Boston Breaks Out the Brooms

A little spring cleaning was the theme of the weekend for two of Boston’s teams.  Both the Celtics and Red Sox were able to sweep away their opponents and prove why they are two teams that we will be a hearing a lot more of over the months to come.

The Boston Celtics were able to do what no other NBA team has been able to do this postseason when they put away the New York Knicks in four straight games.  As of Tuesday, they are still the only team who has advanced to the second round of the playoffs without losing a single game in their first-round series.

While the Celtics narrowly escaped with two victories in Boston to open the series, the Celtics dominated a vastly inferior Knicks team during the two games in New York.  Though the Knicks were battling some nagging injuries to key players, it was apparent that Boston was determined on ending this series quickly and did so in impressive fashion.

More importantly than the outcome of the final two games were a few of the positive signs that emerged within those wins.  Rajon Rondo returned to the Rondo of the ’08 playoffs and was almost unguardable for long stretches during each game.

 

For the series, Rondo shot 50% from the field and averaged 19 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds.  His great efforts were highlighted in game 3, in which he recorded a ridiculous triple-double that included a 20-assist effort (a Celtics’ playoff record).  His contributions will be essential to the potential success of the team moving forward.  The Celtics as a team really displayed their offensive balance and depth as a different player led the team in scoring in each of the four games.

The second half of the sweeping tandem this weekend was the Boston Red Sox.  After a disastrous start, it finally looks like our patience with this team is being rewarded.  The Sox took all four games this weekend out in Anaheim and have really showed some signs of getting the early-season train wreck back on track.

The pitching was especially tremendous as the staff surrendered only five runs in the four games; ending the series with two consecutive shutouts.  The offense has also appeared to turn the corner and is heading in the right direction after an abysmal start.  They have scored at least four runs in nine of their last ten games now, and given the recent dominance off the mound from Red Sox’ starters, that has been more than enough offense to get the win.

Boston has now won five straight and eight out of their last nine games.  They are only a half game back of the second-place Rays and three games back of the division-leading Yankees.  Two players really had recent performances that pointed to them overcoming their struggles. 

 

Dice-K Matsuzaka turned in two of the best pitching performances of the season in which he pitched 15 scoreless inning and allowed a combined two hits in his last two starts.  He lowered his astronomical 12.86 ERA all the way down to 4.08 with his last two starts and looks to have saved his spot in the starting rotation which was in serious jeopardy.

Another Boston starter enjoying a miniature resurgence is John Lackey.  And, if you thought Dice-K’s early ERA was bad, it was a mere shadow of Lackey’s mark of 15.58.  While his current ERA of 6.35 is nothing to write home about, it’s a tremendous improvement thanks to his last two starts.  He only allowed one run in those 14 innings pitched and tossed eight scoreless innings in his most recent outing.

While this turn-around isn’t exactly the stuff of legends, it provides a little relief and offers more of a preview of what this team is capable of and what we should expect for the remainder of the season.  Despite their recent run, they are still a game under .500, which speaks to how horrible their start was.  A trip to Baltimore could be just what they need to continue on this path of success.  The series starts Tuesday and Baltimore is currently in the middle of a horrid stretch in which they have lost ten of their last twelve games.

Spring is in the air and the winning seems to be contagious in New England.  Let’s hope this trend continues and, as the weather grows hotter, hopefully our teams will do the same.

Madison Square Garden Massacre

The number of critics providing any skepticism regarding the Celtics’ performances over the first two games of the Knicks’ playoff series has now been eliminated entirely.  Boston just placed an old-fashioned beat-down on the New York Knicks’ home court and put them in a choke hold for the remainder of this series.

No team has ever rebounded from a 0-3 deficit and Friday’s performance by the Knicks did not provide any optimism going forward for this dejected franchise and their fans.  The defensive team effort by the Celtics was phenomenal from the outset and New York struggled to gain any type of consistent offensive flow throughout the entire game.

Carmello Anthony, who exploded for 42 points in Game 2, shot a miserable 25% from the field and he and Stoudemire combined to go 6-24 and only scored 22 points.  This was not the type of production the Knicks could afford to survive, especially with starting point guard, Chauncey Billups, missing his second consecutive game with a lingering, left-knee injury.

