2003) have failed to reach a land agreement between the parties or to bring Israeli withdrawal.

Since 2002, the Israeli government has been building a "security fence" that winds deep into Palestinian territory, claiming the barrier would keep Palestinian suicide bombers from striking Israeli citizens. But this separation wall is a major de facto annexation of Palestinian territories, as is Israel's continued settlement-building. The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel's West Bank barrier violates international law, but the unequal struggle over the land of Palestine continues.

This page taken from http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/israel-palestine/occupindex.htm

Israel, Palestine and the Occupied Territories

The question of Palestine and Israel commanded the attention of the UN since the organization was founded. The UN General Assembly voted the original partition of the land in November 1947 and the UN deployed its first peacekeeping operation to monitor the ceasefire lines after the war of 1948. This site introduces readers to the key issues, with a special focus on UN involvement in the conflict.

For many years, successive Israeli governments refused to consider a Palestinian state, while most Arabs denied the legitimacy of Israel. In the 1970s both sides began to recognize the need for compromise. The Palestinians proposed a separate state, claiming as their homeland the territories outside the 1948 ceasefire lines, territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. This idea found widespread support in the international community, and Israel was called on to withdraw from this land in UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.

Israel's 1967 occupation of other territories complicated the matter. Israel seized Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Syria's Golan Heights and set up settlements in both. Israel also invaded Lebanon in 1978 and 1982 and maintained a long-term occupation in the southern part of the country. These wars and occupations were related to the Palestine question and deepened the political crisis surrounding it. Even after Israel eventually withdrew from Egypt and Lebanon, the Palestine (and Golan) occupations continued.

Since resolutions 242 and 338, the Security Council has taken no significant steps to end the Israel-Palestine conflict. United States influence has generally kept the issue off the Council's agenda. When Council members have introduced resolutions, responding to periodic crises, the US has repeatedly used its veto on Israel's behalf. The General Assembly has taken a more active and creative role in the conflict, yet its resolutions are non-binding and have largely symbolic weight.

Key issues that plague the stalled "peace process" include: Israel's occupation, Israeli settlements and settlement-building, security for Israelis and Palestinians, sovereignty over Jerusalem, and the right of return of 3.7 million stateless Palestinian refugees.

This page found on http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/isrlindx.htm

The Kites fly over the Jelazone

I came back from Palestine on Friday. I actually wanted to stay longer but as fate would have it, there were no airline seats available until August and I hadn't planned on staying 3 months, so I'm back.

I can't even describe how much the Israelis have taken over the West Bank. If I sit and think about it for longer than 60 seconds, I feel nauseous. It actually makes me physically sick to my stomache to know the world has allowed that corrupt and terrorist government to do what it has done. No, I'm not talking about Hamas, as Americans would "naturally" conclude, but Israel.

There's that wretched apartheid wall which Israel has successfully convinced the now defunct American media to call the Security Wall. It's not built on Israeli land but Palestinian. It's not enough that the settlers have illegally taken more Palestinian land, but that wall literally cuts through peoples' towns and livihoods as a constant reminder that justice is an empty word to Israelis. There's a main highway I used to take to my friend's home when I lived there years ago that has a wall running right through it. All down that highway, the wall travels what feels like an eternity making it impossible for Palestinians to visit one another. Or for me to visit my friend. It feels like suffocation. I didn't think anything beyond the occupation could make the Palestinians feel more claustrophobic, but the Israelis have done a masterful job with the Wall. As if cutting the Palestinians off from the rest of the world weren't enough, they're now cutting the Palestinians off from one another. All along the walls there's graffiti from presumabley angry youngsters who write "Where is the world?" , "America allowed this"and such. There's a wall in Jerusalem I saw which I loved. It defiantly said, "Still free" and that in a nutshell is the spirit of the Palestinian people. Even in the face of human degradation, atrocities, illegal occupation, working without any paychecks coming in and a virtual prison, they refuse to lie down and roll over.

The illegal Israeli settlements are easily surrounding our villages, a validation to one of Palestinian complaints during the peace process that Israel refused to comply with one of the most essential agreements in that they wouldn't build new settlements. I can tell you most of those settlements weren't there at the beginning of the Oslo accords and the settlements are continually built or created. That's one of Israel's forms of terrorism. Those fanatical settlers are each carrying around Uzis, ready to shoot at any moment they want. I can hear them shooting every night, either them or the Israeli soldiers. Either way, they aren't practicing to shoot rabbits.

