Josh Hamilton, a Most Valuable Player

M-V-P

There is a lot to hate about modern sports.

The continued controversy in collegiate sports. The drugs, steroids, violence. The money. The egotistical dimwits that we all think get paid too much to do too little for society.

How it's all gotten out of hand, or so we think.

One thing we shouldn't hate is Josh Hamilton. He was named the 2010 American League Most Valuable Player today.

Chances are, you know or knew someone like Hamilton: Struggled daily with some kind of addiction, where everyday you feel like you're on a precipice with some unseen force keeping you from plummeting to your death.

Hamilton is any number of any of us. He didn't win the MVP award for being a guy that's overcome drug and alcohol abuse. He won it because he is more important to the Texas Rangers than any one player on any other team in the American League.

Hamilton is the Rangers' sixth MVP, and probably the most deserving. Considering at least four of the other five came from suggest or confirmed steroid users and the other came from Jeff Burroughs amidst a cornucopia of bad teams, none was more important than Hamilton.

His season took the Rangers to a place that seem astronomically preposterous to us. The World Series, of course. Hell, the ALDS was enough. The ALCS was too much and the World Series was mind blowing. Hamilton helped do the one thing that Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, Alex Rodriguez or Burroughs couldn't do. He won.

Hamilton's MVP as a little in doubt. He lead the AL in just average, slugging and, consequently, on-base plus slugging. Missing the final month killed him stat-wise because it dragged him down in RBI, homers and hits.

The award, however, is about value and just a little about stats. Hamilton hit an American League-leading .369 with runners in scoring position.

He hit .379 with runners in scoring position and two outs. He played killer outfield, battled injuries and lead a hapless, bankrupt franchise from the cellar to the World Series.

The definition of value.

Rangers best starter wins AL ROY as reliever

Feliz is happy

Neftali Feliz was named the American League Rookie of the Year today.

The Rangers have won just two Rookie of the Year awards. The other going to Mike Hargrove in 1974.

Feliz was great. Set a rookie record with 40 saves. Struck out 71 and walked 18. Posted a 2.73 ERA.

The dude's as cool as a motherfucking cucumber. He tosses 100 and doesn't react. He's the anti-Brian Wilson and there's nothing wrong with Brian Wilson. Feliz could give a shit, or so he wants you to think.

My favorite Feliz stat: 22 for 22 on save opportunities on the road. He was actually significantly better on the road allowing a 0.96 BAA on the road and a silly 1.27.

With all that said, Feliz needs to be in the starting rotation next season. I love a good closer and every good team needs one. But they can be found.

Why wasn't Mariano Rivera turned into a starter in the 1990s? Because the Yankees had starters. If they ran out, they'd go buy some more. The Rangers could be thin at front-of-the-rotation starters next season and even five years from now.

Feliz is too special to keep to 69 innings a season.

Elvis Andrus got hosed

Shafted

We got the message loud and clear. No matter what took place in the American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees still control things in Major League Baseball.

The other day, the American League Gold Glove winners were announced. Derek Jeter took home the award for shortstop despite the fact that he is the inferior defender, especially compared to the Texas Rangers' Elvis Andrus.

I once had respect for the Gold Glove award. I thought it stood for something. I thought it was a pretty good judge of a player's defensive abilities. A benchmark in how we analyze one's worth in a very black and white way in the field.

Things have changed.

It's a popularity contest. Not unlike the All-Star game. For some reason, we have to keep boosting Jeter's already stout Hall-of-Fame resume to the point of vomiting.

Andrus deserved that award, and that's a shame for baseball.