How I love my guys!

Baseball season is over in Chicago. Earlier than I would have liked, of course. But last night was still glorious.

It came down to this: a one-and-done playoff game with the Colorado Rockies.

•  13 innings.
•  Just minutes shy of 5 hours.
•  The longest Wild Card game in MLB history.
•  The longest plauoff game ever played in Wrigley Field!

There was a ground rule double, with the ball lost in the ivy.

The Cubs went though 9 pitchers -- 3 of them starters in a relief role -- and it got to the point where I was wondering; "Even if we win and advance to the next round, who will be ready to pitch on Thursday?"

Pedro Strop returned from the DL to strike out two and get us out of a jam.

And, most unlikely, Javier Baez caused controversy by hugging Nolan Arenado after Arenado tagged him out. Why is this controversial, you ask? Isn't it a sign of good sportsmanship? Well, not if the ball is still in play. Did Javy mean to commit interference? Ask Javy!

So it was the damndest game. A real thrill ride.

Farewell and thank you, fellas. Go home, relax and heal. I can't wait to see you again in the spring.

I fell in a ditch

No, really. I'm being quite literal here. I fell in a ditch.

The street in front of my building is all torn up. That's what happens when the sewer is being replaced. Some days there are big, earth moving machines out front. Maybe the street's closed to traffic, maybe it's not. Every day feels like Anything Can Happen Day.

Sunday night, at dusk, I was coming home with a bag of groceries and a slice of thin crust pizza. I was thinking about the dog I just passed. It was a wiry little terrier who was being walked by two men. It occurred to me that when I see two women walking together, I assume they're friends, and when I see two men walking together -- especially if they're young and well dressed, like these two dog walkers were -- I assume they're gay.

That's the lofty thought that distracted me at the very moment when I tripped over a metal thing (don't ask) and fell into a ditch.

It took me a long moment to land. I actually formed thoughts as I was falling -- "Am I going all the way down or can I stop myself?" -- and then I landed hard. It took me a while to collect myself, to get my grocery bag together, to get up and head back on up the sidewalk. Somehow my keys fell out of jeans and I had to retrieve them. Limping my way back up to my home, guess who I passed again. Yes, the guys with the terrier.

My knees are still a bright blue and purple mess. But I don't really hurt. And I believe I'm the only one I know who has ever fallen into a ditch. So there's that.