Yelling at Old Ladies During Rehab...Just Another Day for Pedroia

Three quarters of the way through this video I said "wow, Pedey is actually going to complete an interview without joking around or saying something stupid".

...but Pedey couldn't let me down.  I simply love this guy.

Not to mention he picked this team up off the floor yesterday.  Let's hope everyone else can rally around the momentum the little guy started.

Go Sox.

PS:  Doesn't Rosenthal look like such a DB with that bow tie?  Pump the break pal, pump em.

D Bard Has Had a Good Offseason...

D Bard huh?  I always thought he was more Napoleon Dynamite than a popular clubhouse jokester...which still may be the case.....but I gotta give it to the guy, he's clearly put in some hard work in the offseason.

A 100mph heater and the ability to make fun of himself?  That's truly rare. 

That said, D Bard should really consider the future implications of interviews like this.  People like Pedroia don't let these things go easily, as a result, he'll likely have a ridiculous nickname for the rest of his career.  A nickname that Pedroia will drive home by screaming it day in and day out during Spring Training.....to the point where Dan Shaughnesy is even using it.....and that's a situation no one wants to be in.

This video somehow confirms that Pedey is an animal.  Bring on Spring Training.

Bobby Jenks Looks Ready....Kinda....

Bobby Jenks everyone.  He literally looks like he just rolled out of bed and started throwing the baseball.  If I walked by that guy on Boylston street I would assume he was either a cab driver or carpenter from Southie. 

But let's be honest, the "I usually do everything on my own" line has to stop....not with Pedroia in that locker room.  In fact, according to the WEEI article, it's already started....

 "Right now I'm further ahead than I ever have been. Hopefully that will speak for itself once the season starts."
"It is all part of the metamorphosis for Jenks. About 30 minutes into his workout, he is presented with another alteration.
"Is he like this all the time," the pitcher asks Frandsen, referring to the never-ending stream of Pedroia-isms.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Frandsen responded.

(A few moments earlier, Pedroia could be found flexing while yelling over to Jenks, "This is what you'll have playing behind you this season!")"

Oh  Bobby Jenks, so much to learn, so little time. 

In all seriousness though, I'm eager to see he can bring to the table for the Sox.  An effective Jenks, coupled with Bard's sauce and any kind of return to normalcy for Pap will mean a significantly improved bullpen for the Sox.    While the Yank's recent move of picking of Soriano has New Yorkers claiming to have the best bullpen in the league, the Sox aren't exactly petting kittens over here either.

....I don't even know what that last line really means.  Game on.

We Shall Now Call Ortiz "Big Pun"

How have I never seen this video? (apologies for not having it directly on ITM, WEEI's videos don't load correctly.....chop shop). The sad reality is, I had nearly forgotten that "Big Pun" won the derby. That's the kind of season it was, the bright spots are even faded memories.

ITM note: You might be able to attribute part of those faded memories to too many kettle one and sodas this summer.....too many weddings.

Anyways, it's just another case of Pedey being Pedey.....handing out nicknames that stick. I make up stupid nicknames all the time...maybe 10% of them stick. Not Pedey, guy nick name rainmaker.

Safe to say I'll be referring to Ortiz as either "big sexy" or "big pun" from here on out.

PS: Is it possible that the stadium didn't sell out for the tater derby? Don't people know how much fun it is to get drunk and scream ridiculousness? I'm shaking my head as I type this.

PPS: Someone is dropping the ball since Big Pun and Pedey don't have a reality TV show yet. That needs to happen ASAP.

Pedroia Takes Iglesias Under His Wing: Be Concerned

(AP)

Earlier today, I struggled through watching Tom Caron and company complain about it being "cold" in Ft Myers. Meanwhile, my car's doors were frozen shut this morning as a result of Boston's weather of late.....so take your skirt off TC, you're getting paid very well to spend your late winter in Southern Florida with Heidy Watney and the Boston Red Sox....No more complaining.

