297 replies to this topic

[BoSoxLady]

There is only one Pedro. Dustin ain't it.

You've got that right. As an aside, nobody refers to Pedroia as "Pedro" his teammates refer to him as Pedy. Big difference.

[dauber23]

With so few innings played for the Sox, Adair's big game here might explain the fond memories. If there's anything at all to the idea of a team gathering momentum from stealing a game, coming back from 8 runs down to pull within 1 1/2 games of the league lead should do the trick.

I was at that game (it was the second game of a double header and I hitched from Fall River to see it) and I have been a Jerry Adair fan ever since. This comeback was the day we all started to believe.

Today, we talk about the "25" from 04. But the '67 season was the beginning of Red Sox Nation for many Boomers such as myself.

Guys like Jerry Adair and Dalton Jones (and of course, Yaz and Tony C) have a special place in the memories of those of us who lived through the summer of '67.

So I'm with Jack Lamabe on this one.

[URI]

Jerry Adair hit .318 from 1 August on. During the last 8 games of the pennant race, he hit in every game, going 13-37 (.351) as we went 6-2. He finished 15th in the 1967 AL MVP voting, which was 4th on the club behind Yaz, Lonborg, and the Boomer.

Ok, I can buy the Shannon-Stewart-to-the-Twins thing, even if the Eckstein like following he has from the romanticizing boomers is puzzling to me.

I will say one thing...no one waxes poetic like someone born in the 50's, especially if the subject is scrappy or local.

[Dalton Jones]

It may be that those born in the 50's, who were actually alive and at an impressionable age in '67, find it preposterous that snide little fucks who never saw that team play think that by going to baseball-reference.com they can grasp the phenomenon.

[TomRicardo]

It may be that those born in the 50's, who were actually alive and at an impressionable age in '67, find it preposterous that snide little fucks who never saw that team play think that by going to baseball-reference.com they can grasp the phenomenon.

Or people born in the 50's are pompous baby boomers who want to quantify the baseball seen in their youth as more special as today's game in yet another desparate grab for attention so common with their generation.

[Jimy Hendrix]

Or people born in the 50's are pompous baby boomers who want to quantify the baseball seen in their youth as more special as today's game in yet another desparate grab for attention so common with their generation.

That reminds me, I need to work on my 5,000 word ode to Vaughn Eshelman and his role on the scrappy '95 team that made me believe and fall in love with baseball.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

It may be that those born in the 50's, who were actually alive and at an impressionable age in '67, find it preposterous that snide little fucks who never saw that team play think that by going to baseball-reference.com they can grasp the phenomenon.

Or people born in the 50's are pompous baby boomers who want to quantify the baseball seen in their youth as more special as today's game in yet another desparate grab for attention so common with their generation.

Enough already. The name calling and obnoxiousness on both sides of this argument has gotten far out of control. Neither of these posts or anything similar to them adds anything to this discussion, which has moved into "beyond tiresome." Stop it now.

Further posts of this ilk will result in 24 hour suspensions.

This thread is for talking about Dustin Pedroia. Let's try that for a while.

[LahoudOrBillyC]

I was not born in the 1950s, but Adair was a good player, and a very good player on the 1967 team. He fit that team perfectly, and the team has come to symbolize something important for a lot of people. You go, Jack.

To answer URI's question, it depends on what you mean by "Country Club". If you mean, "who were the people who were out partying the night before the game every night?" I would start with Conigliaro, and other suspects would be the people he ran with--Mike Ryan, Rico. Many of the big partiers were jettisoned by O'Connell. Dick Radatz, the most popular guy on the team a few years earlier, more or less personified the loud drinking guy who burned himself out by being out of shape and drinking a lot. The biggest party animal might have been Dennis Bennett. Bennett is a fun story because he entered the 1967 season in the rotation, pitched pretty well, was taken out by Williams anyway, then exiled to the Mets.

