Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 4:45 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is 50° under clear skies, but it feels like 47° with a wind out of the east @ six mph. The overnight low is not likely to drop any further than that same 50° before we reach today's high temperature of 65°, which is nine degrees warmer than yesterday. Our overnight low-temperature tonight should be 53°. The sun will rise this morning @ 6:13 a.m. and set tonight @ 9:10 p.m.

Our Senior Staff Photographer and Ginger went freelancing earlier today. Our Senior Staff Photographer took along her Olympus TG-6 Tough Camera and took some shots that she knew I would like, but also one that I'm relatively sure was her own whimsical look into the past. Here are those pix. 

Her idea of what the world should be is a 1960s-era VW convertible. 

My idea of the world as it is is an empty playground with a construction crane in the background.

Baseball yesterday was another mixed bag. I watched the 14 - 27 Tigers send yet another of their young pitching prospects, Elvin Rodriguez, to the mound in the Major Leagues with the outcome not an unexpected loss, 4 - 5, in extra innings, to the 26 - 16 Minnesota Twins. Rodriguez gave up a grand slam home run in the bottom of the first inning, but the Tigers clawed their way back, pun intended, to tie the game. The usually reliable RHP reliever, Andrew Chafin, coughed up the winning run and the Tigers came away with yet another loss. Tonight's game with another rookie, RHP Rony Garcia, on the mound begins @ 7:40 p.m.

The 17 - 24 Cubs are still struggling, but they managed to convincingly defeat the woeful 12 - 29 Reds last night, 7 - 4, as LHP Drew Smyly, 2 - 5, notched the win for the northsiders. The Cubs saw Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel hit back-to-back home runs on two consecutive days, a feat not seen since the late Ernie "Mr. Cub's" Banks and the late Jim Hickman did that same feat in late August of 1969. Those of us old enough to remember that ill-fated season, fondly remember those two players. 

At any rate, Wisdom and Schwindel were joined by Ian Happ in the home run derby. The Cubs and the Reds play again tonight as RHP Marcus Stroman pitches for the Cubs @ 6:40 p.m. EDT.

The suddenly surging, 19 - 22 Red Sox were off yesterday after winning their 5th in a row Sunday. They are in Chicago tonight to face that other 21 - 20 team, as RHP Nick Pivetta, 2 - 4, attempts to extend that streak to six games for the beloved @ 8:10 p.m.

The 18 - 21 Caps were also off yesterday. They are home tonight to face the 26 - 12 Dayton Dragons @ 6:05 p.m.

Around here, the day promises to be less busy, as we have nothing on our schedule. We'll continue to ear-read from the Great Gatsby and possibly my own readings from The Trials of Harry Truman, along with the silent reading of my own novel too. I hope to get to the newspapers today and perhaps the crossword puzzles too, along with a trip to the nursery in Allendale, MI for some additional plants for the vast gardens. I guess that we'll be busier than I thought. Ciao.