What rights do we have have as fans of sports? Do we have to show class? Can we cheer when we want? Boo when we want? Can we throw things on the field to show our displeasure of calls made or teams performance? The apparent answer is yes.. but.. The word fan is from the word fanatic. All sports fans have fanatical behavior. Whether it is good behavior or bad, we as fans have a right to be anything we want to be because we spent a ton of money to go to a stadium and arena and watch a game. If we get out of line, which is our right, there are ramifications for our behavior. Someone can point us out to stadium security and have us removed. Someone can have us arrested. Someone can, yes folks, kick the living crap out of us if that is the situation. Someone can also move from their seat. Someone can actually join us in our fanaticism. We are fans and we pay the salaries of the participants on the field, so you cannot tell me how to behave.
Now if you believe that is how i truly feel, I have some swamp land property to sell you in Jersey that has gold, diamonds and oil on it. Eric Winston is 75% right with what he did and said. The only problem that i have with what he said is that he blamed all Chief fans and the city of Kansas City. Every person at the game said he overreacted and generalized when he gave his assessment of the cheering at the stadium. His point is simply no one should be cheering when someone on your team is hurt should be cheering. Matt Cassell has been trying like crazy to get back to the form that enabled him to lead the Chiefs to a division title three years ago. He was injured all season last year and the team fell apart. They have a great running game and he was a perfect compliment to that running attack. What we stupidly do in our society is lump the money he makes into the action on the field and we think that if he or she is a millionaire they are invincible. They can't get hurt because they are being paid 66 million dollars. They are not human. They are my property because I am paying his salary because I am at the the game. Fans are ignorant beyond belief at times. We have a God given right to cheer or boo when we ant to but we need to use common sense and decency. Matt Cassell chose a profession where people get hurt. We should n't boo even when the opposing player gets hurt. What is the point of sportsmanship if being fanatical is accepted behavior at inopportune times.
There is a story about a rugby player in England who this past weekend played in a championship game and ruptured and lost one of his testicles. Would you cheer that? His name is Paul Wood and not only did he rupture his testicle he played with the pain and injury for 20 minutes after he suffered the incident. Fans would cheer people like him because he was willing to lose his testicle in order to try and help his team win a world championship. He was asked today on the Dan Patrick show what was more painful, losing one testicle or losing the game. He said losing the game. My point with this story is that athletes around the world in all sports do whatever it takes to win in most cases for us fans to succeed. They sacrifice there body, minds, life for us to have 3 hours of an escape every time they play. Whether it is Willis Reed limping on the court in the sixties, Jack Youngblood playing a Super Bowl on a broken leg or Isiah Thomas on bad ankle scoring 42 against the Lakers, Micheal playing with 103 temperature in game 5 to help Bulls defeat the Jazz, or Matt Cassell going through rehab to get back on the field to try and help the Chiefs win a football game, fans need to understand the sacrifice and effort these people do for us. They deserve our best behavior and respect. Events of recent weeks indicate that we still that we have a say as to what happens on the field. Brave fans throwing beer bottles on the field because the umpire made a bad judgement call shows that more to me than ever before. I am no saint either, but at least I know when to draw the line.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Alex Rodriguez or Mark Sanchez: who gets it worse?
Earlier this year I blogged about how Tony Romo and Andy Roddick get crushed by the media because of their inability to walk on water. The criticism of Romo has not relented as his Cowboys are a mediocre 2-2 and have had two very bad lossess to Seattle and Chicago. Roddick retired. Nothing left to say about him. Mark Sancez and Alex Rodriguez play in the media capital of the world and every move they make is scrutinized. No matter the excuse or justification surrounding what they have done or not done, the New York media absolutely destroys them. The problem i have with it written or said about both men is that they have been both set up to fail or have put themselves in situations where they have no one to blame for their failures. Let me elaborate...
