Clearly the Sawx are missing his Clubhouse Presence and Veteran Leadership. Without him, they just don’t have the Chemistry needed. If Manny was still on the Sawx, you can bet the games would have been very different.

BJ Upton is so intimitated by Manny’s playoff experience that there’s no way he hits those bombs over the monster. Instead, the overpowering team Chemistry the Sawx exude would turn those bombs into soft flies for outs.

Cleary.

But there are also times when a youthful roster excels in a playoff series due to the following factors:
1) They’re so young/raw, they don’t understand how Big the situation is; they’re too green to feel pressure. See: Andruw Jones.

2) They keep the clubhouse loose, and thus avoid pressure through getting team haircuts, devising elaborate celebratory handshakes and other practical jokes. Often, credit for this is split between players and the manager who lets the players “be themselves.” See: Red Sox, 2004; Rays 2008.

3) The team sagely looked for young players they KNEW could excel on this stage. This is a little known aspect of player evaluation, and its one of the ways the Yankees maintained their advantage over MLB for so long: they scout for the ability to handle pressure. Clearly, the Rays knew how to do this as well. Something as similar as posing as a crazed fan who will hurt your girlfriend if you don’t get a hit right here, Longoria. Or sending a letter to Sonnanstine posing as a dying child who could possibly live to see his 7th birthday…assuming you beat those douchebags from Bowling Green. This has been an area where one team has exploited a market inefficiency, but the Rays success shows that more teams are aware of it, and are moving to exploit it. It’s really a Moneyball strategy, but one you’d never hear from Billy Beane.