Meandering

• Our long national nightmare is over again, hopefully for good. Discoshaman is back in the saddle.

• As you know, I enjoy putting together lists of people I can't believe are still alive. The other day, I realized Art Linkletter is still alive. This whole category should be named for him. He came and spoke at my high school in 1987, and he seemed like he was about 85 then.

• I'll be seeing what will probably be my last game at St. Louis's Busch Stadium this Sunday (unless I get another unexpected trip to the World Series this year...), as they take on the hated New York Yankees.
  
  There are a lot of memories in that place. I watched everyone from Bob Gibson to Matt Morris pitch there. I heard the place rumble with "Looooooou" when Hall of Famer Lou Brock would come to the plate. I saw Ozzie Smith own the 90 feet between second and third base for 15 seasons (and watched him hit the shocking game-winning homer off Tom Niedenfuer in game five of the '85 NLCS). I saw the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series there, and my son and I watched the Boston Red Sox win their first Series in 86 years there. I first stepped into a Major League clubhouse and dugout there.
  
  The stadium, with its 96 distinctive arches at the top, will be demolished at the end of the season to make way for the Cardinals' new ballpark, which is set to debut on Opening Day 2006. I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss that place.

• That reminds me: There's never been a better defensive shortstop than Ozzie Smith. Ever. All you "but what about Cal Ripken?" people can forget it. Cal was terrific, but the likes of Ozzie have never been seen in Major League Baseball. Ever.

• Justin Taylor of Desiring God Ministries (the ministry of one of my heroes, John Piper), has launched one of the most consistently informative and interesting Christian blogs on the 'Net. Well worth bookmarking.

• Same goes for Phil Johnson (except the part about working for John Piper--Phil works with John MacArthur). His new blog, Pyromaniac, launched only a week or two ago, has become one of the most satisfying stops on my daily blogroll.