Woo hoo! Just watched the Leafs shut out Ottawa for the second game in a row. They lost the first game of the series, so now it stands at 2-1 Toronto. The best part is they still haven't played a really good game yet. Hopefully, they'll just get better.

Easter was yesterday, and the girls were both good in church. Next Saturday is Hannah's second birthday bash. We're hoping for good weather so we can let the 15 or so kids run rampant in the backyard instead of being cooped up inside. Lily had her five-week doctor's appointment today. She weighs 8 pounds, 10 ounces now, which is 1 pound, 9 ounces more than when she was born.

So apparently, it's true. Guinness is good for you. I knew it!

A friend of ours, Rob Bradford, just wrote a book on a topic near and dear to both Deb and I. Rob cultivated his baseball contacts and followed Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi around for a year for his book called "Chasing Steinbrenner: Pursuing the Pennant in Boston and Toronto." It's due out in June and here's an excerpt. He's the sports editor of the Gloucester Times and has been a sportswriter on the North Shore for several years now (including a stint at the Beverly Times when I was a reporter there). Deb actually went to college with him. He's one of the most laid-back people I know, but he's an industrious worker. I wish I had the drive and discipline to do something like that book. Good for him. I'll definitely pick it up.

Too bad the Jays are off to a horrendous 1-5 start this year. I blame it on the hideous new uniforms, which look like they were designed by a 12-year-old girl. I don't mind the new logo so much, but I prefer the classic look. And even those look like soccer uniforms compared to the real classics worn by the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers and Dodgers. At least the Leafs have classic jerseys. Those third jerseys are sweet, and I've had a Sundin one for a few years now.

Boy, it really makes me feel good that this clown is deciding some of our most important cases.

Wilco's got a new album, A Ghost is Born, coming out June 22. You can listen to a streamed version of it here if you have Quicktime. It rules.

Also coming out on the 22nd is the new album from my Canuckian homiez the Tragically Hip, In Between Evolution. Heard some of the first single, "Vaccination Scar," the other day and it sounded rocking. Drummer Johnny Fay said in an interview that it sounds stripped down, like their second album "Road Apples." I have fond memories of that record, which came out in 1991. The Hip is a band that is best experienced live, and I saw them for the first time at the Paradise in Boston on the Road Apples tour. There were maybe 20 other people there, so I was right up front, and they rocked the hell out of the place. I've seen them just about every time they've come through the area since then. They've never really caught on in the States, but in Canada they're huge. Their Boston shows usually sell out, mainly from Canadians going to school here or driving down from Canada to see them play in a small venue. Always a good time.