The Prince Of New York's 2010 Award Winners

• Award winners without bias, fear, partisanship or stat zombieing; and my pre-season pick is listed too----don't judge me!!!

American League MVP:

1. Josh Hamilton--Texas Rangers

Again there was a great disparity between Hamilton's home/away splits; but his numbers on the road were still excellent and it's not his fault he plays in a great hitter's ballpark; if there was a viable candidate to compete with his overall production, then maybe it could be a deciding factor; but Hamilton's the clear winner.

Despite only playing in 133 games, Hamilton put up massive numbers: 32 homers; 100 RBI; 95 runs; a .359 BA; .411 on base; .633 slugging; and 1.044 OPS; and 75 extra base hits. If he hadn't gotten hurt, the distance between Hamilton and the other contenders would've been greater.

2. Miguel Cabrera--Detroit Tigers

He was essentially alone in the mediocre Tigers lineup and hit 38 homers; drove in 126; and had terrific across-the-board numbers. Cabrera redeemed himself off the field after his embarrassing arrest on the final weekend of the 2009 season for a domestic incident with his wife.

3. Robinson Cano--New York Yankees

The thing that impresses me about Cano is how calm he always seems. In years past, it appeared to be a byproduct of disinterest; but now it's more of an embedded self-confidence leading to utter fearlessness. He hits lefties as well as righties; plays excellent defense; and is emerging as the key to the Yankees offense. He'll win an MVP one of these years.

4. Paul Konerko--Chicago White Sox

A leader on and off the field, Konerko had a huge year as he enters free agency with 39 homers; 111 RBI; a .312 average; .393 on base; and 70 extra base hits.

5. Adrian Beltre--Boston Red Sox

You can make all the comments you want about Beltre again having a terrific year conveniently when he's about to go free agent, but you can't deny what he did for the Red Sox in 2010. As the stars for whom he was supposed to function as a background contributor dropped one-by-one like the faceless victims in a bad 3-D horror movie, Beltre was there every single day with clutch hits, great defense and leadership.

My pre-season pick for AL MVP was Joe Mauer. It was a bit of a cop-out considering Mauer's annual output, but before he got hurt, Justin Morneau was a better candidate than Mauer. It's hard to criticize Mauer for the season he had----the standard he's set for himself is insane----but he "fell back" (as much as Joe Mauer can fall back) to his 2008 numbers.

American League Cy Young Award:

1. Felix Hernandez--Seattle Mariners

As you probably know, I'm no stat guy. In fact, two years ago, I had Brad Lidge as my NL Cy Young Award pick based on his dominance and importance to the team; I'll give the nod to one player over another because of his individual work and importance to the team----the question of "where would they be without him?" is something to take into account; but when a pitcher is as head-and-shoulders above everyone else, he has to be recognized.

Hernandez's ERA was an absurd 2.26; he struck out 232 in 249 innings; only allowed 194 hits; and would've won 25 games with a better team. The argument that he wasn't pitching in any "pressure" games is only stated by those who either haven't experienced or don't understand the competitive nature of sports; for the elite athlete the team situation is irrelevant in the heat of battle.

Felix Hernandez deserves the award; it's not his fault the Mariners are terrible.

2. David Price--Tampa Bay Rays

The 24-year-old Price had a wonderful first full big league season with 19 wins; a 2.72 ERA; 170 hits allowed in 208 innings; 188 strikeouts; and gave up only 15 homers. He'll win the award one of these years.

3. C.C. Sabathia--New York Yankees

The horse of the Yankees rotation is one of the few pitchers who appears as if he'll live up to his massive contract. Sabathia won 20 games for the first time in his career. Sabathia had to be the true ace of Yankees rotation as the other members either got hurt or were awful.

4. Clay Buchholz--Boston Red Sox

Buchholz justified the Red Sox refusal to trade him with a 17-7 season; 2.33 ERA; 142 hits allowed (9 homers) in 173 innings.

5. Mariano Rivera--New York Yankees

If anyone deserves a "lifetime achievement" Cy Young one of these years, it's Rivera. Man or machine? I'm not sure.

My pre-season pick was Jake Peavy.

Yah.

Every year I've been waiting for Peavy's arm to come flying off in one of his all-out efforts; every year it hasn't. Then when I concede to his ability to keep on going despite those atrocious mechanics, what happens? His arm comes flying off. (Not really. He tore a muscle in his back clean off the bone; but it's in the same ballpark as his arm flying off.)

American League Rookie of the Year:

1. Neftali Feliz--Texas Rangers

Being a closer is hard enough; it's even worse for a 22-year-old rookie on a contending team. Feliz had his ups-and-downs, but was extremely reliable pitching in a hitters' ballpark. He saved 40 games; struck out 71 in 69 innings; allowed 43 hits; 5 homers; and only 18 walks.

2. Austin Jackson--Detroit Tigers

Jackson's still raw, but once he cuts down on his strikeouts and becomes more patient, he's going to be an All Star.

3. Danny Valencia--Minnesota Twins

Valencia batted .311 in 85 games after taking over for the injured Nick Punto at third base; he had 26 extra base hits in 322 plate appearances; and a .351 on base percentage. Very respectable numbers and another cog in the Twins machine of team-oriented players.

4. Brian Matusz--Baltimore Orioles

His numbers would've been more impressive if he'd been on a better team. Matusz took flight under Buck Showalter and will only get better.

My pre-season Rookie of the Year pick was Scott Sizemore of the Detroit Tigers.

