It'll be love at first sight with Sox
ARLINGTON, Texas -- They are a Greater Boston institution on a par with Harvard, Durgin Park, and the Swan Boats. They have their own Nation (which has gone global) and their own television station. They've rebuilt their sacred home office yet again, and next week they'll be on the face of their very own scratch card. We all know it doesn't get any bigger than that.
This is part of the reason the first game of any Red Sox season is a legitimate, only-in-Boston holiday -- like Evacuation Day, Patriots Day, and those other blow-off-work days that confound friends and relatives who don't live in New England.
Eighteen years after he was traded from the Boston organization and 18 months since he won the World Series with his bloody sock, Curt Schilling gets the ball this afternoon (no truth to the rumor that he arrived here on Air Force One with a macrobiotic chef), starting against the Texas Rangers in his first Opening Day assignment for the Red Sox. Schill says he's back in 2004 form (21-6) and he anchors a staff that could be one of the best in team history.
Much has happened since the Sox played their last game of consequence -- a limp Game 3 playoff loss to the world champion Chicago White Sox Oct. 7. In a winter that could only be characterized as hideous, wonderboy general manager Theo Epstein walked out in a huff (escaping Fenway in a gorilla suit on Halloween); the Sox said goodbye to Idiot heroes Johnny Damon, Kevin Millar, Bronson Arroyo, Bill Mueller, and Doug Mirabelli; the fishtank known as the 406 Club was demolished as part of the most extensive Fenway renovation since 1934; World Series stud Josh Beckett was acquired from the Marlins; Edsel Edgar Renteria was sent away while a new infield was acquired; breakfast of champions Coco Crisp took over in center; Manny Ramírez and David Wells asked to be traded (and were retained); and Epstein returned with the newfound power and attitude of Bill Belichick.
And so these 2006 Red Sox are a new-look team, stressing defense, pitching, and boredom -- unless you want to count Kung-Fu-fighting reliever Julian Tavarez, who has a chance to make his mark as the Dominican Carl Everett. Outside of Tavarez, and of course, Manny, the Idiot culture is gone and has been replaced by an organizational professionalism that would make Boss Steinbrenner proud. There are only nine players left from the 25-man World Series roster that thrashed the Cardinals in the magical autumn of 2004: Ramírez, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon, Mike Timlin, Schilling, Keith Foulke, Tim Wakefield, and Kevin Youkilis.
Nationally, this exodus of hair and talent has inspired many experts to dismiss the Red Sox as a noncontender and perhaps a third-place team in the vaunted American League East. The made-over Toronto Blue Jays are the flavor of the month in the April rags and a lot of prognosticators see the Yankees winning their ninth straight division title with the Jays vaulting into second place over a weakened Boston entry.
That opinion is not shared here. Not in the
It all goes back to pitching and defense. The Sox have starters named Schilling, Beckett, Wakefield, Wells, and Matt Clement. They have rookie stud Jonathan Papelbon warming up in the bullpen if one of the starters gets hurt. They have bolstered their pen (Papelbon again) and it actually looks like baseball-hating closer Foulke is back to his 2004 self. Sure the Yankees have Randy Johnson and closer Mariano Rivera, but the Pinstripes are lamenting the wounded wings of Carl Pavano (and you thought Renteria was a bad signing?) and Jaret Wright. Mike Mussina could implode at any moment. The Sox have far better pitching than the Yankees. Better defense, too: Mike Lowell, Alex Gonzalez, Mark Loretta, and J. T. Snow/Youkilis could be downright spectacular defensively.
The Sox have lost some punch, but not much. Crisp won't have the first half Damon had in 2005, but he's a better long-term solution and fans are going to love him the way they loved the Jesus action figure. Manny and Big Papi are the latter-day Ruth and Gehrig and that'll cover for diminished numbers from the infield. As for Wily Mo Peña, he'll make batting practice a must-see and maybe someday become a righty Mo Vaughn. Bottom line: the Sox can't match the 1-through-9 firepower of the Yankees' lineup, but Boston will score enough runs to win 95-100 games.
It is Opening Day 2006, all teams are 0-0, but the Red Sox this time are better than the Yankees. The wacky winter doesn't change that. So take the day off and watch Schill pitch to the Rangers and try not to overreact if your team loses the first game. The 2006 Red Sox may not win the World Series, but they are positioned to be sitting in first place in the American League East Oct. 1 when the season comes to a close.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is dshaughnessy@globe.com. 
