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October 30, 2007

Playoff Prospectus

In the Wake of Victory

by John Perrotto

DENVER—Jacoby Ellsbury is a novice to the major leagues. The Red Sox center fielder only made his debut June 30, and has a grand total of 145 plate appearances, including the postseason. He also looks the part, his boyish face belying his 24 years.

However, Ellsbury had been around long enough to determine one thing Sunday night as the Boston Red Sox celebrated their second World Series title in four years. “I could get really used to this,” Ellsbury said with a smile during the clubhouse celebration at Coors Field following a series sweep of the Rockies. “This is great. I feel so fortunate to be in this position as a rookie and I hope I get to do again a few more times in my career.”

Relative parity has come to the major leagues in recent years, thanks in part to revenue sharing and the luxury tax. Seven different teams won World Series in the first seven seasons of this century until the Red Sox won their second. Furthermore, the Yankees were the only holdover playoff team in 2007 from 2006, and they are now in considerable turmoil after manager Joe Torre walked away and third baseman Alex Rodriguez opted out of the final three years of his contract to become a free agent.

“It’s so hard to win even one World Series,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “First, you have the grind of a 162-game season, and the ups and downs and bumps and bruises that comes along with that. Then, you have three rounds of postseason series to win, and getting 11 wins in October is tough. So, winning it all isn’t easy by any means. Of course, it’s not meant to be easy, either.”

Winning two World Series in four years certainly does not qualify as dynastic. However, no team has performed that feat since the Yankees won four in five years from 1996-2000. While the Yankees are on a run of 13 straight playoff appearances, it is the Red Sox who supplanted them as American League East champions this year. It appears as if the Red Sox have the best chance of following the Yankees as baseball’s next dynasty, though Boston management cringes ever so slightly when the word is used. “The playing field is getting so level, between revenue sharing and the advancements in developing players, that there are fewer and fewer competitive advantages out there that you can exploit,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said during the World Series. “It's more difficult for a general manager. Ten years ago, teams had older techniques, and so teams were a little bit more predictable. If you found something that worked, you could really stick with it in that landscape.”