Alex Rodriguez has been linked to two players his entire career. Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra played the same position that Alex did and they were supposed to revolutionize the position both offensively and defensively. They have done just that. The difference between the three is that Derek Jeter is a 5 time World champ, has 3000 plus hits and generally recognized as this generations greatest leader of men. Nomar's career was interrupted several times because of injuries. He could have been apart of the Red Sox teams that won two world titles. His trade to the Cubs, then Dodgers, marred what could have been a Hall of Fame career. What Alex does not possess that the other two seem to have is likability. He has been critcized from day one because he not as "quiet" as Jeter or Nomar. He was teamed with Ken Griffey Jr. and never seemed to learn the importance of being simply just being seen and not heard will give you longevity in this league. people critcize him because he signed the largest sports contract in American sports. He is getting paid 24 million dollars and is only hitting .179 in his most recent two post seasons. He has not hit homeruns or driven in runs like he was paid to do and people question his commitment and even if his gaudy career number were a by product of steroid use. Last night, the word is that Alex cannot hit a fastball anymore. I can understand a fastball going 97-100 miles an hour, but 89, 90, 91? If the Yankees could trade him he would have been gone years ago. He has had only one stellar post season and that was in 2009. There is nothing the Yankees can do other than move him down in the lineup or flat out buy him out. Alex has brought most of his critcism on himself. He has been quoted in books and magazine articles criticizing Jeter. These next few games will be interestin to say the least.
Mr. Sanchez is a completely different story because he has not come to New York telling the world that he is the greatest thing since butter pecan ice cream. Sanchez's problem is simply the Jets failed him. They give him receivers and then they take them away. He had Braylon Edwards for a season. He had Plaxico Burress for a season. They Jets brass got rid of both of them. His go to guys Dustin Keller is oft injured and Santonio Holmes is the most overrated number 1 receivers in the game. He had a good Super Bowl because the Cardinals were focused on stopping Hines Ward. He made the catch for the ages and hasn't produced since. NOt only do the Jets take away his weapons, they bring in a lockerroom divider in Tim Tebow. Tebow stands there and says all of the politically correct things to say and gains the respect of half the locker room. Last year in Denver he took a mediocre Denver Bronco team to the second round of the playoffs. He is not better than Sanchez, but different. I can complete more passes than Tebow, but Tebow just finds a way to just win. Maybe the defense knows that they have really buckle down and play hard to stay in the game because if there is 2 minutes on the clock and they have a chance Tebow can win the game. Sanchez spoiled Jet fans by leading the Jets to the championship game in his first two years. In both games, the Jets literally were one good half from winning. They dominated the first half against the Colts and dominated the second half against the Steelers. Sanchez last night played as hard and determined a game as i ever seen him play. He did not allow Mr. Foster to run for 152 yards. He did not create the confusion on the sidelines which forced the Jets to burn important timeouts. Give the man a break and give him some talent to throw to. If he does not produce with the talent given him, then by all means bring in Tebow. He is going to need therapy...
Winning will quiet everyone in both Alex's case and Sanchez's..The Yankees must get to the next round. The Jets better beat the Colts this weekend. The world is watching...
Alex Rodriguez has been linked to two players his entire career. Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra played the same position that Alex did and they were supposed to revolutionize the position both offensively and defensively. They have done just that. The difference between the three is that Derek Jeter is a 5 time World champ, has 3000 plus hits and generally recognized as this generations greatest leader of men. Nomar's career was interrupted several times because of injuries. He could have been apart of the Red Sox teams that won two world titles. His trade to the Cubs, then Dodgers, marred what could have been a Hall of Fame career. What Alex does not possess that the other two seem to have is likability. He has been critcized from day one because he not as "quiet" as Jeter or Nomar. He was teamed with Ken Griffey Jr. and never seemed to learn the importance of being simply just being seen and not heard will give you longevity in this league. people critcize him because he signed the largest sports contract in American sports. He is getting paid 24 million dollars and is only hitting .179 in his most recent two post seasons. He has not hit homeruns or driven in runs like he was paid to do and people question his commitment and even if his gaudy career number were a by product of steroid use. Last night, the word is that Alex cannot hit a fastball anymore. I can understand a fastball going 97-100 miles an hour, but 89, 90, 91? If the Yankees could trade him he would have been gone years ago. He has had only one stellar post season and that was in 2009. There is nothing the Yankees can do other than move him down in the lineup or flat out buy him out. Alex has brought most of his critcism on himself. He has been quoted in books and magazine articles criticizing Jeter. These next few games will be interestin to say the least.
