What with grad school applications and organizing this website, I almost missed the fact that they announced all of the MVPs, Cy Youngs, and Gold Gloves. The big one that I was waiting to hear about was the AL Cy Young. I thought it would be a close call between Santana, the hero of my for-now-and-always favorite team, and Schilling, the hero of my adopted second favorite team. (It’s kind of like junior high — you’re my best friend and she’s my second best friend and the Cubs are my fourth best friend once removed.)
Santana was absolutely dominant in the second half of the season, going 13-0, but had a mediocre start and thus Schilling wound up with more wins. I was rooting for Santana, but because the win count usually factors heavily into the Cy Young award, I assumed it would be at least a little close. But no. For only the 18th time in Major League history, Santana was the unanimous choice with all 28 first place votes. Schilling didn’t even garner all of the second place votes — Mariano Rivera slipped one in there. Must have been a New York writer.
Someone queue up “Black Magic Woman.”
In another news, Christian “Mr. Triple” Guzman was traded to the Washington club formerly-known-as the Montreal Expos. (Does anyone know if they’re getting a new name? Ann Myrtle?) Alas, there goes the greatest Twins shortstop since… Greg Gagne, maybe?
Nov19
Colossus of Rhode 
There’s a ceremony Monday at Union Station and they’re going to officially announce the name then.
According to the paper, it is expected to be “The Nationals.”
Sort of boring, but inocuous.
I seriously thought about putting in for 2 season tickets. But that’s quite a financial commitment, and my life is too uncertain right now to know if I’d even be able to go to a dozen of the games, let alone a whole season. But I figured if I went in now, I would have them when they start kicking ass and all the games are sold out. Oh well. Got to think about saving for some real estate first . . .
From an article today in the Post:
Officials are still tinkering with the final choices on uniforms, but the hats will almost certainly have a script “W” for Washington, and the team’s colors will be red, white and blue. The home white jerseys are expected to say “Nationals” across the front, with “Washington” stripped across the road uniform. The team will also have a red jersey to be worn occasionally, two sources said.
Of course, everyone knows and believes that the new Washington team ought to be:
a) named the “Senators”.
b) in the American League.
but as long as good old “anything for the dollar” Bud Selig is commissioner, baseball will screw up most every decision. How does that phrase go again, “first in war, first in peace and last in the American League”? Not anymore.
And sort of puts the whole “Damn Yankees” story to rest.
I suspect it’s not that Selig is malicious or a bad guy, but he’s the kind of guy who when sent out to get doughnuts comes back with bagels. He’s congenitally unable to get anything right. And in order to honor tradition, one must be capable of remembering things.
One suspects that were he commissioner of the NBA, everybody but Ron Artest would have been suspended.
(To be fair, in a weird quirk of corporatism, the Senators nickname is owned by the Texas Rangers. Combining a franchise that can’t get anything right with a commissioner best suited to buffoonery, the odds of transferring the naming rights to the W franchise are slim and none. Even Calvin Griffith, oft considered the miserliest owner in all baseballdom, knew that he couldn’t keep the Senators name in Minnesota, because it belonged in Washington.)