With only a few weeks left in the season, the MVP race in the American League is once again wide open. After all, it was last year when Vladimir Guerrero put the Angels on his back and pulled them into the playoffs, winning the MVP award along the way. So it seems about that time to take stock of the race, and the three main contenders.
Alex Rodriguez: On pure talent, he's the best player in the game. He can hit for power, can hit for average and can field like a gold-glover should. Yet you know Alex Rodriguez. You went to high school, college, had a job with an Alex Rodriguez. He's the kid who always got straight A's without trying, was the most popular kid in school and was always dressed to impress.
While your sister just fawned over his every move, you hated him because he always polished the teacher's apple, thought only about himself, and had no problem doing whatever was needed to get ahead.
Sure you can give him the award, but by doing so you'd condoning that type of behavior. Do we want a generation of kids to become slick used car salesmen? Can't someone think of the children, please?
David Ortiz: I know he doesn't play defense, and that he's only the designated hitter, but look at the man. He's scary. Literally. I think he keeps young non-Red Sox fans awake at night, their parents telling them if they don't eat all their peas, "Big Papi will come get you in your sleep."
Few people have the ability to win the game every time they're up to bat. Right now he's entering the realm of "I'm surprised if he does NOT get a big hit here" whenever I see him at the plate. However, since he doesn't play defense and the old men who decide the MVP fear change and won't accept a guy winning the award only for his bat, and his likeness to Homer Simpson's gravest fear, the boogie man.
Manny Ramirez: While watching a Red Sox game the other day, I said to myself, aloud for some reason, "Manny really has to pick it up. Ortiz can't do it all." Then they showed his stats.
At the time he had 35 home runs, more than 120 RBIs, and a .285 batting average. Pretty impressive.
Yet can you remember any of those home runs? Remember any of those RBI's? The only thing I recall from earlier in the season was the whole "are they going to trade him, are they not going to trade him?" ordeal.
Thankfully, they didn't.
In today's world of instant highlights and constant coverage, you need to have a few memorable home runs or winning hits, and Manny doesn't have that this year. Manny's being Manny, but Manny's not going to be the MVP.
In the end, I think they'll give the award to Rodriguez, because of his stats and his defense. But when we look back on this season - or under our beds - I'm sure a number of terrified adults and children will ask why a bunch of uptight old nerds who are over-obsessed with precedent robbed Big Papi.
