To cleanse your palate

That whole Michael Vick thing is so icky that I thought you'd enjoy reading about a couple of athletes who get it:

Back in 1990, when he was manager of the Oakland A's, Tony LaRussa saw a black cat wander onto the field. The fans went wild (perhaps they'd heard of our curse!) and terrified the poor thing. Tony's heart went out to her and he helped the umpires capture her, and then kept her safe in the clubhouse until the game was over.

He drove the cat around the Bay area looking for a shelter to leave her at, but was dismayed to find that the odds were she'd be euthanized. By now she and Tony were buds, so he couldn't let that happen. He found her a new home on his own and then he and his wife opened ARF. His Animal Rescue Foundation is not only a no-kill shelter, it also offers free spay/neuter services and oversees a pet therapy program that brings dogs and cats to visit the elderly and abused.

I've contributed to ARF and know it meets all the BBB's standards. If you'd like to help out:
Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation
P.O. Box 30215
Walnut Creek, CA 94598

I hope all who visit appreciate how difficult it is for me to give any Cardinal props. However, I'm lovin' Lou and I'm loving my Cubs so I've become a kinder, gentler Gal.

And then, of course, there's my beloved, future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. He and his wife Kathy fund and run the appropriately titled Greg Maddux Foundation. Says she, "We put money into it Greg receives from appearances. And we use it to support children's homes, domestic crisis shelters for battered women, and boys and girls clubs in Atlanta and Las Vegas." Because Greg Maddux funds it himself, donations aren't solicited. But it gives me a chance to run a photo of him. (I do dearly love that man.)