October in the City.
The 2008 baseball season has run aground, and the playoffs are upon us. Even despite certain circumstances this season, I still think baseball in October is one of the most magic times on the sports calendar, ranking right up there with March Madness and the NFL playoffs.
As always, let's go down the line with my trio of teams...
...as depressing as that may be.
13 years is an awfully long time. Last time the postseason didn't include the Bronx Bombers was 1994. And it's the first time I've seen it since I became baseball conscious (1995 actually). And honestly, I thought I'd be more upset than this when it happened. But while I'm disappointed, I knew they weren't going to go on forever. And I'm still looking forward to the playoffs. I'm a fan of baseball, not just the Yankees. And for the first time ever, I'm going to be able to watch the playoffs as a baseball fan, not a Yankee (or Met or Pirate [pffft]) fan.
Things only recently went bad for the Bombers, as they were in it right up until the end of August. But the injuries just kept piling up. I think the moment the season went bad was when Joba went on the DL. He is the spark plug of that team. Remove him, and you'll have problems, like they did. The team held on as much as they could, but on the last month, they fell apart. Count the injuries: Posada, Matsui, Hughes, Wang, Joba, Damon. It starts to hurt in the long run.
There are plenty of positives to take out of this season though. There are some bright spots coming up from the minors. Brett Gardner got significant major league time, and he seemed to take advantage of it. With some more experience, he could be a pesky fourth outfielder and bat off the bench. Alfredo Aceves has had a decent time in pinstripes and could be a possible bullpen hand or back-end starter. The bullpen also seemed to really jell and solidify that end of the game. Edwar Ramirez continues to be a mainstay, Damaso Marte has been a good acquisition, and Jose Veras continues to improve. And Mariano started off the year absolutely brilliantly. Hopefully he has another season or two of magnificence in him to open the new ballpark with.
Mike Mussina also got his first 20 win season. Who knew the old man had that left in him? It was an amazing season for him that should get him a couple of late votes for Cy YOung candidacy perhaps. When you consider his season began 1-3 with an over 7 ERA, and that he's ended the season 20-9 with an ERA under 3.50, it's a damn nice turnaround. The guy reinvented himself, going almost completely without a fastball in his repertoire. A fitting season for him that may make him useful yet. I actually agree with both campaigns to sign him and to not sign him. If they do, that's great. If they don't, that's fine too. Moose still has an outside shot of getting 300 wins, and if that happens, I want him to be in a Yankee uniform.
So with the season ended, it's time to focus on 2009. What picturesque timing the Yanks have. They're having a lot of fat contracts coming off the books (Giambi, Pavano, Mussina, Damon), and just in time for one of the best free agent classes in years. Three names that I keep throwing out there and continually hear is first baseman Mark Texiera, big time big boy CiCi Sabathia, and the dredg of the Earth but man, can he hit freak-boy Manny Ramirez. My fanatic Yankee side of course detests the thought of Manny in pinstripes. But the logical, baseball side thinks about it for a minute... Imagine Manny hitting in a lineup behind A-Rod. So many homeruns. The problem is, of course, is that more than likely, to wrangle in two of the three, it would take huge salaries to throw at them. Even the Yankees have limits, and throwing one or two more $100 million contracts out there would undoubtedly skyrocket their payroll. We'll see what happens. The team has something up their sleeve, I know it.
So here's to 2009...
Same old song and dance...
Another year, another meltdown. The Mets sure are a heartbreaker. They bail on another NL East division, and then blow the playoffs on the final day of the year. It'll be yet another long winter for Queens.
The question is what do you do with this team? Call me crazy, but I think you blow this team up. Ship away some of the excess in trade for role players and a team that actually has chemistry. And again, I'm crazy, but I think the first to go is Jose Reyes. He will undoubtedly have high market value which will give the Mets a strong package in trade, more thanlikely requiring young pitching to field that abhoringly devastated starting rotation.
