Baseball season is half over. The Red-Sox Yankees series later this week will determine if I watch any postseason baseball this year. Time to hand out the Mad Cal Baseball Awards.

The Should have Listened to Cal and Signed Starting Pitching Instead of Benitez Last Year Award: San Francisco Giants. Any of you Giants fans miss Kirk Reuter? I sure don't. Pedro would have won us the division by himself.

Overachieving Team: The Chicago White Sox. In some of my fantasy football leagues, I look at the rosters of some teams and even though my team is loaded with all-stars, I'm at 1-2 while the team with Clinton Portis and Thomas Jones is sitting at 3-0. The ChiSox are the real life baseball version. No idea how they have a better record than the Red Sox or Yankees.

MVPs: David Ortiz and Barry Bonds. Who cares if Big Papi never plays defense? Barry has a streak to keep going. 1 HR per 8 AB's is MVP stuff.

Cy Youngs: Roger Clemens and Mariano Rivera. A sub 2 ERA is incredible. And as much as I hate the Yankees, Rivera is a stud. The Angels' K-Rod might catch up next year.

Erick Dampier Contract Year Performer Award: Adrian Beltre. 80 point drop in batting average and 30 less homers. Just beat out Carlos Beltran for this award.

Bill Clinton "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" Award: Rafael Palmeiro. And some people thought he was a first ballot HOF (I never did). He'd be lucky if Cooperstown let him buy a ticket.

Best Kanye West Impression Award: Milton Bradley, for saying Dodger teammate Jeff Kent "doesn't know how to deal with African-American people." Lucky for Jeff, former teammate Lance Berkman defended him by saying :"J.K. doesn't discriminate against anybody. He ignores Latinos, blacks and whites equally."

Steroids Not Needed Award: Eric Milton. 2 Miltons in a row! Just a sign of how sad the Reds were this year: Milton has an era over 6.60, served up 40 long balls and still made more than 32 starts for them.

I Need Steroids Award: Sammy Sosa. Just sad. And to think this big phony and Mark McGwire 'saved' baseball after the strike year. But let's not talk about the past. (By the way, I hate Donald Fehr.)

Jose Cruz Jr. Flashback Award: JT Snow. All those Gold Gloves, and he makes the error that effectively ends the Giants season.


Good thing hockey starts soon. Need something to fill in the days between football.