We will never speak of this again.

American League Manager of the Year:

1. Terry Francona--Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox organization generally gets credit for their success, but what about some recognition for Francona keeping it all together despite the injuries? He's not a manager who'll win regardless of personnel, but he's got control of the clubhouse and steered the ship through the storm.

2. Ron Washington--Texas Rangers

He's not a good strategic manager; I'd have fired him after the failed drug test; in fact, I probably would've fired him two years ago; but the Rangers have stuck with him and the players never, ever stop playing hard for him. Sometimes that's more important.

3. Ron Gardenhire--Minnesota Twins

"The Twins Way" stems from the front office; Gardenhire's mentor Tom Kelly; and that Gardenhire is the boss. If you don't play the game correctly, you don't play. They're contenders every single year in part because of Gardenhire.

4. Joe Maddon--Tampa Bay Rays

I don't like the way he handles his team on or off the field, but they're going to the playoffs for the second time in three years. That deserves some acknowledgment.

5. Cito Gaston--Toronto Blue Jays

Many experts had the Blue Jays losing 100 games; with their pitching, that was ridiculous. Gaston handled the young pitchers well and is going out on a respected note. For a manager who's won two World Series, Gaston doesn't get much credit, but he should.

My pre-season pick was Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox. Amid all the controversy he creates with his lunacy, it's easily lost what fine game manager he is and that he kept the White Sox together while they were slumping and he was bickering with his bosses and the media.

National League MVP:

1. Joey Votto--Cincinnati Reds

The Reds won the NL Central and are in the playoffs for the first time since 1995; Votto had 37 homers; 113 RBI; batted .324; had a .424 on base; .600 slugging; and 1.024 OPS. He also had 75 extra base hits; 16 stolen bases; and was a leader on and off the field.

2. Albert Pujols--St. Louis Cardinals

I certainly hope people are watching Pujols and appreciating the fact that he's well on the way (if he's not already there) of being the greatest right-handed hitter in the history of baseball.

3. Carlos Gonzalez--Colorado Rockies

Gonzalez's numbers are ridiculous. 34 homers; 117 RBI; a batting title at .336; and nearly a triple crown.

4. Adrian Gonzalez--San Diego Padres

For most of the season, Gonzalez dealt with trade rumors and that he essentially stood alone in the Padres lineup; and he was playing in a cavernous ballpark. He still put up 31 homers and drove in 101 runs.

5. Matt Holliday--St. Louis Cardinals

Is it an indictment of the Cardinals and Tony La Russa that they had Pujols and Holliday at the plate; Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter on the mound, yet faded out and didn't even come close to the playoffs?

I endured a ludicrous amount of ridicule for picking Jose Reyes as the NL MVP. I was accused of being a homer; laughed at; even threatened.

I do so love being threatened.

Reyes's thyroid problem set him back in spring training and his oblique injury cost him games during the season. My question----which never receives a "no" ---is, "Does Jose Reyes have the talent to win an MVP?"

I receive stupidity in return. Such nonsense as, "he has no heart" or other ridiculousness. It's not as if I picked Eric Bruntlett or Gary Matthews Jr. to win the award.

National League Cy Young Award:

1. Roy Halladay--Philadelphia Phillies

Old school to the end, Halladay pitched deeply into games; gobbled innings; threw stri....oh, never mind. You know the deal.

2. Adam Wainwright--St. Louis Cardinals

Wainwright won 20 games for the first time; pitched 230 innings; allowed on 186 hits; 15 homers; struck out 213; and had a 2.42 ERA. He'll win the award one of these years.

3. Ubaldo Jimenez--Colorado Rockies

Jimenez looked to be tired at the end of the season. He carried the Rockies on his back as their starters----Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Hammel----all got hurt.

4. Tim Hudson--Atlanta Braves

Hudson was rejuvenated after Tommy John surgery and looked better than he had since his early days with the Athletics.

5. Chris Carpenter--St. Louis Cardinals

Carpenter had a durable season with 35 starts and won 16 games. One can only speculate what he would've been for his career had he not gotten hurt and missed parts or all of so many seasons.

My pre-season pick was Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had a good year going 13-10; breaking the 200 inning/200 strikeout barrier; but wasn't the 20-game winning; 300 strikeout man I said he'd be; but it's coming. Soon.

National League Rookie of the Year:

1. Buster Posey--San Francisco Giants:

The stat zombies have been going on and on about Jason Heyward and his numbers; but Posey was dealing with catching a pitching staff that included Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain; and other pitchers that needed to be nursed, Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez----and he did it.

He also hit, hit, hit for power and in the clutch. Taking into account everything from the fact that Posey is a catcher and had things other than his hitting to worry about----but still hit a ton----I have to tilt toward him for the award.

2. Jason Heyward--Atlanta Braves:

Like Posey, he was an imperative piece in the Braves playoff run. Eventually (as soon as next year, both Heyward and Posey will be competing for an MVP award); but the Braves strength was on the mound. The Braves would've survived without Heyward in far better condition than the Giants would have without Posey.

Heyward's contributions----power, defense and walks----cannot be discounted, but weren't as grand as those of Posey.

3. Jaime Garcia--St. Louis Cardinals:

In addition to Pujols, Holliday, Wainwright and Carpenter, how are the Cardinals not in the playoffs after the work Garcia did as a rookie?

4. Ike Davis--New York Mets:

Davis hit 19 homers; drove in 71; and had 54 extra base hits. His homers were rarely cheap; when he hits the ball squarely, it goes very, very far.