Keep David Wright, obviously. But if you can sacrifice next year to the doldrums of the NL East to give the team a chance to really compete and NOT screw it up by the end of the season, you take that shot. That's just my thought.
Omar Minaya just got an extension. If this is going to happen every year under Minaya's watch, this could be a "Fire Millen" scandal all over again. I don't know what's going to happen to this team. But it's just not working right now.
Ugh.. it hurts to be a Mets fan again. Somehow, this becoming an annual feeling of indigestion.
Truth be told, I did not pay very much attention to the Bucs this year. But even the "die-hards" on Sportsline are admitting to looking the other way. Another underwhelming, 6th place season with little praise. They barely finished above 100 losses.
Honestly, when does this turn around? 16 years of under .500 baseball. That is astounding. Teams have won, become terrible, became contenders, became winners, and then became terrible again in the course of 16 years. Meanwhile, during that same tenure, the Pirates have been just one.... terrible. They may be the unluckiest team in baseball that they haven't struck the right chord in nearly 2 decades. I've watched two games this year with the Pirates, and they just don't seem to have the winning mantra. They still make mistakes, and still don't seem like they have "it". Chemistry is amiss.
They did deal Jason Bay this season, which was almost assured I think. And they got a welcome package in return. But in absence of Bay, they have nobody to help in that lineup. It's a wonder how they didn't lose more than they did.
One of these years, they'll get it right. It's so hard to watch a team with such great history plummet to the bedrock of major league baseball.
Maybe when this hotly publicized Pedro Alvarez gets major league ready, they'll have the right cogs to make a push all the way to FOURTH PLACE!
Now let's recall my predictions on the rest of league and laugh at how badly I guessed......
THEN:
AL East
1 - New York Yankees
2 - Boston Red Sox
3 - Toronto Blue Jays
4 - Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
5 - Baltimore Orioles
ACTUAL:
AL East
1 - Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
2 - Boston Red Sox
3 - New York Yankees
4 - Toronto Blue Jays
5 - Baltimore Orioles
If I had a time machine, and went back to the preseason and went ANYWHERE and talked to ANYONE and told them that the DEVIL Rays would be the American League East division champions, I would receive so much laughter, the wind force would power a windmill. ... Look who's laughing now.
THEN:
AL Central
1 - Cleveland Indians
2 - Detroit Tigers
3 - Chicago White Sox
4 - Kansas City Royals
5 - Minnesota Twins
ACTUAL:
AL Central
1 - Chicago White Sox*
2 - Minnesota Twins*
3 - Cleveland Indians
4 - Kansas City Royals
5 - Detroit Tigers
* - playing one game playoff, and I predict ChiSox will take it.
I would sit here and laugh at the over 50% of "experts" who picked the Tigers to win the World Series, but then I look at who I had to pick the World Series (the Cleveland Indians) and reserve my laughter.
THEN:
AL West
1 - Seattle Mariners
2 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3 - Oakland A's
4 - Texas Rangers
ACTUAL:
AL West
1 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2 - Texas Rangers
3 - Oakland A's
4 - Seattle Mariners
I really didn't want to jump on the Seattle bandwagon. .... I really didn't. But I was an idiot. The M's are arguably the worst, most dysfunctional team in the last couple years.
THEN:
NL East
1 - New York Mets
2 - Philadelphia Phillies
3 - Atlanta Braves
4 - Florida Marlins
5 - Washington Marlins
ACTUAL:
NL East
1 - Philadelphia Phillies
2 - New York Mets
3 - Florida Marlins
4 - Atlanta Braves
5 - Washington Nationals
I was right when I predicted that it would take the last week to decide the division. I just didn't take into consideration another cataclysmic collapse by the Mets was in store.
THEN:
NL Central
1 - Chicago Cubs
2 - Houston Astros
3 - Milwaukee Brewers
4 - St. Louis Cardinals
5 - Cincinnati Reds
6 - Pittsburgh Pirates
ACTUAL:
NL Central
1 - Chicago Cubs
2 - Milwaukee Brewers
3 - Houston Astros
4 - St. Louis Cardinals
5 - Cincinnati Reds
6 - Pittsburgh Pirates
This was the only division winner I actually got correct. You know, for having more teams than any other division, the NL Central is actually pretty boring.
