MLB Awards, Fixing Ryder Cup, Praising Ray Searage And More From Sports World

1. Want to fix the Ryder Cup, to make it as fresh as possible? I have the solution that will change things. Instead of using specific criteria, where points are amassed, why not have a captain pick all 12 players? By doing this, it puts more pressure on the players to perform and be consistent. It also does not hurt the Billy Horschels and Chris Kirks of the world who got passed over because the captain’s picks were already made.

This ensures the best playing golfers are chosen and guys who have struggled such as a Phil Mickelson are not. With this format, no one is safe. Yes it puts more pressure on the captain, but plenty of statistics are always provided for both the United States and European sides to use. The crowd noise and reaction will always be there, but the play itself would be more consistent.

Watching Phil Mickelson struggle again just a couple weeks after saying he needed rest made me feel a change was needed. It’s clear to me that he is the weak link on this team. This new format would put quality play first and everything else second.

2. Forget what I said earlier this week about Russell Martin being the team’s MVP. Ray Searage is the true MVP. What he along with Jim Benedict has been a main reason this Pirates team will make the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

When Searage was designated as a Major League coach during Joe Kerrigan‘s time as pitching coach with the team, I was confused as to why he was staying up with the club. I quickly figured out that he had a hand in pitching. Kerrigan fell out of favor quickly and since Searage has taken over, more of an emphasis has been placed on pitching inside. Pirates pitchers are more confident than ever and it’s because Searage has helped them.

Searage never likes to take credit and tries to shy away from the spotlight. I had a press credential and asked bullpen coach Euclides Rojas for an interview as both were coming off of the field. Searage smiled when I did not say his name and gave me a pat on the back. Searage has made a world of difference even if he refuses to admit it or not. For me, without him neither of these past two years happens because the pitching would be in a rough spot.

3. LeBron James is not smiling and I’m okay with that. No, he is not miserable, but more determined than ever. His “I’m coming home” letter was very well written, and very serious. Anyone who expected a smiling LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers media day Friday was in for a surprise.

James is coming from a Miami Heat team that was all business all the time. Now with Cleveland he joins Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to form a younger and fresher “big three.” Many things are expected from this team. James will not be smiling as much as he did in round one in a Cavaliers uniform, but that is because he has dedicated himself to improving. He has dropped weight, he left a Heat team that in a very weak Eastern Conference would have been a shoo-in for the NBA Finals. He wants to be sure he made the right decision and he will stop at nothing to do that.

In sports anymore, you are measured by the amount of championships you have won and LeBron has won two and lost two. James is well aware of the pressure he is under and the comparisons that have been made. Winning a title with a second team would be great for his legacy, and you better believe his eye is on the prize. With the team assembled, anything short of at least the NBA Finals would be a disappointment.

4. My baseball awards ballot

NL MVP– For me despite missing five starts Clayton Kershaw is by far the most valuable player and it is not even close. Giancarlo Stanton and Andrew McCutchen serve as runners up. I know many voters refuse to vote for pitchers to win; however, who has been better than him? In 27 games, he has 21 wins, and the last pitcher to accomplish that was Fred Goldsmith in 1880. That is not a typo. With his 1.77 earned-run average, Kershaw captures MLB’s lowest ERA for the fourth consecutive season. According to ESPN, Kershaw would be the fourth pitcher [Don Newcombe, Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson] since World War II to win the MVP should he get enough votes. Kershaw’s Wins Above Replacement is 8.1 which is best in all of baseball. Of the past 1,000 batters faced, just 238 have reached base. Kershaw is the best pitcher in the major leagues, and it isn’t even close.

AL MVP– Mike Trout is my choice. For me he wins over Victor Martinez, who has had himself quite the season. When you think of the Angels you think of Trout. His Wins Above Replacement is at 8.0, 0.1 behind Clayton Kershaw and 1.1 ahead of Michael Brantley, the next position player on the list. Trout has had a down year with the glove and has experienced a slight dip in his offense, but even still has been the best player in the American League. Trout is hitting .290 this season with 35 home runs and 110 RBI. I do not think this vote will be close. Many sympathize with Trout losing out twice to Miguel Cabrera which will help, even still this vote will not be close.

NL Cy Young– Clayton Kershaw

AL Cy Young– Corey Kluber is the selection here. Yes he is not much of a known quantity and Felix Hernandez is likely the favorite here, but Kluber is 18-9 on the season and has thrown 235.2 innings on the season. Wins is one statistic, but ESPN’s Jayson Stark cites the dominant start statistic. Kluber has nine and Hernandez has five dominant starts. Stark wrote that in the past 25 years, eight AL starts had nine or more dominant starts and all but one won the Cy Young Award. Kluber has 49 walks and 269 strikeouts on the season. Kluber had a 4.14 ERA in April however settled down. At home, he was 9-3 with a 2.57 ERA in 16 starts. For me, there is no clear cut winner here, but voters tend to select a contender. That eliminates Chris Sale. This is a three horse race to me. If the voters want a name, they will vote for Hernandez, if not, Kluber is the only choice.

NL ROY– Jacob deGrom is almost my default selection. Lone reason is because he responded after an 0-4 start to finish his remaining starts with a 9-2 record. Billy Hamilton was a disappointment to me as was Kolten Wong. Kyle Hendricks from the Cubs is deserving but there is not enough of a sample size for me.

AL ROY– Jose Abreu is the easy choice. I want to pick Matt Shoemaker from the Los Angeles Angels because he is 16-4 and stayed consistent despite an injury to Garrett Richards, however the media attention and name are not on his side and that is a shame. I personally would love to choose Richards, but Abreu had too good of a season. 35 home runs and 105 RBI give the White Sox future hope which will come in handy since the AL Central is one of the more wide open divisions in baseball.

Sep 24, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches in the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

NL Manager of the Year– The minute Matt Williams benched Bryce Harper for a lack of running out a ground ball, I knew this would be my selection. Last year, the Washington Nationals really underachieved under Davey Johnson. This season again, the expectations were high but they were met. We probably saw the last relevance of Ryan Zimmerman who had an injury plagued season and Adam LaRoche missed time to injury as well. This Nationals team will be a force to reckon with in the playoffs and Williams has them believing. I chose Williams over Mike Redmond of the Miami Marlins. The Marlins had a bounce-back season and are promising moving forward. I was unsure Redmond is now the guy, but I believe that Williams has the Nationals players and fans alike buying in. That reason alone is enough for Williams to get my vote.

AL Manager of the Year– This honor should go to Seattle Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. McClendon’s base stealing antics are a thing of the past, and he has made the Mariners relevant again. It would be easy to pick Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter, especially considering all of the injuries that hit that, but no one expected this from the Mariners. People thought Robinson Cano was crazy for chasing the money going to Seattle, but maybe he knew something we didn’t. Kyle Seager has 25 home runs and 96 runs batted in thus far and Mike Zunino has 22 home runs of his own. On the base paths, James Jones has stolen 27 bases. Cano has not given away outs with 67 strikeouts in 585 at-bats. In fact, his walks, 59 are almost equal to his strikeouts. On the mound, the Mariners have four players with 10 or more wins in Felix Hernandez [14], Hisashi Iwakuma [14], Chris Young [12] and Ronnie Elias [10]. Fernando Rodney has bounced back with putting the bow and arrow on 47 saves. The Mariners are out of the wild card hunt, but the progress this season has been great to watch.