No. Not the Atlantic hockey division. But how about that atrocious Atlantic NBA division which even includes the 6-11 Isiah Thomas Knicks? Amazingly, after a 101-98 road win at Cleveland, Thomas’ club trails the first place 6-9 Nets by just a game in what is the NBA’s worst division. Just how pathetic is it? One game separates all five losing teams with both Boston and Philadelphia at 5-9 just a half game off the pace while the Knicks and Raptors are five under and a game back. Let’s put it this way. Until an inspired three point comeback win at Boston last night, the Nets had lost six straight. After a winless West coast trip, they even managed to fall at home to the lowly Bobcats (4-11). So they desperately needed a W just to get back on track. Just think though. One freaking victory in their last seven was good enough to vault them into first! If it was any worse, it would be renamed the Titanic. Realistically, the defending Atlantic champion Nets should be the best of this mediocre bunch. With the Big Three of Kidd, RJ and Vince-sanity all healthy along with Uconn rookie Marcus Williams and Nenad Krstic inside, they should be good enough to break away from the pack. But slow starts for Lawrence Frank’s squad are common. Last year, they had a similar sluggish beginning only to catch fire in the second half and pull away. So will it happen again? Logic says yes. But for now, they remain one of five teams that would be in big trouble in any other division. Only in the NBA could this be possible. “I love this game!”

While we’re on the subject of the Knicks, it’s not surprising that five of their six wins have come away from MSG. Let’s face it. Knicks fans hate this team and won’t support it until Thomas is fired (haha like that’s happening) or Stephon Marbury is traded. The former Lincoln High product has been anything but advertised. Instead of playing to capability, the league’s self-proclaimed “best point guard” has mysteriously gone stretches without taking any shots. And in games where he has shot the ball, he’s been very lackluster. And to think how it was thought everything would be cool with his buddy Isiah running things and not former sheriff Larry Brown. The dilemma for the Knicks is that there are too many guards on the roster. Steve Francis and Marbury basically are the same player while Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson see major minutes off the bench and usually provide a lift. Marbury needs major time to produce along with the freedom to get involved offensively. His confidence is shot. Anyone can see that. He needs a change of scenery. Why he won’t ask out might be a matter of pride. He doesn’t want to look like he’s quitting. Though you might get some disagreement here. It’s a situation worth watching.

The best things that can be said about the Knicks are the continued emergence of second-year small forward David Lee and rookie Renaldo Balkman. Lee leads the team in rebounding with over nine-per-game and is almost a double-double with 10.1 PPG. Meanwhile, the much maligned Balkman who was selected as the Knicks’ first round pick back in June over Williams has worked his ass off. He might not score a lot but the hustle this young man displays in the defensive end and doggedness is why Thomas selected him. He looks like a fan favorite already. So far, so good.

Manny Ramirez is once again expected to be moved by the Red Sox this offseason. It could come pretty soon or maybe it will turn out the way it has the past few years when Boston was entertaining getting rid of their prodigious righty slugging left fielder but wound up holding onto him. Just think. If they had pulled the trigger back in 2004, they most likely don’t break their World Series drought. Sometimes, the best trades you make are the ones you don’t. The 34 year-old former George Washington high school standout has had one of the best careers. In 13 seasons with both the Indians and Red Sox, he’s slugged 470 home runs and driven in over 1500 (1516) while hitting .314. Just awesome overall numbers from one of the premier hitting talents. So, why does Theo Epstein want to trade a guy who’s averaged 39 dingers and 119 RBI’s in six seasons while hitting over .300 in five of those six? Granted, this isn’t your normal player. Ramirez is a bit odd and certainly beats to his own drum. Or as it’s become better known as “Manny being Manny.” So what if he doesn’t play every game? Or what if he doesn’t always play a solid left field? He’s still one of the most lethal sluggers in all of baseball. Do the Sox really trading him and replacing Manny with J.D. “DL” Drew is going to improve their ballclub? Come on! Nothing against Drew who when healthy should hit 25-30 homers and drive in over 100 and play a solid outfield. But he’s not even close to Manny Ramirez! Take him out of their lineup and that handcuffs David Ortiz. Big Papi will not see as many good pitches and will get frequently pitched around. The Sox should do the wise thing. Forgive Ramirez for sitting out 30 of their final 38 games after that embarrassing five-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees at Fenway. Ramirez will comeback with a vengeance. He always has been a lock for 35-40 HR and 120+ RBI’s. Last year, if he didn’t miss time, he’d have hit close to 50 out and driven in at least 130 if not more. He’s just an awesome player. For all his defensive shortcomings and zaniness, he’s still one of the most dangerous hitters in the game. And it’s not like they’re going to get equal value back for him. I’ll take Manny any day. The Red Sox do this and they probably miss the postseason once again next year. Ramirez might be a lot of things but he’s THE MAN!

