Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."

I let Ginger out around 4:15 this morning and then I sat down here to peruse the current weather and the news in baseball. I'll get to college football in my next blog.

We have a current temperature of 45°, the expected overnight low. Later today, the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 55° with a 40% chance showers/T-storms throughout the day and into the evening hours. The forecast calls for the chance of showers to peak @ 11:00 a.m. and again later @ 5:00 p.m.

Tomorrow, Saturday, the NWS is forecasting an 80% chance of T-storms and a high of a much more seasonal 67°. In fact, the forecast through next Wednesday calls for rainy conditions, albeit with highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Fall is definitely here. Did I mention, that the sun will rise this morning @ 7:47 a.m. and set later @ 7:19 p.m.?

Speaking of baseball, my beloved Red Sox, owners of the best record in baseball, are home tonight to face the Yankees @ 7:32 p.m. Go Sox!

The Indians visit the Astros today @ 2:05 p.m., in what should be an easy series for the Astros. The Indians were the division champions in a very weak AL Central division that featured the Tigers, the Twins, the Royals, and that other team from Chicago, all teams with sub-.500 records.

The Braves play the Dodgers tonight @ 9:37 p.m. Those two teams are pretty evenly matched, so it should be a good game.

The Rockies once again face the Brewers today @ 3:05 p.m. after being narrow losers, 2 - 3. I think that the Brewers will be the ultimate winners of their series and then get stomped by the Dodgers. However, I also predicted that the Cubs would make it to the World Series too.

In Cubs news, Theo Epstein is shouldering the blame for the lack of a decent bullpen. Once closer Brandon Morrow went on the DL in July, the bullpen was thin at that position. Plus, the starting pitching was thin too, as Tyler Chatwood just didn't pan out and Yu Darvish, well you know what happened to him, didn't pitch much at all. Mike Montgomery was pressed into service as Darvish's replacement and while solid, he was not spectacular. I could go on, but you get the picture. By the by, Kris Bryant was on the DL a lot this past season, laying in only 102 games, but he is expected to be 100% next season.

We had John over yesterday to do some basic maintenance around the PE. He fixed some leaks, touched up some paint, and caulked too. I love being able to watch someone else do those things that I used to do. There are a few outdoor things that we need to do before winter, but the rains predicted for the next several days will keep us indoors.

There are so many books in the Loutit Library that Mary and I want to read, plus guitars to play, pix to be taken etc., that it is fine with me/us to wait on those outdoor things. Mary wants to get back to her knitting and needlepoint too. Gosh, retirement is busy. : - ).

Today, I have to stop @ the hospital for my annual blood tests. I don't anticipate any problems, but doctors like to get additional tests all the time. I may get a chance to eat at the hospital salad bar, so it is actually a winner for me. Ciao.