A seven and a half year relationship is now over, as the Boston Red Sox finally gave into the insanity that is Manny Ramirez and sent him packing. This is a bittersweet day for Red Sox fans, a day that brings a tear to your eye while you are looking for someone to high five. Having Manny Ramirez in Boston was like having a psychotic nympho girlfriend. You are ecstatic when you’re riding high, but you want to pull your hair out when you have another bout of utter lunacy. Manny could hit a baseball like few players ever to enter Fenway Park, but he could send you to a padded room when he started his usual antics. The Sox might not be a better team after the Manny Ramirez trade, but they will never have to worry about another episode of Manny being a whiny pain in the butt. 

Over the last seven plus years Manny Ramirez asked to be traded out of Boston 147 separate times, not including 25 times that he was “misquoted”. His antics finally became too much, and even his own teammates were encouraging management to trade Ramirez. Manny’s complaining has done so much to hurt his value that the Red Sox had to cover the remaining seven million dollars left on his contract, as well as trade two major league players, just to get back a player with less skill. When people look back at this trade in a few years it may very well look like a disaster. Jason Bay is an All-Star left fielder, but his isn’t in the same class as Manny Ramirez. Craig Hansen is a talented reliever who just needs to figure out how to throw strikes to be a dominant reliever. The key to the trade may be Brandon Moss. Moss is a talented young outfielder that was without a place to play in Boston, much like David Murphy was last year. Murphy was sent to Texas for Eric Gagne, and is now making a run at the American League Rookie of the Year. Moss has the talent to be a .300 AVG/20 Home Run/80 RBI player, and in Pittsburgh he will have a chance to play and develop his skills.

If Ramirez had been more of a professional and less of a nutcase he would have been easier to trade, but was his craziness the real reason that he got the trade he wanted?

To paraphrase Jon Stewart’s intro for Daily Show correspondent Lewis Black, “Sometimes a news story falls through the cracks, here to catch them is Chris Vining, with his column, Delusions of Randomness.” So I will touch upon stories that didn’t get big headlines, but are still important.

The Red Sox finally decided to give Terry Francona (the most successful Sox manager in decades) a three-year contract extension. Francona is now signed through 2011, and as long as nothing drastic changes (Manny Ramirez goes insane and tries to mentor upcoming prospects)he has a great chance to lead the Red Sox to another World Series Championship in the next four years. Francona is a class act and does a great job of handling the Boston media.

Kudos to the Red Sox for signing Bartolo Colon to a minor league contract this week. Curt Schilling will be lucky if he can pitch with any effectiveness again, and Colon is a low risk (and cost) investment to make sure the Sox have depth in the rotation. Colon is not the Cy Young pitcher he was, and despite being an injury risk, he provides Clay Buchholz a chance to be brought along slowly. If the Sox can get anything above twenty starts they would be in a great position, as Colon can still pitch when he is on his game. For those people complaining about the rich getting richer, Colon was still unsigned when Spring Training opened, and was signed for chump change. He was more than fair game.

The Tampa Bay Rays dropped the “Devil” from their name but they might sign the Devil to their roster. Barry Bonds has arisen as a target for Tampa, which might not be as bad of an idea as it sounds. The Rays are young and talented, and Bonds would take a rapidly improving offense to dangerous levels. Bonds would also provide insurance for Cliff Floyd and Roco Baldelli. If Evan Longoria can be effective in the Majors this year, than the Rays have one of the top 10 offenses in baseball, and that is without Bonds. Adding the *All-Time Home Run King* would make the Rays a Wild Card threat, but the health of Scott Kazmir and Troy Percival will be key factors toward the Rays’ quest to get out of the AL East cellar.

Koby Clemens has been caught in a very tough spot for the Astros. While he is in Major League Spring Training he is subject to the substance advise of Miguel Tejada. If/when Koby is sent to Minor League Camp he will have his father to talk with. The younger Clemens should say he has visa problems and skip camp, or show up for another teams’ Spring Training.

Not only is Jonathan Papelbon the best young closer in baseball he showed that he could bust a move during the playoffs, and people took notice. Paps was offered a spot as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, however he turned it down when he realized he had to dance to music that wasn’t played by the Dropkick Murphys.

Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor are family, and were teammates on the Dolphins up until Bill Parcells rolled into town. Taylor is now working on his footwork as a member of the Dancing With the Stars cast. Thomas was pushed into the unemployment line until Jerry Jones offered Thomas a chance to play in his home state of Texas. Thomas will make the Cowboys better on defense, even if his skills are diminishing. His knowledge and leadership will be key to the Cowboys defense, and his locker room presence cannot be underestimated. He also hates vacationing during bye weeks.

The Atlanta Falcons won the coin flip to give them the third pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The downside is that the Falcons have so many holes that they could have used a lower pick. The benefit is that more players would be off the board so they would have an easier time picking which player will be blamed for a string of losing seasons.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated predicted that the Giants would win the Super Bowl against the Patriots if they could apply consistent pressure on Brady. He also suggested the Giants might win if they could outscore the Patriots. I am a Peter King fan but my three year old knew the game was in trouble when the Pat’s line had trouble blocking the rush.

Rex Grossman was resigned to a one year, three million-dollar contract by the Chicago Bears. No seriously, the Bears resigned him and Kyle Orton in the same week. That is a punch line, but I can’t even come up with a joke.

Former players Keith Van Horn and Aaron McKie were included in trades despite not being active players. In an attempt to bolster their roster the Celtics had a trade in place to send Bob Cousy to Memphis for Mike Conley. Memphis was looking to add veteran leadership and cut payroll (Cousy was making 5 figures in his last contract) and the deal was perfect for both sides. The trade fell through at the last minute when Memphis was unable to find a pair of shorts short enough for Cousy to wear. 

Yao Ming suffered a stress fracture in his foot and now will be out for the season. While this is a shot to the Rockets playoff chances, the worse news is that Yao’s backup is Dikembe Mutombo, who has scored a whopping seven points this season. The Rockets do not have any players 6’10’’ or taller besides Steve Novak, who weighs in at a massive 220 pounds and has played less than fifty career games.

Sam Cassell has asked to be bought out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers so he can sign with (most likely) Boston or Denver. What makes Sam I Am even more attractive is that he has already missed 15 games due to injuries this year. When questioned about his health Cassell had this to say, “The Celtics are getting damaged goods if I do go over there," Cassell said. "But I'll be all right." Nothing says sign me like that quote.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a new team but the same winning ways. Junior hasn’t been allowed in the winner’s circle in over five-dozen races. Maybe he should spend less time doing commercials and spend more time on figuring out why his engines keep blowing up. Just a thought, I’m no car expert.

The trade deadline just passed and players were moving all over North America (except to Mexico, there is no ice there). The Penguins acquired Marian Hossa, the top forward available, and the player that can put the Penguins in position for a Stanley Cup run. Wait, Penguins adding payroll? Weren’t they going to be sold and moved to Canada earlier this year?

In what has become an all too familiar scenario, the Boston Bruins promised to be active at the trade deadline but failed to bring in anyone at all, even a fourth line bench warmer. The Bruins are clinging to a playoff spot but are falling fast. Why are season ticket sales down again?

Once again the Boston Red Sox will not go away easily. For the second time in the last five games the Sox have roughed up potential American league Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia. Post season stats are not supposed to have any baring on regular season awards, however it seems highly likely that voters may reconsider Josh Beckett as the American League Cy winner after he dominated Sabathia twice in one series, and also had a shutout in the ALDS. Regardless of who has the better ace, the Red Sox/Indians series now rests on the arms of the secondary starters. Grizzled playoff veteran versus upstart youngster, and perhaps shaky former ace against struggling international sensation.

Despite the best efforts of the Indians, the series is heading back to Boston, where white towels will not be flying. Fenway Park may be one of the most difficult places to play for opponents, and one of the most difficult places in terms of ground rules. That is bad news for this crew of umps, who seemed to have weekend plans that didn’t involve a trip to New England. (Just out of curiosity, has anyone made sure that Tim Donaghy is not part of this umpiring crew?)

All joking aside, Sox skipper Terry Francona will decide this series. His reluctance to make necessary changes will either help or doom the Sox. Dustin Pedroia has shown he can play (as he will likely win the Rookie of the Year) but has struggled as a leadoff hitter. Jacoby Ellsbury has shown during the regular season that he is the best outfielder on the Sox next to Manny Ramirez, however Coco Crisp and JD Drew have been sucking the life out of the bottom of the Sox order. While you can understand the rational of the “dance with who brought you” philosophy, Ellsbury as a leadoff hitter was the fuel that carried the Sox down the playoff stretch. If the Sox miss the World Series due to a manager sitting on his hands (paging Grady Little) Francona may find himself looking for a job. Joe Torre in the Boston Red Sox dougout next year? Stranger things have happened, just look at whom the Indians or Red Sox will be playing in the World Series, the powerhouse Colorado Rockies.

