By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Defense wins championships.  Yes it’s cliche, but it’s true.  Boston fans need to look no further than the 2008 Celtics and 2001, 2003 and 2004 Patriots for proof.
Now it’s the Red Sox who are trying to win with defense and pitching.  But will it work?
The short answer is, why shouldn’t it work?  Take a look at the 2004 team.  At the trading deadline, the Sox traded away shortstop Nomar Garciaparra for shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.  The Red Sox weren’t looking for offense when they made the deal, instead they sacrificed by getting Cabrera, a gold glover, to replace Nomar, a shortstop who couldn’t reach first with his throws consistently.
After the deal the Sox went 42 and 19 in the regular season (they were 56-45 before it), and ended it with winning their first World Series in 86 years.  The always outspoken Curt Schilling referred to Cabrera as “a game changer in the field for me.”
But the approach might not be so successful this year.  On paper the 2010 team lacks something the 2004 group had plenty of: offense.
In 2004 the team offense was led by the 3-4 combo of David Ortiz [...]

By: Evan MacDonald, YawkeyTalkies correspondent
I am a Red Sox fan.
Always have been. Make no bones about it — I’ve seen them through thick and thin since the 1998 season, when I was 10 years old and just beginning to understand sports.
I vividly remember having my dreams crushed after Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. I can still see myself never losing hope when the Sox fell down, three games to none, during the infamous 2004 series against the New York Yankees.
Like every Boston fanatic, I get overexcited for meaningless early-season accomplishments (see: 8-0 start against the Bombers this year) and overreact when things go awry (see: Jason Bay’s midseason slump, during which I viciously called him a $6 million player).
But beneath it all, I’m rational. I don’t expect too much from flawed teams, and I know my favorite team can’t win every year.
Which is why I didn’t believe for a second that the Red Sox would win the 2009 World Series.
Most of you reading this — the diehard, stand-up-and-scream-the-chorus-of-Sweet-Caroline Sox fans — are probably outraged by that statement. I apologize.
But think deep down, past your fandom. Did you really think the Red Sox were the championship-caliber team [...]