Sorry to itemize today, but there are a few items I must get to, and itemizing seems the best way to do so.

On the Mets’ draft: there seem to be two schools of thought on the draft. On one hand, you have those who are disappointed that the Mets were last in baseball in total amount spent signing draft picks. On the other hand, you have those claiming that this has more to do with mitigating factors like the absence of either a first-round or sandwich pick, along with the reality that there are no sure things in the draft.

For me, both of those points in the latter camp argue for spending more, not less on the draft. The Mets have the opportunity to spend above slot on more and more players. As we have seen in examples from Joba Chamberlain to Austin Jackson, not to mention dozens of players in the Boston system, these extra, high-ceiling prospects are so valuable because you cannot guarantee quality. Thus, it is ultimately quantity of them that will make the difference.

Even if the Mets are hoping to save money, this is a place to spend freely- just one of these players coming through will mean avoiding a pricey free-agent contract that will account for the price of many such prospects. In other words, the rate of return, with even a marginally competent farm system, will make it a good investment.

Runnin’ Razor: I have heard Gary Cohen, my favorite broadcaster this side of Vin Scully, make the point two days in a row that Razor Shines needs to be extremely aggressive in sending runners from third base. To put it mildly, I disagree with this analysis.

Cohen’s basis for saying so is that given New York’s feeble offense, taking the opportunity to score runs whenever they come up is justified.

But I see the reverse as true: given the feeble offense, sacrificing runners at the plate in situations where a single, or even a fly ball from the subsequent batter can bring in a run is a mistake. In other words, this offense is capable of little besides a fly ball or a single- thus, runners on third base represent the best possible hope for a run scoring.

Sending those runners on suicide missions are, well, just what that phrase implies. Put another way: we wouldn’t encourage a school crossing guard to send more children into traffic because of the importance of education.

Kudos to Ron Darling, however, for mentioning Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in a recent broadcast. You almost never hear that from Rob Dibble.

MVP Anger: Just to add my take on the Teixeira and Mauer for MVP debate, I believe that Mauer is the runaway choice for MVP. He plays a more demanding defensive position, has been a far better offensive player, and I think reliance on team record dilutes the ability to evaluate the individual’s contribution far too much. One can even reverse the argument, and point out that if Mark Teixeira wasn’t playing for the Yankees, the difference likely wouldn’t be 7.5 games, meaning New York would be a first place team without him. Meanwhile, without the superhuman year Joe Mauer has had, the Twins, now hovering around the edges of the playoff race, would have long since been eliminated from contention. Rob Neyer and Steven Goldman have the best elaborations on this question.

The part I don’t get is the anger. There are going to be those that disagree with me, those who interpret the rules differently, those who vote based on different criteria. Far from this being a problem, it is an aspect of baseball I enjoy as much as any- the debate over questions, large and small. Sitting in the stands in the seventh inning, what I like is discussing, “Should he bunt?”, and the same goes for questions like Most Valuable Player and the Hall of Fame.

The desire to ascribe sinister motivations to those who feel differently is a waste of everyone’s time. Psychological diagnoses of someone you’ve never met is ignorance that outstrips any claims made by either the stat or the scout community. I read many writers I agree with, and many I disagree with- the defining choice comes down to who is providing new, entertaining or interesting information to me. Where this anger comes from, I cannot begin to understand. What is to be gained by making character attacks on the Internet?

Howard Megdal is the Editor-in-Chief of The Perpetual Post. He covers baseball, basketball and soccer for Capital New York, MLBTradeRumors.com, New York Baseball Digest and has written for ESPN.com as well as numerous other publications. He is the Poet Laureate for SBNation New York. His book about Jewish baseball players, “The Baseball Talmud,” is available for purchase on Amazon.com and wherever books are sold. His next book, "Taking The Field", is available for pre-order on Amazon.com and will publish in May 2011.

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Tags: Gary Cohen, Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira, MVP, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Steven Matz, Tanglewood