The door accordions shut, the school bus pulls away, and summer is over. Baseball, swim team, basketball camp, day camp, Camp Invention, two weeks at the beach - done. Sunscreen, snow balls, mini golf, lemonade stands, Orioles Dugout Club, Ravens training camp - over. Pack the new school supplies in the new backpacks, fill out the emergency medical contact and early dismissal forms, fix a couple lunches, and off they go. It's a long way from that first anxious day at the bus stop a few years ago, and middle school is still a year away, so, aside from a minor crisis involving a defective three-ring binder, Day One is a pretty smooth affair.
So, where does that leave FitzFacts? Well, certainly without any excuses. Step one is remembering the password that hasn't been used in almost three months. Okay, good. Now, what's big in the news? Presidential campaign? Way too early for me, but, naturally, I'm pulling for the Irish guy, Obama.
President Bush visited New Orleans on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Did he also stop by Trent Lott's house? You know, the one that Senator Lott was supposed to rebuild bigger and better? And where is Mike "Heckuva job, Brownie" Brown these days? Ah, here's the answer, buried in the "A" section of the Washington Post. A "disaster preparedness consultant?" (In my best Jon Stewart voice) So you preside over the agency that horribly mismanaged the worst natural disaster in American history and now you make money by what? Reciting everything that you did wrong? Hope that gig pays by the hour. (Alternate punchline: right up there with the Michael Jackson babysitting service and OJ Simpson, marriage counselor).
More politics. Idaho Senator Larry Craig wants everyone to know that, despite trying to hide his arrest for disorderly conduct in a Minneapolis airport restroom, he is not gay and further, has never been gay. And here I thought his gayness had been successfully treated and was in remission.
Okay, enough heavy world news. Let's turn to the lighthearted world of sports, where the Orioles have lost eight in a row. I flipped over to the game last night just as the Camden Yards crowd rose to its collective feet, cheering for Danys Baez to get the third strike on Tampa Bay's Delmon Young and end the game and the losing streak. Of course, Upton singled, Delmon Young walked on a 3-2 pitch, and the next batter singled to drive in the tying run. I didn't even watch the rest of the inning, let alone the game. This morning, for about the fifth day in a row, I tried to explain to my older son that the Orioles are looking ahead to next year and trying a lot of new players. Pretty tough argument to make when veterans like Baez, Miguel Tejada and Melvin Mora play a big part in blowing the game. Firedavetrembley.com has been purchased, but, as yet is not an active page.
Countdown to Ravens is almost under 10 days.
