1. Every run is sacred. Endy getting thrown out at home plate twice is not cute, no matter what the score is. It's leaving the door open for the wolf.

2. Don't be cavalier about who's closing. It's a tougher job than you think. I take back several weeks' worth of abuse, Mr. Wagner.

3. There is nothing wrong with Johan Santana that wouldn't be cured by his supporting cast not repeatedly and horrifyingly spitting the fucking bit. Fire Joe Morgan already put this far better than I could. Mr. Sperkleman should be very angry about the work of Horflitz and Przyblr on the assembly line tonight. So should Mr. Santana.

4. "If the ball's coming to me, what do I do with it?" is a question every fielder should have in mind at all times. You gotta know who's running, who's heading for second, and where the sure out is if things go awry. It might not be at second base.

5. Sometimes you think that a seemingly cosmetic home run that makes the score 5-2 in the eighth is not a blemish but a premonition of doom. The vast majority of times, you're just being paranoid. There is nothing to do but pray each such occurrence is part of the vast majority of times.

6. Some games you never, ever want to stay up to see recapped on SportsCenter.

7. When every frothing-at-the-mouth psychopath on the FAN is going to be justified in whatever bile they spew, don't listen to the FAN. It'll just make things worse.

8. So Taguchi is actually the Devil. Don't turn your back on that little bastard. Not even for a second.

9. Sometimes even Ryan Howard makes the pickup on the short hop.

10. Being one game out on July 23 isn't worth throwing yourself out a window over, no matter how many games you feel a cosmic gut-punch of a loss should be worth in the standings. (Honestly, if Bud Selig had declared us now five games back because of Rule 639a, would you have been surprised?)

11. It's easier to abide by No. 10 when the highest window in your apartment is only 10 feet off the ground.

12. There's always tomorrow.

13. If there isn't tomorrow, compensate by holding a grudge against Tom Gl@vine until the sun goes dark. He deserves it.