5. Gaby Sanchez--Florida Marlins:

Sanchez hit 19 homers; drove in 85; and had 59 extra base hits. His numbers are very close to Davis's, but Davis gets the slight nod because his defense is so much better than Sanchez's.

My pre-season pick was Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner got blasted in spring training and didn't make the big league club; he was recalled in June and pitched well. He wasn't going to win the award with the rookies listed above playing as well as they did.

National League Manager of the Year:

1. Bobby Cox--Atlanta Braves:

Admittedly, I'm giving Cox the nod because he's retiring. The combination of guiding the Braves into the playoffs with the spate of injuries to Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus, and a team bridging the personnel between young and old exemplified Cox's strength in running his team and maintaining control.

2. Charlie Manuel--Philadelphia Phillies:

Many other teams would've bagged the season in July when the Phillies stumbled to 2 games over .500, were entertaining trade offers for Jayson Werth and a large chunk of the core was on the disabled list. Manuel patched it together with journeymen and a questionable bullpen.

3. Dusty Baker--Cincinnati Reds:

Baker walked the tightrope with young pitchers that needed to be watched; was combating the unfair allegation that he's responsible for the dual falls of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior; was managing for a contract; and had Brandon Phillips in his clubhouse.

He fought through it all and the Reds are in the playoffs.

4. Bud Black--San Diego Padres:

Despite the Padres falling out of the playoffs with a maybe/maybe-not collapse, Black deserves credit for his handling of a young team----specifically the pitching staff----and getting to 90 wins.

5. Bruce Bochy--San Francisco Giants:

Bochy is underappreciated for the fine manager he is. Whenever any of his teams have been in a playoff race, he finds a way to get them in. It was such with the Padres; it's that way with the Giants.

My pre-season pick was Jerry Manuel of the New York Mets. It wasn't so laughable at mid-season when the Mets were playing well. The bottom line with the Manager of the Year is that it greatly depends on a number of factors; the line between winning the award and being fired is so thin that it's a coin flip. I called heads on Manuel; the coin came up tails.

• Viewer Mail 10.6.2010:

MacW writes RE Ichiro:

It would be one thing, Prince, if you simply cricized Ichiro for not not being able to hit more home runs. That's a valid but trivial criticism. A player can't be held accountable for what isn't in his skill set. But you do something far worse. You imply that he could hit more home runs (as many as 30 a year) but refuses to do so in order to pursue his own selfish agenda. If you simply slandered Ichiro with innuendo, by suggesting that he was sulking in center field (I couldn't see it), by saying that he runs things in Seattle (although if he did why would he agree to move to center field or allow the hiring of Hargrove in the first place), by using fallacious logic to say that he drove Hargrove out of Seattle (post ergo procter hoc -- after this therefore because of this), I could dismiss you as a shameless gossip. But by saying a singles hitting lead-off hitter can suddenly become a slugger who hits thirty home runs a year late in his career, something that is unprecedented in the history of baseball, you're doing something else. You're creating a straw man (that Ichiro is selfish) that you can pummel, and then in the next breath you claim that that is not what you're doing. If you could simply acknowledge my larger point (that there is no power hitting slugger that Ichiro is purposely hiding within his 165 pound frame)instead of dancing around it I wouldn't have to resort to snide remarks or use the extreme case of Juan Pierre to show the absurdity of your argument. I could have just as easily used Tony Gwynn or Rod Carew or Pete Rose or Lou Brock or thirty other players to make the same case.

Your arguments are literally all over the place.

Why would Ichiro have had a problem with Hargrove before Hargrove was hired? Doesn't it make sense that any issues between a manager/coach and a player would have some basis in reality----a history?

What parts of "stat compiler"; of "unproductive player in the team concept"; of "uselessness in context" do you not understand?

You can twist my premise all you want and it won't make you right; it won't make me say that you're right about me when you're not. I criticize Ichiro because he can do more to help his team, but doesn't. You understand stats, but do not understand human beings. You continually refer to Ichiro being 165 pounds as if that has anything to do with him hitting for power when it doesn't. Do you understand bat speed? Timing? Wrist strength? Lift in the swing?

Size is a factor for some individuals, but there have been smaller-framed individuals who have hit for tremendous power----Joe Morgan; Jimmy Wynn; Ben Oglivie; Jimmy Rollins; Rico Petrocelli----can your adherence to out-of-context "straw men" of your very own (doubtlessly stemming from you overall lack of comprehension) explain their power? Hank Aaron was listed at 6'0", 180 lbs.

Do you have a counter for this?

Would you look at Tim Lincecum and Pedro Martinez and think they would've been able to generate the force they do on the mound and maintain it for an extended period? Not based on size, you couldn't.

The players you mention are of a similar scattershot attempt to refute me. Lou Brock was good for 15 homers a year in his prime.

You're either refusing to back down or truly don't realize that players of Ichiro's clear skills with coordination can alter their games to hit for more power if they choose to. If you bury your head in stats, eventually there will be no escape. Grabbing the lifeline I'm extending is your only hope.

Jane Heller at Confessions of a She-Fan writes RE Yankees-Twins:

Yes, the Yankees are a slightly different team than last year's. But the Twins will be without Morneau, which is bad luck for them and him. It's kind of scary how long he's taking to get over the concussion. He's a really good player and seems like a good guy, so I wish him well (as much as I won't miss his bat).

