The Rivalry Returns and so does the traffic !

I rushed back home yesterday from campus, only to be greeted by throngs of cars and traffic jams galore as I made my way at a snail's pace through Huntington Avenue and the periphery of the Fens.

I thought that by leaving at two o'clock, I would be fine. But, I wasn't it. The dreaded Opening Day traffic. I quickly I forgot about the disadvantages of living close to Fenway Park.

I'm pretty sure I cut a number of cars off, wasn't particularly charitable to pedestrians, and might have overlooked a passing ambulance's siren.

I listened to the first few innings on my car's radio, and yelled at Brett Gardner and called Derek Jeter an overachiever a few times.

I did get home in time to witness the implosion of Yankee starting pitcher, Phil Hughes, and the Yanks ultimate gift to the Sox and their fans -- their first win of 2011.

Hey Sox, I think Phil Hughes is still waiting on his "Thank You" Bouquet!

The Results are In...

And as the owner of the Countdown to Opening Day blog, I hereby announce that it is a two-way tie -- between the Yankees and the Red Sox. But, there can't be a tie, there can only be one favorite to win the American League East. And using my tie-breaking power to cast the final vote, yes, you guessed it -- the winner is the New York Yankees.

Opening Day, Yeah!

It's finally here, Yankee's Opening Day, and I had the luxury of having a front-row seat -- in my house! Which is not a bad deal, considering it was a 1:05 start. So, with a free day off from school and the best ballpark food that I could find in my frig, I settled in for four hours of Yankees (including Pre and post-game shows).

It felt like it was just yesterday when they were eliminated by the Texas Rangers in game five of the ALCS. And here they were -- back in the beautiful ballpark in the Bronx.

Opening Day did not disappoint. Pomp, circumstance, and home runs -- who could ask for anything more?

C.C. was in control, Tex broke his April curse with a 3-run homer,and Arod was Arod.

And did I mention the WIN?

A Paper Field

I'm channel surfing and happen upon some Q & A on ESPN or it could have been NESN. Nor really paying much attention to the programming, I am merely looking for some background noise to keep me company while I read the next assigned chapter for one of my classes.

I keep the sports station on, settle back with my textbook, concerned more with it's content than the one on the screen. And then, the words that I have heard more times than I care to, come blaring out at me.

"The Red Sox will have a killer lineup this season. No other team has made such an offseason splash. Look at the acquisitions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford," said sonme unknown with a droning voice.

Heck, it could have been a parrot, for these exact words have been repeated so many tines since, well, the acquisitions of Gonzalez and Crawford.

Even Brian Cashman, the Yankee's GM must have gotten the same memo. He touted the Red Sox as having the better team on paper. But even he admits, the game is not played on paper, but on a field in front of fans. Lots of them.

I am not ready to concede anything. Look at the UConn Huskies' magical run through the Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. They were never the team to beat. At least not on paper,anyway.

To HD or not to HD, that is the Question

I've owned a mega-TV for a few years, one of the HDTV kind. The problem is I am a DirecTV customer (and a procrastinator). I have put off calling DirecTV to order and have installed a special HDTV satellite dish.

Why? Mostly because I hate waiting, I'm just not very good at it.

And so every spring, right around the time when every sports fanatic feels like he/she is a cat on catnip, I say that this is going to be "the year."

And this spring, I am saying the same thing. Because I want to see it all up close like I've never seen it before.

I want to see the sweat pouring off UConn's phenom point guard, Kemba Walker's face. I want to see just how much "smuts" that Jim Calhoun has stuck in the corners of his mouth after forty minutes of chronic gum chewing.

More than anything, I want to see the pink plumpness of Alex Rodriguez' lips and the wide gap between CC Sabathia's two front teeth.

And while it would be nice to finally figure out all of the words and images tattooed on AJ Burnett's arms, that would mean that he is pitching. Which is something that I definitely do not
want to see, especially in High Definition. Much more painful to watch.

On second thought, I think I really don't need HDTV this spring. At least, not yet.

March Madness vs. Preseason Baseball

This is the time of the year when I wish I had a dual-screen TV. Do I watch the Big East Tournament (meaningful) or Pre-Season Baseball (meaningless)? And there lies my challenge.

What constitutes meaningful to one and meaningless to another? Is meaning in the eyes of the beholder?

As much as my rational self knows that spring training games have absolutely no barring on the regular season, my emotional self never got the message.

And so today I am torn. Between meaningful and meaningless. Between a bunch of college boys who will desert me as they prematurely head to the NBA and a group of professional and charismatic men who will be there for me at least through the end of September (and hopefully well into October).

I think I've solved my own dilemma!

Friday Night Fix

The week was a tough one for me. Tests equal stress; lots of tests equal lots of stress. Which is probably why on Friday afternoon, I was diagnosed with a sinus infection.

After filling my Rx at CVS, I felt sorry for myself and thought some pampering would be a good fix.

So, I headed to Finale for a most unhealthy (and costly) lunch of butterscotch pudding and hazelnut hot chocolate. I left Finale believing I was on the road to recovery.

What's this have to do with counting down to opening day? Relax, I'm getting there.

After an hour curled on the couch (still feeling sorry for myself) with Oprah, I began flipping channels. And that's when I discovered it -- the perfect cure for my aches and pains --Yankee pre-season baseball.

And at 7 p.m., I was front and center on my comfy couch watching my boys of summer take on the Boston Red Sox. Suddenly, my sinus congestion and pressure lessened, my symptoms were fading fast.

Was it the antibiotics? The hot chocolate and butterscotch pudding? Was it Oprah?

No, it was baseball, my own "chicken soup" for the body and for the soul.