Today business calls and I’ll be blogging the next several days from beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. Believe me, especially after the last week, it will be great to get out of this Arizona heat.

The recent terror plot uncovered by the Brits and the new regulations mean I’ll be checking my carry on, thank you, but the real impact is that I’m leaving on a 10:15 flight this morning but am being picked up by the airport shuttle at 6:45 – and the airport is only a half-hour away. These kinds of inconveniences I can deal with, since they pale against the alternative – like, say, being blown out of the sky at 36,000 feet.

A couple of observations as Major League Baseball prepares for its stretch run and the football exhibition season starts:

* Turns out The Anchoress is an avowed Yankees fan (well, no one’s perfect!), yet even she appears to have jumped ship off the S.S. A-Rod. Check it out – it’s a pretty funny post. And I couldn’t agree more.

* The Red Sox have closed back within 2 games off the loss column by feasting on the Baltimore Orioles. I can’t help but think, however, that come October, they’re going to wish they had taken care of a little business against those vaunted Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

* This week the Sox begin a very rough stretch that features the Tigers and Yankees, not to mention another West Coast road trip. But having Jon Lester and Jason Johnson as your 4-5 pitchers is not going to put the fear of God into anyone.

* But having a healthy David Wells back and being able to plug him in as your #3 is just as good as making a mid-season trading deadline pick-up.

* It looks as if this is the season reliever Mike Timlin became mortal. I have to think his participating in March’s World Baseball Classic has been a contributing factor, as he’s not the only major league ballplayer who participated in that series that is having problems both health and performance-wise.

* Say, maybe that’s an excuse A-Rod can use…

A couple of quick football notes:

* Maybe Rob can explain how one of his team’s quarterbacks can be sacked by the team mascot and put out of the game. But he seems pretty happy with what he’s seen from Reggie Bush so far.

* Common wisdom says the Patriots are making a big mistake allowing Deion Branch’s contract to keep him off the practice field, but I trust Bill Belichick and the new three-tight end offense he’s putting in place. Tom Brady will have enough bodies to throw the ball to, and new running back Laurence Maroney looks like a keeper.