The decisions on individual awards go down to the wire, too

The awards races, like the pennant races, came down to the final weekend. And even then, several of the choices were extremely difficult. I was not a voter for any of the major awards, but here's how I would break them down:

A.L. MVP

1. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees.

2. David Ortiz, Red Sox.

3. Travis Hafner, Indians.

Going against Ortiz is difficult. Going for Rodriguez also is problematic--his teammate Gary Sheffield is a more feared hitter. But in the end, I couldn't pick Ortiz, a designated hitter, over Rodriguez, an above-average third baseman who led the A.L. not just in home runs but in a more telling statistic--on-base percentage plus slugging percentage (OPS). Not to mention he accomplished this playing his home games in Yankee Stadium, a difficult park for righthanded hitters. And though Ortiz and Hafner were superior in the clutch, Rodriguez wasn't exactly a dog--he had a .290 average with runners in scoring position.

N.L. MVP

1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals.

2. Andruw Jones, Braves.

3. Morgan Ensberg, Astros.

The Cubs' Derrek Lee is the player of the year, but I prefer my MVPs to contribute to a team that qualifies for the postseason. Jones' 51 home runs are difficult to overlook, as is his Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field. His .263 batting average, however, would be the lowest ever by an MVP who wasn't a pitcher. Pujols' .430 on-base percentage was almost 100 points higher than Jones', and Pujols' .609 slugging percentage was 34 points higher. And as important as Jones' production was to the youthful Braves, Pujols' performance was just as meaningful to the injury-depleted Cardinals.

A.L. Cy Young

1. Mariano Rivera, Yankees.

2. Johan Santana, Twins.

3. Bartolo Colon, Angels.

A starter obviously contributes more innings than a reliever, but Rivera's 1.38 ERA and .465 opponents' OPS represent career bests, and neither of the top starting candidates is a knockout choice. Colon's 3.48 ERA would be the third highest by a Cy Young winner. Santana's ERA is more than half a run per game lower. He's more difficult to hit and strikes out batters at a higher rate. But he had only 16 wins to Colon's 21. Though a pitcher's won-lost record is influenced by run support and bullpen performance, I don't think the game is quite ready for a 16-game winner to take home the Cy Young.

N.L. Cy Young

1. Chris Carpenter, Cardinals.

2. Dontrelle Willis, Marlins.

3. Roger Clemens, Astros.

I liked this choice a lot better on September 8, when Carpenter's ERA was 2.21. Four straight rocky starts by Carpenter gave Willis a slight edge in wins (22 to 21) and ERA (2.63 to 2.83). I can't make much of a case against Willis; the stats are that close. I just think Carpenter's streak of 22 quality starts without a loss from May 12 to September 8 makes him more worthy of the award. Clemens' paltry run support and mediocre September conspired against him.

A.L. Rookie

1. Huston Street, Ks.

2. Jonny Gomes, Devil Rays.

3. Scott Kazmir, Devil Rays.

There are three other strong candidates in this category--White Sox second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and Blue Jays lefthander Gustavo Chacin. Street has the edge, though, because his numbers are nearly as good as Rivera's. Still, Gomes and Kazmir are worthy candidates. Gomes had 21 home runs, a .372 on-base percentage and .534 slugging percentage. Kazmir was second only to Randy Johnson in strikeouts after the All-Star break, and his rate of 8.42 strikeouts per nine innings is among the all-time best by an A.L. rookie.

N.L. Rookie

1. Ryan Howard, Phillies.

2. Jeff Francoeur, Braves.

3. Willy Taveras, Astros.

Very tough call, but Howard passed Francoeur in OPS in the final days of the season and had a much better September. Taveras, the best full-season candidate, gets points for playing center field, but he had the fourth-lowest OPS among N.L. hitters who qualify for the batting title.

A.L. Manager

1. Ozzie Guillen, White Sox.

2. Eric Wedge, Indians.

3. Ken Macha, A's.

I have to pick Guillen; his volatility will get him fired before he gets another chance at this award. Seriously, Guillen deserves the honor because he not only managed the White Sox to the best record in the A.L., but he also contributed to the vision that transformed them from an all-or-nothing offensive team into a pitching-and-defense dynamo. Wedge and Macha did terrific jobs with young clubs but didn't shape their teams the way Guillen did.

N.L. Manager

1. Bobby Cox, Braves.

2. Phil Garner, Astros.

3. Tony La Russa, Cardinals.

Garner rallied his team from 15 games under .500 to a postseason berth, but Cox is the master. Easiest choice of them all.

INSIDE DISH