Yes folks, it's true. Albert Pujols was once again screwed over in the Most Valuable Player votings. Ryan Howard has become the new Barry Bonds (except Howard doesn't use steroids, is not a jerk and the world's biggest ####): stealing the MVP away from the real Most Valuable Player. Not getting your team in the playoffs and just having an offense kind of year. What did Albert Pujols do? He led his team to the playoffs while having a career year and winning a gold glove. Don't let me just opinionate you away, let me provide you with some cold hard facts.
     Pujols had an oblique injury in the middle of the season and that prevented his numbers from being better, but that has nothing to do with the voting. I'm just letting everyone know that before I tell you this stat: Howard played in 16 more games than Pujols. In fact, this was the first year Pujols was on the disabled list..and that's in 5+ years. Ok, so here's the breakdown of the numbers:
Howard had 58 homeruns, 149 RBI, 108 walks, 181 strikeouts and had a .313 batting average.
Pujols had 49 homeruns, 137 RBI, 92 walks, 50 strikeouts and had a .331 batting average.
Howard's slugging, on-base and OPS (On-base + slugging) percentages were: .659/.425/1.082.
Pujols numbers for those categories were: .671/.431/1.102.
Howard led his team to a second place finish in both the East division and the Wild Card.
Pujols led his team to a first place finish, ended a possible third eight game losing streak and to a World Series championship (although, the post season doesn't get involved in the voting).
     Now who's valuable? Is Howard more valuable because he didn't carry his team to the playoffs while only leading Pujols in three categories: walks (16), HR (9) and RBI (12)? I mean, those numbers aren't really far apart. Howard also led Pujols in strikeouts with 131 more, whereas Pujols had 42 less strikeouts than walks, and thats hard to do. Just look at these blatent facts folks, Pujols was once screwed out of the MVP. Last year, most Cardinals fans thought he would be screwed out of it again because Jones had over 50 homeruns and Derek Lee had the batting title. He won last year, beating out a 50+ homerun guy. He should have done it this year. Heck, I would have rather seen Lance Berkman get the MVP rather than Howard. At least Berkman led his team on a charge to the central title. What did Howard do? Keep a team that was still in tact together? Everyone says he took over the team when Bobby Abreu was traded. Hate to break it to you folks, Abreu wasn't leading the team BEFORE he was traded, it was Howard all year long. Just remember these numbers. The evidence is clear: nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts, Albert got SCREWED!

***I know MVP voting was a while back, but I have been swamped with homework lately, so I never had time to write this. Enjoy and leave comments***

