Al-Master

This is what a lot of my bleacher friends call me (i.e. the human Ticketmaster), since whenever someone needs a ticket, I seem to be able to find one for them.

Last night was a little different, as I found myself with a whole bunch of extra tickets for the Tampa Bay series next week. Hey, I thought -- first week of June, night games, who wouldn't want to go?

Apparently, a lot of people. But before the game even started, I had sold five of them. Incidentally, I still have three more for the night game next Wednesday, in case anyone's interested! (Ex-Cub Jeremi Gonzalez will most likely be the Devil Rays starter that night.)

And, last night I had yet another good bit of news about tickets, as one of the 100 postcards I had sent in (I enlisted friends and family all over the country to help me in this cause) to the All-Star ticket lottery was chosen, so I won four strips of tickets to the various All-Star events, including the home run derby, which is often more interesting and fun than the game (it sure was last year, for example). This will be my sixth All-Star game (1975, 1983, 1984, 1990 and 1991 the others -- the best of them being the '75 game in Milwaukee, in which Cub Bill Madlock shared MVP honors)

Carole & Ernie showed up late, and blamed the Clark St. bus. It was Ernie's first game in the bleachers this year; so we figured it must have been his fault for the second ugly loss in a row, a 9-4 stinker to the Pirates. There's something wrong with Matt Clement -- there has to be, all his pitches are getting hit hard, and those that aren't, aren't finding the strike zone. The Pirates scored early and often, and Jeff and I both called Corey Patterson's meaningless 8th inning home run. And further, my son's "Pirates" park district league team beat the "Cubs" park district league team. Hmmm. I've got to get him on an American League team next season!

The Wrigley Field running squirrel made its first appearance since October 7, 2001, a day in which it relentlessly harassed Gary Matthews, Jr. That got the loudest crowd reaction of the night. (Yeah, I know, it's almost certainly not the same squirrel.)

And Sue came out to the park for the first time in a month, said she's done with chemo and feels great. What a great positive attitude she has. And, she's going to use the fact that her hair fell out to her advantage -- she says she's going to an office costume contest as Dr. Evil, so she's sure to win. I told her she has to bring photos!

Mark Prior will try to stanch the bleeding this afternoon, weather permitting.