Every night I have the same dream. I'm 20 years older, happily married in Grand Rapids, Mich., with a big brown dog and a six-year-old son named Timmy. Two weeks before Timmy's seventh birthday I go to the local sporting goods store and pick out a big, beautiful, brand new baseball glove.
I heard a rumor the other day that baseball is played outside of New York. I'm just as surprised as you are, but apparently there are 28 other teams out there, with 28 general managers, all of whom are salivating over the richest free agent class in baseball history.
I ducked underneath the turnstile and my father took my hand in his, leading me up the stairs to the elevated 7 train.
Remember that kid in fifth grade who thought he was smarter than everyone else? The one that got straight-A's without ever studying, that sat in the back of the class with his feet propped up on the desk and made smart-aleck comments.
ATTENTION: Baseball fan desperately seeking team to root for. Big-market, high-payroll teams need not apply. With 22 teams missing the post-season, most baseball fans are looking to "rent" a ball club to root for until the end of October.
As the air turns colder, summer officially comes to an end and Major League Baseball heads into the final week of the regular season, we turn our attention to three men whose ineffectiveness has been so brilliant that they are simultaneously closing in on three of baseball's most dubious distinctions. Omar Daal and the 20-Loss Club Brian Kingman can't sleep at night.