The Sox are back in the playoffs, and this time, I’m actually glad their games will be on TBS.

I know, I know. The immediate image brought on by the notion of postseason baseball on TBS is their over-the-top, completely unnecessary, distance from first base graphic that they—and no one else, because it’s ridonculous—employed to highlight how large of a lead a potential base stealer was getting from first, which not only seemed to serve as some sort of overcompensation for underlying feelings of inadequacy in the area of sports analysis (this isn’t working too well – I know let’s use a fancy graphic!), but also proved to be quite an annoying distraction to regular watchers of baseball, to say nothing of rooters for a particular team. But this time around, I am not only optimistic about the TBS broadcasts, I am downright giddy (as much as anyone can be giddy about watching sports on TV, of course).

And I have exactly three reason for my optimism: 1. Keith (K.O.) Olbermann, 2. Dennis “Stinky Cheese” Eckersley, and 3. Pedro “Who’s Your Daddy?” Marinez.

Granted, none of these fine sportsfolk will be working the Sox-Rays series (The Eck will instead be providing his very colorful commentary for the other team he played a large percentage of his career for, the Oakland A’s, while Olbermann and Pedro will be working pre- and post-games). But still, that’s a significant upgrade from the potential base stealing graphic. Significant indeed.

Here’s hoping the Sox can get by the Rays (I’d feel better about them against either the Rangers, or Tito’s Indians, which would have provided a whole other assortment of postseason drama), and that (Sox play by play man) Don Orsillo and The Eck will be working the ALCS, regardless of how many of the mustachioed one’s former clubs are in that series.

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Next time: Could the Cleveland Browns actually win the AFC North?