Rangers Lose Their Mvp

American League MVP Juan Gonzalez will undergo surgery today to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb and will probably be sidelined until mid-May.

Gonzalez, who hit 47 home runs last season, was injured Jan. 28 when he slipped on wet, artificial turf diving for a ball in a Puerto Rican winter-league game.

The head of the baseball umpires’ union expressed dismay over the Baltimore Orioles’ decision to pay Roberto Alomar during his five-game suspension for spitting at umpire John Hirschbeck late last season.

“When you pay someone during suspension, what you are in effect giving them is a paid vacation,” union chief Richie Phillips said. “That seems to ‘incentivize’ aberrant behavior rather than deter it.”