The 2008 Pittie Awards
by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2008 11:17 AM EDT
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PrintWell, the baseball season is over for the Diamondbacks, isn't it? I know this, because we finally were able to start getting caught up on the mountain of unwatched DVDs and Tivo'd television last night - we watched the three-hour Heroes special from last week, the first we'd seen of the show, having had it highly-recommended to us by more than one source. It was ok, but we felt somewhat lost: we may bump into it again, but it won't be added to perma-Tivo status. We have enough there already, between Fringe, Primeval and Dexter.
But it's now time to start looking forward to the off-season - and we start by looking back at the 2008 season, as I work on the end of season awards, known as the Pitties. I'm looking for nominations, particularly for Play, Performance, Game and Unsung Hero of the Year, so please throw your suggestions into the comments over the next week or so. If you don't, then I expect to hear no grumbling when your favorite is omitted from the final list of nominees! As a reminder, here are the categories and the reigning champions:
- Play of the year: Brandon Lyon, June 5 vs. SFG
- Performance of the year: Micah Owings, August 18 vs. ATL
- Game of the year: May 19, comeback vs. PIT
- Unsung hero of the year: Chris Snyder
- Rookie of the year: Chris Young
- Cy Young: Brandon Webb
- Most Valuable Player: Brandon Webb
There is also a poll over on the sidebar, to decide the last Player of the Month, so don't forget to vote on that one.
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Off the top of my head and completely subjective
1.) Game of the year: July 3rd against the Brewers, scoring 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win it.
2.) Unsung hero: Still gotta go with Chris Snyder.
3.) Rookie of the year; Mad Max
4.) Cy Young: Brandon Webb
5.) MVP: Drew
"So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish!"
by unnamedDBacksfan on Sep 30, 2008 2:04 PM EDT reply actions
I second all these picks
As to “Performance” of the Year, it’s a tie between Daron Sutton & Derrick Hall, blowing away Eric Byrnes on facetime and barely edging Jessica Simpson in authenticity ;-)
by Diamondhacks on Sep 30, 2008 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
See how well I recall
Play of the year: No idea whatsoever
Performance of the year: Stephen Drew against St. Louis, cycle + extra double
This one was close with CoJacks over-cycle but I think having the full cycle kinda makes it a dealbreaker. Plus it had the extra double.
Game of the year: 9th Inning comeback against the Brewers
Nothing makes you forget about your team’s offensive futility for a day like a major ninth inning rally.
Unsung hero of the year: Chris Snyder
Not a lot of heroes to speak of, but Snyder’s ability to jack the ball is appreciated
Rookie of the year: Max Scherzer
Not too many rookies worth mentioning, and Scherzer’s debut against the Stros still stands out as a memorable outing.
Cy Young: Brandon Webb
He might win the league Cy Young, and he’s easily the best on the team.
Most Valuable Player: Brandon Webb
Stephen Drew gets the honorable mention for his offensive breakout this year, but Webbie’s 22 wins are invaluable to a team that had to work for every victory it got.
Gravity Says: Re-sign Adam Dunn
For play of the year
I’d go with the moment Co-Jack gave up a cycle to put himself on third base. That was very impressive.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
Can we vote for a Cy Yuck?
Cy Yuck: Jon Rauch. While Pena, Qualls and Lyon all had their struggles, nobody sucked more at the most inopportune times than Jon Rauch
I like the idea of a 'Least Valuable Player'
Several contenders there, I think…though might that be a bit snarky?
by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2008 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Burke?
(C’mon. You were all thinking it.)
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
I'll agree with three of the letters
And it starts with the same sound…
(Burke was crap at the plate, but wasn’t bad on defense and didn’t cost us a lot of money. And didn’t get injured halfway through the season.)
"Now, this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard [Hank Steinbrenner] say, and this is the third time I've said that this season."
Crap is putting it mildly
Only three others players among the 387 with Burke’s PA’s hit below the Uecker Line and also slugged below .300: Tony Pena, Andruw Jones and Adam LaRoche. Of course, only one of those was earning eight figures for doing it. :-)
by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2008 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Hmmm.....
Burke, Medders, Clark, Eckstein, Rauch — those would be my nominees for LVP.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
Oooooh.
I completely forgot about him. Yeah, that guy. :-(
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
Not on my immediate list
Three other names came to mind first, but he likely deserves a nomination.
by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2008 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Player, Player.....blast!
And here I wanted to pick Melvin.
Bob Melvin: Black Denarian in disguise.
And Chip 'The Windmill' Hale
I may have to make it ‘Least Valuable Person’.
by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2008 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Eric Byrnes.
Do I really need to explain?
-Sent by a Blackberry
(invented by John McCain)
by C. Wesley Baier on Sep 30, 2008 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions
What is
“most overused SnakePit joke?” for $500?
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
That Eric
should take his lame flipper routine to cirque du solie?
just guessing here
"So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish!"
by unnamedDBacksfan on Sep 30, 2008 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, sorry
that’s actually under the category “things people whine about incessantly.”
We are gonna get drunk with Adam Dunn and we're gonna head-butt some damn kangaroos.
