The awards: win, place and show - Baseball

The envelope, please: A.L. MVP. 1. Alex Rodriguez, Rangers; 2. Jorge Posada, Yankees; 3. Carlos Delgado, Blue Jays.

It's time to stop the "Anyone but A-Rod" nonsense; my preference is to give the award to a championship contributor, but when no standout candidate emerges, the best all-around player will suffice. Rodriguez arguably deserved the award in 1996, 2000 and '02, but circumstances conspired against him. This time, they're on his side.

N.L. MVP. 1. Barry Bonds, Giants; 2. Albert Pujols, Cardinals; 3. Jim Thome, Phillies.

The only argument against Bonds is that he appeared in just 130 games, but no one should penalize him for caring for and then grieving for his father. Yes, Pujols finished with 35 more RBIs, but Bonds dwarfed him and every other major leaguer in on-base and slugging percentage, and his team won a division title. Thome would be a worthy choice in most seasons; he led the league after the All-Star break with 24 homers and 64 RBIs.

A.L. Cy Young. 1. Tim Hudson, A's; 2. Roy Halladay, Blue Jays; 3. Pedro Martinez, Red Sox.

Yes, Halladay finished with 22 wins to Hudson's 16, but Hudson's ERA was more than a half-run better, and he had a higher percentage of quality starts. His victory total was depressed by inconsistent run support and four blown saves by closer Keith Foulke; Hudson had a 2.64 ERA in his no-decisions, and the A's went 10-1 in those starts. Where is 21-game winner Esteban Loaiza? Missing, just as he was in September, when he went 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA.

N.L. Cy Young 1. Eric Gagne, Dodgers; 2. Mark Prior, Cubs; 3. Jason Schmidt, Giants.

Gagne's season was mind-blowing--he was a perfect 55-for-55 in save opportunities and struck out a record 14.976 per nine innings--but this race would have been more interesting if Prior hadn't missed nearly a month with an injured shoulder. Prior was 10-1 with a 1.52 ERA after the All-Star break, and a fall season of such dominance would have sparked a debate over whether a lights-out starter was more worthy than a lights-out closer. Schmidt's league-leading 2.34 ERA was nearly 1.5 runs better than that of 21-game winner Russ Ortiz, who had the league's fourth-best run support.

A.L. Rookie 1. Angel Berroa, Royals; 2. Hideki Matsui, Yankees; 3. Rocco Baldelli, Devil Rays.

Berroa finished with more home runs and a higher OPS than Matsui and made only five errors in his final 95 games playing shortstop. Matsui's .335 batting average with runners in scoring position was more than 70 points higher than Berroa's, but he mostly played left field, a less critical defensive position. Baldelli, the Indians' Jody Gerut and the Rangers' Mark Teixeira each could have won in other seasons. Only two rookies since 1900 have matched or bettered Baldelli's totals for hits, runs, stolen bases, extra-base hits and RBIs--"Shoeless" Joe Jackson in 1911 and Carlos Beltran in 1999.

N.L. Rookie 1. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins; 2. Scott Podsednik, Brewers; 3. Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks.

Cabrera, 20, didn't join the Marlins until June 20, but he led the team in RBIs after the All-Star break despite switching from third base to left field at the major league level and making the jump from Class AA. Only the Mets' Ty Wigginton had more RBIs among N.L. rookies, and his 71 were in 573 at-bats; Cabrera's 62 were in 314, and Cabrera's .793 OPS was 79 points higher. Podsednik is only the fourth rookie to hit better than .300, score 100 runs and steal 40 or more bases. Webb was more effective than Dontrelle Willis, who was 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA after the break.

A.L. Manager. 1. Tony Pena, Royals; 2. Grady Little, Red Sox; 3. Ron Gardenhire, Twins.

Relentlessly upbeat, Pena kept the Royals rolling despite injuries to Beltran and Mike Sweeney and a pitching merry-go-round that forced him to use 29, including 15 starters. Pena shows every sign of becoming the American League version of Dusty Baker, a manager whose motivational skills compensate for any strategic shortcomings. Little showed admirable poise trying to manage the unmanageable Red Sox bullpen. Gardenhire should have made Johan Santana a full-time starter before July 11, but he got the most out of the Twins when it counted.

N.L. Manager. 1. Felipe Alou, Giants; 2. Dusty Baker, Cubs; 3. Jack McKeon, Marlins.

My guess is that McKeon will win, but Willis arrived just before his hiring on May 11 and Cabrera five weeks later. Alou took over a World Series team with several new parts, made masterful use of his bench and bullpen and proved he still is one of the game's elite managers. Baker would be an equally fitting choice for leading the Cubs to their first division title since 1989. No, I didn't forget Bobby Cox, who is deserving every year. The field is just too crowded.

Executive. 1. Larry Beinfest, Marlins; 2. Brian Sabean, Giants; 3. Terry Ryan, Twins.

Let's see: I ripped the Marlins for signing Ivan Rodriguez, ripped them for acquiring Ugueth Urbina and snickered along with everyone else when they hired McKeon. Beinfest more than deserves the last laugh. Operating with little margin for error, his in-season additions of Urbina, Jeff Conine and even Chad Fox proved critical to the Marlins' wild-card run and maybe saved baseball in South Florida. The underappreciated Sabean again worked his magic with the Giants, and Ryan's trade for Shannon Stewart transformed the Twins.

