I don’t believe I’ve ever said how much I love Ozzie Guillen.  The outspoken manager for the Chicago White Sox is one of my favorite personalities in baseball.  He isn’t afraid to be honest.  Whether it’s about himself, his team, players, umpires or columnists in Chicago.  He has now turned his attention to Major League Baseball.  This time it’s not about himself, but rather what baseball isn’t doing in his opinion to help the Latin population in baseball today.

Now I’m not a person on the inside.  I’m someone on the outside looking in.  I would like to help with a little common sense.  Ozzie has brought a few important issues to the forefront that should be discussed more often.  He brings up steroid use in the Latin countries being scouted by major league teams and the fact that what he says can and most of the time is dismissed.  However, he seems to be a little misguided when referring to the lack of interpreters for Latinos when Asian players have their own. 

“I say, why do we have Japanese interpreters and we don’t have a Spanish one.  I always say that.  Why do they have that privilege and we don’t?”  Guillen said Sunday before Chicago played the Oakland Athletics.  “Don’t take this wrong, but they take advantage of us.  We bring a Japanese player and they are very good and they bring all these privileges to them.  We bring a Dominican kid … go to the minor leagues, good luck.  Good luck.  And it’s always going to be like that.  It’s never going to change.  But that’s the way it is.”

Now I can see the disdain seeing that the only Japanese player in your organization is getting an interpreter while your dozen or so Latin players that were just brought to the states have no help with the language barrier.  I don’t have the exact numbers, but I believe it’s around 30% of baseball players are Latino.  Now with a third of the players with a Spanish speaking background, that doesn’t really say there is a language problem, but I could be wrong.  

If there is only one Asian player in your organization, you have to make sure that person is able to perform to his capabilities.  An interpreter is needed to help bridge the gap.  I’m not opposed to having an interpreter for Latin players, but what I am saying is that there are plenty of players that speak both English and Spanish that don’t require the need for an interpreter.  But I am a reasonable person. 

Every team should have an interpreter for the Latin players too.  But understand Ozzie that it isn’t a slight to the Latin players that the only Asian player has an interpreter.  And stop saying, “don’t take this wrong.”  You know they will as soon as you say that.  I’m just looking out for you Oz.

I will give you credit for bringing up the steroid issue in baseball.  Yes, it appears that baseball has started to clean up its sport, but without HGH testing, how can we be sure.  We’ve seen most of the suspensions have been against Latin players, but is that because they don’t know what they’re taking? 

“It’s somebody behind the scene making money out of those kids and telling them to take something they’re not supposed to,” Guillen said.  “If you tell me, you take this … you’re going to be Vladimir Guerrero, you’re going to be Miguel Cabrera, you’re going to be this guy … I’ll do it.  Because I have seven brothers that sleep in the same room.  I have to take care of my mother, my dad. … Out of this I’m going to make money to make them better.”

That is the absolute truth.  What’s to stop someone from taking advantage of them when that player is in a desperate situation to help his family?  I believe baseball is doing all it can to help the education of steroid use with the Latin countries, but it will be an uphill battle. 

The ones profiting from steroids will always be one step ahead of those trying to stop it.  I applaud Ozzie for doing his part in helping to clean up the sport he loves and is wanting to protect.  Not many managers have said they want the sport cleaned up.  Tony LaRussa of the St. Louis Cardinals has a steroid user as his hitting coach (Mark McGwire).  Does that mean the Cardinals players are using steroids?  Not at all, but are they educating them.  Probably not.  At least they’re not saying it publicly. 

Ozzie Guillen does go off the deep end sometimes, but not on these issues.  Hire interpreters for the Latin players and continue to educate them and the entire baseball community about the dangers of steroid use.  Ozzie is a strong voice for the Latin community and now for the entire sport.

We have reached the half-way point, sort of, in the 2010 Major League Baseball season.  Can you say that your World Series predictions are still valid?  Yes.  No.  Half of the prediction.  Well, Philadelphia and the New York Yankees are still alive and well, but my awards predictions are another matter.  Not totally blown up, but I do have to revamp a few spots.  Lets delve into them shall we?

