As I begin starting to write this poem,

I hope it will be more popular than that elusive garden gnome.

A poem about bloggers and athletes coming right up,

But will Canada ever make the World Cup?

As us bloggers continue to write stuff from our computer chairs,

Yankees manager Joe Torre pulls out the last of his hairs.

Because his Yankees have lost the pennant this year,

But for them I do not shed a single tear,

For when your payroll is 150 million bucks,

If the World Series eludes you, you SHOULD be screaming, "Holy ####s!"

But the Tigers are on the other side of the ball,

They made a rise instead of a fall.

For its almost impossible to fall farther through,

When your previous season losses number 122.

And in the NFL, the T.O. circus rolls on,

Did he try to commit suicide or was it just a con?

To get the media off his back,

For maybe his brashness houses a subliminal track,

That T.O. is really a soft man,

Doubt it, but I can see A-Rod as a Blue Jay, I really can.

Well, that's it for this time,

I'm down to almost my last rhyme.

So as the blogging universe continues to spin,

With all the little bloggers aiming to become blogging's kingpin,

All of us might not be from the US of A (like me),

But we are bloggers, and bloggers we shall be.

This poetic session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending.........now.

In the sophomore month of the Babe Magnet Hall of Fame (BMHOF), five more deserving candidates will be nominated, with your votes deciding who gets in and who does not.  If you didn't catch the inaugural induction (Aug. 06), simply view the list of nominees below, then vote "yes" or "no" for each one in the comments section.  To gain induction, the athlete must receive at least 75 % support from the judges.  Simple as that.  If you're interested, check out the August nominees here or the induction ceremony here.

The only athlete to gain the honour from last month was Tiger Woods, who, after his induction, has gone on a complete tear, winning every event that he entered after induction.  Perhaps this will become a sort of reverse-SI cover jinx.

Moving onto this month's nominees.........

Actually I'm pressed for time, so this post is a temporary stay over.  Hopefully soon, I will update it, with bios and pictures of the nominees.  However, I'm sure that you all (being avid sports fans) know their stories and faces.  Thank you for voting, the inductions could not happen without you.

Here are the nominees for September 2006:

1.  Andre Agassi - ATP Tour retiree

2.  Damon Allen - Toronto Argonauts QB (CFL)

3.  Justin Morneau - Minnesota Twins 1B (MLB)

4.  David Ortiz - Boston Red Sox DH (MLB)

5.  Michael Schumacher - Formula 1 driver

Again, thanks for voting, hopefully a better version of this will follow in the next few days.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending......now.

Just to vent whatever comes to mind in the world of sports.....

-David Ortiz continues to wait for doctors approval to play again.  This stretch is hurting his "MVP caliber" season.  I however do not believe that this man should get consideration for the MVP award.  All he can do is swing a bat and hit balls far.  He can't play defense, he can't run, he can't do much......except hit.

-Fellow MVP candidate Derek Jeter is one who really deserves the award.  In addition to hitting over .330 with over 80 RBIs, Jeter plays great defense night in and night out, and provides leadership and a winning attitude to the younger players of the team.

-Back with the Red Sox, they continue to reel with injuries.  In addition to Big Papi, Manny Ramirez, Jonathon Papelbon, Bill Lester and Curt Schilling have all been on the shelf recently.  This could be to blame for the Sox slide to 9 games back in the AL East.

-Mike Piazza is back on track.  The San Diego Padres backstop is leading the majors in home runs by a catcher.  This brings back memories of years when he would do this with regularity, as a member of the Amazins'.

-The Lions cut Charles Rogers the other day.  Rogers always had the tools to be a great receiver in the NFL, but a lack of focus and desire appear to have cost him his job.  Still a good pickup for a team struggling with their receiving game.

-Notre Dame will win the BCS (BigCrapShoot) Championship this year.

-Ted Ginn Jr. (OSU) will be the Heisman winner.

-I would not bet against the San Jose Sharks for the Stanley Cup this year.  With Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Thornton entering their sophomore season as teammates, we have not yet seen their potential together.  Throw in Patrick Marleau and Vesa Toskala, you have a good team, actually a great team.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending.........now.

You know they want to step in the ring with each other sometimes, and, for us (the fans), it would be an experience  unlike no other.  The victors from each match will fight each other for the bracket championship.  Then the victor of Bracket A fights the victor of Bracket C, with the victor of Bracket B fighting the victor of Bracket D, the winners of these matches facing off for the Professional Athlete's UFC Championship.

