Joe Derive and wins

Hi everyone. I'm Joe Derive and this is baseball...Red Sox baseball that is!

Last night's contest was a fan's dream come true. It was an odd reminder of the intensity and excitement a group of people can generate when the conditions are right.

Tito Francona wasn't thinking of the season but of the game and made decisions that were counter intuitive to his 'long-term' plan. For one, he used Mike Lowell in place of David Ortiz. For another, he moved around the lineup and no doubt let everyone know how he felt about the Sox as of late. Tito may be a nice guy but he knows how to lose his temper like Earl Weaver when the timing is right.

The Sox finally brought in some talent from the farm and boy did these guys spark some life into the group. What was looking like an apathetic group of players became the old school sandlot baseball game where heroes are not free agents, they are simply people that want to win a game and will do whatever it takes to do it.

It is often said that the key ingredient to winning a World Series are the free agents and muscle that define the team. I say not. The Yankees feel privileged and entitled to another World Series. The Red Sox, at least last night, just wanted to win. The team that plays the best is the team that wins, not the team that has the most free agents and biggest payroll.

I remember in 2007, before the removal of Manny Ramirez how the Sox played the game. Ramirez's attitude tore the team apart. When he left, the Sox begame a team to be reckoned with and a team with attitude. That team was the one I saw last night and the first time I had seen it since the beginning of the season. For once the Sox were a team.

Baseball to me has become a game of showcasing talent and those who have the most talent win the game. That's not baseball to me. Baseball is a team where heart and spirit and drive define the game. We wanted to watch baseball because we wanted drama and energy and a group of guys that justify the cost to get into the stadium of bread and circuses.

The days of guys with heart seem long gone but the glimmer and shine are not found in the Major league level. They are found in the farm system when the player first comes up and sees his future and is hungry for it. This is the arena where talent is showcased and for moments at a time we feel like baseball is the most exciting game in the world.

I'm Joe Derive.