What this clown fails to realize is that when the Sox needed him the most he was there!

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but what Pedroia did for this team was special!

This guy is proof that some of the writers are a bunch of cry baby,, still mad they got picked on by jocks in high school, always got picked last in gym class IDIOTS! Let the players and/or coaches decide who should win the awards, not the writers.

Hi my name is trotdaubach I drink too much and I'm really mad.

This is just another example of why the writers need this responsibility taken away from them.

At least he admitted he was wrong.

He's not like the writer from Green Bay who cast his MVP ballot last year for Brett Favrererererere...claiming Favre was better.
Who knew that Green Bay was the capital of Joke City, USA.

A-Rod, Sizemore? It's not always about the numbers, it's what did he do everyday to help this team win.

At least he didn't vote for Jeter......

Congrats Dustin. I wasn't sure if it would you you or youk. The important thing is the best man won!

who?

Cliff Lee shouldn't have been on his ballot. He wasn't so dominant that he deserved consideration, ala vintage Pedro.

This guy is a clown! Not even in the top 10?? What was he smoking? The intangibles that he offered alone should be reason for MVP and the fact that he's a small guy, back the the foundation of baseball

It shows that he was unable to see the forest for the trees...he could not see the role Pedroia played, the way he sparked so many key situations (even if he did not drive in the runner, he was getting driven in after starting the rally). You cannot just decide that two stats matter -baseball is a five-tool sport, after all. Add Pedroia's attitude, drive, and character to his baseball tools, and you have an MVP in Pedroia (besides, his OPS and OBP were pretty darn good anyway, just a little off the leaders).

Grant made an egregious mistake not including Pedroia in the top-10, but he makes a perfectly legitimate case for why Youkilis was a better pick than Pedroia.

Get rid of the whole thing, who needs it, just another trophy given out like the oscars, tonys, golden globe, emmys, mtv awards, grammies, so, on and on.
Doesn't change anyone's like or get the economy movin!!! A big waste of print & gold.

I see no issue with this interview. He admitted he was wrong, and yet - his rationale for his picks is hard to dispute. I agree with him on many things, actually, including Youk for MVP. Youk had a phenominal season. Played Gold-glove caliber defense and was versatile both at bat (hitting literally any where in the line up - much like Pedroia) but also in the field. Let's not forget how important a role it was when Lowell wasn't able to play and Youk easily slid across the diamond. It gives Francona a lot of flexibility.... Youk is my choice for team MVP and AL MVP.

Please don't hold it against Mr. Grant that he did not vote for Pedroia. Being from Dallas means he more than likely covers the Rangers which means he hasn't seen a good baseball game in - forever.

I think I respect him a bit more now. He is a numbers guy and has stated he based his voting only on the numbers. I still disagree and think that if the MVP were just about numbers, then we give it to the batting title winner or home run king every year.

Ah the intangibles clearly make him an MVP and clearly short guys should get more of a vote too. He isn't completely bald like Youk, but clearly his balding head also put him at a huge disadvantage he was able to overcome. He deserved the award and was very good in a very good lineup. If Hamilton had kept it up thru the end of the year he deserved the vote even on a bad team. But being in a big market and on a winning club obviously helped and being in a small market hindered Morneu and Mauer. Look at the Sox lineup and then take a look at the Twins. Which lineup gives you more of a chance to produce?

So he left Pedroia of the ballot. ONE GUY. Why do you choose to get upset about this? Pedroia won the MVP!

As a Rays fan, I can tell you that I thought Dustin was amazing. I had to hold my breath everytime he came to bat. I think his MVP honors are well deserved. I love his glove work too.

JDunz, perhaps it is you who have some issue with being picked last?? He stated his case, which made sense to him at that time. Its not like he was totally excluding DP from the argument because he was wavering with it for a long time...if anything, I applaud Grant for stating his case, backing it up with why he chose that way, and also clearly putting a great deal of thought into the voting process. He was in no way a crybaby or whiner!!!!

That being said, KRod at number 2????? No way man!

What he said is true, but it lacks two very important factors. One, no account is given for position in the order. And two,no account is given for his play in the field, which was stellar. So yeah, if you leave that out, his argument rings true.
Kind of like what the Orioles Palmer said to Earl Weaver, his then skipper, " The only thing you know about pitching is you can't hit it".

