Finally, a new post!

After a small hiatus (filled with lots of work, moving around, and rest), I'm back to being able to write on this blog...

To all respect for the victims and the people remembering 9/11, I won't expound on it today on this blog, that's due for my other personal blogs, but I do ask you guys to take some time, meditate, pray, and remember what happened, and also remember how much you have grown since 5 years ago...

I'd like to jump back into the thick of things by addressing an article that this forum topic on the un-private New York Yankees group brought me to...

From ESPN.com:

"I'll tell you one thing," Ortiz said. "If I get 50 home runs and 10 more RBI [which would give him 137], that's going to be a round number that no one else in the American League will have."

"But they'll vote for a position player, use that as an excuse. They're talking about [Derek] Jeter a lot, right? He's done a great job, he's having a great season, but Jeter is not a 40-homer hitter or an RBI guy. It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ball club, 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.

"Don't get me wrong -- he's a great player, having a great season, but he's got a lot of guys in that lineup," Ortiz continued. "Top to bottom, you've got a guy who can hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be."

Ortiz said if he had a vote, he might cast it for Jermaine Dye or Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox, or Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins. ...

"I'm right there," he said, "but I'm not going to win it. They give it to [Rodriguez] one year, even though his team was in last place, so now they can't play that BS anymore, just because your team didn't make it. They gave it to Alex that year because of his numbers. But they always have a reason to vote for whatever, so that's why I don't worry about it."

Not worrying about it, Papi? Heh, doesn't seem like it with your comments...

What can be said of Ortiz's "whining"?

1. As crazy as this may sound, hitting 2nd in a line-up doesn't provide protection quite like hitting 3rd in a line-up before another true MVP candidate, Manny Ramirez...

Sure, Jeter doesn't have those power numbers, but just because you have two guys who are hitting 40 HRs and driving in more than 100 RBIs doesn't mean that the one guy who's hitting .345, 13 HRs, 91 RBIs (he just might get to 100 RBIs, Big Papi, does that make him an RBI man?), getting 29 stolen bases... and he leads all MVP candidates in one interesting stat... sacrifice bunts! He has 7, which ties him for 6th overall in the AL...

He moves the players around, getting players in scoring position, which (unlike whining about the MVP award) is quite unselfish and very valuable for a player to do...

We all know that having 2 men who can hit 40 HRs and drive in 100 RBIs doesn't exactly help a team win games when they actually matter...



^ Doesn't this picture remind you of that simple fact?

2. To continue that point on, Papi seems to rip on his own line-up in his comments, stating that the Yankees have a lot of great hitters, while the Red Sox, frankly, don't...

While that may be very true, why would Ortiz even say that about his team? Mike Lowell, Mike Loretta, and the Jew are pulling together good enough numbers to help the team out in the line-up... and let's not forget Manny!

I'll say this: if I have a line-up that has 2 MVP candidates hitting incredibly while having an average line-up around me, I would be pretty damn happy about that line-up... most GMs would be happy with that fact as well... but Ortiz? Apparently, he doesn't have enough faith in his line-up...

3. They gave A-Rod the MVP when he was on the Rangers because his numbers were above and beyond anything that any other player could put up... however, Papi doesn't have numbers that are abouve and beyond all the players in the AL...

My MVP pick, Jermaine Dye, is posting a 41 HR/112 RBIs season while playing in 3 less games, and posting a better OPS% (OPS = OBP + SLG)... and let's not forget, he (unlike Papi at this point) has the pressure of a very tight playoff race in the AL Central...

4. My last point: I have had a lot of respect for David Ortiz, I feel extremely bad for him with his irregular heartbeat problems, I applauded his clutch efforts this year and the last two years, I hated the man before because he is so good as a hitter and a personality... he's the player that most teams would want on their squad...

However, reading these comments, it makes me re-think about my original thoughts about him. Sure, he's a great hitter, but I would not want a guy who will whine about a very useless award, while only focusing on his personal accomplishments. The Red Sox are 7.5 games out of the Wild Card race, sinking faster than the Titanic, and yet, he cares enough about the MVP award that he would tear into his team and his team's line-up, when the team is already down and out...

Way to kick your team when it's down, Big Papi... but most importantly, way to be a real MVP... and way to destroy your MVP chances now...

There is something positive you can say about this though: it gives Big Papi something to talk about, while his team continues its trek into the off-season, filled with golf tournaments and free Big Papi sandwiches for all!

**************

After his one-hit performance, Johnson is back on the hill tonight, facing Kris "Mets reject" Benson... it should be a good game, and I hope that Johnson will continue to build off his performance from last game...

As Steve mentioned in WasWatching.com today, we could use Johnson's Ks in the playoffs... we could use them in a major way...

Go Yankees!

Happy reading!

B(rent)