Who's MVP of this tired rivalry?

Michael Wilbon and a Kornheiser substitute (Le Batard) "debated" the AL MVP last night on Pardon the Interruption. The question was "Jeter or Ortiz?" I don't suppose it's fair to hold PTI to a higher standard than the rest of sports media, but they're going to have to suffer my discontent this time. Jeter or Ortiz? Why does it always have to be Yankees vs. Red Sox?

It seems like every time I turn on a ball game, it's the Yankees and the Red Sox. ESPN and Fox both cater to "Red Sox nation" and the teeming hordes of whatever you call Yankees "fans" every time they get a chance. Well, I, for one, am tired of it. This rivalry was cool two years ago. Now it's like a bad joke that you've already heard one time too many.

The Yankees and Red Sox are not the best teams in the American League anymore. Nor do they play in the best division. In fact, both the Central and the West have more wins on average than the East. (In case you're wondering, the best division in the NL by this measure is . . . surprise! . . . the West.)

Let's drop these losers. The White Sox, not the Red Sox, are the defending World Series champions. Did you forget last year? And the Tigers, the lowly Detroit Tigers, have the best record in baseball, not the damn Yankees! I want to see this rivalry play out. Who cares if the Yankees swept the Red Sox? That just corroborates what we already knew—when you average it all out, payroll wins. Wasn't it more interesting when the (White) Sox swept the Tigers, closing the gap instead of widening it?

Joe Mauer leads the league in hitting, not Derek Jeter. Why are we even considering this guy? Because he's the only one we've seen play? It's time to slough this media-imposed tunnel vision and consider a wider purview on the American League. Let's look past the triple crown categories and find the player who is really most valuable. There's a good chance he's playing in the Central Division.