M@IL BONDING

KEN ROSENTHAL ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS

Is Roberto Alomar a Hall of Famer? Sekhar Ramaswamy, Chatham, N.J.

Sekhar: Yes, he is. Alomar, 35, ended the season 321 hits short of 3,000. Reaching that milestone practically will guarantee him a place in Cooperstown, and I plan on voting for him regardless. But the issue no longer is as clear-cut as it once appeared.

Alomar made amends with umpire John Hirschbeck, whom he spit on while with Orioles in 1996, and that isolated incident should not be held against him. But he has declined markedly the past two seasons, and his occasionally indifferent play troubles me.

Voters, however, generally forgive such sins when judging the breadth of a player's career. During the first half of '96, Alomar was the best all-around player I've ever seen. He also was terrific with the Blue Jays--remember his homer off Dennis Eckersley in the '92 ALCS?--and later with the Indians.

His resume includes 12 All-Star appearances, 10 Gold Gloves and five top-six MVP finishes. He likely will end up with 500 doubles and 500 stolen bases in addition to 3,000 hits. That's a Hall of Famer.

SPEED READS

* Look for the Diamondbacks' Bob Brenly to head the list of managers in trouble at the start of next season. Brenly has lost respect within his clubhouse, but the cash-strapped D-backs don't want to swallow his $1 million salary for 2004 until it's absolutely necessary. Al Pedrique, manager at Class AAA Tucson, is a possible low-budget alternative.

* Phillies manager Larry Bowa also is safe for the moment, but the team should replace hitting instructor Greg Gross with Charlie Manuel, a special assistant to G.M. Ed Wade. Manuel, Jim Thome's former manager with the Indians, could help fix an offense that was fourth in the N.L. in strikeouts, and he could replace Bowa if the Phils stumble.

* The Blue Jays are a team to watch in '04--they improved from 78 to 86 victories, winning as many games as the White Sox. A weak schedule contributed to the Jays' 18-7 record in September, but they were 9-10 against both the Yankees and Red Sox. With improved pitching, they could be dangerous.

INSIDE DISH

By KEN ROSENTHAL

Operators of the QuesTec Umpire Information System in Cleveland and Milwaukee walked oft the job in September, halting the high-tech assessment of ball-strike calls in those parks for the rest of the season. Umpire sources say the operators left because they were not paid by QuesTec, but a Major League Baseball official cited umpire mistreatment of the operators as a possible factor. Sandy Alderson, MLB's executive V.P. of baseball operations, says he has "no idea" why the operators quit but adds that turnover in the positions is not unusual. With only a handful of games remaining, MLB chose not to replace the operators. A World Umpires Association grievance against MLB over the QuesTec UIS is pending.... Dodgers manager Jim Tracy strongly denies that he is at odds with G.M. Dan Evans. "Our working relationship is very, very solid," Tracy says. "The suggestion that there's a lack of communication between us couldn't be further from the truth." Both Tracy and Evans could be in jeopardy once the team is sold. A's G.M. Billy Beane would be a natural target for a new owner.... A's OF Jose Guillen displayed admirable courage hitting a home run in just his second game back from a broken wrist, but one scout says, "If he were in the first year of a three-year deal, he wouldn't be out there." An agent who knows Guillen says the player is desperate for a big score as a free agent. Guillen, whose is being paid $500,000 this season, never has had a salary of more than $975,000.... CF Kenny Lofton had an .852 on-base/slugging percentage after getting traded to the Cubs, a much better mark than the .759 OPS he posted for the Giants after joining them at midseason last year. The Pirates rave about the professionalism he displayed with them during the first half of this season. "We kept hearing he wouldn't be a good guy on a non-contending team," one Pirates official says. "But there was not a hint of anything negative. And he's a much smarter player than people give him credit for." ... The Braves chose RHP Greg Maddux to pitch Game 3 of the Division Series, partly because they believed their first two starters, RHP Russ Ortiz and LHP Mike Hampton, would be better suited to work on three days' rest in Games 4 and 5, if necessary. Hampton is 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA lifetime on three days' rest, according to STATS Inc., but he hasn't pitched under those conditions since 2000. Ortiz worked seven shutout innings in his only career start on short rest, in Florida on April 7. Over the past 10 seasons, Maddux is 9-2 with a 2.32 ERA in 15 starts on three days' rest but is only 1-1 with a 7.20 ERA in the postseason.... A measure of the Giants' depth: Backup 1B Andres Galarraga finished with 12 homers, four more than starter J.T. Snow in nearly 60 fewer at-bats. All-purpose reserve Pedro Feliz had 16 homers, four more than 3B Edgardo Alfonzo in nearly 300 fewer at-bats.... Marlins 1B Jeff Conine says former Orioles teammate OF Larry Bigbie is deceptively fast. "He had at least five infield hits taken away from him just because the umpires didn't think be could run like that," Conine says. Bigbie batted .329 (68-for-207) over the final two months. ... Speaking of Conine, one executive cites him as the kind of player Pirates OF Jason Bey might become. Bay, acquired in the Brian Giles trade, would be a bigger coup for the Pirates if he had a higher ceiling, but Conine is no slouch. His career OPS over 12 seasons is a solid .802.

(S) FOX is the exclusive network television home of the playoffs and World Series. For complete coverage of the postseason, through the final out of the Fall Classic, go to www.foxsports.com, keyword: MLB.

KEN ROSENTHAL

kenrosenthal@sportingnews.com

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