The hot stove is scalding and optimism is boiling over for Red Sox fans, and rightfully so.

About a quarter century after the infamous "25 guys, 25 cabs" rosters of Red Sox past, the 2004 team is shaping up to be the one that finally attains 25 rings for 25 guys.

The recent acquisition of Curt Schilling has given the Red Sox the top rotation in baseball, nevermind the Yankees' deal to pick up Javier Vasquez, the pride of Ponce, Puerto Rico, in a trade that went down the same day the Expos announced they would return to Puerto Rico for another 22 games.

Schilling's arrival gives Boston the top two strikeouts-to-walks ratio pitchers in the game, with Pedro Martinez' career 4.3 to 1 mark slightly better than Schilling's 4.2 to 1.

With Derek Lowe and Tim Wakefield to follow, Boston's pitching rotation is no longer back page news to the team's offense, which was fortified last offseason by the increasingly popular Theo Epstein.

The young GM will continue to tinker with the Red Sox roster, as key 2004 players (David Ortiz, Trot Nixon) still need to be resigned, while one (Todd Walker) will need to be replaced. And then there are the persistent rumors that the Rangers are now interested in dealing A-Rod to Boston for Manny Ramirez, which would likely lead to Nomar Garciaparra's exile to Anaheim.

Between the roster wheeling and dealings Epstein and Co. finally tabbed A's bench coach Terry Francona as the team's 44th manager. "He is someone who has a commitment to preparation and someone who has the interpersonal skills needed for this job," Epstein told the press of Francona.

It doesn't hurt that Schilling lobbied for Francona, his manager with the Phillies from 1997-2000, and that Francona was the bench coach in Texas during Alex Rodriguez's first year with the Rangers.

And it wouldn't be a typical December day in the rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox without some off the field news.

Apparently the Yankees may have violated state lobbying laws by giving away free tickets to top politicians, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and many of his top aides. The New York Temporary Commission on Lobbying plans a civil penalty hearing early next year, the result of which could lead to a $100,000 fine against the Yanks.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, on the other hand, has season tickets on the third-base side of Fenway Park, something his billionaire counterpart in New York should surely be able to afford on his own accord.

Meanwhile, the Yankees' stranglehold on talent has been challenged by Boston. Steinbrenner coveted Schilling and Vladimir Guerrero and will end up with neither. He will have to settle for Gary Sheffield, and Bartolo Colon if he chooses, both of whom are the kind of "me first" players that distract from team chemistry. But cabs have always been easier to find in New York than Boston anyway.

"I guess I hate the Yankees now," Schilling said after accepting his trade to Boston. May he be the first to be fitted for a ring next October.