Everyday the news consisted and persistently consists of Palestinians getting shot and killed. Suspected militants (who needs a trial?), citizens enjoying picnics on beaches, it did not make a difference. It's funny how I don't hear of any of the daily killings on my return here, but a kidnapped Israeli soldier is top news to CNN. It almost makes too much sense when you look at the big picture. An already impoverished Gaza Strip is not only denied aid, but at least 1 million citizens are now without power and water. Bridges and buildings of everyday use are being demolished. Once again, Israel is using an excuse to practice collective punishment. They are literally leaving the Palestinians powerless and thirsty. It almost makes too much sense, but then you watch the news and find that the American media has twisted this story into one of heartache for the Israelis. 1 soldier is captured and armageddon ensues. 1 million people are attacked and held hostage in a virtual prison and it is still the soldier who garners attention and pity. The use of common sense has been abandoned, as has the justice for Palestinians.

Besides that, Ramallah, the nearest city to my home, should only have been a 5-10 minute drive but because the Israelis closed that road off to Arabs (because there are roads for Palestinians and then there are brand spanking new roads solely for Israeli settlers and soldiers that cut through more Palestinian land), we have to drive around for half an hour to get to the same destination. This detour meant that everyday I passed by the Jelazone, a Palestinian refugee camp that has quickly become overcrowded. The most amazing thing was seeing dozens and dozens of kites flying over the Jelazone at dusk whenever I was on my way home. It's so crowded with the houses nearly toppling over eachother that you don't see children, just the profile of buildings filled with people forced to leave their homes and relocate, poor and forgotten. I imagined the children down below found that those kites reminded them of that sense of freedom they so craved. Did they wish they were the kites? I always wondered whether they let those kites go freely in the end of the day or whether they saved it for another moment to savor, some sort of diversion as to their surroundings and situation. It was those home made kites the children held which quietly hovered over the Jelazone that left a lasting impression on me. Just another indication of what the Palestinian spirit is.

Right across the street from that poverty ridden refugee camp was another Israeli settlement. White houses with red roofs to remind its neighbors that they were driven from their homes in some other part of their homeland for more of those same houses. It's existance mocked the victims across the streets, the very ones flying kites.

As frustrating as it is to have been allowed to visit Arab East Jerusalem only because of my American passport, while Palestinians citizens are banned by the occupiers, leaving Jerusalem a shadow of its once bustling self and as frustrating as it was to know that aid to Palestinians was cut off, leaving a whole nation including my Aunt, a nurse, forced to work for free because of America and Israel's politics, I selfishly enjoyed my time there.

I enjoyed seeing my family and my home. I enjoyed taking in those corny sunsets I always mention. I enjoyed picking fresh fruit off the trees of my front yard. I marvelled at seeing a population of wronged citizens survive off whatever small means they had. Time slowed down, I never knew what day it was and I really didn't care. And that's the beauty of the Palestinian life. You take one day at a time, even as the world is caving in on you. You enjoy the little moments, even as life is falling apart. You live your life because that is the only thing to do. When there is no road to our destination, we drive around until we find it. When they build walls in our way, we move forward in spite of the fact.

And when they deprive us of freedom, we fly kites.

Blink Thinking

Some of my thoughts and feelings on news and useless pop culture information:

"Daughtry's "Idol" Exit Fuels Rumors":

I can't believe that for a second, it was (besides McPhee) between Somebody's Uncle and Monkey Boy. I like McPhee because she doesn't look like an old guy or a monkey.

Update: Monkey's off, so it's gonna be between McPhee and the Old 29 yr. grandpa. I'm not saying I don't like how he sings, he just looks like SOMEBODY'S UNCLE.

"Sheen Remains Restrained":

This divorce almost makes me never want to get married.

"Paris Hilton Plays Name Game":

I didn't even read this article. I assume it's about some new word she and her lackies love to use or whatever. I just want to flick her in the forehead or give her a wedgie.

"Alec Baldwin Gets Father's Day Visit":

Did I say Charlie Sheen's divorce was nasty. I'm sorry, I meant Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's divorce was. These people have as much fuzzy feelings for one another as comic book villains and heroes.

