It was a great year to eat cedar-plank salmon and then head for Safeco Field. It was a great year to sit around the clubhouse in Oakland and say, "Love that wild card."
It was a great year to sail a dinghy around McCovey Cove. It was a great year to own a satellite dish in suburban Tokyo.
|  |
| Derek Bell had anything but an enjoyable season in Pittsburgh this year. |
It was a great year to say you knew all along that Luis Gonzalez, Bret Boone, Frank Catalanotto, Juan Pierre and Lance Berkman could really hit.
And it was a great year to say you always did want Paul Abbott, Robert Person, Joe Mays, Steve Sparks, Jose Mesa and, of course, Cory Lidle, on your staff.
It wasn't such a great year to be a hitting coach in Milwaukee, a pitching coach in Texas, an attendance counter in Montreal or a member of the Dan Duquette Fan Club in Boston, you understand. But stuff happens in this game.
And that's why it's the greatest game on earth. So let's hand out our annual end-of-season awards. The envelopes please.
NL MVP
Barry Bonds
Bonds hit more home runs than Gary Sheffield and Mike Piazza combined (73 to 72). He had as many extra-base hits as Fred McGriff and Greg Vaughn combined (107). He broke the home run record and the slugging record and the single-season walks record. And every swing in every game meant something until the next-to-last day of the season. Other guys had great seasons. But it was Barry's year. Apologies to ... Sammy Sosa, Luis Gonzalez and Albert Pujols.
AL MVP
Jason Giambi
This was a question with no wrong answers and no right answers. You could have made a case for Ichiro, Bret Boone, Robbie Alomar, Juan Gonzalez or even A-Rod. But if Giambi hadn't held the A's together until Jermaine Dye showed up, there would have been no 102-win wild-card season. There would have been a closeout sale on future free agents and a let's-start-over mode in the executive offices. So Jason Giambi didn't just save the season. He saved the franchise. Apologies to ... all of the above.
NL LVP (Least Valuable Player)
Derek Bell
We're sure the two-year, $9-million contract the Pirates gave him seemed like a good idea to GM Cam Bonifay at the time. It probably didn't seem like such a good idea when Bonifay got fired. So halfway through that contract, Bell has a piece of a general manager's axing on his resume -- and he got 27 hits all season, drove in fewer runs than his pitching staff (13 to 12) and essentially vanished mysteriously after pulling a hamstring in July. But there's always next year.
AL LVP (Least Valuable Player)
Carl Everett
Wow, where do we start? He got outhomered by Craig Paquette. He accumulated more suspensions (two) than multihomer games (none). He grabbed an R-rated portion of his anatomy after Jamie Moyer had the audacity to plunk him one night. He has a chance to play a major role in getting two managers fired in one year. And now his team has to find somebody willing to trade for him. Good luck.
NL Cy Young
Randy Johnson
With four 20-game winners to choose from, there are plenty of Cy Young options in this league -- but only one Big Unit. The Unit didn't just win. He ate hitters for breakfast. Could this man really have rolled up 102 more strikeouts (307) than baserunners (205)? Not fair. Apologies to ... Curt Schilling, Matt Morris and Jon Lieber.
AL Cy Young
Roger Clemens
Mark Mulder may have had more wins and a lower ERA. Other folks may have piled up lots of attractive numbers. But when a five-time Cy Young award winner starts the season 20-1, you lower the checkered flag on this race. Apologies to ... Mulder, Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia, Mariano Rivera.
NL Cy Yuk
Bobby Jones
Led the league in losses and gopherballs. Just missed leading in hits and runs allowed. Had a 6.78 ERA after Memorial Day. Blew an 8-0 lead in his next-to-last start. Hmmm. Maybe he was really the other Bobby Jones.
AL Cy Yuk
Rick Helling
He actually got better as the year progressed. But a horrendous start and his ever-hospitable ballpark helped Helling win the pitching quadruple crown: Most hits, runs, home runs and earned runs allowed. Gave up 68 doubles and 106 extra-bas hits. Phew.
