Thank You for The Laser Show Pedey!

This is pretty insane to be honest. I feel old. Dustin Pedroia was born in 1983 and retired. We have all known his time was up the last few years but what a career. We just love the type of player and human being he is around these Boston parts. We have always adored the hard worker with the most heart. Shit. That's what our obsession with Tom Brady was before he turned into God. Pedroia came to the organization very similar to one of our more recent heroes at the time, Nomar Garciaparra. We heard the rumblings from the minor leagues about our next dirt dog, Dustin Pedroia. We loved watching him play. we loved his heart. He played injured most of his career. He was in the game till the very last pitch regardless of score. 5 foot 7, but he played like he was a giant. One of the best defensive 2nd baseman in the history of the game little did we know, was about to embark on a legendary career and completely win the hearts of the Fenway Faithful.

After fully reviewing Pedroia's career there were a few things that stood out to me that I never really paid attention to. His career before Red Sox was borderline flawless. He did strike out his entire Senior High School season and he batted .446. Also very notable and gets the second Tom Brady comparison in this blog, he gave up his scholarship for ASU his final two seasons so they could recruit better pitching, to win. Now come on. If that's not a true competitor, I don't know what is. For Arizona State, he batted .384 career and won the prestigious ASU MVP award. Kudo's to the Red Sox for recognizing this dudes worth despite his size. Not shocked either that he played football in high school but had his career cut short when Lance Briggs crushed his ankle with a hit. Yes, that Lance Briggs. NFL Lance Briggs. It all kind of makes sense. Dustin Pedroia has football player toughness and brought it to the diamond. Just his personality. His work ethic. Doctor's told him to stay off his foot because he broke it. He got on his knees and took grounders. Seriously? Played an entire season with a broken finger. Just a complete bulldog in the field and at the plate. He won ROY, MVP, Golden Gloves and Silver Slugger awards. My favorite award he received is the one I believe has the most merit and means the most to Red Sox nation. The MLB alumni Heart and Hustle award. Mike Trout was the 2012 recipient, Pedroia 2013 to put it in perspective. They should name the award after Pedroia now that he's retired because he is all heart and non stop hustle. I love to have this threshold that I gauge my love for my favorite athlete. Would I sit down and enjoy drinking beers by a fire with this dude. That answer for Pedroia is yes. And also out in a bar. I just don't see Pedroia not getting his friend's back in any situation. Boston to the core. Worcester to the core. Thank You Dustin. You made your mark here.

PS. Woooooooooooooooooooooo!