Dangerfield redux

The San Diego Padres have the best record in the National League; this has been true for a pretty good chunk of the season. In fact, at the moment only one major-league team - the Yankees - has a better record.

The All-Star Game is next week. How many Padres do you suppose are on the team?

One: first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

One player. (That's the bare minimum; the rules say that every team must have at least one representative.) No pitchers. (There's a slight chance that closer Heath Bell might get onto the team, via the "34th man" election or as a substitute for an injured player.)

They're on the West Coast, and they're not the :spit: Dodgers. That's the only explanation I can see.

Scheduling

To add to my stock of discontents:

Piece of Mind, a local indie bookstore, is closing. Not for the usual reasons; its owner is simply tired of the business, after eighteen years, and in any case wants to move closer to her Ohio family. They are having a closing sale this week, starting today at 10:00. 20% off on everything....

At about 9:30, I headed over to the bus stop in front of Kohl's, to wait for the #16 bus. Since I don't wear a wristwatch, I am rarely confident of the passage of time, but after a too-long interval I asked a passerby for the time: 10:00. The #16 should have been there by the :45 mark, at the latest. Yesterday having been the 4th, I concluded that the bus wasn't running. (Afterward, a visit to the transit company's website confirmed that they are on Sunday schedule today. The #16 doesn't run on Sunday.)

It's too warm, today, for the few-mile walk downtown. Since I was in front of Kohl's anyway, I decided to stop in there. I picked up a couple of pair of pants and several short-sleeved shirts, on sale for not much over $100.

I'll go to the bookstore tomorrow, I guess. :grmph: