The Mayans were dumb. Wait, that’s wrong. You were dumb for thinking that those morons who didn’t even have the ability to predict time-zones being developed, let alone leap years would be able to predict the end of days. The calendar starts over. We all should have died like 6 years ago. Way to go idiots. Hope you had a good holiday season as it has been thus far and hopefully you aren’t getting your hopes up to much for what is probably an impending disappointment of a New Years just like every year.
At any rate, the year 2012 was jam-packed with amazing sports. There was a lot of excitement, tons of incredible feats, and a great deal of just good old fashioned fun in the sporting world this year. What better way to finish out the year than with a recap of all that was good, some that was bad, and a lot of what mattered in the sporting universe in 2012.
2012 presented us with a promising one, especially with the XXX Olympiad being held in London. Let’s start with that. Kind of a big deal (Cue Ron Burgundy).
The Olympics are something that everyone enjoys. It gives a purpose to watching the undesirable sports and caring more about them than the average fan most often does about sports that happen every year. The Olympics are a showcase of athletics that for the most part are things that people do just to survive. You know, run, jump, ride horses, balance, swim (from sharks is your context clue), shoot, etc… Although that is what the Olympics is, it does not mean that we all don’t care about the Olympics like it’s bloodsport.
It presents the perfect opportunity to all rally behind ones nation and really stick it to those other countries. Especially China, since it’s inevitable that they own us someday soon. It’s not like we haven’t been doing that in war for the greater part of 2 and a half Centuries now.
Everyone Olympiad there are incredible stories about facing adversity and overcoming obstacles, with the XXX Games being no different. The running events are said to be the prized horse of the Summer Games and one of the coolest stories to come out of these games involved just that.
Oscar Pistorius (AKA Blade-Runner) became the first ever amputee to compete in the Olympic Games. Although, he did not medal in any event, one of the most magical moments of the entire games came when Grenadian runner, Kirani James asked Pistorius to exchange running bibs after the 400M semi-finals race. It tugged at the heart-strings of everyone witnessing it, whether live, or on that AWFUL dealay that NBC thought would work out. Whether you believe that Pistorius deserves to run in the Olympics or not, and there is a group of people out there that don’t, it was an incredible story and we are all better people for witnessing it. <
Speaking of that awful delay that NBC had for the Olympics, let’s talk about that. It was an atrocity. The controversy exploded during the Olympics due to the recent advent of “New” Journalism with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc… Twitter combusted nearly everyday with people that apparently had nothing better to do during the day than watch the events and live-tweet them. Then Twitter imploded on itself with people complaining about others not giving them a “Spoiler Alert.” This is the society we live in.
On a happier note. Here are the ridiculous mascots that the Olympic committee came up with.
This Olympic Games presented us with some feats that had never been accomplished before. Michael Phelps, goofy looking face and all, became the most decorated olympic athlete in Olympic history by nabbing his 19th medal. Ryan Lochte is a douche bag. Usain Bolt became the first runner in the history of the Olympics to repeat in the 100M and the 200M and it was actually in upset fashion. People call him cocky. I call him the best there ever was.
Moving on, let’s talk about the NBA. Nevermind, tune your TV over to the mothership, they can do that for you.
BUUUUUT!
I can’t really write a year-recap without mentioning that Lebron James was the Sportsman of the Year. He deserved it. NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion, oh yeah, and Olympic Gold Medal. He deserved it.
Now that the Olympics and the obligatory NBA reference are out of the way, let’s talk about stuff that should (and does to me, which is really all that matters) matter. We’ll go chronological, then grab stuff from the year and make a nice little hodge podge of a blog here. Try to follow along. If you can’t, I’m sorry. I’m not sorry. Where shall we start?
America’s Past-time. Sure. Here we go Football?
As with every year, the first major sporting event to take place is the NCAA Football National Championship. The Rose Bowl used to be it, but College Football has been diluted. Plus, the BCS National Championship game was one of reminders. The first of which; you don’t give Nick Saban a month to prepare for a team that he has already faced (And lost to) and pick against him. You don’t. We also learned that the BCS is broken? Not sure how you got to that one America. LSU and Bama were the 2 best teams in the country. The final reminder that we all got, defense wins championships. That is all.
