A crack in my outlook

The rule in the California League is if the teams are located less than 100 miles apart, you commute every day. Anything over 100 miles, you spend the night in hotels. This is done to save money. In Modesto, we commute to two cities. Stockton is real close, about a 30-minute drive away. San Jose is right on the cusp of the 100 miles. I think it's 99.4 miles, although it's probably 93 miles.

That means a two-hour drive, each way, for three days in a row. These daily trips are more draining than a seven-hour bus ride to Lake Elsinore. We left Modesto at 1:30 Tuesday and Wednesday, which means leaving home at 12:30 to get lunch for the bus and arrive on time.

Since I work mornings from 4-9 a.m., and try to sleep from 10 to 2 p.m., this cuts into my nap time. Laugh all you want about a grown man needing his daily nap time, but remember that I got home after midnight each night and wake up at 3:45 a.m. -- and your body can only operate on 3-4 hours of sleep for so long.

Anyway, today I chose to skip the bus, sleep an extra hour, and drive myself to San Jose. The entire game is on the radio and I want to be at my best. This seemed like a tremendous decision. Feeling pretty good about it as I depart Modesto, not tired at all. Game went smoothly. Thought I had a good call. Packed up the equipment and walked to my car, which I parked across the street from San Jose Municipal Stadium.

Feeling even better, knowing that I'm leaving 10-20 minutes before the bus will leave, and I can drive faster than a bus. I'll get home sooner, and get to bed sooner. It's all good. I'm a genius.

Then, I see it.

My windshield.

It's smashed. The landing place of the baseball is visible. I can see the blue skid mark from the Cal League logo and the imprint of the seams. The place where the baseball made contact is intact, but everywhere around it there's cracked glass. It spiders all over the windshield.

You've got to be kidding me. This is what I get for driving myself for an extra hour of sleep? Like I really have the money for a new windshield.