Rookies of the Year
Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols
It was one of the most stupendous years for rookies ever. And these guys had two of the most stupendous rookie seasons ever. They need to beat out C.C. Sabathia, Alfonso Soriano, Jimmy Rollins and Roy Oswalt, to mention just a few.
Managers of the Year
Lou Piniella and Larry Bowa
Lose A-Rod, win 116, your witness. Bowa, meanwhile, is a tough call -- since he'd barely get a vote in his own clubhouse. But he did raise the bar for a team that had no idea how good it was -- and that team went from 65 wins to 86. So Bowa wins a tight race with Don Baylor, Jim Tracy and Tony La Russa.
History Lessons
We're still not convinced this was the greatest season in baseball history. But was it the most historic finish to any baseball season in history?
One of baseball's foremost historians -- Lyle Spatz, chairman of the records committee of the Society for American Baseball Research -- is convinced it is.
"It had the most interesting set of records broken, feats accomplished and schmaltz to end a regular season that I can remember," Spatz said.
We may not have witnessed any Bobby Thomson-esque pennant-race heroics. But that was about all we didn't see in the last few days of this season. The memories included:
A 70th, 71st, 72nd and 73rd home run (Mr. Bonds).
The all-time runs-scored record broken, 73 years later (Mr. Rickey).
The Mariners blowing by the '98 Yankees, then waltzing with the 1906 Cubs.
A 3,000th hit (by Mr. Rickey).
Two sure Hall of Famers playing their final game (Messrs. Ripken and Gwynn).
The Babe's walk record broken (by Mr. Bonds), 78 years later.
Babe's slugging record broken (by guess who), 81 years later.
Four men in one league reach 100 extra-base hits. One (Bonds) ties Chuck Klein's NL extra-base-hit record, 71 years later.
A wild-card team wins its 102nd game, five months after falling 10 games below .500.
Great stuff.
Miscellaneous rumblings
No one in baseball still seems to know what to do about the Expos. But our theory that you could move them just about anywhere and draw more fans than they're getting in Montreal was proven by this fact: Six minor-league teams outdrew them this season. Here they are, courtesy of Josh Goldfine, of SportsTicker's Howe Sportsdata:
Buffalo (International League): 652,245 (avg. 9,592)
Louisville (International League): 649,243 (9,275)
Pawtucket (International League): 645,820 (9,226)
Sacramento (Pacific Coast League): 901,214 (12,517)
Memphis (Pacific Coast League): 887, 976 (12,507)
Round Rock (Texas League): 668,792 (9,554)
The Expos' attendance: 642,745 (avg. 7,935). A total of 11 minor-league teams had a higher average attendance than the Expos. And the Brooklyn Cyclones, of New York-Penn League fame, barely missed (at 7,821).
Loyal reader David Hallstrom actually tracks year-to-year attendance. And he found that the Expos' 30.61-percent attendance free fall in one season was the biggest percentage drop in the National League since the 1952 Boston Braves dropped by 42.3 percent, and the '65 Milwaukee Braves fell by 39.0 percent. Both of those teams, like Montreal, were about to dial Hardball Van Lines.
Tony Perez didn't say so publicly. But he told friends the reason he decided not to return as Marlins manager was that he expected the team to do another dramatic selloff of players like Cliff Floyd and Derrek Lee -- and to let Charles Johnson become a free agent.
The names hopping around the rumor mill in Florida are all of veteran managers -- a list starting with Buck Showalter and Felipe Alou. But given the youth on the roster and the uncertainty surrounding the future of the franchise, you could well see the Marlins turn to someone who hasn't managed in the big leagues before -- a Rich Donnelly or John Vukovich, ultra-sharp longtime coaches who would love a shot to manage.
Bud Selig still isn't tipping his hand on management's next labor move. But the latest idea being bandied about is one that would extend the current agreement not just one year but two -- so both sides can get a better read on the economic road map.
"A one-year rollover would be terrible for the game," says one prominent baseball man. "The economy in 2002 could be even worse than this year. Two years would be better. The economy should be better. It gives everybody time to figure out contraction. I think by then there would be a better chance to get an agreement."