Thanks to the Dropkick Murphy's for the column title, hopefully the band will bring us some luck like in 2004. 

The baseball world needs to take notice, the “Slutter” is here. Boston Red Sox star closer Jonathan Papelbon, the first closer in Sox history to post two thirty save seasons, has a new devastating pitch. By mixing a cut fastball and a slider grip, and changing his release point and angle, Papelbon has added something completely new to his already devastating arsenal. Papelbon had already started to use a cut fastball to keep batters off guard; now the slutter makes him an even more dangerous pitcher. By increasing his repertoire Papelbon now has three pitches that can be used as an out pitch, something that separates him from even elite closers like future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera.

Papelbon is one of only a handful of pitchers that have been able to post back-to-back thirty plus save seasons in his first two complete major league seasons. The other members of this elite club haven’t had the most memorable careers (Billy Koch was effective for several years before losing his stuff, Kaz Sasaki returned to Japan, and Todd Worrell was an effective closer for many years before fizzling out before his career should have ended) but Papelbon is hoping to be the breakout star of that group. With his career as a starter officially over, Papelbon has embraced and even desired to be a career closer. Coming up as a pitcher with comparisons to Roger Clemens, becoming a closer could be viewed as step back, but not for Papelbon. He has strived to be one of the best closers ever, and Trevor Hoffman should be prepared to relinquish his all time saves record to Papelbon around 2022.

With the upper eighty mile per hour slutter in his bag of tricks, Papelbon can now add more life to his fastball that tops out at over ninety-five miles per hour. Papelbon has experimented with many different pitches in his young career, and that is something that looks to continue. By this time next year Papelbon may mix the secretive gyroball and maybe even a knuckleball into his rotation. On a cross-country flight Papelbon may learn the secrets of a dominant curveball from Josh Beckett, or maybe even a sidearm delivery from his brother in the Red Sox minor league system. Despite his young age and relative inexperience, Papelbon is far from complacent with this success, as he is always looking to gain an advantage over the competition. As a two time All-Star the Red Sox may just have the most dominant closer in baseball for the next decade, a commodity that is a must for a successful team. When Papelbon enters the game the opponent better recognize that all the scouting reports in the world may be for naught: Papelbon might have just developed something new that very day, and you never know what he might throw at an unsuspecting hitter. All in a days work for Cinco-Ocho, master of the slutter.
 

Awesome is a word that has become too pedestrian, but there was a truly awesome pitching performance on Monday. It wasn’t a perfect game, a twenty-strikeout gem, or even a shutout, but a six-inning quality start (6 innings 5 hits 2 earned runs 6 strikeouts and one important win). What made this such an impressive game was the man on the mound, Jon Lester. This was the second year star’s first big league appearance since his career and life was sidetracked by cancer. Lester was having a stellar rookie year (7-2 with a 4.76 ERA in fifteen stars) until he was forced to end his season early last year due to lymphoma.

Lester was a twenty-two year old with his career in front of him when his season was put on hold and everyday life took over. After an off-season of cancer treatments, Lester was a question mark for this season, but he showed his determination to return to the mound. When spring training started Lester was there, to the surprise of many people. While he might not have been completely ready to step into the Red Sox rotation, Lester was well on his way to coming back with a vengeance. After building up his strength and stamina on a whirlwind trip through the minor leagues, Lester dominated at AAA Pawtucket waiting for his chance to show that he belonged back in the Majors. The Red Sox were determined not to bring Lester back to the Show unless he was going to stay there permanently. Injuries to Curt Schilling and the ineffectiveness of Julian Tavarez gave Jon Lester a shot to return to the major leagues, not as a cancer victim but as a Major League star.

The Red Sox quickly went from the best team in baseball to stumbling over themselves as they headed into the All-Star break. They needed something to reenergize their complacent play, and Jon Lester returning may just be the key. The Sox have had a rather easy season, with little pressure from any other team in the division. Seeing Jon Lester in the clubhouse everyday is a reminder that nothing should ever be taken for granted, in baseball or in life. Even if Lester doesn’t put up numbers like he did last year, his contribution to the team is immeasurable. Not since the comeback of Tony C. has a player’s return to the Sox been such an emotional experience.