After the NCAA Football season wraps, the next big event is less than a month away. No I’m not including Tennis, because honestly, who really cares about Tennis? If you do, I’m not sorry. You have done it to yourself. Also, the NHL All-Star game, which until this year I didn’t even know existed. Then the Pro Bowl. Pause, Crickets. Moving on.
THE SUPER BOWL (Credit to “All Rights Reserves by the NFL and It’s Supporting Sponsors”)
Super Bowl XLVI presented us with a re-match of Super Bowl XLII with the New England Patriots, clear favorites over the New York Giants. Many believed that if Eli Manning could lead his Giants to a 2nd Super Bowl in 5 seasons he would practically be a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. I guess we are going to find out if that’s the case. The Giants ended up victorious after a ton of pre-game hype comparing this rivalry to that of the Yankees/Red Sox. Shut up rivalry pushers. It was a good game and brought us the “Tom Brady Meme” but “real” rivalry? please.
If the theme is learning, as it was reminders for the BCS National Championships, then we did, in fact, learn some things from this Super Bowl to the tune of 3.
#1. Tom Coughlin is the most underrated coach. Not only in the NFL, but in the entire sporting universe.
#2. NEVER count the hot streaking team out of the Super Bowl (See past 4 Champions)
#3. Eli Manning is literally “The Man”ing. Still little brother though.
I’m not a big racing fan, nor do I really think it’s a sport, but the Daytona 500 is one of the most prestigious events throughout the entire year. It is by far the biggest including Copenhagen and PBR. It’s the first and most expensive race of the year and with the timing, the weather can always be a factor. It was this year. Rain and more rain. I actually watched the race, so I’m including it. Sorry race fans, Racing isn’t a sport. It may be a fun activity, but it’s not a sport. Just give up and crack another Natty Ice.
While writing this post I realize how many worthless sporting events there are each year. I’m only through February and I have skipped over/barely mentioned: the NFL Pro Bowl, The NHL All-Star Game, The NBA All-Star Game, and Racing. Good God, what are we doing as a sporting society? Moving on. <- I say that a lot.
March gives us arguably the most exciting few weeks of the sporting season with March Madness. It’s building up to a moment that happens to shine.
Although, we were treated to a great deal of upsets (Thanks Norfolk State and Lehigh), and a really fun Final Four with one of the most dominant teams in recent memory winning in Kentucky, it was a pretty prototypical “March Madness.” Finally two real storied programs played for a title. No stupid Butler. It was fun this year, but there was something missing. Just something that we’ve had for years now. It took me awhile to place my finger on it, but I figured it out. I’m smart. I went to College.
No Gus Johnson! It was a sad day in the sporting world when Gus Johnson was no longer able to call the NCAA Tournament. The most exciting sportscaster ever to walk this earth. The gravity of Gus Johnson’s amazingness isn’t done justice by the written word. Here you go. You’re Welcome!
It’s amazing. Simply amazing.
I will get to baseball in a moment, but 2012 also marked the first time that The Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the New York Yankees didn’t win the World Series. 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, & 1998 both happened. It’s strange. Was that a rule the Mayans came up with too? They tend to be pretty wrong I guess.
From College Basketball to Golf is a relatively easy transition I think. The Masters is one of the most anticipated events in the Golfing community each year because of the prestigious rolling carpet grass that is Augusta National in Georgia and the tradition. Oh, the TRADITION! Every spring is marked by rumblings of how much Tiger Woods is favored in the Masters, regardless of how many women he is currently spending the night with at the time. Over/Under for 2013 is 8, and who cares? he’s TIGER FLIPPIN WOODS!
I love the Masters. I love golf. It’s the only sport that can last as long as my drinking habit can on any given day and the best days of the events are ALWAYS on the weekend. Stupid MNF and College Basketball games being on weekdays and NCAA Football games being played on Thursdays and even Tuesdays. What? Tuesdays?
The Masters boasts incredible coverage on top of the actual event. You get Mike Tirico who covers everything for ESPN, and who I used to passionately hate, but I’ve developed an appreciation for the guy. NBC’s Jim Nantz is “Helloing Friends” and then ESPN throws in Scott Van Pelt, who in my humble opinion is one of the best (if not the best) in the business right now. The Masters is arguably the most pristine event throughout the year because it’s classy. Straight up old fashioned classy. Often times people associate golf with boredom, but the 2012 Masters was anything but.
