Lightning Rod: the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez has a talent for playing baseball—and ticking off his peers

The beauty of this rivalry is That the teams are practically mirror images, and for every question about the Red Sox a similar one exists for the Yankees. But everything starts with the rotations. The Yankees passed on Wells mostly because they did not trust him. And it was Wells who started for Boston--and flopped--on the first night of the season.--K.R.

The Outsider OPENING DAY

These days, who knows where hockey editor Paul Grant will show up next?

Ah, yes, Opening Day (note: reverential capital letters). It's the time of year when buds blossom, grass grows and, for baseball fans everywhere, hope springs eternal. Eternity--wait, doesn't that describe the baseball season?

They say the hockey season is long, but the people who say that don't like hockey to begin with and are just crabby. C'mon. What pro season, other than the NFL's, isn't too long? Yet everyone rhapsodizes about baseball's magic, about how the glorious national pastime epitomizes sports in their purest sense and should last forever and ever, Kevin Costner and Ray Liotta shagging flies in an eternal dusk-orange day.

Sure, there's nothing like being a lifelong Brewers fan and seeing your playoff hopes dashed by this Friday. "Hey, can't wait to see who won that key Royals-Devil Rays matchup. What are they, a combined 97 games back? Now that's drama!"

Yes, I know about the wild-card berths. Ooh, hold me back; that means eight teams in the playoffs instead of six! My team now has about a one-fifteenth better chance of playing a significant game after July. Be still, my heart.

Summer is supposed to be about fun, right? Vacations from the routine? When it comes to baseball, call me in September.

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