Batter Up

So, we all know what took up our day on Apr. 2, 2005... Saying goodbye to the Pope. It's going to be a new learning experience; I didn't know what happens next until I looked it up on the web. And the numbers game goes down like this:
4-6 days for the Pope to be buried
9 official days of mourning
15 days until the Cardinals gather in the Conclave to begin selecting the new Pope
117 eligible Cardinals under the age of 80

Here's some good links about the processes:
Tradition And Secrecy
Encyclopedia Entry On The Pope (Very detailed)
History Of The Papal Election
BBC News' Obituary Of Pope John Paul II
Challenges Facing The Church
Possible Key Players For Next Pope

As mentioned above, it will take at least 15 days until deliberation on a new Pope will even begin. While floating around the web, I found a link that gave the current odds on who the next Pope will be: http://sports.bestbetting.com/specials/current-affairs/religion/who-will-be-the-next-pope

I wonder how crazy it is in Vegas.

Really, though, while watching MSNBC, some experts suggested the new Pope should be from one of the other reaches of the worldwide Catholic following, specifically a non-European. I'm all for that. A Latin American Pope especially will globally recognize the broadening of the Catholic faith, and what extra importance would it mean if an Italian regained the Papacy for a country who held the Papacy for 450 years before JP II? I may not have been alive when JP II was named Pope, but I do understand the large scope of his succession. I hope that JP II's reign becomes what will be known as the beginning of the globalization of the Papacy. And if my words aren't saying much, look at those odds from the above link. At one time, the Nigerian canidate had 4 to 1 odds. But only time will tell...


Meanwhile, on to more of the latest. Coming up at the end of this weekend is the beginning of the baseball season, with Boston playing New York on Sunday. That also means the start of fantasy baseball (I have four teams), and the start of the Tribe's march to the top of the division and back into the playoffs. You'll know what I'll be doing at 3:05 on Monday. Cleveland at Chicago, Jake Westbrook vs. Mark Buehrle. And I can't believe the Tribe's lineup. Ronnie Belliard batting eighth? We have nine tough outs in this lineup. Casey Blake, who had 28 HR and 88 RBI last year, seventh? Wow. I can see loooooooooooooooooong rallies at the plate. And don't forget the new pitching contingent. My boy Kevin Millwood in the rotation, I still can't wait. And if Bobby Wickman does his job and has no elbow problems, we'll be smooth sailing into October. It's gonna be a fun season.

So let me sleep and dream of the playoffs....