It is clear that there are two position players in the major leagues-Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds-that are light years ahead of anyone else, and they will both receive consideration for the Most Valuable Player awards in their respective leagues. In fact, Bonds will likely run away with the award in the National League, in the process becoming the first player to win five MVP Awards.
The real race for the MVP will be in the AL, as Rodriguez will be challenged by Miguel Tejada of Oakland, among others. Alfonso Soriano and Jason Giambi of the Yankees and Garrett Anderson of the Angels will also receive consideration, but I see this as a two-horse race right now.
In almost every statistic, Rodriguez is head and shoulders above Tejada. That is not to say that Tejada is an unworthy candidate-he has had an excellent season-but Rodriguez is just that good. He is the best hitter in the AL, plays near flawless defense at one of the most important defensive positions on the field and is the best rounded player in the major leagues. Tejada is getting a lot of attention this year, attention that should have come years ago, but his accomplishments pale in the face of A-Rod.
The only reason that Rodriguez might not win the award is that he plays for the Rangers, the worst team in the AL West. I don't think that this should take away from his accomplishments, and I think that he should win the award.
First, the idea that the Rangers play no important games after April is simply a fallacy. Ask the Mariners. Last week the Rangers swept the Mariners in a four-game series, ending the Mariners playoff chances. The Rangers play an important role in the playoff race, only they aren't the team fighting for a berth.
Secondly, the Rangers aren't that bad. Yes, they are a laughingstock because of the lack of balance between their offense and their pitching. But, right now, the Rangers are on pace to win approximately 75 games. There are currently six teams in the American League with worse records than the Rangers, so they are not even as bad as advertised. The fact that they play in the AL West, which is the best division in baseball and also only has four teams, skews the perception of fans towards the team.
Third, I don't think that a player should be penalized for his team, or for his contract, when MVP voting comes around. A-Rod is the best player in the league. Even though it is not always the best player that wins the MVP award, more often than not, it is. Every year there seems to be some new criterion that voters take upon themselves to implement, like when Pedro Martinez was snubbed three years ago when many voters decided that a pitcher could not be an MVP. Now that attitude may take away the award from A-Rod.
The voters should vote based upon their instructions, which say that the ability of the team to win is not to be a detriment to the player. And if they cannot do this, they should lose their right to vote on the award. Whoever wins the award this year, be it A-Rod or Tejada, they will have great numbers to back it up. But A-Rod has had a much better season and is more deserving of the award, and it will only be through the whims of the voters that he will be denied what is rightfully his.
Patriots reign supreme
Since the Super Bowl last year, we have seen two teams and franchises move in opposite directions. Thus far this year, the Rams have tanked and the Patriots have looked like the best team in the league.
I think that the biggest reason behind the early season directions taken by their two teams has been the coaching staffs that lead them. Mike Martz, the "offensive genius," has not done an effective job using the many options that he has on the Rams high-powered offense. And this isn't all about the decision to go for it on fourth down last week when a chip shot field goal would have tied the game, Martz's whole game plan has been flawed. In that loss to Denver last week, Martz completely abandoned the running game, which is idiotic when you have Marshall Faulk in the backfield.
On the other hand, the Patriots coaching staff has made all the right moves. Bill Belichick often gets all of the credit for the Pats resurgence, but offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss has been a big part of the Patriots success this year. He has consistently kept other teams off balance with his play calling and the Patriots have been a dominating offensive team this year.
It is still early in the season, but these two teams are going in different directions. The NFL seems to be the league where coaches can have the most impact on a game, and currently the Rams coaches have done more to hurt their team than to help it.
Most people have viewed the Patriots success last year as a fluke of monumental proportions, but they are proving the naysayers wrong this year. The Rams are the ones who are experiencing the hangover of a Super Bowl experience, not the Pats.
Charged Bills
In another Patriots related tidbit, the decision of the patriots to jettison Drew Bledsoe for relatively nothing will come back to haunt them. Bledsoe is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL and he continues to play at a high level right now. On Sunday he reached the 30,000-yard mark, the third fastest ascent to that mark in the history of the NFL, and he still has plenty left in his tank. He has led the Bills to a 1-1 record so far, but in both those games he has thrown a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime and a game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation.
What hurt Bledsoe the most in his final seasons in New England was the poor team that surrounded him. No one in the NFL could have led those teams to the playoffs, and Bledsoe bore the brunt of the criticism. He had no running game, a suspect offensive line and an average defense and special teams. Last year Tom Brady was the beneficiary of a good defense, great special teams and, most of all, he was lucky. The Patriots offense only scored three touchdowns in four playoff games-the fewest in the history of Super Bowl winners-and Brady did nothing special in that time.
I know that the Patriots had to get rid of Bledsoe, but I would have expected them to get more in return. Brady has been great thus far for the Pats, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bledsoe haunts the Patriots in the years to come.