Q: I was disgusted with your lobbying of the A's yesterday. I have never seen such one-sided journalism from a national persona. The way you introduced Jason Giambi as the MVP was shameless.

	Frank Thomas will likely miss the rest of the season with a torn triceps muscle.

Don't get me wrong, he is a very good player and has had a great season. But you have to back up any statement like that with reason.

How can you so easily discount the contributions of Carlos Delgado, A-Rod or most importantly Frank Thomas? If you think Jason Giambi should win it, fine -- but tell people why these guys shouldn't!

I think Giambi should get a lot of votes, but his stats aren't as good as Thomas' and I believe that the Sox need him more than the A's need Giambi. That being the case, Thomas wins both interpretations of the award over Giambi: best stats or most important to the team.
Adam R. Cole -- Chicago

Dan Patrick: My support of Jason Giambi for MVP really touched a nerve in Chicago. Here is the long-play version.

I have never denied a slight bias on my part when it comes to Jason Giambi. He has become a friend of mine. He comes on my radio show and is a fun, lively guest. Frank Thomas, on the other hand, won't come on the show so I can't say I know him at all. What I know about him is based on what I see on TV or read in the papers. But trust me, coming on the show or not is not a deal-breaker here.

For one thing, the radio show is on all year. And earlier in the year, as recently as late August, I had Frank Thomas as your American League MVP. I have consistently stated that the Chicago White Sox were the best story in baseball this year, not the Oakland A's.

Jerry Manuel is clearly the American League Manager of the Year. The way the White Sox so authoritatively grabbed the Central Division from the Indians after all those years of Tribe dominance was a tremendous achievement.

And Frank Thomas' comeback from two off years was a great thing to see unfold. He also stepped up to be the leader Manuel wanted him to be. He is to be commended for that as much as his remarkable statistics. And if Giambi had not separated himself from the pack like he did in the last month, Thomas wins the award handily.

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Thomas is a DH. That's a big hurt. How valuable are you if you can't field well enough to play defense for your team? ”

But the MVP is not about statistics alone. If it were, Todd Helton would win the NL version easily, but you and I know he won't do better than third. As for A-Rod and Delgado, both of them faded at the end of the season. Those guys had memorable seasons but it's silly to consider anyone beyond Thomas and Giambi.

The award has many factors and in my opinion, many of them tilt away from Frank Thomas.

First of all, Thomas is a DH. That's a big hurt. How valuable are you if you can't field well enough to play defense for your team? DHs take half the game off. It's a big deal. Many voters are old schoolers who take this seriously. That's simply a fact.

The drama was taken out of the White Sox season in early August. The A's had to win their last game to make the playoffs. That drama helps Giambi's case because he really stepped up when the heat was on.

It isn't fair to Thomas that he and his pals took care of business early. But life is not fair. These awards have a "what have you done for me lately" feel to them. It helps Giambi.

It also does not help Frank Thomas that many people feel that Magglio Ordonez was just as valuable to the White Sox as Thomas was. No one is saying such a thing in Oakland.

Don't get me wrong. Frank Thomas did not "lose" this award. Jason Giambi, in my opinion, rose up and won it. I will be the last one on earth to complain if Thomas wins the MVP. He had a great year. I just happen to think Giambi had a better, more valuable one.