American League MVP – 1B Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers
.346 AVG, 22 HR, 77 RBI

The way I see it with MVP awards is that it stands for Most Valuable Player.  Doesn’t have anything to do with the team, just what the individual player has done for that season.  Why do you think Andre Dawson (1987) and Alex Rodriguez (2003) won the award when their teams went no where?  It was a toss up between Cabrera and Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.  Hamilton has been on fire since June 1 and he is almost single handily winning the AL West for Texas.  You notice I said “almost.”  Vladimir Guerrero, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young are just three names that are in the mix for the Rangers success.  That to me will cancel out any Rangers for votes.  The same goes for the Yankees bats.  Yes, Robinson Cano will get votes, but lets be honest.  I could bat sixth in that lineup and bat close to .300 too.  Cabrera is putting up a case for the Triple Crown.  Not saying he will get it, but he doesn’t have nearly the kind of protection that Texas and New York give their candidates.

National League MVP – 1B Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds
.314 AVG, 22 HR, 60 RBI

I like this guy a lot.  His father passing away last year set him back not just in his game, but mentally as well.  He needed all the time in the world to make everything right before he stepped back on the field.  Now that he has this year, it seems he hasn’t missed a beat.  He was on pace for some remarkable stats last season and now it’s showing this year.  The only other viable candidate at the moment that could make a run for the award would be 1B Adrian Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres.  You take him or Votto out of the middle of their respective lineups and their teams aren’t even in the top three spots in their divisions.  Votto is extremely important to the Reds attack.  Yes he plays in a hitters paradise, but shouldn’t he already have 30+ HR and almost 100 RBI by now?  Gonzalez’s numbers are impressive being in a pitchers park, but San Diego is winning more on pitching than on offense.

American League Cy Young – David Price – Tampa Bay Rays
12-4, 2.42 ERA, .223 BAA

I have to give Tampa Bay a lot of credit here.  They didn’t rush Price at all when he was drafted number one overall in 2007.  The bullpen was his first assignment the next year and that helped propel the Rays to their first World Series in 2008.  Since, he has slowly risen to the top tier of starting pitchers in the American League.  The only other candidate would be Cliff Lee.  Now with the Texas Rangers, his numbers will rise a little, but not enough to keep him out of contention.  Price has the wins and the lowest ERA in the American League.  That will be enough to get him the award and solidify him as the ace of Tampa Bay’s pitching for many years to come.

National League Cy Young – Ubaldo Jimenez – Colorado Rockies
15-1, 2.20 ERA, .198 BAA

I don’t like to give the award to the guy who has the most wins, but Ubaldo has been unhittable almost all year.  He has hit a bit of a wall going into July, but what’s so remarkable about him is his BAA (batting average against) is still below .200.   I would put St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright and Florida’s Josh Johnson also into the mix.  Johnson doesn’t have the wins, but his ERA (1.70) is the best in baseball and his strikeout (123) to walk ratio (28) is phenomenal.   Wainwright is great in St. Louis (9-0), but average on the road (4-5).  That will hurt him, but he will be a strong contender down the stretch like he was last year.  Ubaldo doesn’t seem to be primed for a big let down.  Even with his struggles of late, he has bounced back nicely through most of the rough outings.

American League Rookie of the Year – Brennan Boesch – Detroit Tigers
.342 AVG, 12 HR 49 RBI

Yes, my original pick (Brian Matusz) has flamed out, but this is a great story.  Boesch has come out of nowhere in the Detroit system and hasn’t disappointed in the majors.  This is the best protection for AL MVP Miguel Cabrera, but it is working.  He could have gotten consideration for the All-Star game too, but I’m not gonna go there.  I’m expecting his numbers to settle at some point, but it hasn’t happened yet.  I’m sure it will, but until then he is the runaway choice in the American League.

