About Tonight, And Last Night

When was the last time the country was so into a vice presidential debate? When was the last time a veep debate had so much promise for drama? When was the last time we cared this much?

I'm not sure about the answers to any of the above, but I do know this: More people than usual are very intrigued by tonights Palin-Biden faceoff.

Much of it, of course, is wrapped up in the Curious Case of Sarah Palin. From mega-star to mega-worry in a month, this is Palin's big night. She struggled through her hyped interview with Charlie Gibson, and she absolutely bombed in her much-hyped interview with Katie Couric (a chunk here. You can find the rest if you haven't seen it).

Palin has proven to be everything you kind of thought she'd be: Overly scripted, short on details, and trying so hard to stay on message that she blows it when pressed on specifics. Her inability to name one newspaper or magazine she read regularly was disturbing. Her insistence on answering follow-up questions with the same programmed response is even more disturbing. In short, I think she's sucked so far in her one-on-ones.

Biden, of course, is a whole other ball of fun. He says the wrong thing quite often (the whole debacle over him saying a campaign ad was terrible, then backtracking was particularly bad), and can stray off the talking points too much and get into trouble.

All that said, I think by tomorrow morning the storyline is going to be "the return of THE Sarah Palin." Debates offer the opportunity for more generalities, with little follow-up for specifics. Palin can stick to the message, and work her charm and likability. While she offered little depth in her convention speech, it was a winner. I expect that kind of performance tonight. I think Biden won't go for the jugular, and will instead hope she hangs herself. I also think it's more like Biden makes a big mistake than Palin.

While Tina Fey and "Saturday Night Live" have been absolutely killing Palin -- and I'd say more people have watched that online than on TV -- it might be the best thing for Palin. Expectations are low for tonight for Palin, and I think she's going to surpass them easily.

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I haven't written one word this year about the Red Sox. A big chunk of that is due to my unhealthy obsession for the first half of the season with the Celtics (by the way, Mrs. Save Fitchburg wins the award for Wife of the Year/Decade/Century/Eternity with her procurement of C's opening night tickets. Unbelievable). There was also kind of a, you know, complacency in the Sox this year.

That said, I was up until 1:30 this morning watching the Sox put the Angels to bed in Game 1 of the AL Divisional Series. Jon Lester was massive. Jason Bay was clutch. Jacoby Ellsbury was great.

I need a nap, but before I hide under the desk for a snooze, I've thought for about a month now that if the Sox can somehow get past the Angels, they're going to win the World Series. I think the White Sox are flawed, and I'm gambling that at some point the stage gets too big -- and the collars too tight -- for the Rays. Although the Cubs are damn good, I have little fear of the NL. Too many World Series sweeps, I guess.

So, here we go. Hopefully another month of late nights and big wins. Much of it likely depends on Josh Beckett staying healthy, and getting the rust off J.D. Drew and keeping Mike Lowell on the field wouldn't hurt. But after last night, you can't help be excited by the potential.