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Dustin Pedroia is your 2008 American League Gold Glover at second base.
Old news? Maybe. We haven't really talked about Pedroia winning the Gold Glove because I sense we're all waiting for something a little bit bigger. And I think everyone knows what I mean when I mean "bigger."
But we can't overlook this award. I really feel like this is one of the best honors in baseball. Obviously the MVP award and the Cy Young have their flash, but Gold Gloves award defense -- the ballet of baseball. Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of the sport but, in my mind, the most important.
How many runs do you think Pedroia saved this season? I think it's too many to really count. Sure, you can throw a stat at me from a sabermatrician but I know what I saw. Even if the sabermatrician agreed with me, I still know what I saw. He, without a doubt, had the best defensive season of any second baseman I have ever seen.
The bottom line is this: he was great.
Pedroia's Gold Glove just adds to a great list the Sox already have. Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek all have one Gold Glove. Coco Crisp, as we all know, deserves one. It's evident that the defense wasn't what let the Sox down this year.
Regardless of what happens Nov. 18 (that's when the AL MVP is announced), this was an amazing season for Dusty. MVP or not, we won't be forgetting the year of the "grittiest" player in all of sports.