[新聞] Yanks shed Orioles, Ortiz's talks of MVP race

[leddy (耿秋)]

Yankees
Yanks shed Orioles, Ortiz's talks of MVP race
BY JIM BAUMBACH
Newsday Correspondent

September 11, 2006, 10:55 PM EDT


BALTIMORE -- At the first sniff of controversy, Derek Jeter has a tendency to
sprint in the opposite direction, which made his response to David Ortiz's
words somewhat eye-opening.

Ortiz, in a postgame interview with reporters at Fenway Park on Sunday, said
he deserves to win the MVP, and if he doesn't get it, he listed three others.
None was named Jeter.

Why not? Because he doesn't think Jeter, a non-slugger, should get serious
consideration.

So what does Jeter think about that? "I'm not thinking about winning an MVP,
I'm thinking about winning the division," he said. "Our focus here isn't on
individual awards. We've still got something to play for."

Ouch.

The Red Sox, of course, have little to play for. They are 101/2 games behind
the Yankees in the AL East and eight games behind the wild card-leading Twins.

The Yankees, meanwhile, moved 30 games over .500 for the first time this
season and lowered their magic number to clinch their ninth straight division
title to 10 last night. Their 9-6 win over the Orioles was sparked by a
six-run seventh in which Robinson Cano hit a two-out, three-run double and
the Orioles' Jim Hoey hit two batters.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the Yankees' success -- they are a game ahead
of Detroit in the race for the league's best record -- has been Jeter, whose
consistency has offset the losses of Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield and
slumps by Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi.

Jeter, who trails Minnesota's Joe Mauer in the batting race by .004, went
2-for-5 and extended his career-high hitting streak to 21 games. He's hitting
.346 with 36 doubles, three triples, 13 homers, 91 RBIs, 99 runs and 29
steals in 32 chances.

But is that enough to win him his first MVP? Ortiz doesn't think so,
defending his own candidacy by pointing at his gaudy stats -- 48 homers and
127 RBIs.

"If I get 50 home runs and 10 more RBIs, that's going to be a round number
that no one else in the American League will have," Ortiz, Boston's
designated hitter, told The Boston Globe. "But they'll vote for a position
player, use that as an excuse.

"They're talking about Jeter a lot, right? He's done a great job, he's having
a great season, but Jeter is not a 40-homer hitter or an RBI guy. It doesn't
matter how much you've done for your ballclub; the bottom line is, the guy
who hits 40 homers and knocks in 100, that's the guy you know helped your
team win games.

"Don't get me wrong -- he's a great player, having a great season, but he's
got a lot of guys in that lineup. Top to bottom, you've got a guy who can
hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be."

That last line was a surprising shot at Ortiz's teammates, which raised a few
eyebrows in the Yankees' clubhouse. Jeter essentially laughed at the
question, saying, "I don't have to hit in his lineup."

Johnny Damon, Ortiz's former Boston teammate and still a close friend, was
perplexed, saying, "That doesn't sound like him."

But beyond that, Jeter had absolutely no interest in defending his candidacy,
insisting he thinks only about winning the division. "My opinion?" he said,
repeating the question. "I don't really even think about it. I told you that.
I'm not just saying that."

Notes & quotes: Rodriguez hit his 32nd homer and had three hits and two RBIs.
Randy Johnson lifted his record to 17-10 ... Mariano Rivera's next throwing
session was pushed back to tomorrow to give him an extra day of rest. He said
he is feeling better and hopes to throw off a mound this weekend ... Matsui
"probably" will be the DH tonight, Joe Torre said ... Miguel Cairo was
activated ... Phil Hughes. and a handful of minor-leaguers will be at Yankee
Stadium tonight, accompanied by minor-league pitching coordinator Nardi
Contreras ... The Yankees are cutting ties with John Cox, coordinator of
Pacific Rim scouting, according to a person familiar with the situation. Cox
is responsible for finding Chien-Ming Wang and played a key role in Matsui's
signing.

--
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◆ From: 220.132.198.21
→ leddy:老爹如果今年還拿不到可能會氣到爆
→ leddy:他對紅襪的打線相當不以為然
→ leddy:jeter說 I don't have to hit in his lineup! 真是好樣
推 wrigley:紅襪如果沒進季後賽,老爹應該很難拿到吧~
推 RollingWave:we still have something to play for
→ RollingWave:Jeter 真是毒舌派...
推 timohu:大家可以到CCLu的BLOG看看他的想法
推 charlie01:老爹這次發言真的太不像他 最後一句根本就挑釁了...
推 micheline:得失心太重了，看來老爹很想要這個獎
推 keppel:忌妒心沒必要這麼明顯吧..他拿不到也不用扯到Jeter吧
→ keppel:學到席林的嘴巴???
推 alvinchang:DH講話都那麼大聲啊?
→ alvinchang:他沒想到後面的Manny讓他有很多好球可以打嗎?
推 essb:"Ouch." 這記者也很有意思
推 quicknick:沒想到老爹如此在意個人獎項,對他有點改觀
推 star1:總冠軍都拿了 當然想拿個MVP
推 tsming:Jeter講話很漂亮，一切為球隊:P
推 sam121:有人知道他認為其他有可能的三個人是誰?