There is something that can be said for in team competition. I fully believe if your teammates start kicking ass, it gives you an extra motivation to not be the guy who fucks things up. Now and then, this can lead to a player psyching himself out and falling on their face, but in most occasions I think people raise their game. The latter is  what I hope happens this year with the Sox top 3 pitchers. They all come with gaudy resumes and in on many teams would be an ace. Thus, I don't see any of them losing focus at all this year in an effort so they are on par with each other.  Today, with his kick ass performance, Beckett threw down the gauntlet for Lester/Dice-K to try to match.