One of these things is not like the other:
Player A) .300 avg., 23 HRs, 129 RBIs
Player B) .328 avg., 17 HRs, 83 RBIs
Player C) .288 avg., 36 HRs, 100 RBIs
Guess which one won AL MVP. It's Player B. Seriously.
That's Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia, the guy to the left. What a farce.
Player A is Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who was hands down the best player in the American League this year. Player C is Carlos Quentin, who was hands down the second-best player in the American League until he broke his wrist on Sept. 1.
The MVP is supposed to go to the guy who is most valuable to his team. Do the Twins contend all the way to the last day of the season without Morneau? Not a chance.
How about the White Sox? They had a winning record in every month but one in 2008. That one losing month was September, while Quentin was on the disabled list. Think he was of some value to this year's division championship team? If Quentin had missed a month in June instead of September, would he have finished either first or second in the MVP voting? The guess here is yes. Quentin still appeared in 130 games this season. That's plenty good enough.
As for Pedroia, he wasn't even the best player on his team. That would be J.D. Drew, who was injured late in the year, but carried the Red Sox during a period where designated hitter David Ortiz was on the DL.
Do the Red Sox make the playoffs without Pedroia? Probably. Do the White Sox make the playoffs without Quentin? No chance in hell. Do the Twins win 88 games without Morneau? No chance in hell. Case closed.
Morneau deserved the MVP. So did Quentin. Pedroia shouldn't have been in the top five. I guess ESPN's Boston-loving campaign worked. This is a sham.
Someone needs a hug.
As a Twins fan, I have no problem with Mauer or Morneau not getting the MVP award because they did not deserve it. They did not play well in September. If a team has playoff aspirations, that team needs their best players to perform in September. Mauer and Morneau did not get it done, which is why the Twins did not make the playoffs. I have no problem with either of them not making it so I would expect you not to make a stink about this award considering Quentin did not play in September. Besides I did not think Morneau was that great this season to be honest with you. He did not match what he did in 2006. Morneau had a good season, but it wasn't MVP.
As for Quentin, I did not think he was that special. Besides the White Sox had other players that did well in making up for his absence. They had Dye, Thome, and A.J. It's not like the team fell apart without him. I am not sure if he was the best player on the team this season to be honest with you.
Voters got it right. Get over it! Next time you go rip at me for being whiner, I will be happy to show you this entry.
BTW, Mike Downey's column about the state of Chicago sports teams was priceless and enjoyable to read.
Someone needs a hug.
As a Twins fan, I have no problem with Mauer or Morneau not getting the MVP award because they did not deserve it. They did not play well in September. If a team has playoff aspirations, that team needs their best players to perform in September. Mauer and Morneau did not get it done, which is why the Twins did not make the playoffs. I have no problem with either of them not making it so I would expect you not to make a stink about this award considering Quentin did not play in September. Besides I did not think Morneau was that great this season to be honest with you. He did not match what he did in 2006. Morneau had a good season, but it wasn't MVP.
As for Quentin, I did not think he was that special. Besides the White Sox had other players that did well in making up for his absence. They had Dye, Thome, and A.J. It's not like the team fell apart without him. I am not sure if he was the best player on the team this season to be honest with you.
Pedroia earned that award because he was a consistent hitter from April to September plus he played good defense.
Voters got it right. Get over it! Next time you go rip at me for being whiner, I will be happy to show you this entry.
BTW, Mike Downey's column about the state of Chicago sports teams was priceless and enjoyable to read.