Why Not Us?. Not much to say about this one that hasn't been said elsewhere. The wait is over -- the battle begins.

Schilling: "I thought I had an idea of what it was going to be like when I signed last winter. I got a feel for it being around Boston, (but) when I went to Boston for the first time, I had no idea that it was going to be at the level it was right from the get-go, from spring training to early April all the way through the season." ... More Schilling: "I don't know I've ever pitched in a game that will have the atmosphere that tomorrow's has. During the World Series it was electric, but Yankees-Red Sox is a step above everything else."

Schilling is suffering from a high ankle sprain, but should be ready to pitch tonight. He suffered the injury in a start against Baltimore about a month ago, and exacerbated the problem last Tuesday in Anaheim. ... The Red Sox made one roster move: adding an 11th pitcher -- Ramiro Mendoza -- and dropping Kevin Youkilis. ... The Red Sox have no plans to bump Schilling up a day so he can pitch Game 4 on three days' rest. Sticking with the 4-man rotation will also give Pedro an extra day if he has to pitch Game 6. ... Mariano Rivera is expected back in New York in time for tonight's game, but the Yankees are also prepared to use Tom Gordon as their closer.

Boston get "Another Bite At The Apple" ... Jason Varitek at Yankee Stadium this year: 0-for-34 with 19 strikeouts. ... Recaps of the 19 regular season games.

More quotes: Tito: "It probably seems proper, to go through the Yankees. But if they'd wanted to lose, I'd have been OK with that, too." ... Manny Ramirez: "This is what you dream about -- Red Sox and Yankees. It's a new soap opera, Part 2. If we played Minnesota, it's not so good. It's a new matchup, a new year. It will be an unbelievable series."

Willie Randolph: "I love A-Rod, but I just think he handled that wrong. I think Alex overreacted in that situation. The Yankees in my day wouldn't have handled it that way." ... Speaking of which, it's nice to know that there is no love lost between Bill Lee and Graig Nettles.