If Jon Lester can regain the form he showed last year before the effects of cancer began to surface, the Red Sox suddenly have a glut of young starting pitching. The Sox could have an entire starting rotation comprised of stars all 28 years old or younger (Josh Beckett, Dice-K, Kason Gabbard, Jon Lester, and top prospect Clay Bucholz). Add in the ageless rubber armed Tim Wakefield, currently rehabbing Curt Schilling, and emergency starters Julian Tavarez and Devern Hansack, and the Sox have the deepest rotation in baseball. Add in three major league ready outfielders in AAA Pawtucket (leadoff man of the future Jacoby Ellsbury, David Murphy, and Brandon Moss) and the Sox have all the talent they need to make any trade before the July 31st deadline. The Red Sox could use another bat, some help in the bullpen, and a catcher of the future, and the Sox could fill all of those needs without depleting the major or minor league talent pools.

The return of Jon Lester gives the best team in baseball more talent to work with, as well as a newfound attitude in the clubhouse. Since Lester has rejoined the rotation the Sox are playing better baseball, and that was without their best hitter and staff ace. The Red Sox are in a great position to advance not only to the playoffs, but also to their second World Series in four years. Pitching wins titles (as has been obvious in recent years) and the Sox have the best staff in baseball this side of San Diego, but with more depth. The Red Sox have only increased their grip as the best team in baseball, all thanks to a 23 year old that was facing the most challenging fight of his life almost exactly one year ago. Talent might be a great thing to have but the ability to overcome adversity will carry you through tough situations in baseball and beyond.

Coco Crisp has been a major disappointment in replacing Johnny Damon, except on defense. Crisp went from a star in Cleveland capable of .300 20+HR 20+SB, to a guy who is lucky to have a job in Boston. Recenly hitting coach Dave Magadan has reconstructed Crisp at the plate and the results have been amazing. Here is just a taste of a recent interview with Magadan about Crisp's changes...

"He's standing a little taller," hitting coach Dave Magadan said. "A little less stride. And getting the feeling like he's above the ball instead of like landing with that front leg bent.

"Just trying to get him taller, both ways. If he's not going to load, at least keep him where he holds his position instead of leaning toward the baseball.

"You don't want to swing around your body. If you get all spread out, with your legs and the weight of your upper body, you swing around it, which slows up your bat and you hit a lot of balls weakly. It gets him in a better position where he can generate some bat speed. He's done a real good job, both sides.

"I think it's easier for him to get a load, righthanded. Lefthanded, he's a little more still in his load, so we just try to get him to stand up taller."

 
I take special note of the last line of the interview, as it came as a great shock. Apparently Coco hasn't hit in Boston due to issues with his load. I guess a year and a half being constipated will hurt your production. All I can say to Coco is go, go, go!
 

The better Coco does now, the more value he will have when Jacoby Ellsbury proves why he is the best leadoff hitter not in the Majors and the 2008 AL Rookie of the year.

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One of the most magical moments in baseball was once the home run, but as the years pass home runs have become just a routine part of the game. Seeing a team win without hitting at least one home run is no longer commonplace, it is just the opposite. Teams live and die by the homer, and this trend is helping to ruin baseball. This sentiment may make me less popular than Barry Bonds and Tim McCarver combined, but it needs to be said. You can call me a hypocrite, since the Red Sox have relied on the long ball for years. Home runs fueled the Sox to the 2004 World Series victory and homers helped David Ortiz win the last two MVP awards (neither Justin Morneau or Alex Rodriguez were the most valuable player on their own team, let alone the league, so their awards should be given to Ortiz). So how can I dislike home runs? All you need to do is see how the strategy, or lack there of, in baseball has disappeared, thus draining the intelligence out of the game. 

Some players make the major leagues due to their ability to hit home runs, and I have no problem with that. Ryan Howard is a giant and I wouldn’t expect him to become a slap hitter trying to drop down bunts every game. The problem I have is with players that have been conditioned by organizations to sacrifice speed and flexibility to focus on becoming power hitters. There are many ways to score runs in baseball and home runs have become too large of a focus. A low level minor league player that hits .300 with 10 home runs and 30 steals will usually be overlooked for promotions when compared to a player that plays the same position and hits .275 with 25 home runs and has nominal speed. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were dead on when they were part of Nike’s “Chicks dig the long ball,” add campaign. Home runs are the get rich quick scheme of baseball, while manufacturing runs is becoming a thing of the past. Shame on baseball for forcing strategy and small ball out of the game.

