Trading Aces: Halladay for Lee

Chone "Gone" Figgins to Seattle

THIS ONE WAS TOUGH to stomach as an Angels fan, Chone Figgins as a Seattle Mariner, wreaking havoc alongside Ichiro throughout the American League. In this day and age when true leadoff hitters are so hard to find, the Angels weren't all that interested in the end. Yes, the up-and-coming Brandon Wood was out of options and needed to be given a chance to truly prove himself, but sheesh...I can't help but feel like Reagins let a good, no, a great one get away.

In Progress: Albert Pujols N.L. MVP '09

OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS I've been working on an Albert Pujols painting, and thought what better time to post my progress with The Machine claiming his third N.L. MVP award. And if not for Barry Bond's tainted legacy, this might have been Pujols' fifth MVP award. I'll be posting the finished version eventually.

Vintage Joe Mauer: A.L. MVP '09

A MUCH DESERVED AWARD for Minnesota Twins backstop and hitter extraordinaire Joe Mauer. Whenever I think about Mauer, the first thing that comes to mind is the vintage Twins catcher's helmet he wears. So in honor of his MVP award, I've chosen this view for this sketch.

Funny Things Happen: Timmy Lincecum, 2009 N.L. Cy Young Winner

OK, SO I COULDN'T RESIST A LITTLE POKE at Tim Lincecum for his youthful indiscretions with pot earlier this month, but winning consecutive Cy Young Awards is some serious stuff. Nobody can call 2008 a fluke because little Timmy dominated National League hitters once again. Oh, and his 15 wins is one less than Zack Greinke's total in '09. Hmm, maybe voters are finally starting to look beyond win totals.

Zack Greinke A.L. Cy Young 2009: The Last Shall Be First

GREAT FEEL GOOD STORY TODAY with the announcement of this year's A.L. Cy Young Award going to Zack Greinke. Considering the fact that the Kansas City Royals finished in last place again this year (though no fault of Greinke's), it's quite an accomplishment to nab the award. An instance of when the last shall be first.

Yankees World Champions of 2009