Hey everyone! It's actually Wednesday afternoon as I'm starting this, but I'm going to wait to finish it in the morning and fire it off from MSP before my flight to Richmond. I'm on Delta flights, through everyone's favorite airport (you betcha, gotta love Atlanta) and I've already had my first problem with this deal, so here's hoping I actually get to Richmond...

The Delta/Northwest integration is moving along, and our frequent flyer programs and miles were actually merged into Delta Sky Miles this week. Thanks to some bonus elite miles I got from Delta (for linking my accounts and for signing up for the Delta American Express card) I'm already on the doorstep for Platinum status next year, which will be a first for me. Some of those elite miles were part of a "Customer Retention and Appreciation" program, and now I can see why they wanted to soften us up.

I went to check-in for my flight a few minutes ago, and could only print the boarding pass for the first leg (MSP to ATL). The second leg, which I'm confirmed on and upon which I have an actual seat assignment, simply doesn't come up on the screen for printing. So... I got my first taste of calling Delta, speaking to someone on another continent (at least it sure sounded like it) and then finally being told there was nothing they could do about it and I'd just have to rectify the situation when I got to the airport. That's what we call "passing the buck" in a first-class way... Ought to be interesting.

Before I go any further, it's imperative that I mention the brief conversation I just had with Krista Wilkerson. She called to ask me if I might put a word in here about how grateful and appreciative she is for the huge outpouring of support she and Tim received after Daniel's crash. She said it was so strong you could feel it, like an actual presence or a blanket of love and support around them. She wasn't sure if that was blog-worthy or not, but I had to tell her it's probably the single most blog-worthy topic in the world.

All of us, at Team Wilkerson Racing, thank all of you. I know I didn't reply to every email, but I tried to get back to as many people as possible, and I agree with Krista: The support was enormous. Thank you! I hope you all appreciate just how much it has meant to us.

Now, heading back around 24 hours to Tuesday night and the Twins/Tigers "Tie-Breaker" game. Let me preface this by doing some math here. From the time I was born to the time I went off to college, my dad's jobs in baseball probably provided me with a chance to see upwards of 100 professional baseball games a year. I was, obviously, very lucky in that regard. Playing ball, through college and then in the minor leagues, I either saw or played in another 100 to 150 games per year. Then, spending four years as a Scouting Supervisor for the Blue Jays, I could count on seeing something like 200 amateur games, and about 100 pro games a year. Since then, I've remained a loyal fan, who probably gets to 25 games per year.

I've been lucky enough to attend eight World Series (1964, 1967, 1968, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, and 1987) and we've had post-season playoff games here in Minnesota during four of the years since we moved here. Make that five after last night.

I don't have a calculator handy, but I think you could safely come up with a round figure of something close to 2,500 professional baseball games I've been lucky enough to see, in-person.

Not a single one of those games comes anywhere close to the riveting excitement, the stress, the thrill, and the sheer exhaustion created by Tuesday night's 12-inning game, which took more than four hours to complete. Not a one. It was a night, and a game, for the ages and Barbara and I both felt truly privileged to witness it, and shake our "Homer Hankies" with 54,000 other Twins fans at the inflated stadium that just won't die...

If you saw any of the highlights, you know the Twins and Tigers went back and forth, trading leads and the momentum. Neither team would quit, even when faced with almost certain defeat. There were Houdini-like escapes by relief pitchers, game changing defensive players, and clutch hitting of the highest magnitude. In the end, the Twins got out of a huge jam in the top of the 12th, then scratched a run home in the bottom to win the American League Central. It was insane!

The Dome was also ROCKING. I've been to my share of rock concerts, and I stand at the startling line next to an 8,000 hp Funny Car, but the crowd was so loud, and so into it, for four solid hours, my ears are still ringing. I've also never before been to a baseball game, no matter how important, where the crowd stood for at least 80 percent of the time. Between innings, we'd take a seat and catch our breath, then it was back up again, screaming and yelling, through every half-inning.

Now, of course, let's be realistic. Less than 24 hours after celebrating on the field while we celebrated in the stands, the Twins will be hitting the field at a cozy little ballpark by the name of Yankee Stadium, to take on the Bronx Bombers in round one. Underdogs? Was David the underdog in his match-up with Goliath? This is sorta like me starting up a new software company and immediately taking on Microsoft.

