Sam Donnellon | Red Sox made all-scout effort

DENVER - Knowledge is power. It was the theme of this postseason, the undercurrent that propelled the Boston Red Sox to their second World Series sweep of the last four seasons.

In defeating the Colorado Rockies last night, 4-3, Boston reaffirmed the widely held belief that the American League is far superior to the one your team plays in, the one the Rockies chopped up 21 times in the 22 games that preceded this World Series.

Boston's dominance, though, might be overstated. After catching Colorado asleep after an 8-day layoff in a 13-1 Game 1 laugher, Boston won three competitive games, a single run separating the teams in two games, including last night. After falling behind 3-0 and 4-1, the Rockies fell just a few feet short of tying the game in the ninth, Jamey Carroll's drive chasing Jacoby Ellsbury to the leftfield wall.

What might not be overstated is the groundwork that went into this sweep, and the notion that the Red Sox are well ahead of the league in that department. When Jeff Francis reversed the Phillies' historical success against him in Game 1 of their Division Series, Colorado manager Clint Hurdle lauded his scouts for helping the lefty implement a revised game plan. When Jonathan Papelbon picked off Matt Holliday in the eighth inning of Boston's 2-1 victory in Game 2 of this World Series, it had the fingerprints of both team's scouting departments.

The Rockies knew Papelbon had not picked off a single runner his entire career, that Angels infielder Howie Kendrick had stolen second and third against him in the Division Series. The Red Sox knew Holliday had a history of opportunistic steals when he reached first with two outs because of the pitcher's focus on Todd Helton, the Rockies' cleanup hitter.

The immediate result was an embarrassing moment for the Rockies' MVP candidate, extinguishing a chance for Helton to pump some life into his team and this series. The lasting result was an extensive discussion about Boston's in-depth scouting program, which has doubled in manpower over the last year, presenting yet another disadvantage for the lesser-endowed and more loosely run teams - like the Rockies.

And the Phillies.

"Every club attacks it a little differently," Boston general manager Theo Epstein said diplomatically. "It's not that complicated. You rely on scouts in the stands and video analysis. The real key is the coaching staff and the players taking it to the field. It doesn't matter how well you scout without that."