With that off my chess, I can move onto the best Dustin Pedroia quote I've heard all year.

Apparently, the little guy has taken a liking to Jose' Iglesisas; the twenty year old short stop who ITM manages to work into every post, who has an outgoing personality of his own. Predoia has taken Iglesias under his wing.

The second basemen (and apparent clubhouse leader at just 26) recently had Iglesias over to his house for a BBQ in an attempt to get to know each other better. You figure, sooner than later, these two will be spinning double plays up the middle at Fenway....and despite a partial language barrier, they'll be bantering back and forth the entire time.

One bench coach went so far as to say the two of them should have a reality TV show together. Pedroia didn't give me much time to let my mind wonder about the possible things being said between the two.....

While working together on double play feeds, Pedroia helped Iglesias with his timing and feeds.....but when Pedroia received a feed from Iglesias at a different location than he wanted, he shouted (jokingly...I hope): "Just remember, when we're out here, I'm F'n Fidel Castro, and you're just a peasant!"

Welcome to America Jose', and welcome to the middle infield in Boston, I hope you like it.

As much as I bitched about Spring Training below, it also serves to focus on the few non stressful items associated with baseball in Boston. Sure I'm concerned about overall health and how the new guys are fitting in, but let's be honest, Pedroia's antics, and Iglesias' fielding, are significantly more important at this point.

To check out Pedey dominating a push up competition, click here.

That will quickly change as we approach April 4th. Go Sox.

Pedroia: "I can't read or write good, but I'll hit more homeruns"

I'm pretty sure Dustin Pedroia could walk across the street and I'd find it hilarious, but still, love him or hate him, you've gotta respect his confidence and desire to win. In an interview with WEEI this morning, Pedey defended the Red Sox offense:

"We'll see," Pedroia said on Sunday morning. "We haven't even had a spring training practice but guys are going to have to step up. I'm going to have to step up, everyone is. That's how it goes during the season. Everyone is going to have to have good at-bats and put them together in a row to score a lot of runs. We'll do that. We'll be better than a lot of people think." Reminded that the lineup has lost Jason Bay and likely will see the departure of Mike Lowell, Pedroia quipped, "I'll hit more home runs, then."

Pedroia downplayed the significance the team has placed on new age terms like run-prevention and UZR [Ultimate Zone Rating] to value players.

“I don’t even buy into that stuff,” Pedroia said. “We have great pitching, we have great defense and we have good offensive players. I don’t even know what run prevention is. I’m kind of a baseball players. I don’t know how to read very good. I don’t know how to write very good. We just go play. We’ll be fine."

“I’m excited, I think everyone is. I think we’ve got a lot of good players. Obviously, we’ve got a great pitching staff. We just have to find a way to go out there and score runs for them and I think we’re going to be fine.”

With Pedroia, you can't help but laugh at him, but at the same time, you take everything he says serious. He'll do everything he can to put this team on his tiny back, but he'll need a lot of help from the guys around him for this lineup to win ballgames like years past. As a result, his message to the rest of the lineup is apparently to "Man up".

A few weeks from now I'm going to try to track him down in Ft. Myers, and see what kind of ridiculous quotes I can get out of him.

Dusty Says: "Let's go Merck!"

Sun's out Guns out right?.....

He's absolutely insane....and far too small to be an all star at any level, let alone make millions of dollars in the big leagues........but he pulls it off. He's also incredibly gifted, somehow humble, and hilarious at the same time. Check out an off season workout video of Dusty courtsey of WEEI.com...

The best part has to be when he screams "look at the show" while benching 60 pound dumbells.

Good to know Dusty is working hard and is ready for Spring Training which starts in 9 days.....with the Superbowl over, it's officially baseball season (not that it ever wasn't).

For the complete story, including Dusty's oddly rational use of the phrase "let's go merck", check it out here.

Ellsbury and Pedroia

What else does Jacoby Ellsbury need to do to win his job back? And what else does Dustin Pedroia need to do to help him out? A month into the experiment, and the results are a little troubling, even if a little ambivalent.

