183 days

This has been a fabulous weekend in Ohio/Cleveland sports. Ohio State won yesterday, the Browns finally won a game today, the Indians completed a four-game sweep of Tampa Bay... even my fantasy football team is probably going to win. (I'll know for sure after Monday Night Football tomorrow.) So many victories to celebrate!

But I'm too tired to celebrate.

(EDIT: My mistake. My kicker was playing tonight, not tomorrow night, and he already won the game for me. The first victory for the Winged Rhinos of Doom!)

I hate how Sundays have become my earliest days, as I have to be at church at 7:30 AM. And since I'll probably be working every Saturday that I am available from now until Christmas, that gives me zero days to ever sleep in. On the positive side, I won't have baseball keeping me up late anymore, so maybe I'll start going to bed earlier.

I'm glad I couldn't find anyone to go to the game with me last night. There was a rain delay of an hour and a half before they could start the game, so it wasn't over until 11 PM. Of course I stayed up to watch it, but actually being there would have made it an even later night. So I was disappointed, but it worked out for the best in the end.

But the game today was sooo fun! The reason I wanted to go last night (one of them, anyway) was because they were giving away promotional items left over from the season. Well, they still had some today too that they were giving away, so I ended up with a Drew Carey bobblehead. I really wanted a puzzle cube, or a Boone-in-a-box, but... oh well, free stuff.

I can't get the memory card on my video camera to work, so I actually put a tape in instead, to take some video since I can't take pictures. I hope I'll get around to editing that soon. It'll just be a little "Day at the Ballpark" video or something, but it could be entertaining.

I don't know if I was on the Jumbotron because we had bleacher seats, which are directly under the Jumbotron. It's kind of a silly place to seat fans, actually. (I went with my sister Emily and her friend Karen, by the way.) I made a way cool sign to hold up, as I always do. ;) This one said:

183 DAYS
UNTIL NEXT
SEASON
BELIEVE

And the "I" in "BELIEVE" was the script "I" that is the less controversial of the two Indians' logos. The "believe" thing is something that a lot of Indians fans say. I take it to mean that as fans, we should believe that the Indians will one day win the World Series. So I was just saying that next season could be it. It was a pretty great sign, and unfortunately, it can only be used once because of the 183 days thing.

After the game, I stopped at my parents' house for a bit. Now I am home, thinking about the little messes I make around my apartment that I should clean up. Stuff plopped on the couch, dishes in the sink, yarn and knitting needles all over my desk, scrapbooking supplies all over the kitchen table. But all I really want to do is start editing my video! Okay, first things first. My September book list. :)

Indians update: The Indians had a wonderful end to a disappointing season. They swept the Devil Rays in four games! Final scores: Thursday 5-4, Friday 2-1, Saturday 6-1, and Sunday 6-3. They were pretty great games too. Friday's was interesting because it wasn't really a Tribe victory so much as a Devil Rays loss. It was a tied game 1-1, and in the bottom of the ninth, four Indians batters drew walks. As in, three walked to load the bases, and the next one also walked, so it was an automatic run scored. They didn't even get a hit and they scored the winning run. Bizarre. But what a way to end the season, on such a high note. Hopefully, they'll be back in the races next year. In baseball, anything can happen.

September 2006 Book List

I've pretty much stopped listening to audio books at work. The Barberton library doesn't have a good selection, and even when I try to look for something to request from another library, there isn't anything good. I have all but given up. I still read actual books though, of course. :)

Tales from the Tribe Dugout by Russell Schneider
This is a pleasant little book full of anecdotes from and about former Indians players. It was fun to get some history of the team, and to read funny stories of what actually happens behind the scenes. There are books like this one for several different major league teams. One person that I found fascinating was Lou Boudreau. He was the Indians player-manager from 1942-1950, meaning he was a player and the manager at the same time. And at 24, he was one of the youngest managers ever.

The Funny Thing Is... by Ellen DeGeneres
My one audio book for the month. And Ellen read it herself, so of course she made it more entertaining. She just told about funny things that have happened, or are happening, or could happen. And she gives funny advice, like what to do in embarrassing situations. I think she's hilarious.

You're Out and You're Ugly, Too! by Durwood Merrill with Jim Dent
Durwood Merrill was a major league umpire for over 20 years, retiring in 1999, I think. I didn't know how tough umpires have it until I read this. It's pretty much his memoirs of how he became an umpire, the struggles he went through, and what it was like to be there. Apparently, back in the day, umpires didn't make much money and they weren't allowed to have days off during the season, except for the All-Star game break. Durwood wasn't even allowed to have a day off to attend his daughter's wedding. That's just sad. But he has a great sense of humor, and his stories are funny, and his respect for baseball is immense.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson
BOOK OF THE MONTH AWARD
I do love Bill Bryson. This is a collection of weekly columns he wrote for a magazine, mostly about how strange he finds things in America, after living in England for 20 years. He's so funny. If you've never read a Bill Bryson book, go out and find one now. Just pick one. You can't go wrong.