XM MLB Chat: Joe Christensen won't vote for Jeter, says he's on team of 'rich guys getting it done'

Joe Christensen's words on Charley Steiner's show today on XM provide proof if needed that baseball writers must be removed from MVP and Cy Young awards voting.

Christensen has been campaigning for a player from his favorite team, happens to be his home town team. He says he's not biased. Fine. But he falls apart and Charley Steiner doesn't even have to help him. They start by talking about the 4 home runs the Dodgers hit against the Padres in last night's game, 2 of them given up by Hoffman, but Christensen feels it necessary to say,

"Trevor in my mind is the greatest closer of all time."

Charley, self-described as "not a soap-box guy," (ie, he doesn't like getting involved in controversy), says,

"Wait. Greater than Mariano?"

Christensen pauses a moment, then says,

"OK, you're right. You got me." Then he says, "But I covered the Padres when they went to the World Series in 1998." (This doesn't justify the "all time" award he was about to hand out, just that he has an emotional and historic connection to the team).
Joe should know Hoffman's performance in that series is one you'd want to forget anyhow. Judgments like this would be cause for a so-called expert in other lines of work to be fired.
Then, Christensen comes up with the phony total saves stat defense, the one where management and player agree he'll never pitch more than 1 inning no matter what it costs the team (because they're manipulating the total save stat to market the team and get an award for the player). Hoffman hasn't worked more than 1 inning in two years.

Then Christensen explains to Charley why a player on the Twins deserves the MVP award. The Twins have more than 1 player in contention for this award. Along the conversation, Charley says to him, "Well, I offer you Derek Jeter," and gives a few reasons why. But, Christensen says,

No to Jeter, because he's on a "team of rich guys getting it done."

Christensen offers a 2nd reason not to vote for Jeter:

He says to Charley,

"Well, they have Mariano Rivera like you said."

Christensen a minute ago was ready to put Rivera on a back burner, turns around and uses the guy's presence on the team
AS A REASON NOT TO VOTE FOR JETER.

IS RADIO GREAT OR WHAT!!!

Christensen has just put on a brilliant demonstration. Immortality will be dished out to a player and his team by someone unfit to make such appointments. Cash consequences apply for winners as well. Then you have Hall of Fame voting down the road. Voters in their expert deliberations will say so and so is more qualified because he won a league award
or less qualified because he didn't.

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Other reasons BBWAA guys say they should vote:

It's their "reward." (Per Tim Kurkjian to Charley Steiner on XM, 1/13/06)

They are "guardians of the game:" "In baseball, the press is traditionally seen as the guardians of the game."...Tim Marchman
Other persons would either not know enough or would be "too closely tied to teams." (Again per Kurkjian, 1/13/06)
They are "ethically grounded."

And no one will say a word about it.