Our pic of the day is one which is priceless every year in NYC and is proof why this is the greatest city in the world and what makes this time of year truly special:

If one word were to summarize the Christmas Tree lit up at Rockefeller Center, beaufiful comes to mind. Of course, I could think of many words. Remarkable. Scintillating. Stunning. Unbelievable. Incomparable. Breathless. Special. etc.

The holiday season around here will always be like a classic GNR song. “One In A Million.” Of course, that’s not what that song was about. But still. It fits just for why I love Manhattan around this time of year. Nothing shines as brightly as that tree. If you have a chance to see it, don’t pass it up!

Happy Holidays!!!!!

It’s been a while. So I figured I’d just jot down what’s on my mind. In no particular order:

-The baseball signings have been fast and furious. With a little emphasis on furiou$. The Soriano deal was already covered last week. Carlos Lee got $100 million and I think six years from Houston. Okay. He should hit at least 35-40 home runs and drive in 120-130 plus supply much needed batting protection for the overlooked MVP candidate Lance Berkman.

-The Mets paid a 40 year-old Moises Alou between 8 and 9 million. I have always been a fan of his but why commit that to a vet who just came off a season in which he played under 100 games? They also already have the overpaid and dwindling Shawn Green in the same outfield. If you play Alou and Green in left and right, Carlos Beltran is going to have cover even more ground. This makes Endy Chavez even more vital. So where does this leave Lastings Milledge? Not sure. He has already been ragged on repeatedly by the NY papers for not being professional enough and thinking too highly of himself. And btw…he refused to go to Winter Ball. Is this the kind of player Omar Minaya wants around?
-So, you want rational signings? In the span of two days, Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews, Jr were paid like superstars. Pierre got five years $44 million from the Dodgers and Matthews Jr somehow received $50 million over five years from the Angels. Pierre at least was a proven centerfielder who could leadoff and provide solid D and team speed. He also helped the Marlins win their second World Series in 2003. Matthews, Jr??? He cashed in on a career year at the age of 32. It is literally amazing that he got the kind of payday he did. He was a bench warmer before this year. But now he’s paid like a star. Only in baseball. Are both Pierre and Matthews worth that much? Come on. Maybe the two GMs got too much California sun. It’s the only explanation. Man. I want what all those Californians are having.

-The same Angels also gave another 30-plus unproven pitcher Justin Speier four years $18 million. And then you wonder how Jamie “freaking” Walker can get three years $12 million from Baltimore. Hey. Danys Baez was also given $19 million over three years by the Orioles to setup. Sadly, that’s the going rate for an eighth inning reliever. So think baseball doesn’t need a salary cap?

-Woody Williams is 40 years-old. He’s been a reliable top three starter the past few years for St. Louis and San Diego. He’ll be making over $6 million per the next two years pitching for his favorite team the Astros. If he pitches to capability, he’ll actually be worth that. Who says life doesn’t begin at 40?

-The same Mike Stanton who the Yanks once released a couple of years ago will make $5 million over two years in San Francisco. Why? Cause although he might be more washed up than Brett Favre but he’s a lefty reliever.

-Frank Thomas proved he still could be a capable runproducing DH with Oakland and drew MVP consideration. So The Big Hurt was rewarded with a 2-year $18 million contract from Toronto. Hey. If he stays relatively healthy like this past year, it’s a good calculated risk by the Jays.

-Of course, the biggest news of this offseason was the Red Sox off the charts payment of over $51 million just to negotiate with Japanese pitching star Daisuke Matsuzaka. Say what?!?!?!?!?! And if they reach agreement on a contract by the December 14th deadline, how much will it cost total? Theo Epstein better pray that the Seibu Lions’ ace is worth all this. In related news, the Yankees had the winning bid of over $26 million for 27 year-old lefty Kei Igawa. He’s projected as a fourth or fifth starter and should compete for a spot in the rotation next Spring provided Brian Cashman can reach agreement with the Hanshin Tigers star by December 28.

