The 'Boys of Summer' are here

NHLife — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:54:00 GMT

I’ll admit it. I have a small, tiny, little crush on Jacoby Ellsbury. His tremendous performance in the 2007 World Series sealed the deal. But today he hit one out of the park against the Toronto Blue Jays and I’m afraid I fell in love all over again. Ellsbury needs to be given a chance to shine. Are you listening, Terry Francona?

I know, I know. Dustin Pedroia was the “Rookie of the Year” for 2007 and he gets all of the attention. It’s justified. But Jacoby is a well-rounded player and he is going to shine, both defensively and offensively. Just watch him.

This is the week that Sox fans head to Fenway to watch their team open up at home after a long stretch of games that took them all over the world (a total of 16,000 miles!). Oh, and they are going to get their bling handed to them; the coveted World Series rings will be passed out this week. That’s right. The Red Sox are, once again, World Champions.

This brings me to Manny who has been my “wicked” favorite player for years. How can you not love the man? He continues to be consistently inconsistent in that loveable “Manny being Manny” kind of way. Today was no exception.

I do believe the Red Sox have the best lineup in the Major Leagues this year. They have started off a little rough but 16,000 miles on the road will wear down the best of us. As they get into the swing of the season, they’ll sharpen their skills and get in the game.

I’m happy to see the Boys of Summer on the field. Without baseball, what else is there to watch on television for the next six months?

Note: I should perhaps mention that this is also opening week for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Get out and enjoy America's pastime when you can.

Update (4/8/08): My friend Mike Verge was on Fox 25 News this morning. He was performing his song, "Let's Go Red Sox" live from Fenway Park. It's a great ballgame song, the kind that makes you want to sing along with the crowd. WZLX 100.7FM has been playing it lately on the radio (and you'll probably be hearing it a lot in the coming months). If you'd like to hear it, go to: http://www.mikeverge.com/letsgoredsox.

Also today at Fenway, Steven Tyler from the rock band Aerosmith made a surprise appearance during the 7th Inning Stretch to sing "God Bless America". Click here for video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtSrbwD-Ko4. The Red Sox received their World Championship Rings during a pre-game ceremony today that featured a "Red Sox Nation" parade of flags and the unfurling of a World Championship banner over the Green Monster while the Boston Pops performed. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by former Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner.

Live Free and Blog : Aerosmith

The 'Boys of Summer' are here