Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:30 a.m. in "The City."

Well, it's over, the rotund one has sung. It is once again "Wait until next year" time, etc. The Cubs lack of offensive firepower led to their quick exit from the Wild Card post-season playoffs. For me, it was tough enough to not have all of the baseball I could consume this year, but the Cubs were only pretenders once again. It has now been four seasons since the Cubs have won the World Series™ following a 108 year drought and as of now, there are no players who should feel safe. If they can't contend on a regular basis, then it is time to trade people like Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez etc. 

LHP Jon Lester should be history. Let him go to a team that can appreciate his unique abilities. See if anybody will pick up erstwhile closer Craig Kimbrel's large contract. Try to sign or trade for a legitimate closer, something the Cubs have not had in a long time. Kyle Schwarber? Yeah, that guy who has not lived up to his promise. Time for him to go to an AL tam that will allow him to be a DH most of the time. The Cubs cannot rely on Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks as there ace pitchers. They need a stud who can eat up innings and win more than he loses.

My beloved Red Sox???? I honestly don't know. Will Alex Cora return to replace the departed Ron Roenicke as manager? There are a lot of names being tossed around right now. The Sox need a regular second-baseman, as Dustin Pedroia is unlikely to ever play for the Sox again while still drawing a large salary.

Will OF Jackie Bradley Jr. resign with the Sox? Will former ace, LHP Chris Sale, come back after Tommy John Surgery? Will LHP Eduardo Rodriguez be able to come back following his own battle with myocarditis, a result of complications from the Covid-19 virus? Will RHP Nathan Eovaldi be more consistent? Will the Sox' young pitchers like RHP Nick Pivetta and RHP Tanner Houck continue their progress? I dunno, but I have to root, root, root for my beloved Red Sox.

The Tigers should be able to contend next year if they can get the right manager. Rumors have them talking to former Red Sox skipper Alex Cora and former Astros manager, A. J. Hinch. Both men were let loose by their respective teams after that infamous sign-stealing scandal. Personally, I'd steer clear. The Tigers have several young pitchers ready to go and some veterans too. If Miggy can be the regular DH, the Tigers' should be set to go next season, assuming that there is a next season.

We have a current temperature of 42º that feels like 42º with only a 2 mph wind blowing. We may or may not see some additional precipitation this morning. That may alter my outdoor plans with the fur-children. There is a Frost Advisory in effect for much of West Michigan until 8:00 a.m. this morning, but that's only for areas where the nighttime temperatures will get lower than we'll see on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The sun will rise @ 7:45 a.m. and set later @ 7:21 p.m.

At any rate, I am done in the upstairs bathroom and I think the results are nothing short of terrific! Of course, I am biased, but even Mary had to say that I "Done good!" Plus, now that she has her new dragon hook on the wall, she was able to complete her dragon/medieval motif in the room.

What's a castle without a dragon?

Mary was gifted this cross-stitched dragon by a former colleague. Linda, who is very talented.

My own contribution, on a wall that is smoother than when it was first built.

Today is indoor chore day. No baseball to get in the way. Sigh. I want to play more music, read more, take the fur-children for a walkabout, and that's about it. Mary wants to read more too. She is still in crafting mode, so that's in the mix somewhere too. More TV, more retirement seems in order. Ginger still needs to be groomed. Ciao.