I’m sure all the media are making the Buckner-Graffanino comparisons already and coming up with their new versions of curses. Instead, I’m going to offer a few MLB awards for the regular season.
National League:
MVP: Andruw Jones. I know that Pujols is probably the best player in the game on the best team in the game. I don’t care though. Jones took an extremely young Braves team with plenty of injuries and hoisted them over his shoulders for the entire regular season. Without Jones this year, the Braves don’t get a whiff of their umpteenth division title. (Speaking of the Braves, this team will be scary for a long time. Their new crop reminds me of the early Chipper, Justice, Javy, Klesko, Dye, Andruw squads that actually won postseason games. With a new firstbaseman and some young arms, this squad will win at least one more World Series for Cox.)
Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox. Until the Braves lose a division, I’m convinced he should win it every year. Each year the team has plugged new, and inexperienced bodies in the many holes, and Cox keeps them winning.
Rookie of the Year: If Franceour had spent more time in the Big’s he’d be a lock. But he wasn’t up there long enough. Instead, the honor goes to Willy Tavaras who was the table-setter for an inept Houston offense. He performed greatly at his job in centerfield and in the leadoff spot.
N.L. Cy Young: There are three candidates who are more than deserving. You cannot go wrong with any of them. I’m going with Dontrelle Willis, because I cannot give the Cy Young to a pitcher with 13 wins (Clemens). Carpenter’s 5 losses are absurd, and his strikeout numbers are better than Clemens, Oswalt, and Willis. But Willis led the league in wins and shutouts, and a 2.63 era is nothing to shake a stick at.
Gold Gloves: I’m not going to go through every position, but I will throw some candidates out there. Derek Lee (1B), Andruw Jones (CF), Luis Castillo (2B), Omar Vizquel (SS).
Comeback Player of the Year: Ken Griffey, Jr. He was amazing, and reminded us of why he was THE player in the 90’s.
American League:
MVP: David Ortiz. It’s a coin-flip between Ortiz and A-Rod for some people. A-Rod gets the nod with others because he plays defense everyday also, which I prefer. But Papi carried his team with more clutch hits than I think I’ve ever seen. A-Rod puts up numbers after games are over, much like he did in Texas. Papi carried the Sox all season and, therefore, deserves the award.
Manager of the Year: Ozzie Guillen. I would have given it to Torre, but his payroll kills me. Guillen coached the best team in the American League, and kept them fighting even when they were struggling near the end of the year.
A.L. Rookie of the Year: I really, really want to give it to Huston Street. But I can’t. Robinson Cano handled all the pressure of the NYC, and played outstanding ball all year long, especially after watching games 1 and 2 of the playoffs against the Angels. He’s legit.
A.L. Cy Young: It should be one of the White Sox, but Bartolo Colon will win it. He was the only true ace that stood out for an A.L. team all year, and unless you’re Chris Carpenter, 21 wins makes you a lock.
Gold Gloves: There are two that really, really stood out to me in this category. Bill Mueller (3B) and Darin Erstad (1B). Those two are tremendous defensively. I got to watch enough Red Sox games that I’m convinced there is no better defensive third baseman in the A.L. Mueller just makes plays. They may not be pretty, but he gets to the ball no matter where it is, and no matter what kind of hop he gets. Ditto for Erstad.
A.L. Comeback Player of the Year: Giambi. No question. Do I like him? No. Do I think he deserves anything special? Not really. Did he cheat? Yes. Still, he led the A.L. in on-base percentage, and battled back to have a pretty darn good year. He’s gotta win it. It sucks, but he’s going to win it.
Predicitons for the Postseason:
Considering the fact that the Sox look done, I still don’t think the White Sox are a lock to win this series. Tim Wakefield is on the mound for games 3 and 5, and Wake has been their best starter all year. He’s also been pretty good in the postseason. If the Red Sox can pull out game 3, then I really like them to win game 4 (Schilling is tooooooo damn tough in the postseason). My guess is that the winner of this series is going to the World Series. I don’t know if they will be white or red, but there will be some Sox in the World Series.
The Astros and Cardinals will meet up for another 7 game N.L. pennant series just like last year. In the end, the ’Stros prevail, despite the fact that the ‘Stros cannot score runs. They have the three best pitchers in baseball.
It will be an exciting World Series no matter which Sox team makes it, because it would be fun to see Papi and Manny hitting in Enron, excuse me, Minute Made Park and it would be fun to watch the great White Sox staff battle the ‘Stros aces. All in all, the A.L. wins the World Series, and Ozzie Guillen retires as a manager.
