Can someone please explain to my why someone like Adrian Gonzalez won a Gold Glove and someone like Mark Teixeira who is by far better defensive first basemen didn’t get the award? The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards were announced last night (list HERE) and while I didn’t want to put out something this morning full of piss and vinegar, I can’t help but feel the same way I did this morning even though it's been over 24 hours since the names were released. I’m irritated and for all you Yankee fans that are equally aggravated, you have to understand this… we all know what’s going on here…Anti-Yankee bias. Let’s break this down as simply as it gets. Before we try and crucify the writers for this one, it has nothing to do with them. What it does have to deal with is the managers and coaches in Major League Baseball who vote on the players for this award. Not only that, the managers and coaches cannot vote for their own players. Now, to be perfectly blunt about it, no one likes the Yankees winning anything and if you think about the rivalries the Yankees have had with managers in the past, it is simple for a manager and coach to gloss over a Yankee player. Ron Gardenhire has been beaten by the Yankees in the playoffs too many times. Doubtful he would vote for any of our guys. Buck Showalter definitely wouldn’t. He would never offer any hint of “like” for a Yankee player, in fact, no manager and coach in the AL East alone would probably want to give a vote to the Yankees, let alone an East division rival. That goes both ways by the way. Why would Joe Girardi vote for a Red Sock? Why would Joe Madden? Yes, they should to be fair, but why would they? Look this is my simple thinking, but it makes sense.
Let’s look at the players. While it wasn’t only outrageous that players like Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner and Mark Teixeira DIDN’T get the award, it’s more outrageous that others who are not worthy of the award DID get them. Plus, let’s face it, the Yankees were shut out. It’s just another clear case of trying the keep the big man down, or in this case, the big team down. There are at least 3 Yankee players that should have been chosen. 
Now, let’s be fair, Cano is great and Dustin Pedroia is deserving of the award too, so the Gold Glove at second base is a toss-up and it will be that way as long as those 2 men man second base, but are you really going to sit there and tell me that Alex Gordon was a better fielder than Brett Gardner? Are you really going to sit there and tell me that Jacoby Ellsbury had a better fielding season in centerfield than Curtis Granderson? Curtis was literally horizontal most of the season catching flies better than a Venus fly trap. 
No, instead, it was determined that Jacoby Ellsbury should get his first award. You know what I say? The voting is skewed, the voting is slanted, the voting is wrong and the Red Sox with their 3 Gold gloves received a pity vote because they we’re falling apart this fall. I believe it.
I see what’s going on here and it’s pathetic. Jacoby Ellsbury had an outstanding season, this is true, but it’s now being set up. Mark my words, Jacoby Ellsbury will get the MVP this season. It’s a collective conspiracy to award players and shower them with every award they can think of, because, in the end, it’s a new face on the MLB brand, it’s variety and it’s good for baseball, the way Selig likes it.
Yes, it’s true; it’s bigger than the Gold Glove. The MVP is voted on by the sports writers. Now, you can sit there and tell me that sports writers are supposed to be neutral, but let’s be honest here, no sports writer goes into sports writing because they like writing for ANY sports team, they all have a favorite. You can’t tell me that someone from the Boston Herald is a Yankees fan, it’s not true. My point is this stuff is already determined because of bias. You can tell me I’m wrong and I’ll tell you you’re full of it. No longer are the days where players who actually deserve an award get an award. There is politics involved, there are strategic moves involved, all to better the game of baseball or to reward less deserving players who “tried” or have a “good story”. And that comes to my next point; how the hell does a young player like Jacoby Ellsbury qualify and win a Comeback player of the Year award? Isn’t he still a kid? Shouldn’t someone like 80 year old Jason Varitek be in the running for that, not Ellsbury? I don’t get any of this and to be honest, I say the fans need to vote. I say 1 vote each fan and you need to mail it in with a signature. Even the online voting is skewed. We can’t win here, it’s all a mess.
One thing's for sure though, something stinks and you can sit there and tell me that Ellsbury was better deserving than Curtis Granderson or Alex Gordon was more deserving than Brett Gardner and I’m telling you you’re full of shit. You don’t need to break down fielding stats to know that the Yankees got robbed this season, and here’s a smart idea, throw out the Rawlings Golden Glove award, it's watered down and ridiculous. If you need to make fair determinations on fielding awards, then let’s stick with the Fielding Bible Awards. That at least is something I can get on board with.
It all goes back to what I’ve been talking about for the past year, Anti-Yankee bias. The Yankees are loved by many but hated by more and while there is a formula for all of this, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know what players truly deserve a Gold Glove. I’m curious how they could have blown this so badly this season, because, let’s face it, the Yankees were shut out, because they’re Yankees of course. OK... now that I'm done with my rant... time to hit the sack.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for commenting on Bleeding Yankee Blue.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.