Dang Ol' Rain

Thanks to my Grand Salami connection, I scored a press pass to today's Mariners-Rangers game. I got there a couple hours early and ate a buffet-style breakfast in the press box, sitting a few tables away from Dave Niehaus and Rick Rizzs. (Niehaus bussed his own table, which seemed pretty cool to me.) Afterwards I went down to the photo pit by the M's dugout to inspect the field, and then briefly wandered among players and coaches in the Mariner clubhouse. I spent the final hour before game time in the press box with a bunch of other reporters -- many Japanese -- all of us typing away on our laptops. But it had been a drizzly morning, and there wasn't much pre-game action on the tarp-covered field. By the time of its scheduled 1:05 start, the game was officially rained out. Balls.

The weather didn't really seem all that bad, but it soon turned nasty -- high winds, "severe thunderstorms," tornado and flash flood warnings, reports of giant hail, etc. People were killed. No wonder the crap country station here is called the Texas Twister. Anyway, I holed up in my room and watched cable and took a nice long nap.

After things calmed down I drove out for dinner at Luby's. I desperately wanted the Lu Ann Platter, but apparently it's not on the menu anymore. The place is essentially a chain cafeteria, with all the charm of a nursing home dining room. I choked down a painfully bland chicken-fried steak and high-tailed it outta there.

Across the street I browsed at Half-Price Books, where I scored a used copy of Ichiro Magic!. Turns out that the new 'n' used bookstore chain is based here in Dallas (as is the ubiquitous 7-Eleven, where I bought some bananas the other day).

My motel is right by the BPAA HQ, hence my picture here of their cool sign. I wish I could take credit for above photo of what it looked like today through a rained-on press box window, but I can't.

A final note: I've written about the inspiration for The Dude, but this Fort Worth Weekly article explains the inspiration for Walter.