Congratulations!

Too small.  Not toolsy enough.  Finnish.

Today all these doubts were put to rest, as an award was handed out.

The little one that could.   Dynamic.  Team supporter without compare.

That's right.  Today Comptel Dynamic OSS won a Mobile Star Award for "Achievement in Operator Software for Customer or Device Management".  Many people said it couldn't be done, that the code was too lean, too short, binary in talent.   But Compt---

Oh, shit. Lost my mind for a second there.  The award goes to Dustin Pedroia. Congrats, little man!

Comments

[Jeremy]

I'm just glad it wasn't K-Rod.

[Lar]

Did something Jeter couldn't - beat Moreanu for an MVP!

[Sam-YF]

jason bartlett was totally robbed here. what a sham.

[YF]

this is going to be one of those that in 15 years, no one can remember or explain. like zollo versalles. not that he didn't deserve it. but it's going to be an outlier.

[Atheose]

K-Rod receives only 1 first-place vote. There is justice in the world.

[SF]

That's such an obnoxious comment.

[SF]

YF's comment, that is.

[Atheose]

Pedroia was left off one ballot. Must have been the same guy that gave K-Rod the 1st-place vote.

[SF]

I find it amusing how YF often (and rightfully) plays the wise, elder, mature non-SF hating baseball loving character at this site.

And then wham, all the current and, until a few years ago, unprecedented frustrations and resentments of the team to the north and their successes boils right over the top. Emperor, clothes, and all that. At least momentarily.

[AndrewYF]

He deserves it, but only because of an amazingly weak AL hitting class in 2008. Like when Bill Mueller won the batting title.

...is what YF was saying, bitterly.

[Atheose]

To be honest, I grudgingly agree with YF. Years from now people will look at Pedroia's low OPS and not really understand why he beat out Morneau or Youk. That doesn't mean it's not deserved, only that you really had to watch this season to appreciate his value.

[Atheose]

When notified of the position, Pedroia said "I've been the real MVP of the league for 3 straight years. About time they recognized me. Tell me when they give me the ones for 2007 and 2006."

[YF]

I don't know what ON EARTH you're talking about SF. As noted, he probably deserves the award, and more power to him. Other YFs have written plenty of nasty stuff about him here, but i think you'll find i haven't. I'm not bitter or resentful at all. I'm just pointing out that it is EXCEEDINGLY RARE for a 2b to win the MVP. He doesn't produce the big power numbers that the writers generally reward. I think the last 2b to win the MVP was Ryne Sandberg. So, like it or not, he IS going to look like something of an outlier on that board down the line, sandwiched between boppers like ARod and Vlad etc. Heck, Papi and Manny, vastly more valuable players over the last few years, haven't won this award, as Paul noted. The likelihood of him winning this award again, i'd have to say, is exceedingly remote. That's not a knock. It's a fact. And it's not meant to rain on your parade. And since when is it "your parade" anyway? Can't we be rational here. If anything, the fact that his case IS unusual only highlights what a special year he had.

[I'm Bill McNeal]

The voter who left Pedroia off his ballot was Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

He was on WEEI's The Big Show this afternoon to explain it. (His MVP was Youkilis.) He didn't really explain his argument very well, but I can't remember what he said. I felt sorry for him because Ordway, Buckley and Merloni (and the always bombastic and douchbaggie Pete Sheppard) kept kicking the guy in the nuts.

[Atheose]

I've always looked back on many of the times DiMaggio stole the MVP from Teddy, so I can understand why people will be confused about this years from now. But who the hell cares? Pedroia is the MVP!

[Atheose]

I felt sorry for him because Ordway, Buckley and Merloni (and the always bombastic and douchbaggie Pete Sheppard) kept kicking the guy in the nuts.

If you make a stupid decision you should have to explain yourself. If you cannot adequately explain yourself, you're a douchebag.

He probably spent 30 seconds voting, by sorting all the AL players by OPS and voting accordingly.

[Atheose]

Kudos to the commentors on LoHud for giving Pedroia his props. Most of them are actually ripping into Cano for not working hard the way Pedroia does!

[Paul SF]

I felt sorry for him because Ordway, Buckley and Merloni (and the always bombastic and douchbaggie Pete Sheppard) kept kicking the guy in the nuts

This annoys me. Dustin Pedroia winning the MVP award is a great story -- because of his size, his attitude, his numbers, what he did, etc. There are SO MANY angles to talk about -- first Red Sox MVP since 1995, first AL 2B MVP since Nellie Fox, best season by a Red Sox 2B in 60+ years, possibly the smallest-size MVP after decades of players getting larger and larger, etc. -- and the WEEI dingbats are going crazy because one writer didn't list him on the ballot.

This is why America hates Red Sox fans.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

You seriously expect better from those bozos on WEEI?
Those yahoos are still bitching about Obama.
I think it's fair to say that "bad" and "sports talk radio" are synonymous.

[SF]

YF, when you say that "no one will remember" this award it comes across as nasty. It wasn't that you pointed out that Zoilo won the award as an outlier, it's that you pointed out a player that almost noone remembers, who had a forgettable career. By lumping Pedroia in with Zoilo and calling this an award that in fifteen years "no one will remember" the implication is that Pedroia is just another forgettable ballplayer who had a good year.

I think that is extremely premature, extremely unfair, and yes, it came across to me as nasty.

If you meant it otherwise then so be it, I take your word for it. But it wasn't written well if all you meant was to point out that a 2B winning an MVP is rare.

[SF]

To be clear - that "no one will remember" line is the big and only culprit, nothing else in the comment was offensive to me.

I just don't see how, in the context of a just-won and wonderful award, calling it "forgettable" (that's what you did, whether you see that or not, that's how it can be read) is "rational analysis" and not kind of, well, dickish.

[doug YF]

We're all so easily offended here.

[sf rod]

dustin was drafted in the second round as the 65th pick in the '04 draft. the yanks had 3 picks prior to dustins draft slot. those 3 picks were spent on jon poterson (released), jeffrey marquez (throw in for swisher) and brett smith (?). something should be said about theo and companies ability to take a chance and stick to their beliefs.

[John - YF]

I don't know that Marquez was the throw in, I would say he's the centerpiece of the deal. But that's negotiable...

As for the 3 other picks Theo took a chance on Pedroia by all accounts. This chance definitely paid off for sure, but then there a million other cases in which it didn't. Cashman and Theo have plenty of both on their resumes.

[sf rod]

the draft pick comp was based on a YF vs SF state of mind. 29 other GM's didn't believe dustin was worth a 2nd round pick either. since you brought it up, which undervalued prospects has cashman taken a chance with and had them pan out? there really isn't that many late 2nd rounders making an everyday impact within 3 years of being drafted.

the "throw in" comment wasn't really a knock on jeffery, but i would seriously doubt the swisher deal hinged on him. i'm under the impression the white sox were more interested in ridding themselves of a sub .220 hitter making 21+ million over the next 3 years rather than the prospect of obtaining a minor leaguer who WHIP's out at 1.40+ against A and AA hitters. i'd figure you could have "thrown in" just about anybody to make that deal happen.