THEN:
NL West
1 - San Diego Padres
2 - Colorado Rockies
3 - Los Angeles Dodgers
4 - Arizona Diamondbacks
5 - San Francisco Giants
NOW:
NL West
1 - Los Angeles Dodgers
2 - Arizona Diamondbacks
3 - Colorado Rockies
4 - San Francisco Giants
5 - San Diego Padres
Once again, the NL West maintains to be the worst division in baseball. But there is no doubt that the difference for Old Blue was the acquisition of Manny Ramirez. This is what they got him for, and if the pitching can hold up, they have a shot at the Series.
THEN:
AL Wild Card
Boston Red Sox
ACTUAL:
AL Wild Card
Boston Red Sox
The only other thing I was correct on in my preseason picks.
AL MVP
THEN: Grady Sizemore - Cleveland
--He certainly had a decent season: .270 BA, 33 HRs, 90 RBIs, 38 stolen bases. Hardly an MVP though.
NOW: Francisco Rodriguez - Anaheim
--I'm noteably against pitchers getting the MVP award considering they get their own award in the Cy Young. My belief is MVP goes to a player who plays everyday. Well, K-Rod certainly seemed like he played every day, and he was able to secure so many games for the Angels, shattering the record at 62. The Angels went to him a lot, and he rewarded their trust by shutting down 9th inning opponents.
(Also worthy: Josh Hamilton - Texas, Carlos Quentin - Chicago, Justin Morneau - Minnesota
AL Cy Young
THEN: Justin Verlander - Detroit
--At 11-17, 4.84 ERA, Cy Young is not this guy's best friend right now.
NOW: Cliff Lee - Cleveland
--I do try to think of players on winning teams before others, but this guy's sterling season cannot be overlooked. 22-3, 2.54 ERA, 170 K's. Amazing stuff.
(Also worthy: Roy Halladay - Toronto, Francisco Rodriguez - Anaheim, Mike Mussina - New York)
AL Coach of the Year
THEN: Joe Girardi - New York
---Not so much. Instead, we have our first "Joe Girardi won't be fired" article in mid- August. Ugh, just shut up, Steinbrenner!
NOW: Joe Maddon - Tampa Bay
---I don't think there is any doubt about this one. If he doesn't get 95% of the votes, castrate the other 5%. What he's done with that team is nothing short of miraculous.
(Far cry, but still noteable: Ron Gardenhire - Minnesota, Mike Scioscia - Anaheim)
AL Surprise Team
THEN: Kansas City Royals
---They are a surprise finishing at 4th place and having a lights out closer in Joakim Soria. But they hardly got any publicity, registering them low on the surprise factor.
NOW: Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
---If anyone predicted them finishing anywhere over 3rd place, they're only fooling themselves.
NL Wild Card
THEN: Philadelphia Phillies
--Once again, good pick besides the... you know... winning the division thing.
ACTUAL: Milwaukee Brewers
NL MVP
THEN: David Wright - New York
---Definitely has the numbers at .304, 33 HRs, 124 RBIs. He'll probably get one or two votes, but ultimately, not the MVP this year.
NOW: CiCi Sabathia - Milwaukee
---Yeah, I went there. But think about it... without the team making this trades, there just isn't any way they make the playoffs this year, not even really close. Sabathia is 11-2 with the Brewers with 7 complete games, 1.72 ERA in the NL, and a season leading 244 K's. Not only that, but in the last month of the season, he has not shown any signs of displeasure when asked to pitch on short rest. There just isn't a shot in the dark they had on making the playoffs without Sabathia. And by that level, he more than qualifies the "valuable" part of "MVP".
(Also worthy: Ryan Howard - Philadelphia, David Wright - New York, Albert Pujols - St. Louis)
NL Cy Young
THEN: Jake Peavy - San Diego
---On Peavy's standards, it was a bit of an off year for him (10-11, 2.84 ERA, 166 K's). Cy Young is visiting someone else this season.
