Well, the first half of the season is over, more or less. So far, it's been a year of ups and downs and ins and outs. Sideways and backwards, topsy and turvy (What the hell's a "turvy," anyway?). It's been a year of frustrations and a year of great stories, with one particular story in progress that could mean the end of 100 years of frustrations...but let's not get ahead of ourselves, we're only halfway there. So in the meantime, let's just have a peek at the first half winners and losers.
AL Best Player: Josh Hamilton, Texas. This is turning into one of the best stories in years. Then again, so was the Rick Ankiel story last year before it became contaminated by another steroids case. Let's hope this one doesn't go down in flames.
NL Best Player: Lance Berkman, Houston
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas
NL MVP: Dan Uggla, Florida
AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland
NL Cy Young: Edinson Vólquez, Cincinnati
AL Worst Free Agent Signing: Carlos Silva, Seattle.
NL Worst Free Agent Signing: Andruw Jones, Los Angeles. Already rivaling Barry Zito and Mark Davis as among the worst ever.
AL Manager of the Half-year: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay. Screw the "half-year." Maddon is manager of the year right now regardless of what happens the rest of the way.
NL Manager of the Half-year: Lou Piniella, Chicago. The Cubbies haven't looked this good in literally 100 years. If he pulls this off he will own that city forever and his spot in Cooperstown is nailed.
AL Biggest Surprise: Tampa Bay. They're looking more and more like the '69 Mets.
NL Biggest Surprise: St. Louis Cardinals. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Pretty fast construction.
AL Biggest Disappointment: Seattle Mariners. Went from contenders to laughingstock in record time.
NL Biggest Disappointment: New York Mets. The Carryover Effect in full bloom.
Best Offseason Trade: Texas trades Vólquez and P Danny Herrera to Cincinnati for Josh Hamilton. In spite of the Reds and Rangers' places in the standings, this is a classic example of a trade working out for both teams
Worst Offseason Trade: Florida trades Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Eulogio de la Cruz, Mike Rabelo, Burke Badenhop and Dallas Trahern. This deal was supposed to put the Tigers over the top. But instead, the Tigers got off to a horrible start, Cabrera has struggled and Willis has been so bad that he agreed to go to single A ball to work things out. Meanwhile, the Marlins are four games over .500 and battling for first place.
Okay, here's something to ponder: It's the World Series. Wrigley Field. Game seven. Ninth inning. Cubs leading by one. The bases are loaded with two out. The count goes full at 3-2. The Cubs are just one strike - one strike - away from winning their first World Championship in a century. It is sheer bedlam in the stands. Can you imagine the pressure in that situation? 100 years of frustration hanging in the balance. Millions of Cub fans who have lived and died in that time without witnessing the final glory. All the jokes about the drought and the lovable losers. It's thisclose to being over. And in the back of every Cub player and fan's mind a terrified little voice says, "If anything goes wrong now..." Talk about pressure, man. Nothing that's ever happened in New York could compare to that potential. Hope you have plenty of antacid pills ready, Lou. You're gonna need every gram. Oh, yeah, a memo to Cub fans at the game. Be CAREFUL!! If anyone pulls a Steve Bartman, may God have mercy on your soul.
AL Best Player: Josh Hamilton, Texas. This is turning into one of the best stories in years. Then again, so was the Rick Ankiel story last year before it became contaminated by another steroids case. Let's hope this one doesn't go down in flames.
NL Best Player: Lance Berkman, Houston
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas
NL MVP: Dan Uggla, Florida
AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland
NL Cy Young: Edinson Vólquez, Cincinnati
AL Worst Free Agent Signing: Carlos Silva, Seattle.
NL Worst Free Agent Signing: Andruw Jones, Los Angeles. Already rivaling Barry Zito and Mark Davis as among the worst ever.
AL Manager of the Half-year: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay. Screw the "half-year." Maddon is manager of the year right now regardless of what happens the rest of the way.
NL Manager of the Half-year: Lou Piniella, Chicago. The Cubbies haven't looked this good in literally 100 years. If he pulls this off he will own that city forever and his spot in Cooperstown is nailed.
AL Biggest Surprise: Tampa Bay. They're looking more and more like the '69 Mets.
NL Biggest Surprise: St. Louis Cardinals. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Pretty fast construction.
AL Biggest Disappointment: Seattle Mariners. Went from contenders to laughingstock in record time.
NL Biggest Disappointment: New York Mets. The Carryover Effect in full bloom.
Best Offseason Trade: Texas trades Vólquez and P Danny Herrera to Cincinnati for Josh Hamilton. In spite of the Reds and Rangers' places in the standings, this is a classic example of a trade working out for both teams
Worst Offseason Trade: Florida trades Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Eulogio de la Cruz, Mike Rabelo, Burke Badenhop and Dallas Trahern. This deal was supposed to put the Tigers over the top. But instead, the Tigers got off to a horrible start, Cabrera has struggled and Willis has been so bad that he agreed to go to single A ball to work things out. Meanwhile, the Marlins are four games over .500 and battling for first place.
Okay, here's something to ponder: It's the World Series. Wrigley Field. Game seven. Ninth inning. Cubs leading by one. The bases are loaded with two out. The count goes full at 3-2. The Cubs are just one strike - one strike - away from winning their first World Championship in a century. It is sheer bedlam in the stands. Can you imagine the pressure in that situation? 100 years of frustration hanging in the balance. Millions of Cub fans who have lived and died in that time without witnessing the final glory. All the jokes about the drought and the lovable losers. It's thisclose to being over. And in the back of every Cub player and fan's mind a terrified little voice says, "If anything goes wrong now..." Talk about pressure, man. Nothing that's ever happened in New York could compare to that potential. Hope you have plenty of antacid pills ready, Lou. You're gonna need every gram. Oh, yeah, a memo to Cub fans at the game. Be CAREFUL!! If anyone pulls a Steve Bartman, may God have mercy on your soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment