The 2006 All-Star Game

I watched the All-Star Game tonight. I can't remember the last time I watched it all by myself. Usually I invite some friends over, but with Syd and Keith no longer in the area, and rarely ever seeing Ceej, I felt unmotivated to organize something this time around. And even Debbi wasn't home, since she had a work function to attend in the evening. So it was just me and the cats.

But it was a good time anyway. I did some reading, some mindless Web surfing, watched the game, and - during commercials - watched bits of the final table of a poker championship they'd been showing over the last few days (the final table ended up having some amusing moments but otherwise wasn't very interesting; I usually enjoy watching the earlier tables in a tournament when it comes to watching them on TV, anyway).

The game itself was a pitching duel, and thus wasn't tremendously interesting. Most All-Star Games aren't all that interesting, but then, most baseball games aren't very interesting. Part of baseball is knowing that individual moments, and whole games, are in and of themselves just small pieces in a much larger whole. Another example of Sturgeon's Revelation in action. But you wade through all the mediocre stuff and so appreciate the great stuff that much more.

The game finally got interesting in the 9th inning, with the National League up 2-1 when the American League got two men on base, and Mike Young clubbed them home with a decisive triple, letting the Americans win their 9th of the last 10 All-Star Games, 3-2. (The 10th game, by the way, was a tie.) Before you go crying for the Nationals, they won 33 of 42 games (including 8 straight and 11 straight) from 1950 to 1987. You could look it up.

Next year the game will be in San Francisco. What do you figure are the odds I could get tickets at a remotely reasonable price? I figure 20-to-1.

My plan this week is to go for a bike ride every day. I biked to work yesterday, and will go for a ride in the morning every other day. My short rides are 5-6 miles, and my long rides are 9-10 miles. Of course I could do even longer rides, but time doesn't permit during the work-week. Still, I've been having a lot of fun riding this year, and my bike hasn't had any of the problems that have discouraged me in the last couple of years, like exploding tires or broken spokes. A much better experience all around!