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Sunday, November 11, 2001

By Steve Ziants, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

In keeping with the theme of an emotionally confusing week, The Guy In The Stands offers an optimistic diversion from the game's future ... by reminding you of the game's future.

Rookie of the year awards will be handed out tomorrow afternoon. Cue Ellen DeGeneres. Fluff up the swan frock. And the winners are ...

Actually, the winners are a given: Seattle's one-named wonder in the American League, St. Louis' Albert Pujols in the National.

The overwhelming certainty of their victories, however, is as strangely misplaced as Bud Selig's tale of woe Tuesday even as Jerry Colangelo's hair stylist was still steaming dried champagne from his neatly coifed 'do.' For 2001 gave us the finest class of rookies since ... well ... how does ever sound? There are a half dozen or more players who in another year could easily have beaten out Todd Hollandsworth or Bob Hamelin for first-year honors. A half dozen or more who might leave us looking back on 2001 with that same reverence we give a '52 Mantle rookie card.

Time, history and Ken Burns' grandchildren will have the final say on that one. But there is a measuring stick that is a bit more immediate -- not how the voting goes tomorrow, but a week from tomorrow when MVP voting is announced.

Since at least 1993, only two rookies have finished in the top 10 -- Boston's Nomar Garciaparra ( eighth AL, 1997) and Los Angeles' Mike Piazza (ninth NL, 1993). We are likely to see four and maybe five next week alone. And perhaps even at the top. As the season wound down, there was a school of thought that Ichiro Suzuki could be the first rookie to be named MVP since Boston's Fred Lynn in 1975.

"You could make cases for a lot of guys, but I'd have to lean toward Suzuki," said Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman.

Pujols has similar support on the National League side. "He's why we are where we are," said Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty as the Cardinals fought Houston down the stretch for the NL Central title.

Only one problem. He resides in the same league as Barry Bonds, he of the 73-home run season, and Sammy Sosa, he of the three 60-home run seasons.

As Luis Gonzalez, a 57-homer guy with, incredibly, no hope of being named MVP, said during the World Series: "You look at past MVPs. There are guys who hit 30 home runs with 110 RBIs. ... Now you're in the middle of the pack."

The same goes for this very special class of rookies.

NL rookie ballot

1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals, .329, 37 HRs, 130 RBIs. ... "He's like a young Manny Ramirez," a scout told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Psst! He's still only 21.

2. Roy Oswalt, Astros, 14-3, 2.73 ERA. ... "He's one of those guys who needs to get called up," teammate Jeff Bagwell said. "This league's too easy for him."

3. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies, .274, 29 2Bs, 12 3Bs, NL-best 46 SBs. ... The first player since Lou Brock in 1968 to lead the NL in triples and steals.

Maybe in any other year ... Cincinnati's Adam Dunn hit 19 homers after his callup July 20 after he had hit 32 in the minors. ... St. Louis pitcher Bud Smith went 6-3 in 14 second-half starts, beat Arizona in the division series and, by the way, threw a no-hitter in his 11th big-league start. ... Colorado's Jose Ortiz hit 13 homers with 35 RBIs in 204 ABs after being acquired from Oakland. ... Philadelphia's Brandon Duckworth was 3-2, 3.52 ERA after being thrown into the middle of a pennant race in September.

AL rookie ballot

1. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, AL-best .350, rookie record 242 hits, 127 runs, AL-best 56 SBs. ... What didn't he do, right up to and including selling tickets? Has already won a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove this award season.

2. C.C. Sabathia, Indians, 17-5, 171 Ks in 180 1/3 IP. ... Set a franchise rookie record for wins.

3. Alfonso Soriano, Yankees, .268, 18 HRs, 73 RBIs, 43 SBs. ... A true Yankee? He beat the Mariners in Game 4 of the ALCS with a two-run homer, drove in the winning run with a single in the 12th inning of memorable World Series Game 5, and his eighth-inning homer off Curt Schilling in Game 7 would have been the difference had it not been for Mariano Rivera's inexplicable meltdown.

In any other year ... Tampa Bay's Brent Abernathy was hitting over .300 until a September slump. ... Seattle's Joel Piniero (6-2, 2.03 ERA) was downright nasty on right-handed batters, who hit just .150 against him after his callup in July. ... Milwaukee's Ben Sheets was an AL All-Star before arm problems limited his effectiveness.

Contraction action

Why couldn't Bud Selig wait a few more days before dropping the house on us? Because as he stood at that podium in Chicago, there were just 97 days until pitchers and catchers report. Think about it. Ever try to get a jaywalking case through the courts in 97 days, let alone what Buddy Boy proposes? ... Joe Mauer, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Twins in last June's draft, says he'd likely pack his bags and head off to Florida State to resume his football career. ... Could you imagine the AL West with Seattle, Oakland and a realigned Arizona? ... One Boston-area columnist was already salivating at the idea of Mo Vaughn returning to the Red Sox if the Angels are broken up to make room for the Marlins in Anaheim. ... From Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News: "If baseball really is concerned with the fans and not numbers in bank accounts, here is an idea. Why not contract the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox and put fans out of their miseries."

Comings and goings

From his home in the Dominican Republic, Pedro Martinez vented in the direction of Boston this week. "I don't want gossip or last season's bickering," Martinez said in reference to the soap opera that enveloped the Red Sox the last two months of the season. "There will be some changes in Boston or there will be no Pedro Martinez." Martinez has two years remaining on his contract. ... The Mets -- the NEW YORK Mets -- have reportedly expressed an interest in acquiring John Rocker. ... No surprise here. The White Sox did not pick up their $10 million option on pitcher David Wells this week, making him a free agent. ... Jose Canseco plans to play in Puerto Rico this winter to prove to teams he can still play the outfield. ... Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo reiterated that the high-priced Diamondbacks would not be broken up, a la the 1997 Marlins. "Not in your lifetime."

Bring 'em on

A favorite line from the World Series just completed. Miguel Batista, Diamondbacks Game 5 starter, on the prospects of pitching against the vaunted Yankees on the equally hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium: "I don't care if it's the angels of Jesus, I have to try to pitch against them and beat them."

This 'n' that

Think about it. But for the sake of two outs, the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees six of seven games. Such is the thin line between classic and ratings killer. ... The Guy is jealous. The Devil Rays offer a season ticket at Tropicana Field in a section called "The Beach." Then again, if The Guy were a fan of the Devil Rays, he'd probably prefer the section known as "The Bar." ... FYI: Derek Jeter, 27, has already played in five World Series. Babe Ruth played in seven. ... Going into this World Series, a player who had played on all four Yankees world champions -- there were nine of them -- would have earned $1,131,504.60 in Series shares on top of their regular salaries. ... If Mark McGwire does retire, and from the sounds of it he is leaning that way, you might be lucky to get a hotel room in Erie let alone upstate New York for Hall of Fame Weekend 2007. The class (all first-ballot inductees) would shape up this way: Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn, McGwire and possibly Rickey Henderson. ... Joe Falls of the Detroit News is this year's recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August.

Shot and a jeer

Shot: Not every team that lost 100 games is raising ticket prices this off-season. Tampa Bay dropped the cost of 9,500 box seats and held the line on 13,500 others.

Jeer: What does it say about the Pirates when oddsmakers give the Expos (150-1), a team that might not even exist next week, a better shot at winning the 2002 World Series?