It seems like only yesterday that the right arm of Boston Red Sox reliever Keith Foulke tossed the 108-stitch baseball to then first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to complete the weep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

That one toss ended the 86 years of pain and misery instilled in the Fenway Faithful and gave Boston a long-awaited World Series title.

It was then we also saw Johnny Damon and Gabe Kapler exiting the field in celebration. With Damon on the right and Kapler on the left, their numbers emblazoned on their backs formed the number 1918 -- the exact number that once stood as a constant reminder to Boston fans of 86 years of losing.

Now we find ourselves itching for the start of spring training. It is the time when the boys of summer report to their respective camps with the mind set of preparing for a run at the new season?s World Series title. All hoping that the moves made by their teams in the off season will help in doing just that.

With Spring Training just around the corner, it seems like a good time to take a look at the big moves made not to long ago by teams vying for playoff spots.

This off season included a large number of big names changing addresses. The one move that got the ball rolling was Pedro Martinez, one of the Red Sox prized apples who headed to the Big Apple to play for the NY Mets. It was a move that paved the way for the Mets to also go after Carlos Beltran, a potential 40-40 powerhouse type of player. Both of these moves should allow the Mets to compete for the NL East crown.

Also competing for the NL East will be perennial champ, the Atlanta Braves, who also picked up a big acquisition in ace Tim Hudson. Even the Florida Marlins stayed in the mix in the NL East after they came out on top of their royal trade rumble with the Mets, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles to obtain the power hitting first baseman Carlos Delgado.

In the AL East, Sammy Sosa recently shaved his Chicago Cubs fur in exchange for his Orioles? wings, agreeing to a one year deal with Baltimore. His move helps create a more powerful lineup in Baltimore, which now boasts the power-hitting duo of Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, two players with at least 500 career home runs each.

Also in the AL East, Randy Johnson literally punched his own ticket onto the New York Yankees, which was preceded by a little run in with the New York media circus that included Johnson swatting away a camera. That?s ok though, right? Especially with what he can do on the mound.

However, with a lineup that includes Johnson, Carl Pavano, Mike Mussina and Jaret Wright, the Yankees rotation is now a little bit more structured then last year?s pinstripe-wearing mound dwellers.

The Yankees prime competition, as usual, will be the Boston Red Sox, who also have taken part in their own little "Trading Spaces"-type of makeover to their rotation. This season, Curt Schilling will be joined on the Sox staff with a starting core that could consist of Matt Clement, David Wells, Bronson Arroyo and Tim Wakefield. With this core, Boston should be even stronger than last season.

Both the NL and AL Western Divisions also have lived up to their proverbial wildness, with a number of big trades taking place.

In the NL West, the "new look" Arizona Diamondbacks have reached into their thought-to-be-empty checkbooks to sign a strong supporting cast, which includes Troy Glaus, Shawn Green, Russ Ortiz, and, of course, one of the pieces of the first Yankee-Diamondback-Dodger trade proposal, Javier Vasquez.

Meanwhile, in the AL West, most of the discussion has been over the abrupt break up of the Oakland A?s feared "Big 3," with Hudson headed to Atlanta, Mark Mulder headed to St. Louis, and Barry Zito staying put in the Bay area.

Of course, the Seattle Mariners picked up significant bats in Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, but the addition of under the radar players such as Steve Finley by the Anaheim Angels, and Richard Hidalgo by the Texas Rangers, both provide an interesting battle for a division title by Mike Scioscia?s and Buck Showalter?s teams, respectively.

For every big move that is made, there is more excitement brought to a team and its fans. Yes, you will get an occasional minor league player in a deal who goes on to have a great year, such as Johan Santana or a one-year wonder like Esteban Loaiza. However, it never feels as good as when your team obtains that ?big-catch? player during the off season.

With all the moves that have taken place this past off season, I know I?m excited about the upcoming 2005 MLB season, and I hope you are as well.

It was just the other day that Delgado wrote a letter to a local Miami newspaper for publication. In it, he began to rev up the Florida fans for the upcoming season.

I guess, with this article, this is my way of being Delgado-esque and trying to provide you with words of enthusiasm towards what I think will be a great 2005 MLB season.

Let?s play ball!