Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.8 $; site uiucdcsb Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcsb!borodkin From: borodkin@uiucdcsb.Uiuc.ARPA Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball Subject: Re: pitchers as MVP's Message-ID: <15800017@uiucdcsb> Date: Sun, 15-Sep-85 23:15:00 EDT Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.15800017 Posted: Sun Sep 15 23:15:00 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 17-Sep-85 05:42:19 EDT Lines: 20 Nf-ID: #N:uiucdcsb:15800017:000:919 Nf-From: uiucdcsb.Uiuc.ARPA!borodkin Sep 15 22:15:00 1985 One good thing about letting pitchers win the MVP award is that future generations can see what the conventional wisdom of the time thought to be important. Specifically, the MVP's of the fifties and sixties were mostly good hitters playing an important defensive position (i.e. shortstop, catcher, second base, center field). Then in the seventies the big RBI men dominated (epitome was Don Baylor). Now we have relief pitchers being touted and winning MVP. Thus we can see how "clutch hitting" dominated seventies' baseball wisdom, as relief pitching does today. Personally I think that in general, position players ARE more valuable than pitchers of all sorts. I also think that today's emphasis on relief aces will be seen to have been overdone. Stephen L. Borodkin USENET: ...!{pur-ee,ihnp4}!uiucdcs!borodkin CSNET: borodkin%uiuc@csnet-relay.arpa ARPA: borodkin@uiuc.arpa