However another meaning of "Country Club" is people who just didn't work very hard, and many of the better players on the team were considered to just not really work that hard, including Yaz, and even Lonborg.

The guys who Williams had the most trouble with, not counting the guys he ran out, were Scott and Foy. Were he managing in the context of today's SoSH, I fear he would have been called a racist. However, both Foy and Scott had a lot of trouble staying in shape, gaining 20 pounds every off-season.

Edited by LahoudOrBillyC, 13 August 2008 - 11:52 AM.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

OK guys, we're gonna take a Time Out here and allow some inner peace time.

I'll open this up tomorrow, and maybe we'll be able to talk about Pedroia like rational folks.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

What the hell, it's game time, I'll open this back up.

Please keep it on topic. Thanks.

[jodyreeddudley78]

One thing you really have to like about Pedroia's 08 season are his home road splits. 07 made him look like a "Fenway hitter". 08 has been a year where thee has been little to no difference in most of his splits. For those that like pictures. I think that those making the case that Pedroia is the Sox 08 MVP (or the league's) in the Youk thread have a case. It will be interesting to see how he does down the stretch, as MVP voters tend to look at BA, RBI, HR and what team you play for. If the Sox make the playoffs and Pedroia wins the batting title he may finish in the top 5 for MVP as well.

[sachmoney]

One thing you really have to like about Pedroia's 08 season are his home road splits. 07 made him look like a "Fenway hitter". 08 has been a year where thee has been little to no difference in most of his splits. For those that like pictures. I think that those making the case that Pedroia is the Sox 08 MVP (or the league's) in the Youk thread have a case. It will be interesting to see how he does down the stretch, as MVP voters tend to look at BA, RBI, HR and what team you play for. If the Sox make the playoffs and Pedroia wins the batting title he may finish in the top 5 for MVP as well.

When you talk about Dustin Pedroia in the MVP race, you have to realize that he has a role on the team. He's a 2 hitter. He does it so well. He's not gonna put up huge RBI numbers batting up there, but he is going to make contact and not strike out, get on base, see a lot of pitches, run the bases smartly, and score runs for you. Occasionally, there will be a laser show, like these past two days, but for the most part, he's a doubles hitter. I really believe he is one of the leaders and a future captain candidate just with his attitude and the way he plays.

He leads the league in average, he's tied for the lead in hits, he's second in runs, he's tied for third in doubles, he's quietly (ha ha) hit 12 homers and stolen 12 bases. He has made huge strides from a terrific rookie of the year season. I don't think he's gonna win, but I love the way he plays. He shows up and put in his best effort. Even when the offense was practically asleep for a month, this guy was hitting.

I've seen a lot of second basemen come through Fenway, and the one guy I've absolutely been confident in keeping is this guy. He's a character...you don't expect it necessarily, but he walks tall.

[bluefenderstrat]

Ortiz likes the Pedroia show, too:

http://www.metrobost...17-72/index.xml

“He’s the best. He’s the best of the best. He’s the best thing that ever happened to this ballclub,” Ortiz said. “He’s a [expletive]great kid, dude. He’s the best. I love him. It’s great, man. I talk about Pedroia all the time to everybody because of how little he is and the way he plays the game.


“And I’ll be like, ‘Dude, seriously, he’s a bad little kid.’ Pedroia is always going to be like a 16- or 17-year-old because he’s little and he’s got a baby face, but he just rakes. Dude, he comes up with some lines, and you’ll be laughing. He hit a ball off the Green Monster once, and he came back to the dugout and said to me, ‘Hey, Big Punish, you know it’s going to rain, right?’ And I was like, ‘Why?’ He goes, ‘Didn’t you just see the lightning show?’”

I have to say, Pedroia's level of play this season has been so consistently excellent (with only one major slump at the plate all year) that it's almost taken for granted amongst the fandom. This article mentions that Varitek thinks Pedroia might be the next Sox player to wear a "C" on his uniform. Whatever your opinion of the Captaincy and the implied intangibles factor, that's an impressive endorsement.

