Spring is here and a young man's heart turns to ... baseball. Yesterday my son Dylan and I spent a wonderful, albeit cold, day at Wrigley Field with our beloved Cubbies. Our boys lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but I wouldn't be a Cub fan if I didn't say "it's early in the season, they've got a long way to go, there's a lot of talent in the team this year (there IS, actually), etc." There is nothing more marvelous than sitting close to the dugout at Wrigley watching the pitchers warm up, and oh yes, seeing Sammy Sosa do his trademark breakneck run out to right when the players take the field.

A new feature of game openers since September 11 is the singing of God Bless America as a prelude to the national anthem. Yesterday, standing in the bright sunshine with my son Dylan, listening to a male quartet sing the first of these songs, I found myself getting a little choked up. Think of it: there are a lot of people in other parts of the globe who hate us and consider us to be a great danger. But how bad can we be when this many people get this much fun and enjoyment and camaraderie out of a game played on grass? Hell, it's only baseball, but it personifies everything that's good and clean and right about this country. Competition, youth, excellence, enterprise, and hundreds of great personalities. In a world of troubles, baseball shines.

After being informed that WATIZIT, my creative idea generation tool, was not working correctly (a little confusion between me and the hosting company), it is now operational. Oh, and please send me feedback if you like it, hate it or (especially) have some thoughts on making it better.