01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, October 27, 2004

ST. LOUIS -- Defense wins championships.

Isn't that what we've always been told?

Defense wins championships?

The Red Sox had better hope not.

Either that or they'd better start playing better defense.

The way the Red Sox played defense in the first two games of this World Series, it's a wonder they were able to throw the ball around the infield without having somebody throw it into one of the dugouts.

After committing an embarrassing four errors in Game 1, the defenseless Sox showed that was no fluke by making four more fielding miscues in Game 2.

Manny Ramirez misplayed two balls in the outfield in the Series opener. Kevin Millar and Bronson Arroyo each had a throwing error. In Game 2, third baseman Bill Mueller and second baseman Mark Bellhorn had back-to-back errors in the same inning. Mueller's was one of three he had in the game, botching two grounders and also dropping a foul pop.

It's enough to make former Boston first baseman Dick Stuart, whose fielding was so bad he was known as "Dr. Strangeglove," seem like a Gold Glove winner by comparison.

Web gems were rare in the first two games for the Sox. But there were web zircons aplenty.

It was enough to make you wonder whether Boston's gloves were made of naugahyde instead of leather. Indeed, enough to make you wonder whether, rather than gloves, the Sox were wearing mittens.

Yes, their hands were undoubtedly cold because of the weather. But they weren't frozen solid, were they?

Boston's fielding was so awful that it seemed, in the interests of safety, the Sox ought to wear batting helmets when they went out to play the field.

The good news, however, is that it's been a comedy of errors for the Red Sox, whose offense and, in Game 2, pitching have been good enough to overcome their horrendous defense.

Up, 2-0, in the Series, they could laugh at their mistakes.

"We were laughing at Manny when he made those errors," said Dave Roberts, reserve outfielder and pinch-runner par excellence. "That's why this team is so special. There's no reason to get down on a guy for trying."

Although it sometimes may seem otherwise, Manny insists he's always trying.

"That's just me," Ramirez said, by way of explanation as to why he could sometimes make great catches while other times -- too many times -- failing to make routine plays.

When Mueller was struggling in the field in Game 2, it was Ramirez who provided words of encouragement.

"When you do something wrong," Manny said, "your teammates pick you up. Bill Mueller made two or three errors. When he came into the dugout, I said, 'Don't worry, we've got your back.' "

There were some worries prior to last night's game about how David Ortiz, whose prowess in the field isn't on a par with his power at the plate, would do at first base, where he made just 34 starts this season.

"David has sweet hands," Manny said, reassuringly.

Boston manager Terry Francona didn't seem overly concerned about his club's defensive shortcomings.

"Maybe four's our lucky number," he said, laughing, when asked about the number of errors the Sox have been making. "Yes, we made some errors, but I didn't actually think we played a sloppy game.

"Maybe that sounds like I'm contradicting myself. We threw the ball away on some plays and didn't catch a couple of balls. I would rather not make four errors. Fortunately, it didn't affect the outcome of the games."

That's what's discouraging to the Cardinals.

"They've been making errors," St. Louis shortstop Edgar Renteria said of the Sox, "but they're still winning."

Defense wins championships. That's what we've always heard.

Of course, until the 2004 ALCS, nobody had ever heard of a team coming back from a three-game deficit to win a seven-game postseason series.