NOW: Tim Lincecum - San Francisco
---He doesn't have Brandon Webb's record, but his vital stats are superior to no one. 17-5 is still not a bad record at all. Add a 2.66 ERA and National League leading 252 K's, and Lincecum is the next great ace.
(Also worthy: Brandon Webb - Arizona, Edinson Volquez - Cincinnati, Johan Santana - New York)
NL Coach of the Year
THEN: Lou Pinella - Chicago
NOW: Lou Pinella - Chicago
---The Cubs were long in need of stability to be able to a consistent force. Thanks to Sweet Lou, they have that, grabbing their second straight division title.
NL Surprise Team
THEN: Houston Astros
---They came on of late, even reaching third place and not being eliminated until the last couple weeks.
NOW: Florida Marlins
---By far the youngest, and by even further the least paid team in the league, they finished third in the NL East 7 games over .500. And they knocked the Mets out of the playoffs. It's like the younger and poorer this team gets, the better they get.
THEN:
Playoffs
Seattle defeats NY Yankees
Cleveland defeats Boston
NY Mets defeat Chicago
San Diego defeats Philadelphia
Cleveland defeats Seattle
San Diego defeats NY Mets
ALCS MVP
Cici Sabathia
NLCS MVP
Trevor Hoffman
Cleveland defeats San Diego
World Series MVP
Victor Martinez
Man, can I pick 'em. My World Series teams were a combined 36 games under .500. And Seattle in the ALCS is downright criminal based on how they played.
NOW:
Tampa Bay defeats Chi White Sox
Anaheim defeats Boston
Los Angeles defeats Chi Cubs
Philadelphia defeats Milwaukee
Tampa Bay defeats Anaheim
Los Angeles defeats Philadelphia
ALCS MVP
Evan Longoria
NLCS MVP
Manny Ramirez
Tampa Bay defeats Los Angeles
World Series MVP
Carlos Pena
Can you say "2008 Champion Tampa Bay Rays"?
As always, let's go down the line with my trio of teams...
...as depressing as that may be.
13 years is an awfully long time. Last time the postseason didn't include the Bronx Bombers was 1994. And it's the first time I've seen it since I became baseball conscious (1995 actually). And honestly, I thought I'd be more upset than this when it happened. But while I'm disappointed, I knew they weren't going to go on forever. And I'm still looking forward to the playoffs. I'm a fan of baseball, not just the Yankees. And for the first time ever, I'm going to be able to watch the playoffs as a baseball fan, not a Yankee (or Met or Pirate [pffft]) fan.
Things only recently went bad for the Bombers, as they were in it right up until the end of August. But the injuries just kept piling up. I think the moment the season went bad was when Joba went on the DL. He is the spark plug of that team. Remove him, and you'll have problems, like they did. The team held on as much as they could, but on the last month, they fell apart. Count the injuries: Posada, Matsui, Hughes, Wang, Joba, Damon. It starts to hurt in the long run.
There are plenty of positives to take out of this season though. There are some bright spots coming up from the minors. Brett Gardner got significant major league time, and he seemed to take advantage of it. With some more experience, he could be a pesky fourth outfielder and bat off the bench. Alfredo Aceves has had a decent time in pinstripes and could be a possible bullpen hand or back-end starter. The bullpen also seemed to really jell and solidify that end of the game. Edwar Ramirez continues to be a mainstay, Damaso Marte has been a good acquisition, and Jose Veras continues to improve. And Mariano started off the year absolutely brilliantly. Hopefully he has another season or two of magnificence in him to open the new ballpark with.
