As Wednesdays go, this was a good one. I'd venture to say it was a great one.

As Casey pointed out, my Wednesdays are like others' Mondays - it's my first day back at work after two days off. But today was different. I went to the ballpark first, down to Lakewood to interview Jeff Manto, the Lakewood manager, and Joe McEwing, a Mets outfielder, both of whom are conducting hitting clinics for area players, most of high school age. It was a great change from my usual Wednesday routine. As a result, I came into the office at 7:30 p.m., with just four hours of work until deadline. So that made it all easier.

My Wednesdays suck because I wake up next to Casey, who has to get in the shower before the sun is up and then leaves while I drift back to sleep. I wake up to her CD player and one of five CDs she's picked to put in the changer on a particular week. It's a sad morning on Wednesday for me, being there in her apartment, her room, her bathroom, but being all alone.

Since Jersey City is 20 minutes closer to my parents' house and work, I usually wake up slowly, play some Nintendo, shower, and head south, stopping "home" to kill the afternoon, do laundry, or have dinner before work.

Then when I get here, I mope about, grumpy about returning to the office after two days off, annoyed if I need to speak with my editor, who takes Wednesdays off since he works Sundays with the NFL season winding down. I'm not as happy on Wednesdays, which both Fred and Allison have off, the two who provide most of the laughter around here, and offer me much of my material for cracking jokes. It's more jovial with them around.

But this Wednesday, a shortened one, another week closer to spring training and baseball season, was not as bad.

I hope more turn out like this.