The Twins have replaced Justin Morneau with Michael Cuddyer shifting to first base and Jim Thome entering the lineup; so his absence wasn't as glaring as it would've been had they not had such players to pick up the slack.

Interestingly, Morneau's absence shines a light on why WAR is such a specious stat. Had the Twins replaced Morneau with a baseline Triple A player, it would matter; but they replaced him with two guys who can hit and take over adequately for a former MVP like Morneau.

The Brooklyn Trolley Blogger (Brooklyn Capo) writes RE the Wilpons and the Mets:

Jeff and John Ricco will be chosing the next GM? *sigh*
Here's to hoping they get it right.

One reason I have hope is that the Mets had the intelligence and the audacity to ask the Marlins for permission to speak to their front office people----but didn't set their sights lower with assistant Dan Jennings; they asked if they could speak to Jennings....and GM Michael Hill...and president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest!!

The Marlins said no, but the Mets are looking for a quality person to take the job. I think Beinfest is one of the best minds in baseball.

If you don't ask, you don't get.

As for the press conference, the most interesting thing that came out was that John Ricco's name isn't pronounced REE-KO; it's RICKO.

Who knew?

• The Prince on the Podcast:

I was a guest with Sal at Sportsfan Buzz Monday talking about the post-season; the firings; and Ichiro. Click to listen directly here. Or at Sal's site here and get it on I-Tunes.

Bloodletting

• Fired...

...or technically, their contract options were not exercised or their teams chose to "head in another direction".

As always happens when things go horribly wrong or expectations----realistic or not----aren't met, people lose their jobs. Yesterday saw a spate of firings in markets large, medium and small.

Let's take a look:

Mets fire GM Omar Minaya and don't exercise manager Jerry Manuel's contract option:

Minaya was technically removed as GM and the initial idea was that he could possibly be moved to another role in the organization if the incoming GM so chose; Minaya decided that this situation was unfair to the new boss and is leaving.

Manuel had a contract option which the club declined to exercise. You can parse words as the Red Sox did in 2003 when they decided not to offer a new contract to Grady Little or you can tell the truth----he was fired.

I've gone into detail about the positives and negatives of both Minaya and Manuel before. Both are quality baseball men and people who will get other jobs elsewhere in a less dire atmosphere; said situations will be more agreeable to their skills.

Minaya is a keen evaluator of talent who plainly and simply doesn't have the deftness with the English language to answer questions and handle crises while dancing through the rapid fire raindrops of the predatory circling by the ravenously hungry media. He's better off in a scouting and assistant-type role where he can blend into the background and provide input without having to be something he's incapable of being----the ruthless executive who can fire people without losing more than a night or two of sleep.

Manuel is a passionate baseball man with a quick wit and eclectic take on life. His flaws were exemplified by a roster that was lacking in depth; he abused several relievers to the point of uselessness; and made bizarre lineup decisions. Quick to argue with an umpire, he's been a good bench/hitting coach in the past. He'll land on his feet somewhere. If Willie Randolph gets the Brewers job, I would expect Manuel to join him in Milwaukee as a member of Randolph's staff.

Regarding the Mets; the Wilpons; the press conference; and the new GM, they're going to conduct interviews and it will be someone from outside the organization who gets the job----ESPN Story. It's pointless to repeatedly toss names out there as to whom it should or will be. Once they start the process and leak names, the fog will clear.

The story of the day was Fred and Jeff Wilpon.

The ridicule advanced at two people who seem truly intent on doing right by their organization; spend money to win; built a beautiful new ballpark; and are generous with their money and time, is ludicrous and cheap.

I'm not entirely sure what people expected Fred to say yesterday. Was he supposed to start screaming like a raving lunatic and biting the heads off chickens to express his displeasure at the failures of high quality people like Minaya and Manuel? It's as if the Mets ownership can't win regardless of what they do.

They take steps to fix problems and still receive vitriolic and unfair criticism before and after the fact. The consensus was that the Mets need to bring in new leadership; they're doing that; what else are the owners supposed to do? What did the media and public want them to say?

Judging from what was said without reading between the lines to find what a writer or fan wants to hear, they're getting a new voice to run the club; they're going to have a similar payroll as they've had in recent years; they're willing to listen to any and all ideas regarding personnel and that includes everyone being on the table for potential trades (including David Wright); and are taking a new approach.

How about showing some empathy before celebrating the Minaya/Manuel firing? Or wait and see what they do before taking new shots at the Wilpons?

Pirates fire manager John Russell:

No kidding.

This is the blame game at its height. Russell was not a good manager by any stretch of the imagination, but would this Pirates team have won more than another 10 games with Tony La Russa running things? With Jim Tracy?

Oh. Wait. Tracy was there already and couldn't win either.

Here's a clue: IT'S NOT THE MANAGER THAT'S THE PROBLEM!!!!

This organization is a catastrophe. I don't want to know about the success of their minor league clubs; nor do I want to hear overmatched lawyer Frank Coonelly rambling on about accountability. Accountability begins in the mirror and I've yet to see any of that from the Pirates current hierarchy.

Russell's resume was impressive when he got the job; journeyman players who didn't make the big leagues or bounced around in the big leagues tend to make solid managers----Connie Mack; La Russa; Buck Showalter; Jim Leyland----because they have to learn every trick to try and hold onto their jobs. Russell had managed in the minors as would be a prerequisite for me hiring anyone to manage (except in extreme cases); and had a relatively lengthy career as a defensively-minded catcher despite not being able to hit.