Edited by bluefenderstrat, 22 August 2008 - 12:30 PM.

[V.I. Tessie]

The kid's got some great lines. That's for sure.

I read this article yesterday on ESPN and thought about Dustin Pedroia while reading about Matthew Cerda. Same kind of "never say die", gutsy attitude.

Revenge

[Jack Sox]

I was looking at Pedroia's overall numbers yesterday and was kind of surprised to see that he was "ONLY" sporting a .318/.363/.479 line. Now, obviously I mean "ONLY" in a relative sense, as that is outstanding production. But then I got thinking of his mediocre month of May this year in which he put up a .260/.295/.374 line and it reminded me that he also had a brutal month of April to begin his '07 campaign.

Omitting these two months of his short career (as well as his cup of coffee in '06 in which he was just getting his feet wet platooning with the immortal Mark Loretta), he has put up an overall line of .338/.389/.496 in over 800 AB's. Obviously the slumps were real, but I'd tend to believe that Pedroia may be even better than his overall career line of .308/.363/.448 suggests.

[Eric Van]

I was looking at Pedroia's overall numbers yesterday and was kind of surprised to see that he was "ONLY" sporting a .318/.363/.479 line. Now, obviously I mean "ONLY" in a relative sense, as that is outstanding production. But then I got thinking of his mediocre month of May this year in which he put up a .260/.295/.374 line and it reminded me that he also had a brutal month of April to begin his '07 campaign.

Omitting these two months of his short career (as well as his cup of coffee in '06 in which he was just getting his feet wet platooning with the immortal Mark Loretta), he has put up an overall line of .338/.389/.496 in over 800 AB's. Obviously the slumps were real, but I'd tend to believe that Pedroia may be even better than his overall career line of .308/.363/.448 suggests.

And of course the slumps did not start and end on the first and last days of months (although last year's slow start almost did). For players who appear to be genuinely streaky, it is really easy to find start and end points of slumps in Baseball-ref's Game Logs (by looking at the daily running OPS), and to use the highlight tool to find out what a guy hit during any streak or slump.

Last year, it was .172 / .294 / .224 in 68 PA through May 1 and .335 / .392 / .470 in 513 PA afterwards.

This year, he hit .212 / .260 / .291 in 207 PA from April 23 through June 12 and has hit .376 / .418 / .581 in 381 PA before and afterwards. The combination of the two positive lines is .353 / .403 / .517 in 894 PA.

[bd11]

Don't forget the kind of defense this kid is playing. If he touches it, it is an out. There are not many more guys in Sox history where I have felt the level of confidence I feel when a ball is hit his way in a big spot.
It seems like Pedroia is willing this team through their injuries. What a winner.

[rembrat]

One of the many things that I enjoy watching Pedroia do is blast one out of the park . It truly is a sight. For one, he is like 3 feet tall and while he stands pretty upright in his stance, he really goes down and gets it at the point of contact (bat meets ball).

Yesterday's homerun, the ball was at eye level, and his quick bat still managed to get around on it.

Looking at his splits, what jumps out at you is where he has hit the majority of his homeruns this year. On the road. 9 of 14 have come on the road. Last year he only hit 3 away from Fenway.

May 23 - OAK (10)
	   May 31 - BAL (1)
	   Jun 15 - CIN (4)
	   Jun 16 - PHI (16)
	   Jun 24 - ARI (12)
	   Jun 29 - HOU (7)
	   Jul 2 - TBR (28)
	   Aug 8 - CHW (3)
	   Aug 22 - TOR (23)
	   Aug 24 - TOR (23)
   (Fenway ranks 17th)

Date - Ballpark - Where the ballpark ranks in HR (according to ESPN's Park Factors)

This upcoming series has the team playing in the Bronx, the dreaded short porch. It would be a nice time for Pedroia to hit his first opposite field HR in the majors. And hopefully in a key spot.

