Run, Heidi, run!

Last year, he was our comic relief. The team softie.

We [and, specifically, I] questioned his heart, his fire, his moxie.

Today, he’s rapidly becoming a goddam legitimate MVP candidate with his switch permanently fixed in the “asskick” position.

How, exactly, did this happen?

On opening day back in April, had someone told you that by August 4, Jacoby Ellsbury would have played in more games than any other Red Sox player; be second only to Adrian Gonzalez in hits and average; have more home runs than Youk and the Elf and almost twice as many stolen bags as Crawford, you probably would have checked his or her thermos for the hard stuff or convinced yourself you pulled a Chuck Heston and woke up on the Planet of the Apes.

But it’s real. And it’s spectacular.

When last night’s game began, it was all about Wakey. When it ended, for the second night in a row, it was all about Jacoby. And the Ellsbury Comeback Special is one of the most entertaining story lines of this season. It also gives us another reason to believe in the possibility of a third World Series appearance in eight years.

So, to paraphrase Billy Madison [and my buddy Alexis’ tweet from last night], man am I glad I apologized to THAT guy.

Oh and how about the shots of the guys in the dugout while Ells’ home run sailed outta dodge? Check the screen cap below and see how Papelbon has assumed the “full Spider-Man” while new guy Mike Aviles busts with the “raising my fist in response to awesomeness” stance that he likely didn’t get to employ much in Kansas City.

BTW, for what it’s worth, I totally called that home run.