Okay. I'm supposed to be getting work done. But all I can do is count the hours -- seven left -- before I can take my seat behind 1st base at the Oakland Coliseum and watch the A's try to win their 20th straight. As even this Yankee fan has to admit, the A's are way past cool. The third lowest payroll in baseball set to beat an ages-old Yankee record. They win tonight, and they will have broken the American League record for consecutive victories.

Being a long-suffering Cubs fan, it's nice to be blessed with a home-town team that actually wins. It's karmic payback for years of endless Cubbie losses, and I wouldn't trade this for the world. So for one night, I'll pretend I have the money for the expensive seats I bought, pretend that this nation isn't being led by an inarticulate boffoon stricken with war lust, pretend I have a safe job, as well as the other 50,000+ fans at the game. And I'll get lost in the moment --

A ball, a bat and a glove.