-The last time we talked about Giants football, they looked like they were on their way to winning the NFC East and easily into the postseason. But since a brutal second half implosion to the Bears, they have dropped three straight including a dismantling at Jacksonville and a dreadful choke job at Tennessee this past Sunday. Somehow, Big Blue managed to blow a three touchdown fourth quarter lead against Vince Young and the Titans. Of course everything has been covered already from Plaxico Burress quitting on an Eli Manning pick to Frank Walker’s stupidity on a late hit to Tiki Barber’s inability to pickup first downs to Kiwanuka’s non-sack to Eli’s terrible interception with 41 seconds left. But it just keeps getting worse for them heading into their big first place showdown at the Meadowlands against Bill Parcells’ sizzling Cowboys. Outspoken tight end Jeremy Shockey went on record as saying Dallas had no shot as long as the Giants play “their game.” What exactly is their game at this point? Fail to execute offensively and be unable to make key stops on D. Of course, Parcells let his team know about the dumb remarks by the Shockmaster. Naturally, the former Giants coach downplayed it at his press conference trying to play dumb. It was kind of funny cause you know better. Then today, a ticked off Michael Strahan went berserk at an ESPN reporter for asking a question about his remarks about Burress. He challenged her to look him in the eye and not expect an answer which would divide the locker room after their big players’ only meeting a couple of days ago. I loved it. Not just cause it was ESPN but because he was right. That’s how these reporters act. They look for anything and then spew inaccurate garbage usually. So, will the Giants be ready come Sunday despite their third-year QB in a slump and despite the D still banged up and despite Tom Coughlin losing his mind and maybe his team? Oh. They’ll be ready. There is too much at stake here. This team knows what’s on the line. The question is will they be able to execute good enough to make a statement and beat the Cowboys and march back into first by sweeping the season series? The answer promises to be intriguing this Sunday at 4 ET/1 PT.

-Meanwhile, there’s no such utter nonsense going on with rookie coach Eric Mangini’s overachieving 6-5 Jets heading into Lambeau for another must-win game at Green Bay. Amazing. Who would’ve thought they’d have the same record as the Giants at this point. They don’t have a lot of talent but win the games they’re supposed to and bust their asses. And nobody finger points. Much easier to admire.

-If Syracuse played an easier opening basketball schedule, they’d be St. John’s without the chance to play in March. How come nobody ever talks about this?

-Tell me how USC is more worthy than Michigan when the Wolverines beat Notre Dame by even more in South Bend. Yep. This BCS system really works.

-The Rangers go as far as Jaromir Jagr and Henrik Lundqvist takes them. Belated congrats to Jagr on becoming the 16th NHLer to reach 600. But more vital to him last week was passing Jari Kurri for first among Europeans on the NHL goalscoring list. Jagr also became the ninth player to play for the Rangers and score 600-or-more. Can anyone name the other eight?

-If SI doesn’t reward Roger Federer with Sportsman of the Year, something’s wrong. Nobody dominated their sport more than the 25 year-old Swiss men’s No.1. He took home three more majors and made a French Open final, finishing the year with a ridiculous 92-5 match record and winning an incomparable 12 titles. Unthinkable. By next year, he’ll surpass American Jimmy Connors for the longest run of consecutive weeks at number one. To put it in frank terms, The Maestro is a genius with a tennis racket. Eight grand slams already including four Wimbledons, two Australians and back-to-back U.S. Opens. Can anyone stop him from reaching Pete Sampras’ record 14? It’s not like the competition isn’t stiff. Figure the resurgent Andy Roddick to be in the mix for 2007 and Rafael Nadal to continue his improvement. James Blake should also challenge as should risers Andy Murray, Marcos Baghdatis and Richard Gasquet. Maybe even Tomas Berdych breaks through. Either way, it’s not easy to dominate the sport the way the classy Federer does. He deserves every accolade.

A few hours after cohosting the NY Hockey Report with Joe McDonald, I wanted to make some comments on the locals and other stuff:

1.A belated congratulations to Rangers team captain Jaromir Jagr on scoring his 600th career goal in a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay Sunday. More recently, he notched two more including No.602 to pass Finnish legend Jari Kurri, becoming the highest scoring European in NHL history. That is a remarkable accomplishment for No.68 and he hinted that it probably meant more due to being European. The guy wanted Broadway a few years ago but had to wait a bit longer before getting his wish. Since, he’s lit it up and made hockey relevant again at MSG. That’s no small feat considering all the megastars who came here and failed miserably. Jagr is starting to rediscover the ‘05-06 form which made him the league’s second leading scorer and a runner-up for the Hart to San Jose’s Joe Thornton. With six goals in his last five games after just five in his first 17, Jagr is starting to dominate once again. And linemates Michael Nylander and Martin Straka are meshing well, once again making them one of the league’s most dangerous lines. The difference is this time, they have Brendan Shanahan supporting them and he’s leading the league with 17 goals and playing as inspired a brand of hockey as you could expect. With Henrik Lundqvist finding his game and the blueline no longer lost, the Blueshirts could be primed to go on a run.

