Breaking News: American Sports Media Still Wooing Scrappy White People

by Matthew on Nov 18, 2008 11:15 AM PST in Bad News Comment 64 comments

I know it doesn't come as much of a shock to everyone here, but the BBWAA is still jealous over Scrappy White Player's bitter break up with them. He used to be unloved, neglected, and the BBWAA adopted him like a three-legged FAS puppy, nurturing him with love far beyond what he deserved.

Well, that retarded puppy is all grown up now, and cashing in on the 24-hour news cycle and regional biases and the BBWAA just cannot get over that it's no longer needed. And so, they keep trying to woo their former dunce child back into the fold. They tried candy, they tried praise, and now they're moving on to gifts.

Somebody voted for Raul Ibanez.
Somebody gave Jason Bartlett a 6th place vote.
16 people thought Dustin Pedroia was the MVP in the American League.

I'd like to get worked up into a furor over it, but it's just par for the course for these people. And that's sad. Your profession is to cover baseball, I would hope that you would have enough professional pride and integrity to try and get better at it.

0 recs | Comment 64 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Don't forget the 7th place vote for Mussina.

And who do the stats say was the deserving winner? Cliff Lee?

by Crystal for DH on Nov 18, 2008 11:27 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Morneau over Mauer is pretty inexcusable.

So is a lot of this list.

by Teej on Nov 18, 2008 11:28 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Morneau and Youkilis being 2nd and 3rd

Ahead of people like Mauer and Sizemore is just sad.

by nfreakct on Nov 18, 2008 11:28 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I'm cool with Youk being up there.

He’s probably several wins better than Morneau when defense is factored in.

by Teej on Nov 18, 2008 11:29 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Feh, Pedroia winning it all isn't that inexcusable. He had a great year.

It’s Mauer getting jobbed once again, and Morneau finishing in SECOND PLACE that are really outrageous. I mean, what the hell people?

Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism

by esoteric on Nov 18, 2008 11:31 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah but but

Clutch man. Like, the pressure in like Boston is like totally wicked. You just don’t understand! You never played baseball! GO BACK TO YOUR PARENTS BASEMENT!!!! Yeah… why even bother giving awards? It’s stupid… The voters are stupid… What I dont get is old metrics (BA, RBI’s HR’s) are generally accepted to be truth, but when someone tries to use new metrics we are told stats don’t matter, the game is played on the field. Oh well…

by zeke5123 on Nov 18, 2008 11:49 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

This comment confuses me

by seattlebruin on Nov 18, 2008 11:50 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The switch from sarcasm to not halfway through threw me.

I could be wrong though

by staplemaniac on Nov 18, 2008 11:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So Joe Mauer isn't scrappy?

Furcal

by JI on Nov 18, 2008 11:53 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Nah

He’s 6’5", 220. That’s way too big to be scrappy.

Pedroia’s all of 5’9", 180. It’s not Eckstein-level scrappy, but that’s pretty damned scrappy.

'Catsmeat!' he cried. 'I see it all. It was that chump, Catsmeat.'

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Nov 18, 2008 11:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

5'9" in heels

by SkipT on Nov 18, 2008 12:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder who voted or Raul?

I am no longer in Spokane, but I think I'll keep the name anyway.

by InSpokane on Nov 18, 2008 12:20 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

That should be public knowledge.

That’s why we know who thought Edinson Volquez was a rookie.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Nov 18, 2008 12:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It had to a Seattle Reporter

I am no longer in Spokane, but I think I'll keep the name anyway.

by InSpokane on Nov 18, 2008 12:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I like that the guy that got 1 tenth place vote is the free agent that the whole media wants to throw billions of dollars at

Hypocrisy at its finest

Determined, Jonesing Commentor | Proud proprietor of Washingtonhighways.org

by I'm NOT Corco on Nov 18, 2008 12:27 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

He split leagues

It basically makes him ineligible. If he’d done that for a full season in Anaheim he’d probably win.

Furcal

by JI on Nov 18, 2008 12:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh yeah

Forgot about that little detail

Determined, Jonesing Commentor | Proud proprietor of Washingtonhighways.org

by I'm NOT Corco on Nov 18, 2008 1:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Pedroia lead AL Position Players in WARP

Although the Red Sox make me vomit, Pedroia lead AL hitters in WARP. Lee, Halladay and Rivera were all ahead of him, but there’s a bias against pitcher MVPs because they have their own friggin’ award.

In fact, I would say that A-Rod and Mauer were really the only hitters in the AL that you could say deserved the award more.
However, we can keep bitching becaues it’s criminal as shit soup that Chase Utley has two team mates with more MVPs than he has.
For the record, I would have had 22 RBIs last year if I hit behind Utley and Rollins and Chase Utley would have had 182 RBIs if he hit right behind himself. Which makes Ryan Howards 140 something look pretty weak.

by philosofool on Nov 18, 2008 12:43 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

While I agree with much of the sentiment

WARP has passed it’s expiration date.

Furcal

by JI on Nov 18, 2008 12:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

WARP sucks

by Matthew on Nov 18, 2008 1:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

WARP, or BB/K ratio, or GPA or wOBA

Look at any one of these stats and you’ll see Pedroia among the leaders. At a defensive premium position, which he plays well. Pedroia also put in 726 plate appearances (part of the reason his WARP is so high—it is not a rate stat.) But those plate appearance mean something.

Okay, I probably overstated earlier. There’s a good case to be made for several other players. I still think as much as he’s a minion of the devil, an objective character says that he’s not totally undeserving.

by philosofool on Nov 18, 2008 3:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

There are worse choices, certainly, but he's still not a good one.

by acblue on Nov 18, 2008 3:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

People in front of Pedroia in park adjusted wOBA:

Bradley
Rodriguez
Quentin
Youkilis
Markakis
Ramirez
Drew
Huff
Mauer
Cabrera
Pena
Damon
Kinsler
Giambi
Morneau
Granderson
Ordonez
Hamilton
Cust
Abreu
Guerrero
Sizemore
Byrd
Roberts
Shoppach