Gnat attack

Blogging live from Saint Paul, Minn. We're just blocks from the Mississippi River, which winds its way through the Twin Cities. The day began at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, just a short drive from here. This is a land of rich bottomland forest and high bluffs. Highlights from a walk on a hot day included two bald eagles. One was flying with a duck in its talons. There also were hundreds of american coots and a pocket of warblers, some of which appeared to be yellow-rumped warblers. Warblers in fall are drably colored and notoriously difficult to identify.

I've been asked to offer opinions on the Cleveland Indians' baseball games against the New York Yankees. I will give the people what they want. There will be more to come, especially if the Tribe makes it to the American League Championship Series.

Before the series, I thought to myself: the Yankees have an unbelievable lineup, but the Indians have better pitchers. Then I thought of the simple axiom that good pitching beats good hitting. That's when I decided the Tribe would win the series. I also looked at the teams' entire rosters. The Yankees field a fantasy-quality offensive lineup, but their pitchers are either very old or very young and inexperienced. They have big names like Mussina, Clemens and Pettitte, but not much substance.

Typical Midwesterner that I am, I soon became enraged by the East Coast bias I perceived regarding the Yankees. All of the pre-series (and season-long) focus was on the Yankees and their running mates the Boston Red Sox. Young Yankees like Joba Chamberlain and Shelly Duncan had already become ESPN-generated household names. The Indians' phenoms, Fausto Carmona and Asdrubal Cabrera, both of whom had far, far superior seasons, were completely off ESPN's map. So when a swarm of midges caused the Yankees to wilt yesterday I had little sympathy. I think it was a back-breaker. Good bye, Yankees.