"Dustin Pedrioia, period. He fooled them all. What a year that kid had, defensively and offensively. He might be the smallest guy that couldn't run very well, that did what he did offensively. I like him. He knows he can play. It makes it so much easier as a manager when a player has that attitude. The other thing that struck me was that they answered every charge with runs of their own. They always killed any momentum the Rockies had."
Former Red Sox manager Joe Morgan (1988-91)
"What strikes me the most was the blend of the youth and the older experience. It's that blend of young passion along with experience of the veterans, like Mike Lowell. I also thought the Red Sox starting rotation and bullpen came through when they were needed."
Former Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley (1978-84, '98)
"The consistency of the Red Sox was incredible. They had it with their pitching, hitting, defense ... They had it everywhere. The Rockies were no match for them. The other thing that I really thought was key was that (Jacoby) Ellsbury kid. He stepped right in and looked like a star. He was great in the field, too."
Ex-Sox manager Dick Williams (1967-69).
"They were a very deep team. They seemed to enjoy each other's company. They keep coming at you. Most teams have a few guys that can hurt you, but the Red Sox had a lot of different guys that could hurt you. They were deep in their rotation, deep in their bullpen and guys that could come off the bench, like Jacoby Ellsbury, and be key players. That's a tough combination to beat."
Ex-Sox pitcher John Tudor (1979-83)
"It was a very resilient team. If someone got hurt, someone else picked them up. If one or two guys weren't hitting, other guys would. It seemed like there was a different guy helping out every game in the playoffs. What also impressed me was how they stayed focused the entire year. There were a close-knit club. I never played on a club that played so well in the late innings."
Ex-Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette (1958-65)
"What I liked was the fact that veteran guys and the younger guys mixed in very well together. As a (current Triple-A) manager it's important to get the team to play together and like each other. The Red Sox did that better than anybody. When I played the veterans never talked to the young guys. But this is a different era and the Red Sox showed how important blending the veterans and young guys together can help. Also the fact that Josh Beckett is the best pitcher in baseball. I love his attitude out there. You can see the team feeds off him."
Ex-Sox catcher Gary Allenson (1979-84)
"The main characters, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell were great, as usual, but the key was that it seemed like everybody contributed. They were just a real solid team with a real good bullpen, especially with Jonathan Papelbon as the anchor. Position by position the Rockies were no match for the Red Sox."
Ex-Sox reliever Bill Campbell (1977-81)
"One of the things is the Sox have made an effort to do is keep the team together as a whole, signing guys to contracts knowing they will be here year after year, a team you'll see continuously. What impresses me most is that this team is very good in so many areas and they will probably be together, the core, for a long time. I really like the way they play the game. I also like the fact that so many young players, like Jacoby Ellsbury, are playing a key role."
Ex-Sox outfielder Bernie Carbo (1975-76, '77)
"They were a well-balanced club. They had some key veteran leadership. And they had some veterans on the mound. But you can't overlook what their young players did. The best team in baseball was going to be the Cleveland-Boston series winner."
Ex-Sox infielder Tim Naehring (1990-97)
"To me it's their versatility, and the ways they can beat you is the big difference between this club and the 2004 club. They can beat you with their big bats. They can play small ball. And they move guys around. They also have pretty good team speed which is not synomymous with any Red Sox clubs of past. Plus, they have great starting pitching; their middle relief is acceptable and they have a dominant closer. The fact that they could beat you a variety of ways, 2-1 or 15-0, was impressive."
Ex-Sox outfielder Fred Lynn (1974-80)
"I was struck by the way they stayed together. They were so good early in the season but after the All-Star break, when the wins weren't quite as easy, they never lost faith. Even when the Yankees got within two games, they knew they would win out. In the ALCS, when they fell behind 3-1, they came back like it was first game of the year. I never believed chemistry was all that important in baseball, but I believe it was for these guys. And I believe Jason Varitek is the best leader you can find."
Ex-Sox catcher Gerry Moses (1965-70)
"First and foremost, the pitching staff was very, very strong. I was so proud of Jon Lester throwing like he did in the World Series clincher, to pitch so little before that. The pitching staff was the big difference in the Cleveland and Colorado series. Led by Josh Beckett, it is a great staff and the bullpen was really good. I also credit Tito Francona for keeping this team together. He had some tough decisions to make by benching Coco Crips and bringing in Ellsbury, but he did it the right way. And if A-Rod didn't win MVP, it would have been Mike Lowell. He was that good this year."
Ex-Sox infielder Mike Andrews (1967-70)
"They didn't have any real weaknesses. They had three or four quality starters, a setup guy who was very good most of the time and a closer that's awesome. I was on a cruise ship while the World Series was being played and about 90 percent of the people were rooting for the Red Sox. I think that says a lot about the way they play. They play with class. The seem to have good chemistry. They are an easy team to like."
Ex-Sox infielder Marty Barrett (1982-90)
"Their aggessiveness on the field was impressive. The class and professionalism they showed througout the series when they were answering questions really showed me a lot. They really did play as a team. It was fun to watch."