[Eric Van]

Joe Mauer remains the runaway, no-brainer choice for MVP when you measure actual offensive value on the ball field. But Pedroia is strengthening his case for 2nd (WPA, then the same converted into runs by multiplying by 10.7, then that number adjusted for position played and PT:

Leaders in Adjusted WPA

Name	Team	WPA	WER	Adj
Joe Mauer	Twins	3.66	39.2	48.8
Josh Hamilton	Rangers	3.60	38.5	35.4
Dustin Pedroia	Red Sox	2.52	27.0	33.1
Carlos Quentin	White Sox	3.95	42.3	32.5
Brian Roberts	Orioles	2.36	25.3	31.1
Manny Ramirez	Red Sox	3.94	42.2	31.1
Grady Sizemore	Indians	2.87	30.7	30.7
Justin Morneau	Twins	3.73	39.9	27.5
Ian Kinsler	Rangers	1.89	20.2	25.8
Curtis Granderson	Tigers	1.83	19.6	19.4
Melvin Mora	Orioles	1.86	19.9	19.1
Miguel Cabrera	Tigers	2.65	28.4	17.3
Milton Bradley	Rangers	2.60	27.8	17.1
Carlos Guillen	Tigers	1.66	17.8	15.9
Aubrey Huff	Orioles	2.49	26.6	15.7
Carlos Pena	Rays	2.70	28.9	15.3

[sittingstill]

One of the many things that I enjoy watching Pedroia do is blast one out of the park . It truly is a sight. For one, he is like 3 feet tall and while he stands pretty upright in his stance, he really goes down and gets it at the point of contact (bat meets ball).

May 31 in Baltimore, off Garrett Olson.

[tims4wins]

One of the many things that I enjoy watching Pedroia do is blast one out of the park . It truly is a sight. For one, he is like 3 feet tall and while he stands pretty upright in his stance, he really goes down and gets it at the point of contact (bat meets ball).

Exactly.

[Savin Hillbilly]

This upcoming series has the team playing in the Bronx, the dreaded short porch. It would be a nice time for Pedroia to hit his first opposite field HR in the majors. And hopefully in a key spot.

It's a nice thought, but I'll be surprised if it happens, and here's why:

On the left is Pedroia's Bronx hit chart for 2007; on the right, same chart for 08.

I think there's a pretty good portrait of an intelligent hitter in those two screenshots. Last year he apparently got seduced by the short RF porch, with poor results, because that's not where his power is; this year he has returned to his strengths and focused on hitting line drives to left and center, with excellent results.

[Savin Hillbilly]

rembrat, you had everything right except the opposite field part.

Updated to reflect the latest 'excellent results'....

[sachmoney]

I wonder how many more RBIs Pedroia would have if Ellsbury got on base a little more. He has 68 RBIs right now, one has got to believe that if Ellsbury got on base more, he'd be well above 80 and may be closing in on 90 right now.

He's closing in on the Doerr's club record for runs too.

[Euclis20]

He's closing in on the Doerr's club record for runs too.

Believe it or not, Jose Offerman holds the runs record. He scored 107 runs in '99.

[Bowlerman9]

Believe it or not, Jose Offerman holds the runs record. He scored 107 runs in '99.

I assume you are talking about the runs record for a 2B. Offerman didnt score all of those runs as a 2B. Doerr is the record holder with 103.

[Euclis20]

Semantics, really. Offerman started 126 games for the Sox at 2nd, 17 as the dh, and 8 at 1st. He was the Sox starting 2nd baseman (just as much as Youkilis is the 2008 starting 1st baseman), and he scored 107 runs on the season.

But using a literal definition, yes, Doerr is the current record holder for runs scored in a single season by a Red Sox 2nd baseman.

And as I type this, Pedroia ties him.

