MLB

Three weeks ago, a great deal of the discussion surrounding the Yankees 27th World Championship was about "The Core Four."

Much was made about how Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Jorge Posada had remained together since the minor leagues and that they had been instrumental in five world championships in the Bronx.

Forget about Pettitte leaving for three years to go to Houston. Andy has to be considered a key to the Yankees winning these five titles. He was a big-game pitcher in 1996 and contributed to the titles won in 1998, 1999. and 2000. 

In the convoluted spheres of American democracy, the voters rarely deserve praise.

With so much misdirection, so much double-speak, and so many battling special interests, true merit almost never enters the equation that determines the eventual winner and it's generally an afterthought when it manages to sneak into the fray. If the right man or woman ends up on top, coincidence is usually to blame.

Albert Pujols has officially been named the National League’s most valuable player for 2009.

This is Mr. Pujols’ third MVP honor, previously being named NL MVP in 2008 and 2005.  Earlier this award season the St. Louis Cardinal first baseman collected his fifth Silver Slugger award and his second Hank Aaron award.  2009 also brought his eighth All-Star selection via the most votes of any player in either league and depending on your definition of “decade”; he was named the ‘Player Of’ this past one by The Sporting News.

Joe Mauer is a very good baseball player.

Being awarded the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award solidifies the obvious.

Despite missing the first month of the season due to a back injury, he put together a solid season while setting career highs in numerous categories. 

His numbers are not eye popping. They are solid numbers from a teammate, who led a club many wrote off once 2006 MVP Justin Morneau was shelved for the remainder of the season.

Clay Buchholz is the pride and joy of the Boston Red Sox’s farm system.

With a minor league record of 31-14 with a 2.42 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and a 4.05 K/BB ratio, it was clear that Buchholz was destined for glory even before he hurled a no-hitter in his second career Major League start.

The Red Sox think very highly of him—so highly, in fact, that GM Theo Epstein lost out on chances to acquire Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Adrian Gonzalez because of his unwillingness to part with Buchholz.

Last offseason, the Red Sox made a concerted effort to bolster their offense by signing Mark Teixeira. There were also several rumors of them attempting to trade for various offensive stars. They also seemed determined to upgrade their captain Jason Varitek with a younger, more offensively oriented catcher.

They pretty much failed in every effort.

However, the team projected as stacked, and there were few public concerns.

Geovany Soto entered the 2008 season as a player with a ton of upside potential, having made his presence felt in a 2007 cup of coffee (.389, 3 HR in 54 AB).  Having lived up to his potential, owners entered 2009 thinking that he was easily a top five catcher in all formats, taking him early in drafts to ensure they got production out of a position that generally doesn’t offer much.

Unfortunately, saying that he fell flat would be an understatement.  His season was a disaster, with inability and injury holding him to a line of: