Liberals have been fearing an impending retirement or ailment on the part of the four "liberal" justices on the Supreme Court. Hopefully, the fact that current acting Chief Justice (just temporarily) and the oldest member of the court (I bet he hates how that phrase always precedes his name) John Paul Stevens threw out the first pitch at Wednesday's Cubs game will relieve some of our worries.

If one can be a fan of a Supreme Court Justice, then I was one of the venerable Justice John Paul Stevens even before last night. But after seeing him throw out the first pitch at Wrigley, then talk to the men in the TV booth about his baseball and Cub fandom, all while proudly wearing the Cub jersey he'd been given for the occasion, I'm a bigger fan than ever.

I got to see Stevens at an annual awards luncheon in his honor the following day, and he looked very well. Good to know, right?