The events that occurred at the British Open yesterday gives us even more respect for Tiger Woods. Yes he did not win the British Open but what you saw yesterday was something he would not have done that both men did yesterday. We aren't talking about club selection or what shot to play, but talking about being able to finish. He goes for the throat and that is why we respect his game a lot.
Yesterday we watched Sergio Garcia lose a tournament that was all but wrapped up for him. He was finally going to take the #### off his back, so to speak. But Padraig Harrington, down 6 shots to start on Sunday, comes back to take the lead heading into the 18th green where he finally realized for a second that he was Padraig Harrington. He didn't stuff the golf ball in the drink once, but TWICE! AFTER THE DROP NO LESS!!! How? Is that even possible?
I see golfers on the course but do we have any competitors left in the field?
Yes it created TV drama for anyone who cared to watch golf yesterday, but it exploited what they and several other golfers would have done if they were put in the same situation or one similar to it. But we know that we cannot put Tiger Woods in that same boat because when he has a tournament within his grasp, meaning he's in the lead, he finishes. That is what the great ones do, and we saw two guys who aren't great. Harrington after the tournament admitted that he didn't feel he had a chance at winning. Do guys just show up to these tournaments just to have fun, party and potentially grab a paycheck? Don't answer that. I know golfers play for the money more than winning. That is unfortunate but that is the reality.
- It has to suck if you are Arthur Blank right now. The owner of the Atlanta Falcons had a decision to make with Michael Vick and despite his bad feeling about Mr. Mexico, he stuck with his "Top-Dog" money-player and decided to choose him over Matt Shaub and to a lesser extent, Jim Mora Jr. Blank takes a lot of pride in a player having integrity and is all about being a class-act and with everything that has unfolded since the Shaub trade he probably feels that if he went the other way with the decision he would be looking very good right now. But when you give a player a big contract you tend to lean in the direction of keeping him. You want to see your investment blossom before quitting on it.
- Who wants this win, Team A, Team B or Tim Donaghy? Good question, harder answer. Two of the three is right and only Donaghy would know the proper answer. This whole situation has been such a nightmare for David Stern and the NBA that you may as well hear this during post-game sideline interviews:
CHERYL MILLER: Kobe your Milwaukee Bucks came through in the end, tell us what went down during the last two minutes of the game.
BRYANT: Well the official came up to me and said he had a dime down on us for this game so he said if I cut to the basket and charged into KG that he'd call a foul on Garnett so that he'd foul out. We know he's a crucial part of the Memphis Grizzlies. It's always comforting to know the ref has your back when he's betting on our games.
MILLER: Don't you think it takes the integrity away from the game Kobe?
BRYANT: Yeah but a win is a win for us. Watch out for the Milwaukee Bucks BABY!!!!! (crowd cheers).
This was the best news Mike Vick heard all week because this took some of the attention away from him. With the exception of P.E.T.A.
- If the New York Yankees are going to make their run, it happens now. Not because this is the best time to do it but because they have the weaker part of their schedule happening right now. Kansas City could not come at a better time for them, along with Baltimore and the White Sox who have played in a cloud at times this year. If they dont rip through their schedule over the next few weeks then they are done. But don't be surprised if they really begin to turn it up. At the same time, try not to get too impressed with them because they would have just beaten up all the bums and that does not prove anything to anyone.
- Last year I said that if I started a franchise today and I could have any baseball player in the major leagues it would be Albert Pujols. Why not? He's still young (27) and he will continue to mash the ball for a long time, and hopefully for a longer period than some of the other established superstars. The guy who may be second on that list is Albert Pujols Jr, otherwise known as Miguel Cabrera. He's only 24 and the kid is a mashing machine. Hopefully he does not go Bobby Bonilla and eat his way out of the major leagues. Some say he has an attitude problem but he's not the first stud to have one of those.
Either way, those two guys would help my franchise win. Eventually.
Every once in a while Blog Nation will go back and pat other bloggers on the back for a job well done. And they truly deserve it, believe me. This tends to happen when people decide to either write very positively or negatively towards certain bloggers or the blog site in general. Truth is, very few people here will go on to become writers as we use this as a hobby. All the power to you if you make a career out of this but odds are you will be a lifetime blogger and that is it.