Hitting in the bottom third of the lineup over the span of June, Ellsbury is hitting .328 (21 for 64), with a .413 OBP and a .500 SLG.

Hitting leadoff, Pedroia has fallen into a well-publicized slump, hitting .207 (18 for 87), with only a .266 OBP. Those are a drastic fall from the April and May numbers.

Add onto that their respective numbers with runners in scoring position. This is, in fact, one of the few areas that Pedey has not seen a big-time drop-off. His season RISP number is still an impressive .357, whereas Ellsbury has been unable, despite his success over the last month, to crank his RISP up over .273. Respectable, but not overwhelming. Even where they flip the good for the bad, the numbers suggest that they're in their placement in the lineup is off.

Even the theory that Ellsbury's speed might be better utilized low in the lineup, where he can feel free to run without destroying situations for the 2-5 big dogs, has failed to pan out. Ellsbury's steal numbers, despite the increased on-base percentage, are exactly even with his numbers out of the lead-off spo, if not a little lower.

In fact, there's really only one stat that seems to offer empirical proof in favor of the move. 17-6. That's the Sox record over the month of June. Talk about playing a trump card.

But as Pedey continues to struggle (though come on, don't you love him even more when you see him making something out of nothing, desperate to get out of this slump, turning an infield hopper into a double, drawing balks, scoring on passed balls?), and Ellsbury continues to climb, it's going to be harder and harder for Francona to brush it off and say why mess with a good thing. It's a long season, and it's all about making the right adjustments at the right time.

Update (4:35 pm):  According to the Fox broadcasting team, Terry Francona told them that he plans on keeping Pedroia and Ellsbury in their current lineup spots for the remainder of the season.  Big surprise.  Not sure if this information was accurately relayed, as the the guys definitely didn't seem to think it much of a story.  Wonder if there'll be any follow up on that in the post-game.

Pedey: "It's Not Early Anymore"

The Red Sox dropped their second straight game to Toronto yesterday, extending a recent trend of mediocre pitching and a struggling offense. With the loss, the Red Sox drop to 28-22, their worst start through 50 games since 2005 when they began the season 27-23. You can point to injuries and/or bad luck as reasons why a team many picked as world series bound has struggled through the first two months, but Dustin Pedroia doesn't want to hear it.

"We got four hits [on Saturday]," said Dusty "We've got to find a way to score runs. We're not winning many games right now, and we need to start. It's not early anymore. We've played 50 games. We need to start doing things, offensively."

Good for you Pedey, someone needs to tell this team to take their collective skirts off. All we've heard is "we're hitting the ball well, but right at people" or "I pitched well, but made one or two mistakes that they hit hard." Well guess what, that can suffice for a few games, but we're nearly a third of the way through the season, excuses like those won't cut it in this town. With Youk and Jay Bay coming back to reality at the plate (and I am by no means pointing any fingers at them), this offense relied on Rocco Balldelli for their production yesterday....Rocco Baldelli.....who then proceeded to run himself into a wall and nearly sever his leg from the knee down. That's just Rocco being Rocco.

We all know Papi has been hitting bombs in batting practice, that's great, but it's called BP for a reason, and players sure as hell don't get paid millions for hitting taters during practice. Sure he's put good wood on a few balls of late, but at this point it's going to take back to back months of him hitting .325, with 10 taters and 20 RBI to get him back to a respectable level.....and I don't think any of us see that happening.

Forgive me for my pessimistic rambling on this beautiful Sunday morning, but the aforementioned issues have been combined with the thought of being scared that Lester takes the mound today... and presto, I'm all worked up.

Maybe the Sox can salvage the weekend for me, perhaps Lester will bounce back and inject some optimism into my Red Sox blodline, because apparently, 75 and sunny doesn't cut it when the Sox are struggling.

