If everyone listened to me, then the world would be a better place.

I've tried to keep my chatter on here related to baseball or, at the least, tangentially related to the Red Sox. And so I apologize for this but it needs to be said.

All this talk about the Giants-Patriots being Red Sox-Yankees II is driving me nuts. I've tried to dismiss it as being media hype but people are buying into it and it just isn't true. My Dad and my Uncles are all Red Sox-Giants fans. This guy I work with, Mike, is one of the crazies of Red Sox fandom (Seriously. If there is a weekday afternoon game, he'll sit in his office wearing his Varitek jersey over his shirt and tie while listening to the game on the radio.) He's a Steelers fan. Sports loyalties are formed when we're young and the Patriots weren't around when these guys needed to pick a football team. If I cared one fig about football, then out of loyalty to my father I would be a Giants fan and would be hoping for a Giants victory tomorrow.

The Patriots don't have the same following as the Red Sox. With the exception of Connecticut, baseball fans in New England who aren't Red Sox fans are few and far between. It's not difficult, however, to find people who are fans of football teams other than the Patriots. Go to a sports memorabilia store if you need further proof. So it would be impossible to have the same acrimonious rivalry between the teams. Also, the NY Jets would be a better candidate for Red Sox-Yankees II than the NY Giants but that's beside the point.

It's like Christmas-I can't wait for tomorrow. Except what I really want is for tomorrow to be over, so that we can all move on. Spring Training starts in less than two weeks. And with the Santana deal being official ($137.5 million/6 years), when I search for interesting little news and tidbits I won't have to wade through hundreds of articles about Red Sox-Yankees II and Santana (will he or won't he) to find anything worth passing on.