WHITESTONE, NY – Whoever chose to name the World Series Most Valuable Player Award after the great Willie Mays needs to ask himself, Why? It’s not that I’m hating the Say Hey Kid, I love Mr. Mays. But the breakdown speaks for itself.
Mays played in four World Series. Three with the Giants and one with the Mets. In a total of nineteen games Mays batted .239. In a more alarming stat Mays who blasted 660 home-runs in his Hall of Fame career had a total of zero when it came to October baseball. 
His famed catch off the bat of Vic Wertz in the 1954 series was the highlight that Mays gave us in the Fall Classic.
As if this isn’t enough for the so-called baseball decision-makers, how about looking at the impact of the man that was labeled Mr. October for the highlights he provided during that month when it matters most. With five rings and two MVP’s attached to his name, Reggie Jackson is the ultimate choice to have the award named after him. The Oakland A’s and NY Yankees super-duper star of October baseball should be on the podium to present the MVP award to the rewarding player. Instead, we have the so-called commissioner, Robert Manfred (the politician that he is), presenting the hardware to the star of the series.
October was Reggie’s time, and the inspiration of the Reggie Bar was all you needed to chew on. A total of three other players have been crowned twice with World Series MVP honor. Bob Gibson won it in 1964 and 1967. Sandy Koufax was the other two time winner, having done it in 1963 and 1965. The latest is Corey Seeger, who also won it in 2020.
The decision makers at the MLB offices in midtown Manhattan need to realize that they dropped the ball on this one and correct the error. Once again, I love Willie Mays, but the Reggie “Mr. October” Jackson MVP is more fitting.