It didn't work in part because he didn't have a handle on strategies; nor of the nuance in dealing with players. I can't blame Russell for what went on with the Pirates; his hands were tied by an inept front office led by a team president who doesn't know what he's doing.

Brewers don't exercise the option for manager Ken Macha:

Macha isn't a particularly good strategic manager; the players didn't like him all that much; and the Brewers didn't win. I'm wondering if Macha will receive the same treatment as Art Howe did after he left the "genius" Billy Beane's Athletics and couldn't win with the Mets.

The bottom line with teams like the Brewers and the Howe Mets is that the talent wasn't good enough to realistically compete. A manager can squeeze a few wins out from his teams, but there has to be the depth of talent to do it.

In recent years, the Brewers spent big money on the likes of Randy Wolf; LaTroy Hawkins; Jeff Suppan; David Riske; and Trevor Hoffman. Is that the fault of the manager or does that fall at the shoes of GM Doug Melvin? Who could possibly have thought it was a good idea to sign Riske to a 3-year contract worth $13 million? To sign Hawkins to a 2-year, $7.5 million deal? To give Suppan $42 million?

The Brewers are a mediocre team that has a limited payroll and can't make such glaringly obvious errors in judgment. That's not Macha's fault. He'll get a job as a bench coach somewhere. While not cut out to be a manager in today's game, he's a solid, veteran baseball guy.

I mentioned Willie Randolph as a candidate for the job earlier and see him as the best choice. He deserves another chance after the job he did with the Mets; seemed to have a positive affect on Rickie Weeks as Weeks had his best season; the players like him; and he's got the winning resume as a player, coach and manager for the players to be willing to listen. His pitching coach, Rick Peterson is already there; and Manuel is available to join his staff.

Even with that, until the Brewers make some smarter acquisitions and improve their pitching, they're not going to be much more than a team hovering around .500.

• Viewer Mail 10.5.2010:

Gabriel (Capo) writes RE Carlos Pena:

I'm afraid of what Carlos Peña might do in Hitters Heaven at Arlington. He just seems like he could hit the ball out of the park at a clutch time.

I wouldn't be worried about Carlos Pena. Lefties do a number on him and the lefties the Rangers are throwing at him----Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson----are no joke.

Jane Heller at Confessions of a She-Fan writes RE Yankees-Twins:

Obviously, I disagree with your Yanks-Twins prediction. AJ won't figure into the equation for this round; they'll go with CC, Andy and Hughes. Question marks, yes, but I think those three will be as good as they need to be. You highlight Cano versus Fuentes, but I think A-Rod is key. He seems to enjoy hitting against the Twins. I hope he'll make himself feel right at home at Target Field.

I dunno. The Yankees walked that same tightrope last season and had fewer questions despite going with a 3-man rotation for the entire post-season. This is a different Twins team from the previous ones. In 2000 the Yankees endured a similar stumble down the stretch and turned it on at the right time, but that was a different team as well.

They'd better win the first game with C.C. Sabathia; if they don't they're in some big, big trouble.

Jeff (Street Boss) at Red State Blue State writes RE my Division Series picks:

Total agreement in the NL.

But, I think the Rays have the edge with Texas... and believe it or not, I think the intangibles will get the best of the Twins.

My lord am I in disagreement with the Prince's predictions!?! A first!

Disagreement is healthy in any organization (within reason). I have the Rays-Rangers series going 5 games and we all know that if any series reaches "one game playoff" status, anything can and usually does happen.

John Seal (West Coast Spiritual Advisor) writes RE the Mets and Athletics:

I have an elegant solution to the Mets' problems (well, some of them). Hire Oliver Perez as the team manager on the condition that he never throws another pitch! You'd get something from the sunken costs, and I bet he'd be no worse than your average garden variety managerial retread. If that's a step too far, is the bench coach position available?

Here in Oakland we are sleeping soundly, dreaming of Chris Carter's 2011 season. And Gabe Gross's retirement party.

The Ollie idea isn't all that bad if they do a promotional tie-in and have "Truncheon and Torch Day" at Citi Field very early in the season. Other than that, I don't see it as viable.

Your Chris Carter (in comparison to my Chris Carter with the Mets----pinch hitter extraordinaire) looks like he's got a future as an everyday player in some way. He's only 23 and has but up big power numbers in the minors. After not hitting much in his big league cup of coffee, one would think he'll get a chance to play in 2011.

I haven't seen your Carter play, but the one red flag with me is that Kenny Williams gave him up to get Carlos Quentin; Williams doesn't miss on many prospects.

Is Gabe Gross young enough to go back to the NFL like Chris Weinke did?

MacW writes RE Ichiro and me:

Actually, Prince, both Figgins and Ichiro are similar offensive players. I was just trying to point out that asking Ichiro to hit 20 or 30 homers is as unfair as asking Figgins to do the same. Citing Ted Williams' advice and saying that Ichiro could work the count in his favor and use his hand-eye coordination and bat control to bang out home runs is to say that anybody could do the same thing. If Ichiro, then why not Dom DiMaggio or Richie Ashburn, both of whom are the same size as Ichiro. Imagine Ozzie Guillen going up to Juan Pierre, a player similar to Ichiro and saying: "Look Juan, Magglio Ordonez has gone down with an injury. We need you to move down in the order and hit more homers. I know you can do it because you have 14 career home runs. All you need to do is double that total this year. You can do that by looking for a good pitch to hit and using your superior bat control to knock it out of the park. No less an authority than Paul Lebowitz says it can be done." This of course is absurd. As for citing Iwamura, Kaz Matsui, Fukudome, and Hideki Matsui, you completely ignored my larger point, that those players showed dramatic declines in their power numbers when they moved from Japan to the U.S., declines that you seem to think that Ichiro should be immune to. To simply say that Ichiro has more ability than they do is to damn him with faint praise, while imputing to him a skill (power hitting) that he doesn't have in order to denigrate him.

