We will dive back into the underbelly of sports as the day moves forward, but we just wanted to re-introduce ourselves to anyone who thought we might have disappeared for good. Our two-plus weeks of vacation included stops in some of the most beautiful places in the western U.S., including Lake Tahoe, the Sonoma Valley, Highway 1 in California, the Redwood forest, Crater Lake, Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) and Glacier National Park. Along with the RandBall Better Half, we drove a little more than 5,000 miles -- including close to 1,000 each on two different days. We saw amazing things and ate amazing food. We took a ton of pictures; we won't subject you to any but one: that's a moose we encountered on a hiking trail in Glacier National Park (west part, near Many Glacier). Originally, it was about 15 feet away from us. Gradually, it moved into one of the many pristine lakes for a drink. That's what you see there, courtesy of our iPhone.

But again, enough of all that. A very special all new Clearance Clarence is next. And then we're off and running.