Steel Kaleidoscopes

Lyrics of the Day

"The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz and the sky with no clouds. The heat was hot and the ground was dry but the air was full of sound."

— Dewey Bunnell, 1971

Catching a Foul Ball

As a kid, I always brought my glove to a Major League Baseball game in anticipation of catching a foul ball.

When you are well into your teen-age years, it's not so cool.

And when you're a certified adult, the only thing you should have in your hand is a cold beer and a hot dog.

So here it was, the last game of the season, Oct. 6, 1991, at Fenway Park. And I'm gloveless, falling into the latter category.

Red Sox-Brewers.

Roger Clemens and the Red Sox go on to lose, 6-3, but it doesn't matter.

My fiance and I are sitting in the upper deck behind first base and Paul Molitor fouls off a Clemens pitch. The ball is arching above our heads and comes down in between several testosterone-filled guys who lunge for the ball but come up empty. It hops off the pavement directly into my hands.

Way cool.

The scuffed official American League baseball still sits in my basement, tucked away.

And Molitor sits firmly in eighth place on the all-time hits list at 3,319, trailing only Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner and Carl Yastrzemski.

Not bad company.

Clemens' steroid drama aside, what are the odds of catching a foul ball off the direct transaction of two Hall of Famers?

I'll keep it.

Quote of the Day

"Where there is great love there are always miracles."

— Willa Cather, Author

Early Evening Escape

The steam rises from the parched pavement, the drone of fire engines piercing Tuesday evening rush hour outside the Park Street T stop.

Black and gray business suits clutching black briefcases and tattered backpacks, marching to the beat of  iPods while drinking Starbucks black iced coffee.

Hot time, spring in the city, July in May, routine chaos in the spirit and frenzy of running late.

Holding the Sun

 Anything is possible.

(Photo courtesy of Paul Lounsbury.)

Top 25 Puns

Stumbled across the Top 25 Puns from the International Pun Contest.

Here are a few:

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other "Does this taste funny to you?"

Two termites walk into a bar. One asks, "Is the bar tender here?"

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Saying Grace

In my iPod, Jefferson Airplane still takes flight.

Quote of the Day

"We are all faced with magnificent opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."

— Charles R. Swindell, Author

Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

Kudos, David Cook.

I don't mind being wrong.

All is well with the world.

America got it right.

American Idol: Finale

Here's how it goes: David Archuleta will win American Idol VII, but it's David Cook's album I'll be buying and whose concert I'll attend. Both singers are wildly talented, but it comes down to musical taste — does America want a pop star or a rock star? Is tonight's result a Clay Aiken or a Chris Daughtry makeup call? The horrendous boxing theme aside, this was the best finale to date. Here's the order of how the two finalists performed last night, with the odds of winning it all tonight:

1. David Archuleta
You have to admit this kid is a phenomenal singer. Vocally, he's nearly flawless with each performance. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," which, by the way, may have been Aiken's best performance in Season 2, was a great song choice and shows even more range than we've previously seen. Closing with "Imagine" was smart. Really shows he wants this. Clearly well-prepared and delivers with precision and passion. It's amazing he's just 17.
Odds of winning: 2-1

2. David Cook
Would like him to win, but realistically can't see it happening. Judges gushing over Archuleta won't help in the voting. Terrific performances with U2 and Collective Soul covers, and makes a brand new song ("Dream Day") interesting. Would have a better chance if he had picked something more familar for his closer, but like he said, this is about "progressing." Like Daughtry, Cook will sell a lot of records and make an impact on today's rock scene.
Odds of winning: 5-1