Kevin Youkilis’ Attitude Embodies Passion of Red Sox

by

Nov 9, 2009

Kevin Youkilis' Attitude Embodies Passion of Red Sox Behind every championship baseball team, there's some intangible factor lurking behind the scenes to give the club that all-important October edge.

Sure, there are top-notch starting pitchers, lights-out bullpens and guys that can be relied upon for big hits when they're needed most. But there's got to be more to it than that.

The Yankees had pies to throw in each other's faces. The White Sox had Ozzie Guillen's fiery temper. The Angels had thunder sticks and rally monkeys.

And back in the day, the Red Sox had a motley collection of electrifying personalities. They had Pedro Martinez, openly defying the Curse of the Bambino. They had Johnny Damon, rounding up a group of "idiots" that eventually won a World Series together. And most unforgettably, they had Kevin Millar — dancing on the Jumbotron, shaving teammates' heads, and getting the Red Sox to "Cowboy Up" and win as a team.

Those were the old Red Sox. Time will tell whether half a decade later, there's still someone left in that Boston locker room that can fire this team up.

Let's face it — this Red Sox team is a little different. There are no razors, no dancers and a general lack of "idiocy" in their clubhouse today.

But these Red Sox are still as competitive as ever. And Kevin Youkilis is the one man who epitomizes this team's will to win.

Behind the stocky frame and the goateed face is the competitive spirit that drives these Red Sox. There are no frills, no jokes and no laughs — not on the field with the cameras rolling, at least. Just a game face.

When Youkilis storms back to the dugout, throwing his helmet and steaming over a brutal strikeout in a tough spot, it's not because he's got a temper problem. He doesn't have a bad attitude — he has the perfect attitude to win in Boston.

Youk is intense because he wants to win. Quite simply, he cares. These aren't the old Red Sox with Manny Ramirez as the poster boy for the team's apathy — these are the new Red Sox with Youk firing everything up.

The odds are stacked against Boston in 2010. The Yankees are the defending champions, and the Red Sox have a lot of questions to answer before they're ready for Opening Day next season.

There's a lot about these Red Sox that's up in the air. They don't know the identity of their left fielder, their shortstop, their fifth starter or their setup man. But they do know their leader, and thus they have the identity of their team.

He's not an idiot or a rally monkey. He doesn't sling pies or insult reporters. He rarely makes headlines for his off-the-field antics. But on the ballfield, Kevin Youkilis holds this team together with his drive to win.

Youkilis epitomizes the Red Sox. He doesn't pile up glamorous numbers — he's never cracked the AL's top 10 in home runs for a season, and he finished fourth just once in RBIs — but he does his job. He works counts, gets on base, drives the ball from time to time and plays an outstanding defensive first base.

These are the Red Sox. They're not out looking for gaudy numbers or individual accolades. They just want to win ballgames. With Kevin Youkilis on their side, they have a much better shot at doing so.

NESN.com will be answering one Red Sox question every day in November.

Sunday, Nov. 8: Can Manny Delcarmen be trusted again?

Tuesday, Nov. 10: Where should David Ortiz hit in the Red Sox' lineup?

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