"as Aaron Boone says, "his STUFF is FINE."

That's been the party line, followed by "lack of run support," followed by "it's been one bad inning." All have been contributory factors, but thus far you'd have to say it looks like his skills have diminished. He's still an effective starting pitcher who is capable of pitching brilliantly on occasion, but the 2005 version of Chris Carpenter is a memory.

Max wrote:

2) sleep-overs for pre-teen girls are a piece of cake. we have them about 4-5 times per year.  before the girls arrive load up on pizza and videos (checking beforehand with other parents about any dietary restrictions or needs), lead them to the playroom.  about 8 pm make popcorn.  leave out some snacks before going to bed.  in the morning, wake at an ordinary time and prepare cinnamon rolls and orange juice.  after the girls are gone, tell your daughter that she must clean up the playroom and dining table, or else . . . no more sleepovers!

That worked well...NOT!!!

The pizza was a hit, but the longest they sat in one place to watch videos was maybe 10 minutes. They played hide and seek (with plenty of screaming), the sang Justin Bieber karaoke (with plenty of screaming), they played run away from the dog (with plenty of screaming) and they tried to use the couch cushions to slide down the stairs. Did I mention screaming?  There was plenty of screaming. 

We made them go to bed at 11. Not because they were ready (although one had fallen asleep), but because we couldn't take anymore. They woke up at 6. They've been fed. Now they're playing hide and seek again (still screaming).

I'm counting the seconds until their parents come to get them.

I was away from the kids for a whole week and am about to leave again.  I missed the kids alot but not the screaming.  Well I might have missed the screaming just alittle.