Before we get into the New York trip, a few random things from around the universe:

- It's May 30 and the two Florida teams are in first place in their respective divisions. It's a great story. It's a shame, however, that attendance in Tampa and Miami haven't reflected the unexpected success of these two teams.

- Speaking of Florida, I actually heard some yahoo call WEEI and complain about the trade that sent Hanley Ramirez to the Marlins and brought the Sox Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. Yes, Ramirez is one of the top players in the game and probably will be for the next decade. Would he look great playing short for the Sox? He sure would. But we got Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett!!! This is a classic case of a trade that was good for both teams.

- Two important figures from the days of the Original Star Trek series passed away this week. Joseph Pevney directed 14 episodes of Star Trek including two of the best in the opinion of most fans: "City on the Edge of Forever" and "The Trouble with Tribbles." Alexander Courage wrote the theme music for the series. According to his obituary on the Film Music Society Web site, "Courage's eight-note brass signature for the Enterprise may be the single best-known fanfare in the world." It was heard in all three seasons of the original series, all seven seasons of TNG and in all 10 feature films, plus the trailer for the new movie due next year. There are very few things that say "Star Trek" quite like those eight notes.

- I probably harp on this too much, but this is from the "money can't buy me love (or wins)" department. There are 10 teams with payrolls of $100 million or more (Yankees, Tigers, Mets, Red Sox, White Sox, Angels, Dodgers, Cubs, Mariners and Braves). Just about two months into the season, four are in playoff positions (Red Sox, White Sox, Angels, Cubs). Of the other six, four (Yankees, Tigers, Mariners and Dodgers) are sub-.500. The Yankees and Mariners are in last place in their divisions and Seattle is tied with the Rockies for the worst record in baseball. The Mets are at .500 and the Braves are four games over. It's not just about the money, at least when it comes to constructing a roster.