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Batting cleanup, this fall morning: Edward Cossette Jim Caple (original) Tom Boswell Eric McErlain (original) And A. Bartlett Giamatti: “It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoon and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, you rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then, just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.” ...

WISH 69: Non-RPG Games for Gamers (original) asks about the other side of the gaming world: Recommend three non-RPG games for RPGers. Why do you recommend these three? Well, blackjack is lots of fun — no? Oh, got it. Diplomacy, first off. It takes a while to play, and some RPG groups are used to those six to eight hour sessions. Plus you can roleplay the countries. Plus it’s a sneaky introduction to the idea of diceless gaming. ...

Since 1978, he’s released 34 albums. That’s sort of the standard entry point for discussing Jandek, because there’s not much else to say. There’s no conclusive evidence about the person who makes the records, and the music is inaccessible and dark. He lives in Houston, he releases about a record every year, and he charges $8 apiece for them (or $4 apiece if you order 20 or more). It’s sort of bluesy, sort of folky, sort of out of tune. Alas, since his record label reissued all the old vinyl on CD, you can’t easily find his songs on the Internet anymore. ...

Well, since you asked (original), Eric… I stand by what I said. I am prouder of this team than I could possibly express. They gave me more than I ever expected. And I will die believing that the players on the field did not lose that game. After all, I was right. Pedro pitched like he pitches when he needs to win. Clemens faltered, as I felt he would. The Red Sox remembered how to bat. ...

Not Photoshopped.

If this (original) isn’t mockery of a high order, I don’t know what is. Bush told his senior aides Tuesday that he “didn’t want to see any stories” quoting unnamed administration officials in the media anymore, and that if he did, there would be consequences, said a senior administration official who asked that his name not be used.

And that brings us to a seventh game that has every excuse to be the best game seven ever. After tonight’s game, I’m finally ready to echo a sentiment I’ve heard a few times this post-season. The Red Sox have now given me every bit as much of a season as I could have hoped. They have given me thrills, and hope, and joy, and I say this next without a hint of pessimism concerning tomorrow’s game: I won’t cry bitter tears if they lose tomorrow. I am satisfied. I am happy. ...

Phil Carter was on fire yesterday. First off, this post on radical Islam in prison (original) is fascinating. It’s one of those issues which is obvious after someone points it out, but only then. Radical black racism often uses Islam as a skin in the United States. Cue Louis Farrakhan. This “Islam” has very little to do with mainstream Islam — but you could say the same of Al Qaeda, and it makes sense for Al Qaeda to recruit inside the prisons of America. ...

Also from Phil Carter (original), we have a blog dedicated to the DC sniper trial (original). It’s sponsored by the Virginian-Pilot. A little bit gawkerish, perhaps, but it’s news and there’s something to be said for opening up the courts. In any case, it’s important for what it represents. Journalists have better access than the rest of us; it’s always nice to see them using blogs and the rapid update paradigm to bring us that news.

Wolfowitz made a nice speech at the Hungarian Embassy today. I shouldn’t really pick on it; it’s a semantically meaningless speech designed to make Hungary feel good. And Hungary should feel good about itself; it’s emerged from some really nasty totalitarianism. Still, he had one of those quotes, and I can’t resist. “And, frankly, it is particularly important to have friends who really understand the value of freedom. And I think countries that regained their freedom relatively recently seem to have that sense more strongly sometime than others.” ...