Apparently sometime after turning on the tube last night to watch the game, I took a travel to Bazaaro world. As the game continued, a stream of opposites started to occur.

Someone must have given some Kryptonite to Red Sox superman, Josh Beckett. He had good speed on the ball but couldn't find the strike zone. Meanwhile Cleveland's Paul Byrd, who entered the game with a 9.12 ERA, may have pitched his best game ever - allowing only one walk.

The league's top defense (now third), misplayed balls and shortstop Alex Cora made two errors. The Red Sox bullpen looked, well, like Cleveland's. Every reliever gave up at least one run except for Keith Foulke. He, by the way, pitched a stellar eighth (one batter in the seventh).

I couldn't believe my eyes! It's one thing to have the pitcher fall apart; I can accept that. It's entirely different watching the whole team fall apart.

I'm unimpressed with Seanez and Tavarez. The organization better be thinking of ways to ramp up the bullpen. Help may eventually be on the way as Craig Hansen was promoted to Pawtucket from the Sea Dogs, where he posted a 1-0 record with 12Ks and a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings of work.

Today the Sox head down to Tampa Bay for the weekend series. Former Red Sox pitcher, Casey Fossum will be on the mound for the Devil Rays. Normally I would be welcoming the matchup

Like four of the balled that sailed to the backstop, let's get passed this game and move on.

The Red Sox official site says passed balls haunt the Sox.

Now, I'm sure many fans are questioning the use of Josh Bard behind the plate. However, would Jason Varitek do much better? The knuckleball is tough on everyone, so I fault him not, though I do miss Doug Mirabelli right about now.

The missed balls weren't the problem. The Red Sox, for whatever reason, simply aren't hitting when Tim Wakefield is on the mound. I believe it is a matchup thing. No. 2 pitchers will out pitch No. 3 or 4 pitchers, which I believe Tim Wakefield is.

The Boston Globe says the Sox "can't catch a break.

Wakefield has pitched well to this point, really. Giving up three earned runs is pretty acceptable, especially in the American League. And if you take away his disasterous start in Texas, his ERA would be 2.20; WHIP 1.08. Outstanding!

But five hits will not win ball games.

I was impressed by Cleveland's Cliff Lee. He did not buckle under, even when facing Big Papi with the bases full. Instead he went right after the slugger - high and inside to earn the strikeout.

The Indians' young bats continue to impress too. It is and will be a formidable club with Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Grady Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta (I still can't get over that spelling) leading the way.

Speaking of Peralta what was Wakefield thinking, trying to sneak a fastball past him? Granted the 23-year-old shortstop is hitting a paltry .227 this season, but he also has 27 home runs, 92 RBIs in 162 games in his short career. He can obviously turn on the fastball, especially Wake's.

That one mistake killed the Sox.

I'd like to forget about last night's game and look forward to today's matchup. Josh Beckett looks to redeem himself vs. Paul Byrd.

Although Byrd has created a one-finger change up, it doesn't appear to be helping. He has a 9.12 ERA going into tonight's game and simply has lost his command. See a preview of tonight's matchup at USAToday.com.

The keys to a successful victory: The early Byrd gets hit. Since he is struggling, I'd like to see the Sox sit on some pitches make him throw strikes. Youkilis has been tremendous in the this regard and even Wily Mo Pena, who looks to get the start tonight, did a fantastic job last night against Cliff Lee, though he eventually popped the 11th pitch to the shallow outfield.

If the Sox accomplish that goal the rest will be easy. The bullpen is still questionable, so the sooner you can get to those middle relief guys the better.

Josh Beckett needs to simply be Josh Beckett.

And the 7-8-9 hitters have got to get on base and be more productive.

If you have to play small ball to get guys scoring than so be it; Francona knows this he's a National League guy.

Go Sox!

We all saw the game last night, so I'm not going to labor over it. I have something else to rant about.

