Sep 30 2009
By Bob Smizik | Wednesday 7:40 a.m.
Willie Parker has turf toe; Rashard Mendenhall is unproven and irresponsible; Frank (The Tank) Summers is on injured reserve. Clearly, it’s time for training camp sensation Isaac Redman to suit up for the Steelers and take some carries at running back.
Except it’s not. Despite the injuries and despite the fact the running game has been a disappointment this season, Redman remains on the Steelers practice squads.
I
n the minds of some, the team has lost its mind. At the very least, Redman would give the Steelers the short-yardage back it so obviously is lacking. So what’s going on? Why is Redman still on the practice squad?
Those are fair questions, and to answer them let me tell you a philosophy I developed in my 40 years of covering sports:
The people making the decisions -- be they managers, coaches, general managers or athletic directors -- almost always know more about the situation than I do. Furthermore, they have a far greater vested interest in winning than I do. Therefore, when them make decisions that seem unusual, I usually give them the benefit of the doubt and believe they know what they’re doing.
Of course, such people make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes -- doctors, lawyers, teachers, journalists. But in this particular case, we’re dealing with an organization, the Steelers, that has had a pretty good run of success. They usually -- but not always -- know what they’re doing.
So if Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin, the men making the decisions, believe Redman, for now, belongs on the practice squad not the active roster, I accept that as the correct decision.
To further bolster my belief that it’s the correct decision is the fact Redman is available to all 31 other NFL teams and none has stepped forward to claim him.
Could all 32 NFL teams be wrong? Absolutely, but not likely.
One more point: The Steelers have had an extensive look at Redman. They watched him practice for more than a month in training camp, they saw him perform in exhibition games. Other NFL teams have probably taken a look at him and at least watched tape of him.
The majority of the fans clamoring for Redman to be activated have never or rarely seen him play.
He did some nice things in training camp and exhibition games. But if the Steelers, off to a poor start and in need of a pick-me-up in the running game, don’t think it’s time to activate Redman, well, that makes perfect sense to me.
Sep 29 2009
By Bob Smizik | Tuesday, 12:30 p.m.
The inside story on why Zach Duke was removed from a game in which he had a 10-run lead with two out in the ninth inning and on his way to his fourth complete game of the season:
He was scheduled to receive a performance bonus of $12.50 for another complete game and owner Bob Nutting called down to the dugout and ordered manager John Russell to make the move.
Just kidding!
But that reason makes as much sense as any as to why Russell pulled Duke in Monday’s 11-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park 
in favor of inexperienced Donnie Veal.
It certainly makes as much sense as the ones provided by Russell, which were:
* ``I wanted Zach to have a nice ovation.’’
* ``And it was good that we got Donnie in the game. That’ll make him a little more prepared.’’
Hogwash!
Nice to know Russell has a sentimental side, but Duke is no 15-year-old kid who needs the adulation of the -- at most -- 10,000 people in the stands. He’s been cheered by larger crowds than that in his time.
As for Veal, a Rule 5 draft choice, the Pirates have seven more games to get him more experience this season. Since all their games are meaningless, they could even let him start one, which would be far more valuable in the long term than pitching to one batter with a 10-run lead.
Complete games are relatively rare and totally meaningless in baseball today, but the rare part made for why Duke wanted it so much. He made no attempt to hide his feelings.
He said, ``I wanted it pretty bad. I'm not going to lie. It would have been my fourth, and it's something I can hang my hat on, for sure.’’
There is no reasonable or logical explanation for what Russell did. We can only chalk it up to a major brain cramp on his part.
Sep 29 2009
By Bob Smizik | Tuesday, 12:30 p.m.
Through three games, these are not the same Steelers who won the Super Bowl. They’re not the same defensively, not the same offensively. They’re 1-2 and looking at another tough game -- perhaps another loss -- when they play San Diego Sunday night at Heinz Field.
