Martin’s back! I think I drove him nuts making all those fine-tunings in Right Off the Bat second proof. No extra trees will die as a result of these alterations. But the blood pressure may creep up with the (tree) sap.

Cricket fans: You will now have real coverage from the Main Man. I didn’t even have time for willowtv.

My biggest apology goes out to fans of the Scottish team, when I conflated “England” and “U.K.” in an earlier blog (now corrected). What was I thinking or dreaming? It must have been of my visit to Ally Pally in Tottenham, North London (in my other 1968 dreams), while humming “Penny Lane” and the newer hit at the time, “Those Were the Days My Friend / We Thought They’d Never End” while meditating on Mr (no period!) Pastry and Mister Magoo.

I also send condolences to the family of Elizabeth Taylor, one of the grandest ever to come out of that great island-nation. She had once dated Ralph Kiner.

Enough rambling. Now that I’m back on my regular beat, I want to call everyone’s attention to Painting the Word Picture. It’s a site (and a sight) that has something to do with Howie Rose and Bobby Thomson as well as my good friend, the extraordinary Oliver Trager, who has resurrected Lord Buckley. (I’m not sure if Mr Pastry’s been rediscovered yet, by anyone.)

R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor, joining Rock and Jimmy in Eternity.