This column is so stupid, it's difficult to know where to start. So in no particular order:
NL MVP
How on earth can Manny Ramirez and CC Sabathia be the TOP TWO choices for MVP in the National League? Sabathia was terrific, but he played in 17 total games. Brandon Webb had twice as many starts, and twice as many wins. How can Webb not be more valuable to his team?
The Manny selection is even worse. He was great, but he played in 53 games for the Dodgers--less than a third of the season! He cannot possibly be as valuable as someone who played the entire year.
Most ridiculously, the obvious winner, Pujols, is fifth (fifth!) on his ballot. Pujols had a far more dominant offensive year than Howard, even if Howard's (less important) homer and RBI numbers were better. Pujols also is a fantastic defensive player. Howard is not.
| OBP | Slugging | HR | RBI | |
| Pujols | .462 | .653 | 37 | 116 |
| Howard | .339 | .542 | 48 | 146 |
NL Cy Young
The foolishness continues. It's easy to plug Sabathia's numbers into yesterday's chart, although we have to add innings to the mix because a pitcher who pitches a lot of innings is significantly more valuable to his team than one who doesn't.
| Record | ERA | Strikeouts | Innings | |
| Webb | 22-7 | 3.30 | 183 | 226.2 |
| Lincecum | 18-5 | 2.62 | 265 | 227 |
| Santana | 16-7 | 2.53 | 206 | 234.1 |
| Sabathia | 11-2 | 1.65 | 128 | 130 |
Sabathia had a great half season, but you don't win the pennant with half seasons. Anyone who votes for him over the other three should forfeit the right to vote for future awards.
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