And The Award Goes To…. (With a P.S.)
Baseball’s version of the Oscars gets underway Monday while I’ll be on a plane back to California. So in anticipation, I thought I’d add my totally biased, completely Yankees-centric two cents on who should win.
1) AL Rookie of the Year: Alfredo Aceves
I know, I know. The award will probably go to Elvis Andrus. But Aceves was 10-1 this season. That’s a lot of wins for a reliever, even a long reliever. Yes, Dave Robertson had the best strikeout to innings ratio (63 Ks in 43.2 IP), but I don’t think he qualifies until next year. So congrats, Alfredo. In your honor, every Yankee fan should have fettucini alfredo some time this week.
2) AL Cy Young Award: CC Sabathia
Sure, you can talk about Greinke, Verlander and King Felix, but CC won 19 games and threw 230 innings. What’s more, he struck out 197 batters and only walked 67. He was the guy who fronted the staff, plain and simple. He wasn’t just a horse; he was a giant horse.
P.S. Honorable mention goes to Mo. He may be “just” a closer, but his name has to figure into any discussion of the year’s best pitcher.
3) AL Manager of the Year: Joe Girardi
While it’s true that Mike Scoscia pulled his team through adversity, I’m picking the guy we love to bash – and not just because the Yankees won 103 games with him at the helm, impressive as that is. I give him props for slotting Jeter in the leadoff hole, for sending the players off to the pool hall during spring training, for manipulating the rotation after Wang got injured, for leaving Hughes in the pen and for resting CC, AJ and Andy enough that they were good to go the extra mile in the playoffs. Joe, you gave me heartburn on a regular basis, so I’ll celebrate your honor by downing some of this.
#4) AL MVP: Derek Jeter
A case could be made for Joe Mauer, obviously, but I honestly think Jeter could win this one. He had 212 hits, batted .334 and won a Gold Glove. If all that’s not valuable to a team, I don’t know what is. I love Tex as a candidate too. And A-Rod deserves to be mentioned because the Yankees’ season turned around after he came off the DL. But I’m tipping my cap to the Captain.
And now a round of applause for all the winner.
P.S. Since many of the comments dealt with Cooperstown today, I wanted to add the pics Cheshirecat sent me from his recent trip there. The first one is a plaque of The Mick. (Be still my heart.) The second is of Cheshirecat standing next to the Holy Cow cow! Enjoy!
Confessions of a She-Fan 
I keep hearing about Greinke. I’m glad that people are noticing C.C. He is very dependable and contributed highly to his team. I feel bad for Greinke playing with the Royals.
Greinke could win it, heddo. I wouldn’t be surprised if the writers overlooked the Royals’ finish in their division. But CC was every bit the ace of the Yankees’ staff this year. I would think he’d get some consideration.
I’m with you on all accounts, Jane, except for MVP. I know that his post-season numbers were far from stellar, but the MVP is supposed to be regular season results only so my selection is Tex. There is no way we would have had the amazing record we had without him. I’m looking forward to many seasons to come with his fabulous defensive and offensive contributions.
The Giants had a bye week and my NY Jets lost a heart breaker yesterday — I’m not a basketball fan (luckily) and both our hockey teams are not showing signs of a great season. Soooooo…once again, we ask, how many weeks til pitchers and catchers???
I like your predictions Jane. I hope at least one of them comes true. There are definitely other players out there that played amazing baseball, but as you pointed out the Yankees won the most games in the regular season. Hopefully that will count for something (I like your tribute to Giradi!)
I went to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown with my sister this weekend and it was great! There were a ton of Yankee fans there. The country-side around there is beautiful, the Hall itself was very interesting and it made me miss baseball! A couple was getting married in the Hall while we were there, a Yankee fan and a Red Sox fan (good luck to that). I also finally remembered to give my sister my copy of your book Jane, but I told her I needed it back when she was done because it was the copy you had signed.
