The Boston Globe is calling Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia the most unlikely man to win the MVP award in the history of baseball.Bloggers are just happy about it. Pedroia is the poster child for every kid that is told he's too small to play, says The Scores Report.The scrappy Pedroia is listed at 5-foot-9, but those who have seen him up close would call that "generous," says Big League Stew. Outspoken Sox teammate Curt Schilling on his 38 Pitches blog has a post elegantly titled "Congrats you little #@!$!" that calls Pedroia a "red ass 'kick your teeth in no matter how big you are, or how hard you throw' guy" (Albert Pujols of the Cardinals won the NL MVP earlier in the week.) Now come the historical comparisons. Peter's Red Sox Forever notes that Pedroia joins past Fenway MVPs Tris Seaker, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams (twice), Jackie Jensen, Carl Yastrzemski, Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn. Pedroia is the eighth player in AL history to win the MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in the same year, points out The Coffin Corner.

The Joy of Sox notes that Pedroia joins Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive years (Lynn, of course, won them in the same year). Phoenix Fanster adds that Pedroia is the third Arizona State alum to win an MVP, following Reggie Jackson and Barry Bonds. Amid the hoopla, baseball writer Evan Grant even felt it necessary in his Sportsday Texas Rangers Blog to apologize for leaving Dustin off his ballot: "In retrospect, it was a mistake," he writes. And even a Yankees blogger tips his cap: "While I won't go as far as to congratulate Pedroia," notes iYankees, "I will say that it's a great story and that nobody thought that we would see Dustin Pedroia alongside the NL MVP---Albert Pujols--standing on top of the league."

Meanwhile, in college football, "It isn't often that a late November game will decide the Heisman Trophy race," writes Buffzone.But here comes Saturday night's Texas Tech-Oklahoma showdown, featuring the two top candidates, Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell and Sooners QB Sam Bradford. Florida QB Tim Tebow, who won last year, has a vote now and has suggested he may vote for himself. (Gators-centric blog Chomped and Screwed figures Tebow is a conservative who will vote against change: "No spreading the wealth here!") Ronnie Lott, blogging at Yardbarker, says if he had a vote it would go to Harrell. Building the Dam's list of Pac-10 candidates for the award had been led by Oregon State RB Jaquizz Rodgers, thought this seems like a quarterback year. Then there's a story in the LA Times about Charles White's 1979 Heisman trophy being up for auction--again (the former USC running back sold it n 2000 after hitting tough times). Hugging Harold Reynolds notes that Heisman winners now must sign documents saying they will not sell the trophy--which "of course makes those out there much more valuable."