My mom is thrilled. Somewhere out in the æther my grandfather and aunt are smiling. Maybe Buck Weaver, too.

Very exciting game. Bakke pitched way better than I expected, but I knew deep in my gut that however much I was pulling for them, the Astros just weren't going to get a hit when they needed it. It was just the White Sox' year.

The scariest moment of the night came before the game when they introduced Edward James Olmos, and I thought he was going out there to sing the national anthem. Fortunately, reason prevailed, and he was only there to introduce the all-Latino Legends team. I can't quarrel with any of the picks, although I think it might be better to let Vlad and (especially) Pujols actually play in the bigs a few more years before calling them all-time greats. It's not that they aren't worthy, but it's also true that at this point in his career, Don Mattingly was held in almost as high esteem as Pujols. It was sad to see Rod Carew looking so frail. He's only in his fifties, yet he was moving like he's seventy or more.

In other national anthem news, I am reliably informed that James Earl Jones spoke the national anthem at Fenway Park this season. Huh.