New blood takes center stage in the latest installment of Red Sox Fan vs. Yankees Fan. Today we have sports writer Brendan McGair, who will take the point of view of the defending World Series champ. McGair will be pitted against John Lanni, a devoted follower of the Yankees who has all the memorabilia from the 1996-00 dynasty to prove where his allegiances lie.

Five questions for John Lanni

1. So what troubles the Steinbrenner boys more, taking apart the “new” Yankee Stadium to find the Red Sox jersey or fielding a pricy unit that can’t run or throw anybody out?

Easy enough, taking apart Yankee Stadium.  The team is still in the beginning of the season, and as proved last year, this team can catch fire and win.  But, taking apart the concrete to get a Red Sox jersey is as relevant as every stunt Red Sox fans did to stop the "curse.”  It should have been played off as nothing happened.  The Yankees were always better than this sort of publicity.  In the 90s, this wouldn't have received more than five total minutes of coverage.  Those teams didn't care about that sort of publicity, they didn't care about the "curse,” and the certainly didn't care about the Red Sox.  All those teams cared was about winning the next title.  This sort of reaction from Hank & Co. makes you think they are actually scared of the Red Sox. They shouldn't care about what they are doing or what some Red Sox fan buries in their new stadium.  And that's a bigger issue than early season struggles.   

2. Joe Girardi invited a hornet’s nest worth of criticism after his fateful decision to leave Mike Mussina in to pitch to Manny Ramirez. Mussina is slated to pitch Thursday. What will Girardi do if the game is on the line and Ramirez is standing in the box?

The answer is easy, the reasoning is tougher to figure out.  The answer is you pull Mussina this time.  You are lucky to get six innings from Mussina at this point in his career, so you really can't ask anything else out of him, especially trying to get out "Contract Year" Ramirez.  Now the reasoning behind why Girardi didn't in the first place.  Either 1). he thought Mussina contained it in him to get one more out, or 2). Girardi is trying to be Torre.  Torre is known for being a players manager and able to deal with egos and personalities.  Girardi is not Joe Torre and shouldn't try to be.  That's why he was brought in, to be something different than someone that didn't see the ultimate results for the past couple of seasons.  The question to ask is, would Joe Girardi, with the Marlins, in an important game (and yes, all games against one of your toughest division rivals is an important game) leave an aging pitcher in that can't top 86 mph against one of the best pitchers in the game.  The answer is a resounding no.  

3. After watching Philip Hughes and Ian Kennedy stumble and bumble, are you starting to regret GM Brian Cashman not pulling the trigger for Johan Santana?  
 
This is a question that cannot be answered one month into the season.  I believe when Cashman & Co. were sizing up this trade, they weren't think about one month, two months, or one year down the line.  They were thinking 3-5 years down the line.  If Hughes lives up to his potential and becomes an ace in your staff or a solid No. 2, and Kennedy becomes a quality third starter, you now have to good pitchers in your rotation that you aren’t paying 25 million a year for.  With Santana, you're paying on average more than a million per win.  Now granted, if the two young kids don't work out, it will be easy to point fingers at Cashman for not pulling the trigger.  But if they do work out, your possible rotation three years from now features Wang, Hughes, Chamberlain, and Kennedy. Maybe you throw in C.C. Sabathia, who becomes a free agent this winter, for similar money that Santana would make and that right there is hands down the best rotation in the league, and they are all young and will be around for a long time. 

4. When will those big, bad Bronx Bombers bats wake up? 

Giambi, Jeter, and Posada have all had injuries while Cano, Rodriguez, and Damon have struggled and you are relying on Molina and Gonzalez to carry the team.  I don't think there is anything wrong with the Yankees bats.  If they are struggling like this in June with everyone healthy, then there is reason for concern. 

5. With Joba Chamberlain dealing with a family matter, the Yankees turn to Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins to serve as some sort of “bridge” to Mariano Rivera. Between Farnsworth and Hawkins, who’s less likely to go Mt. Vesuvio and actually protect a lead?

Farnsworth has proven that he can't handle the role and that is the reason Yankee fans everywhere got introduced to Joba Chamberlain in the first place.  So I don't see Farnsworth going back into that role this season.  Hawkins will probably be given a chance at the role to see how he can do, and if he fails, they might even bring someone up from the minors to see if they can go.  No matter what, they are going to have to find someone if the Yankees are actually serious at putting Chamberlain in the starting rotation. 

