• Tickets go on sale Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. If last year is any indication, Opening Day and dates against the Mets and Red Sux will be gone within an hour. And months after I'm able to manage shitty seats to maybe two of those "sold-out" games, the Yankees will dangle magically available Mets and Sux tix as part of mini-plans offered every few weeks.

• Randy Johnson will start Opening Day in Oakland, at 10 p.m., on April 3. Won't carry as much buzz as the Sunday night opener against the Sux last year, but anything beats 5 a.m. in Japan against the Rays, as was the case in 2004.

• Our No. 3 starter (Carl Pavano? Chien Ming-Wang?) will get the call in the home opener at 1:05 p.m. on April 11 against the Royals, they of the 56-106 record last season.

• The schedule is perfect for road trips, which I'll be happy to organize for fellow Bombers Backers.

Three weekend trips to Baltimore (May, July, September) are a must. Tickets are only $15, split hotel rooms cost no more than $50 each, and pregame drink-ups and nightlife are a blast with thousands of Yankees fans making the 3½-hour drive. Last year we had 10 people from four states, and I hope we get an even bigger crew in 2006. I think only half were even rooting for NY, but we had fun.

In mid-June, we're at Washington (weekend) and Philly (midweek) for six games over seven days. It'll be a week-long East Coast invasion.

There are two weekend series in Tampa Bay (July, September). For all those who keep raving about spring training and the fun nightlife, why don't we go down for some real games?

We also visit one of the more exotic locations in the U.S., Queens, in May, to face the Mets before their annual August fade in the toxicology experiment known 'round these parts as the Purple Dump.

• Florida and Atlanta come here in June. Bet you can see the hairs standing on my arms already. I get that like that when I'm interested like not at all.

• Wanna make money off Sux fans? Do what I did last year. Buy tickets, with no intention of going, to their games against teams other than the Yanks, and sell 'em at a marked-up price. Last year I saw they had two weekend series in Baltimore. So when Orioles tickets went on sale, I bought two real good tix to two Saturday Sux-O's games. Paid a total of $60 and sold 'em on eBay for $200. Thanks, suckers!

• How bizarre was last season? We had the AL MVP and Comeback Player of the Year, as well as the No. 2 finishers for Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year, plus Joe Torre finished third in Manager of the Year voting. And it was the most tumultuous season I can remember.

• My early prediction on the 2006 Yankees season: 162-0.