In response to David Ortiz's comments from the other day about Derek Jeter coming up short in the MVP argument, the captain responded with a deflection that I can't help but admire.

I don't have to do it in his lineup," he said. The captain shrugged when asked further about Ortiz's comments, saying, "I'm not thinking about the MVP right now. We're thinking about winning a division. We've still got something to play for." (Ouch - he put the kibosh on that one!)

He then added, "No one here's focused on individual awards."

Machiavelli couldn't have handled that better. Still, I have to admit, I was honestly surprised to hear that it was Ortiz that brought this up. I hate how he hits the Yankees but I have had nothing but respect for the guy. He looks like he genuinely enjoys the game and interacting with the fans and in most cases, seemed humbled to be able to play a game for a living. So when these articles attributed him with these selfaggrandizing comments, I was pretty shocked, and it looks like Johnny Damon was as well:

Ortiz' comments surprised former teammate Johnny Damon. "That doesn't sound like Ortiz," he said.
...
"You got to see Derek do the job," Damon said. "He gets clutch hits and plays Gold Glove shortstop. I am going to choose my teammate."