The most dangerous offensive weapon is not a home run but the ability to force your opponent to make extra outs. Using speed, bunting, and strategy puts pressure on the other team to play mistake free defense (mentally as well as physically) and most teams will end up giving away extra chances, whether it be through committing errors or being out of position. An intelligent player can make sure he never falls into a slump, just ask Hall of Famer Rod Carew. When Carew would start to struggle at the plate he would drop down a few bunts, even if they ended up being foul balls or outs. The infield would then have to reposition themselves to guard against the bunt, thus opening up more room to hit. Paul Molitor and even the lead-footed Wade Boggs used the bunt to their advantage. Very few players today know how to use the bunt effectively. Most bunts outside of the fastest players in the league (Ichiro, Juan Pierre, etc) are usually sacrifices, and generally done by pitchers. Players need to get back to using the bunt as a weapon, even if it is just to put the fear of the bunt in their opponents’ head. Watching players with great speed, but no idea how to bunt drives me crazy. Coco Crisp has spent the last two seasons in Boston unable to find his hitting stroke, and then attempting to beat out bunt hits. If Crisp could lay down a bunt that didn’t go directly to an infielder than he would be able to get on base more often, setting the table for guys like David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez. The best player in baseball at utilizing the bunt may just be American League home run champion David Ortiz. After watching teams put three infielders on the right side of second base and putting the third baseman where the shortstop usually stands against left handed pull hitters such as Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds made me wonder why they just didn’t drop a bunt down the third base line. If you run hard out of the box and bunt the ball through the infield than you could possibly get a bunt double. When teams started to use the shift against Ortiz I wondered why he didn’t just drop down a bunt with no runners on base, just to see what happened. Shortly after I wrote about this strategy in a column a few years ago Ortiz began to drop down some bunts against the shift. The result was a few foul balls, a few bunt hits, and a defense that was forced to stay on its toes. Ortiz used the bunt to change the way teams defended pull hitter approach, and his ability to catch the opposition flat footed increased his value to the Red Sox.

Another myth that needs to be shot down is that you can’t steal first base. It might not be as easy as stealing second but you can steal first. When a player busts his #### down the line and beats out an infield hit on a routine play that it is not only as good as stealing first, but makes the other team work to get another out. A fast runner can cause an infielder to rush on what would be a close play, either making the fielder bobble the ball or throw it away. Turning an out into a runner at first is as good as stealing first, if not even better.

While every team would love to have a roster full of players that can hit forty homers and have blazing speed, that isn’t a reality. Teams have to find a balance of players that can hit for power, that can get on base and be a pest for opponents, and players that can do a bit of everything to win. The ability to win the mental battle of baseball is crucial for a successful team. Teams that can outthink their opponents (as opposed to try to overpower them) and do the little things to manufacture runs on a consistent basis will be the teams that are the most likely to walk away with a World Series trophy come November.

Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox is a phenom. He is the throwback 1970-1980’s leadoff hitter (speed, average, defense, OBP, and no power) that has always been my favorite type of player. Ellsbury has been the Red Sox center fielder of the future for the last two seasons, and even had a stellar spring training while playing with the Red Sox starters this year. There was no chance he would make the opening day team, so he was sent to minor league camp despite outplaying other outfielders on the team. The Sox have a glut of prospects in AAA Pawtucket that play in the outfield (David Murphy and Brandon Moss could be starters or fourth outfielders on most major league teams), so Jacoby was send to the AA Portland Sea Dogs. Well now Ellsbury is taking a trip down Route-95 from Maine to Rhode Island to play in Pawtucket. Why the promotion after only a month in AA? The stats don’t lie.

Ellsbury was leading all of minor league baseball with a .452 batting average (including a current 15 game hitting streak). Throw in an on-base percentage of .512, and a slugging percentage of .653 (with no home runs!) and you have a great hitter. He has also stolen eight bases so far this year. The Red Sox need to be on alert with this guy. By next year he won’t be able to be sent to the minors, he has too much talent. Brandon Moss will be ready to be a Brian Giles clone by next season (if not sooner) and David Murphy had a job as the Marlins starting CF this year if the teams could have pulled off a trade. JD Drew will be the Boston RF for the rest of the decade as long as his body doesn’t fall apart, and he is actually surprising everyone by becoming a fan favorite. Manny Ramirez will be in LF unless the Sox move him to DH and put Big Papi David Ortiz at first base. Coco Crisp and Willy Mo Pena have talent to be a notch below All-Stars, but they will soon have no place to play. Their days in Boston appear numbered. It feels good to see Boston with homegrown talent that may actually shine in Boston instead of another city. Start the Jacoby Ellsbury for 2008 Rookie of the Year campaign now.