Defensively, the falloff has not be substantial but just enough, especially late in the game, to make the difference. All of that can be written off to the absence of Troy Polamalu, who, although not NFL Defensive Player of the Year like teammate James Harrison, is probably the player that unit could least afford to 
lose.
In games this close, both losses by three points, it’s not unrealistic to suggest Polamalu could have been the difference between defeat and victory.
Offensively, there’s no absence that sticks out like Polamalu’s but it’s no secret Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes is playing at nowhere near his 2008 level. If that were the case, the Steelers probably would have won the Chicago game when Holmes did not handle a catchable ball in the end zone.
There are all kinds of other reasons, most notably that the kind of old defense now just might be the old defense.
But here’s one other possibility, and that’s all we’re saying it is -- a possibility.
Remember in 2006, the last time the Steelers were defending Super Bowl champions, and the team got off to a 2-6 start and everyone had a theory on what was wrong until Willie Parker presented his own and everyone else shut up.
After the team’s sixth loss, against Denver, Parker shook the team and the town with these words:
``Last year, we were getting the job done, we just seemed hungrier. This year, it seems like we already got what we want, what's the use? What's the use of going out there and selling out?’’
Is that what’s happening? Is this another Super Bowl hangover? Are the Steelers too fat and happy with their mammoth rings?
Hard to believe it could happen on Mike Tomlin’s watch. People accused Bill Cowher, the coach in 2006, of being in cruise control after finally winning his Super Bowl. I don’t believe that although others do. But there is not a sliver of evidence to suggest Tomlin has lost his hunger or is still not pushing all the buttons he knows to motivate his players.
But the players? That another story. If they were complacent in 2005 why, couldn’t it happen again? If one Super Bowl diminished their hunger, why wouldn't a second? For sure, the core group is in tact.
That’s what makes San Diego such an interesting challenge. The Chargers are 2-1, with their loss coming at home to undefeated Baltimore. The Steelers handled them twice last year, a one-point win in the regular season and by 11 in the playoffs. Philip Rivers, one of the elite NFL quarterbacks, has been less-than scintillating thus far, but he’s the best the Steelers will have faced this season.
It was strange to call Cincinnati, of all teams, a big game in week three. It’s stranger still to be calling the fourth game of the season a must win. But that’s what it. It’s not likely the Steelers or anybody could come back from a 1-3 start.
No one is going to say this week what Parker said three years ago. But maybe it would be a good idea for the players to recall Parker’s words and to take a good, long look at themselves.
Sep 28 2009
By Bob Smizik | Monday 12:15 a.m.
At the highest levels of the University of Pittsburgh, where wise and cool heads prevail, Dave Wannstedt is not in trouble.
At any level of the blogosphere, where hot heads and insanity often prevail, Wannstedt would have been fired around 7:00 p.m. Saturday after Pitt blew a 14-point lead in the final 18 minutes and lost to North Carolina State.
Since we live mostly in a world of reason and logic, Wannstedt is not in danger of losing his job, nor should he be. Pitt is 3-1. It was 9-4 last season. Under no circumstances is that grounds for firing a coach, even when his defense -- the one he recruited and touted -- fell apart and embarrassed itself in the second half against NC State.
From all indications, Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and athletic director Steve Pederson are happy with W
annstedt.
They appear to be satisfied with a coach who’s usually going to win seven, eight or nine games, recruits well, keep his players mostly out of trouble and conducts himself in an outstanding manner.
They’d love to go higher, to be in contention for a national championship every year, but changing coaches is not always the answer.
For those people who have higher goals and believe another coach can get Pitt to that place, be careful what you wish for.
Some brief history: When Jackie Sherrill resigned, after compiling 50-9-1 record, early in 1982, Pitt waited about five minutes before naming top assistant Foge Fazio as his successor. Fazio was 25-18-3 in four seasons, a fine record but one that wasn't good enough for the Pitt administration and which got him fired. Pitt wanted more. Mike Gottfried was next. He was 26-17-2, which also wasn't good enough and got him fired. Paul Hackett was next. He was 13-20-1, and, needless to say, was fired. That brought in the second John Majors era. He was 12-32.