An ailing Stoudemire did not provide any positive contribution and, with he and Billups likely questionable again for Game 4, the possibility for a Boston sweep looks like the most probable outcome.  Even if the Knicks were to somehow scrape together a win in New York on Sunday, the road would seem too tough to string together two straight wins to stay alive, especially with Game 5 being played in Boston.

Paul Pierce continued his assault on the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, scoring 38 points, and Ray Allen hosted a three-point clinic, nailing eight threes and tallying 32 points.  Not to be forgotten, Rajon Rondo had his way with New York defenders for the second straight game.  He recorded an amazing triple doble in which he scored 15 points, grabbed 11 boards and registered 20 assists.  The assist total was a Boston playoff record and his performance helped fuel a smoothly efficient, offensive attack for the C’s.

Look for the Celtics to grant New York’s pleas for mercy and finish the Knicks off in a four-game sweep this Sunday on ABC.  This was a great win for Boston and should go a long way in building their team confidence for the next series, which appears that they will be facing the Miami Heat, who also have a commanding 3-0 lead in their series with the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers.   It should be a highly intense series and a great matchup that should provide a lot more fireworks than the two teams’ first-round series.

Bruins Score a Big Win

Apparently home ice advantage is not that advantageous for Montreal and Boston as neither team has been able to notch a victory when playing before their home crowds.  The 4-2 win Monday night was monumental and dramatically improves their shot at beating the Canadiens in this series.  While they are still down 2-1 after three games, being down 3-0 would have been nearly impossible to overcome.

The bruins came out swinging and dominated Montreal throughout the entire first period.  Their aggression was rewarded as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the opening twenty minutes.  They looked like a completely different team offensively than the first two games of the series.  Their passing was phenomenal and their excellent puck movement set up several quality scoring opportunities early on.

After missing game 2, Zdeno Chara’s return to Montreal was a huge lift for the Bruins and his presence was exactly what the Bruins needed.  I can’t say that his return to the lineup was viewed as positively for Montreal fans though.  As expected, Montreal fans have not forgotten the hit Chara laid on Max Pacioretty during his last visit to the Bell Centre, which hospitalized him and ended his season.  Apparently they have not forgiven him either, as they booed him relentlessly every time he touched the puck.

 

The jeers didn’t seem to faze him however, as he was destroying Canadiens players all night long.  His physical play had a tremendous impact on the game and it was easy to see why he is considered one of the most dominant defenders in the game and just how valuable he is to this Bruins team.

Chara’s return and a fast start provided the Bruins with enough momentum to carry them to the victory, although an insanely frantic third period provided several scary moments for Bruins fans.  One of the more exciting stretches of hockey I have seen in a while, the Canadiens fought and clawed their way back to pull within one goal after the Bruins had dominated for most of the night. 

 

Despite having allowed a cheap goal on Montreal’s first score, Tim Thomas came up huge in the final period.  His goaltending was sensational and he somehow stopped several chances that looked like sure goals.  His ability to keep the puck out of the back of the net was tremendous and also one of the main reasons that the Bruins were able to survive and stay alive in this intense series.

The Bruins will look to continue the losing at home trend on Wednesday night in Montreal and, if they’re able to do so, they will even up the series at two games apiece.  This series has certainly not been for the faint of heart, and if the third period of Monday night’s game is any indication of what we can expect over the remaining games, than you might want to add a potent cardiac medication as one of your in-game menu options.

So, I know my prediction of Boston winning the series in five games is no longer realistic, but the Bruins finally came up with an effort to spark a bit of hope for Boston fans.  The series has been as advertised so far, and hopefully this win will ignite a winning streak that carries Boston into the next round.  A win on Wednesday would go a long way in achieving that accomplishment, so look for the Bruins to come out of the gates flying again.

 

A fast start is essential, because in all three games, the team that scores first has ended up winning.  Therefore, hope for an early goal and an even series, because as long as they win, the number games they played will not matter.  One thing’s for sure; it will be a very entertaining and thrilling conclusion.  Make sure your medicine cabinets are replenished and try to enjoy the rest of this heart-stopping series.

Gonzalez Signs New Deal With Red Sox

As has been anticipated since his acquisition this off season, it looks like Adrian Gonzalez and the Red Sox have finally reached an agreement on a new contract.  Reportedly, the extension is for $154 million over the next seven years.