I got this email from God the other day and I had to pass it along. (It is good to have friends in high places)

Dear SportsPunk,

Hey I heard a prayer today that you will love. This kid is only five, but he has a good head on his shoulders.

"God, please bless mommy, daddy, my brothers and sisters, grandma and grandpa, and everyone else in the world except Barry Bonds (he cheats) and Yankees fans. Thanks for the Red Sox tickets, I had a fun time. Daddy was mad that some guy threw a piece of pizza at him, but he is okay. Good night.

Billy

Oh and God, would it f'n kill you to give Daisuke Matsuzaka some run support? I mean come on already, how good does he have to pitch to win a damn game. Thanks again."

Gotta love kids.


 

Now that spring has finally started to emerge it means that the real baseball season is about to start. The slate will be wiped clean for those players struggling so far this season, but are hot starts a signal of success of what may lay ahead? Each year players come out of nowhere to surprise fans and journalists alike. On the flip side, talented players see their careers go down the drain due to injuries, age, or ineffectiveness. So which players will take home baseball’s hardware this year, and which players will land on hard times? Only time will tell, but here are my fool(proof or ish) picks.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Cy Young – Johan Santana might be the best pitcher in baseball, but his contract demands might have put a wedge into the team first Twins. While Santana will have a good season his contract issues will be a story all year, and he won’t repeat as Cy Young. Roy Halladay is a workhorse that is always in the running, and he has recovered from injuries late last year. Mike Mussina is a stellar pitcher on a great team, and uncertainties with the Yankees rotation make him the go to guy. Ervin Santana is a future star that looks like he will become an ace for the Angels. C.C. Sabathia has all the tools to become one of the best lefties in baseball; he only needs to grow up. Curt Schilling talks a good game and may have one last magical run left in his arm. Winner – Scott Kazmir Tampa Bay. Here me out on this one. Kaz is the best young lefty in baseball, he has already been a major league ace for almost two seasons despite just turning 23. The Devil Rays have one of the best outfields in baseball, and a wealth of young talent. Kaz missed part of the second half of last year with a sore shoulder but his stats would have projected to 15-12 with an ERA of just over 3, and 240 strikeouts in just over 200 innings. Don’t be shocked to see him duplicate the one-man rotation performance that Randy Johnson posted with the Diamondbacks a half dozen years ago.

MVP – Carl Crawford, Vernon Wells, and Grady Sizemore are all MVP quality players stuck in small market hell (see Beltran, Carlos Kansas City Royals). Travis Hafner is a great hitter than is now stuck with the “DH only” label that will prevent him from winning an MVP. Arod has the stats and skills to win another MVP but has too large and frail of an ego to win another MVP. Derek Jeter deserves a lifetime MVP award but his importance isn’t measured just by stats, but also by leadership and intangibles. Justin Morneau should hide his MVP because his win last year seemed like an episode of Punk’d without Ashton Kutcher taking back the award. Manny Ramirez’s defensive shortcomings and mental tomfoolery will prevent him from winning an MVP. Ichiro lacks the power to win over the voters despite being on a level with Jeter in terms of value to his team. Winner – David Ortiz Red Sox. This is the year for Big Papi. He will play enough in the field to squash the “DH only “debate, he has a better lineup with JD Drew and Julio Lugo, as well as the best protection in baseball in Manny Ramirez. There is no player in baseball that can deliver like Ortiz and this is the year that he will be rewarded for his efforts.  

ROY – Is there really even a need to discuss this? Alex Gordon and Delmon Young might have great careers ahead of them but they picked the wrong year to be a rookie. Daisuke Matsuzaka is not only the best rookie in baseball this year, he could also challenge for the Cy Young. DiceK reminds me of Pedro Martinez when he was pitching in Montreal. He has a ton of talent, great natural ability, but just needs a bit of polishing around the edges. By the time his first contract expires after the 2011 season, DiceK will have more hardware on his mantle than U2.