National League Rookie of the Year – Gaby Sanchez – Florida Marlins
.302 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI

If not for a log jam at first base, Sanchez would get considered for the All-Star game as well.  Florida has Hanley Ramirez and now Gaby Sanchez to anchor the middle of their lineup.  Jason Heyward went down with an injured hand, which might cost him unless he picks up where he left off before the injury.  Jaime Garcia of the St. Louis Cardinals will get a lot of publicity, but I think Sanchez deserves it.  For a rookie in his position to have the kind of patience (.365 OBP) and some decent pop is rare.  He might have Marlins fans forget that they had Adrian Gonzalez at one point in their organization.  Him and a slew of other All-Stars too, but Sanchez is another piece that they will use until it’s time to move onto the next one.

American League Manager of the Year – Ozzie Guillen – Chicago White Sox
1st Place: 49-38 record

If Tampa Bay takes the division, Joe Maddon will get the award.  Until then, Ozzie deserves all the accolades.  Chicago was dead in the water it seemed going into the summer.  Their pitching was in shambles.  The lineup was inconsistent.  Ozzie didn’t even have one of his patented tirades and yet the White Sox got on a roll and began to pass Minnesota and Detroit to be atop first place.  If the trend continues, Chicago might think they can win the whole thing again.  Rest assured the White Sox will miss Jake Peavy, but GM Ken Williams will make a move to get a starter to help bolster the starting staff for the playoff push.  Ozzie hasn’t lost the magic and the White Sox would be wise to not let him go for the wrong reasons.

National League Manager of the Year – Bobby Cox – Atlanta Braves
1st Place: 52-36 record (best in NL)

His last season is looking like he can keep managing for another 10 years.  Atlanta has the best record in the National League, thanks to great pitching and a balanced lineup.  There aren’t any power bats in the lineup, but small ball is their game and they use it well.  Pitching and defense are what made the Braves contenders throughout the 1990s.  Atlanta has the fourth best ERA in the National League and it starts at the top with Bobby Cox.  The Braves are starting to pull away from the pack in the NL East with Philadelphia and the New York Mets soon to be fighting for the Wild Card.

The only thing more important than winning was breathing to New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.  For 37 seasons he was the most loved, hated and misunderstood owner in sports.  He had many ups and downs throughout his reign.  He put the Yankees back on the map as world champions in the late 1970s.  They went silent in the 1980s.  The first time the Yankees didn’t win a title in an entire decade.  The Yankees would not go quiet in the 1990s.  Four World Series titles put the Yankees back on top.  Winning this past year was probably the most fulfilling.  He let his baseball people do their job and it usually works when you have the backing of George Steinbrenner and his check book.

Twenty times in his first 23 seasons as owner he changed the manager of the New York Yankees.  Five times in that span he hired and fired Billy Martin.  It was well known the disdain they had for one another, but they won together and that was what counted for both of them. 

George was banned from operating the Yankees from 1990-1993 for paying a gambler 40,000 dollars to dig up dirt on his former player Dave Winfield, whom George signed in 1981 to a 10 year 25 million dollar free agent contract.  That was perhaps the low point for Mr. Steinbrenner who in his seclusion came to the realization that less of me might be better for the franchise. 

His return to the Yankees started with a change in philosophy.  Less focus on free agents and a bigger focus on home grown players.  It resulted in the franchises first title since 1978.  They would continue their championship run into the new millennium with their 26th and 27th titles. 

His best free agent signings were probably back in the 1970s.  In 1975 George signed pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter to a fiver year deal that paid him 600,000 thousand dollars a year.  Two years later in 1977 George signed Reggie Jackson to a five year deal that paid him 580,000 thousand dollars a year.  The Yankees won back-to-back title in 1977-78.  Their first title since 1962. 

Now spending doesn’t always work.  You can’t always buy yourself a championship.  You can make yourself into a contender, but not always a champion.  George had to learn that the hard way after their championship season in the year 2000.  After the Game 7 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, Mount George erupted with millions of dollars to spend.  Jason Giambi was signed to a 7 year deal worth over 120 million dollars.  Alex Rodriguez was acquired from the Texas Rangers, who had signed him to a 10 year 252 million dollar contract. 