Bracket A (MLB)

1.  John Gibbons vs. Ted Lilly, Sept. 2, 2006,10:05 EST, Rogers Centre, TSN.

2.  Pedro Martinez vs. Don Zimmer, Sept. 4, 2006, 9:30 EST, Fenway Park, NESN.

Bracket B (NBA, NHL)

3.  Ron Artest vs. Ben Wallace, Sept.8, 2006, 10:07 EST, The Palace at Auburn Hills, HBO.

4.  Sean Avery vs. Georges Laraque, Sept. 15, 2006, 8: 30 EST, LA Colesium, ESPN.

Bracket C (NFL)

5.  Terrell Owens vs. Bill Parcells, Sept. 18, 2006, 11:00 EST, Cowboy Stadium, HBO.

6.  Ben Roethlisberger vs. A Car, Sept. 27, 2006, 9:30 EST, A street in Pittsburgh, ESPN.

Bracket D (other)

7.  Zinedine Zidane vs. Marco Materazzi, Oct. 4, 2006, 10:05 EST, Stade Lyons, TeleFrance.

8.  Lance Armstrong vs. Jacques Rogge, Oct. 9, 2006, 9:30 EST, MSG, HBO.

Winner of 1 vs Winner of 2, Oct, 15, 2006, 10:00 EST, GeorgiaDome, ESPN.

Winner of 3 vs Winner of 4, Oct. 17, 2006, 8:00 EST, US Cellular Field, HBO.

Winner of 5 vs. Winner of 6, Oct.20, 2006, 9:30 EST, Yankee Stadium, ESPN.

Winner of 7 vs. Winner of 8, Oct. 25, 2006, 10:07 EST, Wachovia Centre, HBO.

Winner of Bracket A vs. Winner of Bracket C, Oct. 28, 2006, 9:00 EST, MSG, ESPN.

Winner of Bracket B vs. Winner of Bracket D, Oct. 30, 2006, 10:00 EST, MSG, HBO.

Professional Athlete's UFC Championship Fight-

Oct. 31, 2006, 10:05 EST, LA Staples Centre, ESPN, HBO, FOX.

All matches sponsored by Red Bull, Gatorade, Bayer Aspirin, the IcyHot back patch.

Contributing sponsors - Pepsi, WebMD, Budweiser, Coors Light, Lowe's, Cheez-It, EMS.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending......now.

It was Ted Lilly's first start since the confrontation with manager John Gibbons....and I was there.

It was an important game for the Toronto Blue Jays playoff push......and I was there.

After that extremely lame prelude, we get to the point, I attended a wild ball game between the hometown Toronto Blue Jays and the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.  The game was indeed pitcher Ted Lilly's first start since the feud between him and manager John Gibbons last week.  There were no fireworks between them however, Lilly simply handed the ball over when Gibbons took him from the game.  The best part of the whole issue was a fan holding a sign that said, "Ted Lilly - 10-11, 1 KO".

To start from the beginning, I left my home in  Woodstock, Ontario at 7:45 with my dad and my best friend, bound for Toronto, to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, then off to Rogers Centre for the 1:07 start.

After entering Toronto and parking (14 bucks!!), we headed for the Hall.  I highly recommend visiting it if you are ever in Toronto.  Great exhibits featuring the inductees, teams and collectibles were on display, as well, of course, the Stanley Cup and the other NHL awards, which are housed in the Great Hall.  We tried out the interactive games which test your goalie abilities, as well as the strength of your wrist shot.  The goalie one is unbelieveably hard (I saved 3 of 5 shots on "Rookie" setting), while my wrist shot was clocked at 40 mph, and I didn't score on any of my five shots.  I guess for these and other reasons (one being that I can barely skate), is why I don't play hockey.  The collection displays were quite impressive, housing various old hockey cards (some are in my personal collection!!), ancient equipment and countless, priceless artifacts, including the net into which Wayne Gretzky scored his 802nd career goal.  The gift shop was skippable, with the cheapest jersey being $209.90 and ever other souvenir being highly overpriced as well.

After a ridiculously long wait for our lunch at East Side Mario's (my dad left a 6 cent tip), we headed for Rogers Centre, just in time to catch the national anthems and then the first pitch.   I grabbed a 5 dollar program to score the game with.

