I know everyone thought I’d go Celtics/Knicks especially when two of our favorites, Leon Powe and Brian Scalabrine, were key cogs in the victory. But like I’ve said previously, the baseball stuff and football is taking precedent this early in the NBA season.

Did I mention that Dustin Pedroia won the AL MVP?

Honestly I think that the turning point from a great season to an MVP weekend was during that series against the Houston Astros. Sure the Sox lost two of three from the Astros that weekend, but it wasn’t Little Dusty’s fault. He went 9-14 in the series and raised his average over .300 at that point. There was no looking back from there. He continued to put the Sox on his back and carry the team into the playoffs.

So Little Dusty took the Silver Slugger, Golden Glove, and now the AL MVP. Not a bad season for a guy that won Rookie of the Year last year and people wanted replaced by Alex Cora. How’s that move working out for you? He joins Cal Ripken and Ryan Howard as the only players to follow up a rookie of the year campaign with an MVP.

And how much bonus money did Pedroia get for his MVP season? The same as I did. Nothing. So I leave you with a couple of shots courtesy of our friend JC. This is little Dusty celebrating last year’s ALCS on the field at Fenway.

Congrats Dusty.

Now that he has won Rookie of the Year, a World Series, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and now the AL MVP, all in two years.  All after he has pretty much run out of Boston last May in favor of who, Alex Cora.  All for a guy who is a generous 5′7″ and 180.  Not bad for the kid with too big of a swing and no range in the field. Now all those nay-sayers can shut the hell up and pay your respects to The Man.  

Yep, Dustin Pedroia is now your MVP folks.  My man!!!  I’ve been behind this guy since day one, and I mean literally from the day he was drafted.  Theo got ridiculed then for getting this kid.  Then he skyrocketed thru the Sox system, finally getting his first cup-of-coffee late in ‘06.  Fans and media saw this little guy with a huge swing and said, “eh, nice story, but he’ll never cut it as a Major League regular.”  then he went out and had a great spring in ‘07 and won the 2nd base job.  ”Yea” they said, “he had a good month, but he’ll wear himself out swinging that hard.”  Yes, he struggled during the first two months of the season but Tito and his staff believed in this kid.  Almost every fan I talked to wanted this kid sent down.   I stuck by him, praising his virtues.  How he had hit above .300 every year, on every level since junior high.  I said trust me, give the kid a chance to settle in to a routine.  Our former anchor, now CNBC’s own Brian Shactman was relentless on me and Pedroia.  Once he got hot in June and it carried into October and eventually to the parade, people slowly started to turn.  ”Boy, that little second baseman sure is a pest.”  ”What a scrapper he is.”  Those are the kind of things you say about a role player, a utility man.  I think those kind of things only fueled the man.

It all led to this.  2nd in the AL in avg, first in hits, first in multi-hit games.  118 runs, 81 RBI, 17 homers, 20+ steals, 50+ doubles.  Hell he batted clean-up for a few games.  CLEAN-UP!?!?!??!?! HE’S 5′7″ TALL!!!!  HE’S A WORLD SERIES CONTENDERS NUMBER 4 HITTER?  Damn right he was.  Now he is our MVP.  Sox Nations MVP.  The American League MVP.  Not bad for a guy who you wouldn’t look at twice if you were building the “Prototypical baseball player.”  Go ahead and put A-Rod and Petey next to each other, have a person with no knowledge of the game, never seen a pitch, pick out the better player.  100% would pick A-Rod.  In fact, all of MLB teams had the chance to scoop him up, but he didn’t fit their mold.  I guess they don’t want players who fight for everything on the field and always figure out a way to win a game.  I guess MVP-type players aren’t in their mold.

He is the “A” #1 reason why the Red Sox are the best organization in baseball.  They draft players, not bodies.  They draft heart and will, not homerun distance.  They draft talent, plain and simple.  This should be an inspiration to every single kid out there who has been told by a coach that he is too small to make it(yep, I’m guilty of it.)  Has been told that he doesn’t fit the mold of a pro athlete.  I say to them: Use That!!!!  Take all that negativity and turn it into something great.  Hey you never know were or if it will take you anywhere, but if you are interested I will be more then happy to tell you a story of a player who did that and rode it to the AL MVP!!!!  

Congrats to all Sox fans, the front office and the coaches, and of course huge UP’s to Dustin Pedroia, the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player!!!!