{"id":1369,"date":"2009-07-09T05:43:36","date_gmt":"2009-07-09T12:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2009\/07\/09\/mid-season-awards-part-2\/"},"modified":"2009-07-09T20:40:27","modified_gmt":"2009-07-10T03:40:27","slug":"mid-season-awards-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2009\/07\/09\/mid-season-awards-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Mid-Season Awards, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Without further ado, here are the \u00e2\u20ac\u015324\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Day 7 mid-season awards for Major League Baseball in 2009.\u00c2\u00a0 To see Part 1 of the awards, click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Janeane Garofalo as Janis Gold \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Damn, you got old\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Award<\/strong> goes to David Ortiz. Janeane Garofalo got old since the last time I saw her.\u00c2\u00a0 Really old.\u00c2\u00a0 Like so old that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so glad I <\/a><\/a>didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have my HDTV when this season of \u00e2\u20ac\u015324\u00e2\u20ac\u009d aired.<\/p>\n

When the Red Sox played the Yankees in past years, Ortiz was so dangerous that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have to change my pants after every one of his at bats.\u00c2\u00a0 Now, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still got power, but he has a ton of holes in his swing.\u00c2\u00a0 At the time I write this sentence, Ortiz was hitting .225 with a .318 OBP, and didn’t hit his first homerun of the season until June 6.<\/p>\n

Runners up: Jason Varitek, Jamie Moyer, Hank Blalock, B.J. Ryan
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The guy, who plays Billy Walsh, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When does Entourage come back on?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Award<\/strong> is dedicated to any pitcher facing Albert Pujols.\u00c2\u00a0 Rhys Coiro, the actor behind psychotic director Billy Walsh on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Entourage,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d mysteriously appeared as a corrupt, philandering, and overall uninspired FBI analyst early in this season of \u00e2\u20ac\u015324.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He went through every scene with a longing look, as if he expected some beautiful topless woman to walk through the door behind Adrian Grenier.\u00c2\u00a0 Pitchers attack Pujols, who is succeeding at an unheard of level (.336, .427 OBP, 31 HR, 82 RBI through 84 games), with the same mentality.\u00c2\u00a0 They just want to survive this painful experience, and live to collect their paychecks down the road.<\/p>\n

Runner up: Julian Tavarez<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The President Allison Taylor \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inconsequential leader\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Award<\/strong> named for the President that allowed her husband to be shot, her son to be murdered and framed for suicide, and turned her own daughter in for murder is bestowed upon Clint Hurdle.\u00c2\u00a0 Hurdle and replacement manager Jim Tracy presided over the exact same personnel on the 2009 Colorado Rockies.\u00c2\u00a0 Yet in 46 games, Hurdle went 18-28 while Tracy has led the Rockies to the tune of 26-11 and back into contention in the NL West.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Runners up: Jerry Manuel, Manny Acta<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The First Gentleman Henry Taylor \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I really am as ineffective as the title \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFirst <\/strong>Gentleman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 suggests\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Award<\/strong> falls to Manny Acta.\u00c2\u00a0 In a particularly tense moment, the Sangalan nationalists kidnap the President\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s husband.\u00c2\u00a0 One of the cabinet members informed her of this turn of events by saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The first gentleman has gone missing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 I laughed.\u00c2\u00a0 For like ten minutes.\u00c2\u00a0 Out loud.\u00c2\u00a0 Is there any more emasculating title than \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFirst Gentleman?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00c2\u00a0 I can only think of one: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcManager of the Washington Nationals.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Acta sits in the Washington dugout wearing the same faraway, mournful look as Henry Taylor watching his wife remand his only daughter to federal custody.<\/p>\n

Runner up: Dusty Baker<\/em><\/strong> for his work on the Cincinnati Reds.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes the only way I know he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s awake is if that toothpick is still moving in his mouth.<\/p>\n

The Renee Walker \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rookie of the Year\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Award<\/strong> has obviously not been decided yet, but\u00c2\u00a0 Atlanta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Tommy Hanson (4-0, 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 1.28 K\/BB, 5.8 K\/9) and Toronto\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Ricky Romero (6-3, 2.85 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 2.54 K\/BB, 7.6 K\/9) are the front-runners.\u00c2\u00a0 Romero is more like Agent Walker than Hanson.<\/p>\n