Sox Blast O's, Move Above .500

(Ortiz knew he had a 3-bagger right out of the box - AP Photo)

It took a little longer than expected, but the Sox are back above .500 at 7-6 after completing a 4 game sweep of the O's. Boston's domination of Baltimore was unrelenting today, as the lineup continued to show how dangerous it can be, lighting up the scoreboard, and O's pitching, for a 12-1 victory.....

....and the hits came from everywhere in the lineup, but most importantly, from the number 2 and 3 hitters. David Ortiz has received plenty of bad ink to this point, ITM included, but he did his best to shut the critics up today, blasting a double and even legging out the elusive triple while picking up 2 rbi in the process. It was Papi's most productive game yet, which of course coincides nicely with my decision to bench him in my fantasy league this week. This is why you DON'T DRAFT RED SOX PLAYERS onto your team, it creates a constant conflict of interest and unneeded additional stress (ed note; I also have Pedroia, it's been tough watching them both struggle out of the gate). I'm kicking myself right now, but at least it's for a good reason. If "Roger Dorn's Revenge" loses this week and Ortiz blows up, I'll probably punch myself in the face, but I swear I'll be happy for the Sox.

Speaking of Dusty, he went 4 for 6 with 3 rbi (he however, was not benched by me, I’m not that terrible of a manager). Pedroia continued his offensive breakout and presumably was quick to let Big Papi know that Jason Varitek is now up 3-0 on him in the tater department.

Jay Masty (new nickname, take note) tossed 5 1/3rd quality innings, allowing only one earned run on 4 hits (all singles). He appears ready and willing to show he can add a lot of immediate value to the rotation, never a bad thing. Tuning into EEI a few minutes ago, I already heard a caller talk about the possibility of trading Dice-K because of Jay Masty’s performance thus far this season......that's EEI for you.

So after struggling through Oakland, the Sox did exactly what I had hoped for; going 5-2 over their last 7 games and calming all our initial fears. Management continues to remind us all that it's a marathon and not a sprint, it's fitting that we were reminded of that fact yet again today.

Red Sox Bloopers...

Every year during spring training all baseball players tape their promotional video ads and voice overs. I recently came across this video of this year's performance from the Sox.....It's really hard not to like these guys, they may not be the "idiots" of 03/04', but you've still got to love them....especially Dusty, who never lets us down in the "you're hilariously insane" department. Definitely worth a look below....

Pray that it doesn't rain on Monday as opening day can't get here soon enough....plus I helped plan an entire office party surrounding the afternoon game and would be screwed if they don't get it in.....I should probably start working on a contingency plan now...Go Sox.

Dusty Continuing to be Dusty

Dustin Pedroia....please don't let the great quotes ever end. You sir, are great for the blogging community......

Dusty will be playing for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, but he is still pissed that he won't be able to man second base for Team USA in a semifinal match against teammate Daisuke Matsuzaka and Japan......"I wish I was there and could be a part of it with those guys," Pedroia said. "It was an unbelievable experience getting a chance to play with all those guys. I'll definitely be rooting hard for them. I'll shoot them a text message, a little motivational speech for 'em. I'll get 'em going." Initial ITM expectations of what that text message would say includes far too many four letter words for us to share publicly....but we're sure it'll be classic.

When asked if he offered his Team USA friends any advice for how to hit against Matsuzaka, he quickly responded...."Daisuke is lucky I'm not there, I'd hit a line drive right off his back, and you guys can put that in your paper. I would hit him right in his back. He better hope the Red Sox don't trade him." An instant classic Dusty, good work.

More important than his funny quotes however, is Pedroia's health. Since returning from the WBC early with a pulled abdominal, Pedey has taken a few days off but made it back into the lineup this weekend without issue. For all intents and purposes we can consider him completely ready to go for the season.

Also, be sure to watch the US take on a very good Japanese team tomorrow (Sunday) evening at 6pm est....should be a great game despite injuries on both sides...

....which gets me thinking, where have the "USA chants" gone? Did that die with Hulkamania back in 1989'? We should bring that back.