The Braves now have made it clear to John Smoltz they think his future is as a closer. But it doesn't appear as if Smoltz has made up his mind that's what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
| |  |
|
| Smoltz |
"I know he loves starting," says GM John Schuerholz. "But relieving is less demanding on his elbow, in terms of the (Tommy John) surgery he's had. We have data that pertains to guys making the transition to that role after that surgery and flourishing for a long period of time. There's not as much data (supporting) starters coming back from that surgery."
If Smoltz does decide he wants to A) test the market and B) go back to starting, the line would be long. And one team at the front of that line would be the Phillies, who plan to shop for a No. 1 starter (or at least 1-A) this winter. (They're also interested in Jason Schmidt.)
Publicly, the Phillies continue to express optimism about re-signing Scott Rolen. Privately, they have mixed feelings about what they'll do if Rolen makes it clear he's only interested in a one-year deal so he can test free agency in 2002.
There is clearly some sentiment to keep Rolen regardless, taking a stance much like the one the A's took with Jason Giambi. Then next year, they would hope to show him that this year was no fluke, that the franchise's future is bright and that he and Larry Bowa will get along much better in their second season than in their first. If none of that happened, they could always market him in July.
But if they go that route, the Phillies will need to have an aggressive winter in which they bump the payroll significantly, pursue several major free agents and add several veteran players of stature. If they don't, they'll reinforce Rolen's skepticism about their commitment to winning -- and, just as bad, reinforce their on-the-fence fans' skepticism about the same thing.
Triviality
Only three pitchers -- all of whom are pitching in this year's playoffs -- have won 15 games or more in each of the last four seasons. Can you name them? (Answer at bottom.)
Useless information dept.
Barry Bonds wound up hitting 73 homers in a mere 476 official at-bats. To put that in perspective, only three men in history ever got that few at-bats and came within 30 of him -- Babe Ruth in 1920 (54 in 458 AB), Mark McGwire in '96 (52 in 423 AB) and Matt Williams in the '94 strike year (43 in 445 AB).
Three pitchers allowed a home run to all three 50-homer men in the National League -- Darryl Kile, Mike Hampton and James Baldwin (who did it within a span of 10 starts).
But when it comes to serving up memorable homers, nobody does it like Chan Ho (Out of the) Park.
This year alone, he gave up the home run that broke Mark McGwire's record (No. 71), he allowed two homers in one game to a guy who had already hit 70 (Bonds' 71st and 72nd) and Cal Ripken Jr.'s spine-tingling final All-Star Game home run.
And who can ever forget that on April 23, 1999, he set a gopherballing record that will never be broken -- by allowing two grand slams in one inning to the same hitter (Fernando Tatis).
Here's all you need to know about the respect for Bonds this year: The Elias Sports Bureau's Kevin Hines reports that five of his intentional walks this season came with first base occupied.
Jeromy Burnitz made it to 150 strikeouts, meaning the Brewers added to their historic strikeout credentials by becoming the first team in history to have three guys with 150 strikeouts. But nobody did more historic whiffing than Jose Hernandez.
It's hard enough to strike out 185 times in one year. But Hernandez almost struck out 150 more times than he walked. Which is unprecedented. Here are the five players in history to whiff at least 135 more times than they walked, courtesy of Elias:
|
Player
|
Team
|
Year
|
SO
|
BB
|
Diff.
|
|
J. Hernandez
|
Brewers
|
2001
|
185
|
39
|
(146)
|
|
Jim Presley
|
Mariners
|
1986
|
172
|
32
|
(140)
|
|
Juan Samuel
|
Phillies
|
1984
|
168
|
28
|
(140)
|
|
B. Hobson
|
Red Sox
|
1977
|
162
|
27
|
(135)
|
|
Cory Snyder
|
Indians
|
1987
|
166
|
31
|
(135)
|
Here's a bulletin: A strikeout feat that involved (at least partially) a non-Brewer. Hernandez and Jim Thome made this the first season in history in which two hitters whiffed 185 times. It had been done just five times ever before this -- twice by Bobby (Father of Barry) Bonds.
