I had all of the reasons why Alex Gonzalez should be the American League Gold Glove winner at shortstop piled up and ready to go. The number of errors, the fielding percentage, the zone rating, the range indicators: all signs point to A-Gon. But to be honest, why bother? You can look those numbers up and see they are all in A-Gon’s favor. But you don’t have to because you already know the truth. Jeter is a Yankee and a national baseball icon, Alex Gonzalez is not. Game over.
The unfortunate part of this mess is that you can’t blame the fans who vote in the wrong all-stars. You can’t blame the media for voting for the wrong MVP. This “award” is voted on by managers and coaches in the league. The guys that watched both Jeter and Gonzalez play and know who the better defensive shortstop is. Sad to see the only reward for playing great defense has been tarnished.
I know this debate will rage on with Yankee fans trying to legitimize the choice. But I won’t participate, it is done and it is wrong. Don’t bring up games played as being the factor thyat put Jeter over the top unless you’ve done a little research. A certain “first baseman” won the award after playing just 24 games at that position. And by that logic, Mike Lowell would have a Gold Glove over Chavez this year.
I don’t look at this as a Red Sox player getting screwed or a Yankee player winning something just for being a Yankee. I look at it as another sad day for the game I love.
