Brett Pedroia, older brother of Red Sox second baseman Dustin, recently turned himself in to authorities on charges of child molestation. The incident occurred four years ago, but the victim just recently told his parents.

Pedroia is facing two counts of oral copulation and lewd acts with a child under 14.

The 30-year old was booked into Yolo County jail with his bail set at $50,000.

The National League announced its MVP for the 2008 season and his name is Albert Pujols. Not terribly surprising, we knew it would be between Pujols and Philly’s Ryan Howard. In the end, however, baseball writers don’t like it when a guy strikes out 200 times and plays shaky defense. That said, the Phillies don’t make the playoffs without Howard and we know how that turned out.

Pujols, who hit .357 with 116 RBI’s and 37 HR’s, beat Howard in votes 369-308.

In the American League, the MVP was awarded to Boston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia, who beat out Twins slugger Justin Morneau 317-257 in the voting.

Pedroia hit .326 with 83 RBI’s and 17 HR’s and also won the 2008 AL Gold Glove. Not too bad for a second baseman.

I used a picture of Pedroia to support this piece just to make Guilfoil happy.

*Disclaimer: I am watching Monday night football. I started this post at 8:29. I will probably be done at the end of the forth. If my writing becomes sloppy or my tone becomes frustrated, I apologize in advance.

The Sox are done. The 2008 campaign has ended. It was hard to watch in more ways than I can tell you. Watching Dustin Pedroia in the dugout looking like someone told him that he would never play again made every Sox fan pain inside. Of course he will play again- next year really isn’t too far away- but players like Pedroia don’t think like this.

Same goes‚ for die-hard fans. Red Sox Nation. ‚ A group of fans that love their team and didn’t buy their jerseys within the past three weeks. A group of fans who know their players stats and miss work to breathe the Fenway air.

I hate to lose. The feeling in your chest when you are watching the team that you have watched all year slowly drift into the offseason can’t be described. The season started with me rolling out of bed at 6a.m. and watching the Sox start the season in Japan. It ended with my head in my hands.

What does a fan do?‚ 

1.‚ Be grateful that we have the chance to watch our team consistently have a chance to make a playoff run.

2.‚ Look at our future. Papelbon, Pedroia, Youk, Ellsbury, Masterson, Lester, Daisuke. We are young and talented. Every fan that says we pay for our players. But our system is solid and we have young players with huge potential.

3. Watch the Sox make off-season moves. We need a Manny-esque hitter. Someone we will play big bucks and someone we can count on. A starting pitcher and a stronger bullpen.

4. Take your head out of hands. Don’t watch ESPN for the next two weeks. Throw all of you heart into the Pats, Celtics and Bruins. Spring training is only one New England winter away.

Why do I hate playing the Angels? Could it be because they have been proclaimed the best team in baseball? Nah. It’s because this girl has a full time job and staying up until 1:30a.m. hurts when it comes time to roll out of bed.

But there is no crying in baseball. So I happily joined Red Sox Nation and watched the game, beginning to the very end. It couldn’t have started in a better way. Here are a few things that were good to see.

1. Lester is a game one pitcher. People may have been nervous and still may be with the fact that Beckett will only pitch once. But Lester can pitch away. Dice-K is perfect on the road. Beckett will have the ball in game three at home. Lester has proved himself once again. Did I mention that he is‚ only‚ 24?

2. Jason Bay. Can I tell everyone how sick-and-tired-I-am-of-talking-about-Manny? I hope‚ Bay’s two-run shot shuts everyone up. We do not have Manny and yes, the team will miss his experience and his power, but why worry about him? Let’s worry about him if and when he has anything to do with our game.

3. The grit. Pedroia is known for his do anything attitude and big swings, but I love Ellsbury right now. He is a fan favorite, well with female fans,‚ and although he struggled at times this season, his base stealing, line drives and diving grabs are what October baseball are all about. Remember who helped us win in 2004 and not just Manny, Ortiz and Schilling, but also‚ Dave Roberts who‚ got to second and‚ in turn helped us‚ bring it home.

4. What they brought: an inability to get the runs when they needed them, Vlad’s base‚ running and a praised bullpen that didn’t impress.

It was a good start. I believe in jynxing so I don’t want to get cocky. I’m starting to think that‚ my confidence about the 2008 Pats singlehandly tore Brady’s ACL and then decided for good measure to yank on his MCL.

So it’s the waiting game until tomorrow night. I think I’ll go grab a cup of coffee…

A busy birthday week- yes the big 22- took me a little out of the huddle. But I’m back. The Patriots won on Sunday as everybody knows and was shocked to hear.

The Pats were the underdog for some godforsaken reason. Wait,‚ what?‚ Compare the two teams. New England is stronger is every aspect. Compare the players in each position. New England wins. Maybe not QB. I am the first to admit that the QB is one of the most important positions on the team- but it certainly isn’t the only one. Cassell isn’t a dead-beat. He knows the playbook. The Jets barely beat the terrible Dolphins. Brett Favre knows 75 percent‚ of the playbook.

I mean the list is so long it would take me two hours to write out. But it doesn’t matter. They won and analysts everywhere wished they had thought once or twice before hopping on the J-E-T-S bandwagon.

Prediction: Jets don’t make the playoffs.

Now let’s talk baseball. With Brady mayhem it seems that we may have forgotten that Boston is a self-proclaimed baseball town. The Sox are back at it. Winning, or demolishing, the Rays last night putting them in‚ tie for first. Beckett is pitching tonight and‚ is pitching to win.‚ 

If they lose, it won’t kill their chances of taking the AL East crown. Not even close.‚ But a win would give them the momentum- the energy they need- to take off and never look back. The elements seem to be in place. With the pitching and‚ hitting (Pedroia MVP?) both in a comfortable place.

Watching the game last night took me out of my Pats frenzy for a few hours. Part of that was because they hit the Rays under the table. It was also because the race is on and the Sox look like they are capable of getting it- again- without too much drama. That happened two months again. Manny anyone?

So here is my‚ medical advice‚ for any Pats fan who may‚ be thinking a bit too much, studying analysis‚ until midnight and scouring rumor websites hoping that it was some kind of Coach B joke.‚ Sit back and watch the Sox.‚ for minute and remember we DO have a playoff team in Boston. The team we all love, but temporarily forgot about as they won games and we were on PatsWatch ’08.

Trust me,‚ it’s the perfect and winning perscription.