"Cheney’s notes eyed in CIA leak probe":

If I were Bart Simpson and were by my chalkboard, I'd be writing, "I do not trust this administration. I do not trust this administration. I do not trust this administration." They are lying liars. If they lived on a make believe island, it would be called "lyington" and they would eat "key-lying-pie" for lunch. I just don't believe anything they tell me and I finally understand how conspiracy theories are created. Perhaps this island runs by the alias, Whitehouse?

"Will the United States negotiate with Iran?":

I know this has nothing to do with the headline but whenever I see election bumper stickers on cars that say, "Bush, Cheney", I have the urge to create my own bumper sticker and stick it on those cars with a saying something along the lines of, "thanks for voting to ruin my life". I'm open to suggestions.

On Another Note:

Diggin' The Sopranos. Yeah, it took me this long to get into it. What makes me laugh on the sly is how uncomfortable all these guys who regularly watch the show must be with the gay storyline. You all know what I'm talkin' about. Thought you could carry your homophobia to the Sopranos, didn't ya?

Grey's Anatomy still kicks ass. I've been in love since episode 1. If you're one of the 12 people who haven't watched it because you're too cool to give in to pop culture (even if they're actually on to something, unlike the undeserving Desperate Housewives) get on the damn bandwagon.

Movies I'm looking forward to:

The Breakup: Vince Vaugn..comic genious. Paired up with Jennifer Aniston? Classic comic duo in the making. Trailers look hilarious.

The DaVinci Code: Love the book. Love Tom Hanks. Therefore, I predict I'll love the movie.

Cardinals notes:

Cards beat the Mets 1-0 today on a beauty thrown by Mulder. Yesterday's loss didn't scare me as much as the voodoo the Mets must've placed on Albert. A hard foul off his leg and slipping to fall on his back gave just about everyone in Cardinal nation a heart attack. Thank goodness God loves the Cardinals.

I almost want to pinch myself, I can't believe how much attention pujols is getting.

The cover of Sports Illustrated (Again) and Sporting News in the same week, not to mention articles devoted solely to him espn.com, cnnsi.com and USA TODAY...

We in St. Louis have known we've had El Hombre for half a decade now, but to see the rest of the nation finally catch on is surreal. The only downside is that he's also garnering some negative attention from people who are assuming he must be on something. McGwire and Bonds have ruined the innocence that we could have enjoyed while taking in Pujols' greatness. I always imagined that once Pujols got his attention it would all be fine and dandy. But now I realize those doubters can take away from some of the enjoyment, the same way that rain spoils a wedding day. It makes me mad that this person I've been idolizing for years is now being scrutinized by the same people who kept Bonds in the limelight, reducing Pujols to second best, year after year.

GO CARDS!

GO PUJOLS!

The Joke's On You

I've been inspired by a story my sister told me recently. On a Saturday night out with her friends, a Cubs fan holding a rock apparently approached one member of her group and barked, "Don't talk about my rock!" He handed the rock over to the victim before explaining this rock was a piece of Wrigley Field handed down through the generations of psychotic family members (assuming that carrying a rock around in social outtings is crazy) and that the rock was carried around specifically during Cardinal-Cubs games. The group stared in shock as the demented Cub grabbed the rock back and again barked "Don't talk about my rock!!!!", stalking away but not before looking back one final time with an over-dramatic look of pure hatred and crazed anger.

Ahhhhh,excellent. It's stories about Cubs fans like these that keep me amused. Why don't they understand that pieces of Wrigley Field should stay attached to Wrigley field? Maybe that's why the place is falling apart.

Well,the not-so-loveable Cubbies recently got terrible news when their newly re-signed superstar first baseman, Derrek Lee, was diagnosed with a sprained right wrist. He's expected to miss at least 2 months. I can't say I was pleased to hear such a great player get hurt, but ...

Well, you know what they say.

There's nothing like the healing power of laughter. And so in the spirit of, well, me basically, you get to enjoy a few jokes at the expense of the Cubs. Perhaps Derrek Lee won't actually heal in record time and perhaps the Cubs season has been, once again, "unexpectedly" threatened. There's still no reason why we can't all continue laughing at the Cubs. Let us keep our humor and let them keep their rocks.

Enjoy.

The following jokes were compiled over the internet, while certain variations were made in order to suit the intended audience. I'm also open to more Cubs jokes. Don't be afraid to offer.

• Mark Prior and Jim Edmonds both die. God shows Mark Prior around heaven. They finally get to Mark Prior's new house. Its a smaller one bedroom with faded Cubs banners and a few hats. God looks at him and says, "Be happy, most people don't even get a house". Prior then looks over on a hill and sees a huge mansion with Cardinal flags, banners, jerseys etc.... and Prior says "Why does Jim Edmonds get such a nice house and mine is so bad!" God says, "That's not Jim Edmond's house. Its mine".

