New Englanders will be on Yawkey Way in Boston Tuesday afternoon -- in the flesh, through their televisions or just in spirit. At 2:05 p.m., the Red Sox play their home opener at Fenway Park. We can smell the hot dogs, feel the hubbub beneath the grandstand and taste the beer already.

The Sox play the Detroit Tigers in an intriguing matchup. Both teams are popular picks to win the American League pennant this year. But while Boston is off to a fast start, Detroit is not.

On top of that, Fenway Park itself is looking buff. Sox owners added 875 seats to the joint (capacity is now 39,928), six luxury boxes were renovated and turned into eight, the State Street Pavilion was expanded. Distracting Coke bottles that adorned a tower above the Green Monster since 1996 have been removed.

Then again, the park and the game take a backseat to the symbolism of opening day. Spring is here. Summer's coming. The Red Sox are back in town. Life is good.