How Sweep It Is!

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Wow! I never thought four years ago that I would see two World Series Championships by the end of '07 but that's exactly what has happened. The Sox strung together a very impressive series in sweeping the Colorado Rockies by a combined score of 29-10 last night. The most exciting aspect is that it was a complete team effort. Mike Lowell walked away with an MVP trophy, but he'd be the first to tell you that he couldn't have done it without his 'mates. From 1-9, this lineup sparkled. Whether it was two rookies (Ellsbury and Pedroia), a fourth outfielder who had been released earlier in the year (Kielty), two regular season disappointments (Drew and Lugo), or a reliever who eight months earlier was thought to be there only to keep Dice-K happy (Okajima), this team pulled together. And, of course, the big guns of Papelbon, Ortiz, Manny, Schilling, Beckett, and Lowell were there as well.
For non-Sox fans, this lopsided series had to be a disappointment. One got the feeling after Game 1 the series might not get to a Game 5. The Sox showed again why many perceive the A.L. to be far superior to the N.L.. Think about what they did. They swept the team that swept EVERY OTHER team it faced in the National League playoffs and did it with ease. I read that baseball insiders now refer to the N.L. as the junior varsity.....that could be a compliment. One gets the feeling that the Sox, Indians, Yankees, and Angels all would have beaten the Rockies or any other N.L. team.
The postseason similarities between this team and the one in '04 are eerie. Both teams swept the Angels in the Division Series. And both faced enormous deficits in the ALCS (Down 4-0 to New York in '04 and down 3-1 to Cleveland in '07). Three years ago the nemesis Yankees were the team the Red Sox had to beat to legitimize their championship. This year it was the team that tied them for victories in the regular season. And both times after falling behind, the Sox went on to win the rest of the ALCS and sweep their National League opponent in the World Series. Terry Francona is now 8-0 in World Series game. Enough hasn't been said about his contribution to baseball in the city of Boston. It takes a special manager to hold together a team facing large expectations in a city like Boston.
There was only one drawback to the night though, and that was Ken Rosenthal releasing his A-Rod free-agent info during the game. It must have been pretty exciting news because that's nearly all that was talked about during and after the rest of the game. The Red Sox owners were even asked if they would pursue Rodriguez as Sox fans were chanting for the team to re-sign Lowell and not A-Rod. Just a shame that A-Rod's agent chose to market himself and his client over the game. Baseball officials even issued a rebuke on the matter, calling the move "selfish" according to espn.com.
The Sox certainly have some questions to address in the off-season but not near as many as in '04. Schilling and Lowell are the two biggest question marks. I would love to see both back. But I wanted Damon and Pedro back too, and now I'm glad that didn't happen. If the Sox got A-Rod it would make me sick, but I don't think that will happen. They couldn't afford him in '04 with Manny on the roster so they would likely have to jettison both Manny and Lowell for this to happen. Not to mention the enormous hatred that would spew Boston's way from across the country if this were to happen. I guarantee some of that hatred would come from Boston too. Why not sign a World Series MVP instead of someone who has zero success in the postseason?

Around the League

Joe Girardi has been offered the managerial job of the New York Yankees. I'm really surprised it wasn't offered to Don Mattingly to be honest. He had been the groomed heir apparent to Torre. I think Girardi could be an excellent manager with some of their younger players coming up. There are concerns he throws his starters for too many innings based upon his single season in Florida, but the former Yankee might just be the perfect face for the new era New Yorkers. Girardi was rumored to be a candidate for the Dodgers. If he takes the Yankees offer, it will be interesting to see if ex-Boston and current-Dodgers skipper Grady Little would remain in L.A.

Teams I think A-Rod could go to: Los Angeles (both of them), Chicago (both of them), and New York (one of them). Some people are saying he could go to a surprise team, but I think A-Rod cares enough about winning to at least go to a semi-contender and not have a repeat of his Texas Rangers days.
Let's start with the Angels. They have been in the market for a big bat for a long time and their owner, Arte Moreno, could ante up for the big bucks. However, with Guerrero's contract and some up-coming-players, I'm not sure the Angles are the likeliest destination.
The Dodgers could definitely make a move. They missed the postseason this year and could use a big-name veteran around some of their younger pieces. They would be able to easily fit A-Rod at third too.
The Cubbies, after watching the Red Sox and White Sox win recent titles, would love to be a part of the action, but that would require A-Rod likely playing shortstop again. Would he do it? I don't know. Probably if the price was right. Although if they had to, they could move Aramis Ramirez my guess is that he would stay at third. Getting A-Rod to play short would give the Cubs perhaps the best infield in baseball. I think Cubs will at the very least come up with an offer, but their ownership issues may need to be resolved first.
The White Sox are a team I haven't heard about, but make sense. Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen are embarrassed about how their year went and Williams is always looking to make a big splash. Joe Crede coud easily be disposed of at third and A-Rod would still get the limelight of a big city. Don't count out the Southsiders.
And finally, the Yankees themselves. After Hank Steinbrenner's comments about anyone not wanting to be a Yankee can get out of town, it wouldn't surprise me to see A-Rod remain in pinstripes. It's New York, words get exchanged. If Girardi is hired on he might be able to convince management and A-Rod to re-sign. If Boras can't find a good enough deal anywhere else, he could try to return to the team with the deepest pockets. I would be shocked if A-Rod can get over $200 million anywhere but New York.