[Bowlerman9]

Semantics, really. Offerman started 126 games for the Sox at 2nd, 17 as the dh, and 8 at 1st. He was the Sox starting 2nd baseman (just as much as Youkilis is the 2008 starting 1st baseman), and he scored 107 runs on the season.

But using a literal definition, yes, Doerr is the current record holder for runs scored in a single season by a Red Sox 2nd baseman.

And as I type this, Pedroia ties him.

Except its not semantics, its a record. Thats how records are calculated. Homeruns Piazza hit as a DH dont count towards his catching record. Runs Offerman scored as DH and 1B dont count towards the team 2B record.

[Pearl Wilson]

Pedroia -- who else? -- scored in each of those frames, recording his 104th run to pass Bobby Doerr's club record set in 1950 for the most runs scored by a second baseman in a season.
....
Doerr introduced himself to Pedroia last summer, telling him he'd be watching every game and that he liked the way Pedroia played. The encounter made Pedroia feel confident that breaking the 58-year record before the end of August wouldn't create any hard feelings.

"He didn't seem like a guy who would be mad about it or anything," Pedroia joked

link

[Forever Red 9]

Pedroia is now up to 19 3-hit games and 6 4-hit games on the season after last night. I don't know if the leaders for those numbers are available on the web, but it's hard to imagine many players doing better than that. He's also slowly creeping up upon a .500 SLG, thanks in big part to his August power surge.

As Ozzie said after the game last night: "I worry more about Pedroia than I do about Big Papi right now. Right now that kid is the key to the ballclub."

[ShaneTrot]

I hate reading crap like this:
From Heyman.

But perhaps no one is a greater enigma than Cano. The dropoff is so severe and significant that one Yankee said, "Just look at [Red Sox second baseman Dustin]Pedroia, and the year he's having. The difference between him and Cano is the difference between the teams. Pedroia doesn't have one-quarter the talent of Cano, but he's outplaying him by a mile.''

Pedroia is a great talent, he has unreal hand-eye coordination.

[amarshal2]

Since June 1 he's at .354/.402/.553

He's 2 feet tall. That's just astounding.

When you then consider that Jacoby has been .227/.267/.289 post ASB (and primarily from the leadoff spot) you being to understand just how important Pedroia has been to the offense. Imagine if there had been a real hitter in front of him.

Youkilis has been tremendous but Pedroia is my Sox MVP.

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

I hate reading crap like this:
From Heyman.
Pedroia is a great talent, he has unreal hand-eye coordination.

LOL. Throw this into the WayBack Machine and set the dial for 1980-85; they said the same things about Larry Bird, too:

Can't run, can't jump, can't (insert physical attribute here). Great hand-eye, succeeds in spite of himself, has a real F-you I-shall-overcome ego/attitude.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I hate reading crap like this:
From Heyman.
Pedroia is a great talent, he has unreal hand-eye coordination.

Pshaw, short white dudes can't have any talent, it says so right here in the manual.

Seriously, I am with you on this. Natural talent vs. gritty hard worker is the most overplayed and inaccurate cliche in sports today, and I am highly sick of it. I was sick of it when they applied it to Manny, and I am sick of it in this case as well. Pedroia is absurdly talented; he'd have to be to be able to hit as well as he does with such an unorthodox stride at the plate. I really wish the sportswriters would just write about what is actually happening on the field instead of the storylines they make up in their heads.

He's been insane this season. I do wish he'd walk a bit more (38 BBs in 608 plate appearances isn't a good rate at all), but since he's hitting the crap out of everything that's a minor quibble for now. He doesn't strike out, he's a double machine, and he's been very good in the field.

[Eric Van]

Since June 1 he's at .354/.402/.553

He's 2 feet tall. That's just astounding.

And his first half of June was awful. He's at .384 / .423 / .605 starting June 14. If he keeps this up, he'll hit .330 / .375 / .500.

Youkilis has been tremendous but Pedroia is my Sox MVP.

