Tonight is the night to really start getting excited about baseball. Everything up to this point has simply been prelude to Yanks and Sawks. Boston has been on a roll winning seven in a row albeit against inferior pitching. New York has won four of five with the one blemish a 22-4 lashing at the hands of the Indians.
Both teams are working out what their identities will be this season at this point. The Sox are adjusting to life without Manny in their first full season with out the world class hitter/malcontent. The Yanks are still figuring out how to use their new toys. Both teams are also dealing with confounding cases of stars under performing. David Ortiz has played better of late for Boston, but is still looking for his elusive power stroke (zero home runs). Chien-Ming Wang has been shelled for a ERA of 34.00 in three very brief starts. It will be interesting to see if either one of these stars figure anything out before the all-star break.
I am looking forward to tonight's match up between young pitchers Jon Lester and Joba Chamberlain. The genuine acrimony between Joba and Kevin Youkilis is just what this rivalry needs to get the fans blood boiling. The rivalry is always better when it's the players, not just the fans, who have a real, palatable dislike for each other.
The Saturday matinee will feature former teammates A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett in the battle of the angry little boys. And we'll finish up on Sunday with the vet vs. the kid in Andy Pettitte and Justin Masterson.
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