About the game...
Manny is back! I knew it was going to be a good week. He just couldn't go that long without reaching his lkevel of play. Having once played for Cleveland, I think he enjoys being back in front of that crowd.

Manny is starting to hit to the opposite field and the results have been magnificent. In his last 10 games he has hit safely 14 times, raising his average from .205 to and even .300, during that span. I will also mention his three home runs, including last night's three-run shot.

After seeing the results of Cleveland's decision, I doubt very many other pitchers will intentionally walk David Ortiz any time soon.

Schilling as I predicted had a rough outing, allowing five runs in seven innings. But as he said the linescore is worse than he pitched. What was particularly surprising: Cleveland's batters thrived on his curve ball and he kept throwing it - more than I've seen in the past.

I find it eerie that Schilling's outing was so similar to Josh Beckett's.

Indians' starter Jake Westbrook pitched pretty well, but walking six batters certainly won't help his WHIP. He was set for the win, allowing only two runs in five innings, before the Indians' bullpen destroyed his effort. Mota was particularly bad. (Which makes me like the Crisp deal even more.)

Ortiz hit another home run and Sox win! They remain in first place. 'Nuff said.

All is not right at the Jake, well at least with the Tribe. They have lost six of the last 10, including two games vs. the lowly Royals.

Some have predicted the Indians to win their division, even over the defending World Champion White Sox.

They have a decent nucleus of young talent with Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore leading the way. They have out scored their opponents, but overall their record is a mediocre 10-9.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer suggests part of the problem could be found in the pen. The Indians have had numerous injuries and are relying on some youngsters and two veterans (Danny Graves and Bob Wickman) to pick up the slack. Last year Cleveland's relievers were stellar. So far this year, they have allowed almost three more runs a game.

Ohio.com reports the Indians' swagger is gone.

Not what you want to hear if you are an Indian fan. With their confidence shot, they return home to face one of the toughest pitchers in baseball - Curt Schilling.

Schilling has been on fire. He has yet to lose a game. His ERA (1.61) is second only to Chicago's Jose Contreras. He leads the league in wins (4) and ks (23).

But I'm a little worried about this matchup. After witnessing Josh Beckett struggle against the Jays, I can only hope that Schilling doesn't let his guard down. As Beckett goes so goes Schilling.

Tribe Tracker, a blog that, well, tracks the Cleveland Indians, is lamenting the loss of Brandon Phillips, losing to K.C. and the upcoming home-stand.

Where's the optimism? I suppose I'm as bad. Let's face it, for a while the Indians have been the laughing stock of baseball (Ever seen Major League?) until, they traded Manny and built Jacob's Field.

Now, they are building a solid franchise. If they could ever have luck go their way, they may even win their division,. Until they find a tourniquet for the pen, it will be extremely difficult to do this year.

Speaking of Major League, I wonder how long Jon Papelbon will keep his hair looking like Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn. It will be interesting to see how Indians' fans respond? I'm guessing not so well; Cleveland is pretty die-hard.

It's a shame that the Sox are going to be without Coco Crisp when they face Cleveland. I believe players love to face their former teams. Crisp won't get his chance this time around, still on the disabled list. The good news, he could return to the lineup by mid-May.

Some people are motivated by money. Others pride. In Curt Schilling's case, both may apply. Though, I doubt money is truly a factor.

Seems that Schilling has the most success when paired with a pitcher perceived to be better.

When in Arizona with Randy Johnson, Schilling posted a 22-6 record in 2001 (winning the World Series) followed by a 2002 record of 23-7 (making the playoffs). In 2004, his first year with the Sox and Pedro Martinez he posted 21-6 (also winning a World Series).

Now, unbeknownst to him, Josh Beckett is the motivating factor. The result an impressive 4-0 start, 1.59 ERA, a more impressive 0.82 WHIP and 30 Ks in 34 innings.

