tag:www.chicagonow.com,2010:/blogs/rock-report//138/tag:www.chicagonow.com,2009:/blogs/rock-report//138.30068- 2010-11-09T03:48:42Z Comments for Nothing In This World Is Given, Why Should Awards Be Different? No bias, no bull. Just sports with WSCR 670's John "Rock" Mamola. Movable Type 4.261 tag:www.chicagonow.com,2009:/blogs/rock-report//138.30068 2009-11-17T19:00:11Z 2009-12-01T17:40:13Z Nothing In This World Is Given, Why Should Awards Be Different? Rock Mamola http://www.chicagonow.com/profiles/rockmamola
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In the effort to stray away from the numerous "Charlie Weis Must Go" blogs and articles, here's something about Chicago I just don't understand.  Why is it that Chicagoans always feel slighted when something national is given to someone else?  Whether it be the 2016 summer games, or a national poll on the best cities in the country to drink.

I've been a Chicagoan for most of my 28 years on this planet, but I've never gotten over the fact that Chicagoans feel that everything must be given to them when it comes to national (and sometimes worldwide) notoriety.

Yesterday was a perfect example when rookie third baseman second baseman phenom Gordon Beckham finished fifth in the American League Rookie Of The Year Voting.  Beckham this year hit .270 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI in 103 games played.  He didn't make his major league debut till early June and led all American League rookies in RBI, doubles, and extra-base hits.  Beckham won the 2009 Sporting News and MLBPA Rookie Of The Year Award last month which is an award given out and voted on by major league players.

Yesterday the kid they call "Bacon" was burnt as he finished fifth among AL rookies with no first place votes.  

The outcry from White Sox fans is a little disturbing to me.  Some saying he got robbed, cheated, even striped of what was rightly his. I've never been a fan of postseason awards because in the end (for the most part), it means your team didn't win the World Series and an award is a sort of consolation gift.  The last MVP of either league to be on a World Series winner was Kirk Gibson in 1988.  The last Cy Young Award winner on a World Series winner was Randy Johnson in 2001, and before that it was Bret Saberhagen in 1985 with the Kansas City Royals.  In the end awards like the rookie of the year are normally forgotten with time.  Some of the greatest baseball players in history win World Series, not the Rookie Of The Year award.

To be so upset that Gordon Beckham didn't win the ROY award is outright ridiculous.  It's not because there is an east coast bias and Chicago got overlooked once again.  It's not because the national media has an issue with Ozzie Guillen and that's why no one on the White Sox gets recognized by major league baseball.  It's not because the White Sox are the second team in the second city.  

Oakland reliever Andrew Bailey won the award because he was better than any rookie at his position and more valuable to his team than any other rookie.

Oh that's right, you never saw this kid pitch....did you?  It's because he's in that large market out west called OAKLAND!!  Admit it, the only Oakland games you watch are the ones where they're in the road grays at US Cellular field or catching the first three innings of the late game on Wednesday Night Baseball on ESPN.  

Bailey was by far the best rookie this season because he was a lights out closer and dominated his competition.  He didn't hit a rough patch as his ERA never went above 2.60 and converted his last 21 save opportunities.  The kid was lights out and one of the few bright spots on Oakland's roster.  He deserves this award more than any other rookie this season because he was that much better.

I'm not saying Bailey will have a great career, we've seen guys win ROY awards and just fall off the baseball planet.  However White Sox fans that take this award as a slight toward Gordon Beckham should take off the White Sox hat and jacket (it's cold outside), and pay attention to a little more than what's going on the south side.  

I love my White Sox, but as a baseball fan I believe the writers got it right.

-RoCk

Rock Mamola is the Assocaite Producer of The Mully And Hanley Morning Show and co-host of The Joe O And Rock Show on WSCR 670AM The Score.

You can follow the Joe O And Rock Show at twitter.com/joeoandrockshow ]]> tag:www.chicagonow.com,2009:/blogs/rock-report//138.30068-comment:132284 Comment from JeffK. on 2009-11-19 JeffK. http://www.chicagonow.com/profiles/JeffK The last Cy Young Award winner on a World Series winner was Randy Johnson in 2001, and before that it was Bret Saberhagen in 1985 with the Kansas City Royals.

Huh? As I was reading this, my mind boggled. "Surely I can't be hallucinating Orel Hershiser winning the CY in 1988." Shortly followed by "Wait, Maddux didn't win the year the Braves won the Series?" I hope you didn't spend too much time researching this statement. Getting 2 of 4 isn't so hot. As for awards meaning "your team didn't win the World Series and an award is a sort of consolation gift", given that voting is done when the regular season is over, long before the Series winner is known, this makes no sense. That's ignoring the fact that it makes very little sense even if the timing matched up.

]]> 2009-11-20T01:54:50Z tag:www.chicagonow.com,2009:/blogs/rock-report//138.30068-comment:132493 Comment from secondcitysavvy on 2009-11-20 secondcitysavvy http://www.chicagonow.com/profiles/secondcitysavvy "He didn't make his major league debut till early June and led all American League rookies in RBI, doubles, and extra-base hits."
Um, that's why White Sox fans were upset. We felt he DESERVED based on the above statistics. No, maybe we never saw Bailey pitch except when they played the Sox, but how many Oakland fans watch the White Sox on a daily basis? Stick with writing about music, and leave the sports commentary to people who know what they're talking about.

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