MLB | Boston's Dustin Pedroia voted American League MVP

NEW YORK — Dustin Pedroia could easily be mistaken for a mechanic, carpenter or plumber, most anything except a major leaguer.

"I'm not the biggest guy in the world. I don't have that many tools," he said. "If you saw me walking down the street, you wouldn't think I'm a baseball player."

Well, not unless he was carrying his American League MVP award.

Pedroia became the first second baseman to earn the honor in nearly a half-century.

He easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau, Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis and record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez in a scattered ballot that saw five different players draw first place-votes.

Generously listed at 5 feet 9, Pedroia led the AL in hits, runs and doubles in helping the Red Sox win the wild-card berth. He batted .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBI and also stole 20 bases.

"I had to overcome a lot of things to prove people wrong, and so far I've done that," the 25-year-old Pedroia said on a conference call from his home in Arizona. "I have to find a way to have that edge."

Nellie Fox was the previous second baseman to become AL MVP, in 1959 with the White Sox. No position has produced fewer MVPs — just 10 overall since the AL and NL awards were first presented in 1931.

Griffey named American Public Diplomacy Envoy

WASHINGTON — Ken Griffey Jr. has joined a new team.

The former Mariners outfielder became the newest American Public Diplomacy Envoy, introduced Tuesday by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Griffey is set to make his first baseball-related trip for the State Department to Panama in January. In his role, he'll represent the "values of the United States, not the government of the United States," Rice said.

"When Ken Griffey travels overseas, one of his greatest objectives will be to talk to young people and to spark their interest in America and in our culture," she said.

Griffey, who turns 39 this week, said he was eager to get going.

"I'm looking forward to this opportunity to teach kids and develop them," Griffey said. "I think being prepared like I was when I was a kid, having my dad there who taught me about baseball at an early age, helped me throughout my career."

Note

• Pitcher Ryan Dempster and the Chicago Cubs agreed on a four-year contract worth about $52 million. Dempster was 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA for the Cubs last season, then became a free agent after making the switch from the closer to starter.

• Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten sought to quell speculation regarding the team's reported pursuit of first baseman Mark Teixeira, one of the most coveted free agents on this winter's market, saying any such talk "is way ahead of us here."

"I don't want people to have unrealistic expectations," he said.

The Washington Post, quoting team and league sources, reported Friday that the Nationals were preparing a competitive offer.

• The Yankees still are preparing a formal offer for right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett, a club official said, but the Red Sox have become serious competitors to land him. The Red Sox's pursuit of Burnett complicates the Yankees' plans. A source close to Burnett said that a half-dozen teams are in contention for his services: the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Braves, Phillies and Orioles. The Red Sox, the source said, have significantly increased their involvement in the pitcher in the past 36 hours and are now "fully engaged."

• Pima County's supervisors voted 5-0 to allow the Chicago White Sox to end their spring-training contract with the Arizona county so they can move immediately to the Phoenix suburb of Glendale. The White Sox will pay the county $5 million to leave.