Halfway through another baseball season, here's what we're wondering:

 

Is Jonathan Papelbon going to give up fewer runs all season than Eddie Guardado gave up in his first inning of the season (three)? Are we really about to see a catcher (the amazing Joe Mauer) do a Ted Williams? And if Jim Leyland wins another World Series, will the Tigers promise not to trade all his players by Halloween?

 

Yep, it's been fun so far, all right. So let's mull the best of the best, and the worst of the worst, and start doling out our annual midseason awards.

 

AL MVP of the half-year

 

Jim Thome, White Sox: It's one of those years in the AL. You could cast an MVP vote for Mauer, David Ortiz, Papelbon, Vernon Wells, Derek Jeter, Jermaine Dye or B.J. Ryan and justify it to any reasonable human. And if the Indians were even remotely in this race, Travis Hafner might top everybody's leaderboard. But we keep coming back to this: The White Sox were ninth in the league in runs scored last year. Not only do they rank first this year -- but only the Indians and Yankees were even within 40 of them through Wednesday. And what's the biggest difference in this team between then and now? Jim Thome. No World Series champ in history has been able to add a 40-homer thumper in the next offseason. But Thome is on pace for a stunning 57-homer, 148-RBI, 132-run, .648 slugging season. You know how many American Leaguers have ever matched those numbers for a full season? Two: Jimmie Foxx and George H. Bambino Ruth.

 

Apologies to: Ortiz, Papelbon, Wells, Jeter, Dye, Wells, Ryan, Hafner and Jason Giambi.

 

long article--rest at link...

Sweet deal.

 

I do think that he's this year's MVP, and I don't see how Kenny Williams isn't the GM of the year, either.

Sweet deal.

 

I do think that he's this year's MVP, and I don't see how Kenny Williams isn't the GM of the year, either.

 

But what about Billy Beane?

Edited July 8, 200619 yr by Sox It To Em

But what about Billy Beane?

 

What about Billy Beane?