gus_dog

Maybe this is a situation where we can hope for a tie as occured in 1979 where Stargell and Hernandez tied for the MVP. Stargell played for the first place Pirates and Hernandez for the third place Cardinals. Of course when you look at the numbers, Dave Parker seemed to have better numbers than either Stargell or Hernandez. :shrug: I would be pleased with a tie.

If you want to use historical perspective, then Pujols should definitely win. The fact is there really is no historical perspective. Alex Rodriquez and Andre Dawson won while playing for last place teams. Other players, however seem to have benefited from playing for play-off teams. Bonds won it last year and his team missed the playoffs. You can't simply apply a historical significance, because the voters have voted all over the map. Oh, I disagree. Historically speaking, the award has been given to the most valuable player on a playoff team, UNLESS there is another player on a non-playoff team who is so outstanding, and so valuable (such as Bonds or Dawson were) that they cannot be outdone. Perception or reality, that is how I recall it. Historically, the voters have placed more emphasis on offencive performance and the candidate's team making the post-season. There has been an occasional exception, here and there, but I believe this year's candidates for NLMVP fit in this mold where there are two obviously deserving candidates, but only one of them on a playoff team. If Lee would have blown Pujols' away in EVERY catagory, then I could see the injustice, but he did not maintain the huge lead he had. Again, I wish Lee would win, because I hate the Cardinals and love the Cubbies, but realistically speaking, it's Pujols' prize - this season anyway. JMHO

If you want to use historical perspective, then Pujols should definitely win. I'm pretty sure that's what I wrote :?:

IMO, your analogies don't really work. Baseball has a body of work here that has over 100 years of history to base this upon. This history, IMO, makes your analogies superfluous. Pujols will win, and he deserves it. Lee won't win, but he too deserves it. Pujols plays for the better team, that made the playoffs, and Lee plays for the lesser team, that did not make the post-season. I believe it to be as cut-and-dried as it can be at this point. I don't like it, but it is what it is.

No Rocket, I disagree. That was a classless move, by a classless individual. I don't care for Baker, but he would not do something like that. The fans can get away with that, and that's OK, but this guy Guillen.....just a lowlife. I hope the Sox get swept and shut out. 0-3.

Like, say, Andre Dawson in 1987?

Aren't they allowed to adjust the roster again for the ALCS if they win the ALDS?

I'd say that's pretty accurate. As a fan, I'd vote for Lee as MVP. :P As a baseball writer, I'd vote for Pujols. Andruw Jones, 3rd place.

:shock: Huh? Pujols is so close in many catagories that the difference is almost statisically insignificant. I give the overall nod to Lee due to his slugging stats and superior defence, but it's still a closer race, IMO.

I did not see any evidence whatsoever in this thread supporting your claim (see bolded sentence). As for the rest of your statement about Lee's performance. I agree, to a lesser extent, but the Cubs hitters (and I use the term 'hitters' lightly) batting around of Lee were progressively worse as the season went on, which made it easier to pitch around him. I think that 'feeding him' is probably not the best choice, because it's not like they were throwing batting practice to him. They were throwing at the documented holes in his swing, which HE closed. Lee still had to hit them, and he did.

I don't subscribe to the 'make-up' thing to Pujols. Past years stand on their own merit and are irrelevant to this season (or at least, they should be). Pujols had his opportunities those years, and maybe he should have won at least one, but IMO, it is still irrelevant to this year's discussion. I believe Lee had a slightly better year, but since Pujols' team made the post-season, he will win.

Here's the finals. G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG Pujols 161 591 129 195 38 2 41 117 360 97 65 16 2 0.430 0.609 0.330 Lee 158 594 120 199 50 3 46 107 393 85 109 15 3 0.418 0.662 0.335 Very close at the end. I have to say that Lee's strikeout total is a bit high, but that's not unexpected. His power numbers, IMO, give him the edge. I believe that he did indeed have a better year than Pujols, by just a bit. Congrats to D. Lee on winning the major league batting title.

Too bad about your Indians Mike. I was rooting for them, and they did have one heck of a run. I guess it must be difficult maintaining a run of .740 ball. Of course, I wouldn't know. I am a Cub fan. :( Here's to next season. Go Red Sox!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent, made me laugh ru the author yes, I must admit my hatred for everything Cardinal runs deep, and I wrote it down.