     The St. Louis Cardinals have Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter. That's what most people say. For us Cardinal fans, we say differently. Sure, we have the reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winners, but we also have Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Yadier Molina, David Eckstein and Juan Encarnacion. There is, however, one more thing that has been added to that list and that is the bullpen. The past two years we've had the best bullpen in the majors. This year, everyone knew the Cardinals bullpen wasn't as good as it has been. Without Ray King and Julian Taverez, it shouldn't be. Instead, the Cardinals started from scratch. They started with Jason Isringhausen, Randy Flores and Brad Thompson. They filled the spots with Ricardo Rincon, Josh Hancock, Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper. Now, Rincon and Isringhausen are gone because of injuries. Now, they filled those two roles with Josh Kinney and Tyler Johnson, both rookies. Lets break down the young pen and show you how they are doing it.
     First, lets start with the guy that was there last year and did great, started bad this year and finished good: Brad Thompson. Thompson has got a sinking fastball, groundball pitcher. He doesn't over dominate you, but he'll get the job done. He gets mostly grounders to get you out, and he does it well. He started the season good but in the middle became really rocky when the bullpen fell apart. He was sent to Triple A Memphis to be a starter and work out the kinks, which he did. Since coming back up, Thompson appeared in 10 games in the regular season (the end of August and all of Spetember and October) and had a 1.13 ERA. In the postseason so far, he's appeared in two games and pitched one inning combined for a 0.00 ERA and one strikeout and one walk. Not bad. Thompson, before last year, was thought of as a future number 5 starter come 2007. Now, I don't think Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan want him pitching every fifth day because he's become so good out of the bullpen. This is one pitcher that has the bright lights of fame in front of him.
     Adam Wainwright is the new closer for the Cardinals. He started the year in Spring Training competeing with Sidney Ponson and Anthony Reyes for the fifth starter job. Wainwright was considered a long shot. At the end of Spring Training, Ponson was the number five starter, Reyes was at Memphis and Wainwright was in the bullpen. The bullpen? Wasn't this guy considered a long shot? He was a long shot, but the Cardinals needed help in the bullpen, and Wainwright got the job over Reyes because of Reyes' lack of warming up in a hurry and if the Cardinals needed Reyes for the rotation, he'd be ready by starting at Memphis. So, Wainy was in the pen working some good innings and pitched great. He pitched in 51 games before Spetember and had a 2.84 ERA. Thats impressive. E####ally for a guy who'll be in the starting rotation next year. When he was still pitching in relief, then moved to being a setup man then moved into the closer's role in September, he posted a 2.79 ERA over 10 games and was 2 out of 2 in saves. In the postseason, he's gone four and a third innings over four games and is 1 out of 1 in saves and has yet to allow a run. Way to go Wainy!
     Tyler Johnson was a nasty lefthander that was taken in the Rule V draft in 2004 by the Oakland Athletics. The Cardinals knew he would taken because he was so good, but they didn't have room for him on their 40 man roster. The Athletics though returned him and the Cardinals then added him to thier 40 man roster because they didn't want to lose him again. When Rincon went down early, it was Johnson that got the call, not Carmen Cali (who is now basically done in the Cardinals organization). Johnson pitched ok to start with, then got rocky and then pitched amazing. He ended the year with a 4.95 ERA over 56 games. In the postseason, he's showed why he's so good. Todd Walker of the San Diego Padres said his slider (his best pitch) is the nastiest thing he has ever seen. He also has a very good fastball and can get the lefties out in a hurry. He can also dominate the right handed batters if he comes in with that slider. He is key kog to this revamped bullpen.
     Last, but certainly not least, is Josh Kinney. First off, let me say Kinney pitched at Quincy Unniversity during his college years and QU is my hometown's college, so I like Kinney more than anyone else (Josh Rabe of the Minnesota Twins also played at QU). Kinney was pitching with an independent league team a few years ago when the Cardinals found him. They persuaded him to come into their organization. He did, and he's flourished. He wasn't at Spring Training and he has bounced around all over the Cardinals organization, but has finally made it. He is the setup man to the new closer Wainwright and has pitched well since his recall from Memphis. When he first came up, he had a 4.97 ERA over his first 10 games and was sent down. When Spetember came along, he got recalled and proved he was better than what he showed in July. He pitched in 10 games and had a 1.97 ERA in Spetember and October and has pitched extremely well in the postseason so far: 3 games, 0.00 ERA, 2 Ks, 2 BB in 3 innings. Not bad at all.
     Now that you know how good these four have been, think about next year. Hancock and Looper will be back and Isringhausen will be healthy. Johnson and Flores will still be the dynamic duo against lefties and Kinney will be out there as well. Wainy will be in the rotation. That's six guys. Know what that means? They can either sign a veteren (maybe Kerry Wood? Great fastball, former starter. He could be a good setup man) or callup Mark Worrell. The possibilities are endless right now.

     Now that the season is over, we can finally start making real predictions for all of the awards. Now, there are so many hard picks, this will not be easy; however, I'll do my best. Before I start though, I will only say who wins and why they do. Then I'll do a little blurb after the winner on who was passed up with the place they finished in after their name in (). Ok, MVP time. The National League goes first because obviously the National League is better than the American League.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER 2006
NATIONAL LEAGUE: ALBERT PUJOLS, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
This is a no doubter folks. Who lifted the St. Louis Cardinals into the playoffs? Albert Pujols. Who didn't? Ryan Howard. Who ended a possible third eight game losing streak for the Cardinals? Albert Pujols. The guy is obvious pick. Sorry Philly fans. Ryan Howard does deserve the Most Outstanding player, no doubt; however, the Most VALUABLE Player is the guy that carries you into the postseason, not carries your luggage to the terminal for a flight home.
SORRY TO: Howard (2nd), Carlos Beltran (3rd)
AMERICAN LEAGUE: JUSTIN MORNEAU, MINNESOTA TWINS
There is no denying that Morneau wins the MVP for the AL. Without him, the Twins never would have won the division (or go to the postseason for that matter). The guy made the Twins go. Sure, say Johan Santanna made them go, but he led the pitching staff. He led the pitching staff last year too and and "made them go" home. So, obviously Santanna can't do it alone. This is where Moneau came in and won the MVP award and stole it from other deserving players.
SORRY TO: David Ortiz (2nd), Derek Jeter (3rd), Frank Thomas (4th), Santanna (5th), Jim Thome (6th), Jermaine Dye (7th)

