(That's right, I just quoted "The Carpenters." Don't you dare judge me -- you're the one secretly bummed that Seal Klum can't stick around to sing the anthem tomorrow.)

* * *

You may have noticed this, but I can be a cynical cuss from time to time. That attitude, however, goes on the shelf on Opening Day.

I can't help it. I love the sappy/sweet sentiment, the new beginnings, the pomp and circumstance, the misty watercolor memories, every last cliche about hope springing eternal, Mo sinking the Mariners, Dewey crushing Jack Morris's inaugural pitch of the season, the mock cheer for Mariano Rivera and his pitch-perfect reaction, the deliciously hammy orchestrations of Dr. Charles Steinberg, the player introductions and awe-inspiring flyovers. All of it. Even Terry Cashman. ("This one goes out to Eddie Jurak . . .)

Sadly, that unpredictable old crab Mother Nature decided to mess with our grand plans today, and so we must wait one more day for our formal introduction to the 2009 Boston Red Sox. After waiting all winter for this, I suppose another 24 hours (or 26 hours and 1 minute, to be accurate) isn't too much to ask for the first pitch of the new season.

But while we look forward to tomorrow, let's ponder a few other Sox-related items we're looking forward to in 2009.

Jon Lester, staff ace: There's some debate over what the Sox should expect from the 25-year-old lefthander this season. The consensus, with which I generally agree, is that Lester will be among the premier pitchers in the American League this season, a legitimate Cy Young candidate. While there has to be some concern about the possible lingering effects of huge leap in innings last season (from 63 to 237, including the postseason), you have to trust that the progressive Red Sox management will find a way to get Lester rest at every opportunity during the season. In the end, he'll throw 200 high-quality innings, and once again we'll be grateful this admirable amalgam of Chuck Finley and Bruce Hurst is signed with the Sox for the next five years at a minimum.

Mark Teixeira's first trip to Fenway: Mazz thinks A-Rod is going to be wearing a bigger bull's-eye than the Yankees' new first baseman, but I hope that's not the case. A-Rod's an easier target, but Teixeira, who reveals himself to be more of a duplicitous hypocrite than previously thought with each new interview, is a more deserving one. Sox fans don't appreciate being played for fools. If there's any justice, he will get booed so loudly he has to stuff a few of his wadded-up $100s in his ears. The Yankees' first visit to Fenway is April 24. Mark your calendar and hone your insults.