The White Sox I disdain This is a team made to hate And my disdain for them will not abate Their fans, oh they are all thugs A porcupine, I’d rather give hugs The White Sox I disdain Many are the reasons they cause pain First, they have a manager named Ozzie Who bears more a resemblance to Fozzie I despise all that is Pale Hose Their fans are all swilling schmoes Second, they have a pitcher named Buerhle Who makes such wild claims to sound squirrelly Third, I hate the designated hitter So much so, I have become bitter Speaking of DH, theirs is the Big Hurt But in truth, he’s but a little squirt Fourth, they have Hawk and DJ The worst announcers in the game today Whenever the White Sox play ‘Yes’, in unison, is all they can say My last reason, but not the least They are from Chicago, but not the east If they be northsiders, I would cheer But they be southsiders, so I will just sneer Good luck in the playoffs (not really). :twisted: :P :lol:

The Cardinals in the playoffs just made me want to bump this one.

okay, eckstein has some value, but if you'd have asked me who i'd rather have had, eckstein or nomar, it would have been nomar, no question. and i'd still rather have nomar after this year, regardless of eckstein's 2002-like campaign. i don't chalk that up to bad decision-making, at least, in the front office. Dusty has made bad decisions, i'll admit that, he would have probably had eckstein batting 8th and flailing like neifi. Walker is, was, and will be a better hitter than grudz, that was my point. as for rodriguez, he was no more valuable than hollandsworth would have been had we actually had a starting left fielder. the problem was, holla is not a starter. the poor decision-making in that regard was neglecting to sign a player with any kind of a bat to start in left. i'm not really alarmed that they didn't know who rodriguez was, a career AAA who has maximized his potential this season was not necessarily at the top of my wish list in the offseason. one could argue that if holla hadn't fouled a ball off of his shin in 2004, the cubs might have won the WC. it was a bad decision to let dusty start him, but not a bad decision to sign him after he torched us in the 2003 NLCS. i would have had no problem with holla and grieve as the 4th and 5th OF's this year. but often it seems like it's not up to hendry. hendry's worst decisions are the ones he lets dusty make. Sullymon, I think you're getting caught up in player-to-player comparisons. These comparisons, while intriguing, are off the mark. The point is, IMO, that the Cardinals have built a synergistic organization, which trickles down to a synergistic team. The team is greater than the sum of its parts. The Cubs have not learned how to do this. That's not to say that they can't or won't, but only that they have not. The Cubbies could learn alot from the hated rivals to the south, but will they???????

Cleveland still needs to win out to get the wild card. I think the Yanks are going to win the AL east. Wow :shock: , watching this has been fun.

IMO, some folks are too willing just write-off the Cubs losing, of the Cardinals winning consistently, to luck. I will grant that it is true there is some luck involved (i.e. Prior getting hit with the liner), I believe if Carpenter got hit with the liner instead, the Cardinals would have found someone to plug in there, and they still would have CONTENDED. This, I think is a key point. In 2003, when the Cardinal bullpen was horrible, they still were in contention. The Cardinals, it seems, are better prepared, on the whole, to deal with whatever happens, and at least contend. The Cubs on the other hand, have a key injury, and it is wait 'til next year. This difference is a fine line, but it has been validated by what we have seen unfold before our eyes, and I believe it is why the Cardinals consistently win, and the Cubs do not. Smarter, better management from the top down, and better philosophy. JMHO.

So, to try to read between the lines, are you saying the majority of the blame for this season falls on Hendry, rather than Baker? It seems to me that all of managment can lay claim to this...all may not have equal parts, but they all contributed to a less than satisfactory conclusion.

Every team should be VERY concerned about the possibility of facing Houston in a short series. With Lidge on the backside of those starters, they will be tough.

NC Women's soccer. I thought we were talking about sports here. ;) (That was meant to be a soccer joke, btw, not a women's sports joke.) It could pass muster for both. :lol: :wink: I passed muster last week. I couldn't sit right for two days. Brad Muster? :shock:

NC Women's soccer. I thought we were talking about sports here. ;) (That was meant to be a soccer joke, btw, not a women's sports joke.) It could pass muster for both. :lol: :wink:

Just like I do before the Dawgs get thumped in the 1AA playoffs ;) They're ranked 2nd in the country! And you should know that us SIU grads don't spell so good sometimes... Nah, the Dawgs layed down uh, well, maybe not. Doent cell yorecelf shoret wit yer spellin' (er fer yer cipherin' neether). Dawgs don't deserve the #2 ranking yet. This weekend v. MSU (That's Missouri State, not Michigan) should be a good game, and perhaps a stiff test.

NC Women's soccer. Well, maybe Tennessee women's hoops too.