Walt Harris was next. He was 52-44 and wasn’t fired. But his contract wasn’t renewed. That brought in Wannstedt.
The point is this: The next coach isn’t always Mike Tomlin. Some times it’s Paul Hackett. More often than not, it’s a Paul Hackett.
Below is some information on the subject of changing coaches that I compiled while writing a column five years ago when some crazies were talking about replacing Bill Cowher:
``Here's a list of NFL coaches, hired in the 1990s from different backgrounds, who appeared to be just the right man but were not.‘’ (Their records are in parenthesis.)
``Defensive coordinators: Gregg Williams (17-31 at Buffalo); Buddy Ryan (12-20 at Arizona); Ray Rhodes (30-36 at Philadelphia, 8-8 at Green Bay); Jim Haslett (35-41 at New Orleans).
``Offensive coordinators: Chris Palmer (5-27 at Cleveland), Lindy Infante (12-25 at Indianapolis); Kevin Gilbride (6-16 at San Diego); June Jones (19-30 at Atlanta, 3-7 at San Diego); Mike White (15-17 at Oakland).
``College coaches: Florida's Steve Spurrier (12-20 at Washington); Miami's Butch Davis (21-29 at Cleveland); Syracuse's Dick MacPherson (8-24 at New England); Oregon's Rich Brooks (13-19 with the Rams); Miami's Dennis Erickson (31-33 with Seattle).
``Older NFL assistants in their first job: Dick LeBeau (12-33 at Cincinnati); Gunther Cunningham (16-16 at Kansas City); Rod Rust (1-15 at New England); Joe Bugel (20-44 at Arizona); Ray Handley (14-18 with the Giants); Richie Petitbon (4-12 at Washington).
``Super Bowl winners: Mike Ditka (15-33 at New Orleans); George Seifert (16-32 at Carolina); Tom Flores (14-34 at Seattle).
The point is this: Firing a winning coach in the hopes of getting someone better is not always the answer. There’s something to be said for continuity.
That doesn’t mean Wannstedt is above scrutiny. He most certainly is. Now in his fifth season, his first three were major disappointments. He did not take over a floundering program, as many suggest. He took over a successful program, one that was coming off a BCS bowl game, one that had been to five straight post-season appearances, one that had a top-rate quaterback (Tyler Palko) returning for two years.
Wannstedt is 3-7 against BCS teams outside the Big East, which is not good. Overall, he’s is 28-24, and that includes being 4-0 against The Citadel, Grambling and Youngstown State (twice), which also is not good.
That said, he’s also 12-5 since the start of the 2008 season. That is not a record that merits firing, particularly with Pitt’s history.
That does not mean his job is completely safe. Pitt was 6-1 in 2006 and lost its last five games. Something like that could happen this year with South Florida, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Cincinnati on the schedule beginning in late October. The Panthers need to turn this around Friday on the road at Louisville or it could get ugly.
If it does, Nordenberg and Pederson have a difficult choice. In so many ways, Wannstedt is nearly perfectly suited for this job. But if he can't win, none of that matters.
Sep 26 2009
By Bob Smizik | 7:55 p.m.
When I sat down at my computer a few minutes after Pitt lost to North Carolina State, I wondered how long would it take for the anti-Dave Wannstedt anger to show itself.
It already had.
``Wannstedt was outcoached,’’ proclaimed one e-mailer, who did not respond, so far, to our request as to exactly how he was out coached.
``Outcoached’’ is a favorite criticism of frustrated fans. Few can back it up.
Let’s get something straight: North Carolina State beat Pitt Saturday, 38-31, because it had the better 
team -- by far.
This wasn’t about coaching. It was about playing.
