Kuzul

November is upon us and we have entered into that time of year when all sports fans turn there attention to the NFL, college football and the start of college basketball. With that said, it is still time to announce the end of the year MLB awards.

It will be interesting to see which players come away with this years awards. The race is extremely tight in the American League, where there are four candidates who have a legitimate shot at winning the award. While in the National League, it will be a foot race between three sluggers.

In the AL, the race is between; Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton, Jose Bautista and Miguel Cabrera. All four of these players had very strong statistical seasons in many areas of the game. When it comes to MVP awards, a non playoff team member should never win over a playoff team participant. Therefore, the AL race is between Cano and Hammy.

Both of these players had very nice seasons while helping to lead their teams into this years playoffs. With over .300 batting averages and nice doses of power, each hitter was able to get the job done at the plate.

Hamilton missed almost all of September and because of this, definitely lost some stat numbers. This may have a small effect on some of the votes. Since Cano is a second baseman he will also get some extra votes do to his position.

When it is all said and done, I believe Josh Hamilton will come away as the 2010 AL MVP. His .352 average is just straight remarkable and this will be the difference maker when it comes to the voters.

In the National League, the race will also be a close one. Albert Pujols and Joey Votto will be the top two finishers, with Carlos Gonzalez finishing in third place.

My playoff rule is in effect here once again as Votto is the only player of the group who helped lead his team into this years playoffs. However, when it comes to statistics, Votto is also better then the rest.

All three, hit over 30 home runs, scored over 100 runs and drove in over 100 while batting above .300. When it comes to the deeper statistics, Votto was on a whole new level. With his .600 slugging percentage and his .424 OBP he clearly proved to the world that he deserves this years coveted award.

The MVP awards will be announced to the public next week and all baseball fans should look for Josh Hamilton and Joey Votto to come away as the recipients.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If you have been following the Yankees young 2010 offseason, or have even just been keeping up with NY sports in general, you know there are basically only two topics worth discussing. The first and most obvious is how badly the Yanks want to get free agent pitcher Cliff Lee. That’s a no-brainer though and with Lee the Yankees will have an unstoppable rotation.

The other topic has been Derek Jeter. When will the front office fire an offer? How much will they give him? How long will the contract be? And most importantly, for how many more seasons will DJ be the Yankees starting shortstop?

So after yesterday, camp Jeter now has another argument to work with now that he’s locked down another Gold Glove. In my mind 2011 will be no different than any other year. Your boy is going to bat either No. 1 or No. 2, he’s going to be the starting SS and he will most certainly be twirling out commercials that make you want to do all things Jeter related.

If Jeter endorses it, I want it.

He’s got the touch, the golden ticket, and the sexiest fiancée on Earth. Give the man a lifetime deal. I never want this guy to go anywhere.

Jeter winning the Gold Glove has been garnering a lot of controversy these days. If you’re rating it simply on errors, fielding percentage and intangibles then Jeter winning this is a layup. He made six errors, had a .989 fielding percentage and still turned the double play ball as good as anyone in baseball.

However, others will argue his diminished range disabled him from getting to a lot of balls that might have relieved him of a number of errors as a result. Not to mention Cano and Tex, both easily the best defenders at their position in 2010 hands down, may have contributed to Jeter’s almost flawless season at short.

But numbers are numbers. Screw the intangibles, and forget all the theories. Jeter has an ageless Gold Glove that will never leave him. I’m talking about his skills at snagging, and grabbing some of the hottest babes walking the planet. So if they award Jeter a Gold Glove from now until he retires, it’s obviously because he’s receiving praise for catching some real “fireballs” in his day.

With that said, it will be interesting to see what Cashman and the Yankees front office decide to do when it comes time to offer him a contract.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After driving through Canada and across the Michigan border, we finally reached Detroit. I was excited about checking out Comerica Park, as I had heard some great things about the stadium. Before the game started we decided to take a trip to the GM building.

After seeing what the city of Detroit had to offer, we quickly made our way over to the ball park to catch the opening day celebrations. We explored all around the outside area of the stadium and there was so much to see. From massive Tigers to some cool bars, we had a blast. Jets flew over the stadium and Kid Rock was on hand for the opening pitch.

The inside of the stadium is great, its a new park so there is alot to offer. I walked around every area and it seemed like almost every section offered a decent view of the field. All in all they did a wonderful job in the design of the ball park. I am a big fan of stadiums that offer the fan a skyline view, so that was also something nice.

After enjoying opening day at the park, we stopped by the famous American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island before hitting the open road. Both hot dogs were great!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2010 MLB All Star weekend voting deadline is on the horizon. So this morning, I logged onto the Internet and compiled a ballot of my own.

When it comes to fan voting, I have to admit that I am a believer in the system. I obviously hate when a popular player makes the starting lineup who is either having an off year or who has been injured. With that said, it’s nice to have the fans make their case heard and have their players begin the game.

