MLB: Bret Boone- Seattle's Real MVP

The best gifts are always unexpected. After Alex Rodriguez took his ATM card and left the Emerald City, the hopes and aspirations of the current Seattle Mariners were burnt up faster than a carton of Marlboro in an Arlington summer. However, a 5'11", 157 pound Japanese sensation in the form of Ichiro Suzuki appeared to have regulated the duties of star upon himself. For the first third of the season, Ichiro has taken the role of Superman, but in the shadows of downtown Seattle, the real super hero, second baseman Bret Boone, has come to the rescue.

A USC Trojan, Boone is the perfect specimen for having baseball in his blood. He is the son of Bob Boone, who played 19 seasons with three teams: Philadelphia, California (now Anaheim), and Kansas City. He is the grandson of Ray Boone, an infielder who played for six teams during the 1950s. He is also the cousin of Rodney Boone, a minor league catcher/outfielder. Finally, his brother Aaron plays third base for the Cincinnati Reds. There is no doubt that there is the most competitive game of softball at the family reunion.

Boone (Bret) was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 28th round of the 1987 free-agent draft, but declined to sign. From here, he went on to play second base for the USA Olympic team in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In the 1990 draft, he was selected by his current team, the Seattle Mariners in the fifth round. To the untrained eye, it appears as if our saga of peregrination is nearly over, but the best is yet to come.

For two years, Boone was a semi-star, a white dwarf with a magnitude for the obscure. In 1992, he led all Southern League second baseman with putouts (288) and led the Pacific Coast League in double plays (90). On August 19, 1992, Boone made his major league debut. Just three days later, he hit his first career home run. He finished 1992 with a, for lack of a better word, bad batting average of .194.

In 1993, Boone gave the fine folks at U-Haul a call and, along with Erik Hanson, was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Bobby Ayala and Dan Wilson. Here, Boone played five years, and his glove put his name in the record books. In 1997, Boone set a major league record for second basemen (with a minimum of 100 games) by committing only two errors, and finished the season with a .997 fielding percentage. Currently, his glove in on display in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It appeared that Cincinnati would be the perfect fit. In 1998, he batted .266 with 24 home runs and 95 RBIs. More importantly, he played in 157 games, a career high. Durable, decent bat, great glove -- the perfect combination for a major league second baseman.

Then again, U-Haul's has a special on their 26' Super Mover.

Boone was dealt, along with Mike Remlinger to the Atlanta Braves for Denny Neagle, Michael Tucker, and Rob Bell. Boone proved he was the real deal, scoring a career high 102 runs and won a N.L. Gold Glove for second base. A perennial contender, Atlanta would be an ideal location to build his now budding major league career.

By now, Bret has U-Haul on speed dial. That winter, along with Ryan Klesko and Jason Shiell, he was dealt to the San Diego Padres for Quilvio Veras, Wally Joyner, and Reggie Sanders.

San Diego came off an indifferent 74-88 season in 1999, but had a solid core of rookies and the backing of the fans. With the attendance over 2.5 million for the second straight year and an average temperature in July is 76 degrees, it appeared it be the perfect situation. Furthermore, San Diego is a wedge away from El Cajon, his birth place.

In 2000, Boone was cruising through the first half of the season, hitting 16 home runs and batting .256 prior to the All-Star game, but a late season slump and the emergence of Damian Jackson (.295, 15 sbs, August & September of 2000) secured his fate. Because of Jackson's appearance, San Diego did not offer Boone a $4 million extension, rather, paid him a $250,000 buy out.

It couldn't have turned out any better. Boone is currently batting .333, including a remarkable .434 against left handed pitchers. Boone is also leading the league in RBIs, 66, over the likes of Manny Ramirez, Juan Gonzalez, and his teammate Edgar Martinez. Toss in 16 home runs, breaking his past high of 24 in 1998 and a major league leading record of 49-13, Boone and the Mariners are closer to a World Series than they were with the likes of Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr, or Rodriguez.

When October comes around, Seattle most likely will be a contender, but the predestination of the season rests on the shoulders of Boone. When the Boone signal comes out in the Seattle night, the question arises: Does Boone, and for that matter, the rest of the Mariners, have anything left in the tank? If they do, the only thing stopping Boone and the Mariners is fate.