The highly touted Pitt defense fell apart. That’s not coaching. That’s playing. There's no strategy to counter that kind of bad play.
Pitt had a 14-point lead with 18 minute and could not hold on. It could not stop the Wolfpack. Bill Fralic, the analyst on the Pitt radio network and a man who should know, called the Pitt defense ``exhausted.’’
There’s no excuse for that.
Pitt could not contain Wolfpack quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 91 more. He was exceptional.
Bill Stull, the Pitt quarterback, was adequate. Stull is not a great player. He’s not a Russell Wilson. But he completed 12 of 23 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception.
Given a chance to tie the game late when the defense recovered a bad snap from center on the North Carolina State 8, Stull could not lead the Panthers to a touchdown. His fourth-down pass sailed out of the end zone.
But Stull did not lose this game. Pitt scored 31 points. That should win most games.
Wannstedt said, ``I thought if we scored 31 points we’d never lose.’’
In North Carolina State’s only other game this season against a team from a BCS conference, it scored three points and had less than 150 yards of total offense. Against Pitt it scored 38 points and had 530 yards of total offense.
Just when it looked like the Big East was taking a large step forward in terms of respect following South Florida’s stunning win over Florida State, this game negated some of that. North Carolina State is a middle-of-the-pack ACC team. Pitt is one of the favorites to win the Big East.
Just as muddled is the prospects for Pitt. Another score from yesterday sheds additional and gloomy light on the Panthers.
Temple, kind of the laughing stock of Division I football, beat Buffalo, 37-13, yesterday. That’s the Buffalo that scored 27 against Pitt and racked up 500 yards. Temple held Buffalo to 371 yards.
Does that mean Temple’s defense is better than Pitt’s. Not necessarily, but it does mean Pitt has a lot of work to do.
Wannstedt’s team continue to disappoint and that falls to him. But he had what almost everyone believed was a first-rate defense. It’s not. And that falls to the players on that defensive unit.
Sep 26 2009
By Bob Smizik | Saturday 3:35 p.m
It was a big day for the Big East and a bigger day for South Florida.
Playing in one of the most intimidating stadiums in the country, the Bulls stunned 18th-ranked Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference, 17-7.
It was a victory all the more remarkable because South Florida was playing without standout quarterback Matt Grothe, who is out for the season. In his place redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels dazzled the Semionles with his outstanding running and timely passing in his first start
As big as the win was for the Big East, it pales next to what it does for South Florida in its home state. The Bulls were a clear No. 4 in the state, behind Florida, Miami and Florida State. This was a step toward expanding the big three to the big four.
Florida State, coming off a big win over Brigham Young, probably will fall out of the top 25 as the program continues its slow decline under Bobby Bowden.
Daniels immediately established himself a player to watch and one who can make the Bulls a contender in the Big East. He completed 8 of 21 passes for 215 yards. On the ground, he ran 24 times for 124 yards.
No. 14 Cincinnati, the only Big East team in the top 25, remained undefeated with a 28-20 win over Fresno State.
Sep 25 2009
By Bob Smizik | Friday, 12:30 a.m.
An exciting, informative and potentially losing weekend awaits Pittsburgh sports fans as Pitt plays at North Carolina State Saturday and the Steelers at Cincinnati Sunday.
Pitt, which is 3-0 but without a quality opponent, has its sternest test of the season against the Wolfpack. The Steelers have their easiest game thus far but still a significant challenge in an improved Cincinnati team.
We’ll know a lot more about the Panthers and Steelers by Monday and what we’ll know probably will come from how well their defenses play.
North Carolina State, 2-1, gained additional respect last night when unranked South Carolina shocked No. 4 Mississippi, 1610. That game is relevant because the Wolfpack's only loss was to South Carolina, by four points.
