Wow! It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City." I had planned to get up earlier, but sometimes the best laid plans and the like often go awry. Our current temperature is 63° as we head towards an overnight low of 45°. In addition, there is an alert for severe T-storms. I wondered why Sugar the Weather Dog was sleeping next to the bed, but she must be sensing a disturbance in the force, to borrow a phrase. However, the alert from the National Weather Service for frequent cloud to ground lightning and heavy downpours at 2:45 a.m. seems to have missed us and been canceled. I never heard a storm nor thunder. So I'll have to rely on Sugar for her forecasting skills. As of now, the storms are expected around noon today.

In sports news, the boys in blue are having their usual end of season resurgence. Well not really. They are 14.5 games out of the lead in their division and officially eliminated from the post-season. But they won over the Dodgers, by a score of 8 - 7. The Dodgers are the division winners in the N.L. West™. My beloved Red Sox are also officially out of the playoffs too. They lost to the Orioles 2 - 7 and their sub .500 record ensured their missing the post-season in their division. The Tigers are officially in the playoffs in the A.L. Central™, and once again have a 2.5 game lead over the Royals whom they defeated 3 - 2. Miguel Cabrera is having a great September after having a sub-par, for Miguel, regular season. He has lower numbers of home runs and RBIs than past years, but is still a dominant force for the division leading Tigers.

In other sports news, the MSU Spartans defeated the Eastern Michigan Eagles by a lopsided score of 73 - 14. They are 2 - 1 in the Big 10 East, good for second place. The Michigan Wolverines fell to the Utah Utes 10 - 26. They are all too mediocre. A two hour delay in the game caused by lightning strikes wasn't enough to give them a chance to win. The Wolverines are 2 - 2 in the Big 10 East. A bowl game is still possible, but that is true for teams that are sub .500 sometimes. The Northern Illinois Huskies fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks 14 - 52. While the Huskies are in second place in the MAC 10, they epitomized the superior force concept. The Bears and the Lions play later today. The Bears are 1 - 1 and in the lead of their division, the N.F.C. North™. Need I say more? The Lions are also at 1 - 1 in the N.F.C. North™, which is third. Go figure.

In other news, I had a great time at the Irish Jam session, but then I always do. My surgically rebuilt shoulder held up just fine. I came home to do more highlighting, just missing the storms that hit the area in the afternoon. Sugar was at my feet until the first clap of thunder and then she was off to her hide-e-hole. I am nearly done with the highlighting. Mary says that she is behind me, but I like to get things off my desk, so I'll finish the final 32 pages later this morning before subjecting myself to pro football.

That's the news for now. The sun will rise at 7:26 a.m. and set at 7:45 p.m. Ciao.