In a 9-1 game Wednesday, Schilling produced every pitch as though the game was on the line - even getting upset with a couple of umpire calls in the fifth and sixth innings.

I expect, barring injury, Schilling will post another 20+ wins - easily a Cy Young candidate.

As long as Beckett pitches every fifth game, Schilling will do his best to outshine the "competition."

Is it ego? Perhaps. Regardless, it's proving to be effective.

During this off season, the Red Sox made every effort to rebuild this team. Not only in the numbers game and ability, but probably more importantly with character.

The organization rid itself of prima donnas. Opting instead to take the Bill James route with "good guys."

Not only do they have a core in David Ortiz and Jason Varitek - true clubhouse leaders - but Mike Lowell is a good team player and a competitor with something to prove; Josh Beckett plays with fire, passion; Alex Gonzalez realizes his role and is a defensive stud; Kevin Youkilis didn't whine about moving to first (He accepted the role change and was rewarded with more playing time); J.T. Snow has always been a stand up guy in the Bigs, willing to teach the young and take a back seat to Youkilis (a guy who never played first base in the majors); Dustin Mohr played the best of anyone in spring training but didn't cry about his backup role or whine when Wily Mo Pena took his spot on the depth chart.

If character means so much, and I believe it does, why keep David Wells?

David Wells is apparently ready to start his first game of the season. The pitcher was placed on the DL to start the year to recover from off-season surgery.

Although everyone knows he wasn't that hurt. The Sox simply did not want to use a five-man rotation with the amount of "off" days that were made available.

Tonight's game should be interesting; Wells hasn't faired very well vs. the Blue Jays.

I can't go the whole day without at least mentioning Bronson Arroyo's latest outing.

Yes, he did it again. In his first at-bat yesterday, against what is turning out to be a familiar foe, Arroyo hit another home run. The Cincinnati Enquirer has the story.

Again, it was against the Cubs. And again the pitcher was Glendon Rusch. But before all you Sox fans, lament - especially after witnessing Wily Mo Pena's debacle in right - let's consider.

Unable to attend the first home game of the season was indeed a bummer, but some things are more important, if you can believe that.

Before leaving work I was able to catch the ceremony. I love seeing Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr and the rest of the 1946 representatives. It's always special to me. I love these guys and after reading "Teammates," "Summer of '49" and numerous other biographies, I've grown especially fond of the era.

I was also able to see Beckett's first inning. With his adrenaline pumping and a tight strike zone, he struggled. I was a little worried, I admit.

A colleague talked this morning about how everything happens for a reason. She weaved a pretty convincing story to prove her point.

Now, I'm not sure if there is anything to it, but as I was radio surfing on my way to work, two songs were playing on the radio that may be sending me a message.

The first I heard on CLZ, "Faith in Me" by Elvis Costello. I like the song, my daughter however apparently does not. I listened for a moment, until the "No, Daddy"s forced a change. I then moved to WMGX, where George Michael was singing "Gotta Have Faith." My daughter started dancing and I started to puke, I mean, think.

Could the radio be sending me a message? Is there a reason for all of the "faith" talk? Was it merely a coincidence? Is Karma driving over my Dogma?

I haven't always had faith in the Sox. Truth be told, I didn't trust management for the longest period of time. Before 2003, the team was content being in second. It filled seats every day. That's all the front office seemed to care about. Yes, they were competitive, most of the time, but until the wild-card format was introduced, the chances of the Red Sox getting into the playoffs was remote.

But this ownership group has rebuilt my faith. I trust them to put not only a competitive team on the field, but one of character.

And there is no bigger character than, Big Papi. Yesterday, the Red Sox and David Ortiz agreed to a contract extension. Four more years! (Maybe five).

Even when David Ortiz was a part-time player with the Twins, I had taken an interest in him. If given the chance, I thought he could bring a lot of power to a lineup. I was right. Not until he came to Boston for a song (there's that radio again) did I realize the type of person he was.

