May 28
Happy Birthday Mom.

Baseball Roundup
The Reds and Indians each salvaged a game in their respective three-game sets. The Reds appear to be fading, just in time for June. It is, in fact, all about perspective. After the bottom of the seventh against the Diamondbacks, Cincinnati trailed 4-1. This was after being shut out in consecutive games.
Still, Javier Valentin homered to right in the ninth to give the Reds a 5-4 win. The Reds sit at 28-22, far better than anyone could have expected coming into the season.
The Indians ended the Tigers winning streak by slamming past Detroit 9-0. My patience with my hometown team is waning. It amazed me how much of a spark Tim Laker brought to the club yesterday. He not only knocked in two runs with a double, but also picked a runner off first. If I were at all optimistic about the season, I would hope Sunday's game was some sort of turning point.
The Indians need to get past .500 before anything like that can be thought about.

24
I finally caught the rest of the season finale. Whereas last year's ending left me cold, Monday's finale was a reminder why this is the best show on TV.
It was good to see President Logan get caught, rather than killed. Logan has been played so brilliantly by Gregory Itzin that it would be a shame to see him gone from the series for good.
My other favorite parts:
*Bill Buchanan (played by the outstanding James Morrison) asking Karen Hayes for a date as the day winds down.
*Christopher Henderson (Peter Weller) was one of the more interesting characters in the series' history, but he had to go. While not quite Dennis Hopper being shot multiple times and falling into the ocean, Henderson's line of "that's the way it works," made him a legendary character.
Overall, I'm looking forward to season six almost as much as I was to season two. Season one will always be my favorite, because that show's attention to detail (Jack's reaction to being up so long is never touched on these days. Doesn't anyone ever get tired?) was so great. But this season was the second-best. Maybe a cameo by Xander Berkeley could have put it over the top. Sadly, George Mason, despite it's trip to the Final Four, cannot return to the show.

John Denver covers The Weight
Hearing John Denver cover The Band is enough reason to pick up his Definitive Greatest Hits. Yet, the album has just about every hit on it. I'd consider it a must for every fan.