Boston will now pay almost a combined $300 million for Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez through the 2018 season.  That's quite an investment.  Although the early returns haven't been too lucrative, these deals, over time, should pay major dividends.

While it does seem like the Sox broke the bank for this guy, let's look at it from a different perspective.  For the sake of comparison, Alex Rodriquez, himself, signed a ten-year $275 million contract extension with the New York Yankees.  Therefore, Boston is paying a similar amount for two of the game's best players.

Additionally, the Red Sox, will be paying the bulk of that money to these guys during the prime years of their career.  The Yankees, on the other hand, will be overpaying A-Rod an average of $27.5 million for a number of years when his most productive seasons are a distant glimpse in his rear view mirror.

Already having locked up core, young players like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz for the long-term, these two new additions will help serve as the cornerstones of the organization and staples in the Boston lineup for many years to come. 

So, welcome to the fold, Adrian.  You're not in San Diego anymore, that's for sure.  No more nights of 5,000 fans watching you hit 387-foot bombs that are lazy fly balls at Petco Park.  You'll be an integral figure for one of the most passionate fan bases in one of baseball's most beloved and historical franchises. The expectations and pressures are a lot more intense, but the potential rewards will make it that much sweeter.

Now that you have your money, let's get back to the things that earned you this big paycheck -- punishing opposing pitchers and pummeling baseballs in a relentless fashion.  And, if it's not too much to ask, could you help win us a few more championships?  Thanks, Adrian.  You're the best! 

April Showers

When it rains, it pours.  Unfortunately for the Red Sox and their fans, we've known that all too well this early season.  Heavy rainfall has postponed tonight's match up with the Tampa Bay Rays.  While this might be frustrating for fans looking for Boston to get on track, this might actually end up being a good little break for the players.

Woefully inefficient through the first eleven games, a pause in action to gather their thoughts and regain their confidence physically and mentally, should hopefully allow for some more positive results and, along with with that, some brighter weather.

Next up for the Sox -- the Toronto Blue Jays.  Boston will welcome back former pitching coach and now Toronto manager, John Farrell.  Perhaps they could somehow work out a deal sending Curt Young back to Canada with the Blue Jays and place Farrell back in his position to right the ship for this disappointing pitching staff.

Either way, the Red Sox are now out of excuses and must find a way to turn things around before we venture any deeper into April.  So let's hope that when the rain stops, the winning starts.  Because if the results on the field don't improve dramatically, we could be looking at one of the most disappointing teams in the history of baseball.  And that's not exactly the type of history this team was supposed to author.

Price is Wrong for the Red Sox

Add the Tampa Bay Rays to the list of teams that now have a better record than the Boston Red Sox. All the hoopla and fanfare that surrounded this team over the winter has quickly turned to doubt and disbelief after the first eleven games this spring.

The Red Sox offense struggled mightily once again, and although David Price is one of the best young pitchers in the game, Boston continued to fail to take advantage of hitting with runners in scoring postion. This is a facet that has haunted them all year long and they now find themselves batting under .200 as a team in those situations and at the bottom of the basement in the AL East standings.

Further signs of the offensive ineptitude of the Sox, the only two runs scored in the game were produced by bench players Darnell MacDonald and Jed Lowrie. Collectively, the Red Sox only managed to scrape together five hits. They are batting .230 as a team and have hit a meager seven home runs through eleven games. That is tied for 22nd in the league -- not exactly tearing the cover off the ball for a team many predicted to score 1,000 runs.

On the other hand, Jon Lester pitched farily well. He fell victim to poor luck more than poor pitching in the fifth inning in which he gave up all three of the runs he allowed. Tampa strung together two ground ball singles and a bloop liner to start the inning. A weak grounder to first allowed the runner from third to beat the force-out throw to home by the narrowest of margins.

Then, a familiar face to Fenway, Johnny Damon, hit a RBI ground-ball single into left center to finish off the scoring for the inning. Lester certainly pitched well enough to win as he did not allow an extra-base hit over the seven innings pitched. Yet, the Boston ace still has not logged his first win of the 2011 season.

The Red Sox only have one regular batting over .300 so far this year (Dustin Pedroia), and the disappointment and frustration being voiced by a passionate Boston fan base is now evident in players' reactions and body language on and off the field. With all the talent up and down the lineup it's really only a matter of time before there is a reversal of fortune. The question at that point, however, will be whether or not the Sox have dug themselves into too big of an early season hole to crawl out of.

