Boston MVP Vote Will Be Split

As the baseball season enters the dog days of August, the men are literally separated from the boys. America can now say good-bye to the Orioles, Cubs, Nationals, Twins and Rangers. All five teams looked poised to be playoff contenders as early as a few weeks ago but the summer has worn them down. The teams that appear to be heading to October are the White Sox, Cardinals, Red Sox, Angels, A's and Braves. The reason the should-be playoff teams are in the hunt is because their best player(s) put the rest of the club on their back(s). This is the time of year that MVP's are made. In Atlanta, Andruw Jones (.275 BA, 37 HR, 90 RBI) is pushing the Braves toward another N.L. East title. On the west coast, Oakland's Eric Chavez (.274, 20, 73) has carried the A's from 15-games under .500 to the top of the A.L. West. Both players are among the favorites to capture the MVP in their respective league. Unlike the other contending teams, the Red Sox do not have just one clear cut MVP candidate. No, the Red Sox have at least four players that will garner consideration for the A.L. MVP award. Johnny Damon (.337, 8, 56) is the game's best lead-off man and is the player that ignites the potent Boston offense. Manny Ramirez is the Hall-of-Fame slugger (.287, 32, 107) who at times acts like a Little Leaguer but who always produces at the plate. David Ortiz (.297, 28, 99) is the mammoth, fun loving masher who has a smile for all of his teammates and a powerful swing for all of his opponents. The captain, Jason Varitek, isn't a candidate for his numbers (.305, 18, 54) alone -- he is also one of the game's best catchers and he is the emotional center of a sometimes crazy Boston clubhouse. The sad part is that the Boston four will all garner so much consideration that the vote will be split among them, allowing an Eric Chavez or Vladimir Guerrero to slide in and grab the hardware. But while they may not win the MVP, the Boston players are still in position to win another World Series and that is all that truly matters to the guys over on Yawkey Way.