Quarterback Russell Wilson is the challenge for the Pitt defense, which was expected to be the strength of the team and mostly has been, except for Buffalo. The Panthers allowed 500 yards against Buffalo, with 433 of those coming through the air. If Buffalo can have its way with the Pitt secondary, what is Wilson, first team all-Atlantic Coast Conference as a freshman last season, capable of doing?
Pitt’s ferocious front four, awash with NFL prospects, will have to get more pressure on Wilson to help out a secondary that is less talented. Wilson has thrown 25 touchdowns and one interception in his college career.
Maybe he’s the test the Pitt defense needs to get ready for its Big East schedule which begins in eight days at Louisville. Who ever made out the Pitt schedule deserves credit. It’s been a steady buildup in quality, going from Youngstown State, to Buffalo, to Navy, to North Carolina State. Pitt should be ready for the Wolfpack and it should be ready for the Big East.
How well it does in conference play probably will be determined by its defense. How good its defense is probably will be determined tomorrow.
It says a lot about the how seriously we take our sports in general and our Steelers in particular that there are concerns about their defense, which after two games against playoff-caliber competition has allowed three touchdowns. Such performances usually draw praise. In Pittsburgh, they’ve drawn concern.
With that as a backdrop, the Steelers go into Game 3 facing a quarterback and a passing offense better than either of their previous opponents. The Bengals’ Carson Palmer hasn’t quite lived up to expectations -- remember when he was considered superior to Ben Roethlisberger -- but he’s still dangerous and all the more so because of a good corps of wideouts, Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Cole and Chris Henry. Cedric Benson, who ran for 141 yards last week, only serves to make the Bengals passing game better.
Facing such an offense in the best of times isn’t easy but the Steelers are without Troy Polamalu, who is a considerable subtraction.
I’m not among those who have found fault with the defense. It has allowed 30 points in two games against quality opponents. That should be good enough -- more than good enough. It’s the offense that has let down the Steelers.
But isn’t the defense always supposed to bail out the offense with the Steelers? That’s kind of historical.
Which means the defense has to shrug off the absence of a key starter -- as it did so often last season -- and perform heroically. The front seven has to get not only pressure on Palmer but the kind of game-altering sacks that have been its trademark.
Pitt will have its troubles with North Carolina State and might be looking at its first loss. But a Steelers loss to the Bengals -- even if they’re no longer the Bungals -- almost seems out of the question.
Sep 24 2009
By Bob Smizik | Thursday, 12:30 p.m.
Random thoughts on the Pirates, which also might be construed as piling on . . .
* If Rookie-of-the-Year voters look closely at the numbers of Garrett Jones it could hurt his chances. Jones is having a remarkable season on two fronts: He has 20 home runs in 276 at bats, a better ratio than Willie Stargell had in his career; he’s batting .167 with runners in scoring position, which is a large reason why those 20 homers have produced only 41 RBIs.
* The season of Jesse Chavez, who once was considered a significant building block of a good bullpen, is tumbling down. Chavez had an earned run average of 3.21 in the first three months of the season. Over the past three months it is 5.59. Opponents hit .194 against him in April. That number is .310 this month.
* When general manager Neal Huntington suggested the other day that improvement could be expected from many of the team’s young players next season, he surely didn’t have Andy LaRoche and Brandon Moss in mind. Both are regressing. LaRoche batted .269 before the All-Star Game and .213 since. Moss was .255 before and .219 after.
* Huntington’s revelation the other day that some players have rejected suggestions they play winter baseball was stunning and speaks quite forcefully to a lack of commitment among the players in question. It also has to be disheartening for the dwindling fan base.
* Matt Wieters, the player the Pirates famously bypassed in the 2007 draft, might not be the second coming of Johnny Bench, as some suggested, but he finishing a fine rookie season with a flourish. Wieters has eight homers in 314 at bats and has his batting average up .290 with a strong September.
* `Baseball America' has one Pirates among the top 20 prospects in the rookie Gulf Coast League. Right-handed pitcher Brooks Pounders, the team’s No. 2 draft choice, was ranked 16th.