A good case could be made for Tex, Diane. No question. I just felt a momentum shift toward Jeter in the last few weeks of the regular season. I’d be thrilled with either as the winner.
A Yankee fan and a Red Sox fan got married at the Hall of Fame, cheshirecat? That’s hilarious. Good luck to them and may they have many happy years of bickering. LOL. I’m glad you got to see Cooperstown. It’s on my list of must-see places. I hope your sister gives you back my book. Sharing is good, but it’s yours!
With all the second guessing Yankees fans (and the rest of the world) did with Girardi this season, I think Joe winning Manager of the Year Award is little more than a fantasy at this point… but Jeter has a shot. I don’t think he’ll end up winning MVP, but he certainly has a case.
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
http://mtrredstatebluestate.com
The Award for Most Entertaining Blog goes to………….
Jane Heller (who else ?).
Thanks for all the fun this season, during the off-season and looking forward to next season … :o). As Ralph Kramden would say to Alice …. “You’re the Greatest” ….(wow …I am dating myself ..haha)
Go Yankees 2010 !!!
Jane,
I agree with all your choices. Too bad we don’t get an actual say so in the awards 🙂 Hopefully one or two will win though! Also, loved your videos from Mo’s on your last post. It looks like you had a great time in NY!
~ Bran
Dear She-Fan #1,
As you wing your way westward, allow me to post some more rambling ruminations. In my opinion, YOUR opinion on these awards is Best for us Yankee fans…Ah-Save-Us may never come close to ROY honors for the AL, but he sure as shootin’ earned the nickname we gave him when we needed him…Diane, you know how Jersey Bob & I have agreed ad nauseum all year that Tex was The Difference (other than pitching) this year…his fabulous glove remade the entire infield defense…allowed Jeet and Cano to play over more, away from 1B, knowing they could trust in Tex (from Maine to Mex, as the old jingle goes)…Jeet owes his GG to Tex, no question…give CC a Cy, but Girardi…hey, at least he backed himself up with that #27…great story itself.
On to other ramblings…Cheshirecat, so glad you saw C’town, EVERY beisbol fan needs to go…it’s a little jewel of a town, and you swell with pride over all the Yankee contributions…sorry I didn’t get to read All About Mo’s until this morning — a great time even without The Man…we had a rare good day in D.C. (any time the Redskins win and Dallas loses, we all come to work with a big smile)…Good Luck all!
Marriage between a Sux fan and a Yankee fan??! I hope there’s a pre-nup that says any children will be raised as Yankee fans. Which was the bride and which was the groom? I’m not sure why it would matter, I’m just interested.
We’re going to be up in East Chatham, NY over the extended Thanksgiving weekend and we’ve never been to the MLB Hall of Fame. Maybe this would be a good opportunity…I don’t think its too far from where we will be.
Should I try a similar theme with the Mets and get laughed off the planet?
http://www.paullebowitz.com/
http://princeofny.blogspot.com/
Girardi could surprise people, Jeff. He would surprise me if he won!
I accept, Peggy. But you realize I wouldn’t be doing this without you guys.
It would be great to have a Yankee somewhere in the awards process, Bran, so my fingers are crossed. Glad you enjoy my evening at Mo’s!
I’m about to board the plane now, Dave. So I hope I’ll be blogging from the other coast later! (Fingers crossed for that too.) You made me want to go to Cooperstown even more. And yes, Saturday night was really fun, even without the presence of Mo himself.
HAHAHA, Diane. A prenup would be essential for those two. We’ll have to see if Cheshirecat responds, but my guess is the bride was the Red Sox fan. Just a hunch. East Chatham isn’t exactly close to Cooperstown – maybe they’re a couple of hours apart? – but if you have time I’m sure it would be worth the trip.
Yes, do a post about Mets picks, Paul. It would be hilarious!
