Sunday

Rule One applies again.

DeWitt this AM, but I put the bike on the deck right in the middle of town as I tried to carry the paper from the grocery store to the cafe. I was switching the paper between hands and lost my balance, and it wasn't pretty. I dislocated my right thumb, a few scrapes on other body parts, and buggered-up my front wheel. The thumb I self-doctored, putting it back in place. The wheel is trash. We called Pete's son for a ride home. I'm an idiot.

Perfect weather here.

The Cubs have put on a little run and they are only three games back on the loss side. The National League Central is a weak division, but StL took it to the house last year. It could happen for Chicago this year if they continue to get good pitching.

A-Rod is opting out of a $25 million a year contract, in the likelihood that he will get $30+ per year from NY or somebody next year. He's got all the leverage right now as his numbers year-to-date are career seasons for some players. Poor A-Rod. Then again, the guys running the successful hedge funds make A-Rod's dollars look like pocket change.

I've started making my lists for Minnesota. My departure is noon-ish on Wednesday. Is the bride down to counting hours to Fiday night?

They buried Lady Bird Johnson this weekend. She is a direct connection to JFK. I think we all remember the pictures of Lyndon Johnson taking the reins of power following JFK's assassination in Dallas in 1963. The Johnson Presidency will be forever remembered for Viet Nam. I hope that the memory of Iraq will not approach Viet Nam status 40 years from now.

The lead story in the local fish wrap today was the trending-upward price of milk. The producer is getting close to $20 per hundred-weight, which is nearly double that of a year ago. But as with most things economic, his costs have increased as well. The price of corn has been a big element, with ethanol use the big driver. I'm not convinced that the push to ethanol is anything but a political shell game in the long run. The environmentalists and "green" folks are big on the reusable feature of corn, but everything from the price of a steak to the price of Kellogg's cornflakes will be impacted by this new demand.

I'm off to salve my wounds and watch the Chicago race.

Good luck to the American-Italians as they make their way back.

Be careful out there.