There are certain mortal locks in sports. When Barry Bonds stepped to the plate in his prime with first base open, you walked him. When the Bulls were in crunch time in the mid '90s, Michael Jordan was getting the ball. When Derek Jeter steps to the plate with the game on the line, he'll somehow get the pitcher to groove him a pitch so he and his ""intangibles"" can help the Yankees to another win.
That being said, there are certain situations that should be mortal locks, but just aren't considered because they haven't occurred that often. Here's my mortal lock: When a catcher wins a batting title, and his team is anywhere near the playoffs, he should win his league's Most Valuable Player award.
Twins' backstop Joe Mauer went 2-4 on the final day of the season to eke out the American League batting title, four points over Jeter's .343 mark.
Let's stop for a second and put Mauer's feat in historical perspective. Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, Gary Carter, Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Roy Campanella, Bill Dickey and Mickey Cochrane have all combined for not five, not three, but zero batting titles.
Piazza finished second in '96 and '97, the closest any catcher has come since '42, when Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi did it for the Cincinnati Reds. And guess what? He won the MVP.
Before we go any further, I need to emphasize that I am not a Twins fan. I liked Kirby Puckett, I hate the Metrodome and I'm amazed by Johan Santana. Those are my only connections with the Twins.
I know Mauer doesn't have the home runs (13) or RBIs (84) that people are used to with their MVP's, but that's simply not the point. The point is this: Take Mauer off the Twins and put an average catcher in the starting lineup, and see what happens. These aren't the years when Piazza, Javy Lopez and Todd Hundley were revolutionizing the catcher as a power-hitter. The Braves' Brian McCann led all catchers with 24 homeruns. So, your average catcher might be someone like say a .270 hitter with 11 homeruns.
The Twins are built for their pitching, no doubt. Until a few nights ago, I thought Santana should win the MVP. The way he carried Minnesota to a division title down the stretch with the loss of the maybe second best pitcher in baseball, Fransisco Liriano, was astounding. But when I was reminded of Mauer's grip on the batting race, you can't pass on the first American League catcher ever to win a title.
Let's look at the candidates:
David Ortiz— The only other player to have an amazing year in the American League. The problem for me, if a designated hitter is ever going to win the award, his team better make the playoffs. Ortiz' year was last year, although I agree with A-Rod winning the MVP.
Justin Morneau— Mauer's teammate, and the only other true force in the lineup, had a career year. Hitting .324 with 130 RBIs and a division title should win you the MVP most years. But this isn't the '80s and while Morneau shouldn't be blamed for the inflated numbers guys put up, 34 home runs for a first baseman nowadays just doesn't cut it for the award.
Jermaine Dye— Dye had a great year and his comeback from a devastating injury while on the A's is a great story. But when a race is this close, it's easy to cut the guys whose teams didn't make it to October.
Derek Jeter— I believe that if Jeter were to win an MVP award, it was in 1999 when Ivan Rodriguez stole it from him or Pedro Martinez. This year, he had a great year no doubt, but the award is Most Valuable Player. Jeter's numbers were terrific, but his batting average and OPS (on base plus slugging) were lower than Mauer's. If Jeter were off the Yankees, A-Rod was at short (a gold glover at the position) and some nobody like Andy Phillips played third base, would the Yankees really be in that much trouble? This lineup doesn't run because of Derek Jeter. It runs because everyone on the team is an all-star.
Johan Santana— He won the A.L.'s pitching triple crown (led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts). The last time a pitcher won it was Randy Johnson in 2002 with the Diamondbacks, and in the A.L. it was Martinez in 1999.
There are feats in sports that when accomplished must be given notice. What Mauer has done this season, and what I hope the 23-year-old will continue to do, is unprecedented. Catchers don't win batting titles. It happens once in a blue moon. So when that catcher is on a team that wins the division, just hand him the MVP award.
But whatever you do, don't give it to Jeter.
Sam can be reached at sepepper@wisc.edu;
