'Nuff said.

From a letter by Chris Schmid of Natick in today's Globe:

"LOST IN all the gloom over the Red Sox' swift collapse has been the evidence to answer that most perplexing of baseball questions: Who is the league's Most Valuable Player? With all due respect to Big Papi and Derek Jeter, the MVP for 2006 is now abundantly clear: catcher Jason Varitek. The Red Sox captain would appear to be worth about 50 wins a season to this year's version of the Sox, as their 60 percent winning percentage has dropped by half in the month since he was injured.

Those of us who bemoaned his inconsistent hitting early in the year now understand his true value to the team, especially to its young pitchers who have lost all confidence without his leadership."

Couldn't have said it better, Chris.