Okay, a bit late for mid-season awards, but better late than never. But I figure why not since I’m not as jaded as those damned Yankee fans.
So far, the White Sox are the team of the year and the East is the division of the year in both leagues. The Red Sox and Yanks are soap operas unto themselves and the A’s are the hottest team in the majors. Currently the Cardinals look to be the early favorite to win the World Series.
AL MVP: Miguel Tejada, Orioles. Brian Roberts might surprise if he maintains his pace but Tejada is the engine of the O’s right now. Others to watch are Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon (who is in a contract year and has the hated Scott Boras for his agent), David Ortiz, Mark Teixeira and Gay-Rod.
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals. He’ll just squeak by Derek Lee, IMO. Just to make up for the times he lost to Bonds. With Barry (what, me steroids?) Bonds out for the year, now is the time to go for the MVP award. Others might be Andruw Jones, Carlos Lee, Bobby Abreu, Chad Cordero, Jose Guillen and Mighel Cabrera.
AL CY YOUNG: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays. I think having won it before helps him. Having a 12-4 record at the breaks helps too. Others are Jon Garland, Mark Buehrle, Johan Santanna (who has been mildly dissapointing but last year had an incredible second half), and Kenny Rogers. But if he wins it, hide the cameras.
NL CY YOUNG: Roger Clemens, Astros. What can you say that hasn’t been said already? What would crack me up is if he gets traded before the deadline. Others to watch are Dontrelle Willis, Chad Cordero, Livan Hernandez, Pedro Martinez, Chris Carpenter and Matt Morris.
AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Ozzie Guillen, White Sox. Easy call. He got this team to win like it hasn’t in a long time and several players are having career years. Others could be Joe Torre, Terry Francona, Eric Wedge, Mike Scioscia, Ken Macha and Lee Mazzilli.
NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Frank Robinson, Nationals. Ozzie’s clone in the NL. Other candidates are Bobby Cox, Phil Garner, Tony Larussa and Bruce Bochy.
AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jesse Crain, Twins. Okay, so he’s set up. But he has an ERA of 2.36 and 8 wins. Who doesn’t want that coming out of their bullpen? Others to watch are Jeremy Reed, Chris Young, Russ Adams, Aaron Hill, Robinson Cano (have to have a Yankee, right?) Huston Street and Nick Swisher.
NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jeff Francis, Rockies. Teammate Clint Barnes would have won this, but then he tripped on his stairs while hauling deer meat, (don’t ask) breaking his collarbone. That opened the door (thankfully on the ground floor) for Francis. He’s won 8 games for a very bad Colorado team. Sure, he has a 5+ ERA, but that’s good for the Rockies. Others to watch are Yhency Brazoban, Ryan Church, Gary Majewski, Rickie Weeks, Willy Taveras and Lance Niekro.
For my next column, we will discuss just how much the Yankees suck....
