Quantum Physics......
No sorry, the AL MVP voting was announced today and Dustin Pedroia wins, which is fine, he is as deserving as anyone. Five voters put Cliff Lee on their ballots which is still fine. Now here is what I don't get, one voter listed Mike Mussina on the ballot but no one voted for Roy Halladay.
How can Mike Mussina be a candidate for MVP and Doc not be? Is it time to take the vote away from the baseball writers and give it to....I don't know....some trained baboons or something? Fortunately the nice man, Mark Feinsand from the New York Daily News, who voted for Mussina (and no other pitchers) wrote why:
8. Mike Mussina, Yankees: The only pitcher on my ballot, Mussina benefited from playing for the team I cover. It's only natural to appreciate a player's season if you get the chance to witness the entire thing in person, and nothing was more enjoyable for me this year than watching Mussina's renaissance. Mussina's 20-9 record made him the oldest first-time 20-game winner, as he trailed only Cy Young winner Cliff Lee in victories. His 3.37 ERA ranked sixth in the AL and he finished in the top 10 in winning percentage (.690) and WHIP (1.22), as Mussina put together a season no one could have envisioned. The Yankees missed the playoffs, but without Mussina, they would have been out of the race a lot earlier than they were. If this was in fact the final season for Mussina, he went out on the highest of high notes. On a separate note, 18 of the 28 voters put Alex Rodriguez on their ballot. Really? In my estimation, A-Rod was probably the fifth-most valuable player on the Yankees behind Mussina, Mariano Rivera, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu. I know he had great overall stats, but if you watched the Yankees on a regular basis, you know he was far from their MVP, let alone the league's MVP.
Hmmmm he gets the vote because he is the oldest first time 20 game winner. Being an answer on a Trivial Pursuit card is a reason to vote for someone? Oh and he had a 20-9 record, compared to Doc's 20-11 record. His ERA was 3.37 and Doc's was 2.78. His whip 1.22, Doc's 1.05. And he 'put together a season what no one could have envisioned', while Doc was just great like always. But the award isn't called 'Surprising Season Award.
Other stat comparisons....Doc completed 9 games, Moose 0. Doc pitched 246 innings, Moose 200. Doc struck out 206, Mussina 150.
And this guy is an expert.......