If OPS and batting average with runners in scoring position are so important to him then how does he justify K-Rod in second place on his ballot?

moron

I really LOVE Red Sox fans! Even when your guy WINS...and the one writer who didnt vote for him has YOUR OTHER GUY FIRST...you still can find a reason to feel victimized!!!

Your guy WON...no go way and figure out what it means to be a good winner (granted, you guys dont' have much practice...you'll get there).

EVAN GRANT'S VOTING PRIVILEGES SHOULD BE TAKEN AWAY. WHAT AN IDIOT. I JUST GOT DONE LISTENING TO HIS EXPLANATION ON WEEI, AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS GUY DOESN'T KNOW BASEBALL OR HIS VOTE WAS TYPICAL OF THE NEW YORK MEDIA BIAS AGAINST BOSTON SPORTS TEAMS/PLAYERS. I UNDERSTAND WHY HE DIDN'T PUT PEDROIA FIRST OR EVEN SECOND ON HIS BALLOT, BUT TO NOT EVEN PUT HIM ON HIS BALLOT??????? HIS AGENDA WAS TO NEGATIVELY INFLUENCE A POTENTIALLY CLOSE VOTE AGAINST PEDROIA, WHICH HE COULD HAVE DONE HAD IT BEEN CLOSER. SOMEONE LIKE THIS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO VOTE, PERIOD.

This guy knew what he was doing. He wanted to be the talk of baseball today on why he left Pedey off his ballot completely. Well it worked for him, he went from a simple nobody to a well known moron !

That's a classy comment from Rick the Rays fan.

I remember about midway this year when most of us started waking up to the season Pedroia was having: hitting in important spots, getting walked to get to Papi, just generally getting respect I certainly didn't see coming. It's been an exciting season watching him really break out. It's a shame Pedey's still got the "especially for a little guy" qualifier attached to so much of the praise. Even from Mazz in today's column. But if that means that the MVP still thinks he's got something to prove, that might not be a bad thing!

Congrats to Youk too. I'm sure 3rd place isn't good enough for him and I hope he'll bring home the prize another year, but it's still a well deserved distinction. Then again, Youk's probably got other things on his mind this week.

Actually, it's good to see his response, and at least there are no outrageous names on the list of players he did vote for. However, I would like to ask Mr. Grant why he considered pitching and batting, but not defense? I understand that MVP has really become an award for outstanding offensive performance, but if you're going to vote for a pitcher, then you really need to consider defensive play. I think Pedroia's on field performance clearly makes up for the few offensive categories in which he may have a lagged a bit. The Gold Glove was clearly evidence of that.

Reminiscent of Pedro being left off one man's ballot entirely in 1999. And while I do not agree at all with Mr. Grant's reasoning, it appears he realizes that he made a mistake in judgment.

Did anyone hear the awful treatment this guy just got on WEEI? I am sure the columnists will unload on him tomorrow, but WEEI has become a complete joke in terms of its "journalism" cred. He admitted he made a mistake, which just completely undercut their entire segment. So they just hollered at him for 20 minutes. Completely mindless. Pedroia deserved it, certainly deserved to be in everyone's top ten, but let's not pillory this guy. Mountain out of a molehill, people. Oh yeah, and I removed WEEI from my programmed channels.

Sizemore actually is worthy. I'd put him 3rd on my ballot, but I'd be one of three in the BBWAA to read (and admit to reading) Baseball Prospectus.

The popularity of F-Raud as an MVP candidate, and Grant's pick of him for 2nd on his ballot, however, is unfathomable.

The best reliever in the league rarely deserves Cy Young talk, let alone MVP talk.

The best reliever in the league, though arguable, was inarguably NOT F-Raud.

Do you think that this Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has something against Massachusetts? Perhaps he was the mystery shadowy figure reported to have been seen on the Grassy Knoll.

Calling the guy names is juvenile. At least he backed up his choice; and I agree with his comparison to Youk. I would have voted for Youk too. He made a mistake leaving Pedey off altogether, and he admitted it. Not like som enitwit NY writers who just hate Sox players.

