Biggest Monday of My Life
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Yesterday was a big one.
To put it in perspective, the biggest decision I made all last week, my first of unemployment, was whether or not I should go to the gym before or after watching my rerun of 90210.
But Monday, wow.
A-Rod vs Ortiz
and
Season Finale of Laguna Beach
I was smothered in excitement.
1. The MVP Race.
Yes, I hate A-Rod and I really like Big Papi but there was more to my interest in this race.
In September, me and my one Yankee fan friend threw down two drunken bets. One was for Rookie of the Year, the other for MVP.
BET 1: I gave him 10:2 that Robinson Cano would not win ROY (10 nights of drinking to 2) (Editor's Note: High five, Sip).
BET 2: A-Rod or Ortiz for MVP at 1:1
I knew the first one was a lock which is why I gave him such tremendous odds. As yet another indication of how stupid Yankee fans are, my pal, the Nolester, took Cano not realizing that there was even a team in Oakland.
We made the MVP bet before either the Yankees won the division; how things would play out was a mystery to us, which, it may be worth noting, it was not to those people who voted on the award.
So look, I hate A-Rod, no two ways about it. But that hatred does not prevent me from looking at things evenhandedly. One conclusion I've come to, however, is that no Yankee, in a lineup that resembles an All-Star team, should win the MVP.
As it turns out, a lot of people disagree with me. A-Rod won the MVP. His team won the division and Papi's did not. He played and the field and Ortiz did not. Still, there are four strong arguments against A-Rod that overshadow all of these.
The Batting Order
David Ortiz was the Red Sox' 3rd hitter
A-Rod spent half of the season, including the end, hitting 2 and 5 for the Yankees.
Your best hitter bats 3rd. Ortiz was the Sox' best hitter. He had the best numbers the most clutch hits and by the end of the season, he was being pitched around. That's right, pitched around to get to MANNY RAMIREZ, who, in spite of my prediction that he would resemble Season 2 Stephen in 2006, was actually in pure Stephen Season 1 form in 2005. When you faced the Red Sox, Ortiz was the guy you feared. He learned to hit the high inside fastball, his one previous shortcoming, making him a complete hitter.
For his part, A-Rod hit in the relative safety and obscurity of the 2 and 5 holes. For that reason and others, Gary Sheffield remained the team's greatest weapon and was, as he was apt to point out amid much controversy this summer, the player opposing teams feared most. He hit 3rd. Matsui was the Yankees' RBI-guy so he hit 4th.
A-Rod just happened to put up bigger numbers than either of those two guys and is the bigger name. But he wasn't even the best hitter on his team this season. Or at least he wasn't the guy Joe Torre wanted in either of the two most productive spots in the order.
Talent Around them: Where their teams would be without them
I'm the kind of sports fan who knows no peace. I panic. I just know the ball is gonna get out of the park every time Pat Burrell or Chipper Jones comes to the plate against the Mets, and when it doesn't happen, it just means a three-inning wait until the guy ends up parking one.
When we face the Yankees, I get that same feeling when facing Sheffield. I feel like Matsui is going to drive the ball every time. And I hate to admit it, but every time Jeter comes to the plate I envision him inside outing a ball to RF for another one of the bitch singles that has made him a star.
With all this talent, how can anyone say that A-Rod is MOST VALUABLE? He's not even the most valuable player on his team; he's probably the 5th (throw in Rivera).
But where are the Sox without Papi?
See, you can't walk Papi and Manny every time, but without Ortiz, Manny never sees a pitch. Subtract Ortiz and all of a sudden, you're looking at the Oakland A's lineup in Boston. Yeah, they all get on base, but does anyone really strike fear into you?
No Yankee should ever win MVP, EXCEPT Jeter.
It pains me to say it, but I think it is true. My defense is this. There is not one player on the Yankees whose talent is irreplacable. The fact is, they have too much talent.
The one thing you can say is that Jeter's intangibles and leadership are truly invaluable.
He also drinks wine coolers.
Team Pitching
The Yankees had some pitching this year.
While both the Sox and Yankees had disappointing rotations, you can make a strong case that Johnson, Chacon, Small, Mussina and Wang was a hell of a lot better than Schilling (for 1/3 season), Wells, Wakefield, Clement and Miller.
Yankees Team ERA: 4.52
Red Sox Team ERA: 4.74
The bullpens for each team are completely incomparable.
The Yankees at least had Gordon and Rivera, maybe the best 8-9 combo in the game
Who were the Sox throwing out there? Mike Myers, Jon Papelbon and Mike Timlin.
The fact is, the Red Sox were completely carried by their dominant lineup this year. Going against the conventional wisdom that pitching and defense wins games, the Red Sox won by outscoring you.
Clutch Hitting
I know this concept is replayed over and over but it needs to be. David Ortiz carried the Red Sox at the end of a game. He was the guy for them. He always got the big hit.
You just can't say the same about A-Rod.
As he has shown in this year's playoffs and playoffs past, he chokes in the spotlight. OK, so the sports writers didn't know A-Rod would go 2-for-15 in the playoffs. Fair enough. What about the numbers he put up during the regular season? Truth is, the guy's numbers are inflated.
Take a look at these numbers in what ESPN considers "close and late" situations:
Arod: 75 ab, 4hr, 12 rbi, .293 avg
Ortiz: 78 ab, 11hr, 33rbi, .346 avg
The difference is unreal. Simply unreal. We are looking at the guy who is the best when it counts. The guy who is valuable when his team needs value.
Unfortunately, during these 2 innings when the game is on the line, A-Rod probably made a few put outs.
Who gives a f**k.
David Ortiz should be MVP, plain and simple. The guy was a better player who was more valuable to his team. He was the MVP.
Still, A-Rod was the MVP of something. He was the Yankees' Most Valuable 3rd baseman and just missed out on:
Most valuable member on the left side of their infield.
Top 2 most valuable players on the left side of the field.
Say it with me now! M-V-P!! M-V-P!!!
I had to get that out of my system. Now to the more important stuff.
Laguna Beach
A lot of emotions went with the finale of Laguna Beach last night. I don't really know how to say this other than to just say it.
I love that show.
It's just entertaining. In the spirit of baseball's award season, I thought that I should give out some hardware to memorialize the kids of Laguna Beach High.
MVP: Kristin
While this would have not have flown in the baseball world -- after all, for much of the season, Kristin was surprisingly single and did not play the field -- there's no two ways about it but that Kristin is the glue to the show.
Take her away from Laguna and you just don't have it. Sure, she may not have put up the best numbers, but she is the one you need in that beautiful theme by H. Duff to keep us involved.
Biggest herb in the history of mankind: Cedric
Holy shit this kid was painful. No doubt in my mind he was a Yankee fan. And this kid is going to get fame in LA out of this?
Most under-appreciated: Taylor
I'm a big Taylor guy. What a sweetheart this girl was. She was a real friend to Alex M/H/W/Z. She seemed like a really good person. To top that off, she had some of that "I'm going to be a hot WASP-y mom" thing going for her.
Most Improved Player: Jason
Two months ago, all I could say was how bad this kid was. He didn't talk, except for using the word "cruise" to talk about leaving and he salted on my gal Jessica.
Zoom forward to the present, and I have embraced the kid.
His silent game has gotten him every girl in Laguna.
I realied that Jessica, in fact, needed to be salted on.
And just the other day I told AFOMG that I wanted to "cruise" to the deli.
Biggest Letdown: Steven
This kid just slipped. His quirkiness that was overlooked back when he got Kristen and LC just makes him appear to be the "gay best friend" to them now. This kid has a shot to do something special on reality TV. If he brought back some ridiculous girl from San Fran or that he picked up at In and Out, he could have rubbed her in Kristin and LC's place, cementing himself in reality tv history.
Instead, now he is just going to go out like a chump.
First Inductee to Hall of Fame: LC
I dont think I've been at the edge of my seat since I first saw Scream like I was last night when MTV announced "The Hills" : A Laguna Beach spinoff that follows LC to Los Angeles.