• A Red Sox Fan, a Yankees fan, a Cubs fan and a Cardinals fan all climb to the top of a mountain, each proclaiming to be the most loyal to their team. As they climbed higher, the argument intensified as each of them insisted they were the most loyal of all. They continued fighting until they reach the top, where the Red Sox fan passionately yells, "this is for the Red Sox !!!!" and subsequently hurls himself off the mountain to prove his loyalty. Not to be outdone, the Yankee fan yells, "This is for the Yankees!!!" and jumps to his doom as well. The two remaining fans looked at each other in stunned silence. After a minute the Cardinal fan yells, "this is for the Cardinals!!!!!!!!" and with all the energy he can muster, pushes the Cubs fan off the mountain.

• Q: Whats the difference between Wrigley Field and a cactus?

  A: With a cactus all the pricks are on the outside.

• Q: What did Jesus say to the Cubs last time he was on Earth?

  A: "Don't do anything til I get back."

• Did you hear about the new Cubs soup? Two sips and then you choke.--Old joke

• How do you tell the difference between a Mark Prior autograph signing and a politician running for office?

  At least the politician will shake your hand before letting you down.

Living Legend, Classic Tale

I may have spoken too soon in the previous analysis when I said Pujols wasn't "hitting them all out of the ballpark, yet."

It seems as though he is in fact hitting them all out of the ballpark. I was there Sunday afternoon, at the new Busch Stadium, to witness this living legend do the impossible, but what's come to be the expected. This man has come to shown us, time and time again, that his numbers are quickly proving to match and surpass some of the greatest that the game has ever had to offer.
First, I'd be remiss if I didn't give props and thanks to my cousin Safi. He's the poor fellow who had to give up his baseball tickets in order to cover some work days for his brother, who's M.I.A in Spain. It just so happens that my sister and I were available to commit to the sacrifice of going to the game. You know, for him of course.

We arrived at the ballpark and made our way towards our seats, not knowing exactly which side they would be on. What we did know was that these seats were on the highest level. Although we were late, my "adventurous" sister decided we should walk up the stairs to the fourth level.


Not up the ramp, people, the stairs. This thing shot straight up. By the time we reached a place that gave us a realistic view of heaven's pearly gates, I was panting and sweating like Jared the Subway guy pre-weight loss era. I vaguely recall stopping half way up and telling my sister to "just leave me and save yourself".
On our way to our seats I also bought my first scorecard. I shied away from attempting to use one in the past, but as fate would have it, I just felt like buying one that very instant. The encouraging look in my sister's eyes was all I needed to pull out the pink wallet and dish out $3 for the folded scorecard and red Cardinals pencil.

Of course, we had to travel one more flight of non-sensical stairs before we made it to our seats. I remember at this point thinking the owners were punishing us for having purchased (or in this case, accepted the charity of) such low priced tickets. In Safi's defense, he's a season ticket holder and it was a new stadium.


Either way, we found our seats easily and looked out at the splendor before us. Easter Sunday included a pleasant weather forecast and a buzzing crowd. Many were still in awe of the new stadium. My sister and I had toured the stadium a week before and so we weren't feeling quite as fascinated as the rest, but still anticipated what the new ballpark had to offer in terms of game excitement.
The stage was set as the Cards' Mark Mulder and Bronson Arroyo of the Cincinatti Reds were each the designated starters for this historic game. It seems the 3.2 miles up to our seats cost us some time and we were a few minutes late, missing the first two at bats. We searched around us and tried to locate another scorecard in the vicinity to see what happened.The masterminds behind the New Busch apparently forgot to have some sort of scoreboard in the half of the stadium we were facing.

It seemed like a regular game as the first inning provided for some mediocre drama. Foreshadowing a duel of a game, the Reds scored once in their half and we scored twice in ours on a John Rodriguez triple. Both pitchers threw well for the most part. It was a quiet game in terms of offense. Our 3-4-5 hitters-Pujols, Rolen and Rodriguez-went down in order in the bottom of the 3rd (still keeping up?).


