November 22, 2006

BASEBALL'S MVP VOTE: PROOF THAT SPORTSWRITERS ARE DUMB AS MOST OTHER JOURNALISTS

And now to important matters: baseball.
        The farce of the Most Valuable Player award continues. In 1925 Roger Peckinpaugh hit .294 in 422 at bats, while Al Simmons hit .387 in 654 at bats. Peckinpaugh won the MVP. Perhaps Derek Jeter can draw consolation from that fact as he reflects on losing this year's American league MVP to Justin Morneau.
        Tim Marchman, our favorite sports writer, points out the value of this absurd choice. In time to come "perhaps millions of drinks will be won on bets involving Justin Morneau's name."

"The selection, announced yesterday, of Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau as the American League's Most Valuable Player is dumb and indefensible, good evidence of why no one takes baseball writers seriously. Morneau wasn't the best, or the second-best, or the third-best player among first basemen and designated hitters. He wasn't the best or second-best player on his own team. He wasn't even the best player with the initials "JM" on his own team. (You take the guy with 130 RBI and I'll take Joe Mauer, a Gold Glove-caliber catcher who led the league in batting average, and we'll see who wins more games.) He wasn't one of the five best players in the division. He wasn't one of the 10 best players in the league..."
See the rest here.