Congratulations to Veruca Salt, uh, I mean the Yankees...

Well it finally happened. Congratulations. Welcome to the 21st century.

After an offseason of spending an unprecedented $500 million dollars, obtaining the 3 biggest free agents available, all while compromising an entire neighborhood and taxpayers, they did it.

Yankee fans are again beaming. But how does it feel to beat a hollow chest?

After not making the playoffs for the first time in a long time, the new Steinbrenner’s were embarrassed enough into spending a fortune in the offseason. This gluttony reared its ugly head at the same time many Americans were struggling and out of work. Great timing boys. If you didn’t think it was possible for more people to loathe the Yanks, well, keep telling yourself that.

All that aside, winning a championship is very difficult. Just ask the Phillies who had to twice trot out a Pedro Martinez we let go five years ago. But quite frankly, it would have been a monumental blunder if the Yanks didn’t win it all this season. Girardi would have been tarred, feathered, and probably banned from the state of NY forever. Cashman would have been handed his walking papers, and George probably would have stroked out.

Now you can say that there are many teams - including the Sox - that are considered “the have’s”. However, the Yanks still outspend this “group” by $70-$80M every season. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the Yankees are the “rich kid” of the class that everyone loathes. They get what they want simply because they have money.

“I want an Oompa-Loompa NOW Daddy!”

Oh, but you ask why is this year different if the payroll is the same? Well smarty pants they were able to grab the top 3 free agents on the market which included a #1 starter, a #2 starter, and one of the best hitters in the league. Who can’t win a championship by doing that?

The Yanks have screwed the pooch in prior years by overpaying all stars on the back 9 of their careers, and typically grabbing one big free agent per year. Those contracts are crippling especially in those players last couple of unproductive seasons. This trend isn’t going away. But the Yanks have enough money to survive these bad deals on the back end. If any other team had these resources, the additional $70-$80M per season would be spent on 4-5 all star and/or impact players. Who couldn’t win with that much talent?


No, but really, enjoy it. Who knew it was the most expensive trophy on the planet?

Sox Sweep 2nd World Series in 4 Years!

In impressive style, the Sox rolled off 7 straight playoff wins to take home the trophy. They not only survived but dominated each of the 3 elimination games against the Indians. Contributions came from every position. It's the first time in a while that the team with the best regular season record won the World Series.

Most people are pointing to the 8 day layoff for the Rockies leading to their downfall. But if you look at their stats during the ALDS & ALCS they weren't impressive. They had solid pitching against poor lineups. The Sox dominated them in every category.

World Series & Playoff Records - a few of the many...
Biggest run differential ever in WS – 29-10 (19 runs)
Greatest run differential in playoffs – 99-46 (53 runs)
7 game win streak – outscored opponents by astounding 59-15
Second highest BA ever in WS

Only mananger to win 8 straight WS games

Best stat from the Playoffs? Dice-K batted 1 for 1 with RISP with 2 RBI - while A-Rod is 0-21 and only 1 RBI in the last 3+ seasons...

Free Agents

The playoffs were redemption time for both JD Drew and Julio Lugo. Both had sub-par regular seasons but really stepped it up when it counted. You can't put a pricetag on that - just ask A-Rod. It's safe to say that their performances in the post season wiped out any poor performances during the regular season. Expect good things from these guys next season.

The Kids are alright...

We almost forget that Pedroia is a rookie because he performed all season. What a weapon the newest Dirt Dog will be now with playoff success under his belt. Ellsbury is going to be a star. Would he have been the first "rookie" to ever have won the World Series MVP the season BEFORE? (his status for next season will be a rookie) - Almost happened... Jon Lester looked really good in his first ever playoff start. He'll have nothing but confidence coming in next year bundled with a full offseason of conditioning. Delcarmen had a great season and should take the 7th inning role. Could be the most dominant bullpen in the majors next season.

Japanese Connection:

Dice-K & Okajima are also rookies. Just think about the cultural and baseball operational differences they encountered. Their diet is drastically different, not to mention finding appetizing food. Can you imagine needing a third person just to communicate every day? Now imagine yourself being dropped off in downtown Tokyo with no english signs anywhere. Now think about that happening each time you are on a road trip. You have trained your entire career to pitch every 6th day and now you are required to every 5th day. The extent of your road trips was confined to a ride on a bullett train and now you travel in a cramped airliner for 6 hours and subjected to time zone changes. Now that is an adjustment. Amazing how well they performed with all of those distractions. They'll be even better next season now that they know the routine.

Might be gone:

Mike Lowell - don't let Yanks get chance to bid on him. And we don't want A-Rod (see clubhouse, playoffs). 3rd option is Youkie & trade Crisp for a 1B

Schilling - Sox can afford the risk at $13M but they may not. Unfortunately may come down to him or Wake.

Wake - Will injuries force him to hang it up or will he give it another shot? Sox would be willing...

Mirabelli - actually may be expendable even if Wake stays...

Timlin - might be time to hang em up, but worth a shot for 1 more season

Tavares - good insurance policy, might want to be a starter elsewhere

Kielty - WS hero to be replaced with Kapler?