Before I start talking about random sports (where again I'll make you remember to never forget The Dan's name), Sam Moffie came on my program today to discuss his new book "SWAP". It's a novel based loosely on the story of the two New York Yankee players who swapped wives back in 1972-73. Sam has delivered a copy of the book my way so I hope to have it very soon and he was telling me that this book has a very good shot at becoming a Hollywood movie. Here is a link to Sam's website, and a link to the live interview.
Now let's rock the house...
- Michael Vick has jumped on top of the "leaderboard" with his indictment today. Obviously with what has already been reported a lot of you will believe he is guilty as is. You are entitled to your opinion and I won't talk you out of it. However, was his image really pretty prior to this fiasco? Apparently it was, but lets remember a few things here: he is the same guy who used the alias "Ron Mexico" so people wouldn't realize the connection he has with an STD. he is also the same guy who has flipped off fans who happen to be fans of his team. There are other little things you can add to this as well (the small donation to V-Tech school, possibly being a 'coach killer', his whack brother etc.). So his image wasn't exactly air-tight prior to this - even if his billboards sported a big Nike swoosh.
- Gary Sheffield's latest racism-related statements have been talked about over the last couple of days which means this is a story that has "legs". People have attempted to break this whole thing down and when it comes to race issues you just don't know where the finish line is. So I came up with my own analogy to make sense of this entire thing. Whether or not you agree or disagree is your choice but here's how I see it:
Sheff was raised in a tough neighborhood where color barriers had finally been brought down after years of struggle. Obviously change takes a long time as people were use to see things such as "no colors allowed" in a public washroom or public restaurant. Lifted were the rules that forced black people sit on the back of the bus. But since Sheffield was born in 1968 there was probably more work to do during his early years of life. I doubt everyone complied to the new changes in society and racism was very much prevalent when he was growing up. So if Gary acted out at school or perhaps bullied another kid who happened to be white a teacher would be all over him for it and the life lesson he got out of it going home could have been (keyword: could) "They pick on you because you are black". Whoever fed him this info could have been right, or flat-out wrong. Regardless, when you are very young and are being taught that a certain way is the right way of thinking then you will go on for years believing that this is the way things are, no matter how wrong you could be. You and I go to bed with thoughts of things that we have been led to believe is right when we, too, could be wrong. So when Gary Sheffield had a attitude problem in Milwaukee or San Diego or didn't hustle and coaches were all over him, he could have made the assumption that it was due to the color of his skin and nothing else. Did any of that make any sense to you? I hope it did.
- I promised myself I would post the numbers of these 4 great hitters of this decade: Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. Obviously there are several other great hitters (ManRam), but I posted these 4 MVP's just to see how they compare. I included the 2007 stats so the average statistics will go up once this year is completed:
- Only Bonds and Guerrero have missed significant playing time due to injury, Bonds especially.
- Guerrero and Bonds have probably less talent around them, thus less RBI chances and Bonds gets walked a lot.
- Only Pujols and Guerrero have great doubles totals.
- Despite being known as a guy who can't hit in the clutch, Rodriguez has enough talent to get his opportunities and drives in a ton of runs.
- Barry has a massive head.
All great hitters. You can decide which one you like the best.
- A lot of people have linked Chris Benoit's death to his use of steroids and perhaps having a "roid rage", but I have one question for you: how many athletes in our sports have killed their families because of roid rage? Then again, with the way sports is today if there was ever a murder (family or not), entourages will be there to clean up any mess or take the fall. That's why they are there, right? If you don't have competent people in your entourage then you will get into trouble (See: Jones, Pacman).
- College Football could potentially have a final four by 2011 with the top 4 ranked teams playing for the National Championship in an actual tournament-style. While that would be better than the current format, we still run into the same problems only this time we'll have the 5th ranked team griping about their position and that they are better than at least one team involved in the tourney, and people will agree. The other problem is, it won't happen until 2011. This format would be preferable, say, NOW!
