And the Winner is...

In 1912, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. They did not do that again until 2004 - an 86 year period. Three years later, the Sox are World Champs once again, as they beat the Colorado Rockies Sunday night, 4-3. The BoSox swept the Rockies in four games, completely overpowering and overmatching the Rocks in just about every facet of the game.

The Red Sox used power, speed, defense, pitching, youth, and experience to subdue the (at the time) red-hot Rockies. The Rockies pitching was no match for the mash-and-bash lineup of the Red Sox.

• Jacoby Ellsbury is just one of the young kids in the Sox lineup, and he really made a name for himself in the World Series. This star-to-be hit .438 with four doubles and three RBIs in the four game series. Whether he was at the top or the bottom of the lineup, this kid provided the team with a real spark.


• Dustin Pedroia, potential AL Rookie of the Year, gave the Sox a strong start to the series, hitting a home run to lead off the bottom of the first in game one. He provided his club a steady bat, a dependable glove, and an overall presence in the lineup.


• David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez pretty much speak for themselves. Just the sound of their names strike fear in many (if not all) pitchers in the game. Together, they make perhaps the most fearsome 3-4 duo in any lineup in the bigs. Combined, they went 8-31 with only six RBIs - which just shows how good this lineup really is.


• Mike Lowell was named the World Series MVP, and for good reason. All he did was hit an even .400 with one home run and four clutch RBIs. Lowell is a free agent to be, and could certainly help any club reach the postseason in 2008.


• The rest of the lineup, which included the likes of Kevin Youkilis, Julio Lugo, Jason Varitek, and J.D. Drew did their parts as well. Each player played a particular role in winning this thing - there was no one single hero...it was a true team effort.


• The starting pitching was incredible. Each of the four starters - Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka and cancer-survivor Jon Lester - earned wins in the series. They each pitched at least five innings, and none gave up more than two earned runs. They kept their team in the game, and allowed their superb bullpen to do the rest.


• The relief efforts of Hideki Okajima, Mike Timlin, Manny Delcarmen, and Jonathan Papelbon at the end were absolutely stupendous. All three saves Pap recorded were for more than one inning, and he was a key part of the Sox success.

As for the Rockies, the 8-day period between the NLCS and the World Series proved to be a bit too much time off. The rust, combined with the Red Sox unbelievable momentum, caused the Rockies to put up almost no fight against the Sox.

So a big congratulations to the Boston Red Sox - they were certainly the better team this year. And with a team chocked full of young studs, surrounded by talented veterans, there is no reason to believe that they won't be defending their title next October.

All statistical information courtesy of MLB.com