2.Despite the Devils’ disappointing 3-1 loss at Phoenix, they should feel very good about where they are in the standings. Despite top center Scott Gomez missing significant time due to a groin injury, they’re sitting where they usually do atop the Atlantic with a 12-7-1 record, tied with the Rangers with 25 points but with two less games played. What also has to be promising is that they have accomplished this with little production from team captain Patrik Elias (4 goals). Elias is a talented player who can be extremely streaky. Once he gets untracked, watch out. Ditto Brian Gionta. The Mighty Mite only has 1 goal in his last 10. With Gomez back, that should change. The best part is they found themselves a reliable second line with North Dakota connection Travis Zajac and Zach Parise teaming up with Jamie Langenbrunner to form a dynamic line that can forecheck effectively and create excellent scoring chances. This is their best cycling line by far. Last year, the Devils lacked an effective forechecking line that could work opponents. This weakness was exposed by the Hurricanes in last year’s second round exit. With this trio showing great chemistry, it should bolster their chances of faring better next Spring.

3.The Islanders continue to defy the cynics by playing a solid brand of hockey under Coach Ted Nolan. They dominated the Hurricanes in a 4-2 win which wasn’t even a contest. In fact, they outshot the defending champs 20-1 in the first period and registered 49 shots overall. Resurgent captain Alexei Yashin continued his inspired play with a goal and assist while team leading finisher Jason Blake notched his 12th of the season. The good news for the Isles is that Shawn Bates also chipped in with a goal and Miroslav Satan added an empty netter. They’ll need more support from them as well as Mike York and Trent Hunter if the surprising 10-7-3 Islanders are to stay in the race. That along with continued solid netminding from Rick DiPietro and backup Mike Dunham will be the key.

Maybe it just wasn’t in the cards for Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter to win his first ever AL MVP award. While many felt he was worthy of finally taking home what some referred to as a “lifetime achievment award,” the popular 32 year-old Pinstripe shortstop couldn’t overcome the lofty power numbers Twins first baseman Justin Morneau put up. The 25 year-old Canadian slugger put up 20 more home runs and 33 more RBI’s to garner 14 more votes including three more firsts (15 to 12) to take home his first ever MVP. So, was Jeter robbed? Nah. While I would’ve voted for DJ, Morneau was very deserving. You can’t argue against the numbers he put up and how he helped carry the Twins down the stretch en route to a great comeback overtaking the AL Central over the Tigers on the last day of the season. He also was in a worse lineup. Even if catcher Joe Mauer took home the batting title outpointing Jeter by four, you can’t compare the Twins lineup to the Yankees. Plus the Twins were in a better division with more pressure just to reach October. So I can’t go nuts over Jeter not winning. Would it have been nice? Absolutely. And should the fact Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui along with Robinson Cano were out for long stretches have tilted the vote his way? Maybe. But Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and A-Rod were all still healthy. I will say that this was Jeter’s best season. Amazing considering it was his 11th year. He really was tremendous for the Yanks with Sheff, Matsui and Cano all out and helped keep them in the AL East race when they could’ve buckled. In the end, this award is about gaudy numbers. That weighs heavily against a player who won’t have the power production but brings the intangibles to the field everyday. Still, the season Jeter put together of .344-14-97 with 34 steals, 118 runs (2nd to Grady Sizemore in AL) and a reliable .381 with RISP (2nd in AL) should be remembered by this town forever. So he didn’t take home the hardware. To read some of Morneau’s quotes about being surprised, Jeter didn’t have to. He already won.

For more on why this wasn’t robbery, we suggest Daily News columnist Mike Lupica’s column. While I may not agree with him much, he nails it here in a very well put together piece on why Jeter might be No.2 this time, but is not here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/473815p-398607c.html 

A solid piece by what is a very gifted writer. I just wish he didn’t have biases. But I guess in reality we all do. While we’re on the MVP discussion, the NL race also could’ve gone either way. But in the end, voters went for second-year Phillies first base slugger Ryan Howard over last year’s winner Albert Pujols. I love Howard. He was just awesome this year and simply dominant the final two months. He was the only reason the Phillies went from being under .500 to over and challenging for the wild card. He was that clutch. Now, Pujols was every bit as big time for the Cards. Without him, they don’t make the postseason and maybe win 70 games. You could go either way here. Neither guy was a bad choice. Both are terrific.