<\/a>While the FBI and government crumbled around her due to the corruption and widespread conspiracy, Renee looked to Jack for support.\u00c2\u00a0 Initially, an avid opponent of torture and Jack\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153whatever means necessary\u00e2\u20ac\u009d approach, Renee came to see the importance of Jack\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s existence.\u00c2\u00a0 Also, just like any good partner of Jack’s she found herself held hostage by him at one point. Ultimately, without Jack and Renee working together, America would have suffered from a series of devastating attacks.<\/p>\n

Similarly, while the Toronto rotation fell apart as a result of injuries, Romero has proven himself to be a dominant starter.\u00c2\u00a0 In his last three starts, before allowing a run to the Yankees in the fifth, Romero had gone 23 straight innings without allowing a run.\u00c2\u00a0 At the same time, he has been receiving an on-the-job education from veteran ace Roy Halladay.\u00c2\u00a0 Without Romero and Halladay, the Blue Jays would not be 6 games over .500.<\/p>\n

Runners up: Elvis Andrus, Pablo Sandoval
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Jack Bauer \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I’m getting this done by any means necessary\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/strong> Award goes to Ichiro Suzuki for his 10th inning game-winning at bat in the WBC final.\u00c2\u00a0 If there was a theme to this season of \u00e2\u20ac\u015324\u00e2\u20ac\u009d it was Jack\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s willingness to go above and beyond the law to protect the country and<\/a> people he loves.\u00c2\u00a0 Where others would balk at shooting someone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wife in the knee to extract information, Jack wades in, at no insignificant cost to <\/a><\/strong>himself and his personal relationships.\u00c2\u00a0 Nevertheless, whether he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being tortured by Chinese nationalists, being betrayed by his loved ones, or suffering from an incurable neuro-toxin, in the end, Jack will get the bad guy.<\/p>\n

The same holds true for Ichiro.\u00c2\u00a0 With two strikes on him and two outs in the tenth inning, Ichiro simply refused to give in.\u00c2\u00a0 He fouled off a pitch that bounced, followed by a fastball at the top of the zone.\u00c2\u00a0 It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter where the pitch was located, Ichiro was going to put a bat on it.\u00c2\u00a0 On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Ichiro roped a single to center and secured Japan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s second WBC title.<\/p>\n

Runner up: Joe Mauer<\/em><\/strong> and his scary-good return from debilitating back problems<\/p>\n

The Bill Buchanan \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lifetime Achievement\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Award<\/strong> is conferred to Ken Griffey Jr. This season, Bill Buchanan, the longtime director of CTU, gave his life protecting the President during a siege on the White House.\u00c2\u00a0 We watched Bill evolve from a rookie bureaucrat to a grizzled All-Star running covert operations with rogue agents, all for the good of the country.\u00c2\u00a0 Bill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s record speaks for itself.<\/p>\n

<\/a>3 Seasons as head of CTU<\/p>\n

1 Faking of Jack Bauer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death to allow him to escape from government custody
\n1 Arrest of a corrupt President
\n1 Marriage to Karen Hayes
\n1 Shady trade with the Chinese for the return of Jack Bauer
\n2 Cases of disobeying the law to help Jack escape federal custody
\n1 Silent clock after sacrificing himself for the good of the nation<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been past his prime for a few seasons now, people forget the magnificence that was Ken Griffey, Jr.\u00c2\u00a0 Every kid in the schoolyard imitated that sweet swing of his, while nobody could reproduce the sheer ease with which he glided around centerfield.\u00c2\u00a0 He was the best player in baseball throughout the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc90s, and with every new revelation regarding some All-Star\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s PED use,<\/a> Griffey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s legacy grows stronger.\u00c2\u00a0 We watched his development from a lanky 18-year-old patrolling centerfield in the Kingdome to his current incarnation as a wily veteran, schooling youngsters on the ways of the game and soaking up the love in Seattle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Safeco Park.\u00c2\u00a0 Despite injuries throughout many of the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc00s, Griffey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s numbers and accolades speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

Career: .286, .378 OBP, 621 HR, 1798 RBI,
\nPostseason: .290, .367 OBP, 6 HR, 11 RBI, in 18 games
\n13 All-Star games
\n1 MVP
\n10 Gold Gloves
\n7 Silver Sluggers<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Runner up: Randy Johnson<\/em><\/strong> and his 300 wins.<\/p>\n

Josh Deitch is all over the web.\u00c2\u00a0 Follow him on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Without further ado, here are the \u00e2\u20ac\u015324\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Day 7 mid-season awards for Major League Baseball in 2009.\u00c2\u00a0 To see Part 1 of the awards, click here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t