Sweep Success!

With a thrilling three-game sweep of the hated New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox supplanted themselves as the team to beat in 2009.

After a sluggish start to the season, the BoSox bats were swinging for the fences on Friday and Saturday while their pitching was the story on Sunday. A two-out, two-run bomb by Manny's replacement, Jason Bay, off The Sandman followed by a moon shot by Kevin Yooooooooukilis in the bottom of the 11th catapulted the Fenway faithful into jubilation. Less than 24 hours later, after spotting the Yanks six early runs, the Beantown bats went ballistic. Four baggers by Mike Lowell, Jacoby Ellsbury and 'Tek more than made up for a unimpressive showing by ace Josh Beckett. And after winning the series, the Sox figured what the hell, let's do some extra spring cleaning. Behind a great outing by Justin Masterson and a thrilling straight steal of home by Ellsbury off a bewildered Andy Pettitte, the 2004 and 2007 World Champions proved they could win with small-ball too. By the way Yankee fans, if your BIG bats can't get late-game hits off AAA hurlers Hunter Jones and Mike Bowden, are you really a team destined for the postseason?

Watching the series this weekend, I'm reminded of why the Boston Red Sox, and not the New York Yankees, have been the team of this decade. Grit, tenacity and resolve....words that just don't resonate with the Y2K version of professional sport's most decorated franchise. When will this team finally realize that constant off-season spending sprees on that winter's hot free agent(s) just isn't going to get it done? When will they realize that they are, dare I say, getting older and exiting their primes? Posada, Mo and DJ...all players who can vividly recall the glory years of the late 90's and certainly all players whose mental makeup includes those three aforementioned qualities, but all players who are near the big 40. When will Cash, Joe, George, Hank and Hal come to grips with the fact that this buying bonanza, whether it be the stadium or the players on its lush grass, is bush league?

I'm a Sox fan...I love cramped and rotting Fenway, I love the chin stubble and the unkempt beards, I love the unforgettable characters and personalities, I love the straight steal of home (because I know the Yanks would never do it), I love the late inning heroics (because I know the guys down south don't have the intestinal fortitude to pull out a game like Friday night's), but most of all I love and admire the intelligence shown by Theo, Larry, Tom, John and of course, Terry. They got rid of Johnny Damon because his price was too high, they turned a blind eye to Pedro and Nomaaaaar because they knew their best years were behind him, they finally told Manny don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out, they recovered and prospered after they were shunned by ARod and they will do the same with Mark Teixeira.

So let The Evil Empire bid against themselves for this and next season's high-priced free agents, and let them construct their billion dollar cathedral complete with the fancy restaurants and luxurious luxury boxes, but save for them a few small, dirty, uncomfortable Fenway Paaark seats to watch a team that appears primed and ready to march to a third title in six years (just remember to tell them to arch their heads, unlike the new Yankee Stadium, not all Fenway's furniture faces home plate).