Sayonara Division:

Eric Gagne we hardly knew ye. Despite his #'s he enabled Okajima to get rest down the stretch.

Coco Crisp - Ellsbury dazzled the masses. We'll miss his defense. Never fully developed his bat.

Javier Lopez - cheap, but not reliable down the stretch

Pound Sand Division:

To all of you Yankee fans who proclaimed the Sox wouldn't win for another 86 years... Pound Sand & get a new slogan. We like the Sox to break the goals you set for them. Thanks.

Yankee Reaction:

Don't look now Yankee fans, but the "younger" Steinbrenners are wackier than the old man. So far in the media they have shown to be bitter, arrogant, and frankly dumb. Whatever quote they published about not dealing with A-Rod is just bad business. "Never let anyone outside the family know what you're thinking again." Thanks Vito!

Hank Steinbrenner (Sr. VP) didn't congratulate the Sox like Georgie did. He proclaimed; "The Red Sox can have their Nation. The Yankees have the universe." The universe of second place? One & done? Being dilusional is not a good trait for management. Kicking Torre out the door was their biggest mistake. They just let the glue (or what was left of it) of the franchise walk away after 12 years of outstanding service for $3M. $3M. That figure will haunt you for years. Perhaps 87 or so...

Congrats to the Sox & all of you lucky Jordan Furniture winners!!! Enjoy your offseason!

ALCS Champs take on Rockies...

Sox kick off their second World Series in 4 seasons after 3 impressive come from behind wins over the Tribe. When their backs were against the wall, they rose to the occasion. Beckett was masterful and guys up and down the lineup contributed. You know things are going your way when JD Drew crushes a grand slam to deep center. Fenway was absolutely electric and the Indians felt the pressure. Sox pitching kept them at bay allowing only 5 runs over the last 3 games. That’s very impressive considering each game was an elimination game.

Rock & Roll
Speaking of impressive, their World Series opponent is no slouch. The Rockies are absolutely rolling. Having won 21 of their last 22, and 14 of 15 just to get into the playoffs, this squad of “no-names” looks unstoppable. They’ll be looking to join the 2003 Marlins & 1987 Twins as the no-name teams that came out of nowhere.


Rockies Strengths
They are on an unprecedented & historic roll: 21-1
Confidence – they think they are a team of destiny
Holliday is one of the best players in the league
Formidable lineup – hit .280 during season, 4 guys with 24+ HR
Defense is outstanding
Pitching has been best in majors in 2nd half
Coors Field advantage – breaking balls staying flat & no DH in Sox lineup

Can the Rockies win the Series?
Absolutely. It’s going to take quite an effort to stop a team on that much of a roll. They have some great young talent and Holliday is an MVP candidate. The key to September is always pitching and they’ve been getting it. Their defense has been stellar and they don’t give teams second chances. Coors Field gives them a distinct advantage because the Sox can’t use a DH. Youkilis & Lowell have been huge and one will have to sit. There is also the psychological advantage of the thin air and breaking balls staying flat.

What can hurt the Rockies?
Starters: Despite their incredible roll, their competition hasn’t exactly been formidable. Facing Tony Clark as a clean-up hitter? They haven’t faced a deep lineup that will grind the count quite like the Sox. Only one of their starters has averaged more than 6 IP.
The 8 day layoff: Just ask last years Tigers team (6 day layoff) who lost to a clearly inferior Cardinals team with barely a .500 record during the season.
Josh Beckett: Recent performances combined with an 8 day layoff, it may seem like he’s pitching 200 miles an hour. Colorado confidence killer.
Fenway: October is nothing like June. As ready as they think they are, it’s a different animal. Ask Cleveland. The monkey is gone & you can feel it.
Vegas: They are 2-1 dogs. The folks in the desert tend to know a lot more than we do.

Game 1 is Pivotal
The Rockies are riding high but have had a long layoff. If Beckett is anywhere close to his recent performances, the Rockies hitters wouldn’t stand much of a chance anyway. It doesn’t matter how many “simulated” games you play. You need the real deal to remain sharp especially at the level the Sox have been playing at. If the Sox win game 1, that Rockies confidence is now shaken. The thought about the long layoff will be on their minds. Doubt in a Fenway Playoff environment spells doom.
If the Rockies manage to steal game 1, the confidence grows and puts huge pressure on Boston. Now 3 games in Colorado are daunting and game 2 becomes a must win.

Outcome
This will more than likely be a long series but the Sox should win for the same reason they did against the Indians – more pitching depth. While you can’t ever say Beckett is a virtual lock, you can surmise he’ll win games 1 & 5. That means the Sox only need to win one of games 2-3-4 to bring the series back to Boston 3-2. If this was anyone other than a 21-1 rolling team, the Sox would win hands down. Look for Colorado to be tough and hang around – but that all hinges on their pitching. Game 7 is a real possibility if they pitch well – especially at home. Expect the team with more experience and guile to pull thru. We could be looking at 2 banners in four years kids!

Good Luck Boys!

Go SOX!