Handing out the hardware

Well they're in folks. And if you're like me, you were unable to sleep until today's announcement. That's right, I'm talking about This Year in Baseball Awards. Now, every time I read that, I keep thinking of Mel Allen's voice, saying "This Week in Baseball." My Mel Allen impression isn't all that good written, I apologize. Obviously, it would be disconcerting if Mel Allen were to read "This Year in Baseball," like that, because he is rather dead. But I miss him, and I miss that show. Came on WWOR at 1 pm before Mets games when I was growing up, and I always caught it. Never missed Kiner's Korner either, which back then was truly Kiner's Korner and not "Matt Laughlin's Korner with Ralph Making a Guest Appearance to Wave and Mutter Something Incoherent About Stan Musial."

I like awards that are determined as a result of fans being ordered by MLB.com to vote repeatedly - now that's a process with integrity. I think most countries in Central America have fairer election procedures. Regardless, two Mets took home the hardware, and I think we can safely say that Pedro has earned his $53 million now that Best Blooper is back at Shea where it belongs. I haven't felt this proud since that time Bill Pecota came in to pitch in a blowout loss in 1992. Good times. Seriously, it's a cute award, good for Pedro - it was a sheer stroke of genius to splash playfully in the water there, few would have thought of that.

The real honor goes to the future mayor of New York, the great David Wright, for winning Play of the Year for his catch in San Diego. Just a brilliant, barehanded catch, and words do not do it justice. You know what the best part was? We all moved on from it. If a certain SS who plays for a certain team in the AL East were to make a similar play, we'd be subjected to months of stories about his immesne greatness, how he's the greatest Yankee captain (whoops, gave it away) in the history of the universe, how his touch cures AIDS, how it doesn't matter that none of his quantifiable stats are all that impressive because he just has that certain something, blah blah blah. Nope, none of that with Mr. Wright. Makes the play, we all continue with our lives, quietly knowing that we will bask in his glow for the next fifteen years. (shame on me, this isn't going to devolve into an anti-Yankees blog - that's the last time you'll hear me criticize Isaac Mizrahi, I mean, Derek Jeter).

Another bonus of the Wright play was it will give us something to remember from that day in San Diego besides, "yes son, and that is the day that Mike Cameron had his face crushed to smithereens in a horrible, horrible, tragedy."

In other news:
Braden Looper is going to the Cardinals, 3 years, $13 mil. Enjoy him St. Louis, he's great! I actually think he'll be fine as a 7th inning guy, and wouldn't have minded if the Mets had brought him back. I think he got a very generous deal, and I wouldn't have wanted my team to go that high on him, but I wish him well. Actually, I don't wish him anything, what do I care.
Carl Everett to the Mariners: As long as he isn't baby sitting for anybody, he's not a bad pickup for the M's. I think he can give them 25 homers, 85 ribbies, take some pressure of Sexson and Beltre. Remember the great years in 1999 and 2000 he had with Houston and Boston? Man, those are a distant memory.
Tony Batista to the Twins: There is nothing interesting I can say about this. Everybody, go work on a good immitation of his batting stance and we'll have a contest or something.
Johnny Damon isn't going anywhere yet, and with Boras running the show, he probably won't for a while. But Double A asked for my prediction on where he'll end up, and I figured I would make my prediction public. If I'm wrong, then let's just say this entry might "disappear." It might just have to "sleep with the fishes," as they say. I might have to bludgeon this entry with a lead pipe and bury it somewhere in upstate NY. Well now I've just said too much. In any event, I'm predicting: Back to Boston, 5 years, $60 mil. Why? I think Boston values what he's meant to them on and off the field. Nobody's going 7 on him. Not sure how high the Dodgers will go. And I think if it's a matter of a few dollars, the Red Sox aren't going to let him run to the Yankees. So they'll compromise, go a little higher, the market for Damon won't bear much more anyway, and there you go. Look at me with my predictions, gutsy right?

Alright, good luck studying, test taking, working, etc. Another one tomorrow.