A new season will be here before we know it. The catchers and pitchers will be reporting to Sarasota before your toast pops out of your toaster. But, is this year just another year? A year where the Sox play well in April and May and once the summer heats up, the Sox begin to cool down to sub-zero temperatures? I don't know the answer quite yet, but I am very optimistic for the upcoming season. Mr. Multimillionaire Steinbrenner is pissing me off and I am very ready to kick the crap out of him and his stupid new network this year. Fans...listeners...readers....pay attention....this is NOT going to be like every other year. We are actually gonna beat the Yankees in August and September. We are actually gonna get the big hits that we need down the stretch of big games in late August. We are actually gonna make the playoffs this year. As the slogan NESN used last season to advertise the telecasts of their games, "It's the year to be here!"

Now to my young, exciting new buddy Theo Epstein. Theo, Theo, Theo...What are you doing? But wait...Theo, did I really see on ESPN News yesterday afternoon that the White Sox got Bartolo Colon? The same guy that we needed to beat the hated Yankees in a series? Fans, don't get all pissed off at Theo yet. He's young and intelligent and seems to know what he is doing, but I will undoubtedly add my two sense to this issue. To Theo: the point of your job was to get Colon to come to the RED Sox, not the WHITE Sox!! But its okay, people tend to mix colors up alot especially when dealing with professional baseball teams (I'm being highly sarcastic).

Another thing I do not understand is why we didn't deal Casey Fossum for Colon. That's all the Expos wanted to complete the trade but NO...the Sox are stubborn for once (the only time they shouldn't have been) and didn't want to trade a young, potential left-handed All-Star pitcher in Fossum. When have the Sox ever considered this? I believe the last time the Sox went to get a big time pitcher in Montreal (1996 ring a bell? or the name Pedro Martinez?) we traded a highly thought prospect pitcher from Pawtucket in Carl Pavano. Some things just do not make any sense to me. Maybe it's because I am only a kid or maybe its because Theo is just a kid. Go figure.

WOW...this idea of getting rid of Nomar Garciaparra or Pedro Martinez is very disturbing to me. Even more disturbing is the fact that people believe we can still be competitive without one of them. This just blows my freakin mind. "Oh, Pedro is a cry baby." "Pedro only plays when he wants too." Give me a break before I get a heart attack for heavens sake. We wouldn't have gone to the championship game without this "cry baby" in 1999 when we played the Yankees. We would have had 20 less losses every year since 1997 if it wasn't for this "lazy" guy who decides to pitch whenever he wants. Fans...will you just listen to me for once...We need Pedro on this team as much as we need the U.S. Army in Iraq. We need Pedro as much as we need...a cell phone. These aren't luxuries, but necessities. We need Pedro. Plain and simple.

Alright, I am out for now. Get ready fans...The season will be here before you know it. I'm excited. My new man Theo is excited. Let's get this ship rocking the right way by going up and not down.

Till next time, take care of yourself and cheer those Celtics along.

Matto85@aol.com