The Royals went down 1-2-3 in the first inning, all by groundouts.  Then Reed Johnson came to bat.  Reed is my favourite baseball player of all time if you haven't yet figured that out (see Avatar, previous posts).  This at-bat, he stroked a single to leftfield, which prompted me to stand up and scream, "Reed, you're my idol!", which, subsequently, prompted everyone around me to commence laughing.  Johnson would be left stranded however as the next three Jays went down in order.

Between innings, I madly waved my homemade, neon-yellow sign, which read "Future TSN Employee" on one side, and "Five Coolest People Alive:  1.  Eminem  2.  Indiana Jones  3.  Reed Johnson  4.  Cabbie from The Score  5.  Steve Stifler" on the other.  My efforts were in vain however, as I failed to get on the JumboTron or on Sportscentre.  Oh well, live and learn, next year I'll make a better sign.

Getting back to the game, the first scoring happened in the top of the second inning, as Kansas City's Esteban German tripled to center to bring around Emil Brown.  The Jays got that run back in the bottom half, as 1B Jason Phillips doubled to bring home DH Gregg Zaun. 

In the top of the third, Mike Sweeney hit a two-run homer to leftfield to give the Royals the lead back.  In the home half, however, the Blue Jays got it back in a big way, as Bengie Molina smashed a towering grand slam into the second deck in leftfield.

In the fifth, KC got another run on a single by Mark Grudzielanek, cutting the lead to 5-4.  However, once again, the Jays would answer in the bottom of the inning, when Aaron Hill scored Troy Glaus witha single, then was brought home himself, when Gregg Zaun (who had a big game by the way) hit a two-run bomb to right-center. 

The Jays would tack on two more in the bottom of the eigth, on a Gregg Zaun single, which scored Troy Glaus, and a solo homer by Vernon Wells, his 30th of the season.  New acquistion Jeremy Accardo would shut the Royals down in the ninth, clinching a 10-6 win for the Jays. 

The Yankees and Twins would both win on Sunday as well, so the Blue Jays could only keep pace in the AL East and Wild Card, but it was a big win nonetheless.

All in all, the experience was great.  The most fun that I've had in a while, except for the fact that we were dripped on the entire game by an unknown substance, coming from the roof, and that the three people behind us knew absolutely nothing about baseball (they thought innings were called "games" and relievers were called "safeties", and couldn't find out where the score was displayed in the ballpark). 

The traffic was horrendous on the way home, so we stopped at a McDonald's for supper.  As weird as it sounds, I really like McDonald's, but that is a story for another time.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending........now.

The Yankees 2-1 victory over the arch enemy, the Boston Red Sox, on Monday, August 21, capped an amazing five game stretch which saw the Bronx Bombers embarrass, exhaust and eliminate their hated rivals from New England.  The five game series at Fenway Park in Boston was supposed to set the tone for which of the teams would take control in the AL East.

The Yankees answered the bell, winning the first four games, including both ends of a doubleheader, handily.  This included a stretch, over the first three games of the series, in which the Yankees scored 12 runs in each game.  This was the first time in the long and distinguished history of the Red Sox that they had allowed 12 runs in three consecutive games to the same team.

The fifth game, Monday afternoon in dowtown Boston, saw the first real low-scoring affair of the five game set.  Entrenched in a battle between two pitchers looking to get back to form, the teams carried a scoreless draw into the sixth inning, where a Bobby Abreu double to the base of the Green Monster scored Melky Cabrera from second base.   The Bombers scored again in the top of the eigth inning after Nick Green doubled, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch from Boston reliever Keith Foulke. 

Foulke, in only his second start since being activated from the Disabled List, took over from Boston starter David Wells.  Boomer was extremely reluctant to leave the game, after going seven strong and allowing only one run.  He was pulled in the eigth, in favour of Foulke, who promptly allowed the insurance run, and ultimately the winning run.

Yankees starter Cory Lidle went six innings, allowing only three hits and no runs.  He turned things over to the bullpen for the seventh inning, and they pretty much shut the door from there on, the one hiccup being the solo home run the Scott Proctor allowed to Willy Mo Pena in the bottom of the eigth inning.  It was Pena's tenth jack of the season, but it was too little too late, as the Yankees bullpen shut things down from there, preserving the win for Lidle (2-2), and handing the hard-luck loss to Boomer Wells (2-3).  Kyle Farnsworth got his second save of the season.

So, to sum up, a series that had promising premonitions for the Red Sox, turned into an absolute disaster from the men from Beantown.  The Red Sox entered the set at Fenway only 1 1/2 games out of first in the AL East, and end off the series 6 1/2 games out.  The Yankees celebrated almost as if they had clinched a playoff spot, which they essentially have now.