I do so love when people abandon an existential argument about "ability", go with out-of-context stat comparisons with different players; then resort to snideness and condescension.

If you're seriously comparing Chone Figgins and Ichiro, I can't help you. Figgins and Ichiro may have similar bottom-line statistics, but talent-wise? Skill-wise? Are you serious?

That your haphazard defense of Ichiro is degenerating into making such statements as: "No less an authority than Paul Lebowitz says it can be done" says everything in and of itself.

You lumping Ichiro into the category of Juan Pierre is more of a denigration of Ichiro than anything and everything I could ever say about him.

• The Prince on the Podcast:

I was a guest with Sal at Sportsfan Buzz yesterday talking about the post-season; the firings; and Ichiro. Click to listen directly here. Or at Sal's site here and get it on I-Tunes.

Like me or not, at least I'm interesting.

The Prince Of New York's 2010 Playoff Preview

• ALDS----New York Yankees vs Minnesota Twins:

New York Yankees (95-67); 2nd place, AL East (Won Wild Card) vs Minnesota Twins (94-68); 1st place, AL Central.

Keys for the Yankees: receive competent starting pitching; hit and score enough to not have to worry about their tattered starting pitching; not have Joe Girardi's overmanaging bite them as it could've in 2009; Robinson Cano vs Brian Fuentes.

The Yankees starting pitching is in absolute disarray. After C.C. Sabathia, they have question mark 1; question mark 2; and question mark 3. Even though he's been shaky since his return from injury, Andy Pettitte isn't a worry----he'll rise to the occasion as he always does.

After that?

Phil Hughes may be taking the start in game 2 and while he cast the appearance as California cool, he hasn't pitched well lately either and didn't perform all that well in last year's post-season out of the bullpen.

Then there's A.J. Burnett.

Burnett has been nothing short of atrocious for almost the entire 2010 season; with his stuff, there's no excuse for him to have a 10-15 record; a ridiculously high 5.26 ERA; give up the number of hits he does (204 in 186 innings); and be relegated to game 4. His strikeout numbers are down as well. I suggested weeks ago that he may be tipping his pitches because I can't come up with any other reason why a pitcher with Burnett's stuff is so eminently hittable. Of course, he has the ability to pitch a 2-hit shutout at any time, but I wouldn't count on it; and if the Yankees do have to count on it----he's scheduled to pitch game 4----they're in a lot of trouble.

They can account for the pitching issues by hitting and hitting a lot.

The Twins starting pitching is functional but, aside from Francisco Liriano, there isn't a dominator among the bunch; if the games are close late, the Twins bullpen is deep, good and organized. The Yankees have made it their life's work to torment the Twins in the playoffs with big hits (mostly against the injured Joe Nathan), but this time, they'd be better served to have the games in control rather than be tied or behind in the late innings.

One can never discount the possibility that Yankees manager Joe Girardi is going to do something that lands neatly in the category of bizarre or stupid and costs his team a game; it happened last year and he's still got his blue book of stats that he relies on to the point of self-immolation.

Robinson Cano is going to have to deal with Brian Fuentes in a game-breaking situation at some point; whatever happens in that confrontation could be the difference. Cano is 1 for 4 in his career vs Fuentes and has handled lefties well all season, but Fuentes comes with a quirky, slingshot delivery that's hard for lefties to pick up. If anything, the injury to Nathan and resulting trades for Matt Capps and Fuentes gives Twins manager Ron Gardenhire the freedom to go by matchups rather than the "he's my closer" excuse for leaving a pitcher in the game knowing it's probably not going to work.

Keys for the Twins: have their starting pitching do what they do (throw strikes; trust the defense); pound the Yankees starters; don't blow games late with bullpen implosions; Brian Fuentes vs Robinson Cano.

The Twins are smart enough to know that the Yankees are going to score, but it's minimizing the damage that will determine the series. Liriano's starting the opener; Carl Pavano is going in game 2; and Brian Duensing in game 3 at Yankee Stadium.

If they get their 5-6 innings from the starters and the games are close, the Twins will be more than happy to turn it over to their bullpen. They'd never admit this, but they may feel more comfortable with Capps and Fuentes in the late innings than they did with Nathan----especially against the Yankees.

This won't be as much of an issue if the Twins lineup attacks the Yankees starters. They need to get Pettitte's pitch count up if he's on his game; if they beat Sabathia, the series will be theirs to lose.

What will happen:

With the wasteland into which the Yankees' high-priced starting rotation had degenerated, they----especially Burnett----can earn their lofty paychecks with one good start in this series. I can't see that happening after watching how hitters have been teeing off on the enigmatic righty for essentially the whole season. Amid all the complaining about Burnett, this is what the Yankees bought; this has been Burnett's history----mediocrity and questions about how someone with such amazing stuff can get rocked so consistently.

I'm not much more confident in Hughes making what could be a make-or-break start in either game 2 or 3. I think Pettitte will be fine.