Remember when shortstops were supposed to just catch the ball and then try not to hit into a double play? Not this year.
A-Rod led his league in homers and runs scored. Cristian Guzman and Jimmy Rollins led their leagues in triples. Rich Aurilia led his league in hits. Miguel Tejada led his league in grand slams. And Rollins tied for the league lead in stolen bases. If you're not getting offense out of that shortstop hole these days, you're in the wrong era.
How long did Cal Ripken Jr. play for the Orioles? He played with seven Orioles named Smith, five named Davis, four named Johnson, four named Martinez and 12 different men who wore the number 41.
Our buddy, Blair Lovern, of Baseball America, reports that right to the end, Ripken was consumed by the power of the number eight:
His last at-bat was in the 8th inning.
The home-plate umpire for his last at-bat -- Doug Eddings -- wore No. 88.
His last at bat ended in a flyout to center field. That's an "8" in the old scorebook.
Trot Nixon caught the fly ball on the edge of the big "8" mowed into the outfield grass.
And the time on the clock above the scoreboard when Ripken hit that fly ball was, of course, eight minutes before 10 p.m.
It now is six years since Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's iron-man record and more than three years since he ended his streak at 2,632 games. The longest streak since then is 2,216 games short of the record -- the 416-gamer that Shawn Green ended by not playing on the Jewish high holy day. Green's streak lasted 2½ years. He only needed to keep it going for another 14 years to catch the Iron Man.
More Mariners madness: They had four starting pitchers who were 10 games over .500 or better -- Freddy Garcia (18-6), Jamie Moyer (20-6), Aaron Sele (15-5) and Paul Abbott (17-4). Last staff to pull that off, according to Elias' Ken Hirdt: the 1971 Orioles (Dave McNally, Pat Dobson, Mike Cuellar, Jim Palmer).
Also, just so you knew what you were looking at when you perused those standings Sunday morning and saw the Mariners at 71 games over .500 -- they were the first team even to get to 70 over since the 1906 Cubs. So you may never see a record like that in your lifetime.
The A's will still be a trendy pick, because they finished the season on such a roll. Over their last 33 games of the season, they never once lost two games in a row. The good news is, no team has done that since the 1995 Yankees, according to Elias' Rob Tracy. The bad news is, those '95 Yankees took a 2-0 lead over Seattle in the Division Series, then lost three in a row to lose the series.
| |  |
|
| Henderson |
Rickey Henderson's most historic daily double: getting to 3,000 hits and setting the all-time walks record (2,140) in the same season. Was that even possible?
Theoretically, to get 3,000 hits, you need to swing the bat, not walk 2,000 times. Right? That's why only eight members of the 3,000-hit club are even within 1,000 walks of Rickey. And the next-closest member, Carl Yastrzemski, is nearly 300 walks behind (1,845).
Another strikeout feat for Randy Johnson: His 373 strikeouts were 152 more than the strikeout champ in the other league -- Hideo Nomo (220). That's the biggest differential in the last half-century but it's not a record.
That one's untouchable -- even by the Unit. In 1946, Bob Feller had 213 more whiffs than the NL champ, Johnny Schmitz (348 to 135). Biggest margins since then:
1973: Nolan Ryan, 132 -- Ryan 383, Tom Seaver 251.
1974: Nolan Ryan, 127 -- Ryan 367, Steve Carlton 240.
1963: Sandy Koufax, 104 -- Koufax 306, Camilo Pascual 202.
1989: Nolan Ryan, 100 -- Ryan 301, Jose DeLeon 201.
Incidentally, we all knew a Red Sox pitcher would win the AL strikeout title. But not that Red Sox pitcher. That other Red Sox pitcher (a guy named Pedro) worked exactly 22 2/3 innings after June 9 -- and still finished ninth in the league in strikeouts. He even had as many whiffs (163) as the pitcher who led the league in Pedro's two favorite categories, ERA and lowest opponents' average -- Freddy Garcia.
