My translation of Murray Chass on Arod: THEY ELECTED AN MVP WITH A 'CHARACTER ISSUE.'

"If there is a team considering pursuing Rodriguez, it should remember that he has never played in a World Series, and he was a major reason his team didn’t get there the past three seasons." Murray Chass, baseball columnist, NY Times, 10/30/07.

• Also from Chass:

"Whether Alex Rodriguez or his agent, Scott Boras, is calling the shots, they are making a farce of the best player in baseball."

• My translation: Arod has made a farce out of the AWARD FOR THE BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL (MVP).

Even though Murray Chass isn't allowed to vote on baseball awards as an employee of the NY Times, he's a longtime heavy duty big time BBWAA member. The only stated function the BBWAA has is to give out baseball awards. That's the single thing uniting them--along with the fact they know they've got the greatest self-publicity scam going in history which they've confused with a religion (Jack O'Connell being analogous to a Jim Jones of Guyana figure, pre-Kool-Aid incident, Peoples' Temple, etc.).

• BBWAA VOTERS HAVE ADORED AROD FOR MANY YEARS--FROM BEFORE HE BECAME A YANKEE. EACH AWARD THEY GIVE ALSO EXPLICITLY EXCLUDES CERTAIN OTHERS--THEY LIKE THAT EVEN MORE--THEY GET MORE PUBLICITY ABOUT THAT. BUT TO LOVE HIM AS THEY DO, AND FOR HIM TO DISRESPECT THEIR LIFE BLOOD AS HE DID ON SUNDAY MUST LEAVE THEM A BIT SHEEPISH.

IS 'CHARACTER' ON THE LIST OF QUALIFICATIONS FOR MVP?

• MR. CHASS ALSO FAILS TO MENTION THE DISRESPECT AROD SHOWED BY NOT ACCEPTING YET ANOTHER AWARD, THE HANK AARON AWARD, IN PERSON ON SUNDAY. THIS HAD TO STING-EVERYONE ELSE FELT IT.

CHASS ENJOYS SEARCHING FOR HIDDEN MOTIVATION BEHIND THINGS. I THINK HIS REAL MOTIVATION FOR THIS COLUMN IS HIS MVP AWARD WAS EMBARRASSED. PERHAPS 'CHARACTER' OR SIMILAR 'INTANGIBLE' FIGURES IN THESE AWARDS. OR SHOULD.

• Quotes from NY Times column by Murray Chass, "Shaky Reasons for Decision to Opt Out," 10/30/07

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