Those were just two examples.  Two other mistakes were acquiring pitcher Kevin Brown from the Dodgers in 2003 and Randy Johnson from the Diamondbacks in 2005.  Also resigning Alex Rodriguez to a 10 year contract that pays him over 30 million dollars a year is another mistake, but they did win the World Series with A-Rod so it’s not as bad.

One thing you can give all the credit in the world to George Steinbrenner for is that he changed the way owners can operate their teams.  Without George would we have Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder, Arte Moreno, Jerry Buss and Mark Cuban?  Probably not.  He brought businessman into the mix as owners in the major sports teams. 

There are so many sports networks now that you could give some credit to George for fighting to start and control the YES Network.  That extra revenue has helped him continue spending and eventually get it right with the signing of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira in route to the 2009 championship.

The free agency era was ushered in by George.  Getting television networks for your team was started by George.  Wanting to win above everything else (except breathing) was brought back by George.  Love him or hate him he was a one of a kind owner, visionary and person.  He never back downed.  He never kept quiet.  He never stopped trying.

I would do almost anything to be a part of the celebration on July 13, 2010 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.  Alas, pricing for tickets is ridiculous.  Even if I earned a decent salary to be able to attend the event, I would choose to stay at home and watch it on Fox.  However, like last year in a post titled, “MLB All-Star Teams (Done the right way)” I can put forth who is worthy of playing in the event.  I’ve followed the rules of having 34 players, 13 pitchers, for each league and a representative from each team.  Here are my choices for the mid-summer classic.

The stat line: 7 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks and 14 strikeouts.

That is the first major league start for 2009 first overall pick Stephen Strasburg.  I being a huge fan of baseball love seeing those kinds of numbers from any pitcher.  Strasburg, fair or not, has been anointed the savior of the Washington Nationals franchise.  One pitcher as we all know doesn’t make a difference unless your name is Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, you get the idea.  Regardless of expectations one thing is certain.  I will hold back in getting caught up in the hype.

Or I could just point out that he struck out 14 major league hitters in his first start!  Forgive me, let me take it down a notch.  Yes it was scripted by the Nationals to call him up during a home stand.  Yes his first start was against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  I don’t have to, but I will point out the Pirates as a team have the worst batting average in baseball (.238).  Overlooking all that and saying Strasburg is the real deal after only one start is hard to believe.

However, if you’ve seen just a handful of highlights of him at San Diego State or in the minor leagues, you would’ve started to buy into it a long time ago.  His stuff is filthy.  None that I’ve seen since Kerry Wood burst onto the scene.  Yes, the same Kerry Wood who as a Chicago Cub struck out 20 Houston Astros in his rookie season.  Not saying Strasburg will do the same, but this is the time for him to rack up the K’s.

A fastball that ranges from 91-101 mph.  His changeup can reach 92 mph.  His breaking ball clocked at a nasty 85 mph.  The break on it was just as impressive.  Imagine being the hitter.  You somehow see the fastball whizz by down the middle.  Strike one.  Next pitch is his changeup which you weren’t expecting, you let it pass, it catches the corner.  Strike two.  Now being that Strasburg is a rookie, he will probably want to blow you away with a fastball.  You ready yourself for the heat, but here comes a pitch that for a split second heads for your head, then takes a major turn for the inside corner of the plate.  Called strike three.  Sit down good sir.

That is what is separating Strasburg from a lot of pitchers right now.  He has the stuff and will hopefully learn how to pitch quicker than most.  The Nationals are counting on that right arm of his to help get their heads into the light of contention.  He won’t get them out of the hole, but at least they will get to see the sun rise and set from now on.  They’ve already decided to bring him along slowly which is the right call.  There have been too many phenoms who tire and wear down further into their careers.

He reminds me so much of Kerry Wood.  Lets just hope he isn’t reduced to being a banged up closer for a losing franchise to finish his career.