CY YOUNG AWARD 2006
NATIONAL LEAGUE: CHRIS CARPENTER, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Yes folks, it's a clean sweep for the Cardinals again. Carp was very dominate all year long. Sure, he had some struggles along the way, but he did towards the end of the year last year. This year, though, can be blamed on a inconsistent bullpen. Because of that pen, Tony La Russa was forced to leave Carp out there on an empty tank at the end of the year and his numbers suffered. Although, a 15-8 record and 3.09 earned run average is pretty damn good.
SORRY TO: Roy Oswalt (2nd), Brad Penny (3rd), Carlos Zambrano (4th)
AMERICAN LEAGUE: JOHAN SANTANNA, MINNESOTA TWINS
Another sweep, this time for the Twins. Santanna carried the Twins pitching yet again. He was the MLB leader in all three pitching Triple Crown categories (ERA, Wins and Ks). This guy is dominant and when he took the mound, you know you were gonna win.
SORRY TO: Barry Zito (2nd), Justin Verlander (3rd), Kenny Rogers (4th)

MANAGER OF THE YEAR
NATIONAL LEAGUE: JOE GIRARDI, FLORIDA MARLINS
It's a shame what happened to Girardi. Get stuck with a bunch of rookies, be predicted to win less games than the Kansas City Royals and end up with a 78-84 record then get fired because he strained relations with the front office? Thats gotta blow. Girardi, though, gets the last laugh. He'll be interviewing for jobs left and right and has the Manager of the Year award for 2006 to put on his resume. The Marlins were foolish to let him go, and they'll more than likely regret it. The question is though: How long will Gonzalez last in Florida?
SORRY TO: Charlie Manuel (2nd), Grady Little (3rd), Bruce Bochy (4th), Phil Garner (5th), Tony La Russa (6th)
AMERICAN LEAGUE: JIM LEYLAND, DETROIT TIGERS
In his first year in Florida, he won a World Series. In his first year with Detroit, he almost pulled of the greatest upset: win the division and knock out the White Sox. Part 2 came through, but they didn't win the division. Thats ok though. Mr. Miracle came through and guided the Tigers to their first playoff berth in 19 years and did it while everyone was telling him his team wasn't good enough. Who's laughing now?
SORRY TO: Ron Gardenhire (2nd), Ken Macha (3rd)
NOT SORRY TO: Joe Torre (30th)

And there you have it folks, your 2006 awards. I only did these three because they are the most important, and the MVP has had a lot of debate behind it this year. So, there you go and I hope you enjoy!

     Let this be known right away, I am not a Red Sox fan or a Yankee fan. I cannot stand the American League East, or the American League for that matter. So don't think I'm a homer. Since that is now known, I can finally type my story. Theo Epstein has an ok team in front of him, but he really needs to do something else. He needs to address about every part of his roster this offseason. Here's what the Red Sox need to do in order to keep pace with the Yankees next season. Some of these moves probably won't happen, but they can work.
     ANDRUW JONES: The Braves want to resign. Jones wants to stay a Brave. Does this mean this will happen? No. Could it? Yes. The Braves don't really have enough money to reisgn Jones after this season, and if Jones goes to Beantown, he could make a lot of money. Plus, the Braves could benefit a lot from a trade of Jones. They could trade Jones to Boston for Coco Crisp (to play left field and leadoff), Mike Lowell, Kason Gabbard and Manny Delcarmen. Now, you ask why trade a center fielder for a left fielder? Simple, the Braves need someone out in left that is good. Also, Crisp could be their leadoff man (or Edgar Renteria could take that spot). They just need to bump Marcus Giles from the leadoff spot. He's not comfortable there, and everyone knows it. This could also be beneficial because that will allow the Braves to sign Torii Hunter (if he's a free agent) to play center. Their lineup would get a big boost. Gabbard could be in the rotation for the Braves in the second half of next season (starting at Triple A) and all of 2008. Delcarmen could be out in the bullpen and help out their to bridge the gap to Bob Wickman. Lowell would be good for Chipper Jones. Jones and Lowell are getting up there in age and their play is starting to show it. If you platoon these two, their injuries could be done and both could impact the club.
     For the Red Sox, they get a great hitting center fielder whose bat has finally come alive in recent years. Jones is also a super defender and is a big boost over Coco Crisp and anyone else that they put out in center.
     BARRY ZITO: The Red Sox have an ok rotation. They'll have Josh Beckett (inconsistent), Curt Schilling (old and inconsistent), Jon Lester, Jon Papelbon, Matt Clement and Tim Wakefield. All of those pitchers are either young, old, consistent or a combonation of some. Thats not good enough to compete with the Yankees offense (they have a pitching staff other than Wang and Johnson?). They need to add a boost. That's where Zito comes in. Zito can fit in nicely in this rotation as the number one starter. That'll put these pitchers following Zito: Beckett, Schilling, Paplebon and Lester. This lets the pitchers know where they stand in relation to their peers so they can pitch better. If you're told you're the ace of the staff, that can mess with your head if you've never been one before. Schilling can't carry this staff anymore and Beckett is Beckett. Zito is needed to keep this rotation together. This also makes Wakefield and Clement expandable to trade off for some pitching help. They really don't have a closer, unless Keith Foulke or Craig Hansen and take the duty. Look at this bullpen: Foulke, Hansen, Mike Timlin and Julian Taverez. Is that threatening? Not really. They really need to add some people. They can look to teams that have a lot of youth coming up, that way they don't care if they give up some veterens. They could also look to signing Joe Borowski to help build a bridge, maybe even be the closer. Eric Gagne will be available, maybe they could go there. No matter what they do, they need to stock the bullpen along with adding Zito to help improve this offense.
     GARY SHEFFIELD & MARK LORETTA: Yes folks, Gary Sheffield. Sheffield is getting old, but based on the other night, the guy can still hit when healthy. To help keep him healthy, the Yankees moved Sheffield to first. Well, the Red Sox just traded off Lowell. Remember? The Red Sox really want to move Kevin Youkilis back to third, and thats why they traded Mike Lowell. This allows them to move Youkilis to third and sign Sheffield to play first. Look at that, their defense is almost completed. They just need to resign Loretta. They did have a middle infield combo coming up in Hanley Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia, but they traded Ramirez. This leaves Pedroia, who has and can play second and short. This is big. They can move him to short and keep Loretta to play second and their defense has taken a big leap. Also, their offense has as well. We have one more move, then I'll show you the updated lineup.
     GEOFF JENKINS: Yes folks, Jenkins. Sure, he's not great anymore, but neither is Trot Nixon. Thaats why I'm letting Nixon go and I'm trading two Single A players to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jenkins. Jenkins, en turn, will play in a platoon with Wily Mo Pena and Manny Ramirez. Pena is good enough to play everyday, but he needs to be kept fresh. With this platoon, he'll play about 100 games (three out of five games he plays) and Jenkins would play about 62 games in right. Then, he'd also be used to give Ramirez a day off. Meaning, he'd play about 20 games in left. He could also be used in the DH spot as well, once in a while.
     Ok, so here's the new lineup that I would put out there everyday:
SS  Pedoria
RF  Pena/Jenkins
DH  David Ortiz
LF   Ramirez
CF  Jones
 C   Jason Varitek
1B  Sheffield
3B  Youkilis
2B  Loretta
Thats a pretty good looking lineup right there. Speed and on-base percentage at the top, then comes a very good power supply with the 2-5. Then comes some good hitters with the 6-8. Then, it's your second leadoff man in the ninth spot to get it back to the top of the lineup.
     Now, that sounds like a very productive offseason. What do you think?

     Is Albert Pujols a lock for the Most Valuable Player award? Sure, Ryan Howard's numbers look amazing, but he also has Chase Utley, Pay Burrell and Jimmy Rollins in his lineup. Pujols has a slumping Scott Rolen, Juan Encarnacion, Chris Duncan and a bunch of role players in his lineup. After knowing that, whose numbers are padded? I'd say Howard's. I know that gets you Phillies fan steamed, but here's something else to add to your crockpot: Pujols missed 18 games due to injury. Here's something else as well: the Cardinals will only play 161 games this year, one game less than the Phillies. Knowing all this, you know Howard's numbers are padded and Pujols would be leading Howard in all the major categories (Pujols leads Howard in all the minor categories). Albert Pujols is a lock for his second consecutive MVP award. For you Phillies fans, accept it and look forward to next year's postseason run cause you aren't making it this year.

     The Most Valuable Player award this year has three strong candidates again this year. Now, being a Cardinal fan and loving Albert Pujols, my vote is to Albert Pujols; however, I'll have to say Ryan Howard and Carlos Beltran both have a good shot. Each player's breakdown include their accomplishments this year, a reason why they should win and a reason why they shouldn't win.
ALBERT PUJOLS, CARDINALS 1B: Pujols has a batting line of .321/.423/.681 (AVG, OBP, SLG). He has 101 runs scored and is third in the league with 43 homeruns, and second with 115 RBI. He needs just three more homeruns to match his career high (46 in 2004) and 15 RBI more to match his career high in that category (130 in 2001, 117 RBI last year). He has put up his sixth straight 30+ HR, 100+ RBI, 100+ runs season. He has only made five errors at first base and is probably looking at his first ever gold glove (his previous low was 2003 with five, but was in the outfield and at first base. His previous two season he had 10 and 14 errors at first). Now, you're thinking these numbers are awesome stats and another Pujols like season. Well, you're wrong. He has only played in 118 games and can only play in maximum of 144 games (a career low. Previous was 154 in 2004). He was out for 18 days in June. So, you have to wonder about the lost numbers because of that injury AND the effects he is still feeling.
REASON WHY HE SHOULD WIN: He is the regining MVP and he is playing on a first place team. He is the main reason why the Cardinals have been in first or shared first since May 12.
REASON WHY HE SHOULDN'T WIN: He will more than likely not be the leader in any offensive categories, and he was injuried for awhile and you can't assume his numbers would be better.
PREDICTION: MVP

