despite being an avid yankees fan, i have no problem with joe mauer of the minnesota twins winning the american league’s most valuable player award — from a statistical standpoint. he put up some amazing numbers for a catcher this past season, and there’s no disputing that. what does concern me is the double standard at play with the award – essentially a scar on its brand. supposedly, the award isn’t given to a stats champ — but instead to the player who has the most positive impact on his team (with his team also advancing into the postseason). well, here’s a quote from espn’s hot stove today (the media channel’s report on the free agent market): joe mauer’s new contract could force the twins to deal away other pieces of their roster. um, what? either that tc in the twins logo stands for “totally cheap” and not “twin cities” or mauer is NOT the most valuable player. i bet it’s the latter. business owners — don’t let your brand fall victim to a double standard like this!