- With the success of the Utah Jazz this year, don't you think that any shooting guard would love to have the opportunity to play alongside Deron Williams and play for a team that is a contender for the West title? I'm not sure why guys who can play the two-guard position isn't volunteering to play for the Jazz because they have a chance to start AND win. With Derek Fisher now out of the picture this gives them a shot at that position, plus they could out-perform Fisher and make that team better.
- I don't know what to say right now about the NHL because there seems to be this inevitability that they will run into problems financially and they will have to rollback payroll. The only thing I can really say is I cannot wait for the Toronto Maple Leafs rude-awakening when they find out they still suck. Then again, I can wait because the Leafs are not a team that deserves to be covered as extensively as they do so we'll be bombarded with hockey #### rather than sports that really matter like the NBA or NFL. Sorry, had to tell it how it is.
- Tiger vs. The Field? I go with the house, despite how great Tiger is and has been at the British Open. I never thought his game was suited for the British after his first title there and then he turned around busted off a few more majors. However, I like the odds of taking a million other players over just one guy, no matter how money he is. Doubt last week helped Phil Mickelson much. That meltdown won't help the psyche. Then again, we've seen a lot of crazy things happen in the world of golf, even at Carnoustie (Van de Velde, anyone?). Speaking of which, he may have melted down back in 1999 but Van de Velde's putt to get into the playoff was actually clutch. But the damage was done.
...What's The Deeley-O is back on for this Thursday. Direct all e-mails to the e-mail address provided in the box to the right of this blog entry. It doesn't matter what you all write to me, just know that Thursdays are devoted to YOU, the fine bloggers of this site. By the way, check out Frank's All Star Blogger show tomorrow night and if you don't know what it is just ask someone. They will direct you to the right people.
Some of the heavyweights came out to play this week and I hope the podcast is finally up. We have been working diligently to get it up and running. Regardless, here is the hard copy of today's Deeley-O:
Lisa4USC
- What does Hoser mean? Is it a derog term for a girl whose throat has
more suction than a Hoover and more force than a garden hose? Does it
mean someone screwing someone else over, as in, " he hosed me"? Or
maybe the Canadian meaning of the female name, Paris? Finally, in the
French speaking provinces of Canada, is it prounounced Hose-eh? Is that
how the Mexicans got the name Jose? And how the term "eh' got
introduced to the Canadian vocabulary? Inquiring minds want to know.
...The thing is I never use the term. Perhaps I've been Americanized. The real good part came when she asked if Eric is a cute as he sounds. My answer is: I suppose.
Miracle
- I Had a doctor’s visit this morning, and as a tradition if you’re late you have to bring in doughnuts.
Do you have a similar tradition in Canada? If so I’ll bet you don’t bring doughnuts, because we Americans believe that the jelly doughnut is such a staple of the Canadian diet that it wouldn’t be that special for some hoser that’s an hour late to show up with box of powdered jellies.
So what does any self respecting Canadian bring in as a treat for his work mates? Canadian Bacon Poutine Pam Anderson Sex Tape Moose Chips Molson
...Coffee, then donuts - in that order. Canadian beer is next in line.
Smoketheblowfish
- What is the Canadian to English translation for "Everybody Wang Chung Tonight"?
Does
"Shrinkage of the Tallywacker" go away once a Cannuck travels south of
the border? or is this a permanent condition?.....Lisa4usc and
Bluegrasslady (BILFs) want to know You read
and commented on my "Apology Post". As a fine representative of all
that is America, I would like to add a few apologies to my
list.....We're sorry about putting the cities of Cleveland, Detroit,
Buffalo, Green Bay, and Tijuana, Mexico so close to Canada. We are
sorry for thinking Lover Boy is a #### bar in Markham. We are sorry for
believing that the Calgary Stampeders is really Kama Sutra Position
#48. We are sorry for letting Celine Dion complete the surgery (going
from a man to woman)..........What are you guys sorry for (outside of
letting your women think furry armpits are sexay)?
I eagerly await your responses!
...And I eagerly answer them to the best of my ability Smoke! Eric gave the answer to the first question because you had me stumped. Literally I did not think the 80's pop duo would ever cross my mind like that. They were big WHEN I WAS 5!!
