Most Valuable Premise
As the last Sox/Yanks series of 2006 commenced, we were graced with a final off-field dialog between the storied rivals. This time it involved David Ortiz, Derek Jeter and the merits of the MVP award.
Much hay has already been made over the quotes, so I won't add much to the harvest. But the one aspect I have not seen or heard covered is this: Ortiz was wrong not just in his conclusion, but in his very premise.
"It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ballclub," Ortiz said, "the bottom line is, the guy who hits 40 home runs and knocks in 100, that's the guy you know helped your team win games."
It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ballclub. No, David. The spirit of the award entails exactly that.
Baseball's MVP is about value and valor, not power and production. The latter are often ingredients of the former, but they're not always the whole recipe.
In most seasons, Jeter's .341 average, 13 home runs, 93 RBI, 106 runs, 31 stolen bases and .975 fielding percentage (as of last night), while impressive, would not be enough for a league MVP award. But this year is different. In a season when the Yankees sent three all-star hitters on extended visits to the disabled list, and during a summer when the team's best power hitter suffered from malignant lack of production, their captain’s numbers reflect a clear and undeniable value: The Yankees owe much of their 2006 success to Jeter’s consistency and leadership.
He’s done a lot for his ballclub. And that does matter.
Much hay has already been made over the quotes, so I won't add much to the harvest. But the one aspect I have not seen or heard covered is this: Ortiz was wrong not just in his conclusion, but in his very premise.
"It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ballclub," Ortiz said, "the bottom line is, the guy who hits 40 home runs and knocks in 100, that's the guy you know helped your team win games."
It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ballclub. No, David. The spirit of the award entails exactly that.
Baseball's MVP is about value and valor, not power and production. The latter are often ingredients of the former, but they're not always the whole recipe.
In most seasons, Jeter's .341 average, 13 home runs, 93 RBI, 106 runs, 31 stolen bases and .975 fielding percentage (as of last night), while impressive, would not be enough for a league MVP award. But this year is different. In a season when the Yankees sent three all-star hitters on extended visits to the disabled list, and during a summer when the team's best power hitter suffered from malignant lack of production, their captain’s numbers reflect a clear and undeniable value: The Yankees owe much of their 2006 success to Jeter’s consistency and leadership.
He’s done a lot for his ballclub. And that does matter.
posted by Chris | 12:17 AM
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