The Batcave

October 9th, for the most part holds no meaning for me. Aside from falling on a Saturday this year (which would only made it special as "take-a-bath" day), it would not be important.

Except this year it marks the start of hockey season in Dallas.

And as such, all of last year's fine traditions must return: the beer, the screaming, the beer, the prolonged bouts of pounding my head against the table, the beer . . . you get the picture.

Well, it was almost all the same except that I wasn't able to get tickets for the home opener. I blame it on my bad habit of procrastinating and the fact that I really could find something better to do with the $4000 that I was gonna plunk down on season tickets.

So, it would come to pass that I would watch the game from the relative safety of Tom Hick's other venue, the Ballpark in Arlington.

Happily, we weren't the only ones.