Alex Rodriguez's first year in a Yankee uniform fell short of expectations. His numbers were fine, but not up to his usual standards; he was not a serious MVP candidate. His postseason performance was fine, but the Yankees collapsed against the Red Sox, and A-Rod had an embarrassing moment running up the first base line.
        His second season was something else. Rodriguez had arguably his greatest year at the plate, flirting with the Triple Crown all season long before settling for 48 homers, 130 RBI, and a career-best .421 OBA. Despite a disastrous 11-19 start and numerous injuries to their starting rotation, the Yankees rallied to win 95 games, and on the last weekend of the season grabbed the division title away from the Red Sox.

        Something is missing from the above list of names; there are no members of the Chicago White Sox, the team that led the league in wins from start to finish, and won the World Series. Perhaps there should be; Paul Konerko, for example, hit 40 home runs. He was good, but not quite in the class of the sluggers above. The White Sox just weren't that type of team; they had great pitching and some great defensive players, and a lineup that stayed healthy and hit home runs. But their best hitters weren't their best defensive players, and vice-versa.
        The defending champions had a disappointing end to the season. After leading the division for most of the summer, the Red Sox were caught in the final weekend of the season by the Yankees. They won the wild card, but were quickly dispatched in the ALDS by the White Sox. The Red Sox suffered devastating blows to their pitching staff, but they could still score runs. This was the year that "Manny being Manny" became a favourite phrase around the league, used to describe the left fielder's misadventures in the outfield, his misadventures off the field and his ability to hit tape-measure, game-winning home runs.
        (The phrase actually dates back to the 1926 World Series, when Babe Ruth made the final out while trying to steal second base. Shrugged manager Miller Huggins after the game, "It's just Baby being Baby.")
        The Baltimore Orioles had an... interesting season. It started well; on May 26, the Orioles were 30-16 and had a healthy lead over the rest of the division. Star shortstop Miguel Tejada hit .329 with 19 homers in the first half, and was a leading MVP candidate at the break. He was matched by teammate Brian Roberts, a huge surprise who batted .345 with 15 homers and 18 steals at the break, and who credited his amazing improvement to his new, space-age contact lenses. First baseman Rafael Palmeiro reached the 3000-hit milestone for his career.
        Everything else was bad. Tejada and Roberts both slumped in the second half; outfielder Sammy Sosa was acquired to boost the offence, but instead hit .221 and quit on the team. Palmeiro tested positive for steroids. The team stunk the rest of the season, and lost 88 games. Manager Lee Mazzili was fired. Even the hugely popular Tejada was accused of dogging it near the end of the season.
        In the final month of the season, Rodriguez and Boston slugger David Ortiz emerged as the two front-runners for the MVP Award. Ortiz' supporters had a tough case, given that 1) Rodriguez had a better batting average, on-base percentage and more power, despite 2) the obvious advantage that Ortiz had in playing at Fenway Park; also, 3) Rodriguez' huge advantage as a baserunner and defensive player, and for good measure 4) the Yankees winning the division by a hair
        The two points in Ortiz' favour were his monster numbers with runners on base, and his role as Boston's inspirational leader. The former accomplishment was a persuasive point; the latter less so, since the arguments given about Ortiz' leadership were exactly the same as the ones used during Mo Vaughn's successful MVP quest in 1995, and Jim Rice's bid in 1986 that came up short. Sportswriters just have a thing about one-dimensional sluggers from Boston.
        The debate centred on whether or not a Designated Hitter should be eligible to win an MVP - a debate that really went nowhere, since nobody could think of a year in which a DH deserved to win the award. I would say yes, if the DH in question happens to be Ruth, Williams or Bonds; but even if we conclude that a DH can be an MVP, it still doesn't change the fact that Alex Rodriguez was the best player on the planet. I will concede that Ortiz was very scary, and make him my runner-up.
        Filling out the rest of the ballot is tough; in the third spot I'll take another Yankee, Gary Sheffield, who was his usual productive self. I'm not sure what to do with Miguel Tejada, who despite his tribulations had another outstanding season. Right up until the end of the year, I expected Tejada to rank among my top four MVP choices. But 23-year-old shortstop Jhonny Peralta had very similar numbers at the plate, and played well enough in the field that he may have been as good, or better, than Tejada. His team, the Indians, won 93 games.
        I'm giving Peralta the edge over Tejada and some other good candidates, including Indian Travis Hafner. "Pronk" had another monster season for the Indians; he wasn't the best DH in the league, but... well hell, I don't know, maybe he WAS the best DH in the league. The time he spent on the DL during was the summer just about the only thing that separated Pronk from Papi.