Remember snowpants? Or how about Long-Johns? Well that's what keeps our #### from looking like lifesaver candy.
And we're sorry for a lot of things but I'm not working on much sleep so check the podcast for our answers, hahaha. www.chevradioam.com.
ShooterB
- 1) In your latest blog, you snubbed A-Rod as a Hall of Famer…while giving the nod to Albert Pujols and Vladimir Guerrero. I guess I underestimated the quality of weed in Canada…that must be some good stuff. Anyway, I have nothing against either of those two guys…but come on! That’s like replacing a nude pictorial of Pamela Anderson with a Margaret Thatcher beaver shot. So what is your real excuse for snubbing A-Rod? I’ll make it multiple choice so you don’t freak out looking for an answer:
A) The mystery stripper A-Rod was pictured with in Toronto is actually your girlfriend. B) A-Rod’s
stunning good looks makes you question your sexuality C) You want an extra spot for the Hall of Fame just in case Josh Towers has a shot at making the ballot
D) You’ve watched too much hoser hockey and went brain
dead
- SLOW DOWN!!!! WHOA!!!! I did not snub A-Rod from the Hall of Fame. I just think that this decade (2000-2007), Albert and Vlad have been the best hitters during this time frame with A-Rod and Bonds right there with them. That's scary - I'll go with answer E.
2) I recently found out that Vladimir Guerrero has fathered 4 children with 4 different women. And we all know about Tom Brady trying to do the same. Are you going to take my advice, and teach these athletes how to go anal before they create an army of clones? Maybe you could tell Eric Rosenhoser to give a seminar.
- Tell the women to keep their legs closed if they feel a little bloated and all athletes need to carry a purse that contains 2 unexpired boxes of Trojan Larges.
3) What is this #### on your blog about an All-Star skills competition for
hockey? Skill in hockey? You must be joking. But please enlighten me, which of the following contests do they have? A) Seeing who is better at stick-handling? B) Couples ice skating with pink ballerina outfits? C) Seeing who can fit the most pucks in their mouth? D) Opening wide to see who has the most teeth?
- They actually have a relay race around the rink which is pretty lame. The skills competition's only good thing is the hardest shot. Watching a net shake when a puck rings the post is incredible.
...So just click on "CHEV Podcasts" on the left side of the web page and hopefully the podcast is now up. If it's not, I know I will be ticked but Eric will need consoling. He will be extremely bitter. Tomorrow should be the best show of this week, if not, my entire life - so check it out. Cheers.
Baseball has the home run derby. Hockey has the skills competition. Basketball has the slam-dunk and 3-point contests and Football has, well, great weather. Today we sit hours away from the mid-summer classic and we have something to beef about.
Depending on the person, some feel the home run derby has run it's course. I remember when I went to the 1991 All Star festivities to watch the old timers game and the home run contest I was thrilled about it. I was 8 years old at the time so perhaps the joy was caused by youthful intrigue. But some of the complaints are invalid. While you see the derby as the same thing over and over again, watching long bombs, you get to see some guys you may not really know well. Granted, you see more of the same thing but the difference now from 1991 is you have more than one round (as well as the body-type, but that's another story).
What probably set me off was the notion that there weren't enough big names in the contest. They wanted to see guys like Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey - great power hitters. However, why was there complaints about the competitors last night? We watched 2 hall of famers, Albert Pujols and Vladimir Guerrero, who are the two most consistent and best hitters of this decade. Yes, I just snubbed Alex Rodriguez - ask yourself when Albert and Vlad hit under .300 and the answer is never. Vlad and Albert are the two best hitters in the game today - and had Miguel Cabrera not pulled out of the competition we could have had "The Next One", so to speak.
We also had reigning MVP's Justin Morneau and Ryan Howard (also the HR champ and last year's derby winner), current home run leader Prince Fielder, current batting average leaders Magglio Ordonez and Matt Holliday, and newcomer Alex Rios. Aside from Rios, who ended up hitting the most bombs yesterday, there were guys who deserved to be there. So the knock on the competitors not being marquee or not being big-names is horseshit. Years from now we could be saying "wow, that 2007 derby had some great players", and potentially more hall of famers.