Now, I'm not in the Red Sox inner circle, but you do not have to be close to realize what his presence means to the Sox on the field and in the market place.

His smile says it all. More importantly he loves, truly loves, Boston and its fans.

Even when his clubhouse buddies, Pedro and Manny were squabbling with the Red Sox about contracts, money and threatening to leave, Big Papi wanted to stay.

Though he brings more to the team than numbers, $12.5 million-a-year is still cheap by today's standards.

Timing is everything. Opening day at Fenway, perfect. You start your newly-acquired future ace, Josh Beckett; your team is in first place; you sign Big Papi. Genius.

As if I wasn't excited already, now I'm faithfully theirs.

Opening day notes...
Boston Herald: Josh Beckett throws the "first real pitch" of the season.

Boston Globe: Plenty on Varitek's plate.

Dan Shaughnessy: Takes a look at the new, old ballyard.

MLB.com: Crisp out with broken knuckle.

Oh-oh. Though, Coco Crisp says that he is ready to play, according to the Boston Globe, the injury to his finger may leave Crisp out of the Fenway opener.

With Josh Beckett on the mound and after seeing Adam Stern play Sunday, I'd error on the side of caution. Crisp is an essential part of the Red Sox season and as such shouldn't let pride get in the way of team success.

It seems that The Hat may have been right afterall. Painful for me. Tim Wakefield went up against the Baltimore's "ace," Rodrigo Lopez. I use the term "ace" a bit loosely, for on any other team, Lopez - as with any of the Oriole starters - would be a three. But regardless, the matchup was favorable for Wake.

More impressive was Keith Foulke's eighth. Foulke made the most of an opportunity, facing three batters and recording two Ks. He makes a great setup man. Even after saying that, I would not be surprised to see Foulke in the closer's role by week's end.

Tuesday's game will feature a battle of the Joshs. Josh Beckett will take the mound in the home opener and Josh Towers will pitch for the Blue Jays.

Towers has little experience against the Sox. He faced them once last year going eight innings, allowing three earned runs for a loss. The Red Sox starting line, well those still with the team, hit .300 against him, with seven home runs. But before anyone starts celebrating, a lot has changed on this Toronto team since they last met.

Toronto has added starter AJ Burnett (injured), catcher Bengie Molina (currently batting .438), 3B Troy Glaus (currently batting .364 with 2 HRs), 1B Lyle Overbay (currently batting .375), closer B.J. Ryan (2 saves, 4Ks, 0.38 WHIP) and former Fenway fav DH Shea Hillenbrand (currently struggling).

It will be fun. Game time is 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Okay so every night is different. Who's to say that if Josh Beckett had pitched one day earlier, his effort would have had the same result. But after some seeing him pitch Wednesday, I feel comfortable sending it to the jury.

This is what I expect from my No. 2, soon to be a the "ace" of the staff. Beckett was awesome. He caught the corners, buckled knees and threw some heat (consistently hitting 95, 96 and 97). His location was perfect, especially against some tough lefty bats.

There were times when I had to hold my breathe, but he got out of every jam. It was quite enjoyable watching him work the count. I was a bit concerned about his pitch total (109) but he did not seem the least bit tired. Power pitchers will have high pitch counts; it's the nature of the beast. He's challenging hitters and opponents are going send some to the stands, hopefully foul and out of play, like Wednesday.

He's the future.

Is Papelbon? In what I would call a surprise move, Terry Francona decided to go with Jon Papelbon to close. Surprise because he made the right call. Typically speaking, this would be an opportunity to show Keith Foulke that the manager still believed in him, even after a rough outing opening night. But Francona didn't do that. Instead he put his faith in Papelbon. And Papelbon didn't disappoint. He blew fastballs right by the three batters he faced (one resulting in the pop-up) on his way to record his first major league save. The Rangers simply could not catch up to the heater. A thing of beauty.

