Where's Tommy?

-Well...Hello again! Sorry about the absence. Too much to do...too little time. You know how it is.

-Son Stewart ended his run in Thrill Me-The Leopold and Loeb Story last night. He reports a full house and long standing ovations from the crowd at the end of the run. A great experience for our young actor. Stew also reports much activity on the "potential work" front... but we don't talk specifically about that not wanting to jinx anything. Next up, a very exciting project with the producers of a new stage adaptation of The Reader. It's a novel by German writer Bernard Schlink that was on the NY Times best seller list several years ago. It's currently being made into a movie with Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet. I'll have more as that project develops.

-The Cardinals made a good move to shore up the confidence of fans...if not the rotation...by signing Kyle Lohse. He's not a huge difference-maker...but is a solid pro.

-The Blues...after the last couple of weeks...well, should be in a good position for another outstanding draft pick this year. And frankly, I think that's just fine. Keep putting potential star players in the pipeline for another year or two. Then let's worry about competing for The Cup.

-Tornadoes tear through downtown Atlanta. Doesn't that only happen in those "end-of-the-world" movies?

-Speaking of the end-of-the-world, when do we start getting really worried about the state of the economy? Mr. Bush says he's on it. What usually happens in an election year is that it gets really bad (yes worse than now) by summertime...then miraculously improves dramatically just before we go to the polls and both parties and their candidates try to take credit. See if that's not how it goes this year.

-The Cardinals have a little to much DeWitt flavor about them now that Mark Lamping has decided to move on. Not that the DeWitts are bad people... but any organization runs better with some honest give-and-take between executives. DeWitt Jr. better be right on most of his decisions..because it looks like most of the credit or blame will be going his way.

-Pretty hard to argue with Bernie Miklasz when he writes that it looks like the NCAA has it out for the mid-major conferences. Some of the most exciting basketball at this time of year happens when David is trying to slay Goliath. But the NCAA big wigs don't seem to understand that concept. This year's bracket seems more intended to get David killed early than create interesting match-ups. And there aren't many Davids in the tournament to start with. There is a David-son to root for. (I guess I'm rooting for Drake since all of our teams in MO/IL had a tough year.)

-Who drummed up all the publicity for this state of Illinois-shaped corn flake that sold on Ebay for 1500 bucks...or something like that? Whoever it was, they should get some kind of a PR award. We seem to be fascinated by the quirky and stupid...and uninterested in the important in these times. Our neighbor won the Nobel Prize for physics?....yawn. Our neighbor dog won the Westminster Dog Show?? Whoopeee!!!!

-I'll bet Mike Martz and Isaac Bruce are having coffee about now dreaming up plays to beat the Rams defense next season. Jim Haslett beware.

-You used to be so proud and excited to send your kid off to college. Now, not only does it break you...but you also have to hire private security to make sure they get through it alive. Tough places these college campuses these days.