Aside from New Years, the above was the last time I toasted with some champagne.
Happy New Years Red Sox fans and welcome back to the long awaited return of SawxBlog.com! My winter hibernation is now coming to a halt and boy do I have a lot to talk about. From the air brake stalling of the impending Johan Santana deal (and I wouldn't be so sure the Sox are going to sign him anymore) to the Mitchel Report bomb and the fraud that is Roger Clemens (if you've ever been hard on Barry Bonds there's no reason you shouldn't be on him). I have more fodder now then I can shake a stick at, and that's a good thing, and I can't wait to talk about it all.
But we'll save those discussions for another day and turn our attention to the best Red Sox moments from a memorable and amazing 2007 baseball season during this New Year.
Top 10 Red Sox Moments of 2007
The Red Sox Rolling Rally - Whenever there's a parade in Boston it's always a good time, well...aside from those pesky drunk high school kids, but aside from that, it's always a pretty special convergence of Red Sox fans and players alike. Having the Dropkick Murphy's playing with Papelbon and Timlin dancing doesn't hurt either. Click Here for SawxBlog video of the event.
Dustin Pedroia's Rookie of the Year Season - Watching Dustin "Frodo" Pedroia play this past year was definitely a joy. Dustin is the next generation of the Boston Dirt Dog following in the vain of Trot Nixon and his fellow compatriot Kevin Youkilis. Pedroia beats all odds with his short stature and unorthodox uppercut swing, but he stands as tall as anyone on this team, and was a huge reason for us winning it all again. Props to Tito also for sticking with him during his early struggles.
Iron Mike Lowell Bitch - I've said it once if I've said it a thousand times, no one could have ever replaced Billy Mueller (one of my all-time favorites) better then Mike Lowell. Mike is a pure professional ballplayer and is an invaluable teammate and a strong player on both sides of the field. He seems to really relish playing in Boston and it's nothing but a good thing that we have him around for a few more years now. His World Series MVP now gives us four on the team (Schilling, Beckett, Ramirez, and now Lowell).
The Emmergence of Jacoby Ellsbury - I honestly can't remember a rookie creating such a buzz in Boston as Jacoby did this past year (except for maybe Nomar). This kid is just lightning in a bottle and is one of the funnest guys to watch on the Sox, and maybe in the game. I'll never forget the game in early July when he scored from second on a past ball. Think about that, I'm talking about second base here. Very Ty Cobb of the kid. I hope his future is with the Red Sox because his popularity will make Damon's look juvenile. The chicks dig him, he's a 5 tool player, and he almost won a World Series MVP before he was even officially a rookie. Sky's the limit for him.
Red Sox Tie MLB Record with 4 home runs in a Row Against Yankees - This was one of the most surreal and awesome moments in recent history in this storied and lengthy rivalry. Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek homered in consecutive at-bats against Yankee left-hander Chase Wright in another magical night in Fenway Park. The best part about this (aside from Manny Ramirez reaction in the dugout) was that at the time the Sox were down 3-0...you do the math. Back, Back, Back, Back, Gone.
Josh Beckett's Cy Young Worthy Season - I'm not going to write anymore on why I think Josh deserved this award, but I think it's suffice to say that Josh Beckett was the best pitcher alive in the year 2007. And that includes both regular season and post-season. The guys a stud. The guy's our ace. The guy's Josh Beckett. And the guy's on our Red Sox.
Red Sox Clinch AL East At Fenway - The Red Sox won the AL East for the first time since 1995 and it was one of the more fun nights in Red Sox Nation in recent memory. Fans at home and in Fenway stayed and watched the Oriole / Yankee game for over an hour and then went nuts after the O's won on a bunt single of all things. We were able to see the Sox pay their just dues to the fans, and this is also the infamous night that Paps was in his underwear with a Bud Light box on his head doing an Irish jig. Only in Fenway would this happen folks. Fun Times.