Enough with the Sabremetrics already. If Evan Grant accepts the privilege of being one of only 28 people in America to decide who will be AL MVP, he needs to get out from behind his laptop and watch some baseball games. I could manufacture any number of statistical cases in favor of Pedroia, but for Evan to omit a guy who was the best offensive and defensive player at his position and who carried his team in so many ways tells me he needs to look up from the keyboard occasionally while he is covering the Rangers games. I do appreciate his honesty and his willingness to stand up for his position, but it is hard for me to think he is qualified for the honor of a ballot if he makes a mistake of this caliber.

I completely disagree with his formulation, but I don't think there's any evil intent -- he's basically looking only at numbers. Actually, I think it's a pretty useful case to have a guy who basically represents what you might get if you had the balloting determined solely by computer rankings, as some have suggested as a means of erasing any "media bias." It illustrates that if you look at just the numbers, you get a black-and-white, 2-dimensional picture that misses all the stuff that makes baseball great -- heart, grit, glovework, clutch hitting and, in Dustin's case, 60-pound stones on a 5-foot-nothing frame.

Tim W what are you talking about picking youk because he was a versatile defender. dusty won a gold glove, what more can you ask for. this guy is a total clown for leaving dusty off his top ten, especially when he puts guys like cliff lee, grady sizemore, a rod, joe mauer. all of those guys teams missed that playoffs. k-rod is one of the most over rated players i have ever seen, they say he is a great closer? he wasnt even in the top 3 of any cateragory not counting saves. he didnt throw more than 1 inning in any appearance. papelbon is more of a case as an mvp/cy young than k-rod. the red sox would not have been close to the team without dustin, or youk, but dusty was clearly in my mind more of a most valuable player.

Why complain? So what, he didn't make it onto one ballot, he still won the award, right? Is the World Series cheapened if a team doesn't sweep through the whole post-season? Give me a break... another thing for Boston-sports fans to complain about.

Way to get worked up over on man's opinion. Relax Boston...focus on the fact that you have almost five months of snow and ice ahead of you!!!

I think Dustin is really Dreamy!

Guys,

Hang on -- he picked Youk #1, so you can't say he's a Red Sox hater. Also, let's not forget that we're the team that has two sabermetric nerds, Theo and Bill James, who really do believe that OPS and OBP are meaningful measures.

Dustin's great, but I don't think it's fair to pile on...

No kidding. I agree with 19, Talk radio was lambasting this guy even after he admitted he goofed. Maybe we should just execute him? Get blood?! Geez. Relax folks. Dustin won the MVP. Give the guy who goofed a frekin break.

It's obvious the guy doesn't have a personal vendetta or anything against Pedroia, he just went on numbers. He was wrong, but who cares. He owned up to it.

As a Yankees fan I have no problem with Dustin winning the MVP. Congrats. Atleast this guy admitted he was wrong. Many people today don't admit when they are wrong and that is a growing problem with society.

Congrats agan Dustin. You were a worthy choice. Yanks in 2009.

Jdunz: Brilliant comment about sportswriters. At least they can use words correctly, which you seem to have trouble with. Coaches and managers pick the Gold Gloves, which are a disaster every year. As for the players, check out their All-Star selections, which included Varitek.

Let the writers continue to vote In the end, they got it right. That's all that matters. Of course with Boston being so parochial, people such as yourself will focus on something negative.

His comments prove that I could do his job. Why, because I would just take a quick look at the stats of the out-of-town players and make categorical assessments of them. How could a "so called" professional, whose job is to follow these guys for the entire season, say he knows anything about what happens over the course of the season, if all he is going to do is look at the stats and ignore the intangibles that somebody like Pedroia brings to a team. The dude is full of hooey up to his eyeballs. Maybe they should evaluate these ballots like they compare umpires for playoff slots. Next year he should lose his ballot to somebody who actually watches the tape and not just the box scores.

While I'm psyched that Pedroia won, it's still kind of mind-boggling that even though a majority of writers chose him to win, there is one who doesn't even think he should make the top 10. If anyone heard Grant's interview on WEEI today, you would be shaking your head. It's kind of sad that people like that are ones responsible for voting. One thing that stuck in my head was how he "does not consider strikeouts" when casting his ballot. Oh really? Let's just throw them out the window then... not to mention he put not one but two members of the never-contending Cleveland Indians on there. Again, I'm happy he won, but this guy's arguments don't hold any water. MVP stands for Most VALUABLE Player, not BEST player. Take Pedroia away and we never make it near the ALCS.