Mike Mussina also got his first 20 win season. Who knew the old man had that left in him? It was an amazing season for him that should get him a couple of late votes for Cy YOung candidacy perhaps. When you consider his season began 1-3 with an over 7 ERA, and that he's ended the season 20-9 with an ERA under 3.50, it's a damn nice turnaround. The guy reinvented himself, going almost completely without a fastball in his repertoire. A fitting season for him that may make him useful yet. I actually agree with both campaigns to sign him and to not sign him. If they do, that's great. If they don't, that's fine too. Moose still has an outside shot of getting 300 wins, and if that happens, I want him to be in a Yankee uniform.
So with the season ended, it's time to focus on 2009. What picturesque timing the Yanks have. They're having a lot of fat contracts coming off the books (Giambi, Pavano, Mussina, Damon), and just in time for one of the best free agent classes in years. Three names that I keep throwing out there and continually hear is first baseman Mark Texiera, big time big boy CiCi Sabathia, and the dredg of the Earth but man, can he hit freak-boy Manny Ramirez. My fanatic Yankee side of course detests the thought of Manny in pinstripes. But the logical, baseball side thinks about it for a minute... Imagine Manny hitting in a lineup behind A-Rod. So many homeruns. The problem is, of course, is that more than likely, to wrangle in two of the three, it would take huge salaries to throw at them. Even the Yankees have limits, and throwing one or two more $100 million contracts out there would undoubtedly skyrocket their payroll. We'll see what happens. The team has something up their sleeve, I know it.
So here's to 2009...
Same old song and dance...
Another year, another meltdown. The Mets sure are a heartbreaker. They bail on another NL East division, and then blow the playoffs on the final day of the year. It'll be yet another long winter for Queens.
The question is what do you do with this team? Call me crazy, but I think you blow this team up. Ship away some of the excess in trade for role players and a team that actually has chemistry. And again, I'm crazy, but I think the first to go is Jose Reyes. He will undoubtedly have high market value which will give the Mets a strong package in trade, more thanlikely requiring young pitching to field that abhoringly devastated starting rotation.
Keep David Wright, obviously. But if you can sacrifice next year to the doldrums of the NL East to give the team a chance to really compete and NOT screw it up by the end of the season, you take that shot. That's just my thought.
Omar Minaya just got an extension. If this is going to happen every year under Minaya's watch, this could be a "Fire Millen" scandal all over again. I don't know what's going to happen to this team. But it's just not working right now.
Ugh.. it hurts to be a Mets fan again. Somehow, this becoming an annual feeling of indigestion.
Truth be told, I did not pay very much attention to the Bucs this year. But even the "die-hards" on Sportsline are admitting to looking the other way. Another underwhelming, 6th place season with little praise. They barely finished above 100 losses.
Honestly, when does this turn around? 16 years of under .500 baseball. That is astounding. Teams have won, become terrible, became contenders, became winners, and then became terrible again in the course of 16 years. Meanwhile, during that same tenure, the Pirates have been just one.... terrible. They may be the unluckiest team in baseball that they haven't struck the right chord in nearly 2 decades. I've watched two games this year with the Pirates, and they just don't seem to have the winning mantra. They still make mistakes, and still don't seem like they have "it". Chemistry is amiss.
They did deal Jason Bay this season, which was almost assured I think. And they got a welcome package in return. But in absence of Bay, they have nobody to help in that lineup. It's a wonder how they didn't lose more than they did.
One of these years, they'll get it right. It's so hard to watch a team with such great history plummet to the bedrock of major league baseball.
Maybe when this hotly publicized Pedro Alvarez gets major league ready, they'll have the right cogs to make a push all the way to FOURTH PLACE!
Now let's recall my predictions on the rest of league and laugh at how badly I guessed......
THEN:
AL East
1 - New York Yankees
2 - Boston Red Sox
3 - Toronto Blue Jays
4 - Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
5 - Baltimore Orioles
ACTUAL:
AL East
1 - Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
2 - Boston Red Sox
3 - New York Yankees
4 - Toronto Blue Jays
5 - Baltimore Orioles
If I had a time machine, and went back to the preseason and went ANYWHERE and talked to ANYONE and told them that the DEVIL Rays would be the American League East division champions, I would receive so much laughter, the wind force would power a windmill. ... Look who's laughing now.
