In their first game in the second round of the World Baseball Classic, the U.S. team won a tainted victory over Japan. It was a real win, but it was based on a lie (as so many baseball games are). You have to play the calls, even if you know the umpire was wrong. If a bad call turns the game in your favor, you have to defend it for all it’s worth. That’s why no U.S. player will be heard to say that the Japanese runner on third base didn’t leave too soon after the catch. He didn’t, and the second base umpire ruled that he didn’t, but the plate umpire overruled the call, and that’s that. The run didn’t count, and the score stayed tied until the bottom of the ninth, when the U.S. loaded the bases and won the game, 4-3, on a two-out single by Alex Rodriguez. That’s the official version, anyway.

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One year ago: Dim
"That’s a law of diminishing usefulness that we non-morning people know only too well. The more you leave us alone in the morning, the better off everyone is."

Two years ago: New Digs
"Aiden won't be born until June. By the time he's ready for a room, his room will be ready for him."

Three years ago: Motivation
"That's how they suck you in. It's a vast conspiracy to spread guilt from one generation to the next. It's how the nuns and priests maintain job security."

Four years ago: Pulling the Plug
"Most of them are under 21, so they probably had fake IDs, but nothing the bank could use."

Five years ago: Waterlogged
"Then I ate a granola bar and took a breath."

Six years ago: To Name the Demon
"I never felt I had any stature in school after that, and I was never brave enough to try to gain any."