The Boston Red Sox are baseball's gold standard. Even the Yankees admit it.
"This is the first time in my five years we are not the team to beat," says Alex Rodriguez, and he isn't referring to the Blue Jays, even if they are the smart choice among baseball Wise Guys to make the American League East a three-team race.
No, no, it's the Boston Red Sox - the defending world champion Boston Red Sox - who are the logical favorites to win the 2008 World Series.