Fourteen games are on tap for Opening Day 2008. Sure, the Red Sox and A’s played some games in Japan, but nobody on this side of the pond watched, and the Nationals opened their new ballpark in the made-for-ESPN Sunday night game, but today is when the season really begins.

Ordinarily in this space I would tell you which games are most worth watching, but on Opening Day, they’re all worth watching. The first games (Blue Jays at Yankees, Royals at Tigers) start at 10:05 a.m. PT, while the last (Astros at Padres; of course, I’ll be there!) gets going at 7:05 p.m. PT.

I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am that baseball is back. Enjoy the games!

So much for invincibility. Now that the Rockies can’t rely on that anymore, they’ll have to pick themselves back up and start playing good baseball.

The bad news is that Colorado got spanked in Game 1. The good news is that a 12-run loss counts exactly the same as a 1-run loss, so there’s plenty of time to regroup. Seriously, ask the 1960 Pirates.

Unfortunately, if the Rockies are going to make a stand, they’ll have to do it behind a kid making his 19th big-league start (Ubaldo Jimenez). Oh, and they’re facing a guy with 216 regular-season wins under his belt and a 9-2 career postseason record (Curt Schilling).

This could be a problem, especially given how well the Red Sox are playing. They’ve won their last four games by scores of 7-1, 12-2, 11-2, and 13-1. That’s not competition, it’s destruction…

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Half a million of my neighbors have been forced from their homes by wildfires that surround San Diego, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t really give a damn about baseball just now. That said, the World Series starts on Wednesday night (first pitch, 5 p.m. PT), and I expect you’ll be wanting some cogent analysis.

Might I recommend Purple Row for Rockies coverage and, er, pretty much anywhere on the Internet for Red Sox coverage. Oh, I have to pick just one? Okay, give Fire Brand of the American League a shot.

Good luck to your team. Good luck to my city…

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Uh-oh. The Red Sox aren’t going away.

You had to figure the Indians were hosed when the series returned to Fenway. On the one hand, they’ve never lost a postseason series to a team from Boston — they swept the Red Sox in three games in ‘95 and beat the Braves in six in the ‘48 World Series. On the other, the Indians historically haven’t had a lot of success in New England.

Game 7 starts at 5 p.m. PT on Sunday. Jake Westbrook and Daisuke Matsuzaka hook up in one final game to determine which of these teams advances to the World Series. On behalf of everyone who doesn’t have unlimited resources at their disposal, here’s hoping it’s Cleveland.

The ALCS heads back to Boston. While the Rockies do whatever it is teams do while they’re waiting for their opponent to be determined, the Indians and Red Sox hook up for Game 6 on Saturday night (first pitch: 5 p.m. PT).

This is a rematch of last week’s Fausto Carmona/Curt Schilling showdown. The Indians won the earlier contest on the strength of a seven-run 11th inning. (Hey, if the Rockies are trying to trademark “Rocktober”, maybe the Indians could trademark “7-11″; you think?)

Where there are Red Sox, there is drama. This time it comes in the form of rookie Jacoby Ellsbury starting in center field over Coco Crisp. As a Padres fan, I love this move because maybe it will help drive Crisp’s price down this off-season.

Oh wait, we’re talking about the playoffs. Sorry ’bout that.

Well, then, I don’t really care who plays center. What I do find interesting is that apparently Boston considered replacing Dustin Pedroia at second base with Alex Cora. Then someone remembered that the Red Sox actually need to win this game, so that idea was shelved.

What was my point here? I dunno; you tell me…

Welcome to the moment network execs have been dreading. The Cleveland Indians need to win one of the next three games to face the Colorado Rockies in the World Series.

A nation yawns. Or it would, if it could summon the enthusiasm.

Thursday’s contest at Jacobs Field (first pitch, 5 p.m. PT) features a rematch of Game 1 starters and leading Cy Young candidates C.C. Sabathia and Josh Beckett. For Boston, the equation is simple: win or go home for the winter.

For the Indians, it’s more like win or go to Boston’s home for two more games. I’m thinking they’d prefer Door #1.

The Red Sox pounded Sabathia in the series opener. Could that happen again? Sure, but they’d best not count on it. Time for Beckett to pitch the game of his life…

Meanwhile, back in the ALCS, we still have to figure out which team the NL champion Rockies will face in the World Series. The Indians have taken a 2-1 series lead over the Red Sox. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Cleveland, first pitch 5 p.m. PT.

Kenny Lofton provided the big blow in Game 3 with his two-out, two-run homer off Daisuke Matsuzaka in the second. Lofton apparently didn’t get the memo that it’s no longer 1995.

On the other side, Boston desperately needs someone other than Josh Beckett to pitch a good game. Tim Wakefield will be the latest to try.

The good news is that Wakefield won 17 games during the regular season. The bad news is that he wasn’t needed in the ALDS and hasn’t pitched since September 29. The knuckleball is a “feel pitch,” so it will be interesting to see how three weeks of rest affects Wakefield’s command.

Hey, everybody, they’re still playing games. The ALCS shifts to Cleveland, where Daisuke Matsuzaka faces Jake Westbrook at 4 p.m. PT. The general strategy for Boston is to keep the ball out of Eric Gagne’s hands, specifically his right hand.

And in the evening game, Colorado looks to complete the sweep at Coors Field. Rookie Micah Owings starts for Arizona, while Franklin Morales gets the call for God’s team. First pitch is at 7 p.m. PT.

Sounds exciting, huh?

Ah, Game 3 of the NLCS. The Rockies return home to Coors Field with a 2-0 lead and the world will be watching. Josh Fogg? Livan Hernandez? Wait, is this baseball or the Chinese water torture?

Sorry, I’ve seen these guys pitch a lot this year and they are excruciating. Both pitchers have the same approach: Let the batter hit the ball and hope that good things happen. It’s earned Fogg and his 60-60 career record the nickname of “Dragon Slayer.” It’s earned Hernandez a World Series ring.

There is winning ugly and then there’s this:

Three pitchers in MLB failed to break the 4 K/9 threshold this year: Hernandez, Minnesota’s Jose Silva, and Colorado’s Aaron Cook. Only Florida’s Scott Olsen had a higher OPS against than both Fogg and Hernandez.

I dunno if I can sit through this one. Maybe there’s a Small Wonder marathon on somewhere…

Game 2 of the ALCS features Carmona and Schilling. This is a close call, but I’m going with the Indians because Carmona has better hair:

Carmona:

Schilling:

First pitch is at 5 p.m. PT.