Good for LC.
This could have been you, Stevey. Everyone would have wanted to see a show about you going to LA and using your C-list celeb to do the naughty naughty with Lohan, and get in crashes with P. Hilton...oh wait, your boy Talan is already on that.
And now there is a little LC who is going to be on Season 3 of Laguna.
Talk about a winning lottery ticket. Can you imagine growing up in a town where if you are "cool" enough, you get your own show on MTV?
What? MTV has no love for my all boys high school class of 47? Salt.
So now to the Laguna/MVP analogy.
If you were to have two teams, the guys and girls of Laguna, the girls would probably come out on top. After all, they are the focal point of the show.
So for the girls, we have a lineup of
1. Taylor
2. Jessica
3. Kristen
4. Alex H
5. Alex M
Vs. the guys
1. Stephen
2. Cedric
3. Jason
4. Talan
5. Dieter
The two mvp candidates from this season would have to be Jason and Jessica. They were the ones that stole our hearts and captured our minds.
Like, A-Rod, Jessica is not the most valuable player on her team. She just happened to have the best #'s this season. That award goes to Kristen. Without Jessica, the girls would still have a very strong lineup led by Kristen (their real MVP) and surrounded by solid young talent like Taylor.
Now look at the guys. Take Jason away.
All of a sudden, Talan is cruising with...CEDRIC. Those two would get beaten out of Laguna by surfers.
Factor in the over-the-hill status of Steven and the "never-was" status of Dieter and you see... Without Jason "Big Papi Jr." Wilson, the guys of Laguna Beach would be killed.
Yet another reason why this whole A-Rod thing is a sham and why will miss the LB.
Cruisin to Burger King,
Sippy Momo
Yesterday was a big one.
To put it in perspective, the biggest decision I made all last week, my first of unemployment, was whether or not I should go to the gym before or after watching my rerun of 90210.
But Monday, wow.
A-Rod vs Ortiz
and
Season Finale of Laguna Beach
I was smothered in excitement.
1. The MVP Race.
Yes, I hate A-Rod and I really like Big Papi but there was more to my interest in this race.
In September, me and my one Yankee fan friend threw down two drunken bets. One was for Rookie of the Year, the other for MVP.
BET 1: I gave him 10:2 that Robinson Cano would not win ROY (10 nights of drinking to 2) (Editor's Note: High five, Sip).
BET 2: A-Rod or Ortiz for MVP at 1:1
I knew the first one was a lock which is why I gave him such tremendous odds. As yet another indication of how stupid Yankee fans are, my pal, the Nolester, took Cano not realizing that there was even a team in Oakland.
We made the MVP bet before either the Yankees won the division; how things would play out was a mystery to us, which, it may be worth noting, it was not to those people who voted on the award.
So look, I hate A-Rod, no two ways about it. But that hatred does not prevent me from looking at things evenhandedly. One conclusion I've come to, however, is that no Yankee, in a lineup that resembles an All-Star team, should win the MVP.
As it turns out, a lot of people disagree with me. A-Rod won the MVP. His team won the division and Papi's did not. He played and the field and Ortiz did not. Still, there are four strong arguments against A-Rod that overshadow all of these.
The Batting Order
David Ortiz was the Red Sox' 3rd hitter
A-Rod spent half of the season, including the end, hitting 2 and 5 for the Yankees.
Your best hitter bats 3rd. Ortiz was the Sox' best hitter. He had the best numbers the most clutch hits and by the end of the season, he was being pitched around. That's right, pitched around to get to MANNY RAMIREZ, who, in spite of my prediction that he would resemble Season 2 Stephen in 2006, was actually in pure Stephen Season 1 form in 2005. When you faced the Red Sox, Ortiz was the guy you feared. He learned to hit the high inside fastball, his one previous shortcoming, making him a complete hitter.
For his part, A-Rod hit in the relative safety and obscurity of the 2 and 5 holes. For that reason and others, Gary Sheffield remained the team's greatest weapon and was, as he was apt to point out amid much controversy this summer, the player opposing teams feared most. He hit 3rd. Matsui was the Yankees' RBI-guy so he hit 4th.
