One Man's Ballot for Season 10

Seattle - In an effort to help pass the time after a brutally disapointing season (they always are in Seattle), we are sharing our ballot for awards and the rationale.
AL MVP Candidates:
Ricardo Johnson
Brian Martin
Frank Nicholson
John Barkley
Pat Tallet
While there are 5 guys on the ballot, Tallet comes out of consideration right from the getgo since Johnson is clearly the MVP of the Robins.
After that I excluded Nicholson and Barkley as well. While both would be welcomed with open arms in Seattle, both played for teams that didn't make the playoffs and their #'s pale in comparison to the remaining 2.
That left just Johnson and Martin. At first glance I was sure I was in the Johnson camp. But after studying the #'s it was a lot closer then I realized. Johnson played every game and had 120+ more AB's, whereas Martin had #'s that were close. In the end I flipped a coin.
PICK - Martin

NL MVP Candidates:
James Suzuki
Garrett Perez
Benito Pichardo
Dave Glaus
Derrick Stanley
First the exclusions...Stanley had a GREAT year, however I'm not sure he's even the MVP of his team (Lenny Singleton anyone?) so he's out.
I'll also eliminate Pichardo, who had a phenomenal season for the Portland Jacks, helping lead them to the playoffs once again. But his #'s pale in comparison to the others.
That leaves just 3 remaining (Suzuki, Perez, & Glaus). I could easily have picked any and made an argument to back it up. For example, Glaus was the best offensive player on a dominant team. Perez has the best #'s and plays a premium position (CF). However, I'm going with Suzuki because despite the injury to B.C. Parent Suzuki kept this team going and got Chicago back to the playoffs once again. Some might say that it could be attributed to a weak NL North division. To that I say look at his OPS, his perfect fielding PCT (albeit at 1B), and the fact that he carried his team offensively at times.
PICK - Suzuki

AL Cy Young Candidates:
Harry Pena
Tomas Maduro
Felipe Matos
Ralph Decker
Duane Boyd
The first exclusions are Matos and Maduro. Matos because a)Frazzman might have a coronary and b)you can't win a Cy Young w/ an ERA over 4 and other worthy candidates remaining. Maduro because he pitched 58 innings and while was very good, it needs to be damn near historic to win the Cy with that few IP's.
At first glance it looks like Duane 'Don't call me Dennis' Boyd has the #'s to win it. However, then I remembered to factor in ballparks. That led me to pick Ralph Decker, who pitching in the bandbox in Philadelphia put up similar #'s to the remaining 2.
PICK - Decker

AL Cy Young Candidates:
Lenny Singleton
Albert Boone
Fausto Bennett
Zephyr Johnson
Gregory Randall
This is easy since Lenny leads in nearly every major statistical category. I will say that Boone, Bennett or Randall would've won if any were in the AL.
PICK - Singleton

AL ROY Candidates:
Earl Lincoln
Steven Wolf
Tex Leach
Brian Sullivan
Frank Maddox
I'm going with Maddox on this one. he was dominant as a setup man, pitching over 100 innings. But because the 3 hitters (Wolf, Leach, & Sullivan) have similar #'s (and none dominant) I am going with Maddox.
PICK - Maddox

NL ROY Candidates:
Milt Brock
Harry Pelaez
Cyrus Curtis
Julio Bonilla
Ralph Davenport
This was a tough call. Brock gets excluded because he doesn't have overwhelming #'s at 1B. All 3 hitters have similar #'s but I'm going with Julio Bonilla for 1 reason - He plays the Hot Corner. Still, I wouldn't argue with anyone making a case for Pelaez, Curtis or Davenport.
PICK - Bonilla

What Song Title Best Fits Your Team?

In light of the current discussion on the World Chat, I decided to assign a song title from my I-Tunes to each ML team.

*Disclaimer: Some of these song titles are pretty negative. I don't want to hear any bitching about how "I'm insulting your team" or something. This is supposed to be entertainment, not to be taken seriously. That's all. Making fun of my musical tastes is fair game, though. If anyone is confused as to why I assigned a specific song title to their team, feel free to ask me on the World Chat.


And here goes...



Chicago Beast: I'll Be Alright Without You - Journey
Seattle Salty Dogs: The Pretender - Foo Fighters
Vancouver Loonies: Dream On - Aerosmith
Toronto Flare: Shot Down In Flames - AC/DC

Charlotte's Queen Men: 10 Years Later - Collective Soul
Wichita 'weed: I'm Going Slightly Mad - Queen
Trenton Thrashers: After The Thrill Is Gone - The Eagles
Kansas City Baby Blue Soundcrew: It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - Bob Dylan

San Antonio Missions (Viva The Puffy Taco): Don't Panic - Coldplay
Memphis Maniax: Alive - Pearl Jam
New Orleans Crawdads: Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
Louisville Legionnaires: Don't Know Why - Norah Jones

Sacramento Terrible Two's: Aces High - Iron Maiden
Honolulu Anteaters: Our Finest Year - Better Than Ezra
Portland Jacks: Good - Better Than Ezra
Colorado Springs Coyotes: Like A Stone - Audioslave

New Britain Block Heads: Breaking Their Hold - Avenged Sevenfold
Fargo Roughriders: It's A Hit - Rilo Kiley
Philadelphia Dead Milkmen: Over My Head - The Fray
Helena Misfits: Come Back Down - Lifehouse

Washington D.C. Federalists: No One Really Wins - Copeland
Norfolk Loyalists: Panic Attack - Dream Theater
Boston Colonials: What Happened To Us? - Hoobastank
Pawtucket Patriots: Nowhere Fast - Incubus

Jacksonville Jackals: Karma Police - Radiohead
El Paso Ultraviolence: Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd
Richmond Poor Men: Never Enough - Dream Theater
Iowa City Shuckers: Getting Better - The Beatles

Anaheim Natural Disasters: Complete Control - The Clash
Los Angeles Robin's: Damage Control - John Petrucci
San Diego Storm: Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Las Vegas Muckers: Everybody Hurts - R.E.M.