Rodriguez wins MVP; answers doubters

In Florida's series against San Francisco, he took a hit worthy of the NFL.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Ivan Rodriguez heard the snide remarks the last couple of years, the ones about him being washed up, too injury-prone to make a difference anymore.
He never complained, never defended himself. Not even when he was sitting home last winter, wondering where he'd play this year.
Now he doesn't have to say anything. The MVP trophy said it all.
Rodriguez was selected the MVP of the NL championship series Wednesday night after driving in his NLCS-record 10th run and scoring twice to lead the Marlins to the World Series.
Actions do talking
"This is what you work for," he said. "The MVP, being in the World Series. ... I wanted to show the world that Ivan Rodriguez is still healthy and has a lot of years in baseball.
"Right now, I'm going to go to the World Series, and keep doing what I'm doing, just doing my job for the team."
So far, he's doing it superbly. The Marlins won three straight elimination games in the NLCS, becoming just the ninth team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-7 series.
But they never could have done it without Rodriguez. He's hitting .333 in the playoffs, with at least one hit in each of the Marlins' 11 postseason games. He broke the NLCS record of nine RBIs set by San Francisco's Matt Williams in 1989. Rodriguez has 16 RBIs in the postseason, breaking the Florida franchise record of 15 set by Moises Alou in 1997, when the Marlins won the World Series.
When Paul Bako hit a fly to left with two outs in the ninth, Rodriguez ran halfway to the mound, bending slightly at the waist as he watched the ball. When it dropped into Jeff Conine's glove for the final out, Rodriguez hopped up and down and then ran to the mound, grabbing closer Ugueth Urbina in a bear hug.
Celebration
The rest of the Marlins rushed onto the field and tackled the two.
"You could put your finger on two or three," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said when asked who was his MVP. "Pudge has been outstanding in the series. So I'd say I'd have to go along with the selection of Pudge being the most valuable player."
It's sweet redemption for Rodriguez, who found few takers as a free agent last winter.
A 10-time All-Star catcher, he spent his first 12 years with Texas. But the Rangers let him go in a cost-cutting move, and only a few teams showed real interest. He even considered playing in Japan before signing with the Marlins at the end of January.
Though Rodriguez knew he had his doubters, he never lost confidence in himself.
"Finally, I was healthy this year," he said. "When you believe in yourself and you work hard and you prepare yourself ... anything is possible. This year I was ready to come and play healthy and put up some good numbers and help my team be in the playoffs."
Though some questioned if Rodriguez was a good fit for a young team, he's been a stabilizing force for the Marlins. He was always there with a word of advice for the young pitchers, and he quietly assumed a leadership role when the team faltered in the first half of the season.
Set the tone
He set the tone for the Marlins' improbable run in Game 4 of the division series against San Francisco, taking a hit at the plate worthy of the NFL.
J.T. Snow was barreling home for what would have been the tying run in the top of the ninth inning. He bowled over Rodriguez, but the catcher held onto the ball to get the out and preserve the win.
Rodriguez was a workhorse again Wednesday night, battling Kerry Wood for a nine-pitch walk in the first inning. The next batter, Miguel Cabrera, followed with a three-run homer on a 1-2 pitch to give the Marlins a 3-0 lead.