All of our games throughout the first week at Busch were close and it felt like this game was on the same track.
t was halfway through the game in the top of the 5th inning that things started to take a turn for the worse. Mulder seemed to have lost some of the control I was raving about in my previous blog. Before I knew it, the Reds had taken the lead as Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns hit back to back homers, scoring three runs and giving everyone on this sunny day something to groan about.
I

"Keep 'em in the damn ballpark, you idiot", I said quietly to myself as I drew out two diamonds representing homeruns on my scorecard.

We soon found out that this would be the same inning where Albert Pujols would respond by immediately tying the game with a 2 run HR on a 2-2 count. The crowd jumped to their feet and lingered for quite a while before Pujols gave the fans the curtain call they demanded.

As always, I felt chills up and down my spine as the level of cheering went up 10 notches once the 'great one' ran up the stairs and waved. The party-like atmosphere continued to build as Rolen put the icing on the cake, homering immediately after.

Another curtain call, another day at the ballpark.
he day seemed to drag along as the overcast sun etched its way closer to our area. We debated whether or not to get up and get something to eat, but decided to sit it out and avoid the unfamiliarity of the food stands. In the 7th, Eckstein drew a walk and Arroyo quickly erased this baserunner when Miles hit into a 1-6-3 double play.
T

The two outs still weren't recorded when Albert Pujols stepped up to the plate again.

BAM!

We all jumped from our seats and marvelled at the shot that sailed away into the left field stands once again. Curtain call number two for Mr. Albert.

Another curtain call, another day at the ballpark.
We all sat lazily as the sun finally beamed straight on us with a few moments of reprieve here and there, the clouds taking turns finding their way towards the sun. It was a good day, a sunny day, and sure, a winning day (Why not?). The content was unanimous and everyone took part in what could have been most of the crowds' first wave in the new ballpark. Relief pitchers were coming in from both sides and although our pen gave us a fright for most of the first two weeks, we felt safe with a comfortable 2-run lead through the 7th inning and the proven Adam Wainwright on the mound for us.

The 8th inning was upon us, though. Do u know that icky feeling you have after a hard day of work or school, and you find yourself stuck in traffic. You know, that tired feeling you have when you just want to close your eyes and be home again?


We experienced that icky feeling in the 8th inning.

Encarnacion took over in right field for Rodriguez and the inning started with Wainwright giving up a lead off HR. gulp. That two run lead was quickly cut in half and we found ourselves in familiar territory: A close game with our unsteady bullpen.

Wainwright allowed another walk before Braden Looper came in. "No, I think he'll be OK", my sister told me. Maybe more for herself than for me. The next hit should've been an easy double play, but if you're Encarnacion and having a terrible first two weeks, of course the ball is going to fly straight towards you with the game on the line. He misplayed a fly-out, potential double play and the inning was extended.

Of course the next player up, Rich Aurilia, would hit a two run double and we'd be down 7-6. Groan. "He'll be OK?" I asked my disappointed sister about Looper.
The bottom of the 8th brought some more dramatics as the bases were loaded with only one out at one point, but we wouldn't cash in on what could've been our only chance for redemption. Cincinatti escaped the inning unharmed and I sat stunned as I watched many people head for the stands. "Where are they going?", I asked my sister, "Don't they know Rolen and Pujols are next in order?"


My sister agreed that they were foolish and we spent the next few minutes explaining why they were dumb for leaving, reiterating that Pujols and Rolen were guaranteed to have their at bats.
Looper easily mowed down the next three Reds' batters in the top of the 9th. We readied ourselves for what could be a great day or a lousy one, depending on the outcome. Everyone cheered heartily as our famous good-hitting pitcher, Jason Marquis, came up to pinch hit in the bottom of the 9th. Marquis hit a solid one straight up the middle on a 1-1 count.


Most of us smiled as the 'great one' strode to the plate. We all stood now, as we knew it was do or die. Everyone was buzzing with unabashed hope. Could he? Would he? Was it possible for someone to be so clutch, so many times, in such a dramatic fashion. "What if he hit 3 homers-the last to win the game?", many of us asked aloud.

"Why not?" I asked my sister as Pujols fouled off another on a 1-2 count. "why not?" were my last words before the next pitch.
BAM!
We all stared in disbelief as the towering shot once again sailed into infinity, into the history books, into the places in our minds reserved for happy memories, classic moments and a longing for this feeling to never end.


It felt like eternity as we wondered whether it would stay fair or not. We jumped up and down like dancing monkeys when we surely felt the elation Pujols was feeling, even in the slightest bit. It was like an out of body experience, sharing the moment with thousands of the Cardinal faithful.

