Coming of age...

Well, all I can say is getting older -- and growing up -- never felt so good.

Got back from Big Ed's Pizza in Oak Ridge by 7:30 last night to watch the San Diego Padres/Colorado Rockies play-in game (the rare 163rd regular season game) for the NL Wild Card on TBS. Fun stuff. These two teams played like they never wanted the season to end, which is the great thing about this grand old game; it gives you the illusion that a never-ending year might just happen.

The Rockies jumped ahead (you should have seen that towering, 7-iron esque shot by Central High guy Todd Helton early on), then the Padres grabbed the lead on a grand slam. Poor Padre defense allowed the Mile High boys to edge back ahead.

Then poor defense, by Matt Holliday of all people, tied the score up in the 8th. And there it remained for the 9th, 10th and 11th.

Finally, about 11:30, I couldn't take it anymore. Yes, I turned off an exciting, tie-score, extra innings baseball playoff game. Ten years ago (heck, a year ago), this wouldn't have happened. I would have stayed glued to the tube. Just slept late today.

Nah. Can't do that anymore. With age comes responsibility. I have to get up this morning and go run the news department. Plus, I wanted to exercise a bit first too.

So, I left the game behind and went on to bed before midnight. But, you see, it's cool. Today's Rocky Mountain News (online) tells me that Helton, Holliday and crew won that sucker in exciting fashion in the bottom of the 13th, capping (of course) a rally with Holliday's controversial slide home on a fly ball.

Now that the Tigers and Braves are out of the playoff picture, I'll be rootin' for the Rockies the rest of the way. Young, exciting team. Plus, I have to pull for the local boy Helton, right? He's never been to the playoffs before.

So, I'm OK and you're OK, right? Of course we are. I may even run over to the mall after work and grab a Rockies hat, I feel so good.

This being responsible thing isn't so bad after all.