Don't jump off the Tobin, Dusty is alright...

It could have been much, much worse. Julio Lugo's injury news didn't have me worked up much, but when boston.com produced a headline a few hours later it nearly put me on route 1 towards that big ugly bridge that spans over the Mystic river. "Pedroia Injured, done at WBC" it read... "#$*%" was my reaction, not only had I just taken him in the third round of my fantasy baseball draft, but he's one of the most significant parts of this Red Sox team, both on and off the field.

But by this morning, the feared "oblique strain" that could have kept him out 6 weeks or so was tossed aside as Pedey joked around with reporters. He had a smile on his face, informed everyone he was feeling pretty good, and expects to be back in just a few days.... "When you have a physique like this," Pedroia said, "when you're shredded and everything, something might happen." Does this guy ever come out of character?? God I hope not.

So while the US team got douched on by Puerto Rico last night 11-1, Dusty was home healing up for April 6th. He'll be fine, breathe a sigh of relief Red Sox nation (and fantasy owners), we dodged a small-sized bullet on that one.

Lugo on the other hand, will require surgery on what is likely a torn meniscus. That injury usually requires about a month or so to heal, which would put Lugo back on the field right around, or just after opening day. I'd expect to see Lowrie at shortstop on the 6th, but Lugo and his studly pre season average will force his way back out there soon after.....can't believe I just wrote "Lugo" and "studly" in the same sentence.

Pedroia: "Derek Jeter can't do push ups"

The most covered story of the day is Pap throwing Manny under the bus....but to be honest, i'm sick of talking about that guy from Washington Heights......and i'm also a little tired of Pap running his mouth lately.

....A topic of conversation ITM had while down in Ft Myers was what Dusty would be like in the WBC clubhouse. Would he be more subdued and take it all in? Or use it as a chance to absolutely rag on a new set of players? Seems like we have our answer. With a locker right next to Derek Jeter, it didn't take Pedey long to get the jokes going. He is blogging about his WBC experience on WEEI.com, here is an excerpt from today:

"So this is how the game went during Monday’s workout: Each of us taking batting practice can’t hit a ball foul or it will cost five push-ups. Then if we hit a ball we think is going out you have to call it, but if it doesn’t go out then that will cost you five push-ups."
"I end up hitting a couple of line-drives that hit the top of the fence that I thought were gone. So I did my push-ups … real push-ups. Derek Jeter? Well, he didn’t really go down all the way. I’m not a trainer or anything, but those weren’t push-ups."

He went on to say he respects the hell out of Jeter, but can't help but zing him at every chance he can. Pedey also mentioned David Wright has been the target of many of his jokes as well "because it's just too easy". Way to be Pedey, give those New Yorkers hell.....

....and is there anything better than Pedey's newest MLB Live Commercial??...guy is hilarious...

Ortiz, Dusty, and Jacoby report early

It's day two for pitchers and catchers, but more everyday players continue to slowly flood into Ft. Myers early for spring training. Today, David Ortiz, Dusty, and Jacoby Ellsbury reported to camp early and worked out.

While ITM is not yet down in Ft. Myers in person, after analyzing a few different videos out there, it certainly appears Ortiz has slimmed down. Reportedly, he lost two inches off his waistline and added five pounds of muscle in the off season. Ortiz took healthy swings in the cage and showed no signs of caution from his wrist injury last season. Physical health and weight is important for Ortiz as his batting stance puts a significant amount of pressure on his legs and knees, so hearing he is in better shape this spring training is a positive sign for the future.

Also arriving today was Jacoby Ellsbury. Many point to him as the catalyst and perhaps most important element of the Red Sox offense. After winning the starting position last year in center field but eventually splitting time with Coco Crisp, he has the position all to himself in 2009. No pressure Jacoby, but we need a big year out of you. ITM has yet to hear any official reports, but Ellsbury appears to have put on some additional muscle in the off season as well.

