During the last couple of weeks, I've thought of little else but my newborn baby girl. Watching her arrive was the most enjoyable experience I could ever imagine, at least from a father's point of view. It is however unfortunate that while my wife labored, so did the Sox. Now that I have returned perhaps I'll have time to catch-up on my favorite team. I couldn't have planned my return any better; interleague play begins tonight!

I never used to enjoy interleague play, thinking it devalued the World Series. After seeing the same teams over and over, my dislike increased. Now that Major League Baseball has changed the schedule, my feelings may be beginning to change.

In the first interleague series of the year, the Red Sox face the San Diego Padres. While the Padres and Red Sox haven't seen much of each other, the two teams have connections dating back to 1936. Two of the finest Red Sox players ever - Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr - both came from the Padres when it was a minor league team in the Pacific Coast League.

Then there's the Hoffman tie. SignonSanDiego.com's Chris Jenkins writes about Trevor Hoffman's experience as the younger brother of Glenn Hoffman, former third baseman for the Sox and current Dodgers coach.

Let us not forget that Larry Lucchino, CEO of the Red Sox, helped design San Diego's new Petco Park. He was also president and CEO of the Padres for six years. The Padres official site has official profile) is scheduled to pitch the opener against Boston. Wells returns from the disabled list after a mysterious hand injury. He last pitched May 16. Without him San Diego has been doing quite well, maintaining second place in the N.L. West. MLB.com has a preview of tonight's match-up.

The Padres are looking to improve. On Monday the team made the first pick in the MLB amateur draft, selecting Matt Bush. ESPN.com takes a look at the Padre's draft and how others fared. San Diego's quest to improve may not stop there. According to Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal the team has expressed interest in Kansas City's Carlos Beltran. I'm holding out hope that Beltran will become a Boston player before the trading deadline.

I do not expect this to be much of a series. While the Padres have been playing good ball, I fully expect the team to stumble through the A.L. East. Boston and the Yankees are sure to test this team's strengths and expose its weaknesses.

Either way, the fun is about to begin. Bring on the National League!

Are you looking forward to watching the Red Sox face some of the National League teams?

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