Now, we would have loved to have seen Barry in the competition simply because it's his house. But he declined and that was his choice. But we did listen to him being interviewed during the broadcast and he really handled himself well during the interview.
There are a lot of people who are defending Barry's actions and will continue to use the argument that there is "no proof" that he did a thing - which is naive to think. However let me play devil's advocate for a second: one of the parts of both Bonds books stated that he was ticked that guys were getting away with using illegal supplements (by law) yet he was getting by on pure natural ability without any #### in his system. If you had the opportunity to take something to enhance your legacy with the knowledge that the game itself does not care would you at least think about it? Barry Bonds has a huge ego and quite frankly that is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm not the person that will condone what he did but I have always seen the reasoning behind it. Ungrateful and undeserving players taking the awards, credit and respect that he felt he earned during his career. Had he been better to the media when he was younger they may have been going out of their way to say something great about him during the midst of baseball's dark age. Regardless, many baseball players know they have gotten away with something both Bonds and Jason Giambi haven't, along with the rest of the players who have tested positive over the last few years.
At least Bonds isn't the one losing his head over this record. That goes to Commissioner Bud Selig. He's taken this personal because he doesn't want to see his buddy Hank's record broken, and that is human nature. He also may feel deep down that he let this happen under his watch. Or he knows more than he's letting on and cannot share it with anyone - allowing it to eat away at him. Only those close to the situation knows the truth, but Selig not being present for the record-breaker does not provide fans any confidence of this entire scenario. True fans know he has to be there and if he doesn't show up a lot of fans will lose faith in the game if they haven't already.
Let's just get through tonight and then we can focus on the pennant races for the second half.
...Other notes...
- How does a guy get robbed twice in his life? Antoine Walker managed to have that happen to him. That is either a total coincidence or someone really enjoys taking stuff from him. He may want to leave Chicago and head to Miami. It's warmer down there anyway.
- There is no question that Roger Federer is more dominant in his sport than Tiger Woods at this present time. He has been in the finals of every major for the last 9 Majors. That is incredible. That is pure dominance. This does not take anything away from Tiger, who's phenomenal. What needs to be pointed out is Federer's lack of hype surrounding his greatness.
- The Tour de France started already? Did anyone notice? Even the NHL said they were pretty quiet.
What's The Deeley-O back this Thursday. Doesn't matter what you write to me just WRITE. Thursday's are your day bloggers so check in and dazzle me. Cheers. (chevradionoise@gmail.com).
Hey folks I wanted to drop a post today but unfortunately I am minutes away from a baseball draft where I look to 3-peat in a very tough league. Nonetheless, "What's The Deeley-O?" is still on for tomorrow and you can send your questions regarding Canada or anything Canadian to chevradionoise@gmail.com.
I just found out I have the number 1 pick, so with that said: "With the first pick of the 2007 Yahoo Fantasy Draft, the 2-Time defending champion selects Mr Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.
This year was a tight race for the MVP awards in Major League Baseball. Tight because we have identified the Most Valuable Player award not by the player who produces the best season in the major leagues (excluding Andre Dawson 1987 and Alex Rodriguez 2003). Take, for instance, Barry Larkin in 1995. Did he have the best numbers that season in the National League? No. But they gave him the award for what he did for his team. Was it the right decision? No. Greg Maddux should have ran away with the MVP that year and if you don't believe me just check out the season he had along with the run support from his team.
Nonetheless, fast forward to 2006 and we have two different situations: 2 Monster years from 2 guys in the National League and a bunch of good years by good players surrounded by other good players in the American League.
Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols were enormous in 2006. Howard slams 58 homeruns and Pujols simply was Pujols once again. Both guys beat eachother in statistical categories, and both played on teams that either made the post-season or had a shot at the post-season. Howard's Phillies came up short after they had thrown up a very small yet visible white flag after trading away Bobby Abreu to free up some money. Albert's Cardinals had a lot of injuries throughout the season, including his obliques and hamstring acting up, yet persevered to help his team win the World Series.