Things are looking dark as well for the Toronto Blue Jays.  While trying to catch the Yankees, the Blue Jays faltered against the Baltimore Orioles and lost ground, and they now sit 9 1/2 games out of the East lead, and are 7 1/2 games back of the Wild Card leading Chicago White Sox.

All in all, a dark weekend in Boston, as well as north of the border.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Bloggin Experience is ending.........now.

Just to vent whatever comes to mind in the world of sports.

-Tiger Woods sits 1 stroke back after the first two rounds of the PGA Championship, along with playing partner Geoff Ogilvy.  Lefty Phil is 4 strokes back at -4.

-How big is the 5-game series between the Yankees and Red Sox this weekend at Fenway Park?  Pretty big actually, with the Yankees up by 1 1/2 games on the Sox, the standings could swing either way.

-The Red Sox's new pickup, Eric Hinske looked impressive in his Boston debut (3 for 3, 3 doubles, when I stopped watching), and he took a home run away from Jorge Posada.

-With the acquistion of Bobby Abreu, and the return of long-contract signees Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, where does young stud Melky Cabrera fit into the mix.  One would have to think that the Yankees would want to keep him, for when the aging Matsui expires.

-Did you know that recent Patriots acquisition Martin Gramatica has size 6 feet.   Size 6!!  Nothing like having a grade schooler kicking your field goals.

-Subsequently, did you know that Shaquille O'Neal has size 22 feet?

-Now that the Colts have Adam Vinatieri, its time for them to become a dynasty.  Despite the loss of Edgerrin James, look for 3 Super Bowls in the next four years for the men from Indy (probably by 3 points each).

-Staying with that thought, I still believe that Adam Vinatieri, not Tom Brady or Deion Branch should have been Super Bowl MVP, where would they have been without him?

-Roger Federer actually lost in the ATP Masters event in Cincinnati, in the second round, ending his streak of 17 straight finals appearances, one short of Ivan Lendl's tour record.

-The Olympic Games need a makeover.  Out with synchronized swimming, equestrian, and gymnastics.   In with extreme mountain biking, golf  and American football.   The aforementioned "out" sports, really aren't sports at all, which means that they should not be in the greatest athletic competition known to mankind.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending.......now.

In the wake of one of my posts in which I commented on how much Red Sox DH David Ortiz resembled rapper 50 Cent, I decided to expose their likeness with a side by side photo post, as well as throw in a few other athlete/celebrity twins.  Hopefully they'll shock and inspire you.

First off, the one I was talking about before, Red Sox DH David Ortiz (left) and rap icon Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson (right).

Second, former Stars D-Man Philippe Boucher (is he still in the NHL?)(left) and actor Charlie Sheen (right).

Thirdly, Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade (left) and fellow athlete, Peter Worrell (right).  Ok maybe a bit of a stretch.

Fourth,  Terrell Owens' agent Drew Rosenhaus (left) and Mission Impossible actor Tom Cruise (right).  Their other connection is that dealing with T.O. is  Mission Impossible.

Finally, NY Knicks GM Isiah Thomas (left) and singer Marilyn Manson (right).  They may not look alike but they're both completely insane and butcher things (whether it be lineups or people, that is up to you to figure out).

Hope you enjoyed this....it actually took me quite a while.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending......now.

I have no idea whether this idea will catch or not......likely the latter, however I'm still half asleep as I'm writing this, so forgive me if the idea seems stupid.  I thought it would be an interesting idea to, each month induct members into the Babe Magnet Hall of Fame, based on performance and sportsmanship.  To gain induction, players must get 75% support.  To support a player's induction or go against it, simply express your opinion in the comment section.  Here are this month's nominees for induction: 

Tiger Woods (PGA Golfer) A victory at the British Open changed perceptions of Tiger all around, as he showed incredible poise to claim his 11th major title.  After losing his father, and the US Open, Tiger came roaring back to win the British as well as the tourney last weekend.  A gutsy couple of weeks for Eldrick.

Joe Mauer (Catcher, Minnesota Twins)  The Twin's catcher continues to play well.  While keeping his average over .360, he could become the first catcher in over 50 years to lead the majors in hitting, while he has also vaulted the Twins back into the Wild Card, only 1.5 games back.  He also plays great defense and hit his 10th home run of the season last night.  Stats deserving of a nomination.

Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR Driver) The driver of the #48 Lowes Chevy is tough to ignore as the Chase for the Nextel Cup nears.  A win last weekend at the Brickyard punctuates his strong run of late.  This may finally be his year, as Johnson has been arguably the best driver on the circuit for the past two seasons, only to run into bad luck once the Chase started.

Reed Johnson (Outfielder, Toronto Blue Jays)  I couldn't have an induction without hard-working, hustling Johnson.  The outfielder is hitting over .370 this year, good enough for the league lead, if he played every day.  And there won't be a game where his uniform will be clean at the end of the game.

Jim Leyland (Manager, Detroit Tigers)  The Tigers unprecedented rise to the top of the MLB standings is impossible to ignore.  It definitely qualifies as one of the biggest stories in baseball this year, and manager Jim Leyland is right at the forefront of the praise.  Leyland has brought the most out of his solid, but unspectacular group of players.  With three 100-loss years in a row, a winning record would have been a success.  Scratch that, as Leyland and the Tigers are real World Series contenders

These are the five nominees for induction for the inaugural month of August 2006.  Please have your say whether each should be inducted into the Babe Magnet Hall of Fame.  Simply vote yes or no for each of the five hopefuls.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending.......now.

In one of my earlier blogs, entitled "The Blue Jays March Into October", I prophesed of how the Blue Birds would pull together and reel off win after win to surpass the Red Sox and Yankees and take the AL East, for their first postseason appearance since the World Series year of 1993.

In the month or so that passed since that unfortunate blog, the Jays have reeled and keeled, nosediving in the standings.  Hopefully, this will not begin a streak of curses for athletes and teams, such as the Cover Curse of Sports Illustrated.

As I write this blog, the Jays have lost the first two games of a critical series against the New York Yankees and fell to 2-7 on their recent road trip.  The Jays are now a full 7 1/2 games back of the division lead in the East, as well as the Wild Card. 

The Evil Empire, with their two recent wins over the Jays had pulled mere percentage points ahead of the Red Sox for the division lead, pushing Boston into the lead of the AL WIld Card, a game up on the Chicago White Sox.

Getting back to the Jays, this will be a definitely tough, if not impossible task to overcome.  The pitching has been suspect, if not to be considered dreadful.  AJ Burnett went 4 innings, giving up 4 runs in the first game of the New York series, and Ted Lilly and the bullpen combined to allow NY a six run inning during Game 2 of the series.  While Roy Halladay gives the Birds a definite chance to win every 5th day, Burnett, Lilly, Ty Taubenheim, Casey Janssen and Shawn Marcum have been questionable.  And with no slated return for Gustavo Chacin, the rotation won't be bolstered any time soon.

The bats have gone away a bit as well.  Alex Rios' return hasn't provided much support as he wore the Golden Sombrero in his return, becoming the first Blue Jay in history to strike out 5 times in a 9 inning game.

The final jewel in the crown of Blue Jay suffering is, of course, the Shea Hillenbrand fiasco.  The disgruntled 1B-DH split from town after being malcontent with his playing time.  In the deal, the Blue Jays dealt Hillenbrand and reliever Vinnie Chulk to San Francisco for reliver Jeremy Accardo, who has been less than stellar since the trade.

However all that being said, it ain't over till it's over.  Supposedly.   But with the strong play of late of the Yankees and Red Sox, its more likely ethanol will catch on or Uma Thurman will hook up with the Pope, than the Jays making the postseason.

Oh well, J.P.  you tried.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending........now.

Perhaps some controversery will arise from this, but here go my picks for 2006:

AL East:  Boston Red Sox

AL Central:  Chicago White Sox

AL West:  Texas Rangers

AL Wild Card:  Toronto Blue Jays

NL East:  NY Mets

NL Central:  Milwaukee Brewers

NL West:  LA Dodgers

NL Wild Card:  St. Louis Cardinals

AL Champion:  Chicago White Sox

NL Champion:  NY Mets

World Series Champion:  NY Mets

AL MVP:  David Ortiz, Red Sox (should be Reed Johnson)

NL MVP:  David Wright, NY Mets (when was the last time both MVPs had the same first name?????)

AL Cy Young:  Roy Halladay, Blue Jays

NL Cy Young:  Tom Glavine, NY Mets

AL Rookie of the Year:  Justin Verlander, Tigers

NL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hermida, Marlins

Got a different opinion?  Like what you see?  Let me know!!!