After 72 holes the tournament hadn’t been decided. Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuzien (I’m not looking at how to spell that, so I hope I’m right. No disrespect Louis. Your name sucks) tied at 10 under par. After a boring first playoff hole, Bubba Watson unloaded on a drive into the trees and needles on the right hand side of the Par 4 10th hole. The wrong-handed lefty proceeded to hit a gorgeous shot out of the crap and ended up salvaging par, while Louis didn’t. Bubba won and the goof took home the trophy. It was an awesome event complete with tears and everything. I loved it.
The video “Golf Boys” also got famous because of Bubba. YES!
2012 marked a historic time at Augusta National in more ways than one. It was the first year in which females were admitted as members. Gasp!?! No. It’s a private club so it can abide by whatever rules it would like in regards to this. Who was admitted you ask? Rich, powerful women in Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore. Extremely historical and means a lot to the progression of women in society. Right? Wrong. If you think this really matters, then you are probably one of those people that was still boasting about President Obama being the first black (Excuse me, African American) President in the History of our fine land 2 years after it happened. Progress is good, but false, ideal forced, progress is stupid. Masters. Hooray!
The end of the Masters and April bring in the most important abuse of animals event of the year. The Kentucky Derby. I don’t think horse racing is animal abuse personally, but it’s an argument with plenty of validity. Every year the Derby is hyped up and then I end up not even watching it. I just really don’t enjoy watching sickly small gentlemen whip stallions. Not for me. Maybe you enjoy it. Gambling is always good in my book though, and there were plenty of good opportunities in 2012 for that.
Who won? If you can honestly tell me who the horse and/or the jockey was that won I will grant you eternal consciousness on your death bed. Gunga Galunga.
It’s I’ll Have Another riden by Mario Gutierrez.
There is no NHL Hockey being played right now, but there was NHL Hockey in 2011 especially the first part of 2012. The Stanley Cup was actually a lot of fun to watch because it was the Los Angeles Kings just dominating everyone en route to the franchises first ever Cup. Sheer and utter domination. The motto could have been, “Welcome to Thunderdome New Jersey Devils.” Hockey is a dead sport in America. Nobody really cares. It’s fun to watch live, but on television? The sheer fact that in today’s day and age there is a professional organization with this much controversy and lack of respect for its sport, athletes, and teams is disgusting. Nah. Next.
The NBA Championship. It really wasn’t even fun to watch. The hype was immense because of the “OKC” not Oklahoma City, Thunder going up against the Miami Lebrons. Other than the hype of the thing, it was kind of boring. Lebron went off and ended up bringing home his first title. Won Finals MVP. Got his ring and then got scrutinized for celebrating like a little kid. It never ends, does it? Great to see Lebron and all of his successes. It really can’t happen to a better guy. If you think Lebron is a bad person, you need to start researching or at least educating yourself before you jump to conclusions based on few things. If I presented you with his character and didn’t tell you about “The Decision” or his name, you’d be on board. ESPN likes to talk about Lebron though. Who else does ESPN love?
Mandatory Tim Tebow reference.
The U.S. Open was won by Webb Simpson and the “Bird Call Guy” got famous.
The British Open (Open Championship for us golf snots) was won by Ernie Els in incredible come-back fashion. He also didn’t qualify for the Masters for the first time since 1993.
The PGA Championship also happened. 23 year old, younger than me, Rory McIlroy won just shy of $1.5 Million, becoming the youngest player to win multiple Majors since Seve Ballesteros in 1980. Yeah, not even Tiger Woods did that. He’s real fun to watch.
The worthless MLB All-Star game was sandwiched in between all that golf. I forgot about it because I just denied playing due to possible injury. Also, it isn’t played for anything.
What’s that? It is? Oh. That’s F***ing stupid.
The final event of the year that mattered was the MLB World Series. Wow, what a series. I said that NHL Finals were dominant, right? The San Francisco Giants put a whole new definition on the term. Buster Posey is the most VALUABLE player to HIS team and Bruce Bochy is extremely underrated. The big events year ended with the Bay Bombers (it’s ironic because they hit the least amount of HR’s in the league at 108. Yeah, I’m clever, I know.) winning its 2nd World Series in 3 seasons. That’s like Yankee type stuff. Pretty damn cool.