In an effort to try and avoid a three-game sweep by the Rays at home, the Red Sox will send Clay Buchholz, with his 7.20 ERA and .325 BAA, to the mound on Wednesday. Perhaps his newly signed $30M contract will be incentive to provide the Red Sox with a gem. The way Boston's offense is going, they may need him to pitch his second no-hitter to have a shot. Maybe that's exactly what they need to spark the club. While it shouldn't take that, I guess at this point, we'll take whatever we can get.

Buckle Up!

It’s time for one of the most exciting stretches in professional sports, Boston sports fans.  The basketball and hockey playoffs are about to kick off.  So strap on that safety belt, we should be in for a fun ride.

The Boston Bruins have had a good regular season in which they were able to capture their division title and finish the year in the third position for the Eastern Conference playoffs.  Goaltender, Tim Thomas, has had a historically remarkable season.  His .9381 save percentage beat the previous single-season record held by Dominik Hasek (.937) set back in the 1998-1999 season.

This is a good sign, because, like Thomas is hoping to do, Hasek led his team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals that year.  Thomas would like to one up Dominik once again and get a victory to bring Lord Stanley’s cup back to Boston.

They’ll face a very familiar foe in the first round.  The Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins have been bitter rivals since the very beginning as both teams are part of hockey’s “original six.”  The hatred has not subsided throughout the years and this season has certainly not been an exception.

Earlier this year, Zdeno Chara checked Canadiens player, Max Pacioretty, into the boards and he was unfortunately knocked unconscious and suffered a minor spinal injury.  The intent behind the hit did not appear to be malicious in nature, but Montreal fans and citizens would not agree with that assumption.  The Montreal Police actually launched a criminal investigation on the hit, which is absolutely absurd, but goes to show the intensity surrounding this rivalry, setting the table for a must-watch series.

While Boston lost the season series 4 games to 2, the most recent matchup was full of fist-fights and a flurry of Bruins offense.  Boston won the game 7-0 and looked like a much more complete team.  This series should not disappoint.  With home ice advantage, look for the Bruins to win a hard-fought, first round battle.  My prediction; I’m glad you asked.  The Bruins win it in five games.  As for the rest of the playoffs, look for the Bruins to avenge a heart-breaking defeat in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals against the Flyers and represent the great city of Boston in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Boston Celtics have also won their division and, like the Bruins, have also claimed the third spot going into the NBA playoffs.  Their road has been a little bumpier though.  Similar to last season, they did not end the year well and appeared to be limping into the post season. 

 

They finished as the fourth seed, but managed to fool everyone, getting all the way to the finals, and, if Kendric Perkins doesn’t suffer a knee injury, the Boston Celtics would have most likely won their 19^th championship.  This year, they will have to try and do it without Perkins again, but for the entire playoffs, as he was traded away to Oklahoma City just before the trade deadline.

In their last 19 games, the Celtics are just 9-10 and have failed to display any sort of consistency on either end of the court.  In two recent games in which they really needed a victory, they completely fell apart, losing to both Chicago and Miami by double digits.  The Miami loss was incredibly disappointing, as it was dubbed as potential second-round playoff preview if both teams are to survive their first-round opponents, but ended up being their worst loss of the season.

The Celtics will face the sixth-seeded New York Knicks to open the playoffs.  Though Boston dominated the regular season series, 3-0, the Knicks acquisition of Carmello Anthony has made them a much more dangerous team offensively.  The Celtics do, however, have a distinct defensive and experience advantage, and those are two things that usually win out in the post season. 

 

The aging Celtics have been unable to avoid injuries this year and the health of two important players may determine just how successful Boston can be this post season.  In an unfortunate event, Delonte West re-injured his right ankle in the game against the Wizards.  The injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks earlier in the season.

 

West had really been playing well off the bench, and his presence allows Rondo to gain some valuable rest with not much drop off in production from the point guard position.  Doc Rivers indicated in the post-game press conference that no timetable has been set for his return.

Shaquille O’Neal had been fighting an Achilles injury for the last two months.  He finally returned to action last week and five minutes into the game, he suffered a calf strain on the same leg.  It was an incredibly deflating feeling, because he supposedly is the reason why Kendric Perkins was so disposable.

