The NOMO - PEDRO SHOW . . .

As expected, the Yankees and Blue Jays have blasted out as well. The first test of this Unbalanced Season will come this weekend when the Sox and Bombers face off for four games. Let the games begin... The old news is Hideo Nomo's no-no in his first start for the Sox in game #2. The first for the good guys in about 35 years. The last was thrown in Fenway by someone I can't recall (it was the 60's) before a crowd of about 1800. Pedro fanned 16 Rays the other day, Manny's driving in runs with alarming regularity, and a rookie 3rd baseman by the name of Shea Hillenbrand has yet to stop hitting since blasting through the minors last season. Offerman's hitting .467, and Everett and Trot Nixon are doing what they do. Rookie pitcher Paxton Crawford struck out 9 and surrendered but 4 hits in 7 innings in his debut.

Could things be any better? Well, Nomar could be in there. And Dante Bichette has but one AB. But the answer is no - this team is running on all cylinders in the early going, the pitching's been superb and the hitting has come around. Will this continue? What do I look like, a frikken Svenjolly???

A footnote: the Fenway Park 61-game sellout streak ended this evening. A few thousand empty seats. This is a bit of a surprise since it is Nomo's Boston debut following the no-hitter. But it may be a sign of the high ticket prices influencing the gate, as it was a beautiful day here in Boston. Has an effect on me - I'll try to budget in a coupla games, but not 6-7 like before the strike. That being said, Tampa Bay dreams of this kind of attendance.

Another footnote: the beer of choice tonight, for the first report of the regular season, was Budweiser, the King of Beers. But only a couple, 'cause tonight's a school night... And for what it is, it is not half bad. Perhaps the same could be said of the Olde Towne Team.