Hardball Heaven

Well, we'll see if an extra day of sleep and relaxation helps our tired bunch of Sox today. The home opener is on tap today at Fenway for a 2:05 start, with Dice-K going against Kenny Rogers. You've got a jet-lagged team going against a shockingly winless team in the Tigers, who many predict will be in the Fall Classic.

It's hard to put into words, but Opening Day here in Boston always feels good. Everyone's a little happier, people are playing hooky from school and work to be at the game, there's a buzz in the streets of Back Bay, and - as an added gift from Mother Nature - it's actually going to be a pretty nice day weather-wise for some ball.

Oh - and there's this little banner and ring ceremony before the game to get you completely in the mood. As far as I'm concerned, the 2008 season begins today.
*****
I'd be remiss if I didn't expend a few words on last night's classic college hoops championship game. First, though, a quick disclaimer: I'm not a college hoop afficionado even in the slightest; I don't watch the sport at all until March Madness, but always make sure to watch the championship game (mostly because CBS lets me get caught up on the whole tournament with "One Shining Moment"). Last night's game was just a pure treat to watch, with two extraordinarily talented teams going at each other for a full game and then an overtime. Memphis and coach John Calipari will be kicking themselves for eternity after squandering a 9-point lead with 2 minutes to go in regulation. The contributing factors to their demise? Turnovers, good Kansas D, a timeout that wasn't called, and - what everyone kept saying would ultimately be the Tigers' downfall - missed free throws, especially in the clutch. As soon as Jayhawk junior Mario Chalmers hit that epic three to tie it and send it to overtime, you just knew Memphis was all done.