BONZAI! The Japan Schedule...

While the Boston Red Sox sleep, or at least try to, I'm here on this Good Friday early morning writing to you. I wish every one of you a happy and healthy holiday weekend. Easter already. My goodness! Passover does not begin until April 20th, and the two holidays, which are usually close on the calender, are separated by almost a month. So the matzoh will have to wait. I like mine soaked in whipped eggs, almost as if the eggs were to be scrambled and sizzled. It's called Fried Matzoh, and with a little salt and fresh cracked pepper (some people use maple syrup, but that's too sweet for me), it's delicious. You can tell it's breakfast time here in Connecticut, and I'm a willing participant. I'm also the head cook and primary dishwasher. And I don't mind one bit.

The Red Sox play their first two regular season games on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25th and 26th. Both games commence at 6:05 AM EDT. They'll also play exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants on Saturday and Sunday. All games will be televised on NESN and ESPN2 (game one only for ESPN2) and broadcast on the Red Sox radio network and the usual internet sites. So enjoy, and I'll have more to say about the starting pitchers before the first exhibition game. For now, the players from BOTH teams have a tough assignment. And that is this - get acclimated to the huge time difference, at least enough to know when it's AM and when it's PM. Believe me, it's tough. And that's why it's such a good thing that the Sox play a couple exhibition games upon their return to the States before resuming their regular season schedule on the left coast.

Well, that's about it for now. For an hour by hour, minute by minute account of the one stop trip to the Far East, just click on this post's title. The Boston Herald had a wonderful article about it this morning, going into everything right down to the in-flight menus and movie entertainment schedule. Nice work! And with a 747 winging them, the players had plenty of room for anything, even with the media contingent on board...two levels and plenty of room for a poker tournament. It's all in the linked article, so take a peek.

To all of you, have a wonderful Good Friday and a happy and healthy Easter Sunday. It's a time for family, fun and ham, in no particular order. This morning, I'll take a ham omelet with a side of bacon, well done, and an order of buttered wheat toast. A glass of ice cold skim milk would make me a very happy guy. As do you. And as always, I wish you peace. BE WELL.