I Saw Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game

2009-07-23 15.22.06

Nothing reaffirms your love for baseball until you see something that has only happened 18 times in the history of the game. Yes, I was one of the 28,000 lucky people to see Mark Buehrle throw a perfect game today. I’ve seen some pretty amazing sporting events in person and on television, but it will be incredibly hard to top this. I think I noticed that he had it going by the end of the 4th inning. It was still early, but it was hard not to notice. He did look good early in the game considering he had mowed down some of the better hitters like Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, and Ben Zobrist. He was cruising for awhile and the talk in the stands started to grow. The common practice in baseball is to not talk about a no-hitter when it is happening. It is bad luck. I did not see anything on TV, but I would be shocked if Hawk Harrelson even mentioned it until the end of the game. As the game wore on, my stomach was even turning since I knew I had the chance to see something special. Luck, though, was on Buehrle’s side. There were two foul balls down the left field line that missed by inches. One of them almost knocked over the third base umpire. And, I’m sure most people will talk about the catch by Dewayne Wise. I was unable to see the catch because I was in the left field bleachers, but when it came off his bat, I figured it was over. Then, the crowd right above his head started cheering and I was stunned. At that point, it was fate. I’ll be recording the replay tonight, buying newspapers tomorrow, and getting pictures and videos from my friend who went with me. No other words to describe it…

My New Desk

desk

So, I had gotten tired of my chipboard desk. You know, the desks you can get for less than $100 at Office Depot that fall apart after a few years. And, I decided to look for something more sturdy and desireable. At my old company, Lund and Company, I loved these workbenches that we used. They had solid wood table tops and metal legs. I thought I was going to have to search around for one, but they were gracious enough to give me one. Now, all I have to do is mount some racks underneath the table and organize the wires in the back, and I’ll have exactly what I’m looking for. I think one of my favorite parts of the desk is the deep tabletop. It makes the table seem immense without feeling like it is overly large. Yes…this is an improvement.

One Year…No Car

I have tried to avoid posting about things that are not inspiration related, but I think this fits since I am an inspiration to myself. Over a year ago, I sold my car in an effort to be more “green” and save money. And let’s just say, I have barely missed it. Yes, my wife still has a car and I do use it for some things, but for the most part, I bike, take the train, take the bus, and walk. It is amazing how often I have NOT needed the car. When you have one, it seems like you HAVE to have one. Yet, there are so many things that I can do without it. And, I have sort of forced myself to do with public transportation. For instance, I’m not a big fan of carrying of bags while on the train or bus, but I maje it happen. Even thought the public transportation here in Chicago can be frustrating, the time I supposedly “waste” in transit I can use to watch movies on my phone or read. You really can’t beat it. I just hope that when I move out of the city I will still be able to live without a car…