A nice little Saturday

Today has been a great day. I decided to spend some quality time with myself instead of suffering through the maddening traffic surrounding the Memphis-UT football game/Mid South Fair. What an excellent choice. First, I got my hair done, which is almost always a pleasant experience. Then, I ventured to the mall where I decided to update my fall wardrobe. I found a great pair of brown loafers on sale as well as a gift set of Miracle So Magic!, which included bath gel, lotion, and lip gloss for just a bit more than the perfume itself usually costs. Next, I scoured Macy's for pants and shirts that I can wear when the temperature actually dips below 90 degrees again. I found all kinds of bargains and saved an additional 20% because I used a one-day shopping pass. Sometimes it's good to be me. :) And I got home just in time to see my beloved alma mater Illinois actually win a Big Ten football game. GO ILLINI! Hope you are enjoying your weekend as much as I am. If you need another reason to smile, check out this adorable video of Michael Buble' and Tony Bennett singing "Just in Time" on the Today show this week: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041478/. Isn't it precious?

Push for the pennant

As you are probably already aware, the Cubbies have pretty much been out of the race since May. However, I am still interested in the 2006 playoff contenders since I'm a huge fan of baseball in general. The happiest news I received today was that the White Sox are now officially eliminated from postseason play. Can I get an amen? :) I've had enough of the obnoxious South Siders' bragging. This year, there will be a new World Champion. We can only hope it won't be from one of the evil New York teams.

In case you haven't been keeping up with the standings, there are still some teams who haven't clinched their division or the Wild Card yet. The most exciting race in my humble opinion is that of the NL Wild Card. I'm rooting hard core for the Phillies since my friend Carol is a huge fan and because chicks dig the long ball (thanks, Ryan Howard). As for the NL Central, the Cards have been slipping as of late and actually have a chance to blow their division lead. For the rest of this week, it's root, root, root for the Astros. The AL and NL West are also not decided, but I don't know too many people who care. My hope is that the Dodgers somehow manage to win the division and the Padres collapse so that they won't make the playoffs at all. You may think that I am still bitter about the 1984 playoffs, and you would be right. I cannot and will not ever forgive the San Diego organization for causing me unbelievable heartache at such a tender age... Stay tuned next week for my playoff predictions after all of the spots have been decided.

Rock on!

Two weeks ago, I finally broke down and bought an iPod. At the time, it was the biggest one on the market. Then last week, Apple suddenly decided to release an 80 GB version for $50 cheaper. Not cool. However, I have embraced my beautiful, black 60 GB model named Willie Mays Hayes. I just didn't realize how much personal attention an iPod needs. It takes a lot of time to load all of my CD's onto this thing (I currently have 1800 songs in my library and it can hold a whopping 15,000). You also have to make sure your iPod is dressed and protected from the elements. Luckily, my mom and sister have had one for about a year, so they were able to guide me to the iFrogz website to design a custom case: http://ifrogz.com/ . Mine is blue and red with a baseball wheel cover (shocking, I know).

If it takes this much work to maintain a portable electronic device, then I certainly don't think having children is in the cards for me... However, I have enjoyed shopping for Pod gifts like TV shows and games (Pac-Man!). Apple has created a monster because they recently added movies to their iTunes store as well. It looks like I won't be bored the next time I get stuck in an airport. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking up one of these wonderful toys for yourself.

Never forget the lessons learned on 9/11

Here is a great article from Fox Sports regarding the changing role of sports in our lives after 9/11/01: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5953886

I used to be guilty of thinking that how the Cubs were playing was the most important thing in the world. Since that fateful day, I no longer allow a baseball game to carry so much significance in my life (with the exception of the 2003 playoffs, of course). Now, I always try to remember to tell people how much I care about them, just in case tomorrow never comes.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the dedication of the new baseball field at St. Bonaventure University. This was one of the coolest events I have ever experienced. Words cannot describe the impact it had on me. It's not every day that you can see hundreds of people who shared a common experience reunite and reconnect with former teammates, coaches, and staff members. I truly cherish all of the friends that I made at Bona's, and hope that I will be able to attend Baseball Alumni Weekend for many years to come. The events of 9/11 had a tremendous impact on me personally, and I will never forget the lessons learned nor the bond I share with these special people in Western New York.