A-Rod just happened to put up bigger numbers than either of those two guys and is the bigger name. But he wasn't even the best hitter on his team this season. Or at least he wasn't the guy Joe Torre wanted in either of the two most productive spots in the order.
Talent Around them: Where their teams would be without them
I'm the kind of sports fan who knows no peace. I panic. I just know the ball is gonna get out of the park every time Pat Burrell or Chipper Jones comes to the plate against the Mets, and when it doesn't happen, it just means a three-inning wait until the guy ends up parking one.
When we face the Yankees, I get that same feeling when facing Sheffield. I feel like Matsui is going to drive the ball every time. And I hate to admit it, but every time Jeter comes to the plate I envision him inside outing a ball to RF for another one of the bitch singles that has made him a star.
With all this talent, how can anyone say that A-Rod is MOST VALUABLE? He's not even the most valuable player on his team; he's probably the 5th (throw in Rivera).
But where are the Sox without Papi?
See, you can't walk Papi and Manny every time, but without Ortiz, Manny never sees a pitch. Subtract Ortiz and all of a sudden, you're looking at the Oakland A's lineup in Boston. Yeah, they all get on base, but does anyone really strike fear into you?
No Yankee should ever win MVP, EXCEPT Jeter.
It pains me to say it, but I think it is true. My defense is this. There is not one player on the Yankees whose talent is irreplacable. The fact is, they have too much talent.
The one thing you can say is that Jeter's intangibles and leadership are truly invaluable.
He also drinks wine coolers.
Team Pitching
The Yankees had some pitching this year.
While both the Sox and Yankees had disappointing rotations, you can make a strong case that Johnson, Chacon, Small, Mussina and Wang was a hell of a lot better than Schilling (for 1/3 season), Wells, Wakefield, Clement and Miller.
Yankees Team ERA: 4.52
Red Sox Team ERA: 4.74
The bullpens for each team are completely incomparable.
The Yankees at least had Gordon and Rivera, maybe the best 8-9 combo in the game
Who were the Sox throwing out there? Mike Myers, Jon Papelbon and Mike Timlin.
The fact is, the Red Sox were completely carried by their dominant lineup this year. Going against the conventional wisdom that pitching and defense wins games, the Red Sox won by outscoring you.
Clutch Hitting
I know this concept is replayed over and over but it needs to be. David Ortiz carried the Red Sox at the end of a game. He was the guy for them. He always got the big hit.
You just can't say the same about A-Rod.
As he has shown in this year's playoffs and playoffs past, he chokes in the spotlight. OK, so the sports writers didn't know A-Rod would go 2-for-15 in the playoffs. Fair enough. What about the numbers he put up during the regular season? Truth is, the guy's numbers are inflated.
Take a look at these numbers in what ESPN considers "close and late" situations:
Arod: 75 ab, 4hr, 12 rbi, .293 avg
Ortiz: 78 ab, 11hr, 33rbi, .346 avg
The difference is unreal. Simply unreal. We are looking at the guy who is the best when it counts. The guy who is valuable when his team needs value.
Unfortunately, during these 2 innings when the game is on the line, A-Rod probably made a few put outs.
Who gives a f**k.
David Ortiz should be MVP, plain and simple. The guy was a better player who was more valuable to his team. He was the MVP.
Still, A-Rod was the MVP of something. He was the Yankees' Most Valuable 3rd baseman and just missed out on:
Most valuable member on the left side of their infield.
Top 2 most valuable players on the left side of the field.
Say it with me now! M-V-P!! M-V-P!!!
I had to get that out of my system. Now to the more important stuff.
Laguna Beach
A lot of emotions went with the finale of Laguna Beach last night. I don't really know how to say this other than to just say it.
I love that show.
It's just entertaining. In the spirit of baseball's award season, I thought that I should give out some hardware to memorialize the kids of Laguna Beach High.
