hello, blogerinos. it's again been a while, and i've therefore got crucial things to write about (although not really).

if the current blog-pace continues, we'll be in or out of playoffs by the time the next one rolls around. off time=more posts, which could be good or bad.


campaign
as you may recall, a few weeks ago both the kerry and bush campaigns visited the 'port. the visits came on a wednesday morning. the bush campaign was to have its event at the park directly behind our stadium, which meant that we'd be involved. (in the event of a terrorist attack, the president was heading to the home clubhouse! i can disclose that now.) my first involvement came saturday, when my gm called (i woke up, elected to not pick it up, and listened to the message) and said 'some guy named miles is going to be calling you from the bush-cheney campaign. he'd like to have some players out at their event on saturday.' for two reasons (a) my political leanings, and b) 'supporting a candidate is bad for business'), i didn't want to do it. miles called, and i didn't pick up the phone. at 330, safely in burlington, iowa, i called our gm and said that we shouldn't do it, for reason b. he agreed (which makes me wonder why i even got the call), and called miles to decline.

my next exposure came monday morning, when miles and others were scouting the region, for security issues and parking issues and helipad issues (half of our parking lot was cleared) and other issues. he asked us for clear cups, we said 'go to sam's club.' he thanked us for our help. he offered myself and my gm (the only two meeting with him) vip seating. 'you'll be on stage, within yards of the president. we'd just need to get your birth date and social security number.' my gm dutifully gave it out. i stared at miles, and said 'i won't be attending.' it was vaguely cool.

my final exposure came wednesday morning, when i walked to work rather than drive (i should probably walk every day, honestly.) i walked right by the lining up and protesting and fanatacism of the 'waiting for the president's campaign to arrive and then, later, for the president to arrive' moment. i saw one of those anti-abortion, bloody aborted fetuses that look vaguely like barbequed chicken buses drive by. i saw 'veterans for bush' and 'veterans for kerry' signs, and i wondered what the whole point of this campgaign stuff is. 95 percent of the country that votes has its mind made up. can't we just have debates and have the candidates say what they believe in? it'd make it a bit simpler.

(aside: was there anything funnier than the "where are my fucking balloons" segment of the cnn coverage of the democratic national convention? hilarious.)

apparently, banks got robbed when the candidates were in town. cool.


weissman
the ballclub was in lansing this past monday through thursday. weissman is in the tri-plus-one cities. it was natural. so steve came into the great land of lansing tuesday afternoon. denny's was had. steve got crappy bacon. steve told me about his latest cradle-robbing ventures. after watching the people's court, which greatly excited me before i realized that it would clearly only be a passing excitement, we headed to the yard. made some small talk. went down to the field. watched some bp from a distance. steve watched me interview a player. we returned to the booth.

after six innings of bad baseball, i finally asked steve to come on the air with me in the top of the seventh. he called a half-inning of us not scoring. he came back to call another half-inning but, instead, the field was cleared due to poor conditions due to the day's rain. this led to absolute radio magic. we discussed michigan, 'the hand-shaped state.' we discussed maryland, 'the greatest state in all the land.' we discussed the olympic baseball tournament, briefly. i don't know what else we discussed, but my board operator was impressed. all-in-all, something like 38 minutes of talking about nothing, with a two-minute commercial.

the drive home was also exciting, because winerman called. turns out he's replaced the invalid who replaced weissman.

(i should not that i was critical of steve's shirt. it was clearly stylish, although i;m not sure it's a 'tuesday-afternoon-at-the-ballpark' shirt. it was white. don't know the material. buttons. stylishly wrinkled. after a man-hug when i saw steve in the lobby, it was the first thing i mentioned. i kept it up far too long, even asking a millionaire player what he thought of it. 'are you going out?' he asked. steve, i think, pulled it off. my shirts are often that wrinkled, but not becuase they're meant to be that way.)


