Editor's note: Dickie has no business writing right now, as he is *fantastically* inebriated. New options of convenient public transportation and not having to drive home are both being considered as factors in these developments. We will have a board meeting tomorrow to discuss Dickie's future here at the Journalscape (TM) family.

Whoa! This approaches the closest thing to the perfect sports weekend. Unbelievable! Funny I don't remember making a deal with the devil... First, Steve Finley bangs the door shut on the hated Giants with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth.

It doesn't get much better than that.

...Or does it?

'Met up with a friend up north at an Evanston pub tonight. 'Throwing back Dewars on the rocks. What's this? My team is tied with Ohio State.

Let's (briefly) review Ohio State: Ohio State is the dark cloud that descends upon whatever town it's playing. OSU fans don't visit, they invade. Evanston may as well be Iraq right now.

As early as this afternoon, when I was writing about rubber ducks racing in a lagoon, I was driving behind Ohio State fans. And yes, it bothered me. And yes, it was refreshing to feel "territorial" over a new school.

Ohio State is the fifth-top-ranked football team in the United States. It might as well be a pro franchise.

My school isn't even ranked. My "grad" school, where I'm trying my damnest to get into the spirit of Big 10 football...

What's this? We're leading by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter?

But OSU ties it at the end of regulation. Oh well, I knew it was too good to be true. No complaints - I used my karma for the day on a very good cause: the Finley slammer.

...waitaminute. OSU just missed an OT field goal.

...ohmigod. We just scored a touchdown. We won.

Unbelievable! I gotta say, there was satisfaction watching the air rush out of all the invading Ohioans, the diverse sea of blonde caucasian that they are. Growing up, no matter how much my mom hated or despised the enemy team, she always took pity on them after a crushing defeat: "Oh, look at those poor kids!"

Well, not me. New town - time to turn over a new leaf. With Dickie, a new Cronkite generation of cold uncaring resolve begins...

So with these two monumental back-to-back wins, apparently someone up there totally likes me. Or, are they just preparing me for failure next week? I have a tough few days coming up. The horror stories and rumors are already floating. Next week makes-or-breaks some people. We'll see.

Oh well. If I fail out, I fail knowing that there is justice in the sports world. I die with a smile on my face.

:D!