One way to shut up his critics though
is for him to perform. And I do not mean his flipper routine or the flying nun routine we all have come to ‘love’.
He had the power to shut us up and he failed,
"So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish!"
by unnamedDBacksfan on Sep 30, 2008 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions
More like
“What is the most overused SnakePit joke?” for $30 million?
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
Who said I was joking?
-Sent by a Blackberry
(invented by John McCain)
by C. Wesley Baier on Oct 1, 2008 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Eric Byrnes
isn’t a joke?
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
Max Scherzer
is the only credible ROTY, although I guess Ichiromero, and…. errrr…… D’Antona and Whitesell? Also qualify.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
My nominations
- Play of the year: Alex Romero’s catch in San Diego
- Performance of the year: Drew hitting for the cycle
- Game of the year: Comeback against the Brewers
- Unsung hero of the year: Conor Jackson
- Rookie of the year: Max Scherzer- really the only option, right?
- Cy Young: Brandon Webb
- Most Valuable Player: Brandon Webb
"Now, this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard [Hank Steinbrenner] say, and this is the third time I've said that this season."
My picks:
Kishi, I pretty much agree with your’s except for performance of the year.
There I’m going with Cojack’s overcycle for what it says about the character of the man.
Bob Melvin: Black Denarian in disguise.
As much as I would like to be original,
I have to completely agree with Kishi down the entire ballot.
My LVP nomination goes to The Windmill
I have an irrational mancrush on Stephen Drew.
Some more thoughts
I am surprised nobody has yet mentioned DD’s last start before surgery for Performance of the Year. Yes, a sentimental pick, but it has a lot of game merit too. Also CoJack’s almost-cycle.
Is Webb going to be the only pitcher on the ballot for CY? LOL. I vote we throw in Haren too, and sure RJ.
MVP – Drew, CoJack, Webb.
Game of the Year – in Houston, August 15th, where everyone named Chris hit a home run.
CoJack-MVP talk certainly, but
Once he moved to left, I’d add another catagory for “The Most Improved” player.
as far as Cy Young, I look at it totally in a subjective eye right now. Webb was our first home grown star, so I’ll probably stick with that.
Comeback player? RJ perhaps… Did anyone really expect him to have the year he did?
"So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish!"
by unnamedDBacksfan on Sep 30, 2008 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Ooh, Comeback player...
I don’t think we really had very many of those this year, but RJ would certainly top the list!
by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2008 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Double D
should also be nominated for Comeback Player.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
if you're going coming back from cancer on us
definitely his 7 innings of perfect ball. That’s a memory stuck in my mind
Proud supporter of Randy going for 300, even next year.
I like
your new signature, AJ.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
I've had it for a bit
but it probably wasn’t noticed since my recent posting hiatus. Things have been pretty crazy.
Proud supporter of Randy going for 300, even next year.
What about
SnakePit Poster of the Year?
I nominate Zephon, for his feature pieces on our minor leaguers and his continued and increased participation as this season went on.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
Yeah.. increased participation...
-Sent by a Blackberry
(invented by John McCain)
by C. Wesley Baier on Oct 1, 2008 12:34 AM EDT up reply actions
I also
nominate mrssoco, because IIRC, she’s the first spouse to join (even if she wasn’t a spouse yet) and because she’s scared us all straight by leaving a fearsome path of destruction in her wake.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
What about
separate categories for pitching performances and hitting performances?
Pitching performances —
Haren’s 4 hit shutout
Double D’s final game before surgery
RJ’s season finale complete game
More?
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
I do see the benefits of splitting pitching/hitting performances
but I’m afraid the categories will then get diluted if we do that. I personally think we’re okay to keep them combined…
by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2008 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't really mind diluting categories.
That way we get to recognize more performances this year. It’s pretty tough to genuinely dilute a “performance of the year” award, when it only means you’re selecting TWO performances rather than ONE out of 162 games. Plus, it’s tough to judge a hitting performance vs. a pitching performance. They’re totally different skills.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
At this rate
The awards show will run longer than the Oscars. :-)
by Jim McLennan on Sep 30, 2008 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Nah.
It’ll be short, like the Golden Globes “show” during the writers’ strike.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
And how many people actually watched that?
Yeah, like 3.
We do want people to vote and not feel daunted by the ballot. :P Also, since I recall that they aren’t all held on the same day, we need them to want to come back and not get annoyed! LOL.
by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2008 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, c'mon now.
It’s not like I’m proposing a Cy Young Award for Relievers or a Defensive Player of the Year or a Most Valuable Bench Player. I just think that Best Single Game Performance should be broken up between pitchers and hitters. It’s only one extra award.
The Zorn Star just got his first Cowboys victory for the "maroon and black".
by DbacksSkins on Sep 30, 2008 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Well yes, and like I said,
I do see the merits, but I also see the merits of breaking down Play of the Year to Defensive and Offensive, and other things that could also work. Personally, I wouldn’t want to bloat the categories too much or dilute the choices, but it’s not my choice.
by snakecharmer on Sep 30, 2008 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I nominate Jeff Salazar
for “Salliest Hitter”
From the left hand side of the plate.
In June.
Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaallly!
by Diamondhacks on Sep 30, 2008 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions
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