(EDITOR’S NOTE: Sports editor Terry Nau, a follower of the New York Yankees when he isn’t editing this newspaper, matches friendly jibes with local Red Sox fan Jim Dawson of Pawtucket in this first installment of a periodic segment on the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry from the fans’ perspective. The format is this: Nau asks Dawson five questions and then Jim gets to ask five of his own.)

TN: So Jim, when’s the last time the Red Sox repeated as World Series champions? In fact, outside of the Yankees doing it three times in a row from 1998-2000, name me the last team to even win two straight WS championships? And are the Sox capable of repeating?
JD: The last time the Red Sox repeated was 1915-1916. Can't believe you remembered the Yanks winning 3 times in a row way back in 1998-2000. Last team to win back to back (NY excluded) was the Blue Jays in 1992-1993. And yes Boston will bop these bozos and beat everyone to win the AL East.

TN: Couldn’t Theo have saved the Sox a lot of money by promoting Brandon Moss or David Murphy for the 2007 season and not spending a minimum of $42M on JD Drew?
JD: Hey JD hit a grand slam and helped the Sox win a playoff game. We're forgiving folk at Fenway. Drew is our guy. However if Coco hits, I'd deal Drew and put Ellsbury in RF.   

TN: The Sox had a few guys with career years last season – Mike Lowell, Dustin Pedroia, Hideki Okajima. Do you expect the same production from them this year?
JD: No, and the beauty of the 2008 Red Sox is that Lowell, Pedroia and Okajima don't have to have career years. They just have to have good years and the rest of the team will pick up the pieces and lead the Sox to the Promised Land. 

TN: Why did Theo sign those two old-time pitchers, Curt Schilling and Mike Timlin, to one-year deals? Is he trying to fund their retirement plans?
JD: Schilling helped win 2 World Series. If he gets healthy (enough) for the second half of the season, he may help them get a 3rd World Series. Timlin is an old-timer who will battle and shed Red Sox blood. Remember his one-time partner Alan Embree is still pitching effectively for the A's.

TN: What are the chances Toronto steals the AL East title this year?
JD: Only if AJ Burnett doesn’t go on the DL (I'm taking bets) and BJ Ryan pitches like he did in Baltimore. In fact having pitchers with 2 initials for a first name may be what's killing the Blue Birds. Plus the Torontonians no longer have Frank Catalonotto and Reed Johnson, two Sox slayers.

Jim’s five questions:
JD: Will Andy ('Performance Powered' ) Pettitte make it through the year without going on the DL (an eventuality that would deep-six the Pinstripes' season)?
TN: Pettitte has been pitching in pain since 1997 due to a cranky elbow. He’s a tough guy from the old school, not one of these modern day wimps like A.J. Burnett.

JD: Will the Yankees gag under new manager Joe Girardi, falling down never to get up, henceforth to be known as 'The Curse of Joe Torre'?
TN: Girardi runs a tighter ship than Torre. He implored Johnny Damon to come into camp in good shape this year (which JD did). He built up Kyle Farnsworth’s confidence and restored some faith in Brian Bruney, whom Torre had given up on.  Even though Torre was like a second father to Derek Jeter, the Yanks’ captain embraced his former teammate and welcomed him to the job. If there’s a curse around the pinstripes right now, it’s the one Torre started with three straight first-round playoff exits.

JD: The Baseball Preview issue of Sports Illustrated shows 'a New Generation of Stars'. There are two Red Sox players - Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz. If the Yankees' farm system is so good, why are there no New Yorkers shown?
TN: Because Robinson Cano (25) and Melky Cabrera (23) have been around too long. It’s good to see the Sox finally developing their own talent. They bought the 2004 World Series title with a team that featured very few home-grown players. The Yanks’ dynasty run from 1996-2001 was keyed by five farm system products – Bernie Williams, Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Pettitte. I’m not even counting Alfonso Soriano because he didn’t arrive until 2000. The Sox’ 2007 team had a similar ratio of home-grown players. Both teams are on the right track.

JD: Since the Yankees' bullpen wasn't even in the MLB's Top 10 in 2007, do you think the relief will be any better this season?
TN: Absolutely. For one thing, it can’t get any worse than in 2007. I think LaTroy Hawkins and the rejuvenated Farnsworth will make a big difference this year.

JD: Will Jorge Posada, who hit .338 in 2007 (his walk season), pay dividends on his 4-year $152 million contract as a soon-to-be 37-year old catcher or will he have more errors than RBI?      
TN: Unlike Boston’s catcher, Posada has proven over the past decade that he is a strong hitter from both sides of the plate. That will not disappear just because he turned 37. Did something bad happen to you at that age, Jim?
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Jim Dawson writes an entertaining local sports/entertainment blog called Sportzine that is available at http://jimdawsonsports.com/.