Josh Beckett did what Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Greg Maddux, Andy Pettitte, Pedro Martinez, Barry Zito, and Tim Hudson couldn’t.

Beckett threw a complete game shut out, dominating the opposition in his team’s biggest game of the year.

Oh, by the way, he did it in NY, in the world series, pitching on three days rest and never missed a pitch.

Young power pitchers in October, they are worth their weight in gold. Beckett is special and he delivered, leading his team to the championship. I can’t say enough about the 96 MPH fastballs he threw right past the best October hitters in the world or the 78 MPH curves that froze Bernie Williams all night. Give the Yankees an opening and they will take it. Beckett put a stop to the Yankee mystique in the House that Ruth Built.

The Yankees didn’t help themselves on defense. Pettitte inexplicably threw to second base with an easy out at third waiting on Derek Lee’s poorly placed sacrifice bunt attempt with the game still hanging in the balance.

Karim Garcia missed on a throw from medium rightfield allowing Alex Gonzalez to make one of the greatest slides I have ever seen avoiding Jorge Posada’s sweeping tag (Ah, Jeremy, I hope you were watching) giving the Marlins the only run they needed in this game.

No one faster in the game on the pivot or getting rid of the ball, than Luis Castillo and Alex Gonzalez, Miami’s middle defense.

The Marlins won two games in the Stadium as I predicted last Saturday when this series started. It wasn’t easy, but Brad Penny and Josh Beckett carried this team to the world series title.

Penny should get more play because he set the tone in game one with a dominating performance for 5 2/3 innings and then repeated it in game five Thursday night in Miami. The Marlins don’t win without Penny’s pitching either.

In my book, Penny and Beckett are co-mvp’s just like Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson were in 2001.

Click below for more baseball chatter.Undoubtedly heads will roll in NY in the aftermath of this team not winning the series, its only measure of a successful season.

Alfonso Soriano will not be the second baseman next season. Will he even be a Yankee? Folks who cover the Yankees told me that they expect Soriano to be traded over the winter, that he looks to have more Carlos Baerga in his future than Derek Jeter. So where does he go?

Soriano would be a 50 homer man in Colorado. No breaking balls to deal with there. Kansas City can trade Carlos Beltran for him. Or the Yankees can put him in center field, move Williams to left and Matsui to right and bring Castillo in to play second.

The Yankees need a legit power hitter because it is unclear what is wrong with Jason Giambi. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Gary Sheffield end up in NY since Atlanta is still in financial trouble because of the slide of AOL in the stock market and probably won’t resign Sheffield.

Vladimir Guerrero, hold on to your hat, may end up in Miami. He grew up with the Marlins front office team when they were running things in Montreal and is very close to them. Guerrero needs alot of personal support in his everyday life ala Miguel Tejada and continues to rely on the people now with Miami.

Cito Gaston may be the new manager of the White Sox if GM Kenny Williams, his buddy agrees to give him a more balanced team instead of the one dimensional sluggers now in place. If Williams won’t give in to Gaston’s demands, then Ozzie Guillen the favorite of owner Jerry Reinsdorf is in the wings. Guillen may be the one manager who can motivate Frank Thomas.

Will Dave Miley manage Cincinnati next season? Most observers feel this long time Reds minor league employee deserves the chance, but with a new GM to be announced this week (Dan O’Brien?) who knows?

Grady Little will be gone tomorrow. Not just for his decision to leave Pedro in the seventh game vs. the Yankees, but for his refusal to use the statistics and theories that stat geek Bill James provides to the team.

The Sox want Bruce Bochy, but the Padres won’t let him go. When you run a team that cost 700 million to buy, it’s tough to keep a $500,000 manager like Little in charge. Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez, and Nomar didn’t make the job any easier for Little with their selfish attitudes.

Bobby Valentine second guessed Jack McKeon for pitching Josh Beckett on three days rest. Next year Bobby will be managing in Japan accrding to all reports, so he can second guess himself in another country for the 2004 season.

The A’s will miss Rick Peterson more than anyone realizes. Peterson was a workaholic in Oakland who crafted the plan leading to every pitch the big three threw for the entire season. Ramon Hernandez relied on Peterson for guidance. Peterson took the pressure off the pitchers and the catcher with his tireless preparation by viewing hundreds of videotapes of the opposition. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more prepared person in my life than Rick Peterson.