Our pic of the day comes courtesy of a Houston Rockets game. Apparently, they decided that their cheerleaders needed to really wow the crowd by really getting up. You’ll see what we mean:

Man, now that’s what I call entertainment! No truth to the rumor she has more skillz than Eddy Curry! Poor Fat Albert.

Everyone knew that when Alfonso Soriano became available on the market, he would have a lot of suitors. Especially after becoming the fourth member to 40/40 and first ever player to go 40/40/40 (HR, SB and doubles). The most interest came from the Cubs and Phillies. But in the end, it was a desperate Chicago who were coming off an NL worst 66-96 record who won the bidding. The final total was eight years, $136 million. EIGHT YEARS 136 MILLION!!!!! That averages out to a cool $17 million-a-year. Of course, my diehard (slowly dying in probably alcohol at his Stanford dorm by now) Cubs buddy John was furious about this. How dare they get a player of Soriano’s calibre! While I can understand his frustration with the insane contract length, the cost was about right. If the most overdiscussed player in baseball history and ironically his favorite , then why can’t the player he was traded for get eight million less? You have to put Soriano in that category. Apparently, new Cubs skipper Sweet Lou Piniella thinks a lot higher of the ex-Yankee who made the adjustment from second to the outfield with the Nationals. And why shouldn’t he? Soriano certainly can give a boost to that lineup and make it one of the most dangerous outside the Mets. Especially with Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez still there. Plus second baseman Mark DeRosa, who GM Jim Hendry inked for three years at $13 million. They are spending a lot and why not. They got to try something. Soriano can bat leadoff or hit in the middle of the order and has plenty of power and speed. Now all the Cubs need is to improve their pitching which still has question marks after Carlos Zambrano. Unless Mark Prior returns healthy which never seems to happen, they need to upgrade here. Rich Hill pitched well down the stretch which was encouraging but whether he can do it over a full season remains to be seen. They will need Wade Miller to show his Astros form from a few years ago as well. It looks like Kerry Wood will be converted to a closer, which makes plenty of sense. Considering how awful the Cubs pen has been in recent years, they could do a lot worse than making the Texas native a one inning pitcher. If he makes the adjustment, he could dominate late in games. They also recently made a swap with the White Sox for Neal Cotts. The lefty was a great setup man in ‘05 but slumped badly this year with an ERA over 5.00. If he can recover, their pen could be significantly upgraded. The Cubs will also need to address their shortstop and could be in the bidding for the versatile Julio Lugo. It wouldn’t be a bad sign. But he’ll probably wind up with either the Red Sox or Mets for a hefty price.

Of course, the Cubs must improve dramatically in order for this Soriano signing to work. When you ink that kind of contract, you better make a difference. Not the kind A-Rod made on Texas before asking out. Soriano has a chance here to prove he’s better than the player he was dealt for. Turn the Cubs into winners and he’ll be a hero and even my friend John will have to admit he was wrong. But if he doesn’t, he’ll be crucified. Such is the price when you get that kind of dough. We shall see.

Okay, it’s been a couple of days since our last entry. And over the past few days, there’s been plenty of baseball news. With Thanksgiving around the corner, MLB has been handing out their annual awards. So let’s get to each item and give our little synopsis starting with the awards that have been handed out:

NL ROY: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins- One of Florida’s many talented rookies, the first-year shortstop acquired in the Josh Beckett deal was a consistent sparkplug at the top of the surprising Marlins’ lineup who hit .292 with 51 steals (3rd in NL) along with 17 home runs, 51 RBI’s and 119 runs scored (5th NL). That kind of production was good enough to edge super National third baseman Ryan Zimmerman 105-101 in what was the closest vote ever. Zimmerman finished with a .287 average to go with 20 dingers and 110 RBI’s. The Marlins also had second baseman Dan Uggla and starter Josh Johnson finish 3-4 while Scott Olsen, Josh Willingham and Anibal Sanchez all received votes. Impressive stuff. This award could’ve gone either way. I’d have even been happy if Ramirez and Zimmerman shared it.

