Bleacher Banter:
Big Papi for MVP

Anytime there's a discussion these days about who should be the American League most valuable player, it comes down to two names: the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez and the Red Sox' David Ortiz.

There was a period of time not that long ago when Ortiz' teammate, Johnny Damon, deserved consideration, and he'll still get a bunch of second tier votes, but when it comes to comparing lead-off hitters with power hitters, the power wins every time. There's a case to be made, as there always seems to be, for Yankee relief pitcher par excellence Mariano Rivera. But really, A-Rod and Big Papi have pretty much distanced themselves from the rest of those who are also having very good years.

Many of the writers who have the privilege of voting on such awards will discard Ortiz out of hand simply because he's a designated hitter. Many will carry into that vote a predisposition against the designated hitter rule. They will argue, passionately, that the most valuable player must be a position player, and must wear a fielder's glove at least half the time. Those who wear batting gloves only need not apply.

It says here that those who ascribe to such a line of thought are missing the point. The award is based on V-A-L-U-E. While the greatest portion of the Red Sox (until recently) feared line up has been struggling at the plate, Ortiz has authored a 10-game hitting streak, during which he has hit at a .447 clip with eight homers, 18 runs batted in and 13 runs scored. After Tuesday night he led the league with 140 RBI, and with 46 home runs he had broken the Red Sox club record for round trippers in a single season by a left-handed batter, moving past the likes of Ted Williams and Carl Yastremski.

There's a case to be made that Alex Rodriguez' offensive production numbers are of equal importance to the Pinstripers. There's a case to be made that he wields an often brilliant glove from his third base position. There's a case to be made that without him in the Yankees lineup the Steinbrenner mercenaries would have bombed out of the contention weeks, if not months, ago. We should be so lucky.

But what Ortiz brings to the equation is an element that A-Rod will never produce. Big Papi brings charisma, and charm, and Karma to a team that desperately needs it. His presence deflects attention from a bunch of guys who really don't need to be reminded they're in a batting slump, or that they're battling a host of nagging injuries. His spirit seems to elevate the whole club, in spite of the fact that the Sox have watched a pretty good lead in the standings gradually slip away. If Boston gets into the playoffs, and with the injury situation and the shaky pitching staff, that IF looms larger all the time, there are 24 other guys who will have Ortiz to thank for it.

What Ortiz is doing now seems to mirror what we saw unfold a generation ago when Yaz kept coming through, game after game, with hit after clutch hit, during the Impossible Dream season of 1967. In that blur of a September, Sox fans had decades of angst hanging in the balance, and Yaz eased our pain. The 2005 Sox may yet cause Red Sox Nation heavy doses of heartburn and heartache, but for now we'd do well to savor every David Ortiz trip to the plate, every spit into his massive, gloved hands, every one of his glowers at opposing pitchers, every one of his explosive swings.

He's John Henry, Paul Bunyan, John Wayne and the Dali Lama all rolled into one, and Fenway is his personal Field of Dreams. All that and he gives good interview. If ever there's going to be a DH named American League MVP, Big Papi is the man. Make that: THE MAN.