Will Mike Piazza and the veterans on the Mets listen to Rick Peterson? That remains to be seen, but I will tell you this, Art Howe appreciates the work Peterson does. The Mets just improved the team by bringing Peterson aboard.

Who will be the A’s new pitching coach? Sounds like Curt Young who worked in Sacramento with the AAA team.

Oriole owner Peter Angelos wants an Oriole for his next manager. If that’s his bottom line I’d rather see Earl Weaver come back than the sullen and antisocial Eddie Murray.

With the kind of pitching the A’s have, you would think that they would seriously do everything in their power to bring Keith Foulke back. Whoever is the closer will get 45-50 save opportunites and better be ready for a long season. I guess the A’s have a fallback position if Foulke leaves, but I can’t figure it out.

The A’s big three seemed like party boys after I watched Penny, Beckett, Dontrelle Willis and Carl Pavano work this October. These Marlin guys are intense and make every pitch. They are just as young as the A’s big three, but are tougher on the hill. I hope Mark Mulder and Barry Zito were watching Beckett last night. Tim Hudson is the closest the A’s have to the intensity that I’m talking about and he lost it in a bar in Boston before his biggest start of the season.

On the other side of the coin when you can throw consistently 95 plus as the Marlins did, you look better in tight situations because you can blow the ball past the hitter and pump your fist as you walk off the mound. A big fastball overcomes many mistakes.

Heard that the reason MLB is slow to sell the Expos is because the other owners are making money operating the Expos this way.

One baseball official speculated over a few drinks that the baseball should wait a few days if the world series got tied up 3-3 and set up a climactic seventh game with super bowl type hype at a neutral site. I don’t think so!

Many writers think that MLB will be sued for collusion again if the market is slow this winter for free agents.

Heard that the Giants are interested in Juan Encarnacion for their outfield next season.

If I’m the Marlins I trade Mike Lowell now. He can’t run a lick and he didn’t hit at all after August first. He is an excellent third baseman with a terrific arm, however.

Nick Johnson reminds many in the game of a young John Olerud, little power and the potential to hit .325. Not enough juice in his bat for NY.

The Diamondbacks will do everything in their power to grab Richie Sexson from Milwaukee.

Billy Beane to LA? The A’s will have to make some tough decisions when the LA deal selling the team to new ownership goes down.

I’m not sure Paul DePodesta is high profile enough for the Seattle GM job. Omar Minaya may be higher on the Seattle wish list.

LaTroy Hawkins who grew up in nearby Gary Indiana is a lock to be in the Cubs bullpen next season.

How about Greg Maddux in Pac Bell? He will win his 300th game next season and can teach the young Giant pitchers a thing or two. One day Jason Schmidt with his 96 MPH stuff and the next day Maddux with his perfect location. Not a bad idea.

The A’s need a real leadoff hitter, not a Jeremy Giambi or Mark Ellis type, but someone who can ignite an offense. The Giants didn’t get much from Ray Durham, if he is healthy watch him next season.

If I was Jack McKeon I’d come back for one season and go on a year long victory tour through the NL, then retire and be an ambassador for the game. He’s another Tommy LaSorda (engaging) without the self promotion. Terrific person who never turned down an interview request.

When will Bud Selig make Pete Rose eligible for the HOF? Hope it is in November, right around Thanksgiving, when the baseball news slows down.

Roger Clemens said he wants to pitch in the Olympics next summer for the US team. Where will he keep in pitching shape? Heard he is considering Japan until the games begin in Athens. Ridiculous since he wants to be close to his family, but in baseball nothing surprises me, ever.

The postseason lived up to all its billing. The pennant races were entertaining all year. The team that played the best baseball in October won the world series, and that’s the way it should be.

I think this was one of the best seasons in the last forty years.

Now it’s time to take a break for awhile. Check the site regularly because I’ll comment on relevant baseball matters as they come up over the winter. I’ll also add some baseball audio which you can enjoy.

Thanks Ed Stern, Bruce Magowan, and Amaury Pi-Gonzalez for your contributions this season, great baseball insight. Thanks everyone for your support and comments as well.

Since Alma Chao helped me create Love of the Game Productions. com in April 2002, we have had over 175,000 page views (close to 95,000 this year alone). Amazing! Thank you, your support motivates me to write the Daily Dish, almost every day during the season

See you shortly, only 120 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training.