AL NOTEBOOK: TIGERS, TWINS AND ORTIZ, OH MY!Byline: DOUG PADILLA Douglas ("Doug") Padilla (born October 4, 1956 in Oakland, California) is a former middle and long distance runner from the United States, who won the overall Grand Prix 1985 and the World Cup 5000m race in 1985. Staff Writer OAKLAND -- The end of the first half is upon us which creates the perfect opportunity to look back at the best from the American League American League (AL) One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). . Big-time noise was made from the Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Tigers have played in Comerica Park. , Joe Mauer's bat, Kenny Rogers' old arm, Francisco Liriano's young arm and the mouth of Ozzie Guillen. The AL West wasn't up to its old standards in the first half, the AL Central got even better and the AL East continues to befuddle be·fud·dle tr.v. be·fud·dled, be·fud·dling, be·fud·dles 1. To confuse; perplex. See Synonyms at confuse. 2. To stupefy with or as if with alcoholic drink. Verb 1. the New York Yankees  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. .
If interleague play Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in 1997. Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season. is any indicator, the AL should be holding its third consecutive championship parade in October and the All-Star Game will once again confirm that the designated hitter will be used in Games 1 and 2 of the World Series. So here are those that should be honored for their first half: MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. : David Ortiz, Boston. Big Papi continues to be the heart and soul of the Red Sox and is deserving of the honor whether he plays defense or not. He was leading the AL in home runs and RBIs during the final week of the first half, but his biggest contribution is clutch hitting. If Ortiz is up in the ninth inning don't leave your seat, especially if it's in the outfield bleachers. Honorable mention: Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. ; Joe Mauer, Minnesota; Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle. Cy Young: Kenny Rogers, Detroit. At 41 years old, the left-hander has proved that more than his temper remains. As long as it's pitching that we're talking about, Rogers is a class act. The best pitcher on the AL's surprisingly best staff earns the nod here. Honorable mention: Roy Halladay, Toronto; Johan Santana, Minnesota; Jose Contreras, Chicago White Sox. Rookie of the year Rookie of the Year may refer to:
Being a starter with 81 1/3innings helps the Twins' left-hander edge out Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. Nine victories against onedefeat is worthy, as is a 1.99ERA. What set Liriano over the top was a dominating outing while stealing the show in Roger Clemens' season debut last month. Honorable mention: Jonathan Papelbon, Boston; Justin Verlander, Detroit; Mike Napoli, Angels. Biggest surprise (team): Detroit. Try to find a Tigers hitter among the league leaders -- OK, maybe Carlos Guillen in doubles. This revival in the Motor City has two things to thank: pitching and managing. Aside from Rogers' brilliance, there was the emergence of Verlander and set-up man Joel Zumaya. Manager Jim Leyland has pushed all the right buttons. Honorable mention: Toronto. Biggest surprise (player): Mike Lowell, Boston. He was supposed to be the dead weight in the deal that brought Josh Beckett to Boston from Florida. Getting rid of his bloated contract made the Marlins all too happy. Lowell has shown he is far from washed up. He had nine home runs (better than last season's eight) and 41 RBIs (closing on the 58 from 2005) as of Thursday. He also was batting around .300. Honorable mention: Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox; Alex Rios, Toronto; Curt Schilling, Boston. doug.padilla@sgvn.com (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2731 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: ORTIZ |
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