Ripped off

In case you wonder why Sox fans hate the Stinkins:

Alex Rodriguez won the American League Most Valuable Player award for the second time in three seasons, beating David Ortiz on Monday in a vote that rewarded a position player over a designated hitter.

Rodriguez, in his second season as the New York Yankees' third baseman, received 16 first-place votes, 11 seconds and one third for 331 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Ortiz, the DH for the Boston Red Sox, got 11 firsts and 17 seconds for 307 points. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Vladimir Guerrero received the other first-place vote and was third with 196 points.

"I think defense, for the most part, being a balanced player and also saving a lot of runs on the defensive side, I think was a major factor here," Rodriguez said.

Voters valued defense over clutch. Ortiz was Mr. Clutch all season, as well as in the postseason, a period when A-Rod was, A-Hem, less so:

Voting was done before the start of the postseason, when both the Yankees and Red Sox were eliminated in the first round. Rodriguez hit .133 with no RBIs in a five-game loss to the Angels while Ortiz batted .333 with a home run as the defending champion Red Sox were swept by the Chicago White Sox.

Good voting, chumps. Where was your "most valuable player" when it mattered? Mine was hitting .333 in the postseason. But if it makes you feel better that your .133 hitter played defense in between making outs, good for you.

The most valuable player is valuable in situations that matter most. It's all about clutch. Would you rather have a player who hits 40 solo home runs, none after the sixth inning, in games in which the team goes 15-25; or a player hits 30 home runs but consistently performs in the late innings, when the team needs a hit to tie or win a game -- a guy who, when he steps to the plate, you think, "there's no other hitter I'd rather see at-bat in this situation"?

You don't like the DH, don't think it's a legitimate position? Get rid of DH. I'll second that motion right now. But don't punish designated hitters.

David Ortiz was the most valuable player in the American League in 2005. Period.