Comments on: AL MVP yet another example of the stupidity of some sportswriters http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/ Media, Baseball, Boston, the Red Sox, Music, Literature, and Mnookins Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:41:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: chargeMEup31 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2356 chargeMEup31 Sun, 26 Nov 2006 01:20:19 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2356 On dirt dogs this was posted: "Face facts, fans: This is not us 'running Manny out of town.' Manny has run himself out of town. He did not return your love. He wants out. He quit on the Red Sox. He quit on you." -- 11.22.06, Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe Dont you think it odd of Shaughnessy to make this arguement when he and other boston media gave up on the Sox long before Manny did. Hell, I cancelled my MLB.tv with two months to go...and i love the sox. Baseball like life is economics. What incentive did he have to risk injury for when not in a pennant race? On dirt dogs this was posted: “Face facts, fans: This is not us ‘running Manny out of town.’ Manny has run himself out of town. He did not return your love. He wants out. He quit on the Red Sox. He quit on you.” — 11.22.06, Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe

Dont you think it odd of Shaughnessy to make this arguement when he and other boston media gave up on the Sox long before Manny did. Hell, I cancelled my MLB.tv with two months to go…and i love the sox. Baseball like life is economics. What incentive did he have to risk injury for when not in a pennant race?

]]> By: dbvader http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2337 dbvader Thu, 23 Nov 2006 05:07:17 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2337 <i>This might seem extreme but I think they should seriously consider abolishing the MVP award.</i> These types of awards have been a farce since their creation. St. Louis allowed Nap Lajoie to bunt safely six times in the last game of the season so that Ty Cobb wouldn't win the batting title and a new car. Check out Ted Williams career. He won the Triple Crown (a bad measure, but he still dominated) and was not the MVP. And there are at least two other seasons in which he deserved the MVP and did not get it. Relax, these are awards voted on by an ever changing group of writers (in the Boston market (which includes Worcester and Providence papers) votes are passed among writers and columnists) with varying levels of skill, intelligence, and dedication. There are mistakes throughout the history of post-season awards. History is pretty good at pointing out the mistakes and recognizing those players that were snubbed. This might seem extreme but I think they should seriously consider abolishing the MVP award.

These types of awards have been a farce since their creation. St. Louis allowed Nap Lajoie to bunt safely six times in the last game of the season so that Ty Cobb wouldn’t win the batting title and a new car. Check out Ted Williams career. He won the Triple Crown (a bad measure, but he still dominated) and was not the MVP. And there are at least two other seasons in which he deserved the MVP and did not get it.

Relax, these are awards voted on by an ever changing group of writers (in the Boston market (which includes Worcester and Providence papers) votes are passed among writers and columnists) with varying levels of skill, intelligence, and dedication.

There are mistakes throughout the history of post-season awards. History is pretty good at pointing out the mistakes and recognizing those players that were snubbed.

]]> By: dbvader http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2336 dbvader Thu, 23 Nov 2006 04:48:03 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2336 <i>Can we PLEASE do something to kill this “Dice-K” nonsense? I don’t mean the potential deal; I mean this “nickname.”</i> In order to avoid this problem, Sox fans should adopt the nickname he already has, Kaibutsu "The Monster." This adoption will preempt some racist garbage from the Curly Haired Boyfriend. <i>(Americans often assume that the penultimate vowel sound in a Japanese word should be stressed (as we incorrectly do with Toyota, sashimi, etc.), when in fact all the sounds should be stressed equally.)</i> I have a question about this. In the case of Kaibutsu, Americans have learned not just to not stress the penultimate vowel, but to not pronounce it at all. I read somewhere that the two syllable pronunciation was the Tokyo dialect. Can we PLEASE do something to kill this “Dice-K” nonsense? I don’t mean the potential deal; I mean this “nickname.”

In order to avoid this problem, Sox fans should adopt the nickname he already has, Kaibutsu “The Monster.” This adoption will preempt some racist garbage from the Curly Haired Boyfriend.

(Americans often assume that the penultimate vowel sound in a Japanese word should be stressed (as we incorrectly do with Toyota, sashimi, etc.), when in fact all the sounds should be stressed equally.)

I have a question about this. In the case of Kaibutsu, Americans have learned not just to not stress the penultimate vowel, but to not pronounce it at all. I read somewhere that the two syllable pronunciation was the Tokyo dialect.

]]> By: HFXBOB http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2335 HFXBOB Thu, 23 Nov 2006 04:25:55 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2335 This might seem extreme but I think they should seriously consider abolishing the MVP award. Either that or come up with actual rules that voters have to follow. Right now the process is designed to consistently generate confusion and dissatisfaction all the way to outrage. The whole thing comes down to the subjective viewpoints of a bunch of opinionated, biased judges. Some of them think pitchers shouldn't qualify, some think DH's shouldn't qualify, some think guys who play for losing teams shouldn't qualify. Some don't like certain players. Some are uninformed. Some are just stupid. Hanging over all of it is this murky concept of 'most valuable' instead of 'best' player. What a mess. Maybe there should just be awards for most HR, most RBI's, most wins etc. I know it would offend some people to base all the awards on numbers alone. I understand that, but let's face it, this ain't workin'. If I want to watch judges decide things, I'll watch figure skating. If I want to know who won, I'll look at a box score. This might seem extreme but I think they should seriously consider abolishing the MVP award. Either that or come up with actual rules that voters have to follow. Right now the process is designed to consistently generate confusion and dissatisfaction all the way to outrage. The whole thing comes down to the subjective viewpoints of a bunch of opinionated, biased judges. Some of them think pitchers shouldn’t qualify, some think DH’s shouldn’t qualify, some think guys who play for losing teams shouldn’t qualify. Some don’t like certain players. Some are uninformed. Some are just stupid. Hanging over all of it is this murky concept of ‘most valuable’ instead of ‘best’ player. What a mess. Maybe there should just be awards for most HR, most RBI’s, most wins etc. I know it would offend some people to base all the awards on numbers alone. I understand that, but let’s face it, this ain’t workin’. If I want to watch judges decide things, I’ll watch figure skating. If I want to know who won, I’ll look at a box score.

