I'm still somewhat in a state of shock that the Red Sox won the World Series. For most of the year, they looked listless and disinterested. They had very few dramatic come-from-behind victories. The ALCS was one of the few times that this team showed grit and determination. That said, maybe I didn't measure the Red Sox from the proper perspective. Rather than count them out for their lack of oomph (relative to 2004), I should have praised them for their remarkable consistence and ability to rarely put themselves in a position where they needed a dramatic win. This was a well-rounded team that could have been even better than it was when you consider the down years from Lugo, Ramirez, Crisp and Drew. In that sense, I think this team was better than the 2004 edition, even if somewhat less exciting. Excitement of the heart attack variety isn't always a good thing. I, for one, am quite glad that the Red Sox wrapped this one up in four straight games.
I would like to thank every member of the Red Sox who contributed to the World Series Championship this year. The following list of players appeared in at least one game for the '07 Red Sox, and will consequently receive World Series Championship rings for their efforts (that's how the awarding of rings worked in 2004):
1. Jason Varitek (131 games - 2nd WS ring)
2. Kevin Youkilis (145 games - 2nd WS ring)
3. Dustin Pedroia (139 games - 1st WS ring)
4. Mike Lowell (154 games - 3rd WS ring)
5. Julio Lugo (147 games - 1st WS ring)
6. Manny Ramirez (133 games - 2nd WS ring)
7. Coco Crisp (145 games - 1st WS ring)
8. J.D Drew (140 games - 1st WS ring)
9. David Ortiz (149 games - 2nd WS ring)
10. Alex Cora (83 games - 1st WS ring)
11. Eric Hinske (84 games - 1st WS ring)
12. Wily Mo Pena (73 games - 1st WS ring)
13. Jacoby Ellsbury (33 games - 1st WS ring)
14. Doug Mirabelli (48 games - 2nd WS ring)
15. Bobby Kielty (20 games - 1st WS ring)
16. Kevin Cash (12 games - 1st WS ring)
17. Brandon Moss (15 games - 1st WS ring)
18. Jeff Bailey (3 games - 1st WS ring)
19. Royce Clayton (8 games - 1st WS ring)
20. David Murphy (3 games - 1st WS ring)
21. Daisuke Matsuzaka (32 games - 1st WS ring)
22. Tim Wakefield (31 games - 2nd WS ring)
23. Josh Beckett (30 games - 2nd WS ring)
24. Curt Schilling (24 games - 3rd WS ring)
25. Julian Tavarez (34 games - 1st WS ring)
26. Jon Lester (12 games - 1st WS ring)
27. Kason Gabbard (7 games - 1st WS ring)
28. Jonathan Papelbon (59 games - 1st WS ring)
29. Hideki Okajima (66 games - 1st WS ring)
30. Javier Lopez (61 games - 1st WS ring)
31. Mike Timlin (50 games - 4th WS ring)
32. Kyle Snyder (46 games - 1st WS ring)
33. Manny Delcarmen (44 games - 1st WS ring)
34. Joel Pineiro (31 games - 1st WS ring)
35. Clay Buchholz (4 games - 1st WS ring)
36. Brendan Donnelly (27 games - 2nd WS ring)
37. J.C Romero (23 games - 1st WS ring)
38. Eric Gagne (20 games - 1st WS ring)
39. Bryan Corey (9 games - 1st WS ring)
40. Devern Hansack (3 games - 1st WS ring)
Just missing out on rings:
Matt Clement (injured all year but on the 40-man roster)
Craig Breslow (called up for a day but never appeared in a game)
|