Nomo also added his name to the list of five previous pitchers in the last 25 years who had led their league in most strikeouts and walks. The others: Nolan Ryan (1976-77-78), J.R. Richard (1978), Phil Niekro (1977), Mark Langston (1984) and Randy Johnson (1992).
Boy, did the Angels melt down. Their starting pitchers won one of their last 20 starts.
Who says those Rangers pitchers didn't come up big? They went into the final weekend of the season about to tie the major-league record for fewest complete games in a season -- then threw two in a row (by Rick Helling and Doug Davis). We'll ignore the fact they were both in losses since Davis lost to the Mariners, 1-0. And the Devil Rays broke that record anyway, with one complete game (by Albie Lopez, in the 10th game of the season).
Finally, here's to The Last 20-Game Loser of the 20th Century, Brian Kingman, whose reign, miraculously, continues.
Before Kingman started showing up at 19-game-loser Albie Lopez's starts, armed with a "reverse-jinxing" voodoo doll, Lopez had lost four in a row, with an ERA in the four losses of 10.80. Lopez then went 1-0, with a no-decision, a 0.53 ERA and six hits allowed in 17 innings, with Kingman in attendance.
Last year, Omar Daal had lost seven straight starts, with a 5.57 ERA, and had whooshed from 12 losses to 19 before Kingman and his voodoo doll jetted to the scene of his last two starts. Daal then went 1-0, with a no-decision and a 2.25 ERA, with Kingman in the stands.
So how powerful is this guy? Somebody ought to hire him as pitching coach -- or as a special 19-game-losers' pitching coach, anyway.
"The reverse jinxing powers were at their best until I was discovered to be at Miller Park," Kingman reported. "Albie had a no-no through five. But then I was distracted by ESPN radio, Milwaukee TV and several reporters. Otherwise, no doubt Albie would have pitched a no-hitter."
Uhhhhhh ... OK, no doubt.
The Sultan's Corner
Phil Nevin hit three home runs in a game Saturday, on the 6th of October. Not counting Reginald M. Jackson's three-homer game in the World Series, that's the latest date on the calendar any player has hit three homers since 1884.
The Sultan of Swat Stats, SABR's David Vincent, now presents all the regular-season three-homer games in October:
Jack Manning, 10/09/1884, Phillies
Phil Nevin, 10/06/2001, Padres
Wally Joyner, 10/03/1987, Angels
Gus Zernial, 10/01/1950, White Sox
Sammy Sosa's 63rd home run of the year was an inside-the-parker. Needless to say, no one had ever hit an inside-the-park home run for his 63rd homer before. The highest previous number homers that went inside the park:
Hank Greenberg, 57, 09/27/1938
Hack Wilson, 47, 09/06/1930
Babe Ruth, 43, 09/19/1926
Rogers Hornsby, 41, 09/24/1922
Willie Mays, 41, 09/18/1954
Cy Williams, 41, 10/04/1923
Gus Zernial, 41, 09/20/1953
Babe Ruth, 40, 10/05/1923
Babe Ruth, 40, 08/25/1924
Duke Snider, 40, 09/26/1956
Eleven different players hit a home run in both leagues this year. Here they are:
AL NL
Ken Caminiti: 9 AL, 6 NL
Vinny Castilla: 2 AL, 23 NL
Jacob Cruz: 3 AL, 1 NL
Delino DeShields: 3 AL, 2 NL
Tony Fernandez: 1 AL, 1 NL
Andres Galarraga: 10 AL, 7 NL
Ron Gant: 2 AL, 8 NL
Matt Lawton: 10 AL, 3 NL
Fred McGriff: 19 AL, 12 NL
Neifi Perez: 1 AL, 7 NL
Enrique Wilson: 1 AL, 1 NL
The seven ballparks where 200 or more home runs were hit this year:
268: Coors Field
233: The Ballpark in Arlington
230: Enron Field
228: Bank One Ballpark
222: Miller Park
220: Comiskey Park II
200: Jacobs Field
Trivia answer
Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and (surprise) Aaron Sele.
Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