RYAN HOWARD, PHILLIES 1B: Howard is the MLB leader in HR and RBI (53 HR, 134 RBI). Those are some impressive numbers. In fact, his numbers are better than Andruw Jones' numbers from the end of last season (51 HR and 128 RBI), and Jones led the NL in both categories (the MLB in HR). Thats imprssive. Whats more impressive is the Howard won the Century 21 Homerun Derby back in July and Rookie of the Year last year. He played in only 84 games last year and hit 22 HR. The downside: he's 26, the same age as Pujols. So, are those numbers as impressive after knowing that? Yes and no. It does take tremendous skill to hit 50+ homeruns, and it also takes a lot of skills to overcome the effects of the Homerun Derby (ask former Fightin Phil Bobby Abreu).
REASON WHY HE SHOULD WIN: He does lead the planet in HR and RBI, and is hitting over .300. He is also one of two reasons why the Phils are back in the hunt for the Wild Card.
REASON WHY HE SHOULDN'T WIN: It took him 16 days to pass Pujols in HR and RBI (while Pujols was on the DL) and is playing a team that more than likely will not go to the playoffs and could more than likely end up under or just barely above .500.
PREDICTION: VERY CLOSE 2nd

CARLOS BELTRAN, NEW YORK METS CF: Beltran plays on the New York Mets, the best team in baseball. He has Carlos Delgado, David Wright and Shawn Green following him in the batting order. The guy is in the top five of every offensive category and is having a career year on top of it. There is a downside, he has Carlos Delgado, David Wright and Shawn Green following him in the batting order. Thats some of the best offense in the game right there. So, if he played somewhere else, would he have this good of numbers? Probably not. Look back to last year when he only had David Wright, who really wasn't a big offensive threat last year. His numbers were extremely down. So, does having someone good behind make a difference? Damn straight. Pujols' numbers last year came with Yadier Molina and Abraham Nunez batting after him following Reggie Sanders injury. Then, when Larry Walker and Sanders got back, Pujols' numbers raised. Howard's numbers this year came because of Pat Burrell and Chase Utley batting after him. Pujols has had Scott Rolen and Juan Encarnacion. So, you figure that Pujols and Howard have had less offense behind them and have better numbers than Beltran, who has had some big fire power behind him, you know Beltran's name shouldn't be muttered in the MVP voting.
REASON WHY HE SHOULD WIN: He has had a career year on a winning team.
REASON WHY HE SHOULDN'T WIN: He is on a team that could win without him. He has a lot of protection around him, and his numbers are inflated because of that.
PREDICTION: 3rd
     Now, you may be wondering about the name of the article. It's pretty simple. In M V P, there is a P. Does it stand for Pujols, Phillie (Howard) or Puerto Rican (Beltran)? See, it's simple.