* For all the praise directed at pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, the fact remains that two key components of last year’s staff, Paul Maholm and Matt Capps, have regressed, and Capps significantly so.
* Ian Snell, 2-8 with a 5.35 ERA with the Pirates, is 5-2 with a 4.53 ERA since being traded to Seattle. (I still wouldn’t want him on my team.)
* Readers of this blog know that I think the contributions of coaches, while important, are vastly overrated. Indeed, if Perry Hill and Joe Kerrigan are as good as their supporters suggest, the Pirate should triple their salaries and make them roving minor-league instructors. Teach these young Pirates the right way to do things before they get to Pittsburgh.
Sep 24 2009
By Bob Smizik | Thursday, 12:30 a.m.
Early indications are that the Penguins organization is ready to pick up where it left off last season, and that despite winning the Stanley Cup there remains a sense or urgency within and a desire to do even better this season. These guys are primed and ready to go.
Now if only the team can keep pace.
We have written often here about how savvy the Penguins are on the business side and that continues with the organization’s newest marketing campaign, ``Defy Ordinary.’’ Check out their website to see the slick two-minute video that takes a look at the city, the region and, of course, the team. It’s a must-see, if you’re a Penguins fan or not.
The Penguins aren’t quite the Steelers in terms of capturing this town, but they give the impression they don’t want to stop until they are. Despite the fact all tickets are or soon will be sold, that merchandising is a bonanza and that they are locking up the younger fan base, the Penguins front office isn’t resting on its laurels.
Concerning the new marketing agenda, team president David Morehouse said, ``This campaign isn’t just about the Penguins players and coaches – it is about the energy of our fans, about the pulse of our region, and about the energy and innovation of 21st century Pittsburgh.
``We spent the past year-and-a-half conducting extensive branding research. In particular, we found that young Pittsburghers relate closely to our young team and our presence in the community. As an organization, we don’t want the status quo. We want to constantly challenge ourselves to be better, to be different, to continue to evolve on and off the ice.’’
Morehouse seems to have his associates off the ice committed to maintaining their level of excellence.
The question is: Can coach Dan Bylsma do the same with his players.
Repeating is tough. Just ask the Steelers. They faltered badly after winning the Super Bowl in 2005, going 8-8 the next season, and are off to a less-than-spectacular start in defense of their latest Super Bowl title.
Repeating can be even more difficult in the NHL. There are only 16 games, basically one a week, to get ready for in the NFL. There are 82 in the NHL, some of the coming on consecutive nights, some of them coming three times in four nights.
How do you get ready for that Oct. 10 game in Toronto, the third in four days, when there are 77 more of these games to go and then two months of playoffs -- if all goes well?
This is not an indictment of the Penguins players, it a statement of human behavior. Having won the Stanley Cup and knowing what a grind that is, can the Penguins focus on the St. Louis Blues and the Columbus Blue Jackets in October.
That’s the challenge that faces Bylsma in the early months of the season. It helps that the Penguins remain a young and still hungry team. But when you’ve been to the mountaintop, that Oct. 31 game against the Minnesota Wild, the third in four nights, might not have the complete attention of the players.
It's another hurdle for Bylsma, starting his first full seaosn in the NHL, and the leadership corps of the team, which is outstanding. But it promises to be a formidable challenge.
Sep 23 2009
By Bob Smizik | Wednesday 1 a.m.
In 1992, Barry Bonds, of the Pirates, won the National League Most Valuable Player award, accumulating 304 points from the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America who do the voting. Andy Van Slyke, of the Pirates, finished fourth with 145 votes.
In the subsequent 16 years of voting, not only has another Pirates not won the award or even finished in the top 10, but the hundred of players to wear the uniform combined have failed to accumulate as many votes as Van Slyke did finishing fourth.