 

Without him on the court, the Celtics are lacking a legitimate low-post presence that has been such a vital part of their strategy for the past few seasons.  It’s really quite a dicey situation in Boston if our playoff hopes rely on the health of a 39 year-old center that has only played in 37 games this year. 

 

But, the Celtics somehow seem to pull it together in the face of adversity come playoff time, so let’s hope my ominous feelings are misguided once again.  The first round should not be a pitfall for the Celtics, and I think they should be able to pull it off in six games.  Beyond that, unfortunately, I cannot make any further promising predictions, but I’ve been wrong before.

I can sit here and make all the predictions in the word but as it’s often said in sports, “That’s why they play the games.”  Therefore, sit back and enjoy the show.  A lot of cities and a lot of teams are left with nothing to cheer for this time of year.  We have two teams with a great shot at making history, and despite the obstacles that they may face, in the words of our good friend, Kevin Garnett, “Anything is possible!”

Home Sweet Home

Now that’s more like it!  After a dismal start to the 2011 season, the Red Sox bats finally woke up for their home opener at Fenway on Friday.  Tallying just 35 hits over their first six games, Boston’s offense exploded for 12 hits to notch their first victory against the New York Yankees.

The win over their hated rivals came despite another insufferably subpar effort by starter John Lackey.  He gave up six runs over five innings, and, thanks to an offensive outburst, still somehow managed to get a victory after it was all said and done.

Dustin Pedroia provided a much-needed lift after they Sox found themselves in a quick 2-0 deficit after the top half of the first inning.  His solo home run not only cut the lead in half, but it also kick started a very sluggish offense that had yet to really show its teeth.

After Lackey yielded yet another run the following inning, Pedroia again sparked an offensive rally, driving in two more RBIs and setting the stage for a huge inning, in which the Sox put up five runs and sent Yankees’ starter, Phil Hughes, to an early shower after only two innings of work.

So, as we all surmised, the Red Sox will not go 0-162 this year and hopefully this swing of positive momentum will have just as substantial of an impact as the negative vibes that were created from the early season losing streak. 

 

The win is obviously long overdue, but there a number of great signs for Sox fans going forward.  The bullpen completely shut the door on an offense that was clicking on all cylinders.  Aceves, Jenks, Bard and Papelbon combined to only allow one hit (which came all the way back in the 6th inning) and no runs over four innings of relief.  They retired the final nine batters of the game and simply overpowered a dynamic Yankee lineup.

Look for Boston to settle in now that they have that first win under their belts.  Saturday’s pitching matchup is another favorable one for the Sox.  Clay Buchholz will take the mound against rookie Ivan Nova for the Yanks.  Boston will hope the offense continues to click and this first victory should be quickly followed by a second one. 

 

Panic can rest for now in the streets of Boston, and fans are hoping the Sox can take this win and turn it into their first winning streak of 2011.  It was a week tardy, but enjoy the sweet taste of victory, Sox fans.  It should become quite a familiar flavor for the remainder of the year.

Beckett Can't Stop the Bleeding

Well, the Boston Red Sox now face a historic task this season if they want to win the World Series Championship.  No team has ever begun the year with a 0-4 record and won the World Series.  As a matter of fact, there's only been one team who has even made it to the mid-summer classic who started 0-4.

Whatever hope remained after a disastrous opening weekend in Texas is slowly disappearing.  Boston's former ace, Josh Beckett, took the mound against the Indians to try and get the team back on track.  He survived an early test with the lead-off man doubling down the right-field line in the bottom of the first.

He looked on target through the first two innings, but started struggling with his command over the next three, walking four batters in the five innings of work.  The walks pushed his pitch count to 106 pitches over the five innings while he blew a 1-0 lead and ended up relinquishing three runs in his first outing.

While it's not a horrendous pitching line, this is an incredibly disappointing result, considering that the previously 1-2 Indians are thought of as one of weakest teams in the American League.  In the meantime, the powerful Boston bats were silenced by second-year pitcher Josh Tomlin.  If you're unfamiliar with the name, don't worry, you wouldn't be alone.

Featuring a blistering 85 MPH fastball, Tomlin plowed his way through the Sox lineup like Kemba Walker through a porous zone defense.  Boston hitters were a combined 4 for 29 (.138 batting average) in the game and somehow looked baffled and perplexed by Tomlin's severely limited and unimpressive repertoire.

