MVP
acrosticunivers has some thoughts on the AL MVP. Here’s what I have to say about that:
As bad as I hate the Yankees, I just couldn’t make myself vote the MVP to somebody who doesn’t play defense. You compared all those stats – but how many assists did Ortiz have? How many runners did he throw out at the plate? How many double plays did he start? And if you factor in how many more runs the other teams might have scored had a lesser defender been on the field, THEN what does it do for your productivity comparisons? Because when you keep a runner from scoring, that’s the same as a solo shot to the upper deck….
Get rid of the DH. Get rid of domes. Get rid of grass. Dammit, it’s baseball, not something the marketing department at Spike TV dreamed up to keep viewers pacified during the off-season….
lullaby pit 
Did it ever occur to you that no baseball player has been unanimously elected to the hall of fame. People voted against Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, and Joe D/
I agree with you about getting rid of the DH and domes. I say keep the grass and get rid of the astroturf. I also couldn’t vote MVP for someone who doesn’t play defense, unless it were someone who batted .400 or better, and no one has done that since Ted Williams.
Aloha,
Jeff
Did it ever occur to you that no baseball player has been unanimously elected to the hall of fame. People voted against Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, and Joe D/
I agree with you about getting rid of the DH and domes. I say keep the grass and get rid of the astroturf. I also couldn’t vote MVP for someone who doesn’t play defense, unless it were someone who batted .400 or better, and no one has done that since Ted Williams.
Aloha,
Jeff
Vlad the Impaler
This is Tom Shortell. I’ve given in and joined live journal.
People easily forget that MVP isn’t for the best player, but the one who helps his team win the most.
Big Papi may not have deserved the MVP as a DH, but neither did A-Rod. Rodriguez played with a surging Giambi, Derek ‘Clutch’ Jeter, Godzilla and Gary Sheffield. While not all of these guys were producing at once, not a single one of them carried the team. You take A-Rod away from the Yanks, and you still have a team of all-stars. The Yankee’s MVP wasn’t even an offensive player, but Rivera, their future HOF closer who anchored a shaky pen.
Vlad Guerrero played on an offensively weak offense. He is the only name on Anaheim’s (or Los Angelos’) roster that would scare you (unless you’re wary of Chone Figgins’ speed). His BA was third in the league at .317, topped 100 RBI and crushed over 30 HR with what is the most violent swing I’ve seen in my life.
I should add that, as a Met fan, I would not admit A-Rod earned an MVP even if he deserved it. Thank goodness that isn’t the case here.
Vlad the Impaler
This is Tom Shortell. I’ve given in and joined live journal.
People easily forget that MVP isn’t for the best player, but the one who helps his team win the most.
Big Papi may not have deserved the MVP as a DH, but neither did A-Rod. Rodriguez played with a surging Giambi, Derek ‘Clutch’ Jeter, Godzilla and Gary Sheffield. While not all of these guys were producing at once, not a single one of them carried the team. You take A-Rod away from the Yanks, and you still have a team of all-stars. The Yankee’s MVP wasn’t even an offensive player, but Rivera, their future HOF closer who anchored a shaky pen.
Vlad Guerrero played on an offensively weak offense. He is the only name on Anaheim’s (or Los Angelos’) roster that would scare you (unless you’re wary of Chone Figgins’ speed). His BA was third in the league at .317, topped 100 RBI and crushed over 30 HR with what is the most violent swing I’ve seen in my life.
I should add that, as a Met fan, I would not admit A-Rod earned an MVP even if he deserved it. Thank goodness that isn’t the case here.
Never? Wow. You’d think somewhere along the line we’d have had a unanimous pick. Hmmm.
And when a DH bats .400, we’ll talk….
Never? Wow. You’d think somewhere along the line we’d have had a unanimous pick. Hmmm.
And when a DH bats .400, we’ll talk….
Baseball. Anybody got any games on DVD or video? If so, please send them my way, because occasionally, I have trouble sleeping, and nothing this side of Ambien induces a snooze better than watching guys with names like A-Rod and Big Papi running around outdoors in pajamas.
Baseball. Anybody got any games on DVD or video? If so, please send them my way, because occasionally, I have trouble sleeping, and nothing this side of Ambien induces a snooze better than watching guys with names like A-Rod and Big Papi running around outdoors in pajamas.
Re: Vlad the Impaler
What makes a player the “most valuable” has created a lot of problems through the years – I remember the year Ripken won when the Birds finished last. People wondered how valuable you could really be if you finished last.
They could probably improve things by changing the criteria to “best player.”
Re: Vlad the Impaler
What makes a player the “most valuable” has created a lot of problems through the years – I remember the year Ripken won when the Birds finished last. People wondered how valuable you could really be if you finished last.
They could probably improve things by changing the criteria to “best player.”