Jim has started his annual summer trek across the country racetrack to racetrack from Raleigh, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma and everywhere in between. Yep, he's home a week or so, then gone a week or so. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

If I enjoyed racing more, I'd probably go along with him. There's just so much down-time spent sitting around the track, and I'd usually rather be doing something... anything!

Anyhoo... when Jim got back from Dallas last week (he got side-tracked with a business meeting somewhere between here and Tulsa), I assumed my "wife of a race car fanatic" role by downloading and then uploading all of his best photos on the websites of the following dragracing drivers:

• Terry McMillen
• Quain Stott
• Dale Creasy

...and what do I find?

I woke up around 4AM yesterday morning and channel-surfed over to CNN Headline News. At which point I caught the tail-end report of a guy running through a list of "Amazing Sports Injuries".

They all applied to professional sports players from the NFL, Major League Baseball, NHL, NBA, and so on.

In an attempt to share this very funny list with you here, I did a Google search, but failed to find the list he had mentioned.

I did manage to find a ton of hilarious sports injuries from other lists, though!

Check 'em out...

Okay, so it may be too late for this Father's Day, but it's never too early to start planning for the perfect gift for Dad next Father's Day.

And with pricetags like these, you'll probably have to start saving now anyway...

Thank God for XM Radio!

Last night I was on the first leg of another "all-nighter" returning from a drag racing commitment. XM has kept me on the road and awake on more than one occasion.

Last night my choice was MLB on XM. After all, there's not much Cleveland Indians coverage on TV in Tennessee (at least my buddy Neil is lucky enough to be a Cubs fan -- he gets TV and XM).

But, I digress. During the game, Indians announcers Tom Hamilton and Mike Hegan made comments that even hardcore fans would question.

When Ronnie Belliard made an outstanding play to end the inning, they said that it was one of the best plays they had ever seen in baseball. In fact, they even said that they know it's an overused statement -- but they're sticking with it.

When I got home, I decided to check it out myself.

Now, you can be the judge...

Yeah, it's funny alright when someone mispronounces the name of a Major League ballpark (like Jeff Gordon calling Wrigley Field Wrigley Stadium), and with all the high-dollar naming rights changing hands back and forth, who can keep 'em all straight anyways?

Listen to ESPN's replay of Jeff Gordon and Ozzy Osbourne (separately) singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"... or trying to anyway.

Major League Baseball Parks
Here's a fun look at the Major League baseball parks and how they got where they are today.

For example, did you know that?...

...The Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards was built on land that once was occupied by Babe Ruth's father's saloon.

...Some seats at Petco Park feature computer technology that allow fans of the San Diego Padres to surf the Internet, check out their favorite players stats, or order food from their seats.

...Only one thing was transferred from the old Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park to U.S. Cellular Field: the dirt from the infield.

...Yankee Stadium has been home to more Hall of Famers, and more than two dozen World Championship teams, than any other stadium ever built?

I've been saving up some interesting baseball facts & trivia. I figure if it's news to me, then it's probably news to someone else too -- baseball fan or not!

Here's a sampler:

Harlo and Georgia, invited us to go to a Nashville Sounds baseball game with them last Sunday.

It was a great deal: 4 "best-available" seats (which happened to be up-close between Home and 3rd), plus 4 hotdogs and 4 full-sized bottled sodas... for $48."

It Was Hot, Hot, Hot!
What fun! However, it was Hot HOt HOT... So hot, this girl's ice cream practically melted before she had a chance to eat it. The scoreboard said it was 91-degrees when we arrived at the 6 o'clock game.

We had a great time. (Though, naturally I spent more time people-watching and taking pictures than I did watching the game.)

This was their first time watching a ballgame at Greer Stadium. And yes, this one IS a stadium, as opposed to a field!

By the way, if you haven't seen the video of Jeff Gordon "singing" Take Me Out To The Ballgame yet, you've gotta check this out!

After my little rendezvous at the Post Office, and before our night out on the town with Harlo and Georgia, Neil & Abby came over Saturday night to play our favorite adult couples game: Euchre!

First Neil obliges by giving us a CD filled with photos taken during the Spring Training games that we enjoyed with them in Arizona (in MARCH!!!).

Which is fine, I had no big plans for the pics just yet. I figured the lapsed turnaround time was due to the fact these guys aren't big into tech, and such things get low priority in their household.

That is, until a few weeks ago!...

You've probably heard it on the radio. In fact, Bud Light fans voted it the best NEW "Real Men of Genius" commercial!

...Hot dog vendors, old ladies, infants... you maul them over like a diesel-powered combine... Ashamed of your foul ball fervor?... hardly, you scratch and gouge your way to the ball like a feisty wolverine... So crack open an ice cold bottle of Bud Light Mr. Bully of the Bleachers... because why PAY for a souvenir, when you can FIGHT for one?"

Listen to Bud Light's Real Men of Genius "Mr. Over Zealous Foul Ball Catcher".

This was the runner-up when Bud Light fans voted for which "Real Men of Genius" commercial should be debuted during this year's baseball season.

Listen to Bud Light's "Mr. Ceremonial First Pitch Thrower Outer".

What follows were inspired by Bud Light's "Mr. Ceremonial First Pitch Thrower Outer" commercial...