THEN:
AL Central
1 - Cleveland Indians
2 - Detroit Tigers
3 - Chicago White Sox
4 - Kansas City Royals
5 - Minnesota Twins
ACTUAL:
AL Central
1 - Chicago White Sox*
2 - Minnesota Twins*
3 - Cleveland Indians
4 - Kansas City Royals
5 - Detroit Tigers
* - playing one game playoff, and I predict ChiSox will take it.
I would sit here and laugh at the over 50% of "experts" who picked the Tigers to win the World Series, but then I look at who I had to pick the World Series (the Cleveland Indians) and reserve my laughter.
THEN:
AL West
1 - Seattle Mariners
2 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3 - Oakland A's
4 - Texas Rangers
ACTUAL:
AL West
1 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2 - Texas Rangers
3 - Oakland A's
4 - Seattle Mariners
I really didn't want to jump on the Seattle bandwagon. .... I really didn't. But I was an idiot. The M's are arguably the worst, most dysfunctional team in the last couple years.
THEN:
NL East
1 - New York Mets
2 - Philadelphia Phillies
3 - Atlanta Braves
4 - Florida Marlins
5 - Washington Marlins
ACTUAL:
NL East
1 - Philadelphia Phillies
2 - New York Mets
3 - Florida Marlins
4 - Atlanta Braves
5 - Washington Nationals
I was right when I predicted that it would take the last week to decide the division. I just didn't take into consideration another cataclysmic collapse by the Mets was in store.
THEN:
NL Central
1 - Chicago Cubs
2 - Houston Astros
3 - Milwaukee Brewers
4 - St. Louis Cardinals
5 - Cincinnati Reds
6 - Pittsburgh Pirates
ACTUAL:
NL Central
1 - Chicago Cubs
2 - Milwaukee Brewers
3 - Houston Astros
4 - St. Louis Cardinals
5 - Cincinnati Reds
6 - Pittsburgh Pirates
This was the only division winner I actually got correct. You know, for having more teams than any other division, the NL Central is actually pretty boring.
THEN:
NL West
1 - San Diego Padres
2 - Colorado Rockies
3 - Los Angeles Dodgers
4 - Arizona Diamondbacks
5 - San Francisco Giants
NOW:
NL West
1 - Los Angeles Dodgers
2 - Arizona Diamondbacks
3 - Colorado Rockies
4 - San Francisco Giants
5 - San Diego Padres
Once again, the NL West maintains to be the worst division in baseball. But there is no doubt that the difference for Old Blue was the acquisition of Manny Ramirez. This is what they got him for, and if the pitching can hold up, they have a shot at the Series.
THEN:
AL Wild Card
Boston Red Sox
ACTUAL:
AL Wild Card
Boston Red Sox
The only other thing I was correct on in my preseason picks.
AL MVP
THEN: Grady Sizemore - Cleveland
--He certainly had a decent season: .270 BA, 33 HRs, 90 RBIs, 38 stolen bases. Hardly an MVP though.
NOW: Francisco Rodriguez - Anaheim
--I'm noteably against pitchers getting the MVP award considering they get their own award in the Cy Young. My belief is MVP goes to a player who plays everyday. Well, K-Rod certainly seemed like he played every day, and he was able to secure so many games for the Angels, shattering the record at 62. The Angels went to him a lot, and he rewarded their trust by shutting down 9th inning opponents.
(Also worthy: Josh Hamilton - Texas, Carlos Quentin - Chicago, Justin Morneau - Minnesota
AL Cy Young
THEN: Justin Verlander - Detroit
--At 11-17, 4.84 ERA, Cy Young is not this guy's best friend right now.
NOW: Cliff Lee - Cleveland
--I do try to think of players on winning teams before others, but this guy's sterling season cannot be overlooked. 22-3, 2.54 ERA, 170 K's. Amazing stuff.
