Baseball's Most Baffling MVP Ballots

by Jeremy Lehrman

Overview

From its colorful beginnings more than a century ago, baseball's annual Most Valuable Player Award has become the most prestigious (and contentious) individual honor in the sport. No accolade means more to players, fans or the media. No other award can claim a voting history so rich in alleged snubs, grudges, conspiracies and incompetence.

Examining the most controversial ballots, this book attempts to settle some arguments and answer some compelling questions: Which of the so-called "worst MVPs" holds up to modern statistical analysis? Who cast the single worst vote in MVP history? Does racial bias influence the vote?

Who really deserved the award in a given year?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476626130
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	10/03/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jeremy Lehrman has been a professional speechwriter, ghostwriter, and copywriter for 20 years. He lives in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Jeremy Lehrman has been a professional speechwriter, ghostwriter, and copywriter for 20 years. He lives in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface: A Few Things to Know
Introduction: “What does a man have to do to win this thing?”
 1. A Firm Believer in Advertising: The History of the MVP Award
 2. The Crab Performs Miracles in Boston
 3. Establishing a Pecking Order
 4. Out by a Mile
 5. Revisionist History 101
 6. Black Mike and the Triple Crown
 7. The Octopus
 8. Sticking It to the Splinter: Most Career MVP Snubs
 9. The Gym Teacher Who Came in from the Cold
10. Curiouser and Curiouser
11. “What are we going to do? Break it in half?”
12. MVP Mosts (and Leasts)
13. A Certain Kind of Logic
14. Out of Character: MVP Flukes
15. Meet the Mets, Greet the … Team That Has Never Had an MVP
16. The Greatest Season That Never Was
17. Never Mind, Juan Gone—It’s the 90s
18. Are MVP Voters Racist?
19. Fun with Arbitrary Endpoints: MVPs of the Decade
20. The Wonderful Argument
21. The Last Worst MVP: The Future of the Award
Appendix: The List, 1911–2015
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Expertly researched and written, and rarely gets bogged down or boring. Lehrman does an excellent job with the research and writing, and Baseball’s Most Baffling MVP Ballots is a fun and easy read...fantastic”—Mike Lynch, Seamheads; “Ever since Justin Morneau beat out Derek Jeter and a cast of thousands for the MVP, I have been waiting for exactly this book.”—Rob Neyer, author of Rob Neyer’s Big Book of Baseball series; “This information-packed paperback, loaded with statistics, also features oddities and ironies associated with the prestigious prize...a Best Baseball Book, 2016”—Sports Collectors Digest; “a terrific book...witty, well-researched and well-written...it is one that serious baseball fans must read...5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)”—Lance Smith, The Guy Who Reviews Sports Books; “the book is beautifully written, well researched, and meticulously edited...a must read”—Innings Pitched.

From the Publisher