The Pirates won the pennant and the World Series; this accomplishment indirectly resulted in the only tie in the history of the MVP Award. Two fine first basemen, Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell, shared the award, but it was a stranger vote than you may think.

         Those of you who are paying attention will notice something amiss with the Stargell selection: obviously, you don't give the MVP to a first baseman who scores just 60 runs. Stargell played for the Pirates, and helped them reach the World Series. He was 39 years old, had been a great player in the past, and had been with the team forever. This all helped sway the sentimental vote; it also didn't hurt that he hit a few home runs.
        But still... there's more to it than that. Lots of old guys have big last hurrahs and don't win the MVP. Stargell was perceived as more than a team leader... he was the heart and soul of a team of destiny. I was just four years old at the time; for those of us who weren't there, it is difficult to understand or describe. Some unearthly combination of karma, family values and disco music propelled the Pirates to the World Series. "We Are Family" was their slogan; whatever works, I guess, though the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates have become something of a period piece.
        Anyway, though I admire Stargell, I don't think he really had an MVP-calibre season; he reminds me of Dave Winfield in 1992 with the Blue Jays, when he joined Toronto as their DH and helped them win the World Series. A good year, not an MVP one. Hernandez led the league in runs produced, and was a terrific defensive player; he was a good choice. Dave Parker, who was the Pirates' actual best player, comes next, followed by the Big Man himself, Dave Winfield, who had his best season with the Padres.
        The polar opposite of Willie Stargell was Dave Kingman. Kingman was a tremendous home run hitter, but he didn't do anything else. His career batting average was just .236; in 1982, for example, he led the NL with 37 homers — but hit just .204 and had only nine doubles. For three years with the Cubs, however, he learned how to make consistent contact, and was a formidable hitter. This year, he set career highs in batting average, on-base average, slugging, homers, RBI, runs. It was a great year.
         He was then shipped to the Mets, where he returned to his former ways. Then to Oakland, where he finished his career. He hit 35 homers in 1986, but never played again; I believe it is a record number of home runs by a player in his final season. Kingman hit only .210 that season, and he further decreased his market value when he mailed a dead rat to a female reporter. Kingman hit 442 home runs in his career; who knows what he could have accomplished with an ounce of good sense.
        Garry Templeton was a switch hitter, and this season became the only player to collect 100 hits from each side of the plate in a season. He was durable, had a bit of power and speed, and was a fine defensive player. Unfortunately, Templeton ranked about even with Kingman on the congeniality scale. He whined, complained, and didn't seem to care a lot of the time. His manager, Whitey Herzog, finally got sick of the act, and traded Templeton to the Padres for Ozzie Smith.
         Smith was a brilliant defensive player who couldn't hit; Templeton could hit and play defense, so the Padres probably thought they were getting a good deal. But Smith learned to hit, and was one of the 1980's best players. Templeton stopped hitting and stopped fielding; he hung around for years, apparently because the Padres refused to admit they got burned on the deal, so they stuck with him no matter how badly he played. And boy, those were some bad years that he had.