Five questions for Brendan McGair

 1. The Red Sox offense has revolved around David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez for the past couple of seasons.  With Manny being in a contract year and there being a good chance of him not being re-signed, how can fill in that role in the lineup now or in the minors, or do you see them trading away some of there treasured younger talent to get another bat into the lineup to protect Ortiz?

The Red Sox have prided themselves in developing young talent and integrating those pieces at the big league level. What they realize is that the vast majority of those youngsters are pitchers, namely Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. The position players that have become Boston regulars, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Jacoby Ellsbury, while nice parts, are by no means middle-of-the-order types. Next winter’s free agent crop doesn’t contain a ‘wow’slugger. Boston’s best power prospect, Lars Anderson, is currently in Single-A Lancaster. Boston has to face reality that the Ramirez-Ortiz duo isn’t getting any younger, meaning they might be better served to dangling a pitching prospect or two to see what team bites. 

2.  The pitching rotation right now is boasting an ace, an inconsistent two, a 40-year-old knuckleballer, and two young pitchers.  The Red Sox are patiently waiting to see if Curt Schilling can come back and see if he can give them anything.  How confident do you feel in the back end of the rotation this year and going into next year with the possibility of both Schilling and Tim Wakefield not being there, and so far has Dice-K worth over 100 million dollars?

While some may want to apply crazy glue to the backend of the rotation and hope it dries in time, all is far from lost. The Red Sox boast one of this generation’s big game pitchers. Dice-K will be worth the big bucks long term, and not just because Red Sox Nation has gone international with its marketing campaign. He will realize that nibbling isn’t the way to attack hitters over here. Lester and Buchholz will take over the next few slots. Typically teams don’t boast a strong No. 5 starter, which is why Boston took a flyer on Bartolo Colon. They know deep down Schilling is a lost cause. If he gives them anything in 2008, it’s a plus.  

3. How confident are you in the middle of the rotation right now?  Do you feel that there are any truly reliable options as a seventh or eighth inning guy to get to Papelbon?

This is a group that doesn’t lend much in the way of confidence. Two pitchers from Opening Day have been dismissed in Kyle Snyder and Bryan Correy, though Snyder will be pitching for Pawtucket soon. David Aardsma throws hard, but so does Kyle Farsnworth. That more than not turns out being a bad thing. Mike Timlin added 10 years to his 42-year-old body thanks to Jason Giambi last weekend. Boston better hope Timlin’s excuse is that he’s working out the kinks. Don’t forget the Red Sox still have Hideki Okajima, but you need a power arm to compliment the left-hander. There’s hope Manny Delcarmen blossoms into that role, but don’t be surprised if Craig Hansen is given the chance at some point to setup Papelbon.

4. Do you feel that Terry Francona is a great manager or is he just fortunate to have the right team around him?  Take into consideration that Grady Little was one bad call away from going to the World Series, ending the curse, and being a hero with a worse team than the one Francona inherited?

All managers are open to be second-guessed. In crazy baseball hot beds like Boston and New York, managers are open season every single day. What sets Francona apart from his managerial predecessors is that he’s demonstrated an uncanny ability to manage people besides ball games. You must know the ins-and-outs of all your players, which it appears Francona has gone to great lengths to achieve. It may look easy to manage a team whose payroll is always amongst the game’s highest, but managing people is where Francona’s greatest strength lies.

 5. Red Sox fans were known as some of the most passionate, most knowledgeable fans in the country.  With the surge of the "pink hat" syndrome, people like Gabe Kapler and Jacoby Ellsbury are now being regarded higher for their personality and looks than Kevin Youkilis with more ability.  How does this make those passionate Red Sox fans feel since they were caring about the Red Sox way before they won a World Series and were the "in" thing to root for?

While the current group of owners have done a great job of clearing up the dreariness that defined the John Harrington/Dan Duquette era, they may have gone over the top. Every Red Sox game at Fenway Park has turned into a circus atmosphere. It has the zaniness of a Super Bowl halftime show along with the turn-out-the-lights procedure the NBA takes when introducing the home team. The hardcore fan must now deal with Johnny-come-lately, who is more attached to the Red Sox as a fad and pays little attention to what takes place between foul lines. You are almost better off staying at home and watching the game in high definition.