Mr. Sanchez is a completely different story because he has not come to New York telling the world that he is the greatest thing since butter pecan ice cream. Sanchez's problem is simply the Jets failed him. They give him receivers and then they take them away. He had Braylon Edwards for a season. He had Plaxico Burress for a season. They Jets brass got rid of both of them. His go to guys Dustin Keller is oft injured and Santonio Holmes is the most overrated number 1 receivers in the game. He had a good Super Bowl because the Cardinals were focused on stopping Hines Ward. He made the catch for the ages and hasn't produced since. NOt only do the Jets take away his weapons, they bring in a lockerroom divider in Tim Tebow. Tebow stands there and says all of the politically correct things to say and gains the respect of half the locker room. Last year in Denver he took a mediocre Denver Bronco team to the second round of the playoffs. He is not better than Sanchez, but different. I can complete more passes than Tebow, but Tebow just finds a way to just win. Maybe the defense knows that they have really buckle down and play hard to stay in the game because if there is 2 minutes on the clock and they have a chance Tebow can win the game. Sanchez spoiled Jet fans by leading the Jets to the championship game in his first two years. In both games, the Jets literally were one good half from winning. They dominated the first half against the Colts and dominated the second half against the Steelers. Sanchez last night played as hard and determined a game as i ever seen him play. He did not allow Mr. Foster to run for 152 yards. He did not create the confusion on the sidelines which forced the Jets to burn important timeouts. Give the man a break and give him some talent to throw to. If he does not produce with the talent given him, then by all means bring in Tebow. He is going to need therapy...
Winning will quiet everyone in both Alex's case and Sanchez's..The Yankees must get to the next round. The Jets better beat the Colts this weekend. The world is watching...
Friday, October 5, 2012
Athlete says what most probaly are thinking
Finally someone says the sad truth..
Today I heard a college athlete at a "prestigiuos" athletic university say something that I am sure that most people in this country think. Cardele Jones, third string quarterback at Ohio St. University is being quoted as saying," why should we have to go to class if we came here to play football, we aint come here to play school, classes are pointless"!!! Now I added the exclamation points for emphasis. Clearly most people will point out the poor word choice and lack of grammatical integrity in his statement as a reason why he needs to go to school. The fact remains though many people around the college athletic profession I am certain have heard that sentiment. Most of these athletes are not going to college to get an education. They are going to school to enhance their ability to play professional sports. The unfortuneate reality is that not everyone gets an opportunity to play professional sports.
Espn aired a documentary called "broke" this week and the timing of the statement could not be better to explain why you need a college degree. Most young athletes think that they are going to be rich forever when they sign that contract and it is not the case. The NBA and NFL have put rules in place that limit the amount of money the rookies can make and have made contract improvements or raises only implemented after 3 or 4 years in each league. Gone are the days when a rookie can come into the league and get a 8 year, 60 million dollar contract. The new collective bargaining agreement has put a crimp into that. What Mr. Jones does not realize that is the average NFL career is 3and 1/2 years and the only money that is guranteed is a signing bonus. There are several sad tales of athletes who got paid under the old system and don't have any money left to live off of because of frivilous and loose spending. Iam not going to name names, but ESPN put out a list of athletes who filed for bankruptcy over the past 15 years and the list is shocking. Not everyone is Shaquille Oneal, Micheal Jordan or Cal Ripken. LLife does not end after your athletic career is over. You need to be able to take care of yourself and you family beyond your twenties and thirties.
