Friday August 18th. A Good Day?

Today's dawn was partly cloudy, with temperatures to rise from 60 degrees into the upper 70s. Not humid. Not hot, but comfortable. And it will be just so for the sixty thousand plus fans that will settle into their seats at the old ballpark in the city of Boston, the city we love. But while the weather will be calm, the mood, the atmosphere at the Fens will be anything but. Ya see, the Yankees are in town. Arod, Jeter, Torre, and the rest of the cast that we know so well. Five games in four days. First place on the line. And Jason Johnson will be the first of five pitchers whose job it is to shut down the Yankees as best they can. And their best is what we, Red Sox fans all, will need. Setting the tone, and not just for tonight's game but the entire series, will be Jason Johnson, the diabetic who will take the mound shortly after 1pm. He's looking to not rely on his off speed pitches. And Wang, the opening starter for the pinstipers, will rely on his heavy ground ball inducing sinker. Uneffective in his last start, we hope that trend continues, if only until dinnertime. We hope to wear him down by being patient at the plate, making him throw a ton of pitches. If it's not too far down in the strike zone, swing for the base hit, the line drive. Stay away from the ground ball. That's the key. That and the hope that JJ does not put us in an early hole. The key to JJ? Get out of the first inning unscathed!! No looking forward to game number two, for the mood and the air itself will become charged, lightning like, with a game one victory. And the city, Red Sox Nation itself, sits and waits, maybe nervous, certainly confident, for that first pitch. Enjoy everyone, and think of how much fun game number two will be on the heels of a Sox win this afternoon. For these games are big. The last appearance at Fenway for the Yankees at our home will be a memorable time. Let's hope we can look back at this next month with smiles, and be able to say THIS is when we started our push, our shove, to October greatness. Push. Shove. TODAY.