Damn Dust

Nice to see that Whit's worked up to pitching from a mound in the later stages of Spring Training, MLC style. We were a bit concerned about his mental approach heading into the regular season, but - as always - a pint or 12 of good Irish stuff has him in nearly mid-season form. Good on you, lad.

Other far more qualified bloggers are swinging away at the Sox' outlook for the 2005 season, so we'll once again refrain from actually thinking or - god forbid - analyzing. Here's forewarning in advance of the upcoming campaign: I plan to be long on the abstract this year, and very short on cogent analysis. (Here's where you wonder what will be different.) While Whit follows what promises to be a very solid Mets squad, I get to ponder the larger questions of fandom - how does defending a World Series title feel after 30-odd years of "Wait 'til next year"? Hell, you might even get a haiku every now and again. (Not really - I can't do math well enough to count the syllables correctly.) Fandom without the burden - that's the meme in ought-five.

Rapidly shifting gears, causing the whole MLC payload to lurch violently as I get the clutch caught, the most emotional thing I've ever seen online is coming to a bookstore near you. The SOSH 'Win it for...' thread is being published in book form in time for opening day. I know that I will be purchasing it, and I know that it's highly unlikely that I'll get more than 4 pages into it before the waterworks begin. And I'm looking forward to it. Man, but those 2 weeks in October continue to resonate.