Forgive the following bit of self-congratulation, but I did predict Ryan Howard to take the HR Derby. (Scroll down; it's there.) 

Also, lots of rain in the Pittsburgh forecast tonight. If weather snuffs out the Mid-Summer Classic or makes it a five-hour affair, don't be surprised if Bud Selig, who has a long-standing history of overreacting to things beyond his control, confines the game to retractable-roof stadia in the future (it'll be in San Francisco next year, but beyond 2007 the venues have yet to be determined).
 

Okay, so I'm finally ready to get this thing rolling on a regular basis. Check back tomorrow night (Tuesday), and you'll find me live-blogging the All-Star Game. 

Howdy, peeps-

 Welcome to my inaugural blog post. I'll be blogging regularly here, mostly about baseball but also about sports in general and the modern condition (whatever that last part means). At this moment in time, I'm upset by the fear that MLB will, one day soon, expand the playoffs even further, and I'm also pissed about the apparent cancellation of Arrested Development. Those things make me growl.

Quote for the week: "The men that American people admire the most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest the most violently are those who try to tell them the truth."  - H.L. Mencken.

 More to come soon ...

dp