Kicking it

It's the bottom of the seventh inning. A tenative two-run lead is challenged by a bases-loaded, no out situation. One good kick and our team is sunk. Luckily, the strategery employed by our opposition ended there. The next kicker bunted into a forceout at the plate. The following kicker tried to punt the ball into the outfield. It was a can of corn. The final kicker once again bunted, and after a brief rundown it was over.

We're on a winning streak heading into the playoffs. After vowing to not lead off, I put myself at the top of our lineup. I went 2/3 with two man-bunts. The second man bunt was nullified on the wuss scale since I got to second base when neither the pitcher nor the first baseman chased my dink down the first-base line.

We can't get too excited since the team we beat 3-2 the previous week beat this team 13-2. More offense is needed for the playoffs. I can't be too upset since we had to bring in six ringers, including a few newbies, just to play.

z34 is in the midst of the rookie draft. I'm waiting for my sixth-round selection. I traded my fifth round pick for Charlie Batch. The guy who had my pick took Marcus Monk. Monk is a high-upside guy, and considering that the Bears have nothing at wideout, it's not a bad selection. Here's my draft:

1.05 Matt Forte (I already cursed him by changing my work password to his name)
1.09 Ray Rice (Like him a lot)
2.01 Limas Sweed (hopefully a starter in a couple of years)
2.05 Ryan Torain (That's five Bronco RBs on my roster)
3.05 Jordan Dizon (Best player available)
4.05 Tashard Choice (Backing up Marion Barber and as you can tell, I likes me some running backs)
6.05 The classic best player available

It was weird to read a story about the White Sox/Rays series as a battle between two first-place teams. The Rays have the first pick in next week's MLB draft. MLB is good at humbling their draft picks, as all of them will suffer through at least a couple years of bus rides and bad postgame buffets. The NBA and NFL wish they could season their players in this way.

I'm watching the Penguins/Red Wings game tonight. What psychological edge does a team get when the home fans all wear the same color? The Penguin fans are all wearing white. In sympathy, I will go shirtless all game.

No shave gel should sponsor the NHL playoffs. Yet, the first sponsor is Edge. OK then.

You known hockey is the toughest sport since players only stay on the ice for a couple of minutes before being replaced by another line.