Red Sox are the favorites.

What ever happened to Lawrence Rocca? Does anybody know?

After they added Schilling and Foulke, the Red Sox have been the favorites since day one. Every reader poll, every expert pick, and even Vegas odds favor the Red Sox.

"The Yankees are a good team, and they showed how superior they were to the Minnesota Twins last week, but these aren't your father's Red Sox, these aren't Nomar Garciaparra's Red Sox, and they certainly aren't last year's Sawx, either."

I agree that the Sox are better than they were last year, but same goes are the Yankees.

Doesn't anybody even remember last year's Yankee team? Giambi went deep a few times in the playoffs, but the Yankees basically got nothing from him or Soriano in the playoffs.

The third baseman was Aaron Boone (Alex Rodriguez is better).

The right field committee was Juan Rivera, Karim Garcia, and David Dellucci (Gary Sheffield is better).

Last year's starting staff was superior to this year's underrated starting staff, but this staff can get it to the far superior bullpen. Last year's set up men ... in the playoffs ... after the Yankees had given up on Antonio Osuna, Juan Acevedo, Armando Benitez, and Jesse Orosco ... were Jose Contreras, Jeff Nelson, and Chris Hammond.

But the biggest reason the Yankees might win this thing? The Red Sox only hit .260 away from Fenway.