Universities are now being punished for not graduating players. The NCAA passed a rule a couple of years ago that if you are below standards, you will not be able to play in the NCAA basketball tournament or benefit financially from the success of that. Some people speculate that Connecticut being placed on that list for this upcoming season is one of the reasons why Jim Calhoun retired. I laugh at the basketball portion of the NCAA because they allow for athletes to leave college when they 19 years old to pursue professional careers. Most athletes that know that they are going to leave school early stop going to class after spring break or the NCAA tournament. Why should they go to class if they know that next year they are not going to be there right?
YOU need to go to class young fella!!! Most adults will tell you the hardest part about life is that nothing last forever and you have to spend a lot of your life re-inventing yourself and finding out ways to earn money. The documentary "broke" showed the after affects of playing football for some of these guys because they were not only financially "broke", but spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically "broke" as well. Enjoy being a young man. Enjoy learning about life instead being forced to live life. I hope someone can reach him and tell him that he is one tackle in practice away from working at a clothing store or McDonalds. There is nothing wrong with those jobs, but I gurantee you he did not go Ohio St. to do that.
Wild card baseball keeps us riveted until the end
The Wild Card in Baseball keeps us Riveted until the end of the season..
One of the biggest critcisms of baseball is that the season is too long. There are 162 games that is spread out over 7 months. Most baseball fans dont have a problem with the amount of games but with the length of them. This year Major League baseball decided to implement another game so that the wild card could be significant and more teams would have a chance to get into the post season. Last year, Boston and Atlanta endured collapses that ransacked the Red Sox organzation and humiliated the Braves. Both teams had sizable leads over Tampa and St.Louis and lost them on the last day. This year in both leagues 4 teams had a chance to get into the postseason with 5 games left to play. The Dodgers, Cards, Braves, and Brewers were chasing down the final spots. In the A.L. the Angels, A's, Rays, and Orioles were doing likewise.
In the N.L. the Braves had clinched one spot with a week to go and they had their sites set on trying to win the division. The Nationals however had other plans and were able to get it done without the services of Steven Strasburg. The Nats decided to rest Strasburg who was coming off of Tommy John surgery and the teams put him on an innings limit. The Cardinals won the other spot after the Dodgers suffered a back breaking loss to the Giants. The previous night the Dodger had rallied in the ninth inning averting elimination and most of us thought that they could use that momentum to forge a one game playoff. It did not happen.
In the American League, the Orioles and A's emerged as the two teams that were trying to upset the divisions that they are in. The Yankees and Rangers had been in first place all year and only the Yankees were able to topple the Orioles. The Athletics defeated Texas three straight head to head, which not only eliminated the Angels and Rays, but ascended them to the top of the A.L. west. This accomplishment is extraordinary if you consider that the A's have the lowest payroll of contending teams and no star pitcher. The A's have 18 players that make less than a million dollars. Only 12 players make over a million on the entire roster. Bob Melvin is the clear cut manager of the year for what his team achieved.
The wild card is significant this year because the winner of the play in game gets to host two games against the top seed which will put extra pressure on that top seed to win one game on the road or sweep all three games at home. The Yankees and Nationals are the top seeds. The two first round games pit the Atlanta Braves against the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals and the second game pits the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. The Rangers/ Orioles matchup is intriguing because both teams can score runs at any time and in bunches. The Orioles were 30-9 in one run games this year which is off the charts. The Orioles have won 15 straight extra inning games including winning earlier this season in 19 innings in Seattle. Texas's Josh Hamilton is looking for some vindication after he "flubbed" a routine fly ball that allowed two runs to score in the Oakland game that turned out to be the game in which the A's won the division over the Rangers. Hamilton also hit 4 home runs ina game this year against the Orioles in May.