AL ROY: Justin Verlander, Tigers- No surprise here that Verlander garnered 26 of 28 first place votes to easily outdistance injured competitors Jonathan Papelbon and Francisco Liriano. The 23 year-old righty went 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA in helping Detroit to its first postseason since 1987. He also became the first Tiger to take home the award since “Sweet” Lou Whitaker back in 1978. Had his chief competition been healthy, the vote would’ve been much closer. Also, Seattle’s Kenji Johima and former Angels top pick Jered Weaver finished 4-5 to round out one of the best AL rookie classes.

NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks- In about as unheralded an NL class ever, the Arizona sinkerballer proved to be the best and won by a comfortable margin (103-77) over Padres closer Trevor Hoffman. The 27 year-old Webb went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA. To put in perspective how rare it was that an NL Cy winner took home the hardware after winning just 16 times, the last pitcher to do it was the Cubs’ Rick Sutcliffe in 1984 when he dominated to go 16-1 after coming over in a trade from Cleveland. Different circumstances. So was Webb the best choice? Hard to say. Last year’s winner Chris Carpenter finished third while the Astros’ Roy Oswalt was fourth. Also getting votes were Carlos Zambrano and Mets’ closer Billy Wagner. Considering how weird a year it was in the senior circuit, it’s hard not to go along with Webb. He’s not a flamethrower but is rock solid and probably flew under the radar as much as the Yanks’ Chien-Ming Wang, who ironically finished second in the AL balloting to Johan Santana. The difference being Santana dominated and was a clearcut above.

AL Cy Young: Johan Santana, Twins- No surprise here that the Twins’ southpaw took home his second Cy Young in three years by becoming the 14th unanimous winner to sweep all 28 first place ballots in easily outdistancing the aforementioned Wang above. The 27 year-old Santana tied for the league lead with Wang in victories (19) while leading in ERA (2.77) and strikeouts (245)- becoming the first pitcher to lead in all three categories since the Mets’ Doc Gooden in 1985. Meanwhile, the second-year Yankee hurler Wang received 15 second place votes and 51 points to place second after going 19-6 with a 3.63 ERA. Finishing third was Toronto’s Roy Halladay while Angels’ closer Francisco Rodriguez took fourth. Also getting consideration were Joe Nathan, Verlander and Kenny “Vaseline” Rogers.

NL Manager of the Year: Joe Girardi, Marlins- Predictably, this has caused a typical overreaction of whining from Daily News columnist Mike “Know It All” Lupica, who of course went to bat for Mets skipper Willie Randolph yesterday. Nothing against Willie. He’s an excellent manager and did a solid job overcoming injuries to Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine and then El Duque in October. But correct me if I’m wrong. How did Randolph’s club finish with the best record in the NL, tying the Yanks for the ML lead? With plenty of offense. Their offense destroyed opponents. When you have a top five of Reyes-Lo Duca-Beltran-Delgado-Wright, you should be able to win consistently. Their payroll was the highest in the NL. So while expectations were up, Randolph had plenty of talent to work with here in getting the Amazins back to the postseason. Girardi on the other hand managed mostly a very young club full of rookies and turned them around from a dreadful start (14-31) to an NL wildcard competitor before they fell off the last two weeks. Impressive stuff and with the lowest payroll in baseball. And don’t forget. Two of Randolph’s best players (Lo Duca, Delgado) came from Florida. They raped their own division rival. So Lupica should just can it. He’s the biggest hypocrite ever. We all know if it was Joe Torre and the Yanks, this Mets shill would never utter a word. Only with one New York baseball team does payroll matter. Never with the other guys. Congrats to the writers on getting this one right in what was a close vote with Girardi beating Randolph 111-81. Don’t forget that most expected Florida to finish with over 100 losses. That’s why what Girardi did in getting them to win 78 games was very impressive. Too bad he won’t be back to get them to the postseason next year.
AL Manager of the Year: Jim Leyland, Tigers- Little suspense here after what the 62 year-old Leyland did turning around Detroit. Drawing 118 votes, he beat out the Twins’ Ron Gardenhire, who got 93 votes. Former A’s skipper Ken Macha finished third while Torre was fourth. Leyland became just the third manager to win this award in both leagues, joining exclusive company in Tony LaRussa and Bobby Cox.

Coming next week: NL and AL MVP announcements.

We’ll have more hot stove talk in our next entry later tonight.

Our pic of the day comes from where else but via the poster pack attack at outsidethegarden.com. To think this hilarious avatar proved symbolic last night: