M.V.Pedroia

Great news today from MLB. Dustin Pedroia is your 2008 AL MVP! I'll write that again Dustin Pedroia is your 2008 AL MVP. Believe it! They said he wasn't big enough. They said he didn't have the athletic ability to play at the big league level. They said his big swing approach wasn't right for a guy his size. Well haters put that in your pipe and smoke it. Pedroia epitomizes the player that Theo (and Moneyball) looks for scrappy guys who work the count, are always on base, and give you the pop when you need it. He also won a gold glove and the silver slugger award this year (only the 8th player to do so in history) so maybe he's not a five tool player, but he certainly is at 4.75 tools in only his second year. Think about that it is only his second year. We haven't seen this type of kid since Nomar and I don't even want to think of what he's capable of once he gets some years under his belt.

Maybe he's not your prototypical MVP like an A-Rod who bashes 45-50 bombs, and knocks in 120 runs, but he showed late in the season why he is so valuable. When the Sox needed someone to step up with Manny off in LA LA land he was there. When they needed a spark after the All-Star break he provided it. Maybe Youk is more versatile and has a bit more pop in his bat and maybe he too deserved it, but if you watched this year's Sox you knew who they belonged to. Pedroia. He's the first Sox to win the award since Mo "The Hit Dawg" Vaughn in '95. He's also the first AL second baseman to win the award since 1959; which is fitting since he reminds me of throw back players. Pedroia is the player you can tell your kids you saw a guy who never made excuses for his shortcomings and never let anyone tell him what he was capable of. If he listened to the critics he never would have made it this far it's almost as if they fuel his desire to compete at such a high level. Well drink up Dustin because the Sox will need you more than ever next year if the Captain leaves. Does anyone else feel weird that a Red Sox player ran away with the MVP? I mean who would have predicted a guy like Pedroia to win an MVP in a million years? I'm just glad he's on our side because I would hate to see this guy kick our cans every year. Yes, I'm talking to you Yankees fan. Goodnight and God Bless you all!