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Can't argue with that. Would've liked to see Pujols get it - but Howard's a good choice.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2669508
NEW YORK -- Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player on Monday after leading the majors in home runs and RBI, beating out the St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols for the honor.
Ryan Howard had a magical season for the Phillies and was rewarded Monday with his first NL MVP Award. Howard is the fourth Phillies player to win the award and first since Mike Schmidt in 1986.
• Fun fact: He's the third player to win the MVP award and Home Run Derby in the same season. Cal Ripken Jr. (1991) and Andre Dawson (1987) are the others.
Phillies MVPs, All-time
Ryan Howard 2006
Mike Schmidt 1980, '81, '86
Jim Konstanty 1950
Chuck Klein 1932
Howard received 20 first-place votes and 12 seconds for 388 points in balloting by a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Pujols got 12 firsts, 19 seconds and one third for 347 points.
Howard, the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year, had 58 homers and 149 RBI while batting .313. He had the most homers in the major leagues since Barry Bonds hit a record 73 in 2001.
He set Phillies records for home runs and RBI, producing the highest totals in those categories in big league history for a second-year player. Twenty-three of Howard's homers put the Phillies ahead and five tied games. The Phillies went 32-18 in games in which he homered.
Pujols, who hit .331 with 49 homers and 137 RBI, defeated Atlanta's Andruw Jones 378-351 in last year's voting after finishing second in 2002 and 2003. Stan Musial and Ted Williams (four times each) are the only players to finish second more often than Pujols, who matched three-time AL MVP Mickey Mantle with three second-place finishes.
2006 NL MVP Voting
Player 1st 2nd 3rd Pts
Ryan Howard, Phillies 20 12 -- 388
Albert Pujols, Cardinals 12 19 1 347
Lance Berkman, Astros -- -- 21 230
Carlos Beltran, Mets -- 1 5 211
Miguel Cabrera, Marlins -- -- 2 170
Alfonso Soriano, Nats -- -- 1 106
Jose Reyes, Mets -- -- 1 98
Chase Utley, Phillies -- -- -- 98
David Wright, Mets -- -- 1 70
Trevor Hoffman, Padres -- -- -- 46
Scoring: 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third and on down to one for 10th.
Others receiving votes: Andruw Jones (29), Carlos Delgado (23), Nomar Garciaparra (18), Rafael Furcal (11), Garrett Atkins (10), Matt Holliday (10), Aramis Ramirez (5), Freddy Sanchez (5), Chris Carpenter (4), Chipper Jones (3), Mike Cameron (2), Jimmy Rollins (2), Bronson Arroyo (1), Jason Bay (1).
Pujols was third in the NL in batting average behind Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez and Florida's Miguel Cabrera, and second to Howard in homers and RBI.
Stan Musial (four times), Ted Williams (four times) are the only players to finish second more often than Pujols, who matched three-time AL MVP Mickey Mantle with three second-place finishes.
Houston's Lance Berkman was third with 230 points, followed by the New York Mets' Carlos Beltran (211), Cabrera (170) and Washington's Alfonso Soriano (106) -- who on Sunday reportedly reached a preliminary agreement on an eight-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth about $136 million.
Pujols gets a $100,000 bonus for finishing second, Berkman $250,000 for placing third and Beltran $200,000 for winding up fourth.
Can't argue with that. Would've liked to see Pujols get it - but Howard's a good choice.
I'd argue that Pujols was the better choice, but it was a close call any way you slice it.
one of tparks arteries are going to clog when he finds out
Good choice. Pujols will always be a contender as well.
What happened to, when Bonds was beating out Pujols for the MVP
"Well, his team is winning the division"
Phillies didn't.
Nah, no east coast bias.
Thats ok, like with Carpenter, Pujols is smokin a fat stogie, and sayin kiss my ring.
So, when Bonds won, was it west coast bias?
Howard's team won 85 games in the regular season; Pujols' team, um, didn't.
I don't think the "didn't win the division" card should really apply when the guy you're discounting won more games than the dude you're pimping.
Probably just me, though.
tpark is a fool
So Howard doesn't have the talent to win MVP, the only possible way he can win is with help from the media?Nah, no east coast bias.
Any media member who picks against the Cardinals or doesn't give his award votes to Cardinals players is a pure-on hater, mikey.