Comeback Player – Mike Maroth is a quality starter that could be crucial for the Tigers to make a repeat trip to the World Series. Sammy Sosa looks like his year off was for the best, as he has gone from outcast to a key member of a team with playoff goals. Sosa could easily hit 25 home runs in a hitter’s park. If Eric Gagne can make it through the season without his arm flying off than that will be a miracle.  Winner - Gary Sheffield Detroit. One of the best offseason moves was the Tigers trading for Sheffield, a power hitter that suddenly became expendable for the Yankees. Expect the trade of Doc’s nephew to burn the Yankees come playoff time.

Biggest Disappointment – Gil Meche is in an impossible situation. He is an average pitcher (a number 3 starter at best) who was given eight figures a year to be the ace of the worst team in baseball. Meche would have been a good signing at half the price, but there is no way Meche can even come close to pitching well enough to justify his contract.

NATIONAL LEGAUE

Cy Young – The National League lacks a true dominant pitcher; even the Cy Young winner would have trouble cracking the top five in the American League. You have the fading veterans like John Smoltz, Jason Schmidt, and Tom Glavine that are on their last legs. There are always the injury risks such as John Patterson, Chris Carpenter, and Jake Peavy. What is left over are the pitchers that have talent but haven’t been able to completely refine their game over a complete season, defacto aces like Dontrelle Willis and Carlos Zambrano. So who is left? A great pitcher on a poor team in Brandon Webb, an All-Star pitcher attempting to switch leagues in Barry Zito, and a good pitcher on a solid team. That pitcher will win the Cy Young because, well, someone has to…Congratulations to Roy Oswalt the 2007 NL Cy Young.

MVP – Baseball just isn’t fair and the MVP race proves that very fact. Talented small market players are often overlooked despite immense talent. Jason Bay and Miguel Cabrera have the misfortune of playing for the wrong team at the wrong time. Lance Berkman and Andruw Jones have skills but fail to grab headlines. David Wright and Chase Utley are up and coming stars that play second fiddle to teammates that can put up gaudy stats. Alfonso Soriano is a five-tool player but moving from team to team and position to position (in the field and in the batting order) doesn’t do him any favors. Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard are the best power hitters in the National League and will both be multiple time MVPs before their careers are done. None of these deserving players will take home the hardware this year, that distinction goes to a player with the least amount of power amongst the MVP candidates. Winner - Jose Reyes New York Mets. Reyes could lead the league in hits, runs, batting average, stolen bases, triples, and on base percentage. Reyes is the fuel that makes the Mets run and is the catalyst to one of the best teams in baseball. Reyes is entering his fifth season and will only turn 24 this year. His best is yet to come.

ROY – Kevin Kouzmanoff looks like the real deal for the Padres, and the recent release of Todd Walker gives him a spot as a starter at third base. Chris Young looks to have the Diamondback’s center field job nailed down and could impress on a young team. Homer Bailey will start the season in the minors but with the Red’s rotation (or lack there of) Bailey could be in the rotation by May. Chris Iannetta looks to be the Rockies catcher of the future, with the future possibly coming this year. Andy LaRoche stands a good chance to get a lot of playing time for the Dodgers, but putting a young player’s future in Grady Little’s hands isn’t a smart idea. Troy Tulowitzki won the Rockies starting shortstop job but will have Clint Barnes breathing down his neck. Winner - Mike Pelfrey New York Mets. A good pitcher on a great team that will have a lot of run support. The National League ROY race looks weak as several key candidates have been send down to the minors.

Comeback Player – Derrek Lee and Todd Helton will not only battle for the rights to be the third best first basemen in the National League behind Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard, they will also battle for Comeback Player of the Year. Both men are Triple Crown threats if they can stay healthy, but Lee has a much more experienced lineup around him to take off some of the pressure. Helton also has to deal with the speculation of constant trade rumors and inexperienced players around him. Both men have all the talent to win an MVP award, but other talented players at their position overshadow both.

Biggest Disappointment – Carlos Lee is a great player in a hitter’s park but was greatly overpaid this offseason by Houston. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him easily pass thirty home runs this year, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him balloon to 350 pounds eating Texas barbeque and end up needing gastric bypass surgery by the trade deadline. Grady Little also getting a contract extension through 2009 (club option) might be the worst off the field move since Pete Rose was named manager of the Reds.