Why does everything revolve around statistics? Doesn't a guy who demonstrates being a team leader mean anything to the writer??? I bet he had Manny in his top 5.

You people are so twisted. Dustin Pedroia is not even the MVP of his team. In 2007 Beckett DOMINATED and Ortiz batted .330. They were the best team in the league and won the Championship. Beckett was the Red Sox MVP last year HANDS DOWN,.....which is why they earned another ring. They were the biggest reason why the Red Sox won. Manny carried his team to a championship in 2004 and he was named World Series MVP, after smacking 40 plus home runs and 130 rbi in the regular season. He was the biggest reason the Red Sox FINALLY got it done, after 100 years.. That's an MVP. Pedroia and Youkilis had career years and did what with it. They carried their team to second place and a wild card. They were nearly embarrassed in the playoffs. These guys proved they are going to need help. That's why you want Tex. That's why you are so worried that Papi won't ever be the same. Pedroia and Youkilis are role players who didn’t have the big guns around and came up short,…..just like Justin.

Sorry, but anyone who claims to vote based on statistical analysis and then votes for K-Rod, whose biggest claim was in saves, is just a joke. Saves are the most overrated statistic in baseball with a completely arbitrary definition. Imagine if RBI's were credited based on which base the player driven in was driven in from. That's saves.

Brendan beat me to it. That's where Grant's credibility is shot, even more than that he didn't include Pedroia.

Come on... the guy admitted he made a mistake, there's no need to get so upset. Pedroia won the MVP award, what more do you want? So one writer left him of the ballot - sure, he should have accounted for Pedroia's intangibles better, but P is the type of player you have to watch every day to appreciate how valuable he is. You can't blame this writer for not being there for every pitch, so of course he's gonna look at stats to try to make a better decision. Just let it go guys, be happy that overall the right choice was made.

Excuse me The Doodle??!! Keep the inappropriate language in the motherland.

Evan Grant must be properly tarred and feathered and dragged by a sow through the streets of Boston, or there is no justice.

I have the tar right here BTW.

Stange...Nobody in Boston was complaining about letting sportswriters select the MVP when Mo Vaughn won over Albert Belle.

His voting privalages should be taken away. To not even have him on the ballot is uncalled for.

Agree with the previous comment about WEEI, specifically the "Big Show." None of those sports "experts" have any credibility as far as I'm concerned.

mr doodle, i didn't think you could use that word. apparently, i am wrong.

Unbelievable...he wins and Boston whines as usual...I love the Sox, Pats, Celts and Bruins, but I loathe the City because it is so provincial and self-absorbed. Also Amalie, I'm a bit surprised you did not take a closer look at comment 53 before allowing it to be posted. I'm all for free speech but that word is like nails on a chalkboard.

Congrats Dustin !!! It was fun watching you all year with CLUTCH plays everyday... Let's get the trophy back to Beantown in 2009 !

GO RED SOX !!!

He was probably just jealous being from Texas because Pedroia started over Kinsler in the All Star game. DID HE REALLY CHOOSE CARLOS PENA OVER PEDROIA?? Carlos Pena had a .247 Batting Average and only belted 31 Homers with 102 RBI's WHILE batting in the cleanup role all season, honestly? At least this clown of a writer didn't factor in to the overall decision.

I think that Grant knew that the vote could be very close, and by leaving off an obvious top 3 finisher, he was clearly trying to strengthen his vote (Youkilis). Shame on him doesn't cover it. This was an intentional attempt by one of 28 voters to drop Pedroia.

A classic case of a journalist trying to make the news, rather than report it.

Listen to the interview on WEEI. He actually had Pedroia as his MVP in one of his mock ballots. When he was asked how Pedroia could be the MVP in one ballot but left off completely in another, he couldn't give a reasonable explanation.

Way to go Dustin!!! You deserve this and you made Red Sox Nation very proud. We love the way you play the game with hustle and smarts. Keep up the great work and please stay in Boston for a long time to come!!

"Give the guy a break" "Your guy won, get over it" "He voted Youk first, he's not a hater"

On and on and on...

It doesn't matter. He's one of 28 guys who get to vote on this. He did this to get noticed, he treated it as a joke to get publicity. He should lose his vote, period.

