2 Outs? No Problem!

The Red Sox have won the World Series!

A championship team peaks at the right time. Before the All Star break, the Red Sox were clearly the best team in baseball. Then the team seemed to slow down; a slow down that could not entirely be blamed on injuries.

But, after letting the Indians back into the ALCS, the Sox hit their peak, with players who had mediocre years such as J.D. Drew stepping up.

One of the best indicators of their fight up and down the lineup was their tendency to score after there were 2 outs. I got so that I yelled at the TV, "There are two outs, let's go!"

They won without a lot of home runs (3 I think) and they won with smart baseball, stringing singles and doubles together to keep the pressure on their opponent. They also had good pitching when they needed it.

As a member of the Red Sox Nation I see a young team with potential to be great for several years. You never know what The Boss, his sons and son-in-law will do to make the Yankees competitive, but the Sox should hold their own for the near future.

Another thing strikes me. Prior to 2004 the Sox had not won a Series since 1918. Dad was 2 years old that year. He certainly did not remember it. He did not live to see another championship for the Red Sox. He always followed baseball, and since he lived near Philadelphia, he enjoyed the Mike Schmidt years, including a championship.

But, I have lived to see 2 Red Sox championships, twice what he enjoyed.

Go Sox!

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.