Good 'Times'

I've almost forgotten what it's like to read an engaging, solid, well-written daily newspaper.

Felt like crap today. Some kind of intestinal bug. It's such that I'm not going to see Robinella tonight, if that tells you anything, which it should.

Was able to get out this morning long enough to secure a Sunday Times. The Halls Kroger either doesn't stock it anymore or was sold out by 11 a.m. I headed south and found one -- the last one -- at the Fountain City Kroger. Hey, I'm not complaining. If it weren't for Kroger, I'd have had to drive all the way to West Knoxville.

So, I've sat here in my chair all afternoon, sipping Sprite and eating toast. Not fun.

But, I've been reading the Times, too, with baseball playing in the background. And guess what? It's taken me all afternoon just to get through the A section. Something else might take you 10 minutes to scan through its entire contents. At this rate, though, I don't know when I'll make it back to the sports section or the book review.

Meanwhile, the Tigers took care of bid'ness against the A's and the Angels just completed a sweep of the Yankees at the Big A. I've been looking in on the Olympics, but missed what I wanted to see -- the U.S./China basketball game.

Back to the paper, I guess. Read an interesting piece about a little-remembered December 1975 bombing of a baggage terminal at LaGuardia. Apparently the major suspect (the perpetrators were never caught; no one, in fact, was charged) was deported in July after his life sentence was paroled on another crime.

Just for the hell of it, I looked at Amtrak rates from Charlotte to Penn Station. I can get up there and back for less than $200. Part of me wants to make it up to Yankee Stadium before it closes this September. Doubt I can get decently priced tickets at this point, though.

Oh, well. I'll get to the new park, I guess. Maybe next spring.