In the N.L. the Braves are playing to allow certain first ballot hall of famer Chipper Jones an opportunity to prolong his career. The Braves this year were 5-1 against the Cards and are throwing Chris Medlin who does not know how to lose. the braves have 23 straight starts of Medlins and clearly he has been the best pitcher in baseball since August. The Cardinals are used to this role of playing spoiler based on last season's heroics. They not only roared through the playoffs with clutch pitching performances but David Frese is a "walkoff" hitting machine. Ask the Rangers in the World Series about his prowess.
So as much as most people don't like the wild cat format, you cannot dispute how riveted most of has been because of the importance placed on these games in September. Would the right teams have gotten into the playoffs this year? That is up to your interpretation of what the "right " teams are. Chipper getting onelast chance on the big stage is pretty cool and would have happened based on last years format. Baltimore and Texas would have had to have a one game playoff to determine who was in. who would not have been excited to see that. Next year the format will change and they will probably be more games added. If they are exciting like the season has been, I am all for it...
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
I am tired of..
You know what I am tired of in sports is hyperbole Monday or overreaction Tuesday. I listen to sports radio shows or talking hairdo shows on a daily basis and you would swear that the broadcasters are personally invested in each team and player around the leagues. This past 10 months in sports we have heard every comment one can make about Tony Romo, Mark Sanchez, Jay Cutler, Albert Pujols, Lebron James,Tim Tebow, just to name a few. I am so tired hear about these men. I am tired of hearing radio hosts say that they don't buy into the hyperbole Monday or Overreaction syndrome of sports and then they do. Dan Patrick started this kick about Peyton Manning's arm strength is not what it should be. Manning apparently cannot complete passes over 20 yards and that teams should just jam his receivers and dare the Broncos to beat them deep. Even though this season Manning is averaging over 280 yards a game passing, something is still wrong with his arm.. Even though last week against the Raiders he was 30-38 for 338 yards something is still wrong with Mannings arm. The two losses against Atlanta and Houston( who are both unbeaten still) Manning played poorly in the first half but rallied his team back to have a chance to win each game and someone says something is still wrong with his arm.
Then there is Mark Sanchez. Everyone criticized ESPN for all of this extra coverage of the New York Jets. Mark Sanchez is going to need therapy soon if he is not already in therapy. The Jets have played Pittsburgh, San Fransisco, Miami, and Buffalo. The first two teams are defensive machines that beat up every quarterback. San Fransisco has wins against Green Bay and Detroit who have two qb's that threw for a combined 9700 yards last year. The Niners made them look foolish. Sancez is being set up to fail because the most important thing to the Jets is to be "Paper Champions" and get headlines instead of victories. I can say this because they did nothing to improve their team on either side of the ball. they brought in no weapons to help Sanchez. They brought in Tebow to create problems for the team. i am tired of hearing about Tebow and quarterback controversies especially in New York. This is not Denver. There is a quarterback in the division named Tom Brady who knows how to win games. There is no Carson Palmer, Matt Cassell or Phillip Rivers lurking in this division who all under achieve. The controversy is bad for football because it takes away from the good things that happening around the NFL. Matt Ryan has been phenomenal. Arizona is getting a redemptive performance from Kevin Kolb. Rookie quarterbacks are playing at a level that no one has ever seen. Sanchez deserves to be treated with much more respect than he gets. He has no one to throw too. Keller is always hurt. Holmes is a overrated diva. He has no running game. Shon Greene was supposed to inherit the throw and he has disappointed. I am tired of people blaming the wrong person. Watch the games and learn something about them before you pinpoint the problems.
