Take me out to the ball game

Here it is, 11:38 p.m., and I'm posting to my blog.

I was reading Entertainment Weekly today (hate the new format). It's one of the few mags I actually read, although I hardly know any of the 'stars' or musicians they write about. How can this person be a star if I've never heard of him or her?

Anyway, I always like Stephen King's columns. I'm not the biggest fan of his books, but his pieces in EW always make me smile, if not laugh.

Last week he was writing about how TV ruined baseball.

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Yes, it's a column about baseball. But before you click away (grumbling, ''If I wanted to read about sports, I'd subscribe to Sports Illustrated), let me add it's also about TV and greed. Have you ever noticed that those two simply go together like peanut butter and jelly, or ''Cheech? (That's supposed to be "Cheech and Chong.")

LAST PARAGRAPH: I tell myself I'm cynical — hardened to all this — and mostly I am, but I'm still amazed at how corrupting television can be...although there's no doubt MLB has loved being corrupted. Someone ought to give them a pants-down butt whippin'. Except I'm afraid it's already too late. As one ESPN commentator put it recently, ''Commerce trumps conscience every time.''

I had actually forgotten that baseball games used to be on during the day, but when I think back, I can remember clearly that I watched my Detroit Tigers (even World Series games) in daylight. It was summer, and school was out.

That concluding sentence, ''Commerce trumps conscience every time,'' sent a chill down my spine. I know that it's true, but so few people really ever say it out loud.

We should all remember that as the next few days and weeks unfold. I'm hearing rumblings and grumblings.

By the way - Dave's not here, man.