Here’s another installment of deep thoughts from the [very sun-burned] my very sun-burned mind.
I spent Friday afternoon experiencing all that the Wrigley Field bleachers had to offer without ample sunscreen or a hat to shield me from the unforgiving rays of the sun.

So I’m now sporting a healthy dose of redness to my face, and I’m looking forward to a prolonged peeling stage seems to be almost upon me. Definitely not a veteran baseball move -- and even worse when you consider that I was wearing sunglasses and am also now rockin’ the raccoon look with whiteness around the eyes and redness everywhere else.

Good times!

The one big positive: I got to experience the Cubs/Cardinals rivalry twice over the weekend.
Once with a group of friends from Boston that were also out in Chicago for the weekend, and once with Haggs Comrade “Downtown” Ian Browne from mlb.com (also the fine creator of the Brownie Points blog for MLB.com).

There is an undeniable electricity when conversation turns to baseball in Chicago this summer as both teams seem destined for the postseason.

Heck, they could even be headed for an All-Chicago World Series.

With all that in mind, here’s a quick edition of deep thoughts while I re-book a 6 a.m. Jet Blue flight that was cancelled – it was good of them to let me know around 3 p.m. this afternoon that I now have to find another way to get home. I guess that’s the trade-off for offering DIRECTV on a plane.

* Did anybody else catch Alex Rodriguez slamming a towel down in “frustration” during the finale to the Yankees/Angels series on Sunday afternoon. It was pure A-Rod on every level possible. If you watch the replay again at super slow-mo levels, A-Rod actually glances right at the camera to make certain its trained on him and then he slams the towel against the ground. Nothing like a show of red light leadership by the Yankees’ Material Boy third baseman.

* The Cubs and the Wrigley Fans that inhabit their beloved baseball park are really the perfect storm for a John Henry-type baseball owner to swoop in and take over the franchise.

With the built-in crowds and the park possibilities if an ownership group actually poured some money into the stadium (something Sam Zell and the Tribune Company have been completely negligent in), they could be the Middle America version of the Red Sox waiting to happen. In other words: a cash cow and baseball success story on par with what’s happened on Yawkey Way.

This may be part of the reason why Mark Cuban is so hot to trot when it comes to buying the Cubs franchise. Listening to 30,000 plus fans singing “Go Cubs, Go” after a pair of wins this weekend, I had to admit it was pretty damn catchy.

*I always thought that the pursuit of Brian Giles was based first and foremost on blocking the offense-starved Rays -- and then on having insurance in case David Ortiz or J.D. Drew were to suddenly succumb to a season-ending injury – or in Papi’s case suffer a setback with his left wrist – but it appears that acquiring a lefty hitting outfielder has more to do with how unsure the organization is about Jacoby Ellsbury going forward.

The rookie appears to have turned the corner offensively after reclaiming his leadoff spot on Sunday, but the discussion centering around Mark Kotsay would seem to indicate the Boston front office is still kicking around a back-up plan.

*Latest state line for 18-year-old Engel Beltre (the young player dealt to Texas in the Eric Gagne deal): .289 batting average, 7 home runs, 80 runs scored and 26 stolen bases in 110 games at Single-A Clinton, where he’s also the youngest player in the Western Division.

*Make sure to look for the sun-burn caused raccoon eyes when I’m on Comcast SportsNet Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight on Tuesday night live from Fenway Park. Maybe that will steer people away from calling me Glenn Ordway’s love child…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

*Giordano's Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza is really damn good.