I’d be remiss to not mention the magical season that Miguel Cabrera had in Detroit, being crowned the AL MVP after winning the first Batting Triple Crown since 1967 when Carl Yastrzemski did it. Miggy did that and still almost lost the MVP. What? Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had arguably the most dominant season a rookie has ever had, locking up ROY in June essentially. Amazing.
Oh yeah, Johnny (Football) Manziel from Texas A&M became the first freshman to EVER win the Heisman Trophy. He beat out a poor man’s Tebow and a defensive player. Great Heisman Class. The award is a joke.
There were also some other important stories in the year of 2012. I have decided to rank the top 10. Just for funsies. Funsies? Yeah, funsies.
12. Arkansas Head Football Coaching Conundrum: SNAFU is a military acronym meaning “Situation Normal: All F***ed Up” To say that the Arkansas Football Head Coaching position was anything but would be blatant disregard for facts. Let’s start at the beginning. Shady Coach Bobby Petrino got into a motorcycle accident in April where he was with former Razorback volleyball player Jessica Dorral, who was on the staff as student-athlete development coordinator for the football team. Bulls*** position. He was banging her. Petrino got fired. The Razorbacks hired a dandy in John L. Smith. Smith was coaching at Weber State, but had been a special teams coordinator at Arkansas in the past. Apaprently, Smith was in a little debt. Debt to the tune of $25.7 to $40 MILLION. Moron. Then in the Fall of 2012, the Razorbacks told Smith he would not be retained, but could remain with the program until February when he contract ran out. In shocking news to many, the Arkansas job was enticing enough to draw Bret Bielema away from Wisconsin. Lot’s more to this story, but in essence it was a good fit. Bielema had maxed out at Wisconsin and the new challenge (SEC, Big Market) will be good for him.
11. Major League Baseball Blockbuster Trades/Miami Marlins Fire-Sale: For some reason teams in MLB believe that “Super” teams can be built and not developed. Thanks Yankees. Two of the biggest blockbuster deals to ever come across the wire in MLB happened in 2012. The initial trade was Miami dishing 2B Omar Infante and SP Anibal Sanchez to Detroit. The second was mid-season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins. It was the second of the four that has essentially depleted the Marlins, built “super” teams in LA and Toronto, and changed the landscape of the league. The Dodgers traded SS/3B Hanley Ramirez to LA. Then LA, under new ownership anchored by dolla bills and Magic Johnson went out and worked out a deal with Boston. The Red Sox sent Sp Josh Beckett, OF Carl Crawford, and 1B Adrian Gonzalez out West to LA for James Loney and 4 minor leaguers, as well as Nick Punto. Essentially the Dodgers took on a quarter of a BILLION DOLLARS. Wow. The trading wasn’t done. The Marlins fire-sale continued, sending EVERYONE else making any money north of the border to Toronto. SS Jose Reyes, SP Mark Buerhle, SP Josh Johnson, C John Buck, and OF Emilio Bonfacio to Toronto for IFs Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hachevarria, and pitchers Henderson Alvarez, Anthony DeSclafani, and Justin Nicolino, as well as C Jeff Mathis and OF Jake Marisnick. Huge trades. The end result? The Dodgers missed the Playoffs (I mean Postseason, but I’m being an ass) and the Blue Jays jury is still out. Crazy.
10. Jovan Belcher Brutally Murdered his Girlfriend and Committed Suicide: Jovan Belcher is a coward. There, I got that out of the way. Mental issues are nothing to joke about and it’s very apparent that Belcher was dealing with some. Saturday December 1, 2012 Belcher shot his girlfriend, Kassandra Perkins, to death, and drove to the Kansas City Chiefs facilities, where he had worked very hard over the past few seasons to become a stable of their defense. Belcher then pulled a gun out in front of head coach Romeo Crennel and General Manager Scott Pioli after thanking them for all they had done for him. He shot himself and died later in the hospital. He and Kassandra were survived by their 3 month old daughter. Disgusting.
