I Pledge Allegiance...

Carter is in this quandary right now about which baseball team to support. To date, he's never declared himself a fan of any one team.

He'll cheer for the Twins for Mommy's sake, the Cubs to support Grandpa and the Reds because it's Daddy's team -- and he likes Ken Griffey Jr. Now that Griffey's been traded to the Sox, however, Carter realizes he's more a fan of the left-handed slugger than of Daddy's bottom-dwelling team from Ohio. So should he be a (gasp!) White Sox fan?

For some reason, he feels it's imperative he makes this decision sooner rather than later. Armed with a list of the current MLB standings, he studied the league on the way to Milwaukee yesterday, crossing off teams he knows he'd never cheer for.

He was wise enough to immediately cross off any teams from New York or L.A. (I realize it's a different sport, but that's a holdover from his anti-Lakers' sentiment in the NBA Finals). Knowing how much he likes Griffey and how much I (or any Twins fan) dislikes the White Sox, I quietly urged him to consider the Brewers. There's no shame in that! We are in Wisconsin, after all, and we do know a lot of Crew fans.

After seeing the Phillies among his final 5 (who is a Phillies fan these days?!), I also suggested he take his time and figure it out when it feels right. You can't just pick a team off a list, you should feel it in your heart, I said. Judging by the "goose bumps" he got at the Brewers game, I thought for sure he'd go with the Blue. But no, he's made his decision. It's Griffey and the White Sox. (groan)

On an unrelated note, if anyone is looking for a roommate, there is a 10-year-old who will be kicked to the curb tonight...