We were all shocked into a happy fervor that continued down the ramps as we left the game moments later, chanting "MVP!" and spontaneously yelping in glee, high-fiving complete strangers feeling the same sense of maddening happiness.

But of course, only a few minutes earlier- before we left our seats-we stood with more chills running up and down our spines, beckoning our hero to once again emerge from the shadowy dugout and give us one last curtain call.

One for the ages. A third one in one day.

Another curtain call, another day at the ballpark.

"Jusssssst a bit outside"

The first week has already passed and I'm ready to give you my analysis of the '06 Cards.

The bad news is the Cardinals have already been swept by the Cubs and the bullpen has blown three games (nearly four). The good news, my friends, is that the Cardinals do not traditionally get off to a torrid start and with the experience of 2 straight 100+ win seasons, I prefer ending hot than beginning hot. Do you like how I said "I prefer" as if I have a choice?

Since we have much to discuss for today, let me get straight to my thoughts on the players so far...

Shortstop-#22 David Eckstein: Eckstein is not hitting well but he's been making up for it with a few key hits or walks in some of the games so far. He's also playing solid defense and like the baseball world always says, as long as you're playing solid defense, we can forgive your lack of offense. I'm not at all worried about Eckstein. He did the same thing last year and he's one of the toughest guys, mentally, that you can have.

Right fielder-#43 Juan Encarnacion: Up until today, my favorite thing about Encarnacion was saying his name. I understand it is the beginning of the season and we have yet to see most of the players, including Encarnacion, play up to their potential, but it's a little more difficult waiting around when a new player isn't playing well defensively or offensively. It hasn't helped that he's left a ton of men on base (I'll look the figures up later) and seems a little too impatient at the plate. He strikes out a lot more than I'm used to seeing our players do. Having said that, Encarnacion made a spectacular diving catch in a losing effort to the Cincinatti Reds Friday and Thursday he was robbed of a walk-off homer which would have made him a hero and had the worried Cards fan forget his early miscues for at least a day. Go figure.

1st Baseman-#5 Albert Pujols: Is there anyone else I could be less worried about? No, he's not hitting them all out of the ballpark (yet) but when it is all said and done, he'll rack up the numbers again and we'll be asking why anyone else should be considered the NL MVP. Oh captain, my captain.

Center Fielder-#15 Jim Edmonds: Jim has scared me this first week and a half. It's not even the strike outs that have me all jittery, it's the 3 errors and missed plays that he would normally make. Maybe his age is getting to him or maybe I'm just freaking out all too early like I usually do at the beginning of every year. We'll see.

3rd Baseman-#27 Scott Rolen: Rolen is making a great comeback with already 12 R.B.I.'s and solid contact in almost every game. Nobody knew he'd feel healthy this early. His dazzling defensive work only further excites me at the prospect of being able to watch his handy work at Third for the rest of the year. He's going to be valuable protection behind Pujols. (sigh of relief)

Left Field-#55 Skip Schumaker/#53 John Rodriguez/#99 So Taguchi

: Needless to say, this isn't exactly my idea of what left field should be. I prefer the comfort of knowing there's an everyday reliable starter out there. Still, all three always seem to contribute in one way or another and I haven't seen Larry Bigbie play yet, who's supposed to be the left fielder. Taguchi and Rodriguez did well last year, so I'll give them time. Schumaker always makes me wonder what kind of parents would name their son "Skip". It's just not fair to him. It's bad enough that his last name is pronounced differently every time he steps up to the plate. Anyways, here's another obvious wait and see combo.

Catcher-#4 Yadier Molina: Besides the obvious fact of what Nan would describe as the "too cute, too cute" factor he embodies, Yadier is very exciting to watch. He's a young guy not afraid to rise to the occasion every now and then. His perpetual downside is his inability to run faster than a comatose snail, but that is where the "too cute, too cute" factor comes in. OK, not exactly, but his defense, offense and emerging leadership makes up for that. He can only go up from here. (except for the comatose snail running, I predict one day he may, indeed, run backwards)

Second baseman-#12 Aaron Miles: I know you keep hearing this from everybody else, but I'll go ahead and annoy you as well. Miles has that scrappy Eckstein like quality that makes him likeable. Is it no coincidence that they both happen to be the shortest starting middle infielders since the beginning of the 20th century? (or was it end of 19th century). Either way, he seems to have played well. Nothing too flashy. I don't know if he's the right guy to start all year for second base or if we should get someone during the deadline. I guess I'm just going through a Grudzielanek hangover and expect the awesome defense and non stop double plays we witnessed last year. He also reminds me of my cousin Hassan. Just thought I'd mention that.