The Yankees haven't exactly been setting the world on fire offensively during their late-season slump, so to automatically expect them to turn it on in the playoffs is a stretch. The Twins have never been about dominance on the mound; they're about throwing strikes and letting their defense do the work----the Twins big ballpark will make it important that the Yankees get runners on base; they can't wait for the homers; and the Twins are not going to walk them.

Again and again, we've read and heard that the Yankees don't want to face the Rangers and Cliff Lee; that the Yankees "always" beat the Twins; but the Twins team the Yankees beat in the last few years wasn't this good; they were always a scrappy, more than the sum of the parts, fundamentally sound group who maximized their abilities.

This Twins team is different.

They're better off without Nathan, especially against the Yankees. They have playoff-tested veterans like Jim Thome and Joe Mauer in the middle of the lineup and don't fear Mariano Rivera. Coasting into the playoffs rather than having it come down to a one-game playoff or late season fight gave the Twins the opportunity to set their ducks and rest their veterans.

Different.

I've been preaching caution to the Yankees and their fans in recent weeks.

They wanted the Twins.

They're getting them.

The Twins are on a mission.

It's cliche, but true to say: be careful what you wish for----you just might get it.

The Yankees are getting the Twins.

That's not all they're getting.

They're also getting bounced.

The Twins are taking them out.

PREDICTION: TWINS IN FOUR.

• ALDS----Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays:

Texas Rangers (90-72); 1st place, AL West vs Tampa Bay Rays (96-66); 1st place, AL East.

Keys for the Rangers: the Stone Cold Killer; Josh Hamilton; the bullpen; which manager will screw up the least.

Acquired to bolster the starting rotation at mid-season, the real reason the Rangers traded for the Stone Cold Killer, Cliff Lee, was for the playoffs. Well, now they're here. Lee pitched poorly for a month after joining the Rangers and the questions about his ability to pitch in the hitters' heaven of Arlington and if all the perceived overwork from going so deeply into games came to the forefront; then it was revealed that Lee was dealing with back problems; after a shot, he returned to form in September.

As Lee goes, so go the Rangers.

Josh Hamilton only recently returned to the lineup after missing a month with two broken ribs and went 1 for 11 with a homer. Rib problems are no joke----just ask Jacoby Ellsbury; if Hamilton is at a reasonable percentage of his normal self, then the Rangers offense will be greatly enhanced by his mere presence; if not...

Neftali Feliz has a near-100 mph fastball and had an excellent season as the Rangers closer. He's also a 21-year-old rookie. It would behoove the Rangers to get him into game 1 regardless of the score; preferably, they'll have a big lead and let him get his first playoff experience behind him with limited pressure. It can go two ways with a young closer: he's either going to come through like Adam Wainwright; or he'll detonate.

Ron Washington's main attribute as manager has always been that the players never stop playing hard for him; in the playoffs, that won't matter much because they'll be playing hard as a rule; Washington makes glaring strategic mistakes, but so does Rays manager Joe Maddon; which manager makes the less egregious error will be imperative and could determine the series.

Keys for the Rays: Evan Longoria; the Carl Crawford Show; scoring; Big Game James; Rafael Soriano; which manager will screw up the least.

Nursing a strained quadriceps, Evan Longoria didn't play during the final week of the season. Is he healthy? The most important player on and off the field for the Rays is Longoria. If he's compromised or out entirely, they've got a big problem.

Carl Crawford's free agent credentials are almost identical to those of Carlos Beltran before the 2004 NLDS----a five tool star; in his prime; set to enter the market and get paid. Beltran was going to get paid one way or the other, but his utter tear in the 2004 playoffs cemented the Mets decision to give him $119 million.

Crawford stands at that exact same precipice. Will he put on a Superman show as Beltran did?

The Rays clutch hitting was the biggest factor in finishing third in the AL in scoring, but the Rangers are a different animal with much better pitching than the rest of baseball on the whole; when the Rays are shut down, they don't simply have trouble scoring----they have trouble getting any hits at all!

James Shields----AKA Big Game James----has not pitched well for two years running; in fact, he's gotten rocked all over the place. If the Rays have to rely on him in a make-or-break game 4, they need the Big Game version, not the batting practice version.

Rafael Soriano had a fantastic year as the Rays closer, but he's got the penchant for tightening in big games and gives up some homers. He, like Crawford, is a pending free agent and wants to get paid; doing well in the playoffs will raise his pricetag; this could place more pressure on his shoulders and cause a gack or two.

Manager Joe Maddon makes as many bizarre stumbles as Washington.

What will happen:

We don't know how Crawford, Soriano, Feliz and Hamilton will respond to the pressures of the playoffs; we do know how Longoria, Lee and Vladimir Guerrero respond to the same pressures.

Longoria's injury is something the Rays may not be able to counteract; Hamilton's is an issue, but the Rangers have enough offense to work around it and his mere presence in the lineup will permeate everyone else. The Rays bullpen is deep and well-organized, but they have the aforementioned issue of allowing big homers; the Rangers will score against the Rays pitching staff.

Will the Rays score enough? Will B.J. Upton hustle? There are black spots in the Rays lineup that have contributed greatly to them continually getting no-hit. Carlos Pena hit .196 this year and struck out 158 times; he did hit 28 homers and walked enough to raise his on base percentage to .325, but batting under .200 is ridiculous.

Lee put on a show with the Phillies last year; he loves the big stage and he will again show the world why he's the Stone Cold Killer. The Rangers have never gotten past the first round of the playoffs because they continually ran into the Yankees in the late 90s while the Yankees were in the middle of their dynasty.

This time it's different.