(Also worthy: Roy Halladay - Toronto, Francisco Rodriguez - Anaheim, Mike Mussina - New York)
AL Coach of the Year
THEN: Joe Girardi - New York
---Not so much. Instead, we have our first "Joe Girardi won't be fired" article in mid- August. Ugh, just shut up, Steinbrenner!
NOW: Joe Maddon - Tampa Bay
---I don't think there is any doubt about this one. If he doesn't get 95% of the votes, castrate the other 5%. What he's done with that team is nothing short of miraculous.
(Far cry, but still noteable: Ron Gardenhire - Minnesota, Mike Scioscia - Anaheim)
AL Surprise Team
THEN: Kansas City Royals
---They are a surprise finishing at 4th place and having a lights out closer in Joakim Soria. But they hardly got any publicity, registering them low on the surprise factor.
NOW: Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
---If anyone predicted them finishing anywhere over 3rd place, they're only fooling themselves.
NL Wild Card
THEN: Philadelphia Phillies
--Once again, good pick besides the... you know... winning the division thing.
ACTUAL: Milwaukee Brewers
NL MVP
THEN: David Wright - New York
---Definitely has the numbers at .304, 33 HRs, 124 RBIs. He'll probably get one or two votes, but ultimately, not the MVP this year.
NOW: CiCi Sabathia - Milwaukee
---Yeah, I went there. But think about it... without the team making this trades, there just isn't any way they make the playoffs this year, not even really close. Sabathia is 11-2 with the Brewers with 7 complete games, 1.72 ERA in the NL, and a season leading 244 K's. Not only that, but in the last month of the season, he has not shown any signs of displeasure when asked to pitch on short rest. There just isn't a shot in the dark they had on making the playoffs without Sabathia. And by that level, he more than qualifies the "valuable" part of "MVP".
(Also worthy: Ryan Howard - Philadelphia, David Wright - New York, Albert Pujols - St. Louis)
NL Cy Young
THEN: Jake Peavy - San Diego
---On Peavy's standards, it was a bit of an off year for him (10-11, 2.84 ERA, 166 K's). Cy Young is visiting someone else this season.
NOW: Tim Lincecum - San Francisco
---He doesn't have Brandon Webb's record, but his vital stats are superior to no one. 17-5 is still not a bad record at all. Add a 2.66 ERA and National League leading 252 K's, and Lincecum is the next great ace.
(Also worthy: Brandon Webb - Arizona, Edinson Volquez - Cincinnati, Johan Santana - New York)
NL Coach of the Year
THEN: Lou Pinella - Chicago
NOW: Lou Pinella - Chicago
---The Cubs were long in need of stability to be able to a consistent force. Thanks to Sweet Lou, they have that, grabbing their second straight division title.
NL Surprise Team
THEN: Houston Astros
---They came on of late, even reaching third place and not being eliminated until the last couple weeks.
NOW: Florida Marlins
---By far the youngest, and by even further the least paid team in the league, they finished third in the NL East 7 games over .500. And they knocked the Mets out of the playoffs. It's like the younger and poorer this team gets, the better they get.
THEN:
Playoffs
Seattle defeats NY Yankees
Cleveland defeats Boston
NY Mets defeat Chicago
San Diego defeats Philadelphia
Cleveland defeats Seattle
San Diego defeats NY Mets
ALCS MVP
Cici Sabathia
NLCS MVP
Trevor Hoffman
Cleveland defeats San Diego
World Series MVP
Victor Martinez
Man, can I pick 'em. My World Series teams were a combined 36 games under .500. And Seattle in the ALCS is downright criminal based on how they played.
NOW:
Tampa Bay defeats Chi White Sox
Anaheim defeats Boston
Los Angeles defeats Chi Cubs
Philadelphia defeats Milwaukee
Tampa Bay defeats Anaheim
Los Angeles defeats Philadelphia
ALCS MVP
Evan Longoria
NLCS MVP
Manny Ramirez
Tampa Bay defeats Los Angeles
World Series MVP
Carlos Pena
Can you say "2008 Champion Tampa Bay Rays"?