Francona's decision is certain to send a message to Foulke. How he responds will be interesting. He'll get other opportunities; he's paid too much not to.

Jon Papelbon has the tools to be the everyday closer. Is that the best role for him? I'm not sure. There are some other guys, most notably Craig Hanson, who is being groomed for the position. Besides I'm drooling over the possibility of a Schilling, Beckett, Papelbon and Lester rotation as early as 2007.

But The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessey has a different opinion. (Imagine that). By reading his column, you'd think Papelbon is the present-day and future closer.

One thing he is correct about: this was a "Belichickian move."

Get the job done, record the "W."

Message to baserunners: Do not underestimate Manny. In the eighth inning, Manny Ramirez threw a relay to Mike Lowell who sent a laser to Tek. East out. Manny is probably the most underrated outfielder in the game. With 17 assists to his credit last year, runners should heed the warning.

A correction: Kameron Loe had eight starts last year. I was looking at his 2004 numbers when I posted two. Last night he was impressive in size and command. At 24 years-old, the Rangers have something to look forward to. It was tough to see past his 6-7, 240 lb. frame. He's not going to amass the Ks that a Beckett will, but he should develop into a pretty decent pitcher.

So already I'm having issues with Terry Francona. Why would Tim Wakefield be starting the second game?

Now, I've heard arguments saying that after seeing Schilling's heat, the change would be good.

I don't buy it. It seems to me you want to get favorable matchups. Placing Josh Beckett vs. Vincente Padilla (who looked good by the way) makes more sense. No. 2 vs. No. 2. The theory being that if Beckett can shut them down, the Sox woud not need many runs to win. Simple enough.

Beckett's career ERA is 3.46 almost a full run lower than Wakefield's. Padilla's career ERA is 3.93, so one could estimate that Padilla would give up 4 and Beckett 3, thus putting a W on the board. Or at least giving the Sox a fighting chance.

Today's Ranger pitcher, virtually unknown, Kameron Loe, has only pitched two games at the major league level, but his ERA is 5.4, leaving Wakefield with the distinct advantage.

Yes, these are hypotheticals, but that's the game.

Don't buy it? Consider this: Not many in the Rangers' lineup have even seen Beckett pitch - leaving Beckett and the Sox with yet another reason to start the second game.

I wouldn't even place Wakefield as my third starter. If indeed you want to throw off your opponents hitters, then wait and start him in Baltimore to open that series. Then come with the big guns again. On Friday, Daniel Cabrera is on the mound for Baltimore and although he had a great WBC, his ERA is 4.75; the Sox hit .333 against him.

Wake on the other hand seems to have better luck against Orioles' hitters, whose batters hit .249 when he is on the mound.

Thus Matt Clement, who probably needs a confidence builder, would have started today's game.

Unless the Boston Red Sox wanted to have Josh Beckett pitch the home opener on April 11, it doesn't make sense. Which, now that I think about it, answers the original question.

By the way: Let's not ask "why Josh Bard?" There needs to be some consistency with the Wakefield/catcher battery. Jason Varitek needs to get at least one day off a week. Like it or not, that is the way to go. Boston is by and large lucky to have such a durable catcher that can go 4 out of 5 games. Most teams do not have that luxury. So don't blame Bard. With time, he'll be fine.

My fantasy draft was held Sunday - a few hours before the first regular-season pitch. While I tried to pick up Sox players, my efforts were in vain.

The price of Boston's players is quite high in this region. Even if they are great, I couldn't see spending the money. So the only Sox player I was able to add to my roster: Matt Clement. He, however, was cheap.

My team however looks good. On paper, every team looks good.

With my roster in hand, I took Monday off to watch five baseball games.

I love opening day. It's like Christmas. I can't sleep the night before (dancing baseballs and swinging bats in my head); I wake up with butterflies; run to the store and sit with friends - eat, drink and be merry.

One downfall: my thumb hurts from remote-itis (toggling between games can be dangerous).