     Folks, I think it's offical. Take out the gun and shoot them now. Walt Jocketty has done everything he can to keep the farm system intact and try to win. He has done a pretty good job too. Bringing in Preston Wilson to help off the bench and start once in awhile. He has also added Ronnie Belliard to help spark the offense. However, none of these plans of Jocks have worked out the way he wanted them to. Lets break these down, shall we?
     Belliard has floped as a Cardinal. He has posted a batting line of .264/.312/.361 (AVG, OBP, SLG) in 19 games. Also in those 19 games, Belliard has hit one homerun and put up nine RBI and six runs. How can this help, honestly? I know the platoon of Hector Luna and Aaron Miles wasn't producing a lot, but they produced better numbers than Belliard has put up so far. My hope for this move is that Belliard understands he's not as good as he has been and takes a paycut for next year. I would love to see him back in a Cardinals uniform and see how he produces in a full year in the STL.
     Wilson, for only being around for five games hasn't been bad. He's been himself, really. He has a .235 batting average and he's played center and right field. He's got two taters and three RBI as a Cardinal so far. Now, thats not bad for five games. Wilson was picked up for his veteran skills. He can play all three outfield positions, and all well. He has a Jim Edmonds like arm and defensive skills. He also has Carlos Beltran speed. The guy packs a wholap as a five tool player. His downfall is that Chris Duncan is in left and will not move. Edmonds is in center and Juan Encarnacion is in right. Now, if I were Tony La Russa, I would do this with Wilson. Against lefties, play him in center and give Edmonds a day off. Do NOT put him in right and move Encarnacion to center. Encarnacion needs to stay in right field and not be moved around. Also, use Wilson in right or left field every fourth game (fill in for Duncan) and fifth game (filling in for Encarnacion). This way, Wilson gets to play at least twice every five games and it keeps the outfield fresh for October (assuming they get there).
     Almost done. Not only does that explain the story, it explains this next person: Jose Vizcaino. Vizcaino was released by the San Francisco Giants. He's a utility infielder (like Scott Spezio) and can play all four infield spots. The advantage Vizcaino has over all these other new comers: Playoff Experience. Thats huge my friend. Now with David Eckstein on the disabled list, Vizcaino was desperately needed. Here's the scoop though: what to do afterwards?
     After Eckstein gets off the DL, what will the Cardinals do? Assuming Edmonds gets healthy, the Cardinals will have two outfielders on the bench (Wilson and So Taguchi), three infielders (Spezio, Vizcaino and Miles) and a backup catcher (Gary Bennett). Then you think about the bullpen (and yes I know, if you add up everything, there will be 26 players, don't worry) consisting of: Randy Flores, Braden Looper, Adam Wainwright, Jorge Sosa, Tyler Johnson, Jason Isringhausen and Josh Hancock, what will happen? You have to drop someone to get to 25. A bench guy or a bullpen pitcher? Who knows. My planning would be to drop Johnson, being a rookie how would he handle the pressure of the playoffs?
     Last, but not least, closer. This has not been the year of the closers. Ask Brad Lidge, Francisco Cordero (before going to Milwaukee), Derrick Turnbow, The Braves, Bobby Jenks, The Reds, Eddie Guardado (before going to Cincinnati) and Eric Gagne. Oh, I forgot one, didn't I? Isringhausen. What will the Cardinals do with Isringhausen? Some people want La Russa's head for going with him all the time. Some are cutting Isringhausen slack (like I did). My idea: bump Isringhausen to the seventh and eigth innings and use a combonation of Brad Thompson (in September), Jorge Sosa and Braden Looper in the closers role. A closer by committee group. It can work for the rest of September. This gives Isringhausen a chance to make his cutter better in earlier innings and it won't blow the game.

     Carlos Lee was involved in the biggest blockbuster deal of the summer. Danys Baez was traded to the Atlanta Braves. Both of these moves were great moves. The Milwaukee Brewers added yet another setup man in Francisco Cordero, he might even close if Turnbow continues his struggles and a new left fielder in Kevin Mench. The Braves added a utility infielder in Willy Aybar and a setup man in Baez for only Wilson Betemit. This is good news for the Braves, great news for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves finally have a guy to pitch the eigth and get the ball to new closer Bob Wickman. The great upside for the Dodgers is, they have a future third baseman in Betemit and they can move Cesar Izturis to second base.
     The Texas Rangers have enough money to retain Lee, if they so choose. With the newly aquired outfiled prospect Nelson Cruz, they could devide to let Lee walk and save some money. No matter what happens, the Rangers added a huge bat for the middle of the struggling order and they didn't trade any of their prospects for Lee. Why is that good? They can now go out and maybe add a starting pitcher. Say, Livan Hernandez? No matter who they want, they can more than likely add a starting pitcher.

     Wow, the Los Angeles Dodgers need some serious help in their front office. They traded off Odalis Perez and two pitching prospects to the Kansas City Royals for Elmer Dessens. Dessens may add a little depth to the Dodgers bullpen, but it's not a great addition. Dayton Moore is proving he's a smart man. By adding Perez, who yes was upset in Los Angeles, he now has a frontline starter. Sure, Perez has never really shown how good he is, but by going to a no pressure town like Kansas City, Perez will shine.
     This isn't the best part. In two days, Moore has added four, yes FOUR, minor league prospects from two teams who are known for developing good pitchers. He traded Mike MacDougal yesterday to the Chicago White Sox for two minor league pitchers and then today, this. By trading MacDougal and Dessens, Moore opens the door for Ambiorix Burgos to be the closer for a long time. Moore also has some other vets he can trade off for some more prospects. He's rebuilding Kansas City's future in the right way.
     Jim Bowden needs to take notes about Moore. Both teams have players that teams want. There isa  difference though. Moore is more opened to trades where as Bowden is not. Bowden wants guys who can play now, not prospects. This is where he'll run into problems. By asking for guys that are at the Major League level (i.e. Brandon McCarthy), he'll get laughed at. Whereas Moore asks for young prospects that his scouts say are good and the team he's getting them from say they aren't. Bowden needs to stop asking for proven young guys and ask for unproven young guys. If he wants to rebuild the minor league system, thats how you do it.

