Major League Baseball and the Scotty Awards

I wonder if anyone really picked San Diego and Cincinnati to lead their divisions at the Major League Baseball all-star break.
Honestly.
Did anyone?
I bet folks in Cali and Cincy didn't even pick their teams. They are among the nice surprises in what's been an interesting baseball season. And, they are among the nominees for the Scotty Awards. I would randomly give these out when I was in the sports writing business. Time to pull them out of moth balls.
The votes are in and have been tabulated by the accounting firm of Dewey, Cheatem and Howe.
The envelopes please .......

Biggest surprise: San Diego Padres leading the National League West. Can anyone name the Padres starting lineup? I can't. I know Adrian Gonzalez and that's about it. And I saw them play the Cubs in a spring training game. I still can't name anyone. Wait, they have some guy that used to play for the Reds. Denorfia, I think. Anyhoo, I don't see a more pleasant surprise. When anyone talked about the Padres the conversation was usually about when Gonzalez would be traded and to where.
Biggest disappointment: Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. The Cubs paid beau coup dollars for the former long-time Rangers hitting coach, known all around baseball as a hitting guru, and it hasn't helped. Derrick Lee is struggling, Kosuke Fukudome is having his typical summer slide after a hot start and they are leaving too may men in scoring position and hitting into too many double plays. Their starting pitching is second in all of baseball with the number of starts giving up 3 runs or less and they are still 9 games out of first as I write this.
National League MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, Padres. Where would they be without him? 'Nuff said. Sorry Reds fans. Joey Votto is having a great year. But the Reds have some protection in the lineup.
American League MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers. He could win the Triple Crown. Anyone who is leading one of those categories and is second in the other two at the break deserves the nod.
NL Rookie of the Year: Gabby Sanchez, Florida. The first baseman was at or near the top of every sortable stat I looked at. I won't pick a pitcher for rookie of the year because (assuming it's a starter) he only plays once every 5 days.
AL Rookie of the Year: Brennan Boesch, Detroit. The outfielder is the real deal. Needs to cut down on the strikeouts.
NL Cy Young: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado. He has 15 wins at the break. He probably won't win 30 games but he will come close if he stays healthy. Lots of others were nominated but I always came back to U.J.
AL Cy Young: David Price, Tampa Bay. Tough call, but he's tied for the most wins (12) and has the lowest ERA among all pitchers with double-digit wins. Joakim Soria has a ton of saves for the Royals, but I seriously doubt Kansas City will ever have back-to-back winners.
NL Manager of the Year: Bud Black, San Diego. Many predicted a last-place finish and that Gonzalez would be gone by now, via trade.
AL Manager of the Year: Ozzie Guillen, Chicago. He has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in a few weeks. They are on a 20-5 streak.

This and that while I'm sitting here and there .....

* I wish soccer players would play until the whistle and stop raising their right hand and looking at the referee because they think they were fouled or there was offsides. It's not going to draw a call. If it wasn't already called, it won't be. Waaaaaaaaaah!

* How come baseball players and managers get ejected from a game for "showing up the umpire" but umpires can be extremely demonstrative when calling balls and strikes? I was watching a game the other day and the home plate ump, in calling a strike three, raised his left hand up and down quickly, pivoted to his right and then "punched the batter out" in a motion best described as an archer pulling the bow back extremely hard and quick. If I was the batter I would have been ticked. Especially since the call sucked.

* I can't blame LeBron James for leaving Cleveland. I don't like the way he did it, but he needed to get out. What did the Cavs ever do to try and get him help since he's been around. Delonte West won't win Cleveland a title. They signed Shaq and traded for Antawn Jamison?  That was the best they could do? Seriously? For real? At least the Bulls got Jordan guys like Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper and Dennis Rodman.


* I'm really about done with the baseball All-Star Game. Guys get voted in or selected as a reserve and then they get hurt and decide not to play so some scrub gets added to the roster who has as much business being there as I do playing from the tips at Augusta National. I understand that players get injured or have nagging injuries and don't want to play. But unless the guy is a starter, don't replace him. I think these overpaid grown men can handle playing a few innings longer. Back in the day the starters would go 5 or 6 innings or longer.


* Speaking of golf, isn't playing in the US Open, against the best players in the country and the world, tough enough? I was watching the final round of the women's US Open and wondered why the United States Golf Association makes the course so tough, for both the men's and women's event, that an aggregate score over par can earn second place (and many times win). Why toughen the course? They don't raise the crossbar to 15 feet for the Super Bowl. They don't move the outfield walls back 20 feet for the World Series.

* And finally, I leave you with one final LeBron James thought then I'm putting it to rest (unless something major breaks): I don't think Cleveland will win a title before James and the Heat do, but I do think Orlando, Boston and Chicago will all win titles before the Heat wins another.