2011: The Year of The Commander. Or "Polish those Pennies, Jr."

*Video NSFW*

0-3 is not the way Theo and Tito imagined starting the season. Mind you, I don't know this for a fact since I'm not a clubhouse insider like apparently most of the free world is. They'll tell you that it's all Salty's fault and Crawford is a bum and Theo is an idiot who should have signed Russell Martin, etc.... I mean, all of a sudden everyone is an expert and I'm wondering when I missed the memo inviting ME into the inner circle.

My friend Kelly said it best; going into Texas to play the 2010 AL Champs on Opening Weekend? 1 out of 3 would have been fantastic. It's OPENING WEEKEND. This isn't the NFL where 1 loss can ruin your year or the NCAA Tournament where you lose and go home; it's baseball. A game played out over 6 months and it's 162 games long and this team is too talented and too stocked to not be there at the end. So, would everyone take a deep breath and JUST CALM DOWN?

That said, Josh Beckett takes the hill tomorrow night. And I don't care how many stats you throw out or how he hasn't been the same guy since '07 or how he's not an ace, it's Cleveland. The same place that flew in an ex of his to sing the National Anthem before a must win game in the playoffs in '07. Judging by that video, they aren't exactly his favorite opponent.

And last year? When they tried to hit Papi and then threw behind Beltre and the benches cleared? For a little while it was your typical benches-clearing baseball event, with everyone standing around and asking about each others mother and comparing recipe's for Western Omlettes.

To quote the great Don Orsillo?

"All appeared calm until Beckett arrived."

Beckett arrives tomorrow in Cleveland.