At one point this writer says, and I quote, "I had him on my ballot in some scenarios as high as No. 1 late into September."

Then how in the world did Pedroia fall completely off his list of top 10 between late September and the end of the regular season which was, uh, late September? This makes absolutely no sense.

Probably not,although twat might get through and be equally appropriate.

LouieTheDip, losing the ALCS in seven games is not exactly "nearly embarrassed in the playoffs." Getting to the ALCS in the first place is not exactly "nearly embarrassed in the playoffs."

Those wondering why a single ballot means so much must not recall 1999 when Pedro Martinez had one of the ALL TIME GREAT PITCHING SEASONS IN HISTORY and lost the MVP to Ivan Rodriguez because two writers left him off the ballot altogether. This would include that fraud George King of the New York Post who claimed pitchers shouldn't win the award (three years after casting a vote for Yankee starter Andy Pettitte)

I live in Dallas and read Evan Grant in the DMN all the time. The guy is a grade A douchebag. He knows nothing about baseball - the only reason he's the baseball writer is because all the good writers in Texas are covering the Cowboys. He's only worth reading because he makes me laugh every day, with the stupid things he says.
It's cases like this that make me want to say "if 99% of the writers voted one way, and you voted another, you probably don't deserve to get a vote next time". You know, like anyone who didn't vote for Cal Ripken for the HOF.

They shouldn't let him vote.....ever again.

"I had him on my ballot in some scenarios as high as No. 1 late into September".

What happened between late september and the end of september that justified dropping him off of the ballot from the No. 1 spot?

It's time for Evan Grant to retire!

It really doesn't matter he admitted he was wrong. It matters that he is. In what Gearge Bush universe did someone determine that he gets to vote? (Oooo, it just occurred to me - both from Texas and both idiots - sorry for theat cheap shot but it's true.) Unless he's looking for notoriety or is absolutely incompetent to make this decision, i.e., he does not watch baseball and in particular did not at least watch a highlight reel of all players under consideration, how does Pedroia not get on his ballot? This absolutely astounds me.

This was no 'George King part II' in fairness

One of the things you have to realie is that Dustin is someone you have to see day after day. The guy is about winning. Making plays. HIs diving backhand stop to preserve Lester's no hitter was as great a play as I've ever seen - it's as spectacular as the Wizard of Oz play.

The guy is like a flea on an elephant. But the elephant probably feels like Pedroia is a 10,000 lbs flea. That's probably the way players in the AL feels.

This writter just doesn't get to see him enough. HIs logic was valid. He was just wrong. It's not like the NY writter who left Pedro off because he could win the Cy Young!

Leave the guy alone. I'm sure that a factor in his thinking -- subconsciously at least -- is that just about everyone else was going to vote for Pedey, well up in the top 3. Sort of like the people in deep-blue states (like my native Massachusetts and my childhood Rhode Island) who voted for McCain, knowing that their fellow citizens were going to vote overwhelmingly for Obama. The real question that this raises is whether the BBWAA should put pitchers on the MVP ballot at all. I haven't minded the inclusion of the moundsmen in the past, but Cliff Lee really didn't belong anywhere on the radar despite (or maybe because of?) his Cy Young credentials. Food for thought, anyway...

This guy missed the entire 2008 season, and had to make something up. That's the only possible explanation. You have to question his voting privilege going forward.

LouieTheLip, indeed. All talk, no argument, no point. I wouldn't have been shocked if his rant somehow ended with, "And that's why you need to sign Ben Sheets for Five Years!"

The Wild Card won the Sox their first championship in 86 years. They got to within a game of the World Series this year, which counts as a failure year only in the deluded mind of a Yankee fan. Get over it.

Amalie, you messed up by giving Grant the spotlight. Perhaps he left him off the ballot so he could become 'the man of the hour'??? Interviews with the Globe and whoever else?

This isn't the first time someone's parlayed his "vote of omission" into self-promotion; it won't be the last.

This is so typical of Red Socks fans, who are almost as bad as Dallas Cowboys fans. It's not enough that Pedroia won the award, but everyone in America has to bow down to the Red Socks organization and worship. I hope that you are fortunate enough to win any more championships any time soon, we might have to move the White House to downtown Boston, or move the Vatican inside Fenway Park.