MVP: Kristin
While this would have not have flown in the baseball world -- after all, for much of the season, Kristin was surprisingly single and did not play the field -- there's no two ways about it but that Kristin is the glue to the show.
Take her away from Laguna and you just don't have it. Sure, she may not have put up the best numbers, but she is the one you need in that beautiful theme by H. Duff to keep us involved.
Biggest herb in the history of mankind: Cedric
Holy shit this kid was painful. No doubt in my mind he was a Yankee fan. And this kid is going to get fame in LA out of this?
Most under-appreciated: Taylor
I'm a big Taylor guy. What a sweetheart this girl was. She was a real friend to Alex M/H/W/Z. She seemed like a really good person. To top that off, she had some of that "I'm going to be a hot WASP-y mom" thing going for her.
Most Improved Player: Jason
Two months ago, all I could say was how bad this kid was. He didn't talk, except for using the word "cruise" to talk about leaving and he salted on my gal Jessica.
Zoom forward to the present, and I have embraced the kid.
His silent game has gotten him every girl in Laguna.
I realied that Jessica, in fact, needed to be salted on.
And just the other day I told AFOMG that I wanted to "cruise" to the deli.
Biggest Letdown: Steven
This kid just slipped. His quirkiness that was overlooked back when he got Kristen and LC just makes him appear to be the "gay best friend" to them now. This kid has a shot to do something special on reality TV. If he brought back some ridiculous girl from San Fran or that he picked up at In and Out, he could have rubbed her in Kristin and LC's place, cementing himself in reality tv history.
Instead, now he is just going to go out like a chump.
First Inductee to Hall of Fame: LC
I dont think I've been at the edge of my seat since I first saw Scream like I was last night when MTV announced "The Hills" : A Laguna Beach spinoff that follows LC to Los Angeles.
Good for LC.
This could have been you, Stevey. Everyone would have wanted to see a show about you going to LA and using your C-list celeb to do the naughty naughty with Lohan, and get in crashes with P. Hilton...oh wait, your boy Talan is already on that.
And now there is a little LC who is going to be on Season 3 of Laguna.
Talk about a winning lottery ticket. Can you imagine growing up in a town where if you are "cool" enough, you get your own show on MTV?
What? MTV has no love for my all boys high school class of 47? Salt.
So now to the Laguna/MVP analogy.
If you were to have two teams, the guys and girls of Laguna, the girls would probably come out on top. After all, they are the focal point of the show.
So for the girls, we have a lineup of
1. Taylor
2. Jessica
3. Kristen
4. Alex H
5. Alex M
Vs. the guys
1. Stephen
2. Cedric
3. Jason
4. Talan
5. Dieter
The two mvp candidates from this season would have to be Jason and Jessica. They were the ones that stole our hearts and captured our minds.
Like, A-Rod, Jessica is not the most valuable player on her team. She just happened to have the best #'s this season. That award goes to Kristen. Without Jessica, the girls would still have a very strong lineup led by Kristen (their real MVP) and surrounded by solid young talent like Taylor.
Now look at the guys. Take Jason away.
All of a sudden, Talan is cruising with...CEDRIC. Those two would get beaten out of Laguna by surfers.
Factor in the over-the-hill status of Steven and the "never-was" status of Dieter and you see... Without Jason "Big Papi Jr." Wilson, the guys of Laguna Beach would be killed.
Yet another reason why this whole A-Rod thing is a sham and why will miss the LB.
Cruisin to Burger King,
Sippy Momo
posted by Sippy Momo at 11:09 AM
1 Comments:
Jon. Seriously. What is your deal? LC is going to L.A. to work at Teen Vogue. It's a sorry excuse to keep something stupid alive in order for Vogue to compete with Ms. Seventeen, a great, great show. I have trouble believing you would be interested in watching these awful people do idiotic, mundane crap for any purpose other than to make ironic references to it on your sports website. How dare you even bring 90210 into the same arena of discussion as Laguna Beach. I think MTV should make a new show all about guys who have sex with girls who were on Laguna Beach in college and then go around saying, "I fucked the chick from Laguna Beach!" I would watch that show.
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