Pick any four or five starters on the Yankees randomly, and they probably collectively make twice what the Twins entire payroll is. Plus, the Twins just played 4 hours of critical ball, after playing a solid week of "must win" baseball in what were all "eliminations games" so they must be gassed. They are the first team in Major League history to win the division after being three games out of first with four games to play. Amazing. I'm not sure I really understand how they did it...

They have to start a young rookie on the mound tonight. Almost their entire bullpen pitched last night. And, they got to their hotel in New York at 4:30 in the morning... But you know what...? Who cares. They don't have a chance in the world against the Yankees, but just the thrill of being at that game last night makes it all worthwhile, no matter what happens in New York.

We sat in front of a couple of nice young men, and by the lingo they were tossing around it was immediately obvious to me that these guys had played ball and been in their share of dugouts. I asked them, and sure enough they both played through high school, some semi-pro, and now play fast-pitch softball because they love the game. I never told them who I was or my background, but I told them I was getting a real kick out of hearing the sort of ballplayer chatter I've always loved.

Best lines: After throwing a pitch just off the corner on an 0-2 count (which is exactly what you want to do, in hopes the batter will swing at a bad pitch because he's afraid of striking out) they both said "Okay, good nibble. Now we go!" just like they were in the dugout. Or, after a Twins pitcher would make a perfect pitch, down low in the zone, they'd both yell "Live there! All night! Live there!" And when a Twins pitcher would come in tight on a Tiger batter, pushing him back off the plate, it was "That's my plate! Get off it!"  Great stuff.

In the end, I told them it had been a lot of fun and an honor to enjoy that game with them. It was...

On the way out, we passed only two groups of Tiger fans. The crowd had to have been 99.999 percent Twins fans, but we saw these two dejected groups walking out and Barb and I both stopped to tell them it had been a great game, one of the greatest ever, and that they should be proud of their team. At first they seemed taken aback, that someone who rooted for the other team would say that, but it was clear they appreciated it.

Whew, I got all worked up just re-telling all of that. What a game. It's a night I'll never forget...

Now, I'm going to go get packed, then I'll turn on Game 1 from Yankee Stadium, and be proud of my team, no matter the outcome. See you in the morning!

Thursday - 9:00 a.m.

Welcome to the Sky Club at MSP, on my way to Richmond.

My check-in procedure wasn't without mishap, but it wasn't a disaster either. I ended up being able to reprint boarding passes for both legs of the trip, so that was taken care of, but then the agent behind the counter (who has to put your baggage tag on your suitcase) simply walked away. After a few exasperating minutes, the lady working the kiosks next to mine said "We can't check your bag, no paper here..." and then she walked away. I delicately said "Don't walk away from me, fix the problem." I just wasn't going to put up with that "Not my problem!" attitude we get far too much with airlines in this day of no customer service.

It took a while, but she finally found the original woman who had fled the scene, got her to grab a new box full of the paper they print bags tags with, and she installed that at a snail's pace, taking as much time as she could. Any slower, and she'd have been in reverse. Anyway, that's all behind me and pretty soon Dave and I will be on the flight.

We're on the same flights down to Richmond, but he's on a different flight back so we couldn't ride to the airport together without one of us needing to take a cab home. That meant that as I backed out of the driveway, Dave was loading his bag into the back of his car, and we got to the parking ramp at about the same time. Because of my baggage fiasco, he went through the security line about 10 people ahead of me, and the TSA guy checking IDs did a double take when he saw my TWR shirt, which is identical to the one Dave passed by wearing, a couple of minutes earlier. Consider us officially "branded" as we travel.

As for our Twins, they gave it all they had, playing on no sleep and no gas, but the Yankee steamroller flattened them. I don't know about you, but spending the most money to stockpile the most talent isn't something I can get behind. They're great players, and they work hard, so it's not the players fault. It just seems ridiculous that the Twins payroll is about $65 million, and the Yankees is over $200 million...

As I said before, though, who cares. We don't expect them to beat the Yankees, and even if they go out in three straight you'll never be able to take away the thrills we got in that tie-breaker game. Those memories will never fade.

As I left the house this morning, I gave Barbara a hug and a kiss, said goodbye to Buster and Boofus, and Barb said "Be fast, but be safe."

Exactly!

Wilber, out!