I’m a diehard Yankee fan and I hate everything about the Boston Red Sox. And as much as David Ortiz has killed the Yankees since the 2003 season, I still give him a degree of respect because he always manages to come through for his ballclub. There are a lot of Red Sox that are easy to hate (Varitek and Beckett chief among them) but Ortiz, for some reason, has sort of grown on me. I still root against him and I hope that every time he faces the Yankees, a fastball finds its way right into his ribs or his fat ass, but I don’t wish him death or deformity (I reserve that sort of loathing for others in Red Sox uniforms).
All of the above was true until a few minutes ago, when I read this. A player should never openly campaign for personal accolades. Teammates, coaches, managers, team owners, and local reporters/TV commentators should do all of the electioneering for individual awards like MVP’s, Gold Gloves, or Cy Youngs. I find it both unseemly and pathetic for a guy like Ortiz to be openly carping for an MVP when his team has gone into the toilet and has no chance at making the playoffs. It reeks of the same selfishness that goes with “Manny being Manny” territory.
Ortiz should know better than to ever degrade a player like Derek Jeter, calling him out as a product of the Yankees’ deep lineup. Someone should point out to David Ortiz that he is a product of hitting in front of Manny Ramirez, without whom teams would simply never give Ortiz an opportunity to swing the bat. And that, folks, is why Manny is the real MVP of the Boston Red Sox.
There’s also that little inconvenient factor of statistical evidence that shows Manny to be worth more to Boston’s wins than Ortiz since he’s leading: (1) the AL in Win Shares, (2) second in Runs Created per Game, (3) ahead of Ortiz in Batting Average/Runners in Scoring Position (note – file this in the “don’t believe everything you see on ESPN when it comes to clutch” department) and (4) not even the highest-ranked designated hitter in the 2006 VORP leaderboard (that distinction belongs to Travis Hafner).
In short, Ortiz needs to remember that no one likes a self-promoter. He needs to shut up and play out the last handful of meaningless baseball games for the Red Sox. If he really wants the MVP in 2007, maybe he should drop 40 pounds and learn how to play the field.
All of the above was true until a few minutes ago, when I read this. A player should never openly campaign for personal accolades. Teammates, coaches, managers, team owners, and local reporters/TV commentators should do all of the electioneering for individual awards like MVP’s, Gold Gloves, or Cy Youngs. I find it both unseemly and pathetic for a guy like Ortiz to be openly carping for an MVP when his team has gone into the toilet and has no chance at making the playoffs. It reeks of the same selfishness that goes with “Manny being Manny” territory.
Ortiz should know better than to ever degrade a player like Derek Jeter, calling him out as a product of the Yankees’ deep lineup. Someone should point out to David Ortiz that he is a product of hitting in front of Manny Ramirez, without whom teams would simply never give Ortiz an opportunity to swing the bat. And that, folks, is why Manny is the real MVP of the Boston Red Sox.
There’s also that little inconvenient factor of statistical evidence that shows Manny to be worth more to Boston’s wins than Ortiz since he’s leading: (1) the AL in Win Shares, (2) second in Runs Created per Game, (3) ahead of Ortiz in Batting Average/Runners in Scoring Position (note – file this in the “don’t believe everything you see on ESPN when it comes to clutch” department) and (4) not even the highest-ranked designated hitter in the 2006 VORP leaderboard (that distinction belongs to Travis Hafner).
In short, Ortiz needs to remember that no one likes a self-promoter. He needs to shut up and play out the last handful of meaningless baseball games for the Red Sox. If he really wants the MVP in 2007, maybe he should drop 40 pounds and learn how to play the field.
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