Oh, Diane…if you’re ANYWHERE near C’town, and you have the time, & can drag your family along…ya gotta go. The scribes like to describe Wrigley/Fenway etc. as baseball cathedrals, but this is like the Vatican…or St. Peter’s Square, or sumthin’…when we went (back in ’96), I made sure to buy a postcard of every great Yankee…they sell little postcards of EVERY HOFer, just a photo of their bronze plaque…makes a proud proud addition to your memorabilia, let me tell you…there’s tons more, but those postcard plaques are so affordable & special…and stroll by their Little Jewel of a ballpark, too…wish I could join & escort you (& Jane too) and anyone else…Drink It In, Eat It Up!!
I didn’t even think to ask who was the Yankee fan and who was the Red Sox fan. I will say though that if their union lasts it will be proof that love really can over come all obstacles.
I would encourage all baseball fans (like all the readers here!) to see the Hall of Fame. They play a short movie they encourage you to see before touring the museum and it made me a little teary. There is something really special about seeing a uniform that Babe Ruth actually wore. (I have a picture of me next to Babe Ruth’s actual locker). I am glad I went during the off-season though. Even though the area may not be as pretty in November as it would be in June, I think it would be a mob scene to go up there during the summer.
I didn’t even think to ask who was the Yankee fan and who was the Red Sox fan. I will say though that if their union lasts it will be proof that love really can over come all obstacles.
I would encourage all baseball fans (like all the readers here!) to see the Hall of Fame. They play a short movie they encourage you to see before touring the museum and it made me a little teary. There is something really special about seeing a uniform that Babe Ruth actually wore. (I have a picture of me next to Babe Ruth’s actual locker). I am glad I went during the off-season though. Even though the area may not be as pretty in November as it would be in June, I think it would be a mob scene to go up there during the summer.
Whoops! Sorry for the double post.
I agree with your picks Jane! (Loved the horse for CC. Every time he pitches, I comment on how HUGE his neck is.)
If anyone goes to Cooperstown, you can actually make quite a trip out of it. There is a great farm museum, and it is the birthplace of James Fenimore Cooper, author of Last of the Mohicans, etc. So if you’re traveling with non-baseball people (poor souls!) you might be able to persuade them to go for other reasons.
As for awards, the Yankees practically swept the special Oscars last night. Lauren Bacall won a lifetime acheivement award. She starred with Gary Cooper in Bright Leaf and of course, Cooper was in Pride of the Yankees.
John Colley won the Irving Thalberg award. He produced The Loved One that starred Dana Andrews who was in The Westerner with Gary Cooper.
Cinematographer Gordon Willis won one and he worked on the Godfather, which had Sterling Hayden, who was in Manhandled with Dan Duryea, who was in Pride of the Yankees.
And Roger Corman got one, and he was an actor in Swing Shift, that starred Goldie Hawn, who, of course, is Arod’s girlfriend’s mom.
So congratulations Yankees!!!!
Melissa
; – )
Hey Melissa…whawazzat, “3 Degrees of Separation from Lou Gehring?” Fascinating movie trivia stuff, 4 sure. Hey, did you know that when Gary Cooper played the Iron Horse in the movie, the film parts of him swinging and running the bases were filmed BACKWARDS? You see, Lou was a pure lefty, and Cooper was purely right-handed. So they filmed him swinging the bat, but then running to THIRD BASE, and then REVERSED the filming when they put it in the movie! Why, Johnny Damon would be proud, methinx…Now THERE’S some trivia 4 ya! BTW, rented the new version of “Pelham 123” last weekend…enjoyed it…and at the very end of the movie, Denzel’s character asks “Mayor” Gandalfino, “Hey, are you a Yankee fan?” Da Mayor says “no,” but then quickly adds, “oh, uh…yeah…of course!” Almost like it was scripted for 2009…LOVED IT!!
I think that CC, Girardi, Jeter, and Tex may actually have a real shot, although they face some tough competition.
http://bronx-awesome.mlblogs.com/
Well, Jane, the AL ROY went to a Oakland Athletic I doubt a lot of folks ever heard of outside of the Bay Area. This guy didn’t register on my radar (the NL ROY was more of a “huh?” choice, if you ask me) – and probably several other radars along the way.