]]> By: maineiac http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2334 maineiac Thu, 23 Nov 2006 03:53:57 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2334 I don't want to bring up the Ortiz getting the shaft thing, but it seems to me that the MVP has to be the key guy on the team and without him the team isn't a contender (although somehow A-Rod got the MVP when Texas was in the basement, but that a different bigger gripe). Anyhow, with Morneau he has two other legit MVP canidates on Minnesota with him (Mauer and Santana) both of which receive over 100 points each in the balloting. For Jeter, there were a total of 7 different Yankees that received votes for the MVP! It would be a very difficult argument for someone to make that he single handedly put the X's in the win column for the Yankees. Ortiz on the other hand, easily meant more to the Red Sox and them winning. Manny being the only other Red Sox in "MVP contention" by garnering a whopping 6 points. Even Frank Thomas has a better claim to the MVP award than Morneau or Jeter. I don’t want to bring up the Ortiz getting the shaft thing, but it seems to me that the MVP has to be the key guy on the team and without him the team isn’t a contender (although somehow A-Rod got the MVP when Texas was in the basement, but that a different bigger gripe).

Anyhow, with Morneau he has two other legit MVP canidates on Minnesota with him (Mauer and Santana) both of which receive over 100 points each in the balloting.

For Jeter, there were a total of 7 different Yankees that received votes for the MVP! It would be a very difficult argument for someone to make that he single handedly put the X’s in the win column for the Yankees.

Ortiz on the other hand, easily meant more to the Red Sox and them winning. Manny being the only other Red Sox in “MVP contention” by garnering a whopping 6 points. Even Frank Thomas has a better claim to the MVP award than Morneau or Jeter.

]]> By: tinisoli http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2331 tinisoli Wed, 22 Nov 2006 22:05:10 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2331 It is simply an admission of bias for a voter to announce that they leave pitchers off the ballot and/or don't give first-place votes to players for non-contending teams. Such voters are essentially making up their own awards. Because they are writers and are paid to add color and subjectivity to a game that is increasingly focused on statistics, many writers simply make up their own rules and they then pat themselves on the back for thinking outside the box or whatever. For some voters their vote is more about ego and rebellion than reason or respect for the game. The rewards for big-market perennial contenders and their players are already ample enough. Let's not increase their advantage by telling players that they'd better sign with a good ballclub if they ever want to win an MVP or a Cy Young. non sequitur: Can we PLEASE do something to kill this "Dice-K" nonsense? I don't mean the potential deal; I mean this "nickname." The guy's name, Daisuke, should be pronounced in such a way that everyone should indeed be saying "dice-kay." (Americans often assume that the penultimate vowel sound in a Japanese word should be stressed (as we incorrectly do with Toyota, sashimi, etc.), when in fact all the sounds should be stressed equally.) So this stupid "nickname" is essentially a nickname in writing only. It's the equivalent of writing Man-E Ramirez, Al-X Rodriguez, Ho-Zay Canseco, or Yo-Han Santana. It is simply an admission of bias for a voter to announce that they leave pitchers off the ballot and/or don’t give first-place votes to players for non-contending teams. Such voters are essentially making up their own awards. Because they are writers and are paid to add color and subjectivity to a game that is increasingly focused on statistics, many writers simply make up their own rules and they then pat themselves on the back for thinking outside the box or whatever. For some voters their vote is more about ego and rebellion than reason or respect for the game.

The rewards for big-market perennial contenders and their players are already ample enough. Let’s not increase their advantage by telling players that they’d better sign with a good ballclub if they ever want to win an MVP or a Cy Young.

non sequitur:
Can we PLEASE do something to kill this “Dice-K” nonsense? I don’t mean the potential deal; I mean this “nickname.” The guy’s name, Daisuke, should be pronounced in such a way that everyone should indeed be saying “dice-kay.” (Americans often assume that the penultimate vowel sound in a Japanese word should be stressed (as we incorrectly do with Toyota, sashimi, etc.), when in fact all the sounds should be stressed equally.) So this stupid “nickname” is essentially a nickname in writing only. It’s the equivalent of writing Man-E Ramirez, Al-X Rodriguez, Ho-Zay Canseco, or Yo-Han Santana.

]]> By: PatsFanDK http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2328 PatsFanDK Wed, 22 Nov 2006 20:07:41 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/11/22/al-mvp-yet-another-example-of-the-stupidity-of-some-sportswriters/#comment-2328 True, but the same thing could be said for Mauer or Santana for that matter. Take them off the Twins, and we wouldn't have seen them in the playoffs. Should players/coaches vote for MVP? Coaches seem to be ignorant as well (Gold Glove) True, but the same thing could be said for Mauer or Santana for that matter. Take them off the Twins, and we wouldn’t have seen them in the playoffs.

Should players/coaches vote for MVP? Coaches seem to be ignorant as well (Gold Glove)

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