Baseball & Beatings--the season begins.

Being a Boston Red Sox fan is, for some, a choice. For others, like me, it is both a birthright and, like the pre-2004 Sox, a curse. I inherited my love for the team from my grandfather, who would watch them on the black & white, with Curt Gowdy doing the play-by-play. They were bums, then. The '50's were not the greatest decade for the team, but with a history going back to 1901, and a following that spans generations, you simply don't leave the Red Sox.

Before the season began last week, almost all prognosticators had the Red Sox as favorites to win the 2011 world series. Now, granted, there are 162 games for each team to play and so, losing three is not exactly a big hairy deal. Except when they are the first three of the season. Call it a bad omen or a fluke, an extension of spring training or a team that believes the press and gave it less than a 100%. Jon Lester is one of the best pitchers in the game. John Lackey has seen his best seasons already, and Clay Bucholz is a pitcher on the rise.

But they seemed unable to do anything with the Texas Rangers. They go up against the Cleveland Indians tomorrow for a series before heading to Fenway for their home opener, against those damn Yankees. Now, that'll will signify the real beginning of the season!

Suspected "Dodger Fans"

Just as being a Red Sox fan is in my blood, so is my dislike of the New York Yankees. However, that doesn't mean I would beat the living daylights out of someone for wearing a Yankees cap. Evidently, the rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants is a little more rabid. On opening day in L.A., two "fans" beat up three Giants fans in the parking lot, one bad enough to be in the hospital with what is being reported as a medically-induced coma. The suspects were described as Latino males, in the teens or 20's. The two had reportedly driven off with a 10 year-old in their car.

Two years ago, on opening day, a Giants fan was stabbed in the parking lot.

I wouldn't dignify the suspects by calling them fans. Nor would I rush to a Dodgers game. I love the game, but I am not willing to die for it.