9. Linsanity: The Story of Jeremy Lin: Only 7 foot 5 Asians can play Lin the NBA, right? Nope. Jeremy Lin, Harvard grad, un-drafted free agent and D Lineague player sparked a Linsanity Lin America. Lin came Lin to new York to play for the Knicks after being signed as a back-up. Linjuries occured and he was thrust Lin to the line-up and he sparkled. He led the Knicks to a 7 game Linning streak and was a massive story due to his background, roots, and frankly his race. After the 2011-2012 season concluded, he became a hot commodity. The Knicks were unable to retain him and he ended up signing a huge 3 year deal worth $25 MiLINion with the Houston Rockets, where he was later joined by budding young star James Harden to make an explosive front-court. ESPN the Magazine had a great article in it’s “Interview Issue” earlier this year.
8. Rafael Nadal Wins Record 7th French Open: I am the opposite of a Tennis fan, and most people can tell that, but what Rafael Nadal has done on the red clay this year is unprecedented. He beat Novak Djokovic in 4 sets over a span of 2 days due to rain and poor weather. The moment after the victory, seeing him sprint up the stands to hug his family and coach is heart-warming to say the least.
7. Three Perfect Games in Major League Baseball: The first of the three Perfectos this year was the Chicago White Sox SP Philip Humber. Humber tossed the 21st Perfect Game in the history of the league April 21st Seattle Mariners where he recorded 9 strike-outs. The second of the season was at the time, highest paid right handed pitcher in the history of the game. Matt Cain made 14 players whiff en route to the first perfecto in San Francisco Giants History and the 22nd ever. The final feat was accomplished in mid August where “King” Felix Hernandez got 12 swing-and-miss outs, recording the 23rd ever in a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. It ranks among one of the most eventful pitching seasons in the history of MLB.
6. NCAA Board Approves 4 Team NCCAF Playoff Starting in 2014: The BCS has been criticized without end for the past 14 years since its inception. Everyone wanted change. Change is coming. The NCAA approved a 4 team Playoff to begin in 2014. Many analysts believe that this is simply a stepping stone to adjust and move toward a larger Playoff. Not a whole lot to comment on it now, because it hasn’t been seen in action. Should be interesting.
5. Tennessee Lady Volunteers Head Coach Pat Summitt Steps Down: There has hardly been a more dominant coach in sports anywhere as Pat Summitt was at Tennessee. After coaching in Knoxville for 38 seasons Summitt was forced to step down as the Head Coach due to early-onset dementia/Alzheimers at the age of 59. Summitt’s accomplishments include being the winningest college coach of all time with a 1098-208 record with an amazing 16 Conference Titles, and 8 National Titles. She was inducted into the Hall-Of-Fame in 2000 and won National Coach of the Year 7 separate times. Truly an amazing woman and well deserving of the Naismith Coach of the 20th Century.
4. NFL Replacement Referees: For some reason there’s this misconception that referee don’t matter and that they shouldn’t be well compensated for keeping the products that we know and love (especially the NFL) performing at a high level. This misconception was nixed to a degree in 2012 when the Referees Union went on strike. No Ed Hochuli. No Mike Carey. No “Real” Refs. People didn’t think it would be a big deal. It was.
You can watch the video over and over and over once more, and you can pick it apart. First off, NOBODY is ever called for Offensive Pass Interference on a Hail Mary as time expires. So there’s that, but it’s blatantly obvious that in this case, Golden Tate doesn’t have the ball. This call decided the game. It was the wrong call. The “real” refs are back and Ed Hochuli did not take the time off lightly, keeping in great shape. I wasn’t disappointed.
3. Bounty Gate Many would say that the replace refs story was a bigger one than bounty gate. I wholeheartedly disagree. Bounty Gate has plagued the NFL and it’s reputation throughout the entire year of 2012. The gist of things is that allegedly the New Orleans Saints had implemented a system to reward players monetarily for injuring and taking key players out of games. NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell had plenty of egg on his face during the replacement ref debacle, but this was just plainly mis-managed. At first it seemed cut and dry for him to suspend the players involved. Saints Head Coach Sean Payton was suspended without contact for the entire 2012-2013 season and players were suspended. Then they weren’t. Then they were. Then they were appealing. Then former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped in and overturned the suspensions. What? Yeah, I don’t know either.