This was too close to call. All season I flipped back and forth on Howard and Pujols. Howard, no Pujols, no no Howard, naw Pujols, naw...
I flipped on this subject so much I was ready to call myself John Kerry.
It's not whether the right guy won in the National League, it was a matter of not giving the award to anyone else but one of those two players. Therefore Howard was a good choice.
Over in the American League there were problems all over the place: Boston and Chicago both came 3rd in their divisions so David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome were handicapped from the very start. Vladimir Guerrero would have had my vote hands down if the L.A. Angels won the West. Then there is Frank Thomas, who seemingly carries the Oakland offense in the second half but did it quietly. Vernon Wells had no shot either.
That left us with Justin Morneau v. Derek Jeter. Morneau has Joe Mauer and Johan Santana. Jeter has endless amount of firepower around him.
Let's face it, the Minnesota Twins were nowhere until 2 things changed: 1) Francisco Liriano bursted onto the scene and 2) Justin Morneau started to carry his team through games and they made a big comeback in the division.
As for Jeter, he and his Yankees took the division when the Red Sox became too depleted to make a comeback and they cruised into first after picking up Abreu at the trade deadline, along with healthy players like Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield. Looking at the lineup the New York Yankees presents day in and day out, there is just no way to give Jeter the MVP.
Sorry to take you back down memory lane but let's do so: In 1995 Mo Vaughan was named MVP. Perhaps the best season put up offensively that year was done by Albert Belle. The problem with him was he had more firepower around him: Thome, Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, Hall of Famer Eddie Murray and Carlos Baerga in his prime. Either that or nobody really liked Belle back then.
Regardless, if the whole notion that a great team would nullify someone's MVP, why wouldn't that work with Jeter? Didn't he start off the 2004 season batting under .200 for the first 2 months and the Yankees were doing fine? If the firepower is/was suppose to be better in 2006, how can he become more valuable to that team? Let's face it, Jeter is a victim of where he plays and based on the arguments we have heard over the years, its rightfully so.
Justin Morneau is what Mo Vaughan was in 1995. Big offensive season and clutch for his team when his team needed him. They both also lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Having said all of that, Morneau was a good choice.
We had a long discussion about Pedro Martinez and whether he is or isn't a hall of famer. Jeff Bagwell hits an interesting discussion when it comes to Cooperstown.
Bagwell, the 1994 NL MVP, is looking to come back in 2007 and play after missing the 2006 season due to injury. Looking at his career and other factors involved in making an argument for someone, he definitely is an intriguing case.
Before looking at some of the points that would or would not get him in, one of the classic arguments people have said is that if you need to argue someone in then they probably aren't a hall of famer. For example, the moment Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux retire we will all say 'yes' at the same time without hesitation. Many major leaguers are like that. But Bagwell is not, so there is already 1 strike against him.
Here is what he has: Career .297 hitter (good for power guy), 449 Homeruns and 1529 RBI's. He has had 8 seasons with over 100 RBI, including 6 in a row, as well as 40 homeruns 3 times. In the 1990's, he played in a ballpark that was considered to be one of the toughest to hit balls out of. So when we saw guys hit bombs at an alarming rate in homer-friendly ballparks (Kingdome, Arlington, Coors etc.), he was jerking them out of the Astrodome. By the time they moved to Ten-ron Park (Minute Made/Enron Field), Bags only had a few productive years left which he maximized as much as possible.
Then you have to think about one little factor: Was he the best first baseman of his time?
- Certainly was not better than Frank Thomas in the mid 90's.
- He was no Mark McGwire, performance enhancers not included.
- Though he's never mentioned, Todd Helton has some incredible numbers early in this decade.
- The Albert Pujols factor over the last few seasons.
Was it out of the question to think Bags was a top 3 first baseman for some time period? Yes he could be considered. From 1994-2003, Bagwell was a top of the line first baseman.
So the question remains: Is he in?
Let's say, for instance, he is in. What does that do for us?