Tony Romo on Monday night was 31-43 which is over 60 percetnt completeion ratio and Joe Theisman and the rest of America blames him for the loss. Yes he threw 5 picks. How many balls did Dez Bryant drop that would have kept drives alive? I am tired of hearing about Romo did not do this or Romo did not do that. How about the balls that Austin dropped? Dallas is 2-2 and tied with the Giants and the Redskins. Mike Vick has 9 turnoversand the Eagles are in first place. The Eagle fans want to get rid of him too. The Cowboys come back from their bye week with a game against the Ravens. The Jets play Houston on Monday. I cant believe that I am defending the Jets and the Cowboys. I must be really tired..
Then there is Mark Sanchez. Everyone criticized ESPN for all of this extra coverage of the New York Jets. Mark Sanchez is going to need therapy soon if he is not already in therapy. The Jets have played Pittsburgh, San Fransisco, Miami, and Buffalo. The first two teams are defensive machines that beat up every quarterback. San Fransisco has wins against Green Bay and Detroit who have two qb's that threw for a combined 9700 yards last year. The Niners made them look foolish. Sancez is being set up to fail because the most important thing to the Jets is to be "Paper Champions" and get headlines instead of victories. I can say this because they did nothing to improve their team on either side of the ball. they brought in no weapons to help Sanchez. They brought in Tebow to create problems for the team. i am tired of hearing about Tebow and quarterback controversies especially in New York. This is not Denver. There is a quarterback in the division named Tom Brady who knows how to win games. There is no Carson Palmer, Matt Cassell or Phillip Rivers lurking in this division who all under achieve. The controversy is bad for football because it takes away from the good things that happening around the NFL. Matt Ryan has been phenomenal. Arizona is getting a redemptive performance from Kevin Kolb. Rookie quarterbacks are playing at a level that no one has ever seen. Sanchez deserves to be treated with much more respect than he gets. He has no one to throw too. Keller is always hurt. Holmes is a overrated diva. He has no running game. Shon Greene was supposed to inherit the throw and he has disappointed. I am tired of people blaming the wrong person. Watch the games and learn something about them before you pinpoint the problems.
Tony Romo on Monday night was 31-43 which is over 60 percetnt completeion ratio and Joe Theisman and the rest of America blames him for the loss. Yes he threw 5 picks. How many balls did Dez Bryant drop that would have kept drives alive? I am tired of hearing about Romo did not do this or Romo did not do that. How about the balls that Austin dropped? Dallas is 2-2 and tied with the Giants and the Redskins. Mike Vick has 9 turnoversand the Eagles are in first place. The Eagle fans want to get rid of him too. The Cowboys come back from their bye week with a game against the Ravens. The Jets play Houston on Monday. I cant believe that I am defending the Jets and the Cowboys. I must be really tired..
Cabrera or Mike Trout
Today is the final act of the epic stories of Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers. The season for both Detroit and Anaheim have been disappointing in a lot of ways, but at least Detroit is going to the playoffs. The Angels invested a cruiseship of money on their team this season. They gave Albert Pujols the second richest contract in professional sports. He has been very good this season. a slow start in April curtailed his numbers, and he has most people out here chomping at the bit for next season. The person from the Angels that emerged as the "man" on that team this year has been a 20 year old Rookie named Mike Trout. Trout has become the first rookie in baseball history to hit 30 homeruns and steal 40 plus bases. He is second in the league in batting average, has scored over 120 runs and has played the best defensive centerfield that most has seen since Jim Edmonds roamed the outfield for the Angels. Trout did not even make the club in April which makes his number even more extraordinary. He easily could have been a 40-50 guy which is ironic because before the season started Matt Kemp of the Dodgers pledged that he could go 50-50. Injuries of course derailed his quest after an epic start. Trout is drawing comparisons to Micky Mantle because of his look, epic power, speed, and the way he simply plays baseball. He is a gifted young player and the sky is the limit. He is geeting a lot of consideration because of this new stat in baseball called WAR, which is an anacrynom for Wins Above Replacement. Since he has been on the Angel roster the team has a great winning percentage and the turn around of the Angel season literally started when he was implemented into the everyday lineup. Next year the Angels if they stay healthy will be the team to beat undoubtedly.