I think after my initial knee-jerk reaction that this guy is an idiot, I understand his perspective, and think he makes a well-thought out assessment of the situation, while graciously admitting he made a mistake. That's quite a departure from some other writers in other markets, and shows why he's so respected by his peers. Thanks to him and Amalie for tracking down this inside perspective.

Wow, to listen to your radio guys and media and the assult laid on Evan Grant is u-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e ! I hope an apology has been issued to him. The guy made a mistake, so let's crucify him!!! Pedroia won the MVP, but let's gang up on the one voter, freaking ONE voter that didnt include your guy. My God! Never, and I mean NEVER question why people around the country have serious doubts about (dare, I say hate) Red Sox fans. I rooted for the Sox when they won their first World Series win to break the "curse". But never again! I hate the Yankees, but now I hate the Red Sox even more. Thank you Boston Media and fans!

Evan Grant is a great baseball writer and a good guy. How did a team with 2 MVP candidates and a HUGE payroll not even make it to the world series? that's what "Red sox nation" should be worrying about...not badgering the one guy who didn't vote for your man crush. did dustin's "intangibles" make up for his .233 avg in the playoffs?

PS. pedroia won. i've heard of sore losers, but sore winners? i guess if my women were ugly and my winters unbearable i'd obsess over this stuff too. (yes we know the rangers suck...don't waste your time reminding us)

I see lots of stats about offense. I didn't finish reading all 81 (to date) comments, but defense wasn't mentioned either in the article or the first few dozen of them. Did anybody mention that Pedroia won the Gold Glove? Doesn't that count?

Wow. Ya'll need to move on. The guy voted one of your players number 1 and you act as if he completely disrespected the entire team. Give him some credit for recognizing that there was a legitimate MVP that played for the Sox. You Red Sox fans and New Englanders in general have gotten out of hand. Ya'll act as if the rest of the world is revolving around your city and its teams. You've become as bad as the Yankees in your arrogance and sense of entitlement. Keep up the good work Evan.

Did this guy ever watch Baseball tonight and see what's happening outside of Arlington?

The fact is, Evan is right. Youkilis was a presence offensively and defensively, and he had much better numbers than Pedroia. Youkilis should have been named MVP. Those of you who think Pedroia deserved need to look at the numbers not shown when a player comes up to bat.

Why is everybody salivating and chubbing-up over this issue..?!? People, Pedroia doesn't know any of you exist. You are little more than an (albeit ticket-buying) insignificant spec on Petey's ever-expanding landscape. While I do understand your need to be a part of something bigger than yourselves, I would encourage the more rabid of you to, y'know, get a hobby that is actually worthwhile. Ranting, railing, and raving over issues which have nothing to do you, nothing whatsoever, only serves to belittle you in the eyes of your peers.

So much needless time spent lambasting one guy who didn't vote for ONE popular Red Sox player but did give another one his MVP vote. And come one, I don't agree with anyone casting a vote for K-Rod or Pena in the top ten, but he was far from the only writer to hand in a puzzling ballot, and for that matter he was far from the only one who put those two on his ballot, as they finished 6th and 9th in the voting, respectively. In fact, all 10 of the players Grant picked for his ballot finished in the top 12 of the voting.
Did anyone besides me notice that Jason Bartlett got 6 points in the voting (as many as Mussina, Kinsler, Teixeira, and Ichiro combined)? WTF? Ian Kinsler got only 1 point and his numbers were every bit as good as Pedroia's until he got hurt (and the Rangers season immediately went downhill when they lost him). Bartlett played in exactly 7 more games than Kinsler did and was mediocre in practically every way. I haven't seen anyone calling for the voter(s) for Jason Bartlett (who finished the year with 1 HR, 37 RBI, 69 K's, 22 BB, and an 82 OPS+ in 128 games played) to lose their voting privileges. So lay off Grant already.

I heard trotdaubach wears capri pants... mike told him it'd help him score a fresh young 18-year-old... but it didn't work for him. Probably cause mike is a virgin, too... hence the "v".

I heard trotbrokeback wears capri pants. mike16v told him it'd help him score a fresh young 18-year-old... but it turns out mike was full of crap. He's never had an 18-year-old and is, in fact, a virgin... hence the "v".