As the old saying goes, there's no rest for the wicked ... but there are indeed a precious few reprieves in the life of a professional baseball player. On Wednesday, the Beavers enjoy the first of just five scheduled off-days this season.

The worldly Dirk Hayhurst, a relief pitcher for the Beavers the past three seasons, expands on the standard questions posed to players at the beginning of the season. Check out Dirk's thoughts on the start to the 2008 campaign.

If you're a Portland Beavers fan, this is Christmas Eve. Yep, tomorrow is Opening Night. When we wake up in the morning, it'll be like there are 144 presents under the tree... and we get to open one almost every day for the next five months.

Radio man Rich Burk counts down the days until the Beavers open up the 2008 season. Check out his Beavers Beat blog entry, and be sure to keep checking back for regular interviews he conducted recently at spring training.