Happy Memorial Day Weekend

The beers are iced down, the grill is ready to be fired up and both the Red Sox and Rich Hill are playing today. My forecast for today is to drink some Amstel Light's, eat some burgers and watch some baseball -- a great holiday if you ask me. To celebrate Memorial Day, here are 11 (and a half) great reasons to be a Red Sox fan in 2007: 11. Terry Francona, the most underappreciated manager in the game. 10. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, the two Japanese imports who have bolstered the pitching staff. 9. Coco Crisp, his bat may not be great and Jacoby Ellsbury is the immediate future in center but Coco sure does play some great defense. 8. Mike Lowell, the guy we had to take on in the Beckett trade is hitting .325 with 9 HR and 37 RBI. 7. Curt Schilling, he isn't the dominant No. 1 starter he once was but he still battles every time he gets the ball and 38pitches.com gives us all something to talk about. (Here's that half of a reason: Torre and Cashman -- the voices of reason in the Bronx -- are about to be fired by Steinbrenner, a move that will set them back a decade; Rivera's wear and tear make Britney Spears look young; Clemens is nearing 45 and still in Triple-A; A-Rod is finally "earning his pinstripes" but will be leaving New York no later than this winter; Jeter and Posada can't carry the team like Paul O'Neill and Tito Martinez once did; Mussina's fastball tops out at 88 mph; Giambi doesn't have the "stuff" anymore; neither does Abreu; Damon makes Rivera look young and his physical breakdown is directly related to helping the Sox win a World Series, not helping the Yanks lose to Detroit in the 2006 ALDS; Pavano keeps cashing checks) 6. Kevin Youkilis, (.352/6/27) is an All-Star. 5. Josh Beckett, finally pitching like an ace. 4. Jonathan Papelbon, leading the bullpen -- the job that will one day put him in the Hall-of-Fame. 3. Manny Ramirez, starting to hit and at just the right time. 2. Big Papi, enough said. 1. First place in the AL East (by 11.5 games), best record in baseball (33-15), and a team that this city truly loves. It's going to be a great summer!