I've been home all day today with a sick little girl, and while I haven't been directly involved in her care at all times posting has been impossible up to now, because to call our home internet access of late "intermittent" would be like referring to the visits of Halley's Comet as "occasional." Sure it's true, but if understatement were cash I'd have enough to buy both Bill Gates and Donald Trump, stick them in a zoo cage together, and see if their collective hair breaks free to start a civilization of its own.

With that in mind, I'll keep things quick and light:

• The Cubs left 15 men on base last night, and while that sort of failure to finish the job seems to be a running theme for the season, winning games in which this level of incompetence springs up is not. Luckily, the Reds left 10 men of their own, and while the Cubs have usually found themselves down a skinny run when they've been this unable to complete the circuit, since they were able the manage a tie they were in a position to finally handle things late.

  There have been a lot of tangible things wrong with the club this year, but one thing they've seemed to have a spectacular lack of is good luck. For once they caught a break last night, and while I'd rather see them play better than that a starving man can't pass on a burger in the hopes that a Porterhouse is on the way.

• Every day, in every way, I love Matt Murton more and more.

• After Derrek Lee hit his impressive shot in the first, there was a part of me that hoped that there would be at least three more Cub homers early in the game, all by someone other than The Savior. Why, beyond the obvious, because homers score runs?

  Because if Eric Milton gave up three more non-Lee dingers in that game, he would have given up more round-trippers during the year than Lee has hit. It's not that I have anything against Milton, just that I find little things like that hilarious. I'll admit it's not nice of me, but I think we've reached the point in the year where nice can have a seat every once in a while.

Jerome Williams will continue to pitch for his job in 2006 tonight. I hope he does well. I like the kid, and while him being a legitimate option next year may make the decision process more complicated, that's the kind of complication I'll gladly take.