Joe Mauer is MVP but is he an iron man?
Following are opinions from Mille Lacs County Times editor-sports editor Gary Larson, reporter Luther Dorr and former Times intern Logan Marxhausen who’s now on the sports staff at the St. Cloud State University Chronicle. Note: This feature is written on Monday each week.
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•Question: Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer is sidelined with a deep bone bruise in his left heel and, as of Monday, it appeared the injury could be nagging him for a while. In 2004 Mauer underwent knee surgery and played in just 35 games. Injuries limited him to 109 games in 2007 and the three-time batting champ didn’t play in April last year because of a back problem. Is Mauer “injury prone” or are the injuries par for the course for a baseball catcher?
-Dorr: Gary, who comes up with most of the questions for this feature, and I must be on the same wave length because Sunday night I looked up Mauer’s stats as far as games played in his first six years with the Twins and found that he has played in only 72 percent of the Twins’ games in those six years. Yes, he was hitting .327 lifetime and last year, in what might turn out to be a fluke with the 28 homers, he added power to his game. But he has never played in more than 146 games and has played more than 138 games of a 162-game schedule only twice. I think you could make a case for him being injury prone, although the first injury in 2004 was kind of an unusual one. Here’s hoping he isn’t injury prone and that he’s just been unlucky. And here’s hoping the Twins start getting some hits with the bases loaded. Four players came to bat with the bases loaded in the ninth inning Sunday and none of them got the ball out of the infield. Maybe we needed Mauer at the plate then.
-Marxhausen: Catchers take a beating and there is a reason why Joe Mauer used to get every Sunday off for the Twins. Catchers go through a lot of day-to-day issues and are called on to constantly throw the ball every night as well as get up and down repetitively while also concentrating on the base runners and what pitch the pitcher should throw and where the pitch should be placed. Catchers have a huge responsibility and doing all these things may cause an injury or two to happen. The heel bruise that Mauer is suffering from can happen to any base runner who lands oddly on a bag. Yes, Mauer’s health is going to have to be constantly monitored but, I think injuries come with the game of baseball.
-Larson: You can call Mauer MVP. You can call him batting champ. And you can call him a hitting machine. But, he’ll probably never wear the “iron man” tag. StarTribune sports columnist Sid Hartman has often cited former Minnesota Vikings Coach Bud Grant’s view that the same players always seem to get injured. Maybe there’s some truth to that. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, part of the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine” of the 1970s, averaged more than 150 games in his first 13 seasons and could wear the “iron man” tag. With their now huge investment in Mauer, you can’t blame the Twins for being cautious with him, or any other players. Right now, Minnesota is fortunate to have what appear to be solid back-ups for Mauer, including rookie Wilson Ramos who tore the cover off the ball in his first two games Sunday and Monday.
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•Question: Last week we looked at the American League Central Division race. What are your thoughts on how baseball’s other division races have gone so far? What teams have been the biggest surprises, respectively, in the American League and National League?
-Dorr: The East Division in the American League is still the best. About a month ago I wrote that Tampa Bay was the best team I had seen in Florida and so far the Rays, with baseball’s best record at 18-7, are leading that division and the Yanks are a game and a half back. I’m not surprised that Tampa Bay is doing that well but I am surprised that Texas and Oakland are ahead of Los Angeles and Seattle in the West. I’d say the biggest surprise in baseball so far has been the San Diego Padres who, at 16-9, are leading the National League West, ahead of San Francisco with its outstanding pitching staff. St. Louis is not a surprise at the top of the NL Central and neither are the Phillies, leaders in the NL East, although the resurgent New York Mets (8-2 in their last 10 games) are a surprise at only a half game back. So, make that San Diego in the NL and Texas (7-3 in its last 10 games) in the AL as the biggest surprises so far.
-Marxhausen: The biggest surprise is the AL East Tampa Bay Rays who are off to the best start in either league. Their solid 9-1 record on the road includes some clutch wins in tough ballparks like Boston’s Fenway and the Chicago White Sox’s U.S. Cellular Field. American League West teams are looking to save themselves from drowning with under .500 records. The same can be said for the NL East. Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals are playing well at the moment, losing only one series against the San Francisco Giants. In the NL West the San Diego Padres have also come on strong with a 13-3 record in their last 16 games, with six of them being shutouts.
-Larson: After one month of the season, it appears that baseball fans can anticipate several heated division races. The exception may be the NL Central where St. Louis is threatening to run away with the title early. San Diego in the NL West is the surprise team in the National League while the mediocre play of the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West is the biggest surprise in the American League. Tampa Bay is off to a great start, overshadowing the start of the New York Yankees in the AL East. Everyone is a contender in the AL West and NL East right now
The Twins’ 17-9 start is somewhat of a surprise, especially when compared to last year’s 12-13 start. And, maybe the great weather the Twins have enjoyed so far at new Target Field has been the biggest surprise of all.
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•Question: LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers has been named the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player for the second-straight year. Has James established himself as the NBA’s best player or does he have to lead a team to a playoff title before he can wear that tag?
-Dorr: I think you could make a good argument that James is now the best player in the NBA. He takes over games like no one else. I’ve never subscribed to the theory that someone has to lead a team to a championship to be declared the best player. Sometimes the supporting cast just isn’t good enough. There are a lot of great players in all professional sports who are MVPs, yet don’t win a championship. I haven’t watched one second of an NBA playoff game but from what everyone says, James is the best.
-Marxhausen: Without a doubt, LBJ is the top player in the league. The man has athleticism that looks as if it could help him do pull-ups using the top of the backboard. He can break to hole for a quick drive or pull back for a fade-away that ends in the sweet sound of nylon getting whipped around. The question of winning a title has to stand firm in this case. James has not won anything except an Eastern Conference regular-season title. Kobe Bryant has won numerous times and is making a strong push in the playoffs yet again. Kobe clinches important wins while LeBron wins awards.
-Larson: Is there a shot that James or Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers can’t make or haven’t made? Probably not. I agree with Luther that winning a playoff title shouldn’t be a requirement when determining how great a player is. James has moved a tiny step ahead of Bryant in the “best player” argument. I’m hoping the two meet in the playoff finals where James would have to overcome Bryant’s better supporting cast for the Cavaliers to prevail.
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Do you have an opinion on any of this week’s questions? Do you agree or disagree with the sportswriters? Let us know by sending an e-mail to editor.millelacscotimes@ecm-inc.com or a note to Mille Lacs County Times, 225 S.W. 2nd St. Milaca, MN 56353. Or comment online.