The month of October is synonymous with the playoffs of the MLB.  At a time where the NFL, NBA and NHL are starting up, or thinking about starting up operations for the year, baseball's best take centre stage.  Some flourish in the spotlight (Reggie Jackson, Scott Brosius) and some crumble under the immense pressure (cough, Bill Buckner).  This year I think we will get to see whether the Bluebirds stars rise up or fall flat on their faces, as the Jays are poised for a run at the AL East title.

As we speak, the Jays sit just 2 games back of the Yankees and are just 5 games out of the AL East lead, currently held by the Boston Red Sox.  For the moment the Jays have a better chance at their division than at the wild card, as both the Tigers and White Sox are playing near .650 baseball. 

With all the big names on their lineup card, the Jays are a hard team to ignore down the stretch.   In the outfield, Alex Rios should be returning from injury soon and he hasbecome an incredibly dangerous power hitter.  Vernon Wells, the multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner, has 21 HRs and 66 RBIs this year.  The outfield is bolstered by consistent Frank Catalanotto, Eric Hinske and, my boy, Reed Johnson (see my REED JOHNSON FOR MVP blog).  The infield is also strong with Troy Glaus at third base (23 HRs, 60 RBIs), Lyle Overbay at first (14, 50) and other talented players including Shea Hillenbrand, Russ Adams, Aaron Hill and defensive specialist John MacDonald.   Behind the plate, Bengie Molina won't win any races, but he can throw through a brick wall.  He's backed up by a very capable Gregg Zaun.

The pitching staff for the Jays is also quite solid.  Roy Halladay is an ace, one of the premier pitchers in the league.  A.J. Burnett has been satisfactory since coming off the DL, but he will pick up his play as the season rolls along.  The return of Gustavo Chacin will bolster the rotation (and no doubt make them smell better).  The remainder of the rotation is filled out with pitchers capable of winning on any given night (Ted Lilly, Ty Taubenheim, Casey Janssen).  The bullpen runs deep, leading up to lights-out closer BJ Ryan, who has been well worth his $10 000 000 price tag.

With all this talent, its hard to ignore the fact that the Blue Jays have the opportunity to make a serious run at the AL East (maybe the World Series?!?!?).  With half the Yankee team in the infirmary and the number growing, its only a matter of time before the now-bending board snaps in half.  Experience can only take you so far.   If the Red Sox had a key injury at a key point in the season to, say, David Ortiz (he's the only reason they're winning the division anyways), the opening will be there, the Jays just have the catch the moment and run with it.  And once they're running, who knows what could happen??

Are you laughing???  If yes, then stop.  Reed Johnson in my mind should be the MVP of MLB.  The 29-year old Blue Jays leftfielder has strong numbers at a small price.  His average is .374, which tops every player in the major leagues, except some guy named Mauer.  What??  He's not on the list of AL batting average leaders??  Well, ladies and gentlemen, John Gibbons and his stupid smirk haven't slotted Johnson for enough ABs to qualify him on that list.  He also has 4 HRs and 20 RBIs this season, not bad for a guy who bats for average and bats in the lead-off spot most days.  He's swiped seven bases as well, and has scored 49 runs, in only 64 games.

But the real reason behind my MVP ballot check mark beside Johnson, Reed (Toronto Blue Jays), goes beyond the numbers.  Take one look at Johnson and you'll see what I mean.  Nine times out of ten, that uniform will be dirty, whether it be from making a perfect slide (to score the winning run against Texas, July 4), stealing a base, or making a game-changing diving catch out there in LF.  He wears the old-fashioned high socks, and his piercing gaze would frighten the Undertaker or make Pedro curl up in a corner.  Still not convinced??  Guess his price-tag.  Bet you didn't guess $342 000.  No, for Reed (I'm assuming) its not about the money.  This is no Roger Clemens scenario-$22 M for 3 months to come out and lose your first two starts.  OH!!  I see a Cy Young coming!!

He (Johnson) embodies everything good about the game.  No HGH or Cream or Clear here.  If people start accusing Johnson of steroid use, we might as well give Michael Jackson absolute dictatorship over the world and start lacing our doughnuts with cadmium.

You may not all agree with me, but in my mind, saying Reed Johnson isn't a top-quality player (MVP?!?!?) is like saying Carmen Electra isn't good-looking or Barry Bonds isn't a cheater or that North Korea's president doesn't have huge glasses.

You be the judge, you know which side of the fence I'm on.