After the last three nights of yelling-so-loud-it'll-take-a-week-for-my-voice-to-come-back baseball, I didn't think it was possible to hate Yankee fans any more. But an early morning conversation with a friend (no, he really is a friend despite his loyalty to baseball teams) about the first Sox-Yanks series.

And his comments got me so fired up, it changed the entire basis for my original post. When he made his point about our three best starters not having their best starts, "We scored a lot of runs on your three top guys," and kept reminding me that starting pitching isn't always a gaurantee when you have legitamate arms, I agreed. There's nothing that secures a "W" just because your last name is Schilling or Beckett.

But then when he tried to point out we beat two rookies and things were going to be much different when Mussina and Wang return, I couldn't help but point out the hypocracy most Yankees fans are guilty of. So, it's okay for you to have a dangerous lineup and rely a lot on offense, but not okay when the Sox do it?

And just because you're a consistent starter and have a proven track record, it still means you can get rocked on any given outing...but that rule doesn't apply to Mussina and Wang when they come back?

And make up your mind: how is it that your so proud of your offense scoring runs off our three guys but yet "We had at least three automatic outs so that was a big reason we lost." Figure it out: "You guys had a huge starting pitching advantage" versus "You should be troubled by their performances, because none pitched good games."

Oh and let's not forget the wonderful conundrum that is: "Rivera is 38 years old and hadn't pitched in like a-week-and-a-half. I know you guys fear him." in the same conversation as "Schilling is showing his age and isn't a threat to us anymore."Wait let me get this, so we fear Rivera, who's getting old, but Schilling doesn't hold any more clout with you, because he's getting old?!

Yankee fans, make up your minds. At least we Sox fans are either 100 percent optimistic and the team can do NO wrong, or we're "they're all bums and the season's done!" At least we love or hate the team (at different times) whole-heartedly-no wishy-washiness here, unlike some other fans I know...

I know it's onlya few weeks into the season and none of this could matter in a coupl months, but when Manny Ramirez starts the year off batting .191 with 0 home runs and six RBI, that's okay because we know (no, we realllly do know) that it won't last.

When Coco Crisp starts the year off batting .136 with a .191 on-base percentage, it makes me really wanna... well, I got that out of my system. How about you lay off of making those "oh so cute" magazine covers and spend more time in the cages!

Every Red Sox fan will appreciate this:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnShow?showID=SRDA

After a much-needed, friendly reminder from one of my No.1 fans (you know who you are!) I'm holding true to my message that I'll blog more this season. But before I get into it, let me explain why I was such a slacker the past few weeks. I don't like to blog unless I've been watching the games, I hate those people that watch the highlights and check the box scores and then think they can just recite that and it's good blog-fodder. So I like to make sure I at least have an in-depth idea of what's going on before I sit and post.

Watching the third game at Toronto, I like what Julian Tavarez is doing so far...but it's only the bottom of the third. One inning at a time, Julian, that's all I can hope for!

Toot-my-own-horn notice: I like seeing Adam Lind and Aaron Hill do well for the Jays and I like to tink it has a little to do with my stellar coverage of them when they were with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Double-AA Toronto team) for MiLB.com.

Okay, that was my "look I've talked to them before they were big shots" moment. Every now and then I'll have them when I see one of the many Minor Leaguers I've chatted with in the Bigs. PS...great 1-4-3 double play set off by Tavarez...keep it going Julie Jules!!

I say at the beginning of every season but this time I mean it, I promise.

I am going to blog on a regular basis.

As recent events have left my schedule wide open, it just means I have more time to devote to my mistress, or mister, the Red Sox. Don't get me wrong, I'm not just here because my dance card is on hiatus for a while, but because there's a certain something in the air. It's that baseball-in-April feeling, the one I've been waiting for since the Patriots broke my heart  (something I'm still reeling over) on a cold January evening in Indianapolis.

I admit I haven't had too much time to watch Spring Training games and did miss Schilling's "beauty" on opening day, but last night's game with Beckett on the mound and today's Daisuke debut have had me sitting in front of the t.v. with my yearly this-is-our-year feeling. It's the top of the eighth and just as I'm wondering where last night's offense was, the Royals answered. Three KCesque defensive plays have allowed us to pull ahead, 4-1, with the bases loaded and two outs.

It's only the third game of '07, I know, but being able to convert on opponents' mistakes just wasn't something we could do last year. Picking up two runs on three errors is exactly the kind of we're-not-down-til-the-final-out attitude I missed from last season's squad.

There's a new sense of refreshed energy in these parts...the Red Sox season has officially begun...