D-Day
It's finally here. Today's the day we learn if there truly is a voter bias against the Yankees. Well, there is as was proven when voters who chose Ichiro and Sasaki for rookies of the year left Matsui completely off their ballots because suddenly they "didn't view Matsui as a true rookie" and voting for him "is an insult to Japanese baseball." Ok, so some bias exists. But I still don't understand the debate over the MVP race in the AL.
The media is making a big deal of this point: "they're even, but maybe A-Rod gets the edge because he plays the field and can help his team with defense." Throw that argument right out the window, say that Alex played 162 games at DH, and it's still not close:
Player Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG TB
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+---+---+----+-----+-----+-----+
A-Rod NYY AL 162 605 124 194 29 1 48 130 21 91 139 .321 .421 .610 369
Ortiz BOS AL 159 601 119 180 40 1 47 148 1 102 124 .300 .397 .604 363
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+---+---+----+-----+-----+-----+
Look at the meaningful stats above (ie. throw out team dependent runs and RBI). A-Rod leads in hits, HR, SB, BA, OBP, SLG, and total bases.
Ortiz leads in doubles and walks. That's it.
As I wrote earlier I expect A-Rod to be named MVP today because I just can't imagine that much bias in the face of overwhelming evidence. The ridiculous "close and late" stats pushed by our good friends at ESPN and in the Boston media (who need to find something new to talk about since 'The Curse' won't sell any more books or papers) just doesn't make sense. If a guy hits a 3 run homer in the 5th and your team wins 3-2 how is that any less valuable than if a guy hits a 3 run homer in the 9th and your team wins 3-2? They both equally added to their team's win. However one makes for a better highlight, with Karl Ravech getting all doe-eyed as he talks about the remarkable home run in the 9th.
We live in a Sportscenter society now. People just want highlights and want their announcers smarmy and/or untalented and large breasted. Regularly on ESPN this season, they trumpted Ortiz as MVP during highlights... this is what a lot of voters see as they don't watch every game.
Ortiz had a fine season. A great season, even. It just wasn't an MVP season.
However stats do not lie. Rodriguez had a vastly superior offensive season.
Oh yeah, and he plays defense, too.
posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 8:10 AM
5
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5 Comments:
I am steadfastly refusing to read any press "coverage" about the ARod MVP, as I would no doubt literally (and I mean that, not in the brainless colloquial way that has become so popular) hunt down and kill the "reporters". I'm not even reading your posts. I'm just here to (a) enjoy the sheer volume of what I think may be anti-idiot ranting you have produced and (b) show my solidarity by pointing you to something I wrote in a fit of rage a little while back.
oh and didja see this? I enjoyed, although I generally find Lederer pompous and condescending
d'oh, you're not related to him are you?
Related to whom? Rich Lederer?
That was a great read, although it does back my assertation as well that Lee deserved the MVP.
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