ARod Wins MVP. Despite his worst offensive season since 1999, Alex Rodriguez won the American League MVP:

   Player           1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10  Tot Bal
 1 Rodriguez, TEX   6  5  6  6  2  1  1  -  1  -  242  28
 2 Delgado, TOR     5  8  3  1  1  2  4  1  1  -  210  26
 3 Posada, NYY      5  4  4  3  4  1  1  -  1  -  194  23
 4 Stewart, MIN     3  2  2  3  2  3  2  1  2  1  140  21
 5 Ortiz, BOS       4  3  2  2  -  3  -  -  1  -  130  15
 6 Ramirez, BOS     1  3  3  1  1  1  2  3  1  1  103  17
 7 Garciaparra, BOS 1  2  1  -  6  2  2  1  -  2   99  17
 8 Wells, TOR       1  -  1  3  1  1  4  3  2  1   84  17
 9 Beltran, KC      -  -  1  4  2  2  1  2  3  3   77  18
10 Boone, SEA       -  -  1  1  3  2  -  4  4  2   65  17
11 Tejada, OAK      1  -  1  1  1  -  2  -  2  2   49  10
12 Mueller, BOS     -  -  2  -  1  2  3  -  -  1   45   9
13 Giambi, NYY      1  -  -  1  -  1  1  1  -  3   36   8
14 Anderson, ANA    -  -  1  2  1  -  3  1  -  -   35   8
15 Foulke, OAK      -  -  1  -  -  -  -  1  3  3   20   8
16 Thomas, CWS      -  -  -  1  -  -  1  2  1  1   20   6
17 Chavez, OAK      -  -  -  -  1  1  -  2  -  1   18   5
18 Lee, CWS         -  -  -  -  -  -  1  1  1  2   16   5
19 Ordonez, CWS     -  -  -  -  -  1  1  1  1  2   16   6
20 Soriano, NYY     -  -  -  -  1  1  -  1  -  1   15   4
21 Jeter, NYY       -  1  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  1   10   2
22 Martinez, BOS    -  -  -  -  -  1  -  -  1  -    7   2
23 Ichiro, SEA      -  -  -  -  -  1  -  -  -  1    6   2
24 Loaiza, CWS      -  -  -  -  -  -  1  -  -  -    4   1
25 Varitek, BOS     -  -  -  -  -  -  1  -  -  -    4   1
26 Huff, TB         -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  1  2    4   3
27 Rivera, NYY      -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  1  -    3   1

Rodriguez was the only player named on every ballot. MLB on the Red Sox who received votes. ... I cannot believe that someone really thought Jason Giambi was the most valuable player in the AL. And which idiot slotted Derek Jeter #2? I'd love to have the individual ballot from various writers. Right now, this is the only one I have:

Ken Daley, Dallas Morning News
1. David Ortiz
2. Jorge Posada
3. Carlos Delgado
4. Alex Rodriguez
5. Shannon Stewart
6. Pedro Martinez
7. Vernon Wells
8. Manny Ramirez
9. Miguel Tejada
10. Bret Boone

Shanon Stewart's showing amazes me most of all. Did Jayson Stark cast three ballots?

Stewart: 3 1st place votes, 140 pts: 136 gms, .823 OPS
Ramirez: 1 1st place vote, 103 pts: 154 gms, 1.014 OPS

Player A: .280/.356/.466, .283 EqA (the average MLB LF)
Player B: .307/.364/.459, .283 EqA (Stewart)

I Love Baseball Reference. A very cool race chart for the NL in 1951 and the results of every game the Red Sox and Yankees have ever played. ... "Ashley Lacroix, a 12-year-old Woonsocket girl representing 72-year-old Yankee coach Don Zimmer in an assault and battery case against the Boston ace, fixed her best prosecutorial gaze on Martinez and bluntly posed the question at the heart of the dispute: 'Did you or did you not throw Mr. Zimmer to the ground?'"