Josh Beckett. Right Now, The Best There Is!

I've talked to some of my neighbors, who comprise a 50-50 mix of Sox fans and Yankee fans. It's the opinion of the New York fans that matter most to me right now for this Sunday morning, eastern STANDARD time post. Yes, that's right, we DID get an extra hour of sleep last night, but the only thing I accomplished was waking up an hour earlier than normal, and I was unable to go back to sleep. So I got out of bed, took a shower, had breakfast and began writing this post to you. Oh, where was I? Josh Beckett! Got it. Almost every one of the Yankee fan neighbors I talked to, actually it was more like a quiz, to be more precise, answered this when I asked them their opinion of the Red Sox starting pitching staff, in the World Series and the ALCS. It was unanimous....they all thought that the best pitcher around right now, National and/or American League, is none other than Josh Beckett. Mind you, this is from Yankee fans only. WE all know it to be true, but to hear it from pinstriped fans is nice indeed. This is from the Sunday Boston Globe, penned by the great Gordon Edes.....

"His (Josh) postseason record of 6-2 with an accompanying ERA of 1.73 is pretty good. But it's the last five starts that have gotten our attention. You have to go back to names such as Koufax and Gibson to find someone who has been as dominant in the playoffs as Josh Beckett has been in his last two postseasons.

2003:
Wins the clinching Game 6 of the World Series on (first-ever) three days' rest, throwing five-hit shutout.

2007:
Wins Game 1 of the ALDS with four-hit shutout of Angels.
Wins Game 1 of the ALCS, giving up two earned runs in six innings in 10-3 victory over the Indians.
Wins Game 5 of the ALCS with an eight-inning, five-hit, one-run elimination-game victory.
Wins Game 1 of the World Series with seven-inning, six-hit, one-run performance against the Rockies.

Wade through it all, and you'll see that Beckett has been essentially unhittable in the games that matter most."

Peter here...sort of makes you smile, doesn't it? And the feelings of the aforementioned Yankee fans, most (who am I kidding...ALL!) of whom absolutely HATE the Red Sox, is a further kudo to the pinpoint excellence that Josh showed, not only in the games that meant the most, but through the entire season. Thank you, Josh "Baseball" Beckett, as I've called him since April. You are truly the epitome of the best of everything. We owe you our gratitude. And we can't wait for next year.

Have a great weekend, Constant Readers, as the sun comes up over the horizon here in Connecticut at the thankfully early hour of 6:29 AM EST. Click on the title of this post for a Boston Globe article written, again, by Gordon Edes. It's a celebration of the 2007 Boston Red Sox, who are at the very top of the baseball world, just where we like them!! Enjoy your Sunday, and don't forget that 4:15 PM EST showdown between the undefeated New England Patriots and the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. It's not Sox baseball, but wow, it should be great! Be safe, be well. Forever.