family vacation
my family went to travers city, michigan, for a week of family fun last summer. they enjoyed it so much last year that they decided to do it again. so they were out there last saturday morning through this past friday afternoon. coincidentally (?, i'm not sure), this coincided (cool!) with our trip to lansing. we happened to have a day game scheduled for wednesday, so the family swooped in and planned to whisk me away to saugatuck, michigan (resort town, closer to lansing), for wednesday night and thursday morning. (i should note here that 'family' refers only to the parents and sister. dave's got his own life, and steve was too busy playing video games.)

anyway, wednesday's game was rained out, so we got a jump on the day. it was a simple but wonderful wednesday. unseasonably cold. wear a jacket and jeans cold. but we ate dinner, and walked through downtown saugatuck (about 12 square blocks of galleries and restaurants and pubs and ice cream shops...you've been to that town before, just not in saugatuck.) dinner was great and the company was good. that night, we played rummikub with mom and annie (dad wanted to sleep) and annie and i watched national lampoon's vacation. funnier than i remembered...incredibly funny. (it should be noted that the game was signed out from the hotel and the video was available for a $1 rental from the hotel. economize, people!)

thursday morning found me dead tired as we woke up at 730 or so for breakfast when the recommended restaurant opened at 8 a.m. it was filling-riffic. then we went to the sand dunes, and took the dune ride (tourist thing #1...woof!). ralph the driver was hilarious. then we rode saugatuck's famous ducks (you've been on them, just not in saugatuck...tourist thing #2...less-woof!). the nameless driver was vaguely funny.

it was about go time, and i wanted to sleep for an hour or so before driving back to lansing with dad. but, alas, that time was spent on the phone, and i returned, dead-tired, to lansing for a 530 eastern time doubleheader. we started at 530, got the first game in in about 139. started game two at about 740...and finished it at 1202 a.m. the worst-timed 15-inning game of my life, although i got through it. we bussed to beloit, wisconsin, for a three-game weekend series...arriving friday morning at 515 a.m....ugh.


olympics
i love the olympics. i think some sports are dumb (beach volleyball, synchronized diving.). i think some sports are curiosities that i'd watch if they were on all the time (table tennis, team handball. i absolutely love watching indoor volleyball.) i get roped into swimming and gymnastics (less so) and track and field like american housewives do every time they come along. i find them fascinating.

but nbc really, really messes these things up. in this day and age, the fact remains that nbc cannot show things not-live and expect the people not to know the results. i know that phelps got third today. i know that coughlin won today. i learned on the espn scroll. i learned when i signed onto espn.com. i heard it on the radio. would it harm them to show the thing live, and then show it again, even selling it as 'live' for a second time? i know that, were the phelps (100 meter freestyle?) race on this afternoon, i'd've watched it. (then again, today's an off day, but i think many people would have watched it.) then show it again. dammit.


ipod problem
i've found the only problem that anyone could possibly have with an ipod.

backstory, and explanation.
in previous years, when on a road trip, i brought along 24 cds in my cd wallet. there were six or seven standbys, and the rest tended to become recent purchases or classics i hadn't pulled out in a while or whatever. while on these trips, i'd flip through my cd wallet to determine what it is i listened to.

this has changed. i've got the pod. i scroll through my artist lists to determine what i'd like to listen to. i generally decide what i want to listen to, scroll directly to it, and push play. however, this means that the recent purchase is not 'front-and-center.' in fact, two purchases made two weeks ago (before our recent week-long road trip), went absolutely unlistened to until sunday's return bus trip. not on any of my bus trips during the roadie (and there were numerous buses - 6 hours to lansing, 5 hours to beloit, 20 minutes to the ballpark everyday...never, not once, did i plug these int).

it's a minor quibble, but it's worth noting. perhaps there's a way i can solve it.

you could argue that i shouldn't purchase cds that i'd forget about. i'd argue that i'm addicted.


aside: the cds were the killers' hot fuss and rogue wave's out of the shadow. i'm floored by the former, although i think that feeling will probably wear off. i think rogue wave is a strong record that will grow and grow and, if i give it the chance, grow a whole lot more.

whew. i've been writing for 45 minutes.