     I do believe I was right in my last blog. I said the Atlanta Braves made a good move by adding Bob Wickman. I did also say it wouldn't help them much since they don't have the pitching to get the ball to Wickman. Well, guess what? The Braves blew a save today against the Philadelphia Phillies. Do you know what inning it was in? The 8th. I don't mean to brag, but when you're right and people said the Braves had enough pitching to get the ball to Wickman, you have to say something.

     Bob Wickman was recently traded to the Atlanta Braves. Wickman is one of the best closers in the game. Lets face it, the Braves need a closer. When you've used five different guys in the closers role and you have 20 blown saves on the year, you need help. Lets face this though, the Braves don't have the guys to setup for Wickman.
     The Braves have decent pitching. Decent starters and decent relievers. However, they don't have the guys that can hold a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 8th. So, if you don't have the guys to hold on to 1-0 lead, how can they get the game to Wickman? That's right, they can't. The Braves can benefit from this trade, but not much. What they really need to do is go out and add another closer like guy to pitch the 8th and get it to Wickman. Say, like Scott Linebrink? Wilson Betemit has been scouted by the San Diego Padres as an everyday third baseman for them. Of course, they said Linebrink won't be moved, but if the Braves throw in a prospect....you never know. Something could happen. Maybe even Chan #### Park could be traded to Atlanta. He's been used in the closers role before. He could benefit from moving out of the rotation.

     Bobby Abreu has a lot of money owed to him this year, next year and the option that he has for 2008. He is a very expensive add; however, that's just the reason why the Philadelphia Phillies need to trade him. The Phillies don't need to pay him that much money if he isn't helping them. They need to find a team that he would be willing to go to. That's the main problem, Abreu has full no-trade clause. If he's willing to be dealt to a team, the Phillies need two things in return. They need a guy that can right field for them and who is less expensive than Abreu. They also need an outfield prospect in return that can take over in right field in a few years. A place they can go for this is to Queens, home of the New York Mets.
     The Mets have a kid at Double A that looks pretty good. His name is Carlos Gomez. He's 21 years old. Now, you're probably thinking about Lastings Milledge, but Omar Minaya would never give him for up. So, Abreu for Cliff Floyd and Carlos Gomez. Floyd is a free agent at the end of the year. This way, they can get rid of him, add someone else for a year or two and wait for Gomez to be ready. The only problem would be trading Abreu within the league, yet alone the same division. This could spell disaster for the Phillies to win the division. That's really the only bad thing.

     Dayton Moore was hired as the new Kansas City Royals General Manager. He has taken many steps to turning this franchise around. In fact, the Royals might have an outside shot of being 20 games under .500 or better. Now, that doesn't sound big, but it is. It really is for the Royals. Moore traded off for a very good center fielder that never got a shot in Tampa Bay. His name: Joey Gathright. That move bumped David DeJesus over to left field. Do you know what this means? They have two center fielders in their outfield. <km>
     Here's another step the Royals and Moore need to take. There is no way they will make the playoffs with the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers and the LA Angels battling for the division titles and Wild Card. So, this season is a lost cause. Or is it? Who says it has to be a complete lost cause? Sure they can't get to the playoffs, but they can give the young guys of the future a look. They have some trade bait. Reggie Sanders, Matt Stairs, Mark Redman, Mark Grudzielanek, Scott Elarton, Tony Graffanino and Doug Mientkiewicz. They can trade these guys off within the next two weeks. They have a solid back of the bullpen to build on (Mike MacDougal and Ambiorix Burgos) and a good farm system. They can trade Mientkiewicz and Redman off for some young pitching to go along with Jimmy Gobble, Bobby Keppel (at Triple-A) and Zach Grienke (if he ever comes back). Also, if the Royals can sign their first overall pick, Luke Hochevar, that makes a fourth possible starter. Then if they can add another starter or two in some trades, they're in good shape. They also have Mike Wood. The depth is getting bigger.
     Basically, what I'm saying is, the Royals have a great farm system. They just never tapped into it. Now, they have to. Mark Teahen can move from third base to the designated hitters role. This opens a spot for Alex Gordon. They can also trade Sanders, opening a spot for Billy Butler. Another move, already stated, is to trade Mientkiewicz to open a spot for Justin Huber. Donnie Murphy, Angel Sanchez and Andres Blanco are waiting for Gurdzielanek and Graffanino to leave town so they can come up.
     Something else they could think of doing is adding a young catcher in a trade.
     See, when you think about it, the Royals aren't in horrible shape. They look like it, but with Moore running the show now, you'll see the Royals in contention in 2008 or 2009...maybe even 2007. People said the Florida Marlins wouldn't be in contention, but look at them.