After looking over the ballot, I have selected my players to create what should be the starting lineup for this year’s festivities. My votes are based around what players have done throughout this season at this point in time. I will also compare my votes to the current vote leaders in the respective positions.

American League

Catcher: Joe Mauer

Mauer currently leads the American League in votes at any position. He has had a solid year, is the best catcher in his league, and deserves to be starting behind the plate. Mauer was hurt during the beginning part of the season and has yet to catch up to his stellar pace from last season. With that said, I believe Mauer will heat up and compile another very strong season.

1b: Miguel Cabrera

The Detroit Tigers first baseman is having one of the best years of any player in the league. He hits for a high average and leads the American League in both home runs and RBI’s. With a little luck, Cabrera has a shot at competing for the triple crown. Justin Morneau is the current vote leader and is having a very good year. His numbers are close to Cabrera’s and he does deserve a spot on the AL roster.

2b: Robinson Cano

The second base position is a very obvious selection. At this point in time, Robinson Cano is the best player in the league and the MVP so far. He is hitting above .370 and has really found his power stroke to all places of the field. He is the current leading vote getter at his position and will be the starting 2b for his squad.

3b: Evan Longoria

Another obvious selection is the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman, Evan Longoria. He is having a truly unbelievable year while being able to mix power with speed. He is the face of his franchise and will represent them while in Los Angeles this year. He will win the position and become this year’s third base starter.

SS: Derek Jeter

Jeter currently has the second most votes of any player at any position in the American League. He is having a solid year, and as one of the most popular players in the league, he will become this year’s starter. He deserves this honor, as he is having the most complete year of any player at his position.

Outfield

This is the most difficult decision when it comes to picking the three most deserving players to fill the outfield. The current vote leaders are Ichiro, Carl Crawford, and Nelson Cruz. All three are having stellar years, and Cruz has put together unbelievable numbers considering he has been to the disabled list twice during the season.

However, none of the three leaders get my vote. The best outfielder in the league right now happens to be Vladimir Guerrero. His stats have been completely out of this world, and he is playing like the Vlad of five years ago. He is near the top in almost all of the offensive categories and should be a starter.

My second outfielder happens to come from the same team. Josh Hamilton has turned his play up to a whole new level and has compiled an unbelievable month. He has great stats at this point and is the second best outfielder at this point in time.

My third choice was difficult, as I like both candidates. Crawford and Alex Rios are both having extremely strong seasons. Rios happens to be having a better one. After a few lackluster seasons, Rios has found his place in Chicago and also deserves to be a starting all star.

The voting will end soon, so get out there and vote for the players that most deserve this honor. This year’s All Star weekend should be another fun and eventful time for baseball.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After I finished my work in the office, I hopped on a New York City subway train and headed N orth towards the Bronx.

I was on my way to my first ever New York Yankees game.

I am a recent college graduate who recently relocated to the Big Apple to begin my career. Originally from Boston and being a die hard Red Sox fan, I never really saw the need to drive down to the city to catch a game.

However, now that I am living here and being a huge fan of everything baseball, a trip to the newly established stadium had to be done.

I moved to the city four days ago and had circled the subway series on my calendar as what would be my first game. Last night’s game between the Phillies immediately caught my eye. CC Sabathia vs. Roy Halladay was just too good for me to turn down.

As I exited the train, looking over the Bronx, the first area I noticed was the massive dirt landscape where the old Yankee Stadium used to rest. I then quickly turned my body to the right and saw the brand new stadium. It is a beautiful park from the outside, clean and polished, and the white colored stone really gives it a distinct look. After meeting up with my friend, we entered into enemy territory.

The first level of the stadium is very interesting to me. Massive banners of all the Yankee greats hang from the ceilings, and the area is filled with numerous projection screens. Every fan has endless choices when it comes to appetizers, food, drinks, and even can make the decision to enjoy their meal in one of the stadiums many restaurants.

We quickly made our way to the upper deck level and took our seats. I was looking forward to seeing two of the games best starters go head-to-head against each other.

The game started off much different than I had expected.

With two runners on base during the bottom of the second inning, Brett Gardner smacked a triple to right field, driving in two runs. This would be the start of numerous Yankee runs scored off of the usually dominate Roy Halladay.

When it was all said and done, the Yankees came away with an 8-3 win against the Phillies.

Being from Boston, I love Fenway and think it is an unbelievable park.

With that said, a new and bigger stadium does offer the fan some comforts that Fenway cannot. In these new stadiums, you have more leg and body room and you never need to deal with any obstructions.

However, there is just nothing like Fenway.

I enjoyed what Yankee Stadium had to offer and will admit that it is a nice, top-notch facility. It is just very hard for a Red Sox fan to sit their, surrounded by Yankee fans, and enjoy the game.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing the Red Sox come to town later in the summer. For now, my next stop is Citi Field.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com