Given their hitting lines, it's hard to make an argument for Youk when you consider that he's a 1B and Pedroia is a 2B.

Edited by Eric Van, 30 August 2008 - 09:53 AM.

[bowiac]

Given their hitting lines, it's hard to make an argument for Youk when you consider that he's a 1B and Pedroia is a 2B.

Just about every position adjusted stat on BPro's site has Youkilis ahead. That's before considering that Youkilis is probably a better fielder at his position than Pedroia is.

Pedroia has been more clutch however.

Edited by bowiac, 30 August 2008 - 07:07 PM.

[sachmoney]

With his efforts the last two nights, Pedroia has upped his batting average to .327! His OBP is .371, and his Slugging is closing in on .500 (.490). When you look at his stats, he's probably going to have 125 runs, 50 doubles, close to 20 home runs, 85+ RBIs, close to 20 stolen bases, with a .330+/.385/.500 line. This is coming from a second basemen who has proven to be one of the most indispensable players on the team. Additionally, his RBI numbers have been severely hindered by the fact that Ellsbury has not been getting on base. If he has a September similar to his August, he will undoubtedly push himself into the top 3 candidates for MVP.

I hope that we get to hear some stories about him batting clean up in the papers tomorrow. I'm sure Ortiz loves having Pedroia behind him. All the kid does is get hits.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

He's also reached base in 10 straight plate appearances over the last 2 games (8 hits and 2 BBs).

It was shocking to see Ozzie call for the IBB tonight with a runner on 3rd and 2 outs in the 8th inning with the White Sox down 6.

[soxfaninyankeeland]

With 182 hits so far and 27 games remaining, Pedroia has a chance to vault himself well into the Red Sox top 10 of single season hit leaders. While 1st (Wade Boggs' 240 hits in 1985) is comfortably out of reach, and 2nd (Tris Speaker, 222, 1912) is probably out of reach as well, 3rd ( Boggs, 214, 1988) is doable.

[TheShynessClinic]

"I told David he better quit bitching about getting pitches to hit, because he got plenty tonight"

Pedroia in the post game.

[E5 Yaz]

It was shocking to see Ozzie call for the IBB tonight with a runner on 3rd and 2 outs in the 8th inning with the White Sox down 6.

I don't think "shocking" is the right word. Ozzie has been quoted about how much he admires Pedroia's game. I think the IBB was a show of respect in a spot where it was unlikely Chicago would rebound.

What Pedroia's doing right now transcends baseball

[Fratboy]

I was at the game tonight, and it was one of those transcendent nights of baseball. Just a serious thrashing of the Pale Hose. I was praying that Lowrie would deliver so Pedroia could get an at bat in the 8th, and he did.

The MVP chats were outstanding - Youks must be PISSED.

Pedroia had an outstanding night at the plate and in the field, and that new pitcher guy... what's his name, Beaudoin? Not too shabby either

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

I don't know about whether his RBI totals would be much higher this season even if Jacoby Ellsbury were able to get on more. Pedroia's 2008 splits show that with none on, he is hitting .334/.376/.518 whereas he is at .304/.354/.436 with men on base. What is strange about it is that last season his splits were about even - .317/.372/.451 with the sacks empty and .318/.393/.428 with men on base.

Either way, he is en fuego right now and is somehow overcoming his "shortcomings" (his diminutive size, frail stature and lack of any athletic ability whatsoever). Its fun to watch the differently-abled people succeed!

Edited by Jack Brohammer Experience, 30 August 2008 - 10:35 PM.

[E5 Yaz]

AP:

“I never thought I would walk a jockey,” Guillen said.

[robt2156]

The very real possibility that this 2nd year player will win the batting title is astonishing. What he's done is to simply smash expectations at every level.
Tomorrow he chases 12, set by Pinky Higgins of the Red Sox in 1938

[dauber23]

The best thing about Pedey's game tonight was that incredible slide where he had the presence of mind to lift his arm over the tag and turn an out into a man on second base. He has incredible game instincts to go along with his talent and his heart.