The highest a Pirates has finished in MVP voting since 1992 was 12th by Jason Bay in 2005. He received 41 votes. (Voters picks 10 players with No. 1 getting 10 points, No. 2 nine points, etc.)
In 1992, Doug Drabek finished fifth in the Cy Young Award, two years after winning it. Drabek received one vote. In the 16 years that followed, no Pirates pitcher has received a vote. (Voters vote for only three pitchers, 3-2-1.)
The post-season awards in baseball aren’t about the Pirates. But they will be looked at today
MLB presents eight major awards every year. They are voted on by the BBWAA, usually by two members in each city.
The awards are Most Valuable Players, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year.
Cy Young and Rookie of the Year are performance awards. They should go, quite simply, to the best pitcher and the best rookie. How the candidates’ teams performed is not supposed to enter into the discussion, although it does with some misguided voters.
MVP and Manager are not so easy. How teams fare, particularly in the MVP voting, is vital. I have not been an MVP voter for a long time, but when I did vote I pretty much ignored players whose teams were not, at least, in the pennant race. The Manager award often goes to the one who did the most with the least, not necessarily the one whose team wins the most games.
On to the awards:
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MVP: It’s easy when the best player in the league plays for the first-place team with the largest lead. Albert Pujols leads the league in home runs and RBIs and is second in batting and should be the unanimous winner. Runnerup: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia
Cy Young: If I had to pick one pitcher to pitch one game, it would be Cris Carpenter of St. Louis. If I had to pick one pitcher to start a franchise, it would be Tim Lincecum of San Francisco. In determining a winner, I look at earned run average, batting-average against and walk and hits per inning (WHIP). I don’t pay much attention to wins because they are too much of a team factor. Carpenter leads the league in earned run average. Lincecum leads in batting-average against. Carpenter is second in WHIP, behind another legitimate candidate, Dan Haren, and Lincecum is fourth. My vote goes to Carpenter with Lincecum the runnerup.
Rookie of the Year: There’s a wealth of worthy candidates, many of whom would have been winners in other years. Compounding the problem of voters is batters and pitchers both must be taken into account. The Pirates Garrett Jones leads all rookies in homers and slugging percentage. The Brewers Casey McGehee leads in RBIs and is second in homers. Philadelphia starters J.A. Happ is 10-4 and sixth in the league in ERA. Atlanta starter Tommy Hanson also is 10-4 with an ERA only slightly higher than Happ’s. There’s also the Pirates Andrew McCutchen and Florida’s Chris Coghlan, who leads in batting average and on-base percentage. My winner is Happ. Runnerup: Jones.
Manager of the Year: The turnaround by Colorado once Jim Tracy took over as manager makes him a leading candidate. But the jobs done in San Francisco by Bruce Bochy and Florida by Fredi Gonzalez in keeping under-talented teams in contention, cannot be overlook. All three deserve the choice over division winners Tony La Russa, St. Louis, Joe Torre, Los Angeles and Charley Manuel, Philadelphia. Tracy is the winner and Bochy the runnerup.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MVP: Joe Mauer hasn’t single-handedly brought Minnesota back into playoff contention, but almost. The fact he leads the league in hitting, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, all by wide margins, makes him almost as much a lock as Pujols. Runnerup: Mark Teixeira, New York.
Cy Young: Zack Greinke leads in ERA and WHIP, was second in batting average against and is 15-8 on a team that's 25 games under .500. He’s the winner. Runnerup: Felix Hernandez, Seattle.
Rookie of the Year: Unlike the National League, there is a scarcity of candidates and no one that would finish in the top five, maybe 10, in the NL. The winner: Tampa Bay pitcher Jeff Niemann, who is 12-6 with a 3.80 ERA. Runnerup: Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus, a slick fielder who's batting .271 with 28 stolen bases in 32 attempts.
Manager of the Year: Winner: Ron Washington, Texas, for keeping the Rangers in contention all season. Runnerup: Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota.
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