Play Ball!
Can you feel the excitement in the air?
It's that most wonderful time of the year, the day of clean slates, of dreams free from the taint of summer cynicism. It's baseball's opening day, and the unbridled optimism is enough to make even the most jaded sports fans among us step back, don our obligatory baseball gear - preferably Red Sox wear - grab an extra hot dog, and just sit back to relax and watch America's game play out on our 72-inch plasma HD televisions.
This year, there's an extra serving of excitement for Red Sox nation as we await the official unveiling of new pitching phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka. That's Dice-K to the tee-shirt merchandisers among us.
Of interest, though, is that among baseball pundits and prognosticators this year, the Sox, who finished third in the American League east last year, are being picked as front-runners to win it all. That's right. The whole enchilada. The Fall Classic. (The World Series, for the uneducated among the masses.)
Obviously, those among us in Red Sox Nation who did our tour of duty on the 86-year-long roller coaster ride until that sweet October night in 2004 know better than to make such ominous predictions this early.
Or do we?
What do you think? Is this the year we've waited three long years to see arrive? Can the Sox do it again? And what are you doing to help them get there (besides shelling out a mortgage payment to take the family to a game.) What's your predictions? Will Schilling get shelled? Will Manny still be Manny? Will Papi still be big?