[Blacken]

AP:

"I never thought I would walk a jockey," Guillen said.

There's bromance potential here.

Tonight's game was a thrill to watch. I can't imagine the shit Francona got after rushing out there to argue with the ump. I was a bit pissed at the IBB for Pedroia--because I wanted to see him go 5-for-5, and I have no doubt that he would have done it--but like it was said upthread, it very well could just be a sign of respect.

Has he ever been intentionally walked before (EDIT: yes, once last year, and I shudder to think of the circumstances)? Jesus.

FURTHER EDIT: Off MLB.com:

During his briefing with the media, Francona said, "I'll never hear the end of this from Pedroia or Ortiz. Pedroia said it's long overdue, and Ortiz said he's retiring."

link

Edited by Blacken, 30 August 2008 - 11:38 PM.

[sachmoney]

AP:

"I never thought I would walk a jockey," Guillen said.

full quote:

"I never thought I would walk a jockey," quipped Guillen, who heaped enormous praise on Pedroia before the game. "I must be the worst manager ever in the history of baseball right now, walking a guy that just came from being on the top of Big Brown to beat the White Sox. Right now, he's on a roll. This guy right now is on fire."

from before the game:

"A lot of people talk about Manny leaving," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said before the game. "I wish Pedroia was leaving."

I love Ozzie, he's a quote machine.

"I don't care [about the MVP]," Pedroia said. "That's great for the fans to think that, but I just try to come out and play hard every day. Hopefully we can win. That's all I care about."

I love that attitude. Winning over personal achievement...that's exquisite. He might not care, but I'm glad fans are taking notice and giving him his due.

Edited by sachmoney, 30 August 2008 - 11:47 PM.

[Kremlin Watcher]

Wait - I thought Robinson Cano was going to win the batting title.

While trying not to go over the edge in praising him, Pedroia's recent run makes me think of the rare occasions in sports when a single player's performance pushes a team to greatness. The 2004 and 2007 teams did not have one of those singular performances from one player over a sustained period that forced the team to greater things. The teams themselves were great. This 2008 team has not yet had the tinge of team-wide greatness. They have been solid, but not great. But Pedroia's performance over the last couple of months looks like one of those rare times in sports where the force of one player's will and his skills on the field not only win games directly (driving in runs, etc.), but also affect his teammates' performance and make them better. Bird, Jordan, Magic, Montana, Brady, etc. It happens from time to time and it is really exciting to watch. I have believed that Pedroia is the Sox MVP for a long time. If he continues to deliver he absolutely belongs in the MVP discussion and is capable to pushing this team to another title.

[paulftodd]

I remember my first impressions of Dustin in 2006, and his horrible month of September. I saw a short pudgy kid with lead feet and a long swing that would hit pop ups and Gb outs. Defensively he had issues turning a DP and a lack of range. I questioned his ability to perform at replacement value if given the starting job in 2007 and wondered at the idiots touting him as a top prospect (my bad).

Then he spent the offseason working out in Arizona, slimmed down, added some speed. And while he started out slow in 2007, you could see he was more athletic. But never in my wildest dreams did I envision the player he has become. I don't know if I can recall a game Dustin hasn't hit the dirt going after a GB. With Cano I do not believe I have ever seen him hit the dirt on defense. A lot of hitting is mental, and despite whatever physical skills he might lack, he has no shortage of confidence. So he can overcome those slumps like he had from April 23-June 13 when he went 212/260/291

But he has been hot as a pistol since June 13, as mentioned earlier. Updating the numbers, in the past 64 games he is batting 392/428/615 w/ 11 HR and 39 RBI. Must like the hot weather or something. If it continues through September, he has to be considered as the team MVP, along with Youk of course. And he gets to feast on some Texas pitching next week. That should get Papis bat hard again, his only HR's in August were against them.