Writers have credibility in MLB voting

There are a lot of Red Sox fans who are hot that David Ortiz did not win the American League MVP. The rancor is exacerbated by the fact the winner, Alex Rodriguez, is a Yankee.

That vote has led to a discussion of whether the major league baseball writers should be the ones voting for the award, and other end-of-the-season trophies. Part of that discussion is internal with the papers; part of it is external with the fans.

The internal dispute is that some papers, such as the New York Times, have said their writers cannot be involved in the voting due to the possible appearance of conflict.

The writers cover the games all summer and there are obviously going to be players who become friends or enemies with certain writers. Writers are obviously going to think highly of those who are willing to talk and help in the daily chore of writing about the games.

However, Barry Bonds has never been a favorite of any writer and he still won a parade of MVP awards.

Still, the newspapers have a point. There is no group more unbiased in voting for awards than the writers. They take that job seriously and believe, correctly so, that their integrity is essential to continuing the history of the game in terms of award winners honored yearly.

Still, there is the chance that a writer, who votes for 10 people for each award, ranking them 1 through 10, is influenced by his interaction with a player during the season. From the newspapers’ view, why even chance such conflict when you can just say no.

A further problem is when players, and this has happened, approach a writer the following year and want to know how she voted. That is tricky business. The writers almost always say that is a private matter, but some have been accused of bias by players.

That obviously affects how that player reacts with the writer in future seasons, and that may not be good for the writer and his ability to get the best information for his stories.

The external dispute is a never-ending one. Fans think writers are inclined to vote for those players they cover the most. I know for a fact, that is not the case. Some fans continue to think otherwise.

That problem can be lived with by simply recognizing that in most seasons there will be more than one worthy player for every award and someone has to decide. Writers are as knowledgeable and independent as any group out there.

The writers association is worried about losing the right to make these selections. They take pride in doing so and want to continue. The internal newspaper problem is the one that may take that vote away.

The issue then is, who would take their place and there is no ready group to fill that void if it comes to be.

Here’s hoping the writers keep the vote and the newspapers trust the integrity of their people to continue the fairness that has marked the years they have done so.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.