When the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, they had a lovable, underdog quality and a freshness that set them apart.
They had a new manager (Terry Francona), a fresh-faced general manager (Theo Epstein), a jovial super-slugger (David Ortiz), a bloody-sock hero (Curt Schilling), a slew of affable and goofy players (Kevin Millar, Curtis Leskanic), a historic curse and a long-suffering fan base.
They Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit to vanquish the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. They beat the Cardinals for the title providing a lifetime of memories and prompting a rewrite of a mediocre Jimmy Fallon-Drew Barrymore movie.
Three years later, the Red Sox once again stand on the brink of history. They overcame a 3-2 deficit in the ALCS and trounced the Indians in Game 7 to earn a berth in the World Series against Colorado.
The Red Sox have momentum. They have a great home-field advantage. They have a hot starting pitcher (Josh Beckett) ready to rock and roll. They are poised to capture another championship.
But, will they capture the imagination of the American sporting public?
With the Yankees seemingly in meltdown mode, Boston has become the Death Star. The Red Sox have a $145 million payroll. Their winning pitcher Sunday night was Daisuke Matsuzaka, an expensive Japanese import out of the price range of most other clubs.
Can you really root for these guys?
Scrappy second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who had five RBI in the finale, is an exciting young player. But, can you root for Manny Ramirez?
Ramirez is unquestionably one of the premier sluggers of his generation, but he is a defensive disaster (who admittedly made a nice play to throw out Kenny Lofton) and his horrible baserunning and showboating of home runs (and near-homers) is beyond embarrassing.
The Rockies, who have won an astonishing 21 games in 22 outings, are a fresher story. It's ironic, then, that they may be stale in the Series after sitting around following their sweep of Arizona, which followed a sweep of Philadelphia.
Detroit had six days to sit around after winning the ALCS last eyar and looked awful in the World Series.
"I've already had six or seven people bring to my attention that the Tigers had a long layoff last year and didn't play very well," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle told reporters. "So, if you look for good, you'll find good. If you look for bad, you'll find bad."
The Rockies looked good during a June interleague visit to Fenway Park, where they won two out of three games and outscored the Red Sox, 20-5.
In order to win the first championship in franchise history, the Rockies must get steady production from hitters like Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki and MVP candidate Matt Holliday, not to mention a bullpen that has been airtight for much of the season.
"The Rockies are on a magical run and we are going to have our hands full. We're going to try and represent the American League the best we can," general manager Theo Epstein said during the post-game ceremony.
It won't be hard to consider the Rockies, who play in an obscure market and were in fourth place for much of the season, to be an underdog.
That suit doesn't fit the Red Sox, anyway.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
