Son of a....

Well, the Cubs decided to go into their annual summer slump a little early this year. They just can't seem to put it together this week and not suck. Our pitchers have really been getting the job done (until today), but our hitters just strait up dropped the ball in San Diego. Losing games 1-0, 2-1 with the line-up that we have is just unacceptable. I know we're missing Derrick Lee and all, but we still have a very solid line-up. Guys have just not been getting the job done.

Gas Prices
I, for one, am glad that gas prices are going up. People here have gotten very spoiled with our cheap gas and got wasteful with it. When you're driving a F-150 as just a commuting vehicle, you've got some problems. The gigantic SUVs, the same. If you have a family to drive around, then by all means you should have a large car. And if you can't live with a minivan or sporty wagon, then get an SUV.
If you've gotten yourself an SUV for the status symbol aspect of it, then you have no right to bitch about the cost of gas. You went out of your way to buy a vehicle with the worst milage around. If you didn't want to spend so much on gas, then you should have chosen better when you got your car.
In Europe they've been paying upwards of $5/gal for years. You don't hear them bitching about it non-stop. Or waging wars in order to supply a never-ending thirst for oil. If we really want something to change in the cost to drive, we need to develop some alternative fuels. We've got a few out there that look like they may be able to help, but only if companies start putting the time and money behind them to really start maxing them out.

Baseball
I'm happy to report that my back was healed well enough to allow me to play some baseball today. I'm still rusty from all the time off, but it was great to be out there. Pitched 4 good innings and played some great defense in center field. Had a nice running catch deep in CF to end an inning, and snagged a couple line drives on the run in another. But I still can't hit for a shit. Which is why I'll be hitting the batting cage this week. A guy from baseball just opened his own right near work, so it'll be a nice stop on the way home. And I can check it out and see how he's doing.

Okay, I need to finish off watch some Gundum Wing, then watch a little baseball, then get to bed. I'll need my rest tonight, as I'm pretty sore from baseball today. Real sore.
PEACE!!!