Miguel Cabrera has been in hell and has found a way to turn it around and become the positive story of the season. He has battled alcoholism and had arrest issues in the last few off seasons. He has been criticized for his weight gain and lack of fitness. The one thing that no could or can take away from him is that the man can flat out hit a baseball. Ever since he was a 20 year old helping Florida win the world series in 2003, he has been a beast. He will probably get 3000 hits and hit 500 plus homeruns, whch would be extraordinary since he plays in a pitcher friendly park. This season he is on the verge of making baseball history by winning the triple crown. No one has won the triple crown in baseball since Carl Yastremski did it in 1967. Only 10 players have ever won the triple crown in baseball history. In the National League no one has done it since 1937. Joe Medwick was the last one to achieve that feat. Cabrera is leading in all of the major categories in baseball. He has the most homeruns, r.b.i's, and has the best batting average. He has over 200 hits and has not been the liability on the defensive side like most people presumed he would be. The kicker is that his team is oing to the post season and to me that carries the most weight.
So in my opinion the M.V.P. will be Cabrera because of the fact that he is about to do something that no one thought could be done again because of the steroid era. Most people feel that since homerun numbers were going up that that stat would hurt anyone's chance of winning the triple crown. Players today don't care about how many times they strike out. Curtis Granderson and Adam Dunn strike out a lot but both this season have hit over 40 home runs and driven in 100 runs but have crappy batting averages. Edwin Encarnacion has 42 homeruns and has carried the Blue Jays this year but he has a lot of solo homers. The point is that you have to be a player who can hit for average and most homerun hitters don do that. Barry Bond had a high batting average because he was walked 200 times a year. He would not be allowed to hit in r.b.i. situations. So what Cabrera is doing is extremely special. He is lucky to have a guy like Prince Fielder hitting behind him so teams have to pick their poison. Unfortuneately they have chosen wrong this season and Miguel Cabrera will be your American League M.V.P..
Miguel Cabrera has been in hell and has found a way to turn it around and become the positive story of the season. He has battled alcoholism and had arrest issues in the last few off seasons. He has been criticized for his weight gain and lack of fitness. The one thing that no could or can take away from him is that the man can flat out hit a baseball. Ever since he was a 20 year old helping Florida win the world series in 2003, he has been a beast. He will probably get 3000 hits and hit 500 plus homeruns, whch would be extraordinary since he plays in a pitcher friendly park. This season he is on the verge of making baseball history by winning the triple crown. No one has won the triple crown in baseball since Carl Yastremski did it in 1967. Only 10 players have ever won the triple crown in baseball history. In the National League no one has done it since 1937. Joe Medwick was the last one to achieve that feat. Cabrera is leading in all of the major categories in baseball. He has the most homeruns, r.b.i's, and has the best batting average. He has over 200 hits and has not been the liability on the defensive side like most people presumed he would be. The kicker is that his team is oing to the post season and to me that carries the most weight.
So in my opinion the M.V.P. will be Cabrera because of the fact that he is about to do something that no one thought could be done again because of the steroid era. Most people feel that since homerun numbers were going up that that stat would hurt anyone's chance of winning the triple crown. Players today don't care about how many times they strike out. Curtis Granderson and Adam Dunn strike out a lot but both this season have hit over 40 home runs and driven in 100 runs but have crappy batting averages. Edwin Encarnacion has 42 homeruns and has carried the Blue Jays this year but he has a lot of solo homers. The point is that you have to be a player who can hit for average and most homerun hitters don do that. Barry Bond had a high batting average because he was walked 200 times a year. He would not be allowed to hit in r.b.i. situations. So what Cabrera is doing is extremely special. He is lucky to have a guy like Prince Fielder hitting behind him so teams have to pick their poison. Unfortuneately they have chosen wrong this season and Miguel Cabrera will be your American League M.V.P..
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