Between innings, TBS is relentlessly flogging a new series called Leverage that begins in December and stars Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) as the leader of a special team of highly skilled former criminals who undertake complicated, high-risk assignments. I'm hoping their first assignment is to steal the rights to rename the series Mission Impossible. They already stole the storyline.

The preview shows a beautiful ex-thief (from behind) taking her shirt off in an elevator. I'm shocked at this brazen use of sex to sell a series during a primetime baseball game when millions of adolescents are watching. I'm also pretty sure I'll watch that episode.

Have you noticed how the broadcast is using an elderly woman, in full Cubs regalia, as the barometer for the Wrigley Field crowd. The fan, who is sitting right behind the Cubs dugout, was regularly shown cheering during the early innings, then crestfallen as James Loney was circling the bases after his fifth-inning grand slam. Frankly, with all the commercial tie-ins that pop during the playoffs, I won't be surprised if she jumps up in a Wendy's sweatshirt after the next scoreless inning and shouts "Where's the beef?"

Not looking good for the Cubs right now. Manny just went deep and the Dodgers are up by three runs. Oh well, it's only been a hundred years.