Ch-ch-ch-changes!

-My beloved roommate Steph moved out today, leaving the house frightfully devoid of furniture. It went from being a full, tastefully decorated space to a total bachelor pad in the space of one morning. I added the final bachelor-esque touch tonight when I stuck a George Brett poster up on an otherwise empty wall. But I think he deserves his own wall.

-Yet again the baseball world is chatting about the idea that Joe Torre may be the end of his days as New York's skipper. I was going to try and articulate why it might be the right time for that, but Jeff Pearlman totally beat me to it, and did a much better job than I could have.

To be honest, Joe Torre is the one thing about the Yankees I don't hate. He's a good Catholic, attends daily Mass, and seems pretty decent, despite the fact that he works for the Great Evil. But even the greatest men in the world couldn't make winners out of a roster full of selfish players. The Yankees are getting exactly what they deserve, and until they sack up and play as a team, they will stay far behind Boston, or Toronto, or any other team for the division's lead.

-Tonight at work I came across a familiar face, though he was in a visitor's uniform. The Oklahoma Redhawks, the AAA affiliate of the Rangers, were in Omaha for the start of a four-game series. I was jogging off the field after one of my promotions, and a player in the Oklahoma dugout was chatting with the kids who had been my contestants in the freshly-completed promotion, offering them advice on how they could have worked more efficiently and improved their performance (although how he knew so much about tossing and catching rubber chickens, I may never know). This player looked terribly familiar, but it took me a few minutes to figure it out: It was former Royals pitcher Mike Wood. The next inning, we ran a promotion that involved throwing water balloons, and there was one unpopped balloon left over. I had it in my hand as I left the field, and when Wood signaled to me that he wanted the balloon, I mindlessly tossed it to him -- it's pretty common for Royals players to ask for that kind of thing, so I'm in the habit of sharing the random fun crap with the dugouts. After I realized that this balloon would be coming back at me later, and from the arm of a professional pitcher, I regretted giving him the balloon but went about my business anyway. After another inning or two, the balloon came sailing out of the dugout towards me...and missed by a few feet! I would have expected better aim out of a pitcher, but whatever.

At the very least, I think I've met another Good Guy in baseball that I'm always seeking. If Wood pitches against Omaha this week, it will be hard to root against him.

-Speaking of good guys, I finally got my copy of Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition. (Available at the CoF website) It was awesome. I higly recommend this film to any Christian who likes baseball at all. It revolves around players who are Catholic but I think it could touch the heart of any Christian fan. Worth every penny!

-It is a beautiful night (the perfect weather for a 8-1 O-Royals win!) so we've got windows open in the house here. And the neighbors are enjoying the weather by skateboarding. The only slight problem with that activity is that skateboards hitting cement is really noisy, and it is 1:00 in the morning.

-Also...vomitories? This article about the (awesome-sounding) renovation project at The K taught me a new word. I already knew much of what the story entailed, but it was entirely worth reading for the use of that word alone. My challenge for you: Incorporate the word "Vomitory" into your conversation at least once this week.