well, my bathroom's clean. i believe that fact marks the culmination of a five-weekend long project. so that's a step. of course, the rest of the apartment has gone messy then clean then messy over that time, so i've not really accomplished much. and i need to vacuum again.

i'd really like to get the kitchen monday or tuesday or wednesday, but, you know, i probably won't.

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i think the minnesota vikings are as bad of an nfl team as i've seen. the bears didn't even play well, yet destroyed the mighty viks.

the chicago tribune has a bit called "from the cubicle," in which a low-level sports staffer writes play-by-play for games of 'importance.' every bears game gets the treatment. the sox playoff games have gotten the treatment. it's really quite a good bit.

a link to today's bears recap is here. the highlight comes, without question, at the start of the fourth quarter. The great Fred Smoot is called for pass interference, although he's referred to as "The Cruise Director." I laughed out loud when I read that.

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the sox were just fantastic. i think they're the best team left, and, of course, were the best team in baseball this season. two-thirds of an inning (!!) from the bullpen over five games. incredible.

i wonder if this postseason is what joe crede needs to be a star. he's sure played fantastic. loved the game-winning RBI, a classic Midwest League-style "never stopped moving on an infield single" run scoring from second.

. . . . . .

for six million dollars, i bet the angels expected more of steve finley than for him to sit in the decisive game of the postseason. i've dtermined that, based on his hopeless 2005 season, finley is the best "i wouldn't have thought about him, but there's probably some merit there" steroid case that major league baseball had.

his major power surge - 30 home runs in 1996 after 47 in his first seven years combined - took place - not coincidentally - concurrently with teammate ken caminiti's power surge. (he had 40 HRs in 1996. he did have 26 in 1995, but only 77 in the first seven years of his career.)

and now, with testing in the picture, finley sucks. truly, it makes you wonder how many guys really were on the stuff. and, of course, how many still are. sigh. it is sad that everybody who played in the 1990's - save for griffey, ripken, and frank thomas [maybe more] - is under retroactive suspicion.

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people badmouth bobby cox for not performing in the postseason. sure you can win from april through september, but it's october that counts. bobby cox as the new "mr. may."

i'd like to submit that tony larussa is completely skating. for all the talent he's had - [8 of 10 winning seasons in st. louis; 6.5 of 9.5 - he was a midseason acquisition - with oakland; and 6 of 8 - again, some split stuff - with the white sox] he's only won one world series. if the man were truly such a genius, they wouldn't blow it so frequently down the stretch.

in the last 20 years, there's a strong argument that he's been the losing manager in the biggest world series upsets. (the dodgers in '88, the reds in '90.) boston probably wasn't beatable last year, but his 105-win team absolutely folded in the series. and it sure looks like his club is about to be a five-and-done in the nlcs this year - and he embarrassed himself by getting tossed tonight.

what a turn on that series-clinching double play. i thought we were headed for 15 more innings, but bruntlett-to-everett-to-berkman! woof!