Other Bench Players...

#7 Hector Luna-mostly second: If Luna played everyday like he did today, then I'd want him at Second all year. 3 R.B.I.'s, 1 homer, speed and very nice glove work? Sign me up.

#26 Scott Spezio-pinch hitter: He hit a homer today and I like that in a bench player. He has a chunk of dyed red hair on his chin and that's distracting. As the hosts of "What Not to Wear" would say, it makes me look at his red chunk and not the real him. I like the fact that he's different, though. He gives personality to LaRussa's 'consumate professional' team. He also appears to be liked by everyone and that always makes it easier to root for a guy.

#28 Gary Bennet-Back up catcher: Bennet hasn't really made any particular impression on me. I haven't seen enough of him except for when Suppan pitches or Molina needs a day off. He seems to catch well. He isn't Einer Diaz and, if you know me, that helps too. (Ladies and gents, that was Diaz suffering a Badia-burn. Enjoy, I'll be here all week.)

Starting Pitchers...

Chris "Cy Young" Carpenter, #29: (sigh of happiness accompanied by dreamy look on face) The Cy Young winner still looks up to form. Can't wait to watch the rest of the year.

Mark "too cool for school" Mulder, #30: Seems much more in control than last year. Appears to be more comfortable and at ease on the team, as well as on the mound. I think he'll be better than last year and may win 20+ games.

Jason "you lookin' at me" Marquis, #21: Same old Marquis. Has up and down innings but has done well so far. Still can hit. I still enjoy listening to his New York accent and predict he'll join the mob one day and dump someone's body in the back of a strip club. Otherwise, lookin' good too.

Jeff "lets hold hands" Suppan, #37: Suppan hasn't had luck in his first two outtings. Chicago roughed him up but his start against Milwaukee just wasn't fair. It was Carlos Lee's day. That 2nd start was much better and he keeps the Cards in the game, yadda yadda, you know the drill. I wonder if Suppan gets annoyed whenever we all say "at least he keeps them in the game". I know it's supposed to be a compliment but sheesh. Maybe someone should hold his hand.

Sidney "I punch judges" Ponson, #13: I like how he's pitched so far, a good number 5. I believe he can have another year here in St. Louis like he did 2 years ago with the 17 win season. The fans will be behind him and he's sober now. It's always good to have a man who's punched a judge on your team too. It gives us the chance to say "Don't mess with the Cards, biatch, we punch judges". Hard core, man. Hard core.

Bullpen...

Stock Down-Jason Isringhausan, #44 : In the past, he's loaded the bases in the 9th and walked away unscathed... for the most part. This year, he's just being Izzy, except he's blowing it. His unravelling against the Cubs in Chicago was one of the most uncomfortable things I've witnessed in recent Cardinals memory. His inability to find the strike zone was, gasp, a little Ankiel-like. I have faith that like hitters, Izzy is in a slump. He just isn't getting the job done and it's like he's enemy #1 in St. Louis right now, but I have a feeling that come the All Star Break, we'll almost forget that this all happened.

Stock Up- Adam Wainwright, #50: Ahhh, the golden boy in the Pen. He's been the best we've seen out of the bullpen so far this season and seeing that what he throws is only a preview of what could very well be in our starting rotation next year is great. He looks confident. He looks mechanically sound so far. Cha-ching.

* Randy Flores,#34, has done well. Nothing to complain about. Brad Thompson,#48 , has given up a few runs, but he still seems in control and his pitching says, "Take these strikes and do what you can with 'em, cause they'll keep coming." At least we know what to expect. Josh Hancock,#32 , Braden Looper,#41, and Ricardo Rincon,#73, are still in the "learning what our roles are" stage. They've been shakey as well, but we'll give them their time, for now. Can I also just say that with a name like Ricardo Rincon, you were meant to be seen on television. Unlike Skip Schumaker's parents, Rincon's parents knew what they were doing. Bravo.

**Let me hear about your own thoughts for the team so far.

***Tomorrow I'm going to my first game of the regular season. I'll let you know how it goes (Mulder vs. Arroyo). Come on back now, ya hear!?