The only choice I agree is with Joe getting Manager of the Year. He deserved it coming from the mountain of criticism at the season’s onset to raising the Commissioner’s Trophy. Yet, I question whether these choices were based solely on regular season standards and any postseason consideration is moot. If that’s the case – I still give it to Girardi for the reversal of fortune that began this summer.
http://heirloom.mlblogs.com
Classic Jane, you really need to find yourself a regular writing gig *grin*
Cob
http://cobf.mlblogs.com
thanks for the laugh. i love the idea of alfredo as rookie of the year. i completely love the yankees but i don’t think any of them will win any awards and i am not even sure they should.
but the real point is that i don’t care this year. we go the biggest, bestest and aj would say funnest award. we got the world series trophy!
as for the yankee fan and red sox fan union, i can say from 22 years of experience, it’s not easy and at times beyond annoying but totally possible and the sox fan better be so completely amazing that it’s worth it.
barbara
I hope your predictions come true for Jeter, CC, and Girardi, Jane. That would just be icing on the cake at this point.
I too, highly recommend going to Cooperstown as I FINALLY made it there myself this summer (my mom and sister were kind enough to take an alternate route home so we could stop on our way home from Springsteen in Saratoga). It was magical. I took tons of pictures and felt like a kid in a candy store. I definitely need to go back and just look at it all again as there was so much to absorb! There were a lot of people but it wasn’t too bad in August. I did see some Sox fans but no Yankee/Sox weddings, lol. I wonder if they’ll have to watch games in seperate rooms…
~D
Hi Jane,
Love the horse! Anyway, I loved your picks for awards, but I think my guy Tex should win MVP. Without him carrying the team before A-Rod returned, and all those homers afterwards, not to mention all those spectacular plays at first (wish I could do the splits like he does!), he deserves it hands down. I will always love and cherish Jeter, but this year, my heart belongs to Tex! (Not to mention that Tex was my starting 1st baseman on my fantasy baseball team!).
Diane, if you are in East Chatham, get on the thruway heading west, take the exit for I-88, and head on down to the Cooperstown exit. It should take you around 2 hours, give or take. It is so worth the effort, especially this year. I heard that Damon’s spikes and Matsui’s bat have been sent to the HAF. Plus, wear that Yankee gear and flout it in the face of any non-believers!
First of all, Diane, from the comments here it sounds like you MUST go to Cooperstown on your trip to East Chatham! You have no choice but to follow everybody’s suggestions and then come back and report!
Melissa, I absolutely love your “Three Degrees of Separation from Lou Gehrig” comment, as Dave called it. Genius! I read about those awards last night and I never made the connection, so you really do have Yankees on the brain at all times. LOL.
They do face tough competition, Babu. I don’t know which way the voting will go, but I’d have to lean toward Greinke for Cy Young. I guess we’ll find out very soon.
Randy, I was only vaguely aware of Bailey so I couldn’t have been more surprised when I got off the plane tonight and saw he’d won ROY in the AL. Good for him, especially since he’d struggled in Double A, apparently. I would hope the writers focused solely on the regular season for the awards, since that’s what they’re supposed to do.
I do need to find a regular writing gig, Cob. This one doesn’t pay anything. 🙂
Yes, we did win the “funnest” award, Barbara. (I still laugh when I think of AJ saying that.) But I’m greedy. I’d love to see one of my picks pick up some hardware.
I hope Diane reads your comment, wirishrose. She needs to go to Cooperstown and so do I! You really made me want to see it all.
Kathleen, I hope Diane reads your comment too. (I love how we’re all ganging up on her. LOL.) So okay. I’ll let Tex win the MVP award if you really want him to!
Oh yeah forgot to mention ther exhibit with the stuff from this World Series (Damon’s spikes, Matsui’s bat etc) was not up yet and no one I asked knew when it would be up. But hopefully soon.
That cow cracked me up.