- If Bagwell get's in, then Fred McGriff should be in. A two-time homerun champion from both leagues who was a top tier first baseman alongside Bagwell for many years with Toronto, San Diego and Atlanta.
- If Bagwell get's in, what about Andre Dawson? Another former MVP who's stats are similar with the exception of more stolen bases and gold gloves for The Hawk, but he also was an outfield. That suggests that the hall of fame will look at positions when comparing eligible ex-players, which is true. Catchers or second baseman typically have had less impact in terms of offensive numbers than those of outfielders or first basemen. The proof is in the numbers.
- What about other guys on the cusp like Gary Sheffield?
- Who had the bigger impact during the 1990's, Bagwell or Albert Belle? And where's Albert in the hall of fame mix?
Basically we are looking at this 2007 season as the make or break year for Bagwell to get in. 500 homeruns is suppose to be the benchmark and he is 51 away. He won't get it next year and probably not 2008 either. So if he hits 475, does he make it in?
My decision is at this point in time, Jeff Bagwell is not in. However, a healthy 2007 season can get him in. He does not need Frank Thomas numbers from this past year to do it, but 20 homeruns will help his cause. Bags was a great ballplayer and seems like a classy dude. Unfortunately, I think he needs to put in a little more work to get himself enshrined into Cooperstown.
Every couple of weeks the scenario seemed to change and every couple of weeks we would all write down our view on who should take which award. Now that today is the final day (maybe) of the baseball season, we can clearly define who the 2006 Cy Young and MVP award winners are for this MLB season.
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb
- Such a difficult choice seeing that everyone in the league has 15 or 16 wins. Not to mention Trevor Hoffman has far and away been the best closer this season in the National League. The top 3 would be Webb, Chris Carpenter and Hoffman. Webb gets the slight edge because he has been there the entire season. Had Carp not gone to the DL, he probably takes it.
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
- A great season from the lefty who had great competition for 5 months of the season with Roy Halladay, until Doc ran into some arm trouble as well a 2 rocky starts prior to his injury. Johan could have been eyeing his 3rd straight Cy Young, but putting a second trophy on his mantle allows him to join a class of great pitchers that this game has ever seen. Though I wonder if his teammate Francisco Liriano (Johan Jr.) would have taken the Cy Young if he was healthy (odds are, probably not but very close).
NL MVP: Ryan Howard
- Time to cave in to the 'Ryan Howard Hype-Train'. Had St. Louis not collapsed and Albert Pujols mashed like a god down the stretch I probably would have stayed with him. But Pujols has been big for the Cards when their backs have been right up against the wall. That still won't take away the MVP from the man who has simply been amazing, especially after the All-Star break where he won the homerun derby in July. After years of killing Triple-A pitchers, Howard has finally shown exactly what he can do at the Major League level. (Honourable mentions: Lance Berkman and Miguel Cabrera for great seasons playing on teams that were dead at one point in the season).
AL MVP: Justin Morneau
- Time to get off the Jermaine Dye train and hop onto the Canadian bandwagon. Morneau has been one of the big reasons why the Twins surged from May onward. When Minnesota was nowhere to be found, Morneau was about ready to challenge Russell Branyan for the biggest power-bust hitter in the bigs. And then Morneau just went unconscious. Now, Dye had a great year and so did David Ortiz, but now we're talking about MVP's on a 3rd place team. Vladimir Guerrero? Well he played like an MVP but we can't give it to him. Then there is Derek Jeter, who's only fault is playing on a team full of studs and even with his great season still may not be the MVP of his team. Then again, Morneau may not be the MVP on his team either (Joe Mauer, Santana). So having said that, what will seperate all the candidates? Who has the best numbers on the teams in the playoffs? Must go with Morneau.
Rookies of the year: Justin Verlander (AL) and Dan Uggla (NL), barely beating Ryan Zimmerman.
This has been fun, but its been tough as well. Now bring on the playoffs.
From Toronto, CANADA. On hiatus from sports talk show. Also the starting shortstop for the Lizzards. Honorary member of "The Clique" because I am a made guy. If I ever got to work for Fox Sports I'd put into my contract that I must put in no less than 60 hours of work per week.