2.. Lance Armstrong Stripped of all 7 Tour De France Medals & Banned for Life: Lance Armstrong has been one of, if not the most dominant athlete in recent memory of any sport. His story is amazing because he not only overcame cancer, but he beat it to a pulp, then continued to dominant his sport. I wonder why? He was doping. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency outed Lance as a doper and the UCI stripped his medals, banning him from cycling for life in the process. Not only did this shatter the world of sports because of how impactful Lance Armstrong had been off of the bike with the “Livestrong” initiative, but it essentially ruined all of the progress in the cycling community that he had helped pioneer. It’s pretty revealing about our society as a whole really. It’s the perfect example of Ad Hominem and that sucks. It just sucks.
1. Penn State/Jerry Sandusky Tragedy: I call this a tragedy because at this point, that’s what it is. It is arguably (I wouldn’t argue against it) the most disappointing sports story in years. Probably the most gut-wrenching thing to happen in sports in my 24 years and some change of existence. If you’re unfamiliar with the tragedy you’ve been living under a rock. I won’t explain it here because it sickens me to even bring up the gross acts of Jerry Sandusky and the awful propensity of an organization, namely a State University, to cover it up due to financial reasons and to protect the prestige of a man (Penn State Head Football Coach and all-time winningest coach, Joe Paterno) and football team. It’s pitiful. Simply pitiful.
The actual penalty is one that Penn State didn’t feel as hard in 2012 as it will feel over the next 3-4 years. Essentially the program faces a 4 year bowl ban including the loss of 10 initial, 20 eventual scholarships each year. All wins since 1998 have been vacated and the University is ultimately losing $60 Million. One of the most “heart-warming” stories about the whole scandal was seeing a lot of student-athletes (Not all), stay the course and remain on the team at Penn State. After the sanctions, Bill O’Brien won the National Coach of the Year, and it was well deserved. Good can always come out of bad, but don’t be surprised to see PSU dip tremendously in the wake of the tragedy that was Jerry Sandusky.
2012 was fun. Now it’s time to pack up the year and move on to 2013. While moving into 2013 I would like to conclude this (seemingly endless) post by making some (Bold) Predictions for 2013. Here we go, and thanks for reading.
Predictions:
1. Alabama will win the National Title Game in NCAA Football, but it will be much closer than everyone thinks over Notre Dame. 24-21. Book it.
2. The Seattle Seahawks are the 2011-2012 San Francisco 49ers of 2012-2013, but better and will play in the Super Bowl.
3. Chip Kelly will leave Oregon in shambles and Phil Knight’s little baby will be calling him for more $$$
4. Tiger Woods will win the Masters.
5. NHL Hockey will remain locked out, until the 2013-2012 season and nobody will REALLY care.
6. A B1G team will win the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000 when Izzo’s Spartans did it.
7. Roger Goodell & Bud Selig & David Stern will continue to piss fans off.
8. ESPN will keep talking about Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow will continue fooling himself into thinking that he’s an NFL caliber QB. Skip Bayless will cry when Tebow gets cut or is forced to change positions.
9. Kirk Ferentz will continue to be the most over-paid coach in the entire sporting landscape and I will still be okay with it. There you go Hawkeye fans.
10. Your 2013 Champions will be:
-Super Bowl: Denver Broncos over Seattle Seahawks 35-27
-The NFL MVP will be Peyton Manning
-NCAA Football Championship: Alabama Crimson Tide over Notre Dame Fighting Irish 24-21
-Masters Champion: Tiger Woods over Rory McIlroy by 2 strokes
-NCAA Basketball Championship: Indiana Hoosiers over San Diego State Aztecs (That’s Bold, I know)
-The Naismith Player of the Year will be Doug McDermott from Creighton or Mason Plumlee from Duke
-The NBA Finals Championship: Miami Heat over Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3 games
-The NBA MVP will be Lebron James
-The World Series Champion: Detroit Tigers over Cincinnati Reds 4-2 games
-The MLB MVP: Joey Votto-CIN (NL) & Miguel Cabrera-DET (AL)
-The MLB Cy Young: Johnny Cueto-CIN (NL) & Jared Weaver-LAA (AL)
There you have it. Have a Happy New Year and I’ll see ya on the other side.