Kevin Foley is a good friend and an outstanding producer. He's the man that weaves "Jays Connected" each week during the season and pilots our playoff coverage in October. Kevin has a solid baseball background; he played at the University of Pittsburgh and in the Intercounty League.
But that doesn't make him a know-it-all.
In October of 2007, as we sat around the Sportsnet boardroom watching the Red Sox win a World Series, Foley proudly announced to me and Gregg Zaun that Dustin Pedroia, he of the step-in-a-bucket swing, would not be in the major leagues within four years.
This is the same Dustin Pedroia that won the American League Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday.
The object of this twine is not to discredit Mr. Foley. He's a star in our business. Instead, it's to celebrate the fact that the MVP doesn't always have to belong to the big hitter. Pedroia is a top-of-the-line-up run-producer (he scored 118 times); a hit machine (213 hits) who moves runners along, steals bases (20) and hits a few home runs (17) along the way. Oh yes, did I mention he won the Gold Glove at second base? Pedroia did a little of everything, and he did it well. That makes him a worthy winner.
And though Pedroia won by a fairly sizable vote, you could easily make a case for about five or six other players (including my personal favourite -- and runner-up -- Justin Morneau).
But there-in lies the beauty of opinion. Kevin Foley has his. Surely, you have one too. Did voters get it right in the American League? Let me know below.
