The Little Pest

A true lead off hitter makes a pest of himself. He (she too, but not in the Major Leagues yet) fouls off pitches to frustrate the opposing pitcher, gets hit by a pitch occasionally and chokes up on the bat to slap a single. When he gets on, the lead off hitter motivates his team and makes something happen. Rickey Henderson was probably the best. No Red Sox fan will forget Wade Boggs, one of the two best contact hitters of his generation.

But the 2006 World Series MVP to a 5ft 7in lead off hitter? You bet! David Eckstein was the logical choice to anyone who knows baseball. In an era when the home run makes the highlights on Sport Center, he plays "small ball" with emotion and smarts, just the way the game should be played.

Is there any wonder that the kid has two championships? In the 2002 ALDS he drove the Yankee pitchers, especially Roger Clemens, crazy with his pesky approach to hitting.

Baseball needed an MVP who demonstrates that size, muscle and substances are not what makes an exciting national pastime.