The Rangers are ready to win. They've made in-season improvements to win immediately and they're going to do it. In the first round anyway.

The vaunted American League East with two of the "best" teams in baseball will go unrepresented in the ALCS as the Rangers eliminate the Rays.

PREDICTION: RANGERS IN FIVE.

• NLDS----Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies:

Cincinnati Reds (91-71); 1st place, NL Central vs Philadelphia Phillies (97-65); 1st place, NL East.

Keys for the Reds: score and score a lot; keep the Phillies off the bases; work their way into the Phillies bullpen.

The Reds led the National League in scoring led by Joey Votto. On the whole, their lineup isn't particularly patient and if they let the Phillies starters roll through with low-pitch counts, they're never going to get into the Phillies questionable bullpen.

They need to do both to have a chance; and even then, they might not have a chance.

The Reds are starting Edinson Volquez in game 1; Johnny Cueto in game 3; Bronson Arroyo will start game 2. Arroyo isn't going to be intimidated, but he gives up a lot of home runs----a death knell against the Phillies. Both Volquez and Cueto are giant question marks facing that Phillies lineup and they have to come through.

Keys for the Phillies: get good starting pitching; jump on the Reds young starters; hit homers and plenty of them.

Roy Halladay will be making his first post-season appearance. Regardless of any pitcher's greatness, this is always something to keep an eye on----you never know until you know, but Halladay is prone to loving the big stage just like Lee.

The Reds aforementioned starters in game 1 and 3 are going to be nervous and the Phillies won't assuage their fears with their power, patience and base-stealing.

Both Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati are homer happy; the Phillies take great advantage of small ballparks to go deep.

What will happen:

The Reds have taken a grand stride from years of mediocrity and worse to make their first playoff appearance since 1995; they have a bright future with young pitching and power; but the starting pitching with Volquez and Cueto going in games 1 and 3 is prone to nervousness, wildness and homers. Volquez appears to be a sacrificial lamb in sending him out against Halladay; this would be fine if the Phillies didn't have Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels ready to go in games 2 and 3.

The Phillies bullpen has been better lately----Brad Lidge looks like he's got his stuff and confidence back----but even if he didn't, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel will ride his starting pitchers as far as he can. The Reds bullpen has been up-and-down and you cannot trust Francisco Cordero in a big game.

Having had a hot streak that was beyond belief to blast their way into the playoffs, the Phillies look unstoppable right now. If they were playing a team with better starting pitching, I'd say they may have peaked too soon in September, but the Reds don't have the horses to handle the Phillies. They don't even have the personnel to make the series competitive.

This won't take long.

PREDICTION: PHILLIES IN THREE.

• NLDS----Atlanta Braves vs San Francisco Giants:

Atlanta Braves (91-71); 2nd place, NL East (Won Wild Card) vs San Francisco Giants (92-70); 1st place, NL West.

Keys for the Braves: get to the Giants starters and score, score, score; don't leave games in the hands of Billy Wagner.

It's no secret that the Giants are offensively challenged. The Braves pushed Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson hard down the stretch and they'll undoubtedly be rejuvenated by October baseball; Tommy Hanson is pitching game 2 and is a young pitcher with no post-season experience. Can they outpitch the Giants top two starters Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain? The Braves have to score to account for the extra work and opportunistic Giants.

Speaking from experience and remembering his high-profile blowups with the Mets, I can tell you that there's a giant, game-losing inning (with a homer, with walks, whatever) that he has yet to have this season for the Braves. The question is whether it will be a series-clinching gaffe or just a bump they can overcome.

Keys for the Giants: get good starting pitching and send the game to closer Brian Wilson; score enough; work the pitch counts of the Braves starters to simultaneously wear them down and get into the bullpen; Buster Posey.

The Giants have risen to the NL West title based on Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Brian Wilson and clutch hitting. This is truly a team that is more than the sum of its parts. The bullpen is deep and every pitcher knows his role.

Getting the heavily worked Lowe and Hudson to throw a lot of pitches early will get the duo's pitch count up and compromise them for a long series.

Will Buster Posey want to put an exclamation point on his Rookie of the Year candidacy in a head-to-head matchup with Jason Heyward? Posey has been brilliant at and behind the plate and if he hits, the Giants will win.

What will happen:

The Giants have been playing with a little magic all year long. In addition to Lincecum and Cain both getting their first taste of post-season, Wilson is a money closer who exemplifies the "whatever we have to do" attitude of this Giants team. I do not trust Wagner. Period. He's going to blow a game late. Watch.

All the attention will be paid to Bobby Cox as he tries to end his career with a championship, but the manager in the other dugout----Bruce Bochy----has a pretty impressive resume in his own right. Cox's teams have historically had some major falls in the playoffs; and those teams were far deeper and stronger than this one.

The Braves are injury-riddled and were lucky to make the playoffs; the Giants are surging. Even if the Braves escape San Francisco with a split in the first two games, the pockmarked and offensively-challenged Braves will be ripe for the taking back in Atlanta especially with their starting pitching being as pushed as hard as they've been in recent weeks.

Posey's going to put on a show.

Bobby Cox's career as a manager and baseball man has earned him a rightful place in the Hall of Fame, but the romantic story of going out with a championship will end in the NLDS as the Giants dispatch the Braves with relative ease.

PREDICTION: GIANTS IN FOUR.

• The Prince on the Podcast:

I was a guest with Sal at Sportsfan Buzz a couple of hours ago. Click to listen directly here. Or at Sal's site here and get it on I-Tunes.