The Plate: AL MVP voters got it wrong
Is there an anti-Yankee bias in the media?
Pretty crazy to think it’s a legitimate question this week, but there it is: Derek Jeter was beaten by Justin Morneau for the AL MVP award, an award Jeter and his .343 average were supposed to have clinched earlier. for September to come. With David Ortiz and the Red Sox falling off a cliff, with Jermaine Dye and the White Sox unable to get out of their own way when it mattered most, with Johan Santana having the temerity to only play once every five days… it was supposed to be. which is a shoo-in.
Go back 365 days and you’ll find another controversial AL MVP vote: Alex Rodriguez taking the award over Ortiz. Back then, we all made noise about how the Yankees had a bias in their favor: A-Rod did it on the biggest stage and Big Papi couldn’t have hacked it playing at Apple (or playing the field). That was silly, and so is this. There was no pro-Yankee bias in 2005, and there is no anti-Yankee bias now. Ortiz should have beaten A-Rod, because A-Rod is A-Fraud: a guy who doesn’t lead, a guy with big, empty numbers, a guy who can’t dominate under pressure. And while Jeter is a great leader and he’s extraordinarily good, he didn’t deserve the award this year either.
Joe Mauer did it.
Frankly, I didn’t think Morneau was even the most valuable guy on his own team. Mauer is the guy who stirred the drink on the Twins this year (and Santana didn’t get hurt). He is the first catcher to win the American League batting title. Think about that for a minute. Ever. He hit above .380 for the first half of the season, and everyone said, “Oh, no way, he’s going to fade, there’s no chance he’s going to win the batting title, his legs are going to be broken in August.” “. Mauer proceeded to hit .347 with a ridiculous .429 on-base percentage behind the plate, and somehow slugged .507 while only hitting 13 home runs: that’s 34 doubles, four triples, 79 walks and just 54 strikeouts. He also threw out 38% of would-be base stealers on a staff not known for containing runners, and ranked second in the league in catcher ERA, behind Iván Rodríguez, who plays at a local ballpark a lot. more launcher friendly. Let yourself be blinded by Morneau’s huge power numbers, sure. Mauer was much more important to the Twins night after night.
Mauer, of course, finished sixth in the voting, because reporters like numbers. That’s the same reason Morneau beat Jeter: Jeter will never get to 30 HR or 130 RBI. Oh ok. At least we know it’s not something for or against the Yankees. It’s a numbers thing. The chicks dig the long ball.
What did you think of Michigan/Ohio St.? How did the books fare in that game, with Michigan scoring a late cover? And now, the biggest question on the sports mind this week: Will we see a Michigan/OSU repeat in the national title game? One-loss USC probably beats Michigan, but one-loss Florida? Notre Dame of a single defeat? One-loss Arkansas?
BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.ws: Covering Michigan was not good for us on the spread, as many bettors felt the Wolverines could keep it within 7. The money line, however, was a different story, as the Bettors saw value in betting on Michigan, therefore we were able to steer clear of the winning side of that one. A one-loss USC probably beats Michigan on this one. None of the other teams mentioned are likely to get the job.
With the Colts losing in Dallas and the Chargers winning in Denver, does the AFC have a new favorite to make it to the Super Bowl?
BDB, BoDog.ws: I don’t think Indy has ever been a favorite to win the Super Bowl, at least not until the team can make some waves in the playoffs. Regardless of Sunday’s loss, this is standard regular season Indy football. Look almost unbeatable outside a game or two, and then fight back to beat a 10-6 team at home in January.
I assume you think Philly’s season is ruined with the fall of Donovan McNabb. But what about these NFC “contenders” who have gone completely cold lately? Do any of them have a race left: Minnesota, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis?
BDB, BoDog.ws: New Orleans has made a lot of mistakes during its last two losses. Look out for next week’s matchup against the Falcons to determine which of the two will make a late-season run. Minnesota and St. Louis just don’t look the same caliber as these two teams.
Were you surprised that Ryan Howard won the National League MVP award over Albert Pujols? I was.
BDB, BoDog.ws: If Pujols wasn’t injured, there could have been a lot of surprises in terms of statistics last season. He at least he got the World Series title. Those of us who think Pujols should have won it are blinded by the glare of the World Series trophy; Howard easily led the majors in both home runs and RBIs and made the statement that he is the future of baseball. The honor is well deserved.