ALCS Comeback: The Sequel - The Red Sox 3-1 comeback in the ALCS against the Cleveland Indians was almost methodical, and dare I say it, expected. I never really became too worried (aside from a 15 minute meltdown during game 4...) and had a lot of faith in our pitching staff and teams resiliency, and we have 2004 to thank us for that. That's the real story here from a Red Sox fan's perspective. Pre-2004 we would have been expecting the worst, post-2004 we were expecting the best, and we got it. Awesome comeback and one that may be the one that defines this team in the decade to come, the torch was certainly passed that night.
Clay Buchholz No-Hitter - Just when the September arrived, and the pennant races were heating up the Red Sox needed an emergency start from one of their young phenoms, and boy did Mr. Buchholz start. Clay's no-hitter was one of the more special nights of the year and one that had me on my seats edge on every pitch. Never has a Red Sox prospect burst onto the seen like this, and coupled together with the excitement Jacoby was generating, really helped solidify the future lookout for the Red Sox. How young Buchholz was and looked really helped capture the joy of the moment, and made the game of baseball look really, really fun. The fact that the last out was a strikeout made it even that much more sweet.
Red Sox Win 2007 World Series - This is an obvious number one pick, and it was just as sweet and fun as our 2004 championship. Winning 2 World Series titles in 4 years really helped solidify the Red Sox as a franchise, and established the Sox (much like in the early 1900's) the team to beat in this new century. The extra special touch to this championship was the blend of youth and veterans that contributed, again, this was symbolic of a torch being passed. The win was as much a testament to the players as it is the to front office. Looking forward to the possibility of a repeat in 2008.
Honorable Mentions - Manny Ramirez and his Jazz Hands, All things Dice-K including but not limited to (the plane trip, his World Series hit, first start in Fenway against Ichiro), Kevin Youkilis and his at bats - his defense - and his sweat, Manny's Predator Hair Cut, Papelbon Fist Pumps, Julian Tavarez pointing at everything, The Red Sox bullpen transforming into the blue man group during the playoffs, JD Drew's Grand Slam, Mike Lowell running over Cano, and too many more to write for now.
Happy New Year everyone, and as always, thanks so much for supporting SawxBlog!!!!
Happy New Year to all!
Sox very much still in race for Santana it seems.
http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/02/red-sox-rumors-youkilis-santana-francona/
Posted by: ET90210 | January 03, 2008 at 12:38 AM
I think that the Mother's Day Miracle and Curt Schilling's 1-hitter were worthy moments as well.
Posted by: Lindsay | January 03, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Love this blog! Hell of a job with the top 10! Agree with ya for the most part definately a strong candidate was Curt's one hitter!
Posted by: Brad | January 03, 2008 at 06:03 PM
IT SURE WAS A GREAT RIDE THROUGH OUT THE YEAR. BUT THE BEST WAS SAVED FOR LAST WHRN A DAD AND SON WERE ABLE TO SEE A WORLD SERIES GAME IN PERSON TOGETHER.
Posted by: DAD | January 05, 2008 at 08:38 AM
Yeah I think the Mother's Day Miracle and Curt's One-Hitter in Oakland were definetly Top 10 worthy. You know it's a good year when it's hard to pick only 10 moments!
And Dad I totally agree with you, Game 1 is a night I'll never forget, truly incredible.
Posted by: Derek Hixon | January 05, 2008 at 11:18 AM
I was glad to see you give a nod to Tito for sticking with Pedroia. I don't know of too many managers that would have had the patience to stick with a young kid who has no business being in the Bigs physically. Maybe it was Tito's love of playing donminos with Pedroia before most games that provided him with the courage to make that call. Whatever it was, Pedroia should think about displaying the Rookie of the Year Trophy at Tito's place.
Happy New Year to SAWXBLOG and the Nation!
Posted by: Chris Hixon | January 05, 2008 at 04:51 PM