There was a growing sentiment that the pitching might cause some problems for this year's Red Sox, but the offense was supposed to the guaranteed, dependable facet of this team.  So far, however, that has failed to be the case. 

The scary proposition now facing the Sox is they're forced into sending Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mound to try and avoid a five-game skid to kick off the 2011 campaign.  A once promising season is quickly turning into a monumentally disappointing one. Boston better get their act together, and it better start tomorrow night, because, although it's still only April, it's vitally important to start digging out of this hole before it gets too deep this early on.

Opening Thoughts

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks… baseball is back!  The long winter is finally giving way to spring and the Red Sox will look to start their pursuit of another World Series title.  However, those aspirations got off to a little bit of a rough start this past weekend.

This could not have been the start envisioned by Sox fans after an explosive offseason that featured two of the most coveted acquisitions this winter.  Boston fell victim to an overpowering offensive display by the Texas Rangers and dropped the first three games of the year down in Arlington.

One of the concerns for this team heading into a season with incredibly high expectations was their starting pitching.  And, unfortunately for the Sox, that concern grew to an even greater level.  Lester, Lackey and Buchholz combined to give up nine home runs and have an ERA over 10.00 in the opening weekend, while the entire pitching staff surrendered a whopping 26 runs during the three games.

The struggles were not just on the pitching side either.  Much of the lineup failed to provide any offensive production.  The most notable of the players unable to make any offensive contributions was the new $142 million left fielder, Carl Crawford.  He had one of the most disappointing debuts imaginable, going 0-4 with three strikeouts.  His next game wasn’t too much better as he failed to collect his first hit and went 0-3.

In a surprising move, Francona slid the struggling Crawford all the way down the 7^th spot in the order for the third game of the series.  A move that a lot of people considered an over-reactionary panic decision actually ended up working out to a certain degree.  Crawford ended up getting his first two hits for the Sox on the season and drove in the only run for Boston.

While the move paid minimal dividends for the one game, this cannot be a long-term solution as his bat will be needed to play a significant role if the Sox want to have a successful season this year.  Terry Francona will certainly have his managerial work cut out for him early on as he will experiment to try and find a comfortable spot for him in a loaded Red Sox lineup.

There were, however, a couple of bright spots over the weekend.  Newly acquired first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, looks like he is poised to have a monster season. Despite being severely limited in spring training, due to offseason shoulder surgery, his swing looked to be in mid-season form.  He piled up five hits in his first nine at-bats in a Red Sox uniform.

Also appearing to be rounding into mid-season form, David Ortiz, a notoriously horrendous and slow starter, hit two bombs and drove in four runs over the weekend.  To provide a little statistical perspective, he did not hit his first home run until April 23^rd of last year and then did not smash his second until May 1^st.  Needless to say it’s a welcomed sign for Boston fans, and he’s already well ahead of his pace from last season in which he hit 32 homers and racked up 102 RBIs.

Despite the ridiculous panic emerging from the early season analysis, we need to keep in mind that it’s only three games.  There are 159 more games and the dooms-day predictions of disaster are completely absurd.  There’s hardly a season that goes by where a team does not either experience a three-game sweep or a three-game losing streak at some point. 

 

Therefore, let’s put those panic meters back in pantry for a while and try and relax a little bit.  It’s understandable that Boston sports fans are passionate when it comes to the Sox, but try and channel that passion through more positive and optimistic outlets, at least for now anyway.  The Red Sox are stacked with seasoned professionals who know what it takes to win and will do whatever it takes to achieve that success.  Additionally, their leader is Terry Francona, and he has developed a keen knack for inspiring his players and getting the most out of his teams. 

 

There’s also more good news on the horizon for the Red Sox -- the Cleveland Indians are next up on the schedule.  They are an incredibly young team who is currently mired in a depressing, losing culture.  Look for Boston to find their bearings and get back on track before their Fenway home opener this weekend.  Oh yeah, and case you hadn’t heard, that series just happens to be against the New York Yankees. 

 

Along with those peanuts and Cracker Jacks you might want to pick up a parka as well if you’re planning on going out to the old ballpark this weekend.  Weather reports range from high 30’s to low 50’s with the potential of showers.  So, not only is baseball back, but we will be treated to an early season installment of the greatest rivalry in sports.  Here’s to warmer weather wishes and better results this season.  Go Sox!