Oh...my bad.
See....the margaritas get out of my system and its no good!
Any media member who picks against the Cardinals or doesn't give his award votes to Cardinals players is a pure-on hater, mikey
Way to take what I say out of context.
You heads just get better day after day.
For people that supposedly like that Im here, you sure don't ing show it.
Wait a second.
During the playoffs, you called every media member who didn't predict the Cardinals to win a series a "hater." Not my word, TPark -- yours.
As the post-season awards have been revealed, you've blasted the media members who vote for those awards for not giving Carpenter the Cy Young (despite the fact that Webb had better numbers) and for not giving Pujols the MVP (despite the fact that Howard's team won more games). As to the Howard-Pujols situation, you've said straight out that there's an East Coast bias, suggesting that such a bias influenced the voting.
Now, of all of that, what did I take out of context in making my statement to mikey? Really -- I want to know.
who likes that you are here??
who likes that you are here??
I don't think anyone asked your opinion.
tpark you just seem like your always on a period. wtf? stop getting angry over the internet, seriously.
Pujols Goes TPark -- never minding, again, that Howard's team won more games than his own team did:
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic -- Albert Pujols thinks he was snubbed.
The St. Louis Cardinals' slugger is upset he lost out to Philadelphia's Ryan Howard for the National League MVP award, saying Wednesday the honor should go to someone on a playoff team.
"I see it this way: Someone who doesn't take his team to the playoffs doesn't deserve to win the MVP," Pujols said in Spanish at a news conference organized by the Dominican Republic's sports ministry.
Pujols led the Cardinals to the NL Central le this year and their first World Series championship since 1982. Howard and the Phillies missed the playoffs -- though they won two more regular-season games than St. Louis.
The Dominican-born Pujols batted .331 with 49 home runs and 137 RBI, while Howard hit .313 with 58 homers and 149 RBI.
Howard got 20 first-place votes for MVP and 388 points in balloting by a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Pujols received 12 first-place votes and 347 points. Voting is conducted before the postseason.
Pujols, the 2005 NL MVP, said he has bigger dreams -- a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. The BBWAA also votes for the Hall of Fame.
"It is still early, but it is a dream I have," Pujols said. "My hope is that in good time I will have sufficient numbers to get to Cooperstown."
Pujols praised several moves the Cardinals have made this offseason, including signing second baseman Adam Kennedy and pitcher Kip Wells. The slugger noted that his club had been hoping to land fellow Dominican star Alfonso Soriano, who instead agreed to a $136 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.
"I thought we were going to sign Soriano, but it wasn't possible. We also intended to trade for him during the season, but the Nationals wanted too much for him," Pujols said.
never minding, again, that Howard's team won more games than his own team did
neverminding Pujols is a better fielder (gold glove) better for average hitter, and strikes out WAYYY less.
Numbers that should sway the MVP votes twards Pujols.
Once again, he didn't win, big Fing deal. Cards won the ring, scoreboard on everyone, move on.
Nevermind that Pujols talked to a reporter about it.
Honestly... that was the same exact rationale that the media used in 1998 when they picked Corky the Sneezer over Big Mac. Everyone loved what Big Mac did, but the scrubbies made the playoffs and the Cards didn't, therefore everyone said Corky deserved it because his team was in the playoffs.
Heck, I remember back in the day, when people had a FIT when Ripken won the MVP for a non playoff Orioles.
The huge difference between 1998 and 2006 is that Sosa and McGwire played in the same division and Sosa's Cubs won 7 more games than McGwire's Cardinals did.
Pretty easy to say in 1998 that Sosa's team was the better team simply because it made the playoffs. That same logic isn't available to compare Pujols and Howard in 2006, when Howard's team won more games, but didn't make the playoffs because it didn't have the luxury of playing in the worst division in baseball.
Non playoff O's is a wee bit of an understatement. The O's were the 2nd worst team in the AL in '91, 28 games below .500. Ripken made the O's 10 games better than the lowly, last place Tribe. Talk about value to a team and league...
Thomas and Fielder were simply robbed that year and it was, IMO, the worst MVP selection. Ever.
It was the same when Dawson won it for the Cubs in 1987.Heck, I remember back in the day, when people had a FIT when Ripken won the MVP for a non playoff Orioles.
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