MVP?

Today it was announced that Joey Votto of the Reds won the National League's Most Valuable Player award in Major League Baseball. One of the men he beat out was The Cardinal's Albert Pujols. As a Cubs fan, I could care less who got the award between these two players, as both of them are players for Central Division rivals of the cubbies. The problem I have is how by awarding Votto the MVR, they have taken away the integrity of this year's Silver Slugger and Golden Glove awards for First Base.

Albert Pujols won both of those awards, showcasing that he was considered the best offensive and defensive player at first base among all national league first base players. Hold up, Pujols was voted the best offensive AND defensive player of the year among all national league first baseman, but Votto, another first base player, won the MVP? He must have stole 60 bases then to counter those and win MVP! Nope.

It appears that the awards were decidedly split to give Pujols a "second place" trophy, which just diminishes the value. The voters should have given all three awards to votto, or split the slugger and glove awards between the two, because now the league has just created a glaring contradiction in the forms of the three shiny trophies.

I'm going to bed

A different kind of nerd

I haven't posted on here in forever, but that doesn't mean I have forgotten about this blog. Recently I saw a commercial on ESPN where two jock looking high school students wearing letterman jackets are sitting in the cafeteria discussing baseball statistics. To be more specific they are arguing about the ERA difference between San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum for home games versus away games. Then several geeky looking kids are seen standing over the jocks and one of the dorks says: "Nerds."

No, this article isn't about the stereotypes of the commercial, but rather how much truth there is to that commercial. I have always been a sports fan. When I was in junior high I watched basketball. In high school I started watching football and more recently for me, I have gotten into baseball. One of the things that the people I work with and talk baseball with have noticed I have become a fan of the stats side of baseball and I believe this is one of the main reasons I have really connected with the sport as of late. More than any other sport, baseball allows me to bring my nerdiness and use in a sport!

When basketball fans talk, they reminisce of the spectacular jam. Football players talk about an amazing hit, or great touchdown run. Baseball players talk in numbers. Pujols went 3 for 5. Zambrano lasted 6 and 2/3 innings with only 1 earned run. While I have never been good at math, exploring different formulas and ways of calculating a player's worth has kept me fascinated well past the final inning of a great game. So much that I actually went to a SABR meeting!

Baseball. The sport of nerds...unless you count chess.