Well, since I want to be a General Manager one day, and I have what you call a 5 year plan where you rebuild the minor league system and start from scratch, I think I should put it to the test. The Washington Nationals new owners want to start over and build the system up and start over, clean slate. That's easier said than done. However, looking over this sytem, it's got a lot of talent, just nothing to build with. To rebuild your team, you have to have corner stones to build on. Now, I think they have at least a few with Chad Cordero and Ryan Zimmerman. Here's what I would do. Some trades minor league moves.

***BREAKING NEWS***

The Washington Nationals trade 2B/LF Alfonso Soriano to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for SS Erick Aybar, C Mike Napoli and P Jered Weaver.

Nationals trade RF Jose Guillen to the LA Dodgers. Dodgers trade LHP Scott Elbert to the Atlanta Braves. Braves trade LHP Chuck James to the Nationals.

Nationals trade SS Cristian Guzman and 1B Nick Johnson to the Kansas City Royals for 1B Kila Kaaihue, IF Andres Blanco and LHP Juan Cedeno.

Nationals recall OF Brandon Watson, 1B Larry Broadway and RHP Clint Everts.

So, now that the transactions are out of the way, lets get down to brass tax. These moves shed some payroll. Soriano, Johnson, Guzman and Guillen make $20-$30 million, plus the payments owed to Johnson and Guzman after this year, you're looking at close to $35 million dumped off. That's enough to sign Soriano to a 2 year deal. Then, we look into dumping off Jose Vidro for a few pitching prospects. Wait! Breaking news!

***BREAKING NEWS***
Nationals trade 2B Jose Vidro to St. Louis Cardinals for RHP Chris Lambert and RHP Stuart Pomeranz.

Now, here's the new lineup!

CF Brandon Watson
2B Andres Blanco
LF Ryan Church
3B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Erick Aybar
1B Larry Broadway/Kila Kaaihue (RHP/LHP)
  C Brian Schnider
RF Mike Napoli
PITCHER

STARTING ROTATION/BULLPEN
SP - Livan Hernandez
SP - John Patterson
SP - Mike O'Conner
SP - Chris Lambert
SP - Stuart Pomeranz

LHP - Chuck James
LHP - Juan Cedeno
RHP - Jered Weaver (6th Starter)
RHP - Clint Everts
RHP - Jason Bergmann
SU - Luis Ayala
CL - Chad Cordero

Now, I don't know about you, but that lineup looks good. Then, what I do is, I look for some non-MLB ready prospects that I trade Hernandez for so I can move Weaver into the rotation as the number 3. Then, the bench is stacked with MLB talent, but cheap talent (i.e. Matt LeCroy). The bullpen and starting lienup are completely rebuilt. Now, you may be wondering why I make these moves. Well, here you go!

The back of the bullpen is settled and is quite good. The starting rotation is good, but now it's been upgraded with some pitching talent. I moved that catcher that I got from the LA Angels to the outfield because Schnider is a very good catcher and outfield help is needed. Watson and Church cover left and center very well. Zimmerman anchors the lineup.

Now, for why the other teams make the trades.

  Soriano can play left and second. Garret Anderson can play left and center. This move gives the Angels a power hitting DH, and it also lets Erstad, Anderson, Vlad and Soriano get some rest as they split time in the OF and DH.
  Then, the Dodgers have JD Drew in right, but is injury proned. Jose Guillen can play right and let Drew play some center. Lofton can move over to left and this also gives the Dodgers a power outfielder that they despertly need. The Braves, in this deal, give up the 99th rank prospect in Dayn Perry's top 100 for the 100th...not that big of a deal.
  Now, lets face it, the Royals need all the help they can get. Johnson can play first. He's not as good defensively than Mientkiewicz, but he puts up better offensive numbers. Guzman is good at defense, horrible at offense and can be a late innings sub until he's up for free agency.

With these new players and a new start, why not new management? So, here's the management!

MANAGER           PITCHING COACH    HITTING COACH
        

FIRST BASE/HIT COACH   THIRD BASE COACH      BENCH COACH
                  

BULLPEN COACH

For those of you who can't tell by the pictures, here are their names:
MANAGER: Frank Robinson
BENCH COACH: Kevin Kennedy
HITTING COACHES: Tony Gwynn and Paul Molitor
PITCHING COACH: Dennis Eckersley
1ST BASE COACH: Paul Molitor
3RD BASE COACH: Tony Beasley
BULLPEN COACH: John Wetteland

Now that's a coaching staff. Three Hall Of Famers, one that will be and one that could be. That's nice.

And that folks are your 2007 Washington Nationals (and parts of 2006).