Laugh Riot

(Photo from Boston.com)

I am not a giggler. I am not prone to fits of girly giggles, hiccups and such. Normally, when I find something funny, I start laughing like a hyena or guffawing like a toothless farmer. Usually so often that I end up choking. It's...charming, I'm sure. But last night as I caught the highlights of Matsuzaka's debut on NESN, I found myself actually giggling. Uncontrollably. And it wasn't just because of Matsuzaka's impressive line. It was also because it marked Jason Varitek's first use of "phenomenal" in his postgame remarks (my bet for the season is at least 12,874).

Last night also marked the first time Mike Lowell has appeared especially snarky in interviews. And y'all know I love the snark.

"Yeah, we bid a lot of money for him to be this good," Lowell snarked, "We didn't throw all that money at a hope."

Oh, Mikey. You said it.

It was also the debut of the Terry Francona "Fun Uncle Who Likes To Complain" Hour. I forgot how much I love Tito. And I forgot how much I love it when he refers to his players as "kids." It's adorable. And I love it when he calls situations like "Matsuzaka Mania," "neat." Hee. It was also kinda swell, wouldn't you say, Tito?

Then, of course, there was David Ortiz, doing his patented "dump truck with the brake lines cut" towards home and likely scaring the crap out of the Royals catcher.

And, you know, Papelbon.

So that's where the giggling came from. Not so much because I feel like I have a new toy or because the new toy has all kinds of bells and whistles and is making all the other neighborhood kids jealous. But the giggling was mostly relief and excitement at the return of Red Sox baseball. It's quite a thing. I'm psyched.