Alex Rodriguez Does Not Deserve the 2007 AL MVP Award

What a complete and utter joke.

ESPN reported today that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been named the 2007 AL MVP.  If this isn't a sign that the world is coming to an end, I don't know what is.

Forget about A-Rod's stats for a second, and focus on a much more important question: where did the Yankees end up this year?

Exiting from the playoffs after the first round, that's where. 

So how in the hell can you justify giving their star player the MVP award?

It would be one thing if A-Rod valiantly led a small market team to their first playoff appearance.  But that couldn't be further from the truth.  

A-Rod plays on the best team money can buy.  The Yanks are expected to get to the playoffs every year.  With their payroll, anything short of a World Series championship should be considered a complete and utter failure for the franchise.

Since the Yankees didn't win a world championship, there's simply no way A-Rod should get the MVP.

MVP stands for "Most Valuable Player."  Not most home runs or RBIs—which aren't too difficult to rack up when you are surrounded by the league's best talent.

The player who means the most to their team is supposed to win this award.  Where would the Tigers be without Magglio Ordonez?  Could the Indians have had the year they did without the efforts of C.C. Sabathia on the mound?  Why can't they be considered, you biased hacks?

All season long, all we ever heard about were the Yankees, the Red Sox, and A-Rod's stellar season.  It's time for the real gems of the league to be recognized, and for the overpaid, underperforming superstars to be put in their proper place once and for all.