As far as Pedroia goes....well....he's still money. His body fat is down to 10 percent, after being at 18 just three years ago. According to Dusty he has been eating well: “Just cutting out all the garbage....I like ice cream. I never eat ice cream anymore, it sucks.”

According to weei.com, as Pedroia went to the cages he told reporters.... “Time to go rake. I hope they have new nets up there because I’m going to wear them out.” Anyone else think he's like Jack Parkman from Major League Two, just much smaller?

So far, in the very early stages of spring training, it appears the Red Sox have worked hard over the off season to both get healthy and stronger. This could mean little once the season gets going, but it could also be a very important factor in sustaining long term health.

Check out the video below from Boston.com....showing a fit Ortiz (at first I thought he was limping, then I realized he's just really cool and that's how he walks), and of course Dusty bullying on Jacoby....

ITM should also note that Lugo, Drew, and Jed Lowrie have also reported early.

Sally Drew Plays, Sox Rally in 8th for 93rd Win

In an effort to provide complete transparency....work here in NYC is killing me, but ITM writer Joe Murph and I got together for dinner tonight to discuss all things Red Sox and Inside the Monster.

Keep in mind, I've known Joe since we were 4, I hadn't seen him for months and I had plans to ask him to be in my wedding tonight.....as soon as I saw him in my hotel lobby he had a weird look on his face, before I even got a hello he said.. "guess who's in the lineup tonight??" Knowing Joe and his irrational love for John Olerud (don't ask), I immediately responded with the one time Sox first basemen......I knew it was serious when that response didn't even get a "don't kid about Orlerud" look from Joe......"Sally Drew" he said, and I almost feel off my crutches.....

I had heard Drew was feeling better and took BP yesterday, but my honest opinion was that his back would tighten up and he'd be questionable for the ALDS. Sally D proved me wrong though, he played, and looked relatively healthy in right field while going 1 for 2 at the plate and running well down the line. I was impressed, that is until I heard Tito's reasoning behind rushing Sally D back. He essentially said he didn't want him to get hurt this weekend and thus lose him for the playoffs, almost as if Tito was fully expecting to see the trainer rubbing Sally D's back come the 2nd inning. He managed to get through 3 innings before being removed for a pinch runner. Apparently Sally D proved a lot of us wrong tonight.

Anyways, back to the game, the Sox jumped out to an early 4-0 lead by pounding Fausto "there is nothing worse than wasted talent" Carmona. Pedroia ripped his 54th double of the year for the Red Sox, which puts him 3rd on Boston's all time list. Next up is Nomar with 55 in second. Pedroia continued to "steal" the show later in the game when he swiped his 20th base of the season (in 21 attempts...who says he's slow?......well everyone besides him I guess). Also of note is that Petey now has 210 hits this year, which ties him for 5th on Boston's all time list along side Wade Boggs....Dusty is likely to finish in 3rd come season end.

Paul Byrd did not make a good case for why he should be the 4th starter in the playoffs as he went 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 11 hits. While Wakefield certainly didn't look strong in his last start either, he fared better than Bryd and had chances to get out of jams. However, keep in mind Wake has the second-worst playoff ERA of all-time with pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings......throw that in the "concerning" file for the playoffs.

The Sox took a 4-4 tie into the 8th when Kotsay doubled home Van Every to give them a 5-4 lead. A lead Manny Delcarmen would keep in the 9th, as he earned his second save of the year.

With the win the Sox keep their slim hopes of winning the AL East alive, the Rays game however just went final in an 11-6 victory over the lifeless O's (they were down 6-2). Their magic number for the East is now 1. Amazing.

Sox End Up on Losing End of 14 Inning Affair (why am I still up?)

After splitting the first two games it was almost fitting that the Rays and Sox remained knotted at 1 until the 14th inning. It is WAY too late for me to post much about the game, but here are some sleep-deprived thoughts....Much like last night, the Rays had their share of chances, but the Sox were able to get out of jams (thank you Masterson, Delcarmen etc). The bullpen went 7 2/3rds innings without giving up a run, which, at least from my standpoint, should be MORE than enough to win. Ultimately however, it was the Bay state's own Carlos Pena who hit a 3 run shot in the 14th, Percival nailed down the save, and the Rays exit Boston taking two out of three.

