OT - MVP trivia
 

With his selection as NL MVP yesterday, Albert Pujols moved into 4th place in the number of MVP votes received in a career. (Of couse, he's only 29 and has been one of the top 4 vote getters in 8 of his 9 seasons.)

What three players have received more MVP votes in their career?

Barry Bonds, Derek Jeter (long shot guess), Mickey Mantle.

Barry Bonds, Mantle and Joe D

Bonds with 7 awards has to be one
 

Stan Musial at one time was the all-time leading vote getter and probably someone like Rickey Henderson to close out the show

Rich

my guesses
 

Ted Williams, Barry Bonds and Stan Musial

Bonds, Mays, Musial?

We have a winner!

Top three are: Bonds, Musial, and Williams. with Pujols now fourth.

(In Alberts 9 seasons, he has 3 firsts, 3 seconds, 1 third, and 1 fourth. Not a bad way to start a career.)

Edited to add: The other year? 2007? He hit .327, with 32 HRs, 103 RBIs and only finished 9th in the voting.

Can you imagine Bonds doing a couple years in Iraq and then a couple more in Afganistan and then coming back to paly ? I could maybe seeing Pujols doing it, but what Ted Williams did is so amazing it's a shame Bonds is even mentioned with him.

I don't see any of today's superstars doing anything like this.. Most of today's players feel we "Owe" them, not like back in Williams day, in which it was an honor to serve our country.

Not everyone, Pat Tillman walked away from a 3.6 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the military and was killed in action in Afganistan as an Army Ranger in 2004, he was only 27.

Thanks - I can't wait to see what my prize is!

Ted Williams is probably my favorite player of all time (and this from a 36 year old). My favorite Teddy stat is that he won the Triple Crown TWICE, in '42 and '47, and hit .406 in 1941, and NONE of those times did he win the MVP.

I'll have it shipped directly from the cryogenics lab in AZ!

That Ted Williams had quite a head on his shoulders...although of late it has left his shoulders.

Don't forget that Musial served in the military as well, although not nearly as long as Williams did.

Tillman
 

The Tillman saga is more sad by the fact that he was killed by friendly fire and the government wasn't honest about it until an investigation. Very few of today's athletes have the guts or belief to sacrafice their millions and do something worth while.

Bonds and Williams are the 2 best power/contact hitters of all time IMO.

I'll always remember..... A few years before he retired, Bonds early in the season had 9 HRs and swung and missed only 8 times to that point in the season.

Pujols might get that good....someday :)

Yogi Berra is another guy that many overlook, he had 6 seasons with more HRs than SOs. (best season 1950 28 HRs, 12 SOs)

bonds: tainted
 

sadly, i think you will find that the majority of folks think that pretty much everything bonds achieved his last 10 seasons is tainted. There is no doubt that he was using steroids, HGH, or a both and other illicit drugs to achieve his numbers. He would have been a sure fire HOF'er without the drugs but he choose a different path to immortality. I strongly believe that he is an embarassment to the game.