I'm having a hard time rooting for just one team this season. I'm not a hardcore fan of any of the playoff teams, so to pick one team and stick with it has been difficult for me this year. The Cubs are out, which means I historically root for the sentimental favorite. Or the underdog. But wait, this year the Sox are the sentimental favorite and the Indians are the "underdog." How the heck am I supposed to choose?

I went to the Saturday home opener in Boston this year. Sat out in right field at Fenway and loved every second of it. The Boston fans are incredible, and being in that tiny stadium made me feel alive with energy. It's indescribable really. I could try to paint a picture of how green the green monster really is. How amazing the hot dogs were, or how loud and hilarious the Red Sox Nation really was. But my describing it just wouldn't do it justice. If you're a fan of baseball, you must see the Sox play at Fenway in your lifetime.

It's hard not to root for Boston. How can you be anti Curt Schilling? Or anti David Ortiz with his big, goofy grin, clapping his paws in excitement as his teammates do well. How can you not love a guy named Coco Crisp? I could go on about Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis, but I won't. You get the picture.

I will however, take a moment to discuss the hurricane that shal now be known as JD Drew. For a guy who's been accused of lacking passion, JD Drew sure seems to be showing his desire to play. A grand slam in the first inning of game six, putting the Sox in position to force a game seven? Someone wants to go to the World Series! Drew is new to the Sox this year. He signed a five year deal for $70 million, which some thought was a risky move. Drew was dealing with shoulder injuries at the time of the signing and the Sox were smart enough to insert provisions into the contract. If Drew were to sit on the disabled list for more than 35 days, the 4th and/or 5th year of the contract could be voided. How's that for a reason to relight the spark of passion?

Drew has been an integral part of the playoffs this year and I'm not trying to take away from any of the other guys. It's just exciting to see a newcomer do so well in a town that just wants their team to win.

On to the Indians.

I have a secret to confess. I'm a Grady Sizemore fan. The guy is fearless. He is an excellent defensive player, and is a force to be reckoned with when he steps up to the plate. I tried to dislike him, I really did. But it's pretty much impossible. He doesn't reek of ego or entitlement. He shows up, he does his job, and he does it well. How can you dislike a player like that?

As much as I like Grady Sizemore, I like the Red Sox as a whole just a little bit more. I can't not root for the Sox. Their history, their passion and their drive just pulls me in. Yes, I'm definitely rooting for the Sox.

But wait, wouldn't a Grady Sizemore v. Matt Holliday match up be incredible to watch? Maybe I should root for the Indians.

No. Definitely the Red Sox. Unless I cheer for the Indians. Indians are the underdogs you guys! But the Sox have more history and infamy. Reverse the curse! Again! Now that I think about it, I do like the color Red. But I love blue. The city of Boston is so great. So much history. But Cleveland is fun too! The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is there, the people are wonderful! Eenie, meenie, miney, mo....

Go Rockies.

One of my earliest memories as a child is going to baseball games with my Dad. When my Mom was studying for her CPA exam, we would take trips from Indianapolis to surrounding cities like Cincinnati and Chicago to see baseball games. My first and most vivid memory of that time was going to see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field. I remember exactly where we sat, how green the ivy on the outfield wall was, and most importantly, singing "take me out to the ballgame" with Harry Caray himself.

To me, there is nothing more "American" than a baseball game. Tickets are typically cheap, you're plenty entertained, and hotdogs just taste better.

I've always wanted to have a "life list" of things that I want to do, and I've decided that one task on my list is going to be to visit each of the MLB stadiums. It's something I think is within reach during my lifetime and I look forward to completing it someday.

The big three parks to me are Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. I've been able to step foot into each of those historic stadiums, and it's only made me thirst for more.

Viva la baseball.

Fenway Park, Boston - 2007
Yankee Stadium, New York - 2000
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim
McAfee Coliseum, Oakland
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
Metrodome, Minnesota
Rogers Centre, Toronto
Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay
U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore - 1997
Jacobs Field, Cleveland
Ameriquest Field, Arlington, TX
Safeco Field, Seattle
Comerica Park, Detroit
Wrigley Field, Chicago - 1987
RFK Stadium, Washington DC - 2005
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
Shea Stadium, New York
Dolphin Stadium, Florida - 1999
Coors Field, Colorado - 1997
Turner Field, Atlanta -
Chase Field, Arizona
Minute Maid Park, Houston
A####mp;T Park, San Fransisco
Miller Park, Milwaukee
PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati - 1987
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
PETCO Park, San Diego
New Busch Stadium, St. Louis

When I think about the Colorado Rockies, I don't think of an intimidating baseball club. The Rockies come from one of the most beautiful states in our country, where nice people and nature live together in perfect harmony. The Rocky mountains tower over the towns nestled beneath them, begging to be climbed by the fearless. Nothing about the state of Colorado screams danger or "be afraid" to me. So naturally, when I think of the Rockies, I think of a team with the least threatening color scheme, and ridiculously innocent mascot, Dinger. I mean, really, when did Barney's second cousin get hired by the MLB?

When I think of the Diamondbacks, I think of Mark Grace. It's silly, but having been raised a Cubs fan, Mark Grace will always have a place in my heart. I was excited for him that he was able to finally win a world series with the Diamondbacks, but that certainly doesn't make me an Arizona fan. May I remind you that Arizona is the team that took my beloved Cubbies out of the playoffs last week.

The truth of the matter though, is that Arizona should be afraid. Colorado is ablaze and Matt Holliday is the spark that got it going. It's all about momentum, and Colorado's got it. Arizona is going to have to pull out all the stops over the next week. Arizona can attempt to put out the flames, but my bet is that Colorado is going to engulf them in their sizzling strength. Colorado is on baseball's biggest stage, and they're just burning to show the world that they're championship material.

I come from a family of sports fans. Most of these said fans are across the board when it comes to teams that they choose to cheer for. The one exception is a small group of extended family who root for all things Philadelphia. They are tortured Eagles and Phillies fans, and it seems like every year, is the year that isn't. Even this year, when the Phillies set an MLB record of 10,000 losses by a franchise, it seemed unfathomable that they could make it into the playoffs. Philadelphia had something to prove, and somehow muscled their way into their first playoff appearance in 14 years, stretching the suffering Phillies fans hope into October.

When the Rockies won the game against the Padres last night, I was happily surprised. I was living in Colorado during their inaugural season, and it was nice to have a professional team that wasn't the Denver Nuggets to root for. A fever went through Colorado when the Rockies made it to the playoffs in just their third season in the league. Their season ended in defeat against the Braves, and for the next 11 years, the Rockies and their fans were filled with loss and disappointment.

Now, the unlikely team and the tortured team are set to collide. I'll quietly cheer for the Rockies as my family loudly yells for the Phillies. 110 years separates the inception of these two teams. 1883 v. 1993. Ultimately though, it comes down to 2007.