Josh Beckett was the key story going into the game, and regardless of the outcome, should still be the number one topic. The long and short of it is....He's back. It's early, but at least initially there were no negative health issues with Beckett's 84 pitches in 6 innings give up one run and striking out 7 at Fenway tonight...last night...whatever it was. So the Red Sox may be 1.5 games out of the AL East, but this is the true story. Going into the playoffs (knock on wood), the Sox appear to have their ace back.

Overall it was a well played game by two teams that will likely battle for first the rest of the way. To be honest, I was quite surprised by the Red Sox fan who interfered with Mike Lowell's fly ball in the 2nd. I assume this man is from the Boston area and a fan....they WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? If the Sox were in the field, ok, but you should know better. That crap may fly in Pittsburgh, but not here. If I was standing next to him I would have tackled him to the ground before letting him touch the ball in the field of play, I hope someone at least threw a slice of pizza at him (I can't get enough of this clip, I watch it over and over again and can't stop laughing....it's an instant classic...Youtube has taken it off their site so this is the only place I could find a decent video).



Ok, off my soapbox. Despite the outcome, the endgame is the Red Sox are playing good baseball and have their ace back and healthy (or at least close to 100 percent).

....work is going to hate me tomorrow.

Petey is all "Grown" up.....and the AL MVP

From barely batting his weight in April and May of 2007 (which is especially bad considering he is really closer to 160 lbs than the reported 180 lbs) to winning the rookie of the year….that’s growth. But from expectations of a sophomore slump to being a front runner for the AL MVP….that’s like growing from 5' 6″ to 6′2" during the summer and coming back to high school to steal all the girls. One thing is for certain, if Pedroia does take home the MVP hardware this year, he’ll make sure NO ONE forgets it…for at least 15 years. (Can’t you picture Petey being a little old man who constantly rants about how things were better in “his day” and threaten to fight people half his age and twice his size?)

Pedroia’s story of MVP consideration a few weeks back was nice, it warmed all of our New England hearts, but his ungodly play of late puts him right in the middle of the pack…for real. This isn’t just homerism at its best, presently, Buster Olney of ESPN has Pedroia taking home the trophy, and I think we all know and respect the Busta Bust.

Pedroia’s overall numbers are impressive:

.333 17 hr 76rbi .378 obp .505 slug .883 ops…

But it is how he has done it that makes all the difference in the world. With Manny gone, no JD Drew, Mike Lowell and at times, no Kevin Youkilis; Pedrioa has elevated his game to a level that we haven’t seen since Nomar in 99'....and even that might be giving Nomar too much credit. Petey has hit .374 since the all star break which includes going well over .600 over the last 7 games. That’s right, .600 He leads the league in batting average, runs scored and hits. Not enough? he is also third in total bases, and fourth in runs created….categories always reserved for power hitters. Add to that 17 stolen bases and great play at second base….and you have a serious MVP candidate.

What gives Dusty this award however, is the timing of his greatness. He has emerged as the hottest hitter on the planet when the Sox needed it the most. Despite all of the jokes and laughter about putting him in the cleanup spot, he has put up Manny-like (or should I say Youk-like) numbers while there. The Red Sox have increased their wild card lead while closing in on the Rays, due in large part to the play of the smallest guy on the field. His fire, intensity and constant (albeit jokingly) trash talk give this team the edge it needs to make a run (and perhaps deep one) into October.

So friends, teammates and all MLB players who know Dustin Pedroia, brace yourself, because if Petey keeps this up for another week or two, there is no doubt who the AL MVP is…..and once he gets the trophy, he’ll be one small guy you won’t be able to shut up.

(image provided by Flickr)

Pedroia continues to impress everyone....with his trash talk....(thanks to youtube)