Sweltering again

So, we're back in the sauna that is Southern Nevada after a fabulous four days in San Francisco. I wanted to post more frequent updates from the all-star activities, but we ended up spending much less time in the hotel and much more time walking around the city and the ballpark, and I didn't lug my laptop to the yard, so that limited my Internet availability.

That's OK though -- we took every opportunity to explore AT&T Park, take in all the breathtaking views (see above) and the whole all-star experience, including Monday's interminable Home Run Derby, which lasted three freakin' hours. There were some fun moments, like when Alex Rios hit five straight home runs on the "money ball," raising $85K for the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America. And seeing Gardy pitching to Morneau (right) was a treat. And an added benefit was not having to listen to Chris Berman after the introductions, during which he referred to the St. Louis Cardinals' star slugger as "Albert 'Winnie the' Pujols."

The game itself was a load of fun -- it's always a blast to see the best of the game face off, and for my money, this is the only all-star game that matters. In the NBA, NHL, and NFL, the stars don't play defense, don't try to do anything but create highlights, and really don't seem to care. In baseball, you can't put forth a half-assed effort without it being obvious, plus there's no real physical risk in playing top-notch defense the way there is in other sports. So the effort was there, Ichiro made history with the first inside-the-park homer in an all-star game, and the AL won.

Good times were had all around, Kris and I enjoyed plenty of kidless bonding time (oh so crucial to a good marriage), and we were welcomed home on Wednesday by our lovely daughters, who were thrilled to see us. Nora, in particular, smothered me in kisses and told me numerous times how much she missed me, which made me feel like an all-star dad.

Pretty cool.